vancouverdeb reads in 2016 - Thread #2

This is not me, but it could be, if I had blonde hair and a brown dog. I would also need to be older. Poppy loves to jump on top of me when I am lying on the couch watching TV and she tries to give me kisses just like this. ( Ugh! )

January
This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison 4 stars (US)
Faith by Jennifer Haigh 4 stars ( US)
Mãn by Kim Thuy 3 stars (CAN)
Sleeping on Jupiter by Anuradha Roy 4 stars (India)
The Remains Of The Day Kazuo Ishiguro 4.5 stars (UK)
Annie Dunne by Sebastian Barry 4.2 stars (Ireland)
The End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina 4.1 stars (UK)

February
Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai 3.7 stars (India)
Book Of Sands: A novel of the Arab uprising by Karim Alrawi 4.5 stars (CAN-EGYPT)
A Crime In The Neighbourhood by Suzanne Berne 4 stars (US)
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear 4 stars (UK)

January stats, if it matters! :)

7 books - a good start for me! :)

2 US , 1 CAN, 1 India, 2 UK , 1 Ireland - or is Ireland part of the UK ?

Female authors 4
Male authors 3

save

Welcome to thread number two for 2016. Please drop a star. I read by the seat of my pants, but I do hope to read Empire Falls for the ACC and The Frozen Thames for the CAC.

Currently reading Feasting, Fasting by Anita Desai. She is a writer from India and I am trying to read " more globally" this year, though I really need to get more Canadian authors under my belt for this year. This books was short listed for the Orange prize and long listed for the Booker Prize back in 1999!

Happy new thread! Your topper could be me, too, if I had blonde hair, I was older and thinner, and Adrian was a different breed! I'd need new furniture as well. But otherwise we're twins!

Happy New Thread, Deb! Isn't that the woman from There is Something About Mary? If so, you don't want to look like her. LOL.

Glad you liked The End of the Wasp Season. Sounds good. i am not familiar with the series or author.

Happy new thread, Deborah! There is no way your thread topper could be me because we don't have that couch. I have big love and respect for a woman who reads by the seat of her pants, so I'm claiming my spot here.

Happy new thread, Deb!

>1 vancouverdeb: Happy New Thread Deb. I am pleased to confirm that neither in the thread topper are me!

This is not me, but it could be, if I had blonde hair and a brown dog. I would also need to be older. Deb, you would also need to have a fainting couch! How adorable that Poppy jumps up on your chest and gives kisses ... or maybe not that adorable when you're trying to watch telly? hehe

About that fainting couch, here's yours: I think we should install one on every thread, LOL!

Yup, I highly recommend a fainting couch, very useful item for your thread.

The new topper made me laugh - I hadn't realised it was something about Mary.

I was in Waterstones yesterday and they had a big display with copies of the sheep and goats book you said you ordered already - looked very swish, lovely cover.

Hope your new thread is full of great reading.

>1 vancouverdeb: LOL. I love dogs and I don't mind them "kissing" me but not on the mouth. :-P

Happy New Thread, Deb!

Happy New Thread, Deb. I'm trying to catch up with all threads. I hope that I'm back more frequently, now.

Congrats on the new thread, Deb!

I'm with Ellen. No dog kisses on the lips, please. Although our daughter's dog Sherlock is sometimes too quick for any of us.

Happy new thread, Deborah. I like Desai and will watch for your comments.

Hi Deb, love the new thread my dear. Hope you have had a good few days, sending love and hugs.

>7 cbl_tn: Carrie, you crack me up. I suppose we all are potentially twins with the image I chose , if we just change up a few things. ;)

>8 msf59: Mark, I searched for " dogs reading " and I came upon this picture , which so funny and also " somewhat true to life " - but yes, later I did realize it is from the old movie, There is Something about Mary. I do recall seeing that movie, but not that particular character. Time to get familiar with Denise Mina, do you think, Mark.

>9 Crazymamie: Well, Mamie, if you just traded that couch for that one, could that be you? ;) Thanks for the big love and respect.

>10 scaifea: Thanks Amber, for stopping by new thread!

>11 PaulCranswick: That is a relief Paul. I am glad to know that you do not wear blue eyes shadow. That was preying on my mind :)

>12 lit_chick: Thank you for the fainting couch, Nancy . When I happened upon the image, it reminded me so much of Poppy. She sneaks along the top of the couch, dives down on my chest or tummy and proceeds to kiss me on the mouth. I don't really like it, but I let her have a few kisses so she does not feel to sad- rejected by the object of her. Thus my arms holding her back - but also letting a few mouth kisses happen. She is lady of big love.

>13 charl08: Yesterday my inbox said the Book Depo had " dispatched " my copy of The Trouble with Sheep and Goats by Joanna Cannon . It is in paper form, so I suppose it will not be a swishy as the copy that you had seen. You and your Guardian reviews! :) $$$

>14 EBT1002: Ellen, I do not like Poppy to kiss me on the mouth, but I don't like to her to feel "rejected" so I tolerate a few kisses when they are on offer. :) She also will nibble my ear while sitting beside me when I am driving. I figure I am inoculated against a bunch of germs. Best case scenario, I figure.

>15 Ameise1: Thank you for stopping by, Barbara!

>16 jnwelch: Exactly Joe. Sometimes the dog is to quick for me too. And then I don't want her to feel rejected. I don't want to hurt her delicate soul. I am a bit of a patsy. Sherlock is a very cool name for a dog.

>17 BLBera: Oh, great that you enjoy Anita Desai. I read The Sari Shop, by Rupa Bajwa last December and really enjoyed it as dark look into India. Somehow I ran across Anita Desai and decided to give her books a try. I have another book by her, Clear Light of Day, which is one of those " 1001 books you read before you die, so I will likely read that later this year.

>18 johnsimpson: I hope things are going well across the pond, John. Love and hugs to you and Karen!

I had to laugh at your comment on the thread-stopper. Poppy - what an affectionate dog - sneaking up and showering you with kisses in the middle of X Files :)

Hope you enjoy your time in India, Deborah.

Off I head into the pouring rain with said kissing dog. Really dreadful today. But she must be walked.

>23 ctpress: She is an affectionate dog Carsten :) Very true! Perhaps to much so. Now to wrangle her into her rain coat and find my rain pants. Nasty day today.

Yikes, can you believe the rain! You are a wonderful dog mommy to head out in it! No wonder you get wonderful dog kisses. Congrats on your new thread. Sorry that The Green Road did not suit. You have had lots of great reads already in 2016.

>26 mdoris: Poppy is so active and busy , that I have no choice but to get her outside. She is just over two years old, Mary, so there is no getting away from a good walk a couple of times a day. Yes, I agree, I've had some great reads already.

Good for you walking Poppy in the rain! We don't get a lot of rain here, at least rain that goes on for hours, so we don't have to go out in it too often. Thankfully.

Yes, good for you for walking in the rain. Nothing like the wet dog smell!

I have been meaning to read Anita Desai, so looking forward to your thoughts.

>9 Crazymamie: Well...If the lady was a bit younger, shorter, slightly chubbier with more of an hourglass figure, was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, had shorter hair which was brown with red low lights, was wearing no make-up except for lipstick, and the dog was a toy poodle, then yes, it could be me.

>1 vancouverdeb: LOL! I'm so glad that she is not you, she doesn't look like a reader type, at all!

>30 Crazymamie: Mamie! You. Crack. Me. Up.!

>30 Crazymamie: Now you mention it, I can see the resemblance!

Happy new thread, Deb! Looks like you got a lovely start on your reading for 2016!

>28 Copperskye: Winter means rain and more rain and overcast here, for the most part, Joanne. Today is better, but yesterday was not nice at all.

>29 banjo123: Poppy has a rain coat, so she does not really pick up that wet dog smell - or else I am so used to it I do not notice. Most likely I am so used to it, I do notice it. But we do use a blow dryer and a lot of towels. so that helps. Will shortly be able to tell you what I think of Anita Desai, Rhonda.

>30 Crazymamie: Mamie, you mean you don't wear that stylish blue eyeshadow? And you have red lowlights? Oh, with all this joking I might as well admit - THAT IS ME! Yes! :) Poppy is wearing a brown dog costume, but that is me! ;)

>31 Carmenere: Mamie does crack me up too, Lynda. I don't know - can't cougars be readers too :)

>32 michigantrumpet: Thanks Marianne, I have had a good start with my reading this year. And apparently a good thread topper this month :)

"Can't Cougars be readers too" I'm sure there is a book group somewhere to prove that they can and are, Deborah.

Hope you've dried out from all that rain. I do admire dog walkers out in the cold and wet (from under the comfort of my blanket, sitting next to the fire).

>24 vancouverdeb: same here this morning, Ari and me in pouring rain :-(
Luckely Chimay doesn't like the rain and she skips rainy walks as long as possible. She can hold her bladder for at least 24 hours, if after 24 hours it is still not dry we use her raincoat....

>35 FAMeulstee: Wow, Anita! Poppy's bladder strength increases when it rains too -but not 24 hours! Like it not, she must head out to the bathroom . Poppy would likely destroy our house if we did not walk her twice a day. She is just past two years old and full of beans! Even with the two walks a day, she is always keen to play.

>34 charl08: Charlotte, gasp! Missed you first time round! Of course cougars could form a book group! Heck, I'm nearly a cougar myself! :)

Hi, Deb! Just checking in with my pal. Hope the week is going well. Lots of Poppy love over here.

Ooh, Chimay! That is a great Belgium brew.

No dogs here, but I have 3 kittens piled up next to me.

"She also will nibble my ear while sitting beside me when I am driving."
Now, see, I would love that!

I'm glad you've had a drier day today! Adrian spent part of his day in a metaphorical dog house. He has never learned how to ask to go outside. I have to notice from his behavior that he needs to go out. I must have been busy and not paying attention, and I ended up with a mess to clean up on my way out the door for work. :-(

I hope you got Poppy's walks in early today, Deb. Wasn't that rain heavy later this afternoon? It was over where I am.

That's good that Poppy will wear her raincoat! Chica seems to think that hers is a bad fashion statement and won't leave the porch with one on.

>37 msf59: Yes Mark, she was named after that brew :-)

I imagine you'll be on your couch with a kissing Poppy ;-)

>40 cbl_tn: I bet you could teach Adrian to ring a bell, Carrie - that's what our dogs do.

Morning, Deborah! Happy Friday!

>35 FAMeulstee: >36 vancouverdeb: Daisy is very reluctant to 'perform' when she's on the lead. It can be a problem when we go away and it's not convenient to let her run free. She managed 18 hours once because we couldn't let her off the lead!

Hi Deborah, Yikes, have you got enough towels and hair dryers in your house to keep Poppy dry? Our Maggie is a Mississippi girl and only likes dry/warm.

>37 msf59: The week is going well enough, Mark! Lots of rain though.

>38 thornton37814: Three kittens that don't need walking in the rain. That's a plus Lori!

>39 EBT1002: I nearly die of laughter when Poppy nibbles my ear in the car, Ellen. She is so funny. I prefer that to kisses on the mouth , but can I reject my Poppy on the first kiss? I feel I have to " tolerate" a few so she does not feel rejected. Did I tell you that I am quite soft hearted?

>40 cbl_tn: Oh dear! Poppy says I am sorry to that, Adrian. Poppy has a dog door, which I am so glad that we installed. Our living area is upstairs, so when we got her as a puppy I did worry about teaching how to let let know that she need to go out. After about 7 months we opened up the small dog that was here 15 years ago when we moved into our place. So if she really needs to go and somehow we don't notice, she can go on her own.

>41 Familyhistorian: Yesterday was Poppy's day with the dog walker and the other dogs -so I got to skip my rainy walk. Today it is raining again , quite hard. Ugh!

>42 banjo123: Rhonda, Poppy used to nip at us about the rain coat, but it rains so often and so heaving here that really, for a small dog, one has no choice but to use a raincoat. We have her trained " good jacket" and she accepts her rain coat now. Once it is on, she is fine and needs a LOT of exercise, or she might drive me and my husband crazy.

She also will nibble my ear while sitting beside me when I am driving. ... That is just too adorable, Deb. It would seriously give me the giggles, too!

>43 FAMeulstee: Anita, don't encourage our resident errr " problem drinker' ;)

>44 DianaNL: Amazingly my husband is actually home for the weekend for once. Maybe I will save a kiss for him :)

>45 Crazymamie: We considered that, Mamie, but we were afraid Poppy would ring the bell a lot , just for fun. So she stares at us and if we don't respond, she used the dog dog.

>46 SandDune: Oh dear, Rhian! I have friend who's Golden Retriever has that problem. Not a problem for Poppy. We say " good toto' and she is proud of herself, LOL!

>47 mdoris: Poppy has acquired a lot of our old towels over the years , as well as several blankets. Apparently my husband does not mind sharing his hair dryer with the dog.

>50 lit_chick: Nancy, it really did give me the giggles when she first did it. It still does. Poppy runs hot and cold. You know, she gets afraid of things and can get " crabby, growly" but the the rest of the time she is very affectionate. I have to make certain I am wearing sturdy earrings when she is in the car. No licks to my faux glitz earrings! :)

Great Poppy stories, Deborah.

>52 vancouverdeb: Oh dear, i've come to the point in life when I have more "dog" towels than nice "human" towels.
Poppy sounds like a character!

>55 mdoris: LOL , Doris! I do believe I have more dog towels than human towels as well. I think I need to put bath towels on my shopping list. Just today Poppy had grabbed a kitchen towel - I'm not sure if she stole it from the laundry , or grabbed it off the towel bar on the oven. Yes, she is a character. She has not been an easy dog. :)

Feasting, Fasting by Anita Desai .

Shortlisted for 1999 Booker Prize and long-listed for the 2000 Orange Prize, I had high expectations for Feasting, Fasting. Though I enjoyed the story, overall I was left somewhat disappointed.

Written in easy to read prose, the story is about a a family in small town India. Uma and Aruna are the two daughters of "MamaAndPapa" who tightly control their children. Around mid- life , Mama gives birth to a beloved son, Arun. The eldest daughter, Uma, is a homely, somewhat slow and clumsy child . Upon the birth of her brother, Uma is pulled out of school to look after her new younger brother, and ultimately her parents too. Sister Aruna leaves the family quite early in the novel, to what appears to be a happy arranged marriage. As the eldest daughter, Uma should be married first, but efforts in this direction fail. Uma is left a to be essentially a slave to her parents. Interestingly, an attractive and educated cousin appears to make a happy marriage match, only to end in tragedy. The controlling nature of parents in India is on full display here, as is the the preference for male children. The lack of rights and blame accorded to girls and women is also explored.

The heavy parental expectations and responsibilities placed on son Arun is told in the second part of the story. Arun is tutored to exhaustion , and expected to attend college in the USA. This he does, but he feels lost and troubled in the USA. Arun wishes to just blend in and disappear.

Overall, a decent read. I felt that the second part of the novel , concerning Arun was much too short and underdeveloped. It seemed somewhat shallow and contrived. Nonetheless, later in the year , I plan to read another book by Anita Desai, Clear Light of Day.Clear Light of Day is billed as on one of those " 1001 books you must read before you die. .

3. 7 stars.

Fabulous review of Fasting, Feasting, Deb. Sorry it fell somewhat short. Thumb-up from this corner : ).

>58 lit_chick:, Yes , Nancy. It was an not a bad read, but yes, it did fall short of what I would have expected. I think you would find the same.

>45 Crazymamie: >49 vancouverdeb: I'm a little afraid of what Adrian might do with a bell. He loves his squeaky toys so I'm thinking he might like to hear the bell. If I did the dog door thing I'd have all sorts of unwanted animals in here. One neighbor's cats spend more time hanging out in my carport than they do at home. They also have a dog about the same size as Adrian who roams freely around the neighborhood. He can be aggressive - he hasn't been fixed - and I wouldn't trust Adrian outside without me to stop any potential attack from the neighbor's dog.

>60 cbl_tn: As I mentioned on you and Mamie's thread, I too was worried about what Poppy would do with a bell. Ring it constantly for fun? Here it is illegal to have a dog running at large, so that is not a concern for me with the dog door. We also have a solid 6 foot fence. I did worry about raccoons, mice, squirrels, rats etc, but in the two years that we have had it , cross my fingers, no problem with unwanted animals. We just put one flap into the opening, but it does have two flaps to prevent other animals for coming in. You can also block it off, which we do rarely. It can let in a fair bit of cold air in the winter though, but fortunately our temps are seldom too bad.

Hi Deborah, and happy weekend to you!

Daisy used to the use the cat flap when she was little. She was very indignant when she wouldn't fit through it any more.'

>62 AMQS: Happy Weekend to you too, Anne! My husband is home over the weekend, which is lovely indeed!

>63 SandDune: That is funny, Rhian! As I mentioned, our place had a dog door that was closed off when we moved in 15 years ago, and we " restored it' to use after we got Poppy. We made sure to get a size that would fit Poppy as she grew. I suppose though sometimes they can grow bigger than anticipated. I wonder if a cat flap is different from a dog flap? Likely not.

Happy weekend Deborah. Hope you have a good one.

Great review, but sorry Fasting, Feasting didn't live up to expectations. It's often the case with "prize" book - ones expectations can get high before reading. Hope you have better luck with Clear Light of Day - didn't find it in my 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - but I guess it's in one of the later editions where they have included more novels from Asia and Africa (I have the first edition).

Have a great weekend - with your husband home :)

Happy weekend, Deb.

Hi Deborah - Nice comments on Fasting, Feasting. I'm sorry it fell flat for you. Have a great weekend.

>46 SandDune: Some dogs can be very picky on what spot to perform, Chimay only has 3 places here in the neighborhood that are approved and only when she is on the Flexi 8 meters lead ;-)
In our first litter we had a dog who went to Berlin. He got used to "perform" in his garden. Once a year they came for a week to the beach in the Netherlands, he would hold it for days!

>52 vancouverdeb: lots of old towels for the dogs here too.

>65 charl08: It is sunny here, Charlotte, so that in itself is a good weekend, at least today!

>66 ctpress: According to LT, Clear Light of Day is one of those 1001 books to read but what edition I'm not sure. The average star value on LT for Fasting, Feasting is 3 stars, so I suppose it worked out better for me than some. Good to see you , Carsten.

>67 Ameise1: Happy Weekend to you too, Barbara! Such a cute fox! :)

>68 BLBera: Thanks Beth. It was still worth the read, but it did not " deliver" as I had hoped. Still, I have had a good year of reading so far.

>69 FAMeulstee: Anita, ironically our second dog , who came to us at age 8 would not use our back yard/ garden. I'm not sure what it worse. It meant a lot of leashing her up and going out at 1 am , 8 - 9 am , rain or shine. That was not fun. I'm sure the neighbours got to know my bathrobe really well! :)

Currently reading Book Of Sands: A novel of the Arab uprising by Karim Alrawi. It is written by an Egyptian man who immigrated to Canada. It was originally one of the Canada Reads "long list". I have wanted to better understand that Arab Spring, so I making my through this novel. I am finding it fairly dark and a challenging read. It has a fair bit of magical realism , women cannot give birth, a large flock of birds descends on the city and seems to follow people every where. I had nightmare about the Arab Spring last night, so I know it is getting to me. Plus is it a challenging read for me, in terms of understanding the allegorical nature of the story and magical realism.

>70 vancouverdeb: Sunshine over there, Deb? All I can say for here is there is no rain. I hope that we both get lots of sunshine before the weekend is over. Have a great one!

Books of Sands sounds unusual, Deb. Standing by ... I know magical realism is not your thing.

Happy new thread! And happy weekend!

>73 Familyhistorian: Yes, we have actually had sunshine today. The rain is sill holding off. I guess you are closer to the mountains, so you probably get a more rain/ overcast than we do.

>74 lit_chick: I've been aware of Book Of Sands: A novel of the Arab uprising for a while, but I became to determined to read it lately. It is interesting , but also slow moving and a lot to try to understand . And yes, most often magical realism is not my thing. I've promised myself a really fun read next! :) Mystery or something like that.

>75 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel. Happy Weekend to you too!

Ooh have fun with the magical realism. Sounds like a challenging read.

Happy Sunday! Finally catching up on some threads. A bit late to comment on the hair almost-desaster, just wanted to say that I'm happy with you it has been fixed so quickly. My own hair has "hidden red particles" that lead to problems every time I change hairdresser. So I do that only when I change town (or country as last time).

Dogs and towels and hair dryers.. memories come back. Our cocker spaniel hated the towels but loved the hairdryer so much that she learned to open the bathroom door when she heard it. She threw herself on the floor, showing us her belly, and if we didn't react, she started scratching our legs. Even my guinea pig liked the hairdryer and was extra-fluffy afterwards. :)

We had just one dog with "performance issues" - it had to be grass, which was difficult in one really icy winter when we always had to remove snow and ice from some spot which she then at once used.

>77 charl08: Charlotte, I am comforting myself that my next book will be purely for fun. It is a challenging read, but it's also a book I have had in mind to read. So let us hope it is worth it .

>78 Deern: Happy Sunday, Nathalie. I have still have " red hair " particles, but that is okay with me. A bit of red and gold mixed in with the brown is okay with me. Our poor dogs, there " performance issues revealed here on LT! Poppy is quite happy to do her thing, without issues. I had an embarrassing time last week when we had walked a mile and I figured she had done what she needed to do. But no, 30 seconds into the dog/ cat food and toy store, she decided it was" time. " She is housetrained, so why a store is okay , I have no idea . I purchased a little extra and scurried out of the pet store fast.

Since I am reading a difficult book and also because Dave and I went out to Chapter's yesterday - Canada' " Big Book Store' , I purchased myself a few books.

I am looking forward to The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon, which is a BB from Charlotte's Guardian's reviews. I ordered it from The Book Depository, but I saw it in the store yesterday.

I purchased a weird lot of books.

Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks because it looked like a fun read and Carsten has made me curious about books by P.G.Woodhouse. So , though it is not a book by P.G Wodehouse it is a homage to him.

Cause for Concern by Margaret York because I had in mind to get mystery and the one that I saw reviewed in my newspaper looked to gruesome. And this one was recommended by Susan Hill, whose mysteries I like. Cross your fingers.

Family Life by Akil Sharma because " it looked good"

And my husband did not try to discourage me by saying " just buy one book" I wonder what he has purchased unbeknownst to me :) And then we had a casual dinner out together. Maybe the " Family Holiday Weekend " is having an effect on him :)

Happy Sunday, Deb! Hope you have a nice day and get plenty of reading in.

>81 msf59: Thanks Mark! Have fun driving into the big city so you and Joe can see the Superbowl together!

Happy Sunday, Deb!

Yes, we're looking forward to everyone's favorite warbler visiting Casa Welch for the Big Game. :-)

What a great time you and Dave had at Chapters, Deb! Love your unique choices : ). Made me laugh: And my husband did not try to discourage me by saying " just buy one book" I wonder what he has purchased unbeknownst to me. Do keep us posted ...

I'm wondering that too... mystery gift?

can't cougars be readers too Oooo, is she a cougar? I wasn't thinking that way, just thought her a make up wearing, gaudily dressed animal kisser. Now, If she were holding a young man.....welllllll ;0}

Maybe your husband spent way to much on a Valentines Day gift

Enjoy the Family Holiday!

Hi Deb, I'm stopping by to wish you a very happy belated new year. I noticed you read and enjoyed The Remains of the Day. It's been high on my wishlist ever since seeing the film with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson (three times) who are amongst my favourite actors. But I'm a bit reluctant to read the book because either the film or the book will be better and I'm not sure if I want to find that out.

Stopping in to catch up with your thread, Deborah - it never fails to make me smile! Sounds like a lovely day with dinner and a bookstore stop, but it does sound like your husband may have purchased something on the sly and is waiting for "the right moment" to tell you about it. That's what mine would do!

>83 jnwelch: I hope you and Mark have had lots of fun watching the SuperBowl. I've no idea whether it is over as yet, nor who won. Casa Welch. I lke that.

>84 lit_chick: Nancy, I was so surprised that Dave did say - surely one book is enough etc. Then again, I have not been into the " Big Bookstore " in a while. I did ask him today why he did not " chide me over my book purchases as per usual, but he said - well, if you had gotten four books, than I would have said to put one back. He did forget his own reading glasses to browse Chapters himself, but he had to purchase a new pair at Chapters:) I know he likes to read about the 1001 Whiskies You Should Drink before you die, or something of that nature, so perhaps he has an expensive whiskey purchase in mind :) I try to keep him away from " the drink" but he claims an ounce or whatever at night is medicinal in nature. Sigh. As for my choices, I had in mind a crime book by Sara Blaedel, The Forgotten Girls as new Swedish Crime novelist , as mentioned in my newspaper books reviews, but her books looked too gruesome for my tastes. I had also decided to purchase something whimsical and fun and thus Jeeves and the Wedding Bells.

>85 charl08: Charlotte, no, I fear not. Dave is not much of mystery gift giver. Perhaps he has purchased a new jacket or who knows what I have yet to notice. He's learned from me that "I have had that for years- did you not notice."

>86 Carmenere: I was not thinking of her as a cougar either, Lynda. Merely a woman reading with a dog on a couch and that is what I found on the internet. But I cannot see any reason for a " cougar" not to read, unless she is too busy with more active pursuits? I will bet that my husband has not even remembered Valentines Day. No worries. Maybe he'll buy me a chocolate bar from the grocery store!:) I'll keep you posted.

>87 Trifolia: So lovely to see you, Monica! Like you , I am afraid to watch Remains of the Day, having so recently read the book. Ah you have the opposite problem to me. You have seem the movie, wheras I have recently read the book.

>88 Crazymamie: Well, it was my birthday in January , and at the time I was weary of all of the Christmas /New Years Celebrations and my husband had worked all through the holidays -not his fault. Perhaps he felt it was catch up time? He did ask me what I wanted to do for my birthday back in January and I told him " nothing." Maybe in his mind it was catch up time. Or maybe a large package for him will arrive in the mail. Who knows, Mamie. :)

I am taking advantage of Superbowl Sunday to try and catch up with some threads. Happy new thread, Deb! I loved both of your planned reads for AAC and CAC so I am looking forward to seeing what you think of Empire Falls and The Frozen Thames.

YAY, you have your own fainting couch!

Good review of Feasting, Fasting.

Happy long weekend, Deb!

But I cannot see any reason for a " cougar" not to read, unless she is too busy with more active pursuits?

Lol Deborah.

>91 lkernagh: Congratulations on reading War and Peace, Lori. That is one long book! Happy Long Weekend, Lori. I am wondering, will the post man/ woman work today? It is a provincial holdiay, so I wonder how that works for the postal service . I am waiting for a book to arrive, thus my interest.

>92 charl08: Just the truth Charlotte. I was reading the "Urban Dictionary " and one can be a " cougar" as young as 35, apparently! Who knew?

>93 vancouverdeb: It's not a federal holiday so postman should have worked today, Deb. Did you get what you were waiting for?

At my age, I'm worried about the age to transition between 'cougar' and 'crone'!

>94 Familyhistorian: Meg, I am waiting for The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon, which I ordered from The Book Depository in very late January, the 30 th I think. It was book bullet from Charlotte's thread, and I did not realize it was in Canada too!! so I am waiting impatiently. Though truth be told I've got lots of books in my mental queue. I did not get any mail yesterday , but that does happen, so I suppose the post people still worked, though I am never sure.

>95 michigantrumpet: Oh Marianne , nonsense. LOL! What are older men on the " look out ' then - sugar daddy's ? I don't even know. I think the men are scared of my thread by now! :)

Still reading Book Of Sands: A novel of the Arab uprising . It is an interesting but for me a challenging read. I've been a bit slow with my reading due to the long weekend, but I am nearing page 200 of 300+ pages. I have a lot of notes, which does not mean I'll have a review, I am just doing my best to understand it. It is not that difficult of a read, but I am doing my best to really understand the overall message of the book, or as my husband says "Can't you remember what is going on in the book"

>90 vancouverdeb: Let's stay blissfully happy then by either not seeing the movie or reading the book :-)
>97 vancouverdeb: I love that cover! Maybe a bit dangerous for my e-reader, with all the sand :-)

Hey Deb, I just finished The Book of Unknown Americans - have you read it? I picked it up after warbles around here and really enjoyed it. Wondered if you had it.

>98 Trifolia: For now at least that is what I am planning , Monica. I don't think I can bear to see the movie as yet, and don't want to read the book, so yes, let's both stay happy ; -) Agred! The Book of Sands is really excellent, but difficult to read in many senses. It tells the story of the Arab Spring from very personal perspectives , though it never mentions anything political - or rarely -and it delves back into the personal lives of several of the characters. I'm not quite finished, but it is really worth the read , I think.

>99 charl08: Charlotte, I even went and looked on Amazon ca at The Book of Unknown American.It sounds very interesting. I'll pop over to your thread to see your review. I have not seen the warbles as yet :)

Glad Book of Sands: a novel of the Arab uprising is a worthwhile read. I finally picked up The Folded Earth in the right mood and enjoying it a lot.

Hi Deb! Have you read Richard Russo? If not, you might like Straight Man. It has it's serious side but there is much humor, which is refreshing.

Good luck with Book of Sands. It sounds interesting.

BTW-Did the post man/ woman work on Monday?

>102 msf59: Hi Mark. I have not read Richard Russo, but I hope to do so for the AAC. I have Empire Falls waiting in the wings.

Book of Sands is well worth the read, I think. I'm close to being finished.

As for the postperson, we did not get any mail on Monday, so I 'm not sure if they did not work, or if we just did not get any mail.

>101 charl08: Oh dear Charlotte, somehow I missed seeing you. Yes, nearly finished Book Of Sands: A novel of the Arab uprising and a most worthwhile read. Perhaps the most powerful book I have read this year. Another ? 30 pages to go. Glad you are enjoying Folded Earth. touchstones still not working , at least not now.

Book of Sands does look interesting.

>105 michigantrumpet: Book of Sands is a fascinating read, Marianne.

Have a happy weekend.

Hi Deb, just passing by to wish you a very lovely and enjoyable weekend my dear, sending love and hugs.

>107 DianaNL: Cute image, Diane! Glad it is Friday too!

>108 johnsimpson: Hi John! Hugs and love to you and Karen. I wish you a happy weekend.

Book of Sands a novel of the Arab Uprising by Karim Alrawi

Review

The Book of Sands : a Novel of the Arab Uprising is a very personal and intimate look at the corruption, human rights violations, atheism vs religious devotion, and the modern world vs the past in the Middle East. Though it is a novel about the Arab Spring, it focuses very little on politics.

Tarek is an educated man, a mathematician ,with a nine year old daughter, Neda. He is married to Mona, who is on maternity leave from her job as a high school teacher. Mona is nine months pregnant and awaiting labour. In years prior, Tarek spent time in prison due to political activities in his past. When barricades go up in the city (likely Cairo, though the place is never named) the threat of a police arrest forces Tarek and Neda to flee the city. In doing so, Tarek must leave his pregnant wife Mona . Watching over Mona is her very troubled brother, Omar. Omar is deeply religious man, yet drives a taxi delivering European prostitutes to foreigners and high ranking officials in the city.

As Tarek and Neda leave the city for the mountains, Tarek is forced to confront his past. The journey exposes us to a much wider scope of Modern Middle Eastern society, where cell phones co -exist with salt sellers, and educated woman live among those who still believe in the virtue of female genital mutilation. Author Karim Alrawi portrays all of his characters as complex people , and with empathy and understanding, though Alrawi's liberalism is gently apparent.

A dark, absorbing look into the Modern Middle East, both wide in scope and very personal, The Book of Sands is a very worthwhile read.

4.5 stars.

Deb, that is a superb review of Book of Sands. Sounds fascinating! cell phones co -exist with salt sellers, and educated woman live among those who still believe in the virtue of female genital mutilation Bang, bang, you got me again!

>111 lit_chick: Nancy, I loved the book! It was very dark, but beautifully told and I think I better understand the intricacies and challenges of the Middle East. It was a fascinating read. The author himself was born in Cairo Egypt and was also arrested and tortured for polictical activities like the main protagonist of the book, Tarek. The author has since moved to Canada, but he tells a very intricate story that I think he might be quite familiar with on a personal level. I think you would enjoy it. Enjoy is not quite the word, but it is powerful read.

>110 vancouverdeb:, Deborah, very interesting book review!

Fascinating review, Deborah. Thumb. Some years ago I was very into reading about the middle east, also travelling there half a year to various countries. It's so easy to get a stereotype view of the people of the middle east if all you read is from the daily headlines. Very interesting novel.

>110 vancouverdeb: Sounds good Deb. I'll add it to teetering pile. Hope you manage to find Arab of the Future, it was an interesting read. I wouldn't have looked for it but it was on the new book shelf and I couldn't resist....

Happy Saturday, Deb. Good review of Book of Sands. Sounds like a good one. I am enjoying Ru. Have you read it? It looks like you did not care for "Man".
I had never heard of her before.

>110 vancouverdeb: Good morning Deborah! That sounds like an interesting book, and I'll keep an eye out for it!

>113 mdoris: Mary, Book of Sands is a fabulous look into the Middle East and shatter a lot of stereotypes. I think it was initially considered as possible Canada Reads Contender, and I think you would enjoy it very much.

>114 ctpress: You hit the nail right on the head, Carsten, with your comment . It's so easy to get a stereotype view of the people of the middle east if all you read is from the daily headlines.. I feel so strongly about that, since I know quite a few people from the Middle East and the stereotypical view is so often very wrong. I certainly think that was a big part of why the author approached the Arab Spring as he did.

> 115 The teetering pile - yes indeed, Charlotte. I do understand. I will check my library for Arab of the Future. It is an area of interest for me. My sister in law is what I would call a nominal muslim , and she and her family could not be further from the stereotypical point of view. Oh I know about those glossy new books on the shelf.

>116 msf59: Yes Mark, I'm going to warble about The Book of Sands far and wide. :) And yes I have read Ru and very much enjoyed it - a 4 star read for me. For some reason " Man" did not work out as well for me. It seemed more disjointed to me , among other problems.

>117 cbl_tn: Carrie, good morning. Your review on Quiet : The Power of Introverts is excellent. I wonder, can a person be an ambivert? Like a person who is equally right and left handed? I think I am neither an extrovert nor an introvert, though I really need time alone to recharge my batteries.

Morning, Deborah! Stopped in to wish you a lovely weekend, and I got hit by a BB. Nicely done! Adding Book of Sands to the giant WL and giving your review my thumb.

>110 vancouverdeb: That's an exquisite review, Deb, but I think I'll skip that one for now. Although I agree with the need to break through the stereotype-thinking, I'm not really in the mood to take on a book like that right now. In the waiting-room it goes.

>119 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. The book is written by a fellow who immigrated to Canada from Egypt, so I'm not sure how widely available it is It certainly deserves to be much more widely read than what I see here on LT , 3 people including me!

>120 Trifolia: Thanks Monica. I completely understand needing to be in the right mood for a particular book. The waiting room is fine :)

Happy Valentine's Day, Deborah!

>110 vancouverdeb: Book of Sands by Karim Alrawi looks a grand read Deb. I have spent a lot of time in Egypt and have both an affinity and affection for the country and its people. So much so that my Islamic name was taken from the Egyptian General whose home I rented in Alexandria - Karim.

Have a lovely Sunday.

>122 Crazymamie: Happy Valentines day, Mamie! Wishing you lots of chocolate.

>123 PaulCranswick: Indeed, Paul, Book of Sands is a grand read. Fabulous, but dark. I really appreciated it. Interestingly , the author, Karim Alrawi was born in Alexandria, Egypt, the same place that you rented a home in. He has since immigrated to Canada, but still has ties with the Middle East, where he is active in human rights and participated in the uprising against the Mubarak dictatorship. I think he knows his stuff.

Currently reading A Crime in the Neighbourhood by Suzanne Berne. It was the winner of the 1999 Orange Prize. Enjoying it so far, though I am not sure where it is going .

The two second hand books stores near to me are benefiting from my library's draconian new borrowing rules. 10 books for 3 weeks, and just a one week renewal policy. I still use the library, but I am finding some gems in the second hand bookstore . This is one of them, I hope! :)

sending some sweets your way.....painting by Abbey Ryan

Happy Valentine's Day, Deborah! Adrian would love to live closer to you so that he could have a play date with Poppy!

The two second hand books stores near to me are benefiting from my library's draconian new borrowing rules. That's good for the second hand bookstore, but I am desperately hoping that the Okanagan Library does not decide to follow suit on the idiotic borrowing policies. One week renewal? Why even bother? Humbug!

>126 mdoris: I feel a pound heavier just looking at those delectable chocolates, Mary! So realistic! Thanks for the gift.

>127 cbl_tn: Happy Valentines to you and Adrian, Carrie! Poppy is just as keen as Adrian for a playdate! She is currently finishing up a off leash run about with my husband. If I know him, despite the rain , he may have let her run into the river for a little fun. Poppy loves to grab logs and put her feet into the river. Men.

>128 lit_chick: I have no idea what the problem is with my library in Richmond! Cut back on the hours, culled a third of the physical books over the past 5 years, a three week borrowing period and the one week period. I have written and spoken to the head and deputy librarian about this. They give the usual excuses, but I think there is more behind it. Eventually I am going to confront the with my latest ideas of what really went wrong. When ever I go into the library I put " what could we do better " slip with my sister's name, my husband name etc. Oh I am trying with the library, Nancy.

I think maybe the City Council might have gotten angry with the way the library is spending money. I'm not sure, but the head librarian accepted over 2 million in a Chinese book collection. There was a bit about it in the " local rag" that the value of the books was not as it should be - a donation for tax purposes was given to the person who did the donation. While we do have a large Chinese Language Collection at the library, as our population here reflects that, many of the books for Collectors items and the library does not have enough to money to store non -used books. Than the library overspent its budget last year and asked for more money. City Council deliberated and said no, and that the library budget needs further scrutiny that is had not had in the past. Detective Deb on the job - but I have yet to confront the library with those questions. Give me a little more time. ;)

>129 vancouverdeb: Good for you Sherlock/Hemlock. I feel your pain. Libraries are our life blood and should not be tampered with. No, not at all! GO FOR IT GIRL! I would be in a state of shock if that was happening in our community.......

>110 vancouverdeb: Looks very interesting. I love the cover, too.

Happy Valentine's Day Deborah!

I have full faith that Detective Deb will get to the bottom of what is going on in Richmond Library! Take all the time you need, Detective. I know you will provide a full report when you're ready.

>125 vancouverdeb: Those rules are, indeed, Draconian! To limit renewals like that even if no one else is waiting for the book???!!! Stuff and nonsense, I say. I hope you're able to get some answers to the motivation for this limitation of access. I mean, if someone is in the queue, that is one thing. If not, that is quite another. Still, I'm also glad you have decent used bookstores in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and that your week ahead is excellent. :-)

>130 mdoris: Mary, I was in a state of shock in early January when all the changes happened to our library. Our city council raises property taxes for 5 % every year for the past ? 15 years, so I do not understand why the Richmond Public Library has had such a huge cut back. But I am on the job. Really, I am!

>131 The_Hibernator: Yes, Rachel, A Crime in the Neighbourhood is turning into quite an interesting read. Mystery combined with Orange Prize? Who could ask for more? Thank you for the Valentines Greetings.

>132 lit_chick: Nancy I did not imagine I would have to put my " Nancy Drew" / Maisie Dobbs sleuthing skills to work, but is what I am doing :) A couple of the librarians that I have spoken to in my favourite branch have said " I wonder when the " REAL STORY " will come out, when I have mentioned that I am not happy with the changes. So I started investigating on line. I need to write a another proper letter to both the library and the City Council. Love the graphic!

>133 EBT1002: Ellen I agree - such limited renewals and no one even waiting for the book. I understand too, if someone is waiting for the book, it makes sense to limit renewals, but this does not. Here is how the library lets us know about the changes " Shorter Waiting times/ More books on the shelf. Rubbish! I hope that you too had a wonderful Valentines Day.

Wishing you a great start into the new week, Deb.

Hope you manage to find out more about the library policies - can they tell you when they will have the figures about what changes have happened because of the new policies?
(Thinking that maybe if the figures don't change the way they want, maybe you have a case for going back to the previous policies).

Great review of Book of Sands and nice to see Detective Deb is on the library case. ;-)

>134 vancouverdeb:. That is insane logic. If there are MORE books on the shelf, then they AREN"T BEING READ. So are libraries like galleries and we should just go and look at all the beauties on the shelf and then go home empty handed! Oh boy that kind of "talk" would make my blood boil......Super that you are taking it on, keep us posted. Maybe you should run for city councillor and set them straight!

Finished The Folded Earth. Great recommendation. Hope she writes more soon.

>135 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara! It is certainly raining cats and dogs here! Argh!

>136 charl08: When I spoke to the Deputy Librarian she told me that 1) Library usage is down. 2) Physical books are taken out less frequently than e-books 3) E-Books are more expensive that physical books 4) People take out books and renew them " because they can". LOL. However I remained polite and she was too. I suggested ideas like making ebook reader's return e-books to the library in order to create more of a revenue stream, because apparently the library relies on overdue book fee's for revenue, which struck me as wrong. I suggested an out of Richmond fee for a library card, but apparently that is not allowed in BC. One think that I am certain of is that the library will never get a dime out of me on overdue fees! GRR Charlotte! I think I might ask it I can get a copy of the library budget and expenditures.

>137 lkernagh: The Book of Sands was fantastic, Lori! Oh yes, Detective Deb! :)

>138 mdoris: I agree with you, Mary! Insane logic. I never thought to say - Oh so the library is now a " gallery" rather than a library. I'm still pondering on how best to approach the library, plus I am somewhat lazy :) I do have the ability to take out 20 books rather than the 10 book maximum that the library actually enforces now by the computer system blocking you from taking out more books then 10 at a time. My " chats' and letter to the library has benefited at least a bit. Think of parents with young children who take out picture books! I have actually seen parents having the librarian have to check in the books right on the spot , rather than use the drop box so that mom or dad could take out more books for the kids.

>139 charl08: Glad you enjoyed The Folded Earth. I just need to get to An Atlas of Impossible Longing and then I will have read everything by Anuradha Roy too.

Sorry to read about the changes in your library, Deborah. We have 3-week renewals if no one is waiting for the book, and it can be renewed two times for a total of Nine Weeks! If a book is going to take me that long to read, I want my own copy!

Good for you on your global reading. I am venturing north into Canada. Does that count?
>110 vancouverdeb: Book bullet. Looks like I might be reading more about the Middle East soon. It's a fascinating topic and one I should know more about. Thank you for that wonderful review.

I'm following the library-discussion with a lot of interest. Libraries in Belgium are under pressure too, because they used to be obligatory in every community, but now councils are allowed to close the local library. Fortunately not one council has done that so far (sometimes Belgians are brighter than they look), but librarians are anxious about what the future may hold for them.

>142 Donna828: I will say this Donna. By writing and speaking with the main librarian I do get to take out 20 books rather than the " 10 " limit, though she did not say to me that she would make that change for me. I've also noticed because I can renew books online ( like I suppose most people can at their libraries ) that the 3 weeks is still in place, but I've been able to make a 1 week initial renewal and just yesterday another 1 week renewal. Perhaps in light of community outcry the library is listening? I do know when I spoke to the deputy librarian she assured me that " the library would be carefully following feedback from patrons " in the next three months. So perhaps they are actually doing this? I the librarians I deal with in the branches all encourage me to write on a " blue slip" when I am in the library, and put in a box - and you know that I do! ( with anonymous notes and the names of people I know who are too lazy to put a feedback into the library but have told they do not mind if I do for them.

The librarians tell me a lot of people verbally complain but fail to actually fill out a feed back form , but I was encouraged at one of the branches where there was a table with a bunch of blue feedback forms and pencils etc and the clear plastic box looked fairly full.

Certainly Donna, a trek into Canada counts! We are a pretty small country and I think Canada has a pretty unique sort of Canada Lit! ;) Often to my taste, but sometimes not. I make Can Lit as we call it one of my priorities. Not enough people read it, I think , and I mean we here in Canada, not LT.

>143 Trifolia: Hi Monica. One thing I did after writing and speaking with the Head and Deputy Librarian was to look up library materials borrowing rules and library renewal polices around my area in Vancouver. Definitely my library was out of step with other nearby cities for both materials and renewals. So perhaps other libraries are also challenged but I am wondering about the spending habit of my City Library. The elected Mayor and elected City Council were voted in part because of their continuing plus 5% additional taxes per year, each year for the past 15 or so years. My city is a prosperous and growing, so I have trouble with the idea that the library is actually suffering. I could not find a library budget online with City Council and I think a City Councilperson has been assigned to watch over the library spending this year .

I do understand that the role of the library is changing and people do get information in different forms etc. Our library lends out a lot DVD's, e-books, and has a 3 - D printer and few e - readers etc .

But in the end I think it is the task of the library to lend out books and not penalize those that do not have the money to purchase e- gadgets to borrow physical books. The library is staffed by unionized employees, which is fine with me and they all got a raise last year , and no one has their job affected , again this is fine by me. But I want to be certain the library is not spending frivolously and making bad policy changes, because ultimately they are responsible to their patrons and the City, who supplies their funding from taxes collected from people like me. I am big on the " common good" and that is the way that I voted.

Can you tell I am passionate about this? :) But I am trying very hard to be non- adversarial as much as possible with the few that make the decisions for the library that affect the rest of us.

Stepping off my soapbox! :) Good old book talk welcome! :)

A Crime in the Neighbourhood by Suzanne Berne - winner of the Orange Prize in 1999.

review

" Because when you have watched yourself do the worst thing that you can possibly do to another person, at least you know what you are capable of." p 247

Over the summer of 1972, in a small D.C suburb, several events fracture the serenity of both the town and ten year old Marsha. Watergate makes the headlines, Marsha's dad leaves his wife and children, and a twelve year old neighborhood boy is found murdered . Life appears to be uncertain and frightening for young Marsha. As her mother comes to terms with the loss of her husband, Marsha becomes increasingly isolated. To pass the time, Marsha keeps detailed notes of her neighbours and her town. Uneasy about the unsolved murder of young Boyd Ellison, fathers patrol Springfield on foot in the evening and late at night . A socially awkward single man has recently moved next door to Marsha. A deliciously creepy look into the life of a troubled young girl and the dynamics at play around her.

4 stars.

Nice review of A Crime in the Neighborhood, Deb.

The longlist for this year's Bailey's Women's Prize in Fiction should be announced soon, right?

Happy Wednesday, Deb! Good review of A Crime in the Neighborhood. Sounds like my cuppa.

I am enjoying, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain: Stories. This would make a nice companion piece to Ru. All Vietnamese characters.

Hi Deb! Just a quick flyby to wish you a good day!

>146 vancouverdeb: Good review! You portrayed the atmosphere of the book so well.

Woot! Deb, that is a great review of A Crime. Eerie quote.

I agree. Eerie quote. Deliciously creepy I bet :).

About the library I think you would be perfect as an investigative reporter - or maybe just run for mayor and change policy yourself. You clearly have done your homework on the library budgets.

>147 kidzdoc: Darryl, I am quite sure that the Bailey's Longlist/ Orange Prize Longlist is supposed to be announced on March 8 2106, so not too long to go! I'm looking very forward to it! Always new authors that I have missed and new titles.

>148 msf59: Mark, I do think you would enjoy A Crime in the Neighbourhood . Creepy good fun - but truthfully after reading The Book of Sands which was quite dark, and then A Crime in the Neighbourhood, I need something a little lighter. A Crime in the Neighbourhood is a bit of study into a disturbed mind or two, and very well done. I'll have a look at your current read a little later

>149 Carmenere: Hi Lydna! Thanks for flying by! Shortly I will be out to walk the dog. Not raining at the moment, which is nice.

>151 lit_chick: Nancy , initially A Crime in the Neighbourhood did not seem that creepy,( what is dead body or two between friends? :) , but as time went it was very interesting look at couple of the characters. Then it became more disturbing. Very well done, I thought.

>152 ctpress: Thanks Carsten. Hmmm ... now if I could only fly to Britain I could do my own investigative reporting on Prince William and Kate and family. You know where my deepest interest really lies! ;) Thanks for the compliment as you are in the business!

>153 vancouverdeb: Looking forward to that list. No idea what might be on it though!

>155 charl08: I have no idea what to expect on the list either. I look forward to it too, Charlotte!

Dreadful downpour today . Still drying out from the walk in the downpour with Madame Poppy.

Poppy has a raincoat, but this picture I grabbed from the web sums up our walk. A big muddy mess.

I realize that is not Madame Poppy, but she looks absolutely adorable just the same! LOL, what a girl she is!

>158 lit_chick: LOL! I am not sure what made me call her "Madame Poppy " as she is single woman, it was one dreadfully wet day out there. She is white, and her hair needs trimming - her appointment at the groomers for next week. But oh those dirty , muddy paws and mouth are so Poppy after a walk. Dreadful weather today! I thought it was spring! She is adorable yes, even as a wet dog, Nancy.
My I phone is still drying out . Argh!

>157 vancouverdeb: Oh dear, where can you clean and dry Mme Poppy before you take her inside?

>160 Ameise1: She does wear a raincoat, which helps a bit with her middle, but I take a lot of towels along on her walks - we usually drive a couple of miles to the prime spot for dog walking. So I get her cleaned up before she gets into the car. My husband is very good about bathing her in the bathtub nearly every day when it rains badly. She is quite accustomed to being bathed often and also is now keen on the hair dryer on low heat. It is a lot of work , I'll admit. We have many dedicated " dog towels":)

>157 vancouverdeb: looks familiair, wet and muddy...
We have been lucky the last few days, cold and dry, the kind of weather that makes us all happy.
But that will be over soon, Saturday is going to be a very wet day :-(

>162 FAMeulstee: Today, at least for the moment, it is sunny outside, Anita! That will be gone by dinner time today, I suspect. We too have a lot of wet days in our future.

Oh no, I pressed the wrong button and lost my message.

Anyhow was just going to say that your mention of the Women's Fiction prize led me to start looking at book websites and I ended up with piles and piles more books I want to read! Fortunately some the library has otherwise I'd be in difficulties.

>164 charl08: Bah humbug, Charlotte! I hate it when that happens. I posted a few " way out there ideas" for the Womens Fiction prize on your thread. I looked at the Stella Women's prize for fiction. http://thestellaprize.com.au/2016/02/announcing-the-2016-stella-prize-longlist/

I have no idea whether they fit the critera for the Womens Prize, but they are at least written by women in Australia.

As I mention on your thread, beyond the Orange Longlist , I am looking very forward to the publication of The Summer Before the War: A Novel by Helen Simonson , and perhaps Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien.

>165 vancouverdeb: I'm looking forward to the new Helen Simonson, too! I loved Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.

And I am currently reading a lovely comfort read, Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Mystery by Jacqueline Winspear, the 4th in the Maisie Dobbs series. Here is for tea and a lovely British mystery!

>165 vancouverdeb: Me too, Carrie. I loved Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I am so happy that she is publishing a new book! Can't wait!

It's been a long time since Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. Gosh, I loved that book.
Enjoy Maisie! Such a delightful series. I'm reading Mma Ramotswe's latest book. Also delightful.

By the way, Adrian is just a little shocked that Poppy enjoys getting muddy. He doesn't like getting wet outdoors, but fortunately he doesn't mind baths indoors! I've explained to Adrian that different dogs enjoy different activities, and they can like different things and still be friends. His friend Stella likes to roll on the ground and pick up twigs and leaves in her long hair. :-)

Yay, you're back into Maisie Dobbs! I'm enjoying that series very much. Great rec, Deb.

>165 vancouverdeb:, thanks for the link Deborah to the Australian women's book prize, Stella. I had a peek and it looks interesting. Have you read any or any from previous years?

>169 raidergirl3: Agreed, Elizabeth, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand was a wonderful, fabulous read that I so enjoyed! I hope her new book holds up to her first book. I am so eager to find out!

>170 cbl_tn: Carrie, Poppy does not mind getting muddy, but she does not like getting too wet, thus the raincoat. She is not keen on getting paws wiped off etc, but has come to know that is essential if one goes out to walk in the rain! ;)

>171 lit_chick: Maisie Dobbs is up to her usual tricks, Nancy! Agreed - an excellent series. Glad you are enjoying!

>172 mdoris: Mary, I have read a couple from previous years by a couple of the authors listed for the Stella Prize. I read Sorry by Gail Jones and gave it 4 stars. It was listed for the Orange / Women's Lit Prize a few years ago. I also read The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide. That one I reviewed and only gave it 2.5 stars. Once again, it was long listed for the Orange Prize. I read The Household Guide to Dying not to long after mydad passed away of cancer, at home, so I might have been rather severe with that book. I am others enjoyed more than I did.

And now to bed after the late night news. :)

Thanks, Deborah! Reading about your quest for better library-service made me check my own library. And it just so happens that I found a service I haven't noticed before - I wonder why the library haven't made it more visible on their site.

Well, it's called "ereolen-global" - which is the libraries ebooks and audiobooks in english - through an app called "Overdrive". Amazed I haven't noticed it before. I found several audiobooks I've been looking for - Louise Penny, Bradley (Flavia) and even Maisie Dobbs (but only as ebooks). And Grisham too. Just for starters :)

>173 vancouverdeb: Good morning, Deb.

I'm another fan of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. What a remarkably polished debut. I share your hopes for the new one.

I wasn't too keen on Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but I loved the Maisie Dobbs-series or at least the tomes I read.
Have a lovely (dry) weekend!

Hi Deb, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand was excellent and I have only read the first two Maisie Dobbs but have up to book nine on the shelves, I may get round to one or two as I recover from my shoulder surgery next Thursday.

I'm impressed you made it to the late night news, Deb. I'm usually long ten-toes-up by that time, LOL.

>175 ctpress: Glad you found more content from your library. I understand that my library has Overdrive too - as far a I understand. I do have an app for it on my I pad mini, so I can e-books for it on the library, but I'm not keen to read from my I pad mini.Fabulous for you that you found all that great content - just for starters! :)

>176 jnwelch: Good afternoon, Joe! Yes, I share your hope for a great book in The Summer Before the War: A Novel by Helen Simonson . I might even pre-order it from amazon ca, that is how keen I am. Crossed fingers for an excellent new book!

>177 Trifolia: Glad to hear that you enjoyed the Maisie Dobbs book, those that you have read. This if the fourth in series and so far it is nice and cozy. It is not looking dry outside right now, but thanks for the good wishes! I think tomorrow the sun is supposed to make an appearance.

>178 johnsimpson: I am happy for you that you have nine of the Maisie Dobbs books! This is my fourth and I have just the four as of now. That may change after I finish this book. They will perfect for you as you recover from your shoulder surgery. I am thinking of you and wishing you well!

>179 lit_chick: I am a keen late night new watchers, Nancy, but sometimes despite my best efforts I fall asleep during the news and wake up to wonder - what happened because I have fallen asleep watching the news.

Here is a link to the Dublin Impac Literary Award Long list -and it is quite long . http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/nominees/

>182 vancouverdeb: Wow, that is a long list!

>183 cbl_tn: It really is a long list! But I've discovered that if you click on a book in the list, you can read about what the book is about and why a particular country nominated the book. More books to look into, though I have read 6 or more of them and about 6 of them in my TBR piles.

For the record I did Poppy take out for a short one mile walk. The relief of the guilt. It was dark, but not raining! Worked out well. Dave will take again later on.

Hi, Deb! I am so glad you were not blown away, walking Poppy down the street. Is it usually that windy there?

Our winds have calmed down a bit. Yikes. It was a blustery day, despite sunshine and mild temps.

I am getting ready to start The Lost Garden. Have you read this one?

> I suppose that yes, overall it is fairly windy here. Since we are right beside the Pacific Ocean and also the Fraser River ( which is about the size of the Columbia River in the US) yes , that makes it breezy here. It is blustery more days in the winter, with relatively mild temps. We don't get hurricanes or tornadoes though, just bad windstorms here and there. When you have lived here as long as I have, I'm not sure how to compare Vancouver too Chicago. I know you get winds off Lake Michigan? In the summer the breezes from the Ocean are quite a blessing . I have not read The Lost Garden. but I have read Coventry and I have The Frozen Thames waiting in the wings.

Someone created the Dublin Impac Award Longlist here on LT, with links and images to the books - for my reference/ or yours https://www.librarything.com/list/10565/all/Dublin-Literary-Award-Longlist-2016

That's quite a list, but I do like to cover-browse. And I see several familiar titles there. Not sure why, but I always associate Dublin IMPAC Award with Per Petersen and Gerbrand Bakker -- perhaps these authors' works introduced me to the Dublin IMPAC.

I see that you are still having a problem with your library's new policies, Deb. You know that I live in Coquitlam but the library that I use is the main Vancouver library. I don't know how many books you can take out at a time there but I do know that you can renew the books that you take out for three weeks, twice and you can renew online. You might want to change your patronage to that library - just think 5 floors of books!

I don't pay attention to the Impac Dublin Literary Award until the shortlist is published, as I can't focus on that many books at one time.

Your thread was suddenly gone, but I found it again! Have a wonderful weekend, Deb.

>182 vancouverdeb: Great list, thanks for sharing the link, Deb.

Gosh that list is long! Some favourites there, wonder if they will make it through.

>182 vancouverdeb: What a long list, indeed. I do wonder how the libraries choose their book. Are they polling, is the chief-librarian choosing the book, ... And how are the judges going to choose between over 150 books? Still, I think the IMPAC is a wonderful prize as I've enjoyed quite a few books from former nominees.

Happy Saturday, Deb! The Lost Garden is wonderful. She is such a good writer. Now, I want to get my greedy mitts on Coventry.

>189 lit_chick: It is a big list and usually I would not think of looking for until Charlotte got me wondering about possibilites for the Womens Literary Prize. But it fun to cover browse as you say, Nancy! :) I think both of us read The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker and Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson, both of which were Dublin Impac Prize Winners. I think Carsten was in on those books too. Hey Carsten!:)

>190 Familyhistorian: Good idea, Meg! I know my sister drives into Vancouver for the library.I think I might a bit on the lazy side. I did finally try an interlibrary loan for Feasting, Fasting by Anita Desai.

>191 kidzdoc: I don't usually pay attention to the Impac Longlist either Darryl, but It is kind of fun to see what books they are considering .

>192 DianaNL: Thanks Diana! Have a wonderful weekend too!

>193 Ameise1: Enjoy the link, Barbara ! It is interesting.

>194 charl08: Agreed , some favourites there for me too, and some for me in my TBR. It will be interesting what makes it to the shortlist etc.

>195 Trifolia: Excellent questions, Monica . Prior to seeing this list, I did not know that libraries nominated books for the Impac Prize. As I was scrolling through the titles I found it interesting to see what libraries opted to bother nominating books. Several were from Canada, but none were from libraries in my area. I don't know the answers to your questions, but I would imagine any library is entitled to put forward a nomination. There are currently reading ? 150 books prior to announcing the Women's Literary Prize on March 8th or 10, so I suspect the Impac Prize is a similiar process, but I don't know for certain.

>Happy Saturday, Mark! Do get your mitts on Coventry. I consider it her best book!

Hope the rain has stopped Deborah and that You and Poppy have not got too wet today. I want a copy of Coventry. Might try and ask the library if they could organise an inter library loan. Or even (gasp!) buy my own copy.

>157 vancouverdeb: Sooo cute!

Hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing, possibly a dry weekend!

Hope you are having a great weekend, Deb. I was going to go for a walk today and just finishing up some work that I was doing when it started to rain. It seems to have stopped now but it is time to start dinner *sigh*. Did it rain over by you?

>200 charl08: That rain was not bad yesterday or today. Today was iffy in the morning but we've got some sun poking out and it is not raining!:) Do get Coventry I thought it was fabulous, Charlotte!

>201 Carmenere: A lot better than it has been thank you, Lynda. Apparently it is supposed to warm up further this week and be mainly sunny. Cross your fingers!

>202 Familyhistorian: It was high overcast earlier, and no, it did not rain today. I think we are just that bit further from the mountains than you are to get a lucky bit of extra sun. You know how the " micro-climates " seem to work around here.Some days you can drive a mile or two and find yourself in or out of the rain.Hope you had an okay day, Meg.

Happy weekend Deborah!

Not raining here at all this weekend Deb (which is unusual) but with temperatures ar 36 degrees it is sweltering indeed.

>204 The_Hibernator: Happy Weekend - or end of the weekend, Rhian!

>205 PaulCranswick: Ah, rain in temps of 36 would be nice , though I really would not want 36 C at all! I'm good at 20 C thanks very much! 23 C is my comfortable maximum, Paul.

Stopping by to wish you a wonderful week, Deb!

TOMATOES. I have not yet got the scoop on the missing Campari tomatoes. Sorry to Dave! A friend (another tomato-aholic) has contacted a local B.C. greenhouse producer but he gave a pretty hedgy response. So of course I have had to go to plan B and have found "cocktail" tomatoes by another B.C. producer 'Houweling" and they are scrumptious. So hope you can find them near your oranges.

The Badami contest for the bookclub ended at midnight last night. I will keep you posted.

Sorry to hear about the awful weather during the last week. I hope it will improve soon.

>206 vancouverdeb: I am the same, Deborah, above 20 C I don't do well :-(

>207 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! I received a couple of books in the mail today , so it's a good start to the week! :) ( from amazon - not gifts! ;)

>208 mdoris: I'll pass the tomato info onto to Dave, thank you Mary. Good for your friend! Dave and I have been purchasing various brands of cherry or grape tomatoes, but they are not the same. Fingers crossed for the Badami Contest, Mary! Do keep me posted.

> 209 Well, today was actually sunny so that was a plus. Let's hope that keeps up for a while..

>210 FAMeulstee: Last summer Dave and I got two large "portable" air conditioners. Not that portable unless you can drag 60 + plus pounds easily. We are in townhouse that faces east - west, so we put one air conditioner at each end and what a big difference it made. I really think that global warming makes a big difference. Sorry you don't care for temps above 20 C either, Anita.

Yep, I keep my fingers crossed.

Your books finally arrived in the post - sounds like a good day to me :-)

>213 charl08: Yes it was a good day indeed! But where is copy my copy of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep that I ordered from the Book Depository? I am sure it will arrive in " the fullness of time" but it really has been a long time.

Hi Deborah! Poor Adrian will be shortchanged in the exercise department for the next few days. I fell this morning and sprained my foot. No long walks until it heals. :-(

>215 cbl_tn: Oh dear, Carrie! So sorry to hear that!

>214 vancouverdeb: Does Book Depository have any sort of tracking for their orders? I don't usually mind things taking a while to get to me but I do like to be able to keep an eye on them, so to speak. But perhaps part of BD's low prices is that you don't get those sorts of luxuries, which is understandable.

>217 rosalita: No tracking, but I have certainly used them in the past and had no problem. I emailed them last night and recieved a reply today acknowledging that I should have received them by now . I'll wait until the end of today and then email them to say - refund / credit please. Thanks Rosalita. Yes BD , no luxuries with the free shipping, sad to say.

Nearly finished Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Mystery but my reading time has been cut into since Dave and I decided to purchase a new dishwasher. Not a big deal, but when you have co - purchasers it takes a lot of negotiating between the two of us as to what features we need / don't need. Off to look at dishwashers, oh mundane of tasks.

Dishwashers when there's a crime to be solved by Maisie Dobbs? Get your priorities straight.

>219 vancouverdeb: We have never had a dishwasher Deb but the company recently undertook an office renovation project for one of our clients. As part of the work we were to include a dishwasher fitted into their pantry area. Problem was there wasn't one on the market that fitted properly into the space we had to work with and the cabinets that were already ordered separately. We provided one which fit almost although it protruded by about an inch. Well the client rejected it so we now have a pretty huge dishwasher in my office albeit that it is still in the box!

>220 ctpress: Truer words were never spoken, Carsten! Instead, Dave and I are at a stale mate over which of two dishwashers to purchase. LOL! Just a stainless steel tub and a extra water jets that are separating our choices and about $150. ;) Dave likes the plastic tub one and sees no need for a stainless steel tub. We have agreed on a white exterior, the brand, that the controls need to be visible. But still we have not agreed on the final dishwasher. I think this Dave will likely give in on this choice, but he needs time to ponder things. If he gets crazy stubborn, then we will just get the one he wants. I say give us couple more days until be both plead our cases to each other.

>221 PaulCranswick: Oh my Paul! No dishwasher! As the eldest of five children, my sister and I began doing the family dishes in grade 1 and it was no small task. By the time I was in grade 3 or so , my mom announced that another child was on the way, but the good news was that our family was also getting a dishwasher. Still, my sister and I had to load and unload that dishwasher, but what a blessing!

My heart goes out to you Paul, without a dishwasher! :)

Ugh! Don't get me started on dishwashers. A couple of years ago we purchased a dishwasher. Of course, right after the warranty ended it stopped working. Had it fixed. Not working again. I now do the dishes manually and asked my husband not to have it fixed until we renovate the kitchen and get another brand. I actually enjoy washing the dishes, it gives me something to do as I listen to an audiobook.

Have a great day!

>220 ctpress: Dishwashers when there's a crime to be solved by Maisie Dobbs? Get your priorities straight. Oh, Carsten, that was a great morning chuckle!

Deb, I am also the eldest of 5 and started doing family dishes at about age 6-7. Argh! Child labour, it was, ha!

Definitely couldn't live without the dishwasher. When we moved into our current house (21 years ago now) I was absolutely insistent that we had one. I think we're only on our second dishwasher so they have both lasted pretty well!

>223 Carmenere: We've had good luck with our dishwashers, Lynda. In talking to people I think we might be the exception. Dave and I both loathe doing dishes, so a dishwasher is a must for us. :) I have heard of people who do not mind doing dishes by hand but I am not one of those people

>224 lit_chick: Likewise I had a good chuckle at Carsten's comments. Indeed we both suffered with child labour, as if it was in the times of Dickens, Nancy!

>225 SandDune: I'm with you Rhian, could not live without dishwasher. Fortunately ours is still working but the plastic coating has worn off the racks, so it is chipping our dishes here and there, so time for a new one. We've had this one for 20 years so it has been a good dishwasher. Now to just agree on the new dishwasher. Dave is back to work , so likely it will be on his next shift that the two us have time to decided which of the two we can agree on.

Hi, Deb! Happy Thursday! I just finished When Breath Becomes Air. It is such a terrific book and will have you shedding a tear or two. Have you requested this from the library yet?

>227 msf59: Mark, my sister had warbled to me about When Breath Becomes Air as I believe Mary here on LT has too. My sister enjoyed it so much that she sent a copy to my nephew who is studying in the UK. But as yet I'm not ready to read it. I think it almost sounds to sad to me.

>228 DianaNL: Have a great weekend, Diana! Cute picture! :)

I finished Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Mystery by Jacqueline Winspear last night. Just a few comments. An excellent read, once again involving the death of someone connected to WW1 and it's aftermath. A large part of the novel involves Maisie sorting out her own past and present connections and deciding what she wants to include going forward. Very engaging and I am most eager to read the the next in the series. 4 stars.

Just started The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie. It has been many years since I have read an Agatha Christie and so far I am finding it both humourous and interesting. This book is one of The 1001 Books, and is the author for the British Author Challenge for Feb.

Yay for another great read in the Maisie Dobbs series, Deb. I like the sound of this: A large part of the novel involves Maisie sorting out her own past and present connections and deciding what she wants to include going forward.

>232 lit_chick: Yes it was a great read, Nancy! I can't wait to get into the next in the series! :)

Good to know that WW1 continues to be a big part of the Maisie Dobbs-mysteries. A very interesting backdrop for the series.

Helen Humphreys arrived in the post! I want to read it now but there are library books!

Happy that Dame Agatha has met with approval Deb.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

Happy Saturday, Deborah! The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is one of my favorite Christie's.

Hi Deborah! Messenger of Truth isn't my favorite in the Maisie Dobbs series, but I liked it better than I expected to based on the book description.

I love the stainless steel tub in my dishwasher. My kitchen is open and the dishwasher isn't far from the living room where the TV is. When I bought a new dishwasher a few years ago, I looked at brands that had the highest noise ratings (meaning they are the quietest running). I am very happy with the Bosch model I bought. It's so quiet that I can barely hear it, and it does a great job with the dishes.

>238 cbl_tn: Oh, Carrie! We have been looking at dishwashers - which model of Bosch did you buy?

Hurrah for quiet dishwashers. They are the best but they take soooooo long. 2 1/2 hours. Maybe they all take that long now (quiet or loud) ? Just be warned most dishwashers last only about 8 years whether high or low end. Sorry but that's been our experience!

Happy weekend!

I will agree that dishwahers are a wonderful luxury. Unfortunately, the 8 year lifespan seems to be true. Last time around we went low-end, as we were told that in order to be appreciably better we would have to go much higher-end than we wanted to. Maybe that would have been the Bosch? We got a whirlpool.

I've pretty much quit using my dishwasher. I do like it for getting the coffee stains out of the coffee pot periodically, but beyond that, it's just as easy to wash by hand.

>239 Crazymamie: I have the Evolution 500 series. Mine is 6 years old now and I still love it!

Hi Deb, I am back venturing on here typing with one finger, hope you have a nice weekend my dear, sending love and hugs.

>234 ctpress: It really is a fascinating backdrop to the mystery and I really love the character development from book to book, Carsten! The Maisie Dobbs are less about who -did it and more about why did it - if that makes sense. I hope you enjoy the series if you decide to take them on

>235 charl08: I know what you mean, Charlotte . The pull between the library book that must go back and the fabulous new arrival in the post! Best of luck!

>236 PaulCranswick: Dame Agatha and I are long acquainted, Paul. But I've not picked up a book of hers in some? 25 years or so. Lots of fun!

>237 Crazymamie: Happy Saturday, Mamie! Dave and I have decided on a Whirl Pool " Gold " with a stainless steel drum . He is working over the weekend, so we will wait until early next week to make the purchase.

>238 cbl_tn: Carrie, decibel ratings are one of things we have looked at. I think these days most are relatively quiet I forget the decibel rating on the dishwasher we are planning to purchase - something like 49 db or thereabouts. Using decibels as a sound rating, you want the lowest you can go.

>239 Crazymamie: Got my messages out of order , Mamie. I am definitely enjoying The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

> 240 So I have discovered, Mary ! Cycles that take 3 hours or so! Ack! My sister in law tells me she uses that one hour cycle that uses more water and energy, but she isn't waiting around for 3 hours. I think that will likely be Dave and me. We have been very blessed with out dishwashers - I'd guess our current one is about 20 years old! Gasp!

>241 banjo123: We are going mid -range I suppose. It is a whirl pool "gold." I can't fathom paying $1000 plus for a dishwasher, but I don't want the lower end model either. Not a luxury in my opinion, but rather a necessity, Rhonda!

>242 thornton37814: We use ours all the time, Lori! No hand washing of dishes, except for pots and pans. I don't drink coffee, so I am not sure what my husband does with his coffee maker. It does not go in the dishwasher as far as I have noticed.

>243 cbl_tn: I am hoping to be satisfied if not love my Whirlpool Gold, Lori! :)

>244 johnsimpson: So fabulous to see you here , John! I'm so glad you are doing okay post -surgery! Love and hugs to you and Karen.

Now on deck for the " Poppy Walk' - be back to check in with you later! Thanks for keeping my thread nice and warm!

Happy Saturday, Deb! Have a good time on the Poppy Walk.

Not much to share, on the book front, since I have a pair of fantasy books going and I know that is not your cuppa.

>251 vancouverdeb: Happy Saturday, Mark! Oh! Fantasy February. Oh well! Soon in will be March - Murderous March?

Hi Deb! My dishwasher is currently being held together by zip ties. LOL. But we have had it for 8 years, so I think that is about how long they last. Hope you love your new one!

So whose choice did you go with on the dishwasher? Mine takes about 2 1/2 hours - well at least that is what it says when it starts but mid way through it starts revising the time down!

>252 Berly: Zip ties - truly Kim! :) My dishwasher is 20 years old and it is still running fine, but the coating on the racks has worn away and begun chipping at the glass dishes. I guess we've had a lot of luck with this dishwasher.

>253 Familyhistorian: My choice, Meg. The diswasher that is Whirlpool Gold something model, with the stainless steel tub ( but white on the outside) . We have yet to get it because my husband has been working the past 4 days and we'll get on day when he is home because he plans to install it etc.

>231 vancouverdeb: I sometimes wonder why books were chosen for the 1001 list while others were overlooked. Was that a particularly good Agatha Christie book? Was it her best? I haven't read anything by her, but I'd like to read And then there were None someday.

Happy Monday, Deb! I really like the look of the Maisie Dobbs books and I'm very tempted to give them a try. However, I have a couple more series in this years challenge by Leon, Christie, McCall-Smith to tackle soooo perhaps I can just start collecting them.

Hey Deborah! Hope you're well. I'vd been thinking about Canadian reading this morning as The Prison Book Club is set in Canadian prisons. Every time they mention a book I haven't read, I get a bb it seems!

>255 The_Hibernator: Rhonda, often I wonder why any particular book was chosen as a 1001 book or for that matter, on a prize list like the Man Booker or the Women's Literary Prize. I have the 1001 book and later I'll dig it up and see what it has to say.

>266 mdoris: Happy Monday Lynda! I know the feeling of having to many series on the go. It's wonderful to have a series to fall back on , but then there are all of those " pesky stand alone" books to be read too! The Maisie series is really a good one, I'll warn you though.

>257 charl08: Hi Charlotte, yes doing well and and it is even sunny out today. I think I've caught a book bullet from you, and that is The Prison Book Club.

Hi, Deb! Hooray for Murderous March! Are you in?

Speaking of dark and murderous, I am really enjoying King Leopold's Ghost. This is history, I was not familiar with. Fascinating and abhorrent.

>259 msf59: Murderous March!Of course I am in Mark! Still reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery and I am sure I can find another mystery for March! :)

I shall soon be around to create a new thread and visit yours.

I've been occupied -

dishwasher purchasesd and husband installing dishwasher

mom off on trip to Puerto Rico for some sort of " jungle trip " and needed Twinrix injection on Friday

one son visiting, tell us all about his plans of a going in powerlifting competition later on in March

other son and wife gearing up for trip to Hong Kong for 10 days.

Result - little time for reading! :) Be back soon!

Busy bee, Deb! Got such a chuckle out of your mom going on a "jungle trip." It's a great visual, hehe.

The line break made me wonder if you had bought a new husband as well as the dishwasher! Clearly I need more coffee this morning...

>262 lit_chick: It's surprising how much time real life can take sometimes, Nancy! :) I think my mom really is going on at least a partial " jungle trip " to Puerto Rico. I briefly read the itinerary and it seems that a large part of the trip is in ' the jungle' - maybe a rainforest or whatever. Interpretive nature walks, at least an overnight in " the jungle." Maybe it is '' glamping in the rainforest." She is going with a cousin and her family and I think she is a bit anxious. Has her new water -resistant hikers etc for the trip. So I am not quite sure of the entire schedule.

>263 charl08: oh me and my line breaks and crazy punctuation, no wonder you thought I had bought a new husband! I was surprised to get home after dark and see what I thought was the dishwasher sitting on in the carport area. I told Dave - that is not a very safe place to leave it! Turns out he had already carried it upstairs all by himself. After a bit of anguish and running to the hardware store, the dishwasher is installed, but not without a circuit breaker not working , which is Dave's concern. But the dishwasher is running and it is very quiet! The circuit breaker that tripped was due to Dave trying to figure out how to turn off the circuit breaker to the dishwasher . In doing so he did something or other such that a couple of plug outlets are not working. I see another run to the hardware store in the near future :)

I am off shortly for hair appointment, so I'll be back later!

Picked up The Prison Club Book from the library on your advice , Charlotte!

Deb--How bold of your mom to go on this jungle outing!! Congrats on the new dishwasher installation and have fun with your new do!!

Oh boy, 2 steps forward and 3 steps back....challenges with the circuit breaker. Good for Dave doing the installation himself. I don't think you need to buy a new husband afterall!

Congrats on the new dishwasher! I agree the husband sounds like a keeper. It might not be very easy to find a new model that's handy enough to install a dishwasher!

Glad to hear the new dishwasher is in and running quietly. That sounds good. I'm impressed with the home fitting too.

Hope you like the Prison Book Club. It had some fascinating stuff, at the moment I am wondering whether to reread Small Island as so much of the discussion was about things I had forgotten entirely. A great idea for a book.

>261 vancouverdeb: Wow, you have indeed a very busy life, Deb. I hope you'll find some reading time in between.

Hi Deb, hope you are having a good day my dear, sending love and hugs.

>265 Berly: Kim ,I think she a little anxious about her trip to Puerto Rico. It is a lot very nice" lodges" that they are staying, but they do look to be in the rainforest and more remote than I think she had originally understood. But she will be with a cousin and four other people that she knows, so I am sure she should be fine

>266 mdoris: This evening Dave solved the circuit breaker problem. I am not sure I fully understand or if I do, it would take a me a long time to explain it - but I am delighted with the new dishwasher! So quiet and it actually cleans the dishes so much better. By that I mean that white mugs that I drink tea from and Dave drinks coffee mugs come out white instead of stained.

>267 cbl_tn: Dave had a long history as a handy man :) At times is causes a little tension between us because I worry he might overstep the limits of his knowledge, but so far, no. Crosses fingers. He has installed everything - washers, dryers, dishwashers, re-roofed our house - that kind of thing.

>268 charl08: I am really delighted with the new dishwasher, Charlotte and it certainly saved us money that Dave could install the dishwasher.

>269 Ameise1: Barbara, less that I have a busy life and more that I am inefficient! :)

>270 johnsimpson: John, I hope you are gradually recovering from your surgery and not in to much pain. Big hugs to you!

Please follow me to my next thread.

Catching up after a week...

>211 vancouverdeb: I have a "portable" airco in the wooden garden house, put it on one hour before I want to go to bed and it is enough to cool the small place, so I can sleep there, together with the dogs, at warm summer nights.
We are looking now if we can afford a real airco for in the house, our house is east-west too, but we are the last house in the row and have the long side wall on the south & a flat roof, so it gets hot inside when temp is up. If we can't afford it now it will be our project for next year.

>222 vancouverdeb: No dishwasher here either, Frank is our dishwasher. I can relate to big family & dishwashing, I hated it, if I would live on my own I would have a dishwasher!