Lea's Individual Challenge - Filling in the Gaps

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Kudos on your progress, Lea. NO duds! :D

[Bill, Moderator]

You've had another great month, Lea. Glad you enjoyed your Malcolm Gladwell book. I haven't read that one, but I've enjoyed a couple of others. I recall them being interesting and also somewhat self-evident. I may eventually try some others. I'll be interested in your thoughts about Cujo. It's been a long time since I read the book and watched the movie, but they were both excellent, as I recall. Good luck with your May selections.

[Lea]

Alondra wrote: "Kudos on your progress, Lea. NO duds! :D"

Yes! And I just finished Cujo. That might be my biggest surprise for May. I was so sure it wasn't going to be my type of book, but it was. Thanks for suggesting it! :-)

[Lea]

Bill wrote: "You've had another great month, Lea. Glad you enjoyed your Malcolm Gladwell book. I haven't read that one, but I've enjoyed a couple of others. I recall them being interesting and also somewhat self-evident. I may eventually try some others. I'll be interested in your thoughts about Cujo. It's been a long time since I read the book and watched the movie, but they were both excellent, as I recall. Good luck with your May selections."

It seems I'm on the every other year track with Gladwell, so I might as well start thinking about which of his books I'ld like to read in 2027.

I really liked Cujo. I didn't expect to like it as well as I did. I'm not sure I ever want to see the movie, but who knows, it might surprise me too. I'm learning never to say never. :-)

[Lillie]

Lea wrote: "Greatest Accomplishment: I finished four series this month! And read three books from my 2024 list. I love making progress!!!"

Woohoo! 4 series? A little envious, I want to say that I've finished any series, lol

Great month Lea :)

[Alissa]

Lea wrote: "I will say that this book is highly improbable, I hated all of the characters and yet I could not put it down. 3 stars"

John Marrs' books in a nutshell haha I love his stuff

Also, 4 series????? WTG!

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Lea wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Kudos on your progress, Lea. NO duds! :D"

Yes! And I just finished Cujo. That might be my biggest surprise for May. I was so sure it wasn't going to be my type of book, but it was...."

You're welcome. The original movie is pretty good. B-Movie good, but still good. The movie endings are totally different though

[Ioana]

Great April! Little surprises me when it comes to you and books, but 4 series AND 2 tomes in a month??
If authors add more books to series I am up to date with, maybe I have a chance ;-) But I hope they don't....and I know some will....

[Lea]

Lillie wrote: "Woohoo! 4 series? A little envious, I want to say that I've finished any series, lol

Great month Lea :)"

I try to finish at least one series a month, but let's face it, it is usually a series where I only have one book remaining. Finishing the longer series is a bit more complex. :-)

[Lea]

Alissa wrote: "John Marrs' books in a nutshell haha I love his stuff

Also, 4 series????? WTG!"

LOL, the first Marrs book I read was our buddy read, and I'm hooked now! :-)

[Lea]

Alondra wrote: "You're welcome. The original movie is pretty good. B-Movie good, but still good. The movie endings are totally different though"

I have better success liking movies if I wait for awhile after I read the book. Less direct comparisons, the better.

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Great April! Little surprises me when it comes to you and books, but 4 series AND 2 tomes in a month??
If authors add more books to series I am up to date with, maybe I have a chance ;-) But I hope they don't....and I know some will...."

Yeah, most of my "finished series" happen because an author added another book to a series I'm up to date with. So, some series, I finish every single year when the new books come out. I'm really making no overall progress in reducing my total outstanding series, but I do make some efforts.

[Lea]

May Month End Report

Books Read: 7 books this month, 61 books year to date. 23,696 Pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 45/100; 2022 Books 1/1, 2023 Books 0/5, 2024 Books 10/14, 2025 books 34/80

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 12/16

Recently finished:

Cujo - I'd never read this book before, nor have I seen the movie. I wasn't sure this book would hold up, but King has done it again. I could not put the book down. 3 stars.

The Awakening - This book was written in 1899 and it isn't a spoiler to say that it deals with a married mother of two who is discontent with her life. I was dissatisfied with the ending and felt as though if there was an awakening, perhaps we'd all be happier if we all stayed sleeping. At least I can now say that I've read it. 2 stars.

The Truth About Grace - I read The Pecan Man last month and this is the sequel. This is the story about what happened to Grace. While this book gave me some closure, it was in some ways more unbelievable than the first book. It certainly wasn't as engrossing. Yet, I'm really glad the author wrote it and that I read it. 3 stars.

Blue Sisters - I must have read this book wrong, because I didn't love it. Most people do. It's a story about three sisters who are dealing with childhood trauma and the grief of losing their fourth sister. (It's on the book cover, should not be a spoiler.) I did not connect to any of these people and could not bring myself to care what happened. 2 stars.

The Great Divorce - This is C.S. Lewis's response to The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which was written many years prior to this book and is about moral relativism. The book is about some ghosts who board a bus in Hell and make their way to Heaven. We witness different reactions to the offer of Heaven, as the various characters are filled with a variety of excuses and foibles. While I don't agree with all of this book, it did make me think quite a bit. I will probably read it again; it is very short. 4 stars.

Spirit Bound - Book #5 in the Vampire Academy series. This book was a turning point in the series, as things happen that you will either be on board with or not. I am almost positive that I will have some quibbles in the next book. 3 stars.

Lord of Chaos - This is the sixth book in the Wheel of Time Series, and if I was rating the first half of the book it would have been no higher than 2 stars, it was so boring. The second half of the book was more interesting, and I liked the ending, so 3 stars, but I've been warned that books 7-10 are just as tedious as the beginning to this book, so I'm preparing myself to suffer the next few months. 3 stars.

Currently reading:

Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved That the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along - I made no progress.

Crossing to Safety - I haven't given up yet, but we'll see.

Last Sacrifice - This is the final book in the Vampire Academy series. I am in the middle of it, but probably won't finish it in the next days. I can already say that this won't be my favorite in the series....

Goals -
1. One Tome a Month - Lord of Chaos
2. Finish One Series a Month - The Truth About Grace
3. Finish One Book from Shelves a Month - NO! The two books I'm struggling reading are both from my shelves, so I tried. But I did not succeed.
4. Made progress on GRC Awards - Yes! Spirit Bound was a GRC Winner! I still have 4 to read from 2024, and 3 from previous years...

Best book: The Great Divorce
Least Favorite book: The Awakening
Biggest Surprise: Blue Sisters - that was a book that was supposed to get me out of my reading funk, but it did not help me!
Greatest Accomplishment: Lord of Chaos was over 1,000 pages, so that was pretty impressive. I'm also excited to knock another GRC Award off my TBR.

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Lea wrote: "May Month End Report

Books Read: 7 books this month, 61 books year to date. 23,696 Pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 45/100; 2022 Books 1/1, 2023 Books 0/5, 2024 Books 10/14, 2025 books 34/..."

Yikes; I was hoping Blue Sisters would be better than that. Ugh, and triple ugh.

You had a great month regardless. Kudos on your progress, so far. :)

[Lea]

Alondra wrote: "Yikes; I was hoping Blue Sisters would be better than that. Ugh, and triple ugh.

You had a great month regardless. Kudos on your progress, so far. :)"

I know! But I probably read Blue Sisters wrong. Sometimes it takes a bit to get me back from a reading slump.

Thanks, I'm not mad about my progress for May, but hoping for a few more books in June. We'll see. Enjoy your gardening and whatever you decide to try and read too! :-)

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Lea wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Yikes; I was hoping Blue Sisters would be better than that. Ugh, and triple ugh.

You had a great month regardless. Kudos on your progress, so far. :)"

I know! But I probably read ..."

Mmm, it could be mood; but I don't think you read it "wrong." The reviews are hinky anyway.

I will start back reading soon.... ish. lol

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "Blue Sisters - I must have read this book wrong, because I didn't love it. Most people do. It's a story about three sisters who are dealing with childhood trauma and the grief of losing their fourth sister. (It's on the book cover, should not be a spoiler.) I did not connect to any of these people and could not bring myself to care what happened."

Oh no, too bad. I think my book club has is planned for later in the year. I was hoping for a good read, now I'm not so sure anymore...

[Lea]

Alondra wrote: "Mmm, it could be mood; but I don't think you read it "wrong." The reviews are hinky anyway.

I will start back reading soon.... ish. lol"

LOL, I love the word hinky, and I'm just thrilled you used it! I am hoping to do a little reading this weekend, we will see.

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Oh no, too bad. I think my book club has is planned for later in the year. I was hoping for a good read, now I'm not so sure anymore..."

Alissa and Lindsey loved it, so you might too. I was in a reading slump already, so maybe no book could have helped me out of it. Hopefully you agree with them and not with me! :-)

[Bill, Moderator]

I much prefer Stephen King's earlier works. He seemed to find a chord of terror that struck me much more than his later books. Or maybe it's just that his later books seemed so much longer.. LOL..

I've only read CS Lewis's Narnia books. I should check out more of his work.

[Patricia]

I was just thinking a couple of days ago that I wanted to read The Great Divorce. I have an old copy of it, but pretty sure I never read it. I started a reread of The Screwtape Letters a while back & put it aside, but I will probably go ahead & read The Great Divorce. Anyway, glad to hear you liked it & yes, Lewis is always thought provoking.

[Lea]

Bill wrote: "I much prefer Stephen King's earlier works. He seemed to find a chord of terror that struck me much more than his later books. Or maybe it's just that his later books seemed so much longer.. LOL..

I've only read CS Lewis's Narnia books. I should check out more of his work."

I'm not consistent on Early King's vs. Recent King argument. My favorite King novel is The Shining, but I've really enjoyed some of the latest books as well. My least favorite King novel is It, although I did not care for Elevation either, so who knows?

C.S. Lewis writes such different stuff. I enjoyed the Narnia books, his science fiction trilogy, and his theological books all for very different reasons. He always provokes me to think, even though I do have quibbles. :-)

[Lea]

Patricia wrote: "I was just thinking a couple of days ago that I wanted to read The Great Divorce. I have an old copy of it, but pretty sure I never read it. I started a reread of The Screwtape Letters a while back & put it aside, but I will probably go ahead & read The Great Divorce. Anyway, glad to hear you liked it & yes, Lewis is always thought provoking"

Yes! I am trying to read one new C.S. Lewis book a year. There are certain authors that I enjoy as long as I don't read too many similar books. I have so many of their work on my shelf, I need to eventually get some of these read. :-)

[Lea]

June Mid-Month Report

Books Read: 7 books so far this month, 68 books year to date. 25,329 Pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 49/100; 2022 Books 1/1, 2023 Books 0/5, 2024 Books 10/14, 2025 books 38/80

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 12/16

Recently finished:

Last Sacrifice - This was the last full book in the Vampire Academy series, and it was a little bit too long. I was also not on board with some of the things that happened in the last two books in the series, so I felt the ending was a bit lackluster. 2 stars

Homecoming - This was a short novella that truly ended the series. It wasn't good and could have been skipped. Maybe it should have been skipped. 2 stars

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine - I have been talking about reading this book for years, but for a variety of reasons kept putting it off. I think Michael Lewis poses some interesting questions and is spot on with several of his observations. I want to see the movie now. 4 stars.

The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature - Blah. It was just OK. 2 stars

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions - John Grisham and Jim McCloskey write ten powerful stories of individuals who suffered injustices due to our legal system. It is enraging and these stories will make you lose your delusion of your own safety. 4 stars

Christmas at Hogwarts - When I was told I wasn't done with the Harry Potter series until I read this book...I decided to do it. But you don't have to. It's basically a repeat of Harry's first Christmas at Hogwart's Castle. The only thing new is the beautiful illustrations from Ziyi Gao. 3 stars.

Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved That the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along - I finally finished this book. It's been on GR longest. The author is quite libertarian and opinionated. I don't agree that these seven events are the most foundational events that ever happened to America, but I did find his insights interesting and found myself agreeing and disagreeing in equal measure. This book was given to me to read as a counter point to Howard Zinn and it certainly was that. 3 stars.

Currently reading:

Crossing to Safety - This was a buddy read for May. I'm not done. I think Ioana abandoned it and Alissa 2 starred it. I had to wait for my reading slump to pass, and now and I'm slowly continuing the read for as long as I can. I think I started the book six or seven times. It is very slow paced.

A Crown of Swords - Book #7 in the Wheel of Time series. Some people say that this is where the slog in the middle begins. I agree with them.

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives - This is supposed to be the palate cleanser book, but I can't get into it either. I may have to start another book. We'll see.

Goals -
One Tome a Month - Last Sacrifice and I'm in the middle of A Crown of Swords
Finish One Series a Month - I'm feeling so guilty for adding so many series to my list that I finished 4 already this month. :-)
Finish One Book from My Shelves this Month - Yes! Finally finished Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved That the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along
Made Progress on the GRC Awards - Other than continuing along with The Wheel of Time in an effort to one day get to a GRC Award winner, I haven't made any progress here this month.

[Bill, Moderator]

You've had an excellent start to Jun, Lea. Good luck with the rest of the month.

[Patricia]

Glad you haven't totally given up on Crossing to Safety. It is slower paced, but I know I ended up liking it. Sometimes, I have to tell my brain to slow down & not worry about the next book. I'm going through that with Moon Tiger right now. A book I need to take time with & not think about my soon to be due library books. :)
Enjoy the rest of your month!

[Lea]

Bill wrote: "You've had an excellent start to Jun, Lea. Good luck with the rest of the month."

Thanks, Bill. I know I read some shorter books this month, but I did feel good about making a little progress. I might be coming out of this reading slump. :-)

[Lea]

Patricia wrote: "Glad you haven't totally given up on Crossing to Safety. It is slower paced, but I know I ended up liking it. Sometimes, I have to tell my brain to slow down & not worry about the next book. I'm going through that with Moon Tiger right now. A book I need to take time with & not think about my soon to be due library books. :)
Enjoy the rest of your month!"

I am partway through Crossing to Safety now, and I think I'll finish it. I'm finally hooked into the gentle writing. I'm not sure I will finish it this month. This book will take as long as it will take. But I think I will finish it. As for Moon Tiger, that is a troubling analogy. I read it in 2009, and I didn't care for it and one-starred it. I don't remember much about it though, just have a random recollection that I didn't like any of the characters or see the point...but that could have been another book that I didn't allow enough time for. I hope you enjoy it. And don't think about your other library books. :-)

[Patricia]

Lea wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Glad you haven't totally given up on Crossing to Safety. It is slower paced, but I know I ended up liking it. Sometimes, I have to tell my brain to slow down & not worry about the ..."
Well, that's a little discouraging but no book is for everyone. It won a Booker and has plenty of good reviews, so I won't give up yet.

[Lea]

Patricia wrote: "Well, that's a little discouraging but no book is for everyone. It won a Booker and has plenty of good reviews, so I won't give up yet."

I didn't mean to discourage you! Sorry! I am an extremely moody reader, and I probably read it when I was super grumpy. I do hope you love it. So many people did and like you said, it won a Booker!

[Bill, Moderator]

Lea wrote: "Bill wrote: "You've had an excellent start to Jun, Lea. Good luck with the rest of the month."

Thanks, Bill. I know I read some shorter books this month, but I did feel good about making a little ..."

I sort of use shorter books as fillers while I'm reading longer stories. Kind of a change of pace, I guess.

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "June Mid-Month Report

Books Read: 7 books so far this month, 68 books year to date. 25,329 Pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 49/100; 2022 Books 1/1, 2023 Books 0/5, 2024 Books 10/14, 2025 b..."

Good month! I've read The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine some years ago and enjoyed it. I've actually enjoyed all his books I've read so far, and still have some on my TBR.

[Lea]

Bill wrote: "I sort of use shorter books as fillers while I'm reading longer stories. Kind of a change of pace, I guess."

Yes! The same here! I need to make progress somewhere, and all of these Wheel of Time books are soooo long, I have to have a change of pace somewhere!

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Good month! I've read The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine some years ago and enjoyed it. I've actually enjoyed all his books I've read so far, and still have some on my TBR."

Which of his books are highest on your TBR? I've been trying to read one of his books each year, but I did read two this year...and I'm already not sure I can squeeze another book into next year's challenge, so I was going to pass 2026, but maybe...

I've already read all of the super popular ones: The Big Short, Moneyball, Liar's Poker, The Blind Side and Flash Boys. There are so many other ones that look pretty good though. My library has Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life, Next: The Future Just Happened, Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds, Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity, Has Anyone Seen the President?, Making Winners: The Coaching Explosion, and Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service, so it will probably be one of those.

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "Which of his books are highest on your TBR? I've been trying to read one of his books each year, but I did read two this year...and I'm already not sure I can squeeze another book into next year's challenge, so I was going to pass 2026, but maybe..."

Out of the ones you listed, Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service. Let me know if you're interested in a buddy read...anytime you want :-)

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Out of the ones you listed, Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service. Let me know if you're interested in a buddy read...anytime you want :-)"

Sounds good. :-)

[Lea]

June Month End Report

Books Read: 13 books this month, 74 books year to date. 27,989 Pages year to date.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 51/100; 2022 Books 1/1, 2023 Books 0/5, 2024 Books 11/14, 2025 books 39/80

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 12/16

Previously discussed:

Last Sacrifice
Homecoming
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature
Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
Christmas at Hogwarts
Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved That the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along

Recently finished:

A Crown of Swords - Book #7 in the Wheel of Time series, a completed high fantasy series. The books are long. In my mid-month report, I had complained that this is where the mid-series slog begins, but the last third of the book was more interesting than the first two thirds. 3 stars

Never: The Autobiography - An autobiography of Rick Astley, UK pop star in the 1980s. It was surprisingly interesting to my husband and me - we learned a lot about the UK music industry that we did not know.

The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science - After reading The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, I wanted to read a little bit more about Marie Curie. This biography was interesting and I really enjoyed it. 3 stars

Crossing to Safety - A classic from Wallace Stegner. The good, for me, was the gentle story line. The author shows, not tells, a story of a long-time friendship. How beautiful that is, yet how frustrating it can be, how the friendship changes with time, and changes your perceptions and how you perceive the world. The beauty of this book is the viewpoints from multiple perspectives, from the kids and grandkids who find the relationships less than healthy (we would say toxic and codependent nowadays). Yet, all relationships have a little bit of that, and I looked at my marriage and my long-time friendships, and thought to myself, from the outside, I'm not sure people would understand them. I loved that part of the book and would definitely read more from the author.

The bad, for me, was the slow plot. It started out slow and took me EIGHT times to get past the first 20 pages. I was in a little reading slump, but still, I started this book on May 9th and it usually wouldn't take me 47 days to read a 320ish page book. And, the ending was a bit lackluster and depressing. I expected a little bit more, and then just kind of felt relieved that the book was over.

It's a hard book for me to rate, so I ended up with 3-stars. It had moments of greatness, but also I struggled with the book. I'm glad I read it and would read another book by him, but I have got to be prepared for the pace.

The Minders - Up until this book, I would have said that John Marrs books have been consistently gripping. He's become a go-to author for me. But, I didn't care for this book. The premise is that five ordinary people have been selected to carry all of the government's secrets. All his books are (thankfully) somewhat far-fetched, but this was really out there. 2 stars.

Part of Your World - So this is the best book by Abby Jimenez that I've read so far. My main complaint about Jimenez up to this point is that she puts her characters into some pretty traumatic situations and then everything is tied up in a bow at the end. This hit a little different for me, and I had fun with it. 3.5 stars

Currently reading:

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives - This is a nonfiction book about pen pals. I haven't made it very far.

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter - This is a historical fiction book. I also haven't made it very far.

Heaven and Hell: My Life in The Eagles, 1974-2001 - An autobiography about Don Felder and his time in the Eagles. I'm about 35% in to this book.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness - This is nonfiction. I just started it.

Goals -
One Tome a Month - TWO! Last Sacrifice and A Crown of Swords
Finish One Series a Month - FOUR! Vampire Academy, Harry Potter, Strange Planet and Liar's Poker!
Finish One Book from My Shelves this Month - TWO! Made up for last month's failure with Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved That the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along and Crossing to Safety
Made Progress on the GRC Awards - FAIL. I read more on The Wheel of Time series, so I'm closer to the award winning book...and I started The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness but did not finish anything.

Best book: Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
Worst book: Homecoming
Biggest surprise: Never: The Autobiography
Greatest accomplishment: Finishing my oldest book on GR: Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved That the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along

[Ioana]

Great month, so many goals accomplished, congratulations!

I've enjoyed both The Anxious Generation and I Will Always Write Back, I hope you will too.

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Great month, so many goals accomplished, congratulations!

I've enjoyed both The Anxious Generation and I Will Always Write Back, I hope you will too."

Thanks, Ioana. I am eager to read them both; they have been on my TBR for a long time. So glad to hear that you enjoyed them!

[Bill, Moderator]

You definitely have a nice variety in your selections. I hope you enjoy July.

[Lea]

Bill wrote: "You definitely have a nice variety in your selections. I hope you enjoy July."

Thanks Bill! Hope you enjoy July also!

[Michelle]

Looks like June was good to you Lea! I read Stegner's Angel of Repose a few years ago and I felt similarly. Beautiful writing, loooong drawn out story. A shame because your Stegner book looks really enticing but I'm still gun shy.

I can't wait to see your thoughts about The Anxious Generation. I though the author was spot on and made some great points but as a parent of some of the anxious generation I was put off. I could not have followed his suggestions without making us all social pariah or having someone call in CPHS. We didn't know then what we know now. I don't think people today could follow his more extreme suggestions either. It's going to take social change to get this accomplished and for that we are all going to have to get off our phones.

[Lea]

Michelle wrote: "Looks like June was good to you Lea! I read Stegner's Angel of Repose a few years ago and I felt similarly. Beautiful writing, loooong drawn out story. A shame because your Stegner book looks really enticing but I'm still gun shy.

I can't wait to see your thoughts about The Anxious Generation. I though the author was spot on and made some great points but as a parent of some of the anxious generation I was put off. I could not have followed his suggestions without making us all social pariah or having someone call in CPHS. We didn't know then what we know now. I don't think people today could follow his more extreme suggestions either. It's going to take social change to get this accomplished and for that we are all going to have to get off our phones."

Yes, I really want to read Angle of Repose - it is award winning and all...but I will also wait until I'm in the right mood for it. In fairness, I was not in the right mood for Crossing to Safety - that's why it took me so long to get it read.

I could not put The Anxious Generation down. I agree with many, but not all, of the author's points, and think some points make sense, but are not data supporting. Anyways, you're absolutely right, some of his suggestions would result in someone calling CPHS. It's a good thing he lives in NYC, where he can hide behind the anonymity of a busy area. If a parent in a small town were to employ some of his suggestions, there would be pushback from the helicopter parents that see this behavior and you can't hide. Everyone knows each other. We are going to have to work together to get off our phones and get away from our various addictions.

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Kudos on your progress, as always. :)

[Lea]

Alondra wrote: "Kudos on your progress, as always. :)"

Thanks, Alondra! :-)

[Patricia]

Great month and a nice mix! I'm impressed with how you're knocking out those tomes. Enjoy your summer reading!

[Lea]

Patricia wrote: "Great month and a nice mix! I'm impressed with how you're knocking out those tomes. Enjoy your summer reading!"

Thanks! I really have to plan for my tomes...but it does help that I'm reading a series (Wheel of Time) and almost all of the books in the series are tomes. If I plan to read one per month, tome challenge solved. :-)

[Lea]

July Month End Report

Books Read: 12 books this month, 86 books year to date. 32,301 Pages year to date.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 55/100; 2022 Books 1/1, 2023 Books 0/5, 2024 Books 11/14, 2025 books 44/80

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 13/16

Recently finished:

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness - A nonfiction book that won the GRC Award for nonfiction. I was not very enthusiastic about reading a book about the evils of social media and the impact of smart phones, but I have to say it was a surprisingly interesting topic. I'm not sure about all of the data and conclusions in the book, yet I do think that this is an important issue that requires more discussion. I don't agree with everything he wrote, but I do think this is an area that needs more discussion. 4 stars

The Year of Magical Thinking - Another nonfiction book taking the author through a year of grieving. Life changes in an instant. I thought it was very well written. 3 stars

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives - This is a nonfiction book about two pen pals, and how their letters changed their lives. As someone who had many penpals as a girl, I enjoyed this. Caitlyn was much more sensitive to the needs of her penpals than I was, though. She and her family ended up sponsoring the schooling of Martin, her penpal from Zimbabwe. 4 stars

The Family Experiment - This is a thriller about a world where people can no longer afford to have children, but can create a virtual child that they can spend time with in the metaverse with virtual reality headsets and sensors. And why not? As a way to advertise this experience, there is a reality show filmed, with the prize being the right to keep the virtual child or try for a real child. It's a great premise, but I didn't feel a connection to anyone in the show. It's in the same world as The Passengers, but The Passengers succeeds more than this one, because I cared more about the characters. It was much better than The Minders; however. 3 stars

White Bird - This is a middle grade book in the Wonders series. I was going to pass on reading it, but kept hearing great things about it. I'm glad I read it! It tells the story of Julian's grandmother more in depth and I enjoyed reading it. Julian was the bad guy in Wonder, and this story gives his character a lot more depth. 4 stars

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter - A dual timeline historical fiction book about Grace Darling, a historical figure who helped with the rescue of some passengers on a shipwrecked vessel off the coast of Northumberland, and 100 years later, another lighthouse keeper in Rhode Island. I liked this book and would read more by this author. 3 stars.

Heaven and Hell: My Life in The Eagles, 1974-2001 - Nonfiction book written by Don Felder, a long-time member of the Eagles. It was interesting to read about his experience being in one of the most iconic bands of all time. He did not portray himself as the most sympathetic of characters, but I'm certain that few of his bandmates appreciate how they were portrayed either. I hope he finds peace and happiness. 3 stars

One Summer - I was given this book years ago, and told it was a chick lit book by David Baldacci. I was intrigued. It's about a family. The father has some sort of life-threatening illness, and the family is trying to cope. The story itself was not a bad story. I liked the symbolism of the lighthouse and it's relationship to the story. However, there were A LOT of contrivances and convenient plot devices that rubbed me the wrong way. So much extra drama than was necessary to tell a good story. 2 stars, but could have been much higher without the heavy handedness!

James and the Giant Peach - A children's book about an orphaned boy and his two ghastly aunts who are raising him. Some insects and a peach later, and we've got a story. I might have to stop reading Roald Dahl, I am not sure we are compatible. But I did like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 2 stars

A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy - This is a nonfiction book about a woman was married young to an abusive Christian fundamentalist spouse and her story. Since I was adjacent to some of this movement, it was interesting to read. My heart just broke for her over and over, as I read and read some more. I am so glad to hear that she seems to be recovering from the trauma and now enlightens us with translating what fundamentalists mean when they say certain things. However, I do worry about her. I feel as though her new religion is her therapists and what she is learning from them. She's done a lot of work, but there might be more to do. I wish her all the best. Her book is important. And keep in mind, Pete Hegseth's brand of religion (CREC) is the same as one of the ones which Ms. Levings family dabbled in. 3 stars

The Path of Daggers - This is the 8th book in The Wheel of Time series, and must be suffered through in order to get to the better books at the end of the series. 1 star

Fallen - A YA fantasy book about a girl who finds herself in reform school and the other students aren't what they seem. I will read the sequel, it is a GRC Award winner for Cover Art in 2010. If I just gaze at the cover for a while, will that count? Because I'm not sure I'm the right demographic for this one. I'm actually missing Vampire Academy. 2 stars

Currently reading:

The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife - A book about Skellig Michael (the island off the coast of Ireland where Rey finds Luke hiding out in Star Wars: The Force Awakens). The book, however, is not about Star Wars, but about the life of the family of a lighthouse keeper in the 1860s. I'm finding it very interesting.

The Ministry of Time - This won the GRC Award for science fiction last year. It's a book where the UK government has figured out time travel and has created a secret ministry to bring people from previous time periods into the present.

Goals -
One Tome a Month - Yes! The Path of Daggers
Finish One Series a Month - TWO! Dark Future (The Family Experiment) and Wonder (White Bird.)
Finish One Book from My Shelves this Month - TWO! The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter and One Summer!
Made Progress on the GRC Awards -I finished The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness! And I read another book in The Wheel of Time and the first book in the Fallen series. I think I have 17 books left to read at the moment!

Best book: I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives
Worst book: The Path of Daggers
Biggest surprise: Heaven and Hell: My Life in The Eagles, 1974-2001 - I really thought he'd be a bit more sympathetic!
Greatest accomplishment: 5 nonfiction books! :-)

[Patricia]

Another great month! And congrats on the 5 nonfiction books. I am trying to be more consistent with at least keeping one on the read.
I had to laugh at your reaction to James & the Giant Peach. That is one I read to my youngest son years ago. He just loved it & I couldn't figure out why!
I will be interested in your thoughts on The Ministry of Time. It was a bit slow going for me at first, but I ended up liking it overall. However, my daughter & son-in-law picked it as a book to read together (an idea they are trying out) & both hated it! Ha!
Happy Reading!

[Bill, Moderator]

You had a great month, Lea. I agree with you about Joan Didion, a beautiful writer. I still have a couple of hers to read. I didn't realize that there was a book before White Bird. I quite liked it, kind of an Anne Frank story. The Ministry of Time sounds interesting. There seem to be quite a few time travel books / series now.