Dejah_Thoris reads too many books in 2018

Greetings, all!

I don't have time to do beyond the bare bones tonight (12/31), but I wanted to make it official - I'm definitely in for 2018!

My library system has their own reading challenge this year, and since I like to support them as much as possible, I'm participating!

All books must be checked out from the library - proof is required.

1. Read a Travel Memoir:
2. Read a book from the "Books All Georgians Should Read" list, any year:
3. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
4. Read a book by an author of color: Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor
5. Read a book in which a character goes on a spiritual journey: Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths
6. Read a children's classic published before 1980: The Snowy Day
7. Read a poetry collection:
8. Read a YA or middle grade book: The Secret of Red Gate Farm
9. Read a book that has won the Coretta Scott King Award: Trombone Shorty
10. Read a collection of short stories: Night Shift
11. Read a book that takes place in the future: Bannerless
12. Read a book about or by someone from an indigenous culture:
13. Listen to an audio book: Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
14. Read a book that is a retelling of a classic story: Jane Steele
15. Read a book that was originally published in a foreign language: The Keeper of Lost Causes
16. Read a graphic novel: Poppies of Iraq
17. Read a book that you would consider a guilty pleasure: Powder and Patch
18. Read a novel set in Asia:
19. Read a sports themed book: The Boys in the Boat
20. Read a nonfiction book: Discovering the Mammoth
22. Read a classic:
23. Read a book over 400 pages: City of Brass
24. Read a book that started as a blog: How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You

Over the last few years, I've been trying to read all the winning and nominated works for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama - and a few from other categories as well. Lists of the non-winning Finalists have only been made available since 1980.

Year or 'finalist' for works read in 2018 are in bold.

Drama: 5 / 33
1918: Why Marry? by Jesse Lynch Williams
1938: Our Town by Thornton Wilder
1940: The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan
1943: The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
1946: State of the Union by Russell Crouse and Howard Lindsay
1948: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
1955: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
1959: J. B.: A Play in Verse by Archibald MacLeish
1967: A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee
1977: The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer
1981: Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley
1982: A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller
1983: 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman
1987: Fences by August Wilson
1988: Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry
1989: The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wasserstein
1990: The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
1991: Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon
finalist: Prelude to a Kiss by Craig Lucas
1992:
finalist Conversations With My Father by Herb Gardner
1994:
finalist A Perfect Ganesh by Terrence McNally
1995: The Young Man From Atlanta by Horton Foote
1997: NO WINNER
finalistThe Last Night of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry
2000: Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies
2001: Proof by David Auburn
2003: Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz
2005: Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley
finalist: The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl
2007: Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire
2008: August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
2009: Ruined by Lynn Nottage
2010:
finalist: In the Next Room, or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl
2011: Clybourne Park

I'm also hoping to read some works from other categories.

Biography/Autobiography: 0 / 0

Fiction/Novels: 2 / 9
1923: One of Ours by Willa Cather
1928: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
1937: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
1945: A Bell for Adano by John Hersey
1953: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
1961: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
1975: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
2017: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
2018: Less by Andrew Sean Greer

General Nonfiction: 1 / 5
1995: The Beak of the Finch: The Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner
finalist: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
1996:
finalist:Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler
1998: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
2011:
Finalist: Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls and the Consequences of a World Full of Men by Mara Hvistendahl

History: 0 / 2
1987: Voyagers to the West: A Passage in the Peopling of America on the Eve of Revolution by Bernard Bailyn
2010
Finalist Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin

Poetry: 0 / 2
1918: Love Songs by Sarah Teasdale (special prize, officially pre-Pulitzer Prize)
1923: assorted works by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Special Awards and Citations:

1977: Alex Haley for Roots
1992: Art Spiegelman for Maus

Year by year….

I’m not trying to read a book for every year of the 20th century and beyond, but I do like to see where my reading falls on a time line. So, here it is:

2018 Binti: The Night Masquerade +52
2017 An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors +31
2016 Design for Dying +15
2015 The Dragon Conspiracy +7
2014 Annihilation +11
2013 The Boys in the Boat +8
2012 Dark Currents +9
2011 The Keeper of Lost Causes +8
2010 Snowblind +3
2009 The Merry Misogynist +4
2008 The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher +4
2007 Gods Behaving Badly +7
2006 Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 +9
2005 Warprize +7
2004 A Watery Grave +2
2003 Eurydice +6
2002 Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths
2001 In the Wake of the Plague: the Black Death and the World it Made +2
2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban +4
1998 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets +3
1997 Once A Hero +2
1996 Memory
1995 The Young Man From Atlanta+3
1994 Sporting Chance +3
1993 Hunting Party +3
1992 A Calculated Risk +3
1991 French for Cats +1
1990 The Piano Lesson +1
1989 If I Never Get Back +3
1988 A Matter of Oaths+3?
1987 Hot Money
1986 Marooned in Realtime +1
1985 Dark of the Moon +2
1984 The Grey Beginning
1983
1982 A is for Alibi +2
1981
1980
1979 I Ought To Be In Pictures
1978 Betrayal: A Play
1977 Dragonsinger
1976 Mindbridge
1975 Miss Pink at the Edge of the World
1974
1973 Equus
1972 On the Night of the Seventh Moon
1971 Ring of Fear +1
1970 I Will Fear No Evil
1969 Prince of Darkness +1
1968 Ammie, Come Home +1
1967 City of Illusions
1966 Rocannon's World +1
1965
1964
1963 Trade Wind
1962 Every Frenchman Has One
1961 Cherry Blossom Clinic
1960 Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York +3
1959 Creole Holiday
1958 Death in Zanzibar+3
1957 The Cat in the Hat
1956
1955 Scales of Justice +2
1954 Ludmila: A Story of Lichtenstein+1
1953 Spinsters in Jeopardy +3
1952 The Old Man and the Sea
1951 They Came to Baghdad
1950
1949
1948
1947 Silver Wings for Vicki
1946
1945 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
1944 I Remember Mama
1943 The Little Prince
1942 The High Window
1941 Random Harvest
1940 Farewell, My Lovely
1939 The Seven Lady Godivas +2
1938 My Sister Eileen
1937 Murder at Government House
1936 The Lady Vanishes
1935
1934 The Murder of My Aunt
1933 Blood Wedding
1932
1931 The Secret of Red Gate Farm
1930
1929
1928 Holiday
1927
1926 Berkeley Square +1
1925
1924
1923 Powder and Patch
1922
1921 The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts +3
1920 Touch and Go
1919 A Damsel in Distress
1918
1917
1916 Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915
1915 1914 and Other Poems
1914
1913
1912
1911 Zuleika Dobson, Or, An Oxford Love Story
1910
1909
1908. The Explorer
1907
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
1900 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

1890 How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York
1889 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
1880 Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes
1845 The Cricket on the Hearth
1811 Sense and Sensibility
1722 A Journal of the Plague Year
1605 A Midsummer Night's Dream

I've decided to focus, in a small way, at least, on WWI reading in 2018. Fiction, nonfiction - it all counts.

January
Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915 by Anonymous
A Casualty of War by Charles Todd (fiction)

January - February - March

January

1. An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock (TIOLI #10)
2. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale (TIOLI #4, nonfiction, shared read, 364.153/HV7911)
3. Equus: a Play by Peter Shaffer (TIOLI #15, play, 822.914/PR6037)
4. Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge (TIOLI # 1, 813.54/PS3572)
5. The Grey Beginning by Barbara Michaels (TIOLI #2, 813.54/PS3563)
6. Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan (TIOLI #5, 813.6/PS3622)
7. Snowblind by Ragnar Jonsson (TIOLI #8, shared read, 839.693/PT7511)
8. A Matter of Oaths by Helen S. Wright (TIOLI #6, 823.914/PS3573)
9. Mrs. 'arris Goes to New York by Paul Gallico (TIOLI #14, 813.52/PS3513)
10. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (TIOLI #13, shared read, 813.14/PS3557)
11. I Will Fear No Evil by Robert A. Heinlein (TIOLI #9, 813.54/PS3515)
12. Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels (TIOLI #11, 813.54/PS3563)
13. Discovering the Mammoth: A Tale of Giants, Unicorns, Ivory, and the Birth of a New Science by John J. McKay (TIOLI #16, nonfiction, 569.67)
14. Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915 by Anonymous (TIOLI #7, nonfiction, 940.475/D628)
15. A Casualty of War by Charles Todd (TIOLI #10, 813.54/PS3570)
16. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder (TIOLI #3, nonfiction, 321.9/JC495)
17. The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts by W. Somerset Maugham (TIOLI #12, play, 822.52/PR6025)
18. God Stalk by P. C. Hodgell (TIOLI #4, shared read)
19. The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain (TIOLI #3, nonfiction, 551.220/QE535)
20. Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl (TIOLI #10, play, 812.6/PS36180)
21. In the Wake of the Plague: the Black Death and the World it Made by Norman Cantor (TIOLI #4, nonfiction, 614.573/RC172)
22. The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer (TIOLI #4, shared read)
23. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn (TIOLI #5)
24. The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty (TIOLI #3)
25. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen (TIOLI #11, 839.813/PT8176)
26. Prince of Darkness by Barbara Michaels (TIOLI #2)
27. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (TIOLI #9)

February

28. Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis by Jimmy Carter (TIOLI #16, audiobook, nonfiction, 306.097/HN90)
29. Dangerous Masquerade by April Kihlstrom (TIOLI# 6)
---. Bones by P. C. Hodgell (short story)
30. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan (TIOLI #3)
31. Ludmila: A Story of Lichtenstein by Paul Gallico (TIOLI #17)
---. French for Cats by Henry Beard (TIOLI #3w, nonfiction, 448.342/PN6231)
32. Design for Dying by Renee Patrick (TIOLI #11)
33. Sense and Sensibility by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen (TIOLI #18, play)
34. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (TIOLI #12, shared read)
35. How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal, Matthew Inman (TIOLI #13w)
---. The Prayers of Jane Austen by Jane Austen (TIOLI #16w, nonfiction, 242.8/BV)
36. Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey (TIOLI #12)
37. The Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt (TIOLI #9, shared read)
38. Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin (TIOLI #2)
39. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (TIOLI #1, nonfiction, 797.123/GV796)
40. Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh (TIOLI #14)
41. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire (TIOLI #8)
42. Autumn Bones by Jacqueline Carey (TIOLI #19)
---. Trombone Shorty by Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews and Bryan Collier, illustrator (TIOLI #7w, children's book)
43. The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene (TIOLI #15, 813.52/PZ7)
44. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson (TIOLI #13, shared read)
45. The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (TIOLI #7, play, PPD 1990)
46. The Dragon Conspiracy by Lisa Shearin (TIOLI #16)
47. Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler (TIOLI #17, nonfiction, 222.110/BS)
---. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (TIOLI #4w, shared read, children's book)
48. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (TIOLI #11, shared read)
49. A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe (TIOLI #4, 828/PR3404)
50. Dark of the Moon by P. C. Hodgell (TIOLI #12, shared read)
51. Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer (TIOLI #14, shared read)
52. Planet of Exile by Ursula K. LeGuin (TIOLI #2, shared read)
53. Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin and Milla Vane (TIOLI #12, short stories)
54. Edith Head: the Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer by Jay Jorgensen (TIOLI #5, nonfiction, 791.43/TT505)
55. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (TIOLI #10, shared read, play)
56. Creole Holiday by Phyllis A. Whitney (TIOLI #19, shared read)
57. We Are Legion: We Are Bob by Dennis E. Taylor (TIOLI #13, shared read)
58. For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor (TIOLI #13, shared read)
59. The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad (TIOLI #18, shared read, short stories)
60. Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor (TIOLI #7, shared read)
61. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs (TIOLI #19)

March

62. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (TIOLI #1, shared read)
63. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi (TIOLI #6, nonfiction, 364.152/HV6535)
---. The Seven Lady Godivas by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #4w)
64. Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson (TIOLI #12, shared read)
65. Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 by Daniel James Brown (TIOLI #15, shared read, nonfiction 977.662/F614)
66. The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White (TIOLI #2, shared read)
67. Fences by August Wilson (TIOLI #8, PPD Winner 1987)
68. Poppies of Iraq by Brigitte Findakly and Lewis Trondheim (TIOLI #10, graphic nonfiction)
69. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (TIOLI #5, shared read)
70. Poison Fruit by Jacqueline Carey (TIOLI #14)
71. Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs (TIOLI #7)
72. The Dry by Karen Harper (TIOLI #9)
---. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #17w)
---. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #4w)
73. Zuleika Dobson, or, An Oxford Love Story by Max Beerbohm (TIOLI #4)
---. Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #5w)
74. Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca (TIOLI #13, play, 862.62)
75. Trade Wind by M. M. Kaye (TIOLI #16)
----. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #3w)
76. Dark in Death by J. D. Robb (TIOLI #7)
77. I Remember Mama by John Van Druten (TIOLI #18, play)
78. The Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America by Liz Carlisle (TIOLI #11, shared read, nonfiction 631.5)
---. Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #5w)
79. Waiting in the Wings by Noel Coward (TIOLI #5, play)
80. The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (TIOLI #5, shared read)
81. City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin (TIOLI #7, shared read)
82. The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (TIOLI #3, shared read)
83. City of Silver by Annamaria Alfieri (TIOLI #1)
84. Death in Zanzibar by M. M. Kaye (TIOLI #14
85. About that Fling by Tawna Fenske (TIOLI #14)
---. The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #4w)
86. All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor (TIOLI #4)
---. McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #14w)
87. 1914 and Other Poems by Rupert Brooke (TIOLI #3, 821.912/PR6003)
88. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (TIOLI #1)
89. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (TIOLI #3)
90. Iris Grace: How Thula the Cat Saved a Little Girl and Her Family by Arabella Carter-Johnson (TIOLI #17, nonfiction, 618.928/RJ506)
91. Black Star Renegades by Michael Moreci (TIOLI #9)
92. The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, a Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth by Karen Branan (TIOLI #11 , nonfiction, 364.134/HV6465)
---. The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #5w)
93. Hunting Party by Elizabeth Moon (TIOLI #7)
94. The Gate Keeper by Charles Todd (TIOLI #6, shared read)
---. And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #11w)

April

95. Sporting Chance by Elizabeth Moon (TIOLI #8)
96. The Young Man From Atlanta by Horton Foote (TIOLI #9, PPD Winner 1995)
97. Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh (TIOLI #14)
98. The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj by Anne De Courcy (TIOLI #3, nonfiction 392.40/954.030/DS428)
99. Winning Colors by Elizabeth Moon (TIOLI #5)
100. Once A Hero by Elizabeth Moon (TIOLI #8)
101. Death in Kashmir by M. M. Kaye (TIOLI #13)
102. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (TIOLI #1)
103. Don't Die Under the Apple Tree by Amy Patricia Meade (TIOLI #15, shared read)
104. Gunpowder Moon by David Pedreira (TIOLI #2)
105. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (TIOLI #10)
106. Deerskin by Robin McKinley (TIOLI #11)
107. The Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell (TIOLI #7)
108. Up to Date by Susan Hatler (TIOLI #16)
109. If I Never Get Back by Darryl Brock (TIOLI #12 , shared read)
110. Color Me Murder by Krista Davis (TIOLI #6)
111. In the Wake of Madness: The Murderous Voyage of the Whaleship Sharon by Joan Druett (TIOLI #14, nonfiction, 909.096/G545)
112. Berkeley Square by John L. Bladerston (TIOLI #4 , play)
113. The Time Traders by Andre Norton (TIOLI #5)
114. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (TIOLI #6)
115. Date Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner (TIOLI #1)
116. The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits by Elizabeth Peters (TIOLI #8, shared read)
117. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers (TIOLI #6, shared read)
118. Force of Nature by Jane Harper (TIOLI #17, shared read)
119. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (TIOLI #3, shared read)
120. Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls and the Consequences of a World Full of Men by Mara Hvistendahl (TIOLI #4, nonfiction, Finalist PP General Nonfiction, 2011, 304.660/HB1064)
121. Serenity: No Power in the 'verse by Chris Roberson et al (TIOLI #16, shared read)

May

122. Ring of Fear by Anne McCaffrey (TIOLI #17)
123. Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey (TIOLI #4)
124. Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh (TIOLI #17)
125. Silver Wings for Vicki by Helen Wells (TIOLI #14)
126. A Soupçon of Poison by Ashley Gardner (TIOLI #8, shared read)
127. Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson (TIOLI #11, nonfiction, 910.916/G50)
128. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (TIOLI #6)
129. Living Lies by Kate Mathis (TIOLI #20)
130. Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson (TIOLI #9)
131. The Air Raid Killer by Frank Goldammer (TIOLI #7, shared read)
132. Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky (TIOLI #16, nonfiction 333.956/594.633/SH351)
133. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope by Roy Thomas, et al (TIOLI #21)
134. This Case is Gonna Kill Me by Phillipa Bornikova (TIOLI #2)
135. Saturn's Children by Charles Stross (TIOLI #1)
136. Cherry Blossom Clinic by Elizabeth Hunter (TIOLI #12)
137. Death Below Stairs by Ashley Gardner (TIOLI #18)
138. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (TIOLI #9, shared read)
139. A Watery Grave by Joan Druett (TIOLI #15)
---. She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger (TIOLI #13w, shared read)
140. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (TIOLI #10 , nonfiction, PPW General Nonfiction 2015, 576.84/QE721)
141. At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon (TIOLI #17)
142. Box Office Poison by Phillipa Bornikova (TIOLI #17)
143. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (TIOLI #17)
144. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer (TIOLI #19, shared read, nonfiction 025.820/Z659)
145. The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold (TIOLI #1, shared read)
146. Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton (TIOLI #14)
147. The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half A Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America by Hannah Nordhaus (TIOLI #13, nonfiction, 638.13/SF524)
148. The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea (TIOLI #3, nonfiction, PP General Nonfiction nominee, 2005, 304.873/331.672/JV6475)
149. Fall of Angels by Barbara Cleverly
150. A Calculated Risk by Katherine Neville (TIOLI #17)
---. The Churn by James S. A. Corey (TIOLI #4w)
151. How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York by Jacob A. Riis (TIOLI #5, nonfiction, 301.441/331.8/HV4046)
152. The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornell (TIOLI #17w)

June

153. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling (TIOLI #4)
154. The Brimstone Deception by Lisa Shearin (TIOLI #10)
155. Murder at Government House by Elspeth Huxley (TIOLI #8)
156. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey (TIOLI #17)
157. The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York by Peter J. Tomasi and Sara Duvall (TIOLI #6, nonfiction, 624.320/TG25)
---. Oh, Look! by Patricia Polacco (TIOLI #15w)
158. New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson (TIOLI #5, shared read)
159. Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood (TIOLI #11)
160. Alpha Alpine by Mary Daheim (TIOLI #161)
161. A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. CHritian Miller and Ken Armstrong (TIOLI #2, nonfiction, 364.153/HV6561)
162. Shark Island by Joan Druett (TIOLI #12)
163. Finding Magic by Tanya Huff (TIOLI #1)
164. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R. A. Dick (TIOLI #15)
165. An Unpublished Play
166. A Peace Divided by Tanya Huff (TIOLI #7)
167. Saga: Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (TIOLI #16, shared read)
168. Saga: Volume Two by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (TIOLI #3, shared read)
169. Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal (TIOLI #14)
170. Love Songs From a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill (TIOLI #13)
171. Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (TIOLI #9, shared read)
---. Nearly, Dearly, Insincerely by Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable (TIOLI #15w)
172. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (TIOLI #15, shared read)
173. The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman (TIOLI #6, shared read)
174. The Curse of the Giant Hogweed by Charlotte Macleod (TIOLI #15)
175. Saga: Volume Three by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (TIOLI #3, shared read)
176. The Bees: A Novel by Laline Paull (TIOLI #10)
---. The Curio Dealer's Wife by I. J. Parker (TIOLI #14w, shared read)
177. Seeker's Mask by P. C. Hodgell (TIOLI #3, shared read)
---. Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More About Adverbs by Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gamble (TIOLI #15w)
---. Cats Vanish Slowly by Ruth Tiller and Laura Seeley (TIOLI #15w)
178. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sorbel (TIOLI #6, shared read, nonfiction 526.620/623.863/681.118/QB255)
179. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson (TIOLI #15, shared read, nonfiction, 364.162)
180. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (TIOLI #3, shared read)
---. Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss (TIOLI #15)w
---. I Met A Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis (TIOLI #15w)
181. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (TIOLI #4)
182. Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman (TIOLI #17, shared read)
183. A Peculiar Tribe of People: Murder and Madness in the Heart of Georgia by Richard Jay Hutto (TIOLI #15, nonfiction, 364.152/HV6534)
184. Ruth Fielding in the Great Northwest by Alice B. Emerson (TIOLI #11, shared read)

July

185. Smoke and Shadows by Tanya Huff (TIOLI #8)
186. Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel (TIOLI #3 , nonfiction, 791.430/PN2287)
187. Alien Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner (TIOLI #18)
188. Lord of the Pies by Nell Hampton (TIOLI #6, shared read)
189. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe (TIOLI #11, shared read)
190. The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly (TIOLI #16, shared read)
191. Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #13)
192. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (TIOLI #10)
193. Smoke and Mirrors by Tanya Huff (TIOLI #10)
194. Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice (TIOLI #7, play)
---. Llama, Llama, Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney (TIOLI #5w, shared read)
195. Saga: Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (TIOLI #3, shared read, graphic novel)
196. Warcross by Marie Lu (TIOLI #9)
197. The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores by Diana Marcum (TIOLI #14, nonfiction, memoir)
198. Raven Black by Anne Cleeves (TIOLI #1, shared read)
199. The Indifferent Stars Above: the Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown (TIOLI #15, nonfiction 978.020/F868)
200. False Scent by Ngaio Marsh (TIOLI #4)
201. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (TIOLI #17, shared read)
202. Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth by Patricia Clapp (TIOLI #12)
203. Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland (TIOLI #9, shared read, nonfiction 590/QL775)
204. The Unlikely Master Genius by Carla Kelly (TIOLI #2)
205. Torn by Rowenna Miller (TIOLI #9)
206. Head On by John Scalzi (TIOLI #13)
207. Arena Mode by Blake Northcott (TIOLI #10)
208. Miss Pink at the Edge of the World by Gwen Moffat (TIOLI #9)
209. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (TIOLI #5, shared read)
210. The Privilege of Peace by Tanya Huff (TIOLI #8, shared read)
---. Theatre of Cruelty by Terry Pratchett (TIOLI w)
211. Saga: Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (TIOLI #3, shared read, graphic novel)
212. Matilda by Roald Dahl (TIOLI #8, shared read)
213. Starless by Jacqueline Caret (TIOLI #8, shared read)
214. The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood by Sy Montgomery (TIOLI #5, nonfiction 636.408/SF395)
215. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (TIOLI#6)
216. Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero (TIOLI #17)
217. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (TIOLI #10)
218. Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian Vaughan et al (TIOLI #6, shared read)
219. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (TIOLI #12, shared read)
220. Lens of the World by R. A. MacAvoy (TIOLI #11, shared read)
221. A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud by Karl Sabbagh (TIOLI #7, nonfiction 580.92/QK31)
222. Smoke and Ashes by Tanya Huff (TIOLI #18)
---. Manticore Ascension by Blake Northcott (TIOLI #9w)
223. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (TIOLI #16)

August

224. The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen (TIOLI #7)
225. Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar (TIOLI #12, nonfiction 796.522/GV199)
226. Faith: A Journey For All by Jimmy Carter (TIOLI #10, nonfiction 234.23)
227. Death Before Wicket by Kerry Greenwood (TIOLI #6, shared read)
228. Betrayal: A Play by Harold Pinter (TIOLI #13, play)
229. Dark Run by Mike Brooks (TIOLI #2)
230. American Ghost: A Family's Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah Nordhaus (TIOLI #14 , nonfiction 133.109/BF1472)
231. The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull (TIOLI #11, shared read)
232. Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff (TIOLI #1, shared read)
233. Color Blind by Colby Marshall (TIOLI #15)
234. Touch and Go by D. H. Lawrence (TIOLI #9, play)
---. Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia by Alison Lester (TIOLI #6w)
235. The Ghoul Vendetta by Lisa Shearin (TIOLI #17)
236. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (TIOLI #4, shared read)
237. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (TIOLI #6, PPL 1953)
238. The Dragon Behind the Glass: The True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt (TIOLI #16 , nonfiction 597.176)
239. Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley (TIOLI #3 )
----. Plain Sight (A Dr. Jenna Ramey Short Story by Colby Marshall (TIOLI #10w, short story)
240. Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton (TIOLI #19)
241. Toucan Keep A Secret by Donna Andrews (TIOLI #11)
---. My Farm by Alison Lester (TIOLI #6w)
242. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde (TIOLI #18)
243. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (TIOLI #8, shared read, 843.912)
244. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (TIOLI #17, shared read)
245. A Damsel in Distress by P. G. Wodehouse (TIOLI# 16)
246. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (TIOLI# 16)
247. Run Afoul by Joan Druett (TIOLI #6)
248. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand (TIOLI #5, shared read, nonfiction 798.400)
---. Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown and John Parra (TIOLI #6w)
249. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (TIOLI #11)
---. Friends From the Other Side by Gloira Anzaldua and Consuelo Mendez (TIOLI #6w)

September

250. Cold Open by Patrica McLinn (TIOLI #13)
251. Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen (TIOLI #11)
252. Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle (TIOLI #14)
253. The Efficiency Expert by Edgar Rice Burroughs (TIOLI #15)
---. Pamela's First Musical by Wendy Wasserstein and Andrew Jackness (TIOLI #2w)
254. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by John Heimbuch and Jon Ferguson (TIOLI #3, play)
255. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (TIOLI #12)
256. The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein (TIOLI #2, play)
257. Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon (TIOLI #6)
258. Chapter Two by Neil Simon (TIOLI #2, play, shared read)
259. Slow Horses by Mick Herron (TIOLI #10, shared read)
260. The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi (TIOLI #18)
261. They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie (TIOLI #2, shared read)
262. The Myth Manifestation by Lisa Shearin (TIOLI #5)
----. Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool by Teri Sloat and Jane Bernard Wescott (TIOLI #17w)
263. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (TIOLI #9, shared read, 895.635/PL858)
264. Five , Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle (TIOLI #8)
----. Biblioburro: A True Story From Colombia by Jeanette Winter (TIOLI #1w)
265. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson (TIOLI #12, nonfiction 943.086/E748)
266. Black Cloud: The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928 by Eliot Kleinberg (TIOLI #16, nonfiction 975.9/QC945)
----. Before the Party by W. Somerset Maugham (TIOLI #2w)
267. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (TIOLI #3)
268. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews
269. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (TIOLI #1, shared read, PPN 2018)
270. My Sister Eileen by Ruth McKenney (TIOLI #17 , 817.5/PS3525)
271. The Corpse at the Crystal Palace by Carola Dunn (TIOLI #4)
272. A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee (TIOLI #2, play, PPD 1967)
273. Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #3)
274. The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (TIOLI #2, shared read)
275. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (TIOLI #7, shared read, 895.135/PL2947)
276. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (TIOLI #2)
277. Dark Sky by Mike Brooks (TIOLI #18)
278. Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #10)
279. White Hot by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #11)
280. Wildfire by Ilona Andrews
281. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (TIOLI #2, play, PPD 1955, shared read)
282. Farewell,My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (TIOLI #2)

Welcome back!

You are so quick off the mark! Thank you, kind sir - I'm delighted to be here.

October

283. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon (TIOLI #7)
284. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (TIOLI #3)
285. Dead Lions by Mick Herron (TIOLI #1)
286. Island in the Sea of Time by S. M. Stirling (TIOLI #5)
287. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo (TIOLI #8, shared read)
288. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (TIOLI #14, in translation 833.92)
289. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik (TIOLI #17)
290. It’s a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod Murder by Rosemary Martin (TIOLI #6)
291. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (TIOLI #15)
292. The Explorer by W. Somerset Maugham (TIOLI #15)
—-. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (TIOLI #10w, shared read)
293. The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly (TIOLI # 10)
294. Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon (TIOLI #14, shared read)
295. Divided Allegiance by Elizabeth Moon (TIOLI #12, shared read)
296. Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America by Erik Jay Dolin (TIOLI #16, nonfiction 639.280)
297. Oath of Gold by Elizabeth Moon (TIOLI #1)
298. The Moon's A Balloon by David Niven (TIOLI #9, nonfiction 921/PN2598)
299. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal (TIOLI #7, shared read)
300. Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon (TIOLI #6)
301. Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Peter Hampton
302. Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic by Megan Ciana Doige (TIOLI #2)
303. I Ought to Be In Pictures by Neil Simon (TIOLI #11. play)
304. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (TIOLI #12, shared read)
305. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (TIOLI #1)
306. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (TIOLI #12, shared read)
307. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan (TIOLI #12, shared read)
308. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (TIOLI #4)
309. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (TIOLI #6)
310. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (TIOLI #15)
311. Saga: Vol. 6 by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples (TIOLI #5, shared read)

November

312. Death in Berlin by M. M. Kaye (TIOLI #14)
313. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (TIOLI #1)
----. Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #9w)
314. Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #16)
315. Masques by Patricia Briggs (TIOLI #10)
316. Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep (TIOLI #2)
317. Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #9)
318. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon (TIOLI #18)
319. Lark! The Herald Angels Sing by Donna Andrews (TIOLI #5)
320. Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom by Jennifer Haley (TIOLI #6, play)
321. A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd (TIOLI #3, shared read)
322. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: The Play by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon (TIOLI #16, play)
323. Deadly Shoals by Joan Druett (TIOLI #13)
324. The Labyrinth Index by Charles Stross (TIOLI #1)
325. Random Harvest by James Hilton (TIOLI #3, shared read)
326. Election Day by Josh Tobiessen (TIOLI #4, play)
327. Sense and Sensibility by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen (TIOLI #12, play)
328. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (TIOLI #8)
329. Moonshine by Jasmine Gower (TIOLI #11)
330. High Window by Raymond Chandler (TIOLI #17)
331. The Rogue's Lady by Marian Devon (TIOLI #8)
----. Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham (TIOLI #4w, children's book)
332. Hot Money by Dick Francis (TIOLI #7, shared read)
333. Saga: Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (TIOLI #6, shared read)
334. Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times by Rocky Wood, Lisa Morton and Greg Chapman (TIOLI #15, shared read, graphic nonfiction 133.4)

December

335. A Talent for War by Jack McDevitt (TIOLI #16)
336. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton (TIOLI #2)
337. The Antiquities Hunter by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (TIOLI #15)
338. Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (TIOLI #1)
339. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (TIOLI #9, shared read)
340. Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich (TIOLI #4)
341. Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (TIOLI #12)
342. The Wild Dead by Carrie Vaughn (TIOLI #6)
343. Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia de Havilland (TIOLI #3, nonfiction 914.4/DC33)
344. Christmas Belles by Susan Carroll (TIOLI #8)
345. Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer (TIOLI #5)
346. Wrapt in Crystal by Sharon Shinn (TIOLI #13)
347. Salvage and Demolition by Tim Powers (TIOLI #7, shared read)
----. Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! by Marie-Louise Gay (5w, children's book)
348. Read My Pins: Stories From a Diplomat's Jewel Box by Madeleine Albright (TIOLI #17, shared read, nonfiction 739.27/NK7303)
349. The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (TIOLI #6)
----. The Home Crowd Advantage by Ben Aaronovitch (TIOLI #11w, short story)
350. Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes by Ella Cheever Thayer (TIOLI #10)
351. The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch (TIOLI #11)
352. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (TIOLI #7, shared read, graphic novel)
353. The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens (TIOLI #14, shared read)
354. Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch (TIOLI #5, shared read)
355. What Child is This by Rhys Bowen (TIOLI #11, shared read)
356. The White Plague by Frank Herbert (TIOLI #5, shared read)
357. Uncle George & Me: Two Southern Families Confront A Shared Legacy of Slavery by Bill Sizemore (TIOLI #13, nonfiction 975.5/F232)
358. One Way by S. J. Morden (TIOLI #16)
359. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (TIOLI #10)
360. Cement, Earthworms, and Cheese Factories: Religion and Community Development in Rural Ecuador by Jill DeTemple (TIOLI #7, nonfiction 278.66/BR690)
361. Holiday: A Comedy in Three Acts by Philip Barry (TIOLI #14, play)
362. In Dark Company by Linda Castillo (TIOLI #11, shared read)
363. Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs (TIOLI #4)
364. Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza (TIOLI #17, shared read, nonfiction 973.93/E908)
365. A Lot Like Christmas: Stories by Connie Willis (TIOLI #8)

And I'm done!

Dropping a star, Dejah!

Happy New Year, Dejah!

Happy New Year!!

Dropping off a
And wishing you

Have a great year of reading in 2018!

Happy New Year
Happy New Group here
This place is full of friends
I hope it never ends
It brew of erudition and good cheer.

Happy reading in 2018, Dejah!

Happy New Year of reading, Dejah!

Happy New Year! I wish you to read many good books in 2018.

Greetings, fellow lurker! Good to see you here.

Thank you Mamie, Steve, Linda, Roni, Lori, Paul, Anita, Rachel, and Nina! I appreciate all the good wishes and wish them back to you tenfold!

Obviously, I'm not making it onto LT very often at the moment. I'm going to try to get my reading caught up, but I doubt I'll make it to many threads this time. And, clearly, the threads are very active! It's amazing how busy LT is for the first few weeks of the new year.

Thank you, again, to all my visitors and well wishers. You are welcome any time!

Stopping b y to add my happy new year wishes, Dejah! I feel the same about LT time - trying to remind myself that the group always seems to accelerate at the speed of light in January and it does calm down a little bit.

Nice to see you back Dejah!

>22 souloftherose: Hi Heather! I am definitely hoping that the threads slow down a little, or I'll never get caught up!

>23 SandDune: Thanks for dropping by, Rhian - it's nice to be here!

So, I have my laptop back which is great - except that the charging problem isn't completely fixed. Sigh. I'll find out what's next tomorrow.

My plan was to read a little less this year, which is definitely NOT happening so far! Between very limited internet time and some unexpected hurry up and wait episodes, I've been reading plenty. I'm going to knock out some (short) reviews tonight while I've got the laptop....

And at some point I'm supposed to make cookies.

1. An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock

Curtis Craddock’s debut is a modified sword and sorcery fantasy heavily influenced by Steampunk and Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. There is a lot going on in this novel, so much so that at time character development suffers a bit. That said, the world Craddock has created is fascinating, the magic system is intriguing and I liked the main characters. I find that a pretty good combination. I look forward to the next Risen Kingdoms novel whenever it appears.

2. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale

In The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, Summerscale examines both the murder of a small child and the detective sent to solve the crime and the rise of police detectives in England and their development in fiction. I thought I would enjoy this book more than I did, but it fell a little flat for me; I should note that I appear to be in the minority in my opinion.

3. Equus: A Play by Peter Schaffer

A young man blinds six horses; why? Equus is a stunningly powerful play that is not only fabulous on stage, but also reads very well, which isn’t always the case. Highly, highly recommended.

>26 Dejah_Thoris: I finished it in the last hour. I liked it a bit better than you did although the book did have a few problems.

>28 thornton37814: I'll look forward to your review, Lori - I know you'll write a more helpful review than I did!

Part of my disappointment is that The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is just the sort of book I should have loved; I kept wanting to like it more than I did. I found myself most fascinated by learning of all the fictional detectives based on Mr. Whicher! I also felt that Summerscale's arguments about the backlash against the police detectives and the rise of the amateur detective that would come were worth reading the book.

4. Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge

Hugo Award nominated Marooned in Realtime is Vinge’s follow up to his Hugo Award nominated The Peace War. It’s not a direct sequel, but rather his vision of the long term consequences of the technology and events what from in the first book. At heart, though, it’s a mystery, and a clever one at that.

There were points while I read at which I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but ultimately I enjoyed it very much. I recommend both to those who like solid 1980s SF.

5. The Grey Beginning by Barbara Michaels

Barbara Michaels (who was, of course, also Barbara Mertz and Elizabeth Peters) wrote a large number of very popular gothic romances and supernatural / paranormal thrillers. One of the the most classically gothic of these is The Grey Beginning: a young woman, alone/friendless in an unfamiliar environment (Italy), ends up residing a a remote estate, with a domineering older woman, surly servants, plus the occasional eerie incident. It breaks with the classic gothic elements in that she’s a widow, not a virgin and there’s no priest (although there is a psychiatrist).

Unfortunately, it may be my least favorite of her books written as Michaels. Her best gothic, in my opinion is Wings of the Falcon. If you’re interested, give that one a try.

6. Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan

Occasionally, my favorite librarian will put a book on hold for me. Our reading interests frequently overlap in terms of fantasy and science fiction, but she leans farther toward the paranormal / fantasy romance end of the spectrum than I do. Warprize is one she put on hold for me last month, and it’s not bad. It’s actually a very mild healer Princess meets conquering nomadic leader and sparks fly kind of thing. There are plenty of swords, but at least in the first book, no sorcery. It’s a perfectly pleasant, non demanding piece of escapist fantasy. I’ll probably continue with the series when I want something light - very light.

7. Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson

I read far fewer mysteries than I used to and pretty much never read ScandiCrime - too dark for me. However, Over in the Category MysteryCAT, January was Nordic Crime month, so I gave it a shot.
I was assured that Snowblind wasn’t as dark and brutal as many of its contemporaries and this turned out to be true - a kinder, gentler, ScandiCrime, if you will. Unfortunately, I just didn’t enjoy it all that much - I was never drawn into the plot. For me, the most interesting element of Snowblind was the setting - a small coastal town in the north of Iceland. That made reading it worthwhile.

>25 Dejah_Thoris: Your first one looks interesting - gonna see if my library has it.

>34 drneutron: The library is exactly where I came across An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors, on the new books displays.

I hope you enjoy it - as first books go, I thought it showed real promise.

8. A Matter of Oaths by Helen S. Wright

I don’t know which of you got me first with this one, Heather or Roni, but I’ll thank you both! I thoroughly enjoyed A Matter of Oaths. For a Space Opera published almost 30 years ago, I think it’s held up stunningly well. It appears that the book was largely overlooked when it was first available, but hopefully the reissue with an introduction by Becky Chambers of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet fame will help it find an audience now. I also hope that it will encourage Wright to write more; this was apparently the only SF she ever had published.

I bought (yes, actually paid money, albeit with a coupon) a hardcopy of A Matter of Oaths, when I couldn’t get it through my library system, with the intention of donating it after I’d read it. I’m still going to do that, but I’ll also get myself a Kindle copy. I’m certain I’ll read it again.

The book I read for the Nordic mystery wasn't as dark as many, and I was a bit "let down" by that.

>36 Dejah_Thoris: Oh! I have that one in the stacks because of Heather's comments about it on her thread. And you bought your own copy!! High praise indeed, Dejah.

>26 Dejah_Thoris: I can't decide about this one.

>33 Dejah_Thoris: Glad you liked it. I agree that the most interesting element was the setting. I have just started the next one, and it is set 5 years after the events of Snowblind, so I am hoping for a lot of character growth.

>37 thornton37814: I'm not always particularly fond of really dark mysteries and thrillers, but perhaps that was part of the problem with Snowblind, too - it needed a little more dark.....

>38 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! Re: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher - several folks (like Lori) are reading it this month. Check out their reviews. As I said, I think I'm in the minority.....

I can't wait to hear what you think of the Snowblind follow up! I suspect what you think about it wiitll make my decision about reading it for me.

You must, must read A Matter of Oaths! I truly enjoyed it. And if you already have it in the stacks, it's practically your duty to read it!

>36 Dejah_Thoris: Oh, so glad you enjoyed it!

Congratulations on your TIOLI sweep!

>40 ronincats: Oh, I did, Roni! And now I've gotten going on God Stalk.....

>41 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

Congrats on the TIOLI sweep!! The first one of 2018. Way to go!!

>36 Dejah_Thoris: Hooray - so glad you enjoyed that one!

>42 Dejah_Thoris: I hope you enjoy it; I certainly did.

Just popping in to let you know how right you were about The City of Brass. I loved it and the only sad part was realizing the next book is not out yet. :(

Gee...I'm just a little behind on my own thread.

>43 lindapanzo: A very belated thank you, Linda!

>44 souloftherose: A Matter of Oaths really was great, Heather. I wish I had more Helen S. Wright to read!

>45 humouress: I did enjoy God Stalk, Nina, although I didn't love it. That said, I've gone on to read the short story Bones and the next volume, Dark of the Moon . Seeker's Mask is on tap for March.

>46 jolerie: I'm so glad you loved The City of Brass! I was truly impressed by it and, like you, am bummed that it may bee a while until we see the sequel. Of course, that will give me the opportunity to read it again before I pick up the next one. :)

I've done an absurd amount of reading in 2018, which I blame on having been sick for almost the entire time. I have caught virtually every cold and viral crud that has passed near me this winter. Aside from working and sleeping, reading is about all I've done (which is bad news for the garden and the tidiness of the household). I've been sicker - but never, I think, sick this often in such a short period of time.

I'm going to try to post a few books today - probably just covers and a few words.

9. Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to New York by Paul Gallico

This follow up to Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris wasn’t as entertaining as the charming original and suffered from the same problems with stereotyping. It was, however, still a pleasant way to pass an hour or two. I won’t continue with the series, though.

10. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

I somehow had never read any of Sue Grafton’s books, so I’m glad I finally got around to it in January. I have to admit that the private detective sub-genre isn’t a favorite of mine, so I probably won’t continue with the series.

11. I Will Fear No Evil by Robert A. Heinlein

Alas, not my favorite Heinlein, in large part because it feels so dated - but he was certainly pushing the boundaries on gender, sex and the meaning of life when he wrote it. I was more impressed by it when I was a kid.

12. Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels

I used to be a big fan of Barbara Michaels’ gothic and paranormal thrillers, but it had been years since I’d reread one. It’s fun ghost story stuff with mild romance.

13. Discovering the Mammoth: A Tale of Giants, Unicorns, Ivory, and the BIrth of a New Science by John J. McKay

I’m not certain what I was expecting when I picked this up off the New Books shelf at the library, but what I got was a extremely detailed account of how mammoth remains were mis-identified for centuries until they were finally recognized as the extinct species (or rather numerous related species) that they are. I’m pretty sure this was the author’s Master’s Thesis, enlivened with the occasional non-academic phrase like “so why was this guy being such a jerk?”

Mind numbing though it was at times, it also included enough fascinating facts (for example, the mammoth ivory trade so so valuable the the Russian monarchy had a royal monopoly) and intriguing digressions (Swedish prisoners of war held for over a decade were responsible for a number of advancements in Russian education and the sciences) that I kept reading when it would have been easy to put it down. That said, I can only recommend it for the true mammoth enthusiast.

14. Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915 by anonymous

The author of this series of letters in diary format is actually known: she was Kate Luard, a Nursing Sister who had served in South Africa and was among the fist sent to France at the outbreak of WWI. It’s very compelling reading and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Great War.

15. A Casualty of War by Charles Todd

A perfect follow up to Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915 is the 9th installment in the Bess Crawford series by mother/son writing duo, Charles Todd. As always, Bess stumbles across another mystery and her sense of duty (and perhaps inquisitiveness) leads her to set things right.

The WWI ends with A Casualty of War, but there are clearly more Bess stories to come. It’s an excellent series.

16. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

I cannot recommend this short book highly enough. Anyone who supports democracy anywhere in the world needs to read it and be reminded that we cannot take democracy for granted and must protect it to ensure its survival.

Please consider reading it.

17. The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts by W. Somerset Maugham

I am a huge fan of Maugham’s comedy The Constant Wife, but I’m afraid that I don’t appreciate his most produced play, The Circle, nearly as much. It’s very British, rather brittle, and, at least to me, lacks the charm and heart of The Constant Wife. It is funny, if cruel, in it's delight in the younger generation making the same mistakes as the former.

18. God Stalk by P. C. Hodgell

Roni (ronincats set up a Group Read of God Stalk, an old favorite of hers. I’m not certain how I missed this fantasy series all these years, but I’m happy to have found it now. While I didn’t love God Stalk, I liked it, and I’ve continued with the series. I like the second book eve more than the first, so I expect I’ll keep going with it one a month.

19. The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain

The biggest earthquake in recorded North American history probably isn’t one that pops to mind; it was the 1964 Good Friday quake in Alaska. Fountain’s book does a very nice job of combining the science and the human stories of the event and of explaining how the earthquake played a role in finally establishing plate tectonics as a widely accepted theory.

20. Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl

This play by the very talented Sarah Ruhl (a Macarthur ‘Genius Award’ winner) is a beautiful, beautiful retelling of the Eurydice myth. It’s edgy and different - but also heartbreakingly lovely.

21. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made by Norman F. Cantor

Norman F. Cantor was, for many years, a well known, respected scholar of the medieval era and a bestselling author, to boot (an Old English phrase - I thought it fit). In Wake of the Plague, though is a series of essays that were published posthumously, and while individually interesting, needed something more to bring them to together.

22. The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer

I have read many Georgette Heyer novels, but for some reason I’d always avoided The Black Moth - possibly because I knew she’d written it as a teenager, but more likely because I’m not a fan of highwaymen (criminals) as romantic leads. Fortunately, this turned out to be something of a non-issue, and while The Black Moth will never be a favorite of mine, I’m glad I read it as part of my Heyer romance novel in-order read through.

>57 Dejah_Thoris: So glad you liked it enough to keep on with the series! We'd love to see your comments over here as you read:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/286040

23. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

My favorite librarian put this one on hold for me and it turned out to be a good choice. Bannerless is a very low key, dystopian, murder mystery in which our heroine, Enid, attempts to solve the crime in her role as an Enforcer while memories of her past intersect her present. I have a limited interest in dystopian fiction, so I’m rather intrigued that I liked this. I’m looking forward to the next book, The Wild Dead, to be published in July.

>62 ronincats: Hiya, Roni! I've got the thread starred and I've been keeping up with it, but not posting (obviously). I promise to add some comments soon! Thanks again for introducing me to the series.

24. City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

City of Brass is one excellent debut fantasy novel! I loved it - I don’t know how else to put it. Set in a version of the 18th Century Middle East, the world building is excellent and the characters, engaging. Is it perfect? No, but I enjoyed reading it too much to care about the flaws. I can’t find a publication date for the next book, but I hope it’s soon.

25. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jossi Adler-Olsen

I generally don’t read ScandiCrime because it’s too dark for me, but the MysteryCAT Challenge for January was Nordic Crime, so I gave it a whirl. This was the second novel I tried, and while I found The Keeper of Lost Causes extremely well written and the characters engaging, the crime was too dark for me. The next book in the series appears to be even darker, so I’ll pass, with regrets.

26. Prince of Darkness by Barbara Michaels

I went a little retro with this reread of a paranormal thriller / romantic suspense novel by one of Barbara Mertz’s alter egos. It was mildly entertaining.

27. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

Six Wakes is another science fiction mystery and it’s well worth reading. It’s a very interesting use of clones and I’m looking forward to reading whatever Lafferty comes up with next.

28. Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis by Jimmy Carter

Published over a decade ago, Jimmy Carter’s Our Endangered Values seems truly prescient. He wrote the book in attempt to sound the alarm about a number of situations, including what he saw as the waxing influence of the Fundamentalist, Religious Right, and lo and behold much of what he discusses are worsening problems today. I do not agree with all of his positions, but I deeply respect this devoutly religious man who truly believes in the separation of Church and State.

I listened to the audio version of this book, which the author read. It was terrific.

29. Dangerous Masquerade by April Khilstrom

Years ago, I used to read Regency Romances; these days, I’ll pick one up occasionally. I still have a big box of them and my goal is to read one when the spirit moves me (or it’s the only thing that will fit a TIOLI Challenge) and to move it along in the Universe unless I feel I absolutely need to keep it. This one has already moved on.

Next.

---. Bones by P. C. Hodgell

This short story takes place between God Stalk and Dark of the Moon. It’s a nice addition to Jame’s time in Tai-tastigon.

30. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Michael Sullivan

I appear to be in the minority here, but I did not particularly enjoy Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore. It was more literary than mystery novel, although there was a mystery and it did get solved. Too many coincidences. Meh.

31. Ludmila: A Story From Lichtenstein by Paul Gallico

This is supposed to be a charming little folk story about a scrawny, underperforming cow who, through divine intervention, produces miraculous amounts of high quality milk and gets to lead the whole parade of animals as they return to their valley village for the winter - to great adulation. The fact that the poor cow then dies, exhausted from its efforts, is brushed aside as unimportant - it had been touched by the divine.

All I could keep thinking was poor cow. Not recommended, unless you really, really need to read something about Lichtenstein.

---. French for Cats by Henry Beard

If you’re a cat person, you’ll find this sort book very funny.

32. Design for Dying by Renee Patrick

Old movie buffs (of which I am one) will enjoy the first Lillian Frost & Edith Head mystery from Renee Patrick. Set in Hollywood in the 1930s, the setting is terrific and it name drops with a vengeance. The mystery is pretty decent, too. I’ve already got the next in the series checked out from the library.

33. Sense and Sensibility by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen

I’m not terribly keen on stage and film adaptations of Jane Austen novels - I feel as though too much is lost (I should state that I adore the BBC miniseries - Colin Firth is my favorite Mr. Darcy. He even beats Laurence Olivier).

My community theater is considering Kate Hamill’s Sense and Sensibility and it’s an interesting, almost edgy adaptation. If edgy seems odd for Austen, it’s because Hamill uses a group of Gossips almost as a Greek Chorus. Sense and Sensibility is far from my favorite Austen novel - the only women with any agency are the mean, nasty ones - but I think this play could work for us.

34. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I enjoyed this book. There are no easy answers or simple solutions, but the view of an autistic individual it presents is fascinating. I understand why it has been so popular.

35. How to Tell If Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal, Matthew Inman

I never would have picked this up if I weren’t trying to support my library and complete a list of reading tasks - and that would have been perfectly fine. Parts of it were funny and spot on, but much of it didn’t appeal to me.

---. The Prayers of Jane Austen by Jane Austen

This pretty little book contains three prayers written by Jane Austen for use in family devotions. They make lovely reading and provide a little insight into the author’s personal priorities.

36. Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey

This was the first in a new to me urban fantasy trilogy and I really enjoyed it. It’s fairly light compared to much of the urban fantasy out there, but Daisy, our heroine, has her moments. The investigation of a suspect drowning keeps Daisy busy in her dual capacities as a police ‘file clerk’ and as an Agent of Hel, the Norse Goddess of Death. And then there’s the issue of Daisy’s father…..

37. On the Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Hold

It’s been years since I read a book by Victoria Holt, so it was fun to revisit her style of gothic thriller.

38. Rocannon’s World by Ursula K. Leguin

I somehow have never read ANY Ursula K. Le Guin, which seems impossible given the amount of science fiction I’ve read over the years. I really have no excuse.

I decided to start with her first published novel, Rocannon’s World, which is the first of the Hainish Cycle, although not the first in terms of internal chronology.

I appreciated what Le Guin was trying to do with the book, especially in light of the Introduction included with the edition I read. Although she clearly had given the world and the characters a great deal of thought, she was not particularly successful in conveying it to the reader. I’m looking forward to reading the Hainish books in publication order to see how Le Guin develops her ideas and grows as a writer.

I see you're really making up for lost time, Dejah.

Hi Nina! I’m trying to get caught up, but it’s a work in progress. I have this illusion that if I get caught up once and for all I’ll never fall behind again.....delusional, I know.

Maybe tomorrow. Or not.

But thanks for noticing my efforts and dropping by!

Oh my, what a bunch --

The Chakraborty and the Lafferty are very much on my radar, both of which I'd like to get to soonish. The Snyder, Fountain, and Vaughn all sound intriguing and have been added to the Swamp.

I haven't read the Carter, and don't know whether I could bear to do right now. He's always struck me as such a Mensch.

Look at you go pumping out all those reviews Deja! Way to go. Have you read any of Carey's other books?

Yes The City of Brass did have its flaws but I totally agree with you that the strength of the book made up for some weaker parts.

Wow, you are having a great reading year. I love the Bess Crawford mystery series but I've fallen behind on it. I think I have A Question of Honor around here someplace and ought to pick it up sometime soon. I think it's #5 in the series.

That book about the 1964 Alaska earthquake sounds fascinating. I'll have to add that one to my wishlist.

I've only read Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series thus far and liked it. I really should put the Agent of Hel series in my bursting wish list, and hopefully get to the first book before the end of the year.

It's odd how I really like the Inspector Rutledge series but not Todd's Bess Crawford series.

>88 cameling: I’ve been thinking about the Kushiel series, too. I’ve only read the first one, but if you can get past the premise it’s very well written, as I remember (it’s been a few years).

Good to see you posting again Dejah - sorry to hear you've started off the year with so many bugs :-(

>57 Dejah_Thoris: That was almost exactly my reaction to God Stalk as well and I'm happy to say I liked Dark of the Moon much more. I'm also tentatively planning to continue with one book a month but feel like I may already be over-committed for March.....

>63 Dejah_Thoris: Dystopian murder mystery sounds very intriguing - added Bannerless to the list.

>65 Dejah_Thoris: & >68 Dejah_Thoris: City of Brass and Six Wakes are already on the list (I think Valerie recommended CoB) but glad to see you also enjoyed them.

>74 Dejah_Thoris: That is a good one!

>82 Dejah_Thoris: If you're just coming across Le Guin's work you have a lot of good stuff in store. I think reading the books in publication order will be a really interesting project. I think she was finding her feet for the first three books in the Hainish Cycle and then The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed were where her writing really took off. I haven't read beyond that in the series yet but I plan to.

You've been playing catch-up on the reviews, it appears.

>85 swynn: Definitely make time for City of Brass and Six Wakes. Six Wakes came as something of a surprise to me. I'd read Lafferty's urban fantasy The Shambling Guide to New York City, and while I thought it was decent enough, I made no effort to read the follow up. Six Wakes felt much more sophisticated and polished. I hope she sticks with SF.

As for Jimmy Carter, I had to laugh - he's a total Mensch! I've never read anything of his before and while I feel great respect for the man and I very surprised by how impressed I was with what he had to say. I can't say it made me feel any better about the world, though. It felt as though he sounded an alarm a decade ago and no one listened.....

>86 jolerie: I have not read any of Carey's other books, but I've been aware of them. They sound..hmmm...heavier than the Agent of Hel trilogy, but I'm planning to give her other work a try.

>87 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda! I always enjoy the Bess Crawford books and I hope you get a chance to pick the series up again soon. The Great Quake was definitely worth reading - I knew next to nothing about the Good Friday Quake. It still shocks me to think that plate tectonics wasn't fully accepted into the 1960s.

>88 cameling: The Kushiel series is one I've been meaning to get to for a long time now. I just need to make a point reading it - like you with the Agent of Hel series, I'll aim for this year.

it's interesting to me that your not a Bess Crawford fan even though you like Ian Rutledge. I like them both, but find the Inspector Rutledge series darker. The next book just came out, and I'm hoping to get it from the library soon.

>89 humouress: I really must get to this series if you're a fan, too, Nina!

>90 souloftherose: Hi Heather! I think I'm going to try to fit Seeker's Mask into March, but it will probably be late in the month. We'll see - I have a ton of books I'm looking at for the month.

I came across City of Brass on a best of 2017 list and picked up on a whim - I'm glad I did.

As for Le Guin and reading order, well, I've always been a believer in reading a series in published order the first time around - I think you get a better vision of how everything developed for the author that way. The next time, internal chronology order is ok. The Hainish Cycle will come first, then the Earthsea books. I'm looking forward to them all.

>91 thornton37814: Thanks exactly what I've been doing, Lori! I haven't really done justice to the books I've been reading, but I know that sometimes just a few words on someone's thread is enough to help me find something new I want to read. I'll still have more catching up to do......

39. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

This was a fascinating book. As the best narrative nonfiction does, it touched on a wide range of subjects - competitive rowing, the Depression, Nazi Germany and more - and brought them together in one thoroughly engaging story. Highly recommended.

40. Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh

The 17th book in Ngaio Marsh’s Roderick Alleyn mysteries, Spinsters in Jeopardy, is not my favorite - even if you ignore the wretched title. I am rereading the series, very slowly, so there was no skipping it, but truthfully, it’s not terrible - just odd. Drugs and cults really aren’t Marsh’s forte - she does much better with the theater.

41. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

I tried to read Discount Armageddon once before and gave up on it. I gave it another shot for a TIOLI Challenge and for the SFFKit and wanted to give up on it again. I kept reading and did end up liking it more by the end than I had halfway - but I’m still not a fan. I won’t be continuing with the series.

I did kind of like the mice, though.

42. Autumn Bones by Jacqueline Carey

In this second outing for Daisy, Hel’s Agent in a Michigan resort town, there’s no real mystery to solve - just more exploration of the eldritch, arcane, and weird and wonderful. It works. I’m looking forward to the third book and final book, Poisoned Fruit, which should resolve Daisy’s romantic situation, if, I suspect, not much else.

---. Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews and Bryan Collier, Illustrator

I read this charming children’s book for my library’s reading challenge, specifically to read a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. It’s the true story of a young man who started playing trombone when his trombone was bigger than he was. It story of his love of music and a salute to New Orleans. It’s beautifully illustrated.

43. The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene

I read quite a few Nancy Drew mysteries as a kid (after I outgrew the Bobbsey Twins) but I never liked them once I discovered the wonders of Cherry Ames. On rereading The Secret of Red Gate Farm for both my library’s reading challenge and the MysteryCAT I still didn’t care for Nancy and her friends that much. This was written in 1931, for crying out loud - there’s barely a hint of the Depression! Bess blows $20 on perfume, which causes all the trouble! And the FBI and Secret Service are all practically kowtowing to Nancy - seriously?????
I actually still enjoy rereading a Cherry Ames mystery every once in a while - or even a Vicki Barr, Flight Stewardess mystery. But I have no desire to revisit Nancy and her idling friends.

44. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. For the most part, I enjoyed it very much - but every once in a while, something would set my teeth on edge that just felt off or patronizing or I don’t know what. I’m obviously having trouble articulating what bothered me, lol. That said, I’ve already looked into getting my hands on the second book, so I suppose it didn’t upset me too much.

45. The Piano Lesson by August Wilson

This Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner is powerful and beautiful. It raises the questions of whether relects of the past are more important than the possibilities of the future or if it’s the memories of the past who make us who we are. Not to mention the ghosts we carry with us…….

>97 Dejah_Thoris: I really loved Trombone Shorty when I read it. I thought it was well done.

>99 Dejah_Thoris: After seeing a few reviews of that one, I'm not planning to read it, but I do love the cover!

I read the Nancy Drew books when I was really young and first fell in love with reading but it's been a long time since I've read them. I wonder how they would read now as an adult.
Yes the Kushiel series is quite good. Interesting characters and world building but definitely more "adult". :)

>101 thornton37814: Trombone Shorty was quite an interesting story - and the artwork was excellent. My library's Reading Challenge is pretty lame, but I'm glad I picked this book up as part of it.

And the cover of The Birds of East Africa is fabulous, I agree!

>102 jolerie: Now I'm getting QUITE curious about the Kushiel series.....

Hi, Dejah_Thoris!

I've added All These Worlds to TIOLI challenge #4 for March. I just picked up the book from my library, and am rarin' to go. I hope you can join me!

Karen O.

I will! Thanks for letting me know where you placed it.

Hope all is well, Princess.

waving *hello*!

>106 PaulCranswick: May was a tough month, Paul - thank you for checking in with me!

>107 humouress: Hello, Nina! How lovely of you to find my thread when I haven't posted on it for so long. I keep adding books up top, but that seems to be about all I manage sometimes. Thanks for dropping by!

>108 Dejah_Thoris: You’re on my ‘topics I’ve posted to’ list and I keep an eye out for other low volume posters like me :0) I noticed you were on other threads, though.

In the interests of posting to my own thread occasionally, I thought I'd take a moment to welcome July and put down some thoughts about my reading so far this year.

I've read a lot of books - probably more than is good for me, but, well, habits are hard to break. I've started the Dewey Decimal Challenge and, obviously, am trying to read more nonfiction. I'm averaging 5 nonfiction books a month which isn't bad, but I still have a tendency to read the same types of nonfiction - I need to keep branching out.

I also try to read plays each year - ideally, one a week. I've never managed to keep close to that pace for long, so I think I'll change my goal to a more modest two a month. I'm currently averaging 1.5.

I'm going to try to write a few reviews - or at least a few comments - about the books I'm reading.

And finally, thank you, Nina >109 humouress: for checking in on me! I do post to other threads - particularly group threads like TIOLI or Kits and CATs - more often than my own.

And my thanks as well to my other visitors - Paul and Karen most recently - who have popped by to say hello. Thanks!

And did I see you've been continuing with Hodgell's Kencyrath series?

>111 ronincats: I have! I finished Seeker's Mask in June and I'm planning on To Ride a Rathorn in May. I confess that I don't always follow the complexities of the the magic system and lineages as well as I might, but I'm enjoying the books. Thanks, again, for bringing the series to my attention.

>110 Dejah_Thoris: You’re welcome. Though I’ve been absent from LT a bit myself recently.

>111 ronincats: >112 Dejah_Thoris: I must get back to that series. But I do like to stretch out series I enjoy so I can savour them for longer. I’m still reading the Vorkosigan series for the group read which officially finished a couple of years ago. :0)

>113 humouress: I hope all is well with you! I need to track down your thread....

Re: the Kencyrath Series - I'm exactly the opposite, Nina, at least as far as this series goes. I was berating myself for letting a few month pass between Dark of the Moon and Seeker's Mask - it made it that much harder to understand what's going on! To Ride a Rathorn is definitely on my list for July.

Given that I’m trying to start writing reviews (or at least blurbs) about the books I’m reading, it would make sense to begin with July, right? Well,I’m going to backtrack a bit into June, because there’s something I Particularly want to say about the book below.

180. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I’d been avoiding The Book Thief; the subject matter sounded distressing at best and I’m often wary of YA novels. However, it fit a TIOLI Challenge from June (reading from the PBS Great American Read list) and I could easily get both a print and a cd version from my library. I have not, historically, cared much for audio books, but I spend more time in the car than I like and I’ve begun to enjoy a listening/reading combo. The Book Thief turned out to be a major exception. I LOVED Allan Corduner’s performance; I thought it was nothing short of brilliant. I read one small section of the book and decided that I’d go back to listening exclusively, and I was very happy with my choice.

The writing is fabulous, too - it’s a great book. If you’re one of the people who, like me, has avoided The Book Thief, reconsider.

181. Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman

An interesting Hugo Award nominee from 1976, Mindbridge shows it age in odd ways. Haldeman has highly competent female characters, but I cringed at issues surrounding procreation. It’s always interesting to read science fiction from other eras and this was short and well done, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone but a true fan of the author or of SF of the 1970s.

182. A Peculiar Tribe of People: Murder and Madness in the Heart of Georgia by Richard Jay Hutto

I read A Peculiar Tribe of People: Murder and Madness in the Heart of Georgia, which tells the tale of a murder in Macon, Georgia in 1960, for June's MysteryCAT topic, which was True Crime. I suggest that only people with a particular interest in the region and/or the era read this one. It showcases some incredibly unlikable people and some of the worst aspects of small town Southern life - I can say that, I'm a Southerner. Racism, sexism, homophobia, appalling class consciousness / snobbery: it's all there. Although well researched, it had a terribly gossipy feel, and I found most of it distasteful.

Earlier in June, I read a true crime book that I thought was very worthwhile, so here's a jump backward on my book list:



160. A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong

A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America was very, very good and I strongly recommend it. Two Pulitzer Prize winning journalists tell the story of a young woman, 'Marie', just out of the foster care system and still in her teens, who reports a rape. Already not finding her story very convincing, the situation is made worse when some of the people closest to her tell the police they think she's lying. Under interrogation, the young woman recants her story. The trouble is, of course, that she was telling the truth.

Fortunately, other police departments in another state (Colorado) who are more compassionate and apparently more determined, realize they're dealing with a serial rapist and capture him and, unexpectedly, vindicate 'Marie'. The story of their efforts and the contrasting ways in which and history of how police departments and the legal system deal with rape reports is fascinating, if at times depressing.

183. Ruth Fielding in the Great Northwest by Alice B. Emerson

Published in 1921, Ruth Fielding in the Great Northwest was the 17th in a long series of novels for girls. Ruth saves Wonota, a sharp shooting, trick riding Osage Indian girl from a wild west show, where her boss, Dakota Joe, mistreats and underpays her. Ruth promptly writes and helps produce a movie for Wonota to star in, but Dakota Joe wants his star back, or, barring that, revenge on Ruth.

You can tell that the authors/editors thought they (and therefore, Ruth) were being incredibly generous and liberal minded in their depiction of Wonota and in her treatment by Ruth and her friends, but the whole thing is miserable racist and condescending.

On the other hand, I did find something quite intriguing in the text. Earlier this year, I read the excellent Killers of the Flower Moon about, in part, the abuses suffered by members of the Osage tribe at the hands of whites who wanted their oil money. The Osage oil wealth is mentioned in this Ruth Fielding novel (Wonota has no access because she’s a minor) and any contracts for employment had to be approved by her Indian Agency guardian. I love unexpected connections…..

Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate!

July reading has started off with a bang for me (er, no pun intended). Nothing like a few days off from work and extreme heat to add to the possible reading hours. I'm also cat sitting for some friends, and every time I go over I have to sit quietly reading for a while before they'll come out and see me.

At any rate, I hope everyone is having a lovely day.

>180 humouress: Glad you finally read The Book Thief. It was a favorite the year I read it.

>121 thornton37814: It really was excellent. Sometimes I'm oddly resistant to reading something, and when I finally get around to it, think it's wonderful.

>115 Dejah_Thoris: I know the feeling, being wary of a book. It mostly happens to me when too many people are pushing me to read a book.
And thanks for leaving a message on my thread! :-)

Just *waving*

>123 FAMeulstee: You're welcome! And, yes, when a book becomes very popular and people keep pushing me to read it, I feel the same way. I think part of it is that I don't want to end up saying something like 'Oh, that book you suggested - it was terrible!'

>124 humouress: Greetings, Nina! *waves madly*

Between some vacation time an a miserable sinus infection I have had a substantial amount of reading time so far this month. Chances are my pace won't be nearly so impressive for the rest of the month.

>125 Dejah_Thoris: And then there’s if a book is read by lots of people who like it, you feel a bit guilty if you don’t.

For example, I don’t really know how I feel about the Harry Potter books. I mean, they’re good, they’re fun, they’re well written (I think); but on the other hand, I don’t know why they made the impact they did (even before the films). When I read them the first time, I had their popularity hanging over me, as it were, and I couldn’t judge freely.

I hope you’re over the sinus infection. Those are never fun.

>125 Dejah_Thoris: Oh, so true! I don't really like a lot of literary fiction, so I usually try to dodge those recommendations, but I'm not always successful. I don't want to say something negative about a book someone else loved, but sometimes that doesn't leave me with much to say.

I like the Harry Potter books, and I am not always a fan of middle grades or YA works. I'm in the midst of a reread of the series because I'm fascinated that Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as a play. I read a fair number of plays and I'm looking forward to seeing what she's done with it. Truth be told, though, I never read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - no particular reason why (I've also never seen the films) - so I decided to work my way through the lot of them.

As for the sinus infection, I'm better than I was, but still not great - it's made for plenty of reading time, though!

184. Smoke and Shadows by Tanya Huff

I think that Tanya Huff is an under read and underappreciated fantasy and science fiction author. Smoke and Shadows is a reread for me. It’s the first of the Smoke Trilogy, a spin-off of Huff’s better known Blood Series, and I wish she’s written more than three of them.

Tony Foster is a former street kid with with more than a little experience of the supernatural. Working in Vancouver’s booming TV industry, Tony is trying to make a life for himself, when odd things start to happen, he seems to be the only one who can see that there’s a problem - or perhaps he’s just the only one willing to do something about it.

185. Mary Astor’s Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel

I probably never would have come across Mary Astor’s Purple Diary if it hadn’t been for June’s ColorCat over in the Category Challenge. I was idly searching for books with purple in the title and came across this one; it’s a gem.

Edward Sorel is an award winning and prolific illustrator, caricaturist and political satirist who admits to a somewhat odd fascination with the late actress Mary Astor. Mary Astor’s Purple Diary is both a biography of Mary Astor (with special attention paid to her rather explicit ‘purple’ diary that was central to a custody case and captivated the nation) and an occasional memoir of Sorel’s childhood, career and marriages. I found it wacky, engrossing and delightful. It was a wonderful and unexpected find.

This is one reason I so appreciate LT - it encourages me to search out and read books I would otherwise missed, which would be a sad thing, indeed.

>127 Dejah_Thoris: Oh, I like the Harry Potter books well enough; it's just that, knowing everyone was raving about it, I didn't see what made it stand out from the crowd (of good YA fiction). If I had read it without any preconceptions, I might have been hit with it, as it were. I recently read The Lies of Locke Lamora and LT readers were divided in two camps; one that loved it and one that was traumatised by the violence. So I read it more cautiously knowing that and, while I found it good, I didn't love it to bits but neither did I find it especially violent. (Game of Thrones on the other hand ...).

Reading time is always good :0)

I've only ever come across Tanya Huff's Four Quarters books; maybe the problem is that she isn't marketed widely enough?

>128 Dejah_Thoris: I have not read Huff's Blood series nor her Smoke trilogy. Somewhat surprising since I have read at least some of her Confederation series (mil-sf), her urban fantasy series (the early Keeper's Chronicles (yay, fantasy with cats!) and the recent Enchantment Emporium series and the so-far stand-alone The Silvered, as well as several compilations of her older work and the Four Quarters books.

>130 humouress: Ah, I see what you mean. I'm not sure why I like the series given that I don't care for some many others, much less why it became a world-wide phenomenon. but I'm sure there's someone out there who has an explanation - I wonder how many dissertations have already been written about Harry?

You're certainly right about The Lies of Locke Lamora - it certainly has been a polarizing book here on LT. I started it a while back, but didn't get very far - I don't think I was in the mood for it at the time. I'm glad you didn't find it overly violent, as I keep meaning to give it another try.

>130 humouress: >131 ronincats: As for Tanya Huff, I started with her Confederation series. I was on a genealogical road trip (2009, maybe?), needed another fiction book, and picked A Confederation of Valor (which has the first two books of the series Valor's Choice and The Better Part of Valor) up at a B&N. I read it in no time and had to figure out where another B&N was to get the next book. I've read the five Confederation books and have continued following Torin Kerr in the Peacekeepers Trilogy, the third of which, A Privilege of Peace was published last month. I haven't gotten to read it yet - my library system is going through its annual budgetary scrum and book orders are on hold - and I'm resisting ordering it. So far.

I read and really enjoyed, but didn't love, the books in the Enchantment Emporium series. The Silvered, though, that I thought, was terrific - I keep hoping she writes a follow up. And, of course, as previously mentioned, I've read and reread her Blood and Smoke books.

It's Huff's early works that I've missed - The Four Quarters series and The Keeper Chronicles, and assorted other stand alones. I'm planning to rectify that soon!

>130 humouress: It's entirely possible that Huff wasn't marketed well enough - there seem to have been more than a few worthwhile fantasy and SF authors who never clicked with the right audiences.

114. Date Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner



186. Alien Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner

This second installment in the EarthCent Ambassador series is much like the first: light, undemanding and humorous. I’m in no hurry to get to the next in line (High Priest on Union Station), but I imagine I’ll get to it sometime when I want something short, fluffy and that ends happily for all involved.

145. Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton



187. Lord of the Pies by Nell Hampton

I really enjoyed Nell Hampton’s first Kensington Palace Chef Mystery, Kale to the Queen, the story of Carrie Ann Cole, a U.S. chef who has moved to London to by the family chef for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and their children. Of course, being a mystery, there’s a dead body, but Hampton does a nice job of balancing the mystery, life in Kensington Palace, and filling in Carrie Ann’s back story.

The second in the series is Lord of the Pies wasn’t quite as good as the first, but I still found it entertaining. I don’t read man contemporary cozy series these days, but I’ll keep going with this one

188. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe

I picked this children’s book up from the library with the intent of reading it for June’s RandomCAT, read a book with a non-human narrator. I didn’t get to it in June, but I’m glad I went ahead and read it in July. Harold, the family dog, narrates the tale of the rabbit the human portion of the family finds during a screening of Dracula and the concerns that Chester, the well-read family cat, has about the...odd...addition to the family.

>132 Dejah_Thoris: I concur that the Enchantment Emporium is decent urban fantasy, but not outstanding. I do really like the Confederation books but have fallen behind on the series--I think I've read the first 4. I like the Keeper chronicles but the presence of the cats is probably a large part of that. The Four Quarters books are traditional high fantasy. Despite the fact that Huff is a Canadian writer, I've never had any difficulty finding her books.
>133 Dejah_Thoris: I read these two. I thought the first was cute and so got the second, but felt like it was settling into a formula for any future books in the series and not worth proceeding.
>135 Dejah_Thoris: I read the first three of this series back in the 80s with my nephews. My favorite title is The Celery Stalks at Midnight.

>133 Dejah_Thoris: >136 ronincats: I have to agree that cute is a good word for the Union Station books. I can't imagine reading them all - I think are 14 now - but I can see the possibility of reading one or two more if I want something really brainless!

As for the Bunnicula books, I doubt I'll continue, but now I'm curious about The Celery Stalks at Midnight. You never know when I might need a vegetable for a TIOLI Challenge.

189. The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly

I wasn’t blown away by The Great Zoo of China, but in it, a great many living creatures were. It was fun in a fast paced, over the top, ‘we’re going to beat the bad guys and save the world’ kind of way, but I felt that the author was simply checking off elements on a plot list: cute kid to be rescued - ✔. The fact that there is no meaningful interaction with the cute kid is, apparently, unimportant. Character development wasn’t a strong point, and I admit I didn’t really expect it to be. It wasn’t terrible - it wasn’t particularly good, either.

Hi Dejah, just *waving*.

>135 Dejah_Thoris: I like the cover on that - quite clever.

>138 Dejah_Thoris: mrsdrneutron and I picked that one up somewhere and it's been sitting on my to-read shelf for a while. Next time I need brain candy, this may be the one!

>139 humouress: Hiya, Nina! Bunnicula was pretty funny and the cover is great, I agree. I'm still toying with a reread of Summers at Castle Auburn and it's all your fault.....

>140 drneutron: Hi Jim! I was probably a overly harsh in my comments on The Great Zoo of China - it's high octane popcorn. It's perfect for when you wants something that zips along with little thought required :)

>141 Dejah_Thoris: (Hee hee) Bullseye!

I'm still reading away, but not posting much. At least I'm still keeping up with adding my books up top, even if I'm not reviewing them!

>134 Dejah_Thoris: I liked the first Kensington Palace Chef mystery better than the second one, too, but do plan to continue with this series.

I'm not posting much about my books. Many of my recent reads are local history books and I don't think too many people on LT would be interested in them.

*waving*

>145 humouress: I JUST posted something on your thread!

*waving back*

At least when you post here, it reminds me to go up to the top of your thread and see what you've been reading!

>147 ronincats: That made me laugh, Roni. I am so slack about writing reviews - or even posting covers and a few comments. Oh well, at least I'm managing to keep up with logging books.

Thanks for dropping by!

I've started the annual September Series & Sequels thread.

It's over at: https://www.librarything.com/topic/295308

>149 lindapanzo: Thanks for the link, Linda - I've visited and starred.

>148 Dejah_Thoris: I find myself doing the same thing (just basically keeping a reading log). I want to write more, but I want to read more--such a dilemma!

Karen O.

>151 klobrien2: Yep, that's it exactly!

>151 klobrien2: Yes; right now I want to read, but I have several books I haven't reviewed yet and if I read anything before I write them, I'll forget even the salient points. So I can't read. But I don't feel like writing ....

I've added colorful stars to my posts, so at least I can get my overall reaction to the book, short and sweet.

Hope you get some reviews done so that you can do more reading!

Karen O.

>153 humouress: >154 klobrien2: How nice of you both to drop by!

Nina, I keep reading, but the review writing - nada!

I like your star idea, Karen, but you would not believe how I agonize over how many stars to give a book on the rare occasions I try to do it. It's idiotic of me, I know, but I think it's harder for me than writing reviews.

I think I may start a second thread. This one is loading slowly and I've run out of space for books at the top.

Missing you Princess.

Hope you have had a splendid Thanksgiving Weekend.

Hi Dejah! I see the reading is going well.

Happy holidays, Princess

Seasons Greetings from Singapore! Wishing you and your family joy, peace, good fortune and good health now and in the coming year.

>158 PaulCranswick: >159 humouress: My thanks to you both, Paul and Nina, for visiting my thread when I've been being so very silent.
My best wishes to you both for the holiday season and the coming New Year!

Thank you. The 2019 group is up; maybe we'll see more of you next year?

>161 humouress: Well, I suppose it wouldn't take much doing on my part to be a little more visible, would it, lol? I hope to be much more active in 2019 - I've already joined the 2019 group, but I probably won't post a thread until 12/31.

Though I haven't posted much, the is the FIRST year I have actually managed to record every book I've read on my thread. The number is a little frightening, actually. I thought I'd be reading less this year.... I've also lurked a fair bit.

356 books? That is scary. I'm still stuck on 64.

>163 humouress: It is a bit scary. There were several factors that led to extra reading time this year, but still - it's crazy. And I was planning to read less in 2018...so much for that idea.

I've just finished book #360. At this point, I'm wondering if I just shouldn't buckle down and read five more.

You've done really well with this year's reading! I've already hit a record for mine, but I must confess to several picture books, a few YA selections, and several Kindle singles here at the end to reach 300! I'm going to read a Kindle single tonight to insure reaching the 300. I may also finish a history book with 300+ pages (of actual reading before endnotes) and an audiobook before the year is over. If so, those will bring my numbers up to 301 or 302. My devotion book and Bible for the other two are on track so I'm not worried about those.

>165 Dejah_Thoris: You seem to be on a roll!

>166 thornton37814: We cross posted! I'm thinking of adding that Linda Castillo Kindle Single you reviewed recently to this year - I might as well aim for 365 just to know I did it once. I've got an audio book going, too, and Obama: An Intimate Portrait to finish flipping through and a play to read.

I've got plenty on novellas on my list -and plays don't take me very long to read. They really make my numbers add up!

>168 Dejah_Thoris: The one I added tonight is a Karin Slaughter one.

>169 thornton37814: I joined you for In Dark Company, but I think I'll skip the Karin Slaughter. I read a play I had listed for TIOLI, Philip Barry's Holiday, so that leave me with three to go - Wolfsbane (with which I am almost finished), Obama: An Intimate Portrait and something else....

>166 thornton37814: (What's a Kindle Single? I'm still trying to get to 75.)

>171 humouress: They are short stories or novellas. You can find them here: https://smile.amazon.com/Kindle-Singles/b/?ie=UTF8&node=2486013011&ref_=...

>172 thornton37814: Thanks for answering Nina, Lori - I wasn't on the computer for a while.

>171 humouress: You can do it, Nina! 75 is within reach!

>173 Dejah_Thoris: No problem. They are not the easiest things to find--even when you know they are there!

>175 thornton37814: And to you and your fur boys, Lori!

I'm finished with my book for 2018 - #365 was the very entertaining A Lot Like Christmas: Stories by Connie Willis. It was a great way to finish the reading year.

On to 2019!

>176 Dejah_Thoris: I'm impressed you read the equivalent of a book a day. I don't think I'll ever manage that--at least not until I retire.

>177 thornton37814: Honestly, Lori, I'm a little appalled, lol. There were reasons I had more reading time and I've begun listening to audio books and I truly am a fast reader, but I think that's just a bit too much time devoted to reading. The cats are all in favor of me reading, though! I'll see if I can't scale things back a bit in 2019 and still read plenty of great books.

>178 Dejah_Thoris: I know what you mean; however, in my 300 are several children's picture books and several Kindle shorts! You are probably a fast reader as I am. There are a few books on which I take my time, but for most books, I can easily read 50-70 pages/hour, depending on the page size. A 300 page book would typically be read in about 6 hours. I don't have 6 hours on days I work to read one, but I can read one in 2-3 evenings, depending on what else I'm doing.

>172 thornton37814: >173 Dejah_Thoris: Thank you; I found the Murderbot Diaries as Kindle singles, although I didn't manage to finish it until after the New Year set in. So 75 is still an unattainable number for me, let alone 300 or 365.

Congratulations on your book a day, Dejah!

You've done some great reading in 2018, Princess. A number of which I'd have loved to discuss with you, but when you add books in your lists above it doesn't show up as a new post and so I forget to come and see what you are reading. Hopefully I will do better at this next year.

Examples: Were The Fourth Bear and the Paks books rereads or the first time? Did you love the Paksennarion books? How about the Murderbot books, the new Scalzi series, and Spinning Silver? Was this a first time for Wrapt in Crystal--I love that mystery! And I'm getting ready to start Kill the Queen--what did you think?