Happy Birthday!

I just finished Sandstorm the very first Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins. This series is Robin recommendation which Melmichigan has been busy reading also. It was quite interesting and action packed with the added bonus of being set in Oman for my countries challenge. Still have Outrageous Fortune, Wind Up Bird, and Curtsies & Conspiracies(prequel to Parasol Protectorate) in progress.

:grouphug:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/magazine/the-fierce-imagination-of-haruki-murakami.html?pagewanted=all I was trying to solve a bit of a mystery in Murakami reading and ran into this. It is really about !Q84 (keyboard problem, no number one right now????) but I found the author's interview with Murakami fascinating.

Wind up bird is different. I was charmed but the other reality of 1Q84. I am 35% or so and waiting for the ooooh moment. I hope it is soon. I am enjoying it overall just not loving it which I had expected. Another great steampunk series is written by Mark Hodder, starts with The Strange Affair of Springheeled Jack. Stacia recommended it to me last year. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/20/AR2010102005382.html These and the Parasol Protectorate are the only steampunk books I have found that I really like.

Ds happens to be reading the Nine Tailers currently. He is a real life bell ringer at our village church. Totally enjoys the chapter headings(making us all listen to most of them) but isn't seeing in particular patterns or significance with his insider knowledge. He will look closer now. ;)

I still have my stack going but did manage to finish one. Last fall several people here were busy reading Inspector Gamache books by Louise Penny. I finally managed to get the first book in the series (as recommended) and "Still Life" was really good. It managed to both well written and a complete page turner. Really enjoyed it. :) I will be reading more in this series soon! As a side note this book has been made into a tv show in Canada according to google. It aired last fall, anyone here see it?

I just downloaded Blithedale Romance on the kindles for free. :) Thanks for the suggestion. The Wonder Book was my favorite Greek Myth read aloud. We read it several times and the paperback copy has earned many airmiles as a book everyone can read. ;) I somehow managed to skip The Scarlett Letter and have been waiting for the dc's to read it with them. I was looking forward to it now......actually still think it will be fine.

Jean, In your situation I would talk to your doctor and consider it. Since your dh works in heathcare I would assume he already has one. I would also get one for both dc's. That way even if you shouldn't have the shot hopefully you won't be living with someone who is contagious.

Robin -- Thank you for the cat link. Really interesting, now I just need to refer to that link while reading Wind up and try to figure some sort of a theory out! To answer someones question upthread I have several books going right now. I can only do that if they are all very different. I have an autobiography plus Wind up which I can't read in large quantities at a time since one is hardcover and the other kindle I need two more to have all my reading needs covered. :lol:

The Planet of the Apes was a bit odd but you just weren't cool if you didn't watch it at my school. My BF had to come to my house and spend the night because her mom wouldn't let her watch it. My parents had no clue what we were watching....we had a great time. I am glad to know that you aren't sure what is going on either. I really wish I knew what cats are supposed to be symbolic of in Japanese culture. There was a cryptic cat sighting in The Tale for The Time Being too - on one of the trips to visit the grandmother at the monastery I think. I have googled -- they like cats, maybe lucky? I think there is more. Any ideas?

You will love the Historian especially after Dracula last fall. One of my favorites. I have read it twice so far..... Wind Up Bird is going along fine for me so I hope you will like it. I learned with 1Q84 to read Murakami in chunks. I try to read a couple of chapters each time I pick it up. I can't imagine sitting down an just reading that for hours. I am 21% done and have absolutely with no idea where the story is going but enjoying waiting for "it" because I am pretty sure "it" will be amazing.

I woke up this morning and discovered you had time traveled back to the seventies. Of all the nights to fall asleep.... The lists were fun -- I think I read them all, saw most of the movies (dh and I bought Logan's Run a couple of years ago since we had been huge fans, we already hd the Planet of th Apes :lol: ), and I know and like most of the songs. What fun!

Regardind the question of do we pick our lists ahead of time? For me the answer is pretty much no. I know that I will be trying to do most of Robin's already announced challenges so I guess those are chosen. I am predisposed to read series in order so I have several that I am reading through but I tend to get those from the library as the mood strikes me. Most of my books come from reading this thread and doing libtary requests as I go through it so pretty spontanious. Library books do build up with my method and I do have a hard time returning the ones that I am not getting to. Hope this helps.

I feel your pain. One library we go to doesn't do anything sort wise with the children's /YA sections. They just shelve wherever. Drive the dc's nuts because they also have the most books. Dd always suspects the book she wants is there but where? Makes my kids have teamwork!

I finished a couple of fluffy ones. The first was called How Nancy Drew Saved My Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. I checked it out for the title because I loved Nancy. It was not very good and jumped all over but the first 20 or so WWNDD (What would Nancy Drew Do) situations were entertaining. Here is what someone else had to say. http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/how-nancy-drew-saved-my-life I actually saved this one for 2014 do to the Iceland setting. :lol: I plan to do better -- not sure that much was accurate. I am not doing well geography wise ;) I also read Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn for Scotland. The murder investigation stopped the train in Berwick (the last town in England on the way to Edinburgh -- nice place, we always eat at the McD's there on the way to Edinburgh and have a quick look weather permitting . This is a nice cozy series that I consider to be Nancy Drew for adults and teens. Dd and I joke how the heroine is the post WWI British 20 something Nancy. She is always right and everyone loves her.

Eliana--What great news! Your lists are awesome. I will be pleased if I manage half of the number of countries you did. Great job!

One important thing the people here have taught me is to abandon a book that I am not enjoying. Personal goal for next year is to have no one * books in my goodreads list. Too many good books to read something that I dislike. I had a surprise this afternoon when my Wind Up Bird Chronicles became availiable at my elibrary. So I am now at two weeks and counting. :lol: Hope to start it tomorrow. I also checked out Robin's "Shinju" for the century challenge. Looking forward to Japan. I started reading "Outrageous Fortune: Growing up at Leeds Castle " by Anthony Russell today. So far I am somewhat riveted. As some here know I adore Leeds Castle, the history combined with the fact it is a pretty modern Castle thanks to Lady Baillee creates a pretty magical setting imo (plus dh took me there on our honeymoon ;) ) This book seems to be the story of one of her grandson's lives. I love reading about things like where she aquired the birds in the aviary, which they closed recently. :( I plan to take this one slowly and enjoy it. It was my planned first book of the year which somehow got derailed so now it can be slowed down. Like always I have few others in progress..........

I can't resist being first! :) I finished Imposter this morning by Davis Bunn. It was a pretty good thriller! http://www.davisbunn.com/book/imposter.htm I picked it for the cover.

Sorry I had to stop to help dd with her baking for her bell ringing party tonight. I lost the post once so I posted! Also finished: The Baker Street Letters and The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson. Someone here read them recently. They were good. Love the Sherlock Holmes still receiving letters is fun. There is something a bit off about them. Sort of a Brit/American mishmash that was off. The london cabbie talking dollars etc. Dead Scared by SJ Bolton was good. The second Lacy Flint and it was suspenseful. Cambridge (the Uni) wasa rather scary place in this book! I hope every one here has a great New Years Eve!

I think I am done for the year also. My final count is 236. I finished a few this week. Quite a jumble of genres. The Captain and the Wallflower by Lyn Stone. It was a really good historical romance that I read in one sitting. Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi was a Kareni recommendation and lots of fun. House of Cards by CE Murphy is the second in the negotiator series. Possibly better then the fist. It has a handsome gargoyle. Love it! The Corporal Works of Murder by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie. Another in my series.

Hello, this is Dd again. My favourite books of 2013 were: The Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Till We Have Faces by C S Lewis The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner Dracula by Bram Stoker The Island of Dr Moreau by H G Wells These aren't in any particular order. My five least favourites were: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe Walden by Henry Thoreau The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss Grace Abounding by John Bunyan Sleeping Beauty by Jenni James I read a total of 114 books. In 2014, I am looking forward to reading The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley, and Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

Praying, Jean. :grouphug:

If you are in an area with some sort planning rules I would either read them or call the city. I know that one of our houses had very specific laws about not creating runoff into neighbors yards. If it is creating this kind of a mess in your yard they have obviously raised theirs too high. Before speaking or emailing them again I would want to know what the rules for your city/sub are. Yes, we had huge yard and fencing issues which ended a cordial relationship. Knowing that I was right legally helped my peace of mind tremendously. ;)

Question to Goodreads users -- Other then making lots and lots of shelves, is there anyway to track countries and centuries using my goodreads account?