♞ Pat Attempts the Great Alphabet Challenge

[♞ Pat]

Janice wrote: "The herd sounds like a heavy read."

It wasn't hard reading. The story was good and pretty much told itself. There wasn't a lot of graphic triggering, but it was a solid, thought provoking story. Let me with lots to consider....

[♞ Pat]

BADGE 2 , BOOK #4
TITLES, #R
The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang
Paperback
Pages ~ 224
Read ~ 3.12.25
Task Summary ~ (R)ainfall
3☆

This book has had a long wait list with my library as well, so I expected something brilliant, which this little book wasn't. It's a debut, and it's cute, but it's childish and much more suitable for a Junior Fiction shelf than an adult fiction read. I liked it, but if I were 12, I'd have loved it

[Janice, Moderator]

I hope your next read is more to your liking.

[♞ Pat]

I'm actually liking it quite a bit. Complicated interactions between characters, and a Russian culture setting, so I'm missing a lot of the vocabulary, but getting the big picture.

People are people everywhere.

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm intrigued!

[♞ Pat]

BADGE 2 , BOOK #5
TITLES, #M
Maya & Natasha by Elyse Durham
Hardback
Pages ~ 384
Read ~ 3.14.25
Task Summary ~ (M)aya
4☆

This one will fly under the radar for a long time, I'm thinking. It was just published in February, and the wait list at my library wasn't long at all - probably because it's a debut title, so the author hasn't got a lot of name recognition free press. But this is a pretty solid story about two sisters, Russian twins, who are orphaned as infants. Their mother was a prima ballerina for the Russian ballet company in Leningrad, and her best friend (the troupe choreographer) raised the two girls. There is jealousy, drama, and defection. A great peek inside the Soviet State (which we've all but forgotten). The Russian names are a bit tricky to keep track of, but once you get past the vocabulary, it's a good read!

[♞ Pat]

BADGE 2 , BOOK #6
TITLES, #G
Gangsterland by Tod Goldberg
EAudio
Pages ~ 387 (10 hr 30 min)
Read ~ 3.15.25
Task Summary ~ (G)angsterland
4☆

So this is the first book of a trilogy. I'm looking forward to reading the other two titles - because this one ended with the bad guy winning, which was quite the twist! Think "The Sopranos" only focused on the family hit man instead of the family. I really enjoyed it!

[Janice, Moderator]

Maya & Natasha sounds like it might be something I'd like to read. I've always been partial to books about ballet dancers.

[♞ Pat]

Janice wrote: "Maya & Natasha sounds like it might be something I'd like to read. I've always been partial to books about ballet dancers."

I think it's one of those "sleepers" that as people find it will get more notice. It's a good book.