The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
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<closed thread>What are you currently reading?
Pecan Pies and Homicides – Ellery Adams – 1*
Book three in the “Charmed Pie Shoppe” series gets more ridiculous. I guess I need some pie, because I’m no longer charmed by the eccentric characters and the lead character, Ella Mae, drives me crazy. Oh, well. It was a fast read and it satisfied a challenge.
My full review HERE
The Last Romantics – Tara Conklin – 3***
A family epic following the four Skinner siblings over several decades. I love character-driven novels, getting to know and understand the psychology of the characters as they cause and/or react to events in their lives. That these four people are damaged by their childhood is without question. The ways they find to cope, or not, is what fascinated me in the novel. I was sorry that COVID19 interrupted our book club’s scheduled meeting on this work. I would certainly have enjoyed that discussion.
My full review HERE
Notorious RBG – Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik – 5*****
Subtitle: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Oh, my stars, but this is one HELL of a woman! I've admired her for some years, but I really enjoyed learning more about her. I thought the authors did a great job of making this a very approachable biography. There is no truth without Ruth!
My full review HERE
Upstairs At the White House – J B West & Mary Lynn Kotz – 4****
Subtitle: My Life With the First Ladies. J B West served as the chief usher in the White House from midway through the years of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s terms through the beginning of the Nixon administration. This is an interesting and engaging memoir of his experiences running the private residence for a variety of first ladies. Some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, but no real juicy gossip. Discretion was – and is – a chief characteristic of JB West’s.`
My full review HERE
English Creek – Ivan Doig – 4****
This is a coming-of-age story set in Depression-era Montana. Doig really puts the reader into the era and landscape of this novel. The sky is vast, the landscape majestic, the weather sometimes brutal, and the dangers – both natural and man-made – palpable. Fourteen-year-old Jick McCaskill is a keen observer, if sometimes perplexed. There were times when Doig’s work made me think on my own father, and how he taught us love of the land and nature. That made the book all the more enjoyable for me.
My full review HERE
The Right Stuff – Tom Wolfe – 4****
This is the story of the Mercury Astronauts and how they came to be chosen – evaluated to ensure they had The Right Stuff to succeed in this vital mission. Wolfe does a great job of giving us the background of those first seven astronauts – warts and all. I was fascinated by the extensive testing they underwent to evaluate their fitness for this work. And I think Wolfe did a great job of explaining the differences in their personalities that resulted in success, or missteps.
My full review HERE
Enrique’s Journey – Sonia Nazario – 4****
Subtitle: The True Story of a Boy Determined to Reunite With His Mother. Journalist Sonia Nazario first heard of mothers who leave their children behind from her cleaning lady. Her interest piqued, she sought to document what such a journey entails … for the mother who goes ahead, for the children left behind, for the boy who was determined to travel nearly 2,000 miles alone to find the mother he had not seen for more than a decade. Their stories are heartbreaking and eye-opening.
My full review HERE
Finished:
4*Currently Reading:
Boy Swallows Universe
The Late Show - audiobook
Ice Cream Murder - Kindle
Set aside for now:
Stones for Ibarra
Blind Descent
By Book Or By Crook – Eva Gates – 3***
Lucy Richardson leaves a failed engagement and her job at Harvard’s library for a visit with her Aunt Ellen on Bodie Island in the Outer Banks. There she snags a job as assistant librarian for the Lighthouse Library. And becomes enmeshed in a mystery when a priceless first edition is stolen during a private party and a body is found. Interesting premise if a few bumps in the execution. Still, I was entertained and I’ll likely read more of this series.
My full review HERE
Reading 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List by Tom Moon. Good so far but a slow read.
The Snow Leopard – Peter Matthiessen – 2.5**
In general, I love nature and wildlife nonfiction, especially when it deals with endangered species and the efforts to protect them from extinction. The snow leopard is one of the most endangered. Unfortunately for me, and for my rating, this book isn’t really about the snow leopard. As in real life, the creature is extremely elusive in the book, hardly ever mentioned, and not making an actual appearance until late in the journey. Instead this is more Matthiessen’s personal quest for enlightenment. I grew bored and struggled to keep reading.
My full review HERE
Murder Plain and Simple – Isabella Alan – 3***
I found this moderately entertaining as cozy mysteries go. There’s a decent premise, and I did like Oliver (her bulldog, who is afraid of birds). Alan gives the reader the beginnings of a possible love interest, which will likely develop in subsequent books in the series. And there’s a reasonable cast of supporting characters.
My full review HERE
Two For the Dough – Janet Evanovich – 3***
Book two in the series starring totally inept bounty-hunter Stephanie Plum. The great cast of supporting characters carries the series for me: Lula, Steph’s long-suffering mother, and especially Grandma Mazur. A fast, fun read.
My full review HERE
Because Of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo – 5***** and a ❤
DiCamillo has written a lovely book that deals with some serious issues. India and her father struggle to come to grips with their new reality now that her mother has left and they’ve moved to a new community. But with the help of a smiling dog, they begin to heal. No, everything doesn’t turn out perfect, but DiCamillo gives her readers a sense of hope that India (and her father) will come out of this period of their lives with full hearts.
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 3*Currently Reading:
The Late Show - audiobook
Ice Cream Murder - Kindle
Stones for Ibarra
Blind Descent
The Returning
The Overstory – Richard Powers – 3***
I am having a very hard time pinpointing what it was about this book that I found so interesting. I tend to gravitate towards character-driven works, and this is certainly that. But nine “main” characters is a daunting task and I think it detracted from Powers’ message of environmental stewardship, and what a bad job humans are doing of that.
My full review HERE
The Fiery Crown (Forgotten Empires, #2)
My first ARC, so I'm taking my sweet time. Book comes out on May 26, 2020.
The Mad Ship the 2nd in Robin Hobb's Robin Hobb The Liveship Traders Trilogy 3 Books Collection Set-a wonderful read!
It’s a Long Story – Willie Nelson – 4****
Oh, Willie! I’ve had a long-standing crush on the “red-headed stranger” and am glad to have learned more about him, because I like him even more now. Willie lays it all out there … from childhood to stardom, the good, the bad, the ugly and the shiningly beautiful.
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 3.5*(my attention wavered a bit and I ended not really knowing which character was which),
- 3*Currently Reading:
Savannah Breeze - Kindle
Stones for Ibarra
Blind Descent
The Returning
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories – H P Lovecraft – 2**
Of course, I’ve heard of H P Lovecraft for years, but I’d never bothered to read anything by him. Just not my genre of choice, but I needed “science fiction” for a challenge, and I happened to have this one in the house. First, these stories are mostly NOT science fiction. Second, as horror stories, I didn’t find them all that horrifying. And reading them one after another in this collection made them seem formulaic and dull.
My full review HERE
The Simplicity of Cider – Amy E Reichert – 3***
Yes, the plot has been done before and includes most of the rom-com tropes. Yes, the heroine’s hard shell will be cracked by the genuine goodness of the hero. Yes, she – a confirmed avoider of children – will come to love the hero’s precocious son. Yes, there will be major obstacles to their getting together. But has that ever stopped a couple in a rom-com? Well, Reichert is not about to break that mold. It’s a fast, fun, enjoyable read. And I loved the food references!
My full review HERE
Odds Against – Dick Francis – 3.5***
I’ve read a couple of Dick Francis mysteries, but this is the first in a series, starring Sid Halley. I really liked how Francis gave us Halley’s background and set up potential continuing relationships for future books in the series. I’d classify this as more thriller than mystery. Halley (and the reader) know pretty quickly who’s behind the nefarious doings at the track, though there’s a bit of a question as to why and how. Halley is tenacious, intelligent, a quick-thinker, and a realist. I like the way he thinks.
My full review HERE
Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War IIThe Elvenbane
Finished:
- 4*Currently Reading:
Savannah Breeze - Kindle
The Pillars of the Earth
Starting:
The Deepest Water
Currently reading Keeping the Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables Herbs , Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman andFrozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II
An Echo In the Bone – Diana Gabaldon – 3.5***
Book # 7 in the incredibly addictive Outlander series, continues the saga of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser as the American Revolution gears up. I really enjoy the historical inferences in these books. I’ve been to Fort Ticonderoga, and reading those chapters were intensely vivid for me. On the other hand, I was not a great fan of Brianna’s chapters. And Gabaldon ends the book with several plot threads hanging. Pet peeve … please trust your readers to want to read the next book, don’t “force” us to do so by using cliff-hangers.” Lost half a star there.
My full review HERE
The Art of Travel – Alain de Botton – 4****
Any travel guide will tell us where we should travel and what we should see when we get there. Alain de Botton tries to tell us WHY we should travel. In various chapters he expounds on what it is that travel offers us. He waxes poetic on the anticipation of arriving at a new location, the marvels of modes of transportation, on “country” vs “city,” on finding beauty – in the familiar as well as the exotic. I think he has opened my eyes and I will feel more open about all experiences henceforth, whether just the comfort of my own bedroom, or the excitement of a location that is completely new to me.
My full review HERE
Finished:
- 4*,
- 4*Currently Reading:
Savannah Breeze - Kindle
The Pillars of the Earth
The Priest's Graveyard
Tyrannosaur Canyon – Douglas Preston – 4****
This was one wild ride of a thriller! I was all set to follow independently wealth veterinarian Tom Broadbent, and then wanna-be monk and ex-CIA operative Wyman Ford steals the show. Plenty of action, more villains that you can shake a stick at, twists and turns and danger to keep the reader turning pages and trying (in vain, in my case at least) to guess where this is going. And I loved that the T-rex gets a few chapters of her own to “narrate.” Also, Preston’s female characters are really strong women!
My full review HERE
The Mockingbird Next Door – Marja Mills – 3.5***
Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills was sent to Monroeville Alabama on an assignment to gather background information for a piece about To Kill a Mockingbird . She met Alice Lee and her younger sister, Nelle Harper Lee, and over years became friends with them. This is her memoir of her time in Monroeville and the lessons she learned from the sisters – about the South, about family, about justice.
My full review HERE
The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine – Alexander McCall Smith – 4****
Book sixteen in the immensely popular – and equally enjoyable – series starring Mma Precious Ramotswe and other residents of Gabaron, Botswana. I love this series for the gentle “mysteries of daily life” and for the wonderful way that Precious arrives at the truth and solves her cases. There are no gristly murders here, though there are mysteries of human behavior. Spending time with the characters of these novels is like enjoying an afternoon libation on a patio in the sunshine.
My full review HERE
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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I, Alex Cross (other topics)
Fox & I (other topics)
On Gold Mountain: The 100-Year Odyssey of a Chinese-American Family (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Gill Paul (other topics)Elizabeth Peters (other topics)
Rainbow Rowell (other topics)
Liam Moiser (other topics)
Barbara Mertz (other topics)
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Currently Reading:
Boy Swallows Universe
The Beautiful Mystery
The Shattered Tree - Kindle
Murder for the Halibut
Stones for Ibarra