February 2017: BingoDOG Reads

Continue posting your Bingo squares here.

I'll start the ball rolling with The Two Faces of January for made into a movie. There were a lot of possible squares for this one, but I chose the movie square because the library copy I read had the movie tie-in cover.

I filled the "author born in 1917 or book published in 1917" square with His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Just for convenience, here is the link to the wiki:

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2017_BingoDOG

I have just finished Tickled Pink by Christina Jones and have used it for the "Color in Title" square.

I reread Charlotte's Web by E. B. White which could be placed in several squares (animal story, made into a movie, author uses initials). I'm putting it in the square for author uses initials.

An ordinary decent criminal by Michael Van Rooy read for #14: author has same initials.

I've had this Canadian mystery for some time, and I'm glad the BingoDOG made me pick it up. It was very entertaining.

Where Shadows Dance by C. S. Harris for the set in a time before I was born. Old enough to fit even me!

I finished two books yesterday that count: Dust for one-word title and The Reluctant Sorcerer for owned more than 5 years.

Finished three books this weekend that qualify for squares:

1917 - Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
Place in Title - Japantown by Barry Lancet
Next in a series - On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay

Ended up getting my first bingo too! Working towards a blackout but it was nice to see one column filled.

>9 LittleTaiko: Congrats on getting that first Bingo!

I read The Chronicles of Robin Hood by Rosemary Sutcliff for the "Set in a Time Before I was Born" square.

>9 LittleTaiko: Congrats on your BINGO!

I have decided to rearrange my books' bingo assignments a bit after reading Homicidal. I am using this as my one word title (instead of Creditors). I have put Moo in the book or title involving an animal square (instead of the satire square). Ironically, though the title of the book is a cow sound, the book features a pig! And Creditors went to the place I want to visit square.

I used Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy Sayers for the "Short Stories" square.

I finished Sybil, or the Two Nations which is a satire of Victorian politics -- that gives me my first BINGO!

And I listened to the audiobook of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis which gives me the 'author uses intials' square.

>13 leslie.98: - Yea for bingo!!

>13 leslie.98: Congrats on your Bingo, I'm all over the card with no Bingo coming soon!

I used Ru for the debut work which puts me close to a Bingo, all I need now is "next in a series" which should be easy.

I have used Robert B. Parker as the "Author Born in the 1930's" Square. I read Blue-Eyed Devil the last book in his Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch series.

I'm using The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson for set in the a time before you were born. It was written in the 1950s.

I read Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers for the Debut Work square.

Title refers to another literary work (a song)

Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter / Randy L. Schmidt
4 stars

This book was not authorized by the family. Any earlier biographies, tv movies, etc, were all authorized by her family and, seemingly, “whitewashed”. The author of this one talks to many, many people who knew Karen - friends, family, other celebrities - to put together her life.

Karen Carpenter was one of the siblings in the musical brother-sister duo, The Carpenters, who became stars in the 1970s. Karen became anorexic and died at 32-years old.

The above was about as much as I knew about Karen Carpenter. The Carpenters were big before I was born and when I was very young. I do remember some of their music from when I was younger, but I particularly remember watching the tv movie that aired in 1989. I was in high school at that time and that may have been when I found out about her anorexia. This book brings to light some of the reasons that she may have developed anorexia: an overprotective mother; a disastrous marriage; though she was the “star” of the Carpenters, she was always second-best in her family, as brother Richard was always her parents’ (or at least her mother’s) favourite, and that was never hidden.

There was a lot of detail about the songs/hits, etc. Maybe a bit too much. At the same time, I had a Carpenters soundtrack running through my head the entire time I was reading it! I even had to youtube their music to listen to some I didn’t know (or some I did know, but didn’t recognize based on the title). And I’m listening to The Carpenters as I write this review.

Overall, though, I thought it was very good. There was a lot I didn’t know about Karen, and it was all very interesting, and no question, very sad.

I read Stiff by Mary Roach for the Debut work square. It is the first book by a nonfiction author.

>20 LibraryCin: I'm old enough to have "known" and loved the Carpenters. My heart just breaks over Karen, I saw them interviewed once and I have always remembered how shocked I was about her self attitude.

The interview took place after they were successful. It sticks in my mind that she criticized herself throughout, even for her hairstyle. She said it was so dorky and she didn't even know it and no one told her, and on and on. She had this beautiful voice and a strong stage presence that caused them to be extremely popular. And yet, she was fixated on having bangs when it wasn't popular!

I've wondered how successful Richard would have been without her, "The Carpenters" was built on her talent as much as his.

Author Abroad

A Man Called Ove / Fredrik Backman
3 stars

Ove is a grumpy old man. Well, only 59, but still grumpy. He has lost his wife and new (foreign!) neighbours move in, Parvaneh and Patrick. They have two young daughters and a baby on the way.

Not much really happens. Ove just grumps about everyone (mostly people), while Parvaneh and her daughters always seem to be around. I was listening to the audio and there was a lot of jumping around in time, so I was often lost as to whether we were back in time or present-day (unless Ove’s wife, Sonja, was alive – in that case, it was obvious). It just really didn’t hold my attention all that much. Parts were ok, but it wasn’t anything special for me. There was a small surprise near the end and I briefly thought I might increase my rating, but overall, it wasn’t enough. I did enjoy Parvaneh’s character, though. Not matter how gruff Ove was to her, she just took it all in stride.

>22 clue: It's very sad. Anorexia wasn't really well-known at the time, either, so hard for her to get proper treatment.

Hard to say how either of them would have fared without the other.

>20 LibraryCin:. I grew up in this era and remember Karen Carpenter very much. Anorexia is quite a horrid ailment and hard to treat.

I read Alias: Ultimate Collection, Book 2 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos for the "Next book in a series" square.

I've finished A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler for the "color in the title" block.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers was a 5 star read for me, Placed in the "Debut Book" square.

Finished three Bingo books this week:

Made into a Move: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Read a CAT: Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue
Place I Want to Visit: Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty (set in Australia)

I used The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark for the "Made into a Movie" square. I certainly pictured Maggie Smith as Jean Brodie!

I used Gone by Mo Hayder for the "One Word Title". I have filled in 14 squares so far but have yet to get a single Bingo!

I've just finished 'Lost Civilization of Suolucidir' for 'set in a country you've never been' (set in Germany/France/Iran +others)

I have read Demelza for the "next book in a series" square which gives me my first Bingo, yay.

I used The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine for the "Book Owned for More That 5 Years" square. Still hunting that elusive first Bingo.

Here's my February update so far:

Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet -- I used this for the "read a CAT" square because it's a debut work and thus counts for the February CATWoman. Obviously, it would also fit the "debut work" square. :)

Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, My Lady Jane -- I used this for the "about an animal" square because one of the main characters magically takes the form of a horse during daylight hours.

Winston Graham, Demelza -- I'm currently reading this and will use it for the "one-word title" square.

In addition to books I have reported earlier this month, I have read two children's books: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder for the Set in a time before you were born square (this is a reread of a book I read as a child in the 1950s), and Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry for the published in the 1940s-1960s square (published in 1963), which I had never read before.

Debut

Until I Say Goodbye: My Year of Living With Joy / Susan Spencer-Wendel
3.5 stars

The author was in her 40s when she was diagnosed with ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease). ALS eats away at muscles until a person can no longer walk, talk, or do pretty much anything for themselves. There is no cure and it is terminal. She was married and had three children. She quit her job as a court reporter, and spent time with her friends and family doing something she loved: travelling. In that time, she also met her biological mother (she was adopted) and found out her biological father had already died, but she went to Greece to meet his family, as well. She simply wanted to enjoy the time she had while she could still do things.

Susan had a great attitude and plenty of determination, as she wrote much of this book on her iPad, hunting and pecking the letters with one thumb. The book wasn’t nearly as sad as I thought it might be, but I’m sure that was due to her attitude. Of course, there were a few times where I teared up, anyway. I did know someone with ALS, though I hadn’t been in contact with her for a few years. I heard that she was also very positive and tried to enjoy life as much as she could for as long as she could, so I imagine she had a similar attitude to Susan. For anyone who likes inspirational stories, this is definitely it.

I used Die Nonne von Monza for the "place name in the title" square. Great little story.

ETA

I've finished reading Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones for my book club read which I'm using for the color in the title square.

Finally my first completed line Bingo! I used Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood for the "Next In Series" square.

For the debut square using Behind the Throne by K. B. Wagers

For the animal square, I read The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts. Snowman was a champion jumper, not a race horse.

Appeals to the senses: Food!

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think / Brian Wansink.
3.5 stars

This book explains why so many of us eat mindlessly, without thinking about how much we are eating, resulting in weight gain. Portion sizes are a big one, including packaging and plate size. But, there are plenty more reasons than that. The author describes plenty of studies that explain this and includes tips on how to cut back.

I thought this was very interesting, though much of it makes sense when you think about it. The nice part of this book is that he has the studies to prove these things. I would love to be able to do some of the things he suggests. I actually wish I owned the book, so I could refer back to it later. I didn’t even go into the book looking for ways to lose weight, just to read some interesting information! I listened to the audio, read by the author, and he did a fine job.

I read And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts, which fits the "Made into a movie" square.

One word title

Watermelon / Marian Keyes
3.5 stars

The day Claire has her first baby, her husband James tells her he’s been having an affair and he is leaving Claire. Devastated, Claire moves back to Dublin from London to live with her parents and two younger sisters while she tries to figure out where to go from here. Her youngest sister, Helen, is in college and one day brings home a friend, Adam.

Have to admit, I didn’t like Claire all that much, but there were humourous bits to the story and it was still enjoyable, overall. Actually, I’m not sure there were any characters I really liked much. Maybe Adam. Close to the end, it was a bit… odd and took some figuring out (as Claire was also figuring it out!). I did enjoy the book enough to put the next Walsh family book on my tbr.

I read Perfume River by Robert Olen Butler for my 'Appeals to the Senses' square.

A very affecting novel that works its way gently along the fault lines between fathers and sons; between those who serve their country and those who choose not to; between the members of one generation and the ones that both follow and come before. About learning new ways to reach each other and ways to resolve and reconcile, within ourselves and between ourselves and others. A touching read.

I read the excellent The Pigeon Tunnel: stories from my life by John le Carré for 21: animal in title.

I finished The Blackbirder for the "color in the title" square, which gives me my first bingo.

I decided to assign Mary Oliver's poetry in House of Light to the "appeals to the senses" square.

Here's what I have completed in February

24: set in a time before I was born: The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (February)
23: set in a beach community, this book is in Rio and the ocean is a part of the story, Dom Casmurro (February)
5. One word title; Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (February
1. A Satire: The Nix BY Nathan Hill (February)