Clue 2013

This is my third year for this challenge and I love it! The 2012 challenge went so fast! This year my goal will be 30 books that came into the house prior to Jan 1 2013 be they ebooks or hardcopy.

2 Saving space

January:

1. The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
2. Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society by Amy Hill Hearth
3. The Chili Queen: A Novel by Sandra Dallas

The Winter Queen is a mystery that takes place in Russia in 1876. Sometimes the plot gets a little unrealistic but it's the first in a series and I liked it enough to try the next one. The writing is good and there is a strong sense of place. It's been on the shelf about 2 years.

I did not like Miss Dreamsville although it's getting good recommendations on both LT and Amazon. It's what a friend calls the Southern Silly genre and this type of book just doesn't appeal to me. It was for a bookclub or I wouldn't have read it to begin with although I was hoping to be favorably surprised because the author also wrote Having Our Say: The First One Hundred Years of the Delaney Sisters. I was not surprised. Purchased in 2012.

I thought the Chili Queen was great entertainment! A Western, it takes place in a small town in New Mexico. There are colorful characters, most of them women, and the story has lots of surprises. It's one of those you wonder how it could have been on the shelf so long...in this case 6 years!

4. A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch

I haven't read as much in the last 10 days due to a trip and was happy to get back to my evening reading schedule mid week. A Death in the Small Hours is the 6th book in the Charles Lennox series by Charles Finch and one of my favorites. Reading the reviews on LT I see that isn't true for everyone though.

By the time of this book Charles has been a member of Parliament for several years and has not been doing any detection although he does consult with his young friend John Dallington on his cases. When a letter arrives from Charles' uncle asking him to come visit and help solve a murder in the quiet town near his estate Charles thinks he will decline but later changes his mind, not because of the promise of the investigation, but because he is due to give an important speech in Parliament and is being continually distracted by the visits of other politicians trying to influence his topic. And so off they go, Charles, his wife Jane, their baby Sophie, and nursemaid Miss Taylor, to Uncle Frederick and Everley.

I found the mystery good, the setting charming and the new characters introduced to the series interesting. With each book there is greater depth to Lennox as he struggles with the same life events we all do.

I'm sure I'll read this one again and in fact have been mulling over rereading the whole series, one after the other. This has been on the shelf since November 2012 and I'm surprised I let it sit that long!

Very good Clue. You are right on schedule.

February

5. The Best Lawyer in a One Lawyer Town: A Memoir by Dale Bumpers

Finished The Best Lawyer in a One Lawyer Town: A Memoir by Dale Bumpers. I especially enoyed the first half of this book by the former Arkansas govenor and U.S. Senator (24 years). His childhood memories of life in a small town during the Depression are a good lesson in understanding what life was like during those horrific years. Bumpers is a humorist and many of his stories are about unusual people and happenings in his hometown. The book ends with the text of the speech he gave, 3 weeks after retiring from the Senate, concluding the impeachment defense of President Bill Clinton. In this speech his knowledge of the law, of American political history, his humor and general intelligence are evident.

Tonight I begin The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey which has received good reviews on LT and Amazon. Isn't it fun to look ahead to the next one?

Ohhh, I've a copy of that last book on my reader and are looking forward to reading it. But it won't be a ROOT because I got the ebook a few days ago. ;-)

6. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

This was good! Eowyn Ivey is a native Alaskan and one of the reasons she wrote the book is because in her own reading she rarely found books about people who live like and where she does. The book was inspired by a Russian fairy tale about an old man and woman who build a snow child that comes to life.

In this book Mabel and Jack come to Alaska in the 1920s. In their forties, they are childless although both wanted children and struggle with the disappointment. One year when the first snowfall comes they are in a rare playful mood and build a small "snowman" together. Jack gives it stick arms, Mabel puts her red scarf and gloves on it. The next morning the snow child is gone as are the gloves and scarf. When Jack spies a child in the woods with red hat and gloves he is confused and can't think where the child could have come from nor could he have guessed she would be a part of their lives from that day on. This magical story is part fairy tale and at the same time a realistic telling of what life on the Alaskan frontier was like. Can't wait to see what the author does next!

That's really good to hear, clue! I just got the digital version of the book for my Kobo Glo. I hear many good things about it.

Connie, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I will let you know!

March

7. A Brief History Of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

This is one of those 'why did I wait so long to read this' TBRs. If you liked I Capture The Castle you would probably like this too. It takes place in 1936 on the island of Montmaray which is a small remote island between France and Spain. Montmaray is a small independent kingdom and the somewhat crazed king, his 17 year old daughter, and his orphaned nephew and 2 neices live there. The nephew has recently left for the school year because the king's widowed sister lives in London, is wealthy, and pays the school fees for him to be educated in England. When the book opens she has just written insisting the 2 older girls come to London too so they can be presented at court. There are all kinds of complications, the king's daughter has no intentions of leaving the island and although the king's neice would love to go she doesn't see how it will work out in part because she only owns 1 dress!

There is a lot of heart stopping drama due to this small piece of craggy land being more than 200 miles from anyone else and surround by an often angry sea, being built on top of cliffs with sudden drop offs, and the growing threat of the Nazi's.

I give the book 4 stars and have ordered the remaining 2 in the series, they have received 4 stars on LT too so I can't wait to get them! WWII is coming, how can I stop here?!

8. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

April

9. The Blind Eye by Marcia Fine
10. The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

This book was a fun read about some of my favorite subjects - art forgery and art theft! Fiction, the story relvolves around either the innocent copying of, or the reproduction meant to fool, of a Degas that was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Museum in Boston. While a heist valued at $500 million did take place at the Stewart Museum in 1990 the painting in this story and it's inclusion in the heist is purely fictional. Shapiro knows Degas well but she also writes a compelling story of love, betrayal, and real and false friendships.

> 10: Just finished Kind van sneeuw yesterday and I really loved it. It is one of my top books this year. Its the third book I've read so far that got a 9 on my readinglist.

Connie, so glad you liked it. It's one of my favorites for the year too.

11. The Great Fire by Shirley Hazard.

May

12. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez

I've been in one of those slumps, nothing appeals and this mystery didn't do anything to improve my mood! Recommended by a friend I found it much less satisfying than she did. It has an interesting premise, an Argentine graduate student in mathematics comes to Oxford and shortly after his arrival finds his elderly landlady murdered. One of the logicians he most admires had close ties to the woman and the two begin a search for the murderer based on anonymous notes and a series of symbols that are left for the logician. Unfortunately the reader has much less trouble determining the murderer than they did! Just an average read at best in my opinion and off it goes to the donation bin at the library.

13. Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray

A quirky story in which women are becoming invisible. By coming together they learn their invisibility is due to taking a combination of 3 drugs often given to middle aged women. One company developed and sells all three drugs and refuses to remove them from the market. The invisibile women go after the drug company winning the support of the public. The plot is pretty weak but the invisible women do have some funny experiences. This was a gift from a friend last year. Out the door it goes.

That sound kind of hilarious.

There were times I was really laughing. I think it's one of those you need to read at the right time, I was in the mood to read something that didn't require a lot of concentration and this was a good choice.

June:

14. Priceless: How I Went Undercover To Rescue The World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman

Much of Robert Wittman's 21 year career was spent tracing, locating and recovering stolen art. He was one of the first art detectives within the FBI and founded the FBI's Art Crime Team. His work took him across the globe and lead him to people from all facets of society. A true life thriller!

15. A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel by Mel Starr

This is the second book in the Hugh de Singleton 14th century police procedurals and I'm hooked. Singleton is a surgeon and bailiff. Here a citizen is found dead in the woods with a torn throat. The night of the death Singleton heard a strange cry and thought there might be a wolf in the woods. As time goes by he becomes less and less sure a wolf had anything to do with the death but he doesn't like the consideration of murder because with this person, unliked by many, there would be so many suspects! There is great period detail (the author is a retired high school history teacher) including medieval surgery practices.

July:

16. Whip Hand by Dick Francis

A fine mystery that takes place in high stakes horse racing. The main character is a former jockey as was Dick Francis himself. This is the second in the Sid Halley series and Sid gets tangled up with some sinister characters when he starts investigating a racing syndicate that may be physically incapacitating promising young horses. The characters, including an ex-wife that hates Sid, are all solid and believable. It's not surprising that Whip Hand won the Edgar for best novel in 1981.

17. The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney

Four women form a group to meet and discuss issues. The book takes place 10 years later and they have long given up the issues discussions but meet as friends discussing anything they feel like discussing which is generally whatever is going on in their lives. Each has some sort of a limiting personal problem to deal with and during their 10th year one is diagnosed with cancer. Some parts of the book were good reading and some I just plowed through. Not a bad book by any means but one that didn't particularly resonate with me.

August

18. Mrs. Ali's Road to Happiness by Farahad Zama

I received the first in this series, The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, as an ER. As described, it was charming and heart warming. The primary characters, Mr. and Mrs. Ali of India, are making a big change in their lives. Mr. Ali is retiring from the postal service and at Mrs. Ali's admonition that he'd better find something to do outside her house, he establishes The Marriage Bureau for Rich People on their verandah. Mrs. Ali's Road to Happiness is the 4th in the series although I thought it was the 2nd! Although the marriage bureau is still a part of the plot the primary action revolves around a young Muslim widow in the neighborhood adopting an orphan Hindu boy. Both Muslims and Hindus are alarmed and because the Ali's support her their lives are in turmoil as they are threatened with everything from arrest to excommunication. Both books take place in small town India and following along with the daily life of average citizens is one of the most enjoyable things about the series.

I'm keeping the books from this series at this point so although it's a ROOT, back on the shelf it goes!

Well, it's off the TBR-pile! Good job.

19. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris

The first title in the Aurora Teagarden series. A light, quick read with a clever mystery plot. A small group of people like to study real murders. Suddenly two in the group are murdered and member Aurora Teagarden, a librarian, realizes these are staged to resemble previous murders.

20. Riding The Bus With My Sister: A True Life Journey by Rachel Simon

September

21. The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland

22. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

A fictional account of Mary Anning (1799-1847) who due to her interest in the natural world and dogged tenacity became a fossilist, a word she would not have known. Now this poor, uneducated woman who dug the bones of "creatures" out of a cliff near her home, is recognized as one of the best the world has known. Not surprisingly, her discoveries were usually credited to the men who bought fossils from her. Some of her discoveries were prehistoric but not recognized as such because the concept of extinction wasn't known. Tracy Chevalier includes a Further Reading list at the end of the book and I definitely want to do some nonfiction reading about Mary.

23. Saving Grace by Lee Smith

The story of Grace Shepard, the daughter of a fundamentalist preacher living in the hills of North Carolina, follows Grace from her childhood to her late thirties. The first half of the book, Graces' life from childhood to a failed marriage, I thought was especially good. The last quarter of the book was weaker but is still a good read overall.

You are doing just fine, Clue.

Thanks, I don't think I'll have any trouble hitting the 30 goal. But oh, I've seen several new ones lately I'd like to dive into!

24. Plain and Simple, A Woman's Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender.

Sue Bender was a stressed and harried artist, mother and wife when she saw some quilts used in a display in a department store that amazed her with their simplicity, beauty and artistry. When she learned Amish women had made them she began to study the Amish people. She eventually decided to live with an Amish family to experience their way of living first hand. Her experiences with the 2 families she eventually stayed with are interesting, as are the families and the Amish communities they live in. Bender's attempts to incorporate what she has learned from the Amish into her own life though is not as interesting and in fact she seems very self-centered which is at extreme odds with the Amish philosophy.

October:

25. The Orchard: A Memoir by Theresa Weir

Theresa was 21 years old when she married Adrian, the son of a 5 generation farm family. They met shortly after Theresa moved into the community to work in her uncle's bar. Neither family wanted the marriage to take place and although Theresa lived on the family farm almost 20 years she was never accepted by his parents and lost all contact with her uncle. At the time of her marriage she had no knowledge of farming but quickly learned that it requires hard work, sacrifice and in her case isolation. There is a foreboding element to the book, primarily due to her anxiety related to the heavy use of insecticides on the apple farm. After the birth of their two children her fears grow and with good reason. While this is the memoir of one woman's life the book gives insight into the lives farm families across America lead and the challenges they face. 3.5 stars.

November:

26. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

In 1290 Birdie is 14 and hates the things women have to do. Things like embroidery, spinning and marrying someone they don't choose. Full of spunk that sometimes causes her nothing but trouble she's a character you can only love. A Newberry Award winner, this is a fun peek into life for girls and women in the Middle Ages.

You are almost there, Clue!

27. Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys

This is a series of letters written by the fictional Henrietta to her childhood friend Robert from 1939 through 1941. We don't know where Robert is, only that he has said he is in a "perfectly safe place" and that Henrietta doubts it. She writes once a week sharing the episodes of village life and its quirky inhabitants. The character Henrietta was originally created for a magazine piece during the war and became so popular the letters became a regular feature of the magazine. Denney ran across a bundle of the pieces in 1985 and they were published again to great popularity. Fun reading, I think there is a sequel which I will definitely read.

3 to go!

28. A Tuscan Childhoold by Kinta Beevor

Kinta Beevor was five in 1916 when her family left England to live in Tuscany. The Tuscan property was in the countryside, the structure that would become their home built high on a hill. Although it was originally built as a fortress in the 16th century her parents called their home "the castle". Her father had fallen in love with it for it's "wild beauty and wonderful views" when he first saw it in 1896. The book covers the lives of the family both at the castle and away for four decades. Beevor's father was a painter, her mother a writer, and they were very much a part of the artistic community of that time. Many well known visitors, including Aldous Huxley and D. H. Lawrence, came to the castle. The most captivating people in the book are not the famous though, they are the Tuscan people who worked and lived near the castle. It's the description of their every day lives and their relationships with the family that cause the book to be as good as it is. 4.5 stars.

29. Sargent 1854-1925 text by Donald Wigal

Over 100 of Sargent's paintings with text. Well done and a good reference for anyone interested in his work.

30. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

So many have read this first book in the Maisie Dobbs series I'll only say that although I'm late to the party, I'll continue on. Obviously it's a very popular series with roughly 10 ahead of me. I look forward to finding out how Psychologist and Investigator Dobbs carries on after WWI. I hope Winspear writes as well about the period after the war as she did of the period before and during it.

And with this I'm 30 out of 30 and my 2013 ROOTs goal is met! It's been a good reading year!

Yay! Congratulations! :)

Well done!

Good Job, Congrats!

Well done!!!

I had forgotten to post these from earlier this month:

31. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
32. The Raphael affair by Ian Pears

I'm ending the year with 32 against my goal of 30.