Katie’s Reading - Chapter 17

Because who among us hasn't read in bed with a couple of pumpkins for company?

__________________________________

For anyone new to my thread, I’m Katie: reader, wine drinker, food appreciator, shenanigan-ator, and non-sufferer of fools. I live outside New York City with my husband, "The" Wayne, our cat, Leonard, and our dog, Nuala/Noodles.

My reading varies widely - I love genre fiction (romance and crime), contemporary and historical fiction, and narrative nonfiction. I try to balance my reading in all these areas. I also use my thread as a bit of a life journal, which mostly means I talk about what I’m cooking, eating, drinking, watching, doing, and avoiding doing.

Thanks for being here!

Currently Reading
(Print) (Audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED

Books Off My Shelf: 57
Books Off My Kindle: 13
Books from Audible/Chirp: 27
Library Loans (print/e-books/audios): 59
Friend Loan: 1

OCTOBER
157. The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn (3.75 stars)
156. Cabin Fever by Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin (3.5 stars)
155. The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass (audio) (3.5 stars)
154. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (audio) (4.5 stars)
153. The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary (3.5 stars)
152. A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare (4 stars)
151. Let's Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry (audio) (3.75 stars)
150. American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell (4 stars)

Did Not Finish (YTD)
Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris
A Stolen Tongue by Sheri Holman
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen
The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Under Our Roof by Madeleine Dean and Harry Cunnane

Q3 COMPLETIONS

SEPTEMBER
149. Clothes Make the Girl (Look Fat?) by Brittany Gibbons (Audio) (3 stars)
148. Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti (3.5 stars)
147. Stickle Island by Tim Orchard (3.5 stars)
146. Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen (audio) (3.5 stars)
145. The Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn et. al. (3 stars)
144. Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart (audio) (4.25 stars)
143. My Antonia by Willa Cather (4 stars)
142. Oksana, Behave! by Maria Kuznetsova (audio) (4.5 stars)
141. The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner (3.75 stars)
140. Nora Webster by Colm Toibin (4.5 stars)
139. This Other Eden by Paul Harding (audio) (4.25 stars)
138. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee (audio) (4 stars)
137. Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee (4 stars)
136. All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (4 stars)
135. The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews (audio) (3.5 stars)
134. The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland (audio) (4.25 stars)
133. Middletown, America by Gail Sheehy (3.5 stars)
132. Just Your Type by SKye McDonald (3.5 stars)
131. Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan (3 stars)

AUGUST
130. State of the Union by Nick Hornby (3.5 stars)
129. Bootstrapper by Mardi Jo Link (audio) (2.5 stars)
128. The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan (3.75 stars)
127. The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai (4.5 stars)
126. The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen (3 stars)
125. Congratulations, the Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas (audio) (4 stars)
124. The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat (3.5 stars)
123. The Road to Lichfield by Penelope Lively (4 stars)
122. Marilou is Everywhere by Sarah Elaine Smith (audio) (4 stars)
121. These Days by Lucy Caldwell (4.5 stars)
120. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (4.5 stars)
119. Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary (audio) (3.5 stars)
118. Her Royal Happiness by Lola Keeley (audio) (3 stars)
117. Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (3.5 stars)
116. Prom Mom by Laura Lippman (4 stars)
115. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (4 stars)
114. Anonymous Sources by Mary Louise Kelly (4 stars)

JULY
113. California by Edan Lepucki (3.25 stars)
112. Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary (audio) (4 stars)
111. Maeve in America by Maeve Higgins (audio) (3.75 stars)
110. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (4.5 stars)
109. Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher (audio) (4 stars)
108. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen (3.75 stars)
107. Ghost of the Innocent Man by Benjamin Rachlin (4.5 stars)
106. Browsings by Michael Dirda (audio) (3.75 stars)
105. A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey (3.5 stars)
104. Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen (audio) (3.25 stars)
103. Little Chapel on the River by Gwendolyn Bounds (4 stars)
102. Larry's Party by Carol Shields (4.5 stars)
101. Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay (audio) (3.5 stars)
100. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans (4.25 stars)
99. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris (4 stars)
98. Mapping the Edge by Sarah Dunant (4.25 stars)

Q2 COMPLETIONS

JUNE
97. The Not So Nice Girl by Skye McDonald (3.5 stars)
96. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (audio) (4.5 stars)
95. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick (4 stars)
94. Hot Stuff by Janet Evanovich and Leanne Banks (audio) (3.25 stars)
93. The Bride by Julie Garwood (3.5 stars)
92. Husband Material by Emily Belden (audio) (3 stars)
91. Our Kind by Kate Walbert (4 stars)
90. The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrick (4 stars)
89. I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (audio) (4.25 stars)
88. The Librarian by Salley Vickers (3.5 stars)
87. The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers (4 stars)
86. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (5 stars)
85. The Swallows' Flight by Hilary McKay (audio) (3.5 stars)
84. The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski (3.25 stars)
83. Bereft by Chris Womersley (4.25 stars)
82. All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (3.25 stars)
81. Death Is Hard Work by Khaled Khalifa (3.5 stars)
80. Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams (3.75 stars)

MAY
79. Home by Toni Morrison (4 stars)
78. Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward (3.75 stars)
77. Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier (3.75 stars)
76. To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie (4 stars)
75. Happy Place by Emily Henry (3.5 stars)
74. Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary (audio) (4 stars)
73. American Ramble by Neil King, Jr. (4.25 stars)
72. Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner (3.25 stars)
71. Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb (3.75 stars)
70. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (4 stars)
69. Gross Anatomy by Mara Altman (audio) (3.5 stars)
68. The Last Remains by Elly Griffith (3.75 stars)
67. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (3.5 stars)

APRIL
66. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (3.5 stars) (audio)
65. Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen (4 stars)
64. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary (audio) (3.5 stars)
63. Nemesis by Skye McDonald (4 stars)
62. Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette (audio) (4.5 stars)
61. Black Girl/White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates (3.5 stars)
60. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (3.75 stars)
59. The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams (audio) (3.25 stars)
58. The Art of Losing by Rebecca Connell (4 stars)
57. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (4.5 stars)
56. The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent (4 stars)
55. The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams (audio) (4 stars)
54. Shopgirl by Steve Martin (4.25 stars)
53. Beloved by Toni Morrison (4.5 stars)
52. Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey (4 stars)
51. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (audio) (4.5 stars)
50. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (3.25 stars)

Q1 COMPLETIONS

MARCH
49. Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone (audio) (4.5 stars)
48. Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen (audio) (3.5 stars)
47. Off the Record by Skye McDonald (3.75 stars)
46. The Father and the Foreigner by Giancarlo De Cataldo (3 stars)
45. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (3 stars)
44. Little Criminals by Gene Kerrigan (4.25 stars)
43. All the Feels by Olivia Dade (audio) (4 stars)
42. Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman (4 stars)
41. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (audio) (3.25 stars)
40. Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (audio) (3.5 stars)
39. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (4.5 stars)
38. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (audio) (3.75 stars)
37. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (3.5 stars)
36. IQ by Joe Ide (audio) (4 stars)
35. Doc by Mary Doria Russell (4.25 stars)

FEBRUARY
34. The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich (audio) (2 stars)
33. Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman (3.5 stars)
32. A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost (audio) (4.25 stars)
31. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade (audio) (4 stars)
30. We the Animals by Justin Torres (4 stars)
29. Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King (3.5 stars)
28. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster (audio) (5 stars)
27. Darling Jim by Christian Moerk (3.5 stars)
26. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (4 stars)
25. His Favorites by Kate Walbert (audio) (3.75 stars)
24. Sam by Allegra Goodman (4.25 stars)
23. The Alchemy of Us by Ainissa Ramirez (audio) (4 stars)
22. The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam (3.5 stars)
21. Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell (audio) (4 stars)
20. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival (3.5 stars)
19. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (3.75 stars)
18. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (audio) (3.5 stars)

JANUARY
17. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (audio) (3 stars)
16. Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn (4.5 stars)
15. Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O'Connor (audio) (3 stars)
14. I Came All This Way to Meet You by Jami Attenberg (4.25 stars)
13. Prejudice Meets Pride by Rachael Anderson (3 stars)
12. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (audio) (4.5 stars)
11. The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll (4 stars)
10. I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa De los Santos (audio) (3.5 stars)
09. My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin (3 stars)
08. A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie (audio) (2.75 stars)
07. Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (4 stars)
06. The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath (3.75 stars)
05. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (audio) (3.5 stars)
04. The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys (4.5 stars)
03. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (3.5 stars)
02. Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach (audio) (4 stars)
01. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (audio) (3.5 stars)

My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

2 stars = Whyyyyyy?
3 stars = Eh, ok.
4 stars = Definitely worth the time.
5 stars = Perfect *for me*

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)

Next one's yours!

Mine, all mine! *shoves pumpkins aside*

Happy new thread!

>1 katiekrug: Who among us indeed? After all, it is decorative gourd season.

>8 laytonwoman3rd: - Why, Linda, are you jumping into bed with me?!?!

>9 curioussquared: - But... what if you fall asleep and fall onto a pumpkin stem and are gored by the gourd?

Happy New Thread, Katie. I LOVED American Salvage. She knows her way around short fiction.

>10 katiekrug: Well, that would certainly not be gourd.

>10 katiekrug: Heheheh....naw, just into your thread. Those punkins get EVERYWHERE this time of year.

>11 msf59: - It's really good!

>12 curioussquared: - *Snerk*

>13 laytonwoman3rd: - True dat!

I was just saying to my butternut squash the other day: "It's October. Y'all are gonna have to make room for the pumpkins, ya know..."

Happy new thread Katie!

Happy new thread. I'm not sure I'd be putting pumpkins in bed. But, what do I know?

Happy new thread, Katie! And to go with the season:

What do you get when you drop a pumpkin? Answer: Squash!

I have loved everything that I have read by Bonnie Jo Campbell but she really excels at short stories!

Happy new thread, Katie!

>15 EBT1002: - Thanks, Ellen!

>16 Helenliz: - I'm with you, Helen.

>17 DeltaQueen50: - Snort! Good one, Judy.

I'm really enjoying American Salvage.

>18 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

Happy Hump Day! Plans today include grocery-getting, mowing, and COVID and flu shots. Lots of fun! TJ's orange chicken for dinner tonight.

Yesterday was good - I had some orzo to use up (not enough to make anything for two of us), so I made the NYT recipe for orzo, pesto, and summer squash, halving it for the amount of pasta I had. I've made it once before and it was good, especially as a cold pasta salad. So if you have some zucchini or the like lying around, I recommend that recipe.

Trivia was great - we came from 8th place after 3 rounds (of 5) to take second at the end. On the way home, we celebrated at the dessert and cocktail bar down the street from our house, where I enjoyed a delicious carrot cake cupcake :)

Books:
I'm in a quandary. I don't hate Sleep, Pale Sister but it's sooooo slow. And while I'm intrigued by where the story might go, I feel like it's taking too long. So do I gut it out or just say no thanks and write-off the 175 pages I've read so far? Decisions, decisions...

In better book news, I am really enjoying Let's Call It a Doomsday on audio, as well as the stories in American Salvage.

Viewing:
Nada

I mostly avoid politics on LT because there are too many people spouting ill-informed nonsense, but this made me laugh out loud when I saw it last night.

New 🧵 orisons, Katie.

>21 katiekrug: perfect.

>21 katiekrug: Clever and apt. Love it.

Congrats on the trivia result! Comebacks always feel so good.

>22 richardderus: - Thanks, RD!

>23 laytonwoman3rd: - Right?!?!

>24 curioussquared: - Thank you, Natalie!

Lost in a digital wilderness. Sure I wrote a greeting yesterday. I did not click the "post message' box, for what I wrote is not here.

Excellent trivia resurgence. And the cocktail & cake sounds like an excellent evening finisher.

Happy new thread, Katie!

>26 weird_O: - Well, you're here now, Bill, and that's what counts :)

>27 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen!

>28 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia!

Welp, I did ALL the mowing - front and back - and got my flu and COVID boosters. If I'm sore tomorrow, I'm not sure what will be to blame :)

>30 katiekrug: You're just going to have to mark it down to the wages of commonsensical caretaking always being pain and suffering. *sigh*

>31 richardderus: - *sigh* indeed!

The Clothes Makes the Girl (Look Fat?) by Brittany Gibbons

This is a collection of essays dealing with plus-sized fashion and style. It's fine, if a bit superficial (in how deeply it delves into things, not in that fashion and style are inherently superficial). I didn't hate it, but I expected a bit more humor after having read Gibbons' first book.

3 stars

>21 katiekrug: LOL -- literally.

Also, happy new one Katie and hope you don't end up sore!

>34 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba! So far, not too sore at all.

>30 katiekrug: both in the same arm, or one in each?

>30 katiekrug: SUCH a good adult! You deserve a long tall beverage.

>36 Helenliz: - Yeah, I decided I wanted one working arm :)

>37 laytonwoman3rd: - My stemless wine glass is short and squat but it's doing the trick!

Happy new thread, Katie! I hope you've given yourself tomorrow off after all that productivity :D

>39 bell7: - Thanks, Mary! I'll at least have a quiet morning today.

Happy Thursday! Maribel is coming this morning to clean, so I'll chill in my office for the 3 or so hours she is here. I've got a couple of errands to run in the afternoon, and I'll pick up Nuala from day care around 5pm (The Wayne will take her there this morning). We are having dinner with our friends, EJ and Felicia, at the new restaurant that's close by, but that's not until 7:30, so I'll probably just putter around the rest of the time.

My arm is rather sore from my shots yesterday, but no more so than when I get a flu shot, so no big deal. I made an easy dinner of TJ's orange chicken, jasmine rice, and air fryer green beans. The beans were especially good - I tossed them with a bit of oive oil, tamari, Szechan pepper, garlic, and ginger. Very tasty!

Books:
I decided to give up on Sleep, Pale Sister and when I skimmed to the end, I was glad I did. I don't think it would have improved for me. In it's place, I started a Tessa Dare romance (A Week To Be Wicked). Still reading a story or two a day in American Salvage and still listening to Let's Call It a Doomsday.

Viewing:
The season finale of 'Only Murders int he Building.' I liked this season, but I think the first one is still my favorite. I was glad to hear there will be a season 4.

Great that you had no reaction to shots. I got mine on Tuesday and didn't fare as well - really sick all day yesterday. The first time I ever had anything other than a sore arm - wth? I'm still glad I'm boosted and would do it again.

>41 katiekrug: Glad to hear that your arm is not too sore.

Thanks to your making lentil soup the other day, I am making Lentil Cauliflower Stew today. I love this stuff and I can cook it in the IP.

>42 vivians: - Oh, no, that sucks, Vivian! Hope things are better today.

>43 alcottacre: - A sore arm is worth the protection :)

Your stew sounds good - too bad TW hates cauliflower!

>44 katiekrug: You really cannot taste the cauliflower because of the spices and other ingredients, but I would not try and talk TW into it :)

>41 katiekrug: YAY for vaccinations that didn't hurt.

I hope the rest of today contimues this positive, lawn-mowed trend.

>45 alcottacre: - Yeah, nor would I :)

>46 richardderus: - Well, I mean, it kind of hurts. My arm is sore. Feel bad for me!!

Our dinner plans got canceled, which makes me sad. And now I have to figure out what to do instead... My life is hard!

Happy, happy new one, Katie!

>48 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim!

Glad you weren't too affected by your shots (but I see your arm is sore, I feel bad for you! So bad!).

I don't think I'm allowed to get any vaccines here, same story as in Turkey, I would have to be older. But I haven't thoroughly investigated it, just read a page about it.

Sorry about your dinner plans.

>47 katiekrug: *there there, pat pat*

Boo hiss on canceled dinner plans. Hass it come home to you yet that this is now not a problem for you? You're perfectly capable of whomping up a tasty meal on the spur of the moment! How much has changed.

>41 katiekrug: "TJ's orange chicken" eh? sounds like I need to give that a try too. You're really making me wish they were closer to us...but then, I do have an electric car now so all it takes is time to go there and I have enough of that.

>50 ursula: - Interesting about the vaccines - are you not allowed to get them because you're an ex-pat or are they just not doing boosters?

>51 richardderus: - Yeah, but I don't have anything to whomp up here so I would have to go to the store. Again. I'm hoping we can just go out, as planned, but maybe to just a pub or something.

>52 RebaRelishesReading: - The orange chicken isn't bad, but it's not as good as the picatta. It's in the freezer section...

My new phone arrived today, so now I have the pleasure (?) of setting it up. The Wayne assures me it's a breeze, but... we'll see. I am notoriously impatient with these sorts of things.

>21 katiekrug: That is pretty good, Katie. Happy newish thread.

>55 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth!

>54 katiekrug: I ought to get a new phone, mine's now quite old and started to play up a bit. BUT it is on a pre-Brexit plan that still includes data roaming in Europe, which is really a very good reason to keep it a bit longer yet...

Here they're recommending that you have flu & Covid boosters in opposite arms, if you have them at the same time. Also no old enough. *smug face*

>54 katiekrug: OMG, new electronics!! At least you have an in-house expert (or perhaps you're one yourself) -- I'm totally not and always let the Apple store do it for me

>57 Helenliz: My provider wanted them in separate arms so they could tell what the culprit was if I had an allergic reaction.

>57 Helenliz: - My old one was playing up quite a bit and driving me bonkers, so it was time...

Ic ould have gotten the shots in different arms, but the flu one always makes me sore, and I didn't want to be sore in both at the same time. It's mostly fine now.

Interesting about the age thing. Here, anyone can get the new booster, for which I am thankful since I AM NOT OLD ;-)

>58 RebaRelishesReading: - It was actually very easy. The phone just walks you through it. I think Apple just likes to make things more complicated than they need to be... one of the reasons I am not an Apple person. *shrug*

>59 RebaRelishesReading: - That's interesting. I don't have any known allergies and never had a reaction to a flu or any of the COVID shots, so it wasn't an issue.

>53 katiekrug: Not old enough. From what I saw you are supposed to be 60.

>61 ursula: - Ah, gotcha.

It's grey and damp here this morning, which fits my mood. I woke up cranky for some reason :-P

Not much on the agenda today except a couple of errands. I'm meeting a friend for a drink at 5:30. The Wayne is getting his flu and COVID shots this evening. Leftover chili for dinner...

Books:
I should finish up American Salvage today, and I'll probably get a chunk of Let's Call It a Doomsday listened to while I puzzle. I've also got A Week To Be Wicked going on my Kindle.

Viewing:
Nope.

Happy Friday, Katie. I got both shots too. My flu shot arm was sore but only for a day or so. I am glad you are enjoying American Salvage, although I am really not surprised.

>64 msf59: - My arm is mostly fine now.

American Salvage is so good! And gritty!

Congrats on your Bears' win :)

>63 katiekrug: I hope American Salvage is working for you, Katie. It's been annoying-day here, too, but starting anew doesn't seem like it's going to work. Too many contingent things clouding perspective.

I hope you enjoy GBBO today!

>66 richardderus: - One more story left, and I am very much liking it.

I'm going to run some errands shortly and see if getting out of the house improves my mood...

Looking forward to GBBO/S tonight!

>60 katiekrug: I've never had a reaction either but it was their protocol so I let them do it. Hope you feel better after your outing. I had a bad night and am feeling a bit grumpy today too.

>68 RebaRelishesReading: - Getting out of the house helped a bit, but the crank/grump is still there. Maybe having a cocktail with a friend later will help more :)

>21 katiekrug: Ha!

I gave American Salvage 4 stars when I read it in 2017. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

>70 EBT1002: - I ended up giving it 4 stars as well, Ellen.

We've had lots of rain overnight and more expected throughout the day. Basement is dry so far, but we have a pond in the backyard... With the weather as it is, I expect a quiet day indoors today, with a little puttering, lots of reading, and definitely some puzzling. Not sure what we'll do for dinner.

Yesterday turned out okay, though I remained rather cranky. I did enjoy meeting my friend, Alice, for drinks in the early evening. The Wayne got his shots, and we had leftover chili for dinner.

Books:
I finished both American Salvage and Let's Call It a Doomsday yesterday. So in print, I'll be focusing on A Week To Be Wicked which I'm about halfway through, and I'll start a new audio today, probably Yellowface.

Viewing:
GBBO/S Biscuit Week! I love Tasha and Abbi and they both did well, so I was happy.

Hi Katie! Belated happy new thread and happy Saturday to you.

>1 katiekrug: Of course, pumpkins in bed while reading. 🙄

>21 katiekrug: As with each iteration of the Gang of Psychos, what we had looks better than what we get.

>30 katiekrug: Yay for the boosters.

>33 katiekrug: Congrats on 75 x 2?

>73 karenmarie: - Hi Karen! Happy Saturday back atcha!

That image cracks me up.

McCarthy doesn't look any better to me...

The Wayne got his boosters last night and is feeling totally out of it today. The same thing happened to him last year. Poor guy. Luckily, he can take it easy today.

Yes, I guess I've made 75 x 2. Go me :)

>72 katiekrug: I liked American Salvage a little better than you and Ellen did, but it's a solid read for us all so I hope we can get her back on the radar!

Re GBBO, that spoiler was very satisfying indeed.

>75 richardderus: - I would have rated it slightly higher on just the writing, but like all story collections, I found some much weaker than others...

I have her Once Upon a River on my shelf. Have you read that one?

>54 katiekrug: I am notoriously impatient with these sorts of things. That may be an understatement where I am concerned!

>77 alcottacre: - I don't think we're alone in this, Stasia!

Thankfully, it was much easier than I expected, though.

I've started Yellowface on audio, and it's excellent so far.

It's the October WNYC Get Lit! book club pick, so the NYPL has e-book and audio versions available without hold lines.

Envious of your flu/booster shots. We can't start booking appointments for them in my province until Tuesday and they don't start giving them out until October 16.

Delighted we started Tessa Dare romance's on the same day this week. I blitzed through mine in a day and a bit though (it was a super fast read for me).

A double post! Oh my.

Have a Mr. Darcy having a feeling about holding hands:

>80 MickyFine: - I just finished A Week To Be Wicked! You're faster than me :)

>81 MickyFine: - *happy sigh*

Let's Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry

I often get impatient and/or annoyed with YA books and their angst and nonsense, since I'm not the target audience. But sometimes I come across one that deals with YA issues and concerns in a mature and thought-provoking way. This was one of them. It's the story of Ellis, who suffers from extreme anxiety. Anxiety about everything - learning to drive, falling off mountains, her family coming to harm, the potential for an imminent apocalypse... When she meets Hannah, who claims to have dreams about the end of the world, Ellis feels vindicated and sets out to determine the specifics of the coming doomsday and to prepare for it. But Hannah has her own issues, and as these two become friends, their relationship is complicated by half-truths, misconceptions, and lies.

Henry juggles a lot of issues in this novel - difficult family dynamics, friendship, mental health, faith... It does occasionally get bogged down, especially with the religious stuff (that's probably due to my own atheist bias), but overall, this is an above-average YA novel - intelligent, mostly believable, and realistic in terms of its depiction of various relationships.

I listened to the audio which was well done.

3.75 stars

American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Overall, this is a very good collection of stories, though naturally, I found some more compelling than others. Campbell employs strong, spare writing to bring the people of rural Michigan to life. The stories are gritty and dark and visceral - there is child abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, unemployment. Campbell tells the stories of life's "losers" but imbues them with so much humanity as to belie that term. It's not always an easy read, but it's a worthwhile one.

I read one or two stories a day and recommend that approach.

4 stars

And just like that, it's Sunday again...

I'll make a grocery run in a little bit, early enough to avoid the usual Sunday crowds. I've actually got my list all set and ready to go. After that, I'll start some laundry and relax a bit. My Giants are playing The Wayne's Dolphins today, so much of the afternoon will be spent watching that. I expect I'll be congratulating TW at the end... I'm attempting to make a beef stew in the Instant Pot for dinner, so the late afternoon is reserved for prepping that.

Yesterday was a weird day because it was super rainy and TW was feeling out of it from his shots. He did manage to rouse himself to accompany me to the wine store and to get lunch. I then spent the rest of the day puzzling, audiobooking, and reading. Same for much of the evening. We skipped dinner because we had had our lunch on the late-ish side. Of course, this morning I'm super hungry so I think buying a bagel while I'm out will be in order :)

Books:
I finished A Week To Be Wicked and started on The Wake-Up Call, which came in from the library. On audio, I started Yellowface, and so far, it's great. Very biting.

Viewing:
Nada

I really like that Tessa Dare series, and that book in particular, the way she cuts between the elopers and the family at home still makes me smile on a reread.

Your beans tossed with spices sound lovely. I'm sticking with traditional roast dinner tonight. I might wave a bit of garlic at the chicken but that's about as far as it will go. Definitely comfort food.

Sounds like a lovely Sunday ahead. Crossing my fingers the grocery store is chill and the bagel is delicious.

>86 charl08: - I am looking forward to getting to Kate and Corporal Thorne's story. It was set up nicely in book 2.

I love roast chicken! It really needs very little other than some salt and pepper, IMO.

>87 MickyFine: - The store wasn't too bad, though busier than I expected. Still, I was in and out reasonably quickly. I'll be toasting up my cinnamon raisin bagel shortly :)

Sunday again...windy here, so it feels colder than it is, but wow what a lovely sunny sky. I'm positive that American Salvage is best read a story or two at a time, like almost all story collections; her hobbyhorses are less a stampede than a parade taken that way. Enjoy the game, he smirked unkindly.

Hi Katie. I hope you don't keep getting deluged with rain!

I've wondered about Yellowface as I've seen it on lots of bookshop shelves and it has gotten some critical praise (weird phrase, that). I'll be interested in how you like it.

I'm hanging in there with Skippy Dies for the group read but unsure whether it will hold me for the entire 600+ pages.

We're having a sunny and 80F day but this week it is supposed to return to autumn weather. I'll enjoy this while we have it even though I worry so much about climate change....

The Campbell collection sounds good. I'll add it to my WL. We had a couple of drizzly days; you seem to get our weather a couple of days after it passes through here. Temps went from shorts to jacket weather in a couple of days. It is definitely feeling like fall here.

Hi Katie! We had rain yesterday too, and now it's well and truly autumn. Beef stew sounds like a good choice. Like Charlotte, I've opted for roast chicken and it's giving off lovely aromas as I write.

>89 richardderus: - And now Monday again! The game was terrible, as expected :)

>90 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen. I love the real fall weather we're having. It got down to the 40s last night and we slept with a window open. Bliss.

Yellowface hadn't called to me before, but I decided to give it a try since there was no wait at the library, and it's very good. Sharp and biting.

I have Skippy Dies on my shelf and contemplated joining the group read, but it just wasn't calling to me.

>91 BLBera: - I guess if the jet streams are just so, we would get your weather a few days later, Beth. I am also glorying in the change to fall.

I think you'd like the Campbell...

>92 lauralkeet: - Mmmm, roast chicken. I've never done one myself. The stew turned out pretty well and really hit the spot.

Yesterday was lovely. I got all the laundry done, the groceries purchased, the stew made, and watched football. The Giants lost, as expected.

I don't have a ton on the agenda today. I might wander over to Trader Joe's in the afternoon to pick up a few things, but there's nothing I *need* so I'll just see if I feel like it later. I should sweep/blow off our deck which is getting covered in leaves. When it rains, it can be rather slippery... And I could do that spice cabinet project I keep putting off...

Taco bowls for dinner tonight.

Books:
The Wake-Up Call is cute, if not super engaging. The two main characters aren't all that interesting (yet?) so it's hard to care about them. The audio of Yellowface is excellent - I love hearing the sarcasm and obtuseness of the first-person narrator...

Viewing:
Football

Morning Katie!

Roast chicken is a regular for us, dating back to our early married days because it was so affordable and always gave us more than one meal. These days I usually take leftover chicken off the bone and freeze it to use in a casserole later. It's so easy to make! Here's my current recipe. I use a smallish chicken, 4-5lbs, not one of those giant roasters.

Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roast Chicken.

Taco bowls sound yummy.

>95 lauralkeet: - Thanks for that link, Laura! It doesn't look terribly difficult. I've always been intimidated by cooking whole/large proteins :) Maybe now that I'm more comfortable cooking, I should give it a whirl.

I love taco bowls - so easy and versatile. I'm going to crisp up some tortillas to go with them for added crunch.

I realized today is a holiday here, so I won't be going to TJ's because it will probably be as over-run as on a weekend.

___________

Also, Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in Canada!



Hope you wore your stretchy pants for dinner!

>96 katiekrug: I get that, Katie. Keep in mind that the larger the chicken, the longer the cooking time. You can also check for donenessby measuring internal temperature. That will take the guesswork out of it.

>97 katiekrug: Definitely wrote stretchy yoga pants for dinner yesterday!

Have a good time at home avoiding holiday crowds!

>98 lauralkeet: - Oh, yes, I am religious about employing my digital thermometer to check internal temps of everything :)

>99 MickyFine: - Glad you had a good, unconstricted dinner, Micky!

A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

This is the second entry in the Spindle Cove series, and I really enjoyed it. I think Tessa Dare is my favorite historical romance author. This one combines her signature humor, clever banter, interesting characters, and nuanced relationships. I loved both Minerva and Colin, and enjoyed their adventures along the road to Edinburgh. The book also nicely sets up the next in the series, which I expect I'll get to sooner rather than later.

4 stars

>97 katiekrug: That's priceless...I wear stretchy pants all day, every day anyway, but I am old and indifferent to the vanity of dressing up.

Have a lovely week-ahead's reads, Katie!

>101 katiekrug: Tessa Dare is my favourite historical romance author too! I'm glad you had a good time with this one.

>102 richardderus: - Thanks, RD! Hope your week is off to a good, if chilly, start!

>103 MickyFine: - I am getting worried that I'm running out of books by her to read... I think I have 4 left? Eagerly awaiting the release of the next in the Girl Meets Duke series!

I have the last third of a roasted chicken left and plan to use Rhonda's recipe for enchilada casserole to finish it off with tonight. I usually buy a pre-roasted one from a favorite local store (did this time) which makes three easy meals:)

Ooh, I'll look forward to your thoughts on both The Wake-Up Call and Yellowface. I have the first on hold and the second I snagged at a little free library a few weeks ago.

I need to try some Tessa Dare one of these days. Do you have a recommended starting point?

>105 RebaRelishesReading: - I'm a fan of rotisserie chickens from the market, Reba. Probably part of the reason I've never bothered trying to roast one myself!

>106 curioussquared: - I love her Girl Meets Duke series, the first of which is The Duchess Deal (though I read the second The Governess Game first - it was my first-ever Dare...).

>107 katiekrug: Thank you :D

>106 curioussquared: My personal fave is Any Duchess Will Do. It's technically the last book in the Spindle Cove series but like a lot of romances you don't have to read them in order.

>109 MickyFine: - I also loved that one!

>109 MickyFine: I will put that one on the list too!

weekend away, so just skimming through. No idea what day it is, as also got the week off.
I once gave a dinner party and more than one guest was loosening their belt. Zenia was looking particularly smug, when asked she said she'd got 5 months baby in that dress, she was sure dinner would be fine! Stretchy pants a must.

Weather bizarrely warm here, went for a long walk on Saturday & caught the sun - in October. Very unusual.

I'm joining the ranks of those who roast a chicken & then use the leftovers for another few meals. I do a chicken & bacon risotto that works quite well with the leftovers and doesn't need particularly neat pieces, so you can just strip the carcass.
And make stock, obvs.

>112 Helenliz: - Welcome back, Helen!

I remember one Thanksgiving where I wore jeans and that was just a giant mistake :)

We are now having typical autumn weather here. By "caught the sun" do you mean you got a bit of sunburn?

Yes, I do all that with a whole chicken, too - I just buy it already roasted from the store.

Good morning! Yesterday was a good day - no particular reason, I was just in a good mood and nothing annoying happened :) Here's hoping for more of the same today! I have some errands to run, and I'd like to get the leaves off the back deck. Nuala likes to lie out there in the sun, and now she's bringing dead leaves back inside with her :-P

Trivia tonight!

Books:
Totally enjoying Yellowface on audio. I don't think it's a book for everyone, but if you've followed some of the controversies over the past several years about authors, appropriation, etc. and if you follow some of BookTwitter, it's all very on the nose.

Trucking along in The Wake-Up Call, which has gotten better but will likely not be a favorite.

Viewing:
This week's University Challenge (total blowout!) and an episode of Happy Valley. I might break my own rule to watch another HV episode today because the one last night left me breathless!

Happy Tuesday!

Glad you had a good Monday. I was smart this year and wore fancy looking stretch pants where you can't tell that they are stretch pants. Makes the evening much more comfortable!

Hope you are able to get all your errands done with little fuss/aggravation.

Hi Anita! I have some nice stretchy pants, too. No need to show up to the Thanksgiving table in sweats :)

Thanks for the good wishes for today. It's always dicey to leave the house when one is in a good mood - encountering people can quicly change things, LOL.

Caught the sun is just that first touch of sunburn, a bit pink-ish. Not something you expect to do in October over here.

Glad Monday was a good'un.

>112 Helenliz: Hubby loves risotto and I never make it also we often have left-over rotisserie chicken -- so...would you share that recipe Helen? or you, Katie?

>113 katiekrug:, >114 katiekrug: Hope your string of good-days continued to today, Katie. I was in a good mood this morning...until I called Comcast! Boy do I wish we had an alternative!

Hope trivia goes well tonight! We are having an unintended team hiatus just due to team members traveling, covid exposures, etc, but I'm sure we'll get back to it in a week or two.

>113 katiekrug: I like store-bought rotisserie chicken too, but availability at our supermarket is a bit hit or miss. Fortunately there's a good barbecue place nearby that does a half chicken with a spice rub (not the usual bbq sauce), which did quite nicely the last time the supermarket let me down.

>114 katiekrug: Re: University Challenge, seems like there have been more one-sided matches this season than I remember from last year. The next round should be interesting.

>118 RebaRelishesReading: it's nothing sophisticated. I've long since discarded the recipe & now sort of make it up as I go along. If I remember where the start point was, I'll post that too.
Fry bacon, onions & mushrooms (or whatever else you fancy) until soft.
(If using fresh chicken, add at this point & brown too.)
Add risotto rice
stir on high heat for 30 seconds/1 minute
(I usually throw in carrots at this point too)
Add chicken stock in cupfuls, stirring until liquid is absorbed, then add more until rice is soft & has fluffed up & gone all creamy. Plus seasoning to suit. It works a bit better if the stock is hot (or at least warm) rather than going into the pan cold (takes 20 to 30 minutes).
Add cooked chicken (and I add peas here for additional colour & increasing the vegetable content! Can add green leafy herbs instead)
Stir until heated through
Add milk/cream to make it look at white & creamy (can omit this step, it just looks a bit more brown). Stir until heated through.
Serve. With the veggiesg in it I don't serve it with anything, but you could always omit the vegies from the pot & serve with veggies, more veggies or different veggies!
The longest bit is adding the liquid to the rice and it's one of those things that shouldn't be left for more than a minute or two, it'll stick without hesitation, given half a chance.

Hey, Katie. I hope you had another good day. Good luck at Trivia!

In other news, 100 jigsaw puzzles arrived yesterday. 3 large boxes, one smaller. I can no longer see my dining table. Fortunately we've been taking orders and have sold 3/4s of them already. Another order placed!

>117 Helenliz: - Ah, I see. I've caught the sun many a time then! But yes, not usually in October...

>118 RebaRelishesReading: - Yesterday was another good day, Reba. Sorry about Comcast. I think they are in our area, too, but so is Verizon, so we have Fios for our internet, and we don't do cable. I hope you got things sorted!

>119 curioussquared: - Trivia was pretty good - could have been better, though (full report below). The advantage of a two-person team with one's spouse is you're never at the mercy of other people's schedules :)

>120 lauralkeet: - Good that there's another option other than the grocery store for when you want to just pick up chicken!

I said something similar to The Wayne on Monday night about the number of blow-outs this season.

>121 Helenliz: - I need to try making a risotto. We have 5 boxes of arborio rice, purchased during lockdown when we had trouble getting groceries and would just buy whatever was available :-P

>122 msf59: - Thanks, Mark! It was a good day.

>123 Helenliz: - Nice job! 3/4 sold is good. Are the 500 or 1000 piece ones more popular (I think you said you had both)?

Morning, friends! As mentioned above, yesterday was another good day, with no crankiness in sight :) We finished 4th out of 15 teams in trivia and would have been higher (though could not have won because the winning team only missed 2 questions all night) if *someone* had trusted me that checkers was older than chess. Ahem. But we did have two perfect rounds (sports and general education) which is always a nice feeling.

Today, Nuala is going to day care, and then I'm going to the UPS Store to drop off my old phone to be returned and from there to the grocery store to pick up what I need for the rest of the week (I menu plan and shop twice a week because doing a full week at one time just doesn't work for us). In the afternoon, I'm meeting our sweet elderly neighbor and going to the new dessert place nearby for a coffee and sweet treat. I think the weather should be nice, so we can walk there.

Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner because I've had a craving...

Books:
I'll finish up The Wake-Up Call and Yellowface today. Not sure what's next in print, but I've had two audio holds come through on Libby, so next up will be The Lost Library (recommended recently by Amber) and then I'm embarking on a re-visit of the Sean Duffy series on audio.

Viewing:
Nothing.

>125 katiekrug: Sounds like a lovely day all around, Katie. I'm interested in reading Yellowface at some point, as well as Babel by the same author, so I'll be interested in your thoughts.

>125 katiekrug: Congrats on your slightly-marred victory! I mean, even *I* knew that checkers came first.

Meatballs get my vote all day every day. Perfect little one-serving meatloafs. Do you bake yours before saucing them?

Spend a lovely day. *smooch*

>124 katiekrug:, we ordered both 500 & 1000 pieces, just 50 of each for starters. Not being sure how they'd go. You can see both in the picture, they have the same picture but opposite colour ways, which I thought a really good idea by the printers.
So far have sold 26 of the 500 and 55 of the 1000. Hence we've placed a second order for 50 more of the 1000 pieces.
I was expecting 1000 to be more popular, but understood the treasurer wanting to limit our financial exposure initially.

I admit that when I plan for the week I do tend to resort to "freezer" for Thursday or Friday! So I certainly get the twice weekly planning thing.

I think risotto looks more intimidating from the recipe than it is in practice. Just keep stirring it & adding liquid a bit at a time.

>126 bell7: - Hi Mary! Yellowface is just so good. Her other books aren't really in my wheelhouse, but maybe I should give them a second look.

>127 richardderus: - I tried to convince him that checkers was so simple, of course it came first. Like simple machines. But he was vacillating, and since he takes trivia way more seriously than I do, I just told him to go with his gut since he'd be less upset if that was wrong then if his answer was right but he didn't put it down.

I am being lazy and buying the meatballs already made. I'll heat them up in a little oil on the stove to try to get that little bit of rust I like...

>128 Helenliz: - I mostly do 1000 piece puzzles, but sometimes a 500 is nice to knock one out quickly (and give my eyes a bit of a rest...).

I really want to try my hand at risotto, so your mention of it was a good reminder.

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary

This was a slow starter for me, with the first 75 pages or so just not very interesting and the characters flat. I'm glad I stuck with it, as it definitely picked up the pace and told a nice story about two very different people who fall in love. There are some good secondary characters, and while the story line about returning lost wedding rings to people was silly (I'm sorry, but if I lost my wedding ring, the first place I'd call was a hotel I stayed at recently...), the novel as a whole hangs together well. I was not 100% convinced that Lucas and Izzy made sense as a couple, but that may just be me.

3.5 stars

* I was left rolling my eyes at Izzy's impression of Lucas' flat as "characterful and homely." Just.... no.

>125 katiekrug: Congratulations on your Trivia results (lol re checkers vs chess). Hope you enjoy your visit with your neighbor.

>130 katiekrug: Glad you liked this one overall!

Congrats on the trivia result.

I've never made risotto the traditional way but I've tried a few instant pot recipes that have all turned out delicious.

what ^^^ >132 curioussquared: said about the IP risotto, takes all the faffing about with add a little liquid stirstirstir add more liquid stirstirstir and it comes out great!

>131 RebaRelishesReading: - Thanks, Reba! Dorothy and I had a lovely time.

>132 curioussquared: - I am beginning to think I'd like these light rom-coms more on audio. I tend to get impatient with (e-)print...

I have a couple of IP "risotto" recipes saved. Must pull one out and give it a try!

>133 richardderus: - Good to hear you've had similar positive results, RD.

Hi Katie, just cruising through and catching up. We have our flu shots booked for next week and I am hoping that neither of us gets ill from them. I usually just get a sore arm for a day or so.

>135 DeltaQueen50: - Hi Judy! I hope your flu shot is symptom free!

Happy Thursday, friends. Today is my first day of jury duty, but I received notice yesterday evening that I don't have to report today. I am "on call" and may have to report tomorrow. The initial "reporting in" is all online, so at least I don't have to get myself to the courthouse in Newark even if I do have to report.

My agenda is very light today, since the jury duty thing was up in the air. Not sure what I'll get up to today.

Yesterday's visit with Dorothy, our neightbor, was lovely. We sat outside and chatted over coffee and pastries for 2 hours.

Books:
I had started The Other, but put it aside, as it wasn't engaging me at all. I downloaded Cabin Fever from the library and will give that a try instead. On audio, I'm not very far into The Lost Library but it's good so far.

Viewing:
Last 2 episodes of season 1 of 'Happy Valley.' What a great show. I'll be moving right into season 2.

Oh jury duty ... I didn't realize you had that sword hovering over you. Both of us received jury questionnaires recently which means we are in the "randomly selected" pool of prospective jurors for the coming year. Well, it's kind of nice to have an unplanned day -- hope you enjoy it!

>138 lauralkeet: - I last had jury duty in 2020, I think. The Wayne had it more recently, and he never had to leave the house, so I'm hoping for the same :) Though, TBH, I wouldn't mind serving on a jury. Civic duty and all....

>83 katiekrug: I am the same way with YA books - too much angst gets me every time and I will stop reading. The Henry book sounds good though. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Katie!

>84 katiekrug: This one has been in the BlackHole forever and I really need to get it read!

>123 Helenliz: Holy cow, that is a lot of puzzles!!

>130 katiekrug: I read The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Maybe you would like that one more, if you have not already read it, that is.

>137 katiekrug: Hope your jury duty goes like mine did recently -- check computer every evening-- never have to report. I did serve on a jury once (years ago) and would certainly be willing to do so again if selected but all by all I prefer to have unplanned days at home :)

>140 alcottacre: - Hi Stasia - I hope you like Let's Call It a Doomsday and American Salvage when (if) you get to them.

I have read The Flatshare and really enjoyed it. I know she has 2 or 3 others but none of them have called to me yet.

>141 RebaRelishesReading: - Welp, I just got an email telling me to Zoom in at 8:45 tomorrow morning. Oh well.

>142 katiekrug: I dare you to sign in for your jury duty Zoom call the same way some of our students sign in for Zoom appointments with their study abroad advisor: In bed, with the covers pulled up to your armpits, apparently naked underneath. Optional: Having your boyfriend/girlfriend (who is not studying abroad) in bed next to you.

>134 katiekrug: I read a lot of romcoms on audio, but tend to read O'Leary's in print/digital because I really like her stuff (for the most part). If you do decide to read more O'Leary, I recommend The Switch or The No-Show. Avoid The Road Trip at all costs.

>142 katiekrug: So how does this Zoom jury duty thing work? Are you actually empaneled as a jury or is this an administrative step that might lead to you having to come in for a trial?

>143 rosalita: Yes. THIS.

>143 rosalita: - Ha! If only.... (And seriously, this has happened?!?!)

There are very explicit instructions about wearing appropriate clothing, having no weird backgrounds, etc.

Killjoys.

>144 curioussquared: - LT tells me I have The Switch on my Kindle, so that would probably be my next O'Leary. Noted about TRT!

>145 lauralkeet: - It seems to be the first step in voir dire. I was provided a questionnaire attached to the email referncing a specific trial. I *think* they'll do the initial, very broad questioning of the pool over Zoom, and those they don't quickly dismiss will be required to go to the courthouse for more in-depth questioning - next week, I guess.

The information provided says the trial is expected to take about 3 days, but I don't know if that counts jury selection...

Thanks Katie. Using Zoom as a screening mechanism makes a lot of sense to me. When I served in Philly, I sat in a room and then I sat in another room and then I went back to the first room and then I was dismissed. Lunch happened somewhere in there. My group never got to the point of asking questions to determine who should serve.

>147 lauralkeet: - I've only ever been called once here, and their jury set-up (the space, logistics. resources) was actually pretty nice. Lots of places to work, read, spread out, etc. I was pleasantly surprised. That go-round, I was called to a courtroom for questioning but dismissed on account of the expected timing of the trial and the fact that I had an overseas work trip booked that conflicted... That was the trip I had to abandon early, March 2020, due to COVID. They started doing the Zoom thing during lockdown and have just carried on with it because I guess it works.

Good luck with the zoom video jury selection.

I'm fascinated with how different jury selection is on your side of the border. They still have in-person jury pools here (I have a friend who works in the justice system). Looking forward to hearing how tomorrow goes.

Fascinating to hear re the zoom jury process. A colleague is a magistrate as well as her "real job" and deals with cases of, I think, mostly minor offences online. It does seem a much more sensible use of everyone's resources.
(Yikes re the young people though!)

I was only called for jury duty once, a million years ago in Denver. I was prepared for a long haul of waiting around, as that's what I'd heard everyone say they experienced, but my group was called into a courtroom pretty quickly. I got through the first bit of questioning (sitting in the jury box was exciting!), but the defense used a peremptory strike on me.

>149 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

>150 MickyFine: - I think it varies here, Micky, by state. Maybe even more granular than that, depending on how state courts are set up. I get called for service in my county.

>151 charl08: - I agree that, at least for the initial screening, it makes more sense to do it remotely than to have everyone troop down to the courthouse.

>152 ursula: - I was called for criminal court jury duty twice when I lived in Dallas, once for city duty in Dallas, and now this is the second time I've been called here. I am just that lucky ;-)

Morning, folks! I got up on the early side to try to be fully awake for jury duty. And also because The Wayne let Nuala sleep in the bed and she was crowding me. When I got up, I saw it was because Leonard had decided to also sleep in the bed and Nuala was keeping her distance, LOL.

No plans for today, obviously. The Wayne is having a procedure done on his eye this afternoon (an iridotomy I think it's called?), and I would like to have gone with him, but oh well. It's only about a mile or so away, so if he can't drive home (there is no indication in the information they gave him that he *can't* but his vision in that eye might be blurry), he can walk. He's a trooper. Eye stuff freaks me out, and they are basically shooting a laser into his eye ball to create a hole in his iris because he has narrowed canals or something and his eyes can't drain properly, but he's totally nonchalant about it.

So anyway, that's the exciting day here at Casa Krug...

Books:
I'm sailing through (see what I did there?) Cabin Fever, which is about a cruise ship in crisis in the early days of the pandemic. I finished The Lost Library on audio yesterday, and if I have any audio time today, I plan to start The Cold, Cold Ground. I've read the first 5 Sean Duffys, but decided to re-visit them (this time on audio) before finally getting to #6 and the recently released #7. Thanks to Julia for the inspiration!

Viewing:
Nada.

>146 katiekrug: And seriously, this has happened?!?!

I know multiple advisors have met with students still in bed although I think only one of them appeared to be unclothed as far as I know. It's a natural extension of the pre-pandemic fad of students going to class, etc., in pajama pants. The last two times I hired student workers, I had to specify that they were *not* allowed to wear pajamas to work. Never thought that would be something I'd have to bring up in job interviews.

>154 katiekrug: Yay for revisiting Sean Duffy!

Hi Katie! Happy Friday to you.

>101 katiekrug: I loved the Spindle Cove series while I was still reading MF romances last year. In fact, I read the Castles Ever After and Girl Meets Duke series, too.

>124 katiekrug: Risotto in the InstantPot comes out beautifully and saves standing over the stove for 45 minutes stirring in stock. I still have a pound of arborio rice purchased during lock down. I haven’t tried to figure out a low-sodium version of risotto yet.

>125 katiekrug: Glad to hear that cranky Katie is a no-show this week…

>137 katiekrug: Dorothy and pastries and coffee sounds wonderful.

>139 katiekrug: I had jury duty in 1995, a murder case with the death penalty on the table. We found him guilty but didn’t assign the death penalty. I had just started a new job, was gone 13 days, and my 3-month review started with “If you weren’t so good, we’d be having a different conversation.” That was my last job before retiring – 1995 to 2016.

>154 katiekrug: I hope the procedure goes well for TW today. Fingers crossed.

I have still never been called for jury duty. (Every time I mention it I feel like I'm reminding the universe I exist and I'll get called next week, lol).

I hope The Wayne's procedure goes well! I need to go back to the eye doctor... I haven't been in several years. I stopped going regularly when I stopped wearing contacts very often and needing a new prescription to get them. My eye doctor is a family friend, though, so I did see him at my wedding two years ago 😂

Using Zoom as a first step in voir dire seems very sensible. I went through a couple of session of report/sit/wait/never get called/come back tomorrow early on and hated it. Both San Diego and SW Washington are now on the call-to-see-what-tomorrow-brings system is so much better. I never got past that stage when I "had jury duty" earlier this month but I wonder if we also have the Zoom step. Hope so.

I'm currently listening to Oksana, BEHAVE thanks you (and thank you very much indeed) and now I think you've hit me with a second bullet with Cabin Fever. I'm wondering whether I should look for that one on Audible or go for the paper version.

Hope TW's eye procedure goes well.

I just looked up Cabin Fever to decide if I wanted a paper copy or audio. I was imagining something lighter but I'm now especially interested because I see it's about the Zaandam, a ship I have sailed on at least three times for a total of 72 days. Actually it's my favorite of Holland America Lines remaining "small" ships. I have some mixed feelings now but I think I'll still go for it...in paper copy. Can't wait to see what you think of it.

And.....it's only available in hard cover, digital or audible for now. I think I'll just put it on the wish list and see later. We're going on a cruise in April...may be an interesting choice for the trip (don't really think so actually).

>155 rosalita: - Unbelievable!

>156 rosalita: - I'm excited :)

>157 karenmarie: - I remember you went on a bit of a Tessa Dare kick, Karen. She's so good.

Thanks for the further endorsement of risotto int he IP. Maybe I'll try it this weekend.

Still no Cranky Katie :)

Dorothy is so lovely and easy to talk to, despite our not having much in common.

This is a criminal trial but I can't say anything else about it right now. New Jersey abolished the death penalty, thank goodness. I'd probably never serve on a capital case given my very strong feelings about state-sanctioned murder.

The Wayne is back and all seems well.

>158 curioussquared: - You are definitely tempting fate!

Please go get your eyes checked. It's so important.

>159 RebaRelishesReading: - It went relatively smoothly this morning (the Zoom stuff), other than people being dumb and annoying. Heh.

>159 RebaRelishesReading: / >160 RebaRelishesReading: - I'm glad you're enjoying Oksana. She's a memorable character, for sure. I think Cabin Fever would work fine on audio, but as a cruise-lover, you might not like it. It's definitely reinforcing my complete lack of interest in boarding a floating germ pool ;-)

I'm finished with my jury duty responsibility... for today. I have to go in person on Tuesday morning to participate in the more targeted voir dire process. I don't mind - at least I know for sure I have to go and can plan accordingly.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

This won't be for everyone, but I loved this caustic and biting look at writing, publishing, issues of identity, culture, and appropriation. It was often uncomfortable, but always thought-provoking.

Looking at some of the LT reviews, some people didn't seem to "get" it. And if you don't like unlikeable characters or satire, this one won't work for you.

4.5 stars

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

This was a cute juvenile book about a Little Free Library, a big orange cat, a curious boy, some ghosts, and a mysterious fire. I enjoyed the listen very much but didn't find anything very special or original about it.

3.5 stars

Good morning, folks. After a stretch of gorgeous weather, we are back to grey and damp. We have nothing on the agenda, so we'll just see how the day plays out. Nothing much happened yesterday afternoon/evening. We ordered Chinese for dinner and watched GBBO/S.

Books:
I should finish up Cabin Fever today. Next up will be The Making of a Marchioness, which I have in a lovely Persephone edition. On audio, I started The Cold, Cold Ground.

Viewing:
This week's episode of GBBO/S, during which they made Devonshire splits (which I had never heard of) but which are basically the dessert I got at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with. And now I want one...

I was sad about who went home, as I thought it should have been Rowan; Abbi at least does interesting things...

Enjoy your day full of nothing!

>162 katiekrug: I have mixed feelings about reading it Katie. I think I'll just wait until it's out in paperback and decide then. No reading yesterday and likely not much today :(

>164 katiekrug: That sounds like a book for me!

>167 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! I did :)

>168 RebaRelishesReading: - Hope you get some more reading time soon, Reba.

>169 EBT1002: - I think you'd like it, Ellen.

Not much to report from yesterday, as it was very quiet as expected. The weather today is much better, and we'll be headed out to watch the Dolphins game around lunchtime. Our favorite football bar has a nice semi-outside area, covered, with heaters if necessary. We like it there because they put a card by every TV indicating which game it will be showing, so we can be sure to get a good seat for the game we want. Before that fun, I need to go to the grocery store. My plan is to make baked ziti with sausage for dinner, but it might depend on if I feel like it when we get home, probably around 4:00-4:30. The Giants play tonight in primetime. Against Buffalo. With their second-string quarterback. I predict a total shit show.

Books:
I finished Cabin Fever yesterday, and then started a random book I picked up at the library - The Door-to-Door Bookstore. It's good so far, though I'm not very far along in it. On audio, I'm still enjoying my revisit with Sean Duffy.

Viewing:
Three (four?) episodes of season 1 of 'Welcome to Wrexham.'

Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic by Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin

Holland America's Zandaam cruise ship departed Buenos Aires in early March 2020 for a trip scheduled to encompass the Falkland Islands, the west coast of South America, a passage through the Panama Canal, and on into the Caribbean, ending at Port Everglades, Florida. The fact that several cruise ships had already seen COVID-19 outbreaks seemed to give the company and most passengers and crew little pause. That is mind-boggling to me, until I remember that I boarded a flight to Buenos Aires around the same time for a business trip, to be followed by vacation. This book reminded me of the uncertainty of those early days of the pandemic, when we were hearing competing claims, confused advice, and little reliable information.

So the ship embarks and, unsurprisingly, people begin to fall ill. And as countries begin closing borders, airports, and seaports, the ship is forced to keep sailing, even as the outbreak races through the decks. The start of this book was very good, but it quickly became repetitive. The authors focus on a handful of crew and passengers, and some of the stories are more interesting than others. My favorite was probably that of Wiwit, a laundry supervisor from Indonesia, who tries to work through his "mystery" illness. The actions of Holland America and it's parent corporation, Carnival, are infuriating on many levels. When the ship goes into lockdown, for instance, with much of the crew confined to their cabins, the company continued to deny them internet access free of charge, thus further isolating them, even as many grew sick.

I've never been on a cruise, and have never much wanted to, and this book certainly did nothing to change my opinion.

3.5 stars

>172 katiekrug: "I've never been on a cruise, and have never much wanted to, and this book certainly did nothing to change my opinion." Same same same.

Enjoy your football and baked ziti if you decide to make it!

>173 curioussquared: Same same same without even reading the book!

>173 curioussquared: / >174 EBT1002: - I am somewhat tempted by the very small river cruise ships and similar. My aunt and uncle loved sailing on ships that had about 100 passengers - they did the eastern Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea that way, and I feel like that would be okay. But a big no to the giant ships for me...

>173 curioussquared: - Yeah, I bailed on the baked ziti because we were out most of the afternoon, drinking and snacking :)

>175 katiekrug: I agree definitely NO big ships please. We are going on a cruise along the Spanish/French/Italian/Croatian coast in April on a British ship with 750 passengers. Only downside imo is almost no sea days and I do love being at sea on a smallish ship with quiet spaces. Problem with the big(er)ships is that they've become amusement parks and the passengers are largely there to P-A-R-T-Y...not at all what I want.

The Giants play tonight in primetime. Against Buffalo. With their second-string quarterback. I predict a total shit show.

***sigh*** Yeah, at first I asked my parents what their plans for the game and they were like... we don't get it at home, we may go down to the bar down the street? And my reply was, well, it's going to be a terrible game so I'd just as soon watch it (streaming on my laptop) at home and go to bed at halftime.

We did one cruise and I can see the upsides, but there were a few too many downsides. One being the complete absence of a proper cup of tea for 10 days. Never go on an American cruise line would seen to the moral of that tale. I think it was on the large side and some of the downsides would not be there on a smaller ship.

Hope the jury duty goes as you would want it to. I got called once, in my 20s. I served in the jury on 3 cases in the week I was on. First day in, I'd gone in a suit and so very quickly got elected foreman, despite being the youngest person in the room by quite some margin. I found it very interesting and reassuring that it does seem to work.

>176 RebaRelishesReading: - I guess it's all relative, Reba, as the ship in the book seemed very large to me, though I understand it's considered a smaller one! I totally agree about the amusement park/party atmosphere. Not my thing at all.

>177 bell7: - I had planned to go to bed at halftime but I stayed up and.... GAH!

>178 Helenliz: - Noted re: the tea :)

I am going in to jury duty with the attitude that I'd be fine with serving if they want me, and totally okay if they don't!

Happy? Monday! I've got a pretty full day ahead - errands, finishing laundry, mowing, cooking (gingery chicken noodle soup)... Since I don't know what the rest of the week will look like due to jury duty, i'm trying to get things done today.

Yesterday, we went to a bar/restaurant to watch the Dolphins game (they won). We shared a couple of appetizers while there over the course of several hours. We weren't hungry for dinner, so I didn't do the ziti. Then we watched the Giants game (they lost, though it wasn't the expected blowout).

Books:
I did manage a little bit of reading/listening in The Door-to-Door Bookstore and The Cold, Cold Ground. I might be able to finish up the former today, but more likely tomorrow.

Viewing:
Just football.

re: cruises. We've taken two, one up the northeast coast, which was nice, the other along the Alaska coast, which was also nice. On the first trip, we had great dinner partners but not so great weather. On the second, we had dinner partners I would have cheerfully punched, but the scenery was breathtaking. Neither ship was particularly large, and the food was good. But you had to duck all the merch for sale.

I was also on a trip to the Galapagos which of course was on a ship, but in this case it was smaller, 95 people total, and discussions or lectures every night, and it was lovely.

>180 katiekrug: Sounds like a pleasant light-chores day on this glorious sunwashed fall morning. It's perfect out there! Per. Fect.

Old Stuff watched the Giants game and was mostly very quiet, so I thought their loss wasn't horrible. I watched Vir Das specials. I think I had a better time than he did. I hope your jury duty is interesting! *smooch*

>175 katiekrug: Yep, a river cruise is the scenario I would consider as well. Good luck getting through your to-do list today!

>181 ffortsa: - Are you stuck with the same dinner partners for the whole cruise? Yeah, no thanks.

The Galapagos ship sounds more speed, if I ever decide I need to try a cruise.

>182 richardderus: - It is lovely out today, isn't it? Just enough of a chill to keep me energized :)

The less said about the game the better...

>183 curioussquared: - I hear they skew older, but I'm an old soul so I don't think I would mind! WindStar is the small yacht/cruise company my aunt and uncle used and loved. There were only ever about 100 passengers, and the crew was more than that, so the service was impeccable apparently.

As of now, though, I still enjoy planning trips and logistics enough to do it myself.

>184 katiekrug: I used CroisiEurope for my Danube cruise a few years ago and I highly recommend them. They're a French company so most of the passengers are French and I find people much less annoying when I can only understand half of what they're saying :-) My dad and I were the only Americans on the boat. I ended up on the same flight home as a bunch of people who had just gotten off of a Viking cruise and they were so grating - definitely glad I wasn't on their cruise.

>179 katiekrug: The Zaandam carries about 1200-1300 passengers which is about the upper limit of what I like. Our South Pacific cruise last winter was on a ship with 2500 passengers which is considered "mid" size these days. Princess is about to launch one that carries something like 7000 -- that is too ludicrous for words imo. I'm looking forward to an English ship (I have learned this English line's ships don't have casinos) with only 750 passengers. Less tendering required, quieter, etc. Just wish there were more sea days :) (I prefer my tea less strong than the English make is so may not be thrilled there lol)

>184 katiekrug: More and more ships have gone to "as you like it" dining which operate like a restaurant -- make a reservation if you want or just show up. You can ask for a table for just your group or go with others but unless you specifically arrange to repeat partners you don't have to.

I will say that we didn't think we ever wanted to cruise and then, many years ago now, we decided that the one exception was that we thought the Norwegian fjords were best seen from the water. So we booked a cruise on a 750 passenger ship and before the cruise ended we had already booked another one -- we just loved it. Over the years we accumulated well over 500 days on Holland America Line but now that they've gotten rid of their fleet of smaller ships (except for Zaandam and her twin) and have started looking to the party crowd for their customers I will never sail with them again!

Okay, I'll join the cruise discussion.

We did an Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary II nearly 20 years ago. It was unforgettable (in a good way), but I would not want to repeat the large ship experience. We've taken three Caribbean cruises with Windstar, whose ships are in the 300-passenger range. This is much more to our liking. Nightlife is low-key. Windstar does not offer the Vegas-style gambling or shows. On our cruises there's typically been a duo providing music in the bar every evening. There's usually at least one evening BBQ on deck with music and dancing, and other evenings there might be trivia or similar. Dinner seating is flexible. In our experience they encouraged people to mix and mingle initially by seating people in random groups as they arrived. Then when social groups form (as they invariably do), they would seat groups together. But you could also request a table for 2 if that was your preference.

>179 katiekrug: indeed

I'll come back to respond to everyone's comments later today.

For now, happy Tuesday and happy jury duty day to me! I'll be leaving in 20 minutes or so...

Yesterday was good - I got All the Things done :)

Books:
I'm almost done with The Door-to-Door Bookstore. Still enjoying the first Sean Duffy on audio.

Viewing:
An episode of 'Welcome to Wrexham' and this week's University Challenge.

Haven't had anything worth sharing in a while...

Wordle 850 2/6

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>190 katiekrug: Wow! Nice wordling, Katie. I got it in 3 and thought that was a miracle. But 2 ... wow.

I stopped by to comment on University Challenge for no particular reason except it was pretty boring compared to other recent matches. I suspect the winning team will get steamrolled in the next round.

I hope jury duty goes well. Looking forward to hearing more about it.

>190 katiekrug: Impressive!

>190 katiekrug: Worth boasting about guiltlessly. I hope your jury duty day is very interesting. I do wish for you to be out early enough to be able to enjoy the gorgeousness a bit.

>190 katiekrug: Wow!! Very good --

Hope you have an interesting and pleasant day at jury duty

>185 norabelle414: - I'll keep that in mind, Nora, if I ever decide to try a cruise!

>186 RebaRelishesReading: - It's good to know what works for you, Reba. I hope you enjoy the next one.

>187 lauralkeet: - I remember you'd done a couple of WindStar cruises, Laura. Low-key is definitely my speed.

>188 bell7: - So frustrating...

>191 lauralkeet: - I see from various threads that I was not alone in my 2. So much for feeling special ;-)

UC was kind of boring and I expect you're right about how York will do in the next round...

>192 rosalita: - Thanks, Julia!

>193 richardderus: / >194 RebaRelishesReading: - See below for the jury duty report...

So I spent all day at the courthouse, in a courtroom, waiting and waiting and waiting.... Broken up by some breaks, including one for lunch. And.... nothing. I have to go back tomorrow.

I forgot how exhausting it can be to get up and have to *be* somewhere in the morning. And traffic both ways was a nightmare. So that'll be fun again tomorrow... /sarcasm

I'm currently drinking a large glass of wine and getting psyched for trivia, where I fear I will be the Pinky to The Wayne's Brain tonight.

I did finish a book, though! The Door-to-Door Bookstore was a quick, charming read, perfect for any book lover :)

Morning, all. I was up at o'dark thirty and am currently guzzling coffee before I have to leave. We came in 2nd of 16 teams at trivia last night, and I actually acquitted myself well, so I guess I wasn't as brain dead as I thought :) Very much hoping today's court shenanigans won't last as long as yesterday's, as I need to tidy up the house before Maribel comes tomorrow.

Books:
I started How Can I Help You yesterday, and it sucked me in immediately. I'm hoping for some audio time today. Normally, I listen while I drive, but since I'm not familiar with Newark, I prefer to not have any distractions.

Viewing:
Nada

>198 katiekrug: Congrats on your trivia performance! I hope today's a bit less The Trial as filmed by the Marx Brothers than yesterday.

*smooch*

>199 richardderus: - Thanks, RD!

Back home now, but I "qualified" for the jury, so I have to go back, probably next week sometime. I'm not definitely on it, just advanced to the next round, I guess? I'm unclear, but my schedule is flexible so it's all good :)

>198 katiekrug: Good job with trivia! It's nice to surprise even yourself, isn't it? :)

Sorry the jury experience is so long and drawn out!! You deserve a short but interesting trial after all of this, don't you think?

>202 RebaRelishesReading: - They estimated the trial would last no more than 3 days. The jury selection seems to be taking longer than that! I'm interested in what the next step looks like, but I'm glad to have the rest of this week off...

Jury duty is so much easier to deal with when you're not working, isn't it? I was called once during my working years but didn't have to report, which was a pleasant surprise and a bit of a relief. The only time I've had to go in was after I retired and I really didn't care if it took just the one day or led to something more.

This sounds very long & complicated. Is this standard practice in the US for Jury duty?

Excellent trivia performance! Sorry jury duty is dragging on and on.

>175 katiekrug: One of the hikers on our Ireland trip went on to more eastern parts of Europe for a river cruise. She seems to have enjoyed it but raised the issue of too little time on the ground in each city or location. She just said to really check out how much time one will have in, say, Mannheim or Koblenz.

Excellent job on yesterday's Wordle and the trivia night. Sorry about the jury duty waiting game. I have served on two juries and found the experience quite interesting once I got to that part of the process.

>204 lauralkeet: - Yes, I would be frustrated if I had to be working and trying to coordinate unknown days off.

>205 Helenliz: - I don't think there is any standard way, to be honest. It varies by state and may even vary by region/municipality. Mine is county criminal court. Looking on the bright side, I guess it's a good thing they take such care to seat juries, trying to ensure a fair and impartial panel.

>206 curioussquared: - Thanks, Natalie! The jury duty would be so much worse if I had to work, so I really can't complain (much)...

>207 EBT1002: - Honestly, even a river cruise doesn't hold much appeal. I like to travel at my own pace and somewhere like Europe is eminently doable with trains and flights.

I hope I get to serve. Listening to some of the people in the pool made me think I'd make a much better juror than they would!

>208 katiekrug: I feel exactly the same way about travel.

And I hope you get to serve, too! If you do, I predict you'll get named the jury foreperson!

Have you seen the Netflix show "Jury Duty"? A little cringey but very funny.

>209 EBT1002: - No! I do NOT want to be the foreperson!

>210 vivians: - I haven't but it's on my list :)

Happy mid week, Katie.

>198 katiekrug: Nicely done coming in second place at trivia!

Europe is great to see at your own pace. I find that river cruises are very limited and you end up sightseeing the most stereotypical touristy places. I also prefer to travel at my own pace and find that gives me a much more authentic experience. Of course, I also visit overrun/popular sites if they appeal to me. Some of my best memories always happen unexpectedly and are are usually far from grand buildings/historical sites.