You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Year Long Main 2021
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♐️ Cherie's Celestial Cycle ♐️
Can you use it for the rose quartz task? It looks pink to me.
No, not pink at all. Is yellow like old paper. Thanks though.
Ah, I'm so glad. The Hundred Days (Aubrey/Maturin #19) will fit Aries, Stone-Opal. It is set in 1815. Jack is the fleet Commodore. Napoleon has escaped from Elba. Sadly, I just heard that Stephen's wife has died. She and her carriage had gone into the river - one times too many on that tight turn on the bridge finally got her. Napoleon turned Turk? I really could have used The Yellow Admiral, which I finished last weekend for this one too. No worries. I am really sad to see the series coming to an end. I have loved listening to Simon Vance and all of his voices for the characters over the course of the series. I will miss them all. I think it has been almost five years since I started listening.
Badge 2, Book 18 of 24 Zodiac Sign: Aries
Category: Stone-Opal
Task: Read a book set between 1750 and 1850.
Book Link: The Hundred Days
★★★★ read Mar 29th
How It Fits: The story is set in 1815
This is book #19 of the Aubrey/Maturin series.
You're just cruising along, Cherie. I'm not familiar with this series so I checked it out. I read what you said about the first book (Master and Commander). I'm going to have to check it out. My library the kindle and audio versions (with Simon Vance).
You're doing great, Cherie! It must feel good to be to close to your second badge!
Thank you all. It is exciting to be getting so close to the 2nd badge. I have been on a series tangent and a few books have been started briefly but are languishing. I'm listening to another Pendergast book. I don't think it will fit in my challenge, but it is an interesting story. I am still waiting for the first book in the series to come off hold. I will miss the audio, but I have a voice in my head now.
:0)
***Out or Order***Badge 3, Book 1 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Category: Element-Fire
Task: Read a book where 70% of the cover is red.
Book Link: Crimson Shore
★★★★★ read April 1st
How It Fits: Tineye reporte 71.2% of the cover is red.
Pendergast #15 (I finished #12 early this morning)
***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 2 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Category: Month-Janurary
Task: Read a book that is set at least 50% during the specified month, OR the specified month is in the title.
Book Link: Dance of Death
★★★ read April 6th
How It Fits: This story is set in the month of Janurary - mostly the last two weeks.
Pendergast #6, (Diogenes #2)
***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 3 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Category: Superheros-Sandman
Task: Read a book in the horror genre. The word "Horror" needs to be listed on the main book page.
Book Link: The Pendergast Files:
★★★ read April 8th
How It Fits: Horror is in the genre listing.
The book for this task includes Pendergast #1 Relic and #2 Reliquary.
edited to remove comment about listening to book 3. 4/11 clr
You can separate them out and count them individually, so either Relic or Reliquary for this task. But if you are counting the volume as your read, it won't work because you haven't finished reading it.
I didn't finish reading it? I read both of the books that that are in my Barnes & Nobel ebook. All 800 pages of it. Do I need to change the version?
I think Janice read it the same as me. You made it sound like The Pendergast Files comprised of 3 books, of which you were currently listening to the third.From relooking at it, I'm guessing the Files are the first two books? Which you have finished both?
I could be wrong though. Janice may have a different query. But that's how I thought it was unfinished.
ARGH! For some reason, I thought it contained the first 4 books of the series and not just the first 2. What threw me off was the cover (blind in one eye and can't see out of the other), and your comment that you were currently reading book 3.Carry on.
Whew! I understand now. I removed the comment about book 3 ( which I finished listening to yesterday and was great!). I am listening to book 10 now.
Interesting how "horror" stopped being listed in the genre after the first two books. Now they are just "thrillers". I think book two was a waste. I am really looking forward to book 4.
Janice wrote: "ARGH! For some reason, I thought it contained the first 4 books of the series and not just the first 2. What threw me off was the cover (blind in one eye and can't see out of the other), and your c..."I'm glad we were on the same page. I was thinking last night, I wonder if I confused things more? And then thought I was in a warm comfy bed, and you guys could work it out if so as I wasn't getting up lol
Thank you, Rusalka. At least one of us is enjoying a warm comfy bed. I haven't been sleeping well, but the audio books help. Oh, and my comment about horror not showing up on the genre list - it just moved down the list in some of the book titles. I really do not see why people would consider the stories as horror after the first two (horrible - according to some of the reviews I have seen, maybe). Suspenseful, yes!
We've been up early with tradies the past two weeks, and with the neighbour deciding to start gardening with what seemed to be a thousand plastic buckets outside our open bedroom window at 6.15am this morning. So I haven't been enjoying it as much as I would like.Hope you start sleeping better soon!
Nothing like the sound of plastic buckets banging together or having dirt dumped into them, but 6:15am? Working in the cool of the morning, I understand, but I have some consideration for my neighbors, at least.
Badge 2, Book 19 of 24 Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Category: NA Zodiac-Snow Goose
Task: Migrate like the birds and read a book set primarily in Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.
Book Link: Still Life With Crows
★★★★★ read April 18th
How It Fits: The book is set in Medicine Creek, Kansas
Pendergast #4
Four more books for Badge 2, and I am staring at my spread sheet and cannot decide what to read next. I have no excuse. I own books to finish what needs to be done for Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius and Pices and all I want to do is listen to the next Pendergast book, which is not available from my library.
Wow Cherie, you're rocketing through the stars 😁Sorry - couldn't resist it!
No worries, Margo. I appreciate it. :)
I've stared at my spreadsheet at times too. Maybe the fruit machine would help?
Cherie wrote: "Four more books for Badge 2, and I am staring at my spread sheet and cannot decide what to read next. I have no excuse. I own books to finish what needs to be done for Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius and ..."Read those 4, and as a reward, buy yourself the next Pendergast book ;-)
LOL! Thanks, Peggy, but I don't see me buying the audio book right now. I went home and had a nap and feel better for it. I really want to finish the Demon Cycle buddy read. Janice - I thought about rolling some of the titles through the fruit machine but Marcus gave me a push towards one of them. I will go back to Montana and read my Doig book that has been sitting on my real life book shelf. I have three books for one of the other tasks and I may roll for one of them. They all seemed appealing at the time I bought them and none do now.
Which Doig book are you going to read, Cherie?
Suzanne wrote: "Which Doig book are you going to read, Cherie?"Work Song
I bought it at a book sale. The cover called to me. I have several of his books on my TBR list. Marcus likes him.
I've read two books by Doig and really enjoyed them both. Especially, Last Bus to Wisdom. I'll be interested to hear what you think of Work Song. Ivan Doig is one author I'd like to read more of.
***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 4 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Category: Stone-Turquoise
Task: Read a book where the main theme is magic.
Book Link: Frost Burned
★★★★ read April 22nd
How It Fits: What's more magic than were-wolves, vampires, NA shape shifters and the fae all in one series? Besides, the word magic must appear on every other page. I listened to this book narrated by Lorelei King.
Frost Burned is Mercy Thompson #7. I must have been looking for "other" magic last week. I downloaded Frost Burned, Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker and Tiger Lily along with the monthly challenge book What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley. It had not occurred to me that I could use The Daylight War for this task, but Mercy called to me, I think to off-set the heartbreak of the non-fiction story.
It looks like I should have been reading Doig's The Whistling Season before Work Song. Seems there is a trilogy, that includes Sweet Thunder for the Morrie Morgan MC.
Glad you mentioned this trilogy, Cherie. I'm going to add The Whistling Season to my tbr list. I really like Doig and this book received high reviews. Hopefully you don't miss too much reading the books out of order.
***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 5 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Category: Symbol-Bull
Task: Read a book from this list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1..., OR where “western” is listed on the main book page as a main genre.
Book Link: Brimstone
★★★★ read April 30th
How It Fits: The book is listed at #84 on page 1 of the Best Western book list.
Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch #3.
Badge 2, Book 20 of 24Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Category: Month-May
Task: For each zodiac sign, read a book that is set at least 50% during the specified month, OR the specified month is in the title.
Book Link: May Day
★★ read May 7th
How It Fits: May is in the title.
Murder-by-Month Mystery #1
***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 6 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Category: Symbol-Ram
Task: Read a book where a truck is on the cover, or the protagonist drives a truck.
Book Link: The Longest Ride
★★★★ read May 7th
How It Fits: There is a partial picture of a pick-up truck on the cover and Luke (a bull rider and rancher) drives a pick-up truck.
This was a dual story about an elderly man named Ira, in a car accident and the ghost of his dead wife Ruth, and Luke and Sophia, a young couple who fall in love. It could be used for the MC older than 60 task too.
I like this idea of using Out of order. It will esp be helpful after Badge 1 I think.
Cherie wrote: "***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 6 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Category: Symbol-Bull
Task: Read a book where a truck is on the cover, or the protagonist drives a truck.
..."
Is this book too with a sad ending which makes one cry.
I tried three books by him all were the same..
A Walk to Remember This really is good.My favourite by him.
The Wedding. Now this at least had a good ending .with a renewal of vows.I liked thisI tried its prequel then , The Notebook ,my fault that I was left 😭
Message in a Bottle I stopped reading him after this.Though I liked his writing ,I did not like never a happy ending, always cry your heart out endings.😭😢
Cherie wrote: "***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 6 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Category: Symbol-Bull"
The symbol for Aries is "Ram". "Bull" is the symbol for Taurus. You're kind of mixing things up there. Fortunately, the truck on the cover has you "covered".
Here is the corrected entry, Janice.***Out of Order***
Badge 3, Book 6 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Category: Symbol-Ram
Task: Read a book where a truck is on the cover, or the protagonist drives a truck.
Book Link: The Longest Ride
★★★★ read May 7th
How It Fits: There is a partial picture of a pick-up truck on the cover and Luke (a bull rider and rancher) drives a pick-up truck.
siriusedward wrote: "Is this book too with a sad ending which makes one cry.I tried three books by him all were the same..
A Walk to Remember This really is good.My favourite by him.
The Wedding. Now this at least had a good ending .with a renewal of vows.I liked thisI tried its prequel then , The Notebook ,my fault that I was left 😭
Message in a Bottle I stopped reading him after this.Though I liked his writing ,I did not like never a happy ending, always cry your heart out endings.😭😢 .."
Not all of his books have sad endings, but I agree that some do.
I have not read the three that you have mentioned, but I have Message in a Bottle on my TBR. I have seen the movie and know how it ends. (sob, sob) I have Nights in Rodanthe, which I am going to use for the profiles. Hopefully, it will be happy.
Badge 2, Book 21 of 24 Zodiac Sign: Leo
Category: NA Zodiac-Salmon
Task: Read a book that is set in the Pacific Northwest (Canada or United States).
Book Link: The Violets of March
★★★ read May 13th
How It Fits: The story is set on Bainbridge Island in Seattle, Washington.
Another unplanned book, but it was available in audio and I needed something to listen to. It was a good story, but predictable. Not as good as Goodnight June. I am currently listening to another of her books, The Look of Love. This one is also set in Seattle, on Pike Street. The MC owns a flower shop in the Pike Place Market.
***Out of Order***Badge 3, Book 7 of 24
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Category: Stone-Agate
Task: Read a book with a face in profile on the cover. An actual cameo on the cover will be accepted.
Book Link: The Book of the Dead
★★★★★ read May 18th
How It Fits: Two Egyption guys fighting on the cover. Their faces are in profile.
Pendergast #7
Cherie wrote: "Badge 1, Book 1 of 12Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Category: NA Zodiac - Snake
Task: Read a book set in Australia or by an Australian author.
Book Link: The Dry by [author:Jane Harper|556..."
I've just bought that book at a thrift store :) Adding it to my gopher list for the Scorpio sign :)
Cherie wrote: "Badge 2 , Book 3 of 24 Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Category: Stone-Quartz
Task: Read a time-travel book. The words "Time Travel" must be on the main book page as a genre.
Book Link: To Say Noth..."</i>
Nice that a few of us end up reading books in that series... I've just read [book:Blackout for the "black cover" task and will read All Clear for the "time travel" task :) I've read Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing years ago...
Yes, I saw in your thread that you had read All Clear. I have them in my TBR list. I hope to get to them this year and finish the series. I enjoyed The Dry but the 2nd was not quite as good. Still an interesting story. I wanted more Australia though. I saw it on sale this weekend for 2.99 after paying full price in January. To see it used already is amazing. People don't hold on to books any more. I am going to try recycling back to the book store soon. I have a whole bag full.
I feel like if people didn't get The Dry, then they won't hold on to it for very long. There is a feel about that book, which to me felt like home, but I can understand it could be incomprehensible to others. And it's probably not in the reread market, once you know the whodunnit.
Rachael, I really enjoyed the book. Have you read my review?Have you read Little Women? March is a fictional story about the father in Little Women. I thought it was well written and easy to read. It is set during the Civil War and has a dual time line, that accounts his years as a young man when he was a notions "drummer" in the pre-civil war south. We meet him in the pre-Little Women time line, when he met his and they were married and goes through the trials he faced as a man of faith and the father of the "little women". It goes up to the time when Marme, his wife left the girls at home and went to the hospital in Washington to bring him home. There are some wonderful side stories, and I totally admired how the author wove them all together.
I do not think you have to know anything about Little Women prior to reading this book, but it gives a background experience, if you have.
Rusalka wrote: "I feel like if people didn't get The Dry, then they won't hold on to it for very long. There is a feel about that book, which to me felt like home, but I can understand it could be incomprehensible..."Based on other books, set in Australia, that I have read, it felt like home to me too, Rusalka. ;o) You are correct about the reread aspect. I would probably not keep it to re-read (I actually passed it on to a friend), but in 5 or 10 years, I could pick it up and read it again because I probably will have forgotten what the story was about - until I was about half way through. Then, I might remember.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Grass Harp, Including A Tree of Night and Other Stories (other topics)Midnight Express (other topics)
The Oxford Murders (other topics)
Up At the Villa (other topics)
Midnight Express (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Anita Shreve (other topics)Michael Crichton (other topics)
Michael Crichton (other topics)
Truman Capote (other topics)
Bernard Malamud (other topics)
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Janice - this is the book that I said you "made" me buy in February. I was determined to find a cover to exactly fit the Aquarius, Symbol - Water-bearer task (that I already completed using the Phryne Fisher book with the tea pot on the cover in post 179). I loved the cover, but the story - not so much.