JulieLill's 2022 Reading Challenge

[Rachel]

Tender at the Bar is streaming on Amazon.

[Alias Reader]

Rachel wrote: "Tender at the Bar is streaming on Amazon."

Thanks for the heads-up, Rachel !

[Rachel]

Rachel wrote: "Tender at the Bar is streaming on Amazon."

I hope you enjoy it. Ben Affleck is great and the actor that plays the kid is amazing.

[Julie]

Rachel wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Tender at the Bar is streaming on Amazon."

I hope you enjoy it. Ben Affleck is great and the actor that plays the kid is amazing."

Our library can't get a copy of it for me. Oh well!

[Julie]

The Cement Garden
Ian McEwan
4/5 stars
When their parents died, four children were left behind in their home. Though they were capable of informing the authorities, they stayed in the house doing whatever they wished. I do like McEwen and his dark stories. 1978

[madrano]

This was the McEwan i read upon completing and really liking his Atonement. What a contrast! It is so well written that i still have a vision of some scenes.

[Rachel]

Yes, Atonement was an excellent book as well as movie. I rewatched it this year and really enjoyed it.

[madrano]

Rachel, right after i finished and liked the book, i ran into a number of online folks who intensely disliked it. I felt out of sync for awhile. Ultimately, i decided they were wrong. LOL---not really. What they didn't like was noticed but the story and ending appealed to me more than any unfavorable sensation. :-)

[Rachel]

Books that cause strong emotions are the best kind for me. Generally when I go to in person book groups the best discussions have been when people disagree so that there is great stuff to talk about.

[madrano]

True, Rachel. I like those kinds of discussions because they open other avenues for consideration.

[Julie]

The Brown's Chicken Massacre
Maurice Possley
4/5 stars
Maurice Possley discusses the shockingly, true story of the massacre of the staff of a Brown's Chicken in Illinois, as they closed down the store one night in January of 1983. It took 10 years and advances in DNA testing before they could solve the case. Well researched and written. True Crime

[Alias Reader]

Rachel wrote: Generally when I go to in person book groups the best discussions have been when people disagree so that there is great stuff to talk about.


Agree 100%

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
The Brown's Chicken Massacre
Maurice Possley
4/5 stars
Maurice Possley discusses the shockingly, true story of the ma..."

I have a friend that likes to read true crime books. I'll pass the title on to her . Thanks, Julie.

[madrano]

This sounds like a good story, Julie. I hope i can find a copy. The Goodreads comments were all over the place, though. Strange when that happens but, at least, they explain what the low stars meant, what they felt the book lacked.

[Julie]

Wizard of Oz: An Over-the-Rainbow Celebration of the World's Favorite Movie
Ben Nussbaum
4/5 stars
This is a short book celebrating the movie - The Wizard of Oz. The author discusses a myriad of topics on the film, the actors who performed and even talks about the Broadway musical - Wicked. Definitely for fans of the movie.

This was not on my TBR list for this year but somehow I found this book and could not pass it up. It is a short read, lots of pictures and lots of information about the movie.

[Alias Reader]

Julie, you read it a week too soon. May 15th is L. Frank Baum's
birthday. :)

[madrano]

Fun book, Julie. That film is a lifetime pleasure for many of us. And our children.

[Julie]

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
Jeffrey Archer
3/5 stars
Four men are swindled in an investment by Harvey Metcalfe, a wealthy man who has no remorse. The men get together to take him down and get their money back. Not my favorite of the Archer books but I enjoyed it. 1976

[madrano]

Julie, in the '90s my spouse & i were fascinated with British politics and learned about Archer then. His personal history is remarkable, beginning with his con-artist dad. It was several years later that we learned he wrote successful novels. I've not read any, however, so appreciate your comments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey...

[Rachel]

What is your favorite Archer book? I have never read one but am open to all suggestions. Thanks

[Julie]

Rachel wrote: "What is your favorite Archer book? I have never read one but am open to all suggestions. Thanks"

My favorite books of Archer was his three book series -
Kane and Abel -(1979)
The Prodigal Daughter - (1982)
Shall We Tell the President?- (1977)
This was the chronological order of the series.
I don't remember if I read the series in order.

Here is a web page of all his books.
https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/jef...

[madrano]

Good webpage, imo.

[Rachel]

Thanks for the info. I am going to put Kane and Abel on my wish list at the library.

[Julie]

I have The Witcher Series on my TBR list but our library district has only has a limited number of the books of the series on their shelves and all are on hold. So I finally broke down and bought the whole series on Amazon. I hope I like this series but I will donate the books to the library when I'm done.

[madrano]

I hadn't heard of this Witcher Series 6 Books Set Collection but see it's mostly received positive reviews. I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on them, Julie.

[Julie]

The Great Train Robbery
Michael Crichton
4/5 stars
Set in Victorian London, Edward Pierce sets up a crime with his cohorts to steal a gold shipment that will be traveling by steam train. But will they succeed? Very clever and a fast read! 1975

[Alias Reader]

I've enjoyed the Crichton books I've read.

[madrano]

As usual, Julie, you are moving right along with your DL. I'm glad you share your impressions with us.

[Julie]

Where Are the Children?
Mary Higgins Clark
4/5 stars
Years ago, Nancy Harmon was accused of killing her children. However, her sentence was overturned, allowing her to start her life over again. Married with two new children, she feels her life is more settled. But once again, her life is in turmoil when her new children are missing and she is suspected in their disappearance. I enjoyed this book and it kept me reading to see how it was going to end. Mary Higgins Novel

[madrano]

It’s perfect when a book is so well written that a person feels compelled to keep reading. What a story, too.

[Julie]

The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America
John F. Kasson
4/5 stars
Kasson relates the story Shirley Temple, one of the most popular child actress’ of her time period amidst the background and history of the Great Depression. He explores the films she was in, her popularity with the public who had sent her four thousand letters a week at the height of her fame and her parents who supported her but also spent most of her money, leaving her very little after her career was over.
I read this before and didn't realize it till I got farther into the book but I enjoyed reading it again. L

[Alias Reader]

I didn't know that about the money. That is sad. Where there any charges against the parent?


Saw this online:
"So, you can imagine the surprise of Shirley Temple, an adult at the time, when she discovered her accounts only showed $44,000 instead of the $3.2 million she had earned. Her father had allegedly failed to place her earnings as a child star in a court-ordered trust."


"The Jackie Coogan Law ensures the financial well-being of child actors by mandating that their employer set aside 15% of the child actor's gross earnings in a Coogan Trust Account, where it can be monitored – but not withdrawn – by a legal guardian until the child reaches legal maturity."

"Coogan eventually sued his mother and former manager for his earnings. As a result, in 1939, the Coogan Law was put into effect, presumably to protect future young actors from finding themselves in the same terrible situation that Jackie Coogan was left in."

https://www.sagaftra.org/membership-b....

[Julie]

Alias Reader wrote: "I didn't know that about the money. That is sad. Where there any charges against the parent?


Saw this online:
"So, you can imagine the surprise of Shirley Temple, an adult at the time, when she ..."
I don't think there were any charges against her parents. They did not work at all while she was acting, I guess they felt that they were owed that by managing her career. The weird thing was that there were laws enacted because of Jackie Coogan losing all his money because of his parents spending it. Child actors are better managed now but you still hear of them being taken advantage of.
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainm...

[Julie]

The Last Wish
Andrzej Sapkowski
4/5 stars
There are several books in this series and according to one source this book was first book to read. Geralt of Rivia is a witcher (bounty hunter). He uses his magical powers to protect fiends from hurting others. He sometimes travels with a friend named Dandelion who helps him out. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the others in the series. The Witcher Series Book One

Fun Fact -In the TV series, they changed the name of Dandelion to Jaskier, which is the character's name in Polish.

[Alias Reader]

It's always wonderful when you find a new series that you love.

[Julie]

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
Sonia Purnell
5/5 stars
This is the amazing story of Virginia Hall, a woman who had lost her leg in a hunting accident at the age of 27 and who ended up becoming a spy in World War II for the SOE (Special Operations Executive), helping to organize and aid the French Resistance. After the war, she ended up working for the CIA. Highly recommended! 1979

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
[book:A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win W..."

Julie, I had this on hold at the library and for some reason I let it expire. Now that I see you gave it 5 stars I'll have to put it back on my TBR. Thanks !

[Julie]

The Plague Dogs
Richard Adams
3/5 stars
Written by the author of Watership Down, this is the story of two dogs, Rowf and Snitter, who live in a research testing facility in England where they have been experimented on and handled cruelly by the men who work there. One day, a handler did not lock them in properly and they escape from the facility causing great consternation that they may be carrying the plague and a huge man hunt for the animals ensues. I loved Adam’s Watership Down but I found that this book dragged on too long. 1977

[Alias Reader]

That's too bad. It sounds like an interesting premise.

[madrano]

It's nice to see the books you've been reading, Julie. I'm glad to see you liked the Purnell book about spy Virginia Hall as much as i did. What a story! What i didn't realize was that the book was from '79. I thought it was fairly recent. Goes to show you....er, me.

[Julie]

madrano wrote: "It's nice to see the books you've been reading, Julie. I'm glad to see you liked the Purnell book about spy Virginia Hall as much as i did. What a story! What i didn't realize was that the book was..."

I do love a good biography and this was not a disappointment.

[Julie]

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor
Adam Kay
5/5 stars
This is the diaries that Adam Kay kept while being a resident in the National Health Service in the UK. After 12 years in school and working as a doctor, he quit his job. Fortunately for him, he wrote this book and ended up selling about 1.5 million books. I enjoyed this immensely and could empathize with him and the pain he dealt with treating the sick and their families, working non-stop, missing meals and sleep, dealing with administrators and the constant change in policies. Great book! Diary

[Alias Reader]

Julie wrote: "
This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor
Adam Kay
5/5 stars
This is t..."

This is nice.
"Dear NHS", edited by Adam Kay, was an instant Sunday Times number one with all profits donated to charity.

Even though it's not perfect. I wish we had something like the NHS here in the U.S..

[madrano]

It's hard to imagine a disappointment in a profession that has one ending that career. At least he found a resource in reporting about the situation.

[Julie]

I worked in the health care field for about 15 years and gave it up when my husband was making pretty good money because the stress of working on the floor was overwhelming. When I first started in nursing we would have patients that stayed a long time so we would have some that were critical and some that were easy. Then the health care system changed and patients only stayed in the hospital for a few days and were more likely to need extensive care. Sometimes we couldn't do any charting till the next shift would come on and we would work late finishing up the charting.

When my second child got into kindergarten, I had found a job at the library in circulation and tech services part time and I am in my 21st year of working there. I originally wanted to be a librarian but didn't think I could support myself working at a library which is still true. Most of the library staff is part time. I feel bad for them cause it is not easy getting a full time job in that area.

I do have friends still in nursing. One of my friend's hospital had a riot in the street, a couple of months ago which spilled into her hospital one night. Luckily, she was home that night.

[madrano]

Julie, what a sad state of affairs. From what i'm reading, a number of health care professionals are rethinking their careers. An example i read was similar to your friend's experience, violent outbreaks in the facility itself. This does not bode well for the population at large.

The issue at end-of-shift charting seems wrong-headed. One marvels that institutions could get away with that, presuming staff had to work beyond their shift hours. I'm sure you feel relieved to be out of it.

I'm glad you shared this with us, Julie. It points out so much about the some of the services most of us use, such as hospitals and libraries. The public is grateful but the respect they get from their employers and taxpayers (the low salaries you mentioned) is wanting. I keep hoping we'll get better but the economics at present don't indicate this will happen anytime soon.

Deborah
*stepping off soapbox*

[Julie]

madrano wrote: "Julie, what a sad state of affairs. From what i'm reading, a number of health care professionals are rethinking their careers. An example i read was similar to your friend's experience, violent out..."

I don't think we will ever see a perfect health system anywhere. Nurses, doctors and other health care professionals should be celebrated for staying in the system and trying to change it.

[madrano]

I agree, Julie. Over the last few years i've tried to vocally tell health pros how much i appreciated their work. I've also written letters to let them know, so important do i feel it is to encourage them.

[Julie]

Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies
Alastair Bonnett
4/5 stars
While most of us live in suburbs, cities and in the countryside, Bonnett explores the unusual places that people live in, including cities that have changeable boundaries, islands where people live on that can disappear and reappear with the changing of sea levels, people who live on ships year round and he also discussed the re-population of cities that had been abandoned like Chernobyl and Wittenoom in Australia which was closed due to asbestos which was mined there. Very interesting! Geography

[Alias Reader]

That does sound interesting. I recall a segment on 60 minutes about people who live around Chernobyl.