Ann A's 100 (?) in 2021

[Ann A]

I'll stick with my goal of 100, but who knows what this year will bring?
Wishing everyone health, happiness, and lots of good books in 2021. Good riddance to 2020!

[Tiffany, Administrator]

Ann A wrote: "I'll stick with my goal of 100, but who knows what this year will bring?
Wishing everyone health, happiness, and lots of good books in 2021. Good riddance to 2020!"

Hear hear! *clinks glasses*

[Ann A]

1 - Acid for the Children
I was fairly engrossed in Flea's story, even though all the drug use started to wear on me. But hey - that was his life (and he's lucky to still have one). 4*

2 - The Vanishing of Katharina Linden
Pia sure had a tough time of it. This was exciting enough, but (view spoiler)[ the whole end section was disturbing and not quite believable. And what was up with the exploding grandmother? (hide spoiler)] 3*

3 - The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
Of course, one can't help admire Toni Morrison. There was a lot of repetition here, though, and when she gets into the weeds of literary analysis I sometimes get lost. 3 1/2*

[Ann A]

4 - Hamnet (Tournament of Books longlist)
Wonderful! I'm disappointed it didn't make the short list of the Tournamet of Books. 5*

5 - Deception on His Mind
Another impressive entry in the Lynly mysteries. It was long, though! 4*

6 - Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now
Very good - I just wish it was a little more in-depth. 4*

[Ann A]

7 - Calm the F*ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life
It's good to be reminded of this stuff. Nothing ground-breaking. 3*

8 - Sharks in the Time of Saviors (Tournament of Books)
Beautiful novel - the first I've read about Hawaii. That's what I love about the Tournament of Books - so much uniqueness. 4*

9 - I Capture the Castle
I loved it! Should have pulled it off my shelf years ago. 5*

[Ann A]

10 - Deacon King Kong (Tournament of Books)
I love McBride's writing, and Deacon is a great character. 4 1/2*

11 - The Cold Millions (Tournament of Books longlist)
After 'Beautiful Ruins', I am pre-disposed to like anything by Jess Walter. This took me awhile to get into, but I loved it by the end. 4*

12 - The Radetzky March (1001 books)
I was surprised by how much I liked this story of three generations of soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian empire. Good writing tends to draw one in. 3.75*

[Ann A]

13 - Americanah
This made me think about non-American Blacks in a whole new way. Race relations in the U.S. are so complicated. 4*

14 - Piranesi (ToB) 4*

15 - Telephone (ToB) 4*

[Ann A]

16 - His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope 4*

17 - A Promised Land 5*

18 - The Inimitable Jeeves 3*

[Ann A]

19 -Cutter and Bone (1001 books)
I read plenty of depressing books, but I need just a glimmer of hope. Didn't find it in this one. 1*

20 - Interior Chinatown (ToB)
I love books like this that expand my horizons in a clever, unique way. 4*

21 - American Born Chinese 4*

[Ann A]

22 - In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner
Another winner from Elizabeth George. 4*

23 - Death of a Policeman
I am hooked on this silly series, but this wasn't one of the best. 2*

24 - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
So glad I finally got around to this. Such fun! 4*

[Ann A]

25 - Hello, Universe
2018 Newbery winner. Lovely book. 5*

26 - The Vanishing Half
Very good, but maybe didn't quite live up to the hype. 4*

27 - Death of a Liar
Hamish MacBeth is at it again. 3*

[Ann A]

28 - Covid Chronicles: A Comics Anthology
Very impressive anthology, covering most all aspects of COVID and how it has affected our lives. I read this a few months ago, when things were looking better :( 4*

29 - The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Walter Isaacson is one of my favorite nonfiction writers, and he didn't disappoint here. 5*

30 - Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
I liked the book better than the movie (and the movie was good). 5*

[Ann A]

31 - Growth of the Soil (1001 books)
I quite enjoyed this tale of Norwegian homesteaders. Possibly my first translation from Norwegian (?) 4*

32 - Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
I probably would have enjoyed this more 20 years ago - seemed a little dated. 3*

33 - Murder in the Mews
I don't think anyone will supplant Ms. Christie as my favorite mystery writer. I'll be sad to finish all her books (perhaps I'll have to start over). 4*

[Ann A]

34 - Leaves of Grass
I didn't 'get' all the poems, but I loved enough of them to make it totally worth plowing through this tome. 4*

35 - Killing Floor
I imagine this series gets better, but after #1 - nope, I'm done. 1*

36 - Bella Tuscany
Follow-up to 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. What can I say? Great writing and ITALY. 5*

[Ann A]

37 - Jellicoe Road 3*

38 - Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk 3*

39 - Klara and the Sun (ToB)
I was a bit disappointed in this, but I normally love Ishiguro so I'm giving him a little leeway. 3 1/2*

[Ann A]

40 - Beartown
Loved it! 5*

41 - A Traitor to Memory
This is a long one but, as usual with this series, very good. 4*

42 - Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
A great book about books! 5*

[Ann A]

43 - One Life
Very interesting autobio. There's a lot to admire about Rapinoe - her activism as well as her athletic prowess. 5*

Several 5* reads lately. That's unusual for me, but I'm loving it!

44 - Trust: America's Best Chance
We NEED more people like Secretary Pete in public service. Also, the guy is a good writer. 4*

45 - The Tsar of Love and Techno (ToB)
Even though this is supposedly "short stories", it should be read as a novel to help keep track of the connections. Marra is a great writer, but I didn't like this as much as 'A Constellation of Vital Phenomena'. 4*

[Ann A]

46 - Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania
I consider myself a big sports fan, but I don't hold a candle to these Alabama RVers! Btw, I also loved 'Outcasts United' by the same author. 4*

47 - New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction
I like short stories, but apparently not this short. 2*

48 - Reasons to Live (1001 books)
Didn't love any of the stories, but a couple may stay with me for a while. 3*

[Ann A]

49 - Shuggie Bain (ToB)
SO sad, but so good. 4*

50 - Midaq Alley (1001 books)
This started off slowly, but then I kept getting drawn further in. 4*

51 - Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Fascinating - and a timely read as the trial is finally due to begin Aug. 31! 5*

There - all caught up :)

[Tiffany, Administrator]

Ann A wrote: ... "Several 5* reads lately. That's unusual for me, but I'm loving it!"

Yay! That's awesome! :)

[Ann A]

52 - The Animators (ToB)
The parts about the animation process and artistic inspiration were fascinating, but I otherwise did not enjoy being 'with' the main characters. 3*

53 - Peaches for Father Francis
I DID enjoy being with these characters. 4*

54 - Version Control (ToB)
I'm so intimidated by Dexter Palmer, I don't even know what to say about the book. How about it's really, really good? 4 1/2*

[Ann A]

55 - Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away
I'm rating this lower than just about anybody else, it seems. It was good, but I had a few issues with it. 3*

56 - A Place of Hiding
Well-written, as usual, but this one didn't live up to most of the others I've read in this series. 3*

57 - Kidnapped (1001 Books)
Enjoyed it - again, didn't love it. 3*

Looks like I'm stuck on 3 star-reads now, but that's still a decent rating from me.

[Ann A]

58 - Death of a Nurse
Hamish is still fun, even if the series is wearing a little thin. In honor of the passing of M.C. Beaton, I'm going to finish it up (at least the ones written by her - I understand she may have passed the torch). 3*

59 - Skippy Dies (ToB)
I had doubts about hanging out with these teenage boys, but the skillful writing drew me in (as happens with many ToB books). 4*

60 - Summer (1001 Books)
And more skillful writing...4*

[Ann A]

61 - Death of a Ghost 3*

62 - Death of an Honest Man 3*

63 - Light in August
I feel bad giving William Faulkner 3*. The writing was gorgeous, like reading poetry, but in this case I didn't get fully drawn into the story. 3*

[Ann A]

64 - The Wrong Side of Goodbye
One of my favorites so far in the Harry Bosch series. 4 1/2*

65 - Stephen Florida (ToB
A lot of people seem to love this. Too much peeing off balconies (and other places) and wth? moments for me. 2*

[Ann A]

Time to finish up my 2021 report!

66 - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1001 books)
I finally got around to this. It was surprisingly good. I should read more SciFi. 4*

67 - The Girl on the Train
This had me at 4* until the over-the-top, melodramatic movie ending. 3*

68 - The River Between (1001 books)
Moving tale set in a Kenyan village. 4*

69 - Fight Club
Not pleasant, but certainly inventive. I have been curious about Chuck Palahniuk for years. 3*

[Ann A]

70 - Two Kinds of Truth
I always enjoy hanging out with Harry. 4*

71 - The Scapegoat
Luscious writing and rich characters (in this case, I can ignore the implausible plot elements ;) 4*

72 - The Late Show
The jury is still out on Renee. There were some things that bothered me about her. 3 1/2*

73 - Dark Sacred Night
The ending bit dragged my rating down. 3 1/2*

74 - The Quiet American (1001 books) 3*

[Ann A]

75 - The Mysteries of Udolpho (1001 books)
Some lovely poetry and descriptions of nature - excessively long, however. 3 1/2*

76 - Bewilderment
Profoundly disturbing, yet beautiful. 4*

77 - Dog on It - Fun. 4*

78 - Hide and Seek 4*

[Ann A]

79 - Hell of a Book
Clever and thought-provoking. 4*

80 - The Tennis Partner: A Doctor's Story of Friendship and Loss
Sad, but very well-written. 4*

81 - Alaska
Not sure we'll ever see another historical fiction writer like James Michener. 5*

82 - I'd Know You Anywhere
Respectable tale of suspense. 4*