The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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The Wind Knows My Name – Isabel Allende – 4****
Allende explores the immigrant experience, and particularly the heart-wrenching separation of children from their parents with a dual timeline: 1938 Austria and 2019 Arizona. My heart broke for both these families. I particularly liked how the two storylines eventually connect, improbable though that may be. It’s an emotionally difficult book to read and made me sad to recognize how little we have learned from history.
LINK to my full review
The Last Council – Kazu Kibuishi – 3***
Book # 4 in the Amulet graphic novel series has Emily hoping to join the Guardian Council, she has to endure several challenges to prove herself worthy, and in order to succeed she needs to find a way to trust others. The key is trusting the correct source / entity, when she has both allies and enemies where she didn’t expect them.
LINK to my full review
The Storm We Made – Vanessa Chan – 3***
This work of historical fiction, tells the story of the Pacific Theater in WW2 with a different focus. Chan explores personal choice, desires, memories, anxiety, desperation and the relationships between oppressors and the oppressed. She also writes about “the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake.” Her images are stunning, at times frightening. And the tension never left this reader. Even during scenes of relative peace, one knew that danger was just around the corner.
LINK to my full review
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson – 4****
Subtitle: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Bryan Stevenson was a young attorney when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need. This was compelling and inspiring. Stevenson was up against a system that had been born of deeply entrenched fear and hatred and racism. For him “liberty and justice for all” are not just words but a call to action.
LINK to my full review
Likely To Die – Linda Fairstein – 3***
Manhattan DA Alexandra Cooper gets a high-profile case when a leading neurosurgeon is brutally murdered in her office at a major medical center. I really like that Fairstein has given us such a strong female heroine. Alex is an independent, intelligent, strong woman who excels at her job and has a wide range of colleagues and friends who support and admire her. I particularly like her relationship with detective Mike Chapman. I was sure I had it figured out … only to be completely surprised at the reveal. Good job!
LINK to my full review
This Is Going to Hurt – Adam Kay – 3***
Adam Kay wanted to be a doctor. He was drawn to the idea of helping people in distress. When he was a medical student and a “junior doctor” (residency in the USA), he kept a diary of his experiences. This memoir is based on those entries. I’ve always been interested in medicine and the work done by medical professionals. This promised humor along with information. He delivered on both those promises but I wasn’t a great fan of the diary-entry format. I thought it lacked narrative flow.
LINK to my full review
The Man Who Died Twice – Richard Osman – 3***
I really loved the initial book in the series but was less enamored with this sophomore effort. I’m sure it’s partly due to all the stuff going on in real life right now which keeps my brain occupied elsewhere than in the pages of a good story. Still, the group is just as endearing as they were in the first outing, and, of course, they still get the best of the bad guys. There are some moments of humor to break the tension, and a very satisfying ending. LINK to my full review
A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel – K J Charles – 3***
This is the second in the Doomsday Books series of Regency romances, but I think it can easily be read as a standalone work. This was quite a fun and steamy romance. The passion between Luke Doomsday and Rufus d’Aumesty, Earl of Oxney, could easily heat the entire drafty manorial compound! Of course, there are several twists and turns in the basic plot to keep one turning pages. But let’s be serious … the best parts are the naughty ones!
LINK to my full review
In the Land of Second Chances – George Shaffner – 3.5***
In Ebb, Nebraska, life is slow, and people are nice. That’s the way they like to live. Wilma Porter runs the Come Again Bed-and-Breakfast, and her newest guest, Vernon Moore, is about to change Ebb in ways no one expected. I was completely charmed by the residents of Ebb, and by the mysterious Vern Moore. This little book made me think while it entertained me. It’s a wonderful fable about hope and faith and community.
LINK to my full review
The Supreme Macaroni Company – Adriana Trigiani – 3.5***
This is the third installment in the story of the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village, New York. I really like Trigiani’s books. She features strong heroines with complex backgrounds and conflicted feelings. They almost always end happily, or at least hopefully … even though there is plenty of tragedy involved (and isn’t life, itself, like that?).
LINK to my full review
Mrs Nash’s Ashes – Sarah Adler – 3***
This was a contemporary rom com, a road trip, and an historical F/F love story all wrapped in one novel. I was much more interested in Mrs Nash’s story than in the push / pull attraction between Millie and Hollis. I wish Adler had just told the story of Rose and Elsie who met and loved one another while serving as WAVES during WW2. Still, it held my attention, and I enjoyed it.
LINK to my full review
I’m reading A Dog Named Christmas and Christmas with Tucker
Woman of Light – Kali Fajardo-Anstine – 3***
An epic covering five generations of an indigenous Chicano family in the American West. The back-and-forth in timeframe and location made for some confusion at times. But it reminded me of an oral history, the way my grandparents, aunts and uncles would regale us kids on a summer night with stories of our ancestors.
LINK to my full review
Whiskers Of the Lion – P L Gaus – 3***
This is book number nine in the Amish-Country Mystery series, but the first one I’ve read. It was an interesting mystery with a great cast of (I presume) regular characters. Readers who might assume that “Amish” means a cozy mystery will be wrong. This is a hard-hitting crime novel, that happens to be set amid the Amish communities of Ohio. I would recommend reading the series in order, beginning with number one.
LINK to my full review
I’ve just finished reading The Master and Margarita.It’s clear to me that it’s a brilliant book — inventive, complex, unique — but I have to admit it didn’t resonate with me the way I hoped it would.
I’m 46 now, and maybe if I had read it in my twenties, the surrealism, the shifting perspectives, and the whirlwind of ideas would have felt more exciting or rebellious.
At this stage in life, I find myself more drawn to calm, clarity, and depth rather than constant shifts in tone and scene. The novel's rapid transitions and layered symbolism just didn’t pull me in emotionally.
I’d still recommend it to others, but for me... it just wasn’t the right time. Has that ever happened to you too — reading a great book but not quite connecting with it? I'd be interested to hear how others have felt.
Aurelio wrote: "I’ve just finished reading The Master and Margarita.It’s clear to me that it’s a brilliant book — inventive, complex, unique — but I have to admit it didn’t resonate with me the way I hoped it wo..."
Reading is a very personal thing and each of us interprets what we read in different ways. Sometimes it may be we have a different tolerance for topics, or we might understand topics or locales in other ways. Age definitely changes what we enjoy. Even though we may still enjoy a genre or topic, life experiences may change our perspectives (as you noted0,
I'm in my 70s now and have read thousands of books and purchased and did readers' advisory for a long career as a professional librarian. Is still enjoy the same genres, but where I once loved the longer books the most, I now prefer to find shorter titles. I find that psychological suspense doesn't appeal as much anymore, and, quite frankly, I'm tired of detectives invariably having "issues" and really like "nice guys" (much like real life). Although I rarely re-read (too many books still left to read!), some books stand up to re-reading; other past favorites don't have the magic I thought I originally felt. Maybe a trope was exciting when you were younger, but the longer you read you will see those over and over.
And don't worry about not really liking "classics" or highly hyped new titles. One of the "rules" librarians stress for readers is "never apologize for your reading tastes." Read what you like or for the information you need. Basically... READ!
On Beauty – Zadie Smith – 3***
“What are the truly beautiful things in life – and how far will you go to get them?” (from the book jacket) Smith’s novel focuses on the Belsey and Kipps families as they navigate the politics of an American university and the betrayals within and between their families. I was distracted by real life issues and didn’t give this the full attention Smith’s writing deserves, though I finished because my real-life book club will be discussing it next month.
LINK to my full review
American Like Me – America Ferrara (editor) – 4****
Subtitle: Reflections on Life Between Cultures. America Ferrara is the editor (and contributor) to this collection of essays. Some of the stories are humorous, some heartbreakingly touching. All are honest and poignant and heartfelt.
LINK to my full review
See What I Have Done – Sarah Schmidt – 2.5**
Schmidt’s debut novel takes a look at one of the most infamous crimes in American history – the 1892 axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts. I’m not sure I really liked the way in which Schmidt chose to tell this story. It felt very disjointed and left me with more questions than answers.
LINK to my full review
The Incredible Journey –Sheila Burnford – 4****
Three beloved family pets – a young Labrador, an aged bull terrier, and a Siamese cat – head home across 300 miles of wooded and mostly uninhabited territory in Ontario, Canada. This is a wonderful tale of adventure, friendship, loyalty, teamwork, and kindness.
LINK to my full review
Saturday Night At the Lakeside Supper Club – J Ryan Stradal – 3***
I really like Stradal’s writing. He is spot on in revealing the small-town Midwestern vibe. These are ordinary people, leading ordinary lives, full of hope, dreams, hardship, fights, reconciliations, tragedy, and perseverance. This novel is more about the characters and how they deal with what life throws at them, than it is about a particular plot point. So glad the supper club continues to be popular in Wisconsin!
LINK to my full review
Mile High – Liz Tomforde – 2.5** (rounded up)
A pro hockey player and the flight attendant on the team’s private plane hook up. Lots of sex, and they eventually realize there is more to this relationship. Tomforde also tackles issues of body image, social medial bullying/shaming, and celebrity culture.
LINK to my full review
The Egg and I –Betty MacDonald – 1*
Betty MacDonald’s “memoir” of her life as a newlywed on a chicken ranch in the Olympic Penninsula area of Washington was a runaway bestseller when it first appeared in 1945. I have to give her credit for making a life “in the wilderness” with the man she loves, despite her own background of relative privilege. But I was highly disappointed in the book. I do not at all like the way MacDonald portrays the local people, especially the Native American population. I know times were different then, but I don’t find denigrating others funny or charming or even excusable.
LINK to my full review
A Cup of Friendship – Deborah Rodriguez – 3***
Also issued as “ The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul”. Sunny is a 38-year-old American who has found a “home” in war-torn Kabul, Afghanistan, running The Coffee Shop. Sunny is often willfully blind to local customs, beliefs, traditions. Yes, the traditional treatment of women is appalling, but running headlong into the fray seemed not only naïve but extremely dangerous. That her business thrives is mostly due to the ex-pat community that she serves. I did really like the two Afghan women – Halajan and Yazmina – who work in the shop.
LINK to my full review
On the Wrong Track – Steve Hockensmith – 3***
Book two in the “Holmes on the Range” series of mysteries set in the American Wild West, circa 1893. I really like this series. One of the best things about the series is Hockensmith’s way with words. In addition to the brothers, Hockensmith populates the books with an array of interesting and colorful side characters.
LINK to my full review
: The Legend of the Bluebonnet – Tomie DePaola – 5*****
This is a lovely children’s story book that relates some of the Native American legends about the wildflower that is the Texas state flower – the Bluebonnet. It’s a wonderful lesson about family, community, sacrifice and selflessness. Beautiful illustrations, too.
LINK to my full review
A Merry Little Meet Cute – Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone – 3***
A porn star is cast as the heroine in a time-travel Christmas romance movie (think Hallmark Channel) opposite a former teen pop idol / bad-boy. Instant attraction on both parts. Lots of sex. Both with hearts of gold, though, and of course, a HEA ending. Not your typical Christmas rom-com, but okay for the genre.
LINK to my full review
Under the Big Top – Bruce Feiler – 3***
Subtitle: A Season With the Circus. Feiler is a writer who got a rare opportunity to spend a season with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, as a clown. He detailed his experiences and the life of circus workers in this book. I found this quite interesting. Feiler didn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of life on the road, nor did he pull any punches when describing the personalities and activities of some of the workers. I was disappointed, however, that there were no photos.
LINK to my full review
Bury Your Dead – Louise Penny – 3***
Book # 6 in the Inspector Armand Gamache series of mysteries. This episode actually involves multiple mysteries, both current time frame and in the past. What I like about the series is the way Penny builds her characters, and their relationships to one another, over the course of the series. We get to know Gamache, his strengths and weaknesses, his joys and disappointments, over the various books, each episode giving the reader more insight into the man’s complex character.
LINK to my full review
Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories – L M Montgomery– 3***
This is a collection of short stories set around the Christmas holidays. It begins with our lovely Anne Shirley and an early Christmas with Marila and Matthew, and the “puffy sleeves” fashion trend. Most of the other stories do not involve Anne, but they are all heart-warming and charming. And isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
LINK to my full review
The Sound and the Furry – Spencer Quinn – 3***
Book number six in the Chet & Bernie mystery series takes our intrepid duo East to the Louisiana bayous to search for a missing man. I just love this series. Chet (the dog who failed obedience training) narrates the adventures that he and his human, Bernie, have when they take on various cases as part of their business, the Little Detective Agency. Quinn gives us a fast-paced book, with sprinkles of humor to lessen the tension.
LINK to my full review
A Year In the World – Frances Mayes – 3.5*** (rounded up)
Subtitle: Journeys of a Passionate Traveler. Mayes recounts her many adventures traveling from her home base in Tuscany as she and her husband roam through the British Isles, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, France and other areas of Italy. Her passion for travel certainly comes through loud and clear! I particularly enjoyed the way she wrote about food. I could practically smell and taste the dishes, and I was constant hungry for “more.”
LINK to my full review
Give the Boys a Great Big Hand – Ed McBain – 3***
First published in 1960, this is book number eleven in the 87th Precinct mystery series, and starts with the discovery of a severed hand in a tote bag. It’s a classic police procedural mystery that held my interest throughout. There are several red herrings (both for the cops and for the reader), but the boys of the 87th precinct are nothing if not tenacious. They WILL get the guy or gal responsible.
LINK to my full review
The Soul Of an Octopus – Sy Montgomery – 4.5**** (rounded up)
Subtitle: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness. Montgomery spent a year volunteering at the New England Aquarium to study and learn about octopuses. This is her memoir of that time, and it’s marvelous!
LINK to my full review
The Secret Book and Scone Society – Ellery Adams – 2.5**
One of my book club buddies suggested this for our group so I re-read it. My opinion didn’t change much, though I did enjoy the discussion. The relationships between the four friends stood out more. But I also see that there is another secret that hasn’t been revealed. A ploy that I view as “forcing” readers to continue the series, and one that I hate.
LINK to my full review
A Certain Age – Beatriz Williams – 3***
Williams gives us a novel of romance, family secrets, and scandal in New York Society, set during the Roaring Twenties. The title refers to two things: the age of the era in American society, and a woman of “a certain age.” Williams definitely gives the reader a sense of the era … speakeasies, flappers, bathtub gin, horse races, etc. I saw through the murder mystery pretty quickly, but it held my attention throughout.
LINK to my full review
I am reading The Butterfly Garden it has got a fabulous rating but I am really struggling - currently about a quarter of the way through.Has anyone read it? Is it worth sticking with?
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Butterfly Garden (other topics)A Certain Age (other topics)
The Secret, Book & Scone Society (other topics)
Exile's Honor (other topics)
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Mercedes Lackey (other topics)Richard Paul Evans (other topics)
Mercedes Lackey (other topics)
Douglas Preston (other topics)
Lincoln Child (other topics)
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The Cloud Searchers – Kazu Kibuishi – 3***
Episode 3 in the Amulet series of graphic novels for the pre-teen crowd. The adventure continues with Emily, Navin and Leon enlisting a ship’s captain to take them in search of Cielis, the city hidden in the clouds, where they hope to find and join the Council. Whom to trust? And, can Emily channel the amulet’s power without being corrupted by it?
LINK to my full review