JulieLill's 2021 Reading Challenge

[madrano]

What a good way to become accustomed to the US--walking across it. Berg has written some good bios of strong people. Well done, Julie.

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
Goldwyn
A. Scott Berg
4.5/5 stars
who flees from Poland in 1895, walking as he makes his way to America doing odd jobs. .."

Wow ! That is an inspiring story.

[Julie]

madrano wrote: "What a good way to become accustomed to the US--walking across it. Berg has written some good bios of strong people. Well done, Julie."

He actually walked from Poland across Europe to London and then got on a transatlantic boat and sailed in steerage. He got to the Canadian border and snuck in to Gloversville, New York (which was not guarded very well.) But still pretty impressive! It was a long book but very enjoyable especially if you are movie fan.

[madrano]

Now his walking is even more remarkable. Thanks for the further info, Julie.

[Julie]

Nothing to See Here
Kevin Wilson
Madison hasn’t heard from her college roommate Lillian in a long time. But one day she gets a call from Lillian to ask her to be a nanny to her new stepchildren. However, there is a catch, her stepchildren tend to break out in fire and her new husband is in politics and doesn’t want the public to know about them. Having nothing going on in her life, Madison heads out to re-connect with Lillian and assume care of the two children. This was an oddly delightful story of a young woman caring for the first time for herself and others through her new wards. N

[madrano]

Fun idea for a book, Julie. I've not heard of Wilson or this book. Good, enticing introduction.

[Julie]

Silhouette In Diamonds: The Life Of Mrs. Potter Palmer
Ishbel Ross
4/5 stars
This is the fascinating story of Bertha Honore, who in 1871 married millionaire Potter Palmer of the famed Chicago Marshall Field’s and Palmer House. She was very involved in philanthropy and when the Chicago fire destroyed the city, she helped her husband recoup his finances and also helped to restore Chicago. When her husband died, she continued to help others. The book also explores the time period in which she lived and the famous people she met and worked with. I never heard of her but what an intriguing biography and history of that time period.

This was not on my reading list but found it on the free shelf while I was waiting for my next book to come into the library. So intrigued with the subject, I started it and I was fascinated with this woman I never heard of.

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "This was not on my reading list but found it on the free shelf while I was waiting for my next book to come into the library. So intrigued with the subject, I started it and I was fascinated with this woman I never heard of.."

What a serendipitous treat !

[madrano]

What a delightful freebee. I haven't heard of her, either. Thanks for the comments, Julie. This is the sort of bio in enjoy, telling about the era as well as the life.

[Julie]

Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens
4/5 stars
Set in the late 60’s, Kya Clark, also known as the Marsh Girl, lived a solitary life in Barkley Cove in North Carolina working on her art. Harassed by Chase, one of the boys from town, she is thought to have killed him when he has gone missing. Did she do it or is she a victim of the town folks who don’t like her. Intriguing story and hard to put down! W

Only one more book to finish my challenge than on to my never ending reading list!

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: Only one more book to finish my challenge than on to my never ending reading list!
."

I also enjoyed Crawdads.

Congrats on almost finishing your list. It's been fun to see you fit books to the categories. You've brought a lot of new to me titles to my attention.

Thanks !

[madrano]

Owens' novel was a marvel to me. It was wonderfully told and full of the glory around Kya. Glad to see you liked it, too, Julie.

[Julie]

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
Malcolm Gladwell
4/5 stars
Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite authors and this book, though short, is a fascinating look at the "Bomber Mafia", strategists who during WWII debated precision bombing - targeting critical infrastructure instead of randomly bombing areas.

Not on my reading challenge but found it at the library when I was looking for something to read during my shift. This was fascinating and a short read.

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
[book:The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World ..."

I usually enjoy his books, too. Thanks for the review. I'll be putting it on my TBR list.

[madrano]

My husband read Gladwell's book recently and liked it very much. Some of the information he shared was new to us both. I always like that in a book!

[Alias Reader]

Deb, if you husband likes Gladwell, he should also read Grant.
I gave a top rating this year to
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam M. Grant

[madrano]

I'll pass that title on to him. He is looking it up as i write. :-)

[madrano]

I passed the title on to him, Alias, & he's now #90 out of 36 copies. Thanks.

[Alias Reader]

:)

[Julie]

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
Robert Dugoni
5/5 stars
Sam Hill was born with red eyes which shocked his parents and caused no end of grief for him in school and life. But with his parents, best friend Ernie Cantwell who was also shunned as an African American at their school and his girl friend Micki, they helped him get through school and the bullying he received. This was one of my best reads this year. E

I finished my reading challenge - now on to whittling down my never ending book list!

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
Robert Dugoni
5/5 stars
Sam Hill was born with red eyes which shocked his p..."

Wow ! One of the best you read this year is saying a lot. I've been toying with reading this book for some time. I didn't know if it would be too preachy, if you know what I mean. Maybe I'll reconsider.

Thanks and congratulations on finishing your challenge. It's been really fun to see what books you select. You've added a lot of titles to my TBR.

[madrano]

Congratulations on completing your 2021 challenge, Julie. Andhow neat that it ended on a really good book!

[Julie]

Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
Peter Evans
4/5 stars
Peter Evans interviews Ava Gardener about her life before Hollywood, her movie career and the famous men she loved including Frank Sinatra, Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Howard Hughes. Ava wasn't sure she wanted the book published and stopped the interviews but it was eventually published after her death.

[madrano]

What a hassle for the author. I can't imagine putting so much work into the book only to have it stopped.

[Alias Reader]

I had to google her height. She was 5'6".

Rooney was 5'2"
Sinatra 5' 8"

[madrano]

I didn't realize that both men were as short as they were. I guess the big screen gives them height in the mind's eye.

[Julie]

madrano wrote: "What a hassle for the author. I can't imagine putting so much work into the book only to have it stopped."

The writer actually died in 2012 before the book came out and they talked about it briefly in the book. Another author came in and wrapped up the book so it could be published.

[madrano]

Good info, Julie. What an interesting set of circumstances for both subject and author.

[Julie]

Look Alive Twenty-Five
Janet Evanovich
4/5 stars
Stephanie and her crew are back investigating the disappearances of 3 managers of the Red River Deli and the only clues are the missing shoes of the managers in the parking lot. Always a fun light mystery!

[madrano]

Who could have anticipated this series would continue so long? What fun to dive back into this group.

[Barbara]

madrano wrote: "Who could have anticipated this series would continue so long? What fun to dive back into this group."

I agree; it's amazing this series is still going strong. 🙂

[madrano]

I can see the appeal in many ways. It's a comfort series but with more edge than cosies. My last book from the series was 15 and i tired of the predictability from the characters.

[Julie]

On Animals
Susan Orlean
4/5 stars
Susan Orlean is one of my favorite authors and this book containing interesting short non-fiction accounts about animals doesn't disappoint. One of the most interesting stories was about the orca whale Willy, who lived in a park in a very small tank while people rallied to have him freed but she also expounds on the real life stories involving coyotes, cats, pet tigers and other animals. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
On Animals
Susan Orlean
4/5 stars
Susan Orlean is one of my favorite authors and this book containing interesting short non-fiction ac..."

I'm not familiar with this author. The book looks very interesting. I'm adding it to my TBR notebook. Thanks !

[madrano]

I've liked the two Orlean books i've read--The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession and The Library Book. The latter was just full of fascinating info. I was wondering about this latest book, so appreciate your comments, Julie.

[Julie]

The Devil's Mercedes: The Bizarre and Disturbing Adventures of Hitler’s Limousine in America
Robert Klara
4/5 stars
This non-fiction book revolves around two of the cars that Mercedes-Benz built for Hitler and his staff and the mystery of what happened to the car that Hitler used. The story starts when an American soldier captures one of Hitler’s cars at the end of the war and finagles his way on to a ship back to the USA with the car. After that, things get murky, the soldier believes it was Hitler’s personal car and others thought it was Himmler’s and it took years before the mystery was solved. This was quite interesting!

[Barbara]

Julie wrote: "
[book:The Devil's Mercedes: The Bizarre and Disturbing Adventures of Hitler’s Limo..."

What an interesting story! 🙂

[madrano]

It's fascinating how such things capture the imagination of one person, then a book expands that notion. It takes a good author to pull it off, though. Sounds good here.

[Julie]

madrano wrote: "It's fascinating how such things capture the imagination of one person, then a book expands that notion. It takes a good author to pull it off, though. Sounds good here."

I was looking for a new book to read at the library and just loved the title and the odd subject of the book.

[madrano]

Julie, that is why it is such a pleasure to visit a library building. Those oddities--covers, titles, even shape--are enticing.

[Julie]

Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy
Leslie Brody
3.5/5 stars
This is an in-depth look at the life and times of Louise Fitzhugh, author of Harriet The Spy. I remember reading her famous book as a child and enjoying it, never knowing any of her background until I read this book. Very interesting!

[madrano]

Julie, i have found over the years that reading about authors whose best fame is one major book. I was pleasantly surprised, for instance, reading the biography of the women who wrote Joy of Cooking, mother & daughter team Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Learning that the mother had a cook and was never known to be much of a cook herself was a surprise. And more.

I hope to read the Fitzhugh bio, too.

[Julie]

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Trevor Noah
4/5 stars
Trevor Noah talks about his life with his mother and family living in South
Africa as a child and the tribulation that living as a child of mixed parentage caused because it was crime at that time. I could not put this book down. Noah does a great job writing about his life.

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Trevor Noah
4/5 stars
Trevor Noah ta..."

I enjoyed his memoir. It seemed an honest telling. He didn't sugar coat things.

[Julie]

A Very Punchable Face
Colin Jost
4/5 stars
Colin Jost has been a member of Saturday Night Live since 2005 in which he has written skits, acted on the show and has been the Weekend Update co-anchor. He grew up on Staten Island and in this book, he goes over his life and career at SNL. If you are a fan of SNL, you will definitely enjoy this book!

[Alias Reader]

Good title.

[Julie]

Harriet the Spy
Louise Fitzhugh
4/5 stars
This is a wonderful children’s book about Harriet, a young girl who likes to spy on others and keeps track of her efforts in a notebook. However, things are not going well with her. First, her longtime nanny leaves the family and then she loses her notebook which the other kids find. Will her friends ever forgive her? I read this a long time ago but I had just read the author's biography this year and wanted to re-visit Harriet's story.

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
Harriet the Spy
Louise Fitzhugh
4/5 stars
This is a wonderful children’s book about Harriet, a young girl who likes to spy on others a..."

My niece, who is now a reading teacher, loved that series when she was a kid.

[Julie]

Easy Crafts for the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness and Making Things
Kelly Williams Brown
3.5/5 stars
Brown talks about her life when everything is falling apart, her marriage breaks up and she is trying to move forward. One of things that helps her is crafting and you will find craft projects in-between the chapters about her life. The memoir was well written and interesting but as for the crafts projects, I just scanned them.

[Alias Reader]

Julie, I know some who are going through difficult times that also use crafting to take their minds of their troubles. Whenever we can take the focus off ourselves, it's a good thing.