NanaCC’s (Colleen’s) 2020 Reading

Hi, I’m Colleen. Welcome to my 2020 thread. I will post my current reading here. I don’t usually set goals for my reading, as I get distracted by shiny new things, and my goals fall apart. I consider my posts as comments about the books I’ve read, rather than reviews. If I try to write reviews, I wind up spending less time reading than I’d like.

I enjoy listening to audio books in addition to reading paper books. Last year’s mix was almost 50/50. 39 paper or kindle books, and 32 audio books. 61 of the books were by women. My final thread for 2019 can be found at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/311879

Happy reading everyone. I look forward to your suggestions to add to my towering wishlist.

CURRENTLY READING:

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
The Searcher by Tana French
N Is For Noose by Sue Grafton
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

Currently Listening:

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, narrated by Tom Hanks

Books Read 2020

Print/Kindle

1- B is For Burglar by Sue Grafton
2- In the Shadow of Power (Sandhamn Murders) by Viveca Sten, Marlaine Delargy (Translator)
3- C Is For Corpse by Sue Grafton
4- The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman
5- D Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
6- E Is For Evidence by Sue Grafton
7- F Is For Fugitive by Sue Grafton
8- G Is For Gumshoe by Sue Grafton
9- H Is For Homicide by Sue Grafton
10- I Is For Innocent by Sue Grafton
11- J Is For Judgement by Sue Grafton
12- K is For Killer by Sue Grafton
13- L Is For Lawless by Sue Grafton
14- M Is For Malice by Sue Grafton

Audio

1- The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths, narrated by Jane McDowell
2- The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott, narrated by Carlotta Brentan and Cynthia Farrell
3- Red Bones by Ann Cleeves, narrated by Gordon Griffin
4- All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny, narrated by Robert Bathurst
5- The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths, narrated by Jane McDowell
6- The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths, narrated by Jane McDowell
7- The Long Call by Ann Cleeves, narrated by Ben Aldridge
8- Blue Lightening by Ann Cleeves, narrated by Gordon Griffin
9- Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming, narrated by Suzanne Toren
10- Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood, narrated by Stephanie Daniel
11- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, narrated by Tom Hanks

Stats

Books Read Total = 25
Print/Kindle = 14; Audio = 11; Women authors = 25; New to me authors = 3

My 2019 recap:

Stats

Books Read Total = 71
Print/Kindle = 39; Audio = 32; Women authors = 61; New to me authors = 14

Favorites

Becoming by Michelle Obama
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce
Milkman by Anna Burns

I started a few new series which I enjoyed, and will continue.

The Shetland Series by Anne Cleaves
The Ballad Novels by Sharyn McCrumb
Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Jack Taylor by Ken Bruen
The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May
The Brother Cadfael Series by Ellis Peters

From your last thread: I just thought Pachinko was too darn long and that goes along with what you said and Laura said about continuing the story beyond what she should've done. It would've been a better book at half it's length.

Happy New Year Colleen.

>4 brenzi: Bonnie, I remember your take on Pachinko and thought well, that's one book I don't need to read. But then my book club chose it so I kind of had to read it. It wasn't a total waste of time but I did think to myself, "that Bonnie knows what she's talking about!" LOL.

Glad I found you. The Dark Angel is my next Elly Griffiths too.

I must say I like people who list their favourite books. It often helps me to choose my next book.

Happy New Year, Colleen.

Happy New Year, Colleen. I look forward to following you again in 2020. Great list of favorites.

Happy New Year, Bonnie, Laura, Vivienne and Lois.

>4 brenzi: >5 lauralkeet: I did enjoy the book, I agree with you, and just wish the ending had been much tighter.

>6 VivienneR: I think this is the last book in the series until her new one comes out in May (according to Amazon).

I know that I’ve found some good books off the favorites lists as well.

>7 avaland: looking forward to your book suggestions, Lois.

>8 BLBera: Happy New Year, Beth. I’ll be following you as well.

Audible has a “buy two for one credit” on select books through today. I bought The Bird King off your suggestion. I got that one and Cocaine Blues (a Linda/laytonwoman suggestion) for one credit.

Happy New Year, and happy new thread.

>11 dchaikin: Thank you, Dan. Happy New Year to you, as well.

Happy New Year, Colleen. Dropping off a wee star here too. Look forward to your 2020 reading.

>13 AlisonY: Happy New Year, Alison. I starred your thread a few days ago. I always enjoy your reviews.

I’m hoping you get some good news when you visit the specialist re your husband’s health. I know from personal experience what waiting is like.

Thank you, Deborah. I’m trying to stay positive, but realistic.

Happy New Year! A star has just been dropped. I will be lurking around here. :)

>17 OscarWilde87: Happy New Year to you as well. The lurking goes both ways. ;-)

Happy New Year! Wishing you and your husband the best outcome(s) possible in the new year. I look forward to your mystery reviews and hope you find time for the occasional NYC visit and museum review.

I fell behind on threads something awful last year, so hoping to be more involved this time around. Best wishes for reading and life in general!

>19 ELiz_M: Happy New Year to you as well. I always look forward to your museum reviews. I’m sure I’ll have a few trips to the Met, usually in spring and summer. My daughter has the membership, and she’ll often say let’s go spur of the moment.

>20 mabith: The same to you, Meredith. 2019 was a tough year for some of us, but here we are again.

Happy New Year Coleen. I hope it will be a good reading one.

Hope you have a good new year, and I'm looking forward to following along with your reading again. I fell quite behind last year towards the end so I'll try and keep up a bit better this time.

>22 Caroline_McElwee: Happy New Year, Caroline. I’m looking forward to another good reading year for all of us.

>23 valkyrdeath: Happy New Year, Gary. I’ll be peeking in to see what you are reading too.

Happy New Year, Colleen!

Happy New Year, Darryl! Nice to see you here.

1. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths, narrated by Jane McDowell

The 10th book in the Ruth Galloway series has Ruth headed to Italy when a former colleague asks for her expertise on dating some ancient bones. The book follows two storylines, one in Italy, and the other back in England. Ruth looks forward to a working holiday after her disappointment in the previous book. This series has a fairly big following here on LT, so I don’t want to give anything away. I’ll just say that the ending left me wanting to read the next book.

>27 NanaCC: you're up to the tenth book already?! Wow. I read #6 last month and now I'm hearing the siren song again.

>27 NanaCC: Temptress

>28 lauralkeet: I was doing a lot of knitting, Laura, and the endings kept me wanting to get on with the stories. And, of course, I’ll complain when I’m all caught up and don’t have another one available for listening.

>29 brenzi: Well, you’ve tempted me with quite a few, Bonnie. When you’ve run out of a series that you like on audio, these are quite good...

I hope you like The Bird King, Colleen. I am up-to-date with the Ruth Galloway series so have to wait for the next one. :(

>31 BLBera: Tour review put The Bird King on my wishlist, Beth. I’m not too concerned. I have one more Ruth Galloway before the long wait for the next one.

>27 NanaCC: Griffiths better get busy and write a few more Ruth Galloway novels asap.

>33 VivienneR: I think she has one coming out in June, Vivienne. This is the problem with series that we love. We can’t wait to get to the next book, so we quickly make our way through a series, until we hit the end, and face the long wait for the next one.

2. B is For Burglar by Sue Grafton

The second book in Grafton’s alphabet series starts with Kinsey being asked to find a woman. The woman’s sister tells her that there is an inheritance that is to be split among several relatives, but they all have to sign a paper first. The missing woman will be the last to sign. The search for this woman turns out to be a much bigger mystery than just a missing person. I enjoyed it. It is fun reading some of these older books, as there are no cell phones and computers helping Kinsey solve the mystery.

Thanks to Linda (laytonwoman) for the push to read these. My plan is to read one a month.

>35 NanaCC:

I love these :) I read the first few in order and then went off track and at this point I am not sure if I had read all of the middle ones. I may join you in the one a month :)

>36 AnnieMod: I think that I originally made it to the middle of the alphabet somewhere, Annie. But it was so long ago that these are totally new to me now. I really like the main character’s sass.

>37 NanaCC:

I discovered the first 4 or 5 in my school's library (Peace Corps donations - so the books were not always stuff you expect at school libraries) almost quarter of a century ago - they were some of the first books I read in English without needing them for school... then I picked up some more through the years and read the U,V and W as they were coming out (or close enough). Had been thinking about going back and reading all of them, including the ones I missed...

I like that time moves slower than in real time and Kinsey can use her way without sounding old-fashioned. Her sass does not harm either :)

>35 NanaCC: I really ought to get to this series sometime Colleen.

>38 AnnieMod: I was reading them as they came out originally. I think I stopped because my job took over my life for a while and I did very little reading at all. I had been thinking about reading them again, and after Sue Grafton died, Linda’s comments pushed that idea up to the top. It took a while, but I started my one a month in December.

>39 Caroline_McElwee: If you like a tough, sassy heroine, Caroline, I think you’ll like these.

>35 NanaCC: When the first one came out I was working in a public library where the staff were united in their praise for Grafton. I always meant to try them but somehow never got around to it. Maybe this will be the year when I finally meet Kinsey Millhone.

>41 VivienneR: I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts if you do get to it, Vivienne.

>40 NanaCC: I've read all of them and I think Ms Grafton kept a pretty consistent standard over the years. I was quite sad reading Y is for Yesterday.

>43 rhian_of_oz: I’m glad to hear that Grafton kept her standards consistent, Rhian. Sometimes in a long series, it’s difficult to keep going. I’ve heard so many people comment about how sad it was to read “Y”. I’ve listened to the Rhys Bowen series, Her Royal Spyness. They are silly entertaining books. The original narrator, Katherine Kellgren, passed away after book 11. I’m still having a hard time with the change, but the books are still going strong.

>44 NanaCC: I've often felt the same way about series, Colleen. I once asked an author about how she would know when it was time to end a series, and she said that it is more about what the publishers will print. If a series is moderately successful, the author doesn't really have much choice about dropping it, if she still wants to get published that is. Although I imagine someone as successful as Grafton would have had a choice.

>45 BLBera: I never really thought about what makes an author keep going with or quit a series. I can see where if an author is tiring of a character, it could make writing a bit difficult and cause the quality to decline. I think I had it in my head that they just ran out of ideas to go on.

3. In the Shadow of Power (Sandhamn Murders) by Viveca Sten, Marlaine Delargy (Translator)

This is the 7th book in the Sandhamn Murders series. A wealthy man builds an enormous house on the island, and the neighbors are very unhappy about it. It doesn’t fit in, and one neighbor in particular is very vocal about it. This book jumped ahead about six years in time, I think, from the previous book. Thomas, the policeman, and his childhood friend, Nora, a lawyer, are soon investigating a suspicious death. Possible Russian mob connections with lots of money at stake, make for a good read.

>47 NanaCC: I just put the very first of these on request at my library. I was impressed by how many of you are reading her.

>47 NanaCC: Did you also watch these on the streaming service MhZ? I have not read the books, but I did enjoy the series (hmm, maybe I've asked this before...)

>48 sallypursell: I hope you enjoy them Sally. The translations are better after the first one I think, but the stories are good.

>49 avaland: I haven’t looked at MHZ yet, Lois. I’m guessing it would be another monthly charge. I do subscribe to BritBox, so I’m not opposed to doing that. I think I had looked for these on Netflix after you mentioned the series before, so wasn’t looking in the right place.

>47 NanaCC: This sounds like a series I would enjoy, Colleen. I should give it a try.

>51 BLBera: I think you’d enjoy it, Beth. I’m not sure if you do Kindle, but they often show up as deals for the kindle. I just checked and they are actually all on sale now. The first book is $1.99 for kindle.

>47 NanaCC: Thank you, Colleen! You have added another series to my list!

>53 VivienneR: You are welcome, Vivienne.....or should I say I’m sorry? :-)

>54 NanaCC: Stay tuned...

Hi Colleen, apparently I'm starting the Viveca Sten series next month.

Hi Colleen, your thread has gone quiet and I just wanted to let you know you're in my thoughts. Hope you'll check in here soon.

>56 brenzi: A little late responding, Bonnie. Sorry about the series (is it my fault?) But, I think you’ll enjoy it.

>57 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. Thank you for popping by. Just crazy busy trying to get my house in order to put on the market. 30 years of “stuff”. I keep saying ‘why did I save that’. I’ve been reading The Sunne in Splendor at night. But it is long, and I’m only getting a couple of chapters in each night before I fall asleep. Really enjoying it. I have been following threads as best I can. Your vacation looked relaxing.

It's nice to hear from you, Colleen. I've been through the years of stuff/getting house ready to sell process, and it is no fun at all. I'm glad you're able to get a little bit of reading time in as relief from all that though.

4. The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

This novel takes place during the Cold War after WWII. Boris Pasternak’s book, Dr. Zhivago, was banned in Russia. An Italian publisher managed to get the manuscript smuggled out, and had it translated and distributed in Europe and in the U.S. The CIA wanted to get it translated back into Russian, and back into the hands of the people in Russia. They used women from their typing pool as spies to do that. The book concentrates on two women who made that happen in the portions of the book called “West”. The “East” portions of the book tell the Russian portion of the story through the voice of Pasternak and his mistress and muse, Olga, the inspiration for Lara. Olga spent several years in a work camp in the Gulag for refusing to be an informant. How she survived I can’t imagine. The book definitely has a “first book” feel, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying it. I listened to the multi-reader audiobook, and thought it was well done.

Hi Colleen - I like your description of this as a "first book." I enjoyed it as well, but I really thought it was two novels - I think Prescott tried to cram too much into it. I would have loved a novel about Pasternak and another one about the CIA women.

Just dropping by to say hello. I hope all is going well.

>61 BLBera: I hadn’t thought of it that way, Beth, but I understand what you are saying. Sorry that I didn’t see this sooner.

>62 VivienneR: Hi Vivienne. Life is a bit crazy right now, as I try to get our house ready to go on the Market by April 1. I have a June 30 closing on a condo in Massachusetts. Hoping our sale happens in a timely manner.

I have to say that selling my home was a harrowing experience Colleen but once it's done and you can move on you will be satisfied. I downsized from 2800sf to 1150sf so lots of stuff had to go. When it was all said and done it was very freeing.

>64 brenzi: Hi Bonnie. I’m starting to feel that way. I just keep telling myself that if I haven’t used it in “x” years I don’t need it. I’ve been posting big things on Facebook in the local garage sale groups. If I say Free, it’s gone in ten minutes. Right now we have workman showing up at 7:30 every day for the past week. My reading time has been limited, but I am enjoying The Sunne in Splendor.

>58 NanaCC: What an adventure Colleen, exciting and scary after so long in one place. And a lot of effort too. Power to your elbow, as we say here.

Tough times, Colleen. One day at a time. You've a lot on your plate.

>27 NanaCC: I’ll just say that the ending left me wanting to read the next book.
Now that's the mark of a book worth reading!

Also, about downsizing - don't forget, most anything except mementos can be bought again, so if in doubt, chuck it.

>66 Caroline_McElwee: Power to my back too, Caroline. Lifting heavy boxes is making me realize that I’m not as young as I used to be.

>67 AlisonY: My hubby’s diagnosis is definitely the scariest part, Alison. But we are taking it one day at a time.

>68 auntmarge64: That has become my motto, Margaret. I’ve donated a ton of stuff. I’m trying to hang on to anything that would make me sad to lose.

And the Ruth Galloway series is really good.

>69 NanaCC: I'm glad you still have a chance to read from time to time.

When we moved up here, we took 88 boxes of books (I took the measurements of a common book box at the bookstore and then ordered them via Uline so all the book boxes would stack nicely and weigh about the same (about 3-4 high). They weighed about 30-35 lbs each. We released another 1000 books into the wild.

>70 avaland: 😄 I’ve given my daughter a carload of bankers boxes filled with books. She’ll go through and take what she wants and then donate the rest to her library. I have a lot of books, but not nearly as many as you. I tend to give them away after I read them. I just don’t have the room. I’ll let you know how many bankers boxes I wind up filling once I’m ready to pack them up. I don’t like to see empty bookcases, so I won’t pack them up until I have a contract for a sale.

>71 NanaCC: Yipes, those must be mighty weighty. Since moving in 2014 I have given away most, but not all that I read (maybe it’s a age thing). Best wishes for the rest of your packing.

Good luck with the move, Colleen. I hope everything goes smoothly. I'm hoping with the library closed for the next couple of months that I will move books from my shelves.

5. C Is For Corpse by Sue Grafton

Book three in the Kinsey Malone series. Bobby Callahan is convinced that the accident that has left him disfigured, given him a cloudy memory, and killed his best friend was actually attempted murder. He hires Kinsey to prove it. Three days later he’s dead, and Kinsey is determined to get to the bottom of it. These books are a lot of fun. I’ll need to wait for the library to reopen before I can get to the next book.

I’m still reading The Sunne in Splendor. It’s over 900 pages, so taking me a while right now, but I’m enjoying it.

Hi Coleen, how is it going with you in these strange times? Still packing?

>75 Caroline_McElwee: Still paring down, Caroline. The contractor has finally finished all of the work we were having done. We have some painting to do ourselves now. As long as all goes well, a couple of my kids are planning to come next weekend to help with the painting. Everyone has been self quarantining, so we think it should be safe. We will see what our thoughts are as we get closer. There isn’t as much of a rush to get it done, because no one is looking at houses right now. We were originally planning an April 1st listing, but I think we’ve decided to wait two weeks.

How about you? Are you staying safe?

Yes Coleen, I'm staying safe. I can do my job at home, and save the daily three hour round trip commute, so now I'm doing that full time, as are all my colleagues, so busy on working days.

Otherwise I go out every other day for a short walk and groceries.

Occupying myself with books, downloads and music mostly, and keeping in touch via phone and online with friends and family. We have one friend coming out the other end of the virus. Phew.

I hope you are being careful when you are out shopping. It makes me a bit nervous. We are being so careful, and then we head to the grocery store where we hope they are doing everything they say they are for safety reasons. The walks are very important. :-)

I don't know how it happened, Colleen, but I lost track of you....never finished you 2019 thread, and so never followed along to this one. But I was thinking of you, and realized you were missing from my "feed", so I tracked you down! Glad you're enjoying the Grafton series. I need to get back to it---I think I'm up to "R" on my re-read. I've had trouble locating my copies of the last few books in the series; my catalog tells me they are in a box in the attic, but I can't locate that particular box.

I shudder to think what it must be like to try to get ready to move under current conditions. The housing market, like everything else, has come to a standstill, I'm sure. But at least you have your new digs all lined up. Best of luck with all of it.

>79 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda. Thank you. I’m going to need the luck I think. The library is closed right now, so the next Grafton may have to wait for a bit. The month has just started, however, so I may still get it in this month.

I’ve been lurking on your thread occasionally, which is pretty much what I’ve been doing with everyone these days. Hopefully we will all come out of this mess in good shape.

6. The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman

This is a wonderful piece of historical fiction. The story of the life of King Richard III as imagined by the author. Unlike Shakespeare, she makes him a sympathetic character, and her version of the Princes in the Tower lays the blame elsewhere. The story starts with Richard at the age of about seven. At over 1,000 pages, I was sorry to see it end. The book gives probably the best interpretation of the War of the Roses that I’ve ever read. I’m not a historian, but I think it makes it understandable. This book will surely find its way to my favorites.

>81 NanaCC: Oh, I need that. There's one with the same title by Jean Plaidy, but modernized The Sun in Splendor.

I have a slightly funny story about this. I was at work one day, and a fan (co-worker) asked me if there was anything I didn't know. I know what a ridiculous question that is, but she was honestly admiring. Anyway, I said, "Yes, I'm not that good on the War of the Roses, you know, the Yorks and the Lancasters, the red rose and the white. I know it is about two different methods of handling the succession of England, in the lack of an obvious successor to the throne, but after that, I lose detail." The whole medical desk fell silent, and everyone looked at me. I was so abashed. It was a dumb example, and I really thought I was someone with a particularly dim grasp of the War. Instead, this wasn't on most people's radar, at all, and I embarrassed myself and everyone else, too. Can you imagine this scene?

>82 sallypursell: You did make me laugh, Sally. Thank you. I really enjoyed this book. And while it took me a long time to read, it was because of real life issues, not the book.

>82 sallypursell: Sally, that is hilarious. You would be right at home in our house, where we have a particular fondness for the English line of succession (and certain gaps in our knowledge that we would describe just as you did). I'm also vaguely aware that most people I encounter day-to-day would consider this a fairly niche subject.

>83 NanaCC: Colleen, someone around here recommended The Sunne in Splendor just as I was starting the Lymond Chronicles. I'm not sure I'm up for another chunky historical series right now, but it's on my radar.

>82 sallypursell: I love that story...and I admire you for being able to come up with it on the spur of the moment like that! Shame on your listeners for not bowing down in awe!

>84 lauralkeet: I have in my comments section on the work page that Jennifer (japaul22) recommended it, Laura, or at least that was how it wound up on my wishlist. I love a good chunky book (on kindle these days to save my wrists for knitting 😄), and this one was just right.

>85 laytonwoman3rd: Sally has some wonderful stories to tell, Linda. And, she has a knack for getting conversations started on various threads.

>81 NanaCC: Based on your comments I'm going to move Penman's book from wishlist to my kindle collection right away. I've always thought Richard III got a raw deal (I'm looking at you, Will Shakespeare!).

>82 sallypursell: Great story, Sally.

>87 VivienneR: When I told my daughter about the book, Vivienne, she said that one of their favorite parts of their last trip to London was the Tower of London tour. Murder, Mystery. Mayhem. She said she and the kids were very intrigued by the story of the two princes. She is interested in reading the book, but is intimidated by the length.

I really think you’d enjoy it.

After so much appreciation, I know I am right at home.

>82 sallypursell: I love that story, Sally. It sounds like something I would say.

>81 NanaCC: I have this one on my shelf, Colleen, and since reading is one of the allowed activities these days, I might even get to it! Have you read her historical mysteries? I really liked them.

>89 sallypursell: 😄

>90 BLBera: This was the first book I’ve read by her, Beth, but I will look for more.

>92 NanaCC: I'll check my shelves; I might have copies of the first two, and I could pass them on, after wiping them down, of course! What do we know about germs on paper?

>93 BLBera: FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK! Seriously, i don't like to endlessly link to my own stuff here, but I literally just finished writing this piece on a webinar that was very heavy on the transmission qualities of paper-based products: IMLS, CDC: On Staff Safety, Handling Paper In COVID-19 Pandemic. I think this should come as a relief to a lot of library folks and readers in general.

>93 BLBera: Thank you Beth. We are definitely living in a different world today where we need to double think about everything.

>94 lisapeet: Thank you for the information Lisa.

>94 lisapeet: Thank you for the great information, Lisa! Just what we need.

I'm so glad you liked The Sunne in Splendour!! I also really loved the Welsh series that starts with Here Be Dragon if you want to try some more.

>94 lisapeet: Thank you. That was really helpful.

>94 lisapeet: And why shouldn't you link to your own stuff, if it is to the point? At least you are sure of the sincerity of the writer and the quality of the research!

>97 japaul22: Funny you should mention that one Jennifer I have it on my wishlist already, and I have it tagged as the recommendation came from you.

>94 lisapeet: Thanks Lisa. That is good to hear.

Thanks, all. Although I got some interesting commentary from several librarians after posting the article, to the effect that this is a bit of a whitewash: most library books have plastic or at least hard covers, so touting paper as being safe is still glossing over the fact that library workers who are being called on to work in public spaces, or with publicly lent materials, are still at risk. Which is 100% true, and it bears noting that the webinar was sponsored by a federal agency at the White House/Congress's request—and of course the administration's interest is in getting everyone back to work as fast as possible. I agree with the point that was made, and will be asking the people who spoke up if they want to write an editorial for LJ—the Close the Libraries movement has been a big deal in the library world since the coronavirus became an issue, with a lot of political reverberations, and LJ is definitely on their side. Though of course we still need to report on what's being said publicly, and what's being disseminated by the U.S. government.

Also interesting for me personally, as a journalist, because I'm good friends with people on both sides of this—the librarians who questioned the incompleteness of the information, and the head of the agency that sponsored the webinar. It's good—it keeps me on my toes, integrity-wise, and I think makes me a better reporter.

Anyway, that's more about my job than you probably ever wanted to know...

I’m not a historical fiction buff, but I was persuaded to read The Sunne in Splendour and absolutely loved it. She makes the history clear without lecturing or being didactic, and characterization and plotting are great. And to those afraid of the length, I say don’t be. It is so engaging that the pages practically turn themselves.

Colleen, I really empathize with you about selling your house/moving. We sold ours last year and have been living in an apt for the past year. We were set to move to Florida (from Seattle) on 4/15. We’ve now (after much urging from our kids and my husband’s docs) decided to postpone a bit. However the movers will still be coming on Monday to take all our stuff to Florida. We will then go to a Residence Inn here with a couple of suitcases until things are more stable and we can fly, maybe a month, maybe several.

>82 sallypursell:. Great story, Sally. :)

Colleen, did you see that we are required to wear masks to the food store now? Also, Anderson Farms up on 15 will deliver for $5 or prepare for pickup for you for free. They have a wide selection, although it changes day to day. Might save you some trips to the store.

>102 lisapeet: It definitely sounds like an interesting job. 🙂

>103 arubabookwoman: It seems funny to say a 1,000+ page book is a page turner, but it really was. Your stress level must be sky high, Deborah. This is so unsettling..given your husband’s situation though, I agree with your kids. Better to wait it out for a bit. I want to put my hubby in a bubble..not that he’d let me.

>104 auntmarge64: Hi Margaret. My neighbor has been making masks to donate, non-stop for the past couple of weeks. She made one each for us, so we used them along with gloves last Saturday at the local Stop n Shop. I don’t know Anderson Farms, but I will take a look. The Mohawk House has been selling things from their local farm suppliers. I think they said Wednesday through Saturday or Sunday. They did it last weekend, and I saw that they were doing it again. The menu looked like quite a good selection. They aren’t delivering though. You call in an order and they’ll bring it out to your car. I’ve been tempted to try it.

I haven't read Sharon Kay Penman, for some reason—all I know about her is from guest spots on other literary sites, that she does dog rescue and has (or had) beautiful German Shepherds. I love good historical fiction but I'm picky... maybe I should give her a try.

>103 arubabookwoman: That sounds really stressful, but a good workaround. I lived with most of my stuff in storage for a year and a half while waiting for the house I live in now to be finished (it was supposed to be six months), so while I didn't have the same concerns that you do now, I'm thinking about what a glorious relief it was to finally get here and settle in, and wishing you the same, sooner than later.

>106 lisapeet: I think you’d enjoy this one, Lisa. It is well done.

>102 lisapeet: Definitely not too much information, Lisa. And good for you, for keeping your eyes, ears and mind open to both sides of the issues.

>105 NanaCC:. Colleen, Anderson Farms is the produce stand a half-mile north of where 15 turns into 2 lanes. They have several places around the county and I think they're based in the Wantage area. People rave about it. I haven't tried it out yet because my niece and her boyfriend have been shopping for me, but this last trip they had trouble getting a number of things at the Stop & Shop. They said many sections were pretty much empty, so now I'm thinking I would like to try them. I miss doing my own shopping, although I've discovered a few taste treats among the substitutes the kids have brought back.

>109 auntmarge64: Ok, now I know where you mean. They make great pies. I’ll have to see what else they have. I had no idea.

I know that I’ve been MIA recently, but getting the house painted and ready to show took a lot of time. We put the house on the market a week ago Wednesday, and had four offers by Sunday. Whew! Now we just need to get through the inspection on Tuesday, and appraisal after that. I won’t feel easy until we actually close, but I’m feeling relieved that we got this far.

The downside is that I have read nothing. My brain has turned off, I think. We will be moving by the end of next month, so hopefully I’ll get back in the swing of things soon after. In the meantime, I will try to catch up on threads.

>111 NanaCC: I'm glad to hear things are going well with the house, Colleen. Moving is stressful under the best of circumstances, and I really wouldn't want to be doing it right now. I expect your brain needs the down time...the reading will be back, I'm sure.

I'm very happy that you were able to sell your house so quickly, Colleen. As Linda said, reading will come back to you at a later date. Meanwhile, good luck with the sale and the move.

What >112 laytonwoman3rd: >113 lauralkeet: Linda and Laura said Colleen. Brave to do it right now. Hope everything continues to run smoothly.

Ditto—selling/buying/moving is not for the faint of heart (yet everyone has to do it at some point, at least the moving part). I'm glad things are going forward, and the reading will be there when you're in the new place and need to avoid unpacking those last few boxes...

Colleen, I'm so happy that your house sold so quickly! Good luck with the closing and the move.

Thank you, Linda, Laura, Caroline, Lisa and Beth. I’m so happy that it sold as fast as it did. It just shows that the world does keep moving on even in a pandemic. It was a bit stressful. There are no open houses allowed. Only one person is permitted to enter the house with the realtor. But you know that people are going to look in closets and cupboards..so after every visit, my hubby and I would get home and I’d get out the Clorox wipes and wipe down every doorknob, cupboard pull, anything I thought they might have touched. The day after it was listed we had four showings. I wound up wiping everything down four times that day because the showings were all spread out. Anyway, hopefully that part is done.

I’ll be glad when we get to our new place with one floor living. Stairs are becoming harder for my hubby, although he won’t say so. His speech is getting worse. I dread when I can no longer understand him. Right now I feel terrible when I need to ask him to repeat something. I’m sure it must be incredibly frustrating for him.

Well, back to packing. The next 30 days, or so, will go fast I think.

>111 NanaCC: That's great about the house! We drove by an "open" house in nearby desirable Amherst (NH) village; there was a spread-out line from the front door all across the lawn of people waiting their turns for a showing. I don't know if more than one was allowed or not. Selling during a pandemic must be far more stressful than the usual house-selling stress.

My friend has been trying to get an elevator installed for her husband, as he is having difficulty walking, but plan D is now to convert the downstairs office into a bedroom. She been so stressed & out straight trying to make everything happen; I worry about her. They recorded his voice to be used later so when they have a machine speaking for him it will be his voice -- have you done that? Thinking of you.

>118 avaland: Oh my, Lois, I wish I had thought of that. I’ll try to do that tomorrow. I understand the stress. We saw a specialist who his neurologist recommended. He prescribed some medication that is supposed to slow the progress. This was near the end of January. My husband retired at the end of February. His insurance ran out at the end of March. It took that long for the insurance company to approve the medicine, but by then he was no longer covered. I signed him up for a new insurance, but it wouldn’t kick in until May 1st. I said what about if I just pay for it. They said it would be $11,000. Of course I couldn’t do that. We finally got the medicine on May 1 for $44. How crazy is that?!?

>119 NanaCC: Unbelievable. I'm glad you were finally able to get the meds, but that must have been very stressful. Good luck with the voice recording, that's a really interesting idea.

>120 lauralkeet: It definitely is a good idea, Laura. I only wish I’d thought of it sooner. With the stress of the house, I’m afraid I haven’t been as persistent in getting educated about this as I should have. If Lois hadn’t mentioned it, I’m pretty sure it never would have crossed my mind.

Congratulations on selling so quickly. I hope closing goes smoothly too. It will be a weight removed.

I'm so glad to see you posting again. When the move is done and dusted you will be able to get back to reading and looking after your husband and enjoying your new home. You have so much on your plate right now.

Glad you were able to get the medication eventually. Insurance companies are notoriously difficult and slow. As always, my thoughts are with you.

>122 VivienneR: Thank you, Vivienne..and thank you for the smile you gave me on your thread. I will be looking for Penny’s new book sooner rather than later.

Sorry Colleen, apparently it will not be out until September 1st. :(

Hi Colleen, so glad you were able to sell your house so quickly. Unbelievable about the medication. Health insurance is just such a pain and now with so many unemployed and with most insurance tied to employment I just can't imagine. So stressful for you and your husband. I wouldn't worry about not reading. That will come back once you're settled in your new place. I continue to hope for the best for you as you make your way through all this.

Thanks for the suggestion of the Penman. Sounds great.

Sorry to hear about the insurance issues Coleen. I hope you can get that recording done. I saw a programme last year about people doing that. Wishing your husband a delayed progression, and keeping you in my thoughts.

>124 VivienneR: No worries, Vivienne. I’ll definitely be ready to read it by then 😀
>125 brenzi: Thank you Bonnie. I think you’d love the Penman. I feel so sorry for those who have had to file for unemployment. As if they don’t have enough stress. And now to go through that nightmare. It must be awful. I had a call today from the RNC. I can’t figure out why, as I’ve never registered as anything but a Democrat. He said he just needed sixty seconds of my time for a brief survey. Did I think president Trump was doing a good job with the current crisis. I said You’ve got to be kidding. He’s awful. He then proceeded to try to get me to donate money to the RNC. I just laughed and hung up.
>126 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you Caroline. I’m going to give the recording a go.

>127 NanaCC: Good response to your caller!

Insurance companies are evil. I'm glad you are covered again and got the medicine you need. Fingers crossed that the progress of the disease will be slow. It's a tough situation. Good luck with the move.

>111 NanaCC: I think selling a house is the most stressful thing in life--other than horrors with family members, of course.

I am so glad you've had such luck with an easy sale. It can go the other way, too.

The reading will come back.

>130 sallypursell:. Thank you Sally. Just keeping my fingers crossed that all goes smoothly through the closing. I’m getting excited about moving.

>127 NanaCC: Don't get me started about the RNC. They (among others) have targeted my mother as a soft touch (she is....her increasing dementia means she doesn't distinguish well between valid solicitations and scams, nor does she remember if she sent money to some organization last month....she'll do it again if they ask again. All this is now moot, as I have taken away her access to checking account and credit cards, but still...). I have written to them, sent back mailings marked "remove from mailing list", etc. etc. They ignore all that. I didn't know they were going for people who are NOT registered Republicans. Even though my Mom, in her most lucid moments, says Trump is an idiot, doesn't see that the RNC is enabling and promoting him. She's a life-long Republican, and thinks they know what's good for us all.

>132 laytonwoman3rd: Oh, Linda, how awful. The scams coming from everywhere are really terrible. And the Republican Party has really gone off the cliff. I keep telling my kids if you ever donate money to a politician, now is the time to donate to Amy McGrath and Jamie Harrison. It would be so exciting to see McConnell and Graham unseated. Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

>132 laytonwoman3rd: That's a terrible story, Linda. I'm so glad you discovered the problem and took action. Is your mother upset over this?

I'm not on LT as much at the moment Colleen as with juggling home-schooling with my day job I don't have my usual LT window in the day, so on a fly-by! With so much on your plate I'm delighted that your house has sold so quickly, and well done for the Herculean effort of getting it ready for sale. We've been mulling over selling for the past year or so, but we're terrified of the work involved. Every time I think of how much stuff we have in our garage, attic and outhouses alone I go pale at the thought.

Great that your husband finally got the meds he needs as well. The UK approach to healthcare at the moment seems to be that if you don't have Coronavirus they don't want to know, so many people with chronic diseases are largely in a mass holding pattern and not receiving their usual consultant appointments. I'm glad you've still been able to push for the treatment needed to try to slow things down.

>135 AlisonY: Thank you, Alison. I really for sorry for you and all of the parents who are trying to manage the home schooling, and their jobs. It isn’t easy under any circumstances to to keep young children focused on schoolwork. Add to that the freedom of not actually having to show up in school, I’m in awe of those who are managing it. Are they doing online meetings with the teachers and classmates?

As for the Herculean effort, it really was worth it. The house looks great. 30 years of “stuff”. And I’ve had the added bonus of losing about 25 pounds without even really trying. I asked my daughters if I should start to worry and they laughed. Going up and down stairs, lifting heavy boxes, just moving more has been a big factor. Another would be eating differently now that my hubby is home all the time. We never ate meals together during the week because of his job. Now that he’s retired, I think I’m eating better.

>134 sallypursell: One small benefit of the pandemic has been that I was able to make the transition to completely handling my mother's finances by using the excuse of her not being able to go to the bank or the post office. It made it a practical necessity issue unrelated to her failing memory and judgment.

>136 NanaCC: My eldest (almost 13) is getting regular work set by his teachers in secondary school, Colleen, but there's no teaching as such going on. He's pretty good though and just gets on with it. My 10 year old is at primary school and I'm really disappointed and infuriated with the lack of support there - this is a really key time for her as they need to prep for the grammar school entrance tests in the autumn. A huge pile of work has been thrown over the fence for the parents to tutor the children on, yet the teachers are still on full pay! What are they doing all day?! Cue angry emoji if LT did emojis!!!

25 pounds - wow! That's incredible. It's amazing how work routines can negatively impact on healthy eating. I'm glad to hear you're finding your eating mojo again. I've found that to be a really positive outcome of the COVID-19 lockdown - we're also eating healthier and more often together as a family than we did when my husband and I had commutes to our workplaces. And I'm not throwing out nearly as much food which is great.

Have you found somewhere to move to? Sorry if I missed that in an earlier post, but I didn't have time to read them all.

>138 AlisonY: We are buying a condo, Alison, one floor, near my daughter. It’s brand new. It’s the first time I’ve ever been able to pick exactly what I wanted for colors and upgrades.

Parents here are having issues with school too. My daughter’s sister-in-law posted on Facebook today that she’s had it. Zero help from her son’s teachers. She said it’s time to end the school year.

>136 NanaCC: Hey, how come that weight loss program didn't work for me the last time we moved! (and there were 88 boxes of books alone! Surely that was worth a few lbs).

>140 avaland: LOL. I honestly think it has to do with just moving more and eating differently, Lois. Now I’m hoping I don’t gain it all back. We closed on our house that we sold on Friday, but aren’t closing and moving into our new condo until July 1st. We are in a hotel until then. It’s rather odd, but understandable. No housekeeping. You leave dirty linens and garbage outside the door. You request clean and they either drop them inside the door, outside the door, or you pick them up at the front desk. That part is your choice. I’m sure it works fine if you are going to be only a few days, but we are here for twelve. We have been driving around each day, trying to get to know the area better. I’m looking forward to settling in, and hoping I don’t forget to do something.

>141 NanaCC: So, no one making your bed, eh? Are you having to eat out for all meals? Glad you are out and about checking out the area. Big celebration down in Plymouth this year what with the 400th anniv. of the Mayflower landing; wonder how that will play out now. Hope settling in is a breeze for you.

>141 NanaCC: Hi Colleen, your move seems to be going well although I can understand it feeling a bit weird to be in limbo at a hotel. Is your new home far away from where you lived before?

>142 avaland: We have been having food delivered to the hotel, or eating with my daughter.. So far it has only been delivery or curbside pickup available. But today, I think some places have started indoor dining with social distancing. I’m not ready to try that yet. I’m curious how all of the summer activities will play out. I’m just hoping my hubby adjusts to everything.

>143 lauralkeet: Hi, Laura. We have moved to Massachusetts from New Jersey, so everything is “new”, although I’ve spent lots of time here over the years.

>144 NanaCC: oh that's a big change. For some reason when you first talked about moving and I thought you were moving to a different type of house but in the same general area. But it makes a lot of sense to move closer to where your daughter lives. I hope your time in the hotel passes quickly.

Just dropping by to wish you a happy moving day tomorrow! You must be glad it has all come together at last and now you can focus on settling in and enjoying the new location.

I hope everything goes smoothly for you today, Colleen.

Good move vibes to you, Colleen! The best thing about a move is that eventually it's OVER. That and hopefully you've ended up somewhere that you want to be.

I hope your move is going well, Colleen. I imagine it is nice to finally be in your spot. I spent this afternoon helping my daughter unpack. I got the kitchen!

The worst part of moving is that you don't feel at home anywhere for awhile. I wish you good fortune settling in, and a sense of home coming sooner, rather than later.

Ooo how did it go Coleen?

>145 lauralkeet:, >146 VivienneR:, >147 laytonwoman3rd:, >148 lisapeet:,>149 BLBera:, >150 sallypursell:, >151 Caroline_McElwee: Hello, everyone! Thank you for the well wishes. It is so nice to have visitors. 🙂 I am up to my ears in boxes. It took me ages to pack, and for some reason, I just thought I could undo it in a week. Ha! My daughter has been a great help, but there are things you just have to do yourself. I’m hoping to get back to normal soon. I’ve got my hubby linked in to the ALS center in Boston. They have a wonderful reputation, and so far everyone seems so kind. They will help him with coping techniques to make life a little easier. I’ll try to check in again soon.

Good to hear from you, Colleen! I've always found unpacking takes longer because you have to find or create a place for the items unpacked. Congratulations on all you have accomplished.

>153 VivienneR: Yes, so good to hear you are settling in and things are going ok.

Colleen, it's so nice to hear from you! I'm glad you have help with the unpacking. When we moved 2.5 years ago, the bedroom and kitchen came first. I knew if I could sleep and eat, the rest would take care of itself. And I kind of enjoyed organizing my kitchen. But even so, we had a few boxes (maybe 10 of those book-sized ones) that sat in a neat row in our upstairs hallway for months. It took a while to figure out what to do with the contents. So ... I feel your pain!

I'm also glad to hear your husband is connected into some first-class healthcare.

Hi, Colleen! Very so to see you're moved and able to start settling in.
Hopefully, things will slow down for you from here on out since you can take your time unpacking and getting to know your new town. And it's great that you've got your husband hooked into the ALS place already. I hope they can help you both as the illness progresses, slowly slowly slowly (my lips to God's ear).

Good luck with the unpacking, Colleen. It's great to hear that your husband is hooked up to wonderful health care.

Unpacking is much slower than packing, but more enjoyable, since you're placing things where they will now live, which is very satisfying. When we moved back to Greenville, I set my books aside to unpack last, as a reward, but ended up unpacking them the second day as I needed them out to feel at home. Good luck settling in.

>153 VivienneR:, >154 avaland:, >155 lauralkeet:, >156 auntmarge64:, >157 BLBera:, >158 RidgewayGirl: Visitors! Things are moving along. I can actually see a light at the end of the unpacking journey. Most of the books are unpacked. Maybe not exactly as I want them, but I haven’t the heart to move them just yet. While I was at the hospital with my husband, my daughter was unpacking boxes. My son-in-law stopped by with the kids to try to set up the tv. My daughter gave my grandson, who is 11, the job of emptying a couple of book boxes. He is a great reader, and was delighted to put the books on the bookshelf. My daughter said he tried to group them by size or color. Every once in a while she’d hear him say something about a book’s title. The one that made me chuckle was “oh, she has the six wives of Henry the eighth”. He is very interested as they’ve been to London several times. I’m waiting for him to ask about borrowing some books.

>159 NanaCC: It's nice to have family around to help with unpacking. I love the story of your grandson getting sucked into your book collection. He's a bit young for LT yet, but maybe someday!

>159 NanaCC: I can actually see a light at the end of the unpacking journey.

I moved almost 4 years ago. I still have boxes in the closet I need to get to... :)

>159 NanaCC: I'm so glad you are getting settled in. I love the story about your grandson. It's so nice to have family nearby.

>161 AnnieMod: We've been in this house for six years and yesterday I opened the closet in the spare room and saw a stack of boxes I didn't even realize I hadn't unpacked. They looked so tidy stacked there that I quietly closed the closet door and left them be.

I'm a bit behind on LT, Colleen, but glad the worst of the move is behind you. No rush with those last boxes - they'll wait for you!

Just leaving a note that we miss you and your reading. I imagine you are getting settled and enjoying the late summer weather. Waving from the north.

>165 avaland: Oh, Lois. I wish I could say that was the case. We did get settled in and love our new place, but my husband took a turn for the worse and passed away on August 3rd. I knew that it was coming, but just not so soon. ALS is a terrible disease. I keep telling myself that the silver lining is that he never wound up in a wheelchair. He would have hated that. I finished a book yesterday. I’ve only read 7 books this year. I hope that was the start of me getting back into the swing of things. I’ll start posting again soon. I just haven’t been up to it. I do appreciate your checking in.

>166 NanaCC: I am so sorry for your loss.

I am so sorry, Colleen. My heart goes out to you.

Colleen, I have just heard of your loss through mutual friends. I am so very sorry. Please convey my condolences to Chris as well. Kindest thoughts, Tui.

Oh Colleen, I'm very sorry.

I'm so very sorry for your loss, Colleen! ALS is indeed a cruel disease. My thoughts are with you.

Oh, Colleen, I'm so sorry. I wish you peace, and strength.

Sorry to hear your sad news Coleen. Keeping you in my thoughts. At least he saw where you will call home, and you will have memories, if short lived, of him with you there.

I'm very sorry to hear about your husband's passing, Colleen.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Colleen.

>166 NanaCC: Oh, Colleen, I never imagined that would be your answer! I'm so sorry to hear that. I get regular emails from my old friend re her husband, a retired commercial pilot, and he is now in a wheelchair and very depressed. Will keep you and your family in my thoughts. We'll all be here when you are ready to resume. XXXXXXXXXXX

Oh my goodness, Colleen - I'm so sorry to hear your sad news. That was desperately sudden. We are all thinking about you.

Oh, Colleen, I am so sorry for your loss. Take care.

My thoughts are with you

So sorry to hear this, Colleen.

Colleen, I am so sorry for your unexpectedly rapid loss of your husband. I cannot imagine the shock and grief you must be feeling. I'll be thinking of you quite a bit, and I send healing and soothing thoughts your way.

Thinking about you, Colleen.

Catching up here and so sorry to hear about your sudden loss. We can prepare as best we can for these events but you can never really be ready or know all the ways it changes your world. You will be in my thoughts.

>167 ELiz_M:, >168 lauralkeet:, >169 tiffin:, >170 lisapeet:, >171 VivienneR:, >172 laytonwoman3rd:, >173 Caroline_McElwee:, >174 kidzdoc:, >175 RidgewayGirl:, >176 avaland:, >177 AlisonY:, >178 BLBera:, >179 baswood:, >180 japaul22:, >181 sallypursell:, >182 laytonwoman3rd:, >183 janemarieprice:

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts. I appreciate them very much. I am going to try to catch up with everyone’s threads. I’m not sure how successful I’ll be. I may mostly skim, and then start fresh. I’m doing ok. One day at a time. I’m so glad that my daughter is near. She and the kids keep me busy. I’ve committed to picking up my grandson from school four days a week. He and his sister have overlapping pick up times in opposite directions, and it gets me out of the house. The downside is that our “bubble” is now broken, so we are back to wearing masks when we are together. My grandson is almost 12, and about 5’ 10”, but he has graciously decided that he should sit in the back seat on the opposite side of the car while wearing his mask. Both of the kids’ schools require them to wear masks all day, and their classes have been split up to make them smaller in order to maintain distancing. I had my flu shot last week, and other than spending time with my daughter and her family, I’m going to keep to myself for the duration. I’m very worried about the slight uptick in Covid cases recently, and I’m sure the worst is yet to come. I’ve read a few Sue Grafton books. They are short, and just what I needed to get myself into reading again. We shall see whether I find the commitment to write my thoughts about anything I read.

Welcome back, Colleen. I'm so glad you are near family right now. And don't worry about catching up; just start where you are.

>184 NanaCC: >185 lauralkeet: I could'nt agree more, Colleen. Do only what you want to, and don't stress yourself too much. That was very good of your grandson.

Little steps, Colleen...we ask nothing of you.

>184 NanaCC: I'm glad you have your family near and that they are forcing you into the world a little. It's too easy to become isolated these days. And Sue Grafton is perfect escapist reading for a distracted mind. Good to hear from you.

>184 NanaCC: Welcome back, Colleen. I'm so glad to hear from you again. Your grandson sounds like a real gentleman and I'm glad your family are close by. Stay well.

Good to hear from you, Colleen.It's good that you are near family. Take care.

Just catching up on LT after being away awhile. I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. What a difficult time this must be for you. But I’m glad that you have been able to be settled near your daughter, and you have the comfort of family.

>185 lauralkeet:, >186 sallypursell:, >187 laytonwoman3rd:, >188 RidgewayGirl:, >189 VivienneR:, >190 BLBera:, >191 arubabookwoman: - Thank you for the kind words everyone. I just couldn’t begin to catch up, but have checked in once in a while. I hope to start fresh in January. We shall see how that goes. For now I wanted to wish everyone a safe, healthy, happy holiday season and a better new year for all of us.

I've been thinking of you and checking almost daily for a new post. I'm so glad to hear you will be back in the new year. Looking forward to it. Like you, I'm hoping for a better year in 2021.

Have a safe and healthy Christmas, Colleen.

Have been thinking about you, Colleen. Glad to hear you're hoping to be back in the New Year. Stay safe this Christmas.

It's nice to hear from you, Colleen. I too am glad to see you'll be back next year. Have a nice Christmas.

Glad to hear that you are doing ok(ish). Hugs.

Hope you have safe, mellow, and healthy holidays, Colleen. Peace, and be well.

>192 NanaCC: It's good to hear from you, Colleen. I think we're all hoping to reboot and have a fresh start in the New Year.
Wishing you a serene Christmas.

Thanks for letting us know how you're doing, Colleen. As Linda said above, I think all of us are hoping that the New Year will bring a fresh start. All the best to you and yours.

I hope there are some treats, some relaxation, and some reading over the festive season, and that 2021 is a kinder year to everyone.

Keeping you in my thoughts Colleen, I know the first Christmas without your lovely man will be doubly hard. I'm sure you have many joyful memories though.

Glad to hear from you, Colleen. I do hope you are able to come back on some level in January.

Happy Holidays, Colleen. I've been thinking of you. I hope 2021 is a better year.

Happy New Year! My 2021 thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/328716