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SU 22 Completed Tasks
15.20 I17 -title word ends in - ingThe Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Task- 15
Post:15
Season total: 400
B4,7,6,2
I24,21,29,22, 17
N 34,44,39, 42,43
G56,52,59
O 65,66,71
30.39 I25 ITW thriller award (2017)Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
+30 task 2017 winner
Post total: 30
Season total: 1190
15.13 B13 Bridesmaid (nominated for both an Eisner award and a Harvey award. Never a winner)Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV
Review:
This book was recommended to me by a librarian friend of mine who knows what I like. This atmospheric graphic novel is the first in what I hope will continue to be a fabulous series. The art is beautiful, the characters are compelling, and there is just enough dark humor here to make the story feel not too heavy. I can't wait to read the next one.
+15 task
+5 review
Task total = 20
grand total = 315
BINGO 1= B9, I16, N37, G58, O71
BINGO 2 = B15, I17, N36, G47, O68
BINGO 3 = B13, I28, N31, G__, O__
Numbers used = 9,13,15,16,17,28,31,36,37,47,58,68,71
15.14 G59 (first word is Manners, found in the word GYPSUM)Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace
Review:
Didn't I recently say I wasn't a fan of zombies in books? Yes, I did, and here I go suffering through yet another zombie book to get to other stuff. In this case, this is the start of a series that I know eventually involves supernatural creatures other than zombies, so I thought it might be worth plowing through a few zombies to get there. There was some good stuff here. I did like some of the characters, and found the zombie set-up to at least be unique.
However, beyond the zombies, I had other complaints. The main character wants to be loved, but she isn't pretty, so she thinks that means she's destined to a life of loneliness. She beats us over the head with this them over and over again. How stupid is that? In real life, we know it's not only the pretty people who find love. Give us a break with that garbage already.
Otherwise, I found the story a little lackluster. It felt predictable in some ways, and like something I'd already read in other books.
I will likely give the 2nd installment a try, as I am a bit curious about where some of it is going. But I'm not exactly dying to pick up book number 2.
+15 task
+5 review
task total = 20
grand total = 335
BINGO 1 = B9, I16, N37, G58, O71
BINGO 2 = B15, I17, N36, G47, O68
BINGO 3 = B13, I28, N31, G59, O__
Numbers Used = 9, 13, 15, 16, 17, 28, 31, 36, 37, 47, 58, 59, 68, 71
15.16 N43 Title has 3 WordsRivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
15 pts 15.16
5 pts Review
Police procedural with all sorts of mysterious, paranormal activity. The detective is almost as unclear about what is happening as the reader. All sorts of occult driven things are happening and it is not certain why and how to stop them. Murder, Mayhem, and ithe unexplained events. Author has creared an entire culture within London that raises more questions than it solves
Task Total: 20 pts
Season total: 395 pts
Bingo #1. B4 B5 B6 B7 B13
Bingo #2 I16 I17 I27 I29 I30
B9
I
N32 N38 N43
G54 G56
O
15.18 G49 MPE Page Count 400-499 pagesThat Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry transports us to Port William, Kentucky in twenty-three wonderful short stories. His fiction covers about a century - from 1888 to 1986 - in the rural farming town. The stories are about three generations of neighbors who work and socialize together. Some of them act as parent figures to those orphaned or mistreated. The older men and women teach the young how to be fairly self-sufficient on the farms.
As time passes, many of their children no longer want the hard farming life, and they head to the cities for jobs or college. But they are leaving a quirky group of neighbors who emotionally support each other, and provide the physical help harvesting the crops. Farming is becoming more mechanized, but it's expensive to purchase the new farm equipment.
It's Wendell Berry's thoughtful writing, laced with humor and wisdom, that makes this book special. "That Distant Land" contains stories that will make the readers smile, and others that will bring tears to their eyes.
+15 task (448 pages)
+ 5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 455
50.55 G50, Author born in the '50sAn Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten
An elderly lady takes a trip to South Africa. On her long flight there, she falls into reverie/sleep/dreams and remembers the beginnings of her life of crime, which she continues--unwittingly--on her African vacation.
I didn't like this one as much as the first installment (An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good), but it was still a fun listen. I think this one threw me because she states how much she dislikes people, yet she does nice things for people and has friends she cares about (cares enough about those friends, in fact, to get rid of people who are making their lives difficult). I still love that it turns the "old lady" trope of mysteries on its head: rather than solving the mysteries (Miss Marple, Elizabeth and Joyce from Thursday Murder Club, and even Louise Penny's ladies of Three Pines), this old lady is the unlikely perpetrator.
+50 Task, author born 1954
+5 Review
+50 11th Bingo: B4, I29, N37, G50, O75
Task total: 105
Season total: 2185
B 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29
N 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43
G 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 60
O 61, 63, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75
50.56 B15, Boxall's 1001 BooksGiovanni's Room by James Baldwin
I can't quite put my finger on why I loved this so much.
The story and writing are simple: plain and straightforward.
No desperate need to gussy anything up, just perfectly related and utterly beautiful. Baldwin's language doesn't describe events for us: he puts us right inside of them so we see the sun setting over the Seine, we feel the desperate ache of longing and loss, we have the crises of conscience concurrent with our protagonist. It was a slim book, but the emotional impact left me hollowed out for hours afterwards. Five huge stars.
+50 Task
+5 Review
+5 Oldies, pub. 1956
Task total: 60
Season total: 2245
B 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29
N 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43
G 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 60
O 61, 63, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75
15.5 N42 New ReleaseThe Reservoir by David Duchovny
Review:
This is the first book I've read by David Duchovny, better known for his acting of course. It won't be the last. Although I confess I was ultimately disappointed in the story (it wasn't at all what I thought I was getting into), the writing was just beautiful and it carried me through it. I'm giving it 4 stars in spite of not loving the actual story, as apparently writing style is just that important to me.
+15 task
+5 review
task total = 20
grand total = 355
BINGO 1 = B9, I16, N37, G58, O71
BINGO 2 = B15, I17, N36, G47, O68
BINGO 3 (in progress) B13, I28, N31, G59, O__
BINGO 4 (in progress) B__, I__, N42, G__, O__
Numbers used 9,13,15,16,17,28,31,36,37,42,47,58,59,68,71
15.3 BingoBingo G 54 four word title
The Best of Meby Nicholas Sparks
Task + 15.3
Grand total 145
B 4
I 16
N 44
G 54
O
50.51 G53 Group Reads! (On RwS bookshelf)A Single Thread. Tracy Chevalier
Violet Speedwell is a 38 year old maiden aunt, who lost her fiancé in World War I. Her life feels empty, she cares for her hypercritical aging mother. When she walks into Winchester Cathedral and discovers a group of women call broders, her life changes. The women embroider kneeling cushions for worshippers, and provide friendship and support to each other. This group gives her the courage to strike out on her own.
I enjoyed this book, the narrator was excellent, and the historical details were interesting. The characters were believable, and the setting and time period were well described.
+50 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 55
Season total: 1850
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
30.46 I28 - If, if, ifAxiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
+30 Task Speculative fiction
Task total = 30
+50 bingo: ninth bingo B7, I28, N38, G50, O72
Post Total: 80
Season Total: 1440
15.6 O62 (on several member's shelves)The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Review
I really hate to trash this book, because it's precious to so many people, but I really didn't like this at all. It feels like a pale imitation of Lev Grossman's The Magicians. I didn't like any of the characters, it was super pretentious, and full of gratuitous sex and long drawn-out emotional scenes that I couldn't really feel. Honestly, it felt like fan fiction to me - except when you read fanfic you actually care about the characters. This was a cast of jerks, and they weren't anywhere near as fascinating as they seemed to think they were.
+15 task
+5 review
+ 50 BINGO
Task total = 70
Grand total = 425
BINGO 1 = B9, I16, N37, G58, O71
BINGO 2 = B15, I17, N36, G47, O68
BINGO 3 = B13, I28, N31, G59, O62
BINGO 4 (in progress) B__, I__, N42, G__, O__
Numbers used 9,13,15,16,17, 28, 31, 36, 37, 42, 47, 58, 59, 62, 68, 71
30.42. N41Title has a number14 by Peter Clines
Oh.My.Gods.
This book was interminable .
And LOL, yeah - the cover says it’s like LOST and I see it. I was 100% into that show for season 1 because of the mystery, but the characters were always boring AF and the weirdness was teased so slowly and for so long before anything started happening that I not only stopped caring but got actively pissed off. And this book is exactly like that.
There’s an insanely long sequence where boring ass flat characters walk through tunnels for like 12 hours. And the author wants the reader to experience that trek in real time. Even speed-reading that nonsense took ages. The whole books is like that. Excruciating.
I wanted to DNF this soul-sucking slog of a book but I scanned my way to the end. By the time things start happening it was too late, and the dull writing meant that there was still no tension.
+30 task
+ 5 review
Task total = 35
Season total = 1435
B5
I
N41
G
O
10.8 I16 – Author name does not contain the letter “I”The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Review: These are deeply related short stories - so deeply related that I'd almost call them chapters instead. Many can stand alone as stories, but at least a few really couldn't without the context of the others.
I really enjoyed the mother characters. Their stories were beautifully told, and it was clear to see how they became who they became.
The daughters' stories were less enjoyable. The connections were missing for me between the mothers and daughters, even though that seemed to be the point of the book. Their stories lack motivations and insight - they don't illuminate and aren't illuminated by the mothers' stories.
I also felt like the relationships between the mothers were largely absent. These women played mah jong together for years - we never really see them meet, come together, or benefit from this support system over time.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Oldies (first pub’d 1989)
Task total = 20
Season total = 180
(view spoiler)
10.9 G56 – Get the giggles: HumorNothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (283 shelvings as humor)
Review: I loved the magical realism element (children that burst into flame) and the way it stands in for psychological harm and frustration. It's an interesting choice because it makes sense. It captures adult attention and care, the very thing that the child was lacking. I also enjoyed the euphoric, controlled version that Bessie experiences late in the hovel.
Lillian is such a great character - real, rounded, and no sexual/romantic arc in sight. Kevin Wilson pulled her off amazingly.
But. The conveniences (and holes) of this plot really bothered me. I love character-driven books and don't need a lot of plot. I'd rather have none than have a bad one. This one was pretty uneven.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task total = 15
Season total = 195
(view spoiler)
Bingo 15.4 O74 Off
Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Parkby Matthew Gilbert
Task +15
Second Bingo +50
B4,I16, N44, G54, O74
Task Total: 65
Grand total: 210
15.19 I 16 Author name does not contain the letter "I"The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
"The Lost Apothecary" takes us back in time to dark secrets and magic in 1790s London. Nella, with her great knowledge of herbs and poisons, helps women who have been wronged by men. She feels for these other women because of her own experiences. Woman had little power or choices in that time so murder by undetectable poison was an option they might consider. Things were going smoothly in Nella's secret apothecary shop until twelve-year-old Eliza Tanning appeared on a mission from her employer. Not only were Nella and Eliza in peril, but also scores of women who had used Nella's services.
In a present day timeline, Caroline is visiting London in what was supposed to be a tenth anniversary celebration. She's come alone since she had just discovered her husband's infidelity. Caroline goes mudlarking along the banks of the Thames and finds an apothecary vial etched with a symbol. Using the resources of the British Library, she makes the historical connection to Nella's apothecary shop. Caroline had once wanted her life to go in a different direction, and this might be the time to follow her interest in historical research.
Both of the timelines were interesting, although the historical look into the 1790s was the more fascinating. While poisoning is obviously illegal and gruesome, there is an understanding why the damaged women feel like they are using their last option and take justice into their own hands. There are some mentions of magic, which could also be luck or fate smiling down on them. "The Lost Apothecary" is a page-turner that combines mystery with historical fiction.
+15 task
+ 5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 475
30.47 O63 - ORPHANResurrection Row by Anne Perry
+30 Task
+5 Oldie published 1981
Task total = 35
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1475
30.31 - I20 - Author born in the 20s, any centuryThe Pyramid of Mud by Andrea Camilleri
I jumped from early in the series to this very late one, but not much seems to have changed. Montalbano is still an Inspector investigating the same sort of crime. Augello, Fazio, Gallo, and Catarella are all still helping or hindering him. Montalbano is living in the same house and eating in the same trattoria; he still has a long-distance relationship with Livia. Someone they cared about has died, and I am curious to know how that happened, but apart from that, I wouldn't have guessed that this was book 22 rather than book 6 or 7.
+30 Task (born 1925)
+ 5 Review
Task Total = 35
Season Total = 955
30.32 - G46 - Set in: Germany, Guatemala, Greece, GeorgiaPavel's Letters by Monika Maron
Ostensibly about Monika Maron’s Polish grandfather, a convert from Judaism to Baptism, and his Catholic to Baptist wife, this book is really much more about the author’s communist mother, who moved from West to East Berlin with her young daughter after World War II, causing the two of them to be locked in lifelong hostilities in which this book seems to be a missile fired by Maron at her mother.
The prose is wonderful, and I did appreciate this as a piece of autobiographical writing, but the title left me wishing we had more of grandfather Pavel’s actual letters. All we seem to get is a sentence or two here and there.
+30 Task (set about 90% in Germany)
+ 5 Review
Task Total = 35
Season Total = 990
15.16 - N31 - New to me authorBeaches, Bungalows & Burglaries by Tonya Kappes
+15 task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 340
15.18 - N43 - Three word titleIn The Silence by M.R. Mackenzie
+15 task
Task total: 16
Grand total: 370
15.17 B7 (overall rating of 4.2)Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Review:
This is a super-famous book about writing, and I too liked it. However, I read this book mostly in one sitting, and in doing so I recognized it as being fairly repetitive. I'm going to get a paper copy of the book and read it in bits and pieces in the future, as I think it's really intended to be read. It was worth reading. There were good things in there, and I enjoyed the overall theme of basically letting go of the need to write perfectly in order to just practice writing. But the author did seem to repeat herself quite a bit. Probably the book would be most useful if you read a piece of it before sitting down to write each time.
+15 task
+5 review
Task Total = 20
Grand total = 445
BINGO 1 = B9, I16, N37, G58, O71
BINGO 2 = B15, I17, N36, G47, O68
BINGO 3 = B13, I28, N31, G59, O62
BINGO 4 (in progress) = B7, I__, N42, G__, O__
Numbers Used = 7,9,13,15,16,17,28,31,36,37,42,47,58,59,62,68,71
Edited: For some reason I had this listed as B8, but it's B7, which is clear from my title. I obviously just had the line wrong on B column. Sorry about that.
30.43 I28 Alternate HistoryMarvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman
ETA - This is an alt history that centers on Virginia Dare leaving Roanoke and meeting Elizabeth I… and possibly bringing about the end of all worlds.
I own all eight issues of the original run, and yet I never finished it until now. Back in 2003 I knew absolutely nothing about the Marvel Universe aside from the X-Men. I knew of Captain America, Thor, and Spider-Man, but that was about it. I bought this because I adored The Sandman and was hoping for more rich mythology.
I did not get it. Literally. 99% of the allusions went right past me. Who the hell is this Fury guy? And Strange? Whatever. Now that the MCU has filled in all those gaps, I was able to enjoy this.
The art is wonderful, and the scratchboard covers are entrancing. The story itself is a little, well, Marvel-y… it loses a little something by focusing on so many characters. You can tell in the story itself that more ideas were there, and the afterword explains that plot lines had to be truncated or cut. But then again, those themes are explored by other writers and artists in the millions of other Marvel titles.
+30 task
+5 review
Task total = 35
Season total = 1470
B5
I28
N41
G
O
30.48 G54 - Title has 4 wordsThe Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
+30 Task
+5 Jumbo 599 pages
Task total = 35
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1510
30.33-G58- Paranormal(zombies and witches)
Afterlife with Archie, Vol. 1: Escape from Riverdale by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
As a kid, I read plenty of the Archie comics. I actually read this last month and forgot to post it.... and most of the story has now eluded me. Suffice it to say that Riverdale has now been overrun by zombies. Archie and the his friend Jughead don't seem to have aged over the decades. Jughead serves as the catalyst for disaster as he brings his injured dog to Sabrina...the local witch. It all didn't hold my interest. Perhaps I would have enjoyed a more common kids get into trouble doing teenage hijinks.
Task=30
Review=5
Task Total= 35
Grand Total=1035
B1*; __;B3*;B4*;B5*;___; B7*; B8*;B9*;B10*;B11:B12*; __;B14*; ___;
I___; ___;I18*;I19*; ___; I21*; I22*; ___;___; ___;___;I27*; ___; ___; ___;
N31;___;N33*;___; ___;N36*;__; N38*;___;__; __;N42*; N43*;N44; __;
G _ ;G47*; __; ___; __;G51*;G52*;___;G54*; __; __;G57*;G58; __; ___;
O61; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___;O69;O70; ___; ___; __;___;O75
50.52 - G60 Book pub'd in the 60s, any centuryAlfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Silver Spider by Robert Arthur
+50 Task
+5 pub. 1967
Post Total: 55
Season Total: 1,765
30.34- G56- HumorWhy My Cat Is More Impressive Than Your Baby by Matthew Inman
I have two cats...each with a distinctive personality. So...I could definitely relate to much of the humor in this graphic"novel". In the author's mind, infants leave much to be desired. For example...there is a section showing why babies and romance cannot coexist....contrasted to cats who just like to watch. Although the book is almost totally devoted to these and similar contrasts, there was one quite different panel that made me laugh the most. A dinosaur asks..."What is a dinosaur's least favorite reindeer? Answer- "Comet". There are a few panels which also contrast cats' superiority to dogs as well as babies. An amusing enough read..that I got another of the author's books on this theme. See my next post.
Task=30
Review=5
Task Total= 35
Grand Total=1070
B1*; __;B3*;B4*;B5*;___; B7*; B8*;B9*;B10*;B11:B12*; __;B14*; ___;
I___; ___;I18*;I19*; ___; I21*; I22*; ___;___; ___;___;I27*; ___; ___; ___;
N31;___;N33*;___; ___;N36*;__; N38*;___;__; __;N42*; N43*;N44; __;
G _ ;G47*; __; __; __;G51*;G52*;___;G54*; __;G56;G57*;G58; __; ___;
O61; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___;O69;O70; ___; ___; __;___;O75
30.35- I17- word ending in "ing"How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill Youby Matthew Inman
Although similar to his other book reviewed above, this graphic"novel" is less focussed. Part of the book is devoted to two cats..both named Bob who team up to cause havoc on a daily basis. Other panels deal with cat behavior when you are preparing and eating a tuna sandwich...or working on the computer. Some panels provide clues as to how to interpret cat behavior. One set of panels, flips the script and provides a glimpse of how we would be treated if cats treated us as we treat them. Probably not as much fun as the first book...but still entertaining.
Task=30
Review=5
Task Total= 35
Grand Total=1105
B1*; __;B3*;B4*;B5*;___; B7*; B8*;B9*;B10*;B11:B12*; __;B14*; ___;
I___;I17;I18*;I19*; ___; I21*; I22*; ___;___; ___;___;I27*; ___; ___; ___;
N31;___;N33*;___; ___;N36*;__; N38*;___;__; __;N42*; N43*;N44; __;
G _ ;G47*; __; __; __;G51*;G52*;___;G54*; __;G56;G57*;G58; __; ___;
O61; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___;O69;O70; ___; ___; __;___;O75
10.6 B3 - Booker Prize Winners and NomineesIf Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor
+10 Task (Longlist 2002)
Task total = 10
Post Total = 10
Season Total = 125
B: 5*/ 3
I: 23*
N: 40*
G: 57*
O: 75*
10.7 I16 - Author name does not contan the letter "I"Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total = 10
Season Total = 135
B: 5*/ 3
I: 23* / 16
N: 40*
G: 57*
O: 75*
10.8 N34 - Nebula Award Winners and NomineesA Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
+10 Task (Nominee 2021)
Task total = 10
Post Total = 10
Season Total = 145
B: 5*/ 3
I: 23* / 16
N: 40* / 34
G: 57*
O: 75*
10.9 G59 - First letter of title is found in "gypsum"Marzahn, mon amour by Katja Oskamp
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total = 10
Season Total = 155
B: 5*/ 3
I: 23* / 16
N: 40* / 34
G: 57*/ 59
O: 75*
10.10 O71 - One: First book in a seriesThe Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
+10 Task
Task total = 10
+50 Bingo: Second Bingo (B3, I16, N34, G59, O71)
Post Total = 60
Season Total = 215
B: 5*/ 3*
I: 23* / 16*
N: 40* / 34*
G: 57*/ 59*
O: 75* / 71*
50.52 G57 Guardian 1000 (any on list)Howards End. E.M. Forster
This is a book that begs to read again. It is considered Forster's best book. The setting, early 20th century England plays an important role. It is a time of have and have nots, country homes, and the desire for social change. The book was interesting to see the interactions of three levels of English society (the wealthy, represented by the Wilcoxes, the comfortable middle class, the Schlegel sisters, and the impoverished, shown by the Basts). This was written in 1910, before either World War, so it presented a very different view of Germany than would happen just a few years later.
I understand that there is both a movie and mini-series associated with this book, and I may try to watch one of them soon.
+50 - task
+5 - review
+5 - published in 1910
Post total: 60
Season total: 1910
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
30.44 G48 Title has “go”Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
Book 6 was an anomaly. Book 7 returns to fine form.
Instead of a new child, we catch up with Cora the mermaid. She is very much NOT OK after the events of Come Tumbling Down and is desperate to escape the calls of the Drowned Gods. Thus, she decides to enroll in The Whitethorn Institute, which will teach her to forget where she’d been and who she was.
This book is what makes the series great - children are not malleable little vessels for adult projection, they are *themselves*. Denying that will destroy some kids, but there are others that refuse. There are heroes.
Yes, this book is about magic doors, but it’s also about how the “real world” can damage us… and a call to fight.
+30 task
+5 review
Task total = 35
Season total = 1505
B5
I28
N41
G48
O
30.45 O73 OutdoorsLumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy
(Set in a wild summer camp)
This was very, very cute. My youngest son should love this - he’s both a Scout and a huuuge fan of the cartoon Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and this has a similar vibe.
Kipo is post-apocalyptic, while Lumberjanes is supernatural, but they have the same sense of fun, wonder, and camaraderie.
Vol 1 plops us into action immediately… there are some mutant foxes that the crew fights… why? Who knows! Then there was a rafting trip that went haywire, and an Indiana Jones type underground adventure (my favorite one)… some Yetis, and another camp that might be friend or might be foe…
I can’t wait to hand it over to my kid. I’m hoping he’ll give it a shot instead of “ew, mommm”ing it.
+30 task
+5 review
+50 BINGO
Task total = 85
Season total = 1590
B5
I28
N41
G48
O73
15.15 O68 Author name does not contain the letter ORiver Thieves by Michael Crummey
This is definitely fiction, but apparently based on an actual event. The epigraph:
Various versions of this event have appeared from time to time in our histories and other publications, but as numerous discrepancies characterise these accounts, I prefer to give the story as I had it from the lips of the late John Peyton, J.P. of Twillingate, himself the actual captor of the Beothuk woman. —James P. Howley, The Beothuks or Red Indians, published 1915The events take place from about 1810 through 1820 in Newfoundland. Nearly all of it takes place in winter, when the rivers and lakes are frozen. It is hard to imagine a harsher life.
Expectation accompanied the actual captor of the Beothuk woman and I felt an undercurrent of tension in the pages leading up to the capture - more than halfway. I need to state, however, that the tension is so much in the mind of the reader, that everything on the actual page is life pretty much as the characters would be expected to live it. There is no expectation on their part that anything unusual will happen in their near future.
We are given both a sense of time and a sense of place. He looked overhead at the oncoming weather. Where the black banks of cloud met and overlapped there were brilliant red and gold seams of light burning through, the colours as vivid as molten lava. I was too caught up in the story to do much underlining, but I used the dictionary more often than usual. At the beginning of chapters, Crummey gives us a Newfoundland Dictionary definition of some words or phrases. I looked up others. The old man slathered his gandies with molasses and recounted the pleasure of yet another night of uninterrupted slumber. What are gandies? A Google search tells me it is fried dough or bread, cut in about the size of a hamburger patty; usually buttered and with molasses.
Those who need mostly plot may not appreciate this. The strength of the novel is in the characterizations, again I say the sense of place, and also the writing style. The writing isn't necessarily beautiful, but the way the words are put together makes it seem to say more than just the words might otherwise convey. Sometimes the silence between the characters was palpable, other times a facial expression was clear and conveyed much.
I'm sorry I let this languish on my shelves so long. I added it to my Kindle holding nearly 4 years ago to the day. On the other hand, sometimes a book happens precisely when one is ready to read it. Perhaps that is the case with this. There were a few places where I wanted Crummey to just get on with it. This is 5-stars, but with that thought in mind, only just so.
+15 Task
+ 5 Review
Task total = 20
Season total = 365
15.14 N36 Not a NovelThe Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land
By Sally Denton
A very interesting piece of polygamous Mormon history. The book starts with the murder of three women and six of their children on a lonely road between two fundamentalist colonies in Mexico. Denton fills us in with the history going back to Joseph Smith that brings into question what of the violent disagreements might have led to this outcome.
+15 task
+5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 345
15.20 B5 Biography, Autobiography, or MemoirThe Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir
It was a race against time to save the life of Dr Thomas Patterson whose body was invaded by a superbug resistant to antibiotics. When he and his wife, Dr Steffanie Strathdee, were vacationing in Egypt, Tom was struck with pancreatitis and one of the most dangerous bacteria in the world. Medevac teams took him first to Germany, then later to the hospital at the University of California San Diego.
Steff was both a loving, concerned wife and a top scientist - an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at UCSD. Tom was a psychology professor at UCSD. As her husband's condition deteriorated, Steff researched alternative medical therapies. She and the team of doctors collaborated with phage researchers who worked day and night to create a phage cocktail specific for Tom's infection. A bacteriophage is a "virus that will eat bacteria by injecting their DNA into them and turning them into phage manufacturing plants." The bacteria die and the phage virus multiplies. Phage therapy has been used in Poland, Russia, and Georgia, mainly by the military, but not in the United States. A history of phage research was also included in the book.
The book was a warning against overuse of antibiotics. Emergence of superbugs is a global emergency. For years antibiotics have been used to promote growth in livestock. Although this practice has now been banned in the United States, important antibiotics are still being used in some other countries as a growth enhancer in animals.
I'm glad that Tom Patterson's name was on the cover of the book as a co-author so I knew he lived through this frightening ordeal. Tom's resilience, family love, the dedication of the hospital staff, and the collaboration between world-class scientists, the FDA, and the doctors all contributed to his recovery. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and "The Perfect Predator" was as riveting as a thriller.
+15 task
+ 5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 495
30.31 I16 Author name does not contain the letter "I"Life Class by Pat Barker
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 830
30.32 I19 Author first name is Ian/Iain, Isaac, Ivan/a, Isabel, IrisA Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 860
30.33 I24 In search of ----------- Adventure!Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 890
30.34 I28 If, if, if ... Speculative Fiction, Time Travel, Alternate HistoryHome by Nnedi Okorafor
+30 Task
+50 Bingo: Seventh Bingo I16, I19, I22, I24, I28
Post Total: 80
Season Total: 970
30.35 N33 Title has 3+ NsThe Innocent by Ian McEwan
+30 Task
+. 5 Pre- 1997
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1005
30.36 N44 Author has 2 sets of double letters in nameMountolive by Lawrence Durrell
+30 Task
+. 5 Pre- 1997
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1040
15.19 - N42 - New ReleaseIce Cold Malice: A Black Beacons Murder Mystery by Rhys Dylan
+15 task - 2022
Task total: 15
Grand total: 385
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
When Bad Things Happen to Good People (other topics)The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm (other topics)
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Before the Coffee Gets Cold (other topics)
Fascination In France (other topics)
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Harold S. Kushner (other topics)Beatrix Potter (other topics)
Toshikazu Kawaguchi (other topics)
Barbara Cartland (other topics)
C.J. Sansom (other topics)
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Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Task -15
Post total: 15
Season total : 385
B4,7,6,2
I24,21,29,22
N 34,44,39, 42,43
G56,52,59
O 65,66,71