Last night I finished #9 in the Joe Pickett series, Below Zero, by C.J.Box. Loved it! Not sure what I feel like reading next; lots of library holds to choose from. Robin, I hope you're enjoying Middlemarch. It's one of my favorites. There is a miniseries done by the BBC? Masterpiece Theatre? Anyway, it's a good adaptation of the story and you might enjoy it once you are done reading the book. Also, my son-in-law is a big fan of Brandon Sanderson so I have The Way of Kings in my TBR pile. I'll be interested in hearing what you think about it!

I didn't have much reading time this week but have several books at the ready and just need to decide which to start with. My grandparents gave me the first few Nancy Drew books and I read them but they weren't compelling enough to make me want to read more of the series. I think I grew into liking mysteries as I got older. @Robin M I remember the Hardy Boys tv series and had a crush on Parker Stevenson! Shaun Cassidy (remember Da Doo Ron-ron?) was all the rage for a while, too

I read The Revenant by Michael Punke this week. The story of mountain man Hugh Glass being mauled by a grizzly and his survival is fascinating. Terrific writing and I found it much better(and different) than the movie.

@Lady Florida. your orchid is beautiful!

Lovely poem Robin! and thank you for the thread. Over the past couple of weeks I finished three books: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling. This had a wonderfully creepy, Gothic premise but it went off the rails about a third of the way through. Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in WWII by Mala Kacenberg. I had to double check while reading this to see if it was aimed at younger readers - maybe middle school or upper elementary - but no, it is shelved in the adult section. The writing is very simple and skimmed the surface of the events of this Jewish woman's life in Poland during WWII. Her story takes an unusual path and I appreciated the book for that but the writing kept me at an emotional distance. I think the cat in the title was just a plot device - like maybe she had a cat with her at the beginning of the war but I can't believe that this cat just followed her onto trains and into Germany, etc. But, it doesn't matter what I think, she survived and is in her 90s now and is entitled to write whatever she wants! An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten. This is the follow-up to An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good and I enjoyed it as much as the first one! The cover art is terrific and fits in with this week's theme - read a book with flowers or leaves on the cover.

My daughter has a larger version of this for her youngest - he is 8 months - and it is super helpful. It's a clean area for him to play in, crawl around, etc. and his older brothers (3 and 6) love to get in and play with him, lol. She has dogs and an open floorpan with stairs going down into a finished basement so it gives him a good-sized area to play where she can see him. and he can still be a part of whatever is going on in the house.

Congratulations! He is beautiful!

I'm exhausted just thinking about 6000 square feet of house to clean - thank goodness he has a small house now! Best of luck to you, Scarlett! I'll be rooting for you to find that sweet spot between work and homelife!

I can only dream....

Seconding this! A somewhat low-key but overall satisfying read. I loved Maia and his determination to be a good emperor and the world-building was fascinating.

Am I right in guessing that it smells fabulous as it cooks down? (I'm in Arizona so no maples here, sadly!)

Last night I finished Out of Range (Joe Pickett #5) by C.J.Box. I had to backtrack to #5 after finishing #8 because I skipped over it somehow. I'll mail #6, 7, and 8 back to my uncle and will start on #9 as soon as he sends it. Meanwhile, I had 5 books come in from the library and just have to decide which one to start with!

@bookbard You are not alone! I was angry by the end and couldn't believe that I had actually PAID for a new copy of this book. (At the time I lived on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere and that darn Bas Bleu catalog tricked me into buying it!) The story was just so bland and pointless and I just didn't get why it was so highly rated. ugh

Good idea - I'll have to try that!

Hi all! I'm making my way through #5 of the Joe Pickett series and finished the audio of H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian, which is a re-listen. It's been several years since I read it and had forgotten how good it is! Well, darn! I totally missed Hoodie Hoo day! 😂 Love Kristin Lavransdatter but I've never been able to get into the audio version because of the narrator. Does the reader improve as she goes along?

My uncle told me about the tv series-he also said it was good- but I don't have Spectrum. I'm hoping it will be available to stream somewhere else in the next year or so, fingers crossed! I agree, I am always interested in seeing what happens with these characters - Nate, Marybeth, and even his horrible mil Missy. I'm planning on reading his other books after finishing the Joe Pickett series.

I finished #8 in the Joe Pickett series, Blood Trail. Really enjoying this series and finding that I can even read one after the other without losing interest in the story. I think I missed #5, Out of Range, so I'll be looking for that one before I continue on. @tuesdayschild - so glad you liked Airs Above the Ground! Thank you for the thread, Robin. 🙂

@Storygirl I listened to 11/22/63 a few years ago and felt the same way. There was waaaayyy too much about the main character and his girlfriend, his job, etc. The story wouldn't have suffered if a good portion of all that had been taken out.

I'm so glad to hear this!

@tuesdayschild Airs Above the Ground is one of my favorite Mary Stewart's. And I'm looking forward to hear what you think of Journey to the River Sea - it's a long-time favorite at my house.

This has been happening to me for the past few months - I thought it was my typing skills were failing! Mine was bought in early 2017. 🤨 At least now I know it isn't just me getting old, lol.

@mumto2 I love Gothic romance/suspense! I went on a binge of them a few years back ☺️I've read The Shivering Sands and think I even have a copy of The Red Carnelian around here somewhere. I don't think I've read any Dorothy Eden so I'll definitely look for her at the library. Have you ever tried anything by Madeline Brent (the author was actually a man named Peter O'Donnell)? He is another author I think you would like and the books always have terrific covers: And here is a Mary Stewart cover because they are always so fabulous 😊

I'm about to finish Free Fire (Joe Pickett #7) by C.J. Box. This one takes place in Yellowstone Park and I'm enjoying the different setting although the murders have been unusually gruesome. And I'm in the middle of an Agatha Christie Christmas collection (try saying that five times really fast!) - Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery and am loving it. The narrator for the audio version is really good. @Negin - I loved Susan Branch's trilogy and agree - her illustrations and storytelling are delightful!

Oh no! I agree with Kathy - last time I bought them I thought it was just me and that perhaps my tastes had changed. Now that I think about it, the Chunk cookies have changed, too. They're smaller and not as home-made as they used to be. ☹️

Just realized that I have finished five books since the start of the year. And I enjoyed each one! Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Mostly a fun read but it didn't grab me like The Martian did. I ended up skimming over some of the science bits. Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I feel as though I'm the last person to read this book, ha ha. I knew the basic story but knowing what was coming really amped up the feelings of dread the further (farther?)I got in the book. Taste: My Life through Food by Stanley Tucci. I heard his interview on NPR and it was great so I put the book on hold asap. I was #81 or thereabouts and it took a couple months for my turn to come up. I liked it, Stan Tucci is a good storyteller but his pedantic beliefs on food became a bit tiring by the end. The Late Show by Michael Connelly. My aunt recommended Connelly's Bosch series to me and after realizing how many books there are AND watching a couple episodes of the tv series, I knew it would be a struggle to get through them. So, I skipped ahead to where the series picks up with the female detective, Renee Ballard. Liked it very much and need to order the next one from the library. I accidentally ordered the large print version and now all my other books' print seems so very teeny tiny. and my last book - Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen. from GR: His name is synonymous with high-stakes wilderness survival stories. Now, author Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments from his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his desperate teenage enlistment in the Army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller. I've thoroughly enjoyed every book written by Paulsen and this one is no exception. All my kids liked his writing too, even the reluctant readers would look forward to his books. I was so sorry to hear that he passed away last fall. Thank you for the thread, Robin. I don't always post each week but I rarely miss reading through it and appreciating everyone's posts.