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2023 Independent Challenges
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Bill's Independent Challenges for 2023 (Done like toast. Onward to 2024)
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Next in line is Golem100 by Alfred Bester
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Next book is Return from the Stars by Stanisław Lem
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Stop recommending the graphic novels!!! 😐😀😎
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Next in line is one by one of my favorite authors, Changing Planes: Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Stop recommending the graphic novels!!! 😐😀😎"
Sure! 🤔😇😏
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Wasn't that convenient that there was a book store nearby when you needed to kill some time? ;)
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I thought so... ;0)
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We're pretty lucky here. In Comox, a 30 minute walk / 5 minute drive, we've got Nearly New Books (a nice UBS), Books4Brains and Blue Heron Books (small independent new books). In Courtenay, a 15 minute drive, 2nd Page Books (a nice UBS) and The Laughing Oyster (another independent new books), plus chain book store. Also quite a few Little Free Libraries, which I tend to use more as drop offs, than pick ups. Also my own LFL... And an hour drive to Qualicum beach, a few more... So, yeah, kind of happy with the island. 😀
You're so lucky to live near so many bookstores. We only have one and its not much. I have to find them when I travel. I love that you have a Little Free Library. You should post a picture of it. That is so much fun.
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There is a photo of it at this link, Michelle. Just scroll down the page a bit.
https://bill-booksbooksbooks.blogspot...
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Bill wrote: "Michelle wrote: "You're so lucky to live near so many bookstores. We only have one and its not much. I have to find them when I travel. I love that you have a Little Free Library. You should post a..."I love it! That must be so much fun.
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Thank you.
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We're pretty lucky here. In Comox, a 30 minu..."
Sweet! Thats perfect access to books.
The closest for me is 15 minutes regular bookstore; BooksAMillion; then everything else is 25+ minutes. Some of the thrift stores have huge sections of used books, so that helps too. I just wish they were closer.
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We're pretty lucky here. In Com..."
We have a few thrift shops as well. I've been trying to be good this year... LOL
Bill, I am so impressed! Great choices (I read Fanny Hill when I was a kid, lol--my parents bought it in protest of censorship and I found it--I have no idea what I made of it!)I confess that I haven't yet read all your entries so I'm risking asking a foolish question: what do you think of Peter Robinson's DCI Banks' series? I got hooked on the BBC series and now I'm reading the books. So far, I liked the Banks on the tv series more--he seemed more complex--but I am liking the series.
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I confess that I h..."
My wife and I really enjoyed the TV series. It's been awhile since I've read one, but I recall enjoying them very much (I've read 3 so far). I seem to recall they were quite different from the TV show but still excellent. I have to get back to the series.
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Next in line is Sunset Gun: Poems by Dorothy Parker
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Next in line is a new author for me, Unexpected Death by Dell Shannon
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In April, I completed 12 books for a 2023 total of 46. Total pages for the year are approx 11,300 (Avg per book - 246)
In my mid-month update, I highlighted these books -
1. The Doomsday Men by J.B. Priestley (3.5 stars)
2. Moghul Buffet by Cheryl Benard (2.5 stars)
3. Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (4.0 stars)
4. Skull-Face by Robert E. Howard (3.0 stars)
5. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (4.0 stars)
6. Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright by Chris Riddell (3.5 stars)
These books have been completed since then -
1. The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett (Entertaining Sci-Fi fantasy set on Mars) (3.0 stars)
2. By Cecile by Tereska Torrès. Sexual coming of age story set in France at the end of WWII. (3.5 stars)
3. Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle. A coming of age fantasy set in England. Filled with sprits and other supernatural creatures. Most entertaining (4.5 stars)
4. Stephen McCranie's Space Boy Omnibus Volume 1 by Stephen McCranie. Graphic novel. Young girl has to return to Earth and adjusts to her new situation, making friends and discovering a strange boy. (4.5 stars)
5. Changing Planes: Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin. A collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors. Set in alternate planes of existence, interesting ideas (3.5 stars)
6. Passport To Peril by James Leasor (Charles Hood #2). A thriller set in the Himalayas. Entertaining adventure. (3.0 stars)
Currently Reading
1. A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (Age of Madness #1) Games of Thrones sort of adventure. Entertaining.
2. Small g: A Summer Idyll by Patricia Highsmith. Fiction, mystery, set in Switzerland with Homosexual overtones.
3. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #4). Wars between the Faeries realms and the Wizardry council and the Vampires with Harry caught in the middle.
4. Sunset Gun: Poems by Dorothy Parker. I've read other poetry by Parker and enjoyed.
5. Death at Dawn by Caro Peacock (Liberty Lane #1). New for me and a slow build. Set during the early days of Victoria's rule. Liberty is trying to discover who killed her father.
6. Return from the Stars by Stanisław Lem. I get the feeling this is a bit like Brave New World. Astronaut returns to earth after many years away and tries to adjust to how the Earth has changed.
7. Heart of Red Iron by Phyllis Gotlieb (Dhalgren #2). Return to the planet of the first book. Looks interesting and confusing.
8. Golem100 by Alfred Bester. Dystopian Earth. A group of women call up the Devil. People being murdered. Another group trying to stop him.
9. Unexpected Death by Dell Shannon A mystery from a new author for me. Set in LA.
Next in line
1. Inverted World by Christopher Priest Dystopian world...
2. The terminal beach by J.G. Ballard A collection of short stories from one of the more different authors in the Sci-Fi world
3. Dust by Hugh Howey. The final chapters of the Silo series. I've just discovered that it's also been turned into a TV mini-series which starts on Thursday. Woo hoo!
4. The Pericles Commission by Gary Corby. The first book in the Athenian mysteries. Set in ancient Greece
5. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton One of the last books in this entertaining mystery series featuring California PI Kinsey Milhone.
6. Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman. The latest collection of a coming of age graphic novel series.
Enjoy your May selections.
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😀😀
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Next in line is a collection of short stories, The terminal beach by J.G. Ballard
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by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and a variety of indigenous authors. 4.0 stars
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Next in line is Interfaces by Virginia Kidd a collection of Sci Fi short stories by various authors.
You read a ton in April, Bill! I'm jealous of all the nice bookshops near you. We have two small second hand bookshops with a very limited selection, a bunch of charity shops and a large Waterstones, but no proper independent bookshops which seems a pity. My favourite of the bunch is inside The Church of St John the Baptist which is regarded as the oldest church in Chester, but lost its senior status to what is now Chester Cathedral at some point in the Middle Ages. Half of its in ruins (Thomas de Quincey's mother lived in the grounds at some point), but inside they have turned one side aisle into a second hand bookshop and keep a very eclectic collection of donated books. It's a working Anglican church, so you end up browsing for books inside this ancient building which still functions as a place of worship.
Happy reading in May!
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That sounds like a neat church bookshop, Carolien. Just make sure you are quiet during the service. 😉 Enjoy your May selections too.
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Next in line is a new Sci-Fi author for me, Inverted World by Christopher Priest
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I've completed 5 books so far in May, 2 of which are graphics. Total pages - 1100.
1. Sunset Gun: Poems by Dorothy Parker 3.5 stars. The second collection of poetry I've read by Dorothy Parker. More accessible than most and with some humor.
2. This Place: 150 Years Retold by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm 4.0 stars. A graphic novel with a collection of stories about the Aboriginal experience in Canada, both historical and present, as told by a variety of indigenous story-tellers.
3. Small g: A Summer Idyll by Patricia Highsmith 4.0 stars. This story by Highsmith is set in Switzerland, deals with a murder, friendships, with a homosexual background. She's always interesting.
4. Unexpected Death by Dell Shannon 4.0 stars. A police procedural by an new author for me. I enjoyed very much.
5. Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels: The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan, The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, and The Case of Baker Street Station by Serena Blasco 3.5 stars The novels are written by Nancy Springer. The graphics are created by French artist Blasco. This collection contains Books 4 - 6. Most entertaining.
Currently Reading
1. Heart of Red Iron by Phyllis Gotlieb Interesting Sci-Fi novel by Canadian author Gotlieb. Set on a temptuous, stormy planet with crystalloids, human settlers and a variety of others. It's confusing but also fascinating.
2. A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. A gritty fantasy. Not blowing me away, but still entertaining.
3. Inverted World by Christopher Priest. I've just started but a Sci-Fi story about a city that is moved about on train tracks
4. Interfaces by Virginia Kidd & Ursula K. Le Guin A collection of Sci-Fi short stories by a variety of authors selected by Kidd and Le Guin
5. Return from the Stars by Stanisław Lem by Caro Peacock The first book in a historical mystery featuring Liberty Lane. Still coming to grips with it.
7. The Terminal Beach by J.G. Ballard Another collection of short stories by JG Ballard. Just started
8. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher Good fun with Harry Dresden, wars amongst vampires and wizards and the faerie worlds
9. Golem100 by Alfred Bester. Bored group of women call up the devil and a group of people try to stop him.. I think.
In the Hopper
1. The Cabal by Philip Dunn New author, new look at Sci Fi. Looks like an alien invasion.
2. Jacinda Ardern (I Know This To Be True): On kindness, empathy & strength by Jacinda Ardern A collection of interviews with New Zealand's PM.
3. Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman The 3rd graphic about the high school romance between Charlie and Nick
4. Dust by Hugh Howey The final book in the Silo series. I'm reading with mixed feelings because that will be the end of it all.
5. The Pericles Commission by Gary Corby The first book in the Athenian mysteries, set in Ancient Greece
6. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton Winding down this excellent mystery series featuring Californian PI Kinsey Milhone.
Enjoy the rest of your May reading.
I was thinking that the book I have next up was obscure, and then you put it in your 'hopper' list, so I guess it's not, lol. I will be starting The Pericles Commission soon - we are going to Greece in a few months, and I like to learn more about places by reading mysteries set in those countries. :)
Hope we enjoy it.
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I will be starting The Pericles Commission soon - we are going to Gree..."
I still think it's obscure.. LOL.. I hope we both enjoy it too. I also hope you enjoy your trip to Greece.
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I've completed 5 books so far in May, 2 of which are graphics. Total pages - 1100.
1. Sunset Gun: Poems by Dorothy Parker 3.5 stars. The sec..."
Great month, so far, Bill. Unexpected Death looks interesting. I might have to add that. Dresden is always fun, but I have not come close to reading the latest works. I feel out of sorts now.
I may have to add Interfaces, as well. I really enjoy short stories. I have not read any that are science fiction, so, I am hopeful.
Edit: Also, please read my review of DUST, and answer those spoiler questions. It was so good and we got a lot of answers, but I still had questions. Like, always.
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I've completed 5 books so far in May, 2 of which are graphics. Total pages - 1100.
1. Sunset Gun: Poems by Dorothy Parker 3.5 s..."
Remind me when I finally finish Dust, Alondra. I'll gladly read your review and try to answer your questions.
Great month so far, Bill, and lots of interesting books planned and in progress. I know what you mean about finishing a series. It is so bittersweet. :-)
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But, I guess there are so many other series to enjoy, eh?
Bill wrote: "But, I guess there are so many other series to enjoy, eh?"Yes! And we all have so many on the go that sometimes it feels good to have one less to track. But still...I miss having another book to look forward to reading!
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Yes! And we all have so many on the go that sometimes it feels good to have one less to track. But still...I miss having ano..."
I know exactly what you mean
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I've completed 5 books so far in May, 2 of which are graphics. Total pages - 1100.
1. Sunset Gun: Poems by [author:Dorothy Par..."
Okay; I will try, but I'm getting old. LOL
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I've completed 5 books so far in May, 2 of which are graphics. Total pages - 1100.
1. Sunset Gun: Poems by [autho..."
You're only 'getting' old... I'm already there.. LOL
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by Alice Oseman 4.5 stars.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Next in line is Dust
by Hugh Howey
Great list of books you have read!! If I wasn't overrun with books here I would be adding them to my tbr! LOL Love your LFL! We have one at our village office. I live in a very small town. I usually use it for drop off only.
I thought Volume Four was the best of the Heartstopper series, for what that is worth. I wasn't sure when I started the series, but boy did it get good! :-)
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I bought Vol 4 today. LOL.. They have been getting better with each new volume.
Martha wrote: "Great list of books you have read!! If I wasn't overrun with books here I would be adding them to my tbr! LOL
Lover your LFL! We have one at our village office. I live in a verly small town. I usu..."
I drop off more at our LFL's too. I have so many books I can be pretty discerning. LOL
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Next in line is a Kinsey Milhone mystery, U Is For Undertow by Sue Grafton
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by Tim Probert (Lightfall #1)
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Finished 6 books so far, mostly fairly short as I try to get through my longer selections. 😁
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Going to have to try the Goth Girl series. Sounds like fun,..."
They're nice light reads.