rretzler (Robin) Reads Reams in 2018 - Chapter 3

2018 Reading



About Me

Family Pictures




List of Books Read in 2018

Books Read in January
Books Added to My Library in January
January Summary

Books Read in February
Books Added to My Library in February
February Summary

Books Read in March
Books Added to My Library in March
March Summary

Books Read in April
Books Added to My Library in April
April Summary

Books Read in May
Books Added to My Library in May

Currently Reading

Challenges, Group Reads, etc

January to March Books Read
April to June Books Read

Kindle Preorders

Planned Reading

My Series

Prior Year Favorites

Newbery Awards

Hugo Awards

Nebula Awards

A Book A Year

About Me



Hi, I'm Robin, and this is my 7th or 8th year with the 75'ers Group. I'm 54, and I've been married to Ed (54) for 26 years. We have two sons, Beckham (16) and Keegan (almost 13), and four cats, Picasso (12) and the kittens, Mycroft, Bandit, and J'Zargo (8 months.) Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus (the capital of Ohio) has been our home for the past 20 years. Our boys are involved in travel soccer and many school activities, and they keep us very busy driving them around. That may change when Beckham gets his driver's license soon.

I own a tax practice which I have run out of my house for the past ten years - prior to that, I was the Tax Director for one of the top 100 accounting firms in the US for five years, a shareholder in a small accounting firm for five years, and worked at Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm for 12 years where I headed the local tax compliance department. I have been slowing down my tax practice for the past few years intending to retire soon to spend time with my boys before they go off to college. Ed is in IT at Huntington Bank, a national bank headquartered in Columbus. Beckham is in 10th grade and is accelerated in math - he finished his high school math credits while he was still in middle school. He is currently taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses at one of our local high schools. Keegan is in 7th grade at a local middle school and is accelerated two years in math. He has been struggling with hearing issues since he was about four months old and has been wearing hearing aids in both ears for two years. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia, but he also does very well in school.

I learned to read at a very young age, and have rarely been without a book (or many) since then. My library on LT reflects those books that I have kept track of since I started as a member seven years ago. I am slowly trying to capture books I have read before that time, but I'm guessing that a lot of books that I have read will never be recorded as I have forgotten them. I am totally an addict, and the daily deals on Amazon for $1.99 will probably be my financial ruin. I just cannot help myself when it comes to a bargain of that sort!

I mainly read mysteries, science fiction, fantasy and children's/young adult books (along with my sons.) Specifically, most of the mysteries that I read are British mysteries in the style of the Golden Age of Detection, and I enjoy soft sci-fi, especially dystopian, a bit more than hard sci-fi. Until this past year, Beckham, Keegan and I read together every night, but it has been difficult with Beckham's course load to do this. I hope to start reading together again this year, but realistically it will be weekly, not nightly. In school, I never had to read many of the classics, so I am slowly going back to read some of those. I also try to read several best sellers each year. Additionally, I have been working my way through the Newbery, Hugo, and Nebula awards.

I proudly consider myself to be a geek (okay, maybe a nerd too). My favorite TV shows are Sherlock (BBC version) and Doctor Who (both classic and new series). We enjoy Marvel movies - The Avengers, Captain America, Doctor Strange, etc. - and also the Marvel TV series - Agents of Shield, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, The Punisher, etc. My other hobbies include making beaded jewelry and sometimes knitting. I love to travel, but since we have children who are quickly approaching college age, we don't do as much as we used to.

If we would win the lottery, the first thing I would do (aside from paying off the mortgage and setting aside the funds for college for my sons) is to go back to school myself! I love to learn and would probably take lots of psychology, philosophy and literature courses.

I'm so glad to be back with the 75'ers again this year and am going to attempt to visit more than I have in the past.

Family Pictures

I thought I would share some pictures of our family.


Ed and I on vacation on the beach at Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 2017


Keegan and Beckham in Massachusetts showing our vacation tradition of trying on gift shop hats - here they try on Pilgrim hats in Plymouth, Massachusetts.


Picasso


Bandit, Mycroft and J'Zargo inspecting the snowflakes outside

Currently Reading




Reading Now

1. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
   
2. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds - listening with Keegan
   
3. Solaris by Stanislaw Lem - listening
   
4. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Poetzsch
   
5. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling - reading with Beckham and Keegan
   
6. On the Beach by Nevil Shute
   
7. The Once and Future King by TH White
   

Up Next

1. The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet
   
2. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
   
   

Challenges, Group Reads, etc.



Group Reads

January
The God Stalk Group Read
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens Group Read
Two Giudo's - Brunetti and Guerrieri - Mystery Read-Along- I'll just participate in the Donna Leon series - every other month - Death at La Fenice
Goodreads - Reading the Detectives - The Abbey Court Murder

February
Group Read of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy - Assassin's Apprentice
Group Read Arthur & George
Goodreads - Reading the Detectives - Mystery Mile

March
Group Read of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy - Royal Assassin -
Two Guido's - Brunetti and Guerrier - Mystery Read-Along - Death in a Strange Country

May
Group Read of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy - Assassin's Quest
Two Guido's - Brunetti and Guerrier - Mystery Read-Along - Dressed for Death


Challenges

I plan only to loosely follow the challenges - if I read a book and it fits, I'll count it, but I am not going to plan my reading to complete a challenge. If I need a book to read, I'll consider something that fits the challenge.

PopReadHarderSugarEtc Challenges


PopSugar Reading Challenge

1. Book made into a movie I've already seen - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
   
2. True crime -
   
3. Next book in series I've started - The Curse of Mabb's Farm by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello
   
4. Book involving a heist -
   
5. Nordic noir -
   
6. Novel based on a real person - A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill - based on Egon Kirsh's visit to Australia
   
7. Book set in a country that fascinates me - No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith - Germany
   
8. Book with the time of day in the title -
   
9. Book about a villian or antihero - Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi - Jack Holloway as antihero
   
10. Book about death or grief - Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
    
11. Book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym -
    
12. Book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist -
    
13. Book that is a stage play or musical -
    
14. Book by an author with a different ethnicity - One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
    
15. Book about feminism - Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry
    
16. Book about mental health - The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin
    
17. Book borrowed or given to me as a gift - The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths - Christmas gift
    
18. Book by 2 authors - Last Train to London by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello
    
19. Book involving a sport -
    
20. Book by a local author -
    
21. Book with my favorite color in the title -
    
22. Book with alliteration in the title - Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan
    
23. Book about time travel -
    
24. Book with weather element in the title -
    
25. Book set at sea - Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham - starts out on an ocean liner at sea
    
26. Book with an animal in the title -
    
27. Book set on a different planet - Little Fuzzy by H Beam Piper
    
28. Book with song lyrics in the title - The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
    
29. Book set on Halloween - The Knowledge by Martha Grimes
    
30. Book with characters who are twins - God Stalk by PC Hodgell
    
31. Book mentioned in another book - Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
    
32. Book from a celebrity book club - The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Oprah
    
33. Childhood classic I've never read -
    
34. Book published in 2018 - A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
    
35. Past Goodreads Choice Awards winner - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
    
36. Book set in the decade I was born -
    
37. Book I meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to - Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate
    
38. Book with an ugly cover - Alpha Alpine by Mary Daheim
    
39. Book that involves a bookstore or library -
    
40. Favorite prompt from 2015, 2016, 2017 Popsugar Challenge - Book with a title that's a character's name - Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
    
    
41. Best seller from the year I graduated HS -
    
42. Cyberpunk book -
    
43. Book being read by a stranger in a public place -
    
44. Book tied to my ancestry - Murder in Thistlecross by Amy M Reade - takes place in Wales, my Grandmother's maiden name was Evans which is a Welsh name
    
45. Book with a fruit or vegetable in the title - Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke
    
46. An allegory - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (likely debatable as an allegory, but I think perhaps it meets the definition)
    
47. Book by an author with the same first or last name as me - Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
    
48. A microhistory - Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett - gives a little of the history of Operation Fortitude and the First United States Army Group during WWII
    
49. Book about a problem facing society today - Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon
    
50. Book recommended by someone else taking the Popsugar Challenge -
    
    

Read Harder Challenge

1. Book published posthumously - The Book of Merlyn by TH White
   
2. Book of true crime -
   
3. Classic of genre fiction - The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin
   
4. Comic written and drawn by the same person -
   
5. Book set in or about one of the five BRICS countries -
   
6. Book about nature -
   
7. A western -
   
8. Comic written or drawn by a person of color -
   
9. Book of colonial or postcolonial literature -
   
10. Romance novel by or about a person of color -
    
11. Children’s classic published before 1980 -
    
12. Celebrity memoir -
    
13. Oprah Book Club selection - The Road by Cormac McCarthy
    
14. Book of social science -
    
15. One sitting book - The Man on the Train by Clara Benson
    
16. First book in new to me middle grade or YA series - Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
    
17. SciFi with female protagonist and female author - God Stalk by PC Hodgell (equating SciFi with Fantasy here)
    
18. Comic that isn’t published by Marvel, DC, or Image -
    
19. Genre fiction in translation - The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
    
20. Book with a cover I hate - Alpha Alpine by Mary Daheim
    
21. Mystery by a person of color or LGBTQ+ author -
    
22. Essay anthology -
    
23. Book with a female protagonist over the age of 60
    
24. Assigned book you hated (or never finished)
    
    

Modern Mrs Darcy

1. Classic I've been meaning to read - Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
   
2. Book recommended by someone with great taste- God Stalk by PC Hodgell - recommended by Roni
   
3. Book in translation - The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
   
4. Book nominated for an award in 2018 -
   
5. Book of poetry, a play or an essay collection - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
   
6. Book I can read in a day - A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
   
7. Book that's more than 500 pages - Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
   
8. Book by a favorite author - Island of the Mad by Laurie R King
   
9. Book recommended by librarian or bookseller - Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - Keegan's school librarian/teacher
   
10. A banned book-
    
11. Memoir, biography or book of creative nonfiction-
    
12. Book by an author with a different race, ethnicity or religion - One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
    
    

Just the Facts, Ma'am Vintage Mystery Challenge

1. Why - an author I've never tried - The Abbey Court Murder by Annie Haynes
   
2. How - at least two deaths with different means - Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan
   
3. Where - set in a small village - Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate
   
4. What - title containing two words beginning with the same letter - Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
   
5. When - during a special event - Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude
   
6. Who - journalist - Seven Dead by J Jefferson Farjeon
   
7. When - during a recognized holiday - Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith
   
8. How - death by drowning - A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey
   
9. What - pseudonymous author - So Pretty a Problem by Francis Duncan - William Underhill
   
   

New Release Challenge

1. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
   
2. Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan
   
3. Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke
   
4. Murder in an Irish Churchyard by carlene O'Connor
   
5. The Man on the Train by Clara Benson
   
6. Murder in Bloomsbury by D M Quincy
   
7. No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith
   
8. The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch
   
9. Murder in Thistlecross by Amy M Reade
   
10. Island of the Mad by Laurie R King
    
11. The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen
    
12. The Roubaud Connection by Estelle Ryan
    
13. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George
    
14. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear
    
15. A Dinner to Die For by Neil Richards
    
16. The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J Duncan
    
17. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry
    
18. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
    
19. Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton
    
20. The Knowledge by Martha Grimes
    
21. Head On by John Scalzi
    
22. I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis
    
    

Audiobook Challenge

1. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
   
2. Last Train to London by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello
   
3. The Curse of Mabb's Farm by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello
   
4. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
   
5. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin
   
6. The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
   
7. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
   
8. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
   
9. Little Fuzzy by H Beam Piper
   
10. Between Planets by Robert Heinlein
    
    

NetGalley Review Challenge

1. Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan
   
2. Alpha Alpine by Mary Daheim
   
3. Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate
   
4. A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill
   
5. Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke
   
6. Murder in an Irish Churchyard by Carlene O'Connor
   
7. Murder in Bloomsbury by D M Quincy
   
8. No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith
   
9. Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude
   
10. Paving the New Road by Sulari Gentill
    
11. The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch
    
12. Seven Dead by J Jefferson Farjeon
    
13. Murder in Thistlecross by Amy M Reade
    
14. Island of the Mad by Laurie R King
    
15. A Dinner to Die For by Neil Richards
    
16. The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J Duncan
    
17. Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith
    
18. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry
    
19. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
    
20. Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton
    
    

British Book Challenge

1. The Abbey Court Murder by Annie Haynes
   
2. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
   
3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
   
4. Last Train to London by Neil Richards
   
5. The Curse of Mabb's Farm by Neil Richards
   
6. Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan
   
7. Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate
   
8. Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
   
9. Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
   
10. Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird
    
11. The Man on the Train by Clara Benson
    
12. No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith
    
13. The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths
    
14. Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude
    
15. Seven Dead by J Jefferson Farjeon
    
16. Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
    
17. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear
    
18. A Dinner to Die For by Neil Richards
    
19. Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith
    
20. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry
    
21. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
    
22. The Book of Merlyn by TH White
    
23. Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves
    
24. A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey
    
25. So Pretty a Problem by Francis Duncan
    
    

Family Tree Reading Challenge

1. Keegan - 2005 - Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
   
   

Newbery Reading Challenge

1. Medal - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
   
2. Honor - One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
   
   

British Author Theme Challenge

1. Debut - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
   
2. 1970s - Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird
   
3. Classic Thriller - Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
   
4. Folklore - The Book of Merlyn by TH White
   
5. Wildcard - Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats
   
6. Wildcard - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
   
7. Wildcard - La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats
   
8. Queens of Crime - A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey
   
   

Classics-I-Have-Not-Read Challenge

1. Nicholas Nickelby by Charles Dickens
   
2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
   
   

Pick and Mix Reading Challenge

1. God Stalk by PC Hodgell
   
2. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
   
3. Head On by John Scalzi
   
4. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
   
5. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
   
6. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
   
   

Space Opera Reading Challenge

1. 
   
   

Choose Your Own Adventure Reading Challenge - award winners

1. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
   
2. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
   
3. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
   
   

Men of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge

1. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
   
2. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
   
3. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
   
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
   
   

Read the Sequel

1. 
   
   

I Just Have to Read More of That Author

1. Head On by John Scalzi
   
   

The Unloved - Sci-fi/Fantasy books that have not won an award

1. God Stalk by PC Hodgell
   
2. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin
   
3. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
   
4. Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
   

January to March Books Read

January

1. The Abbey Court Murder by Annie Haynes -
   
2. God Stalk by PC Hodgell -
   
3. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon -
   
4. The Talisman's Trinket (short story) by PC Hodgell -
   
5. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens -
   
6. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith -
   
7. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn -
   
8. Last Train to London by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello -
   
9. The Curse of Mabb's Farm by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello -
   
10. Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan -
    
11. Number Four: The Zero Finger Option by Colin Cotterill -
    
12. Alpha Alpine by Mary Daheim -
    
13. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer -
    
14. Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate -
    February
    
15. A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill -
    
16. Arthur and George by Julian Barnes -
    
17. Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham -
    
18. Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke -
    
19. Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird -
    
20. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin -
    
21. Murder in an Irish Churchyard by Carlene O'Connor -
    
22. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb -
    
23. The Man on the Train by Clara Benson -
    
24. Murder in Bloomsbury by D M Quincy -
    
25. No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith -
    
26. The Long Arm of the Law by Martin Edwards -
    
27. The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths -
    
28. Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude -
    
29. Paving the New Road by Sulari Gentill -
    
30. The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch -
    March
    
31. Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon -
    
32. Seven Dead by J Jefferson Farjeon -
    
33. The Prodigal Son by Sulari Gentill -
    
34. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck -
    
35. Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb -
    
36. Murder in Thistlecross by Amy M Reade -
    
37. Island of the Mad by Laurie R King -
    
38. The Dispatcher by John Scalzi -
    
39. The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen -
    
40. Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett -
    
41. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill -
    
42. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer -

April to June Books Read

April

1. The Roubaud Connection by Estelle Ryan -
   
2. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George -
   
3. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear -
   
4. A Dinner to Die For by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello -
   
5. The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J Duncan -
   
6. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi -
   
7. Usher II by Ray Bradbury -
   
8. There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury -
   
9. Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith -
   
10. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry -
    
11. The President's Brain is Missing by John Scalzi -
    
12. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths -
    
13. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia -
    
14. Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton -
    
15. The Book of Merlyn by TH White -
    
16. The Knowledge by Martha Grimes -
    
17. "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison -
    
18. Head On by John Scalzi -
    
19. Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves -
    
20. Number Five: Trash by Colin Cotterill -
    
21. Dressed for Death by Donna Leon -
    May
    
22. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce -
    
23. When by Victoria Laurie -
    
24. Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats -
    
25. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge -
    
26. La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats -
    
27. Little Fuzzy by H Beam Piper -
    
28. Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb -
    
29. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu -
    
30. A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey -
    
31. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi -
    
32. Murder in Mayfair by D M Quincy -
    
33. I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis -
    
34. Between Planets by Robert Heinlein -
    
35. So Pretty a Problem by Francis Duncan -
    
36. The Road by Cormac McCarthy -
    
37. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng -

My Kindle Preorders


This is where I keep up with the books that I have preordered on amazon.com. These are mostly series books for which I am waiting for the next installment

1. Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan - Mordecai Tremaine - January 2, 2018 - received, read
   
2. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn - Veronica Speedwell - January 16, 2018 - received, read
   
3. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley - Flavia de Luce - January 30, 2018 - received, read
   
4. Death of an Honest Man by MC Beaton - Hamish MacBeth - February 1, 2018 - received, read
   
5. Beau Death by Peter Lovesey - Peter Diamond - February 6, 2018 - received, read
   
6. The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen - February 20, 2018 - received, read
   
7. Murder in an Irish Churchyard by Carlene O'Connor - February 27, 2018 - received, read
   
8. Money in the Morgue by Stella Duffy and Ngaio Marsh - Roderick Alleyn - March 8, 2017 (in UK)
   
9. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George - Inspector Lynley - March 20, 2018 - received, read
   
10. The Roubaud Connection by Estelle Ryan - Genevieve Lenard - March 22, 2018 - received, read
    
11. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs - March 27, 2018 - received, read
    
12. The Knowledge by Martha Grimes - Richard Jury - April 10, 2018 - received, read
    
13. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry - Daniel Pitt (new series) - April 10, 2018 - received, read
    
14. The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse by Alexander McCall Smith - April 10, 2018 - received
    
15. Head On by John Scalzi - Lock In - April 17, 2018 - received, read
    
16. Number Five: Trash by Colin Cotterill - Jimm Juree Case Files - April 28, 2018 - received, read
    
17. I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis - April 30, 2018 - received, read
    
18. So Pretty a Problem by Francis Duncan - Mordecai Tremaine - May 1, 2018 - received, read
    
19. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths - Ruth Galloway - May 15, 2017 - received, read
    
20. Island of the Mad by Laurie R King - Mary Russell - June 12, 2018 - received, read
    
21. Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom by Nancy Atherton - Aunt Dimity - June 12, 2018 - received, read
    
22. The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith - Isabel Dalhousie - July 31, 2018 - received, read
    
23. Early Riser by Jasper Fforde - August 2, 2018 - received
    
24. Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen - Royal Spyness - August 7, 2018 - received, read
    
25. The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal - Maggie Hope - August 7, 2018 - received read
    
26. Don't Eat Me by Colin Cotterill - Siri Paiboun - August 14, 2018 - received read
    
27. The Paddington Mystery by John Rhode - Dr. Priestley - August 14, 2018 - received read
    
28. Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves - Shetland Island- September 6, 2018 - received, read
    
29. Dark Tide Rising by Anne Perry - William Monk - September 18, 2018 - received read
    
30. The Dead Ringer by MC Beaton - Agatha Raisin- October 4, 2018 - received, read
    
31. The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths - Stephens & Mephisto - November 2, 2018 - received, read
    
32. What Child is This by Rhys Bowen - November 6, 2019
    
33. The Crimes of Grindelwald by JK Rowling - Fantastic Beasts - November 16, 2018
    
34. Number Seven: Sex on the Beach by Colin Cotterill - Jimm Jurree Case Files - November 18, 2018
    
35. Fire and Blood by George RR Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire prequel - November 20, 2018
    
36. Hall of Mirrors by Christopher Fowler - Bryant & May - December 4, 2018 - received
    
37. The Arsenal Stadium Mystery by Leonard Grible - Anthony Slade and Department X2 - December 4, 2018
    
38. Behold a Fair Woman by Francis Duncan – Mordecai Tremain – January 1, 2019
    
39. The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley – Flavia de Luce – January 22, 2019 - received
    
40. The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen – February 12, 2019
    
41. The Vanishing Man by Charles Finch – Charles Lenox – February 19, 2019
    
42. Murder in an Irish Pub by Carlene O’Connor – Irish Village – February 26, 2019
    
43. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths – March 5, 2019 - received
    
44. Mrs Jeffries Delivers the Goods by Emily Brightwell – Mrs Jeffries – March 12, 2019
    
45. A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn – Veronica Speedwell – March 12, 2019
    
46. Bertie and the Tin Man by Peter Lovesey (reprint) – Albert Edward, Prince of Wales – March 12, 2019
    
47. The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear – Maisie Dobbs – March 19, 2019
    
48. Sidney Chambers and the Road to Grantchester by James Runcie – Grantchester – March 21, 2019 (UK)
    
49. The Lonely Hour by Christopher Fowler – Bryant & May – March 21, 2019 (UK)
    
50. Triple Jeopardy by Anne Perry – Daniel Pitt – April 9, 2019
    
51. The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith – Detective Varg – April 16, 2019
    
52. The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths – Ruth Galloway – May 7, 2019
    
53. Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold by Nancy Atherton - Aunt Dimity - June 18, 2019
    
54. Killing with Confetti by Peter Lovesey - Peter Diamond - July 9, 2019
    
55. The Autobiography of Mr. Spock by David Goodman - Star Trek Autobiographies - August 6, 2019

Planned Reading





I've never planned out what I read before. I've just had a vague idea of books that I might like to read, and I just picked my next books based on a whim. This year, I have decided to try to plan my reading a little. There are many books that I have wanted to read, but I never get around to, and I'd also like to plan to participate in various challenges. So...here is my attempt to plan my reading.

Planned Reading

January

1. The Abbey Court Murder by Annie Haynes
   
2. God Stalk by PC Hodgell - group read
   
3. Nicholas Nickelby by Charles Dickens - group read
   
4. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon - group read
   
5. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
   
6. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
   
7. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
   
8. Last Train to London by Neil Richards
   
9. The Curse of Mabb's Farm by Neil Richards - series
   
10. Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan - ARC
    
11. Alpine Alpha by Mary Daheim- ARC
    
12. Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate - ARC
    Feburary
    
13. A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill - ARC
    
14. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin
    
15. Arthur and George by Julian Barnes - group read
    
16. Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham - series, challenge
    
17. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb - group read
    
18. Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird - series, challenge
    
19. Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude - ARC
    
20. The Long Arm of the Law by Martin Edwards - ARC
    
21. Murder in Bloomsbury by D M Quincy - ARC
    
22. No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith - ARC
    
23. The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch - ARC
    
24. Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke - ARC
    
25. Murder in an Irish Churchyard by Carlene O'Connor - ARC
    
26. Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths
    
27. Paving the New Road by Sulari Gentill - ARC
    March
    
28. Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon - group
    
29. The Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb - group
    
30. Seven Dead by J Jefferson Farjeon - ARC
    
31. The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett - challenge
    
32. Murder in Thistlecross by Amy M Reade - ARC
    
33. The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen - preorder
    
34. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
    
35. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill- Newbery
    
36. Island of the Mad by Laurie R King - preorder
    April
    
37. The Roubaud Connection by Estelle Ryan - preorder
    
38. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George - preorder
    
39. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear - preorder
    
40. A Dinner to Die For by Neil Richards - ARC
    
41. The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J Duncan - ARC -
    
42. The Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith - ARC
    
43. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths - preorder, ARC
    
44. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry - ARC
    
45. Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton - ARC
    
46. Book of Merlyn by TH White - challenge
    
47. The Knowledge by Martha Grimes - preorder
    
48. Head On by John Scalzi - preorder
    
49. Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves - series
    
50. Dressed for Death by Donna Leon - group
    May
    
51. Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb - group
    
52. A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey - series, challenge
    
53. The Windup Girl by Paulo Bacigalupi - Hugo, Nebula
    
54. Murder in Mayfair by D M Quincy
    
55. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Hugo
    
56. So Pretty a Problem by Francis Duncan - preorder
    
57. I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis - preorder
    
58. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
    
59. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
    June
    
60. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson - challenge
    
61. The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet - ARC
    
62. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold - series
    
63. Silent Voices by Ann Cleeves - series
    
64. Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
    
65. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
    July
    
66. Death and Judgement by Donna Leon - group
    
67. Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom by Nancy Atherton - preorder
    
68. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis - challenge
    
69. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - group
    
70. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold - series
    August
    
71. The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith - preorder
    
72. The Children of Men by PD James - challenge
    
73. Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen - preorder
    
74. The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal - preorder
    
75. Don't Eat Me by Colin Cotterill - preorder
    
76. Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold - series
    
77. The Paddington Mystery by John Rhode - preorder
    September
    
78. Dark Tide Rising by Anne Perry - preorder
    
79. Acqua Alta by Donna Leon - group
    
80. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - series, challenge
    
81. Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves - preorder
    
82. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - ARC
    
83. The Mad Ship by Robin Hobbs - group
    
84. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold - series
    October
    
85. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome - challenge
    
86. The Dead Ringer by MC Beaton - preorder
    November
    
87. Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon - group
    
88. Murder in Belgravia by Lynn Brittney - challenge
    
89. Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb - group
    
90. The Crimes of Grindelwald by JK Rowling - preorder
    
91. Fire and Blood by George RR Martin - preorder
    December
    
92. The Wench is Dead by Colin Dexter - series
    
93. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre - series, challenge
    Unspecified
    
94. The Glass Room by Ann Cleeves - series
    
95. The Once and Future King by T H White- currently reading, challenge
    
96. The Dreadful Hollow by Nicholas Blake
    
97. The Daffodil Affair by Michael Innes
    
98. The Rich Detective by HRF Keating
    
99. The Secret Vanguard by Michael Innes
    
100. There Came Both Mist and Snow by Michael Innes
     
101. Hyperion by Dan Simmons - Hugo
     
102. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Poetzsch - currently reading
     
103. On the Beach by Nevil Shute - currently reading
     
104. Provenance by Ann Leckie
     
105. The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo
     
106. Watchmen by Alan Moore
     
107. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
     
108. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
     
109. Death in the Shadows by Paul McCusker - Xmas
     
110. Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth - series
     
111. The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop by Gladys Mitchell - series
     
112. Inferno by Dan Brown - series
     
113. The Water Room by Christopher Fowler - series
     
114. The Case of the Famished Parson by George Bellairs - series
     
115. The Inspector and Mrs Jeffries by Emily Brightwell - series
     
116. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
     
117. Children of the Fleet by Orson Scott Card - series
     
118. Sleep No More by PD James
     
119. Now You See Me by Sharon Bolton - SantaThing
     
120. Dead Scared by Sharon Bolton - SantaThing
     
121. A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis - ARC
     
122. Dark of the Moon by PC Hodgell - group
     
123. Money in the Morgue by Ngaio Marsh - preorder
     
124. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - Newbery
     
125. The Tenant of Wildfeld Hall by Anne Bronte - group
     
126. Way Station by Clifford D Simak - challenge
     
127. Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith - challenge
     
128. The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold
     
     Revisited and revised each month as I complete or do not complete the planned books for the month.
     
     

My Series



My Series on FictFact.com

Next Book List on FictFact.com

Reading and Current

Peter Diamond by Peter Lovesey
Inspector Lynley by Elizabeth George
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James by Deborah Crombie
Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley
Mary Russell by Laurie R King
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Hamish MacBeth by MC Beaton
Agatha Raisin by MC Beaton
Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill
Genevieve Lenard by Estelle Ryan
Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
Freddy Pilkington-Soames by Clara Benson
Rosalind Thorne by Darcie Wilde
Aunt Dimity by Nancy Atherton
Isabel Dalhousie by Alexander McCall Smith
Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie
Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Clare Fergusson by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Maggie Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal
Grantchester by James Runcie
Ruth Galloway by Elly Griffiths
A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin
Veronica Speedwell by Deanna Raybourn
Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde
Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde
Shetland by Ann Cleeves
Richard Jury by Martha Grimes
Stephens & Mephisto by Elly Griffiths
Atlas Catesby by D M Quincy

Reading

Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold - Diplomatic Immunity
Robert Langdon by Dan Brown - Inferno
Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter - The Wench is Dead
Touchstone by Laurie R King - Touchstone
Inspector Richardson by Basil Thomson - The Case of Naomi Clynes
Bryant & May by Christopher Fowler - The Water Room
Alan Grant by Josephine Tey - The Franchise Affair
Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters - The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog
Albert Campion by Margery Allingham - Look to the Lady
Inspector Sloan by Catherine Aird - Passing Strange
Fethering by Simon Brett - Death on the Downs
Mrs Jeffries by Emily Brightwell - The Inspector and Mrs Jeffries
Jimm Juree by Colin Cotterill - Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach
Alexandra Gladstone by Paula Paul - Symptoms of Death
Inspector Banks by Peter Robinson - Past Reason Hated
Detective Lavender by Karen Charlton - The Sans Pareil Mystery
Sergeant Cribb by Peter Lovesey - The Detective Wore Silk Drawers
Miss Silver by Patricia Wentworth - Lonesome Road
Mrs Bradley by Gladys Mitchell - The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop
Inspector William Meredith by John Bude - The Lake District Murder
Inspector Wexford by Ruth Rendell - Sins of the Fathers
Roger Sheringham by Anthony Berkeley - The Wychford Poisoning Case
Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny - A Fatal Grace
Discworld by Terry Pratchett - The Light Fantastic
Desmond Merrion by Miles Burton - Menace on the Downs
Father Gilbert by Paul McCusker - Death in the Shadows
Inspector Ramsey by Ann Cleeves - A Day In The Death Of Dorothea Cassidy
George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves - Come Death and High Water
Vera Stanhope by Ann Cleeves - Silent Voices
Inspector Littlejohn by George Bellairs - He'd Rather Be Dead
Inspector Pointer by A Fielding - The Charteris Mystery
Guido Brunetti by Donna Leon - Death and Judgement
Kencyrath by PC Hodgell - Dark of the Moon
Cherringham by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello - The Body in the Lake
Mordecai Tremaine by Francis Duncan - In at the Death
Realms of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb - Ship of Magic
Charles Lenox by Charles Finch - A Beautiful Blue Death

Finished - Too numerous to list all, but here are several

Adam Dalgleish by PD James
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Goldy Schultz by Diane Davidson Mott
Chief Inspector Barnaby by Caroline Graham
Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie
Miss Marple by Agatha Christie
Peter Wimsey by Dorothy Sayers
Constable Evan Evans by Rhys Bowen
Oliver Swithin by Alan Beechy
Roderick Alleyn by Ngaio Marsh
Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
Maze Runner by James Dashner
Burford Family by James Anderson
Angela Marchmont by Clara Benson
Foundation and Extended Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Robot by Isaac Asimov
Empire by Isaac Asimov
Integral Trees by Larry Niven
Oxford Time Travel by Connie Willis
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Dalziel and Pascoe by Reginald Hill
The Cat Who by Lilian Jackson Braun
Ender by Orson Scott Card
Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie
Lady Julia Grey by Deanna Raybourn
Very English Mystery by Elizabeth Edmondson

Prior Year Favorites by Genre



2017
Fiction - A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman
Middle - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg
Mystery - The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley
Nonfiction - The Complete Maus by Art Spiegleman
SciFi - Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold



2016
Fantasy - The Woodcutter by Kate Danley
Literary fiction - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Middle grade - The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Mystery - The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R King
Science Fiction - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Young Adult - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky



2015
Scifi - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Young Adult - Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Middle - A Night Divided by Jennifer A Nielsen
Nonfiction - Upside-Down Brilliance by Linda Kreger Silverman
Fiction - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Mystery - Rough Cider by Peter Lovesey
Fantasy - Queen Mab by Kate Danley
Picture - Darth Vader and Friends by Jeffrey Brown



2014
Nonfiction - Coaching Outside the Box by Richard E Shaw
Middle - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Mystery - As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
SciFi - Divergent by Veronica Roth
Young Adult - Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Fantasy - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien - reread



2013
Mystery - The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
Picture - Ruby Sings the Blues by Niki Daly - reread
Middle - Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead
SciFi - I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Fiction - Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Fantasy - The Princess Bride by William Goldman - reread



2012
Mystery - The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King
SciFi - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Fantasy - A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
Middle - The Giver by Lois Lowry
Fiction - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Picture - Pete's a Pizza by William Steig - reread



2011
Fiction - Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Middle - Tall and Proud by Vian Smith - reread
Young Adult - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Mystery - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
SciFi - A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
SciFi - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Newbery Awards



ala.org Newbery Medal and Honors List 1922 to Present

Medal Winners

2018 -
2017 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
2016 - Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
2015 -
2014 - Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
2013 - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
2012 -
2011 -
2010 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
2009 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2008 -
2007 -
2006 -
2005 -
2004 - The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
2003 -
2002 - A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2001 -
2000 -
1999 -
1998 -
1997 - The View from Saturday by E L Konigsburg
1996 -
1995 -
1994 - The Giver by Lois Lowry
1993 -
1992 -
1991 -
1990 - Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
1989 -
1988 -
1987 -
1986 -
1985 -
1984 -
1983 -
1982 -
1981 -
1980 -
1979 - The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
1978 - The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1977 -
1976 -
1975 -
1974 -
1973 -
1972 -
1971 -
1970 -
1969 - The High King by Lloyd Alexander
1968 - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E L Konigsburg
1967 -
1966 -
1965 -
1964 - It's Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville
1963 - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
1962 -
1961 -
1960 -
1959 - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
1958 -
1957 -
1956 -
1955 -
1954 -
1953 -
1952 - Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
1951 -
1950 -
1949 -
1948 -
1947 -
1946 -
1945 -
1944 -
1943 -
1942 -
1941 -
1940 -
1939 -
1938 -
1937 -
1936 - Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink - Medal
1935 -
1934 -
1933 -
1932 -
1931 -
1930 -
1929 -
1928 -
1927 -
1926 -
1925 -
1924 -
1923 -
1922 -

Honors Books

2016 Honors - Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
2016 Honors - The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
2015 Honors - El Deafo by Cece Bell
2014 Honors - The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
2011 Honors - One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
2007 Honors - Rules by Cynthia Lord
1983 Honors - Doctor DeSoto by William Steig
1966 Honors - The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
1964 Honors - Rascal by Sterling North
1957 Honors - Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
1953 Honors - Charlotte's Web by EB White
1949 Honors - My Father's Dragon by Ruth Gannett
1948 Honors - Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
1944 Honors - These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1942 Honors - Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1941 Honors - The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1940 Honors - By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1939 Honors - Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
1938 Honors - On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1929 Honors - Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

Hugo Awards



Hugo Award for Best Novel List

2017 -
2016 -
2015 - The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
2014 - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
2013 - Redshirts by John Scalzi
2012 -
2011 - Blackout by Connie Willis
2011 - All Clear by Connie Willis
2010 - The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2010 -
2009 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2008 - The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
2007 -
2006 -
2005 - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
2004 -
2003 -
2002 - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2001 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
2000 -
1999 - To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
1998 -
1997 -
1996 -
1995 - Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold
1994 -
1993 - Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
1992 - Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
1991 - The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold
1990 -
1989 -
1988 -
1987 - Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
1986 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
1985 - Neuromancer by William Gibson
1984 -
1983 - Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
1982 -
1981 -
1980 -
1979 -
1978 -
1977 - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
1976 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
1975 -
1974 - Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke
1973 - The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
1972 -
1971 - Ringworld by Larry Niven
1970 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
1969 -
1968 -
1967 - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
1966 - Dune by Frank Herbert
1966 -
1965 -
1964 -
1963 - Man in the High Castle by Phillip K Dick
1962 - Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
1961 - A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller
1960 -
1959 -
1958 - The Big Time by Fritz Leiber
1956 -
1955 -
1954 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
1953 -
1951 -
1946 - The Mule from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
1941 -
1939 - The Sword in the Stone from The Once and Future King by TH White

Nebula Awards



Nebula Award for Best Novel List

2018 -
2017 - All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
2016 -
2015 - Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
2014 - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
2013 -
2012 -
2011 - Blackout by Connie Willis
2011 - All Clear by Connie Willis
2010 - The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2009 -
2008 - The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
2007 -
2006 -
2005 -
2004 -
2003 - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2002 -
2001 -
2000 -
1999 -
1998 -
1997 -
1996 -
1995 -
1994 -
1993 - The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
1992 -
1991 -
1990 -
1989 - Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
1988 -
1987 - Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
1986 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
1985 - Neuromancer by William Gibson
1984 -
1983 -
1982 -
1981 -
1980 -
1979 -
1978 -
1977 -
1976 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
1975 -
1974 - Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke
1973 - The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
1972 -
1971 - Ringworld by Larry Niven
1970 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin
1969 -
1968 -
1967 - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
1967 -
1966 - Dune by Frank Herbert

A Book A Year



I loved this idea - so I am copying Paul, Roni, Karen and possibly others. These books may not necessarily be my favorite book published that year, but are books that I have rated highly, enjoyed, and likely reread, and have some meaning to me. I've tried not to add too many books by one author and have tried to keep it representative of my overall library.

(Published dates according to Wikipedia)

1963
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
1964
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
1965
Dune by Frank Herbert
1966
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
Tall and Proud by Vian Smith
1967
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg
1968
The Queen's Confession by Victoria Holt
That Barbara! by Wilma Thompson
1969
Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
1970
Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
1971
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
1972
Watership Down by Richard Adams
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott
1973
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
1974
Carrie by Stephen King
Centennial by James Michner
1975
Curtain by Agatha Christie
1976
Last Seen Wearing by Colin Dexter
1977
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
The Shining by Stephen King
1978
The Stand by Stephen King
1979
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
1980
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
1981
The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes
1982
Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
1983
The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov
Deadheads by Reginald Hill
1984
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
1985
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov
1986
The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
1987
The Sign of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
Patriot Games by Tom Clancy
1988
Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov
A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
1989
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
1990
Robot Visions by Isaac Asimov
Devices and Desires by PD James
1991
The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey
1992
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
1993
The Giver by Lois Lowry
1994
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King
1995
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
1996
A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
1997
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
1998
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
1999
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
2000
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
2001
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
2002
Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner by Linda Kreger Silverman
2003
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
2004
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
2005
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
2006
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
2008
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
2009
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
2010
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
2011
Headhunters by Jo Nesbo
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
2012
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
2013
Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie
2014
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2015
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
2016
Sidney Chambers and the Dangers of Temptation by James Runcie
2017
The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

I can't seem to get the touchstones working on this post!

Happy new thread, Robin!

Happy new thread, Robin.

Nice February round up from your previous thread.

Happy third thread, Robin!

Happy new thread!

>17 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry.

>18 BLBera: Thanks and thanks, Beth

>19 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita

>20 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Robin!

Good to see a fellow Jessica Jones appreciator. We can't wait for the new season to start up. Have you seen the Black Panther movie? One of the best from Marvel.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Robin!

I like your lists. Those Hugo and Nebula lists are an inspiration, I might want to do those lists as well, some really good reading there!

Happy new thread, Robin! I enjoyed reading through your stats on the previous thread.

>22 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle.

>23 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. We went to see Black Panther on opening night (was it last weekend or the weekend before last?) and I agree it was one of the best - Marvel's movies just seem to keep getting better and better. One more week for Jessica!

>24 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

>25 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. I really do enjoy reading the Hugos and Nebulas - I haven't read many lately, but I have several coming up soon that I'm planning to read.

>26 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie.

Happy new thread, Robin.

Plenty going on here already. Of course i love all the lists. xx

Happy new thread Robin!

Happy Reading, Robin! I wish it were not so, but I'm with you in not loving either *Gstalk* or *A's Apprentice*. I'm still struggling with the former, and I will finish it, but no love. It's a comfort to find a comrade in taste.

>28 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul. Thanks for stopping by - I need to return the favor soon. I'm still trying to catch up on reviews.

>29 humouress: Thanks, Nina.

>30 LizzieD: Hi, Peggy. I actually really enjoyed both GodStalk and AA, so, unfortunately, and sadly, no comfort from me 😓? I think you may have gotten that impression because I said that LT didn't seem to think I would like AA when ironically I rated it 5-stars!

Honestly, these days, it seems like there is always some drama at our house and I absolutely abhor drama!

On Tuesday night, I had to take Beckham to the urgent care for conjunctivitis (pink-eye), which is very contagious. It turns out that when they took his blood pressure it was high and when they tested again, it was still high. Urgent care doctor was very concerned and asked if Beckham had ever tested with high blood pressure before. Apparently, he also tested with high blood pressure at the controversial pediatrician appointment a couple of weeks ago... Now I feel that was something that should have been communicated with me, and so did the urgent care physician, who says that we need to follow up and stay on top of the issue.

Keegan has been having a lot of trouble in school recently with projects. He doesn't seem to be able to organize the project and sometimes isn't even clear on the expectations. He had a recent math project that he was allowed to re-do - the details are just too long and complicated to go into, but it looks like its back to the school for another round of meetings with his instructional support specialist. Since Keegan is both gifted and learning disabled, it is a struggle for everyone, because I think most teachers don't understand this concept. Keegan's ability is very high, but he has some reading and writing issues, and I think there are likely some executive functioning issues as well. He has the potential to be very successful, but the learning difficulties are holding him back. We want him to learn the skills and have the tools that he needs to be able to achieve to the level of his potential. He does get good grades but has very poor writing and organizational skills. Also, his dyslexia at times hampers his reading comprehension, and his hearing issues don't do him any favors either. I am just incredibly frustrated with the school right now.

Robin--Happy new thread! Your lists are over the top, intimidating, and wonderful, all at the same time. I spent a lot of time looking them over. Keep it up! Go nerds! : )

Edited to add--good luck with the school issues facing Keegan. So frustrating.

>33 Berly: Thanks, Kim! They are over the top, aren't they? 😜 Gotta love data (what true nerd doesn't)?!?!

Off to bed - its way too late!

Happy new thread, Robin!

Big hugs to both of your boys, and one for Momma, too.

And I'm excited to see The Girl Who Drank the Moon on your March reading list - I hope you love it as much as I did!

>35 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. Hugs are especially appreciated right now. I'm looking forward to The Girl Who Drank the Moon

>32 rretzler: I'm sorry you seem to be having such difficulty with your doctor. I hope things improve. I think I quit going to the pediatrician somewhere around 5th grade. The pediatrician who was my favorite went to Africa as a medical missionary. Mom know I didn't really like his partner, so she just began taking me to the "family doctor." I liked him much better.

17. Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham



Original publication date: 1930
Genre: Mystery
Source: Amazon
Format: Ebook
Type: New
Series: Albert Campion #2
Page count: 248
Challenge(s): Just the Facts Ma’am, British Book, PopSugar
Finished: 2/7/18

Returning home to London from the United States on a steamship, the vacuous-seeming Albert Campion saves Judge Crowdy Lobbett from death by electrocution from a poorly-wired magician’s cabinet. Judge Lobbett, as Campion learns from a fellow passenger, Alistair Ferguson Babar, has recently escaped death four times – accidents that killed individuals close to him. Lobbett is the judge attempting to take down the infamous Simister gang. The gang operates internationally, and no one has ever seen Simister, the leader of the gang, except for one man who was killed shortly afterward. In London, Campion is visited by Lobbett’s son, Malcolm, who enlists Campion’s help to keep his father alive. Thinking of his friends Giles and Biddy Paget and their secluded home on Mystery Mile, a tiny village surrounded by marshes, Campion convinces the Lobbett family to rent the Padget’s home for the next few weeks. However, after dinner on the very night the Lobbetts arrive, the Lobetts, Pagets, Campion and the village’s vicar are visited by a wandering palmist who seems to know more about them than he should. The next day, Judge Lobbett disappears from the center of a maze on the Paget’s property, and soon afterward, Biddy is kidnapped. Campion knows that it is the work of the Simister gang and to protect his friends and the Judge, he must stop Simister himself at any cost.

Mystery Mile is the second book in Margery Allingham’s Campion series, but is the first to feature Albert Campion as the main character. We know little of Campion as a character after the first book, as Allingham intended to have another character feature in her mystery series. Campion is a very intelligent and resourceful individual; however, he frequently plays the part of a very fatuous well-to-do Englishman, who, as a result, is underestimated by the villain in the book. I also think he is underestimated by readers, especially in the early books, before Allingham matures him as a man and a detective, and he loses his silliness in later books.

Although Allingham was considered one of the “Queens of Crime” during the Golden Age of Detection, Mystery Mile is not a typical whodunit of the period. It has some whodunit elements, as well as some spy elements and is also something of an adventure story. There is the obligatory death, but this is not a typical murder mystery. I realize there are many who don’t like Allingham as much as Christie or Sayers, but I find Campion’s silliness fun – there are so many serious detectives, and Campion can be serious, but he does have an irreverent side that I find very refreshing. I honestly did not catch on to the identity of the villain and there were one or two other “red herrings” that worked on me and contributed to my enjoyment.

Allingham is a mixed bag for me. I like some installments more than others.

>39 thornton37814: Lori, its funny for me - I like her books quite a bit more now than I did 30 years ago, which is the last time I read several of them. I guess my tastes have changed over the years.

18. Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke



Original publication date: 2018
Genre: Mystery
Source: NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Type: ARC
Series: Hannah Swenson #22
Page count: 385
Challenge(s): PopSugar, NetGalley, New Release
Finished: 2/8/18

Hannah Swenson, who owns the bakery in small-town Lake Eden, Minnesota, has not heard from her new husband, Ross Barton, in over two weeks. He left home one day, leaving his house keys and car behind with no indication of where he has gone. One evening, Hannah lets P.K., Ross’s assistant, borrow Ross’s car and P.K. ends up dead, wrecking the car after being poisoned. Hannah immediately jumps in to investigate, aided by her best friend, Norman, the dentist. She soon finds that Ross has left her more than just the keys and his car.

Raspberry Danish Murder is the 22nd book in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson series. I have read a few of the books in this series before reading this one, and I believe that this book could be read as a stand-alone, but the reader may be missing the background on most of the characters. The Hannah Swenson series seems to be a very popular cozy mystery series, but I can say after reading this that I am not a fan. First, I find it a little hard to believe that Hannah, a baker, would be allowed to involve herself in a police investigation the way she does in this book, trading clues with her former boyfriend, a policeman, and being able to question witnesses. Second, there wasn’t anything of interest happening in this story – there was nothing that made me care about any of the characters. The characters were all a little annoying to me and a little one-dimensional. Third, I find it difficult to believe that a bakery in such a small town could afford to employ as many people as seem to work there, and still provide enough income for the livelihood of both owners. There were several other things in the story that didn’t make sense to me but I won’t share them because they are spoilers.

In a few places, I wondered who the author thinks might be reading her books when she proceeds to explain that the quote “it never rains, but it pours” means that everything happens at once. Another example occurs when Hannah goes to check her telephone messages, and she sees a blinking light and the numeral five, Fluke explains to the reader that this meant five people had called. Sigh.

Aside from the recipes, which although they sound delicious, seem to feature quite a few bar cookies, it was hard for me to find much to recommend about this book.

>38 rretzler: I've been enjoying the Campions, including Mystery Mile, which I read a few years ago. I'm glad you're finding them appealing. Next for me is The Case of the Late Pig as I tackle them in publication order.

>42 harrygbutler: Harry, I'm also trying to read them in publication order this time. I read several of them years ago, and liked them, but not nearly as much as I do now!

Happy new one, Robin!

You have have a lot of different stuff going on that all looks fun. I want to play. Sadly, I read at such a low volume per year I should probably be in a 25ers group rather than a 75ers. I hope all is well.

Have you got a discussion question prepped for this thread?

>44 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie. The great thing about this group is that it doesn't really matter how many books you read!

I'm trying to think of a good discussion question for this thread - it will be hard to top the interesting discussion from the last one.

19. Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird



Original publication date: 1979
Genre: Mystery
Source: Amazon
Format: Ebook
Type: New
Series: Inspector CD Sloan #8
Page count: 198
Challenge(s): British Author Theme, British Book
Finished: 2/10/18

Beatrice Wansdyke, chemistry mistress at an all girl’s school in Berebury, England, is found dead in her home due to complications from diabetes, from which she had suffered for many years. Her only living relatives were two nephews, one the co-owner of a plastics company and the other a ne’er do well, and a niece who is a nurse. Her death appeared to be from natural causes until the police find that her bank account contained a quarter of a million pounds, recently deposited into her account. Inspector CD Sloan has been called upon to investigate, but he has other challenges as well – his wife is expecting their first child at any moment.

Some Die Eloquent is the 8th book in the Inspector CD Sloan series by Catherine Aird. This series is a delightful example of a Britsh police procedural. Sloan is a modest, but effective, police inspector who is hampered in his investigations by his boss, Superintendent Leeyes, and his subordinate, Detective-Constable Crosby. He is a very likable character and both Leeyes and Crosby provide comic relief. The much-maligned Crosby usually unknowingly provides an insight that aids Sloan in finding the culprit, thereby making himself somewhat valuable to the team. Superintendent Leeyes spends his personal time taking classes at the local college and wants to share his knowledge with his subordinates, who usually find ways to avoid him.

I found this book well-plotted and the storyline very interesting. I don’t think it’s spoiling anything to say that there was a murder committed, but Sloan first had to prove that it was murder before he could narrow down the murderer from several plausible suspects. Sloan is not afraid to use his intuition and follow hunches, which typically turn out to be correct.

Although this is considered a police procedural and was written in 1979, it has many of the elements found in Golden Age mysteries, and I think fans of the genre would enjoy this book. Some of the book – the portion taking place in the hospital – is a little dated, but not enough to hamper one’s enjoyment.

>41 rretzler: Sorry to see that one was a bust. I enjoyed the first two books in the series but then got mad when the third one got spoiled for me before I got past the first page. I’m not sure I’ll go back.

>47 ChelleBearss: Yeah, I read a couple of her earlier ones that were better than this one, but I honestly wasn't sure I was ever going to be a big fan. I think with some of the cozy series it gets harder to have a plausible mystery - how many ways can a baker in a small town actually get involved in a murder investigation that actually makes sense - same goes for caterers, tea-shop owners and the like. There are a few series like that I've read over the years, which start out fairly good, but tend to drop off fairly quickly unless they can take the act on the road, so to speak.

Per Brodie's request 😉, here is my question for this thread, although I think nothing will prompt as good a discussion as the question from the last thread.

---

Question: We're all friends here, so is there any book that you are embarrassed to say that you have never read? (Or maybe embarrassed is not the right word, so perhaps a book that everyone else seems to have read and discussed and you have not?)

---

>41 rretzler: The Fluke series is pretty uneven, and it sounds like this one is not one of the better installments. I avoided requesting it from NetGalley, and it didn't make the cut this month with the library's book order. I'm sure I can count on the public library getting a copy if I change my mind and read it later.

>49 rretzler: I think my answer would probably be either The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

My grandmother was an English teacher and had just about every classic you could think of on her bookshelves - and I honestly can still remember the location of quite a few of those books and what her copies looked like. I never really liked the descriptions of either of those books, and I was never required to read them, so I haven't. Most well-read people that I know have, of course, read them and raved about both, and although I know I probably "should" read them, I just haven't quite been able to make myself read them.

I think for me it may even go back to the discussion about whether old classics are relevant - perhaps these have some societal relevance, but I never saw the relevance to me, enough to give me a burning desire to read either of them.

I expect that most of you will have read both of them.

>50 thornton37814: Lori, I'm not sure what actually made me request it from NetGalley, other than optimistically thinking that perhaps the series would somehow get better instead of worse. I've read a lot of negative reviews about it as well, so I'm fairly certain its not just me (for what it's worth.) I think if someone was invested in the series, they would probably want to read it as there are a couple of things that happen to advance the series.

>52 rretzler: For me, it's more of when I'm in the mood for brain candy with food, and I'm up-to-date on the Laura Childs tea shop series. Fortunately, her Plum Tea Crazy was just released, so I'll be able to read it instead when that mood arrives.

>49 rretzler: I'm not really embarrassed to say I've never read just about anything, but most people are shocked I've never read any of the Harry Potter books.

>49 rretzler: The Grapes of Wrath is an embarrassing haven't read for me. I have read a number of other books by John Steinbeck, but that one seemed both long and unrelentingly grim.

>51 rretzler: My mother taught French, so I've read a fair amount of Camus and Sartre (in English) because that was her thing, and Dumas, because that was mine.

Really good book on working on executive skills is Smart but Scattered. I used Dawson's books in my work with kids as a school psychologist.
https://smile.amazon.com/Smart-but-Scattered-Revolutionary-Executive-ebook/dp/B0...

Hi, Roni. I am not embarrassed by any specific book I haven't read. Just the many TBR piles.

>5 rretzler: Oh! I see. "The Unloved" is a category not your personal opinion. So there's one person less with me on God Stalk and Assassin's Apprentice. I can live with that if you can!

>53 thornton37814: I also have some series that are like that for me - sort of a non-challenging guilty pleasure. One series like that in particular for me is Victoria Laurie's Psychic Eye series - but it has started wearing on me a little lately too.

>54 thornton37814: Lori, I guess embarrassed is probably not the right term, because I don't feel exactly embarrassed either about my picks, it's just that it seems like most everyone has read them and I have not. And I don't think it's shocking about Harry Potter - if you don't think you would like the books, then there's no reason to read them just because everyone else has - which is my reason for not reading Catcher and Grapes.

>55 quondame: Susan, good to know that I'm not alone. I took French in HS and college, and one of my college professors was crazy about Sartre, so we read Huis Clos (No Exit) and several of his stories in class in French. My grandmother had several of Camus' books, but they didn't seem to appeal to my young self, although I suspect that I might enjoy Camus now.

>56 ronincats: Thanks for the recommendation, Roni. I've had that particular book for several years and had started to read it, but stopped for some reason. I'll have to pull it out again.

Unfortunately, the problem with Keegan is that he doesn't take helpful suggestions or constructive criticism well at all. He tends to shut down the minute he even thinks that someone is approaching him with a suggestion, which is very frustrating for everyone involved. I suspect that Keegan feels that Beckham doesn't seem to need "extra" help, and perhaps he feels that he shouldn't either. But while Beckham might not need help in the areas that Keegan does, I also suspect that Keegan doesn't see the issues that Beckham struggles with (procrastination and perfectionism are the biggies and go hand-in-hand for him.) Keegan wants to work on his schoolwork independently, so we just let him do what he's going to do 99% of the time. Once or twice this year, we've asked a particular teacher to get involved because we can tell that he is struggling. I communicate with the teacher and then ask Keegan to send the teacher an email asking for help, so he is learning to advocate for himself to some extent. When the teacher can provide him with a little more guidance, he does an excellent job, and he seems to accept the help better that way - perhaps because he's asked for it himself, or perhaps because it is coming from the proper person. His other issue is that his memory (and therefore sometimes his executive functioning) seems to be very selective, or perhaps just variable. He tends to recall things that are meaningful to him, and school projects are not necessarily meaningful. He has a great memory for some things and is terrible at remembering others. So everything is just very hit or miss at times. I'm sure it seems more frustrating to me than it really is because I live with it on a day to day basis.

>57 Berly: Kim, don't we all have those large TBR piles? Fortunately, no one can see mine because they're hidden in my Kindle.

>58 LizzieD: Peggy, yes "The Unloved" is a category for a book challenge that means SciFi/Fantasy books that haven't won awards. So, no, I'm not with you on GS or AA, sadly, but I too can live with that. I guess that's what makes the world interesting - how boring it would be if we all liked the same books.

1. (31) Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon -
   
2. (32) Seven Dead by J Jefferson Farjeon -
   
3. (33) The Prodigal Son by Sulari Gentill -
   
4. (34) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck -
   
5. (35) Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb -
   
6. (36) Murder in Thistlecross by Amy M Reade -
   
7. (37) Island of the Mad by Laurie R King -
   
8. (38) The Dispatcher by John Scalzi -
   
9. (39) The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen -
   
10. (40) Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett -
    
11. (41) The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill -
    
12. (42) Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer -
    
    
    

1. (111) The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald - actually came in February but I forgot to record it then since it went straight to Beckham (oops!)
   
2. (112) The Devil's Elbow by Gladys Mitchell
   
3. (113) The Echoing Strangers by Gladys Mitchell
   
4. (114) Merlin's Furlong by Gladys Mitchell
   
5. (115) Twelve Horses and the Hangman's Noose by Gladys Mitchell
   
6. (116) The Twenty-Third Man by Gladys Mitchell
   
7. (117) Spotted Hemlock by Gladys Mitchell
   
8. (118) The Man Who Grew Tomatoes by Gladys Mitchell
   
9. (119) A Perilous Promise by Kate Kingsbury
   
10. (120) Room with a Clue by Kate Kingsbury
    
11. (121) Do Not Disturb by Kate Kingsbury
    
12. (122) Service for Two by Kate Kingsbury
    
13. (123) Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
    
14. (124) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
    
15. (125) Hue and Cry by Patricia Wentworth
    
16. (126) Red Death by Jeff Altabef
    
17. (127) The Prodigal Son by Sulari Gentill
    
18. (128) Visual Intelligence by Amy E Herman
    
19. (129) The Millenium Problems by Keith J Devlin
    
20. (130) The Case of the Seven Whistlers by George Bellairs
    
21. (131) A Murder Unmentioned by Sulari Gentill
    
22. (132) Island of the Mad by Laurie R King
    
23. (133) Double Blind by Carrie Bedford
    
24. (134) Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
    
25. (135) Between Planets by Robert Heinlein
    
26. (136) Murder at the Wake by Bruce Beckham
    
27. (137) The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
    
28. (138) Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
    
29. (139) The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George
    
30. (140) The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
    
31. (141) The Roubaud Connection by Estelle Ryan
    
32. (142) Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
    
33. (143) True Fiction by Lee Goldberg
    
34. (144) Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
    
35. (145) The White Album by Joan Didion
    
36. (146) After Henry by Joan Didion
    
37. (147) Paragon Walk by Anne Perry
    
38. (148) Rutland Place by Anne Perry
    
39. (149) Resurrection Row by Anne Perry
    
40. (150) She Came Back by Patricia Wentworth
    
41. (151) To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear
    
42. (152) Death of a Stranger by Anne Perry
    
43. (153) Coffin, Scarcely Used by Colin Watson
    
    
    

Robin reading - (see >4 rretzler: in case I don't update this) Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon

Robin listening - Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Ed - Midworld by Alan Dean Foster - I think he's going very slowly on this one

Beckham - A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford for pleasure. He just finished The Great Gatsby for school and will soon be starting Of Mice and Men. Since I've never read it, and it's short, I'll probably read it with him.

Keegan - Gravity Falls graphic novel for pleasure. He is between books for school

Keegan and Robin listening - One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Beckham, Keegan and Robin - reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J K Rowling - no active reading so far this year - we're going to have to make a plan to read again.

For many years, our family really didn't watch much television, only movies on Friday nights, the boys would watch an occasional Disney channel show, and Ed watched The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad, and I watched Doctor Who and Sherlock. Now that the boys are older, we are watching more TV (I'm not sure that's a good thing.) We now tend to watch series on either Amazon Prime or Netflix so I thought I would share some of what we are watching currently.

At home

Currently watching
The Office - season 7
Parks and Recreation - season 3
Game of Thrones - season 1 (just Ed & Robin)

Just finished
Marvel's The Punisher - season 1
The Detectorists - season 2
Stranger Things - season 2

Next up
The Detectorists - season 3
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD - season 5
Battlestar Galactica

In the theater

Recently watched
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel's Black Panther

Next up
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Ready Player One - releasing March 29
Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War - releasing April 27
Star Wars: Solo - releasing May 25

Robin's viewing

Currently watching
Marvel's Agent Carter - season 2
Doctor Who - classic - season 1 rewatch

Next up
Marvel's Jessica Jones - season 2

>49 rretzler: Never, one day I will read it, or not ;-)
I find it more problematic when everyone seems to love a book and I read it and don't like it.

>59 rretzler: Procrastination and perfectionism are not a good combination. I put things off for forever because they have to be done exactly correctly.

>65 FAMeulstee: Anita, I agree - when everyone else loves a book and I don't, I always wonder what I have missed (or privately whether there are others who only say they like it because they think everyone else does!)

>66 humouress: Yep, Nina, you are so right. I am like that as well, so at least we know where Beckham gets it. Unfortunately, I have no way to help him because I have never been able to help myself! Interestingly, he is the first born and I am an only child - if you tend to believe in birth order, then it all makes some sense. (This is likely why I can't seem to get around to getting all of my reviews written 😜!)

Hi Robin - Good luck with the blood pressure and the school woes. You are probably ready for a break. Do you have a spring break?

Great comments on the Allingham and the Aird. I've read and liked both of them. Fluke I could never get into, and it sounds like I'm not missing much.

Have a great weekend.

>67 rretzler: *sigh* Agreed. Sometimes I wonder who I’m doing it for, because I’m the only one who’ll ever see it (like the inside of my cupboards). But then I know that if I don’t put things away neatly, I’ll just end up being frustrated with the way it looks and pulling everything out to tidy up. Which could then take months ....

My kids don’t seem to have the same problems, though I wouldn’t mind a bit of perfectionism.

I'm not embarassed by any book in particular I haven't read. There are so many of them, and tastes are so different!

Looking at the list of 1001 books you should read before you die, there are lots in there that I know I wouldn't like, and don't want to read.

I’m working on filling in some gaps in my reading this year, but I can’t say that there’s any one book I feel I ought to read, or that is surprising that I haven’t read.

Hi Robin!

I wish I could send more than good wishes and healing vibes for Keegan's conjunctivitis and high blood pressure problems. It is unconscionable that the pediatrician didn't report Keegan's high blood pressure to you and that you had to find out about it at an urgent care visit. Hugs for you, Mom, as you work so hard to take best care of your son.

>49 rretzler: I don't have a problem having not read a book read by other LTers, but I am seriously embarrassed that I've never read any Plato, Homer, Euripides, Aristophanes, Dante, Aristotle, Voltaire, and other authors of classical and philosophical works.

Belated happy new thread Robin! I'm sorry to hear that doctors and schools for the boys are being generally frustrating at the moment :-(

You hit me with a book bullet for Raymond Postgate's Somebody at the Door on your last thread - I really enjoyed Postgate's Verdict of Twelve last year.

>38 rretzler: I'm glad you enjoyed Mystery Mile. I have been working my way through all the Campion books but very slowly. I like the fact that she varies the style she's writing in so much. You've reminded me I need to get back to that series.

>49 rretzler: I'm embarrassed to say I still haven't read War and Peace but mainly because I think it's the book I own that's been on my TBR the longest (maybe 20 years now? Yikes!)

Fantastic new thread Robin. I'll try to catch up a little later.

I guess I'm having trouble posting too - I answered everyone last night and now it appears that my post has disappeared. *sigh* It makes me wonder if any of my visiting posts are still there or if they too are lost.

>68 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Our schools do have a spring break which this year is the last week of March. I think I'm done with Fluke also. I've now read several and given them a chance, and they just don't appeal. Unfortunately, I find that sometimes I have this compulsion that I need to keep reading a series once I've started it, so I hope I can avoid that this time.

>69 humouress: Nina, I'm the same.

>70 EllaTim: Ella, it's good that you don't feel compelled to read books that you know you aren't going to like.

>71 foggidawn: foggi, perhaps that's a good way for me to look at those book I've neglected over the years, merely as gaps that I haven't filled. Of course, I'm guessing that some of my gaps will likely remain unfilled.

>72 karenmarie: Thanks for the hugs, Karen, they are much appreciated. Those authors and philosophers you have mentioned have likely not been read by many, many others, so I wouldn't be too embarassed about not reading them. I have read Homer and Dante, and there are several philosophers that I would like to read someday - Nietzsche, Kant, Schopenhauer, for a start - but I don't know if I'll ever get around to it.

>73 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather. Glad to hear you enjoyed Verdict of Twelve as well. I've had War and Peace on my TBR as well - maybe someday.

Let's hope this posts!

>74 Kassilem: Thanks, Melissa!

Robin, so glad you found me! I'm looking over your organization and lists in awe and wonder. So many stars meaning you are reading a lot of really good books. Looking forward to following your reading his year as well. :D

>77 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie. For better or worse, I pick books that I think I'm going to like. On the one hand, that means I may not be challenging myself, but on the other, it means that I am enjoying myself! Glad you've stopped by.

So, Beth had asked about spring break, and in the post that disappeared, I had expanded a little on my spring break situation. I was too tired last night to try to replicate that, but it is something important and current that's happening in my life, so I thought I would share.

I started my career in public accounting in January 1987 in tax during "busy season" (which is January through April.) While at my first job, Ernst & Young, I worked an average of 85-90+ hours a week during busy season - and no one was allowed to schedule time-off during that time. I was there for 11 years, and then at two other firms, one very small (25 people) and the other a Top 100 accounting firm with ten offices and over 100 people, until I left and started my own firm in January 2008. While my hours have decreased somewhat over the years, last year in 2017, I still worked around 80-90 hours between March 1 to April 15. In those 30 years, I have never been able to take time off for spring break. This has frustrated me the past 11 or so years, as many of my kid's friends got to go on great spring break trips and they had to stay at home. When they were in elementary school, we sent them to spring break camp for a few years, until my mother started staying with us during this time to cook, clean, do laundry and take the kids where they needed to go. Typically, during that 6 week time, I would see my family for the 30 minutes at dinner and at bedtime - which has always been extremely frustrating for me (especially as I realized many years ago that although I was good at it, accounting was not the right career for me.) 2017 was a particularly bad year, and Ed and I finally decided that perhaps I should call it quits.

So...in early January, I informed my clients that they would need to find someone else to help them out this year. So I guess I am officially retired. At some point in the next year or so, I may offer my services part-time to one of several firms I know, but if I do, I am going to make it very clear that I will only work 30 hours/week and will take spring break off (this may not be viable, but we'll see.)

Interestingly, although I have a lot more time on my hands this year, it seems to get filled very quickly with one thing and another - so I don't seem to have as much free-time as I thought I would, but I probably just need time to get into a better routine. Not having a routine at all right now is kind of like the letdown I get right after tax season is over, I have so much time on my hands that I feel at loose ends and have trouble settling to get anything done.

So after 30 years, I am free to go on spring break if I want to! And now since we have less money coming in and with Becks 2 years from college, I don't know if we can afford to go somewhere, but we may try to take a small trip for some part of the week. It's just nice to have the freedom, and even if we don't go somewhere, I can spend the week doing things with the boys, as long as I can pry them away from their computers. Now if I could just figure out how to win the lottery or find a genie in a bottle to grant me a few wishes...😜

Robin - My sister worked with an accounting firm, so I understand what you mean when you talk about tax season. Good for you to decide enough is enough. Good luck with the next steps in your life.

I'm sorry to read about Keegan's high blood pressure. I hope you get that sorted out very soon. Could it be that so called " White Coat " high blood pressure? The sort where blood pressure goes up with the anxiety of seeing a doctor? I'm hoping so. I recall my younger son having some wild blood pressure reading of 170 / 110 when he was just 14 - mind you, he had been struck by a car and taken to the hospital by ambulance. He was just walking on the sidewalk when two cars collided and he hear it and was able to jump onto the hod of the car and his hip cracked the windshield. He was fine, but it was pretty scary. They told me his high blood pressure would be due to the anxiety. I think I took him back later to the doctor get his blood pressure re- checked. My youngest brother, a seemingly easy going guy also has " White Coat High Blood pressure, but it is actually fine away from the doctor's office.

My friend who is also an accountant once told me it's like famine or feast. Either she is so busy she can't catch her breath or she is normal busy which by comparison seems like a famine when those few months in the year has her spinning circles.
Glad to see that you are making choices that work for you and your family!

>80 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.

>81 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. It's actually Beckham with the high blood pressure (but no biggie 🙂.) It's possible that it is due to the anxiety of seeing the doctor - Beckham doesn't believe that he is anxious in any way, but we haven't taken enough readings at home to know if that's the case yet. Wow, how scary for your son (and I'm sure for you) - I'm glad that everything turned out fine and that he had the presence of mind to know what to do.

>82 jolerie: Valerie, that's a good description. I think when people decide in college that they want to be an accountant, it should come with a warning. Ironically, I changed my major from Pre-Med to accounting my 3rd year of college because I didn't want to deal with the crazy hours of internship and residency that go along with Med School. No one told me that those hours would only be a temporary part of life, while the accounting hours would go on for my entire career. Oh, well.

I'm only a month behind on my reviews - but trying to catch up! I'll try to get another couple done today.

20. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin



Original publication date: 1971
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Audible
Format: Audiobook
Type: TBR
Series:
Page count: 175
Audio length 6 hours, 48 minutes
Narrator George Guidall
Challenge(s): Audiobook, The Unloved, PopSugar, ReadHarder
Finished: 2/11/18

Living in Portland, Oregon in a future 2002, George Orr has been caught using drugs and is sentenced to “voluntary” therapy. George has “effective” dreams that change the reality and been taking drugs to prevent them. In one of George’s first dreams, his aunt had been visiting his family and causing problems for him. After a particularly stressful event, George dreamed that his aunt had died in a car accident near her home weeks before. Upon waking, he learns his aunt has never visited and has, in fact, died in a car crash. In the new reality, as in the dream, the visit had never taken place, and George is the only one to remember the former reality. Once George is able to convince his assigned therapist, William Haber, that his effective dreaming does change reality, Haber attempts to control George’s dreaming initially to make the world a better place. However, with each change that Haber tries to bring about, there is an unintended adverse consequence. As the world becomes more chaotic, Haber becomes more power-mad. George and his friend and lawyer, Heather, know they must stop Haber before he destroys the world.

The Lathe of Heaven was published in 1971, so the future 2002 in the book was still 30 years away. The dates are possibly the one thing that makes the book feel slightly outdated. I like the idea of this book, it is unique, and yet it is reminiscent of the many stories where one has three wishes, and with each wish, there is an unintended adverse consequence. I also like the messages that I think Le Guin is trying to send, that even the best intentions can go awry if one does not understand all of the consequences of their actions; and that one person may think they know what is best for others, but the others may not always agree. I felt that Le Guin did a great job of portraying George as an “every-man” that we want to succeed even though he essentially has a “super-power.” The reader may feel pity for him because he seems to be in a situation that is beyond his control.

I listened to The Lathe of Heaven as an audiobook and thought the narration was good, but not outstanding. Although the book is well-written and tells a good story, the many changes in the book’s reality sometimes made it challenging to keep up, especially when one is listening instead of reading.

Congratulations, Robin, on being retired! You will figure out your routine.

We, too, experienced a reduction of income when I retired, and we're still trying to come up with a budget and decrease some expenditures. Also, I was always told at work that people brought stuff to me because "ask a busy person and it will get done." Now, I am way less driven to get things done RIGHT AWAY - most days are getting one or two things done and reading and puttering around the rest of the time. And you know what? It's okay.

You're putting your family and your sanity first and it takes more than a few months to settle down, relax into the big changes you and Ed are making, and enjoy Not Working.

Congrats on deciding to retire! I'm sure you could do a bit from home if you desire to but the freedom to say no will be wonderful!

Hoping all the health problems are resolved soon.

>79 rretzler: You sounds like my sister, who is a sole practitioner/ consultant. When she’s got a consulting gig, she’s too busy to take a holiday but when she’s between contracts, she has to budget for all her expenses and doesn’t have enough money to go on holiday. Which means we rarely get to see her, as she’s a continent away.

>86 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. You are so right about being able to be more efficient when you are busy - I have operated that way for at least the last 30 years. I'm also glad to know that there are others who only get one or two things done - frankly right now I feel a little guilty, but I'm sure that will pass as I get used to this feeling!

>87 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle.

>88 humouress: Nina, it can definitely be difficult to be a sole practitioner without help in the busy times and money coming in during the non-busy times, although there are many benefits, as well. Being your own boss is a big one! Even before I became a sole practitioner, I was a partner in the firms I worked in for the ten previous years, and a Senior Manager running a department for a couple of years before that, so I could call a lot of the shots even though I worked for a company. I think it would be extremely frustrating for me to have to work under someone else's supervision now - especially given that I dislike authority anyway! 😜 It's too bad that you don't get to see your sister often, but I guess we do live in an age where it's much easier to communicate instantaneously.

21. Murder in an Irish Churchyard by Carlene O’Connor



Original publication date: 2018
Genre: Mystery
Source: NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Type: ARC
Series: Irish Village #3
Page count: 304
Challenge(s): NetGalley, New Release
Finished: 2/12/18

The night before Siobhán O’Sullivan is due to start her first day as a Garda (police) in her hometown of Kilbane, Ireland, Father Kearney, the local priest, knocks on the O’Sullivan family’s door at half past one AM. After hearing a gunshot, Father Kearney had investigated and found a dead body in the church graveyard. Although Siobhán is not yet technically a Garda, she has been successful in catching two previous murderers in Kilbane, and Father Kearney wants her to be the first on the scene. The next day when the case is officially assigned, Siobhán is chagrined to discover that she will be reporting to DS Macdara Flannery, her former boyfriend, who has moved to Dublin while she attended police college. Siobhán and Macdara learn that the murdered man and his family are from Dublin, Ohio and are visiting Ireland to research their family’s ties to Kilbane. They must put aside their feelings and work together to discover which of his family might have wanted him dead.

Murder in an Irish Churchyard is the 3rd book in Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village series. Carlene is an American author whose great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland with many stories about Ireland. O’Connor also writes under her real name, Mary Carter. I’ve read the previous two books in the Irish Village series and was fortunate enough to receive this book courtesy of NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed this cozy mystery series. While it is possible for this book to be read as a standalone, I think it makes the book more enjoyable to know the background from the previous two books. The mystery here is unique, well-plotted and holds together logically. The recurring characters, mainly Siobhán’s five brothers and sisters and a few townspeople, are fun and engaging characters, although there is less emphasis on the family in this book than in the prior books. I also appreciate that although the series started out centered around the family’s business, Naomi’s Bistro, O’Connor has progressed the main character, Siobhán. She has gone from primarily running the family business to becoming a Garda, so there is a logical reason for her to become involved in a criminal investigation.

I was also excited that Dublin, Ohio, my home, was mentioned in the book. Carlene graciously responded to my email, and I found that she has visited here for the annual Irish Fest. She also told me that she had signed another three-book deal for the series.

I recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a fun and well-written cozy mystery. I’m looking forward to the next three books in the series.

You hit me with Murder in an Irish Churchyard, Robin. I will have to look up this series.

>91 BLBera: It has grown on me, Beth. The first was not quite as good but showed a lot of promise. I went back and looked at my review of it and noticed that one thing I didn't like was that there was so much Irish dialogue, which I thought detracted from the story. I didn't get that at all with this book, so I feel as though the author is also growing as a writer.

Hi, Robin. I'm glad you're getting back some time for yourself. I know what you mean about it filling up faster than you'd guess.

Good review of Lathe of Heaven. That's the one I plan to re-read in her honor. There was a pretty good PBS(?) movie made of it years ago. https://smile.amazon.com/Lathe-Heaven-Bruce-Davison/dp/B00004U8P6/ref=sr_1_2?s=m...

Just got caught up on your thread..

Here ya go, Robin......

>90 rretzler: I'm glad to see a good review of that one. I need to read the earlier two.

>93 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I haven't seen the movie yet; I'll have to check it out. This year I've been trying to watch some of the movies related to the books I'm reading. I've never made a conscious decision to do that before, so you link is very timely!

>94 Carmenere: Just what I need, Lynda. Thanks!

>95 thornton37814: Lori, you'll have to let me know what you think.

>96 rretzler: Well, I actually read the first one and gave it 3 stars. My review basically thought it had potential--maybe a bit too much conversation-driven. My review was based on a Netgalley copy. I forgot I'd already read it. The second one just showed up today off my hold list at the library so it's now one of the books I need to read this month.

>97 thornton37814: Lori, I think those were my thoughts on the first as well, though I gave it and the second a 3.5 - See >92 rretzler:. The series has really grown on me though as I found myself looking forward to getting the 3rd book.

So, it appears that we may finally know what happened to Amelia Earhart. In a study that just came out in the journal Forensic Anthropologist this month, a skeleton that was found and evaluated back in 1941 was reevaluated using modern anthropological methods. Unfortunately, the remains have been lost, so the photos of the skeleton taken during the initial evaluation were analyzed; otherwise, it might have been possible to do a DNA analysis. The initial study found the bones to have been male, but Richard Jantz, professor emeritus of anthropology and director emeritus of University of Tennessee at Knoxville's Forensic Anthropology Center, believes that to have been an error. The recent study concludes that

This analysis reveals that Earhart is more similar to the Nikumaroro bones than 99% of individuals in a large reference sample. This strongly supports the conclusion that the Nikumaroro bones belonged to Amelia Earhart.

I suppose we may never know for certain.

ETA Washington Post article here

>99 rretzler: Thats real intresting

Hope you have a wonderful weekend

Crazy the stuff that science can do now!!

>100 BBGirl55: Thanks, Bryony. You too!

>101 jolerie: Isn't it though? I can't imagine what things will be like when my boys are my age.

Stopping by to say hi! Sorry I mixed up your son earlier! And I confess that though I have heard of Amelia Earhart, I've not paid much attention to the whole story. I do enjoy a well written cozy, so I'll keep Murder in an Irish Churchyard in mind.

>103 vancouverdeb: No biggie, Deb!

Ever since I was very young, I've been fascinated by women like Amelia Earhart, so I have always been on the lookout for news about her. It seems in recent years there has been a spate of information, which may be ended with this study. I suppose in a way I'm glad that the mystery might be solved but sad that she may have died on the island on which her plane wrecked.

>79 rretzler: Sounds like a positive move Robin - I hope you and your family can enjoy some quality time together over Spring Break even if you can't go away.

>85 rretzler: That's a Le Guin I own but haven't read yet - glad you enjoyed it.

>99 rretzler: Interesting. Too bad they threw away the bones.

>99 rretzler: I saw the Earhart article in some of the Knoxville press. It was fascinating, but like you all, I wish they'd kept the bones.

Wow! Somehow I got behind over here. Happy New Thread, Robin. Sorry, for the long delay. You have some very interesting current reads going. Are you reading The Once and Future King? I am a big fan of this one. Not completely perfect but so much to enjoy.

Happy Saturday, my friend.

>105 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather. I'm sure we'll end up doing something fun at least a day or two.

>106 BLBera: >107 thornton37814: I thought the same, Beth and Lori. I'd be interested to know how long they held on to the bones before disposing of them.

>108 msf59: Mark, I have been very slowly reading The Once and Future King - I was listening to the audiobook and was on The Candle in the Wind but got so tired of hearing about Lancelot (who was never my favorite) that I put it aside for awhile and never got back to it. My plan is to finally finish it this year - Lancelot and all. I'm really looking forward to The Book of Merlin so that should keep me going, I think.

22. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb



Original publication date: 1995
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Amazon
Format: Ebook
Type: New
Series: Farseer #1
Page count: 464
Challenge(s): PopSugar, The Unloved
Finished: 2/16/18

Six-year-old Fitz is brought to the Buckkeep’s court because his family can no longer afford to keep him. His maternal grandfather claims that he is the bastard son of King-in-Waiting, Prince Chivalry, and no one who sees him can deny the likeness. To protect Fitz, Chivalry abdicates his place in the royal succession and leaves the Castle, giving the upbringing of his son to his trusted man at arms/stablemaster. King Shrewd, his grandfather, although not officially recognizing Fitz, desires that he attend school, be taught basic combat, and be trained as an assassin. As the Red-Ship Raiders from the Outislands attack the Six Dutchies coastline, and King Shrewd and Prince Verity attempt to find ways to strengthen their kingdom, Fitz’s new skills are called into play.

Assassin’s Apprentice drew me in from the beginning. I was delighted by Robin Hobb’s style of writing. Every sentence just kept me wanting to read more. The world-building was well thought out, especially the inclusion of two special abilities – the Skill and the Wit – of which Fitz may be capable. Hobb makes us care about Fitz and root for him as we watch him come of age. There is much intrigue and treachery in the book which keeps the plot moving along and the reader interested. It was very difficult for me to put this book down, as I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.

23. The Man on the Train by Clara Benson



Original publication date: 2018
Genre: Mystery
Source: Amazon
Format: Ebook
Type: New
Series: Angela Marchmont prequel
Page count: 52
Challenge(s): New Release, British Book, ReadHarder
Finished: 2/17/18

It is 1925, and Angela Marchmont is traveling via train to Chicago. Due to inclement weather, the tracks are flooded, and when the train stops near a small town in Indiana, a young man hides in Angela’s train car. Acting on impulse, Angela hides the young man, William Tibbs, from the police as they search the train. William has been accused of the theft of a large sum of money from the manager of the vaudeville company for which he works, but he maintains his innocence. While the tracks remain flooded, Angela takes a room in the hotel in which the vaudeville company is staying and attempts to prove William’s innocence.

The Man on the Train is the short-story prequel to the Angela Marchmont series by Clara Benson. I have enjoyed all of the Angela Marchmont books and was happy to read more about Angela. Benson attempts to write her stories in the style of Golden Age detection and succeeds admirably. Although short, this story is a good example of her writing, although it doesn’t quite match the quality of her novels. Even though this is a prequel novel and could stand alone, it would be more meaningful to those who have already read a few books in the series.

>109 rretzler: I always felt that the first book, The Sword in the Stone was a heartbreaker once you’ve finished reading it and realise that, having got to know Wat through his childhood, he becomes more remote in the following stories. Hmm, maybe another one to re-read.

>110 rretzler: I love this book as well, but with such a glowing review why is it in the category The Unloved? (Maybe you have explained it before, but I don't get it?)

>112 humouress: I have read and reread The Sword in the Stone but the rest of the books are a lot darker and the last one was the heartbreaker to me. Never read The Book of Merlin though I still want to.

Have a nice week Robin. Not on spring break yet?

>112 humouress: Nina, I agree - it really seemed to me that there was way to much Lancelot and not enough Arthur especially as things went along.

>113 EllaTim: Ella, The Unloved is a category for sci-fi/fantasy books that haven't won any awards. I'm looking forward to The Book of Merlin because I think its a return to Arthur even though it will obviously be sad. No spring break yet - it's the last week of March.

>110 rretzler: I haven't read anything by Hobb yet but this one sounds good! That's one I need...another series to add..haha!

>115 jolerie: The advantage with this series being that it has come to a good stopping place!

>115 jolerie: Valerie, I understand completely!

>116 quondame: Susan, was the book published last year the last one then (as far as anyone knows?)

24. Murder in Bloomsbury by DM Quincy



Original publication date: 2018
Genre: Mystery
Source: NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Type: ARC
Series: Atlas Catesby #2
Page count: 304
Challenge(s): NetGalley, New Release
Finished: 2/18/18

In Regency London, Atlas Catesby, the fourth-born son of a Baron, has tried for nearly a year to get over his feelings for widowed Lady Lilliana Warwick. Unfortunately, when Lady Lilliana’s maid’s brother dies suddenly, Lady Lilliana summons Atlas to investigate. He soon finds that things are not what they seem. Although the coroner has ruled Gordon Davis’s death an accidental overdose of arsenic, Atlas has reason to believe that Davis has been murdered. Following the clues, Atlas finds that there are many who may have wanted Davis dead, including a high-born woman whom Davis was seducing to obtain her wealth. However, Atlas has his own problems – he realizes he still has feelings for Lady Lilliana when the Marquess of Roxbury, who wants to court her, warns Atlas away.

Murder in Bloomsbury is the second book in DM Quincy’s Atlas Catesby series. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Not having read the first in the series, I was still able to follow along quite well, and I believe that this book can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed it and plan to read the first book. I thought the story flowed well and it was easy to read. The mystery was well-plotted, and there were several suspects to keep one guessing. While I’m generally not a big fan of romance in a mystery unless it takes a very secondary role, I did discover myself rooting for Atlas to win Lady Lilliana’s affections, or perhaps for Lady Lilliana to win Atlas’s affections. I didn’t note any glaring historical inaccuracies which might distract me.

I recommend this to anyone who likes cozy historical mysteries, especially with a hint of romance.

>117 rretzler: While Assassin's Fate does leave room for more books in the world, it pretty well brings Fitz's adventures with Fool to a closure. I suspect that the dragons and associates can still find story worthy trouble to get into.

>119 quondame: I always hate it when a good series comes to an end - but perhaps that's better than lingering on and stagnating.

Just finished Royal Assassin and when I came to the computer to log it into my database found that Stephen Hawking had passed away earlier today. His was such a brilliant mind, and he was such an inspiration. RIP.

We're getting ready to go to Cincinnati, OH this weekend for the first soccer tournament of Keegan's spring season. He has two games on Saturday and one game on Sunday, with a second game also possible if they go to the final. Unfortunately, I don't think the team is strong enough to get to the final, so we will likely have time for lunch on Sunday at the Hofbräuhaus in Newport, KY (even though we could just go to the one here in Columbus.) I haven't looked at the weather yet, but if it's like most tournaments this time of year, it will be cold and likely rainy! Oh, well, I guess that's why we have lots of gear for bad weather.

Keegan's futsal team was in the finals last week but lost 8-9. I was proud of them and thought they did very well. The opposing team was sponsored by the league, having tryouts and practicing together starting in October/November while Keegan's team was a group of boys from his Club who rotated weekly and never practice together. The other team was better, but Keegan's team came together in the second half and almost pulled it out!

Beckham recently got his score back from the National German Exam (Level 3) that he took a month or so ago. He received a Gold Medal and was one of 29 (out of 301) in Ohio and one of 947 (out of 6,986) in the US to score in the 90th percentile or higher. It's his second year in a row to receive a Gold Medal (the exam is not given in first year German in his HS). Wir sind sehr stolz auf ihn! (or is it ihm? I guess I'll have to ask my expert!)

I think I'm going to start posting my reviews out of order - I have a few done for ARC books I've read which are waiting on me to get done with other books. I may just start to post them, since no one really cares, including me, about the order.

>122 rretzler: Congratulations! And congratulations!!

Wonderful for both boys!

>122 rretzler: Well done and sehr gut!

I have found that people sometimes notice when a review is posted out of order; in at least one case it helped me realize I had forgotten to write one. :-)

Congrats!
Have a good weekend away!

>122 rretzler: Hope you get some Skyline Chili and Graeter's Ice Cream while you are in Cincinnati and think of me when you are eating them!

>127 thornton37814: Lori, fortunately or unfortunately, Dublin has our own Graeter's and Skyline, and we go to both quite often. Graeters is our favorite place for birthday cakes, and Skyline is just a favorite, period! So, I don't know if we'll get them when we're in Cinci, but the next time we visit here, I will certainly think of you!

As a matter of fact, the only restaurant that I can think of in Cinci that is not up here is Montgomery Inn - we even had one in Dublin for several years, but it closed a couple of years ago. It was about 2 miles from our house, and I thought we would go there more often, but we didn't. Come to think of it, since we can go to Hofbrauhaus any time we want, perhaps we'll have to make a stop at Montgomery Inn Boathouse.

>123 humouress: > 124 Thanks, Nina and Valerie.

>125 harrygbutler: Danke, Mein Freund. You're right - and I had decided that I would probably confuse myself if I skipped around I'm sticking with posting them in order.

>126 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. It will be good to get out of the house and be somewhere else for a few days!

I'm very excited - I've been very careful about requesting ARCs from NetGalley because I'm so backed up, but yesterday when I saw Island of the Mad by Laurie R King, I just had to request it. The Mary Russell series is one of my favorites. I received an email earlier this evening that I was approved, so I've already downloaded it and started to read it. I just love King's writing - it flows so well and I feel like I am right there with Mary and Sherlock!

>128 rretzler: LaRosa's moved into the Knoxville area. I can enjoy canned or frozen Skyline here in East Tennessee, but Graeter's is not to be found.

I hope you enjoy your first Spring Break, even if you just do something local. Congrats to Beckhamonteh German Gold and good luck on the soccer!

>130 rretzler: Hi, Robin! I'll have to make sure that Erika knows that book will be out soon, as she's a big fan of that series, too.

Have a good time in Cincinnati and KY! Gooooo Keegan! and Congrats to Beckham!

I recently joined NetGalley but I've yet to request anything. I'm sure the new King will be just as good as her others.

>131 thornton37814: Lori, that's too bad about Graeter's not being near you - do they sell it in the grocery store at all? I do know that you can get it shipped in dry ice... We also have a LaRosa's up here too - the boys really like it, but it's not my favorite, the sauce is a little too sweet for me.

>132 Berly: Thanks, Kim.

>133 harrygbutler: Harry, fantastic to know that there's another fan of the series. Tell Erika its due out in early June and can be pre-ordered now if you guys are into pre-ordering.

>134 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda.

Hi Robin!

I hope you all have a great time at the soccer tournament. Congrats to Beckham on his gold medal in the National German Exam. Very impressive.

Ooh - a new Mary Russell! I also love this series, Robin.

>122 rretzler: Congrats on your boys; they obviously have a great mom.

>130 rretzler: Congrats! I am pretty backed up on Netgalley too - I'm at 75%. I'm trying not to request any more books until I catch up. Especially since I have so many other books to read. But it's so tempting, is it not?

>136 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen and thanks from Beckham, too.

>137 BLBera: I'm happy to have found another fan, Beth! And thank you so very much for the nice compliment.

>138 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. Yes, NetGalley is always very tempting - I'm not sure I'm anywhere near 75%, but I keep getting approved anyway!

Keegan's soccer team, unfortunately, did not make it to the finals. They tied the first game, lost the second game by a close 2-3 and were blown out by the third team 0-6. Interestingly, the team that they tied also tied both teams that Keegan's team lost to (and all 3 games were 0-0) - which is quite strange. The good news, however, is that the 2 goals scored by our team were scored by Keegan. One was a PK and the other a very nice volley that he chipped right over the keeper's head. We knew our team wouldn't go on to the final, but we were happy anyway that Keegan played so well.

Hi Robin. Congratulations to Beckham on his German results! And congrats to Keegan's soccer team for doing so well and to Keegan for scoring the goals even if they didn't make it to the final.

>130 rretzler: I've never read any of the Mary Russell series but it sounds like one I'd enjoy. I am really trying to stick to my goal of finishing series before starting new ones but those new series are sooo tempting!

Hopefully Keegan wasn't too disappointed! Good for him for scoring a couple of goals and playing well! :)

>140 rretzler: Impressive performance by Keegan!

Good morning Robin. How exciting that Beckham did so well with his German Exam and congratulations also to Keegan for scoring the two goals, even if his team did not win.

>141 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather from both boys. I went into the Mary Russell series very tentatively as I just couldn't see how the premise was going to work, but it just took that first book to hook me. As with any series, some books are better than others, but on the whole, it is probably one of my favorite ongoing series.

>142 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie.

Keegan's team, unfortunately, has a very wide range of skill levels and a very young inexperienced coach, so we knew that they would not make it to the final, but Keegan has fun, and we all hope we can get him on a team next year that is more in line with his ability.

>143 Oberon: Thanks, Erik. He was quite pleased!

>144 vancouverdeb: Thanks also to you Deb.

>140 rretzler: Nice!

>130 rretzler: Oh-Oh....

>146 humouress: Thanks, Nina.

Island of the Mad was very good - a better review will come later - but it also had a weird vibe to it. It is very difficult to explain.

I’m keeping my head down in case I get hit by BBs for that series.

>147 rretzler: It's a great series, Nina...

Ow

>150 humouress: 😜

Tomorrow we're off to Chicago for our first spring break trip ever! We've got lots and lots of things to do - Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Art Institute of Chicago, Adler Planetarium, Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Robie House, Blue Man Group, Museum of Science and Industry and more! Plus we'll have to make our usual stops at Gino's East on the Mag Mile and Ed Debevics, also.

The last time we were in Chicago with the boys was when Beckham was 3 years old, and Keegan was just 1 month old. We drove up to watch the US Men's National Team (soccer) play the English National Team with the intent to see David Beckham play in person. We had great seats first-row mid-field, which we had to purchase months in advance. Unfortunately, a few weeks before the game, Real Madrid announced that they were not going to release him to play for that game.

The first time we tried to see David Beckham play was when Beckham was 18 months old. Manchester United played Juventus in an exhibition game in New Jersey, and we got tickets for that way ahead of time and also got tickets to see the teams practice the day before. A very long story about actually getting the tickets in hand - even though we purchased them far in advance, we didn't end up getting them until 20 minutes before the game was to start; I won't bore you with all the details. Unfortunately for that game, David Beckham was just in the process of being traded to Real Madrid, so of course, he wasn't there.

The third time we tried to see David Beckham play was when he was playing for the LA Galaxy, and we had season tickets for the Columbus Crew (now Crew SC). The Galaxy came to Columbus late in the season, but David Beckham was sick and didn't make the trip.

I'm not sure that we ever actually saw him play - other than on TV millions of times!

ETA - OH, NO. Ed Debevics is apparently moving, so they're closed right now. Bummer for us!

Have a fun spring break!

Your trip sounds wonderful. Have a safe trip.

Have a wonderful trip! I have fond memories of my trip to Chicago!

Hey Robin! Hope you're all enjoying the spring break to Chicago!
So cool, Keegan made the teams only two goals! I could have easily been named MVP!

>152 rretzler: Hope you're all enjoying your spring break!

Hi Robin! Stopping by to get caught up with all that is happening in your world over the past two months (yes, it has been that long since I last found time for thread visits). Sorry to read that you have been dealing with health and school woes with your boys. Congratulations on scaling back your work and enjoying that free time!

Hope you have been having a wonderful time in Chicago for spring break and Happy Easter!

>153 BLBera: >154 karenmarie: >155 ChelleBearss: >156 Carmenere: >157 souloftherose: >158 lkernagh: Thanks, Beth, Karen, Chelle, Lynda, Heather and Lori. Thanks for stopping by while I was gone. Spring break was fun - more on that later. It's going to be awhile before I can get caught up with everyone.

M (YTD) {PYTD}

By the numbers
Books read - 12 (42) {45}
Average days to read - 2.6 (2.1) {2.0}

Pages read - 3,422 (12,064) {12,093}
Average pages per book - 285 (287) {269}
Average pages per day - 110 (134) {134}

Series read - 7 (24) {18}
Books in series read - 7 (30) {23}

Longest book read - Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
Pages - 675

Shortest book read - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Pages - 73

Type
ARC - 3 (15) {4}
Borrowed - 4 (6) {10}
New - 5 (18) {18}
Reread - 0 (0) {1}
TBR - 0 (0) {12}

Medium
Audio - 1 (5) {2}
Ebook - 11 (36) {39}
Print - 0 (1) {4}

Genre
Children - 0 (0) {2}
Fantasy - 1 (4) {0}
Fiction - 4 (7) {4}
Middle Grade - 1 (2) {3}
Mystery - 4 (26) {17}
Nonfiction - 0 (0) {6}
Picture - 0 (0) {1}
Science Fiction - 2 (3) {12}

Authors

Authors by book

Female - 7 (26) {21}
Male - 5 (16) {23}
Unknown/other - 0 (0) {1}

Unique authors

Female - 7 (21) {18}
Male - 5 (15) {19}
Unknown/other - 0 (0) {1}

Authors read for the first time - 5 (15) {18}

Living or deceased - unique authors

Deceased - 1 (10) {7}
Living - 11 (26) {31}

Nationality - unique authors

American - 8 (17) {17}
Australian - 1 (1) {0}
Canadian - 0 (1) {0}
English - 2 (16) {15}
German - 0 (0) {0}
Irish - 0 (0) {1}
Portuguese - 0 (0) {0}
Scottish - 0 (0) {1}
South African - 0 (0) {1}
Swedish - 0 (0) {1}
Welsh - 1 (1) {0}
Unknown - 0 (0) {2}

Awards

Caldecott - 0 (0) {1}
Edgar - 1 (1) {0}
Eisner - 0 (0) {0}
Hugo - 0 (0) {3}
National Book Award - 0 (0) {0}
Nebula - 1 (1) {1}
Newbery - 1 (1) {4}
Pulitzer - 0 (0) {0}

Ratings

5.0 - 0 (3) {2}
4.5 - 2 (4) {9}
4.0 - 7 (23) {19}
3.5 - 2 (7) {6}
3.0 - 1 (4) {6}
2.5 - 0 (0) {1}
2.0 - 0 (1) {0}
1.5 - 0 (0) {1}
1.0 - 0 (0) {1}

Average rating - 3.92 (3.89) {3.79}

Average rating of books read per LibraryThing - 3.82 (3.81) {3.81}
Average rating of books read per Goodreads - 3.97 (3.96) {3.94}
Average rating of books read per Amazon - 4.29 (4.29) {4.30}

Decade published

1830 - 0 (1) {0}
1920 - 0 (1) {4}
1930 - 2 (3) {1}
1940 - 0 (4) {0}
1950 - 0 (0) {1}
1960 - 0 (0) {2}
1970 - 1 (3) {1}
1980 - 0 (1) {4}
1990 - 2 (4) {2}
2000 - 0 (2) {5}
2010 - 7 (23) {25}

Books added to library

ARC - 2 (21) {5}
Purchase - 41 (132) {95}

Average cost per book - $3.34 ($2.97) {$2.92}

New releases - 4 (11) {5}

Full price - 6 (18) {14}


Favorite books of the month



Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
Island of the Mad by Laurie R King