Reading with Style discussion
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SU 22 Completed Tasks
10.9 B1 one word titleHorrid by Katrina Leno
I would have loved this book as a kid. As an adult, well… I’m not the target audience so who cares? This was a solid YA - it delivered some creepy moments but never went too far. Even when it went dark, it backed away. I would have liked more commitment to building terror rather than mystery, but for the age group this was a nice little book. It does end a bit abruptly though, while the main mystery is solved, the whole town-and-outlying-areas knowing about just that seemed a bit… well, I was expecting a bit more backstory. But, that’s part of the charm too. It makes you want to fill in some blanks.
+10 task
+5 review
Task total = 15
Season total = 185
B: 1
I: 16
N: 45
G: 59
O:
10.8- B5-MemoirObit by Victoria Chang
An interesting take on grief. I recently read Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking which addresses some of the same issues...and indeed, the author here acknowledges that fact. Chang, however, has compiled her grief into poetic and prose entries...that could be from a diary or a newspaper column. She addresses not just her dying parents...but also has obituaries for the death of her sensibilities, inanimate objects, time itself. She quotes John Updike-
“To acknowledge death is to acknowledge that we must take on another shape.” But then refutes him. She notes that the body remembers pain different than suffering. Also, this take on photographs is insightful- "Photos represent a moment that has died." I didn't think I would come away liking a book based on such a gloomy premise. But having slept on it, I think it will make me think differently when similar challenges come my way.
Task=10
Review=5
Task Total= 15
Grand Total=130
B___; ___; ___; ___;B5;___; B7; B8; ___; ____
I___; ___; ___; I19; ___; I21; I22; ___;___; ___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___;
N___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___; ___; N38; ___; ___; ___; N42; ___; ___; ___;
G ___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;
O___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;
10.2 I21 INFLOW: First letter of title is found in inflowOh William! by Elizabeth Strout
There's always a special feeling when I open one of Elizabeth Strout's books because she doesn't just write about the characters. She writes about the emotions that all of us feel, and we're all a little more understanding as we close her books.
"Oh William!" is the third book about Lucy Barton, and it centers on her first husband, William. Lucy and William are divorced, but are still friendly after years of co-parenting their daughters. William receives a membership in a genealogy website as a gift, and finds disturbing information about his mother. He asks Lucy to travel with him to Maine to learn more about her past. The trip triggers memories in Lucy about her mother-in-law and about Lucy's own traumatic childhood. As William and Lucy drive around the ramshackle towns in northern Maine, Lucy recounts how the intense poverty and lack of love in her own family emotionally scarred her. She also remembers the love, the misunderstandings, and the hurt experienced during her marriage with William. A joy in Lucy's life has been seeing their daughters become wonderful young women.
The author's beautiful, sensitive prose depicts the emotions we all share. "Oh William!" is a book that can be read in an evening. When I came to the last page I hoped that Elizabeth Strout will continue this series, highlighting other important people in Lucy's life.
+10 task
+ 5 review
Task total: 15
Season total: 35
15.17 G49, MPE Page Count 400-499Toffee by Sarah Crossan
I first read a Sarah Crossan novel in 2017 and the experience has stuck with me to this day. Why in the world I haven't sought out anything else she's written until now is a bit baffling. So glad I picked this up...
Alison has run away from home, so far away she may as well be in another country. She thought she was running to safety, but that safe haven is no longer there and now she's stuck with no friends, no money, and no idea what her next step is.
She finds a shed next to a house that seems abandoned and spends the night there.
The rest of the tale explores what happens to her--both internally and externally--over the coming months.
Quite enjoyed it, even if it didn't have as big an impact on me as did One.
+15 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 20
Season total: 450
B 9, 11, 12
I 16, 17, 18
N 35, 38, 39, 43
G 49, 52, 53, 56
O 61, 63, 74
15.18 O65, Title Has Five WordsThe Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
This retelling of The Great Gatsby is from the view of Jordan Baker, Daisy's best friend. I was curious to read this retelling, as I recently read The Empress of Salt and Fortune and enjoyed both Vo's writing and her imaginative storytelling.
This one, though...I felt like it was a little..."What if I told Gatsby from a minor character's pov...Jordan's! But what if Jordan was Asian American? Brilliant! Aaaaand...what if she's LGBTQ?! Great! Let's see...maybe while we're at it, we can throw some magic and wizards and dragons and demons in there too. Sure!"
Yeah. It was too much and the kitchen sink to boot. It would have been provocative and interesting if you just incorporated one or two of those elements...by throwing everything in, it felt disjointed and nothing felt fully explored.
Despite all that, the writing was still lovely--Vo can craft a stunning sentence.
+15 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 20
Season total: 470
B 9, 11, 12
I 16, 17, 18
N 35, 38, 39, 43
G 49, 52, 53, 56
O 61, 63, 65, 74
10.3 O69 Often: Author you have read beforeThe Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
+10 Task - I have read 2 other books by Julie Otsuka
When the Emperor Was Divine
The Buddha in the Attic
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 30
10.6 B03 - Booker PrizeBewilderment by Richard Powers
+10 Task 2021 nominee
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 115
10.8 O61 Opposite words in title(Rise/fall)
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World. Stephen Brusatte
Everything you (n)ever wanted to know about dinosaurs, including their evolution, family trees, where they started and where they ended up. The author is a renown paleontologist who teaches at the University of Edinburgh and has traveled the world seeking out (and finding) new species. He writes with authority, sharing the timeline not only of the dinosaurs themselves, but of the important researchers throughout human history, and goes into detail about the "day the dinosaurs died" (except for those who are still with us today). While the subject has only a passing interest for me, the book was well written and I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone with a deeper interest in the topic.
+10 - task
+ 5 - review
Post total: 15
Season total: 120
B:
I: 17
N: 31
G: 48; 50; 56
O: 61; 62; 71
10.10 O61 Opposite wordsThe Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen
Meh. Maybe it’s the ‘Rona, but I found this incredibly hard to follow. I was almost worried, but I managed to read other books and comics in a worse state, so I think it was just this…
I was hoping for a lot more…. This was a bit of a mess. OK, so a handful of gods incarnate every 90 years and have two years of fun before they die…. OK, fine. This crop are apparently all pop stars? WHY. And someone wants to frame Lucifer? And for some reason, the gods have to play by human rules, like sit in jail OR ELSE…Again WHY? I get that this is a series and not all would be revealed in vol 1, but it was scattered and messy and none of the characters had a life to them. There should be a hint of a point to the gods, or at least some personality to anyone of them… meh. World and character building was poor, pacing was weird, I doubt I’ll continue.
+ 10 task
+ 5 review
+50 bingo
Task total = 65
Season total = 250
B: 1
I: 16
N: 45
G: 59
O: 61
10.1 N37 Nonhuman Main CharacterCity by Clifford D. Simak (1952) 251 pages
I could have finished this book in half the time, but sometimes you want to make a book last as long as possible. What a wonderful book. I had previously read two sections of this book as stand-alone short stories, but the framing narrative made them new and even better. By an author from the Golden Age, from "Astounding" magazine, this is an example of the best of Science Fiction. It is the story of the long history and future history of life on Earth told in a way totally unlike other Science Fiction you may have read. There is no rise and fall of empires with palace intrigue - Dune. There is no post-apocalyptic post-nuclear disintegration of man - PKD or Walter Miller, Jr. Clifford Simak's voice is very 1950s and 1960s yet so warm and unique. He is called a Grand Master. He has won the big Fantasy and Science Fiction Awards. He deserves those awards.
+ 10 task
+ 5 review
+ 5 published 1997 or earlier
Task total = 20
Season total = 20
B:
I:
N: 37
G:
O:
10.7 G56 - Get the GigglesAn Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 125
10.3 - N42 - New Release, pub'd 2021 or 2022Dead Ground by M.W. Craven
The fourth outing for Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw of the National Crime Agency. They've been brought in to investigate a killing linked to the venue for an international summit at the highest political levels. Poe is the least diplomatic of detectives, so it's a toss-up whether he'll manage to solve the case before his superiors replace him. But that won't stop him, anyway...
I was glued to this, as always with this series, and finished it in two sittings. I felt that Tilly wasn't given much scope this time - she just performs the technical tasks she's given, she doesn't have much of a role otherwise. I hope she'll come to the fore again in future books.
+10 Task (2021)
+ 5 Review
Post Total = 15
Season Total = 50
10.4 - G50 - Author born in the 50sMagpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Susan Ryeland is an editor working for the publisher of the Atticus Pund mystery series by author Alan Conway. When Alan dies suddenly, having delivered all but the last two chapters of the latest Atticus Pund manuscript titled Magpie Murders, Susan has two mysteries to solve: the ending of Magpie Murders, and the death of its author.
I tried to read a physical copy of this but soon got tired of the old Courier typewriting font used for the Magpie Murders manuscript, which is presented as a whole book within a book. I switched to audio and got on with that better. I wasn't so impressed with the framing story, but I really enjoyed Alan Conway's Magpie Murders. I'd have given them two stars and four stars if they'd been separate books.
+10 Task (born 1955)
+ 5 Review
Post Total = 15
Season Total = 65
10.5 - O71 - One, first book in a seriesCodename Villanelle by Luke Jennings
Villanelle is a Russian contract killer employed by a secret international group known as "The Twelve". Most of this book is about her and the assassinations that she carries out. Along the way she attracts the attention of the British internal security service, MI5, and its agent Eve Polastri.
I found Villanelle both convincing and scary. Eve, not so much. Maybe later in the series Eve will come into her own, but she seemed very ordinary here. I mean, like me. And I would make a hopeless secret agent.
I haven't seen the TV series, but this made me want to watch it, just to see how different it is - and I gather it's very different!
+10 Task
+ 5 Review
Post Total = 15
Season Total = 80
10.6 - I23 - Set in: Italy, Iran, Indonesia, Iceland, IndiaVoice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
Montalbano and his crew, on their way to a funeral, crash into a car parked outside an isolated house. When there's no comeback, Montalbano takes a second look at the house and finds the body of a murdered woman inside. And unlike most of the murder victims he finds, she never seems to have done anyone any harm.
I enjoyed this book mainly for the characters. The mystery I found a little frustrating(view spoiler).
+10 Task (100% Italy)
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1997)
Task Total = 20
+50 Bingo: First Bingo; B4, I23, N42, G51, O71
Post Total = 70
Season Total = 150
10.7 - B10 - Author born in the 10sThe Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
Such a fun and bizarre book. Something happens to our narrator, who is a wronged but not blameless young man, and he finds himself mixed up with three rural policemen who are obsessed with bicycles.
Originally there was a twist, but the book is so well known now that I knew it from the beginning and didn't realise it was supposed to be a surprise until I saw the Publisher's Note at the end. It didn't spoil my enjoyment at all.
However I can see this might be a love-it-or-hate-it book, and you have to not mind too much if things go round in circles and make no sense.
+10 Task (born 1911)
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1967)
Task Total = 20
Season Total = 170
10.3 B6 BeardsA Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
10 pts 10.3 Beards
5 pts Review
Beginning this series during Works War I, Winspear has moved forward in time and the latest Maisie Dobbs mystery is set in 1942 Britain. Focusing on female pilots during the War, this is a fascinating mystery that kept my attention. There is a little too much intentional hiding of information (writing down suspect’s names to confirm them with a witness) and not sharing the conclusion with the reader; but that is a fairly minir quibble. Very enjoyable read
Task Total: 15 pts
Season total: 45 pts
B4 B6 B7
I
N
G
O
15.12 N-31 New to me authorMontauk by Nicola Harrison
Montauk has been a pleasant surprise. I found myself rooting for Beatrice to be herself and not conform to the rules of society. I cringed at the upper-class attitudes and tied my leg to my reading chair to keep from kicking Harry, Beatrice’s husband. I like a book that moves me emotionally :) .
+15 task
+5 review
Post total: 20
Season total: 270
10.9- O74- "ON"House Built on Fog & Sand: A Collection of Poems and Artwork by Anna Casamento Arrigo
Okay...this was another book of poetry I found difficult to appreciate. There are few verbs...often just nouns and adjectives seemingly randomly placed. Most of the poems are set with one word or phrase taking up an entire line. So... it seems that the author wants the reader to make his/her own word associations. Then I got to the "About the Author" part after the text...and discovered that the author had suffered a stroke... and that poetry was her therapy and her way to re-connect to language. That had me re-assessing my whole experience with the poems.
Task=10
Review=5
Task Total= 15
Grand Total=145
B___; ___; ___; ___;B5;___; B7; B8; ___; ____
I___; ___; ___; I19; ___; I21; I22; ___;___; ___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___;
N___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___; ___; N38; ___; ___; ___; N42; __; __; __;
G _ ; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___; __; __; ___;
O__; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___; __; O74; __;
10.9 B9 MPE Page count 100-199Christmas at Harrington's. Melody Carlson
This was a nice break from some longer, heavier books that I've been tackling. Melody Carlson is one of my favorite niche authors. She writes primarily inspirational, holiday, Christian fiction, and although I may only read a few of these a year, they invariably lift my spirits when I do.
+10 - task
+ 5 - review
+50 - finish
Post total: 65
Season total: 185
Bingo #1: B9, I17, N31, G48, O61
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
10. 2 I22 - Title has 2 wordsHetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson
Review - this was such a cute read. it reminded me a lot of Anne of Green Gables. with her hair as fiery as her temper and all. but, i've only seen the Netflix series one, i haven't read the books yet.
nonetheless, i liked this one, too. her life at 10, almost 11, as she insists, is, to say the least eventful. in stark contrast to her days at the hospital, as she described it.
+10 Task
+ 5 Review
Task total = 15
Post total: 15
Season Total: 20 + 15 = 35
B — 1;
I — 22;
N —
G —
O —
10.4 - G54 Title has 4 wordsA Question of Identity (Simon Serrailler #7) by Susan Hill
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 45
10.3 N36 - Not a NovelThe Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler
+10 Task (nonfiction)
+5 Review
Task total: 15
Grand total: 45
10.4 O64 Orange Prize &Women's Prize (winners and nominees)The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
+10 Task - current nominee
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 40
10.5 O67 Owned book: get it off your shelf!Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 50
15.11 N43 3 word titleMore Than This by Patrick Ness
Okaaaay. Now that was a page-turner. Read this unspoiled! All you need to know is that a boy dies, and wakes up in a weird place.
Unlike the last YA I read, this does not handle the reader gently, only hinting at things, which is somewhat hilarious because most of this book is hinting… just not in a delicate-fee-fees kind of way. The things that the book needs to say it says, it’s not coy with that. It all unfolds in such an interesting way.
This is not at all what I expected, and the longer I sit with it the better it becomes.
+15 task
+5 review
Task total = 20
Season total = 270
B:
I:
N: 43
G:
O:
10.4 I16 Jim Hanvey, Detective by Octavus Roy Cohen
10 pts 10.4 I16 - Author name has no I
5 pts Review
5 pts pre 1997
Collection of short stories featuring private detective Jim Hanvey. Hanvey is an unprepossessing man who knowns the criminals and uses that knowledge to manipulate them into a situation that solves a crime or results in the right (just) outcome. These are generally stories about theft or fraud with a twist at the end. Interesting collection from the 1920s
Task Total: 20 pts
Season total: 65 pts
B4 B6 B7
I16
N
G
O
10.10 G52 Goodreads Choice Award winners and nomineesGoodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2017)
The Alice Network. Kate Quinn
This joins the growing collection of women wartime heroes books that I've been reading over the past few years, including The Book of Lost Names, The Nightingale and Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler, to name a few. This book tells the story of Eve, a member of the Alice Network of women spies during World War I, who contributed valuable information on enemy movements and plans, while posing as an unassuming innocent. I enjoyed this book, the dual timelines of WWI and post WWII worked well, the characters were well researched and believable.
+10 - task
+ 5 - review
+5 - 503 pages
Post total: 20
Season total: 205
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
[Bingo #1: B9, I17, N31, G48, O61]
15.12 B8 Author named BrianSaga, Book One by Brian K. Vaughan
Excellent! I’ve been on a graphic-novel kick, but I have not wanted to read more than the fist trade paperback of my latest choices…. Except this. I flew through Book 1 and I’m looking forward to Book 2. This had all the elements of a great adventure story, with some really fantastic artwork. I hope that in Book 2 we get some gnarly backstory for The Stalk - I haven’t loved a nightmare like that since The Corinthian. The writing is very effective - lots of character growth in a small amount of time. I mean, I’m rooting for pretty much everybody. Loved this.
+15 task
+5 review
+5 Jumbo (504)
Task total = 25
Season total = 295
B:8
I:
N:43
G:
O:
10.10- N43- Title has 3 wordsRick and Morty: Go to Hell by Ryan Ferrier
This is a graphic novel and oh what a strange trip this is. Rick is Morty's grandfather. The text makes references that Morty has been on many amazing adventures with Rick...as his sidekick. But, this time, they are somehow in Hell...only Rick refuses to believe it... wanting to believe that they are in some parallel metaverse. Unfortunately for Rick, his dead son-in-law is also in Hell...and rallies others to the belief that their fate in Hell is because of Rick. So, Rick and Morty are evading the mobs while also enduring the tortures of hell...such as going through the digestive tract of a giant sandworm. That should give you some idea of how bizarre this is... and although a bit weird and silly...I didn't hate it...but doubt that I'll read the sequels.
Task=10
Review=5
Task Total= 15
Grand Total=160
B___; ___; ___; ___;B5;___; B7; B8; ___; ____
I___; ___; ___; I19; ___; I21; I22; ___;___; ___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___;
N___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___; ___; N38; ___; ___; ___; N42; N43; __; __;
G _ ; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___; __; __; ___;
O__; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___; __; O74; __;
10.2 "Roses Are Red" by James Patterson N43 title has three words
B
I-I22
N-N43
G-
O-
TASK +15
Grand total: 30
10.9 N35 - NoirMagic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
+10 Task
Task total = 10
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 145
15.13 O-69 Often: Author you have read before.The Match by Harlan Coben
I met Harlan Coben at a Mystery Boucheron, in a hotel bar where I was trying to recruit a local author to do a book signing/reading at the library where I worked. My local author voiced strong objections at libraries as a deterrent to people buying books. Coben, who had been standing behind me, told the guy that libraries are where people learn to love your stories. I was awed and agreed with him. The Match spins a tale that will make you root for the main character, Wilde, in his quest for identity. I am rooting for this author to continue making us yearn for his next book with plots that keep us up all night reading.
+15 task
+5 review
Post total: 20
Season total: 290
15.13 O62 On an RwS member’s shelf (Megan)Such Small Hands by Andrés Barba
PEOPLE. Stop shelving things as horror that are not horror! Part of the reason I hated this was waiting for genre that never materialized. But, fine - whatever. If it’s a good read, I can deal with my categorization quibbles. But this was not a good read. The pretentious language makes you want to find some depth, but it’s yet another dude writing creepily about little girls. Can we not keep mining that particular vein? UGH. At least it was short.
+15 task
+5 review
Task total = 20
Season total = 315
B:8
I:
N:43
G:
O: 62
10.3 O74 "on" in title.Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
This book is one of the low lexile Christies and this season was my chance to enjoy it and I did! A quick and crazy Hercule Poirot mystery with a train car full of characters/suspects who have no place to go because the train is snowed in. I got confused at the end and thanks to the Internet, I could look up a character's name and get answers to my questions about what I think happened. Maybe 5 stars - still mulling this one over!
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Oldie
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 50
B
I18
N
G50
O74
10.3 O75 75 years: author is agedStormy Weather by Paulette Jiles
Paulette Jiles set her second novel in 1930s Texas during the hard times of the Great Depression, a seven year drought, and terrible dust storms. Jack Stoddard, a husband and the father of three daughters, works on oil rigs and transports pipelines. Jeanine, his tomboyish favorite daughter, often accompanies Jack and is exposed to men's work. Jack is intelligent and charming, but can't stay away from horse racing, gambling, drinking, and women.
After Jack's death from an accident, Elizabeth and her three daughters are almost destitute and move back to an abandoned family farm that belonged to Elizabeth's family. The four women each have an inner strength, and they pull together to survive and to pay back taxes on the farm. Elizabeth invests in a wildcat oil well, Jeanine gets the farm running again, Mayme finds a job, and young Bea dreams of becoming a writer.
Ross, a rancher, and Milton, a newspaper reporter, add humor and interest to the story. Historical and cultural details provide a strong sense of time and place. Early movies, songs, President Roosevelt's New Deal, fashions, party line telephones, and getting the house wired for electricity give a sense of the 1930s. The author has done lots of historical research, but fits it naturally into the story. Jiles also seems very familiar with horses, creating a great stubborn race horse that readers will cheer on. Although I've read other Texas stories about ranches and dust storms, this historical novel gave a different focus by also showing the danger and excitement of drilling for oil.
There is a sense that the resilient Stoddard women will be seeing better days in the short term. But the family's radio is also bringing news from Europe about another world war. Unknown new challenges will be coming for the Stoddards and the people they love.
+10 task (author is 79 years old)
+ 5 review
Task total: 15
Season total: 50
10.5 - I29 MPE Page count 200-299The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
Review
Woah, I thought I was ready for whatever Sulari Gentill can throw at me after that mind-bending twists of Crossing the Lines but she's got a mean throwing arm! The Woman in the Library is a clever, imaginative thriller and so much fun to read.
The structure of the book is that of a letter from "Leo" and a chapter of story (which is found above in book description). At first, I did wonder which is "real" and which is fictional [remember, Crossing the Lines?!]. However, the author has something quite different in mind in this novel so it wasn't quite that long before all is revealed and pretty soon, instead of one mystery, we have 2... Bonus!
As much as I enjoyed reading about the four strangers drawn together as friends, I was also very much drawn to the other mystery for which we pretty much only get Leo's letters to read by. And yet, because of that limited scope, it's that much more creepy and therefore, thrilling.
Another brilliant offering by a much loved author, Sulari Gentill, and one I'd highly recommend as it was very much an irresistible page-turner.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+50 BINGO (B2 - post #93; I29 - this post; N36 - post #42; G54 - post #124; O68 - post #55)
Post Total: 65
Season Total: 110
10.6 - O75 75 Years: Author is AgedThe Deceiver by Frederick Forsyth
born 1938 (83 yo)
+10 Task
+5 Pub 1991
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 125
Task G51 Glass Slipper: Any retellingMPG of “Retelling”
The heroine is one of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. Also, (view spoiler).
Once More Upon a Time (2020) by Roshani Chokshi
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 15 + 10 = 25
B:
I: 16
N:
G: G51
O:
10.7 - B1 Title has 1 wordRisen (Blood Eternal #1) by Cole Gibsen
+10 Task
Post Total: 10
Season Total: 135
10.4 - G56 : Humor Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Task: 10
Published in 1988 - 5
Post total: 15
Season total: 45
B4
I24
N 34
G56
O
10.5 - O65 : 5 word titleAll the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
Task: 10
Bingo Bonus : 50
Post total: 60
Season total: 95
B4
I24
N34
G56
O65
10.6 - B7 : rating >4.0 Pleasantview by Celeste Mohammed
Rating: 4.40
Task: 10
Post total: 10
Season total: 105
B4, 7
I24
N34
G56
O65
Post 120 Ed wrote: "10.9- O74- "ON"House Built on Fog & Sand: A Collection of Poems and Artwork by Anna Casamento Arrigo
Okay...this was another book of poetry I found difficult to ..."
Ed, I'm so sorry. The MPE for this title is just 98 pages and doesn't work this season.
House Built on Fog & Sand: A Collection of Poems and Artwork
15.14 G49 400-499 pagesSaga, Book Two by Brian K. Vaughan
At the end of Book 1 I was rooting for everybody. By the end of Book 2, NOT SO MUCH. cough cough The Will…. Some characters return to original form, some kind of begrudgingly get a little less awful, some are as awesome or crappy as they always were. I missed Isabel in this volume, not enough of her. But in return we got the delightful Ghüs and Friendo. This is an excellent series with really full characters. Love it.
+15 task
+5 review
Task total= 20
Season total = 335
B:8
I:
N:43
G:49
O: 62
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 120 Ed wrote: "10.9- O74- "ON"House Built on Fog & Sand: A Collection of Poems and Artwork by Anna Casamento Arrigo
Okay...this was another book of poetry I..."
shoot! I thought I had checked that.
15.11 N33 Title has 3+ Ns The Unhoneymooners. Christina Lauren
This was okay, it would make a good beach read. The main characters were twin sisters, one who seems lucky at everything, including winning a dream wedding and honeymoon, that turns into a nightmare. The maid of honor (her sister) and best man (the groom's brother) end up going on the free trip to Hawai'i and while they are there, fall for each other - hard. But things get complicated when troubling stories are innocently told...
+15 - task
+ 5 - review
Post total: 20
Season total: 225
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
[Bingo #1: B9, I17, N31, G48, O61]
Task B3 Booker Prize, winners and nominees Klara and the Sun (2021) by Kazuo Ishiguro (Hardcover, 303 pages)
Review: “Klara and the Sun” is literary science fiction. Klara is an android (Androids — constructs that combine artificial intelligence and a mechanical body with a human-like appearance ). The term used in the novel is “Artificial Friend”. The author follows her life beginning with her time in the store window, her “placement” with a family, the family dynamics at the family she is placed at, and ends with the final days of her life. Parts were delightfully weird, and parts were very sad. I gave it 5 stars.
A side note: Ishiguro's 2005 novel Never Let Me Go was a more creative novel (just avoid all spoilers before reading!). Both novels are exceptionally “good reads”.
+10 Task
+05 Review
Task Total: 10 + 05 = 15
Grand Total: 25 + 15 = 40
B: B3
I: 16
N:
G: G51
O:
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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)
The Fairy Caravan (other topics)
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)
Toshikazu Kawaguchi (other topics)
Barbara Cartland (other topics)
C.J. Sansom (other topics)
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Murder Abroad by E.R. Punshon
This is an interesting diversion where Punshon based his novel on a real crime. That crime (which took place in Les Baux-des-Provence) was initially determined to be a suicide, but a few days later was classified as murder. The woman had considerable valuables at the villa and it was presumed she was having an affair with a young man half her age. At the time, the press made it into a sensation.
Punshon's case is very similar, in that an Englishwoman was found dead in a well. She was an aspiring artist living in the French countryside near a small town. The case was determined to be a suicide, but unlike the real case, no further determination as to murder was pursued. Olive, Bobby's fiance, is friendly with the victim's family and so Bobby is prevailed upon and given permission to take a leave. Of course Bobby cannot go as an official officer of Scotland Yard and no one in Auvergne knows he is employed in that capacity.
The mystery was good enough. I prefer Bobby Owen in England, preferably in London, and acting in his official capacity. I hope to find him there in future installments, because I most certainly will be reading them. This, however, was 3-stars.
+10 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Before 1997 (1939)
Task total = 20
Season total = 45