I love that shade of blue! So glad the project appears to be finishing finally, you have had so many problems along the way! You will love Cadfael the tv series. It actually sticks fairly close to the books......Hubby and I tried the first episode of The Librarian on Prime a few months ago. He wasn’t a fan 😕and while I thought it was pretty good I haven’t bothered to watch it on my own. Let me know what you think of it. Also glad for the recommendation for The Thirteenth Tale. I plan to put it on my audio wish list for the future. I have been first in line for the third book in The Expanse series on audio for about a month now and have the rest in suspension. I believe they are all really long......So I am sticking to short audio books for my other listens until after I finish that series. I started River Marked by Patricia Briggs today.......I had totally forgotten Mercy’s wedding.🥰. I also finally started Connections in Death on my Kindle.

I didn’t notice them until a bit further into the series but they might be in the earlier ones. When visiting a crime scene Peter stops and studies the bookcases. He spots books like The Dark is Rising and they normally convince him he is right, it is a magic practitioner. I actually hunted down and read one of the children’s books that I was unfamiliar with. 😉

🤣. I hate to say this but I am so glad you read another one. Your timing is perfect! The entire arc seems to have been published. I am not entirely sure that the series is over but if it is the ending of the last book was satisfying. I really enjoyed my reread because it made it easy to remember the characters, there are MANY reoccurring small characters that are cool when you can really remember them. Also there are bookcase descriptions occasionally ....... @aggieamy Ds loved the original Boxcar author but announced he was done with the series like two chapters into the first with the ghost writer. As the reader just remember Boxcar Children is so much better than Magic Treehouse......I think I read the first 20 of those out loud thanks to Target who displayed new releases a bit too proudly for my taste. Both my kids loved those.....yes Dd found them first so many of those were read twice! I finished Once Upon a River and totally enjoyed LISTENING to it. A good story about oral storytelling, be warned it centers on three little girls drowned in the river so not a “nice cuddlely” story, but listening to it was a pleasure overall. I don’t think I would have read beyond the first mother’s horror.....I listen to things I do not read because by the time I can stop an turn things off the book is past whatever really upsets me and I am able to choose to continue.

That quilt is incredible!

Dd just finished Wild Country and it seemed to take her far longer than normal so I think she mulled as she read. I know I would have had a very difficult time keeping track of the characters if I hadn’t reread The Others series right before it was released. I just checked One Corpse too Many out after reading A Morbid Taste for Bones last fall. Although I have watched and listened to the vast majority of the Cadefel series over the years I have to admit I still enjoy them. I may attempt a reread in order in the next couple of years, so far I have been reading them in Kindle form.😉 I finally had a chance to read Val McDermid’s The Distant Echo which is the first in the Karen Pirie series which I have enjoyed 2 or 3 of years ago. These are gritty crime novels not cozies. It was dated having been released over 20 years ago when DNA analysis was first becoming a reality and dealt with the reopening of a cold case from the late 70’s in St. Andrews. Four drunk/high male students find a dying murder victim in a blizzard in an ancient cemetery on their way home from a party, their lives are ruined......although 20 years later they are doing quite well. Getting caught up in the story was hard, everyone had a nickname so multiple names for the same character and honestly not a single character was really likable. It was good after I really tried to follow it, the addition of a red herring saved the book. This is one of my Scotland 10 books and I plan to read more in the series. I also finished The Gown which is a fictional story intermixed with a history of the making of Elizabeth 2’s wedding gown. Really well done, not just about the gown but what life in England was like in the years following WW2. I gave it 5*. I will admit to being really sad that my favorite character in this book was a fictional one. Finally my current audiobook is Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. I have tried to read at least two other books by her and never managed to pick the book up again after the first few pages. Not sure if the audio element......Juliet Stevenson is the narrator ❤️.......or the fact that the setting really exists ( a pub called The Swan on the Thames in Oxfordshire) has me hooked, but I do plan to keep going. Only 2 hours in but lots of quilting planned the next couple of days so hopefully I can finish it.

🤣I actually love tomatoes and could probably adjust to them as a dessert.......... Pretty much agree. I have been at my reread for a couple of years now and the first time(s) were out of order and I may have missed a couple.....especially the early ones. I have no idea about the stopping point because of this but know they definitely suffer from uneven quality! The ones set downunder were fun for me but I lived in Detroit suburbs for many years so I have opinions regarding the locations. These were really hard to find before Overdrive. Braun actually apparently lived very near to us at the height of my fandom..........embarrassing LJB story, I was invited to a somewhat formal birthday party for a cat lover in the early 90’s and was rather desperate for a clever gift. I only knew the birthday girl and was a bit nervous about appropriate etc....... My hubby saved me via a client and brought me home two signed editions of one of her books as a surprise, one for me and one for the present. Lots of oohs and aahs over the book but then the group turned to me in mass because they thought I knew LBJ and could introduce them. I fessed up about how I got the book....my husband. I didn’t even know she lived in the area, the book jacket had her living about 3 hours away. The people at the party were certain she had not moved. 🤔 The client didn’t know her either but had actually bought several presigned copies at a bookstore and shared. 😂 So close......

Congratulations to your daughter and you!

So Rollins happens to be a campus my family has sort of toured couple of years ago......we tagged along on a group tour until we broke off to get a snack. We simply decided to take a walk around campus when shopping in Winter Park and wanted the kids to see what a small liberal arts college was like.......I attended one and my kids have never visited my school. They have some cool electives as in sailing and water skiing. Located by a very upscale small town of shops and restaurants on a good size inland lake......big enough for water skiing. 😉. Winter Park was the winter home of some very wealthy families a hundred or so years ago so some of the lakeside houses are mansions. The setting is picturesque. Can’t remember the percentage but Greek life definitely is a part of life on campus. Beaches are maybe an hour away, Disney is a bit closer. The MBA program is highly rated. Not sure how to phrase this but I thought it was a good place, a place where a student could make friends and have a good experience. They were really proud because it had just been announced that one of their students had received a Fulbright (pretty sure) scholarship, signs all over campus, talking about what a great person x was etc. But as we weren’t looking at it for our kids seriously I wasn’t thinking about any other vibes. It’s an expensive school and we knew we would never want to spend the amount of money required even after some decent merit aid which we assumed because my kids had really high stats. We figured about half because...At the time we knew of one local girl who really wanted to attend there and appeared to be getting good scholarship money......in the end she went elsewhere but I never heard the details of why not Rollins.

Thanks for the update, I am so glad it all went well. Sending prayers for healing. @Lady Florida, so glad Emma is doing well!

Pretty sure you mean AC. The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie was a Miss Marple collection of short stories and I found it rather uneven in terms of quality but somewhat charming. Her nephew was entertaining a group of friends at her house and they played a game of telling real mysteries that they knew the answer to and the rest of the group tried to solve and the sweet knitting old lady in the corner kept solving them. One of my long term goals is to read a majority of the AC’s in order, aiming for 10 this year. I actually listened to Lord Edgeware Dies today while quilting. I vaguely remembered it either from the book or production (Poirot) but found it quite good. I will take a look for Black Ascot. I am still rather obsessed by the county’s. I abandoned a time travel book set in Cumbria last night and really hated to because I could use Cumbria.....then I remembered the Beatrix Potter cozy series! 😂

Welcome back!

@Robin M Welcome back! Sounds like you had a great time with your family overall. 😠😮😞Eek to getting hacked! We are still waiting to get our refund from our debit card hacking. So stressful and it makes you feel really vulnerable. I am so glad your sister stayed to help him with his computer. At least he had lots of support when it happened. Sending prayers for the surgery tomorrow and for a successful recovery.

That was probably the place to stop, so very wise. In the last two books some huge character flaws have appeared that I can’t forgive. I would not be altogether surprised if that book is not the end of the series btw. It needs to be and could easily be. It will be interesting to see if she lets it end. I NEED to go back to The Cat Who books........just started something new The Body Under the Bridge by Paul McCusker. So far the bell tower description is accurate so I am off to a good start...... @marbel waving, I still need to read The Witch Elm. Have you tried The Ruin by McTiernan? Reminded me of a Tana French.

I enjoyed your list! This was my month in the Whodunit Bookology, complete with an immersion in Inspector Gamache audiobooks before listening to the most recent Kingdom of the Blind. Has anyone else read Kingdom?....... I am so curious what someone else thought of this book.......I won’t do spoilers but please don’t start this wonderful series with this book. I am still somewhat upset over it and this is the next day. It was not the book I was expecting or wanted it to be. Yesterday I gave it a five on Goodreads because the ending could have been much worse but may go back and give it a three......just changed the Goodreads. I finished my spelling also........ A........The Day Before Forever by Anna Caltabiano R.......The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan M......All Systems Red by Martha Wells A......Artificial Condition by Martha Wells N......The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny D......Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt G.......A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny A.......Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith M.......The Duke that I Marry by Cathy Maxwell A........Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch C........The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie H.......Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper E........Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

🤣 It really helps when you can prove your rental was gold and not blue over 6 months later! Admittedly my belief the car was not blue was the only reason we searched all devices for any photo of that car. Ds standing with the door open by the rental company sign with which airport being really obvious and very lucky......I believe our bill was for £2000.

We normally travel both ways with a backpack of giftable snacks. Digestives, chocolates, etc.......If we have a bad trip we have something to eat, if things go well treats for friends. They used to laugh at my cookie declarations but make them, easier than the alternative. Btw, I think my tea mattered in terms of being allowed to board as in security. Renting cars in Ireland.......We had a really bad experience where fortunately I had taken a photo of ds beside our rental at the departure airport. Seriously who takes a photo normally of their kid by the rental car normally? That saved us from a huge bill months later. Now we take photos before and after when renting in Ireland.

I just finished Murderbot and really loved it. It starts with All Systems Red. My all time favorite dystopian is Cronin’s Passages series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6690798-the-passage?ac=1&from_search=true which I am mentioning because most Overdrive libraries probably have it although it is not YA. Very long so many hours of entertainment! 😉

@JennW in SoCal Pretty sure this is the Harris Tweed show I watched.....show is a an exaggeration as it’s maybe 5 minutes 😉https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=drGZKt_DzaQ. Coast is a fascinating show which I was quite addicted to at one point!

Welcome back! My recent reread of The Others really helped with Wild Country because I actually knew the backstory on the slightly known characters! I haven’t started it yet but I have Nalini Singh’s third Guild Hunter on audio waiting for me....... My other reading this week was a repeat, but this time an audio version of a print book. I adore the Rivers of London series -- part police procedural, part urban fantasy, all written with a very funny yet understated satirical snark. I listened to the first one, which has the American title Midnight Riot. I loved the narrator so much I figured I should just get the most recent title, Lies Sleeping, in audio, too. I know I have watched something about 5 years ago ,probably BBC, on the making of Harris Tweed where they visited different locations (maybe Countryfile) and it was fascinating and wonderful scenery. I like the Peter Grant narrator too....he is perfect for the character. @Kareni Thanks for letting me know about the Marie Force historical. I plan to look for it. @tuesdayschild I have looked at the Olivia Newton John book a number of times but something held me back. I am glad to know it won’t make me disappointed in a favorite. I need to see about the audio...... Also thank you for the reminder regarding some of my favorite Brit Tripping series and Scotland. I stopped reading several because the next in the series had a Scotland setting and am now in need of Scotland settings so need to pull those lists out again!

I am not 100% sure this is totally accurate but since coffee and tea keeps appearing as souvenirs. We flew to the US from London on Norwegian a couple of weeks ago......new regulation meant we were being questioned at check in differently than my normal (fairly frequent U.K. to US traveler)..... the only question I can remember was “Are you carrying tea?” Of course I was (I always bring tea over) in my hand luggage because we don’t check bags. Apparently the limit is 350g now. My box was less and it was 200 bags, I believe.

Glad you are having a great time! I have had a great week as far as reading goes........I finished: My reread of Glass Houses (Inspector Gamache) and am rather impatiently waiting for my Overdrive to appear. I am first in line for both the audiobook and the Kindle so one of them should appear any moment. I keep checking.....😜 I also finished Vita Nostra https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38633526-vita-nostra and have to say it was quite an experience. I LOVED it but it is a love like I feel for Murakami not Harry Potter. 😉 Dd wants to try it and I am hoping she does, partly because maybe she can explain a few things to me that I simply don’t understand but think she might grasp if it is possible. The authors are Ukrainian so it is a translation. I also finished the Murderbot series last night...I read two in one day, they were that good. Cannot wait for the novel! These could easily be one long book so reading in order is a must. I also read the latest in the Wayward Children novella series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38244358-in-an-absent-dream which I believe @ErinE has also been reading. I really liked this one except for the ending. This book clarified the rules surrounding the travel between the worlds for these children. I have several books in progress: The Gown by Jennifer Robson is a book I just started on the way to church this morning. I am going to have problems setting it aside for books with due dates this week I think. It was surprisingly engaging. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths is not the Ruth Galloway mystery I expected! It seems to be very good but I can’t help but be disappointed. I really need to read the synopsis first for favorite authors. I have now read some reviews and some say it’s similar to the Magpie Murders so it could be great........ My audiobook is the third book in the Fred, the Vampire Accountant series.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33980680-the-fangs-of-freelance I think I requested they purchase the rest of this series several years ago so it was a really pleasant surprise when they appeared in my Overdrive account last week. These books are funny, a series of short stories in each book by possibly the worlds most unexpected vampire. 🤣 I still need the pick a paper book out of my stack. I have been working on getting back in the habit of reading paper books again after shifting to kindle almost exclusively.

One thing I learned when my son was that age was he needed very defined curriculum to complete and to know exactly when he would be done. That was something outsourcing did give him. Throughout our homeschool years Dd and I loved being able to add more as rabbit trails appeared and it turned out that we drove my son nuts because he never knew when he would simply be done!

I just discovered my library has Senlin Ascends as an audiobook as well as a kindle copy. I will try listening to it soon as frequently having the first few chapters read to me Is easier. I don’t quit many audiobooks for content, audiobooks I quit because of the narration.😉 I am positive I didn’t get into the tower before I quit. I also looked at Goodreads this morning and it says 2020 for the Murderbot novel. I am curious but have to admit I think I like the shorter novella style for these books. The stories are rather streamlined which fits the character imo, saying this while realizing the first two could have easily been published as one combined book. The shorter style has advantages in terms of making people like my Ds at least curious. He who rarely reads anymore due to time constraints .......I like to think it’s lack of time. He almost took All systems Red when his sister tried to hand it to him........ @JennW in SoCal I forgot to answer the Peter Grant Novella part of your question last night.......I haven’t tried the graphic novels or novellas yet. Several are availiable from my Overdrive but I haven’t taken the time to sort the new from the old etc. Have you tried any of them? If I am going to read them I probably should probably give it a go soon while I still remember who is who fairly well!

@Robin M designs a Bingo card for Book a Week each year. A link for this year’s on her blog http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/p/2019-52-books-bingo-something-old.html Sometimes she highlights some of the harder squares in the weekly introduction......for instance borrowing a book from Overdrive works for the “something borrowed” this year. There are also several other ways to fill that square. 😉 I believe we have a couple of children of BaWers playing this year too. The only thing I can think of for a quick Bingo would be to do it as a quiz and have them write the answer in the square. Right answers lining up and counting towards a Bingo at the end.......maybe have quiz teams........So something like “the name of the magic school in the Harry Potter books” and they write Hogwarts in that box. Maybe design a couple of hopefully easy Bingo’s into the card..........

I hope you are feeling better! Actually, I just finished listening to Lies Sleeping this week. I enjoyed it but will admit I am so very glad I just reviewed the whole series. I read them all so quickly the details didn’t really stick so it was nice to follow along easily. Btw, I liked the ending quite a bit! I think I told Dd that you recommended Murderbot! 🤔🤣. I thought it was one of your convention purchases...... They are quick and different, I think you will like them.