Bill’s Comments (group member since Nov 30, 2021)

Bill’s comments from the On The Same Page group.

Some basic challenges, like series, non -series and then some focus challenges. Hoping I might be able to read 110+ books in 2024.

Interesting challenge.

So many series...

I've been enjoying Ursula K Le Guin's books for a long time and have decided that I want to read as many as I can in 2024. I've been ordering her books to flesh out my book shelves and hope to finish both the Hainish Sci-
Fi series and the Earthsea fantasy, as well as various others.

Ursula K Le Guin

1. The Complete Orsinia: Malafrena / Stories and Songs contains all of the Orsinia stories (2016) 592 pages, started 12 Feb, finished 21 Mar, 4.0 stars
2. Rocannon's World (Hainish Cycle #1 / 1972) 122 pages, started 1 Jan, finished 9 Jan, 3.5 stars
3. Planet of Exile Hainish #2 / 1972) 126 pages, started 10 Feb, finished 12 Feb, 4.0 stars
4. City of Illusions (Hainish #3 / 1967) 160 pages, started 21 Mar, finished 31 Mar, 3.0 stars
5. The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish #4 / 1969) 304 pages, (I've read 3 or 4 times but it's time for a reread) started 19 May, finished 19 Jul, 5.0 stars
6. The Dispossessed (Hainish #5 / 1974) 319 pages, started 19 Jul, finished 12 Oct, 4.0 stars
7. The Word for World is Forest (Hainish #6 / 1972) 189 pages (did not read)
8. Four Ways to Forgiveness (Hainish#7 / 1994) 228 pages (did not read)
9. The Telling (Hainish #8 / 2003) 264 pages (did not read)
10. Tehanu (Earthsea #4 / 2019) 320 pages, started 9 Jan, finished 19 Jan, 4.5 stars
11. Tales from Earthsea (Earthsea #5 / 2003) 280 pages, started 1 Apr, finished 7 May, 4.5 stars
12. The Other Wind (Earthsea #6 / 2012) 311 pages (did not read)

Alternates
Alt 1. The Wind's Twelve Quarters (Short stories / 1981) 277 pages, started 12 Oct, finished 28 Nov, 4.0 stars
Alt 2. Very Far Away from Anywhere Else (2004) 133 pages, started 9 Feb, finished 10 Feb, 5.0 stars
Alt 3. The Beginning Place 1991) 246 pages, started 19 Jan, finished 9 Feb, 4.0 stars
Alt 4. Searoad 193 pages, started 7 May, finished 19 May, 5.0 stars

Completed - 12

Bill's Part 2

Jul
1. The Caves Of Night by John Christopher 4.0 stars
2. Wycliffe & The Pea-Green Boat by W.J. Burley 4.0 stars
3. The Great British Bump-Off by John Allison 3.0 stars
4. Kronk by Edmund Cooper 2.5 stars
5. Saga, Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan 4.0 stars
6. Wycliffe and the Schoolgirls by W.J. Burley 4.0 stars
7. Catwings Return by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.5 stars
8. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin 5.0 stars
9. Six Ostriches byPhilipp Schott 3.5 stars
10. The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi 4.0 stars
11. Wycliffe in Paul's Court by W.J. Burley 4.0 stars
12. Poems from the Women's Movement by Honor Moore 4.0 stars
13. Borders by Thomas King 4.0 stars

Aug
1. Time Gladiator by Mack Reynolds 3.0 stars
2. Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon 4.0 stars
3. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo 4.5 stars
4. Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night by James Runcie 4.0 stars
5. Nothing Special, Volume One: Through the Elder Woods by Katie Cook 3.5 stars
6. The Grand Banks Café by Georges Simenon 3.5 stars
7. Maigret at the Gai-Moulin by Georges Simenon 4.0 stars
8. The New Girl by Cassandra Calin 3.5 stars
9. Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum 3.5 stars
10. The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag 4.0 stars
11. Ariel by Sylvia Plath 3.5 stars
12. Pavane by Keith Roberts 3.0 stars
13. East of West, Vol. 2: We Are All One by Jonathan Hickman 3.5 stars
14. A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll 4.0 stars
15. Shout Kill Revel by Jarret Hartnell 3.5 stars

Sep
1. Linghun by Ai Jiang 4.5 stars
2. Steeple by John Allison 3.0 stars
3. When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll 4.0 stars
4. Odd Jobs: Six Files from the Department of Inhuman Resources by T.J. Price 4.0 stars
5. Warriors: The Prophecies Begin Erin Hunter 3.5 stars
6. The Xibalba Murders by Lyn Hamilton 3.5 stars
7. Death of a Celebrity by M.C. Beaton 4.0 stars
8. The Time Hoppers by Robert Silverberg 4.5 stars
9. How America Works... and Why it Doesn't: A Brief Guide to the US Political System by William Cooper 4.0 stars
10. Homecoming by Patricia Briggs 3.5 stars
11. Steeple, Volume 2: The Silvery Moon by John Allison 3.0 stars
12. Age 16 by Rosena Fung 4.5 stars
13. The Deadly Dance by M.C. Beaton DNF, NR
14. Stephen McCranie's Space Boy Volume 16 by Stephen McCranie 4.0 stars
15. Stephen McCranie's Space Boy Volume 17 by Stephen McCranie 4.0 stars

Oct
1. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson DNF NR
2. The Extinction Parade, Volume 1 by Max Brooks 3.5 stars
3. Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy by Arthut La Bern 3.5 stars
4. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 5.0 stars
5. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.0 stars
6. Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks 4.0 stars
7. Cosmic Engineers by Clifford D. Simak 3.0 stars
8. Tales of Gooseflesh and Laughter by John Wyndham 3.5 stars
9. Old Man's War by John Scalzi 4.5 stars
10. The House at the End of Lacelean Street by Catherine McCarthy 4.0 stars
11. Through the Woods by Emily Carroll 3.5 stars
12. Steeple Volume 3: That's the Spirit by John Allison 3.0 stars

Nov
1. Ghost Roast by Shawnelle Gibbs 4.0 stars
2. Beyond the Black Enigma by Bart Somers 2.0 stars
3. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice 4.0 stars
4. Skyscraper by Faith Baldwin NR
5. The Extinction Parade: War by Max Brooks 3.0 stars
6. The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks 4.0 stars
7. Black Helicopters by Caitlín R. Kiernan 3.5 stars
8. Lost in Taiwan by Mark Crilley 4.0 stars
9. The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown 3.5 stars
10. Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang 4.0 stars
11. Lore Olympus: Volume Six by Rachel Smythe 4.5 stars
12. The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman 4.0 stars
13. Monstress, Volume 4: The Chosen by Marjorie M. Liu 4.0 stars
14. Tank Girl 3 by Alan C. Martin 2.5 stars
15. Chocky by John Wyndham 4.0 stars
16. Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV 3.5 stars
17. The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.0 stars
18. The Night Librarian: A Graphic Novel by Christopher Lincoln 3.5 stars

Dec
1. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy 5.0 stars
2. 1984: The Graphic Novel by Fido Nesti 4.0 stars
3. Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi 4.5 stars
4. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson 4.0 stars
5. In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune 4.5 stars
6. Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.5 stars
7. Jane on Her Own by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.0 stars
8. Booked by Kwame Alexander 4.5 stars
9. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig 4.5 stars
10. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin 4.0 stars
11. Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia DNF, NR
12. The Blunders by David Walliams DNF, NR
13. The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzi 4.0 stars
14. Illegal: A Graphic Novel by Eoin Colfer 4.0 stars
15. The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown 4.0 stars
16. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum 3.5 stars
17. Silverwing: The Graphic Novel by Kenneth Oppel 3.0 stars
18. The Boggart by Susan Cooper 4.0 stars
19. The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed 4.5 stars
20. Nothing Special, Vol. 2: Concerning Wings by Katie Cook 4.0 stars

Bill's List - Part 1
I plan to read 110+ books so will have 2 lists
Jan
1. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis 4.5 stars
2. Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.5 stars
3. The Big Four by Agatha Christie 3.0 stars
4. Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.5 stars
5. Murder and the First Lady by Elliott Roosevelt 4.0 stars
6. They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie 4.0 stars
7. By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie 4.0 stars
8. Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon 4.0 stars
9. DeKok and the Geese of Death by A.C. Baantjer 3.0 stars

Feb
1. Lore Olympus: Volume Five by Rachel Smythe 4.0 stars
2. The Fall Of The Sparrow by Nigel Balchin NR
3. The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi 4.0 stars
4. The Beginning Place by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.0 stars
5. Very Far Away from Anywhere Else by Ursula K. Le Guin 5.0 stars
6. Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.0 stars
7. Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang & LeUyen Pham 4.5 stars
8. Look To The Lady by Margery Allingham 3.0 stars
9. Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie M. Liu 3.5 stars
10. The Ninth Directive by Adam Hall 3.0 stars
11. Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney 4.0 stars
12. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown 4.0 stars

Mar
1. Denison Avenue by Christina Wong 4.0 stars
2. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang 4.0 stars
3. Stephen McCranie's Space Boy Volume 15 by Stephen McCranie 3.5 stars
4. An Amateur Corpse by Simon Brett 3.5 stars
5. Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan 3.5 stars
6. Don't Mess with Mrs In-Between by Liz Evans 4.0 stars
7. The White Road by John Connolly 4.0 stars
8. Spaceboy by David Walliams 4.0 stars
9. The Complete Orsinia: Malafrena / Stories and Songs by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.0 stars
10. Murder in the Museum by Simon Brett 3.5 stars
11. Mrs, Presumed Dead by Simon Brett 3.5 stars
12. City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.0 stars

Apr
1. Twilight by Peter James 4.0 stars
2. Rubymusic: A Popular History of Women’s Music and Culture by Connie Kuhns 4.0 stars
3. Dawn of Fear by Susan Cooper 4.5 stars
4. Lightfall: The Dark Times Tim Probert 4.0 stars
5. Unnatural Causes by P.D. James 3.5 stars
6. Tank Girl: The Gifting by Alan C. Martin 3.0 stars
7. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson 5.0 stars
8. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James 3.5 stars
9. Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge by Jayne Barnard 3.0 stars

May
1. Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series by Charles Ardai 3.5 stars
2. The Confidential Agent: An Entertainment by Graham Greene DNF NR
3. Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.5 stars
4. Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust by Neal Shusterman 4.0 stars
5. Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson 4.0 stars
6. Robodog by David Walliams 4.0 stars
7. The Girl Who Electrified Tesla by Cynthia von Buhler 3.0 stars
8. Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven by Marjorie M. Liu 4.0 stars
9. Searoad by Ursula K. Le Guin 5.0 stars
10. The Death Miser by John Creasey 2.5 stars
11. Inspector West Takes Charge by John Creasey 4.5 stars
12. Meet The Baron: by Anthony Morton 3.0 stars
13. To Walk in the Way of Lions by H. Leighton Dickson 5.0 stars

Jun
1. Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.5 stars
2. How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future by Maria Ressa 4.5 stars
3. A Circus of Hells by Poul Anderson 2.0 stars
4. The Big Jump by Leigh Brackett 4.0 stars
5. When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed; Victoria Jamieson 4.5 stars
6. Ms. Tree Vol. 5: Heroine Withdrawal by Max Allan Collins 3.0 stars
7. The Paton Street Case by John Bingham 4.5 stars
8. The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi 4.0 stars
9. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi 4.0 stars
10. East of West, Vol. 1: The Promise by Jonathan Hickman 3.0 stars
11. Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh 4.0 stars
12. Global by Eoin Colfer 4.0 stars
13. Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker by Robert Mankoff 4.0 stars
14. Ratlines by Stuart Neville 4.0 stars

Looking forward to seeing your list.

That's a good idea. I've lots that have resided on my shelves for a loooong time. I've been trying to whittle it down. Good luck with all of your selections.

Good luck in 2024. Enjoy the rest of your 2023 reading.

A few authors I enjoy there and some I haven't tried yet. I want to start the Alex Stern series next year.

Simple is good. Some authors I need to get back to, like Lee Child, CJ Box, Nesbo, PD James, Craig Johnson.. Enjoy

Wow. You were ready. 👍 I hope you enjoy them all.

My review of Lore Olympus: Volume Four by Rachel Smythe 3.5 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks (Culture #7) 4.0 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Next book in line is Mother Finds A body by Gypsy Rose Lee

2357. Look to Windward

2355. Lore Olympus: Volume Four

Congratulations on completing your challenge Lindsey.

Alondra wrote: "Great update, Bill. I felt the same about Harvest Home, except I put it down. Next time I will push through past pg 50.

I have The Wind-Up Girl. Not sure why I don't pick it up; but that is a tren..."

It's my trend too.. LOL

My review of Philip K. Dick: The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Philip K. Dick & David Streitfield 3.5 stars. (An interesting collection of subjects in this series.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now I have to find out what the heck (or Hades, more appropriately) is happening to those Greek gods and goddesses, Lore Olympus: Volume Four by Rachel Smythe

It's always satisfying to complete your challenge. You've got some interesting - looking books in that list.