Anne (AMQS) reads in 2023 - Chapter 1

View from our balcony: Niasca, Portofino, Italy

Happy New Year, dear friends! Thank you for making LT my happy, safe place.

My name is Anne. 53. I live in Lakewood, Colorado with my husband Stelios, daughter Callia, and three kitties. Our two daughters are grown - Callia is home and Marina is studying in Bologna, Italy this year. I am a teacher librarian in a little mountain elementary school, so I read a lot of children's literature, along with adult literary fiction. I adore audiobooks and always have one going for my commutes up to school. This is my 14th year in the group (thank you, Jim/drneutron!)

Now Reading:


Audio:

2023 Reading (1)

January, 2023
1. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
2. What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky: Stories by Lesley Nneka Arimah
3. Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamas O’Reilly
4. Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake
5. The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCoullough
6. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
7. Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass
8. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

February, 2023
9. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford
10. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

March, 2023
11. Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston
12. A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga
13. Good Citizens Need Not Fear: Stories by Maria Reva
14. Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
15. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
16. Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins
17. The Liars’ Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr
18. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
19. The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander
20. The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

April, 2023
21. The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry
22. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
23. A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
24. The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea

May, 2023
25. The Girl Explorers by Jayne Zanglein
26. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
27. Hannah's War by Jan Eliasberg
28. Northwind by Gary Paulsen
29. The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
30. The End of the Beginning by Avi

June, 2023
31. The Window Seat: Notes From a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna
32. Thirst by Varsha Bajaj
33. 300 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath
34. Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L. M. Elliott
35. Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King
36. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
37. Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner
38. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
39. Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara
40. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
41. Artificial Condition by Marta Wells
42. Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

2023 Reading (2)

July, 2023
43. The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell
44. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
45. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
46. As Sweet as Honey by Indira Ganesan
47. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
48. Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms by Rey Terciero and Megan Kearney
49. Alone by Megan E. Freeman
50. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
51. Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll
52. Diamond Head by Cecily Wong
53. Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
54. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

August, 2023
55. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
56. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
57. Network Effect by Martha Wells
58. Yonder by Ali Standish
59. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
60. Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee

September, 2023
61. Normal People by Sally Rooney
62. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
63. The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo
64. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
65. The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

October, 2023
66. Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia by Natasha Lance Rogoff
67. The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
68. The Late Bloomers’ Club by Louise Miller

Welcome!

Glad to see you back, Anne!

Portofino.......beautiful.

Happy new reading year, Anne.

Have a lovely trip with Stelios, Callia and Marina. xx

>1 AMQS: Stunning!

Happy reads in 2023 and enjoy your trip.

Life news (warning/heavy): we were fortunate to spend Christmas in Italy this year. As Marina is studying in Bologna, we decided to bring the holiday to her and had a lovely time in Bologna, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, Florence, Genoa, and Nice, France. My mother was with us for the whole trip, and my brother and his family joined us for most of it. We fell in love with Italy, and Marina is absolutely thriving there, and served as our guide and interpreter beautifully. The above photo was taken in Florence.

Many wonderful things happened in 2022 - Callia came home for a fresh start, Marina began her Italian experience, I had a reunion of beloved college friends and roommates, Stelios and I had spring break in Florida, a getaway to Taos, NM, Stelios had an extended stay in Cyprus with each of the girls, I began my 10th year at my school, and I managed to read 85 books. I feel so fortunate and grateful.

The end of 2022 brought illness, surgeries, and devastating loss to my family. My father and stepmother have each faced serious health issues this year, and our family unexpectedly lost my dear uncle shortly before Thanksgiving. But the week before we left for Italy was especially awful and traumatic. Callia had been struggling with illness much as our students had. Very common for a first year in an elementary school, but not fun to go through. She ended up in the emergency room with flu, though vaccinated, and we weren't sure she would be able to travel. The next day brought the devastating news that my stepsister was on life support in total organ failure. She passed away that night at the age of 46. My grieving stepmother was hospitalized and had emergency surgery two days later (my dad was trying not to tell me, but knew I was freaking out when I couldn't reach them). My brother (in Germany) and I spent so much time on Facetime agonizing about our travels and planning to cancel everything, and I staggered through my last day of school before break. My dad and stepmother insisted we travel, and said the greatest kindness we could do would be to enjoy our time together, and to send news and pictures every day. My recently bereaved aunt agreed, and so we went. And I am grateful, particularly to have the chance to grieve my stepsister with my brother. But I don't think I slept for the entire trip and constantly spiraled into crippling anxiety about our travel plans (I made them), and keeping everyone happy, from my 3 year old nephew to my 79 year old mother (no one expected this of me except me), and of course, illness visited us again, with my nephew, sister-in-law, Marina, and Callia each struggling. As wonderful as the experience as, I am very glad to be home. I know I still have a lot of grief to process and I am feeling very low. Grateful, but low. This is the first time I have had to sit down at my computer and start a thread. I really look forward to connecting with all of you. I hope you will give me the patience you always have to make my way to your threads. I want to visit very much.

Thanks for listening ❤️

>6 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia. I have missed LT more than you know. Happy New Year to you.

>7 PaulCranswick: Dear Paul, we did have a lovely trip. We absolutely lucked out with the weather, ate extremely well, enjoyed our time together, fell in love with Italy, and most of all marveled at Marina. It's complicated, though, as you can read above in >9 AMQS:. We are glad to be home, but we're back to missing Marina terribly.

>8 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! Happy New Year to you.

>9 AMQS: Oh what a difficult end to the year, Anne, my heart goes out to all of you.

There is no place like home though, right, as I found out during my mother's illness? xx

Hi Anne, I'm very sorry to read your heavy news. As difficult as it all was, it's good that you were surrounded by so many loving family members and could grieve with your brother. As for LT, take all the time you need. We aren't going anywhere.

Take care ...

Ah, Anne, that's just too much. I think you and your family are due for some easy times, after the last couple of years. Hugs to you.

Wow, you’ve had a rough time. No need to ask for grace - we’re here when you’re able and ready. Will be praying for you and your family.

Oh, all the hugs to you, Anne. You've been through the wringer! As Jim said, we're here when you're ready and have time and we'll be thinking of you in the meantime.

I hope 2023 is better for you, Anne. I am so sorry to hear about your stepsister. Take care.

Dear Anne, you have been through so much the past few years. I am so sorry to hear the most recent round of sad news. Take care of yourself and keep us posted on your life...good and bad.

>9 AMQS: That is a beautiful family photo. Marina looks so happy to have her family around her. You made the right choice to go through with your holiday trip. Italy is gorgeous. Our oldest granddaughter, Sadie, will be studying in Prague the spring semester. She was thrilled to get approved and will be leaving at the end of the month.

Hi Anne! Got you starred. Sorry to hear the end of 2022 was so rough. I hope things improve this year.

>9 AMQS: What a difficult end to the year you have had Anne. But I think you did right to go on your trip - you will have made some wonderful memories for the future.

Lovely family photo of Florence! Takes me back to the time I spent there.

So sorry to hear about the difficult to end for 2022 for you, Anne. Sending all the hugs.

So glad to see you hear whenever you're able.

What a difficult time you had, Anne.
I hope things will get better from now on.
(((hugs)))

Sending multiple hugs for everyone, Anne. As good as it is to see you back here, take what time and care you need.

Just as an aside, I may be in Denver this summer visiting a friend and would love a meet-up if it's a time when you are home.

*hugs*

Happy new year and new thread! I am glad to see you here.

Just now finding your thread, Anne. I am so very sorry for all you have been through. So much in such a short time. I am glad you got to visit Marina in Italy for Christmas, even though you heart was struggling to process all that you have been through. Thanks so much for sharing the beautiful photos. Hoping that 2023 is kind to you.

Thinking about you all, Anne.

Hope you are doing ok.

Oh, my friends, thank you so much for visiting and for your words of support. They mean so, so much to me. We're doing fine. I am sorely missing the downtime I would normally get from a winter break, because I started school two days after we got back. Last weekend I deliberately did not do any chores (house cleaning, etc) so I could rest. We spent Saturday going through family photos so I could scan and send older photos of my stepsister. It was mostly a happy day for us, as we relived old memories, trips, experiences. My dad and stepmother were doing the same thing, and it was of course a much more painful experience for them. My stepsister's partner and kids are having a "goodbye party" for her next weekend.

This (thankfully long) weekend I did finally attack the house and for the first time in awhile the whole house is clean. Usually I can only do parts at a time - bathrooms and floors one weekend, dusting another, etc. Feels good!

My dad turns 80 tomorrow (Monday). They are just taking things one day at a time, and I don't think will be up for a celebration.

I had a wonderfully long conversation with Marina yesterday over Facetime. She is the kind of person who needs recharge time, and she has hardly left her apartment since she got back (she and my mom traveled on for a few days after we left, spending three days together in Aix-en-Provence). She found out that she has to move next week - the program is juggling living spaces around to prepare for the students who will be new to the program in the spring semester. She is going to go back to Florence for a day trip before she moves, and is considering a trip to Milan after the move, and is hoping to see an opera at La Scala.

I have books to post - going back to last year, and threads to visit. I will try to be around soon. I am so glad to "see" all of you.

>11 PaulCranswick:, >25 PaulCranswick: Paul, there is no place like home. We are very glad to be back, though we savored our travels. I appreciate your wishes and your kindness. And happy birthday to your lovely Belle!

>12 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. Yes, it was a gift to be able to grieve with my brother. He also has a three year old, and there's nothing like a toddler to keep you in the present. We hadn't seen him since last Christmas when they were here, so that was wonderful as well. Little Falcon was definitely a fan of Italian food!

>13 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie, that's what we're hoping for. It's been a rough go, although many wonderful things also happened in 2022. Thanks for stopping by.

>14 drneutron: Jim, thank you. This space is such a comfort, and I can't thank you enough for facilitating it.

>15 scaifea: Thank you, Amber. In general, 2022 was a pretty good year, but the last two months were definitely traumatic. This is a happy, comforting place to be, so it frustrates me when I don't have the time here that I would like. I appreciate your grace.

>16 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. It's been awful. The last few years were really difficult for her also. We connected more closely and more regularly the past few years than we had in the past - each of us being so busy raising kids and working, etc, but of course now I wish I had done more, reached out more. I think about her every day throughout the day and I am glad. She had the most loving and generous heart of anyone I've known, and having her be so present in my head and my heart is both painful and inspiring.

>17 Donna828: Hi Donna, oh, congratulations to Sadie! What a wonderful experience for her. My mother lived in Prague for a couple of years before moving to Munich, and says it is the most beautiful capital in Europe.

I think it was very special for Marina to have all of us there, and I know it was so special for us to benefit from her experience and knowledge. We will treasure those memories. It was just a turbulent time in my head and my heart. We have been through a lot, but we are trying to focus on the many wonderful things that happened last year. There are so many people hurting. It is a good time to be reminded to appreciate our blessings, and this community is definitely one of mine.

>18 curioussquared: Thank you, Natalie. I appreciate you coming by with good wishes. I will be by soon - need a greyhound fix!

>19 SandDune: Hi Rhian! We did make wonderful memories! Florence was overwhelming at first because it was SO crowded - I've never seen anything like it. But of course we fell in love with it (it's hard not to fall in love with Italy) and hope to go back. Have you been to Genoa? Another place we fell in love with.

>20 MickyFine: Thank you, Micky. It's so nice to be back among friends.

>21 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. 2022 was a year when many wonderful things happened also, but the end of the year was hard. I will gratefully accept all the hugs I can get. Thank you for stopping by.

>22 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, we can definitely use the hugs. I would be thrilled to see you in Denver! Keep me posted as your plans are made - I would love a meet-up!

>23 foggidawn: Thank you, foggi. I can certainly use the hugs. Happy New Year to you as well.

>24 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie! It is such a comfort to be back here with LT friends. I jumped right back into school, but this long weekend and last weekend I have been able to rest and process and I am feeling more like myself. I appreciate you stopping by my thread.

What I didn't have time to do at the end of the year was reflect on my 2022 reading. I ended up with 85 books read, a number I am happy with.

2022 favorites, in no particular order (or to be more accurate, in reverse order in which they were read):
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo
These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
Hanna’s Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson
The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin

Wrapping up 2022 reads (all from December):

81. The Patron Thief of Bread by Lindsay Eager


82. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (audio)


83. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (airplane read)


84. Into Love and Out Again by Elinor Lipman


85. Address Unknown by Katherine Kressman
This one deserves a mention - a WWII epistolary novel published in 1938, warning of the rise of fascism as it was happening. Slim, quick, prescient, devastating.

2023 reads:



1. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. 3 stars.

A book in translation from Swedish about the power of books to heal and to build a community. Sara, a young Swedish bookstore employee strikes up a correspondence with Amy, a reader from rural Iowa, who invites her to visit for awhile. When Sara arrives, the run-down, mostly abandoned town of Broken Wheel, Iowa, is attending Amy's funeral. All were aware of Amy's planned guest. They put her up in Amy's house, but no one has any idea what to do with her. As Sara dazedly goes through the days, so does the town, limping along toward eventual extinction. Until Sara determines to open up a bookstore in town, sharing and selling Amy's books. It's a sweet, if implausible story, with a romance and a town's chance at redemption.

2. What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky: Stories by Lesley Nneka Arimah. 4 stars.

I started this electric collection of stories spanning cultures (Nigerian/American) and genres (contemporary/speculative/folkloric/ Sci-fi) in December, but decided that, all things considered, it was probably too heavy/packs-a-punchy to bring on our trip. A good call, probably. But I recommend them - what a writer, and what stories!

>32 AMQS: Early entry into the African Novel Challenge I started this year (short stories allowed). I will keep my eyes skinned for this one, Anne.

3. Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamas O'Reilly, audiobook read by the author. 4.5 stars.

This is a charming, funny, and moving memoir of the author's family of 13 in Derry, Northern Ireland, which as the author describes it, is at the absolute edge of the British Empire, at the border with the Republic of Ireland, and the site of much sectarian violence during The Troubles. The book begins at the wake for Sheila, the family's mother, who has died of breast cancer. Seamas, at 5, doesn't understand yet the devastating permanence of death, and excitedly greets everyone with the news: Did ye hear Mammy died? This is a walk through his lifelong grief, and a loving portrait of his extraordinary family - 11 kids being a freakishly large family even for Catholics. The logistics of it all, and especially the loving (seemingly heroic) presence of his father, shepherding 11 kids through childhood, are fascinating and compelling. Recommended.

>33 PaulCranswick: That's a great choice, Paul. I would be happy to send you the copy I read - even to Malaysia.

4. Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake. 4 stars.

This is a charming middle grade story of a set-in-his-ways badger (a serious rock scientist) whose life is completely upended by the arrival of Skunk. Aunt Lula Marten, who owns the brownstone, assured Skunk that he would be welcome, and that he could have a second story bedroom. Badger, who had a collection of unread letters from Aunt Lula (being a serious rock scientist and all), was taken by complete surprise. Skunk turns everything upside down, in the best possible way, which even Badger comes to see in time.

This is a charming read, but I do wonder who it's for. It is slim and whimsical looking, which might appeal to 3rd-ish grade, yet I don't think it is accessible to independent 3rd grade readers, and probably not as appealing to 5th grade readers. I've had it for awhile in the library and can't seem to get it circulating.

>32 AMQS: I loved this collection of stories when I first read it, Anne.

After looking at your list of favorites, I realize I should have added The Beatryce Prophecy! That was one of our favorites, for sure.

I bought Skunk and Badger, can't remember who recommended it, but Scout has shown zero interest in it.

Hi Anne,

That's such a lovely photo at the top of your thread and it sounds like Marina is having a wonderful time in Bologna. But I'm so sorry about your step-sister, your step-mother, and so much illness and loss. I hope you're ok, and that school and the kids there are helping you gradually feel better.

I vanished from LT last year but am hoping to be back on here a bit more this year - I'm over in Club Read now. I can see book bullets up ahead from you already just like when I was actively keeping up with your thread!

Happy New Year, Anne. Happy New Thread. I hope you and the family are doing well and your year is off to a healthy start. I also hope to see you around now and then.

Just catching up with your thread and so sorry to hear the full story of how difficult 2022 was for you. I hope 2023 will be a total change and bring nothing but happiness.

>37 BLBera: Beth, my favorite thing about The Beatryce Prophecy was wishing aloud that I had been able to read it to the girls when they were younger, then pressing it on them and having each of them read it (and reading many bits aloud to me). It's a good one. I don't know what to think about Skunk and Badger. it is so charming, but it's hard for me to see the right audience.

>38 cushlareads: Oh Cushla, I am so glad to see you! I have a hard time keeping up with my own thread, but I promise I will try to come visit often over in Club Read.

>39 msf59: Hi Mark, thanks for visiting! I hope to see me around now and then also. I do love it here.

>40 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba. Most of 2022 was quite good, actually, but it was a very difficult time toward the end of the year. I am thinking good thoughts about 2023 - for all of us!

>35 AMQS: I thought I had replied already, Anne!

Thanks for the very kind offer but I do note that the book seems to be fairly easily available locally and the postage would be unreasonably prohibitive.

Sorry to see your recent loss and family health issues. Hope 2023 improves for you all!

>42 PaulCranswick: You'd be worth it, Paul, so if you find you can't get it, let me know.

>43 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle. It was a good year with a very rough end. I hope you and your family are well!

5. The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCullough. 3.75 stars.

This book is a collection of speeches given by historian David McCullough at various commencements, and important historical celebrations. He published the collection to remind Americans of the good of our country at a time when things are contentious and fractured. And that's exactly why I read it - I needed to be reminded of the good in our country. The book was given to me and to Marina by a family friend when she decided to attend Dickinson College, as a Dickinson commencement address is included. The speeches and addresses are bite-sized chunks, perfect for reading a few before bed, though many left me wanting more. And many of them left me wanting, particularly considering the audiobook I was also listening to (see below).

6. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, audiobook narrated by Jason Reynolds. 5 stars.

This is the young adult, "remixed" version of the landmark book Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. Dr. Kendi asked Jason Reynolds to remix it for a young adult audience which apparently took some convincing. But I am so glad Mr. Reynolds was convinced. He is absolutely a favorite author and one seriously dedicated to conversations with young people. And while I knew he could write, I had no idea he was such a mesmerizing narrator. I cannot think of a better guide for young people for a conversation about systemic racism and its very real impact on Black people today. Fascinating, heartbreaking, and riveting.

We received a gift of a snow day today! When I woke up early this morning, I wondered if it was the right call, but it has continued to snow all day and it definitely was. I love snow days because I give myself permission not to do any work or chores and not to even look at a to-do list (except shoveling, of course). I went back to sleep, played all of the (free) NYT games, had a late lunch, and put together a puzzle. A Christmas puzzle. I have wanted to do it for a couple of years and never have time during the Christmas season. I was preparing to put it away I decided to just do it - Christmas or not!

>47 AMQS: That sounds like a lovely day!

Anne, how lovely about your surprise snow day - sounds like you made the most of it.

Enjoy your snow day! It sounds wonderful :)

A surprise snow day sounds like just what the doctor ordered :)

Yay for a snow day!

Hope you had a wonderful snow day!

Hooray for snow days. We had one as well today. Well, my daughter did, since I no longer have school. :)

Thanks, >48 foggidawn: foggi, >49 Crazymamie: Mamie, >50 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, >51 curioussquared: Natalie, >52 MickyFine: Micky, >53 figsfromthistle: Anita, and >54 BLBera: Beth! The snow day was very much enjoyed. I always love them, but if we get any more we'll start to worry about tacking on days at the end of the year to make up for them, which is what happens when schools are not well funded (Colorado is unfortunately known for poor school funding) and school districts operate right at the state's required minimum number of instructional days to save money. Still, I was thrilled!

It has been a strange week - Monday was a holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr. day). Tuesday was a standalone day, Wednesday was the snow day, and today (Friday), my school had a partial blackout for several hours. I had lights in most of the library and wifi, but no power to outlets. Many classrooms were dark and cold. Everyone who needed the bathroom needed a flashlight. Seems to be back on now, but it's snowing again. Never a dull moment!

>55 AMQS: Wow -- interesting week indeed. The day with partial blackout sounds really challenging. Hope next week is better.

7. Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass. 5 stars.

“I swear.” Isa shakes their head. “Sometimes adults totally freak out about labels but don’t bother to get to know the person behind them at all.”

This middle grade book (probably best for 5th grade and up) hit all the right notes for me. 13 year-old Ellen is embarking on a class trip to Barcelona, but things aren't going as planned, which is a big deal to Ellen, who has autism. First, her teacher has organized team scavenger hunts as a way for students to get to know the city, which deviates from the published schedule Ellen has carefully noted in her detailed journal. Second, things seem off with her best friend Laurel, who is branching out and hanging out with a new group of friends, throwing Ellen way off kilter. Ellen relies on several strategies to cope, and as she narrates her own story, we get to experience how her brain processes from her point of view - the prickly sensations when people touch her, how hard it is to force herself to look at people, how overwhelming large, chaotic crowds are and how noise canceling headphones help, how rocking sooths and flapping makes excitement feel even better. Ellen also develops a crush on a girl staying at her hotel, announcing in her forthright way as the girls in her group are crushing on her crush's brother Xavi that Meritxell is cute too, and receiving weird looks and comments she can't immediately decipher.

The book is just beautifully done, and I read it with that sick dread I remember from my own middle school friendships about group alliances, urges to share secrets, pressure to betray confidences, the gray area ethics of bending school rules, and the consequences of messing it all up. It's a hard time for any young teen, but especially for the neurodivergent. The characters here are just wonderful. Perhaps too wonderful. I so would have loved friends like Isa (non binary, whose use of they/them pronouns don't fit neatly into Ellen's organization of her world) and Andy, and even best friend Laurel is a wonderful, caring girl also trying to navigate these tricky years while still supporting Ellen. Ellen's parents are also wonderful - trying to strike the right balance of support and independence, finding an outstanding therapist whose words help guide Ellen through tough times, and maintaining the comfort of weekly Jewish ceremonies and rituals. Ellen is shaken when she is told by a classmate that her father, a trip chaperone, has not kept kosher during the trip, which turns into a beautiful conversation about difference and acceptance and tolerance. I wanted to be a part of this world, and I REALLY want the Barcelona part. I have always wanted to go, but only made me want it more. The best part? The author's note at the end, where he talks about his own experience as a middle schooler with autism, of a best-and-only friendship that inevitably changed. There's a reason Ellen's voice feels so authentic, yet the author is careful to explain the "spectrum" part of ASD, and that Ellen's experience isn't necessarily everyone's. I highly recommend this book.

>56 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. From a work perspective, we're afraid next week will feel really long:) Who wants a 5-day work week?

>57 AMQS: You got me with that one! Ooh, Barcelona... I'd love to go there someday. I've been hankering for travel just lately.

>58 AMQS: Try a 5 and a half day week, Anne - I work every Saturday morning too!

At least I have three full days off with the Lunar New Year coming up tomorrow.

The Year of the Rabbit
a limerick with fur

It's not fair, it's not funny,
It isn't even on the money
That the Chinese call in a new year
And celebrate with rice wine and beer
While no one spares a thought for the bunny.

>9 AMQS: Sorry it took me so long to find you. Sorry to hear about the rough end to this last year, but very glad you were encouraged to go on your wonderful trip. May the rest of the year be a joyful one for you.

>29 AMQS: The only one of your favorites from last that I have read was These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett but that was a winner for me, too.

>45 AMQS: >46 AMQS: Awesome reads! I'ver had Stamped, but could really benefit from a reminder of the good things here, so onto the WL goes The American Spirit.

And hurray for a snowy Christmas puzzle day!! Better late than never. Enjoy your weekend and rest up for your 5-day work week (sorry!). : )

>57 AMQS: This sounds wonderful. I'll add it to my Scout list.

Enjoy your weekend. I hope next week is not TOO long,

>59 foggidawn: Hi foggi! I really hope to visit Barcelona some day. We were lucky enough to travel over winter break and feel traveled out at the moment, but it will pass:)

>60 PaulCranswick: Oh Paul, I'm sorry! Of course, 5-day weeks are our normal, but they feel extra long after a short week, that's for sure. There are a number of school districts going to four-day weeks, but ours is not one of them. Next year the district is adjusting our start times so that elementary will start and end earlier than secondary schools. This will be a BIG adjustment for me, as I definitely have night owl tendencies. Mornings will feel extra early, but we are all looking forward to getting off earlier - early enough even to be able to make doctor appointments, go for a walk while it's still light, etc. I hope you enjoy your Lunar New Year holiday! Love the limerick. Callia is a rabbit.

>61 Berly: Thank you, Kim, I'm really glad to see you here. I hope you enjoy The American Spirit. It's a good one to keep on the nightstand to read a speech or two here and there. 5-day weeks are the norm, of course, and teachers recognize how lucky we are to have school breaks, etc (though many of us work second and third jobs). All in all I am very lucky.

>62 BLBera: Beth, I was thinking of you when I read the book. Will you be going to Barcelona?

We attended my stepsister's celebration of life tonight. Her family called it her goodbye party. It was very uplifting and very emotional. She had her struggles, but she did have the most loving and generous heart of anyone I know, and so many people remembered being welcomed anytime unconditionally by her into her home. My 18 year old nephew and his best friends were wearing custom shirts with her photo on them - I was so touched. My dad and stepmother live way up in the mountains - about 40 miles away, and their world is getting smaller (my dad turned 80 this week). More and more often when they have to come "down the hill" they get a hotel and stay rather than try to drive back. They were uncomfortable about attending and trying to navigate to a hotel in an unfamiliar part of Denver, so they stayed in a hotel near us and we picked them up. My stepmother was not sure how she would feel, but like me she was both moved and uplifted, so they will come over tomorrow for an informal brunch. I was grateful to be able to grieve in Italy with my brother, and tonight was a lovely celebration filled with the many people who loved my sister. I am feeling drained but grateful.

>64 AMQS: - I'm glad the celebration of your stepsister's life was an overall positive experience, Anne. Such things can be so hard, but if the feeling left at the end is not a negative one, that's all we can ask for.

>64 AMQS: Sounds like the perfect way to remember your step-sister. I'm glad it all went well and wish you and your family healing.

>65 katiekrug:, >66 RebaRelishesReading: nodding in agreement, nothing to add because I'd just say the same things. Thinking of you, Anne.

Anne, that sounds like a lovely sendoff for your stepsister. I like the term "goodbye party". I sincerely hope that the sad times are behind you and that you can settle into the routine of school, reading, and enjoying life in beautiful Colorado again with your memories to comfort you. ((Hugs))

(((((Anne and family)))))

I'm definitely planning on being in Denver at some point this summer. You will have to let me know your summer travel plans and also what is the bookstore where the meetups usually happen?

>65 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie, and you're right: it was positive, even while sad.

>66 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba. We will gather again next month for my uncle's service, which will be a military service. Another sad occasion, but I am glad we will be together again so soon. There is definitely comfort in the gathering.

>67 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. I think my brother is struggling. They were close in age, and he can't be here for the events as he is in Germany. He and I are researching a way to honor her with a donation, and are closing in on this one, since she was such a strong proponent of youth sports. http://www.athleticsandbeyond.com/

>68 Donna828: Thank you, Donna. I am getting used to "goodbye party" but according to her partner, that is exactly what she wanted. I think my grief is mixed up with concern for my stepmother, and while I know grief is not a linear process, she seems to be doing well, all things considered, so that helps. I'm a bit more concerned for my nephew. He seems to have a very supportive circle around him, but I know he will have a tough time.

>69 ronincats: (((Roni))) Thank you. I am so excited to meet you in Denver! So far there aren't any firm summer plans. I doubt there will be big travel - to Europe, etc. A lot of it will depend on Marina and what she will do. She has applied for research internships in various places that, if accepted, may mean she has to hurry home to get to her internship site. If she isn't accepted, she may stay in Europe a bit longer. We'll see. So far July looks pretty open, and of course, I am back in school August 4, so I will definitely be around in August:) We've had meetups in several bookstores, but a favorite is the Tattered Cover, which is a Denver institution. There are several locations, and I believe we've met in nearly all of them, so depending on where you will stay, we should be able to find one that is convenient.

It sounds like a lovely memorial, Anne. Take care.

>63 AMQS: :) I don't think we'll make it to Barcelona this trip although we love the city.

>70 AMQS: My friend lives in the Federal Heights area. The Tattered Cover sounds perfect for a meet-up--I didn't realize there are multiple locations. And I will definitely want to drive up to Evergreen and up to Maxwell Falls to see what's become of my great-uncle's cabin.

>70 AMQS: There is definitely comfort in the gathering.

Indeed, Anne. Families in the wider sense should get together more and appreciate their commonality. It is one thing that Asians do much better than we do in the West.

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

>71 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. I know from planning our Italy trip how hard it is to choose the places to visit, knowing there are many more wonderful places you won't be able to visit!

>72 ronincats: Roni, Federal Heights is north of the city, and there is a new-ish Tattered Cover in Westminster - also north - which we've never visited. May be a good choice. Evergreen is my home town, and there's a lovely little bookstore there where we've had an LT meet-up before called Hearthfire Books. Maxwell Falls was my favorite hike when I was living at home because it was so close and such a beautiful hike. My school is near Evergreen, too. Is your uncle's cabin on the Brook Forest side or the Shadow Mountain/Black Mountain side?

>73 PaulCranswick: Yes, Paul, that's true. One thing Stelios misses from Cyprus is the Sunday extended family meals, but those are not as frequent either.

>74 AMQS: Our family tradition is that Sunday evening we will always take dinner together and are supposed to take it in turns to choose where.

>75 PaulCranswick: Paul, I love this. My family is pretty spread out, so this is not really possible.

>76 AMQS: And ours is only of course those who are together. Hani I will always video call wherever we are eating so she can 'share' in what we are eating.

>64 AMQS: I am glad the day went as well as it could. ((hugs))

Oh Anne, I am just now finding your thread and seeing your sad news. I’m so sorry for your family’s losses and health trials these past few months. (((Hugs)))

Your step-sister's goodbye party sounded lovely. I hope you and yours are doing well.

>77 PaulCranswick: Hani regularly posts what she is eating... and cooking, and I can say that I definitely want to share meals with her! It must be hard when she's away. Do you cook?

>78 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, it really did, and I think my stepmother is as pleased as she can be and also relieved it is behind her.

>79 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne, I appreciate your supportive words. It's been a rough go. Since I've been here my stepmother was hospitalized again (no surgery needed, thank goodness) and has to re-learn what she is able to eat. My uncle's service was held at Fort Logan, which was just lovely, I had never been to a military funeral before. My mom had a bout with covid in Germany - thankfully my sister-in-law was able to help her, and this weekend Stelios has covid and Callia has severe strep, so I was nursing and the three of us tried to stay away from each other as much as possible. Looking forward to spring break in a week and hoping I don't get sick! (((hugs back to you!)))

>80 Berly: Thank you, Kim. It was a lovely sendoff and it was really nice to be in a roomful of people who loved her. Not too successful in the stay healthy dept- Stelios has covid and Callia strep so it was a weekend of taking care of them. I hope you and yours are well.

Fun school news: our district had its Battle of the Books competition last week and my team won! I had such great participation this year: 40 5th graders took part (the entire K-5 school is about 260 kids) in 14 teams. The Parmalee teams battled each other for a chance to represent our school. The top 6 students took first place in the district battle, beating out 29 other teams! As you can see from the picture of the moment their first place finish was announced, they were pretty excited.


There is a national BoB program, but our district does its own, and we focus on newer books from a variety of genres. The books this year:
The Genius Under the Table (biography; favorite)
Starfish (novel in verse; favorite)
Red, White, and Whole(novel in verse, historical fiction, favorite)
The Beatryce Prophecy (historical/fantasy fiction; favorite)
The Samosa Rebellion (realistic fiction)
Flight of the Puffin (realistic fiction)
The Last Cuentista (science fiction)
Root Magic (mystery, southern gothic)
The Year I Flew Away (fantasy)
Stuntboy in the Meantime (graphic novel hybrid)

So many reviews to catch up on...



8. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

This was a great and fast-paced read. A colleague loaned me the book, set in the 1950s about a prickly and brilliant chemist who cannot be taken seriously on account of being a woman. She unexpectedly falls in love, has a baby, and desperate for a way to provide for herself and her daughter, takes a job as a TV chef, transforming the show and her viewers. Fun, snappy, and depressing all at the same time, Recommended.

9. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford.

Read for book club, this book is the reason I only read two books in February. Well that, and starting it on audio, abandoning it for Braiding Sweetgrass (which I love but could't finish before the audio was due and disappeared from my phone), and then slogging through it at the pace of about a sentence a day since I detested it so much). Ugh this book. I nearly abandoned it several times and definitely should have, but I kept going because it was a book club book (though book club meets during the week and I can never go unless I am on a school break), and just when I decided to we had a blizzard and book club was rescheduled to a day I had off for President's Day. So I finished it. And we all hated the book, but had one of our best ever discussions, so there's that. The book looks at generational and genetic trauma, which is such a compelling topic. Unfortunately in this case there were too many characters alternating, so that I couldn't make a connection to any of them, and the mystery at its heart was icky. Not recommended, obviously.

10. The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman, narrated by Fiona Shaw

I just love these books, and want to spend more time in the company of Ron, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Joyce. How does he get their voices so absolutely perfect? This is the third installment of the series and I enjoy them more and more. One tiny quibble: the first two were narrated by Leslie Manville, and she is simply amazing. This one was narrated by Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia), who was really good, but not the same. Also, her narration was mostly whispering, which meant I had to CRANK up the volume to be able to hear while driving, so God help me and my passengers and my windows if something else came on!

11. Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston

The second installment in the wonderful middle grade series. The books feel like a cross between Harry Potter (magical school), Percy Jackson (fast-paced, humor-infused action), and Artemis Fowl (very techy). But the real star is Amari, a Black girl who really just wants to save her brother and do the right thing. She is a terrific character. Cliffhanger ending.

12. A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga

Oh, this book is lovely. It is told in the first person by Res, short for Resilience, a robot made to explore Mars, analyze samples, and send data back to earth. Res was built to learn and to be smart, but in a very un-robotlike fashion, he also feels and connects and worries, particularly with/about the scientists who developed and code him. His narrative alternates with letters written to him by Sophie, the daughter of his lead developer Rania. It is sweet, moving, and a wonderful way for middle grade readers to consider what it means to feel, to have emotions, to be human. This book is wonderful.

Fun story: the copy I ordered for the library was bound upside down. The vendor sent a replacement copy, and told me to keep the upside down one. So I read the first few chapters to a 5th grade class, then told them I would give away the upside down copy to the winner of a haiku contest (they had been studying haiku in literacy) about Mars or robots or exploring. I got so many outstanding haiku!

13. Good Citizens Need Not Fear: Stories by Maria Reva

Set in a very small city in Ukraine both before and after the fall of the Soviet Union, these interconnected stories show a system in complete decay, and citizens who must do the absurd to simply survive. They are dark and disturbing, and though a blurb on the cover proclaims them "darkly hilarious," they struck me as depressing, for as absurd as they are, they are rooted in actual experience. Many of the same are also portrayed in the outstanding middle grade biography The Genius Under the Table. An impactful collection. Read for book club. The one I can never go to :(

14. Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

This is a road trip caper that takes a hard look at the Green Book - the book that helped Black travelers find restaurants, services, and accommodation where they would be safe and welcome. Young William "Scoob" is essentially grounded over spring break for trouble at school, so he jumps at the chance to take an unexpected road trip with his grandmother G'ma Ruby Jean. But her behavior, explanations, and questionable actions make him wonder if he really even knows G'ma at all. The book is fast-paced, and full of important information for kids about past and present civil rights issues in the south. But a lot of it made me really uncomfortable. Does anyone else find that the middle grade book experience is sometimes ruined if you are an adult/parent? Not a fan, for example, of an unplanned road trip and a refusal to contact or respond to frantic parents...

>82 AMQS: That's a great book list for your BotB! ;-)

>83 AMQS: I've been eyeing that one for a while. Maybe I will read it when the holds list dies down.

>85 AMQS: Hooray for the Thursday Murder Club! Sorry about the audiobook woes, though.

I got completely behind on your thread, Anne, so I'm sorry to read (belatedly) about how difficult the past few months have been, and the loss of your stepsister.

Congrats on the Battle of the Books competition! It looks like they had an absolute blast.

And it also looks like you've been reading some fabulous books. I want to try the Amari books, have enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club series (still need to read that newest one), and Lessons in Chemistry is on my TBR.

Does anyone else find that the middle grade book experience is sometimes ruined if you are an adult and parent?
Yep. Not a parent, but usually the age of the parents in middle grade and YA books now...

Nice to see you, Anne! I just finished Lessons in Chemistry this weekend and loved it too.

>90 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi! My favorite part of BoB is when kids discover they love a book they would never have picked up. I think you'll like Lessons in Chemistry but it's hot right now, so it's not a bad idea to let your list die down before you pick it up:) As for narration, I think I would have adored Fiona Shaw (aside from the whispering) if Leslie Manville wasn't so incredible. It's hard to follow someone, I think. I know so many people adored Ralph Cosham, for example, narrating the Three Pines books. It was probably hard to adjust to someone new.

>91 bell7: Thank you, Mary. Our family certainly has had many blessings and many heartaches recently, like so many families. My family is at the point where my kids' generation are mostly adults now and my parents' generation are all in their 80s, so there will be a lot of changes over the next 10 years, I think. And my generation is wondering how we got so old all of a sudden. I think you would really love the Amari books. She's a great character.

re: adult and parent... I must have edited the wording 5 times to try to get it right. I didn't mean to imply that you have to be a parent to be concerned about things happening (or choices made) about/by kids in children's lit, but things bother me that absolutely didn't when I was younger. I know there are so many orphans or absent parents or magical time tricks in kid lit because it gives kids the freedom to have all of their adventures and problem solving. Those situations are still fine with me, LOL. But when there ARE parents and they are deliberately lied to or kept in the dark that makes me really itchy.

>92 curioussquared: Nice to see you, too! Wasn't LIC fun? I was thrilled when a copy fell into my lap.

>93 AMQS: Oh no, I didn't take it that way. I just wanted to clarify in my agreement that I have that response often without being a parent, but I think I left a lot of my thought process out of my comments :)

And agreed about the changes that come as each generation ages... my parents are currently going through it with my grandfather, and it's sobering to watch knowing that in the coming years I will most likely be more and more involved in my parents' care.

Reading this rather late because we've been traveling with no WiFi. So sorry to hear about all of your trials and hope that your family is all well again now...and stays that way!!

>94 bell7: Thanks for understanding Mary:)

>95 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba, I hope you enjoyed your travels! We are cautiously optimistic about being healthy, though it's been a tough year for Callia, catching everything the kinders are bringing to school! We hope this will pay off for her down the road.

We weren't sure if we'd be able to travel over spring break as Stelios continued to test positive for covid, but we finally made it. We went to Florida again, hosted by a longtime family friend. For me it was a week of utter sloth, which was exactly what I needed! Now we're back in cold Colorado and gearing up for testing season, which starts next week. Marina is loving life in Italy, and traveling as much as she can. She and her friends did a whirlwind trip to Stockholm and Copenhagen for spring break. Next week is Easter Break and they're going to Athens. She's taken advantage of Italian rail for day trips to Florence, Ravenna, Rome, Milan, and more. Miss her so much, but glad she's taking advantage of her time in Europe.

15. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

A lovely book about an unlikely friendship between a widow who started cleaning a local aquarium as a way to fill her time, and the giant Pacific octopus housed there. Recommended.

16. Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins

My mother has been taking a summer course at Oxford for the past few years. I got her this book as she enjoys suspense novels, and in this one Oxford is the star of the show. The 8 year-old daughter of a college master goes missing, and the Scottish nanny Dee is interviewed by the police throughout the novel while reliving her experience of her chance encounter with the master, her very troubled charge beset by selective mutism after the death of her mother, her efforts to protect the girl from the high-profile life of her father and glamorous new stepmother. It's hard for the reader - and the police - to determine if Dee is being truthful or is advancing her own narrative. This was an absorbing airplane read.

17. The Liars' Club by Mary Karr

This is a searing memoir of a part-wild childhood in an extremely unstable household in a desolate Texas oil town. Compelling and difficult at times to read.

18. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

From one difficult childhood to an even worse one. This is a novel featuring Victoria, abandoned at birth, veteran of multiple foster and group homes, who is launched into independence at 18 with no means to support herself and no ability to form attachments. Told in alternating chapters between her present - living under a bush in a San Francisco park - and her past with Elizabeth - the only home where she ever had a chance. From Elizabeth Victoria learned the Victorian language of flowers, which develops into a powerful gift

19. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander

A grandfather facing his death meticulously plans a legacy for his granddaughter, while narrating his previously unknown story of his service to Nicholas and Alexandra, the last of the Russian tsars. As a kitchen boy in the tsar's household, Leonka was imprisoned with the family during their final months, and bears witness to their executions. It's a quick read, but is only an *okay* story.

20. The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman, audiobook narrated by Emily Rankin.

This book drove me crazy. My audiobook listening has slowed down a lot as Callia and I now commute together to school. This is a trade I am very happy to make, but it does mean books take me twice as long to get through. And I have long felt that if a book is problematic, then the audiobook is even more problematic, even if the narrator is outstanding, and this one wasn't. I enjoyed the other Abbi Waxman book I listened to (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill), but this one really missed the mark for me. Was it her first novel? It felt very first novel-y to me, and could have used some merciless editing. Not recommended, but it is recommended by many friends here, so perhaps read what they have to say, and avoid the audiobook.

Glad you had a nice time in Florida!

>102 AMQS: - I also only found this one okay.

>103 AMQS: - Aw, sorry that didn't work better for you. I liked it a lot (in print). You might have better luck with her most recent novel, Adult Assembly Required but I hesitate to say so. Some of the characters from Nina Hill and Garden have roles in it...

>103 AMQS: I, like Katie, really enjoyed this novel so I think audio might have done you a disservice. However, you did correctly identify it as her first novel so there's that. I did enjoy all of Waxman's novels so I hope you'll give her another try.

Hi Anne! Glad you had some well-deserved time away in Florida.

Adding to the Garden of Small Beginnings discussion -- I listened to this one on audio and enjoyed it 🤷‍♀️ Not all books can be for everyone, though! I think it also helped that I listened to it while staying at my in-laws' property with extensive gardens that I was caring for for the week, so it got me in that gardening mood and I would listen while dragging hoses all over to make sure everything was adequately watered, lol. If you didn't like this one, though, I don't recommend Adult Assembly Required -- that one I thought was just OK and kind of bugged me in the same way it seems like this one bugged you.

Glad you had a nice break in Florida and got some reading time. Also glad Marina is doing so well in Italy.

Hi Anne! Nice to read what you've been up to, especially all that reading. I enjoyed Magpie Lane and while I didn't read it on an airplane, I can see how it would be a great read for that situation. A friend of mine recently recommended Remarkably Bright Creatures, and a peek at the book on LT was enough to second that recommendation. The library hold queue is really long though. Time will tell whether I wait it out, or cave in and buy a copy.

It sounds like Marina has had a fabulous experience abroad. Will she return to the US at the end of the school year?

Hi, Anne!

Yay for a sloth-like break! Those are wonderful, aren't they? And I love that Marina is getting to see and experience to much. I know it'll be great to have her home again soon, though!

>97 AMQS: Glad you got some well-deserved relaxation! And it sounds like Marina is having a great time abroad -- glad she's able to take full advantage of it.

>103 AMQS: I'm another who enjoyed this, but it was very first-novel-y. I agree that, if a book is not enjoyable to you, listening to the audiobook often exacerbates that.

Hi Anne - Good that you got in some relaxation over your break. Good luck with the rest of the year.

I thought Magpie Lanewas really well done; I thought about it for a long time after I finished it.

>104 katiekrug: Hi Katie! I think part of the problem was that the audiobook took me so long to get through. That puts a damper on any book. I also think many of the things that bothered my would not have been so bad in print, where you can cruise along/skim.

>105 MickyFine: I really felt that first novel thing, Micky, but I did enjoy Nina Hill, so I can't say I'm done with the author. And definitely the audio wasn't the way to go - you're in for every syllable:)

>106 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie! I really enjoyed my time there. It's been very cold back here in CO, so I think it did us good to have the warm weather. Thanks for the heads up about Adult Assembly Required - if I give it a go, it will be in print! I did love the gardening part, though the miraculous bounty they had after only a few weeks made me laugh. Or maybe gardening at high altitude has skewed my perception of what is possible to be done :)

>107 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! I'm just thrilled that Marina is taking advantage of all she can. I think she has grown and flourished a lot this year.

>108 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! We should know what Marina's plans are in the next couple of weeks. She has applied for a research internship in her field (Sociology) and has ranked the schools she would prefer (she can also be placed in any of the schools if accepted). So if she is accepted (big if), she will come home right away when her program ends mid-May so she can turn around and get to her internship site. If not, she may stay and travel a bit. But yes, eventually she will be coming home, and she will begin her senior year in August!

My library has a "Lucky Day" program where the library orders extra copies of new and popular books & movies. You can't request or hold or renew - you just have to get lucky when you're at the library, and that's how I got my hands on Remarkably Bright Creatures. Otherwise, I'd likely still be on the holds list!

>109 scaifea: Amber, I can't wait to have her home! She packs so much into her schedule, and definitely takes advantage of opportunities. She has told me that if she is not accepted for a research internship she plans to take a part-time job in retail or something and slow down a bit. I'm all for it - she works really hard.

>110 foggidawn: She really is taking advantage, foggi, and loving it. I'm so proud of her! Re: audiobooks - I've usually been very lucky, but occasionally there's an audio that doesn't work, and problems with books get amplified in the audio version. There have been some I have abandoned after 30 minutes or so of reading - I find it easier to put an audiobook down than a print book.

>111 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! I really enjoyed Magpie Lane. It was everything I could want for an airplane read. It was the Oxford setting that drew me in - I thought my mom would enjoy that. She really loves her Oxford classes, and they seem to be designed for people like her- not in pursuit of a degree, but the experience and immersion into whatever literary topic is on offer. Are you getting excited for Spain?

21. The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry

I love everything I've read by the amazing Ms. Lowry, but this one wasn't entirely successful for me, and I don't think I'll order it for my library (it is right on the edge of the recommended age level in any case). Ms. Lowry, captivated by a bog body discovered in the 1950s in northern Germany known until recently as The Windeby Girl, imagines her story, bringing the northern European Iron Age to life. Ms. Lowry precedes Estrild's story with a section of history about the bog bodies and the Iron Age society. Following Estrild's story is another historical section, talking about how she was compelled to write another story after the fairly recent discovery that the Windeby Girl is actually a 16 year-old boy who likely perished from illness and malnourishment (Estrild's friend Varick). So the book is very meta. I found the history more compelling than the stories, which the reader already knows will end in the death of the protagonist. She does cover the science behind why peat bogs preserve bodies so well, about radioactive carbon dating that allows us to discover even more details about the 2,000 year old bodies, and what historians understand about these Iron Age societies. I enjoyed the history and the science bits, but the stories not so much. With such a slim book, and with so much information provided, the stories are very short - not long enough to really inhabit the world or connect with the characters.

22. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, audiobook narrated by the author.

What a lovely and devastating and hopeful and meditative book. It took me a long time to get through as I could not finish it in one library checkout period and had to wait for a hold to come in again. I think this book should be essential reading for all, and I am grateful to my community here, which is of course where I learned about it. We are reading this for our book club. It was supposed to be our April book, but we made the decision to move it to May and have our book club at the Denver Art Museum (one of our members is a volunteer docent) so we can attend an exhibit called Speaking With Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography, which Marty, our docent member says is unmissable and complements the book beautifully. I may have to take a day off of school as I really don't want to miss it!

23. A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson

I've loved everything I've read by Mary Lawson - this is another one I learned about on LT, so thank you.

Hi there! Braiding Sweetgrass is in the TBR pile near my nightstand, so soon I hope. And I loved A Town Called Solace. Too bad about the Lowry book; I normally am a fan, but maybe I'll skip this one. Good luck to Marina!!

Hi Anne. I also loved Braiding Sweetgrass. In fact, it was one that I kept. I know I will return to it.

I love Mary Lawson and look forward to this one.

>116 Berly: Hope you enjoy Braiding Sweetgrass, Kim. It is a treat. Marina didn't get any of the internships she applied for - we can assume, since she only actually heard back from one. I wish they would o applying students the courtesy of notifying either way but alas. She's totally fine with it, though, as she is ready to be home for the summer. I just bought her ticket home last night! She's coming home at the end of May.

>117 BLBera: Beth, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

************
It is about 50 degrees today, and the sun is shining, and I am home for a snow day with nary a flake in sight. They did predict heavy snow above 7000 feet elevation, which is where my school is, so a snow day was called for mountain schools. Not going to complain, though (unless we have to make the day up and then I will be complaining:)

Going all the way back to >81 AMQS: Anne, I do cook and enjoy doing so but I am generally prevented from doing so at home for two main reasons:

1) Hani and/or Erni and/or Yasmyne do it so much better (in that order)
2) I always make such a mess

>115 AMQS: I must read that soon!

Have a great weekend, Anne and love to all your family.

Well, how did I miss you thread? I love seeing you and your students on IG. It is hard to believe the school year is almost over.

Hope all is well! Braiding Sweetgrass has shown up on lots of threads so I may need to move it closer to the top of the list. Enjoy the museum along with your group.

Hooray for snow days. My daughter's third grade class just finished state tests -- she LOVES those -- as do all teachers. ;) But, ALL of her students passed the math test and all but one passed the reading, so she is happy. And, shocker, Scout was one of the top ten scores in reading in the entire third grade class.

They are almost done with the school year.

Happy Mother's Day, Anne.

>1 AMQS: Wow, Anne! Gorgeous view you have there!

Since you have been spotted around the threads I wanted to pop in and wish you well, dear lady.
Looking forward to your long overdue updates.

Hello friends! Somehow I fell into a black hole and am now trying to dig my way out. Fortunately nothing momentous - just really busy. The end of a school year is always super busy. On my last day (last day for librarians, that is, which is several days after students and teachers) my brother and his family arrived from Germany to spend the whole month of June. It has been wonderful to spend some great time with them, and take care of Falcon for them when they're off doing things. They don't really have a support network in Munich, so they are taking advantage of being here and my being off of school. It's been fun. And busy:) We hosted a large family BBQ so we could get the family together while my brother is here and celebrate my nephew Quincy graduating from high school. We haven't had a family gathering since his mother, my stepsister, passed away in December (except for funerals and celebrations of life) and it was nice to just be. Quincy is really struggling.

I had a friend from high school reach out to me to see if he could stay with us when he came (from TX) to support a colleague showing in the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. A weekend somehow turned into a week... though he was unable to find a car to rent and now he's planning to drive. So my hosting duties are not at an end, and I'm still in the dark about his plans. I'm a little nervous... hosting someone, particularly someone I've seen maybe twice since HS sounds fun for a weekend... a week could be a long time!

Speaking of high school... Trey Parker (of South Park and Book of Mormon fame) was a good friend of mine. I haven't talked to Trey in many years but I am still close to friends who still work with him and live near him so... I was able to score an invitation to a friends and family preview of Casa Bonita! If you're from Colorado (or are a fan of South Park), you know. If you don't... I'm not sure I can even begin to explain, but here's a wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Bonita . It was so fun! It is exactly as promised - they changed NOTHING, just made everything so much better, notably the food. If you read the NYT article (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/casa-bonita-restaurant.html?searchResultPosition=2 ), you know that the renovations cost Trey and his partner Matt "infinity dollars." Sounds about right.

Other news: Marina is home, and enjoying some downtime at home before senior year next year. Callia is super busy between house & pet sitting and nannying, and she is also beginning a masters program for education that is designed for educational paraprofessionals, so she will be busy, but will have a teaching license next May and a masters the following May. She has been swing dancing a couple of times a week and enjoying her knitting groups, and it's awesome to see her thriving. My dad and stepmother have experienced far more than their share of surgeries and medical issues, on top of grieving my stepsister. It's hard to see them struggle and get old, and with my brother living so far away, I have been the one helping them recover and manage.

Stelios and I will have a long weekend in Taos next month for a wedding followed by a trip to Nova Scotia to celebrate our 30th anniversary. I am SO EXCITED I can hardly stand it - I have wanted to go for such a long time and it hasn't worked out for a variety of reasons. We're only going to see about a quarter of what I have wanted to see, but we decided that less is more, and we'll just have to come back:) I start school again August 4.

Books to follow!

My goodness, that's a lot going one. Sorry about losing your step-sister and its effects on Quincy. It's never easy but that seems like an especially tough time to lose a parent.

Glad other things seem to be going well for you and hope you have a wonderful vacation/anniversary celebration!

It was great to catch up, Anne. Thanks for the updates. I am sure losing your step-sister was a blow to everyone who knew her, but agree with Reba that it's an especially difficult situation for Quincy.

I'm sure your NS trip will be amazing. I visited in my teens and have always wanted to return. I guess I'll just live vicariously through any photos you're able to share.

Good to see you, Anne! Sounds like things have been busy -- I hope your trip to Nova Scotia is everything you're hoping for!

Sounds like is largely the good kind of busy for you, Anne.

Where in Nova Scotia are you going? I can make a few restaurant recommendations in Halifax if you need any ideas.

>119 PaulCranswick:, >122 PaulCranswick:, >124 PaulCranswick: Paul, thank you for visiting my thread so often. Though I am not always able to post, I do see new comments and so appreciate you thinking of me.

>120 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! I did visit your thread but I don't think I saw that you had read Braiding Sweetgrass. When you get to it I think you'll love it! Thanks for supporting my IG account. I do love to share what it is that librarians do in this day and age. I think people are surprised.

>121 BLBera: Snow days are the best, Beth! And best of all we didn't have to pay for it with a make up day. I can't believe your daughter gets the results of her state testing so quickly! That's one of the chief complaints (among countless more) of the Colorado test. Results do not come out for months - well after the school year and into the next - so that there's absolutely no time for educators to adjust or respond. It is not helpful information, but then again, it's not to help teachers or students, it's to provide "accountability" to tax payers.

>123 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne! That was from our Christmas trip to Italy. That was the view from our living room and we could hardly look away!

>126 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba, yes it has been busy. A good busy, though. My brother and family are back to Munich tomorrow and my friend arrived. Quincy asked for my help to get a passport, so I am going to try to find a Saturday appointment to get it done, and then maybe take him up to my dad and stepmother's house. They live pretty far away and are getting less and less mobile and I know they would be overjoyed to get together with him. I miss my stepsister very much and just ache for Quincy.

>127 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Yes, losing my stepsister was just awful, and she died just a few weeks after we suddenly lost my uncle. The family is pretty close and we were able to lean on each other but it has been a tough year missing loved ones. And most likely hardest of all for Quincy.

I have wanted to visit Nova Scotia for as long as I remember and I am so excited. I wish we could go for a longer visit, but we're determined to enjoy any time we have there. Thanks for stopping by!

>128 curioussquared: Thank you, Natalie! We're very excited.

>129 MickyFine: yes, Micky, it's very busy, but you're right- it's the good kind of busy! I absolutely agonized over our itinerary since there is so much to choose from and so many places I want to go. We settled on two nights in Halifax (though one is at the end of a travel day so really we'll only have one day there... but will gratefully accept restaurant recommendations), then two nights in Lunenburg (one full day to meander and get there, another say for a sea kayak tour and more wandering), two nights near Port Mouton (a bit south of Liverpool), and two nights in Grand Pré. We're hoping for a lot of coast/beach/lighthouses, hiking, kayaking, biking, seafood, and wine tasting. If you have suggestions, I'm all ears!

Now to catch up on books!



24. The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea

I just love this author, and I love this sweeping book set on Mexican ranches following the life of a relative of the author in the years leading up to the Mexican Revolution.

25. The Girl Explorers: The Untold Story of the Globetrotting Women Who Trekked, Flew, and Fought their Way Around the World by Jayne Zanglein. Audiobook narrated by Kirsten Potter.

This book follows many members of the Society of Women Geographers, established in 1925 after the refusal of other geographic and explorer societies to admit or support women. It's an interesting portrait of female explorers, scientists, anthropologists, ethnographers, writers, mountain climbers, and artists. Some are well known (Margaret Mead, Amelia Earhart, Pearl S. Buck), and some I was learning about for the first time (Blair Beebe-Niles, Annie Peck, Marguerite Harrison). It's a bit uneven... I didn't care much for reading about the entertaining of the society functions, for example, but the portraits of the members were fascinating. Parts were cringy (usually involving men shooting something or film makers completely fictionalizing their experiences to make good entertainment). All in all a solid read about some really interesting people.

26. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

This is a very promising start to what could be a great middle grade fantasy series. Another twist on the magical school/academy experience, this one exceptionally diverse. The author is on the board of We Need Diverse Books, and wrote the book in response to working in a very multi-cultural school and wanting books to contain the kinds of diversity found in her students' lives. I love how she made other fantasy authors (Kwame Mbalia, Ellen Oh, Anne Ursu) professors in the school.

27. Hannah's War by Jan Eliasburg, audiobook narrated by Orlagh Cassidy.

This book was not working for me on audio, so I switched to print and couldn't put it down. The book is a cat-and-mouse thriller based on a true story of a Austrian-Jewish scientist working on the Manhattan Project who becomes the focus of a security leak investigation. The action alternates between the investigation at Los Alamos, and Hannah's experiences at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, where her brilliance and dedication are invaluable, but she is uncredited for her work, and eventually forced to flee.

28. Northwind by Gary Paulson

This middle grade survival story is Gary Paulson's last book. It seems to be set in Norse/Viking times, with the main character paddling north, north, north, away from the plague that has wiped out his fellow fishing camp companions, and figuring out how to eat, stay clear of bears and whirlpools and other dangers. The publishing blurbs liken it to Hatchet, but in the ocean. But to me it didn't work like Hatchet does. The sickness and plague scenes are positively gruesome. Also, the boy just... keeps going. Not much plot, and not much plan for surviving say... winter.

29. The Lost For Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland. Audiobook narrated by Imogen Church.

This was a terrific read. On the surface of it it would appear to be a cozy bookshop romance kind of book, but there is surprising depth and emotional heft, as Loveday reckons with the trauma of her past as it refuses to stay buried. This is one with characters to fall in love with, and I cried frequently. Recommended.

30. The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventure of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi

I have wanted to read this book since a former colleague told me it was her favorite. And now that I have... meh. It's got charm and cuteness and ambition for adventure, but is mostly a wordplay and riddle-filled philosophy and friendship salad. And since it has not checked out in 10 years - even as my former colleague's favorite book - I weeded it.

This gets me through my May reads... June to follow!

I also loved The Lost for Words Bookshop and thought the audio narration was perfect. I saw recently that there is a sequel, so I'm looking forward to that!

>139 katiekrug: Hi Katie! Yes, the audio was terrific, and I have been keeping an eye on the sequel also.

31. The Window Seat: Notes From a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna

I think I have Beth to thank for this one. This is a thoughtful collection of essays from a terrific author with a fascinating background - born in Scotland, raised in Sierra Leone, and having lived and visited pretty much everywhere in between and beyond. I love essays and this collection is wonderful.

32. Thirst by Varsha Bajaj

A middle grade novel about inequitable access to clean water in a poor neighborhood of Mumbai. So much of a family's day is focused on the collection and sterilization of water, a hard task to complete along with either school or work. When Minni inadvertently witnesses the theft of water by members of an organized crime ring, her life changes in a hurry. Her brother must flee for his life. Her mother, struggling with health issues due to water-borne illness, must move to her sister's and Minni is forced to take over her mother's job cleaning a wealthy family's home. But what can a kid do about the theft of water?

Water issues are huge in the American west, with regular news about drought, the dangerously low levels of the Colorado River, Indigenous populations without access to water, communities in Arizona being cut off. I hope students read this and take to heart that access to water is a social justice issue on a global scale.

33. 300 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath

This ought to be a hit with my students - 10 short, interconnected stories in which young people have 30 minutes to survive life-threatening danger. A scary "flyrus" sickens and kills its victims in minutes. A boy with a broken parachute in a doomed plane with no pilot. A nuclear waste incident. An escape from a burning apartment. Short and action-packed is just the thing for certain readers.

34. Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott

In 1942 the Nazis launched a devastating series of U-Boat attacks on the American east coast. I don't ever remember learning that, did you? This middle grade historical novel is a wonderful look at this scary time, when ordinary fishing and tugboats dotting the coast joined in the fighting, rescuing, and suffered greatly. The book brings the war and its tragedies right up close and personal. Louisa June (named for a favorite author... she would have been Louisa May (for Alcott) except she was born in June) is a great character, and her elderly cousin Belle is one of my favorite characters ever. Recommended.

>130 AMQS: The Bicycle Thief restaurant in Halifax was so, so good. It's right on the harbour so there's lots of lovely views. The only catch is it can get busy if there's a cruise ship docked. I tend to eat early so I avoided the rush but you might have to wait if you don't have a reservation.

With not much time in Halifax, it might not be high on the priority list but the downtown branch of the Halifax Public Library is beautiful.

Lunenburg is gorgeous and I assume you'll be stopping at Peggy's Cove on your drive there? Probably the most iconic Canadian lighthouse.

>130 AMQS: I do hope you enjoy your trip to Nova Scotia. We visited there back in 2008, as part of a longer trip (including New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island) and loved it. We stayed in Lunenburg, which is lovely and we did visit Halifax for a day trip but didn't stay there. I think in Halifax we visited the fortress and a maritime museum which I seem to remember had lots of stuff about the Titanic. In Nova Scotia we also stayed in Annapolis Royal for a few nights and visited Kejimkujik National Park.

>141 AMQS: I've only read one book by Aminatta Forma, The Hired Man which I chose for my book club a couple of years ago. But in preparing for that I listened to an interview she had given on the subject of civil wars, which was very thought provoking, and I would imagine her essays would be worth reading.

>145 MickyFine: Thank you! I had seen The Bicycle Thief mentioned in a few books. We will be stopping in Peggy's Cove, and I can't wait!

>146 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian! All of your spots you mention are on my list, but we just didn't have that much time this summer so I had to scale back. Which means we'll just have to go back:)

I read The Window Seat while I was wrapping up the school year, and I've discovered that essays work well for me when I am super busy. They're short, and I don't have to keep track of a plot from one day to the next. I really enjoyed her writing and will probably look for other books of hers.

35. Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Saris King

Another middle grade novel - this one taking a hard look at censorship and its impact on a community. I raced through this one.

36. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

This was a gift from the counselor at my school. A quick read about friendship and kindness.

37. Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner, audiobook narrated by Cassandra Campbell

This book was amazing. It profiles one family from the end of WWII to the American handover of their area to Soviet forces, and the transformation of their lives behind the Iron Curtain. I knew about East Germany, of course, but this book brings it to such devastatingly personal life. The family's oldest daughter Hanna, who escaped to the West. She built a very happy and successful life, eventually settling in the States, but the cost of not being about to see and hardly being able to communicate with her close-knit family for 40 years was devastating. The book is written by Hanna's daughter, who eventually worked in army intelligence and ran operations in East Berlin while some of her family led lives of hardship and oppression so very nearby. The narration is outstanding, and I definitely recommend the book.

38. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This was an amazing, compelling, devastating sweeping story of four generations of a Korean family from their very humble origins and struggles under Japanese occupation in Korea, to their attempts to survive as permanent outsiders in Japan. Highly recommended.

39. Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara

I loved this middle grade, beautifully written novel in verse. Collin is a boy with a long list of anxieties. He copes with his fears by always carrying with him a survival handbook for a variety of situations, from anaphylaxis to drowning to fire, killer bees, quicksand, bad breath, runaway train, and countless more. But nothing in the book can help him cope with his home life, which is descending into chaos. This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

40. All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Marina is reading (and loving) the series and I may have accidentally picked up this book and re-read it.

41. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

See above.

42. Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

This is a sweet (at times maybe too sweet) middle grade story of a girl named Olive, whose dearest wish is to attend middle school, where she can be like everyone else and hopefully find a BFF. Olive has been homeschooled because she has osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle-bone disease, which makes her exceptionally fragile, and confined to a wheelchair. But while her body may be fragile, her spirit is not. During this momentous year, Olive does make a friend, makes peace with her seemingly perfect stepbrother, and dares to hope to make a magical wish.

All caught up! With my own thread at least. Current reads:
in print and
on audio.

Reading has stalled somewhat with latest houseguest.

>148 AMQS: Interesting - I'm glad there are books for that age which address the issue! Did you think it was effective?

>153 AMQS: & >154 AMQS: LOL, Anne!

>157 PlatinumWarlock:, >158 PlatinumWarlock: Hello Lavinia! Thank you for visiting my thread. I do think it's effective, because this book doesn't focus on banning whole books (for a middle grade story about that, I think Alan Gratz's Ban This Book is effective), but because the censorship is really in the students' faces. This is a 6th grade book circle, with school-issued books. The book of this particular group is Jane Yolen's Holocaust novel The Devil's Arithmetic. Students are reading the book, but there are words blacked out. When students go to a local bookstore to see what's been blacked out, girls and boys alike are outraged to find that the blacked out words are "breasts" in the context of girls covering their breasts when they are forced to strip as they are processed into concentration camps. When they confront their teacher and principal, they are doubly outraged to find that school leadership doesn't think 6th grade boys can handle reading "breasts," which they find ridiculous given that they are anatomical realities and are written in a devastating and fact-based historical context. I think middle grade students can relate to the outrage of adults not thinking they are mature enough to handle a common word. I guess I'll find out when my students start reading it:)

>159 AMQS: Wow. Powerful description. I hope you'll report back after your students start reading it!!

Hi Anne - Thanks for the update! You are always busy. Enjoy your summer and your anniversary trip. What a lot of great reading. I have enjoyed Murderbot as well.

Scout is reading her way through Kate DiCamillo's work right now, and she and I recently finished The Bookwanderers. Scout loved it; I found the writing uneven, but it is so interesting to read books with kids. There are six in the series, and we are continuing.

>160 PlatinumWarlock: I will!

>161 BLBera: Hi Beth! Our houseguest just left, nearly as unexpectedly and abruptly as he arrived, lol, so while it was very nice to see him and to catch up, I'm glad to be done with hosting for a bit so that I won't feel busy for awhile:) Among other things, I really want to spend some time here on LT.

I haven't read The Bookwanderers. Should I look for it?

43. The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell, audiobook narrated by David Tennant.

I have this author's How to Train Your Dragon series in the library, but the books don't really circulate. The Wizards of Once was donated by a student, and so to determine if I should add it to the collection I decided to try it on audio since I read such amazing things about David Tennant's narration. Which was amazing (is it too much to ask that he narrate all fantasy books?). The book was fun, too, clearly the start of a series, about a group of wizards who have been chased from the forest by the magic-hating warriors. A wizard boy and a warrior girl meet and become entangled when they seem to have killed a witch - the terrifying evil creatures thought to be extinct. The story is suspenseful and humorous, filled with fairies and sprites, giants and ogres, raven counselors, enchanted objects, and a fainting assistant bodyguard. I enjoyed the read but I will probably not add it.

>163 AMQS: - I also listened to that one on audio because I so love Tennant's narration of the How To Train Your Dragon books.

>162 AMQS: I would be interested in your take on The Bookwanderers, Anne. I wasn't impressed by the writing, but Scout loved it. That is what makes reading with her so interesting.

>163 AMQS: I love David Tennant. I'll look for these audiobooks.

Hi Anne! I enjoyed catching up with you - wow, you've been busy!

>125 AMQS: Casa Bonita, lol, that was a hot ticket! My step-daughter also went to one of the invite nights. She went to the same Littleton high school as Matt Stone - a few years after him, and went with a friend of a friend. When Chris was back in CO during Covid, he did a Westword cover story about Casa Bonita and its abrupt closing. He had quite a time trying to contact the then-owner but had fun interviewing past employees. Of course that was before Trey and Matt stepped up.

>136 AMQS: I was so pleasantly surprised by the depth of The Lost for Words Bookshop. It was not at all what I was expecting.

>162 AMQS: Pleased to see that you have your house back again, Anne!

Have a lovely weekend.

>164 katiekrug: I've read such great things about his narration of the Train Your Dragon books - I'll give them a go!

>165 BLBera: Beth, I haven't heard any buzz about them either among my students or among my colleagues. I will read one if it crosses my path. I'm thrilled Scout loves them - that's what counts, right?

>166 Copperskye: That's so cool! I'll have to look and see if it's in Westword's digital archives. What did your stepdaughter think? it was a very fun walk down memory lane for me:)

Did you see there's another book in the works? I think its called Found in a Bookshop. I'll be looking for it.

>167 PaulCranswick: Me, too, Paul! Have I done anything momentous with my time? No, I have not. That's what I love about summer break:) This weekend is Stelios's birthday. Last year we went to Taos for his birthday. It was our first time there. This year we'll stay close because we start our travels - first to Taos, then to Nova Scotia - at the end of next week.

44. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callendar

This book has so many awards and stars, and I can see why. Still, it seems very mature for my population. I'm not going to remove it or anything, but I think perhaps I will have a conversation with students who check it out. It is just achingly sad. King, short for Kingston, is desperately grieving his older brother, who died suddenly. And he died shortly after warning King (Black) not to hang around his friend Sandy (white), who confesses to being gay. So there's a traumatic end to a friendship, profound grief tearing a family apart, and very uneasy race relations in the Louisiana bayou. And then King betrays a secret and Sandy goes missing, all while King is questioning his own sexual identity. Very heavy for middle grade. This is a great read, but mature and so very sad.

45. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells.

Continuing my reread of the Murderbot series as Marina reads them for the first time.

Wish Stelios a happy birthday from us, Anne, and I am sure that your holiday will be fantastic

Just catching up here. I am glad that you had a great time with your brother and his family. It must have been nice to have the house buzzing with energy and life. Also equally nice to enjoy the silence when they leave ;)

Have a great weekend and enjoy your upcoming vacation!

Well, I am only 166 posts behind, so I do not feel too bad (lol). Thanks for stopping by to check in on me lately, Anne. I am here to return the favor and check in on you too :)

>170 AMQS: I am rereading that series too. I will (hopefully) getting to Rogue Protocol this month.

My usually quiet life has been a bit chaotic the past few weeks and I am behind on threads and reviews. Enjoy Taos and Nova Scotia! The latter is definitely on my list.

Thanks for reminding me about Braiding Sweetgrass. It has been highly recommended by several LT'ers.

As an ed techy, I *love* seeing all the creative things you do with your kids. This past week, I had a blast doing a playground session on scrappy circuits, microbits and makey makey for teachers.

>171 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! I think Stelios enjoyed his birthday. Callia made him a lemon curd tiramisu which we all enjoyed. We are between holidays now - having returned from New Mexico Sunday and leaving for Nova Scotia on Friday.

>172 figsfromthistle: Anita, it was really nice to have them here, and special, since they live so far away. We've been lucky that we have been able to see each other fairly regularly. And yes, the quiet has been nice also. They only stayed with us part-time, staying with us when they were "down the hill" and primarily at my mom's house "up the hill" but we were together a lot!

>173 alcottacre: It's hard to keep us, isn't it, Stasia? Thanks for visiting. I am enjoying my reread of the Murderbot Diaries, even if it was started accidentally.

>174 witchyrichy: Thanks, Karen! I make a point to step away from all things teaching over the summer, with the exception of reading children's literature. I'll be posting from the library again soon enough! I hope you enjoy Braiding Sweetgrass. It's a great read.

We had a lovely weekend in Taos. It was fun to travel with friends and to visit places we enjoyed last year. The wedding was lovely but HOT and outdoors with no protection from the sun at the hottest past of the day. So... hats. We all had to buy hats for some protection at least!



Here's one of us on what is now a favorite but challenging hike (about 1000 feet of elevation gain on a hike that STARTS at over 10,000 feet).

46. As Sweet As Honey by Indira Ganesan

Read for book club, this is a sweet and dreamlike story set in part on a fictional island in the Bay of Bengal. Narrated by Mina, a young girl in a large, multi-generation household, it tells the story of the beloved and unconventional Aunt Meterling as she experiences love, joy, tragedy, love again, and profound change. It's unlike anything I've read and I enjoyed it a lot.

47. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Continuing my reread of the Murderbot Diaries. This one's a favorite.

48. Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms by Rey Terciero

This is a GN retelling and updating of the Swan Lake story, with an exciting quest, and girls fighting misinformation in an attempt to end the cold war between their kingdoms and maintain their cherished friendship.

49. Alone by Megan E. Freeman

A devastating, dystopian novel-in-verse about a girl in a Denver suburb. She plans a secret sleepover with her two best friends that falls through... but she decides to stays alone in her grandparents' house, with her parents thinking she's at the other parent's house. She wakes in the morning to dozens of missed messages... and her community evacuated. She is utterly alone. She remembers her dad's advice about being lost in the woods - stay put, but soon she needs to venture out in search of food and other supplies needed for survival. Days stretch into weeks, then months, then years. Her only companion is George, her neighbor's dog.

This is a little mature for my population, with some shocking scenes, but it is a Battle of the Books selection, and actually I do think my 5th graders will love it. I read it in one sitting.

50. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

More Murderbot.

>176 AMQS: Such a cute couple! I'm impressed with your hike, too.

Love the photos!! Glad trip was a success.

>176 AMQS: Nice hats! You guys look happy. 😁 Glad it was a good weekend!

Murderbot makes me smile.

I love the hats!

>176 AMQS: Lovely pictures, Anne, and I like the hats.
I nearly always wear a hat when the sun shines, my ears burn easily. I like the one you wear in the second picture, so would like to know what kind it is.

>182 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! It's a challenging hike, but fortunately not very long - about 4 miles up and back. It's the up part, along with elevation, that makes it hard! It helps that we live at some altitude, but I could definitely be fitter.

>183 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba!

>184 PlatinumWarlock: Thank you, Lavinia! It was a nice weekend. We don't usually travel with other people, aside from family, so it was nice that we traveled well as a group.

>185 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I have one last MB book to go for my reread. It will have to wait until we get back from Canada. Then I should be in good shape for whenever my hold comes in for the new Murderbot:). We like the hats - and they were definitely necessary.

>186 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. This is also a new-ish hat, though not unplanned like the wedding hat. I think it's this one: https://www.columbia.com/p/bora-bora-ii-booney-CU9107.html, made by Columbia. It's good sun protection, has mesh for cooling, and is really adjustable. I never paid much attention to hats when I was younger, and now I find I need the sun protection.

51. Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll

And I think they forget that, sometimes, I don't know how to talk to people. I don't know how to say things in a way that other people will understand. I don't know how to wrap all the difficult things in life in nice, polite words and get people to see that I really am trying.

This is a thought-provoking book with a much needed voice: a neurodivergent author and a neurodivergent character. In this sci-fi book for middle grade readers, Cora, who has autism, reluctantly makes friends with Adrien, who has ADHD. Cora has recently lost her mother, and is intrigued by the company founded by Adrien's father, where they can create realistic and responsive holograms of people, offering a way to never have to say goodbye to loved ones. Adrien and Cora's father have serious misgivings about what this technology really means.

I think this will be a hit with my students, and while I enjoyed it, I think it has issues that probably will bother adults more than kids, including using a device that I hate: the obnoxiously and improbably public declaration/reveal.

>187 AMQS: Thanks, Anne, I ordered the Columbia hat :-)

>189 FAMeulstee: Oh, I'm glad, Anita! I hope you like yours.

I'm trying to remember the timing of your trip, Anne, and hoping you're not currently in Nova Scotia with all the flooding.

>191 MickyFine: Micky, we are in Nova Scotia with all the flooding. We got very wet today in Halifax. Many businesses closed including the Farmers Market. But we are both enchanted with Halifax! Heading to Peggy’s Cove etc on the way to Lunenburg tomorrow and will have to navigate road closures. For us it’s a nuisance but the devastation we’re reading about is heartbreaking.

We ate an amazing dinner tonight at the Bicycle Thief. Thank you for the recommendation!

>192 AMQS: Glad Halifax managed to charm you even with all the water. So pleased that you enjoyed The Bicycle Thief! It was definitely a highlight meal on my trip.

Stay safe on your drive tomorrow!

Looking forward to your updates after your return to the US, Anne.

The Bicycle Thief is a great name for a restaurant.

Missing you, Anne.

>194 PaulCranswick:, >195 PaulCranswick:, >193 MickyFine: Missing YOU, Paul, Micky, and everyone! Thanks for checking up on me. Everything is fine, just busy. I NEED to come back and catch up and update (and I have a book that was sent to me that needs to be sent on its LT journey) but I have to stop drowning first. I feel like things should be getting calmer but alas. Back soon (I hope)! XOXOXO

>176 AMQS: I personally love hats :) Lovely pictures.

>177 AMQS: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Anne!

>180 AMQS: I love dystopian books, I do not care what age level that they are written for, so I am adding that one to the BlackHole.

I am all caught up on my re-read of the Murderbot books and anxiously awaiting the new one. . .

Nice to hear from you and know all is well.

I hope the start of the school year is going well and that you and yours are in good health, Anne. Take care.

>197 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I hope you enjoy the books you added. My reading has slowed a bit with the start of school. I'm sure yours is cooking along as normal! Hope you are well.

>198 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba, yes all is well, I just can't seem to get out of chronically busy. I hope you are doing well.

>199 BLBera: Hi Beth! It was a rougher start of year than I would like, but I am indeed in good health and things are going well. How are you doing?

>200 AMQS: Lovely to see you posting, Anne. xx

Hello to all! I've missed interacting with everyone here. I guess when I "left" we were on our way to Nova Scotia. We only had a week, but it was a wonderful and amazing trip and both of us can't wait to go back and explore the things we couldn't see. A highlight was our sea kayaking day, which at some point had our kayaks surrounded by a pod of baby seals. The seafood, of course, was amazing, and the people probably the friendliest we have ever met. We will definitely go back.

Halifax


Lunenburg




Kejimkujik National Park Seaside Adjunct

>201 PaulCranswick: Paul, it's nice to see you, too. Thank you for checking in on me.

Some books:



52. Diamond Head by Cecily Wong

I'm a sucker for books set in Hawaii, and this multi-generational saga of a Chinese family in Hawaii was just the right kind of light read for a long plane ride.

53. Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

No visit to Nova Scotia is complete without learning about the Acadians - early immigrants from France who built sophisticated dykes to create rich vineyards and farmland before they were rounded up and expelled by the British in the 1600s. Their tragic story is poignantly told by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his long romantic poem Evangeline.

54. Unaccustomed Earth by Jumpha Lahiri

I fell in love with Ms. Lahiri when I read Interpreter of Maladies and this collection of short stories about Indian immigrants in the US is just as wonderful.

55. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This is a riveting and devastating book that follows the descendants of two half-sisters born in Ghana. One grows to adulthood in Ghana and the other is sold into the slave trade. Their stories come around to connect in the end, but not before some searing experiences along the way.

56. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton, audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden.

This is supposed to be a spoofy sendup of Regency romances with pirates and magic and crime thrown in. As one LT reviewer said, the book isn't as funny as it thinks it is. I should have Pearl Ruled it but alas. Not the right book for me, but it does have many fans.

57. Network Effect by Martha Wells

This completed my reread of the Murderbot books, and I can hardly wait for the next one to be released later this fall.

58. Yonder by Ali Standish

Middle grade historical fiction (WWII-era) that explores the nature of heroism and the choice to do the right thing... or not.

59. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

Outstanding graphic memoir about a recent graduate form Cape Breton Island who goes west to work in the oil sands of Alberta to earn money to pay off student loans. I convinced my book club to give this book a try. They agreed after being intrigued by the subject, but also the format. They were skeptical at first: a graphic novel?? like a comic book? but finally agreed that they might never otherwise read one. Alas I cannot go to book club during the school year, but my mom (who absolutely loved the book) reported that while the other members had a hard time consuming a book in this visual format, they ultimately enjoyed the experience and had a lively discussion.

60. Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee

Middle grade fiction about an LA-based mother and daughter who travel to tiny Last Chance, MN to visit their ailing father/grandfather. What follows is a lovely story about strained family relationships, the experience of Chinese immigrants in a tiny midwestern town, and a fascinating family history intermingled with that of "paper sons" - Chinese who immigrated illegally by purchasing false papers claiming relation to existing residents. Recommended.

61. Normal People by Sally Rooney, audiobook narrated by Aoife McMahon.

Sally Rooney is a gifted writer, even though there were plenty of times I didn't care for the story. She tells the story of Connell and Marianne and their complicated on/off relationship in high school through their young adult years. Outstanding narration.

62. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

This is a compelling story about a woman determined to keep living and working in Sarajevo once the Bosnian War begins, although her husband and mother seek safety abroad. How long can this war last? How bad can it be? Long, and bad. The day-by-day deterioration of conditions that reduce humans to barely surviving shells is just devastating, along with the reflection of just how special and beautiful Sarajevo is. Recommended.

This book was sent to me by Katie, who received it from Laura, who received it from Vivian, who received it from Beth. May I send it to you? I would love to pass it along and keep its LT journey going.

63. The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo

A lovely and gentle story about a young boy and his mother who are shipwrecked and then saved by a lighthouse keeper near the Isles of Scilly. The lighthouse keeper is gruff and grumpy but gives the boy a drawing, which the boy keeps and views often. Fascinated by the man, the boy grows up and seeks him out, returning to the island and resuming a quiet friendship in the lighthouse. This is a quick, sweet read with beautiful illustrations.

64. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, audiobook narrated by Rebecca Lowman.

A friend told me this was his favorite of the Amor Towles novels. Mine is A Gentleman in Moscow, but this was also an enjoyable and absorbing book by a gifted author who can tell a great story. The story is narrated by Katey Kontent, a working class daughter of a Russian immigrant who, while out on New Year's Eve with her boardinghouse roommate, meets the wealthy and charming Tinker Grey. Katey is introduced into the world of the New York elite, telling a riches-to-rags story about a world where things sometimes are not as they seem. I loved it, and the audiobook narrator is outstanding.

Hi Anne, welcome back! Your trip to Nova Scotia sounds lovely, and you've also had a run of really good reading. I've read several of the books you posted, and agree Jhumpa Lahiri is a gem. It's also fun to see Black Butterflies making the rounds.

I'm glad to hear you had a great time in Nova Scotia, Anne. It really is a beautiful province.

>202 AMQS: A kayak surrounded by baby seals! OMG, that sounds so delightful!! I like Nova Scotia a lot and can easily imagine how great your time there was.

I agree with you -- A Gentleman In Moscow is my favorite followed by Rules of Civility. I'm not a big fan of The Lincoln Highway.

>216 AMQS: This one has been on my shelf for a long time.....

>202 AMQS: Your trip sounds like it was quite nice. Sea kayaking seems like it was a great highlight

Happy week ahead.

Hi Anne - Thanks for sharing your Nova Scotia photos. Your trip sounds great. And what a lot of reading you've done! I am so happy that Black Butterflies is making the rounds and that people seem to like it.

Scout is waiting for the new Dory Fantasmagory that comes out next week. Together we are reading The Windeby Puzzle. When we visited the archeological museum in Madrid, the mummies were her favorite part.

>221 BLBera: I am reading Black Butterflies this week, Beth and it is a really good idea to send great books around your friends. I finished The Covenant of Water yesterday and lent the book to one of my work colleagues this afternoon who must have been fed up (or intrigued) by the extent I was singing its praises.

I thought you might like a picture of me with my new hat :-)

>217 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! I have had some great reading - lucky me! Though I always know my great reading comes from here. So grateful for this community and the great books recommended! I have passed Black Butterflies on to Mark, so its journey continues!

>218 MickyFine: SUCH a beautiful province! We hope to go back very soon. There are many places in Canada we would like to explore, but NS was special.

>219 RebaRelishesReading: We had such a wonderful time, Reba. We feel lucky to be able to travel, and the seals were very special. I agree with you about the Amor Towles books. I didn't like The Lincoln Highway as well, but I did love the character/setting connection between The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility. That was a cool surprise.

>220 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! We definitely caught the kayaking bug, but don't live near water. Goals, I guess:) I hope you enjoyRules of Civility when it calls your name!

>221 BLBera: Hi Beth! I just sent off Black Butterflies to Mark, so it is continuing its LT journey. I am so thrilled that Scout is still loving Dory Fantasmagory. I need to start reading it aloud again - the books I have are languishing on the shelf a bit. I didn't love The Windeby Puzzle like I hoped I would, but having just loved the mummies in Spain it might be just the thing for Scout. Have you read Meet Me at the Museum? I've probably asked you this before...

>222 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I do love it when books travel to new readers:)

>223 FAMeulstee: Anita, I LOVE it!! It looks great on you! I have been so glad to have it. I never paid much attention to head covering before and definitely should have. You look great!

I was lucky enough to meet up with Roni yesterday! She is visiting from Kansas. We have been LT friends for close to 15 years but had never met before. She was staying with her friend Judy in the north part of the city, so I got to visit a new-to-me Tattered Cover as well. She is on a bit of an LT tour, having met Mark recently in Chicago, and is on her way to Joplin soon to see Stasia and Donna. Yay for LT meetups!

65. The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

I was so looking forward to this middle grade read and it turned out to be only okay for me. Maybe it was just the wrong book at the wrong time (it did take me forever to read it, which never helps), or maybe I couldn't picture the student I could give this to and tell them they would love it. It has secrets, treachery, mapmaking, seafaring, danger, and politics, which should have been a hit but it was a miss for me.

>226 AMQS: I felt much the same -- an okay read, but not the great one I was expecting.

66. Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia by Natasha Lance Rogoff, audiobook narrated by Emily Lahey Shoov.

This was a crazy story, and a bit of a love letter to both Sesame Street and Russia - in the way that you can completely love something that is utterly crazy-making. Natasha Lance was a documentary filmmaker and Russophile who was tapped by the Sesame Workshop to create and produce the Russian version of the series. This was an opportunity to promote democratic ideals in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse, and was championed and funded by Congress, and by Senator Joe Biden in particular. But post-Soviet Russia was a chaotic, lawless, dangerous place in free fall, so securing funding, broadcasting deals, advertisement proved exercises in frustration, with bribery, sleight-of-hand, backdoor dealings, car bombings, and assassinations all in play. And huge cultural differences also proved difficult. How to honor what is great about Russia while things are in such change and a new Russian identity wasn't in being yet? Woven throughout the story was the author's blind date set up and romance with her now husband, Ken Rogoff. I listened to the audio and sort of wished I had read the book in print. I am going to try to get a copy at the library because if there are pictures, I want to see them. Recommended.

>227 foggidawn: Glad it's not just me, foggi. To be honest, I didn't love A Wish in the Dark as much as I wanted to. I do love her Thai-inspired elements and lore, but I haven't fallen in love with this author yet.

>228 AMQS: Glad to see you enjoyed this one. I started it earlier this year but it was bumming me out rather than bringing me joy so I paused it. There are indeed pictures in the print edition though. :)

>230 MickyFine: Hi Micky, yes I can see that, too. It's also depressing from our vantage point in 2023, knowing what we do about current-day Russia.

>224 AMQS: Thanks to you, Anne, I am very happy with this hat. I served me well on sunny days.

>225 AMQS: How nice you met Roni! So nice when members of this group have a chance to meet.

>225 AMQS: What a lovely photo! And two of my LT favorite people meeting up. Nice to see you both looking so well.

So fun you got to meet Roni!

I think I would enjoy Muppets in Moscow... I'll keep an eye out for it.

>225 AMQS: Another successful LT meetup! (Are there any other kinds?)

Were you in the new Westminster store?

>225 AMQS: I love this! Also looking forward to seeing Roni again late next week. Our last time together was in Kansas City in April of 2011. My last meetup with you, Joanne, and Kris was in January of 2018. We need to do better. ;-)

>232 FAMeulstee: Yes, it is special when we can meet. I hope I will be lucky enough to meet you one day!

>233 RebaRelishesReading: We had fun! It was very nice to finally meet Roni.

>234 curioussquared: I was! I hope you enjoy Muppets in Moscow. I knew there was a Plaza Sesamo, but I hadn't been aware that there were numerous versions of Sesame Street across the world. It was a cool story, if harrowing at times.

>235 Copperskye: Hi Joanne, yes, we were in the new Westminster store. It's nice, if smallish and a tad understocked. It has a cafe and wine bar there and shares the building with a hotel and restaurant. The Tattered Cover is always special, but I don't know that those of us who loved the Cherry Creek store will ever get over it, or find the other locations as special.

>236 Donna828: Hi Donna! Was it that long ago? That's crazy. Enjoy your visit with Roni!

I smiled at your Muppets in Moscow; it reminded me of a conversation Scout and I had in the summer. I asked if she had ever read Treasure Island, and she said no, but she had seen the Muppet movie version, and nothing could top that...I'm hoping she relents one day...

>207 AMQS: I absolutely loved that one when I read it.

>209 AMQS: I am anxiously awaiting the next one too. I love Murderbot.

>210 AMQS: >212 AMQS: My local library has a copy of those so I will get to them eventually. Thanks for the recommendation, Anne!

>211 AMQS: Dodging that BB as I have already read it.

>213 AMQS: I read one of Rooney's books last year (Beautiful World, Where Are You) and did not care for it. Maybe I should give her another chance?

>214 AMQS: I already have a copy on order or I would take you up on the offer if no one else has!

>216 AMQS: Also dodging that BB. I agree about A Gentleman in Moscow, which I love.

>225 AMQS: Yay for LT meet ups indeed! Lovely picture of lovely ladies.

>228 AMQS: Adding that one to the BlackHole. No luck at the local library for that one.

I too agree that A Gentleman in Moscow is the best Towles!

Love the photo of you and Roni meeting up, and glad it was such a good time!

>238 BLBera: Having seen the Muppet version and read Treasure Island, I can't say I blame Scout. Tim Curry's Long John Silver is hard to compete with.

*waves at Anne*

>238 BLBera: Beth, that's a great story. Marina's third grade teacher swore that the absolute best adaptation of A Christmas Carol was the Muppet version.

>239 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I don't know what to tell you about Sally Rooney. I thought the writing was outstanding but I didn't love the story. I really want to love both! Hope you enjoy Black Butterflies when it reaches you, and Muppets in Moscow. My copy of Black Butterflies went to Mark, so its LT journey continues:)

re meetups: Say hi to Donna and Roni when it's your turn!

>240 RebaRelishesReading: That book was so charming, wasn't it, Reba?

>241 bell7: It was nice to meet her, Mary! So many of us on LT have been been friends for years and years. It's fun to see them in person.

>242 MickyFine: *waves back* I love Tim Curry in pretty much everything, including audiobooks!

67. The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

I think I read about this book in School Library Journal when it was listed an outstanding LGBTQ+ title. I put it on hold at the library and it took about 6 months for my hold to come in, which made me think that a lot of people are reading it, which is wonderful. Ms. Slater indeed writes an outstanding nonfiction account of a crime in Oakland, CA. The short chapters and compelling sections introduce Sasha, an asexual teenager who wears skirts because they're so comfortable, and Richard, a heterosexual black teenager who has been in and out of trouble but has a good heart and is determined to make something of himself. One afternoon Richard is messing around with friends on the 57 bus and as a joke sets fire to the skirt of the sleeping Sasha. What follows is a lengthy hospital stay with multiple surgeries for Sasha, and for Richard, a return to the criminal justice system where he is charged as an adult. This is such a great read. Difficult and thought provoking, and I wish it was required reading for everyone.

68. The Late Bloomers' Club by Louise Miller, audiobook narrated by Emily Rankin

A sweet, cozy, country story that was light enough to be the right sort of diversion for a busy and stressful couple weeks of school. Nora has lived in tiny Guthrie, Vermont her whole life - marrying and divorcing her childhood sweetheart, taking care of her parents, and running her father's diner. When a neighbor passes away and unexpectedly leaves her vast property to Nora and her sister Kit, tensions arise pitting sensible, responsible Nora against dreamy, spendthrift Kit, and threatening to upend the town with a potential sale to a big box store. Recommended if you need a light, engaging read and you want to escape into impossibly cute and quirky small town Vermont.

Ugh. Colorado book lovers and their LT friends will be sad about this news:
https://www.9news.com/article/money/business/tattered-cover-bankruptcy-colorado-...

>235 Copperskye: guess that’s why they appeared so understocked at the Westminster store.

>246 AMQS: Oh, that is too bad!