Stacy's (LittleTaiko) It's All About Me Challenge

This year I'm returning to a more focused challenge, though not too focused as I need to feel free to read what I want most of the time. This year this challenge is all about the things I love. The categories represent 16 things that I love and 1 thing that I hate (for those pesky DNF's).

I'll be tracking the various CAT's and BingoDog's that I participate in as well. No specific reading target for the year other than reading at least three in each category which will leave plenty of space for other books.

Ratings:

1 Star - Didn't like at all or did not finish
2 Stars - It's okay but not something I would recommend.
3 Stars - I liked it but may or may not recommend it
4 Stars - Really liked it and am happy that I spent time reading it
5 Stars - Loved it and the whole world should read it too

Sushi - Short stories/plays/poems

If I had to pick a last meal, sushi would definitely have a starring role. Looking forward to stretching my reading with this category.

1. Paris for One and Other Stories by JoJo Moyes (3 stars)
2. The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen (5 stars)
3. Upstream by Mary Oliver (3 stars)
4. Trajectory by Richard Russo (4 stars)

Wine - Books bought before 2014

Like a nice aged wine, there are some books that need to be consumed soon.

1. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesteron (4 stars)
2. The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (4 stars)
3. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (4 stars)
4. Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis (3 stars)
5. City of Women by David R. Gillham (3 stars)
6. American Ghost by Janis Owens (4 stars)

IndoRowing - historical non-fiction

One of my favorite forms of exercise is the indorow classes at the local gym. Since one of my favorite historical non-fiction books is about rowing (Boys in the Boat), it seemed like the perfect place to track this category.

1. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (4 stars)
2. Revolutionary Summer by Joseph J. Ellis (4 stars)
3. Ten Days a Madwoman by Deborah Noyes (4 stars)
4. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede (4 stars)

Walking - comfort reads (especially Agatha Christie rereads)

Walking is another form of exercise that I love, my weekday 2 mile walks help keep me sane. What better place for comfort reads?

1. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie (3 stars)
2. Mrs. Jeffries Rights a Wrong by Emily Brightwell (3 stars)
3. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie (4 stars)
4. Murder on Cue by Jane Dentinger (4 stars)

Martini - Classics

Classic drink for classic books.

1. The Elusive Pimpernel by Emmuska, Baroness Orczy (3 stars)
2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (3 stars)
3. Agnes Gray by Anne Bronte (3 stars)
4. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (3 stars)

Quilts - Cozy Mysteries

Snuggling up in a cozy quilt is wonderful, even better with a cozy mystery.

1. The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders (4 stars)
2. On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay (3 stars)
3. Guilty as Cinnamon by Leslie Budewitz (3 stars)
4. Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower (4 stars)
5. The Deep End by Julie Mulhern (4 stars)
6. A Just Clause by Lorna Barrett (4 stars)
7. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (4 stars)
8. Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon (4 stars)
9. Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)
10. Aunt Bessie Believes by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)
11. Aunt Bessie Considers by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)
12. Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower (3 stars)
13. Spouse on Haunted Hill by E.J. Copperman (4 stars)

"

The Moon - Thrillers/Non-cozy Mysteries

Oh I do love seeing the moon, especially a full one. Who knows what can happen with a full moon? Since strange things seem to happen then, it seemed the best place for tracking thrillers.

1. Japantown by Barry Lancet (3 stars)
2. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George (4 stars)
3. Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay (4 stars)
4. Bad Luck and Whiskey by Molly Vandever (2 stars)
5. The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton (2 stars)
6. Dangerous to Know by Renee Patrick (3 stars)
7. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (2 stars)

Fast Cars - books under 250 pages

A category for those books that can be read pretty quickly, similar to how I prefer to get around. (Though keep in mind that I actually drive a Mazda CX5 and not a sports car.)

1. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (4 stars)
2. Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (3 stars)
3. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer by Fredrik Backman (5 stars)

Scotch - books over 400 pages

While I do enjoy scotch now and then, it's something to be savored and not consumed too often which is how I feel about those longer books out there.

1. Crosstalk by Connie Willis (3 stars)
2. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (4 stars)
3. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (3 stars)
4. The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber (4 stars)

Tulips - Debut books or new to me Authors

Tulips signal the first of spring to me. I look forward to discovering new authors or a favorite authors first book here.

1. Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty (4 stars) - Debut book
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (4 stars) - Debut book & new to me
3. The Invention of Wings by Susan Monk Kidd (3 stars) - New to me
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (4 stars) - Debut book
5. This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel (3 stars) - New to me
6. The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel (3 stars) - New to me
7. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (4 stars) - New to me
8. Delicious! by Ruth Reichel (4 stars) - New to me
9. Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (3 stars) - New to me

Gerber Daisies - Books published in 2017

Another favorite flower makes me think of new beginnings which means new books to buy this year.

1. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney (3 stars)
2. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (3 stars)
3. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (4 stars)
4. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (4 stars)
5. One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (2 stars)
6. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller (3 stars)

Swimming - Tournament of Books

Swimming is relaxing and makes me quite happy. It also makes me think back to the swimming competition during the Olympics. My favorite book "competition" is the Tournament of Books in March. Any books I read for that will go there.

1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (3 stars)
2. Mister Monkey by Francine Prose (4 stars)
3. The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelor (4 stars)
4. We Love You Charlie Freeman by Kaitlyn Greenidge (2 stars)
5. Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue (2 stars)
6. Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter (5 stars)
7. The Nix by Nathan Hill (3 stars)
8. High Dive by Jonathan Lee (4 stars)
9. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (2 stars)
10. Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet (3 stars)

All About Eve - female authors

My all time favorite move is All About Eve - thought I'd use it to track some of the better female authors I read throughout the year.

Margo Channing - "Funny business, a woman's career - the things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you'll need them again when you get back to being a woman. That's one career all females have in common, whether we like it or not: being a woman."

1. Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner (4 stars)
2. The One-In-A-Million Boy by Monica Wood (4 stars)
3. A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner (3 stars)
4. The Sound of Glass by Karen White (3 stars)
5. Wonder Women by Sam Maggs (3 stars)
6. Eleanor is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (4 stars)
7. Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams (3 stars)
8. The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis (3 stars)
9. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (3 stars)

Otters - Romps

According to wikipedia, a term for a group of otters is a romp. I'm going to use this category for books that I fly through because they are so good.

1. Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon (4 stars)
2. In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen (4 stars)
3. In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett (4 stars)
4. The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak (4 stars)
5. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse (5 stars)

Musicals - Favorite Authors

Absolutely love musicals and listening to the cast albums. Perfect place for my favorite authors.

1. Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie (4 stars)
2. A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym (4 stars)
3. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3 stars)
5. Beartown by Fredrik Backman (4 stars)

Rainy Days and Nights

Rainy days make me incredibly happy, probably because it's a great reason to stay inside and read. This category is for all the books that don't fit elsewhere.

1. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (4 stars)
2. Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton (5 stars)
3. My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (3 stars)
4. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman (4 stars)
5. Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores by Bob Eckstein
6. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (4 stars)

Pink - DNF's

Pink is one of my least favorite things ever, such a waste of a color. Anyway, hopefully I won't need to use this category too many times to record any DNF's.

1. Georgia by Dawn Tripp - gave up during the first half; I think historical fiction based real people is not my thing.

BingoDOG



1. A satire - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
2. Set in a country you've never been to - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
3. Color in the title - A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym
4. Set in a place you want to visit - Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
5. One-word title - Crosstalk by Connie Willis
6. Author uses initials - The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesteron
7. Appeals to the senses - Delicious! by Ruth Reichel
8. Published in the 1940s-1960s - Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
9. Made into a movie - Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
10. Collection of short stories - Paris For One and Other Stories by JoJo Moyes
11. Book about books - Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores by Bob Eckstein
12. Title refers to another literary work (for example, the title is a quote from another book) - Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower
13. Read a CAT - Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue
14. Author shares your first and last initials - Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner
15. Owned for more than 5 years - Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Emmuska
16. Science-related - Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
17. Author was born in 1930s - Upstream by Mary Oliver
18. Author abroad - Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa
19. Author born/book published in 1917 - Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
20. Debut work - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
21. About an animal/animal in title - Mister Monkey by Francine Prose
22. Place name in title - Japantown by Barry Lancet
23. Set in a beach community/resort - Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams
24. Set in a time before you were born - Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders
25. Next book in a series you've started - On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay

RandomCAT

Jan - Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders
Feb - Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Mar - A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym
Apr - In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen
May - Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Jun - The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Jul - The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Aug - The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
Sep -
Oct
Nov
Dec

CATWoman

Jan - Classics - Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Emmuska
Feb - Debut Books - Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
Mar - Genres - A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym
Apr - Biography/Autobiography/Memoir - In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett
May - Women in the Arts - Georgia by Dawn Tripp (DNF)
Jun - Professional Women - Wonder Women by Sam Maggs
Jul - Women of Color - Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon
Aug - Nonfiction/Historical Fiction - The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
Sep - Children's/YA/Graphic
Oct - Regional
Nov - LGBT/Feminist Writing
Dec - Modern (post 1960)

AlphaKIT

Jan
M: Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner
S: Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders

Feb
W: Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
H: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Mar
E: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
K: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Apr
I: In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen
D: Restaurant at the end of the Universe by Douglas Adams

May
C: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
T: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Jun
Y: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
N: The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton

Jul
B: Aunt Bessie Believes by Diana Xarissa
G: Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon

Aug
O: American Ghost by Janis Owens
F: The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis

Sep
U:
P:

Oct
A:
V:

Nov
L:
Q:

Dec
J:
R:

Year Long
X: Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa
Z: The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafon

TBR Challenge

MAIN LIST:

1. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafon (2013) - July
2. Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis (2013) - April
3. The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad (2013)
4. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (2013)
5. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (2013)
6. The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (2013) - February
7. American Ghost by Janis Owens (2013) - July
8. The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton (2013) - January
9. Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens (2013)
10. City of Women by David R. Gillham (2013) - June
11. The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Emmuska (pre-2013) - January
12. Delicious by Ruth Reichel (2014) - June

ALTERNATES:

1. The Innocent Man by John Grisham (pre-2013)
2. Gentleman and Players by JoAnne Harris (pre-2013)
3. The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler (pre-2013)
4. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (pre-2013)
5. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (pre-2013) - March
6. The Black Count by Tom Reiss (pre-2013)
7. Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis (pre-2013) - June
8. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (pre-2013)
9. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (pre-2013) - April
10. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (2014) - April
11. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George (2014) - February
12. The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber (2014) - August

# Read: 14
# Remaining: 10

And with that I think this thread is officially open. Welcome!

Very cute setup! I love the otter!

Great setup! I hope you post an otter picture for every romp you read ;) Also, excellent choice of wine and scotch for their respective categories. Looking forward to following along!

Good luck with your challenge this year. You have created some very original categories. I had no idea a group of otters is called a romp.

Great set up, Stacy, I'm looking forward to following your reading again next year.

I like your categories,. I'm a fan of otters, one of my favourite childhood books was An otter's story.

I like your set-up for this year. Lots of interesting categories.

Very original idea! So otters come in romps? I love these words for animal groups!

>25 majkia: - Aren't otters just the cutest? Who can resist that face?

>26 rabbitprincess: - Great idea! I will definitely try to post an otter picture for every romp I read.

>27 Roro8: - Who knew, right? Apparently, they can also be called a bevy, family or lodge.

>28 DeltaQueen50: - Welcome! As you can see, I went with the more specific challenge route. I'm holding my other option in reserve for next year when I need to go back to a looser approach.

>29 avatiakh: - I'm going to have to go find that book and add it to my otter reading.

>30 dudes22: - Thank you! It was fun to compile a list of things that I love and try to match it with books.

>31 MissWatson: - Apparently romp is in reference to their playful nature. The words for animal groups can be quite entertaining.

such a waste of a color
LOL - My grandmother's house in Florida was all in pink. I don't know how my grandfather stood it! It surely put me off pink. (Don't let the breast cancer awareness people hear you.)

Excellent categories! I haven't heard of Indo-rowing before! Looking forward to following your reading in 2017.

Like the categories.

I like how you named cour categories, great choices. And lots of love for the pinkchoice , one of my least favourite colours, too.

>33 mamzel: - Oh wow - that would be one of my worst nightmares!

>34 VivienneR: - The picture I used is from the studio where I row. It's so much fun! High cardio and low impact too which is a plus.

>35 Kristelh: - Thank you!

>36 Chrischi_HH: - Thank you very much and yea for finding another non-pink fan.

Great set-up, looks like a fun challenge.

Ha! My Bestie loooooovvvves pink. I'm a turquoise girl but I own one pink shirt and I wear it when we have girl dates, just for her. LOL.

I second (third? fourth?) the motion against pink. I'm partial to brown and gray myself.

The moon was just lovely here this morning when I left for work: just a sliver of crescent with Jupiter shining brightly nearby.

>15 LittleTaiko: LOVE!! What great categories!

Great categories! Pink is a great color, what are you people talking about?! Now, orange, that's hideous. (Not trying to start a rumble or anything...) :)

>42 -Eva-: - Let's get ready to rumble!! In my always rotating list of favorite colors, orange is now decidedly in the mix. Used to not like it, but now it's one of my happy colors along with yellow, red, and my lifelong favorite, green. Maybe, I just like leaves on trees? :)

Looks like you have a great plan in place! Happy Reading!

Love the personal focus to your challenge! I did not know that a group of otters is called a romp.... that is funny and insightful at the same time! LOL, I will join you in not liking the colour pink... dusty rose I quite like but pink... not so much. ;-)

>43 LittleTaiko:
Sounds like fall is your favorite season...? :)

LOL @ pink is a waste of color---pink is my FAV color--in all shades! Fun categories!

I know you're not supposed to wish away your life, but I'm super ready for 2017 to get here so I can start filling my categories! Currently planning on reading the following:

WomenCAT - The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Emmuska *

RandomCAT - A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer duBois

AlphaKIT
- The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders
- The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd *
- Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner **

Others
- Lab Girl by Hope Jahren **

* - also part of my TBR challenge
** - planned bingo reads (though the other books might fill spots as well)

I'm going to finish Outlander and then probably start on 2017 reading. I have had Lab Girl on hold at the library for about 2 months! I just checked and the hardcopy is in so I think I need to pick that up instead!

>48 LittleTaiko: I'm super ready, too!

What a fun way to setup your challenge!

Beautiful thread!

Stacy, I like the way you set up your challenge. When I am not yakking away about books to people I also discuss classic movies with a coworker. I think my favorite is Out of The Past followed by Mildred Pierce. All About Eve is up there though!

Wow, I'm so impressed with your organization! Talk about goals! :) Looking forward to what your first read of the year will be.

Happy New Year, Stacy!

Thank you for the comments and the New Years wishes! Happy to have my first book done for 2017.

Quilts - Cozy Mysteries

1. Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders (4 stars)

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series that features Laetitia Rodd, a widower, who is known for her discreet detecting ability and frequently assists her barrister brother in getting to the truth of a matter. This time she finds herself looking into the background of a young lady to determine if she is suitable enough to marry into a rather wealthy family. As she finds more it becomes clear that the family doesn't have a squeaky clean background either. Blackmail and murder soon become front and center.

>57 LittleTaiko: Congrats on your first completion!

>57 LittleTaiko: Congrats on your first book!

>58 thornton37814: & >59 Kristelh: - Thank you! It was a bit of relief to start off 2017 with a book I truly enjoyed. Hopefully that bodes well for the rest of the year.

Happy New Year Stacy!

Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to see what shows up in your short stories/poetry category.

All About Eve - Female Authors

2. Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner (4 stars)

I'm a sucker for books set during the Blitz, not sure why but that old period of time intrigues me. A young journalist arrives in the present day to interview an elderly woman who survived being in London during the war and soon is being told a very incredible and moving story. It's the story of following your dreams, the bond between sisters, and dealing with adversity.

>2 LittleTaiko: I like Blitz books too, but I prefer them without the modern element added.

>64 thornton37814: - If it helps, the modern element is a very small part of the book. Mainly just the beginning to set up what comes next.

>64 thornton37814: Me too! I love WWII books but I don't understand why so many authors tack on a modern piece to it.

>66 VictoriaPL: I'm so happy to know I'm not alone!

Walking - Comfort Reads

3. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie (3 stars)

Not one of the strongest of the Poirot books but still a nice way to spend a few hours. Elinor is on trial for the murder of a woman named Mary who had been a sort of companion to Elinor's aunt. Told in a series of flashbacks as Poirot starts investigating the case against Elinor seems quite grim indeed. The main problem I had with the story is with Elinor, she is not someone easy to root for.

Martini - Classics

4. The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Emmuska (3 stars)

The fourth in the pimpernel series and the rivalry between the Scarlet Pimpernel and Chauvelin is still going strong. This time Chauvelin is a man on mission to trap the Pimpernel in France and end his heroics once and for all. The scenes between Percy and Chauvelin are the best parts of the book with Percy's careless bantering at times confusing Chauvelin. The author relies heavily on telling the reader everything that is happening as opposed to just sort of letting things unfold. There's a bit of repetition too that got old, but all in all it was still a fun, fast-paced read.

As a huge fan of the musical, it gave me great joy to see that they got some of the lyrics straight from the books. In this case it was the following:

"We seek him here! We seek him there! Those Frenchies seek him everywhere! Is he in heaven? Is he in hell? That demmed elusive Pimpernel?"

>68 LittleTaiko: - Having just finished reading The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, I am now itching to read the Baroness Orczy Emmuska books about the Scarlet Pimpernel. Glad to see the fourth book in that series continues to be a fun, fast-paced read.

>69 lkernagh: The re-read of the Scarlet Pimpernel is part of one of my challenges this year. I read it originally about 4 decades ago!

>69 lkernagh: - As I mentioned on your thread, I hadn't heard of that book before but now it's definitely on my wish list.

>70 Tess_W: - I realized that somehow I skipped over the second book in the series so need to go back and read that one before I continue. Good luck with the rereading challenge!

Swimming - Tournament of Books

5. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (3 stars)

Ambitious debut novel that follows multiple generations of two half sisters from Africa - one is a free woman and the other a slave. The story alternates chapters between one person from each generation so you see snippets of how the family progresses over time. That is what is fascinating and yet also doesn't work, at least for me. I found that I never was fully invested in one particular story or family. It read more as a collection of short stories than a full novel. Still it was an interesting look at how one incident can have repercussions through time.

Scotch - books over 400 pages

6. Crosstalk by Connie Willis (3 stars)

Always happy when a new Connie Willis book comes out since I enjoy her mix of humor, cultural references, sci-fi, and at times romance. This is a satire on our instant communication cultural. She takes our modern lives and ramps it up a few notches which was real enough to be unsettling. In this world, there is a device that you can have installed that will help you become even closer to your partner or someone that you have a really strong emotional connection with. What could go wrong? Turns out quite a bit. Briddey has the procedure done at the urging of her boyfriend Trent. Things take an unexpected turn that could have serious consequences for everyone. This was enjoyable even though Briddey was not someone that was fun to spend time with. It was hard to see why anyone would be in love wth her. However, it was still a fun book that gives you lots to think about regarding communication and how much is too much.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

7. Mister Monkey by Francine Prose (4 stars)

Absolutely love books like this one where it shows how one event can be seen differently by other people or have trickle down implications. The book opens with Margot, an aging actress, suffering the indignity of performing in a children's theater production of Mister Monkey. It's a far cry from where she thought she'd be. When during the performance a couple of awkward situations occur, it sets off the rest of the book. Each chapter is told from a different person and the author does a remarkable job of capturing the various voices from a young child, to a grandfather, to a kindergarten teacher and more. Really enjoyed my time spent with this book.

I really enjoyed Mister Monkey, too. I love inter-connected stories and Prose is a wonderful writer.

>72 LittleTaiko: >73 RidgewayGirl: We ordered that one (Mister Monkey) for our leased book collection, but I don't know if any of the librarians (who were all intrigued by the description) have managed to read it yet. No one has talked about it if they have. It's on my radar. I might have to give it a try soon.

>72 LittleTaiko:, I liked Homegoing more than you. Sorry to see only 3 stars for Crosstalk. I like Connie Willis books. I hope to get to Mister Monkey.

In regards to The Throwback Special, I wrote out each guys name as they arrived and different little points about them in my reading journal, that helped a lot!

Great idea! I may do that when I pick it back up again.

Don't get me wrong about the Connie Willis book, I did enjoy it, just didn't love it like some of her others. It took me a bit longer to get into it, but the last third really got rolling. Part of my problem is that all the communication made me tense - the unread emails, the constant texting and phone calls were more than my hermit like self could take at times. :)

Time for my Sunday catching up.

Sushi - short stories, plays, etc...

8. Paris for One and Other Stories by JoJo Moyes (3 stars)

Fun collection of stories with the primary story centering around a woman who ends up going to Paris by herself when her boyfriend no-shows for their trip. This being a JoJo Moyes book, the heroine is humorous, plucky, and human. The other stories are shorter and explore the complications of longer term relationships.

Wine - books acquired before 2014

9. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesteron (4 stars)

Well, that was fun. Not sure I completely got the satire but it was an entertaining ride with a small group of anarchists who are all known by their day of the week names.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

10. The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder (4 stars)

While I'm not currently a big fan of football, growing up I watched more than my fair share of games and remember my parents discussing the game the next day after Joe Theismann broke his leg. I was too young at the time to stay up that late to watch TV and by all accounts it's a good thing as descriptions are rather gruesome. This book is about a group of men who aren't necessarily friends but are bound somehow by the need to gather once a year and reenact that specific play. This is quite the look at the male mind and I appreciated how the author had so many distinct personalities. Would have been nice to know how they all met or started this tradition, but being thrown into their ritual after so many years really illustrated the history these guys did share.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

11. We Love You Charlie Freeman by Kaitlyn Greenidge (2 stars)

If it weren't for the fact that I really liked Mister Monkey, I'd think that maybe books with monkeys weren't for me as I really did not connect wth this book or with We Are Completely Beside Ourselves. Maybe it's books where people try to bond a bit too much with monkeys that bother me. The Freeman family has been chosen to move to an institute to teach Charlie, a chimpanzee, sign language and to have him become part of their family as a son and brother. It starts off well as the events are from the oldest daughter Charlotte's point of view. Charlotte may be the only sane member of this family by the time everything is said and done. The events that unfold just get weirder and weirder with nobody actually acting like an actual logical human being from what I could tell.

>78 LittleTaiko:: I really didn't appreciate We are Completely Beside Ourselves and have been putting off We Love You Charlie Freeman. 2 stars. Maybe I will keep putting if off for awhile.
I liked The Throwback Special 4 stars worth too.

Quilts - Cozy Mysteries

12. On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay (3 stars)

Latest in the Library Lovers series and so far my least favorite mainly due to the absolutely ridiculous love triangle that was front and center in this book. Lindsay's brother has suddenly come into town bringing lots of drama with him. When he his kidnapped Lindsay rallies her library friends and as well as the two men who for some reason are obsessed with her to help save her brother. If it weren't for the fact that the characters are kind of fun to read about, this probably would have been a 2.

Fast Cars - books under 200 pages

13. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (4 stars)

Sweet fun book the celebrates the love of books. What more is there to say?

The Moon - Thrillers/Non-Cozy Mysteries

14. Japantown by Barry Lancet (3 stars)

Solid first book in this mystery series that features Jim Brodie, part time antique dealer specializing in Asian art and part time detective agency owner. The book takes place in San Francisco and Japan and is filled with lots of tidbits on the Japanese way of life. The fact that the character as well as the author grew up in Japan and has such an understanding of their culture really added to the story. The book probably could have been a bit shorter and there was some repetition in the author's tension building plot devices that got old after a while, but for a first novel it was understandable. Looking forward to the next book.

I've started We Love you, Charlie Freeman, but with trepidations. I'm not interested in making chimps live with people, or stories about that, so it's only due to the ToB that I'm reading it at all. I did like We are Completely Beside Ourselves, but I read it without knowing the twist. Still, I'll finish the book and see what I think.

>80 LittleTaiko: I have a couple others in the series to read before I get to that one in the Library Lovers series. Glad you enjoyed Parnassus on Wheels. It was fun!

Indorow - Historical Non-fiction

15. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (4 stars)

Saw the movie in December and just had to get the book in order to find out more details about these remarkable women. While the movie changes up some things for dramatic effect, the book really gets to the heart of all that they accomplished.

Tulips - Debut books or new to me authors

16. Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty (4 stars)

Having read several of Moriarty's books, I thought it was time to read her first novel to see where she started. From the beginning you can see what has become her usual style, stories told from multiple perspectives, strong, yet quirky female leads, humor, and some very tangled personal lives. Enjoyable story about three triplets and the struggles of marriage, motherhood, and sisterhood.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

17. Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue (2 stars)

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It's partially a story about a tennis match between Caravaggio and a poet that somehow involves a tennis ball made from Anne Boleyn's hair, there is a Spanish conquistador, and letters between the editor and author. The best way to sum this up is by this quote from the author:

Page 203 - “As I write, I don’t know what this book is about.”

Well if he doesn’t know then how the hell am I supposed to know?

Swimming - Tournament of Books

18. Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter (5 stars)

What a beautiful book. It's really more like poetry than a novel and was just incredibly moving. It's the story of a grieving father and his two sons after the wife/mother dies. Helping them through this is Crow. I know it sounds weird but I loved it.

>68 LittleTaiko:
I didn't realize the Pimpernel story was a series. I read the first one and enjoyed it quite a bit. I may have to check out the others.

>72 LittleTaiko:
I love Connie Willis, too. Always love to check out her latest books when I can.

>83 LittleTaiko:
I need to see and read Hidden Figures. I love both the history of science and the history of amazing people who have been previously overlooked.

Grief is a Thing with Feathers sounds amazing, too.

>83 LittleTaiko: On the Alvaro Enrigue book, we had a faculty book club group read of that one last year. We pretty much all agreed it was strange. We had several members of the English faculty and one of the Spanish professors in the group. It's not one we'll forget reading, and one year later, we still sometimes talk about the book.

>84 andreablythe: - Thanks for stopping by! Hoe you enjoy all of those.

>85 thornton37814: - It is most definitely not a book to forget - very unusual. I bet the Spanish professor would have been great to discuss the book with as he could have filled in some of the gaps regarding the Spanish history portion of the book.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

19. The Nix by Nathan Hill (3 stars)

This is not the sort of book that I'm initially drawn to as it is a drawn out saga, but I couldn't help but get caught up in the beginning with Samuel's story. The author switches quite frequently between major and minor characters stories which at first was interesting but towards the end became a bit more tedious. There is no world where I wanted to read any more about Laura. The primary focus is on Faye, the mother who abandoned Samuel when he was a child. Faye was hard for me to read about - there were parts of her I understood, but ultimately she was just such an idiot, it was hard to care about her fate. Glad I read it though.

Gerber Daisies - Books Published in 2017

20. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (3 stars)

Got this from the book of the month club and it was touted as a book where you'll never guess the ending. They were certainly right about that. The ending was definitely something I did not see coming which is always fun. Getting to the ending was a bit of a bumpy, uncertain ride though. I loved Louise and thought she was an overall well rounded character with believable flaws. David was a bit more of a mess though as his actions never really seemed believable. And Adele, what to say about her. She reminded me of other characters from some recent popular thrillers. Worth reading to get to the ending.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

21. High Dive by Jonathan Lee (4 stars)

Really wasn't sure what I was going to get with this one, as I was unfamiliar with the events depicted in the book. It's set around a real life event from 1984 when a bomb was planted at the hotel where Margaret Thatcher was staying. I was afraid it was going to be a grim serious novel with lots of history but instead I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a bit lighter while still giving a solid historical context. The main focus is with Dan, a young IRA member; Moose, a hotel manager; and Freya, Moose's teenage daughter. Really liked the authors style - full of wit and humor.

Gerber Daisies - Books Published in 2017

22. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney (3 stars)

Lillian is an older woman spending NYE 1984 alone in New York City where she lives. She heads out for the evening to have dinner and has she walks through the city she looks back on her career, life, loves, and family. The chapters alternate between her present day and her past. It took me a bit to warm to Lillian but once I did it was a delight to stroll through New York and memory lane with her. Even more fun when I found out at the end that the book was loosely based on a real live poet and advertising pioneer.

Musicals - Favorite Authors

23. Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie (4 stars)

Gemma and Duncan are back! Always a happy day when there is a new book in this series. This picks up shortly after the events in the previous book and everyone is dealing with the repercussions. There is a new case for Gemma that balances the further drama with Duncan's investigations. Actually her case was a bit too easy as the murderer seemed to be fairly obvious, or at least the person came across as very suspicious. There are a few quibbles, mainly with how many times communication between characters was thwarted because cell phones were turned off. It happened a lot - more so than seem normal. Nice to catch up with their world again though.

You're almost finished the Rooster books, and you've even read the sports ones! I'm impressed.

I agree wholeheartedly about Grief is the Thing with Feathers. What a remarkable book. And I agree about the Laura Potsdam segments in The Nix. They were terrible and his editor should have told him to pull them out and maybe write a short story about her instead. I was also skeeved out by the author targeting a teenage girl for ridicule. I really hope he was never a teacher. I have High Dive on its way to me - I was never going to get to the top of the holds list in time, so I bought this one (and Black Wave).

>87 LittleTaiko: I'm looking forward to the Crombie book. It's high on my list of priorities when I get caught up with the ARCs.

>87 LittleTaiko: I've taken a bullet on High Dive by Jonathan Lee!

I still have a few on the Deborah Crombie series to read before I get to this one. Looking forward to it.

I'm enjoying your ToB reviews. I'll have to try to get to Grief is the Thing With Feathers before the tournament starts.

Missed updating last week so have a whole bunch to list this week.

Wine - books bought before 2014

24. The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (4 stars)

I really don't remember why I bought this book several years ago and wasn't even sure what this book was about. It was a pleasant surprise to start reading this rather funny, sci-fi novel and be introduced to Tao. In a nutshell, Tao is an alien who resides in a host body and has been involved in a long war with another group of aliens who would like to destroy the world. When Tao suddenly needs to a new host body, he ends up with Roan, an out of shape, corporate drone type who doesn't have much initiative. He doesn't realize how his whole world is about to change. This was such fun - really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

25. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (2 stars)

Ugh, this book was tedious. Keep in mind that fantasy really isn't my thing. If it wasn't that I was reading it for the tournament, I would have stopped after the first 50 pages or so. The premise was interesting enough, two misfit kids with special skills become friends and later reconnect as adults. My frustration was with how everyone else besides these two kids were portrayed. All adults were complete idiots incapable of thought and all the other kids were horrible. Once the action moves to when they are adults it improved for a bit and then just went back to being ridiculous again.

Moon - Thrillers/Non-cozy Mysteries

26. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George (4 stars)

Somehow I've never ready anything by Elizabeth George before which is surprising since I do enjoy mysteries quite a bit. This was the first in the Inspector Lynley series and was quite enjoyable. Since it was the first, there is a lot of setting up characters, but the mystery itself was engaging. It was a bit dated and the American tourists were a tad too much but I look forward to reading more in the series.

Swimming - Tournament of Books

27. Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet (3 stars)

This was an odd little book that seemed to be tackling religious themes wrapped up in a domestic thriller. Anna has fled her marriage to Ned, taking their daughter with her. When his political ambitions increase he decides it's time for them to be reunited as a happy family. It's never satisfactorily explained why Anna is so afraid of her husband that she feels the need to flee instead of just getting a divorce.

Rainy Days and Nights - Books the Don't Fit the Other Categories

28. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (4 stars)

Fascinating memoir that illustrates the divide between those who have succeeded and those who are struggling. It resonated with me on several levels since even though I didn't grow up in his part of the world, there were still a lot of similarities between that and rural East Texas. Though, nobody I knew was quite as crazy as his families. It was astounding to see what passed as normal in their neighborhood. The author treats everyone with compassion and seems to have a very clear understanding of the problems facing the working class.

Sushi - short stories

29. The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen (5 stars)

The Sympathizer was one of my favorite books from the 2015 Tournament of Books so I was excited to see that he had a short story collection coming out. Normally, I struggle to enjoy short stories, but this group of stories were so good that I was having a hard time pacing myself to only read one or two a day. I would have a hard time picking a favorite but most likely it was "I'd Love You to Want Me" about a couple dealing with Alzheimer's. This was my favorite line from the story:

"His ambition was to own more books than he could ever possibly read, a desire fueled by having left behind all his books when they had fled Vietnam."

I agree with you so much on The Refugees. I've got one story left to go and I'm hoarding it. Each is so different and yet all are so well-crafted.

I kind of felt the same way as you about ATBITS. I liked the first part when they were kids, but lost my interest during the adult part.

It's been a while since I last visited your thread, and I was hit by a BB (for High Dive) right away.

>92 LittleTaiko: - Interesting mix of books and star rating range!

>92 LittleTaiko: I'll take a BB for The Lives of Tao - sounds like a good one!

>92 LittleTaiko: I really liked The Lives of Tao too. I had a hard time warming up to the sequel at first because it seemed quite different from the first book. However, I did enjoy it enough to pick up the third book, which I hope to get to soon.

I've been seriously neglecting my thread lately - ah real life.

>93 RidgewayGirl: - Saw that you finished it and enjoyed it as well. Really looking forward to reading more by him.

>94 dudes22: - So many people loved it and I just don't get it. It's irritating me that it could potentially come back in the ToB.

>95 Chrischi_HH: - Hope you like it!

>96 lkernagh: - Yes, it has been quite the mix. My upcoming set are more in the 4 star range, primarily as I keep setting aside books that aren't grabbing me. You'll probably see a whole slew of 3 stars from me soon too when I finally finish them.

>97 LisaMorr: - It was a fun book and not at all what I was expecting.

>98 mathgirl40: - Duly warmed about the sequel feeling a bit different. I have that one on loan from the library and hope to get to it soon.

Here's my frantic recapping of what I've read over the last couple of weeks.

All About Eve - Female Authors

30. The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood (4 stars)

Sweet story about an unusual boy who has been spending each Saturday with a 104-year-old woman helping her with various chores around the house. As he works she shares stories from her life as they develop a quaint friendship.

Musicals - Favorite Authors

31. A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym (4 stars)

My favorite Pym novel so far full of her usual great character studies.

Musicals - Favorite Authors

32. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)

What a dilemma - the love of your life has died in a plan crash but his body was never found. Eventually you've moved on to build a different yet happy life. What happens when it turns out that he didn't die after all? How do you reconcile the life you used to have to your current life? Enjoyed this exploration of what it means to love.

Tulips - Debut Books

33. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (4 stars)

I feel like I'm probably one of the last people to read this book. For some reason I was afraid to read it as I thought it would be incredibly sad. While there are some sad and disturbing moments, it still was a book I enjoyed spending time with. It was quite eye-opening for me as to what life in Afghanistan used to be like. Definitely glad I finally read it.

Rainy Days/Nights - Other Books

34. Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton (5 stars)

I've been slowly flipping through this book this year which showed remarkable restraint on my part. Every time I picked it up, I became so engrossed in all the pictures and little stories that it was hard to put down. This will be something I pick up from time to time and open to a random spot just to be reminded of their stories.

Daisies - New for 2017

35. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (4 stars)

Oh wow - what did I read? This definitely ranks as one of the more unusual reading experiences as the story quickly goes back and forth between the various residents of the bardo. The premise revolves around the death of Willie Lincoln during the height of the Civil War and the impact it had on Abraham Lincoln in the days shortly after Willie's death. I would love to listen to the audio book as the recording has a different person for each of the 160 voices portrayed in the book.

Sushi - Short Stories/Play/Poems

36. Upstream by Mary Oliver (3 stars)

Took me a while to get through this rather small collection of essays. Some I enjoyed quite a bit and others, especially the ones about other authors, were a bit of a struggle.

Quilts - Cozy Mysteries

37. Guilty as Cinnamon by Leslie Budewitz (3 stars)

Cute cozy mystery set in a Seattle spice shop. This is the second in the series featuring Pepper, owner of the spice shop. I haven't read the first in the series but it was pretty easy to pick up the story line. When an up an coming chef dies under suspicious circumstances involving ghost peppers that might have been purchased from the shop, Pepper feels obligate to due a little digging on her own. At least she's smart enough to keep the police apprised of any information she finds out. Wasn't a fan of the cutesy swearing or the ghostly aspect but am interested enough to read others in the series.

Taking a BB for The One-in-a-Million Boy. Sounds like something I would like.

>100 LittleTaiko: Nope. I haven't read The Kite Runner... so now I'm the last one. Ha!
Glad to see you back here!

>101 dudes22: - Hope you like it!

>102 VictoriaPL: - Thanks! It was nice to finally read that one as it seemed like something almost all my other book friends had read.

Otters - Romps

38. Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon (4 stars)

Somehow I had missed out on this book when it was first released about 15 years ago, but someone in my book club picked this so found myself reading this really enjoyable book. It's the story of two sisters, one who is intellectually disabled but able to overall function for herself. Her daily routine involves riding the buses in her city all day. When she asks her sister Rachel to join her, it becomes quite the eye opening experience for Rachel as she confronts her assumptions about disabilities, people, and life in general. It sounded a bit dry but I found myself just caught up in their story.

Scotch - books over 400 pages

39. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (4 stars)

I am a sucker for a multi-generational family story - add in an unfamiliar setting where I feel that I'm learning something and I'm hooked. It really is embarrassing sometimes how little I know about other parts of the world. This book is set primarily in Japan but starts in Korea with a humble family at the beginning of the 1900's doing their best to get by. When the daughter finds herself in a position to move to Japan it begins a life long struggle to belong in a country that doesn't accept foreigners easily. This covers the Japanese occupation of Korea, the continued understanding that people of Korean descent will never be Japanese citizens even if they were born in Japan, and the struggle to make a decent living. Really enjoyed the characters though as tends to happen, the later generation ends up being the least interesting.

Daisies - 2017 novels

40. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (4 stars)

Interesting look at immigration through the eyes of two young people who are living in an unnamed militant controlled country. When the opportunity to escape using mysterious "doors" occurs, they take it with no idea where they'll end up. Their journey takes them through a few refugee cities as they adjust to their new countries and expectations.

Otters - Romps

41. In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen (4 stars)

Thank you to pamelad for the book bullet I took for this one. I'm a big fan of the Royal Spyness series by Bowen so was definitely interested in reading this WWII book with a different set of characters. Got to love it when a book starts out with the list of characters - reminds me of the way some of Agatha Christie's books would start. This revolves around Lord Westerham and his family including his five daughters, especially Pamela. Pamela is working for the government in a secret capacity. Also working for the government is her childhood friend Ben. Neither one knows what the other one is actually doing instead of the assumed boring desk job. When a dead body is found in the field on Pamela's family property, there are soon rumors that the body was that of a German spy. Who was he and why was he trying to land there? While some of the story was a bit predictable I still enjoyed getting to know the various family members and really hope that this is the beginning of a series.

Wow, you've had a really good run of books lately! :D

I'm reading Pachinko now, although I'm not very far into it. It's all new to me, too.

And I heard Mohsin Hamid interviewed on the NYT Book Review podcast and he has really made me want to read Exit West.

>104 LittleTaiko: I'm taking a BB for Riding the Bus With My Sister - sounds interesting.

Catching up after a couple weeks off and a little vacation time.

Rainy Days/Nights - Other Books

42. My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (3 stars)

This almost ended up as my first DNF of the year as I really struggled through the first 100 pages or so. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a gift from my dad I probably would have stopped. I'm glad I persevered though as it picked up considerably in the second half. My struggles were due to the point of view being that of a rather imaginative and completely ungrounded young girl. I do not do well with those types of stories. Especially when her grandmother is just as whimsical as she is. I enjoyed it enough though that I immediately started reading his next book which focuses on one of the minor characters from this story.

43. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman (4 stars)

Poor Britt-Marie was one of the more unlikeable characters in Backman's previous book but here we are given a chance to get inside her life and head and see what makes her tick. This book made me laugh and cry which is really all I want sometimes from a book.

Otters - Romps

44. In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett (4 stars)

Funny stories about her time on the show. Loved reading about some of the back stage shenanigans.

Tulips - Debut Books or New to Me Authors

45. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (3 stars)

I bought this book a few years ago without knowing much about the story because a neighbor raved about it. Had no idea that it was historical fiction based on two rather important sisters from the 1800's. How is it that I've never heard of the Grimke sisters before? I enjoyed this look at their struggles to get their voices heard regarding abolition and women's rights. The story alternated between them and Hetty, a slave on their plantation. The alternating view gave a very wide view of the times, but perhaps made the story drag a bit in the middle. Definitely want to read more about the Grimke sisters now.

All About Eve - Female Authors

46. A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner (3 stars)

How do I describe this book? It's part historical fiction set in WWII with a modern day setting with ghosts to boot. Initially I was more drawn to the modern day setting but eventually tired of the primary character there and preferred the WWII aspect.

Full Moon - Mysteries/Thrillers

47. Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay (4 stars)

First in a trilogy, it started a bit slow as the author sets the story line for the whole trilogy. It picks up though as you get to know the various characters and sense what is about to unfold. One mystery is wrapped up by the end of the book but there are plenty more to resolve over the next couple of books. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

Indorow - Historical Fiction

48. Revolutionary Summer by Joseph J. Ellis (4 stars)

Quick, fascinating look at a brief period during the very beginning of the Revolutionary War when the Contintental Army was faltering and the British had an opportunity to end the whole war basically as it was just beginning.

Yay, Broken Promise! The cool thing about the trilogy is that he wrote all three books in the space of 18 months to make sure that he'd set up everything he wanted to; he didn't want to publish the first one only to realize that he needed it to have contained a pointer for a crucial element in either or both of the other books.

I think it really shows that he planned it out that way. Really looking forward to reading the rest in the trilogy. The second book is waiting for me at the library so hopefully I'll get to it soon.

Wine - books acquired before 2014

49. Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (4 stars)

What is there to really say? Great fun and I really enjoyed the installment in the Hitchhiker's series. Hopefully I'll get to the third book quicker than I got to this one.

All About Eve - Female Authors

50. The Sound of Glass by Karen White

When I was in Florida browsing at a book store I noticed a whole table set up devoted to Karen White books. I was not familiar with her work so decided to give one a try and was pleasantly surprised by the story. The story explores the impact of family secrets and the meaning of family. Merritt has inherited a house that belonged to her dead husband's grandmother. As she settles in, she also has to contend with her estranged step-mother who is full of witticisms and a half-brother that she doesn't know. There aren't any big surprises here but the characters held my interest and it was a nice break from some heavy reading.

Daisies - published in 2017

51. One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (2 stars)

This book and I were just not meant to be as I just don't think I'm the target audience. Not sure who it's meant for but her brand of humor and mine just don't jive. This is a collection of essays meant to show how hard it is to be a female whose parents moved to Canada from India, but it just felt like she was trying too hard to be edgy. Plus, if her stories are true, then they way her family copes with disagreements really boggles my mind.

Quilts - Cozy Mysteries

52. Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower (4 stars)

As a break in between sections of Crime and Punishment, I would read parts of Crime and Poetry as a fun title matching exercise. It was nice to have something light to offset the more serious tone of the other. This is the first book in a series and it involves a bookstore full of magical charms where the right book "suggests" itself to the buyer. Violet's grandmother, Daisy, owns the store and tricks Violet into coming back to town to help her out for a bit. When Daisy's boyfriend is murdered and Daisy becomes a suspect, Violet feels compelled to help find the real killer. What I liked about this story was that it also had some educational moments involving US history that I was not aware of. Nice blend of fun characters and story telling.

The Kindle deal of the day is 25 Agatha Christie books at $1.99 each. Never mind that I already own all of them in paperback, just had to buy the ebook version. Who knows when I might be stuck without a physical book and have an Agatha Christie emergency?

Thanks for the head-up re the deal of the day, I picked up a couple.

Where does the time go? Another quick catch-up round.

Martini - Classics

53. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (3 stars)

A bit of a soap opera but overall entertaining. A lot of coincidences regarding characters paths crossing but still an interesting study in the psychology of crime.

Walking - Comfort Reads

54. Mrs. Jeffries Rights a Wrong by Emily Brightwell (3 stars)

Can't believe this series is at the 35th book! The crew is back and doing their usual investigating. The mystery was a bit more basic than normal but I still enjoyed the story.

55. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie (4 stars)

This is one that I've only read once before so the characters and situation weren't immediately familiar to me which made it fun to read. When Poirot's dentist is shot shortly after Poirot's visit he of course is brought in to help determine whether it was suicide or murder. Love the ones that also include Inspector Japp and the early scene with Poirot getting his teeth cleaned was rather humorous.

Tulips - Debut Books

56. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (4 stars)

Set in the late 1930's, this captures one year in the life of a young woman doing what young people do, go out with friends, form relationships, and forge careers. It's a look at how some people you know can have a big impact in a short amount of time but eventually drop out of your life.

Fast Cars - Books under 250 pages

57. Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (3 stars)

A multi-generational tale, set partially in India as well as the US, about three generations of mothers and daughters. The book alternates between a significant period in each of their lives and includes the perspective of a couple of other people who play an important part in their lives. I was impressed with how it was all woven together in the end. It may have been a bit too short as I wasn't fully vested in their lives but I still enjoyed it.

Rainy Days - Other

58. Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores by Bob Eckstein (5 stars)

Lovely collection of pictures and comments regarding some existing or currently closed book stores. Loved the variety of stores and some of the crazy stories.

Quilts - Cozy Mysteries

59. Death of an Old Git by Andrea Frazer (3 stars)

A book I bought on a whim a couple of years ago that I decided to read when I needed something light. Nice into this mystery series. The humor took me a bit of time to get used to but eventually I grew to like it. The mystery was remarkable straight forward and the clues were there if the reader was paying attention which I appreciate it.

I love the early Poirots that include Japp, Hastings and Lemon! :)

I'll take a BB on the World's Greatest Bookstore. Glad you like Rules of Civility too.

Pink - DNF

Georgia by Dawn Tripp

It had to happen eventually, my first DNF of the year. You would think that I'd learn that I generally do not like historical fiction based on real people. Inevitably I'm left wondering how the author could really know what conversation were had or how people really acted. The first part of the book was obsessed with O'Keefes sex life it seemed. I would be better off reading an actual biography of her to get the information regarding her painting that I'd rather read about.

Red Wine - bought before 2014

60. Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis (3 stars)

Really can't go wrong with a Connie Willis book. This one was written in the 1990's so felt a hair dated but still featured her great sense of story telling. It explores whether dreams really mean anything and what they could be trying to tell us. Annie is suffering from horrible dreams that seem as if she is channeling Robert E. Lee. The author cleverly plays around with reality and characterization.

Otters - Romps

61. The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak (4 stars)

For me it's hard not to like a book about teens growing up in the 80's since that's when I was a teenager. This YA book focuses on one teenage boy and his two friends. Their current obsession is getting their hands on a copy of the Playboy issue with Vanna White on the cover. I'd forgotten what a big deal that was at the time. One of the boy befriends a teenage girl at the local store and finds they share a love of computer games and programming. While I was expecting the book to go in one direction it veered off in another direction that was surprising. While these characters aren't angels they do seem real.

Race Cars - under 250 pages

62. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer by Fredrik Backman (5 stars)

Thank goodness this was a novella since from start to finish I had tears in my eyes. This is a very sweet story about a grandfathers struggle to discuss his Alzheimers disease with his beloved grandson.

Daisies - published in 2017

63. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller (3 stars)

This alternates between letters written by Ingrid to her husband Gil, describing the truth about their marriage and the current day when their two children are helping Gil as he recovers from a fall. The sections with the letters were the more interesting part. Having the modern section told from Flora's POV was less enjoyable since Flora is an incredibly self-absorbed person who can't even seem to grasp basic social conventions. I enjoyed the unraveling of the truths about their lives and it held my attention easily.

Quilts - Cozy Mysteries

64. The Deep End by Julie Mulhern (4 stars)

First book in a series set in the 1970's which makes for a nice change of pace. The main character is Ellison, a wife, mother, and artist who is part of the country club set, though a bit reluctantly. When her husband's mistress is found dead at the country club pool it starts her down the path of discovering some of the more sordid secrets of her friends and family. I liked Ellison and enjoyed her discovering her backbone when dealing with her overbearing mother.

>117 LittleTaiko: Sorry you had a dud. I have yet to finish a book which had so many historic names dropped into it I got annoyed. I should get back to it since it's a Early Reviewers book.

No time for reviews really but here's a list of what I've read recently.

65. Bad Luck and Whiskey by Molly Vandever (2 stars) - there's a reason I'm the only one who has read this
66. This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel (3 stars) - decent family story
67. Wonder Women by Sam Maggs (3 stars) - informative but snarky
68. Ten Days a Madwoman by Deborah Noyes (4 stars) - made me want to read more about Nellie Bly
69. The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel (3 stars) - another family story with some WWII and Alzheimer's thrown in.
70. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (4 stars) - cute YA book with decent characters even if the premise was a bit much
71. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (3 stars) - yet another family saga but set in Australia
72. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3 stars) - my least favorite of all her books; fairly predictable
73. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede (4 stars) - really lovely book about Gander, New Foundland and the extremely nice and warm-hearted people there.

I like your short reviews. I've started truncating mine quite a bit as well.

Nellie Bly was a fascinating woman. I read a rather large biography about her and she did some amazing things. I may have to check out Ten Days a Madwoman.

>120 LittleTaiko: - LOL your short review for the Vandever book! Provides me with all the information I need to know about that one. ;-)

>121 andreablythe: - it was rather liberating to have the shorter review since they were just gut reactions.

>122 lkernagh: - Yeah, I would not recommend that one. There were some decent parts to it, but just not enough.

74. A Just Clause by Lorna Barrett (4 stars) - another fun trip to Booktown; half mystery/half family drama
75. Delicious! by Ruth Reichel (4 stars) - I needed a light hearted book and this one fit the bill; some flaws but I was willing to overlook them.
76. The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton (2 stars) - Boring, macho book where women existed to either be rescued or for sex.

Heading out tomorrow to the Nashville/Knoxville area for a few days. Looking forward to checking out Ann Patchett's bookstore Parnassus.

>124 LittleTaiko: Oh - you really need to check out McKays in either Nashville, Knoxville, or both also. If you want to visit the one in Knoxville, we might be able to arrange a meet-up.

I'd love to visit the one in Knoxville and should have some time on Saturday afternoon to meet up if you are free. A potential meet-up - how exciting! I'm definitely free after 4:00 but might be able to meet earlier depending on the time. We're driving in from Nashville on Saturday morning and in town to watch the USA Cycle Knox event. The time trial is Saturday afternoon but only lasts a couple of hours.

Had a wonderful trip to the Nashville/Knoxville area which included meeting up with Lori and Carrie and some book shopping. Book haul from the trip.

Parnassus (Nashville)

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

McKay's (Knoxville) - 4 books for $6!

Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey Siger
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Finished one book on the plane.

77. City of Women by David R. Gillham (3 stars) - set in Berlin during WWII, it made me think about what life would have been life for the people, primarily the women, left to live as best they could.

>127 LittleTaiko: Woo hoo, meetup and book haul!

>127 LittleTaiko: I enjoyed the meetup on Saturday. I'll be curious to see what you think of Magpie Murders since it's high on my wishlist. Glad you made it home safely!

Stacy, am I seeing a "Texas girl" went to Tennessee to buy Lonesome Dove? Something's wrong with that picture, LOL.

I used to work a lot in Tyler ( I live in Arkansas) and they had a huge used bookstore, can't remember the name, and it never had any Texas authors in stock. I thought that was the oddest thing.

How was Parnassus?

Glad you made it back safely. It was great to meet you. Hope you enjoyed the adventure.

>130 cbl_tn: - I really enjoyed Magpie Murders - thought it was quite clever with the book within a book.

>131 clue: - Ha! Yes, that is indeed the case, which is quite funny. Parnassus was nice, your overall typical bookstore. They have a sweet dog that wanders around greeting customers.

>132 thornton37814: - Thank you! I did enjoy the adventure quite a bit.

78. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (4 stars) - this one had me hooked from the very beginning. Very clever book within a book and I found both to be delightful.

79. Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon (4 stars) - It's not often that you have a black female protagonist in a cozy mystery, so right off the bat this is not your usual mystery. Throw in the fact that she's a world class musician, stranded in Ireland, loves her bourbon, and is wicked smart and you've got a really entertaining story. Oh yeah, there's a ghost too. Definitely will read the next in the series.

Went to the soft opening of our new independent book store, Interabang Books. It's not like I was excited or anything, I was only the second person in the door. I did my best to support them by buying the following:

Sandition by Jane Austen
Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Trajectory by Richard Russo
The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams

It was also Book of the Month Club selection day and instead of just my usual one book, I added on two others. Where will the madness end? :)

The Windfall by Diksha Basu
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
Final Girls by Riley Sager

>135 LittleTaiko: Only the second person? ;) I thought you might have camped out the night before! Very exciting that you have a new bookstore in the neighbourhood.

>136 rabbitprincess: - Ha! Didn't consider camping out, but did get there 15 minutes early. Would have been first in the door but I was patiently (impatiently) waiting until they officially opened at 10:00. This nice elderly lady arrived after me but just walked right in since she didn't know what time they were supposed to open and the door was unlocked. That's what I get for being such a rule follower. :)

Congrats on another book haul! You didn't have to restrain yourself quite as much this time.

Stacy, am I seeing a "Texas girl" went to Tennessee to buy Lonesome Dove? Something's wrong with that picture, LOL.

Love it!

>127 LittleTaiko:
Great book in the haul! Nashville is a fun city. I'm looking forward to returning later this fall. :)

>135 LittleTaiko:
Even more books! Yay! How lovely to have a new bookstore in the area. I've been sad to see a few of the bookstores I love closing down in the last few months.

>127 LittleTaiko: Oh wonderful! Another meetup in Knoxville! It is beginning to be quite the place for that.
McKays should start putting out a sign: Welcome LTers! LOL.

It's been a busy couple of weeks between life in general and then a rather spectacular bike crash last weekend. Fortunately nothing was broken but there are lots of bruises and aches that are still healing. The ribs will take the longest I'm guessing since they still hurt a little depending on what I'm doing. On the bright side, it gave me some time to read, though I had to change my focus to something lighter instead of the non-fiction I was supposed to be reading for book club.

Anyway, here is the list of books that I've read since my last update here which includes books pre/post crash. I will say that the Aunt Bessie series is great for times when you need something light.

80. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (3 stars) - nice to finally read something by Anne Bronte; quaint slightly predictable
81. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (4 stars) - my favorite of the three books; looking forward to the next one
82. Trajectory by Richard Russo (4 stars) - lovely collection of 4 short stories
83. Dangerous to Know by Renee Patrick (3 stars) - fun 2nd book in the series
84. Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - first in a series set on the Isle of Man
85. Aunt Bessie Believes by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - liked the first one so much I immediately read the second
86. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (3 stars) - not my favorite Hemingway but it was fairly enjoyable; hard to get past the racism though
87. Beartown by Fredrik Backman (4 stars) - totally different than his other books; reminded me a bit of the movie Mystery, Alaska.
88. Aunt Bessie Considers by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - enjoying the character growth in the series
89. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (4 stars) - took me some time to warm to Eleanor but couldn't help but be charmed by her in the end.
90. Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams (3 stars) - nice summer read, a little over the top with the drama but still a pleasant way to spend some time.
91. Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower (3 stars) - read this earlier in the month and don't remember much besides the fact that it was perfectly fine

ETA: Almost forgot that I had read this too.

92. Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (3 stars) - short, sweet story about a young woman moving home to help her aging parents, especially her dad who is starting to show more signs of Alzheimers. Alternates between being funny, moving, sad, and hopeful.

Ouch! I'm sorry to hear about your bike crash and hope that everything's back to 100% soon! Glad that you had some light reading to help you convalesce :)

>142 LittleTaiko: Very sorry to hear about your bike crash! I'm glad you're getting some comfort in the extra reading time.

>143 rabbitprincess: & >144 mathgirl40: - Thank you both. I do okay for most of the day - reading definitely helps when I'm in resting mode. Granted yesterday, I read myself right into a nap...When I'm too tired to read I've been binge-watching Golden Girls reruns. I'd forgotten how funny that show was. Taking it easier at work too.

>142 LittleTaiko:
Yikes about the crash! Glad to hear that you weren't injured too badly, though bruised ribs have to be annoying.

Looks like you got some great reads in!

"then a rather spectacular bike crash last weekend."

Yikes! Glad to see no broken bones but even bruising can be painful and take time to recover.

Take care of yourself, that sounds like it could have been much more serious. Glad that extra reading time is helping to pass the time.

Ouch! I'm sorry to hear of the bike crash but glad that the injuries weren't more serious. The Aunt Bessie books sound interesting. I like mysteries set in unusual places.

>142 LittleTaiko: I'm glad you're on the mend. It doesn't seem quite right does it, that minor injuries can result in major pain!

Yikes, I hope your injuries and pain dampen down soon, glad to hear you're on the mend.

Sorry to hear about your crash. Takes the body a while to heal, doesn't it?

Glad you survived that bike crash with no major injuries. That can be pretty scary. You did a fine job of reading!

Thanks everyone for your well wishes! I'm feeling much better which has the downside of leading to less reading. Ah well, back to real life.

I did manage to finish one book this week.

93. American Ghost by Janis Owens (4 stars)

This was given to me by my mother-in-law about 4 years ago and I've never really paid much attention to it since I didn't know what it was about. I think I had a vague notion it was some kind of ghost story, the cover helped with that impression.

However it ended up being a really good small southern town story that delved into the ugly racist past of the town and the repercussions felt today. The main character of Jolie was a joy to read about - very strong, fair, with a great sense of self.

I read Janis Owens' book My Brother Michael and liked it. She and Pat Conroy were good friends and I had the opportunity to attend a program that they gave together for a small audience. It was great because they just sat and talked to each other. They spoke about writing in general, the solitary lives they often lead and about writing books about family. It was really good. Although I'm not a big Conroy fan, I saw him in person several times and always enjoyed him. I've seen Janis several times too and she a very laid back person who is also very down to earth.

>155 clue: - I was going to add that one to my WL and found out it was already there! Apparently somebody recommended it a few years ago. I'm going book shopping this weekend so will be on the lookout for that one as I really did enjoy her writing.

94. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (2 stars)

This started off really well for me but started dragging and then kept dragging. The main problem is that I kept getting more and more irritated with the main character of Mary. She is a young woman who apparently is the most accomplished, beautiful, intelligent female to every live. We know this because she keeps telling us about all the ways she is quite superior to everyone else, except of course Sherlock Holmes her next door neighbor and now partner in solving cases. Don't even get me started on the implied romantic interest that I'm fairly sure gets played out several books from now in the series. The Sherlock here is not the Sherlock from the Doyle stories and I was not a fan of this new and improved version. The cases were a bit dull as well.

>157 LittleTaiko: I tried that one years ago and didn't finish it. I'm glad it's not just me!

>157 LittleTaiko: I could never buy the premise of this series. For me, Sherlock and romance do not mix.

I'm glad to know I'm not alone either. It has such high ratings here and on Goodreads that I thought it might just be me.

95. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse (5 stars)

This may be my favorite Wooster/Jeeves story yet. It's convoluted and delightful and involves romance gone awry, a cow creamer in high demand, tedious relatives, and a pesky little dog among many other things. As always Bertie is quite in the soup but with Jeeves assistance all is set right. I liked how Bertie was able to work himself out of most of the problems this time around.

>157 LittleTaiko:
I remember enjoying that one when I read it, but not enough to keep going with the series. I have a feeling I wouldn't be into it if I were to give it another try.

>142 LittleTaiko: So sorry to hear of your bike crash and glad you are on the road to recovery. Continue to take it easy, it can take a while to get back to normal.

>162 VivienneR: - Thanks so much! I'm definitely feeling better these days. My face is back to normal and most of the other bruises are gone. Just waiting on my ribs to stop aching and I'll be good to go.

96. Spouse on Haunted Hill by E.J. Copperman (4 stars)

The latest in the haunted guesthouse series was pretty much what you would expect - Allison making snide comments, the ghosts doing their usual bits, etc...the mystery itself seemed almost a secondary part of the book since most of the focus was on Allison's ex-husband being back in town and the chaos that comes with that. Overall this would have been a 3 start, but I liked the ending so much I bumped it up. Kind of wish that this would be the last in the series as it's starting to feel like it's run its course, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

I'm glad to hear you're on the mend.

97. Murder on Cue by Jane Dentinger (4 stars)

This book combines two of my favorite things - a good mystery novel and Broadway! There was enough insider theater elements to make me very happy as well as proper clues and well developed characters. This series is set in the 1980's so no social media or cell phones to aid the detectives.

Thanks to cyderry for the book bullet for this one!

98. The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis (3 stars)

Was hoping for more from this book but did enjoy it overall. The premise is interesting as the story centers on the Barbizon Hotel for Women in the 1950's where women stayed while pursuing the few career options they had as models or secretaries. It alternates between a modern day journalist named Rose and Darby, a young woman in the 50's trying to become a secretary. Both stories start very slowly and neither woman is particularly engaging. Usually, I just wanted to shake them and tell them to grow up. However, I eventually became a bit more drawn into the Darby story line and was interested enough to finish. The ending was just a bit too pat to be satisfactory.

I am envious of your day of book-store hopping, it sounds like a great day spent with your Dad.

>172 RidgewayGirl: - It was lots of fun. I'm happy that he had such a good time too.

99. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (3 stars)

This book is probably better than my rating. Parts of it were quite interesting, especially the bits involving her lab partner Bill. The science part was usually over my head since my science education is appallingly bad.

100. The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber (4 stars)

This book was so not my usual read as it combined science fiction and Christianity, but it was a gift from my mother in law a few years ago so I thought should finally read it. I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit even though it did leave me a bit unsatisfied. Set in the not too distant future (actually it's a little vague as to the timing) and Peter has been selected to go to Oasis, the settlement in space as a Christian missionary to bring his message to the aliens there. His wife, Bea, wasn't selected to go and will remain home. Fortunately they will be able to communicate through what is basically a fancy email system. While Peter is focused on his mission, life on Earth starts going horribly wrong. Since the story is told all through Peter's eyes, it's hard to get a full sense of the horrors happening at home which I found a bit frustrating. I kept wanting to know more about what was happening with Bea. Their situation really hammered home the difficulties of long distance relationships no matter how strong they are to start with. It kept me engaged throughout and always a bit on edge as I wasn't sure what was going to happen next.

Heading out tomorrow to San Diego for a few days of vacation. Looking forward to lots of reading time on the plane!

Enjoy San Diego and the vacation!

>175 LittleTaiko: San Diego is great! I hope you enjoy your visit. And I've taken a BB for The Book of Strange New Things.

>166 LittleTaiko: - fabulous book haul and I see you snagged a copy of the Gods of Gotham, among other great reads!

Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks! It's funny, two of the books that I picked up were books you had recommended - Gods of Gotham and The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.