Books Read In August

I’ve seen several other bloggers list and do mini-reviews of the books they read the previous month.  I love seeing what other people are reading, so I thought I’d try it, too.

August was a fairly light reading month for me.  I always seem to read less during the summer and then read a lot more during the winter.  I’ll usually pick going swimming with the neighbors over reading in the evening, but there’s not much that can lure me outside during the winter.

So, here are my August books:

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths.  It’s number 14 in the Ruth Galloway mystery series.  If you like mystery and you haven’t read this series, do yourself a favor and start reading it now.  I always love these books.  I’ve grown very attached to most of the characters, and I love that there’s a little bit of the story from all of their points of view. 

The Locked Room is the only book I’ve read so far that takes place during the early days of the pandemic.  It takes place in the UK, so obviously, it’s a little different than it was here in NC, but I think the author did an incredible job of portraying what people were feeling early on.  It took me right back to all of the how long should I plan to work from home and how much should I change my routine type of questions.  She also did a great job of capturing the early emotional rollercoaster of “this won’t be that bad” to “this is terrible,” and everything in between.  I think, years from now, when someone wants to know what the early days of the pandemic were like for regular people, this book will do a great job of conveying that.  I assume that there will be more and more books coming out that take place during the pandemic, and I’m interested to see if other authors do an equally good job capturing all of the feelings. 

Pandemic writing aside, the mystery was excellent, as they always are with this series, and there was a lot of character development.  After reading the same characters for so long, you wouldn’t think there would be much room for more character development, but they reached new depths in this book.  I gave it five stars.  I’m anxiously waiting for the next book in the series!

If you’re a fan of the Ruth Galloway series, are there any other series you recommend?  I’m on the hunt for another good mystery series.

The Templars: History & Myth by Michael Haag.  We listened to this one on Audible.  One of my coworkers got us hooked on the show The Curse of Oak Island, and there are a lot of references to the Knights Templar.  My entire knowledge base of the Knights Templar came from watching National Treasure, so it seemed prudent to learn more about them.  Nick was interested, too, so it was an easy Audible pick.

I’m sure there are plenty of good and interesting books about the Knights Templar.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them.  It was essentially a very dry list of facts, and the narrator's voice was extremely annoying. 

I tend to read fiction, so I definitely prefer a more narrative type of book.  I tried to factor that into my opinion of this book, but nothing about it was engaging.  It felt like “Fact One, Fact Two, etc.”  I think I would have liked it a lot more if there had been more about some of the people involved and less about building plans for temples, etc.  I gave it one star.  Nick reads almost exclusively nonfiction and said it was definitely on the drier side.  He gave it two stars.

Have you read an interesting and engaging book about the Knights Templar?  I’d definitely like to try another one since I feel like I was too bored to actually learn very much about them from this book.

The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren.  Here’s the goodreads blurb on it:

“It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School.  Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.

Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home.  Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot.  When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs...”

I just couldn’t get into this one.  I started it in July and read a few other books in the meantime, which is never a good sign for me.  It wasn’t terrible, and I didn’t hate the characters.  I just didn’t feel anything for them.  There were a few points in the book where I thought things might take a turn and get more interesting, but they never did.  I gave it two stars, and I probably won’t try another Roni Loren book.  Hers are popular, but I’ve read one other one, and I didn’t like it.  I think maybe her style just doesn’t work for me. 

The Vanishing Type by Ellery Adams.  This is the fifth book in the Secret, Book, and Scone mystery series.  I love pretty much everything about this series.  It takes place in NC, and the main character owns a bookstore.  They’re classified as cozy mysteries, but I think they’re a little more than that.  They’re definitely not overly suspenseful, but I think they’re deeper than a lot of cozies.

There’s a group of four women who are the main characters, and there are some great secondary characters.  There’s usually some kind of literary twist to the mysteries, and there’s a lot of focus on the friendship the women share.  I’ll be honest; I usually find myself wishing I could join their book club and try to befriend them.

Each chapter in the series begins with a quote, and I love that.  Two of my favorite quotes in The Vanishing Type were, “A life with love will have some thorns, but a life without love will have no roses.” (Dr. Seuss).  “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”  (C.S. Lewis).

Tara also likes the book.

As usual with this series, the mystery was intriguing, and I enjoyed all of the secondary storylines.  I gave it five stars.

If you’ve read and loved this series, are there any similar ones you recommend? 

And that’s everything I read in August.  I told you it was a slow reading month.

Have you read any good books lately? 

Quarterly Goals - Last Quarter of 2019

I think tracking my goals by quarter has been helpful, so I’m doing it again this quarter.   It’s weird that this year is almost over!  It’s also the last chance to meet yearly goals, so there’s some pressure to aim high.

Charlie

I don’t really have any pictures to go with this post, and as you know by now, that means I share some random cat pictures.  I always have cat pictures! 

Here are my fourth quarter, or October - December, 2019 goals:

Home:

Actually take the ThredUp box to the post office!  It has been sitting in the living room for entirely too long.  I’m definitely not aiming high with this one.  The box really needs to go.

I need to go through my clothes again, and get rid of things I don’t wear, which probably means another ThredUp box.  I think some of my sweaters will be too big to wear this year, and I have at least one summer dress that was too big when I tried to wear it last week. 

In continuing with the theme of boxing things up (and hopefully taking said boxes to the post office!), I’d like to get another box of books/movies/CDs shipped off to Decluttr.  We seem to constantly acquire new books, which isn’t a problem as long as we also part with some. 

Mortimer

My night stand tends to stay somewhat cluttered, so I’d like to tame that clutter this quarter.  At the moment, one wrong move sends the leaning tower of books, magazines, and notebooks toppling.  I’d like to eliminate that problem.

We’re still working on general organizing, getting rid of clutter, and implementing better storage systems, but I’m not setting any other specific goals for this quarter. 

Health:

I still need to lose more weight.  I stayed at the same weight last quarter which makes me nervous for how I’ll do this quarter with the holidays, and all of the holiday treats, coming up.  Last quarter I didn’t set any specific weight loss goals, so I am going to set a specific goal this quarter to see if that helps.  My weight goal for this quarter is to lose nine pounds.  That would put me at a certain threshold I’d be really happy to reach.

On the exercise front, I’m a little lost.  Here’s my dilemma:

Mortimer

I love, love, love swimming.  The gym we go to has an indoor pool, so in theory, swimming is an option year round.  The gym also has a 100 Mile Swim Club.  You track your laps/miles, and when you reach 100 miles, you get a 100 Mile Swim Club t-shirt.  I want that t-shirt!  There’s no time limit, and they say it takes most people over a year.   I have a very long way to go.  My trouble in setting a swimming goal this quarter is that during the colder weather I’ll have to take the time to dry my hair after I swim.  I know that sounds really dumb, but during the week swimming for 45 minutes to an hour, then getting a shower and drying my hair can put us getting home kind of late for a weeknight.  It’s easier during the warmer weather because I just leave with wet hair and let it dry on its own.  Going outside with dripping wet hair when it’s 30 degrees does not sound at all pleasant!  The gym closes at 4:00 on Friday, which means I can’t go because of work.  It’s also closed on Saturday, so Sunday is the only weekend day available.

Charlie

My other exercise of choice is the treadmill.  I’ve been trying, off and on, to do a Couch to 5K program.  I’m much, much closer to couch than 5K!  On treadmill days I also have the goal of using the arm weight machines.  I’d like to increase my weights on the machines.  I’m still at the lowest weight on one of them, so I’d to at least move up a weight on that one by the end of the quarter. 

I don’t think it’s realistic to set a big swimming goal and a 5K goal, but I’m not sure how to split it up either.  Any suggestions? 

This is new for me since we just joined the gym in March.  The goals I’m leaning toward at the moment are to consistently go to the gym at least three days a week, hopefully four days a week, but a minimum of three.  I think Sunday may end up being my only regular swimming day.  If that’s the case, my goal is to get up to a mile and a half at a time, which would be 54 laps.  The Couch to 5K program is a six week program, at three days a week, so if I do only swim one day a week that means I should be able to complete the program. 

Honestly, this feels very daunting, and not as focused as it probably should be, but it’s something I’m figuring out as I go.  I’d love any suggestions anyone has for narrowing it down, or how you manage your exercise goals. 

My much more straightforward exercise goal is to get my daily step average up to 10,000.  According to my tracker my daily average as of today is 9,827 steps.  I think I should be able to get that up to 10,000 by the end of the year. 

Environment:

One goal is to definitely keep being diligent about composting, and not getting lazy and tossing compostable things in the trash.  It’s a little more of a challenge for me during the colder weather since it does involve going out into the cold. 

Caroline

Additionally on the compost front, I have the goal of not composting things that should have been used in the first place.  The compost bin is for things like veggie scraps and tea bags, not bunches of celery that I neglected to use in a timely manner.  Obviously composting spoiled produce is a little better than just throwing it in the trash, but it’s far from ideal.  My goal this quarter is to get better about using up food before it goes bad, weather that means freezing it, changing up what I may have planned to cook, or getting a little more creative in the kitchen. 

The other, bigger, goal is to reduce the amount of plastic waste we generate.  My goal for this quarter is to stop using the plastic produce bags.  I bought reusable produce bags, and I’ve used them twice in three months.  I almost never remember to bring them with me.  So my goal for this quarter is to switch exclusively to them for produce, and not to use any of the plastic produce bags the stores provide. 

Personal/Miscellaneous:

I still feel like the human version of a fixer upper house! 

My goodreads goal for the year is 52 books, and I’m currently six books behind schedule.  I would love to actually meet that goal.  I think it’s possible, especially if I watch less TV. 

I’m also setting the goal of reading more non-fiction.  I think fiction will always be my favorite, but I think I would definitely benefit from reading some non-fiction.  My non-fiction goal for this quarter is to read three non-fiction books, basically one per month. 

Since this quarter includes November, there’s also the question of participating in NaNoWriMo.  I’ve signed up off and on over the past six years, and never even come close to the 50,000 word goal.  Earlier this year, I had no intention of even going through the motions of signing up this year.  Lately, though, I’ve had an idea that I want to try out. 

Realistically, I know the chances of writing 50,000 words in November are extremely low.  Basically nonexistent.  But, there’s something about the sense of hope and optimism at the beginning of November with that goal in place.  So my goal is to sign up, and get as many words written as I can.  I know it’s not the most ambitious, or even specific, goal, but it’s one that makes me happy.  Something is better than nothing, right?

I’m hoping to make much better crochet progress this quarter since I’ve finally been shown some things in person.  Aunt Diana suggested granny squares as a good way to learn.  I’ve also read that dish cloths are a good place to start.  My plan is to practice the stitches some more, then look at patterns for granny squares and dish cloths to figure out which one seems more doable.  My goal is to complete at least one this quarter. 

Howard

Blogging:

This year has been my worst blogging year ever.  I don’t think that’s likely to change in just three months, but I would like to improve it.  I love blogging, and I really don’t know why it’s one of the first things I let go when things get busy.  My goal this quarter is to post at least twice a week. 

I’d also like to post at least one video this quarter.  It’s something I’ve never done, but have wanted to try for a while. 

So what about you?  Are you working on any specific goals this quarter?  Are you really pushing yourself to accomplish something by the end of the year?  How do you determine which goals to really focus on? 

When the Author Comments On Your Less Than Glowing Review

I don’t review very many books at all.  I read a lot of books and I will almost always rate them on goodreads, but I rarely take the time to write any sort of review.  Part of it is laziness on my part.  I read the book, I rate the book (and make sure it’s added to my books read this year on goodreads because, yes, it matters more than it should to me to reach my goal), and then usually move on to the next book.  I also don’t think reviewing books is necessarily my gift; other people write much more interesting reviews than I typically do, so I usually leave it to them.  Persistence is my gift, so if I read a book that I just know a friend or family member will love I usually just hound them until they read it in an effort to make me go away quietly.  In my defense, they usually like the book.

All of that being said, once in a while I do review a book on goodreads.  There’s not much of a system to my deciding which ones to actually write a review of, but it’s usually for a book that wasn’t what I expected (good or bad) or a case where I thought my rating needed an explanation of sorts. 

Last year hubby and I were in a cookbook book club, and I reviewed a few of the cookbooks we used.  I gave one of them a less than stellar review. 

Now, I’d like to take a moment to throw something out there about books read in any sort of book club.  I’ve noticed that the reactions to the books tend to be strong.  It makes sense to me.  You have a group of people choosing books for the whole group to read; not everyone is going to love every book they read, especially if it’s a book they might not have chosen on their own.  The other side of that is that sometimes you come across an unexpected treasure – a book you never would have picked up on your own, but one that you absolutely love.  So it makes sense to me that the ratings for book club books might not be very middle of the road since it can easily be a book your felt forced to read, or a book you never would have found, but totally rocked your world.  Has anyone else noticed this?

Back to my less than stellar review.  I gave the book two stars, which on goodreads means “it was okay”.  Here’s my review:

I bought this cookbook because it was the one being used for a cookbook book club, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have bought it. I thought it was somewhat over-priced in the grand scheme of available cookbooks. All of the recipes that I made, or tried, were very, very good. However, I have two major issues with this cookbook.

The first problem is with the book itself; it was not designed as a cookbook, it was designed more along the lines of a coffee table book. It's very pretty to look at, but an absolute pain to use. The book doesn't lay flat and the shape is very awkward. It's extremely difficult to follow a recipe when the cookbook won't stay open. I finally ended up copying the last recipe I made, just to have an easier time using it. It seems silly to have to make a copy for yourself from a cookbook you own. There are also some typos in the book. I know that's not a huge deal, but it's not something I was expecting to find in an over-priced cookbook.

The second problem is with the actual recipes; while they are delicious, they're not always very practical for cooking at home. Some of the quantities are basically insane to make at home. It seems like they just put the cafe recipes in the book and didn't reduce or adapt them for cooking at home, even though it's sold as a home cookbook. Sure, sometimes you do need a dish or dessert to feed 10 - 20 people, but not that often. Quite a few of the recipes in this cookbook leave you with much more food than you can possibly consume at home. They don't really seem to lend themselves to being halved either. I also thought that the cookbook doesn't always take into consideration what is available in the average home kitchen; quite a few of the recipes call for unusual sized pans, a standing mixer, food processor, etc. It just seems like some of the kitchen tools it assumed you will have aren't necessarily standard.

Overall, I can't say that this will ever become one of my "go-to" cookbooks. It's just not a good format for someone who actually intends to use it, not just decorate with it, and for the money, there are definitely better cookbooks available.

And now, here’s the author’s recently posted comment:

Thanks for your comments Danielle! The book is a very creative book, where many of the recipes were pulled from my restaurant days. ALthough, I am not the only book that has large quantity recipes. Ina Garten and The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook are very similar her recipes.
I agree totally on the cover of the book, but people also love the look of the book. I am working on changing the cover.
Thank you so much for your comments, they all help!!!

I’ll be honest, I thought it was a little weird.  I don’t think my review was scathing.  It was my honest opinion, and I tried to explain why I didn’t like the cookbook instead of just saying I think there are better cookbooks out there.  I didn’t post anything at all on the author’s website.  I just reviewed the book on goodreads. 

I don’t think the author’s comment is really that bad, but I don’t think it’s entirely appropriate either.  Maybe it’s just me, but it has the feel of having been fired off in a hurry, which is usually a bad idea.  It also seems like it’s aimed at changing my mind when she points to another cookbook that has something I said I didn’t like about hers.  Furthermore, my review was for a finished cookbook, not an advance copy or any sort of pre-release, so I don’t think the part about changing the cover was especially relevant.  That’s how it was published, so I think she needs to deal with the fact that at least one reviewer didn’t like it.

I won’t say that the author’s comment has put me off buying her next cookbook because I probably wouldn’t have anyway based on the first one, but it definitely didn’t make me likely to re-think that decision.  I stand by my review.

I’m just not sure how appropriate it is for authors to comment on reviews like that.  I’ve heard of authors not reading reviews of their work for fear of responding inappropriately.  I can’t help wondering if that’s a better choice than responding even a little defensively to a less than glowing review. 

So what are your thoughts on the author commenting on a less than glowing review?  Have you had an author comment on any of your reviews?

An Interesting Quote

I came across this quote on goodreads today:

“People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.” 
― Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

I haven’t read the book, but now I think I really, really want to.  I thought the quote was very thought provoking and very true. 

Some of the best people I know seem to have the worst opinions of themselves.  It seems that often the truly amazing, special people in the world don’t realize they are.  How many heroes think they are?  How many times on the news do you hear a person who stepped up to help another person brushing off praise, or simply saying it needed to be done?  

History is full of people who thought they were somehow better than, or superior to, everyone else.  Isn’t that what so many problems stem from?  Racism, ethnic cleansing, hate crimes, religious persecution all seem to happen because someone has the idea that they are superior to people who don’t believe the same as them, or aren’t the same color, or speak a different language, or somehow don’t conform to their ideal. 

I guess it’s much the same as “too good to be true” and the people who present themselves as better than, or superior to, others just aren’t.  So what about you, what are your thoughts on the quote, or on someone or something being too good to be true?