Donna's Life Is An Open Book, Chapter 2

Welcome to my new thread! Here are the books I completed in the first four months:

Books Read in January:
1. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. 3.3 Stars
2. Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson. 3.6 Stars
3. Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson. 3.3 Stars
4. So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan. 3.5 Stars
5. The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng. 4.3
6. Cleopatra: The Queen Who Challenged Rome and Conquered Eternity. 3.6 Stars
7. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories* by Norman Maclean. 4.2 Stars
8. White Nights by Ann Cleeves. 3.4 Stars
9. The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn. 4.5
10. System Collapse by Martha Wells. 3.2 Stars.
3,263 pages read in January. One book was mine and one was non-fiction.

Books Read in February:
11. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. 3.7 Stars
12. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. 4 Stars
13. Horse by Geraldine Brooks. 4.5 Stars (Reread for Book Group)
14. The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Rankl. 4.2
15. Chenneville by Paulette Jiles. 4.5 Stars
16. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion. 3.3 Stars
17. Manitou Canyon by William Kent Krueger. 3.3 Stars.
2,490 pages read in February. Only 7 books read this month!

Books Read in March:
18. Absolution by Alice McDermott. 4.2 Stars
19. Cousins by Paulette Jiles. 3.8 Stars
20. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. 4.2 Stars
21. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. 4 Stars
22. The Sparrow* by Mary Doria Russell. 4 Stars
23. Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin. 3.5 Stars
24. North Spirit by Paulette Jiles. 4 Stars
25. Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon. 3.2 Stars.
2,952 pages read in March. 8 books read. One book was mine, one reread, and 2 NF.

Books Read in April:
26. The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson. 3.3 Stars
27. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. 3.5 Stars
28. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. 3.6 Stars
29. Children of God* by Mary Doria Russell. 4.5 Stars
30. I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider. 3.8 Stars
31. Walking: One Step at A Time by Erling Kagge. 3.8 Stars
32. Table for Two by Amor Towles. 3.8 Stars
33. Sulfur Springs by William Kent Krueger. 3.5 Stars.
2,308 pages read in April. Eight books completed. Two were mine, and two NF.

*Books that were read and loved by our departed friend, Julia. (Rosalita on LT)

Books Read in May:
34. Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray. 3.8 Stars
35. I Hear the Sirens in the Street* by Adrian McKinty. 3.7 Stars
36. Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond. 3.5 Stars
37. Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery. 3.8 Stars
38. The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. 3.2 Stars

Happy new thread, Donna!

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Donna.

>1 Donna828: I like your topper and it is so true!

Happy New Thread! I'm curious about I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf

Happy new thread, Donna!

Happy New Thread, Donna!!

Good Morning and welcome to my new thread. Before I go back and share my thoughts on the two books I've read so far this month, I'd like to give special greetings to Jim, Anita (from Canada), Paul, Robyn, Anita (The Netherlands), and Deborah. Thanks for stopping by. Now onward to books...

Book No. 34: Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray. Library, 519 pp., 3.8 Stars.

There is a lot of early 1900s United States History in this chunkster. (519 pages)
I had never heard of Frances Perkins, the first female Secretary of Labor. She was a smart and determined woman who tried to balance family life with a political career. She wasn't afraid to state her opinions on how to improve the lives of the downtrodden (especially women) during the Great Depression. She found a staunch ally in Franklin Delano Roosevelt and worked tirelessly to improve living conditions in 19th Century America.

I like books about strong women and thought the author did a pretty fair portrayal of the times. The book is fiction, and she did take some liberties with the facts. She gave her reasons in the Author's Notes at the end which I greatly appreciated.

>11 Donna828: Nice coincidence - I've started Mr. Churchill's Secretary, recommended by Linda (Whisper) - many mysteries already.

Book No. 35: I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty. Library, 312 pp., 3.7 Stars.

This is No. 2 in the Sean Duffy crime fiction series. The setting is Belfast in the fourteenth year of the low-level civil war euphemistically known as The Troubles. (Pg. 3) I was aware of this happening in the 1980s but didn't realize how precarious life was in Northern Ireland where people had to check under their vehicles for car bombs as part of their daily routine. Troubling indeed. This time frame also included the outbreak of the Falkland Wars which meant fewer policemen to keep what little order there was.

Reading about these times is a good reminder of how much I value peace. Sean Duffy is a truly dedicated police detective working in turbulent times. I read these books closely so I don't get lost in the intricate plots with plenty of twists and a bit more violence than I like. The dark humor lightens things up a bit. The end of this one left me hanging, so I will probably read the next one fairly soon to see how Sean overcomes the changes in his life. I have no doubt in his abilities to keep up his fight for peace in a troubled country.

>12 m.belljackson: Hi Marianne. I read that one in 2021. It may have been a Whisper recommendation for me, too. It was another one full of history told in a very readable style. I am a big fan of Winston Churchill.

>7 elorin: Robyn, I think any reader will appreciate the humor in Grant Snider's book about books. It's a very quick and witty read!

Happy New Thread, Donna!

I love that Sean Duffy series.

I think Table for Two affected me a lot more than it did you. I gave it 5 stars and so far it’s my book of the year. What a writer he is.

It’s nice to see that you read What You Are Looking For is in the Library; I just finished that one. Not the biggest hill of beans around, but I thought it was clever and heart-warming. Somewhere I read that it was a good pick for readers who like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and that actually felt right to me. What do you think?

I keep saying I need to get started on the Sean Duffy series, and I have owned the first in the series for over a year. But the Women's Prize List keeps getting in my way and today Long Island came in from a hold at the library so... it is waiting.

I love the Sean Duffy books too, Donna. Katie introduced me to it, and I recently read the last (at least for now) book. It's a great series.

Happy New Thread, Donna!

Did you notice that your first thread and your new thread didn't link? Perhaps a quickie manual link at the bottom of that one and the top of this one, so people like me (early morning, no coffee yet) spend less time wandering in the boonies. :)

Lots of good reading going on here!

>11 Donna828: Donna, I've added Becoming Madam Secretary to my TBR list. I highly recommend Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal. I'm slowly progressing through this excellent series. I started Mr. Churchill's Secretary after reading

I read this series out of order, but one needed follow in order to enjoy the books. I read this one first

and was hooked on the series.

Happy new thread, Donna!

>16 jnwelch: It’s great to see you here, Joe. I do love Towles’ writing. However, short stories aren’t very satisfying to me, so I was compelled to knock off a star. I can be hard-hearted sometimes.
Haha.

I think I need to read Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I enjoy Japanese literature with its focus on the inner life. Thanks for the tip.

>17 vancouverdeb: I am late to the Sean Duffy series, Deborah. We all have different reading goals at different times. I love that books are so patient. And I love your take on the Women’s Prize books. I wish more were available at my library, although I have not been wowed at the caliber of this year’s nominees.

>18 lauralkeet: Thanks for stopping by, Laura. I agree with you, Joe, Katie and others about the Sean Duffy series. I will read No. 3 as soon as I’m caught up with the latest onslaught of library books. I am off on another travel book tangent right after I finish the not so compelling book for Tuesday night’s book group. More on that one after the discussion.

>19 streamsong: I think I missed the boat on a linkup, Janet. My Library Thing skills are getting rusty! I did add a little invitational note at the end of my last thread. Thank you for taking the time to look me up. ;-)

>20 Whisper1:, 21 Hi Linda, I appreciate your visit. I enjoyed the two books I read in the Maggie Hope mystery series a few years ago on your recommendation. I think you will find similarities in the writing with Stephanie Dray’s books. They both do historical fiction well.

>22 The_Hibernator: Hi there, Rachel. Thanks for finding my new thread.

Dave, Audrey (20), Sadie (22), Griffin (16), Donna.

Whew, caught up for now. We spent a busy few days in Kansas getting our oldest granddaughter Sadie graduated from K-State. She will do another summer internship at Koch Industries in Wichita, KS this summer, then return to Manhattan (KS) to get her Master’s in Accounting.

I’m currently struggling through Poverty, By America for Tuesday Book Group. I sure wish there was a viable solution to this staggering problem in our country. It’s not easy reading about it, but it should make for a spirited discussion.

Coming up is a slew of armchair travel books from the library. The Last Train to Key West and Grandma Gatewood’s Walk are in my possession, and a few others are on order. I am definitely going places in my reading!

>2 Donna828: Happy new thread Donna. I love looking at your list of so many books read this year.

I will put a link to your present thread from your first thread if that is okay!

Happy New Thread, Donna. Happy Mother's Day. I will be starting Table for Two, right after my current read. I love short stories, so let's see how I feel about this one.

>26 Donna828: Love the family pic! Such a good-looking group.

>27 mdoris: Thank you so much for doing the connection magic, Mary. I was afraid to try it for fear of creating an unwanted second new thread. I’m glad you enjoy looking at my book list. I’ve had a decent variety of books this year so far.

>28 msf59: Thanks, Mark, for the Mother's Day good wishes and the photo compliment. We sure had fun with Sadie. She and her roommates threw a daylong party/open house for friends and family. It was much more relaxing than going out to eat. I love hanging out with young people and listening to their plans to conquer the world.

I predict you will love the new Towles book. I was even charmed by some of the stories…just wish they hadn’t been so short!

>26 Donna828: A lovely picture, Donna, and happy Mother's Day!

>29 Donna828: Hi Donna, you are very welcome and I hope you don't mind that I did that! I have posted a beach picture of Loki on my thread. Please come and visit!

>26 Donna828: Great photo, Donna. Happy new thread!

>11 Donna828: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Donna!

>13 Donna828: I keep telling myself that one of these years I am going to get to that series!

>26 Donna828: Gosh, they grow up so fast, don't they? I remember when those kids were just small tykes. Congratulations to Sadie on her graduation!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Happy new thread and love the photo in >26 Donna828:!! Congrats to Sadie on the graduation and to you, happy Thursday. : )

>30 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah. I hope your Mother's Day was fantastic. We were tired after our short but fun trip to see Sadie graduate, so I told my local peeps to meet up in the part with the dogs. Big mistake. Extremely crowded and our Penny is reactive to strange dogs which meant a constant struggle. Oh well, the frozen custard after our walk was pretty wonderful!

>31 mdoris: I saw Loki's picture a few days ago when I was surfing the threads, Mary. That looks like a wonderful place to let her run and have fun. I wish we had an area like that for Penny. And, again, I was very thankful that you linked my threads.

>30 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. I was exhausted on Mother's Day after our whirlwind trip to Kansas. I thought it might be relaxing to meet up with youngest son and family in our favorite park. We weren't the only ones who had that great idea. Too many people and dogs. Our Penny was hard to keep under control with all the excitement so we didn't stay long. The frozen custard afterward (as our reward) was a big hit with both people and dogs!

>31 mdoris: Mary, I saw the picture of Loki. She is so lucky to have a place like that to run and explore. Penny would love it! Again, I was delighted that you took the initiative to link my threads.

>32 BLBera: Hi Beth, thanks for checking in. I will pay you a visit later on when I get caught up here.

>33 alcottacre: Thanks for the graduation congratulations, Stasia. Sadie grew up in the blink of an eye. Audrey and Griffin are not far behind her. I miss having little ones around.
I am also a latecomer to the Sean Duffy series. It's a good one for sure!

>34 Berly: It's good to see you here, Kim. Thank you for your kind words.

Book No. 36: Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond. Library, Book Group, 320 pp., 3.5 Stars.

As predicted, we had a very good discussion about this book. I see the ratings by my friends here are higher than I rated it. I think I was comparing it to his earlier work, Evicted which I rated 4.5 and enjoyed much more. I know that "enjoyment" is not the goal of these types of exposés, however, I did like the more intimate approach that focused on the stories of people experiencing housing shortages.

He relied too heavily on statistics in this latest book, and my eyes were crossing by the litany of facts and figures before he offered his "somewhat: helpful solutions. Right now it is a dilemma because of the way our government works (or should I say doesn't work?).

Evicted touched my heart but Poverty, by America offended me. Too much finger pointing.

Book No. 37: Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery. Library, 277 pp., 3.8 Stars.

This was a delightful book about an independent woman in her late-60s who was determined to walk the Appalachian Trail in 1955 when it wasn't that well established nor a popular thing to do. Emma Gatewood was the mother of 11 children and even more grandchildren, but no one knew what she was up to until she developed a following when she was well on her way. The book was well researched and even had photos, maps, and interviews with family and people she met on her adventures. She was the first woman to complete the hike and the first person to walk the trail three (!) times. As if that wasn't enough, she also completed the 2,000 mile Oregon Trail hike in three months to help celebrate the Oregon Centennial in 1959. She was 71 years old then.

I felt like a total slacker when I finished this one! ;-)

Book No. 38: The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. Library, 297 pp., 3.2 Stars.

Well, they can't all be winners! This one disappointed me mainly because I thought it would be more about the trip to the Florida Keys rather than the 1935 hurricane that devastated the area. It was a fictionalized account that had a bit too much romance in it for my tastes.

>38 Donna828: Grandma's Walk sounds interesting, Donna. Like you, I only like a small side of romance if a book has romance in it. I know the feeling of read faster , as I am also waiting for hold at the library. I hope you get Brotherless Night soon.

>38 Donna828: What an amazing story! I had no idea. Great review, Donna.

>26 Donna828: Great family picture Donna. You must be so proud!

I felt the same way as you about Poverty and about Evicted. I was blown away by E. and disappointed in P.