Peacefield

Yahoo, Anna! What a lovely gift to yourself! Have you read the Little House books before? That is a LOT of pages - how fun!

Happy 2016! Sending some no-cold-good-health vibes your way, Chalie! I'll admit it, I'm kind of looking forward to going back to work tomorrow . Well maybe not necessarily work, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine and back on plan especially when it comes to eating. December was quiet at work and I barely saw people because we were either on vacation or working from home. Lots of holiday eating and feeling ugh, so I've had enough of that until next December! I hope you all have a lovely week ahead of you!

Great looking lists, there, Anna! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of The Last Runaway - I absolutely loved it!

It's not unthinkable to start the Cork O'Connor series out of order, Muggle Not, but I wouldn't recommend it. The first book introduces characters that are in the rest of the series and it's good to have details like that when you start book #2. At least that's how I felt. I've only read the first 2 though so I may not be the biggest expert .

Have you not seen Raising Arizona, Chalie?? I've not seen Knowing, but RA is the only Cage movie I like Last night at our NYE party we watched two terrifically terrible films, Christmas Icetastrophe and Roboshark. They did not disappoint when it came to the lame factor! My friend convinced me to see Star Wars tomorrow. She's obsessed, but I can take it or leave it, I guess. I feel like I need to see the first 3 (the OLD films) first but no time. I'm hoping she can give me some background since I think I only saw the third movie once and that was back when it came out!

I've often wanted to read Tony Hillerman, Muggle, but I guess I should look at Anne's work too! I don't know if you've seen my posts about the author William Kent Krueger, but he has a crime series that is set in Northern MN on/near an Indian reservation and the protagonist is half Ojibwe. I love his writing style and hope to read beyond the first 2 books in the series.

Yes, it's really bad in some parts of the world, Chalie. I hope it clears up soon for the north of England! There have been at least 50 deaths here due to weather in the middle and south of the US. Tornadoes and lots of flooding too .

Which Chevalier do you have on your TBR pile, Bobbly? Do you have a favorite of hers that you've read? I can never decide which one I love most, but it's probably safe to say it's a tie between The Lady and the Unicorn and Girl with a Pearl Earring. I'm almost halfway through The Last Bookaneer, although I didn't get a TON of reading in over the holidays. I also received for Christmas Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel from Weave, and a Barnes & Noble gift card from my sister.

It's 24f here right now (-4c) and snowing lightly. Amazingly I was out shoveling a path for the dog and it didn't feel too bad. I really have been in MN too long...

I personally love the cover of Joyland. It's a 'Hard Case Crime' novel which is a takeoff of the old hard-boiled, pulp fiction, crime story of the 20's and 30's, and all of their covers were similar to that . There's a little something supernatural about Joyland, but it's a very different direction for King which is part of why I loved it so much! I'm not as good as most people here about updating my threads, Frankie , which is why the one I started this year didn't have a date on it. If you liked the Gilbert Grape movie I guarantee you'll love the book!

That's such good news about your cat, Michelle! How's she doing? Back to work today for me after a lovely long holiday weekend. I spoke to/face-timed all of my siblings on Christmas day and had a nice dinner with mom after opening presents. I also got some shopping in and did a few little things around the house in between relaxing and going to the gym. This week is work and on Thursday me and my friends' annual NYE party where we exchange white elephant gifts and settle up on our yearly dead pool, of which I appear to be the winner . Friday I have another day off, woo! I hope everyone has a fab week ahead of them!

I agree on King's earlier/older works being better, Frankie. Save for one exception, Joyland. One of my most favorite books I read last year (or perhaps it was the year before...). It sounds like you had a lovely time at home, and yay for book presents! I think Big Little Lies sounds excellent and I've added it to my wishlist. It's not too terribly often that we read the same types of books but I think this one sounds fab! I read Gilbert Grape shortly after the film came out and I remember thinking that the book wasn't exactly better than the film (as most books are) but that it just gave a way bigger insight into Gilbert's life and what it was like to live with his brother and his mother. You'll have to let me know what you think when you get around to reading it!

You're not alone, Athena! With books that I know I absolutely loved, I'll mull over things and stew on parallels between the book and real life, or I'll just want to hang out in my general "OMG I loved that book" mood . I also usually cleanse my palate with a lighter book afterwards, like others have mentioned.

32f out there, which I believe is 0c. Cloudy and best of all, no white stuff!

I don't remember much from Skeleton Crew, Frankie, but it must be good if you're re-reading it! I love his short stories, especially the old ones. I used to keep a copy of Night Shift close by and read those stories many times. Did you ever read his more recent book of stories called Full Dark, No Stars? Excellent gifts you've received so far! You can't go wrong with books and movies. Have fun at home and have a Merry Christmas!

Beautiful, Shelfy! Congrats!!

I love looking at little pebbles, Frankie! They can have such interesting shapes and colors . After finishing Boundary Waters I have to admit that my reading mojo hit the wall and I didn't so much as crack a book. It wasn't until today that I decided to start The Last Bookaneer and now I am well and truly into it. Hopefully my mojo will hang on for the ride! I just posted over in the 'Books You're Looking Forward to in 2016' thread about Tracy Chevalier's new one, At the Edge of the Orchard, which is due out in March. I'm so excited for this as Chevalier is one of my favorite authors. I feel like I used to feel as a little kid at one of my siblings' band concerts or sitting in church, not being able to sit still and so very squirmy . I would open up my mom's bag and dig around for a pen and scrap paper to doodle on so I could keep myself occupied. Here is the synopsis from Amazon: 1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck – in the muddy, stagnant swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John Appleseed so they can cultivate the fifty apple trees required to stake their claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life back in Connecticut; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge from brutal frontier life. 1853: Their youngest child Robert is wandering through Gold Rush California. Restless and haunted by the broken family he left behind, he has made his way alone across the country. In the redwood and giant sequoia groves he finds some solace, collecting seeds for a naturalist who sells plants from the new world to the gardeners of England. But you can run only so far, even in America, and when Robert’s past makes an unexpected appearance he must decide whether to strike out again or stake his own claim to a home at last. Chevalier tells a fierce, beautifully crafted story in At the Edge of the Orchard, her most graceful and richly imagined work yet.​ ​

I love this thread too, Kylie! I'm very much looking forward to Alan Bradley's new one, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd. I'm not sure when it's out in the US, but I have a feeling the info might be over in the Flavia thread...​ I'm also anxiously awaiting Tracy Chevalier's new book, At the Edge of the Orchard, which is due out in March. She is easily one of my favorite authors .

That's good you're feeling better, Claire, just in time for being busy with Christmas duties! I hope you get lots of rest and relaxation during your time off, Noll, I think that will do the trick! How are you liking your job? This week has been busy, with something going on every evening after work save for last night. I was very happy to get comfy on the sofa and do nothing but watch Midsomer Murders . I'm looking forward to Monday when the days start getting longer and for the 1st of the New Year! That means that hopefully we'll just have 2 more months of the cold weather. We don't have fireworks here on New Years Eve, but we do have festivities . I'm looking forward to it!

Wow! That looks really interesting, Muggle, thanks for passing it on. The way it's shot looks really cool and I love history so I'm definitely on board with this one .

I started out really liking The Little Friend but it fizzled at the end and left me with so many questions that I just couldn't get past. I think maybe my annoyance with it was just compounded due to waiting for 10 years since Secret History was published and then being so disappointed. I really loved The Secret History although I did like Goldfinch more . What did you think of Secret History?

Yay, Bobbly! I've been eagerly anticipating your review of The Goldfinch :D Tartt's ability to write 3 sentences when 1 might have sufficed is probably my favorite thing about her, especially when it comes to this book's subject matter. I so love her writing and her ability to show me in my head exactly what she's describing is brilliant. Hobie was probably my favorite character. I'm so glad you like this one! Have you read Tartt's second book, The Little Friend?

Welcome to BCF, Hope! Glad to have you Ditto to what Bobbly said - what are your favorite books? Do you have authors you like to read in particular?

I'm sorry I didn't get to say this before, Frankie, but OMG fab bookshelves you have! Tons of space there and how cool that your flat came furnished with something like that. I loved your photos Also, I admit I had to Wiki Finland's Independence Day - I had no idea it was under Russian rule! Congrats to Finland, woohoo! I love the first Bridget Jones movie but have never read the books. Methinks I need to though after reading your blurb about it. I'll be on the lookout!

Good luck on your exam, Sabry! :D I'm glad you had a nice dinner with your family, Athena! That's a much more pleasant thing to see than bad drivers that stress people out and don't pay attention. It's exhausting to be a good defensive driver these days when more and more people are using their phones when driving I hope you had fun seeing Jimmy Carr, Noll! Is he a singer? My weekend flew by, as per usual. I had dance class Friday and ran an obscene amount of errands on Saturday. I ended the day with a stop at my favorite Lebanese deli so that made it all worth it. Yesterday I hung lights and garland on our deck/terrace outside and also cooked up a couple meals to have throughout the week. This week is work, the gym, and on Thursday we're having our annual work holiday party. Apparently it's 'casino' themed so I need to brush up on my blackjack skills I hope everyone has a lovely week!