We have been watching the show since the first episode. My dd is seriously addicted to the show and owns a collection of the cookbooks. We have had most of the spin off ones from the library also. We prefer the ones actually created from the show to the Paul Hollywood ones (not sure why) but Mary Berry cookbooks are always great. I think the secret to cooking the British recipes is a good set of digital scales and using British measurements. That traybake recipe is dd's favourite.

I don't remember anything that you could step at the Thackeray. I just explored your blog after looking at your link. You do a great job with it....tell your dd congratulations! Since my first post I remembered Disney also used smell at Epcot in Spaceship earth with the fire near the beginning of the ride. I suspect all of these rides/exhibits were created roughly at the same time. Years ago dh and I visited Epcot the weekend before I had some surgery. We thought the smell part was interesting and had a conversation about it. After surgery I was pretty out of it for several days. Dh and I were watching a movie (Scarlett and the Black) which has a scene with an incredible fireplace in it. Woozy me very happily told dh what a great fireplace it was, beautiful, and it seemed so real, just like Disney.... I could actually smell the fire burning. Well, I did smell smoke. The garage next door was on fire.....dh figured it out because he could smell smoke too but knew it wasn't right. While I called emergency, he got the homeowners out. The fire was put out quickly and no damage beyond the garage to either house. We probably wouldn't have noticed so quickly without that movie fireplace and my odd fixation on Disney fires and smells.

We have had a membership there sporadically for years. Dh loves to take dc's and friends through the Jorvik ride. I normally skip his group tours because of the smell and kindly give someone else my pass....I go and have coffee with another mom. I usually go through once an annual membership. If you really want to go to a smelly exhibit the Victorian Street at the Thackeray Museum in Leeds is really awfulhttp://www.thackraymedicalmuseum.co.uk/learning-outreach/ We went through once and our family agreed never ever again. I have no idea what ds did (or if he did anything other than try to breathe) but he had the worst nose bleed dwhile walking though that museum. The trip was such a disaster, naturally we were with a new home ed group to us. I am so grateful not to have lived on that Victorian Street. Considering my love of Victorian romances that is a bit humorous. ;)

Hopefully many others will jump in with suggestions but the League Tables are a really popular place to start. http://universityleaguetables.co.uk/. Another summary article ishttps://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/table-tables-university-cambridge-top-fifth-year-running. I know there is some way to sort by major. Dh has taken charge of university admission for the dc's. So I am a happy observer in this process. I am pretty happy to be observing. :lol: We are looking mainly at Universities that belong to the Russell Group, which is a relatively prestigious group of universities. Both of my dc's are planning on Maths (in some form) as their major. http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/about/our-universities/ When you look at the admission policies for International students some Universities will spell out exactly what you need to have for their university, others will use the UCAS system. Here is a link explaininghttps://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/international-and-eu-students. I hope this helps. ETA I figured out the sort for the league tables. Here is Linguistics for a starthttp://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Linguistics

I have been looking forward to the Galbraith new book also so am sad to read this. I know I am near the top of the list. I think the writing or maybe I should call it storytelling in this series is uneven. I read the first and was a bit ambivalent (I loved the sidekick but thought the main character was a jerk....a good series imo means you love the main character faults and all!). Now the second book was great but I honestly don't know if I would have read it if a couple of you hadn't loved the first. So am sad to hear she has changed the "formula" yet again. Eliana, I just wanted to say thank you for all the great suggestions. I plan to spend some time later today with all my library tabs open searching for some of those books. Ali, a couple of series I have enjoyed recently: C.S. Harris and the Sebastian St.Cyr serieshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39149.What_Angels_Fear. These require the order. Aggieamy loves these too. Others have read these also and I can't remember if you have. These are more intense than a Heyer but contain a good mystery too. There are violent crimes.... Lauren Willig and her Pink Carnation series. These are fun. I am part way through and savoring them. Her new book The Other Daughter was great!https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23014679-the-other-daughter?from_search=true&search_version=service Mary Baloghhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24563495-only-a-kisshas many great books. I am currently reading the latest in her Survivors series. Julia Quinn, absolutely wonderful fluff. I read many of her series last winter when I was really upset. Great continuing characters so they are fun in order but the series intertwine also....pick a series and start. This is one of my favoriteshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/110391.The_Duke_and_I?ac=1.

I suspect there may be a couple of Asterix fans here or parents of fans. Dd was thrilled when her Daddy bought her a copy of the just released Asterix Le Papyrus de Cesar last weekend. I think it is only available in French at this point but it does appear to be availiable on kindle. Here is a linkhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-eu-34606597to a fun article.

I don't think I will be joining in the Winter's Tale read along. I will try to do something non fiction but I am not promising anything! I still have my banned book to read. I finished a couple more Sue Grafton alphabet books today. Dd has somehow gotten ahead of me so I have to read those I guess. Butter, I leave my kindle set to my mom's time zone. That way I know what time it is in terms of her schedule when I call.

Happy Birthday!!!!

I forgot to include a recently completed historical romance here, Isabella Bradford's A Wicked Pursuit. It is the first in a series but the only book by this author I have read. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for more. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18803019-a-wicked-pursuit

Happy Birthday Kathy! His Majesty's Dragon was recently in my pile. I didn't have time to read it but glad to know you really enjoyed the series. Now I have motivation to get it back! :)

Rose :grouphug:

I am sorry.

Both of my dc's have taken several CLEP exams including College Algebra so I am going to answer more in terms of how they usually prepare. This website is a helpful place to start http://www.free-clep-prep.com/College-Algebra-CLEP.htmland the section advice could be aligned to alcumus pretty easily I think. We normally buy a copy of the REA guide. We didn't use it for the College Algebra (they took this one after doing the SAT Math Subject exams so were already well prepared) but ds did use REA for the Calculus exam and found it very helpful. After they have studied with the guides and free test prep they take practice exams. Some libraries have them free online. When they are getting at least a 70% in practice we book the test. I hope this helps.

Eliana, I don't have the patience to quote and reduce to the right part this morning. Rutabagas are a Swede here. Commonly served mashed or cut in small cubes after having been cooked. I don't know if by cooked I mean boiled or baked (not roasted brown). If roasted they are mixed with parsnips and carrots, yum. Frequently the yellow veg at a carvery restaurant in the winter. Obviously I don't normally cook them although I do eat them. I am more of a parsnip preparer!

I am trying to remember some of the things we did.....we had lots of jigsaw puzzles. I bought them wherever I could find ones with something interesting picture wise. Dot to dot books that progressively counted higher....some go really high were something both dc's loved. I had a set of books and manipulatives called funtastic frogs which had all sorts of activities that could be adjusted to what they wanted to do.....won't write numbers so glue three paper frogs for answer etc. Much happened through play and art. The Building Thinking Skills book was also good.

This does sound good. It is on my list until I have a chance to return some. My account is full. I did a big return of my hard cover books yesterday....I was so afraid someone would ask me about one of them and I hadn't read any of them. I few I switched to kindle holds and will hopefully read them when they arrive, as for the rest?????? My list :lol: :grouphug: Tress, I was hoping your headaches were improving Butter, Glad you are getting closer to your surgery.

That looks like a fun one! When I read the description I realized I did see one alligator regularly for a couple of months as a child in Florida, it lived in my friend's bathtub and was about a foot long. Her mother eventually tired of it and it was returned to wherever her father found it. I had this one, Swamplandia, http://www.npr.org/2011/07/14/133312784/swamplandia-a-haunted-alluring-phantasmagoria picked out and in the pile a couple of months ago. I have no idea what out theme was but something BaW made me check it out. I still mght read it. I had an alternate cover with just the gator which I think might be why I picked it for a weekly challenge.

I would take a look at some of Rick Steves travel guides for Greece. He does a great job planning a reasonable day (or afternoon) for most people and will have things organised in a convenient way.

I don't think I have ever read the Inspector Lynley series but I plan to rectify that! I just put the first on hold.....Have fun at her talk. I really enjoy listening to most authors. I do like it better if I have read the books!

I wonder if it could be because of the ability to suspend your hold until ready to read. I have been experimenting with the Sue Grafton alphabet mysteries. I wait in normal hold until I am next in line and then suspend for a given number of days. When I remove the suspension I am back at next in line. On a popular book that could probably have a big effect. I never reported on my completed books yesterday..... A Trail Through Time, Jodi Taylor's St. Mary's Chronicles #4. Thi was an out of order read and I had a few problems figuring things out. Overall good. Fun series. The Ghost Fields, Elly Griffiths series about archaeology prof Ruth Galloway #7. One of my favorite series and this one did not disappoint me. My current read is titled the Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13547379-killer-librarian. At first I thought this was a great cozy but at halfway through I am a bit bored.

Shawne, Stacia got me to watch the movie last year because I love most of Coben's books and I reread the book shortly after. They were an interesting combination....the movie is in French with subtitles and filmed in France. Much of the action takes place in Paris. That contrast alone makes for an interesting comparison to the book with it's New England setting. Jane, the mask is beautiful. Idnib, Glad you are starting to feel a bit better! :) Noseinabook, I had planned to do a Kim Harrison reread for Spooky October. I gave up on the reread part and am hoping to start the series where I left off soon. I have my next on the kindle waiting but am having to read what is due instead. ;) Glad you are enjoying these!

Nan, :grouphug: I am sorry for your loss. Heather....Congratulations!!!!! Both your dc's did awesome!

I am going to answer even though we didn't use the Chung book because no one else has chimed in. Both of my dc's were scoring a mixture of 780 to 800 in practice with Barron's and the Official test guide.....I can't remember which score where and they tested on the same date. We also got the Math 1 out of the way that day. On the day they both got 800 on all exams. Dd only did one or two practice exams for each but she was familiar with a graphing calculator. Ds did roughly four to six practice exams each while learning to use his calculator. We practiced the two weeks prior to the exam.

Sadie and anyone else who my have read Jodi Taylor's Chronicles of St. Mary's series.......My library reserves are arriving out of order and it will be quite awhile before books two and three will be available. Book four is due soon and cannot be renewed. I picked up books five and six today. What should I do? I am leaning towards reading what I have in order. Will I regret it?

I just went looking on a Goodreads list fot Mel's mysterious fae series and found the Connor Grey series by Mark Del Francohttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8273818.Unshapely_Things__Connor_Grey___1_. I checked the first one out on overdrive. Has anyone read them?