Play Book Tag discussion
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Trim 2020 Continuation - Announcement, Community, and Chit Chat Thread
Heather Reads Books wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Heather, I have that as my #21. I don't know if anyone else is onboard with that."I'm not really sure what goes into a buddy read, but I'm up for it. And that's fantastic that ..."
Punjabi Widows definitely fits well as comedy. Wonderful book and a lot more to it than you expect.
My #21 is The Magic Circle by Katherine Neville - sequel to her The Eight which I finally read last year as part of Trim! I'm excited. Does not fit comedy for sure but that is fine. It will be a fun read.
I probably wont even get to this month's pick until the beginning of May, but my #21 is nice that it will also fit "comedy":Powder Burn / Carl Hiaasen
I just adored the Magic Circle Theresa! But that’s not the sequel to the eight. I actually read that one first and just loved it! But they are totally different! The name of the sequel to the eight, by the same author obviously, it’s called the fire!
Amy wrote: "I just adored the Magic Circle Theresa! But that’s not the sequel to the eight. I actually read that one first and just loved it! But they are totally different! The name of the sequel to the eight..."You are right! Doesn't matter because I love her books!
I've started May's early (The Einstein Girl) as there's a LOT of books I want to get to in May, but may have to DNF it as it's already given me one nightmare. (view spoiler)
April's book is a DNF for me-like reading a text book-just couldn't do it anymore-But it is off the shelf, that's a good thing
I might have to do that too... mine is like over 500 pages!
Joanne wrote: "April's book is a DNF for me-like reading a text book-just couldn't do it anymore-But it is off the shelf, that's a good thing"Yes! Because it is all about TRIMMING the TBR, not necessarily READING cover to cover the TBR.
Drop kick April across the room!
Theresa wrote: "Joanne wrote: "April's book is a DNF for me-like reading a text book-just couldn't do it anymore-But it is off the shelf, that's a good thing"Yes! Because it is all about TRIMMING the TBR, not ne..."
and you can bet I will not go looking for this one when I have another panic attack about running out of books😁
Shelly wrote: "I also have Erotic Stories for Punjabi WidowsWill see if I can get an e-copy!"
Who all is reading Erotic Stories of Punjabi Widows?
If we can coordinate when we will be reading it we can have a buddy read.
I am pretty much open right now.
Booknblues wrote: "Who all is reading Erotic Stories of Punjabi Widows?
"
I'm also one that is part of the Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows but I'm not going to lie... I've been doing terrible at the Trim this go around. I'm 1 for 4 so far.
I've been focusing on what makes me feel good or happy more than anything else. This is one of the few on my Trim list that are books I've been wanting to read for a while but don't actually own. Libby says it should be ready to borrow in about 5 weeks. I'll put it on Hold and see what happens.
Booknblues wrote: "Who all is reading Erotic Stories of Punjabi Widows?If we can coordinate when we w..."
I'm interested, but I'm #50 on hold for the ebook at the library, so it might be a few weeks before I can get my hands on it.
My IRL bookclub is going to read this in May (I think). If so I can probably join the buddy read.
Booknblues wrote: "Shelly wrote: "I also have Erotic Stories for Punjabi WidowsWill see if I can get an e-copy!"
Who all is reading Erotic Stories of Punjabi Widows?
If we can coordinate when we w..."
I will read both:
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.
I have them both and they're tagged comedy.
I can read them anytime.
Booknblues wrote: "Shelly wrote: "I also have Erotic Stories for Punjabi WidowsWill see if I can get an e-copy!"
Who all is reading Erotic Stories of Punjabi Widows?
If we can coordinate when we w..."
I think I have this on audio. I didn't realize it would count for comedy. I'm happy to be in on it.
I'm at #1 to get Erotic Stories from the library. Hoping to start reading right on May 1st.
Does mid May 17 or 18 sound good to start of a week later, 24 or 25 for Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows?
That would work for me as I will be reading it in May anyway (confirmed officially with book club).
I have Erotic Stories as well but cannot get an e-copy, so I will wait. I will probably sub Virgil Wander on the suggestion of Lynn (Doughgirl). Her library is sponsoring a community read and why not join in from afar!
March Trim - #22The Prize - Julie Garwood
4 stars
William the Conqueror has taken over England from the Saxons. One holdout was Lady Nicholaa who had bested 3 knights sent to take her castle. However, she does not fool Royce and is taken to London to be given as “The Prize” to the champion of a tournament. But by saving the Queen's niece, Nicholaa is given the right to choose her own knight husband. She chooses Royce since she has seen how kind he is to his men and how he was to her on the trip to London. Once they are married it is not all smooth sailing. Royce is a trainer of warriors and some of the incidents portrayed of the ineptitude of the young warriors in training are hilarious. Nicholaa's brother Justin is one of them. He lost his hand in battle and is fighting depression and low self-esteem. I really enjoyed this old romantic tale.
I used to be fond of Garwood, when I read historical romances. The time of William the Conqueror has always been a favorite of mine.I read this one in 1991, so don't remember it all that well.
Well, shoot! (I just finished my April book, by the way... The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World). And... I noticed that I have a #20 that I just read in March, without realizing it. I'll have to find a replacement (though I was hoping not to have to do that... )
Well, I had to abandon The Witch Elm, just got a slow start and it is so freakin long! I will pick this up again sometime, though.
Finally finished a Trim book and it was a good one. April #6: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - 4 stars
The tale of 2 half sisters born in Ghana. One sister is sold to a white man as his local wife and the other is sold by the white man, taken to the US as a slave. Each pair of chapters shows the experience of their descendants, generation by generation. It looks at the continued effect and consequences of the slave trade. Both working the front end of the slave trade in Ghana as the British and others foment tribal rivalries to keep up their supply of slaves and at the brutal reality of life as a slave. As Marcus explain being overwhelmed to explain the current plight of African Americans in the US, the story is long and complicated moving from slavery of a white man owning a black man to slavery of the state owning the black man through the continued legal system of minor or made up arrests with long sentences to the influx of drugs in an already unfair set of circumstances.
The research is extensive and impressive discussing the consequences of the slave trade on both sides of the ocean for every generation since the 1700's creating a chain of difficulties and challenges inherited by all. While I would have enjoyed a deeper look at some of the stories, I appreciate the well formed vignettes of each chapter.
Finished May's (in April). 4 1/2 stars for The Einstein Girl by Philip Sington but would have been 5 if it hadn't given me a nightmare near the beginning!
Ha! When I went to update my challenge thread I discovered that I just finished a book that is on my list-LoL, so glad this challenge is all about clearing off the list and not for points. Anyway I am replacing my March book with the one that I read and putting the unread book back onto the list-
That’s just great Joanne! I just read one of my Trim list books for Bingo. I think we should have done sort of acknowledgement for those who made this challenge work. Maybe everyone who reads their twelve books gets a chance at the Randomizer next year?
I am still working on my #6 for April Frenchman's Creek and plan to have that finished this month along with my #21 The Beast's Heart. Technically, 21 was supposed to be The Last Book Party but since I don't own a copy and my library doesn't have any copies checked in I just switched them around.
Amy wrote: "That’s just great Joanne! I just read one of my Trim list books for Bingo. I think we should have done sort of acknowledgement for those who made this challenge work. Maybe everyone who reads their..."This is a great idea! Maybe they get a chance to pick a number of their choice straight up? I was trying to think of something that would be a personal treat...
I will definitely not make it, have only read like one of my trims for this challenge 😂
Hayjay315 wrote: "I am still working on my #6 for April Frenchman's Creek and plan to have that finished this month along with my #21 The Beast's Heart. Technically, 21 was supposed to..."And I have a print copy of The Last Book Party on my nightstand that is not due back at the library at this point until July 30th. I might manage to read it by then ... Proust will be done.
I am 4 for four! But you know me. I’ll do all 12 and on time too! Love how folks got into this challenge and all the buddy reads. About to start a buddy read with AJ for Comedy.
I finally got my hands on my #22 and liked it more than I expected.Darling Rose Gold - Stephanie Wrobel - 4 Stars
Darling Rose Gold chronicles a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship. The fictional story is based on the real life story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard who was born in 1991 and thought to have a collection of chronic conditions, including leukemia, asthma, muscular dystrophy and impaired mental capacity. Gypsy Rose was eventually determined to be a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy by her mother Dee Dee who was accused of fabricating most of her daughter’s disabilities.
At the start of this novel, single mother, Rose Gold, is picking up Patty, the mother who severely mistreated her for almost two decades. She's decided to invite Patty into her recently purchased home now that she's been released from prison. Told through the alternating perspectives of Patty and Rose Gold, you won’t know which one is reliable and you will keep changing your mind..
The subject manner in Darling Rose Gold is very dark but the author mostly alludes to what was done to Rose Gold as child. The story revolves around the consequences of that abuse. It won't take long to discover that Rose Gold and Patty both have more sinister plans than just reconciling. Both of these characters are very complicated. Both grew up in abusive households, which explains their actions, but doesn’t condone them.
This psychological thriller got tons of publicity prior to being published. I immediately added it to my TBR. Then some not-so-positive reviews came out and I waffled on whether I wanted to read it or not. Maybe my expectations were quite low by the time I read it but I really enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. If you need to like your characters, you should probably skip this one.
Glad you enjoyed your 22! The reviews for this one are pretty polarizing. I don't need to like my characters necessarily but I think I will skip for now.
My April pick (In the Woods by Tana French) finally came in from the library, so I’m a couple hundred pages in at the moment. Reserving judgment for now, but it’s holding my interest and making me realize how little I know about Ireland despite being part Irish... 🤔
Heather Reads Books wrote: "My April pick (In the Woods by Tana French) finally came in from the library, so I’m a couple hundred pages in at the moment. Reserving judgment for now, but it’s holding my interest and making me ..."I have that on my tbr as well, but I don't know when I will be able to get to it.
So I read my number 3 to fit a 1991, so I am putting In The Woods in there instead! So now it’s on my Trim list too! It happens to be out of the library and in the back of the car. So maybe number three gets picked in May!
Finished my May book, and only because it was a fit for both challenges, the monthly tag and this non-official Trim. All caught up here now! Yipee 5 books off the TBR. Let's not talk about how many more I have added since January ;)
Finished my #21 book for May - really loved this one:Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier - 5 stars - My Review
Do you have a master list of which numbers have been called out?
I can put one up! Give me a few hours...
Book Concierge wrote: "Do you have a master list of which numbers have been called out?"That's a good idea...
They have been:
Jan - #12
Feb - #9
Mar - #22
Apr - #6
May - #21
Amy, do you want to update the initial thread post with that and update as we go through?
I'm beginning to read Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
.I'll set up a buddy read discussion for anyone wanting to join in.
Will get to it eventually! Wanted to say I finished my #21, Where the Forest Meets the Stars! Lovely quick read!
Thanks for the list, Amy. I had missed noting one of them on my spreadsheet. All fixed now.I've finished two of them .. # 21 only just yesterday, though I haven't written my review yet.
But I've also read six others off my master list in my effort to get the entire list read this year.
Whew, finally got my #6 finished, In the Woods by Tana French. Unfortunately, I ended up not liking it at all... I kept going because of the sunk cost fallacy, I suppose. Full review is here. At least it's finally off my TBR!
#21Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows- Balli Kaur Jaswal
I am so glad, I finally had a chance to read Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows because it is such an entertaining multi-layered story which touches on so many issues in a humorous, but also thoughtful and insightful manner.
We frequently misunderstand each other and have preconceived notions regarding others even within the same culture and this is what happens with Nikki, and her older students. Nikki is a modern 20 something, Punjabi-English woman who is trying to find her niche in the world. She takes a position teaching writing to Punjabi women at a temple community center. The women believe that she is teaching them English skills for reading, writing and speaking.
I always love a good teacher story where an understanding and respect develops between the teacher and her students and this novel is really an excellent one. It goes beyond that with insights on culture and identity and there is a very scary undercurrent going on which the reader and Nikki have to discover.
It gets away being a comedy, because there is enough lightness involved and it is tied up in a bow.
Heather Reads Books wrote: "Whew, finally got my #6 finished, In the Woods by Tana French. Unfortunately, I ended up not liking it at all... I kept going because of the sunk cost fallacy, I suppose. Full review ..."Darn, that's the worst! I have gotten better about DNFing, but I still struggle to do it.
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I discovered the lack of European fantasy translations to English when I needed one from Scandinavia for a summer book club hosted by Scandinavia House here in NYC. I finally found one...a novella really.