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100 Book Prompt Challenge -2023
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James - 100 Book Challenge - 2023
Excellent point, James. Directors have misused Watson over the years. Would Holmes have kept such a man as his recorder? I think not! This is why i rather like Freeman's interpretation of Watson. Not bumbling, idiotic but in awe of genius, while trying to maintain his own life.
✔️43- A National Book AwardThe Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty(2022 National Book Award)
I know others have read this book and have found the story pretty bleak -- and I don't argue with that at all -- but I thought that there was some real beauty in the writing, particularly with some of the central character Blandine's observations:
"I don't have social media"
"Oh, right." He rolls his eyes. "Too good for all that."
She shakes her head. "Not at all. On the contrary, I'm too
weak for it. I mean, everybody is, but I am especially susceptible to its false rewards, you know? It's designed to addict you, to prey on your insecurities and use them to make you stay. It exploits everybody's loneliness and promises us community, approval, friendship. Honestly, in that sense, social media is like the Church of Scientology. Or QAnon. Or Charles Manson . . ."
". . . Everybody, influencing, everybody under the influence, everybody staring at their own godforsaken profile, searching for proof that they're lovable. And then, once you're nice and distracted by the hard work of tallying up your failures and comparing them to other people's triumphs, that's when the algorithmic predators of late capitalism can pounce, enticing you to partake in consumeristic, financially irresponsible forms of so-called self-care, which is really just advanced selfishness. Facials! Pedicures! Smoothie packs delivered to your door! And like, this is just the surface stuff. The stuff that oxidizes you, personally. But a thousand little obliterations add up, you know? The macro damage that results is even scarier. The hacking, the politically nefarious robots, opinion echo chambers, fearmongering, erosion of truth, etcetera, etcetera. And don't get me started on the destruction of public discourse. I mean, that's just my view. Obviously to each her own. But personally, I don't need it. Any of it." Blandine cracks her neck. "I'm corrupt enough."
James wrote: "✔️43- A National Book AwardThe Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty(2022 National Book Award)
I know others have read this book and have found the story pretty bleak -- an..."
Those quotes have me intrigued ! I'll have to check it out.
James wrote: "✔️43- A National Book AwardThe Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty(2022 National Book Award)..."
Well done, James. I must say the quotes you shared ring too true of me, it may be i need to look at this one. Thanks for taking thet ime to share them and those ideas.
madrano wrote: "James wrote: "✔️43- A National Book AwardThe Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty(2022 National Book Award)..."
Well done, James. I must say the quotes you shared ring too..."
Sounds a little like me, too. Thank you, James, for the quotes.
✔️89- Author is under 35 years oldThe Immortalists (2018) by Chloe Benjamin (born 1989)
Four Jewish siblings visit a fortune-teller in New York in the late 1960's, where each learn the date of their death. How the lives of each of the four unfold is the focus of the following sections of the book.
There is a lot going on in here; the AIDS crisis and San Francisco in the late '70's and early '80's; mysticism vs. money-making during the "greed is good" '80's and '90's; the ethics of physicians determining the fitness of young people being sent to war; and the scientific study of how life can be prolonged, and if the solution is worse than the inevitable result. In addition, the siblings all face mental health issues of one sort or another, some more pronounced than others.
I most resonated with the concept of "this world and the world to come" -- the idea that living one's life meaningfully is the highest of spiritual callings -- a concept that in my life I have learned is important to, but not solely the province of, the Judaic principles of justice, healing, and charity.
I least resonated with some of the out-of-left-field aspects of plot devices and twists that are found a bit throughout the book but particularly noticeable to me in the later stages. However, there is a certain sweetness to the final notes of the book that tempered that disappointment.
Sounds intriguing, thanks for sharing!
James wrote: "✔️89- Author is under 35 years oldThe Immortalists (2018) by Chloe Benjamin (born 1989)
Four Jewish siblings visit a fortune-teller in New York in the late 1960'..."
Really well done review, James. Thank you.
Congratulations on checking off another prompt.
Nice recap, James. I appreciate that you shared as much about the development as the plot and characters. Well done on marking off the prompt.
James wrote: "✔️89- Author is under 35 years oldThe Immortalists (2018) by Chloe Benjamin (born 1989)
Four Jewish siblings visit a fortune-teller in New York in the late 1960'..."
I agree with Lindsey. Your review made the book sound very intriguing. Thank you, James. This one goes on my TBR list.
A palm reader once told me how old I would live to be. I did not want to know that, but before I could tell her not to tell me that, she did. I would just put it off as so much "fortune telling" for profit, not worth listening to, but she also told me other things that were quite specific and she has been correct. I wish I could forget about what will be, according to her, the last year of my life. :-( It's a ways off yet, but still, I don't want to know it.
James wrote: "✔️89- Author is under 35 years oldThe Immortalists (2018) by Chloe Benjamin (born 1989)
Four Jewish siblings visit a fortune-teller in New York in the late 1960'..."
Nice write-up, thanks for the information!
Kiki, i don't think i'd want to know, either.
madrano wrote: "Kiki, i don't think i'd want to know, either."It hangs over me like a dark cloud, Madrano, even though I don't believe in palm reading at all. It was the other facts, the ones she got right, that disturb me about the year she gave. They were very specific facts and they were all correct. She told me some things that would happen in the future, and those things have come to pass.
I just try not to think about it. :-(
I don't blame you, Kiki. Either way, honestly, there is nothing you can do about it, other than make yourself a nervous wreck dwelling on it.
James. Will also add The Immortalists to my list. I’ve found so far that I’ve really liked many of the books I chose, but when I get onto thongs like picking a book in a cayegory like Novela or published on the 1960’s, I am less successful. Slapping my forhead. I just realized why so many people are reading “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. Michele
madrano wrote: "I don't blame you, Kiki. Either way, honestly, there is nothing you can do about it, other than make yourself a nervous wreck dwelling on it."I will not worry about it until I reach the age at which she said I will be no more. Then, the coming year might be a tense one for me. LOL
Michele wrote: "James. Will also add The Immortalists to my list. I’ve found so far that I’ve really liked many of the books I chose, but when I get . . . "Michele, thanks for your comments. Although I rarely mark a book "did not finish", I know that over time I have picked some real dogs (dog-lovers, please forgive) -- but so far this year I am liking almost everything I've chosen. I think I see "novellas" more in genre categories, like SF or Mystery, but madrano has recommended Foster, which is now on my want-to-read list.
Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I will not worry about it until I reach the age at which she said I will be no more. Then, the coming year might be a tense one for me...."Ha! No doubt.
James, i got a laugh from your dog-lovers aside comment.
✔️65- Concerning food or containing recipesExtra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller [non-fiction; 4 stars]
An eye-opening exploration of a staple product. I was enlightened by the history, harvesting and production methods, and the nomenclature of olive oil that are discussed in the book; I was surprised to learn of the chicanery, adulteration, official corruption, and illegal trafficking that are often involved. It takes care, passion, planning, hard work, and resources to create good oils; if you are paying $10.00 for a half-liter of "extra-virgin" "cold pressed" olive oil at your local supermarket, you are likely not getting what you think you are.
For fans of Salt: A World History and Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky, and The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel.
Thanks for the information! I use basic vegtable oil myself. I've read some Kurlansky, but have a couple more on my TBR.
I read a great book about salt once. I think it was called “Salt.” I learned that places were named after salt (like Salzburg), that Buffalo, NY was named that because the beasts gathered there for its salt lick, the biggest in North America at one time, and that the word “salary” refers to salt allowances (Roman origins).
James wrote: "✔️65- Concerning food or containing recipesExtra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller [non-fiction; 4 stars]
An eye-opening exp..."
James, I've heard a lot of oils are blends and they state otherwise. :(
I think honey has the same issues.
Good job on the prompt !
✔️12- A trilogy. Part of a trilogy. (You don't have to read all 3)Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King (the finale of the trilogy consisting of Gwendy's Button Box/ Gwendy's Magic Feather/ and Gwendy's Final Task)
We first met Gwendy at the age of 12, when she was approached by a mysterious stranger who gifted her with the stewardship of a fantastic object that did much to alleviate the troubles in her life, but that also showed its potential for great danger. Now a U. S. Senator, Gwendy is once again approached by the stranger, who tasks her with nullifying that object once and for all, before it falls into the wrong hands and could be used to cause utter catastrophe - even the end of the world. There is another twist, however; Gwendy has been noticing lately that she has been . . . forgetting things . . . with an increasing and terrifying regularity.
This is a satisfying conclusion to the tale, in my view. I will say without apology that I am an unabashed King fan, ever since I read his first published short-story collection Night Shift in 1979. I am lately kind of amused at those who also clearly used to enjoy his work but now say he has become "too political" and find the "continual bashing of [insert name of contemporary bullying demagogue / big-time con man] just boring". However, I suspect that the actual naming of names has got some folks upset because their own political views are being challenged. Stephen King has always been political, if not to some degree prophetic (hey, who does Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone remind you of, thirty-five years later?), but now, because of who King calls out, it's "can't we just enjoy some scary without the real scary being pointed out?"
I ask you though, do you think that of all people Stephen King doesn't know a monster when he sees one?
James wrote: "✔️12- A trilogy. Part of a trilogy. (You don't have to read all 3)
[I will say without apology that I am an unabashed King fan,
Good job on this prompt, James.
I also enjoy Kings books. Though I've mostly read his earlier books. I still think [book:The Stand|149267] is the best I've read of his so far. I have to re-read it one of these days.
I read Night Shift back then as well. One of the stories gave me nightmares, even thinking about it now isn't pleasant. 👁️👁️
John wrote: "I read Night Shift back then as well. One of the stories gave me nightmares, even thinking about it now isn't pleasant. 👁️👁️":) I never could read King's books at night. I always had to read him in the daytime.
James wrote: "✔️65- Concerning food or containing recipesExtra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller [non-fiction; 4 stars]
An eye-opening exp..."
I appreciate your comments on this book, James. We've driven through Greece and Spain, making note of their extensive olive groves. They are massive and seem to almost take over parts of each country.
It sounds as though this is a book i need to read. Of particular note is your concluding comment about similar books. As others here mentioned, Mark Kurlansky's book on Salt was a revelation. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts here.
James wrote: "✔️12- A trilogy. Part of a trilogy. (You don't have to read all 3)Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King (the finale of the trilogy consisting of Gwendy's Button Box/ ..."
It's not that i'm not a King fan, only that i haven't read much by him. And, at that, only short stories, where i was led by my then-teenage daughter. He had one of my favorite quotes about parenting, stating it really is a way to complete one's own childhood.
For me, realizing his political leanings and thoughtful observations about liberties has only served to heighten my appreciation of the man. Congratulations on completing the trilogy, it sounds intriguing.
John wrote: "I read Night Shift back then as well. One of the stories gave me nightmares, even thinking about it now isn't pleasant. 👁️👁️"I read a book of King's short stories some time back, John, and I have to say, I don't even remember much about them at all. I'm glad they didn't give me nightmares. I don't have nightmares very often, but when I do, they upset my whole morning. I am not a fan of King's writing. I just can't get into it. I do like some of the movie versions of some of his books, though.
James wrote: "✔️12- A trilogy. Part of a trilogy. (You don't have to read all 3)Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King (the finale of the trilogy consisting of Gwendy's Button Box/ ..."
I have yet to read any Stephen King, but you have convinced me to try these! Thanks for the review!
✔️31- A book published in 2023✔️38- A book about or set in a country you don't live in.
✔️59- Book over 500 pages
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
A country boy is sold into servitude to pay a family debt. He meets the louche son of a notorious gangster and goes to work in his service. A journalist who is writing about a massive land grab scheme that the gangster is engineering interviews the gangster's son, and is both appalled and attracted.
Violence, deceit, loyalty, betrayal, love, corruption, extreme poverty and untold riches, it is all here. Set primarily in the merciless Indian underworld, this is a sprawling and brutal story told in a dizzyingly seductive way. The thought "Crazy Rich Asians meets The Godfather in New Delhi" kind of popped into my head, but the story is more -- and more violent, believe it or not -- than simply that.
4 out of 5 stars.
James wrote: "✔️31- A book published in 2023✔️38- A book about or set in a country you don't live in.
✔️59- Book over 500 pages
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
A country boy is s..."
It sounds good, James. I have friends who liked this book very much. I've had it on my radar since before it was released, so reading your review was good. Congratulations on ticking off more boxes in the challenge!
James wrote: "✔️31- A book published in 2023✔️38- A book about or set in a country you don't live in.
✔️59- Book over 500 pages
The thought "Crazy Rich Asians meets The Godfather in New Delhi" kind of popped into my head, "
LOL.
Very well done on the prompts, James !
James wrote: "✔️31- A book published in 2023✔️38- A book about or set in a country you don't live in.
✔️59- Book over 500 pages
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
A country boy is s..."
Congratulations - great it worked out so well for you!
India is so vast and varied - a book that describes even a tiny slice of the whole is bound to be full of apoalling brutality and wonderous beauty. It sounds like another great saga that I would love to read. Thanks.
James wrote: "The thought "Crazy Rich Asians meets The Godfather in New Delhi" kind of popped into my head..."I love this funny description, James.
And to knock off three prompts from your challenge is commendable, particularly the one published this year. Thank you for the synopsis, well done.
✔️103- Book (F or NF) about Religion or Atheism.Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
I put this book in for this prompt because it is a re-telling and re-imagining of The Ramayana, one of the central epics of Hinduism. In this version, the story is told by Kaikeyi, the third wife of King Dasaratha and step-mother to Rama. Kaikeyi is not a very sympathetic character (to put it mildly) in the original or re-tellings of the story.
There has been a good deal of backlash to readers and reviewers who have praised this book, particularly those not of the Hindu religion or not deeply versed in South Asian culture; as I am neither, I won't say much more about the book other than I enjoyed reading it.
The author herself has written "I am a Hindu. It’s the religion that I love. I do not believe it to be above criticism . . . my Hinduism is one that can be critiqued, put through the wringer and come out stronger for it. I wrote this book for the Hindus who question their place in this religion because of patriarchy or fundamentalism, and for myself, because I love my religion and want to see it become better."
For fans of Circe by Madeline Miller and She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Thanks for the review! Kaikeyi has been on my TBR but I’d forgotten all about it until now.
James wrote: "✔️103- Book (F or NF) about Religion or Atheism.Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
I put this book in for this prompt because it is a re-telling and re-imagining of The..."
Love the cover, James. I'm enjoying learning all the new to me titles everyone is selecting for the prompts.
James wrote: "✔️103- Book (F or NF) about Religion or Atheism.Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
I put this book in for this prompt because it is a re-telling and re-imagining of The..."
This also completes (25) re-telling a legend, I believe? Congrats on this one, reading and your report!
John wrote This also completes (25) re-telling a legend, I believe?..."John, thanks for your comment, and thanks also for bringing that up. I initially thought about the aspect of "legend" as well, but after considering other arguments, I decided to put it in the religion prompt only. I think that many Hindus consider The Ramayana and The Mahabharata holy stories, and think of those much like many Christians believe in the literal truth of Genesis. Personally, I would be interested to read a re-telling of the Garden of Eden part of the story where Eve is the narrator and lets you know in a convincing way that she had a very, very good reason for doing what she did -- but I can almost hear the bible-thumping already.
James wrote: "✔️103- Book (F or NF) about Religion or Atheism.Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
I put this book in for this prompt because it is a re-telling and re-imagining of The..."
Intriguing idea for a story by a believer. Your concluding comment about Miller’s Circe caught my eye because i have it pegged for a prompt this year.
✔️58-NovelaSmall Things Like These by Claire Keegan
I had Claire Keegan's Foster on my radar for a while, but finally picked it up after madrano praised it back in March. I was moved by the images that Keegan drew in the quiet unfolding of the events in a young girl's life, the clarity and sparseness of the prose making each passage ever more pointed. And after reading that slim volume, I wanted more from this writer.
Small Things Like These is also thin, clocking in at less than 120 pages, but immensely powerful. A coal merchant in 1985 New Ross works the busiest weeks of winter during a time of great economic troubles facing Ireland. He has a loving wife and five lovely girls, but worries that all could easily be lost; at the same time he restlessly wonders about the sameness of each day, week, and year. Just before Christmas, while delivering to the local convent and "asylum" - a Magdalen laundry - he makes a discovery that upends his heart and forces him to reflect upon his own past -- and face his own moral crisis.
"Why were the things that were closest so often the hardest to see?"
5 stars.
Terrific review, James. I'll have to check this one out.
I’m pleased to read this book, too, was a gem. Thanks for the review, James. She’s a keeper.
I like Claire Keegan, too, James. Thank you for the lovely review. This sounds like a book I'd like.
James wrote: "✔️58-NovelaSmall Things Like These by Claire Keegan
I had Claire Keegan's Foster on my radar for a while, but finally picked it up after madrano pra..."
Great job! Seeing Ireland become such a secular nation in my lifetime has been quite something!
✔️19 - Book written by OR about a current or past First Lady✔️50- A book about a Real Life Person you admire
✔️54-A book set in Australia/Oceania. -Fiction or nonfiction
✔️67- A book having to do with travel- fiction or nonfiction
✔️86- WWI or WWII or any war - novel or nonfiction
The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt's Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back by Shannon McKenna Schmidt
In August of 1943, the First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, embarked upon a momentous five-week journey. Concerned that Americans at home had gotten complacent about the conflicts thousands of miles away in both directions, President and Mrs. Roosevelt agreed that Eleanor would visit, inspect, and report upon what was going on in the South Pacific war zone. In a period of some of the most intense fighting between the Allies and the Axis powers, and with the grave misgivings of South Pacific Area Commander Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, who was concerned that a high-profile tour of a “do-gooder” would strip resources from vitally needed quarters (and the outright disapproval of General Douglas MacArthur, who refused to let her visit his headquarters), Roosevelt toured Allied bases, hospitals, and Red Cross facilities on Christmas Island, Bora Bora, Viti Levu, and New Caledonia. In New Zealand and Australia, Eleanor, always clad in her Red Cross uniform whether eating in mess halls with servicemen or being feted by politicians, visited factories where women staffed the lines and held women-only gatherings in theaters and halls.
Eleanor strongly wished to visit Guadalcanal, recent scene of the very fiercest and bloodiest combat in the region, but Admiral Halsey refused to allow it, as there was concern about ongoing bombings and Axis forces still potentially inhabiting portions of the island. However, after witnessing Mrs. Roosevelt’s meticulous inspection of an Allied hospital base, “not merely sticking her head in”, but entering every ward, stopping at every bed, talking to and comforting every recuperating man and promising to bring home news to the relatives of the wounded, he relented and allowed her to stop in Guadalcanal on the final leg of the journey. Halsey’s opinion of Mrs. Roosevelt and what she did for troop morale not only did an about-face, but he himself began to emulate her when visiting the wounded in hospitals – stopping at every bed and talking with every man.
The trip was exhausting, covering some 25,000 miles in five weeks, as well as mentally and emotionally challenging; Roosevelt encountered case after case of terrible wounds and “shell-shock”, now understood as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Other than her daily “My Day” columns, punched out on the clunky “portable” typewriter that she hauled around the South Pacific, Mrs. Roosevelt herself did not later speak or write very much about this trip. Author Shannon Schmidt searched both primary source material in the Roosevelt Library and elsewhere, as well as secondary sources (including some of the nearly 8,000 “My Day” columns that Mrs. Roosevelt wrote) to research this book, and provides us with not just an account of the journey but insight into Eleanor’s life, the bitter attacks on Mrs. Roosevelt from the both the political and journalistic right, and context regarding the Pacific theater of the war.
Even with the esteem that I have for Eleanor Roosevelt, I will admit that I had initially not intended to read this book -- but I had to at least pick it up and take a look, right? After the first twenty pages or so I was hooked.
I know that there are those in this community who have some interest in President/First Lady histories, and more than a few of us have expressed admiration for Mrs. Roosevelt, but for anyone who appreciates a story of courage, persistence, and true compassion, I don't think that this book will disappoint in the least.
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I have to say, though, that the thing that always struck me when watching the Rathbone/Bruce films is that Watson, as written in the scripts, as interpreted by directors, and as played by Bruce, is something of a public school twit, a comic foil who bumbles his way through the mystery, falling asleep when he is supposed to be on watch, losing the important physical evidence, then off-handedly dropping the line that suddenly opens Holmes' mind to the final clue in the case.
Doyle does have Holmes remark to and about Watson ". . . some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it." But Doyle writes Watson as a man of substance, a courageously wounded army physician who is more than competent, a solid support to Holmes, not just his Boswell but a fully involved partner, right hand, and agent. And what's more, Holmes considers Watson his only real friend. Yes, Watson bows to Holmes' genius -- but then, who doesn't?