Reading with Style discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
SU 21 Completed Tasks
20.10 RtMThe Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Set in Copenhagen
Country: Denmark
Continent: Europe
I have a love/hate relationship with Nordic noir: not a fan of Jo Nesbo; loved the Yrsa Sigurðardóttir "Children's House" series; liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--but only the movies...couldn't get past chapter three in the book. Thought I'd give this series a chance...kinda regretted it.
Police Detective Carl Morck was at an incident where two fellow cops were shot and he feels responsible, can't get over it, so is useless at work and is dragging everyone down. They can't fire him so they move him into the equivalent of a broom closet in the basement, hand him a stack of cold cases, and try to forget he exists.
He has a messed up home life and not much in the way of a personality. The chapters about the investigation are shuffled with flashback chapters of the cold case he has decided to investigate: a young politician who disappeared from a ferry without a trace.
It had so much potential...mostly fell flat for me, and the casual racism and sexism thrown in result in two stars from this reader.
+35 Task
+5 Review
+100 Finish Bonus
+50 10 Countries (USA, Russia, Australia, France, Colombia, Kenya, Iraq, England, Canada, Denmark)
+100 6 Continents (North America, Asia, Oceania, Europe, South America, Africa)
Task total: 290
Season total: 1375
15.4 - TDoSGrave Secrets by Kathy Reichs
Rated 5* by:
Heather (DeathByBook) & Jonquil
+20 Task
Task total: 20
Season total: 80
10.2 PCSeed of Destruction (128 pages) by Mike Mignola
+10 Task
+5 pre-'96 (pub 1994)
Task total: 15
Season total: 1390
10.4 PCQuilting with a Modern Slant: People, Patterns, and Techniques Inspiring the Modern Quilt Community (224 pages) by Rachel May
I never thought I would get into something like quilting--I almost failed my sewing class in 7th grade...had to unpick every seam at least twice, struggled to sew a straight line, never really touched a sewing machine again. I'm good with a needle and thread but sit me in front of a machine and I'm hopeless.
Enter the pandemic lock-downs and suddenly I'm desperate for a new hobby to keep my mind occupied and lo and behold I'm suddenly obsessed with quilting...but not my grandma's quilts. Something new and artistic and free form and this book is all about that--the new "modern quilters," their backgrounds and inspirations, their art philosophy, their techniques. I learned a ton and feel inspired myself: win win.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 1405
20.7 Riding the MetroMrs Mohr Goes Missing by Maryla Szymiczkowa
set in Krakow
Country Poland
Continent: Europe
+25 Task
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1040
10.4 Page Count 200 pg - 249 pgAn Unfinished Conversation: The Life and Music of Stan Rogers by Chris Gudgeon
This is a short biography of Stan Rogers, which is apropos since his life was so short. Gudgeon seems to have had access to Stan’s friends, band mates and musical colleagues as well as his family. This makes for a warm and intimate biography. We get to know Stan, warts and all, which I appreciated. Gudgeon is obviously a fan of Rogers, but this is not a hagiography. It really is sad to think he was killed at 33, just when this ‘larger than life’ talent was becoming more well known and he was hitting his stride. The book includes the lyrics of selected songs (and sometimes a small story about it). 4*
10 task
5 review
5 >1996
_______
20
Running total: 790
10.9 PCCode Name Verity (452 pages) by Elizabeth Wein
This was a reread for me (have a plan to read the sequel and wanted a refresh) and, boy, did it hold up.
A British spy has been caught on occupied-French soil. She is being held captive and interrogated and the first half of the book is her written "confession." The second half is from the point of view of the pilot who delivered her to France. It's about war and friendship and what is most important in life. I loved the writing and the construct of this novel and am really looking forward to reading the next installment in the series!
+10 Text
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 1420
20.1 RtMThe Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen
Set in London
Country: England
Continent: Europe
+20 Task
Task total: 20
Season total: 1440
Task 20.6 Riding the MetroSetting – New York City
Country – United States
Continent – North America
The View from Penthouse B (2013) by Elinor Lipman (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 252 pages)
Review:This is a slice-of-life situational-comedy novel centered on two sisters sharing an apartment/condominium in Manhattan, New York City. The funniest scenes reminded me of Nora Ephron’s rom-com (romantic comedy) films. I was rooting for all the characters to find their individual and unique happy endings – and was pleased that each one did. Humor is very subjective; I found the novel funny and would recommend it. Others might not be as amused as I was by the travails of the New York City’s upper middle class during the Great Recession (2008).
+25 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 25 + 05 = 30
Grand Total: 190 + 30 = 220
20.7 - Riding the MetroMy Sweet Orange Tree by José Mauro de Vasconcelos
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, South America
+25 Task
+5 Before 1996 (1968)
Task total = 30
Season total = 215
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; 10.9 ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; 20.7 ; … ; … ; …
20.8 - Riding the MetroLe suspendu de Conakry by Jean-Christophe Rufin
Conakry, Guinea, Africa
+25 Task
Task total = 25
Season total = 240
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; 10.9 ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; 20.7 ; 20.8 ; … ; …
15.4 TDoSAll the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
I have been planning on reading this for a long time! I enjoyed the story of a young French girl and a young German boy during WWII. Both are caught up in the war in different ways and although their lives are completely separate, Doerr uses them to point out the futility and hardships of war from the perspective of both civilians and soldiers as well as on individuals. Very well written with strong characters.
20 pts 15.4 Mike Krista
5 pts Review
Total task: 25 pts
Total Season: 345 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... 10.5 10.6 ... ... ... ...
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 ... ... ... ... ... ...
20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6. ... ... ... ...
Countries: England, United States, Australia, Japan, Germany, Ghana
5 Continents: Europe, North America, Oceania, Asia, Africa
10.4 Page Count 200-249pRound 3
Plain Revenge (Hunters Ridge #4) by Alison Stone
216 pages
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 825
10.2 Page Count 100-149 pRound 3
Stuart Little by E.B. White
131 pages
+10 Task
+5 (pub. 1945)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 840
10.3 Page Count 150 - 199Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac
176 pages
+10 Task
+5 Before 1996 (published 1844)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 1055
10.6 - The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr 328pThe Secret Life of Groceries is yet another non-fiction book about food. Have you ever stopped to think about *how* groceries get on those shelves? How they’re chosen? How they’re shipped? How they’re stocked? Why you can and can’t get certain things? This is a kind of ‘behind the scenes’ look at what it takes to get that box of Lucky Charms to your table in the morning or that steak on the grill over the weekend. You’ll be surprised.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total: 15
Season total: 195
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; 10.4 ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; … ; ... ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; ... ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
Cities: Perth, Edmonton, London
Countries: Australia, Canada, England
Continents: Australia, N. America, Europe
10.6 PCNowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood (304 pages) by Cheryl Diamond
It's always hard for me to rate memoirs: you're rating not just the writing, but someone's *life*...
This one (as oft-mentioned by other reviewers) is reminiscent of Educated and The Glass Castle--the daughter of unbalanced, abusive parent/s has a strange and terrifying upbringing but in the end they escape the madness they were raised in.
The author (Crystal/Cheryl/Bahjan/Harbahjan) was born in New Zealand to "Brazilian" parents...though their Brazilian passports were fakes, along with the names on those passports. They are fugitives, hiding from Interpol and a slew of other people anxious to recoup some of the $2M swindled by her father. Her father, whose real name the author doesn't find out until she is an adult, has dragged her mother and her two siblings around the world several times over in this mad escape attempt.
Everyone in this story is repulsive: the abusive psychopathic father, the cipher mother, the wretched sister, the brother who begins sexually molesting her when she is still a child...blech. It was hard to sympathize with the author when she idolizes and makes excuses for these people...
It reads like fiction, so maybe that's why it's hard for me not to criticize it the way I would an entirely fabricated story--though you can't really tweak characters and plots when you're telling a true story. 3 stars.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Season total: 1455
10.5 - Page Count - 250-299 - Round 2The Pilot's Daughter by Audrey J. Cole
+ 10 task - 285pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 300
10.9 - Page Count - 450-499 - Round 2The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter
+10 task - 496pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 310
10.10 - Page Count - 500+ - Round 2The Poet by Michael Connelly
+10 task - 510pgs
+5 oldie - 1995
+100 finish bonus
Task total: 115
Grand total: 425
20.2 - Riding the MetroDemon Rumm by Sandra Brown
City - San Diego
Country - USA
Continent - North America
+20 task
+5 oldie - 1987
Task total: 25
Grand total: 450
10.1 - Page Count - 75-150 - Round 3Theirs for the Night by Katee Robert - 73pgs
Murder by the Roadside: a 509 Crime short Story by Colin Conway - 33pgs
+10 task - 106pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 460
10.2 - Page Count - 100-149 - Round 3Temptation & Trouble by Kelli Callahan
+10 task - 112pgs
Task total: 10
Grand total: 470
20.3 - Ride the MetroStone Rules by Samantha Christy
City - New York
Country - USA
Continent - North America
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 490
15.5 ToDSBallad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein
I think I have this right this time!
Anika —> Deedee
This is an entertaining story about a young man from Transylvania who illegally crosses the border to Hungary shortly before the collapse of the Soviet block. I visited Budapest a couple of years ago and I wish that I had read this before I was there. It would have given me the background for some of the things I heard and saw. The young man took up robbing banks and post offices. His escapades highlight the challenges of law enforcement during that time period and serve as a contrast to the high level corruption unleashed as the country tried to become a capitalist democracy.
+20 task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Season total: 200
20.5 Riding the MetroHamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
City: Stratford-on-Avon
Country: England
Continent: Europe
Author Maggie O'Farrell has imagined the meeting of William Shakespeare (unnamed in the book) and his future wife Agnes (also called Anne). He is working as a young Latin tutor when he notices the unusual Agnes. She is a herbalist and a healer with a strong connection to nature. She has the gift of seeing into the spirit world, and can look into the minds of other people which is both a blessing and a curse.
The book pays homage to their son, Hamnet, who is struck with the bubonic plague. The grief of the family is enormous when this eleven-year-old succumbs to the Black Death. Every time they look into the face of his twin sister, Judith, they are reminded of their son. Agnes expresses her grief by becoming more introspective. Her husband expresses his feelings by writing his masterpiece, "Hamlet."
The story also devotes a chapter tracing the spread of the plague from the Mediterranean ports to England in the late 16th Century. Although the book was written before our Covid pandemic, comparisons can be made between the two tragic situations.
"Hamnet" is a beautifully written book of literary fiction. Losing a child is any parent's worst nightmare. The story expressed the love, the fear, the guilt, and the grief that any parent would feel in lovely prose.
+20 task
+ 5 review
Task total: 25
Season total: 500
10.5 Page Count 250 - 299Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
291 pages
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 1065
20.4 - San Francisco Spellcasting in Silk by Juliet Blackwell
Spellcasting in Silk is #7 in the Witchcraft Mysteries series. It’s a spin on the cozy mysteries genre - instead of a cozy cottage in New England with an amateur detective, you’ve got a vintage clothing store in San Fransisco run by an actual, factual witch who works (off the books, of course) with the SFPD on the murder and otherwise weird cases that they just can’t solve because nothing’s adding up. This one involves a missing teenager, a botanica that seems to have a life of its own, and an apparent suicide that may not be what it looks like. This series is just brain candy to me and I really enjoyed Xe Sands’ narration. She didn’t go overboard on the accents, which I appreciated.
+20 task
+5 review
Task total: 25
Season total: 220
10.1 ; 10.2 ; 10.3 ; 10.4 ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; 10.7 ; … ; ... ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; 20.2 ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
Cities: Perth, Edmonton, London, San Francisco
Countries: Australia, Canada, England, US
Continents: Australia, N. America, Europe
10.5 Page Count- 250-299pThe Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
272 pages
This is the seventh volume in the Series of Unfortunate Events chain. The Baudelaire orphans are threatened again by Count Olaf's tricky evil plans. And the Quagmire triplets are also missing...but the Baudelaires have reason to believe they are being hidden in the new village that they are being taken to....a village overrun by crows. I enjoy this series because the author is so playful with language...often giving the reader a quirky explanation of a word or phrase to fit the particular situation. The characters are of course outlandish. Solid fun.
Task=10
review=5
Task total= 15
Season Total=765
10.1; .....; 10.3;10.4 10.5; .....; 10.7; 10.8; .....; 10.10
✔20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; 20.10
2nd round: 20.1; 20.2; 20.3
15.8 TDoSAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
Lyn LeJeune & Devin Murphy
The default edition is 439 pages. There is a "restored edition" with 656 pages and that must be the same as this Kindle edition. With research, I could probably learn why there is a 200 page difference. I suspect, however, that an editor wisely cut some of the large portions where Warren seems to go off on a philosophical tangent of internal dialog. These also contain extremely long sentences. I admit I could have done without them, but they weren't so bad as to deserve long sighs, eye-rolling or skimming.
It is said this is largely based on Huey Long. I remember references to that politician when I was a child but nothing more than his name. I skimmed his Wikipedia page and I think there can be no doubt that Warren lifted heavily from the life of that politician for his novel. In the novel, Willie Stark wants to build a hospital while Huey Long built the tallest state capitol building in the country (and it still is). In other ways, Huey Long and Willie Stark are hand in glove: free health care for everyone and raise taxes on the wealthy and the corporations (sound familiar?).
This is a first person narrative from the character Jack Burden and it is not just the story of Willie Stark.
But I must tell about the first excursion into the enchantments of the past. Not that the first excursion has anything directly to do with the story of Willie Stark, but it has a great deal to do with the story of Jack Burden, and the story of Willie Stark and the story of Jack Burden are, in one sense, one story.Huey Long and Willie Stark's political careers were marked by bribery and corruption. No dirty politician achieves "greatness" without help and that is not just the stuff of novels.
As a whole, this was most definitely worth the Pulitzer it received. I think if I had read the 439 page version I would be giving it a 5-star rating. Instead, I read the longer version which at best is a middlin' 4-stars.
+45 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Before 1996 (1946)
Task total = 55
Season total = 450
20.2 RtMThe Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
Set in Warsaw
Country: Poland
Continent: Europe
I'm always awed to read the accounts of bravery during WWII, of ordinary people doing the right thing which is absolutely heroic in the face of insurmountable evil.
In the heart of Warsaw lies the zoo, filled with an enviable menagerie. Enter the Nazi bombs, followed by the onslaught of the army, and the animal population is decimated. What animals remain are taken by Hitler's zoologist, transported to Germany. In order to retain their home at the zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski turn part of the zoo into a pig farm. As time goes by and the invasion shows no sign of ending, the zoo takes on another function: a way station to help Jews from Warsaw's ghetto escape. When helping a Jew in any way was a shootable offense, this was an incredible risk to the Zabinski family...a risk they were more than willing to make.
It's stories like this that give me hope that there is yet good in humanity: in the darkness of horror, we can choose to bring light.
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Season total: 1480
20.8 Riding the MetroChaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire
set in Los Angeles
Country USA
Continent: North America
+25 Task
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1090
10.10 Page Count 500p or moreRound 3
Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
576 pages
Review
The novel opens immediately after the end of Storm and Fury or at least the same day. After the incredible sense of loss and betrayal, Trinity still had to get up and fight. She still had to find the Harbinger; the source of all these evil happenings around her. Beside her, though, Zayne, who is now her Protector, will be there with her step by step. But... their forbidden feelings for each other are just getting stronger. Why is it forbidden exactly? And what would the consequences be if broken? Is it worth the risk?
I found Trinity really annoying tbh. While I like her snarks and the quirky way she has of phrasing things, her roller coaster feelings and some of her choices were eye-rolls worthy. Zayne, on the other hand, can't do no wrong! well, he's almost perfect. I was really surprised how fast I read this book, actually, especially since I couldn't decide whether I like Trinity or not but she is mostly funny and when she & Zayne are playing nicely, it's a real fun read.
I'm not a fan of the angel-demon sort of tropes but the gargoyle shifters factor was what I found intriguing. And I really wasn't expecting that huge twisty ending though which made me pick up the next book immediately (I'm already 5 chapters in!). With a fast-paced and complex plot peppered with some swoony sappy romances, Rage and Ruin promises a finale that will break the world.
My thanks to Harlequin Australia for this paperback copy of book in exchange of my honest thoughts
+10 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 855
Page Count Round #210.1 two or three short works adding up to 75-150 pages*
Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Díaz, 107 pages
Everything My Mother Taught Me by Alice Hoffman, 24 pages
+10 Task: 131 pages
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 340
Page Count Round #210.2 100-149 p
Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann
+10 Task:
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 350
Page Count Round #210.3 150-199p
Fixed Ideas by Eline Lund Fjæren
+10 Task:
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 360
Page Count Round #210.5 250-299p
Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West by Lauren Redniss
+10 Task:
Task Total: 10
Season Total: 370
20.5 Riding the MetroRivers of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch
Set in London
Country: England
Continent: Europe
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 390
10.2 Page Count 100-149Round 2
Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel
Extra-short stories, slices of the lives of ordinary Californians (which may sound like an oxymoron to the rest of us, but if there is such a thing, these characters are it). Some of the pieces seemed as slight as a conversation overheard on a bus, but others will stay with me.
+10 Task (129 pages)
+ 5 Review
+ 5 pre-1996
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 610
20.4 Riding the Metro (2nd Round)Girl in Dior by Annie Goetzinger
set in Paris, France (Europe)
I got this book mostly because I knew my husband would like it... which he did.... but I gave it a go too. A little history lesson about the beginnings of the House of Dior told from the point of view of one of the models who started as a fashion journalist. I know very little about such things... but this is a graphic novel and the artwork is very attractive. I doubt that I would enjoy some long saga about the fashion world...but this was just right. 3 1/2 stars
Task=20
review=5
Task total= 25
Season Total=790
10.1; .....; 10.3;10.4 10.5; .....; 10.7; 10.8; .....; 10.10
✔20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; 20.10
2nd round: 20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4
20.3 RtMMy Brother's Husband, Volume 1 by Gengoroh Tagame
Set in Tokyo
Country: Japan
Continent: Asia
Thank you, Ann, for your review of this. It wasn't on my radar at all and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Can't wait for my library hold on volume two to finally arrive :-)
Stay-at-home dad Yaichi and his daughter, Kana, are going through the normal motions of life: breakfast, school, dinner, bath, sleep, repeat. One day, Mike shows up on their doorstep. Mike, the burly, hairy Canadian. Mike, the husband of Yaichi's estranged twin brother who has recently died. Yaichi's prejudice is slowly chiseled away by Kana's openness and acceptance.
I loved the delicate and gentle way that this story unfolds. Loved it.
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Season total: 1505
15.5 TDoS Rd 2 Saga, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan
5* from Sara Grace + Lucien
30 task
____
30
Running total: 820
15.6 TDoS Rd 2 Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan
5* from Lucien + chunwui
30 task
_____
30
Running total: 850
15.7 TDoS Rd 2 Saga, Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan
5* from chunwui + Rin
30 task
______
30
Running total: 880
15.8 TDoS Rd 2 Saga, Vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan
This was like binge watching TV (at least I think so), and this series is exactly why I don’t watch TV. This was SO much better. I felt Vol. 5 was a little light somehow, so gave it 4*; but the rest (including the missing #6 for this challenge!) were 5* worthy. But what a cliff hanger…. how could they leave us like that and Vol. 10 isn’t published yet. Boo :(
5* from Rin + Anika
45 task
5 review
______
50
Running total: 930
20.9 Riding the MetroAll-Butter ShortDead (Oxford Tearoom Mysteries #0) by H.Y. Hanna
City: Oxford
Country: UK
Continent: Europe
Review
I'm not a fan of prequels so I don't read many of them and I wasn't particularly interested in reading this one but I'm having a withdrawal as I binged this series last year and no news on next instalment yet! Overall, I enjoyed this prequel especially meeting The Old Biddies. Despite missing Devlin, I really think The Old Biddies is the cornerstone of this series; best sidekicks ever! The mystery was just as interesting and just as complex as per the rest of the series although the plot & time it took to solve it is shortened due to nature of this prequel novella. An enjoyable introductory to the series.
+25 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 885
15.5 TDoSEleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Based on thereviews, this was a book I did not expect to enjoy. I am usually nit comfortable reading about people who face emotional challenges of the sort that Eleanor soes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book was a very insightful character study that was more uplifting than somber. Eleanor is a very restrained woman who is forcing herself to become more engaged with out much knowledge about haw to interact with others. Gradually, and with the help of those who genuinely appreciate her quirks she starts to become more engaged with the people around her. A well drawn characters study that does have substance as well as humor
30 pts 15.5 Krista Anika
5 pts Review
Total task: 35 pts
Total Season: 380 pts.
10.1 10.2 10.3 ... 10.5 10.6 ... ... ... ...
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 ... ... ... ... ...
20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6. ... ... ... ...
Countries: England, United States, Australia, Japan, Germany, Ghana
5 Continents: Europe, North America, Oceania, Asia, Africa
20.9 Riding the MetroForbidden Fruit by Kerry Greenwood
set in Melbourne
Country Australia
Continent: Oceania
+25 Task
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1115
20.5 Riding the Metro (2nd Round)My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel
set in Santiago, Chile, South America
I very much enjoyed this read. Although the backdrop is the 1986 troubled times during the dictatorship in Chile, the story focuses on a transgender character known as The Queen of the Corner. The Queen has succeeded to a degree that she can afford a ramshackle apartment.... which gets used as an arms dump by a group trying to end the regime of Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet is also a character...as well as his annoying wife. Although essentially about politics, the novel is more of a story about The Queen...and her love (misdirected?) for Carlos, one of the plotters. Very well done. Four stars.
Task=20
review=5
Task total= 25
Season Total=815
10.1; .....; 10.3;10.4 10.5; .....; 10.7; 10.8; .....; 10.10
✔20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5; 20.6; 20.7; 20.8; 20.9; 20.10
2nd round: 20.1; 20.2; 20.3; 20.4; 20.5
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
The House of the Scorpion (other topics)5 Centimeters per Second (other topics)
Some Kids I Taught & What They Taught Me (other topics)
The World That We Knew (other topics)
A Poem for Every Summer Day (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nancy Farmer (other topics)Makoto Shinkai (other topics)
Kate Clanchy (other topics)
Alice Hoffman (other topics)
Allie Esiri (other topics)
More...
Round 2
The Hand by Georges Simenon
One night in a blizzard, lawyer Donald Dodd can either try to rescue a friend or leave him to die. His choice unravels all the threads of his well-ordered life.
This reminded me of Patricia Highsmith in the way that it follows a character who becomes more and more unsympathetic as the story goes on. Having read only Maigret books before, I had no idea that Belgian writer Simenon also had a place in the genre of American psychological thrillers. I was both gripped and horrified (just like Highsmith again!)
+10 Task (180 pages)
+ 5 Review
+ 5 pre-1996
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 590