Great list. There are few I need to read.

I finally dove into Wolf Hall and enjoying so far. Have to read it a little bit more slowly to get all the nuances and enjoying the doses of wit and humor mixed in. Love this description "Their bodies breath out the faint borrowed scent of sun and herbs."

Took James to Barnes and Noble to do Christmas shopping. He has an interesting way of picking out books. First he's attracted by the title, then the cover, and will decide then and there without reading the synopsis that it's a good book. He leans towards historical fiction, particularly wwII. I tell him to read the front flap or back cover to find out what the books about, so he'll glance at it. He was picking out books for me and I was pretending not to look and he picks up three books totally at random by authors I've never heard of. When I comment on one not being something I would probably want to read, he says it's my decision mom, trust me. Yes sir....

Maybe TMI, but when my neck is hurting and ask hubby for a massage, you know men and where their hands naturally gravitate. He always manages to find a knot in my lower back or butt. Strange but true. When my knee is aching, there's always one toe that hurts like heck when squeeze it, but the pain in my knee goes away. Reflexology is a wonderful thing.

I've pulled my Achilles tendon a couple of times and used solanpas cold patches which helped considerably along with pain relievers. Easy stretching works. Make sure your bed sheets and or comforter aren't too heavy and loose enough that it isn't mushing your foot down. Can always put an extra small pillow down at the foot of the bed so tents around your foot. Also massaging the calf up above provides some help. Talk hubby into providing leg massages, just not directly on the tendon. My hubby's great at finding knots of pulled muscles. Hope you feel better soon.

I google everything so did a bit of searching and found out it two different things going on in two different states: Meade County teens dressing like cats Colorado schools issuing litter boxes and buckets in the event of lockdown

Good article and love the comments. I give a book three different tries over a period of time and if by the third I still can't get into it, then it's time to shelve the book, thinking I'll never read it. And because I keep everything, ten years later or so may stumble across and devour it, so guess it's all time and mood and possibly age. Once I start reading a book, I'll give it 50 to 60 pages for a short book and about a 100 or so for a chunky book. "The reason is almost never that a book was too challenging. This is a frequent argument trotted out by the book-finishing brigade: If people can just quit books whenever they want, they will never read anything that challenges them! They will simply stick with what’s easy and familiar. To me, the opposite seems true. If there is some rule insisting that every reader finish every book they start, isn’t each reader more likely to stick to their own personal tried and true, knowing there’s no escape once the first pages are turned? But also: I think readers know the difference. We know when we’re putting down a book because it’s just not the right moment, or we’re not the right reader, versus when we’re tempted to put down a book because it’s formally challenging or the content is emotionally exhausting or we’re having to do a lot more critical thinking than we expected. Sometimes you still set aside the smart, hard, necessary books. Not everyone is in the right place for something heavy and difficult all the time. But those are also the books we remember, and maybe go back to." Exactly. I've had many 'not the right moment's' but when it is the right moment, it's usually a book that tugs at my emotions and times I need a good laugh, or indeed a good cry. When it comes to the heavy and difficult, has nothing to do with whether they are challenging. It all has to do with the writing, the story, the characters, and whether they engage me and how much time I want to invest in reading it. "No book is for every reader. The only “should” in reading is that we should read widely, diversely, enthusiastically. Beyond that, to quote Burkeman once more: “Choose uncomfortable enlargement over comfortable diminishment whenever you can.” I think with age comes the diversity of reading. I go through stages. Late teens and early 20's, only reading science fiction and fantasy, leaving them behind in my 30's for action and adventure, mystery and suspense in my 40's until I went back to finish my liberal arts degree and engaged with classics. When I started the 52 books challenge, I think it helped me to really expand into reading other genres and not just stick with one. Now in my 60's my reading had expanding into reading a multitude of genres, including non fiction which I avoided with the plague in my younger years. So I think some books depend on age and frame of mind.

That's great. I need to check to see where I am with A to Z. Yep, agree. Reading from own shelves for the rest of the year is a good idea.

Thank you, Mum. The link didn't work. Here's the direct link to amazon. https://www.amazon.com/When-Christ-His-Saints-Slept-ebook/dp/B004JF5YU8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=when+christ+and+his+saints+slept&qid=1639361952&sr=8-1 Even though I have the hard cover edition, I bought the kindle edition. Maybe it'll be easier to read on my old eyes. 😁

I am currently reading the second book in J.S. Dewes Divide series, The Exiled Fleet. “The Sentinels narrowly escaped the collapsing edge of the Divide. They have mustered a few other surviving Sentinels, but with no engines they have no way to leave the edge of the universe before they starve. Adequin Rake has gathered a team to find the materials they'll need to get everyone out. To do that they're going to need new allies and evade a ruthless enemy. Some of them will not survive.” Talking about chivalry, I think that Adequin is the female equivalent of a knight, tries to take care of her troops, protects the weak, etc. so even though I didn’t plan it this way, synchronicity is at work. I added three more Agatha Christie books to my virtual stacks: Cat Among the Pigeons (Hercule Poirot #32) Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8) and The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot #6), as well as Juliet Gauvin’s The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth.

Link to week 50

Happy Sunday! I love the picture above as well as this simple poem by Robert Frost and the imagery they evoke. Have a wonderful reading week, my lovelies. A Time to Talk By Robert Frost When a friend calls to me from the road and slows his horse to a meaning walk, I don't stand still and look around on all the hills I haven't hoed, And shout from where I am, "What is it?" No, not as there is a time to talk. I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground, Blade end up and five feet tall, And plod: I go up to the stone wall for a friendly visit. For 2022, I'm introducing a new year long reading challenge called A to Z and back again. One word beginning with that letter every week as we work all the way through the alphabet forward, then back to A. The word of the week will be announced with each Sunday's post. There will be numerous ways to play which include reading a book with the word in the title; read alphabetically by author or title; includes the emotion or action or characteristic or job of the character or the story; find a synonym or antonym; form an aptigram or antigram; Create a story or poem and let your thoughts fly. How you do it is up to you. To give you an example, since we are on week 50, we'd be on the letter c. The word of the week: Chivalry. Make of it what you will. Link to week 49 Visit 52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.

On my dinner break at work and perusing the internet. Decided to share the wealth tonight with more book lists. So much temptation. I discovered shopping early for Christmas in order to make sure things get here on time has lead to spending a whole heck of a lot more money, because I keep seeing one more thing, then one more thing. My guys are going to be spoiled this year. Have you seen Red Notice yet? Fun movie. Red Notice and the Art of the Heist books about heists. The Center for Fiction confabs to determine the 200 Books that Shaped 200 Years of Literature. A list from France - 100 books of 2021 (thank goodness for google translator) Now I'm meandering slowly (is that redundant?) through Tor's list of 100 Speculative Fiction Titles to Add to Your Reading List 😘

Amazon daily deals for Kindle - Agatha Christie books $3.99 and under. Great if you are still doing the Agatha Christie perpetual reading challenge. I just added a few to my virtual stacks.

I think I have you to thank for mentioning the Last Watch, Mel. Once I read the excerpt on Amazon, had to buy it. Once I started reading it, couldn't put it down. I just finished and immediately ordered The Exiled Fleet. Dewes did a marvelous job of creating a story with military misfits exiled in an outer space station on the edge of the galaxy. A cast of characters you wanted to root for, descriptive writing which as a whole, mind and gut wrenching events which made for a great story.

I forgot I have Open Season in my virtual stacks. Will have to move it up in the stacks for next year read. Sounds like a book my hubby would enjoy reading.

Love this article. I'm pretty much the same way. I peruse my shelves of unread books, , go down memory lane, think about why I chose it. "There’s a story like these behind every unread book, just like there’s a different kind of story about every book you’ve finished, whether that story—the story of your experience of the book—is about how it made you angry, made you cry, made you think about how writing works, made you want to read more fiction or more history or more stories unlike no stories you’d ever read before. We don’t just read stories; we create our own stories around them. Even, I think, when we haven’t read them. Yet." Makes me want to return to being a monogamous reader, paying sole attention to the story I'm reading, instead of splitting my time between several. After all, the book may have been waiting in the stacks for a long time and deserves it's moment in the limelight. 😁 Good to know. I just started Last Watch and enjoying the world building, learning about the characters, wondering what's going to happen.

I’ve just started another space opera, The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes: “The Divide. It’s the edge of the universe. Now it’s collapsing—and taking everyone and everything with it. The only ones who can stop it are the Sentinels—the recruits, exiles, and court-martialed dregs of the military. At the Divide, Adequin Rake commands the Argus. She has no resources, no comms—nothing, except for the soldiers that no one wanted. Her ace in the hole could be Cavalon Mercer--genius, asshole, and exiled prince who nuked his grandfather's genetic facility for “reasons.” She knows they’re humanity's last chance.” We watched National Treasure: Book of Secrets Saturday night which was excellent.

Link to week 49

Happy Sunday, my dears! We're weighing anchor and taking a short flight to Dove Pond, North Carolina to join our fictional librarian of the month, Sarah Dove, created by Karen Hawkins. Books have talked to Sarah for as long as she can remember. For the residents of Dove Pond, they are mystified when Sarah always gives them a book which turns out to be just what they needed to read to solve a problem. The Dove family has 7 daughters and the first two books in the series, The Book Charmer and A Cup of Silver Linings are both great reads. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, The Lost Book of Cakes which will be out sometime in 2022. Karen Hawkins booklist also includes several historical romance series. Read a book with one or more of the following (but not limited to) and have fun exploring: Spell out the first and/or last name of the character's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover. Spell out the first and/or last name of the author - one book per letter. Read one or more books in the series or any book in the author's booklist. Follow in a character's footsteps and read a book set in the country or time period of the story. Follow in the author's footsteps and read a book set in their place or time of birth. Read a book with the first or last name of the character or author in the title. Have fun as there are a variety of ways to complete this challenge with plenty of rabbit trails. Link to week 48 Visit 52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.

Happy Dance! Glad to hear your research project is almost done and hubby got the job. Personal Library keeps popping up in most of the book sites. Thanks for the review. I'll have to add it to my wishlist.

Thanks for good thoughts and prayers. We got the results this morning and it's negative. Yeah! John is feeling a little better. You know he's sick when James can talk him into watching endless Spiderman cartoons. Finished a Starless Sea, a story within a story within a story about a story. Endless time, myths, fables, the moon, fate, life, love, adventures, bees, hearts, swords, acolytes, guardians, doors, doors, and more doors. Well written, captures your imagination, with plenty of sensory detail to keep both your mind and your senses engaged. Beautiful story and totally enjoyed it. One of those books I'll enjoy reading again

A bit of web browsing while eating lunch at work. 16 remarkable stories by jewish authors - Chabon's book is in my stacks, as well as Wecker's Hidden Palace which is a sequel to Golem and the Jinni Buzzfeed's 25 Book Tweets So Hilarious, They Went Viral In 2021 as well as 21 Books that are so good, people can literally not put them down. Adding more books to my wishlist. Harry Potter's pretty much a given. James and I are currently doing a movie rewatch and just finished the Chamber of Secrets. I read Shatter Me and yes, it is very good. Need to finish the series. Jo Walton’s Reading List: November 2021. I almost made What is Jo Walton Reading a bingo category but alas I didn't. I'm sure it will pop up somewhere during the next year as a mini challenge. Time to get back to work. We think John has the flu, but made him get tested for covid yesterday. Won’t receive results until Monday. Hoping and praying he doesn’t have it, otherwise we’ll have to shut down next week while the rest of us get tested. Fingers, toes, and everything else crossed. Can you say stressed? 😘

Yes, quoting myself. So had a couple days off and don't listen to audiobook except in the car, so picked up where left off in the book and now can't put it down. 😁

We do audio repair and Yamaha, Pioneer or Sony compact stereo system would be within her budget and have good sound. Need to make sure new product has headphone jack, possibly phono inputs if he decides he want to add a record player at some point. Usb if he wants to stream from his phone, If she can get her hands on an older vintage Sansui or Marantz, that's been refurbished, he would probably enjoy either one.