Reading with Style discussion
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SU 22 Completed Tasks
20.29 - N33 - Title has 3+ NsThe Snowdonia Killings by Simon McCleave
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 680
60.73 B13 BridesmaidHarrow County, Vol. 1: Countless Haints by Cullen Bunn
Stoker and Eisner nominee
Oh this was an eerie delight. In this first volume, local witch Hester is killed by the townsfolk and she vows to have her revenge. Years later, young Emmy starts having strange experiences. Will she be able to help save the community, or will she meet the same fate as the witch?
The story is snappy, but a bit too light on backstory in the first section - just as well as it made me want to check out the next right away.
The art is fantastic. It’s watercolor - real watercolor. I was looking at it, wondering if it was good photoshop… comics these days don’t often risk an oops that cannot be undone. But nope- the final pages share that this is the real thing, and thus there were a lot of sample pages while the artist worked out colors. This is one where your really linger over the pages because even the more gruesome panels are gorgeous.
+60 task
+5 review
Task total =65
Season total = 3465
B13
I30
N
G57
O
60.71 G49 MPE Page count 400-499 (416 pages)Flight Patterns. Karen White
I can't really decide how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the narration, the beekeeper journal, the historical aspects and the character of Becky, the niece/daughter of the sisters who were the main characters. But the sisters themselves, I did not find likeable at all. Maisy was way too whiny, and blamed others for everything. And Georgia, I just didn't find it believable that (view spoiler) Then there was the covering up of the murder... This seems to be a pattern with books by this author, and yet I continue to read her.
+60 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 65
Season total: 3200
B:
I:
N:
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(view spoiler)
20.28 - N32 : On another Goodreads bookshelf Found on the bookshelf for SOS: Serious Overload of Series for BOTM for December 2019
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch
Task: 20
Post: 20
Season total: 605
B4,7,6,2
I24,21,29,22, 17,16, 23
N 34,44,39, 42,43,31,32
G56,52,49,59,58
O 65,66,71, 69, 72, 62
20.29 N35: Noir Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Task: 20
Post: 20
Season total: 625
B4,7,6,2
I24,21,29,22, 17,16, 23
N 34,44,39, 42,43,31,32,35
G56,52,49,59,58
O 65,66,71, 69, 72, 62
20.30 O67 Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
Task: 20
Post: 20
Season total: 645
B4,7,6,2
I24,21,29,22, 17,16, 23
N 34,44,39, 42,43,31
G56,52,49,59,58
O 65,66,71, 69, 72, 62,67
30.31 B12 Banned Books All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
Task: 30
BINGO #5 - B12, I17, N43, G59,O72 - 50
Post total: 80
Season total: 725
B4,7,6,2,12
I24,21,29,22, 17,(16, 23)
N 34,44,39, 42,43,(31,32)
G56,52,49,59,(58)
O 65,66,71, 69, 72,( 62)
( ) represents unused books for bingo
Task 20.23 B13 Bridesmaid: Book nominated for 2+ awards, never a winnerAccording to Goodreads, this book was nominated for:
Macavity Award Nominee for Sue Feder Historical Mystery (2012)
Agatha Award Nominee for Best Historical Novel (2011)
Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award Nominee (2012)
A Lesson in Secrets (Maisie Dobbs #8) (2011) by Jacqueline Winspear
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 495 + 20 = 515
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I:
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[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
[Bingo #2: B6, I22, N38, G53, O63]
[Bingo #3: B4, I21, N35, G49, O75]
20.25 B1 Title has one word.Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Jarrett, an enslaved boy working in a Kentucky stable, loved the foal Lexington from the day of his birth. Lexington eventually became a winning racehorse and the sire of many other champion thoroughbreds in the late 19th Century. The equine painter, Thomas Scott, captured the devotion between Jarrett and Lexington in his oil paintings. Scott also showed Jarrett's individuality at a time when slaves were just considered possessions. There was such a strong bond between Jarrett and the horse that the owners would sell them together. Overall, the antebellum owners had no more regard for the enslaved workers than they did for the racehorses, many who were run to their deaths.
The 19th Century chapters alternate with some about a 1950s New York art dealer, and others set in 2019 in Washington DC. A Nigerian-American art history major, Theo, finds a smoke-darkened oil painting of a horse in the trash. Theo meets an Australian bone expert, Jess, who is working on articulating Lexington's skeleton in the Smithsonian. The experts they encountered at the museum were fascinating. The contemporary black experience is seen through Theo, although his actions seem naive for 2019.
This was a wonderfully researched saga about racism, horse racing, Lexington, and the people who were connected to the race horse in myriad ways. The author's excellent writing, and choice of interesting topics made "Horse" a 5 star historical novel for me.
+20 task
+ 5 review
Task total: 25
Season total: 685
20.23 O 63 OrphanAnimal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
20 pts O63
5 pts Review
5 pts pre 1997
A women moves back to her small Arizona hometown thinking she will never fit in and discovers that she is accepted for who she is, who she was growing up and who her family is. Codi discovers love, heartbreak andcomes to terms with a difficult childhood while fibpndi g a way ro become an integral part of the community on her own tesls. Very well done earlier novel of Barbara Kingsolver.
Task Total: 30 pts
Bingo #4: 50 pts
Season total: 680 pts
Bingo #1. B4 B5 B6 B7 B13
Bingo #2 I16 I17 I27 I29 I30
Bingo #3 N32 N38 N39 N41 N43
Bingo #4 B9 I22 N36 G50 O63
B
I
G50 G54 G56
N
O62
20.29 N43 - Title Has 3 WordsThis Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron
This is book 2 in a series (possibly the end of the series) about a girl who has power over plants - they are drawn to her, she can grow them from her mind, and she's resistant to poison plants. In book 1, she discovered that her birth family shares this power - because of a deep heritage connection to Greek mythology. There is a lot here!! In this second book, she and her community are forced to travel the world to save a family member and pursue their power. It's a fun action story - and the Greek mythology connection is interesting (and bolstered from book 1).
+20 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 25
Season Total: 845
20.30 B13 - Nominated for 2+ Awards, hasn't won Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
This was a GORGEOUS collection. I don't typically love short story collections, but I do enjoy a few really good ones and I *loved* this. These stories are all set in Florida and there was an intense sense of place suffusing each story - you could feel the heat emanating from the pages. The stories each captured a tiny, key moment that evoked so much more beyond that one thing. And at the same time, they pushed the boundaries - there were at least 3 occasions when I audibly said "Oh my God!" when I finished a story, and I found that I wanted to let this collection linger, and not devour it too quickly. Highly recommended!
+20 Task (nominated for Dylan Thomas Prize, PEN/Bingham Award, PEN/Jean Stein Award, didn't win)
+ 5 Review
Task total: 25
+50 Bingo: Sixth Bingo - B13, I19, N43, G57, O61
Post Total: 75
Season Total: 920
20.27 O67 Owned book Blood of Dragons
The final chapter in The Rain wild Chronicles, and I don't think I have ever been this satisfied in the conclusion of a series. Hobb is another author I could gush about forever. Her talent of characterization and world building combined make her one of the best fantasy writers out there.
Good fantasy, Hobb believes, is about “lowering the threshold of disbelief so the reader can step right into the book and not feel blocked out by something that’s impossible or at first glance silly. And I think silly is more dangerous than impossible.”
Amen to that Ms. Hobb. I believe, I believe, I believe!
Task 20
Review 5
Total Post 25
Season Total 675
30.42 - G54 - Title has 4 wordsA Step from Heaven by An Na
This is the story of Young Ju, who immigrates to the USA with her parents, beginning when she is a small child in Korea and ending with her leaving high school. Her father is distant and violent, and Young Ju straddles two cultures, doing well academically but only making one friend.
The story is told in episodic form, so an event will be described and then never mentioned again, which can feel strange. But I loved the use of language and the dream-like narrative.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
Task Total = 35
Season Total = 1460
30.43 - G60 - Book pub'd in the 60sA Jest of God by Margaret Laurence
Rachel Cameron is a single schoolteacher in her thirties living with her demanding and manipulative mother and seeing nothing else in her future, until she suddenly falls into an affair with a man from her past.
I loved many things about this book, but I struggled to believe in a few of the events, including the "speaking in tongues". But I did find Rachel a sadly believable character.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1966)
Task Total = 40
+50 Bingo: Eighth Bingo; G46, G47, G52, G54, G60
Post Total = 90
Season Total = 1550
Bingo- B4, B5, B6, B7, B9Points this post 50
Season Total 725
Bingo G49, G50, G52, G54, G 59Points this Post 50
Season total 775
15.18 title word ending in -ingTalking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
I found Talking to Strangers has the same flaw as other Gladwell books I have read. The author takes what would be a good essay or long magazine article and pushes to make it book length, repeating himself too often. I also personally could have done without being drug through Sandusky at length again.
His topic of how we misjudge strangers is interesting and worth thinking about. I would have liked information about how and when people move from the category of “stranger”.
+15 task
+5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 485
20.23 B4 Historical FictionSo Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
I spent at least half the book thinking about the list: Read These In School - Would Have Preferred A Root Canal. It was the "Would Have Preferred a Root Canal" part that I think applies to this novel. I obviously had a different experience than many who read this, given that over 30% of readers gave it 5-stars.
For me, the writing is horrible. When I say horrible, I mean Let us consider the kitchen the dog is not allowed into. Steam on the windows. Zinc surfaces that have lost their shine. That paragraph continues for another dozen or so sentence fragments describing the kitchen. When I got to this, I groaned some expletive OUT LOUD (and was glad I was alone). There is no characterization. There is only some attempt at a story which would have been better suited to a short story of about 20 pages rather than this novella of 135.
While a GR friend suggested to me this was akin to Larry Watson, I cannot come to the same conclusion. I forced myself to read this and usually when I can get to the end of a book it is deserving of at least 2-stars. I simply cannot find the 2nd star.
+20 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Before 1997 (1988)
Task total = 30
Season total = 715
60.65 B9 - MPE page count 100.199Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
+60 Task
+5 Oldies pub 1953
Task total = 65
Post Total: 65
Season Total: 2540
Task 20.24 B7 Best Books: rating is 4.0 or betterThe Night Watchman (2020) by Louise Erdrich (Hardcover, 453 pages)
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 515 + 20 = 535
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]
20.8 - G54, Title has 4 wordsRené.e aux bois dormants by Elène Usdin
(I am not sure whether this is an international rule, but in french ".e" is the inclusive form, so "René.e" is a single word)
+20 Task
Task total = 20
Season total = 700
B:
I:
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G:
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20.9 - O67, Owned book: get it off your shelf!Guide du Routard Italie du Sud 2022/23
+20 Task
Task total = 20
Season total = 720
B:
I:
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60.72 I26 International (shelved by 18 people)The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Mary Ann Shaffer
I loved this book, which takes place in the Channel Islands just after World War II. Juliet Ashton is an author, who receives a letter from a young pig family in Guernsey, thanking her for a book that he read and loved, that once belonged to her. Written as a series of letters and cables, the book tells the story of the brave island folk who take a stand against the Germans, who have occupied their home, and the inherent goodness of people on both sides. It referenced many books, including 84, Charing Cross Road, which I read earlier this summer.
Notes: I was inspired to read this book after seeing the movie last weekend, and neither disappointed me.
I was sad to read that the author died before completing the book. Her niece, Annie Barrows, finished it for her. I thought the name sounded familiar, and in fact, I read The Truth According to Us a few years ago.
+60 - task
+5 - review
+50 - Bingo #13 :I23; I25; I26; I28; I29
Post total: 115
Season total: 3315
B:
I:
N:
G:
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(view spoiler)
60.72 B3, Booker Prize winners and nomineesThe Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
This lovely gem of a book alternates between the journal of a ninety-something-year-old woman who has spent the bulk of her life in a mental asylum and the case notes and observations of the asylum psychiatrist.
The writing is lovely, the ideas it deals with are universal (family, love, the fallibility of memory, the subjective nature of "history"), and I really didn't want it to end.
+60 Task, 2008 Booker nominee
+5 Review
Task total: 65
Season total: 3370
B 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
N 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45
G 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60
O 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75
60.74 OwnedAkata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Took me forever to get to this one because it normally doesn’t meet the Lexile!
If this was a book for adults, it would have been great. However, it’s YA and appropriate for the younger tween set, so there was a certain awkwardness in the narrative. A serial killer *of children* is terrorizing the neighborhood, but he’s mostly background bogeyman. That’s good for a kid’s book - don’t want that sort of terror to be too real on the page. But the holding back and softening of that central plot point dragged the story down. There was very little actual tension or danger, because going there would not be cool for the target demographic.
So to sum up, this is a 4 star for the intended audience, but it was a 3 for me. I’m giving it the 4 though because it’s not *for* me.
+60 task
+5 review
Task total = 65
Season total = 3530
B13
I30
N
G57
O67
Only one to go….!!!!!
Post 947 Joanne wrote: "20.27 N41-number in titleHero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
A marvelous "two-fer" (another GR's reviewers description of the book, and I loved ..."
You also get 5 points for over 500 - the MPE (most popular English language print edition) is 512 pgs.
60.66 O69 - OftenLove Medicine by Louise Erdrich
+60 Task I heave read this author before
+5 Oldies pub 1984
Task total = 65
+50 bingo: Thirteenth Bingo B1, I22, N39, G53, O69
Post Total: 115
Season Total: 2655
20.10 - B9, MPE Page count 100-199L'Abécédaire délicieux by Guillaume Long
180 pages
+20 Task
+50 BINGO (B9, I27, N35, G54, O67)
Task total = 70
Season total = 790
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I:
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30.31 G46 - Set in Germany, Greece, Georgia...How Lucky by Will Leitch
This was a really interesting read -- a man who uses a wheelchair and can't speak verbally due to SMA is sitting on his porch in Athens GA when he sees a woman get into a car. A few days later, he sees reports that that same woman has disappeared. He involves himself with the case, sharing what he saw, but also ends up attracting the attention of the abductor himself. It's a compelling premise and an engaging read, though not a 5 star read for me. I did learn a lot about SMA which was interesting!
+30 Task (set in the US State of Georgia)
+ 5 Review
Task total: 35
Season Total: 955
30.32 O68 - Author's name does not contain the letter O Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
This was a twisty & bizarre book! It jumps back and forth in time between 11 years ago when 2 women and a child went missing and now, when that child returns. I really disliked the first chunk of the book, describing the child escaping from her captor. I'm obviously a fan of people escaping from captivity but the writing did not appeal to me. However, once we got into unraveling what happened, it was extremely compelling - I couldn't put it down. But then the ending left something to be desired! I had a few moments of "oh my god..." - some because the twist was so good and some because it was so weird!
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
Task total: 35
Season Total: 990
60.73 O67 Owned book: get it off your shelf!The Gift of Black Folk: The Negroes in the Making of America. W.E.B. Du Bois
I don't feel like I can critique this, but I will offer some observations. This was written in 1924, and in both language and attitude, it is a product of its time. What strikes me the most is that while celebrating the accomplishments and achievements of Black Folk, it is done in an almost apologetic way. So many facts and history not commonly taught, but if I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be "we served you well, please treat us like humans".
+60 - task
+5 - review
+5 - published in 1924
+50 - Bingo #14 : O65; O67; O69; O70; O74
Post total: 120
Season total: 3435
B: All B's have been claimed
I: All I's have been claimed
N: All N's have been claimed
G:
O: All O's have been claimed
(view spoiler)
20.30 - I18 - InspirationalMe Before You by Jojo Moyes
+20 task
+50 BINGO bonus
B3, I18, N33, G48, O63
Task total: 70
Grand total: 770
15.19 B7 Best BooksTwitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest by Zeynep Tufekci
I recently read You Can’t Be Neutral On A Moving Train by Howard Zinn. In it Zinn wrote about his involvement in the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements among others. As I finished it I thought how much movement building has changed since the internet and social media have come onto the scene. I looked for a book that can explain how they have impacted movements. Twitter and Tear Gas was a recommendation that I found. In this book, Zeynep Tufekci writes about the changes wrought by the internet and social media through history, her own experiences and academic studies. She explains why some movements rapidly developed through social media sometimes fall apart and how opposition can use social media to contain or erode movements. And how all this is continuing to evolve.
While the book is somewhat academic, there are enough personal observations to keep it engaging. There is much food for thought here and it will take a rereading to digest it all.
+15 currently rated 4.1
+5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 505
60.75. N38 NickelCrown of Shadows by Joe Hill
Another excellent collection from what has quickly become one of my favorite series. There is not to much progression of the key plot - “Zack” is still hunting for them, we don’t know why but it’s clearly bad… Bode finds some new ones. Keyhouse seems to be trying to help him out on that front, guiding him to what he needs - but the house is only a vague entity… it does seem to have a bit of it’s own presence but not enough to do anything but nudge. On the mystery front the collection is very thin, but the domestic plot is a real gut-punch. This family is falling apart - no one has dealt with their trauma and Mom is adding to it by drowning herself in drink. By the end of this collection, things are reaching a critical point. I gasped and murmured “oh noooo”.
+60 task
+5 review
+50 BINGO B13 I30 N38 G57 O67
Task total = 115
Season total = 3645
So many 4 star reads this season. I love when graphic novels are included - it opens up so much good content!
20.26 I17 Title Word Ends in "ing"Coming Up for Air by George Orwell
"The very thought of going back to Lower Binfield had done me good already. You know the feeling I had. Coming up for air! Like the big sea-turtles when they come paddling up to the surface, stick their noses out and fill their lungs with a great gulp before they sink down again among the seaweed and the octopuses. We're all stifling at the bottom of a dustbin, but I'd found the way to the top. Back to Lower Binfield!
George Bowling feels trapped in his marriage and in his job as a traveling insurance salesman. He's humorous, middle-aged, overweight, and fearful of an impending war with Hitler. As the title suggests, he feels like he is drowning in his life in present day England.
George thinks back to his carefree boyhood in the village of Lower Binfield. There are long passages about the fun of fishing with his buddies, and the beauty of nature. He also reminisces about his love of reading, his first job, his first love, and his experiences in the Great War. While some of the descriptions of his boyhood are quite lyrical, they could have been edited down.
After attending a lecture by an anti-fascist and feeling fearful about another war, George has the need for the peace and happiness he enjoyed as a boy before the Great War. He had some money from betting on the horses, and used it to travel back to Lower Binfield. The rest of the book tells about his experiences going back home.
Orwell's love of nature, fishing, and reading comes through in the character he created. George Bowling is humorous, cynical, not always likable, and understandably worried about the future. Except for the overly long musings about George's childhood, "Coming Up for Air" is an entertaining and thoughtfully written novel.
BINGO:
B5
I17
N42
G54
O70
+20 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1939)
+ 5 review
Task total: 30
Bingo: 50
Season total: 765
30.1 - B1, Title has 1 wordTananarive by Sylvain Vallée
+30 Task
Task total = 30
Season total = 820
B:
I:
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15.19 (this counting thingy has me confused) I 23 Set in: Italy, Iran, Indonesia, Iceland, IndiaQuietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon
Setting = Italy
Review:
Commissario Brunetti is presented with a problem by a young woman who has precipitously left her convent and who believes that the facility where she is posted is killing elderly people for their money. Sounds plausible, doesn't it?
However, the young woman is in an accident and lies in a coma. Complicating this accusation for Brunetti is that his mother is also in a facility due to her memory loss. Then there are the political issues of who the family members of dead elderly are and the pressure that is put on Brunetti to stop the investigation.
An enjoyable read.
Task Points: 15
Review Points: 5
Total Task Points: 20
UNCLAIMED BINGO: 50 (B4, I17, N36, G49, O74)
Season Points: 480
B -
I -
N -
G -
O -
First BINGO (B6, I27, N31, G58, O67)
Second BINGO (B9, I28, N32, G54, O63)
30.44 - B15 - Boxall's 1001 BooksThe Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald
The narrator trudges along the Suffolk coast with its collapsing cliffs and lost villages, military installations and nuclear power plant, and ruminates on the fate of various historical characters with a more or less tenuous connection to the area - including Swinburne, Conrad, Chateaubriand, and others less well known.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed these digressions, which brought to life some people I only knew of by name, or not at all. I think this would make a great audiobook to accompany a walk - but not a drive, because the gentle rhythm of the prose might be soporific.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1995)
Task Total = 40
Season Total = 1590
30.45 - O61 - Opposite words in titleBefore and After by Andrew Shanahan
Ben Stone is a 600-lb young man confined to his fourth-floor flat because of his weight and health issues. Now he needs a major operation, so he's about to be lifted out through a hole in his living room wall and lowered to the street on a crane. But just as they're strapping him to the stretcher, a cataclysmic event wipes out most of the people around him.
A strange book with parts that are nasty and parts that are ludicrous, but the sum total is weirdly enjoyable. I'm looking forward to book two... I think. The dog is very sweet.
+30 Task
+ 5 Review
Task Total = 35
Season Total = 1625
15.20 N39 MPE Page count 300-399The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi
Page count = 324
Review:
This was a strange mystery. The investigator is Hermes Diaktoros. He comes uninvited by the local constabulary; and, it is unclear what investigative body he is associated with in Greece. My own suspicions were never fully clarified, but I felt he was one of the gods of the land...or at least a messenger of a god. Still, in his unorthodox way, he brings the islanders to confront their secrets while revealing how the young woman died.
An intriguing mystery that will probably have me searching for the next book just to try to determine if Hermes Diaktoros is real.
Task Points: 15
Review Points: 5
Total Task Points: 20
Season Points: 500
B -
I -
N -
G -
O -
First BINGO (B6, I27, N31, G58, O67)
Second BINGO (B9, I28, N32, G54, O63)
Third BINGO: 50 (B4, I17, N36, G49, O74)
20.21 G50 Author born in the 50s, any centuryHow the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
Author born 7/1/58
Review:
Oh, dear. I spent part of the time reading this book fearing that the author was setting the series up to end! And, it does appear so...even in the end of the book. Still the series has 8-9 books to go and is named for the Chief Inspector, so it can't be so!
This story is centered around the corruption at the Sûreté as well as the murder of the last of the famous five quints, which had its own corruption swirling through the backstory.
This book was a bit of reading on the edge of the chair type as it kept me hoping and dreading what would happen next.
Suffice it to say, the ending was great! And the mix of characters in Three Pines and their interactions was delightful. Oh, how I want to visit that town!
Task Points: 20
Review Points: 5
Total Task Points: 25
Season Points: 525
B -
I -
N -
G -
O -
First BINGO (B6, I27, N31, G58, O67)
Second BINGO (B9, I28, N32, G54, O63)
Third BINGO: 50 (B4, I17, N36, G49, O74)
20.22 O71 One: First book in a seriesSilent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Review:
When your husband dies at a dinner party, what is a dutiful wife of Victorian England supposed to think? Lady Grey refuses to believe that someone has killed her husband, but then she finds a note that seems to be a threat to him.
She engages Nicholas Brisbane to investigate, but, of course, she cannot help but do some of her own sleuthing and turns up clues that seem to point to herself! Is it her staff?
Although it is hard for me to identify with a Victorian era woman, I still found myself engaged with the story, with Lady Grey and with the distractions that came her way. Delightful!
Task Points: 20
Review Points: 5
Total Task Points: 25
BINGO Points: 50 (B5, I23, N39, G50, O71)
Season Points: 600
B -
I -
N -
G -
O -
First BINGO (B6, I27, N31, G58, O67)
Second BINGO (B9, I28, N32, G54, O63)
Third BINGO: 50 (B4, I17, N36, G49, O74)
60.73 N34, Nebula AwardA Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
I've been having...hmm, not quite reader's fatigue....decision fatigue? For the Booker Prize, Nebula Prize, GYPSUM, and double "G" tasks I've read between 50-150 pages of a ridiculous number of books before changing my mind on them and searching out something else. After attempting four different books for this task, I am SO glad that I kept searching for the perfect book rather than settling for something I just wasn't that into.
This book was AMAZING.
Luce Cannon was just hitting it big: one of her songs has become so popular that she's finally gotten her first headlining gig, her name on the marquee. The night of the big concert, a terrorist bombing targets a baseball stadium and thousands die. The President asks people to stay home until things calm down. Luce and her band decide to have the concert anyway. It ends up being the last "big event" of the Before.
Terrorist threats continue to come in and then a plague hits (this was written pre-Covid, which is NUTS because it hits eerily close to the mark) and in the After, large gatherings are illegal and the only way to socialize (work, school, dating, extracurricular activities) is online using a "hoodie" (an immersive VR technology)--and it's all monetized by the Big Businesses who run them.
Rosemary Laws, a child of the After, only knows social distancing and hoodie life. A sweet job finding and promoting underground musical acts falls into her lap, but will require her to quite literally go outside of her comfort zone.
It's got a little bit of everything: some Almost Famous, a fair amount of Ready Player One, a lot of current social commentary: social media and the way it can distort real life; the detrimental effects of Big Business (mostly feeling Amazon/Walmart and iTunes/Ticketmaster here); GLBTQ+ alienation, especially in relation to religion. It also deals with universals such as what makes a family/community and the transcendent power of Art.
+60 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 65
Season total: 3435
B 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
N 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45
G 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60
O 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75
60.67 I29 - MPE page count 200-299In the Quiet by Eliza Henry-Jones
+60 Task
Task total = 60
Post Total: 60
Season Total: 2725
20.24 I30 Book pub'd in the 30s, any centuryA Gun for Sale by Graham Greene
In this, Greene apparently wanted us to sympathize with a contract killer because he had a terrible childhood. Excuse me, but I know people whose childhoods either 1) included incest; 2) saw to it they were beaten regularly; and/or 3) were chased by a raging parent with a loaded gun. None of these people grew up to be criminals and, in fact, are citizens with a conscience and who contribute to society. I simply am not going to sympathize with criminals - especially murderers - regardless of their childhood. Call me a "no excuses" sort of person.
Despite the above, this wasn't absolutely awful, but luke warm is the best I can do. I remembered Graham Greene's mainstream novels have a religious theme and have decided to avoid them. I guess I didn't realize that his crime novels frequently have a political or moral theme. I have another of his on my shelf, but I may wait a few years before attempting it. 2- stars.
+20 Task (1936)
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Before 1997
Task total = 30
Season total = 745
60.70 - O61 Opposite words in titleThis Present Past by Traci Harding
Review
Fans of The Ancient Future trilogy would love this prequel to the trilogy. It tells of the beginning of the journey of Taliesin. And by the last third of the book, we begin to see some familiar characters from the trilogy. It's been a while since I read the trilogy and I really wasn't sure if I could reread and still love it the same but after reading this, I really wanted to keep going on with the story. I still have my trilogy set from the 90s ;)
I love the setting and the characters. I just felt that sometimes the jump between characters/timeframe was a little bit abrupt especially the last third of the book. It's almost like trying to finish the book very quickly and squeezing a lot into that last 100+ pages.
+60 Task
+5 Review
+50 BINGO (B14 - post #934; I23 - post #917; N37 - post #888; G55 - post #916; O - this post)
Post Total: 115
Season Total: 3,010
60.71 - N45 Set in: Nicaragua, Norway, Netherlands, New ZealandWild Journeys by Bruce Ansley
100% New Zealand
+60 Task
Post Total: 60
Season Total: 3,070
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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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Authors mentioned in this topic
Harold S. Kushner (other topics)Beatrix Potter (other topics)
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Barbara Cartland (other topics)
C.J. Sansom (other topics)
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The Key to Rebecca by Ken Follett
My face to face book club (where we read whatever we want and report to others about them) has agreed that for October, we will all read a WWII novel, not Europe or US. This is one of several I have chosen - we'll see how many others I actually get to. In this novel there is a German spy in Cairo. I know zip about the war in north Africa except the name of the German General, Rommel. He and his aides do have some chapters here and there and a few of the battles. I have assumed that part is fact. Were Rommel's victories informed by a spy in Cairo?
The Rebecca of the title is Rebecca by du Maurier. This is known early when Achmed/Alex is very careful to take a book with him as he leaves his family's Bedouin camp. The case also contained a book, a novel in English. Idly, Achmed read the first line: “ ‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.’ ” It is later when we learn why this is important.
I read for writing style and characterization, so why do I like Ken Follett and so much plot?!! The writing style may or may not be above average for the genre, but at least I found nothing that would cause me to roll my eyes. The characterizations are not flat exactly, but by no stretch of the imagination would I consider them fully-fleshed. They interact with each other appropriately and I had no trouble remembering who was who and on which side.
As an added interest, Follett included book titles beyond Rebecca.I managed to pick up another Ken Follett at the Friends of the Library book sale yesterday. I look forward to it and, I suspect, others. But I can't bring myself to rate this as 5-stars as if it were literature, though I enjoyed it fully, and am happy to say this is a good 4-stars.
+20 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1981)
Task total = 30
Season total = 685