MobileRead Book Challenges discussion

My goals this year are to read 120 books and to increase completing series and to read more short stories. I am going to add the 'age' challenge - reading a book published each year since I was born.

edited: Added 10 books to goal total.

Active series (total based on list at Fantastic Fiction)

Diskworld 10/40 (update Dec)
In Death 11/37 (update Mar)
Goldy Bear Culinary Mysteries 8/17 (Update Mar)
Inspector Alleyn 2/32 (Update Mar)
Vorkosigan Saga 4/16 (update Aug)
Charlie Parker (Shelton) 0/13
87th Precinct 9/55 (update Nov)
Stephanie Plum 4/20
Amanda Pepper 5/14 (update Apr)
Agatha Raisin 1/24
Archy McNally Mysteries 2/13
Pip & Flinx - 1/14
Honor Harrington 0/14
Trash & Treasure Mysteries 3/10
Inspector Rebus (BOM) 1/18 (added Feb)
Harry Bosch (BOM) 1/18 (update Mar)
Stainless Steel Rat 1/11 (update July)
Iron Druid 3/7 (Update Oct)
Cat Who series 3/29 (Update Aug)

Non-active series (completed or abandoned)

Seaside Knitters 7/7 (2013) Book 8 comes out in May; ebook (no date)
Morgue Drawer 3/3 (2013)
de Montfort Brothers 4/4 (2013)

Crystal Singer 3/3 (June 2014)
Dresden Files 15/15 (July 2014)
Farseer Trilogy 3/3 (Sept 2014)
Laurel McKay 3/3 (Oct 2014)

Short stories & Novellas (bold ones are great! Keepers)

01. Tender Hearts Taste Better in Butter - Weston Ochse
02. The Ghost in the Mill - Harriet Beecher Stowe
03. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - James Thurber
04. Dreamweaver's Dilemma - Lois McMaster Bujold
05. Murder in The Rue Morgue - Edgar Allan Poe
06. Antiques Slay Ride - Barbara Allen
07. Rime of the Ancient Mariners - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
08. Ghosts of Ragged-Ass Gulch - Bill Pronzini
09. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (Tim Curry)
10. The Million Pound Note - Mark Twain
11. Myth of the Garage & Other Minor Surprising - Dan Heath, Chip Heath
12. Autobiography - Agatha Christie
13. People of the Crater - Andre Norton
14. I Was A Teenaged Bigfoot - Jim Butcher
15. The Horla - Guy de Maupassant
16. Aladdin & The Magic Lamp - Translated by John Payne
17. Curses - Jim Butcher
18. Bigfoot on Campus - Jim Butcher
19. Mr Spaceship - Philip K Dick
20. Even Hand - Jim Butcher
21. Little Miss Independent - Julia Templeton
22. AAAA Wizardry - Jim Butcher
23. The Bombshell - Jim Butcher
24. The Willful Princes & The Piebald Prince - Robin Hobb
25. Christmas 1914

Books Read:

001. Philly Stakes - Gillian Roberts
002. Terminal Freeze - Lincoln Child
003. Falling Free - Lois McMaster Bujold
004. The Shining - Stephen King
005. The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett
006. Conspiracy In Death - J D Robb
007. The Princess Bride - William Goldman
008. Doctor Sleep - Stephen King
009. Still Life - Louise Penny
010. Summer Knight - Jim Butcher
011. Where'd You Go Bernadette - Maria Sempel
012. The Iron Cage - Andre Norton
013. Death Masks - Jim Butcher
014. Loyalty In Death - J D Robb
015. 12 Drummers Drumming - C C Benison
016. Knots & Crosses - Ian Rankin
017. Lords of the Abyss (Omnibus) - Michelle Pillow
018. Ocean At The End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman
019. Barrayar - Lois Bujold Masters
020. Blood Rites - Jim Butcher
021. The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett
022. The Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth
023. Witness In Death - J D Robb
024. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
025. Dead Beat - Jim Butcher
026. Enter A Murderer - Ngaio Marsh
027. Escape Velocity - Christopher Stasheff
028. The Black Echo - Michael Connelly
029. Prime Cut - Diane Mott Davidson
030. Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
031. Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher
032. Judgement in Death - J D Robb
033. I'd Rather Be In Philadelphia - Gillian Roberts
034. The Con Man - Ed McBain
035. With Friends Like These - Gillian Roberts
036. White Night - Jim Butcher
037. Small Favor - Jim Butcher
038. How Not To Kiss A Toad - Elizabeth Reeves
039. Duke by Day, Rogue by Night - Katherine Bone
040. Legend of Vanx Malic: Through the Wildwood - M R Mathias
041. Endless Night - Agatha Christie
042. Side Jobs - Jim Butcher
043. Mort - Terry Pratchett
044. Nor Crystal Tears - Alan Dean Foster
044. Regina - Clare Darcy
045. Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks
046. Galactic Rejects - Andrew Offutt
047. Turn Coat - Jim Butcher
048. Cyrion - Tanith Lee
049. Changes - Jim Butcher
050. The Big Sleep - Raymond Shandler
051. Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
052. Killashandra - Anne McCaffrey
053. Crystal Line - Anne McCaffrey
054. Ghost - Jim Butcher
055. Like Nothing on Earth - Eric Frank Russell
056. Cold Days - Jim Butcher
057. Days of Grass - Tanith Lee
058. Skin Games - Jim Butcher
059. Stainless Steel Rat - Harry Harrison
060. Hounded - Kevin Hearne
061. Men, Martians & Machines - Eric Frank Russell
062. Dying for a Date - Cindy Sample
063. Killer's Choice - Ed Mcbain
064. Sourcery - Terry Pratchett
065. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards - Lilian Jackson Braun
066. The Cat Who Ate Danish - Lilian Jackson Braun
067. The Cat Who Went Up and Down - Lilian Jackson Braun
068. The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois Bujold
069. Dying for a Dance - Cindy Sample
070. Killer's Payoff - Ed McBain
071. Ghosts, Spooks and Specters - Charles Molin ed.
072. Eliza - Clare Darcy
073. Killer's Wedge - Ed McBain
074. Cressida - Clare Darcy
075. Death Warmed Over - Kevin J Anderson
076. Cressida - Clare Darcy
077. Blunt Darts - Jeremiah Healy
078. The Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
079. Ringworld -Larry Niven
080. Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett
081. Hexed - Kevin Hearne
082. Don't Die Under the Apple Tree - Amy Patricia Mead
083. Sylvester - Georgette Heyer
084. Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb
083. Pyramids - Terry Pratchett
084. Do or Diner - Christine Wenger
085. Well Read, Then Dead- Terry Farley Moran
086. Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb
087. Under the Dome - Stephen King
089. Hammered - Kevin Hearne
090. Guards!Guards! - Terry Pratchett
091. Square in The Middle - William Cambell Gault
092. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
093. Eric - Terry Pratchett
094. Til Death - Ed McBain
095. Stories to be Read Late At Night - Alfred Hitchcock
096. Dracula - Bram Stoker
097. Somewhere A Voice - Eric Frank Russell
098. Lady Pamela - Clare Darcy
099. The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
100. The Ship Who Sang - Anne McCaffrey
101. Bill the Galactic Hero - Harry Harrison
102. Treasure Island - Robert Lewis Stephenson
103. Rolande - Clare Darcy
104. Letty - Clare Darcy
105. Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett
106. Steamed - Holly Jacobs
107. Give the Boys a Great Big Hand - Ed McBain
108. Doctor Who and the Daleks - David Whitaker
109. Missing - the next few books make up for differences
110. Missing between this list & my 2014 Goodreads list
111. Missing
112. Missing
113. Missing
114. Missing
115. Missing
116. Cover her face - P D James

Age challenge. Books published in each year since birth.

1959: 'Til Death - Ed McBain
1960: Give the Boys a Great Big Hand - by Ed McBain
1961: Stainless Steel Rat - Harry Harrison
1962: Cover Her Face - PD James
1963:
1964: Doctor Who & the Daleks - David Whitaker
1965: Somewhere A Voice - Eric Frank Russell
1966: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards - Lilian Jackson Braun
1967: Endless Night - Agatha Christie
1968: The Cat Who Turned On and Off - Lilian Jackson Braun
1969: The Ship Who Sang - Anne McCaffrey
1970: Ringworld - Larry Niven
1971: Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth
1972: The Ship Who Sang - Anne McCaffrey
1973: The Princess Bride - William Goldman
1974: The Iron Cage - Andre Norton
1975: Lady Pamela - Clare Darcy
1976: Regina - Clare Darcy
1977: The Shining - Stephen King
1978: Rolande - Clare Darcy
1979: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe - Douglas Adams
1980: Letty - Clare Darcy
1981: Caroline & Julia - Clare Darcy
1982: Nor Crystal Tears - Alan Dean Foster
1983: The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett
1984. Blunt Darts - Jeremiah Healey
1985: Killashandra - Anne McCaffrey
1986: The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett
1987: Knots & Crosses - Ian Rankin
1988: Falling Free - Lois McMaster Bujold
1989: Philly Stakes - Gillian Roberts
1990: Eric - Terry Pratchett
1991: Barrayar - Lois Bujold Masters
1992: The Black Echo - Michael Connelly
1993: With Friends Like These - Gillian Roberts
1994:
1995: Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
1996: Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb
1997: Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb
1998: Prime Cut - Diane Mott Davidson
1999: Conspiracy in Death - J D Robb
2000: Witness In Death - J D Robb
2001:
2002: Summer Knight - Jim Butcher
2003: Death Masks - Jim Butcher
2004: Blood Rites - Jim Butcher
2005: Dead Beat - Jim Butcher
2006: Still Life - Louise Penny
2007: White Night - Jim Butcher
2008: Small Favor - Jim Butcher
2009: Terminal Freeze - Lincoln Child
2010: Changes - Jim Butcher
2011: Twelve Drummers Drumming - C C Benison
2012: Cold Days - Jim Butcher
2013: Doctor Sleep -Stephen King
2014: Skin Games - Jim Butcher

Goal: listen to 14 audiobooks that I owned before 2014.

1. Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett
2. Summer Knight - Jim Butcher
3. Death Masks - Jim Butcher
4. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
5. The Black Echo - Michael Connelly
6. Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher
7. White Night - Jim Butcher
8. Small Favor - Jim Butcher
9. Side Jobs - Jim Butcher
10. Turn Coat - Jim Butcher
11. Changes - Jim Butcher
12. Ghost - jim Butcher
13. Cold Days - Jim Butcher
14. Stainless Steel Rat - Harry Harrison
**** Yay! Met goal! ****
15. Hounded - Kevin Hearne
16. Death Warmed Over - Kevin J Anderson
17. Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
18. Ringworld - Larry Niven
19. Hexed - Kevin Hearne
20. Hammered - Kevin Hearne

First! Haha.

Cool, I did my age challenge last year. My only advice on that is to maybe avoid science fiction from most of the 70s and 80s. :)

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "First! Haha.

Cool, I did my age challenge last year. My only advice on that is to maybe avoid science fiction from most of the 70s and 80s. :)"

Hey! Andre Norton....


^.^

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "First! Haha.

Cool, I did my age challenge last year. My only advice on that is to maybe avoid science fiction from most of the 70s and 80s. :)"

You and Stephanie have more patience than I do. Other than knowing my first book would be the beloved The Princess Bride (well I love the movie .. haven't read the book), I don't think I would take the necessary time to research the other *mumble mumble* years.

I think you mean more blind persistence in my case. :)

There are lists of books for almost every year here on GoodReads. Like say, 1985. Which makes quick research a breeze.

Wow. 1985 was a stellar year: Blood Meridian, The Cider House Rules, The Handmaid's Tale,...

Many of the series I have selected cover most of the years I've been alive. But yes, my focus this year is to be Science Fiction, so we'll see how it goes. Looking at a wiki entry - Space Vampires. I think I got that free from somewhere. Alan Dean Foster (Flinx, Humanx) did a lot of writing then as did Niven (Ringworld), so shouldn't be too hard to find SOMETHING in the 70s.

I told my Mom she should do an age challenge. She will be 80 in 3 weeks. She just stared at me and went back to her Paperwhite.

LOL! about your mom. I hope she loves her Paperwhite as much as I love mine!

A Birthday/Sifi Hybrid Challenge...that's cool! I think I would personally go with Birthday/Fantasy. I love magical/mystical/mythological creatures and beings.

There's no shortage of fantasy in my library. But with everything in both genres pretty much written as series, it will take time to get there. I have a few individual books I want to read (War of the Oaks for instance), but the only authors on my fantasy plate this year are Christopher Stasheff, Robert Asprin and Terry Pratchett. There will be a lot of rereading and then finishing off some series (I have all the Myth series, Thieves World and most of the Warlock world). Then there is a start on the Diskworld realm. It will be fun to get there!

I don't think I would take the necessary time to research the other *mumble mumble* years.

Research is EASY unless you want to preplan extensively. I'm just going with the flow for now, but wiki has a listing for every year of books published. Even genre specific. Will I finish THIS year? We will have to see how that goes. I'm not sure if my series' for this year cover every decade, but maybe.

I like Asprin and Pratchett. I finally finished reading all of Myth in 2012. I really enjoyed them. There's a Discworld group discussion within the MobileRead Challenges discussion area here too if you're interested. Although it appears to be mainly me and I may not be reading any Discworld this year.

I haven't read it, but I would suggest Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. It's been on my potential read list for a while.

If either of you are interested, there is a new (month old) group called Flights of Fantasy. The tag line: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, and YA/MG. We reads it.

I've been there since day one and they're a pretty fun group (unless arguing about the virtues of YA ;) - you'd have to read the thread yourself. :)) That is the group that encouraged the series challenge I'm in.

They are actually discussing a Buddy Read like project for all of Discworld.

I'll send both of you an invite, if you like, just in case you are interested. (No worries if you choose not to accept.)

:)

I managed to knock off two short stories from my Audible list, but no books yet. I found I have to both read and listen to the Colour of Magic. Yes, I joined the buddy read, which is why I'm reading that book too.

Currently listening to The Shining because I discovered I'm now 2nd in line to get Dr. Sleep from the library, which is a sequel. You only get a 10 day checkout with recently published, very popular books. Otherwise, it's 14-21 days.

Finished The Shining. Moving on to Colour of Magic. I read this book when it first came out in 1977 and again 10 years later. So, now it's 35 years later and I still enjoy it. Yes, was tempted to buy it again in audiobook form (I sold the paperback back when I found out my vision was never going to improve), but talked myself out of it. I'm sure the library will still have it in 10 years.

Done with Color of Magic. yay! One book off my audiobook challenge! I'll be moving on to Conspiracy In Death and hopefully finishing Where'd You Go Bernadette which I started last month and then set aside. Still waiting for the audiobook for Dr. Sleep from the library. Somewhere in there I need to fit some quilting and a Baen book from last month's bundle.

Finished Conspiracy in Death. Now moving on to Doctor Death. I actually listened about 1.5 hours already, so will be listening while working on quilt blocks. Stephen King writes with an easy-to-listen to style, which is why I've probably appreciated his books.

As far as ereading, I started a recently re-published book by Andre Norton called Iron Breed. She starts the book out describing what many humans do with pets - just dump them when inconvenient and then parallels it with alien/human interaction. So, it starts off by making you angry. I see now that it is an omnibus, so I'll have to let you know how it goes. I will probably alternate between that and Where'd you Go Bernadette, which is still in progress, for the next week.

I also noticed that Sally Goldenbaum is publishing a new book in the Seaside Knitter's series in May (Murder in Merino). While I enjoy the mysteries, knitting and sometimes recipe hints in this series, the pace of the books are very slow. Kindof drives me crazy. Not sure if i will continue the series, but I'll think about it.

Ok, Iron Breed is an omnibus of two books. I've decided, for the sake of keeping track of stuff on Goodreads, that I will list the individual books of an omnibus, rather than as one complete work. Just too confusing otherwise.

Lots of interruptions today, so I only read what turned out to be barely a novella called Antiques Slay Ride. I've read 3 of the full novels, so I should add that to my 'active series' list above.

Agreed. I always split the omnibus.

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Agreed. I always split the omnibus."

^this

Finished Doctor Sleep. Loved it! Moving on to Dresden Files, Summer Knight, on audiobook. I also have a couple of ebooks that are book club selections. One is Still Life by Louise Penny. I have the habit of having several books going at once. Bad habit really. I'll try and finish the other starts before Still Life.

Finished Still Life by Louise Penny. It was a fast read. I recommend it as a mystery. I look forward to reading more of her work.

I started Summer Knight last night and will be listening to it the rest of the evening while sewing and then all tomorrow. It's going to be cold, cold, cold and I'm hiding indoors.

Finished Summer Night and started Death Mask this a.m. while sewing. I also abandoned Where'd You Go Bernadette, which was the club read for one of the book clubs that I abandoned for this year. It isn't enough to have humor. You have to have a reasonable plot. After reading about 140 pages, I skipped to the last 20 pages. I don't regret it. It even ended screwy. I have no idea why this book is as highly rated as it is, but I don't recommend it. I have to take the car in for repairs today, so I think I'll take Andre Norton along with me. There's good lighting, so I can use the ereader.

Finished The Iron Cage by Andre Norton and Death Masks by Jim Butcher. Iron Cage was a good story, but a bit moralistic with some holes in logic. Intended for the YA market, I think. It was originally published in the 70s. Death Masks was more of a thriller - fast paced and action packed. Not sure what I will be listening to next, but will do the 2nd half of the Andre Norton Omnibus and read Breed To Come on my ereader.

Finished Loyalty In Death. Still listening to A Christmas Story and reading Twelve Drummers Drumming. Finally got my Audible app to work properly again on my Itouch. Yay!

I LOVE Andre norton.


LOVE


She did a lot of teen stuff in her early years.

Just finished Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin, which was the Book-of-the-month for the English Mysteries series. I like the audiobook because the narrator does all these Scottish accents, which adds to the book IMHO. Finished Twelve Drummers Drumming the other day. Both were good reads, the first a crime novel, the second a mystery. FYI - I don't know about others, but when the sleuth is not an actual police officer, I call it a mystery.

Finished The Ocean At The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. He's an excellent reader and it is a good story. I give it a 3.5, but didn't feel it was a 4, so rounded down. I do recommend reading it as it appears to appeal to a wide audience. Tomorrow, I have to reload some audiobooks that are not working properly, so I can continue on series.

Finished Barrayar by Lois Bujold McMaster. What a great story and it's a sequel too!? Looking forward to continuing the Vorkosigan saga. I've also finished A Christmas Carol, read by Tim Curry. Excellent! I've listened to Patrick Stewart's version for years - now I'll have to add this to my December list of stories.

Next is book 2 of Diskworld. I'll be able to load up another 2 Dresden files into Ipod later today also. Yay!

I loved Ocean. I gave it 5, although it probably is a 4.5ish.

Finished Blood Rites by Jim Butcher today. Moving on to complete Day of the Jackal and the second Diskworld book. Somewhere, I need to fit in some short stories for my short story/novella goal.

Currently having a vision crisis, so mostly listening to audiobooks. Eye doctor doesn't see what's going on, so seeing specialist on Friday.

I'm sorry about your eyes! *fingers crossed*

Stephanie wrote: "Finished Blood Rites by Jim Butcher today. Moving on to complete Day of the Jackal and the second Diskworld book. Somewhere, I need to fit in some short stories for my short story/novella goal.

C..."

Oh, That's tough! I hope they discover the trouble and are able to help you through it. Best wishes!!

Finished The Day of the Jackal. I started in ebook and then finished in audiobook. I recommend either. VERY suspenseful book despite knowing right at the beginning that the intended victim lives. Keeper book.

Have bad weather overnight, so my eye appointment tomorrow is a little iffy, but I am set for a couple weeks worth of audiobooks in any case. Tonight, I will continue with Witness in Death (J D Robb). That catches me up with the buddy reads. I picked up The Cell audiobook recently published by Robin Cook yesterday from the library and it is now on my Ipod, ready to listen to. After that, I'll probably return to The Dresden Files series.

Finally, my age challenge is doing pretty well. Most of the books I've read so far represent different years.

Finished Witness In Death. Wasn't as good as the earlier 9 books. The mystery was too pat, I think. Anyway, since I'm working on the junk room the rest of the weekend, I have decided on a relisten of the Bailey Wiggens series by Kate White before I sell the disks. This is a mystery series that would appeal to those who enjoy Chick Lit. Not my area, but I rather liked Bailey. Originally picked up during a library clearance, and then bought some of the later series. Seems that she has now abandoned the series after 6 books, so this is kind of a finish off of a series as I never listened to the last book or two.

Saw eye specialist. Other than rechecks over the next couple of months to watch for further complications, I just have to wait for my eye to reabsorb the floaters. So, I will mostly listen to audiobooks, which I was doing anyway. While waiting at the doctor's office, I listened to almost an hour of The Great Gatsby. This is SO BORING even with Jake Gyllenhaal narrating. Don't take offense if this is your favorite book. I don't like general fiction for a reason and it takes a pretty phenomenal book to keep my interest. It's short, so I will make myself finish it. I hope it gets better.

I have to set aside Bailey Wiggens until I can put it on the Nook HD. I forgot that the narrator, while good, speaks WAY TO SLOW! After an hour, I couldn't stand it any longer. So, now I'm 4 hours into the next Dresden Files book entitled Dead Beat. Not as breakneck as the last book. The focus this time involves Necromancy. Yep. Zombies.

Wishing you the best of luck with your eyes!!

My focus this year will be variety, not so much quantity. That said, I just finished Love Exactly by Cassandra Giovanni, I am really impressed with her writing. Too bad this is just her first Adult novel. I can't wait to see what her next book will be about.

Stephanie wrote: "Saw eye specialist. Other than rechecks over the next couple of months to watch for further complications, I just have to wait for my eye to reabsorb the floaters. So, I will mostly listen to audio..."

floaters? What's that?


But I hope it gets better soon!

Floaters are those little black spots you occasionally see drifting across your vision. In my case, there are an abnormal number along with a 'gel' that floats across my center vision.

I finished The Great Gatsby. I read the overview on Wikipedia and restarted it this morning. Knowing the history and that it reflected contemporary life among the wealthy young in the 1920s, did improve upon it. The story was still boring (to me) up until about half way through where it picked up. As mentioned, I don't enjoy general fiction.

I also am about 1/3 of the way done with Dead Beat, but since I have plans for this evening, I don't expect to finish until tomorrow or even Sunday.

Stephanie wrote: "Floaters are those little black spots you occasionally see drifting across your vision. In my case, there are an abnormal number along with a 'gel' that floats across my center vision.

I finish..."

That sounds pretty horrible. But I didn't know what those were called.

I'll pray it heals quickly.

We're hoping for a quick recovery here.

I still have 2 hours left of Dead Beat but I'm going to finish it tonight. I'm determined. So many interruptions plus a new family crisis. The short story is that due to an error, a relative had a fire yesterday and the refugees are currently staying with us. People were unhurt, but the pet bird died and the elderly kitty has injuries but is now home from the vet. Townhome is gone along with most of the stuff in it.

What does this have to do with reading? I know many of you have ebooks and audiobooks. Do you have a backup that is offsite? My relative's originals and backups are all melted by fire or drowned by the fire dept.

Stephanie wrote: "I still have 2 hours left of Dead Beat but I'm going to finish it tonight. I'm determined. So many interruptions plus a new family crisis. The short story is that due to an error, a relative had ..."


I'm glad everyone is alright!


I do not additional copies outside my home for the most part.

I do use dropbox for the majority of my ebooks (now) but not the entire library...

O_O

My hardcopy(s) would all be gone. I keep records online (Book Collectorz) but the actual books...

Stephanie wrote: "I still have 2 hours left of Dead Beat but I'm going to finish it tonight. I'm determined. So many interruptions plus a new family crisis. The short story is that due to an error, a relative had ..."

OMG Stephanie! Thank goodness the people are safe. I'm very sorry to hear about the bird, and the kitty's injuries. I hope kitty recovers fully and quickly.
I hope you and family can get back on track sooner than later.
The only "offsite" backup I can think of is using "cloud-like" services that can be accessed from any computer, for instance Dropbox.

Just finished Prime Cut by Diane Mott Davidson. Still love this cozy mystery series.

My library is closing for remodeling for THREE months! I had to go visit yesterday to get my last look before the changes. I also went to check out some audiobooks early (and rip to computer) since the collection available at that library will be boxed and unavailable until the end of June. I was happy to discover that they moved the most popular series (all 3 of mine) to branches, so they will remain available. So no rush. Yay!

Kitty is doing much better and eating on his own. He's been improving steadily.