Just one of those (reading) things - Ardene's 2022

I did not do well at keeping up two threads in 2021 - one here and one in Club Read. So I am scaling back to one thread at Club Read. I will post a link to my thread once Club Read is up and running. I hope some of you will come visit and maybe even drop a star.

I do plan to participate in the Women Cat & mystery & science fiction kits this year.

While we’re waiting for 2022 to roll in, here’s a
link to some directions about making simple book art.

Favorites from 2021

Fantasy
The winged histories by Sofia Samatar
Black water sister by Zen Cho
Hands of the emperor by Victoria Goddard
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Cordova

Literary or Historical? Fiction
The mountains sing by Phan Qué̂ Mai Nguyẽn
Indelicacy by Amina Cain
The seed keeper by Diane Wilson

Mystery
The ruin and The scholar by Dervla McTiernan
Not dark yet and Many rivers to cross by Peter Robinson

Nonfiction
Black in Selma: the uncommon life of J. L. Chestnut by J. L. Chestnut and Julia Cass
How to survive a plague by David France
The old ways: a journey on foot by Robert MacFarlane
She come by it natural: Dolly Parton, the great unifier by Sarah Smarsh

Science fiction
A desolation called peace by Arkady Martine
A psalm for the wild-built by Becky Chambers
The fifth season by N. K. Jemisin

January Music



I plan to highlight a new-to-me music album each month this year. I hope visitors will share their music finds with me as well. For January my choice is Blues Dialogues (link to review) with violinist Rachel Barton Pines

I’ll provide links here for posts throughout the year.

February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

I read more by what catches my eye and my mind more than by planning. Having said that, I hope to participate periodically in the following challenges:

Reading Asia (Paul Cranswick in the 75ers group is hosting.)
Food and Lit on Litsy (#foodandlit2022)
Category Challenge: Women Cat, Mystery Kit, and Science Fiction Fantasy Kit

Thread is open for business!

Welcome back! I love the idea of sharing musical discoveries as well as book discoveries :)

>1 markon: My library was doing this and I had to cancel because of snow. The book is impressive,

>6 mnleona: Bummers! I know I don't have the persistence to do this, but I love the art I have seen in person.

Reading plans for January?

I don't usually make reading plans, but I have somehow committed to five books in January. Well, four books plus starting a fifth.

Anniversaries by Uwe Johnson
Jennifer (japaul22) is hosting a year-long read of this novel. My doorstops have arrived and I've taken a peek. Think I'm going to enjoy this one!

Aunt Safiyya and the monastery by Bahaa' Taher (translated by Barbara Romaine) for the FoodandLit challenge on Litsy.

Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
I've been wanting to try something by this author from Turkey. This is what I've chosen for the first month of PaulCs a Reading Asia Challenge.

Betwixt and between: Pauli Murray's revolutionary life by Simi Kuznick for the CAT Woman challenge & because it's an ER book.

And finally, I plan to finish N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. I read The fifth season with a group in December, am almost finished with Obelisk gate, so I'm sure I'll read The stone sky before the month is over.

Oh no, I found another one! Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden.

Now, on to the challenge of which books to pack for my visit to family (and the plane trip.)

Hope you have a great year of reading!

Wishing you a wonderful 2022 with lots of good reading.

>9 thornton37814: & >10 hailelib: Thanks, and the same to you!

Enjoy your 2022 reading.

Happy reading for 2022!

Thanks! It's off to a good start.

Books finished January 2-8

Boneland (er, um, literary fiction? fantasy? realistic fiction?)
Escaping Exodus (science fiction, generation ship)
The invisible guardian (mystery, translated from Spanish)
The stone sky (science fiction, 3rd in The broken earth trilogy)

February Music: mostly instrumental

Not sure what to post here, so I'm mentioning three albums. And the fact that I've just discovered bandcamp, which is going to be dangerous to my pocketbook. Finally, a place I can buy mp3s that I can actully download and play when I'm offline!


Urban driftwood by Yasmin Williams
Acoustic guitar

And an impulse buy on CD

Transparent water by Omara Sosa and Secko Keita
piano & kora

and last but not least, I've requested Robert Plant's & Allison Kraus' album Raise the Roof at the library.

I love Bandcamp too! :)

Not sure why bandcamp took me so long to discover. I forecast a competition between book and music dollars, as I haven't been buying much music, not wanting to have it stuck in the cloud.

It's a good find.

Bandcamp Friday (the first Friday of each month) is the best day to buy, because 100% of the proceeds go directly to the artist.

Thanks for the heads up.