September 2022 - Books with a question mark in the title

[Kristie, Moderator]

You are not limited to the two chosen books. You may read any book within the theme "books with a question mark in the title" if you prefer.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book before or during September 2022.

2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read. Please elaborate on your thoughts on at least 5 of the following topics:
- Setting
- Characters
- Writing style
- Genre
- How the book made you feel
- Which parts stood out
- Did you/will you read more by the author
- Anything else related to the book you find worth mentioning

This can be done in one post after finishing the book, but preferably in a few posts while reading. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.

3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

[Jennifer]

If anyone is looking for a book other than the group reads, Patricia Sprinkle has a whole series of southern mysteries with titles that are questions. When Did We Lose Harriet? etc.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I have previously read the following books:

Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?: Confessions of a Gay Dad - I thought this was a decent read and gave it 3★. This could be a good option for the banned book event for anyone that is interested. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

How Full Is Your Bucket? - Another 3★ nonfiction. Discusses the concept of people either dipping from or filling up your "bucket" during interactions.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death - I actually gave this one 4.5★. It was written for a younger audience, but the information was interesting and was relaying in a fun manner. I'd recommend this one if the subject matter seems interesting to you at all. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - The only fictional book on my short list. Another 3★ read for me, but it seems to be popular with other readers. This is a classic, science fiction read, neither of which is my go-to genre of choice. I think someone who enjoys those genres would enjoy this story.

I have several other question mark books still on my TBR to read, but I doubt I'll have time to get to them this month. I plan to read the group read, Have You Seen Luis Velez?. I've been wanting to read this one for a while.

For anyone looking for some ideas. These are top of my list if I have time to get to one:
What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics
Where Am I Now?
Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm going to read Who Moved My Goat Cheese?
It looks fun and I need a good laugh these days. I'm not sure when I'll start reading it.

[Kristie, Moderator]

That one looks cute, Janice.

[[deleted user]]

I've decided to read Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews. I am going to the library later today to pick it up.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Here's a listopia list of titles with question marks for anyone still looking for inspiration: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3... Many of the titles are just children's books, but there are quite a few good ideas on the list too.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I put a hold on Who Moved My Goat Cheese?, Are We There Yet?, and What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions in case I have some extra time this month.

Edit: I added What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing to my hold list.

[Janice, Moderator]

Oh gosh! I read If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries What Am I Doing in the Pits? years ago. I recall lying in bed reading it and howling with laughter. I wonder if it's dated now.

[Sandra, Moderator]

If get I the audiobook on time I will read ARE YOU THERE GOD? ITS ME, MARGARET.

[Ayacchi]

I'm reading Siapa yang Datang ke Pemakamanku Saat Aku Mati Nanti? (If I Die Who Will Come to My Funeral). But since it's a nonfiction and I'm doing annotation on my paperback for the first time since a decade ago, I don't know if I can finish it in time. And I'm bad with self-help book because I tend to forget what I read and not applying it in my life, lol. But I'm interested in this one, it makes me wonder, am I good enough for people to attend my funeral? Will they remember me? And what kind of memories that will pop on their mind when someone mentions my name? I hope I'll get to know myself more by reading this, though I predict it would show how bad I am as a human being, lol

[Janice, Moderator]

I started my book, Who Moved My Goat Cheese?, last night. I just read the 1st chapter and it's just setting the scene. The main character runs a restaurant where produce is obtained locally. Never heard of onion sandwiches, and not likely to run out and try one. The potato soup on the other hand, sounds good.

[Janice, Moderator]

I think I'm about 50% into the book and it's slow going. It's 184 pages for the Kindle edition and I thought I'd breeze through it quickly.

It's an okay story so far. Good description of food. I hope there are some recipes in an appendix. There are some strange transitions. I find myself thinking, "What? How did we get here?" Other than that, I love the baby goat - Precious. What a name for a goat. LOL! The huge puppy, Dom, is also a highlight. So three things going for it - food, baby goat, and oversized puppy.

[Kristie, Moderator]

That's too bad, Janice. It's so disappointing when you think something will be a quick read and it takes longer than expected. I'm always surprised when a short book feels like it just drags along.

Edit: I just removed my hold for this one. I have a few others on hold in case I have extra time anyway.

[Casceil]

I also plan to read Who Moved My Goat Cheese? . I'm sorry to hear Janice is finding it slow. I have read at least half a dozen books by Lynn Cahoon. The ones that are not slow tend to be good. But some are slow. I guess I will have to see about this one.

[Janice, Moderator]

It might just be me. :) I hope you enjoy it, and that it's a quick read for you.

[Casceil]

I've read a little less than half of Who Moved My Goat Cheese? I am enjoying it, though it is a little slow for a mystery. Very little information has been provided about the circumstances in which the victim died. I prefer mysteries that give me more to work with if I want to try to guess who done it. I like the characters, though.

[Janice, Moderator]

When we fist met Ian, I thought he was an older man. So It took a little to turn my impression of him into a younger man, Angie's age.

[Casceil]

I finished Who Moved My Goat Cheese? It wasn't a bad book, but it was a little uneven. So much of the book focused on planning to open a new restaurant, that the murder mystery was sort of a side story. There were not enough clues, until almost the end of the book, when they came thick and fast. The plot was plausible, but the character of the murderer was not very well developed. I gave the book three stars.

After reaching the end of the book, I realized that the title did not really arise from the book. There was goat cheese, and it was important to the story, but it was never moved.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I'm glad I decided not to read that one right now. I don't think it'll be bad, but it seems the author has better books that might be more representative of her work. I've never read anything by Lynn Cahoon before and wouldn't want my first experience to be something that puts me off her books unfairly.

[Janice, Moderator]

Casceil wrote: "I finished Who Moved My Goat Cheese? It wasn't a bad book, but it was a little uneven. So much of the book focused on planning to open a new restaurant, that the murder mystery was ..."

I agree with that assessment, Casceil. I had figured out who the murderer was about middle of the book, and I agree there needed to be much more character development.

I also thought there was quite a bit of story filling - things that served no purpose for the story.

Still, it was an okay read. I enjoyed the animals more than the story. Precious, Dom, and Mable stole the show.

[Casceil]

Kristie, my favorite books by Lynn Cahoon are the Cat Latimer series, which starts with A Story to Kill.
Janice, I agree that the animals stole the show. Any of the three of them had more presence and personality than the killer.

[Janice, Moderator]

I see the next book in the series is around 4.1 stars and then book 3 drops back down again.

LOL! I think I'm forever changed by all our challenges. First thing I noticed about A Story to Kill was that there was a flight of stairs prominently on the cover. Seems to me we've had a challenge with that as a prompt.

[Cherie]

Too funny, Janice! Those stairs were the first thing I focused on when I clicked on the book link to check out the story and see if I wanted to add it to my 1st-in-series list. 😁

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thanks, Casceil.

Maybe we'll need that prompt again some time. lol