Book Nook Cafe discussion

Yes, great use of your time, John. I've been hit or miss lately with diligent reading. Almost all my fiction has been on the short side and even then i'm struggling some days.

Well accomplished, John, on your challenge!

Bollywood Kitchen: Home-Cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films

This one completes (33) DIY, cooking, etc. and (50) lots of photos. There's plenty of accompanying text that it took me a few sessions to get through the book to say I "read" it.

It's a fun way to look at meals and movies. And you got to tick off two from the list! Well done.

Well done, John !

John wrote: "Bollywood Kitchen: Home-Cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films

This one completes (33) DIY, cooking, etc. and (50) lots of photos. There's plenty of accompan..."

This looks like a fun book. 🙂

Finished The Blitz Detective last night - which works for (39) set during a war. Mixed feelings, so have started the next one in the series.

On the plus side, it fit the challenge.

I find such mysteries, of murder during a nation's duress, fascinating. What a challenge detecting must have been. Thanks for the series titles, John.

Just finished Here We Go Again: My Life in Television by Betty White, which I'm using for (7) memoir, (16) acting and (75) celebrity memoir.

(If I read a biography etc. later I'll swap it in under #7 perhaps)

Well done, John. It looks like a fun read, too !

John wrote: "Just finished Here We Go Again: My Life in Television by Betty White, which I'm using for (7) memoir, (16) acting and (75) celebrity memoir.

(If I read a biography e..."

John wrote: "Just finished Here We Go Again: My Life in Television by Betty White, which I'm using for (7) memoir, (16) acting and (75) celebrity memoir.

(If I read a biography e..."

I want to read that one!

Thanks for the numbers, John. I missed #16, so may indulge myself in White's book.

Korea and Her Neighbours: A Narrative of Travel, with an Account of the Recent Vicissitudes and Present Position of the Country by Isabella Lucy Bird completes category (67) - written before 1900.

Excellent, John !

I am still working on my list. The problem is I keep reading books in the same categories. I also don't read very quickly.

John wrote: "Korea and Her Neighbours: A Narrative of Travel, with an Account of the Recent Vicissitudes and Present Position of the Country by Isabella Lucy Bird completes catego..."

I have Bird's A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains. The bits i've read intrigued me but i ran out of time. You have me wondering how she viewed Korea.

Well... I have now read Hamlet. Not a huge fan, unfortunately. Annotated version helped some, but not enough to say I really "got" it. Guess it's better performed?

Categories (74) a play and (90) 100 Books crossed off.

Congratulations, John. Shakespeare can be a task to read by oneself, imo. Notes help but sometimes they give far more detail than i need. But look at your Challenge success!

The only time I've read Shakespeare was in high school. I can't say I was a fan as a kid. However, I've toyed with reading him again as his books are so often referenced.

Once you get back into the cadence of the words, i find Shakespeare fairly easy to read but understanding? Another can of worms, slower to open.

I find Shakespeare is more understandable when well acted. Reading is just too complicated for me.

I agree, Rachel. Actually, i've seen some quite mediocre stagings of his work and find them easier to comprehend than just reading through the words. Still, i like the reading once i get the "hang" of it.

Using Death in Delft for (26) mystery/thriller. Wasn't sure at first, but the main character did grow on me; a reviewer liked the sequel better than this one, so there's that...

Hmmm. The Delft setting calls to me but historical mysteries don't. Still, Holland has been on my mind lately. And i see very positive reviews from a couple of our members, Shomeret and PattyMac.

Again, hmmm.

Villette by Charlotte Brontë was my 22nd book for the year as category (87).

Nice !

I just finished my 22nd book, too !

Geez. How many times have i looked at that list & passed by #87? I'll have to see where i am on that. Thanks for noting it, John & Alias.

John, i'm curious what you thought of Villette. I really liked it but at the time i was quite a bit younger. Sometimes i hesitate to reread a book, lest i find it wasn't as good as remembered. One thing which impressed me was the nebulous ending. At first, it jarred me but then i grew to like it.

madrano wrote: "Geez. How many times have i looked at that list & passed by #87? I'll have to see where i am on that. Thanks for noting it, John & Alias.

John, i'm curious what you thought of Villette. I really l..."

Review forthcoming at the end of the month, but I found the ending a bit too much wrapping things up after a bit of a slog. Overall, I liked the story.

Alias Reader wrote: "Nice !

I just finished my 22nd book, too !"

Congrats! I don't review everything I read, and was thinking about not doing so here as it's a classic with a zillion comments already, but as it fits here a link to my review will be at the end of this month.

I review everything I read. Mostly I do it so that I will remember what the book was about. I read and forget almost as quickly as I have read.

As i recall, i was glad to at last get to an ending but i found it made up for the sins. I liked Lucy Snowe and following her ups and downs but at some point a line was crossed and i just wanted the story to end. The way it did so surprised and pleased me. I suppose this is a major reason i like it so much more than Jane Eyre or Shirley.

Rachel wrote: "I review everything I read. Mostly I do it so that I will remember what the book was about. I read and forget almost as quickly as I have read."

I've started to do that, Rachel. Before I did it hit or miss. However, starting last year I try to post a review on Book Nook Cafe. Then I copy that review into Notions.

There was an older gentleman, who I believed was a retired judge, on our old AOL message board. He was a voracious reader of serious books. He always wrote a review and also kept track I believe in Excel. I recall him saying, if you take hours, days and sometimes weeks to read a book, why not take 10 or 20 minutes to write a review either to share online or even in a notebook for yourself.

Rachel wrote: "I review everything I read. Mostly I do it so that I will remember what the book was about. I read and forget almost as quickly as I have read."

With classics, I feel everything that can be said likely is already covered. I also don't review books in a series, unless there's a specific reason. Everything else I try to say something (for myself as much as others).

Rachel wrote: "I review everything I read. Mostly I do it so that I will remember what the book was about. I read and forget almost as quickly as I have read."

Like Alias, i've been writing up comments about books i've read this year in hopes of remembering more about them. However, i've noted that i am dissatisfied with my accounting of the works. Ask me in a year or so what i recall about some of the books i've reviewed.

John, i understand what you mean about reviewing series. Usually i am drawn to such a group of books because i like the characters or occupation of the MC. So, i really don't need to share further unless something unusual comes along. (That written, i do make a note to myself of whodunnit, in case i forget yet want to know again.)

Some series have different MCs but they're sharing a similar "event", such as doomsday. I'm okay with that & feel many authors will flesh out the new MC and their circumstance enough to make another review worthy.

Alias, i remember that man & liked his comprehensive comments of books he read years earlier. The point you shared is solid, imo. I've always tried to make a note about the topic, if nothing else. And i always write down New-To-Me facts, since that's why i read the book in the first place.

madrano wrote: "As i recall, i was glad to at last get to an ending but i found it made up for the sins. I liked Lucy Snowe and following her ups and downs but at some point a line was crossed and i just wanted th..."

That is so true. If you can take the time to read, why not take a few minutes to review the book. Also, I never knew how much I read until I started keeping track. Individual works are more appealing to me that series for some reason.

I used to devour mystery series like popcorn back in the '90s. Nowadays, it's tough to get through the first in a series. One difference for me is online groups like this, which expose me to other genres and authors. Hurrah!

Alias Reader wrote: "Nice !

I just finished my 22nd book, too !"

I can't keep up with everyone here. I just finished my 10th book of the year and have a large TBR list waiting for me. I particularly recommend The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. It was a relaxing and fun read.

Jan, it's not a competition at all. Just a fun way to share our love of reading and book suggestions.

Here is the GoodReads link.
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

That's cool that it's based on an actual BBC program.

Synopsis
In a new World War II-set story from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front - based on the actual BBC program of the same name - as well as a chance to better their lives.

Two years into WW2, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives.

For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For the lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.

These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart?

Jan wrote: "I particularly recommend The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. It was a relaxing and fun read.l..."

Jennifer, i really liked that book, too. I appreciated inclusion of recipes with rations included. For me, it gave a good sense of what cooking challenges were faced during the war.

Thanks for your suggestion of the Kitchen Front. It made me excited to read it.

The Confines of the Shadow by Alessandro Spina

Historical fiction (6) set in colonial Libya

Challenging for you (77) as I felt there was a strong DNF possibility; it's a long book and historical fiction isn't usually my thing. But, with a bit a skimming here and there, it's done.

Fulfills category (84) as it came to my attention via The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar.

Very nice. #84 can be a hard category to check off.

Just finished The Buddha and the Borderline: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Buddhism, and Online Dating for (59) mental health. Bit of a slog, but perhaps I wasn't target audience?

Congratulations on checking off another task !

Impressive checks, John. The Kiera Van Gelder book sounds good for those who are suffering or who have a family member trying to live with their problems. Congratulations!

Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year was a very long read, so I'll qualify it here under (8) nonfiction.

John wrote: "Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year was a very long read, so I'll qualify it here under (8) nonfiction."

I shared the title with a friend. It sounds like a book she would enjoy. Thanks for the title.

Congrats on getting #8

I like the idea of that Robert Michael Pyle book but the length is daunting for me. Well done, John.

I'm slotting Crossing the Mangrove into category 37 - fiction. I had initially selected it as "culture other than your own" for another challenge, but it turned out something folks here might like.

John wrote: "I'm slotting Crossing the Mangrove into category 37 - fiction. I had initially selected it as "culture other than your own" for another challenge, but it turned out something folks he..."

Does it also fit
72- A book originally published in a foreign language

Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: "I'm slotting Crossing the Mangrove into category 37 - fiction. I had initially selected it as "culture other than your own" for another challenge, but it turned out somet..."

Yes, but I have other books for that.