Familyhistorian's 2024 Reading Adventure - Part 3

My name is Meg and this is a thread where I post about my reads and other adventures. I’ve been a member of the 75ers since 2013 and my personal library has grown exponentially ever since. The people around here are enablers and you are hereby warned.

This year I want to concentrate on reading the books that I own and sending them on their way. (I can hope, can’t I?) I’m placing my Little Free Library and the stats of books culled higher in the list to bring it to my attention more often.



Little Free Library

Books culled in 2024

January - 10

February - 0 (reading my own books would have allowed some to be recycled)

March - 3

April - 2

BLOG



I write about genealogy and history on my blog. Follow my blog posts as I embark on another year of exploring and writing about my ROOTs (the family kind). You can see my latest blog posts at: A Genealogist’s Path to History

Challenges
Reading Through Time

Quarterly

January-March 2024: Prehistoric
April-June 2024:
July-September 2024:
October-December 2024:

Monthly

January: Janus
February: Aquarius & Amethyst - Perkins Perfect Purple: How a Boy Created Color with Chemistry by Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn - DONE Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel DONE
March: Medicine & Epidemics - Medicine: A Graphic History by Jean-Noël Fabianai and Philippe Bercovici DONE
April: Characters with Disabilities
May: International Labour Day
June:
July: Vive la France
August:
September: Royal to the Bone
October: Adultery
November: Biographies & Memoirs
December: Reader’s Choice

2024 Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prize Winners – prizes off the beaten track
February: Women’s Work - Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel DONE
March: Forensic Sciences - The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science by Sandra Hempel - DONE
April: Globalization
May: Wild Wild West
June: Middle Europe
July: Insect World
August: Being Jewish
September: Essays
October: Music, more music
November: Too Small to See
December: As You Like it or Political Biography

The War Room Challenge

MONTH - BY - MONTH IN THE WAR ROOM

JANUARY - The Ancients (Greeks, Romans etc) - Taken at the Flood: The Roman Conquest of Greece by Robin Waterfield DONE
FEBRUARY - The American War of Independence - The Other New York: The American Revolution beyond New York City, 1763 - 1787 edited by Joseph S. Tiedemann and Eugene R. Fingerhut DONE
MARCH - The War of the Roses - War of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones - DONE
APRIL - Wars of Religion
MAY - The Napoleonic Wars
JUNE - The English Civil War
JULY - Colonial Wars
AUGUST - World War Two
SEPTEMBER - The American Civil War
OCTOBER - American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars)
NOVEMBER - World War One
DECEMBER - The Spanish Civil War
WILDCARD - Pick your own fight!

List of books for challenges

RTT

January - March quarter: Prehistoric - Before Scotland

January: Janus - The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

March: Medicine & Epidemics - Medicine: A Graphic History

April: Characters with disabilities - Blind Justice

Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prize Winners – prizes off the beaten track - The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley - A New York Times Notable Book and short listed for the 1994 Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science Books

March: Forensics - Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed or The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science

April: Globalization - A Rabble of Dead Money: The Great Crash and the Global Depression 1929-1939

The War Room Challenge:

March: The War of the Roses - The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors

April: Wars of Religion - The Passion of Anne Hutchinson

Books read in 2024

Books read in February 2024

1. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher
2. Perkin’s Perfect Purple: How a Boy Created Color with Chemistry by Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn
3. Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb
4. Murder at Greysbridge by Andrea Carter
5. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
6. The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes: Secrets from a Victorian Woman’s Wardrobe by Kate Strasdin
7. Wake: The Hidden History of Women Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hill
8. Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb
9. Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
10. Mary Astor’s Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel
11. Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater
12. In The Morning I’ll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty
13. The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
14. Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout
15. The Golden Spiders by Rex Stout
16. Treacherous is the Night by Anna Lee Huber
17. Still Life by Sarah Winman
18. Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum by Jennifer Cook O’Toole
19. Brunetti’s Cookbook by Roberta Pianaro and Donna Leon
20. The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly
21. Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith
22. The Other New York: The American Revolution beyond New York City, 1763 – 1787 edited by Joseph S. Tiedemann and Eugene R. Fingerhut

Books acquired in 2024

Books acquired in February 2024

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern by Mary Beard
A Bird in the Hand by Ann Cleeves
Everything is OK by Debbie Tung
The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller
Someone Else's Shoes by Jo Jo Moyes
Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Happy New Thread,Meg!

>12 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. That was fast but I don't give out crowns or anything just appreciation!

Happy new thread, Meg!

What, Meg, no crown? 👑 😉

Happy new one!

Happy new one, Meg! Love that topper!

Happy new thread, Meg.

Happy Friday, Meg. Happy New Thread. I see you picked up The Cold Dish. Is this your first time reading Longmire? I love that series.

Happy new thread, Meg. I love the topper.

Happy new thread!

>14 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita!

>15 vancouverdeb: Sorry Deborah. Does that mean I should up my game?

>16 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

>17 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, that sign was part of the Christmas lights display at the local park. It went along with Alice in Wonderland themed cut outs and stuff.

>18 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

>19 msf59: Hi Mark, I found The Cold Dish in my local little free library and, because I've read lots of love for Longmire on LT, I had to pick it up and take it home.

Hi Meg, Happy new thread and WOW!! FEb. was a great reading month for you! Glad that you liked the Brunetti cookbook!

Happy new thread, Meg.

>20 BLBera: Hi Beth, thanks for the new thread wishes and for the topper love!

>21 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>26 mdoris: Hi Mary, the Brunetti cookbook was interesting and there were many excerpts from the books with food related scenes. February felt like a slower reading month than January for me but, now that I look at it, I was reading at about the same rate.

>27 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul!

Happy new thread Meg!

>31 quondame: Thanks Susan!

Happy new 🧵!

>33 Storeetllr: Thanks Mary!

The Book of Days is quite new, Meg. It was published Feb 1 2024. I had really enjoyed her book The Translation of the Bones and that's what interested me in this new book. My library doesn't have anything by the author right now. I ended up purchasing it from amazon onto my kindle. I don't really enjoy reading on my kindle, but I will do it as a last resort if the book is fairly short , say 250 pages or less, and it's only available in hardcover. A way to save a bit of money. But I did love both books . Nice sunny day here today, as compared to Friday, when Poppy and I got caught in a rainstorm on our walk.

>35 vancouverdeb: The VPL has The Translation of the Bones in hardcover. You probably should join that library, Deborah. They have a few other books by her as well so they will probably get The Book of Days.

Not sunny here. It was drizzly most of the day and the same in downtown Vancouver.

Snow here, piles of it!

>37 mdoris: Really!? It's cold here but just a bit too warm for snow, at least down here and I didn't see any snow as I went from Coquitlam to Vancouver but that was all at Skytrain level. There's probably snow up on Westwood Plateau.

It's just 9 pm. I was wondering why I'm so tired but then I remembered. Today I walked to my watercolour class, walked home, walked to the Skytrain with a bag full of books to return to the library. Took the Skytrain downtown and back. I mostly returned books and there were no holds waiting. Couldn't walk out without one, though.

On top of that, the Rootstech conference started on Thursday and I took in a bunch of sessions between then and yesterday. The start time for most of those days was 7 am. I also fit in a dentist appointment and chaired a meeting for PoCo Heritage online. I think I'll sleep in tomorrow!

Yes , I think when Dave retires I will join the VPL, Meg . Then I will have more time to get around , and not always walk the dog . This afternoon we had sleet briefly while I was out walking the dog . I think tomorrow is supposed to be sunny.

>10 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, Congratulations on walking so much today. I imagine you are very tired, in a good kind of way. I hope you can sleep in tomorrow. I've added to books from your list of those you acquired, Everything Is Ok and the Cold Dish.

You've earned a sleep in day and maybe a day of reading! 📚

>40 vancouverdeb: There is sun, Deborah but I also woke up to snow. Not much, but still making its presence known. The VPL has many branches and there are probably some near you. It's easiest for me to get to the main library due to public transit.

>41 Whisper1: Hi Linda, I didn't really sleep in, just didn't have to get up and do anything right away which was good. I like Debbie Tung's books so I'm looking forward to Everything is OK although the subject doesn't sound like it will be all that enjoyable. I'm not sure where The Cold Dish fits in the series. I hope it's the first one because I'd like to start at the beginning.

In the last thread you asked if I played Connections. I haven't gone down that rabbit hole.

>42 mdoris: Thanks Mary. I'll have to take a rain check on the day of reading because that's not what happened.

>45 thornton37814: It's usually a pretty quick game, Lori, and sometimes makes me feel better when Wordle has almost defeated me.

47. Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger



The second book in the Cork O’Connor series, Boundary Waters, had Cork being roped into a team of men searching for a country singer, Shiloh. There was a mystery around Shiloh’s mother’s death. Her mother had also been a well-known singer. Now it seemed that someone was out to get Shiloh as well. Was that tied in with the mystery of her mother’s death or were other forces at play? As the story picked up speed it the team’s quest became deadly and it was more a question of how many in the team would be left if and when they finally found Shiloh.

It's been hard to get to LT lately. A lot of my time has been spent looking for recipes for appetizers. I've been invited to 2 potlucks. Me, the person who hates potlucks. I never know what to bring and always feel bad about what I put on the potluck table. I like the people in both groups though. One of the gatherings is for my women's group.

I ditched the regular meeting for that women's group last night so I could attend a meeting of PoCo Genealogy. I rarely get to those meetings and wanted to check in. The presentation last night was on research in Wales and Ireland. I don't have any Welsh rellies that I know of, well except that one of my grandmothers had the surname Welch. That makes me wonder. I do have Irish roots, frustratingly early ones - they were in London by 1815.

Hey Meg! I've been working lately on some pictures for my MIL's genealogy project and it's so fun! Though I don't know who some of these people are.

>50 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel. That sounds like a fun project. If they are your MIL's family no wonder you don't know who some of them are! Is she working on your family too?

48. A Bird in the Hand by Ann Cleeves



Before her more well-known mystery series came to the fore, Ann Cleeves wrote other mysteries. A Bird in the Hand was first published in the ‘80s. It has been reissued as has at least one more book in the series that I know of.

A Bird in the Hand started with the murder of a birder and George Palmer-Jones, an elderly birdwatcher, was asked to look into the death. Through the investigation the reader comes to know various people in the birding community on the Norfolk coast and there were some dicey ones. George also took a side trip to the Scilly Isles to find out more background information. It was a good mystery although there were a lot of characters to keep track of. It was interesting to find out more about the birding community and about Scilly, a place new to me.

>52 Familyhistorian: Sounds like one Mark, our resident birder, would enjoy! Did it hold up, though, as it was written pre-tech and before today’s social norms? Some do, but some just don’t appeal.

>53 Storeetllr: It was pretty good, Mary, and, because it was a mystery written back then it was shorter.

>52 Familyhistorian: That does sound good.

>52 Familyhistorian: That sound interesting, Meg. I too thought of Mark right away. I mean, he is an elderly birder, isn't he ? ;-) Windy night tonight, or at least it was an hour or so ago. I was so happy snuggled up in my recliner wrapped in a blanket, I was reluctant to come downstairs to the desk top. I have an Iphone, but I am a very slow texter, so I prefer the keyboard that goes with the computer.

Belated happy new thread Meg!

49. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose



The second book in the maid series, The Mystery Guest once again involved a death at the hotel where Molly worked. This time, though, the murder happened in front of a crowded tea room full of people listening to an author speak. Molly was on hand as was her maid-in-training, Lilly. When Lilly came under suspicion in the murder, Molly had to clear her protégée’s name.

It was a page turning mystery in which the reader was treated to scenes from Molly’s past which had a bearing on the present. I wonder what Molly will be up to the next time?

>55 BLBera: It was a fun one, Beth

>56 vancouverdeb: The winds were impressive but I mostly noticed them in the morning yesterday, Deborah. When I saw the title of A Bird in the Hand, Mark immediately came to mind. I let him know about the book although he's not much of a mystery reader.

>57 humouress: Thanks Nina!

>52 Familyhistorian: and >58 Familyhistorian:
You've hit me twice already on your new thread, Meg!!

Happy week-ahead's reads, Meg!

>62 EBT1002: Well, you need something to fill all that time you have on your hands now, Ellen!

>63 richardderus: Thanks Richard, and the same wishes back at ya!

Hi Meg, I hope you are enjoying The Cold Dish - the Walt Longmire series is one of my favorites! And yes, that is the first one in the series so you are off to a good start!

>66 DeltaQueen50: Good to know it's the first one, Judy. I should crack the covers soon to see what so many LTers are raving about!

Hi Meg, did you get out for your walk today? It is crazy out there with wind and rain and lots of clunking sounds as branches fall. Yikes.

Had enough rain yet, Meg ? I have!

>68 mdoris: It was a bit windy when I was out, Mary, but no where near as windy as it was a few days ago. I think that was Saturday. A woman who lives close by lost power for a while due to the storm.

>69 vancouverdeb: It's not so much the rain as the cold, Deborah. The combination is chilling but we're promised dry weather and warmer temperatures in a few days.

50. Dark in Death by J.D. Robb



My latest In Death read was Dark in Death, which had a killer recreating the murders in a murder mystery series. Dallas became aware of the mystery link when Nadine brought the author to see her after the first couple of murders had occurred. Why drove the killer to create copycat crimes of a literary bent? Dallas and the team would have to find the killer first to find out the motivation, hopefully before her next kill.

I'm hanging out on LT instead of working on the things that need to be done soon. Strange how that happens. I should be working on the next chapter of my rewrite of my work in progress, finalizing plans for a trip and working on my watercolour homework that needs to be done by Sunday. Strange how I can't seem to get around to doing that especially as we are doing urban landscapes, a form of art that really interests me.

51. The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge



In the GN, The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, Mona was a high school student and the matter was how she referred to her depression. After her best friend moved away, she had a hard time connecting to others but, as she worked her way through her problems, she found a way to connect through her art which brought her friendship and purpose. It was a cute story with an encouraging message.

When I went to the library last weekend, one of my holds wasn't in yet although it showed it was in transit. I checked today to see if it was in yet and all of a sudden there are 5 books for me to pick up. How does that happen? I thought I had everything set up so that I could finally get to read my own tomes.

HI Meg, I know how that works. Today was a library day and I picked up 4 and when I got home there was a message that a new one was waiting for me.

>76 mdoris: It's like they are waiting in the weeds, isn't it Mary. This time I had paused a couple a bunch of holds so they'd come in later and thought it was all set but some of the long long holds suddenly came up.

>77 Familyhistorian: like having too many plates in the air. :)

>78 dianeham: Yes, it's hard to get the right balance!

Spoiled for choice!

Dropping in to say "Hi Meg!" I'm really behind on threads. I'm hoping I can catch up soon.

Hi Meg! You have me curious as to what puzzles you ordered from Canada Puzzles? I placed an an order a few days ago , and I ordered Heye 1500 pieces Sugar Hills, I think it was called , and a 1000 piece puzzle by the New York Puzzle company called Stay Cosy. I think they are supposed to arrive next Monday. It's a good place, the flat shipping rate is good, and it is free if you order over $69 dollars, I think, plus you get $10 off for every $100 you spend. Great variety of puzzles too. You'd think i worked for them, the way I talk here. But yes, puzzle costs definitely add up. I was in Ladner visiting my sister in law and she also does puzzles, but says she cannot pay full price for a puzzle and purchase them from Facebook Market place and Varage . I sometimes do that. In fact we walked her dog to where she was picking up a book for $3.00 from some in Ladner that had the book on sale on Varage. i know you'll be proud of me when I tell you that I went into Black Bond Books in Ladner and resisted purchasing any books. I did see several very tempting books, but I have a hold for them on the library, so I was good. For once!

52. Following Caesar: From Rome to Constantinople, the Pathways that Planted the Seeds of Empire by John Keahey



After reading about Rome and its battles in Taken at the Flood for the War Room Challenge, the book, Following Caesar: From Rome to Constantinople, the Pathways that Planted the Seeds of Empire, seemed like a welcome fit. The premise of the book was the author following some of the old Roman roads close to the epicenter of Roman, the Via Appia and the Via Egnatia. While attempting to find the traces of these Roman highways, he related the history of the areas he was passing through as he told the story of his journey in the present. Not quite present though, as he was hampered in some cases by Covid restrictions. It was an interesting account but probably would have been more enlightening if I had a better knowledge of Roman history.

>80 mdoris: I know, Mary. It would be nice but it keeps happening!

>81 thornton37814: Good luck catching up, Lori. I am way behind as well.

>82 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, I ordered 3 puzzles as I wanted to make sure of free shipping. Two of them are flowery and 1000 pieces: a Galison puzzle, Spring Terrace and a New York Puzzle Co, Fainting in the Botanical Garden. The third puzzle was 500 pieces, a Springbok, Lake Windermere General Store.

Kudoos to you for not picking up anything at Black Bond Books. My book buying is way down this year. I think the reason is because the library holds are keeping me busy.

>83 Familyhistorian: I liked it permaybehaps a widgin better than you, but we agree that some background in Roman history really, really is necessary to winkle the most out of the read.

Happy weekend-aheads reads, Meg!

>87 richardderus: Yeah, not a book for a newbie to Roman history but interesting nonetheless.

Have a wonderful weekend, Richard!

53. Secret Lives by Mark de Castrique



A mystery thriller involving a theft ring dealing with crypto currency would not be my normal go to read. But it was the main characters in Secret Lives that made it such a page turning read. They were Ethel Crestwater, a 75 year old who ran a boarding house for various law and order and secret service types, and her distant cousin, Jesse, a student also living in the house. When an agent was killed on the street in front of their location, they were dragged or finagled their way into an investigation where it wasn’t clear who the good guys were. But Ethel has more than one trick up her sleeve.

Meg, Congratulations on reading so many books thus far this year.

On Tuesday, my book club had tickets to a performance at the local theatre just a few blocks from my house. We chose a Tuesday because it's a quiet week night.

Evergreen Theatre is in one corner of Lafarge Park. Its a large park with over 700 parking spots and dedicated parking for the theatre. When I walked around the park in the afternoon I saw that they were putting up tents. Odd because it wasn't the weekend, but no big deal.

We met up for dinner at an Italian restaurant for a pre theatre meal. One of the women wasn't there because she worked until 7 and was going to meet us at the play. There was only one waitress looking after the restaurant. We were waiting for our bills when the woman who went directly to the theatre called. Parking was a problem. But there were all those spaces!

Turns out those tents I'd seen had been for that night. They were for the Iranian fire festival on the eve of Nowruz. Traffic was a zoo. I went all around the park slowly because the roads were jammed. All the parking lots were full. I finally ended up parking on the street less than a block from where I live. I knew I was late as I ran the blocks back to the theatre. It was after the show would have started by the time I parked. I hoped I would be able to get in to see the play.

When I got there, the theatre lobby was still full. One of the ladies handed me my ticket and someone explained that they'd delayed the start because of the parking situation.

I'm glad that they waited for the play's start until I got there. "Made in Italy" was great, a one man show with one actor playing the part of father and son and supporting characters. I wouldn't have want to miss any of it.

>90 Whisper1: Thanks Linda!

54. One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley



Life had become frustrating for Edie, hard to navigate, then getting somewhere only not knowing why. She was tired of people arranging her life for her. But there was something she had to remember. Something to do with Lucy, a friend who had disappeared, only now, over 50 years later she was determined to find her.

It was hard to figure out what was going on in One Puzzling Afternoon. Did Edie really know anything about her friend’s disappearance or was her mind playing tricks? It was really well done.

>91 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, That sounded a bit frantic but eventually fun.

>83 Familyhistorian: Good review. Looks like something I’ll really enjoy.

Have a lovely weekend!

>94 mdoris: It was not expected on a quiet Tuesday evening, Mary. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that the theatre adapted to the traffic problem.

>95 Storeetllr: Hope you enjoy the read, Mary. It was good but left me wishing I knew more Roman history.

>97 Familyhistorian: That’s easy to remedy if you want to spend the time. Lots of really good books about Rome. I’ve coupled fiction set in the Roman Empire with non fiction, and I think I’ve got a pretty good basic knowledge of the late Republican period through the time of Vespasian.

>93 Familyhistorian: I read and really lovedOne Puzzling Afternoon earlier this year , Meg . In fact was a rare 5 star read for me. Glad you enjoyed it too .

>98 Storeetllr: I find Roman history interesting but I'm not sure I want to spend that much time reading up about it. It's one of those areas of knowledge that I wish I knew already. Now I invest more time finding out about history that my ancestors would have lived through and, at this point, I don't have them back to the Roman period yet.

>99 vancouverdeb: One Puzzling Afternoon was a good read, Deborah, but I think you liked it better than I did. I tend to like books with happy endings.

All my social engagements seem to be happening all at once lately. On Saturday morning I met up with a bunch of ex co-workers to climb the Coquitlam Crunch. We decided to go that day because of the weather - hot and sunny.

After that I took the Skytrain downtown to pick up even more holds at VPL. I really thought I was on top of that, pausing a bunch of them, but there were 5 waiting for me.

Today I had watercolour class in the morning. Then attended a St. Patrick's Day potluck. It was about an hours drive to get there and the same on the way back, but by then it was dark. Had fun though with a group of fellow genealogists who know how to cook. I took homemade cheese sticks. They went over well and are easy to make so I think I'll make another batch for the potluck I'm attending for my women's group on Wednesday.

At today's potluck we also did a gift exchange through a game where you could steal something that someone else had picked. In the end I ended up with two gifts and a full stomach. (12 people can provide a lot of grub, like 3 deserts worth as well as mains, salads and appies)

Exists there a tastebud so insensate as not to love a cheesestick? More especially a homemade one?

>103 richardderus: The cheesesticks disappeared all except one so I think there were few dissenting tastebuds, Richard. I was happy about the one because I didn't have one when at the potluck.

At Sunday's watercolour class we did pictures of birds. Mine wasn't very good. I much preferred the class the week before where we did urban landscaping.



This was my first effort. I can think of other photos of old buildings that I've snapped which I could use this technique on.

>105 Familyhistorian: I like it, Meg . Cute image. Must be fun to take a water colour class.

>106 vancouverdeb: The water colour class is fun, Deborah. I've learned lots of different techniques like using salt and drawing gum etc. The trick is to keep it up once the class is done but I have books about drawing and painting (surprise, surprise!)

>58 Familyhistorian: I enjoyed that one as well.

>105 Familyhistorian: Looks great! When I used to try and draw/paint I found that birds and trees were the hardest to do. The water-colour class sounds interesting.

Happy rest of the week.

>58 Familyhistorian: It was good, Anita, makes me wonder what the next book in the maid series will be like and when it will come out.

Yeah, birds are a challenge. I don't think I have the same problem with trees, maybe because I'm surrounded by them. The watercolour class is good but next Sunday is the last one.

Well that happened sooner than I thought it would!

Wordle 1,004 1/6

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

abide

Congratulations on Wordle in 1. That happened to me some time ago, and it won't happen again as I don't plan to change my starter word. But it's fun!

>110 Familyhistorian: Oh, well done!

>111 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, that's the second time it happened to me because I changed my starter word the first time it happened. I can't even remember what my first starter word was. Now to think of a new one.

>112 humouress: It was a surprise, Nina!

Congrats on the instant Wordle, Meg. I am enjoying this Spring weather that we are having. We have a flowering plum tree just outside our living room window and it's beautiful right now. I'm in no hurry for warmer weather - I like it just the way it is right now!

55. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn



Found and liberated from one of the stacks of books I owe was Just Like Heaven. A Regency romance of the Smythe-Smith Quartet series. This was the story of Honoria Smythe-Smith and her neighbour and her disgraced brother’s friend, Marcus Holroyd, the Earl of Chartteris. When the brother, Daniel, had to decamp he secretly tasked Marcus with making sure that his youngest sister, Honoria, didn’t make a misalliance. Of course, the inevitable happened.

>114 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. The weather is nice especially as they were predicting rain for the last two days. I preferred the unseasonably warm weather we had at the beginning of the week and can't wait for it to come back. Lucky you to have a flowering plum tree close by!

56. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See



Because of the rules of the colonizing Japanese, diving for seafood came to be practiced by Korean women resulting in the matrilifocal haenyeo society where the women did the physical work. The Island of Sea Women was told focusing on the story of two such women who became friends when they were young and became estranged while Korea was torn apart. The events of the story covered the time from 1938 to the mid 1970s, a time of great upheaval which was seen through the eyes of the main character. It was a history that I knew little about before reading this story for book club.

Yesterday evening was the anniversary dinner for my women's group. For this, our 22nd anniversary, we had a potluck at one of the members homes. I took cheese sticks again. As it was a women only meeting there were lots more left over this time! It was good to share time and talk.

57. When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein



Alfie Harding, an ex-footballer with a rep for being grumpy and brutish required a ghostwriter. Enter Mabel Willicker, a plump bubbly woman who has subsumed her creative talents into bringing other people’s lives into print. Will it work? Will these two who are clearly not on the same page be able to work together and actually create a workable biography of the well-known athlete?

The task in When Grumpy Met Sunshine was even more complicated than that because they have to come up with some ruse for why they are hanging around together. Ghostwriting is something that works in the background, not something that is proclaimed. Their solution was to pretend to be going out together. Which caused interesting complications as their every move was dissected over social media with the added spice of Mabel not being Alfie’s usual supermodel girlfriend.

The cover above is a much prettier blue but I found out there were no member uploaded covers at night (why does that always happen then?) and the lighting my place is not the brightest.

58. Leverage in Death by J.D. Robb



The 47th book was my latest read in the In Death series. Pretty soon I’ll be able to read the books I own and not have to borrow them from the library. In this episode the killers are particularly gruesome, targeting loving family men with one child by threatening each man’s wife and child unless he wears an explosive vest into his area of work. The aim was to take out the business at a time when something was about to happen and stopping that thing from happening would mean the killers would be able to gain financially. Thus the book was titled Leverage in Death.

At the same time there were some awesome things happening in the character’s lives. The Oscars were about to happen and the Icove Agenda was up for numerous awards. Dallas’ latest active investigation gave her an out to decline the invitation but Peabody and McNab and Mavis and family were all in attendance.

>121 Familyhistorian: My grandma is reading Random in Death which i think is quite cool, although they say J.D. Robb is too 'adult' for me i guess.

Yesterday I had a board meeting for PoCo Heritage. Unfortunately still on Zoom but it was lively and longer than usual. In the evening I got to see people in person as it was my in-person book club meeting. We actually discussed The Island of Sea Women and ate amazing food.

It was strange though, people were in a mood to reminisce much like the women's group had been on Wednesday. I suppose this is another women's group only we discuss books. The book club has been going since 2004 so 20 years. Close to the amount of time the Wednesday women's group has been meeting. I've been with the women's group from the get go, the book club just since 2017 or '18, I think. I used to work with one of the women which was my in.

>122 Owltherian: Who is they, Lilly? If it's parents, I get that. I can remember that my 19 year old cousin visited my home when I was 16 and my mother told my cousin not to lend me the book she was reading The Valley of the Dolls a fairly racy book for the time. The problem was that I'd already read most of it but didn't get to read the ending because of my mum's edict.

The J.D. Robb books do have a lot of violence and a smattering of sex in them. Maybe they think you should wait on that.

59. Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Séamas O’Reilly



As the 9th of 11 children, the author had a unique take on his family and their life in Northern Ireland at the time of the troubles. Told with a sense of humour, the memoir, Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?, was both a search for memories of a mother who died when he was far too young to process the loss and an open eyed tribute to the father who kept them all together. It was amazing some of the things they got up to, like driving to Spain together in a rickety caravan.

Hi Meg, you've been doing some amazing reading. The Island of Sea Women looks like one I would enjoy.

>125 Familyhistorian: That was a favorite read of mine. Glad it hit your sweet spot, too.

Happy week-aheads reads, Meg!

>126 BLBera: Hi Beth, The Island of Sea Women was so good that our book club actually discussed the book for a while during our meeting! (That doesn't happen often.)

>127 richardderus: He really hit the right note with that memoir, didn't he? Have a wonderful week ahead, Richard!

I hear a lot of good things about Lisa See and have yet to resd one of her books. Maybe it's time.

I have also heard a lot of good things about the Nora Robb In Death series. Maybe it's time i picked up one of those too.

>130 magicians_nephew: This was my first book by Lisa See and the writing was good, Jim.

Any series that keeps going after 50 books has something going for it. You should give the In Death series a try.

I loved DYHMD. It was fantastic on audio.

>132 katiekrug: I can imagine that having it read with an Irish accent would add to the story, Katie.

60. Isn't It Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams



The fourth book in the Bromantic series, Isn’t It Bromantic was the story of Vlad, the hockey player known to the group as the Russian. In the previous books he’d had a wife in the background but she was never present in the stories. It had been a marriage of convenience to get Elena out of Russia but there were definite feelings there. When Vlad needed help after an injury on the ice, and Elena decided to take care of him what could the Bromantic group do but connive to bring the two of them together. It was cute and, to make him more romantic, Vlad’s presence had been cleaned up, if you know what I mean.

I don't have anything on my schedule for today which means catch up time for all the other things that have been waiting for me to have time to get to them. How did I ever find time to fit in work?

Yesterday was my last watercolour class. I think I will take a break from art classes for a while after taking two classes back to back. Now to take what I learned and practice it. I really liked doing urban landscapes though and think I might be able to use some of the photos I've taken on genealogy expeditions to practice rendering in paint.

After class, I took Skytrain downtown to pick up more holds at the library. I'm not sure how they keep coming so fast. It's hard to get to my own books as a result.

Virtual book club started the evening after I got home from downtown. We had a lively discussion of Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century. (review to follow)

61. Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell



The twentieth century was a time of many ups and down, especially when it came to skirts. From the long skirts worn at the turn of the century, to the mini skirt and everywhere in-between, the author of Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century, covered most of the changes and the influences that inspired many of the looks.

The concentration was on high fashion and designer clothes, which didn’t sit well with the family historians in the book club who were more interested in what people on lower rungs of the social ladder would have worn. I also found it American centric although Mary Quant was brought in at one point.

It was a good over view of clothes of the century and of particular interest was the influence of tennis clothes on the fashions of the time. Having lived through many of the changes and read about fashion a lot of the information wasn’t new to me.

>134 Familyhistorian: I read the first of that series, which was fun, but haven't felt in a rush to read the rest of them. Maybe I'll take another look.

>137 humouress: They are fun, Nina, but I find it best to spread them out.

Hi Meg. Wordle in ONE?!! Wow, and big congrats! It's never happened to me and isn't likely to.

I am too far behind to catch up so will just jump in here and move forward.

>124 Familyhistorian: Well my grandmother said it, although i read Nora Roberts which has mentions of sex & plenty of violence in any of the books i have read so far.

>139 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, Wordle in one has happened to me twice because I changed my starter word the first time and stick with the same starter word until, once again that was the word of the day. It's disappointing because it feels like I didn't get to play when that happens.

>140 Owltherian: Yeah, I saw that you posted on another thread that you were reading Nora Roberts and there's plenty of sex in those. Not as much violence as the in death books if I remember correctly though.

>142 Familyhistorian: Yeah, theres a few scenes in Year One and i like that entire series.

>143 Owltherian: That's not one of hers that I know, Lilly. Sounds like you're enjoying the series.

>144 Familyhistorian: I really am, and its very intresting.

I had to laugh, Meg. We had a few cracks of thunder over my way 15 minutes ago and instead of being scared by it like a previous dog of ours, Poppy barked at the thunder. It's pretty rare to have thunder around here.

62. Medicine: A Graphic History by Jean-Noël Fabianai and Philippe Bercovici



I pulled a book from my shelves for the Reading Through Time challenge this month. Because I seem to be inundated with library holds as well as challenges each month, I decided a graphic novel would fit the bill and chose to focus on the positive in the subject: Medicine, Epidemics, and Plagues. The book I read was Medicine: A Graphic History, a humorous look at the development of medical knowledge from pre-history to before the pandemic. It was translated from French so I would think it appeared in France prior to recent medical history. The English translation was done in 2020 according to the publishing info. Many of the later discoveries written about were also ones that could be credited to France. Go figure.

>146 vancouverdeb: It is strange to hear thunder around here, Deborah. Poppy is a character! I've never had a dog who barked at thunder. I've had ones that cowered beside me as though I could protect them from it though.

Hi Meg, I am reading a Donna Leon memoir right now and she tells a great story of a dachshund dog who manages to get itself up to a window and barks furiously and consistently at the singing gondoliers who seem to only have one tune to sing "O Sole Mio". Maybe it would bark less if there was a greater repertoire.

Agree it sure sounds like Deborah's Poppy is a character!

Hope you have a great Easter weekend!

>146 vancouverdeb: >148 Familyhistorian: You'd think with all the thunder we get, Jasper would at least learn to tolerate it but he always paces anxiously, unsure whether it's better to hide or be on the lookout for impending doom.

>149 mdoris: Your barking dog story made me laugh, Mary. Have a great Easter weekend!

>150 humouress: I'm with Jasper. I don't much like thunder either. We don't get lightning storms around here much. They came more often when I lived in Montreal but my family only had cats and they were much to aloof to be affected.

My son Daniel always hoped to get a good thunderstorm when he visited Winnipeg , where I was born and have extended family. Alas, I don't think he ever managed it, which is surprising, as Winnipeg gets quite a few thunderstorms. I didn't mind them when I visited or lived there - I lived there until I was 3 , I think. But visiting a friend in Kamloops some years ago, I was out jogging and a thunderstorm came up, and I ran for cover. I don't want to get struck by lightening, however rare that is. Poppy is a character, barking at thunder. Our first dog, Geordie, used to shake uncontrollably at thunder or fireworks around Halloween. I used to go the vet just before Halloween as Geordie shook with fear so much from fireworks or firecrackers. They were a lot more prevalent back then, though.

63. Darktown by Thomas Mullen



Books from my own shelves have been few and far between this year but I did read Darktown. It was the first book in a series with the main characters, Boggs and Smith, as black cops in Atlanta just after WWII when black officers were added to that city’s police force. It wasn’t a popular move and one brutal bigoted cop, Dunlow, wanted to get rid of all the black officers. Dunlow’s partner, Rakestraw, a rookie would much rather that Dunlow was the one to go. The question was whether Boggs and Smith would be able to retain their jobs as they tried to solve a murder they weren’t allowed to touch. Then there was Rakestraw who said he wanted to help them. Could he be trusted?

>153 vancouverdeb: I didn't know that Winnipeg was known for thunderstorms, Deborah. My mother was from there and we visited a few times, not during the stormy season, I guess. The place that really impressed me with how close the lightning came was when I stayed in Florida in my parents place close to Disney World. I've never come close to being hit by lightning on the ground but was in a plane coming in to Calgary when the wing was hit. It came in on one wing and exited on the other. Apparently that happens a lot but it was the first time I ever experienced it.

I'd never seen fireworks at Halloween until I moved to BC. I remember having to keep the cat inside on that night, especially the black cat.

>154 Familyhistorian: I read Darktown several years ago and meant to get onto the next book in the series, but I haven't got around to it yet.

>156 SandDune: I know the feeling, Rhian. Darktown has been on my shelves since 2020 and I bought the next book in the series the same year. So many books, so little time!

64. The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester



It was a story told through three timelines, but in this case it made sense because the focus was on three women, grandmother, mother and daughter, all involved in the same industry. But the women in The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard vanished from each other’s lives at the very early stages. A result of the times they were living through as much as it was the end effect of the misogyny of the fashion industry itself. It’s an industry supposedly catering to women but overwhelmingly run by men, as each of the characters had to contend with throughout their lives.

Typically my schedule is fairly empty at the end of the month. Not this month though. Some of that was because of regular meetings getting reschedule, like the one with my writing cohort (some of the group I had classes with while at the SFU Writers Studio). We usually meet on a Tuesday but I already had another meeting that evening. That was also with fellow writers, this time with writers from BCGS. So, family history writing as opposed to fiction and in-person as opposed to virtual. Of course, the facilitator of the in-person meeting asked me about my article for the BCGS newsletter (deadline the next day.) Good thing that I'd figured out what I was going to write about! (It's also tricky because the writer supplies the images to go with the article.)

On Wednesday, I'd signed up for what I thought was a pickle ball lesson but it was just a time for people to get together to play inside. There were 4 of us who had never played before. So at least I wasn't alone. The facilitator and more knowledgeable members of the group were very accommodating though so we learned some of the basics and played foursomes with different partners through the 2 hours we were there.

That evening was the meet up for my SFU cohort. My chapter was up for feedback. Our ability to give useful feedback was honed through our year with our mentor so it is good to have. Next month our meeting will be a week ahead and I've been nominated to submit again. I guess I'd better get on that.

65. Who's Sorry Now? by Maggie Robinson



While browsing in the Terry Fox Library for the next In Death book for my series reread, I found the mystery Who’s Sorry Now? Billed as a Lady Adelaide mystery set in London in 1925, it seemed like my kind of book. It was a fun mystery, with 30 something widow, Addie, as the amateur sleuth. Her dear departed philanderer of a husband popped in as a ghostly presence to offer clues and comments. In the previous book in the series (I must see if I can find that) she had dealings with dishy Scotland Yard DI, Davenand Hunter. The attraction between the two was mutual but we’re talking class conscious England here and he was part Indian and she a lady.

This episode in the series involved the poisoning deaths of Bright Young Things and seemed to be centred around a particular club. What could Addie do but find out what was going on?

>160 Familyhistorian: If you like mysteries set in that time period, have you read the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood set in Melbourne?

>83 Familyhistorian: this one does sound interesting, but I don't know that much about Roman history either, so it might be lost on me!

>136 Familyhistorian: and another interesting one! I guess I know some stuff about skirts :). And I do love a social history of_____ book!

>154 Familyhistorian: BB my library has a copy of Darktown. I'm adding it to the never-ending list.
Have a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Happy Easter, Meg. I also really enjoyed Darktown, along with the follow-up. I wonder if he will continue this series? Glad you will be joining us on The Razor's Edge.

66. Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers by Tessa Arlen



I like WWII mysteries set in Britain. My latest read in that subgenre was the second episode of the Poppy Redfern series, Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers. Poppy had moved on to a new job, that of a scriptwriter for the London Crown Film Unit. She was one of a crew from the unit sent out to do a film on the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary. Because her almost boyfriend, the American flyer, Griff, was on leave she talked him into accompanying her and he brought along her dog, Bess.

When one of the ATA pilots crashed while demonstrating a Spitfire’s moves, it didn’t seem right. Poppy and Griff started to look into things surreptitiously. Their investigation uncovered more than one crime and, it seemed, brought them closer together.

>161 humouress: Hi Nina, I think I've read one of the Phryne Fisher books. I prefer the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries with Essie Davis but, unfortunately have watched them all. Some of the plots for the shows are taken from the books and kind of spoiled the read for me because I had a fair idea of what was coming.

>162 LovingLit: Good to know I might have hit you with some BBs, Megan.

>163 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, Darktown was good, lots of tension. Have a wonderful Easter!

>164 msf59: I have Lightning Men on my shelves, so should get to that. Did you also read the third book in the series, Midnight Atlanta?

Looking forward to the read of Razor's Edge, Mark. I just hope my library hold comes in time for May.

Code Name Verity was a wonderful book about the women and girls of the ATA. (Air Transport Auxiilary)

67. The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science by Sandra Hempel



It was hard to keep track of the case of the poisoning death of George Bodle throughout the narrative of The Inheritor’s Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science. So many other historic facts and asides were added. They were very interesting but tending to take this reader off track. It was educational to see the state of trials and prosecutions in the 1840s, a time in which people might not be brought to trial because of the cost even though poisoning was suspected. But a poisoner could never know if the law would look the other way in their particular case.

>170 magicians_nephew: Thanks for passing along the title, Jim. I'll have to have a look for Code Name Verity.

68. Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones



I have a collection of books about war. It comes with the territory of researching family history. Many of the books deal with conflicts in which my ancestors have fought. It’s likely they would have been affected by the Wars of the Roses but I haven’t been able to get my lines back to the 15th century yet. That said, I am interested in the English conflicts of this period and Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors gave me a better understanding of this period.

>173 Familyhistorian: I am always fascinated by bold-faced brazen usurpers... though I confess that I prefer them safely in the past, not trying to usurp my present-day government, fuddy duddy that I am...and Dan Jones is one heckuva stylist so his presentation of the facts is almost always very entertaining.

They changed the world, did the Tudors, but they went about it with heavy, bloody hands.

>51 Familyhistorian: They're my family. It's for my MIL's project as it is her grandson's ancestors.

Just stopping by to say hi, and I hope you had an enjoyable Easter Weekend. The weather was lovely today, though I understand it is supposed to rain tomorrow.

>174 richardderus: I was never much taken with the Tudors, except for Elizabeth, but I expect that was because she was a woman giving all those male rulers and wannabes a run for their money. I like the way that Dan Jones breaks things down so I can understand them.

Have a wonderful week, Richard. Ours is having a late start because today, Easter Monday, is a holiday too.

>175 The_Hibernator: Oh cool, Rachel, so your MIL's project is helping you to find out more about your own family. I know in my family I found a lot of surprising things that my ancestors got up to.

>176 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, it was nice out today although I met some friends at a park and the wind was kind of chilly to sit around in, at least in the morning. Not looking forward to the rain tomorrow but supposedly it will happen later in the day.

Hmm. I picked up the Dan Jones book and it just didn't engage me. I was listening to it as an audio book - perhaps i need to just read it instead.

>177 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg! Back atcha.

>180 magicians_nephew: Dunno who read it, Jim, but I think his voice would not wear well with me...see snobbish comment on accent above...but his clarity and eye for the telling detail shine through on paper. Also, his novels about that time center lower-class men and really resonate.

>180 magicians_nephew: I have trouble concentrating on anything that is just audible. I definitely wouldn't want to attempt to listen to a complex history and the beginning of Jones' book on the War of the Rose is nothing if not complex.

>182 richardderus: I really like Dan Jones as a presenter and have watched a number of programs about history that he has done. Very educational and understandable - well, it would have to be wouldn't it, after all it is to a TV or streaming audience.

I've been meaning to try the last couple of Dan Jones' books. They look interesting. Maybe I'll pick one up soon. I've got a few ahead of it.

>184 Familyhistorian: I listened to his Great Fire of London show, which he narrated with four(?) others, and found that my attention wandered most when he was onscreen. That said, it was material I had heard multiple times before, so permaybehaps not the fairest test.

>185 thornton37814: He is good at laying out the history, Lori. I hear you on having a few ahead of it. Somehow the library holds keep coming in so fast I can't really keep up with them.

>186 richardderus: If it was listening only, Richard, no wonder your attention wandered. I know that it has to be visual to keep me focused.

>187 Familyhistorian: I'm trying to read the one for book club as well as another print one. I also started a new audiobook. Then I have another couple of books I'm really wanting to read this month. We'll see.

>189 thornton37814: Lots of reading pressure, Lori. Right now I'm working on finishing John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community by tomorrow when it is due back at the library. Someone else has a hold on it and there are more holds waiting for me to pick up. I do have the one for book club on hand but haven't cracked the covers yet and then there is the one for my RL book club that I'm dragging my heels on. I hope you find the right balance in your reading. I'm still looking for mine!

I think you are quite right, I would not have been keen to live in Calgary. I mentioned on my thread that my brother and his wife and two young kids lived there , and I think my sister in law was quite lonely. My brother is a pilot , so he was away a lot. They then moved to Barrie ON, and my brother flew out of Pearson Airport there. They liked Barrie a lot more. I think it was more friendly and small townish feel - or as my brother said - like Richmond in the 1960's or 70's. Now , happily they are back in Ladner, though there kids are elsewhere at university. But I think both of the kids are moving home ( as in Ladner ) to work when they graduate. My niece has a job offer in Tsawassen, and my nephew, who is in training to be pilot, I think also plans to instruct on small planes out here while he " climbs the ladder " so to speak. My son with the kids was also offered the chance to work in Calgary, but he too checked it out and they thought, no thanks.

It was a lovely day today!

>188 Familyhistorian: I'm sure it was a TV show, but for some reason I only listened to it. I wonder why on Earth I did that...?

69. John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community by Raymond Arsenault



The biography of John Lewis, John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community began at the beginning of John Lewis’ life, focused a lot on his years of civil protest and then covered his time in congress. The early protesting years were the most riveting, of course. His years in government were a bit confusing to me as I don’t have a clear idea of how the US government works (or doesn’t, in some cases). He was an influential figure for a long time.

>191 vancouverdeb: I can understand the wish to stay here or come back. I moved here in the '70s. Then moved to Halifax in the '80s and lasted two years before moving back to the Lower Mainland.

You are lucky that your son and his family decided to stay here. So many people are moving to Alberta because they feel there are better prospects. The thing is, once you are out of the housing market here you can't come back if you don't like where you moved to. I've been tempted sometimes to move where I have family but knowing that it would be difficult to come back gives me pause.

>192 richardderus: The visuals would have helped. Strange you just listened, Richard.

Have a great weekend, hopefully without aftershocks.

>193 Familyhistorian: I'm so glad that you liked the read, Meg! Happy week-ahead's reads.

>195 Familyhistorian: It was informative, Richard, and I think I'll take the March trilogy off the shelf now that I have more background on John Lewis' life.

Just dropping in to say Hi! Hopelessly behind, but I see you're read 46 books already (nice!), but that your culling has dropped off a tad (you are still ahead of me though, LOL). Wishing you happy reading and I'll try to stop by more often. : )

>198 Berly: Hi Kim, you're not the only one who is hopelessly behind! Yeah, culling is not going well which is down to a problem with hitting the library hold button. It happens too often so I can't get to my owned books and get them on their way.

Thanks for the visit!

Time for a new thread for the newish month of April. I'm telling myself that April showers bring May flowers. Too much cloud cover today to even see the teeny bit of eclipse that we supposedly got.