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Task 20.24 B7 Best Books: rating is 4.0 or betterThe Night Watchman (2020) by Louise Erdrich (Hardcover, 453 pages)
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 515 + 20 = 535
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
[Bingo #3: B4, I21, N35, G49, O75]
Task 20.23 B13 Bridesmaid: Book nominated for 2+ awards, never a winnerAccording to Goodreads, this book was nominated for:
Macavity Award Nominee for Sue Feder Historical Mystery (2012)
Agatha Award Nominee for Best Historical Novel (2011)
Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award Nominee (2012)
A Lesson in Secrets (Maisie Dobbs #8) (2011) by Jacqueline Winspear
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 495 + 20 = 515
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
[Bingo #3: B4, I21, N35, G49, O75]
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "That section is still there and those awards are still included Perhaps your display has changed? Can you scroll right?"Yes! That did it!! Thanks!!
A few days ago there was a section in the spreadsheet labelled:Genre/Special Interest Awards
some of the awards:
Spur Award (winners only, not including Juvenile)
Hugo Award Sci-Fi/Fantasy (winners only)
World Fantasy Award Fantasy (winners only)
Nebula Award (winners only)
Today that section is missing.
So the question: will the Genre/Special Interest Awards section be included in this sub-challenge? and if so, will the links be returned to the spreadsheet?
Thanks
Task 20.22 B1 Title has 1 wordAlone (Valentino #2) (2009) by Loren D. Estleman
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 475 + 20 = 495
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
[Bingo #3: B4, I21, N35, G49, O75]
I much prefer the old page, but it doesn't look like we have the option of keeping the old page.I've found everything on the new page that I look for. It's just more clicks to get to the information. Also, the concept of "MPG" is gone. It's only 2 or 3 genres on the main page. You can click "See all" on some books (not all) and it will show the top 100 genres.
Task 20.21 I27 Main character is a Private Eye (not a police detective)Killer Calories (A Savannah Reid Mystery #3) (1997) by G.A. McKevett
Review: Killer Calories is a mystery set in Southern California starring Savannah Reid. Savannah has eight younger siblings, and hails from a small town in Georgia. It’s borderline cozy mystery, borderline police procedural.
Going through my cozy mystery list:
1/ Single white female protagonist, aged 20 – 40 years old? A bit older than usual, as the single white female protagonist is described as being in her 40s.
2/ Occupation: Private Detective. She was kicked off the Police Force for being overweight and so set up her own detective agency. I appreciate it when the protagonist has a reason to investigate other than curiosity.
3/ Quirky sister / cousin / best friend / business partner? Yes – her 24 year old assistant, the sunnily optimistic Tammy (skinny, vegetarian, exercises regularly – and she’s a computer whiz!)
4/ Gay-positive character? Two - a couple of gay men who live together and who dispense fashion advice, relationship advice, and gourmet dinners to our heroine.
5/ Cozy living arrangement? Borderline qualifies as cozy – Our heroine Savannah lives in a fixer-upper house with 2 cats.
6/ Relationship with local police / detectives? The local Police Detective is Savannah’s best male friend! (and, in latter books, becomes her husband)
7/ Protagonist solves the murder mystery? Yes.
8/ Mystery solved and murderer punished? Yes.
I like Savannah Reid. She’s good at detective work, and it makes sense that she would be good at it as she has been doing detective work for several years now. She also has a great sense of humor. I’ll be reading more books in the series in the future.
+20 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 = 25
Grand Total: 405 + 20 + 50 = 475
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
[Bingo #3: B4, I21, N35, G49, O75]
Task 15.20 N35 NoirThis novel has MPG of Mystery > Noir
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1935) by Horace McCoy (Paperback, 128 pages)
Review: Noir mysteries typically feature cynical heroes and a bleak outlook on human life. This short novel certainly fits the genre. Our protagonists (I hesitate to call them heroes) are aspiring film actors/actresses. To make money, and gain exposure to hiring directors, they sign up to compete in a dance marathon. The website https://www.historylink.org/file/5534.... says: Dance Marathons (also called Walkathons), an American phenomenon of the 1920s and 1930s, were human endurance contests in which couples danced almost non-stop for hundreds of hours (as long as a month or two), competing for prize money. As reflected in this novel, the dance marathon was brutal for the participants. The novel includes random acts of violence, both physical and emotional. The title is the last line of the novel and fits the novel very well. Recommended only for a bleak, gloomy, depressing reading experience.
Additionally – Jane Fonda starred in a 1969 movie based on the book (see: https://www.imdb.com/video/vi21305101... )
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
[Bingo #3: B4, I21, N35, G49, O75]
Grand Total: 405 + 20 + 50 = 475
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
Task 15.19 G49 MPE Page count 400-499The Swan Gondola (2014) by Timothy Schaffert (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 458 pages)
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 390 + 15 = 405
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
Task 15.18 B4 Before: Historical Fiction The Witches of New York (Witches of New York #1) (2016) by Ami McKay (Paperback, 545 pages)
+15 Task
+05 – 500 pages or more
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 370 + 20 = 390
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
Task 15.17 I21 INFLOW: First letter of title is found in "inflow"inFlow
Frames (Valentino #1) (2008) by Loren D. Estleman (Hardcover, 272 pages)
Review: Frames is a murder mystery set in Hollywood, California. Our protagonist is a mild-mannered 30ish male UCLA film archivist named Valentino. He buys a fixer-upper 1920s film theatre to live in and renovate. Our hero teams up with two people: his 60ish mentor-a male professor at UCLA; and with an attractive female law student (who is planning to go into copyright law). Together they work to untangle mysteries associated with the film theatre. The mysteries include: why is there a 20th century skeleton in the basement of the theatre?
The author Loren Estleman clearly has had experience in Hollywood (probably obtained when his ‘western’ novels were adapted to film). The mysteries are resolved by the end, and the solutions are reasonable. Four stars.
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 350 + 20 = 370
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
Task 15.16 O75 75 Years: Author is AgedPeter Lovesey, who is still alive, was born on September 10, 1936.
Wobble to Death (Sergeant Cribb #1) (1970) by Peter Lovesey
+15 Task
+05 1997 or earlier
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 330 + 20 = 350
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
Task 15.15 O65 Title has 5 wordsA Murder for the Books (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #1) (2017) by Victoria Gilbert (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 325 pages)
Review: A Murder for the Books is a typical cozy murder mystery. One can go through a checklist of attributes and find them all here.
1/ Single white female protagonist, aged 20 – 40 years old, that is recently widowed – divorced – broken up with a longterm boyfriend? Yes. Protagonist recently broke up with longterm boyfriend.
2/ Occupation: librarian / journalist at a small local newspaper / owner-manager-and usually cook at a local restaurant / owner-manager of a trendy hobby-like small business (like Yarn Shop or Craft Beer or Handmade Pottery or whatever)? Yes. Protagonist is the library director at the small town’s local library.
3/ Quirky sister / cousin / best friend / business partner? (Often quirky best friend / business partner is non-white.) Yes. This cozy mystery’s quirky friend was raised by 1960s hippie grandparents. Quirky friend is white; however, the protagonist’s aunt’s good friend is an African American.
4/ Gay-positive character? Well, this cozy mystery mentions that the single female protagonist’s younger brother is gay. Usually these mysteries have a stereotypical male gay character who gives really good relationship advice (but not this one).
5/ Cozy living arrangement? Yes. Protagonist lives with her aunt. (Who is described as being rather elderly at the advanced age of 64 years old. Grrr.)
6/ Relationship with local police / detectives? Yes. The local detective is dating quirky best friend.
7/ Protagonist solves the murder mystery, despite having no training or experience in detective work. Yes.
8/ Mystery solved and murderer punished? Yes.
Some cozy mysteries add unique elements to set themselves apart from the crowd. Some have ghosts; some have older protagonists; some try really hard to make the reader laugh out loud. Not this one. I gave it 3 stars.
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 310 + 20 = 330
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
Task 15.14 N38 NICKEL: first letter of title is found of "nickel"nickeL
Little Souls (2022) by Sandra Dallas (Hardcover, 294 pages)
Review:Sandra Dallas usually writes gritty novels about women in the American West during the 1870-1900 timeframe. This time, she decided to tell a story about two sisters living in Denver, Colorado during the Influenza epidemic of 1918. I really liked the period detail she includes in the novel. She includes the attitudes of people at the time towards women and war and wealth and medical care – attitudes that will change in America in subsequent decades. That said, the story itself veers towards melodrama, with the admirable characters having to deal with truly awful situations. (mild spoiler) (view spoiler) 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars because Sandra Dallas included 1918 attitudes.
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
Grand Total: 240 + 20 + 50 = 310
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
Task 15.13 G52 Goodreads Choice Award winners and nomineesGoodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance (2019)
Things You Save in a Fire (2019) by Katherine Center
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 225 + 15 = 240
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
Task 15.12 O63 ORPHAN: First letter of title is found in "orphan"orphAn
A Rip Through Time (A Rip Through Time #1) (2022) by Kelley Armstrong
Review: A Rip Through Time is a time travel story, the first of a projected series. Our first person narrator is a 30 year old female police detective named Mallory. In 2019, Mallory is in Edinburgh. She’s attacked and loses consciousness while going for a jog. When she wakes up, she’s in the body of a 19 year old woman, and the year is 1869. Mallory explains how she finds a place for herself in 1869. There is also a murder mystery, which is solved at the end. There are many story possibilities for future novels – the 1869 characters have several members that are ‘abroad’ or ‘missing and presumed dead’, who can return to Edinburgh. Also, Mallory wishes to return to 2019 – maybe a future novel can get her there. Recommended for time travel fans.
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 205 + 20 = 225
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
Task 15.11 O68 Author name does not contain the letter OThe Bowl Is Already Broken (2005) by Mary Kay Zuravleff (Hardcover, 424 pages)
Review: The Bowl Is Already Broken is a novel set in Washington, D.C. It focuses on the numerically small staff of the Museum of Asian Art. The Museum actually exists, and is part of the Smithsonian Institute in D. C. That said – all the characters and events of this novel are invented by the author, herself a former worker at the Smithsonian Institute. (I do wonder if one or two were ‘inspired’ by her co-workers, but I have no way of telling if that was the case.) I lived in and around D. C. for 28 years. I recognized some of the locations. One particular house in the story was very like my college roommate’s sister’s group home (she lived in D. C. and attended Georgetown University). The locations in the novel inspired a feeling of nostalgia for me, which I enjoyed. As for the story – academic museum bureaucrats dealing with outrageous situations – I enjoyed it. Five stars – 3.5 stars for the story, 1.5 stars for the ‘trip down memory lane’ D. C. nostalgia.
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 185 + 20 = 205
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
Task 10.10 G53 Group Reads! (On RwS bookshelf)The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) by T.J. Klune (Paperback, 396 pages)
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 175 + 10 = 185
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
Task 10.09 G50 Author born in the 50s, any centuryGoodreads biography states that Loren D. Estleman was born on September 15, 1952
Mister St. John (1983) by Loren D. Estleman (Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages)
Review:Mister St. John is a ‘western’ novel set in 1906. The Pinkerton Detective Agency has been hired to apprehend a gang of bank robbers operating in the Wyoming-Colorado area of the country. They, in turn, hire retired lawman Mister St. John to form a posse and track down the bank robbers.
There is a Pinkerton representative who will go with the posse. Estleman spends quite a bit of the novel relating the backstories of the various characters, both Mister St. John and his posse, and the bank robbers. The violence is not glamorized (as it is in a lot of westerns). The ending fits the story. I’d recommend this one, even for people who don’t normally read westerns.
+10 Task
+05 1997 or earlier
+05 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 155 + 20 = 175
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
Task 10.8 B6 BEARDS: First letter of title is found of "beards"bearDs
Deadly Advice (Advice Column Mystery #1) (2007) by Roberta Isleib (Paperback, 272 pages)
Review: Deadly Advice is the first of three novels starring clinical psychologist Dr. Rebecca Butterman. She’s 38 years old, recently divorced, no children. She has recently moved to an upper middle class condominium in a small town in southern Connecticut. The mystery is about her neighbor – was it suicide, or was it murder? What I liked: (1) Rebecca had a good reason for investigating; (2) Rebecca would tell the Police detective whenever she found out something relevant to the case; (3) Rebecca has a community around her – a group of friends and a younger sister. What I didn’t care for: (1) the mystery solution was more sordid than is usual in cozy mysteries; (2) the discussions about depression and ‘family trauma’ – I was expecting a light hearted cozy mystery, not a somber morality tale! Thinking back on the novel, I don’t think anyone was happy with their life in the entire novel! (with the possible exception of Rebecca’s friend Angie). That said, I’d probably pick up the next in the series *one of these days*.
+10 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 = 15
Grand Total: 140 + 15 = 155
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
