Play Book Tag discussion
Member ChallengeTracking 2016-20
>
Cindy/LibraryCin's 2020 Challenges
12x12 Nonfiction, Trim the TBR (Classic), NonfictionCAT, Poll Ballot Tally, Travel Across CanadaThe Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in a Polygamous Mormon Sect / Daphne Bramham
4 stars
“Saints” in the title refers to the religion, “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” (LDS), or more specifically, fundamentalist LDS (FLDS) – that is, the polygamous branch of the LDS/Mormons. This book includes info from various, mostly former, FLDS – that is, it includes some memoir-type info with regard to some people (again, mostly those who have left), but the second part talks about the law, courts, trials, and even that some governments look the other way (British Columbia in Canada seems the worst for that).
This book does focus more on the Canadian FLDS (and leader/prophet Winston Blackmore) than any other I’ve read, so that was interesting to me. I’m in Calgary, Alberta, and though I knew about Bountiful, BC (actually called Lister, which I didn’t know), I did not know that there is a small population of FLDS in Alberta, as well, mostly in/around Cardston. The FLDS is so intertwined, though, that it started with a history, and there is also much about the communities in Utah and Arizona, and of course, about Warren Jeffs.
I have read quite a bit about the FLDS so many names are already familiar to me in that I’ve read some of those memoirs. I know that a few of the Canadian FLDS had a trial wrap up in BC last year, so I’m going to look that up to refresh my memory on what happened there. This book was published in 2008, so things have happened since then (like the trial in BC). I found the second part of the book – the legal stuff – much more interesting than I expected, and found myself even more interested than in the first half of the book; I guess much of that was exasperation and frustration at all the laws they are breaking... and in some cases, flaunting (in addition to polygamy, there is, of course, all kinds of abuse, plus bilking the government (i.e. taxpayers) out of as much money as possible – they need all that extra income to feed their 15+ wives and 70+ children (ok, that might just be Blackmore with that many, but you get the picture)).
12x12 PBT, PBT, Trim the TBR (Classic), ScaredyKITThe Good Son / You-Jeong Jeong
3.5 stars
When 25-year old Yu-jin wakes up one morning, his house is strangely silent. He is used to hearing his mother at certain times every day. Not only that, he thinks he had a seizure the night before and can’t remember how or when he got home. It’s not long before he discovers his mother’s body in a puddle of blood. What happened the night before...?
This was good. It was slow-moving as Yu-jin tried to figure out what had happened. It does make me, a little bit, not to want to walk by myself at night (though not possible for me to always avoid, as I don’t drive).
12x12 Trim, Trim the TBR (Classic), Poll BallotThe House Girl / Tara Conklin
2.5 stars
In the mid-19th century house slave Josephine is planning to escape. Current day, Lina is a lawyer. Her law firm wants to file a reparations lawsuit, but needs to find a descendant to represent. While Lina looks for such a descendant, she is drawn into Josephine’s story. Josephine is thought to be the real artist behind the art supposedly created by a white woman, the woman Josephine serves.
I may have that summary a bit “off”. I listened to the audio, but I’m not going to fault the narrator for my loss of focus. I have listened to this narrator before and rated those books 4 and 5 stars (for the 5 star book, she as one of a few narrators). So, unfortunately, I did lose focus many times in this book, so I never really cared about the characters and I wasn’t all that interested in the story.
12x12 PBT, PBT, Poll Ballot, RandomCAT, NonfictionCAT, AlphaKITEducated / Tara Westover
4.25 stars
In this memoir, Tara Westover primarily recalls her childhood, growing up in a Mormon family in Idaho. Her parents didn’t believe in education, or public health, or anything government-related. Her father sold scrap metal from his junkyard, and enlisted all his kids to help, including his youngest, Tara. As she and her siblings grew up with no education, a few of them decided to leave to get that education they’d been missing. Tara was left at home along with her extremely abusive brother, Shawn, until she was able to get away, as well.
It started off a bit slow, but it built and built, I thought. It was hard as the book continued on – even as Tara left TO get that education she missed out on while growing up – to watch how hard a time she had cutting ties with her abusive family. I guess – it’s her family. Even as she grew to know how they were just wasn’t right, they were still her family.
12x12 Reading Through Time, Reading Through Time, AlphaKIT, Poll BallotSalt: A World History / Mark Kurlansky
2.5 stars
This is pretty much what the title says. It looks at how people have used salt throughout the world and throughout history – what they’ve used it for, how they’ve obtained it and made it useful to them, and more.
It was very long. Some parts were interesting, but much was kind of dry for me. I did learn a couple of interesting things, like ketchup was initially an anchovy sauce! Nothing to do with tomatoes! And places in England ending in “wich” in the name at some point had salt mines.
12x12 KIT Challenges, AlphaKIT, Trim the TBR (Classic), Poll BallotThe Sometimes Daughter / Sherri Wood Emmons
4 stars
Sweet Judy Blue Eyes was born at Woodstock to a high hippie mother, Cassie. Cassie later becomes upset when her husband Kirk “sells out” and goes to school to become a lawyer, so she leaves Kirk and Judy when Judy is only 6-years old to live on a commune. Cassie pops in and out of Judy’s life as the years go on and as Judy grows up.
I really liked this. Have to admit this was a rare book that started stronger than it ended – at least for me. Overall, though, I’m going to keep it at the 4 star rating I was thinking throughout the first half of the book. I was a bit disappointed in some choices Judy made as a teenager. I did love the relationship between Judy and her dad, though.
12x12 Series, AlphaKIT, Poll Ballot, Trim the TBR (Classic)Forever / Maggie Stiefvater
2.5 stars
Possible spoilers for previous books... (view spoiler). Isabelle’s father(?) is insisting on a wolf hunt to get rid of the wolves once and for all.
I missed a bit too much in the first half to give it a higher rating. As usual, a better recap would have been appreciated... but then, maybe there was one and I missed it? It did pick up for me in the second half, and I paid more attention (I was listening to the audio, so that’s always easier for me to lose focus). It’s unfortunate I never did really figure out where Cole or Isabelle fit in, nor did I like either character very much.
12x12 Animals, PBT, Trim the TBR (Classic)The Llama of Death: A Gunn Zoo Mystery / Betty Webb
3.5 stars
Teddy is a zookeeper, but at this moment, she helping at a weekend fundraiser for the local no-kill animal shelter, a Renaissance Faire, where she is with the llama who is providing rides to the kids. The llama, Alejandro, likes kids, but not-so-much adults. The first night, there is a ruckus in the llama pen when the man who runs the local wedding chapel is founded murdered. Teddy’s mom ends up being suspected.
This was a good, solid, enjoyable mystery. I’ve found all the ones in this series to be this way. I do love the additional animal tidbits that are added in. I actually liked that many of the characters didn’t want to talk to Teddy as she tried to find out more to clear her mother’s name (a little more realistic than many cozies where people just go ahead and blab to the amateur sleuth).
12x12 Off the ShelfConfessions on the 7:45 / Lisa Unger
3.75 stars
Selena and Martha meet on the train. Selena has just discovered/confirmed her husband is cheating with the nanny. She and Martha each confess things to the other, and Martha makes an odd comment. As Selena tries to sort out what to do about her husband and the nanny, she gets a text from Martha, “Martha. From the train”. Selena never gave Martha her number...
The start was similar to “Strangers on a Train”. It was a bit slow-going, as I guess many of these kinds of psychological thrillers are. We follow a few different characters’ perspectives, and we back up in time to hear how we got to this point, particularly in Martha’s life. I feel like my just under 4 stars could be due to the slow-moving, but considering there are other slow-moving thrillers out there that I’ve rated 4 stars, maybe I’ve just been reading too many of them? Of course, a couple of the twists brought my rating up just a touch.
12x12 KIT Challenges, AlphaKIT, Poll BallotWhere the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens
4 stars
In the early 1950s, 5- or 6-year old Kya watches her mother walk away from the shack Kya and her siblings are growing up in. She doesn’t come home. Over the next few years, Kya’s older siblings also walk away, until it’s only Kya and her neglectful (and sometimes drunk and abusive) father. When Kya is 9 or 10, her father leaves, too. Kya spends all her time in the marsh and doesn’t feel comfortable with other people, who tease her and call her “Marsh Girl”. In 1969, a young man is found at the bottom of a fire tower. They aren’t sure if it was an accident or not, but the sheriff is investigating as if it’s not.
The book brings us up in time to the event in 1969, and slightly beyond. It’s pretty slow-moving, but the last quarter or so of the book, I found really dramatic and I upped my rating due to that.
12x12 Audio, MysteryKITCover of Snow / Jenny Milchman
2.25 stars
When Nora wakes up one morning, she discovers her cop husband, Brandon, has killed himself. Nora had no idea this was coming, and she must find out what led to it. While doing so, she uncovers not only personal secrets her husband kept from her, but also some disturbing things covered up by the small local police force.
I listened to the audio, and sadly, the narrator had a very monotone voice that did not keep me interested at all, though it sounds like something that should be interesting. I did hear some of the secrets that were uncovered at the end... maybe they were meant to be exciting twists and turns, but I missed so much in between that it just wasn’t all that interesting. It started interesting -- and even having now finished it – I do wonder what led Brandon to kill himself...? I’d kind of like to just find a summary with all the spoilers.
12x12 Animals, PBT, PBT Bingo, Poll Ballot, Trim the TBR (Classic)Kitty Cornered: How Frannie and Five Other Incorrigible Cats Seized Control of Our House and Made It Their Home / Bob Tarte
3.5 stars
Bob and his Linda have a mini-zoo in their house: ducks, geese, rabbits, various birds and six cats. This book focuses on their cats and how they came to be in Bob and Linda’s lives.
I love how he showed each cats’ personality – they really are all different. There was humour in this book, and I discovered after that he has other books about their other critters – I’ve added one more to my tbr. I wasn’t necessarily impressed with a few things they did (indoor/outdoor cats; (at least) one was declawed; I’m not sure they really understand the best way to introduce cats, as they seemed to be the type that just let them “sort it out”), but maybe he just didn’t go into detail or explain? Really, though, you can see how much he loves his cats and he has some great stories, and some of them do include some of the harder things – the vet visits, peeing outside the box, shy/feral cats.
12x12 Trim, Trim the TBR (Classic), AlphaKIT, BingoDOGThe Venetian's Wife: A Strangely Sensual Tale of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis / Nick Bantock
3.5 stars
Sara works at a museum and isn’t looking for a new job when she is contacted by email, out of the blue, but someone she doesn’t know. This man is offering her a mysterious well-paid job, and their contact is to only be via email. It turns out he would like her to help him find and acquire 4 original sculptures from the 15th century. Meanwhile, she does miss seeing the man at work she has a crush on.
This is something very different, with illustrations peppered on most (if not all) pages; it was part in diary form and part email. This surprised me. I was a bit doubtful about it and could not remember why I added it to my tbr. I’m not that much into art, and it has an odd subtitle. It was good, though. It moved quickly, so was not very long and did not take long to read.
12x12 Nonfiction, TravelKIT, Poll BallotTwo for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food / Jane & Michael Stern
3.5 stars
Jane and Michael Stern are married and have been travelling across the US since just after they married in 1970 to find local eateries (aka “roadfood”) and review them. This is a memoir of their travels and the food.
This was entertaining. Many chapters focused on an area and at the end of each chapter they included a couple of recipes of things they mentioned in the chapter. (Except the chapter on the awful food they tried (or smelled and didn’t try!) The recipes at the end of that chapter included foods that many people dislike). I’m not one who reads recipes, but each recipe had a story to go with it, so I did read that. I bake more than cook, and I’m not an adventurous eater. That was one of the nice things about this book – though there were some odd things, much of it was just “American” food (bbqs, pies, ice cream, steak, etc.). Although I don’t eat meat often, I really want to try a steamed cheeseburger (head to Meriden, Connecticut for that one)!
12x12 PBT Challenges, KITastrophe, Poll BallotKrakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 / Simon Winchester
1.5 stars
Krakatoa is a volcano that erupted in 1883. I think it has erupted many(?) times since then.
Can’t tell much more about this, as I (unfortunately) listened to the audio. It was a male British voice (the author), so I recognized immediately that I was in trouble. I was bored. It didn’t hold my interest at all. It did seem to start with a lot of historical information about the area (Java, Sumatra). Beyond that, I think it took a long time to get to the volcano, but even then, I wasn’t really listening. For some reason, he went on about Islam at the end, though I’m unsure as to why. Despite listening to the entire thing, I’m having to read other summaries and reviews to find out what happened.
12x12 Off the Shelf, RandomCAT, Poll BallotThe Fireman / Joe Hill
3.5 stars
There is a new plague – a spore – that is spreading throughout the population. It causes people to suddenly burst into flames. When a nurse, Harper, comes down with it, her husband leaves her and she is driven from her home as there are people out there who are hunting down and killing those with “Dragonscale”. They are marked with an elaborate tattoo when infected, so it can be hard to hide. Harper ends up in the woods with a group of other people hiding out with Dragonscale, including a man they call “The Fireman”. Things take a turn for the worse at this camp when their leader is seriously injured.
This was good. It was long, but it was good. I liked that Allie, the teenager, was portrayed realistically – at least I thought so. Good and bad, temperamental, like a teenager. We also had some crazy characters and some power-hungry ones. I do wonder if there will be a sequel.
12x12 Nonfiction, MysteryKIT, AlphaKIT, Poll BallotThe Dark Heart: A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator / Joakim Palmkvist
4 stars
This is true crime in Sweden, a translation. In 2012, a man, Goran, disappears. His oldest daughter (in her 20s), Sara, is set to inherit her father’s forestry business. Goran was very well off (though stingy with what he spent). Goran had had a feud with his neighbour for a long time, and he had been upset with Sara for dating the neighbour’s son. It was longer than one would expect before Sara even reported her father missing. In the meantime, a woman named Therese had recently set up “Missing Persons”, a volunteer group who help police with searches.
The book gave a lot of info about police procedure -- what the police need to do and how they need to do it while investigating -- which I found quite interesting. I did think Therese took a few too many chances, though! Yikes! Overall, I found this really interesting and quite enjoyed reading it.
12x12 OverflowThe Arrival / Shaun Tan
3.5 stars
This graphic novel is told entirely by illustrations. No words. A man is leaving his wife and child to travel (immigrate) someplace new.
This was well done. The illustrations are beautiful. I was able to figure out what was going on, at least at the start and end. There were a few things in the middle that confused me a bit. There were no words at all, and I felt like it was meant to represent how someone who doesn’t speak the language might interpret things, but some of it was just so odd, I couldn’t quite figure it out. And I felt like (if that’s why the no words), the man would have started to figure things out a bit more as time went on. The “story” is 3 stars (ok), but the illustrations brought it up for me to 3.5 (good). I want to rate it higher because it’s so original, but I’m just not sure. It really is a beautiful book, though.
12x12 KIT Challenges, MysteryKITThe Woman Outside My Door / Rachel Ryan
4 stars
When 7-year old Cody comes out of the bushes in the park and tells his mom his “new granny” gave him sweets, Georgina panics. The only grandmother Cody ever knew, Georgina’s mother, died 6 months earlier. At home, Cody gets phone calls; if Georgina answers the phone, the person on the other end doesn’t speak. Other odd things start happening. Georgina feels that someone is stalking her little boy. However, Georgina is still dealing with the loss of her mother, plus there are things going wrong in her marriage.
I thought this was really good. You can’t tell if she is a reliable narrator. I was annoyed by Georgina’s husband, Bren, who kept dismissing her fears. I felt like he changed his mind a bit too quickly, though, when he started believing Georgina’s fears. He shouldn’t have dismissed them so quickly to start with, but he also seemed to come around too fast, in comparison with how he’d originally reacted. Even still, it kept me reading. It’s a fast read and kept me wanting to find out what was going on.
12x12 Oh CanadaHalf Spent Was the Night: A Witches' Yuletide / Ami McKay
2.5 stars
This is a short story sequel to Ami McKay’s “The Witches of New York”. In this one, our three witches are preparing for Christmas. They are invited to a ball, but they don’t know the host and are unable to figure out why they were invited.
I listened to the audio, and I may not have that summary exactly right, but it’s something along those lines. I caught bits and pieces of the story, but missed much of it. I even went back and re-listened to the second half because I felt I missed all of that half (it was short, the second half was only 41 minutes). I wanted to like it. I like witches and I like Christmas, but it just didn’t hold my attention. Caught a bit more of the second half the second time around, but not much.
12x12 PBT Challenges, Fall Flurries, RandomCAT, PBT Bingo, ScaredyKIT, Poll Ballot, AlphaKITPhantoms / Dean Koontz
4 stars
When Jenny, a doctor, arrives in her small town of about 500 people with her much younger sister Lisa, to whom Jenny is now guardian, the place is still like nothing she’s ever experienced. When they arrive at home, they find her housekeeper on the kitchen floor, dead. The phone is not working, so they head next door to use the neighbour’s phone to call the police, but the neighbours are no where to be found. And no working phone. Jenny and Lisa investigate a bit further to find people either missing or dead.
I really liked this one. A bit creepy to be reading by myself after dark, but isn’t that what horror is for!? The author has a note at the end about the writing of the book, which was also interesting.
12x12 Travel, Poll Ballot, PBTCircling the Sun / Paula McLain
3 stars
Beryl grew up in Kenya in the early 20th century. Her mother left when she was only 4-years old, and took Beryl’s brother with her, home to England. But, Beryl and her father wanted to stay in Kenya on their farm. Beryl grew up quite independent (though she married a few times). She went on to train horses and eventually she learned to fly.
I listened to the audio and missed parts of the book. I have no idea where her second husband came from, but I didn’t like him, nor her first husband (first husband was worse, but the second husband – though seemed better initially, really wasn’t). I didn’t like Beryl much, either - particularly the sleeping with a friend’s (or acquaintance’s?) husband. I guess there weren’t really any characters I liked. The first chapter started off with something about the flying, and it took ages to get back to it. I began to second-guess that Beryl had even done that, but they finally came back around to it almost at the end of the book. And I don’t think she ever came back to what happened with the “ornery” horse. I wanted to know! What happened!? Overall, though, I’m rating the book ok.
12x12 Animals, PBT, Poll Ballot TallyElephant Speak: A Devoted Keeper's Life Among the Herd / Melissa Crandall
4.5 stars
Roger Henneous was a zookeeper, taking care of the elephants at the Oregon Zoo, for three decades between the 1960s until he retired in 1997. He did not use punishment as an incentive to train them to do things, but used rewards. The Oregon Zoo was the premier zoo in North America for the care of their elephants.
This book follows his life, along with the elephants he loved and took care of for all those years. Zoos also progressed a lot during this time (even still, Roger and the other keepers never got as much as they wanted for their elephants – it all takes money). He finally retired after a few years when he lost both parents, as well as a number of the elephants.
I loved this. It is sometimes hard to read about wild animals “behind bars” at zoos, but I still loved this story and I loved the elephants. Roger and his staff did as much as they were able to to help those elephants. There were still a few things I didn’t agree with (bull hooks, no matter how “gentle” they were while using them), and some of the (now) controversial things the author quoted Roger on from more recently on why they did the things they did.
12x12 Trim the TBR, Trim the TBR (Classic), Poll Ballot, PBT BingoThis Other Eden / Ben Elton
3 stars
It is sometime in the future and the world is in bad shape with regard to the environment. Plastic Tolstoy is all about marketing. He has created and sells the Claustrosphere. Only the rich can afford them, but that’s where people (those who could afford them) intend to go once the air is no longer breathable and water is no longer drinkable. Well, that’s already happening, but the effects are being staved off as much as possible. There is still an environmental movement, though, that believes that the Earth can be repaired.
There’s a lot more going on than what I’ve described and there are a lot of characters. The book is meant to be humourous, but mostly I found it odd. There were some funny parts. I did like how it ended. But, Ben Elton has better books.
12x12 AudioSworn to Silence / Linda Castillo
4 stars
Kate grew up in an Amish community, but something happened when she was 14. She ended up leaving the community and became the chief of police in the nearest town. When a girl’s dead body appears, then another, Kate is brought back to that awful thing that happened when she was younger, as she tries to solve the murders in her small town. But, it can’t be the same guy who haunted the town back then – it’s just not possible.
This was really good. I listened to the audio and it kept my attention all the way through. I liked Kate, but I didn’t like the romance that suddenly happened almost toward the end of the book. I didn’t like him and I thought the romance came completely out of the blue. But, the mystery was really good, as was learning about Kate’s background and what happened when she was younger.
12x12 Nonfiction, Trim the TBRMy Secret Sister / Helen Edwards & Jenny Lee Smith
3.75 stars
Helen and Jenny were sisters, but neither knew the other existed until they were well into adulthood. Jenny had been adopted out to a loving couple; she grew up with plenty of advantages and became a professional golfer. Helen was left behind in an abusive home, with a(n) (physically) abusive father and a neglectful mother. She had an older brother, but he managed to get away from the family and the home while Helen was still quite young.
This book tells of both Jenny and Helen’s lives from when they were children up to and a bit after they finally met when in their late 50s. The chapters alternate between them each telling their own stories. Have to admit that Jenny’s life was kind of boring (I’m also not a fan of golf!), but poor Helen. It was her sad story that kept me most interested. They grew up not far from each other, so there were some interesting coincidences when they may have even crossed paths when younger. I kept waiting for them to find out about being twins (it’s mentioned right on the front cover). It was pretty much the very end of the book when this was “revealed”, so it might have helped with expectations to not have that full front on the cover. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for them to find out.
12x12 Series, PBT Trim, Trim the TBRSusannah's Garden / Debbie Macomber
3.75 stars
Susannah’s mother, Vivian seems to be losing her memory about 6 months after Susannah’s father died. Susannah hadn’t been home much as she wasn’t close to her father. But, she needs to go home to try to convince her mother to move to assisted living. Susannah’s 20-year old daughter is finished her first year of college, but hasn’t found a job, so Chrissie decides to come help her mom with packing Vivian’s house. At the same time, Chrissie has other other ideas, as she wants to have fun this summer, so when she meets bad boy Troy...
It wasn’t fast moving, and I would have rated it good, anyway, but I upped the rating by a 1/4 star for a couple of the twists at the end of the book. I did like this. I preferred the storyline between Susannah and her mother over Susannah and Chrissie; Chrissie seemed more like a drama-queen teenager than an adult. Susannah met up with other friends from high school, as well, and I wasn’t a fan of her friend Carolyn’s romance, as it seemed out of place, but it did end up tying in at the end, as well.
12x12 Read Thru Time, Reading Through Time, Trim the TBR (Classic)Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln / Janis Cooke Newman
3.75 stars
Mary Todd was Abraham Lincoln’s wife. She grew up in a well-off family, but Abraham was poor. They had four sons, but only one, Robert the oldest, made it to adulthood. Although Mary loved her son with all her heart, Robert never returned that love, nor the affection she so craved.
Ten years after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Robert had Mary confined to an insane asylum, though she insisted she was sane and didn’t belong there. This book goes back and forth in time from when Mary is confined to the asylum (and her attempts to have Robert have her released) back to when Mary met Abraham, their courtship, marriage and all the way up to what led Robert to confine her.
I quite liked this. I went back and forth, on thinking Mary didn’t belong in the asylum to wondering if she did. I can’t say I liked her much, but I certainly felt badly for her, as Robert was awful to her. I took 1/4 star off my rating because there is no historical/author’s note at the end. I know nothing about the real Mary – did these things really happen?
12x12 PBT, PBT, Fall Flurries, RandomCATGhost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission / Hampton Sides
3.5 stars
Close to the end of WWII, there were American (and a few other nationalities) prisoners of war being held by the Japanese in the Philippines. When one POW camp was brutally massacred, the American Rangers decided to go in to rescue the POWs at another one before the same thing could happen there. This book goes back and forth between the POWs: how they came to be in the camp and their life there leading up to the rescue and the rescuers and their dangerous mission to get them out. In the end, they saved over 500 POWs, many who were sick.
This was good. I found the POWs story more interesting than the rescuers, though there were still portions of both that held my interest. The book started with a “bang”, describing the other POW camp and how almost all of them were murdered except for a very few who managed to escape. Then, it switched to the story at hand, going back and forth. It did pick up in the last half to third of the book, as the rescue was about to happen, and as it happened.
12x12 Trim the TBR, Trim the TBR (Classic), NonfictionCATHow to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart / Pam Anderson
3.5 stars
This book basically gives tips on cooking. The idea is that if you know how to do a few things without needing a recipe, you can change up those things to make it interesting, and you don’t need as much time to cook. The tips are more than the “formulas” for cooking the various things without a recipe; there are other time-saving tips, as well.
It was good. I had the ebook that I looked at on my 2nd generation Kobo (Touch), so the photos, unfortunately, were black and white. I bookmarked some things to make a note of before returning the book to the library (though it says “without a book”, it will take a few tries to make some of the things before I can go from memory).
I don’t like cooking. Some of these things will still take more time than I’d like, and I rarely eat meat, so I kind of skimmed over some of those parts. I did appreciate that for some things, she did make vegetarian/vegan suggestions, as well. In addition to the formulas, the author gave examples. For instance, a formula might say XX amount of starches, XX amount of protein, etc. Then she would also list a bunch of starches or proteins you can use (which is helpful when you don’t cook!).
I don’t tend to just read cookbooks, so I was glad that this book was more than that. Although it says “without a book”, I do feel like this is a useful book to own to go back to for the tips. That being said, I don’t plan to go buy it.
12x12 Oh Canada, KITastropheThe Pull of the Stars / Emma Donoghue
3.5 stars
This is set in Ireland in 1918, during the influenza pandemic. Julia is a nurse in a maternity ward, so we follow her at work for a few days with the flu being a constant threat. Bridie is an orphan (an adult now) who comes to volunteer in the hospital, so Julie and Bridie get to know each other while helping the women in the ward.
I listened to the audio and thought there was a bit too much detail in the birthing of babies than I like to read/hear about. Ugh! The story was good, but I was a bit disappointed in that the influenza seemed more of a background than the main part of the story, which was the women having babies. There was an author’s note at the end, and I was interested to learn that the woman doctor was the one real person as a character in the book.
12x12 Reading Through Time, Reading Thru Time, Trim the TBR (Classic), PBTStephen King Country: The Illustrated Guide to the Sites and Sights That Inspired the Modern Master of Horror / George Beahm
3.5 stars
This book is part-biography of Stephen King and partly looks at the places where King grew up, lived, spent time... and where he modelled some of the settings for his books. It includes photos of many of the places.
I liked it. It was published in 1999, so there is probably a lot more current stuff that could be added if it was updated. The book also looked at some of the movies that were made from King’s books. I particularly enjoyed the section on “The Shining” (Stephen and Tabitha lived in Colorado for a short time). I also love that they are both so supportive of libraries, to the tune of gifting a couple of local libraries a lot of money to help them out.
12x12 Series, PBT, MysteryKITThe Silkworm / Robert Galbraith
3 stars
Just before his newest book will be published, author Owen Quine goes missing – again. He’s done this before. His wife comes to PI Cormoran Strike to find him. She thinks he has gone to a writing retreat, but it’s much more sinister.
I do like the personal stories of Cormoran and his assistant Robin. There were parts of the mystery that didn’t hold my attention as much, though. I did have a bit of a hard time remembering who some of the characters (suspects) were. Overall, I’m rating this one ok, but I do think I’ll continue the series – for now, anyway.
12x12 PBT Challenges, PBT BingoFire Watch / Connie Willis
2.5 stars
This is a book of short stories. I am not usually a big short story fan. I find that if I lose focus for even a short time, I can never really get back into the story because it’s too short. I’ve missed too much. So, as usual, I didn’t follow more than half the stories. A few were ok, but overall, I wasn’t a fan.
Oh (and this isn’t saying much for the stories themselves), something I did like was that she had a short (2-3 paragraph) introduction to each story. I liked many of those better than the stories! They did build up a bit of “atmosphere”, so to speak, for the stories.
12x12 PBT, PBT, ScaredyKIT, Trim the TBR (Classic)Locke & Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega / Joe Hill
4 stars
This is the final book in the Locke & Key series, so I don’t want to do too much of a summary so as not to give anything away. I guess I’ll just say that prom is coming up and although Tyler isn’t interested in going, his younger sister, Kinsey is going with her boyfriend. Things will come to a head after the prom.
I thought this was one of the better books in the series. As with the others, there is some gore. The illustrations are done very well.
12x12 KIT Challenges, TravelKIT, Travel Across Canada, Trim the TBR (Classic)The Boat People / Sharon Bala
4 stars
In 2009 or 2010 a boat of refugees arrived in British Columbia. There were over 500 people aboard, coming from Sri Lanka. This really happened, and this book is a fictionalized version of this. The refugees were “detained” (basically, jailed) until they had their initial hearings (just as to whether or not they were allowed into Canada at all; later hearings determine whether or not they can stay.)
Mahindan is a mechanic and has arrived with a young son (5 or 6 years old); unfortunately, his son is not allowed to be detained with his father, so he is initially sent with some of the women detainees and their children, and later placed with a Canadian foster family. Priya is studying to become a lawyer; she wants to be a corporate lawyer, but is assigned to help as counsel for the refugees. Grace has been assigned as an adjudicator for the hearings; she has been informed by a government minister of (I think) public security to be wary and watch for the terrorists who are aboard, because he is certain some of them are.
The story is told from all three viewpoints. Priya has a Sri Lankan background, but does not speak the language. Grace’s background is Japanese and her family has been in Canada for a few generations now (her grandparents and parents were interred in the Japanese concentration camps during WWII. The two women learn more about their families’ backgrounds, as well.
This was really good. I was really frustrated with Grace for – what I felt was – relying too much on Fred’s (the minister’s) rhetoric. I guess I wanted to believe all of their stories. I wasn’t as interested in Mahindan’s background in Sri Lanka – well, some was interesting, but I did lose a bit of focus when talking about his courtship to his son’s mother. Without giving too much away, I really had no idea how it would end, and yet I was still surprised.
12x12 Off the Shelf, AlphaKIT, Travel Across CanadaThe Quintland Sisters / Shelley Wood
3.75 stars
The Dionne quintuplets were born in a small town in Northern Ontario in 1934. It was amazing that they all lived. However, not long after they were born, they were taken from the parents to live across the street in a building built to keep them safe and healthy. 17-year old Emma was there when they were born to help the midwife. She becomes a nurse and is one of a revolving door of nurses and teachers (in addition to Dr. Dafoe and others) to help take care of the girls. They’ve immediately become sensations, being so rare. People come from all over to see the girls in their purpose-built play room, so the girls are visible to outsiders, but the visitors aren’t visible to the girls.
The story is told in diary form from Emma’s point of view up until the girls are 5-years old. It is interspersed with real newspaper articles. It’s a sad story, as the parents rarely had access to see their daughters. Since this is fiction, I don’t really know what the parents were like, but I waffled between feeling bad for them and really not liking them, as they were very strict and the father seemed more interested in the money and control of the girls’ lives.
I did appreciate the historical note. Emma was, as I’d suspected, not a real person. I was surprised at the end, but she did put a bit into the historical note that might help explain. I definitely want to find and read some nonfiction on the Dionne quintuplets.
12x12 PBT, PBT, TravelKIT, AlphaKITThe Bat / Jo Nesbo
3 stars
Harry is a police officer/detective from Norway. When a Norwegian woman is murdered in Australia, where she’s been living, Harry heads down to help the local police with the investigation. It seems that this may actually be the work of a serial killer, though it wasn’t initially obvious. Add in an Australian aboriginal police officer, a homosexual clown, and a Swedish barmaid as a love interest, and we have “The Bat”.
I didn’t find the backstory/personal interest story all that interesting. I do know I’m not as much a fan of noir mysteries. Is this one? Not sure. Also not always a fan of police procedurals. Is this one? It had a bit of that feeling to it (of both), but maybe it didn’t quite fit the definitions. Anyway, I’m calling this one “ok”. It did pick up at the very end, but somehow I think I missed an important tie-up. If I didn’t miss it, then something went very wrong. I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.
12x12 Audio, AlphaKIT, ScaredyKITThe Institute / Stephen King
4 stars
Luke is a very gifted kid. He is going to go to college already at only 12(?) years old. But, he doesnt’ get the chance. He is kidnapped and his parents are murdered. And taken to the “Institute”. There are other kids here. They aren’t necessarily super-smart like Luke is, but they have other gifts: telepathy, telekinesis. Things are done to these kids...
I really liked this. I listened to the audio and it the narrator was good. I was a bit disappointed in the ending. I’d like to say more, but don’t want to spoil it for anyone. At the same time, I’d kind of like to know what happens with the characters going forward.
12x12 KIT Challenges, Fall Flurries, MysteryKIT, PBT BingoRest You Merry / Charlotte MacLeod
3.5 stars
Peter Shandy is a professor at a small college. Many of the faculty live close to each other, and at Christmas they go all out in their neighbourhood to decorate. It’s called the Illumination Festival and it attracts people out to see the lights. While Peter is away, there is a Christmas party. When Peter returns, he finds the assistant librarian dead in his house. It appears she was trying to fix some decorations and she fell. But, on looking closer, Peter doesn’t think it was an accident. The last time the librarian was seen, she was leaving the party.
I quite liked this. It’s a quick read and, unfortunately, the first in a series. I will continue on (if I can find the next book(s), as this one was originally published in 1978). I don’t read a lot of Christmas-themed books, so the Christmas-y stuff was kind of fun, too.
12x12 Nonfiction, NonfictionCAT, TravelKIT, Trim the TBR (Classic), PBTSwimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer / Lynne Cox
4 stars
Lynne Cox was a long distance swimmer. In the ocean. When she was a teenager in the 1970s, she swam with a group of other teenagers to cross the Catalina Island Channel in California. They were the first teenagers to do so. It only fuelled her desire for bigger, longer, colder swims. She worked for 10 years (meanwhile doing other swims: English Bay, Cook Strait (between the North and South Islands of New Zealand), the Nile River (ugh!) in Egypt, and many more) to be able to cross the Bering Strait (from Alaska to the Soviet Union – this was during the Cold War, which is why it was so difficult to get permission). Ultimately, after all that, she swam in the Antarctic Ocean in 32 F water for a hour.
This was really good. I’m not much into sports or swimming, but it was so interesting to learn all the planning and different things they have to think about and arrange when they do such swims. And it was even somewhat suspenseful – the cold! She obviously lived through it all to write this memoir, but to read about what was going through her head (and going on with her body) while she swam in water that was in the 40s F (then later, 30s!). So interesting!
12x12 Travel, TravelKIT, AlphaKITThe Turn of the Key / Ruth Ware.
4.25 stars
The book starts off with Rowan in jail, but we don’t know why. From there, she is writing letters to a lawyer, begging him to believe her story. We back up through these letters to find what happened. When she applied to be a nanny to three girls at their home, at the end of the interview, one of the girls gave her a “hug” and warns her away from coming back. Rowan takes the job, anyway, and is scared out of her wits when there are footsteps coming from above her room, apparently in a long-ago locked attic. The house itself is decked out with all modern amenities of a smart-house, where everything can be controlled via an app on a phone. This includes cameras and speakers in most rooms.
I listened to the audio and I don’t think I ever lost interest. This was so good. I really didn’t know what was going on and I wanted to keep listening to find out. It was creepy – at least there were plenty of parts that were. As the twists were coming at the end, there was one I guessed just minutes before it was revealed. The ultimate twist was the very end, though. The end added the extra 1/4 star for me.
12x12 Reading Through Time, Read Thru Time, AlphaKIT, RandomCAT, Trim the TBR (Classic), PBTCountdown: Our Last Best Hope for a Future on Earth? / Alan Weisman
3.5 stars
This primarily looks at human overpopulation of our planet. How can we survive? What do we need to do and how do we do it? Weisman looks at different countries, communities, cultures... Some are ones that have promoted large families. In some cases, some countries are reaching or have already reached their limit of what their country or area can realistically support – what have they done/are doing to help with this?
This was interesting, certainly a topic that many consider taboo, but really is one of the biggest issues when it comes to the issues with our planet’s environment (the other one being consumerism... which, of course, is amplified with a larger world population). Have to admit, though, it took a long time for me to read; it did help that a good chunk of it at the end was references.
12x12 Trim the TBR, Trim the TBR (Classic)The Tie That Binds / Kent Haruf
4 stars
80-year old Edith is in the hospital with a police guard outside her door. Her “young” neighbour and friend, Sandy, describes her life – as he heard via his father (who was once in love with her) and from as long as he’s known her – leading up to what happened to find her where she is now.
I really liked this. It’s not fast moving, but the beginning sure had me wondering what happened. This is very much like his other books, though. Not a page-turner, but the characters are so well-done that you care about them and want to know what happens.
12x12 Animals, Trim the TBR (Classic), PBT BingoJonathan Livingston Seagull / Richard Bach
2.5 stars
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a seagull. He is not like the other gulls, though. He loves to fly. This makes him an outcast.
This was a bit odd. Lots of philosophical stuff that I’m not that interested in. It was a very fast read, as it’s less than 100 pages, and many of the pages are photographs of seagulls flying.
12x12 KIT Challenges, KITastrophe, AlphaKIT, RandomCATFloodpath: The Deadliest Man-Made Disaster of 20th-Century America and the Making of Modern Los Angeles / Jon Wilkman
3.5 stars
In 1928 a fairly newly built dam near (and meant to serve) Los Angeles burst. The ensuing flood killed possibly around 500 people. This book looks at the building of the dam, the disaster itself, and the aftermath – the trial and the groups put together to try to figure out what went wrong. A long-time, popular man at the head of LA’s waterworks for decades was mostly fingered as being responsible, as he was the one mainly responsible for the building of the dam.
It was good. It was pretty slow to start, as the building of the dam wasn’t all that interesting to me. But it got better (that is, more interesting) once the flood actually happened. Even the follow-up in trying to figure out what happened kept my interest more than the initial building of it.
12x12 Animals, Trim the TBR (Classic), PBT Trim, RandomCATThe Dalai Lama's Cat and the Power of Meow / David Michie
3.5 stars
The header of the title reads: “The Dalai Lama’s Cat and...”. The book is told from the point of view of HHC (His Holiness’ Cat). HHC is able to wander about and listen in on conversations, so as to learn about mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhism herself, and to put it to use.
There is a bit of a storyline amidst the learning about mindfulness etc. The cook at the monastery has had a heart attack, so after she is released from the hospital, she and her adult daughter come to the Dalai Lama to learn about mindfulness. The daughter, Serena, works closeby at a bookstore/cafe, which is often visited by HHC. When a lady comes in to the restaurant and has an allergy attack, she storms out and makes a complaint against the cat. Turns out, she has something to do with Serena.
Anyway, the book was a gift. I’m not that much into meditation and such, but I am a cat person. The author seems to know cats and their mannerisms, so it was entertaining to read HHC’s viewpoint. I was also interested in Serena’s storyline. I’m not sure I’ll read more in the series, although “The Art of Purring” might be enjoyable. I’m considering this one a good read. It was 199 pages, and very fast to read.
12x12 Off the Shelf, ScaredyKIT, Trim the TBR (Classic)The Scarlet Plague / Jack London
3 stars
It’s 2070-something. “Granser” is telling his three grandsons about the “Scarlet Plague” that happened in 2012 or 2013. It was a disease that killed (ridiculously fast once it hit – within minutes or hours – no time to get help) a very large proportion of the 8 billion people on Earth at the time. Granser was one of the few who lived through it. Civilization is trying to rebuild itself, but the focus of the story is on the plague and aftermath as Granser saw it.
It’s a short story, so doesn’t take long to read. I was impressed with the guesstimate of 8 billion people on Earth in 2012 – not too far off. I never did figure out why the man cried so easily, though, at taunting from the boys. Overall, it’s an ok story.
12x12 Trim the TBR, Trim the TBR (Classic), Fall flurriesLight on Snow / Anita Shreve
3.5 stars
Nicky is 12-years old. She and her father moved from New York to rural New Hampshire after Nicky lost her mom and sister. While they are showshoeing one day, they come across an abandoned baby left to die in the snow.
The book alternates between the current situation with the found baby and backing up to time to learn about how Nicky and her Dad came to where they are now.
This was good. It started off with a “bang” and I wanted to keep reading. Part-way through, I wasn’t happy with some of the decisions they made – especially Nicky’s father, being the adult. But I did like the way the book ended.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Shelter: Lost & Found (other topics)These Nameless Things (other topics)
Old Sparky: The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty (other topics)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (other topics)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (other topics)
More...
The Kitchen God's Wife / Amy Tan
3.5 stars
Pearl and her mother are often at odds with each other. Pearl’s mother, Winnie, immigrated to the US from China, not long after WWII. Pearl doesn’t realize just how much from her life in China Winnie hasn’t told her. But, her Aunt Helen hints that there are secrets... Aunt Helen encourages Winnie to tell Pearl and also encourages Pearl to reveal her own secret to her mother – a secret about her health.
This was good. It was told at the start and end by Pearl, but the majority of the book, in the middle, is Winnie relating her story – her life in China – to Pearl. It’s written as if the reader is Pearl. I liked Pearl’s portion of the story, but when we switched to Winnie it took a while for me to warm up to the story and become as interested as I ended up being. Ultimately, Winnie’s story was the “meat” of the book.