The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Finished: - 3*

Starting:
The Last Kashmiri Rose - Library
My Soul to Take - Library

It's a shame musical plays aren't allowed, because I've read 16 of them so far this year 😂 anyway, just finished A Chorus Line: The Complete Book of the Musical and I highly recommend it! If you've only ever seen the movie, the book is so much better!!! and totally worth reading, even if you can't get any points for it

Finished Crank and reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Robin's Greeting by Wanda E. Brunstetter I won on Goodreads.

Finished: - 4*, - 4*, - 4*

Reading:
Tin God - Kindle
Making Payments: An American Indian, the Vietnam War, Laos, and the Hmong - Kindle


Starting:
Murder on St. Mark's Place - Library
In the Blood - Library
Woods Runner - Library
Who Saw Him Die? - Library

How To Train Your Dragon – Cressida Cowell – 4****
A delightful children’s fantasy book about dragons and Vikings and young people who rise to the occasion. I’ve never seen the movie, and I don’t have children, so really didn’t know what to expect. But I was completely charmed by this outrageous story. It’s fantastical, but relatable. The names of the characters (SnotLout, Fishlegs, Dogsbreath…etc) will appeal to tween boys as well.
My full review HERE

Finished: - 4*, - 3*

finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and starting The Lotus Eaters

Finished: - 3*, - 3*

Reading:
Tin God - Kindle
Making Payments: An American Indian, the Vietnam War, Laos, and the Hmong - Kindle

Starting:
Everglades - Library
A Story of Deep Delight - Own
Lark! The Herald Angels Sing - Library

White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo – 3***
I’m not sure what to think about this book. I am a person of color. And this book is written by a white woman, trying to explain why it is so difficult for white people to have meaningful conversations – and, more importantly, change behaviors – about racism. I agree with some of her perspectives and applaud her efforts at calling out racism in a tactful manner. Not that her tactic always works. I listened to the audio because it was the version that arrived first, and I needed to read it for my F2F book club discussion. But I think this is a book best absorbed via text format.
My full review HERE

Finished The Lotus Eatersand startingHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Finished: - 4*

American Spy – Lauren Wilkinson – 4****
What an interesting and inventive debut. Told as a letter to her young children, Marie relates the events that led to her meeting their father and her career in counterintelligence. Wilkinson uses some events from history – particularly the assassination of Thomas Sankara – to frame this story of personal responsibility, family dynamics, and loyalty: to family, to country, to social ideals.
My full review HERE

Finished: - 4*, - 4*,
- 4*

Reading:
A Story of Deep Delight - Own
Making Payments: An American Indian, the Vietnam War, Laos, and the Hmong - Kindle

Starting:
The Face Of Deception - Library
A Clue for the Puzzle Lady - Library

Starting High Five

Secretariat – William Nack – 4****
Subtitle: The Making of a Champion. I think everyone knows about this horse and his extraordinary Triple Crown victory. Nack did extensive interviews with the people involved: owner Penny Tweedy, trainer Lucien Laurin, jockey Ron Turcotte, and groom Ed Sweat, as well as the many others surrounding the horse. The book starts slowly with a laborious genealogical history of both the people and the horse. But once he starts writing about the actual races …Nack makes the telling of those races almost as nail-bitingly exciting as it was to watch them live.
My full review HERE

Finished: - 5*, - 4*, - 3*

Making Payments: An American Indian, the Vietnam War, Laos, and the Hmong - I was not sure that I wanted to read this book when I started it. Another war book...and close to my own time. However, this book ~ story, writing ~ grabbed me and would not let me just passively walk through it. An important book for all of many reasons.

Reading:
A Story of Deep Delight - Own
The Mountains Bow Down - Library ebook
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd - Library
Still Waters - Kindle

Finished: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd - 3*


Reading:
A Story of Deep Delight - Own
The Mountains Bow Down - Library ebook
Still Waters - Kindle

Starting:
An Expert in Murder - Library
Decaffeinated Corpse - Library
A Question Of Guilt - Library

Walk Two Moons – Sharon Creech – 5*****
I was completely drawn into the book from the beginning, as I learned that Sal was forced to move from her beloved Kentucky farm some 300 miles north to a town where there wasn’t even a tree in her yard. I liked the multi-generational aspect of the novel, as well as the story-within-a-story way Creech revealed what had happened. As Sal told the story of Phoebe and the lunatic, she was peeling back the layers of her own story, and finding ways to process her loss. Though I cried at the ending, I was left with a feeling hope. A marvelous book.
My full review HERE


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The Unteachables – Gordon Korman – 4****
This was a fun, enjoyable middle-grade book about kids – and at least one teacher – who need a little extra help and a hefty dose of understanding and empathy. I loved how the kids came to understand one another, and how they came to understand their teacher and his struggles. I think that young teens and middle-grade students will particularly like the focus on what the kids CAN do. Put down and bullied, they are clearly NOT helpless victims. Bravo!
My full review HERE

Starting Acorna's Quest

Finished: - 4*, - 4*

Starting The Hourglass Factory, which was on my shelf. Oddly, I have absolutely no memory of where or when I got this. It is a hardcover, in perfect condition, but I'm sure I didn't buy it new. I suppose I got it at a library sale or thrift shop, which would have been over a year ago now. It takes place during the fight for the women's vote in England and apparently there's a mystery of some sort.

StartingThe Hills Have Spies

Finished: - 3*

Beneath the Bonfire – Nickolas Butler – 4****
In this collection of short stories Butler explores relationships: men and women; male bonding; fathers and children; people and the land. The ten stories are dark and mesmerizing, Butler’s characters are lonely and yet reaching out for connection. I recognize the landscape which can be brutally unforgiving for the person not experienced or equipped to survive the dangers of the north woods.
My full review HERE

Finished: - 3*, - 4*, - 4*

Reading:
Tampa Burn - Own
Girl at War
Hot Blooded
A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
The Voice of the Spirit - Kindle

I just finished Orin: The Utopia by Austin Mcclelland and really loved it! It's an adventure thriller based in a dystopian world and has great character development. Orin is a captivating character making me feel like I was travelling with him!! It looks like it's the author's first book but I really hope there will be a sequel! Has anyone else read this book?

The Rebels of Ireland andThe Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China's Most Exotic Animal

Finished: - 3.5*, - 4*

Finished: - 3*, - 4*

Reading:
Tampa Burn - Own
The Voice of the Spirit - Kindle
A Stoneybrook Mystery Collection: A Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1-3 - Kindle

Starting:
Sophie's World
The Lotus Eaters

Home – Nnedi Okorafor – 4****
Book 2 in the marvelous “Binti” science fiction trilogy. Okorafor is a wonderful storyteller! I love the way she crafts her tale, combining science fiction and traditional mysticism. I also like how she weaves in a message of social justice and against racism. Binti is one strong female lead. I’m looking forward to Book 3, to see how (I’m not even wondering whether) Binti manages to bring peace between warring factions and ensure the future of her people.
My full review HERE

Finished: - 4*

Currently reading A Hoboken Hipster in Sherwood Forest. It was printed in 2007 and contains numerous 2007 pop culture references ..... even though it's a time travel romance set in the 12th century! LOL

Finished: - 5*

I rarely give 5*. This book earned it for teaching me about philosophy, raising and stimulating questions about my life and world, and just being a delightful story.

Reading:
Tampa Burn - Own
The Voice of the Spirit - Kindle
A Stoneybrook Mystery Collection: A Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1-3 - Kindle

Starting:
The Birthing House - Library
The Life of Elves - Library

Reading Eye Spy and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Bea, how did you like "The Lotus Eaters"? I read that too.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Reading Eye Spy and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Bea, how did you like "The Lotus Eaters"? I read that too."

I gave it 4*, which is my usual rating for a book that I enjoy, which means the characters are believable, the writing is good, and I wanted to keep reading.

Bea wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Reading Eye Spy and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Bea, how did you like "The Lotus Eaters"? I read that too."

I gave it 4*, which is..."

I couldn't get into it.

I finished Eye Spy and continuing with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I am enjoying the audiobook of Project Hail Mary by the author of The Martian. This book also starts with one man alone in the cosmos but takes some surprising turns. The story is interrupted by some "science-y" chapters about how he got there. These were less interesting to me, but author Andy Weir is famously concerned to use real scientific principles.

Finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and starting The Oysterville Sewing Circle

Finished: - 3*, - 4*, - 3*

Reading:
Tampa Burn - Own
The Voice of the Spirit - Kindle
A Stoneybrook Mystery Collection: A Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1-3 - Kindle

Starting:
Man in the Dark
A Very Private Grave

Started reading Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park

Finished: - 3*

The author used several names for the main characters...first name, last names, and nicknames. Given that this was set in France and place names were strange to me...and that this was a story about explorers who went to Papua New Guinea (also strange place names)...the multiple names for the main characters was just a bit much and muddled my thoughts more than once!

Finished: - 3*

This is a small book with no chapters. It seems to occur in one night and is primarily the story of a man lying in the dark and creating stories...most of which are a bit bizarre. I did enjoy the end where he is talking with his granddaughter about his life.

Quite a Year For Plums – Bailey White – 3***
A charming look at the eccentric people who inhabit a small town in Georgia. I had a hard time getting into the book. That was my problem, I think, rather than the book’s. I usually enjoy these slower, meandering, character-driven works, but it just didn’t quite work for me at this time. It was okay. There was nothing really wrong with it. But I barely remember it just a day after finishing it.
My full review HERE

Seriously … I’m Kidding – Ellen DeGeneres – 3***
I like Ellen DeGeneres. She’s a talented comedian and I’ve been a fan of hers for years. But watching a talented performer give a 5-minute monologue that is funny and entertaining is not the same as reading a book … or, in my case, listening to it. It wasn’t great literature, but it was fine. I doubt I’ll remember it tomorrow.
My full review HERE

Crazy Rich Asians

The Great Gatsby

My current reads

Finished reading
Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park
Dear John
going to start
And Then There Were None

Finished: - 4*

Reading:
Tampa Burn - Own
A Stoneybrook Mystery Collection: A Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1-3 - Kindle

Starting:
The May Queen Murders
Unnatural Death

Bluffton – Matt Phalen – 4****
Subtitle: My Summers With Buster Keaton. This graphic novel explores the early 20th century era of Vaudeville, and one particular summer resort that catered to many of the era’s Vaudeville stars – including the Keaton family and their talented son, Buster. It’s a wonderful way to introduce young readers to this by-gone era.
My full review HERE

The Book Thief