Anika’s Comments (group member since Dec 25, 2011)

Anika’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

20.10 True/False

Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik

+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel

Task total: 30
Season total: 775

10.5 Tom Robbins

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

If you enjoyed The Office then this one is for you!
I haven't laughed out loud at a book in a hot minute and this one ended the dry spell...
The cast of characters is utterly believable and well-drawn (I think my favorite thing about this book is how superficially they are originally portrayed but by the end they are all fully-formed). The situations are ridiculous and sometimes push the boundaries of believability, but I was willing to forgive that and just go along for the ride.
This was the author's debut novel and I can't wait to see how her next one measures up.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task total: 20
Season total: 745

15.3 CYOA2, SciFi/Fantasy => Ancient World => Drives

Mrs. Nash's Ashes by Sarah Adler

+15 Task, about a road trip from DC to the Florida Keys

Task total: 15
Season total: 725

15.2 CYOA2, SciFi/Fantasy => Ancient World

House of Odysseus by Claire North

+15 Task, set in ancient Greece

Task total: 15
Season total: 710

15.1 CYOA2, SciFi/Fantasy

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

+15 Task, MPG Fantasy

Task total: 15
Season total: 695

10.6 David Lodge

My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman

+10 Task, 90% set on the campus and in the dorms of Dewing College
+5 Combo: 20.8, Laura Lee gets hammered on the "eggnog spiked with bourbon"

Task total: 15
Season total: 680

10.1 Back to Basics

PILGRIM: FINDING A NEW WAY ON THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO by Carolyn Gillespie

This is a memoir of the author's 40-day 900 km trek of the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela. My sister and her oldest child walked it for two weeks last year and I will be joining them this September to complete it, so I was VERY curious to get a day to day overview from someone more my age (my sister is six years younger than I, but those six years feel very crucial--I swear, the day I turned 50 my body has started betraying me in both minuscule and enormous ways and every day I wake up to a new betrayal...).
I quite enjoyed hearing her Camino experience, meeting fellow peregrinos along the way and getting to know her friends from home who joined her along the Way.
The writing was better than I was expecting from a first-time author/memoirist. I'm glad to have read it and now have a better idea of what I'm in for come September!

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+5 Combo, 20.8: they had beer at several stops along the Camino

Task total: 35
Season total: 665

15.10 CYOA, Mystery => Poirot => Tea => Oolong => +100K => Library/Bookstore => New-to-Me => Named => Nordic => Thriller

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

+15 Task

Task total: 15
+100 Finisher Bonus
Season total: 630

15.9 CYOA, Mystery => Poirot => Tea => Oolong => +100K => Library/Bookstore => New-to-Me => Named => Nordic

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

+15 Task, translated from Swedish

Task total: 15
Season total: 515

20.7 Senior Sleuths

Picture Miss Seeton by Heron Carvic

This was an absolute delight to read and I never would have stumbled upon it had it not been for this task!
Miss Seeton is the antithesis to Miss Marple: Marple is MIA in the book until there's a body and a murder to be solved and then puts it all together; Miss Seeton finds herself in the middle of multiple murders and doesn't so much as solve the murder as she does witness and draw it.
A retired art teacher armed with her charcoals and her umbrella, she unwittingly helps the police solve a series of murders--she's a little bit Mary Poppins, a tiny dash of Marple, a smidge Mr. Bean (there was A LOT of humor in this one!), and entirely delightful.
Heron Carvic only wrote 5 books in the series, but apparently it was well-beloved enough that two other authors took the baton to continue Miss Seeton's story so there are a total of 22 books and I can't wait to continue reading about her antics.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo, 10.5
+5 Oldies, pub. 1968

Task total: 40
Season total: 500

Karen Michele wrote: "How about drinking "Jack Daniels"?"

Yep, Jack is def whiskey.

15.8 CYOA, Mystery => Poirot => Tea => Oolong => +100K => Library/Bookstore => New-to-Me => Named

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

+15 Task, named chapters

Task total: 15
Season total: 460

15.7 CYOA, Mystery => Poirot => Tea => Oolong => +100K => Library/Bookstore => New-to-Me

Mrs. Rochester's Ghost by Lindsay Marcott

+15 Task

Task total: 15
Season total: 445

15.6 CYOA, Mystery => Poirot => Tea => Oolong => +100K => Library/Bookstore

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

+15, set in a library

Task total: 15
Season total: 430

Joanne wrote: "I need some clarification on my second Fantasy prompt. It wants you to choose between past and future. The prompt mentions Pern, which is, in fact is the series/book I am reading. From the text, it..."

Granted, I've only read the first three books of the "Pern" series, but to my recollection it lacked the technological innovations that are normally hallmarks of a "far future" society/world. Since you're further along in the series and have a better understanding of where in the series' timeline you are, I think you can best answer this and we defer to your decision on which path, far future or ancient world, it belongs to. :-)

Is anyone else having an issue with getting notifications?
I never changed my settings, but the last time I got any notifications was 4 days ago and I just came in here and noticed there has been a lot of activity I've missed... :-/

10.2 St. Patrick's Day

The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen

+10 Task, set in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland
+10 Combo: 20.6; 20.8 "He had two shots of whiskey in Dublin before boarding."

Task total: 20
Season total: 410

20.5 Human Impacts

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

+20 Task, Aspen nominee longlist 2024
+10 Combo: 20.4, shelved "cli-fi" 22 times; 20.8, the chef and her employer celebrate the signing of their contract with a whiskey

Task total: 30
Season total: 390

10.7 Singing Season

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

+10 Task
+5 Combo: 20.8, Ray and Nicole have a beer in the hotel bar

Task total: 15
Season total: 360

15.5 CYOA, Mystery => Poirot => Tea => Oolong => +100K

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah

+15 Task, +217K ratings

Task total: 15
Season total: 345