DeltaQueen's Random Miscellaneous Challenge - Part 5
Dit is een voortzetting van het onderwerp DeltaQueen's Random Miscellaneous Challenge - Part 4.
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door DeltaQueen's Random Miscellaneous Challenge - Part 6.
Discussie2019 Category Challenge
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1DeltaQueen50
We are in the middle of summer and my thoughts seem to be heading for the beach. Welcome, my name is Judy and I live in the suburbs of Vancouver, B. C., Canada. I love to welcome visitors to my thread to discuss books and life. An assortment of random quotes gave me the idea of setting up some miscellaneous challenges to help me shrink my TBR pile this year. Some of these quotes are from famous people while others are credited to “anonymous’ and have been taken from advertisements and greeting cards. What they have in common is that they all paint a colourful picture of life and were easily molded into category subjects.
I have been doing the Category Challenge for a good number of years and I love the loose structure this challenge gives to my reading. As always I have a goal of removing books from my shelves, but also as usual, I expect that I will be crossing myself up by all the additions I add during the year. My top priority will be reading from my own shelves and Kindle but another 2019 book goal is to continue reading books from the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die List. I also love to participate in the various “Cats” that are established every year, hopefully my “Cat” reading will fit into my already set categories. Call me crazy but I’m going for 19 categories and have chosen 19 quotes fit my categories. I plan to read at least 8 books from most categories.
I enjoy the company of my husband, sipping a glass of wine, reading a good book, going for walks and, my family. But I also have a weird enjoyment of dark, twisted stories and I avidly watch “The Walking Dead” on TV.
Please feel free to join in on any conversations that are going on here, the welcome mat is always out.
2019 Reading Goals
1. My own books are my top priority, this includes my shelves, my two Kindles, my audio books and to a lesser extent my library list.
2. Read books from the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die List
3. Only participate in challenges where I already have a book that fits
2DeltaQueen50
2019 Categories
A. Armchair Travel: “To those who can dream, there is no such place as faraway.”
Anonymous
I will read 8 books set in 8 different countries
B. Book Bullets: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends
Lennon-McCartney
So many of the books on my shelves and Kindle are there because of recommendations from friends here on Library Thing. I will read at least 8 books and hopefully more of these recommendations
C. One Word Titles: “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
Buddha
I will read at least 8 Books that have a one word title.
D. Love Stories: “Every love story is beautiful, but my favorite is ours.”
Anonymous
I will read 8 books that have a connection to love.
E. Reading From My Shelves: “Having too many books is not the problem. Not having enough shelving – That’s A Problem.”
Anonymous
This category will be for books that I pull from my shelves either to fulfill a challenge or simply just because I felt like reading it at this point in time.
F. Let’s Eat!: “People who love love food are always the best people.”
Julia Child
I will read at least 8 books that have an item of food or drink in the title.
G. Doing My ABCs: Okay everybody, line up in alphabetical order according to your height.”
Casey Stengel
Throughout the year I will randomly read alphabetically by author’s name. Will use these reads for the AlphaKit.
H. 1,001 Books List: “A Classic never goes out of style.”
Coca-Cola Ad
Because of a bet with my brother I have been reading on books from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die List, trying to catch up with his total. This is where I will list most of my reads from that list.
I. Series: “Happiness is finding the first good book of a series and knowing there are more to follow.”
Anonymous
In an effort to catch up in my series reading, I will read at least 8 series books.
J. Crime Stories: “Reading mysteries is recreation for intelligent minds.”
Donna Andrews
I will read at least one mystery or police procedural every month.
K. Vintage Crime: “I specialize in murders of quiet, domestic interest
Agatha Christie
I am a huge fan of the classic mysteries from the golden age of detective fiction and I will read at least 8 classic mysteries over the course of the year.
L. Out of the Past: “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”
Teddy Roosevelt
I will read at least one book a month that delves into history – as set by the Reading Through Time Group or to fit other challenges
M. Science Fiction: “If you take the shackles off your imagination, you can go anywhere with science fiction.
Lani Tupu
I will read at least 8 science fiction books over the course of the year.
N. Fantasy: “A Single Dream is More Powerful that a Thousand Realities”
J.R.R. Tolken
I will read at least 8 fantasy books over the course of the year.
O. Young At Heart: “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.”
Walt Disney
I will read 8 YA books during the year.
P. Non-Fiction: “Any truth is better than indefinite doubt”
Arthur Conan Doyle
I will read at least 8 non-fiction books during the year
Q. Library List: Libraries: “The medicine chest of the soul”
Inscribed over the door of the library at Thebes
It’s not just about my own shelves. I will also read the following from the library in an effort to reduce my very long library list.
R. Saddle Up!: Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway!
John Wayne
Books about the American West and the cowboy way will be make up this category.
S. Overflow: “Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.”
George R.R. Martin
Books that don’t fit any of the above challenges, will be placed here.
A. Armchair Travel: “To those who can dream, there is no such place as faraway.”
Anonymous
I will read 8 books set in 8 different countries
B. Book Bullets: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends
Lennon-McCartney
So many of the books on my shelves and Kindle are there because of recommendations from friends here on Library Thing. I will read at least 8 books and hopefully more of these recommendations
C. One Word Titles: “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
Buddha
I will read at least 8 Books that have a one word title.
D. Love Stories: “Every love story is beautiful, but my favorite is ours.”
Anonymous
I will read 8 books that have a connection to love.
E. Reading From My Shelves: “Having too many books is not the problem. Not having enough shelving – That’s A Problem.”
Anonymous
This category will be for books that I pull from my shelves either to fulfill a challenge or simply just because I felt like reading it at this point in time.
F. Let’s Eat!: “People who love love food are always the best people.”
Julia Child
I will read at least 8 books that have an item of food or drink in the title.
G. Doing My ABCs: Okay everybody, line up in alphabetical order according to your height.”
Casey Stengel
Throughout the year I will randomly read alphabetically by author’s name. Will use these reads for the AlphaKit.
H. 1,001 Books List: “A Classic never goes out of style.”
Coca-Cola Ad
Because of a bet with my brother I have been reading on books from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die List, trying to catch up with his total. This is where I will list most of my reads from that list.
I. Series: “Happiness is finding the first good book of a series and knowing there are more to follow.”
Anonymous
In an effort to catch up in my series reading, I will read at least 8 series books.
J. Crime Stories: “Reading mysteries is recreation for intelligent minds.”
Donna Andrews
I will read at least one mystery or police procedural every month.
K. Vintage Crime: “I specialize in murders of quiet, domestic interest
Agatha Christie
I am a huge fan of the classic mysteries from the golden age of detective fiction and I will read at least 8 classic mysteries over the course of the year.
L. Out of the Past: “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”
Teddy Roosevelt
I will read at least one book a month that delves into history – as set by the Reading Through Time Group or to fit other challenges
M. Science Fiction: “If you take the shackles off your imagination, you can go anywhere with science fiction.
Lani Tupu
I will read at least 8 science fiction books over the course of the year.
N. Fantasy: “A Single Dream is More Powerful that a Thousand Realities”
J.R.R. Tolken
I will read at least 8 fantasy books over the course of the year.
O. Young At Heart: “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.”
Walt Disney
I will read 8 YA books during the year.
P. Non-Fiction: “Any truth is better than indefinite doubt”
Arthur Conan Doyle
I will read at least 8 non-fiction books during the year
Q. Library List: Libraries: “The medicine chest of the soul”
Inscribed over the door of the library at Thebes
It’s not just about my own shelves. I will also read the following from the library in an effort to reduce my very long library list.
R. Saddle Up!: Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway!
John Wayne
Books about the American West and the cowboy way will be make up this category.
S. Overflow: “Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.”
George R.R. Martin
Books that don’t fit any of the above challenges, will be placed here.
3DeltaQueen50
Books Read
Pages Read
Read From My Shelves
Pages Read
Read From My Shelves
4DeltaQueen50
How I Rate Books:
I am not a professional book critic nor do I consider myself to be an expert on literary standards, my reviews are based on my reaction to the book and the opinions expressed are my own personald thoughts and feelings.
2.0 ★: I must have been dragged, kicking and screaming, to finish this one!
2.5 ★: Below Average but I finished the book for one reason or another.
3.0 ★: Average, a solid read that I finished but can't promise to remember
3.5 ★: Above Average, there's room for improvement but I liked this well enough to pick up another book by this author.
4.0 ★: A very good read and I enjoyed my time spent with this story
4.5 ★: An excellent read, a book I will remember and recommend
5.0 ★: Sheer perfection, the right book at the right time for me
I use decimal points to further clarify my thoughts about the book, therefore you will see books rated 3.8 to show it was better than a 3.5 but not quite a 4.0; etc. These small adjustments help me to remember how a book resonated with me.
I am not a professional book critic nor do I consider myself to be an expert on literary standards, my reviews are based on my reaction to the book and the opinions expressed are my own personald thoughts and feelings.
2.0 ★: I must have been dragged, kicking and screaming, to finish this one!
2.5 ★: Below Average but I finished the book for one reason or another.
3.0 ★: Average, a solid read that I finished but can't promise to remember
3.5 ★: Above Average, there's room for improvement but I liked this well enough to pick up another book by this author.
4.0 ★: A very good read and I enjoyed my time spent with this story
4.5 ★: An excellent read, a book I will remember and recommend
5.0 ★: Sheer perfection, the right book at the right time for me
I use decimal points to further clarify my thoughts about the book, therefore you will see books rated 3.8 to show it was better than a 3.5 but not quite a 4.0; etc. These small adjustments help me to remember how a book resonated with me.
5DeltaQueen50
2019 PopSugar Challenge
01 - A book becoming a movie in 2019: The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
02 - A book that makes you nostalgic: The Complete Beatles by Steve Turner
03 - A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction): Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love
04 - A book you think should be turned into a movie: The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
05 - A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
06 - A book with a plant in the title or on the cover - Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor
07 - A reread of a favorite book: The Way West by A. B. Gurthrie, Jr.
08 - A book about a hobby: Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
09 - A book you meant to read in 2018: The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham
10 - A book with "pop", "sugar" or "challenge" in the title: The Sugar Pavilion by Rosalind Laker
11 - A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover: The Dress Shop of Dreams by Meena Van Praag
12 - a book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore: Zahrah The Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor
13 - A book published posthumously: I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
14 - a book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie - Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
15 - A retelling of a classic: The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
16 - A book with a question in the title: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
17 - A book set on a college or university campus: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
18 - a book about someone with a super power: Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
19 - a book told from multiple POVs: The Sultan's Wife by Jane Johnson
20 - a book set in space
21 - a book by two female authors: Live Bait by P. J. Tracy
22 - A book with a title that contains "salty", "sweet", "bitter" or "spicy"
23 - A book set in Scandinavia: Beartown by Fredrik Backman
24 - a book that takes place in a single day: Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney
25 - a debut novel: The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
26 - a book that's published in 2019: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
27 - a book featuring an extinct or imaginary creatures: The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien
28 - a book recommended by a celebrity you admire
29 - a book with "love" in the title - I Think I Love You by Alison Pearson
30 - a book featuring an amateur detective: The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie
31 - A book about a family: Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
32 - A book written by an author from Asia, Africa or South America: Whitefly by Abdelilah Hamdouchi
33 - A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title: Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
34 - a book that includes a wedding; Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
35 - A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter: Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer
36 - A ghost story
37 - a book with a two-word title: Deep Creek by Dana Hand
38 - A novel based on a true story: Sundance by David Fuller
39 - A book revolving around a puzzle or game: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
40 - Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge: Set in Wilderness - The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Glass
Advanced:
41 - A "cli fi" book: American War by Omar El Akkad
42 - A "choose-your-own-adventure" book: My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran
43 - An "own voices" book: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
44 - Read a book during the season it is set in: Broken April by Ismail Kadare
45 - A LitRPG book: Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
46 - A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters: Hostage Three by Nick Lake
47 & 48 - Two books that share the same title: Legend by Marie Lu & Legend by David Gemmell
49 - A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom: Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter
50 - A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent: Murder At the Old Vicarage by Jill McGown
01 - A book becoming a movie in 2019: The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
02 - A book that makes you nostalgic: The Complete Beatles by Steve Turner
03 - A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction): Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love
04 - A book you think should be turned into a movie: The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
05 - A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
06 - A book with a plant in the title or on the cover - Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor
07 - A reread of a favorite book: The Way West by A. B. Gurthrie, Jr.
08 - A book about a hobby: Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
09 - A book you meant to read in 2018: The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham
10 - A book with "pop", "sugar" or "challenge" in the title: The Sugar Pavilion by Rosalind Laker
11 - A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover: The Dress Shop of Dreams by Meena Van Praag
12 - a book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore: Zahrah The Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor
13 - A book published posthumously: I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
14 - a book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie - Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
15 - A retelling of a classic: The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
16 - A book with a question in the title: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
17 - A book set on a college or university campus: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
18 - a book about someone with a super power: Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
19 - a book told from multiple POVs: The Sultan's Wife by Jane Johnson
20 - a book set in space
21 - a book by two female authors: Live Bait by P. J. Tracy
22 - A book with a title that contains "salty", "sweet", "bitter" or "spicy"
23 - A book set in Scandinavia: Beartown by Fredrik Backman
24 - a book that takes place in a single day: Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney
25 - a debut novel: The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
26 - a book that's published in 2019: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
27 - a book featuring an extinct or imaginary creatures: The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien
28 - a book recommended by a celebrity you admire
29 - a book with "love" in the title - I Think I Love You by Alison Pearson
30 - a book featuring an amateur detective: The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie
31 - A book about a family: Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
32 - A book written by an author from Asia, Africa or South America: Whitefly by Abdelilah Hamdouchi
33 - A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title: Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
34 - a book that includes a wedding; Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
35 - A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter: Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer
36 - A ghost story
37 - a book with a two-word title: Deep Creek by Dana Hand
38 - A novel based on a true story: Sundance by David Fuller
39 - A book revolving around a puzzle or game: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
40 - Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge: Set in Wilderness - The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Glass
Advanced:
41 - A "cli fi" book: American War by Omar El Akkad
42 - A "choose-your-own-adventure" book: My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran
43 - An "own voices" book: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
44 - Read a book during the season it is set in: Broken April by Ismail Kadare
45 - A LitRPG book: Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
46 - A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters: Hostage Three by Nick Lake
47 & 48 - Two books that share the same title: Legend by Marie Lu & Legend by David Gemmell
49 - A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom: Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter
50 - A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent: Murder At the Old Vicarage by Jill McGown
6DeltaQueen50
A. Armchair Travel: “To those who can dream, there is no such place as faraway.”
Anonymous
I will read 8 books set in 8 different countries
Books Read
1. When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard - Philippines - 4.0 ★
2. The Nose by Nikolai Gogol - Russia - 4.0 ★
3. Broken April by Ismail Kadare - Albania - 3.7 ★
4. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo - Malaysia - 2.8 ★
5. Salt Houses by Hala Alyan - Middle East - 4.0 ★
6. Moon At Nine by Deborah Ellis - Iran - 4.0 ★
7. Whitefly by Abdelilah Hamdouchi - Morocco - 4.0 ★
8. Queen of Water by Laura Resau - Ecuador - 4.0 ★
9. Sapphire Skies by Belinda Alexandra - 4.0 ★
Anonymous
I will read 8 books set in 8 different countries
Books Read
1. When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard - Philippines - 4.0 ★
2. The Nose by Nikolai Gogol - Russia - 4.0 ★
3. Broken April by Ismail Kadare - Albania - 3.7 ★
4. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo - Malaysia - 2.8 ★
5. Salt Houses by Hala Alyan - Middle East - 4.0 ★
6. Moon At Nine by Deborah Ellis - Iran - 4.0 ★
7. Whitefly by Abdelilah Hamdouchi - Morocco - 4.0 ★
8. Queen of Water by Laura Resau - Ecuador - 4.0 ★
9. Sapphire Skies by Belinda Alexandra - 4.0 ★
7DeltaQueen50
B. Book Bullets: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends
Lennon-McCartney
So many of the books on my shelves and Kindles are there because of recommendations from friends here on Library Thing. I will read at least 8 books and hopefully more of these recommendations.
Books Read
1. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - Kerry - 5.0 ★
2. Hell’s Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett - Katie - 5.0 ★
3. Logan's Run by William F. Nolan - Mamie - 3.6 ★
4. Beartown by Fredrik Backman - Chelle - 4.5 ★
5. Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney - Linda P. & Beth - 4.0 ★
6. Norwegian By Night by Derek B. Miller - Mark - 4.2 ★
7. Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li - Kay - 5.0 ★
8. The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs - 4.2 ★
9. So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba - 4.5 ★
Lennon-McCartney
So many of the books on my shelves and Kindles are there because of recommendations from friends here on Library Thing. I will read at least 8 books and hopefully more of these recommendations.
Books Read
1. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - Kerry - 5.0 ★
2. Hell’s Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett - Katie - 5.0 ★
3. Logan's Run by William F. Nolan - Mamie - 3.6 ★
4. Beartown by Fredrik Backman - Chelle - 4.5 ★
5. Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney - Linda P. & Beth - 4.0 ★
6. Norwegian By Night by Derek B. Miller - Mark - 4.2 ★
7. Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li - Kay - 5.0 ★
8. The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs - 4.2 ★
9. So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba - 4.5 ★
8DeltaQueen50
C. One Word Titles: “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
Buddha
I will read at least 8 Books that have a one word title.
Books Read
1. Coldbrook by Tim Lebbon - 3.6 ★
2. You by Caroline Kepnes - 4.0 ★
3. Firmin by Sam Savage - 4.0 ★
4. Legend by David Gemmell - 5.0 ★
5. Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor - 3.6 ★
6. Safekeeping by Karen Hesse - 3.8 ★
7. Faithless by Karen Slaughter - 3.7 ★
8. Shift Omnibus by Hugh Howey - 2.5 #9733;
Buddha
I will read at least 8 Books that have a one word title.
Books Read
1. Coldbrook by Tim Lebbon - 3.6 ★
2. You by Caroline Kepnes - 4.0 ★
3. Firmin by Sam Savage - 4.0 ★
4. Legend by David Gemmell - 5.0 ★
5. Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor - 3.6 ★
6. Safekeeping by Karen Hesse - 3.8 ★
7. Faithless by Karen Slaughter - 3.7 ★
8. Shift Omnibus by Hugh Howey - 2.5 #9733;
9DeltaQueen50
D. Love Stories: “Every love story is beautiful, but my favorite is ours.”
Anonymous
I will read 8 books that have a connection to love.
Books Read
1. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - 3.8 ★
2. I Think I Love You by Alison Pearson - 3.3 ★
3. Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber - 4.0 ★
4. My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran - 2.0 ★
5. A Vintage Wedding by Katie Fforde - 4.0 ★
6. Love By the Morning Star by Laura L. Sullivan - 3.1 ★
7. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson - 4.0 ★
8. From Penvarris With Love by Rosemary Aitken - 3.4 ★
Anonymous
I will read 8 books that have a connection to love.
Books Read
1. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - 3.8 ★
2. I Think I Love You by Alison Pearson - 3.3 ★
3. Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber - 4.0 ★
4. My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran - 2.0 ★
5. A Vintage Wedding by Katie Fforde - 4.0 ★
6. Love By the Morning Star by Laura L. Sullivan - 3.1 ★
7. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson - 4.0 ★
8. From Penvarris With Love by Rosemary Aitken - 3.4 ★
10DeltaQueen50
E. Reading From My Shelves: “Having too many books is not the problem. Not having enough shelving – That’s A Problem.”
Anonoymous
This category will be for books that I pull from my shelves either to fulfill a challenge or simply just because I felt like reading it at this point in time.
Books Read
1. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - 5.0 ★
2. Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman - 4.2 ★
3. Celebrations At Thrush Green by Miss Read - 3.3 ★
4. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin - 4.5 ★
5. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman - 4.1 ★
6. The Moor by Sam Haysom - 3.7 ★
7. Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson - 3.2 ★
8. The Souvenir by Patricia Carlon - 4.0 ★
9. Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig - 3.6 ★
10. Hostage Three by Nick Lake - 4.0 ★
11. Wolf Willow by Wallace Stenger - 4.2 ★
12. Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese - 4.5 ★
Anonoymous
This category will be for books that I pull from my shelves either to fulfill a challenge or simply just because I felt like reading it at this point in time.
Books Read
1. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - 5.0 ★
2. Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman - 4.2 ★
3. Celebrations At Thrush Green by Miss Read - 3.3 ★
4. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin - 4.5 ★
5. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman - 4.1 ★
6. The Moor by Sam Haysom - 3.7 ★
7. Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson - 3.2 ★
8. The Souvenir by Patricia Carlon - 4.0 ★
9. Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig - 3.6 ★
10. Hostage Three by Nick Lake - 4.0 ★
11. Wolf Willow by Wallace Stenger - 4.2 ★
12. Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese - 4.5 ★
11DeltaQueen50
F. Let’s Eat!: “People who love love food are always the best people.”
Julia Child
I will read at least 8 books that have an item of food or drink in the title.
Books Read
1. At The Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper - 3.6 ★
2. Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley - 3.7 ★
3. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See - 4.3 ★
4. The Sugar Pavilion by Rosalind Laker - 4.0 ★
5. A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde - 3.4 ★
6. The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates - 4.5 ★
7. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - 5.0 ★
Julia Child
I will read at least 8 books that have an item of food or drink in the title.
Books Read
1. At The Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper - 3.6 ★
2. Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley - 3.7 ★
3. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See - 4.3 ★
4. The Sugar Pavilion by Rosalind Laker - 4.0 ★
5. A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde - 3.4 ★
6. The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates - 4.5 ★
7. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - 5.0 ★
12DeltaQueen50
G. Doing My ABCs: "Okay everybody, line up in alphabetical order according to your height.”
Casey Stengel
Throughout the year I will randomly read alphabetically by author’s name. Will match my reads to the AlphaKit monthly letters.
Books Read
1. A - American War by Omar El Akkad - 3.8 ★
2. B - His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet - 4.2 ★
3. C - His Monkey Wife by John Collier - 2.0 ★
4. D - The Divine Wind by Garry Disher - 4.0 ★
5. E
6. F - Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald - 4.3 ★
7. G
8. H - Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer - 3.5 ★
9. I - The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason - 4.0 ★
10. J - The Sultan's Wife by Jane Johnson - 4.5 ★
11. K - At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon - 4.0 ★
12. L - Legend by Marie Lu - 3.7 ★
13. M - The Delivery Man by Joe McGuinniss Jr. - 2.5 ★
14. N - Collusion by Stuart Neville - 4.5 ★
15. O - Zahrah The Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor - 4.0 ★
16. P - Lost And Found by Carolyn Parkhurst - 4.0 ★
17. Q - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn - 3.7 ★
18. R
19. S
20. T
21. U - The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown - 3.6 ★
22. V - Oushata Massacre by Robert Vaughan - 3.2 ★
23. W - Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse - 3.4 ★
24. X - Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork - 4.2 ★
25. Y
26. Z - The Sandbox by David Zimmerman - 3.4 ★
Casey Stengel
Throughout the year I will randomly read alphabetically by author’s name. Will match my reads to the AlphaKit monthly letters.
Books Read
1. A - American War by Omar El Akkad - 3.8 ★
2. B - His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet - 4.2 ★
3. C - His Monkey Wife by John Collier - 2.0 ★
4. D - The Divine Wind by Garry Disher - 4.0 ★
5. E
6. F - Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald - 4.3 ★
7. G
8. H - Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer - 3.5 ★
9. I - The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason - 4.0 ★
10. J - The Sultan's Wife by Jane Johnson - 4.5 ★
11. K - At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon - 4.0 ★
12. L - Legend by Marie Lu - 3.7 ★
13. M - The Delivery Man by Joe McGuinniss Jr. - 2.5 ★
14. N - Collusion by Stuart Neville - 4.5 ★
15. O - Zahrah The Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor - 4.0 ★
16. P - Lost And Found by Carolyn Parkhurst - 4.0 ★
17. Q - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn - 3.7 ★
18. R
19. S
20. T
21. U - The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown - 3.6 ★
22. V - Oushata Massacre by Robert Vaughan - 3.2 ★
23. W - Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse - 3.4 ★
24. X - Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork - 4.2 ★
25. Y
26. Z - The Sandbox by David Zimmerman - 3.4 ★
13DeltaQueen50
H. 1,001 Books List: “A Classic never goes out of style.”
Coca-Cola Ad
Due to an on-going bet with my brother I have been reading books from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die List, trying to catch up with his total. This is where I will list most of my reads from that list.
Books Read
1. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - 4.5 ★
2. The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien - 4.2 ★
3. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - 4.0 ★
4. The Double by Jose Saramago - 3.8 ★
5. Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes - 4.0 ★
6. Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro - 4.2 ★
7. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - 4.2 ★
8. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis - 2.5 ★
9. Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce - 3.0 ★
10. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood - 4.5 ★
11. Adam Bede by George Eliot - 4.0 ★
12. The Quiet American by Graham Greene - 4.1 ★
13. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - 3.4 ★
14. The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor - 2.0 ★
15. Kieron Smith, Boy by James Kelman - 3.3 ★
16. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding - 4.0 ★
17. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee - 4.1 ★
Coca-Cola Ad
Due to an on-going bet with my brother I have been reading books from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die List, trying to catch up with his total. This is where I will list most of my reads from that list.
Books Read
1. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - 4.5 ★
2. The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien - 4.2 ★
3. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - 4.0 ★
4. The Double by Jose Saramago - 3.8 ★
5. Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes - 4.0 ★
6. Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro - 4.2 ★
7. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - 4.2 ★
8. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis - 2.5 ★
9. Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce - 3.0 ★
10. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood - 4.5 ★
11. Adam Bede by George Eliot - 4.0 ★
12. The Quiet American by Graham Greene - 4.1 ★
13. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - 3.4 ★
14. The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor - 2.0 ★
15. Kieron Smith, Boy by James Kelman - 3.3 ★
16. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding - 4.0 ★
17. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee - 4.1 ★
14DeltaQueen50
I. Series: “Happiness is finding the first good book of a series and knowing there are more to follow.”
Anonymous
In an effort to catch up in my series reading, I will read at least 8 series books. I expect the SeriesCat will help me in making my reading choices.
Books Read
1. Excursion to Tindari (5) by Andrea Camilleri - 4.0 ★
2. Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer - 4.5 ★
3. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham - 4.3 ★
4. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson - 5.0 ★
5. The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey - 4.1 ★
6. The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo - 4.2 ★
7. A Finer End by Deborah Crombie - 4.0 ★
8. Cold in Hand by John Harvey - 4.3 ★
9. The Point of Rescue by Sophie Hannah - 4.3 ★
Anonymous
In an effort to catch up in my series reading, I will read at least 8 series books. I expect the SeriesCat will help me in making my reading choices.
Books Read
1. Excursion to Tindari (5) by Andrea Camilleri - 4.0 ★
2. Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer - 4.5 ★
3. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham - 4.3 ★
4. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson - 5.0 ★
5. The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey - 4.1 ★
6. The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo - 4.2 ★
7. A Finer End by Deborah Crombie - 4.0 ★
8. Cold in Hand by John Harvey - 4.3 ★
9. The Point of Rescue by Sophie Hannah - 4.3 ★
15DeltaQueen50
J. Crime Stories: “Reading mysteries is recreation for intelligent minds.”
Donna Andrews
I will read at least one mystery or police procedural every month.
Crime Stories
1. See How Small by Scott Blackwood - 3.8 ★
2. The Yard Dog by Sheldon Russell - 3.4 ★
3. Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler - 4.2 ★
4. Kiss Her Goodbye by Allan Guthrie - 3.8 ★
5. Waltz Into Darkness by Cornell Woolrich - 4.2 ★
6. Live Bait by P. J. Tracy - 4.5 ★
7. Murder At The Old Vicarage by Jill McGown - 3.8 ★
8. When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum - 4.5 ★
9. Under A Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes - 3.7 ★
Donna Andrews
I will read at least one mystery or police procedural every month.
Crime Stories
1. See How Small by Scott Blackwood - 3.8 ★
2. The Yard Dog by Sheldon Russell - 3.4 ★
3. Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler - 4.2 ★
4. Kiss Her Goodbye by Allan Guthrie - 3.8 ★
5. Waltz Into Darkness by Cornell Woolrich - 4.2 ★
6. Live Bait by P. J. Tracy - 4.5 ★
7. Murder At The Old Vicarage by Jill McGown - 3.8 ★
8. When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum - 4.5 ★
9. Under A Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes - 3.7 ★
16DeltaQueen50
K. Vintage Crime: “I specialize in murders of quiet, domestic interest
Agatha Christie
I am a huge fan of the classic mysteries from the golden age of detective fiction and I will read at least 8 classic mysteries over the course of the year.
Books Read
1. The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie - 3.8 ★
2. The Private Wound by Nicholas Blake - 3.4 ★
3. The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham - 3.8 ★
4. Towards Zero by Agatha Christie - 4.0 ★
5. The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh - 3.5 ★
6. The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie - 3.8 ★
7. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers - 5.0 ★
8. Rose's Last Summer by Margaret Millar - 3.3 ★
9. The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - 3.7 ★
Agatha Christie
I am a huge fan of the classic mysteries from the golden age of detective fiction and I will read at least 8 classic mysteries over the course of the year.
Books Read
1. The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie - 3.8 ★
2. The Private Wound by Nicholas Blake - 3.4 ★
3. The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham - 3.8 ★
4. Towards Zero by Agatha Christie - 4.0 ★
5. The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh - 3.5 ★
6. The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie - 3.8 ★
7. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers - 5.0 ★
8. Rose's Last Summer by Margaret Millar - 3.3 ★
9. The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - 3.7 ★
17DeltaQueen50
L. Out of the Past: “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”
Teddy Roosevelt
I enjoy historical fiction and will use this category for my Reading Thru Time choices or any other historical stories that don't fit elsewhere.
Books Read
1. The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks - 4.2 ★
2. The Colour by Rose Tremain - 4.5 ★
3. Footprints - Secret lives At Bletchley Park by Philomena Liggins - 2.0 ★
4. An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon - 4.3 ★
5. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff - 3.0 ★
6. Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley - 3.8 ★
7. Stone Spring by Stephen Baxter - 4.0 ★
8. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather - 4.5 ★
Teddy Roosevelt
I enjoy historical fiction and will use this category for my Reading Thru Time choices or any other historical stories that don't fit elsewhere.
Books Read
1. The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks - 4.2 ★
2. The Colour by Rose Tremain - 4.5 ★
3. Footprints - Secret lives At Bletchley Park by Philomena Liggins - 2.0 ★
4. An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon - 4.3 ★
5. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff - 3.0 ★
6. Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley - 3.8 ★
7. Stone Spring by Stephen Baxter - 4.0 ★
8. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather - 4.5 ★
18DeltaQueen50
M. Science Fiction: “If you take the shackles off your imagination, you can go anywhere with science fiction.
Lani Tupu
I will read at least 8 science fiction books over the course of the year.
Books Read
1. City by Clifford D. Simak - 3.4 ★
2. Mordacious by Sara Lyons Fleming - 4.3 ★
3. The Final Six by Alexandra Monir - 4.0 ★
4. Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines - 3.7 ★
5. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva - 4.0 ★
6. Micro by Michael Crichton & Richard Preston - 2.0 ★
7. The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz - 4.0 ★
8. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold - 4.2 ★
Lani Tupu
I will read at least 8 science fiction books over the course of the year.
Books Read
1. City by Clifford D. Simak - 3.4 ★
2. Mordacious by Sara Lyons Fleming - 4.3 ★
3. The Final Six by Alexandra Monir - 4.0 ★
4. Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines - 3.7 ★
5. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva - 4.0 ★
6. Micro by Michael Crichton & Richard Preston - 2.0 ★
7. The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz - 4.0 ★
8. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold - 4.2 ★
19DeltaQueen50
N. Fantasy: “A Single Dream is More Powerful that a Thousand Realities”
J.R.R. Tolken
I will read at least 8 fantasy books over the course of the year.
Books Read
1. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner - 4.1 ★
2. The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines - 4.2 ★
3. Half A War by Joe Abercrombie - 4.5 ★
4. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien - 4.2 ★
5. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien - 4.5 ★
6. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski - 4.0 ★
7. The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien - 5.0 ★
8. Autumn Princess, Dragon Child by Lian Hearn - 4.2 ★
9. Beauty by Robin McKinley - 4.2 ★
10. Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn - 4.0 ★
J.R.R. Tolken
I will read at least 8 fantasy books over the course of the year.
Books Read
1. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner - 4.1 ★
2. The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines - 4.2 ★
3. Half A War by Joe Abercrombie - 4.5 ★
4. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien - 4.2 ★
5. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien - 4.5 ★
6. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski - 4.0 ★
7. The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien - 5.0 ★
8. Autumn Princess, Dragon Child by Lian Hearn - 4.2 ★
9. Beauty by Robin McKinley - 4.2 ★
10. Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn - 4.0 ★
20DeltaQueen50
O. Young At Heart: “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.”
Walt Disney
I will read at least 8 YA books during the year.
Books Read
1. The Other Side of Dawn by John Marsden - 4.0 ★
2. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott - 3.7 ★
3. The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson - 4.0 ★
4. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan - 4.5 ★
5. Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter - 3.6 ★
6. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - 4.0 ★
7. Walkabout by James Vance Marshall - 4.5 ★
8. Origin by Jessica Khoury - 3.7 ★
9. The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker - 3.6 ★
Walt Disney
I will read at least 8 YA books during the year.
Books Read
1. The Other Side of Dawn by John Marsden - 4.0 ★
2. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott - 3.7 ★
3. The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson - 4.0 ★
4. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan - 4.5 ★
5. Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter - 3.6 ★
6. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - 4.0 ★
7. Walkabout by James Vance Marshall - 4.5 ★
8. Origin by Jessica Khoury - 3.7 ★
9. The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker - 3.6 ★
21DeltaQueen50
P. Non-Fiction: “Any truth is better than indefinite doubt”
Arthur Conan Doyle
I will read at least 8 non-fiction books during the year
Books Read
1. The Profession of Violence by John Pearson - 3.7 ★
2. Dove by Robin L. Graham - 3.0 ★
3. The Complete Beatles by Steve Turner - 5.0 ★
4. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara - 4.0 ★
5. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - 4.0 ★
6. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence - 3.7 ★
7. Code Girls by Liza Mundy - 4.2 ★
8. Blue Highways: A Journey Into America by William Least Heat-Moon - 4.5 ★
9. Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love
10. Jackie's Girl by Kathy McKeon - 3.7 ★
Arthur Conan Doyle
I will read at least 8 non-fiction books during the year
Books Read
1. The Profession of Violence by John Pearson - 3.7 ★
2. Dove by Robin L. Graham - 3.0 ★
3. The Complete Beatles by Steve Turner - 5.0 ★
4. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara - 4.0 ★
5. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - 4.0 ★
6. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence - 3.7 ★
7. Code Girls by Liza Mundy - 4.2 ★
8. Blue Highways: A Journey Into America by William Least Heat-Moon - 4.5 ★
9. Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love
10. Jackie's Girl by Kathy McKeon - 3.7 ★
22DeltaQueen50
Q. Library List: Libraries: “The medicine chest of the soul”
Inscribed over the door of the library at Thebes
It’s not just about my own shelves. I will also read the following from the library in an effort to reduce my very long library list.
Books Read
1. A New Day by Beryl Matthews - 3.3 ★
2. The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh - 4.0 ★
3. The Dress Shop of Dreams by Meena Van Praag - 3.6 ★
4. Buffalo Trail by Jeff Guinn - 4.2 ★
5. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell - 4.2 ★
6. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon - 4.1 ★
7. The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor by R. Kirkman and J. Bonansinga - 4.0 ★
8. Closed Doors by Lisa O'Donnell - 4.2 &39733;
9. The Magdalen Girls by V. S. Alexander - 3.2 ★
Inscribed over the door of the library at Thebes
It’s not just about my own shelves. I will also read the following from the library in an effort to reduce my very long library list.
Books Read
1. A New Day by Beryl Matthews - 3.3 ★
2. The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh - 4.0 ★
3. The Dress Shop of Dreams by Meena Van Praag - 3.6 ★
4. Buffalo Trail by Jeff Guinn - 4.2 ★
5. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell - 4.2 ★
6. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon - 4.1 ★
7. The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor by R. Kirkman and J. Bonansinga - 4.0 ★
8. Closed Doors by Lisa O'Donnell - 4.2 &39733;
9. The Magdalen Girls by V. S. Alexander - 3.2 ★
23DeltaQueen50
R. Saddle Up! - “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway!”
John Wayne
Books about the American West and the cowboy way will be make up this category.
Books Read
1. Deep Creek by Dana Hand - 4.2 ★
2. Sundance by David Fuller - 4.0 ★
3. Glorious by Jeff Guinn - 4.5 ★
4. The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles - 4.5 ★
5. The Hide Hunters by Lewis B. Patten - 3.6 ★
6. The Way West by A. B. Guthrie - 5.0 ★
7. Huck Out West by Robert Coover - 4.2 ★
8. The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss - 4.2 ★
John Wayne
Books about the American West and the cowboy way will be make up this category.
Books Read
1. Deep Creek by Dana Hand - 4.2 ★
2. Sundance by David Fuller - 4.0 ★
3. Glorious by Jeff Guinn - 4.5 ★
4. The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles - 4.5 ★
5. The Hide Hunters by Lewis B. Patten - 3.6 ★
6. The Way West by A. B. Guthrie - 5.0 ★
7. Huck Out West by Robert Coover - 4.2 ★
8. The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss - 4.2 ★
24DeltaQueen50
S. Overflow: “Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.”
George R.R. Martin
Just in case I don't have enough books to read, any that don't fit the above categories will reside here.
Books Read
1. Three Graphic Novels: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu, Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton, Sabrina by Nick Drnaso
2. The Walking Dead Volume 28: A Certain Doom
The Walking Dead Volume 29: Lines We Cross
The Walking Dead Volume 30: New World Order
3. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero and Brie Indigo - 4.2 ★
George R.R. Martin
Just in case I don't have enough books to read, any that don't fit the above categories will reside here.
Books Read
1. Three Graphic Novels: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu, Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton, Sabrina by Nick Drnaso
2. The Walking Dead Volume 28: A Certain Doom
The Walking Dead Volume 29: Lines We Cross
The Walking Dead Volume 30: New World Order
3. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero and Brie Indigo - 4.2 ★
25DeltaQueen50
2019 Reading Plans
January:
February:
March: Hosting the SeriesCat: A Series Book by a Favorite Author
April: Hosting the Reading Through Time Monthly Theme
Hosting the ScaredyKit: Modern Horror /Thrillers
Group Read: The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring
May: Hosting the CalendarCat
Group Read of Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers
June: Group Read of Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
July: Starting the Group Read of Tom Jones
August: Group Read of Tom Jones
September: Group Read of Tom Jones
October: Hosting the TBRCat
November: Hosting the RandomCat
December: Hosting the SFFFKit: Reader's Choice
January:
February:
March: Hosting the SeriesCat: A Series Book by a Favorite Author
April: Hosting the Reading Through Time Monthly Theme
Hosting the ScaredyKit: Modern Horror /Thrillers
Group Read: The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring
May: Hosting the CalendarCat
Group Read of Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers
June: Group Read of Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
July: Starting the Group Read of Tom Jones
August: Group Read of Tom Jones
September: Group Read of Tom Jones
October: Hosting the TBRCat
November: Hosting the RandomCat
December: Hosting the SFFFKit: Reader's Choice
26DeltaQueen50
My Random Miscellaneous thought for thread #5:
and:
and:
27thornton37814
Happy new thread!
32DeltaQueen50
>27 thornton37814: >28 mstrust: >29 msf59: >30 BLBera: Thank you. I have fallen behind on LT in the last week or so and need to spend some time catching up with everyone's threads. But at least my thread is up to date! ;)
>31 VivienneR: Thanks Vivienne. I really could do with some sunny time at the beach but unfortunately we woke up to rain today. This dull weather is supposed to last until the weekend and then (fingers crossed) a sunny Saturday and Sunday.
>31 VivienneR: Thanks Vivienne. I really could do with some sunny time at the beach but unfortunately we woke up to rain today. This dull weather is supposed to last until the weekend and then (fingers crossed) a sunny Saturday and Sunday.
34DeltaQueen50
>33 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!
36RidgewayGirl
Happy new thread, Judy!
37Familyhistorian
Happy new thread, Judy. I hope you get beach weather soon. Send some over this way when you get it.
38MissWatson
Happy new thread, Judy. How I wish I could sneak off to that beach!
39dudes22
Happy New Thread, Judy! Looking at your tickers, it looks like you've done great with books off your TBR pile so far.
41DeltaQueen50
>35 Tess_W: I love the beach as well, Tess. There have been times in my life where I lived in other parts of Canada and I missed being near the ocean.
>36 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay.
>37 Familyhistorian: Well, from you lips, Meg. It looks like today is going to be very nice. Unfortunately, I have other things to do today so won't be going to a beach.
>38 MissWatson: I could really go for a long walk on a deserted beach right now. I want to sink my toes in the sand and feel the waves breaking over my feet.
>39 dudes22: I am finding it fairly easy to read from my shelves, Betty, mostly I have been pleased with what I have stocked. The downside is that I don't get to read the latest books immediately since I try to concentrate on what I already have.
>40 Jackie_K: I have been reading a few more audible books this year, Jackie, and I find they really make the numbers go up since they enable reading even while you are doing other things!
>36 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay.
>37 Familyhistorian: Well, from you lips, Meg. It looks like today is going to be very nice. Unfortunately, I have other things to do today so won't be going to a beach.
>38 MissWatson: I could really go for a long walk on a deserted beach right now. I want to sink my toes in the sand and feel the waves breaking over my feet.
>39 dudes22: I am finding it fairly easy to read from my shelves, Betty, mostly I have been pleased with what I have stocked. The downside is that I don't get to read the latest books immediately since I try to concentrate on what I already have.
>40 Jackie_K: I have been reading a few more audible books this year, Jackie, and I find they really make the numbers go up since they enable reading even while you are doing other things!
42DeltaQueen50
I will probably get to finish off a couple of books today as I will be spending most of it at the hospital. My husband is having a minor surgical procedure and so I will be taking him over to the hospital and then waiting to bring him home. I don't think they are fully knocking him out, but he will be sedated and won't be able to drive afterwards.
43jnwelch
Happy New Thread, Judy! I love that topper - beautiful visually, as well as wise.
I'm sorry your hubby is in the hospital, but "minor" sure sounds better than the other. Sending positive thoughts for it going well. Enjoy the silver lining reading time.
I'm sorry your hubby is in the hospital, but "minor" sure sounds better than the other. Sending positive thoughts for it going well. Enjoy the silver lining reading time.
44RidgewayGirl
>42 DeltaQueen50: Oh, that's fun. I did that with my husband not long ago. Luckily, his procedure was scheduled in the hospital with a Starbucks, so I had a nice time with a coffee and a book before being entertained by my husband's behavior as he recovered from the anesthesia. I hope you brought a cardigan. Hospitals are always so cold.
45mstrust
Hoping your husband's hospital visit is over quickly, and that you have a comfortable chair while you wait!
46Helenliz
Loving the beach topper.
Hope the minor procedure is over quickly and that you can read to while away the time.
Hope the minor procedure is over quickly and that you can read to while away the time.
47lindapanzo
Loved the review of the William Least Heat Moon Book. That’s one I absolutely must get to.
The Pam Jenoff Book is one I’m reading. It’s just not grabbing me.
Interesting to read your thoughts on both.
The Pam Jenoff Book is one I’m reading. It’s just not grabbing me.
Interesting to read your thoughts on both.
48DeltaQueen50
We are home and my husband is resting comfortably. He had a camera put down his throat today so they could look at a pocket that had developed, we were hoping it would be minor enough that it could be fixed at the same time, but unfortunately, that is not the case. He is going to need surgery and that will be most likely be done at the Vanvouver General Hospital but the medical wheels turn slowly so we expect the surgery won't be until the Fall.
>43 jnwelch: I managed to finish off two books, Joe, both rather short but I didn't think I would be able to concentrate on anything too long or too involved.
>44 RidgewayGirl: Kay, I had to smile a little at my hubby when he was coming out of the sedation. He had no idea where he was or what was going on. Luckily the sedation wore off fairly quickly and now he seems to be back to his normal self.
>45 mstrust: I was very lucky today, Jennifer, the chairs were super comfortable. High backs, nice armrests and deep cushions. Bliss! So many times chairs in waiting rooms are torture!
>46 Helenliz: Thanks Helen, looks like we have more trips to the hospital in our future. Well, no one said getting old is gonna be easy!
>43 jnwelch: I managed to finish off two books, Joe, both rather short but I didn't think I would be able to concentrate on anything too long or too involved.
>44 RidgewayGirl: Kay, I had to smile a little at my hubby when he was coming out of the sedation. He had no idea where he was or what was going on. Luckily the sedation wore off fairly quickly and now he seems to be back to his normal self.
>45 mstrust: I was very lucky today, Jennifer, the chairs were super comfortable. High backs, nice armrests and deep cushions. Bliss! So many times chairs in waiting rooms are torture!
>46 Helenliz: Thanks Helen, looks like we have more trips to the hospital in our future. Well, no one said getting old is gonna be easy!
49DeltaQueen50
134. A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde - 3.4 ★
Category: Let's Eat
July TIOLI #3: Morphy's Challenge - The author has a family member that is also an author
A House of Pomegranates is a collection of fairy stories written by Oscar Wilde that were originally published in 1891. There are four stories in this collection:
The Young King
The Birthday of the Infanta
The Fisherman and His Soul
The Star-Child
These stories were written for children and are, in fact, morality fables. One warns of the danger of vanity while another explores the complexities of one’s soul. We read of “The Young King” as he learns the value of spiritual over the material. By far, the strangest story was ‘The Birthday of the Infanta” which tries to teach us not to judge on appearances but was quite tragic. In all these stories Wilde stresses beauty of the soul over the artifice of good looks.
There was a certain amount of charm to these stories but like many Victorian tales they come across as rather preachy and are harsh in their judgments. Each story seemed to find a certain amount of joy in suffering and punishment. While I didn’t love this collection, I did enjoy experiencing Wilde’s wit and creativity.
Category: Let's Eat
July TIOLI #3: Morphy's Challenge - The author has a family member that is also an author
A House of Pomegranates is a collection of fairy stories written by Oscar Wilde that were originally published in 1891. There are four stories in this collection:
The Young King
The Birthday of the Infanta
The Fisherman and His Soul
The Star-Child
These stories were written for children and are, in fact, morality fables. One warns of the danger of vanity while another explores the complexities of one’s soul. We read of “The Young King” as he learns the value of spiritual over the material. By far, the strangest story was ‘The Birthday of the Infanta” which tries to teach us not to judge on appearances but was quite tragic. In all these stories Wilde stresses beauty of the soul over the artifice of good looks.
There was a certain amount of charm to these stories but like many Victorian tales they come across as rather preachy and are harsh in their judgments. Each story seemed to find a certain amount of joy in suffering and punishment. While I didn’t love this collection, I did enjoy experiencing Wilde’s wit and creativity.
50DeltaQueen50
135. The Souvenir by Patricia Carlon - 4.0 ★
Category: From My Shelves
July AlphaKit: C
July TIOLI #15: A Mystery by a New-To-You Author Set Somewhere You Have Never Been
The Souvenir by Australian author, Patricia Carlon was originally published in 1970, yet for me the story felt very fresh and current. Two teenage girls meet on a summer hitch-hiking trip. One of them, stabs a young man to death. Each girl accused the other of the crime and the police could prove neither girl guilty. Four years go by and the sister of the victim hires a very unique private eye to find out which girl actually murdered her brother.
This psychological twister unfolds backwards and forward in time as we learn of the uneasy friendship that develops between the girls and the stolen mementos that cause the final argument. The author, perhaps a little too cleverly writes from an angle that makes one of the girls appear more likely to have committed the crime. I thought the story lost a little steam when it started to include both girls families but over all I found this to be a unique puzzler and quite a gripping read.
Category: From My Shelves
July AlphaKit: C
July TIOLI #15: A Mystery by a New-To-You Author Set Somewhere You Have Never Been
The Souvenir by Australian author, Patricia Carlon was originally published in 1970, yet for me the story felt very fresh and current. Two teenage girls meet on a summer hitch-hiking trip. One of them, stabs a young man to death. Each girl accused the other of the crime and the police could prove neither girl guilty. Four years go by and the sister of the victim hires a very unique private eye to find out which girl actually murdered her brother.
This psychological twister unfolds backwards and forward in time as we learn of the uneasy friendship that develops between the girls and the stolen mementos that cause the final argument. The author, perhaps a little too cleverly writes from an angle that makes one of the girls appear more likely to have committed the crime. I thought the story lost a little steam when it started to include both girls families but over all I found this to be a unique puzzler and quite a gripping read.
51EBT1002
Hi Judy. Happy new-ish thread!
I wanted to let you know that I have set up the August SeriesCAT thread. This month is a pretty easy one, I think. Thanks for the reminder/nudge!
I wanted to let you know that I have set up the August SeriesCAT thread. This month is a pretty easy one, I think. Thanks for the reminder/nudge!
52DeltaQueen50
>51 EBT1002: You are welcome, Ellen. I know that you have been very busy in RL and this might have slipped your mind. As always, I am looking forward to picking books for this month's Cats.
53BLBera
>50 DeltaQueen50: This one sounds interesting, Judy.
I hope your husband is recovering nicely and that his surgery goes well. Do you know when it will be yet?
I hope your husband is recovering nicely and that his surgery goes well. Do you know when it will be yet?
54DeltaQueen50
>53 BLBera: Hi Beth. My husband has his follow up appointment with his doctor this week and he will be giving us more information. I suspect this will be considered a lesser surgery so he may have to wait until later this Fall or even into the New Year.
55DeltaQueen50
136. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold - 4.2 ★
Category: Science Fiction
July SFFFKit: Space Opera
July TBRCat: More Than One Book by this Author on My Shelf
July TIOLI #4: A Square from the Seattle Summer Adult Book Bingo 2019
Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold is the twelfth book in chronological order in the science fiction series entitled The Vorkosigan Saga. While the story takes Miles in a new direction with his position of Imperial Auditor, the action and excitement levels remain high as Miles must unravel the mystery involving terrorists on the planet of Komarr. But for me, this was very much secondary to the main plot which involved the meeting of Miles and Ekaterin.
I have been waiting for Miles to find “the one” and I believe that he finally has. Ekaterin grew on me as the book progressed. At first she seemed timid and unsure of herself, but as the story progressed she came out of her shell, found her voice and now stands as the perfect candidate to be the next Lady Vorkosigan.
The Vorkosigan Saga books have all been great reads, the author writes in an enjoyable, easily accessible manner and her main characters are strong and likeable. Space Opera at it’s best with plenty of adventure, romance, science and fun, Komarr was another great edition to this outstanding series.
Category: Science Fiction
July SFFFKit: Space Opera
July TBRCat: More Than One Book by this Author on My Shelf
July TIOLI #4: A Square from the Seattle Summer Adult Book Bingo 2019
Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold is the twelfth book in chronological order in the science fiction series entitled The Vorkosigan Saga. While the story takes Miles in a new direction with his position of Imperial Auditor, the action and excitement levels remain high as Miles must unravel the mystery involving terrorists on the planet of Komarr. But for me, this was very much secondary to the main plot which involved the meeting of Miles and Ekaterin.
I have been waiting for Miles to find “the one” and I believe that he finally has. Ekaterin grew on me as the book progressed. At first she seemed timid and unsure of herself, but as the story progressed she came out of her shell, found her voice and now stands as the perfect candidate to be the next Lady Vorkosigan.
The Vorkosigan Saga books have all been great reads, the author writes in an enjoyable, easily accessible manner and her main characters are strong and likeable. Space Opera at it’s best with plenty of adventure, romance, science and fun, Komarr was another great edition to this outstanding series.
56msf59
Happy Sunday, Judy. I hope you are enjoying a fine weekend and getting plenty of reading time in. I had a good day off.
57DeltaQueen50
>56 msf59: Hi Mark, we had a rather hot day here today so I spent the day relaxing and reading close to a fan. I'm not complaining, we haven't had too many really hot days this summer so I expect we are due a few. Already today there is a lovely breeze and it's much cooler.
58DeltaQueen50
137. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson - 4.0 ★
Category: Love Stories
July RandomCat: Birds
July TIOLI #5: The First Sentence in Chapters 1, 2 or 3 Contain a Number
A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson is not a book about ornithology. There are lots of birds in the book, but it is actually an unconventional love story set in Kenya where the main characters are birdwatchers and their hobby is used to settle the difficult question of which suitor should have the pleasure of asking Mrs. Rose Mbikwa to the upcoming Hunt Ball.
Although rather overused, the word charming is the perfect word to describe this story. Mr. Malik, a quiet widower spends his Tuesday mornings on a bird walk guided by Mrs. Rose Mbikwa, a Scottish widow of a deceased Kenyan politician. He has a crush on Rose and wishes to ask her to the Hunt Ball, but before he does, Harry Khan shows up and also expresses his interest in the lovely Rose. To settle who will get to ask her, the members of their club come up with a contest where whichever man can spot and name the most birds will earn the right to ask Rose to the ball. While Harry Khan spends his time on safaris hunting down exotic birds, Mr. Malik runs into all kinds of problems right in Nairobi, including his car being stolen along with his birding notebook and a run in with renegade Somalis.
The simple plot is delightfully unrolled with captivating character sketches and glimpses into Kenyan life and politics. Much of the appeal and humour of the book is due to the somewhat older protagonists who prove that life doesn’t end when one reaches retirement age. The conclusion had a nice twist and was very satisfying.
Category: Love Stories
July RandomCat: Birds
July TIOLI #5: The First Sentence in Chapters 1, 2 or 3 Contain a Number
A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson is not a book about ornithology. There are lots of birds in the book, but it is actually an unconventional love story set in Kenya where the main characters are birdwatchers and their hobby is used to settle the difficult question of which suitor should have the pleasure of asking Mrs. Rose Mbikwa to the upcoming Hunt Ball.
Although rather overused, the word charming is the perfect word to describe this story. Mr. Malik, a quiet widower spends his Tuesday mornings on a bird walk guided by Mrs. Rose Mbikwa, a Scottish widow of a deceased Kenyan politician. He has a crush on Rose and wishes to ask her to the Hunt Ball, but before he does, Harry Khan shows up and also expresses his interest in the lovely Rose. To settle who will get to ask her, the members of their club come up with a contest where whichever man can spot and name the most birds will earn the right to ask Rose to the ball. While Harry Khan spends his time on safaris hunting down exotic birds, Mr. Malik runs into all kinds of problems right in Nairobi, including his car being stolen along with his birding notebook and a run in with renegade Somalis.
The simple plot is delightfully unrolled with captivating character sketches and glimpses into Kenyan life and politics. Much of the appeal and humour of the book is due to the somewhat older protagonists who prove that life doesn’t end when one reaches retirement age. The conclusion had a nice twist and was very satisfying.
59Tess_W
>58 DeltaQueen50: Great review! You've convinced me, on my wish list it's going!
60DeltaQueen50
>59 Tess_W: It's a lovely little book, Tess. I'm sure it will have you smiling. :)
61dudes22
>58 DeltaQueen50: - Another BB for me too!
62clue
>58 DeltaQueen50: Me too, Amazon owes you.
63Familyhistorian
>58 DeltaQueen50: That sounds like a good one, Judy.
64DeltaQueen50
>61 dudes22: Enjoy, Betty.
>62 clue: Ha, wouldn't it be fun if we all got a commission from Amazon!
>63 Familyhistorian: A Guide to the Birds of East Africa is a good one, Meg.
>62 clue: Ha, wouldn't it be fun if we all got a commission from Amazon!
>63 Familyhistorian: A Guide to the Birds of East Africa is a good one, Meg.
65VivienneR
>58 DeltaQueen50: I loved A Guide to the Birds of East Africa. I tried to talk my friend into reading it but she didn't trust my choice.
66jnwelch
>57 DeltaQueen50: Nice review of Komarr, Judy. It's one of my favorites because of Miles and Ekaterin meeting. The Vorkosigan Saga books have all been great reads, the author writes in an enjoyable, easily accessible manner and her main characters are strong and likeable. Space Opera at it’s best with plenty of adventure, romance, science and fun, Komarr was another great edition to this outstanding series. Well said! I completely agree.
I really like that review of A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, too, and I'm thumbing it. It's a good feeling to see this one mentioned. Charming may be overused, but it's the right word for this one, isn't it. I loved it.
I really like that review of A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, too, and I'm thumbing it. It's a good feeling to see this one mentioned. Charming may be overused, but it's the right word for this one, isn't it. I loved it.
67DeltaQueen50
>65 VivienneR: Well, your friend lost out on a very good read, I'd say. I am looking forward to passing A Guide to the Birds of East Africa on to my mother, I am pretty sure she will love it.
>66 jnwelch: Joe, I am very happy that Roni passed on her recommendation to the Vorkosigan series. I fell in love with first Cordelia and then with Miles. Such a great series. You know, speaking of book bullets, I think you may have been the one to hit me with A Guide to the Birds in East Africa some time ago. This is what I love about reading from my shelves - finding these gems tucked away.
>66 jnwelch: Joe, I am very happy that Roni passed on her recommendation to the Vorkosigan series. I fell in love with first Cordelia and then with Miles. Such a great series. You know, speaking of book bullets, I think you may have been the one to hit me with A Guide to the Birds in East Africa some time ago. This is what I love about reading from my shelves - finding these gems tucked away.
68DeltaQueen50
I'm off to the eye doctor this morning which is fine except for those drops he will put in in order to see the back of my eyes. I am lucky enough that I can walk over to his office but I will probably be staggering home - must remember to be sure to take my sunglasses!
69RidgewayGirl
>68 DeltaQueen50: I hope that you remembered your sunglasses and that it was a cloudy day, Judy!
70DeltaQueen50
>69 RidgewayGirl: I did remember my sunglasses and the good news is that there was little to no change in my eyes so I don't have to see him for another 18 months. The eyedrops have completely worn off so I expect I will be doing some reading this evening.
71msf59
Hi, Judy. I loved A Guide to the Birds of East Africa. I remember warbling about that one. Glad you got to it and enjoyed it.
72DeltaQueen50
>71 msf59: Aha, then it was probably a double punch from both Joe and you that put A Guide to the Birds of East Africa on my shelf! ;)
73DeltaQueen50
138. The Quiet American by Graham Greene - 4.1 ★
Category: 1,001 Books List
July 1,001 Books Challenge: Author Has Multiple Entries on the 1,001 List
July TBRCat: Multiple Books by This Author on My Shelves
TIOLI #13: Rolling Challenge Based on Edgar Martinez
Set in Vietnam during the closing days of the French occupation, The Quiet American by Graham Greene tells the story of the conflict and the friendship between a jaded English reporter, Fowler, and a young and rather idealistic American operative, Pyle. The bone of contention between them is the beautiful Vietnamese woman Phuong. While Fowler offers her only a continuing relationship with no real security, Pyle declares his love and offers her marriage and protection.
With Phuong representing Vietnam, Fowler the old colonial system, and Pyle the over-eager America, this book has become an allegory for the end of colonialism and the beginning of America’s interest in keeping this corner of Asia free from communism. Pyle appears to believe absolutely in the American way of democracy but his methods have him entangled in guerrilla politics and when a bomb explodes in a busy square causing injury and death, Fowler decides that he must take a moral stand in this conflict.
I am a fan of Graham Greene and this book seems to perfectly set the scene for a place that was going to become very important historically. Although the book felt a little claustrophobic at times, the author’s ability to touch your emotions and make you think about the cost of one’s principles was delivered in a subtle and ingenious style. The Quiet American is another true classic from this author.
Category: 1,001 Books List
July 1,001 Books Challenge: Author Has Multiple Entries on the 1,001 List
July TBRCat: Multiple Books by This Author on My Shelves
TIOLI #13: Rolling Challenge Based on Edgar Martinez
Set in Vietnam during the closing days of the French occupation, The Quiet American by Graham Greene tells the story of the conflict and the friendship between a jaded English reporter, Fowler, and a young and rather idealistic American operative, Pyle. The bone of contention between them is the beautiful Vietnamese woman Phuong. While Fowler offers her only a continuing relationship with no real security, Pyle declares his love and offers her marriage and protection.
With Phuong representing Vietnam, Fowler the old colonial system, and Pyle the over-eager America, this book has become an allegory for the end of colonialism and the beginning of America’s interest in keeping this corner of Asia free from communism. Pyle appears to believe absolutely in the American way of democracy but his methods have him entangled in guerrilla politics and when a bomb explodes in a busy square causing injury and death, Fowler decides that he must take a moral stand in this conflict.
I am a fan of Graham Greene and this book seems to perfectly set the scene for a place that was going to become very important historically. Although the book felt a little claustrophobic at times, the author’s ability to touch your emotions and make you think about the cost of one’s principles was delivered in a subtle and ingenious style. The Quiet American is another true classic from this author.
74DeltaQueen50
139. Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li - 5.0 ★
Category: Book Bullets - Kay
TIOLI #4: Fits One of the Squares of the 2019 Seattle Summer Adult Book Bingo
Although a work of fiction, Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li closely mirrors her own experience when she was raped while on a walk in a park near Belfast, Ireland. This story follows an American woman of Asian descent as she too is raped in Belfast. We work through all levels and all stages of the aftermath of this crime, the police interviews, medical examinations, the procedures to guard against AIDs and tests for infections, the months and years that it takes for the crime to not control all aspects of her life. The story totally overwhelms and captures the readers attention, but the author doesn’t stop there. She also attempts to get inside the mind of the rapist, a young psychologically damaged Irish traveller who learned his violent ways from his abusive father.
I was totally mesmerized by this book finding it both informative and riveting. Reading of Vivian Tan, a twenty-nine year old, highly educated, professional woman being accosted by a fifteen year old, illiterate teenager and having this encounter shape their lives so definitively was a compelling and harrowing experience.
I sincerely hope that the writing of Dark Chapter was a healing process for the author. I found this to be a courageous exploration of both the victim and the perpetrator's mindset before, during and after the rape. Dark Chapter was an excellent read, both suspenseful and full of tension. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a deeper understanding of the effects that this crime has on it’s victims.
Category: Book Bullets - Kay
TIOLI #4: Fits One of the Squares of the 2019 Seattle Summer Adult Book Bingo
Although a work of fiction, Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li closely mirrors her own experience when she was raped while on a walk in a park near Belfast, Ireland. This story follows an American woman of Asian descent as she too is raped in Belfast. We work through all levels and all stages of the aftermath of this crime, the police interviews, medical examinations, the procedures to guard against AIDs and tests for infections, the months and years that it takes for the crime to not control all aspects of her life. The story totally overwhelms and captures the readers attention, but the author doesn’t stop there. She also attempts to get inside the mind of the rapist, a young psychologically damaged Irish traveller who learned his violent ways from his abusive father.
I was totally mesmerized by this book finding it both informative and riveting. Reading of Vivian Tan, a twenty-nine year old, highly educated, professional woman being accosted by a fifteen year old, illiterate teenager and having this encounter shape their lives so definitively was a compelling and harrowing experience.
I sincerely hope that the writing of Dark Chapter was a healing process for the author. I found this to be a courageous exploration of both the victim and the perpetrator's mindset before, during and after the rape. Dark Chapter was an excellent read, both suspenseful and full of tension. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a deeper understanding of the effects that this crime has on it’s victims.
75RidgewayGirl
I'm glad you liked Dark Chapter, although "liked" is probably the wrong word. It was a powerful novel. I was impressed that she took up hiking again afterwards.
76DeltaQueen50
>75 RidgewayGirl: Kay, I was glued to the pages. This book, in the way that it affected me, reminded me somewhat of We Need to Talk About Kevin. A very powerful read.
77RidgewayGirl
>76 DeltaQueen50: Part of its power, I think, was in the knowledge of how closely is followed her own experience. And in her willingness to try to understand her attacker.
78AHS-Wolfy
>73 DeltaQueen50: That is my favourite of the Graham Greene books I've read so far (admittedly not that many and I need to read more). Glad you enjoyed it.
79DeltaQueen50
>77 RidgewayGirl: Certainly a book that I will remember for a long, long time.
>78 AHS-Wolfy: Dave, I've come to Graham Greene rather late and now I am trying to read everything by him that I can get a hold of. This was my third Greene with The End of the Affair and Brighton Rock being the other two - all very different and all very good.
>78 AHS-Wolfy: Dave, I've come to Graham Greene rather late and now I am trying to read everything by him that I can get a hold of. This was my third Greene with The End of the Affair and Brighton Rock being the other two - all very different and all very good.
80DeltaQueen50
140. Faithless by Karin Slaughter - 3.7 ★
Category: One Word Titles
July TIOLI #12: Rolling Challenge - One Word Title That Matches a Letter From a Previous Entry
Faithless by Karin Slaughter is the 5th book in her series about medical examiner Sara Linton and her ex-husband (now boyfriend), police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. One evening as they are out walking in the woods they stumble upon a pipe sticking out of the ground, dig down to discover a coffin containing a recently deceased young woman who had been buried alive. This discovery soon leads them to a strange evangelical family that appear to be concealing many secrets. Meanwhile, secondary character, Detective Lena Adams is finding that this case is helping her re-think her own abusive relationship.
The mystery portion of the book is excellent with plenty of twists and turns to be figured out along the way. For me, the personal lives of the characters is becoming a little tiresome. I want some resolution to Sara’s and Jeffrey’s relationship and most of all, I want Lena to finally move forward to a better life. I will qualify this to say that all characters seem to make some important decisions by the end of the book, so hopefully in the next book they can finally sort themselves out.
In Faithless, Slaughter continues her combination of police procedures with the grim forensic details that give these books a stark reality. At over 500 pages, she also brings up issues of abortion, domestic abuse, forgiveness and revenge. While I would heartily suggest that no one should ever move to the high risk area of Grant County, I look forward to reading more about the crimes that appear all too often in this small corner of Georgia.
Category: One Word Titles
July TIOLI #12: Rolling Challenge - One Word Title That Matches a Letter From a Previous Entry
Faithless by Karin Slaughter is the 5th book in her series about medical examiner Sara Linton and her ex-husband (now boyfriend), police chief Jeffrey Tolliver. One evening as they are out walking in the woods they stumble upon a pipe sticking out of the ground, dig down to discover a coffin containing a recently deceased young woman who had been buried alive. This discovery soon leads them to a strange evangelical family that appear to be concealing many secrets. Meanwhile, secondary character, Detective Lena Adams is finding that this case is helping her re-think her own abusive relationship.
The mystery portion of the book is excellent with plenty of twists and turns to be figured out along the way. For me, the personal lives of the characters is becoming a little tiresome. I want some resolution to Sara’s and Jeffrey’s relationship and most of all, I want Lena to finally move forward to a better life. I will qualify this to say that all characters seem to make some important decisions by the end of the book, so hopefully in the next book they can finally sort themselves out.
In Faithless, Slaughter continues her combination of police procedures with the grim forensic details that give these books a stark reality. At over 500 pages, she also brings up issues of abortion, domestic abuse, forgiveness and revenge. While I would heartily suggest that no one should ever move to the high risk area of Grant County, I look forward to reading more about the crimes that appear all too often in this small corner of Georgia.
81lsh63
Hi Judy, Karin Slaughter's Sara Linton series is one of my favorites. I remember devouring the whole series after reading the first book. I like how she brought Sara's character into another series with other characters which has worked well.
82thornton37814
>80 DeltaQueen50: That reminds me I wanted to try the first in that series. I don't think I ever put it on a list in Overdrive. Just did so. I'll have to decide e- or audio-book format when I get caught up with other things.
83DeltaQueen50
>81 lsh63: Hi Lisa. The Karin Slaughter series is one that I keep forgetting about. When I read one of her books I get totally caught up in it but I then I let too much time go by between books. I need to catch up on so many series, yet never quite manage to.
>82 thornton37814: This is a good but gritty series, Lori. The author doesn't hesitate to write about some dark and violent things, but her stories are interesting and the characters are well developed. I hope you enjoy the series.
>82 thornton37814: This is a good but gritty series, Lori. The author doesn't hesitate to write about some dark and violent things, but her stories are interesting and the characters are well developed. I hope you enjoy the series.
85DeltaQueen50
>84 ronincats: Hi Roni, good to see you back - Now I'll head over to your thread and catch up with you. :)
86DeltaQueen50
141. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - 3.4 ★
Category: 1,001 Books List
August ScaredyKit: Gothic Literature
August TIOLI #2: From First Sentence - Who, What, When, Where or How
I found The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole to be an odd yet entertaining story about a tyrant knight called Manfred, Prince of Otranto, and his family. Considered to be the father of Gothic romance fiction this fantasy is set in the middle ages, and is peopled by characters experiencing strong emotional and psychological distress. The story develops around a supernatural event that occurs at the beginning of the story and causes the death of Manfred’s only son and heir. Unfolding in a castle that comes with underground passages, sealed vaults, and trap doors, my favorite part of the story was when the young Princess Isabella, fearful for her virtue, is running away from Manfred through the dark and haunted castle.
In a melodramatic yet playful manner the story has the evil usurper, the noble yet humble rightful heir, two virtuous princesses and a host of other characters running around the Castle of Otranto confronting vanishing giants, pieces of enormous armour, moving artwork and each other.
This deceptively simple story deals with issues of inheritance, power and morality and religion. It is important to remember that this novel is the first of its kind and the plot, which appears overworked and familiar today is, indeed, the first of it’s kind and did cause quite a sensation in it’s day.
Category: 1,001 Books List
August ScaredyKit: Gothic Literature
August TIOLI #2: From First Sentence - Who, What, When, Where or How
I found The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole to be an odd yet entertaining story about a tyrant knight called Manfred, Prince of Otranto, and his family. Considered to be the father of Gothic romance fiction this fantasy is set in the middle ages, and is peopled by characters experiencing strong emotional and psychological distress. The story develops around a supernatural event that occurs at the beginning of the story and causes the death of Manfred’s only son and heir. Unfolding in a castle that comes with underground passages, sealed vaults, and trap doors, my favorite part of the story was when the young Princess Isabella, fearful for her virtue, is running away from Manfred through the dark and haunted castle.
In a melodramatic yet playful manner the story has the evil usurper, the noble yet humble rightful heir, two virtuous princesses and a host of other characters running around the Castle of Otranto confronting vanishing giants, pieces of enormous armour, moving artwork and each other.
This deceptively simple story deals with issues of inheritance, power and morality and religion. It is important to remember that this novel is the first of its kind and the plot, which appears overworked and familiar today is, indeed, the first of it’s kind and did cause quite a sensation in it’s day.
87DeltaQueen50
142. Cold in Hand by John Harvey - 4.3 ★
Category: Series
August SeriesCat: Set in a Country That I Do Not Live In
TIOLI #8: A New-To-You Book By a Favorite Author
Cold in Hand by John Harvey is the 11th book in his Charlie Resnick series and some time has passed in the timing of the story. Charlie is getting ever closer to retirement age and is beginning to think and make plans for the event. He sees no great change as his life partner, Lynn Kellogg is quite a bit younger than him and still has her police career in front of her. Charlie and Lynn, who used to work together, now live together in a relationship that both are very happy in.
The first half of the book deals with how Lynn, stepping between two fighting teens, comes into the line of a bullet. Luckily she was wearing her safety vest, but one of the girls dies from her wounds. While Lynn is sidelined and recovering, Charlie is asked to work this case and help find who the shooter was, and who was actually being targeted - Lynn or the teen girl. While this case is on-going Lynn returns to work and gets more deeply involved in another of her murder cases. This one concerns a massage worker who had her throat slit in a sleazy parlour. This case involves some very nasty characters, Serbians, who also are gun runners. Lynn’s top priority is to protect the witnesses in this case, but then the trial is postponed and the suspect is given bail on the direction of Stuart Daines of the Serious Organized Crime Agency who warns Lynn off and obviously wants these criminals on the street so his gun-running case will gain traction.
As always, John Harvey excels in his gritty plotting. His eye for the details of police politics and his ability to deliver stories that seem to have come right from newspaper headlines bring a sense of reality to his police procedurals. In Cold in Hand, we also see Charlie at his lowest which helps to develop this well crafted character even further. I know the next book is the last in the series and I am both looking forward to the read and dreading the end of this favourite series.
Category: Series
August SeriesCat: Set in a Country That I Do Not Live In
TIOLI #8: A New-To-You Book By a Favorite Author
Cold in Hand by John Harvey is the 11th book in his Charlie Resnick series and some time has passed in the timing of the story. Charlie is getting ever closer to retirement age and is beginning to think and make plans for the event. He sees no great change as his life partner, Lynn Kellogg is quite a bit younger than him and still has her police career in front of her. Charlie and Lynn, who used to work together, now live together in a relationship that both are very happy in.
The first half of the book deals with how Lynn, stepping between two fighting teens, comes into the line of a bullet. Luckily she was wearing her safety vest, but one of the girls dies from her wounds. While Lynn is sidelined and recovering, Charlie is asked to work this case and help find who the shooter was, and who was actually being targeted - Lynn or the teen girl. While this case is on-going Lynn returns to work and gets more deeply involved in another of her murder cases. This one concerns a massage worker who had her throat slit in a sleazy parlour. This case involves some very nasty characters, Serbians, who also are gun runners. Lynn’s top priority is to protect the witnesses in this case, but then the trial is postponed and the suspect is given bail on the direction of Stuart Daines of the Serious Organized Crime Agency who warns Lynn off and obviously wants these criminals on the street so his gun-running case will gain traction.
As always, John Harvey excels in his gritty plotting. His eye for the details of police politics and his ability to deliver stories that seem to have come right from newspaper headlines bring a sense of reality to his police procedurals. In Cold in Hand, we also see Charlie at his lowest which helps to develop this well crafted character even further. I know the next book is the last in the series and I am both looking forward to the read and dreading the end of this favourite series.
88DeltaQueen50
143. From Penvarris with Love by Rosemary Aitken - 3.4 ★
Category: Love Stories
August TIOLI #17: Published by a Two Word Publishing House
From Penvarris with Love by Rosemary Aitken is a romance novel that spans the years of World War I. Set in Penzance, Cornwall, Maud Olds and Belinda Richards are apprenticed to the local dress shop as seamstresses. When they are able to escape the stern, watchful eye of their patroness, Maude walks out with her childhood sweetheart, farmer Stanley. Belinda claims to have many admirers, but her eye is firmly on the handsome but footloose Jonah Lotts.
When the war comes, Stanley does his duty and enlists while Jonah spends his time trying to stay out of the war. The story does an excellent job of showing the impact that the war had on this small community. With these four young people, the author is able to show how the war brought so much change to people’s daily lives. While gentle Maude patiently waits for her fiance’s return, Belinda is being wooed by Jonah who thinks being married will keep him safe.
I was expecting this story to be sweet and simple, but I was pleased that the author was able to place her characters in fairly realistic predicaments which gave the book an authentic feel and kept my interest. While neither girl gets a picture perfect ending, the story does shows how opportunity and a future path can arise from sorrow and disillusionment.
Category: Love Stories
August TIOLI #17: Published by a Two Word Publishing House
From Penvarris with Love by Rosemary Aitken is a romance novel that spans the years of World War I. Set in Penzance, Cornwall, Maud Olds and Belinda Richards are apprenticed to the local dress shop as seamstresses. When they are able to escape the stern, watchful eye of their patroness, Maude walks out with her childhood sweetheart, farmer Stanley. Belinda claims to have many admirers, but her eye is firmly on the handsome but footloose Jonah Lotts.
When the war comes, Stanley does his duty and enlists while Jonah spends his time trying to stay out of the war. The story does an excellent job of showing the impact that the war had on this small community. With these four young people, the author is able to show how the war brought so much change to people’s daily lives. While gentle Maude patiently waits for her fiance’s return, Belinda is being wooed by Jonah who thinks being married will keep him safe.
I was expecting this story to be sweet and simple, but I was pleased that the author was able to place her characters in fairly realistic predicaments which gave the book an authentic feel and kept my interest. While neither girl gets a picture perfect ending, the story does shows how opportunity and a future path can arise from sorrow and disillusionment.
89mathgirl40
>55 DeltaQueen50: Great review of Komarr. This was the first Bujold book I'd ever read and though it appears late in the Vorkosigan series, it worked fine as an entry point and made me fall in love with the series.
90ChelleBearss
Happy new thread!
91jnwelch
>86 DeltaQueen50: Good review of Castle of Oranto, Judy. Kudos to you for taking it on. I've had that concern that it would be an overripe Gothic hairpuller (overripe hair? that can't be right), but it sounds not that bad and worth giving a go.
92mstrust
I'm so glad you enjoyed The Castle of Ortanto. There's so much going on in a rather slim book!
93DeltaQueen50
Happy Sunday, everyone. We are in the midst of a holiday long weekend and the weather is cooperating beautifully. Sunny and warm, a perfect day for finding a comfy spot outside in the shade and enjoying some outdoor reading!
>89 mathgirl40: I am slowly working my way through the Vorkosigan series and so far I have loved every book! I was introduced to the series during a year long group read so I have been reading it in the chronological order.
>90 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. I hope you are enjoying a great holiday weekend.
>91 jnwelch: I found it a fun read, Joe, and, now I have a better understanding of why this was one of the books that influenced Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey so strongly!
>92 mstrust: I thoroughly enjoyed all the melodrama and angst, Jennifer, all I needed was some popcorn!
>89 mathgirl40: I am slowly working my way through the Vorkosigan series and so far I have loved every book! I was introduced to the series during a year long group read so I have been reading it in the chronological order.
>90 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. I hope you are enjoying a great holiday weekend.
>91 jnwelch: I found it a fun read, Joe, and, now I have a better understanding of why this was one of the books that influenced Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey so strongly!
>92 mstrust: I thoroughly enjoyed all the melodrama and angst, Jennifer, all I needed was some popcorn!
95DeltaQueen50
Hi Katie!
96DeltaQueen50
144. Closed Doors by Lisa O'Donnell - 4.2 ★
Category: Library List
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Words Begins with the Letter "C"
Closed Doors by Lisa O’Donnell is set in an isolated community on a small island off the coast of Scotland during the early 1980s. The book unfolds through the eyes of eleven year old Michael Murray. Michael has learned to linger behind doors and listen to his family discuss things that they would rather he didn’t hear. When something terrible happens to his mother, he’s told that she fell down while running away from a flasher. While it becomes very obvious something far worse has happened, Michael’s mother doesn’t want anyone to know, and even though both this event and keeping it secret is tearing the family apart.
While O’Donnell captures the voice of Michael perfectly as he goes through the growing pains of early adolescence, I struggled a little more with finding the adults believable. The mother’s stubborn insistence on keeping her attack a secret felt overly contrived to me. This author excelled in her first book, The Death of Bees, but this second novel didn’t quite capture me in the same way although it raises some important questions as to how much children should be told about traumatic events. The family’s silence was difficult to accept when more attacks occurred.
Closed Doors was a better than average read and I feel that I am judging it a little harder because her first book was a such an excellent read. This book takes on tough subjects and filters than through a child’s vision and the result is a strongly written story of a family in crisis.
Category: Library List
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Words Begins with the Letter "C"
Closed Doors by Lisa O’Donnell is set in an isolated community on a small island off the coast of Scotland during the early 1980s. The book unfolds through the eyes of eleven year old Michael Murray. Michael has learned to linger behind doors and listen to his family discuss things that they would rather he didn’t hear. When something terrible happens to his mother, he’s told that she fell down while running away from a flasher. While it becomes very obvious something far worse has happened, Michael’s mother doesn’t want anyone to know, and even though both this event and keeping it secret is tearing the family apart.
While O’Donnell captures the voice of Michael perfectly as he goes through the growing pains of early adolescence, I struggled a little more with finding the adults believable. The mother’s stubborn insistence on keeping her attack a secret felt overly contrived to me. This author excelled in her first book, The Death of Bees, but this second novel didn’t quite capture me in the same way although it raises some important questions as to how much children should be told about traumatic events. The family’s silence was difficult to accept when more attacks occurred.
Closed Doors was a better than average read and I feel that I am judging it a little harder because her first book was a such an excellent read. This book takes on tough subjects and filters than through a child’s vision and the result is a strongly written story of a family in crisis.
97NinieB
I have just taken both of these as book bullets, and they're not my first today, either. I seem to be in an optimistic frame of mind!
98DeltaQueen50
>97 NinieB: I hope you enjoy the books, Ninie!
99DeltaQueen50
The following is a meme that I lifted from Joe’s (jnwelch) thread this morning, he came to it by way of other LT members, who apparently came to it by way of Bookbub. I can’t resist a good book meme!
Reader’s Meme
1. The persons who helped me fall in love with reading were:
My mother who read to me every night and my grandmother as she bought books by the armful for us kids so we always had something new to look forward to.
2. One book I love to give as a gift is:
I try to match my book giving to the receiver’s taste but I have been know to pass out copies of Larry Watson and Larry McMurtry indiscriminately. I guess I like my Larrys!
3. If I could write like one author it would be
Kate Atkinson – great stories, wonderful characters, gorgeous writing.
4. One book I think deserves more attention is
The Secret Life of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell. This 2014 Alex Award winner blew me away and was my best read of 2016 yet I haven’t seen it garner a lot of attention here on Library Thing.
5. The friend(s) I always turn to for reading recommendations is/are
My LT Friends and my family keep my Kindles overloaded and my bookshelves stuffed!
6. What do you do about a book you're not liking
I am pretty stubborn and very rarely actually give up on a book. I get my revenge on bad books by ranting about them on Library Thing and warning others off them.
7. One book that absolutely shocked me was:
I wasn’t a fan of Virginia Woolf but then I read Mrs. Dalloway and became a fan so that was a good shock.
8. My favorite place to read is:
In the summer, outside on our terrace. In the winter curled up in my comfy recliner.
9. If I could read only one book for the rest of my life it’d be:
I would go insane with only one book to read the rest of my life. But if I had to pick one book, The Grapes of Wrath springs to mind – or could I be greedy and get a John Steinbeck omnibus?
10. The books I’m currently reading
The History of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding - listening
Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love - listening
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen – reading by installments
The Queen of Water of Laura Resau – from my bookshelf
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates – from my Kindle
Reader’s Meme
1. The persons who helped me fall in love with reading were:
My mother who read to me every night and my grandmother as she bought books by the armful for us kids so we always had something new to look forward to.
2. One book I love to give as a gift is:
I try to match my book giving to the receiver’s taste but I have been know to pass out copies of Larry Watson and Larry McMurtry indiscriminately. I guess I like my Larrys!
3. If I could write like one author it would be
Kate Atkinson – great stories, wonderful characters, gorgeous writing.
4. One book I think deserves more attention is
The Secret Life of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell. This 2014 Alex Award winner blew me away and was my best read of 2016 yet I haven’t seen it garner a lot of attention here on Library Thing.
5. The friend(s) I always turn to for reading recommendations is/are
My LT Friends and my family keep my Kindles overloaded and my bookshelves stuffed!
6. What do you do about a book you're not liking
I am pretty stubborn and very rarely actually give up on a book. I get my revenge on bad books by ranting about them on Library Thing and warning others off them.
7. One book that absolutely shocked me was:
I wasn’t a fan of Virginia Woolf but then I read Mrs. Dalloway and became a fan so that was a good shock.
8. My favorite place to read is:
In the summer, outside on our terrace. In the winter curled up in my comfy recliner.
9. If I could read only one book for the rest of my life it’d be:
I would go insane with only one book to read the rest of my life. But if I had to pick one book, The Grapes of Wrath springs to mind – or could I be greedy and get a John Steinbeck omnibus?
10. The books I’m currently reading
The History of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding - listening
Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love - listening
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen – reading by installments
The Queen of Water of Laura Resau – from my bookshelf
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates – from my Kindle
100DeltaQueen50
145. The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor - 2.0 ★
Category: 1,001 Books List
August Reading Through Time: Philosophy & Religion
TIOLI #7: A Book by a Female Author Whose Gender is Immediately Apparent From Her Name
The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O’Connor was originally published in 1960 and tells the story of Francis Marion Tarwater, a fourteen year old boy who is trying to escape the destiny his fanatically evangelist uncle has declared for him – the life of a prophet. I found this to be a very dark Southern Gothic story, with unlikable characters and strong religious themes.
I am puzzled by exactly what the author was trying to impart with this book. At first I thought this was a satire on religion, in particular the fundamentalists who live by a strict biblical code, but her view is so dark and brutal that I am not sure exactly what she was trying to say. Religious fanaticism makes me very uncomfortable, and this novel pushes the envelope beyond what I find acceptable. It is packed with symbolism and religious imagery and eventually verges into becoming a horror story with distorted characters and evil acts.
I did not understand this book or what it’s message is. I disliked the story and have decided to give up on trying to interpret it. Luckily it was a very short book so I was able to finish it but The Violent Bear It Away definitely wasn’t a book for me.
Category: 1,001 Books List
August Reading Through Time: Philosophy & Religion
TIOLI #7: A Book by a Female Author Whose Gender is Immediately Apparent From Her Name
The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O’Connor was originally published in 1960 and tells the story of Francis Marion Tarwater, a fourteen year old boy who is trying to escape the destiny his fanatically evangelist uncle has declared for him – the life of a prophet. I found this to be a very dark Southern Gothic story, with unlikable characters and strong religious themes.
I am puzzled by exactly what the author was trying to impart with this book. At first I thought this was a satire on religion, in particular the fundamentalists who live by a strict biblical code, but her view is so dark and brutal that I am not sure exactly what she was trying to say. Religious fanaticism makes me very uncomfortable, and this novel pushes the envelope beyond what I find acceptable. It is packed with symbolism and religious imagery and eventually verges into becoming a horror story with distorted characters and evil acts.
I did not understand this book or what it’s message is. I disliked the story and have decided to give up on trying to interpret it. Luckily it was a very short book so I was able to finish it but The Violent Bear It Away definitely wasn’t a book for me.
101mstrust
To me, O'Connor was contrary. Her religious beliefs were a huge part of her life, yet she often wrote of religious people as brutal and unbalanced. I like her writing because it's pretty disturbing, which shouldn't have come from a devout, often house-bound spinster. She looked sweet but there was clearly a lot going on in her head. But not everyone's cup of tea, for sure.
102DeltaQueen50
>101 mstrust: Disturbing is right, Jennifer! I think I was expecting the book to be satrical and therefore have more humor. I usually like dark stories but this was just so bleak and unpleasant that I couldn't find any redeeming qualities to it at all.
103RidgewayGirl
>99 DeltaQueen50: Oh, fun. Do you mind if I copy this?
And Flannery O'Connor's work is like a gunshot to the head. It's brutal stuff. I think she's brilliant, but no question that one needs to brace oneself ahead of time.
And Flannery O'Connor's work is like a gunshot to the head. It's brutal stuff. I think she's brilliant, but no question that one needs to brace oneself ahead of time.
104DeltaQueen50
>103 RidgewayGirl: Please help yourself to the meme, I hope lots of people copy it as I'll love reading through everyone's answers. Next time I read a Flannery O'Connor piece, I will be ready. I suspect I might have a better time with some of her short stories.
105mstrust
>102 DeltaQueen50: I totally get it being too bleak for a lot of people. When I dislike an author that much, I just figure it's not gonna be a love match ;-)
106Familyhistorian
I have never read anything by Flannery O'Connor but your review intrigued me so I went to my library site to see if they have any books by her. Flannery O'Connor: The Cartoons is now on my wish list there. Seriously, she wanted to be a cartoonist, not something I would think of after reading your discussion about her books.
107DeltaQueen50
>105 mstrust: I usually like dark and grim stories, Jennifer, so I am fully prepared to give Flannery O'Connor another try.
>106 Familyhistorian: Wow, Meg, I would never have thought that Flannery O'Connor had a desire to be a cartoonist! I can't wait until your review.
>106 Familyhistorian: Wow, Meg, I would never have thought that Flannery O'Connor had a desire to be a cartoonist! I can't wait until your review.
108DeltaQueen50
146. The Queen of Water by Laura Resau - 4.0 ★
Category: Armchair Travel
August Calendar Cat: Ecuador's Independance Day
TIOLI #9: Author's First Name Initial Comes Alphbetically Before Their Last Name Initial
The Queen of Water by Laura Resau is the story of Virginia, born in a small rural village in Ecuador, she lives with her large family in a small, earth-walled hovel. Her family are indigenas considered the lowest class of people and they work the fields for a family of mestizos, Spanish descendants. At seven years of age Virginia is taken from her family to become an unpaid servant to an upper class mestizo couple. Never having known much love or kindness, she grows up struggling always to better herself and find a way to escape from her dead-end life.
This was an amazing YA story that is based on a true story. The author collaborated with the real Virginia to bring this story to the rest of the world. Virginia spent eight years being held a virtual prisoner, denied an education, being beaten for the slightest of misdeeds, and finally having to avoid the man of the house who liked to put his hands on her and became more possessive and jealous of her as she blossomed into a very attractive young woman. Feeling like she doesn’t belong anywhere, Virginia finds the courage to break away, reinvents herself and becomes the person she was meant to be.
I really liked this story, and felt that Virginia came across as very real. Like all young girls she wasn’t perfect but she grew into her wisdom and strength as she learned how to take control and build a new life for herself. This is the second book that I have read by this author and will certainly be on the lookout for more.
Category: Armchair Travel
August Calendar Cat: Ecuador's Independance Day
TIOLI #9: Author's First Name Initial Comes Alphbetically Before Their Last Name Initial
The Queen of Water by Laura Resau is the story of Virginia, born in a small rural village in Ecuador, she lives with her large family in a small, earth-walled hovel. Her family are indigenas considered the lowest class of people and they work the fields for a family of mestizos, Spanish descendants. At seven years of age Virginia is taken from her family to become an unpaid servant to an upper class mestizo couple. Never having known much love or kindness, she grows up struggling always to better herself and find a way to escape from her dead-end life.
This was an amazing YA story that is based on a true story. The author collaborated with the real Virginia to bring this story to the rest of the world. Virginia spent eight years being held a virtual prisoner, denied an education, being beaten for the slightest of misdeeds, and finally having to avoid the man of the house who liked to put his hands on her and became more possessive and jealous of her as she blossomed into a very attractive young woman. Feeling like she doesn’t belong anywhere, Virginia finds the courage to break away, reinvents herself and becomes the person she was meant to be.
I really liked this story, and felt that Virginia came across as very real. Like all young girls she wasn’t perfect but she grew into her wisdom and strength as she learned how to take control and build a new life for herself. This is the second book that I have read by this author and will certainly be on the lookout for more.
109DeltaQueen50
147. The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason - 4.0 ★
Category: Doing My ABCs
August AlphaKit: I
August SeriesCat: Set in a Country That I Do Not Live In
August TIOLI #1: Author's First and Last Names Start With a Vowel and End With a Consonant
The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason is the fourth book in the Detective Erlendur series set in Iceland. The book opens with a skeleton being discovered as the waters of Lake Kleifarvatn recede. This skeleton is about 30 years old and had a hole punched into it’s skull indicating foul play. Now Erlendur and his partners are opening old Missing Person files from around 1970 to see if they can identify the victim. Slow and detailed work eventually leads them to the 1950’s and the Cold War.
The Draining Lake is another excellent entry into this series. We follow two time lines that eventually converge and the glimpses the author gives us of both the past and current Iceland are interesting. Erlendur is a lonely, middle aged, divorced man who is alienated from his own two children. He is haunted by the disappearance of his own younger brother in a blizzard many years ago, so feeling an affinity with the unidentified corpse, he stubbornly and methodically works this case that is based on international espionage, betrayals and murder.
Category: Doing My ABCs
August AlphaKit: I
August SeriesCat: Set in a Country That I Do Not Live In
August TIOLI #1: Author's First and Last Names Start With a Vowel and End With a Consonant
The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason is the fourth book in the Detective Erlendur series set in Iceland. The book opens with a skeleton being discovered as the waters of Lake Kleifarvatn recede. This skeleton is about 30 years old and had a hole punched into it’s skull indicating foul play. Now Erlendur and his partners are opening old Missing Person files from around 1970 to see if they can identify the victim. Slow and detailed work eventually leads them to the 1950’s and the Cold War.
The Draining Lake is another excellent entry into this series. We follow two time lines that eventually converge and the glimpses the author gives us of both the past and current Iceland are interesting. Erlendur is a lonely, middle aged, divorced man who is alienated from his own two children. He is haunted by the disappearance of his own younger brother in a blizzard many years ago, so feeling an affinity with the unidentified corpse, he stubbornly and methodically works this case that is based on international espionage, betrayals and murder.
110DeltaQueen50
I've been trying to limit my LT time recently as I am experiencing a lot of pain in my right wrist when I spend too much time typing and scrolling. Then to make matters worse I seem to be experiencing some arthritus pain in my left hand's little finger. Getting old sucks!
111thornton37814
>109 DeltaQueen50: That's a series I need to get back to reading. I've only read one--and I think it was #2 instead of #1.
112clue
>110 DeltaQueen50: Ain't it so?? I have developed arthritis (self diagnosed) in my lower thumb joints. I really think its from holding books because they hurt the most when I hold larger hardbacks. It's grieves me but I'm really thankful for trade paperbacks and my Kindle!
113Jackie_K
>110 DeltaQueen50: >112 clue: I find holding hardback books harder now - I had De Quervain's Tenosynovitis (kind of like carpal tunnel, but affecting the wrist and thumb) in my right hand after I had my baby, had steroid injections and eventually surgery which fixed that, and then a year or so later developed repetitive strain injury in the same hand, so have to wear a wrist splint pretty much all the time now. I find spending a lot of time scrolling and typing really painful, so if it gets too painful then I have to limit my time on the keyboard. Although I have found that getting a split ergonomic keyboard and joystick mouse helpful. What with the painful wrist and the worsening eyesight, all I can say is e-readers are a godsend!
114DeltaQueen50
>111 thornton37814: My problem is that there are too many good mystery/police procedural series that I want to follow. This one keeps getting put on the back burner, but luckily it fit a TIOLI challenge this month.
>112 clue: & >113 Jackie_K: For me, scrolling is the worst. It really inflames my wrist, and I have been re-cataloging all my Kindle books recently which required a fair amount of scrolling. As for my little finger, I'm beginning to think there's something more than arthritis involved. It's swollen and turning slightly black and blue - can one break a finger and not be aware of it? I hate to go and spend hours and hours in the ER but if it doesn't improve over the weekend, I'll go and see the doctor next week.
>112 clue: & >113 Jackie_K: For me, scrolling is the worst. It really inflames my wrist, and I have been re-cataloging all my Kindle books recently which required a fair amount of scrolling. As for my little finger, I'm beginning to think there's something more than arthritis involved. It's swollen and turning slightly black and blue - can one break a finger and not be aware of it? I hate to go and spend hours and hours in the ER but if it doesn't improve over the weekend, I'll go and see the doctor next week.
115Jackie_K
>114 DeltaQueen50: Ouch, yes that might well be an issue if it's bruising. I hope it calms down soon and it can be treated easily.
116DeltaQueen50
148. The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates - 4.5 ★
Category: Let's Eat
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Worlds Begins With The Letter "C"
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates is a collection of short stories that are guaranteed to give you the chills. After just a few pages it becomes obvious that this author not only know about the stuff of nightmares, she can write about it as well. Her creative stories in this collection touch on our own worst fears and vulnerabilities and, I suspect, will haunt the reader for some time.
The first story, The Corn Maiden is the centerpiece and sets the tone for the rest of the book. This tale of an evil child who with the help of her minions kidnaps a younger classmate is creepy, strange and scary. Many of these stories feature children or siblings who are seeking revenge or taking sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Whether it is a step child delivering revenge for past misdeeds, a young child who cannot accept a new baby in the family, or a brother trying to eliminate his twin by poison, these tales are dark, claustrophobic and chilling.
While some of these stories are straight out frightening, others are strange, creepy and suspenseful. If these tales are showcasing Oates’ nightmares, then what an unusual mind this author has and how lucky are we that she shares her nightmares with her readers. If you are wanting to take a walk on the dark side than I would suggest giving The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares a try.
Category: Let's Eat
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Worlds Begins With The Letter "C"
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates is a collection of short stories that are guaranteed to give you the chills. After just a few pages it becomes obvious that this author not only know about the stuff of nightmares, she can write about it as well. Her creative stories in this collection touch on our own worst fears and vulnerabilities and, I suspect, will haunt the reader for some time.
The first story, The Corn Maiden is the centerpiece and sets the tone for the rest of the book. This tale of an evil child who with the help of her minions kidnaps a younger classmate is creepy, strange and scary. Many of these stories feature children or siblings who are seeking revenge or taking sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Whether it is a step child delivering revenge for past misdeeds, a young child who cannot accept a new baby in the family, or a brother trying to eliminate his twin by poison, these tales are dark, claustrophobic and chilling.
While some of these stories are straight out frightening, others are strange, creepy and suspenseful. If these tales are showcasing Oates’ nightmares, then what an unusual mind this author has and how lucky are we that she shares her nightmares with her readers. If you are wanting to take a walk on the dark side than I would suggest giving The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares a try.
117RidgewayGirl
Yes, JCO does creepy better than anyone else!
118BLBera
Hi Judy - I haven't read Flannery O'Connor's novels, but I love her short stories. She writes about bizarre situations. One thing she says is that in each of her stories, there is "a moment of grace." I have a lot of fun with my students trying to find it. I do like her dark humor, too. I'll have to give her novel a try at some point.
119NinieB
>114 DeltaQueen50: Yikes! Just this week, one of my co-workers thought she had sprained her finger, but an x-ray showed that in fact she had chipped the bone. She now has a little tiny splint that she has to wear for eight weeks.
120clue
>114 DeltaQueen50: I think it would be very possible to break a finger and not know it. I have a Dr. friend who didn't realize she had broken an ankle and walked on it, or tried to, for several days thinking it was a sprain.
121DeltaQueen50
>117 RidgewayGirl: I am looking forward to reading more from this author!
>118 BLBera: And I will have to give her short stories a try at some point, I'm thinking that they will be of what I am looking for with this author.
>119 NinieB: & >120 clue: Yes, I think I had better phone the doctor on Monday and go and see her about my finger. Luckily, since I have completed my cataloging my wrist has settled down and is much better.
>118 BLBera: And I will have to give her short stories a try at some point, I'm thinking that they will be of what I am looking for with this author.
>119 NinieB: & >120 clue: Yes, I think I had better phone the doctor on Monday and go and see her about my finger. Luckily, since I have completed my cataloging my wrist has settled down and is much better.
122DeltaQueen50
149. Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love - 3.5 ★
Category: Non-Fiction
2019 PopSugar Challenge: A Book Written by a Musician
August TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge - Who, What, When, Where & How
Before I fell in love with the Beatles, I remember listening to the Beach Boys and have been a fan since their first record hit the radio airwaves in the early 1960s. I remember when they were cool, then when they were not, and finally, when they were designated “America’s Band”. Although I know and love their music and recall some of their headlines like the connection to the Manson family and Brian Wilson’s struggles with drugs and mental health issues, I really didn’t know very much about what make this band tick.
I decided to listen to a recording of Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy, written and read by Mike Love, one of the original Beach Boys and a family member. This book gives the reader an understanding of the family dynamics and how the group got it’s start. I didn’t realize that in later years, they have imploded and suits and counter-suits are flying about. It is a shame that this group of three brothers, a cousin, and a friend couldn’t find the harmony in real life that they so easily achieved in their music.
I found Good Vibrations a mixed read with some of it very interesting and some it straight out boring. This is Mike Love’s version so I take it all with a grain of salt but the basics about the dysfunction of the group with the fights over creative rights, personal betrayals, the stress of having to constantly get the next album out, and the grind of touring felt honest and real. I don’t really care to investigate any further into what broke the Beach Boys, but I still love their music.
Category: Non-Fiction
2019 PopSugar Challenge: A Book Written by a Musician
August TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge - Who, What, When, Where & How
Before I fell in love with the Beatles, I remember listening to the Beach Boys and have been a fan since their first record hit the radio airwaves in the early 1960s. I remember when they were cool, then when they were not, and finally, when they were designated “America’s Band”. Although I know and love their music and recall some of their headlines like the connection to the Manson family and Brian Wilson’s struggles with drugs and mental health issues, I really didn’t know very much about what make this band tick.
I decided to listen to a recording of Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy, written and read by Mike Love, one of the original Beach Boys and a family member. This book gives the reader an understanding of the family dynamics and how the group got it’s start. I didn’t realize that in later years, they have imploded and suits and counter-suits are flying about. It is a shame that this group of three brothers, a cousin, and a friend couldn’t find the harmony in real life that they so easily achieved in their music.
I found Good Vibrations a mixed read with some of it very interesting and some it straight out boring. This is Mike Love’s version so I take it all with a grain of salt but the basics about the dysfunction of the group with the fights over creative rights, personal betrayals, the stress of having to constantly get the next album out, and the grind of touring felt honest and real. I don’t really care to investigate any further into what broke the Beach Boys, but I still love their music.
123thornton37814
>116 DeltaQueen50: Sounds like a good Halloween/October read.
Regarding your wrist, I own a pair of wrist braces. I haven't needed them for a long while, but my repetitive stress injury seemed to come from the way I held the wheel while driving and was aggravated by typing or anything using the wrist. I think I'd just lapsed into a lazy posture on the wheel for long trips and then kept doing it for day to day driving. I think forcing myself to wear the braces while driving even after the wrists were better helped me break the lazy habit.
Regarding your wrist, I own a pair of wrist braces. I haven't needed them for a long while, but my repetitive stress injury seemed to come from the way I held the wheel while driving and was aggravated by typing or anything using the wrist. I think I'd just lapsed into a lazy posture on the wheel for long trips and then kept doing it for day to day driving. I think forcing myself to wear the braces while driving even after the wrists were better helped me break the lazy habit.
124ronincats
Glad your wrists are a bit better--yes, check on the finger. It could just be jammed, but could also be broken and need PT to get back to normal.
125LisaMorr
As usual, catching up on this thread and your previous one leads to many BBs! The Sultan's Wife, Moon at Nine, Blue Highways, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, Dark Chapter and The Corn Maiden all go on the list, and a reminder to get to Adam Bede sooner rather than later.
Happy belated thingaversary and congrats on the book haul - my 11th is next week and I need to start considering what I'll get!
And sorry to hear your husband needs surgery and you're experiencing some issues - good luck to you both. Certainly happy to be on this side of the grass, but aging is no fun!
Happy belated thingaversary and congrats on the book haul - my 11th is next week and I need to start considering what I'll get!
And sorry to hear your husband needs surgery and you're experiencing some issues - good luck to you both. Certainly happy to be on this side of the grass, but aging is no fun!
126DeltaQueen50
>123 thornton37814: Lori, I am going to look into getting a wrist brace even if I just wear it when I am going to be on the computer for long spells.
>124 ronincats: I am planning on calling my doctor tomorrow, Roni. It is feeling a little better but still hurts if I move it in certain ways and typing with it is impossible!
>125 LisaMorr: I love sending out book bullets since I am the victim of them all too often here! And it's definitely true that old age is not for wimps!
>124 ronincats: I am planning on calling my doctor tomorrow, Roni. It is feeling a little better but still hurts if I move it in certain ways and typing with it is impossible!
>125 LisaMorr: I love sending out book bullets since I am the victim of them all too often here! And it's definitely true that old age is not for wimps!
127DeltaQueen50
Instead of following up with my doctor today, we spend it dealing with the car dealer as we are still trying to get the trunk of our car working. For the last little while it has simply been tied closed and we haven't been able to use it all all. I don't know what the difficulty is, you would think that getting a trunk to close wouldn't be all that hard even with the cameras and computers that today's car's have. Today it's going to the dealer's body shop so hopefully they will be able to do something. We have been wanting to go on a road trip since May but can't see outselves travelling without a trunk. They now have the car for a couple of days and if they finally get it fixed, I will be planning a road trip for September.
128katiekrug
>127 DeltaQueen50: - Road trip! I hear Calgary is lovely in September (says she who will be in Calgary in late September...) ;-)
129DeltaQueen50
150. Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig - 3.6 ★
Category: From My Shelves
2019 PopSugar Challenge: About a Family
August TIOLI #10: The Name Rick or Ricky is used as a Character
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig is the story of an autistic girl who needs to find her forever home and learn to let go of the past. At the age of nine Ginny was taken from her abusive mother, Gloria, and now, at fourteen, is starting to feel safe and loved by her adoptive parents, Brian and Maura. Maura is expecting a child which triggers memories in Ginny, that of her own baby doll and how she once loved and protected it.
Ginny becomes more and more anxious about her baby doll, but everyone assumes that she is talking about an actual doll so they don’t understand why she is increasingly getting more and more troublesome. By the time Maura’s baby arrives, they are afraid that Ginny may harm the new baby, and start to make the difficult decision to send Ginny away. The story is told by Ginny in her own words and the reader becomes immersed in her closed, careful and claustrophobic world. Everything must be black or white for Ginny, she doesn’t understand shades of grey.
This story alternates between being heartwarming and heartbreaking. Dealing with Ginny is difficult but I thought the story got a little far-fetched when none of the adults in her world, even her therapist, actually listened to her more carefully. Even once it was discovered that the baby doll was Ginny’s real baby sister, little effort was made to understand Ginny’s dilemma. This was a very good story that unfortunately was about 100 pages too long causing the read to become quite tiresome at times.
Category: From My Shelves
2019 PopSugar Challenge: About a Family
August TIOLI #10: The Name Rick or Ricky is used as a Character
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig is the story of an autistic girl who needs to find her forever home and learn to let go of the past. At the age of nine Ginny was taken from her abusive mother, Gloria, and now, at fourteen, is starting to feel safe and loved by her adoptive parents, Brian and Maura. Maura is expecting a child which triggers memories in Ginny, that of her own baby doll and how she once loved and protected it.
Ginny becomes more and more anxious about her baby doll, but everyone assumes that she is talking about an actual doll so they don’t understand why she is increasingly getting more and more troublesome. By the time Maura’s baby arrives, they are afraid that Ginny may harm the new baby, and start to make the difficult decision to send Ginny away. The story is told by Ginny in her own words and the reader becomes immersed in her closed, careful and claustrophobic world. Everything must be black or white for Ginny, she doesn’t understand shades of grey.
This story alternates between being heartwarming and heartbreaking. Dealing with Ginny is difficult but I thought the story got a little far-fetched when none of the adults in her world, even her therapist, actually listened to her more carefully. Even once it was discovered that the baby doll was Ginny’s real baby sister, little effort was made to understand Ginny’s dilemma. This was a very good story that unfortunately was about 100 pages too long causing the read to become quite tiresome at times.
130DeltaQueen50
>128 katiekrug: Katie, we had planned a trip last September that we ended up cancelling when my husband was taken to hospital so we may try to recreate our plans for that. Also my birthday is in the first week of October and my eldest daughter has made arrangements for us to go and stay in her cottage at Parksville on Vancouver Island which I will connect with a visit to my family - all we need is a car to pack up!
131mstrust
Judy, I'm wishing you a quick recovery for your wrist and thumb. And your car trunk!
>116 DeltaQueen50: It's been a few years since I read JCO, and that sounds like a good one. BB for me!
>116 DeltaQueen50: It's been a few years since I read JCO, and that sounds like a good one. BB for me!
132DeltaQueen50
>131 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer. I am excited to read more of JCO!
133DeltaQueen50
151. Shift Omnibus by Hugh Howey - 2.5 ★
Category: One Word Titles
August TBRCat: Planned to Read Right Away but It's Been Over A Year ...
TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge Based on Who, What, When, Where and How
The Shift Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey is a trilogy that is a sequel to his bestselling Wool. I read and loved Wool and was excited to finally be reading these next books. Unfortunately, I really didn’t care for Shift at all. The time sequences were are jumbled around and just when the reader would get to a good part, wham, the story shifted to another time. This took me totally out of the story and after a number of these time shifts, I really didn’t care anymore about any of the characters or the stories they were telling.
This three volume book is over 600 pages and believe me I felt as trapped as the residents of the various Silos. The characters were lame and dreary, the plot had huge holes, and it was painfully obvious when the author liked a phrase as he would then repeat it over and over. Why did I finish this? Well, I kept hoping that something would pull the various story lines together and give me some kind of semblance to the original story. This never happened and now I feel that spending so much time on this was a complete waste of time.
I also have this author’s Dust on my shelves which would once more place me into this claustrophobic world of the silos but, at this point I am not sure if I will bother to read it. What started out with such great promise with Wool really went downhill with Shift and this book has been my biggest disappointment so far this year.
Category: One Word Titles
August TBRCat: Planned to Read Right Away but It's Been Over A Year ...
TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge Based on Who, What, When, Where and How
The Shift Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey is a trilogy that is a sequel to his bestselling Wool. I read and loved Wool and was excited to finally be reading these next books. Unfortunately, I really didn’t care for Shift at all. The time sequences were are jumbled around and just when the reader would get to a good part, wham, the story shifted to another time. This took me totally out of the story and after a number of these time shifts, I really didn’t care anymore about any of the characters or the stories they were telling.
This three volume book is over 600 pages and believe me I felt as trapped as the residents of the various Silos. The characters were lame and dreary, the plot had huge holes, and it was painfully obvious when the author liked a phrase as he would then repeat it over and over. Why did I finish this? Well, I kept hoping that something would pull the various story lines together and give me some kind of semblance to the original story. This never happened and now I feel that spending so much time on this was a complete waste of time.
I also have this author’s Dust on my shelves which would once more place me into this claustrophobic world of the silos but, at this point I am not sure if I will bother to read it. What started out with such great promise with Wool really went downhill with Shift and this book has been my biggest disappointment so far this year.
134katiekrug
>133 DeltaQueen50: - Oooh, good to know. I also enjoyed Wool and have Shift on my Kindle, but I think I'll just let it languish there...
135dudes22
I had read Wool back in June from a BB I got from you and liked it well enough but wasn't sure I wanted to read more. You review has convinced me not to bother.
136BLBera
I like the Beach Boys' music as well, Judy, but I don't think I'm interested in reading a bio. Great comments - I think I know all I need to about them. :)
>133 DeltaQueen50: This sounds good. Onto the list it goes.
Good luck with your hand injury. I hope your trunk gets fixed. I think cars used to be easier to fix before everything was run by computers.
>133 DeltaQueen50: This sounds good. Onto the list it goes.
Good luck with your hand injury. I hope your trunk gets fixed. I think cars used to be easier to fix before everything was run by computers.
137DeltaQueen50
>134 katiekrug: I find it hard to believe that the same author wrote both Wool and Shift! This was a read that I was looking forward to, but it really sucked!
>135 dudes22: I would agree that you should definitely give Shift a miss, Betty.
>136 BLBera: Beth, I really got a strong vibe (if you will) that Mike Love was trying to get his side of the story out. Apparently Brian Wilson's bio came out a few months before his. I suspect the truth about all their problems lie somewhere in the middle.
The car saga drags on. They have ordered another latch (the third one!!) and it is coming from Toronto so at this point we won't get the car back until at least the end of the week.
>135 dudes22: I would agree that you should definitely give Shift a miss, Betty.
>136 BLBera: Beth, I really got a strong vibe (if you will) that Mike Love was trying to get his side of the story out. Apparently Brian Wilson's bio came out a few months before his. I suspect the truth about all their problems lie somewhere in the middle.
The car saga drags on. They have ordered another latch (the third one!!) and it is coming from Toronto so at this point we won't get the car back until at least the end of the week.
138DeltaQueen50
152. Rose's Last Summer by Margaret Millar - 3.3 ★
Category: Vintage Crime
TIOLI #5: Author Acknowledges Another Author in the Dedication
Rose’s Last Summer by Margaret Millar is a fun mystery novel that is about a faded actress’s death and the chaos that she leaves behind her. With her best days behind her, Rose bids adieu to her only friends, a noisy landlady and her psychologist and announces that she’s off to a new job as a housekeeper. Suspicions are aroused when she turns up dead in the garden of a wealthy doll manufacturer despite the coroner’s finding of a natural death.
Something strange is going on, and when another older lady disappears and there are threats of kidnapping and demands for ransom money as well as long lost relatives showing up, it is up to Detective Greer and psychologist Frank to get to the bottom of this complicated case.
Originally published in 1952, Rose’s Last Summer wasn’t quite as clever as I had been led to believe as I wasn’t surprised by any of the “twists” or the predictable outcome but it was a light, whimsical read perfect to kick back with on a warm summer’s day.
Category: Vintage Crime
TIOLI #5: Author Acknowledges Another Author in the Dedication
Rose’s Last Summer by Margaret Millar is a fun mystery novel that is about a faded actress’s death and the chaos that she leaves behind her. With her best days behind her, Rose bids adieu to her only friends, a noisy landlady and her psychologist and announces that she’s off to a new job as a housekeeper. Suspicions are aroused when she turns up dead in the garden of a wealthy doll manufacturer despite the coroner’s finding of a natural death.
Something strange is going on, and when another older lady disappears and there are threats of kidnapping and demands for ransom money as well as long lost relatives showing up, it is up to Detective Greer and psychologist Frank to get to the bottom of this complicated case.
Originally published in 1952, Rose’s Last Summer wasn’t quite as clever as I had been led to believe as I wasn’t surprised by any of the “twists” or the predictable outcome but it was a light, whimsical read perfect to kick back with on a warm summer’s day.
139msf59
Sweet Thursday, Judy. I hope you are having a good week. I see the books are treating you well. Mine, are too!
140DeltaQueen50
>139 msf59: I am enjoying most of the books that I am reading these days, Mark. Right now I am over the moon with Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees. For some reason I have avoided Barbara Kingsolver thinking that I wouldn't like her writing but I am absolutely loving this one and now I am looking forward to more of her books.
141DeltaQueen50
We got our car back today and the trunk works! I came home from picking it up and immediately got to work planning and booking a road trip for us. We are planning on heading out in early September travelling east and visiting friends and family along the way. Our turn around point will be the Cypress Hills in the south eastern corner of Alberta where the elevations changes the geographical landscape from flat, treeless praire to rolling, forest covered hills.
Then we will be heading over to Vancouver Island on the 30th of September for a stay at our elder daughter's beach cabin, then my husband will head home and I will go to Victoria for a visit with my Mom and the rest of the family.
After being housebound for the last few months we are both looking forward to hitting the road!
Then we will be heading over to Vancouver Island on the 30th of September for a stay at our elder daughter's beach cabin, then my husband will head home and I will go to Victoria for a visit with my Mom and the rest of the family.
After being housebound for the last few months we are both looking forward to hitting the road!
142NinieB
>141 DeltaQueen50: Did you know that Wallace Stegner spent part of his childhood in the Cypress Hills, and wrote a memoir/history about the region? Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier
143DeltaQueen50
>142 NinieB: Thanks, I didn't know that but now that I do, I just checked and it's available at Amazon for the Kindle so I may just have to treat myself. It would be a great read to take on my trip.
144NinieB
I started reading it a few years ago when I first got it, then life intervened and I got sidetracked. But I did enjoy the part that I read. Your reading it will be a good reason for me to pull out my copy and finally give it a proper read.
145DeltaQueen50
>144 NinieB: Well, I resisted temptation for all of one minute and Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier is now on my kindle! This will definitely be read next month.
146NinieB
>146 NinieB: I had never heard of the Cypress Hills until I had picked up Wolf Willow, and hadn't heard of them since then until you mentioned them. Stegner's Angle of Repose was a powerful novel; I'm looking forward to reading more by him.
147Carmenere
Happy, yet belated, new thread, Judy! You're clearly having an outstanding summer of reading! Your road trip sounds awesome. Will the trees be changing colors for you?
148DeltaQueen50
>146 NinieB: Stenger has long been on my radar, so I am looking forward to reading him.
>147 Carmenere: Hi Lynda. I think it will be a little early for the leaves to be showing color, but maybe at the higher elevations in the Rocky Mountains we will see some color.
>147 Carmenere: Hi Lynda. I think it will be a little early for the leaves to be showing color, but maybe at the higher elevations in the Rocky Mountains we will see some color.
149DeltaQueen50
153. Kieron Smith, Boy by James Kelman - 3.3 ★
Category: The 1,001 Book List
August 1,001 Books To Read Group Read
August TIOLI #9: Author's First Initial Comes Alphabetically Before the Last Initial
Told through the thoughts and with the voice of one young Scottish lad, Kieron Smith, Boy by James Kelman is in fact, made very distinctive by the Glaswegian dialect that Kieron uses. For me, this made the book a little more difficult but also gave it an authenticity that drew me in. Unfortunately after 300 or so pages this ‘stream of consciousness’ style started to wear thin and I still had another 100 or so pages to go. While the boy’s voice was truly authentic it was also realistic enough that you soon realized that youngsters of this age don’t have much of interest to talk about.
Kieron is growing up in one of Glasgow’s poorer neighbourhoods. His parents are difficult to get a handle on as in Kieron’s eyes, his dad is always behind the newspaper and his mother is always watching the television. His battles with his older brother did bring a smile to my face having been in Kieron’s position with an older sister who always thought she was in the right. The story flows with the day-to-day tedium of Kieron’s observations that carry him from about age 5 through to 13.
A book that started out well but wasn’t able to keep from fading into boredom, Kieron Smith, Boy felt too long for a book where nothing really happens.
Category: The 1,001 Book List
August 1,001 Books To Read Group Read
August TIOLI #9: Author's First Initial Comes Alphabetically Before the Last Initial
Told through the thoughts and with the voice of one young Scottish lad, Kieron Smith, Boy by James Kelman is in fact, made very distinctive by the Glaswegian dialect that Kieron uses. For me, this made the book a little more difficult but also gave it an authenticity that drew me in. Unfortunately after 300 or so pages this ‘stream of consciousness’ style started to wear thin and I still had another 100 or so pages to go. While the boy’s voice was truly authentic it was also realistic enough that you soon realized that youngsters of this age don’t have much of interest to talk about.
Kieron is growing up in one of Glasgow’s poorer neighbourhoods. His parents are difficult to get a handle on as in Kieron’s eyes, his dad is always behind the newspaper and his mother is always watching the television. His battles with his older brother did bring a smile to my face having been in Kieron’s position with an older sister who always thought she was in the right. The story flows with the day-to-day tedium of Kieron’s observations that carry him from about age 5 through to 13.
A book that started out well but wasn’t able to keep from fading into boredom, Kieron Smith, Boy felt too long for a book where nothing really happens.
150DeltaQueen50
154. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - 5.0 ★
Category: Let's Eat!
August TIOLI #14: Morphy's Challenge - Read a Book With a Food Item in the Title
I have just finished listening to The Bean Trees written by Barbara Kingsolver and read by C. J. Critt and I now have a bookish crush on Ms. Kingsolver. Why oh why, I ask myself have I avoided this author over the years? Someone in the past made disparaging remarks and I unfortunately believed them. Now I am anxious to read more by this author. The Bean Trees is about feisty Marietta Greer, who escapes the backwaters of Kentucky to find herself a new life. When her car breaks down in Taylorville, Illinois, she chooses to rename herself Taylor. When she reaches Oklahoma and has problems with her ‘55 Volkswagen bug, she ends up having a baby placed in her arms by a sad Cherokee woman. Taylor calls the baby Turtle as she clings so tightly to her new mother.
I loved this story of how Taylor and Turtle find a new place in Arizona for themselves and surround themselves with good friends that become like family. The author uses humor and whimsy in generous amounts but also doesn’t shy away from dark truths and real life. As Taylor embraces the responsibility of motherhood and comes to love the state of Arizona, the reader is treated to a wonderful story of affirmation, risk-taking, commitment and love.
Originally published in 1988, this book, with it’s references to political and human rights issues surrounding illegal immigrants is very relevant to the border situation today. The Bean Trees is a touching, funny and humane story that was raised to excellence by the fantastic narration of C. J. Critt.
Category: Let's Eat!
August TIOLI #14: Morphy's Challenge - Read a Book With a Food Item in the Title
I have just finished listening to The Bean Trees written by Barbara Kingsolver and read by C. J. Critt and I now have a bookish crush on Ms. Kingsolver. Why oh why, I ask myself have I avoided this author over the years? Someone in the past made disparaging remarks and I unfortunately believed them. Now I am anxious to read more by this author. The Bean Trees is about feisty Marietta Greer, who escapes the backwaters of Kentucky to find herself a new life. When her car breaks down in Taylorville, Illinois, she chooses to rename herself Taylor. When she reaches Oklahoma and has problems with her ‘55 Volkswagen bug, she ends up having a baby placed in her arms by a sad Cherokee woman. Taylor calls the baby Turtle as she clings so tightly to her new mother.
I loved this story of how Taylor and Turtle find a new place in Arizona for themselves and surround themselves with good friends that become like family. The author uses humor and whimsy in generous amounts but also doesn’t shy away from dark truths and real life. As Taylor embraces the responsibility of motherhood and comes to love the state of Arizona, the reader is treated to a wonderful story of affirmation, risk-taking, commitment and love.
Originally published in 1988, this book, with it’s references to political and human rights issues surrounding illegal immigrants is very relevant to the border situation today. The Bean Trees is a touching, funny and humane story that was raised to excellence by the fantastic narration of C. J. Critt.
151clue
>150 DeltaQueen50: I have this on my reread list because I read it several years ago and want to read Pigs in Heaven, it's sequel. One of my favorites is The Lacuna but I think most people liked The Poisonwood Bible most. I should try it again I guess because I didn't like it all that much, probably read it at the wrong time.
152Familyhistorian
Good to hear that your car is finally fixed and you will be able to get on the road, Judy.
153japaul22
>150 DeltaQueen50: I also waited way too long to start reading Barbara Kingsolver's books. I read Poisonwood Bible first and thought it was excellent (it's also on the 1001 books list). I've since read about 5 of her books and I've liked them all.
154dudes22
My favorite is her non-fiction book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life which she wrote after her family moved from Arizona to Virginia and decided to try living off the land for a year. I still have The Lacuna on my TBR pile, but have liked others of hers that I read. I only have two listed here on LT so I must have read others before I started tracking on LT.
155DeltaQueen50
>151 clue: As soon as I finished The Bean Trees I went to Audible and got myself a copy of Pigs in Heaven. Not sure when I will fit it into my reading but it will mostly likely be my next Kingsolver.
>152 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. We are really looking forward to getting away since it's been quite a while since we were able to get away on a road trip.
>153 japaul22: Good to hear, that you liked The Poisonwood Bible as I already have that one on my shelves. I expect it will be next after Pigs in Heaven.
>154 dudes22: Ha, another one to add to my list.
>152 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. We are really looking forward to getting away since it's been quite a while since we were able to get away on a road trip.
>153 japaul22: Good to hear, that you liked The Poisonwood Bible as I already have that one on my shelves. I expect it will be next after Pigs in Heaven.
>154 dudes22: Ha, another one to add to my list.
156DeltaQueen50
155. Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley - 3.8 ★
Category: Out of the Past
August Reading Thru Time: Religion and Philosophy
August TIOLI #14: Author's Last Name is Longer Than the First
Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley is a rather grim story set in the 6th century Ireland as Christianity is slowly overtaking the pagan religion. Gwynneve is serving as a nun and is cloistered in a stone cell at St. Bridgit’s convent. She should be transcribing sacred texts but instead she is secretly recording her life story of how she was raised as a pagan, trained as a druid and eventually “converted” to Christianity. This is a story of a hard life with constant struggles against the injustices of the time.
Well crafted and researched, the author writes about this time period with authority, yet she manages to infuse her words with a poetic feeling. While this is a grim story about a woman struggling in a difficult time, it is interesting and gives the reader a strong picture of the Celtic culture being overtaken and changed by Christianity. Not a long novel, but one that explores both the spirituality and philosophy of a country that is being changed by a new religion.
Category: Out of the Past
August Reading Thru Time: Religion and Philosophy
August TIOLI #14: Author's Last Name is Longer Than the First
Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley is a rather grim story set in the 6th century Ireland as Christianity is slowly overtaking the pagan religion. Gwynneve is serving as a nun and is cloistered in a stone cell at St. Bridgit’s convent. She should be transcribing sacred texts but instead she is secretly recording her life story of how she was raised as a pagan, trained as a druid and eventually “converted” to Christianity. This is a story of a hard life with constant struggles against the injustices of the time.
Well crafted and researched, the author writes about this time period with authority, yet she manages to infuse her words with a poetic feeling. While this is a grim story about a woman struggling in a difficult time, it is interesting and gives the reader a strong picture of the Celtic culture being overtaken and changed by Christianity. Not a long novel, but one that explores both the spirituality and philosophy of a country that is being changed by a new religion.
157Jackie_K
>150 DeltaQueen50: I read Pigs in Heaven and loved it, it worked fine as a standalone as I'd not read The Bean Trees before. I must admit though that I tried to read The Poisonwood Bible twice but just found it so bleak I never managed to get very far with it.
158msf59
Happy Sunday, Judy. Great review of The Bean Trees. Thumb! I loved the book too and I hope this kicks off a long, affair with Kingsolver. I also loved Pigs in Heaven.
159DeltaQueen50
>157 Jackie_K: I think it was my sister, who hated The Poisonwood Bible, that initially put me off of Barbara Kingsolver, but I am hoping that my opinion is different from hers.
>158 msf59: Thanks for the thumb, Mark. I love that even at my ripe old age, I can still be so pleasantly surprised by books!
>158 msf59: Thanks for the thumb, Mark. I love that even at my ripe old age, I can still be so pleasantly surprised by books!
160ronincats
I am waiting with bated breath to hear your reaction to The Face in the Frost, Judy. Not a perfect book, but one that has wormed its way deep into my heart.
161VioletBramble
>150 DeltaQueen50: Great review of The Bean Trees. I've had that one sitting on my shelf for a number of years and never seem to get around to reading it. The Poisonwood Bible is the only Kingsolver I've read so far. I loved it.
I'm also gonna take a BB for Confessions of a Pagan Nun.
I'm also gonna take a BB for Confessions of a Pagan Nun.
162DeltaQueen50
>160 ronincats: You don't have to wait too long, Roni, I polished off this little gem yesterday. I loved it, especially the way the author uses language.
>161 VioletBramble: I hope you find Confessions of a Pagan Nun interesting. I was very impressed. It looks like The Poisonwood Bible leaves mixed reactions - people either seem to love it or not like it at all.
>161 VioletBramble: I hope you find Confessions of a Pagan Nun interesting. I was very impressed. It looks like The Poisonwood Bible leaves mixed reactions - people either seem to love it or not like it at all.
163DeltaQueen50
156. The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs - 4.2 ★
Category: Book Bullets - Roni
August TBR Cat: Planned to read immediately upon purchase but it's still on my shelf a couple of years later
August TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge - Who, What, When, Where & How
The Face in the Frost is by author John Bellairs who specialized in writing spooky tales for young readers. This story totally enchanted me with it’s magic, humor and adventure. The main character, Prospero and his best friend Roger Bacon are elderly wizards in a fantasy land. When a series of supernatural manifestations begin to haunt Propero’s home, the two friends set out on a quest to discover the source of these evil occurrences. On their journey they encounter ghosts, wild beasts, and nightmares of all types, yet these wizards fight back with their magic staffs and chanted spells. They never give up, and their humor never deserts them.
Although this book is for children, and the plot is fairly simple, this author has a wonderful way with words, mixing whimsical fairy tale language and strange inventive wizard words into the flow of the narrative. There isn’t much in the way of violence instead the author creates a sense of danger by bending reality into nightmare scenes and keeping our two wizards in a constant state of dread.
A very short novel of less than 200 pages, The Face in the Frost was a delightful way to spend an afternoon and introduced me to a couple of very lovable wizards. The writing is a blend of dark Gothic and fanciful lightness that at times is spooky and at others silly. I wish I had read this when I was young because I know I would have been totally caught up in this magical tale.
Category: Book Bullets - Roni
August TBR Cat: Planned to read immediately upon purchase but it's still on my shelf a couple of years later
August TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge - Who, What, When, Where & How
The Face in the Frost is by author John Bellairs who specialized in writing spooky tales for young readers. This story totally enchanted me with it’s magic, humor and adventure. The main character, Prospero and his best friend Roger Bacon are elderly wizards in a fantasy land. When a series of supernatural manifestations begin to haunt Propero’s home, the two friends set out on a quest to discover the source of these evil occurrences. On their journey they encounter ghosts, wild beasts, and nightmares of all types, yet these wizards fight back with their magic staffs and chanted spells. They never give up, and their humor never deserts them.
Although this book is for children, and the plot is fairly simple, this author has a wonderful way with words, mixing whimsical fairy tale language and strange inventive wizard words into the flow of the narrative. There isn’t much in the way of violence instead the author creates a sense of danger by bending reality into nightmare scenes and keeping our two wizards in a constant state of dread.
A very short novel of less than 200 pages, The Face in the Frost was a delightful way to spend an afternoon and introduced me to a couple of very lovable wizards. The writing is a blend of dark Gothic and fanciful lightness that at times is spooky and at others silly. I wish I had read this when I was young because I know I would have been totally caught up in this magical tale.
164BLBera
I am a Kingsolver fan as well, Judy. I've been meaning to reread The Bean Trees; it's been years and I really loved it. My favorites, I think, are Animal Dreams and Flight Behavior. You do have a lot of good reading ahead.
Hooray for a road trip and a working trunk!
Hooray for a road trip and a working trunk!
165DeltaQueen50
>165 DeltaQueen50: Hi Beth, I am just about to head over to your thread to thank you for letting me know about the updated Little Women graphic novel. I really enjoyed it!
166DeltaQueen50
157. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by RayTerciero and Illustrated by Bre Indigo - 4.2 ★
Category: Overflow
August TIOLI #5: Author Acknowledges Another Author in the Dedication
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Ray Terciero and Bre Indigo is a graphic novel that retells the classic story of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. In this version the March sisters are from a blended family with Meg and her father being black, Jo and her mother white while the younger girls, Beth and Amy, are of mixed heritage. They live in a brownstone in Brooklyn, the mother is a nurse while the father serves in the military and is deployed in the Middle East.
Many of the details of the original book are included but in an updated manner and readers of the original will certainly recognize the girls from their personalities, but their problems and inner feelings have been given new twists more in line with today’s young women, from concerns about their future careers to dealing with racist bullying and their sexual identity. The story is enhanced by the letters and e-mails that the girls send their father which allows the reader access to their inner thoughts.
I thought this was a wonderful update on one of my favorite stories. The artwork is colorful and attention grabbing, and the story works well in it’s contemporary setting. My only quibble is that all the important issues that were raised were quickly dealt with and smoothed over which simplified the story somewhat. I would love to see a sequel at some point to see how the girls progress.
Category: Overflow
August TIOLI #5: Author Acknowledges Another Author in the Dedication
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Ray Terciero and Bre Indigo is a graphic novel that retells the classic story of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. In this version the March sisters are from a blended family with Meg and her father being black, Jo and her mother white while the younger girls, Beth and Amy, are of mixed heritage. They live in a brownstone in Brooklyn, the mother is a nurse while the father serves in the military and is deployed in the Middle East.
Many of the details of the original book are included but in an updated manner and readers of the original will certainly recognize the girls from their personalities, but their problems and inner feelings have been given new twists more in line with today’s young women, from concerns about their future careers to dealing with racist bullying and their sexual identity. The story is enhanced by the letters and e-mails that the girls send their father which allows the reader access to their inner thoughts.
I thought this was a wonderful update on one of my favorite stories. The artwork is colorful and attention grabbing, and the story works well in it’s contemporary setting. My only quibble is that all the important issues that were raised were quickly dealt with and smoothed over which simplified the story somewhat. I would love to see a sequel at some point to see how the girls progress.
167mstrust
>163 DeltaQueen50: I new-to-me Bellairs!? BB'd, and thanks for reviewing that.
168DeltaQueen50
>167 mstrust: You're welcome, Jennifer. The Face in the Frost was a book bullet for me so I am happy to be passing the "hit" along!
169DeltaQueen50
158. Origin by Jessica Khoury - 3.4 ★
Category: Young At Heart
August TIOLI #9: The Author's First Name Initial Comes Alphabetically Before the Last Name Initial
Origin by Jessica Khoury is a YA story set in a secret enclave deep in the Amazonian jungle where a group of scientists have perfected their exploration of immorality. Hidden away from the world, their specimen has reached the age of seventeen. She has inexhaustible stamina, a body impervious to sickness or injury and super fast reflexes, but Pia is more than a science project, she is a living, breathing girl who longs to break free of the restrictions that surround her. When a storm causes a break in the fence surrounding the compound, Pia ventures out on her own. She meets a boy, Eio, and with his help and the help of a new female scientist, Pia learns more about the secrets and tragedies that led to her existence.
Origin is a well paced story that makes inventive use of the philosophy and science of immortality. It is a YA book which meant that the characters were not as well developed as I would have liked and the relationship between Pia and Eio was a little too full of teen angst for me which made it rather unbelievable. Obviously this is a book written for a young teenage audience and probably would most likely be enjoyed by them. Origin is the first of a trilogy and since I have the other two on my shelves, I will probably continue on at some point.
Category: Young At Heart
August TIOLI #9: The Author's First Name Initial Comes Alphabetically Before the Last Name Initial
Origin by Jessica Khoury is a YA story set in a secret enclave deep in the Amazonian jungle where a group of scientists have perfected their exploration of immorality. Hidden away from the world, their specimen has reached the age of seventeen. She has inexhaustible stamina, a body impervious to sickness or injury and super fast reflexes, but Pia is more than a science project, she is a living, breathing girl who longs to break free of the restrictions that surround her. When a storm causes a break in the fence surrounding the compound, Pia ventures out on her own. She meets a boy, Eio, and with his help and the help of a new female scientist, Pia learns more about the secrets and tragedies that led to her existence.
Origin is a well paced story that makes inventive use of the philosophy and science of immortality. It is a YA book which meant that the characters were not as well developed as I would have liked and the relationship between Pia and Eio was a little too full of teen angst for me which made it rather unbelievable. Obviously this is a book written for a young teenage audience and probably would most likely be enjoyed by them. Origin is the first of a trilogy and since I have the other two on my shelves, I will probably continue on at some point.
170DeltaQueen50
What a strange day. We went across the border and were planning on meeting my brother-in-law and his wife for lunch, but somehow the wires got crossed and we ended up at the Olive Garden in Bellingham, and they were in the Olive Garden in Mount Vernon - 30 miles down the road. I guess when my husband told his brother that we were coming "down" his brother thought we meant Mt. Vernon not just coming down over the border. On top of that, the border lineup were crazy today and it took us 2 1/2 hours to cross over to the States and then about 1 hr. and 15 min. to come back. Well, at least it got us out of the apartment for a day!
171DeltaQueen50
159. Collusion by Stuart Neville - 4.5 ★
Category: Doing My ABCs
August AlphaKit: N
August SeriesCat: Set in a country that I do not live in
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Words Begins with the Letter "C"
Collusion by Stuart Neville is the second book in his Belfast series of novels. This one is driven by the events from the first book and has D. I. Jack Lennon rushing to unravel the conspiracy that involves collusion among Loyalists, IRA members, and law enforcement in order to rescue his former girlfriend and their daughter who are being used as bait to draw out the mysterious Gerry Fegan.
This story is just as well written and just as violent as the first book was, with a merciless paid assassin going about his gruesome work of silencing all witnesses to the bloodbath that closed out the first book. Marie McKenna and her young daughter are lured out of hiding and Gerry Fegan and Jack Lennon end up working together to save them.
This is a thriller that totally works, delivering terrifying but believable chills in this riveting and tragic story of revenge and redemption. I am looking forward to continuing on with this series as there were enough loose threads left at the end of Collusion to leave me wondering what is going to happen next.
Category: Doing My ABCs
August AlphaKit: N
August SeriesCat: Set in a country that I do not live in
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Words Begins with the Letter "C"
Collusion by Stuart Neville is the second book in his Belfast series of novels. This one is driven by the events from the first book and has D. I. Jack Lennon rushing to unravel the conspiracy that involves collusion among Loyalists, IRA members, and law enforcement in order to rescue his former girlfriend and their daughter who are being used as bait to draw out the mysterious Gerry Fegan.
This story is just as well written and just as violent as the first book was, with a merciless paid assassin going about his gruesome work of silencing all witnesses to the bloodbath that closed out the first book. Marie McKenna and her young daughter are lured out of hiding and Gerry Fegan and Jack Lennon end up working together to save them.
This is a thriller that totally works, delivering terrifying but believable chills in this riveting and tragic story of revenge and redemption. I am looking forward to continuing on with this series as there were enough loose threads left at the end of Collusion to leave me wondering what is going to happen next.
172DeltaQueen50
160. Jackie's Girl by Kathy McKeon - 3.7 ★
Category: Non-Fiction
August TIOLI #17: Published by a 2 Word Publishing Company
In 1964 Kathy McKeon went to a job interview at a luxury apartment on 5th Avenue, New York. Instead of a difficult interview she spent some time time a young boy, John, and his dog. His mother was charmed by how well Kathy and John got on, and immediately hired Kathy to work to her. The mother was Jacqueline Kennedy. In Jackie’s Girl, Kathy writes about the years (1964 – 1976) that she spent with Jacqueline Kennedy/Onassis and her children. They developed a close relationship and Kathy was there for the milestones that happened during these years.
Jacqueline Kennedy comes across as a caring mother and someone who was very good to work for. If you were let into her inner circle, her kindness and generosity ensured that you felt part of the “family”. This isn’t a tell-all book that exposes scandals and secrets but it is the story of a young Irish girl who is hired to clean, mend and look after Jackie’s clothes and to fill in for the governess yet finds herself establishing a friendship that would last a lifetime. You can still get a sense of how protective Ms. McKeon is toward the Kennedys but overall this is a pleasant memoir filled with interesting anecdotes.
Category: Non-Fiction
August TIOLI #17: Published by a 2 Word Publishing Company
In 1964 Kathy McKeon went to a job interview at a luxury apartment on 5th Avenue, New York. Instead of a difficult interview she spent some time time a young boy, John, and his dog. His mother was charmed by how well Kathy and John got on, and immediately hired Kathy to work to her. The mother was Jacqueline Kennedy. In Jackie’s Girl, Kathy writes about the years (1964 – 1976) that she spent with Jacqueline Kennedy/Onassis and her children. They developed a close relationship and Kathy was there for the milestones that happened during these years.
Jacqueline Kennedy comes across as a caring mother and someone who was very good to work for. If you were let into her inner circle, her kindness and generosity ensured that you felt part of the “family”. This isn’t a tell-all book that exposes scandals and secrets but it is the story of a young Irish girl who is hired to clean, mend and look after Jackie’s clothes and to fill in for the governess yet finds herself establishing a friendship that would last a lifetime. You can still get a sense of how protective Ms. McKeon is toward the Kennedys but overall this is a pleasant memoir filled with interesting anecdotes.
173DeltaQueen50
161. Huck Out West by Robert Coover - 4.2 ★
Category: Saddle Up!
August RandomCat: Back to School
August TIOLI #12: Author Has A College or University Connection
In Huck Out West author Robert Coover continues the story of Huckleberry Finn by following him on his Western journeys. We learn that Huck has been having adventures, among them was working as a Pony Express rider, hunting buffalo, guiding wagon trains and living with the Lakota Sioux. At times Huckleberry is with his childhood friend, Tom Sawyer. While these characters are much like they were as youngsters with Huck having retained his decency and innocence, the crafty, clever and self-serving Tom Sawyer has lost his charm is now a manipulative and rather untrustworthy scoundrel. Many other characters from the two books about these boys make an appearance as well.
Although these characters are familiar, the author’s purpose seems less in continuing the legend of Huckleberry than in exposing the truth behind how and why the incoming Americans ignored the previous treaties that had been set with the Lakota over the Black Hills. Once gold had been discovered there, the Americans quickly sought to discard the treaties, take control and remove or murder the Lakota. We now know that these depredations eventually ended up in the confrontation at the Little Bighorn in 1876. The book reminded me a great deal of Little Big Man by Thomas Berger, as Huck wanders around and is involved in incidents with the Indians, bandits, immigrants, prospectors and the army. Although not specifically named, there is a long haired general that Huck calls General Hard Ass that shows up a number of times and every time he appears, the news is not good for Huckleberry.
As the drifter Huckleberry Finn continues his search for freedom, Huck Out West serves as both a homage and a sequel to Mark Twain’s original work as well as a satire about the cost of America’s determination to extend it’s borders. I believe that Mark Twain would have enjoyed this book, I know that I certainly did.
Category: Saddle Up!
August RandomCat: Back to School
August TIOLI #12: Author Has A College or University Connection
In Huck Out West author Robert Coover continues the story of Huckleberry Finn by following him on his Western journeys. We learn that Huck has been having adventures, among them was working as a Pony Express rider, hunting buffalo, guiding wagon trains and living with the Lakota Sioux. At times Huckleberry is with his childhood friend, Tom Sawyer. While these characters are much like they were as youngsters with Huck having retained his decency and innocence, the crafty, clever and self-serving Tom Sawyer has lost his charm is now a manipulative and rather untrustworthy scoundrel. Many other characters from the two books about these boys make an appearance as well.
Although these characters are familiar, the author’s purpose seems less in continuing the legend of Huckleberry than in exposing the truth behind how and why the incoming Americans ignored the previous treaties that had been set with the Lakota over the Black Hills. Once gold had been discovered there, the Americans quickly sought to discard the treaties, take control and remove or murder the Lakota. We now know that these depredations eventually ended up in the confrontation at the Little Bighorn in 1876. The book reminded me a great deal of Little Big Man by Thomas Berger, as Huck wanders around and is involved in incidents with the Indians, bandits, immigrants, prospectors and the army. Although not specifically named, there is a long haired general that Huck calls General Hard Ass that shows up a number of times and every time he appears, the news is not good for Huckleberry.
As the drifter Huckleberry Finn continues his search for freedom, Huck Out West serves as both a homage and a sequel to Mark Twain’s original work as well as a satire about the cost of America’s determination to extend it’s borders. I believe that Mark Twain would have enjoyed this book, I know that I certainly did.
174DeltaQueen50
162. Stone Spring by Stephen Baxter - 4.0 ★
Category: Out of the Past
August SfffKit: Alternative History
August TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge Based on Who, What, When, Where or How
Stone Spring by Stephen Baxter is the first in the Northlands trilogy where the author speculates about the distant past and, in this version, changes the outcome so that the land bridge that connected Great Britain to Europe is not sunk under the sea but instead due to a system of dikes and dams, holds back the oncoming oceans. The time period is the Mesolithic period, circa 8000 B.C. , and much of the earth’s waters are locked into glaciers, the oceans are lower and land that is buried today is exposed and has people living on it. As the glaciers melted, the oceans rose and covered much of this land.
The story follows a group of people who live in this area, their way of life is threatened by the rising of the oceans and a series of tsunamis which are vividly depicted in the story. Although I found this book at some 500 plus pages a little long, the story was interesting as the people of Etxelur struggle to save their homeland from sinking. There is more to the story than just building dams as the story is centered around one prehistoric girl who envisions a better world for her tribe. There are power struggles, wars between various tribes and revenge among family members which brought a lot of action to the story and, while there were a few parts that required me to stretch my imagination a little to far, for the most part I enjoyed this story and look forward to continuing on with the trilogy.
Category: Out of the Past
August SfffKit: Alternative History
August TIOLI #2: Rolling Challenge Based on Who, What, When, Where or How
Stone Spring by Stephen Baxter is the first in the Northlands trilogy where the author speculates about the distant past and, in this version, changes the outcome so that the land bridge that connected Great Britain to Europe is not sunk under the sea but instead due to a system of dikes and dams, holds back the oncoming oceans. The time period is the Mesolithic period, circa 8000 B.C. , and much of the earth’s waters are locked into glaciers, the oceans are lower and land that is buried today is exposed and has people living on it. As the glaciers melted, the oceans rose and covered much of this land.
The story follows a group of people who live in this area, their way of life is threatened by the rising of the oceans and a series of tsunamis which are vividly depicted in the story. Although I found this book at some 500 plus pages a little long, the story was interesting as the people of Etxelur struggle to save their homeland from sinking. There is more to the story than just building dams as the story is centered around one prehistoric girl who envisions a better world for her tribe. There are power struggles, wars between various tribes and revenge among family members which brought a lot of action to the story and, while there were a few parts that required me to stretch my imagination a little to far, for the most part I enjoyed this story and look forward to continuing on with the trilogy.
175DeltaQueen50
163. When The Devil Holds The Candle by Karin Fossum - 4.5 ★
Category: Crime Stories
August SeriesCat: Set in a Country You Do Not Live In
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Words Begins with the Letter "C"
When The Devil Holds The Candle by Karin Fossum is the third book in her Inspector Konrad Sejer series to be published in North America. The story follows a couple of young men who are looking for adventure and the money to fund it. There is an incident where they try to rob a young mother and then later Andreas and his friend Zipp decide to follow an older woman through the dark streets and then break into her home. Andreas is the one to enter the house while Zipp waits in the dark back yard. But Andreas never comes out.
The author builds the tension slowly over the course of the book, and by the final third of the story, the pages were turning quickly. Each character in the book is skilfully developed and all appear to be hiding secrets. This is a tense, psychological thriller where the police are mostly sidelined till the end of the book and while the conclusion was very dark and very chilling it was all too believable. Every book in this series is better than the one that went before it and Karin Fossum has become an author that I know I can totally rely on to deliver a superb story.
Category: Crime Stories
August SeriesCat: Set in a Country You Do Not Live In
August TIOLI #3: One of the Title Words Begins with the Letter "C"
When The Devil Holds The Candle by Karin Fossum is the third book in her Inspector Konrad Sejer series to be published in North America. The story follows a couple of young men who are looking for adventure and the money to fund it. There is an incident where they try to rob a young mother and then later Andreas and his friend Zipp decide to follow an older woman through the dark streets and then break into her home. Andreas is the one to enter the house while Zipp waits in the dark back yard. But Andreas never comes out.
The author builds the tension slowly over the course of the book, and by the final third of the story, the pages were turning quickly. Each character in the book is skilfully developed and all appear to be hiding secrets. This is a tense, psychological thriller where the police are mostly sidelined till the end of the book and while the conclusion was very dark and very chilling it was all too believable. Every book in this series is better than the one that went before it and Karin Fossum has become an author that I know I can totally rely on to deliver a superb story.
176DeltaQueen50
164. The Magdalen Girls by V. S. Alexander - 3.2 ★
Category: My Library List
August TIOLI #17: Published by a Two Word Publishing Company
Set in Dublin, Ireland in early 1962, The Magdalen Girls is a story based on the infamous Magdalen laundries run by the Catholic church. The main characters are three girls who are sent to live indefinitely as penitents under the watch of sadistic Catholic nuns. These girls are given long hours of work with little nourishment. They are not allowed to speak to each other, or any time on their own. Girls were given over to the nuns by families that couldn’t deal with the troublesome teens, one girl ended up there because a priest was attracted to her and it was easier to have her removed than to expect him to control himself.
The three girls bond and try to look out for each other, and two of them actually manage to escape for a short time. In Ireland, the church was the law so any escaped girls were hunted down and immediately returned to the nuns. The Magdalen laundries have become known for their severe conditions and the inhuman way the girls were treated but the author seems to shy away from pointing fingers, instead the Sister Superior is given a backstory that helps to explain why she inflicts emotional and physical abuse on others.
The concept of The Magdalen Girls was excellent, this is a story that needs to be told. Unfortunately, I felt the writing was a little weak and clunky and the characters came across flat and one-dimensional. I thought this book had the potential to be an excellent historical fiction read so I was disappointed that it just didn’t work well.
Category: My Library List
August TIOLI #17: Published by a Two Word Publishing Company
Set in Dublin, Ireland in early 1962, The Magdalen Girls is a story based on the infamous Magdalen laundries run by the Catholic church. The main characters are three girls who are sent to live indefinitely as penitents under the watch of sadistic Catholic nuns. These girls are given long hours of work with little nourishment. They are not allowed to speak to each other, or any time on their own. Girls were given over to the nuns by families that couldn’t deal with the troublesome teens, one girl ended up there because a priest was attracted to her and it was easier to have her removed than to expect him to control himself.
The three girls bond and try to look out for each other, and two of them actually manage to escape for a short time. In Ireland, the church was the law so any escaped girls were hunted down and immediately returned to the nuns. The Magdalen laundries have become known for their severe conditions and the inhuman way the girls were treated but the author seems to shy away from pointing fingers, instead the Sister Superior is given a backstory that helps to explain why she inflicts emotional and physical abuse on others.
The concept of The Magdalen Girls was excellent, this is a story that needs to be told. Unfortunately, I felt the writing was a little weak and clunky and the characters came across flat and one-dimensional. I thought this book had the potential to be an excellent historical fiction read so I was disappointed that it just didn’t work well.
177VivienneR
Ken Bruen wrote about the Magdalen girls in The Magdalen Martyrs, in the Jack Taylor series. It's a heartbreaking story but as you say, one that needs to be told.
178DeltaQueen50
>177 VivienneR: It was the Jack Taylor series that first brought the Magalen Laundries to my attention and I have long wanted to read more about it, I just wish the book had been better written.
179DeltaQueen50
165. Beauty by Robin McKinley - 4.2 ★
Category: Fantasy
August TIOLI #14: Author's Last Name is Longer than his First
Beauty by Robin McKinley is an excellent retelling of the fairy story Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast was my favourite fairy story as a child and I totally fell in love with this story all over again. The author wisely sticks close to the known story but adds the most wonderful touches and embellishments along the way.
The main character is nicknamed Beauty, her real name is Honor and it’s her steadfast honor and decency that the author plays upon in this charming tale. Her love for the Beast grows slowly starting with friendship and then blossoming into love so we get the happy ending that we want.
I have had mixed reactions to this author’s books in the past, but this is a cozy and relaxing read. It was first published in 1978 and it stands the test of time. Beauty is a well told story that was a surprising treat to read.
Category: Fantasy
August TIOLI #14: Author's Last Name is Longer than his First
Beauty by Robin McKinley is an excellent retelling of the fairy story Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast was my favourite fairy story as a child and I totally fell in love with this story all over again. The author wisely sticks close to the known story but adds the most wonderful touches and embellishments along the way.
The main character is nicknamed Beauty, her real name is Honor and it’s her steadfast honor and decency that the author plays upon in this charming tale. Her love for the Beast grows slowly starting with friendship and then blossoming into love so we get the happy ending that we want.
I have had mixed reactions to this author’s books in the past, but this is a cozy and relaxing read. It was first published in 1978 and it stands the test of time. Beauty is a well told story that was a surprising treat to read.
180Familyhistorian
I hope that both couples finally got to the same Olive Garden to share lunch, Judy, or did you just both stay where you were? I have been enjoying the weather lately but looks like it saved up the rain for the long weekend. Maybe a good time to spend reading. Looks like you are doing well with your own reading. You got me with a BB for Confessions of a Pagan Nun.
181DeltaQueen50
>180 Familyhistorian: We decided not to meet that day as both couples had other plans for later on. You can be sure that next time we decide to meet up - the females will be making the plans! I am fine with a couple of days of rain as long as it clears up next week for when we leave on our trip! I am hoping for blue skies and sunshine.
182DeltaQueen50
166. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding - 4.0 ★
Category: 1,001 Books List
3 Month Group Read
August TIOLI #14: Author's Last Name is Longer Than His First
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling has become known over the decades as simply Tom Jones and is a humorous novel by Henry Fielding. It was first published in 1749 and is considered to be one of the earliest of English novels. While the humor is often presented as a farce and at times seems downright silly, it nevertheless made for a fun and interesting read.
The author presents his story with many asides to the reader and often telegraphs his intentions in advance with his descriptive chapter descriptions or the colourful names he gives his characters. So we are assured that Squire Allworthy is a very good man, while Mr. Thwackum is heavy handed and likes to dole out physical punishments. Personally I found Tom Jones rather an insipid character but he was the perfect canvas to help reflect the many vivid characters that he came into contact with.
At over 900 pages, the book at times was rather tedious, but the author’s clever use of words, his satire of both the day’s social and political conventions, and the many turbulent yet comic events kept the pages turning. Often touted as a history of bastardism, fornication and adultery, Tom Jones is also a romance with two star-crossed lovers, the lusty Tom and the strong-willed Sophia battling the odds to obtain their happy ending.
I listened to an audio version of this classic, as read by Bill Homewood, who did an excellent job of bringing this book to life, and, I am positive, raised my rating with his reading style. Reflective, philosophical yet lively and very entertaining I found Tom Jones to be an immersive reading experience that was well worth the time invested.
Category: 1,001 Books List
3 Month Group Read
August TIOLI #14: Author's Last Name is Longer Than His First
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling has become known over the decades as simply Tom Jones and is a humorous novel by Henry Fielding. It was first published in 1749 and is considered to be one of the earliest of English novels. While the humor is often presented as a farce and at times seems downright silly, it nevertheless made for a fun and interesting read.
The author presents his story with many asides to the reader and often telegraphs his intentions in advance with his descriptive chapter descriptions or the colourful names he gives his characters. So we are assured that Squire Allworthy is a very good man, while Mr. Thwackum is heavy handed and likes to dole out physical punishments. Personally I found Tom Jones rather an insipid character but he was the perfect canvas to help reflect the many vivid characters that he came into contact with.
At over 900 pages, the book at times was rather tedious, but the author’s clever use of words, his satire of both the day’s social and political conventions, and the many turbulent yet comic events kept the pages turning. Often touted as a history of bastardism, fornication and adultery, Tom Jones is also a romance with two star-crossed lovers, the lusty Tom and the strong-willed Sophia battling the odds to obtain their happy ending.
I listened to an audio version of this classic, as read by Bill Homewood, who did an excellent job of bringing this book to life, and, I am positive, raised my rating with his reading style. Reflective, philosophical yet lively and very entertaining I found Tom Jones to be an immersive reading experience that was well worth the time invested.
183ronincats
>179 DeltaQueen50: I love that retelling as well, Judy, I strongly urge that you also read her Rose Daughter, written 20 years later and questioning some of the tropes of the original legend. I love that one just as much and would love to hear your reaction to it.
184DeltaQueen50
>183 ronincats: I will add Rose Daughter to my wishlist, Roni. It's interesting that she chose to re-visit the same fairy tale - maybe it's her favorite one as well. :)
185BLBera
>166 DeltaQueen50: I'm so glad you liked it, Judy. It was so well done, I thought! I loved the art, and the story, I think, would stand on its own.
>182 DeltaQueen50: Tom Jones! You are persistent.
You remind me that I must follow up in the Fossum books. I think the one you just read is the next one for me as well.
So sorry to hear about the mix-up with your BIL. I hope you had something interesting to listen to while you were stopped at the border.
>182 DeltaQueen50: Tom Jones! You are persistent.
You remind me that I must follow up in the Fossum books. I think the one you just read is the next one for me as well.
So sorry to hear about the mix-up with your BIL. I hope you had something interesting to listen to while you were stopped at the border.
186DeltaQueen50
>185 BLBera: Good morning, Beth. I love how varied graphic novels have become, they are of every genre and can certainly be both entertaining and informative.
I don't know if I would have gotten through Tom Jones if I hadn't been listening to it. It's a very visual book and having it read to me brought it to life in a unique way.
As a matter of fact, I always travel with a book or a kindle, but as luck would have it, I didn't that day, so the only interesting thing I had to listen to was my husband!
I don't know if I would have gotten through Tom Jones if I hadn't been listening to it. It's a very visual book and having it read to me brought it to life in a unique way.
As a matter of fact, I always travel with a book or a kindle, but as luck would have it, I didn't that day, so the only interesting thing I had to listen to was my husband!
187DeltaQueen50
167. Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse - 3.4 ★
1,001 Books To Read List
Category: Doing My ABCs
September AlphaKit: W
September TIOLI #6: Decades - 1960s
Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse has proved to be an influential book and has been adapted into a play, a musical, a film and a TV series. The main character, William Fisher is a working-class 19 year old living at home with his parents in a small town in Yorkshire. He is bored by his job as a clerk for an undertaking business, so he spends his time indulging in fantasies and dreams about life in the big city as a comedy writer. He has managed to get himself engaged to two girls all the while being in love with a third one and, no surprise here, he appears to be a compulsive liar.
The author captures that stifling small-town atmosphere as the story cycles through one day in Billy’s life. Between his multiple girlfriends, exasperated parents, annoying colleagues and some quite serious misconduct at work, Billy needs to be doing more than escaping into his fantasies. It quickly becomes apparent though that Billy has no desire to grow up.
While there were some stellar scenes in the book, I never really found myself much caring about the main character. Perhaps I should have read this book when I was younger and more sympathetic to rebellious youth, but at my current age, I had more in common with his parents and his Gran. Billy’s attempts to avoid responsibility and his lack of judgment simply seemed rather pointless to me.
1,001 Books To Read List
Category: Doing My ABCs
September AlphaKit: W
September TIOLI #6: Decades - 1960s
Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse has proved to be an influential book and has been adapted into a play, a musical, a film and a TV series. The main character, William Fisher is a working-class 19 year old living at home with his parents in a small town in Yorkshire. He is bored by his job as a clerk for an undertaking business, so he spends his time indulging in fantasies and dreams about life in the big city as a comedy writer. He has managed to get himself engaged to two girls all the while being in love with a third one and, no surprise here, he appears to be a compulsive liar.
The author captures that stifling small-town atmosphere as the story cycles through one day in Billy’s life. Between his multiple girlfriends, exasperated parents, annoying colleagues and some quite serious misconduct at work, Billy needs to be doing more than escaping into his fantasies. It quickly becomes apparent though that Billy has no desire to grow up.
While there were some stellar scenes in the book, I never really found myself much caring about the main character. Perhaps I should have read this book when I was younger and more sympathetic to rebellious youth, but at my current age, I had more in common with his parents and his Gran. Billy’s attempts to avoid responsibility and his lack of judgment simply seemed rather pointless to me.
188Familyhistorian
>181 DeltaQueen50: Oh, you let the men make the plans. No wonder you ended up a different restaurants lol. Best wishes for good weather for your road trip, Judy. The long weekend will be over by then so things will probably clear up.
189EBT1002
Hi Judy! I simply HAVE to get around to reading Karin Fossum! If I can take a break from helping my sister pack I hope to get to the wonderful indie bookshop here in Asheville. Maybe I'll look for a copy of one of Fossum's books. It sounds like she would be a good vacation read.
190DeltaQueen50
>188 Familyhistorian: Meg, it was all about the details - they just forgot to check that they were each talking about a different town! We are looking forward to our road trip, and don't worry, I am the navigator so we should arrive where we want and get back again!
>189 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, I think you would love Karin Fossum, I am finding each book that I read is better than the last. Her plots and her characters are complex and her writing is excellent. Enjoy your stay in Asheville!
>189 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, I think you would love Karin Fossum, I am finding each book that I read is better than the last. Her plots and her characters are complex and her writing is excellent. Enjoy your stay in Asheville!
191msf59
Hi, Judy. I am glad you enjoyed Huck Out West. I thought it was a fun romp. I have never read Tom Jones. Maybe, I will try it on audio.
192DeltaQueen50
>191 msf59: Hi Mark, I think listening to Tom Jones is the way to go. I'm not sure that I would have gotten through just a straight read. Having it read made it more visual to me and, I think, easier to follow.
193DeltaQueen50
168. Sapphire Skies by Belinda Alexandra - 4.0 ★
Category: Armchair Travel - Russia
September CalendarCat: Birthstone - Sapphire
September TIOLI #7: The Author's First or Last Name Starts and Ends With the Same Letter
Sapphire Skies by Belinda Alexandra is a historical fiction novel loosely based on the life of Russian female fighter pilot, Lydia Litvyak, who disappeared in combat and was denied the distinction of being labelled a hero of the Soviet Union until her body was discovered in the late 1970s. This novel jumps back in forth in time, to Natalya who become a fighter pilot and battles the Germans in Russian skies, to the year 2000 and to Australian Lily, daughter of Russian refugees who has come to Moscow to work and meets a derelict old woman and her dog.
Overall the story is quite touching and although I thought there were far too many sub-plots, I did enjoy my read of this book. In particular the information about the terror and uncertainties of living under the control Joseph Stalin. The story was well researched and did a good job of covering both time periods and I was happy to learn that the modern day plot about the cat-rescue operations is based on a real life organization called Moscow Animals.
Sapphire Skies was the first book by Belinda Alexandra that I have read and I look forward to picking up more of her interesting historical romance books.
Category: Armchair Travel - Russia
September CalendarCat: Birthstone - Sapphire
September TIOLI #7: The Author's First or Last Name Starts and Ends With the Same Letter
Sapphire Skies by Belinda Alexandra is a historical fiction novel loosely based on the life of Russian female fighter pilot, Lydia Litvyak, who disappeared in combat and was denied the distinction of being labelled a hero of the Soviet Union until her body was discovered in the late 1970s. This novel jumps back in forth in time, to Natalya who become a fighter pilot and battles the Germans in Russian skies, to the year 2000 and to Australian Lily, daughter of Russian refugees who has come to Moscow to work and meets a derelict old woman and her dog.
Overall the story is quite touching and although I thought there were far too many sub-plots, I did enjoy my read of this book. In particular the information about the terror and uncertainties of living under the control Joseph Stalin. The story was well researched and did a good job of covering both time periods and I was happy to learn that the modern day plot about the cat-rescue operations is based on a real life organization called Moscow Animals.
Sapphire Skies was the first book by Belinda Alexandra that I have read and I look forward to picking up more of her interesting historical romance books.
194jnwelch
Good review of Tom Jones, Judy. This is one where I can't remember whether I read it way back when - I sure thought of doing so many times. We know the general story through its renown and the movie. Anyway, I'm going to put it on the WL; your review makes me think it could use a re-read, even if I did read it once upon a time.
P.S. Thumbed!
P.S. Thumbed!
195mstrust
Oh, Billy Liar! I have a soft spot for the British books and movies of this period, the working class blokes who are desperate yet don't know how to improve their lot. I haven't read the book but I thought the movie was fun.
196DeltaQueen50
>194 jnwelch: As long as you are ready for a real chunkster of over 900 pages, Joe, Tom Jones can be a good read. I participated in a three month group read and I found breaking the book into thirds really helped.
>195 mstrust: If I remember correctly, Jennifer, Tom Courtenay, who played Billy, brought a large amount of charm and sympathy to the part. In the book version, the older mom in me didn't have a lot of patience with him.
>195 mstrust: If I remember correctly, Jennifer, Tom Courtenay, who played Billy, brought a large amount of charm and sympathy to the part. In the book version, the older mom in me didn't have a lot of patience with him.
197DeltaQueen50
169. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather - 4.5 ★
Category: Out of the Past
September Reading Through Time: Women Pioneers
September TBRCat: A Classic I Think I Should Read
September TIOLI #4: Rolling Challenge Based on 'Harvest Moon'
O Pioneers by Willa Cather was originally published in 1913 and is written in her trademark spare yet lyrical prose as it explores themes of destiny, chance, love and steadfastness. The setting is that of a farming community in Nebraska which brings a sense of neighbourliness and family ties. Over and above all is the land which these people homesteaded, saw through the lean and difficult years and now are reaping it’s rich benefits.
The central character is Alexandra Bergson, the only daughter and oldest child of Swedish immigrants. She holds the family together and to the land when her father passes away unexpectedly. She more than proved herself worthy and made her family one of the most prosperous landowners in the region. Of course there was a price for this success, she gave up any chance of a personal life in order to help the family. Of course, her brothers aren’t always at ease with Alexandra and in later years they try unsuccessfully to control her which causes them to fall out. The tragedy of the story is her youngest brother, Emil, whom Alexandra has basically raised. She wants him to have choices and advantages that the rest of the family didn’t have, but she cannot control his heart which he has given to Marie, a married woman from the town’s French community.
Although I haven’t read Willa Cather’s Prairie Trilogy any particular order, O Pioneers is a wonderful addition. Her strong simple characters go about their lives in this descriptive Nebraska setting in a natural manner. There is drama and action but it never feels artificial or forced. I found this to be an excellent read, and it will be one that I remember.
Category: Out of the Past
September Reading Through Time: Women Pioneers
September TBRCat: A Classic I Think I Should Read
September TIOLI #4: Rolling Challenge Based on 'Harvest Moon'
O Pioneers by Willa Cather was originally published in 1913 and is written in her trademark spare yet lyrical prose as it explores themes of destiny, chance, love and steadfastness. The setting is that of a farming community in Nebraska which brings a sense of neighbourliness and family ties. Over and above all is the land which these people homesteaded, saw through the lean and difficult years and now are reaping it’s rich benefits.
The central character is Alexandra Bergson, the only daughter and oldest child of Swedish immigrants. She holds the family together and to the land when her father passes away unexpectedly. She more than proved herself worthy and made her family one of the most prosperous landowners in the region. Of course there was a price for this success, she gave up any chance of a personal life in order to help the family. Of course, her brothers aren’t always at ease with Alexandra and in later years they try unsuccessfully to control her which causes them to fall out. The tragedy of the story is her youngest brother, Emil, whom Alexandra has basically raised. She wants him to have choices and advantages that the rest of the family didn’t have, but she cannot control his heart which he has given to Marie, a married woman from the town’s French community.
Although I haven’t read Willa Cather’s Prairie Trilogy any particular order, O Pioneers is a wonderful addition. Her strong simple characters go about their lives in this descriptive Nebraska setting in a natural manner. There is drama and action but it never feels artificial or forced. I found this to be an excellent read, and it will be one that I remember.
198DeltaQueen50
170. The Point of Rescue by Sophie Hannah - 4.3 ★
Category: Series
September TIOLI #11: An Item of Food Is Embedded in the Title
The Point of Rescue is another excellent novel of psychological suspense by author Sophie Hannah and the third entry in her Spilling Detective series. Once again, as in other Hannah books that I have read, I disliked the main character, Sally, but nevertheless, the story had a stranglehold on me and I couldn’t put it down.
A year ago when a business trip was cancelled at the last minute, Sally didn’t tell her family but instead took herself on a spa retreat. She met a man called Mark Bretherick and the two of them spent the week together. Now that same man’s name is being broadcast on the evening news as his wife has murdered their young daughter and killed herself. Only the bereaved husband on television is not the same man that Sally spent time with.
This intricately constructed mystery is original, compelling and unpredictable. By trying to cover her own indiscretions, Sally blunders into a dark situation of assumed identities, abductions, betrayals and murder. The Point of Rescue was a gripping read with plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning.
Category: Series
September TIOLI #11: An Item of Food Is Embedded in the Title
The Point of Rescue is another excellent novel of psychological suspense by author Sophie Hannah and the third entry in her Spilling Detective series. Once again, as in other Hannah books that I have read, I disliked the main character, Sally, but nevertheless, the story had a stranglehold on me and I couldn’t put it down.
A year ago when a business trip was cancelled at the last minute, Sally didn’t tell her family but instead took herself on a spa retreat. She met a man called Mark Bretherick and the two of them spent the week together. Now that same man’s name is being broadcast on the evening news as his wife has murdered their young daughter and killed herself. Only the bereaved husband on television is not the same man that Sally spent time with.
This intricately constructed mystery is original, compelling and unpredictable. By trying to cover her own indiscretions, Sally blunders into a dark situation of assumed identities, abductions, betrayals and murder. The Point of Rescue was a gripping read with plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning.
200DeltaQueen50
>198 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Ellen, I was having a problem with my review of the last book disappearing so I have reposted it.
I've packed some books and my Kindles and tomorrow morning my hubby and I are heading out for a 10 day road trip.
I've packed some books and my Kindles and tomorrow morning my hubby and I are heading out for a 10 day road trip.
202MissWatson
>200 DeltaQueen50: Happy travels!
204clue
>200 DeltaQueen50: Happy trails!
206mathgirl40
>175 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for reminding me about this series. I'd read the first two books in the Inspector Sejer series and liked them very much. I'd meant to return to the series but had forgotten about it. Must move it up the list ....
208ChelleBearss
Enjoy your road trip!! 10 days, that's awesome!
209lkernagh
Hi Judy, I am taking advantage of the evening hours tonight to get in a little catch up time on LT. I see you have had a busy reading summer! Love all the reviews... I may have even taken a book bullet or two in the process. Sorry to learn your husband's minor surgery earlier this summer means something more indepth will be required. As you said, the medical wheels do turn slowly. My other half has been having a gong show of a time scheduling some ankle surgery. If it is not the delays, it is the misplaced paperwork or my personal favorite frustration, the lack of communication from the specialist's office. *sighs* Here is hoping all goes well with your hubby's surgery, when it happens. I see that Karin Slaughter is the Kobo author of the month. I have never read any of her books so not quite ready to take the dive and binge purchase her books, but your review at >80 DeltaQueen50: does make her books sound interesting.
>110 DeltaQueen50: - Sorry to learn about the wrist pain! I cannot even imagine what that must be like. ;-(
>127 DeltaQueen50: - Say what?! How frustrating... and the fact that the car saga dragged on as long as it did. Yay for fixed trunk latch!
>170 DeltaQueen50: - 2 1/2 hours to cross over to the States and then about 1 hr. and 15 min. to come back.... that is just crazy! Makes those blasted 2 and 3 ferry sailing waits appear, well, "Normal".
>176 DeltaQueen50: - Oh, I had my eye on purchasing an e-copy of that one. Kind of glad I passed on it. Great review!
>193 DeltaQueen50: - I have to say, I really like the retro vibe of that cover!
>197 DeltaQueen50: - Fabulous review!
I hope you are having a wonderful trip!
>110 DeltaQueen50: - Sorry to learn about the wrist pain! I cannot even imagine what that must be like. ;-(
>127 DeltaQueen50: - Say what?! How frustrating... and the fact that the car saga dragged on as long as it did. Yay for fixed trunk latch!
>170 DeltaQueen50: - 2 1/2 hours to cross over to the States and then about 1 hr. and 15 min. to come back.... that is just crazy! Makes those blasted 2 and 3 ferry sailing waits appear, well, "Normal".
>176 DeltaQueen50: - Oh, I had my eye on purchasing an e-copy of that one. Kind of glad I passed on it. Great review!
>193 DeltaQueen50: - I have to say, I really like the retro vibe of that cover!
>197 DeltaQueen50: - Fabulous review!
I hope you are having a wonderful trip!
210DeltaQueen50
We are home after having a lovely trip. Visited with friends and relatives, saw some great scenery, ate at some fantastic restaurants, and generally relaxed and unwound. The weather wasn't the best but we didn't let it get us down so we soaked up the sunshine when we had it and soldiered on through the rainy days.
I unplugged myself from the computer for the 10 days that we were away, so I am behind with everyone's threads. I did read a lot and will be posting some reviews when I get them put together.
>201 hailelib: >202 MissWatson: >203 mstrust: >204 clue: >205 Jackie_K: >207 katiekrug: >208 ChelleBearss: Thanks for the good wishes - we travelled safely and had a great time!
>206 mathgirl40: The Inspector Sejer is an excellent series that I have also let slip. We probably have the same excuse for forgetting about this series - so many others to keep track of!!
>209 lkernagh: Hi Lori. It's great to see you posting again. As of today, we haven't even heard from the specialist as to when my husband's surgery is to take place. We originally thought it would be this fall, but now we are thinking it will probably not be until well into next year.
Karin Slaughter also has written some stand alone mysteries such as Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter and Pieces of Her so you could sample one of those instead of having to invest in another series.
Wasn't O Pioneers simply a wonderful read!
I unplugged myself from the computer for the 10 days that we were away, so I am behind with everyone's threads. I did read a lot and will be posting some reviews when I get them put together.
>201 hailelib: >202 MissWatson: >203 mstrust: >204 clue: >205 Jackie_K: >207 katiekrug: >208 ChelleBearss: Thanks for the good wishes - we travelled safely and had a great time!
>206 mathgirl40: The Inspector Sejer is an excellent series that I have also let slip. We probably have the same excuse for forgetting about this series - so many others to keep track of!!
>209 lkernagh: Hi Lori. It's great to see you posting again. As of today, we haven't even heard from the specialist as to when my husband's surgery is to take place. We originally thought it would be this fall, but now we are thinking it will probably not be until well into next year.
Karin Slaughter also has written some stand alone mysteries such as Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter and Pieces of Her so you could sample one of those instead of having to invest in another series.
Wasn't O Pioneers simply a wonderful read!
211DeltaQueen50
171. The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker - 3.6 ★
Category: Young At Heart
September TIOLI #4: Rolling Challenge Based on Harvest Moon
The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker was a fast and entertaining read. This is a YA dystopian story that has Sherry, the main character emerge from her family’s bunker after three years. She and her father are searching for food to keep themselves and the rest of the family going. Why were they living in an underground bunker? To keep themselves safe from the infected, zombie like people that roam the countryside.
Sherry and her father are attacked and her father is carried off while Sherry is saved by another survivor, Joshua. After the two of them rescue Sherry’s father and gather the rest of her family, Joshua takes them to Safe Haven, where a group of survivors are living. Unfortunately by the end of the book, Safe Haven isn’t safe anymore and Sherry and her friends must find somewhere else to live. Also rumors reach them that there could be a cure for this zombie-like disease but that the government is keeping it to themselves while they study the effects of the disease with the idea of using it to develop indestructible soldiers.
While the book ended abruptly and definitely with a cliff-hanger, I did enjoy the story and look forward to reading the next book to see what is going to happen to these survivors next. Of course, being a YA book, there was an immediate romance between Sherry and Joshua, which I would have preferred developed a little more slowly, but after being locked up for three years in a bunker, I guess any teenager would fall for the first likely candidate.
Category: Young At Heart
September TIOLI #4: Rolling Challenge Based on Harvest Moon
The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker was a fast and entertaining read. This is a YA dystopian story that has Sherry, the main character emerge from her family’s bunker after three years. She and her father are searching for food to keep themselves and the rest of the family going. Why were they living in an underground bunker? To keep themselves safe from the infected, zombie like people that roam the countryside.
Sherry and her father are attacked and her father is carried off while Sherry is saved by another survivor, Joshua. After the two of them rescue Sherry’s father and gather the rest of her family, Joshua takes them to Safe Haven, where a group of survivors are living. Unfortunately by the end of the book, Safe Haven isn’t safe anymore and Sherry and her friends must find somewhere else to live. Also rumors reach them that there could be a cure for this zombie-like disease but that the government is keeping it to themselves while they study the effects of the disease with the idea of using it to develop indestructible soldiers.
While the book ended abruptly and definitely with a cliff-hanger, I did enjoy the story and look forward to reading the next book to see what is going to happen to these survivors next. Of course, being a YA book, there was an immediate romance between Sherry and Joshua, which I would have preferred developed a little more slowly, but after being locked up for three years in a bunker, I guess any teenager would fall for the first likely candidate.
212DeltaQueen50
172. Under A Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes - 3.8 ★
Category: Crime Stories
September RandomCat: Equinox
September TIOLI #10: Title Starts With One of the Letters in "Having Fun With TIOLI"
Under A Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes is a police procedural that is the first book in a series featuring DI Louisa Smith. The story features police reports, copies of interviews, e-mails and other documents pertaining to the case of two deceased women. These documents helped to move this rather slow moving story along but overall, I enjoyed many aspects of this story and found it complicated and twisted enough to hold my attention.
The story unfolds through multiple aspects which helps to place the reader in the middle of this investigation and makes the story more viable. Unfortunately I thought that the main character, Louisa Smith wasn’t strongly developed but perhaps the author is planning on doing this over the course of the series. The other members of Louisa’s team were interesting and there was conflict enough to carry over into subsequent books.
Overall Under A Silent Moon was a clever mystery that unfolded in an authentic manner and was intriguing enough that I will most likely be on the lookout for the next book in the series.
Category: Crime Stories
September RandomCat: Equinox
September TIOLI #10: Title Starts With One of the Letters in "Having Fun With TIOLI"
Under A Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes is a police procedural that is the first book in a series featuring DI Louisa Smith. The story features police reports, copies of interviews, e-mails and other documents pertaining to the case of two deceased women. These documents helped to move this rather slow moving story along but overall, I enjoyed many aspects of this story and found it complicated and twisted enough to hold my attention.
The story unfolds through multiple aspects which helps to place the reader in the middle of this investigation and makes the story more viable. Unfortunately I thought that the main character, Louisa Smith wasn’t strongly developed but perhaps the author is planning on doing this over the course of the series. The other members of Louisa’s team were interesting and there was conflict enough to carry over into subsequent books.
Overall Under A Silent Moon was a clever mystery that unfolded in an authentic manner and was intriguing enough that I will most likely be on the lookout for the next book in the series.
213DeltaQueen50
173. So Long A Letter by Mariam Ba - 4.5 ★
Category: Book Bullet - Beth
1,001 Books List
TIOLI #9: Morphy's Challenge - Read Harder - Epistolary
So Long A Letter by Mariam Ba is one of the books on the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die List although it seemed more like an essay on woman’s issues for Senegalese women in their ever changing world than an actual novel. Written in epistolary style, this short book is one letter written by one black African woman to another. During the course of the letter, their lives and their choices are discussed and analyzed and the author’s comments on the status of woman in Senegal covers many topics, from education to marriage, love, multiple wives, and equality of rights.
Considered an autobiographical novella, Ba, who was born in Dakar, Senegal in 1929, writes about her desire to see equal rights for all the people of her country. As she herself attended school so too, do the women in this story which broadens their choices in life, but also makes them targets of those who reject modern ways and wish to keep women locked into servitude.
Short and powerful, So Long A Letter is told by a strong woman who expresses her concern about the treatment of both herself and other women in their African Muslim society. Although this is a cry for reform, it is also a deeply felt, lyrically written personal story that touches the readers emotions and gives us an insight into this culture.
Category: Book Bullet - Beth
1,001 Books List
TIOLI #9: Morphy's Challenge - Read Harder - Epistolary
So Long A Letter by Mariam Ba is one of the books on the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die List although it seemed more like an essay on woman’s issues for Senegalese women in their ever changing world than an actual novel. Written in epistolary style, this short book is one letter written by one black African woman to another. During the course of the letter, their lives and their choices are discussed and analyzed and the author’s comments on the status of woman in Senegal covers many topics, from education to marriage, love, multiple wives, and equality of rights.
Considered an autobiographical novella, Ba, who was born in Dakar, Senegal in 1929, writes about her desire to see equal rights for all the people of her country. As she herself attended school so too, do the women in this story which broadens their choices in life, but also makes them targets of those who reject modern ways and wish to keep women locked into servitude.
Short and powerful, So Long A Letter is told by a strong woman who expresses her concern about the treatment of both herself and other women in their African Muslim society. Although this is a cry for reform, it is also a deeply felt, lyrically written personal story that touches the readers emotions and gives us an insight into this culture.
214Jackie_K
>213 DeltaQueen50: Welcome back! This book sounds amazing, I've added it to my wishlist.
215Tess_W
>213 DeltaQueen50: goes on my wishlist, also!
216DeltaQueen50
>214 Jackie_K: >215 Tess_W: I thought it was amazing and it really manages to pack a punch even though it is less than 100 pages long! I hope you both love it as well.
217DeltaQueen50
174. Hostage Three by Nick Lake - 4.0 ★
Category: From My Shelves
2019 PopSugar Challenge: Book Has No Chapters
September TIOLI #4: Rolling Challenge Based on Harvest Moon
Hostage Three by Nick Lake grabs the reader right from the start. Somalia pirates, who had attacked and overtaken a luxury yacht, point a gun to the head of a girl as they threaten to kill her if they suspect there are any problems with their demands. The story is then told in flashback style, giving the reader the backstory of how this came about.
The main character is Amy, the troubled teenage daughter of a very wealthy man. Amy, her father, stepmother and assorted crew are being held hostage and negotiations are being made to pay a multi-million dollar ransom. To keep from identifying with the hostages, they are referred to as numbers, Amy is Hostage Three. Although there is plenty of action and tension, this is also a story of Amy’s journey of self-discovery. She needs to come to terms with her less than attentive father and her mother’s suicide and learn how to move on with her life. The book also gives us some insight into how and why these pirates exist and are successful at what they do.
Mostly I enjoyed the book, but I did find Amy a little to self-absorbed and whiny. The developing relationship between her and a young pirate was both uncomfortable and scary yet interesting. I have read this author before and he is very good at both story-telling and being informative. Hostage Three opened with a great hook and managed to keep me riveted throughout.
Category: From My Shelves
2019 PopSugar Challenge: Book Has No Chapters
September TIOLI #4: Rolling Challenge Based on Harvest Moon
Hostage Three by Nick Lake grabs the reader right from the start. Somalia pirates, who had attacked and overtaken a luxury yacht, point a gun to the head of a girl as they threaten to kill her if they suspect there are any problems with their demands. The story is then told in flashback style, giving the reader the backstory of how this came about.
The main character is Amy, the troubled teenage daughter of a very wealthy man. Amy, her father, stepmother and assorted crew are being held hostage and negotiations are being made to pay a multi-million dollar ransom. To keep from identifying with the hostages, they are referred to as numbers, Amy is Hostage Three. Although there is plenty of action and tension, this is also a story of Amy’s journey of self-discovery. She needs to come to terms with her less than attentive father and her mother’s suicide and learn how to move on with her life. The book also gives us some insight into how and why these pirates exist and are successful at what they do.
Mostly I enjoyed the book, but I did find Amy a little to self-absorbed and whiny. The developing relationship between her and a young pirate was both uncomfortable and scary yet interesting. I have read this author before and he is very good at both story-telling and being informative. Hostage Three opened with a great hook and managed to keep me riveted throughout.
218DeltaQueen50
175. Wolf Willow by Wallace Stenger - 4.3 ★
Category: From My Shelves
September TIOLI #6: Decades (1910 - 1920)
Wolf Willow by Wallace Stenger is a collection of essays along with a novella that captures the essence of the Prairies. Through his memories, research and descriptive writing he brings this small corner of Saskatchewan alive. I was fortunate enough to be travelling through this area as I read the book, and this blend of truth and fiction was a beautiful read on pioneering, environment and history.
This was the first Stenger that I have read although I have a few of his books on my TBR. He writes with strength and purpose and as a Westerner myself, I loved the pictures he painted with his words. Many people see the prairie as flat and colourless, but Stenger manages to see and describe both the layers and the colours of this unique landscape. His narrative on the particular smells of the bushes and plants had me pinching handfuls of various shrubs and grasses and experiencing these aromas for myself.
I found Wolf Willow an absorbing, informative and wonderful read. Looking at nature and history with the help of this author gave me new insight into this different landscape that appears to set a stamp on individuals who grow up in this type of habitat.
Category: From My Shelves
September TIOLI #6: Decades (1910 - 1920)
Wolf Willow by Wallace Stenger is a collection of essays along with a novella that captures the essence of the Prairies. Through his memories, research and descriptive writing he brings this small corner of Saskatchewan alive. I was fortunate enough to be travelling through this area as I read the book, and this blend of truth and fiction was a beautiful read on pioneering, environment and history.
This was the first Stenger that I have read although I have a few of his books on my TBR. He writes with strength and purpose and as a Westerner myself, I loved the pictures he painted with his words. Many people see the prairie as flat and colourless, but Stenger manages to see and describe both the layers and the colours of this unique landscape. His narrative on the particular smells of the bushes and plants had me pinching handfuls of various shrubs and grasses and experiencing these aromas for myself.
I found Wolf Willow an absorbing, informative and wonderful read. Looking at nature and history with the help of this author gave me new insight into this different landscape that appears to set a stamp on individuals who grow up in this type of habitat.
219Jackie_K
>218 DeltaQueen50: I think I need to stop visiting your thread, that's yet another BB! (not really, I'm grateful for all the recommendations of books I'd never come across otherwise!)
220DeltaQueen50
>219 Jackie_K: I am simply passing the love along as I recently heard about Wolf Willow from NinieB. :)
221DeltaQueen50
176. Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn - 4.0 ★
Category: Fantasy
September SFFFKit: Series
September TIOLI #14: Something About or On the Cover Is Similiar to One of Paul's Bookmarks
Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn (Gillian Rubinstein) is the 3rd volume in her series entitled Tales of Shikanoko a fantasy set in similar country to feudal Japan. In the first two volumes, the author introduced her characters and spread them over the canvas of her work. In this, the third book, she is bringing the characters together and readying them for the final confrontation that I assume will take place in volume 4.
I have been enjoying the series and thanks to having read her previous series, Tales of the Otori, I have learned not to get too attached to any one character. In book one we were concerned with the birthright of one warrior but by book three the story has expanded and we realize that all the action is based on a game of Go which the Gods are playing and the very existence of the empire relies on how the mortals perform.
This author bases her fantasies on medieval Japan and revolves her story around clan rivalries and treachery over placing an imposter on the imperial throne. The players are now in place so I am looking forward to an action packed and tension filled conclusion to this series.
Category: Fantasy
September SFFFKit: Series
September TIOLI #14: Something About or On the Cover Is Similiar to One of Paul's Bookmarks
Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn (Gillian Rubinstein) is the 3rd volume in her series entitled Tales of Shikanoko a fantasy set in similar country to feudal Japan. In the first two volumes, the author introduced her characters and spread them over the canvas of her work. In this, the third book, she is bringing the characters together and readying them for the final confrontation that I assume will take place in volume 4.
I have been enjoying the series and thanks to having read her previous series, Tales of the Otori, I have learned not to get too attached to any one character. In book one we were concerned with the birthright of one warrior but by book three the story has expanded and we realize that all the action is based on a game of Go which the Gods are playing and the very existence of the empire relies on how the mortals perform.
This author bases her fantasies on medieval Japan and revolves her story around clan rivalries and treachery over placing an imposter on the imperial throne. The players are now in place so I am looking forward to an action packed and tension filled conclusion to this series.
222clue
>218 DeltaQueen50: Oh Judy, you have some great reading ahead of you! IMO Stegner is one of the greatest writers the U.S. has ever produced. After reading Wolf Willow you probably won't be surprised to learn he was also an ardent conservationist and environmentalist. I so wish his warnings had been taken to heart.
I learned awhile back that his son edited a book of his letters and I'm looking forward to reading it.
I learned awhile back that his son edited a book of his letters and I'm looking forward to reading it.
223DeltaQueen50
>222 clue: It is so sad to see what we have allowed to happen to so much of our environment. It's scary to think that unless something is done soon, we may not have a planet in the immediate future. As for Stenger, I am looking forward to reading more by him, I loved his writing style.
224DeltaQueen50
177. The Sandbox by David Zimmerman - 3.4 ★
Category: Doing My ABC's
AlphaKit: Z
September TIOLI #7: Author's First or Last Name Starts With the Same Letter
The Sandbox by David Zimmerman is set during the Iraqi War and features a likeable but bumbling soldier called Toby Durrant as the main character. He has already been kicked out of army Airborne training and flunked out of the Defence Language Institute. Unfortunately Toby is chosen to be the fall-guy so the higher ups can cover up a conspiracy involving missing millions in cash.
Toby and his friends slowly put the pieces together through prisoner interrogations, spying on their officers, and uncovering a counterinsurgency plan. And while the pages kept turning, I found this stylish, off-centre story intriguing but not very convincing. Granted the author made these soldiers come alive on the pages through their colourful language, “why me” attitude and black humor but by the end of the book, I was pretty much done with this hard luck soldier who stumbles through this rather absurd and convoluted melodrama.
So although The Sandbox wasn’t an exceptional debut, I would definitely be interested in seeing how this author progresses and whether he can tighten up his plots and make them a little more believable.
Category: Doing My ABC's
AlphaKit: Z
September TIOLI #7: Author's First or Last Name Starts With the Same Letter
The Sandbox by David Zimmerman is set during the Iraqi War and features a likeable but bumbling soldier called Toby Durrant as the main character. He has already been kicked out of army Airborne training and flunked out of the Defence Language Institute. Unfortunately Toby is chosen to be the fall-guy so the higher ups can cover up a conspiracy involving missing millions in cash.
Toby and his friends slowly put the pieces together through prisoner interrogations, spying on their officers, and uncovering a counterinsurgency plan. And while the pages kept turning, I found this stylish, off-centre story intriguing but not very convincing. Granted the author made these soldiers come alive on the pages through their colourful language, “why me” attitude and black humor but by the end of the book, I was pretty much done with this hard luck soldier who stumbles through this rather absurd and convoluted melodrama.
So although The Sandbox wasn’t an exceptional debut, I would definitely be interested in seeing how this author progresses and whether he can tighten up his plots and make them a little more believable.
225DeltaQueen50
178. Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee - 4.1 ★
Category: 1,001 Books List
1,001 September Challenge: Read a Book That Someone Else Hated
September TIOLI #10: Decades
Disgrace by South African author, J. M. Coetzee is a difficult book to review. I actually quite liked the book but a big part of the main story-line involves both rape and violence toward animals. The book’s main character David Lurie is a lecturer at a Capetown university who, when accused of sexual misconduct with one of his students, chose not to defend himself but rather to simply suffer his fate with stoicism. In his mind, Lurie has done nothing wrong, so he prefers to get fired and suffer the disgrace rather than to endure a process of rehabilitation. He loses his job and then goes into the country to live with his daughter, Lucy, on her isolated farm.
At first this seems like a peaceful interlude, but this is South Africa and the violence is never far away. The farm is attacked by a group of black men, Lurie is beaten and burnt, while Lucy is raped. His daughter refuses to press charges, even when one of rapists turns up at her ambitious coloured neighbour, Petrus’ party. Instead she signs over her land and equipment to this neighbour in the unspoken agreement that she will not be attacked again.
This is a novel of bleakness, turmoil and conflict. The reader is drawn into the psychological makeup of David, yet the story is also about the political standards of South Africa and conditions in that post-apartheid country. There is also a connection made between humans and animals, both as David helps out in an animal clinic and at Lucy’s farm with her dog kennel business. I found myself both shocked and deeply affected by the brutal reality of this book yet I am eager to read more by this author.
Category: 1,001 Books List
1,001 September Challenge: Read a Book That Someone Else Hated
September TIOLI #10: Decades
Disgrace by South African author, J. M. Coetzee is a difficult book to review. I actually quite liked the book but a big part of the main story-line involves both rape and violence toward animals. The book’s main character David Lurie is a lecturer at a Capetown university who, when accused of sexual misconduct with one of his students, chose not to defend himself but rather to simply suffer his fate with stoicism. In his mind, Lurie has done nothing wrong, so he prefers to get fired and suffer the disgrace rather than to endure a process of rehabilitation. He loses his job and then goes into the country to live with his daughter, Lucy, on her isolated farm.
At first this seems like a peaceful interlude, but this is South Africa and the violence is never far away. The farm is attacked by a group of black men, Lurie is beaten and burnt, while Lucy is raped. His daughter refuses to press charges, even when one of rapists turns up at her ambitious coloured neighbour, Petrus’ party. Instead she signs over her land and equipment to this neighbour in the unspoken agreement that she will not be attacked again.
This is a novel of bleakness, turmoil and conflict. The reader is drawn into the psychological makeup of David, yet the story is also about the political standards of South Africa and conditions in that post-apartheid country. There is also a connection made between humans and animals, both as David helps out in an animal clinic and at Lucy’s farm with her dog kennel business. I found myself both shocked and deeply affected by the brutal reality of this book yet I am eager to read more by this author.
226NinieB
>218 DeltaQueen50: Oh, I'm so glad you liked Wolf Willow!
227DeltaQueen50
Whew! I am all caught up on reviewing my recent reads. Travelling and reading were a good match for me, I've noticed already that my reading time has lessened since I've been home and now have chores to do.
>226 NinieB: It was a perfect book to have along with me on that trip. I read a lot of it aloud to my husband who was born and brought up on an isolated farm in Southern Saskatchewan so it really resonated with him as well. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention.
>226 NinieB: It was a perfect book to have along with me on that trip. I read a lot of it aloud to my husband who was born and brought up on an isolated farm in Southern Saskatchewan so it really resonated with him as well. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention.
228VivienneR
Glad you had a good journey accompanied by friends, food and good books. I've taken a bullet with Wolf Willow.
229dudes22
>218 DeltaQueen50: - I'll be taking a BB on this was well.
231DeltaQueen50
179. The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss - 4.2 ★
Category: Saddle Up!
Reading Through Time: Pioneer Women
2019 PopSugar Challenge: Your Favorite Prompt From Past Challenges - Wilderness Setting
September TIOLI #6: Decades
The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss is about homesteading in Oregon in the late 1800s. A woman who has been widowed comes to this remote area, near the Umpqua Mountains to take up her claim. She purchased the deed to an abandoned site so she starts with some land cleared and a ramshackle cabin. Her nearest neighbours are a couple of single men who are raising cattle. This was a very hard life as just in order to survive, she must work all day at tending her goats, improving her cabin, planting and caring for a garden, and clearing the land. She also had to live with the loneliness, insecurity, and the dirt.
The story is told plainly and without romanticizing any part of the life. The author used pioneer diaries, journals and the stories of her own relatives to portray an accurate picture of the hardship that was frontier life. Although there is a story about an on-going feud between a squatter and one of her neighbours, the author really concentrates on the actuality of pioneering with descriptions of branding cattle, milking goats and logging. These descriptions draw a portrait that is very effective at both giving us insight into the hardships but also a glimmer of the slow development of community.
The Jump-Off Creek is an engrossing and moving read about pioneering, a subject I love to read about but am most appreciative that I don’t have to live it.
Category: Saddle Up!
Reading Through Time: Pioneer Women
2019 PopSugar Challenge: Your Favorite Prompt From Past Challenges - Wilderness Setting
September TIOLI #6: Decades
The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss is about homesteading in Oregon in the late 1800s. A woman who has been widowed comes to this remote area, near the Umpqua Mountains to take up her claim. She purchased the deed to an abandoned site so she starts with some land cleared and a ramshackle cabin. Her nearest neighbours are a couple of single men who are raising cattle. This was a very hard life as just in order to survive, she must work all day at tending her goats, improving her cabin, planting and caring for a garden, and clearing the land. She also had to live with the loneliness, insecurity, and the dirt.
The story is told plainly and without romanticizing any part of the life. The author used pioneer diaries, journals and the stories of her own relatives to portray an accurate picture of the hardship that was frontier life. Although there is a story about an on-going feud between a squatter and one of her neighbours, the author really concentrates on the actuality of pioneering with descriptions of branding cattle, milking goats and logging. These descriptions draw a portrait that is very effective at both giving us insight into the hardships but also a glimmer of the slow development of community.
The Jump-Off Creek is an engrossing and moving read about pioneering, a subject I love to read about but am most appreciative that I don’t have to live it.
232clue
>231 DeltaQueen50: I read this one too and although I'm in good health and pretty active I wondered if I would have been able to do what she did. Since I live in the South, being able to make it in that cold climate with little or no heat would probably be impossible for me. I always enjoy Molly Gloss, she knows how to make the past seem real.
233DeltaQueen50
>231 DeltaQueen50: I could never imagine doing the kind of back-breaking work that she had to do from dawn to dusk. And the conditions! - Ugh
234mathgirl40
>225 DeltaQueen50: I too thought Disgrace was very good, and this reminds me that another Coetzee, Age of Iron, has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a long time.
235DeltaQueen50
>234 mathgirl40: He was one of the authors that I was quite nervous to tackle so I was both happy and surprised that I liked his writing as much as I did. I have another of his on my shelves as well, Foe which now I am looking forward to.
236DeltaQueen50
180. Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald - 4.3 ★
Category: Doing My ABCs
September AlphaKit: F
September TIOLI #1: Book Title Has the Letter Combination of LOV
Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald had been sitting on my TBR shelf for years when I pulled it down to read this month. Talk about finding treasures on your shelves, this book was clever, funny, outrageous and I couldn’t put it down. The book is a thriller about a single mother dealing with having a child, secrets from the past, life-long friends and betrayals. These plot points are meshed together in a well written murder story that both shocked and entertained me.
Two young women who have been best friends since they were six, Krissie and Sarah are quite different as adults. Sarah married a doctor and is anxious to start a family but is having difficulty in getting pregnant. Krissie on the other hand moves from man to man having no great desire to settle down. When she becomes pregnant after a one-night stand and decides to keep the baby, her relationship with Sarah becomes somewhat strained. Post-natal depression and alcohol dependency aren’t helping Krissie become a good mother, so when a holiday for Krissie, Sarah and her husband, Kyle, is suggested, it sounds like a perfect break for them all. While backpacking in Scotland, life suddenly gets a lot messier for this trio.
While Dead Lovely may be too dark for some people, I relished the selfish, almost unlikable characters, the fast paced plot and the twisted humor that this psychological thriller delivers.
Category: Doing My ABCs
September AlphaKit: F
September TIOLI #1: Book Title Has the Letter Combination of LOV
Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald had been sitting on my TBR shelf for years when I pulled it down to read this month. Talk about finding treasures on your shelves, this book was clever, funny, outrageous and I couldn’t put it down. The book is a thriller about a single mother dealing with having a child, secrets from the past, life-long friends and betrayals. These plot points are meshed together in a well written murder story that both shocked and entertained me.
Two young women who have been best friends since they were six, Krissie and Sarah are quite different as adults. Sarah married a doctor and is anxious to start a family but is having difficulty in getting pregnant. Krissie on the other hand moves from man to man having no great desire to settle down. When she becomes pregnant after a one-night stand and decides to keep the baby, her relationship with Sarah becomes somewhat strained. Post-natal depression and alcohol dependency aren’t helping Krissie become a good mother, so when a holiday for Krissie, Sarah and her husband, Kyle, is suggested, it sounds like a perfect break for them all. While backpacking in Scotland, life suddenly gets a lot messier for this trio.
While Dead Lovely may be too dark for some people, I relished the selfish, almost unlikable characters, the fast paced plot and the twisted humor that this psychological thriller delivers.
237Familyhistorian
It sounds like you enjoyed your getaway, Judy. Nice that you were reading about a place while visiting it. I like when that happens.
238RidgewayGirl
>236 DeltaQueen50: Isn't it fun when that book that's been languishing on the tbr turns out to be fantastic? It does sound good.
239DeltaQueen50
>237 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, we did have a nice time and it was good to break out of our regular routine.
>238 RidgewayGirl: I am always a little leery of thrillers, but I really enjoyed this one. I think the dark humor really appealed to me, and the fact that I never had to make a giant leap in my mind in order to connect the plot points. Finding this on my shelves makes me excited to discover what else I have hidden away!
>238 RidgewayGirl: I am always a little leery of thrillers, but I really enjoyed this one. I think the dark humor really appealed to me, and the fact that I never had to make a giant leap in my mind in order to connect the plot points. Finding this on my shelves makes me excited to discover what else I have hidden away!
240BLBera
Hi Judy: It sounds like you had a great vacation. I also loved Jump-Off Creek and I'm happy you liked So Long a Letter as well. Any new journeys planned?
242DeltaQueen50
>240 BLBera: Hi Beth. My eldest daughter has a cottage at Parksville on Vancouver Island and is lending it to us for a few days at the beginning of October. From there I will send my husband home and go visit my mother and the rest of the family in Victoria. I will probably be there until the Canadian Thanksgiving, October 14th. Of course I plan to take plenty of books with me. ;)
>241 mstrust: Hi Jennifer, I did get a lot of reading done while travelling - I even impressed myself! I've been struggling a little since I've been home to fit quality reading time in amongst all my chores, but I just finished a stellar book and hopefully will find more great reads this month!
>241 mstrust: Hi Jennifer, I did get a lot of reading done while travelling - I even impressed myself! I've been struggling a little since I've been home to fit quality reading time in amongst all my chores, but I just finished a stellar book and hopefully will find more great reads this month!
243DeltaQueen50
181. Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese - 4.5 ★
Category: From My Shelves
Joint Read with Vivienne & RabbitPrincess
TIOLI #16: Set in my Home Province/State
Medicine Walk by First Nations author Richard Wagamese is about the journey, both spiritual and physical that 16 year old Franklin Starlight makes with his dying alcoholic father, Eldon. Their relationship is a broken one as Eldon has been absent from Franklin for most of his life but now at the end of his days, he turns to Franklin to accompany him to his final resting place in the wilderness.
Franklin was adopted by an “old man” and raised close to nature but as much as he reveres and respects the old man, he yearns to know more about himself, where he came from and who his mother was. This final journey with his deathly ill father through the mountainous wilderness of British Columbia will hopefully give him the answers that he needs.
Richard Wagamese is a wonderful story teller and has a way of inserting life’s tragedies and sorrows into the narrative that make his stories into thoughtful, literary works of art. This story unfolds over a period of just a few days yet the author is able to add alcoholism, domestic violence, and the nature of being “Indian” to the story. Medicine Walk is a complex and moving father-son story from this accomplished author.
Category: From My Shelves
Joint Read with Vivienne & RabbitPrincess
TIOLI #16: Set in my Home Province/State
Medicine Walk by First Nations author Richard Wagamese is about the journey, both spiritual and physical that 16 year old Franklin Starlight makes with his dying alcoholic father, Eldon. Their relationship is a broken one as Eldon has been absent from Franklin for most of his life but now at the end of his days, he turns to Franklin to accompany him to his final resting place in the wilderness.
Franklin was adopted by an “old man” and raised close to nature but as much as he reveres and respects the old man, he yearns to know more about himself, where he came from and who his mother was. This final journey with his deathly ill father through the mountainous wilderness of British Columbia will hopefully give him the answers that he needs.
Richard Wagamese is a wonderful story teller and has a way of inserting life’s tragedies and sorrows into the narrative that make his stories into thoughtful, literary works of art. This story unfolds over a period of just a few days yet the author is able to add alcoholism, domestic violence, and the nature of being “Indian” to the story. Medicine Walk is a complex and moving father-son story from this accomplished author.
244VivienneR
>243 DeltaQueen50: Lovely review! I really enjoyed this group read. I placed holds on both print and ebook at the library and they both came in at the same time. My husband read the print and I read the ebook so we had a mini group read at home. He agrees with our opinions - a great read.
245DeltaQueen50
>244 VivienneR: I envy you being able to share this read with your husband, Vivienne. My husband reads but sticks to lighter, aventure reads, war stories or westerns. I think he would like Richard Wagamese's stories, but he doesn't seem interested in giving them a try. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to reading Starlight in the near future.
246dudes22
>243 DeltaQueen50: - I've already taken a BB from rabbitprincess for this and am looking forward to reading it.
247DeltaQueen50
>246 dudes22: I think you will like this author, Betty. Great writing, great insight, great stories!
248DeltaQueen50
182. The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - 3.7 ★
Category: Vintage Crime
September SeriesCat: "On the Sea" or "Culinary" Cozies
September TIOLI #7: Author's First or Last Name Starts With the Same Letter
The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie is a collection of short stories from her voluminous library of works. All the stories with the exception of one feature her well-known detectives, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Parker Pine. The once exception is Through a Glass Darkly which has a slight connotation of the super-natural which seemed fitting for this time of year.
I loved the Miss Marple story, entitled Miss Marple Tells A Story. And although I had read two of the Hercule Poirot stories before, they all had Poirot using his “little grey cells” to his advantage. I had mixed feelings about the Parker Pine stories probably as this was my first introduction to this character and I found him rather obnoxious and as insufferable as Poirot but without the humor and idiosyncrasies that the Belgium detective displays.
While I do prefer Christie’s longer works as it gives her more of chance to twist the stories, sprinkle more red herrings and give us clever endings, these stories were good and I enjoyed reading them.
Category: Vintage Crime
September SeriesCat: "On the Sea" or "Culinary" Cozies
September TIOLI #7: Author's First or Last Name Starts With the Same Letter
The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie is a collection of short stories from her voluminous library of works. All the stories with the exception of one feature her well-known detectives, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Parker Pine. The once exception is Through a Glass Darkly which has a slight connotation of the super-natural which seemed fitting for this time of year.
I loved the Miss Marple story, entitled Miss Marple Tells A Story. And although I had read two of the Hercule Poirot stories before, they all had Poirot using his “little grey cells” to his advantage. I had mixed feelings about the Parker Pine stories probably as this was my first introduction to this character and I found him rather obnoxious and as insufferable as Poirot but without the humor and idiosyncrasies that the Belgium detective displays.
While I do prefer Christie’s longer works as it gives her more of chance to twist the stories, sprinkle more red herrings and give us clever endings, these stories were good and I enjoyed reading them.
249Familyhistorian
>248 DeltaQueen50: I like the longer Christies too, Judy, but some of the short ones are pretty good too.
250DeltaQueen50
>249 Familyhistorian: I guess this is why she is called the "Queen of Crime". ;)
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door DeltaQueen's Random Miscellaneous Challenge - Part 6.
