Reading with Style discussion

30.32 - O74 - On, off, over, out, only in title

It's Not Over by Willow Rose

+30 task

Task total: 30
Grand total: 810

30.48 G51 Glass Slipper: Any retelling

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

+30 Task

+50 Bingo: Tenth bingo; G49, G51, G53, G56, G58

Post Total: 80
Season Total: 1600

30.49 N36 Not a Novel

Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers

+30 Task

Post Total: 30
Season Total: 1630

30.50 O63 ORPHAN: First letter of title is found in "orphan"

Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

+30 Task
+. 5 Pre- 1997

Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1665

20.25 G57 Guardian 1000 (Crime)

Last Seen Wearing by Colin Dexter

I'm pretty sure I stumbled on this series from one of the several bargain Kindle emails I get. Morse in print is definitely not the Morse on TV. The print Morse has risque thoughts, for one thing, though he seemingly represses them. Men are men and this just makes him seem a tad more real. For the case in this installment, he has plenty of risque thoughts which he does absolutely nothing about, though he definitely wishes that weren't so.

Morse and Lewis have too many ideas in this. Did Valerie Taylor, a school girl, just leave home one afternoon for parts unknown or is she dead? If dead (assume so) then who, how, why, etc.? Together they run through a variety of theories and run around trying to prove this one and then that one. There are no clues and honestly they don't have a clue where to begin and how to progress. And that makes this all the more real.

I don't have the next one on my shelf, but I'll be keeping my eyes open. Can I keep rating mysteries 4-stars? I suspect this is a series that is good enough for that rating but maybe most of the individual installments are just very good 3-stars, as is this one.

+20 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Before 1997 (1976)

Task total = 30

+50 - 5th Bingo: O63, N44, B4, I30, G57

Season total: = 825

G46 - Set in: Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Georgia (country or US)

Adrastea by Mathieu Bablet
Set in Greece

+30 Task

Task total = 30

Season total = 945

B: 7, 3, 11, 5, 4, 9, 1, 2
I: 28, 23, I22, 21, 24, 27
N: 36, 37, 33, 32, 42, 35, 39
G: 59, 47, 58, 50, 56, 54, 46
O: 61, 68, 64, 71, 75, 67, 72

30.6 - N43, Title has 3 words

Goupil ou face by Lou Lubie

+30 Task

Task total = 30

Season total = 975

B: 7, 3, 11, 5, 4, 9, 1, 2
I: 28, 23, I22, 21, 24, 27
N: 36, 37, 33, 32, 42, 35, 39, 43
G: 59, 47, 58, 50, 56, 54, 46
O: 61, 68, 64, 71, 75, 67, 72

I16 - Author name does not contain the letter "I"

Comme un lundi by James

+30 Task
+50 Bingo (B1, I16, N43, G46, O72)

Task total = 80

Season total = 1045

B: 7, 3, 11, 5, 4, 9, 1, 2
I: 28, 23, 22, 21, 24, 27, 16
N: 36, 37, 33, 32, 42, 35, 39, 43
G: 59, 47, 58, 50, 56, 54, 46
O: 61, 68, 64, 71, 75, 67, 72

20.29 I29-Alternate History (shelved 34 times)

When Women Were Dragons

A bit disappointed, after such high expectations.

The story is told as memoir of a woman who was only a child during the mass-dragoning of 1955. This was a time when women from all walks of life, from every state in The Union spontaneously-combusted (LoL) and turned into dragons. As in our current turbulence, the event is classifieds as "Fake News" and completely ignored. The science of why this happened is mentioned through-out. Unfortunately the author does a poor job of carrying through with the answers. Occurring during McCarthyism, scientists and researchers lose their jobs for trying to explain, the unexplainable.

The "dragoning" ( a word I will continue to use when I feel myself losing my cool 😁) ripped families apart and explores how unattended trauma can effect ones life. I thought this was done well

The book, marketed as Fantasy, would be better classified as Alternative History. I think the publishers did the author a disservice by placing it in the Fantasy genre.

+20 Task
+5 Review
Total Season 765

15.14 N39 - MPE Page count 300-399 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Review - the nostalgia i had while reading this. i believe that the first of book series' are always if not the best, then the most nostalgic ones. i can't believe it's been a year, or was it two, since i first read Harry Potter. and my life has never been the same since then. best decision i have ever made, picking up this series, really.

+15 Task
+ 5 Review

Task total = 20

Post total: 20
Season Total: 20 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 65 + 15 + 15 + 70 + 20 + 20 + 20 = 335

1st BINGO: B1; I22; N31; G54; O71
2nd BINGO: B6; I24; N33; G59; O69
3rd BINGO:

B — 1; 6; 9;
I — 22; 24; 23;
N — 31; 33; 39
G — 54; 59;
O — 71; 69; 68;

30.45- N35-Noir

The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett

I've read two other works by Hammett and wasn't too impressed. This one was much better...although I would quibble some with the plausibility of many elements of the plot. But for the most part, the story works. The son of a Senator is murdered.... and most suspect a political frenemy as the culprit...but that "frenemy" is also courting the Senator's daughter. I never really could figure out the position that the main character, Ned Beaumont, held...and more importantly WHY he was in a position to be in the middle of all the intrigues. Nevertheless, an enjoyable enough read. Three stars.

Task=30
Review=5
Oldie= 5 (1931)
Task Total= 40
Grand Total=1625

B1*; _;B3*;B4*;B5*;B6*; B7*; B8*;B9*;B10*;B11*:B12*; _;B14*; ___;
I16*;I17*;I18*;I19*; __; I21*; I22*; __;__; __;I26;I27*; __; ___; ___;
N31*;_;N33*;_;N35;N36*;N37;N38*;__;__;N41;N42*;N43*;N44;N45*
G _ ;G47*; __; _; __;G51*;G52*;__;G54*; __;G56*;G57*;G58*; __; ___;
O61*; __; __; __;O64*;O65*;___;O68*;O69*;O70*; ___; __; _; __;O75*

30.8 - B14, Set in: BC (Can), Brazil, Belgium, Botswana, Bahamas

La Bête by Zidrou

Set in Brussels, Belgium

+30 Task

Task total = 30

Season total = 1075

B: 7, 3, 11, 5, 4, 9, 1, 2, 14
I: 28, 23, 22, 21, 24, 27, 16
N: 36, 37, 33, 32, 42, 35, 39, 43
G: 59, 47, 58, 50, 56, 54, 46
O: 61, 68, 64, 71, 75, 67, 72

Thanks for this season, it has been so fun, i keep wanting to plan some more tasks !

30.46- N39-page count 300-399

Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins

This cozy mystery is the first in a series...and even though I would only rate it about 2 1/2 stars, I will probably try the second novel in the future. I DO enjoy the topic of genealogy and the main character here, Lucy Lancaster is an expert. One day she stumbles upon evidence of a murder from the mid-19th century... and that news has some serious repercussions. And that's where, to my mind, the plot became more convoluted and implausible than it needed to be.
The reason I would try the author a second time is that I think she has a clever style with a fun but understated sense of humor. Hopefully the next plot is a bit tighter.

Task=30
Review=5
9th Bingo= 50 (N35; N37;N39; N41; N44)
Task Total= 85
Grand Total=1710

B1*; _;B3*;B4*;B5*;B6*; B7*; B8*;B9*;B10*;B11*:B12*; _;B14*; ___;
I16*;I17*;I18*;I19*; __; I21*; I22*; __;__; __;I26;I27*; __; ___; ___;
N31*;_;N33*;_;N35*;N36*;N37*;N38*;N39*; ;N41*;N42*;N43*;N44*;N45*
G _ ;G47*; __; _; __;G51*;G52*;__;G54*; __;G56*;G57*;G58*; __; ___;
O61*; __; __; __;O64*;O65*;___;O68*;O69*;O70*; ___; __; _; __;O75*


And that's a wrap for me this season...thanks to the Mods for an interesting Summer challenge!

30.47 - B1 - Title has 1 word

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

In this third in the series, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is caught up against his will in King Henry VIII's long and expensive visit to York in 1541, and the king's relationship with his latest young and unfortunate queen, Catherine Howard.

I enjoyed the historical details of this, especially the descriptions of York, all of the jockeying for status that happened around the king, and the questions about him. But I found the mystery less engaging than in previous books. I guessed who was responsible by the halfway point and made the mistake of sneaking a look ahead and finding I was right, which left me thinking Shardlake was stupid not to see it. Still it was a good read, I wanted to keep reading, and I will definitely go on with the series.

+30 Task
+ 5 Review

Task Total = 35

Season Total = 1695

30.48 - B13 - Bridesmaid: Book nominated for 2+ awards, never a winner

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

I love Murderbot and would probably be happy reading a book that consisted solely of witnessing SecUnit watching episodes of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon... although I might only give that 3 stars.

This book seemed very similar to the previous one except for the addition of Miki, who was amazing and lovely and maybe... I hope... will have prompted some growth or expansion in SecUnit's view of what is emotionally possible for a construct.

3 stars for the plot, 5 stars for Miki, 4 stars overall.


+30 Task
+ 5 Review

Task Total = 35

Season Total = 1730

Post 1064 Rosemary wrote: "30.47 - B1 - Title has 1 word

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

In this third in the series, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is caught up against his will in King Henry VIII's long a..."

At 583 pages, this gets 5 Jumbo points!

Thank you! So I hope I have my total right, this is my last post of the season:

30.49 - B8 - Author first name is Bob, Brian, Barry, Beverly, Barbara

Fascination In France by Barbara Cartland

I almost feel I need to apologise for having come within a mile of this book! When I was young, Barbara Cartland was the epitome of terrible writing. But I had never actually read one. So somehow, I came home with this from some bargain basement.

I read it now because (a) it was short and (b) it was written by a Barbara so I could claim one last bingo on the last day of the season :)

For a short easy read to complete a challenge, I totally recommend it :) For any other purpose, I do not. You will find lots of very short paragraphs - in fact, I'm not sure if Ms Cartland saw any difference between "sentence" and "paragraph", because most paragraphs are one sentence long. I expect that spun it out to just enough pages to count as a book. But it is still very thin! And I see it was originally an exclusive for "Home Shopping Direct", whatever that may have been... probably a 1990s home shopping TV channel. You have been warned!

+30 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1993)

Task Total = 40

+50 Bingo: Ninth Bingo; B1, B7, B8, B13, B15

Season Total = 1825

50.51 I29 MPE Page count 200-299

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

+50 Task

Post Total: 50
Season Total: 1715

This challenge was tons of fun! Thanks and see you soon in September.

10.10 N37 Non-human main character

The Fairy Caravan by Beatrix Potter

All main characters are animals. They run a little traveling circus that entertains other animals. In the preface, the author writes that the tales were not meant for printing and were printed on "the insistence of friends beyond the sea." So, instead of a story with a plot and something to drive the reader to the finish, it is tales by the animals of past events.

+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 before 1997
+50 Second Bingo: B13, I24, N37, G52, O72

Task Total: 70
Season Total: 195+70 =265

15.11 O69 Often - Author you have read before

The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm by Harold S. Kushner

I don't know whether most people know the 23rd Psalm by heart as Rabbi Kushner claims. I have a special attachment to it because of my mother. Each chapter analyzes a line from the Psalm. This is my second Kushner book - I think I gave both 5 stars. I have not read his most well-known one (yet) When Bad Things Happen to Good People. I find that his writing is real and relatable and not bogged down with theology, yet still substantial and very thoughtful.

Task: +15
Review: +5
Task Total: 20
Season Grand Total: 265 + 20 = 285

Thanks for a really fun summer season!

Great challenge, everyone! Congratulations to all of you!

Now on to Fall!