BingoDOG: January reads

Hi, everyone! This thread is for listing and discussing our BingoDOG reads for January. Please share below! (And don't forget to add your books to the wiki!)

My first book of 2016 was No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer, which I'm using for the "published before you were born" square, since it was published in 1939.

My first book was The Accidental Tourist for the "about a writer" square as the main character in the novel is a writer of travel guides for businessmen.

>1 christina_reads: Thanks for starting this. I've put my first marker in my Bingo card: Survival Story. The End is Now is actually an anthology of survival stories, all taking place during an apocalyptic event. 3*

My first one was The Great Big Trench-coat in the Sky by Marc Lovell for the 'book less than 200 pages.

I've used Skinwalkers for a one word title.

I'm still in the middle of my first book of the year. I'll figure out where it might go once I'm done!

Death of an Airman, by Christopher St. John Sprigg, would fit the "about an airplane flight" square.

Edit for incorrect terminology

I've read two short books I hadn't planned on reading and after I finished them realized they would fill BINGO squares. Village School by Miss Read is her debut book. I also read a book on local history that was only 142 pages so that covers the "less than 200 pages square.

My first book was also a book less than 200 pages (quite a bit less at 47 pgs!) - The Heights of Macchu Picchu which I read for the January GeoCAT.

I read This One Summer for the graphic novel square. Review is on my thread.

I put my first marker on "title using wordplay". My New Year's night read was Der satanarchäolügenialkohöllische Wunschpunsch by Michael Ende (published as The Night of Wishes or The Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion in English), a children's book about two evil wizards and their two pets trying to interfere with their New Year's Eve plans of destroying the world.

I've filled two Bingo squares already; read a CAT, Love in the Time of Cholera by Garbriel Garcia Marquez for GeoCAT and read a book in translation, The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri, originally written in Italian.

>13 staci426: Oh, I have The Patience of the Spider sitting on my nightstand awaiting me - I hadn't thought of using it here.

Autobiography/Memoir:

Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian / Avi Steinberg
4 stars

Avi Steinberg, once very involved in Jewish religious life, was writing obituaries when he saw the ad for a prison librarian. He got the job. This tells of his time in that job. We learn of some of the inmates who were regulars in the library, and we also learn of some of Steinberg's past.

I waffled between 3.5 stars (good) and 4 stars (really good), but went with the higher rating. I was more interested in the inmates he came across and his work at the prison than I was in his personal life - most of what he told of that was of his Jewish upbringing. What a difficult job that would be! There are so many issues to working in a prison I wouldn't have thought of. Definitely interesting.

My first book of 2016 - The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill - fit the Less than 200 pages square, coming in at 185 pages.

My first BingoDog read, Stonemouth by Iain Banks was for the One Word Title Square.

I've ticked off three squares:
Best of Women's Short Stories edited by William John Locke - less than 200 pages
Miracle in the Andes: 72 days on the mountain and my long trek home by Nando Parrado - survival story
Virginia Woolf by Nigel Nicolson - about a writer

All three were excellent.

I have finished Seefahrt ist not! for the "Published before you were born" square. It was published in 1913.

I've planted my first book on the Bingo card Tell it to the Lambs by Susan Bristol Brewster on the "Self-published' square.

About an author (Kind of!)

The Jane Austen Book Club / Karen Joy Fowler
4 stars

Five woman and one man gather to form a book club that reads only Jane Austen books. As they gather at each other's homes, we learn more about that person's (the person whose home it is) current life and background.

I really enjoyed this. It didn't sound like much from the description (still doesn't from mine!), but I really enjoyed it. I would probably have enjoyed the Austen discussions more if I'd read her books more times or remembered more about them (I tend to get them mixed up in my head – they really are similar!), but I really enjoyed the interactions among the book club members and learning about their lives.

Author born in 1916: James Herriot's Cat Stories. Herriot was born that year. A short, quick very enjoyable read. Three of the ten stories feature two wild cats whom he and his wife fed and tried to tame; the rest were neighborhood cats who were his patients.

I've just read an excellent memoir by an Australian woman, Alice Greenup. Alice starts out as a young city girl who sets out on an adventure to find her future. She transitions into a well respected woman of country Australia. A 4.5 star read for me.

I have also read Cleopatra's Shadows by Emily Holleman, a debut book.

I have just finished a book for my second square: The Informers (by Juan Gabriel Vásquez) fits for a book in translation, as the original is Spanish while I read the German version. Interesting topic, but unfortunately the way it was set up did not grab my attention.

I've finished Beg, Borrow, Steal by Michael Greenberg for the "about a writer" block which was a memoir of his life as a writer in a series of essays.

I finished Dom Casmurro which I am going to count as the "published before you were born" book (it was originally published in 1899).

One word title

Skellig / David Almond
3.5 stars

Michael and his family have just moved. His baby sister is not doing well, health-wise. When Michael is exploring he finds someone – a little... different – in the garage.

It was good. It's children's lit, so it moved quite quickly: sentences and chapters were short. I mostly enjoyed the story, but I am unsure whether or not I liked Michael's new friend, Mina. It was a short book, so it was a quick read.

My 2nd square was Black Sun by Edward Abbey for a book less than 200 pages, and it was a good thing it was so short!

I've read A Train of Powder for published before you were born, Desperate Measures for debut novel, Saga, Volume 1 for comics and Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft for less than 200 pages.

My 3rd square: The Maltese Falcon, a book published well before I was born.

3rd marker already, yay: Havarie by Merle Kröger obviously is a one-word title.

I just placed my 2nd marker on the square for Graphics, comics, manga. I read Jack of Fables, Vol.1: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill Willingham.

I placed Meltwater, by Michael Ridpath, on my "one-word title" square.

I've managed to complete four squares so far:

Debut Book - Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey
Less than 200 Pages - Elements of Style Illustrated by William Strunk Jr.
Title Uses Wordpaly - With Baited Breath by Lorraine Bartlett
Protagonist Job/Hobby - Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

I've just finished Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson for the "Debut Novel" block.

My 4th square was The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi, which is about the environment--the effects of climate change on the Southwest, specifically. An engaging dystopian thriller.

I just finished Ficciones which will be my book for square 10, One Word Title :)

I've finished Zer0es and put it in for the one word title square.

I read Saga Volume 1 for the Comics square.

I used The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño for the about a writer square, in this case, it's Mexican poets.

I've read Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons for the "published before you were born" square.

I'm nearly finished with my 'In Translation' square with Sky Burial.

I've read three so far this month:

Village School by Miss Read for a debut book
Old Fort Smith by Ruth B. Mapes a local history for less than 200 pages
Transatlantic by Colm McCann about an airplane flight

I'm planning at least one more for this month.

I read The Scarlet Plague by Jack London and counted it for the square: Senior citizen is the protagonist. The narrator is a grandfather who witnessed the fall of civilization.

I've read six books for bingo so far this month:

1. Less than 200 pages: Blessed Bishop Nicholas Charnetsky, C.SS.R. and Companions: Modern Martyrs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church by John Sianchuk (128 pages)

7. Author born in 1916: The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart

8. Autobiography/Memoir: Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky

10. One Word Title: Survival by Julie E. Czerneda

16. Food is Important: Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews (finding a chef and the food that chef cooks form a major part of the plot)

23. Comic/Graphic Novel/etc.: Library Wars: Love & War, Volume 1 by Kiiro Yumi (manga)

I have finished Firmin, a book with less than 200 pages.

I've got two more sqares that I forgot to list:
One word title: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Published before you were born: Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney

I read a book with a one-word title: Room by Emma Donoghue.

I read Of Love and Other Demons for the In Translation square.

Survival

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot By the Taliban / Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
4 stars

Malala Yousafzai was only 15 when she was shot by the Taliban. She was born and raised a Muslim in Pakistan. Her father always felt strongly about education (including for girls) and he opened and ran schools, himself. This is Malala's autobiography up to and including her recovery after being shot.

Malala was an amazing girl – so smart and brave. She spoke out against the Taliban and has stood up for education for girls since she was young. She always loved school and learning and was devastated when the Taliban shut down her school. For a short time, her family was forced to leave their town (along with many other refugees) while the army came in to try to get the Taliban out. There were a number of words and abbreviations I wasn't sure about. Though I thought about checking the back for a glossary I never did (of course, there is one!). Some of the history and politics was a bit tricky to follow, with so many names I don't know. But, Malala herself is amazing.

I just finished The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles, which I've used for the "debut novel" square. The setting of 1920s and '30s Brazil is very well done, but it's so slow-paced that I found it kind of a slog.

I have finished A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson for the environmental square.

Body of water in the title

If I Were Not Upon the Sea (Under the Captain's Table) / Joyce Gleeson-Adamidis
3.5 stars

Joyce Gleeson was in her 20s when she started working on cruise ships. Later on, she met the man who would later become her husband – he is a cruise ship captain. This is a memoir for both of them.

It was unfortunate, I thought, that she started out with a chapter talking about how everyone is sleeping around with everyone else – spouses or significant others, be damned! It actually kind of put me off the book right at the start. But, I stuck with it and it got much better. The book alternates between Joyce or her husband narrating each with their own anecdotes (text is bold and italicized for her husband, so it's easy to tell when the “voice” changes). Having been on a few cruises myself, it is always interesting to see behind the scenes. In the end (despite the start of the book), I did enjoy it.

I finished Toll the Hounds which I'll put in the 'title contains a musical reference' block.

Quick Curtain by Alan Melville, a mystery in which the murder takes place onstage, is perfect for a book that features a theater!

> 55 Looks like a good choice, I'm going to try to run it down, thanks.

I've finished Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy for the "title uses wordplay" block.

here are my January reads:

4 About a writer (fiction or nonfiction) The Accidental Tourist
7 Main Character's job/hobby you want Blood of the Tiger
12 in translation Love in the Time of Cholera
13 Read a CAT Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home
15 features a theater a play, a novel or a work of non-fiction Drinking Habits
21 autobiography or memoir A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl

I've finished Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf for the "less than 200 pages" block.

I've finished 2 more for a total of 5 for the month:

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (environment)
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom (one word title)

Filled two more squares:
Adventure story: In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L. A. Meyer
Survival story: Deliverance by James Dickey

I finished The Art Forger for the "book focused on art" square.

I finished The River of Doubt for South America Geo Cat and this one fits many of the squares on the bingo card. I went with Body of Water.

I'm going to put The Unincorporated Man into the survival square - while not a traditional tale of survival, the main character escapes many assassination attempts and manages to survive going into cryogenic storage and being re-awakened 300 years in the future.

I've just finished The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan for the "focus on art" block.

>65 dudes22: Oh, I have that on my Kindle. How was it?

I enjoyed it quite a bit. it really moves along at a quick pace.

Good to hear.

>65 dudes22: thru >68 leslie.98: I really enjoy the Estelle Ryan series. I'm on book 5 or 6 - haven't double checked, but think the series continues well. I find the main character, a high functioning autistic woman, a hoot in many ways, and her entourage quite the group of misfits in their own ways.

>69 majkia: Great! I will move them up on my TBR.

Debut

The Silk Train Murder / Sharon Rowse
3.5 stars

It's 1899 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. John Granville has recently arrived from the Klondike and when he meets up with his old buddy, Sam, Sam gets Granville a job guarding a train. A couple of nights later, they find someone murdered and Sam is arrested and held for the murder. Granville is certain Sam didn't do it, but the police think otherwise and aren't looking into alternatives, so Granville does some sleuthing of his own.

I enjoyed this. Historical mysteries are iffy for me, but this was good. It did take a few chapters for me to get “into” it, but it was interesting enough, even at the start, that I backed up to reread what I missed when my mind wandered at first. I enjoyed the mystery and I enjoyed the secondary characters, Trent and Emily, who were helping Granville out. I also enjoyed the setting. It was also a nice quick read. This is the first in a series, and I will pick up the next one, as well.

February thread is up! http://www.librarything.com/topic/218506