Reading with Style discussion
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SU 22 Completed Tasks
15.14 G52 - GR Choice Award Winners & Nominees Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
This was so much fun! Also, it made me very hungry and desperately Googling for Filipino food in my area. Everything she described sounded so delicious. This is the start of a cozy series featuring Lila, who has returned home after a breakup to help her family run their restaurant in a small town. A notorious food blogger who has dogged all the restaurants in town dies at their restaurant and of course Lila and her family are the main suspects. There is some romance, some humor, some great characters, and again, lots of mouthwatering food writing. I will definitely read #2 in the series!
+15 Task (nominee for mystery & thriller 2021)
+ 5 Review
Task total: 20
Season Total: 330
15.15 O72 Set in Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, or Ontario The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. This is #1 in a series featuring Canadian detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty. The characters are multifaceted and interesting, and this story, which dealt with the ramifications of the Bosnian war, led me to learn and think more about that part of history. The writing style is on the slower side, delving deeply into themes of loss and what justice really means. There were times when I felt like some of the characters weren't particularly necessary to the story and some of the longer descriptive or philosophical sections were likewise not all needed -- but the overall effect, I think, did work.
+15 Task (set in Ontario)
+ 5 Review
Task total: 20
+50 Bingo: Third Bingo - B5, I16, N38, G52, O72
Post Total: 70
Season Total: 400
20.28 G58 GhostsTheme Music by T. Marie Vandelly
This was a weird one. And not as in weird fiction, more like “that took a turn”. The third act lost me with its excessive exposition and thorough swerve away from the original setup.
The first two thirds were amusing, in a very dark way. Dixie -the sole survivor of an ax massacre- has grown up into a very dark and deluded woman. One day she sees her murder house is for sale, and who can say no to a bargain in this economy? She moves in, drinks herself into oblivion, and bad things happen. Is she haunted? Crazy? Possessed?
This was a mostly fun, sometimes dull thriller that starts off as horror but goes into a rushed, paint-by-numbers ending. I really disliked the little bow that tied this one up, and how the whole initial premise was discarded.
+20 task
+5 review
Task total=25
Season total = 810
B
I18
N
G58
O65
10.7 B4 - Historical FictionThe Alienist by Caleb Carr
This book has been on my TBR since at least 2007. I'm not sure why I had the idea that this was a great novel that I really should read. In fact, it was a perfectly adequate historical mystery set in 1897 New York City.
The book makes a sort of funny counterpoint to the "In Death" series by JD Robb. There, in a futuristic NYC, a female police detective doggedly pursues serial killers (and enjoys a billionaire lifestyle courtesy of her rich and dashing husband). The future computers are constantly spitting out statistics on the profiles and likelihoods for different suspects.
Here, in this pre-computer history, these guys are imagining that there must be a way to figure out a killer based on facts from his childhood and personal history and they are slowly building their profile through lots of searching out details.
Unfortunately, I never found any of the characters particularly interesting or complete. I could hardly care less about the doctor, didn't care about a bad thing that happened to him during the story, and could hardly tell the side characters apart. So, the book flourished in historical detail, and had some interesting stuff to say about early psychology, but ultimately wasn't that great to actually read.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Pre-1997 (pub. 1994)
Task total: 20
Grand total: 110
30.34 O72 Set in: Ohio, Oklahoma Oregon, or Ontario (Canada)Set in Oregon
The Quick and the Thread. Amanda Lee
A new (to me) cozy mystery series that takes place in an embroidery shop on Oregon's coast featuring all the required elements - crafting, strong women friendships, a coffee shop, a little romance, multiple love interests for the protagonist, and the faithful pet - in this case an Irish wolfhound named Angus. Not a bad start, interesting enough that I might read more.
+30 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 35
Season total: 1075
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
20.24 B4 Before: Historical FictionThe Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
+20 Task:
+. 5 Jumbo (544)
+50 Bingo: Fifth Bingo - B4, I18, N45, G50, O75
Post Total: 75
Season Total: 615
20.29 B6 Beards Basketful of Heads by Joe Hill
My last axe-murder related title was a disappointment, so I was thrilled that this one was fun start to finish. On an isolated Maine island, June and her cop-intern boyfriend Liam are wrapping up the season. They attend a clambake and everybody is having a great time, until some escaped Shawshank convicts ruin the party. An occult axe is out for blood and also makes an excellent sidekick… it lops off heads easily and leaves them talking, which is helpful when there is a mystery to solve.
This was a romp!
+20 task
+5 review
Task total= 25
Season total= 835
B6
I18
N
G58
O65
30.33 I16 - Author name does not contain the letter IThe Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster
+30 Task
Task total = 30
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 890
10.10 N32 NeighborsThe Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
10 pts 10.10 Crime Mysteries and Thrillers group https://www.goodreads.com/group/book_...
5 pts Review
Second book in the Thursday Mystery Club series. The character development continues with more insights on the increasing unusual backgrounds of the pensioners. While the back stories are implausible, the interpersonal relationships are well drawn and depict strong, caring friendships. That is the real story, just slightly augmented with stolen diamonds, killers and intrigue. Complex mystery with lots of twists and turns. Very enjoyable
Task Total: 15pts
Season total: 210 pts
Bingo #1. B4 B5 B6 B7 B13
B
I16 I27 I29
N32 N38
G
O
20.30 N32 Neighborshttps://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill
This is everything I want in a graphic novel. Fantastic art with clearly recognizable characters and a gripping plot that made me want to pick up the next collection immediately. I’ve said before that my favorite sub-genre is where the house is a character, and Keyhouse is definitely that! I don’t think it is sentient or haunted (well, yet…that might change), but it’s weird and mysterious. Special keys unlock doors with powers to change you and transport you… but only children know this. Adults forget. It’s all so spooky and perfect!
+20 task
+5 review
+50 BINGO B6 I18 N32 G58 O65
Task total = 75
Season total= 910
15.13 I30 Book pub'd in the 30sMystery in the Channel by Freeman Wills Crofts
"The little yacht, with its fine lines and finish, its white deck and gleaming brasswork, its fresh paint and brightly coloured club flag, looked what it so obviously was, a rich man's toy, a craft given over to pleasure. On such the tragic and the sordid were out of place. Yet now they reigned supreme. The space which should fittingly have resounded with the laughs of pretty women and the voices of immaculately clad men, was empty, empty save for that hunched figure and that sinister stain with its hideous suggestion."
Two dead men were found on a yacht adrift in the English Channel, and Scotland Yard's Inspector French was assigned to the case. The murdered men were partners in Moxon's General Securities. Rumors were circulating that the financial firm was unstable and about to crash.
Inspector French is a hardworking detective with an eye for details. He works methodically using railroad timetables, shipping patterns, speeds of various types of boats, and other maritime details. There are lots of red herrings as the Inspector investigates in both England and France.
This is a plot-driven 1931 Golden Age Mystery featuring meticulous investigation of a puzzle. There is not much character development of Inspector French or any of the other characters. French is not colorful or a genius, but he is a detective to respect. While "Mystery in the Channel" was a well-written book, I tend to prefer books with more character development.
+15 task (pub 1931)
+ 5 oldie
+ 5 review
Task total: 25
Season total: 300
15.11 g54 Title has 4 wordsVictoria Line, Central Line by Maeve Binchy
This is a collection of short stories by Maeve Binchy. I am a big fan of her writing, and have read all of her novels (some time ago). This was a nice visit with Maeve, her voice is so distinctive – no one else could have written these. That’s not to say all the subjects are nice, because they aren’t really. She examines slices of life, in these instances mostly young women finding their way in the 1960s and 70s London. Binchy always shows empathy to her characters and deep insight – even if they aren’t the nicest people or make bad choices, there is no judgement. 3.5*
15 task
5 review
5 oldie
____
25
Running total: 295
15.12 n41 Title includes a number (either numerals or letters)The Two Sisters of Borneo by Ian Hamilton
The problem with Ava Lee novels is that they are too darn good. Hamilton has created such interesting characters in a world completely different from the one I inhabit certainly, that you just get sucked in and next thing you know you’re done the novel (and haven’t done your chores!). This is the first novel since Ava, May Ling and Amanda have set up their business. They have invested in a furniture manufacturer in Borneo, and that is about all I can say without spoiling anything. All I want to do now is read the next one…. 4.5* BTW – if you are ever considering delving into this series it is important that you read them in order from the beginning (including the prequel).
15 task
5 review
____
20
Running total: 315
15.13 b3 Booker Prize, winners and nomineesDisgrace by J.M. Coetzee
I went into this thinking it was a story about a Prof who seduces a student; and was hesitant to read a book about a creepy old man. Instead, this is a very complex story that is going to require reflection to unravel. Lurie’s foolish affair and subsequent downfall is a very small part of the novel, but it does ‘get the ball rolling’. After his forced resignation, he goes to visit his daughter in the country and the complexity of the story unfolds. This is the South Africa a few years post-apartheid. The country, and Lurie are undergoing a transition and it isn’t pretty. Shocking things happen in the novel; and some very harsh reality is depicted carefully, but still very harshly. This novel is well deserving of the Man Booker and is a stellar read. 5*++
15 task
5 review
______
20
Running total: 335
15.14 o74 Title has On, Off, Out, Over, OnlyThe Saint Goes On by Leslie Charteris
Well, that was amusing. This is a collection of three novellas. I liked the first one and the last the best. I did pick out the ‘bad guy’ in the first one, but it still was a good story. I think the last one was the best, and I definitely didn’t get what the (nominally) ‘bad’ gang were up to until the denouement. These are written VERY tongue in cheek, and it’s worth knowing that going in. It looks like the TV series ‘The Saint’ is available on Youtube, so some TV watching may be in my future! 3.5*
15 task
5 review
5 oldie
_____
25
Running total: 360
15.15 i30 Book pub'd in the 30s, any centuryKnights of the Range by Zane Grey
When I started reading this book, I was a little taken aback – am I going to have to read a whole novel in ‘accented cowboy speak’? Grey wrote the cowboy’s speech phonetically as a (old) western Texas/Southern accent. That was a minor stumbling block. I stuck with it, sometimes having to say some of the dialogue aloud so that I understood it; and it was completely worth it. This was a great western story. There was an innocent romance that I enjoyed. There were tough men, who threw their lot in with the heroine. There was a lot of description of the ranch in New Mexico – clearly Grey loved and was intimately familiar with this country. This aspect reminded me of Cormac McCarthy, and added a lot to the novel. Some people on GR have been critical of what they perceive as racism, but I thought that Grey actually wrote (relatively) sympathetically of his non-white characters. It is a novel set in the 1870s, written in 1934. Given that, the black, Indian, Mexican and other non-white characters were depicted quite well and were equal to their white cowboy ‘pardners’. 4*
15 task
5 review
5 oldie
_____
25
50 bingo #3 b3, i30, n41, g54, 074
_____
75
Running total: 435
owned books used: 12/15 (1 ebook)
Task 15.11 O68 Author name does not contain the letter OThe Bowl Is Already Broken (2005) by Mary Kay Zuravleff (Hardcover, 424 pages)
Review: The Bowl Is Already Broken is a novel set in Washington, D.C. It focuses on the numerically small staff of the Museum of Asian Art. The Museum actually exists, and is part of the Smithsonian Institute in D. C. That said – all the characters and events of this novel are invented by the author, herself a former worker at the Smithsonian Institute. (I do wonder if one or two were ‘inspired’ by her co-workers, but I have no way of telling if that was the case.) I lived in and around D. C. for 28 years. I recognized some of the locations. One particular house in the story was very like my college roommate’s sister’s group home (she lived in D. C. and attended Georgetown University). The locations in the novel inspired a feeling of nostalgia for me, which I enjoyed. As for the story – academic museum bureaucrats dealing with outrageous situations – I enjoyed it. Five stars – 3.5 stars for the story, 1.5 stars for the ‘trip down memory lane’ D. C. nostalgia.
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 185 + 20 = 205
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
30.38 - O62 On another RwS Member's shelfThe Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth
RwS members
+30 Task
+5 Pub 1984
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1,110
I16 Author name does not contain the letter "I" 
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
It is such a sweet book. It is journey of humanity in past 100 years. The author has omitted all the cruel parts and talked about everything with a special type of humor. Jonasson puts Allan right where history takes a new turn, and in doing so, talks about his take on these turns. There is a subtle shade of carefree attitude to the story and to the character of Allan. It is inspirational - a way to live one's life. Jonasson never gets too serious about the historical facts; merely describing them in his words which makes it so much fun. I have spilled the drink while reading the book, be careful about that...
+10 for the task
+5 review
total = 15
Season total = 80
B1
I16
N31
___
___
30.34 N33 - Title has 3+ NsNotes from the Burning Age by Claire North
+30 Task
Task total = 30
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 920
30.39 - I21 INFLOW: First letter of title is found in "inflow"When We Wake (When We Wake #1) by Karen Healey
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 1,140
30.31 I22 two word titleThe Hole by Hye-Young Pyun
Once again, this is not horror, at least not in a scary manner. Oghi is left paralyzed after a car accident, and must rely on his mother-in-law for care. He cannot speak, can only blink. You expect a certain type of Misery scenario. But the MIL is not an Annie Wilkes… she is a grieving and disappointed woman, not a menacing psychopath.
I think a lot of depth was lost in translation. A review mentioned that the title is literally “The Hole” but also means “loneliness” or “widow/widower”. Those meanings are necessary to understand the themes of the book. On the surface, this is a revenge book, but the horror is not really the helplessness of Oghi’s physical disability and dependence on those he’s harmed. It’s the realization that he is empty, a user of a person that failed to forge meaningful connections. The MIL is a villain, but so is Oghi.
+30 task
+ 5 review
Task total= 35
Season total= 945
30.35 B11 Rooting for the Bad Guy (any)A Night in the Lonesome October. Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint! It takes place in Victorian England during the special month of October when the full moon coincides with Halloween. A very special event takes place when this happens (no spoilers).
Part of the fun in reading this was in figuring out what all the references were, everything from Shakespeare to Lovecraft, Conan Doyle to grade B movies. I might have to purchase a copy and read it each October from now on.
+30 - task
+5 - review
+5 - published in 1993
Post total: 40
Season total: 1115
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
Task 15.12 O63 ORPHAN: First letter of title is found in "orphan"orphAn
A Rip Through Time (A Rip Through Time #1) (2022) by Kelley Armstrong
Review: A Rip Through Time is a time travel story, the first of a projected series. Our first person narrator is a 30 year old female police detective named Mallory. In 2019, Mallory is in Edinburgh. She’s attacked and loses consciousness while going for a jog. When she wakes up, she’s in the body of a 19 year old woman, and the year is 1869. Mallory explains how she finds a place for herself in 1869. There is also a murder mystery, which is solved at the end. There are many story possibilities for future novels – the 1869 characters have several members that are ‘abroad’ or ‘missing and presumed dead’, who can return to Edinburgh. Also, Mallory wishes to return to 2019 – maybe a future novel can get her there. Recommended for time travel fans.
+15 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 15 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 205 + 20 = 225
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
30.32 B12 banned Big Hard Sex Criminals: Volume One by Matt Fraction
Well, it won’t surprise anyone why this is on a banned books list.
Suzie has a superpower… time stops for everyone but her when she orgasms. Almost everyone. She meets Jon, who shares her gift. And he encourages her to put it to use by robbing his hated employer, BankCorp.
This is absolutely ridiculous. Very fun and very funny, and very graphic. It’s also about more than getting off. Suzie loves public libraries and wants to save them and help kids with no other way to get information. Jon struggles with mental health but is trying - he’s doing the work. There’s plenty of social commentary, and the Sex Police most definitely are all bastards.
Volume 1 is mostly silly heist, but it’s setting up a sexual rebellion. Good, dirty fun.
+30 task
+5 review
Task total= 35
Season total = 980
B12
I22
N
G
O
30.40 - B10 Author born in the 10s (xx10-xx19) any centuryThe Hanging Garden by Patrick White
as per GR profile, born 1912
+30 Task
+50 BINGO (B10 - this post; I21 - post #472; N31 - post #439; G47 - post #438; O62 - post #469)
Post Total: 80
Season Total: 1,220
30.41 - G46 Set in: Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Georgia (country or US)The Crimson Thread by Kate Forsyth
95% Greece
Review
"whoever fights monsters need to take care they do not become a monster themselves"
The Crimson Thread is one of my highly anticipated 2022 release. Primarily due to Kate Forsyth being a favourite author of mine, starting with her earlier fantasy series and also, I have mostly enjoyed her 'series' of loose fairy tale retellings. Her novels always feature strong and intelligent heroines determined to carve their own places in the world and not where society expects them to.
I love WWII stories so I thought for sure this one was going to be a winner for me. BUT! Love triangles, oh, I wanted to cry... However, Forsyth's writing was just so immersive that it kept drawing me on and on to the ending. I have a deep seated anxiety that usually, I would have dropped the book like a hot potato. Her lyrical writing with her clever weaving of Greek mythology were such that I couldn't bear not to finish. Of course, it helped that one other character was a definite putz so you could tell earlier on which pairing is it.
5 stars for the brilliant craft and prose but I just had to take off one teeny bit little star because I was just too too upset with the triangle trope. The Crimson Thread is a mesmerising story of courage and resilience, friendship and betrayal, and of course, of love.
+30 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1,255
30.42 - N33 Title has 3+ NsThe Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
Review
I've gone for the pretty cover and the somewhat interesting synopsis. I've heard of the author but never read any of her books yet so I thought this was a good opportunity to check out her novels. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina started off quite well for me; I really enjoyed the prose. For one reason or another though, that didn't last very long. Maybe it's the story itself that didn't quite grab me.
It's told from multiple perspectives though there are 2 main ones and there were flashbacks to the past too. I also didn't particularly find engage by any particular characters. There were some moments but overall, I found it a bit long. Because I love circus stories, I found the carnival bit somewhat interesting even if we didn't really see the carnival very much. Other than that, I found it a bit painful and just wanted it to be over.
Regardless of what I felt was a slog of a read, it was an interesting world but I guess it just wasn't the right read for me.
+30 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1,290
30.43 - B4 Before: Historical FictionWithout Light or Guide (Los Nefilim #0.2) by T. Frohock
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 1,320
30.35 B2 - Title has 2+ B'sScandal in Babylon by Barbara Hambly
+30 Task
Task total = 30
+50 Bingo: Seventh bingo B2, I16, N33, G58, O75
Post Total: 80
Season Total: 1000
30.44 - 063 ORPHAN: First letter of title is found in "orphan"All Four Quarters of the Moon by Shirley Marr
Review
"What we all should be is our favorite versions of ourselves."
I am very privileged to have been gifted this copy by the author, Shirley Marr, and even as I got to read this second (my 12 yo got his hands on it first), I am truly humbled by the reading experience. Such a moving story overflowing with feelings and many sage advices.
The novel opens with a beautiful celebration of Mid Autumn festival amid the utter shambles of moving. The Guo family is leaving the very next day, to fly over the vast ocean, away from the embrace of their big noisy family. They are moving to Australia for a better job for Ba Ba (father), better education for the girls, and a better life for all the family. I remember my own big move to Australia and all the feelings which Peijing, our protagonist, struggled with; it's big and complex and the author has caught all this perfectly in Peijing.
The Guo family is made up of some truly beautiful characters: wise Ah ma (grandmother), surprisingly involved Ba Ba (father), broken but strong Ma Ma (mother), a very good older sister (Peijing the protagonist), and a lively younger sister (Biju). They are not perfect but they are a family. While the story is told from Peijing's perspectives and we see her struggles most (especially in the big adjustment of a new country), we see many bits and pieces of the others as they face their own struggles. It makes a very poignant tale.
While I arrive in Australia a decade later than the setting in this book, the very real push & pull between cultures, past & present, adults & children still do exist. Even today, I struggle on what I should adopt or preserve and instil in my own children! This novel explored all these and more. We were shown thoughts and feelings from different characters, both children and adult. I loved this part of the story as this is an ongoing struggle, every day, and I'm so happy to be able to share something like this with my children who are so lucky to have been born and living in Australia.
In between chapters, we are given snippets of stories Biju tells Peijing. These stories are mythology based orally told which she first heard from the older generation. These stories are weaved in throughout the main plot of the novel and also in a way, are reflected in life lessons. As usual, these stories usually have moral lessons but as you hear them from a 5 year old, their take (as you know) can be quite refreshing and sometimes, enlightening. I can't help but snort laugh at some of their perspectives of these stories/morals.
All Four Quarters of the Moon is a story about a young girl. Of 2 sisters. Of everlasting friendships. Of cultures and growing up. But at the very centre of it, a heartwarming story of family.
My heartfelt thanks to the author for sending me an uncorrected proof of this book. All thoughts are honest & mine.
+30 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1,355
15.12 - O64, Orange Prize & Women's Prize(winners and nominees)The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Shortlist nominee 2021
+15 Task
Task total = 15
Season total = 230
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
20.26-G51- RetellingCirce by Madeline Miller
If all authors could write like Madeline Miller I would not have my general aversion to fantasy and mythology. I previously read her The Song of Achilles and thought it excellent. I have the same opinion about this tale of Circe, a minor deity who discovers her powers in witchcraft. She is the daughter of Helios, the Sun god . Zeus and Athena both fear her. She is exiled to a remote island and still becomes involved with other mythological beings...Odysseus and Penelope, the Minotaur and Daedalus....and several others. Circe is the narrator of her own tale. I listened to the audio book with Perdita Weeks who was subperb. 5 stars.
Task=20
Review=5
Task Total= 25
Grand Total=665
B___; ___; ___; __;B5*;___; B7*; B8*;B9*;B10;B11: ___; ___;B14*; ___;
I___; ___;I18;I19; ___; I21; I22; ___;___; ___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___;
N31;___;N33*;___; ___;N36*;__; N38*;___;__; __;N42*; N43*;N44; __;
G _ ;G47; ___; ___; ___; G51;G52;___;G54; ___; ___; ___; __; __; ___;
O61; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___;O69;O70; ___; ___; __;___;O75
20.25 O71 One: First book in a seriesThe Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 635
20.30 O-64 Orange Prize or Women's Prize (winners or nominees)Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
+20 task Women’s Prize Fiction nominee 2020
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 795
10.9 B15 (on Boxall's list(s))Beloved by Toni Morrison
Review:
I'm a sucker for a book with a haunted house, which I think is not the first thing people think when they hear about this book. It is what finally got me to pick it up though. There's so much more here. Beloved takes place in Ohio, just post Civil War. Yes, there's a haunted house/ghost/other supernatural creature involved. But, it's really an unflinching look at the lives of several former slaves. It's loosely based on a true, heart-wrenching story of a woman who murders her own children rather than having them suffer a fate she considers much worse. It was a difficult, disturbing, graphic, upsetting story. I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't easy to get through.
+10 task
+5 review
+5 oldies (first published in 1987)
Task total = 20
Grand total = 190
First BINGO = B9, I16, N37, G58, O71
Progress toward second BINGO = B15, __, N36, G47, O68
20.23 - B3 - Booker Prize, winners and nomineesThe Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch
This ensemble novel revolves around a large house in Dorset, owned by one couple but with several of their friends and children also in residence. There's an open marriage and various other "free" sexual relationships that we are always told happened in the 1960s/70s but which I never heard of in real life in the small town where I grew up, and therefore can never quite believe in 100%. There's also an apparent suicide of a civil servant known to several of the men, which involves black magic and made the whole thing even more hard to believe for me.
Having said that, after I managed to suspend disbelief (about halfway through), I did enjoy this, although nowhere near as much as my favourite Murdoch novels. It swerved too fast from earnest self-analysis to melodrama.
+20 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1968)
Task Total = 30
Season Total = 685
30.36 N36 Not a NovelThe Death Class: A True Story About Life. Erika Hayasaki
Primarily a book about overcoming adversity in your own life and giving it meaning by helping others, thereby paving the way when your time comes to go peacefully. The author is a journalist who spent several years with Dr. Norma Bowe, learning about her traumatic childhood, and how she used that as motivation to help others. Bowe teaches at Kean University in New Jersey, in particular a very popular class called Death in Perspective. The main part of the book includes both her personal story and stories of several of her students, and the good works that grew out of the classroom, including the formation of an organization known as Be the Change.
+30 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 35
Season total: 1150
B:
I:
N:
G:
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(view spoiler)
10.1 I17 – Title word ends in -ingEverything You Know about Indians Is Wrong by Paul Chaat Smith
Review: Some essays are better than others, but overall they were thought-provoking. I don't know a whole lot about the modern art community, so it was new for me to see the ubiquitous problems of racism and tokenism towards Native Americans through the angle of an art curator.
PCS's style is fabulous. His writing is full of mirth, and the more I read, the more I detected the throw-up-your-hands-and-scream frustration bubbling under the surface. His ideas are often couched (in caveats, humor, or both) but they're bold and logical.
When he says what we know is wrong, he means the way we think of Native Americans as some combination of wise environmentalists, deep spiritualists, drunks, and museum exhibits.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total = 15
Season total = 15
(view spoiler)
10.2 I22 – Title has two wordsThree Women by Marge Piercy
Review: This novel isn't perfect, but it has a lot of good things going for it and a lot to offer. Most impressive is the way Piercy weaves social justice issues into the story without becoming preachy or prescriptive. The characters discuss or live through the moral and legal implications of teen suicide, environmental and divorce law, a case where children are coached to accuse a caregiver of child abuse, death with dignity, infidelity, religious differences, political protest, misogyny and more.
The characters are well-formed and have depth. None are likeable (not a negative for me). I found both Beverly and Suzanne believable throughout, both how they are at the start of the novel and how they change as events unfold. Elena, however, I couldn't get behind. She changes the most, and I couldn't believe in her change.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total = 15
Season total = 30
(view spoiler)
10.3 I27 – Main character is a private eyeA Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
Review: I'm very invested in Maisie Dobbs as a character (she’s a private “psychologist and investigator”), and as a series, but the mystery tropes that I dislike really crept in to bug me on this one - the arbitrarily withheld information, the luck and coincidence. There's also the occasional quick summary of what has already happened that comes with a series.
I was also bothered here by the blatant comparison of the plight of a Black soldier in the U.S. army in WW2, with the plight of Maisie's young daughter teased at school for her olive-tone skin. Not to say Anna's situation isn't awful but equating the two isn't right. The soldier is up against the culture of an entire nation and legally codified racism, Anna is up against a few mean people. Other than that comparison, race is only lightly touched here, and skittishly.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total = 15
Season total = 45
(view spoiler)
10.4 I21 – First letter of title in INFLOWWritten in Black by K.H. Lim
Review: What a lovely book! This was recommended to me, but looking at the jacket description when I got it had me worried it would be too YA for my taste. So I went in with low expectations and quickly forgot them. This is a great story in many ways:
The characterization of Jonathan - a 10-year-old who is smart to the point of being obnoxious and pompous externally, but deep down is scared and just wants love and acceptance.
The adventure - Jonathan rides in a coffin, walks the Bruneian countryside, rides with teens sniffing glue, etc.
The arc of the story - Jonathan's motivations, decisions, and mistakes are clear and believable throughout. My heart ached for him as he tried to logic and force his way into getting just a short conversation with his mother.
I know others will disagree, but I really appreciated the quiet, open-ended ending.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total = 15
Season total = 60
**NOTE: For our Countries of the World group project, this book takes place 100% in Brunei.
(view spoiler)
10.5 I26 – InternationalSay You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
Review: These stories aren't easy to read, either in content or in style, but they are tender to their (mostly) child narrators while also being bold, and unhesitating in showing the brutal experiences these children go through.
None are perfect, but they all have clear characters, a vibrant setting and/or tone, and a sense built in that the author knows they'll be read by voyeuristic western readers, and he'll give us what we want but he's going to make us work for it.
Each story centers on different characters in a different African country, many facing large national crises (such as Rwandan genocide in the final, brutal heartbreak of a story).
I was fascinated by the language - Akpan uses local terms, slang, French and other non-English words, odd spelling to convey accents, etc, and expects readers to keep up and learn to understand. The dialogue between characters is both a thicket of language and a key element of most of the stories.
In some cases, we know what is happening before the child in the story does - other times it dawns on us as it becomes known to them. These stories are very 'real time' - the overarching motivations, outcomes, historical and political circumstances, etc., for the conflicts depicted are not here. We're right in the thick of it with the people experiencing tragedy, without any seeming rhyme or reason. No 10,000 foot news story view on "foreign conflict" here.
It's hard to recommend these stories - they are a tough and draining read. But if they're what you're looking for, don't hesitate.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total = 15
+50 Bingo: First Bingo; I17, I22, I27, I21, I26
Post total = 65
Season total = 125
(view spoiler)
10.6 B2 – Title has 2+ BsWhy Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
Review: This book really spoke to me deeply. It's beautifully and fearlessly written, it's honest and free. It's angry and also deeply empathetic. I was angry and sad as I read. I was also very inspired, to be myself and be comfortable with that. And I was mesmerized by Winterson’s talent. Her words really speak for themselves:
"A tough life needs a tough language - and that is what poetry is. That is what literature offers - a language powerful enough to say how it is. It isn't a hiding place. It is a finding place."
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total = 15
Season total = 140
(view spoiler)
10.7 N38 – First letter of title in NICKELKitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Review: These two novellas were beautiful to read, and light-hearted, even with the tragedies they discuss. They are both about love, about recovery, about clinging to what matters, and finding new hope and new life.
Kitchen has some lovely characterization, and description - of food, of the apartment where Yuichi lives, and of Mikage's midnight journey to see him.
Moonlight Shadow is a little bit magical, in a melancholy way, and a beautiful story about surviving and coping with loss.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Oldies (first pub’d 1988)
Task total = 20
Season total = 160
(view spoiler)
30.31 B-7 Best Book rating 4.0 or betterThen She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
+30 task
+50 6th bingo: B7, I26, N44, G60, O64
Post total: 80
Season total: 875
10.10 I17 (title word ends in -ingGraceling by Kristin Cashore
Review:
This is a new, graphic novelization of the teen fantasy novel by Kristin Cashore. I haven't read the original novel, so I can't tell you how faithful or effective the adaptation is, but it's beautiful, full-color, and I enjoyed it. Although teen fantasy tends to not be my thing (let's face it, I'm not the ended audience), I'll try almost anything in graphic novel form as it's just not as big of a time investment. I liked the mix of characters. The romantic aspect was a little predictable but it was a positive, healthy relationship and I appreciated that. Recommended.
+10 task
+5 review
task total = 15
Second BINGO Achieved = 50
grand total = 255
First BINGO = B9, I16, N37, G58, O71
Second BINGO = B15, I17, N36, G47, O68
Numbers used 9,15,16,17,36,37,47,58,68,71
10.5 G 49 Page count 400-499Lost Dogs and Lonely Heartsby Lucy Dillon
Task +10
1st Bingo B6, I22, N43, G49, O67
First Bingo +50
Grand total: 115
Numbers used 6,22,43,49,67
15.11 G56 HumorAkissi: Tales of Mischief by Marguerite Abouet
15 pts 15.11 G56 Humor
5 pts Review
Graphic novel set in the Ivory Coast whose hero is a young girl who gets into all sorts of trouble as she explores her world. Much of the setting is unique to the culture and place in the Ivory Coast. I didn’t particularly enjoy the book. The graphic novel format does not appeal to me. It is a quick read and might be of interest to a grade school or middle school reader interested in Africa
Task Total: 20 pts
Season total: 230 pts
Bingo #1. B4 B5 B6 B7 B13
B
I16 I27 I29
N32 N38
G56
O
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Judge's House by Georges Simenon (1903-1989)
Task=10
Oldie=5
Task total=15
Season total=45
B 4
I 26
N 31
G
O 75