Jenny (Socialpages) Starts Reading Again 75 Books in 2019

Hi I'm Jenny and I live in Australia. I retired 14 months ago and thought I'd be able to catch up on all my reading. Wrong! Last year was probably my worst reading year ever. I didn't even track the meagre number of books I read. 2019 is a fresh start for me and I'm looking forward to discovering new authors as well as rereading some old favourites.
I'm posting a picture of the book I finished reading today (chosen because of the beautiful cover illustration) just because I've only now learnt how to do it because of a thread in this group! Thank you.

Welcome, Jenny! From the authors listed on our profile, I’d say you’ll find some fellow readers here. Feel free to jump in anywhere - and have fun this year!

>1 socialpages: hi! I’ve placed a star on this thread and will be checking it from time to time. :)

Hello! We like a lot of the same authors, so I'm excited to follow your reading this year!

>2 drneutron:
>3 fuzzi:
>4 Cait86:
Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll be following your reading in 2019 too. Only two more sleeps until 2019.

This is the book I'm reading now. It got some great reviews in LT. I'm only on Chapter 1 but it's a really hot day in Sydney (over 40 deg C for the third day in a row) so it's a great day to stay at home and read (with the air con on).

Placing my star Jennifer.

>5 socialpages: I have that book near the top of the pile, I'll look forward to reading your thoughts,

Putting a star to follow your reading, Jennifer.

Happy New Year Jenny!

January Reading
1. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
2. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
3. The Economics of Innocent Fraud by J. K. Gilbraith
4. The Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton
5. Racing the Devil by Charles Todd
6. Circe by Madeline Miller
7. Anna of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett
8. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
9. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
10 Ada by Kaz Cooke

Hi, Jenny. Welcome to the group! Since you're getting an advance look at 2019 (compared to those of us on this side of the world), how is it shaping up?

Welcome and happy reading in 2019, Jenny!

>10 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda. 2019 is shaping up as a good reading year. My books I ordered have arrived from Book Depository, my reserved books are ready for pick up from the library, my "currently reading" novel is a good one and the weather is crazy hot down under (100 deg F) so I don't feel guilty settling in to read either by the pool or in the air-conditioned house.
>11 FAMeulstee: Thank you for the welcome Anita and Frank. Looking forward to following everyone's reading journey in 2019

I found this 2019 Book Challenge on romance.com.au and have adapted it to suit my taste in books as I'm not really a reader of romance novels. I think it has some interesting categories especially no 9 which is read a best seller from your birth year.

1 COMPLETED A book published in 2019
The Testaments
2 COMPLETED A book you own but never read
Ransom by David Malouf
3 COMPLETED A classic
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4 COMPLETED A book written by an Australian/New Zealand author
Ada by Kaz Cooke
5 COMPLETED A non-fiction book
The Economics of Innocent Fraud read January 2019
6 COMPLETED A book with a protagonist that shares your occupation retired
Hester & Harriet by Hilary Spiers
7 COMPLETED A book that has been made into a movie (before you see the film)
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
8 COMPLETED A romance novel with diverse lead characters e.g. To All the Boys I love Before by Jenny Han
10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world
9 The best seller of your birth year 1960
10 COMPLETED A translated novel
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
11 COMPLETED An historical novel set in ancient times e.g.Song of Achilles
Song of Achilles
12 A book of short stories
13 COMPLETED A book someone gave you/recommended
Racing the Devil read January 2019 recommended by Margaret/Book Club
14 COMPLETED A book you chose based on the cover alone
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
15 COMPLETED A book you can read in one sitting
The Bunner Sisters read January 2019

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Jenny, this year.

Happy New Year, Jenny. I hope you have a wonderful year of reading.

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

First book of the year finished! And it was a cracker! I found this book through LT recommendations although my first reaction after reading the publisher's blurb was that this was not a book for me. I thought the subject matter was just too bleak. The story did start a bit slowly but then gained momentum and I was hooked.
It's about a group of gay men in the 80s in Chicago at the height of the AIDS crisis. The main character, Yale, is working at an art gallery as one by one his friends are infected by the virus. Yale is a great character yet he is not a good judge of character and is too trusting.
The book has one chapter set in 1985-92 alternating with a chapter set in 2015. The chapters set in 2015 relate to Fiona whose brother was the first of Yale's crowd to die from the AIDS virus. Fiona is searching for her estranged daughter in Paris. She is staying with a photographer friend who chronicled the devastation the virus caused in the 1980s. This brings up lots of painful memories for her. Fiona's story is not as compelling or interesting as Yale's.

Cover: The cover is shades of intersecting red, orange and yellow lines which gives nothing of the subject matter away. I quite like the brightness of the cover.

The title comes from a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald, My Generation.
"We were the great believers.
I have never cared for any men as much as for these who felt the first springs when I did, and saw death ahead, and were reprieved - and who now walk the long stormy summer".

I would rate this book 4 stars.

Excellent review. I’m adding this one to the WL.

>16 socialpages: Great start to your reading year, Jenny! I hope it continues!

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
After the intensity of The Great Believers I wanted something light and witty but with a hint of bitchiness. China Rich Girlfriend certainly delivers. It's the second book in Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. Rachel finally finds her biological father who is a wealthy Chinese politician but their reunion does not go smoothly. The book is full of unbelievably rich Asians who spend up big on couture fashion, jewellery, real estate and luxury cars. The social structure is a strict hierachy based on money, family and profession.
Most of the characters from the first book Crazy Rich Asians are back plus a plethora of new ones. I had to do a family tree chart just to keep on top of who everyone is. It was nice to catch up on what was happening with Astrid who is my favourite character.
This is a book that will make you smile and laugh at the absurdities of the filthy rich.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

#3 for January
The Economics of Innocent Fraud by J. K. Galbraith



This book was lent to my by a friend as a "must read". My friend reads magazines and articles about economics. I don't. Economics is not a subject that I know anything about so I was pleased to see that this book was only 56 pages long. It's more of an essay really. Well I raced through China Rich Girlfriend in a few days but The Economics of Innocent Fraud took me soooo much longer as I had to reread and reread paragraphs just to make sure I understood what Galbraith's point was. I found the writing wordy, the sentences long and the sentiments repetitious. However, on the plus side I learnt a few things about economics though a few more examples would have been appreciated.
I do love the cover. It's a black and white sketch and appears to be dollar signs or snakes on skewers thrust into Congress on top of the globe.
It's difficult to rate this book. Galbraith is an acknowledged expert on economic matters but I wish he had written in a more simpler style for economic dummies like me. I came away from reading this book more informed with an insight into the "frauds" (innocent or not) that are perpetuated today so for that reason I'm giving it 3 stars.

#4 for January The Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton



Let me preface this review by saying I am an Edith Wharton fan but I was sadly disappointed with The Bunner Sisters which is a short read at 96 pages. It's the story of two sisters, Ann Eliza the elder who has looked after the younger sister Evelina like a mother. The sisters run a small haberdashery/millinery shop in a shabby area of New York. They scrape out a meagre living but are proud of their endeavours to support themselves. The sisters make the acquaintance of Mr Ramy who runs a clock shop. Both sisters are romantically interested in Mr Ramy though it is Evelina whom he marries.
Wharton depicts the plight of the poor, especially women, and the limited choices available to them.
I can only give this book 2 stars.

>21 socialpages: There's probably a reason I've never heard of this one, then...

#5 for January
Racing the Devil by Charles Todd



This book was recommended to me by a member of my book club. It's no 19 in the Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery series. I haven't read the previous 18 books but it didn't matter the story stands alone. Set in 1920 in England, Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard is called in to assist in a murder made to look like an automobile accident. Inspector Rutledge does not have the benefit of modern crime scene forensic tools, the internet or mobile phones. The story is convoluted and a bit far fetched. I guessed the murderer early on in the book but the wonderful thing about this book is Inspector Rutledge himself. His experiences in World War 1 have left him claustrophobic and suffering from nightmares. His best friend, Hamish, who died during the war is his constant companion: a Scottish voice in his head offering advice, comments and warning him of danger.

I'm going to give this book 4 stars. It's an insight into an era when many men were permanently damaged by the effects of World War 1, both physically and mentally. I will definitely read more books by Charles Todd (a mother/son writing team) and the charming Inspector Rutledge.

>23 socialpages: Interesting to hear that this one can be read alone, or out of sequence. I've read the first three in the series, and thought it sort of stalled, although I enjoyed Rutledge's character. Hamish, however, was not a friend, but a subordinate, and his death was an execution ordered by Rutledge when Hamish failed to obey an order. I think it's important to know that, as it contributes to Rutledge's psychological issues.

Just now I finished The Age of Innocence which was my first Edith Wharton book and loved it so much that I've already looked for more written by her. This one will drop down to the bottom of the list, I think.

>24 laytonwoman3rd: I didn't know that Hamish has been around since book 1. I can see how the series stagnated as the murders are not that thrilling or mysterious. Ian Rutledge is an interesting character psychologically. The voice of the dead Hamish doesn't seem to blame Rutledge for his death and Rutledge appears to like having Hamish around. I'd read another in this series but I won't try and read all nineteen. I have to move on to Faulkner February!
>25 DeusXMachina: The House of Mirth is my favourite Wharton novel. The Age of Innocence is a close second.

#6 for January
Circe by Madeline Miller



Circe is the daughter of a Titan and a naiad. She is a goddess and immortal but she is not like the others nymphs. She's neither beautiful nor sweet tempered and so is rejected by her kin. Circe discovers that she is a witch and uses her power for love and then vengeance. Witchcraft is feared by the gods and Zeus banishes her to a remote island. Here Circe hones her craft. This is a wonderful tale of gods, heroes and monsters as Circe becomes an independent woman confident in her abilities. She must use her wits and magic to survive encountering Odyssesus, Athena, Jason and Hermes on the way.
I absolutely adored this book. Circe is a wonderfully drawn character who transforms from a meek child who only seeks her parents' approval and love to a strong capable woman taking charge of her life.
Rating 5 stars. I can't think of anything I disliked about this book.

>28 Cait86: I totally agree. This is an gem of a book.

>27 socialpages: Eagerly awaiting your comments on this one! I read it last year, and really loved it.

#7 for January Anna of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett



The cover photo of the novel sums up Anna. She is concerned with duty and discipline, salvation and sin. Anna lives with her younger sister and father in a manufacturing area. Her father is rich but a well known miser who demands unconditional obedience and thrift from his children. Anna discovers on her 21st birthday that she is a wealthy woman but Anna is still under the control of her father. When Anna would show a tenant leniency her father dictates that she press him for the rent owed. Tragedy soon follows and Anna is moved to defy her father. Anna is a complex character. At once devoted to duty but also compassionate to the suffering of others.

I rate this book 3 1/2 stars.

>29 socialpages: hmm. I'm intrigued by that one. Common Knowledge indicates it was published in 1902! That certainly qualifies as a TBSL (Tattered But Still Lovely) book.

>29 socialpages: I love Gwen John paintings. I've not read that Bennet novel, but I did like The Old Wives' Tale some years back Jenny.

>27 socialpages: Glad you loved it!

>30 fuzzi: TBSL what a great acronym.TBSL! It describes exactly my well read second hand copy. What I did find frustrating was Anna's deference to her over-bearing father. I just wanted to shake her and say "grow a back bone" but in 1902 men did have the upper hand. She does eventually defy her father to my great joy.
>31 Caroline_McElwee: I'm not familiar with Gwen John's paintings but I do love this cover. I never get tired of looking at it. There's something about the face - she seems sad but there's a hint of an inner strength in the eyes and mouth. Her shoulders gently slope making her appear a little vulnerable. It is apparently a self portrait.
>32 Cait86: I will be recommending Circe to everyone I know. I'm considering it as my book choice for my book club.

>33 socialpages: Yes Jenny, it is a self portrait. I'm a fan of her work. Although it can give the perception of softness, as you mention, you can see strength too, and I think that applies to many of her pieces.

>33 socialpages: I got it from a group here on LT:

https://www.librarything.com/groups/tatteredbutstilllove

I also found it on OpenLibrary, so I can read it for free.

>27 socialpages: I still need to read Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles. *sigh* Just too little time for all the books I need to read!

>29 socialpages: Sounds interesting.

>27 socialpages: Circe was probably my top read of 2018. Just delicious.

Book #8 for January
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith



Another great read. This is a book I'd never heard of but it was well reviewed on Library Thing as an American classic.
Well it didn't disappoint. It's 1902 and the Nolans live in the slums of Brooklyn, New York. Francie's mother cleans houses to earn a living and her father is an alcoholic, sometimes employed singing waiter. Francie's mother wants a better life for her children and believes that education is the way to achieve this. To this end she reads a page of the bible and a page from Shakespeare each night until the children are able to read the books themselves.
The book mainly follows Francie's life from age 11 in 1902 through to 1917. Francie is smart and ambitious. She dreams of becoming a writer and going to college. The family is dirt poor and there is often not enough to eat or money for the rent but through ingenuity, hard work and determination they survive.

I am going to give this book 4 stars. The blurb of the book cover is accurate: "Poignant, moving, triumphant - in the bestselling tradition of Angela's Ashes". Highly recommended

>39 socialpages: Another favorite of mine...I'm glad you enjoyed it. I find it curious the blurber said it's "in the tradition of Angela's Ashes"....that seems backward to me, as Betty Smith wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn first!

>40 laytonwoman3rd: Yes I noticed that too! A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was first by about 50 years.

Book (Audio) #9 for January
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood



This is one of my favourite books by Margaret Atwood. From the blurb "Zenia is beautiful, smart and greedy, by turns manipulative and vulnerable, needy and ruthless. She is also dead". But five years later Zenia is back and the women whose lives she shattered are worried. Roz, Charis and Tony fortified by their bonds of friendship are determined that this time around Zenia will not get the better of them.
Three wonderfully depicted female characters from Atwood drawn together by their encounters with Zenia.
My book cover is different from the one shown. It's black/grey showing a woman in a mask. There are holes cut out for the eyes. Turn the cover to reveal another black and white cover which shows the beautiful woman behind the mask.
This was a reread for me. Perhaps my third.
I rate this book 4 1/2 stars.

Book #10 for January
Ada by Kaz Cooke



I read this book as it is my book club's selection for February. It also checks off the "Australian author" category for my 2019 challenge.

Ada is dying of consumption at 43 years of age. She is relating the story of her life to a visitor named Horace. She has travelled the world in different vaudeville troupes. She's an unreliable narrator by her own admission she tells lies.
I didn't enjoy this book. I did like the photos the author has used throughout the book.
I give this book 1/2 star. Recommended only for people who are interested in vaudeville.

>42 socialpages: That is one of the few Atwoods that I haven't read, but it is on my list for this year!

>44 Cait86: You can't go wrong with an Atwood novel. I don't think she's written a bad book ever.

February Reading

1. The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths
2. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Audio book
3. The Hamlet by William Faulkner
4. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
5. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
6. The house at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths Audio book
7. The Collected Works of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
8. The Road to Winter by Mark Smith
9. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

Year to date total: 19

February Book #1
The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths



I started on The Hamlet for my personal Faulkner in February challenge and I was going great guns. I was more than half way through and just enjoying Faulkner's use of language and his amazing vocabulary. I didn't bother to look up the words I had never seen or heard of before, I just let them float over me. Some sentences are a whole paragraph long but what sentences! I can seen why he is so revered as an author and also why he scares a lot of readers off.

Anyway, more on Faulkner when I finish the book. I felt like an easy read so I grabbed The Outcast Dead (number six in the Ruth Galloway series) and it didn't disappoint. The characters are familiar and like old friends - Ruth Galloway, single mum and archaeologist; DCI Nelson, father of Ruth's child; Cathbad, local druid and the other members of Nelson's police team. Unfortunately, I read the series out of order and had missed this one. I have numbers 9 and 10 to go before I have finished. The series combines archaeology and crime. How can you go wrong?
Rating 3 stars. A great read.

February Book #2
Audio book
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller



Another journey into the myths of ancient Greece. Helen, Queen of Sparta, abandons her husband and country to be with Paris in Troy. This event gives Agamemnon, the catalyst he needs to unite the Greek states and sail to Troy. Odysseus convinces Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior to accompany them and win eternal fame and glory. Achilles, is the son of a mortal and a sea nymph but he is not immortal. His mother, Thetus, warns Achilles of a prophecy that says when Hector (Prince of Troy) dies, Achilles will also die. Despite the prophecy Achilles and his friend/lover Patroclus join the Greek army and head to Troy. The war last more than 10 years with neither side getting the upper hand. Achilles is slighted by Agamenon and refuses to fight. Without Achilles the Greeks are overwhelmed by the Trojans and many many Greeks die. Patroclus dresses in Achilles' armour takes to the battle field to rally the Greeks and is killed by Hector who thinks it is Achilles. Achilles is grief stricken at Patroclus' death and kills Hector. The prophecy comes to pass as after Hector dies, Achilles is also killed on the battle field.

Madeline Miller brings ancient Greece and Troy to life.

Highly recommended. Rating 4 1/2 stars.

The Song of Achilles was one of my favorites the year I read it. And YAY for you enjoying The Hamlet...I read that one over and over just for the amusement of it.

>45 socialpages: I totally agree; Atwood is my favourite author. I haven't loved everything by her that I've read, but the brilliant outweighs the mediocre exponentially. I cannot wait for The Testaments to be published this fall.

February Book #3
The Hamlet by William Faulkner



I survived Willliam Faulkner! And even enjoyed him. The Hamlet is a strange book. It's about the Snopes family led by Flem Snopes moving into a small country town in southern USA and little by little taking it over from the Varner family. The blurb on the book says Flem is "like some monstrous worm, consumes the small village until there is nothing left in it for him to eat". He is not a likeable character.
The book's structure is also unusual. There are four books which are almost separate novellas themselves. Book One "Flem" sets the scene and introduces the Varner and Snopes families plus the inhabitants of the town.
Book Two "Eula" is about a school teacher in love with Eula Varner since she was eleven years old. Eula rejects the teacher's advances. A pregnant Eula is married off to Flem (not the baby's father) in a business deal.
Book Three is about a mentally handicapped Snopes who is in love with a cow. The cow is the subject of a legal dispute when it grazes on another man's land. And there is the murder of the cow's owner by a Snopes.
Book Four is perhaps the most exciting section. It starts with wild ponies being auctioned off but the new owners cannot catch their ponies who escape into the wilderness. As a reader we suspect that Flem is behind the auction. But Flem's coup de grace is still to come.... he manages to trick the town's smartest man into buying a worthless property.

At times the going was tough and I had to re-read sections but Faulkner does reward the reader who perseveres. His use of language is unique. In some ways he reminds me of Patrick White, another "difficult" author. I have The Sound and The Fury to read next but I've come down with a horrible summer cold so I'll read some lighter books until I'm feeling up to my next Faulkner novel.

This is a hard book to rate. The last Book of the novel was so good that I've upped my rating to 4 stars.

February Book #4
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald



The cover of this book caught my eye on the library shelf. It's a short novel only 156 pages and seemed the perfect foil to William Faulkner. Florence Green is a middle aged widow who uses her small inheritance to open a bookshop in a small seaside town. But Florence doesn't stand a chance against the formidable and connected Mrs Gamart, lecturing bank managers, useless solicitors and the resentment of other shop keepers. Florence is kind yet naive. She believes "Surely you have to succeed, if you give everything you have". For a while it seems Florence will succeed on the sales of Lolita but then cruel fate intervenes in the shape of Mrs Gamart.

This is one of the saddest books I have read in a while. I felt sure that Florence and the book shop would prevail but Florence is ultimately defeated.

Rating 4 stars.

>51 socialpages: >52 socialpages: I enjoyed both these novels, I've been intending to get back to the rest of the Snopes series, Jenny.

>51 socialpages: Wonderful description and assessment of The Hamlet. I absolutely love the sale of the wild ponies section... It's interesting that you compare Faulkner to Patrick White. He's an author I've heard good things about, but have not yet read.

I've been reading a lot this month but not reviewing. I had a tooth extraction on 1 February under general anaesthetic and then caught a cold which is just shifting now at the end of February, however, a nasty cough lingers on. So I've been feeling a bit miserable. There's nothing worse than a cold in summer. To make matters worse, I've lost my instructions on how to insert photos of book covers so I'll just have to review the books with just words.
I actually started my second Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury, but decided I needed some nice, easy, comfort reads instead.

February books:

#5 The Chalk Pit and #6 The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths. What can I say. I love the Ruth Gallagher character. Elly Griffiths didn't disappoint. Great crime writing with some archaeology added to the mix.
Rating 4 stars.

#7 The Collected Works of A J Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.
Chosen off the library shelf purely for the great cover. Melting book cases a la Salvidor Dali. Newsprint clothing. A man and a child. This book is for book lovers. A grumpy widower runs a book shop. A baby is left in the shop. Man adopts baby and opens his heart to friends, love and life.
My rating is 4 stars.

#8 The Road to Winter by Mark Smith. Debut Australian author. My book club read for March. A virus wipes out most of the Australian population. Finn is 15years old, his parents are both dead, but he's managing to survive. He has a stash of food, hunts rabbits and dives for abalone. It's a lonely life until an injured girl on the run from the Wilders (violent gangs who control a lot of the northern cities) arrives. Finn risks everything to help this girl.
I hate it when you read a book that has an open ending and you find out it's book one of a trilogy. I enjoyed this book but I'm not sure I'd bother reading the next two in the series. It's a Young Adult book so easy to read and highly enjoyable.
Recommended for readers who like dystopian fiction.
Rating 3 1/2 stars

#9 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
An alternate history of earth. It's 1952 and a meteorite hits Washington wiping out the population. The meteorite triggers tsunamis and earthquakes across the planet but the worst thing is that the climate is changing significantly making the earth inhospitable to man. Thus the race to colonise space begins. Elma York is an accomplished pilot and brilliant mathematician who is one of the "computers" working for the International Aerospace Coalition. Elma dearly wants to be an astronaut and challenges the commonly held prejudice and bias against women in space.
Great read. My rating 3 1/2 stars.

Sorry you've not been feeling well. I'm not one much for a challenging read when I am sick, understand the comfort read angle!

Bookmark this link, or save it as a favorite so you can access it later:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/177029

That has all the shortcuts for doing pictures, etc. on LT.

March Book #1
Hester & Harriet by Hilary Spiers



Hester and Harriet are widowed sisters who live together peacefully in a quiet country village. Then on the way to Christmas lunch at a relative's house they stop to help a young refugee woman with a baby and unclear immigration status. Along with their teenage nephew and a homeless man the two sisters come to her aid.

I chose this book because I liked the cover design and it checked off a category in my challenge (a book where the protagonist shares your occupation - I'm retired like they are). It was light reading and I enjoyed the characters of the elderly sisters. The book did drag a bit in the middle but that's a minor complaint.

>56 fuzzi: Thanks for the link. I've saved it for future use.
Thankfully, I'm feeling much better.

March Reading

1. Hester & Harriet by Hilary Spiers
2. Bad Yogi by Alice Williams
3. Educated by Tara Westover
4. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
5. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
6. The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly
7. Bicycling for Women by Gale Bernhardt
8. Becoming by Michelle Obama

Year to date total: 27

March Book #2
Bad Yogi by Alice Williams


A memoir that wasn't what I expected. Alice Williams has her dream job as a TV screen writer on an Australian soap. It turns out the job isn't as great as she thought and her contract is not renewed. Alice can't find another writing job so in desperation she signs up to do a yoga teacher training course. Alice also has an eating disorder that she struggles to get under control.
I was more interested in the yoga side of the memoir but I did learn a lot about someone with food issues and how these issues take over your life.
Rating 3 1/2 stars

March Book #3

Educated by Tara Westover



It's not a great cover but Educated was rated highly and well reviewed on LT so I decided to read it as my second memoir for March (bumping The Sound & the Fury further down by TBR March pile). It was a good decision. Tara Westover was one of seven children in a Mormon family living in rural Idaho. She never attended school and her parents did not believe in hospitals preferring to trust God and Tara's mother's herbal salves/tinctures. Tara's father becomes increasingly more radical and her brother more violent. Tara escapes to university and discovers a different perspective to life but family ties are strong and she faces some difficult truths and hard choices.
Rating 4 stars.

April Reading
1. Books that Changed the World. The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History by Andrew Taylor
2. In Deep Water by Sam Blake Audio
3. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
4. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
5. Running. A Love Story by Dom Harvey
6. Body Lengths by Leisel Jones
7. In Sickness, In Health and In Jail by Mel Jacob
8. Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald

Year to date total: 35

Wishing you a lovely Sunday, Jenny.

<62 Thank you Paul. I went for my usual 10km run and then spent the rest of the day relaxing with The Travelling Cat Chronicles. A very enjoyable read. Light and entertaining. I confess I shed some tears at the end of the book.

It's only April and already I've fallen behind in my book reviews. So here comes my quickie (is this a word?) reviews. No excuses. I just got out of the habit of reading then reviewing.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Lianne Moriarty
Disappointing read. I enjoyed Big Little Lies, was less enthused by Truly, Madly Guilty and Nine Perfect Strangers completed the downward trajectory. I enjoy her characters and her writing style but I just felt the plot was ridiculous.
Rating 2 stars

Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
A librarian writes letters to her books. Recommended for book lovers and librarians. Enjoyable, fun read.
Rating 2 stars

The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleary
Period detective novel.
Rating 3 stars

Bicycling for Women by Gale Bernhardt
How to book for women who want to improve their cycling.
Rating 3 stars

Becoming by Michelle Obama
Wonderful autobiography and insight into Michelle Obama's life. One surprising fact I learnt: the Obamas live rent free in the White House but are charged for things like toilet paper and toothpaste!
Rating 4 stars

Books that Changed the World by Andrew Taylor
Another book for book lovers. Number 1 was Homer's The Illiad and Number 50 was Harry Potter.
Rating 4 stars

In Deep Water by Sam Blake
A detective novel set in Ireland. I listened to an audio book and the narrator had such a wonderful Irish accent in didn't matter whether the book was good or not. After a slow start, the pace picked up and I did enjoy it. Detective Cat Connolly is an interesting protagonist. This is no. 2 in the series.
Rating 3 stars

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
I'm a fan of Murakami's work and I'm a runner so this book is a perfect fit for me. Interesting insights into Murakami's character.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
I loved this book. Satoru and his cat Nana go on a road trip visiting three old friends from Satoru's youth. I cried when the book ended. Beautifully written, a gentle read yet full of humour. Great cover and ink drawings for each chapter.
Rating 4 1/2 stars.

I'll have to revisit Dear Fahrenheit 451, I bought and started it last year, as I love books about books, but it just didn't do it for me, and can't remember why. An element of flippancy comes to mind, but I could be misremembering, Jenny.

>65 Caroline_McElwee: After re-reading my review, I'm not sure why I gave Dear Fahrenheit 451 a 4 star rating. From memory it was a bit hit and miss. You hit the nail on the head when you said the book had an element of flippancy about it which I didn't like. So Caroline you're not misremembering I had forgotten how annoying this book was in parts. I'm going to edit my rating and give it 2 stars.

April Book #5

Running. A Love Story by Dom Harvey
Dom Harvey is a New Zealand radio DJ who drank and ate too much. In an effort to loose weight and get healthy Dom took up running marathons. The book mainly details Dom's efforts to run a sub 3 hour marathon. An okay read but this storyline has been done before. A bit blokey for my taste.
Rating 2 stars. Recommended for those starting out on their journey to run a marathon.

April Book #6
Body Lengths by Leisel Jones



Leisel Jones is an Australian icon. She won medals in 4 Olympic Games, starting with the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when she was just 15 years old. Leisel talks about the pressures of being a competitive swimmer, the depression she suffered, the focus on weight and the toxic culture within the Australian swim team.
Recommended for girls that aspire to be competitive swimmers. Rating 4 stars.

April Book #7
In Sickness, In Health... and in Jail by Mel Jacob



This book is for the April meeting of my book club. It's a memoir of a woman who lives two suburbs away. Her husband is convicted under firearms and prohibited weapons legislation and is sentenced to jail where he serves two years. Mel Jacob writes candidly about the anger, grief and shame of having her husband incarcerated.
I thought the illustration on the front cover was perfect.
Rating 3 1/2 stars. Fascinating insights into the Australian prison system with its bureaucratic blunders, vindictive Correctional Officers and volatile prisoners.

April Book #8

Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald



Penelope Fitzgerald was in her 60s when she wrote this book and won the Booker Prize. It's only a short novel about the people who live in barges on a section of the river Thames. The shared experience of boat living brings together this eclectic bunch of strangers.
I'm reviewing this book a few weeks after I read it and I recollect feeling sad at the end of the book. Sad because it looked like there could have been a happy romantic ending for two characters but Fitzgerald didn't write a "hollywood" ending.
The two characters I most enjoyed were the two young girls who refused to go to school and roamed the shore and the boats at will.
Rating 3 stars

May Book #1

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

A re-read for me but this time I listened to the audio book read by Dominic West who did a great job. A proper English butler in an English great house looks back on his life.

May Book #2

The Power by Naomi Alderman


Suddenly women around the world discover they have a "skein" in their collarbone which allows them to produce an electric charge which can cause agonising pain or even death. Naomi Alderman looks at what might happen if woman controlled the power.

>71 socialpages: that's one I've heard was very good.

I've been a bit slack recently and I haven't been logging my reading. Here's my reading lists for May and June.

May Reading
1. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
2. The Power by Naomi Alderman
3. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriaty
4. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin
5. Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
6. The Good People by Hannah Kent
7. Luigi's Freedom Ride by Alan Murray

Year to date total: 42 books

June Reading
1. An Event In Autumn by Henning Mankell
2. The Lebs by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
3. Dyschronia by Jennifer Mills
4. Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
5. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier REREAD

Year to date total: 47 books

>74 socialpages: The Power is in my July future, for my work reading group Jenny.

I reread Remarkable Creatures last year, as I stay regularly at Lyme Regis and walk in Mary Anning's footsteps.

>75 Caroline_McElwee: One day I hope to get to Lyme Regis to soak up the atmosphere and look for fossils. Another of my favourite books The French Lieutenant's Woman is set there too. Remarkable Creatures was a re-read for me. I loved it just as much as the first time I read it.

Planned books for August:

1. Just Another Hurdle by Jana Pittman
2. Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino
3. The Way of the Runner by Adharanand Finn
4. The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories
5. Hansons Half-Marathon Method

28 August UPDATE
I have read all of the above books except The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories because I seen to have lost it. I know it's in the house somewhere ??????

July Reading

A bit of a Japanese theme happening this month. The two Higashino novels feature Detective Kaga who reminds me of Miss Marple in that he solves murders by logical deduction.
Kitchen is a beautifully written novella about bereavement, family, grief and of course kitchens. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Just a delight to read.
However, do not go near Half Wild. It was my bookclub's read for July and we rated it 2 out of 10. Two ladies did not finish it. Based on a true story about a woman who lived as a man in Sydney.

1. Newcomer by Keigo Higashino
2. Malice by Keigo Higashino
3. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
4. Half Wild by Pip Smith

Year to to date total: 51 books

Is your reading still coming predominantly from the Land of the Rising Sun, Jenny?

Have a great weekend.

>79 PaulCranswick: hi Paul. I am enjoying my sojourn in Japanese literature. I've just finished The Way of the Runner: A Journey into the Obsessive World of Japanese Running which was excellent. However, I do feel like a bit of a break before starting The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories which is a weighty tome so I've picked up The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. It comes in at 500 pages so I might be here for a while. From the back cover: Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered at a party. Until Aiden, one of the guests, solves her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Each day Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. Quirky and intriguing! Love a good crime novel.
How's your reading going? What are you reading now?

August's Reading:

1. Ransom by David Malouf
Achilles is mad with grief after Hector kills his friend Patroclus and refuses to give Hector's body back to his father, King Priam of Troy. He ties Hector's body to his chariots and drags the body behind it. Priam comes to Hector dressed as a common man and asks for his son's body to be returned to him.
Everyone knows this story from Homer's Illiad but Malouf brings his own special magic to the retelling. Simply wonderful!
4 stars
2. Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
The latest in the Ruth Galloway series and it doesn't disappoint. I find that I'm much more interested in the DCI Nelson and Ruth Galloway romance than finding the murderer. Will they ever find happiness together? Can't wait for the next book in the series.
4 stars
3. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle A strange novel and hard to categorise. It's a time travelling murder mystery but it's a confusing read. There's lots of characters to keep track of and most of the time I was completely befuddled. It was entertaining enough that I kept reading to the very end where all the plot threads come together.
2 1/2 stars
4. Hansons Half-Marathon Method: Run Your Best Half-Marathon the Hansons Way
The Hansons method is based on cumulative fatigue with easy running days plus sessions of substance. I found it very frustrating that all the pace charts and training timetables are in miles. Not all of us live in America.
4 stars
5. The Way of the Runner: A Journey into the Obsessive World of Japanese Running by Adharanand Finn.
Finn and his family move to Japan for six months. I really enjoyed this book having been to Japan several times.
4 stars
6. The Bachelors by Muriel Spark. A bit dated but funny in places. An audio book.
2 stars
7. Just Another Hurdle by Jana Pittman
Australian hurdler. Pittman is now a doctor and she looks back at her career as an athlete. Great read. Recommended for anyone who is interested in athletics and especially elite female athletes.
4 stars
8. Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino
Japanese crime novel.
4 stars

Total books for August - 8

Year to date total: 59 books

September Reading

1. Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa
2. The Baby Snatchers by Ann Cleeves
3. Mythos by Stephen Fry
4. Running: Cheaper than Therapy by Chas Newkey-burden
5. The Burning Room by Michael Connelly
6. Year of the Farmer by Rosalie Ham

Year to date total: 65 books

October reading:
1.
Siren by Tara Moss
2. Outcasts of Time Didn't finish this book.

November reading:
1. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

October reading:
1. Siren by Tara Moss
Detective novel. Comfort book. 3 stars
2. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide
Lovely novella about a childless couple and their interaction with a neighbour's cat. 4 stars
Outcasts of Time
I didn't finish this book. I read almost one third of it before I gave myself permission to give up. Not bad but just didn't grab me.

I felt sure I read more than two books in October. I'm still making my way through a book of Japanese short stories but I can't include it in my October book count.

I remembered another book I read in October.
3. The Lost Man by Jane Harper
A murder mystery set in the remote Australian outback. Jane Harper does a superb job of describing the harshness and loneliness of living and working on vast cattle properties in Queensland. The landscape is cruel and can kill if you're not prepared.
4 stars

Year to date book total: 68

November reading
1. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
A great start to the month. Published for the Man Booker 2012. An elderly man goes out to post a letter and ends up walking over 500 miles to see an old work colleague with the belief that it will cure her cancer.
4 stars

2. The Library Book by Susan Orlean
What an absolute gem of a book. In 1986 the Los Angeles Central Library burned down. Susan Orlean is a superb story teller as she weaves together the history of this library and how the library changed over the years; the librarians who worked there; the patrons; the collections; the firefighters who fought the blaze; the investigators and the man they suspected started the fire. This book was recommended by my local librarian and I rate it 4 1/2 stars.

3. Snap by Belinda Bauer
This was my first Bauer book and I like her writing style. I was surprised to find out that the book was Long Listed for the Booker Prize as it's a crime novel. I thought the actual crime part of the plot was a little weak however Bauer more than makes up with her depictions of children devastated by the murder of their pregnant mother.
3 stars

4. The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer
Audio book. I decided to try another Bauer crime novel and I wasn't disappointed. A serial killer becomes fixated on a female TV crime reporter. I like the way Bauer develops her characters.
3 stars

5. Dark Pines by Will Dean
Set in Sweden. Tuva Moodyson is a deaf journalist investigating the murder of two men in Utgard Forest with similarities to the murders of 3 other men a decade ago. In all five murders the victim's eyes have been removed.
3 stars Only okay but I will give Dean's second Tuva Moodyson book a try.

Year to date total: 73 books
Only 2 books to go!

You're close to your goal, you can make it!

<85 fuzzi Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to cheat and find some shorter books to finish off the year and reach that elusive 75 book goal.

>86 socialpages: it's not cheating, you set a goal for total books, not pages! 😁

>86 socialpages: Generally my thinking too as the end of the year approaches!

Your numbers are your numbers, Jenny. Good luck. x

December reading

1. Bridge Burning & Other Hobbies by Kitty Flanagan
Australian comic. I saw her live show and bought her book. She's funny, bawdy and a delight to read. This book is made up of anecdotes from her life. Tall tales and true.
3 1/2 stars.

2. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths
Enjoyable, easy detective novel set in 1950s England.
3 stars

3. 10 minutes 38 seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak
Short listed for this year's Booker Prize. I will be seeking out more novels by this brillliant British-Turkish writer.
Set in Istanbul, Leila, a prostitute is murdered. Her body is dead but her brain is still working and for 10 minutes and 38 seconds, her brain recalls ten different memories in her life. We are also introduced to her five friends along the way. The second part of the book deals with the aftermath of Leila's death and is not as successful but maybe that's me being picky.
4 stars. Highly recommended.

4. Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham
Margery Allingham wrote over 20 crime novels. Her most famous detective is Albert Campion. This book was written in 1941 and features Albert Campion who has lost his memory and is on the run from police whilst on an important government mission. Unfortuately, I found the book very dated in its language, plot and characters. Words and sentences that made me cringe: "by jiminy"; "Why didn't she cut the cackle and come to the horses?" and "There's a busy up the street".
1 star. Don't bother.

5. Death of the Demon by Anne Holt
I listened to this on audio. It's my second Hanne Wilhelmsen novel but the third book in the series. An okay murder mystery with a nice twist at the end. The head of a children's foster home is murdered. Hanne has now been promoted to a supervisory role as a Detective Chief Inspector but cannot resist becoming involved in the investigation.
2 1/2 stars

6. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
A childless couple move to Alaska in the 1920s to find a new life in the harsh, unforgiving landscape. In a whimsical moment they make a "snow child" and dress her in red mittens and a scarf. The next day the snow child has melted and the mittens and scarf are gone. The couple soon see a blonde child running through the mountains wearing the scarf and mittens. The child called Faina visits the couple through winter but leaves them at the start of spring each year.

7. And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic
Caleb Zelic mystery no 2 which I listened to on audio. Another quality crime novel by Australian author, Emma Viskic.

8. The Couple Next Door by Shari La Pena
Marco and Anne leave their 6 month old baby at home and go to a birthday dinner at their nextdoor neighbour's house. They check on the baby every half hour. When they return home at the end of the evening their child is gone.
I really enjoyed this audio book except for the ending so I'm taking half a star off my original rating.
3 1/2 stars

9. Red Snow by Will Dean
The second Tuva Moodyson mystery I've read and better than the first. Set in a small country town in Sweden. I like Tuva Moodyson, who is a deaf journalist investigating the "ferryman" murders but there are two many eccentric (bordering on the ridiculous) characters for my taste. Ultimately, a disappointing book
Rating: 2 stars

December total: 9
Year to date total: 82 books
I made it and I'm ahead of schedule. Target reached!

Lucky I decided to go back through my thread and check my monthly totals. I had forgotten to include the 6 books I read in September.

Congratulations on reaching 75, Jenny!

>90 FAMeulstee: Thank you!

Congrats!

Adding congratulations on 75 reads Jenny.

Thank you for keeping me company in 2019.......onward to 2020.