mathgirl40's 2020 category challenge

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mathgirl40's 2020 category challenge

1mathgirl40
Gen 8, 2020, 8:55 pm

Here are my categories for 2020:

1. Tournament of Books
2. Evergreen Award
3. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die
4. Hugo Awards
5. Aurora Awards
6. Long SFF Series
7. Other Science Fiction and Fantasy
8. Doorstoppers
9. Short Stories, Plays and Poetry
10. Graphic Novels
11. Third book of a Trilogy
12. BookCrossing Roundabout
13. Cross-Canada Journey
14. Books in French
15. Mysteries Around the World
16. Golden Age Mysteries
17. Other Mysteries
18. Scary books
19. Nonfiction CAT
20. Other nonfiction

My goals for the year:
- Read 5 books from each category
- Read 50 books from my shelves (books from 2019 or earlier, or books from 2020 that have been sitting on my shelves at least 3 months)





2mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 31, 2020, 5:45 pm

Category 1: The Tournament of Books



This category will include books from the 2020 Tournament of Books, held in March.

1. We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin (Jan. 5)
2. Golden State by Ben Winters (Jan. 14)
3. Oval by Elvia Wilk (Jan. 21)
4. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza (Jan. 24)
5. Mary Toft; or The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer (Feb. 2)
6. Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha (Feb. 6)
7. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Feb. 12)
8. Normal People by Sally Rooney (Feb. 15)
9. All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg (Feb. 20)
10. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (Feb. 23)
11. Saudade by Suneeta Peres da Costa (Feb. 27)
12. Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (Mar. 5)
13. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Mar. 10)
14. Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Apr. 16)

Category 2: The Evergreen Award



This category will include nominees for the 2020 Evergreen Award, given by the Ontario Library Association. The nominees are announced in February.

1. Watermark by Christy Ann Conlin (Apr. 13)
2. Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benata (Apr. 19)
3. Greenwood by Michael Christie (May 15)
4. Crow Winter by Karen McBride (Sept. 4)
5. Autopsy of a Boring Wife by Marie-Renee Lavoie (Sept. 5)
6. A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott (Sept. 14)

Category 3: 1001 Books

These are books listed in Peter Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.



1. Snow by Orhan Pamuk (Apr. 4)
2. 1984 by George Orwell (May 25)
3. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers (Nov. 29)

3mathgirl40
Modificato: Nov 18, 2020, 9:54 pm

Category 4: The Hugo Awards



This category will include nominees for and winners of the Hugo Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards, as well as related awards like the Lodestar and Campbell awards. This year, I plan to rejoin as a voting member and read from the Voter Packet.

1. Planetfall by Emma Newman (Apr. 18)
2. The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley (Apr. 26)
3, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark (May 11)
4. Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald (May 22)
5. In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (May 31)
6. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (June 7)
7. Rosewater by Tade Thomposon (June 15)
8. The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders (June 21)
9. The Deep by Rivers Solomon (June 30)
10. Before Mars by Emma Newman (July 8)
11. To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (July 11)
12. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (July 16)

Category 5: The Aurora Awards

  

The Aurora Awards are similar to the Hugo Awards but are for works by Canadian writers. I will be reading from the Voting Packet again this year. The covers above are from some of the 2019 winners.

1. Alice Payne Rides by Kate Heartfield (Mar. 5)
2. The Gossamer Mage by Julie E. Czerneda (May 29)
3. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Morena-Garcia (July 19)
4. A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay (July 28)
5. Haunting the Haunted by E. C. Bell (July 30)
6. The Quantum Garden by Derek Kunsken (July 31)

Category 6: Long Science Fiction and Fantasy Series



I'm still working on those huge series like Wheel of Time, Malazan Book of the Fallen, Discworld and more.

1. Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey (Feb. 5)
2. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson (Apr. 11)
3. Mission to the Mughals by Eric Flint and Griffin Barber (Sept. 29)
4. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (Oct. 26)
5. The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (Nov. 12)

4mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 31, 2020, 5:43 pm

Category 7: Other Science Fiction and Fantasy



1. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Jan. 15)
2. Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield (Mar. 3)
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Apr. 10)
4. Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder (May 10)
5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (June 17)
6. Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint (July 3)
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (Sept. 10)
8. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks (Sept. 19)
9. The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin (Nov. 22)
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan (Dec. 11)

Category 8: Doorstoppers



1. Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy (Mar. 8)
2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Mar. 25)
3. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (Aug. 23)
4. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Oct. 29)
5. The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (Dec. 20)

Category 9: Short Stories, Plays and Poetry



1. Hugo/Aurora Short Stories (July 20)
2. Canadian Born by Pauline Johnson (Sept. 19)
3. Exhalation by Ted Chiang (Sept. 26)
4. Wild Cards (Volume 1) edited by George R. R. Martin (Dec. 13)
5. Kim's Convenience by Ins Choi (Dec. 25)
6. Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (Dec. 29)

5mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 31, 2020, 5:50 pm

Category 10: Graphic Novels



1. Lady Killer, Volume 1 by Joëlle Jones (Jan. 31)
2. Lady Killer, Volume 2 by Joëlle Jones (Feb. 1)
3. Paper Girls, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson (June 19)
4. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (June 20)
5. Die Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans (June 24)
6. LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford (June 26)
7. Monstress, Volume 4 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (June 29)

Category 11: Third Book of a Trilogy



1. State Tectonics by Malka Older (Jan. 12)
2. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (May 8)
3. Dust by Hugh Howey (Oct. 18)

Category 12: BookCrossing Roundabout



I signed up for a "Favourite Books of 2019" roundabout on BookCrossing, with 13 other BookCrossers. We'll be mailing the books along to one another throughout the year.

1. A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (Feb. 18)
2. Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Apr. 22)
3. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen (June 8)
4. The Last by Hanna Jameson (June 18)
5. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (Aug. 13)
6. Where Would I Be Without You by Guillaume Musso (Sept. 20)
7. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers (Oct. 14)
8. Almost Love by Louise O'Neill (Oct. 23)
9. The Familiars by Stacey Halls (Nov. 9)
8. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Dec. 22)
9. The Postman by David Brin (Dec. 23)
10. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-time Indian (Dec. 30)

6mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 25, 2020, 10:55 am

Category 13: Cross-Canada Journey



Inspired by lkernagh, I started a virtual walk across Canada in late 2016, starting in Vancouver and working my way East, using the World Walking app. At the beginning of January, I am around Ottawa, soon to head into Quebec.

1. Love Lives Here by Amanda Jetté Knox (March 15)
2. Gambling with Fire by David Montrose (Sept. 25)
3. Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (Oct. 9)

Category 14: Books in French

  

1. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne (Jan. 30)
2. Les Thibault: Le Cahier Gris by Roger Martin du Gard (Sept. 12)
3. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Sept. 28)
4. Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (Oct. 25)
5. Le Chambre Jaune by Gaston Leroux (Dec. 18)

Category 15: Mysteries From Around the World



1. Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir --Iceland (Feb. 10)
2. Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin -- Scotland (Aug. 16)
3. The Girl in the Woods by Camilla Lackberg -- Sweden (Aug. 29)
4. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (Aug. 31)
5. The Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum (Nov. 7)

7mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 29, 2020, 9:50 pm

Category 16: Golden Age Mysteries



1. Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (Feb. 28)
2. The Listening Eye by Patricia Wentworth (March 29)
3. Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers (Sept. 17)
4. Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie (Nov. 17)
5. Murder at Government House by Elspeth Huxley (Dec. 16)

Category 17: Other Mysteries



1. Holy Thief by Ellis Peters (Jan. 22)
2. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (Oct. 17)
3. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (Oct. 31)
4. Negative Image by Vicki Delany (Nov. 15)
5. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley (Nov. 30)

Category 18: Scary Books

Books for the ScaredyKIT and other horror.



1. Outbreak by Robin Cook (Feb. 6)
2. Rupert Wong and the Ends of the Earth by Cassandra Khaw (Sept. 23)
3. All Souls' Night by Hugh Walpole (Oct. 12)
4. Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Dec. 7)
5. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Dec. 27)

8mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 29, 2020, 9:46 pm

Category 19: NonfictionCAT



1. The Morning After by Chantal Hébert (Jan. 28)
2. Iced In by Chris Turney (May 20)
3. SPQR by Mary Beard (Oct. 28)
4. Stratford Behind the Scenes by Don Gillmor (Nov. 18)

Category 20: Other Nonfiction



1. Chop Suey Nation by Ann Hui (Aug. 6)
2. Endurance by Alfred Lansing (Oct. 16)
3. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (Nov. 5)
4. The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole (Nov. 19)
5. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (Dec. 5)

Books that don't fit in any of the above categories

1. My Name is Parvana by Deborah Ellis (Jan. 27)
2. Broken Strings by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer (Feb. 22)
3. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Mar. 18)
4. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (Apr. 13)
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (May 9)
6. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Aug. 4)
7. The City Man by Howard Akler (Aug. 20)
8. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Oct. 8)

9mathgirl40
Gen 8, 2020, 9:09 pm

I'm a bit late to the party, as I've only just finished sorting through my 2019 books, but I'm looking forward to setting up my 2020 challenge and visiting everyone else's threads!

My challenge is similar to last year's but I decided to make a few changes:

I added a French books category. I learned French in my youth but my skills are really rusty now. I'd like to get back to improving my French, especially since my older daughter has moved to Montreal and I'll be visiting her regularly.

I'd like to read more non-fiction this year, so I have two non-fiction categories (one for NonfictionCAT books and the other for non-CAT books) instead of one. I'll probably have a few non-fiction books sprinkled through the other categories as well.

I added a "third book in the trilogy" category, because I seem to be terrible at getting that third book read, no matter how much I enjoyed the first two books of a series. Some of the third books I have yet to read include State Tectonics, Wool, The System of the World and Flesh Wounds, and there are more.

I hope to fill out more details of the challenge and catch up with other threads in the next few days!

10DeltaQueen50
Gen 9, 2020, 1:58 am

Good to see you over here, and getting set up for the year. I like your idea for a category to finish the third book in a trilogy - I often let them linger on my TBR for far too long as well.

11MissWatson
Gen 9, 2020, 9:47 am

Welcome back and happy reading!

12thornton37814
Gen 9, 2020, 1:28 pm

Welcome back! Have a great year of reading!

13mathgirl40
Gen 9, 2020, 5:34 pm

>10 DeltaQueen50: >11 MissWatson: >12 thornton37814: Thank you all for the warm welcome back!

14rabbitprincess
Gen 9, 2020, 6:47 pm

Welcome back! Glad to hear older daughter is in Montreal; we could organize an LT meetup there or in Ottawa! ;)

15VivienneR
Gen 9, 2020, 8:07 pm

Welcome back! And congratulations on twenty categories! I'll be following along.

16mathgirl40
Gen 10, 2020, 8:26 pm

>14 rabbitprincess: I will probably be in Ottawa for a math conference at the beginning of June. I'd love to meet up! Will send you a note closer to that time.

>15 VivienneR: Thanks! I'm sure that, at some point, I'll have to reduce the number of categories, but I thought I just might be able to manage 20 this year. :)

17pammab
Gen 10, 2020, 10:03 pm

>9 mathgirl40: So many categories! I love that you're sticking with the year-over-year theme.

If you're looking for French suggestions, I read The Little Prince a couple years ago and it was quite adorable, and if I recall correctly was originally in French. I hope you get to visit Montreal often! I loved visiting some years back (even though they all rolled their eyes at my pitiful France-French and responded in English immediately).

18rabbitprincess
Gen 10, 2020, 10:20 pm

>16 mathgirl40: Woot! I will have that copy of Hamlet, Revenge! for you!

19Tess_W
Gen 10, 2020, 10:46 pm

Good luck with your 2020 reading!

20mathgirl40
Gen 11, 2020, 9:34 pm

>17 pammab: Great suggestion! Your mention of The Little Prince reminded me that a copy in the original French is in my daughter's old bedroom. She had to read it for a French class when she was younger but I've not read it myself. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to Montreal. I actually grew up there and my parents live there still. So I do travel there regularly, but with my daughter there now, I expect I'll be going even more frequently.

>18 rabbitprincess: Great, I look forward to it!

>19 Tess_W: Thank you!

21lkernagh
Gen 12, 2020, 3:29 pm

Lovely to see your thread showing up in the group!

22LisaMorr
Gen 20, 2020, 8:34 am

Lots of great categories that I will enjoy following - have a great 2020 reading year!

23mathgirl40
Gen 21, 2020, 9:35 pm

>21 lkernagh: >22 LisaMorr: Thanks for stopping by!

24mathgirl40
Gen 21, 2020, 10:41 pm



1. We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlo Ruffin (4 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

The theme of this year's Tournament of Books play-in round appears to be "near-future dystopias" and it includes Ruffin's debut novel about an African American father who does everything he can to protect his son and ensure a successful future for him. The problem is that his misguided notions cause much more harm than good to his family. It's hard to sympathize with the willfully blind narrator but I really did enjoy this satirical novel which examines both racism and family relationships.

25mathgirl40
Gen 21, 2020, 10:50 pm



2. State Tectonics by Malka Older (4 stars)
Category: Third Book in the Trilogy

This is the third book in Malka Older's Centenal Cycle series, which started with Infomocracy. The plot and characters are good but not memorable. However, the real strength of this series is in Older's exploration of political systems, information and surveillance in a futuristic society. The setting is in the near future, with countries as we've known them replaced by a large number of centenals (groups of 100000 people) that participate in a process called "microdemocracy". This third book follows several characters as they respond to attacks on "Information", a world-wide organization that collects data and monitors the lives of the citizens.

26LisaMorr
Modificato: Mar 16, 2020, 3:16 pm

>2 mathgirl40: I'll take a book bullet on that series, sounds interesting.

27mathgirl40
Gen 22, 2020, 9:40 pm

>26 LisaMorr: I hope you enjoy it. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Malka Older. I found out that her brother is fantasy writer Daniel José Older.

28mathgirl40
Gen 22, 2020, 10:10 pm



3. Golden State by Ben Winters (4 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

This book is another of the play-in contenders in the Tournament of Books, and like We Cast a Shadow, it is a near-future dystopian story. Set in a pocket of the US referred to as the "Golden State", the "truth" is taken as a warped kind of ideal and the protagonist is a law-enforcement officer tasked with seeking out and punishing anyone stating a falsehood.

I'd read The Last Policemen by Winters several years ago, but it was so bleak I couldn't bring myself to continue the series. Fortunately, this novel is not quite as depressing.

29mathgirl40
Gen 28, 2020, 10:02 pm



4. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (3.5 stars)
Category: Other SFF

This work is a relatively short epistolary novel about two time-travelling warriors working for different factions. They leave cleverly disguised notes for each other as they bounce through the epochs. I've liked other works from these authors, the book was cleverly and skillfully constructed and the writing is lovely, but the story didn't do much for me. I feel like I'm in the minority, as it has gotten so many rave reviews. I'm still glad I'd read it, as undoubtedly the book will be a strong contender for the major science-fiction and fantasy awards this year.

30mathgirl40
Gen 28, 2020, 10:02 pm



5. Oval by Elvia Wilk (3.5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

This book is another of the play-in novels on the 2020 Tournament of Books shortlist. It is set in a near-future Berlin suffering from the effects of climate change and various social problems. Our protagonist Anja lives in an experimental sustainable home on an artificial mountain.

I was more than halfway through the book before I started to enjoy it. At first, I couldn't relate to the characters and I found the pace exceedingly slow. Eventually, though, I started getting more interested in Anja's life and observations and appreciating Wilk's satirical look at how we deal with social issues such as homelessness and climate change.

I hesitate to recommend this book to other readers. I don't expect it to be particularly compelling to most people. However, I think it will make for excellent Tournament of Books discussion.

31JayneCM
Gen 29, 2020, 2:07 am

>29 mathgirl40: I am so keen to read this! I must admit, I have not read any reviews (I try not to if I can) but the synopsis just sounds right up my alley!

32mathgirl40
Feb 4, 2020, 8:11 pm

>31 JayneCM: I hope you like it. I was lukewarm toward it but a friend of mine just finished it and absolutely loved it.

33mathgirl40
Feb 4, 2020, 8:12 pm



6. Holy Thief by Ellis Peters (4 stars)
Category: Other Mysteries

This is a solid installment of the Brother Cadfael mysteries, featuring the 12th century sleuth investigating a theft and subsequent murder of a possible witness. I've always enjoyed this series, both the original novels and the TV adaptation starring Derek Jacobi.

34mathgirl40
Feb 4, 2020, 8:39 pm



7. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza (4 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

In this short book from the Tournament of Books, the narrator, an art critic, weaves memories of her own life with stories about the artists she admires. I felt as if I were in an art history class at times, but I really did enjoy learning more about several artists whose names I recognized and discovering the work of many that were new to me. Of course, I had to Google them as their stories came up!

35mathgirl40
Feb 4, 2020, 8:45 pm



8. My Name is Parvana by Deborah Ellis (4.5 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

This is the final book in Deborah Ellis's series that started with The Breadwinner. It is about Parvana, a girl who uses her resourcefulness to survive and help her family and friends in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. I highly recommend this award-winning YA series, and I found out that Ellis has been donating royalties from My Name is Parvana to a fund that supports education for women and children in Afghanistan.

36mathgirl40
Modificato: Feb 4, 2020, 8:46 pm



9. The Morning After by Chantal Hébert (4 stars)
Category: NonfictionCAT

This 2015 book by Canadian journalist Chantal Hébert is a retrospective look at the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty. She interviews a number of the major players involved and tries to capture their thinking immediately before and after the referendum result (which had Quebec citizens voting "no" to a sovereignty question by a very narrow margin).

I thought the book was very informative and readable, though I'd recommend it mainly to those with a particular interest in Canadian politics and/or history. The subject matter might at first seem not particularly relevant these days, but many of the issues brought up at that time are similar to the current Brexit discussions.

37thornton37814
Feb 5, 2020, 12:03 pm

>33 mathgirl40: I started a re-read of that series but didn't make it as far as I intended last year. I haven't picked one up yet this year.

38mathgirl40
Feb 5, 2020, 9:47 pm

>37 thornton37814: I'd like to do a read of the Cadfael series from the beginning at some point myself. I've read some of the books, but completely out of order.

39thornton37814
Feb 6, 2020, 7:02 pm

>38 mathgirl40: I only read the first two.

40mathgirl40
Feb 7, 2020, 6:36 pm



10. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (3.5 stars)
Category: French Books

Though I am a big fan of science fiction, there are many classics I've not yet read, and this was one of them. It's an entertaining adventure story with likable characters but otherwise not especially remarkable. It feels quite dated, as the three men (a professor, his nephew and a hired assistant) embark on this journey while the nephew's fiancee stays at home to wait for them despite seeming like a potentially formidable character herself.

I read this in the original French, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be, as the language was quite straightforward. There were a lot of scientific terms but most were similar to their English counterparts.

41JayneCM
Feb 7, 2020, 7:09 pm

>40 mathgirl40: This is a classic I also have not read and have meant to for ages. I do like that in the most recent movie version the girls get to go along!

42mathgirl40
Feb 7, 2020, 7:32 pm

 

11. Lady Killer, Volume 1 by Joëlle Jones (3.5 stars)
12. Lady Killer, Volume 2 by Joëlle Jones (3.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

These are the first two volumes of collected comic issues about Josie,, a woman who appears to be the perfect 1950's housewife -- a demure, loving wife and mother who dresses impeccably. However, she leads a second life as a ruthless assassin. This series is stylish and fun. I'd be happy to read more from the series, though the plots didn't have quite enough depth to make me a real fan.

43pammab
Feb 7, 2020, 11:34 pm

>40 mathgirl40: Congrats on the classic in French! I read 20000 Leagues a long time ago and struggled to finish, and I haven't revisited Verne since. It sounds like you liked yours more than I did but I am still not finding it a source of particular inspiration to get to another book of his... Alas.

44JayneCM
Feb 8, 2020, 12:07 am

>42 mathgirl40: These certainly look like they have awesome artwork.

45mathgirl40
Feb 9, 2020, 9:13 pm

>43 pammab: I did find Journey to the Center of the Earth entertaining enough, but like you, I'm not rushing to read another book of his either.

>44 JayneCM: Yes, the artwork is great, if you can tolerate the blood and gore splattered over the stylish 50's dresses. :)

46mathgirl40
Feb 9, 2020, 9:21 pm



13. Mary Toft; or the Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer (5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

This is my favourite of the Tournament of Books entries I've read so far. It's a historical novel based on the real-life story of Mary Toft, a woman who deluded a number of renowned English doctors into believing that she birthed rabbits. The story is told mostly from the point-of-view of Zachary, apprentice to first doctor to "deliver" a rabbit from Mary. It's a compelling coming-of-age story that asks the question: what is truth and what is illusion?

47JayneCM
Feb 11, 2020, 3:36 am

>46 mathgirl40: This was the stand out for me from the list. How could you not read a book about something so bizarre? And then to see that is based on a real life story - even more bizarre.
It is still on purchase at my library - luckily I can place a hold even beore it arrives so I will get it (hopefully) as soon as it does.

48hailelib
Feb 16, 2020, 3:52 pm

>40 mathgirl40:

I have fond memories of reading all the local libraries copies of Verne's works when I was probably in the 12 to 14 age range but somehow I've never reread them.

49mathgirl40
Feb 26, 2020, 10:21 pm

>47 JayneCM: I hope you like Mary Toft: The Rabbit Queen as much as I did! It's still the #1 book on my Tournament of Books list, though it has stiff competition from Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo.

>48 hailelib: I discovered science fiction at my local library, around the same age. Strangely, however, I never did read Jules Verne at that time. Instead, I'd read all the Heinlein juveniles.

50mathgirl40
Feb 26, 2020, 10:43 pm



14. Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey (4.5 stars)
Category: Long SFF Series

This 8th book in the Expanse series is as good as all the other ones. I can't really describe it without giving up too many spoilers, but I can say there are both exciting and heart-wrenching moments. I'm looking forward to the publication of the supposedly final book of the series later this year, but I will surely miss the great characters in this series, which vies with Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga as my favourite science fiction series.

51mathgirl40
Feb 29, 2020, 7:12 pm



15. Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha (4.5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

Another from the 2020 Tournament of Books shortlist, this novel follows two families, one Black and one Korean, as they deal with the long-term consequences of a tragic event. The author looks at racism directed at and within the community groups as well as the complexity of family relationships. She does all this while delivering a page-turning story that is full of surprises. I've read 13 ToB books so far, and while this book isn't at the top, it has a pretty high rank on my list. It's a hard-hitting book that I would not hesitate to recommend.

52mathgirl40
Mar 2, 2020, 9:22 pm



16. Outbreak by Robin Cook (3 stars)
Category: Scary Books

I'd reserved this book at the library early in January, before COVID-19 hit the world and started reading it just as the first news of the new virus came. I thought it would be disturbing to read, given the circumstances. However, the story was so far-fetched that it didn't seem particularly realistic. I did like very much the scientific details, though, which I assumed were well researched.

53mathgirl40
Mar 2, 2020, 9:23 pm



17. Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (3.5 stars)
Category: Mysteries Around the World (Iceland)

This is the first of the Thóra Guðmundsdóttir mystery series set in Iceland. In this story, Thóra helps a family investigate the murder of their son, who had been greatly interested in violent rituals. I really liked the setting of the book, as well as the characters. I found the writing somewhat weak and some parts unnecessarily gruesome, but I did enjoy the book enough that I will certainly continue with the series.

54mathgirl40
Mar 3, 2020, 9:35 pm



18. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

This book, along with Mary Toft, or The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer, is at the top of my Tournament of Books ranking. This is a collection of interconnected stories, each featuring a different woman, from a variety of races, genders and sexual orientations. The characters are wonderful, even with their many (realistic) flaws and Evaristo's unique writing makes the narrative flow easily.

I really like this format of interconnected stories when it is done well (and Evaristo does do it very well), as it gives the best of both the short-story and novel formats. Other collections of this kind that I've found notable are The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra and All Saints by K. D. Miller.

55mathgirl40
Mar 4, 2020, 10:06 pm



19. Normal People by Sally Rooney (3.5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

Another Tournament of Books contender, this coming-of-age novel about two friends and sometime lovers in an unusual relationship is beautifully written. It probably deserves a higher rating than I gave it, but the characters' struggles just didn't interest me all that much. I can understand why this novel has gotten so much praise, but it wasn't for me.

56mathgirl40
Mar 4, 2020, 10:12 pm



20. A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (4.5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

This book follows the life of a manipulative sociopathic writer from the points-of-view of various people whose lives intersect with his, including several who fall victim to his charms with disastrous consequences. I really enjoyed this book, although it was sometimes difficult to read because of the main character's unpleasant qualities. I thought it was very well-written and clever, with surprising turns in the plot and interesting secondary characters. There is one section involving a fictional encounter with Gore Vidal that I thought was brilliant.

57mathgirl40
Mar 4, 2020, 10:25 pm



21. All This Could be Yours by (4 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

This book from the Tournament of Books shortlist describes the interactions of a dysfunctional family, coping with the loss of their patriarch, a violent, obnoxious and selfish man. Despite the grim matters, I found the story quite funny, with some really great characters. The novel is set in New Orleans and the author does a nice job of giving the reader a good feel for the city.

58mathgirl40
Mar 5, 2020, 9:32 pm



22. Broken Strings by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer (4 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

This is a lovely and heartwarming story about a girl who learns about her grandfather's experiences during the Holocaust while preparing for a school production of Fiddler on the Roof. I'd read a number of Eric Walters novels with my kids when they were younger and my favourite of those are We All Fall Down, set during 9/11 in New York City. This book is also set in New York City, a short time after 9/11, and explores, among other themes, how the community attempts to recover from that life-changing event.

59mathgirl40
Mar 5, 2020, 9:44 pm



23. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

In this story, Lillian is asked by her charismatic and successful friend Madison to yet again bail her out of a jam, this time to take care of her two stepchildren. The problem is that the children spontaneously combust when they get upset. This is one of my favourites from the Tournament of Books list. There are several that are arguably "better" by the usual standard by which I judge ToB books. However, this funny and heartwarming story was certainly one of the most enjoyable. The audiobook, narrated by Marin Ireland, was superb and she fully deserved to win the Audie award for this work.

60mathgirl40
Mar 8, 2020, 4:38 pm



24. Saudade by Suneeta Peres da Costa (3.5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

This book is another from the Tournament of Books shortlist. It is a very short novel that offers some glimpses of life in 1960's Angola, from the point of view of a young Goan immigrant. It features some some beautiful evocative passages but I don't think it's an especially strong contender in the ToB.

61mathgirl40
Mar 8, 2020, 4:50 pm



25. Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (4 stars)
Category: Golden Age Mysteries

This is a classic Hercule Poirot mystery, in which a wealthy and generally unlikable lord is found dead in his study. Unfortunately, the obvious suspect, his estranged wife, has an unshakable alibi. Hugh Fraser's audiobook narration made this audiobook especially enjoyable.

62chlorine
Mar 9, 2020, 2:44 am

I just discovered your thread and enjoyed your the variety of books you read!

63MissWatson
Mar 9, 2020, 11:57 am

>25 mathgirl40: Hugh Fraser? The one who plays Hastings to Suchet's Poirot?

64mathgirl40
Mar 9, 2020, 9:08 pm

>62 chlorine: Thank you!

>63 MissWatson: Yes, that's the one. He has narrated a lot of Agatha Christie's audiobooks and they are all wonderfully done.

65MissWatson
Mar 10, 2020, 9:53 am

>64 mathgirl40: He made such a good Wellington, too.

66LisaMorr
Mar 16, 2020, 3:31 pm

I'm going to have check out the Lady Killer series and also Saudade, as I've visited Luanda, Angola several times.

67LittleTaiko
Mar 16, 2020, 9:43 pm

>54 mathgirl40: Any comparison to The Tsar of Love and Techno is a no-brainer for me. Now I just have to wait on our library to reopen to get it. Someday...

68mathgirl40
Mar 18, 2020, 8:58 pm

>65 MissWatson: I've not seen Hugh Fraser as Wellington, but that's certainly something I should check out!

>66 LisaMorr: I do envy you. I've never had the opportunity to travel to Africa but I would love to do so one day. I guess reading books set there is the next best thing. :)

>67 LittleTaiko: Our libraries are closed too, but fortunately, the digital e-book and e-audiobook collections are still available.

69mathgirl40
Mar 18, 2020, 9:15 pm

 

26. Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield (4 stars)
27. Alice Payne Rides by Kate Heartfield (4 stars)
Category: Other SFF

These two novellas feature Alice Payne, an 18th century gentlewoman who, at night, becomes the "Holy Ghost", a highway robber who steals from those who deserve it the most. Alice Payne's steampunk adventures take her into the 22nd century, after she encounters time-travelling warrior Prudence Zuniga. These stories are loads of fun and feature some really likable characters.

My local SFF book club had planned to read Heartfield's award-winning novel, Armed in Her Fashion, but we found it almost impossible to get copies, because Heartfield had parted ways with her publisher ChiZine (with good reason, it seems). I'd read this book earlier and liked it very much, and I hope it will be back in print soon. Fortunately, the Alice Payne novellas, published by Tor, are readily available.

70VivienneR
Mar 19, 2020, 1:37 am

>56 mathgirl40: I've enjoyed everything I've read by John Boyne. This one is on the tbr shelf.

>59 mathgirl40: Nothing to see here sounds wonderful. I've added it to my library wishlist but it may be months before my name comes up for either the ebook or audiobook.

71mathgirl40
Modificato: Mar 19, 2020, 8:46 pm

>70 VivienneR: Yes, Nothing to See Here does seem to be very popular, but I think it's worth the wait! I hope you enjoy it when you get the chance to read it.

72mathgirl40
Modificato: Mar 19, 2020, 9:14 pm



28. Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (3 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

I had high hopes for this book, as it was on the Tournament of Books list and I'd liked one of Choi's earlier novels, American Woman. The first half of the book concentrates on the relationships among several teenagers, while the second half contains reflections on those years that make readers rethink what they understand to be true. The book is skillfully written and the ideas explored are interesting. However, the unappealing characters and unpleasant scenes made this book a real chore to read.

73mathgirl40
Modificato: Mar 19, 2020, 9:14 pm



29. Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy (4 stars)
Category: Doorstoppers

I'm a little behind on the Wolf Hall group read, as my library had a long waiting list. In the meantime, I thought I'd reread a favourite from my youth, Jean Plaidy's story of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. I loved Plaidy as a teenager and had read many of her novels, including most of the Plantagenet series. This particular book is rather lengthy with a slow pace, but I enjoy all the details that the author adds. I suppose her style might feel dated these days, but I still enjoy her writing as much as that of some more popular historical fiction authors.

74mathgirl40
Mar 19, 2020, 9:32 pm

I've been trying to cut down on buying books but today, I couldn't resist a new purchase. One of my favourite publishers, House of Anansi, announced their "Reading Apart, Together" promotion, aimed at keeping book lovers connected during this crisis.

I ended up buying Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta, a collection of stories about a Jamaican Canadian teenager from Toronto, and I gave the free copy to one of my closest friends, who is also a Jamaican Canadian.

75chlorine
Mar 20, 2020, 2:50 am

>72 mathgirl40: Trust exercise seems to have such an interesting premise! Too bad it doesn't deliver.

76Tess_W
Mar 20, 2020, 8:17 am

>73 mathgirl40: Plaidy was one of my very favorite authors in the 1970=1980's. I need to go back and revisit her!

77thornton37814
Mar 20, 2020, 3:05 pm

>74 mathgirl40: I think I'd like one of those fried plantains! I almost purchased a plantain in the grocery store the other day.

78LisaMorr
Mar 24, 2020, 12:37 pm

The Alice Payne novellas look fun!

79lkernagh
Apr 8, 2020, 11:44 am

Stopping by to get caught up. Oh, I did not know that Hugh Fraser was a narrator for some Agatha Christie audiobooks!

>68 mathgirl40: - I remember Fraser playing Wellington in the Sean Bean dramatizations of Bernard Cormwell's Sharpe series. Such a good series!

80mathgirl40
Apr 14, 2020, 10:06 pm

>75 chlorine: I know others have loved Trust Exercise, so your reaction to it may be very different from mine. :)

>76 Tess_W: After reading Murder Most Royal, I too would like to revisit some other Plaidy favourites. The Revolt of the Eaglets was another that I loved.

>77 thornton37814: It's been a long time since I'd tasted a plantain and I've never cooked one myself. That would be a new adventure. :)

>78 LisaMorr: They certainly are fun. Armed in Her Fashion is a more serious story, but just as good.

>79 lkernagh: I'll definitely have to try to watch that series! I've been wanting to read Bernard Cromwell too, since so many people have recommended him to me.

I seem to have fallen behind again in my reviews, but will work at catching up!

81mathgirl40
Mag 11, 2020, 10:22 pm



30. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (4.5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

This is the final book I'd read from the Tournament of Books list. It is a beautifully written and page-turning account of a Black slave's struggle to free himself and his loved ones. It mixes historical fiction with magical realism and features a number of memorable characters, some based on real-life historical figures.

82mathgirl40
Mag 11, 2020, 10:33 pm



31. Love Lives Here by Amanda Jetté Knox (4.5 stars)
Category: Cross-Country Journey

This memoir by Amanda Jetté Knox describes how her family struggled through and survived the gender transitions of her child and spouse. She doesn't hesitate to describe the very low points, but overall, I found this book inspiring and uplifting, and I think (hope) it has increased my own understanding of transgender issues.

We chose this book for my workplace's book club, and my coworkers and I had a really great discussion about it. Reading about how the author's spouse dealt with transitioning and the workplace was especially interesting, and it made me hope that those in my workplace would be as accommodating and supportive if we had a similar situation.

83mathgirl40
Mag 11, 2020, 10:47 pm



32. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

I'm a little behind in my reviews, and I'd actually read this book at the end of March, soon after we all started sheltering-in-place. This book in the Little House series describes how the Ingalls family and their fellow townsfolk survived a particularly brutal winter in which they were isolated from the rest of the world and nearly starved. It was comforting to read about Laura's family's ordeal and to see the strength, will and good humour they maintained under circumstances much more harsh than most of us are facing.

I'd first read the Little House books in my youth, and this book was my least favourite at the time, as it was, like the winter it described, long and with many grim moments. However, I grew to appreciate it as I've grown older and it's the one from the series I reread most frequently. Certainly some parts of the book are uncomfortable to read these days, and I can understand the controversy surrounding the series. However, this book is still one of the best survival stories I've ever read.

84Tess_W
Mag 11, 2020, 10:48 pm

>83 mathgirl40: This is my favorite book in the series. I've read the entire series about 3 times in 60 years.

85thornton37814
Mag 12, 2020, 12:27 pm

>83 mathgirl40: >84 Tess_W: It's one of my favorites too.

86mathgirl40
Mag 20, 2020, 10:44 pm

>84 Tess_W: >85 thornton37814: Glad to hear I'm not the only one who loves this book! My children never took to this series like I did. I suppose it felt even more dated and politically incorrect to them, and it had lots of competition from other excellent series like Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, but it remains one of my very favourites.

87mathgirl40
Mag 20, 2020, 10:53 pm



33. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (5 stars)
Category: Doorstoppers

In anticipation of the final book in Mantel's trilogy based on Thomas Cromwell's life, I decided to reread the first two books, along with others doing the group read. The first time I'd read it, I listened to the audiobook version and this time, I decided to read the (digital) print version. I gave the book 5 stars the first time and my opinion did not change this time around. This is a hefty volume, but Mantel's writing is beautiful and the exploration of Cromwell's character is fascinating, so I found reading the book always a pleasure and not a chore.

88japaul22
Mag 21, 2020, 7:30 am

>87 mathgirl40: Glad to know it worked on audio for your first read. I have enjoyed rereading favorites on audio, so I will keep it in mind. I also thought this book held up beautifully to a reread. Will you go right on to Bring up the Bodies?

89Tess_W
Modificato: Mag 21, 2020, 8:45 am

>87 mathgirl40: Glad you enjoyed it both times. I've read the first two, but didn't join in the group read as I couldn't get the book from the library when I needed it. (I'm working up for #129 on a wait list!) I am excited to read the last book!

90mathgirl40
Mag 26, 2020, 11:10 pm

>88 japaul22: >89 Tess_W: I did actually finish rereading the second book and I recently finished the third. I am very behind in my reviews but will add them soon! I was fortunate enough to have my turn on the wait list for The Mirror and the Light come up just as I was finishing Bring Up the Bodies. I had to read quite steadily to make sure I completed the 3rd book before my loan expired, as I was certain I wouldn't get a chance to borrow it again for months.

91mathgirl40
Mag 27, 2020, 10:41 pm



34. The Listening Eye by Patricia Wentworth (3.5 stars)
Category: Golden Age Mysteries

This was another enjoyable installment in the Miss Silver mysteries. In this one, a deaf woman (who shares a name with me, which doesn't happen often!) learns about a planned murder through her lip-reading. After the murder occurs, Miss Silver is called in to investigate. My only complaint about this book is that the dated treatment of relationships between men and women made me cringe on occasion. (Did women truly like it when men were rough and condescending to them those days?)

92chlorine
Mag 28, 2020, 1:04 am

>91 mathgirl40: It is strange to find this kind of behavior in a book written by a woman indeed.

93mathgirl40
Mag 29, 2020, 6:41 pm

>92 chlorine: Yes, it certainly is jarring, but I have to remind myself that it's a product of its time! I still like the Miss Silver mysteries anyhow. :)

94pamelad
Modificato: Mag 30, 2020, 8:05 pm

>91 mathgirl40: Last year I read Ladies Bane, which was memorable because a father beat his daughter, and his behaviour appeared to be condoned. The book was written in the fifties, but the attitude to women seemed decades older and barbaric even for then. I usually enjoy Miss Silver mysteries, but not this one.

95mathgirl40
Giu 3, 2020, 9:12 pm

>94 pamelad: Thanks for the warning. I think I'll avoid this one!

96mathgirl40
Lug 10, 2020, 10:22 pm



35. Snow by Orhan Pamuk (4 stars)
Category: 1001 Books

This was a book I'd finished some time ago for the March GeoCAT, and I chose it to learn more about Turkey, as well as to fill out my 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. The audiobook narration by John Lee was superb. Lee's voice suited the sombre and contemplative mood of the book perfectly, and I did learn much about Turkey's political and cultural issues.

97mathgirl40
Lug 10, 2020, 10:24 pm



36. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (5 stars)
Category: Other SFF

When J.K. Rowling made this audiobook freely available in April, I decided to do a reread. I've read the entire Harry Potter series several times now, with my children when they were younger and on my own, but this was my first time listening to the audiobook, which felt like a new experience. I'm saddened by Rowling's comments on transgender rights but I still have an enormous fondness for her stories.

98pammab
Lug 13, 2020, 11:55 pm

>97 mathgirl40: Was that the version narrated by Stephen Fry? I do quite enjoy him. (Shows how little I've been on the internet that I didn't realize there was a free Harry Potter audiobook though, psh.)

99mathgirl40
Lug 24, 2020, 8:27 pm

>98 pammab: The version I'd listened to was narrated by Olly Moss. I enjoy Stephen Fry's work very much myself, so it would have been terrific to listen to that version, but the one I had was still a very good narration.

100mathgirl40
Set 2, 2020, 6:08 pm



37. Garden of the Moon by Steven Erikson (4 stars)
Category: Doorstoppers

After having finished the first 3 books of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, I decided to reread this first one. The reread was definitely a different experience from the initial read. The Malazan series is extremely complex, with hundreds of characters and complicated subplots. Erikson likes to jump directly into the story, with no context for the reader. During this reread, I could understand and appreciate all that I had missed first time around … and I had missed a lot! I will probably reread the 2nd and 3rd books before attempting the 4th. I fear that it will take a decade to get to the end of this 10-book series, but I really do think it's worth the effort.

101mathgirl40
Set 2, 2020, 6:09 pm



38. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (5 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

I'd read this second book in the Thomas Cromwell trilogy several years ago but decided to reread it as part of this year's group read. I enjoyed this volume as much as the first. I particularly liked how Mantel portrayed Anne Boleyn, who plays a large role in this novel and is mostly seen through Cromwell's eyes, and how she develops the rivalry between the two. For a middle book of a trilogy, this volume was immensely satisfying.

102mathgirl40
Modificato: Set 2, 2020, 6:12 pm



39. Watermark by Christy Ann Conlin (4.5 stars)
Category: Evergreen Award

I loved this collection of short stories by a new-to-me author. The stories, most set on the East coast of Canada, feature dark family secrets and have a creepy gothic feel to them. Conlin's writing is beautiful. I'm so glad I discovered this author!

103mathgirl40
Set 2, 2020, 6:13 pm



40. Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (3.5 stars)
Category: Tournament of Books

I'd read this book mainly because it was on the Tournament of Books list. The story of a middle-aged doctor coping with the breakup of his marriage, it was entertaining and clever in how the story unfolded. However, it ultimately didn't leave much of an impression on me.

104chlorine
Set 3, 2020, 1:26 am

>37 thornton37814: You have dedication! This sounds like an interesting series but not for me as I tend to forget everything as soon as I've closed a book. ;)

105mathgirl40
Set 5, 2020, 9:50 pm

>104 chlorine: Heh, that happens to me sometimes too, but I'm going to try sticking with the Malazan series, out of stubborness if nothing else. :)

106mathgirl40
Set 5, 2020, 10:22 pm



41. Planetfall by Emma Newman (4.5 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

This is the first book in Emma Newman's Planetfall series, which was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Best Series award. It's a suspenseful, disturbing story about colonists on a distant planet. There are deep secrets that a rather unreliable narrator tries to uncover. Newman's treatment of first contact and religion in an alien world reminded me a little bit of Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. I really liked Newman's writing and the mix of mystery, science-fiction and psychological suspense, and I am eager to read more from the series.

107mathgirl40
Set 5, 2020, 10:22 pm



42. Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta (3.5 stars)
Category: Evergreen Award

One of the Ontario Library Association's Evergreen Award nominees, this book is a series of interconnected short stories, all centred around Kara Davis, a Jamaican-Canadian girl living in Toronto. The stories themselves were not especially memorable, but I did like the Toronto setting (especially the parts of Toronto familiar to immigrant families that visitors might not see) and the references to Jamaican culture. I gave a copy of this book to a Jamaican-Canadian friend, and she and her sister both liked the book and thought it was a plausible portrayal of the Jamaican-Canadian experience.

108mathgirl40
Set 5, 2020, 10:23 pm



43. Beartown by Fredrik Backman (4.5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

I really enjoyed this story, which had serious themes and disturbing moments but was also uplifting and engaging at the same time. Living in a hockey-crazy country and having grown up in Montreal, home of the "Habs", I could relate to the feelings of the characters. The story was a little melodramatic at times but it was very engaging.

109mathgirl40
Set 5, 2020, 10:29 pm



44. The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley (4 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

One of this year's Hugo Best Novel nominees, Hurley's military sci-fi novel involving time travel and an unreliable narrator is reminiscent of Joe Haldeman's The Forever War. It'd disturbing and hard-hitting, showing the brutality of war in a space setting. I have to say that I admired Hurley's writing more than I actually enjoyed the book.

110lkernagh
Set 8, 2020, 12:46 pm

Great review re: Beartown. I have had my eye on that one. I just might give it a read at some point.

111mathgirl40
Set 12, 2020, 8:11 pm

>110 lkernagh: Thanks! As a fellow Canadian, you probably understand the hockey obsession (even if you don't suffer from it yourself). :)

112mathgirl40
Set 12, 2020, 8:22 pm



45. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (4.5 stars)
Category: Third Book in a Trilogy

I'd been waiting for this conclusion to the Thomas Cromwell trilogy for a long time and it did not disappoint. I really love Mantel's beautiful writing and her unorthodox but completely plausible sympathetic portrayal of Cromwell. My only complaint about the book, which prevented me from giving it 5 stars, is that there are a lot of flashbacks to scenes from the first two books. I might not have minded so much if I hadn't just reread the first books before starting this one.

After reading this book, I decided to watch Wolf Hall, the television adaptation of the first two books, and thought it was excellent. I've heard that work has begun on production of the sequel, which will cover this third book, and I'm eagerly awaiting it.

113mathgirl40
Set 12, 2020, 9:43 pm



46. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (4.5 stars)
Category: Other SFF

I thoroughly enjoyed my reread of this second book in the Harry Potter series. This tie around, I listened to it on audio. While this is not my favourite book of the series, I feel it is the one that has the best (mostly) self-contained story. Even though I knew how it would end, the final chapters were page-turning and exciting.

114mathgirl40
Set 12, 2020, 9:49 pm



47. Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder (4 stars)
Category: Other SFF

This near-future science-fiction thriller from futurist Karl Schroeder explores and plays with a number of ideas: block-chain technology, virtual and mixed reality, LARPs and climate-change. It's a fun story but sometimes challenging to read, as so many ideas are being thrown around. I've seen the author speak a couple of times and he always has interesting things to say about current and future technologies.

115pammab
Set 13, 2020, 10:52 am

>106 mathgirl40: Planetfall looks interesting. Your mention of unreliable narration and colonists and The Sparrow made my ears (eyes?) perk up and then I saw your rated it highly and it is in an awards category, so it hopefully is pretty easily accessible. I will have to go looking for it.

116pammab
Set 13, 2020, 10:56 am

>114 mathgirl40: Stealing Worlds also looks quite good in the commentary sense. I have only seen a handful of sci fi authors speak but usually I too am pretty impressed; I get the sense that many of the near-future crowd do a lot of thinking on current reality and where trends might actually lead, which leads to some sharp observations. I will have to keep my eye out for Schroeder.

117LittleTaiko
Set 14, 2020, 3:55 pm

>108 mathgirl40: - I had the movie Mystery, Alaska in mind the whole time I read that book. Are you planning on reading the sequel Us Against You?

118mathgirl40
Set 14, 2020, 10:28 pm

>115 pammab: I hope you enjoy Planetfall if you manage to get it. I've also read the second book in the series. I haven't gotten around to a review yet, but I liked it very much also, though maybe not quite as much as the first book. There are two others in the series that I intend to read.

>116 pammab: Karl Schroeder and Cory Doctorow (who is somewhat better known and also has interesting ideas about current and future technology) are good friends and I've seen them in conversation together a couple of times. It's fun watching the ideas fly back and forth.

>108 mathgirl40: I've not seen that movie but it sounds fun. Yes, I do hope to get to the sequel before too long. I'm eager to find out what happens to the characters, especially as there are a lot of cryptic hints given in the book.

119mathgirl40
Set 18, 2020, 9:49 pm



48. The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark (3.5 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

This book was one of the 2020 Hugo Best Novella nominees. It's an alternate-history steampunk story set in early 20th-century Cairo. I liked the setting and characters but found the plot flat. I felt much the same way about the author's earlier novella, The Black God's Drums, set it an alternate New Orleans.

120mathgirl40
Set 18, 2020, 10:36 pm



49. Greenwood by Michael Christie (4.5 stars)
Category: Evergreen Awards

One of the nominees for this year's Ontario Library Association's Evergreen award, this book is a family saga spread over several generations. What makes it somewhat different from others in this genre is that the story starts in 2038, in a North America devastated by climate change, and then features parallel storylines from various points in the past 130 years. There are family secrets and mysteries that get revealed along the way, culminating in a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

121mathgirl40
Set 20, 2020, 7:38 pm



50. Iced In: Ten Days Trapped on the Edge of Antarctica by Chris Turney (5 stars)
Category: NonfictionCAT

These memoirs by Australian Chris Turney describes his research team's 2013 scientific expedition to Antarctica. With his family, fellow scientists and volunteers on board, their ship gets trapped in the ice, with the potential danger of icebergs in motion nearby. The book combines an adventure story with a lot of interesting scientific detail about the geography and wildlife of Antarctica, including the effect of climate change on Antarctica. Turney also incorporates the story of Ernest Shackleton's famous 1914-1917 expedition. I would definitely recommend this book and I think it is quite accessible to non-scientists.

122mathgirl40
Set 20, 2020, 10:55 pm



51. Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald (3.5 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

This is the first book of the Luna series, which was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Best Series award. It's a near-future hard science-fiction novel, about 5 families vying for control of the Moon's resources. It's been called "Game of Thrones on the moon" and that's a pretty apt description. I found the pacing uneven, with the first half rather tedious at times and the second half a heart-pounding roller-coaster ride. I gave the book a so-so rating, but I wonder if I judged it somewhat harshly because I was comparing it to the other Hugo Best Series contenders, most of which were excellent.

123mathgirl40
Set 21, 2020, 9:37 pm



52. 1984 by George Orwell (5 stars)
Category: 1001 Books

I did a reread of this classic for a book club. At this present time, the story is as terrifying and relevant as ever. My 21-year-old decided to read along with me. It was her first time reading it, and she had a similar reaction. It's a little strange that she hadn't read it earlier (despite many recommendations from me); it wasn't required reading in any of her high-school or university courses. She said she was happy that she can now understand all the Orwellian references in the media and popular culture!

124mathgirl40
Set 21, 2020, 9:44 pm



53. The Gossamer Mage by Julie Czerneda (4 stars)
Category: Aurora Awards

This fantasy novel about a hermit mage who comes out of his isolation to help defeat an evil threatening the world won the 2020 Aurora Best Novel award (for Canadian science fiction and fantasy). Unlike a lot of fantasy of this kind, this book is a standalone novel and relatively short (compared to others in this genre), and it was very enjoyable to read.

I attended this year's virtual Worldcon and had the pleasure of attending an online chat with Julie Czerneda. She was warm, funny and gracious, and now I want to read more of her books!

125mathgirl40
Set 21, 2020, 9:50 pm



54. In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (4 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

This 4th book in McGuire's Wayward Children series was a 2020 Hugo Best Novella nominee. It's a prequel to the first 3 books in the series and works well as a standalone story. It tells the story of Lundy, who stumbles into a magical world and finds herself torn between it and her "real" world.

126LittleTaiko
Set 22, 2020, 7:26 pm

>120 mathgirl40: This sounds so intriguing - I love a good family saga novel.

127mathgirl40
Set 22, 2020, 8:27 pm

>126 LittleTaiko: I do too! I think you would definitely like Greenwood if you like family sagas.

128lkernagh
Set 22, 2020, 10:28 pm

>120 mathgirl40: - The Christie book does sound interesting!

>123 mathgirl40: - Putting up my hand to admit that I have never read 1984. I don't recall it ever being on the school curriculum. Glad to see from your review that this is a story that doesn't become dated with time!

129mathgirl40
Set 22, 2020, 10:56 pm

>128 lkernagh: You are definitely not alone. A couple of people in my book club hadn't read 1984 either. There are several classics that I have to admit to not having read myself, such as The Catcher in the Rye. Everyone I know, including my two daughters, had read that one, and we even have a copy in the house, so I'm not sure why I'd never gotten to it!

130mathgirl40
Set 22, 2020, 11:01 pm



55. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (3.5 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

This latest novel from the prolific Seanan McGuire was a 2020 Hugo Best Novel nominee. There were a lot of things I liked about it: a female mathematician as one of the main characters, fast-paced action, time travel and a complex relationship between two siblings (a recurring theme in McGuire's books). However, I also found it overly long and melodramatic. Not her best, but worth reading anyhow.

131mathgirl40
Set 22, 2020, 11:05 pm



56. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen (3.5 stars)

This novel is the fictional diary of an elderly curmudgeon living in a retirement home. Parts of this book were quite enjoyable while others were downright bleak. I'm glad I'd read it, though, as elder care has been on my mind lately. My parents, in their mid-80's, are still living independently, but I fear it will not be for long. Also, COVID-19 has devastated many nursing homes here in Canada and exposed systemic problems with how we treat our elderly citizens. The book does a good job of examining these issues from Hendrik's darkly humorous point-of-view.

132mathgirl40
Set 24, 2020, 9:57 pm



57. Rosewater by Tade Thompson (4.5 stars)

This near-future sci-fi thriller is the first in the Wormwood series, which was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Best Series award. It's an excellent first-contact story, with a very interesting setting -- a futuristic Nigerian settlement near an alien biodome. I liked the characters, the twisty plot and the intriguing ideas, and I definitely plan to read the sequels.

133mathgirl40
Set 24, 2020, 10:06 pm



58. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (4 stars)
Category: Other SFF

One of my local book clubs chose this book. Not surprisingly, the older members enjoyed the book greatly while the younger ones thought it was fun but otherwise unremarkable. I myself enjoyed all the references to 80's music, films and TV shows and they brought back good memories. I especially liked how the music of Rush was integrated into the story, as my husband is one of their biggest fans. However, the book did seem very much written from the point-of-view of a teenage boy from the 1980's, one that didn't match my childhood exactly.

One aspect that I found especially interesting was the author's depiction of the virtual high school, along with the main character's wide range of activities from his small and limited physical space. It's very close to reality these days!

134mathgirl40
Set 24, 2020, 10:29 pm



59. The Last by Hanna Jameson (3.5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

After nuclear strikes devastate most of the world, about 20 survivors gather in a Swiss hotel. Then they find the body of a young girl. The premise of this book was very promising and I've always liked post-apocalyptic survival stories. However, there were few appealing characters and the ending was unsatisfying. Still, I found this story page-turning and a quick read.

135mathgirl40
Modificato: Set 26, 2020, 5:34 pm



60. Paper Girls, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughn, Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson (4.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

This last volume (which was nominated for a 2020 Hugo Best Graphic Work award) concludes a really excellent comics series featuring a group of teenage girls who get caught in a conflict between time-travelling aliens. There were some touching moments and the ending was satisfying if somewhat anti-climactic.

136mathgirl40
Set 26, 2020, 5:41 pm



61. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (4 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

Nominated for the 2020 Hugo Best Graphic Work award, this graphic novel is the story of the romance between a young female witch and a non-binary werewolf. Throw in some evil demons, ghost parents, two grandmothers running a magical bookshop, and you get a very charming and humorous story as a result.

137mathgirl40
Set 26, 2020, 9:46 pm



62. The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders (4.5 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

One of the finalists for the 2020 Hugo Best Novel award, this story explores complex and sometimes toxic relationships in a strange and fascinating setting. It looks at politics, language, environment and first contact with aliens in a world that seems totally different from ours but still familiar in many ways. I really like the quality of this author's writing and the depth of the characters.

138pammab
Set 27, 2020, 12:25 am

>137 mathgirl40: Oh, I didn't realize that Charlie Jane Anders had another book out! I'll have to make a note to keep an eye out; this sounds up my alley.

139mathgirl40
Set 27, 2020, 3:12 pm

>138 pammab: I hope you enjoy it. If you already like Charlie Jane Anders's writing, then I'm sure you'll like this book.

140mathgirl40
Modificato: Set 27, 2020, 9:23 pm



63. Die, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans (3.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

One of the 2020 Hugo Best Graphic Story nominees, this story is about a group of teenagers who get pulled into a fantasy world created by one of their members for a role-playing game. The story jumps decades later, when the group, now in their 40's, must face again the horrors they'd experienced. I loved the premise of this comic and the mixing of RPG elements into the graphic novel, but I didn't especially care for the characters or style of artwork.

141mathgirl40
Modificato: Set 27, 2020, 9:22 pm



64. LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford (4.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

This graphic novel won the 2020 Hugo Best Graphic Story award. It wasn't at the top of my own list (Monstress, Volume 4 was) but it came very close. I enjoyed the story, the characters (especially the charmingly bizarre non-human ones), the immigration theme and the wonderful artwork.

142mathgirl40
Set 27, 2020, 9:39 pm



65. Monstress, Volume 4 by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda (4.5 stars)
Category: Graphic Novels

The first 3 volumes of this series won the Hugo Best Graphic Story award in each of the last 3 years. This 4th volume lost to Nnedi Okorafor's deserving LaGuardia but it maintains the high standards of the previous volumes. What I love about the series are the complex storylines, well-drawn characters and absolutely gorgeous artwork.

143mathgirl40
Set 27, 2020, 9:48 pm



66. The Deep by Rivers Solomon (3.5 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

This book, which was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Best Novella award, was inspired by the song "The Deep" by hip-hop group Clipping. (The song itself had been nominated for a Hugo in 2018.) It's the story of a underwater society that is descended from African slave women that were thrown overboard. The premise of the story is great and the underwater world is fascinating, but I found the book overly long, sometimes tediously so.

144mathgirl40
Ott 1, 2020, 9:10 pm



67. Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint
Category: Other SFF

Charles de Lint is one of my favourite authors. I enjoyed this early book of his, a fantasy story that is somewhat less dark and more charming than many of his other works. In it, a werewolf tries find his place in the world while keeping his secret safe and evading a wizard who is trying to kill off his kind.

145mathgirl40
Ott 1, 2020, 9:13 pm



68. Before Mars by Emma Newman (4 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

This is a standalone book in Emma Newman's Planetfall series, which was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Best Series award. This is a sci-fi thriller about a geologist/artist who suffers unexplained memory lapses during her expedition to Mars. This book didn't quite live up to Planetfall, the first in the series, but I though it was very good all the same. The unreliable narrator and the mysterious goings on kept me guessing through most of the novel.

146mathgirl40
Ott 6, 2020, 8:31 pm



69. To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers (4.5 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

I really enjoyed this story by Chambers, a standalone that's not part of her popular Wayfarers series and that was a nominee for the 2020 Hugo Best Novella award. The story follows the progress of four members of a scientific expedition, as they explore different planets. What I liked most was how Chambers was able to portray the challenges and joys of doing scientific research.

147mathgirl40
Ott 6, 2020, 8:31 pm



70. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (4 stars)
Category: Hugo Awards

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine recently won the 2020 Hugo Best Novel Award. It's the first in a planned series and I thought it was quite good, though I found the pacing somewhat uneven. When I voted for the Hugo awards, I'd ranked it rather low, partly because there was tough competition this year with so many excellent nominees. However, others clearly loved it. The main character contains memories of former beings, sort of like Dax if you're familiar with Star Trek DS9.

148mathgirl40
Ott 6, 2020, 8:32 pm



71. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (3.5 stars)
Category: Aurora Books

This novel was one of the nominees for the 2020 Aurora Best Novel award (for Canadian science fiction and fantasy). Set in 1920's Mexico, a young woman gets caught up in a conflict between Mayan gods. I didn't enjoy this story as much as I did a couple of the author's earlier works, but the setting of this historical fantasy, with its combination of jazz-age atmosphere and Mexican mythology, makes it an interesting and worthwhile read.

149mathgirl40
Ott 6, 2020, 8:33 pm

72. Hugo and Aurora short stories
Category: Short Stories, Plays and Poetry

Back in July, when I was preparing to vote for the 2020 Hugo and Aurora awards, I'd read a number of short stories on the ballots. I've included very brief reviews below.

Aurora stories:
"Clear as Quartz, Sharp as Flint" by Maria Haskins (3 stars)
-- A short piece about a woman’s pregnancy and the birth of a special child.
"Blindsided" by Elizabeth Westbrook-Trenholm (3 stars)
— A criminal investigation on a spaceship involving alien and human characters. The story was nothing remarkable but characters and setting might have potential for a larger space opera series.
"Modigliani Paints the World" by Hayden Trengolm (3.5 stars)
— An intriguing story that explores the idea of conscious personalities inhabiting physical beings.
“Little Inn on the Jianghu” by Y.M. Pang (4 stars)
— A fun satirical take on Chinese martial arts stories, from the point-of-view of a timid innkeeper.

Hugo stories:
“Do Not Look Back, My Lion”, Alix E. Harrow (4.5 stars)
-- A touching story about a woman married to a warrior, with their nation engaged in a never-ending war. Traditional gender and spousal roles are reversed, making for a thought-provoking read.
“As the Last I May Know”, S.L. Huang (4 stars)
-- This story explores an intriguing idea. To guard against impetuous and catastrophic use of nuclear-like weapons, a nation has decided that the ruler must be made to kill a young citizen to access the codes to deploy such a weapon.
“And Now His Lordship Is Laughing”, Shiv Ramdas (3.5 stars)
-- A Bengali doll-maker takes her revenge on colonizers who destroyed her village and family with her magical powers.
“Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island”, Nibedita Sen (3 stars)
-- The title pretty much describes this unusual "story".
“Blood Is Another Word for Hunger”, Rivers Solomon (3.5 stars)
-- A young slave kills so that she can give birth to revenants.
“A Catalog of Storms”, Fran Wilde (3 stars)
-- This story about villagers sacrificing themselves to take on storms has some nice writing and imagery but is otherwise not all that exciting.

150mathgirl40
Modificato: Ott 6, 2020, 8:58 pm



73. A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay (5 stars)
Category: Aurora Books

This latest novel from Kay, one of my very favourite authors, ranks up there with Tigana and A Song for Arbonne. This historical fantasy is set in a fictional world much like 15th-century Italy. It's beautifully written with a wide cast of characters and an action-filled plot. This novel was one of the 2020 Aurora Best Novel nominees and I was quite disappointed it did not win (but not truly unhappy that Julie Czerneda, also deserving, won for The Gossamer Mage).

This book is connected to one of my best experiences at the Worldcon convention, which I'd attended virtually in August. I had listened to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance in July. (Yes, I'm rather behind in my reviews!) So I was thrilled to discover that Vance was doing a reading at Worldcon. I'd planned ahead of time to ask him what he'd thought of Kay's work, since I felt that his style matches so well with Kay's writing. I knew that Vance had narrated over 1000 audiobooks, so I didn't assume that Kay would have any special place in his repertoire. Well, to my surprise, he started the session by saying that he was going to read from A Brightness Long Ago and that Kay was one of his own favourite authors!

We were a very small audience (audiobook narrators don't share the same kind of fame as authors at these SFF conventions, I imagine) but everyone there was, like me, a huge fan of Vance. Because there were few people, we had a lovely intimate conversation with him and it was definitely one of the highlights of the virtual Worldcon for me!

151Jackie_K
Ott 7, 2020, 3:16 am

Thanks for your comment on my thread, I hope you enjoy Arctic Dreams as much as I did! Flicking through the last few posts, I haven't read any of your recent reads, but am tempted by Rosewater. I've heard an interview with Tade Thompson and he's such an interesting guy - his day job is consultant psychiatrist, and he writes on the side. I wish I was as good with my side hustles!!

152mathgirl40
Ott 13, 2020, 9:33 pm

>152 mathgirl40: I hadn't known that about Tade Thompson, but his background in psychiatry does make sense, when I think back on Rosewater.

153mathgirl40
Ott 13, 2020, 9:41 pm



74. Haunting the Haunted by E. C. Bell (3 stars)
Category: Aurora Books

This urban-fantasy mystery, the 6th in a series featuring a private investigator who can communicate with ghosts, was nominated for a 2020 Aurora Best Novel award. It was a quick and somewhat entertaining read but it really wasn't in the same league as the other nominees, which included Guy Gavriel Kay and other Canadian SFF heavyweights.

154mathgirl40
Ott 13, 2020, 9:47 pm



75. The Quantum Garden by Derek Künsken (4 stars)
Category: Aurora Books

The first book in Künsken's Quantum Evolution series, The Quantum Magician, won the 2019 Aurora Best Novel award. The sequel was nominated for this year's award but did not win. However, I enjoyed it more than the first book, which I had found rather challenging to understand. The series is about humans who have been engineered into a new species, Homo quantus, whose brains can work in the quantum realm. In addition to the big ideas, there are also a good number of exciting space battles in this book!

155mathgirl40
Modificato: Ott 20, 2020, 10:25 pm



76. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (5 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

I'd already read this book twice before but decided to read it a third time, for our book club at work. It was just as page-turning and deeply moving as it was the first two times I'd read it. Reading about a pandemic (especially with the story set so close to home in Southern Ontario) during a pandemic made it seem all the more real, but as the book's message is more of hope than despair, I found it reassuring rather than depressing.

Emily St. John Mandel had planned to do a reading in my city in April, and as my daughter's orchestra was to play the same evening, I was sorely disappointed that I'd have to miss it. Of course, in the end, both events were cancelled!

156mathgirl40
Ott 20, 2020, 10:45 pm



77. Chop Suey Nation by Ann Hui (4 stars)
Category: Other Non-fiction

In this book, journalist Ann Hui recounts her cross-Canada car trip, visiting Chinese restaurants (mostly of the "Canadian Chinese" variety) and hearing the stories of the owners. At the same time, she learns about her own father's immigration story.

This book is a quick entertaining read, with some interesting facts about Canadian Chinese food. For example, Beef Macaroni (see this recipe) is a Quebec invention.

I'm not sure this book will appeal to everyone, but I felt a very personal connection to it. I grew up working alongside my parents in their Chinese restaurant in the suburbs of Montreal (and yes, Beef Macaroni was a popular dish). My father's story was very similar to Hui's father's. Indeed, they came from the same region of China (not surprising, as a lot of Canadian immigrants came from the same area in that time period). I confess that I've often looked down on so-called Canadian Chinese food (my parents always cooked "real" Chinese food, different from what they served in the restaurant, for the family) but now I have a better appreciation and some nostalgic fondness for it. On the other hand, after making thousands of egg rolls and almond cookies every weekend for years, I have no desire to ever eat these again!

157DeltaQueen50
Ott 20, 2020, 11:38 pm

>156 mathgirl40: I just checked and my library has Chop Suey Nation so I am adding it to my libray list. This sounds like an interesting read both about Canada and about the Chinese-Canadian culture.

158Tess_W
Ott 22, 2020, 12:19 am

>156 mathgirl40: very interesting & connection, too! I'm putting it on my wish list.

159mathgirl40
Nov 2, 2020, 10:14 pm

>157 DeltaQueen50: >158 Tess_W: I hope you both enjoy the book. It was fun to find out more about the history of Chinese restaurants in Canada, but I'd love to know more about their evolution in the US and other areas too. One of my aunts had settled in Mexico and owned several Chinese restaurants there. I've been meaning to ask my cousins if they had served any Mexican-Chinese fusion dishes.

160mathgirl40
Nov 2, 2020, 10:16 pm



78. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

I wouldn't have discovered this book if a fellow BookCrosser hadn't sent it to me. I loved this brilliant retelling of the Trojan War from the point-of-view of Briseis and the other Trojan women. Some parts of the story are gruesome, but Pat Barker's writing is beautiful. I've had a copy of The Iliad sitting on my shelves for a long time and I'm now inspired to finally read it.

161mathgirl40
Nov 2, 2020, 10:40 pm



79. Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin (4 stars)
Category: Mysteries from Around the World

This was another enjoyable installment in the Rebus series, and I especially liked the backdrop of the Edinburgh Festival. My only complaint is that the pacing of the novel seemed uneven. The first half was slow going, with a large number of characters and connections to absorb. However, things seemed to speed up in the second half, and as the book moved toward its conclusion, I had a hard time putting it down.

I just finished watching an interview with Ian Rankin at the virtual International Festival of Authors about his new Rebus book. It was my first time seeing Rankin speak and I loved hearing his thoughts on Rebus and friends.

162rabbitprincess
Nov 3, 2020, 10:35 am

>161 mathgirl40: Ian Rankin is a treat to see! I love when he comes to Ottawa because one of our CBC Radio hosts always interviews him and they have a good rapport (and a running joke about the host's crush on Siobhan).

163pamelad
Modificato: Nov 4, 2020, 2:37 pm

>78 LisaMorr: I read this one for the Mythology bingo square and was surprised that I enjoyed it so much.

I meant>160 mathgirl40: but put the book number by mistake.

164pammab
Modificato: Nov 10, 2020, 11:44 pm

>160 mathgirl40: Agree entirely with your reaction to Pat Barker -- it's just beautiful writing, which makes the gruesomeness somehow easier and worse to bear all at once.

>156 mathgirl40: Chop Suey Nation sounds maybe a bit like Fortune Cookie Chronicles, at least in being a "Chinese culture moves to North America, let's write about the diaspora through food memoir". I'd be curious to compare and contrast the two for the Canada/USA experiences and for how similar the books actually are.

165Tess_W
Nov 4, 2020, 12:28 pm

>160 mathgirl40: Have you read Miller's "Song of Achilles"? If so, how did the two compare?

166mathgirl40
Nov 5, 2020, 10:15 pm

>162 rabbitprincess: I'd love to see Ian Rankin in person. I hope he visits Canada again!

>163 pamelad: Glad to hear that you too liked The Silence of the Girls, and I've also mixed up book and post numbers on several occasions.

>164 pammab: I hadn't known about The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, but I've now added it to my wishlist. Thanks for the BB!

>165 Tess_W: I've not read Song of Achilles yet, but after reading The Silence of the Girls, I'm now very eager to do so.

167mathgirl40
Nov 8, 2020, 10:35 pm



80. The City Man by Howard Akler (4 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

This novella-length story is set in 1930's Toronto and follows a journalist who investigates the activities of a group of pickpockets and finds himself drawn into Toronto's underworld. Akler does an excellent job at creating an atmospheric noirish setting, and I enjoyed learning more about Toronto's history.

168mathgirl40
Nov 8, 2020, 10:55 pm



81. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (5 stars)
Category: Doorstoppers

Like the other Neal Stephenson books I've read, Cryptonomicon is big, ambitious, sprawling, and full of wonderful characters and ideas. This story has two timelines, one during WWII and the other in the 1990's, with the latter featuring descendants of the former. What makes reading this book even more fun is that the characters are related to those in Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, set centuries earlier (but published after this book).

Cryptography is a main theme of this book, as suggested by the title. There are loads of interesting historical and technical details about the subject, maybe a bit too much for some. However, every time I feel my brain getting overloaded with too much information, Stephenson throws in a hilariously funny line or a heart-wrenching scene that brings tears to my eyes.

I'm always a little reluctant to start a new Stephenson book as it requires a certain level of commitment, but it always ends up being so very worthwhile!

169christina_reads
Nov 10, 2020, 3:40 pm

>168 mathgirl40: I've never read any Neal Stephenson, but I do have Cryptonomicon on my list...I've been hesitant to pick it up because, as you say, it's a commitment! But your review is causing me to nudge it up the list. :)

170LittleTaiko
Nov 10, 2020, 4:34 pm

>168 mathgirl40: - I've had this on my wishlist for over a year now but the 1100 plus pages does give me pause. Sounds like I should really just get over it and give it a try.

171mathgirl40
Nov 14, 2020, 10:12 pm

>169 christina_reads: >170 LittleTaiko: Despite its length, Cryptonomicon is not a bad Stephenson novel to start with, as, IMO, it has a more engaging plot and is less challenging than some of his other novels. Indeed, it's one I enjoyed so much that I can see myself rereading it one day. However, I need to finish book 3 of his Baroque Cycle first!

172mathgirl40
Nov 14, 2020, 10:29 pm



82. The Girl in the Woods by Camilla Läckberg (3.5 stars)
Category: Mysteries from Around the World (Sweden)

The Erica Falck series is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. To be honest, I find Läckberg's writing flat and full of clichés, but I still love spending time with her characters. This story has Erica and Patrik investigating the disappearance of a young girl and its possible connections to a similar event many years ago.

173mathgirl40
Nov 14, 2020, 10:34 pm



83. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (4 stars)
Category: Mysteries from Around the World (Laos)

This mystery set in Laos is the first in the series about elderly coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun. The characters were terrific and it was nice to read about a part of the world that I'm not at all familiar with. I especially liked the wit and perseverance of Siri, under trying circumstances caused by the political situation in his country.

174pammab
Nov 14, 2020, 11:00 pm

>171 mathgirl40: Cryptonomicon was one of my first Stephensons' -- I think my first Stephenson except Snow Crash, actually -- and I also really really liked it too, enough to keep going with more of his work. I actually don't remember much of it except a general sense of being impressed. It's funny how some of their plots stick out in my memory and some don't.

175NinieB
Nov 14, 2020, 11:15 pm

>173 mathgirl40: Such a funny book! I love Dr. Siri.

176mathgirl40
Nov 15, 2020, 6:05 pm

>174 pammab: That happens to me a lot. There are many books that I remember fondly, not because I recall the plot details, but because I remember how I felt when reading the book. I frequently reread books that I've enjoyed.

>175 NinieB: Yes, the humour in that book is great!

177mathgirl40
Dic 2, 2020, 9:57 pm



84. Crow Winter by Karen MacBride (4 stars)
Category: Evergreen Awards

One of the books on this year's Ontario Library Association's Evergreen list, this novel describes a young woman's efforts to reconnect with her Indigenous roots, while uncovering the story of her family's past. The appearance of the spirit Nanabush adds an interesting touch and some humour to the story.

178mathgirl40
Dic 2, 2020, 10:01 pm



85. Autopsy of a Boring Wife by Marie-Renée Lavoie (4 stars)
Category: Evergreen Awards

Another book from the Evergreen list, this novel is about a middle-age woman recovering from the abandonment of her husband for a younger woman. Diane is a wonderful character, and despite the heavy issues examined in the book, I found the story hilarious and heart-warming.

179mathgirl40
Dic 2, 2020, 10:09 pm



86. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (5 stars)
Category: Other SFF

I continued my reread of the Harry Potter series, this time using the audiobooks narrated by Olly Moss, with the 3rd book in the series. The reread confirmed that this is my favourite book of the series. Not only is it an excellent story on its own with a thrilling conclusion, it introduces some of the best characters of the series and fills in much of Harry's parents' backstory.

180mathgirl40
Dic 2, 2020, 10:18 pm



87. Les Thibault I: Le Cahier Gris by Roger Martin du Gard (3.5 stars)
Category: French Books

This book is the first of a series of novellas by Nobel Prize winning author Roger Martin du Gard, set in early 1900's Paris, about the Thibault family. I have to thank rabbitprincess for bringing this series to my attention.

I've been trying to read more French books this year, in an attempt to recover some of the reading skills I'd developed growing up in Quebec, and this book was a good choice, as it was quite short and did not include particularly difficult language.

181rabbitprincess
Dic 2, 2020, 10:27 pm

>180 mathgirl40: Hurray! I'll have to pick up that series sometime.

182mathgirl40
Dic 2, 2020, 10:28 pm



88. A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott (4.5 stars)
Category: Evergreen Awards

One of my favourites from the Ontario Library Assocation's Evergreen list this year, this collection of essays covers a wide range of subjects, including poverty, domestic abuse, racism, Indigenous issues and mental illness.

I found Elliott's essays particularly thought-provoking as she grew up fairly close to where I live, and some of her commentary made me reconsider assumptions I had about the people and history of our region.

183pammab
Modificato: Dic 3, 2020, 1:14 am

>179 mathgirl40: Harry Potter 3 is my favorite too!

>182 mathgirl40: Going to have to write down A Mind Spread Out on the Ground and look for it.

184Jackie_K
Dic 3, 2020, 6:17 am

>178 mathgirl40: There's been a few good reviews of Autopsy of a Boring Wife on here recently - I've added it to my wishlist.

185mathgirl40
Dic 3, 2020, 10:25 pm

>183 pammab: >184 Jackie_K: I hope you will enjoy A Mind Spread Out on the Ground and Autopsy of a Boring Wife. As mentioned, I'd discovered these books through the Ontario Library Association's Evergreen Award shortlist, which includes recently published Canadian books. Even though it occasionally includes big names, most of the books are pretty obscure. There are some hits and misses but every year, I discover some real gems in the shortlist.

186mathgirl40
Dic 6, 2020, 9:08 pm



89. Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers (4 stars)
Category: Golden Age Mysteries

I started doing a read/reread of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries several years ago, but paused in the middle of it. Seeing the group read discussion of this series motivated me to pick it up again.

I enjoyed this installment of the series, which has Harriet Vane encountering a corpse on a beach. I love the books that feature Harriet, as she is such a terrific character, and the development of her relationship with Peter is interesting to watch.

187mathgirl40
Dic 6, 2020, 9:19 pm



90. The Player of Games by Iain Banks (4.5 stars)
Category: Other SFF

This book is my introduction to Iain Banks's works. This novel from his Culture series follows Gurgeh, an extremely proficient games player, as he is given the mission of competing in a series of high-risk games in a distant world with a culture that is completely foreign to him.

This book reminded me in some ways of Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game, and it made me wonder if this book had inspired or influenced Banks in any way.

188mathgirl40
Dic 7, 2020, 10:45 pm



91. Canadian Born by E. Pauline Johnson (3.5 stars)
Category: Short Stories, Poetry and Plays

E. Pauline Johnson, or Tekahionwake (her Mohawk stage name), was a Canadian poet and performer. She had an Indigenous father and English mother, and her writing reflects both of her parents' worlds. This collection of poems is uniquely Canadian, describing and celebrating the cultures and landscapes. An example is "The Sleeping Giant", about a geologic formation near Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is associated with an Ojibway legend.

"When did you sink to your dreamless sleep
Out there in your thunder bed?
Where the tempests sweep,
And the waters leap,
And the storms rage overhead."

189mathgirl40
Dic 7, 2020, 10:48 pm



92. Where Would I Be Without You by Guillaume Musso (3 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

I'd read this book only because it was sent to me by a fellow BookCrosser for an exchange that we participate in. Romance is not really my thing, but this book might appeal to fans of that genre. Two of the main characters are an art thief and the police officer that is obsessed with capturing him, and I did like the French art-world setting where parts of the story take place. Otherwise, this book had too much melodrama for my tastes.

190VivienneR
Dic 8, 2020, 12:30 am

>178 mathgirl40: I too loved Autopsy of a boring wife. It turned out to be better than I expected. She was a wonderful character.

191mathgirl40
Dic 9, 2020, 9:20 pm

>190 VivienneR: I'm glad to have found another person who likes Autopsy of a Boring Wife. The book has only 32 members on LT but deserves a wider audience!

192mathgirl40
Dic 9, 2020, 9:59 pm



93. Rupert Wong and the Ends of the Earth by Cassandra Khaw (4 stars)
Category: Scary books

In this horror novella, Malaysian writer Khaw has cannibal chef Rupert Wong on loan to the pantheon of Greek Gods. The story is a little over-the-top (well, maybe a lot so) and quite gruesome in places, but it's great fun.

193mathgirl40
Dic 9, 2020, 10:16 pm



94. Gambling with Fire by David Montrose (3.5 stars)
Category: Cross-Canada Journey

This is another entry in my Cross-Country Journey category, which I've neglected shamefully. I'm actually well past Quebec in my virtual walk across Canada toward the East Coast, but rather behind in my reading to accompany the walk.

David Montrose's books have recently been brought back into print by a small independent Quebec publisher. This one is a noir style mystery involving an Austrian immigrant who gets caught in Montreal's underworld. I especially liked the setting, as it's very close to where my older daughter lives now, so street names and landmarks were familiar, and it was interesting to read about Montreal in the post WWII years.

194rabbitprincess
Dic 10, 2020, 8:16 pm

>193 mathgirl40: I still have to read this one! Did you buy it at Bouchercon too?

195mathgirl40
Dic 10, 2020, 10:19 pm

>194 rabbitprincess: I think I'd bought this copy at a different book festival, maybe the IFOA in Toronto last year. I did buy The Body on Mount Royal at Bouchercon.

I have fond memories of Bouchercon in Toronto! We really should try to meet up again at a book festival after this pandemic madness is over. The Ottawa conference that I was to attend this summer got cancelled but it is rescheduled for next year, so I hope my employer will agree again to send me.

196mathgirl40
Dic 12, 2020, 5:30 pm



95. Exhalation by Ted Chiang (4 stars)
Category: Short Stories, Poetry and Plays

I've read Ted Chiang's stories over the years and have been impressed with them. He is unusually unprolific, having written only a dozen or so short stories and novellas over 30 years, but most of them invariably end up on the awards lists. This collection includes 9 of his stories, each one exploring a science-fiction idea. My favourite is "The Life Cycle of Software Objects", about a woman who works at a company that develops digital pets with a substantial amount of "intelligence".

197mathgirl40
Dic 12, 2020, 10:16 pm



96. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (5 stars)
Category: French Books

I can't believe it had taken me so long to get around to reading this wonderful classic. I have had, for a long time, copies in both French and English on our shelves, as my children had read these when they were young. I decided to read it in French and I enjoyed it immensely. The illustrations were as charming as the story itself.

198mathgirl40
Dic 12, 2020, 10:22 pm



97. Mission to the Mughals by Eric Flint and Griffin Barber (3.5 stars)
Category: Long SFF Series

This is one of the later installments in Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series, about a modern-day American community transported to the 17th century. In this one, several residents of Grantville travel to the Mughal Empire for the purposes of trade and find themselves in the midst of conflicts involving the Mughal emperor and his children. I really like the premise of this series, even if the books, written by a number of authors and usually co-authored with Flint, vary in quality.

199mathgirl40
Dic 15, 2020, 9:48 pm



98. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (4.5 stars)
Category: Miscellaneous

This post-apocalyptic novel about a father's journey with his son is unrelentingly bleak. It's one of the darkest books I've read in a long time, but it's also beautifully written and deeply moving.

200mathgirl40
Dic 15, 2020, 9:54 pm



99. Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (4 stars)
Category: Cross-Canada Journey

I decided to linger in Montreal a bit longer on my virtual cross-Canada walk.

I'd already read several later books in Reichs's Temperance Brennan series, but I thought it would be good to finally read this first book and see how it all started. In this story, Tempe works to convince her colleagues that a number of murders are related.

201mathgirl40
Dic 17, 2020, 10:37 pm



100. Endurance by Alfred Lansing (5 stars)
Category: Other Non-fiction

I'd read Ernest Shackleton's own narrative of his Antarctic expedition a couple of years ago and thought it was a great story of adventure and survival, but Lansing's account is even better. Lansing does a great job of showing the distinct personalities of the crew members and how their strengths contributed to the group's success. I found this book truly page-turning, even though I already knew how all the events would unfold.

202mathgirl40
Dic 17, 2020, 10:49 pm



101. All Souls' Night by Hugh Walpole (4.5 stars)
Category: Scary Books

The short stories in this collection deal with ghosts, haunted houses, and mysterious happenings. Not all the stories are scary or involve the supernatural, but most are disconcerting in some way.

I enjoyed this collection immensely and plan to read more by Walpole. This was the first of his works that I'd ever read and I was surprised to find that he was a very prolific writer and popular in his time.

203mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 19, 2020, 10:32 pm



102. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers (4.5 stars)
Category: Bookcrossing Roundabout

I really enjoyed this story about a Yemeni American man who makes it his mission to resurrect Yemen's specialty coffee trade. It truly exemplifies what I (as a Canadian) would imagine the "American Dream" to be. I am also an enthusiastic coffee drinker, as is the rest of my family, and we regularly buy fair-trade beans from a local roaster. In addition to Moktar's inspiring story, I learned a lot of interesting facts about coffee's history and current trade practices.

204mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 19, 2020, 10:50 pm



103. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (5 stars)
Category: Other Mysteries

I found the last two books in the Inspector Armand Gamache series a little bit disappointing. They were still good stories but not quite up to the standard Penny had set with her earlier books. So I was absolutely delighted to find that this latest book is as good as the very best of her earlier works.

In this installment, the entire Gamache family, including Armand's children and grandchildren, are in Paris. I did miss the Three Pines setting and the "regulars", but the change in setting definitely brought a new twist to this long and well-loved series.

205mathgirl40
Dic 19, 2020, 11:05 pm



104. Dust by Hugh Howey
Category: Third book of a trilogy

This book concludes Hugh Howey's Silo trilogy, about survivors living in a silo, protected from a toxic environment caused by an apocalyptic event. I definitely recommend this series if you enjoy post-apocalyptic novels, and given that the characters are holed up together with no ability to venture into the outside world, it seems a fitting story for the current times!

206rabbitprincess
Dic 20, 2020, 12:20 pm

>204 mathgirl40: I expect Santa will be giving this one to my mum ;)

207mathgirl40
Dic 20, 2020, 9:31 pm

>206 rabbitprincess: Santa has good taste! :)

208mathgirl40
Modificato: Dic 21, 2020, 9:07 am



105. Almost Love by Louise O'Neill (3.5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

Reading this book, about a woman's toxic relationships in which she was often the victim but sometimes the abuser, left me with mixed feelings. I really struggled for the first half of the book, as it was, in so many ways, an unpleasant experience. Yet, like the proverbial train-wreck, I had a hard time tearing my eyes from it and ended up reading the second half rather compulsively (appropriate, as one of the themes is the obsessive behaviour of the main character). I can't say I enjoyed this novel at all, but I think the story will stay with me for a long while.

209mathgirl40
Dic 21, 2020, 9:13 am



106. Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (4 stars)
Category: Books in French

While reading SPQR by Mary Beard (review to come), I thought it would be fun to reread the book that first introduced me to the Roman Empire when I was a child. It also gave me the opportunity to practice my French, as we have both the French and English editions at home.

This first book describes the Romans' first encounters with Asterix and his fellow villagers. I still find the books in this series funny, after all these years, but I fear I probably missed some of the wordplay, reading it in French.

210Jackie_K
Dic 21, 2020, 12:43 pm

>209 mathgirl40: I love the Asterix books - when I was at school I read as many in French as I could, and really could see how funny they were. With the passing of years, I can still (just about) manage them in French, but I'm sure like you I'm missing much of the wordplay.

Also interested in your review of SPQR, which I've set aside for a couple of challenges next year.

211mathgirl40
Dic 22, 2020, 9:27 pm

>210 Jackie_K: I too had read most of the books in the series when I was a child, but mostly in English. I really should reread more of them in French.

212mathgirl40
Dic 22, 2020, 9:32 pm



107. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (4 stars)
Category: Long SFF Series

This was a very good installment in the Dresden Files series. In this one, Harry Dresden's friend Michael's family members take centre stage, and we learn more about Michael's wife Charity's past. I also liked the horror convention setting. This is a fun, fast-paced story, but one which also fills in a lot of backstory.

213mathgirl40
Dic 22, 2020, 10:12 pm



108. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard (4.5 stars)
Category: NonfictionCAT

I found Beards history of Ancient Rome highly readable and interesting. She covers a variety of topics but a good deal concerns politics, government and the expansion of the empire. She also spends a smaller part of the book talking about the "common" people and their everyday lives. I would have loved to learn more. However, we can't fault Beard for the lack of those details. She says, in the book, that unfortunately, the average person in that time period simply did not have the opportunity to record or have recorded descriptions of their lives. Still, what the scholars have managed to glean from the written records that do exist and examination of artifacts is fascinating.

214mathgirl40
Dic 22, 2020, 10:54 pm



109. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (4 stars)
Category: Doorstoppers

It took me all year, but I finally got through this monster of a book. Our book club at work tried to do a year-long group read, but many members abandoned it early on. I did find the first chapters a little repetitive and tedious, but my enjoyment of the story increased as it moved along.

I'm mainly happy to have read this novel so that I can now understand all the references to this work that appear in popular culture. I found the extensive footnotes in the Edith Grossman translation invaluable.

215mathgirl40
Dic 22, 2020, 11:04 pm



110. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (3.5 stars)
Category: Other Mysteries

Our book club at work chose this novel for our Noir theme, and it was interesting to see the variety of reactions to it. Some found it difficult to ignore the sexist, racist and homophobic language, while others greatly enjoyed the story despite that. Those of us who also watched the movie starring Humphrey Bogart found that version less objectionable. As for myself, I didn't mind the language so much, seeing the book as very much a product of its time, but I didn't find the story especially exciting either. I recall that I'd enjoyed The Thin Man, another Hammett book that I'd read some years ago, more than this one.

216pamelad
Dic 22, 2020, 11:11 pm

>213 mathgirl40: Adding this one to the wish list for the 2021 HistoryCAT.

217VivienneR
Dic 23, 2020, 5:09 pm

>213 mathgirl40: Nice review! I've just added this to my collection.

218thornton37814
Modificato: Dic 24, 2020, 10:07 pm

>214 mathgirl40: We read this in Spanish in an advanced Spanish class in high school. We all loved it.

219DeltaQueen50
Dic 25, 2020, 3:15 pm



Have a happy holiday!

220mathgirl40
Dic 25, 2020, 4:03 pm

>216 pamelad: >217 VivienneR: I hope you'll enjoy this book. It seems like a good choice for several of the 2021 HistoryCAT themes.

>218 thornton37814: I'm impressed. I wish I had the ability to read Don Quixote in Spanish. I'm sure it would be even more funny than I'd found it.

221mathgirl40
Dic 25, 2020, 4:20 pm

>219 DeltaQueen50: Thank you for the good wishes, Judy!

We've been having a light but steady snowfall these past couple of days, so we're having a beautiful white Christmas here in Southern Ontario. I'm at home, with just one of my daughters and my husband, but we've been having video calls all day with other family members and friends. Santa has been good to me, bringing me new books and an e-book gift card.

Happy holidays to all my LT friends. I hope you are all enjoying the season as much as possible in these challenging times and, like me, looking forward to better days ahead!

222Jackie_K
Dic 26, 2020, 6:20 am

>221 mathgirl40: How lovely, a white Christmas! (we didn't go out so I'm not sure what ours was really like, but it wasn't white! Today it's just windy and wet) I'm glad Santa was generous!

223mathgirl40
Dic 27, 2020, 4:45 pm

>222 Jackie_K: Thank you! It's still white today but there's rain coming. :(

224mathgirl40
Dic 27, 2020, 5:22 pm



111.White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (4 stars)
Category: Other Non-fiction

My husband's company gave the managers this book to read (along with a couple of others) as part of diversity training, and it looked like it was worth reading. Being Asian, I'm not sure where I fit in the author's classifications. However, there was much in this book that made me examine and rethink my own assumptions and past behaviour.

225mathgirl40
Dic 27, 2020, 5:26 pm



112. When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum (3.5 stars)
Category: Mysteries Around the World

I've liked the earlier Inspector Sejer mysteries I'd read, but I have mixed feelings about this one. It's more of a psychological thriller, as there isn't much of a mystery for the readers to uncover. The novel is quite disturbing, though, as it examines the motives that lead people to do terrible things.

226mathgirl40
Dic 27, 2020, 5:41 pm



113. The Familiars by Stacey Halls (4 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

This is a historical novel about the Pendle witch trails of 1612 in England. The main character, a wealthy woman, befriends a commoner who is accused of witchcraft. I enjoyed the story, especially for the interesting time period in which it is set.

227pammab
Dic 27, 2020, 11:19 pm

>224 mathgirl40: Racial discussions in North America do seem to collapse to a black/white scale, with everyone else's identities getting slotted in somewhere variable along that scale depending on the topic. I expect the dichotomization makes narratives much easier to articulate, but it's limiting too. On the whole and with some reflection, I'm thinking the simplification is probably still a net good -- but I'm hopeful that publishers will support some new resources building on the same core insights plus more nuance in the next couple years too.

(Relatedly, I have Not Light, but Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom lined up on my bookshelf, and since I tend to love the highly actionable advice of classroom management texts for work environments, I have cautiously high hopes.)

228mathgirl40
Dic 28, 2020, 1:13 pm

>227 pammab: Yes, that does seem to be true for the most part, though here in Canada, it's hard to have any broad discussion of racism without including the Indigenous perspective, as that it such a big part of our history. I think your hope about publishers' directions in the future is reasonable, as current events are leading to more discussions about racial injustice in general. At least that's what I'm seeing locally. BTW, it didn't occur to me that classroom management ideas would be applicable to work environments, but of course, it makes sense.

229mathgirl40
Dic 28, 2020, 2:24 pm



114. The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (4.5 stars)
Category: Long SFF Series

I liked the first book in The Dark Tower series well enough but didn't feel extremely motivated to continue the series. I'm glad I did, because this second book was terrific. The characters, heroes and villains both, are fascinating, and I found myself totally engrossed in the story. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series.

230mathgirl40
Dic 28, 2020, 2:29 pm



115. Negative Image by Vicki Delany (3.5 stars)
Category: Other Mysteries

There's nothing particularly outstanding about this novel, but it's simply a nice and enjoyable cozy mystery. In this one, Constable Molly Smith investigates the death of a well-known photographer. I mostly like this series for its setting in a small British Columbia town, with the Rockies as a backdrop.

231thornton37814
Dic 28, 2020, 5:27 pm

>230 mathgirl40: That one is on my 2021 TBR list! I actually discovered the series with #5 and have been filling in the back ones. I see one of my libraries has the audiobook, and I really enjoy listening to this series on my commute. I'll probably see if it is available when I head back to work.

232mathgirl40
Dic 28, 2020, 5:33 pm

>231 thornton37814: I've not yet heard this series on audiobook, but I should see if I can find the audio versions at my library too. I love listening to cozy mysteries on audio.

233mathgirl40
Dic 28, 2020, 5:42 pm



116. Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
Category: Golden Age Mysteries

This story, about the murder at a seaside resort of a beautiful woman disliked by many, was a good but not great Hercule Poirot novel. My old paperback copy was published soon after the 1982 movie starring Peter Ustinov came out. It's been a while since I've seen that movie but I recall not liking it all that much, even though it featured big names like Diana Rigg and Maggie Smith. My dislike probably stems from the fact that I can't visualize anyone other than David Suchet as Poirot.

234mathgirl40
Dic 28, 2020, 6:19 pm



117. Stratford Behind the Scenes by Don Gillmor (4 stars)
Category: NonfictionCAT (October)

I received this book as a gift when I participated in a fundraiser for the Stratford Festival, an annual theatre festival that features Shakespeare's plays as well as other plays and musicals. The location is close to my home and unfortunately, this was the first year in a long time that I've not attended, as all their shows were cancelled because of the pandemic.

The book was published in 2012 to coincide with their 60th anniversary. Normally, I'd just skim through "coffee-table" books like this one, but as the author Don Gillmor is a respected journalist and writer, I thought I'd read it through instead of just admiring the gorgeous photos, of which there were many.

Instead of a history of the theatre, this book describes the behind-the-scenes activities of several of their recent productions. It covered a good number of topics (casting, scriptwriting, lighting, sets, costumes, music, choreography and more) and I learned a lot. It brought back great memories too, as I'd actually attended some of the shows they were featuring. I'm worried about how the pandemic will affect the future of the festival, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will survive.

235mathgirl40
Dic 28, 2020, 7:08 pm



118. The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole (4.5 stars)
Category: Other Non-fiction

Desmond Cole is a journalist and activist, and in this book, he gives a Canadian perspective on BLM's activities and those of other groups fighting for racial equality. While Cole does talk about the history of Black activism and discusses general issues, the book is part memoir, as it follows one year of his life, describing his activities as they relate to his work and the people he meets in the process.

One aspect I particularly like about this book is the acknowledgement and discussion of the racial inequities faced by Indigenous people and how these compare to the problems faced by the Black community. Cole also discusses and explains the uneasy relationship between the Black activists of Toronto and the organizers of that city's annual Gay Pride parade.

Much of what Cole describes is very local in nature, covering specific incidents and political actions in Toronto, so I'm not sure if this book will appeal to readers outside the region, but it does give a good snapshot of the challenges that Black people face, even in a supposedly "diverse" city like Toronto.

236mathgirl40
Dic 29, 2020, 9:55 pm



119. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin (4 stars)
Category: Other SFF

The first in LeGuin's Earthsea series, this is a coming-of-age story about Ged's development as a wizard. The story felt a little slow to me, but Leguin's writing made up for it. This was a reread for me. I'd read this a number of years ago but never got around to reading the next book. I am more motivated to do so now, especially as many have told me that the second book, The Tombs of Atuan, is the best in the series.

237mathgirl40
Dic 29, 2020, 11:08 pm



120. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers (4.5 stars)
Category: 1001 Books

This one is definitely one of the better Lord Peter Wimsey books and it's great that it was included on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. In this book, Wimsey goes undercover at an advertising firm, to investigate the recent death of one of its employees. I loved Sayers's satirical commentary on advertising and the behaviour of consumers, and surprisingly, it didn't feel as dated as I would have expected.

238mathgirl40
Dic 29, 2020, 11:22 pm



121. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley (3.5 stars)
Category: Other Mysteries

This installment of the Flavia de Luce series didn't appeal to me as much as the previous ones. The mystery was rather convoluted and the atmosphere was more sombre. I don't want to give spoilers, but there are challenges in Flavia's life and she is no longer the mischievous and exuberant child we met early in the series. Still, I love spending time with Flavia, especially when she is portrayed by the wonderful audiobook narrator Jayne Entwistle. Even a weak Flavia de Luce book is thoroughly enjoyable.

239rabbitprincess
Dic 30, 2020, 8:42 am

>238 mathgirl40: I agree with your review of this one.

>237 mathgirl40: This is the only Sayers I own (although I've read a few others) and I think I'm due for a re-read!

240Helenliz
Dic 30, 2020, 8:48 am

>226 mathgirl40: That looks interesting. I had an ex-boyfriend whose parents lived at the bottom of Pendle Hill.

241thornton37814
Dic 30, 2020, 10:57 am

>238 mathgirl40: I think I was a little disappointed in that installment too, but as you said, Jayne Entwistle can make anything enjoyable. She was the perfect narrator for that series.

242mathgirl40
Dic 31, 2020, 3:41 pm

>239 rabbitprincess: I hope you enjoy the reread. Honestly, not all of Sayers's books would be worth a reread, but I found I liked this one for much more than just the mystery plot.

>240 Helenliz: It would be interesting to live in a place with such a history!

>241 thornton37814: Yes, Jayne Entwistle is great, isn't she. I've not heard her narrate anything else, and I'm not sure I'd be able to separate her voice from Flavia's. :)

243mathgirl40
Dic 31, 2020, 3:42 pm

Happy New Year to all my Litsy friends!

I am frantically trying to finish up my December reviews, and then I will work on setting up my 2021 thread.

244mathgirl40
Dic 31, 2020, 3:57 pm



122. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (4 stars)
Category: Other Nonfiction

This book provides a very persuasive argument about how the treatment of Black people in the US over the course of its history reveals a caste system similar to those of India and Nazi Germany. However, I don't know if the book deserves the hype it's received. I would have liked a deeper analysis of the ideas and while I agree with the author's premises, I'm not sure the arguments were presented in a way to convince those who might be skeptical.

245christina_reads
Gen 1, 2021, 11:17 am

>243 mathgirl40: I'm in the same boat -- trying to finish up my 2020 reviews and year-end recap today, before I move over to the 2021 challenge!

246rabbitprincess
Gen 1, 2021, 12:01 pm

>243 mathgirl40: >245 christina_reads: Having to stay here for Christmas (rather than go to my parents, as is usual) gave me more time to set up my 2020 recaps before the new year! A very small silver lining.

247pammab
Gen 1, 2021, 4:00 pm

>244 mathgirl40: Interesting review of Caste. It fits my impression from heard about it but not having read it that the application of the term is very meaningful, but I might get more bang for the antiracism buck by investing time elsewhere.

... And, happy new year!

248mathgirl40
Gen 1, 2021, 5:13 pm

>245 christina_reads: I saw on your thread that you've finished up for the year, so congratulations and I'll see you over in the 2021 forum when I eventually make it there. :)

>246 rabbitprincess: Yes, having more time to read and do bookish activities is definitely a silver lining!

>247 pammab: I've seen very positive reviews of Caste, so you probably shouldn't rely solely on my interpretation. Still, there do seem to be a lot of really good antiracism books out there to choose from. I hadn't intended to read so many books about racism this year, but somehow, it just ended up that way. It's partly because of the media focus this year, but also because my younger daughter has returned to live at home during the pandemic. She studies political science and is interested in policy and racism, so we've been having good discussions!

249christina_reads
Gen 1, 2021, 5:22 pm

>248 mathgirl40: See you there! :)

250mathgirl40
Gen 1, 2021, 5:49 pm



123. Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (4 stars)
Category: Scary Books

I'm a big fan of Joe Hill and this early book of his is one of the few works of his that I hadn't read. In this story, a rock star well past his prime succumbs to the temptation to purchase a ghost from the Internet and gets more than he bargained for. I especially liked how Hill made me come to like this initially detestable character.

251mathgirl40
Gen 1, 2021, 5:55 pm



124. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan (3.5 stars)
Category: Other SFF

This novel takes place in an alternate 1980's England in which Alan Turing is still alive and AI technology has advanced enough that robots that are difficult to distinguish from real humans can be purchased. I liked how McEwan explored deeply the ethical issues surrounding AI. I did not like either of the main characters, and unlike the situation described in my previous post reviewing Joe Hill's book, neither of them became any more appealing by the end of the story.

252mathgirl40
Gen 1, 2021, 10:22 pm



125. Wild Cards (Volume 1) edited by George R. R. Martin
Category: Short Stories, Plays and Poetry

This is the first book of a long-running series of short-story anthologies edited by George R. R. Martin. The initial story starts with the arrival of an alien virus (strangely named the "Trump Virus" to follow the playing-cards theme) that turns some members of the population into "aces" having superhero-like abilities or "jokers" having unusual deformities.

The stories follow the actions of a number of characters affected by the virus, moving from post-WWII to the late 1980's, when this collection was first published. I found the quality of the stories varied greatly but I liked the premise of the series enough that I will eventually seek out the next volume.

253mathgirl40
Gen 1, 2021, 10:43 pm



126. Murder at Government House by Elspeth Huxley (3.5 stars)
Category: Golden-Age Mysteries

This mystery, set in a fictional African colony in the 1930's, has a police inspector investigating the murder of the colony's governor. The book is very much a product of its time, though the stereotypes are not as bad as other books I've read from that era and the author does seem to treat the different cultures respectfully. After having read several books about racism this year, I find it harder to enjoy this sort of colonial literature. However, I did like the characters and the mystery, which had some unexpected twists.

254mathgirl40
Gen 1, 2021, 10:58 pm



127. The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux (3.5 stars)
Category: French Books

In my efforts to read more books in French this year, I stumbled across an inexpensive e-book containing all of Leroux's works, including the famous Phantom of the Opera. I decided to start with the first in his Joseph Rouletabille series of mysteries.

This story is a locked-room mystery that has Rouletabille, a young journalist, trying to figure out how a woman was assaulted in a closed room with no unguarded entrance. Fortunately for me, the writing was straightforward so I was able to read in French without too much trouble, but I found the first half of the book exceedingly slow. It does pick up in the second half and has a satisfying ending.

Incidentally, I first downloaded the free public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg. However, to my dismay, none of the apostrophes showed up on my e-reader! I spent a few minutes trying to figure out the translation of "sy" before realizing that it was meant to be "s'y". Then I decided it was worthwhile to buy the $1.99 collection from Kobo (that included all apostrophes), and now, I have another 40+ novels available to read. :)

255mathgirl40
Gen 1, 2021, 11:11 pm



128. The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (3 stars)
Category: Doorstoppers

I found this 8th book in the Wheel of Time series a chore to read. There were some great moments and at 500-and-some pages, it's relatively short for a WoT book. However, there wasn't much action in most of the book, and I struggled to keep track of the huge number of characters. Also, I continue to be annoyed with his characters' inability to deal with the opposite sex. Every few pages, I find a "women are illogical" or "men are fools" comment in the dialogue. To be honest, I'm trying to hold on until I get to the books co-written by Brandon Sanderson, which I've been told are much better.

256pammab
Gen 2, 2021, 12:16 am

>255 mathgirl40: I quite enjoyed my first Sanderson (Mistborn). I can easily imagine almost any series at all getting noticeably better with some give-and-take and contribution from him.

257mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 9:10 am

>256 pammab: I've not read any from that series but I've read the first 3 Stormlight Archive books. I think he's a much better writer than Jordan, so I'm looking forward to the final 3 WoT books that he helped finish after Jordan's death.

258mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 10:04 am



129. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

This book recently won the US National Book Award and came to my attention because it is on the new Tournament of Books shortlist. I loved it and think it deserves all the accolades it has received. The format is somewhat unusual, with sections written as if they were part of a screenplay.

The novel is a satire about an American actor living in Chinatown who always gets cast for roles such as Generic Asian Man or Dead Asian Man but who dreams of eventually becoming Kung Fu Guy. Yu specifically explores the challenges and stereotypes that Asian Americans face, which resonates with me as I am a Chinese Canadian, but I believe the ideas are relevant to the immigrant experience in general.

259mathgirl40
Modificato: Gen 2, 2021, 10:11 am



130. The Postman by David Brin (4.5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

This book was sent to me by a fellow BookCrosser, which motivated a reread. I've always liked post-apocalyptic books and stories of survival, but perhaps I'm appreciating them more, given the current state of the world. Despite the grim setting, this is ultimately a hopeful story. It is a road-trip story about Gordon, a man in a ravaged America who falsely assumes the identity of a postman in order to get free food and shelter from the small surviving communities he visits. Though he is perpetuating a scam, his presence and words bring hope to the communities and inspires them to positive action.

One aspect I found particularly interesting is Gordon's evolving views on lies versus the truth, and the idea that you can convince yourself to believe in the lies and quite possibly make them come true to some extent. With so much "fake news" proliferating in the world, which lies are dangerous and which bring comfort and inspiration? Are all lies bad, even the positive ones?

260mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 2:26 pm



131. Kim's Convenience by Ins Choi (4 stars)
Category: Short Stories, Plays and Poetry

My family loves the TV show based on this play, about a Korean family living in Toronto. It's heartwarming and hilarious, and it's on Netflix as well as CBC.

It was interesting to read the play that started it all. However, what I enjoyed more than the play itself were the additional short essays that described how it evolved from stage to television. These included ones from the author, several of the actors and other people involved in the stage and TV productions.

261mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 5:36 pm



132. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (4.5 stars)
Category: Scary Books

This epistolary novel, in which a woman writes to her estranged husband trying to work through the events that led to her son's murderous acts, is truly harrowing. The mother's description of her thoughts and actions evoked a wide range of emotions in me, the reader, that included dislike, scorn, pity and compassion. She is appalled by the school shooting and many of Kevin's actions before that event, but at times, we also see her callousness and wonder how that might have influenced her son. This is a well-crafted and disturbing book that will be difficult to forget.

262mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 6:17 pm



133. Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet by Ann-Marie MacDonald (4 stars)

This is a fun play about Ph.D. student Constance Ledbelly's research into the origins of Shakespeare's plays Othello and Romeo and Juliet. She somehow ends up being sucked into the plays themselves and influencing the course of events. During this process, she finds that Desdemona and Juliet are not meek or powerless but instead have definite ideas of their own. I would definitely recommend this work to Shakespeare fans!

263VivienneR
Modificato: Gen 2, 2021, 6:20 pm

You've had some good reading to finish up 2020. I hope your reading next year is just as good.

Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy New Year!

ETA: >262 mathgirl40: A long time ago I saw that performed on stage and enjoyed it very much.

264mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 8:21 pm

>263 VivienneR: Thank you for your good wishes! Also, it's very cool that you saw the play live. I regret that I didn't take the opportunity to see it when it was playing near where I live.

265mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 8:26 pm



134. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexei (5 stars)
Category: BookCrossing Roundabout

This book was sent to me by a fellow BookCrosser as part of our "Favourite Book of 2019" roundabout. I'd read it already several years ago, but I was more than happy to read it again. This YA book, about a Native American teenager trying to make it off the reservation on which he lives, is charming, funny, poignant and inspiring.

266mathgirl40
Gen 2, 2021, 9:40 pm

I'm finally done with my 2020 reading and reviews, albeit a couple of days late! Here is my summary:

I finished 134 books. I only managed to get 32 older books off my shelves. On the other hand, I didn't buy all that many new books either and I released a good number through BookCrossing. So it's a net loss of books in my house, which is actually a net gain. :)

These are my top-10 books of the year (not including rereads of old favourites):

- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
- A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
- Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
- Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
- A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
- The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
- All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny
- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

I want to spend a bit of time catching up on other 2020 threads and then I will get my 2021 thread set up.

Thank you to all my LT friends for providing encouragement, good conversation, insight and many, many BBs over the past year!

267thornton37814
Gen 2, 2021, 9:58 pm

Congrats on finishing up your 2020 posts!

268mathgirl40
Gen 4, 2021, 7:37 pm

>267 thornton37814: Thank you! On to the 2021 forum now ...

269LittleTaiko
Gen 4, 2021, 8:15 pm

>260 mathgirl40: We love that show!! I didn’t realize it was based on a play. Definitely going to read this.

270pammab
Gen 4, 2021, 11:11 pm

Congratulations! Love the set of books you finished up with (and your top 10 list!).

I haven't thought about We need to talk about Kevin for a very long time. I can imagine it has only gotten more harrowing with time. (And add me to the people who adore Kim's Convenience TV show and had no idea there was a play.)