The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
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<closed thread>What are you currently reading?
I finished "Dark Matter' and starting "The Kitchen God's Wife"
Finished:
- 3*,
- 4*,
- 4*Started:
The Body in the Belfry
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild
The Secret Place
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Continued Reading:
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame - buddy read
Circle of Friends
The Bat – Jo Nesbø – 4****
Book #1 in the Inspector Harry Hole series. Nesbø writes a tight, fast-paced thriller with plenty of clues, several red herrings, a flawed but likeable lead detective, and an interesting setting. I’ll definitely read more of this series.
LINK to my review
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry – Fredrik Backman – 4****
I was charmed by Elsa and her crazy grandmother, as well as by the cast of “not-quite-normal” characters who inhabit the apartment building Elsa calls home. There is plenty of action, some significant danger and distress, and enough humor to ease the tension. If the scenario is not believable, well who cares. I wanted a happily-ever-after ending, and for the most part that what’s I got.
LINK to my review
Irish Girls About Town – Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, et al – 3.5***
This is a collection of short stories written by Irish female authors. While the stories vary considerably, they are all about love in its many disguises. A few of the stories feature more mature women, but most deal with younger women and the men they love, or hope to love, or love to hate. On the whole, it’s an enjoyable anthology.
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 4*,
- 4*,
- 4*,
- 4*,
- 5*,
- 4*Reading:
Step into the Light
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
Will start tomorrow:
Zero at the Bone
Gun Games
Murder at the Academy Awards: A Red Carpet Murder Mystery
Corelli's Mandolin
Bookmarked For Death – Lorna Barrett – 3***
This is a typical cozy mystery scenario, with an amateur sleuth who cannot keep out of the investigation. The plot stretches credulity, but I like the many references to mystery authors sprinkled throughout.
LINK to my review
Bea wrote: "Finished: - 3*, - 4*, - 4*Started:
The Body in the Belfry
[book:I Am Malal..."
I loved I Am Malala
Book Concierge wrote: "Bookmarked For Death
– Lorna Barrett – 3***
This is a typical cozy mystery scenario, with an amateur sleuth who cannot keep out of the investigation. T..."
I also read this book and I liked it enough to want to read the other books in the series.
Finished:
- 3*,
- DNFStep into the Light: Good story but not as tightly written as could have been. Main character too frayed at times.
Murder at the Academy Awards: A Red Carpet Murder Mystery: OMG. Main protagonist too much like the real life writer. Only able to manage 16 pages.
I finished "Banana Cream Pie Murder" and still working on "The Kitchen God's Wife"
Four to Score – Janet Evanovich – 3.5***
The earlier books in the series are very entertaining, but I lost interest after about book twelve. I re-read this one because it’s fast, enjoyable and fits a challenge.
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 5*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America - back burner for now
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
Gun Games
Corelli's Mandolin
Swallow the Lake
Blanche on the Lam
Zero at the Bone was a wonderful read! This book won the Agatha Best First Novel Award, and I can certainly see why. I looked up this author and she has only written 4-5 books total. I will definitely look for another one of hers.
A Night to Remember – Walter Lord – 5*****
This is a first-hand account of what the people aboard the Titanic recall of the night she sank. It’s a gripping story, and Lord does a great job of bringing all these people to life. I get a real sense of the confusion and disbelief when the ship first strikes the iceberg. And later, of the chaos and panic when it is clear she will go down.
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 4*,
- 2*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America - back burner for now
Gun Games
Corelli's Mandolin
Selected Poems
Track of the Cat
Cover of Snow
44 Scotland Street – Alexander McCall Smith – 3.5***
I love this kind of ensemble piece. Not much happens, and everything happens: love found, lost and found again, awkward encounters, a hidden masterpiece, a new job and therapy sessions. I want to know more about them, especially Pat and Matthew
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 4*,
- 3*,
- 3*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
Selected Poems
Cover of Snow
Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
Gutenberg’s Apprentice – Alix Christie – 3.5***
In her debut novel, Christie explores one of the most momentous events in history: the invention of the printing press. I did find the information about the conflicts between the guilds, the ruling class, and the Church interesting, but it went on for so long that I grew tired of the political and personal intrigue. Still, in this age of digital print, it is all the more wonderful to imagine the creativity, skill and hard work that went into this marvelous invention.
LINK to my review
I finished "The Kitchen God's Wife" and starting "The Bear and the Nightingale"
Finished:
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
Selected Poems
Cover of Snow
Starting:
My Name Is Red
The Club Dumas
Snow Crash
The Mists of Avalon
The Penelopiad – Margaret Atwood – 3***
Atwood takes the story of the faithful Penelope, waiting 20 years for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War, and reimagines it. I liked this intelligent, savvy woman.
LINK to my review
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke – 3.5***
Fantasy is really not my thing, but I did enjoy this book. I liked the play / counter play between the two magicians, and particularly enjoyed the scenes where they are influencing the Napoleonic Wars. That being said, however, this was just way too long. I found my mind wandering as much as the plot did. I certainly understand the popularity of the novel, but I wouldn't go out of my way to read another novel by Clarke.
LINK to my review
Wolf by Wolf – Ryan Graudin – 2.5**
This is interesting speculative fiction dealing with “what might have been” had Germany & Japan won WW2. The plot moves as quickly as the racers bound from Germania to Tokyo. Yael is a strong heroine – resourceful, intelligent, physically and mentally fit for the challenge. I thought there were several holes in this plot, and I think I would have enjoyed this kind of speculative plot without the “skin shifting” aspect. While I recognize the appeal for the target audience, it really wasn’t the book for me.
LINK to my review
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake – Amy E Reichert – 4****
What a deliciously delightful foodie romance! I liked the characters, and was invested in their story from beginning to end. The food descriptions made me hungry, and I loved the way Reichert described the joys of Milwaukee (my home town).
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 4*,
- 5*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
My Name Is Red
Snow Crash
The Mists of Avalon
Do Unto Others
Home Improvement: Undead Edition
West With the Night – Beryl Markham – 5*****
Markham was an independent woman who lived life to the fullest, and on her own terms. While there has been significant controversy over whether she actually wrote this memoir (vs her third husband ghost-writing it for her), I still highly recommend it! Full of vivid imagery and really gives a sense of what life was like for the colonialists in Kenya in the early part of the 20th century.
LINK to my review
I finished "The Bear and the Nightingale" and starting "After You"
Baking Cakes in Kigali – Gaile Parkin – 4****
This is a delightful debut novel. I love Angel – she’s wise, discreet, confident, compassionate, decisive and a great friend and mentor. There are several humorous episodes and several touchingly sad ones, but Angel deals with any situation with aplomb and compassion. Parkin peoples the novel with a wide array of characters who form a community and celebrate together with one of Angel’s excellent cakes.
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 3*,
- 4*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
The Mists of Avalon
Do Unto Others
Home Improvement: Undead Edition
Journey to the Heart
Started:
The Cruelest Month
The Unquiet Bones
The Traitor's Emblem
Clouds of Witness
The World’s Strongest Librarian – Josh Hanagarne – 4****
I really enjoyed this memoir of one man’s struggles to come to grips with his Tourette’s, and to find balance in his life, his work, his family and his faith. I loved all the literary references!
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 4*I loved this premise: paranormal beings + home remodeling. What fun and creative stories these were!
Just finished Daughter of the Forest (review) and Lolita (review). I enjoyed Lolita a little more than Daughter of the Forest, but both were not necessarily books I would otherwise read.
Finished:
- 3.5*But, since GR does not allow .5*, it will show as 3*. Won Best First Novel for the Agatha Awards in 1994.
My Name is Lucy Barton – Elizabeth Strout – 5*****
I love character-driven novels such as this one. Strout writes beautifully, with prose that reveals her characters to the reader with nuance and grace. Lucy’s recollections and probing questions lead her mother to reveal some of the “why” behind how Lucy came to be the woman she is.
LINK to my review
Finished reading "After You" and starting "The Couple Next Door"
Finished:
- 4*,
- 3*,
- 4*,
- 4*I have got to admit that I really enjoyed the 4* books I finished this week.
Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America - on hold
The Mists of Avalon
The Traitor's Emblem
Rose Under Fire
Started:
The Body In The Transept
The Route – Gale Sears – 2.5**
This was okay, but I found little substance here and I felt it was predictable. Some of the patrons on Carol’s route were charming, some were irascible. A few needed more help than Carol could provide, and a couple of them helped her more than she helped them.
LINK to my review
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp For Girls – Anton DiSclafani – 3***
The story is told in alternating time frames: the events back home in Florida, and the events at the school during Thea’s year at Yonahlossee. As Thea related what is happening and how she felt, I found myself worried for this emotionally distant girl, who seemed unable to control her impulses or to recognize the potential consequences of her actions.
LINK to my review
Finished:
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
The Mists of Avalon
Rose Under Fire
The Body In The Transept
Starting Tomorrow:
The Chili Queen
Five Little Pigs
The Bloody Tower
Full Moon, Bloody Moon
Murder on a Girls' Night Out
Epitaph – Mary Doria Russell – 4****
In a sequel to her earlier novel, Doc, Russell explores what REALLY happened at the OK Corral. I love Russell’s writing. She does extensive research and is not content to give us only one side of the issues, or one facet of the characters. The novel focuses on Josie Marcus and Wyatt Earp, but every character fairly leaps off the page.
LINK to my review
One Two Buckle My Shoe – Agatha Christie – 3***
Christie always delivers a well-constructed plot, with plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. While I did catch on to a few of the tricks, I didn’t figure out the real culprit until Poirot revealed the answer.
LINK to my review
--------- * * * * * * * * --------
Expecting Adam – Martha N Beck – 4****
3.5*** rounded up. The subtitle of this memoir is: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic. Beck writes well, and she is very honest about what she went through. Her self-deprecating humor is refreshing, and a few scenes had me laughing out loud.
LINK to my review
THE ENGLISH PATIENT - Michael OndaatjeHOMEGOING - Yaa Gyasi
JANE EYRE - Charlotte Bronte
Finished:
- 5*,
- 4*,
- 4*,
- 4*,
- 3*,
- 4*Reading:
Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America
The Mists of Avalon
The Chili Queen
The Salaryman's Wife
Daytripper
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy – Rachel Joyce – 5*****
Oh, I love Queenie! She admits that her first instinct when faced with a difficult situation has always been to flee. Now, at the end of her life she faces the secrets she has been hiding, and hiding from, with courage and grace, and pours out her heart in a long letter of love and forgiveness.
LINK to my review
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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Liam Moiser (other topics)
Barbara Mertz (other topics)
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Maria, Daughter of Immigrants – Maria Antonietta Berrizobal – 3.5***
I really enjoyed and was captivated by Maria’s personal journey as she outlines it in the book. But a little more than half-way through the book, it seemed to become more of a history of the politics of the city than Maria’s autobiography. I still found this interesting, because I’m from San Antonio, but I think it detracted from the central story of her own life.
LINK to my review