Stacia, A couple of ideas for your sister. I loved The Dinosaur Feather by Gazen https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-dinosaur-feather-by-sj-gazan-is-a-weird-and-ingenious-new-mystery/2013/12/08/e87599e6-5c21-11e3-be07-006c776266ed_story.html?utm_term=.84e7584e85c1. Perhaps more mainstream authors might be better. I read the first couple by SJ Bolton and had to quit (intense and violent). It's a series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12778381-now-you-see-me. This series by Chelsea Cain is another one I needed to quit. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2655716-heartsick But the me who used to read a lot of graphic police procedural/thriller would have loved both series. Eta....I read your post late in the night and I think my memory failed, I should have looked again before writing. I think now you meant actual cults etc not fictional. Anyway I will leave my ideas for intense thrillers in case anyone else needs them. The Dino Feather was just plain good. Danish translation. I've read the sequel.

I finished my official foodie read although all those instant pot blogs should count for something! :) The City Baker's Guide to Coutry Living was simply a book not a cookbook. Only a very few recipes and lots of thoughts on the perfect apple pie! It was a nice novel about a young woman who happens to be a successful pastry chef leaving her big city job under great stress and finds herself working at a B and B/ restaurant near her best friend. It was foodie enough to make me hungry but not enough to send me to the grocery store! Enjoyable.......https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28110139-the-city-baker-s-guide-to-country-living Nan, I hope your arm gets better soon!

Moving accross the Atlantic was interesting because I started fresh friendwise and most markers are essentially gone. Things simply were not popular here at the same time as they were where I grew up. Music etc can be years different. I have been fortunate and made some great friends over the last few years and they all my age give or take a year. In all cases we had no clue until years after......50 th birthdays outed our ages. I do have other friends. Btw, the core group is my age but our kids aren't the same ages at all.

I finally had a chance to take another look at Kareni's Word Wenches link from yesterday. Did you guys know Barbara Michaels is Elisabeth Peters? If I did I forgot! I think I must have read some of these back in my Gothic Romance days. Anyway I have added Aimee Come Home to the list. Also The Bollywood Affair was great. Fluffy reading but according to my Goodreads I gave it a five, which in my terms means it was done very well for the genre it is. I firmly believe that even fluff deserves fives when well done! :) ;) Here's Kareni's link again http://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2016/11/what-were-reading-in-november.html

It's been so long since I read most of them it wouldn't be fair to pick. I remember previously classing the really early ones in sort of an interesting background/that's where the cats came from category. Currently discovering they are REALLY GOOD and don't deserve the background label. Do you have a favorite?

I do plan to make more things especially black beans for ds. He isn't a veggie but that's his fill up food of choice normally. They are a pain in the slow cooker so he generally eats a couple of cans a week. That is what we do with my left over rice! lol. Since they don't have them in our local grocery stores I have a standing Amazon order. Homemade are so much nicer. I offered to try tonights pork loin in the instant pot and three no votes rang out loud and clear from different area's of the house. Not sure if I'm insulted or not! I discovered Banks because Tompkinson was in it but it was more a case of being thrilled to see a familiar face on my TV. One night he was just there! It took me awhile to figure out British TV takes a TV guide to navagate because shows start at odd times like 6:50, with no commercials frequently. A dvr recorder solved my issues. ;) I love BallyK! Seeing Tompkinson in a different role doesn't bother me but this is being said by the person who is happily watching Peter Davidson ( my favourite Dr. Who possibly) in all his Detective roles.....currently enjoying The Last Detective. I didn't like the book series that the show comes from either. Perhaps it is how one discovers the characters. Btw, I have moved on to The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern. Someday I may read the Inspector Banks series but not now.

I finally gave in and subscribed to the Word Wenches eletter! This month all the books were of interest. Thanks for the Caught Dead in Wyoming freebie. It was one that I was about to go hunting for!

I haven't been reading much the last couple of days because I ended up being obsessed with the instant pot idea. Recipes and waiting for it to arrive has been much of the last couple of days. I haven't even read an entire cookbook just bits all over the place and lots of blogs. My first food is cooking, rice. I told my husband I needed it for rice. One of his friend's wanted me to buy a rice cooker and I said this would be better. More interesting if nothing else! Report is in, the rice is really nice. Dd says like Chinese restaurant rice. I did finish another in my Savannah Reid (character) series reread Peaches and Screams https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1962530.Peaches_and_Screams. Enjoyable but dated in the way things are before they become classic. Plan to continue. Trying to read the first DCI Banks and finding the first bit a slog. I love the TV show and may not be able to switch to the book series. Next year.....Everyone's ideas sound great. I would love to do Steampunk again. Maybe Scandinavian authors of suspense/police procedural. Certainly an area I plan to explore a bit more next year. Robin, if you want me to do a guest post I would be happy to. No ideas on what but willing. :)

Someone set one up last night

Waiting for mine....I'll join.

I gave in and ordered one yesterday.....waiting now. Madteaparty, I have spent the morning googling recipes and found this http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-mongolian-beef/Mongolian Beef recommended somewhere.

Angel Congratulations on 52!!!! Another Wolf Hall drop out here. I haven't tried listening to it.

I have the first Peri Reed in my stack. I thought someone had read it here. Eta.....I just discovered that what I have is a novella that is 0.5 in this series titled Sideswiped https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26006199-sideswiped.

Arabesque has been added to my holds! :)

I have had The City Baker's Guide to Country Living https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28110139-the-city-baker-s-guide-to-country-living?ac=1&from_search=true suspended in my Overdrive holds for about a month. Just removed the suspension so I hopefully will have my foodie book soon!

I finally finished listening to The Twelve https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531473-the-twelve. I really enjoyed it although it was long. The narrator was very good but I am not positive I have the right one linked so if someone needs to know let me know. I am waiting for the last of this trilogy on audio. I need go find out the ending and am really glad I didn't start these before they were all published. While waiting I started listening to Tana French's The Secret Place. So far I am enjoying it. I am finally getting to read Faith Hunter's Curse on the Land which some here have already read. I really like this series! :)https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28953491-curse-on-the-land

My dad put a small hook in the ceiling over the tree and tied our tree to that hook with fishing line. That cat lived to be ancient and did his best to climb the tree every year.

Yes, you can retake. You have to wait a certain number of days but obviously 3 years is plenty! ;)

Mom Ninja.....wondering how you are feeling? I am doing much better which is great but it means I have quit taking Benadryl which is always a problem for me. I sleep wonderfully when taking it and spend a few nights with very little sleep after. Needless to say I have finished some fluffy books. ;) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8143240-a-brush-with-death A Brush with Death is the second in a series by Elizabeth J. Duncan. I read the first book earlier this year on my British Cozy research project and had given up finding more in this series from a library. Last week the entire series appeared in my Overdrive! :) I was thrilled!!! I would describe these as good modern cozies set in Wales. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28809174-maggie-dove Maggie Dove by Susan Breen is a new cozy series that I have been a couple of months on a wait list. I though it was quite good overall. It reminded me of the Miss Julia series although they really aren't that similar. Small town widow turned sleuth with some surprising allegiances. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28372019-the-bookshop-on-the-corner The Bookshop on the Corner was a surprise. I thought it was going to be more of a novel but halfway through it became chick lit. The beginning was good. A British librarian finds herself unemployed due to our nationwide trend of turning libraries into volunteer organizations and comes up with a creative idea on how to share her love of books with communities that are no longer served by libraries. I loved that part of the book.... The rest was uneven due to the need for love interests to enter in. In the end I gave it a 3 but I was really loving parts of it.

Ok I went out and did some research for you all. So in England...... My kids had an event down the road from the big regional mall tonight. Dh and I typically go to the mall and have a coffee after doing a grocery shop at the M and S when they have this group event. The mall was normal for a Friday night which is pretty busy but not impossible. This is a typical big mall complete with an Apple Store, Lego, Build a Bear, Claires......different anchor stores but much would look familiar to Americans including the Krispy Kreme. Just about every store had a 50% off Black Friday sale on something. We didn't really take advantage. I bought groceries. ;)

There are some Black Friday sales out there. Haven't been out this year but last year we got some great deals at Tesco. Btw, England. :) :lol:

Congratulations!!!!!!

Giving you a bump. My ds has learned to code online and has done lots of free courses but I don't remember if he has used Kahn. The beauty of the free courses really is that your son can pick what he wants to do next and try it.

:grouphug: Robin, Glad all is well! :) I did finish Night Shift by Charlaine Harris last night. It was the last book in her Midnight Texas trilogy. It wasn't the best of the trilogy by any means. There was a definite wrap up feel to it which was sad because I thought the second book Day Shift was quite good. This series is different than Harris' usual story telling because it lacks the humour, I definitely prefer the occasional chuckle! Also Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. We are actually cooking this year because dh has promised several a plate of traditional Thanksgiving food. His only problem is I am just recovering from my cold. I feel good overall but am a bit worried about sharing from my kitchen. I am going to go start the turkey and disinfect. Hubby is going to do all the finish work like mashing the potatoes. No pies etc this year. For those who know me our normal schedule the village Christmas celebration is still tonight which is why I normally skip doing the food on Thursday. I am grateful for so much including all my wonderful friends here. Like so many have said this has been a rough year. Hoping next year isn't so traumatic although I still have big issues on the horizon.

I just finished it. It wasn't the author's best by any means but it was just fine. I finally broke down at the halfway mark and read your link.