Connie ’s Comments (group member since Nov 11, 2013)

Connie ’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

10.3 O75 75 years: author is aged

Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles

Paulette Jiles set her second novel in 1930s Texas during the hard times of the Great Depression, a seven year drought, and terrible dust storms. Jack Stoddard, a husband and the father of three daughters, works on oil rigs and transports pipelines. Jeanine, his tomboyish favorite daughter, often accompanies Jack and is exposed to men's work. Jack is intelligent and charming, but can't stay away from horse racing, gambling, drinking, and women.

After Jack's death from an accident, Elizabeth and her three daughters are almost destitute and move back to an abandoned family farm that belonged to Elizabeth's family. The four women each have an inner strength, and they pull together to survive and to pay back taxes on the farm. Elizabeth invests in a wildcat oil well, Jeanine gets the farm running again, Mayme finds a job, and young Bea dreams of becoming a writer.

Ross, a rancher, and Milton, a newspaper reporter, add humor and interest to the story. Historical and cultural details provide a strong sense of time and place. Early movies, songs, President Roosevelt's New Deal, fashions, party line telephones, and getting the house wired for electricity give a sense of the 1930s. The author has done lots of historical research, but fits it naturally into the story. Jiles also seems very familiar with horses, creating a great stubborn race horse that readers will cheer on. Although I've read other Texas stories about ranches and dust storms, this historical novel gave a different focus by also showing the danger and excitement of drilling for oil.

There is a sense that the resilient Stoddard women will be seeing better days in the short term. But the family's radio is also bringing news from Europe about another world war. Unknown new challenges will be coming for the Stoddards and the people they love.

+10 task (author is 79 years old)
+ 5 review

Task total: 15
Season total: 50

10.2 I21 INFLOW: First letter of title is found in inflow

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

There's always a special feeling when I open one of Elizabeth Strout's books because she doesn't just write about the characters. She writes about the emotions that all of us feel, and we're all a little more understanding as we close her books.

"Oh William!" is the third book about Lucy Barton, and it centers on her first husband, William. Lucy and William are divorced, but are still friendly after years of co-parenting their daughters. William receives a membership in a genealogy website as a gift, and finds disturbing information about his mother. He asks Lucy to travel with him to Maine to learn more about her past. The trip triggers memories in Lucy about her mother-in-law and about Lucy's own traumatic childhood. As William and Lucy drive around the ramshackle towns in northern Maine, Lucy recounts how the intense poverty and lack of love in her own family emotionally scarred her. She also remembers the love, the misunderstandings, and the hurt experienced during her marriage with William. A joy in Lucy's life has been seeing their daughters become wonderful young women.

The author's beautiful, sensitive prose depicts the emotions we all share. "Oh William!" is a book that can be read in an evening. When I came to the last page I hoped that Elizabeth Strout will continue this series, highlighting other important people in Lucy's life.

+10 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 15
Season total: 35

10.1 G-52 Goodreads Choice Award nominee

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

Partly a lively 1950s road trip and partly a sensitive coming-of-age novel, "The Lincoln Highway" was always entertaining. 18-year-old Emmett has just been released from a juvenile work farm, and was driven back to his Nebraska home by the warden. His father recently died and the bank foreclosed on the farm. Emmett and his younger brother, Billy, are planning to make a fresh start by driving the Lincoln Highway to California to search for their mother who abandoned their family. Emmett gets a surprise when two of his bunkmates from the work farm show up. Duchess and Woolly had escaped by hitching a ride in the trunk of the warden's car, and they want to travel to New York to retrieve Woolly's trust fund. When they "borrow" Emmett's car, Emmett and Billy pursue them by hopping a freight train heading to New York - and their adventures begin!

Precocious eight-year-old Billy has packed his favorite book, "Professor Abacus Abernathe's Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travelers." The book tells about both mythical and real heroes with some pages to write about your own adventure story. The four boys are thrust into a series of dangerous situations so Billy won't be lacking for story ideas.

The boys have had difficult childhoods partly due to parental failings or abandonment. They also had special people come into their young lives when they really needed help. A motley group of minor characters populates the novel - misfits, villains, and heroes on a smaller scale. The hope of a fresh start and the American dream of success (rags to riches) is on the boys' minds.

There is a strong sense of wonder and amazement, especially for Billy, as he has exciting new experiences and reads about thrilling adventures in his "Compendium." I had to occasionally suspend disbelief during this fast-paced adventure, but the excellent storytelling kept me quickly turning the pages. The nostalgic look at 1950s America, especially New York City, was also very enjoyable.

+10 task
+ 5 jumbo (576 pages)
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 20

Congratulations, Lagullande, and have fun spending your gift card!

This was my original plan, but I've already moved things around! It's good that I'm using post-it notes to stick the combinations of 5 books on paper since I'm reading in a different order.

Bingo #1
B1 Title has 1 word
Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell
I18 Inspirational
Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou
N44 Author has 2 sets of double letters in name 10.6
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
G52 Goodreads Choice Nominee 10.1
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
O75 75 Years: Author is Aged (born 1943 and living) 10.3
Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles

Bingo #2
B10 Author born in the 10s (1812)
The Mudfog Papers by Charles Dickens
I16 Author name does not contain the letter "I"
Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner
N32 Neighbors (on Southern Trail bookshelf) 10.5
Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton
G50 Author born in the 50s (1957)
The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
O 71 One: First book in a series
The Trees by Conrad Richter

Bingo #3
B6 BEARDS: First letter of title is found in "beards"
Requiem by Fire by Wayne Caldwell
I 22 Title has 2 words
The Maid by Nita Prose
N41 Title includes a number
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
G 58 Ghosts or paranormal
The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
O72 Set in: Ohio
The Fields by Conrad Richter

Extra:
I21 INFLOW 10.2
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
B9 MPE Page Count of 100-199 10.4
Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert

20.9 Birthday

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

Page 169: "I could make you a cake."

John Steinbeck took a road trip around the United States in the fall of 1960 "to try to rediscover this monster land." He bought a pick-up truck with a camper top, and named it Rocinante (after Don Quixote's horse). Charley, an older large French poodle, was Steinbeck's traveling companion. Charley served as an ice-breaker, making it easier for Steinbeck to meet strangers. Steinbeck had a chronic illness at the time of his trip, and Charley had his own set of veterinary problems, but they offered emotional support to each other. Charley also added some humor to the story, such as when he turned into a vicious barking beast when he spotted and smelled the bears in Yellowstone Park.

Steinbeck tried to talk to the "everyman" during his journey--farmers, migrant workers, and waitresses--to take the pulse of the country. Although Steinbeck has associated with many famous people, he has never forgotten his humble roots as a dock worker. As one who has lived through the 1960s, I felt that he gave a true sense of the era. He traveled through the Northeast, then took a northern route to the west coast, then headed home by taking a southern route eastward.

The most awe-inspiring stop on his journey was at a forest of majestic redwoods. The most upsetting incident was in New Orleans where a group of women (called the Cheerleaders) shouted racist comments at small black children walking to their recently integrated school. His visit to a bar in his hometown in California showed that you really can't go home again after an absence of many years--people change and the town changes.

Steinbeck got lost quite often during his trip. He seemed to suggest that America was also getting lost as the population moved from the country to the city to work in industry. He was concerned about damage to the environment as factories, garbage dumps, and interstate highways ringed the cities.

There has been some controversy about the accuracy of Steinbeck's tale, especially in journalist Bill Steigerwald's book, "Dogging Steinbeck". Steinbeck did not camp out as often as his book relates, his wife flew out to meet him quite often during the trip, and his conversations with people seem to often be composites of several people. That really did not bother me since I find that most travel books give the flavor of a location, and are not a day-to-day diary. I can also understand why Steinbeck would be spending many nights in motels, considering his poor health. The hours I spent with Steinbeck and Charley on the road were very entertaining.

+20 task
+ 5 combo 10.4 Name
+ 5 oldie (published 1962)
+10 review

Task total: 40
Season total: 755

20.9 Birthdays

September by Rosamunde Pilcher

Cake: "Violet--also quite rightly--had been given the seat next to Virginia, with her birthday cake, in a large box, to hold on her knee."

A lovely country village in Scotland provides a gorgeous background for a 21st birthday celebration in September. Verona Steynton is planning a party with traditional Scottish reels and country dances with the men in kilts and the women in beautiful gowns. Invitations have been sent with some mailed to people who haven't returned to the village in years.

There is a large cast of characters with most of them associated with two prominent families. Patriarch Archie Balmerino, a titled landholder, was injured in a military incident in Northern Ireland and has to cope with a prosthetic leg. His sister Pandora, a free spirit with many secrets, has not been home to Scotland for twenty years, but she accepts an invitation to the party.

Violet is the wise matriarch of the Aird family, the confidant of many people in the village. Her son, Edmund, and his wife are having arguments about sending their young son off to boarding school at the age of eight. Edmund's sweet daughter is bringing her new boyfriend home with her to meet the family.

This was a cozy, warm story about families with many flashbacks. I had mixed feelings about the book. A few incidents seemed out of character. There were also many mentions of everyday tasks that could have been edited out. But that might be what some readers want--the feeling that they have spent the day by the fire drinking tea or whiskey, and sharing details of their lives.

+20 task
+ 5 combo 20.3 Our Town
+10 review
+ 5 oldie (pub 1990)
+ 5 jumbo (613 pages)

Task total: 45
Season total: 715

20.1 Pulitzer

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

I've spent the last several months reading one chapter of "Bleak House" daily with a group. Although it's a long book with 67 chapters and multiple subplots, Dickens kept us interested and entertained.

The main plot centers around the legal suit of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce at the Chancery Court involving wills and trusts. The legalities are so complicated that they produce a mountain of paper. The lawyers' fees keep shrinking the inheritance until we wonder if there will be anything left to inherit. Dickens was a reformer so his humor had a serious purpose behind it.

Other subplots involved additional social concerns including poverty, the plight of orphans, bad parenting, and philanthropy. There is a large cast of characters, but Dickens makes them individually memorable with certain expressions, humorous mannerisms, or ways of dressing. Some characters are searching for love in their lives. Other characters take on parental roles such as John Jarndyce assuming a fatherly role as a guardian. Esther Summerson acts like a big sister or a mother figure to several characters. Dickens even includes a detective subplot in the book.

"Bleak House" is an impressive book with beautiful writing, humor, and lots of cliff hangers. Although the book was addressing 19th Century social problems, the ideas presented are relevant in today's world. "Bleak House" is considered to be one of Dickens' best novels.

+20 task (published 1853)
+10 review
+15 oldie 1853
+25 jumbo 1017 pages

Task total: 70
Season total: 670

20.3 Our Town

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Shaun Bythell is the witty, and sometimes cranky, owner of The Bookshop, Scotland's largest second-hand book store. The shop has a beautiful location in rural Wigtown on Scotland's south-western coast. Wigtown's book festival and Writers' Retreat in autumn helps bring in tourists. Bythell tells about the pitfalls and joys of being a book store owner. Since people hibernate in the winter, the book store has to sell enough books during the other three seasons to stay in business. Online sales also help with the bottom line. Bythell notes that it is very difficult for all book stores to compete with Amazon.

When Bythell heads out in his old van to pick up boxes of books from estates, he leaves the store in the hands of Nicky or some part-time college students. Nicky has an eccentric charm, and she's known for dumpster diving to find treats in the skip behind the supermarket. The book is composed of diary entries covering one year with notes about the irritating or quirky customers that come in each day. It's always the customer who sits reading for hours, leaving piles of books on the floor, that walks out without buying anything.

The author starts each month with a quote from George Orwell's 1936 essay, "Bookshop Memories." Bythell writes:

"Bookshop Memories" rings as true today as it did then, and sounds a salutary warning to anyone as naive as I was that the world of selling second-hand books is not quite an idyll of sitting in an armchair by a roaring fire with your slipper-clad feet up, smoking a pipe and reading Gibbon's "Decline and Fall" while a stream of charming customers engages you in intelligent conversation, before parting with fistfuls of cash. In fact, the truth could scarcely be more different.

"The Diary of a Bookseller" is humorous and entertaining. It's also a reminder of how much hard work goes into running a book store.

+20 task (Wigtown has a population of around 880)
+10 combo 10.4 Name; 20.9 Birthday (dumpster diving for cakes)
+10 review

Task total: 40
Season total: 600

Thanks, Elizabeth.

Can we assume that it's OK to claim a genre (such as Historical Fiction) if it's listed on the book's main page? Can we lock in a genre since Goodreads sometimes makes the genre lists shorter?

10.4 Name

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline

I felt emotionally wiped out as I finished Lisa Scottoline's first novel of historical fiction. "Eternal" is set in Rome, mainly during 1937-1944, as the Italian people faced the terror of Mussolini's Facists followed by the brutal occupation by the Nazis.

Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro were best friends during their childhood. Elisabetta is a lovely young woman who dreams of becoming a writer. Marco is charming, athletic, and a leader. Sandro is a brilliant student gifted in mathematics who lives in the Jewish Ghetto with his family. Best friends Marco and Sandro both develop feelings for Elisabetta, but she is not interested in settling down anytime soon.

The short chapters are mainly told from the points of view of the three friends, although occasionally from the perspective of a minor character. As anti-Semitic laws are passed, people who once supported Mussolini are conflicted by the injustice. When the Nazis move to eradicate the Jews, friends of Sandro and his family try to keep them safe. Scottoline included actual historical events which she deeply researched, including the roundup of over 1200 Jews with a destination of Auschwitz.

"Eternal" shows how all the members of the three families are challenged by the war, experience heartbreaking loss, and are drawn together by love and friendship. The reader can feel empathy for the Italian people caught up in terrible situations orchestrated by Mussolini and Hitler. The setting in Rome may introduce many readers to important historical events that are not as well known from World War II history. "Eternal" is a compelling historical novel that is hard to put down.

+10 task
+10 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 560

15.8 South Asia

The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly

It's 1922 in India during the time of the British Raj, and Commander Joe Sandilands of the Scotland Yard is planning on returning to England. The detective is requested to stay in India for a special investigation into a possible suicide by an officer's wife in Panikhat. Joe is aided by the Indian policeman Naurung Singh. He also gets social information about the cavalry unit and the wives from Nancy, the attractive best friend of the victim.

Joe discovers that five officer's wives had died under questionable circumstances during the month of March in the last dozen years. Each one was a victim of her own worst phobia--a snake bite, drowning, a fall from heights, etc. The husbands were devastated by the deaths of their beloved wives. Joe and Naurung must determine how the murderer chooses the victims. It's the month of March and the killer might strike again!

I enjoyed "The Last Kashmiri Rose" for its historical aspect as much as for the suspenseful plot. The atmosphere of Panikhat, the station of a British cavalry unit about 50 miles from Calcutta, shows the cultural and tribal attitudes in India at that time. I liked Barbara Cleverly's 2001 debut, and will look to see where Joe Sundiland is headed next.

+15 task
+10 review

Task total: 25
Season total: 540

20.3 Our Town

A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle by Liza Campbell

Shakespeare used Cawdor Castle for the scene of the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth. He took some artistic liberties since the castle was not even built at that time. But Cawdor Castle has been the site of other Scottish historical events since it was constructed in 1454.

When author Liza Campbell's grandfather died in 1970, her father Hugh became the 25th Thane of Cawdor. The family moved from a happy home on a Welsh estate to a difficult life in Cawdor Castle. Hugh fell under the spell of alcohol and drugs. He became violent, crashed expensive sports cars on a regular basis, had a series of extramarital affairs, and mismanaged money. While he could be charming at times, his family often walked on eggshells. It's a wonder that his wife survived his physical and emotional abuse. After never having the discipline of a 9 to 5 job, Hugh seemed overwhelmed by the responsibilities of running the estate. He died in 1990, leaving some surprises in his will.

Campbell's dry wit keeps this memoir entertaining while the reader wonders what psychological scars have been left on Hugh's five children. The author incorporated Scottish history and legends into the memoir, as well as a look into the lifestyle of the upper class. While we may think of life in a castle as a fairy tale, this memoir is a reminder that some fairy tales are dark and dangerous.

+20 task (Cowdor population 560 in 2011)
+ 5 combo 10.4 Name
+10 review

Task total: 35
Season total: 515

20.3 Our Town

Corrag by Susan Fletcher

Susan Fletcher's poetic prose is such a joy to read as she brings Corrag, an accused witch, to life on the pages of this novel. Set in the beautiful Scottish Highlands in 1692, it tells the story of the Massacre of Glencoe by the soldiers loyal to William of Orange. The MacDonald clan of Glencoe had supported the return of King James, the Stuarts, and Catholicism. However, they reluctantly signed a loyalty oath to William to keep their clan safe--but signed six days late. After several weeks as the guests of the MacDonald clan, William's men rose up and slaughtered the MacDonalds. Corrag warned many of the Glencoe residents so they were able to escape. The British soldiers were angry that the whole clan was not killed so they arrested Corrag. The MacDonald clan was especially notorious for thieving cattle, hens, coins, and leather so the soldiers wished to destroy them.

The book opens with Corrag sitting in a squalid prison cell a few weeks before she is scheduled to burn as a witch. An Irish papist, Charles Leslie, interviews her to get material for his pamphlets. Corrag agrees to talk to him if he'll listen to the story of her life. In lyrical prose Corrag tells how she escaped from England on a fast horse after her mother was hung, and arrived at a place of incredible natural beauty--Glencoe. Corrag appreciates both the majestic mountains and the small wonders of nature. She found acceptance as a natural healer, a special relationship, and relative peace in her new surroundings.

The book alternates Corrag's story with Charles Leslie's letters home to his wife. Corrag yearns to be remembered through her words, and a remarkable friendship is formed. Readers who love literary fiction and the beauty of nature will appreciate this novel.

+20 task
+ 5 combo 10.4 Name
+10 review

Task total: 35
Season total: 480

10.4 Name

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor

"Meet Me in Monaco" combines the fairy-tale wedding of actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier with the fictional love story between a French parfumeur and a British press photographer. James needs a good photograph of film star Grace Kelly while she is attending the 1955 Cannes Film festival. He follows her to Sophie Duval's shop, but Sophie has hidden Grace in her office. The chance meeting of James and Sophie was the start of a relationship. Grace and Sophie formed a friendship which led to Sophie designing a special perfume for Grace's wedding.

The book also touched on themes of controlling versus healthy relationships, careers for women, and family obligations. A highlight of the book was the beautiful location in the French Riviera and Monaco. I also enjoyed reading about the designing of perfumes. My mother and grandmother were admirers of Grace Kelly, and I remember how devastated they felt to hear of Grace's tragic death in 1982. "Meet Me in Monaco" was romantic historical fiction with a bit of Hollywood glamour.

+10 task
+10 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 445

15.1 Northern Afria

Our Riches by Kaouther Adimi

"Our Riches" is a fictionalized biography of book publisher Edmond Charlot, a window into mid-Twentieth Century Algerian history, and an expression of love of the written word. At the young age of 20, Charlot opened Les Vraies Richesses (the true wealth) in 1936 in Algiers. It was a small bookstore, lending library, and cultural center where Charlot also published Mediterranean authors. Many of his publications are widely read classics today, especially those written by Albert Camus. Charlot's life is told in brief journal entries from the 1930s to the 1960s, grounded in historical research. The creation of the bookstore and publishing company, a second publishing location in wartime Paris, and Charlot's friendships with the authors are all part of the journal.

A second timeline, set in 2017, is devoted to the destruction of the bookstore to transform the space into a beignet shop. Ryad, a student who needs an internship experience performing manual labor, travels from France with orders to destroy all the books and furniture, and paint the walls. Ryad does not enjoy reading, and has no idea of the cultural history of the bookstore. An old Arab man, Abdallah, often stands on the sidewalk outside the bookstore where he formerly worked. He tells Ryad his fond memories of the store. While Ryad will never be a book lover himself, he gains an appreciation of what the books mean to others. Ryad is around the same age as Charlot was when he started his dream of publishing books. It was impossible not to compare and contrast the two young men.

The colonial power of France occupied Algeria for 132 years, and Algeria's fight for independence was woven into the story. The author's love for the city of Algiers, with its beautiful Mediterranean location, is sensed throughout the story. This is a slim book with lovely writing that is well worth reading.

+15 Task (set in Algeria)
+10 Non-Western
+10 Review

Task total: 35
Season total: 425

15.10 Western Asia

Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris

"Finding Nouf" is an engaging literary mystery about the search for a missing sixteen-year-old woman from a wealthy Saudi family. Nayir, a desert guide who was raised by the Bedouin, is hired by the family to find Nouf and investigate her disappearance. Assistant medical examiner, Katya, is testing lab samples of the evidence and has close ties to the family.

The story shows the conflicts which exist in contemporary women in Saudi Arabia between traditional Islamic values and modern dreams. Traditionally, women were kept in a closed society, unable to leave the house without permission, an escort, and a burqa. They were expected to be wives and mothers. Nouf longed for more freedom even as she prepared for her upcoming wedding.

As they investigate Nouf's disappearance, conversations with Katya, who has a good education and a career, has Nayir questioning his traditional values concerning women. Nayir also feels that understanding the modern Saudi woman may help him unlock the mysteries surrounding Nouf.

Author Zoe Ferraris lived in Saudi Arabia for several years, and treats Saudi values with respect. The book was suspenseful, entertaining, and enlightening. I also enjoyed the story's wonderful sense of place in various locations in Jeddah, the marina, and the broiling hot desert.

+15 task
+10 review

Task total: 25
Season total:390

20.3 Our Town

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

Detective Anna Hart fled from San Francisco after a traumatic event in her family. She headed north to the small California coastal town of Mendocino. Anna had lived there with caring foster parents after difficult years of being shuttled through the state foster child system.

Her childhood friend, Will, is leading an investigation into the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl. Anna, a specialist in finding missing children, volunteers to help while she tries to put her personal life back together emotionally. It comes to their attention that there are two other abducted girls from that area, and they work on psychological profiles of the girls and the criminals. It was 1993, just at the start of using the Internet to show pictures of the missing children to a large population.

While this is a mystery/thriller, "When the Stars Go Dark" is written in a very thoughtful way. Like the characters, author Paula McLain was a foster child and a survivor of sexual abuse. The children blame themselves and carry feelings of guilt for anything that may have gone wrong--abandonment by their birth parents, the loss of their siblings, problems with their foster parents, and other traumatic experiences.

"When the Stars Go Dark" had many dark moments, but was not very graphic. I've always enjoyed Paula McLain's writing, including this latest venture into crime fiction. The author incorporated lots of insightful psychological research into the story so the abductors seemed terrifying, and the missing girls seemed very real and vulnerable.

+20 task (Mendocino is a small town, population around 800 now)
+ 5 combo 10.4 Name
+10 review

Task total: 35
Season total: 365
+

20.9 Birthdays

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Pg 324 "It will be 'Come for the cakes, stay for the books--and the new friends!'"

"The Reading List" is a heartwarming book about people connecting with others as they share their ideas about books. Mukesh, a lonely widower, was given book suggestions by Aleisha, a 17-year-old girl working a summer job at a small library in London. Aleisha had found a small list of books composed of classics and popular books. Copies of the same list were found by other people who use the library, but no one knew who wrote it.

The story is about grief, loneliness, mental health issues, family dynamics, and friendship. Knowledge can be gained from reading fiction to give us greater understanding in dealing with problems in our lives and others. Books can also be a wonderful escape, and a way to experience something new and different. Mukesh found it to be a way to bond with his granddaughter as they read the same book:

"He knew the world Priya was in right now. There was something magical in that--in sharing a world you have loved; allowing someone to see it through the same pair of spectacles you saw it through yourself."

While books were not going to solve the complex problems of some of the characters, they did help people bond with friendship, and emotional support. "The Reading List" will be appreciated by bibliophiles and those who love visiting libraries.

+20 task
+ 5 combo 10.4 Name
+10 review

Task total: 35
Season total: 330