Recent odds & ends

• World Childless Week (WCW) has announced the daily topics for WCW 2026 (Sept. 14th to 20th).  Learn more about WCW 2026 and how you can get involved here.   
• In a blog post for the World Childless Week website, Gayle Letherby offers "Some Reflections on Being ‘Other'." 
• Lana Manikowski at "Infertile and Childless: So Now What?" poses an important question: "When IVF Fails Again and Again: How Do You Know When Enough Is Enough?" 
• Lexi Weber at "Not Expecting" shares five observations about infertility (including that "Infertility makes you weird at brunch").  
• PJ is "In Transition" -- and yes, PJ, this all definitely sounds familiar!!  (Read her post and a few of my latest, and you'll understand why...!)  
• Every now & then, a long-dormant blog on my blogroll will pop to the top of the list with a new post. "Tips on Triplets" re-emerged recently with a post ("Trauma Chameleon") looking at the lingering effects of loss and trauma, 15 years later. 
• Y'all know I love the Flavia de Luce novels by Canadian author Alan Bradley. Sadly, I learned through one of my book clubs (where we read the first Flavia book together which was happily very well received!) that Bradley died on May 19th at age 87. How he managed to channel an 11-year-old girl (from 1950s UK -- when he'd never set foot there before he wrote the first book!) so incredibly well will remain a mystery...!  
• Very happily, he left one final Flavia novel for us:  "Numb Were the Beadsman's Fingers," available on Nov. 3rd.  :)  Also, "Flavia" the movie (based on the first Flavia book, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie") will be released in North America on Dec. 4th! (It's been out in the UK since early April.)  

"I Am Half-Sick of Shadows" by Alan Bradley

It's always fun to read a Christmas/holiday-themed book during the holiday season... something not too taxing at a busy and sometimes stressful time of year -- and when my co-host at the Childless Collective NoMo Book Club. and I were planning books for the rest of 2025, I thought of "I Am Half-Sick of Shadows" by Alan Bradley, the fourth book in the delightful Flavia de Luce mystery series, for December. We'd read Flavia #1, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" two years ago  (my review here) and it was very well received. Happily, my co-host agreed it would be a good choice to wind up the year! 

It's Christmastime in early 1950s/post-war Britain, but the festivities this year are somewhat muted: financial precarity has forced Flavia's reluctant father to lease the family's crumbling mansion, Buckshaw, to a film company for a movie shoot -- much to the delight of Flavia and her two sisters.  

The two stars of the movie agree to stage a benefit performance for the local church. Most of the villagers attend -- and, conveniently, get snowed in by a blizzard. While they are trapped in the big house together, there is (of course!) a murder (midway through the book), and Flavia -- a precocious 11-year-old amateur detective and chemist, with a penchant for poison -- goes to work trying to untangle the mystery and identify the killer. Meanwhile, she is determined to solve an even bigger mystery: whether Father Christmas (Santa Claus) is real.

While I would highly recommend reading the entire series -- and while I think you'd probably benefit from reading at least the first book first to acquaint yourself with Flavia, her family and her world -- you could probably read this one as a standalone and still enjoy it. :)  

Weirdly, although I KNOW I've read this book before (and briefly reviewed it on this blog back in January 2012 (!), here), I have no previous record of reading it, on Goodreads. The book came out in 2011, and I did not join Goodreads until 2016, but I did add some books that I'd reviewed on my blog retroactively. Oh well...!  

4 stars on both Goodreads & StoryGraph.  

ALI notes:  I'd forgotten that there's a very pregnant minor character who makes an appearance.  

Also, Flavia recalls impulsively quizzing a childless woman about her lack of children -- and (to her credit) feeling enormously guilty about it afterwards. 

Previous Flavia-related posts here. 

This was Book #35 read to date in 2025 (and Book #2 finished in November), bringing me to 78% of  my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 5 books behind  schedule to meet my goal.  :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2025 tagged as "2025 books." 

Odds & ends

• So lovely to see Infertile Phoenix back writing on her blog again! :) 
• I'm SO glad I read Louise Penny's latest newsletter (which landed in my email inbox last weekend, I think) in time to catch her on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, in a live (recorded for later viewing) YouTube conversation with Alan Bradley, author of the delightful Flavia de Luce mysteries. The 11th in the series, "What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust," was released that same day. (Penny also has a new Inspector Gamache/Three Pines mystery coming out later this fall.)  I think I had a smile on my face the entire hour!  :)  
• Margaret Renkl in the New York Times is a gorgeous writer. And her latest column -- "My Bookshelf, Myself" -- well, I feel SEEN, lol. 
• Annoying thing:  AARP Medical Supplement TV ad from the U.S., in which a woman crows "Grandkids!! I can't wait!!"  (eyeroll) 
• (I also got to hear this line from someone at a recent family gathering. Sigh...) 
• In a recent link roundup in her "Life, Almost" Substack, Jennie Agg flagged this fascinating article about the lack of data related to pregnancy loss in the U.S., and what can be learned from other countries (the U.K. in particular). (Sadly, I don't think Canada is too much better than the U.S. in this regard...) 
• New Substack for childless and childfree aunties: "The Auntie Bulletin" by Lisa Sibbett.  
• Jody Day examines "The friendship apocalypse" at 60 in her Childless Elderwomen Substack. 
• Nesrine Malik in the Guardian: "The right’s obsession with childless women isn’t just about ideology: it’s essential to the capitalist machine." 
• "Sperm donors are anonymous in Canada. Adult children are finding their roots anyway." (I knew about the shortage of donor sperm in Canada, but was surprised to learn that -- outside of the province of Quebec -- my country is one of the few where donors can still remain anonymous.) 
• Michael Hughes of the Full Stop podcast spoke to a reporter about "The grief of childlessness on Father's Day" (which was celebrated in Australia recently).  
• Michael & I will be discussing  "What Can We Learn From Our Family History?" in a webinar for World Childless Week on Monday, Sept. 16th. Details and links in this post.  
• Are men (finally??!) waking up to the importance of reproductive rights in America?  Great article (gift linked)  in the Washington Post:  "A louder voice in fighting abortion bans: Men in red states." (Subhead:  "More men are speaking out in defense of reproductive rights because of harrowing experiences that wives or partners have suffered when a pregnancy went awry.")  
• "When Oprah says ‘childless cat lady,’ and the camera’s on you."  (I remenber noticing the camera on this particular woman nodding at Oprah's remarks, and thought "Yikes!"  Glad to read that she's taken her moment in the spotlight in good humour...!)
• Monica Hesse's recent column in the Washington Post is an absolute must read (so here's a gift link!):  "JD Vance's repeated digs at childless women are worse than you thought." Subhead: "It’s not about the kids they don’t have. It’s about the empathy he can’t even fathom."  
• The whole piece is great, but I especially loved this passage:  

Disparaging childless people once is a misspeak. Twice is a PR crisis. Three times and you have, as we say in the journalism business, a trend.

"The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley

I was first introduced to Flavia de Luce through "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" 10+ years ago, when it was a relatively new bestseller (published in 2009).  A member of an online book club I belonged to then suggested it for our next read. Alas, the book club petered out shortly after that, and we never did get to discuss it together, but I read the book in the meantime and I was hooked!  In the years since then, I've read (and loved) all 10 Flavia novels written by the author (Alan Bradley, a Canadian now living on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom). I've reviewed all nine of those subsequent novels on this blog in some way, but never the book that kicked it all off -- until now!  

My Childless Collective (formerly Gateway/Lighthouse Women) Nomo book club is always on the lookout for books featuring strong, independent female characters (and NO "miracle babies"), and I thought Flavia definitely fit the bill. So I was delighted when we decided "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" would be our November book.  I'll be leading the discussion on this one, and since it's been well over a decade since I first read it (and 4+ years since I last visited Flavia in book #10), I downloaded an e-copy to start re-reading on my recent trip to Manitoba.  

The story begins memorably with 11-year-old Flavia de Luce bound and gagged in a closet (!) in a remote corner of Buckshaw, her family's crumbling ancestral home in early 1950s Britain. Flavia lives there with her father, Colonel Havilland de Luce;  two villainous teenaged sisters, Daphne and Ophelia;  and Arthur Dogger, the gardener, a veteran of the recent war who saved the Colonel's life and suffers from what we would now call post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his time in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.  The girls' mother, Harriet, disappeared mysteriously on an expedition to Tibet years earlier, and her absence haunts the family.  

In many ways, Flavia is a typical 11-year-old girl, with pigtails and braces and a bicycle she calls Gladys -- but she's also highly precocious -- a budding chemist with a particular interest in poison (!) and a talent for telling fibs (as well as picking locks) -- and she's intrigued when, first, a dead bird turns up on the doorstep with a Penny Black stamp stuck through its beak -- and then the body of a man turns up in the cucumber patch. Colonel de Luce is arrested for murder, and the precocious Flavia promptly begins an investigation to prove his innocence.  

It was such a delight to be back in Flavia's company again. I was surprised by what I remembered from my original reading -- and what I'd forgotten. The first part of the book moved more slowly than I remembered, but the action (and tension) accelerates in the last part -- and the ending put a huge smile on my face. :)  (And now I'm tempted to start re-reading the other books in the series too...!) 

4.5 stars on StoryGraph, rounded up to 5 on Goodreads.  

*** *** *** 

The novel has an interesting origin story.  Says Wikipedia: 

When Bradley's wife heard author Louise Penny, a 2004 Debut Dagger award runner-up, on the radio talking about the British crime-writing competition, she encouraged her husband to enter... The competition, which is open to anyone who has not yet published a novel commercially, requires would-be novelists to submit the first 3,000 words (or less), along with a 500-1,000 word synopsis. Writing the draft of the first chapter "took Bradley just a couple of days, but he then spent weeks polishing it, only just sneaking the first pages of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in under the final deadline."

He won the 2007 Debut Dagger "based on a chapter and a synopsis," and "signed a three-book deal with Orion for a crime series centering on 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce." Through agent Denise Bukowski, he also auctioned U.S. rights to Bantam Books and Canadian rights to Doubleday Canada, securing three separate three-book deals for a proposed six-book series, based on a 17-page submission. Calling the submission fresh and original, Kristin Cochrane of Doubleday Canada admitted: "we've rarely, if ever bought fiction on so little material." Orion's Bill Massey agreed, remarking that "it was just a chapter, but it was so outstanding that it made me realise he is a real talent, and that he had an idea that could be a really terrific series." Massey further explained that "Flavia just seemed so alive on the page, and her voice was so distinctive and engaging." After Bradley picked up the Dagger award in London on his first trip to England, the Canadian author took a few weeks off and then "sat down and wrote Sweetness in seven months flat."

Besides the 2007 Debut Dagger award, the book won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel (2009), Barry Award for Best First Novel (2010), Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel (2010), Dilys Award (2010),  and Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel (2010); and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction & Mystery/Thriller (2009) as well as an Anthony Award for Best First Novel (2010). 

If you're interested in this series, I'd strongly recommend starting at the beginning with this title, and working your way through in chronological order, since each book builds on the ones before it, with some overarching storylines that continue from volume to volume. 

And!  Good news for Flavia fans:  In April, on his Facebook page, Bradley shared the news that he's been contracted to write two more Flavia books, to be published in Fall 2024 and Fall 2025. The title of the next one will be "What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust." 

AND!  There's a Flavia movie in the works too!! with Martin Freeman as Colonel de Luce, Toby Jones and Jonathan Pryce, and a young actress named Isla Gie in the role of Flavia. 

Here's Alan Bradley's website, although it's not up to date. (Did you know he's 85 years old??) His Facebook page has current news, though, and it's worth following -- he posts there personally and sometimes responds to comments.  :) 

This was Book #38 read to date in 2023 (and Book #2 finished in October), bringing me to 84% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."  

Weekend odds & ends

• Annoying thing/blogging note:  Writing a recent book review, I suddenly realized I hadn't changed the little blurb I put at the end of each book review from "Goodreads 2022 Reading Challenge" to 2023.  (Everything else within the blurb that referred to the year said "2023.")  Oops. It only took me four full months to realize this...!  (Insert red-faced emoji here.)  
• I went back and updated all my reviews to date this year (thankfully, just 16 so far!). Better late than never, I guess....!
• Infertile Phoenix is looking to interview childless-not-by-choice women for her research study. Details here! 
• Next week (April 23rd to 29th) is National Infertility Awareness Week in the U.S. and in Canada (where it's now apparently called National Fertility Awareness Week) -- something I will admit I don't pay much attention to these days. I don't follow many infertility blogs these days (many of the ones I used to follow no longer exist) and most of the social media accounts I follow have more of a childless/free perspective than ones still focused on trying to conceive. But it does still pop up as a subject there too! 
• Katy at Childless Collective (formerly Chasing Creation) had a great post on Instagram drawing attention to "Five Types of Toxic Positivity You'll See During National Infertility Awareness Week (and how to avoid them in your messaging)." I think you can read the post, even if you don't have an Instagram account yourself. The comments are instructive too! 
• From the Washington Post: "How -- and why -- you should increase your social networks as you age."  (Something that I know concerns a lot of us who are aging without children.) 
• In her regular column for Psychology Today (which is called "Unapparent" -- lol!), Kate Kaufmann has some practical suggestions on how to meet other people without kids.  
• From The Guardian this weekend:  "Not being able to have a baby was devastating – then I found people who embraced a childfree life." I've often said, childless and childfree people come from different places/mindsets -- but we have a lot in common and there's a lot we can do to support each other! Sample passage (from near the end of the article): 

I wasn’t sure joining the world of the childfree by choice was going to provide me comfort. Would these women, so certain that parenting was not for them, understand why it was what I had always wanted? Perhaps I, too, had internalised the idea that women without kids were cold and lacking in compassion, which could not be further from the truth. The “unsung sisterhood” has got my back.

• Not adoption/loss/infertility/childless-related, but an article that made me go, "Oh, hell YES!!" when I read the headline (bringing out my inner curmudgeon -- "now, back in MY day, kids..." -- lol): "Welcome to Wedding Sprawl."  
• Subheading: "Proposal parties. Extended bachelor and bachelorette weekends. Multiple honeymoons. Modern marriage celebrations can feel endless." 
• I think the same could be said for babies: it's not just baby showers any more, it's gender reveal parties, ultrasound photos and regular pregnancy updates on social media, "babymoons" (pre-birth vacations), "sprinkles" (mini-showers for subsequent children), post-birth "meet the baby" parties, christenings and huge, elaborate birthday parties (especially the first one)... 
• His website hasn't been updated in eons -- but Alan Bradley, now 85 years old and the author of one of my favourite mystery series of books, announced on Facebook this weekend that he will be producing two more Flavia de Luce novels over the next two years -- the first to be published in fall 2024 (title: "What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust") and the second in fall 2025!!! 
• Longtime readers here may recall that I ADORE Flavia (who is 11 years old at the start of the series, and a budding chemist/detective with a special interest in poison, lol). All 10 Flavia novels to date (with the exception of the first, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie," from 2009) are reviewed on this blog.  
• The tenth Flavia novel, "The Golden Tresses of the Dead," was published in 2019. It was the last one Bradley was contracted to write -- although at the time, he didn't rule out more to come. (Understandably, though, after 10 novels in 10 years, he was looking forward to a break!) 
• In response to the question "Do you have any insider news on the Flavia tv series that you are free to share?" -- which I first heard about at least 10 years ago, with British director Sam Mendes connected to the project -- he responded, tantalizingly, "soon..."  (SQUEEEEEE....) 
• I decided I had amassed enough Flavia-related posts on this blog to give Flavia her own label, lol. Here it is! 

"The Golden Tresses of the Dead" by Alan Bradley

Like clockwork over most of the past several years, a new Flavia de Luce mystery by Alan Bradley has arrived in January or February to brighten up the dreariness of a cold, grey southern Ontario winter. :)

"The Golden Tresses of the Dead" is the 10th Flavia novel. Twelve-year-old Flavia is a precocious young chemist/detective in early 1950s Britain. The story opens with the long-awaited wedding of Flavia's beautiful oldest sister, Ophelia/Feely... but the festivities are marred when the happy couple slice into their wedding cake, only to discover a severed human finger inside (!).  Whose finger is it, and how did it get there? Flavia is on the case!

I rated this 5 stars on Goodreads.

There have been hints/speculation that this would be the final Flavia book (sob!!). (And, if it is, the wonderful closing paragraphs would be a fitting epitaph.)  Thankfully, though, Bradley hinted in a recent interview with the Toronto Star that, while this IS the final book he was contracted to do, there may be more to come. Good news for all of us who love Flavia! :)  

*** *** *** 

If you haven't read any of the previous Flavia novels, I recommend you start with the first book in the series, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie," and continue from there in order. The mystery in each novel is self-contained -- but the plot itself always plays a distant second fiddle to the characters & the wonderful writing.  You will learn more about Flavia, her family and friends, and appreciate them and the stories more, if you start at the beginning and follow her adventures in order. 

I don't seem to have reviewed "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" on my blog, but here's where I've written about the others:

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (#2)
A Red Herring Without Mustard (#3)
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (#4)
Speaking From Among the Bones (#5) 
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (#6)
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (#7)
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd  (#8)
The Grave's a Fine and Private Place (#9) 

This was book #5 that I have read in 2019 to date, bringing me to 21% of my 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 24 books.  I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. :)

Right now

Right now... (an occasional meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current")

Reading:  I'm off to a good start with my Goodreads 2019 Reading Challenge (goal:  24 books), with 3 books finished in January (all reviewed on this blog) and another underway ("Beartown" by Fredrick Backman... so far, so good...!).

Recent purchases:  "The Golden Tresses of the Dead" (the latest -- and possibly last, sob!! -- Flavia de Luce mystery by Alan Bradley).

Dh has also been reading more again lately, which makes me happy. :)

Watching: I finally got to see "Three Identical Strangers" last Sunday night on CNN (and I understand it's going to be on again on Saturday night, if you missed it). Well worth watching, especially if you have any interest in adoption issues or multiples. I've always been fascinated by multiples (my sister & I were known as "the Bobbsey Twins," even though we're almost two years apart & really aren't much alike at all, especially once you get to know us well...!), and I remember hearing about this in the early 1980s, when the triplets first found each other at age 19 (they are exactly six months younger than I am).  I knew the story took a dark turn, and I found myself wiping my eyes at a couple of points, but it was still an amazing story with a few surprises, and very well done.

I've been enjoying season 3 of "Victoria" and the new season of "Finding Your Roots" on PBS.

The only movie we saw in January: "On the Basis of Sex," with Felicity Jones as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg (and Armie Hammer as her supportive husband Marty).  We both enjoyed it a lot.

Listening: Dh recently discovered that our TV service (Bell Fibe) includes a number of music channels from a service/app called Stingray. (Oh, give us a break, we're aging baby boomers here, lol.)  There are tons of different stations you can listen to (commercial/DJ-free!) -- country, classical, 70s, 80s, 90s, R&B, classic rock (our most frequent choice).  It's so nice to listen to music instead of TV news or sports constantly during the day. We listen to a local classic rock station on the car radio all the time, but the Stingray classic rock channel plays a lot of songs I haven't heard in eons. Of course, even if it's been years since I last heard the song, and it's 40+ years old, I can still sing along. (One recent earworm here. :)  )

Following:  Yay, it's figure skating season!  :)  (Forget the Super Bowl!!  lol)  I've been binge watching (and enjoying) the Canadian, European & U.S. national championships over the past few weekends.  World championships will be in mid-March.

Drinking/Eating: Lots of tea, lots of "comfort food."

Wearing:  Slippers and a cardigan over my socks and usual clothes, trying to keep warm during the recent cold snap! (Floor-to-ceiling windows and laminate floors look fabulous, but they are also COLD in winter!)(Especially when you know there must be a concrete base below that laminate...!)

Buying (besides books, lol):  A friend of a friend makes beautiful sterling silver jewelry -- AND she offers a birthday discount to people on her mailing list -- so I treated myself to some pretty new bling :)  which, happily, arrived today. :)

I also scored a pair of black jeans/twill pants from Old Navy for $5.99 recently. (The legs are way too long & had to triple-roll up the bottoms -- but otherwise, they fit perfectly. And -- $5.99, right??!)

Collecting: Christmas & birthday discounts/goodies from various retailers. I didn't manage to cash in on all of them before they expired at the end of January -- but beyond the discounted jewelry mentioned above, I also picked up a new nightgown for 25% off, and an essential oils rollerball for 30% off. :)

Wanting:  A break from the monotony of winter.  :p 

Loving: That I don't have to get up early, leave the house & wait for a commuter train (that's probably delayed...!) in this frigid weather.

Remembering:  Three years ago today, I officially retired (!!).  In July, it will be five years since I was pink-slipped!

Wondering:  What kind of a month February (generally my least favourite) is going to be?

Feeling: COLD!! COLD!! COLD!! Yesterday morning's temperature: -21C, -35C windchill (-6F & -31F)  I try not to complain too much, though... on Wednesday morning, it was -40C WITHOUT the windchill and -50C WITH the windchill where my parents live!  (-40C is the same as -40F -- and -50C = -58F -- so whatever system you use, you know it's cold!!)

2019/January reading goals, challenges & decisions

As I've mentioned in a couple of previous posts, I've once again signed up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, and set a goal of reading at least 24 books in 2019 (again).

I've noticed, though, that a couple of my friends have joined book challenges that are a little more detailed than aiming at a simple numerical goal.  One friend, besides setting a Goodreads Challenge goal, is taking part in the PopSugar reading challenge, which provides 50 "prompts" to guide your reading for the year. (Sample prompts:  "a book becoming a movie in 2019,"  "a book published posthumously," "a book set in Scandinavia"...).  If committing to 50 specific books sounds a little TOO challenging for you, Modern Mrs. Darcy has a similar, albeit less complex reading challenge with 10 categories/12 books to complete. Among the ALI bloggers I follow, Jjiraffe has not only joined the Goodreads challenge, she's actually planned a list of 30 books she wants to read during the year.

I've never given much thought about WHICH 24 books I will try to read, or whether I should try to read books from specific categories -- my TBR pile is so huge, and there are always great new books popping up in the bookstore. I tend to just follow my reading muse and see where it takes me. ;)  (I'd  probably manage to tick off many of those challenge category boxes during the course of my reading year anyway.)

But I do want to do one book-related thing I've been talking about doing forever (and if I post about it here, I will probably be more likely to do it...!): join a (live/in person) book club.

I have a few friends ("real life" and online) who are members of book clubs, and I've been insanely jealous (and no, none of them are close enough for me to join too).  I love the online book clubs I'm in, but hanker for some real-life contact with fellow bookworms. (And since I (still) don't really know anyone other than dh's relatives hereabouts, any real-life contact with other human beings who don't happen to be baristas or store clerks and might become potential friends would be nice, lol.)  Book clubs, like reading challenges, do impose a certain rigour/discipline/stress on one's reading list -- but  I do believe it's good to step out of my comfort zones once in a while and try something a little different. :)

So I searched for local book clubs via Meetup.com a while back, but none that came up were particularly "local"/close to me. And then -- I'm not sure what prompted me to check out the website for the local public library, but it turns out that most of its nine branches -- including two just a short drive from our condo -- host monthly book club meetings. :)  I have vowed to check out at least one and perhaps two nearby branch book club meetings later this month. 

This will probably involve me getting a library card. I'm ashamed to say that, even though I am an avid reader and book lover, I haven't had a library card since we moved from an apartment in the city to a house in the suburbs, almost 30 years ago, although I was a frequent library user all my life to that point.

I'm not entirely sure how/why we got out of the library habit -- although I have a few theories. First, while the library in the city was an easy walk from our apartment, it required a car trip in our new (now former) location (& will require a car trip here too).  Second, dh wasn't impressed by their holdings or the condition the books were in (he's picky & won't read a book with yellowed pages or a musty smell, etc.).  Third, a couple of years after we moved to the suburbs, the big-box mega-bookstore trend began taking off, and an outlet opened not too far from where we lived. A bookstore browse became a staple of our Saturday night routine, after dinner out, and we rarely left without a bag in tow.  Fourth, with the busy lives we lead (or were leading, anyway), getting through a book(s) on a deadline ( = before the return date) was stress I just didn't need. Buying a book that I could read (or not) at leisure just seemed simpler.

(And finally, I may have been influenced by my sister -- a prodigious reader and always an enthusiastic library user in her own city -- who stopped going after a bug crawled out of a library book she was reading (!).)

Anyway -- here's what my January reading is shaping up like:

• I started David Frum's "Trumpocracy"on New Year's Day & will likely finish it by the time this post is ready to publish (review to come).  
• My D.E. Stevenson online fan group is wrapping up its discussion of "The English Air" (my review here) and will be starting its next pick later this month -- a new reissue of "Mrs. Tim Carries On" (a sequel to "Mrs. Tim of the Regiment," which my group read earlier last year -- reviewed here). I've already volunteered to lead the discussion on a section (several chapters) -- although the exact schedule and which volunteers are doing which section are yet to be determined. 
• The two library book clubs I'm interested in meet at the end of the month (one on the 28th, one on the 30th). One will be discussing "The Alice Network" by Kate Quinn (at one branch) and the other "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman -- both, happily, already in my TBR pile. :) 
• Of these two books, I'm inclined to read "The Alice Network" first, because the branch where "The Alice Network" is being discussed will also be discussing "Beartown" a couple of months down the road.  If I don't have time to read it now & miss it at the one location, I can still catch it at the other, lol.  
• Also in the mix:  Alan Bradley has a new Flavia de Luce mystery coming out on Jan. 22nd -- "The Golden Tresses of the Dead" -- and I generally love to dive right into a new Flavia mystery as soon as I get my hands on it. ;)  
• And of course, there may be other books that come around, or grab my attention, that I haven't taken into consideration.  

Keep in mind that two books per month was my average for last year -- three or more books in a month doesn't happen often for me these days...!  (Of course, I could probably get more read if I got OFF THE PHONE/LAPTOP once in a while...!)

Decisions, decisions...!! So many good books... so little time...!  (But it's a good problem to have!)  :)

How do you feel about reading challenges?  Do you belong to any book clubs (in "real life" or online)?  What are you reading right now? 

"The Grave's a Fine and Private Place" by Alan Bradley

What better way to brighten up the dreariness of early February than to dive into a brand new Flavia de Luce mystery by Alan Bradley? 

It's been almost 10 years since I first discovered Flavia, the precocious 12-year-old chemist/detective from early 1950s Britain, in her first adventure, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie."  Unlike most previous Flavia novels, "The Grave's a Fine and Private Place" is not set at Buckshaw, the family's crumbling estate. Instead, Flavia, her two older sisters and their loyal family servant, Dogger, are trying to recover from a devastating tragedy by taking a boating holiday. Even on vacation, though, it's not long before Flavia stumbles onto a corpse -- and the fun begins again...

This book marks something of a turning point in the relationship between Flavia & her sisters -- and her relationship with Dogger, which was always a highlight of previous books.  And there's the promise of more fun to come in the future as the book ends.

This was the 9th volume of Flavia's adventures, and my understanding is the author has at least one more planned. I can't wait. :)  

(If you haven't read any of the previous Flavia novels, I recommend you start with "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie," and continue from there in order. The mystery in each novel is self-contained -- but the plot itself plays second fiddle to the characters & the wonderful writing.  You will learn more about Flavia, her family and friends, and appreciate them more, if you start at the beginning and follow her adventures in order.) 

I don't seem to have reviewed the initial book in the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, on my blog, but here's where I've written about the others: 

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (#2)
A Red Herring Without Mustard (#3) 
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (#4) 
Speaking From Among the Bones (#5) 
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (#6)
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (#7)
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd  (#8)

This was book #2 that I've read so far in 2018, bringing me to 8% of my 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 24 books.  I am -- so far!! ;)  -- on track to meet my goal.  :)  

Right now

Right now... (an occasional meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"):

Reading:  To date, just one book completed towards my Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge goal of 24 books.  :p  But I am hoping to increase that total soon!  

I am currently midway through (and quite absorbed in) "Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder" by Caroline Fraser, which was on several "Best of 2017" lists, including The New York Times. 

Still planning to finish Jann Arden's new book, "Feeding My Mother" and  "It's All Relative: Adventures Up & Down the World's Family Tree" by A.J. Jacobs. (Eventually... ;)  ) 

My sister recently procured a e-copy of "Fire & Fury: Inside the Trump White House" by Michael Wolff for me ;) and I recently purchased David Frum's "Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Empire."  And there's a new Flavia de Luce mystery ("The Grave's a Fine and Private Place") by Alan Bradley due out this week!  

Watching:  Hugely enjoying season 2 of "Victoria" on PBS! 

Coming up: two solid weeks of the Winter Olympics from Pyeongchang, Korea. :)  

And, after that, the return of "Designated Survivor" (which hasn't been on since a mid-season cliffhanger back in November). I find my interest in this one has dropped sharply -- too many ridiculous plots & subplots, many of which get dropped just as they start getting interesting -- but I will probably keep watching, just to see how things turn out. I like Kiefer Sutherland, and Maggie Q rocks as Agent Wells. :) 

One show we've been enjoying that I don't think I've mentioned in past posts:  Dh & I have been fans of "The Big Bang Theory" right from the beginning, and when I heard they were doing a "Young Sheldon" spinoff, I wasn't sure I was going to like it --  but it's actually turned out to be a very sweet little show. A little more of a traditional family sitcom than TBBT (very different tone) -- but good in its own right. I did not realize until just recently that Zoe Perry, who plays Young Sheldon's mom, is the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalfe, who plays Sheldon's mom on TBBT!  

On the big screen: this past month, we've seen three movies at the theatre, all of them really, really good: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi,"  "The Post" and "Darkest Hour."  

Listening:  To... nothing in particular lately...   

Following:  Progress on the townhouse construction project behind us.  Framing work continues;  I'd say about half of the 59 units are now visible as actual townshouses in some form. We recently saw two units listed for (re)sale (already??) online. One listing says it will be ready for occupancy in February 2018 (HAHAHAHAHAHA.....) (there's been progress, but not THAT much progress...!.  The other says June 2018, which seems somewhat more likely, although I'm thinking late summer/fall would be a better guess. 

Feeling:  Sick & tired of winter (and it's far from over yet...!).  :p  Welcome to February, my least-favourite month... and January was long & dreary enough as it was... 

Eating:  Latest thing: Miniature/baby potatos, skins on, cut in half, tossed in a bit of olive oil, sprinkled with salt &/or garlic powder & then roasted on a foil-covered pan in the oven, to be served alongside whatever else we're having. (You could probably add in some chopped-up veggies too.)  Generally, 20-30 minutes at 375-400F or so does the trick. Yum!      

Wearing:  A long-sleeved T-shirt from American Eagle, which I picked up in the after-Christmas sales for $10:  dark mauvey-pink and incredibly soft, cozy fabric, with the words "ROCK STAR" on it in big bold black letters, lol.  Perfect with yoga pants for hanging around the house on a cold winter's day! 

Buying (besides books, lol):  New makeup, in preparation for Younger Nephew's upcoming wedding. When I was getting ready for his fiancee's recent bridal shower, I realized I needed some new foundation & concealer -- because what I had was either separating a bit (the foundation -- the expiry date on the bottle was two years ago...!) or drying up (the concealer). It was the same stuff I'd had when I was still working (i.e., at least four years old). Clearly I am not using up my makeup as fast as I did when I was working and wearing it every day (even then, I didn't always use it up). 

So off to the Clinique counter I went... and I will probably be back again before the wedding for a few more things. I kind of hate to spend so much money on stuff that I am not going to use up before it gets old (they should sell sample sizes -- less wasteful) -- but I also hate to start experimenting with cheaper brands at this point in my life.  I've used mostly Clinique (& some Estee Lauder) skin care products & cosmetics for years and they've always worked well for me. I threw out a lot of my older makeup when I lost my job, and again when we moved -- and then again after the shower (clearly, I needed to do it again...) -- but I still have an embarrassing amount of stuff. Most makeup doesn't come with an expiry date, so I've started labelling any new stuff I get with the date I got it (month/year, or at least year) to help me decide what needs culling when. 

Trying:  Not to fret over stupid stuff that's mostly beyond my control anyway (which I've been doing more again lately -- not sure why...?).

Wanting:  To turn off my overactive brain for a while. :p    

Loving:  Cabin fever aside, I do love being cozy at home while the snow falls outside our big floor-to-ceiling windows.  :) 

Enduring:  Yet ANOTHER visit from Aunt Flo -- this time after just 28 days (previous absence was a record 146). I've never been a 28-day cycle girl in my life... and she decides to start NOW, when I'm 57 frickin' years old??!!  :p  GO. AWAY.  :p     

Hoping: That Yahoo Groups will fix whatever gremlin has been screwing up their operations lately, pronto... several of my groups are having difficulties. Activity has been sporadic, although not for lack of posting on our part... The messages that we try to send/post disappear into the ether, sometimes permanently, sometimes resurfacing days later. VERY frustrating! 

Dreading:  The launch of another "anniversary" cycle -- this time marking TWENTY YEARS -- on February 8, which was my LMP date for my pregnancy with Katie in 1998 -- the visit from Aunt Flo that kickstarted everything that led me down this road less travelled to where I am today...

2016 Year in Review

2016 was an eventful year -- for the world & for me personally,  And I can't believe it's almost over..!! Time for another Year in Review post!

I started doing this year-end meme six years ago -- and, although I feel like many of the answers don't change much from year to year, it's still a great way to look back and keep track. (All of my New Year's/Year in Review posts have now been tagged with the label "Year in Review," if you ever want to check out the older posts.)  Feel free to use the questions on your own blog (& let me know if you do!).

1. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

As I have said in the past, I don't really make new year's resolutions anymore -- they tend to be pretty much the same ones, year after year. So here are the perennials, and the progress I made (or didn't) in 2016:

• Lose weight.  Alas, I am (once again) more or less the same weight as I was this time last year... I go up a few pounds, I go down, I go up again. :p 
• Exercise more. (And hopefully lose more weight...!)  We really fell off the wagon on this one. :(  Not as many places nearby to walk (at least, that we've yet discovered) in our new neighbourhood, and in our new place, we got into new habits that didn't include walking.  I still think about finding a yoga class at a local rec centre or yoga facility. Just need to find one and give it a try...   
• Write more in my journal (blog??). Haven't written in my paper journal in years -- although I did keep a bit of a journal on our road trip this summer, tracking our mileage & expenses, where we stopped, the hotels we stayed at & restaurants where we ate, etc. Blogging: I didn't post quite as much as the 150 blog entries I wrote in 2015, let alone my all-time high of 172 in 2008, my first full year of blogging. But I still scratched out a very respectable 133 (including this one), which averages out to about 11 posts a month. I'm satisfied. :)
• Read more of the books that have piled up around the house. (Need to do better at this... the faster I read, the more I buy, it seems... yikes!) I set myself a goal of 24 books read in 2016 (via the Goodreads reading challenge), and (thanks to Christmas vacation!) I met it! All the books I read have been reviewed on this blog (or will be soon -- I still have the last 3 to do).  I will probably set a similar goal for this year, since it seems to be realistic. My best "books read" count since I started keeping track a few years ago was 27 in 2015.  Which, I am sure, is WAY lower than my tally would have been in pre-Internet years.
• Tackle some of the clutter that never seems to go away. ("Some" being the operative word...)  This is one resolution that I think I can say a definite "Yes!" where I've made progress!  Downsizing from a 1,200 square foot, three-bedroom house (not including basement, garage & garden shed) to an 875-square-foot condo (plus one not-very-big storage locker), I pretty much had to. We had one of those junk removal services come to the house (twice!!) before we moved -- and the first time, they had to take away a full truckload & come back for more (erk!).  And that doesn't include the dozens and dozens (maybe hundreds) of boxes and bags of books, clothes and other household items we took to the thrift store ourselves to donate in the weeks and months before we moved, and the bags of junk we simply threw out with the garbage. I could probably still pare things down a bit further (and dh would probably concur -- that storage locker isn't very big, and it's full to the brim...) -- but really, I think I did pretty damned well for a lifelong packrat. ;) 
• Finally do something with the spare bedroom that was to have been the nursery (get new furniture & linens to replace dh's college apartment castoffs).  This is now a moot point, since we've moved and no longer have a spare bedroom/would-have-been nursery. We do have a second bedroom in our condo, but it is very specifically an office/library. Dh's college apartment castoff furniture & the double mattress & boxspring that was our very first bed in our very first apartment all went in the junk removal truck.  I will probably remove this item from the list after this year.  
• Set aside the nephews' scrapbooks for awhile, & start a scrapbook for dh & me (that will hopefully be finished in time for our 25th anniversary in 2010). And maybe (finally) start Katie's, too. Sadly, I have not done any scrapbooking since fall 2009. And I donated the bulk of my scrapbooking supplies, including most of my substantial collection of pretty patterned paper, to the thrift store before we moved (sob!).  I did keep all my unfinished projects, tools & a few other things, though. (They are sitting in containers down in the storage locker.) So who knows, I may pick it up again at some point in the future. (As I said last year, I'd better finish the nephews' books before any great-nieces and nephews start showing up!)  ;)   

2. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?

(Officially) Retired!! (lol) Downsized my stuff in a major, major way (see above).  Moved into a condo. :)  Got a smartphone and a PVR (and learned how to use them). Took a long road trip with dh.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope, no new babies within my circle of close family & friends. Oldest Nephew & his Fiancee/Bride bought a puppy just before their wedding. :)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Dh's uncle (his father's sister's husband) died last spring (just as we were settling into our condo), and his aunt in Italy died early in the summer. I only ever met her once -- she visited Canada shortly after we were married. That was about as close as it got. (Thankfully, knocking wood...)

5. What countries did you visit?

The U.S., including Michigan, northern Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. And North Dakota, very briefly ( a few minutes en route from Minnesota & crossing the border back into Canada :)  ).  Within my own country, we drove from my parents' home in Manitoba through northwestern Ontario, over the northern shore of Lake Superior -- a three-day trip. Isolated, but stunningly beautiful in spots.

6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?

A little more stability. I've had quite enough upheaval and newness to last me for quite a while, thankyouverymuch. ;)  And I still haven't been able to travel as much as I would like to (roadtrip notwithstanding). I guess there's always next year...!  

7. What date(s) from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April 22nd -- the day we moved out of our house (our home of 26 years) & into our condo.

October 1st -- Oldest Nephew's wedding!! :)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving!!! I do NOT do well with change -- and there was an awful lot of it to absorb.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Last year I said, "Not speaking my mind enough, and drifting instead of taking the initiative to get things done that I wanted to do." I think that would apply again. :p 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a few more colds than usual earlier in 2016. I am chalking it up to stress and allergies, related to moving (lots of dust flying around!! lol).  And my gallstones reasserted their presence after lying relatively dormant in recent years. I've also had some nagging "female issues" on & off that Dr. Ob-Gyn has been keeping an eye on. But thankfully, nothing serious. (Knocking wood again...!)

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our condo. :)  Our new furniture (especially our table, chairs & china cabinet!). And my dress for our nephew's wedding. I loved it!!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

I had trouble thinking of something to put here. Isn't that sad?? 

Thankfully, all the year-end review shows on TV reminded me about Gord Downie, lead singer of the Tragically Hip, who (as I blogged earlier this year) was diagnosed earlier this year with terminal brain cancer. He could have chosen to just stay home and enjoy what time he has left with his wife (herself a breast cancer survivor) and their four (!!) children. But earlier this summer, he went out on one more (perhaps final) cross-Canada tour with the band, which thrilled their legions of fans. By September, fans had raised more than $1 million for a fund in Gord's name to support brain cancer research. 

And in October, he surprised everyone by releasing a new solo album, accompanied by a graphic novel. The Secret Path tells the story of Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack, a 12-year-old indigenous boy who died in 1966 after running away from a residential school in northwestern Ontario, trying to return home. Proceeds from the album and book are being donated to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation project at the University of Manitoba (my alma mater).  The book and the music also inspired an animated film, broadcast by CBC, which can be viewed (along with a panel discussion) at cbc.ca/secretpath.

There's a sad but inspiring half-hour interview that Downie did last fall with Peter Mansbridge of CBC TV, which was rebroadcast over Christmas.  You can watch it at http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/gord-downie-exclusive-interview-1.3804422 .

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

The people who bought our house. :p   'Nuff said. :( 

(Need I say it?)  Donald Trump & co. It still boggles the mind that he was elected president of the United States.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Buying the condo, and new stuff for it.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

While it was hard to leave our home of 26 years and shed so much of our stuff, it was also exciting to move into our lovely new condo. I knew as soon as we walked in that this was "the one." I still sometimes look around & think, "It's mine!! We LIVE here!!" lol  ;)  

Nephew's wedding in October, and all the activity related to it (including the bridal shower in July).

My family reunion in July, and getting to meet my 4th cousin from Scotland!  We first "met" online through our genealogy research. Our great x2 grandfathers were brothers (born in Ireland but moved to Scotland);  mine left Scotland more than 150 years ago. To have these branches of our family reunited again after all these years was cool beyond words.

16. What song will always remind you of 2016?

 It's not a song FROM 2016, but "Changes" by David Bowie. Possibly because Bowie was one of many musical icons from my youth that we lost in 2016 :(  but also because some of the lyrics seemed to apply. "Turn and face the strange," indeed.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

Happier, and about the same for both b & c.  

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Travelling, besides our road trip. But there's always next year...

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Several times in the past, I've said, "Worrying. It never does much good anyway..." I think I need to remind myself again this year...!  :p 

20. How did you spend Christmas?

 I'd like to say it was in the usual way, and it was, sort of. We were with my family (my parents, sister & her boyfriend) in the cold & snow of the Canadian Prairies. There was lots of good food & some fun card games. But... (see my recent post about Christmas).

21. Did you fall in love in 2016?

Yes, with Oldest Nephew's new puppy. :) (Which does NOT mean we are getting our own dog!  ;)  )

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Poldark! I also got hooked on the final season of "Downton Abbey."  Of the new fall shows, I am enjoying "Designated Survivor."  And I still love The Big Bang Theory, Bob's Burgers and Modern Family.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you did not hate this time last year?

No -- although our buyers and their lawyer did not exactly endear themselves to us. :p

24. What was the best book you read?

I read a lot of good books this year (see #1), and reviewed them all here, using the label 2016 books.  I read more novels by my old favourite D.E. Stevenson, re-read some of the Poldark novels by Winston Graham (in conjunction with watching the BBC/PBS TV series), and savoured a new Flavia de Luce mystery by Alan Bradley. :)  A few infertility-related books, and a few on feminist themes. And lots of memoirs and biographies, probably my favourite genre. ;)  Hard to pick favourites, but I think my #1 pick would have to be Bruce Springsteen's memoir "Born to Run," which I reviewed here.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

As in the past, I must admit, I don't listen to a lot of new music...

26. What did you want and get?

I did not particularly want to move into a condo -- but if dh was determined that we should do it, I insisted that it had to be a two-bedroom unit in a lower-rise building, preferably not on a main thoroughfare. We ARE on a main thoroughfare, but we don't face it. We do have two bedrooms, and it's on the fourth floor. And we have more natural light and closet/cupboard/storage space than just about any other unit we saw during our search. Overall, we are very happy with our new home.

Also -- we got several pieces of our new furniture (a table, chairs, a china cabinet, TV stand/entertainment unit and a narrow bookshelf, which we use for our CDs & DVDs) custom made by a local furniture maker. We used to visit their workshop, many years ago, and for 30 years, I have lusted over the ads they regularly run in the TV guide that comes with the local paper. I was tickled to finally fulfill my longtime dream and buy some of their stuff! (In fact, we may be back in the new year... our 30+-year-old end tables & coffee table are looking a bit worn... ;)  )

27. What did you want and not get?

Still waiting on that sunspot vacation. ;)  And more travel in general. I was hoping for a return trip to New York, but the year ran away on me.  I may just wait and see how the U.S. election aftermath shakes out before venturing Stateside again, though. :(  Particularly to downtown Manhattan. Tiffany's, I love you, but the neighbours leave something to be desired....  :p  ;) 

28. What was your favourite film of this year? 

We saw just 16 movies in 2016 (versus 23 in 2015) -- although we may see one more on New Year's Eve (SIL mentioned the possibility of going to the movies). What can I say, it was a busy year...! They were all pretty good:  Star Wars: The Force Awakens;  The Big Short;  Brooklyn;  Hail Caesar;  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot;  Captain America: Civil War;  The Nice Guys;  Florence Foster Jenkins;  Star Trek Beyond;  The Secret Life of Pets;  Snowden;  The Girl on the Train;  Inferno;  Dr. Strange;  Arrival;  and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Hard to pick a favourite, but I'm sentimental so I would have to say "The Force Awakens." As I said at the time, THAT was the Star Wars sequel I waited 30 years to see!

(ETA:  Make that 17 movies in 2016 -- we went to see "Passengers" on New Year's Eve.)

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was 55, and we went to our favourite steakhouse for dinner.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A little less anxiety/angst, from both dh & me. Much of it was totally unnecessary -- but then, anxiety is rarely rational, is it?

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?

I spend most of my days now in yoga pants (or shorts, in the summer) & T-shirts, lol.  So I'm not sure I have a "personal fashion concept"??!  Let's just say most of my clothes these days come from Old Navy. ;)

32. What kept you sane?

Staying busy and getting out of the house most days, particularly during the LONG winter. :p

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

See #12.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The U.S. election and all its related fallout, including the rise in outright threats and discrimination to none-white non-Christian non-hetero non-males. :p  The increase in blatant sexism and anti-women behaviour and attitudes is something I take very personally;  the silver lining, as I see it, is that a lot of young female eyes were opened as to why feminism was not an outdated and no-longer-needed thing, that sexism and discrimination against women is sadly still very much alive and well, and needs to be battled against constantly. 

Also -- having many family members & friends on both sides of the political spectrum -- I find it difficult to post about politics on social media -- but one issue I have no qualms about posting on is the rise of "fake news" & how to spot it, and the looming threats to press freedom and the First Amendment. This is an(other) issue that is highly personal to me, as a one-time journalist and communicator, and SHOULD be one that goes beyond partisan loyalty.  Contrary to what some would have us believe, there ARE such things as facts, and they ARE relevant!!

35. Who did you miss?

As always, my daughter, and my grandparents.

The Little Princesses.  Only getting to see them twice a year, and occasionally on Skype, sucks. :p Time goes by too quickly, and they are growing up way too fast. :(

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I really haven't met an awful lot of new people lately;  at least, none that I see often.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016. 

I do not like change. I am not "good" about change. There was a lot in my life that changed this year, and in most cases, I had to be dragged to it kicking and screaming, or at least with some reluctance. But sometimes good things can come about because of change, no matter how difficult the process. And as I often like to say, it's not always a case of life being better or worse because of those changes. It's just different, and it can be good on its own terms, if you let it. :)

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

As above: "Turn and face the strange."  :) 

(Not to mention "Look out you rock 'n rollers... Pretty soon now you're gonna get older," lol. Believe me, it happens!! lol) 

"Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd" by Alan Bradley

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I am a big fan of the Flavia de Luce mysteries by by Alan Bradley. Flavia is a pint-sized (age 12) chemistry buff who lives in a crumbling mansion called Buckshaw with her father and two older sisters, and uses science and her wits to solve a number of mysteries in and around her small English village of Bishop's Lacey in the early 1950s post-war England.

The long wait is finally over, and Flavia #8 is now in bookstores. I was fortunate enough to find a copy a few days before it was supposed to go on sale officially. (In fact, it's more than a week since the official release date and my local bookstore still doesn't have it. Grrrrr....) 

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd picks up immediately where its predecessor (As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, reviewed here) left off. It's just before Christmas, and Flavia arrives home from a brief stint at school in Canada, expecting her family there to welcome her back. Instead, the only person there to greet her is the family retainer, Dogger -- and he has bad news: her beloved father is sick and in the hospital. Left to her own devices (even more so than usual), it doesn't take long before Flavia stumbles onto a new mystery to solve.

It was good to have Flavia back home with the familiar cast of characters around her. The actual mystery never seems to matter too much in these books -- it's the characters and the wonderful writing that hold our attention. While each mystery is self-contained, there's a continuing storyline unfolding that gradually reveals more information about Flavia & her family -- and keeps us coming back for more.  For that reason, I would highly recommend starting with the first Flavia book, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie," and working your way through the series in chronological order.

The mystery gets solved, but there's a cliffhanger at the end that had me gasping -- and reaching for the Kleenex box. I am not sure how long we have to wait for the next installment in the adventures of Flavia -- but it won't be soon enough to suit me!

This was book #17 that I've read to date in 2016.