I love it! Book art.......

Amy said.....Hedgehog. n. Most awesome sidekick animal ever in the history of the world, bar none. I totally agree but I haven't read the book with the weasel yet!!! :lol: Laughing Cat, Congrats on your Bingo! Mother sweets, Yeah! For 75! Like Matryoshka I have my head down trying to finish books for my alphabet author challenge and Turquoise. Overdrive keeps taking them back so I think my Kindle reader is permanently turned off at least for the next week or so! I started reading an interesting, new to me, cozy series with a Singapore setting by Ovidia Yu. The first in the series is called Aunty Lee's Delights https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349206-aunty-lee-s-delights?ac=1&from_search=true. The main character is a rich old widow lady who runs a restaurant for fun an is an avid busybody. ;). :lol: That sums her up quite well. Lots of interesting bits about Singaporean society. I'm trying to finish my audio book which is the last in the Shades of Magic trilogy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349206-aunty-lee-s-delights?ac=1&from_search=true. Highly recommended! I waited months for this one so I must push on. I would love to be done before starting our The Dark is Rising read along. I think the books are different enough but I like to keep my story lines a bit mor separate.

I finished my audio book The Quants https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8434454-the-quants which ErinE recommended for my kids. I ended up listening to it for the Q and ended up learning quite a bit. The book rather oddly starts at the point I received my degree and started working in accounting. This book is great if you want to know why the financial crisis of 2007\8 happened. I had never understood how the managers let it happen. I now understand how but ........ This book explains it all. My kids kept poking their heads in while I was listening because I skipped my headphones for much of it and asking if it had mentioned different topics they have studied. Their understanding appears to be good. ☺ I also finished another of Gene Doucette's Immortal serieshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31817228-immortal-at-the-edge-of-the-world. Not quite as good as the previous books in the series but enjoyable. I have actually checked the next one out already because I think I still need an I because the one I read has an E. :lol:

Kareni, I managed to track down Future Shock and another by Elizabeth Briggs. I also downloaded the freebie by that author. They look good. I am concentrating on finding books to match British counties today. My search leads me to Kareni's Ivanhoe. Pretty sure it will work for both Yorkshire and Derbyshire if anyone wants to download it for Brit tripping. It was actually written very close to my house while Scott was living at The Boat Inn. A couple of links of possible interest. http://www.conisbroughcastle.org.uk/ivanhoe-sir-walter-scotts-enduring-novel-featuring-conisbrough-castle.html https://lovingthefiftysomething.com/2017/05/10/a-cheeky-little-canal-cruise-to-sprotbrough-and-relax/

As long as it looked and smelled fine no problem. I actually used a can of pumpkin older than that recently, no effects or complaints.

Here is my completed BIngo card. B Prime Number.....The Seventh Miss Hatfield by Anna Caltabiano Flufferton.............Amberwell by DE Stevenson Eastern Europe...The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova Bestseller written in child’s birth year.....The Bear and the Dragon by Tom Clancy Steampunk..........The Boneshaker by Cherie Priest I Science Fiction....Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer Your Name in the Title....A Tan and Sandy Silence by John D. MacDonald Collection of Short Stories.... Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami Seaworthy......Sanibel Flats by Randy Wayne White Middle Ages....The Last Templar by Michael Jenks N Western...........The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt Ancient up to 100AD.....Sarum by Edward Rutherford Free Space......The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry Dystopian.........The Last One by Alexandra Olivia Mystery.............Death of a Ghost by MC Beaton G Translated........Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson Outer Space.....The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Finance.............A $500 House in Detroit by Drew Philip One Word Title.....Home by Harlan Cohen Debut Author........ Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry O Over 500 pages.......By Gaslight by Steven Price Local Author.............Runemarks by Joanne Harris Female Adventure....First ComesLove, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite Classic.......................War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Selected by a Friend......Welcome to Night Vale I have to say thank you for this challenge to Robin. It’s been a challenge, :lol: This card definitely got me out of my comfort zones,

I am not on twitter and really don't plan to be. I bookmarked the blogs and have my fingers crossed that I can continue to look at the twitter questions via their links. I seem to be able to look but not post which is perfect from my perspective. I was thinking one of us could get the daily question and post it here and discuss among ourselves. I would love it if you join us! You must be so excited! I keep wondering what your son is looking forward to most food wise. The boys in our family visited Chickfila before we even left the airport on this last trip. The girls had Panda but not with the same enthusiasm, we were just hungry. ;) Popeye's is a craving for members of my family also. I miss Taco Bell but there is now one open in England near me, just not convenient, so I no longer get to complain. Book question for all.......Has anyone read Georgette Heyer's mysteries? There appear to be 12 and they are a new addition to my overdrive. They are in her Manor House Mystery collection per overdrive so I am hoping they will work well for Brit tripping. I put a hold on the first one, Footsteps in the Dark.

The important thing is the surgery went well but I am sorry you missed your event. :group hug: Prayng for clean margins.

I'm off the holds list but haven't had a chance to start it yet. I hope you enjoy the Invisible Library. That series is a favorite, I think there is a new one releasing in early 2018. I have several books on Overdrive that are returning themselves in the next few days. Since they were all checked out for specific challenges I need to get them read if possible, soon. While I can keep the devices off the WiFi I prefer not to for long. I'm currently reading Meg Gardiner's UNSUB for one of the U's. I really enjoyed her Eve Delaneyhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22030691-midsummer-moon series many years ago so was hoping this book would be a treat. I think my reading habit's may be more the problem than the book which is all about the search for a serial killer. I seem to have moved away from from that type of thriller. It's well done but I don't think I'm flipping the pages at quite my previous speed! ;)

Jan, I am so sorry for your loss. My sympathies to you and your family. I have to add that I am another person who no longer wants Christmas lights along my roof. :grouphug:

I hope you are doing well today and are able to use your tickets!

I can start reading whenever you want but probably should wait until after this weekend to really dive in. It looks like there will be a question posted each day on twitter starting the 20th which might make starting our discussion on the 20th fun. I couldn't find a reading schedule, is there one?

:lol: LoF, I remember liking The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. As for The Women in the Castle I am not sure book form would have helped totally because I remember the last third of the book being a bit sporadic. I really enjoyed the first part of the book but the ending wasn't what I was hoping for. I picked up on the German cemetery politics also. In England an archeology consult is just called in anytime there is something involving a churchyard I think. Very confusing because the gravestones just get moved around over the centuries. Recently a local church discovered that it had empty ground where they had many really old tombstones which was a bit odd because it is usually the opposite problem. About a month ago Kareni helped me find a book with a hedgehog for a character. It is a historical romance by Laura Kinsale called Midsummer Moonhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22030691-midsummer-moon. The storyline could have been less confusing but the hedgehog was adorable. An extra star for the hedgehog! It lived in the main character's apron pocket and loved sunflower seeds. Totally possible from my new research involving pet hedgehogs. ;). I think I will continue to hope for hoglets in my yard this summer because the scene where the hedgehog was scared and his quills got stuck in someone's hand pretty much ended the hedgehog as a pet idea for me. Observation of wild hedgehogs sounds much easier and safer!

I have been trying to sort out the different categories of paranormal, fantasy romance, urban fantasy, myself. I'm definitely not an expert but here is what I think they are. Paranormal romances generally have vampires and were something's. Generally in the real world but always have a romance. Lots of romance. Urban fantasy is in the real world setting but does not necessarily have the huge romance scenes. More apt to have other paranormal creatures as characters. Fairies are common. Generally fighting a common enemy. Fantasy romances contain magic not necessarily creatures. Mages, witches, maybe a fairy. The world is not real. I haven't read this series but enjoy the author's time travel books https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50715.Star_of_the_Morning. This apparently has a dragon. :) I hope this helps. I would be interested in more clarity between the genres if anyone else wants to add anything I would love it. Eta.....I missed Robin's explanation. Sorry.

Great news! I am so glad the stress is over. I just checked the audio book out. This series was one I read aloud at the end of our read aloud history. At that stage I couldn't read quickly enough and the dc's kept stealing my books from me! No idea if I finished it or not but it might vbe nice to have someone read it to me! I doubt that I'm ready for twitter, maybe we can discuss a bit here? I just finished Dan Brown's Origin https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32283133-origin. It was fast paced and not bad. The thing is it wasn't really up to his standard either IMO. Last night I put the books I have sourced (library etc) for a reading around Europe in 2018 out on a Goodreads shelf. I even managed Sardinia! :lol: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51042385-mumtotwo?shelf=europe I think that takes you there if anyone wants to browse.

Praying

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I'm curious, what series? I hope your phone call goes well! Kathy, :lol: Totally agree Italian food is so good it can be eaten over and over again. Generally I just repeat everything as is, except meat which I chop up and stir fry with noodles and veg. My kids have eaten lots of odd lo mein combos during their life! I guess I turn things into Chinese spaghetti when in doubt. :lol: Ironing sheets, I have never read the book but all I can think of is something weird I have learned in recent years. I have many South African friends and friends whose parent's spent years in South Africa. The one thing all those people have in common in guilt that they don't iron everything. They all grew up with their underwear ironed even, which is apparently nicer, so they feel bad their kids don't receive the same level of care ;). Now, for the why.......insect larva from being dried on a line outside......I was going to say pegged out but edited. ;) Ironing kills it. Yuk!!! I normally leave our bed open while eating breakfast and make it after. It is nicer.

:grouphug: Praying

Robin's food topic is highly appropriate with regards to my weekend because I have a cold and have spent a great deal of time reading magazine's on my iPod from the library. Lot's of Taste of Home magazines which are my favorites. I continued to subscribe to for years at my mom's house. I am also caught up on celebrity gossip and Christmas decorating ideas! I'm glad I figured out how because it's been an entertaining thing to do while a bit fuzzy from benadril. I finished my Bingo card with A Tan and Sandy Silence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/267763.A_Tan_and_Sandy_Silence by John MacDonald. I have been avoiding this book all year and it was far better than I expected but it was dated. No where near as good a Lee Child's Reacher. I would read another in the series if it happened to fit a challenge. I doubt that I will just read them for pleasure because I have too many other books on my lists. :). At some point this week I will post my Bingo card books. I also finished the latest Agatha Raison cozy. The Witches Tree was a good outing with a favorite detective. I have to say that after several books in the series where it was hard to read about someone my age (she is 54 in this book) being that desperate for well, everything. It was nice to see her calm down a bit a not be so man crazy and jealous. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33602096-the-witches-tree Currently reading The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal and Origin by Dan Brown. I have both The Quants and A Conjuring of Light on audio but haven't really listened to either. Year One on hold so am curious about Robin's opinion. I need to try Keri Arthur. The Women of the Castle was an interesting read. I am waiting to see what Kathy and Zebra think of it. I read it very close to Thee Zookeeper's Wife.

I freeze on serving trays I bought at IKEA with an extra tight wrap of cling film. I might remove the cling film and put fresh on to take to my event but other than that they are ready to go. I only freeze plain cookies so nothing cream filled. Things like mince pies freeze fine. Cut brownies, lemon bars, etc are fine arranged on trays. If the event is more than two days out I freeze. Eta.....I freeze Lemon Drizzle Bars https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemon_drizzle_traybake_01890 not the lemon bars those in the US would be thinking of. Sorry!

Raifta, I can't like your post but am sending lots of hugs. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Zebra, No Netflix at our house. We probably wouldn't have Amazon Prime if dh didn't want his stuff instantly! We still buy DVDs. ;) I am actually not a huge fan of the HP movies because the books are so much better! Eta.....I was posting at the same time as ErinE. Liking in support is fine with me. Actually that's what I normally do!

I read this question and had to wonder about myself this year. I really don't think I have gotten to know anybody new. Of course I have been introduced to new people but I haven't bothered to really get to know any of them. That is so not like me but I haven't really been feeling like me. One of next year's goals is to make a new friend.

Harry Potter for me too! The dc's read the Lemony Snicket books but did not care for the movie. I didn't watch. ;)

Jenn, Thanks for letting us know you are safe.