L Y N N’s
Comments
(group member since Nov 10, 2018)
L Y N N’s
comments
from the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge group.
Showing 1,061-1,080 of 4,909
Brandon wrote: "Finished:A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (3/5, a book with a map)
This one just narrowly avoids a 2-star rating because I cared enough to finish it. The setting is great, and I liked some of the romantic parts. I am baffled by the amount of people reading the book in the first place and then giving it high ratings. There is a lot of really gross stuff, both in torture/combat and interpersonally, especially for something that is trying to be a romance.
I would have preferred a series where Feyre and Lucien explore the seven main Courts in seven books (she has better chemistry with him than Tamlin or Rhysand)."
Oohhh...ugh. This definitely doesn't sound my cuppa tea! :)
"DNF:
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl (a celebrity memoir)
After reading the first chapter and some reviews, I don't think it is something I care to read all of. I'm not into his bands or writing style that much. I have other choices for this prompt, and I have already read a book that counts if I double dip."
Ah, well, at least you realized in time to stop! :)
"PS 2023 progress: 20/50"
Buzzin' right along!
"QotW: I do not have any planned reading for the month beyond continuing to read challenge prompts and some Star Trek stories. If I see anybody mention a book that I have read and would also recommend, then I will chime in with a comment"
Great!
"book about divorceReally good actually by Monica Heisey. A year or so in the life of a woman after she and her husband separate. I really enjoyed this."
Added this to my TBR listing. Looks like one I would also enjoy!
"The Writing Retreat by Julie Bartz. Thriller. A group of writers are invited to a writing retreat hosted by a super famous author and people die. This is another one that I feel like I'm on the other side of the reviews because I really enjoyed it. Is it great literature? No. Was it an enjoyable ride? Yes. But the BOTM facebook group apparently hated this book."
Interestingly, I just read a review of this from a blogger I follow. Her recommendation was to read it without taking it too seriously (since she had endured several eye-rolls while reading it) and just enjoy the ride. I just wonder if it might be too scary for me, since I am such a wuss! :)
"White Out by Danielle Girard. Mystery. I think this was a free book with Prime and it took me awhile to get through it. It really picked up at like the 70% and if it had that pace the whole way through, I probably would've loved it. It was okay but not enough to get me to pick up another."
Sounds like one I might skip... :)
"QOTW:
I’m not actively seeking out black authors to read this month although my tbr is mostly black authors, gay authors, romance and lit fic as I've managed to curate my booktok to just be that."
Cool!
"Lit fic that is 5 stars The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett."
That was good!
"I would also recommend Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson."
Haven't gotten to this one yet!
"YA- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn"
I'm definitely interested in this one!
I ended up inadvertently reading one of Walter Farley's Black Stallion books, The Island Stallion which involved genetics. The main character is conjecturing about the fact that another stallion has fought to win control of a band of horses and how his genetics will in fact weaken the band overall in many ways, compared to the previous stallion leader.
Happy Thursday, all! Wait! I’m having an episode of déjà vu! Didn’t I just post a weekly check-in? Oh…yes, I did! Just yesterday, in fact! I didn’t want to be a whole week behind! LOLWe’re having spring-like weather with the temperatures in the 60s followed immediately by highs in the 30s and back and forth! Ah, well, at least it’s not boring! :)
My life has been consumed with real-life practical tasks as of late. Anxiously anticipating more "me" time!!
ADMIN STUFF:
The February Monthly Group read is The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon!! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #43 A book that takes place entirely in one day. In honor of Groundhog Day, a North American tradition observed in the US and Canada on February 2! Katrina is the "knowledgeable navigator" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you, Katrina! This discussion can be found in the Currently Monthly Group Read folder HERE
along with the thread to list the book(s) you’ve read to fulfill this prompt for February!
Ooohhh…another POLL! It is time to make the final selection for the May Monthly Group Read! Vote HERE! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #24 A book with a rabbit on the cover. In honor of springtime in the Northern Hemisphere when rabbits are aplenty! I do love bunnies! My sons raised some for 4H projects and learned there are some that are super-friendly and others that…aren’t! ;)
We are currently searching for two monthly group read discussion leaders:
Are YOU one of these fabulous volunteers?!?
1) A “fascinating facilitator” to lead the March Monthly Group Read discussion of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #7 A book with “Girl” in the title In honor of Women’s History Month in Australia, the UK, and the US!
2) A “reading wrangler” to facilitate April’s Monthly Group Read discussion of Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #27 A #BookTok recommendation. In honor of April Fools! You might have thought this was still the 2022 Popsugar Challenge, but it is actually a prompt repeated from 2022 for the 2023 Challenge!!
Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer for either one…or both! :)
Question of the Week
February is celebrated as “Black History Month” in the Canada and the US. Any books and/or authors you are planning to read for this month or to add to your TBR? Or even better, what books/authors could you recommend to others?
Here is the very helpful Popsugar discussion thread that Nadine created: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Here is a listing provided by Goodreads to help…
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...
Another listing from Off the Shelf:
https://offtheshelf.com/2023/02/celeb...
And 8 Black History books listed by Off the Shelf:
https://offtheshelf.com/2022/02/black...
I am enjoying The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones and The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed. Both so informative and intriguing. So many details and historical aspects of which I have been ignorant during these past almost 67 years of my existence! I should have much more reading time for both of these in March!
I could definitely recommend…
Nonfiction Titles
The Souls of Black Folk
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
Are Prisons Obsolete?
Between the World and Me
Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Fiction
Red Island House
The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson
The Ever-After Bird
Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Water Dancer
Uncle Tom's Cabin
James Patterson's Alex Cross series
Claire O’Dell’s Janet Watson Chronicles duology
Octavia Butler’s
Bette Green’s Beth Lambert series (younger readers)
Leah Johnson’s You Should See Me in a Crown and Rise to the Sun (YA)
Anything authored by
1) Jason Reynolds, especially Long Way Down and the Track Series
2) Jacqueline Woodson, especially Brown Girl Dreaming
3) Toni Morrison--I don't necessarily find her books enjoyable or easy reads, but I do believe they are necessary...
Popsugar: 30/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 7/10
AtY: 41/52
RHC: 10/24
FINISHED:
Love and Ruin by Paula McLain ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ Oh, my! Hemingway was such an asshole! In so many ways! I have read just one of his books and I do plan to read more, but really! HE WAS SUCH AN ASSHOLE! Ugh. Everything had to be HIS way. Everyone had to kow-tow to him and his whims! I am just glad Martha Gellhorn was able to continue her life’s work as a war correspondent and journalist regardless of her relationship and abrupt end of it with him! Okay, I guess I should have some compassion for him since he was obviously not emotionally healthy (or he would not have committed suicide…) and he was definitely an addict (alcohol, the LEGAL drug), but…whew!
POPSUGAR: #1, #17, #19-2015: prompt #19 Based on a true story, #28, #31, #34, NEW #35, #46
ATY: #3-A cultural book that depicts a place or time and its culture, #5, #6, #19, #22, #25, #26, #28, #37, #52
RHC: #24-2019: prompt #5 A book by a journalist or about journalism
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was quite a departure for McLain. This book is a mystery and so very well done! I’m truly hoping this may be the start of a series or we will at least have a sequel to follow-up on some of the unresolved aspects of this story. I will definitely be asking tonight, unless she somehow addresses it in her talk beforehand!
POPSUGAR: #1, #19-2022: prompt #25 A book about a secret, #31, #34, #46
ATY: #3-A book about the environment or nature, #5, #7, #12-the raven, #13-trees, #14-Caleb, #19, #38, #43, #45, #52
RHC: #23, #24- 2021: Read a book featuring a beloved pet where the pet doesn’t die
The Island Stallion (Black Stallion #4) by Walter Farley ✶✶✶✶✶ was a bit of a disappointment to me, but only because I felt the dialogue was a bit simplified and stilted, which, I can imagine, would be absolutely fine for the target audience of younger readers. Other than that I truly appreciated the story the dilemma of leaving a pristine site as is or exposing it to the world and exploitation.
POPSUGAR: #1, #3, #19-2020: prompt #35 A book with a 3-word title, #23, #28
ATY: #1-Azul Island, #2, #3-A book related to first contact, #5, #22, #25, #26, #37, #45
RHC: #24- 2015: A book written by an author whose gender is different from your own
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: NEW #1 (Steve is concerned about the genetic inheritance that would affect the band of wild horses depending upon the leading stallion.)
CONTINUING:
IRL Book Club reads:
*Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
One book that I am very anxious to reread!
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
IRL Book Club reads:
*Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #2) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
*Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #3) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
*Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball
*Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Coyne S. Sanders
February Buddy Reads:
*The Darkest Evening (Vera Stanhope #9) by Ann Cleeves
*Wild Fire (Shetland Island #8) by Ann Cleeves
*Cross My Heart (#21) by James Patterson
Nadine in NY wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "We are currently accepting nominations for the May Monthly Group Read!..."Hey! You made it!!!
LOL I can tell you wrote this and planned to post this LAST week, because we are..."
Thanks for the correction!!! :)
And now for the documentation of those books I finished reading...FINISHED:
*My Girl by Patricia Hermes ✶✶✶✶✶ was such a pleasant surprise for me! I originally selected it to fulfill “song lyric as its title,” and “book based upon a popular movie.” Uncertain how “popular” the movie was, but so be it! A rather sweet simply written book about family, relationships, love and grief… And there is a sequel, My Girl 2—both movie and book! I’ll be reading the book as soon as it arrives this week!
POPSUGAR: #4, NEW #7, NEW #15, #19-2020: prompt #33 A book with at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads (4.21), #28, #31, #39, NEW #42
ATY: #3-A book set in the workplace of at least one character, #5, #11-Thomas J-severe allergies/asthma, #12-bees, #34, #45
RHC: #24-2016: Read a middle grade novel
These next four books are in a fantasy series that I adore! It turns societal norms on their head!
It was a truth universally acknowledged that women were the more pragmatic sex;
that was why we were expected to run the government,
while men attended to the more mystical and imaginative realm of magic.
Ha! Ha! And in these books, the women are dismissed from the supper table to meet and discuss politics until which time they allow the men to join them! Exactly the reverse of such post-dinner routines from the past!
There are diverse characters of all sorts, interracial relationships/marriages, etc. Exactly what I LOVE! (Definitely to be read in order!) And beautifully illustrated covers, IMO!
*Spellswept (Harwood Spellbook #0.5) by Stephanie Burgis ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was an amazing introduction to the series with an in-depth depiction of the initiation of Amy and Jonathan’s relationship.
POPSUGAR: NEW #6 (not for the reasons you may think…), #19-2020: prompt #12 A book that passes the Bechdel test, #26, #28, #29, #31, #34, #36, #47-Spring Solstice Underwater Ball
ATY: #1-Angland, #2, #3-A book about a “fish out of water” (Jonathan), NEW #4, #5, #6, #13-candles, #29, #34, #37, #45, #52
RHC: #24-2016: A book with less than 100 pages
*Snowspelled (Harwood Spellbook #1) by Stephanie Burgis ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was a reread from December 2022 for an IRL book club. I found it to be JUST as enjoyable the second time around! Perhaps even moreso since I had just read the prequel!
POPSUGAR: #5, #6 (not for the reasons you may think…), #19-2017: prompt #14 A book involving travel, #29, #31, #34, #36
ATY: #1-Angland, #2, #3-A romance novel, #4, #5, #6, #10-Scary, #14-Lord Ihlmere, #20-cover, #28, #34, #37, #43-Squashed by a troll!, #45, #52
RHC: #23, #24-2020: prompt #5 A book about a natural disaster (or not-so-natural!)
*Thornbound (Harwood Spellbook #2) by Stephanie Burgis ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was another truly enjoyable, yet suspenseful read! Cassandra is nothing, if not persistent and determined! Love the ending!
POPSUGAR: #5, #6 (interspecies), #19-2019: prompt #6 A book with a plant on the cover or in the title, #28, #31, #34, #36
ATY: #1-Angland, #2, #3-A book set in the workplace of at least one character, #5, #6, #10-Scary, #13-leaves, #28, #34, #37, #45, #52
RHC: #23, #24-2017: prompt #12 A fantasy novel
*Moontangled (Harwood Spellbook #2.5) by Stephanie Burgis ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was absolutely superb! I love these two characters and their story was so poignant and passionate!
POPSUGAR: #5, #6, #19-2022: prompt #5 A sapphic book, #26-71 pages, #28, #34, #36
ATY: #1-Angland, #2, #3-A romance novel, #4, #5, #14, #34, #37, #38, #45, #52
RHC: #14-439 ratings, #24-2016: A book with less than 100 pages
*Spellcloaked: A Harwood Spellbook Story (Harwood Spellbook #2.75) by Stephanie Burgis ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was a short story within this series. Glad to see Honoria finally living life for herself and on her own terms! (Not counting for any challenges.)
*Frostgilded (Harwood Spellbook #3) by Stephanie Burgis ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was, I guess, for all intents and purposes, the last in this series? Though I hope not! I admit I did catch on to what was happening, but it made this installment no less enjoyable for me! It is also a short story. (Not counting for any challenges.)
*Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe ✶✶✶✶✶ was a much more revelatory read some 53+ years later than the age of 13 when I initially read it. This was published in serial from June 1851 to April 1852. Stowe does not shy away from citing northerners as ‘part of the problem’ that perpetuated the system of slavery in the US. I had to read this in spurts and starts. I just cannot conceive of such abuse. And to know this country perpetuated it for so very long and we are still dealing with the ramifications of a prejudicial discriminatory society NOW! I get a bit depressed and wonder if humanity overall will ever learn from the evil some have perpetrated on others and reform…once and for all. Fingers crossed that it happens…
POPSUGAR: #16, #19-2021: prompt #18 A book about whose subject you are passionate, #28, #31, #34
ATY: #3-A cultural book that depicts a place or time and its culture, #5, #6, #10-Scary, #14-Cassy playing a ghost, #22, #26, #28, #37, #42, #43
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #9 A book you’ve read before
And that's all for this posting! On to next week's posting...tomorrow! LOL
HAPPY HAPPY However, I also blame Nadine’s Question of the Week for leading me to do such in-depth research!! LOL (I ALWAYS use deflection whenever possible!) ;)
ADMIN STUFF:
The February Monthly Group read is The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon!! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #43 A book that takes place entirely in one day. In honor of Groundhog Day, a North American tradition observed in the US and Canada on February 2! Katrina is the "knowledgeable navigator" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you, Katrina! I'm excited to read this one! This one started yesterday and can be found in the Currently Monthly Group Read folder HERE
along with the thread to list the book(s) you’ve read to fulfill this prompt for February!
Ooohhh…another POLL! We are currently accepting nominations for the May Monthly Group Read! Vote HERE! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #24 A book with a rabbit on the cover. In honor of springtime in the Northern Hemisphere when rabbits are aplenty! (Have I mentioned I LOVE bunnies? LOL)
We are on the searching for two monthly group read discussion leaders:
Are YOU one of these wonderful folks?!? *waggling eyebrows*
1) A “fascinating facilitator” to lead the March Monthly Group Read discussion of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #7 A book with “Girl” in the title In honor of Women’s History Month in Australia, the UK, and the US!
2) A “reading wrangler” to facilitate April’s Monthly Group Read discussion of Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #27 A #BookTok recommendation. In honor of April Fools! You might have thought this was still the 2022 Popsugar Challenge, but it is actually a prompt repeated from 2022 for the 2023 Challenge!!
Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer for either one…or both! :)
Question of the Week
Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by a classic book or author? Perhaps you were dreading reading this specific book/author but then found you enjoyed it/them?
Well, I certainly have been shocked by how much I had completely forgotten about Uncle Tom's Cabin after 53 years! I did remember it being traumatizing for me at the age of 13, but that’s about it. So glad I revisited it!
And as I researched through my “to-read” classical listing, I am impressed that over the past 5 years or so I have managed to work in so many classics. Not a ton, but certainly more than I had been reading! Yay me! LOL
After reading The Catcher in the Rye for the first time a couple of years ago, I felt truly compassionate toward Holden Caulfield which was rather unexpected after the reviews I’d skimmed complaining about him as a whiny, etc, character… This seemed to be a rather realistic depiction of mental/emotional illness, IMO.
Aldous Huxley’s classic Brave New World did hold up for me 50+ years later and I found it rather fascinating to follow up with Brave New World Revisited! So very interesting to see what Huxley had predicted in the sequel. Perhaps these were so pertinent after reading The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race and learning of all the gene editing that has already been done, is currently being done, and is planned (or considered) for the future. It is great to think that some diseases could truly be eliminated, and yet…what might be any unintended consequences of such treatments and/or what else will be altered by scientists? Definitely exciting and also very scary…
Jean Webster’s Daddy-Long-Legs and Dear Enemy were quite enjoyable. Definitely period-specific, IMO, but even more enjoyable to me as a result! I would recommend as a good example of historical fiction set in 1912 and yet depicting common and timeless emotional reactions and relationship issues. I would like to read more of her writing.
I found Little Women to be even more delightful 50+ years later! I plan to read the others in that series this year.
I started Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers years ago for a read-along and never finished it. Yet… ;) I was surprised at the humor. I may even try more of his writing as a result! Even if he was my mother’s favorite author. (Which automatically makes me leery at best! LOL) I’m thinking that perhaps Barbara Kingsolver’s newest release Demon Copperhead may get me to read David Copperfield…
And one of my favorites is Gone with the Wind. Ahhhhh…I still love that book and guess I always will! I realize it presents much to be critiqued in our current world, but it just resonates for me…and has over multiple readings through the years. It just captured my imagination as a pre-teen!
Jules Verne is one of my oldest son’s favorite authors (along with Homer, as in theThe Iliad! WTH! LOL) and I started reading In Search of the Castaways; or the Children of Captain Grant and own several more of his books that I plan to read this year. I am enjoying the subtle humor in this one so far…
Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone was a bit creepier than I expected. It was a good solid mystery though and I felt it did a great job of depicting a rather creepy dark environment/setting. Definitely up for more of his writing!
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge was quite enjoyable! Another author whose writing impressed me and I would like to read more of it!
My reread of The Secret Garden held up and my initial reading of Little Lord Fauntleroy was just as “Pollyanna-ish” as I expected but still rather sweet. I definitely like Frances Hodgson Burnett’s writing style.
The Souls of Black Folk was enlightening and informative and I plan to read more of W.E.B. Du Bois’ writing.
I adored every single book in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series and plan to read more of her writing!
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington: Hardcover by Booth Tarkington was a rather intriguing depiction of society at the time and prompted much discussion at the book club meeting years ago. I plan to read more of his writing, especially since he was a “local boy”!
The Age of Innocence was eye-rolling at times, but IMO a great representation of “elite” society at the turn of the 20th Century in NY, the "Golden Age of Old New York"! Oh, the hypocrisy and subtle/not-so-subtle prejudice! Definitely up for more of Wharton’s writing!
The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher was excellent, IMO! A rather bold theme for the time! Definitely want to read more of her writing!
And let it be known, that although I did not make it all the way through my classics listing, I have stopped in order to get this thing posted! LOL Just in the nick of time! LOL
Popsugar: 29/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 6/10
AtY: 41/52
RHC: 10/24
I will include those books I finished in a separate listing since I've exceeded the maximum character quota with that included! Sheesh!
CONTINUING:
In preparation for the Paula McLain event:
Love and Ruin I had not realized this is about Martha Gellhorn! Quite a compelling read at just 15 pages in!
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
In preparation for the Paula McLain event:
When the Stars Go Dark
IRL Book Club reads:
*Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
This will be a reread and I'm anxious to do so!
*Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #2) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
*Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #3) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
*Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball
*Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Coyne S. Sanders
February Buddy Reads:
*The Darkest Evening (Vera Stanhope #9) by Ann Cleeves
*Wild Fire (Shetland Island #8) by Ann Cleeves
*Cross My Heart (#21) by James Patterson
We’ve had colder temperatures and snow on the ground until today. Virtually all snow is gone now. (And may it please stay that way until spring!) My husband informed me that “Phil” the ever-important “Groundhog” of the Day did see his shadow, so supposedly 6 more weeks of winter for us. However, these prognostications have only proven accurate 40% of the time. So it would probably be more accurate to simply flip a coin! :)They are working outside on the new house being built in our neighborhood again today so POUND, POUND, SAWING, POUND, POUND, SAWING are the accompanying noises to our day yet once again! I will be soooooo glad when it is done!! I do value “quiet”!
ADMIN STUFF:
The February Monthly Group read is The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon!! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #43 A book that takes place entirely in one day. In honor of Groundhog Day, a North American tradition observed in the US and Canada on February 2! Katrina is the "knowledgeable navigator" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you, Katrina! I'm excited to read this one! This one started yesterday and can be found in the Currently Monthly Group Read folder HERE
along with the thread to list the book(s) you’ve read to fulfill this prompt for February! Please accept my apologies for neglecting to move and open the February discussion threads until today! Ugh! I’m adding a reminder to my calendar for the end of each month to remember to do this in a more timely manner!
And…the votes are in! April’s Group Read will be Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #27 A #BookTok recommendation. I read this for an IRL book club in January and I thought it was adorable! This book was the result of NaNoWriMo and was self-published in the first iteration! Though it was picked up by a publisher thereafter. And for what it’s worth it was a nominee for the Goodreads Best Fantasy in 2022! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as my fellow book club members and I did! :)
Nadine will post the nomination poll for May next Thursday, so be watching for that one! That book can be used to fulfill prompt #24 A book with a rabbit on the cover! In honor of springtime in the northern hemisphere. (I love bunnies!)
We just finished Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney for the January 2023 Monthly Group Read! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #3 A book about a vacation. Teri is the "powerfully provocative facilitator" for this month’s discussion! THANK YOU, TERI! This discussion will be moved to the 2023 Monthly Group Read folder in the next few days and will be available there forever after! :)
We are on the lookout for a “fascinating facilitator” to lead the March Monthly Group Read discussion of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #7 A book with “Girl” in the title In honor of Women’s History Month in Australia, the UK, and the US!
Question of the Week
What is your opinion regarding “historical fiction”?
I am purposefully leaving this open-ended for this ‘readerly’ group to respond. The conversation recently arose in two of my IRL book clubs and I couldn’t recall this discussion as a Question of the Week in the past…so… :) It seems appropriate since the 2023 Popsugar prompt #34 asks us to read a “historical fiction” book! There was a former book club member who completely omitted the past/historical portion of a book we once read, stating that she was “not interested in reading about the past.” (The book had chapters alternating between the present day and the past, so she basically only read half the book.) I found that to be a totally unique perspective in my experiences of discussing books with others. And now I’m curious…
Personally, I adore historical fiction, especially when mixed with a mystery. However, I do prefer the author providing some details regarding their research and/or the historical aspects they may have altered somewhat to better accommodate their writing. Other than that, I appreciate a writer immersing me in the atmosphere of the time and setting. In addition, I particularly appreciate a more personal experience through characters’ interactions than just a litany of facts as may be laid out in a nonfiction historical account.
This is pertinent since I plan to attend an author presentation by Paula McLain in mid-February.
Popsugar: 25/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 6/10
AtY: 40/52
RHC: 10/24
FINISHED:
*Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman ✶✶✶✶ was a solid read, but some of these stories were a bit more maudlin than I prefer and there were some that were pretty happy. A truly diverse collection! Very interesting to see the differences and similarities among families occupying one house through the generations.
POPSUGAR: #1, #9, #19-2015: prompt #12 A book of short stories, #28, #31, #34
ATY: #3-A book shelved as literary fiction, #5, #12, #13, #28, #37, #45
RHC: #21, #24-2020: prompt #7 A historical fiction novel not set in WWII
*The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John ✶✶✶✶✶ was delightful and not as “Pollyanna-ish” as I feared it might be! I thought it was excellent, particularly for a debut novel, and I plan to read her trilogy!
POPSUGAR: #2, #4, #9, #19-2016: prompt #14 A book you can finish reading in one day, #28, #34, #36
ATY: #3-A book set in the workplace of at least one character, #5, #8, #10-They sold some very “posh” dresses, #13-dresses, #19-fashion design, #26, #29, #34, #37, NEW #38
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #11 A book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location.
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: NEW #7
*Alex Cross, Run (Alex Cross #20) by James Patterson ✶✶✶✶✶ for a January Buddy Read! This installment was a good one, IMO! Emotionally fraught, but rather well-developed, especially for this series!
POPSUGAR: #2, #16, #19-2016: prompt #10 A NYT bestseller, #28, #31
ATY: #2, #3-A book involving friends, family, or a found family, #14-perpetrator using masks, #28, NEW #33, #37, #40, #43, #45
RHC: #23, #24-2015: A book written by an author whose gender is different from your own
*Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan by Hildi Kang ✶✶✶✶✶ was such an interesting read. This is one that has been staring at me from the top of a stack of books and I decided to throw it in the rotation last week during the Readathon. Set in the 7th Century, this depicted aspects of ‘childhood’ that would be unheard of in today’s society. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t appeal to the target audience and should provide obvious material for comparison to life in the 21st Century.
POPSUGAR: #2, #4, #16, 2015: prompt #29 A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit (China), #28, #34
ATY: #3- A book that won a diversity award in the 21st Century-2012 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Children, #5, #14, #15/16/17-7th Century, NEW #20, #34, #37, #45, NEW #50-My favorite is #3 A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list- A book that won a diversity award in the 21st Century-this is the 2nd book I’ve read in 2023 that fulfills that prompt
RHC: #10, #14-233 ratings, NEW #15, #24-2015: A book that takes place in Asia
*Whiskers & Smoke by Marian Babson ✶✶✶✶ was a solid mystery, though the writing felt a bit disruptive at different times throughout. Of course, one of the main reasons I picked up this book from a library sale several years ago was the cover image and the title, since my very first feline housemate was "Smokie" who was also gray and will be forever my favorite kitty. (Yes, I still miss her...)
POPSUGAR: #2, #3, #19-2015: prompt #7 A book with nonhuman characters, #28, #31, #46, #47
ATY: #3-A book related to first contact, #5, #10-scary, #14, #28, #37, #43, #45, #52
RHC: #14-104 ratings, #23, #24-2016: Read a mystery/thriller
CONTINUING:
*Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe for my last January Buddy Read! So glad I reread this! Now I’m reading the critical essays. So interesting!
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones This is absolutely amazing so far!
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
February Buddy Reads:
The Darkest Evening (Vera Stanhope #9) by Ann Cleeves
Wild Fire (Shetland Island #8) by Ann Cleeves
*Cross My Heart (#21) by James Patterson
In preparation for the Paula McLain event:
When the Stars Go Dark
Love and Ruin
I have been much better about documenting my books as I read during this AtY Team Readathon. Go Team Enero! I’m sure it cost me some reading time, but that’s okay. I’ve still completed 7 books and read over 1,685 pages! And I have through midnight on Sunday to keep going! Weather here has been wintry once again. We have 3-4 inches of snow on the ground and highs only in the 30s every day. But it could have been much worse. A storm front moved through yesterday with 6-9 inches of snow predicted which was only 2-3 inches in the end! YAY!! :) Definitely a relief since I teach at the gym on Wednesdays and it is a 38-mile drive one way!
ADMIN STUFF:
We are currently reading Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney for the January 2023 Monthly Group Read! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #3 A book about a vacation. Teri is the "powerfully provocative facilitator" for this month’s discussion! Thank you, Teri! You can find both January 2023 Monthly Group Read threads HERE in the Current Monthly Group Read folder!
MORE VOTING!! Nadine has posted the final selection poll for the April Monthly Group Read HERE! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #27 A #BookTok recommendation. Please help us make this final selection! As usual, this poll will be open through next Tuesday, January 31!
The February Monthly Group read is The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon!! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #43 A book that takes place entirely in one day. In honor of Groundhog Day, a North American tradition observed in the US and Canada on February 2! Katrina is the "knowledgeable navigator" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you, Katrina! I'm excited to read this one! It will begin next Wednesday, February 1st! Wait! We are almost through the first whole month of 2023! YIKES!!
We are on the lookout for a “fascinating facilitator” to lead the March Monthly Group Read discussion of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #7 A book with “Girl” in the title In honor of Women’s History Month in Australia, the UK, and the US!
Question of the Week
If you were to form a book club, what is the first book you’d like the group to read and discuss?
Hah! This is such an excellent question for me! I did form a book club while working at Borders years ago! The first book I selected was a Borders Featured Title at the time. I had read it and thought it had discussion potential. Which it did… However, every single person who attended that first meeting (There were at least 10 people there!) absolutely HATED it! LOL I can remember how shocked I was! I’m sure my jaw literally dropped when they all had their thumbs down! LOL But it did prove to provoke some good discussion… That book was Apologize, Apologize by Elizabeth Kelly. It has a 3.19 GR rating and I would like to try at least one more of her books… While I didn't LOVE it, I found it to be enjoyable and awarded it 4 stars...
Most recently, I had to select one book for that same book club (Which has survived all these years and now has 5 members, including myself.) to read for March since it is my birthday month and I selected Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. I own two more of her books and plan to read them this year… This book just left me with “all the feels” and I loved these characters! I feel as if a piece of my heart is with that book…
Popsugar: 25/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 5/10 Halfway done!
AtY: 36/52
RHC: 9/24
FINISHED:
*Cold Earth (Shetland Island #7) by Ann Cleeves ✶✶✶✶✶ was yet another extremely well-written mystery, IMO! Interconnected and interrelated characters and plot twists! Just superb! And this time the perpetrator was one I had in my top two suspects! That’s the closest I’ve come to identifying the killer in one of Cleeves’ books!
POPSUGAR: #19-2016: prompt #39 Takes place on an island, #28, #29, #31, #46, #47
ATY: #2, #3-A book set on an island, #5, #14-Alison masquerading as Alissandra, #18-forensic science, #27, #28, #37, #43, #45, #52
RHC: #23, #24-2016: Read a mystery/thriller book
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: NEW #8
*Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree ✶✶✶✶✶ was absolutely utterly delightful! Such a pleasant surprise! It was a NaNoWriMo book and initally self-published!!
POPSUGAR: #2, #4, #5, #19-2022: prompt #1 A book published in 2022, #29, NEW #41, NEW #44
ATY: #1-city of Thune, #3-A book set in the workplace of at least one character, #5, #13-cups. #43, #48-the dire-cat
RHC: #24-2021: Read a book you’ve been intimidated to read
*The Changing Maze by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak ✶✶✶ was not especially enjoyable to me. I rather doubt most children would enjoy it much either…
Not using for any challenges
*Paddington Marches on (Paddington #6) by Michael Bond, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum ✶✶✶✶✶ was an adorable read with an adorable and well-meaning bear! So sweet! Definitely want to read more in this series!
POPSUGAR: #2, #4, #16, #19-2022: prompt #9 A book about a “found family”, #28, #31
ATY: #3-A book about a “fish out of water”, #5, #14-the criminals wearing fake beard disguises at the beach, #27, #29, #37, #45
RHC: #21, #24-2015: A book written by a person whose gender is different than your own
*The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz ✶✶✶✶✶ was a good solid read and a reminder to be in the here and now. I was reminded of Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (A book I need to reread periodically as a reminder!) and James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy. I particularly appreciated Ruiz’s use of “heaven” and “hell” right here on earth. I do agree that we humans tend to punish ourselves mercilessly and become engrained into a seemingly neverending cycle of guilt, shame, etc.
“Be impeccable with your word”: Quit lying and gossiping!
“Don't take anything personally”: Many times others are simply projecting their own fears, frustrations, etc., onto you!
“Don't make assumptions”: The basis for lack of communication and prejudice/discrimination.
“Always do your best”: That is all you CAN do! No one is perfect nor will they ever be perfect!
POPSUGAR: #1, #4, #19-2022: prompt #24 A book you can read in one sitting, #28, #29, NEW #30-Endorsed by Oprah and featured on her TV show
ATY: #3-A book where the chapters are named, #5, #8, #13-Flowers and frames, #29, #34, NEW #47-the cover
RHC: #24-2022: prompt #8 A classic written by a POC
*Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen ✶✶✶✶✶ was quite an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, there are still many females who act as Isabella did. That is the main reason I am very picky about females I select to befriend! Though I’ve known some males to be just as horrid with gossip, duplicity, and greed! And then General Tinley…what an asshole! And unfortunately, a very rich and powerful one! I was much like Catherine at age 17 until I got to college and then I had a very large education indeed! :) This was published posthumously…
POPSUGAR: #2, NEW #3, #19-2021: prompt #21 A genre hybrid—historical fiction/romance, #31, #34
ATY: #3 A book related to “first contact”-Catherine’s first contact with society in general, the world outside her family/home, #5, #10-Northanger Abbey is very scary to Catherine, #13-floral design, #14-Isabella!, NEW #17-19th Century, #26, #27, #28, #37, #45
RHC: 2020: prompt #7 A historical fiction novel not set in WWII
*The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce ✶✶✶✶✶ was such a delight! I believe Joyce is one of the very best at depicting uniquely quirky human characters! Her writing just pulls me right in!
POPSUGAR: #1, #19-2017: prompt #16 A book published in 2017, #28, #34, #36, #39
ATY: #3-A cultural book that depicts a place or time and its culture, #5, #14, #19, #22, #27, #29, NEW #35, #37
RHC: #24-2015: A romance novel
*Patina (Track #2) by Jason Reynolds ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was just as excellent as the first book in this series!! So realistic and beautifully depicted!! I am in love with JR! As a son. He is just a tad younger than my youngest son! He's just so awesome!
POPSUGAR: #1, #16, #19-2017: prompt #5 A book written by a POC, #28, #31, #33, #39
ATY: #2, #3-A book about a “fish out of water”, #5, #11-Patty’s mom has had both legs amputated and is wheelchair-bound, #13-2 girls, #14-T-N-T, #19-project on Frida Kahlo, NEW #20-running/walking, #26, #45
RHC: NEW #18, #24-2015: A book written by an author whose gender is different than your own
CONTINUING:
*Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe for my last January Buddy Read! This is a reread some 53 years later and I remembered very little of it so far!
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed.
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
*Alex Cross, Run (Alex Cross #20) by James Patterson for my last January Buddy Read!
HAPPY THURSDAY, ALL! Edited to add: There is an ATY Team Readathon January 21-29, if anyone is interested… HERE is the signup thread!
Busy week for me. Two IRL book club meetings on Tuesday, one of which I facilitate and I baked a treat to distribute, as usual! My friend has had two doctor appointments. Anxious for a relaxing day at home today! Though we have a new house being built in the neighborhood and I am so very tired of hearing nails and saws, etc. Ugh. Anxious for them to be done! :)
ADMIN STUFF:
We are currently reading Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney for the January 2023 Monthly Group Read! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #3 A book about a vacation. Teri is the "powerfully provocative facilitator" for this month’s discussion! Thank you, Teri! You can find both January 2023 Monthly Group Read threads HERE in the Current Monthly Group Read folder!
MORE VOTING!! YAY!! We are nominating books for the April Monthly Group Read this week! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #27 A #BookTok recommendation. You can find that poll HERE! PLEASE remember to check the listing of those books NOT eligible HERE before writing in a nomination! I checked the ones I posted against that list, so those already listed are eligible. (Yes, I have been known to neglect to do so in the past! ;)) And I am apologizing to Nadine since it was technically her turn to create the next poll... You can do the next two in a row! ;) I just forgot! LOL
The February Monthly Group read is The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon!! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #43 A book that takes place entirely in one day. In honor of Groundhog Day, a North American tradition observed in the US and Canada on February 2! The search is on for a "knowledgeable navigator" to facilitate this discussion! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! I'm excited to read this one!
We are also on the lookout for a “fascinating facilitator” to lead the March Monthly Group Read discussion of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
Question of the Week
What is the most recent book that has surprised you?
I’ve had a few of these reads lately myself!
Firstly, The London House by Katherine Reay totally caught me off guard with two of the characters’ feelings of unworthiness and incapability resulting from their parents’ treatment of them—always telling them how inadequate they were and are… Once that occurs in childhood it can be extremely traumatic. At least that has proven to be true for me. Fortunately, I was stubborn and self-confident enough to fight back by persevering to prove myself, regardless of these messages. But this constant reminder in childhood does take its toll in adulthood, IMO. It took 5 days for me to read this book because I had to keep putting it down to cope with my own emotional and empathetic reactions based upon the characters’ recollections and feelings. Wow. I was shocked at how powerful this was for me!
Then The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa proved to be much more philosophical than I expected. I thought this would be a cat leading someone through the world of books. And it was, but not at all in the ways I might have expected. This gave me much more to contemplate than I would have thought possible, given the title and cover image!
And finally The Seagull (Vera Stanhope #8) by Ann Cleeves was surprising in that Cleeves didn’t hesitate to depict oversights by both Vera and her staff which prevented them identifying the killer(s) much earlier! I think that is one aspect of Cleeves’ writing I appreciate the most—not only does she do more in-depth characterization than you might expect in a mystery series, but her investigators are NOT perfect or infallible, but quite the opposite!
It was a surprising reading week for me!
Popsugar: 21/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 4/10
AtY: 31/52
RHC: 8/24
FINISHED:
*The London House by Katherine Reay ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ felt like a very personally intense read for me. It’s as if Reay channeled many of my own negative emotional experiences with my mother and depicted them in this book. It took me forever to read it because I had to keep interrupting to read other books that were not so emotionally intense for me. This is the 2nd time that has happened to me within the past few months. It feels very strange and I think it may well be due to my
POPSUGAR: #1, #4, NEW #17, #19-2017: prompt #33 A book set in two different time periods, NEW #29, #31, #34, NEW #36, NEW #39, #48-French & English
ATY: #3-A book from your favorite sub-genre: Historical Fiction Mystery, #5, #13-fencing, windows, steps, #14, NEW #22, #24, NEW #26, #37, #43, #45
RHC: #23, #24-2017: prompt #14 Read a book about war
*Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ should be read by everyone, especially if you are a US citizen! Along with Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, and Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Davis documents so very many reasons to enact decarceration and establish more effective and truly rehabilitative systems for the overwhelming majority of prisoners. The main thrust is that the media and politicians make sure the general populace is scared and fearful so the “prison industrial complex” can continue and countless corporations can exploit the cheapest labor available. (It is truly an INDUSTRY!) The stats prove this is just yet another version of slavery in the US. There are currently more people with mental and emotional disorders in jails and prisons than in mental institutions. Granted there are many fewer institutions for mental/emotional treatments than prisons, but that is yet again much of the problem… There are currently well over 2,000,000 (Yes, that is TWO MILLION!) people incarcerated in the US. Too many! As I heard California Governor Newsom state on NPR a couple of days ago, Class and race have more to do with incarceration than guilt or innocence… (paraphrased according to my memory). I could go on and on, but will stop! Just do yourself a favor and read it! It is only 128 pages long but very informative!
POPSUGAR: #4, #19-2015: prompt #14 Nonfiction book, NEW #26, #28
ATY: #3-One of the top 23 Goodreads rated books on your TBR, #5, #10-Scary, #28, NEW #34, #45
RHC: NEW #3, NEW #9, #24-2017: prompt #21 A book published by a micropress
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: NEW #10
*Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie ✶✶✶✶✶ was absolutely delightful, just as I expected it to be! I have been reading this a bit at a time for about a month.
POPSUGAR: #1, #16, #19-2015: prompt #12 A book of short stories, #28, #50
ATY: #3-A book written by an author who is NOT cis, white, and male, #5, #14, #27, #43, #45
RHC: NEW #21, #24-2015: A collection of short stories
*The Seagull (Vera Stanhope #8) by Ann Cleeves ✶✶✶✶✶ for a Buddy Read was simply another wonderfully intertwined and interconnected mystery! I love this series! And there were a few twists that were surprising, depicting instances when Vera and her team overlooked some details that would have helped them solve the case much more quickly. And Vera put herself in danger this time at the end!
POPSUGAR: #19-2017: prompt #14 A book involving travel, #28, #29
ATY: NEW #2, #3-A book from a genre that inspired, or rekindled, your love of reading, #14-Brace is always running a con!, NEW #19-Forensic science very important to ID bodies 20 years later, #27, #28, #37, #43, #45
RHC: #23, #24-2022: prompt #11 Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character
*The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai ✶✶✶✶✶ for an IRL book club meeting. This was a very interesting read about several different aspects of reading and books: criticism, condensed versions, and publishing. The overall theme was that each book contains a soul and creates compassion in the reader. Though as one member stated, “fiction” books have been linked to creating compassion, but not necessarily nonfiction books, per the “experts”! I would disagree. Many of the nonfiction books I’ve read have helped me better understand and relate to other cultures, etc., and thereby create more compassion toward others.
POPSUGAR: #2, #4, #19-2017: prompt #10 A book with a cat on the cover, #28, #29, #31, #48-Japanese & English
ATY: #3-A book related to first contact, #5, NEW #6, NEW #7, #13-books, #19, #34, NEW #36, #37, #52
RHC: #24-2022: prompt #2-A book set in a bookstore
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: NEW #3
CONTINUING:
*Cold Earth (Shetland Island #7) by Ann Cleeves for a Buddy Read
Yet another excellent mystery by Cleeves! And it’s set on an island, so I’ll be halfway done with Nadine’s Mini-Challenge! :)
*Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe for a Buddy Read. This is a reread some 53 years later and I'm anxious to see what I think now! Want to finish this one this week!
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed.
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
*Alex Cross, Run (Alex Cross #20) by James Patterson for a Buddy Read
*Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen for a Buddy Read
The London House is a perfect fit for this prompt. Wonderful if you love historical fiction with a mystery!
Ron wrote: "This one was easier than I thought:The Highwayman
It's a poem in which Celtic artist Loreena McKennitt added music to. It's simple but it's good. First read the poem and heard the ..."
One of my favorites of McKennitt's!
Ron wrote: "Hey everyone,Hope things are well. I haven't done any reading this week because I've been too anxious for several books I ordered to arrive. As a result, this week I'll be starting these three:
The Words We Keep
Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter
Spare"
Isn't it great to have those feelings of anticipation? :)
"Yes, like many, I'm curious about the Prince Harry book so that will be an interesting read."
I am also very curious. I'll probably wait until I can get a used copy later, however. I just imagine their mother would be quite troubled to know her two sons were not getting along in adulthood. Though I can imagine her easily understanding Harry and Megan's leaving the family...
"Out of this list though I'm most interested in The Words We Keep because it deals with a lot of the same mental disorders that I do and I like finding gems like those. It's kind of annoying though that so many books with mental disorders tend to be YA. I have a hard time coming across any with regards to general fiction."
I hope this proves to be a good read for you! I definitely added it to my TBR listing!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!! I spent the last week of December refining all my 2023 reading goals, and I pulled together a really great plan, and now I've reached that time in the year when I want to just throw the plan out the window. I'm also creating some really great tie dyes for my kids, and they have even admitted that they like their new shirts ;-)I love the tie-dying updates! :) (Still think the leggings would be cool!) I hear ya about "the plan"! That's why I picked up two other books and read them this week!
"After those late December super-cold single digit days, we've had unseasonably warm weather in the 30s & 40s F, even rain. I'm tired of muddy paws. My younger daughter has been complaining that she misses the cold. I'm wondering if global warming is truly here now and the days of long cold winters and feet of snow are over? Or am I going to be snowed in for all of February?
Ha! Ha! Time will tell...
"This weekend my older daughter goes back to college, so that's a small sadness. It's a long time until she comes home again. I need to make some plans to drive down there and see her for a day - I'm lucky her college is less than a 2 hour drive away.
Sounds like a great plan!
"Admin stuff"
So glad we have so much of this "stuff" done now for 2023! A new poll to nominate books for April's group read for next week! Whoo! Whoo!
"This week I finished 3 books, 1 for this Challenge, so I am 1/50.
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb - this is a Tournament of Books choice, I never would have read it otherwise. I'm not mad that I read it, it's different than my usual thing and I love diversifying my reading by picking up books I never would normally read (which is almost the entire ToB shortlist!!). But I also didn't exactly love this book. It had some pacing issues, but I enjoyed spending time with the character, so I gave it 4 stars. This would be a good choice for someone who likes reading about music, or who needs to (or wants to) read a mystery, but does not want anything violent. The mystery is: "who stole Ray's violin?" - no one is raped or assaulted or murdered, quite refreshing!"
I think I would enjoy this one!
"Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - I really loved this one!!! I picked it up because I saw a few GR friends give it good reviews, and I didn't really know what to expect. It was a rather slow read, but I LOVED it, and I'm so excited to see there will be a sequel. Five stars!"
This looks like one I could skip. :)
"Normal People by Sally Rooney - my first Challenge book of the year!! My daughter has been urging me to read this for a year now, so I used it for "book your best friend recommended." It was fantastic. I had all the squishy feels - five stars. I'm so lucky my daughter & I have the same reading taste. (I also used this for "set in 21st century" in AtY, AND it is on my list of 12 books I must read this year. I love finding books that work for multiple challenges.)"
Funny you should mention this book. A teenage girl and I got into a book discussion about it at the gym one night last week. She was carrying it around and I typically MUST stop anyone with a book to see what they're reading, etc. (Yes, I am THAT obnoxious person! LOL) While I felt it was extremely well-written it also left me in a 'downer' mood...
"Question of the Week
This was suggested (a long time ago!) by Jennifer.
What is your favorite quote from a novel?
I've got two favorite quotes, and I don't know why these two have decided to stick in my head, because these aren't my favorite books, but here we are.
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" - the first line of Rebecca (which I did like A LOT, but it's not in my top ten of favorite books)."
That is such a great one!
"Reader, I married him." - the last line of (view spoiler) (spoiler tagging just in case there's someone out there who doesn't recognize it!) - I didn't really like this book, but I loved the cheekiness of this line!!"
:) I love your use of "cheekiness"! :)
I am in disbelief that we are already at January 12 in this new year! Geeminy! Time does fly… We’ve had some springtime-like temperatures and then some colder temps. Today is rainy, gloomy, and cool. I am very excited about the fact that Paula McLain will be visiting Indianapolis on Thursday, February 16! I loved both The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun and she is one of my favorite authors! I already own a copy of When the Stars Go Dark and will obtain a copy of Love and Ruin before then! So excited!! I was really disappointed that I wasn’t able to meet her in 2021 due to the cancellation of the Christamore House Guild’s Book Author Luncheon due to COVID. Whoo! Whoo!
Interestingly, I inadvertently ended up reading two books involving Jewish families this week. I’m so glad I have purposefully diversified my reading list(s) so that can happen spontaeously! :)
ADMIN STUFF:
We are currently reading Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney for the January 2023 Monthly Group Read! Teri is the "powerfully provocative facilitator" for this month’s discussion! Thank you, Teri! You can find both January 2023 Monthly Group Read threads HERE in the Current Monthly Group Read folder!
Thanks to those who voted, the book selected for the March 2023 Monthly Group Read will be The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #7 A book with “Girl” in the title. Wowza! Who is the “fascinating facilitator” to lead this discussion? Perhaps YOU!?! Just message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! Although I have another book selected for this prompt, I plan to read this one as well!
The results are in! The Monthly Group Read prompt for May 2023 is #24 A book with a rabbit on the cover! In honor of springtime in the Northern Hemisphere. The prompt for September 2023 is #14 A modern retelling of a classic! Since September is typically a time for returning to school and the reading of “classics”! Thank you to all who voted!
The February Monthly Group read is The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon!! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #43 A book that takes place entirely in one day. In honor of Groundhog Day, a North American tradition observed in the US and Canada on February 2! The search is on for a "knowledgeable navigator" to facilitate this discussion! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! I'm excited to read this one!
Question of the Week
This was suggested (a long time ago!) by Jennifer: What is your favorite quote from a novel?
While I love this question. It is so difficult for me. I rarely note specific lines to remember from a book…
However, I really liked Tristan Strong’s recurring comment of “sweet peaches” and plan to incorporate it into my own daily language when frustrated, etc!
Other than that, Kate Atkinson’s recurring statement from Jackson Brodie: “Coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen.” My jaw dropped the first time I read this in one of the Brodie books! It just seems so accurate and providential!
There may be others, but they are not coming to mind right now! :) I’m rather surprised I could remember two!
2022:
Popsugar: 50/50 FINALLY DONE!! YAY!!
2023 Popsugar: 16/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 2/10
2023 AtY: 21/52
2023 RHC: 4/24
I'm counting all the double-dipping! :)
FINISHED:
*Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ is one of the most informative, well-researched, and well-written nonfiction books I’ve read. Period. Fink’s narrative contained tension that read very much like a mystery which compelled me to keep reading. I just had to know what happened next! She covers so much territory: (1) the almost total lack of preparedness, not only at Memorial (and other facilities) during Katrina, but basically throughout the US, (2) the danger of profit-making medical facilities, (3) the seeming impossibility of creating a comprehensive, fair, and equitable disaster-management policy for medical providers and facilities, (4) a review of some of the attempts to create medical disaster-management policies in the US, and (5) If or when it is appropriate to “ease” a patient’s discomfort to extraordinary measures? And really so much more. Interestingly, there was a facility in much the same predicament as Memorial where staff and volunteers managed to a superior degree to treat and rescue even more patients than Memorial had to manage. But as Fink emphasizes, without policy in place, disaster management falls to individuals who have power and oversight to manage at that time, and that creates even more complications and worse crises, just as happened at Memorial and other healthcare facilities in New Orleans due to Katrina’s flooding.
One important strategy that is often overlooked is to constantly reassess resources, elicit input from all involved, etc, during a crisis, as has been done in successfully managed medical institutions during such crises. (That’s just good management in any scenario, IMO. Communication is the foundation for success!) Some institutions are involving the general public in discussions to create such policy, but as Roger Benier, a senior advisor to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted, They are the holders of our public values and are in the best position and in the most nonpartisan position to weigh competing values….I’m not sure we believe in democracy in America, we don’t make good use of the people. We don’t make good efforts to access public wisdom on public policy choices. That pretty much sums it up. In rare instances when medical professionals actually involved patient families, etc., they were amazed at the results—much more effective and egalitarian then they ever expected!
I’ll definitely read Fink’s other book, War Hospital: A True Story of Surgery and Survival, and she has been following along during the COVID pandemic to report on successful strategies and those that proved to be unsuccessful, and how medical professionals/administrators can improve crisis management. Katrina was an absolute breakdown of all emergency services from the Federal government on down through the local level…resulting in so many deaths that probably could have been prevented... Here is an interview with Fink on Slate.com from September 2021 regarding COVID: https://slate.com/technology/2021/09/...
2022 POPSUGAR: NEW #17, #25, #31, #40-2015: prompt #18 A book written by a Pulitzer Prize winner, #47
2022 ATY: #1-Anna Pou, #3, #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): …passion…desolation…despair—hopelessness, #7, #12, #13, #15, #16, #19, #24, #25-558 pages, #29, #36-the pets, #40-The Chariot, Strength, Death, Judgment, The World, #41, #44, #49, #50, #52
2022 RHC: #24-2020: prompt #16 Read a doorstopper (over 500 pages) published after 1950, written by a woman
For those who may be helped with the current challenges:
2023 POPSUGAR: #1, #19-2015: prompt #18 A book written by a Pulitzer Prize winner, #23, #46
2023 ATY: #3-A book you wanted to read in 2022, #10-Scary, #18, #28, #37, #43
2023 RHC: #3, #24-2020: prompt #5 A book about a natural disaster
*Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume ✶✶✶✶✶ While this was a YA book definitely written for the target audience, it was intriguing to read how Blume handled issues in the world of 1947: Hitler’s genocide of Jews; pregnancy out of wedlock; racism and prejudice against dark-skinned folks with separate water fountains, etc., in the southern US; sexual maturation; religion; secrecy; and childhood crushes. I was thrilled to realize a YA book originally published in 1977 had a Jewish family as the main characters and tackled such issues of everyday life! Good for Judy Blume! A good book for children to wonder about their own lives... Interestingly, Blume claims “Sally is the kind of kid I was when I was ten.” Unlimited imagination! I am trying to read Blume’s writing since I only had the opportunity to share her juvenile literature with my own children in the past…
POPSUGAR: #2, #16, #19-2017: prompt #14 A book involving travel, NEW #28, #31, NEW #34, NEW #46, NEW #47, NEW #48, NEW #50
ATY: #3-A book from your favorite sub-genre: Historical Fiction—Fiction, #5, #12-Sally had to learn about “the birds and the bees”, NEW #15/16/17-20th Century, NEW #25-Miami, Florida, NEW #29-the cover, #37, #40, NEW #43-relatives killed in a concentration camp, NEW #45, #52
RHC: #24-2020: prompt #7 A historical fiction novel not set in WWII
*Grey Mask (Miss Silver #1) by Patricia Wentworth ✶✶✶✶✶ was a well-plotted mystery but I was a bit underwhelmed by Miss Silver as an investigator. I’m anxious to continue the series to see if this character becomes more developed… This was first published in 1928, so I was a bit surprised that this “engaged” couple were lovers. Not that Wentworth supplied details, but it is stated rather bluntly. I thought that rather brave for the time period...
POPSUGAR: #1, #2, NEW #4, NEW #9, #19-2017: prompt #26 Author from a country I’ve never visited, #28
Nadine’s Mini: NEW #2-the 23rd book in a stack of books! :)
ATY: #3-A book with a door on the cover, #5, NEW #13, #14, NEW #27, NEW #28, #37, #45
RHC: NEW #23, #24-2016: Read a horror or mystery/thriller
*Bye-Bye, Black Sheep (Mommy-Track Mystery #7) by Ayelet Waldman (5 STARS) was an extremely well done mystery with very well-drawn characters! Superb! I "get" Waldman’s humor!
1POPSUGAR: #9, #19-2018: prompt #22-A book with alliteration in the title, #28, #31, #50
Nadine’s Mini: NEW #5
ATY: #3-A book including addictive behavior, #5, #13-flowers, #15/16/17-21st Century, #37, #43, #45, #52
RHC: NEW #14-404 ratings, #23, #24-2020: prompt #9 The last book in a series
CONTINUING:
*The London House by Katherine Reay for my book club meeting next Tuesday! At one-third in I am really enjoying this!
*The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa for the second IRL book club meeting next Tuesday! LOL Yes, I ended up with two book club meetings on the same day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening! It’ll be a great day! Just started this one! A talking ginger tabby! Yep! Sign me up! My own ginger tabby is such a sweetheart!
*Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe for a Buddy Read. This is a reread some 53 years later and I'm anxious to see what I think now!
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed.
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
*The Seagull (Vera Stanhope #8) by Ann Cleeves for a Buddy Read
*Cold Earth (Shetland Island #7) by Ann Cleeves for a Buddy Read
*Alex Cross, Run (Alex Cross #20) by James Patterson for a Buddy Read
*Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen for a Buddy Read
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! May 2023 bring us all tons of joy!! :)Goodreads has composed a listing of Readers’ Most Anticipated Books of 2023. It is HERE. Since we have 2 prompts in the 2023 Challenge for books published in 2023, perhaps this will help in planning…
ADMIN STUFF:
We are reading Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney for the January 2023 Monthly Group Read! Teri is the "powerfully provocative facilitator" for this month’s discussion! Thank you, Teri! You can find both January 2023 Monthly Group Read threads HERE in the Current Monthly Group Read folder!
EDITED TO ADD: THE BIG NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2023!
We will read The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon per the Tie-Breaker Vote!! This book can be used to fulfill prompt ##43 A book that takes place entirely in one day. In honor of Groundhog Day, a North American tradition observed in the US and Canada on February 2! We will be searching for a "knowledgeable navigator" to facilitate this discussion! Is that YOU?!? :) Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
We have a final selection poll for the March 2023 Monthly Group Read which can be found HERE There are only 5 books to be considered since A Good Girl's Guide to Murder was the April 2022 Monthly Group Read and is therefore ineligible. Those five are:
Girl, Woman, Other
The It Girl
The Girl With All the Gifts
The Girl on the Train
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Go vote HERE! :) This poll will be available through Tuesday, January 10!
In addition, we need to select the prompts for both the May 2023 and September 2023 Monthly Group Reads! Please go HERE to vote for your favorite prompt you would like to be used for one of these months! Hopefully, there will be two clear winners from this poll. Unfortunately, we can’t set it up to allow voting for more than one selection, so we will see how it turns out next Tuesday, January 10!
There are 22 from which to choose:
4. A book from a first-time author
5. A book with mythical creatures
9. A book with a color in the title
10. A romance with a fat lead
11. A book about or set in Hollywood
14. A modern retelling of a classic
15. A book with a song lyric as its title
16. A book where the main character’s name is in the title
17. A book with a love triangle
23. A book with a map
24. A book with a rabbit on the cover
25. A book with only text on the cover
31. A book about a family
33. A book about an athlete/sport
34. A historical fiction book
35. A book about divorce
42. A book based on a popular movie
44. A book that was self-published
45. A book that started out as fan fiction
46. A book with a pet character
48. A book that features two languages
50. A book with alliteration in the title
Also, a reminder that every single past 2022 Monthly Group Read discussion and “I Finished!” thread is open and available to all in the 2022 Monthly Group Reads folder HERE.
Question of the Week
Which 2023 Popsugar prompt are you planning to complete first in 2023? What book are you planning to (or have already read) for it? Why did you select that specific book?
As you’ll see below the first book I finished reading in 2023 was Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky and it could be used to fulfill 8 2023 Popsugar prompts. I figure I will most likely use it for #5 mythical characters or #23 book with a map or #33 book about an athlete/sport. We’ll see! Other than that, once I have finished those last 2 for 2022, I plan to read Judy Blume’s Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself for prompt #16 main character’s name in the title. I didn’t realize that Sally’s family is Jewish, so this is more diverse than I expected! I selected this specific book because it was on the top of a stack and has been calling to me! :)
2022:
Popsugar: 49/50
ONLY 1/2 of a book more to go! LOL
ATY: 52/52 DONE!
RHC: 19/24
2023 Popsugar: 8/50
2023 AtY: 12/52
2023 RHC: 2/24
I'm counting all the double-dipping for now! :)
FINISHED:
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (Tristan Strong #1) by Kwame Mbalia (5 STARS) is a book I started reading 2-3 months ago when I go to bed. I probably read 5-25 pages in it 2 times per week on average. This is the first book I’ve finished in 2023 and it read quite differently than I expected. I believe it is definitely written to the target audience and my adult brain just didn’t connect with it as well as I usually do with juvenile/YA literature. It was definitely humorous and included numerous folk and mythological characters! Enjoyable. Just not one of my favorites… But I will continue with the series as I find Mbalia's imagination to seemingly be boundless! And..."sweet peaches" is a new favorite saying!
POPSUGAR: ALL NEW #1, #2, #5, #16, #19-2015: prompt #1 A book with more than 500 pages, #23, #31, #33
ATY: ALL NEW #3- A book that won a diversity award in the 21st Century: 2020 Ignyte Award for “Best in Middle Grade”, #5, #8, #10- Sporty-boxing, Scary-fetterlings, etc, Baby-Gum Baby, #12- Brer Rabbit and Old Familiar (a huge magical crow), #14- Anansi pretends to be Brer Rabbit, #19-storytelling, #37, #40, #42-Uncle Cotton and Eddie, #48-Old Familiar, a huge magical crow, #52
RHC: ALL NEW #22-2020 Ignyte Award for “Best in Middle Grade”, #24-2022: #13 Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel (5 STARS) was amazing on all levels. Especially diversity. (My special love!) This book depicted so many aspects of corporate greed and ecological damage. But on a personal level. A great read with only one very small complaint from me. I am using this to complete the 2022 Popsugar challenge, but will map it to 2022 and 2023 prompts…later! :) I adored This Is How It Always Is and I'm pretty sure Frankel is now a favorite author for me!
2022 POPSUGAR: NEW #8, #25, #31, #36, #40-2015: prompt #36 Set in high school, #46-Nathan AND River, #47
2022 ATY: #4-A book written by an author you might like to meet, #7, #15, #16, #19, #29-lake/river, #40-The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #41, #43, #44, #48, #49, #50
2022 RHC: #24-2020: prompt #21 Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)
In case it may help one of you...
2023 POPSUGAR: #1, #2, #6, #17, #19 (I can always find one), #28, #31, #36,
2023 ATY: #3 (I can always find one), #5, #10-Scary and Baby, #11, #13, #14, #18, #26, #28-the cover, #37, #43-many of them, or at least premature deaths, #46-ONE or TWO or THREE, #52
2023 RHC: #3, #24-2020: prompt #21 Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)
CONTINUING:
*Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink is like watching a train wreck. Perhaps worse. I am just now to the portion of the book detailing the investigations made in the aftermath. They had a very long arduous meeting just the week before to discuss emergency plans. That hospital was built in 1926 and suffered from two floods during the first 12 months. It’s not as if they weren’t aware of the chance for flooding! Ineptitude was rampant. Among politicians. Among political agencies. Among the corporate administrators. Among the hospital administrators and staff. It was a total cluster...
CONTINUING:
*Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume
The London House by Katherine Reay for my book club
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed.
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
*The Cuckoo's CallingThe Cuckoo’s Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Galbraith
*Strange Sight (Essex Museum Witch Mystery #2) by Syd Moore
*Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
*The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
*The Winners (Beartown #3) by Fredrik Backman
I have decided to reread the first two in this series before reading this third installment. Probably in February.
Felicia wrote: "Finished my last book for the challenge! PS 2022: 50/50"
YAY YOU!!
Lilith wrote: "Happy 2023 to everyone! Hope that everyone enjoyed the solstice holidays, and wishing everyone a happy, healthy rewarding new year!I've been terribly absent, due to work, work and more work, and continuing health stuff. I've been way too exhausted to write when I get home, but I have peeked in here and there when possible. I finished the PopSugar challenge back in September, and it was a great reading year!"
I knew I hadn't seen you on here much... Glad to know you are surviving!! Oh, yeah, and brag it up that you finished WAY back in September! LOL ;)
"I'm participating in a local IRL challenge with my commonwealth library: Winter Reading Challenge, so my book choices will be focused on that."
Whoo! Whoo! I hope they select some you really enjoy!
"At the moment, I am devouring A Good Marriage, because my best friend recommended it. We recommend books to each other all the time and do thoroughly unofficial buddy reads. First prompt the year then will be: Book recommended by your best friend (unless it works for book about divorce. A lot of marriage crumbling and faltering, but she won't tell me what happens!)"
That one looks intense. Anxious to know your reaction to it!
"QOTW:
so hard to pick...so, in no particular order:
Eight Kinky Nights
Really, everything by Xan West - I'm devastated that they are no longer writing and living in this mortal coil....
The Kingdom of Women: Life, Love and Death in China's Hidden Mountains
Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy
Iep Jaltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter
The Hidden Life of Ice - Dispatches from a Disappearing World
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Nedí Nezų
Rosemary's Baby and everything by Ira Levin
Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top"
Okay, I admit it...I had to laugh at Buzz...! ;)
HISTORICAL FICTION *Quite a few dealing with occupation and oppression during wartime.
1) Euphoria by Lily King was fascinating, IMO! I have read Father of the Rain (More than 10 years ago and it still is in my brain!) and Writers & Lovers and plan to read all of her books! One of my favorite authors!
*2) The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See was an enthralling read that was at times brutal. War. A non-patriarchal society. Intense and complex.
3) Red Island House by Andrea Lee was so well done! Though I felt it was a bit depressing due to its realism, Lee did an excellent job with the characterization and the story overall. Great writing!
*4) The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra was excellently written and depicted the hopelessness and helplessness for males (as well as females) under oppressive occupation by another government. Rather brutal, but seemingly realistic. Khadra’s own story of publishing under a female name to avoid repercussions is extraordinary in and of itself…
*5) When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe was a brutal yet realistic (IMO) read of the results of oppression and occupation during war time. Based upon her father’s recollections during the Philippines in WW II.
*6) The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway was yet another wartime/oppression during occupation read. This one, however, depicted some of the more mundane daily struggles to do such simple things as collect drinking water. Very well done and now I own The Confabulist and Ascension to read in 2023! I was that impressed!
7) The Ever-After Bird by Ann Rinaldi was scarily impressive! She covers so much territory and so many issues in so few pages! Very effective and intense!
*8) A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra was indescribably intimate! That’s how it felt. His writing is so unique with so much wry and dry humor sprinkled throughout, although the subject matter is anything but entertaining—occupation and oppression during wartime… Definitely reading more of his writing!
FAVORITE AUTHORS
1) Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate was stupendous! While tackling some serious issues (e.g. homelessness) Applegate manages to be humorous AND poignant. Wonderful depiction of parents trying their hardest…but not always succeeding at providing for themselves and their children. Definitely planning to read more of Applegate’s writing! I loved The One and Only Ivan when I read it 8 years ago and plan to read the Endling series in 2023!
2) W. Bruce Cameron. Anything he writes! I read and loved 2 of his A Dog’s Purpose Puppy Tale books this year! If I was a teacher these would be on my classroom reading list!
3) The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow was so very well done! I preferred this to The Ten Thousand Doors of January and very much want to read The Spindle Splintered.
4)Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid was marvelous! I’m not a huge sports fan. I know very little about tennis except that I am incapable of playing the game decently. (Proven when my college roommate was determined to teach me how to play… I can deliver an awesome serve but have trouble returning within the boundaries!) Planning to read through her backlist in 2023!
5) Galatea by Madeline Miller was a short retelling with a definite feminist twist. Whatever she writes I will read!
DIVERSITY
1)Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake was a straightforward realistic depiction of a girl struggling to determine her sexuality, especially with regard to her female BFF.
2) Although I am always a bit hesitant about retellings, Claire O’Dell’s Janet Watson’s Chronicle series started out with an amazing first installment and I plan to read the second one in 2023! Much diversity and in-depth characterization!
3) The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue is one of my all-time favorite reads and definitely my favorite of the 3 books of hers I’ve read thus far! Working on her backlist in 2023! I own Frog Music and Life Mask.
4) Jason Reynolds is just one of my favorite writers and a hardworking human whom I respect immensely! Ghost (Track #1) was such an excellent read! A slice of life in an environment probably unfamiliar to most of the people I know. I already own the second installment, Patina, and a hardcopy of Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks and Long Way Down for 2023! I was so impressed with the audiobook of LWD that I wanted to also read it!
5) I read Looking for Me 9 years ago and immediately purchased a copy of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt which I just read in 2022! Excellent read!
6) The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes was a superb reading experience! TW: abuse, pet death. Also a reminder that I really need to finish the Me Before You trilogy!
7) Cemetery Boys (Cemetery Boys #1) by Thomas Aiden was such a great book! I was uncertain what I might think of it, but loved it! Definitely up for their backlist and any future writings!
8) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is, IMO, a must-read for everyone! But especially for “lighter-skinned” folks! He makes the point that there really are no humans with totally “white” skin (except perhaps those classified as “albino”) and using this word sets up the “black” vs “white” dichotomy. I agree. I’m trying to adjust my language slowly but surely to “lighter-skinned” and “darker-skinned” instead. More accurate and less divisive. The Water Dancer was an excellent historical fiction read and I want to read We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy. I think he is one of my favorite authors now!
9) Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett was much more enjoyable than I expected it to be. Yes, it is a bit “too-good-to-be-true,” but I knew that going in. Still a solid read, IMO! I would like to read more of her backlist. The Secret Garden was one of my all-time favorite books as a child! And still is 50+ years later!
10) The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner was even a bit more enjoyable the second time around! What an amazing writing feat! Especially for your debut novel! Looking forward to a release scheduled for 2023!
11) Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune was amazing! A bit more serious, IMO, than The House in the Cerulean Sea, but still a humorous and meaningful read!
12) I’m including Emily Henry’s Book Lovers here due to the small town vs big city theme. You never know where someone else is from and what their life has been in the past…or in the present…or into the future. I loved the greater complexity of this book and I am encouraged to read more of her writing!
PREVIEW TO HARLEM RENAISSANCE READING PROJECT FOR 2023!
1) The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson was an excellent juvenile fantasy/historical fiction read! A great intro to my personal Harlem Renaissance project!
I had so much fun compiling this list! And I have an organized listing of the follow-up books I want to read in 2023 now!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And here is my Question of the Week for this check-in. Yes, really late and really comprehensive! Question of the Week:
What are your favorite books that you read this year? (Any book you read, not just for this challenge)
Ugh. While I love to recall my favorites, it is also such a task for me to pull out a halfway manageable list! But I feel as if I have had such an incredible year of wonderfully stupendous reads, that I really want to summarize it…in detail! Here goes…I am listing in chronological order and have designated some categories…
NEW-TO-ME SERIES THAT I WILL DEFINITELY CONTINUE
1) I started 2022 with Andrea Penrose’s Wrexford & Sloane series and never looked back! I absolutely love that series! One of my all-time favorites and will definitely be on board for future installments! I plan to venture into more of her books in 2023, but assume they may be a bit too “romancy” for me…
2) Earl Derr Biggers’ Charlie Chan series was a new discovery for me this year. At least in books. I remember watching adaptations on TV when I was young and was curious how the books would hold up. I was very pleasantly surprised that what I considered to be the intense stereotypical representation on TV was NOT what I felt reading The House Without a Key. And I own the second in the series, The Chinese Parrot, and I intend to read it in 2023 and continue on from there. There are only 6 books in the series!
3) The Lionboy trilogy by Zizou Corder was such an enjoyable read for me! I think younger readers would be enthralled by it. At least I was! Fantastical adventures!!
4) Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries series is so “out there” and yet realistic to relationships in so many ways… One of my faves! I read through all of them in 2022!
5) Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan series is my newest superbly entertaining and humorous just all-round FUN series!! Humorous yet compassionate characters and interrelationships!
6) Bette Green’s Beth Lambert trilogy is humorous, poignant, and entertaining! I plan to finish it in 2023 and then continue on with Greene’s backlist!
7) Margery Sharp’s Rescuers series is adorable and entertaining, yet Miss Bianca is always serious about her rescues!
8) Ann Cleeves’ Shetland Island and Vera Stanhope series are so very well done! Well-paced mysteries with interconnected characters and I am fascinated with both Vera and Jimmy and getting to know them and their colleagues better with each installment!
9) I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. It has been 50 years since I last read Asimov’s writing and I plan to continue this series!
10) Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series is so very well plotted. Atkinson’s interconnected characters and plot points are extraordinary! I plan to read more of her writing!
11) Last Call at the Nightingale (Nightingale Mysteries #1) by Katharine Schellman was an excellent historical fiction read as well as a well-plotted mystery!
12) Strange Magic (Essex Witch Museum Mystery #1) by Syd Moore was so enjoyable that I now own the second installment, Strange Sight, and plan to read it in 2023!
13) Dumplin' (Dumplin’ #1) by Julie Murphy was a stupendous book! (MUCH better than the movie, IMO!) I now own the second installment, Puddin' and will continue reading this series and Murphy’s writing!
14) Agatha's First Case (Agatha Raisin #0.5) by M.C. Beaton was a solid short story. I was impressed enough that I will plan to continue with the Agatha Raisin series!
15) Susan Wittig Albert’s Darling Dahlia series is a must-read for me. I own the 2nd and 3rd installments for 2023! I also love and am reading her China Bayles series!
16) Dusti Bowling’s series Life of a Cactus series is delightfully diverse, humorous, and poignant! Quite unique and lovely
17) Tor commissioned Becky Chambers to write a “two-book novella series within the emerging solarpunk genre” and I’ve read both Monk & Robot novellas, A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy are just as wonderful as her Wayfarers series, loved them both! Which reminds me that I still need to read the 4th book in that series, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within!
18) Snowspelled (Harwood Spellbook #1) by Stephanie Burgis was a shockingly good read! It was a book club selection and I expected pure fluff, but received a truly interesting and complex story! I will be reading more of this series/author!
NEW-TO-ME AUTHORS
1) Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day was superb! I enjoyed The Buried Giant and cannot wait to read Klara and the Sun. Another author whose backlist I intend to read…
2) *Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series is definitely off-the-wall and yet compelling. I believe Atkinsons can interweave characters better than any other writer! I plan to read Shrines of Gaiety and delve into her backlist.
3) Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier was one of my very best reads of the year. This one has it all! I was impressed enough to investigate more of her books…
4) Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, illustrated by Nicholas Gannon was an absolutely delightful read. The target audience is juveniles, but I enjoyed so very much!
5) Chirp by Kate Messner was an unbelievably great read! It covered so much territory and so very well! Highly recommend for all ages!
6) Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower was awesome and kinda scary (‘Cause I could imagine the US turning into this place!)! I plan to read Parable of the Talents and Kindred in 2023.
7) I was so impressed with Rebecca Serle’s One Italian Summer that I now own another book of hers!
8) Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico was a simple and enjoyable read. I am finishing the second installment in this duology now!
9) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston was amazing! I will definitely plan to read more of her writing! It is extraordinary to read how Alice Walker was responsible for putting this book back into the reading public! Now one of the most-often used books in educational curricula across the US.
10) Though I had grave reservations about reading The Ghost Bride, I really ended up enjoying it. Quite the ride! (It just didn’t sound like a book I would enjoy…) And The Night Tiger was also a good solid read. Definitely on board to read whatever Yangsze Choo writes in the future!
11) The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George was phenomenal! I loved these characters and their stories! So much so, that I now own a copy of The Little French Bistro and plan to read it in 2023!
12) Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan was so good! Sometimes large things are possible, as well as small things… Adored the writing and plan to read more of it!
ONGOING FAVORITE SERIES
1) The Isabel Dalhousie series by Alexander McCall Smith
2) The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley
3) Going Rogue (Stephanie Plum #29) by Janet Evanovich was finally much more like the earlier series installments! I refuse to give up on this series! I think it is paying off!
4) The Gypsy Game (Game #2) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder was intense and so very well written! This series is only a duology, but I will be reading more of her writing!
NONFICTION
1) I discovered Walter Lord’s nonfiction historical books (From someone here, as I recall!) and will definitely be reading more of his writing! I’ve read 2 of his books thus far: A Night to Remember and Day of Infamy, 60th Anniversary: The Classic Account of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor. Such an up close and personal depiction of historical events!
2) The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson was a phenomenal read! Even if you don’t know anything about chemistry, biochemistry, etc., this is well-written and takes you through the basic information necessary to understand some of the more complex current developments and where this technology may take the human race in the future. Well worth the time to read it!
3) Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker was so very well done! My aunt suffered from paranoid schizophrenia most of her adult life and this book was very good at depicting the wide range of symptoms, possible treatments, and seemingly random affliction even within one family. Mind-blowing…and made me feel so very fortunate that my aunt never missed a medication dosage nor a psychiatric appointment. Very unusual… We were blessed and basically ignorant at just how lucky our family and she was, given her affliction.
CATS!!
I’m on a run with these and have 2 more planned for 2023: The Cat Who Saved Books and I Am a Cat which is a trilogy. It seems several of these are written by Japanese male authors.
1) The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, translated by Eric Selland was so sweet! The feline was much more gracious to the second household than the original owners were to this couple! But with new digs come new ‘critters’!
2) The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatesworth, illustrated by Raoul Vitale was a beautifully rendered Japanese fable. So sweet! So poignant!
4) Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, illustrated by Axel Scheffler was absolutely adorable! I love Eliot’s sense of humor!
5) The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, translated by Philip Gabriel was such a heartwarming and poignant read! So very well done! I shed tears! Though for a rather unexpected reason…
And continued...
