January 2020: Monthly read - A book from your TBR

[❀ Susan]

Hi all - the monthly read for January is a book that has been in your TBR pile for more than a year. This topic does not lead to one book for the month that we can all read as although we make have a few commonalities, our piles (should I say mountains of books) are likely all different.

For January we can discuss the books that we are all reading (and likely add to our piles)!!

[Lisa]

That is a good choice. I have so many books that have been on my TBR more than a year. It will be great to knock at least one off!

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺]

I think I'm going with Touch by Alexi Zentner for a book that's been on my TBR for more than a year.

[Petra]

I'm going with When The Saints. It's been on my TBR list since 2015.

[Rainey]

I am going with Indian Horse - its been on my TBR since 2016

[Heather(Gibby)]

I have read all three of those, and they are all excellent.

I am probably going with The Age of Hope

[Kathleen]

Indian Horse has been on my TBR shelf since 2016, so I think that I will read it in January. Richard Wagamese is one of my favourite authors.

[Susan]

I have decided to read No Great Mischief, which has been on my TBR shelf since 2016. It could fit into a number of bingo squares, too, so I can move it around if need be. :-)

[❀ Susan]

@Susan - you are in for a treat. I loved that book!

[Connie]

@Susan I think I will read No Great Mischief also. I originally was going to do Dear Life by Alice Munro but Iam also doing a Nobel Prize challenge and that book and they are doing a group read of that book later on.

[Connie]

@Susan found this pic of Alistair MacLeod, note computer still in box. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17oCQ...

[Connie]

And I just finished first Canadian Bingo book. "No Great Mischief" A five star read for me. A shame this was his only novel, short stories are not something I read often but may need to check his out.

[❀ Susan]

i LOVED this book and keep meaning to get to his collection of short stories!

edited to add that i cannot access the picture

[Connie]

❀ Susan wrote: "i LOVED this book and keep meaning to get to his collection of short stories!

edited to add that i cannot access the picture"

I also want to check out his short stories, but may be awhile.

The pic showed him in office books and papers everywhere, a typewriter on shelf covered with books and a computer still in the box.

[Susan]

I finished No Great Mischief for the January monthly read. It really is a lovely book. Somewhere in the middle of it, I wasn't sure where it was going or if it was all going to hang together and now that I know the full arc of the novel I think I'd like to reread it at some point. I definitely would recommend it.

It is on the CBC's 100 Novels That Make You Proud list, and that's the bingo square I will be putting it in for now. :-)

[[deleted user]]

This is one I would like to take time and read. Thank you for the recommendation.

[Petra]

I finished reading When The Saints, which has been on my TBR list (and on my bookshelf) for 5 years. This is a well written debut novel.
This is a story of a family raised under very dysfunctional circumstances but never lost their resilience. Yes, they struggle and will continue to struggle after the last pages of this book. But they are trying.
I felt a bit sorry for the father figure. He was the one who brought his baggage into the next generation, so yes, he was a source of dysfunction and pain. However, in his childhood, he was alone (only child), so his suffering was endured alone. His children, although in a painful & dysfunctional upbringing, had each other. Is this a help in such a dysfunction?
I enjoyed the humor throughout the book, too.
And Janis. Janis is a star.

[Susan]

When the Saints was a great read. I can’t wait to see what that author does next. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Petra.

[Petra]

Thanks, Susan. I also would read other works by this author. She's off to a good start with this novel.

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺]

Just finished Touch, the book I chose for this reading task. What a great book! Such remarkable storytelling.

[Kathleen]

Last Saturday I read Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese. It was the book I chose for this reading task. The writing is beautiful and the
story is heart-breaking. I gave 5 stars to this wise and magical novel about love, family and the power of spirit.
I saw the movie, but think that the book was much better.

[Wanda]

On the weekend I had finished Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Niell. It was depressing and felt too much like my work. I found it was in some ways similar to her another of her books, the Lonely Hearts Hotel which I preferred of the two. Still really good writing just dark content to digest.

[Petra]

I finished another book from my shelves. Salt: A World History. It's been on my TBR list for 10 years.
I'm glad I finally read it. I first became aware of salt through history in The Great Hedge of India: The Search for the Living Barrier that Divided a People, a travelogue with the purpose of finding the remnants of the great hedge.

I enjoyed Salt: A World History for the most part. It follows salt production, commerce, influence, importance, etc from ancient times to the present. It also includes many old recipes, which are fun to read through. There are many interesting reveals about some of our common sayings and their origins (ie: "worth his salt", "red herring", etc).
The book is, though, somewhat repetitive. He mentions facts in an early chapter that he delves more into in a later chapter. This made the book somewhat long at times.
All in all, an interesting read but a bit long.

[Natasha]

I read Louise Penny’s masterpiece “Bury Your Dead”. It’s the sixth book in the Inspector Gamache series, and my favourite so far. It was rich, layered, complex, stunningly written and beautifully told. It was a powerful book that seemed laser focused on one of my aspects of Penny’s writing - revealing the humanity and vulnerability in her beloved characters. Confessions: She set this one in Quebec City, which is one of my favourite cities to visit. Each time I read I had a croissant and coffee or chocolate and red wine.

[❀ Susan]

@Natasha, i have bee meaning to read her books for years! croissants and chocolate sound like great reading companions!

[Mj]

@ Nastasha - I too loved Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny and rated it 5 stars. Any Quebec City setting suits me fine. I agree that it's a great place to visit. The series is so terrific that I only allow myself 1 every year or two because I don't want it to end and want it to be fresh. When I read them I savour every minute.

Penny's writing is that good with terrific characters, great research and complex layers to her plots. As you can see, I am a huge fan and start gushing when I write reviews about Penny's books. Inspector Gamache is my all-time favourite Renaissance Man. So glad you enjoyed this book after some reading slumps. My next book up is #9 - How the Light Gets in which also takes place in Quebec City during Christmas. Might try it for a December read. We could do a buddy read if you've read 7 & 8 or don't mind reading out of order.....or I can wait.

Not sure if you're joining in on the 2020 Canadian Content Bingo. I hope you do!!. Bury Your Dead fits nicely into the NI Bingo Square - mystery or thriller.

[Natasha]

Mj wrote: "@ Nastasha - I too loved Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny and rated it 5 stars. Any Quebec City setting suits me fine. I agree that it's a great place to visit. The ser..."

Hi MJ! If you can wait, I would LOVE to do a buddy read with you for How the Light Gets In. I currently have A Trick of the Light on my tablet, so I would only have to move on to #8 to catch up to you. I would very happily allow myself 3 of the sublime Inspector Gamache books this year. :)

[Mj]

@ Natasha - Sounds great!! Should be fun. Just let me know when you get close to being ready to start How the Light Gets in, so I can order a book through the library. No need to rush through reading the other 2 books. Savour and enjoy!! As mentioned, it takes place just before Christmas., although it looks like it takes place in Three Pines and with its wonderfully quirky characters.

[❀ Susan]

sounds like a fun buddy read!

as January comes to a close how did you do on the book from your TBR pile? I read The Hour of the Fox which was a bit of a disappointment after reading his other book The Piano Maker which was fabulous.

[Petra]

I finished the two books listed above. I enjoyed both, although Salt had some repetitive parts. I'm glad I got both of those off my TBR list. They've been there for 10 years; both were added in 2010.

My TBR list is out of control but this challenge made me look at the older entries and there are some good books there....I really should get to them one day.

[Heather(Gibby)]

Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ wrote: "Just finished Touch, the book I chose for this reading task. What a great book! Such remarkable storytelling."

It is one of my favorite Canadian reads of all time, and seems to not be too well known, so glad you enjoyed it.