Mary’s Comments (group member since Jan 06, 2017)

Mary’s comments from the Challenges from Exploding Steamboats group.

Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945–1955 by Harald Jähner

I have read "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. It was a re-read, but it is my daughter's favorite book. Her second favorite book would have been a re-read, too. It is "Pride and Prejudice".

I'm counting "Moonlight Over Mayfair" by Anton du Beke for this. There are three romances in this book, including a bit of a love triangle (or maybe a love quartet if you consider one person is a recently widowed young woman). The author throws a lot of other issues into the book, but I think he intended it to be a romance.

This could also count as a book where a character uses an alias. I think my edition falls just short of the "book over 450 pages" category. As I'm not too likely to read another romance this year, I'll count it towards this one.

I read "Sorcerer to the Crown" by Zen Cho, who is from Malaysia. I see now, that Stina has the sequel as her possible read for the prompt. :)

The cover is MOSTLY purple: One Enchanted Evening by Anton du Beke

Did she read the book herself? I bet that would be amazing.

Stina wrote: "Mary wrote: ""I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou"

I have had the audiobook on my TBR for years now. I really need to give it a listen."

I am going to stretch this one. The book is about the original publishing of Victoria's own letters. It is mostly about the two editors, but also a bit about Victoria's successor and how the three volumes eventually were published. The choices these three men made heavily influences what we THINK we know about Victoria, girl, woman, wife, mother, and queen. "Censoring Queen Victoria: How Two Gentlemen Edited a Queen and Created an Icon" by Yvonne M. Ward

"Number One Chinese Restaurant" by Lillian Li - it has a duck on the cover.
This could also fill the prompt for an orange book, a person of a different race than myself, and at a stretch, a book by a woman about food. I did not enjoy this book, although it was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

I have read "The Whale Rider" by Witi Ihimaera. I liked it very much. Now to see if I can find the movie.


Stina wrote: "Mary wrote: "I think I will read "The Whale Rider" for this one."

I read that one last year and watched the movie as well. Both very well done, I thought."

I read "The Summer of Secrets" by Martina Reilly.

Stina wrote: "I thought this looked pretty summery: "

It does!

Whistling for Elephants by Sandi Toksvig

I read "Whistling for Elephants" by Sandi Toksvig with a gloriously orange cover. It just so happens, this is a BookCrossing book that has been sitting on a shelf for A Very Long Time. It could also meet the "creature with a beak on the cover" prompt, and is set in New York state for the 50 states challenge. It is a humorous book set in 1968, narrated by a woman who was a 10yo English girl newly arrived in small town America.

I am counting Eragon by Christopher Paolini towards this. I could also count it towards one of the biggest books on my Mt. TBR, but I'm sure I have others for that. ;)

Cheryl wrote: "Congratulations!"
Thank you!

I just finished World Without End by Ken Follett. It has 1,248 pages.

I completed the trilogy challenge + Brandon Sanderson last year, but didn't take the Free Space. So, I have used it for the absolutely wonderful "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" by Charlie Mackesy. I love, love, love this book and recommend it with all my heart.

I've just finished "What's in a Name?" by Cyril M. Harris. It is about the meanings of the names of London's tube stations. It is borrowed from someone in my photo-a-day group, and I must now pass it on to someone else in the group.