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Trim Challenge 2022 – Community and Announcement Thread
So about the April trim announcement, I’m pretty sure that Hayley hasn’t been on. I wrote to her over a week ago but I haven’t seen her in quite a while. It might be that she gets on today or tomorrow because this is around the time the new tag is announced. I certainly sent her a note over a week ago so she’ll see it if she gets on. Tell you guys what. If we don’t hear from her by end of the day tomorrow, meeting the 23rd, I’ll invite somebody else to switch months with her. Shelley or Meli or whoever’s in June. I suppose it has to be someone who’s in my phone, or who I can find easily on FB for quickness. Maybe go with Joanne because she’s had such bad luck with trim, maybe she gets to pick. But let’s give our HayJay a chance to show up.
Okay, so whoever ends up picking April's number. I'd like to suggest 20. Please. ;) It would really help me out with April's tag, lol.
Now that April's tag has been chosen I am pleased to announce our Trim number for April is 20!I've got The Library of Lost and Found on deck!
Woot woot! Thank you so much, Hayjay! 🥰😁 I’m so excited!My #20 is Stalking Jack the Ripper, which is perfect for April’s tag too.
Joanne wrote: "my # 20 is The Paris Architect and I do believe it is a buddy read"That is my #20 as well, I believe that Theresa is in on the buddy read, too.
If I can manage it I put myself down for The History of Bees to buddy read with KateNZ.
Joanne wrote: "my # 20 is The Paris Architect and I do believe it is a buddy read"Yes it is...with me!
Booknblues wrote: "Joanne wrote: "my # 20 is The Paris Architect and I do believe it is a buddy read"That is my #20 as well, I believe that Theresa is in on the buddy read, too.
If I can manage it ..."
The Maja Lunde is wonderful and quite fast reading! I read it the year the translation published having gone to a reading and signing she did at Scandinavia House here in NYC. Fascinating and she did a lot of research for the book.
Booknblues wrote: "Joanne wrote: "my # 20 is The Paris Architect and I do believe it is a buddy read"That is my #20 as well, I believe that Theresa is in on the buddy read, too.
If I can manage it ..."
I'd like to join you for History of Bees. I returned it to the library unread, twice. When I get it back this time, I WILL READ IT!
My #20 is either Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell or Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis.... not sure yet what I'm currently in the mood for... 🤔 maybe I'll try them both?
I've got the Paris Architect! So excited to be with you guys. And so excited HayJay showed up too! I think I have another read as well for #20. Let me see what it is....
My # 20 is Queen of America by Luis Alberto UrreaNot sure I'll get to it in April, 'cause I have a couple of bigger books for my F2F book clubs I need to get to first. (In fact my Hispanic Book Club is discussing Urrea's The House of Broken Angels in April ...)
My #20 is The Women in the Castle - Jessica Shattuck. I'm really looking forward to it.I finished my March book on 3/15 - Meet Me in Monaco - Hazel Gaynor - 4 Stars. I don't know when/if I'll get a chance to write a review but I enjoyed it very much. It was just the read I needed at the time.
Meet me in Monaco is on my TBR. Glad you gave it 4 stars. My other #20 is the Bookseller’s Secret, which I’m pretty sure is also a buddy read!
Olivermagnus wrote: "My #20 is The Women in the Castle - Jessica Shattuck. I'm really looking forward to it."I read that one a few years ago – I really enjoyed it! It's stuck with me over time, too.
Finished my March trim so now I am 3 for 3 in 2022!! WOO HOO! Review here --> https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I don't have my reading journal with me so I am not sure what my 20 is :( I'll wait until I get home... not sure I can track it down here 😂
Found it... my #20 is Notes of a Crocodile and it looks a little dense, so this might break my trim streak. We'll see.
Joanne wrote: "my # 20 is The Paris Architect and I do believe it is a buddy read"I also have this as my #20.
Quit a nice little group for The Paris Architect. I'll put up the buddy read in Footnotes on April 1. However, it will likely be mid-April before I get to it.
Theresa wrote: "Quit a nice little group for The Paris Architect. I'll put up the buddy read in Footnotes on April 1. However, it will likely be mid-April before I get to it."
I will try to shoot for mid-April as well if all are in agreement.
20) The Collide/How to Tame a Fox/Quicksand are my 3 options. We'll see how many I get through. The first is the second in a series which I have been wanting to continue for a while, the second is history of dogs (my favourite creatures ever to live with, though ctenophores are the best to look at, diving disco balls) and the last I can't even remember it has been on the TBR so long.We do have a 1 week holiday in April after 10 weeks of solid school (except the day it was cancelled cos one building got killed in a fire, but we were back the next day) so perhaps I'll get 2 done.
Just had a look at them all and hope I get to read all 3.
BooknBlues, Book Concierge, and HayJay…. And anyone else…. Violin Conspiracy is on its way to me in the library! I plan to read this late April and if I have to, first book in May! Deeply excited for this one!
Holly wants to read this and I never see her on this thread. We might consider us four or five discussing this elsewhere. Plans for April?
I just finished my March trim—Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I loved it!!!
I finished my March trim also, The Shadow King. It was heavy but worth the effort. My April book is All This Could Be Yours.
#11 - MarchAll Adults Here by Emma Straub
3 stars
This story revolves around Astrid Strick and her family. She is a widow with three grown children and several grandchildren. They are a modern family that can be dysfunctional at times. Members of the three generations are all maturing in their own ways. They realize where they went wrong in their lives and are working on how to accept others in and outside their family.
Astrid is exploring her life after the death of her husband. Her daughter is planning to be a single mother, one of her sons wants to change the town and another son is having his daughter live with Astrid after an incident at her old school.
Although the main characters are all going through changes at the same time, none of them are really anything I would consider as bad. This family is like many others with what is going on in their lives; and some of their issues come from lack of communication. Astrid and her oldest granddaughter, Cecelia, are the most interesting people in the book to me. They are accepting of others and have grown the most on their own.
Finished my #11 for March:The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell - 4* - My Review'
“Myths are stories of our search through the ages for truth, for meaning, for significance.”
Joseph Campbell’s views on mythology were presented in a six-part series on the Public Broadcasting System in 1988. I have not seen it. I was curious to find out more about what he said. This book is structured as an interview, with Bill Moyer asking questions or making statements, and Campbell responding.
Campbell’s ideas portray the role of myths in human societies and identify the ways that the diverse religions of the world utilize core beliefs and stories that are quite similar. They have provided a basis by which modern humans can compare experiences to people in the past. Campbell emphasizes common elements such as compassion. He advocates a metaphorical approach to religion. His explains what lies behind his advice to “follow your bliss.” Some of the most impactful segments are observations about how myths have broken down in our current culture. It emphasizes how much people have in common regardless of our time or location.
“It’s important to live life with the experience, and therefore the knowledge, of its mystery and of your own mystery. This gives life a new radiance, a new harmony, a new splendor. Thinking in mythological terms helps to put you in accord with the inevitables of this vale of tears. You learn to recognize the positive values in what appear to be the negative moments and aspects of your life. The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”
The Strain my second march Trim finished. gave it 4 stars despite it being very good because they killed the dogs. Never kill the dogs!!!!!
Turns out I'm an idiot and put The Collide on my trim but that is actually the 3rd in the series so I've swapped it to The Scattering which is book 2.Started trying to read Quicksand which is one of my other April choices but it is about a school shooting incident where lots of kids die. Can't deal with that atm as we have a missing child in our community and everyone is out searching and hoping he is found alive.
Jen wrote: "Turns out I'm an idiot and put The Collide on my trim but that is actually the 3rd in the series so I've swapped it to The Scattering which is book 2.Started trying to read Quicksand which is one ..."
Oh, Jen, I hope you find the missing child. How horrible. I'm sending positive thoughts your way.
Booknblues wrote: "Jen wrote: "Turns out I'm an idiot and put The Collide on my trim but that is actually the 3rd in the series so I've swapped it to The Scattering which is book 2.Started trying to read Quicksand w..."
Thanks. No sign of him. Very stressful week and less hope each day with 35C temps and no food and water taken.
Jen wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Jen wrote: "Turns out I'm an idiot and put The Collide on my trim but that is actually the 3rd in the series so I've swapped it to The Scattering which is book 2.Started trying ..."
Heartbreaking. Miracles do happen.
Oh, Jen ... how terrible. Sending prayers your way ... for the child, for the community.
Book Concierge wrote: "Oh, Jen ... how terrible. Sending prayers your way ... for the child, for the community."Thank you. Still nothing and police have called off the search so only community still searching now. The family are in bits so those who pray, pray for them.
#20 AprilThe Bookseller's Secret by Michelle Gable
3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
My March # 11 ... ✔ 04Apr22
The View From Penthouse B – Elinor Lipman – 3.5*** rounded up
Two sisters and a handsome, cupcake-baking young man share a Greenwich Village apartment and support one another’s efforts to get back into life. What a charming comedy of manners, reminiscent of Jane Austen, but updated to the 21st century. The scenarios and the characters are believable and relatable. Their dialogue sparkles. I love how they support and encourage one another through thick and thin, and many complications relationship wise. Just delightful fun.
My full review HERE
#20 The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure3.5 stars -this is a buddy read too!
Lucien, a modernist architect, chose to remain in Paris under the Occupation, but is struggling. There has been no work and money is running out. When he's ultimately approached by a wealthy French industrialist to design secretly a hiding place with the promise of a factory design commission for the Germans, Lucian takes the work, which leads to much more similar secret and open projects. Lucien is not a hero and in fact at first is not only a coward but also a bigot. With Lucien as the centra protagonist, Belfoure takes us on a journey through Occupied Paris in 1942, with good and evil on full display, as well as all the shades of grey called survival. At the same time, we watch the evolution of Lucien and others -- some to greater good and some to deeper evil. I thought the overall story was effective and provided a truer picture of Parisians under Occupation than is often given.
I actually give 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. There was something about the writing itself, and even the structure of the story, that just doesn't sit well. The writing often seem too simplistic, dumbed down, given the complexity of the story. There were too many torture scenes. There may well have been too may secondary characters. What shone: Belfoure's interweaving of architecture, both in the modernist Bauhaus inspired work by Lucien, and in descriptions of some of the magnificent buildings still standing in Paris, like the Biblioteque Nationale Richelieu. Belfoure, an architect, has a gift for writing about architecture in fiction and making it integral to the story.
I also have to say that reading this now, while Putin and Russia wage war on Ukraine, gives this historical fiction an immediacy, a firm base in reality.
Finished my #20 for April:438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea by Jonathan Franklin - 4* - My Review
True story of two men who left Mexico in November 2012 during a fierce storm and how one of them survived for over a year adrift in the Pacific Ocean. The ingenuity this man showed was amazing. He found a way to capture raw fish, turtles, and birds, accumulate fresh rainwater, and endure life in a twenty-three-foot boat with no motor while shielding himself from the sun by curling up in an ice box!
I am very impressed with the author’s ability to take José Salvador Alvarenga’s thoughts and craft them into a compelling account without repetition (the days adrift must have been incredibly similar). He weaves in expert commentary and includes maps of ocean currents to track the boat’s path to the Marshall Islands. It provides insight into how a person can improve the chances of making it through an ordeal with an unknown ending date without succumbing to despair. It is well written and will appeal to anyone who enjoys true stories of survival.
OK - The number for May is #9. Four people for The Lincoln Highway (I somehow thought it was more), and three for and American Marriage. For those interested in the Lincoln Highway this month, it is character driven, and also part of the Favorite Author challenge. Enjoy. Jen K is up for number selection for June!
Play Book Tag
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Review is here!