Thank you for the thought but I can get the book from Overdrive if I decide to give up on the audio. I think I 'm 11 hours into it now and really want to conquer it. I loved many of the Jack Ryan movies especially Hunt for Red October. I think I may like these stories better condensed in movie form with a handsome man or two! I just looked and I also have books on my fire. 📚📙📘📗📔📕📑. I had no idea!

The only reason for trying this is because the majority of best seller's for my dc's birth years are technically rereads for me, lots of James Patterson, John Grisham and Harry Potter. This was the new to me author. I thought audio would be easier because I normally am pleasantly surprised by the audio and manage to read many things this way that I never would otherwise. My fil loved Tom Clancy so I thought I would try and probably like. I now know why it took him 3 months to read a book!

I've decided that I will doubt I will ever choose to read Tom Clancy again. I've been listening forever and am so bored. I'm actually listening to The Bear and the "Dragon" not Nightingale which I think I originally posted. A best seller from one of the kids birth years. Only 35 hours to go, yawn. It's fine because I am really having to concentrate on my quilt. I have already requested it next on dh's library card. Wondering if I need to use one of the dc's cards for another hold. I hope I can get this done within a month!

During the night I finished Charming https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333338-charming by Elliott James. This appears to be a great new paranormal series. I'm looking forward to reading more. For lack of a better way to describe it there is an interesting mix of mythologies rather like the Iron Druid series which I am finding pretty appealing. I plan to read the next one just as soon as I deal with my bulging stack problem and all the pesky things like laundry, feeding my family, and that silly quilt and craft show where I promised "a few new quilts" before I hit a spell where I just kept starting new things. Many new things both knitted and fabric with a bit of crochet thrown in.......I have some where I can't even really remember the plan was. Nothing is done. Today's rant is over.

Guilty for both Brandy and Barry Manilow. Eta I actually did that typo all on my own. I'm obsessing over my quilts so guilt now starts with a q in my vocabulary. I will feel so much better when I have one done. I am really worried I won't have a single one done for the show.

I loved Station Eleven which was a huge surprise. Enjoy! I'm not sure I am going to enjoy it but my latest plan for Emerald is Donald Westlake's The Hot Rock which has a bonus of being the first book in a series recommended on a recent WtM thread.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/596576.The_Hot_Rock

Cold Reign is a book I recently downloaded from my Overdrive. I'm looking forward to it now that I've read Robin's comments. I was feeling a bit meh about it because I love the Soulwood books. At this moment I much prefer the Soulwood characters to those found in the original series. I have been trying to read the first in a new to me series which starts with Charming https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333338-charming?from_search=true. So far I am loving it, unique characters. So far it has a Knight (Templars) and a Valkyrie. Five stars for a unique paranormal :lol: I need to read beyond chapter 3 to really know if the story is any good! I thought I quoted Jane's questions but apparently I didn't. So I am attempting something that I probably shouldn't. And what about Elliott Templeton? I like how Maugham doesn't judge the man but lets the reader form her own thoughts. I stopped at the end of Part 2, no reading ahead this week. I like Elliot at this stage but suspect there is something decidedly dodgy there. It doesn't quite add up! Regarding Larry, I do think it is ptsd.

I can remember if I mentioned it or not but I have started reading the new Murakami. So far just the first story which I enjoyed.....I don't think I managed to read or listen to a single page all day! The plan is to read parts 1 and 2 of Razor's Edge before the new thread tomorrow! VC, I hope your migration journey is a smooth one. Ethel, :grouphug: on packing and moving. It's so much work and so very easy to achieve an incredible amount of clutter. We spent some time yesterday and today cleaning the garage in case of an eventual looming move.

I feel the need to go look at shampoo now. I like to keep things pretty basic and actually use a brand called Simple so this will be an experience!

I just want to say while it's definitely not for every kid I wouldn't rule out three exams in one sitting just because people don't recommend it. Dd did do 3 exams on 3 occasions. One time was a retake because UPS lost her exams (all the schools tests) so really twice score wise. Ds did two back to back once....both math. We were applying to British University so all those scores really were useful. No regrets. Dd did her hardest one first, her definition was more along the one where being fresh might give a higher score(Math 1 because of the need for perfection the first time and Latin the next times). Then did what she considered to be a palette cleanser (French first time, Lit the next). Went on to the third exams. She did get an incredible score on one of her third exams so it can be done. The other third exam came back with the score we anticipated so she doesn't feel like she made a mistake taking three in a day. Because of our long drive time she just wanted to be done. Also some language exams have fewer test dates which was also part of dd's situation. One thing to remember is another exam can be added on the day. If your dc feels ready he just takes the second or third and is billed later. This won't work for a language with listening but I believe all the other exams are in their booklets. My kids say it could be done easily. You can also skip taking one you signed up for if you aren't feeling ready on the day. You pick your order when you sit down. Because my dc's were taking 2 of the exams together but in different orders the Procter just sent them on separate bathroom breaks....they were the only ones testing that day.

Somewhere on one of many lists I saw The Safest Lies https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26192557-the-safest-lies and requested it. It was apparently YA so for a thriller telling a really violent tale it was mild in terms of description. The main character was homeschooled until high school. It's one of those could have been worse home ed portrayals....she was well educated at least, disaster of a home life but she was safe until she wasn't. This is my L for Emerald. I also finished my D with Pushing up Daisies, the new Agatha Raisin, which was decidedly blah. I have started quilting with my September quilt show in mind. I have 5 partially complete quilts which I am hoping to finish so I am back to audio books. Decided to listen to all 43+ hours of Tom Clancy's The Bear and the Nightingale which works for the Bestseller in child's birth year square. I have never read or listened to Tom Clancy. I have seen some of the Jack Ryan movies. Only 40 hours to go! :lol:

Home again, I managed to finish most of two books in route. The fourth Jack Reacher Running Blind was good but was a hole filled so I knew who the killer was pretty early imo. I only gave it 4 stars. I loved The Turn by Kim Harrison https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29277157-the-turn. I am so looking forward to my reread of that series! Like Mom Ninja you guys are making me consider reading True Grit. I really have been looking forward to The Brothers Sisters. Decisions.........

I just started reading Murikami's just released Men without women https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33652490-men-without-women?ac=1&from_search=true. Love it, unfortunately I need to stream it and that will be difficult for the next couple days.

Beautiful!!!

Recently someone (maybe Noseinabook) posted that they had read the recently released prequel to Kim Harrison's The Hollows series which I have enjoyed a few of. It's one of those series I need to go back and start fresh because I have absolutely no idea which ones I actually read. So I requested the prequel thinking it was a novella. I just went to read a few pages and noticed a 4 digit number starting with a 7 on the bottom of my kindle. Just looked at Goodreads and it's a 450 page book. Eek! Will see how it goes......

I now have a copy of Razor's Edge and will start reading when I have some peaceful moments. I finished The Lost Book of the Grail https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30422489-the-lost-book-of-the-grail. I ended up giving it five stars because it was great. While I was reading it I kept thinking how much many of my BaW friends would have enjoyed it for 2016 Bingo which had an Arthurian square. It was a hard one for many and I did not enjoy what I read for it! I gave in and simply put new holds on a few of my soon to expire books. I need fluffy for the next few days because I am constantly going to be interrupted. It's amazing how much better I feel for admitting that! The Razors Edge can be my needs concentration book. Since it appears to be lots of small chapters it's perfect! :)

So cute! Glad he is enjoying his books! My lost kindle was recently in the car. It fell off the center area and was on the floor in the backseat....similar colour to the floor. My kindles also seem to sit on the microwave frequently...first out of the way spot as I dash in to the kitchen to save something that I forgot about!

UK no toilet issues. No paper seat covers. Generally clean an plentiful. They may flush funny but my kids used to think American toilets were weird. ;) Belgium, Holland, Germany, you may pay to go. The good thing about paying is the toilets are freshly cleaned just for you. France, we send the boys first and get a report. Generally museums and chain restaurants are fine. Sometimes no seat but fine if you really have to. We try to plan to return to the hotel midday for a bathroom break. There are holes but generally rural. We have only encountered one once. I plan carefully. My Alaska trip with the great fare was decades ago. I was trying to point out what a three night trip actually looked like from personal experience. I'm sorry if I confused things. For Europe play with your date combinations. Make sure you aren't planning to go over typical holiday times in both countries for lowest fares. August is bad in general for cheap fares. End of May, mid October, end of February, are frequently school breaks in UK most years. We aim for non Saturday departures. Icelandair might be perfect for you because you have to land in Iceland. It's easy to spend a day or two there without extra airfare with them. Remember flying to Europe does not necessarily mean flying all night according to your body clock. For instance a 6 pm direct flight from the east coast to anyplace UK will take roughly 8hours. You actually arrive around 2am est. You are far better off if you manage to sleep or rest for a couple of hours but in general flying east is easier than west adjustment wise. imo. By forcing yourself to keep going the first day your body generally adjusts pretty well. You might be going to bed a bit early but that's easier than being ready to go at 4am!

Dh and I actually took his dad to Anchorage for 3 nights from the midwest when we were first married. The 3 day part had to do with an incredible fare sale combined with the airline was giving quadruple miles for those flights. We went for it. It was a whirlwind of a trip. We drove up to Denali one day then south to a glacier the next. We saw a moose and a whale along with some sheep. Visited a reindeer farm and also saw muskox. Someplace along the way we found a giant cabbage for his dad to look at....it became rather essential somehow. ;) That pretty much sums it up. We did have fun. I had my lists and managed to successfully check things off. I got really lucky! We had friends who were on an Alaskan cruise the same week we went. I felt like we had had a pretty great trip until I talked to them. They saw everything we did multiplied hugely and so much more. I will admit to being jealous but I did have an incredible number of airmiles which made me happy. I don't think I would have wanted to add a quick coast of California onto my trip with a long drive home. We were tired after our Alaskan marathon trip!

Jane, Thank you for the wonderful start to The Razor's Edge. I definitely haven't read the latest Nevada Barr because I remember it being taken back by Overdrive. It's likely I have missed a couple of other recent ones also. As you so aptly put it they are something I will read if it is available but not hugely enamoured by. Some have definitely been better than others, so a bit uneven. I particularly enjoyed Winter Study for it's setting and suspect you might enjoy that aspect of it also. .https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2039223.Winter_Study

As I posted last week I think I will receive my copy of Razor's Edge on Wednesday. This is going to be a busy week with lots of travel so I will hopefully have plenty of time to read after I receive it. I am fairly close to finishing The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett. Loving it so far. I wish it was a true story not fiction. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30422489-the-lost-book-of-the-grail From there I need to at least try The Women of the Castle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30653967-the-women-in-the-castle before Overdrive snatches it away tomorrow. I do have it safely on my reader with the wifi off if I decide to finish it. It sounds amazing but it also sounds like a book that I could be pretty irritated with if ......well, this list is potentially long. :lol: So I plan to try it while I have it! I have a stack of fun historical romances and the next Lee Child's Reacher for mindless entertainment. ;)

As a volunteer in the local library I watched those books being checked out by people of every description and shrugged my shoulders. I finally gave up and tried the first one a few months ago. Great fun but very hard to put down! :) I totally get the appeal. Since then I pretty much always have the next one on hold. These books are popular and the waits are long.

Her books look lovely. I plan to try one soon! Any favourites I should look for?

I'm still waiting for The Razor's Edge to arrive in my Overdrive account. I think my hold went on it on the 18th so I guessing I will get it on the 9th at this point. Another interesting Overdrive side note regarding purchase requests. Two of mine have now been purchased. Yeah! For each I indicated that I wanted them automatically checked out or put on hold. For each I have ended up fourth in the queue. For one I really think my request should have been pretty early in the process so I'm wondering if it's alphabetical by all requests. I'm at the end of the alphabet so fourth sounds about right. Maybe it takes four requests to buy? Who knows! Thanks to home ed my kids never knew what a pain a name at the end could be....they have had some surprisingly long waits recently. :lol:

[quote name="Garga" post="7579014" timestamp="1493951 If I'm not reading romance fluff, then I like action fluff. I've been reading through everything by Patrick Lee lately. Fun. And I like to read stuff by Harlan Coben. I have never heard of Patrick Lee, which series is your favourite? Love Harlan Coben Stephanie Plum is a great escape. I like Janet Evonovich's old romance novels too. I just requested Dortmunder's first book, Hot Rocks, it's about an Emerald theft which means I have finally found an Emerald book for one of Robin's challenges over on Book a Week. :) Thank you! Jude Deveraux is a favourite of mine too! I just discovered my Overdrive has Harliquin series in groups of 4 to check out, Silhouettes too. I grew up on these. The old Nora Robert's are the best. I've been rereading the MacGregor series lately. So good.....