Lamplight's 2021 challenge (almost made it last year!)

I just finished up my 2020 list, including a list of my favourites. It is interesting that, when I look at lists of other people's favourites, they include some that I have read, but didn't particularly love. As I am sure I have included titles not loved by others. Happy new year of reading to all. In this past pandemic year, when so many were working from home, did you notice how many media-type, politicians and entertainers seemed to be surrounded by books? Long live the hard copy!

Reading List:
1. A Better Man by Louise Penny -- Canadian fiction
2. Coyote Tales by Thomas King -- Canadian, children's
3. Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks -- fiction
4. The Old Success by Martha Grimes -- fiction, mystery
5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley -- mystery
6. David and Goliath. Underdogs, Misfits and the art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell -- non-fiction, Canadian
7. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield — nonfiction Canadian
8. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel -- fiction
9. Friction by Sandra Brown — fiction
10. Betty White. If you ask me and of course you won’t—-Betty White—nonfiction
11. A New Song by Jan Karon — Christian fiction
12. Virals by Kathy Reichs — fiction
13. Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke — mystery
14. Indians on Vacation by Thomas King — Canadian fiction
15. The Cinderella Murder byMary Higgins Clark mystery
16. Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews fiction
17. The Elephant Whisperer. My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence — nonfiction
18. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks — historical fiction
19. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue — historical fiction, Canadian
20. Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death by M. C. Beaton — mystery
21. Lady Helena Investigates by Jane Steen — mystery
22. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan —historical fiction
23. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin — fiction
24. Bossypants by Tina Fey — nonfiction
25. A Common Life. The Wedding Story by Jan Karon — fiction
26. The Company We Keep by Frances Itani — Canadian fiction
27. Piece of My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark — fiction
28. Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead — Canadian fiction
29. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah —historical fiction
30. A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear — mystery
31. Life after Life by Kate Atkinson — historical fiction
32. All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny -- Canadian mystery
33. Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich — fiction
34. The little old lady who broke all the rules — comical, crime fictional
35. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald — fiction
36. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley — classic fiction
37. Dropped Threads 2: More of what we aren’t told edited by Carol Shields and Marjorie Anderson — collection of essays by and about women
38. Dewey by Vicki Myron — nonfiction
39. Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe — nonfiction, autobiography
40. Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings. Canadian mystery
41. A Killer in King’s Cove by Iona Whishaw — Canadian mystery
42. 28 Summers by Erin Hilderbrand — fiction
43. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett — fiction
44. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah — historical fiction
45.The Midnight Library by Matt Haig — fiction
46. The Zookeepers Wife by Diane Ackerman — nonfiction
47. The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett - fiction
48. Deafening by Frances Itani — historical fiction, Canadian
49. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davison -- fantasy
50. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton__ historical fiction
51. The Undertaking of Billy Buffone by David Giuliano — Canadian fiction
52. The Secret Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams
53. The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee — nonfiction y
54. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn — historical fiction
55. A Covid Odyssey by Graham Elder — Canadian fiction
56. News of the World by Paulette Jiles — fiction
57. Holding by Graham Norton — fiction
58. The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai -- historical fiction
59. Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams -- fiction
60. The Humans by Matt Haig — fiction
61. The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray — historical fiction
62. The Innocent by David Baldacci — fiction
63. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs — young adult
64. Unbroken by Laura Hilderbrand —nonfiction
65. The Push by Ashley Audrain — Canadian fiction
66. Chai Another Day by Leslie Budewitz — fiction
67. Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen — fiction
68. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante — fiction
69. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad — Canadian fiction
70. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly — historical fiction
71. The Gown by Jennifer Robson — Canadian fiction
72. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins — fiction
73. Blaze Island by Catherine Bush — Canadian fiction
74. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi — historical fiction
75. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner — historical fiction
76. The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham — Canadian historical fiction
77. The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn — historical fiction
78. The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland — fiction
79. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert — historical fiction
80. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah — nonfiction
81. Death in a Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw — Canadian mystery
82. Beartown by Fredrik Backman — fiction
83. A Well Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler — historical fiction
84. Plainsong by Kent Haruf — fiction
85. The Sisters of Glass Ferry by Kim Michele Richardson —. Fiction
86. The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish — fiction
87. The Break by Katherena Vermette — Canadian fiction
88. Childhood’s End by Arthur Clarke — science fiction
89. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman — fiction
90. A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson — Canadian fiction
91. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman — fiction
92. The Sniper’s Wife by Archer Mayer — fiction
93. Murdered Midas by Charlotte Gray — Canadian nonfiction
94. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb — nonfiction
95. Gallows View by Peter Robinson — Canadian mystery
96. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny — Canadian mystery
97. Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams — fiction
98. Disappearing Moon Cafe by Sky Lee — Canadian fiction
99. When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman — mystery
100. A Christmas Colorado Collection by Debbie Mason — fiction
101. A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson — mystery
102. The K Team by David Rosenfelt — mystery

Fiction— 88
Nonfiction— 14
Canadian — 25

This is the only series I remember reading from the beginning and in order. I just completed A Better Man by Louise Penny. There is one more book in the series so far, with another to be published in the spring or summer. I have to admit, that as the series progresses, I am getting a little tired of it. I hate saying that, because I enjoyed it so much at the beginning. In this book, the regular crew is assembled, but it focuses on finding the missing daughter of a friend of one of the newest characters, Lysette Cloutier. Then it turns into solving the murder case when the daughter, Vivienne, is found in the swollen and raging spring run-off river. There are side stories that include other members of the Surete and power struggles, Clare's art career taking a huge nosedive, Jean-Guy leaving his job and going to Paris. Penny's re-telling of past events is spare and delivered in poignant statements or comparisons. Gamache remains solid, although he, like the others, has pinned blame on the abusive husband for the murder, and no one saw the abusive father in the picture. Not my favourite book of Louise Penny's.

I was trying to find a Thomas King book to read on Overdrive, my Library app, but most had a wait-list. Except for the so-called children's book, but I would highly recommend them to adults too. I read Coyote Tales and laughed out loud a couple of times. Raven is a trickster, for sure, and Coyote seems oblivious to being used at Raven's laugh-expense in the second story. Some human behaviour, such as clothes lines and overstuffed clothes closets and yard sales become background to these stories.

I listened to the audio version of Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks. I think the narrator did a great job. It was mostly about the year in the life of one man, Russ, who suffered loss (divorce, sister Marj died) and gain (Emily, time with his daughter London). I liked Russ although at the beginning I was a little tired of how blind he was about a few things, including his wife's waning interest. He was a little sniveling and poor me but it was nice to see how he grew. I had a couple of concerns though....like the pronunciation of foyer, a 'adam's apple' in Marj, and his going for jogs in the morning, leaving London alone in the house. He never mentioned that he left her alone, but he had to have. In the end I cried, and the good-byes to a dying person were beautiful.

I just finished a book in a series without reading any of the rest of the series, so sometimes, I felt a little lost. The Old Success by Martha Grimes has interesting characters, and certainly took an interesting route to solving 3 murders and 1 other death, originally thought to be suicide. I might decide to read an earlier book in the Richard Jury series at some point. It probably would explain some of the characters in this one (who kept getting introduced with dizzying regularity right up to within the last 20 pages or so.

I read The Guest List by Lucy Foley for an on-line book club. Looking forward to hearing other impressions. It was an okay read...interesting how things conspired to create the murder, and the suspicions. I have read a few mysteries lately, and they aren't as comforting, fun, exciting as they once were. Time for another genre for awhile, I think.

Looks like you're off to a good start! "Long live the hard copy!"

I always enjoy books that help me think in a different way, and provide new information as well as ideas. That is what David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell did for me. The subtitle is: Underdogs, misfits and the art of battling giants. Besides the obvious Biblical reference, Gladwell brings us to the U.S. South, Ireland, France, California, Winnipeg Canada among other places where he points out that what seems to be a disadvantage can be used to 'battle the giant'. Good read.

I really enjoyed the honesty and humour and education of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. I want my grandkids to read this.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a re-read for me. Surprising how much I didn't remember! Except that I remember I really, really liked it the first time I read it. I still like it but maybe not quite so much. It is the story of a family, and especially the youngest daughter, Tita. It chronicles her great abilities and interests in cooking as well as her interesting and forbidden love with Pedro. To me, there is a tragic element in this book, where true love very rarely leads to a happy ending, and many pretend at love but that also leads to unhappiness (Rosaura, Mama Elena). Lots of fantastical elements.

You're off to a great start in your reading year!

I agree totally about An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. Chris Hadfield has shared some wisdom with all of us in that gem of a book. I love his message about having a dream and believing in yourself, but doing the necessary work to position yourself to help those dreams come true. Very inspirational.

I listened to Friction by Sandra Brown and it is not a book I would have necessarily chosen but it was available. It was entertaining if not well crafted. The good guys won but the friction or grudge one cop bore was a little much. And the male instant response to fisticuffs was a bit much too.

Betty White. If you ask but of course you won’t by Betty White I can just picture her with the gorilla Cocoa. Betty tells stories in a very cute way.

I love Jan Karon books...so comfortable as Christian fiction, tackling real problems, showing real pain, and abounding in love and grace. A New Song brings Father Timothy to an island shaped like a Christmas stocking, where he meets a whole host of new comfortable, real characters. Just lovely.

Virals by Kathy Reichs was fun to listen to but I found it a little too predictable, and far-fetched at the same time. But it was an okay read when I didn’t want to do a lot of thinking.

Thomas Kinghas an interesting sense of humour, and it was present in Indians on Vacation. But this book was a little like the sad clown picture, and I ended up feeling sad about too many things...the state of the world, our human limitations and fallibilities, the relationship of the two main characters. This book just suggests a stumbling way through our messes.

I wouldn’t consider The Cinderella Mystery by Mary Higgins Clark a particularly good read except that I listened to it to keep me entertained while I did my hip exercises. In that context it was good. However, any tv show that results in that much mayhem and death really should not be applauded. IMHO.

Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews was a romantic adventure story about a movie location scout named Greer Hennessy. It was a good audio book...lots of action, interesting characters and an insanely happy ending.

I loved The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony about a rogue herd of elephants on a wildlife reserve in Zululand South Africa. As with any nature story, there are highs and lows, laughs and tears, life and death. Just an excellent read which helps me respect the intelligence of elephants immensely.

I enjoy reading historical fiction and Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks did not disappoint. I wondered how it would be reading about a plague during a pandemic! There was lots of action, some brutality, some hope, and the overwhelming and practical strength of the lead character, Anna Firth. The vicar's spiritual/ethical journey is an interesting one, while the brutality of her father and step-mother's lives and deaths is quite shocking. Yet, an informative and intriguing read.

Now it’s the Spanish flu in The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue. Hospital work is the focus but war casualties, orphans, Irish politics and love find their way into the birthing room.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan is a historical fiction about FrankLloyd Wright and his affair with Mamah Cheney.

What a good story with interesting characters and plot. I love the big dandelion of a girl and the curmudgeonly bookstore owner in The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. A lost book, a few lost souls, and a love of story...doesn’t get much better.

Bossypants by Tina Fey was a really good audiobook. Tina delivers her work in a funny, tongue in cheek kind of way.

I love the characters, their strengths and their secrets as they deal with grief in The Company We Keep by Frances Itani.

I read Piece ofMy Heart by Mary Higgins Clark for our sisters’ book club. Not my favourite read, but one that made money for the authors. It was co-written by A Alafare Burke, and is Clark’s final book before she died a year ago.

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead won Canada Reads. It was uncomfortable for me because of the explicit sexual descriptions which does not match my typical reading. Yet it gave me a view of a particular reality so I am glad I read it.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah sure made me understand those dust bowl years in Texas. The extreme poverty, the hard work for little pay and Californian dislike of okies added to the horrors. But strength and love emerge surprisingly in Elsa, who deemed herself weak and unlovable.

I finally read or should i say listened to a Maisie Dodds book: A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear. It was both a mystery and historical fiction, dealing with the death of a photographer and Gibraltar and the Spanish Civil War. I found it just a little tedious and slow moving at times....many memories, theories and cups of tea. The ending was good though, where Maisie found purpose helping a makeshift hospital run by a nun.

Life after Life by Kate Atkinson played with time amid a tumultuous time in history....two world wars, the depression amid attitudes about women, government and Jews. It is clever and depicts some history e.g.the blitz with utter authenticity.

I enjoysed All the Devils are here by Louise Penny, even though I can find some flaws as I read. (When did I get so critical? Blame it on the pandemic!}. The surprise baby situation was kind of neat. As were the 'angels' in the group. But wow! What a lot of trickery by both the good guys and the bad guys. Interesting that it ends with everyon back at 'home'.

Yuk. I wanted light and fluffy to listen to while I exercised but this was an insult to readers/listeners: Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

What a hoot! The little old lady who broke all the rules was about five pensioners who fought against their declining comfort and freedom in a nursing home. They committed ingenious crimes but redistributed wealth to try to keep everyone happy.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald was not loved by everyone but I loved it. Sara from Sweden falls in love with the broken dusty town and they fall in love with her. Lots of quirky events and characters and happy endings.

First time reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It didn’t really make sense to me. For all his romanticism and noble ideals the savage was a coward. He did not rise above the circumstances. And Bernard showed hope at times but also descended to cowardice.

I loved the essays and inspiration in Dropped Threads 2.

Dewey by Vicki Myron is about an adorable library cat in Iowa. The

Actor and author Rob Lowe wrote a star-studded but authentic and heartfelt autobiography in Stories I only tell my friends. He seems to be one who made it past or maybe through the pitfalls of stardom.

I read my first Murdoch mystery Except the Dying. Very different from the tv show but still good.

This is a new-to-me murder mystery series...about an ex-WW2 spy named Lane Winslow. First in the series is A Killer in King’s Cove by Iona Whishaw. It takes place in Northern B.C. In the 1940s. I enjoyed it.

28 summers by Erin Hilderbrand is a version of Same Time Next Year. It was good to listen to but I don’t think i would have enjoyed reading it. Too many times Mallory and crew made me a little angry...no common sense. And the ending was predictable. But again...good as a book to listen to while doing other things.

Reading (and enjoying) The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett made me realize I haven't been diverse in my reading. This helped me understand a particular view when twins go their separate ways, one to live as a black woman, and one as a white woman. The prejudice of a whole village showed up against a blue-black daughter. Neat how the cousins found each other.
The other book I finished was The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. It was certainly an uncomfortable read at times...between the abuse, the accidents and some of the stupid decisions being made. Mr. Walker was a little too good to be true. The ending was sugary sweet, but helped make up for some of the other discomfort.

Lots of philosophy in this journey from despair to hope...The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

The Windsor Knot was great fun, and I could really picture Queen Elizabeth sleuthing, and then making it seem as though she had nothing to do with the solution. Deafening was an amazing book. Frances Itani is such a good author...So much research went into this. I felt like I was in WW1. Now, I just finished The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, which apparently, I read before, although I sure don't remember much. I think I liked it better before too. It was okay, but I got tired of some of the author's ploys: long lists of food, or other things...seemed like he was just taking up space. Maybe that is unkind. And there were many stories cobbled together to present some profound ending. I was a little fatigued by it all by the time I got to the ending.

I highly recommend The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, especially to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I didn't understand all of the codebreaking, or how the machines worked, but...if I ever get to England, Blechley Park will be on my itinerary. Also, the peak at a young Prince Philip was priceless. I didn't know about his real Canadian girlfriend during the war...and how they remained friends ever after. interesting stuff.

I read The Girl with Seven Names, a true story about Korea. And I just finished a fiction story about Vietnam The Mountains Sing. Both have been eye openers about the historic sense of honour and the hardships imposed by authoritarianism, prejudice, war.

Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen gives reality despite a fairy tale and magical tone. It deals with some pretty tough events and common emotions such as guilt. Yet it ends up being a feel-good book. I enjoyed it.

I listened to The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn as an audio book and it was one of the best I’ve ever listened to. It came alive with the voices of three narrators.

About 1/3 of the books I ‘read’ are audiobooks. Some are definitely better than others. I can’t say enough good things about the audio version of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. The reader did a superb job of making each character sound unique...which was hard to do in the case of one particular character who turned out to be much different than we originally thought.

My best reading year yet. I don’t think I’ll top it in 2022 but it will be fun trying!!