Carol J's 2023 Reading Challenge

[Carol]

175. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline - In a dystopian world, people stopped dreaming except for the Native Americans. People are capturing them in order to get their marrow, which might hold a cure. ** 6/16/23

[Carol]

176. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez - Dr. Briana Ortiz is all set to dislike the new hunky male doctor. They did not have a good first meeting. Dr. Jacob Maddox and her are thrown together in a mutually helpful position. They are to pretend to be each other's significant other, to keep their family off their back. **** 6/18/23

[Carol]

177. Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie - An archaeologist’s wife is murdered. The nurse suspects something untoward. Hercule Poirot comes in to solve this difficult case. *** 6/18/23

[Carol]

178. The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl by Mark Obmascik - This non-fiction book inspired me to hold my own Big Year, identify as many species of birds as possible by sight or sound, within a calendar year. Obmascik wrote about the hobby and three US birders that broke records. **** 6/19/23

[Carol]

179. A Good Family by Matt Goldman - On the outside, it looked like Katie had a good marriage with Jack, but he had been acting so odd lately. Odd enough for Katie to ask him for a divorce, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. **** 6/19/23

[Carol]

180. The Fifth Element: A Novel by Terry Bisson - Book based on the screenplay by Luc Besson. Every five thousand years a great evil comes to the universe. The universe needs the 5th Element to save it. *** 6/19/23

[Carol]

181. A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis - Max Liebermann was a psychoanalyst in the early 1900s. Freqently he helped his friend, Oskar Reinhardt, a police detective in Vienna, Austria. *** 6/20/23

[Carol]

182. Horse by Geraldine Brooks - Three separate stories ranging from 1850 to 2019 that all have a common thread. A horse from Kentucky. **** 6/21/23

[Carol]

183. Stories from Suffragette City by M.J. Rose - Several stories about different perspectives of suffrage. *** 6/21/23

[Carol]

184. Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World: A History by William Alexander - How exciting can tomatoes be? I found this book pretty interesting. Besides featuring some varieties of tomatoes, Wm. Alexander also talks about their history. **** 6/22/23

[Carol]

185. Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry - I am using the blurb goodreads used because I could say it no better. "Mythos is a modern collection of Greek myths, stylishly retold by legendary writer, actor, and comedian Stephen Fry. Fry transforms the adventures of Zeus and the Olympians into emotionally resonant and deeply funny stories, without losing any of their original wonder."~goodreads **** 6/28/23

[Carol]

186. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie - Mr. Shaitana is throwing a bridge party and in full view of everyone, he is murdered. Poirot must figure out who did it. *** 6/29/23

[Juli, Moderator]

Yay, look at all the Agatha Christie books!

[Carol]

190. Iced in Paradise by Naomi Hirahara - Leilani Santiago lives on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i and is helping her family with their shave ice business. Then she finds the dead body of a pro surfer that her dad is coaching. She has to help clear her dad! *** 7/4/23

[Carol]

191. Summary of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz - The no fluff summary of Ruiz's no nonsense Toltec wisdom and rules for living. *** 7/4/23

[Carol]

192. Night's Child by Maureen Jennings - A thirteen year old girl faints at school. her teacher finds 2 sordid stereoscopic photographs. The police are notified and then the girl goes missing. *** 7/5/23

[Carol]

193. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews - Meg and Micheal bought an old farmhouse in (the fictional town of) Caerphilly, Virginia. Meg's crazy, quirky family is all over the place. Her father volunteers Meg's unfinished cellar as a temporary home for penguins as the local zoo has gone out of business and the owner needed temporary homes for many of the animals. While her dad was digging a pond for the penguins in her basement, he finds a dead body that was kind of fresh. *** 7/5/23

[Carol]

194. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - I've read this book 8 times. Scarlett was truly a piece of work. She was selfish, vain, self-centered, & very spoiled but I didn't realize the depth. The good news is that she grew(a bit) as a character. Very slowly, but there was growth. As a youth I remembered thinking Ashley wasn't so bad. Now, I get it. Before, I truly did not know what would happen after that last line of the book, but I think that after this reading, I ended with more hope at the finish and a sense of what will come. ***** 7/5/23

[Elyse, Moderator]

I really enjoyed the GwtW audiobook!

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "I really enjoyed the GwtW audiobook!"

...all 49 hours!

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "I really enjoyed the GwtW audiobook!"

...all 49 hours!"

haha yup! Didn't feel like it though because it just flows so well.

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "I really enjoyed the GwtW audiobook!"

...all 49 hours!"

haha yup! Didn't feel like it though because it just flows so well."

Every time I listen to it I pick up on something different.

[Carol]

195. Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich - The surreal, dystopian story of a Native American young woman who is having a baby. *** 7/6/23

[Carol]

196. The Puppy Who Knew Too Much by V.M. Burns - Lilly Echosby and her dog have moved down to Chattanooga, TN for a fresh start, but trouble seems to follow Lilly when her dog digs up a dead body. *** 7/7/23

[Carol]

197. The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver - Special Agent Kathryn Dance works for the California Bureau of Investigation. She is in the process of interviewing Daniel Pell, a Charles Manson-like murderer, when he escapes. **** 7/9/23

[Carol]

198. My Man Godfrey by Eric Hatch - Godfrey is a man, down on his luck. When Irene finds him (late 1930s) he is living in a dump along with many other down on their luck men. Then after a scavenger hunt, he ends up becoming the butler for Irene's family. But the question is who is butling who. ***** 7/9/23

[Carol]

199. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson - The title says it all. *** 7/10/23

[Carol]

200. Graceland by Nancy Crochiere - Years ago, a young Hope Robinson was working for an up and coming senatorial candidate. Then she had to flee the city. Fast forward to present day, she has a difficult boss, an eccentric mother and a teenage daughter. **** 7/11/23

[Carol]

201. City of Darkness and Light by Rhys Bowen - Molly and Daniel are enjoying life as new parents when a bomb thrown into their home shook up their life. Daniel sends Molly and her son to Paris to visit her friends Sid and Gus and to keep them safe. Of course, when Molly is in Paris, she gets involved in a murder investigation. **** 7/13/23

[Carol]

202. Design for Dying by Renee Patrick- 1937 - Lillian Frost is a former Hollywood wannabe who is now working in a department store. She hears that her former roommate has been murdered. Lillian looks into it and ends up working with Hollywood fashion designer, Edith Head. The book was OK. I felt like the author (s) were name dropping Hollywood celebrities with little or no purpose. Don't think I will continue on with the series. ** 7/13/23

[Carol]

203. The Plot is Murder by V.M. Burns - Samantha Washington is about to open her own book store, but the shifty realtor that sold her the place ended up dead in her backyard. *** 7/13/23

[Carol]

204. The Bottle Imp and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson - A group of stories by R.L. Stevenson. The Bottle Imp (IMHO) was the best and very much in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. ***7/15/23

[Carol]

205. After the Funeral by Agatha Christie - The owner of a mansion dies and his sister thinks it is murder. Then the next day she is murder. The family lawyer asks Hercule Poirot to help figure out this mess. *** 7/15/23

[Carol]

206. The Maid by Nita Prose - Molly is 25 and works as a maid at a hotel. She has trouble interpreting the world. Her parents have passed on and she lives with her grandmother who interprets for her. Her grandmother dies and shortly after, Molly is back to work where she stumbles onto the dead body of a tenant. **** 7/15/2

[Carol]

207. The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes - Setting - 1920s Equador: Puri's father died and left her the Cocoa plantation. She and her husband make the trip from Europe to Equador aboard a ship. An assassin tried to kill Puri, but accidentally killed her husband. Then she disguises herself as her husband and pretends that "his" wife is killed, hoping to find out who sent the assassin. *** 7/16/23

[Carol]

208. Sleep Like a Baby by Charlaine Harris - The last book in the Aurora Teagarden series :( Roe is sick as a dog. Her husband Robing has to go out of town so her mother hires some home help to take care of her and the baby. She wakes up and there is no sign of the caregiver. But there is a dead woman in the back yard... *** 7/17/23

[Carol]

209. Brood by Jackie Polzin - Minnesota Author!!! Felt like a non fiction memoir, but it was a fiction story about a woman who loved chickens. *** 7/17/2023

[Carol]

210. Ghostbuster's Daughter: Life with My Dad, Harold Ramis by Violet Ramis Stiel - The combined stories of Harold Ramis and his oldest daughter. *** 7/19/23

[Carol]

211. The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston - While at a monastery in Tibet, Pendergast is asked to retrieve a dangerous artifact that has disappeared. While in pursuit, he is led across the ocean on a luxury liner. *** 7/20/23

[Carol]

212. A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley - Eliza and her friend, Jean are to prostitutes in a rough town in the west. Then young women start to go missing and then dead bodies start to appear. *** 7/20/23

[Carol]

213. The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey - Memories of The Office TV show by two women who starred on the show and became best friends. You could ask for nothing better than to work closely with your best friend for several years. Now I think I want to listen to their podcast **** 7/22/23

[Carol]

214. Rescued by David Rosenfelt - A truck with over 70 rescue dogs from the South being shipped to the North East is found abandoned with it's driver dead. Andy steps in to try to help place them. His wife, Laurie asks him to go a step further by representing the accused killer, her ex-fiance. **** 7/24/23

[Carol]

215. Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie - 4 Hercule Poirot short stories. *** 7/24/23

[Carol]

216. Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge - Post-WWII Paris - Tabitha Knight is coming to Paris from Michigan to visit her French Grandpère and Oncle Rafe. She befriends Julia Child who introduces her to the joys of cooking. One day a dead body is found in Julia's building and Tabitha had met her the night before. Tabitha helps, whether the French Police want it or not. *** 7/25/23

[Carol]

217. Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg - In book #6, Mr. Monk hopped a plane and followed his psychiatrist to Germany. In this next book #7, Mr. Monk's assistant, Natalie, talks him into going to Paris before they go home (since technically she is on vacation...). While in France they literally stumble onto several murders. Monk must investigate! *** 7/26/23

[Carol]

218. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - 1954, Nebraska - The coming of age story of three teenage boys and one 8 year old boy. Emmett and his 8 year old brother, Billy plan on heading to San Fransisco to find their mother, but their trip somehow got hijacked to New York city first. ***** 7/28/23

[Carol]

219. The Exiles by Ray Bradbury - This short story was published in 1949. Bradbury writes of a "future" in the 2020s. Books by supernatural authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce and H.P. Lovecraft have been banned. A hundred years later, their books are still being sought for burning and very few remain. A rocket ship races to Mars to take the last few supernatural books where the incarnations of the authors await. *** 7/29/30

[Carol]

220. A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak - This is a biography of Edgar Allan Poe who was more than just an author of horror. He also wrote mysteries and romance and poetry. There are a lot of myths out there about his life. Many may never be known to be true or not. Some were debunked. I think we lost a creative author way to early. **** 7/29/23

[Carol]

221. Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer - A factual, non-fiction book listing questions that many people have about Native Americans. *** 7/31/23

[Carol]

222. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade - April Whittier is a fan fiction writer who is smart and good looking. She is also overweight. When she comes out online, she is given a hard time about her weight. Marcus Caster-Rupp, an actor, asks her out online and she agrees! *** 8/1/23