Tricia Keeps On Reading

Welcome to my 2018 thread.

I've been doing these for a long time starting with the 888 Challenge. That one was 8 books in each of 8 categories in 2008. The yearly challenge has evolved a bit since then!

This year I'm going back to eight main categories but adding some extras for CATS, DOGS, etc. that don't quite fit neatly into my main categories.

No themes, just basic, plain categories. And no minimums. If one has only 1-2 books by the end of the year that's OK. These topics are just a guide to what I hope will be a great reading year with lots of variety and fun.

1. Discovery and Invention

Mostly science and technology.

1. The Code Book by Simon Singh - Finished January 10, 2018 - own
2. Packing for Mars by Mary Roach - Finished January 24, 2018 - own

2. When, What, Who?

History, Biography, maybe current events.

1. Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Peter H. Wilson - March 2018 - first 199 pages - public library
2. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - June 21, 2018 - own

3. Browsing the Stacks

This would be books with a Dewey classification from 001 to 399.

1. Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado - 362.509 - Finished January 6, 2018 - public library
2. The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer - finished December 31, 2018 - public library

4. Armchair Travels

Books with a non US author or location.

1. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen - finished January 12, 2018 - own
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - finished January 25, 2018 - Part of Dracula and Frankenstein, an omnibus from SFBC - own
3. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden - finished January 28, 2018 - public library
4. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - finished ~February 11, 2018 - Public library
5. All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai - finished February 28, 2018 - public library
6. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood - finished May 2018 - ebook on iPad - own
7. Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood - finished June 1, 2018 - public library
8. The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith - finished April 2018
9. Jar City by Arnaldur Indriason - finished March 2018 - own
10. Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin - finished July 3, 2018 - recent purchase
11. The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen - finished ? - recent purchase
12. The Sirens Sang of Murder by Sarah Caudwell - finished November 11, 2018 - recent purchase

5. Follow the Clues

All kinds of mystery and suspense.

1. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - finished January 5, 2018 - own - reread
2. Now Let's Talk of Graves by Sarah Shankman -finished February 9, 2018 - own
3. Song of the Lion by Anne Hillerman - finished February 14, 2018 - public library
4. Under the Beetle's Cellar by Mary Willis Walker - finished February 17, 2018 - own
5. Dark in Death by J. D. Robb - Finished February 21, 2018 - own
6. Latter End by Patricia Wentworth - Finished February 26, 2018 - own - Kindle
7. Death on Doomsday by Elizabeth Lemarchand - Finished May 24, 2018 - own
8. Outrageous Fortune by Patricia Wentworth - Finished May 2018 - own
9. Sweet and Low by Emma Lathen - Finished May 2018 - own - reread
10. The Longer the Thread by Emma Lathen - Finished May 2018 - own - reread
11. Tombstone Courage by J. A. Jance - Finished May 2018 - public library - reread
12. Shoot Don't Shoot by J. A. Jance - Finished May 2018 - public library - reread
13. The Shortest Way to Hades by Sarah Caudwell - finished May 2018 - own
14. Thus was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell - finished May 2018 - own - reread
15. Troubled Waters by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished May 27,2018 - own
16. A Lesson in Dying by Ann Cleeves - Finished May, 2018 - own
17. Outlaw Mountain by J. A. Jance - finished May 2018 - own - reread
18. Skeleton Canyon by J. A. Jance - finished May 2018 - own - reread
19. Murder behind Closed Doors by Phillps Lore - finished April 2018 - own
20. Rattlesnake Crossing - by J. A. Jance - finished Aprll 2018 - own - reread
21. Desert Heat by J. A. Jance - finished April 2018 - own - reread
22. Golden Rain by Douglas Clark - finished April 2018 - own
23. A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy by Ann Cleeves - finished April 2018 - own
24. Step in the Dark by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished April 2018 - own
25. Nothing to Do with the Case by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished April 2018 - own
26. The Affacombe Affair by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished April 2018 - own
27. Green Grow the Dollars by Emma Lathen - finished May 30, 2018 - own - reread
28. Appleby's other Story by Michael Innes - finished April 2018 - own
29. The Listening Eye by Patricia Wentworth - Finished ? - own
30. A Comedy of Terrors by Michael Innes - Finished ? - own
31. Airframe by Michael Crichton - Finished ? -Own
32. Field of Bones by J. A. Jance - Finished December 1, 2018 - public library
33. Paradise Lost by J. A. Jance - Finished December 7, 2018 - public library
34. Irresistible Impulse by Robert K. Tanenbaum - Finished December 10, 2018 - own

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

Science Fiction and Fantasy

1. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik - finished January 17, 2018 - own
2. Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon - Finished January 26, 2018 - public library
3. Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon - Finished January30, 2018 - public library
4. Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn - finished February 2, 2018 - public library
5. Fated by Benedict Jacka - finished February 4, 2018 - public library
6. The Battle for Newfoundland by Herb Sakalaucks - Finished February 14, 2018 - own - ebook
7. Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Asron - Finished February 27,2018 - own - ebook
8. 1637: The Volga Rules by Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, and Gorg Huff - finished mid-March 2018 - own
9. A Call to Vengeance by David Weber, Timothy Zahn with Thomas Pope - finished mid-March - own
10. Neogenesis by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - finished June 4, 2018 - own
11. City of Illusions by Ursula K. LeGuin - finished June 6, 2018 - own
12. - 31. Lots of Honorverse
13. Dies the Fire by S. M. Sterling - finished July 7, 2018 - recent purchase
14. The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey - Finished July 10, 2018 - recent purchase
15. Pstalemate by Lester Del Rey - Finished ? - own
16. The Protector's War by S. M. Stirling - Finished ? - recent purchase
17. A Meeting at Corvalis by S. M. Stirling - Finished ? - recent purchase
18. Crystal Soldier by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - Finished ? - recent purchase
19. Balance of Trade by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - Finished ? - recent purchase
20. The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - Finished ? - recent purchase
21. lots of Liaden - in fact all novels in order and the 3 Constellations anthologies
22. Uncompromising Honor by David Weber - Finished late October - recent purchase
23. Almost all of Honorverse
24. Year One by Nora Roberts - finished November 20, 2018 - public library
25. DoomsDay Book by Connie Willis - finished December 28 - own

7. The Short Stuff

Novellas, Short Stories, Plays, Poetry, Magazines, you know, the short stuff.

1. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman - finished January 31, 2018 - public library
2. Indian Summer of a Forsyte by John Galsworthy - finished February 7, 2018 - own
3. The Call of the Wild by Jack London - Finished February 24, 2018 - own - short novel (less than 150 pages)
4. The Wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton - finished February 23, 2018 - own
5. Awakening by John Galsworthy - finished June 2, 2018 - own - Interlude between In Chancery and To Let
6. If Wishes Were Horses by Anne McCaffrey - finished May 2018 - own - iPad
7. An Exchange of Gifts by Anne McCaffrey - finished May 2016 - own iPad
8. The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold - finished June 7, 2018 - own - iPad - new
9. Henry Works by D. B. Johnson - Finished November 28, 2018 - for Charlie
10. Henry Climbs a Mountain by D. B. Johnson - Finished November 30, 2018 - for Charlie
11. Snowdrift by Georgette Heyer - finished December 14,2018 - public library
12. Discover, all 2018 issues - nov and dec
13. The Luck of Roaring Camp and other stories Bret Harte - finished December 26, 2018

8. Where Does This Go?

Miscellaneous and rereads.

1. The Man of Property by John Galsworthy - finished January 19, 2018 - own - reread - group read
2. The Danish Scheme by Herb Sakalaucks - finished February 13, 2018 - own - reread
3. A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn - Finished February 19, 2018 - public library - reread
4. A Call to Arms by David Weber and Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope - finished February 21, 2018 - public library
5. House of Steel by David Weber - finished Februrary 23, 2018 - own - ebook
6. The Weight of This World by David Joy - finished February 25, 2018 - public library - good writing; I could see the places from his descriptions and I think he knows the people of the hollows very well - hard subjects {PTSD and drug addition; lives falling apart} - takes place very near where I live. - made me think - will never reread.
7. In Chancery by John Galsworty - finished sometime in March 2018 - own - reread - group read
8. Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters - finished March 2018 - own - reread
9. Devil's Claw by J. A. Jance - Finished June 2, 2018 - public library - reread
10. Banking on Death by Emma Lathen - finished June 12, 2018 - own - reread
11. To Let by John Galsworthy - June 12, 2018 - own - reread - group read
12. Watership Down by Richard Adams - June 15, 2018 - own - reread
13. For Kicks by Dick Francis - June 16, 2018 - own - reread
14. Stardust by Neil Gaiman - June 18, 2018 - public library - reread - group read
15. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron - June 23, 2018 - public library
16. Star Wars: The Magic of Myth by Mary Henderson - June 27, 2018 - own
17. A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron - June 28, 2018 - public library
18. The Gates of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey -July 4, 2018 - public library - reread
19. The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick - finished November 21, 2018 - public library
20. Partner in Crime by J. A. Jance - finished December 10, 2018 - public library

9. CATS

ColorCAT

January/Black - Dark as Night - Black Powder War - Packing for Mars - Death of a Harvard Freshman
February/Brown - The Battle for Newfoundland ebook cover; The Wisdom of Father Brown; The Weight of this World
March/Green - 8. Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters
April/Yellow -
May/Blue -
June/Purple - Banking on Death by Emma Lathen
July/Pink -
August/Grey -
September/Metallic -
October/Orange -
November/Red -
December/White -

MysteryCAT

January: Nordic Mysteries - The Keeper of Lost Causes
February: Female Cop/Sleuth/Detective - Crocodile on the Sandbank - Now Let's Talk of Graves - Magpie Murders - Under the Beetle's Cellar - Song of the Lion - Dark in Death
March: Global Mysteries -
April: Classic and Golden Age Mysteries -
May: Mysteries involving Transit -
June: True Crime -
July: Police Procedurals -
August: Historical Mysteries -
September: Noir and Hard-Boiled Mysteries -
October: Espionage -
November: Cozy Mysteries -

RandomCAT

January - a book bullet - Black Powder War - the whole series really
February - festival/holiday - Now Let's Talk of Graves
March -
April -
May -
June - Unusual Narrators - A Dog's Purpose
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

10. DOGS

1. Title contains a person’s rank, real or fictional - The Honor of the Queen by David Weber
2. Story involves travel - Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
3. A long-time TBR/TBR the longest - Under the Beetle's Cellar by Mary Willis Walker
4. Poetry or plays
5. New-to-you author - Hand to Mouth by Linda Tirado
6. Autobiography/memoir
7. Book with a beautiful cover (in your opinion) - Song of the Lion by Anne Hillerman
8. Book that fits at least 2 KIT’s/CAT’s - Death of a Harvard Freshman
9. Related to the Pacific Ocean - The Other Lady Vanishes - takes place at coastal resort
10. Title contains something you would see in the sky - Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
11. Book bought in 2017 that hasn’t been read yet - The Code Book by Simon Singh
12. Number in the title - 1637 The Volga Rules
13. Book that is humorous
14. Book on the 1001 list - Frankenstein
15. LGBT central character
16. Book set during a holiday - Now Let's Talk of Graves
17. Fat book - 500 plus pages - any one of several Honorverse books
18. X somewhere in the title
19. Money in the title - any form of currency, type of payment, etc… - Green Grow The Dollars
20. Book published in 2018 - Dark in Death by J. D. Robb
21. Relative name in the title (aunt, niece, etc...)
22. Originally in a different language - Jar City
23. Published more than 100 years ago -Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
24. Title contains name of a famous person, real or fictional - Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
25. Read a CAT (middle square) - The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen

11. Group Reads

For reference and planning -

First quarter
January: Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
February: Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
March: Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell

Second quarter
April: The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer
May: Ulysses, by James Joyce
June:

Third quarter
July
August: Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe
September: English Renaissance drama

Fourth quarter
October: Neal Stephenson author read
November: World War One theme read
December

Multi-month reads
February/March/April: Young Henry of Navarre, by Heinrich Mann
August/September/October: Henry, King of France, by Heinrich Mann

Year-long group reads
Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset
The Forsyte Saga, by John Galsworthy
Short story collections - The Wisdom of Father Brown

The books with a touchstone are the ones I will try.

12. KITS

AlphaKit

Jan: V, M - Packing for Mars by Mary Roach - Death of a Harvard Freshman by Victoria Silver
another two by Elizabeth Moon: Trading in Danger and Marque and Reprisal
Feb : P, J - Fated by Benedict Jacka -Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - A Call to Arms by Thomas Pope - The Weight of This World by David Joy
Mar: F, I
Apr: Y, U
May: Q, K
Jun: G, R
Jul: S, A
Aug: O, D
Sep: B, E
Oct: N, L
Nov: T, H
Dec: C, W

Yearlong: X, Z - A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn

SFFKIT

January: "Read an SFF you meant to read in 2017, but never started/completed" - Black Powder War
February: "Urban Fantasy" - Kitty's House of Horrors - Fated
March: "Off World"
April: "Time Travel"
May: "Rise Up" Rise up as in revolution, movements/groups/individuals undermining authority
June: "Series"
July: "Cyberpunk or Techno SFF"
August: "Makes You Laugh"
September: Myths, Legends, & Fairy Tales
October: "Historical and Alt-historical"
November: "Creatures"
December: "This is how it ends"

ScaredyKIT

Jan - "Gothic" - Frankenstein
Feb - "Survival/Disaster" - Kitty's House of Horrors - Under the Beetle's Cellar - The Call of the Wild
Mar - "Weird Fiction" -
Apr - "Supernatural" -
May - "Close to Home" -
June - "Adapted to Screen" -
July - "Science/Techno Thrillers" -
Aug - "Series" -
Sept - "Stephen King and Family" -
Oct - "Ghost Stories" -
Nov - "Serial Killers" -
Dec - "Psychological Suspense" (or catchall) -

13. Unfinished Business

Mostly books started but somehow were put aside. I would like to go back and finish reading at least a couple of these.

1. Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann - Finished January 2, 2018 - own
2. Death of a Harvard Freshman by Victoria Silver -Finished January 27, 2018 - own

14. January

So far, I have these possibles for January:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - done
The Man of Property by John Galsworthy - done except for Interlude
Black Powder War by Naomi Novik - done
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen - done
The Code Book by Simon Singh - done
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach - done

and ordered from the public library

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Peter H. Wilson - started
Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado - done

Also need to finish Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann - done

This should do it.

Hope your 2018 is filled with good reads.

I look forward to seeing your categories and seeing what you find to fill them. Have a great year!

>17 thornton37814: and >18 mamzel:

Thanks for visiting. There are still some things to add to some of the topics above but I'm about set.

I've been checking out all the threads and it looks like there will be great reading (and book bullets) all over the place.

Everything is pretty well set up now and I have two books started.

It's unusually cold here and Jim started a fire going so guess where I'm spending my morning. Now to read a little in one of my books.

13. Unfinished Business

1. Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann - Finished January 2, 2018

It turns out that this was a reread as well as a leftover from December.

My review from 2009 -

The continuing story of Troubleshooters, Inc. This installment focuses on three couples: Nash and Tess, Dave and Sophia, and Tracy and Deck. An OK story though not really my all time favorite from Brockmann. We do get appearances of Jules, Robin, other Troubleshooters, and members of Paoletti's old SEALS team. While probably stand alone, this book will work best for those who have been following the cast of characters through the whole series.

Today, I know that my reading tastes have been changing ever since I started doing these challenges and well it was good enough for me to finish there were too many scenes that I just skimmed to get to the next scene. I had fallen into the habit of reading mostly romantic suspense and I have used the yearly challenge to get back to reading some of everything and to try "new" kinds of books. Today a romantic suspense is just a once in a while indulgence. Oddly, my previous favorite authors aren't really in that category anymore.

With the title and all the talk of the "black ops" these agents had taken part in, Dark as Night could fit the Random CAT.

Great idea to include a category for Unfinished Business. Have a great reading year!

Yesterday, I had a morning doctor's appointment in Greenville - just routine - and it turned into an all day trip. Jim was driving so I read some of The Code Book on the way. After the appointment we went to the Olive Garden for lunch. We've tried a bunch of places that aren't too far from her office and that one works best for us. Then we hit Office Depot for some stuff Jim wanted and then went to Mr.K's used books. I came out with six paperbacks - 4 SFF and 2 historical mysteries. Got home just after 4:00 P.M. and did nothing else for the rest of the day.

>23 hailelib:, sounds like it turned into a nice day out. A nice lunch and some book shopping with good company.

Great to see you all set up for 2018, Tricia. I am looking forward to following along. :)

Thanks for stopping by my thread! Looking forward to following your reading adventures.

There you are. I had a hard time finding your thread. Probably because I didn't know your real name is Tricia. Oops. I see you have poetry as part of one of your categories. I look forward to seeing what you'll read this year, esp the poetry.

Lovely to see your thread and looking forward to following your reading. Here is hoping things warm up where you are!

>24 Roro8: It was a nice day, but exhausting.

>25 DeltaQueen50: : >26 Crazymamie: Thanks for stopping by.

>27 VioletBramble: I don't actually read that much poetry but I always leave a place for it.

>28 lkernagh: I see your thread has been busy already! As for the weather, it's slightly warmer but with clouds and the promise of rain sometime this week. We are still having fires to keep warm and have a nice place to read.

I read a short book over the weekend which got me a Bingo square and an "M" for the AlphaKit.

3. Browsing the Stacks

2. Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado - 362.509 - Finished January 6, 2018

I ran across a reference to this book in an article about why poor Americans remain poor in which the author was quoted. Since my public library had a copy I decided to read it. There was an introduction by the author of Nickel and Dimed.

The book is a very quick read and Tirado's points are based on her own life but I could have done with fewer repetitions of the "f" word. However, she says that that's the way people in her America talk. First we get her definitions (slightly altered) of poverty, poor, etc.:

Poverty is when a quarter is a miracle.
Poor is when a dollar is a miracle.
Broke is when five dollars is a miracle.
Working class is broke living in a place that is not too run-down.
Middle class is when … you can buy your own furniture not lease it …you don't constantly worry about homelessness.
Rich is anything above that.

I guess most of us are rich from her point of view.

She goes on to explain how almost any adverse event can mean losing a job, apartment, all of one's possessions, as a consequence of something that most of us could quickly recover from. So every time a poor person experiences even a minor disaster or even loses work time because of sickness they are back to starting over and never do manage to pull out of the bottom rungs of society.

Tirado is also enraged by the way people who are well to do act superior to people ion low paying service jobs as though they are barely human. Also employers who take advantage because they know the workers can't afford to lose their jobs. And on and on.

While there are some differences of opinion about this book in the LT reviews, the overall rating is high.

------------

I have made progress on reading The Code Book and The Man of Property and started The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy

1. Discovery and Invention

3. The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Crytyography by Simon Singh - Finished January 10, 2017

My own shelves.

Another Bingo Square for book purchased in March 2017.

I really enjoyed this venture into the history of cryptography and cryptanalysis and the race between the code-makers and the code-breakers. There's a lot of history and some neat stories along the way. Although the last chapters about encryption and privacy were a little more complicated, I would recommend Singh's book to anyone interested in the subject. Singh was writing nearly 20 years ago, but the debate between those who are for complete privacy and various agencies like NSA and the FBI are ongoing.

Reading The Code Book also inspired me to pull from the shelves The Man Who Knew Too Much about Alan Turing and add it to the short stack of read very soon books on the coffee table and to add The Zimmerman Telegram to my Amazon wishlist.

I think next up, however, will be either Black Powder War or The Keeper of Lost Causes. Gotta get a CAT and a KIt or two this month after all.

>31 hailelib: That sounds interesting. I like Simon Singh, he's a great communicator.

I finished one for the January MysteryCAT and also used it for the center Bingo square. From my own shelves.

4. Armchair Travels

Books with a non US author or location.

4. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen - finished January 12, 2018 - own

Picked this up in a library sale since several people in the group have liked it well enough to continue the series. I will also probably read more of this series. The characters were interesting as was the problem they were trying to solve.

--------

Still reading my other two books and I have added Frankenstein for the Group Read. Technically this is a reread since I read it in 1972 and don't remember details. While Jim was stationed on the USS Valcour we were living in Manama, Bahrain and at that time English language books were hard to come by. But I had been a member of the SF Book Club for a while and was able to order from them. They offered an omnibus containing Dracula and Frankenstein in one volume and I read both one week while the ship was out to sea. Somehow, I've held on to a lot of the books from that time including this one.

Woke up this morning to a dusting of snow and still coming down, about one inch so far and not expected to be much above freezing this afternoon. The end of the week is forecast to be warm again but I'm already ready for winter to be over.

I put my other books aside for a couple of days and read my SFF book instead.

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

Science Fiction and Fantasy

5. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik - finished January 17, 2018 - own

This one worked for RandomCAT, ColorCAT, a Bingo square, and the SFFKit.

The third in the Temeraire series begins with Laurence and Temeraire still in China when they receive orders to immediately return home by way of Istanbul to pick up some special dragon eggs. They set off overland, traveling across Asia to the Ottoman Empire and from there across a Europe with Napoleon looking to conquer everything. So lots of adventures along the way and questions that can only be answered on their return. If you liked the first two books in the series then you will enjoy this one and probably should have the next one ready to go. Since my local library doesn't have it, I've been pondering Amazon Kindle even though I should wait and see if I can find it used somewhere.

Now to get back to my other January books and a few of the many threads I'm behind on!

It's so refreshing to just set aside all the other books you're reading and tear through something else. Sounds like you had good reading weather, too!

>31 hailelib: The Code Book is one that I've been meaning to read for a long time. I really should push it up higher on the TBR stack.

>34 hailelib: I just finished Black Powder War myself. I've enjoyed all the Temeraire books so far and it's nice that it satisfies the requirements of mutliple KITs/CATs.

>35 rabbitprincess:
It was a fun book! And now the weather has warmed up for the weekend.

>36 mathgirl40:
I really enjoyed The Code Book.

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8. Where Does This Go?

Miscellaneous and rereads.

6. The Man of Property by John Galsworthy - finished January 19, 2018

While technically a reread, I was in the first year of college and after all this time it might as well be the first time. I suspect the Saga as a whole will be a very different experience this time. It was slow going at first but once I was well into the book my interest picked up and I finished the last half rather quickly. At this point Soames and Irene are in a rather bad place and I blame both of them for this. Next, I'll read the Interlude but not just yet. Now to go see what others are thinking about the book.

>34 hailelib: - Great review of the Temeraire book! I loved the first book, which I listened to as an audioread, but stalled with the series, only because my local library didn't have the audiobook of the second one.

>37 hailelib: - I do need to get around to starting the Forsyte books, but probably not until February.

>38 lkernagh:

The Temeraire books have been great so far,

I'll probably wait tip February before I revisit the Forsytes,

1. Discovery and Invention

7. Packing for Mars by Mary Roach - Finished January 24, 2018 - own

ColorCAT, AlphaKit, Bingo square

I picked this as my third book to read at lunchtime as the other two are quite bulky, got caught up in Roach's narrative and just kept on putting most of my reading time into Packing for Mars. I learned something on nearly every page and loved her humorous way of describing some pretty serious topics. Definitely recommended.

I've nearly finished Frankenstein and have made a little progress on The Thirty Years War : Europe's Tragedy. It's a real brick with ~850 pages plus 70 pages of Notes and the font size, while not tiny, isn't particularly large. The information density is high as well. I'm still in the part where he is trying to explain the causes of the conflicts that began around 1618 and lasted until 1648, At least the endpapers are good maps.

>40 hailelib: - I was just recommending this book along with her other books to a friend of mine the other night. She doesn't read a whole lot but when she does she prefers non-fiction, but she also likes lighter fare. I figured Roach's books would be perfect for her.

>

I've got another of her books which I hope to get to sometime this year and I'm sure I'll like it too.

I've finished some more books and need to get caught up!

4. Armchair Travels

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - finished January 25, 2018 - Part of Dracula and Frankenstein, an omnibus from SFBC - own

GroupRead, Bingo square, ScaredyKIT

I wouldn't exactly say that I enjoyed Frankenstein but it was interesting. I did get a little tired of Victor's animosity toward's his creation. His running away and going into a paralyzing depression only made everything worse. He really didn't consider consequences when he embarked on his experiments.

9. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden - finished January 28, 2018 - public library

I had been aware of this series for some time, I think from the first time Judy mentioned it. A good YA from an Australian author.

During a school vacation, a group of teens go camping in a remote location, then return to find their parents missing and foreign soldiers occupying the town. Their first goal was survival and their second was to do something to fight the invasion. Recommended for anyone who reads YA from time to time.

13. Unfinished Business

10. Death of a Harvard Freshman by Victoria Silver -Finished January 27, 2018 - own

AlphaKit for V, ColorCAT, Bingo square

Started this around the end of November and kept putting it down and just picking it up for a chapter or two when I wanted a small paperback rather than whatever large book was next. I almost abandoned it about 20% in but then it got a bit better.

The main character, Lauren, is a rather self-absorbed freshman, bored by her classes but very bright. She was one off eleven freshmen who had been chosen to participate in a special seminar. After a presentation on the death of Rasputin, one of the seminar students is murdered in a similar fashion to Rasputin's death. Lauren thinks the murderer has to be another member of the class and she decides to investigate with the help of her friend Michael when the police don't seem to be doing anything. By the end of the book Lauren has grown up a little and is even ready to put more effort into her classes.

The mystery is somewhat interesting but overall I wouldn't recommend the book. I think there are good reasons why Silver only got two books published and has few copies on LibraryThing.

And two more, recent book bullets, but can't remember where I got them. I felt the need of some space opera and this series fit the bill

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

11. Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon - Finished January 26, 2018 - public library
12. Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon - Finished January30, 2018 - public library

Ky Vatta is kicked out of the Space Academy not long before she would have graduated. She was just trying to help another cadet but he caused a major problem for the government and she was the scapegoat. Her family are space traders and have been for generations so they put her on an old freighter as Captain (provisional) and send her off to deliver some cargo and to sell the ship as scrap at the end of the run. Of course they don't tell her that she is expected to balk and find a way to keep the ship. Naturally Ky runs into trouble, takes a side trip and finds more trouble when her drive quits on re-entry at Sabine. She does manage to make her way through and return to her original route. What happens before that is where the fun is for the reader.

The second book picks up right after the first and there are attacks against the whole Vatta company. Now, Ky's military training will be even more important. We do get some new characters and hints about where all this trouble is coming from. Once I've finished some of the library books I currently have out, I'll be ordering book three of Vatta's War (the series title).

>45 hailelib: I keep meaning to get around to picking up some of her work. So far I've only read a short story or two that I've happened across in collections and as I enjoyed them I want to check out her longer stories. It's good to hear that after reading two books of the series you're eager to get to the third.

>46 AHS-Wolfy:
I've been reading a lot of space opera lately so this series was a natural for me! Hope you like it whenever you get around to it.

One last book for January and I even get a Bingo square from it!

7. The Short Stuff

13. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman - finished January 31, 2018 - public library

I chose this category since the "novel" is very short at 140 sparsely filled pages as well as being a collection of short stories about time.
This takes place in 1905 and there are a few short glimpses of Einstein's life and the other chapters are the dreams about the nature of time that Einstein might have had while he was formulating his ideas on relativity. By the time I was halfway through the book I was also thinking about Calvino's Invisible Cities as Lightman was using a similar structure for his stories. While I read this quickly it seems to me that a future reread, taking it slowly with only two or three a day and some time to think about the different ways time might be, would repay itself.

For January -

Total items read - 13

From my shelves - 8

From he public library - 5

Women authors - 8 ; men - 5

Purchased - 5 (for kindle app)

Bingo squares - 9

Did all Cats, Kits, 2 group reads

Currently Reading: The Thirty Years War; The Man Who Knew Too Much about Alan Turing; By Gaslight

Those are very impressive stats!

February Reading

Possible for Cats:

The Wisdom of Father Brown by g. K. Chesterton - done
The Story of Maps by Lloyd A. Brown
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - done
Under the Beetle's Cellar by Mary Willis Walker - done
Now Let's Talk of Graves by Sarah Shankman - done
New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith

Group reads: Don Quixote - started; Indian Summer of a Forsyte - done

Possibles for Kits:

Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn - done
Fated by Benedict Jacka - done
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Call of the Wild by Jack London (if I can find our copy) - done

Others held over from January:

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Wilson - started
By Gaslight by Steven Pride - started
The Man Who Knew Too Much by Leavitt - started

Maybe:

The Weight of the World by David Joy - done
All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai - started
Song of the Lion by Anne Hillerman - done
The Magpie Murders by Horowitz - done
2 from Ring of Fire Press - done
2 from the Honorverse - done

Possibly a little too ambitious ...

Currently Reading

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Wilson
By Gaslight by Steven Pride
The Man Who Knew Too Much by Leavitt
Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

>51 hailelib: I've got Father Brown lined up for the ColourCAT too! :)

Looks like you had a good reading month in January!

>54 lkernagh: I did have some good reading in January and got those Bingo squares without actually choosing the books for that.

I've done some reading in several books and have finished two. I've also decided to put the last half of The Man Who Knew Too Much on hold for a while. It's a very slow read so far because it's as much about Turing's mathematical discoveries as about his life. To understand it all requires very slow reading …

So here are two quick books for the SFFKit.

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

14. Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn - finished February 2, 2018 - public library

This is the 7th book in the Kitty Norville series. Kitty has a late night radio show in Denver where readers can call in their questions and theories about the paranormal. She also happens to be a werewolf as is her husband, a Denver lawyer. She is offered the chance to take part in a TV show along with other members of the paranormal community, filming to take place in a remote area in Montana. Not everything is as it seems and their survival is in question.

This works for the SFFKit and by a bit of a stretch also the ScaredyKit

After finishing the book, I realized I was still in the mood for some urban fantasy so I went ahead with another.

15. Fated by Benedict Jacka - finished February 4, 2018 - public library

SFFKit and AlphaKit for "J".

Alex runs a magic shop in a quiet part of London and tends to keep out of the affairs of other mages. His own power is the ability to see the possible futures and to pick the one where he survives. It also allows him quite a bit of insight into the people he interacts with. An artifact is discovered which holds a magic device of great power and various groups of mages, Light and Dark, begin pressuring Alex into to using his powers as a diviner to help them open the relic. As it happens he can figure out the key but practically every path he can take will lead to his demise at the hand of one or another faction. I thought this was a pretty good first in series book and will probably read the next one if I come across it. (Unfortunately, the library only has this one.)

>56 hailelib: Ooh, Fated does sound interesting! I'll have to see if my library has it.

>56 hailelib: I was planning on Fated for the SFFKit too as I don't have next volumes at hand in any of my already ongoing series. Glad to see that you enjoyed it.

>57 christina_reads: and >58 AHS-Wolfy:

I hope you both like Fated when you get to it.

And a reread of the first book in a favorite series.

5. Follow the Clues

16. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - finished January 5, 2018 - own - reread

I'm using this for the AlphaKit for "P" and since the series turned into a mystery/adventure series with Amelia instigating the investigations even though Emerson was more interested completing his digs I'm using Amelia as a female sleuth for the MysteryCat.

Amelia Peabody's adventures begin when she inherits her father's wealth (over the protests of her brothers) and decides to travel and see all the ancient sights that she had studied along with her father. In Rome Amelia rescues Evelyn, a gently raised girl who had eloped with a man, Alberto, who proved to be a scoundrel. Amelia takes on Evelyn as a companion and they travel on to Cairo where Amelia falls in love with the pyramids. They hire a houseboat and travel along the Nile visiting all the historical sites, finally coming to El Amarnah where the Emersons are excavating. The elder brother is quite sick and the younger asks for their help. Mysterious happenings and romance ensue.

The author was an Egyptologist as well as an author and she describes the Egypt and the archaeology of the late 1880s very well.

My original review was from Jan 2006 and I actually gave it a rating, a rare thing for me. Almost 5 stars if anyone is interested. Now it would probably be more like 4.

>59 hailelib: Excellent review! I have that one on the shelf. It's one of my potential books for AlphaKIT this month. After reading your review I'll put it at the top of the list.

ETA: Oops, it appears I have already read this one.

>59 hailelib: I think it was Robertgreaves who read the Amelia Peabody series last year and made them sound very appealing! One day, when Mt TBR is less daunting... (sigh).

>59 hailelib: I've considered starting this series but just never got around to it, but your review is making me think I need to get to it soon.

I am glad to read that you enjoyed Tomorrow When The War Began, I have enjoyed the series, particularly the first three after which they got a little repetitive but I am down to only having one more book to read.

Elizabeth Moon is an author that is on my to-read list as well. I have The Sheepfarmer's Daughter on my TBR which I think is more fantasy than sci-fi.

7. The Short Stuff

17. Indian Summer of a Forsyte by John Galsworthy - finished February 7, 2018 - own as part of first volume of the Saga

I read this today. It's a nice picture of the retired Old Jolyon in his country house, the one built by Bosinney. He meets Irene one afternoon and they begin to visit with Old Jolyon greatly enjoying this new friendship. The ending is a bit sad but I was glad for him in his enjoyment of his final summer.

I'll probably wait 'til March to start the next volume, In Chancery.

>60 VivienneR: It makes for an enjoyable reread if you liked it the first time!

>61 Jackie_K: and >62 virginiahomeschooler: Hope you like it when you do get to it.

>63 DeltaQueen50: I read another book, So Much to Tell You, by him some time ago which was very different and not part of a series that I also liked.

The Vatta series is one I'll continue soon.

Tuesday, Jim wanted to go to Greenville to get a battery for his Jeep and I went along with him. The place he wanted was near Mr. K's, a used bookstore, so we went by there and came out with six books which I've finished cataloging this afternoon.

We found in nonfiction Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams.

In fiction I picked up these:

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
The Anonymous Venetian by Donna Leon
Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
A Wizard in Mind by Christopher Stasheff
Take a Thief by Mercedes Lackey

I really need to go through my various lists and write down on one page the titles I most want to look for before I go book shopping again.
Trying to remember without help doesn't work so well and my iPad is wifi only and the cell phone is an inexpensive pay-as-you-go so I don't use the browser on it. Thus memory or a written list. Just browsing does lead to some good finds though.

The trip just about doubled the bought in 2018 total. And I meant to read as much already on my shelves as I could this year!

Great haul! I hope you like Jar City :)

I'm way behind so I'll just list those I've read since my last update very briefly in no particular order.

18. Now Let's Talk of Graves by Sarah Shankman - finished February 9, 2018 - own - mystery about a death that takes place during Mardi Gras

19. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - finished ~February 11, 2018 - Public library - unusual but good

20. Song of the Lion by Anne Hillerman - finished February 14, 2018 - public library - Features Chee-Leaphorn-Bernie

21. Under the Beetle's Cellar by Mary Willis Walker - finished February 17, 2018 - own - hostage situation with young children

22. Dark in Death by J. D. Robb - Finished February 21, 2018 - public library - a fairly good "in Death" book

23. The Battle for Newfoundland by Herb Sakalaucks - Finished February 14, 2018 - own - ebook -newish side story in Ring of Fire series

24. The Call of the Wild by Jack London - Finished February 24, 2018 - own - short novel (less than 150 pages) - survival

25. The Wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton - finished February 23, 2018 - own - liked the TV series better

26. 2. The Danish Scheme by Herb Sakalaucks - finished February 13, 2018 - own - reread because I had the next one and wanted to refresh my memory

27. A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn - Finished February 19, 2018 - public library - reread

28. A Call to Arms by David Weber and Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope - finished February 21, 2018 - public library - reread - these because I've ordered the next one from Amazon and wanted to remember the details of these Honorverse novels from the early history of Manticore.

More catching up …

29. House of Steel by David Weber - finished Februrary 23, 2018 - more prequel story for Honor Harrington + BuNine's history of Manticore

30. Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Asron - Finished February 27, 2018 - own - ebook - urban fantasy - 1st in series - will definitely read next one when want light entertainment

31. Latter End by Patricia Wentworth - Finished 26, 2018 - own - ebook - British Golden Age mystery - Who poisoned Mrs. Latter?

32. All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai - finished February 28, 2018 - public library -uses time travel and alternate time-lines to explore life, relationships, etc. May well be one of the best books I read this year.

33. The Weight of This World by David Joy - finished February 25, 2018 - public library - good writing; I could see the places from his descriptions and I think he knows the people of the hollows very well - hard subjects {PTSD and drug addition; lives falling apart} - takes place very near where I live. - made me think - will never reread.

>69 hailelib: I like your thoughts on The Weight of This World, Tricia. I will never re-read it either, but it was a very good book on those hard subjects.

For February -

Total items read - 20

From my shelves - 11

From the public library - 9

By women authors - 10 ; men - 10

Purchased - 2 (for kindle app)

Bingo squares - 4 for a total of 13

Did all Cats, Kits, worked on some group reads

Currently Reading: The Thirty Years War; The Man Who Knew Too Much about Alan Turing; By Gaslight, Don Quixote, In Chancery 9 Second in Forsyte Saga)

>70 DeltaQueen50:

Any book that makes one think is a good one to have read and I like to get out of my comfort zone from time to time.

----

In February I did a lot of unplanned reading so I've got several to either carry over (4) or put back on the shelves (3) but that's OK!

March Reading

Possible for Cats:

Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters
The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Cradle to Cradle by McDonough and Braungart

Group reads: Don Quixote - started; In Chancery} started; Cloud Atlas

Possibles for Kits:

Authority by Jeff Vandemeer
A Call to Vengeance by David Weber et. al.

Others held over from January:

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Wilson - started
By Gaslight by Steven Pride - started
The Man Who Knew Too Much by Leavitt - started

Maybe:

Watership Down by Richard Adams

>69 hailelib: Good to see your very positive words about All Our Wrong Todays! It's been on my to-read list for a while, and now I'm even more excited about it!

I've been concentrating on three books the last couple of days:

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy
In Chancery
The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe

We've been having some nice, sunny days here although the nights are pretty cool. The rain will be back on Tuesday, however. It does seem to be trying for spring as the early flowers are blooming now.

>33 hailelib:
Yes! The characters in Department Q are just so intriguing to follow.

>40 hailelib:
Mary Roach is the best for answering questions you didn't know you had. :)

Lots of reading but no posting for quite some time. I'll list books read in small batches over the next few days. Petty much in reverse order.

34. Death on Doomsday by Elizabeth Lemarchand - Finished May 24, 2018 - own

Early seventies mystery that takes place in a Stately Home. OK entry in her Pollard series

35. Outrageous Fortune by Patricia Wentworth - Finished May 2018 - own

Not as good as her Miss Silver series. From the thirties.

36. Sweet and Low by Emma Lathen - Finished May 2018 - own - reread

Dealing in commodity futures can be deadly! A John Putnam Thatcher mystery with him investigating the chocolate industry. Pretty good. 1974

37. The Longer the Thread by Emma Lathen - Finished May 2018 - own - reread

Not as good as some of the Thatcher series but I still enjoyed it. The Main action is in Puerto Rica. 1971

38. Tombstone Courage by J. A. Jance - Finished May 2018 - public library - reread

After reading all the Joanna Brady series on my own shelves, I got a couple of the early ones from the library and read them. I really like this series by Jance but the other two by her that I have tried I don't like as well.

39. Shoot Don't Shoot by J. A. Jance - Finished May 2018 - public library - reread

The third in the series with family relationships playing a part.

40. The Shortest Way to Hades by Sarah Caudwell - finished May 2018 - own

I don't recall having read this one before. It's Caudwell's second book about a group of young barristers in London and their professor friend. An interesting aspect is that we don't really know the professors gender as it is never mentioned. As in the first book much of the story is conveyed through letters. Published 1984.

41. Thus was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell - finished May 2018 - own - reread

The first in Caudwell's series. The first time I read this, many years ago, I wasn't sure that I liked it but this time I loved the way the story is told even though I'm not a fan of using letters as a major vehicle for story telling. It was the language and humor that I enjoyed this time. Published 1982.

These were all mysteries.

Moe mysteries. I've been reading mysteries for weeks …

42. Troubled Waters by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished May 27,2018 - own

Just finished this one during lunch. Troubled Waters is one of the later books in the Tom Pollard series and he is now a Detective-Chief Superintendent. He has been called to determine if a case thought to be closed should be reopened in the village of Woodcombe. while published in 1982 it has the feel of a seventies British mystery. A reasonable weekend diversion.

43. A Lesson in Dying by Ann Cleeves - Finished May, 2018 - own

From 1990, first in a series featuring Inspector Ramsey. OK.

44. Outlaw Mountain by J. A. Jance - finished May 2018 - own - reread

More Joanna Brady. I not only like the recurring characters in these books but I ove the southern Arizona setting.

45. Skeleton Canyon by J. A. Jance - finished May 2018 - own - reread

And another one.

Once I started reading mysteries I just keep going back to those shelves. I'm surprised at how many of the books there were apparently never read. My mother used to bring me the ones she was finished with and I was buying some myself but at some point I started reading fewer than were coming in and none left unless they were very bad. A lot of these are probably about 3 stars out of 5 if I actually tried to rate them. And here are four more incluing two featuring Sheriff Joanna Brady. And I'm pretty sure I've worked my way back to April for dead tree books.

46. Murder behind Closed Doors by Phillps Lore - finished April 2018 - own

The author is using a pen name and I need to investigate why no touchstone. The detective is a millionaire amateur detective who is a lawyer in Chicago and the murder is a locked room puzzle. I might read the other one I have about the same character. From 1980
-
47. Rattlesnake Crossing - by J. A. Jance - finished Aprll 2018 - own - reread - a Brady mystery

48. Desert Heat by J. A. Jance - finished April 2018 - own - reread - how Joanna Brady came to run for Sheriff

49. Golden Rain by Douglas Clark - finished April 2018 - own

A British police procedural from 1980. A bit above average for the others I have been reading lately

More older mysteries …

50. A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy by Ann Cleeves - finished April 2018 - own

featuring Inspector Ramsey. OK. From 1992

51. Step in the Dark by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished April 2018 - own - from 1976
52. Nothing to Do with the Case by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished April 2018 - own - from 1981
53. The Affacombe Affair by Elizabeth Lemarchand - finished April 2018 - own - from 1968

All three featuring Tom Pollard at various points in his career with Scotland Yard. All similar in style and just good enough that I kept on reading them.

ETA to fix numbers

Great to see you back posting, Tricia!

>82 DeltaQueen50:
As you can see, I didn't quit reading but between physical and other problems there wasn't much keeping up with Librarything or much of anything really. Now I'm playing catch up and don't intend to have anymore long pauses. Knock on wood.

And three more mysteries which takes us back to March (I think) or at least early April.

54. Green Grow the Dollars by Emma Lathen - finished May 30, 2018 - own - reread

What might be considered comfort reading is still happening with this older mystery that I just finished yesterday. One of the later in the series finds John Putnam Thatcher embroiled in the patent dispute between an old established seed company and a new, small one. Who developed the revolutionary new tomato and why did it lead to murder?

55. Appleby's other Story by Michael Innes - finished April 2018 - own

Appleby may have retired from the yard but mysteries are still coming his way. this one has murder, art theft, and plenty of suspects. Also a number of literary references which add to the enjoyment of the mystery. (The Forsyte Saga turned up on page one.) I hadn't read one of this series in a long time and had forgotten that I rather liked them.

56.Jar City by Arnaldur Indriason - finished March 2018 - own

The second of the series that I have read and enjoyed so I'll be reading more of these at some point.

This book came at about the time I began reading one mystery after another as a change from the SF I had been reading. I'll get to that in a later post …

The mystery tour is still ongoing with my current book being Murder on the Ballarat Train. I hope to mix a few other things in though as I just received Neogenesis from Amazon and will be visiting the Liaden universe soon.

ETA - Two of these are going to let me fill Bingo squares! And I needed to fix the numbers.

8. Where Does This Go?

57. In Chancery by John Galsworty - finished sometime in March 2018 - own - reread - group read

I did actually read this on the schedule that I had in mind and it was very good. Because the characters were already in mind I just breezed through the text. I still need to read the Interlude which is in my copy and plan to get to it soon so that I can start To Let. Since I have the entire Chronicles I'll probably just keep on with the Forsytes.

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

58. 1637: The Volga Rules by Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, and Gorg Huff - finished mid-March 2018 - own

The sequel to The Kremlin Games and the serfs are rebelling, many heading for Ufa where Czar Mikhail is trying to establish a new capital and a government-in-exile. Will Mother Russia be changed forever?

59. A Call to Vengeance by David Weber,Timothy Zahn with Thomas Pope - finished mid-March - own

The third volume in the side series, Manticore Ascendant. More adventure in the Honorverse before Manticore became a major trading hub for the known galaxy.

ETA - 1637 is a number! So, another Bingo square.

Where Does This Go?

60. Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters - finished March 2018 - own - reread

This was picked off the shelves or the March ColorCat - green in the title and a mostly green cover. An amusing romp thru Scotland. Susan traveled to Scotland to help at an archaeological dig but things didn't go to plan and she and the chance met Jaime are soon on the run from both the police and the villains.

4. Armchair Travels

61. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood - finished May 2018 - ebook on iPad - own
62. Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood - finished June 1, 2018 - public library

These two Phryne Fisher mysteries are short, funny, fast reads that I enjoyed. However, I have a slight preference for the TV series based on them. Both are worth checking out. I do love the covers on these books.

7. The Short Stuff

63. Awakening by John Galsworthy - finished June 2, 2018 - own - Interlude between In Chancery and To Let

A charming story of the very young Jon Forsyte as he is changing from a little boy immersed in little boy amusements to an older boy almost ready to look beyond his previous horizons.

8. Where Does This Go?

64. Devil's Claw by J. A. Jance - Finished June 2, 2018 - public library - reread

Sheriff Brady has a busy week coming up as there is a birthday celebration for her daughter, Jenny, her own wedding plans to finalize (at least Butch is taking care of most of those) and her desk to clear so she can take a week for a honeymoon. The last things she needed was the death of an elderly neighbor, a missing teen, and a murder to solve. Another good mystery set in southern Arizona.

Next up is Neogenesis and a visit with Clan Korval, Theo, and more in the Liaden universe.

After that is undecided as I haven't really thought about June reading. There are still books to list that I read earlier!

And I almost forgot about

4. Armchair Travels

65. The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith - finished April 2018

I always like the stories in this series.

Great reading-progress!

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

66. Neogenesis by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - finished June r4, 2018 - own

The most recent book in the Liaden series, Neogenesis brings some of the story arcs from previous books to a close, more or less. There are still a few complications and it would seem that the Turtles will be playing a part in next story. I did read this out of order but I was able to figure out enough of what had been happening in the previous novel that I did enjoy this one.

This hardcover edition also contains the short story "The Space at Tinsori Light".

I'm now reading City of Illusions by LeGuin from 1967.

A couple of items from my earlier reading.

7. The Short Stuff

67. If Wishes Were Horses by Anne McCaffrey - finished May 2018 - own - iPad

A short fantasy novella in a medieval type setting. Pretty good.

68. An Exchange of Gifts by Anne McCaffrey - finished May 2016 - own - iPad

A short story that was more like a fairy tale than anything else. Enjoyable for what it was.

In March I reread almost all of the Honorveerse books including five of the six anthologies. This brings me up to about 20 more books so I'm calling it a total of 88 books so far - not counting the ones for the past few days. These are space opera with lots of military and political action. They did get me the over 500 pages Bingo square for more than one book. Weber is a bit verbose at times.

During the last week I've finished three books and a novella -

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

89. City of Illusions by Ursula K. LeGuin - finished June 6, 2018 - own

One of her earlier books of a far future but still good. A man wakes up in the forest with no memory and with unusual eyes that mark him as not quite human. A group of forest people take him in and teach him their ways but in time he leaves to travel west to the city of the Shing in hopes of finding out about his past. Are the Shing his enemies or his friends?

7. The Short Stuff

90. The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold - finished June 7, 2018 - own - iPad - new

A Vorkosigan story with Ekaterin as the main character. She is working with Enrique Bargos to find a way to speed up the recovery of lands devastated in the Cetagandan invasion. They find that the Vashnoi zone holds something neither expected.

8. Where Does This Go?

91. Banking on Death by Emma Lathen - finished June 12, 2018 - own - reread - from 1961

The very first novel featuring John Putnam Thatcher. Even so the two authors had their style down perfectly. The series does not need to be read chronologically to enjoy the stories though this is the book where Ken Nichols meets his wife. A Trust is coming to an end and the funds will soon be distributed when the bank is informed that one of the beneficiaries is missing. After investigating, Thatcher and his subordinate Nichols discover that the heir has been recently murdered. Money is just one of the possible motives Thatcher has to consider as he works out the truth.

92. To Let by John Galsworthy - June 12, 2018 - own - reread

The third volume in The Forsyte Saga. The time jumps to 1920 and and many of the familiar characters are still around. Jon and Fleur are nineteen and fall victim to young love. Their parents are horrified to find that they have even met, much less become infatuated with one another. In this period after the war things seem to be changing in ways baffling to men like Soames and now his beloved Fleur is bent on a relationship he sees as disastrous. Galsworthy draws the reader in makes you care about these people, even the flawed ones.

Currently reading Watership Down.

Three more finished -

8. Where Does This Go?

93. Watership Down by Richard Adams - June 15, 2018 - own - reread

It had been a very long time since I last read this; in fact, the last time was when Mitchell was about eight and Jim read it aloud after dinner to both of us. One of the last books we read with Mitchell - after that, he generally read to himself. When he was eleven he read the book for himself and before writing his report there were long discussions between him and Jim about allegory and metaphor and just what the book meant.

I'm using it for the unusual narrator challenge although I've decided that much of the narration is by the author, mostly from Hazel's point of view. However many of the rabbits, in particular Dandelion, would tell stories of their own adventures and of the adventures of El-ahrairah, The Prince with a Thousand Enemies, who was the rabbits' folk hero. I had forgotten just how good a story it was and really raced through it. This old paperback is getting rather worn now.

94. For Kicks by Dick Francis - June 16, 2018 - own - reread

Very much in the Francis style. And a nice violet cover! Very good.

95. Stardust by Neil Gaiman - June 18, 2018 - public library - reread - group read

For the LT movie/book discussion towards the end of the month. I like the book but I still like the movie more. Both provide fun entertainment as fairy tale type stories.

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I've begun the first volume of Galworthy's A Modern Comedy. I have a copy from 1930 that looks as though it might come apart with a lot of handling so I got a 99 cent copy for my kindle app from Amazon that has all nine volumes along with all the interludes and a prequel story. A lot of new characters so am proceeding slowly on that.

I also started The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and have gotten almost halfway which only leaves Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin that were originally planned for June. There have been several days which were mostly reading!

Sunday I watched the first episode of The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers on Netflix. I had barely started when Jim wandered in and asked what I was watching, then sat down and watched with me. Afterwards, he suggested we send the DVD set to our son … it's very good so far and I got the accompanying book from the library yesterday. There were 24 hours of recording but only six one-hour programs so much of the additional material was put into the book. We'll be watching an episode every few days and I'll be doing some reading. The clips they showed from Star Wars reminded me of a book I have, Star wars: The Magic of Myth by Mary Henderson. I've looked at the pretty pictures but never read the text so I pulled that off the shelves as well. We'll see how that all goes.

I also have A Dog's Purpose from the library. A book bullet from DeltaQueen!

2. When, What, Who?

96. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - June 21, 2018 - own

I rather liked this book although I can see why some readers have problems with it. There is a lot of jumping back and forth between various people and events but having read the book in a fairly short time I was able to keep up. Lots of interesting bits of information woven into the story. Larson says that the Chicago fair changed America; it certainly gave a wider perspective to many of the people who attended during the six months it was open.

Oh, I hope you enjoy A Dog's Purpose and I hope you are ready to shed a tear or two as well. :)

8. Where Does This Go?

97. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron - June 23, 2018 - public library

Really good with happy moments and sad ones. A fast read that I would recommend. One for the unusual narrator category as well.

My copy had a teaser for the sequel which is now ordered from the library.

Reading A Modern Comedy, Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth, Star wars: The Magic of Myth, and Smoke from this Altar. All are just started but I should finish something this week ...

8. Where Does This Go?

98. Star Wars: The Magic of Myth by Mary Henderson - June 27, 2018 - own

This was the companion volume to a Smithsonian exhibition and therefore very well illustrated. Full of information about both the movie and the referenced myths in Star Wars, all of which was very interesting.

99. A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron June 28, 2018 - public library

If you liked A Dog's Purpose you will probably like this one too. It begins right after the end of the first book and gives us the further adventures of Buddy and his future lives.

4. Armchair Travels

100. Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin - finished July 3, 2018 - recent purchase

An Erast Fandorin story translated from the Russian. There has been a mysterious crime in Paris, the murder of ten people, and Police Commissioner Gauche has determined that the murderer intends to sail on the Leviathan. He arranges his own passage and also that he will be ding with his suspects. The story is told from the viewpoints of the Commissioner and those suspects with each chapter alternating between these characters. Fandorin joins the ship in Cairo and it is he who solves the mystery before they reach their final port. I loved this and will be on the lookout for the next book in the series.

8. Where Does This Go?

101. The Gates of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey -July 4, 2018 - public library - reread

6. Other Worlds, Other Times

102. Dies the Fire by S. M. Sterling - finished July 7, 2018 - recent purchase

103. The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey - Finished July 10, 2018 - recent purchase

>101 hailelib: Murder on the Leviathan was fun! Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

>95 hailelib:
I do love Stardust, the book, but I do agree that the movie is quite spectacular.

Decided to do a little 2018 updating before totally moving into 2019 …

A lot of my reading in the last half of the year involved rereading, namely in the Laden Universe and in the Honorverse. There were also a lot of mysteries as leavening for all that space opera. These were eventually added to the categories above.

I had finally acquired the Liaden novels that I was missing and began reading all of them chronologically along with the shorter stories in A Liaden Constellation, Volumes 1 -3. I highly recommend this approach to the Liaden books when doing a reread as many points became much clearer for me and I made a number of connections that I had missed on reading the novels randomly as I acquired them.

Then having acquired the most recent book featuring Honor Harrington I did a similar reread of the Honorverse beginning with The Travis Long trilogy and including nearly all of the short stories and the side series. This is military space opera so not for everyone but I enjoy the books although on this read I did a lot of skimming of Weber's technical data dumps as he tends to repeat himself in case the reader has forgotten stuff since the last book. Also some repetition since some of the later books are running simultaneously and we are getting an event from a different viewpoint as the main characters in the side series are mostly a different set of people.

After all that I took the stack of Discover Magazine for all of 2018 and read all ten issues cover to cover except for the advertisements. A nice change of pace from all that SFF.

The last week or so I finished a couple of books that were started a long time ago and never were finished. The first was The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Stories by Bret Harte. Definitely not likely to ever be reread as they were full of characters I didn't like and generally had depressing endings. There was however a Christmas story of sorts.

Then I picked up Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Apparently I was interrupted at about 70 pages in and never got back to the book. I had forgotten so much that I just started over and read it in less than three days. An excellent time travel book and a good historical story set in 1348. This would be highly recommended.

I've started Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts which is the sequel to Year One which I read last month. Sort of a dystopian fantasy with the fall of civilization and the rise of magic both good and bad. I may or may not finish before the first.

I more or less achieved my goals for the first half of the year and kinda went where I wanted the last half and I'm OK with how It came out even though the posting was missing for so long. Le's see how next year goes!

That sounds like an excellent second half of 2018, especially getting through all those magazines. I am terrible at reading magazines and am usually about five issues behind on my one subscription (Doctor Who Magazine). Fortunately that magazine is on my iPad rather than in physical form.

Hope you have a great reading year in 2019!

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with good health and good reading.