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2023 Independent Challenges
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Lillie's 2023 Independent Challenge
Mod
I really really wanted to like this book. Such an interesting premise, boxes have started appearing to all adults 22 years old and older. The boxes hold strings of different lengths. Which tell how long people live. It's very much about the world we live in, the prejudices detailed. It should've been so much more..."
Good grief.... smh. Welp, when the characters don't hold your interest, then that is saying something. Sorry it didn't work out; but the rest were all 4 stars!! I will lurk those and see if I need to add them.
Book #10
Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet 3 stars print bookThe story of how broad band came to be. Thought the first half was very interesting. Gave lots of great facts. The second half gave more of a hero worship vibe. The women chosen to be highlighted, though important, seemed more gossipy than fact. Unless I'm reading a memoir I'd rather my non-fiction stick to facts.
Book #11
The Cartographers 4 stars print bookWho knew that a book about cartographers would be fun? For a bit I couldn't figure out why this was categorized as a fantasy but it soon became evident. I did have questions though because it wasn't really explained, just existed. A little more world building would've gone a long way towards this being a 5 star. Did have one quibble (view spoiler) but I suppose the book then would've been an entirely different one.
Book #12
The House of Broken Angels 3 stars print bookA story about a patriarch who is dying and his last birthday party. A good drama of a Mexican immigrant family and everything they faced and continue to face. At times disjointed and messy, it was a bittersweet end of life story. But it wasn't all doom and gloom as it had some laugh out loud moments. Wasn't expecting those but I'm glad they were there.
Look at you, reading machine! Great start of the year, with some good books too. Let's hope the trend continues.
Ioana wrote: "Look at you, reading machine! Great start of the year, with some good books too. Let's hope the trend continues."Thanks Ioana :)
Mod
Who knew that a book about cartographers would be fun? For a bit I couldn't figure out why this was categorized as a fantasy but it soon became evident. I did have questions though because ..."
The cover is amazing. I may need to check this out. Knowing me, I probably already have it on my list. *smh*
Alondra wrote: The cover is amazing. I may need to check this out. Knowing me, I probably already have it on my list. *smh* "I would love to know what you think about it. I would've liked a bit more world building but I liked the concept.
Book #13
A Peculiar Combination 4 stars audiobookA fun mystery/spy book set during WWII London about a thief who gets "drafted" into service for her country. Although it touches on some heavy subjects, it does read lighter. Really enjoyed the author's writing. Having read both books in the series, I'm looking forward to the third (mixed up #1 and 2).
Book #14
Fly Girl: A Memoir 3.5 stars print bookA fun memoir by a former flight attendant turned author. We see how she decided that she'd like to be a flight attendant to the work that it took to become one. She discussed the changes that have taken over the years. Personally, I would've loved to hear a little more about her adventures on the plane and off of the plane. Would recommend it.
Book #15
Mrs. Jeffries on the Trail 3.5 stars audiobook#6 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. I'm really enjoying this cozy mystery series about a Scotland Yard Inspector's household staff who investigate his murder cases behind his back and help him without his knowledge. This one is about a young flower seller who gets murdered. Who wanted her dead? And why? The narrator, Lindy Nettleton is quite good.
Book #16
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries 3.5 stars audiobookEmily Wilde's mission in life is to gather information of all the fairy folk and put them in an encyclopedia. She's gone north to a Scandinavian country as no one has researched the folk up there. The towns people are not warm and welcoming until her colleague joins her. He's charismatic and has a big secret. At first, I thought this was going to be a romance, and it is, kind of but it's more of a fantasy involving the fey. A bit uneven throughout and there's a definite change in the second half. Though not classified as a YA fantasy, I felt like it read like one. Looks like the author is working on book 2.
Book #17
Bad Cree 5 stars print bookI am not a fan of horror since I'm the biggest scaredy cat out there but wow! At the heart, this a book about grief and dealing with it. It's also about supernatural beings and prophetic dreams. Spent most of the book dreading what would happen next. Kept me in suspense. I really don't want to say more than this other than, you should read it.
Book #18
Here Goes Nothing 2 stars print bookHuh. Remember really liking his previous book, A Fraction of the Whole, but this was not my cup of tea. A man is murdered and in purgatory. We follow him as he tries to figure out how to survive there. Meanwhile, his widow is busy living her own bizarre existence. I don't know. It was ok, I didn't hate it. That's all I have.
Book #19
Killers of a Certain Age 4.5 stars audiobookI've read previous books by Deanna Raybourn and I liked them but this one is the best. Four women assassins who are retiring have a hit out on them. Why? What did they do? Can they find out before they're killed? There's humor and backstory and relationships explored and killing. So much killing. Now this is a group of women I wouldn't mind reading more books about.
Book #20
The Guncle 4 stars print bookI want to use sweet to describe this book but it feels like the wrong world because it is about grief. A man takes his young niece and nephew for the summer after the death of their mother so their father, his brother, can go into rehab. It's a good story of learning how to cope in the face of death, how to move forward.
Book #21
A House at the Bottom of a Lake 2 stars print bookThe premise is so good, a young couple discover an intact house in the lake they're exploring while on their first date. Unfortunately, it devolves into a weird story because it can't decide whether it's a teen love story or a horror story. Further, it does neither one well. I didn't hate it but I was left confused. Maybe because it's a novella, the author wasn't able to fully realize his story?
Book #22
Mrs. Jeffries Plays the Cook 3.5 stars audiobookAnother fun installment of the Mrs Jeffries cozy series. As in the ones before this, Mrs Jeffries and the rest of Inspector Witherspoon's household staff investigate a murder, this time of a universally despised gentleman.
Book #23
Renascence and Other Poems 3 stars print bookA very slim book of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, an American poet of the early 20th century. I liked them but I think I need to find another collection to see if all she writes about is death. Good grief. It was a lot.
End of January update: 23 books read, 13 audio, 10 print
14 off of my challenge lists
9 off of the "oh, look, shiny books" shelf.
Really good reading month with 17 of the books rated over 3.5 stars by me.
#1 book:
5 stars#2 & #3 books:
4.5 starsRead so many really good books this month, had 8-4 stars and 6-3.5 stars and 3-3 stars
4 stars:
3.5 stars:
3 stars:
Luckily that leaves only 3 books that were a struggle to get through:
Mod
I added the faerie book. *smh*.. I will also take a look at Bad Cree. I don't get scared much, but if the suspense is good, then I am game. :)
Mod
Great January, Lillie! Only Killers of a Certain Age is on my TBR, will have to check the other ones that you liked.
Alondra wrote: "What a great month Lillie!! I added the faerie book. *smh*.. I will also take a look at Bad Cree. I don't get scared much, but if the suspense is good, then I am game. :)"
The reviews for the faerie book seem to be mixed but I liked it. Maybe it's because I read books about the fae every once in a while? My expectations are lowered. Looking forward to your thoughts on it.
Have to say, it's the same with horror books. I don't read them often but I enjoyed this one because although the horror was constant, there was more to the story. Hope you give it a try.
Bill wrote: "You had an excellent month, Lillie. I'm impressed."Thanks Bill. I can only hope the rest of the year brings as much joy, lol
Ioana wrote: "Great January, Lillie! Only Killers of a Certain Age is on my TBR, will have to check the other ones that you liked."Thanks! I hope Killers brings a smile to your face too. I went into this without any expectations and it turned out well.
Book #24
The Marlow Murder Club 4 stars audiobookA cozy mystery set in England with older women sleuthing/helping the police find the murderer of an art dealer. Thank you friend for recommending it! Though not exactly similar in set up to the Thursday Murder Club series, it has a similar vibe. Looks like this is the first in the series and, I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on the second one.
Book #25
One-Shot Harry 4 stars audiobookSet in 1963 LA, a Black Korean War veteran who's a photographer, starts to investigate the murder of his army buddy who had just relocated to LA. This a hard boiled mystery, a subset of the mystery genre I don't usually read. There's so much here, racial injustice, shellshock/ptsd, crime and trying to find out why his buddy had been murdered. I hope this is the start to a series cause I'd like to see what's next for Harry.
Book #26
The Christie Affair 1 star audiobookHow I wanted to throw this across the room! The whole book is a fictionalized account of Agatha Christie's missing days from the point of view of her husband's mistress. Call me judgmental but I don't like books with affairs being justified. A trope that doesn't work for me. Only reason I finished it was because of the challenge.
Book #27
Mrs. Jeffries and the Missing Alibi 3.5 starsInspector Witherspoon is a suspect in the murder of a businessman and Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the household staff investigate to find the real culprit. But why won't the Inspector say where he disappeared to while the murder took place? Another entertaining book in the series.
Mod
Go, Lillie, Go!!!! 📚📚📚📚📚💨💨
Alondra wrote: "I just realized that you completed 27 books so far! What the heck!?? Go, Lillie, Go!!!! 📚📚📚📚📚💨💨"
It’s audiobooks! I just listen all day long, lol
Book #28
The Keeper of Stories 3.5 stars audiobookA cleaning woman who loves to hear the stories told to her by her employers, a significant story of their lives. She "collects" these stories to keep herself engaged in life because the life she's living is not the one she wants. She stumbles upon a new story, a change in her life, a new path. Lovely story of finding oneself and changing directions.
Book #29
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet 3.5 stars audiobookA young Metis teen is living and working with her family at their ice cream shop before heading off to university. She's dealing with a variety of issues including an ex-boyfriend, a bio father that's newly arrived in her life after a prison sentence, and generally being lost/unsure of where her life is headed after some issues with her family and dealing with racism within the community. Trigger warning for a couple of things (view spoiler). A good YA story with more depth than I expected.
Book #30
Mrs. Jeffries Stands Corrected 3 stars audiobookThis entry isn't as strong as her previous ones as Mrs Jeffries and the household staff aren't as involved with solving the murder as they usually are. It felt like this was a story that could've been better served as a novella. Still liked it.
Book #31
Death at the Voyager Hotel 4 stars print bookA young American teacher is killed in Ghana a couple of months before she was to leave the country. The police have deemed as an accidental drowning. The head mistress of her school, Paula Djan, doesn't accept that. She starts to investigate it although her husband and the police don't like it. Enjoyable novella. Will be reading more Kwei Quartey.
Book #32
Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Stage 3.5 stars audiobookMrs Jeffries and the household staff are back to solving mysteries after a slight set back in the last book. The humor was back and so was the fun.
Book #33
The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code 3.5 stars print bookNon-fiction about DNA and how it came to be mapped. So much information that it took me most of the month as I read a chapter a day. Luckily, it wasn't chockfull of scientific vocabulary and it made it easier to follow the science. Interesting enough read that I'd like to read a bit more on this subject.
Book #34
Exiles 3.5 stars print bookAaron Falk is back and involved on the periphery of a murder investigation in his 3rd outing. He's visiting friends, as he's agreed to be their son's godfather. Last year when he visited them, a woman vanished leaving her baby in a stroller during a festival. Why did she disappear? Was she kidnapped? Was she suicidal? A slow burning mystery.
Book #35
Mrs. Jeffries Questions the Answer 3.5 stars audiobookMrs Jeffries and the rest of the Inspector's household staff continue to delight.
Book #36
Shrines of Gaiety 4.5 stars print bookI really enjoy Kate Atkinson's writing. Her Jackson Brodie detective series was really good and I loved Life After Life. And, now with this book, we're taken to the 1920s London with a cast of interesting characters from runaways to cops, both honest and corrupt to nightclub owners and to an inquisitive librarian. A fun world you can get lost in.
Book #37
Call Us What We Carry 4.5 stars audiobookI'm so glad that I listened to this collection of poetry. The author is the narrator. Loved hearing her read it the way she intended it to be read. It's such a powerful collection, full of history of the pandemics we've lived through ("Spanish flu", covid), the continuing racism in this country (US). I've always had such a hard time reading poetry so listening to it elevated it. The last poem was the inaugural poem she read in 2020. Incredible insight. I'll definitely be checking out her other collections.
Book #38
Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art 3.5 stars audiobookAnother fun outing with Mrs Jeffries and the rest of the household staff.
Book #39
Death by Bubble Tea 3 stars audiobookI'm not sure I've described a cozy mystery as cute but that was the overall feeling of this story. There were some things that seemed a bit over the top, for example, the police detective sharing as much information as he did. But I liked it, the mystery was alright and I'll going to give the next one a try when it comes out.
Book #40
Blanche on the Lam 4 stars audiobookYoungish (honestly anyone under 50 is young to me, lol) mother is on the run after she's just been convicted of passing bad checks and sentenced to 30 days in jail. She hides as a domestic worker in the house of old Southern family. Of course, there are strange things afoot that Blanche has no interest in getting involved in. She just wants to keep under the radar until she can get up to Boston. Am looking forward to the next one.
Mod
Call Us What We Carry 4.5 stars audiobookI'm so glad that I listened to this collection of poetry. The author is the narrator. ..."
Interesting to hear Amanda Gorman read her poetry. I read it and thought it was excellent. It would have been different to actually hear her voice.
Bill wrote: "Interesting to hear Amanda Gorman read her poetry. I read it and thought it was excellent. It would have been different to actually hear her voice."I'm so terrible at reading poetry on my own. It's one of the reasons I've shied away from it for so long. But now that I'm really enjoying audiobooks, I thought I'd approach it that way. I'm glad I did because Amanda Gorman was very captivating.
I have 2 more poetry collections on my challenge and double checked to make sure they're available on audiobooks. They are :)
February wrap up:Books Read ~ 16 (Audiobooks 11, Print 5)
Books Off of the Challenge ~ 7
Shiny "new" Books ~ 9
Top 2 Books (both 4.5 stars)
Worst Book (I'd venture to say it's the worst book I've read so far this year)
Overall the month's been another good one with only one book under 3 stars. Leaned very heavy into audiobooks.
4 star books
3.5 star books
3 star books
And, of course, all of my library holds came in at the same time. My reading for the foreseeable future
Audiobooks
Now I just need to figure out a way out of the small reader's block I have going on
Mod
Bill wrote: "You had an excellent February, Lillie. Good luck getting over your reading block. Enjoy your March selections."Thanks. Am currently binge watching the new version of the Professor T series on pbs. Hoping this will jumpstart me 🤞🏼🤞🏼
Lillie wrote: "And, of course, all of my library holds came in at the same time. My reading for the foreseeable future [bookcover:Murder at Mallowan Hall|5..."This will keep you busy for a while, happy reading!
Mod
Thanks. Am currently binge watching the new version of the Professor T ..."
The Belgian one? I love that show. Have you tried Astrid?
Ioana wrote: "Lillie wrote: "And, of course, all of my library holds came in at the same time. My reading for the foreseeable future [bookcover:Murder at ..."Thanks Ioana! Have been looking forward to them, just not all at once, lol
Bill wrote: "The Belgian one? I love that show. Have you tried Astrid?"This is the British version of the original. I watched the Belgian version several years ago and really enjoyed it. This one is good too, although I do prefer the Belgian version a bit more.
Haven't seen Astrid. Will put it on my list, thanks :)
Lillie wrote: "February wrap up:Books Read ~ 16 (Audiobooks 11, Print 5)
Books Off of the Challenge ~ 7
Shiny "new" Books ~ 9
Top 2 Books (both 4.5 stars)
[bookcover:S..."You're top 2 are on my list glad to see you enjoyed them.
Lillie wrote: "And, of course, all of my library holds came in at the same time. My reading for the foreseeable future [bookcover:Murder at Mallowan Hall|5..."Wow, that's a lot of holds hitting at once and you're not even panicking. That many would make me crazy. I already delay and delay and delay my holds. If they all came up at once that would stress me out.
Michelle wrote: "Wow, that's a lot of holds hitting at once and you're not even panicking. That many would make me crazy. I already delay and delay and delay my holds. If they all came up at once that would stress me out."Believe me, I’m panicking, lol. A couple I had on hold for weeks, some of the others for months and others, just days. It’s always a gamble. I had 2 more audiobooks come in that I delayed for 3 weeks. It’s all good…I hope ;) In the end I just have to remind myself that I’m very lucky to have access to 2 different library systems.
Michelle wrote: "You're top 2 are on my list glad to see you enjoyed them."
I did! Amanda Gorman’s poetry collection is so heavy and deep. I had to take my time with it. I’m still thinking about some poems. I intend to buy a copy to so I can go back to them.
Shrines of Gaiety was a fast read that I finished within a couple of days. A lot of history with a bit of mystery was fun.
You had a great March! Oh, wow, that *is* a lot of library holds coming in at the same time. I hope you pick the good ones to read. I can't wait to see what you think...I haven't read anything that came in, so I can't help you prioritize. Happy reading!
Lea wrote: "You had a great March! Oh, wow, that *is* a lot of library holds coming in at the same time. I hope you pick the good ones to read. I can't wait to see what you think...I haven't read anything that came in, so I can't help you prioritize. Happy reading!"Thanks Lea! Decided to not read today since my eyes kept slipping off the pages. I'll get to the pile in the new month ;)
Have been watching some shows. Currently watching Astrid (Bill's recommendation). Liking it.
I love Kate Atkinson and glad to see you enjoyed her newest. I still haven't read Life After Life though I have it on my Kindle. Someday, soon, I hope!
Patricia wrote: "I love Kate Atkinson and glad to see you enjoyed her newest. I still haven't read Life After Life though I have it on my Kindle. Someday, soon, I hope!"Thanks Patricia! Atkinson is a good author and I hope you get to her soon as well :) I'd be interested to see what you think of it.
Book #41
Girl, Woman, Other 4 stars audiobookI can see why Bernadine Evaristo won the Booker Prize (she really should've won instead of being tied with Margaret Atwood imo). It's a well written collection of connected short stories. As with poetry, short stories are outside of my comfort zone. When deciding on my list for this year, I wanted to actually challenge myself and those two genres are ones I rarely pick up. Glad I started with this one. I really felt like I got to know the characters intimately, their history, their feelings & thoughts. The stories bring to life a variety of women so different from each other. I took my time listening to the book, choosing to listen to one story at a time. Recommend it.
Books #42 & 44
Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake
Mrs. Jeffries Rocks the Boat 3.5 stars audiobooksThis series is really a wonderful palate cleanser for me. I'm finding each of them to be a delightful little gem. I love the interactions between Mrs Jeffries and the rest of the household staff, as well as Mrs Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon. Are they intricate mysteries? Nope. But sometimes mystery series are more about how the author has built up the world the characters live in. Feel this way with JD Roberts (have her next book in my pile, going to start soon) and felt that way about Elizabeth Peters. Looks like there are 40 books so I'll be talking about them for, at least, the next few months.
Book #43
Ghost Month 2.5 stars audiobookSo, I've been trying to figure out how to write this without being entirely negative. Picked this up because it sounded so interesting being set in Taiwan during Ghost Month (which is a month when ghosts must be appeased as not to bring bad luck). And that was the positive, I enjoyed learning about the culture.
It's the story of a young man runs a night stall at the Taipei night market who finds out that the woman he loves has been murdered. I really wanted to love it but I'm one of those that needs to like at least one of the characters in the book. And I did not like the main character. Not sure I'll be picking up the next one.
Glad to see you enjoyed the Kwei Quartey! I've really enjoyed the Darko series and he had a new book out in the second series this month. That's a lot of books for March! Good luck!
Carolien wrote: "Glad to see you enjoyed the Kwei Quartey! I've really enjoyed the Darko series and he had a new book out in the second series this month. That's a lot of books for March! Good luck!"
Thanks Carolien! And thank you for introducing me to Kwei Quartey. I’ve now read 3 of his books and found them all to be very good.
Books #45 & 46
3.5 stars Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot
Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post 4 stars audiobooksWith the rainy days, it’s allowed me to continue with my adventures with Mrs Jeffries, Mrs Googe, Betsy, Wiggins and Smythe (plus others).
Book #47
The Night Ship 2 starsDon’t you hate it when an author you’ve loved puts out a book so different from the previous ones and it’s just not that good. That’s how this one was for me. I’ve seen the high stars given to it and I just don’t get it. It was ok but where was the connection between the characters? Where was the humor that’s present in her previous work? Was expecting magic realism, was not expecting the violence. It took me forever to read it. Kept picking it up, reading a bit and then walking away. And listening to multiple audiobooks in between. So disappointed.
Book #48
Murder at Mallowan Hall 4 stars print bookA fun new series featuring Agatha Christie's housekeeper in the starring role as detective. AG and her 2nd husband Max Mallowan are hosting a dinner weekend when a murder occurs. Love the interaction between AG and Phyllida Bright, the housekeeper. Am looking forward to the next one.
Book #49
The Rising Tide 4.5 stars print bookVera Stanhope's 10th book has a murder on an island. A group of old school friends regularly get together for a reunion when one of them is found hung in his room. Vera figuring out the secrets held by the rest of the group is a joy. Love being back in her world.
Look at you, running through all these books! I haven't read any of them, and you know what that means...curiosity and temptation 😱But that's so much fun, discovering a new good book. Happy reading!
On The Same Page
Books mentioned in this topic
How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived (other topics)System Collapse (other topics)
Killing Moon (other topics)
Bad Cree (other topics)
Finding Me (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alexander McCall Smith (other topics)Emily Brightwell (other topics)
Ellery Adams (other topics)
Kwei Quartey (other topics)
Kwei Quartey (other topics)
Off to a good start with 6 - 4 or more stars, 2 - 3.5 stars and only one 2.5 star.
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Currently listening to:
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