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100 Book Prompt Challenge -2023
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Deborah's 100 Book Challenge - 2023
Alias Reader wrote: "Interesting comment though. Do you read more in the winter?..."I prefer similar temps to yours, Alias. Spare me the humidity.
The reason i tend to read more in the winter is because we aren't traveling then, for the most part. I know we will have movement, probably beginning in April, so i want to make use of this in Dallas time.
I finished two prompts by reading one book, Shiny Water--Anna Salter, #10- A debut novel or book and #34- Read a fiction and nonfiction book on the same topic. I hope it isn't considered "cheating" because it is the same author. As it happens, she wrote this novel before the first book i read by her. Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders. Honestly, i would have guessed the other way around. ANYway, this is first in a series about Michael Stone, forensic psychologist, who specializes in sexually abused clients. In this one, a case of abuse by the father in a divorce case. Unusually, the wife didn't claim this, the child went to a teacher. The wife doesn't believe it occurred, believing it to be a tactic by her husband's attorney to make her look unstable and desperate. Sad, right? It gets worse.
There's much to like in the series. Had i not read her nonfiction first i might have liked it better. Instead, it shared many points she (later) wrote about, so i wasn't as surprised by what was shared. Did it help me figure out whodunit any earlier? Nope.
The character also was a bit uneven. She seemed unable to control her actions at times but not when you would think. Odd. Then she had a 250 rule, meaning she never owned more than 250 items in her home. She broke it down--75 for kitchen, 20 in living room, 40 in bathroom with 75 items of clothing & personal stuff.
Another oddity is that i liked the part of the book where Michael goes to the Carolinas to rest. That part seemed so genuine and appealing. Would i read others in the series? Not sure. It seemed too full of extraneous material but most of that was in setting up her character, which is often word-busting writing.
However, i am intrigued with a standalone she wrote, which i didn't notice until today. It's Truth Catcher, about another crime fighting forensic psychologist but one with synesthesia, a neurological condition in which information meant to stimulate one of your senses stimulates several of your senses. In this case, Breeze Copens talks with a born-again criminal who has done his time but is asked to see if he should, in fact, be released. (Yes, this is a possibility, but i'm not sure if it's in all states.) As she hears him talk to her, the words also appear to her as shapes & colors, leading her to think as-yet-undetected child abuse against a little girl is in his history.
Weird enough? It also heads for Dallas, so i could have read it as a "city you live in" prompt, had i not already had one. The reviews are all over the place, mostly, it seems, due to piss poor editing. Pity, that.
madrano wrote: "I finished two prompts by reading one book, Shiny Water--Anna Salter, #10- A debut novel or book and #34- Read a fiction and nonfiction book on the same topic. I hope..."Well done on 2 prompts, deb.
I don't view it as cheating. It only has to be one non fiction and one fiction on the same topic. Author doesn't matter.
Amazing - both accomplishing it and the write-ups!
John wrote: "Amazing - both accomplishing it and the write-ups!"Thank you, John & Alias. Sometimes i get so excited about what i read that i lose track of my writing.
Regardless, i'm happy to have this prompt accomplished, as it took me months to figure out the topic last year.
Adding three more books.15- A book published in the 1950s. How to Lie with Statistics--Darrell Huff. I heard about this book long, long ago in a psychology class and put it on my TBR list. Well, i finally read the breezy book. Published in 1954 and updated in '82, this book is dated. The examples of misguided efforts to use statistics were old. Sadly, however, i realized not much has changed. I read this book with an eye toward whether or not things are better today. They are not. The same cleverly deceptive graphs, poll numbers, an percentage games are still played. Are kids today even taught the differences between "median, mode and mean" anymore? I believe i learned it in 7th grade.
I appreciated that Huff called out the media for much of the mis-informative statistics. He cut them (& others) more slack than we do today, however. Sometimes he calls it honest mistakes but, then declares the editors did it deliberately to get a stronger headline. You can't have both & today, i believe more readers would call writers out about the deceptions.
More blame for pollsters who do not use a big enough sample, as well as wanting to release information before its been fully verified over a large number of people. Then there are those wanting to sell their product. Here Huff believes the lies are planned and nothing which just escaped their notice.
Overall, i feel that not much has changed in misusing statistics. Even though many of us cite statistics, we don't question the numbers or interpretation, any more than they did in the'50s. For that, given the help Huff provided, has me asking if people even care whether stats are "real" or not.
49-A book about Native Americans OR a book written by a Native American. Where the Dead Sit Talking--Brandon Hobson. I mentioned this book elsewhere. Hobson takes readers through everyday moments (meals, walking places, music listened to) in more detail than i believe is necessary. However, i found the book rewarding at the end, but not due to the minutiae given.
The story is of a 15 year old Cherokee male trying to fit into his latest foster home. There are two other children present, as well as laid back foster parents. The story is related by the adult Cherokee he became, a decade or so later. In some ways the story is sad because it shares some of the results of the birth homes from where the kids came. While i liked it, i'm not running to read more by Hobson. But i will read more by him.
90- Thriller or mystery Shutter--Ramona Emerson. What a well-told story, told on three levels, so to speak. First, the story of Rita Todacheene, a Diné, who spent the first 5 or 6 years living with her grandmother on a reservation near Gallup, New Mexico. During this time we learn Rita can see some dead people and that her grandmother discourages this, as does a family friend who is traditional and could be called a medicine man.
Another aspect is Rita's adult job as a crime scene photographer in Albuquerque. We learn how many photos are taken at such scenes--i was surprised at how many, all to make sure any clues are not lost from the scene. You may imagine how seeing dead people can be a hazzard for someone with Rita's ability.
Finally, there is a thread throughout of Rita's joy in cameras and using it to record moments which strike her. I enjoyed her descriptions of each new camera she introduced. Almost every chapter has a description of the camera name/model, which is neat.
I liked the mystery/thriller. A dead woman plays havoc with Rita's life so that the photographer will make sure she isn't labeled a "suicide". There are many murders and the book pulls no brakes on relating the state of the dead bodies. Therefore, anyone with a dislike of this should pass this mystery by.
madrano wrote: "Adding three more books.15- A book published in the 1950s. How to Lie with Statistics--Darrell Huff. I heard about this book long, long ago in a psychology class an..."
Thank you, Madrano.
Deb, you really doing well on the challenge. You're tackling some really difficult prompts.
Thank you, Alias. The statistics has been on my TBR since the 70s college class. It's short, however, and i will probably find another book from the '50s before the end of the year. Oddly, the other two just popped on my radar out of the blue.
You write very compelling reviews, madrano, thank you!
Thank you, James. I could use much editing but am too lazy to do that, too.:-)
Fulfilling two more prompts.100- Romance, a category of which i am not a fan, The Rodeo Queen--Marcella Bell. I am somewhat familiar with rodeos and even have a couple of said queens amongst my cousins but still i learned much about the, yes it apparently is, "profession". In this instance Sienna Quintanilla is queen for Closed Circuit tv's rodeo program, so has a number of rules. Enter the wildly sexy (aren't they always?) Dominican-heritaged Diablo Sosa and her rules change.
The author, who in the afterword explained that the direction of her book was enhanced with the murder of George Floyd, offered much insight into being of a minority group in the field of rodeo, which was good to learn. However, it's still a romance with all the inner of the main characters, which, of course, they must share with readers. And then there is the lovemaking and all that leads up to that moment. And on. And on.
105- A sport related book - fiction or non fiction The Revolt of the Black Athlete--Harry Edwards, this was the 50th Anniversary edition. The original book must have been quite thin but Edwards more than atones for that by supplying more about his personal life, as well as what happened immediately after publication, as well as updates on this century, in his preface and afterword. It was a solid book with plenty of sports history, as far as collegiate programs go.
Edwards, a professor (& former student) at then San Jose State College, now University, spearheaded the protest, particularly with the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). In the book with its focus on 1967-68, he offers a small history of blacks in sports, including higher education. Then he explains the goals of OPHR, mostly plans to protest at qualifying competitions.
Edwards makes an excellent case for black college athletes. They are told they should be grateful for the scholarships offered (they are) and stop complaining. Their problem was that the coaches and administration had zero sense of what those students faced in colleges & universities across the nation--few places would rent to them, the campus jobs were low-end (while white athletes received better paying jobs) and, the demoralizing name calling by other students and even teammates.
The book includes the wording of many of the original documents, their "demands", the replies, official and not. Social media today has only made it easier to be vile, athletes who protested--and those who supported them--received volumes upon volumes of hate mail. I think Edwards was more than fair to the black athletes who did not want to sign their names, including professional athletes, such as Jesse Owens and Rafer Johnson.
Ultimately, their best known protest was when Tommie Smith and John Carlos accepted their Olympic Medals (first and third, respectively, photo below) in Mexico City and raised their fists in protest as the US national anthem was played. Did they achieve their goals? Not that the administrations of various organizations would admit. No, "we were already planning on hiring black staff members" was often the refrain. The Olympic Committee, which had banned the Union of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia from the '64 games, voted to allow them in '68, until the protest changed their minds. Being boycotted by ALL the black athletes (other nations, as well) helped there. They also wanted the Oly. Comm. to have at least two black people to policy making positions, they hired one.
Edwards, with hindsight, feels good about what occurred then & for the next 5-10 years. In today's world he does not see the problems as part of the same events but a continuation, the next stage, of black athlete protest. However, he does seem reluctant to admit to mistakes he made and when he does, reasons are presented to excuse them.
This book was an education for me, who stands waaayyyy outside the stadium and arena. I learned much and better understand why just being recruited to a college was not enough if you were still treated poorly, only by better educated people. I felt Edwards also explained the young athletes personal histories by looking at national history as they grew up--the murders of Emmett Till, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evans, all with no arrests made at the time. And more. I am very glad i've read this book. We have so very far to go.
Nicely done, Deb. These were two difficult prompts for you and now you've completed them. It's a plus that the sports book sounds really good.
madrano wrote: "Fulfilling two more prompts.100- Romance, a category of which i am not a fan, The Rodeo Queen--Marcella Bell. I am somewhat familiar with rodeos and even have a ..."
Very nice! Congratulations!
Thank you both. I am trying to get some of the tougher prompts out of the way this year, as you may be able to tell.
madrano wrote: "Thank you both. I am trying to get some of the tougher prompts out of the way this year, as you may be able to tell."I am trying to do that, too, Madrano.
It'll make the latter part of the year less stressful and full of books we usually read. At least that's the theory from my seat.
madrano wrote: "It'll make the latter part of the year less stressful and full of books we usually read. At least that's the theory from my seat."I like that theory! :-)
Hard learned after last year, to be honest.
Prompt #32. A play. August: Osage County--Tracy Letts. What a family. Set in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on a family farm, this disturbing play is almost terrorizing, there are so many damaged people present. The patriarch, an alcoholic poet, is missing in the first act and two of the daughters help their pill-addicted mother grapple with the unknown. The subsequent acts show readers/viewers how the family became as they are.I got lucky because Netflix had the filmed version available, so i watched it the next day. It was altered a bit, less of some things and nothing added, as i recall. Meryl Streep played the mother to a fine turn, and Julia Roberts was an effective older daughter. Actually, it was a very good cast, who brought each character to life in much the way i imagined them.
It is interesting that Letts's play is set in Pawhuska, where my mother-in-law lived as a child. What struck me was that David Grann's nonfiction Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is set there, too. I mention this because there is one Native American in the play, the cook/housekeeper, who is hired in the opening scene. Her role, while not pivotal, keeps the house physically functional throughout. It was dramatically cut for the film.
ANYway, this is a strong and sad play, which i really liked.
madrano wrote: "Prompt #32. A play. August: Osage County--Tracy Letts. What a family. Set in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on a family farm, this disturbing play is almost terrorizing, there a..."Nice review, Madrano! Sounds like something I would love! I'd love to see the film, too. Somehow, I missed that one.
madrano wrote: "Prompt #32. A play. August: Osage County--Tracy Letts. What a family. Set in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on a family farm, this disturbing play is almost terrorizing, there a..."Good job on another prompt. I, too, read the play and saw the movie. I enjoyed them both.
madrano wrote: "Thank you both for your comments."I watched the movie this afternoon and loved it. Outstanding performances from Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Thank you for mentioning this one.
Glad to be of service. One can't help but appreciate the nuanced performance of Chris Cooper, as well.
I forgot to add the other book i read for the prompts this week. #38- A book about or set in a country you don't live in. Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name--Vendela Vida. This is primarily set in the northern Swedish province called Lapland, at least in this novel. I envy living in northern climbs and this one sounds cold, welcoming and fascinating. Not only that, but there is a good description of an Ice Hotel, which i've loved as long as i've known about them. Here, i have more description than even my daughter gave me when she stayed in one in Canada.
The story is that soon after Clarissa's father died, she learns he was not her biological dad. Worse, most of the people, including her fiance, knew this fact. Her mother abandoned the family when C was 14, leaving behind a child with Downs Syndrome, as well.
So, Clarissa heads for Lapland because the name on her previously hidden birth certificate is of a man who lives there. It's an interesting journey, where i learned about reindeer herding, the Sami people who herd the animals and a tradition or two as well.
This is the second Vida novel i've read this year. (The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty, written in 2nd person.) I'm not in love with her capable writing, particularly, but i find her scenarios tickle my brain. Her main characters are quite human and still figuring out life. Both MCs i've read from her are under 35, i believe, and travel. Satisfying me. :-)
These are all very impressive reports! Wish I could be so consistently insightful! The book on statistics is something that frustrates me no end.
madrano wrote: "Glad to be of service. One can't help but appreciate the nuanced performance of Chris Cooper, as well."The movie was well acted by all, I think.
madrano wrote: "I forgot to add the other book i read for the prompts this week. #38- A book about or set in a country you don't live in. Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name--[author:Vendela Vid..."
Well done, Deb. It's a neat title for a book.
Thank you to each of you. I noted that last year i finished my #87- Read at least 22 books in 2022 in February. It doesn't appear that i'll be able to finish this year's #33- Read at least 23 books in 2023 this month, try though i do. I have 20, which actually surprises me, given my slow beginning. However, i've read a number of short novels, as well as the play, which i count as a book, given the extraneous info included.
#3- A book by an author you've never heard of before.Ask the Dust--John Fante.
I had trouble getting into this book, written in the late 1930s, but once i did, i was quite torn about it. One review called it "the greatest novel written about Los Angeles." I haven't read many set there but i can see how this might be true, as it included oranges, earthquakes, dusty winds, and the ocean.
Arturo Bandini, Colorado writer, now in LA, scraps for money, loves waitress Camilla Lopez, writes and walks around the city and more. Lopez is in love with bartender Sammy, who doesn’t love her at all & hits her often. Nationality-based name calling is too often retorts. Bandini has sex with Vera, a housekeeper for a wealthy family. The next day an earthquake hits the area and he wonders if it's because he lost his virginity with a woman he barely liked. Next, he writes her sad story, making it into a book, which is purchased.
Inbetween, the action is meals, drinking whiskey, meeting different people, seeing parts of the city and writing. He is quite proud of the first published short story he wrote. Written prior to his move, he bought dozens of copies, which he freely gives to people he meets.
In some ways, he is endearing but in others, quite dislikable. I can't say there were any really likeable characters but none fully awful. The sexist, racist men do not try to hide their thoughts and hope to repel people, particularly Camilla Lopez, by using it.
This is supposed to be his best novel. It is the second of four novels about Bandini. In addition to this, he later wrote screenplays (Full of Life and Walk on the Wild Side
respectively, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_of... and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_on...)
I don't believe i care to read further but i'm glad to know him. When first published, i can see how novel it must have seemed. Charles Bukowski wrote the Introduction, to share how much Fante's writing influenced his own. Not bad, as references go.
madrano wrote: "#3- A book by an author you've never heard of before.Ask the Dust--John Fante.
I had trouble getting into this book, written in the late 1930s, but once i did, i was q..."
Congratulations on finishing another book, Madrano.
madrano wrote: Charles Bukowski wrote the Introduction, to share how much Fante's writing influenced his own. Not bad, as references go."Now that is interesting !
As Fante lived into the 1980s, he & Bukowski became friends, after the latter sought him out. The edition i read included a letter in which Fante replied to Bukowski's questions to help him write an intro to a republishing of this book. Actually, that post-novel section, which they called P.S. Insights, Interviews & More...", was odd, including letters Fante wrote to people as he wrote this short novel.I suspect Fante's writing was what Bukowski wanted to achieve but failed. While i wasn't a great fan of the book, i appreciated his descriptions and the way he evoked images. There is art in Fante's work.
madrano wrote: "As Fante lived into the 1980s, he & Bukowski became friends, after the latter sought him out. The edition i read included a letter in which Fante replied to Bukowski's questions to help him write a..."I read Ham on Rye about 30 years ago. I do recall I enjoyed it. I probably should read it again.
I have only read his poetry, which i generally liked. I see that part of Ham on Rye is about his character's time in the L. A. Public Library. He also mentioned that when writing about Fante & where he first found his novels. It seems that library must have offered him quite an education in literature!
madrano wrote: "#3- A book by an author you've never heard of before.Ask the Dust--John Fante.
I had trouble getting into this book, written in the late 1930s, but once i did, i was q..."
You've done an excellent job putting into words my feeling about books I've recognized as well-written, but didn't come away feeling I liked it.
I read two books for #58-Novela, both because they were on my list and sounded too good to not read now. Besides, i felt a bit guilty about the first one, which was really a long short story put into a book, according the the blurb i read. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Both these books are well written.Foster--Claire Keegan. In Ireland, a young girl is taken to the home of a married couple. It isn't really made clear for how long and my impression was she was to grow up there. The prose is sparse with words so well chosen that you don't want further illumination. I will read more by Keegan, based on this.
The Annual Migration of Clouds--Premee Mohamed. In a dystopic world where rain is scarce, large campuses of people live together. In this case it appears to have been a university. Reid, a teenager who has Cadastrulamyces, a parasite which lives in some humans of these times. It manifests itself when it doesn't like the choices she makes or when she is disobeying their will. But she can fight it.
She receives an invitation to move to a distant community where they are working to improve the environmentally awful world. Throughout the novel she debates whether or not she (& her community) will accept, as every member of these campuses are vital for survival. Leaving her mother alone would mean more work for mom, even if friends offer help. And on.
The story is engaging and i liked learning about this world. The "Cad" parasite and how it may or may not control their hosts is fascinating. From little bits, i realized Mohamed may have been sowing seeds for a series, as some questions were left open. Maybe not. Regardless, i was satisfied with the ending and her creativity in writing.
Congratulations on checking off another prompt, madrano, and thank you particularly for your review of Foster - I've been circling around that for a bit, but now it's on my "Want to read" list!
madrano wrote: "I read two books for #58-Novela, both because they were on my list and sounded too good to not read now. Besides, i felt a bit guilty about the first one, which was really a long short story put in..."Fine job on knocking off another prompt !
Thank you both. James, i am glad to read that you are considering it. All i know is that it had a long waiting list at my library. Not as long as Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead but i waited almost two months for it.
madrano wrote: "I read two books for #58-Novela, both because they were on my list and sounded too good to not read now. Besides, i felt a bit guilty about the first one, which was really a long short story put in..."Congrats on another completion. I don't handle dystopian well, but Keegan sounds like a writer who ought interest me.
If you give Keegan a try, please let me know what you think, John. I was surprised by how much i liked it.
madrano wrote: "I read two books for #58-Novela, both because they were on my list and sounded too good to not read now. Besides, i felt a bit guilty about the first one, which was really a long short story put in..."It sounds very interesting, Madrano, but like John, I don't handle dystopian literature well. Klara and the Sun was about all I could take for a while.
I do like Claire Keegan and intend on reading one of her books to fulfill a prompt or two.
Thanks for those titles, John. Each sounds interesting to me. I’m reading a Lois Lowry book for the novels prompt. Yours sound much better. Thx for taking the time ti describe tthem Michele
I didn't realize Lois Lowry had more than one book based on the first, The Giver. Neat. I hope you enjoy your Lowry, Michele.
I just finished Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime--Val McDermid for prompt # 71- related to science. The author has written mysteries for quite a number of years but i've never read one. This is strictly about the science the police use to detect crimes, mostly murders. Because she is British, most of the cases & professionals interviewed are as well. However, she made a point of sharing if the facts (usually about prosecuting crimes) are different between the US, UK, Canada & Australia. Each chapter is devoted to some detection tools, for example, fire examination, bugs, toxicology, facial reconstructions, forensic psychology and, the final chapter, the courtroom. While the last isn't science, it was instructive in sharing how some of the sciences won't be used in a trial, as well as how cross examinations can be brutal for professionals.
To say i learned plenty is an understatement. Simultaneously, i knew quite a bit, as well. One thing which interested me was learning that while fingerprints have had their day, they are not considered science as much as once deemed. This is because if prints aren't already in the system, those comparing prints tend to find what is needed, if they have a suspect. If not, all's well. So, there's that.
For some reason, interesting as it was, i found myself dragging in reading this book. She did everything right, including varying the science with anecdotes, using quotes and case files and more. I just couldn't get engaged. Possibly this was about me but i want to mention it here. And add that it left me with no desire to read a mystery by this author.
Finally, i must add that there are a couple of other science books which interest me for this prompt. We'll see if i decide to read another or not.
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Please let us know, James, what you think, if you decide to try it. Of the 3, it is the longest.