February RandomCAT: Fruits & Veggies

Discussie2021 Category Challenge

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February RandomCAT: Fruits & Veggies

1LittleTaiko
jan 14, 2021, 4:05 pm



Happy February! Everyone knows that eating your fruits and vegetables is good for you. I'm assuming that reading about fruits and vegetables should be beneficial as well. :)

This challenge is designed to help you get more fruits and vegetables into your life through reading. While I don't think anyone will get five servings per day, if you manage to get five servings through the month that will be incredibly impressive.

Here are some suggestions:

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
There There by Tommy Orange
Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl
Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton
Peas, Carrots, and an Aston Martin by Hannah Lynn

https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php?title=2021_RandomCAT&action=edit&amp...

2Montarville
jan 14, 2021, 4:20 pm

How original! I don't think I have anything on by TBR that fits the bill, but it could be the push I need to finally read The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.

3Crazymamie
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 4:46 pm

Oh! I have Kitchen in the stacks! I also have Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges, and Tangerine by Christine Mangan. And I can recommend both James and the Giant Peach and Save Me the Plums - loved both of those.

Also:

Tangerine by Edward Bloor - YA, and I loved this one
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

4whitewavedarling
jan 14, 2021, 4:26 pm

I've been meaning to read The Avocado Drive Zoo for a while, so this will be the perfect opportunity! Thanks for being the catalyst to me finally getting around to it, >1 LittleTaiko:!

5Jackie_K
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 4:52 pm

A friend of mine has edited (and written for) a couple of short story anthologies that are retellings of classic fairy tales. The first one was A is for Apple: A Snow White Anthology (I can't find a touchstone, but will add it to my library and see if the touchstone appears later). So I think I'll go for that one (I'm actually reading the B anthology this month - so far the only two produced, although she's hoping to do a couple more by the end of this year. After this maybe I can read them in order as they come out!).

Also, a book I read a few years ago and absolutely loved was Malcolm Orange Disappears by Jan Carson, I'd highly recommend that one.

6LibraryCin
jan 14, 2021, 4:53 pm

Ha! Cute! I'll take a look at my tbr soon to see what fits.

7thornton37814
jan 14, 2021, 5:16 pm

I should be able to find one that fits in my TBR list. If I'm lucky, I'll even have one on hand or available via e-book without having to schedule a library pick-up.

8Tess_W
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 7:27 pm

Since I'm wanting to read from my TBR shelf this year, I think I will read This is My Lemonade: An Adoption Story.

9rabbitprincess
jan 14, 2021, 7:37 pm

Love this idea! Off to dig through the stacks.

10rabbitprincess
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 7:42 pm

Oh, I just remembered I have a Bryant and May mystery on request from the library: Oranges and Lemons, by Christopher Fowler.

11dudes22
jan 14, 2021, 7:53 pm

I think I'll read The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich.

12lsh63
jan 14, 2021, 8:36 pm

I'm going to read a book that been on the shelf at least 10 years, BlackBerry Wine. Wine's good for you just like fruits and vegetables isn't it?

13Kristelh
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 8:51 pm

Another one, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender.
and another, In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan (those that read 1001 Books).

14RidgewayGirl
jan 14, 2021, 9:45 pm

What a fun theme! I was thinking I'd have to take a good look at my tbr, but then remembered that I've been wanting to read The Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras and this is a good reason.

15Robertgreaves
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 10:17 pm

Are author names eligible (looking at Iain Pears)?

16LibraryCin
jan 14, 2021, 11:17 pm

I had to look up exactly what "succotash" was, but wikipedia tells me this: "Succotash (from Narragansett sohquttahhash, "broken corn kernels") is a culinary dish consisting primarily of sweet corn with lima beans or other shell beans."

So, I feel like it should count, as it's made up of corn and beans? :-)

Suffering Succotash / Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

Or I can keep looking...

17NinieB
jan 15, 2021, 12:16 am

>15 Robertgreaves: Two of Stacy's examples have the fruit or veg in the author's name. So I think it's fair to use Ian Pears.

>16 LibraryCin: Succotash was a vegetable when I was growing up!

18LittleTaiko
jan 15, 2021, 10:44 am

I am loving all these suggestions!! The whole inspiration was my desire to read Fried Green Tomatoes so I'm glad it's working for others.

>15 Robertgreaves: - Yes, author names are definitely an option. In fact, I meant to include Iain Pears as one my examples but forgot.

19dudes22
jan 15, 2021, 11:19 am

>18 LittleTaiko: - I really liked Fried Green Tomatoes}, although if you've already seen the movie, some of the reveals won't be as surprising.

20lowelibrary
Bewerkt: jan 15, 2021, 11:44 am

I have a sequel I have been wanting to read that fits this category perfectly. I will be reading The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer

21NinieB
jan 15, 2021, 12:09 pm

>19 dudes22: Many, many years ago, I saw the movie and then read the book. I think there were some differences, and the original story in the book made more sense to me. But I think this was when the movie first came out--so as I said, many, many years.

22christina_reads
jan 15, 2021, 12:16 pm

I've put a library hold on The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert. I had to look it up, but Wikipedia confirms that coconut is technically a fruit! :)

23susanna.fraser
jan 15, 2021, 1:28 pm

Do subtitles count? If so, I'm going to read Dying With Her Cheer Pants On: Stories of the Fighting Pumpkins.

24clue
Bewerkt: jan 15, 2021, 2:47 pm

This is fun! I have 3 on my TBR. Two have already been mentioned and the one that isn't mentioned, Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill hasn't been.

Two that I have previously read that will work are Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.

25LadyoftheLodge
Bewerkt: jan 15, 2021, 4:02 pm

The second book in the Kensington Palace Chef series is on Amazon for $1.99 limited time! I just grabbed it.

26LadyoftheLodge
jan 15, 2021, 4:02 pm

>12 lsh63: That is a true statement! Wine is made from fruit.

27katiekrug
jan 15, 2021, 4:16 pm

Great theme! I have lots of possibilities on my shelves....

28DeltaQueen50
jan 15, 2021, 4:17 pm

This is a great idea! I am going to be reading Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree by Tariq Ali and I may also try to squeeze in Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson.

29EBT1002
jan 15, 2021, 5:44 pm

Fried Green Tomatoes is a wonderful read! Great inspiration for this month's prompt. I've read it twice so I'll peruse my shelves to find something else that fits.

30dudes22
jan 16, 2021, 5:36 am

Judy's post made me remember Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd which I've already read but I put here as a suggestion

31MissBrangwen
jan 16, 2021, 6:57 am

At first I thought that this challenge would be hard - although I really like the idea! - but then I noticed that I had recently bought the perfect book for it!

Birnbäume blühen weiß by Dutch author Gerbrand Bakker. It‘s not available in English as of now, but the title translates „Pear Trees Bloom White“.

I bought this for GeoKIT and now I‘m even more delighted!

32LadyoftheLodge
jan 16, 2021, 12:28 pm

I am thinking of The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree for this one.

33sallylou61
Bewerkt: jan 16, 2021, 9:31 pm

I'm probably going to read Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset and reread Some Say Tomato ed by Mariflo Stephens (collection of poems with word tomato in them)

34JayneCM
Bewerkt: jan 17, 2021, 12:56 am

>13 Kristelh: I already had In Watermelon Sugar for another challenge - maybe I will move it to this one!

35EBT1002
Bewerkt: jan 19, 2021, 11:41 am

I took The Land of Green Plums by Herta Muller off the shelves and put it out where I'll see it. If I can get to it, I'll read it for this February challenge.

37lindapanzo
Bewerkt: jan 26, 2021, 9:51 pm

Wallace Stegner's Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs might be a possibility. Or The Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette

>36 VivienneR: I'm thinking of a Stephanie Plum book as well.

>32 LadyoftheLodge: The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree has been on my Kindle pile for quite awhile.

38okeres
feb 1, 2021, 7:43 pm

Ah! I have had Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen on my shelves for years. Looks like the perfect time to pull it down for a read. :P

39beebeereads
feb 2, 2021, 8:07 am

Just found one that will fit this category. Garlic and Sapphires. Garlic is considered a vegetable--part of the onion family. I've been meaning to read this.

40fuzzi
feb 2, 2021, 8:24 am

I'm thinking of reading The Pumpkin Rollers by Elmer Kelton. I like what I've read of his books so far.

41LadyoftheLodge
feb 2, 2021, 11:34 am

>39 beebeereads: I really enjoyed that one! I listened to it on audio book before I read the print version.

42kac522
Bewerkt: feb 2, 2021, 12:03 pm

I'm choosing between two "olive" books on my shelf:
Olive by Dinah Craik or The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner

43beebeereads
feb 2, 2021, 1:30 pm

>41 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks for that confirmation. I'm really looking forward to it. I have so many more challenges to meet this month. It will be read soon, but not sure if I can make it in February. I try to look at all these CAT challenges as ways to prioritize my reading even if I don't get to it in the designated month! Does anyone else do it that way?

44kac522
feb 2, 2021, 4:06 pm

>43 beebeereads: Yep--I'm sometimes months behind. Also helps me choose which TBR to read next...

45rabbitprincess
feb 2, 2021, 7:15 pm

>43 beebeereads: That's the main way I use the CATs!

46LadyoftheLodge
feb 3, 2021, 3:06 pm

>45 rabbitprincess: I do this too, although I try to read them in the months assigned.

47rabbitprincess
feb 3, 2021, 5:00 pm

>46 LadyoftheLodge: I tried for a couple of years and it made my reading feel way too much like work. About the only CAT where I am likely to read the book in the assigned month is the RandomCAT, but even then, no promises.

Speaking of RandomCAT, my hold on Oranges and Lemons came in, so maybe I will actually get to read this one in the assigned month :D

48beebeereads
feb 3, 2021, 5:15 pm

>46 LadyoftheLodge: >47 rabbitprincess: If this is the case, then why don't people return to the thread and post when they complete a challenge? I am glad to know I am not the only one who approaches the challenges with a longer view ;-) I do notice that people regularly post their intentions so I guess that is the best way to add to the list of suggestions for a particular category. What's missing at that point though is any "review" or opinion of the suggested title.
This probably is not the location for this discussion and there does not need to be an answer as we all approach the challenges in the way that works best for us. Thanks for your comments

49leslie.98
Bewerkt: feb 3, 2021, 10:11 pm

>48 beebeereads: Perhaps this isn't the ideal location for this discussion but I for one am finding it immensely interesting. As with many of us, I use the various CATs & KITs to help prioritize my reading, especially my ROOTs, but I find that it takes me a good 2 or 3 weeks to get into them fully. So the impulse to read a book for, say, January's AlphaKIT often persists well into February but I have regarded those books as "missed opportunities" and don't count them for those challenges and thus don't update the monthly threads or the Wiki.

50Tess_W
feb 4, 2021, 5:03 am

>48 beebeereads: I do return and post what I read, which if oftentimes different that what was planned.

51MissWatson
feb 4, 2021, 5:06 am

I have finished Unterm Birnbaum (Under the pear tree) on my shelves. A murder happens, but as it is never mentioned explicitly or described, everything remains under the placid surface of village life on the Oder river.

52beebeereads
feb 4, 2021, 8:54 am

>49 leslie.98: I have followed that same method--missed opportunities. But I still read the books in almost all the cases.
Thanks to everyone for indulging this conversation.

53LadyoftheLodge
feb 4, 2021, 2:08 pm

>49 leslie.98: I think the discussion is interesting and relevant. It is always helpful to me to know how others approach their reading.

54rabbitprincess
feb 4, 2021, 6:37 pm

>48 beebeereads: I post on the thread when it's created, stating what I've set aside for the challenge. It saves me having to remember to post whenever I read it, which is sometimes years later... :)

55LibraryCin
feb 4, 2021, 9:21 pm

>48 beebeereads: For me, I post my reviews in so many different groups and threads, that it's just easiest for me to include my entire review when I finish (copy/paste everywhere!).

I don't see why there can't be discussion in these threads! I think it's a great place for discussion!

56MissBrangwen
feb 5, 2021, 6:48 am

>51 MissWatson: I thought about reading Unterm Birnbaum for this challenge, too, because I love Fontane but haven't read this one yet! I'll probably read another book, though, that right now I'm more curious about. But I was happy to see that you chose Unterm Birnbaum!

57beebeereads
feb 5, 2021, 11:03 am

>54 rabbitprincess: Oh this makes it way more fun for me. I almost always have a plan for each challenge, but mostly I have been posting if I finish within the prescribed month. I'll share more of my titles from now on.

58MissWatson
feb 6, 2021, 6:23 am

>56 MissBrangwen: I mainly chose it because it is also very short, and I was hoping for something quiet and relaxing. That it certainly was. And lots of Platt! I wonder how that reads in a translation?

59MissBrangwen
feb 6, 2021, 6:46 am

>58 MissWatson: Oh yes, interesting question! Maybe another local language or dialect is used to reflect the difference? But I really don't know.

60Chrischi_HH
feb 6, 2021, 6:10 pm

I got two books from the library for the February RandomCAT and finished the first one: Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen (the English title is "Sweet Bean Paste") by Durian Sukegawa. A very lovely book, and I'm happy I read it. :)

61susanna.fraser
feb 6, 2021, 11:27 pm

I just finished Dying With Her Cheer Pants On: Stories of the Fighting Pumpkins by Seanan McGuire, a very fun quick read if you like horror-tinged fantasy.

62scaifea
Bewerkt: feb 7, 2021, 11:49 am

I (attempted to) read Gardens of the Moon for this month's selection. You can find my mini-review here

63VivienneR
feb 7, 2021, 4:25 pm

Janet Evanovitch's Plum Lucky was just the right book to brighten up a cold snowy day.

64LittleTaiko
feb 7, 2021, 5:48 pm

Ended up reading two books for this challenge:

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe - I think I liked the movie version better but that may just be because that's the one I first encountered. The characters of Evelyn and Mrs. Threadgoode are just so much stronger in the movie but that's bound to happen when you have Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy in the roles.

Also read Peas, Carrots, and an Aston Martin which is the first in a Peas & Carrots series about a family in England and their mistakes and successes.

65sallylou61
feb 9, 2021, 12:07 am

I reread Some Say Tomato: Poems, edited by Mariflo Stephens, the leader of a book club I sometimes attend. This is a collection of approximately 50 poems by poets of all ages in which the word "tomato" appears in the poem and/or its title. I was even less favorably impressed with this collection reading it this time than when I did several years. Many of the poems seemed forced; "tomato" is not central to many of the poems. I don't even know why someone would want to make a collection of poems containing this particular word. A few of the poets are well-known such as Rita Dove, former poet laureate of the United States, and the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. This book is appropriate for this challenge; in addition to mentioning tomatoes, several poems mention other vegetables and fruits.

66Cora-R
feb 9, 2021, 8:10 pm

I read Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. The characters and their situations felt very authentic to me. Olive herself was not an easy character to like, but she was complicated and the author did a great job having the reader see her as she is and appreciating her for it. It was a great look at small town life as well as aging and how it can affect people. It was a great book that I would recommend to others.

67Tess_W
feb 10, 2021, 12:05 am

>66 Cora-R: That one is on my TBR...I did not think of it for this challenge!

68LittleTaiko
feb 10, 2021, 2:27 pm

>66 Cora-R: - I was a fan of Olive as well and really enjoyed Olive, Again if you're wanting a bit more of Olive, family, and friends.

69RidgewayGirl
feb 10, 2021, 4:49 pm

I've started Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras for this month's CAT. I've been wanting to read this for some time.

70LoisB
feb 10, 2021, 4:49 pm

>66 Cora-R: I did not like Olive Kitteridge. ----- For some reason, I did not catch on to the fact that it was a series of independent stories. I kept looking for the plot line! I might feel better about it if I read it again. BTW I own a vacation home in the area where the stories are set and I have to agree that the writing was authentic.

71LibraryCin
feb 10, 2021, 5:04 pm

>70 LoisB: For some reason, I did not catch on to the fact that it was a series of independent stories.

I've certainly heard of it, and every so often wonder if I should read it. This, though, makes me glad I haven't! LOL! I would not have liked it for this same reason. Even, now, knowing ahead of time, may not help!

72MissBrangwen
feb 11, 2021, 12:36 pm

Today I read Birnbäume blühen weiß (Perenbomen bloeien wit) by Gerbrand Bakker. This is a very sad and moving story, but I also have some points of criticism and think that it's rather ableist.

73LadyoftheLodge
feb 13, 2021, 3:02 pm

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree is the second I have read in this series. I have read other books by Susan Wittig Albert in the Beatrix Potter series and the China Bayles mysteries. The book is set in the 1930's and involves several different mysteries that the Dahlias garden club women take on. These include the death of the cosmetics sales girl Bunny, embezzlement at the local Bank and Trust, an escaped convict, possible infidelity, an inheritance, and a ghost! The mysteries turn out to be interwoven with each other, and all the loose ends are tied up neatly at the end. This one seemed a bit slow to start, but I ended up enjoying it immensely. Some critics have stated that it romanticizes Depression heartaches and hardships, but I thought the ladies dealt with the mysteries in admirable fashion.

74Jackie_K
feb 15, 2021, 9:24 am

I've just finished A is for Apple: A Snow White Anthology and gave it 4*. Six retellings of the classic fairy story in various different genres.

75LibraryCin
feb 15, 2021, 10:37 pm

Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater's Quest... / Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic
4 stars

The author was a picky eater growing up and wanted to look into why people hate the foods they hate. As an adult, she has managed to, not only overcome her food pickiness (for most things), but she has become a foodie. In this book, she describes information from scientists on taste, smell, and how other senses affect how people taste things; she was also able to visit a taste lab. Other chapters talk about moms dealing with their picky eater children, emotions and food, eating out, and relationships, among other things.

I found this quite interesting. I am not nearly as picky as many of the people she described in her book, but I’m not very good about trying new foods, and I have issues with various textures. She did talk about textures at one point, and we agree on one item: bananas! (I also hate bacon, and the smell, but surprising to me, apparently that’s one meat that is supposedly appealing to most people, including some vegetarians. Blech!) I found the science very interesting and I found myself annoyed with some of the people in the relationship chapter! She also included plenty of humour, as well as her own stories, and plenty of 80s and 90s references, which were fun.

76Robertgreaves
feb 16, 2021, 5:43 am

>75 LibraryCin: I wouldn't say I was a picky eater but I won't eat seafood (crab, lobster) etc. if the shell hasn't been taken off. Too much like hard work for very little reward trying to do it at the table.

77clue
feb 16, 2021, 10:18 am

>76 Robertgreaves: I'm with you Robert, especially crab legs!

78Tess_W
feb 16, 2021, 1:24 pm

>76 Robertgreaves: I agree. When I go out, I don't want to work!

79LadyoftheLodge
feb 16, 2021, 2:20 pm

>75 LibraryCin: I was a very picky eater as a kid. I went through a spell when I would only eat lettuce and mayonnaise sandwiches on white bread, no crusts.

I agree with the others who don't like to pick apart seafood shells in order to eat. Apparently there are a lot of people who feel the reward of the crab meat is worth all that cracking of the legs. Nope!

80LibraryCin
feb 16, 2021, 5:30 pm

>76 Robertgreaves: Oh, I don't eat seafood at all! Part of that is textures... :-)

81LibraryCin
feb 16, 2021, 5:30 pm

>79 LadyoftheLodge: Wow, yeah! I can't imagine only eating one thing all the time!

82HannahJo
feb 17, 2021, 5:12 pm

>75 LibraryCin:

That sounds like such an interesting read, so relatable to everyone!

83HannahJo
feb 17, 2021, 5:16 pm

I struggled to find a book for this month’s challenge, as even with hundreds of books on my TBR pile there are so few fruits or vegetables!

About to read Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love and Language by Deborah Fallows

84LibraryCin
feb 17, 2021, 9:52 pm

I have to say I'm happy my review has had so many people notice it. I had noticed that not too many people have it listed here as having read it, so it's nice to bring attention to a less well-known book, too.

85clue
Bewerkt: feb 22, 2021, 8:57 pm

I have completed Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell.

86LadyoftheLodge
feb 19, 2021, 3:44 pm

>85 clue: Oh very clever! Well done!

87whitewavedarling
feb 21, 2021, 11:08 am

Finished the memoir The Avocado Drive Zoo and wrote a full review. I really expected to love this and be passing it on to my mom. Instead... enh? Someone who wants an inner sight into the man behind The Waltons, Falcon Crest, and The Man from Snowy River might enjoy this, but as a reader who was really in it for the animals, I was left a bit disappointed. Still, in depth review to explain is up now, at least.

88dudes22
feb 23, 2021, 9:24 am

I changed my mind and ended up reading Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich.

89sallylou61
Bewerkt: feb 24, 2021, 10:29 pm

I read Plum Bun: A Novel without a Moral by Jessie Redmon Fauset written during the Harlem Renaissance. Although Angela Murray, a very light-skinned black woman who tries to pass for white, is featured in this novel, several other people trying to pass for white are also included. The story, which mainly takes place in Philadelphia and New York City, shows the trials of families with members of various shades of color and how the actions of these various family members impact their friends, families, and fellow workers. The prejudices and injustices against blacks are portrayed.

90Cora-R
feb 25, 2021, 1:09 pm

I just finished Eat a Peach by David Chang. It was an interesting glimpse into the restaurant/celebrity chef world.

91okeres
Bewerkt: mrt 8, 2021, 6:46 pm

Read Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes by Karen Rose Smith in February - just updated the wiki. (Still intend to read Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen ... someday.)