LibraryLover23's 2022 Reading

Hey, everyone! Jumping in again for what I'm hoping is another great reading year.

My reading goals include meeting my TBR Challenge, and possibly getting my TBR list into the 200's (it currently stands at less than 350). This may be easier said than done, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Hope you all have great reading years too!

Previous Reading Challenges: (These are more for my benefit/reference than anything else...)
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

2022 Reading List

January
1. The Art Of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices From A Japanese Zen Monk For A Lifetime Of Calm And Joy by Shunmyo Masuno
2. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
3. The Simple Path To Wealth: Your Road Map To Financial Independence And A Rich, Free Life by JL Collins
4. Behind The Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, And Hope In A Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
5. Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog: The Amazing Adventures Of An Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline
6. The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping Of Sally Horner And The Novel That Scandalized The World by Sarah Weinman

February
7. The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
8. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust by Alan Bradley
9. Prayers For Rain by Dennis Lehane
10. $2.00 A Day: Living On Almost Nothing In America by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer
11. The New Normal: A Roadmap To Resilience In The Pandemic Era by Jennifer Ashton, M.D., M.S. with Sarah Toland
12. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

March
13. Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming
14. A Week In Winter by Maeve Binchy
15. The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
16. Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich

April
17. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
18. Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained by Lao Tzu
19. Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI by David Grann

May
20. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
21. The Stranger In The Woods: The Extraordinary Story Of The Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
22. The Limpopo Academy Of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
23. Breathless by Amy McCulloch
24. The Sara Summer by Mary Downing Hahn
25. The Shape Of Water by Andrea Camilleri

June
26. The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike
27. Redhead By The Side Of The Road by Anne Tyler
28. McNally’s Trial by Lawrence Sanders
29. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

July
30. Aunt Erma's Cope Book: How To Get From Monday To Friday...In 12 Days by Erma Bombeck
31. Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown
32. Your Money Or Your Life: 9 Steps To Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
33. Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
34. "D" Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
35. "E" Is For Evidence by Sue Grafton
36. "F" Is For Fugitive by Sue Grafton
37. Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story Of The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar with J.C. Gabel and Nova Jacobs
38. Baggage: Tales From A Fully Packed Life by Alan Cumming
39. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris

August
40. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
41. Sula by Toni Morrison
42. Can We Talk About Israel? A Guide For The Curious, Confused, And Conflicted by Daniel Sokatch
43. Before The Fall by Noah Hawley
44. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

September
45. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
46. Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester
47. Ten Days In A Mad-House: Adapted From The Work Of Nellie Bly by Brad Ricca, illustrated by Courtney Sieh
48. Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, And The Greatest Race The World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
49. The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
50. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
51. Bronson Alcott's Fruitlands compiled by Clara Endicott Sears
52. Death Without Tenure by Joanne Dobson

October
53. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
54. A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
55. Thrice The Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley
56. River Town: Two Years On The Yangtze by Peter Hessler
57. Killers Of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

November
58. King Lear by William Shakespeare
59. The Investigator by John Sandford
60. End Of Watch by Stephen King
61. Charlie The Choo-Choo by Beryl Evans
62. The Twelve Clues Of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

December
63. Mindful Thoughts At Home: Finding Heart In The Home by Kate Peers
64. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith
65. Beneath The Sands Of Egypt: Adventures Of An Unconventional Archaeologist by Donald P. Ryan
66. Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

1. The Art of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Japanese Zen Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy by Shunmyo Masuno (Kindle)
Wanted to start off the year with something simple and soothing and this fit the bill. It's fairly straightforward and repetitive, but that doesn't mean it's not helpful. I can always use the reminders to slow down and relax a bit.

Welcome to another year of Club Read!

>4 labfs39: Thank you!

Happy reading in 2022!

Nice to see your thread. I'll be following.

>6 libraryperilous: Thank you, Diana, same to you!

>7 dchaikin: Thank you! I always admire your well-organized reading plans.

2. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (299 p.)
Daine, who has always been able to communicate with animals, gets a job tending to the horses that belong to the Queen’s Riders. Over time, she hones her important but unpredictable gift of “wild magic” in order to help the queen and others against a looming threat. An enjoyable children’s fantasy by an author I’ve never read before, but have heard good things about.

3. The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life by JL Collins (265 p.)
The book form of Collins’ blog, which grew out of a series of letters he wrote to his daughter describing the basics of personal finance. I understood 90% of it, but I still have some questions. Collins is a huge Boglehead and 100% Team Vanguard, which I’m on board with. This book is probably only really applicable to an American audience, as he goes into detail about US taxes and such. Still, I definitely recommend it.

4. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (256 p.)
Not sure why the word "hope" is in the title here, it was a bleak, depressing read. The author spent time with the residents of a Mumbai "undercity" and reported on their lives and deaths, which included such methods as murder, suicide by rat poison, and self-immolation. I found it to be very disheartening. I'm also bothered that there were no solutions to helping these people; I hope they at least got some of the book royalties or something.

5. Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline (304 p.)
I read this one in tandem with my previous read because I needed something that was pure fluff as a counterbalance. This is a collection of Scottoline's essays that ran in The Philadelphia Inquirer, primarily about daily life for "women of a certain age." It was laugh-out-loud funny at parts, which was much appreciated.

>10 LibraryLover23: "Not sure why the word "hope" is in the title here, it was a bleak, depressing read. "

Some of them live. Better than the alternative I guess. I had been looking at that book since it came out and keep putting it back. Was it worth a full book? It always felt as if this kind of books work better as an article (or 3) than as full-fledged books...

>10 LibraryLover23: I too found Beautiful Forevers incredibly sad, but I may have liked it more than you. I liked the fact that she took time to actually talk to people and not just write a sensationalized novel. One reviewer wrote that she "took slum residents seriously as protagonists in their own lives." I thought that was important.

I didn’t see hope in BYBFs either. I found what she documented very depressing.

>11 AnnieMod:, >12 labfs39:, >13 dchaikin: I commented elsewhere that this wasn't the best choice for winter pandemic reading! But I'm not sorry I read it, and I did learn some things that were rather enlightening (like how the Indian justice system works). Thanks, everyone, for stopping by and leaving comments!

6. The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman (306 p.)
Although mysteries are my favorite genre, I read true crime sparingly because they're like mysteries on steroids, and usually much more intense. Case in point: This book takes a look at the kidnapping of 11 year-old Sally Horner, who spent two years crisscrossing the country with her abductor. The author argues that this case directly influenced the writing of Lolita; without Sally's case, the book may have been different or not fully come to fruition at all.

The Nabokov family said that the case did not directly influence the book, although the knowledge that Nabokov knew about it is without question; it's even directly mentioned in Lolita. That Nabokov knew about Sally's death is also without question - there are notecards where he transcribed the details. Sally died in a car accident at age 15, just two years after she was rescued.

The author goes through the various ways Lolita and Sally's story mirror each other. She's not the first person to discover the connection, but she is the first person to write about it extensively. She also gives Sally a background and a voice, something she was sadly robbed of in real life.

>15 LibraryLover23: I've thought about reading this. VN was never open about what as behind his writing and enjoyed misdirecting queries. So, you have to ignore everything he might have said on this. Unfortunately...I think I need a Nabokov break. But some day.

>16 dchaikin: It's funny because I've never actually read anything by Nabokov, but I seem to read a lot about him regardless!

January Books Read
1. The Art of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Japanese Zen Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy by Shunmyo Masuno
2. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
3. The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life by JL Collins
4. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
5. Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline
6. The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman

January Books Acquired
Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams (last of a travel book subscription, Peru theme)
The Ghost in the Garden: In Search of Darwin's Lost Garden by Jude Piesse (won through LT's Early Reviewers)

7. The Lost Village by Camilla Sten (340 p.)
A Swedish thriller about a documentary film crew who travels to a remote former coal mining village. Back in the 50's, the nearly 900 residents of the village disappeared without a trace, and the crew members (some of whom have ties to the original villagers) are traveling back to see if they can find out what happened. The atmosphere in this one was really great, although some of the scenarios stretched credulity. Still, the flashback chapters of what actually did happen to the villagers were almost unbearably tense.

>19 LibraryLover23: Ooh this sounds interesting. On to the wishlist it goes.

>20 rhian_of_oz: I hope you like it! It was definitely creepy.

8. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust by Alan Bradley (392 p.)
Number seven in the Flavia de Luce series finds Flavia on her way to a boarding school called Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Toronto. Of course, this being Flavia, it's not long before she stumbles across a body; this time, it's stuffed up the chimney in her room. Sleuthing and chemistry experiments ensue. I liked that this one took a departure by putting Flavia into a different setting, although I missed the regulars (sniff, Dogger) back in Buckshaw. I'm also not entirely sure what to make of the whole secret society thing. I'm going to let it ride and see what, if anything, comes of all that.

9. Prayers For Rain by Dennis Lehane (401 p.)
One of the Kenzie/Gennaro mysteries. In this one, the duo has to figure out why a seemingly straitlaced woman had a spectacular fall from grace. I thought it dragged a bit in the middle, but an overall solid read.

10. $2.00 A Day: Living On Almost Nothing In America by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer (210 p.)
A sociological study of how the cashless poor live in America. This was published in 2015 and it would be interesting to see what, if anything, has changed in the years since. An eye-opening read.

11. The New Normal: A Roadmap To Resilience In The Pandemic Era by Jennifer Ashton, M.D., M.S. with Sarah Toland (Kindle)
Nothing too earth-shattering here. It seems all health information (even during a pandemic) boils down to the old “eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep” mantra. Funny how that’s not always easy to do, however.

12. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (325 p.)
I really liked this one. At the beginning, you know something is “off” about Eleanor, but you’re not sure what exactly. As the story progresses, you start to learn more about Eleanor’s background, and you start to sympathize with her plight. I thought it was moving, funny, and sad.

I loved Eleanor Oliphant and her friendship with the guy she worked with.

>25 raidergirl3: Yes, me too. I was pulling for her the whole way through, hoping everything would turn out okay!

February Books Read
7. The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
8. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust by Alan Bradley
9. Prayers For Rain by Dennis Lehane
10. $2.00 A Day: Living On Almost Nothing In America by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer
11. The New Normal: A Roadmap To Resilience In The Pandemic Era by Jennifer Ashton, M.D., M.S. with Sarah Toland
12. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

February Books Acquired
Death Without Tenure by Joanne Dobson (bought used online to complete a series)
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams Of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser (library bookstore)

13. Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Kindle)
The twists! The turns! The cliffhangers! Gah, what is this woman doing to me? This latest entry in one of my favorite mystery series involves three victims who were all killed in a similar fashion, but spaced decades apart. By the end, even I could figure out the gist of whodunit, but the real draw here is the characters. They're three-dimensional and fully realized, whether it's Russ trying to keep the department from going under, Clare juggling motherhood and newfound sobriety, or Kevin going deep undercover for a separate case. The length of time between this entry's release and the previous one was something like six or seven years, but I learned in the acknowledgements that it was due in part to the death of Spencer-Fleming's husband and mother. In that case, she can take all the time she needs. I'll be here, patiently waiting.

14. A Week In Winter by Maeve Binchy (326 p.)
On the west coast of Ireland, Stone House has been lovingly restored from an old, rundown house into an accommodating hotel. Taking place during the hotel’s grand opening week, we get to see the perspectives of the owners, workers, townspeople, and guests. It’s a gentle, quiet sort of read that I very much enjoyed.

>29 LibraryLover23: Oh, that sounds lovely.

>30 libraryperilous: It was! Very low-key, nice reading for this time of year. :)

15. The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke (498 p.)
An intense mystery set immediately before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. I haven’t read any of the other entries in this series (this is number 16), so I’m not sure which of these characters are long-term and which were just passing through, but I will say this entry had one of the creepiest villains I’ve come across in fiction in a long while. The story as a whole vividly brought to life the time and place, and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another book by this author if the occasion called for it.

16. Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich (286 p.)
These books are usually always good for at least a chuckle, if not a guffaw, but I felt Evanovich was really phoning it in here. Plus, it had Diesel. Blech. I’m going to wait a long time before reading the next entry for sure.

March Books Read
13. Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming
14. A Week In Winter by Maeve Binchy
15. The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
16. Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich

March Books Acquired
How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes For An Animal-Free Diet by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer (thrift store)

17. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (296 p.)
So-so read about a woman and her daughter who try to come to terms with their grief by visiting their relative's rundown lake resort. Everything (except the magical realism, which Allen is known for) was easily predictable, and I didn't particularly warm to any of the characters. Some of this author's other works have fared better for me, this one not so much.

18. Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained by Lao Tzu (169 p.)
An ancient Chinese religious text that guides followers on how to live. I found the introduction and annotations to be incredibly helpful, as I picked this one up on a whim at a book sale one time and didn't know much about the history or context before going into it.

19. Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI by David Grann (338 p.)
A compelling, sad, and well-researched look at how members of the Osage were systematically killed for the headrights to the oil-rich lands of their reservation. I couldn't help but think while I was reading this that just when you thought people couldn't get any more depraved... But I appreciated how Grann also shone a spotlight on those (admittedly few in this tale) people who worked for justice.

>36 LibraryLover23: The grimmest part of the book for me is the way it parallels our current criminal injustice system. I also hope Grann is wrong in his speculation that many other Osage people were murdered. But, I suspect he's right. Heartbreaking.

>37 libraryperilous: I know, it was very unsettling. Well-written, but a tough subject matter!

April Books Read
17. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
18. Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained by Lao Tzu
19. Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI by David Grann

April Books Acquired
Longbourn by Jo Baker (library bookstore)
Your Money Or Your Life: 9 Steps To Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-And-Easy Fat-Free And Low-Fat Vegan Recipes by Lindsay S. Nixon (gift card)
Quieter Than Sleep by Joanne Dobson
On Reading The Grapes Of Wrath by Susan Shillinglaw
Bronson Alcott’s Fruitlands compiled by Clara Endicott Sears
Redhead By The Side Of The Road by Anne Tyler
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (bought at an indie bookstore for Independent Bookstore Day)
Breathless by Amy McCulloch (BotM)

My reading has ground to a screeching halt for various reasons; it was a crazy month. That hasn’t stopped me from buying books, however! I really hope May is a bit more chill and I can focus on reading again.

20. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (233 p.)
A mouse named Mrs. Frisby is worried about the health of her son, Timothy, and what to do when Mr. Fitzgibbon starts plowing the field where they currently live. For help, she's told to go to the rats who live nearby; once there, she learns the astonishing story of their background and how they escaped from a place called NIMH. I really enjoyed this one - it's very possible I read it when I was a child, although I don't clearly remember it. Still, I recommend it. (I'm also a big fan of O'Brien's Z For Zachariah.)

>40 LibraryLover23: I love the film, so I was a bit disappointed when I finally read the book.

>41 libraryperilous: Maybe I saw the movie when I was younger; I feel like I must have had some connection to the story, I just can’t remember, haha. I’m sorry the book didn’t work better for you!

21. The Stranger In The Woods: The Extraordinary Story Of The Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel (203 p.)
Not long after graduating high school in the 1980’s, Christopher Knight decamped into the central Maine woods, where he would live as a hermit without human interaction for the next twenty-seven years. This was a fascinating book and absolutely right up my alley as far as interest level goes. Not that I want to be a hermit (well, maybe sometimes), but more so for all the questions it raises about ethics, mental health, the nature of solitude, and more. This would be a great choice for book groups not least because Knight’s actions were so polarizing to the community around him. (To survive, he would steal supplies from the neighboring community, terrorizing some of them for years. Others weren’t overly bothered because he only took inexpensive items and just what he needed to survive.) A really good book with lots of food for thought.

>43 LibraryLover23: I also find the idea of extended alone time appealing though I'm pretty sure I couldn't last 27 years without any human contact. Your enticing review, the engaging online preview, and the fact that my local library has it equals another addition to my wishlist.

>44 rhian_of_oz: He also stole books from people's cabins and that was his main source of entertainment. The stealing part goes against the grain, but there's definitely something appealing about hanging out in a campsite reading all day. :) I hope you enjoy it!

22. The Limpopo Academy Of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith (Kindle)
Book 13 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. These are gentle, usually slower-paced mysteries where nothing too shocking happens, although I was surprisingly anxious that all the plotlines be resolved satisfactorily. I needn't have worried, though. That's not really the point of this series. Rather, they're more slice-of-life vignettes for characters in Botswana that you come to care about.

23. Breathless by Amy McCulloch (341 p.)
Mystery set during a mountain-climbing expedition. I read a review that said mountain climbing is exciting enough without needing to add a murder mystery to it, and while I agree, it also meant that the main character was unsure if there even were murders happening, or if it was all just unfortunate mountaineering accidents, which added an interesting layer to the story. Also, the author herself summited the same mountain (Manaslu), so I felt there was an authenticity there. Plus, I love mountaineering stories and mysteries, so it all worked for me.

24. The Sara Summer by Mary Downing Hahn (135 p.)
MDH was one of my go-to authors growing up, and I find rereading her books just as enjoyable today. This one is about a reserved girl named Emily who is drifting away from her current friends when the wild and neglected Sara moves in next door. I had to stay up past my bedtime to finish it, which almost never happens these days.

25. The Shape Of Water by Andrea Camilleri (224 p.)
First in a mystery series and I greatly enjoyed it. It was a straightforward process of following Inspector Montalbano as he sifts through clues and interviews suspects, friends, and enemies, and I also appreciated the exotic-to-me setting (Sicily).

May Books Read
20. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
21. The Stranger In The Woods: The Extraordinary Story Of The Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
22. The Limpopo Academy Of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
23. Breathless by Amy McCulloch
24. The Sara Summer by Mary Downing Hahn
25. The Shape Of Water by Andrea Camilleri

May Books Acquired
Sula by Toni Morrison (a gift)
Younger Next Year For Women: Live Strong, Fit, And Sexy - Until You're 80 And Beyond by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D.
Tip Of The Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, The Last Great American Frontier by Mark Adams
Z For Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien (these 3 came from a library book sale)
Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art Of Decluttering And Organizing by Marie Kondo
The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction And Purpose by Oprah Winfrey (the rest were freebies from various Memorial Day yard sales)

26. The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike (211 p.)
Rumor has it that this is being adapted for Netflix, so I wanted to brush up on my memory of it. I only vaguely remembered it - it's about a group of terminally ill teens in a hospice who meet every night at midnight to share stories. It's a lot of stories-within-a-story, so I can see how this could work as a limited TV series. Like most of Pike's books, there's elements of fantasy and sci-fi; this particular book was much more thoughtful and nuanced than just "scary teen horror fiction." I hope the adaptation does it justice.

27. Redhead By The Side Of The Road by Anne Tyler (178 p.)
One of Tyler's more recent novels, we follow stuck-in-his-ways Micah Mortimer as he goes about his days as a computer tech, interacts with his girlfriend and family, and has a young man who believes he's Micah's son unexpectedly drop into his life. I wasn't 100% invested in Micah's story to be honest, although in typical Tyler fashion, I breezed through the book. Probably falls somewhere in the middle of my ranking of Tyler's novels.

28. McNally’s Trial by Lawrence Sanders (346 p.)
One of the McNally mysteries; light, easy, summertime reading, and always good for a laugh.

>52 LibraryLover23: Oh, this sounds like a series my mom might like. I've sent her a link.

>53 libraryperilous: I have a soft spot for them. After Sanders died, another author took over the series, but I've never tried them. I can recommend the originals, though!

29. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (325 p.)
A psychotherapist takes an intense interest in a patient of his who doesn't speak. This one was very compelling - short chapters that end on mini-cliffhangers kept the pages moving, but I'm afraid overall it didn't do much for me. I suspected an unreliable narrator from the start, but I wasn't 100% sure. A fast read, but not a favorite.

>55 LibraryLover23: I agree. I gave it 2.5 stars.

>56 dianeham: Yeah, it was a bit disappointing. Especially since others had told me how great it was!

June Books Read
26. The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike
27. Redhead By The Side Of The Road by Anne Tyler
28. McNally’s Trial by Lawrence Sanders
29. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

June Books Acquired
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (BotM)
Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
An Enchanted Season by Nalini Singh, Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, and Jean Johnson
Gone South by Robert R. McCammon
King Lear by William Shakespeare
A Literary Journey: Visits To The Homes Of Great Writers by Michael and Mollie Hardwick
Aunt Erma's Cope Book: How To Get From Monday To Friday...In 12 Days by Erma Bombeck
Before The Fall by Noah Hawley
The Starch Solution: Eat The Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, And Lose The Weight For Good! by John A. McDougall, MD and Mary McDougall
The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Twelve Clues Of Christmas by Rhys Bowen
The Trap by Tabitha King
The Complete Idiot's Guide To Tai Chi & QiGong by Bill Douglas
The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide To Feeling Great, Losing Weight, And Saving The Planet by Alicia Silverstone (this batch came from the library's fill-a-bag-for-$5 sale)

30. Aunt Erma's Cope Book: How To Get From Monday To Friday...In 12 Days by Erma Bombeck (180 p.)
Humorist Bombeck goes through different self-help books (each chapter focuses on a different book ) to work on areas of her life she wants to improve. This was published in the 70's, so some of the humor didn't age well, while other observations were spot-on and timeless.

Favorite quotes:
"I was so opposed to nametags that once when a woman slapped a gummed label over my left bosom that said, 'Hello! My name is Erma!' I leaned over and said, 'Now, what shall we name the other one?'" (p. 86)

"My ace in the hole was the 'I'll do it myself' number.

When I asked my husband or one of the children to take the garbage cans to the curb and they didn't respond right away, I'd paddle out in the darkness in a pair of bedroom slippers (preferably in the snow), a coat that didn't fit, no hat and gloves, and begin to drag the cans noisily to the driveway inch by inch...HOLDING MY SIDE.

It was important in this operation to say little...just wince, strain, and occasionally yell to a neighbor, 'How lucky you are to have people who love you.'" (p. 157)

31. Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown (253 p.)
A graphic novel about the creation of Tetris. I thought the beginning and ending were the best parts, where he focused on the game's creator, Alexey Pajitnov. He lost me a bit in the middle with a wide cast of wheelers and dealers who were all trying to get their hands on the rights to the game. Still, I found it to be an interesting read.

32. Your Money Or Your Life: 9 Steps To Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez (329 p.)
This is one of my top 5 books. (My top 5 list has like 8 entries, but you all know what I mean.) Anyway, this is the updated version - Joe's treasury bonds of yesteryear have given way to Vicki's index funds and real estate holdings of today. As always, it gets me thinking about areas of my life that could use some tweaking.

>59 LibraryLover23: I used to love Erma Bombeck, although I haven't read her in decades. She always reminded me of my grandmother, who first introduced me to her. I think I have The Grass is Always Greener over the Septic Tank around somewhere.

>62 labfs39: She has the best book titles, that’s for sure! The other one of hers I have to read is Family: The Ties That Bind…And Gag!. :)

33. Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (288 p.)
Really, really good book about the author’s childhood and young adulthood growing up in South Africa, but also a love letter of sorts to his strong-willed, free-spirited mother. I had a hard time putting it down and found myself carrying it around everywhere so I could read a page or two whenever I had a moment. Highly recommended.

>64 LibraryLover23: Ooh, good to hear! I just bought a copy at a library book sale.

>64 LibraryLover23: I’ve been interested in Noah’s book.

Catching up over your last month plus a little. Wondering what your favorite Anne Tyler novels are. (I found Redhead fine but thin)

>64 LibraryLover23: This has been on my shelf for ages, I really need to get to it!

>65 labfs39:, >66 dchaikin:, >67 MissBrangwen: I hope you all enjoy the Trevor Noah book!

>66 dchaikin: I haven't been as enamored with her very earliest stuff or her most recent; it's the output from the middle of her career that I've enjoyed the best. My most favorite is Saint Maybe, about a guy who ends up raising his brother's children. I think partly why I like it best is because she does top-notch characterization and in that one we get the perspective of multiple characters, rather than just focusing on one, which is her usual MO.

34. "D" Is For Deadbeat
35. "E" Is For Evidence
36. "F" Is For Fugitive by Sue Grafton (727 p.)
Three books in the Kinsey Millhone series. I've heard that these get better as the series goes on, and I could see that myself with progressively tighter plotting and a bit more action as I read through these three entries. The first was about a shady guy who hires Kinsey to deliver a large sum of money; the second was about Kinsey being framed for insurance fraud; and the third dealt with a man who had broken out of prison, but who claimed his innocence. I'm looking forward to continuing on with these books...eventually!

37. Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story Of The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar with J.C. Gabel and Nova Jacobs (288 p.)
A compelling look at the Dyatlov Pass incident. The book jumped back and forth between three timelines: one for the hikers, another for the search and rescue teams, and the third focused on the author's trips to Russia to recreate the hikers' journey. Not surprisingly, the sections on the author himself were the least interesting to me, although he makes a convincing case for what might have actually happened to the hikers. This is one of those incidents where we'll probably never know the whole truth, though.

38. Baggage: Tales From A Fully Packed Life by Alan Cumming (270 p.)
I loved Cumming's first memoir (Not My Father's Son), so I had high hopes for this one, and I wasn't disappointed. The subject matter wasn't quite as compelling as the first book (Cumming's showbiz career vs. his relationship with his abusive father), but he writes in a breezy, easy-to-read style that had me laughing out loud at times. Recommended.

39. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris (420 p.)
Well-written mystery set in 1811 in London. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is accused of a crime he didn't commit and sets out to prove his innocence. I liked the moody, foggy atmosphere of this one.

July Books Read
30. Aunt Erma's Cope Book: How To Get From Monday To Friday...In 12 Days by Erma Bombeck
31. Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown
32. Your Money Or Your Life: 9 Steps To Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
33. Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
34. "D" Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
35. "E" Is For Evidence by Sue Grafton
36. "F" Is For Fugitive by Sue Grafton
37. Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story Of The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar with J.C. Gabel and Nova Jacobs
38. Baggage: Tales From A Fully Packed Life by Alan Cumming
39. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris

July Books Acquired
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center (BotM)
"Y" Is For Yesterday by Sue Grafton (freebie)
Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver (these two came from different indie bookstores along the Main Line)

>72 LibraryLover23: I'll look forward to your thoughts on Thinking Fast and Slow when you get to it.

>73 labfs39: I'm looking forward to it; I've heard lots of good things.

40. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center (309 p.)
Cute rom-com about a woman who works as a bodyguard for a megawatt movie star. I found the protagonist somewhat annoying at times, but the story did make me chuckle, too.

41. Sula by Toni Morrison (174 p.)
A short book about the friendship between Sula and Nel, their families, the townspeople where they live, and how their lives all intersect. Beautifully written and very evocative.

42. Can We Talk About Israel? A Guide For The Curious, Confused, And Conflicted by Daniel Sokatch (Kindle)
I fall into the “curious” camp of the subtitle. Excellently written and fascinating book about both the history of Israel and an overview of how things stand today. There’s also a glossary of helpful terms, along with illustrations and maps to help visualize things. I learned a lot and will consider this one of my top reads of the year.

43. Before The Fall by Noah Hawley (391 p.)
Ugh, I didn't care for this one. It starts out with a plane crash and goes on to describe the passengers' lives before and after the crash (not all of them survive, which is stated up front). I could've cared less about any of the characters and I found myself skimming to the end just to see if they ever explained why the plane went down (multiple reasons for the crash were hinted at throughout the story). Great reviews and such (my sister loved it), but not the book for me.

I loved Sula. Glad you enjoyed. Interesting about Can We Talk About Israel.

>79 dchaikin: I did, thank you! And the Israel book was fascinating to me.

44. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Kindle)
On the eve of World War II, Ada and her younger brother Jamie escape their abusive mother and join the other children leaving London to live with families in the countryside, away from the potential bombing. While there, they form a new family and come into their own, but not without hardship. I loved this one - great characterization, fast-paced action, and a story that sticks with you.

>81 LibraryLover23: My mom and I read this together and loved it. The sequel, The War I Finally Won, also is excellent.

>82 libraryperilous: Good to know! I downloaded both from the library, I hope to get to the sequel soon!

August Books Read
40. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
41. Sula by Toni Morrison
42. Can We Talk About Israel? A Guide For The Curious, Confused, And Conflicted by Daniel Sokatch
43. Before The Fall by Noah Hawley
44. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

August Books Acquired
A whole bunch. It wasn't helped by me finding an out-of-the-way book barn with thousands of used books priced between .75 cents and $1.50 that I visited not once, but twice. Must work harder on this.

Must work harder on this.

Good luck! I find it impossible, lol.

>85 libraryperilous: Ha! I'm finding it impossible too. Books are so cheap. And plentiful. How can I resist? :)

45. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Kindle)
Sequel to The War That Saved My Life. Ada, Jamie, and Susan navigate life during World War II while new characters are introduced. Not quite as strong as the first book, I thought, but I loved the ending.

46. Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester (416 p.)
Very interesting look at the volcano explosion, its aftermath, and the short- and long-term consequences. I thought it was a bit drawn-out, but there were some really fascinating bits, too, such as the discussion about Anak Krakatoa ("Son of Krakatoa"), which is growing steadily in place of the original volcano.

47. Ten Days In A Mad-House: Adapted From The Work Of Nellie Bly by Brad Ricca, illustrated by Courtney Sieh (160 p.)
In 1887, journalist Bly went undercover, posing as an insane person to gain admittance to Blackwell's Island, a mental asylum for women. After she was released, her reporting on the conditions in the asylum caused a sensation. This is a graphic novelization of Bly's work, and I found the drawings in particular to be very evocative. Recommended.

>46 LibraryLover23: Krakatoa has been on my TBR forever. I should read it as my niece is very interested in volcanoes, and I should learn more.

Re: Ten Days in a Mad-House: I always found this such a fascinating story, both her experience in the asylum and her role as a female journalist, not above wanting to create a sensation.

>88 labfs39: Krakatoa is definitely a good choice to learn more about volcanoes! There was a lot of science in it. And I too find Bly fascinating - I've also read about her around-the-world trip, which was inspired by Around The World In Eighty Days. She really led an interesting life.

48. Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, And The Greatest Race The World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall (287 p.)
McDougall looks at ways running is part of our evolution. He also highlights the Tarahumara running tribe of Mexico and he helped plan and took part in a race between members of the tribe and American runners, including Scott Jurek. The description of the race itself was the best part of the book; the rest was a bit too rambly for me. But maybe that was done on purpose, as meandering along is part of running itself.

49. The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams by Stephen King (495 p.)
A collection of short stories. Favorites were "Afterlife" - a man can choose the door on the left, which leads to him reliving his life over again with most likely no memory of anything (except occasional flashes of déjà vu), or the door on the right, which leads to oblivion. Other favorites were "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" with its razor-sharp depiction of poverty; "Drunken Fireworks," about two groups of people competing to see who has the best Fourth of July display; and "Summer Thunder," a low-key apocalyptic tale. Good stuff.

50. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (303 p.)
First in a series about an archaeologist helping the police solve two missing children cases. I've heard good things about these books and I liked it enough that I'll add it to my series-to-follow list and see how things progress.

51. Bronson Alcott's Fruitlands compiled by Clara Endicott Sears (185 p.)
Fruitlands was a Transcendentalist commune in Massachusetts that had noble goals but didn't last very long. Alcott was one of the founders, and this book is a collection of letters and journal entries by people associated with him and the project, like Emerson and Thoreau. The book also includes Louisa May Alcott's satirical short story about the whole experience, called "Transcendental Wild Oats." If you have an interest in the Alcott family or their beliefs, it's a worthwhile read.

>91 LibraryLover23: The Ruth Galloway novels are one of my favourite series. I have read the first five books so far and while I didn't absolutely love all of them, I enjoy the setting so much and I am so fond of the characters.

>93 MissBrangwen: I really liked it; there were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. Glad to hear you like them too!

52. Death Without Tenure by Joanne Dobson (230 p.)
Conclusion to the Karen Pelletier academic mystery series. In this installment, Karen's rival for tenure is killed, so she investigates on the sly to try and clear her name as she's considered one of the (many) possible suspects. As an ending, it wrapped things up fairly neatly; I'm satisfied. I wouldn't say this was one of the strongest entries, however, but I loved the world of academia in this series as a whole.

>95 LibraryLover23: I need to get around to this series. I loved academic mysteries when I was a teenager.

>96 libraryperilous: I really enjoyed that series, although they're not the easiest books to find!

September Books Read
45. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
46. Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester
47. Ten Days In A Mad-House: Adapted From The Work Of Nellie Bly by Brad Ricca, illustrated by Courtney Sieh
48. Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, And The Greatest Race The World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
49. The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
50. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
51. Bronson Alcott's Fruitlands compiled by Clara Endicott Sears
52. Death Without Tenure by Joanne Dobson

September Books Acquired
Killers Of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (BotM)
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (thrift store)
Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey
The Gates Of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey
The Wrong Kind Of Blood by Declan Hughes
Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
The Traitor's Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold And The Plan To Betray America by Allison Pataki (library book sale)

53. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney (338 p.)
An homage to Christie's And Then There Were None in that a family alone on an island has to figure out who's killing them off one by one. I actually figured out the twist pretty early on, which lessened my enjoyment somewhat. An okay read, appropriate for spooky season, but not something I would want to revisit.

54. A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (280 p.)
A fantasy novel about a "game" that takes place in October, which involves magical creatures (animal, human, and others) who are either trying to open or close a gateway to another world. Told from the perspective of Snuff, a watchdog, it's meant to be read a chapter a day in October, but I read it in one big gulp.

55. Thrice The Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley (Kindle)
Book 8 in the Flavia de Luce series finds Flavia back home at Buckshaw and quickly swept up in another murder investigation. I'm glad that the familiar characters were back on the scene, although this one ends on another cliffhanger.

56. River Town: Two Years On The Yangtze by Peter Hessler (402 p.)
Hessler spent two years with the Peace Corps in Fuling, China in the late 90's. This is his account, a very specific look at a certain time and place. It was an interesting read, but I never quite warmed up to the author.

57. Killers Of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (353 p.)
Fun romp with four ready-to-retire assassins who discover that the organization they worked for now wants them dead.

October Books Read
53. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
54. A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
55. Thrice The Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley
56. River Town: Two Years On The Yangtze by Peter Hessler
57. Killers Of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

October Books Acquired
Sign Here by Claudia Lux (BotM)
Vegans Know How To Party: Over 465 Vegan Recipes, Including Desserts, Appetizers, Main Dishes, And More by Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD (came with a subscription)
The Quiche Of Death by M.C. Beaton
Raven Black by Ann Cleves
A Room With A View / Howards End / Maurice by E.M. Forster
The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide To The Classical Education You Never Had by Susan Wise Bauer (these came from various bookstores around Pittsburgh, PA)

>100 LibraryLover23: My mom enjoyed Raybourn's mystery. I added it to my TBR after she texted me some quotes from it. Really want to read the Zelazny!

>102 libraryperilous: I enjoyed and would recommend both! :)

>100 LibraryLover23: You are the second person on CR who has mentioned Killers of a Certain Age lately. Did you like it? I'm tempted.

>100 LibraryLover23: The preview I read online looks fun and I'm a bit of a fan of Ms Raybourn so onto the wishlist this goes.

>104 labfs39: I did! Nothing too taxing or anything, it's just a light mystery.

>104 labfs39:, >105 rhian_of_oz: Hope you guys enjoy it if you decide to give it a try!

58. King Lear by William Shakespeare (145 p.)
I had never read this one or seen an adaptation, so I made sure to read it slowly and follow along with an online guide so that I didn't miss anything. It was a bit darker than I was expecting (and Macbeth remains my favorite Shakespeare), but I'd definitely like to see an adaptation sometime, especially while it's still fresh in my memory.

59. The Investigator by John Sandford (392 p.)
A Sandford thriller, so it's reliably good. This time, though, the protagonist is Lucas's adopted daughter, Letty. I enjoyed the piecing together of the mystery, which involves a militia group up to no good in a Texas town. Letty is maybe not as strong a character as Lucas, but it's still a fast-paced, gripping thriller.

60. End Of Watch by Stephen King (Kindle)
Conclusion to the Bill Hodges/Mr. Mercedes trilogy. Lots of action and everything gets wrapped up, but not without sadness. I'm looking forward to the Holly spinoff book.

61. Charlie The Choo-Choo by Beryl Evans (24 p.)
Beryl Evans = Stephen King. A Dark Tower-adjacent children's book.

62. The Twelve Clues Of Christmas by Rhys Bowen (311 p.)
To get away from her obnoxious sister-in-law for the holidays, Lady Georgiana agrees to take a position as a social coordinator for a wealthy family's holiday party in a small, far-off village. When people start dying under suspicious circumstances, Georgie is on the case. This is one in a long-running series of which I haven't read any other entries. I enjoyed it, especially the English Christmas setting, but I'm in no rush to read the others at this time.

November Books Read
58. King Lear by William Shakespeare
59. The Investigator by John Sandford
60. End Of Watch by Stephen King
61. Charlie The Choo-Choo by Beryl Evans
62. The Twelve Clues Of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

November Books Acquired
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez (BotM)
Undead And Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson
Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (these came from a trade bookstore where I traded in some books)
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (freebie)
The Bookshop On The Corner by Jenny Colgan (freebie)
Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun (BotM)
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith (library bookstore)

Love chatwin. Nice find. And cool you read Lear recently. The topic of the Peter Hessler book - the Yangtze at that specific time and place - appeals. But noting your comments. I spent a few weeks in an obscure part of China in 1995. Definitely had a time stamp to it. There was a feeling of transition.

>109 dchaikin: A feeling of transition is a good way to put it. He talked a lot about that, particularly how the Three Gorges Dam was going to be built soon and how it was going to dramatically change the area. And it's cool that you got to go there!

63. Mindful Thoughts At Home: Finding Heart In The Home by Kate Peers (Kindle)
Tips on how to get your home space to reflect more mindful ways of living. A soothing read, which I very much appreciated.

64. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith (242 p.)
Another soothing read, and one from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. As always, the cases take a backseat to more important things, like drinking red bush tea and eating thick slices of fruit cake.

65. Beneath The Sands Of Egypt: Adventures Of An Unconventional Archaeologist by Donald P. Ryan (286 p.)
Ancient Egypt and archaeology are interesting subjects, but Ryan manages to make them rather boring. For example, there was one whole chapter on rope (excuse me, cordage) that I could have done without. Meh.

66. Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun (351 p.)
A Christmas romcom with all the usual hijinks, including fake fiancés and a love trapezoid.

December Books Read
63. Mindful Thoughts At Home: Finding Heart In The Home by Kate Peers
64. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith
65. Beneath The Sands Of Egypt: Adventures Of An Unconventional Archaeologist by Donald P. Ryan
66. Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

December Books Acquired
Thirteen Ways Of Looking: A Novella And Three Stories by Colum McCann
The Book Of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay
Cooking The Whole Foods Way: Your Complete, Everyday Guide To Healthy Eating by Christina Pirello
Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay (all gifts)
Long Bright River by Liz Moore (BotM)