AlphaKIT: February 2020 : F and B

Welcome to AlphaKIT for February.
The rules are... none! Use the letters however you like to choose your reads for the month. Well, okay, there is one rule: Have Fun!

February AlphaKIT letters are : F and B.

and

Also, feel free to combine the letters for more imaginative usage.

Please remember to update the wiki and enter books alphabetically:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2020_AlphaKIT#February:_-_Letters:_F_and...

My obvious choice here is Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody

Couple of options:

A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis
West with the Night by Beryl Markham
Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

Found one that also fits RandomCAT:
- Split Estate / Charlotte Bacon

Need to look a bit closer for F.

ETA: For F, I will likely read:
Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting... / Terri Roberts

I am planning on reading Divorcing Jack by Colin Bateman and The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg.

Trying to see if I can complete AlphaKit this year with double-duty books. This month it will be The Blind Run by Brian Freemantle.

Here's my list of possibiles for February:

Anne Boleyn, A King's Obsession
✔Better Man
Book Charmer
✔Bookmarked for Murder
✔Bridal Suite
Chasing Down a Dream by Beverly Jenkins
Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry
Field Guide to Homicide
Matchmaking Can Be Murder
✔Michelangelo : the Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel
Murder at Beechwood (1)
Murder in the First Edition
Southern Harm by Caroline Fardig
Special Blend of Murder
✔Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower

I am choosing The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I usually use this to pick Orange prize winners by then name (either first or surname). Last year I ordered Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel from the library in about April and it didn't arrive until November. So I'm going to read that one and get it back to the library quicker than it arrived!

>9 Helenliz: Wow! That is a loooong library wait!

I'm planning on reading The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks and The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus.

Currently planning on The Tomb by F. P. Wilson and Dark Age by Pierce Brown

Right now I'm planning to read The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera and I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel.

I've chosen Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly. Keeping with my theme of using the letters of authors first and last name.

I'm planning on The Brontes Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson for both letters.

I'm considering The So Blue Marble by Dorothy B. Hughes. It's recommended by Howard Haycraft.

I will probably reread Saturnalia by Paul Fleischman. This was on my TBR list for 2019 December and I did not get to it.

>13 christina_reads: Loved The Awakening of Miss Prim and I have the Bogel book on my list for this year.

>18 JayneCM: Ooh, good to know, thanks!

I'm thinking I'll read The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas and Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner.

>20 EBT1002: Oh, I read The Chalk Circle Man last year and thought it was excellent!

>20 EBT1002: I also really liked The Chalk Circle Man.

>21 leslie.98: and >22 Crazymamie: Oh good. I had heard good things about it (can't remember from whom) and picked up a copy when I was at my favorite Seattle bookstore a few months ago. AlphaKIT will give me a good reason to get to it.

>23 EBT1002: It also fits the GeoCAT if you're doing that. But really any excuse for more Fred Vargas

How do i update the wiki?

>25 Val_Reads: Go to the wiki thread for the month and category, which you can get to on the 2020 Category Challenge landing page. Click on edit which will take you to a page/window on which to post your book info. Get the book info from the work page in LT for your book. You can see how others have done it when you get to the wiki. I hope this makes sense.

Thanks for the info. I've found my work page for the book. How do I find the number that comes from that page. I'm just not seeing it.

>27 Val_Reads: I copy it from the URL for the book.

For example, I went to the main page of a book I just read, War Admiral: Thoroughbred Legends and this was the url: https://www.librarything.com/work/619328/summary/177889299

Copy the number that follows /work/, that's the work number.

Thank You!

I''ve started two F books already: Finders (Firstborn) by Melissa Scott and The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson

I've just finished The Private Wound by Nicholas Blake. It's February here in Melbourne.

I'm doing a shared read (reread) of The Ferguson Rifle this month, and it fits!

I haven't decided yet what I'll read but Roald Dahl's BFG immediately came to mind.

I read Final Girls by Riley Sanger for an F book.

Never Too Late / Jo Barney
3.5 stars

When Edith wakes up Christmas morning, she discovers her husband of many years has died in his sleep. They were not happy in their marriage, as it had been a shotgun wedding after she’d gotten pregnant 47 years earlier. Now, Edith is discovering many secrets in her husband’s life that she had no idea about. Meantime, her daughter-in-law, Kathleen, has come to her with admissions that something is going on with Brian, Esther’s son, and his marriage. That is, Brian has been very secretive about things, and Kathleen thinks he’s cheating.

I liked this. It wasn’t fast-moving, but there were interesting family secrets going on to learn about.

I've completed my "F" read with The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg.

The Purse by Honoré de Balzac

I'm reading and enjoying a book for RandomCAT which qualifies for both F and B: So Big by Edna Ferber.

Later this month I'll read another F and B book for an adult education mystery novels class: The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman.

I finished Saturnalia by Paul Fleischman.

I finished Felo de Se by R. Austin Freeman - one of the better entries in the Dr. Thorndyke series.

Medora Field's Blood on Her Shoe allowed me to finish AlphaKIT efficiently this month.

A Noise Downstairs / Linwood Barclay
4 stars

When Paul came across Kenneth, a co-worker, on a deserted road, it appeared Kenneth was trying to dump a couple of bodies! Paul suffered a head injury while Kenneth was arrested and sent to jail on two counts of murder and one of attempted murder (Paul). Months later, Paul has been working with a therapist for both the head injury and just getting past what he went through. He decides he’d like to revisit the event and try to figure out what happened to make Kenneth do such a thing. When Paul’s wife, Charlotte, brings home an old typewriter – similar to one Kenneth used when he killed his victims – things start happening...

As with all Barclay’s books, this was really good. I loved the idea of the old typewriter and I could hear the sounds it made in my head. It was also quite creepy, at times. It was hard to know what was happening with Paul, and the twists were a surprise to me.

I finished Burn Boston Burn, about an arson ring in the early 80s.

I just finished Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex for TravelKIT "In Translation." It also fits for this challenge. I was somewhat disappointed, although other LT readers seem to have liked it. The short essays, stories, and fables show that she was a thoughtful person and writer. Themes of family, doing the right thing, personal characteristics, loneliness, and captivity were present.

Read The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson for a B book.

I completed Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner. 3.5 stars.

I finished Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty - 4.5*

I've been ready a bunch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics, some of which are written by Jordie Bellaire or Bryan Edward Hill.

I've finished The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks, my first 5* read this year.

I got both letters with one book, Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins.

>49 dudes22: Got me with a BB there, adding it to my wish list.

COMPLETED Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody

Starting the 2nd in the series.

COMPLETED The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas - a series with which I will definitely be continuing!

I picked up Black Virus (Black Rust #1; by Bobby Adair) off of my e-reader shelf of unread titles. I got this a couple years ago but had forgotten why or even what it was about. Perhaps I thought it was a zombie story? Regardless, it is not about zombies but about a prion disease that spreads like a virus. A teenage boy, Christian Black needs to navigate this new apocalyptic landscape to survive. I think this is actually YA with some graphic depictions of violence. The writing is pretty "basic" and, while it's a straight-forward story, there is nothing new or particularly interesting enough to warrant getting the next book in the series.

Finished Finders by Melissa Scott. Great fun read.

Split Estate / Charlotte Bacon
3 stars

After Arthur’s wife, Laura, kills herself by throwing herself off their balcony in New York, Arthur decides to take his two teenage kids to Wyoming, where they will all stay with his mother on what land she has left that she hasn’t sold (can’t really call it a ranch!). The kids have to learn how to fit in to this rural area, as well as figure out how to deal with their grief.

It’s told from all four characters points of view: Arthur; his mother Lucy; his son Cam; and his daughter Celia. It’s kind of slow, but a decent story. I liked the different points of view that explored their new life in Wyoming, as well as thinking back on each of their relationships with Laura. I wasn’t real happy with the ending, though.

The Flower Ring by James Del narrated by Visual EFX ✤ Review ✤ ★½

Academ's Fury: Codex Alera by Jim Butcher narrated by Kate Reading ✤ Review ✤ ★★★★★

And Then You're Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling over Niagara by Cody Cassidy and Paul Doherty narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris ✤ Review ✤ ★★★★

Black Spark: Dark Magic Enforcer by Al K. LineReview ✤ ★★★★

Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting, A Mother's Love... / Terri Roberts
3 stars

In 2006, Charlie Roberts walked in to an Amish school and shot 10 girls – 5 died, 5 were injured – between the ages of 6 and 13. He then shot himself. He and his family were neighbours to the Amish community, and he (and his father) often worked with the Amish. He knew some of the girls he shot. This was written by his mother, detailing how she came to terms with what happened with the help of the Amish community as they supported each other in this tragedy.

It was interesting, but there was a LOT of God and religion. (I was warned just before I started reading the book.) After a bit, I mostly skimmed over those parts. I will admit that it was quite amazing how the Amish families were able to reach out and support the Roberts’ while the Amish were trying to come to grips with their own losses. It is impressive that years later, she still has a relationship with many of those Amish families (as well as the one injured girl (6-years old at the time) who will never heal).

Finished The BFG by Roald Dahl. It was terrific fun! The narration by David Williams is fantastic.

Currently reading The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

The Lawrence Browne Affair: The Turner Series by Cat Sabastian narrated by Gary Furlong ✤ Review ✤ ★★★★

>62 VivienneR: Correction: The narrator of The BFG was David Walliams (not Williams.

I read Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs - ninth book in her Mercy Thompson series, which I love.

I finished Black Diamond by Martin Walker - the 3rd book in an enjoyable mystery series set in the Périgord region of France.

>67 leslie.98: I love those books!

March thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/316729

I read Where'd You Go, Bernadette for B. Quick, fun read. A bit of satire is always good!

I read The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus.

Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof / Blaize Clement
4 stars

Pet sitter Dixie is watching (with the help of her elderly friend, Pete), a service dog to a little 3-year old boy (who needs to be in the hospital for a surgery). Next door, Dixie meets Laura, a beautiful woman who recently moved in. Dixie and Laura quickly become friends when Laura reveals that she recently left her husband and is hiding from him. It’s not long before Laura is found murdered in her house.

This is a pretty good rating for a cozy mystery from me (often they are 3 or 3.5 stars). It’s a light book and a light series, but I really enjoyed this one. Of course, I love the pets in these stories and I love some of the secondary characters – Dixie’s friends and family – particularly her brother Michael, and his partner, Paco.

I read In the Frame by Dick Francis for F and Turn Coat by Jim Butcher for B.

I'm starting another "F" book, Water Witch by Cynthia Felice and Connie Willis.

I finished The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino.

Had a small run of B books:

All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg
The Bette Davis Club by Jane Lotter
A Better Man by Louise Penny

I've completed my "B" read with Divorcing Jack by Colin Bateman.

>77 DeltaQueen50: I hope you like Divorcing Jack, I loved it. It's very "Belfast", which is too difficult to explain. :)

Most of the books I've read this month just happen to fit.

B:
The Bachelor by Sabrina Jefferies
Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs

F:
First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn
Wicked Bite by Jeaniene Frost

I reread Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer. I have a soft spot for Hero & Sherry :)

Finished Vathek by William Beckford. Got my B for the month but struggling with the F.

False Colours by Georgette Heyer

Charming tale of family, siblings, and duty. One of the better Regencies I have read, with character development, humor, and a lack of the pratfalls so common with lesser books of the genre. Not a Jane Austen, but close. Well recommended.

I've read The Little French Bistro by Nina George and it covers both letters.

I'm starting to clear out the leftover romances in my e-reader and I finished off 'Fluffy' (Do-Over #1; by Julie Kent) a a couple days ago. This a contemporary rom-com set in New England and features a house stager who answers an ad for a stage fluffer and, needless to say it's not what she thinks it is! I didn't quite buy her overall naiveté and the writer's style of inspecting every square inch of emotional baggage the heroine has through every single moment of the character's existence was tiresome. A few years ago, I had read a couple of books in Kent's Shopping for a Billionaire series, which admittedly I can't really remember now, the fact that I read more than one means I must have liked something! So, I don't know if the writer has changed or if I changed (or both?) but I would be hesitate to pick up any more of Kent's offerings.

Also, while I was able to catalog this title, it did not appear in the list of touchstones! I'l, be able to update the Wiki though :-)

The Widow / Fiona Barton
3.5 stars

Glen Taylor has been hit by a bus and killed. It is very quickly obvious that he was not a nice man and that he’d likely done some terrible things. His wife, Jean, is left behind to deal with the reporters and her new life without him. One reporter, Kate, soon “befriends” Jean to see if she can get a story.

The book flips back and forth in time and switches viewpoints (between Jean, Kate, a detective, and a couple of other viewpoints - if I’m remembering correctly, though not as often on the others). But, it’s mostly easy to follow as each chapter is headed with whose POV it is and the date. Of course, as the book continues, we learn what those terrible things Glen might have done were. With short chapters, it kept me wanting to read. I did think the ending was a bit abrupt, though.

Added two more to the list:

Where Winter Finds You by J. R. Ward
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

A few more books:

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
The Last Passenger by Charles Finch
West by Night by Beryl Markham

Completed my AlphaKIT (both letters) for the month:

Father Briar and the Angel by Rita Saladano

COMPLETED Blind Eye by Marilyn Todd

Currently reading: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I kept forgetting to post my reads here this month. There were quite a few more than I was expecting:

F & B
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, 4*
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, 4*

F
Falling Man bty Don DeLillo, 3.5*
The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, 3.5*

B
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, 4*
Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery, 4*
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire, 4*
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire, 4*

>90 staci426: I love Alas Babylon

COMPLETED The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Starting "Dead But Not Forgotten", edited by Charlaine Harris

I have finished 2 more F books: First Love by Ivan Turgenev and Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood

Am counting three titles this month:
Scarlet Fever by Rita Mae Brown
Bookman's wake by John Dunning
A Better man by Louise Penny

For some reason I thought B would be a much easier letter than F, but I find myself reading a lot more F books this month! Now I'm starting Death on a Friday Afternoon: Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross by Richard John Neuhaus.

I thought I posted, but can't find it now! Mysteries for me this month.
F The Hollow of Fear
B The Brutal Telling
Both fun reads for light mysteries.

COMPLETED Because Internet: How Language is Changing by Gretchen McCulloch

Ack!!! I was adding books to the wiki and it seems to have lost more than half the books under B! I am so sorry to all of you whose books were inadvertently removed. I hope that someone with more knowledge than I have can restore them...

I have Flea Market Fatal: MIssy Demeanor by Brianna Bates on my Kindle.

>98 leslie.98: Oops! I'll go check to see if mine are still there...

After decades, I once more enjoyed Live and let die by Ian Fleming 4★

I loved Fleming's books when I was a teenager.

Starting "The Jungle Books" by Rudyard Kipling

I read A Cotswold Family Life by Clare Mackintosh for F. A fun read.

>95 christina_reads: Looks like I won't be finishing Death on a Friday Afternoon: Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross this month...luckily, it will also work for March's AlphaKIT (C)!

>102 Robertgreaves: one of my absolute favorites!

Just realized I never posted my AlphaKit reads for February! All authors, illustrators, or translators.

F
The Eejits, by Roald Dahl, translated by Matthew Fitt
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Vol. 4: The School of Death, written by Robbie Morrison and illustrated by Rachael Stott and Simon Fraser

B
Hollow Kingdom, by Kira Jane Buxton
887, by Robert Lepage (translated by Louisa Blair)
Millions, by Frank Cottrell Boyce