Reading with Style discussion
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SP 24 Completed Tasks
15.5 HDYGG?The Romance of Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bédier
Flowers:
thE roMAnCe of TrIStan and iseuLt - CLEMATIS+
THe romaNce of tristAN anD ISeUlt - DIANTHUS+
Vegetables:
England - ENDIVE
France - FENNEL
Herbs: page count = 205
2-LEMON VERBENA
Count: 2 flowers / 2 vegetables / 1 herb
Total count (overall) : 6 flower / 9 vegetables / 8 herbs
+15 Task
+10 Flower Bonus
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 225
10.9 Anniversaries (Apple's task)The Pig Comes to Dinner by Joseph Caldwell 255 pages
Review:
The continuation of The Pig Trilogy: The Pig Did It, The Pig Comes to Dinner, and The Pig Goes to Hog Heaven. I did not enjoy this second installment as much as book # 1, yet it entertained me enough to finish it.
Kitty Sweeny and Aaron McCloud are now a happily married couple and owners of "the castle" situated in this small Irish village in County Kerry. Unknown to them, their marital home brings with it the presence of two ghosts who have resided there for centuries, waiting despondently for someone to release them to cross over. Along with this problem the unruly Pig is returned them, his arrival a matter of contention between the newly weds. The discovery of the two young ghosts (a man and woman who are both beautiful) brings its own problem of attraction and the humans sorrow having to rid the castle of them. Both these problems are the meat of the story.
Not quite as humorous as the first book, there were still chuckles to be had, and still the unwavering feeling that animals are much smarter than most give them credit for. I, myself, find this tune of humor the best. I will complete the series.
Caldwell is not a humor writer, by any means, but a writer he is. His descriptive prose is laced with deep thought and the added dry humor gives the reader a release from all that intense reading. The humor is, as mentioned in my review of book 1, the Might Python type of humor that some may not enjoy. I will finish with series with hopes of more inane humor to come.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total 20
Season Total 230
10.5 BroadwayThe Wicked Go to Hell by Frédéric Dard
The opening is an internal dialogue by a policeman. Toward the end of this brief opening is this. Because before telling you any more, I must admit something: we do actually have a conscience. But it is so deeply buried under our DUTY that we are practically unable to hear its voice when, as happens with everyone’s conscience, it starts to protest.
The cop, whose name we don't know, gets an assignment. He must help a prisoner escape from jail so that the authorities can learn who were the other members of his group. In the next scene two men are being ushered into a jail cell. Their names are Frank and Hal. We do not know which is the cop and which is the legitimate prisoner. And this is the reader's dilemma. Which is which?
This is dark. I guess one could assume that from the title which includes two dark words: wicked and hell. I like dark, at least in small doses. I intend to read more of this author. There is a brief biography at the end and I learned Dard was very prolific and that he wrote under numerous pseudonyms, not all of which have been translated into English. I think I'll go on a hunt, though, because he intrigues me. For one thing, I learned that Dard and Simenon were friends. Ok, so back to this book: a very strong 3-stars, but so strong as we can see, that I want more of Dard.
+10 Task (Who's Who in Hell)
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (20.10 - France)
+10 Lost in Translation
Task total = 35
Season total = 340
20.9 Beware the Ides of March The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
A very emotional and involving story of two very different sisters in France during World War II and how they react to the Nazi occupation. Vianne is married, living in a village in the middle of France with her daughter while her husband is a POW in Germany, and she has a Nazi soldier billeted at her house who seems not to be a bad person as an individual. Isabelle is younger and impulsive, impatient with her sister's acceptance of the occupation and determined to work for the resistance.
This lost one star because it was spoiled a little by things I just could not believe: (view spoiler) Otherwise I really enjoyed it.
+20 Task (many secret conspiracies against the Nazis)
+15 Combo (10.2, 10.9 440 pages, 20.7 Isabelle crosses from France into Spain for brief visits)
+10 Review
Post total = 45
Season Total = 485
20.4 The Fighting Temeraire The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
Lexile 830
20.7: the story is about a trip from the USA to Ireland and England. After spending a week or two in England, they go back to the USA by plane.
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.2, 10.9 320 pages, 20.7)
Post total = 35
Season Total = 520
15.3 HDYGG?Herefordshire Farming Through Time: Fellers, Tillers & Cider Makers by Katherine Lack
Flowers:
herefOrDshirefARMingthrouGhtImefeLlerstillerscidermakers - MARIGOLD*
herefordshirefarmingthroughtimefellerSTIlLErsCiderMAkers - CLEMATIS*
herefordShirefarmingthrOUghTImefelLerstillerscidermakers - LOTUS
Vegetables:
Herefordshire - HEART OF PALM
Plants this post = 4
Total plants = 9
+15 Task
+10 Flower bonus
Post Total = 25
Season Total = 545
20.9 Beware the Ides of MarchDeath in a Strange Country by Donna Leon
I did give the first in this series 4*, but maybe it was a low 4 because I feel like this instalment (#2) is much better. There are many things that are very good about this novel – the writing, the sense of place (you are IN Venice no question), the complexity of the mystery, the characters – all of them seemed interesting and to have depth. The most interesting part (to me!) was the up-front acknowledgement of corruption and behind the scenes dealing(s) that Italy is known for. The corruption was about a very contemporary issues, as well. This series is written by an American ex-pat, so hopefully they are accurate! Either way I enjoyed this very much (could hardly put it down). 4*
20 task
10 review
10 combo 10.3, 20.10
_________
40
Running total: 575
15.1 - HDYGGWhen the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
Set in Kipsen, North Carolina, USA
Flower : cosmos
Vegetables : kale, Napa Cabbage
Herb : page count (MPE = 237) rue, parsley
Task : 15
Plants : 5
Season total: 65
10.2 The DispossessedThe Confessions by Tiffany Reisz
A very quick read comprised of three parts -- one is the confession of Marcus Stearn as told by his priest, one is the confession of Nora Sutherlin, as told by the same priest but many years later, and the third is an interview with the author. This is fan service for readers who have read the Original Sinners books and would like more backstory with these characters. If you haven't read and enjoyed the series, there's no point in reading these novellas--they'd hardly make sense without knowledge of these characters and their fictional world.
I did find the author interview interesting. It's clear that she's put a lot of thought into these books and how she wants to handle some of the subjects that she covers--sexual abuse and coverup within the Catholic church, taboo relationships, etc. The reporter who interviewed the author is clearly a fan of the series and a friend of the author, so the interview was conversational and light.
+10 Task
+5 Combo (10.9 - 140pp)
+10 Review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 190
15.2 HDYGGA Sacred Landscape: The Search for Ancient Peru by Hugh Thomson
Flowers
a sacreD LANDscapE the search fOr aNcIent peru DANDELION+
A Sacred landscape ThE seaRch for ancient peru ASTER
Vegetables
Potato-Peru
Spinach-South America
Herbs 376 pages
7-parsley
6-chives
2 flowers/2 vegetables/2 herbs
Season: 4 flowers/2 vegetables/5 herbs
+15 task
+5 bonus flower
Task total: 20
Season total: 40
20.3 Madonna of the CatThe Priest by Tiffany Reisz
The author suggests that this could be a good entry point for the Original Sinners series for new readers. I disagree. I don't think this book would be that great as a stand-alone mystery or for a new reader with no history with these characters. Part of what makes the book understandable at all is knowing the back story of these characters and some of their history of interactions. I think a new reader would find their relationships somewhat confusing and a bit difficult to parse.
I've adored this series and I quite liked this book. I enjoyed that this book was more of a detective story and less centered on the sexual relationships between these characters. It still had many of the characters that I like making appearances, plus the addition of two new characters: Cyrus and his fiancee Pauline. The book still had strong female characters, a generally sex-positive attitude, and a willingness to deal with difficult topics.
+20 Task (no name is given, but a kitten is given to the main character during the book; also another character has a bunch of cats)
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (10.2)
Task total: 35
Grand total: 225
10.2 The DispossessedMarsupilami: The Beast by Zidrou
(Marsupilami is the name of the series, the name of the book is only "The Beast")
+10 Task
No style points, graphic novel
Task total = 10
Points total = 265
10.1 (x3) ; 10.2; 10.3 ; 10.4 ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; … ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; … ; 20.7 ; 20.8 ; … ; 20.10
10.8 ElementalLe grand feu by Léonor de Récondo
The translation of the title is "The great fire"
+10 Task
+15 Combo (10.3 - 2023 ; 20.6 - the main points of view are the two main characters, Ilaria and Paolo, but some chapters are also written through the point of view of other characters) ; 20.7 - the book is set in Venice, Italy, but one of the main characters, Paulo, travels in Greece)
Task total = 25
Points total = 290
10.1 (x3) ; 10.2; 10.3 ; 10.4 ; … ; … ; … ; 10.8 ; … ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; … ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; … ; 20.7 ; 20.8 ; … ; 20.10
20.6 Fruit Dish, Bottle and ViolinMille hivers by Renaud de Chaumaray
The story is told moslty from the points of view of the 2 main characters, Dorothée and Tortu, but also from 2 other minor characters, Lucille and Sam.
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.3 - 2023 ; 10.9 - 210 ; 20.7 - the book is set in France, but one of the characters travels to Greenland)
Task total = 35
Points total = 325
10.1 (x3) ; 10.2; 10.3 ; 10.4 ; … ; … ; … ; 10.8 ; … ; …
… ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; … ; …
20.1 ; … ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; 20.6 ; 20.7 ; 20.8 ; … ; 20.10
15.8 HDYGG?The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Flowers
thedRESsmakerOfkhairkhana:fivesisters,oneremarkablefamily,andthe womanwhoriskedeverythingtokeepthemsafe - ROSE
thedressmakerofkhAiRkhana:fivesisters,oneRemarkablefamilY,andthe WOmanwhoriskedeverythingtokeepthemsafe - YARROW
theDressmAkeroFkhairkhana:Fivesisters,OneremarkabLefamily,anDthe womanwhorIskedeverythingtokeepthemsafe - DAFFODIL +5
thedressmakerofkhairkhana:fiveSisters,oneremarkablefamily,andthe WomanwhoriskEdEverythingtokeePThEmsAfe - SWEET PEA +5
Vegetables:
Kabul - KALE
Herbs (258 pgs)
No Herbs
5 Plants this post
40 Total plants
+15 pts
+10 Flowers
Task total = 25
Season total = 365
20.5 - SurprisedHer Sister's Death by K.L. Murphy
+20 task
+5 Combo - 10.9 - 352 pgs
Task total: 25
Grand total: 165
10.1 Rewind to WinterBite Me by Christopher Moore
A satisfying follow up to the other books in this series. This could be read without reading the other books in the trilogy, but I think it's more enjoyable if you've read the other two. It picks up right where book 2 left off.
Christopher Moore books are always a little slapstick, a little zany, and generally fun. This is no exception. The book involves vampires, vampire cats, and a vampire cat that grows to human size and develops some human thoughts. There's also a corpse-sniffing dog, a team of young adults called the "Animals," some police officers, and the vampires from the previous books.
The perspective switched often in this book, maybe a little too often. The narrator for the audiobook seemed to have trouble keeping the different characters straight.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.3 - 3d in series; 10.4 - auth. b. 1957; 20.3 - Chet was a pet cat that turned into a vampire; 20.6 - there were lots of POV here, including a dog, the vampire cat, and several others)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 265
20.8 Fancy Meeting You HereSay My Name by J. Kenner
I needed a mindless read and this fit the bill. I remember liking the original Stark books well enough, so figured this spinoff series might be entertaining.
I'm kind of sick of protagonists with trauma in their past. Here again we have a trauma related past incident that the main character is going to try to use the new romantic relationship as a form of therapy. Here, it's not overdone--the traumatic incident is relatively minor compared to the horrible pasts that many romance heroines seem to have, and Sylvia basically has her life together. Thus, it's not as implausible as sometimes that she could use a new relationship to help her.
I liked the book enough to continue the series. I'll read the next one the next time I'm looking for a mindless interlude between other books.
+20 Task - this is a spinoff of another series and characters from the original series appear in this one
+10 Review
+5 Combo - 20.7 (two characters go to a conference in Europe; book is set mostly in California)
Task total: 35
Grand total: 300
10.9 - AnniversariesLeft for Dead by Jay Darkmoore
+10 task - 271 pgs
+10 Combo -10.3 - 2023, 10.5 - PS Your Cat is DEAD
Task total: 20
Grand total: 205
15.3 HDYGGThe Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance by Dan Egan
ThedevIlSeleMeNTphosphoRUsAndaworldoUtofbalance NASTURTIUM+
thEdEvilselementphOsphOrusaNdaWoRldoutoFbaLanCe CONEFLOWER+
228 pages
8 Rosemary
This task: 2 flowers/1 herb
Season total: 6 flowers/2 vegetables/6 herbs
+15 task
+10 two bonus flowers
Task total: 25
Season total: 65
Tien wrote: "15.5 HDYGG?The Romance of Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bédier
Vegetables:
England - ENDIVE
France - FENNEL"
The requirement for a vegetable is 51%+ set in that location.
Does this book take place mostly in England or France? Only one country would be claim-able. Does it take place 51%+ in one city that you could additionally claim? If it is set a majority in France, you could still claim "Endive" but for Europe...
Tawallah wrote: "15.1 - HDYGGWhen the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
Set in Kipsen, North Carolina, USA
Flower : cosmos "
Unfortunately, the title you're claiming only has one "s" so "cosmos" wouldn't work here. "Rose" would, though. Would you like to claim "rose" and keep the same plant count or do you have "rose" planned elsewhere?
15,4 HDYGGAll It Takes Is a Goal: The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential by Jon Acuff
Flowers
Larkspur: ALl it taKeS is a goal the 3 step plan to ditch RegRet and taP into yoUr massive potential
Marigold: alL It takes is a GOal the 3 step plan to Ditch regret and tap into youR MAssive potential
Hyacinth: all it tAkes Is a goal THe 3 step plaN to ditCH regret and tap into Your massive potential
Violet: all it takes is a goaL thE 3 step plan tO dITch regret and tap into your massiVe potential
Herbs
7: Parsley
15 pts 15.4 HDYGG
15 pts Flower Bonus
5 plants this post
22 plants this season
Task Total: 30 pts
Season Total: 295 pts
Post 228
… 10.2 … … … … … 10.8 … …
… 20.2 … … … … …… 20.9 …
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4… … … … … …
Task 20.1 The National GalleryRead a book that focuses on a particular piece of art or an art collection, or has a visual artist as a main character (painter, sculptor, or photographer).
Main character, Nellie Burns, is a professional photographer.
Moonshadows (Nellie Burns and Moonshine Mystery #1) (2015) by Julie Whitesel Weston
Review: Nellie Burns, our main character in the novel, is 25 years old and a professional photographer. Overwhelming sexism in 1922 drives her from Chicago to the wilds of Idaho. She’s hoping that a series of photographs that are clearly hers (no male boss to take credit for her work) will establish her reputation. With a good reputation, she can support herself with her photographic work. She makes the first set of photographs at dusk, consisting of “moonshadows” on snow. Surprise! In addition to artistic considerations, the photos show something unexpected – a dead body. There are a lot of descriptions of the Idaho countryside, along with descriptions of the photographic process. The reader is introduced to several characters (and their backstories!) who will all be present for the next several books of the series. The mystery solution is …. Okay …. Adequate, but clearly not the central focus. Recommended for those interested in photography and for those who enjoy reading about spunky heroines.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 160 + 30 = 190
20.6 Fruit Dish, Bottle and ViolinQueen Of Storms (The Firemane Saga #2) by Raymond E. Feist
3 main ones with 2 others so total of 5
Review
The first few chapters of the book was fairly easy going; lives being lived in a small but thriving village. Things were pretty hunky dory until it suddenly wasn't and nowhere and no one was safe. This is book 2 in the Firemane Saga and it did not suffer the book 2 syndrome. Things were definitely happening that in the last half of the book, the switches between POVs were constantly happening, it was making me a bit dizzy. I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect in this book as while book 1 was a fairly good read, there were parts that just bogged you down. The very curious ending though drove us (me + a buddy) to pick up this sequel and we WILL be reading book 3! I look forward to the magic actually being explored next.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 255
Post 166 Valerie wrote: "10.9 AnniversariesStrong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
I’ve dipped into the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries here and there over the years, and now looking back over the ser..."
+5 Combo 10.6
Post 184 Ed wrote: "20.6 Fruit Dish, Bottle and ViolinThe Reader's Companion to Cuba by Alan Ryan
I have had this book on my shelf for a long time and finally got around to reading it....."
Sorry, Ed, task 20.6 requires a novel. We will score this for 20.5.
-5 Combo points
Post 187 Deedee wrote: "Task 20.5 20.5 Surprised!Read a book with one of the following punctuation marks in the title: exclamation mark ! question mark ? brackets ( ) apostrophe ' quotation marks " hyphen or dash - forwa..."
+10 1001 list
Post 191 Norma wrote: "Rosemary, thanks for catching this error, but Joanna caught in post 33 and I deducted the 5 points in post 52, so i believe I should have 120 points."Sorry I didn't notice that, Norma. We have your total correctly now (205 points at post 224).
15.3 HDYGGTwisted Twenty-Sixby Janet Evanovich
Napa Cabbage-set in New Jersey
Chives 6-306 pp
Task +15
Grand total: 110
10.10 Group ReadsThe Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
10 pts 10.10 Group Reads
5 pts 10.5 Broadway Shows MOON
5 pts 10.6 Modernism
5 pts 20.3 Madonna of the Cat. The Fulmer children have a kitten
10 pts Review
10 pts 1001 list
This book left me a little flat. Like much of Wharton this novel implicitly comments on a segment of American society which (with the exception of the leading characters of this novel). Have more money than they need and the willingness to spend it on maintaining their lifestyles. The central characters are low key mooches who rely on their friends and acquaintances to support them. Nick and Suzy have married with the intention of maintaining their relationship until a year passes with the hope of finding new benefactors.
Without spoilers, the novel continues along a fairly expected plotline. There is nothing wrong with the novel but it is not a particularly interesting story.
Task Total: 45 pts
Season Total: 340 pts
Post 236
… 10.2 … … … … … 10.8 … 10.10
… 20.2 … … … … …… 20.9 …
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4… … … … … …
15.9 HDYGG?Music Tells All by E.R. Punshon
Flowers
MUsIctellsALL - ALLIUM
Vegetables
England ENDIVE
Herbs
270 pgs
2- LEMON VERBENA
7 - PARSLEY
0 - PEPPERMINT
5 Plants this post
45 Total plants
+15 Task
Task total = 15
Season total = 380
20.5 Surprised!As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
I listened to the audiobook version of this, and it was a complete joy - if you love the film you will surely love this. Many of the main players involved in the making of the film take part in this, and you get an insight into the entire history - from the desire to make the film, the casting, the rehearsals and fencing training, to the filming, as well as insights into Elwes love of film history, and everyone's love of Andre the Giant.
This is told as if it is a venture itself, and there are many funny, and exciting moments behind the scenes, from the catering, to stunts, and the challenge of creating the best sword fight ever. Highly recommended.
+20 task
+5 combo (10,5 - both "As You " from "As You Like It")
+10 review
Post Total = 35
Season Total = 495
...; ...; 10.3; ...; ...; ...; ...; ...; 10.9; 10.10
15.1; 15,2; 15.3; 15.4;
20.1; ...; ...; ...; 20.5 (x2); 20.6; 20.7; ...; 20.9; 20.10
30.1 Go for the Green ReduxBeloved Land by Gordon Peake
A history on the independence of Timor Leste
+30 task
Post Total = 30
Season Total = 525
...; ...; 10.3; ...; ...; ...; ...; ...; 10.9; 10.10
15.1; 15,2; 15.3; 15.4;
20.1; ...; ...; ...; 20.5 (x2); 20.6; 20.7; ...; 20.9; 20.10
30.1
20.3 The Madonna of the CatThe Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Nana is named for the shape of his tail, which is shaped like the number 7
This starts as one of those feel-good Japanese novels, a stray cat gets adopted after he is hit by a car and the guy who owns the van he sits on takes him to the vet and looks after him. Turns out that the cat looks exactly like a cat he had in childhood.
Whilst the bond between the two is deep. they go on a journey, visiting to potential new owners, as he has to give up Nana due to "unforseen circumstances". We learn the backstory of the current owner as well of all the potential owners, including how they came to know each other, and the emotional scars they all carry.
I say this starts as a feel-good story, because by the end I was blubbering uncontrollably, which is why I don't like to read animal stories, they are always emotional.
If you are a big sook like me, give this one a go.
+20 task
+10 LIT
+5 comb (10.5 - P.S Your Cat is Dead!)
+10 review
Post Total = 45
Season Total = 570
...; ...; 10.3; ...; ...; ...; ...; ...; 10.9; 10.10
15.1; 15,2; 15.3; 15.4;
20.1; ...; 20.3; ...; 20.5 (x2); 20.6; 20.7; ...; 20.9; 20.10
30.1
20.3 The Madonna of the CatWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Merricat has a pet cat called Jonas
This was a re-read for me, as my daughter is having to study it for school, and has not enjoyed it as the teacher spoilt it for the whole class on their first day (no one had read it as they didn't know the sequence of texts for the year).
Mostly I had remembered this, which shows how well Jackson is able to make her mark on the reader. The last third was probably not as clear in my memory, and at some points it felt a little like my memory of The Lottery.
Merricat's unreliability as a narrator is more evident this read, and she definitely feels more unbalanced than I remember from last time. Constance seems more perfect than I remember, and I wonder how their relationship came to be what it is. The feeling of nastiness in the family background was heavier, not so much of abuse, but suppression, and that is probably the overwhelming sense throughout, something being suppressed, and simmering below the surface.
A masterpiece.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.9 - 160 pages)
Post Total = 35
Season Total = 605
...; ...; 10.3; ...; ...; ...; ...; ...; 10.9; 10.10
15.1; 15,2; 15.3; 15.4;
20.1; ...; 20.3 (x2); ...; 20.5 (x2); 20.6; 20.7; ...; 20.9; 20.10
30.1
20.6 Fruit Dish, Bottle and ViolinThe Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
+20 task
+5 combo (10.7, - page 2 on Space list)
Post Total = 25
Season Total = 630
...; ...; 10.3; ...; ...; ...; ...; ...; 10.9; 10.10
15.1; 15,2; 15.3; 15.4;
20.1; ...; 20.3 (x2); ...; 20.5 (x2); 20.6 (x2); 20.7; ...; 20.9; 20.10
30.1
10.1 Rewind to Winter Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor
This is # 10 in the series, I read # 9 in January https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Clive, the bad guy, is still loose and Max cannot put up with him any longer. She launches a
Taylor has a formula with this series, and you either accept that or move on to something else. I choose to continue my visits with Max and the gang at St. Mary's. Easy, delightful reading for me that provides a great escape.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Points this task 20
Season Total 275
20.7 International TravelThe Fury by Alex Michaelides
Elliot Chase, an unstable man with an abusive childhood, had found a good friend in the ex-actress Lana Farrar. He narrates the story about Lana inviting her close English friends to spend a weekend on a small private Greek island. It sounds like the perfect place to relax except that the guests were reacting to betrayals, looking for love, harboring secrets, and wanting revenge.
Elliot tells us at the start of the book that this is not a "whodunit," but a "whydunit--a character study, an examination of who we are, and why we do the things we do." There are lots of twists and turns in this story as Elliot reveals the past and the present. Seven people are on the island, trapped there by the strong Greek winds called the "fury." Will they all survive the night? Alex Michaelides keeps us turning the pages.
+20 task (travel from England to Greece for a weekend)
+10 combo 10.2 The Dispossessed; 10.3 St Patrick's Day (pub in 2023)
+10 review
Task total: 40
Season total: 310
20.5 Surprised!The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries by Henning Mankell
My edition is subtitled "The First Wallander Cases" and so, I thought logically, that this was the first in the series. I was in error, but not entirely wrong. These are stories that tell of Kurt Wallander before the series itself starts. I have not yet read the first in the series, Faceless Killers, but there will be nothing in this volume that would spoil that or any of the others. Mankell writes that all of the stories included here take place before January 8, 1990 when, I believe, that date is when Faceless Killers begins.
It begins with "Wallander's First Case". Kurt hasn't yet become a criminal investigator, but he manages to solve a crime and is noticed. This story is just over 100 pages, so some might call it a novella rather than a short story. This was my introduction to Kurt Wallander and I was very happy to continue my acquaintance. The next three installments are truly short stories: "The Man with the Mask", "The Man on the Beach", and "The Death of the Photographer". Kurt has become a criminal investigator in all of these. In fact, by the last of these three, he has become the lead of a group.
The title story is the last in the volume and the last chronologically. It is also the longest and is really a novella, being about 160 pages. The story begins with a Prologue in what we believe to be a drug drop, but the plane delivering the drugs crashes. The story, of course, involves murder. What does the plane crash have to do with murder?
I am anxious to continue this series. Or, perhaps more accurately, I am anxious to *begin* this series. I rarely think mysteries live up to any 5-star rating, but I'll make an exception to this volume and hope the rest live up to this standard.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.9 - 392 pgs; 20.10 - Sweden)
+10 LiT
Task Total = 50
Season total = 430
10.4 Baby BoomersFoundationby Mercedes Lackey
Born 1950 as found on her Goodreads page
Task +10
Combo +5 10.9 Anniversary
340 pp
Grand total: 125
20.10 World of CrimeThe Harbor by Katrine Engberg
+20 Task, set in Denmark
+10 LiT, Danish
+25 Combo: 10.2; 10.9, 352 MPE page count; 20.1 (view spoiler); 20.6: nearly every character in the book has at least one chapter from their point of view; 20.9 (view spoiler)
Task total: 55
Season total: 285
Jayme(theghostreader) wrote: "15.3 HDYGGTwisted Twenty-Sixby Janet Evanovich
Napa Cabbage-set in New Jersey
Chives 6-306 pp
Task +15
Grand total: 110"
So sorry, Jayme, but it looks like you've already used Napa Cabbage in your 15.1 claim (post 18). Your plant total for this post is 1 plant (chives) rather than the 2 claimed.
Anika wrote: "Jayme(theghostreader) wrote: "15.3 HDYGGTwisted Twenty-Sixby Janet Evanovich
Napa Cabbage-set in New Jersey
Chives 6-306 pp
Task +15
Grand total: 110"
So sorry, Ja..."
Ok, thanks.
15.5 HDYGG?The Effect of Living Backwards by Heidi Julavits
Flowers
The Effects of Living Backwards IRIS
The Effects of Living Backwards BEGONIA
Vegetables:
lucerne = LEEK
switzerland = SPINACH
Herbs: page count = 336
3 = RUE
5 Plants this post
28 Total plants in the garden
+15 Task
+ 0 Flower Bonus
Task total = 15
Season total = 385
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (other topics)Code Name Hélène (other topics)
The Teacher (other topics)
A Man's Head (other topics)
Redoubt (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ed Yong (other topics)Ariel Lawhon (other topics)
Freida McFadden (other topics)
Georges Simenon (other topics)
Mercedes Lackey (other topics)
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The Forever Girl by Alexander McCall Smith
Frankly this book is not very good. I have read several other of Smith’s mysteries and found them to be a little trite. This book, however, much worse than his usual standard. Clover and James grow up in the Cayman Islands and are fast friends until something (we really don’t know what) comes between them. Clover carries a torch for years until the whole situation is resolved neatly.
The writing is overblown, with descriptions of places and people that are too florid. Every once in a while Smith segues in to a monologue on relationships or love just because he can. The only reason I made it through was because a substantial part was set in the Caymans. The only plus is that the characters are all fairly pleasant even if they are a bit clueless.
30 pts 30.1 Go for the Green Redux
5 pts 20.7 International Travel Clover visits Australia and Singapore
10 pts Review
Task Total: 45 pts
Season Total: 265 pts
Post 201
… 10.2 … … … … … 10.8 … …
… 20.2 … … … … …… 20.9 …
15.1 15.2 15.3 … … … … … … …