Hi all. I hope everyone is well and getting through the storms of February. The photos in the aftermath of California’s epic rainstorm do not look good. I hope it dries out soon. We plan to visit my parents and brother there in April. Meanwhile things are fine here. We received several inches of snow over the weekend and it’s nice and white out again. But we’ve had some heavy fog advisories too, which make driving a bit dicey, especially since there are a lot of deer about, which could dart out of the mist at any minute. Speaking of deer, my husband took this photo when he was out walking the dogs in the evening down the street. I couldn’t believe how many there were! No wonder our bird feeders need to be put away at night, otherwise they’d be emptied. So far, this has been working.
And do you remember when I was working on my bookcases in the office here? Well here’s how it turned out. There’s actually another smaller bookcase on the opposite wall too. But things seem pared down, right? I got rid of six boxes of books when we moved. And I bought the desk from Pottery Barn, but when it was delivered it turned out to be yellow-ish white, which didn’t go with anything, so then I had it painted to match, argh. Nothing’s easy right? But I’m pleased how it turned out and that I have a window to look out. The natural light makes it nice in there.
In bookish news, I’d like to continue on with the reading survey we’ve been having. In earlier posts, I asked about when you DNF a book, and if you read multiple books at a time. And now I wonder where you get the majority of your books from (is it from the library, your own stacks, a store, or where?) and also what book format is your most preferred (is it hardback print, e-book, audio, or paperback?). I guess I get most of my reads from the library, and I probably read print hardbacks mostly (with some too on an e-reader) along with listening to downloadable audiobooks from the Libby app, Hoopla, and Audible. What about you?
And now I’ll leave you with a couple reviews of what I finished lately.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn / Knopf / 382 pages / 2023
4.5 stars. This novel will likely give you a heavy book hangover after you finish, meaning these characters and their intense World War I experiences last on considerably after the last pages, though it took me a while to get invested in the story at first, probably not till page 100 did things turn more interesting for me.
The beginning starts at a British boarding school in 1914 where a group of guys are goofing around together, pulling pranks, fighting, and reading the school’s In Memoriam column to see who’s died or been wounded in the war. They talk of signing up and being heroic in battle. Two smart and sensitive ones in particular, Sidney Ellwood, 17, a Jewish poet, and Henry Gaunt, 18, half-German, stand out and seem caught up on one another without letting the other know, though in time they get close.
Various boys in their clique seem gay at the school or have gay experiences and you might wonder a bit after awhile if this story is going to be for you. But then when Henry Gaunt skips out and enlists in the war things turn dicey at the front where he’s a captain. And Ellwood follows him by enlisting. They hear of classmates getting killed and see horrific things while in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium, including the Germans use of poisonous gas and friends getting blown apart. It’s while they’re on a mission to breach the enemy’s line that their fates become changed. What happens after includes a couple plot twists as the war goes along that kept me rapidly turning the pages.
It’s an epic WWI story that puts you right there in the grime, amid the trench fears, wounds, camps, and the aftermath’s shell shock, and propels you to know what’ll happen to the characters: the men — Ellwood and Gaunt — and their prep school classmates. The love between Ellwood and Gaunt brings the experience upfront and closer, and the men feel quite real and brought to life as it goes on.
Debut author Alice Winn seemingly comes out of nowhere to blow the lid off of this one. Her style was a bit different to me in that the novel includes pages and pages linked by dialogue. In fact, so much of the story and setting she’s able to get across by dialogue alone. There’s not a lot of exposition writing here, which is surprising in a novel that seems to get across much of the atmosphere of the Great War and its battles. Kudos to Winn for this epic tale that left me wondering long after it was over.
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino / FSG / 336 pages / 2024
4 stars. I liked some of the light humor and touching emotions in this coming-of-age novel about a girl born in 1977 who grows up in Philadelphia with a single mom and is really an alien from a faraway planet, which is known at the begining. For the most part, Adina looks and seems human, but she’s a bit of an outcast and every once in awhile she’s faxing her “superiors” in outer space to report back on human behavior, which surprises her in some regards. She also has a bit of an obsession with astronomer Carl Sagan, who was a believer in extraterrestrial life.
The narrative follows Adina’s youth in the 1980s and ’90s as she navigates her life with her mom, her school years, and the popular mean cliques, while befriending a neighbor in her grade — Toni and her brother Dominic.
The three of them eventually wind up in NYC with Adina getting a little dog named Butternut and where Toni works in publishing and persuades Adina to share her writings with the world. The story has some amusing and charming parts as well as some sad ups and downs as Adina grieves over a couple losses and goes through an uneasy breakup. Her Philly Italian mom, who seems opposite of Adina, remains a constant in her life.
I listened to this as an audiobook narrated well by Andi Arndt, and I enjoyed the story’s premise, its cultural spotlights, as well as Adina’s sensitive sensibilities. My only slight qualm was I would’ve liked to have seen Adina a bit more different than her human counterparts. She’s just a bit nerdy and a loner, but her extraterrestrial being doesn’t stand out all that much. Though towards the end, she begins to wonder about going “home,” or whether to stay on Earth, which lend things some apprehension as the story goes on. This was my first Bertino novel and I think I’d read her again in the future.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read these and if so, what did you think?
The majority of my books come from the library. I never thought I would read an e-book but now I pretty much read them exclusively using the Libby app. I also subscribe to Kindle Unlimited so many of my books come from there as well as the the monthly first reads. I unfortunately don’t have the listening skills for audio books. I prefer the Kindle because I can make the font as large as I need it to not strain my eyes and there is a back light. I also appreciate the feature of highlighting a word to get an instant definition. And lastly, I like how lightweight it is over holding a book.
In Memoriam sounds very interesting and something my husband and I could read together. We just read The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland together. I am currently reading Watch Us Shine by Marissa de Los Santos. I think her writing is just beautiful.
I live in Cincinnati where this week has been spring like. Winter is supposedly making another appearance next week.
Hi Sharon – thanks for your note. I agree e-readers have many advantages. I have a Kindle Fire and like it a lot for the light and the font sizing particularly. I read both print & ebooks but I think I get more books from the library in print form, probably just because there’s a great demand for the e-books. I do like being able to highlight sentences on the e-reader! So you’re right on all fronts.
I’m glad you gave me these titles … The House is on Fire seems to have a lot of raves about it. I’ve put my name in for it at the library. Keep me posted on what other good books you read. It’s nice you share some reads with your husband.
I love that photo of the deer! And the bookcases in your office are awesome. I’m having a little bookcase envy at the moment. ;D And I get the majority of the books I read from my library. The library system where I live is great…I can put on lots of holds at one time, get books sent over from other libraries, and they’ll even purchase books they don’t own if I request them to. Plus, I have no room for more bookcases in my house (or a lot of extra money), so buying books isn’t the best option for me.
Hi Lark, thanks the deer are a bit crazy here. And I agree with you. I stopped buying books years ago — because I can get them from the library. The library here is also quite good — they have mostly everything though sometimes I wait for books which is Okay. It sounds like you have a great library system there. Have a great week.
I thought you had a deer or two as neighbors, but you have a herd! 😮 Yeah, the last two California winters have been dire; I hope it doesn’t become a trend. I love your office—the color scheme and THAT window! It’s been 12 years that I read exclusively in Kindle. I always buy books, either at deep discount via BookBub, request some via Netgalley, or buy the latest releases when I want to beat the crowds and I haven’t been approved for an ARC or it’s not available for request; the latest option was the trend last year. Both of your reads sound excellent for different reasons. Beautyland seems quirky, while it must be quite a feat to pull off writing about the experience of warfare relying mostly upon dialogue. I’d love to read both.
Thanks Carmen, the window in the office really helps and I’m enjoying the newly painted room with the bookcase. Feel grateful for it. 🙂
For awhile we had a family of like 6 deer or so coming to the house but when I saw the recent photo from down the street I almost freaked, lol. It’s like out of the movie Leave the World Behind. Is the world ending soon?!
I can see why you’d read on a Kindle. I like BookBub too, every once in a while they’ll have a great book. I read some on a Kindle and others flood in that are in print. Netgalley is a good source. I’m not on there too much though. And I have like 4 old books on there I never got around to reading, which isn’t good. Beautyland was a bit quirky — I guess it seemed to go on a bit too long for what it is perhaps. Still it’s about a 3.7 or so rounded up. I hope you are finding some good reads. I’m stuck in a PW thing at the moment but hope to be done soon.
Hi Susan,
The bookcases in your office look great and the window looks out on a beautiful setting. Having a bookshelf is important because we can see our books all at once, including those books we have forgotten we had. Most of my books are kindle, kindle unlimited in particular. The library nearest me is small and they pretty much have nothing you want. Don’t read hard cover books much at all particularly if it’s a long book. But audio I am starting to get into.
Beautyland interested me the moment I heard Adina is obsessed with Carl Sagan. I remember his appearances on TV decades ago now and I always meant to read one of his books. The Demon Haunted World I will try this year.
Thanks Kathy, I’m enjoying the new office, though there are a lot of books on the bookshelf I haven’t read and which keep reminding me. Yet I keep getting more from the library; there’s no rhyme or reason to it, lol. Too bad about your library, but it seems like your Kindle reading is easy & plentiful. I have to go to the city library, which my husband picks up at a branch near his workplace that’s about 40 mins away. So it’s not exactly easy, but they have just about everything.
All I recall about Carl Sagan is his book Contact … so I will be interested to hear what you think of his Demon book, which I don’t know about. Have a good week.
Hi Susan- I just finished The Prophet Song and was disappointed with the ending. I get that the “ending” had arrived but even the last sentence seemed weakly odd. What did you think?
Hi Liz, thanks for stopping by. I’m #148 currently at the library for Prophet Song out of 25 copies and I’ve been on hold since Dec. 7, so I probably should just go get a copy at this point. I think I heard this about the ending. Ugh. It’s really disappointing when an ending is a flop and the rest of the book is engaging. It can kill a book for a person. Weak endings can ruin everything. I heard the same thing about Birnam Wood. Interesting book, terrible ending. But I still plan to get to both. Keep me posted on your reads!
Love the picture and I can believe there are that many deer. We have probably 7 or 8 in our backyard almost daily. Mostly does, but sometimes a buck or two. Our last house would have up to 18-20 and this was in town. We’re used to deer and we don’t get fussed about them nibbling on the plants. We know people who get upset though and then there are the ones that will insist on buying feeding them corn or whatever. Not a good idea. They need to forage and not get dependent on humans feeding them.
I mostly read on my Kindle and always am listening to audiobooks. I do read in print as well. Check out from the library and get print books from various places. Enjoy your snow, but I am so ready for spring!
Hi Kay, thanks for your note. You have a lot of deer there too. West Texas right? We are not too upset about them. We like looking at them in the yard at times. But we try to keep the bird seed for the birds and we’ll likely use netting for the vegetable garden this year.
You seem to have a bit of a mix with your book formats, which I do as well. If we can make it to March, we’ll see spring on the horizon! Enjoy your week.
In Memoriam sounds like something I need to get hold of for sure. This is the first I’ve heard of the title or its author, so I would have likely never seen it other than your review. Thanks for that.
That photo your husband took is amazing, very atmospheric…can almost feel the cold. Hard to believe that’s so near your home.
I get over half of my books from the library, buy a few from local bookstores during the year, buy a lot more in e-book form from Amazon, supplement my e-books with those in the public domain, and work with a few ARCs every month, too. Because I get so many books, the majority of what I read is in hardcover format, but I find nice paperbacks to be the most physically comfortable to handle. I do have a Kindle Scribe now, and because it’s such a large screen (matching the size of a hardcover page), I’m reading more e-books than ever. I also listen to certain types of books via Libby when I’m driving around by myself. I’m trying to read more from my own shelves this year – but haven’t finished a single book from my shelves yet, so I’m not doing very well on that particular goal. People also seem to be loaning me more books than ever, too, for some reason.
So many choices, so many options…that’s both a blessing and a curse these days. lol
Hi Sam, you get a whole lot of books, and it seems a good mix of all formats. I also mix quite a bit, though I mostly get hardbacks from the library. I do like reading on the Kindle as well. Your Scribe seems a nice addition to read on.
The amount of deer in the photo were quite a surprise on our street. Holy smokes. I have not seen that group since but they’re around.
The In Memoriam novel racked up a couple awards last year. I thought it was strong for a first novel. The two main protagonists are gay so that’s a bit of a different angle for WWI novels. I liked how there were a couple twists midway through. Have a great week.
Wow, that is an impressive herd of your neighbors! And that’s quite an atmospheric picture of them that your husband took. As for where I get my reads, I read exclusively on my Kindle now. I resisted when my husband first suggested I try it several years ago but I’ve since become completely converted. I like being able to adjust the font, the lighting, etc. to fit my needs.
Hi Dorothy, yeah the number of deer just was a bit shocking. Usually we see six or seven around but the size of the herd was like whoa!
Interesting that you are a Kindle convert. I can relate though. Like you, I like being able to up the font size & have light on the words. But the hardbacks from the Library keep coming too. I hope you have a great week.
The photo of the deer is really beautiful!
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae. The deer seem to come in the evenings and apparently are more plentiful than we knew on our street. Enjoy your weekend.
It was very rainy here (Santa Barbara/Goleta) for close to a week, but we did not have any problems. We saw some photos of flooding close to where my husband used to work, and photos of trees that were blown over.
In general, I either buy the books I read or get them from my own stacks. I have a huge number of unread books (I am guessing close to 1000, but it could be less). This year I won’t be buying physical books until late September but that is when the annual book sale is, and that is always where I acquire most of the books for year. In previous years most of the books I bought outside of the sale were via online sellers but we do have a wonderful independent bookstore that we also patronize. I normally read print books, hardback or paperback, but I want to increase my ebook reading.
In Memoriam sounds like a good book but I am not sure I am up for a war story right now. On the other hand, Beautyland sounds really good. I will keep both of them in mind for the future.
Hi Tracy, so glad you didn’t have any damage where you live… though you saw flooding elsewhere. What a deluge. It seems either feast or famine in Calif.
I can relate to your unread books. I too have many in my bookshelves that are unread. I don’t know why I continue to get others from the library since I need to read more from my shelves. Your book sale sounds like a good source.
I hope your area is able to dry out a bit this weekend. Happy reading.
I hope you are enjoying the snow. The snow on the distant mountain tops is a nice view from my house. Although we got a lot of rain, there wasn’t much flooding or destruction near us. Some minor street floodings. I couple people had to be rescued from a spot near the river bottom downtown. Unfortunately, there were areas much harder hit than we were, especially along the coast.
Your bookshelves look great, Susan! I read mostly books off my own shelves, books I buy and books I get from NetGalley. I read a good mix of e-books and print books. Of print books, trade are my favorites, but I do read hardcovers as well. I don’t really read mass market paperbacks anymore, although I still have quite a few. The print is too small and they aren’t as easy to hold as they were when I was younger.
In Memoriam sounds like such a great book. I will definitely have to check that one out.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks Wendy. Glad you didn’t have damage from the storm. Some of the mudslides looked terrible. Glad it’s over and maybe things can dry out a bit.
I’m happy about my new shelves — ha many unread books! You seem to have a good mix of print and ebooks. Me too. Just a bit of everything.
I think you’d like In Memoriam … you seem to read some historical fiction and so this would fit. I was nicely surprised by some of its turns. Have a great weekend.
That is a herd! Lovely photo. We see hoofprints in our snow,what little there is of it this year but yet to see a deer.
I religiously check the daily deal on kobo which is where I mainly read from. It’s just so nice to have most of my books contained all together,plus the back-lit and adjustable font. However,I do use my library and elibrary often. This month I decided to read exclusively off my bookshelf as it’s getting a bit crowded.
My first pick from the shelf was River Sing Me Home and it was a 5-star read, so off to a good start!
Hi Jen, yeah it’s surprising how many deer we’re seeing here. I was a bit stunned these were on our street.
I’m glad you found a 5 star read on your shelves. That bodes well. I need to read more from my shelves instead of the library always. I like following the daily ebook deals, especially at $1.99. I agree being able to size the font on e-readers is so great. Thx for stopping by. Where are you located? Cheers.
That picture of those deer! Wow! Beautiful shot. Thanks for sharing. We have been hit a lot with snow and rain here in our neck of the woods but nothing too crazy. I had to miss one day of work last month since I couldn’t get out of my driveway but other than that we’ve managed!
Both of those books look really good. Beautyland really piques my interest. I am also a huge lover of Carl Sagan!
I hope you have a fantastic week.
Hi Heather, great to hear from you. It seems you would get some of that epic storm that left Calif and moved east. I guess it’s good for your mountains that you got big snow. I can imagine you being stuck in the driveway.
I hope all is well there. You seem busy. Cheers.
Your reading room looks fantastic. I especially love that big window.
I read most of my books from one of the many libraries available to me. One library, the library for the county around Houston, allows a person to check out twenty ebooks at a time, and that is a wonderful thing—I don’t have to drive over to pick up the books or return them.
In Memoriam sounds like an amazing book. I hope I get a chance to read it this year.
Hi Deb, thanks much. The office is a nice place to work and write, though I do most of my reading in bed I admit, either in the early morning or late at night. I didn’t realize the library allows 20 ebooks at a time, wow. The city library here cut off my e-book/audio access since I’m out of county even though I pay for library checkout access. But I still have other sources & I became a member too of your HPL. I like ebooks but I guess I get more hardbacks.
I think you’d like In Memoriam — historical fiction that’s good. Have a great week!
Your office looks great. I love my small desk with a view — I’m so happy spending time here.
I read mostly e-books from the library on Libby. I listen to Libby audiobooks when I walk. If what I want isn’t available in one of those two formats, I ask myself if I really want to read it! I will read a print book for the library or use Hoopla, especially for book club books.
Hi Joy, thanks. Yeah looking out the window in the office makes all the difference. Glad you have one too. And there’s a bird feeder out there and I see all sorts of things. It’s a wonder I get work done in there.
Do you read your ebooks on your phone or an e-reader? I have Libby on my phone for audios but I need to get it on my e-reader for ebooks. Not sure I could read happily on a phone. Wishing you a great week.
So many deer! That’s amazing! It’s a wonder how they survive in that snow. We had epic rain up here, but I think Southern California got hit harder.
Your library looks beautiful and I love the view out the window.
I read mainly on my e-reader because print copies are hard on my eyes, but I love having a print copy for my shelf of my favorites!
Hi Rachel, the deer are a bit crazy now. They seem particularly hungry and if I forget to bring the feeders inside at night they’ll be empty. I never have seen that many on our street before. Hmm, is it the apocalypse? lol.
Thanks the library/office is a favorite place for me, especially with the window.
I agree the font in e-readers are easier on the eyes. A bit easier to focus too.
I hope your area is able to dry out some now. Enjoy your week.
Oh deer, there certainly are a lot of them. And it looks like a lot of snow as well. Personally, I’ve reached the stage, where I want winter to be over. Your office looks lovely, but I recognise never being able to do things in one go. There is always something… In Memoriam sounds good, everyone seems to love it. Having to go through 100 pages before it gets interesting, isn’t ideal, though. Most of my books are audiobooks, which I pick up on sale or via subscription. I always check the library before acquiring a book, but my library only has a limited selection.
Hi Stargazer, I feel spring is on the horizon, if we can get to March, we’ll be able to see light on the end of winter. So I’m ready for spring too. The office took awhile to get it together I couldn’t believe the desk said white online & looked it, but when it came it was not really white. Sigh. This added much time to correct.
Too bad about your library selection. I get audios from Audible and a couple other apps. Sales are essential. In Memoriam is quite a gay love story and the first part at the boarding school didn’t really interest me much …. but then when it gets to the war things became more interesting to me. Hope all is well there. Cheers. ps. Everyone is sad about the King news.
I love your bookshelves! According to my spreadsheet last year, the majority of my books came from used bookstores. I read more physical books than audiobooks or ebooks, but I’m not sure if the majority is hardback or paperback.
Hi AJ, thanks. The bookshelves and reading from them are a work in progress. Interesting that you are a reader mostly of physical books. I might have guessed you were more of an e-reader … but I like that you go to used bookstores! yay. Have a great week.
I get all my books from the library (Libby) and read on my phone. I do have a tablet but it is bulkier and since I always have my phone with me I can read anywhere. I will flip through magazines or cookbooks (from library) on my laptop.
I added In Memoriam to my library wishlist.
Hi Jackie, Wow interesting you read on your phone. I read news on my phone but I haven’t tried books. I like Libby for audios. I’m impressed with your system. I hope you like In Memoriam and thanks for stopping by.
In Memoriam sounds incredible, and I can see how it would leave a “heavy book hangover” (great phrase!).
Your office is lovely–the bookshelves, the desk, and the view all work so well together. Well done!
I have a lot of unread books in my personal stacks, plus I am a rereader, so probably 60% of what I read comes from my shelves, 20% from the library, 10% from my local used/new bookstore and 10% from Amazon. I am happy that I am whittling away at the Amazon percentage. I prefer paperback, but will read hardbound if that’s what is available, and usually only turn to digital when I am traveling and cannot pack everything I want to read.
Thanks Jane. The Office took some time after the move but I got it together finally. I might add a reading chair in there someday.
I think you’d like In Memoriam — a historical tale that’s quite good!
I can relate to your mix of reading sources. I sort of am all over the place too. But it seems you’re good about going to your own shelves. I need to do that more. I think I might be around 75% library and then a mix of the rest.
Hope all is well in Colorado. Happy reading.
Your office is really beautiful… and I love the wall color! It seems like deer were always around when we lived in NY, but I’ve never seen so many in one spot.
Most of reading is on my kindle these days and I also try to get an audio copy of most books, too. I love switching between print and audio. I think I’m pretty evenly split between reading my own books and borrowing from the library vial Libby or hoopla.
Just started hearing about In Memoriam when it was on so many ‘best of’ lists last year. Sounds very heavy, but I’d like to read it.
Hi JoAnn, thanks. Interestingly the wall color was supposed to look a bit more green but it turned out sort of looking blue. Check out Smokey Green CC-700. We also used Wind Chime AF-465 for other parts of the house which is pretty nice and more green. We are happy with how the paints turned out.
I’m always amazed that you’re able to get both print & audio versions at the same time. That’s not easy sometimes. But it seems you have quite a bit available via different sources.
I also heard about In Memoriam from all the rave last year. So I got it from the library. Have a great week.
Your library looks great!!
In answer to your question, once upon a time I would have up to 50 books out from the library. These days I predominantly read e-books, then a big gap to audiobooks and then daylight to paper books!
Thanks Marg. The Office finally came together. I especially like the light from the window. I might get a reading chair in there someday.
50 books from the library would be crazy, lol. E-books seem the way to go. Though right now I have about 5 from the library, even that is a bit challenging to read them before they’re due. Thx for stopping by. Cheers!
I love the deer picture and your office is AMAZING!!!! Love it!!!! I have bookcases similar to yours except mine (Ikea Billy) sit flat on the floor so they don’t have cute legs like yours do. Waaaaahhhhhh.
I’m trying to empty out my previously-mentioned bookcases, so I’m trying really, really, really hard not to buy any books unless I absolutely HAVE to read a book and can’t download an ebook from the library.
Right now I’m getting the majority of books I’m reading from the library because, although I have four bookcases, I don’t have books that go with the various challenges, such as Japanese Lit.
This is a problem because my preferred format is hardcovers!!! I hate reading ebooks!!!
So why not just borrow a hardcover book from the library you ask? Because my local library is in the process of getting a new roof and will be closed until AT LEAST April. Plus I don’t have a car so I’d have to take a bus and then walk and that part of North Hollywood is kind of sketch so I’m a-scared to walk from the bus to the library by myself.
Thanks Jinjer. My bookcase is also from IKEA so it’s similar to a Billy. I guess I like the bookcase legs since I need the heat from the air vents on that floor Lol.
Too bad your library is closed, argh. That’s tough. Good to hear you prefer hardcovers. We’re a bit old school right? I try not to buy books either. I have too many as it is. And the Canadian book prices are crazy. So it’s off to the library. We still go to a city library branch like once a week which is like 35 minutes away. Nuts.
I forgot to say that my Kindle died so I read all the ebooks that I download from the library on my iPhone.
And I forgot to say that on the rare occasion I allow myself to BUY a book, it’s either from an Amazon reseller or from Abe Books and it has to be a hardcover and I don’t like to pay more than $9, including shipping. LOL
It’s good you can find deals of hardbacks for $9 less with shipment, wow. Seems pretty good. Do you keep all your hardbacks once you’re done or donate them?
Sorry your Kindle died — was it an old one? I have a Kindle Fire that I use but not as often as getting print copies from the library. I think you’re the second one in the survey who reads on a phone. Whoa that’s pretty small type for me. But I read news on there. I’ll stop by your site soon — I hope you survived that storm flood that went thru SoCal. Cheers.
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Oh, dear is right. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t seen any new posts from you in quite a long time, so I double-checked my Feedly app. When I manually clicked on your blog’s name in the feed, I got this message: Feed not found Wrong feed URL or dead feed. So, I re-submitted the link for your blog and now it works. And I’m four posts behind! 😉 Apologies for the long-overdue comments, but here I am.
That’s an amazing amount of deer in that first photo. Kind of reminds me of a scene from the Netflix movie Leave the World Behind. [Just read your reply to Carmen. GMTA!]
Your bookcase wall looks fabulous! Like you, I have a view out my window to a few large trees. Isn’t it wonderful to sit and work on your computer and glance up and see such beauty?
To answer your bookish survey, I get most of my books from my backlist TBR shelves, as well as a few from my purchases throughout the year. I try not to buy too many, but always like to support indies when we’re traveling. With that said, my mom reads A LOT and she passes her books on to me, which is great. I did a quick count and there are at least 50 books that she has given me in the past year or so. That should keep me busy, right? I use the library for my monthly mystery read, but I try not to come home with any extras. Not always easy… I prefer print books (paper or hardcover) and audiobooks. I can’t remember the last time I used my ebook reader. I use Libro.fm and Audible. Once I have listened to all of those Audible books, I’ll switch to Libro.fm 100%.
I’m eager to read In Memoriam. I heard nothing but great things about it.
Hey Lesley, there you are! I wasn’t sure what had happened — when you hadn’t been around for a while. I thought I might have ticked you off accidentally, uh-oh Lol. But glad to have you here now. So nice to hear your thoughts.
And it’s interesting that you prefer print books, nice! And from your own shelves too. (I wish I read more backlist like you do.) Your mom is a great reader.
The deer are right out of Leave the World Behind which makes it a bit spooky. Is it the end of the world? Do they know something? I hope not yet.
The office makes a big difference. I agree sitting in here & looking out makes it wonderful. I’m glad you have such a space too to work in. Wishing you a happy weekend.