Betty (dudes22) 2021 Challenge - I'm Reading with a Great Group

Welcome to my thread. My name is Betty and I’ve been part of LT since 2008 and doing the category challenge since 2010. I live in Rhode Island which is the smallest state in the US. My husband and I moved to a retirement community about 4 years ago. We’ve made some great friends here and already have a book group that’s getting too large. We’ve been meeting outside but with winter coming on, we’re trying to decide where and how to meet. We met by Zoom a couple of times last year but most of us found that unsatisfying and with such a large group now, it’s probably not a good choice. We’re thinking of out in a garage with some heaters going.

I’ve made a lot of friends over the years here on LT and gotten A LOT of great book recommendations. My book bullets every year are usually more than the books I’ve read, so I’m always behind. I love some of the challenges we do here and have to contain myself not to add more. Some of them have really expanded my reading, especially some of the genre ones that I thought I really wouldn’t like reading (I’m looking at you SFF challenge from 2015).

This year, I’ve based my challenge on animal groups. I remember a discussion on this years ago, and it’s been a thought for a while now. It seems that an English woman named Juliana Berners is the person who named many of the animal groups around the 15th century.

As usual, I really need to work on my TBR pile but I’ve become better at not letting that make me feel too guilty when I want to read newer books. Last year my little sub-challenge was Nobel prize winners. This year I’m going to try and read a few biography/autobiography books. They’re not usually a favorite of mine, but I’ve seen a few lately that have me interested.

I also keep a thread over in the Needlearts Group where I keep track of my quilting adventures if you’d like to visit: https://www.librarything.com/topic/327722

Tickers:





Currently Reading:

A Kindle of Kittens – Ebooks

A kindle is a lesser-know way to describe a family of kittens born to one cat. This will be the category for any e-books that I read.

1. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
2. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
3. Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson
4. The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5. Still Waters by Viveca Sten
6. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
7. Closed Circles by Viveca Sten
8. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink

A Parliament of Owls – Non-Fiction

Used because owls are considered wise, this goes back to ancient Greece when a little owl was depicted accompanying the goddess of wisdom Athena. I’ll be using this category for any non-fiction books I read.

1. A Life by Design by Siobhan Broadhurst
2. World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
3. The Dig by John Preston
4. Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story by Erin French
5. It's Not About the Tapas by Polly Evans

A Murder of Crows – Murder Mysteries

There are a few explanations for this term. One is a folktale that crows will gather to decide the capital fate of another crow. More usual is that crows are an omen of death because they are scavengers around battlefields and cemeteries. I will use this group for my mysteries.

1. Redemption by Jussi Adler-Olsen
2. The Affair by Lee Child
3. Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver

A School of Fish – Children/YA

A group of the same species of fish that swim together is known as a school. They appear bigger when in a school which may confuse predators. I’ll use this group to track any children or young adult books I may read.

1.
2.

A Caravan of Camels – Foreign Authors or Places

The word caravan comes from the Persian word “karwan” which means “a group of desert travelers”. I suppose since camels were used a lot that’s where this phrase comes from. I’ll use this group for books by authors from other countries or books set outside the USA

1. Glass Houses by Louise Penny (Canada - author & novel)
2. The Prime Minister's Secret Agent by Susan Elia MacNeal (Great Britain)
3. The Game by Laurie R. King (India)
4. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (England)
5. Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (England)
6. The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo (Norway)
7. The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi (Greece)
8. The Death of a Red Heroine by Qui Xiaolong (China)
9. Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton (Australia)

An Ambush of Tigers – Book Bullets

It’s easy to understand why a group of tigers is called an ambush. When a group of tigers get together to take down prey, they can be vicious and “ambush” they animal they are stalking. I’ll be using this to track some of the book bullets I’ve been “ambushed” with over the years.

1. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

A Tower of Giraffes – Award Winning Books and Nominees

I think this is one of the more obvious group names as a giraffe’s long neck helps him “tower” over other animals. I’ll put award-winning books and nominees in this group – those books which “tower” above the others.

1. Interior Chinatown by Charles Wu (National Book Award 2020)
2. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Booker Prize 2020)
3. Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy (Anthony Awards 2004)
4. Love by Toni Morrison (Nobel Laureate -1993)
5. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Nobel Laureate - 2017)
6. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Pulitzer 1992)

A Parade of Elephants – Series Books

Elephants usually travel in a single line rather like a parade. As my series books follow one after another, this is where I’ll put most of my series reading if it doesn’t fit elsewhere.

1. The Courbet Connection by Estelle Ryan
2. The Quiet Game by Greg Iles
3. A Drunkard's Path by Clare O'Donohue
4. Divorce Horse by Craig Johnson
5. As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
6. Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon

A Troop of Kangaroos – Book Club Reads

Kangaroos are social animals and live in groups know as troops. I belong to two book clubs and will post my book club reads here.

1. The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
2. White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
3. Relativity by Antonia Hayes

A Congregation of Plovers – General Fiction

A group of plovers is called a congregation because they sit in pews…no, no that’s not right. I couldn’t find a reason why. I’ll use this group for any general fiction that I can’t find a reason to put in another group.

1. What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
2. The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay
3. The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg
4. The Seal Wife by Kathryn Harrison
5. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Alpha Kit: This year, I’ve decided that I’m going to concentrate on my series reading for this Kit. I’ll be reading the next in each series or starting a new one based on the last letter of the author’s name. There have been a number of series I’ve thought sounded interesting and this will give me a chance to test some of them out.

A. Redemption by Jussi Adler-Olsen
B.
C. The Affair by Lee Child
D. Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver
E.
F.
G.
H.
I. The Quiet Game by Greg Iles
J. Divorce Horse by Craig Johnson
As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
K. The Game by Laurie R. King
L.
M. The Prime Minister's Secret Agent by Susan Elia MacNeal
N. The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo
O. A Drunkard's Path by Clare O'Donohue
P. Glass Houses by Louise Penny
Q.
R. The Courbet Connection by Estelle Ryan
S. Still Waters by Viveca Sten
T. Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy
U. Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson
V. Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon
W. Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
X. Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
Y.
Z. The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi

Random Cat – I’ve done this since it first made an appearance in 2013 and even hosted a month now and then. It’s one of my favorite as the ideas people come up with are very inventive.

Jan – LOL - Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
Feb – Fruits and Veggies - Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
Mar – Surprises - World of Wonders by Aimee Nexhukumatathil
Apr – Let's Go to the Library Without Leaving Home - Redemption by Jussi Adler-Olsen
May – Let's Play Monopoly - The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay
Jun – Everything Old is New Again - A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Jul – Summertime - The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Aug – On the Road Again - It's Not About the Tapas by Polly Evans
Sep –
Oct –
Nov –
Dec –

2021 Bingo Card:



1. One-word title - Love by Toni Morrison
2. By or about a marginalized group - The Courbet Connection by Estelle Ryan
3. Dark or Light in the title Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson
4. Book with a character you’d like to have as a friend - Glass Houses by Louise Penny
5. Arts and Recreation - It's Not About the Tapas by Polly Evans
6. Book with a title that describes you
7. Book you heartily recommend - White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
8. A book about nature or the environment
9. With a classical element in the title - Still Waters by Viveca Sten
10. Book by two or more authors - Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy
11. Impulse read The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
12. Book with a love story in it
13. Read a Cat/Kit -A Thousand Acres -by Jane Smiley
14. Set in or author from Southern Hemisphere
15. Book that made you laugh
16. Suggested by a person from another generation
17. New-to-you author - What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
18. Set somewhere you’d like to visit - The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
19. Book about history or alternate history - The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
20. Book you share with 20 or less people
21. Book with less than 200 pages - World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
22. Senior citizen as protagonist - Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
23. Book with a building name in title - The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay
24. Time word in title or time is the subject - The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg
25. Book with or about magic - Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

Other Cats and Kits:

I’m not sure how many other books I can fit in so I’ll just keep any books I happen to read for other Cats or Kits here.

Genre Cat:
Jan: Non-Fiction: The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
Feb: Biography: A Life by Design by Siobhan O'Brien
Mar: Adventure: The Dig by John Preston
Apr: Literary Fiction: What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
May: Essays & Short Stories: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Jun: Historical Fiction: White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
Jul: Romance: The Seal Wife by Kathryn Harrison
Aug: Poetry/Drama/Graphic Novels:
Sep: YA/Children:
Oct: Horror/Supernatural/Paranormal:
Nov: SFF:
Dec: Mystery:

Geo Kit:
Africa: The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony (South Africa)
Asia: The Game by Laurie R. King (India)
Oceania: A Life by Design by Siobhan O'Brien (Australia)
Europe: The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo (Norway)
North America: Finding Freedom by Erin French (Maine)
Polar:
Central & South America:

DNF:
Letters From a Nut by Ted L Nancy

oops - one too many

So that’s my plan for reading this year. I’m looking forward to seeing what others read and taking some book bullets along the way.

Welcome to my thread:

Welcome to 2021, Betty! I'm looking forward to following along!

What a creative idea! Looking forward to following your reading, as usual.

I love your categories, Betty, and I am looking forward to following along.

Such a great idea, Betty! Happy reading!

Hi, Betty! Very clever categories! I love it.

>19 NinieB: - >20 japaul22: - >21 DeltaQueen50: - >22 MissWatson: ->23 scaifea:: Thank you all. Even though my categories remain mostly the same, I'm looking forward to getting a start on a new year.

Lovely thread. I hope the year provides great friends and great reading.

>25 majkia: - Thanks, Jean.

What a brilliant set of categories! So very clever!

>1 dudes22: I hope you can find a safe way for your book group to continue. Happy reading!

>27 Jackie_K: - Thanks, Jackie.

>28 pamelad: - Thanks, Pam. I usually miss the winter meetings because we travel to a warmer climate for a couple of months, but this year we've decided not to go. It will probably depend on how cold it is.

Great setup! I like the kangaroos and elephants especially. Hope you have a great year whittling away at those series!

Love this - especially the owls and tigers!

Love the pictures!

Wonderful setup! You have matched the categories with reading very well.

>30 rabbitprincess: - >31 LittleTaiko: - >32 hailelib: - >33 VivienneR: - Thank you all.

How very creative. Good luck with your 2021 reading!

What a brilliant challenge. I hope you have a great time with it.

>35 Tess_W: - >36 Zozette: - Thank you both. I'm getting excited about starting.

Love this!

>38 mysterymax: - Thanks.

I love your collective noun categories! Looking forward to following your reading again this year.

>40 christina_reads: - "collective noun" - why couldn't I think of that phrase when I needed it? Must be my "covid fatigue" - I use that excuse a lot.

>41 dudes22: A perfectly valid excuse, in my opinion!

Love your theme for the year. Looking forward to seeing how you fill all the categories.

>43 thornton37814: - Good to see you too. I've dropped my star on your thread.

Great themes & photos! Here's hoping for a good reading year.

>14 dudes22: I love the photo for random cat, even though I can't help wondering how/why someone would have an empty bookshelf.

>45 markon: - Thanks. We always hope for a good reading year, don't we? What exciting and new authors we'll find? What BBs we'll take?

>46 ELiz_M: - I've been using that photo for my Random Cat for a few years now. But I agree about the empty shelf.

I've already learned something from your thread, kindle as applied to cats is a new word for me! Best wishes for a great reading year.

>48 clue: - Thanks. I'd never heard that either.

I love your categories and the illustrations, Betty! Have a good reading year, and I hope you find a safe way to continue your book group.

>50 Chrischi_HH: - Thanks. We did meet outside in Dec although it was pretty chilly - 34F (1C). We picked a book for Jan and Feb - we'll see if we decide to meet or not.

Lovely thread! I, too, have stopped worrying about my tbr - I'm happy if I read books I've owned for a long time and it's great to save some money by not buying that many books, but I don't feel guilty because I like having a choice all the time. As long as I read I'm fine!

I hope you can find a good option for your reading group next year!

>52 MissBrangwen: - Thanks for stopping. We had a snowstorm last Thurs (10") so I'm thinking we might be skipping Jan.

I love your theme, Betty - so fun! A kindle of kittens is my favorite.

Thank you for making me feel welcome, Betty. I hope to be able to keep up in two groups this coming year as I have spent almost all my time in the 75 Book Challenge Group previously.

>54 Crazymamie: - Lots of love for that one. Thanks

>55 PaulCranswick: - I do follow one person over there and thought about joining (I usually make it to 75 books), but I don't think I'd be able to keep up. Thanks for coming by.

I saw that Judy had posted this extra meme which made an appearance a couple of years ago. I usually do it for myself, but since Judy opened the door....

How To Throw a Party:

House Guests? D-Day Girls & The Gentleman In Moscow

What would you call the event? After the Funeral

How did they find their way? Blue Highways

How did they know they'd arrived? The Grass is Singing

Any special activities? The Gardner Heist

Did your guests stay over? 61 Hours

Were there servants to help? Lily and the Octopus

Was there turn down service? Aunt Bessie Assumes

How were the guests greeted? The Goldfinch

Was dinner held for late comers? Scones and Bones

And dinner was? Worth Dying For

Afterward? News of the World

>56 dudes22: It has slowed a little over the years - I have twice managed 37 threads over there in a single year and once passed 10,000 posts on my threads in 2017 - the only time on LT that has ever happened as far as I am aware on a personal thread.

This year is already more pedestrian - I am only at 25 threads and about 7,200 posts.

>58 PaulCranswick: - WOW! I only have 2 but I think it's not so much keeping up with mine, but reading everyone else's.

>57 dudes22: Great meme answers, Betty!

Happy New Year Betty!

To all my fellow reader here on LT:

And keep up with my friends here, Betty. Have a great 2021.

Thanks, Paul. Same to you.

Happy New Year, Betty! I love your animal categories, and I learned a lot about the various groupings. "An ambush of tigers', how appropriate for your BB category. ;-) Wishing you a wonderful year of reading in 2021.

>65 lkernagh: - Thanks, Lori. I thought it rather appropriate.

Hi Betty, happy new year! I don't know why it's taken me so long to find your literary hangout. It wasn't even difficult ha ha. I've always felt a bit intimidated by the category challenge, but I'm curious about it and look forward to following your reading.

>67 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura. Nice to see you here. Pop by anytime.

Today is my Thingaversary

I joined LT back in 2008 so I have been here for 13 years now. I’m so glad a friend recommended this site to me. I’ve had some great times and loads of book bullets over the years which have led to new authors and many interesting books.

I took an idea from Judy (DeltaQueen50) last year and spread my Thingaversary purchases out over a few months since mine falls so early in the year. I’ve been very good about not reading any – even though I was tempted. In a normal year, we’d be on our way to Florida right now to spend a couple of months out of the cold and I decided on some of these books to take with me. But we're not going this year. I still might try to get some of these read in a timely manner.

Here’s what I decided on:

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker
Finding Hollis by Pauline Knaeble Williams
The Sea Glass Sisters by Lisa Wingate
The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara Davis
Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin
The Devoted by Jonathan Hull
One-Woman Farm by Jenna Woginrich
Autumn by Ali Smith
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi
A Better Man by Louise Penny
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Beet Queenby Louise Erdrich
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

A number of these were book bullets - some from LT and some from friends.

ETA: One of the touchstones doesn't go to the right book (and isn't listed in "others") so I've taken off the brackets. Maybe I'll trying editing it later.

Happy Thingaversary! I hope you enjoy all your shiny new books!

Happy Thingaversary, Betty! Nice haul!! I have read Autumn and Circe and loved both of them. Just looking through the titles, Wrapped in Rain sound good because when I scroll over the touchstone it says, "In this southern gothic novel..." Love me some southern gothic!

>69 dudes22: That looks like a great list. I've read some of them and have some of the others on my list. My Thingaversary is next month and I haven't started a list yet but I like the idea of spreading out the buying. For several years one of my friends and I have taken my wishlist to our used bookstores to see what I could find and have lunch at our tea shop. Not this year unfortunately.

>70 christina_reads: - Thanks, Christina. I'm looking forward to them.

>71 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie - Charles Martin is on of my favorite authors. Try When Crickets Cry - not gothic but a good book. His fiction is considered "Christian fiction" which I know doesn't appeal to some people.

>72 clue: - That sounds like a great idea. There's a huge used book place in Ct that I've only gotten to once, but that's a great way to find books.

>69 dudes22: Happy Thingaversary and may your thingamabooks bring you joy!

Congrats on the haul! I loved Circe. My thingaversary was in December and I also picked up the Hawker and the Wingate book.

Happy Thingaversary and that is a great list!!!

>69 dudes22: Ahh, here you are! I tried to find you here when I posted my congrats on the Needlework thread this morning. I must have kept overlooking it. I hope you'll enjoy that Thingaversary haul.

>77 MissBrangwen: - Thanks, Mirjam. Spreading out my purchases gave me time to add new things that appealed to me.

>78 thornton37814: - Hi, Lori. There's a lot going on at the start of the year, so it's easy to miss someone. I've started slotting some of the books in for later this year.

We had our book club meeting this afternoon - outside, 40F, social distance and masks. There were 10 of us which is the limit these days for a group. It was chilly and a little windy. So we talk fast. I haven't quite finished the book and it's due back at the library so I might have to post it later.

>79 dudes22: My book clubs are all virtual at the moment. One will continue that way because we are scattered all around the country, but the other will one day meet in person again.

Happy Thingaversary! That's a nice haul, enjoy!

>81 MissWatson: - Thanks.

Congratulations on your 13th Thingaversary, Betty. I was very happy with spreading out my purchases last year and will definitely do that again this year. As our years go on, we are going to be buying quite a list of books!

>83 DeltaQueen50: - It really was a good way to do it and I'll do it again this year. Yes, lots of books in the future.

Happy Thingaversary! I'm another who doesn't buy a heap of books all in one go - I'm trying to get Mt TBR under a bit more control, and buy way more throughout the year than number of years I've been on LT, so it works out well for me. Maybe once Mt TBR is below 50 (hahaha, like that's going to happen) I'll do a bulk buy.

Book 1: The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
Category: A Troop of Kangaroos - Book club reads
BINGO Block #1: Place You'd Like to Visit
Genre Cat: January - Non-fiction
Geo Kit: Africa



This was the book for my book club this month and fit in with a bunch of Cats and Kits and the Bingo.

Lawrence Anthony (who was born and raised in S. Africa) bought the Thula Thula Game Reserve in Zululand in the mid 1990s. In 1999, he was asked to accept a herd of wild elephants that were in danger of being destroyed. This book is about his efforts to rehabilitate the elephants to be less aggressive while still allowing them to be wild. I usually enjoy animal stories and I liked this one too. I felt many of his conservation theories and efforts were well-founded and made sense. Although not part of this book, there was a mention at the end of the efforts he made to save the animals from the Baghdad Zoo during the Iraqi War. Anthony died in 2012 but the Thula Thula Reserve still continues.

Congrats! I think LT must set a record for long-term members!

>87 mysterymax: - I only wish I had found it sooner.

>88 dudes22: Agreed! I've never been good at keeping a list of what I read. I had good intentions but never stuck at it. Now with our challenge I'm forced to enter my reads! Perfecto!

Book 2: Glass Houses by Louise Penny
Category: A Caravan of Camels - Foreign authors and places (Canada)
Bingo Block #2: Book has a character you'd like to have as a friend



This was the next book for me in the Inspector Gamache series. For those who follow this series, I don't need to say anything and for those who don't, you need to start with book one. I think I may have enjoyed this book the most of all that I've read. Usually I want to rush right through to see what happens but , this time, I took my time. I still wish I could see Clara's art and eat at the bistro.

I've decided to abandon Letters From a Nut by Ted L Nancy. I was reading it for the Random Cat for this month - LOL. But I just didn't find it funny and after a few letters, they all follow the same format and begin to feel repetitious.

Book 3: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - ebooks
January Random - LOL



After I abandoned my first book for the Random Cat this year, I decided to give this a try. It was ok so I'm counting it, but not quite as funny as I had thought it would be. Maybe more like just humorous.

Three men - George, Harris, and J (the author), and J's dog - set out on a two week trip to row up the Thames and back in the late 1800s. The author describes the towns they pass and anything famous that happened in them. Everything that happens to them also brings up memories that J describes in detail. Some of their antics made me smile.

It was ok. I don't read a lot of humor so it's probably hard for me to judge. But I'm counting it since others feel it is humorous.

>92 dudes22: I gave that one 4 stars in 2012 which would probably translate into 3.5 today.

>92 dudes22: - That one was a 2 star read for me - just meh. I was expecting it to be really funny and it fell flat overall.

>93 thornton37814: - >94 LittleTaiko: - Glad I'm not alone. I was also thinking (but forgot to put in my post) that maybe I didn't understand some of the references because I'm not English. I even had to look up a few words that weren't familiar to me.

>95 dudes22: I had to look up "bunted" from the last book I read, which seems to mostly be used in baseball.

>92 dudes22: I loved it, and have read it a couple of times. What makes you laugh is personal, and I'm a fan of classic British comic writing.

>92 dudes22: I had the same reaction to that one. I felt like I missed something. Funny in parts but not nearly as funny as I expected it to be.

>97 pamelad: - I think that was probably what I wanted to say - I'm just not that familiar with "classic British comic writing" to appreciate it.

>98 Crazymamie: - See what I said to pamelad.

Book 4: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Category: An Ambush of Tigers - Book Bullets
Bingo Block #3: An Impulse Read



This book is the story of a brother and sister who grow up in a house referred to as The Dutch House after the original Dutch family who built it. Their father buys it fully furnished after the original family dies out and brings his family there. Their mother doesn’t like it and eventually she leaves when Danny and Maeve are still young. Maeve takes care of Danny and they depend on each other. Their father seems to not care about them which makes it worse.

The story follows these two through their lives and the bond they have for each other. The house plays a prominent place in the book also. It was really good, but somewhat unsettling too. I can see that this would prompt some interesting discussions in a book club.

>100 dudes22: I really like Ann Patchett, and The Dutch House did not disappoint. I'm glad you liked it too.

>101 lauralkeet: - I've read a couple of hers, Laura. A neighbor just read it, knew I had read Bel Canto last year and offered it to me before it was due at the library.

This is my next read, starting this evening! I'm really looking forward to it, I have seen so many positive reviews.

So far I haven't read any books by Ann Patchett apart from a short story about her buying a bookshop.

>103 MissBrangwen: - I hope you enjoy it. I'll be looking for your thoughts on your thread.

Book 5: The Prime Minister's Secret Agent by Susan Elia MacNeal
Category: A Caravan of Camels - foreign authors or locations (Great Britain)
January Alpha Kit: "M"



This is #4 in the Maggie Hope series. Still in the middle of WW II. Maggie's friend Sarah asks Maggie to come see her perform in a ballet and afterwards falls mysteriously ill and almost dies. It's just prior to Pearl Harbor and there is a bit about who knew what when and did or did not do anything. It's been a few years since I read the last one so some of the relationships may have gone by me. Couple of twists at the end which will lead into the next book, I'm sure.

I've never heard of that series, but the covers look great and it sounds really interesting! I've noted it down on my wishlist for when I want to try a new series.

>106 MissBrangwen: - I enjoy it. I should read them closer together, though. So many series,...

Yes, it's so hard to keep up with everything!

Hi Betty! I just created a thread for February's group read of Toni Morrison's Paradise.

You commented about this book on my thread and I wasn't sure if you were planning to join in. You would be most welcome. The more the merrier!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/329307

Book 6: Interior Chinatown by Charles Wu
Category: A Tower of Giraffes - Award Winning Books - National Book Award 2020



Having seen a few reviews about this book, I was curious enough to get it from the library. Written in a format similar to a stage-play, author looks at the stereotype of the "Generic Asian Man". I thought this sentence particularly relevant

“…in a way, the most harmless, being that in a sense it is literally just a descriptor. China. Man. And yet in that simplicity, in the breadth of its use, it encapsulates so much. This is what you are. Always will be, to me, to us. Not one of us. This other thing.”

I thought it could be used for lots of immigrant people.

>110 dudes22: That's a very poignant quote. Thanks for sharing!

>110 dudes22: I agree. The experiences in this novel also resonate for other immigrants. I watched the National Book Award ceremony and Wu's acceptance speech was so heartfelt and delighted.

Book 7: The Game by Laurie R. King
February Alpha Kit: "K"
Geo Kit: Asia (India)



In this installment of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, Mary and Sherlock are asked to go to India and try to find Kimball O'Hara who hasn't been heard from in three years. A package with his papers has arrived which leads Holmes brother Mycroft to believe he is still alive. This Kimball is the person who was the inspiration for Kipling's book "KIM" and Holmes had met him over thirty years ago.

I really enjoyed this installment and will now have to arrange to read Kim again sometime this year.

>110 dudes22: I just started this one and find the format intriguing. Looking forward to how it plays out.

>114 LittleTaiko: - It was an interesting format although I found it a little confusing sometimes. Hope you like it.

Book 8: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Category: A Tower of Giraffs - Award Winning/Nominated Books - Booker Prize 2020



There's not much I can say that hasn't been said by others here. Shuggie Bain is a heart-rending, bleak book about a young boy growing up around Glasgow, Scotland with an alcoholic mother that he idolizes. I haven't read the other books that were also nominated for the award, but I can see why it won on the strength of the writing.

Book 9: Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - ebooks
February Random Cat: Fruits and Vegetables



I decided to pickup a quick, light read after Shuggie Bain and this fit the bill. A short story with Janet Evanovich's series main character Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with no skills. In order to get Diesel to give the bounty that Stephanie is trying to collect she needs to do some match making around Valentine's Day.

Book 10: Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy
Category: A Tower of Giraffes - Award Winning Books - Anthony Award 2004
February Alpha Kit - "T"
Bingo Block - 2 or more Authors



This book has a lot of good things going for it. It's a thriller but there's still a bit of humor and romance in it. And lots of interesting characters. I'm anxious to see which characters will continue in book #2.

In book one, a murderer is recreating the murders in a computer game that has been created by a group called Monkeewrench. When the cops start investigating they find that there is no trace of the people in the group past ten years ago. Which, of course, immediately makes them all suspects. What are they hiding from? And then the murder in Minneapolis becomes tied to one in Wisconsin. You know it had to - why else would there be a murder in Wisconsin in the first chapter?

This was a book bullet from a friend in Minneapolis and one of the authors lives in Minnesota, so a local author for her.

>118 dudes22: I've now read the first two books of the Monkeewrench series and it has become a favorite. With it's great characters and good stories they are fun reads.

>119 DeltaQueen50: - I'm so tempted to read the next book right away. Maybe this summer.

>118 dudes22: I could have sworn I read that book years ago, but reading your description makes me realize that I probably had it on my library list but eventually gave up on them getting the book. (When an author is new-to-me, I usually try to find a copy of their work at the library first to see if I will like them well enough to literally buy into their series. Now, I mostly wait for ebook sales, but this looks like this one needs to be bumped in my wishlist! 🙂)

>121 Tanya-dogearedcopy: - Don't feel bad. This was recommended to me in 2019 and I wish I'd gotten to it sooner.

Book 11: The Courbet Connection by Estelle Ryan
Category: A Parade of Elephants - series books
March Alpha Kit: "R":
Bingo Block: By or About a Marginalized Group



I took a book bullet years ago for this series and it was a great book bullet. The series main character is Dr. Genevieve Lenard, a young woman who has autism and is an expert in face and body reading. She works for an art insurance company tracking forged and stolen art masterpieces. Over the series, other characters have ben added - an art "reclaimer", a "criminal", a member of Interpol, a hacker - who now help.

This book in the series (#5) begins when a young man who also has autism arrives at Genevieve's office with information on forged Courbet masterpieces which are showing up on the dark web. As the investigation into these paintings continues, there is an added story of kidnapped young people and the selling of organ parts.

This book may be the most gruesome and disturbing so far. But I bet the facts in it are probably true. I've also been impressed at the voice the author writes in and the information about autism and how autistic people function that she imparts.

>123 dudes22: I've had the first in this series on my Kindle for over a year, a new goal is to get to it soon!

Hi Betty - I saw you joined us in reading Love, so I thought I would check out your thread. I love your creativity with your categories. How long did it take you to set it up? Anyway, kudos.

You've done some great reading this year. I see you started the Monkeewrench series. It is a good one.

>125 BLBera: - Hi Beth - Nice of you to stop by. I'm not as creative as some people here. Some years I just list the months. But this one has been in my ideas for a few years. If I have an idea, I end up working on it all year.

I took a book bullet for the Monkeewrench series from a friend from Minnesota that we see when we go to Mexico each year. (But not this one). We spend an afternoon or two talking about what we've read and what was good in the past year. She's given me a few good reads.

We had an unusually warm day yesterday for this time of year - 60F. I spent a portion of the afternoon outside on the deck reading. And this morning it was back to long-johns, earmuffs, and mittens to walk.

I've gotten myself into a pickle reading-wise. I had a bunch of holds come in at the library and so have 6 books going at the same time. And some of them will not be renewable. I usually juggle 3 but at least they are different enough so I shouldn't get too confused. I'm going to concentrate on getting the smallest ones done first.

>127 dudes22: Right there with you on the lots of library books that can't be renewed front! I'm having to make strategic use of my parents' library system (for which I still have a card) -- their library seems to not have as many ebook users, so I am sometimes able to get a high-demand title in ebook immediately.

Cold front's swept through here as well! The wind was rattling the trees for most of yesterday evening, at least as long as I was still up.

>123 dudes22: - This sounds like a series I would enjoy. I love art and characters who are just a bit challenged.

>128 rabbitprincess: - I probably should have put a freeze on the one I picked up yesterday. I kind of knew I was first on the list once it got published. I can always let my own books wait til I finish the ones for the library.

>129 LittleTaiko: - It really is a good series, Stacy. I took a BB years ago from Terri (tymfos) and it was a good one.

Book 12: Love by Toni Morrison
Category: A Tower of Giraffes - Award Winning Books - Nobel Laureate 1993
Bingo Block: One-Word Title



This book is the story of the women in Bill Cosey's life. Cosey was the wealthy owner of Cosey's Resort and Hotel in an unidentified southern town. How each of these women reacted to and loved him and how that affects their relationships with each other is powerfully told by Morrison.

>130 dudes22: - Just read the first book in the series and enjoyed it so much!! So happy I saw your post. Now I'm trying to practice some patience before rushing off to buy the next book.

>132 LittleTaiko: - I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'm always so tempted to rush and read then next one too.

Book 13: A Life by Design by Siobhan O'Brien
Category: A Parliament of Owls - Non-Fiction
Geo Kit: Oceania - Australia
Genre Cat: February - Biographies and Memoirs



I took a BB from JayneCm last year for this book about the life of Florence Broadhurst a person probably best know for her wallpaper designs in the 60s-70s. If you've seen the design of wallpaper of large peacocks on a pink metallic background you've seen her work. I'm not a big reader of biographies and so I think that was one reason why I didn't get as much from the book as I expected.

Book 14: Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - ebooks
March Alpha Kit: "U"
Bingo Block: Dark or Light in the Title



Fear in the Sunlight is the fourth novel in a series where real life mystery writer Josephine Tey is the protagonist. She and her friends have traveled to Portmerion to celebrate her 40th birthday. She is also meeting with Alfred Hitchcock to discuss a film deal for one of her books. Hitchcock is there with another group of film people planning for his next movie.

Of course there’s a murder or two but it’s the interpersonal relationships that make this book interesting. And somewhat confusing. But it kept my interest til the end.

Book 15: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Category: A Caravan of Camels - Foreign Authors/Places
Bingo Block: History or Alternate History



Kate Quinn's newest book is once again about three friends during WW II. This time the action takes place at Bletchley Park where men and women work to break the German military codes. Osla is a debutante who has returned from Canada because she wants to help in the war. Fluent in German, she becomes a translator. Mab, who has grown up in the East End wants to make more of herself and also gets hired to work at Bletchley Park. They can see that the daughter of the house where they share lodgings is really smart also and help her get a job there too. How they lived through the war and how they broke the German codes is interesting.

The author does a lot of research and her notes at the end are really interesting. If you liked The Alice Network, you'll like this too.

Book 16: World of Wondersby Aimee Nezhukmatathil
Category: A Parliament of Owls - Non-Fiction
March Random: It's a Surprise!
Bingo Block: Less Than 200 pages



Subtitled "In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments", the author has written a series of essays about some unusual and some not so unusual animals, fish, birds, and plants and related them to various times and places in her life. At first I thought her connections were somewhat tenuous, but as I read further I began to really enjoy these little snippets.

>137 dudes22: This is already on my wishlist, glad to see you enjoyed it!

<137 I have this just waiting for me, I think I'll read it next week.

>138 Jackie_K: - >139 clue: - It could be a fairly quick read. I spaced it out by reading only one or two a day. Hope you both enjoy it.

>136 dudes22: I may have said this on your thread in another group, but I'm glad you rated that one so highly. It arrived at the library in the last couple weeks. I'll get to it eventually.

>141 thornton37814: - I had put myself on the hold list before it was even published so I think I got it first when the library received it. I looked and now there are quite a few holds.

World of Wonders sounds interesting. I'll look for a copy. I think I read the first Upson and enjoyed it. I must continue with this series.

>143 BLBera: - I found it a little "odd" at the beginning, but I grew to like it a lot. I guess I didn't realize that she was going to relate it to her life when I started reading it.

Book 17: The Dig by John Preston
Category: A Parliament of Owls - Non-Fiction
March Genre: Action & Adventure



Having watched the movie on Netflix, I decided my husband might like to read this book so I got it from the library. As long as I had it, I decided I might as well read it too.

Just prior to WW II, Mrs. Pretty decides that it's time to see if the mounds of dirt on her land in Suffolk hold any buried treasure. She hires a local man who is known to be familiar with the soil in Suffolk and they begin to dig one up. Once it looks like there might be something there, politics begins to play a role.

Might be a stretch to use this for the March genre, but I am.

>145 dudes22: We really enjoyed the movie, being huge fans of the lead actors. How do the book and movie compare?

>146 lauralkeet: - There are a couple of scenes in the movie that aren't in the book (of course). I thought the movie was a little better. I should have said also that the book would have benefitted from a couple of pictures being included.

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity, Betty.

>145 dudes22: This book just arrived (I had ordered it through my local bookshop for my thingaversary) and I'm looking forward to reading it!

>149 MissBrangwen: - I'll look forward to your comments, Mirjam.

Book 18: Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
Category: A Caravan of Camels - Foreign Authors/Places
Alpha Kit: "W"



In this installment of the Maisie Dobbs series, Georgina Bassington-Hope, a fellow graduate from Girton College, has come to see Maisie about the death of her brother. She doesn't believe that her brother Nick's death was an accident and wants to hire Maisie to investigate. Her brother was mounting an art exhibition and fell from the scaffolding leading police to announce it as an accident. There are many people to interview and so a sub-plot is introduced also.

Nick was an artist and the exhibit was a much anticipated event as he was going to donate this work to a war museum. I'm always somewhat regretful when the book is about an artist and there's no way to see the imagined works. The descriptions can sometimes be so interesting, one wishes there were actually paintings to view.

>145 dudes22: I think I'll add the movie to my Netflix watchlist, this sounds interesting. Generally I prefer to read the books, but there is so little time for all of them. Thanks for the review!

Book 19: Redemption by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Category: A Murder of Crows - Mysteries
April Random: Let's Go to the Library Without Leaving Home
April Alpha Kit: "A"



As usual with this series, there are multiple stories and angles working in the book. There are the asbestos people who want Carl and his team to move out of the basement while they fix the asbestos problem, a solution that Carl is not in favor of. There's a string of fires in warehouses that needs to be solved. And there's the pieces of a blue bottle and the message inside that Scotland has sent to them looking for help. As it appears that the bottle is many years old, it's passed along to Carl and his helpers in Department Q - the Cold Case department.

The decaying message in the bottle looks to connect to two young boys who may have been kidnapped many years ago. Carl isn't much interested in this case but Assad and Rose keep working on the message to see what they can find out. Gradually Carl becomes interested too when there appears to be more children who have been kidnapped.

The story is built slowly and there is a lot of suspense. The author includes lots of details in his story-building which makes a rich story. It's somewhat grim in places, but the author injects enough humor so you don't give up.

Book 20: What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
Category: A Congregation of Plovers - General Fiction
April Genre: Literary Fiction
Bingo Block: New-to-You Author



From the inside cover:

…A community in the Piedmont of North Carolina rises in outrage as a county initiative draws students from the largely Black east side of town into predominantly white high schools on the west. For two students, Gee and Noelle, the integration sets off a chain of events that will tie their two families together in unexpected ways over the next twenty years.
…When Gee and Noelle join the school play meant to bridge the divide between new and old students, their paths collide, and their two seemingly disconnected families begin to form deeply knotted, messy ties that will shape the trajectory of their adult lives.”

I don’t usually fall for the hype of a new book, but when this book was described for the Jenna book club on the Today show, it sounded interesting enough to put myself on the hold list at the library. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me although I thought the writing was good.

I usually enjoy books that have multiple characters and move back and forth in time, but not this time. The integration of the schools doesn’t even happen until about 200 pages into the book and happens in 2002. And the events the integration sparked are also later in the book. Although the play starts a dynamic within the two families, it takes place later in the book also. And there’s not much interaction between the families and the ties that are promised. Each family seems to exist in it’s own orbit. The stories of each family are interesting but I think a more straight-forward telling of the story time-wise would have made the story better.

Book 21: The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay
Category: A Congregation of Plovers - General Fiction
May Random Cat: Let's Play Monopoly (house)
Bingo Block: Book with a building in the title



This book takes place in the 1860s in Paris during the time when much of Paris was destroyed to modernize the city and create the wide boulevards that are part of Paris even today. The story is about one woman who decided to take a stand and not leave the house she loved. In the book, she's writing letters to her deceased husband, reminiscing about the years she's lived in the house. Even though it is fictional, the house de Rosnay writes about did exist and was demolished.

Book 22: The Quiet Game by Greg Iles
Category: A Parade of Elephants - series
May Alpha Kit: "I"



”Einstein said the arrow of time flies in only one direction. Faulkner, being from Mississippi, understood the matter differently. He said the past is never dead; it’s not even past. All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born, webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence, of history and eternity. Haunted by wrong turns and roads not taken, we pursue images perceived as new but whose provenance dates to the dim dramas of childhood, which are themselves but ripples of consequence echoing down the generations.”

Penn Cage has brought his daughter Annie back to Natchez where he was born to help her recover after the death of his wife Sara. He thinks that being with family will help Annie heal. As a prosecutor he has put many people in jail and currently has a person on death row so escaping the frenzy in Houston also seems like a good idea. And his book publisher is waiting for him to finish his next book.

Then he finds out that his father is being blackmailed by a corrupt ex-cop. While trying to help his father, he finds himself being drawn into a murder from 1968, more than 30 years ago. He‘s also haunted by his own past and wants to know why things happened. His childhood sweetheart shows up, the FBI makes an appearance, there’s a newspaper publisher looking for a story; lots of interconnected parts. Even knowing that as the main character in the first book of the series, he would be victorious doesn’t take away from the drama and tense moments in the book.

Book 23: The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo
Category: A Caravan of Camels - Foreign Author/Place - Norway
Alpha Kit : "N"
Geo Kit: Europe (Norway)



When Robert Karlsen is killed while performing in a Salvation Army Christmas concert, Harry Hole is called to investigate the case in this 6th book in the Harry Hole series. There is little evidence to help him figure out who the killer is. He is also trying to remain alcohol free, recovering from a break-up with his girlfriend, and trying to adapt to a new boss.

I usually find the Harry Hole books difficult to follow with lots of various threads and sequences that all manage to come together at the end. This time I seemed to be following what was going on. (Or maybe I'm finally getting used to Nesbo's style of writing.) Even so, there were twists and turns to keep me from figuring out the whole story.

Book 24: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - ebooks
Mar Genre Kit: Essays & Short Stories



Adiche has written a group of 12 short stories about Nigerian woman, some of whom have emigrated to the US and some about women still in Nigeria. I've never been very good at analyzing what makes a short story collection work or not. But I very much liked the writing in these stories and how much could be told in only a few pages. I look forward to reading more by this author.

>158 dudes22: "I've never been very good at analyzing what makes a short story collection work or not."

Me neither, but if enough stories work for a reader and it's possible to read the stories more than one at a time, i.e. back to back, then that sounds good enough to me. :-)

I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

>159 spiralsheep: - Sounds right.

Book 25: The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg
Category: A Congregation of Plovers - General Fiction
Bingo Block: Book with time in title or subject



Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite writers but this book was less successful for me than her books are usually. When I started to read it and realized that it was about a high school class reunion, I almost put it down. There are a lot of characters, many of them the cliche of high school students - the quarterback, the cheerleaders, the mouse, the know-it-all. Classmates are gathering for their 40th and last reunion. How they view and remember their high school year, the changes that have happened (or not), the truths they choose to face are somewhat typical of what you'd expect from a book about a reunion.

Book 26: White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
Category: A Troop of Kangaroos - Book Club
June GenreCat: Historical Fiction
Bingo Block: Book you heartily recommend



This is the next book for my book club and I spent a lazy Sunday out on the deck under the awning devouring this book. In a style that's become quite popular lately, this is two stories - one taking place in 2011 and one in 1943.

1943: Hana is a haenyeo, one of a group of women divers who are known for being able to hold their breath for long periods of time while they dive in Korean waters to fish for abalone (and other mollusks) and are independent and support themselves. Hana is captured by Japanese soldiers while protecting her younger sister and is taken to Manchuria where she is forced to become one of the "comfort women" for Japanese soldiers.

2011: Emi, the sister she saved, is now an old woman and wants to see if she can find her sister to find peace before she dies.

I don't think I have ever heard much (if anything) about comfort women
or the haenyeo and found this very interesting. I'm looking forward to some interesting discussion at book club. This was the author's debut novel and I look forward to seeing what she will write next.

In 2019 I read a very good novel based on the haenyeo, The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. It was one of my favorites of that year.

I'll grab the Bracht book when I'm at the library next, it looks equally good!

>157 dudes22: That's a BB for me!

>163 clue: - I'll keep that in mind to mention at book club.

>164 VivienneR: - Hope you enjoy it.

>162 dudes22: Taking a BB for this one, Betty.

>166 DeltaQueen50: - Hope you enjoy it, Judy.

Adichie is one of my favorites, Betty, and I have this collection yet to read. I'm happy to hear it's a good one.

>168 BLBera: - This was my first book of hers, Beth, and I'm looking forward to reading her other books.

Book 27: The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi
Category: A Caravan of Camels - Foreign Authors or Places (Greece)
Alpha Kit: "Z"



This is the first book in the Mysteries of the Greek Detective series. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I didn't find it attention-grabbing, but it was ok. I read that this series is based on the seven deadly sins - I'm guessing this one was lust. I didn't find it so much a detective story. It's hard to get a sense of the detective because he's not in much of the book. Still, I'll continue with the next book at least before I decide whether to continue or not.

Book 28: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Category: A Tower of Giraffes - Award-Winning Books and Nominees (Nobel Laureate - 2017)



Set in a dystopian future, Klara is an AF (Artificial Friend) purchased for Josie as a companion to help her because she is sick sometimes. Klara is somewhat remarkable because she is curious and absorbs lots of information, although some of her conclusions are not exactly right. The book is told from the point of view of Klara so some of the writing seems stilted and the human characters are also somewhat one-dimensional which is as it should be from Klara's understanding.

Josie is around 14 and has been "lifted", which took me a little while to understand what it was. She lives in the country with her mother and a housekeeper. Her friend Rick lives next door and they have been friends since they were children. Rick has not been "lifted" and there's some doubt that he will get into a good school. There are also some things which are only alluded to so that the reader has to make conclusions about what might be going on. I don't want to put a spoiler here so just know that this was a wonderful read.

Book 29: The Affair by Lee Child
Category: A Murder of Crows - Murder Mysteries
June Alpha Kit: C



Although this is #16 in publication order, this book is the story of how Jack Reacher career in the Army ended.

Reacher is asked by Colonel John James Frazer to go to Mississippi undercover and not as an Army MP. A white woman has been murdered and because there is evidence that someone from a near-by military installation may be responsible. His job is to find out what the local cops think and try to control them. Once he gets there, he finds there are many layers to what is going on and that he may be being manipulated also.

Book 30: Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story by Erin French
Category: A Parliament of Owls: Non-Fiction



There's a restaurant in the small town of Freedom, Maine called The Lost Kitchen. It's world-wide destination and it's reservations are filled the days that reservations open each spring. And the way you make a reservation is to send a postcard and wait to see if your name is pulled by random.

This auto-biography is Erin's story of how she came to love cooking, started her own business, got hooked on drugs, lost her business and marriage and son and how she fought her way back to the success she is today.

Book 31: Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver
Category: A Murder of Crows - Murder Mysteries
Alpha Kit: "D"



In this second book in the Katherine Dance series, crosses and roses are being left by the roadside, not in memorial for someone who has died, but to indicate a future murder. Katherine's department at the California Bureau of Investigation is assigned the case. As the case progresses, the world of blogging and web-played games is much a part of the story also. And there are a couple of side stories going on. (I think one of them might be a left-over from book 1, but I don't remember much about that book.)

I debated a while about how many stars to give this. There's a big twist at the end of the book and although it ties everything up, I was disappointed that it sort-of just appeared with few/no indications earlier in the book of who the bad guy was. Still, I liked it better than I remember liking book 1 and will press on to book 3 eventually.

At the half-way point of the year, I thought I'd pause to see how my readings going.

Read: 31 - 13 from my TBR, 19 from the library, & 1 reread
Added: 20 - 12 physical, 8 ebooks.
Bingo Card: About 1/2 done
Categories: 1 with no books yet.

Top 3 reads:
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
Klara and the Sun by Kazou Ishiguro

I'm behind where I should be for halfway through the yea but I've been doing a lot of quilting which is taking up time. Plus we didn't go away in the winter when I do a lot of reading.

Book 32: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Category: A Tower of Giraffes - Award winning (Pulitzer 1992)
June Random Cat: What's Old is New Again (retelling of King Lear)
Bingo Block: Read a Cat/Kit



A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley is the retelling of King Lear set in the farmlands of the Midwest. It won the Pulitzer in 1992 and the writing made me want to just sink into the words.

Ginny's father has managed to accumulate 1,000 acres of farmland over the years by buying from his neighbors who either overextend themselves or decide that farming just isn't for them. Ginny's mother died from cancer when she and her sisters were young and it's always been up to them to take care of their father. Although Caroline has left for Des Moines, Ginny and her sister Rose are still taking turns taking care of their father, preparing 3 meals a day and doing all the household chores at his house even while taking care of their own houses and families.

When their father decides to change his will and break up the farm, conflict arises. I don't want to say too much here. Even if you didn't know that this was a retelling of King Lear, it works as a story all by itself. (The author even gives the girls names starting with the same letters as the daughters in King Lear)

Betty, I read this book back in the 90s and absolutely loved it. I think I read it for a book club, I forgot it won the Pulitzer.

>177 lauralkeet: - Hi Laura - I didn't put it in my post, but I've had it in my TBR pile since 2010. I have to wonder how many other gems there are in it that have been languishing for years.

Book 33: Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
Category: A Caravan of Camels - foreign authors/places (China)
Alpha Kit: "X"



This is the first book in the Inspector Chen mystery series. Chief Inspector Chen is in charge of the special case squad of the homicide division of the police. He also like to write poetry and there are snippets of Chinese poetry through the story which is somewhat unique for a police/crime story.

Two old friends find a body when they go fishing and Inspector Chen's group is called to solve the crime. Once they start, they find out that there are political connections so it makes it difficult for them to investigate. Took me a little while to get into the rhythm of the book. A few people who have read it here caused my interest and I will continue with the series.

Book 34: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Category: A Caravan of Camels - Foreign Authors or Places - Australia
Bingo Block: Book with or about magic



Eli is a 13 year-old boy whose parents are drug dealers and his brother doesn't speak. He can - he just doesn't. His best friend is a man who has spent years in prison and he has a pen pal who is in prison.

Eli's brother communicates with him by writing in the air. Often things that make no sense at the moment but come to mean something later. This is where the magical realism comes in. It's really pretty subtle compared to some books I've read.

I liked this coming of age novel although it is slow in places.

>176 dudes22: Nice review of A Thousand Acres. It sounds great, and going on to my wishlist.

Book 35: Still Waters by Viveca Sten
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - E-book Reads
July Alpha Kit: "S"
Bingo Block: Classical element in title - Water



I took this as a book bullet last year and have seen a number of people who have read it since. Thought it was time to begin this series even though I don't need more series.

Thomas Andreasson agrees to checkout a dead body on a small archipelago off Stockholm since he's on his way to an island close by for his vacation. All seems like it was an accident until the dead person's cousin also ends up dead there a few days later. ...and then another local person is killed....

I really enjoyed this as a "lighter" type of mystery although not as light as a cozy. I did guess who it might be that was the murderer although I didn't figure out why. And there were still some side issues that were left open for the next book.

Book 36: A Drunkard's Path by Clare O'Donohue
Category: A Parade of Elephant's - Series books
July Alpha Kit: "O"



I usually give a series at least 2 books before I decide whether or not to continue, so this book is the second book in the Someday Quilts series. I really wanted to like this series because there are quilts involved, but I just can't.

This would fall into the cozy mystery genre and so I expect that the amateur sleuth will do less than smart things, But this book was a step beyond that.

Nell is now living with her grandmother and helping her run the local quilt shop. She wants to take art classes and there's an opportunity to take a class at the local university with a famous painter. She and her grandmother go to an exhibit of his work and her grandmother and the artist begin to see each other. Nell also becomes friends with a fellow student and she ends up staying with them although they know nothing about her.

Meanwhile, a dead body is found by the river and Nell's boyfriend (the sheriff) particularly tells Nell to stay out of things. As things progress, there's a dinner at Nell's grandmother's house with the artist, Nell's boyfriend, and the friend and a fellow student is found dead in the yard. Nell thinks that it has something to do with the artist and sets out to investigate.

I also didn't think some of the quilting "information" was great. Not wrong, exactly, but implications about how easily it can be accomplished are unrealistic. I don't think I'll be continuing with this series.

Book 37: The Summer Bookby Tove Jansson
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - EBooks
July Random - Summertime



When Judy (DQ) mentioned she had read this it seemed like the perfect book for a summer read - and it was. A gentle story about the interactions between a girl and her grandmother during the summers spent on a small island in Finland.

>184 dudes22: I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Betty.

Catching up on your thread. :)

Book 38: The Seal Wife by Kathryn Harrison
Category: A Congregation of Plovers - General Fiction
July Genre: Romance



Weird....just plain weird...
Came up as tagged for romance, but I'm not so sure....

>187 dudes22: I had a similar reaction, LOL

>188 VictoriaPL: - Oh thank you. After reading some of the reviews, I was wondering what I missed.

Book 39: Closed Circles by Viveca Sten
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - Ebooks



This is the second book in Sten's Sandhamn series. I read the first one last month and decided to continue on with the second one to decide how much I like it and if I want to continue. I liked this one just fine too. Although the Scandinavian names give me problems keeping people straight sometimes, I still enjoy them.

This book takes place a year after book 1, and the murder victim is killed on his boat at the very beginning of a boat race on open water with loads of other boats around, giving the police many suspects. I did get an inkling of who might be the murderer from something, but still found it enjoyable. I'll be adding this to a long line of series I need to keep up with.

Book 40: Relativity by Antonia Hayes
Category: A Troop of Kangaroos - Book Club Reads



Ethan Forsythe is twelve years old and loves physics. There are even times when he seems to see the waves of the motion of relativity. But he's never known his father and is at an age when he begins to question why. When his father Mark comes back to Sydney because his father is dying, it's inevitable that they will meet and Ethan will learn why his father has been absent from his life. I thought the writing was wonderful. The author makes Ethan an interesting person and explains a lot of the science of physics. Occasionally I felt my eyes glaze over (science was never my strong suit) but it was still very interesting.

Book 41: Divorce Horse by Craig Johnson
Category: A Parade of Elephants - Series
August Alpha Kit: "J"



This is one of those between-the-books short stories that I needed to read because I read everything in order. The author says his publisher asked him to do this as a lead-up to the next book in the series. I think I'll try to read the next book also since this one is so short.

Book 42: It's Not About the Tapas by Polly Evans
Category: A Parliament of Owls - Non-fiction
August Random Cat: On the Road Again
Bingo Block: Arts and Recreation



This is a travelogue of the author's 6-week trip by bicycle through Spain. Lots of historical tidbits about the various stops along her way along with her adventures with her bicycle. The title is appropriate as there isn't a lot about the food (she seems to exist on cheese sandwiches).

>193 dudes22: In the author's defense, Spanish cheese is delicious and varied.

>194 RidgewayGirl: - Oh no! I'm not saying that. I love Spanish cheese. And meat. And wine.... I just wish there had been more in the book about food and a little less history. But maybe she didn't get to a lot of delicacies since she traveled through some pretty small towns. My husband was on business in Jerez once for a couple of months in the late 90s and I went over for the last couple of weeks. I loved it there and I'd love to go back. One thing she mentions too is the color of the roads on her map and I can remember deciding whether we wanted to take a red or green or yellow road when we went someplace.

OH - and I meant to write that since she did this and published the book in 2003, I'm sure things have changed a lot since then - travel-wise.

Book 43: As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
Category: A Parade of Elephants - Series
August Alpha Kit: "J"



In this book in the Walt Longmire series, Longmire's daughter is about to get married and Walt and Henry are in charge of getting some things done before Cady arrives from Philadelphia. When it looks like the place on the Indian Reservation where the ceremony is supposed to take place can't be used, Walt and Henry go off to find another place. Unfortunately, they get to the place just in time to see a young woman fall from a cliff and die. She was holding her young baby who survives the fall. Of course, it turn out she was pushed and Walt gets drawn into the investigation.

The tapas book sounds good. I'm with you, Betty, and would like to hear more about the wonderful Spanish food. Although I must admit that on my first trip, cheese, bread, and wine did comprise most of my eating.

Book 44: Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Category: A Congregation of Plovers - General Fiction
Bingo Block - Senior citizen as protagonist



I think I've started this book a couple of times before and couldn't make it past my dislike for Britt-Marie at the beginning. But I like Fredrik Backman and decided I need to get a little further than I have before.(Plus this is listed as a sequel to My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry, but it's really not although she was in that book.) It took a while but this time I made it through and ended up enjoying the book a lot.

Britt-Marie ends up leaving her husband and has to find a job. She takes one in the town of Borg which is supposed to be a temporary 3 week job in a recreation center. The town is on the decline and almost all the stores are closed. She is very hung up on cleaning and has an extremely extreme view of how things should be done. And ends up as the soccer coach although she knows nothing about soccer. Quite interesting once I got into it.

>198 dudes22: I adore this book. I love how she makes snide comments without even realising just because she is so honest.

>199 JayneCM: - I know!

Book 45: Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon
Category: A Parade of Elephants - Series
Alpha Kit: "V"



This is the second book featuring "retired" police detective Dave Gurney. He is approached by an old work acquaintance to work for a family whose daughter was killed on her wedding day. He decides to look into it even though his wife is less than pleased. I like the thought process that Gurney uses to figure out what's going on. This book has an extremely disturbing subject and since I didn't see a tag on the book that mentions it, I won't either. And there were a few places in the book where I wanted to tell him what he should do next.

Book 46: Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink
Category: A Kindle of Kittens - E-books



I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting from this book but it was so much better than what I expected. The author managed to weave her memoir and her love of books into a very engaging book. Using the periods of her life and the books that affected her worked very well.