Trim the TBR—January Planning and Reporting

[Amy]

Thank you for posting the hardcover pages. I forgot to do that.

[Robin]

Finished my number 19

Does not fit the monthly tag
Pages 245
I rated it 5 stars. It is in diary format. It is about a girl who is foster care and runs away and tells of her journey to find a new home.

[Nileema]

#19: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis ✭✭✭✭

It took me a few chapters to fully appreciate the snapshot style of this novel, with each chapter revealing a study of a different character in a specific moment of time. Each character is related to the eponymous Hattie, and the reader shapes their impression of her through the eyes of her various children, as we learn about their lives and personalities through the chapters.
At first, I thought it would bother me that there wouldn’t be any significant follow up of the characters we came to know, usually profoundly, through the focused chapters. However, I came to understand and appreciate the layout and feel this style gives the book a certain depth.
Mathis clearly has a gift for writing prose - her descriptions are vivid and symbolic without being flowery, superfluous or contrived. Her character studies are profound, unique and complex. The settings are varied and open the reader’s eyes to a range of often neglected stories that no doubt echo those of many.
This is a bleak story; it is the story of a worn down family whose matriarch offers no consolation but a strong back on which to lean. There is little, if any, relief in this book - romantic, comedic, or otherwise. It is a book worth reading, though, in my opinion, if only to experience that truly transportive element of all great books.

[Booknblues]

I love your review. It makes me wonder if I would like it and want to read it to find out.

[Theresa]

Nileema wrote: "#19: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis ✭✭✭✭

It took me a few chapters to fully appreciate the snapshot style of this novel, with each chapter revealing a study of a different character i..."

Wow, your review really captures my interest! I wonder... have you read Olive Kitteridge? In some ways this sounds like a darker version to how Olive's story was told ... a similar format.

[Joni]

#19 Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

558 Pages

By know most if not all of us have heard about Hurricane Katrina, the massive storm that hit the coast of Louisiana in August 2005. I am sure a lot of watched the news coverage and the rescue efforts after this storm. I know I did. In fact, I felt the effects of Katrina from my home in Alabama....although it was not near as massive as it was when it hit LA.

Five Days at Memorial covers the event before, during and after Katrina, at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans. It shed to light what kind of destruction a storm like this can do; the ill-preparedness of a state and city and the heart breaking decisions about end of life care.....who gets to live and who doesn't.....who gets to make those decisions.

This book was sort of written in two parts....part one was about the hurricane, the destruction, the flooding, the rescue efforts and those patients who "did not make it." The second half covers one particular doctor, Dr. Anna Pou, the doctor who made "decisions" for those patients at the center of the "end of life" discussion.

I thought this book was very well written, although I kind of felt the author was putting the doctor on trial when there were so many other doctors and "decision makers" in that hospital during this horrible storm.

[Nileema]

Theresa wrote: "Nileema wrote:

@Booknblues: Thank you - if you manage to get to it, I hope you enjoy it!

@Theresa: I tried reading Olive Kitteridge a long time ago and couldn't get into it enough to keep reading - I'm conscious that I had the same issue with Twelve Tribes but pushed on and ended up really glad I did, so maybe I should revisit Olive Kitteridge! Thanks for the suggestion :)

[Nicolas]

#19 What if it’s us - 437 pages

4.5/5

I’ve wanted to read this book since it had come out a few months ago. Going in to it I had already high expectations because it was written by one of my favorite authors and let me say it did NOT disappoint.

This story follows the perspective of two boys, Arthur and Ben, who cross paths one day at the post office. We can see how their relationship grows as they both experience this new spark they have between them.

It was a lot different than what I originally thought it was but I’m not saying this as a bad thing. This book gave me moments where I would hold my breath whilst also moments when I would be the happiest person alive because of some outcome. If anyone asked me if they should read this I would say yes without a moments hesitation.

[Mindy aka serenity]

#19- The Sixth Wife by Suzannah Dunn- 320 pages
3 stars

This book, which has been on my shelf for 10 years or more, is about Henry VIII's last wife, Katherine Parr, in the days after Henry died. The narrator is Katherine's best friend Cathy, Duchess of Suffolk. There were liberties taken with her story as historical fact, which I didn't completely agree with because I felt Katherine's story had enough drama without adding more. Kate marries Thomas Seymour, brother to third wife of Henry Jane and the current Lord Protector of the boy king Edward VI, Edward (there was great originality of naming, wasn't there?). But Thomas was a grasping social climber who had younger son issues of wanting what his big brother had- power and authority. He broke Kate's heart with his power grasping, which almost took a young princess Elizabeth down with him. Her story is tragic, and Dunn does a good job of trying to humanize her, but she remains a minor character in her own story by the perspective being switched to her friend. I would have preferred that Kate tell her own story. At the end the book was just ok. Nothing to write home about. If you want to know about Katherine Parr, pick up her biography or some other historical fiction.

[[deleted user]]

#19 In Farleigh Field - Rhys Bowen - 4 stars

This book also fits January's tag of action-adventure and is 396 pages long.

It's set in 1941 and the main plot focuses on a planned attempt to assassinate Churchill and replace King George VI with his brother by the Germans. There's a couple of romantic subplots but one of these is pretty obvious.

Overall I enjoyed the book - lots of action-adventure - but I could have done without one of the romance plots as it didn't develop the story. 4 stars.

Cross-posted to January: Action-adventure

[Olivermagnus]

January #19

Still Me - Jojo Moyes - 4 Stars - 390 pages

It's hard to write any sort of review of the third and final book in a trilogy without providing some sort of spoiler for those who haven't read it. In Still Me, Louisa travels to New York City, where where she is hired as a companion for a wealthy man's much younger wife.

I enjoyed Me Before You but wasn't a huge fan of After You. I was not enthused about reading the final book, which is why I put it on a list of books where two thirds of them won't be read for at least a year. I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. Louisa has a great inner monologue. She has a way of describing people around her that makes her so much fun to be around and you have no choice but to root for her. I believe the author crafted a fitting finale to the trilogy.

[Amy]

Loved all three, but they grew in fondness in ascending order. Which I know it’s not usual. But I really loved this last one.

[Book Concierge]

JANUARY number: 19
Hardcover: 432 pg
Tagged Action-Adventure: NO



Carrying Albert Home – Homer Hickam – 3***
Subtitle: The Somewhat True Story of a Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator. I loved listening to the stories my father, mother, aunts and uncles would tell of “the old days” and adventures they had had. So, I was predisposed to like this tale of the author’s parents and a great adventure they embarked upon without any plan other than to “carry Albert home.” I found it fun and enjoyable, but gosh, Elsie got on my nerves.
LINK to my review

[Theresa]

#19 - Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton

Hardcover - 388 pages

I picked this up at some point, in paperback, because the title intrigued me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! So glad to have finally read it, thanks to PBT and Trim the TBR. Now I need to read something light and silly!

If you are curious at all about the Spice Trade, or about the roots of the British and Dutch East India Companies, or how the competing interests to control the Spice Trade from the Spice Islands in Indonesia were fought, or even how it all affected the founding of Manhattan (and it did) and the ultimate control of it by Britain, this is the book for you. The depth of primary research and the clear telling of a complicated story that stretches essentially from Queen Elizabeth the I to the mid-1800s are astonishing.

I rated this 4.5 stars. The ding that pushes it below 5 stars is the failure to provide a timeline in the back of the book which would have helped immensely in keeping track of the events - and historical figures - recited, especially as there were some sections that jumped back in time, thus creating a bit of confusion, I thought.

Compelling, fascinating and filled with excerpts from primary sources, meaning letters and journals of the merchants and sailors and ships captains who experienced it all, I will never again use nutmeg, cloves, and peppercorns without thinking of the battles fought and blood shed in the 17th Century over these commodities. And there was a lot of blood. There are points that the brutality described, especially that of the Dutch during the final battles against the British for total control of the Spice Islands, make the bloodshed George RR Martin's 'Song of Ice and Fire' cycle look like an afternoon at a picnic in a park.

Who is the Nathaniel of the title? You first meet him in the prologue, then do not see his name again until about page 200. Even then, it's another 40 pages before his story is told - over 2/3rds into the book. While initially you look askance at this, once you do reach his story and its aftermath, you realize it was the only way to tell it. Nathaniel Courthope was a merchant, a factor of the British East India Company, sent with ships full of sailors, merchants, and warriors to the minute island of Run in the Spice Islands, to claim it for England and thus control a rich source of nutmeg as the island was covered with prime nutmeg trees. Against incredible odds, the last of the merchants sent to establish a toehold in the island group, he rallied his men and the natives daily and held Run against the Dutch, under the most brutal conditions, for four long years. Though ultimately he was murdered at the hands of the Dutch, and England lost control of tiny Run and its valuable nutmeg to the Dutch, his heroic actions, all done out of duty and patriotism, became the rallying cry for the struggling British East India Company, and ultimately led to no less an acquisition by the British Crown of Manhattan.

It's quite a story, but not for any one who is feint of heart, squeamish or missish. But then, most of history is not for such as those.

[[deleted user]]

I had to go and edit #162 as I misremembered the page count - it is now correct!

[Amy N.]

#19 Wishtree by Katherine Applegate - 224 pages, 3 stars

I've heard Applegate called the Hemingway of kidlit, and there's a good reason for that. Her sentences are so short and simple and impactful that even though this book took me maybe an hour to read I felt like I had spent hours with the characters and the world.

The story is told from the point of view of a tree, but it's really about humans rejecting and/or accepting those who are different from them. I grew up reading Animorphs and was glad to get the chance to spend some time with this author again, but both this and Crenshaw, which I read last year, are quiet, low-stakes character-driven stories, and I like her terse style for action stories a bit better.

I'm definitely going to give more of her post-Animorphs stuff a try, but I think they will always be my favorite of hers.

[Heather]

#19 The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman 4 stars
Hardcover, 368 pages

Jan and Antonina Zabinski were Christian zookeepers of the Warsaw Zoo who provided shelter and survival to Jewish refugees and resistance fighters during WWII. I’ve always been so horrified at the atrocities committed by the Nazis that it never occurred to me to wonder what happened to the zoo animals in war torn lands. I learned quite a bit from this book and it helped expand my knowledge of the Białowieża Forest, Warsaw Ghetto and resiliency of the Polish people. They never gave up and fought admirably to regain their independence. The book is full of rich detail and stories of everyday kindnesses extended to complete strangers despite the deadly risk of doing so. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Amy]

Zookeepers wife was one of my all-time favorite books. And I read it because of the PBT tag at the time. I’m so glad you got to read it for this challenge. I simply loved it! It’s really neat that this challenge is allowing us to read books we wanted to, and clear off our TBR’s.

[Theresa]

I too loved Zookeeper's Wife; such a powerful story! Glad to see others reading it.

The movie version was quite a good adaptation actually.

[Barbara M]

#19 - Red Sky at Night by James W Hall.
Fits the Monthly Tag of Action-Adventure. (326 pages)

This starts with the lovely scene of Thorn swimming with the dolphins and the feeling he gets from the nearly healing powers of the dolphin. Things go very ugly within a day.

The book, like many of James W Hall's books is peopled with some strange characters and some very nice characters. According to the book, that's just the way of things in the Florida Keys but probably more so in Key West where the story takes us after a while.

I've read others of Hall's books, this being the 6th in the series. This one isn't among my favorites and I'm not sure why. It has been a long time since I've read any of Hall's Thorn series so maybe I'm not remembering correctly. The story is good and gets very exciting but it seemed to drag in places. Thorn goes through a lot. He and Monica's relationship grows as they both decide whether this nearly May / December relationship is what they want. I think my biggest problem was with the relationship between Bean Jr and Thorn who had been best friends in their youth.

I'll read more of Hall, I really do like the Florida setting.

[Anita]

In Our Mad and Furious City - #19, 275 pages

Set in London, this book follows five characters: Three friends (Yusuf, Selvon, and Ardan) and two of their parents (Caroline and Nelson). Each of them relates the tale in the first person with alternating chapters. The friends, each from different backgrounds, are bonding by football (soccer to us U.S. folks) and music. Each is facing serious familial challenges that further bind them together. An incident where an Islamic young man murders a soldier has set off a spate of escalating riots and racial tensions.

First, let me say that even though I didn't personally love this book, I am very surprised it wasn't shortlisted for the Man Booker. I read four of the shortlisted titles, and I think this book is more innovative and powerful (and frankly, interesting) than any of the four I read.

Putting that to the side, I will say that I felt the book took its time getting its footing. For the first half, I had two issues. Each person speaks in their own vernacular, and honestly I find it exhausting to try to decipher these dialects while following the story. None of them were especially hard (the Milkman it was not), and I do think it was a defensible choice . . .but what it really meant was that I took about a third of the book to really find my reading rhythm.

The latter half was excellent. Characters begin to truly reveal themselves and there were some plot points that had me gasping. I thought it was very clever of the author to demonstrate how violence escalates on the basis of untruths and innuendo. But he also had hopeful moments and left the door open for happiness for some of the characters. It was an excellent balance, and when I closed the book, I was satisfied and happy I had read it. This book is a debut novel, so I expect to see great things from this author going forward

[Susie]

Abide With Me - Elizabeth Strout
304 pages
Does not fit the monthly tag

Abide With Me was my January Trim the TBR selection. I love Strout. This is the fifth novel of hers that I have read, and despite the fact that it wasn't my favourite, I still found it to be well worth reading. I was initially worried as the protagonist is a reverend, and themes of religion do not generally appeal to me, but in true Strout form it was an intriguing, sensitive, subtle and quiet character study. I do feel that she is becoming more and more skilled as a writer with each novel, and this was one of her earlier works, but nevertheless it was a four for me. I will read everything she ever writes.

[NancyJ]

AJ wrote: "#19 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
Amazon Hardcover Edition: 683 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars

Alice wakes up on her back in the gym after having fainted in a spin class. She doesn't..."

This was my favorite Moriarty book. The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated the complexities and nuances in the story. 5 stars for me. It didn't have the "big" Hollywood feel that Big Little Lies had. (I felt that way before I knew about the Reese Witherspoon series.) Alice felt more personal.

[Linda C]

#19 The Queen of the Night - Alexander Chee - (3 stars) 1/27/19 - 561 pgs

This book was an opera of a story! Lots of tragedy, miscommunication, love triangles, intrigue, and death. It took me a lot longer than anticipated to read but somehow I felt compelled to finish. I liked the writing and wanted to see where it went. The back and forth in time was a good device for this.

However, I did not feel invested in any of the characters because each character had a hidden agenda; no one was truly honest about themselves or trustworthy, leaving Lilliet an island blown every which way. Even her star-crossed love was pretty unreliable and self-serving.

So having said this you would think Lilliet would be the focus of sympathy, the one you were rooting for, but I didn't feel that. I kept questioning her decisions. Even though she was being manipulated and she seemed to sense that, she still walked into their traps. She set up many of her own tragedies.

I actually liked the end and felt she should have celebrated it more.

[Kimber]

No. 19
228 pages
Fits January Action/Adventure tag: No



A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
5 stars
This collection of writings and sketches by Aldo Leopold, a man known as the grandfather of conservation, was published in 1949 by the author's son, one year after Aldo Leopold's death. The essays are divided into three parts, with a scattering of nature/outdoor sketches throughout. The first section includes Leopold's acute observations of nature on his 80-acre “sand farm” in Sauk County, Wisconsin, through 12 essays – one for each month. In the second section of essays, Leopold includes observations from other places he has worked, camped, walked, canoed, or hunted in, including a section about canoeing with his brother on a river with green lagoons, a trip during which they didn't see another human being for weeks. The third and final section is made up of a few longer essays sharing Leopold's viewpoint and philosophies on conservation and the land ethic.

I really enjoyed taking this book in. Leopold's writing is lyrical and he describes a scene or setting so that you almost feel like you were there with him as he follows the tracks of a skunk through the snow, purely out of curiosity for what sort of business the skunk had undertaken after a period of winter inactivity, during an early spring thaw.

His philosophies and outlook during the early to mid 1900s seem prescient although they shouldn't, because he plainly says that you can predict what will happen to America's wilderness by studying what happened to Europe's wilderness. The whole book is a call to preserve America's wild life and wild places. It's full of deep knowledge and thoughtful sentences: “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” It's a book I think everyone should read.

[Sushicat]

Scott Free by John Gilstrap - 3.6 stars
Paperback 360 pages
Fits January Action/Adventure tag: yes

This reads like the script of an action thriller. A plane crash, an encounter with wildlife, a trek through the wilderness, a cat mouse game with a killer, a breakneck ski ride... the film unrolls in your head as you read.

[NancyJ]

#19 A Ladder to the Sky, by John Boyne, 366 pages.
It doesn't fit the monthly or culture tags.

This is an amazing book. In each section, Boyne draws us in and reveals information gradually, building up to a few truly breathtaking moments. This book really engaged my mind and I think it would be great for bookclubs. The OMG moments will be fun to talk about. A few nagging issues kept me from giving it a full 5 stars, but I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars.

In some ways, this book is a creative answer to two common questions that successful writers get from aspiring authors: 1) Where do you get your ideas? and 2) How can I get people to help me? Authors might get bored by the questions, but Boyne took them and created a fascinating story involving an ambitious writer and his questionable approaches to those challenges. Maurice Swift can be charming, in a sociopathic way. This story is about ambition, ethics, and manipulation, but it’s also about relationships. The book poses questions regarding the importance of ideas versus writing skills, talent, plagiarism, and the ownership of ideas.

The structure of the book is particularly clever and unique. It has three distinct parts (each written from a different perspective and style), with brief interludes in between. In each part, he incorporates recurring variations on key themes, like in a great piece of music. The interlude with Gore Vidal is one of my favorite sections It got me wondering which real-life authors, editors and celebrities might have inspired some of the delicious characters or events in the book. In business, people talk about the importance of networking and making connections, and it appears that it’s just as important for authors. Boyne shows us examples in every section of the book.

One thing that particularly touched me is the realization that people need to feel understood, to tell their stories, and to confess their secrets. But here’s a tip: If you have deep dark secrets that you don’t want people to know, don’t tell them to a writer!

[Hebah]

#19 - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
320 pages, paperback (not released in hardcover, so using the default Goodreads edition though Amazon says 336)
Did not fit monthly theme.

Roxane Gay is an author I follow for smart commentary on pop culture. So I did enjoy this book, though it was a bit of a shoehorned, not-quite-what-I-was-in-the-mood-for-right-now sort of read (through no fault of her own, I add. A random number generator picked this one out of my TBR list for me!). The essays, some of which appeared previously in other places, are broken into thematic sections like Gender & Sexuality or Race & Entertainment. I think one of my favorite sections was the random essays on her own experiences, like her foray into competitive Scrabble or her experiences as a first-year professor. The section on Race and Entertainment does reflect a particular slice of cinema history, but I suspect we haven't improved that much in the five years since this was published. Over all, though, I liked her approach. She writes in the introduction, "I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I'm not trying to be an example.... I am a bad feminist because I never want to be placed on a Feminist Pedestal. People who are placed on pedestals are expected to pose, perfectly." And she is only a human, and a woman, and has a specific set of experiences she's writing from. I dig it.

[MargieD2017]

MargieD2017 wrote: "My number 19 is A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams. Wow, out of all of my 36 this would have been the least desired to be a January pick! Well, there you go. Just got to put on my ..."

Well, January is about to conclude and I have not finished this book nor do I think I will. How sad! My head is not in gear for this venture into mental travels so I will need to put this down for now and maybe at some later time pick it up again. Zero pts for #19 ... bad start on the challenge, though... I did find out what this book had in it. That at least has moved it off my TBR list. A reward to be found after all!

[Joanne]

MargieD2017 wrote: "MargieD2017 wrote: "My number 19 is A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams. Wow, out of all of my 36 this would have been the least desired to be a January pick! Well, there you go. Ju..."

Margie-FYI I never got my #19 either, but if you finish it before the quarter is out, you can still get some points!

[MargieD2017]

thanks Joanne, I will remember that. :))

[Nicole R]

FYI—I will be tallying up these reads and closing this thread on Saturday morning, so be sure to have any reviews posted by then!

[NancyJ]

Hebah wrote: "#19 - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
320 pages, paperback (not released in hardcover, so using the default Goodreads edition though Amazon says 336)
Did not fit monthly theme.

Roxane G..."

Thanks Hebah, I've been wondering about this author, and I might give her a try. I like short stories and essays though I don't (can't) usually read them back to back. I like to have them around when I just have a short time to read.

[Holly R W]

Hebah wrote: "#19 - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
320 pages, paperback (not released in hardcover, so using the default Goodreads edition though Amazon says 336)
Did not fit monthly theme.

Roxane G..."

I read this book some years ago and appreciate your thoughts on it now. Recently, I heard an interview with Ms. Gay on the radio. Apart from being so intelligent, she has a great sense of humor, which made her so much fun to listen to.

[Hebah]

NancyJ wrote: "Hebah wrote: "#19 - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
320 pages, paperback (not released in hardcover, so using the default Goodreads edition though Amazon says 336)
Did not fit monthly th..."

This is a very good pick and read a bit here or there read. I also enjoy having something going that has stories or essays I can dip in and out of (usually my bedside reading so I don't fall prey to "just one more chapter").

[Hebah]

Holly R W wrote: "Hebah wrote: "#19 - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
320 pages, paperback (not released in hardcover, so using the default Goodreads edition though Amazon says 336)
Did not fit monthly th..."

Yeah, I enjoy her humor. She's a delight to follow on Twitter, particularly when she claps back at trolls.

[Joi]

Eeeek! 1 day, 250 pages left!!

[Nicole R]

I won’t do the tallying til Saturday so you have a little bonus day in there 😉

[Meli]

I am cutting it so freakin' close this month too, Joi 🤣

[Chili]

#19 Words of Radiance
Brandon Sanderson
1,087 pages
Fits the action-adventure tag. Listed on page 24
4 stars

This is book two in the Stormlight Archive series. I had a little trouble getting into it because its been so long since I read The Way Of Kings. I’m liking Shallan better in this book than the first. I love Pattern and his interactions with Shallan. Sly is still my favorite spren, but Windless is a close second. I liked the Interludes, but some left me wanting to know more. What happened to Rysn after her recovery. I definitely want to know more about Lift and the one she calls the Darkness. I am definitely going to read her story before I read Oathbringer. Adoring wasn’t as annoying in this book, although Elhokar is still an idiot. This was definitely an enjoyable read.

[Joi]

I FINISHED!!! Just in time :)
#19- What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
4 Stars
Amazon Hardcover Edition: 683 Pages, according to AJ
Does NOT fit Action-Adventure Tag

Liane Moriarty is one of my "go-to" authors for something I know will be light, fun, but still contemporary and have depth. This one delivered on all these again.

Alice wakes up in 2008 after hitting her head at the gym, and she has completely forgotten the past 10 years of her life. Instead of being with her blissful husband, Nick and pregnant with their first- she now has 3 kids, and is a "supermom". It's a fun mystery to unravel what happened when, who is who, how they are related to Alice. As Alice remembers and learns about her life- the reader does as well. A fun journey that keeps the pages turning quickly.

I really loved the cast of characters. Libby, Frannie, all the side characters had their own distinct personalities, and it was very fun "getting to know them" just as Alice does. There are some surprising themes of infertility, school politics, and some not surprising themes like what it means to be a mother. The ending is predictable, but I don't really mind. The "secrets" are very easy to guess- (view spoiler)[Frannie's letters being to a dead person. I guessed that in the first like 75 pages. (hide spoiler)], but it's so fun to read it doesn't matter. I also loved the (view spoiler)[ concurring downfall of Libby with the uprising of Alice- seeing the two practically switch mental spots was very clever. (hide spoiler)].

There are a few major details that you just have to turn a wide eye to. Mainly WHY DOESN'T ALICE SEE A DOCTOR?! She can't remember her life, but they just discharge her with no help, aid, and she doesn't really help herself. Plus this whole concept is absolutely terrifying. I can't imagine waking up not married to my husband, and having to put those pieces together.

[Idit]

#19: Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
(160 pages)

A day in the life of Bakha - a sweeper and latrine cleaner in India in early 20th century
It's a book about the Caste system, and Bakha is absolutely at the lowest.
My blood boiled with his outrage. It was just so unfair - being born into a profession, and even more so - a position in life, and having no way to change it because society is so set in its ways.
And it's horrible. There's a description early on of the low cast people stand around a well, and having to wait and beg to a higher caste person to get water for them because if they touch the water they will defile it.
This dependence on other people, and the corruption of power. The constant humiliation. Not being able to go to school because nobody wants to teach untouchables.
It made me read few articles about current day and what is left of the caste system. It seems like even though it's not legal to discriminate anymore, it still affect people's life.

It's a small book and worth reading

[Sabrina]

19: In the Woods ~ Tana French

Hardcover--429 pages

I can't believe that this book has been languishing on my bookshelves for nearly 7 years and I am just now getting around to read it!

Adam Ryan and his two best friends went to play in the woods near their homes in Knocknaree, Ireland when they were 12 years old. Later, Adam is found clinging to a tree, with scraped knees, and blood filled shoes; he is traumatized, but has no recollection of what happened to him or why his two friends, Jamie and Peter are no where to be found.

Nearly 20 years later, Adam, now known as Rob, still has no real memory of what happened that day in the woods. He is now a detective with the Murder Squad in Dublin, and he and his partner, Cassie, catch a case that brings him back to Knocknaree. A 12-year old girl is murdered and left on a stone table/alter in a dig sight near the woods where Detective Ryan's friends disappeared. Ryan and Cassie set out to investigate this crime, but their investigations are complicated by Ryan being haunted by his past, and by the fact that no one on the Murder Squad, including his boss, know of Ryan's hidden past, except Cassie.

Overall, I really liked the book. I liked the character development and loved the writing. I would say that the biggest reason that this was not a 5-star for me was that parts of the plot were a bit too predictable. I knew, about half-way through the book, who was behind the 12-year old Katy's murder, but couldn't really piece together the why of it, until it was revealed at the end.

Overall, though, In the Woods is well worth the read, and I am looking forward to adding the next books in the series to my TBR. (And here I thought this whole challenge was to TRIM my TBR, not grow it!!!!>

[Meli]

#19 They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib / 5 stars
291 pages
Does not fit January action theme

I don't remember why I picked this book up because I am not normally drawn to essay collections, but I think I picked it up because the writer is a music critic from Columbus OH and I would party there sometimes when I lived in Findlay OH to see shows ... I felt a connection to that time in my life and was curious about the writer.
I think I saw this on some best of list but I was only mildly aware of it. I skimmed the book jacket and determined they were music essays which turned out to be only slightly true.

Abdurraqib is not just a music critic, he is a poet and culture critic both of which are strongly present in these essays. In the first quarter of the book the essays are focused on music but they always use music as a reference point to talk about race, love, youth, friendship, loss, death, personal demons. I wasn't expecting the emotional punch that comes with reading his essays and it was enthralling.

By the second half Abdurraqib shifts exclusively to issues dealing with his personal experiences and observations as a black Muslim growing up in central OH and at his small college nearby. His observations are illuminating, tragic, but never without hope, and forced introspection for me (white Midwest woman) that was uncomfortable and always necessary.

For readers with an interest in current social and culture issues with a heavy emphasis on race from a empathetic and analytical voice.

[NancyJ]

Hebah wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Hebah wrote: "#19 - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
320 pages, paperback (not released in hardcover, so using the default Goodreads edition though Amazon says 336)
Did not..."

I'll definitely have to bump her books up on my to read list.

[Nicole R]

Rachel N. wrote: "#19 Till the End of Tom by Gillian Roberts 3 stars

Pages: 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.."

I will go with the 245 pages that GR has listed on the hardcover version. Thanks, annapi, for looking it up!

[Nicole R]

I have tallied these books and am locking the thread. If you would like to double check the spreadsheet, then you can find it in the fourth tab of this spreadsheet.

Note that if you did not report the page numbers or whether it fit the monthly tag, then it is NOT in the spreadsheet. There are too many people participating for me to check all of these individually!

Also, for the hardcover editions, some people reported the GR version and others reported the Amazon version. In the future, let's go with the GR version just so everything comes from this website. If you would like me to adjust any of your page numbers based on this, please send me a personal message and I am happy to update it.