March AlphaKIt : P and S

Welcome to the 2022 AlphaKIT. This is an unofficial challenge for the 2022 Category Challenge Group. Each month has two letters selected for you to use however you choose.

There are no rules. Just have fun and enjoy reading.

and

Please remember to update the wiki with your reading:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2022_AlphaKIT#March:_-_Letters:_P_and_S

Beautiful pix as usual! I am thinking of a couple of mysteries for this time--Pumpkin Pie Mystery which just came in the mail, and Season of Secrets which fits my series challenge too.

I've been itching to read The Spirit by Thomas Page, so I've got that one ear-marked to follow through on P & S together :)

I guess it is that time. Here are my possibilities.

✔Attack on Pearl Harbor
✔Body in the Beauty Parlor
✔Burning Pages
✔Dark Prophecy
Death Among the Stars
Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle
✔Death by Gravity by Sharon Linnea
✔French Paradox
✔Lost Restaurants of Baltimore by Suzanne Loudermilk
Once Upon a Seaside Murder
✔Peril at Pennington Manor
✔Pope at War
Proposal to Die For
✔Put Out to Pasture
Still Life and Death

I have at least two for each letter. Now to make sure I get to them all.
Louise Penny---#13
Julia Spencer-Flemming #2
Both satisfy MysteryKit as well

Klara and the Sun
Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel

It's the subtitle rather than the title, but my online reading group's choice for March is "Ithaca Forever: Penelope Speaks" by Luigi Malerba.

My book club is reading The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin.

Although I could very easily change my mind, at this point I am thinking that my S read will be My Friend Maigret by Georges Simenon and my P read, Bloody January by Alan Parks.

One of the holds I just picked up from the library is Pastoral Song, so I figure I'm set.

I read Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Finished Richard III by William Shakespeare

I am counting Pumpkin Pie Mystery for this month's "P".

I finished The Pros of Cons, which has three coauthors, one of whom is Michelle Schusterman.

COMPLETED Ithaca Forever: Penelope Speaks by Luigi Malerba

Starting "Date With a Sheesha" by Anthony Bidulka

COMPLETED Date With a Sheesha by Anthony Bidulka

I read The Soulmate Equation for S - it was ok.

I read Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart.

Just finished My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella for P. I really enjoyed this one and learned a new word. "Glamping": a combination of glamour and camping.

Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species / Joel Sartore
4 stars

This is a National Geographic book. The photographer arranged to have photos taken of several endangered species. There are a few plants, but mostly animals. Almost all of these are species deemed endangered by the Endangered Species Act in the U.S.

There are some beautiful photos; the photographer made sure they each had a completely black or completely white background for the photos. In addition to the photos, each species also has a paragraph with information about it including where to find it, the habitat, why it’s endangered, etc. Some of them also have an additional note by the photographer on how the photo was taken. Some of the photos are close-up, so are very detailed.

I completed Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson for S.

I've finished Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny for my "P" book this month.

Finished The Spirit by Thomas Page.

It had been a long time since I'd read any bigfoot-related stories or novels, and this was a fun, action-packed horror novel to scratch that itch. A bit predictable, but there were some great turns along the way and a surprisingly thoughtful turn in the ending that I really loved. I'd certainly recommend it to horror lovers. It's part of the re-release Paperbacks From Hell series, and this is one of the better ones in the series I've read so far.

>23 whitewavedarling: Ooh! I’m always good for a Bigfoot tale! #BB for me!

Shopaholic Ties the Knot / Sophie Kinsella
4 stars

When Becky and Luke get engaged, they have mothers on both sides of the ocean wanting to plan the wedding and have it held in England (Becky’s mom) and New York City (Luke’s mom). As the mothers plan in different countries, Becky just can’t decide where she wants to have her wedding… and the plans continue onward with neither mother knowing the other mother is also planning! And Becky just can’t seem to come to a decision and can’t bring herself to tell anyone the crisis she’s having in trying to decide – she doesn’t want to let anyone down.

I feel like “chick lit” is not the kind of thing I think I would like, but when I do read it, I really do (most of the time) tend to really enjoy it! This book (and series) is no exception there (even though I don’t shop, am not “into” fashion, and I often get annoyed with Becky. I did feel like I had a solution for her early(ish) on in the book, and it kind-of (but not completely) went how I was thinking. But, I still enjoyed the ride (even when I was frustrated with Becky). There was a more serious side to this one, as well, involving Luke and his mother.

I've started listening to The Pickwick Paper (by Charles Dickens; narrated by David Timson) - At 31+ hours, I'm not sure that I'll finish in March; but I will have at least listened to the bulk of it before wrapping it up in early April.

Starting "Soulless" by Gail Carriger

I finished A Season of Secrets by Elizabeth Adams, which is a story about a search for the whereabouts of an Amish man who disappeared three years prior to the story.

COMPLETED Soulless by Gail Carriger

Finished Three Apples Fell from the Sky for S.

I just finished Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon.

I read The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey.

This was an interesting look at the consequences and ethical issues of human cloning. It made me think and it left me unsettled, but in a good way.

I read The Star of Kazan, which seemed like it was going to be a fantasy book but ended up being historical fiction.

Prayers for Sale / Sandra Dallas
3.5 stars

It’s 1936 in a small gold mining town in the Colorado Rockies. 86-year old Hennie has lived here for 70 years. When a new young woman moves to town, Hennie befriends her, as she knows it will take time for most people to accept the newcomer to town, especially when they think her husband has taken a job away from a local. Hennie is one for telling stories, so she keeps Nit entertained with stories of her background when and why she moved from the South (as did Nit and her husband), and more about Hennie’s own life and stories about some of the happenings around town over the years. Unfortunately, Hennie’s daughter wants Hennie to move “down” (off the mountain), as she worries with Hennie living alone in a dangerous place.

I enjoyed this. There was a lot about quilting, which is something I have never done, but I bet people who do quilt would appreciate that in this book. Leaned a bit about gold mining, as well (one thing - I’d never heard of dredging; I guess I’ve read more about the gold rush and panning for gold). There was one unexpected turn at the end (I see other reviews tell me there was lots of (too much!) foreshadowing about something, but somehow I managed to miss that!). Overall, this was enjoyable.

The Outsider / Stephen King
4 stars

When a little boy is violently raped and murdered, everything (including nonrefutable evidence) points to the boy’s baseball coach Terry, even though he has always been well-liked, an upstanding member of the town. The police, so convinced it was Terry, arrest him very publicly at a championship ball game. But Terry insists he was out of town, and he can prove that without a doubt (also including nonrefutable evidence). But how could he possibly be in two places at once? Things have already gotten worse for the boy’s family and the entire situation gets worse, still, when Terry arrives at his hearing…

I listened to the audio with the same narrator as for the Mr. Mercedes series, I believe. Holly Gibney from that series also makes an appearance in this one. This was really good. Things seemed like a done-deal on both sides, but almost right away, I figured it couldn’t have been Terry. In any case, how in the world could there be such convincing evidence on both sides? It certainly had me wanting to know more.

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale. My Father Bleeds History / Art Spiegelman
4 stars

In case anyone doesn’t know, this is a graphic novel/memoir of the author’s Jewish father during WWII. The novel skips between the author interviewing his father in order to write the book and back to WWII. Jews are depicted as mice, Nazis as cats, Poles as pigs.

This is actually a reread (originally read 13 years ago), though it looks like the first time around, I read “The Complete Maus”. I do plan to also reread part II, but I do have them as separate parts this time, so will record them separately.

I did like this better this second time around. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe I was paying better attention. I feel like I caught more of what was going on in the “present-day” story, between Spiegelman’s father and his 2nd wife, in addition to between father and son. I thought this was done well, and didn’t have too hard a time following the time shifts (I feel like this is something I didn’t do as well with the first time around). And of course, his father’s survival story during WWII is one well worth reading.

April thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340293

>37 majkia: thank you.

I read another S book, Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. And I've begun Black Powder War by Naomi Novik for P.

Starting Ponsonby Post by Bernice Rubens

COMPLETED Ponsonby Post by Bernice Rubens

Completed Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi for P.

This was a strange and confusion book, but not necessarily in a bad way. Once I decided not to try to figure out what was going on and just relax and enjoy the journey it was much easier to navigate. At one point, I thought I could see where the story was going but the end threw a bit of a wrench in that clarity. It was definitely a book that made me think and ponder. It will not be for everyone, but I found it interesting.

>42 Cora-R: I remember reading Boy, Snow, Bird many years ago and thinking that I was. following along up until a certain point and then I was left a bit bewildered. I, too just decided to "go along" for the ride and found it interesting-- but for me a little shy of satisfying. But IIRC that was her debut novel and I'd be willing to read another of her books :-)

Finished listening to The Short, the Long and the Tall for S.

A Stitch in Time / Kelley Armstrong
4 stars

Bronwyn, a widow at 38-years old and a history professor in Toronto, has inherited an old large home in rural England(?). This is a home that she hasn’t visited in 23 years. When she used to visit as a child, she met a boy her own age… turns out this boy was from about 200 years earlier! She saw him when they were children, and again when they were 15, but that summer, tragedy struck and Bronwyn stayed away for all those years later. When she returns this time, she finds not only is she still able to slip back in time, but the house is full of ghosts.

I really liked this. There was more romance than I normally read, but there was enough ghosts, mystery, and time travel to make up for that. Some of the ghost happenings were creepy (which, for me, is a good thing!). I did, however, feel badly for the poor neglected kitten, Enigma. Kitty was supposedly too young to be away from mom, but since Bronwyn wasn’t around for hours and hours at at time, I worried that Enigma would die without milk (knowing that was unlikely to happen in the book, but very unrealistic to say kitty was too young to be separated from mom, then neglect her like that without dire consequences; unweaned kitten, I believe, should be bottle-fed milk every 2 hours; maybe kitty was a bit older than that?) Obviously, that did not bring my rating down any. The mystery was good and I loved the creepy hauntings!

Maus II: A Survivor's Tale. And Here My Troubles Began / Art Spiegelman
4 stars

In case anyone doesn’t know, this is (part II of) a graphic novel/memoir of the author’s Jewish father during WWII. The novel skips between the author interviewing his father in order to write the book and back to WWII. Jews are depicted as mice, Nazis as cats, Poles as pigs.

This is actually a reread (originally read 13 years ago), though it looks like the first time around, I read “The Complete Maus”. I read Part I last week; I do have them as separate parts this time, so I am recording them separately.

My review isn’t too much different from my review for Part I last week. I think I liked this better this second time around; I feel like I was paying better attention. Although the current day story in Part II didn’t focus as much on Art’s father and his 2nd wife, but there was still plenty happening in the “current” day with Art, his wife, and his father. We had a few more nationalities in part II, all drawn with/represented by different types of animals. This one also included Art drawing himself dealing with the success of part I’s publication and trying to write/draw part II. This one also had the end of WWII with Art’s father getting out of Auschwitz and meeting up later with Art’s mother. A very good book, and a different way to get the message out about what happened during the Holocaust.

Just finished The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and six more by Roald Dahl.

Blue Meridian / Peter Matthiessen
2.5 stars

In the 1970s, the author managed to get himself on an excursion that is filming a movie about sharks. Matthiessen learns how to dive with one of those cages to keep him safe from any sharks that may come by.

The book couldn’t keep my attention and I kept falling asleep (granted, it was also a busy, stressful week). It was very slow to read, even when I was paying attention. I wasn’t happy with the animals (particularly the whales) they used as bait to attract the sharks. There was also very little about the sharks themselves, beyond how dangerous they are. I wanted to know more about the sharks, and not the emphasis on how dangerous, which I feel has contributed to the scary shark stereotype. But then, the focus was more on making the movie. The cages were cool – it sounded like they were fairly new at the time. There were some really good photos included in the book. Overall, though, I was disappointed in this.

Currently on track to finish The Pickwick Papers (by Charles Dickens; narrated by David Timson) on March 31 😬

And Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy #1; by Amitav Ghosh) over the next weekend!

COMPLETED Past Crimes: A Compendium of Historical Mysteries by Ashley Gardner

I just finished Married to a Perfect Stranger by Jane Ashford, which works for both letters.

Starting "The Secret Life of Planets" by Paul Murdin

Klara and the Sun
Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel

See my comments here https://www.librarything.com/topic/338552#7793635

For another S book, I devoured Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis, a fun and fluffy Regency rom-com with dragons.

I Listened to Mush Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare for another S

I reread Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer.

COMPLETED The Secret Lives of Planets by Paul Murdin.

Starting The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel.

Finished another book for S: Spy Hook by Len Deighton.

Finished Ariadne by Jennifer Saint for another S.
Good but there are much better examples out there. Read Circe or A Thousand Ships instead

P: Professor Martens' Departure by Jaan Kross
S: Shuggie Bain

Lucky / Alice Sebold
4 stars

Alice Sebold was an 18-year old virgin when she was brutally beaten and raped in 1981 on the last day of her first college school year. When she returned for her second year, in October she saw her rapist and immediately went to the police. The book follows the trial and how she tried to continue on with her life after.

This was a compelling read and Alice does not hold back in her detailed account of the rape and she goes into detail about what happens after and the trial. Though not in the book, I’m marking this a As I look up the man now, I’m shocked! He was not her rapist! Debating about bringing down my rating, but I don’t like doing that. The rating is based on what I thought of the book itself. She was tough. She immediately knew she wanted to find the man and have him sent to jail. It was unfortunate – some of the decisions she made as she got older, but I guess that could be chalked up to PTSD.

Finished The Pickwick Papers (by Charles Dickens; narrated by David Timson) last night-- a touch ahead of schedule!
Now it's Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy #1; by Amitav Ghosh) that's going to done to the wire! It's competing with Running the Rift (by Naomi Benaron) for my attention.

S was definitely the letter for me this month! One more -- The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer.

My P-S book this month was Death Stalks Door County by Patricia Skalka.

COMPLETED The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

Starting "The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman

Take My Hand / Dolen Perkins-Valdez
4 stars

In the early 1970s, the Montgomery (Alabama) Family Planning Clinic was “helping” poor families with birth control. When new nurse Civil starts working there, she thinks she is doing a good thing and really wants to help. Civil is assigned to go to the home of two young black girls (only 11 and 13) to give them both shots of Depo-Provera to prevent pregnancy. It’s only after she gives them those shots that she thinks to ask more questions. The girls are so young – do they really need this already? Then it gets worse…

This was really good. I wasn’t surprised to read, at the end, that this was based on a real life story of two young girls that ultimately led to a trial and changes in laws. I was surprised to learn that Depo-Provera was available in the 70s. I hadn’t realized it had been around that long. There was a current-day story (2016) to go with the ‘70s flashbacks, but I’m not sure the current storyline really added anything to it – at least not for me. I did feel like, although Civil was trying to help, it got to a point where there was a bit too much overreach. That being said, she really did help that family.

I have completed both my planned March AlphaKit reads with Bloody January by Alan Parks and My Friend Maigret by Georges Simenon.

I read The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli for P.

The Prince was not exactly what I expected. It was short, but I found it took a few days to read because my mind kept wandering. There were a lot of references to people and places that I was unfamiliar with. I think I would have liked it more if I was more familiar with 16th century European history or if I had an edition that was annotated with more information about that time. Overall, I was able to absorb the main points of each section and some of it could be relevant today, but a lot of it is no longer relevant (at least in the same way) in modern day leadership of nations.

My books this month:
P: The Perpetual Curate by Margaret Oliphant (1864)
P&S: My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes (1931)

COMPLETED

The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones
The Sandman Volume 10: The Wake
The Sandman Volume 11: Endless Nights
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters

Starting: "The Book of Skulls" by Robert Silverberg

I completed Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents by Pete Souza today for the letter S.

I finished A Single thread by Tracy Chevalier

A Pawn for a Queen is the sixth book in the Ursula Blanchard series. I got a huge spoiler for this book by reading the summary of the next book - actually just the first line of the summary! Not sure why they do that.

I also managed to finish The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac by Sharma Shields this month. Not at all what I expected, but interesting in its own way. VERY LITERARY, and somewhat underwhelming as a result. Full review written if anyone's interested.

>74 whitewavedarling: Interesting. I love a good Big Foot story, but this doesn't sound like it's for me. I'm more of a Devolution-kind of Sasquatch fan! :-)

Managed to read books for both letters this month!

P
A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain, by Sara Manning Peskin

S
Shadows on the Rock, by Willa Cather
Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit, by Christof Spieler

I only managed to get a title in for the letter "P" The Pickwick Papers (by Charles Dickens; narrated by David Timson) in this month.
But, I'm having to carry over my "S" book, Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy #1; by Amitav Ghosh ) into April.

Until Leaves Fall in Paris / Sarah Sundin
3.5 stars

Lucie is an American ballet dancer, but she’s been living in Paris and dancing with the ballet there for years. When her good friends (Jews) decide to leave before the Nazis arrive, Lucie offers to take care of their business, a bookstore, until they are able to return. While running the store, Lucie gets involved in a bit more than is probably wise, but she feels like she is doing good.

Paul is also American and is running a car factory in Paris. He is widowed and has a 4-year old daughter. In order to remain in Paris (and run his factory), he must agree to terms by the Germans – although according to the agreement, he is not helping the Germans, but the Germans are using his trucks, anyway, and Paul is seen as a collaborator and is shunned by former friends.

I enjoyed this. I liked Lucie’s chapters (they alternated) more than Paul’s. Not quite 4 stars for me – maybe too many WWII books? Also probably the bits of pieces of the Lord peppered in there; there wasn’t a lot of it, but it just felt strange to me. I guess I’m not used to reading “Christian fiction”. The end wasn’t a surprise, but there were a couple of twists to get there.

Finished another for the P category.
Glass Houses