For me at least the low percentage of male authors is related to a fairly high percentage of fluffy mysteries, paranormals, and historical romances. Those areas seem to be dominated by female authors which makes my 25% male author almost inevitable since those genres are always a part of my stack.

I have not posted this one that I finished yesterday. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick was different. None of the main characters were nice. I don't just mean flawed, they were dreadful people. Somehow it kept me reading. If you click the link the steamy scenes were not romatic at all. This book was so far removed from the typical mail order bride story that I was in shock from what happened next for most of what seemed to be a really quick read. I had it on my kindle and the font was huge, the percents went up really fast. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703559.html

I just completed a bit of bookkeeping ;) as far as my challenges are concerned. Around the World -- 14 countries have been visited using rather liberal standards (if a event takes place that truly resonated with me in a multiple location book the location was counted) Japan and Murakami -- Wind Up Bird Chronicles Winter Challenge -- Dead Cold by Louise Penny 12th Century -- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett 5/5/5 -- I had not planned to do this one but I appear to have completed 3 for last year's British History category and 1 chunky so I may revive my last years choices and see if I can complete them. I have failed miserably at the reading slowly challenge. I somehow completed 32 in 31 days. Suspect it was because I started with 4 partially read books and two weeks of colds keeping us home.

After a quick count over on goodreads it appears that roughly 25% of my completed books are by male authors. I had expected it to be higher.

Great deal! :) People here have definitely been reading it. I gave it a five last year as great fluffy stuff! It starts in Australia with an Australian author if anyone is doing the geography challenge. ;)

Mary Stewart is great. Dd loves those. Another thing to do is start a Goodreads account. It gives suggestions from what others have read and seems to judge dd 's taste pretty well. She has only been using this for a year and her suggested books frequently contain some that she has already enjoyed. It recommends old books too not just current popular ones.

I just finished the first Miss Peregrine book. I have to say the book was absolutely nothing like I imagined but very good. Really creative. I thought it was going to be some touching tale taking place in an orphanage in Wales,instead I got a somewhat creepy tale (in a good way) that starts in Florida. Enjoyed it and looking forward to hearing if the second one is as good. I hope everyone is feeling better at your house today!

Shukriyya--I took dh on a tour of King Arthur mythology as part of our first anniversary. We did Bodmin Moor (which they drive accross in the book) and Tintagel? Castle which had a really tiny barely one car road in order to get there. Fabulous views but dh almost had a nervous breakdown ;) and refuses to take me back. I had a couple burial sites etc. We had fun but dh wasn't ready to drive in that part of the country yet -- he learned in the US. In reality we may very well go next summer, the dc's really want to see the Arthur sites and we have friends who live very near. Have you ever watched "Doc Martin"? It is one of my favorites and is set in that area -- north coast Cornwall.

I have wonderful memories of doing read alouds to the dc's in their "treehouse" when they were little. It was actually a covered top of the slide on their play structure but we loved it. I tried a new cozy series by Carola Dunn who is a pretty prolific author of Daisy Dalrymple series. The first one called "Manna from Hades" was quite good. I was surprised at how much different this series feels. The setting is a small village in Cornwall in the sixties. If you like cozy mysteries this one was pretty good with a good atmosphere. I am not sure if it was the book or a real life visit to that area 25 years ago but the scenery while reading was lovely. It also felt more grown up then her Daisy books, which are fun but remind me of an older Nancy Drew. I have finished a new to me author and book that many of you may have already read, "A Man Lay Dead" by Ngaio Marsh. It was a good mystery and a quick read at 180 pages. I am honestly not sure what more to say about it. From reviews on this board, but not BaW, I had expected it to be an Agatha Christie and it wasn't fleshed out enough imo. It was the first of the series so they may improve. Someday I will read sme more of them but no real rush.

:grouphug: praying

I think it depends on where it is going to be. If it is on a lake the shower situation becomes less problematic. If it is a vacation where the whole crew needs to constantly get ready to leave for activities together you are going to have a hard time.

Here I am watching tv and reading the new posts when I see Surgeon's Mate, Lysol, and the need for a review. I thought Surgeon's Mate was some new super duper disinfectant that would save us all from being reinfected. :lol:

I recently finished "Last Train to Istanbul" by Ayse Kulin and found it to be very interesting. A couple BaWer's read it at the end of last year so I thought I would try it for my geography challenge. It started a bit slow for me but by the end I was really involved. The story itself isn't true as told because the author put many true stories together in order to write the book. It is the story of the rescue of both Turkish and non Turkish Jews from France during the Nazi occupation.

I hope the sick ones feel better soon and the rest of you stay healthy!

Sorry, I should have explained better. We are duel nationals. We only moved over permanently 7 years ago. Thats why I can't resist my travel agentish tours of the UK at times in my posts. We are leaving for a break in the States next week to visit family and friends so our accents will become very midwestern soon.

:lol: Just so you know I speak with a distinct American accent according to all my neighbors!

I know exactly what you mean. I find it to be really distracting because my mind keeps telling me little side comments about how things could never work like that when an author uses a setting I know well and they obviously don't. I also find the American author writing main British characters hard to read and the reverse unless they have lived in the other country for years the character ends up being really unbelievable. I happen to love Flavia and am really grateful the setting is long before my time here and far enough away from where I live that I don't find it too distracting. I do distinctly remember trying to figure out while reading the first one where the setting was supposed to be and being confused between Canada and UK.

I have never tried these on a cruise(they do help pregnancy nausea imo :lol:) but I a friend of mine found some relief with wristbands. . http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/sea-band-wristband/ID=prod2662944-product I would get a prescription for the patches but a set of these as back up might be a good idea.

Well done!

I would just mentally set it aside with no fuss and do something else for awhile. Something LA related that isn't Shurley. I used and liked Shurley just so you know. Maybe some literary analysis. Something different for up to a month. Then pick up Shurley and step back a week or two,ideally to before the concept that made him hate it if you suspect it is a lack of understanding that is causing the problem. If he is bored just go back and get the book done. Use your judgement at that point for the next level. FYI we did every other level for Shurley and took quite a few break.

I just looked at the ebook library and these are there. :) The first four in one book was available so I now have them on my kindle without messing with the cable. This is another series that I had looked at but was too much work to download!

:grouphug: Not sure how helpful this is but I have had several miscarriages all with d &c and remember still spotting 2 weeks later very lightly. Absolutely no idea about levels.

LostSurprise -- I have also been trying to understand the Inspector Gamache series. I have finished two and they are fairly good on their own. Lots of odd bits of backstory that has me hooked. I keep waiting to understand...currently reading number three. Really hope a few of my questions get answered.

I didn't care for the Outlander series either. Since others love it I keep thinking about trying again but can't get motivated. Did you read the sort of sequel to Pillars, World without End"? I am on the wait list and rather curious if I will like it as well. One of the articles about Alan Bradley(Flavia's author) said he has never been to the England. I think that is why some of his descriptions are a bit long winded. He obviously loves his research and shares it. Dd an I learned tons about pipe organs in one. Our good friend is the organist at our church and was quite shocked when we wanted to know how to se the real inside after reading the one where the body was truly inside the organ. Not very accessible at our church. ;)

Great stuff!!! Thank you.