The Bibliophile Files - 12/31/17

When nobody complained that I didn't post Bibliophile Files during the great no-internet-debacle at the beginning of December, I decided to post this at the end of the year for a more accurate count. What I didn't consider is that my January post is going to be pretty lean but it's too late now...

I finished my year by reading 97  98 books!! Not bad when I worried the first half of the year that I was behind schedule to finish my goal of 90 books. (Updated at 5:30 today with another finish!)

On the other hand, I didn't finish my reading challenge for the year. It wasn't lengthy with just 26 book but the topics to pick were no where near my norms. And lets be honest - I didn't try super hard to finish the challenge. It's 80% finished so I'll just finish it in early 2018 and call it "good enough for who it's for".

FINISHED
     The Absent One - This is the second book in the Department Q series. I had read the first book but apparently hadn't been enthralled enough to add it to my "book binder" for future reading options. The series has now been added to the binder as I really enjoyed this book.
     A Fountain Filled With Blood - another new series about a lady minister who had been in the military. The series is set in my favorite Adirondack Mountains.
     Of Beast & Beauty - a new take on an old favorite: Beauty and the Beast
     Camino Island
     In a Dry Season
     A Long Way Home - I read the book after watching the movie "Lion". Fantastic true story about a "lost" child in India who is adopted by an Aussie family and then searches for his roots. Movies are never quite the same as the book but I think these 2 compliment each other quite nicely.
     Pillars of the Earth - At first I cursed the person who recommended this book (audiobook is 32 CDs!!) but then I was so into it that I ordered the second book in the series to find it's 36 CDs. Thankfully a new book only appears in this series every 10 years or so.
     Blue Screen
     Haunted
     Burn
     Seduced
     #1 Ladies Detective Agency
     Dead Wrong

IN PROGRESS
     On my home stereo - Breaking Silence
     On my iPhone - The Cuban Affair


And now it's your turn! What did you read in the last month? Was there one book that stuck out for you this year? Something that you wished you had gotten to but didn't? Any suggestions for books or a 2018 Reading Challenge would be great to share as well. Don't forget anything counts for your BF Report - a novel, a magazine, a quilt pattern or a cereal box!

Feline Friday - 12/29/17

You may recall that the week between Santy Claws and New Year's Day has Momma working at home in the evenings to prepare town tax bills for work. 

I generally try to help her by sitting on a box of the bills to hold them in place but this year I have a bit of a tummy bug so I'm kinda laying low. 

Really low - like on the floor heater vent.
Don't worry tho - I'm still snoopervising cuz Momma is only 3 steps away.

Sometimes it's more fun to sit in the Window Box and have Momma tuck me in.
She's good to me like that!

Happy New Year's and we'll see all y'all next year!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Wednesday Weather Report #32 - 12/27/17

12 bowl cozies

For Christmas this year, I made everyone (including myself!!!!) one of the now popular bowl cozies in fabric to match a hobby or preference of each person.

Dad's first thought was that maybe it was an individualized yarmulka with the Wendy's key tag as a Minnie Pearl decoration. Only family...

Christmas Day was run run run: shovel the drive to get out and then run to Mom & Dad's. I was about to run home for a shower before off to the next party when we had an MVA thanks to the icky weather so that meant a run for the ambulance. Then it was actually off to my brother's house.

We had an excellent dinner and fun exchanging gifts.

The drive home was pretty harrowing. It was snowing about 3"/hour and at some point the DOT had pulled the plows off the roads for their safety. Hello? What about the schmucks driving through 6" of snow and there were no tracks to follow???!!!

The 20 minute drive home took about 35 minutes, which I guess isn't too bad. The photo above was taken at 10:08 Monday night. I had been home about 3 minutes when don't you know - it stopped snowing.

I again shoveled out again Tuesday morning. It looks like we got about 15" total. It's currently sunny and blue skies but the lake effect storm warning continue through this evening.

Even Zorro admits that he might have dreamed a little too hard for a White Christmas but he was happy to be snuggled in his Window Box watching Birdie Vision. You'll notice the snow piled on top of the birdfeeder again and hopefully you can spot at least one of the 3 goldfinches in the feeder.

As far as my temperature hexies...I've nearly completed stitching last week's rosette but I have done nothing this week other than pull new dark purples to add some variety. I am pretty sure that tomorrow I'll be pulling out a brand new color!!!

An InLinkz Link-up