Reading with Style discussion
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SU 22 Completed Tasks
10.3 N36 Not A NovelThe Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet
Although this book was way above my head in certain aspects, the writing was wonderful and the author had the power to make me stop and think and say "hey, I understand that now!" Equally divided between the actual earthquake's devastation, the science of geology/geophysics and one mans work to figure out exactly what happened. I was surprised at the ease of the reading. One of the most fascinating things I learned was about "The Barnacle Line". Who would of thought that miniscule sea creatures would help prove the theory (and it was only a theory in 1967) of plate tectonics.
I have always been interested in this specific quake as my aunt lived in Anchorage at the time. I remember the pictures of the devastation and the adult chatter that went on in our home for days. My aunt and her family came out of it physically with only scratches and bruises, but the emotional trauma stayed with her until her death many years later.
Only recommended for those who enjoy history or science.
+10 task
+5 Review
Task Total 15
Season Total 45
20.25 - G49 - Page Count 400 - 499pgsHeart of Ice by Gregg Olsen
+20 task - 481 pgs
+50 BINGO Bonus
G49, 50, 52, 54, 59
Task total: 70
Grand total: 600
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Joanne wrote: "30.31-N31 New To Me AuthorClara and Mr. Tiffany
A wonderful HF about the woman behind the glass of Tiffany lamps and windows.
In 1893 Clara Discroll, an artist. wa..."
30.39 N.39
Ok, very sorry about that. I must have read the rules 10 times, LOL guess I was very confused😂
20.26 - O63 - First letter of title found in ORPHANOnly Murder by Rylie Dark
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 620
10.4 N39 MPE Page Count 300-399The Race for Paris -336 pages
A well researched, well written book, based on the lives of the few women journalists who dared to cover WWII from the front lines.
Meg Waite Clayton's writing had the power to take me to France in 1944-45. I could see the beautiful French countryside being destroyed, I could feel the bombs going off.
For me, connecting to the characters is an important factor. Our 2 female leads, Liv and Jane are believable and I connected to them immediately.
For those of you who are tired of WWII, let me just say that this is more than a war story. It is story of women, strong and resilient-women who dared to do what men thought only they could do
+10 task
+5 Review
Task Total 15
Season Total 60
60.63 G54 Title has 4 wordsHere Comes the Bride. Hope Ramsay
This just didn't do it for me, there was too much manipulation, convolution and general disgusting behavior. There really wasn't a single character that I really liked in it.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 2645
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
10.5 N42 New ReleaseThe Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World-published June, 2022
An interesting account of the man who discovered the first T.Rex in the badlands of Montana. Not so much a biography, but a very readable introduction to the first paleontologists and the millionaires that funded their digs.
The book contains a lot of history on the American Museum of Natural History in NYC and it's President during the "Gilded Age Bone Wars", Henry Fairfield Osborn. Together Osborn and Brown, from 1908 until 1933, accumulated one of the finest fossil collections in the world.
If you know me, you know science is not one my favorite subjects. However, this very readable account of science and nature educated and entertained.
+10 task
+5 Review
+50-Bingo N31, N32, N36, N39, N42
Task Total 65
Season Total 125
10.6 I16 Author's Name does not include an IRed Island House by Andrea Lee
From the author's end notes:
Red Island House was a complicated novel to write
Well Ms. Lee, let me tell ya, it was just as complicated to follow and finish-What appeared to start out as a "spooky" story about a house on an island in Madagascar grabbed me immediately. The main character also intrigued me. About 3 chapters in that story abruptly ended and the chapters that followed were more like vignettes, not one solid story. These individual episodes, about life on the island, were well written, and explored deep subjects, such as identity, cultural and class. I have no problem with those subjects-I do have a problem when a book is advertised as A sweeping novel AND tagged HF when it is neither!
Those who like short stories and Literary Fiction may enjoy this one more than I. A book has to be utterly useless and badly written to get only 1 star. Being the mother of a journalist, I respect the writers craft too much to go that low. So 2 stars it is. If this is on your TBR, I suggest you research it a bit more before diving in. (less)
+10 task
+5 Review
Task total 15
Season Total 140
10.7 I17 Title has word ending in "ing"The Sinking of the Bismarck: The Deadly Hunt-First published in 1962
Nothing on my nightstand fit my mood last evening, so I picked this one out of my pile of recent finds at the library. I did not close the book until 1:00AM when I turned the last page
Originally published in 1962, the writing is not the best, but the story is so riveting. At only 176 pages it was not hard to read in one sitting. However, had it been longer I probably still would have fought off sleep.
The Bismarck, a German battleship, was considered the greatest and deadliest battle ship to ever enter war. On May 20th, 1941 she left a fjord in Norway to slink out into the Atlantic and wreck havoc on the British merchant ships. The British Home Fleet was determined to stop her. A chase, which was riddled with human error on both sides, began. Due to weather conditions and human error it took the core (more than 90%) of the British war vessels to find and catch the ship the German's believed unsinkable.
Recommended highly for history buffs and thrill seekers.
+10 task
+5 Review
+5 Published before 1997
Task total 20
Season Total 160
10.8 I22 I22 Two Word TitleUnder Heaven 573 pages
There are writers, and then there are Master Writers, and this man is a master in my opinion. No other author I read can sweep me away like he does. An author who can base a huge part of the plot on horses, and pull it off, has my respect and admiration. The ending of the book was so perfect, I was on the verge of tears. All things tied up nicely, even the ghosts.
I never give a synopsis of a book, in my reviews. The only thing I do is tell how it made me feel-I could gush for hours about this one, but I won't. It is perfect, that's it, just perfect, in every way.
The story is set in 8th century China, in an alternate world of The Tang Dynasty. I was so enveloped in this world that I am making a point to read some non-fiction on the real Tang Dynasty.
+10 task
+5 Review
+5 500+ pages
Task total 20
Season total 180
10.9 I24 in search of AdventureMaster Assassins
The first book in a series, my second series by this author. The first one, The Red Wolf Conspiracy blew me away. This first book in series # 2, not so much. However, I pushed through it and I am glad I did as the ending was worth it. I am surprised that I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. Because I had such trouble reading it I cannot go higher then 3 stars for this one, but I have hopes for book #2
+10 task
+5 Review
Task Total 15
Season Total 195
10.10 I29 Page count 200-299Kon-Tiki 240 pages, published 1948
I came across this book and it brought back a memory of a high school history class. The teacher talked about the author and his story, for all of about 15 minutes. Then told the class "If you want to learn more, read the book." of course, I did not. Actually I am glad I read it now, I probably would not have appreciated the adventure, as much, back then.
In 1947 Thor Heyerdahl set off with 5 other men, departing Peru on a raft built from specs written and drawn down by Spanish conquistadores He was attempting to prove his theory that The Polynesian islands were first settled by South Americans.
Heyerdahl believed that people from South America could have reached Polynesia during pre-Columbian times. His aim in mounting the Kon-Tiki expedition was to show, by using only the materials and technologies available to those people at the time, that there were no technical reasons to prevent them from having done so. Although the expedition carried some modern equipment, such as a radio, watches, charts, sextant, and metal knives, Heyerdahl argued they were incidental to the purpose of proving that the raft itself could make the journey.
In building the raft and preparing for this crazy journey (remember this is 1947, everyone thought he was cuckoo😜) Heyerdahl enlisted help from wherever he could get it. He took privately funded loans and accepted donations from the U.S. Army (food rations and new technology for war that needed field testing).
The story reads more like a fiction adventure, and I loved it.
Heyerdahl's hypothesis of the original Polynesian peoples being from South America is rejected now days. Genetics has aided in proving his theory wrong. However, the man had bones of steel to attempt this journey and I salute him
+10 task
+5 Review
+5 Published before 1997
+50 Bingo - I16, I17, I22, I24, I29
Task Total 70
Season Total 265
15.11 B5 Bio/AutoBio/MemoirUnto the Daughters: The Legacy of an Honor Killing in a Sicilian-American Family
Not a personal memoir, but one of family, especially the women.
Karen Tintori was trying to trace the roots of her family when she came across a name she had never heard before. While trying to uncover who this women was and what had happened to her, a secret that had stayed buried for ages was brought to light.
Karen's grandmother had immigrated to the U.S. from Sicily with her parents and 8 siblings. They settled in Detroit, worked hard to make a life away from the old country. Old traditions die hard though, and the neighborhood they settled in was known as "Little Sicily". From the POV of 4 generations of women we are immersed in the world they grew up in and the challenges embracing the new life in America, while being second class citizens in their own homes.
A riveting story that is part immigration experience, and a mystery that tore a family apart. Well researched, a decent read
+15 task
+5 Review
Task Total 20
Season Total 285
15.12 B6 First letter of Title is in "Beards"Brave Companions: Portraits in History
One of my favorite non-fiction writers, producing a book of short stories on men and women "who have changed the course of history or changed how we see the world."
One of my favorites was not about a person but about a city-Washington, D.C. I enjoyed his take on the city on the Potomac. He had me walking those streets and viewing the monuments late at night while curled up in bed.
A perfect book to carry around as I ran all my errands and visited physician offices this week
+15 task
+5 Review
Task Total 20
Season Total 305
15.13 B9 Page count 100-199The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket 192 pages
My Cook Book Club pick for June. Who doesn't love a good picnic?
These are not recipes for spur of the moment picnics, but a perfect for a planned event that you want to be special. Besides the recipes, the author offers tips on carrying vessels for food and games to play.
I am making Melon Gazpacho for the pot-lock meeting
+15 task
+5 Review
Task Total 20
Season Total 325
15.14 B13 Bridesmaid book The Last Light of the Sun-per MP nominated for 2 awards and won neither 501 pages
Although this book did not wow me, as others by this author have, the writing was still superb and the story captured me.
Set in medieval times, amongst the Vikings. the Welsh and Anglo Saxon communities. Woven in between these communities supernatural beings exist, but only special people can see them. I was not sure how I was going to like the idea of Kay actually giving us fantasy characters. The magic in in his books is usually very subtle. In the end I was fine with it, something different from an author I should expect the unexcepted from.
Not one of my favorites by Kay, but you cannot deny the talent that pours out of him when tells you a tale
+15 task
+5 Review
+5 500+ pages
Task Total 25
Season Total 350
15.15 N43 Title Has 3 WordsThe Dragonbone Chair published 1988, 783 pages
Typical High Fantasy-Young boy gets thrown into a quest, traveling with an unlikely band of characters. Of course they are being followed by people who mean to harm them. Of course there are confrontations, good VS evil.
There are equal amounts of 5 stars and 2-3 stars for this book, on GoodReads-enough variation that the book squeaks in with an average of 3.95 stars. That should have triggered me not to pick it up.
I did not hate it, but I never fell in love with it. Never got the connections to characters that is so important in a book like this. Also, I felt the book could have been cut down. There were so many passages, descriptive annoyances I call them, that could have been cut and never harmed the story.
All that being said-Will I read book 2 of the series? Yes, probably-but it won't be a book that I am burning to read. I am going to give Williams the benefit of the doubt on this one. This was only his second published work, and I know his writing improved with age because I read the Shadowmarch series and all four books came in at 4 or 5 stars.
+15 task
+5 Review
+5 500+ pages
+5 published before 1997
Task total 30
Season total 380
15.16 G49 Page count 400-499Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945 415 pages
Informative narrative of the Leyte Gulf battle during WWII. The battle is told through the eyes of four commanders, 2 Americans and 2 Japanese. I have not read anything better that explores the mindset of the Japanese during the war. The duty the top brass of Japan felt to the Emperor reminded me more of a cult. One ridiculous instantce is how they had to be sure to grab the Emperor's portrait before abandoning ship...still makes me shake my head.
The Battle of Leyte was the last massive sea battle to be fought by any nation. Evan Thomas does a fabulous job, in the second half of the book, taking us through the build up and the final confrontation. Sorry to say though, I just cannot give it 4 stars as the 1st half of the book was very, very slow for me.
Like all other recently written history of WWII, we learn things that never came to light immediately after the war. It never surprises me anymore to read about the super egos of our military commanders, and the pettiness and bad relations between them. You would think that during a massive campaign, as this one in the Philippines was, egos would be set aside because of all the lives at stake.
+15 task
+5 Review
Task Total 20
Season total 400
15.17 G50 Author born in the 50s, any centuryCity of Dragons by Robin Hobb
Hobb was born in 1952 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_H....
The 3rd book in The Rain Wild Chronicles and it was a a great adventure. The Dragons have found their place in the world, but getting to it is proving to be a problem. for some. There are evil people wanting the blood of the dragons, one of them being The Duke of Chalced who we finally come face to face with, I hate him, as it should be, but even the characters you hate in Hobb's book are complex and beautifully written.
Hobb is one of the great fantasy writers-Only 4 books left for me in this world and I know when I finish them I will surely miss the author and the world she has built.
+15 task
+5 Review
Task Total 20
Season Total 420
15.18 G54 Title has 4 wordsA Betrayal in Winter
Abraham has created a fascinating world, with solid characters and probably the most unusual magic system ever imagined. This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
In this second book at least a decade has passed, and one of the main characters, Otah Machi, is still living behind a false identity. When his father, whom he barely remember, becomes ill Otah must make decisions he has never wanted to confront.
Maati, another main character has been living a quiet unfulfilling life in the city of the poets, never recovering from his prior mistakes. He is sent to the city of Machi where his old friend Otah is also headed. Their lives and destiny will collide.
Abraham is a story teller who will make you work to unravel all that is going on. Some may not like this style, but for me it is very satisfying. I look forward to moving on with this series and and travelling deeper into this world
+15 task
+5 Review
Task Total 20
Season Total 440
50.53 G52 Goodreads Choice AwardsMeddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
siiiiiiigggghhh my streak of good books was bound to end sometime.
This was ROTTEN. The premise hooked me - yes I want to read a horror-comic sendup of Scoobie-Doo! Sounds fun! I was so wrong. So, so wrong.
This wasn’t even a hate-read, because those are at least fun in a “I’m going to roast this” way. This was pure self-flagellation. I keep reading because I am not a quitter! I have been tearing though books and I was not going to let this break me!
I should have valued my time and energy more, because I have regrets.
The story is bad, the writing is worse, everything is terrible and I should have DNFed as soon as I started getting mad about it.
+50 task
+5 review
Task total = 55
Season total = 1990
B9
I
N
G52
O75
20.23 G54 Title has four wordsThe Time of Man by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
"The Time of Man" follows Ellen, the daughter of a tenant farmer, as the young girl matures to be a wife and mother. It's written partly in a stream of consciousness in lyrical prose. Ellen is the only surviving child of parents who had lost five children. The young girl has to figure out life, adjusting to new circumstances as her father moves from farm to farm in the Kentucky hills.
The story tells of the beauty of the natural world, the bounty of the crops in a good year, the desperation in a bad year, and the back-breaking relentless labor. Ellen is resilient and helps her parents, but also takes time to experience the wonder of love. Although Ellen is dirt poor, she has a special radiance and a strong sense of loyalty to her family. Her powers of observation are useful when dealing with people, and bring joy when she is outdoors in nature.
My book was illustrated with beautiful wood engravings by Clare Leighton, an artist known for her art depicting workers. The engravings reinforced the feeling that a tenant farmer had to be strong and extremely hard working to survive in the early 20th Century.
This book is not for everyone since Ellen's interior thoughts comprise a large part of the book. It has both folk and lyrical qualities, and captures the reader with its beauty.
+20 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1926)
+ 5 review
Task total: 30
Season total: 630
50.59 - O66 Title has a repeated word (any except A or The)Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
+50 Task
Post Total: 50
Season Total: 2,180
50.60 - G52 Goodreads Choice Award winners and nomineesThe Burning God (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang
+50 Task
+5 (622 pages)
+50 BINGO (B13 - post #796; I20 - post #670; N44 - post #771; G52 - this post; O66 - post #824)
Post Total: 105
Season Total: 2,285
60.61 - I25 ITW Thriller Award (winners and nominees)Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan
+60 Task
Post Total: 60
Season Total: 2,345
15.19 O69 An author you have read beforeA Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II by Lynne Olson 512 Pages
Previously read Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler
In 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, thousands of Poles escaped. Many of those Polish citizens were military men, intent on fighting with the French and British to stop Hitler. This is the story of one squad from the Polish Air Force who ended up in England and were attached to The Royal Air Force. The British forces were not too happy about it.
All I knew about the Polish Air Force was that it had only lasted about three days against the Luftwaffe, and i had no reason to suppose it would shine any more brightly operating from England
It took no time at all for the Poles to make that gentlemen eat his words. The Polish Air Force was one of the finest in the world, and these men had fire in their belly. Their only intent was to reclaim their country, no matter what it took. Without the Polish squads, chances are the Battle of Britain would have been lost.
The author gives insight into the Tehran and Yalta conferences . What was said, what was promised to Stalin, behind closed doors. The public persona of these two leaders (Churchill and Roosevelt) was something quite different. From the very beginning both of these leaders praised the Polish, promising them that they would not be forsaken or forgotten. That every person, every country had the right to freedom. All the while, behind those closed doors, chopping up Eastern Europe to please Stalin and keep him in the fight.
When the Poles stood up to Germany in 1939, when they poured out of Poland to fight on, when they tried to defend France, and when they flew against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, they could have never imagined that their country would be disposed of-by their allies-in so casual and callous a way
Olson is a fabulous writer, her research impeccable. Highly recommended for history fans.
+15 task
+5 Review
+5 500+ pages
Task Total 25
Season Total 465
15.20 G59 GYPSUM: First letter of title is found in "gypsum" Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
A very interesting read about the American expedition that charted the South Pacific and determined there was land (Antarctica as we know it today) at the bottom of the world. It took four years for the expedition to circle the world and Philbrick gives us a marvelous adventure filled with suspense and daring explorers. Facing the wild waters of Cape Hope, fighting the ice and weather at the worlds bottom, encountering cannibals in the South Pacific-the action in this book never stops.
The story is also about the captain of this fleet, Charles Wilkes. a man who got the job basically because no one else wanted it. Wilkes was not prepared, nor worthy of leading such a massive endeavor and his leadership skills come in to question over and over again.
This was just my second Philbrick book and I am looking forward to reading more by him
+15 task
+5 Review
Task Total 20
Season Total 485
20.21 O62 Book is on other member's shelfRemember Me: A Spanish Civil War Novel
Members who have booked shelved https://www.goodreads.com/group/show_...
In 1936 Spain was torn apart by civil war. Troops lead by Franco began an uprising to unseat the democratic government. This HF novel tells the story of the children of Spain who were taken out of the country to save their lives. Many were sent to European countries, however 500 of them were sent to Mexico. The hope was they would return within the year. It took many of those children decades to come home, and unfortunately many never came back at all.
This is a piece of history I knew nothing about. The story itself was very interesting to me. What I had a problem with was the characters and the lack of connection I felt to them. The story is told through the eyes of Marco, a young teenager, sent with his 2 younger sisters to Mexico. The upheaval and despair in their young lives was heartbreaking, and yet I never felt that through the character and I never experienced the growth you would expect from such a character.
Escobar's writing was beautiful, at times. Other times, I felt like there was something missing. His research, from what I can tell was well done and his afternotes answered some of my questions. There was just something missing, which is to bad. I wanted to love it, but can only say I liked it enough to finish
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task Total 25
Season Total 510
60.64 I28 If, if, if ... Speculative Fiction, Time Travel, Alternate HistoryFlow My Tears, the Policeman Said. Philip K. Dick
One good thing about doing challenges is that it encourages me to stretch my reading wings. I would never have read this author, or this genre, as a matter of course. This is a dystopian, speculative fiction novel set in 1989 (written in the 1970s), where America is a police state, drugs are ubiquitous, college students are considered dangerous, entertainers are worshipped, and sexism and racism abound. Timeless.
+60 - task
+5 - review
+5 - published in 1974
Post total: 70
Season total: 2715
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
30.37- O65- 5-word titleMrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico
This is a very sweet story...a variation on the rags to riches story. It was not easy getting my hands on a copy...I suspect because the movie version is now in theaters. I definitely plan to go see the movie. Nothing deep here...just a London charwoman who has a dream to own a Dior dress. This is part of a series... which according to the titles will also see Mrs. Harris going to New York, Parliament and Moscow. I can't imagine why or how...but I'm in! I love a similar improbable series (Mrs.Pollifax) of an elderly woman becoming an accidental spy. A quick and satisfying read.
Task=30
Review=5
oldie=5 (1958)
7th BINGO= 50 (B11,I17, N31, G56, O65)
Task Total= 90
Grand Total=1280
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*; ___; __; __;O64*;O65*;___;___;O69*;O70*; ___; __; __; __;O75*
20.22 B7 Best BooksThe Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World- Average Rating is 4.14
A work of narrative non-fiction based on primary sources
The beginning of the medieval era, 2 queens, who were lost to history because of misogyny have been resurrected by Shelley Puhak . What could have been a boring academic history, is just the opposite. Puhak freely admits that sources for this book were not enough to reveal the true picture of Brunhild and Fredegrund, sister-in-laws, who antagonized and fought each other for power, for over three decades. She filled in the gaps with common sense, and in my opinion, did a marvelous job.
A fascinating look into the lives of women who refused to let power slip through their hands. I loved it.
+20 Task
+5 Review
Total Task 25
Total Season 535
50.54 N34 Nebula awardStardance by Spider Robinson
This won the Nebula the year I was born. I chose to read it for that reason, and the experience was weird. This hit some very very deep nostalgia, because it is pretty much about the same type of hippies that created a lot of my early childhood television. Pretty much through this whole book I was singing the 3-2-1 Contact! theme song under my breath. It’s the vibe.
Also, the more ridiculous sci-fi dance moments were easy for me to visualize as an episode of “Kids’ Writes” (an early 80s Nickelodeon show that I was starting to think was a hallucination until I found a clip on YouTube a few months ago).
Anyway, this is all about art and creativity being the key to, well, everything. It’s very hopeful and very stoned.
However, the premise irked me. Shara is the Best! Dancer!! Ever!!! But she’s massive. A huge buxom hulk of a woman - but not fat, god not not that. She’s just too womanly to be taken seriously as a dancer. And while I know that the dance world is still often toxic with a preferred body type, that was annoying. Shara has to dance in space because only then can her enormous (but not fat - never fat, she’s still very sexy remember) form move freely.
And to get into space and dance, she has to prostitute herself to a rich asshole. And this causes the male narrator to be all possessive and stupid… and then there’s a twist and a few more twists that were not my fave. It’s probably a lot better if you the reader are high AF too. This is not a thinker of a book, you’re just supposed to feeeeeel, man.
+50 task
+ 5 review
+5 oldie (1977)
Task total = 60
Season total = 2050
B9
I
N34
G52
O75
30.38-O68- No "O" in Author's nameThe Summer Friend by Charles McGrath
I enjoyed this book for several reasons. The book is a memoir of the author's many summers...all in New England and mostly in Massachusetts. I was able to relate with many of the sentiments since our family spent a week or two every summer at the Jersey Shore. We weren't a boating family like the author but we did go crabbing.
But much of the book is about how the author met Chip during one of those summers and sustained a decades long friendship. The two went boating, swimming, fishing, golfing together. This resonated with me because my friend, Allen, who I used to go golfing with many moons ago, had just died (as does Chip in the memoir.) The author and Chip were awful golfers- although the author persisted and improved. My friend and I never improved and gave up the frustrating sport.
Chip eventually died from prostate cancer...and so, of course during my read, my own prostate cancer numbers went up and I had to go through a battery of scans again.
I don't think a reader would need to make all these connections to appreciate this well written memoir.
Task=30
Review=5
Task Total= 35
Grand Total=1315
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*; ___; __; __;O64*;O65*;___;O68;O69*;O70*; ___; __; _; __;O75*
15.16 Bingo G51 retellingSpin the Dawnby Elizabeth Lim
retelling of Mulan
Task +15
Grand Total: 255
B
I
N 38, 39
G-57
O
Task 20.21 I27 Main character is a Private Eye (not a police detective)Killer Calories (A Savannah Reid Mystery #3) (1997) by G.A. McKevett
Review: Killer Calories is a mystery set in Southern California starring Savannah Reid. Savannah has eight younger siblings, and hails from a small town in Georgia. It’s borderline cozy mystery, borderline police procedural.
Going through my cozy mystery list:
1/ Single white female protagonist, aged 20 – 40 years old? A bit older than usual, as the single white female protagonist is described as being in her 40s.
2/ Occupation: Private Detective. She was kicked off the Police Force for being overweight and so set up her own detective agency. I appreciate it when the protagonist has a reason to investigate other than curiosity.
3/ Quirky sister / cousin / best friend / business partner? Yes – her 24 year old assistant, the sunnily optimistic Tammy (skinny, vegetarian, exercises regularly – and she’s a computer whiz!)
4/ Gay-positive character? Two - a couple of gay men who live together and who dispense fashion advice, relationship advice, and gourmet dinners to our heroine.
5/ Cozy living arrangement? Borderline qualifies as cozy – Our heroine Savannah lives in a fixer-upper house with 2 cats.
6/ Relationship with local police / detectives? The local Police Detective is Savannah’s best male friend! (and, in latter books, becomes her husband)
7/ Protagonist solves the murder mystery? Yes.
8/ Mystery solved and murderer punished? Yes.
I like Savannah Reid. She’s good at detective work, and it makes sense that she would be good at it as she has been doing detective work for several years now. She also has a great sense of humor. I’ll be reading more books in the series in the future.
+20 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 = 25
Grand Total: 405 + 20 + 50 = 475
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
[Bingo #3: B4, I21, N35, G49, O75]
50.60 I28, If, if, if...Speculative Fiction, Time Travel, Alternate HistoryPaper Girls, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
I read the first three volumes of this one last summer and quite enjoyed. Just noticed that Amazon Prime made it into a series and wanted to revisit the world to get a bit of a refresher before I indulge in the tv offering. I am SO curious to see where this goes...
I love following the badass papergirls as they bounce around through time and all of the curious characters they meet (view spoiler). Now to get in the library queue for the next installation, sigh.
+50 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 55
Season total: 2475
B 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
N 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45
G 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 60
O 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75
**Side note: as I was posting this I realized I'd had a typo back at post 383 on June 30 for my 30.37 task...I correctly labeled it "ITW Thriller Award" but had somehow managed to type it as I28 while ITW task is actually I25. I was worried at first that I'd somehow managed to double read a task, but after further investigation realized my error. So the correct combination for my eighth bingo would be: B7, I25, N31, G54, O72**
60.61 G58, Ghosts!The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
I've had this one on my TBR for ages and was combing through that ridiculously long list of books for ideas for bingo...don't remember who I'd heard about it from or where I'd encountered it. So glad I decided to pick it up.
I was a little embarrassed when I'd tell people what I was reading: a story about a girl from Louisiana who goes to boarding school in London and while there a copycat killer starts murdering people on the same days and in the same manner as Jack the Ripper (view spoiler)...it sounds so cheezy! But, honestly, it was fast-paced and the writing was my kind of snarky and I ended up loving it.
+60 Task
+5 Review
+50 Twelfth bingo: B15, I28, N40, G58, O64
Task total: 115
Season total: 2590
B 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
N 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45
G 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60
O 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75
60.62 B2, Title has 2+ BsMiss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce
I got this on Audible ages ago and never quite had the opportunity to listen to it until now. I was so excited: love Juliet Stevenson who reads it, loved the three other Rachel Joyce novels I've read, thought this had to be a sure winner....
Yet this story of a woman who travels halfway around the world in search of a never-before-documented mythic beetle felt like a hike through mud--uninspiring drudgery, irksome and just treading water until you've finally sat the thing out...until the final two chapters, which had me weeping without realizing quite what was happening. That. That surprising burst at the end saved the whole experience for me.
+60 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 65
Season total: 2655
B 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
N 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45
G 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60
O 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75
20.23 B4 Historical FictionThe Shield of Three Lions
Historical Fiction taking place during Richard The Lionhearts reign. Our protagonist is a young girl, Alix of Wanthwaite, who witnessed the slaughter of her family. Her family's land is taken and Alix is forced to flee. During her flight she disguises herself as a boy and meets up with a Scott. Enoch. Believing she is the male heir to Wanthwaite, Enoch promises to protect and help her if she gives him 1/2 her land.
I had issues with this author/book. Although a lot of references of the time hold up, for me there was more speculation than I care for. One large blunder, IMO, was the author painting King Richard as queer. I have done enough reading about this time and this man and there is no proof of his sexuality . Another issue I had was her over-use of abuse, and foul language. I got the impression she enjoyed shocking her readers with it.
These instances were all a problem for me, however the story kept me reading.
All that being said, it was a decent read for me, but I can't go higher than 3 stars, There is a book 2 and I enjoyed Alix and Enoch enough that I will read it at some point
+20 Task
+5 Reveiw
Task total 25
Season Total 560
15.19 G55 Title word has a double gThe Long-Legged Fly by James Sallis
Maybe I was having some lagging noir overload from my just finished Dark Passage, but I didn't just immediately warm to this. I say immediately, because it wasn't long before I was completely immersed. Lew Griffin has set himself up as a private detective in New Orleans. His set up - an upstairs office, mail on the floor, booze in the desk drawer - felt very much Philip Marlowe.
I thought this was a novel of inter-connected stories. The first segment is set in 1964, followed by additional segments set in 1970, 1984, and 1990. Each of the segments comes to a conclusion and the next starts with a new scenario. Some supporting characters make appearances in subsequent segments.
There is more to this than Griffin being a private investigator and I liked that. For example, what I knew about New Orleans could fill a thimble and not spill over. And Lew is a bit of a philosopher, as are others: “We aren’t angels, Lew. Angels couldn’t breathe the air down here. They’d die.” and whoever we are, all we can really share is the common humanity that bonds us: the knowledge that we all hurt, that every choice is difficult and, in its own way, final.
I think I couldn't take a steady diet of this, but I'm glad this isn't a one off. For me, this one falls very much in the middle of my 4-star group. The GR description of the next installment says Griffin has quit the detective business. We'll see.
+15 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 before 1997 (1992)
Task total = 25
Season total = 510
60.65 N37 Non human main characterThe Night Masquerade. Nnedi Okorafor
I was attracted to this author when I discovered that she was on the University of Buffalo faculty at and when I was pursuing my master degree there. An article in UB Now describes how her journey parallels Binti's, in the trilogy, which won both a Hugo and a Nebula Award. This is my fourth book by this author, and though not my favorite, I will continue to seek her out in the future.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 2780
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
50.58 N31 - New to Me AuthorThe Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
+50 Task
Task total = 50
Post Total: 50
Season Total: 2080
20.25 B8 - Author's name is Bob, Brian, Barry, Beverly, BarbaraHow Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them by Barbara F. Walter
This book is written by an international relations expert who has studied how countries descend into civil war and political violence. It's an easy to read, fascinating look at several factors that make a country more or less likely to have a civil war - and specifically, the ways that the United States is now displaying some of those same factors. It ends on a hopeful note, but also raised some really important (and slightly terrifying) ideas about the challenges the US is facing right now.
+20 task
+ 5 Review
Task total: 25
+50 Bingo: Fifth Bingo - B8, I30, N40, G53, 063
Post Total: 75
Season Total: 740
60.62 - N34 Nebula Award, winners and nomineesThe Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss
Nebula Award Nominee, Best Novel (2017)
+60 Task
Post Total: 60
Season Total: 2,405
30.36 - I22 - Title has 2 wordsPrecious Bane by Mary Webb
A different kind of Regency novel, set in remote rural Shropshire. Prue Sarn, a young woman disfigured by a cleft lip, lives on a farm with her parents and older brother Gideon. After their father dies in the early pages, Gideon takes control with an unbending determination to get rich from their land.
I was very glad to know from the outset that Prue gets a happy ending, because otherwise this could have been as doom-laden as one of Thomas Hardy's worst. Prue is so kind and loyal, I don't think I could have borne it if I hadn't known she was safe.
I know this book is not popular with some of my friends, and there is a lot of old-fashioned rural English dialect that would put a lot of people off ("He'll never bide long in a place, that lad wunna"), but I loved it. I read Gone to Earth a few years ago and was underwhelmed, so I'm really glad this one came my way, otherwise I don't think I would have tried Mary Webb again.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1924)
Task Total = 40
Season Total = 1190
30.37 - N41 - Title includes a number (either numerals or letters)The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Old Hepzibah Pyncheon is mouldering away in an old family home that lies under a curse, until the arrival of a young cousin breathes new life into the place.
I see I've given a solid 3 stars to everything I've read by Hawthorne. His books have some great elements but the long descriptions and asides drag them down for me.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1851)
Task Total = 40
Season Total = 1230
30.38 - O67 - Owned book: get it off your shelf!The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
A very sweet story of a diffident inspector of homes for young orphaned magical creatures. Linus Baker arrives at a very special orphanage to be both charmed and terrified by the children and the adult in charge of them.
I love this book. It wasn’t on my plan, but I was tempted into re-reading it by a friend’s glowing review!
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
Task Total = 35
Season Total = 1265
30.39 - O69 - Often: Author you have read beforeA Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths
Fourth in the Ruth Galloway detective series, which I’m enjoying on audio, Ruth, a forensic archaeologist, goes to a museum for the opening of a very old coffin, only to find the museum curator mysteriously dead. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Harry Nelson is investigating a drugs ring.
I found this a very enjoyable episode in the series (view spoiler). The relationship between the main characters is central, more important than the mysteries in some ways, so I think this series is best read in order.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
Task Total = 35
Season Total = 1300
50.55 I25 Thriller awardThe Turnout by Megan Abbott
Phew! It’s over! And I mean that in a good way.
This was one of the most high-strung, tense books I’ve ever read. It’s not a typical thriller - while there is someone up to no good and that drives much of the drama, it’s mostly psychological and it is a nerve shredder before the main plot shows up. If you tend towards being anxious this will ping all the OH NO centers of your brain... if you are a chill person this might be too slow.
The main character Dara is so tightly wound that I was always wondering what horrible thing would happen when she finally snaps. Because it’s clear she’s going to snap… Or will it be Marie, who has manic, trapped energy and loves to break in her pointe shoes with framing hammers? Or will it be Charlie, with his broken body and codependency? Will it be one of the starving, striving ballerinas desperate for the lead? Is the danger the outsiders? The past? ALL OF IT????
I could not put this down even when it stressed me out.
+50 task
+ 5 review
+50 BINGO
Task total = 105
Season total = 2155
B9
I25
N34
G52
O75
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Convert
Book is listed on The Jewish Book Clubs shelf : https://www.goodreads.com/group/book_...
This book was a different sort of HF. One half of the story tells of a Norman woman in the 11th century, who fell in love with a Jewish man. Vigdis-Hamoutal-Sarah (the 3 names the woman identifies with in the story) runs from her wealthy father to the arms of David Todros and together they set off across France. The story of their love is tragic and heartbreaking.
Other sections in the book are in the authors' own voice as he makes his own treck and tries to follow in the footsteps of Hamoutal, first through France then to Cairo as she searched for her missing children. Stefan Hertmans came to know about the woman and her story through an American historian in a village (South France) where the writer has a second house.
Hertmans only had one document to research his subjects, and so creative license is taken. I forgive this, as the story is so consuming and beautiful, but heartbreaking in the end.
A stunning read that I think HF fans and Literary fans would both enjoy
+10 task
+5 Review
Task Total 15
Season Total 30