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2016-19 Activities & Challenges
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Trim the TBR—January Planning and Reporting
Anita or Nicole. I posted my list only yesterday. Did you want to randomize it for me, or are we not going to worry about it, since I'm not participating for points/prizes? Thanks!
Anita wrote: "Adithi wrote: "Anita wrote: "Adithi wrote: "Hi! I'm Adithi, I just joined today and I'm still a little unsure as to what I'm doing but I'll get the hang of it! My #19 is Into Thin Air by Jon Kraka..."
Thank you so much!! I can't wait to start reading :)
Cindy, I can randomize it for you! I will do it in less than an hour (coffee first)
Anita wrote: "Nileema wrote: "Hi Everyone! I'm aiming to be a lot more active on PBT this year and hoping to be more successful with my challenges by posting along more!
Anita/Nicole - thank you so much for ..."
Thank you so much Anita!!
Nicole R wrote: "Cindy, I can randomize it for you! I will do it in less than an hour (coffee first)"Saw it! Thanks so much, Nicole!
Kiki McPhee wrote: "My #19 is 
by Neal Shusterman"Sounds very creepy....lol cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this!
Ranie's #19 - Love in the Time of Global Warming - Francesca Lia BlockLOVE IN THE TIME OF GLOBAL WARMING is a dystopian novel that shows what can happen if humans don't take care of the environment. It is a YA novel, which I had to keep in mind as I was reading as some parts were a little too goofy for me (I could have done without the giants). There were also some parts that were kind of sexy but I have to remember that I am 60 and the YA today can most likely understand and not be upset by this.
The heroine in this book in Penelope (she becomes PEN after the Earth Shaker occurs). She survives what they call The Earth Shaker but appears to be an earthquake/tsunami type happening. She is pretty brave but sometimes does goofy things (she's a teen after all). She is no Catniss but a pretty good heroine. The book describes her journey as well as the back stories of the characters.
She collects some other misfit survivors along the way as she looks to see if her family has survived. This wasn't as good as I thought it would be. There is a second book in the series called THE ISLAND OF EXCESS LOVE. I'll put it on my TBR (oh no, not another!) and perhaps I'll read it but I'm not in any hurry.
Welcome, Adithi! Glad to see you jumping right in!As I've been out of state (New Mexico) and unable to check in as often as I usually do, I've not been keeping up with the changes in the Trim the TBR lists, sorry! I'm still not back home, so I think I will just leave my list as it is instead of trying to coordinate with the others, I've got too much on my plate right now. May get back home tomorrow or the day after, it depends on the weather and the road conditions - we've been snowed in twice this week, today being one of them, and the forecast is for more snow tomorrow, which is when we had originally planned to drive home. We might be forced to stay another day. But as long as I have my Kindle I'm fine!
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos 307 pages
4 Stars
Eleven-year-old Clare's mother is not acting quiet right - she's crying over towels and wearing summer dresses in the dead of winter- her actions are becoming more and more erratic, scaring her daughter. Clare is desperately trying to hold everything together; trying to maintain something, anything resembling "normal" as her life falls apart around her.
Cue Cornelia, a thirty-one-year-old cafe manager who hasn't yet decided which direction her life should take. But as Clare's life falls to pieces, Cornelia tries to put things back together as best she can.
This was a great book to start the year out with, as evidenced by the fact that I finished it so quickly. While not breath-takingly stunning, the story was compelling and the writing was clever and original. Overall, highly enjoyable.
# 19 A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness5 stars
A Monster Calls is about Conor, a young boy whose mother has cancer and him coming to terms with it. It was sad, heartbreaking and so beautifully written. It's about a monster, reminding us that it's okay to be human.
I loved absolutely everything about this book; the artwork enhanced the read and made it so utterly wonderful and no amount of praise could encompass how much I enjoyed this book.
Truly a great book to start the year off with!
Hi all! Great to see reviews rolling in! A reminder to please include the number of pages in the hardcover edition (or original edition if there was no hardcover) if you would like the pages to be considered for the Trim categories. I will NOT be looking up pages if you forget to include them!
Also, please note if it fits the monthly tag as well. Thanks!
Becky C wrote: "Should have expected the first number picked would have been my longest book! My #19 is 1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History by Jay Winik at 656 pages. At least it's not as..."
Looks like you pulled a biography as well. Not only long, but a slower read as well.
Joanne wrote: "Kiki McPhee wrote: "My #19 is by Neal Shusterman"Sounds very creepy....lol cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this!"
Very excited to come to work (I work at a library) and have Unwind waiting on the hold shelf for me! Very excited to start reading!!
My #19 is And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. Rating - 4 stars
Hardcover 404 pages.
Unfortunately, I don't think it fits the monthly tag of action-adventure.
Review:
A wonderful story about several generations of a family that starts in Afghanistan in 1952 with a brother and young sister, and the paths their lives take when they are parted. It continues from one generation to the next, one family line after another, and takes the reader through war in Afghanistan, and later to different lives in the United States, Greece, and Paris.
The writing was beautiful, the character development absorbing and fascinating, and some of their stories heartbreaking. The switching between timelines with no warning was a little disorienting at first and a bit irritating at times, but as the story unfolded I appreciated the artistry of it more. I was ready to give it 4.5 stars, and just wavering between rounding up or down. The end, though, felt a little anticlimactic and did not have as big an impact as I expected, and so I am revising my rating to a solid 4 stars.
#19 Winter - Ali Smith322p
4/5
It was no Autumn. It never is. I think when you write books that are a quartet, you are bound to compare. And to start with Autumn, by any measure the best season ;), everything after probably won't measure up.
I loved the first chapter of this book, and I thought everybody else must be wrong and it's going to be great, but no ... it had some moments of just ... tedium, I guess. The writing never stopped being fantastic, but for such a short book it lost its way a few times. But when it was on track, it was weird and good.
Ali Smith blows me away.
-- "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman335 pages
Unfortunately this book doesn't fit the monthly tag, but it was my #19 on my To Be Trimmed list.
I rated this book 5*
What a fantastic book! This story is well written and has great character development. The author switches perspectives between the 3 main characters, as well as a few of the side characters, allowing you to understand the choices they made and the paths they each chose to follow. Many of the choices they had to make did not have a clear cut right or wrong answer, they had to try and make the best choice in some very unsettling circumstances. Every time I picked this book up, I had trouble tearing myself away, I was so riveted. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the second book (It's a 4 book series, plus has a couple novellas that have stories from this books "universe") to arrive at my library, I need to know what happens next!!!
Kiki McPhee wrote: " -- "Unwind" by Neal ShustermanI rated this book 5*..."
I think I rated this 5 stars, as well (if not, it was 4.5 and it did make my favourites list that year). I listened to the audio and it was amazing.
Dust Bowl Girls: The Inspiring Story of the Team That Barnstormed Its Way to Basketball Glory304 pages
Fits the January tag of action-adventure--No
3 stars
This is a story about a championship Women's basketball team during the depression and how Sam Babb went from farm to farm looking for talented young women to recruit. Sam Babb was a mid-western basketball coach for a tiny Oklahoma College but he as able to offer a free college education if they played basketball for the College. Lydia Reeder does a good job telling the stories of the women's struggles as the team developed. I did find the book a bit repeative and slow but so worth the read. It is not only interesting story but it is a history story that needs to brought to light. These woman were true pioneers.
So do I post my January review here for my #19, or elsewhere?
January #19The Parasite / Ramsey Campbell
3 stars
When Rose is a child, she is taken to a séance where something happens, but she can’t remember it. As an adult, suddenly there are odd things happening to her. She is scared and doesn’t understand what’s going on, until a friend, Diana, tries to help her understand that Rose seems to be able to leave her body and float around. Rose doesn’t believe it at first, but things soon change.
It was ok. A bit odd at times, but I thought the end (probably the last quarter of the book) was much better than the rest of it, as it sped up as things really came to a head.
annapi wrote: "My #19 is And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. Rating - 4 stars
Hardcover 404 pages.
Unfortunately, I don't think it fits the monthly tag of action-adventure.
Review:
A w..."
You can still get an extra point because it's about a different culture! I read another book by the author, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I learned a lot about Afghanistan. I loved that book, and I'm not sure why I've put off reading his other books. I think I even have this one already. Often it seems that the first book I read from an author remains my favorite.
Kszr, you post your review here. Be sure to also cross post it to the monthly tag or other books folder for those participation points as well!
19. The Bookshop of Yesterdays 4 StarsMiranda loses her uncle from her life at her 12th birthday after a fight with his sister, her mother. The mystery of what the fight was about remained, unspoken, until 16 years later. After learning her uncle had died, she receives a book in the mail with a clue in it, like the adventures he had always had with her, setting in motion a return to California and what she has always known.
As study of grief, loss, family, love and success, this story hits all of these as Miranda searches through the books Uncle Billy left for her, piecing together the story of the bookstore he leaves her, and why he disappeared from her life. Ultimately forgiveness and self-acceptance are the key to happiness.
LibraryCin wrote: "Kiki McPhee wrote: " -- "Unwind" by Neal ShustermanI rated this book 5*..."
I think I rated this 5 stars, as well (if not, it was 4.5 and it did make my favourites list t..."
Definitely on my list of favorites now! Anxiously awaiting the arrival of book 2
!!
Kszr - that one is on my TBR somewhere too. Glad to hear you gave it four stars. Hopefully I’ll get to it sometime.
Kszr wrote: "19. The Bookshop of Yesterdays 4 StarsMiranda loses her uncle from her life at her 12th birthday after a fight with his sister, her mother. The mystery of what the fight was about..."
I too enjoyed this book, at least most of it. I did find that there was way too much foreshadowing and emphasis of the Big Reveal of the Deep Family Secret when it was perfectly obvious from very early on what exactly that secret was and why it was buried, but I was willing to forgive that writing weakness given this is both a debut and other aspects were so well done. I thought her characters and the dynamic of the bookstore were excellent, and that literary scavenger hunt just terrific.
Theresa wrote: "Kszr wrote: "19. The Bookshop of Yesterdays 4 StarsMiranda loses her uncle from her life at her 12th birthday after a fight with his sister, her mother. The mystery of what the fi..."
It was the literary scavenger hunt that kept me going.
Kszr wrote: "19. The Bookshop of Yesterdays 4 Stars
Miranda loses her uncle from her life at her 12th birthday after a fight with his sister, her mother. The mystery of what the fight was about..."
I want to read this one. I've heard good things about it.
Miranda loses her uncle from her life at her 12th birthday after a fight with his sister, her mother. The mystery of what the fight was about..."
I want to read this one. I've heard good things about it.
Trim the TBR Book #19:Winter Journey by Diane Armstrong - 3.5 stars
496 pages
PBT Comments: There is no hard copy listed, nor is there a version with pages from the initial publication date of 2005. My copy had 496 pages. It does not qualify for the Action-Adventure tag.
Fictional account based on a real event that took place in a small town in Poland in 1941 where people of the Jewish faith were locked into a barn and burned to death. The author took a different angle than usual in approaching this story. It is set in the early 2000’s rather than the 1940’s and involves a forensic dentist, who has personal ties to the region, taking part in an excavation of the site of a mass grave from the WWII era.
I had mixed feelings about this book. On the plus side, I liked the idea of examining the past to find out the truth of what happened through forensic science. I found it intriguing that the author brought together an atheist, a priest, and a rabbi, providing the opportunity to reflect on human nature in an insightful manner from various angles. I thought the author did an excellent job of showing the ideology of the various political factions in the town. I am drawn to books like this that explore personal beliefs and values, and how seemingly ordinary people can act in an extraordinarily inhumane ways while others jeopardize their lives to aid strangers. I thought the protagonist’s journey of personal identity was conveyed in a meaningful manner.
On the minus side, after the prologue, it was extremely slow in establishing the storyline. I kept wondering where the book was headed. The main plotline doesn’t gain momentum until about midway through the book. I thought the last half was far superior to the first half and wish the laying of groundwork had been more focused. The few graphic sex scenes seemed somehow out of place in a book about such deep and thought-provoking subject matter.
If you are interested in World War II fiction based around true events, explorations of personal identity, integrity, or good vs. evil in the world, I think it’s a worthwhile reading experience.
Link to My Review
January #19 - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
4 stars
This is my favorite Agatha Christie mystery. Detective Hercule Poirot is on the Orient Express train to London. It passes through many European countries and winter is usually a time when the train is not crowded. However, on this trip the train is full. The ride should take three days, but they are unexpectedly stopped by snow.
A surprising thing happens in Poirot's sleeper car. A man is murdered and Poirot takes on the case. His investigation leads him to believe the murderer is one of the other people in his car. Due to being stuck in the snow, Poirot's investigation is limited to what he observes and also what he is told by the suspects. Agatha Christie created a complicated story where everyone has an alibi and they are all lying. It is an intelligent plot and the answer is not obvious.
annapi wrote: "My #19 is And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. Rating - 4 stars
Hardcover 404 pages.
Unfortunately, I don't think it fits the monthly tag of action-adventure.
Review:
A w..."
This is my favorite book by this author.
#19 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne ★★★Hardcover 394 pages, Qualifies as Action/Adventure
This is the third of the three most famous books by prolific science fiction author Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth (not for me) and Around the World in Eighty Days (pretty entertaining) being the other two.
The book starts with sightings of a mysterious 'new' oceanic creature. People panic and decide to find and kill it because it is just so powerful, and I guess that is what people do? A ship with Professor Pierre Aronnax, his Flemish servant Conseil, and hot-headed harpooner Ned Land, travels over half the world's oceans before finding the mysterious creature. They chase it for ages, attacking with exploding bullets, harpoons and cannonballs. The ship is damaged, and Aronnax, Conseil and Land are thrown into the sea and rescued/captured by the ... mysterious creature. Surprise, it is the technologically advanced submarine Nautilus, under the command of Captain Nemo.
Captain Nemo is angry at the world, and secretly built this marvel of undersea exploration for the purposes of self-exile from civilization and to explore and research the sea for scientific enlightenment. He tells the three MC that they will have to stay with them forever because he does not want them to tell the world about the Nautilus. Not to worry, there is enough food and drink, and definitely plenty of entertainment and mental stimulation as they travel all over under the sea.
Aronnax and curious Conseil are overwhelmed by the entire situation, and are thrilled to see sea creatures, sea plants, ship wrecks, Atlantis, and the geography of the ocean. Ned Land just wants to escape, and probably find more creatures to kill and meat to eat.
Too much time is devoted to description of the submarine's tech, the ocean landscape and sea life, and not enough time telling us about Captain Nemo. Engineer, refugee, captain, underdog, genius, gentleman, nameless exile. Nemo is such an interesting character, and steals the spotlight throughout the book. What drove him to creating a huge mobile underwater laboratory and shunning the rest of the world?
Overall, this was an OK read, and I am glad that I read it. It was slightly better than Journey to the Center of the Earth, but not nearly as good as Around the World in 80 Days.
#19Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of A Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator by Homer Hickam - 4 starsHardcover - 432 pages
I enjoyed reading this sweet, cute story set in the 1930s of Elsie, the wife, Homer, the husband, Albert, the alligator and the rooster, traveling to Florida to find a home for said alligator.Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of A Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator is a delightful book, but here is the thing, I don't always do delightful so well.
Traveling from the coalfields of West Virginia to Orlando, Florida they stumble upon one misadventure after another.
Their travails are entertaining at best.
#19 Till the End of Tom by Gillian Roberts 3 starsPages: Amazon says the hardcover has 400 pages. I read a hardcover copy and it was 244 pages. I'll leave it to the moderators to decide what to count for pages.
Does not fit monthly tag
Amanda Pepper is a teacher at Philly Prep. While skipping out on a school assembly she finds a man at the bottom of the schools marble staircase. The man turns out to be the wealthy Tomas Severin. Tomas left behind a tea cup laced with roofies in Amanda's classroom though she has never met the man before. Amanda and her former cop, now PI, fiancee are hired by Tomas mothers secretary to prove that his mothers much younger fiance is the killer. Meanwhile Amanda is fending off attempts from her family to totally take over planning her wedding.
This is the twelfth book in the series. I've read most of the series and found it enjoyable. I liked most of the characters this time though the new school secretary was annoying. The ending was rather funny. I just wish Amanda had grown a backbone about her wedding plans a bit earlier in the book.
Rachel N. wrote: "#19 Till the End of Tom by Gillian Roberts 3 starsPages: Amazon says the hardcover has 400 pages. I read a hardcover copy and it was 244 pages. I'll leave it to the moderators to de..."
GoodReads has the hardcover at 245 pages, so based on your feedback I think that's more accurate.
Verity
5 Star - 331 pages
Verity is my first Colleen Hoover book and what a perfect one to start with.
"I can't explain the mind of a writer." There are two writers in this book, and you are always wondering which one tells the truth? Which one adheres to the "fundamental importance" of truth? I was writing my review in my head as I read the book until the last pages shocked me. I have no words, but the ending was brilliant. The doubts and feelings readers will be left with will have us asking Colleen Hoover for answers.
Verity is flawlessly sinister and addicting. I already love books that are about writers, but this is one of the best I have read. That plot was brilliant as well as the characters. Colleen Hoover takes you inside the two minds, while still allowing you to watch their lives as spectators.
5 Star - 331 pages
Verity is my first Colleen Hoover book and what a perfect one to start with.
"I can't explain the mind of a writer." There are two writers in this book, and you are always wondering which one tells the truth? Which one adheres to the "fundamental importance" of truth? I was writing my review in my head as I read the book until the last pages shocked me. I have no words, but the ending was brilliant. The doubts and feelings readers will be left with will have us asking Colleen Hoover for answers.
Verity is flawlessly sinister and addicting. I already love books that are about writers, but this is one of the best I have read. That plot was brilliant as well as the characters. Colleen Hoover takes you inside the two minds, while still allowing you to watch their lives as spectators.
#19The Aeronaut’s Windlass
By Jim Butcher
3 stars
Hardcover 630 pages
Action-adventure
My game list is books which lingered on my TBR but never made it to the top. I culled a lot this year and the list are the ones which will either be read or discarded.
The Aeronaut’s Windlass is a steam-punk fantasy written by Jim Butcher whom I love from the Dresden Files. The tone and sense of humor and adventure of that series is in this novel (supposedly the start of another series) as well.
The narration switches between the thoughts and viewpoints of quite a few characters. Captain Grimm is an ex-Fleet (military) officer now an airship privateer. Gwendolyn Lancaster is the only daughter of a very rich noble family which produces the crystals that allow airships to fly and maneuver. She is about to enter Guard service for the Spirearch (vaguely royal head of the Spire) as is custom for the eldest child of the noble families, particularly of the ruling council. Bridget Tagwynn is also about to enter Guard service, more reluctantly though. She is the last daughter of a once militarily renowned family, now poorer and running a meat vattery. She also “belongs” to Rowl, “of the Silent Paws tribe, kit to Maul, chief of the Silent Paws.” Also known as a cat. Yes, the cat is a major narrator and source of much humor to any cat owner out there. These are the major characters who are more developed with histories and personalities. There are several minor characters involved with magic and espionage who take over narration as needed.
Add in duels, battles, kidnappings and swashbuckling and this is why the book is 630 pages. I think the sheer size is why I kept not picking it up, my arms began to hurt by the end of my commute. It was super-engaging though. I really like Butcher’s storytelling. I would recommend waiting to read this novel until the second book is confirmed written and waiting for publishing (it looks under development as of now) since events were completed but the novel is basically the prelude to a larger story.
Unless you have a cat, then read it anyway.
I'm only now starting to look at January... so we'll see how far I get.Thankfully, no. 19 for me is a short read: Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
Amy's Book Number 19 - A Ladder to the Sky
Man, can this author write! This book is is captivating and engrossing like John Boyne's other works. But this one is more psychological in style and structure than The Hearts Invisible Furies. Rather than a deeply entwined plot and complex relationships and humor, we have as the plot, and inherently sociopathic character, who captivates, entrances, then destroys everyone around them. The result is devastating, and even while you know it is happening around you, you continue to gasp as you are watching the fallout. It is undoubtably upsetting to watch the main character operate as he does. As the story progresses, one comes to understand more about the enigmatic main character.
I am one who hates to give spoilers of any kind, as I think a book should unfold as an experience for each person. But I will say this much about just a few themes. I found it interesting that two themes we have been recently talking about in my main group on Goodreads is 1) Can you like a book where the main character or characters in general are basically unlikeable? 2) If it is discoverable or known that an author has certain past actions or political leanings, would you eschew a book based on that knowledge? Can a book be great and worth reading, even if the author has undesirable political beliefs? Is good writing separate from an author?
As readers, and some of us aspiring writers, we love books about bookstores, libraries, writing, publishing, and this one is no exception! It poses through its story quite a lot of questions about what does it mean to take someone else's story and make it fiction? Whose story is it? Is an idea owned? I mean this separate from morality, in a lighter shade? What is the cost of ambition and exceptional talent? And how different is the line between how one narrates their life with the stories they tell, the stories they live, and the stories they write? Are all the stories we write in some way a reflection of us, our unconscious, a shade of our own experience? I have often thought, as a psychologist who works with creative professionals, that you can certainly experience any creative work, a play, a song, a piece of art, as a part of someone's unconscious process, much like a dream. Its hard to separate the storyteller from the story. In that vein, I ask the question about the main character's ambivalent desire to tell his own story, and what that is about? Would it have been a story worth reading? In essence it was the story we all just read.
Remaining questions I have, for those few discussing this book together include.... How interesting the writing style was in the second part of the book, where the narrator chose to write as if she were telling the tale entirely to the the main character, and not to the reader. What is the function of that, and how does that vehicle help to further the story in an uncanny way. I also thought the use of multiple narrators, that doesn't get us to the point of view of the main character until far later in the book also chose to be a function and vehicle of furthering the story. I thought it worked extremely well, and helped underscore the issue of voice and "whose voice" in the story. I was curious about those who discover the charlatan's ruse, versus those who are entranced, and even they appear to know exactly what's happening - and in some cases simply accept it. As punishment for a few? As youth, or talent for others. And those who are unwilling to accept it - well for that you have to read the book. All the while hating and gasping at the main character, one is loving the twists and turns of what will happen, as well as the shades of the world of writing and stories. This is a book for readers like us. I did love it! I think it will stay with me for quite some time.
That is so interesting - I saw that a lot of people had that as their #19!
January#19
Blood Defense by Marcia Clark
4 stars
397 pages
Criminal Defense attorney Samantha Brinkman has just landed a huge case, one she hopes will finally make her name first on the lips of those seeking an attorney. Two young women, one a popular tv star, have been murdered in their apartment and the suspect is a well-known LA police detective, Dale Pearson. Sam agrees to represent Dale but he has a secret that will shake Sam's world and nearly drive her off the case. Although all the evidence points to Dale being the killer, Sam believes him when he denies having anything to do with the crime. Sam, her office manager and long-time friend Michelle, and their ex-con investigator/hacker Alex, follow every lead no matter how slim. Someone does not like the way Sam is handling the case and she finds herself in the cross-hairs of a devious killer.
This was surprisingly good, a bit scattered at times, but it definitely held my interest. Sam is certainly a fighter but she is not exactly the paragon of virtue that people think she is. She has some dark secrets of her own. I will definitely read more of the series.
My #19 is A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne - 5 StarsEdited to add: 384 pages per the Amazon hardback listing.
Not eligible for the monthly or culture tags.
Just finished reading today and I gave it 5*s
I've put a few of my comments in spoilers so I don't ruin the story for anyone else.
The writing was great. The story follows a character, Maurice, who's ambition results in sociopathic behavior (or maybe being a sociopath leads to the overwhelming ambition and sense of entitlement?)
I loved Amy's points about the multiple narrators. (view spoiler)
The Interlude with Gore Vidal remains my favorite part of the book. Gore seems to be the only person to see through Maurice. I do wonder if Maurice reminded Gore of himself at some point in his life, which informed his perceptions?
(view spoiler)
I am so happy to have read this book. The author is amazing - to create such a compelling book, while presenting a thoroughly dispicable main character takes tremendous skill.
#19 The Rook - Daniel O'Malley496 pages in the first edition hardcover on Goodreads
Tagged Action-Adventure by 21 people.
4 stars
I thought this book was a lot of fun. It was different than other urban fantasy/paranormal books I have read. Bonus points to the author for not feeling the need to have a romantic relationship in this book (not that I am against romantic relationships, but it is a nice change of pace for a lead female character in this genre). I liked the main character and the concept of amnesia resulting in a whole new individual person inhabiting the body. The powers were interesting and included some new ones that have not been overdone (one individual having four different bodies). There were a lot of information dumps as the old Myfanwy knew she was going to lose her memory and left a lot of letters with information for the new Myfanwy, but I was not bothered by them. It was a fun light read for the new year.
#19 for me is Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah HarariI listened to the Audible version and I really wish I had read the print version... I only gave it 3 stars. There were parts that were really think and I might re-visit the print version another time at my leisure.
My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
#19 Herding Cats - Sarah Andersen120 pages in the first edition hardcover on Goodreads
4 stars
An enjoyable little book about art and cats my two favorite things. There were a few I just didn't get and I think I read too many highlights before hand because many of the funniest ones were already familiar but I was still amused. I also really liked the second half that focused on advice for young artists. I think she made some excellent points about understanding the difference between someone's well-meant critique and harassment. I do wish there had been a few more cat panels though.
Like quite a few others, my January #19 Trim was "A Ladder to the Sky".Hardcover is listed at 366 pages.
Rather than reposting, here's a link to my review
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Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Bad Feminist (other topics)They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us (other topics)
Untouchable (other topics)
What Alice Forgot (other topics)
Words of Radiance (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Liane Moriarty (other topics)Alexander Chee (other topics)
Giles Milton (other topics)
Jojo Moyes (other topics)
Sarah Andersen (other topics)
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My #19 is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, I'm lookin..."
Wow, I feel honored that we will be your first book club!!!
I randomized your choices so now you have a #19. You may adjust your list up through midnight on 12/31, except for #19.