VioletBramble's 2015 Category Challenge

Converses2015 Category Challenge

Afegeix-te a LibraryThing per participar.

VioletBramble's 2015 Category Challenge

1VioletBramble
Editat: gen. 3, 2015, 8:58 am



Hi! I'm Kelly. This will be my 5th year in the Category Challenge. My 2015 challenge will be based on the books that were my favorites when I was young. I appropriated this theme from ivyd's 2013 Childhood Favorites challenge. I've expanded the theme a little so that it includes books I read in my early teens. 2014 was a slow reading year for me. Challenge categories about war, disasters, epidemics and poisons didn't help much. I'm looking forward to lighter reading this year with lots of YA and children's lit. My challenge has 15 categories with no set number of books per category. I'll be participating in the RandomCAT, the SFFFCAT, the BingoDOG and CookingKIT.
As usual I've already selected ~100 books as my 2015 reading list. I'm a big planner and usually assign books to read in certain months, re-arranging only as needed for the RandomCAT. This year I want to be a little more spontaneous. I'm going to be using a "TBR Book Jar". I've written the titles of my planned reads on little slips of paper and placed them in a jar. I'll select a slip from the jar when it's time to start a new book.
Happy Reading!!



My TBR Book Jar

2VioletBramble
Editat: des. 28, 2015, 9:34 am

3VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 1, 2015, 10:28 pm



A Child's Garden of Verses - Robert Louis Stevenson
A book of poems Stevenson wrote for his children. I'll admit that I liked this book more for the beautiful illustrations than for the poetry. This category is for:
Poetry

1) The Apothecary's Heir - Julianne Buchsbaum
2) The Voice at 3 A.M. - Charles Simic
3) A Poem As Big as New York City: Little Kids Write About the Big Apple
4) Against Forgetting: twentieth-century poetry of witness - edited by Carolyn Forché
5) Citizen: An American Lyric - Claudia Rankine



possibilites:
Against Forgetting: twentieth-century poetry of witness
John Donne: The Major Works: Including Songs and Sonnets and Sermons
The Apothecary's Heir
The Voice at 3 A.M.

4VioletBramble
Editat: set. 21, 2015, 11:40 am



Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
A pig named Wilbur becomes friends with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen. When Wilbur fears that he will be slaughtered, Charlotte saves his life by spinning words into her webs. This category is for:
Books about words, spelling, and writing

1) Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson
2) Just My Type: A Book About Fonts - Simon Garfield
3) Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction - Jeff VanderMeer
4) I Before E - Judy Parkinson
5) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami



possibilities:
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words
I Before E
Just My Type
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Wonderbook

5VioletBramble
Editat: des. 16, 2015, 10:44 pm



Christmas in Noisy Village - Astrid Lindgren
I loved this book for it's illustrations of a Swedish Christmas. However: I'm not Christian and don't celebrate Christmas, so, this category is for:
Non-Christmas books set at Christmas time

1) 2 a.m. at the Cat's Pajamas - Marie-Helene Bertino
2) Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson
3) Smila's Sense of Snow -Peter Hoeg
4) The Thin Man - Dashiell Hammett
5) Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis



possibilities:
2 a.m. at the Cat's Pajamas
Less Than Zero
The Thin Man
Snow Falling on Cedars

6VioletBramble
Editat: set. 8, 2015, 7:57 am



Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Ingalls family moves from Wisconsin to Kansas.This book includes depictions of pioneer life and the struggle between the Osage Indians and the U.S. government. This category is for:
books about pioneers, Native American Indians, American westward expansion and books inspired by the Little House books

1) Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography - Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pamela Smith Hill
2) High, Wide and Lonesome: Growing Up On The Colorado Frontier - Hal Borland
3) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: The Illustrated Edition: An Indian History of the American West - Dee Brown
4) Pioneer Girl: A Novel - Bich Minh Nguyen
5) Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher- Timothy Egan



possibilities:
Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography
Pioneer Girl: A Novel
High, Wide and Lonesome
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Death Comes for the Archbishop
The Last of the Mohicans
My Antonia

7VioletBramble
Editat: des. 16, 2015, 10:45 pm

8VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 13, 2015, 9:48 pm



Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet M. Welsch spies on her friends, neighbors and classmates. She writes everything down in her notebook. This category is for:
books about spies, espionage

1) The Spy's Wife - Reginald Hill
2) The 39 Steps - John Buchan
3) The Smoke- Tony Broadbent
4) The Cambridge Theorem - Tony Cape



possibilities:
The 39 Steps
The Cambridge Theorem
The Spy's Wife
The Smoke

9VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 19, 2015, 9:17 pm



Trixie Belden and the Marshland Mystery - Kathryn Kenny
13 year old Trixie solves mysteries in the quiet little town of Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson with the help of her brothers and her friends. My favorite YA mystery series. This book is my favorite in the series because it's about botany. This category is for:
Mysteries

1) The Cruelest Month - Louise Penny
2) As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust - Alan Bradley
3) A Rule Against Murder - Louise Penny
4) The Fourth Wall - Barbara Paul
5) The Brutal Telling- Louise Penny
6) Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny



possibilites:
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
The Cruelest Month
A Rule Against Murder
The Brutal Telling
Bury Your Dead
Unorthodox Practices
The Fourth Wall

10VioletBramble
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 10:33 pm



From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler - E.L. Konigsburg
Claudia and Jamie Kincaid run away from home and hide out in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This category is for :
Books set in New York City

1) Humans of New York - Brandon Starton
2) A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York - Liana Finck
3) By The Waters of Manhattan - Charles Reznikoff
4) Summer Crossing - Truman Capote
5) Hello NY: An Illustrated Love Letter to the Five Boroughs- Julia Rothman
6) Specimen Days - Michael Cunningham
7) A Very New York Christmas - Michael Storrings
8) Tell The Wolves I'm Home



possibilities:
The Flatiron
By The Waters of Manhattan
Invisible
Murder on Astor Place
Call It Sleep
Specimen Days
The Golem and the Jinni
Summer Crossing
A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York

11VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 13, 2015, 9:52 pm



Tomboy - Hal Ellson
This book is set in post WWII upper Manhattan, near Harlem. The tomboy of the title is 15 year old Kerry Brangan. Kerry is the toughest girl in an Irish-American gang called The Harps. The girls in the gang are basically used for sex, either voluntarily or through gang rape. Kerry has so far avoided this, but she sees the writing on the wall. At the end of the book she has sex with her closest male friend in the gang. My parents never censored my reading, but, if they had known I was reading this at 12, some eyebrows would have been raised. This category is for:
Books about tomboys or with a main character who is a tomboy

1) Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir - Liz Prince
2) Tomboys: A Cultural and Literary History- Michelle Ann Abate
3) The Hidden Hand - EDEN Southworth
4) Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
5) Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee



possibilities:
Tomboys: A Literary and Cultural History
The Hidden Hand
Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir
Little Women
The Mockingbird Next Door

12VioletBramble
Editat: des. 7, 2015, 10:48 pm



To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
An American classic. A coming of age tale about two siblings, Scout and Jem Finch, in depression-era Alabama. Their lawyer father, Atticus, has been assigned to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Scout and Jem have to learn how to deal with the racism and small mindedness of their town. They also spend their time trying to get their reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, to come out of his house. This category is for:
Classics

1) Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition - Jane Austen. Edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks
2) Agnes Gray - Anne Bronte
3) The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
4) The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde



possibilities:
Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition
The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated and Uncensored Edition
Agnes Gray
The Grapes of Wrath

13VioletBramble
Editat: abr. 21, 2017, 11:31 am



Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack - M.E. Kerr
Dinky is an overweight teenager. Dinky's mother spends all her time working for charities for drug addicted youth. She doesn't pay any attention to Dinky or her problems. Dinky's mother is receiving a very important award for her charity work. On the night of the ceremony Dinky paints the title of this book all over the neighborhood to get her mother's attention. This category is for:
Young Adult Fiction

1) The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
2) Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowel
3) Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Andersom
4) The 5th Wave- Rick Yancey
5) Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia



possibilities:
More than This
The Fault in Our Stars
Eleanor and Park
Kira Kira
Wintergirls
Beautiful Creatures Quartet

bold underlined

14VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 4:45 pm



Is That You Miss Blue? - M.E. Kerr
Fourteen year old Flanders is sent to an all girls boarding school while her parents get divorced. The faculty advisor on her residence hall is Miss Blue. Miss Blue is very religious and somewhat eccentric. She spends her free time reading her Bible and looking at a painting of Mary, Queen of Scots. This category is for:
Books about art and creativity

1) Sculptor's Daughter: A Childhood Memoir - Tove Jansson
2) Mrs Stevens Hears The Mermaids Singing - May Sarton
3) Solar Dance: Van Gogh, Forgery and the Eclipse of Certainty - Modris Eksteins
4) Artists in Crime - Ngaio Marsh
5) Under the Egg - Laura Marx Fitzgerald



possibilities:
Solar Dance: Van Gogh, Forgery and the Eclipse of Certainty
Sketchy Behavior
Artists in Crime
Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing
The Goldfinch
Sculptor's Daughter
Mr Mac and Me

15VioletBramble
Editat: ag. 24, 2015, 8:05 pm



The Last Unicorn - Peter S Beagle
Schmendrick the Magician and Molly Grue help the last unicorn search for more of her kind. This category is for:
Fantasy

1) Lud in the Mist - Hope Mirrlees
2) The Crane Wife - Patrick Ness
3) Gilded - Christina L Farley
4) Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
5) Od Magic - Patricia McKillip
6) The Glass Sentence - SE Grove
7) Clariel - Garth Nix
8) The Seems: The Split Second - John Hulme
9) The Seems: The Lost Train of Thought - John Hulme



possibilities:
The Seems: The Split Second
The Seems: The Lost Train of Thought
Ella Enchanted
Lud in the Mist
Od Magic
The Peculiar
Gilded
The Crane Wife
The Glass Sentence
Clariel

16VioletBramble
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 10:34 pm



Alligators All Around - Maurice Sendak
Sendak's alphabet book. This category is for books that don't fit in the other categories.
This is my Open Category

1) The Alchemist Paulo Coehlo
2) The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami
3) Rain: A Natural and Cultural History - Cynthia Barnett
4) Ghosts of Mount Holly - Jan Lynn Bastien
5) The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
6) We Should All Be Feminists- Adiche

17VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 12, 2015, 9:15 pm



Planned BingoDOG reads:

Read a book translated from a language you don't speak/read - Sculptor's Daughter: A Memoir - Tove Jansson ✔
Read a book that reminds you of your childhood - Counting by 7s - Holly Goldberg Sloan ✔
Read a book about a subject/topic of which you're (mostly) unfamiliar - Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love and the Perfect Meal - Ava Chin ✔
Read a book about autism - Mockingbird - Kathryn Erskine ✔
Read a book about language(s) - Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson ✔
Read a book with scientists - Salt, Sugar, Fat: How The Food Giants Hooked Us - Michael Moss ✔
Read a book with a natural disaster - The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ✔
Read a book centered around a major historical event - Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - Dee Brown ✔
Read a book with correspondence, epistolary, or letters - Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York - Liana Finck ✔
Read a book with a LGBTQ main character - Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing - May Sarton ✔
Read a book with a protagonist of the opposite gender - The Cruelest Month - Louise Penny ✔
Read a book set in a country other than your own - Smila's Sense of Snow - Peter Hoeg ✔
Read a book for a CAT - Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson ✔
Read a book where an animal is of importance - Bel Ria: Dog of War - Sheila Burnford ✔
Read a book that is based on a fairy tale or myth - The Crane's Wife - Patrick Ness ✔
Read a book with a mythical creature - Gilded - Christina L Farley ✔
Read a book where prophecy, signs, or portents are part of the plot - Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia ✔
Read a book that's a genre bender - Specimen Days - Michael Cunningham ✔
Read a book inspired by another piece of fiction - Pioneer Girl: A Novel - Bich Minh Nguyen ✔
Read a book that's completely outside your comfort zone - Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ✔
Read a book published in 1915 - The 39 Steps - John Buchan ✔
Read a book whose author has the same first name as your ancestor - By The Waters of Manhattan - Charles Reznikoff ✔
Read a book you've owned for more than 1 year - Od Magic - Patricia A McKillip ✔
Read a book by an LT Author - The Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson ✔
Read a book chosen by someone else - The Fault in Our Stars - John Green ✔

I couldn't decide which Bingo card I liked best so I'm doing two. The categories are in different places so I'll see which card gives me Bingo first,


18VioletBramble
Editat: des. 26, 2015, 3:55 pm

Cooking with KIT

January: Breakfast; focus: eggs - Fresh & Fast Vegetarian: Recipes That Make a Meal - Marie Simmons - Skillet-Baked Eggs with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

February: Lunch; focus: wraps - Easy Vegetarian: simple recipes for brunch, lunch, and dinner - Hummus and salad in turkish flatbread, The Oh She Glows Cookbook - roasted rainbow carrots with cumin-coriander tahini sauce

March: Soups & Stews; focus: Mediterranean - Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients - Golden Pepper Soup

April: Baking – Sweet; focus: cookies - Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today- Russian Tea Cakes

May: Main Dish

June: Side Dishes & Salads; focus: rice

July: Drinks & Snacks; focus: iced drinks - Tea Deck: 50 Ways to Prepare, Serve and Enjoy - Sara Perry -- Catalina Citrus Sun Tea

August: One-Pan Dishes

September: Ethnic: focus: Latin American - Fresh & Fast Vegetarian: Recipes That Make a Meal - Marie Simmons- Mexican Corn on the Cob

October: Baking – Savory; focus: bread

November: Desert; focus: chocolate - Governors Island Wives Cookbook - Coca-Cola Cake

December: Holiday Dishes

20VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 10, 2015, 4:05 pm



Planned reading for January :

SFFFCAT:
The Golem and the Jinni
The Peculiar

RandomCAT and Jane Austen Group Read:
Pride and Prejudice

Currently Reading:
The Cruelest Month
Salt, Sugar, Fat

21LittleTaiko
gen. 3, 2015, 8:57 am

What a lovely trip down memory lane with your categories. Good luck with your challenge!

22sturlington
gen. 3, 2015, 9:15 am

I like the book jar idea! What a fun way to pick books.

23rabbitprincess
gen. 3, 2015, 9:15 am

Hahaha the Boromir picture is so true! Have fun with your challenge :)

Also, I have that TARDIS mug in my office!

24lkernagh
gen. 3, 2015, 4:02 pm

Welcome back for another year of category reading and Happy New Year, Kelly! A Children's Garden of Verses is a favorite of mine. I agree... the illustrations are amazing! I found Snow Falling on Cedars to be a very powerful story and I am so glad that I finally got around to reading it a couple of years ago. I highly recommend it!

I love your categories! Harriet the Spy brings back some great memories for me, as does the mention of Trixie Belden. For your Tomboys category, I think I can recommend The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, but I am still reading it. One of the characters, Mick, fit the tomboy label quite nicely.

I look forward to seeing what you think of The Golem and the Jinni and Salt, Sugar, Fat. I look forward to following your 2015 reading and expect to take a number of BB's from you!

25MissWatson
gen. 4, 2015, 11:40 am

Wonderful categories. Happy reading!

26RidgewayGirl
gen. 4, 2015, 12:53 pm

I love the categories and basing them on children's books. And it's always a good idea to listen to Sean Bean.

27Roro8
gen. 4, 2015, 3:30 pm

Nice categories, and I love post 19.

28DeltaQueen50
gen. 6, 2015, 12:28 am

Great to see you back for another year, Kelly. Lots of good things here, from your TBR jar, to the great categories you've set up and the list of book possiblities, can't wait to see what you read!

29VioletBramble
gen. 7, 2015, 10:08 pm

>21 LittleTaiko: Thanks Stacy. Good luck with your challenge.

>22 sturlington: - Thank you. I hope I can stick with the book jar plan. My need to make lists and schedule things may overpower my attempt to be spontaneous.

>23 rabbitprincess: Thanks rp. One of my friends buys me a Doctor Who related gift every Christmas. The mug was from last year. I want the matching teapot. However; it's basically the same size as the mug, and therefore seems pointless.

>24 lkernagh: Hi Lori! Thanks for the recommendation on Snow Falling on Cedars. I just watched the movie last week. It was good. I expect the book to be even better. I almost added The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and/or A Member of the Wedding to my Tomboy Category. They would have been re-reads though. I'm trying to limit my 2015 re-reads to The Grapes of Wrath. I'm considering a re-read category for 2017 and they are both on that list.

>25 MissWatson: Hi Miss Watson. Thanks for visiting my thread.

>26 RidgewayGirl: Thanks Kay. I don't know how much I'd listen to Sean Bean --except to hear his lovely accent - but he sure is pretty to look upon.

>27 Roro8: Hi Roro! LOL. Sean Bean sure is popular.

>28 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. I like your fun cat burgler theme.

30VioletBramble
Editat: gen. 23, 2015, 8:35 pm



1) The Cruelest Month - Louise Penny
Mystery, Series, BingoDOG
Category: Trixie Belden
Pages: 311
Rating:
The third book in the Three Pines/ Inspector Gamache mystery series. In this one a woman dies during a seance in the old Hadley House. She is scared to death. Is the wicca in charge of the seance to blame, or is it one of the villagers?
As always, the descriptions of Three Pines makes me want to move there immediately. The village residents are just as fun and catty as ever. I was a little disappointed in the attitude toward wicca and wiccans. I mean, this book was written in 2007 -- how unusual could it be to know a wiccan. The mystery was decent -- I never suspected the true culprit. Recommended

31-Eva-
gen. 9, 2015, 2:14 am

What a great theme! And, loving that Bullerbyn (Noisy Village) got a space!

32Dejah_Thoris
gen. 11, 2015, 10:38 am

Hi Kelly - lovely Categories. Or should I say 'Terrific'? Great organization, too. I'm looking forward to keeping an eye on your reading!

33mstrust
gen. 11, 2015, 6:18 pm

Glad I've found you! Starred, and good luck this year!

34VioletBramble
gen. 12, 2015, 11:41 pm

>31 -Eva-: Thanks Eva! I was obsessed with Christmas in Noisy Village when I was 7 years old. It had to make the list. I'm upset that I already lost one of the images in my post. Darn internet.

> 32 Hi Dejah! Thank you. And thanks for visiting my thread.

>33 mstrust: Hi! I'm so glad you found me.

35VioletBramble
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 10:34 pm



2) Humans of New York - Brandon Stanton
Photography, New York City
Pages: 304
Rating:

This book was a late holiday gift from my friend AnnaMarie. A book of photographs from Stanton's blog/webpage, Humans of New York. Stanton walks and rides around NYC taking photographs of people and getting a sentence or a paragraph of their situation/history/story. The majority of the photographs in this book only have one line descriptions, sometimes just stating the location.
Recommended if you like photography or human interest pieces.



36mstrust
gen. 13, 2015, 10:54 am

That looks fascinating- the second pic tells a whole story, no caption needed. Got me with a BB!

37electrice
gen. 17, 2015, 4:57 am

>35 VioletBramble: I've just checked the tumblr account of Humans of New York and this looks so interesting, the photos are great but the great part are the comments under the photos. It's a BB!

38-Eva-
gen. 22, 2015, 10:32 pm

I love HONY! The book is definitely on my wishlist, but I was hoping that all the photos had more than a one-line description since I love the stories that he posts on FB.

39madhatter22
Editat: gen. 23, 2015, 3:38 pm

>35 VioletBramble: I'm a little obsessed with HONY. With the book, sometimes the subjects are so fascinating that you do wish you had more info, but he can nail it with just one line or just the photo.

Nice idea for your categories. Some of my favorites too. (Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! I'd forgotten about that one.) I also love the TBR jar - a great idea and it looks cute on your shelf.

40VioletBramble
gen. 23, 2015, 7:40 pm

>36 mstrust: - I like how the little girl in the first picture has the tails of her pants pockets that stick out covered in glitter glue or pen. Genius.
The second pic is captioned: Distribution of Wealth

>37 electrice: Yay, a BB! I follow HONY on facebook. What I like about HONY is how people get involved. Have you seen how people are donating for that school in Brownsville? Makes me like people a little bit more. At Christmas they coordinate a thing where if you need a place to eat dinner or have an empty space at dinner, they match up people. Hundreds of people each Christmas.

>38 -Eva-: Some of the photos have a paragraph, but ~90% only have one line. Facebook is the best place to follow HONY cuz then you get more of the story.

>39 madhatter22: My sister is also obsessed with HONY. She comments daily on what he posts on facebook.
So glad someone else remembers Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack.

41VioletBramble
Editat: març 3, 2015, 3:04 pm



3) Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition - Jane Austen. Edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks
Fiction, Classics, BingoDOG, RandomCAT
Pages: 442
Rating:

I chose this book for the BingoDOG category: read a book outside of your comfort zone. To be honest I've avoided reading this book for decades because I thought it would be too girly for my tastes. I decided to read the Annotated Edition in case I needed help understanding the customs and language of Austen's time period. Even though I'd never read the book I was still familiar with the basic story thanks to recent "retellings" such as Bridget Jones' Diary and You've Got Mail.
This annotated edition is gorgeous; large format -- coffee table book size- with copious footnotes and explanatory illustrations right along side the text. Some of the footnotes - and esp the illustrations- seemed superfluous, but for the most part they were helpful. If you're into owning different editions of Pride and Prejudice I'd recommend getting this beautiful edition.
I had a hard time getting into the book at first. But then the (second) declined proposal and Mr Darcy's letter piqued my interest. Then the scandal with the unmarried love birds living together and I was sucked in. Overall I enjoyed the story and found it much more interesting than I had anticipated.


42VioletBramble
Editat: gen. 23, 2016, 3:34 pm



4) As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust - Alan Bradley
fiction, Mystery, YA, Series
Pages: 392
Rating:

The 7th book in the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series. Flavia has been sent from Buckshaw, her ancestral home in England, to Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Toronto, Canada. On her first night there a charred body falls out of the fireplace chimney into her room. With the new setting comes a large number of new characters to interact with Flavia - students, teachers, administrators, workers, townspeople and 2 new policemen. Some of these people may be members of the Nide -- a super secret secret service-- like Flavia, and some are not. Flavia doesn't know who to trust and suspects everyone. The mystery was pretty good. I'm not sure what I think about Miss Bodycote's and all the new characters. It definitely wasn't love-at-first-read like it was with Buckshaw and the de Luce clan. Speaking of the de Luce clan: I was upset that they didn't write to Flavia while she was so far away in Canada. I hope there is a good explanation for this in the next book.

43VioletBramble
Editat: gen. 23, 2015, 9:24 pm

January Cooking with Kit: I made Skillet-Baked Eggs with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes from Fresh & Fast Vegetarian - by Marie Simmons. The tomatoes with basil and cheddar cheese were good, but I didn't like my eggs baked. I considered making just the tomato part in the future. Maybe with some fried eggs. But then I realized that kitchen clean -up was going to take a while -- oil and tomato splash everywhere in a 5 foot radius of the stove -- and decided not to make this dish again.


In the pan and how it looked when served

44VioletBramble
gen. 23, 2015, 9:28 pm



Just a little Winter fun -- Scottish snow angels

45rabbitprincess
gen. 24, 2015, 10:44 am

>42 VioletBramble: I hope that's explained in the next book too! It was very puzzling.

46RidgewayGirl
gen. 24, 2015, 12:42 pm

I'm sorry it was messy, because it looks delicious.

47Dejah_Thoris
gen. 24, 2015, 5:43 pm

>43 VioletBramble: I agree with >46 RidgewayGirl: - too bad it's messy because it's surely pretty!

>41 VioletBramble: P&P is a favorite of mine, so it's disappointing that you didn't like it more - but at least you didn't hate it! we feel very similarly about Flavia's latest adventure. I'm already looking forward to next January.

48lkernagh
gen. 26, 2015, 3:59 am

>42 VioletBramble: - I am looking forward to picking up a copy of the latest Bradley book tomorrow from the library! I do love the covers for the Flavia books.

>43 VioletBramble: - YUM but like you, not if it means a major kitchen cleanup afterwards.

49cammykitty
gen. 26, 2015, 11:04 am

Love the snow angel!

Funny, I think of Bridget Jone's Diary as even more girly than Pride and Prejudice. Glad you didn't find it too painful.

50VioletBramble
gen. 26, 2015, 8:56 pm

>45 rabbitprincess: It is puzzling, but, now that I've thought about it, not so surprising. The de Luce clan, Flavia excluded, don't really seem motivated to do all that much. Mr de Luce hasn't done much of anything since his wife disappeared. I can't imagine what would have to happen to cause him to actually expend the energy of writing a letter to his daughter.

>46 RidgewayGirl: Thank you. I could give you the recipe if you're interested.

>47 Dejah_Thoris: Yes, I definitely liked Pride and Prejudice more than I ever expected. It's still not my type of book but at least i didn't hate it or feel that I had wasted my time.

>48 lkernagh: Enjoy the Flavia, Lori. I love the covers too. I actually have saved all the books. Normally I like to move books off the shelf and make room for more. I don't keep that many books once I've read them.

>49 cammykitty: I agree, Bridget Jones's Diary is more girly than Pride and Prejudice. It was not as girly as I expected. I may even attempt to read another book I've been avoiding as too girly - Gone With the Wind.

51VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 10, 2015, 4:06 pm



Big blizzard in progress here in NYC and along most of the east coast of North America. It's expected to hit full force in about an hour and remain bad for the next 12 hours. Thankfully tomorrow is my day off and I can just stay home, read, do my taxes and drink tea. That's my plan anyway. Hopefully the plan won't be interrupted by any weather emergencies. Or electric and/or water outages.
Egads, my iphone alert just went off, practically giving me a heart attack. Everyone must be off the roads by 11pm.
If anyone else here is in the path of the blizzard -- Stay safe!!

52mysterymax
gen. 26, 2015, 9:33 pm

Here's hoping you have a warm and comfy day at home without any power outages.

The weather keeps saying we are going to get some of it, but so far just light snow.

53VioletBramble
gen. 26, 2015, 10:49 pm

>52 mysterymax: - Weather channel says it is headed your way. Hopefully it will stay light for you. For the last 4-5 hours we've had intermittent light snow and no snow. The wind is rattling my windows though. The local news is showing that the big snow has already started out on Long Island so it should reach here shortly.

54RidgewayGirl
gen. 27, 2015, 6:23 am

Being snowed in sounds lovely, as long as you are well prepared with books and tea and the power stays on. We have a good coat of snow on the ground, but otherwise, it's quite pleasant out so I'm going to go drive in it in a few minutes here.

55mysterymax
gen. 27, 2015, 9:59 am

It has started here and is coming down very steadily, can't really see the mountain any longer. The power is the problem here. We have power outages at the whisper of a breeze or snow or ice. There are just so many trees. Keeping my fingers crossed. No power, for me, also means no water. Hubby keeps promising me a generator, I wonder if he means 'in my lifetime', lol. Since he isn't here most of the time it isn't a pressing issue for him...

56Dejah_Thoris
gen. 27, 2015, 10:19 am

>55 mysterymax: I sympathize. Before I moved back south I was living in an area where the power went out pretty frequently and we were rural enough that it didn't always come back on very quickly. We also had well water, so I always kept plenty of reserves of bottled! Of course, for some things melted snow works just fine!

57mysterymax
gen. 27, 2015, 10:21 am

Yes, the bottom of my pantry has several large containers of water.

58VioletBramble
gen. 27, 2015, 2:58 pm

The snowpocclypse has been averted here in NYC. Everything is back up and running since 0730. The snow on the ground and roads looks pretty much the same as it did at 7 pm. A friend who lives on Cape Cod has shared pictures of the snow in her yard. Looks like a few feet already and they are supposedly on blizzard watch right now. At least they have a fireplace if the power goes out.

>55 mysterymax: I hope you didn't lose power. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. My water supply also depends on electricity. I'm on the 13th floor. Not much water makes it up here without the pump working. I do get a little trickle of cold water in all the taps. I have four containers full of water near the toilet for flushing. I also have containers of drinking water lined up along the kitchen countertop.

>54 RidgewayGirl: - I've heard that Germany has fairly moderate temperatures all year -- not as cold in winter or as hot in summer - compared to the US. Hope you enjoyed your drive.

59rabbitprincess
gen. 27, 2015, 5:35 pm

Glad to hear NYC avoided the brunt of the storm!

60mysterymax
gen. 27, 2015, 11:11 pm

Glad to hear you didn't get what was predicted. I do remember coming to NYC for Toy Fair every year and it seemed like there was always a storm while we were there, and there just isn't anywhere to put the snow!

61VioletBramble
Editat: feb. 3, 2015, 10:50 pm



5) A Rule Against Murder - Louise Penny
Mystery, Series
Pages: 322
Rating:

The fourth book in the Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines mystery series. Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie. are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse. Manoir Bellechasse is an exclusive, lake-side resort not far from Three Pines. The Morrow family is there for a reunion and the un-veiling of a statue in tribute of their father. When Julia Morrow is crushed to death by the statue Inspector Gamache calls in his homicide team. The Morrow family suspects the shopkeeper and his washer-woman wife (Gamache and Reiine-Marie). Most of the story takes place at the Manoir with only a few sections set in the town of Three Pines. The mystery was okay. The motive was far fetched. One plus: I now know a way to move very large, heavy objects.

62VioletBramble
Editat: ag. 7, 2015, 8:31 pm



6) 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas - Marie-Helene Bertino
Fiction, Jazz, Philadelphia
Pages: 261
Rating:

The last time I enjoyed reading a book this much was Where’d You Go Bernadette, way back in June/July. Not that this is a happy book. Like in Bernadette some of the characters are sad or in bad situations.I loved Bertino’s quirky, descriptive writing style right from the first page.
The book is set in Philadelphia and the action takes place from 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve eve to 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve.
Madeleine Altimari, two days away from her tenth birthday, wants to be a jazz singer. Since the recent death of her mother Madeleine lives above the Ninth Street Market with her father. Her father is so depressed that he rarely leaves his bedroom. Madeleine is cared for by people in the neighborhood who had been friends with her mother. Madeleine is really looking forward to school on the 23rd because her teacher, Sarina Green, is going to let everyone make their own caramel apples. Madeleine has never tasted a caramel apple. Unfortunately Madeleine has a very bad day at school - she’s found to have lice, her apple is knocked to the floor before she can taste it and she is expelled for hitting a classmate. The only thing that could make her happy is if her dream of singing on stage in front of an audience would come true. She plans to sneak out and sing at the Cat’s Pajamas.
Sarina Green, recently divorced and returned to Philadelphia, is nervously anticipating that nights dinner with old classmates, including the guy who was her prom date.
Jack Francis Lorca, owner of the local jazz club The Cat’s Pajamas, starts his day with a visit by the local police. He receives a citation for multiple infractions and a fine of $30,000. Lorca has little hope of paying the fine and fears that tonight will be the last show at The Cat’s Pajamas.
The lives of these three characters - and some other, minor characters- intersect at 2 a.m. at The Cat’s Pajamas.
The city of Philadelphia is written as another character that interacts with the main characters. It was Bertino’s descriptive paragraphs about the city that were my favorite parts of the book. Here are some of my favorite passages:
The city is in a perpetual state of being not quite ready to talk about it. Instead it lashes its wind against the banners of the art museum. Moody light changes down Market, the cars bitch toward City Hall. Puddles yearn toward the sewers. The unrequited city dreams up conspiracies and keeps its buildings low to the ground. You are never allowed to dream higher than the hat of William Penn.
It is dark at 7 A.M. on Christmas Eve but the sun, having no options, is returning to the city. It’s asking the wrought-iron fire escapes, the hydrants -- What’d I miss? It’s occuring like a memory to the buildings of the financial district.
If quirky writing and quirky characters aren’t your thing you should probably avoid this book. For those who enjoy quirky I highly recommend this wonderful book.

63VioletBramble
Editat: març 3, 2015, 3:04 pm



7) A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York - Liana Finck
Graphic novel, Judaism, New York City, Immigration
Pages: 128
Rating:

A Bintel Brief was an advice column in the Yiddish language newspaper The Forward. Introduced in 1906 it doled out advice to Jewish immigrants trying to adjust to their new lives in New York City. The original letters were translated into English and compiled into the book A Bintel Brief: Sixty Years of Letters from The Lower East Side to the Jewish Daily Forward by Isaac Metzker. The grandparents of Liana Finck had compiled some of their favorite letters from the column into a notebook. One day her grandmother passed the notebook on to Liana.
In this graphic novel Liana Finck imagines herself in conversation with Abraham Cahan, editor of The Forward and writer of the column. Finck illustrates the situations mentioned in the letters -- sometimes very creatively -- and discusses with Cahan why he chose those letters to answer.
The illustrations are just okay. The color palette alternates between shades of grey and shades of blue.

64VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 7:35 pm



8) The Apothecary's Heir - Julianne Buchsbaum
Poetry
Pages: 63
Rating:

The book jacket for the volume of poetry claims that the poems in this collection depict a damaged world in which the speaker is trying to make sense of human relationships in the aftermath of loss and explore the frailty of human connectedness and anatomize desire in a world of pharmaceuticals and microchips. I didn't get any of that from these poems. I liked three poems from this collection. Normally I would share a poem or two but I didn't like these enough to bother copying them over.

65VioletBramble
Editat: març 3, 2015, 1:50 pm



9) Tomboy : A Graphic Memoir - Liz Prince
Graphic novel, Tomboys, Gender issues
Pages: 254
Rating:

A graphic memoir by uber-tomboy Liz Prince. Liz hates dresses. She dresses like a boy. Cuts her hair like a boy. She likes boy toys. She's into skateboarding, comics and punk rock. Throughout most of her childhood and teen years she is bullied and teased for being a boy or a lesbian. Eventually Liz meets some people that help her understand that she needs to be true to herself and ignore people who can't see beyond the gender roles/norms dictated by society.
The illustrations are pretty good. The story was fun. I look forward to reading more by Liz Prince.

66VioletBramble
Editat: feb. 3, 2015, 10:22 pm

Recap for January:

Books read in 2015: 9
Books read in Jan: 9
Books off the Shelf 2015: 7
Fiction: 5
NonFiction: 1
Poetry: 1
Graphic novel: 2
Female author: 8
Male author: 1
Pages Read in 2015: 2477
Books bought in 2015: 2

I felt as if I didn't have a lot of reading time in Jan despite one snow day during "the blizzard that wasn't." There were two deaths in my family -- within a 2 day period- an aunt and a cousin. Neither death was really unexpected. Both had been sick with chronic illnesses for years and had gone into the hospital a week before they died.
Also, my building has been in the process of going co-op since 2006. They finally gave us the black book offer - a 1000 page book with the buy out deal and tons of other info. I've been trying to get through that book to see if I want to buy my apartment at insider prices. At this point I'm leaning towards "no", but haven't finished reading the offer yet. I have to decide by March 31.

67VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 10, 2015, 4:08 pm



Planned reading for February:

RandomCAT:
Snow Falling on Cedars
Smila's Sense of Snow

SFFCAT:
Lud in the Mist

I'll possibly attempt to complete these books I started in Jan. but gave up on -- for now:
The Golem and the Jinni
The Anti-Inflammation Diet

plus:
Salt Sugar Fat -- and whatever I pick from the TBR jar.

68Dejah_Thoris
feb. 4, 2015, 10:21 am

I can't wait to hear what you have to say about 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas - I've been thinking about this one, but it's not at the top of the list.

I think you got me with The Bintel Brief, but my library is very unlikely to have that one.

Thanks!

69mamzel
feb. 4, 2015, 10:47 am

I would like to encourage you to return to TGatJ. I loved, loved, loved it. SSF is quite the eye opener. Some of the tactics described I already knew about but I certainly look at the arrangements in supermarkets differently now.

70dudes22
Editat: feb. 4, 2015, 6:15 pm

I skipped your review of A Rule Against Murder because I'm planning to start that later tonight. I too await what you have to say about 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas

71VioletBramble
feb. 4, 2015, 10:36 pm

>68 Dejah_Thoris: -- If you can't find the graphic novel version of Bintel Brief I recommend checking to see if your library has Metzker's book of the collected letters. I know numerous people here at LT who read it and rated it highly. I haven't read it yet, but it sits on my wish list.

>69 mamzel: - I do plan to keep reading The Golem and the Jinni. It turned out to be a much slower read than I had anticipated and I just didn't have the patience for it in January. I did enjoy the parts I've read so far. SSF is very good so far. I'm not a fan of processed foods. When I do buy processed foods I look for GMO free brands. Not that I actually believe what companies choose to tell consumers about their products.

>70 dudes22: Enjoy A Rule Against Murder

>68 Dejah_Thoris:, >70 dudes22: - my review of 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas is finally up. I really loved this book. I'm dying to pass it on to someone else -- if I could figure out who among my family, friends and acquaintances might love it too.

72Dejah_Thoris
feb. 4, 2015, 10:41 pm

>71 VioletBramble: No copies of wither book are available in my library system, so I may put them on my Thingaversary list (a few months off) get them, read them and donate them.

>62 VioletBramble: Well your great review moves 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas right up the list! I really enjoyed Where'd You Go, Bernadette, too, which I wasn't really expecting.

73dudes22
feb. 5, 2015, 6:31 am

>62 VioletBramble: - Nice review - I'm going to put this in my LT BB collection for future consideration.

74VioletBramble
Editat: feb. 7, 2015, 7:54 pm

February CookingKIT -- Lunch, focus on wraps.

For lunch I made Hummus and Salad in Turkish Flatbread from Easy Vegetarian: simple recipes for brunch, lunch, and dinner by Ryland Peters and Small and Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Cumin-Coriander Tahini Sauce from The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon. Both were very good, didn't take long at all and the carrots made my apartment smell yummily of cumin.



Flatbread with hummus, lettuce, avocado


Carrots with tahini sauce

75mstrust
feb. 5, 2015, 7:23 pm

Looks good, and aren't heirloom carrots pretty?
My vegetarian meal last night was homemade vegetarian chili made with mayo cabo beans, tomatoes, green beans and lime juice. I know it sounds strange but it was really good.

76RidgewayGirl
feb. 6, 2015, 2:13 am

Heirloom carrots are lovely. Don't use the purple ones in soup, however. I made a grayish-purple chicken noodle soup once when I thought that it wouldn't hurt to toss the last of the purple carrots in. It tasted fine, but looked terrible.

77mathgirl40
feb. 6, 2015, 7:25 am

Your food photos are gorgeous! I'm glad you're having fun with the CookingKIT. I'll try to join in myself later in the year; there are just too many great CATs/KITs this year!

I'm also glad to see you liked A Rule Against Murder. Louise Penny is one of my favourites. The next two in the series are great. I especially loved the sixth book and I hope you'll enjoy them too.

78DeltaQueen50
feb. 6, 2015, 7:15 pm

Love the food photos! Those carrots look delicious. I think it's great that after all our wrangling and voting some of the previous Cats are living on in the form of Kits!

79lkernagh
feb. 7, 2015, 9:32 am

Getting caught up here and adding 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas to my future reading list.... I usually enjoy quirky!

I can see my love of avocado sandwiches needs to expand to include flatbread with hummus!

80VioletBramble
feb. 7, 2015, 8:18 pm

>75 mstrust: heirloom carrots are very pretty. And tasty. I like the red-orange variety the best. I first had them at my cousin's wedding in June. This was the first time I had cooked them.
Nothing about your vegetarian chili sounds strange to me. It sounds yummy.

>76 RidgewayGirl: Thank you, good advice. No purple carrots -- or blue string -- in the soup.

>77 mathgirl40: Thanks. Half the reason I got an iphone was because my sisters pictures on iphone were so much better than the pictures I'd take with my actual camera. The pictures do come out pretty good. I have to learn how to do some camera tricks.
I have the next two Louise Penny books on the shelf (numbers 5 and 6). I was planning to read them in a few months. Maybe I'll get to them sooner. I'm passing them on to a friend. It might be good to just give her the first 6 books together.

>78 DeltaQueen50: Thank you. Between all the CATS and the KITS there's something for everyone.

>79 lkernagh: Oh good, I hope you enjoy it if you do get to read 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas.
I love avocado. The cafe at my job makes an egg and avocado sandwich with lemon aioli ( I have no idea how to spell this). So good.

81rabbitprincess
feb. 7, 2015, 8:32 pm

The flatbread looks delicious! I shall have to try that sometime for a weekend lunch. (Or even a weekday lunch... for some reason weekend lunches are more difficult for me to put together. Possibly because there's too much choice.)

82dudes22
feb. 8, 2015, 7:50 am

I just started A Rule Against Murder and am enjoyng it quite a bit.

All this talk about avacados has me wanting to ask. How do you guys keep the left over avacados from getting brown after you use some on your sandwich? I'm assuming you don't use a whole avacados on one sandwich.

I think that egg, avacado, and lemon alioli sounds great. Makes me want to go get an avacado.

83-Eva-
Editat: feb. 8, 2015, 6:58 pm

>74 VioletBramble:
Oh, looks delicious!!

84VioletBramble
Editat: març 3, 2015, 1:15 pm

>81 rabbitprincess: -- I know what you mean. My choices for foods to take to work for lunch are limited and therefore take less time and thought to prepare as I've made them thousands of times by now. Plus, I have to make sure whatever I take is ready before I go to sleep the night before. On days off I wander around the kitchen contemplating my choices. Breakfast is the same way.

>82 dudes22: - I use an avocado holder for the left over part of the avocado. Keeps it good for about a day.


>83 -Eva-: - Thanks Eva.

February has been awful. Work is awful. The weather is awful. My rheumatoid arthritis is flaring. I'm waiting for the awful to pass. I've spent February going to many, many meetings about my buildings conversion to co-op. I've decided not to buy my apartment. Let the chips falls where they may at this point. On top of that, my reading speed seems to have slowed dramatically. I only managed to read 2 books in Feb.

On the plus side City Bakery continued their February Festival of Hot Chocolate. I love their Lemon HC and the Happy HC (dark choc with vanilla bean)



The ice on the East River outside my door. And a probably frozen seagull on the seawall.

When will winter go away???

85VioletBramble
Editat: març 14, 2015, 6:06 pm



10) Snow Falling on Cedars- David Guterson
Fiction, WW II, Japanese-American internment, Mystery, Court procedural
Pages: 460
Rating:

A slow, atmospheric book, set on San Piedro Island, in the Pacific Northwest. The island is home to many generations of families, seeming to be of mostly German descent. There is a fairly large community of Japanese immigrants, mainly first and second generation. Families make their living primarily by fishing and strawberry farming.
When fisherman Carl Heine is pulled out of his fishing net, murder is suspected. Another fisherman, Kabu Miyamoto is arrested for the crime. The book gives us the story of the trial, as seen by Ishmael Chambers, owner of the Island newspaper. Ishmaels' childhood friend and first love, Hatsue, is married to Kabu Miyamoto. Through flashbacks we are shown life on the island, the friendship and romance of Ishmael and Hatsue, the arrest and internment of the Japanese residents of the Island during WW II, Ishmael's time in the Navy and the loss of one of his arms, the Miyamoto's deal with the Heine family to buy 7 acres of land for farming and the subsequent loss of that land while in internment and the continued prejudices of the island residents.
The prose is lovely and descriptive. You can practically smell the walls of cedar trees, taste and smell the strawberries, and feel the mist and fog on your face. A slow read that gets slower in the middle of the book, but so worth the time spent reading. Recommended.

86RidgewayGirl
març 3, 2015, 1:58 pm

Oh, Kelly, I can imagine how much the lousy weather you've been enduring has affected your rheumatoid arthritis. Spring will come someday?

The hot chocolate sounds delicious. The best I ever had was at Angelina in Paris. Even my SO, who hates waiting, admitted that the long wait in line was worth it. An amazing hot chocolate is a thing of wonder and the lemon HC sounds good.

87VioletBramble
Editat: març 3, 2015, 2:49 pm

>86 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! Well, Spring is only 17 days away. According to the calendar at least. I'm forever grateful to the makers of Celebrex, without whom my hands, wrists and ankles would not be functional right now.
The line at City Bakery for the HC Festival is always long as well. Lemon HC must be the favorite, it's the only flavor that's offered on two days. They offer some strange flavors. This year I finally got to try the French Follies - HC with espresso, pomegranate and lemon. Kinda weird, smelled like coffee but tasted like fruit. I've never managed to get there on the day they offer the Sunken Treasure HC. I have no idea what flavor(s) that one could be.

88VioletBramble
Editat: març 14, 2015, 6:17 pm



11) Lud in the Mist - Hope Mirrlees
Fantasy, Classic fantasy, Faerie
Pages: 288
Rating:

A fantasy classic, written in 1926. The town of Lud in the Mist shares a border with the land of Faerie. The two places once coexisted and their inhabitants mingled freely. Then things got out of hand. Lord Audrey, ruler of Faerie, and all his subjects, were decreed to stay in Faerrie and no longer enter Lud in the Mist. Lud in the Mist became a town of law, not magic. Mayor Nathaniel Chanticleer becomes worried about illegal doings when his son starts behaving strangely. Turns out his son has eaten fairy fruit. Shortly thereafter Chanticleer's daughter, and all her school mates, also start acting strangely and leave Lud in the Mist for the land of Faerie. The mayor suspects that fairy fruit is being smuggled into Lud in the Mist. He sets out, in disguise, to uncover the truth and save Lud in the Mist.
One of the first fantasy novels. Most of the usual fantasy tropes are already present here.
A decent fantasy with a non-complicated plot.

89VioletBramble
març 3, 2015, 3:29 pm

Recap for February:

Books read in 2015: 11
Books read in Feb: 2
Books off the shelf 2015: 9
Fiction: 7
NonFiction: 1
Poetry: 1
Graphic novel: 2
Female author: 9
Male author: 2
Pages read in 2015: 3225 (748 in Feb)
Books bought in 2015: 4

90VioletBramble
març 3, 2015, 3:54 pm



Planned reading for March:

I hope to finish these books that I started in Jan and Feb:
Smila's Sense of Snow
The Golem and the Jinni
Salt Sugar Fat

RandomCAT: All the cool kids are doing it
The Fault in Our Stars
Eleanor & Park

if my reading picks up I'll also try to get to:
Sculptor's Daughter: A Childhood Memoir
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words

For the Cooking KIT I plan to make:
Golden pepper soup
Garlic soup with potatoes Italian style
Carrot-Parsnip soup with parsnip chips

91mstrust
març 3, 2015, 5:24 pm

A month of hot chocolate would be so great. I've never thought of lemon and hot chocolate together, so that's a new one for me. So is the avocado holder. Good idea. I know that rubbing lemon juice keeps avocado from browning, just like on a cut apple.
Love your pics of the East River!

92rabbitprincess
Editat: març 3, 2015, 8:36 pm

Sending warm thoughts to clear the snow and relieve the arthritis. This has been a very tiring winter.

I like the idea of an avocado holder! Will have to hunt one up as I've suddenly become quite fond of avocado.

Also looking forward to seeing how your soups turn out!

93dudes22
març 4, 2015, 6:03 am

I've never heard of an avacado holder either. The lemon trick I knew. And I've also heard of putting plastic wrap directly on the flesh retards browning. That I've only been semi-successful at.

Those hot chocolates sound yummy. At breakfast where we're staying in Mexico, I usualy have a coffee-hot chocolate mix. I even bought some squares of Mexican chocolate on our way through the duty free shop last year so I could make my own at home and with all the snow this year, I'm glad I hadn't used it all up. I'll grab some more when we go through on Thursday.

94lkernagh
març 4, 2015, 10:03 pm

>84 VioletBramble: - The avocado holder is a cool idea!

Great review of Snow Falling on Cedars! I agree with everything you say about the book. I really should read one of his other books.... at some point, I will.

95VioletBramble
març 14, 2015, 5:59 pm



Happy Pi Day (3.1415) !!

>91 mstrust: Hi mstrust. Thanks. The lemon hot chocolate is very good.

>92 rabbitprincess: Thanks rabbitprincess. I haven't even started making soups yet. I have a horrible head cold and can't taste or smell anything. Maybe next week.

>93 dudes22: - I'm not sure I'd like coffee hot chocolate. Sounds strange. When I was in New Mexico a few years ago they were selling chili hot chocolate. And chocolate pieces with red chili.

>94 lkernagh: Thanks Lori.

96VioletBramble
Editat: març 24, 2015, 5:06 pm



12) Smila's Sense of Snow - Peter Hoeg
Fiction, Denmark, Greenland, Mystery
Pages: 502
Rating:

Smila Jasperson lives in Copenhagen. One day she finds her six year old neighbor, Isiah, dead on the ground, having fallen from the roof. Smila knows that Isiah was so afraid of heights that he had to crawl up the stairs to reach his third floor apartment. She suspects that Isiah was murdered. When strange men start visiting Isiah's mother, Juliane, Smila starts investigating. She learns that Isiah father was killed while on expedition to Greenland for the Cryolite Corporation. The Cryolite Corporation had been conducting expeditions to Greenland since 1939. On every expedition there were deaths. Xrays of the dead show that they died with a large parasite. Smila manages to land a job on board ship for the next expedition. On the way to Greenland several people try to kill her. Luckily, she seemed to have developed some super powers for the last third of the book. This tiny woman was able to fend off an attack by two large men. She also manages to severely injure men when she fights them. By the time the ship reaches Greenland Smila knows all about the secret thing that is buried in the snow. The Cryolite Corporation wants to blast this thing free from the shelf ice and set it and elements in it's environment loose upon the world. Smila manages to survive because as a native Greenlander she has an innate sense of snow.
I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book. The mystery was interesting and different. The prose is lovely. The last 1/3 of the book things became ridiculous and the story unbelievable.

97VioletBramble
Editat: març 24, 2015, 5:35 pm



13) The Fault in Our Stars- John Green
Young adult, Cancer, Dying, Amsterdam, RandomCAT
Pages: 313
Rating:

Hazel Grace Lancaster is 17 years old and living with thyroid cancer with mets to her lungs. She is dependent upon supplemental oxygen during the day and CPAP at night. Augustus Waters is also 17 and has lost a leg to osteosarcoma, which is now in remission. The two meet at Cancer Support Group. Hazel tries not to get close to people because she fears that her death will cause pain. Augustus is afraid of oblivion and wants to be remembered by everyone. Hazel is obsessed with the book An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. Augustus reads the book, becomes obsessed himself, and begins corresponding with Van Houten. Augustus uses his "wish" so the pair can go to Amsterdam, meet Van Houten and have all their questions answered. Van Houten turns out to be an ass and a drunk who won't answer their questions or take them seriously. But it doesn't matter - they have a great time in Amsterdam and fall in love. Unfortunately, Augustus's cancer is no longer in remission.

98VioletBramble
Editat: març 24, 2015, 5:57 pm



14) Sculptor's Daughter: A Childhood Memoir - Tove Jansson
Memoir, Short stories, Finland, Art
Pages: 192
Rating:

A collection of nineteen memoir-like short stories told from child Tove's point of view. The stories tell about growing up as an artistic child of artist parents, living in their art studio in Helsinki and spending summers on their island. If you like any of Jansson's other works you'll enjoy this.

99VioletBramble
Editat: abr. 7, 2015, 8:53 pm



15) Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson
NonFiction, Language, Grammar, Usage, Reference
Pages: 241
Rating:

A reference guide to correct spelling, usage and grammar. Humorous and informative.

100VioletBramble
Editat: març 24, 2015, 9:33 pm



16) Salt, Sugar, Fat: How The Food Giants Hooked Us - Michael Moss
NonFiction, Food, Nutrition, Health, Business
Pages: 483
Rating:

101VioletBramble
Editat: gen. 23, 2016, 3:39 pm



17) The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book- Jessica K Black
Diet, Health, Allergy, NonFiction, Food
Pages: 240
Rating:

A diet that eliminates foods that are frequent allergens and those known to be irritating to certain body systems. The aim is to decrease/eliminate inflammation in the body. Inflammation is thought to cause or exacerbate certain diseases -- arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and systemic allergies.
These foods are eliminated: all wheat products, all dairy products, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, sugar, citrus fruits (except lemons), pork, commercial eggs, shellfish, peanuts, coffee, alcohol, caff teas, juice, soda, anything with hydrogenated oils, processed foods and fried foods.
These foods should be increased in the diet: oily fish, pineapple, garlic, ginger, turmeric, nuts and seeds, flaxseed oil, olive oil, water. The vegetables and fruits on the allowed list are placed into 4 categories, from best to worst.
I'm considering doing this diet. I'm not really sure if it'll be do-able. I'm a very picky vegetarian. Most of the recipes in the book don't appeal to me. I think I may be able to make some meals from the listed foods.

102LittleTaiko
març 14, 2015, 10:04 pm

Ooooh, I really want that slice of pie!

103cammykitty
març 14, 2015, 10:36 pm

Nah, that slice of pie looks a little woody to me, but I want the avocado sandwich and carrots!

So what is the anti-inflammation diet? A lot of veggies and simple food?

104VioletBramble
març 24, 2015, 9:28 pm

I've completed reviews for most of the above books. Will review the books below next week.

>103 cammykitty: -- Hi Katie. Yes, it's a lot of veggies and no processed foods. Check out the list of eliminated foods in the review.

105VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 15, 2015, 9:44 pm



18) Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Rating:

106VioletBramble
Editat: juny 2, 2015, 7:47 pm



19) Counting by 7s- Holly Goldberg Sloan
Fiction, Young adult, Death, OCD, Family
Pages: 384
Rating:

107VioletBramble
Editat: abr. 7, 2015, 9:00 pm



20) Bel Ria: Dog of War - Sheila Burnford
Fiction, Children's Literature, animals, WW II
Pages: 215
Rating:

108VioletBramble
Editat: març 31, 2015, 10:13 pm



21) The Spy's Wife -- Reginald Hill
Fiction, Espionage, England
Pages: 240
Rating:

109dudes22
març 25, 2015, 7:09 am

The picture at the top of your thread makes me smile every time I stop in here. It would make a great picture for the wall in a kid's room. I've actually seen my great-nieces pouring over books together like that. I usually give my great-nieces/nephews books at Christmas and don't always feel that it's an exciting gift compared to toys, but they do seem to like them which makes me happy.

110lkernagh
març 25, 2015, 9:28 pm

>101 VioletBramble: - After reading the foods to be eliminated and the food to be increased, I would not survive very long on that anti-inflammation diet. I find it interesting that pineapple is the one fruit that seems to be on the increase list. I love pineapple but after my mom developed an allergy to pineapple in her 50s after having loved eating pineapple on a regular basis for decades, I tend to wonder how helpful some of these diet ideas are since our bodies tend to change over time.

111VioletBramble
març 31, 2015, 10:06 pm

>109 dudes22: Hi Betty. I saw that picture on the internet and it reminded me of reading to my sisters when we were younger. I had to grab it for my "childhood" theme.
I always loved getting books for Christmas and birthdays. I remember that for my 10th birthday my grandparents gave me a dictionary set -- large hardcover version for home, paperback version for school. I loved it. I'm sure the friends at my birthday party thought it was a strange present.

>110 lkernagh: Hi Lori. It doesn't seem like a diet that would be sustainable for very long. I'm planning on eliminating: all sugars, processed foods, sodas, juices, potatoes, tomatoes. I'm considering eliminating teas for a while. Mainly because they've been giving me heartburn. I will add tomatoes back in ASAP. I'm not sure how long I can make it without tomatoes.
I've given the book to one of my friends. She's planning on trying the complete diet. Her health issues have been worsening the last couple of months so she's ready for drastic measures.
A few people have expressed surprise at the inclusion of pineapple. Many of the foods on the increase list are foods I don't like and would never eat. Pineapple is on my hated foods list.

I had planned to finish all my March reviews today. However; something electrical exploded inside my walls on Sunday night, taking out the heaters in my living room and dining room. Building maintenance tried to fix it all day today. I was not allowed to have my computer attached to anything. They couldn't get the problem fixed. Now I get to spend all day Thursday at home with an electrician who will need to rip open the walls to fix the problem. Great. I called my mother and told her how glad I was that I hadn't purchased my apartment (now that my building is going co-op), as this expense would be coming out of my pocket now.
One interesting note on my buildings conversion to co-op: the plan allows those of us not buying our apartments to stay and continue renting. Friday the owner sent out an offer to those of us not buying -- they will pay us to move out. I'm being offered $66,000 to vacate my apartment. I have until the 20th to decide and am considering the offer.

112VioletBramble
Editat: maig 6, 2015, 1:55 pm

I purchased these two books years ago for a TIOLI challenge in the 75 group. The challenge was to read a book written by an alumni of your alma mater. Reznikoff and Simic both attended my alma mater, NYU.



22) By The Waters of Manhattan - Charles Reznikoff
Fiction, History, Judaism, Immigration
Pages: 170
Rating:



23) The Voice at 3:00 A.M. - Charles Simic
Poetry
Pages: 177
Rating:

113rabbitprincess
abr. 1, 2015, 5:16 pm

Yikes! Electrical issues are scary. I hope the electrician is able to sort things out for you!

114-Eva-
abr. 1, 2015, 11:36 pm

$66,000?? I'd have my books boxed up already! :)

115VioletBramble
abr. 7, 2015, 8:28 pm

>113 rabbitprincess: Hi rabbittprincess. The electrician was here again today and will be back on Thursday. Apparently my electrical issues are complicated. He's very thorough -- checked every outlet, switch and electrical box in the apartment. Even moved the refrigerator and asked me if I wanted to clean behind it before he put it back in place. So of course I did. It's probably at least 7 years since I cleaned behind the fridge. The guy seemed a little stressed and unable to figure out how to solve the problem. So I prayed silently to my father -- he had been an electrician -- to check out the problem and send the guy some ideas. The electrician went to lunch and came back with a plan. Eureka! Unfortunately it requires 2 people, so the boss is coming with him on Thursday. I'm not allowed to be on the computer or watch tv during the work. I've actually managed to finish a book and get about half the recipes in my recipe file posted to recipe cards. (it's a large project) I can't wait to put my furniture back in it's proper place and have heat on the chilly mornings.

>114 -Eva-: Hi Eva. $66,000 does seem like a lot of money. After taxes I'd only get around $30,000. That's only 10 months of Manhattan rent. I'd rather stay here and continue with my much lower rent until they figure out a way to kick me out. Legally they can't as long as I pay the rent and electricity. One of my friends told me to hold out until they offer more money.

116VioletBramble
Editat: abr. 7, 2015, 9:50 pm

March Cooking with Kit
Soups and Stews

I made Golden Pepper Soup from Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients


Golden Pepper Soup with my sad attempt at a yogurt swirl.

In the book the soup is a lovely yellow color. I went with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth (I'm vegetarian) so my soup was more a golden brown color. It was pretty good. Next time I'd use less cumin, it was a little bit overwhelming.

117VioletBramble
abr. 7, 2015, 8:36 pm

Recap for March:

Books read in 2015: 23
Books read in March: 12
Books off the Shelf 2015: 21
Fiction: 14
NonFiction: 5
Poetry: 2
Graphic novel: 2
Female author: 14
Male author: 9
Pages read in 2015: 6541 (3316 in March)
Books bought in 2015: 7

118VioletBramble
Editat: abr. 7, 2015, 9:59 pm



Planned Reading for April:

SFFCAT:
The Crane Wife - Patrick Ness -- also for RandomCAT
Gilded- Christina Farley

other reading:
The Thin Man
Mrs Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing
Pioneer Girl
Tomboys: A Literary and Cultural History

April Cooking with KIT: Sweets
I plan to make -- time permitting:
Russian Tea Cakes from one of the Betty Crocker cook books
Chai Latte Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes take Over the World

119VioletBramble
Editat: abr. 7, 2015, 8:57 pm



24) The Thin Man- Dashiell Hammett
Detective, New York City, Christmas time
Pages: 208
Rating:

120VioletBramble
Editat: maig 28, 2015, 11:28 am



25) A Poem As Big as New York City: Little Kids Write About the Big Apple
Poetry, Illustrations, New York City
Pages: 38
Rating:

121VioletBramble
Editat: maig 6, 2015, 1:52 pm



26) The Crane Wife - Patrick Ness
Mythology, Fantasy, Art, Fiction, RandomCAT, SFFCAT
Pages: 320
Rating:

I'll review all of these when I'm able to be on the computer during the day

ETA: With this book I managed a BINGO on one of my cards

122dudes22
abr. 8, 2015, 6:27 am

>121 VioletBramble: - I can see by your stars that you liked this even without the review. I read it last year and liked it a lot too.

123RidgewayGirl
abr. 8, 2015, 6:52 am

While it must be highly frustrating for you, I'm enjoying following your exotic adventures in Manhattan apartment occupation.

124VioletBramble
abr. 8, 2015, 10:25 pm

>122 dudes22: - I've loved every Patrick Ness book I've read so far. I have one more left on this shelf for later this year - More THan This.

>123 RidgewayGirl: LOL. My Manhattan apartment adventures continue -- I woke up this morning to discover that the heater in the bedroom had died overnight. Now I have no functioning heat source in the entire apartment. I'm very happy that I haven't packed away my flannel pajamas yet. I'm hoping that when the electricians come in the morning that they know what they're doing.

125-Eva-
abr. 14, 2015, 11:37 pm

>115 VioletBramble:
Holy moley. Remind me never to move to Manhattan. Or complain about my rent... :)

126VioletBramble
maig 6, 2015, 1:48 pm

>125 -Eva-: I always just remind myself that the housing situation is at least better than it is in San Francisco, where I almost moved to 20 years ago. I hate to think what I'd be paying in rent there if I had actually moved.

My electrical issues are all taken care of. I have heat and air conditioning. Yay! Things remain busy otherwise. I'm so far behind -- again--- that I'm just going to do a summary of April's reads and hope to do better with keeping up in May.

127VioletBramble
Editat: maig 6, 2015, 1:59 pm


27) Gilded - Christina L. Farley
Pages: 352
Rating:


28) Tomboys: A Literary and Cultural History - Michelle Ann Abate
Pages: 338
Rating:

128VioletBramble
Editat: maig 11, 2015, 8:41 pm


29) Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing - May Sarton
Pages: 224
Rating:


30) Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography - Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pamela Smith Hill (Editor)
Pages: 400
Rating:

April Recap:
Books read in 2015: 30
Books read in April: 7
Books off the shelf: 28
Fiction: 18
NonFiction: 7
Poetry: 3
Graphic novel, etc: 2
Female author: 19
Male author: 12
Pages read : 8421 (1880 in April)
Books bought in 2015: 7

129VioletBramble
Editat: maig 6, 2015, 2:22 pm

April Cooking Kit:
I made Russian Tea Cakes from Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today. I baked them for my hospital's annual Pediatric Memorial Service for the families of all the patients who have died in the Nurseries and in Pediatrics. They were pretty good. I used sea salt in place of regular table salt. Probably a bad choice as occasionally you'd get a grain of undissolved salt, which i actually liked, but others may not have been expecting in a sweet. I enjoyed mine with some red tea with vanilla, citrus and honey. Yum.

130VioletBramble
maig 6, 2015, 2:38 pm



Planned reading for May:

SFF - Girl Power:
Od Magic - Patricia McKillip
Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

May RandomCAT: Place name in Title:
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West - Dee Brown
High, Wide and Lonesome: Growing Up on the Colorado Frontier - Hal Borland
The Village of Eternity The Lifestyle of Longevity in Campodimele, Italy - Tracey Lawson

Other reading:
Agnes Gray - Anne Bronte
Just My Type - Simon Garfield

May Cooking Kit: Main Dish

I originally planned on making baked plum tomatoes with herbed rice stuffing. However; I've now given up tomatoes - and potatoes- in an effort to decrease inflammation (it seems to be working). Now I'll be making Teff Loaf. I've wanted to make this recipe for years.

131rabbitprincess
maig 6, 2015, 6:42 pm

Glad to hear the electrical issues have been resolved! How's your weather? I think we're about due for some air conditioning -- we're supposed to hit 30 degrees C by the end of the week!!

132christina_reads
maig 8, 2015, 3:32 am

>130 VioletBramble: I love that picture! Also, I hope you enjoy Ella Enchanted -- I thought it was adorable! (The movie with Anne Hathaway is VERY different.)

133VioletBramble
maig 11, 2015, 8:06 pm

>131 rabbitprincess:- the weather has been sunny and hot, up to 86 degrees F. I had to turn on the AC a couple of days. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain for the first time in a long while.

>132 christina_reads: - that picture is by Aquasixio. You can find more like that one on the internet. I just completed Ella Enchanted. It is different than the movie in strange ways. I can't figure out why they would have changed so much of the story.
Are you going to be attending BEA and BookCon again this year?

134VioletBramble
Editat: juny 9, 2015, 9:36 pm



31) Agnes Gray - Anne Bronte
Pages: 172
Rating:

This is the first book that I've read by any of the Bronte sisters. Agnes Gray is a somewhat fictionalized account of Anne Bronte's employment as a governess in two households. The sections about the class differences between the families, their servants and the governess were the most interesting. I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading Anne Bronte's Tenant of Wildfell Hall , which I hear is her best novel.

135VioletBramble
Editat: juny 12, 2015, 12:06 pm



32) Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
Pages: 240
Rating:

Ella is cursed at birth, by a fairy, with the gift of obedience. She has to do anything that anyone commands her to do. Only her mother and Mandy, their fairy cook and fairy godmother, know about the curse. After her mother's death Ella is sent to finishing school. Hattie, a fellow pupil, and her future step-sister, finds out that Ella does anything she is told. Hattie uses this knowledge to her advantage, esp once they become sisters. Ella's father prefers to stay away from his family. Ella is forced to be a maid to her step-mother and step-sisters. Ella does have a few bright spots in her life. One is her friendship with Prince Char. When Char asks her to marry him Ella realizes that she will put him and the kingdom in danger. If enemies of the kingdom should find out about the curse they could command her to kill Prince Char or any of the royal family. Finally an event occurs that allows Ella to find the strength in herself to break the curse.
A good read. I wish there had been more world-building. I did enjoy all the languages and the glossary at the back of the book.

136christina_reads
maig 13, 2015, 1:15 pm

>133 VioletBramble: Sadly, I won't be attending BEA or BookCon this year. What about you?

137VioletBramble
maig 28, 2015, 10:14 am

>136 christina_reads: Yes, I'll be going to BookCon both days. I wish I could go to BEA. I'm hoping it's better organized and less headache inducing this year.

138VioletBramble
Editat: ag. 7, 2015, 8:03 pm



33) High, Wide and LOnesome: Growing Up on the Colorado Frontier- Hal Borland
NonFiction, Pioneers, RandomCAT
Pages: 270
Rating:

My first 5 star book of the year.
This is the first book of Borland's childhood memoirs. The second book is Country Editor's Boy.
Borland's father was a newspaper editor in Nebraska. He had been raised on farms. His father and grandfathers were farmers. In his 30's he decided he wanted to try his hand at farming and homesteading. He moved his young wife and their 9 year old son, Hal, to the just opened Colorado frontier. Set in the years 1910-1913, Borland describes how he and his father, in the spring of 1910, built their one room home, their barn, dug their well and fenced and planted their fields. Most of their time is taken up with chores to get the farm settled and productive so that they can survive winter. A sheep rancher used pastures near their homestead for grazing his sheep in the summer. Hal is given a gift of one of the sheep dogs puppies. Lucky for him, because Hal will be the only child on this section of the Colorado frontier for nearly two years. In his free time Hal, and his dog, explore the frontier, meeting their few neighbors and studying the local wildlife. Hal comes to know the ways of the local prairie dogs, the scheming of the badgers, the wars of the ants in their tall pillars and the slow struggle of the dung beetles. Things go well the first summer and winter and spring starts on a good note. Then the locusts come and eat up the entire county. Hals father is forced to go into town and take a job at the local newspaper. Hal and his mother spend a blizzard filled winter alone in their one room home, eating beans and drinking grain "coffee", and having to dig a tunnel daily to the barn to feed and water the livestock. Mr Borland returns with the spring thaw. They start plowing and planting the new crop. Before the planting is completed Mr Borland takes ill. He has to be rushed to the hospital in town, many hours away. Hal is left alone at home for 2 days. He finishes the planting. His father has to stay in the hospital for a month. When released he remains in town, working at the newspaper in order to pay the doctor bills. During this time a horrible accident happens and the family lose both their horses and one of their two grown cows. Mrs Borland is forced to hitch a ride to town to buy the only horse the family can afford. She gets an old coach horse who has never worked on a farm. Hal and his mother, and the coach horse, manage to harvest that years crop and get everything ready for the winter. When Mr Borland returns to the homestead he is very dejected. He feels guilty that his wife and son have worked so hard and look half starved. He talks about giving up and returning to Nebraska. They assure him that they love living and working there and do not want to leave. They live on the homestead for another year. Mr Borland decides that the life of farming is not for him. The family moves to a just being settled town elsewhere in Colorado. Mr Borland starts a newspaper there and teaches Hal the trade.
This is a great book, full of detailed descriptions and lovely prose. You can tell how much Hal Borland loved being a child on the Colorado frontier. Highly recommended.

139VioletBramble
Editat: juny 1, 2015, 10:22 pm



34) A Year in the Village of Eternity: The Lifestyle of Longevity in Campodimele, Italy- Tracey Lawson
Italy, Food & Drink, Recipes, RandomCAT
Pages: 384
Rating:

Tracey Lawson was teaching English language classes in Tuscany when she learned about the Italian village of Campodimele. Campodimele is well known to the medical community who has studied the village residents because of their longevity. Not only do the village residents live longer than most of us, they live healthier more active lives into their later years. Seriously, most of the villagers mentioned are in their 80s and they herd goats or farm from sun up to sun down. Lawson set out to study their diet utilizing a month by month approach, incorporating seasonal festivals. The residents of Campodimele grow or raise almost all the food they consume. The only foods they buy from the store are salt and vinegar. They preserve a majority of the foods that they harvest, grind their own wheat for flour and forage the mountain and road -sides for wild greens. Many canning/preserving/hunting days are community events.
The book has many recipes. Some of the ingredients are local to Campodimele but you could find alternatives. All the recipes are fairly simple. I'm looking forward to trying Celery Fritters and Stuffed, Baked Aubergines.

140VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 3:39 pm



35) Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson
Fiction, Eating disorders, YA, LT author, BingoDOG
Pages: 288
Rating:

Lia and Cassie, best friends since childhood, call themselves Wintergirls. Wintergirls are not dead, but not really alive. They're in limbo, waiting to see if they'll be one or the other. Lia and Cassie have eating disorders. Lia is anorexic and into cutting. Cassie is bulemic. Like all girls with eating disorders they share ideas on how to be skinny and how to hide what they're doing from everyone. Cassie and Lia are competitive with each other. They make a bet in Junior High School that they will be the skinniest. When Lia is hospitalized during the summer before their senior year Cassie stops being friends with her. Just before Thanksgiving Lia receives multiple calls from Cassie. She ignores them all. A few days later she is told that Cassie died alone in a motel room. Lia starts spiraling out of control, decreasing what she eats even more than usual, not drinking water, hallucinating that Cassie visits her and is waiting for her in death. Her mother, father, step-mother and step-sister all try to help her. Lia is resistant, continuing to lie and keep secrets. One day her step sister walks into the bathroom and sees Lia passed out after starving and cutting herself. She is hospitalized in renal failure. When she's released from the hospital her step-mother refuses to let her come home or be near her step-sister. Finally fearing for her life she confesses to her psychiatrist that she sees Cassie and has seen dead people since her grandmother died years ago. Her doctor says she'll have to have her committed to a psych ward. But not today cuz it's Christmas Eve. Lia's stepmother never comes to pick her up from her appointment -- a major snow storm is in progress. She takes a taxi to the motel where Cassie died. She plans to run away with the guy who works at the motel and found Cassie. He ends up stealing her money and leaving her there alone. She stays there alone for days waiting to die. As she gets close to death, alone in the motel room, she realizes she does want to live. She manages to get to the motel office and calls her mother.
Anderson's portrayal of eating disorders is spot on -- the body dysmorphia, the competitiveness, the way the brain stops functioning normally when you are malnourished in the extreme. Not an easy read, but very good.

141dudes22
maig 28, 2015, 4:09 pm

>139 VioletBramble: - I think I'll be taking a BB on this one. I love books about local eating.

142DeltaQueen50
maig 29, 2015, 5:37 pm

>138 VioletBramble: I have defiitely taken a BB for High, Wide and Lonesome. :)

143-Eva-
juny 2, 2015, 6:29 pm

>135 VioletBramble:
I too thought that movie was cute, so I'll be checking out the book as well, if for no other reason than to see what they changed. :)

144VioletBramble
juny 2, 2015, 7:44 pm

>141 dudes22: Enjoy Betty - it will make you hungry.

>142 DeltaQueen50: Yay!! I was hoping someone would like the sound of that book. I hope you'll love it as much as i did Judy.

>143 -Eva-: - The book is much better than the movie. Isn't that usually the case? I do enjoy the movie.

145VioletBramble
Editat: juny 2, 2015, 7:47 pm



36) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: The Illustrated Edition: An Indian History of the American West - Dee Brown
NonFiction, History, Native Americans, BingoDOG
Pages: 544
Rating:

146VioletBramble
Editat: juny 2, 2015, 7:51 pm



37) Od Magic - Patricia McKillip
Fantasy, Magic, BingoDOG
Pages: 315
Rating;

147VioletBramble
juny 2, 2015, 7:53 pm

Recap for May:

Books read in 2015: 37
Books read in May: 7
Books off the Shelf 2015: 35
Fiction: 22
NonFiction: 10
Poetry: 3
Graphic novels, etc: 2
Female author: 24
Male author: 13
Pages read in 2015: 10,634 (2213 in May)
Books bought in 2015: 13

149VioletBramble
Editat: juny 2, 2015, 8:25 pm



This past weekend I went to bookcon. This year it was two days. It was better organized and way less crazy. They moved the autograph booths away from the books. I actually got to see books, buy books and get free books this year. Woo hoo!
Here is my book haul:

Books I bought:
Book Art: Creative Ideas to Transform Your Books, Decorations, Stationary, Display Scenes and More
Horrorstor: A Novel
Summer Cocktails: Margaritas, Mint Juleps, Punches, Party Snacks and More
Moab is My Washpot
Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness
Hello NY: An Illustrated Love Letter to the Five Boroughs
Arm and Finger Knitting ---- a gift for my niece, who arm knits

Books I got for free:
The Blackthorn Key -- an ARC, I'm very excited about this one
Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy
Doodle New York City (wrong touchstone)
How to Overcome Depression and Other Heart-to-Heart Talks
A Cold Creek Reunion -- a Harlequin Romance that was actually forced on me. I have to find someone to pass this on to.

150christina_reads
juny 5, 2015, 2:51 am

>149 VioletBramble: Yay, glad you had fun at BookCon! I went last year, and it was pretty insane! I just remember ridiculously long lines and huge crowds. But it sounds like they organized it better this year!

151mstrust
juny 5, 2015, 10:48 am

Glad you had a good time and came away with a good haul. And that's a lot of free books!

152-Eva-
juny 5, 2015, 11:33 pm

Great haul! The Blackthorn Key looks really interesting - looking forward to hearing if it's good.

153rabbitprincess
juny 6, 2015, 6:22 am

Wow, your niece arm knits? I've seen people doing it and it looks rather difficult. Or at least to me it does, because spatial coordination is not one of my strong suits ;) What does she knit with that technique?

154mathgirl40
juny 6, 2015, 9:18 pm

Nice book haul. The arm-knitting book looks particularly interesting!

155VioletBramble
Editat: juny 9, 2015, 9:18 pm

>150 christina_reads: - yes, it was so much better this year. I'm sad that next year it moves to Chicago. I'm going to try to talk my sister into going.

>151 mstrust: Thanks mstrust

>152 -Eva-: - I attended a panel discussion called -No Wands Necessary: Magic in YA. The author was one of the panelists and talked about the book, without giving any spoilers. They mentioned that free ARCs (autographed) would be given out later. I figured I had no hope of getting a free copy. Two hours later I walked by a booth and there they were - and I got one. I'm going to try to squeeze it into a light reading month. Although I am so far off my usual reading pace this year that they are all light reading months.

>153 rabbitprincess: - Yes, she taught herself to arm knit by watching a video on YouTube. She already knew how to knit with needles. She made each of us a scarf for Solstice/Christmas last year. Really pretty. She said it took less than an hour for each scarf. I don't know what else she's made. The book has finger-kniited storage tubs that I'm going to try to talk her into making for me.
Examples of finger and hand- knitted items from the book: afghans, pillow covers, vests, head bands, bags, capes, place mats, even a tea cozy.

>154 mathgirl40: - The book is interesting. There are a lot of cool projects. If I can't convince my niece to finger-knit me the cool storage tubs in the book I may have to take up finger and arm knitting myself.

These are from the book. The storage tubs are the top left pic.

156VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 2:52 pm



38) A Traveller in Time - Alison Uttley
Fiction, Children's Literature, Time travel
Pages: 331
Rating:

157VioletBramble
Editat: juny 9, 2015, 9:37 pm


39) Summer Crossing - Truman Capote
Fiction, RandomCAT
Pages: 142
Rating:

158VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 3:36 pm



40) The Glass Sentence - S.E. Grove
Fantasy, Time Travel, Alternate history, SFFCAT, YA
Pages: 512
Rating:

159lkernagh
juny 14, 2015, 7:36 pm

>139 VioletBramble: - You also managed to hit me with your review of the Lawson book. Not like I am about to turn down a book about food or anything.... ;-)

Sounds like you had fun at BookCon!

160VioletBramble
jul. 20, 2015, 2:26 pm

>159 lkernagh: - Hi Lori. Sorry for the late reply. I hope you do get a copy of the Lawson book. Many of the recipes are vegetarian. I've been on the look out for celery with intact leaves so that I can try to make the celery fritters.

161VioletBramble
jul. 20, 2015, 2:48 pm

I'm very far behind again. Things have somewhat calmed down at work but other things there have been making me anxious which has been manifesting as physical illness on work days. Blah! Our new manager is so much better than our old manager that hopefully things will settle down in a good way. That being said I am still filled with the desire to go back to university for a degree in something that isn't nursing so I can plan my escape.
Today I am home with food poisoning from last nights dinner. I have actually caught up on other people's threads, although I did actually start reading them on my iphone last week while I sat around for 2 days of jury duty. It took awhile.
Now I'll do another quick catch up on my own reading. I won't have time to do actual reviews but I'll try to write a little blurb. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up better from now on.

162VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 3:13 pm



41) Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By - Dan Abrett
Fiction, Time travel, SFFCAT
Pages: 304
Rating:

This is part of the print book series (as opposed to the e-book series) released for the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who. The 11th Doctor, Amy and Rory are looking for a nice place to celebrate Christmas. They time travel in the TARDIS to a planet that turns out to be a colony of the former Earth. The residents have been tere-forming the planet for many generations. Unfortunately they have caught the attention of the Ice Warriors. The Ice Warriors have tampered with the temperature controls on the tere-formimg equipment causing the planet to experience brutal winter weather. Now all they have to do is get rid of the human inhabitants. Unless the Doctor can talk them out of their plans.
This one was okay. The Doctor, Amy and Rory were all written well. There was more Rory than Amy -- which is how I like it. I esp liked Rory's adventures while separated from The Doctor and Amy.

163VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 7:24 pm



42) The 39 Steps - John Buchan
Fiction, Espionage, Group read
Pages: 160
Rating:

A month after reading this one I can't remember that much about it. A man who has just returned to the UK from Africa is approached by another man staying at the same hotel. For no reason at all this man tells him about a planned assassination. When this second man ends up murdered our narrator goes on the run -- from the police and the presumably German spies who don't want anyone to find out about their assassination plans. He starts out on trains, then on foot, by truck and car. Along the way he stays in a small hotel and, later, when injured, in the home of a road worker. He tells everyone his story -- or as much as he knows-- and they believe him and hide him. Eventually he makes his way to London, finds some big wig in the British military, tells him the story and practically gets to run the scheme to catch the spies. Seriously. I was left with the impression that people in 1915 were either incredibly trusting or incredibly naive.
I'm glad to be able to check this one off my reading list, but, I didn't like or believe much of it.

164VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 4:37 pm



43) Just My Type: A Book About Fonts - Simon Garfield
Non-fiction, Typography, Design
Pages: 356
Rating:

A fun book about the history of fonts, typesetting, typography and design. I really enjoyed reading this one. Highly recommended if you're into fonts or design.

165VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 8:59 pm



44) The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Fiction, Parable
Pages: 208
Rating:

This book was given to me by my manager. She had just read it and wanted someone else to read it so we could discuss the book.
A young shepherd is set on the path to discovering his Personal Legend. He's told his fortune/future involves a treasure buried at the great pyramids in Egypt. He sells his sheep to get money for the trip. Along the way he meets a thief, a king, a crystal merchant, an alchemist, the love of his life and many warriors. He sees places he would never have seen, learns many skills and discovers much knowledge he would not have learned had he stayed at home with his sheep. The path to his Personal Legend ultimately leads him back to where he started and discovers his buried treasure.
An easy, quick read. Basically a parable about how what you're looking for can probably already be found in your own backyard.

166VioletBramble
jul. 20, 2015, 3:55 pm

JUNE recap:

Books read in 2015: 44
Books read in June: 7
Books off the shelf 2015: 41
Fiction: 28
NonFiction: 11
Poetry: 3
Graphic novels, etc - 2
Female authors: 26
Male authors: 18
Pages read in 2015: 12, 647 (2013 in June)
Books bought in 2013: 16

167VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 4:37 pm



45) Mockingbird- Kathryn Erskine
Fiction, Autism, BingoDOG
Pages: 256
Rating:

I read this one for my Book about Autism square in the BingoDOG.
Caitlyn is a 10 year old with Aspergers. She and her father are dealing with the recent death of her brother, Devon. Devon was murdered in a recent school shooting. Devon was the person that explained the way the world works to Caitlyn. Without him she is more lost than ever. Caitlyn is handling the situation better than her father. She decides that they need closure. She wants to finish Devon's Eagle Scout project-- a storage trunk, that sits, covered, in the family living room. She plans to use the completed trunk as a way for the entire community to find closure. Along the way Caitlyn becomes friends with a young boy whose mother was the teacher killed in the school shooting. She also comes to understand the boy who is the school bully and the cousin of the school shooter.
A really good middle-grade read. Recommended.

168VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 7:04 pm



46) The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey
Science Fiction, Aliens, SFFCAT, Young adult, Series
Pages: 480
Rating:

This book is set on present day Earth after most of the humans have been killed by aliens in 4 waves. First wave: Lights Out - all electronics, cars, plumbing,, sanitation, etc stop working. Second Wave: Surf's Up - the ocean levels are raised, killing humans in coastal areas. Third wave: Pestilence - the aliens modify birds so that they are vectors for the transmission of the Ebola virus to humans. Most humans die in this wave. Fourth Wave: Silencer - aliens in human bodies act as snipers picking off survivors one at a time. These aliens are non-corporeal beings. They have been inserting themselves into humans in the womb. Some of them have been "awake" for awhile, setting things up and getting into positions of power. Some only wake up once the mothership is hovering above the Earth. The surviving humans are unable to tell the difference between other humans and aliens in human form. The aliens have technology that shows them who is human.
The book follows a few surviving humans. Cassie Sullivan is a teenager hiding in a tent in the woods. She needs to find the military base to which her little brother, Sammy, was taken. Sammy was taken on a school bus, with other children, by people whom Cassie knows to be aliens. She saw then kill her father and other adults with a weapon they call "the eye". Cassie is being stalked by a silencer. The silencer is obsessed with Cassie. He reads her diary when she's out getting supplies. He is torn between wanting to befriend her and doing his duty and killing her. When Cassie finally sets out for the military base he shoots her in the leg. She lays dying from blood loss and infection in an abandoned car. She is found by a teen boy named Evan. Evan takes her to his family farm, cleans her up and stitches her wound. She's freaked out at first but realizes that if Evan were a silencer she'd already be dead. What the reader knows, and Cassie doesn't, is that Evan is a silencer and her stalker. Eventually she finds out but he gains back her trust. They make a plan to infiltrate the military base and rescue Sammy.
Meanwhile, at the military base, Sammy is a part of a child army in training. The head of his squad is called Zombie. Zombie's real name is Ben and he and Cassie were in school together. The squad is sent into a town to kill a group of humans infected with or suspected of carrying Ebola. Sammy, only 6 years old, is left on base. While on the mission the squad realizes that the people they have been sent to kill are not ill but are untagged humans. (all the humans at the base have had a chip imbedded in their necks). They realize that they, and all the other child soldiers, are the 5th Wave to destroy humanity. They come up with a plan to rescue Sammie and destroy the base. Zombie fakes an injury and gets back into the base. While he attacks from the inside, Cassie and Evan attack from outside.
This is the first book in a series. I have some issues -- what exactly do non-corporeal beings need with a planet, for one thing. When Cassie is given a glimpse into the world of the aliens it is all very spiritual plane/ heaven like. Hopefully this will be explained in later books. For now I'm going to go with the theory that the human race is being killed off by angels. Killer angels.

169mstrust
jul. 20, 2015, 5:00 pm

It's been a long time so glad to see you back. Food poisoning is awful, so hope you're feeling better soon.
>163 VioletBramble: That's about how I felt too. The story was good as far as espionage from 100 years ago goes, but why blab to everyone he met?

170VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 6:38 pm

>169 mstrust: Thanks mstrust. I'm glad to be back. I'm feeling better, just some residual nausea and decreased appetite.

171rabbitprincess
jul. 20, 2015, 6:50 pm

Hurray, lots of books! I am intrigued by the sounds of the Dr Who book, especially if the Ponds are in it. I have the Fourth and Sixth Doctor books from that series on my shelves.

Hope the appetite is back to normal soon!

172VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 9:51 pm



47) Eating Wildly: Foraging For Life, Love and the Perfect Meal - Ava Chin
NonFiction, Food and Drink, Memoir, BingoDOG
Pages:256
Rating:

I think I found this book through someone in my Herbal medicine class. Many of my classmates and my instructor are foragers.
Ava Chin was the Urban Forager columnist for The New York Times. Many of the chapters seem to be based on her column. Each chapter discusses how she foraged in parks, backyards and city streets for particular food items and developed a recipe around that item. She also discusses her relationship with her grandparents, her crazy mother, her deadbeat dad and her inability to find a husband.
What I got from this book; 1 recipe, the address of a second school of herbal medicine, a list of great places to forage for foods and herbs, a list of books on foraging and growing foods.

173VioletBramble
jul. 20, 2015, 7:11 pm

>171 rabbitprincess: - Hi! I think you'd like that Doctor Who book. The Ponds are the best companions.
There are more books to come. I'm way behind

174VioletBramble
Editat: ag. 2, 2015, 6:10 pm



48) The Lost Island - Ellis Dillon
Children's literature, NY Review Children's Books
Pages: 208
Rating:

An adventure story about two Irish boys who hire a boat. They are trying to find the father of one of the boys. Jim's father had disappeared 4 years earlier looking for The Lost Island. Jim and his mother receive a message that his father has found the island and Jim must come immediately. The only people they can find to help them from the local boat yard are not actually helpful type people. More like people you wouldn't want to turn your back to. These men join in hoping that there is treasure involved. They of course plan to steal any treasure these two young boys find.
This is a real boy book, full of action and adventure. As with all my NYRCB books this one is going to my friends son, Ben. I think he'll really like this one

175VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 7:35 pm



49) Solar Dance: Van Gogh, Forgery, and the Eclipse of Certainty- Modris Eksteins
Art history, NonFiction, Van Gogh, RandomCAT
Pages: 368
Rating:

An art history book about the 1932 trial of Otto Wacker who was accused of producing and selling faux Van Goghs. The sections on Van Gogh were very interesting. The sections about the Weimar Republic and Hitler, and the authors attempts to connect them to Van Gogh were unconvincing and often repetitive.

176VioletBramble
Editat: set. 7, 2015, 9:06 pm



50) Pioneer Girl: A Novel - Bich Minh Nguyen
NonFiction, Memoir, Immigrants, BingoDOG
Pages: 304
Rating:

Lee Nguyen grew up hearing her grandfather's stories about Saigon. One of her favorites was about an American journalist named Rose. Rose visited her grandfather's restaurant, Cafe88, every night for a week in 1965. She was covering the Vietnam War for a magazine. Rose sat and talked with him about Vietnam and the war. After Rose left the restaurant one night the family found a pin at her table. They kept the pin in case she came back for it. She never came back. When the family left Vietnam for the US in 1975 they brought the pin with them. The pin was rectangular, gold toned with the etching of a small house, a lake and some grasses. Lee, like many girls in the US, was a fan of the Little House on the Prairie books. When she read the passage about the pin that Almanzo gave to Laura she thought it sounded just like the pin Rosa had left at Cafe88. She was sure that Rose was Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura and Almanzo Wilder, and that the pin her family had found was the pin from that passage in the book.
Lee, having just received her Doctorate in American Literature, but unable to find a job or get accepted into a post-doctorate fellowship program, returns home. She works with her grandfather and mother in the family restaurant. One day her brother, who ran away from home, comes back for a few days. When he leaves he steals all their mothers jewelry. He leaves the Rose pin in Lee's room for her. Seeing the pin ignites a spark in Lee. She begins actively researching if the pin belonged to Rose. She studies Rose Lane's papers and visits the family homes. A slip of paper she finds in library archives and a letter she finds in a book that she steals from storage in the Wilder home point her in the direction of a new mystery.
Very entertaining. Throughout the book Nguyen compares her family's experience as immigrants with that of the Ingals family and their frequent relocating to find the best place to settle.

177VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 9:27 pm



51) Summer Cocktails: Margaritas, Mint Juleps, Punches, Party Snacks, and More - Maria Del Mar Sacasa
Food and Drinks
Pages: 158
Rating:

I picked up this book when I was looking for a cookbook with drink recipes for the Cooking KIT. None of my cookbooks have a drinks section. The photographs, by Tara Striano, are what drew me to this book. Striano photographs the drinks and snacks in indoor pastel settings and outdoor garden settings using antique bar ware as accessories. The book has a retro 50s feel.
Unfortunately I didn't find anything I could make for the CookingKIT. The majority of the drinks use alcoholic beverages -- some have a "virgin" option - which I don't drink. Most of the other drinks were not iced. Having said that, some of the recipes did make me think about trying them, esp the Bee Sting and the Honey Badger.

178lkernagh
jul. 20, 2015, 9:40 pm

Sorry to see work troubles and food poisoning. On the positive side, great recap and the string of book reviews!

179VioletBramble
Editat: ag. 2, 2015, 6:02 pm



52) Hello NY: An Illustrated Love Letter to the Five Boroughs - Julia Rothman
New York City, Illustrations
Pages: 144
Rating:

An illustrated guide of Julia Rothman's favorite places to go and eat in NYC. Gets points for including Spa Castle, manhole covers, City Island and the tugboat graveyard. As usual these NYC touristy books make me feel guilty that I have never been to the Guggenheim. I must go. Some day. I enjoyed Rothman's bright, colorful illustrations.

180VioletBramble
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 10:27 pm

JULY CookingKIT : Iced Drinks and Snacks

None of my cookbooks had a section on drinks. For an iced drink recipe I had to go to a unique "book" on my shelf. I used my tea deck. Tea Deck: 50 Ways to Prepare, Serve and Enjoy by Sara Perry. I made Catalina Citrus Sun Tea



I included the tea deck card in the photo. Considering I used red tea instead of the black tea that the recipe called for I think my tea looks remarkably like the tea on the tea deck. Probably because the tea is 50% orange juice. It was delicious.

181VioletBramble
jul. 20, 2015, 10:40 pm

>178 lkernagh: Hi Lori! Thanks.

182DeltaQueen50
jul. 21, 2015, 2:18 pm

Great to see you back. Sorry to read of the food poisoning and work troubles - but it sounds like things are going much better now. I was interested in your review of Mockingbird as I am planning on getting to that book eventually!

183thornton37814
jul. 28, 2015, 8:06 pm

>174 VioletBramble: That sounds like a book I would have enjoyed in elementary school.

184cammykitty
jul. 28, 2015, 11:34 pm

Mmmmm. Your tea deck sounds fun! It's so hot here right now, brewing tea sounds awful but sun tea wouldn't heat the house up! & for some reason, it tastes yummier when it's brewed in the sun.

185VioletBramble
ag. 2, 2015, 4:09 pm

>182 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. I think you'll like Mockingbird. It's a quick read.

>183 thornton37814: Hi Lori. It was a good one. I haven't had good luck with The New York Review Children's Collection books in the past, but this years batch has been pretty decent.

>184 cammykitty: Hi Katie. Sun tea is yummy. I'd make it more often than I do if I had a yard or a balcony. Even a decent jar sized window ledge in a sunny spot. Lacking all those things I have to take myself and my tea jar to a sunny spot near the river for 3 hours. That's 3x more sun exposure than I'm comfortable with. Tea Deck is nice if you're into tea, it's history and all the types. There are only a handful of recipes.

186VioletBramble
Editat: set. 7, 2015, 8:49 pm



53) The Hidden Hand: or Capitola the Madcap- E.D.E.N. Southworth
Fiction, 1800's, Tomboys
Pages: 544
Rating:

The Hidden Hand was serialized in magazines starting in 1859. It was first published in book form in 1888. I read the Rutger's University Press edition which has 544 pages. There are other editions with ~270 pages. I don't know what the difference in content might be between the longer and shorter versions. E Southworth was a young wife and mother whose husband deserted the family. Destitute, she turned to writing to survive. All of her works are about women and their lack of rights to control their own lives, property, money, to be employed and to have their legal concerns equal to that of men.
This story is a mix of adventure, mystery and romance with a multi-layered complicated plot. Capitola Black is a young girl discovered living as a boy on the streets of New York City. The woman who had been looking out for her since birth had traveled back to their place of origin. She becomes ill and tells her story of the girl to the local magistrate on her death bed. He travels to NYC to find Capitola and bring her back. He believes that he knows the parents of the girl. He raises her as his niece. Capitola, used to being on her own and living as a boy, has trouble being lady like and following rules made for her protection. She particularly loathes the rule that doesn't allow her to go out riding her horse without a male escort. She breaks this rule whenever possible. While out on her own she makes contact with bandits, murderers and two women being held hostage (one of them is her own mother). She makes plans to capture Black Donald, an evil man who, along with his gang, has terrorized the area and eluded authorities for years.
There is also the story of a woman and her son living in poverty since her husband deserted them. The son is studying to be a doctor. He falls in love with the daughter of the doctor that is training him. Because she is an heiress and he is a pauper and of low birth, their love is doomed. Things go from bad to worse when her father dies, leaving her and her fortune at the mercy of her evil uncle. Oh, and the deserting husband of the woman is the magistrate that is raising Capitola.
These are just a few of the many characters in this book. A part of the story takes place during the US war with Mexico and this section ultimately ties all the stories together and brings things to a satisfying, happy conclusion.
There is no way I can write a review that does justice to this complicated story. I found this book through the book Tomboys: A Literary and Cultural History. Apparently Capitola was very popular with readers and important to the cause of women's rights in American. I'm glad to have read this. Also, Capitola, while occasionally annoying, was a really fun character.

187VioletBramble
Editat: set. 7, 2015, 8:50 pm



54) Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction - Jeff Vandermeer
NonFiction, Writing
Pages: 352
Rating;

A guide to writing works of speculative fiction. Covers plotting, worldbuilding, characters, dialogue, etc. Includes advice from many well known authors, including George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, Catherine Valente, Ursula K LeGuin.
I wasn't expecting the book to concentrate exclusively on speculative fiction. I thought it would be a more general writing guide. Also I expected better illustrations. I base this solely on the cover art, which I think is beautiful and interesting.

188VioletBramble
ag. 2, 2015, 6:24 pm

Recap for July:

Books read in 2013: 54
Books read in July: 10
Books off the shelf 2013: 49
Fiction: 32
NonFiction: 17
Poetry: 3
Graphic novels, etc: 2
Female author: 32
Male author: 22
Pages read 2013: 15.717 ( 3070 in July)
Books bought 2013: 21

189-Eva-
ag. 2, 2015, 6:27 pm

>187 VioletBramble:
Ooh, me likey! BB for me.

191VioletBramble
ag. 2, 2015, 6:53 pm

>189 -Eva-: Yay! A BB! Eva, I was planning on putting the book on the give-away shelves in my buildings laundry room. If you'd like to have it I can mail it to you. PM me.

192-Eva-
ag. 2, 2015, 7:23 pm

>191 VioletBramble:
Seriously? I'm definitely taking you up on that!

193cammykitty
ag. 2, 2015, 10:00 pm

Hah! You're little image is so obviously Maurice Sendak! It's cute. Love the hair on the dragon.

194lkernagh
ag. 3, 2015, 11:14 am

>186 VioletBramble: - Oh, that one sounds good!

195VioletBramble
ag. 7, 2015, 7:22 pm

>193 cammykitty: - yes, I found a site with a ton of Sendak reading/book related poster art.

>194 lkernagh: - Lori, it was very good. Much better than I expected it to be when I e-purchased the book.

196VioletBramble
Editat: ag. 7, 2015, 8:03 pm



55) The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Fiction, Natural disaster, BingoDOG
Pages: 464
Rating:


Steinbeck's fictionalized account of all the families forced off their land in the plains during the dust bowl years and their hard journey west to California and the hope of work and food. The story mainly focuses on the Joad family, but along the way they encounter many other families in the same situation. Steinbeck alternates chapters featuring the Joad family with chapters of a more general, informational type that examine what was going on in the country at large during this time.
This was a re-read. The last time I read this book was in high school, more than 35 years ago. I always remember loving the book, as I love all Steinbeck, so I was surprised to find out how little I actually remembered of the story. Mainly I remembered the famous Tom Joad speech: I'll be ever'where- wherever you look. Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there.. But that's probably because I've seen it quoted so many times over the years.
I love the way Steinbeck writes. It makes the story as beautiful as it is bleak. Highly recommended.

197VioletBramble
Editat: set. 7, 2015, 9:47 pm



56) Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness - Carolyn Forché
Poetry, War, Repression, Anthology
Pages: 812
Rating:

An anthology of poetry about war, repression, exile and torture in the 20th century.
Sections of the book:
The Armenian Genocide
World War I
Revolution and Repression in the Soviet Union
The Spanish Civil War
World War II
The Holocaust, The Shoah
Repression in Eastern and Central Europe
War and Dictatorship in the Mediterranean
The Indo-Pakistani Wars
War in the Middle East
Repression and Revolution in Latin America
The Struggle for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the United States
War in Korea and Vietnam
Repression in Africa and the Struggle Against Apartheid in South Africa
Revolutions ans the Struggle for Democracy in China

I've been reading this anthology in sections since the start of the year. The poems are powerful, painful, scary, sad and occasionally hopeful. I flagged dozens of poems that really moved me. I'll share some of the poems when I get more time.

198DeltaQueen50
ag. 8, 2015, 5:51 pm

>196 VioletBramble: Hooray for the Grapes of Wrath love, definitely one of my most memorable reads!

199VioletBramble
Editat: set. 8, 2015, 8:16 am

Once again I am far behind. Apologies for being so crap at keeping up this year.
Here's what happened in the past 30 days:



57) Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen - Garth Nix
Fantasy, Fiction, Series
Pages: 400
Rating:

A prequel to The Abhorsen Chronicles (aka The Old Kingdom Trilogy).
Clariel, age 18, moves with her parents to Belisaire, the capitol city of the Old Kingdom.Her mother is a famous goldsmith, asked to move to the city to increase the glory of the Goldsmith Guild. Clariel is forced to conform to the ways of the city. She misses her old home and the Great Forest. She's secretly been training to be a ranger in the Great Forest.
In the Old Kingdom those born to the Charter -- or baptized into the Charter with a forehead Charter Mark- practice Charter Magic. The Charter resides in the Wall that separates the Old Kingdom from the rest of the world, the royal family and the Abhorsen line. (The Abhorsens are necromancers that keep the dead in death) Clariel is related to both the King and the Abhorsen. Clariel realizes that she is in danger from those who control the Goldsmith Guild and seek to control the Kingdom as well. Her parents don't believe her when she explains the situation to them. This results in their deaths and Clariel being taken prisoner. A friend helps Clariel escape to the Abhorsen's house where she can be kept hidden and safe. When word reaches Clariel that her beloved aunt has been kidnapped and held prisoner by the Goldsmith Guild she plans a rescue. In order to escape Abhorsen House and reach Belisaire, Clariel uses Free Magic. Free Magic is illegal and a Charter Mage who uses Free Magic corrupts their Charter Mark. Clariel ultimately saves her aunt and the Kingdom but loses herself. Her use of Free Magic has corrupted her Charter Mark and other Charter Mages can no longer associate with her. Later -- in the trilogy - Clariel shows up as a Free Magic using villain but here she is a tragic hero, used as a pawn by those who seek power and tricked into the use of Free Magic by The Mogget. In my reading and re-readings of the trilogy I have felt bad for The Mogget and his bound servitude to the Abhorsens. Now when I re-read I will remember what he did to Clariel and know that he got what he deserved.
I loved this almost as much as I love the trilogy. The Old Kingdom is one of my favorite fictional worlds - tied with Hogwarts- and i enjoyed visiting there again.
Highly recommended -- but only if you've read the trilogy. If you haven't -- read the trilogy and then this book.

200VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 10:34 pm



58) The Seems: The Split Second - Johns Hulme and Michael Wexler
Pages: 320
Rating:
59) The Seems: The Lost Train of Thought - John Hulme and Michael Wexler
Pages: 289
Rating;
Fantasy, Series

Twelve year old Becker Drane of Highland Park, NJ works as a fixer for the Seems. The Seems is the world behind our world where they build the world from scratch every day and keep things running. They are in charge of everything: the weather, sleep, dreams and nightmares, nature, energy and time.
These are the second and third books in the series. In the second someone sets off a time bomb, causing time to drain away. Once there is no time left the world will be destroyed. In the third book a train containing the world's thoughts is missing. Becker must come up with a plan to save the world.
This is a cute series. The best thing about the series is that these books are filled with word games and puns.

201VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 9:40 pm



60) Specimen Days - Michael Cunningham
Fiction
Pages: 352
Rating:

A strange book with three stories loosely connected by Walt Whitman and a small white bowl. The first story is set in the early 20th century. The second story is set post 9/11 and involves child terrorists. This was the most interesting story to me. The third story is set on a future earth where humans share the planet with droids and lizard-like aliens.
The book was well written. My desire to see where the stories were headed kept me reading. While I liked the book I don't think I'd actually recommend it to anyone.

202VioletBramble
Editat: set. 7, 2015, 9:22 pm



61) Artists in Crime - Ngaio Marsh
Mystery
Pages: 256
Rating:

My first Marsh. A model is killed in a house full of artists. I liked the mystery well enough, but felt the book, overall, was just okay. It didn't inspire me to read more by Marsh.
I'll tell you truthfully that my feelings about the book may have been influenced by my hate of the very small print in my copy.

203VioletBramble
Editat: set. 7, 2015, 9:43 pm



62) VB6: Eat Vegan before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health For Good - Mark Bittman
Vegan, Diet, Cookbook
Pages: 288
Rating:

Cookbook author Bittman's newest diet and cookbook. Basically - eat vegan before 6 pm and then eat whatever you want for the rest of the day. I'm already a vegetarian and mostly eat and cook vegan. Most of the book wasn't very helpful to me. I may be able to modify the plan/rules to fit my schedule -- which is very different from Biittmans. I did find 5 recipes that I might try.

204VioletBramble
set. 7, 2015, 9:25 pm

Recap for AUGUST:

Books read in 2015: 62
Books read in August: 8
Books off the shelf 2015: 57
Fiction: 38
NonFiction: 18
Poetry: 4
Graphic novels, etc - 2
Female authors: 34
Male authors: 29
Pages read in 2015: 18,898 ( 3181 in Aug)
Books bought in 2015: 21 (0 in Aug)

205VioletBramble
set. 7, 2015, 9:32 pm



Planned reading for SEPTEMBER:

RandomCAT:
Rain: A Natural and Cultural History - Cynthia Barnett

SFFCAT:
The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami

Murakami Group Read:
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Other reading:
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher
More Than This- Patrick Ness
Little Women - Alcott
i before e (except after c)

206VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 26, 2015, 7:46 pm



63) The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami
Fiction, Slipstream, Libraries
Pages: 96
Rating:

A young boy goes to the library to return some books. While there he decides he'd like to check out some books on tax collecting in the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately he must read these books in the library. An old man takes him down to the basement reading room, through a labyrinth, to a cell. He's told he will be kept there for a month. He must memorize all three books or the old man will suck out his brains. In the basement there is a sheep man who brings the boy meals. There is also a strange woman. The boy asks the sheep man the the woman to help him escape.
This book is the typical Murakami nightmare with creepy illustrations. Pretty much what I expect from Murakami -- just in short form.

207VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 10:12 pm



64) Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis - Timothy Egan
Biography, American Indians, Photography
Pages: 384
Rating:

A biography of Edward Curtis, a photographer from Seattle. Curtis feared that the American Indians were a vanishing race. He set out, in the early 1900s, to photograph as many tribes as possible so the race would not be lost to time. He created a 20 volume set called The North American Indian. He not only photographed the tribes, he recorded their stories and filmed their sacred traditions. It took Curtis decades to complete the project that he had initially thought would take only a few years. In the process he made a complete record of the tribes of the west and southwest of the US, their languages, customs, traditions and rituals. So complete that some tribes were able to utilize Curtis's records to re-learn their own languages and rituals decades after they had been forgotten by the tribes themselves.
Curtis was never paid for this work. He died a pauper in the 1950s. Copies of the book series are extremely rare and now sell for millions of dollars.
Fascinating story. Amazing photos. I wish the book had included more photos. Oh well, this gives me an excuse to buy a paperback copy of The North American Indian.

208VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 10:02 pm



65) i before e (except after c): Old School Ways to Remember Stuff - Judy Parkinson
mnemonics
Pages: 176
Rating:

A book of mnemonics for spelling, math, science, music, foreign language, religion and geography. Full of lots of information I'd forgotten since school. School House Rock got a one sentence mention. Considering many kids from my generation learned math, grammar and politics from School House Rock I expected a few of those songs to make the book.

209rabbitprincess
set. 7, 2015, 9:56 pm

>202 VioletBramble: My favourite part of Artists in Crime was the interactions between Alleyn and his mum. I don't really remember much of the actual mystery...

And re small print, I am having the same problem with my edition of David Copperfield. The print is almost ant-sized. Might have to switch to the Project Gutenberg copy sooner rather than later.

210VioletBramble
set. 7, 2015, 10:22 pm

>209 rabbitprincess: -- now that I'm getting older and my eyesight is getting worse I love my Kindle and it's adjustable font size more and more. All actual books will have to be checked for print size from now on.

211mamzel
set. 8, 2015, 11:00 am

>206 VioletBramble: I have this book somewhere in my house but I just can't find it! Hmmm!

212mstrust
set. 8, 2015, 11:01 am

Good to see you back, and with so many reviews too.
>206 VioletBramble: That sounds horrifying!

213VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 26, 2015, 7:47 pm



66) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running- Haruki Murakami
NonFiction, Writing, Running, Memoir
Pages: 192
Rating:

When Haruki Murakami decided to become a full time writer -- selling his bar/jazz club- he realized that he would need to adopt some form of physical exercise to keep him from gaining weight due to the decreased level of activity. He took up running. He started out running on tracks at a school near his home. Over time he wanted to try running longer distances. In this memoir Murakami compares the discipline that it takes to write daily with the discipline needed to run long distances. As Murakami started running longer distances, participating in yearly marathons and even a few triathlons, he realized he wanted to stretch his writing by attempting longer works.
Recommended for those into running and Murakami completists.

214VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 1, 2015, 10:43 pm



67) Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Fiction, Tomboy, Civil War
Pages: 400
Rating:

Another childhood classic I never attempted to read. I always thought of it as not my type of book. Of course I'm aware of the story. I've seen two movie versions of the story. I read this for my tomboy category as Jo March is one of the more famous literary tomboys. I enjoyed reading about Jo and her independence and creativity. While I found the story too sweet - or too idealized - I do believe I would have enjoyed this more if I had read it when i was young.

215VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 18, 2015, 9:32 pm



68) Rain: A Natural and Cultural History - Cynthia Barnett
NonFiction, Rain, Climate change, Natural history, History, Weather
Pages: 368
Rating:

This is a well researched book about rain. It covers the role that rain played in shaping our planet and it's natural weather patterns, our relationship with rain, the science and history of weather forecasting, attempts at controlling the weather and/or the geographic distribution of rain, acid rain, the history of the "mac" and the umbrella,, global warming, perfume making, rain in popular art (music, poetry, movies) and the role rain played in American westward expansion(manifest destiny).
I wish that Barnett had included photographs, esp. in the section set in Meghalaya, India: the rainiest place on earth, with bridges made from the roots of two trees woven together over the centuries.
As a Doctor Who fan I was pleased to see the show mentioned in the section about scent distillation. Barnett discussed the use of the term petrichor in the episode of Doctor Who titled The Doctor's Wife. I also loved finding out that rain drops are not drop shaped like a drip from the faucet, but inverted, like parachutes, due to air pressure.
Highly recommended.

216VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 11:14 pm



69) The Blackthorn Key -Kevin Sands
Fantasy, Series, ARC, Alchemy
Pages: 384
Rating:

I received this ARC at BookCon after seeing the author in a panel discussion.
The first book in a proposed series about an orphan, Christopher Rowe, apprenticed to an alchemist, Benedict Blackthorn.When someone starts murdering the alchemists of London people blame a cult. The Cult of the Archangel. When Master Blackthorn is murdered Christopher has to use everything he was taught to discover the fire sought by the cult and to avoid being murdered by them himself.
The text is full of information on herbs and spices, recipes for potions and puzzles. A fun read for middle grade aged children.

217VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 11:38 pm



70) All Four Stars - Tara Dairman
Children's literature, Cooking, Food
Pages: 273
Rating:

Sixth grader Gladys Gatsby loves food. She has been secretly cooking gourmet meals at home for years. Her parents don't know how to cook. Their idea of a meal is take out from Sticky's and other fast food places. When Gladys sets the kitchen on fire attempting to make créme brulée her secret is discovered. She is grounded and her allowance is stopped until the kitchen repairs are paid off.
Gladys is given a class assignment - an essay contest for 6th graders run by a NYC newspaper. She is to write about her dreams for the future. Her essay takes the form of a cover letter to the newspaper seeking a job as a food critic. At the newspaper her essay is separated from the other entries when it is mistaken for a real cover letter. Gladys receives an email from an editor at the paper offering her a freelance job. She is to review a new desert restaurant, Classy Cakes. The 11 year old Gladys has to plan and scheme to travel to NYC from Long Island. Without her parents finding out.
Cute middle grade read. Foodies will love it.

218VioletBramble
Editat: set. 30, 2015, 11:38 pm



71) Under the Egg - Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Young adult, Art, Monuments Men, Mystery
Pages: 247
Rating:

When Theodora's grandfather, Jack, is dying he whispers to her that the family fortune and a treasure are under the egg. She knows the egg to be a painting of an egg that hangs over the mantel. The egg was painted by her grandfather during WW II. Theo and Jack had a ritual -- bringing in the best egg from the chickens in the back yard and placing it in a dish under the egg painting every morning. While Theo is unsuccessfully trying to dismantle the mantlepiece she accidentally spills rubbing alcohol onto the egg painting. She discovers another painting underneath. Theo and a network of new acquaintances try to find the truth behind the painting -- is it a lost Raphael? what did her grandfather do during WW II? how did he come to have this painting? did he steal it while working as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art? to whom does the painting really belong?
A fun and quick read. Recommended for those with an interest in art and the Monuments Men.

219VioletBramble
oct. 1, 2015, 12:16 pm

Recap for September:

Books read in 2015: 71
Books read in Sept: 9
Books off the shelfs 2015: 63
Fiction: 43
NonFiction: 22
Poetry: 4
Graphic novels, etc: 2
Female author: 39
Male author: 33
Pages read in 2015: 21,413 (2520 in Sept)
Books bought in 2015: 30 (9 in Sept)

220VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 1, 2015, 12:25 pm

September CookingKIT:
Ethnic Foods
Focus: Latin cooking

I made Mexican Corn on the Cob from Fresh and Fast Vegetarian by Marie Simmons.
Mexican COTC is pan seared, sprinkled with smoked paprika, slathered with sour cream and rolled in Romano cheese. Served with lime wedges for squirting, but I preferred it without.

221VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 1, 2015, 12:50 pm



My sister and I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival Sept. 19-20

I picked up these books:
Spring Tides - Jacques Poulin
A River Dies of Thirst - Mahmoud Darwish
Fodor's Brooklyn
Weird Girl and What's His Name - Meagan Brothers
The Best American Poetry 2015
The Last Leaves Falling - Sarah Benwell
Backyard Kitchen: Mediterranean Salads- Sarina Roffé
Happiness: The Delight Tree - an anthology of poetry for Happiness Day
Jim Guthrie: Who Needs What - Andrew Hood

I got these audiobooks for free:. (I'm not sure if I'll actually download them. They each came with samples of 5 other books)
The Icarus Deception
Curiosity Thrilled the Cat: A Magical Cats Mystery
Blue Plate Special
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
The Faithful Spy

and these coloring books:
Vive Le Color! Japan
Vive Le Color!: India

222VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 1, 2015, 4:46 pm



Planned reading for OCTOBER:

RandomCAT:
The Fourth Wall - Barbara Paul
Ghosts of Mount Holly -Jan Lynn Bastien

SFFCAT:
Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia. I also have the 3 sequels. I'm gonna try to get to them all this month

Other reads:
Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee



All Hallows Read:
Ghosts of Mount Holly
More Than This - Patrick Ness

223-Eva-
oct. 2, 2015, 2:43 pm

>220 VioletBramble:
Looks good to me! (I'm about to go to lunch, so I'm susceptible to pictures like that right now!)

>221 VioletBramble:
Nice loot!

224VioletBramble
oct. 15, 2015, 9:41 pm

>223 -Eva-: Hi Eva! Thanks for visiting.

225VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 25, 2015, 10:42 pm



72) Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee
Fiction
Pages: 278
Rating;

When I first heard about this book I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. It seems obvious that Harper Lee didn't want the book published. And then there's the whole "Atticus as racist" dilemma. The Atticus reveal actually made sense within the story and for that time in Alabama. I thought the explanation was believable. My sister complained that "nothing happened in the story". On the surface that seems true because there is really very little action. But Jean Louise, upon returning to Alabama from New York City, learns that her father, her hero, is not the man she thought he was. She also realizes that almost everyone she knows in Alabama is not as she remembers them. Her initial reaction is to run and cut everyone out of her life. Her uncle helps her realize that the best thing to do would be to stay and try to change the way people in town think. However; this story doesn't feel like enough and I can see why Lee's publisher had her rewrite the story from young Scout's point of view.
I gave the book 4 stars because of the sections about young and teenaged Scout. Having recently re-read To Kill a Mockingbird it felt like visiting an old friend.

226VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 15, 2015, 10:44 pm



73) Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Paranormal, Fiction, Series
Pages: 563
Rating;

First in a series. I read this book for the October SFFFCat and BingoDOG (a book with portents/curse). Fifteen year old Lena moves to South Carolina to live with her uncle. Lena is a Caster (witch) who, on her 16th birthday will be claimed for either good or evil. Her uncle is protecting her until her birthday. At school she meets a boy named Ethan. Soon strange things start happening. Relatives of both Lena and Ethan, in Civil War times, fell in love. A spell goes wrong and places a curse on Lena's family that causes all the females to be claimed for evil on their 16th birthdays. Lena and Ethan look for a way to break the curse.
I've seen the movie based on the book at least a dozen times and I enjoy it. The book was slightly different, esp near the end, but a good read. I'll get to the 3 sequels eventually.

227VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 1, 2015, 10:45 pm



74) More Than This - Patrick Ness
Fiction, YA, Death, Suicide
Pages: 472
Rating:

A teenaged boy, Seth, commits suicide by drowning himself in the Pacific Ocean. Then he wakes up in a house he lived in when he was younger, an entire continent and an ocean away. The world he finds himself in looks un-lived-in for many years. The food has gone bad. Nothing works. Is this hell? Is this death? Has he come unplugged from the matrix? What is living? Is living on-line really living? He's soon discovered by Regine, a teenage girl who died falling down the stairs, and Tomasz, a young boy who claims he died after being struck by lightning. Together they try to solve the mystery of their situation.

228VioletBramble
Editat: oct. 15, 2015, 11:28 pm



75) The Fourth Wall - Barbara Paul
Mystery, New York City, Theater
Pages: 328
Rating:

An excellent mystery set backstage at a Broadway play. No one connected with the play is safe. The killer is playing a long game-- taking 8-10 years to seek his revenge on the members of this company.
I read this for the October RandomCAT (In the steps of a friend) because two of my friends occasionally act and sing on Broadway. When they can't get stage work they both work with me as nurses. I learned a lot about the process of getting a play produced and how things work at auditions and backstage politics.
Highly recommended.

229VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 30, 2015, 10:06 pm



76) Citizen: An American Lyric - Claudia Rankine
Poetry, Racism, African American
Pages: 169
Rating:

A book about racism, community and identity in America today. Prose poems that explore how the endless subtle and not so subtle acts of racism by whites towards blacks lead to feelings of frustration, invisibility and erasure.
A powerful read. Highly recommended.

230dudes22
oct. 16, 2015, 6:04 am

>227 VioletBramble: - I read his book The Crane Wife last year and want to read more by him, but think I'll take a pass on this.

231thornton37814
oct. 24, 2015, 9:50 pm

Congrats on passing 75!

232VioletBramble
nov. 1, 2015, 7:05 pm

>230 dudes22: More Than This is my least favorite Patrick Ness novel. The Crane Wife and A Monster Calls are both beautiful books. My favorite Ness remains The Chaos Walking Trilogy.

>231 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. I'm actually three books away from completing my challenge. (though there are still 9 books on the TBR pile for this year, only 3 are for the challenge)

233lkernagh
nov. 1, 2015, 7:20 pm

Oooohhhh..... three books to go. Looking forward to seeing which books you read to complete your challenge!

234VioletBramble
Editat: des. 16, 2015, 10:28 pm



77) Ghosts of Mount Holly: A History of Haunted Happenings - Jan Lynn Bastien
History, Ghosts, RandomCAT
Pages: 128
Rating:

235VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 30, 2015, 10:05 pm



78) The Smoke - Tony Broadbent
Mystery, London, Felony & Mayhem, Espionage
Pages: 423
Rating:

236VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 30, 2015, 10:17 pm

Recap for October:

Books read in 2015: 78
Books read in October: 7
Books off the Shelf 2015: 69
Fiction: 48
NonFiction: 23
Poetry: 5
Graphic novel, etc: 2
Female author: 44
Male author: 35
Pages read in 2015: 23,605 (2192 in Oct)
books bought in 2015: 35 (5 in Oct)

237VioletBramble
nov. 1, 2015, 10:57 pm



Planned reading for November:

RandomCAT:
The Cambridge Theorem - Tony Cape

Other Reading:
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny
Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food - Frederick Kaufman

238VioletBramble
nov. 1, 2015, 11:08 pm

>233 lkernagh: Hi Lori. Oh, I can tell you the 3 books since my reading is pretty much planned years in advance:

The Cambridge Theorem - completes Espionage category
The Picture of Dorian Gray - completes Classics category
Less Than Zero - completes Non-Christmas books set at Christmas time category, which I'll read in December

239lkernagh
nov. 2, 2015, 10:16 am

Nice!

240LittleTaiko
nov. 2, 2015, 6:13 pm

>237 VioletBramble: - I loved The Picture of Dorian Gray the first time I read it and have been a bit afraid to reread it in case it doesn't live up to my expectations. Curious to see what you think about it.

241VioletBramble
Editat: gen. 9, 2016, 8:53 pm

Another bad reading month. Real quick catch up time.

I read and enjoyed these three books:

79) The Cambridge Theorem - Tony Cape
Mystery, Cambridge spies, espionage
Pages: 431
Stars:

80) The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
Mystery, Series
Pages: 386
Rating:

81) Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny
Mystery, series
Pages: 387
Rating:

242VioletBramble
nov. 30, 2015, 10:09 pm

November Recap:

Books read in 2015: 81
Books read in Nov: 3
Books off the shelf 2015: 72
Fiction: 51
NonFiction: 23
Poetry: 5
Graphic novels, etc: 2
Female author: 46
Male author: 36
Pages read in 2015: 24,809
Books bought in 2015: 38

243VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 6, 2016, 3:17 pm



Planned reading for December:

Finish these books I started in November:
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food
the life-changing magic of tidying up

My last challenge book:
Less Than Zero

and if I have time:
for RandomCAT: Tell the Wolves I'm Home
and The Art of Asking -Amanda Palmer

244rabbitprincess
des. 1, 2015, 4:54 pm

Good luck with finishing up your November reads and your last challenge book!

Also glad you enjoyed the Louise Pennys. I particularly enjoyed the setting of Bury Your Dead. The book made me want to make a return visit to Quebec City. I went for work earlier this year but it ended up being too cold to sightsee :(

245VioletBramble
des. 16, 2015, 8:28 pm

>244 rabbitprincess: Thanks rp.
Quebec City sounds beautiful. My niece has been there and loved it. I want to go but I don't think I'd visit during Carnival time.
I was unhappy with the fate of the new detective from The Brutal Telling. i really liked that clumsy fiddle player and thought he made a great addition to the team.

246VioletBramble
Editat: des. 16, 2015, 10:27 pm



82) The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition - Oscar Wilde. Edited by Nicholas Frankel
Fiction, Gothic
Pages: 295
Rating:

An annotated edition of the uncensored text. The notes cover all aspects of the obscenity case and the parts of the text that were un-published. The most interesting sections of the notes were the parts that tie events and people in Wilde's life to people and events in the novel. I wasn't aware of the extent to which the novel is autobiographical.
Recommended.

247VioletBramble
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 9:55 pm



83) Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food- Frederick Kaufman
NonFiction, Hunger, Food, Finance
Pages: 266
Rating:

It is a distinct possibility that one day, in the not too distant future, all of the genetic material in the world will be someone's property, owned and managed by corporations, governments, and very rich people.

I bought this book because I thought it was about GMO foods. While there is a short section on GMOs this book is about so much more. Mainly it's about how food became a commodity, traded on the futures market. How people can buy and sell food futures -- food that doesn't exist yet-- and in doing so, make themselves a lot of money, consequently pushing the price of the food that is actually available out of the reach of many. Also discussed is how food science, often described as an essential part of ending world hunger, is also contributing to the increasing cost of food. And the increasing prevalence of poverty and hunger throughout the world.
Fascinating. Highly recommended.

Food for all is a necessity. Food should not be a merchandise, to be bought and sold as jewels are bought and sold by those who have the money to buy. Food is a human necessity, like water and air, it should be available.- Pearl S Buck

248VioletBramble
Editat: nov. 2, 2021, 6:06 pm



84) The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing - Marie Kondo
NonFiction, Organization
Pages: 213
Rating:

How to de-clutter and organize using Kondo's KonMari Method. Basically the method has you get rid of any of your belongings that don't bring you joy as you organize your entire house category by category. When you get rid of an item you first thank it for it's service. Kondo is big in anthropomorphism -- at the end of the day you should thank your clothes, shoes, purse, etc for their service and then let them rest. I like her clothing folding method and some of her other ideas. She lost me on her idea that 6-30 books is the correct amount of books that people should have in the house. She does not understand the book collector or hoarder at all. Plus, the previously mentioned anthropomorphism was often laughable; Ex: Clothes, like people, can relax more freely when in the company of others who are very similar in type, and therefore organizing them by category helps them feel more comfortable and secure.

249VioletBramble
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 9:55 pm



85) Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis
Fiction, Drugs, Nihilism, Los Angeles
Pages: 208
Rating:

The last book for my Non-Christmas books set at Christmas time category and the last book for my 2015 categories.
I can't recall the last time a book left me feeling this disturbed and depressed. The book is about the children of the elite of Hollywood/Los Angeles. How their access to money, drugs and sex has given them everything but left them with nothing to lose.
Two days before I started reading the book I watched the movie version on cable. I thought it might be a good starting point when reading the book, you know, that I'd already have some sense of what these characters are about. I was so wrong. The book and movie have little in common. The names of the main characters are the same. The story is narrated by Clay who has just returned to LA from college 'back east". Movie Clay seems to care about his friends and their problems. Book Clay cares about nothing. The only times Clay shows any interest in or emotions about something outside of himself are two of the most disturbing instances in the book( a gang rape and the vehicular killing of a coyote).
I can see why critics call Ellis a brilliant writer. When I was reading I kept wondering - why am I reading this, this is crap, I don't care about any of these characters. By page 208 I was left wondering how a book I had hated just pages ago could have affected me emotionally as much as it did.

250VioletBramble
Editat: des. 16, 2015, 10:39 pm

I forgot to post this for November. My November CookingKIT - Deserts. Focus on chocolate.
Inspired by my sister, who found a bottle of Coca-Cola with my name. I don't drink Coca-Cola so had no idea what to do with the soda. My family owns a self-published community cook book that has a recipe for Coca-Cola cake. So, I made Coca-Cola cake for a work party.


Coca-Cola Cake. Not a really pretty picture but, it was yummy and a big hit at the party.

251lkernagh
des. 21, 2015, 8:19 am

Congratulations on finishing your challenge! Like you, I wouldn't be too sure about a cake made with Coca-Cola but if it was a hit with your co-workers, it must be good. ;-)

252mstrust
des. 21, 2015, 10:45 am

I've heard of Coca Cola cake and yours looks good and rich. Glad it tastes good too.
My sister made root beer bbq meatballs once. You could taste the root beer's spice in the finished product and everyone liked them.

253rabbitprincess
des. 21, 2015, 6:07 pm

Great use of cola! My BF got a bottle of chocolate liqueur last Christmas and spent this past year making brownies with it because neither of us would drink it. Handy how recipes exist for this sort of situation!

254VioletBramble
des. 23, 2015, 9:45 pm


Winter Solstice Mandala
Sculpted Image by Daniel McPheeters

Happy Winter Solstice - one day late! (Happy Summer Solstice to those in the southern hemisphere)

>251 lkernagh: - Thanks Lori
>252 mstrust: - If I ate meat I would try root beer bbq meat balls. I love root beer.
>253 rabbitprincess: - someone should compile a cook book of foods to make with unwanted beverages.

255VioletBramble
Editat: des. 26, 2015, 10:18 pm



86) We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Essay
Pages: 52
Rating:

A short essay adapted from the author's TED talk.

256VioletBramble
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 9:55 pm



87) A Very New York Christmas - Michael Storrings
New York City, Christmas, Illustrations
Pages: 93
Rating:

An illustrated book about places to visit in NYC at Christmas time

257VioletBramble
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 10:35 pm



88) Tell The Wolves I'm Home: A Novel - Carol Rifka Brunt
Fiction, AIDS
Pages: 369
Rating:

This novel grabbed me immediately and was un-put-downable.
Set in 1987 and narrated by 14 year old June this story is about relationships and their complications. June's beloved uncle, Finn, has just died of AIDS. She is devastated. She notices a strange man hanging around, at the funeral, and delivering packages to her in disguise. This man is Toby, her uncles long time partner. June has not been allowed to meet or know about Toby because her mother believes that it was Toby that gave Finn the HIV. Toby is also dying of AIDS. Finn has left instructions for June and Toby to take care of each other. (Toby has no one) Because of her mother's prejudice against Toby, June must interact with him in secret. June's relationship with Toby strains her relationships with the rest of her family as she has to hide and lie about what she is doing. There is also a story involving a portrait of June and her sister, Greta, painted by Finn just prior to his death. Finn is a famous artist. A number of characters deal with their relationship issues by adding their own alterations to the painting.
Highly recommended.

258lkernagh
des. 24, 2015, 4:59 pm

259rabbitprincess
des. 24, 2015, 6:05 pm

Wishing you a very happy holiday and all the best in 2016!

260dudes22
Editat: des. 25, 2015, 7:26 am

Merry Christmas Kelly!

261RidgewayGirl
des. 25, 2015, 8:45 am

Tell the Wolves I'm Home has been on my list of books to read soon for some time. I really should get to it.

And I hope you're having a lovely holiday season. May your best reading year ever start with the New Year, Kelly.

262VioletBramble
des. 26, 2015, 9:52 pm

>258 lkernagh: Thanks Lori. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

>259 rabbitprincess: Thanks rabbitprincess. I hope 2016 is a great year for you.

>260 dudes22: Thank you Betty. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

>261 RidgewayGirl: Thanks Kay. I hope you had a festive holiday. Yes, read Tell the Wolves I'm Home soon. It's excellent and a quick read. It would still be sitting on my shelf waiting to be read if it wasn't for the RandomCAT.

263VioletBramble
Editat: des. 26, 2015, 10:34 pm

I'm very late with my seasons greetings /wishes this year because I've been working the holiday and the weekend. I have Monday off. Hopefully i can get my 2016 thread up and running that day. Then I work Tues and Wed. Then I'm off for 4 days. New Years Day is the 10th anniversary of my father's death. I'll be heading to NJ for a family memorial ritual -- specifics unknown at this time. It's been a strange holiday season for me. I feel like I'm waiting for it to be over so I can get on with the rest of my life. Oh well.

Book wise it was a good holiday. For Solstice/Christmas I received 6 books.
The Library at Mount Char
M Train
Welcome to Braggsville
This One Summer
Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink
The Film Book: A Complete Guide to the World of Cinema

In case I don't get back here before 2016 I want to wish everyone a Happy, healthy New Year.

264VioletBramble
Editat: des. 15, 2022, 10:51 am

I forgot to add this book:



89) Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library - Chris Grabenstein
YA, Libraries, Word games, Board games
Pages: 320
Rating:

Fun YA book about twelve 12 years olds locked in a library overnight. They need to find a way to escape the library using clues found in books and board games.

265VioletBramble
Editat: des. 26, 2015, 10:23 pm





These are photos of Rice Krispie Treat Pops with book covers I had made for my sister and myself with our favorite book covers. The top set are my favorite covers and the bottom set are the favorite covers of my sister Dawn. One of my friends at work has a side business making party treats.

266dudes22
des. 27, 2015, 6:47 am

>264 VioletBramble: - I read this earlier in the year, Kelly and gave it a 1/2 star more than you did. The next one in the series will be out in mid-Jan. My sister is a children's librarian and I'm thinking of asking her to sneak me up in the waiting list.

>265 VioletBramble: - I'm not a big Rice Krispie fan, but that was a great idea. Is the cover edible? Or just a paper cover? Either way I can see this being a great party favor. Looks like the sticks are decorated too!

267-Eva-
des. 27, 2015, 7:59 pm

>248 VioletBramble:
"6-30 books is the correct amount of books that people should have in the house"
HAHAHAHAHA!!

>265 VioletBramble:
Those are great!

268VioletBramble
Editat: set. 11, 2022, 10:58 pm

>266 dudes22: Amazon notified me that Mr Lemoncello's Library Olympics is being released in Jan. Now I'm wondering if I could squeeze it into my planned January reads. It would fit the DeweyCAT for the 000s. If it's as quick a read as the first book I think I could manage it.
The book cover images on the RK treats are printed on food grade rice paper. Completely edible. Yes, the pop sticks are decorated with gold snow flakes. I'm not really a fan of RK treats either -- marshmallow is not vegetarian -- but I saw a set of these my friend did with Dr. Seuss book covers for a baby shower or child birthday, and knew I had to have some with my book covers. I'm trying to come up with a way to preserve the Dandelion Wine RK pop. It's so pretty. I just want to look at it, not eat it.

Link to wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/GenreCAT_2021#August:_-_Theme:_Poetry.2F....

269VioletBramble
Editat: set. 12, 2022, 5:03 pm

>267 -Eva-: Yes, Marie Kondo doesn't know what she's talking about when it comes to books. I guess if you spend all your free time organizing you don't have time for pleasure reading.
Thank you. My photos don't do justice to the Rice Krispie pops. They are so pretty and detailed in person. My friend, Andrean, does great work.



The Random KIT theme for October is What's in a Name? The challenge is to read a book with a name in the title.

some examples:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
My Antonia
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Daisy Jones and the Six
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Florence Adler Swims Forever
A Man Called Ove
The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Acts of Violet

For those who want an October or Halloween theme:
Dracula
Coraline
Frankenstein
Rosemary's Baby
The Vampire Lestat
Carrie
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Odd Thomas



https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/RandomKIT_2022

270mstrust
des. 28, 2015, 2:08 pm

>265 VioletBramble: Those look fantastic!

271lkernagh
des. 29, 2015, 9:06 pm

>265 VioletBramble: - What a creative idea!

272VioletBramble
Editat: set. 11, 2022, 10:58 pm

Completely forget to add my last book for 2015 and do my yearly stats.



90) The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help - Amanda Palmer
NonFiction
Pages: 340
Rating:

Palmer's brutally honest manifesto on asking people for what you need; financially, socially and emotionally.

The Iliad - Homer
The Divine Comedy- Dante Alighieri
The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allen Poe
Collected Poems: Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Weary Blues - Langston Hughes
The Undressing: Poems - Li-Young Lee
Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur
Brown Girl Dreaming -Jacqueline Woodson
Come Thief: Poems - Jane Hirshfield

Angels in America- Tony Kushner
Medea- Euripides
A Doll's House - Ibsen
Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller
True West - Sam Shepard
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide.. -Ntozake Shange
Wit - Margaret Edson

A Contract With God - Will Eisner
Watchmen- Alan Moore
Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
Saga - Brian K. Vaughan
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
V for Vendetta - Alan Moore
Lumberjanes - Noelle Stevenson
Pumpkin Heads - Faith Erin Hicks and Rainbow Rowell
The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang

273VioletBramble
Editat: set. 11, 2022, 10:59 pm

Recap for 2015:

Books read in 2015: 90
Books off the shelf 2015: 76
Fiction: 55
NonFiction: 27
Poetry: 5
Graphic novels: 2
Female author: 50
Male author: 41
Pages read in 2015: 26,965
Books bought in 2015: 42

The GenreCAT topic for August is Poetry/Drama/Graphic Novels

Poetry: literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. (Oxford Languages)



The Iliad - Homer
The Divine Comedy- Dante Alighieri
The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allen Poe
Collected Poems: Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Weary Blues - Langston Hughes
The Undressing: Poems - Li-Young Lee
Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur
Brown Girl Dreaming -Jacqueline Woodson
Come Thief: Poems - Jane Hirshfield

Drama: a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance; play.(Wikipedia)



Angels in America- Tony Kushner
Medea- Euripides
A Doll's House - Ibsen
Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller
True West - Sam Shepard
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide.. -Ntozake Shange
Wit - Margaret Edson

Graphic Novel: a novel in comic-strip format (Oxford Languages)



A Contract With God - Will Eisner
Watchmen- Alan Moore
Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
Saga - Brian K. Vaughan
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
V for Vendetta - Alan Moore
Lumberjanes - Noelle Stevenson
Pumpkin Heads - Faith Erin Hicks and Rainbow Rowell
The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang