Reading with Style discussion
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SU 22 Completed Tasks
20.28 - B9 MPE Page count 100-199The Last Stormdancer (The Lotus Wars #0.6) by Jay Kristoff
125 pages
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 710
20.26 N44 Author has 2 sets of double letters in name.Who Does He Say You Are?: Women Transformed by Christ in the Gospels by Colleen C. Mitchell
I love when I find a book that speaks to me - right where I am - and encourages me to move forward. If you are looking for heartfelt words, give this author a try. My Life's journey was blessed by the gift of "presence" given to me in a time of need.
+20 task
+5 review
Post total: 25
Season total: 705
20.27 I18 InspirationalThe Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
My family is far from perfect, definitely had some issues… but my parents were parents. We were always cared for. I was impressed with the grit it took for any of the kids to survive such disgustingly neglectful parents. Yeah, Rex and Mary loved their kids but love is not enough. Love is just a feeling, and it’s meaningless without action.
This book made me mad. Really really mad. Walls has a real gift though for crafting a wonderful story out of horrible memories. I guess that her parents did give her the ability to be optimistic, at least. And her life was not boring - this was a real page-turner.
+20 task
+5 review
Task total = 25
Season total = 785
B
I18
N
G
O65
20.29 N45 - set in NorwayThe Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland by Nicolai Houm
+20 Task
Task total = 20
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 730
10.10 O72 Set in Ontario (Canada)The Guilty Plea by Robert Rotenberg
As Greene and Kennicott are both police, one can easily expect this to be a police procedural. Both men have a big part in this crime novel. With Robert Rotenberg, you get a two-fer. Rotenberg is a practicing criminal attorney and in this series we get attorneys in addition to police. Do we get just the prosecutor? Nope - both sides plus courtroom drama.
The novel opens with the nanny arriving in the early morning and finding the door unlocked, which was unusual. When she went into the kitchen she found Terry Wyler dead and bloody from several apparent knife wounds. Arceli Ocaya quickly ran upstairs and found 4-year old Simon in bed still asleep. It was she who called the police. The story unfolds from there.
I like the characterizations Rotenberg gives us. The people all seem real, not perfect, not always likable. It has been a year since I read the first installment of the series, but I'm pretty sure that Greene and Kennicott are not the only recurring characters. I hope to see them in future installments.
Not everyone likes it when an author wanders outside the main story occasionally. Some authors do it better than others and Rotenberg is one of them. Ari Greene's parents are Holocaust survivors. His relationship with his father is good. There is a short section where Greene tells about a woman who has immigrated from Russia and who experiences the completeness of grocery stores in North America.
He’d never forget the first time he took her to a Canadian grocery store. It was the only occasion when she was totally unable to control her emotions. All the food. Fresh. Bountiful. The endless aisles of it. She started running back and forth to assure herself that all this really existed. She’d grabbed Greene and cried. All those gray years of deprivation, and here was a world full of everything.Those of us who have always lived with plenty (even with supply chain problems and empty shelves) cannot imagine what coming from such deprivation can be like. It's little things that make this novel, this series, more than the good, but run-of-the-mill, mystery novel. I look forward to the next installment. This is another strong 4-stars.
+10 Task (set in Toronto)
+ 5 Review
Task total = 15
+50 2nd Bingo = G59, B3, I20, N31, O27
Season total = 285
Task 10.10 G53 Group Reads! (On RwS bookshelf)The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) by T.J. Klune (Paperback, 396 pages)
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 175 + 10 = 185
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
[Bingo #1: B3, I6, N32, G51, O61]
20.27 G60 book published in the 60's (1965)Mrs. 'Arris Goes To Parliament by Paul Gallico
+20 task
+5 published 1997 or earlier
Post total: 25
Season total: 730
20.29 - O73 OutdoorsOnce There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
outdoors 6x
+20 Task
Post Total: 20
Season Total: 730
10.5 N 39 page count 300-399Acorna's Searchby Anne McCaffrey
(304pp)
Task +10
Grand Total: 55
B 6
I 22
N 39,43
G
O 67
20.28 I26 International (Thailand and Australia)The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
+20 task
Post total: 20
Season total: 750
15.13 O71 - First in a series Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton
Task: 15
Post: 15
Seasonal total: 245
B 4,7,6
I 24,21
N 34,44,39
G56,52
O 65,66,71
20.30 O74 - ON in titlePink Mountain on Locust Island by Jamie Marina Lau
+20 Task
Task total = 20
+50 Bingo: Sixth bingo B10, I26, N45, G48, O74
Post Total: 70
Season Total: 800
15.11 O 71 One: First book in a seriesThe Trees by Conrad Richter
In the late 18th Century, the Ludkett family traveled by foot from Pennsylvania into neighboring Ohio while carrying a few essential belongings. Ohio was almost completely forested with tall hardwoods, and only an occasional ray of light shone through the trees. Worth Luckett was a woodsman, a hunter, and a trapper who wanted to travel westward in search of plentiful wild game. Jary was sickly but tried to be supportive of her husband. Their five children made the best of things, led by their oldest daughter, Sayward. After settling in central Ohio, the Lucketts faced challenges and losses. Sayward had the inner strength and strong work ethic that kept the family together.
Author Conrad Richter wrote in the Foreward that he had access to a historical collection of rare books, manuscripts, and letters that helped him document the speech of the early pioneers of the Ohio Valley. It did not take long to get used to the unusual expressions from the context.
"The Trees" is an engaging, slim book that ends with new promising events changing Sayward's life. Fortunately, this book is part of "The Awakening Land" trilogy so I still have "The Fields" and "The Town" to enjoy reading this summer.
+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1940)
+ 5 review
Bingo:
10.7 - B10
10.10 - I18
10.9 - N36
10.5 - G56
15.11 - O71
Task total: 25
Bingo: 50
Season total: 255
20.30 - I18 InspirationalPhosphorescence: On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark by Julia Baird
inspirational 3x
+20 Task
+50 BINGO
(B9 - post #402; I18 - this post; N41 - post #359; G49 - post #360; O73 - post #409)
Post Total: 70
Season Total: 800
30.31 - G59 GYPSUM: First letter of title is found in "gypsum"Stone Town by Margaret Hickey
Review
Cutters Ends, Hickey’s debut, was published last year and I enjoyed it tremendously so it was with keen anticipation, I cracked open Stone Town wherein, once again, we meet Senior Sergeant Mark Ariti. Hmm… confused already? I was pretty sure he was a detective and lived in Adelaide! The first few pages threw me off a bit but a bit later on, I found out that at least a year has passed since Cutters Ends. Only once I accepted that quite some time has passed and a number of personal events occurred with Ariti, did I manage to proceed with the present issue/crime.
I enjoyed this setting quite a lot especially with Mark Ariti resettling himself as a local, living in what was his mother’s but now his home, and just being in the know of the local gossips and networks. Though apparently not as well as he thought. That last twist in the epilogue was just gold!
Once more, Hickey has delivered a remarkable rural crime novel. A rather laidback pacing comparable to a rural kind of life but such twists and turns that shocked and thrilled readers all at the same time. While Stone Town is a sequel, I don’t believe that you need to read Cutters End to enjoy this one. This one reads quite well as a stand alone despite some references to earlier case but you really didn’t need to know. Fair warning, though, you’d probably want to read Cutters End after this, if you haven’t already.
+30 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 835
30.32 - N42 New release: pub'd in 2021 or 2022Telltale: reading writing remembering by Carmel Bird
published 1 July 2022
Review
Gorgeous hardback binding featuring a gleaming peacock on the front cover with vivid blue fabric spine where author’s name & title are embossed in gold. I cracked it open not knowing exactly what to expect…
Mostly, I enjoyed the language; reminiscent and poetic. As author’s pondered and meandered over her memories especially those tied with reading and writing, I found myself quite lost. This is due to the fact that I’ve not read any of author’s said works (she referred to it quite a bit so it would’ve been helpful to know what she’s talking about) compounded with all other books she grew up with of which I’ve possibly read only 10% of those mentioned in the book.
If you are a fan of Carmel Bird then I can recommend this book to you. If you are not, in fact, familiar with her work, then possibly this could be a project where you dig up books mentioned while reading this book. That might’ve been fun actually but it would take many many years as there are so many books mentioned and possibly half is out of print.
+30 Task
+5 Review
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 870
30.41 B13, BridesmaidKing of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
I love the Grishaverse and this new duology is proving to be another amazing installment. After Sankta Alina has banished the Dark One and all seems like it will turn out alright for Ravka, signs of his return are popping up all over. Time to get down to business and get rid of this guy once and for all, amiright!? On top of the supernatural business, plain old politics keep on chugging along and Ravka is ripe for takeover by the Shu and the Fjerdans.
I can't wait to see what happens in Rule of Wolves...the set up in this one has me on the edge of my seat!
+30 Task, nominated for Goodread Choice Award and Locus but didn't win either
+5 Review
+5 500+ pages, 527
Task total: 40
Season total: 1430
B 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 27, 28
N 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43
G 46, 47, 49, 52, 53, 54, 56, 60
O 61, 63, 65, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74
30.42 I23, Set in Italy, Iran, Indonesia, Iceland, or IndiaLast Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
I've read all of the "Children's House" series by Sigurdardottir that have been translated so far (I WISH THERE WERE MORE ALREADY!!) and was excited to read this first installment of the Thora Gudmundsdottir series...sad to report it's just not as good. The plot feels far more contrived, the characters not as well drawn, the overall effect was pretty "meh." I'm gonna chalk it up to the fact that this was her debut novel and she's matured quite a bit. Maybe I'll give her another try...or just wait for the translations of the rest of the series I love.
+30 Task
+5 Review
Task total: 35, set in Iceland
Season total: 1465
B 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28
N 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43
G 46, 47, 49, 52, 53, 54, 56, 60
O 61, 63, 65, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74
20.29 G53 Group ReadsNeverhome by Laird Hunt
The rich details of this story brought the life of a civil war soldier into focus. It was a panoramic view that covered people along the road as soldiers traveled to and fro. It gave you a glimpse of the “wars” fought between bullies and those who have morals. It left me wondering what baggage I have that would make me a better/worse fighter.
+20 task
+5 review
Post total: 25
Season total: 775
20.30 I16 Author name does not contan the letter "I"A Slice of Heaven. Sherryl Woods
This was a bit of a struggle for me to finish, as there wasn't a single character that I cared about, and few that I didn't find annoying.
+20 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 25
Season total: 885
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
30.33 - B7 Best Books: rating is 4.0 or betterBuried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante
4.10 avg
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 900
15.11 - O68, Author name does not contain the letter OLes vraies gens : sociologie de trottoir by Guillaume Meurice
+15 Task
+50 Bingo (B3, I23, N37, G47, O68)
Task total = 65
Season total = 215
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
30.43 G57, Guardian 1000Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
What a truly surreal experience this was...a book that is clearly fantasy, but has none of the hallmarks of fantasy. No magic, no dragons or elves or supernatural beings of any sort, no suspension of disbelief required.
It felt more Dickensian (the names telling you precisely about the character), a little Shakespearean (Steerpike reminds me of a conglomeration of Iago, Borachio/Don Pedro, and a bit of Macbeth), quite a bit of Neil Gaiman (I'm thinking specifically of the ghost princes in Stardust). I liked it, but (and I know this is totally sacrilegious to admit) I'll probably watch the tv adaptation rather than read the rest of the series.
+30 Task
+5 Oldies, pub. 1946
+5 Review
Task total: 40
Season total: 1505
B 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28
N 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43
G 46, 47, 49, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 60
O 61, 63, 65, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74
30.44 N42, New release (published 2021-2022)Devil's Highway by Benjamin Percy
Have I mentioned that I keep having these weird details pop up in the books I've been reading lately? Yes, lots of themes and ideas, but also strange minute details. The strangest one yet was found in this and Last Rituals: main characters with body modifications that include a forked tongue :-/
This is a disturbing horror story based on real FBI data (though I'm pretty sure the forked tongues were an added detail to up the creep factor). Women (prostitutes, mainly) are disappearing and showing up dead and mutilated. It's happening all over the country, but law enforcement agencies are not great at communicating with each other so it goes unnoticed that it's a serial thing. Enter Sharon, our badass heroine, who is here for justice (this group has killed her father for trying to help one of their victims who escaped) and vengeance on the men who cross the country unnoticed as they leave a growing mound of bodies in their wake.
+30 Task, published 2021
+5 Review
Task total: 35
Season total: 1540
B 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28
N 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43
G 46, 47, 49, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 60
O 61, 63, 65, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74
10.5 N36 Not a NovelTraced: Human DNA's Big Surprise by Nathaniel Jeanson (2022) 4* 469 pages finished 7/2/2022
I found this on Kindle as the book with the most up-to-date information on the Human Genome. Years ago I had read the book on the results of the National Geography Society's Human Genome Project and found it very interesting. I ended up doing a compare and contrast between the two books. It turns out that Jeanson believes the Earth is literally 6000 years old. All the data used is the standard data but interpreted in a slightly different way. The most surprising things for me is how little Jeanson adjusted to fit his views. Those who believe the world is billions of years old and those who believe it is 6000 years old have surprisingly close narratives of the movements of people groups we know from history. Of course many people do not approve of the 6000 year time scale.
+10 Task points
+5 review
+15 task total
+90 season total
15.12 G50 Author born in the 50sThe Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
Author Kim Michele Richardson returns to eastern Kentucky in her sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Cussy Mary and Jackson Lovett have a sixteen-year-old adopted daughter, Honey. Both Cussy Mary and Honey have a genetic condition called methemoglobinemia which gives the skin a blue color. Kentucky has miscegenation laws in the 1950s which ban marrying outside your color. Cussy Mary and Jackson were facing arrest so Honey escaped into the Appalachian woods, heading off to stay with an elderly family friend.
Honey makes some new friends including Pearl who is working in a fire tower, and Bonnie who labors as a coal miner. Both of her friends are subjected to prejudice from rough men who think that the women are taking away a man's job.
Honey gets a job delivering books with her mule in the beautiful Appalachian hills as part of the Pack Horse Library Project. She rides to the isolated homes, sharing her love of books and the latest news with her clients. Honey is as friendly and caring as her mother was when she worked as a Pack Horse Librarian.
There is prejudice against the blue skinned people, and terrible laws that treat orphans like prisoners if they don't have a court-appointed guardian. Honey has friends that help her with the challenges of the court system.
Folklore, traditional foods, and certain expressions of speech give the book a strong sense of place. I enjoyed reading about Honey, a courageous young woman with an independent streak and a compassionate heart. While this book could be read as a standalone book, it would be better to start with the first book of the series.
+15 task (born in 1957)
+ 5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 275
30.34 - I28 If, if, if ... Speculative Fiction, Time Travel, Alternate HistoryThe Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu
Speculative Fiction
+30 Task
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 930
20.25-B10-Author born in the 10sCharlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl (born 1916)
This is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the reader here experiences even more fantastic adventures than in the
initial volume. Charlie, now the owner of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory... is swept from Earth with Wonka, his parents and both sets of grandparents in the amazing "Glass Elevator" into space. Their visit to the space station is interrupted by giant worm-like monsters. Of course, Charlie is a hero and as a result, everyone gets to visit the White House. A long portion of the story is spent on Willy Wonka's inventions of pills that make people younger and older. This was way overdone...and not necessary. Otherwise a mildly amusing tale.
Task=20
Review=5
Oldie=5 (1972)
Task Total= 30
Grand Total=640
B___; ___; ___; __;B5*;___; B7*; B8*;B9*;B10;B11: ___; ___;B14*; ___;
I___; ___;I18;I19; ___; I21; I22; ___;___; ___;___; ___; ___; ___; ___;
N31;___;N33*;___; ___;N36*;__; N38*;___;__; __;N42*; N43*;N44; __;
G _ ;G47; ___; ___; ___; ___;G52;___;G54; ___; ___; ___; __; __; ___;
O61; ___; ___; ___; ___; ___;___;___;O69;O70; ___; ___; __;___;O75
15.11 B5 Biography, Autobiography, Memoir Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School by Kendra James
Kendra James tells about her experience attending an elite boarding school as a Black student, and the story she tells is compelling but also depressingly not particularly surprising. It's the mix you might expect of assumptions and stereotypes, from both fellow students and teachers, along with powerful friendships and community-building. I am a bit of a sucker for this type of story - getting inside a somewhat closed society and finding out the backstory - so it was fascinating to me, but also would be interesting to anyone who themselves attended a similar school or who works with students.
+15 Task
+ 5 Review
Task total: 20
Season Total: 270
15.12 I16 Author's Name Does Not Contain the Letter I The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
I thoroughly enjoyed this -- the characters were well developed, interesting, and largely likeable, in the way I enjoy where I can see characters making predictable, in-character mistakes and grimace on their behalf but also feel a lot of affection toward them. I was rooting for a whole bunch of people by the end of the book and although in many ways my life is extremely different from that of Yami, the protagonist, I saw parts of my teenage experience in hers -- the author does a great job of capturing the feeling of being a teenager with a lot of pressure and responsibility on her shoulders, but still a teenager.
+15 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 290
15.13 N38 First Letter of Title in NICKEL In Every Mirror She's Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström
This was an interesting one. The story is told from 3 perspectives - 3 different women whose lives all come to revolve around Sweden and one particular man. One, Kemi, is a famous ad executive who is recruited to work at this man, Jonny's, firm. Another, Brittany, is a flight attendant who Jonny woos. A third, Muna, is a refugee who ends up working as a cleaner at Jonny's offices. All three stories were interesting in different ways, and the ways they tied together were well written and heartbreaking. They also all 3 illustrated different parts of the experience of being Black in Sweden, and being a newcomer in Sweden. I have never been to Sweden and don't have much of a sense of the country but it was interesting to think about the same kinds of issues and concerns we think about in the U.S. in a very different context.
+15 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 310
15.19 - G59 - GYPSUM: first letter of title found in "gypsum"Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster
Young Walter Rawley is plucked from the streets of St Louis by Master Yehudi, an enigmatic and charismatic impresario who promises to teach Walt to fly - or rather, to levitate. After some astonishing cruelties and tragedy too, Walt does indeed learn to rise from the ground and hover in the air. Thus begins a career of ups and downs in all senses of the phrase.
This is not a particularly original plot, more a patchwork of various stories in the tradition of the American novel, but I found it engaging and surprisingly moving.
+15 Task
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1994)
Task Total = 25
Season Total = 530
15.20 - N35 - NoirBird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard
Albert Herbin returns to the apartment of his dead mother in Paris after some years' absence. Alone on Christmas Eve, he goes to a café where he meets a fascinating woman with a small child. He is soon entangled in a murderous web - but he has secrets of his own.
This is a great example of French noir in the style of some of Simenon's non-Maigret books. I loved it (view spoiler)
+15 Task (Noir main page genre)
+ 5 Review
+ 5 Oldies (1961)
Task Total = 25
Season Total = 555
30.45 O69, Often: Author you have read beforeThe Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
John Green is known for his YA: The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, and Turtles All the Way Down being the most recognizable. I'm used to his emotional punches so thought I was ready for them here: it's nonfiction, it's essays, it's not gonna make me cry. Wrong. I laughed, I learned, I feel like I made a new best friend, and I most certainly cried (I dare you to listen to his review of the Kaua'i o-o bird, which plays the final recording of the last known living o-o, without your eyes welling up).
Green reviews different aspect of the Anthropocene (or Human) Era...ranging from "The Internet" and "Halley's Comet" to "Diet Dr. Pepper" and "Our Capacity for Wonder", he takes an in depth look at not only the title topic but expands out to the broader influence out in the world and then tightens up the focus to the very personal effects in his own experience. I absolutely loved every second of this book.
+30 Task
+5 Review
+50 Ninth bingo: B13, I23, N42, G57, O69
Task total: 85
Season total: 1625
B 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
I 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28
N 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43
G 46, 47, 49, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 60
O 61, 63, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 72, 74
10.9 B13 BridesmaidThe Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
10 pts 10.9
5 pts Review
This is a great book and I am interested in reading the next installment. The series is set in a British retirement community. The murder club is a group of residents who “help” the police solve mysteries. The back stories ofthe characters are hinted at and it is a more fascinating group than expected. Lots of twists and turns and the bodies keep piling up. Highly recommended.
Task Total: 15pts
Bingo #1: 50 pts
Season total: 195 pts
Bingo #1. B4 B5 B6 B7 B13
B
I16 I27 I29
N38
G
O
30.35 - O65 Title has 5 wordsThe Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
+30 Task
+50 BINGO (B7 - post #422; I28 - post #428; N42 - post #417; G59 - post #416; O65 - this post)
Post Total: 80
Season Total: 1,010
30.36 - G47 GothicThe Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth
gothic 6x
+30 Task
+5 Pub 1996
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1,045
20.22 G50 Author born in the 50s, any centuryThe Bingo Palace by Louise Erdrich
+20 Task: June 07, 1954
+. 5 Pre 1997 (1994)
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 515
20.23 O75 75 Years: Author is AgedThe Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns
+20 Task: 1907 to 1992: 85
+. 5 Pre 1997 (1959)
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 540
30.31 O75 - 75 YearsComing Home by Jack McDevitt
+30 Task Author born 1935
Task total = 30
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 830
30.31 B2 Title has 2+ B's Bloomsbury Girls. Natalie Jenner
This continues the story of Evie Stone from The Jane Austen Society, after she attends and is in the first graduating class of women from Cambridge. World War II has been over for a few years, and life is changing, including more women in the workplace with ambitions of their own. The old boys club is not embracing these changes, though they are willing to take credit for the successes women have. Throughout the novel, the characters grow and learn to take chances. The themes of gender equality, racial discrimination, and workplace relations are set in a one hundred year old London bookshop, and peopled by such famous women as Peggy Guggenheim, Daphne du Maurier, Sonia Blair (wife of George Orwell), and Ellen Doubleday.
This reminded me of a book I read earlier this summer, 84, Charing Cross Road, and from reading a blurb by the author, I found out that it was one of the inspirations for writing this book.
+30 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 35
Season total: 920
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
20.21 - O75 - 75 Years: Author is AgedThe American Lover by Rose Tremain
A collection of short stories featuring love and family relationships. My favourite was ‘A View of Lake Superior in the Fall’ about a Tennessee couple who move to a cabin in Ontario to escape their adult daughter who is taking over their home and their lives. Some of the others didn’t move me as much as I thought they were intended to.
+20 Task (born 1943 and living)
+ 5 Review
+50 Bingo: Fourth Bingo; B6, I28, N35, G58, O75
Task Total = 75
Season Total = 630
30.32 O64 Orange Prize & Women's Prize (winners and nominees)Home. Marilynne Robinson
Marilynne Robinson tells and retells a story from different characters' perspectives in the Gilead series. I read the other 3 books (1, 3, and 4) before coming back to read this one, told primarily from the sister, Glory's pov. The writing is beautiful, and it is a series I want to revisit in the future.
+30 - task
+5 - review
Post total: 35
Season total: 955
B:
I:
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G:
O:
(view spoiler)
30.33 G55 Title has a word with a double G Hygge: The Danish Art of Happiness. Marie Tourell Søderberg
Reading this book gave me a sense of peace, which is what hygge is all about. It's a verb, noun, adjective, and way of life for the Danish people, but also one that has come under attack in recent years due to health concerns, digital media and changing values. This little book covers so many aspects of hygge and how to bring it into your life. It made me pause to think about where I can find it in my own life, and how differently from other cultures we Americans live our lives.
+30 - task
+5 - review
+50 - Bingo #6: B2, I16, N43, G55, O64
Post total: 85
Season total: 1040
B:
I:
N:
G:
O:
(view spoiler)
30.32 G58 - GhostsUnder the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
+30 Task
Task total = 30
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 860
20.22 - N32 - Neighbors: on another GR group's bookshelfA Line To Kill by Anthony Horowitz
Third book in the series where Horowitz is a character in his own books, shadowing a grumpy fictional detective (Hawthorne) so that he can write books about Hawthorne's cases.
In this instalment, the pair are invited to a literary festival on the Channel Island of Alderney, and Hawthorne is unexpectedly keen to go. Anthony has spoken at many literary festivals before, but he is amusingly upstaged by Hawthorne at every turn until one of the most unpopular men on the island is murdered.
This is my favourite Horowitz series. I enjoy the way that he writes himself as the typical sidekick who never has a clue what is going on and only ever assists by getting things wrong. The style and plot are straightforward, but the Alderney background made this one memorable.
+20 Task (this group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/18121... )
+ 5 Review
Task Total = 25
Season Total = 655
10.2 B4 - Before: Historical FictionOld School by Tobias Wolff
(Historical Fiction 114 MPG shelvings)
Task total=10
Season total=20
B 4
I 26
N
G
O
10.3 N31 - New to Me AuthorThe Latecomer by Dimitri Verhulst
Task total=10
Season total=30
B 4
I 26
N 31
G
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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Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou's collection of short essays is inspirational and full of wisdom. She writes from the view of an African American and a woman, but anyone could appreciate her thoughts. She's willing to share experiences from her journey through life to illustrate her ideas. Her writing has a timeless quality although the book was published in 1993.
The title is taken from the lyrics of an African American spiritual about life's journey. The chorus of the song is:
"Oh, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Gotta make it to Heaven somehow
Though the devil tempts me and he tried to turn me around
He's offered everything that's got a name
All the wealth I want and worldly fame
If I could, still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now"
+10 task
+ 5 oldie pub in 1993
+ 5 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 180