Play Book Tag discussion
Member Challenge Tracking 2024
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Cindy/LibraryCin's 2024 Challenges
12x12 Trim, Roundtuits, RTTNot a Drop to Drink / Mindy McGinnis
3.75 stars
There is not much water left in the world. 16-year old Lynn lives with her mother in a rural area and they have been able to protect their source of water. Lynn has been very sheltered during her life and has never really known much about the real world or any other people, but she does know they have a neighbour her mother has helped a little bit. Just before her mother decides it’s time for them to leave, she is killed. Now, Lynn is on her own. Lynn has been taught how to protect their home and pond, but she and her mother knew there were people not far away, based on the smoke from their fire.
I listened to the audio and it took a little bit before I was fully paying attention, but it got better and better as the story moved along, I thought. I actually didn’t like Lynn much at first, but she learned and changed.
12x12 Travel, AlphaKIT, CalendarCATThe Paris Apartment / Lucy Foley
4 stars
Jess is headed to Paris to visit her half-brother Ben in his new apartment. When he isn’t there to pick her up, she makes her way to his place, but he’s not there. He knew she was coming and when and said he’d be there. What’s going on? Once she finally manages to get into the apartment, no one is around, but something feels “off”.
Wealthy Sophie and Jacques live in the penthouse; introverted 19-year old Mimi and her outgoing roommate Camille are on the 4th floor; Ben’s apartment is on the 3rd; Ben’s friend Nick lives on the 2nd floor, and alcoholic Antoine and his wife, Dominique are on the 1st floor. An older woman, the concierge, lives in a shack on the property.
POV switches between many of the different characters. The book “grabbed” me from the start. It was hard to tell who was telling the truth and who wasn’t, as well as who might be an unreliable narrator. Everyone had a secret. Had a twist at the end, as well as one about half-way through. As with Foley’s other books that I’ve read, I really liked this.
12x12 Off the Shelf, Rountuits, PBT TrimGarment of Shadows / Laurie R. King
2.5 stars
A woman wakes up in a place she doesn’t know. Nor does she know how she got there, nor even who she is. She appears to have been hurt and is wearing men’s clothes. She is able to get up and leave and follows a mute boy. Meantime, Sherlock Holmes, in Morocco, is looking for his wife, Mary Russell. She was there to shoot a film(?) and has disappeared.
I enjoyed the book more when it focused on Mary and the amnesia. I wasn’t as interested in what was happening in Morocco, nor in Holmes and what he was up to. Oh, near the end got a bit more interesting, as well. A bit of tension/suspense at that point made it a bit better. Overall, though, I’m not a fan. I think I picked up this book in a Little Free Library, not realizing it was #12 in a series; when I learned that, I did back up to read the first in the series (I don’t believe I was super-excited about it, either, but still wanted to read this one, anyway).
12x12 Off the Shelf, (Jan) HistoryCAT, BingoDOG, RoundtuitsNorth and South / John Jakes
4 stars
This is set in the decades leading up to the American Civil War. It focuses on two families: the Hazards, living in Pittsburgh, and the Mains, who own a plantation (and slaves) in South Carolina. George Hazard and Orry Main become best friends when at military school in the early 1840s(?). They fight together in the Mexican War, then retire from the military. George does marry, but Orry falls for a woman who is marrying a brutal slave owner.
Years later, George’s youngest brother, Billy, and Orry’s young cousin, Charles, head to the same military school together (though they have known each other through the families’ friendship for a while now)… but now the school is much more divisive along North/South lines with slavery/politics being the issue.
Orry’s brother, Cooper, is very much against owning slaves and he marries a woman from the North. George’s sister, Virgilia, is a staunch abolitionist and gets in Orry’s face whenever the Mains visit. Billy has fallen in love with Orry’s youngest sister, Brett, though he had a brief flirtation with a sister, Ashton, just slightly older. Brett really is the marrying type vs Ashton’s flirtatious ways.
There is a lot going on in this long book and a lot of North/South mixing between the families and their friends/acquaintances. It’s not often I rate a book this long (over 800 pages) this high, but I really liked this one all the way though (though it was a bit tricky at the start to get a handle on who was who!). There is even more going on (and more characters) than I’ve detailed in my summary. This is the first in a trilogy. I assume the others are also very long, so it might be a while before I get to the next, but I will definitely read it at some point. I’ve never seen the miniseries, but would like to; I hadn’t realized Patrick Swayze is in it!
12x12 Off the Shelf, ScaredyKITGallows Hill / Darcy Coates
4 stars
Margot was sent away from her parents and her home when she was a young girl, and really doesn’t remember anything about her old house. When both her parents die suddenly at the same time, she inherits not only the old house (on Gallows Hill), but the very successful wine business her ancestors have run for generations (she learns this when she returns). But the house (and things inside it) is pretty creepy and a bit of a maze; there is something very wrong here. But the staff of the business (many who live on the property) appear to love it there.
Like the other books I’ve read by this author, I thought this was very good. Very creepy. Enough that I decided early on to (mostly) not read it at night! As a horror book, I feel like that’s what it should do – scare me enough to want to only read it during the day! It did its job.
12x12 ARCsA Call from Hell: The True Story of Larry Gene Bell a Small-Town Monster and the Crime that Shook the Nation / Genoveva Ortiz
3.5 stars
In South Carolina in the 1980s, 16-year old Shari was kidnapped from in front of her house just after she arrived home and was checking the mailbox. Her car was left running. Shari also needed medication that she did not have with her. The kidnapper then continually called her family, talking to either her mother or sister. They were tormented while trying to keep him on the phone so the police could trace the calls, in hopes of finding Shari alive. Not long after Shari was found (dead), a 9-year old little girl was also kidnapped. It was these last two that finally led police to Larry Gene Bell, and there was a list of other missing girls/women from the ‘70s and ‘80s that he is/was the main suspect in, as well.
This was good. I’ve read others in the series and I know they are short, but it would have been nice to learn more about the other missing women, as well. The author included many of the conversations Larry had with Shari’s family and wow, he was garbled and didn’t make sense much of the time. I’m assuming the author used transcripts, so the confusing statements were legitimately what he said.
12x12 Audio, HistoryCAT, BingoDOGVictoria / Daisy Goodwin
4 stars
This is a fictional account of Queen Victoria from right around when she turned 18 years old (just before she became queen) until she got engaged to Prince Albert, only a year or two after she became queen. So, it focused initially on her (strained) relationship with her mother (in part, due to her mother’s involvement with power-hungry Sir John Conroy). When Victoria became queen, the prime minister at the time, Lord Melbourne, advised her, despite his reputation with women and people worried that he would influence Victoria politically. The story then shifted to her meeting her cousins Ernst and Albert.
I listened to the audio and thought this was very good. In the past few years, I’ve read some about Victoria, so I don’t think anything in this book came as a surprise, but it was interesting and I feel like the author’s writing style is easy to “read” (or, in my case, listen to!).
12x12 Overflow, BingoDOGLittle Fires Everywhere / Celeste Ng
3.75 stars
Reread. Originally read as an audio in July 2022 (Rating at that time: 3.25 stars).
Photographer Mia and her teenage daughter, Pearl, move around a lot. Now, they have rented the upstairs of a house from the wealthy Richardson family. The Richardsons have four teenage children. Pearl and Moody become good friends, and Pearl spends a lot of time at the Richardson’s place. Meantime the youngest Richardson, Izzy, seemingly not well-liked by her parents or siblings, takes a liking to Mia and wants to learn about photography from her. Things become heated between the families when a friend of Elena Richardson’s (the mother) adopts a Chinese baby, and Mia knows something about this baby and her biological mother.
I had forgotten the bulk of the book, and I only read it again for my f2f book club. I did prefer the ebook to the audio, for sure, although like with the audio, I still found the first half of the book moved very slowly. The second half picked up for me quite a bit. There is a pretty big moral issue in the second half of the book that made things a little more interesting.
12x12 PBT, PBT, Steeplechase, BWF, PrizeCATSon of the Shadows / Juliet Mariller
3.75 stars
This is book 2 in a trilogy. It’s been a very long time since I read book 1, but it’s not really necessary to have read it, as it’s the next generation that is followed in this book vs the 1st. I remembered nothing from the first book, and I don’t think it mattered.
Liadan and Niahm (pronounced Nee-av – have to say I was happy to have the glossary and pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book!) are sisters. When Niahm falls in love with a druid and disgraces herself by giving herself to him (all in secret), her family hurriedly marries her off to the older man they want to make an alliance with. Liadan accompanies Niahm part-way to her new home, but is kidnapped on her way back. She is a great healer and has been asked to help some “outlaws” heal one of theirs. While there, Liadan becomes friends (and more with one) with them, and hates to leave, but needs to go home to her dying mother.
It took a bit at the start for me to get into this. I’m not always “into” fantasy (Liadan also has a “sight” of a kind), and difficult to pronounce words (thank you, glossary!) also make things harder. But once Liadan was kidnapped, the story really picked up for me. There were a few times I kind of lost interest, but there were many happenings that made the book “enjoyable” for me. I’ve never been a fan of a “story within a story”, and this one does contain a bunch of those (oral storytelling is popular in Liadan’s family). On rereading the review of the first book, I wasn’t sure if I would continue the series (obviously I did), and I do plan to continue on from here. It looks like it was originally meant to be a trilogy, but has expanded beyond that.
12x12 Animals, RandomKIT, AlphaKIT, CalendarCATFuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law / Mary Roach
3.5 stars
In this book, Mary Roach takes a look at wild animals and their “relationships” with humans, primarily breaking human laws (like attacking them, breaking into houses, stealing, etc.). She talks to and follows along with fish and wildlife officers, and other scientists that study these animals (oh, and trees and plants, too!) and their interactions with humans (and how humans are trying to mitigate these interactions).
I liked this. Despite being about animals, I didn’t like it as much as I like some of her other books, but it was still interesting. I don’t think there was as much humour in this one as some of her others, either, but there were bits of it, too.
12x12 Audio, MysteryKITA Murder in Time / Julie McElwain
4 stars
Kendra is a profiler with the FBI. She is injured in a shoot out that involved one of her own as a traitor; someone else died. (I missed a bunch of activity, then) suddenly she wakes up in the early 19th century where a teenage girl is found murdered. For the brief time Kendra has been here, she’s been pretending to be a servant. She can tell right away this murder is the work of a serial killer and he will kill again, but how does she convince the aristocracy to believe her so she can help find the killer? They mostly tended not to think women were terribly smart at the time, and how could she know some of the things she knows?
I really liked this. I listened to the audio and except for the present day stuff (I did miss a bunch at the very beginning and had a hard time focusing at the very end when we were back in current day), the entire rest of the book was interesting and appealing to me. I liked that the current-day investigator was unable to rely on many current-day technologies, and
12x12 Oh Canada, AlphaKITSomewhere in France / Jennifer Robson
4 stars
Lady Elizabeth is in her early 20s(?) and has not had a real education, although she would have loved that. She is expected to marry, be a wife, and mother. When her brother’s friend, Robbie from university, visits, “Lilly” is swept away. But he is far below her “station”, and her mother sends him packing (with a lie Lilly doesn’t know about). Lilly thought they were getting along very nicely and was very disappointed Robbie left without a word.
WWI arrives, and Edward (Lilly’s brother) heads to war, and Lilly learns that Robbie is a doctor and has gone to France to perform surgeries on wounded soldiers at the front. Lilly wants so badly to help, but is forbidden by her mother. She finds a way to secretly learn to drive, and when things blow up with her parents, she leaves to live with her former tutor in London. From there, she manages to get a job driving an ambulance in France to help shuttle soldiers from when they were wounded to the makeshift hospitals.
This was also a romance, which is not usually my thing, but I got swept away in this one. I really liked it. I really liked both Lilly and Robbie. And it was interesting to learn about the women ambulance drivers in the war. The author’s father was a historian with an interest in the two world wars.
12x12 Travel, PBT, Steeplechase, BWF ExtraThe Miniaturist / Jessie Burton.
3.5 stars
It’s the 17th century. Nella is newly married and travels to Amsterdam to live with her new husband (whom she’s barely met), a somewhat well-to-do merchant. She is young and he is much older. She is “greeted” by Marin, who seems pretty rude, and turns out to be her new sister-in-law. There are two servants in the house – one is a black man! – and her husband is away. No one is particularly welcoming.
When her husband buys a cabinet that is a small version of the very house they are living in as a wedding gift, there is a miniaturist who will make tiny things to add to the house, but the miniaturist starts sending things Nella has not ordered. Nella’s husband is often away on business, and she has a hard time fitting in. And weird things happen in this house.
This was good. It took a short bit to get going for me, and I suppose it is slow-moving in its entirety. I did get more interested and the story moved on, though. There are definitely some (big) surprises. I do think the cover is beautiful. (Though that wasn’t why I chose to read it – it was a gift.) And I see there is a sequel. I will read it.
12x12 Animals, BWF Extra, CalendarCAT, RandomKIT, RoundtuitsA Beautiful Truth / Colin McAdam.
3.5 stars
Walt and Judy want children, but are unable to have any. When Walt sees a chimpanzee at a circus, he decides he will get one for his wife, in place of a child. They love Looee very much, like a son, but as with all wild animals, as he ages, he is too much to handle.
There is a chimpanzee sanctuary where people are studying the chimps’ behaviour. In the story, we alternate between Walt/Judy/Looee’s perspectives, and the perspectives of the people and chimps at the sanctuary.
I listened to the audio and at first, particularly when we switched to the sanctuary, I had some trouble initially figuring out what was going on. It was interesting to see things from the chimps’ perspectives at times, though. And heartbreaking. I also had trouble getting “into” the book at the start knowing Walt and Judy had done a terrible thing treating a wild animal as a child; There was no way it was going to end well for Looee. I felt like the book didn’t fully end, but it’s possible I missed something (audio), or maybe the author wanted “life” to just sort of continue on.
12x12 Trim, PBT Trim, Roundtuits, BWF extraArbella: England's Lost Queen / Sarah Gristwood
2.75 stars
Arbella Stuart was the great-granddaughter of Margaret Tudor (Henry VIII’s oldest sister). She should have been a possibility to be queen, but was bypassed. Both Elizabeth I and James I kept her at bay, and wouldn’t even allow her to marry (in the line of succession, you need permission to marry since they will likely want a politically advantageous marriage). Eventually, she just gave up and chose who she wanted to marry and married in secret (to the great-great-grandson of Mary Tudor (Henry VIII’s youngest sister)). It wasn’t long before they were found out and imprisoned.
This was nonfiction and felt a bit dense through much of it. As I tend to often mention in my reviews of historical biographies of women, even if they were royalty, there often seems to be little information on them, so much of the “action” is actually what’s taking place around them. Arbella’s marriage and attempt to escape the Tower were the most interesting part (and likely where there was the most information to use for this biography). I feel like a fictional account of her life might make things a bit more interesting.
12x12 Off the Shelf, HistoryCAT, RTT, BWF extra, RoundtuitsThe Sawbones Book: The Hilarious, Horrifying Road to Modern Medicine / Justin & Sydnee McElroy
4 stars
You might guess from the subtitle that this is a humourous look at the history of medicine. The authors are a family doctor, and her husband, a layperson. The book appears to be based on a podcast (I have no clue about this podcast). Some of the topics they look at include: opium, charcoal, mercury, radium, arsenic, honey, chocolate, and vinegar. Also, weight loss, the Black Plague, erectile dysfunction, spontaneous combustion, phrenology, lobotomy, poop, the dancing plague, homeopathy, bloodletting, polio, and more.
This was funny! I’ve read a number of medical history books that look at many of these things, so some of the stories are repeats, but it’s still nice to get the reminders, since often with books like this that include so many different topics, it’s easy to forget. There were some fantastic illustrations, and little side-notes of the authors dialogue between themselves about the various topics. Even though some of the topics can be pretty disgusting (though it didn’t bother me), this is a good way to read about it with the humour mixed in.
12x12 Nonfiction, MysteryKIT, ScaredyKIT, AlphaKITHell's Half-Acre : The Untold Story of the Benders, America's First Serial Killer Family / Susan Jonusas
3.5 stars
The Benders were a group of four people, an older couple known simply as Ma and Pa, and a younger couple. No one knows if the younger were siblings or married. They moved to a plot of land in Kansas in the 1870s and stayed for a few years. The younger woman, Kate, called herself a “spiritualist”. They sold groceries (or had a sign out to do so, anyway), and attracted travellers with food and a place to stay. Unfortunately for some of those travellers, the Benders were also serial killers. When some of the locals were suspicious when the local doctor went missing, the Benders up and ran. No one ever found them. As the locals started looking around, the bodies were piling up on the homestead. There were at least 11 people killed, mostly men, mostly travellers, but one 18 month-old baby buried with her dad (they think the baby was buried alive).
I read a shorter account of this somewhere, I’d like to say not long ago, but it may be longer than I’m thinking. This was an expanded version of the story. Only about the first 1/3 of the book told of them coming to the area until they ran. The next bit of the book followed them to the wilds of Texas, where there were a lot more outlaws and places to hide, and people to help them hide. Beyond that, no one knows where they ended up. The last bit of the book was when, 16 years later, someone thought they’d found Ma and Kate; there were trials to determine if they really were the Benders or not. There is an extensive note section at the end, as well.
I thought the start and end were the more interesting. The middle part, as the Benders made their escape, was less interesting as we focused on a few of the other criminal element who helped them along their way (one of these people talked to police while he was in jail later on, so that’s how some of this is known). Overall, I’d say this was good. Certainly a lot of research went into it.
12x12 BIPOC, PBT, AlphaKIT, BingoDOG, SteeplechaseHotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet / Jamie Ford
4.75 stars (average over two reads)
It’s 1986 and, after losing his wife to cancer, Henry Lee and his son have a slightly strained relationship, similar to the one Henry had with his father. When Henry passes the Panama Hotel, and sees that someone has found boxes of abandoned things in the basement, it brings back memories of 1942. Henry was 12 years old, and going to a white kids’ school, where the only other non-white was a Japanese-American girl, Keiko. They strike up a friendship, until her family is sent away to the internment camps. It moved back and forth in time, between Henry patching up his strained relationship with his son, Marty, in 1986, and back to the war years and his time spent with Keiko and his struggles with his father over their forbidden friendship.
2010 read:
5 stars
Loved this book! Wow! What an emotional roller-coaster! This was Jamie Ford’s first book and I do hope he’ll be writing more.
2024 reread:
4.5 stars.
It was slower-moving through the book than I remembered. And there was a lot I’d forgotten. I really only remembered the gist of the book and how much I liked it. It was a difficult topic done in a nice way. I liked all the mixes of races (at least amongst the main characters, and that they all managed to be friends.) But Henry’s father sure was hateful (full of hate, himself, and easy for the reader to dislike).
12x12 Animals, RoundtuitsThe Mountaintop School for Dogs and Other Second Chances / Ellen Cooney
2.5 stars
Evie has travelled to work (or volunteer?) at a dog rescue at the top of a mountain. However, she lied and said she had experience training dogs. Meanwhile, she looks things up online to help herself out. She is delayed for a while at the bottom of the mountain where she meets Mrs. Auberchon, who is in charge of the lodge she is temporarily at, and “Giant George”, a teenager who also works/volunteers at the rescue. And she meets a few of the dogs on their way to the rescue.
I listened to the audio. Although I liked the idea of the dog rescue and some of the issues that the book brings to light as to some of the awful ways dogs are sometimes treated and why they might end up at a rescue, I wasn’t impressed with this rescue – seems to me this is a pretty disreputable place. They let Evie go straight in and start training without training her themselves? They stole at least one dog (the new Evie and teenager George were sent to do this), probably more. I didn’t really like Evie, and I wasn’t interested in her background, so I mostly tuned that out. The 2.5 stars is for the dogs and the general information about dogs included in the book.
12x12 ARCs, BingoDOGDaughter of Calamity / Rosalie M. Lin
2 stars
Jingwen is a dancer in Shanghai in the 1930s. Her grandmother, who raised her, is a doctor… and works for one of the local high ranking gangs. Jingwen does errands for her grandmothers to make extra money; this is dangerous as these errands often involve gangsters. She dances in the evenings where men buy dance tickets to dance with the girls, and during the day, she is learning a routine with a group of dancers (none have had formal dance training) so they are not well-known nor particularly sought after.
An American doctor-turned-businessman dances with Jingwen one night and charms her (and/or vice versa?)), but at the dance, there is a horrifying scream. One of the other dancers is crying on the floor and when she turns her face up, they see her lips have been cut off.
The next day, the building and dance company Jingwen is dancing with during the day has been bought and she, herself, is going to be the next star of the company. They are switching from ballet to traditional Chinese dancing (this type of dance is new to all the dancers).
There is a lot going on! It does all end up meshing together, with Chinese mythology and fantastical elements weaved in, as well. The mythology was told like a story-within-a-story (which I’m not a fan of), so I kind of skimmed that. Also not a big fantasy fan, so the fantasy stuff didn’t peak my interest, either. The book was very dark. I like horror, so the “type” of darkness in a book doesn’t always bother me, but dark mysteries, for example, are not always appealing to me. The darkness in this book also didn’t “do it” for me. I really didn’t like any of the characters in the story, either. So, this one is definitely not for me.
12x12 PBT, PBT, BWFThe Amaranth Enchantment / Julie Berry
4 stars
Lucinda is 15-years old and living and working with her aunt and uncle. She is an orphan and was taken in by them, but her aunt (not the blood relative) hates her and does not treat her well. Her aunt and uncle run a jewelry store where she helps and has two unusual customers in a row. One is a woman who brought in what is obviously an expensive jewel, and the next turns out to be the prince. Lucinda is very charmed by him. When Lucinda’s uncle dies, though, her aunt accuses her of stealing and throws her out. Where to go now?
I really enjoyed this Cinderella-like story, with a few extra things thrown in. It was a very fast read with short chapters. I also loved Dog (a goat!). And Peter (a thief turned friend) was fun, too. Lucinda was very very quick to become best friends with Beryl and to fall for Gregor, but oh, well. It was still fun.
12x12 Series, MysteryKIT, RoundtuitsBone Crossed / Patricia Briggs
3.5 stars
Mercedes (Mercy) is a mechanic and a shapeshifter, more specifically a coyote. She was raised by werewolves, so has a foot in that culture. She is also friends with at least one vampire. Her vampire friend, Stefan, appears as an almost “dead” blob on her floor one day. It takes a bit to bring him back. Some things have happened with the vampires (in other books earlier in the series), so they are not on good terms with Mercy (except Stefan). When Mercy is asked by an old college friend to come to Spokane (from Tri-Cities where Mercy lives) to help with a ghost in her house who is bothering her 10-year old son, everyone thinks it’s safest for Mercy to be away for a while. Spokane has only one (very territorial) vampire. Of course, somehow Mercy is unable to avoid him. And things escalate…
I liked this, though it took a while to remember the characters. There was some refresher on what had happened in the previous book (this is the 4th in the series), but I still found it tricky to remember the characters, who they were, or how they related to Mercy and others. It got better in second half, right around when Mercy headed for Spokane. I found the ghost story most interesting of the entire book (and the lead-up to the end). I wonder if this is because I used to like werewolf/vampire stories more than I do now, plus I’ve gotten more interested in ghost/haunted house stories.
12x12 Animals, CalendarCAT, Rountuits, BWF extraSaving Simon: How a Rescue Donkey Taught Me the Meaning of Compassion / Jon Katz
3.5 stars
Simon was a donkey close to death in a tiny enclosure with no shelter when he was rescued. Jon Katz had a small farm and offered to take Simon in and, along with his wife, bring Simon back to health and happiness. Jon indicates in this book that he also benefitted from having Simon, learning about compassion along the way.
I really liked the parts about Simon and the other animals on Jon’s farm (and neighbouring animals, particularly the 101-year old’s elderly blind pony, Rocky). When he philosophized about compassion, though, I didn’t agree with him. Yes, I am more compassionate toward animals than (some) people; I feel like animals are more like kids or babies, in that they are dependent on humans and aren’t always able to change their circumstances, whereas humans are more likely to be able to have the power to do that for themselves (or they can ask for help). He doesn’t address this when he insists that we should still be compassionate towards the humans who abuse animals. He did tend to repeat himself at times, though I think that’s a small thing. The stories about the animals were great, though, and that really was the bulk of the book.
12x12 Series, HistoryCAT, AlphaKITRequiem / Lauren Oliver
3.5 stars
This is book 3 of (I believe) a trilogy. The gist of this dytopian trilogy is that people are “cured” of a disease with a surgery when they come of age. That disease is love. They will no longer feel love. They are then paired with someone to marry. But there is a group of people who don’t want this to happen, at least to them. This book follows Lena and Hana, once best friends. Their points of view alternate.
Possible spoilers for previous books: (view spoiler) Fred’s father was the mayor, but he died in an uprising and Fred is now mayor. He emphasizes how much he despises the uncured. He was married previously to Cassie, but Cassie seems to have disappeared.
I listened to the audio and this was good. Once again, it took a bit for me to figure out who many of the characters were (though I knew the main characters). It was interesting to see Hana’s and Lena’s different viewpoints, given where they each were at this point in their lives. I found Hana’s POV a bit more interesting than Lena’s. I did like how it ended.
12x12 BIPOC, PBT Trim, RoundtuitsCalligraphy of the Witch / Alicia Gaspar de Alba
3.5 stars
Conception is brought from Mexico to Massachusetts as a slave in the late 1600s. But on the ship on the way there, she is raped over and over. Once in New England, she has a baby, but the couple who bought her want a second child and haven’t been able to. So, while Conception tries to teach her daughter Spanish and some of her own culture, Rachel takes it upon herself to turn the child against her mother, and eventually takes Hanna (or Jeronima, depending if you ask Rachel or Conception). In a town not too far away, people are being accused of being witches, including Conception’s friend, Tituba.
This was good. There were parts that were a bit slower to read (literally), when Conception was writing letters, as the font was changed to look like handwriting. It does make me wonder if younger people will be able to read those parts of the book at all (if kids are no longer being taught cursive). It’s a tough book to read, though. I saw someone use the word “gritty”. Good way to describe it. Hanna/Jeronima drove me nuts sometimes! But I guess it’s hard for me to understand how easy it is for a child to be “brainwashed”, and that’s really what it amounted to.
12x12 RTT, RTT, BingoDOGThe Story of My Life / Helen Keller
3 stars
This is Helen Keller’s autobiography (for about the first half). Then, it includes some of the letters Helen wrote to various people. Helen, of course, was both blind and deaf in the late 19th century as a child when she and a teacher had a breakthrough as her teacher, Annie Sullivan, was trying to teach her to communicate. Helen grew up to become very educated and published more than one book.
I listened to the audio, and it was ok, but I did lose focus more than I would have liked. It turns out Helen loved books and reading, which was interesting. It was kind of repetitive between the biography portion, then much of what was in the letters had already also been mentioned in the autobiography. Helen Keller was a pretty impressive woman.
12x12 Oh Canada, AlphaKIT, Travel Across Canada, BWF ExtraUp and Down / Terry Fallis
4 stars
David used to work in Ottawa, but moved to Toronto to be closer to his dying mother, who has been mostly taken care of by his sister. His new job is with a PR firm and he is thrown into the fire immediately to help with a NASA campaign. Some love, some don’t, his idea of a “citizen astronaut” campaign. People can enter to randomly be selected to go up to space, as long as they can pass the training requirements. But the people at NASA who matter love the idea and it’s on. There will be one winner from the US and one from Canada. But someone (in the DC office of the PR firm) have specific ideas about who they think should win the “random” draw. And the random person in Canada? Definitely not what anyone expected!
This was fun! Fallis’ books are humourous and this was definitely that. And I loved L Percival, Canada’s winner. There were interesting “side” stories for both David and L Percival. The PR guy in DC was horrible! But, I suppose, for the humourous slant of the novel, it makes sense to have some over-the-top characters. I really should read more of Fallis’ books (I’ve already read the political ones with Angus, but no others -- yet.)
12x12 Trim, Roundtuits, RandomKITBack on Blossom Street / Debbie Macomber
3.5 stars
Lydia runs a knitting store on Blossom Street and often runs classes. She is currently renting the upstairs of the store to Colette, who has recently started working closeby at the flower shop. Colette seems to have plenty of secrets and seems wary of opening up. Alix is recently engaged, but her “adopted” mother/friend and soon-to-be mother-in-law have taken over the plans and won’t listen to what Alix and Jordan actually want (though Jordan seems to not be bothered too much, either way). Lydia’s sister, Margaret works with Lydia, but when Margaret’s daughter is caught up in a carjacking, and is injured, Margaret is in full-on revenge mode and won’t stop until the carjacker is found and pays for what he’s done.
Some of the characters have returned from earlier books in the series, but I don’t think you need to read them in order; I leave so much time in between, I never remember the previous books, anyway. I found Colette’s story the least interesting, but they all rose above the 3.5 star “good” rating temporarily, but then it all ended up very (possible) (view spoiler) for my liking. Overall, though, it was a good story. I will continue to the next book.
The Homing Instinct: Meaning and Mystery in Animal Migration / Bernd Heinrich3.25 stars
Not just about birds, but butterflies, bees, insects, other critters, humans, even trees… and home. What makes a home and compels critters to create that home and either migrate to/from or just want to “cocoon” and stay there?
I found some of the info more interesting than others. Of course, it started off with birds and other critters that migrate and how they manage to find their way to/from. But the book expands far beyond, even speculating on humans and home. I have to agree with others that I could have done without the hunting chapter. Even though this wasn’t an audio book, I did lose interest at times, though, which is why the rating somewhere between “ok” and “good” for me.
12x12 Series, PBT, BWFSapphire Blue / Kerstin Gier
3.5 stars
This is the 2nd book in a trilogy, featuring a secret group of time travellers. Gwen discovered that the gene in her family passed to her (though everyone thought it had passed to her cousin, Charlotte), so she is woefully unprepared for the world of time travelling, and must learn from one of the others in the society and from Charlotte. Charlotte is not thrilled with this twist in her life. Meanwhile, Gwen has fallen for Gideon, who also has the gene and is travelling with her (most of the time).
I listened to the audio, so I did lose focus at times. This is also the 2nd book in a trilogy, so the story moves forward but nothing comes to any kind of conclusion at this point. I did enjoy the parts I paid attention to. I do enjoy the relationship between Gwen and Gideon; (view spoiler).
12x12 PBT, Steeplechase, MysteryKITRoses Are Red / James Patterson
4 stars
While a bank is being robbed, the manager’s family is being held hostage. If they don’t get their money in a set amount of time, the family will be killed. They get their money, but within a minute the family is killed, anyway. Alex Cross is working with the FBI on this one. Then it happens again, but this time, bank employees are killed and the family is left alive. Someone called “The Mastermind” is behind it, with the help of others (who mostly don’t last long themselves).
This is a really good series. It is dark and violent, though. I am often not as interested in the sections/chapters (in most books) from the “bad guy’s” POV, but this one was good. Maybe the psychology of it made it more interesting to me? Parts of Alex’s personal life was interesting and other parts I wasn’t as concerned about; in any case, there was some forward movement on that part of his life, as well. And yup – the end was definitely a surprise!
12x12 Overflow, RandomKIT, Steeplechase bonusWhere the Forest Meets the Stars / Glendy Vanderah
3.75 stars
Jo is a Ph.D.(?) student studying bird nests and is renting a place beside a forested area. When a little girl with bruises appears in her yard and refuses to go home, or even tell Jo her name or where she belongs, the girl says she came from the stars, from another planet. She eventually gives her name as Ursa Major. Whenever Jo tries to call the police to help get the girl home, the girl runs away. Ursa manages to wrap her finger around Jo (and their neighbour, the “Egg Man” Gabe), as Jo and Gabe try to figure out how to figure out where she came from and get her home again.
I loved the bird information in the book. And the astronomy info. I guess most of that was nearer the beginning of the book. (There was also plenty of Shakespeare mentioned.) I wasn’t sure what I’d think about this child from the stars, or another planet, thinking there might be some magical realism in the book (not my thing), but I ended up really liking it. I also quite liked Jo and Gabe’s relationship, and Jo’s best friend, Tabby, was fun, too. I took a ¼ star off for the (view spoiler) ending.
12x12 ARCsKiller Dead, Victim Alive: The serial killer’s dead. The final prisoner's alive. What happened? What’s next? / Michael Geczi
4 stars
Keith Victor is a serial killer who has never hidden who he is – kidnapping, then killing his (so far) six victims. Law enforcement knows his name and more about him, but haven’t (yet) been able to find or stop him. When he kidnaps Chrissy Weeks, though, he has gotten in over his head.
(This is not a spoiler, as it happens at the start of the book): Chrissy walks into a police station right around the same time Keith Victor’s body is found. He has been shot in the head. She gives strange and confusing answers to the police’s questions.
I really liked this. It was a very different take on a mystery. One thing that I found a bit confusing, though, was sometimes referring to characters by first name and sometimes last name. Especially the police and FBI – there were quite a few of them, so it got a bit confusing to remember who was who. The author did look into the personal lives of some of law enforcement, as well. I did (mostly) enjoy those stories, too. There was a cliffhanger ending, though, so this means I will “have” to read the next book (whenever it comes out – hope I remember!).
12x12 Off the Shelf, BWF ExtraYou Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place / Janelle Shane
4 stars
The author is a scientist and blogger. The book takes a look at Artificial Intelligence (AI), how it works, and some of the humourous outcomes (the title is a unique AI pick-up line).
This was quite enjoyable. There is plenty of humour (from pick up lines to cat names to recipes to ice cream flavours). Also some very cute illustrations of AI (AI itself is illustrated as a box with eyes and stick arms). And of course, interesting information on how it works. A couple of things I will remember: it works better if the focus is quite narrow; it also has very little in the way of memory. Now, I should add that the book was published 5 years ago, so pre Chat-GPT and other more current versions of AI that have come out for widespread use, so I don’t know how much improvement there has been since the author wrote the book.
12x12 Trim, BWF Extra, RoundtuitsShift / Hugh Howey
3 stars
This is the 2nd book in a dystopian trilogy. It is the future and people are living underground in silos. This is all in the future, but there is some back and forth in time for about the first half (before time catches up). In the earlier time frame, Donald is one of the people planning and building the underground silos. In the later time frame, Troy is newly on shift (for 6 months), in a higher responsibility position than he thought he’d have. He is pretty much responsible for making sure everything remains running smoothly (I think). If something goes wrong in a silo, it is simply shut down (and people fend for themselves). Later in the book, one of the silos has been shut down and a boy, Jimmy, is trying to stay safe and alive.
I’m not making this sound very interesting and I’m only rating it “ok”. I did manage to miss parts of it because I was listening to an audio. There was a big thing I missed in the middle, unfortunately. I figured out what had happened; I just missed how we got there. Parts of the second half got a bit more interesting with Jimmy trying to survive in the shut down silo.
Interesting, as I read some of the other reviews, it turns out this is a prequel. I had no idea. But then, it’s been 6(?) years since I read the first one, and I really have no memory of it, anyway. Despite my lukewarm reception to this one, I do plan to read the 3rd book, as well.
12x12 ARCs, PBTThe Devil's Tapestry / Barbara Cole
3.75 stars
This book is based on some real people discovered during the author’s genealogical research. It follows a few families from the early 1800s to just into the early 1900s (the bulk is during the 19th century). There is a historical note at the end that talks about some of what really happened.
(Early 1800s): Rachel and Joseph are in love and want to marry when Joseph tells Rachel that he is leaving to go to war. Rachel is devastated. She eventually marries someone who abuses her and her life ends up in jeopardy.
(Later 1800s): a few generations later, drunkard Jacob Marks (a descendant of Joseph) successively marries three women, each younger than the last. His first wife, Mary, falls down the stairs and dies; His second wife, Bess, disappears; his third wife, Tilda(? Or Thirza… these are two very similar names in the book and I can’t remember which one was Jacob’s third wife), is “lucky” enough to have close family nearby who start asking questions when she, too, disappears.
I thought this was really good, but for a while it went back and forth in time (which usually doesn’t bother me too much), and what was trickier was figuring out all the people and how they were related. There is a cast of characters at the front of the book, but even when I referred to it, I still had trouble figuring things out. That’s what took it down a ¼ star for me. However, I thought the storyline was very good.
12x12 Series, AlphaKIT, BWF Extra, RoundtuitsRed Lily / Nora Roberts
3 stars
This is the third in a trilogy. Hayley is a single mom and has been staying and working with Roz since just before having baby Lily. She is head over heels in love with Roz’s son, Harper. There is also a ghost living in the house, Amelia. Amelia seems to love children and will sing to them, including Lily. But she can be nasty otherwise. Not only that, it’s not long before she appears to periodically be possessing Hayley!
This was ok. I see that I was more interested in the ghost story (than the romances) in the first two books, but even Amelia’s story didn’t appeal to me all that much this time around. It was ok, but nothing more for me.
12x12 AudioSaving CeeCee Honeycutt / Beth Hoffman
3 stars
CeeCee is 12 years old when her mother dies and her usually-absent father decides to send her to live with her great-aunt in Georgia. CeeCee, even though her father is usually away, is still hesitant to leave, but once she arrives in Georgia she becomes great friends with Aunt Tootie’s cook(?).
I listened to the audio. This was pretty slow-moving, but an ok book. Not a whole lot really happened. I did find it odd that CeeCee was really only making friends with women much older than she is. She did make one friend her age, and I assume – had the book continued into the school year – she and her new friend her own age would have been the story at that point. Anyway, this one was ok for me.
12x12 RTT, RTTUtopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World / Rutger Bregman
3.5 stars
People with a basic income. No stings attached money for poor people. 15 hour workweek. These are some of the things suggested by the author to make life better for all. There are studies to back him up and, though we have been conditioned to think differently, it does not cost more to just give poor people money to do with as they will and they don’t (the vast majority) spend it on drugs or alcohol. In fact, for the most part, they do use it to better their lives in an ongoing way.
These are just some of the things the author talks about. Of course, I already agree with much of this, but there are economic reasons, too – reasons we wouldn’t immediately think.
12x12 Travel, CalendarCATThe Sandcastle Girls / Chris Bohjalian
1.5 stars
Current day – an author (?) is investigating some family history of her grandparents that included the Armenian genocide in 1915.
1915 – a couple of storylines. Elizabeth and Armen in Syria. Also a little orphan girl and someone who tries to help her.
Sad summary, I know. I just never got interested, so I really didn’t care or pay attention to what was happening in the book. The author’s note tells me he is Armenian.
12x12 Travel, PBT, BWF, AlphaKITMurder on Black Swan Lane / Andrea Penrose
1.5 stars
A minister (reverend? clergy of some sort) is murdered. A woman named Charlotte (?) has been looking after (in a way) two boys and trying to teach them to speak “the King’s English”, as well as some manners. A second murder happens partway through. There is some society called “The Ancients”.
Second book in a row where I was not interested enough to really pay attention to what was going on nor did I really care. I was curious about the two boys, but it wasn’t enough to know what happened in the book. This is the first in a series and I obviously won’t continue.
12x12 Series, HistoryCAT, AlphaKITThe Price of Blood / Patricia Bracewell
4 stars
Emma of Normandy became queen of England in the early 11th century. Aethelred was her husband, the king… much older than Emma was and they rarely got along. In fact, Emma was attracted (and it was mutual) to Aethelred’s oldest son, Athelstan. Aethelred had many children from his first wife, many close to Emma’s age. When one of the top nobles is murdered in 1008, his daughter (Elgiva), fearing for her life, runs. She ends up marrying the heir to the Danish throne. The Danes and Vikings are teaming up to attack England. Emma wants to keep her toddler son close, but Aethelred wants to keep her away from him, so sends him to be raised by his daughter and her husband, who is Aethelred’s closest advisor… one who really doesn’t have Aethelred’s best interests in mind.
This is the second in a trilogy, and I didn’t even remember the first book (or that there was one) until I looked it up after finishing (though it wasn’t that long ago – 3 years – since I listened to the audio). Given that, I’d say you don’t need to read the first one to read this one. This is a time period I don’t think I’ve read anything else of, but I really liked Emma’s strong character. Elgiva was also a strong character, but she wasn’t a terribly nice person. Now, all that being said, in reality, there isn’t much known about these women, so their roles in history, as portrayed in this book, are fictional. Luckily, there is a good cast of characters at the beginning of the book (also luckily, I wasn’t listening to the audio, so it was easy to refer to), since many of the characters have names starting with E or AE! There is also a glossary, and an author’s note at the end.
12x12 Trim, Roundtuits, AlphaKIT, ScaredyKITThe Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country / Neil Gaiman
4 stars
In this 3rd volume of Gaiman’s “Sandman” series, there are four separate short stories presented, though they all involve dreams and the characters Death or Dream in some way. One was about an author with writer’s block, who acquired the muse Calliope to help him out. One was a cat who told a story trying to get other cats to dream with her to become more powerful than humans. The third was Will Shakespeare and his son Hamnet, travelling and performing for one patron “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The last one involved some kind of supernatural creature who cannot die who is lonely and desperately wants to find a way.
I quite liked this one. I don’t always like short stories, but I think I like them better in graphic novel format. I like Death portrayed as a woman, as it was on the last story, but the first story was my favourite. Included at the end of the book is Gaiman’s script on how one of the stories (Calliope, my favourite one) should be drawn and formatted. That was interesting to see how he writes his graphic novels (though he specifically explains that not everyone does it the same way).
12x12 Overflow, ScaredyKIT (Apr), BWF extraThe Scapegracers / H. A. Clarke
3.75 stars
Sideways is at a party and “plays” a little bit with magic. Three other girls from school are willing, and they recruit one more from a neighbouring school. But it’s dangerous. Sideways is not sure what happened when she wakes up the next morning. One of the girls is missing, and they find her at the bottom of an empty pool with three dead deer arranged closeby. Despite the danger and not knowing exactly what happened or how, the girls love the attention they get out of it and want to do more with magic.
I mostly liked this, though none of the characters was terribly likable (except Sideways’ two dads). It is quite graphic at times, as well (this is just an fyi… graphic doesn’t usually bother me, and it didn’t this time). Also a lot of profanity, which I disliked more than the graphic-ness. And it doesn’t quite finish, so not sure how long the series is (or will be) or if there is just one sequel or if it’s a trilogy, but I’ll read the next one.
12x12 PBT, PBT, MysteryKIT, BWF extraThe Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural / Agatha Christie
2.5 stars
This is a collection of horror short stories, written by Agatha Christie. Apparently they hadn’t before been collected into one anthology until more recently.
I listened to the audio, which was maybe a mistake… between it being short stories + Agatha Christie. Sadly, most of what I’ve read by her, I’ve not been terribly excited about. Short stories are often not my thing, either + on audio… if I get distracted at all, there isn’t as much time to catch the storyline later and fill in the blanks. I had hoped to like it better because these ones involve the supernatural, and there were a few stories that I liked better than the others, but overall, I still can’t rate it very highly.
12x12 Oh Canada, BingoDOG, MysteryKIT, AlphaKITThat Night in the Library / Eva Jurczyk
3.5 stars
Seven people, mostly university students including some who work in the library/archives, sneak into the basement of said library on their last night before graduation (those working there will no longer be except for one). Davey has a ritual planned and invited the others to come. In fact, they are locked in the basement for the night; they cannot get out. And when the lights go out, one of them dies. The others try to figure out who did it, while keeping themselves safe.
I like the idea of the story, and I am a librarian, so I liked the library and archives references. But none of the characters were likable, in my opinion. Maybe it’s because they all (except one) took acid at the beginning of the night (part of the ritual) that made them not likable. The POV shifted between a few different characters and I do think that worked well for the reader to see different sides of what was happening. But I did get some of the characters (who were “related” in some way) continually mixed up – there was a dating couple, one was a professor; there was a childhood friend; and a fourth person in that mix somewhere, but I kept getting mixed up as to who was who in that group of four. Overall, though, I’m rating it “good”.
12x12 Animals, MysteryKIT, AlphaKIT, ScaredyKITThe Finders / Jeffrey B. Burton
3.5 stars
When a dog is left behind and almost dies at a crime scene, dog-trainer Mason adopts her and names her Elvira, or Vira for short. The type of training Mason does is for cadaver dogs – to find human remains. Vira is exceptional at this, and is able to pick out the perpetrator from quite a ways away, so is recruited to help with a current case.
I listened to the audio and was hopeful this one would really hold my attention. It did… until we heard from the killer, “Everyman” he called himself. I am rarely interested in the killer’s POV in any book, and it’s just way too easy for me to lose where I am in an audio book, so put the two together... It flipped back and forth too often and without warning, unfortunately. I loved the dogs, though… not just Vira, but Sue (a male dog… “A Boy Named Sue” – Mason liked to name his dogs after songs), as well (and there were a few other dogs, too). I’m rating it “good” and do plan to continue the series.
12x12 Travel, BingoDOG, Roundtuits, CalendarCAT, BWF, PBTBy Chance Alone: A Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz / Max Eisen
4 stars
Max Eisen was a teenager in Hungary with three younger siblings when his Jewish family was ordered to pack up and leave in 1944. Apparently they were one of the last Jewish communities in Europe to be taken to the concentration camps. It turns out his mother, aunt, and siblings were all immediately sent to the gas chambers on arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau. He, his father, and uncle all worked in labour camps for a while, and eventually, Max was the only one left. He managed to survive along with two cousins (one on each side of his family). Lucky for him, he ended up working in one of the surgery rooms at Auschwitz, which did help him survive. He was part of the “Death March” that came as the war was wrapping up and it wasn’t easy to figure out what to do with himself after or where to go.
This was very good. There are plenty of books on the Holocaust, but of course everyone had a slightly different experience and there are always new things to learn from all those experiences. Max’s promise to his father was that he’d tell people what happened there, and he also tours and talks about his experience (or he did – he was eighty-something when this book was written and/or published in 2016). He ended up in Canada, married, and had two sons.
Lone Wolf / Jodi Picoult4 stars
Luke and his 17-year old daughter, Cara, are in a car crash. Luke ends up on life support. He and his wife are divorced, and their adult son, Edward, has been in Thailand for six years. Luke’s doctors have given him a poor prognosis (he is extremely unlikely to ever wake up), but someone needs to make the decision on what to do. Cara is too young, so Edward comes home. Edward wants to let him go, but Cara refuses, so they head to court to decide who will make the decision.
Luke studies wolves and I loved all the parts about his integration with the wild wolves in Quebec. I easily sided with Edward on this decision, as hard a decision as that must be (it’s hard enough with my cats…). Like many of Picoult’s books, there are multiple points of view. There are also a few surprises along the way.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic (other topics)Pretty Baby (other topics)
Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy (other topics)
The Librarian of Burned Books (other topics)
Something About Sophie (other topics)
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The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands / Jon Billman
3.5 stars
When Jacob Gray disappeared in Olympic National Park in Washington state, his dad Randy would not give up looking. Luckily, Randy had the stamina and money to be able to continually look for his 22-year old son. The author, Jon Billman, was often along to help out. This book is primarily Jacob’s search story, but the author also brings in many other missing persons cases (missing in the “wild”/in nature) in the U.S. and Canada, some who were found and others not.
I don’t personally know anyone who has gone missing and not been found, but I know someone whose brother has (and my brother does know him – the one who went missing). I couldn’t help but think about him at various points while reading this. That’s beside the point of what I thought of the book, however.
Some of the stories peaked my interest more than others, but with as many as there were, it’s hard to remember them when a short time was spent on many (as opposed to the bulk of the book on Jacob’s case). The book also highlighted differences in the types of searches, for how long they last, etc, depending on where a person goes missing; much of that comes down to cost. It included stats and went into a few various “oddball” theories like Bigfoot and UFOs (Jacob’s father Randy insisted on following any and all leads, no matter how “out there”).