Jim's (drneutron's) Reading in 2022, page 7

I'm Jim, 60, husband of 37 years, father of a son in finishing a PhD program in Comp Sci at Notre Dame, who reads pretty much anything. We're in central Maryland with roots in Louisiana. I like to read (obviously), cook, want to learn to fly fish, and trail bike riding/kayaking with mrsdrneutron. Of course, LT is a big time sink, but mrsdrneutron seems to have come to terms with my LT addiction...

1. The Shadow by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
2. The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch by Miles Harvey
3. The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse
4. Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker
5. Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
6. Know Thyself by Ingrid Rossellini
7. My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
8. Klaus: How Santa Claus Began by Grant Morrison
9. King Richard: Nixon and Watergate An American Tragedy by Michael Dobbs
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
11. The God of Lost Words by A. J. Hackwith
12. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
13. Stonemouth by Iain Banks

14. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby A. H. Wilkinson
15. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
16. Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
17. The Dim Sum Field Guide by Carolyn Phillips
18. Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
19. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
20. Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
21. Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
22. Madam by Phoebe Wynne
23. The Story of China: The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream by Michael Wood
24. The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell
25. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
26. The Old Guard Book One: Opening Fire by Greg Rucka
27. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart

28. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall
29. Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
30. Slow Horses by Mick Herron
31. The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
32. The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves
33. Undertakers by Nicole Glover
34. Dune by Frank Herbert
35. Dark Horse: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz
36. Roar of the Sea: Treachery, Obsession, and Alaska's Most Valuable Wildlife by Deb Vanasse
37. River Kings: A New History of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads by Cat Jarman
38. The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

39. Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T. L. Huchu
40. The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
41. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
42. Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark
43. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard
44. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
45. Dark Country by Monique Snyman
46. Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff
47. The Family by Krupitsky
48. Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Keith McCloskey
49. Rouge Street by Xuetao Shuang
50. Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro
51. Hide by Kiersten White
52. A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry
53. Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome by Douglas Boin
54. The Riddler: Fantastic Puzzles from FiveThirtyEight by Oliver Roeder
55. Hell's Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier by Susan Jonusas

56. Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky
57. Die Trying by Lee Child
58. Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II by Tracy Borman
59. At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America by Philip Dray
60. Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art by Carl Hoffman
61. Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
62. The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
63. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
64. The Great Plague: A People's History by Evelyn Lord
65. The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
66. Hidden Empire by Kevin J. Anderson
67. Persians: The Age of the Great Kings by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
68. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
69. Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw by Charles Leerhsen
70. Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds by Thomas Halliday
71. Mrs March by Virginia Feito
72. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
73. South Central Noir by Gary Phillips
74. In the Night Room by Peter Straub

Total Books: 74

Author Gender
Male: 49 (64%)
Non-male: 28 (36%)

Author Status
Living: 70 (92%)
Dead: 6 (8%)

Publication Medium
Hardback: 22 (30%)
Trade: 10 (14%)
Mass Market: 0 (0%)
eBook: 42 (56%)

Category
Fiction: 48 (66%)
Nonfiction: 25 (34%)

Source
Library: 65 (88%)
Mine: 9 (12%)

ARC: 3
Re-Read: 3
Series: 21
Group Read: 4

Open for business!

Happy New Thread Jim, mate.

Thanks, John!

Happy new thread, Jim!

Happy new thread Jim!

Happy new one, Jim!

Happy new thread Jim!

Happy new thread!

New Thread: It seems to make folks happy. I'm happy, too. How about you, Jim? Does it make YOU happy?

           :-)

>11 FAMeulstee:, >12 humouress:, >13 katiekrug:, >14 quondame:, >15 mstrust: Thanks, Anita, Nina, Katie, Susan, and Jennifer!

>16 weird_O: Yes. Oddly, it does. There's a new thread freshness permeating the room! 😀

Happy new thread, Jim.

Happy new thread Jim. Love the idea of the new thread freshness in the air!

Happy new thread, Jim and just in time to celebrate your next completed book.

>18 ArlieS: Thanks, Arlie!

>19 EllaTim: 😀 Just in time for that Autumn crispness!

>20 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I'm about halfway done with number 75. It's a nice modern Gothic called The Darkling Bride set in a castle in Ireland. I'm enjoying it a lot!

>21 drneutron: That does sound a good one to bring up the landmark. Libraries to take inventory of must be one of my absolute favourite things to do.

>22 PaulCranswick: 😀

Happy new one!

Thanks, Anita!

Happy new thread Jim :)

Happy New Thread Jim!

Happy new one, Jim. This one has that fresh crisp feel to it already, ;-)

Happy New Thread, Jim

Following!

>26 fairywings:, >27 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks, Adrienne and Kro!

>28 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! 😀

>29 Kristelh:, >30 fuzzi: Thanks, Kristel and fuzzy!

Happy new thread, Jim.

Thanks, Beth!

Happy New Thread!!!

Greetings, Sir James.

Happy New Thread, Jim. We just returned from our Bourbon Trail trip. We were only able to visit 3 distilleries, but they did include Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve. The latter was set on beautiful grounds, in horse country.

>34 hredwards: Thanks, Harold!

>35 richardderus: Salutations!

>36 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Yeah, I really liked the Woodford Reserve site, just gorgeous. When I go back through that area, Buffalo Trace is on my list. 😀

Aaannnd 75!



75. The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen

Nice Gothic mystery/romance set in an Irish castle. There's unsolved murder, a family with secrets upon secrets, maybe a ghost, all the essentials for a great Fall read.

>38 drneutron:

Congrats, Jim!

>38 drneutron: Congratulations on 75 reads!

>39 richardderus:, >40 katiekrug:, >41 quondame:

Thanks, folks!

Congrats!

Thanks, Kristel!

Happy new thread, Jim, and congrats on making 75 reads this year!

Congrats on reaching 75!

Well done Roc Doc!

>38 drneutron: woo! Good job, my friend!

>38 drneutron: Congratulations on reaching 75, Jim!

>48 fuzzi:, >49 FAMeulstee: Thanks!

>38 drneutron: Oooh, that one sounds great - adding it to the list!

Happy new thread, Jim!

It was pretty good! Thanks, Amber!

Congratulations on reaching the magic number, Jim!!

Hi Jim, mate, congrats on reaching 75 books read for the year so far dear friend.

>38 drneutron: Yay for 75-books-read. Sounds like an excellent Halloween read, too.

>53 RebaRelishesReading:, >54 johnsimpson: Thanks, Reba and John!

>55 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks, Sandy! It was a good choice. Not scary, but a nice throwback to old Gothic styles.

Well done, Jim!

Thanks, Ella!

Adding my congrats on hitting 75!

Thanks, Jennifer!

Congratulations Doc!

Thanks, Nina!

Happy new thread - and congratulations for reaching the magic 75!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345144

>63 SirThomas: Thanks, Thomas!

>64 SilverWolf28: I’ll try to make this weekend!

Hi Jim! Hope you're doing well!

Yep! Finally making some progress reading!

>38 drneutron: Belated congrats on 75, Jim

Thanks!

Hi, Jim. Just checking in, after a long absence. I hope those books are treating you well. I am just wrapping up a crime thriller, The Devil Takes You Home. Very gritty and grisly. Benita had picked it up for me from ALA. If you would be interested in it, let me know.

Definitely interested! Sounds like a good one.

I really wanted to get to ALA this year, but life intervened. Maybe next year, though.

>71 drneutron: You got it, Jim. If you are interested in To Hell on a Fast Horse, I will throw that one in as well. A good Billy the Kid/Pat Garrett bio.

>72 msf59: I actually have that one - read it in 2010 per my LT data. Thanks anyway!

Got it, Jim. Like minds...

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345259

Thanks, Silver - off to Arizona this weekend, so I've got some airplane time for reading.

>75 SilverWolf28: thanks, I already found and starred it!

Congrats on reading 75 books!

Thanks!

Perusing your list (and congrats for reaching 75!!) I was reminded that Foundryside is already on my wishlist and here is the second and looks like a third is out or to be out shortly. . . and I like Bennett a lot!

Yup, yup! I’m hoping to get the third soon.

>76 drneutron: Always wanted to go to Arizona, Jim. Enjoy yourself buddy.

>82 PaulCranswick: We went out into the Sonora Desert west of Tucson yesterday to a really nice museum. Spent half a day wandering through the saguaro cactus. It’s really beautiful country, and the weather’s even cooperating nicely. The high temp yesterday was ant 65F.

>83 drneutron: I have a Bookcrossing friend who lives in Tucson, and she always posts beautiful pictures on Facebook of her hikes in that area. Have a great time!

Thanks!

>80 sibylline: Darn. BB'ed

>83 drneutron: I'm guessing that was the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Jim? We went there ages ago on a family vacation and loved it. Such an interesting blend of "zoo" and "botanical garden". Enjoy your trip!

That's a stretch of desert with beautiful stuff in it, geological, botanical, and therian-wise.

I think you're likely to see some huisache trees but they might not announce themselves to you...the green-trunked variety often gets overlooked unless it's blooming with that riot of chrome yellow.

Safe home when you travel.

>87 lauralkeet: Yep, that was it! Quite a fascinating place, we spent about 4 hours there. I've never been in a desert like the Sonoran before - my experience is mostly with eastern New Mexico around Fort Sumner, with very different plants.

>88 richardderus: Looked up some images of the huisache trees. Yep, we saw those, but I didn't remember the name. Beautiful trees, I'd love to see them in bloom.

Glad you're enjoying your desert vacation, Jim! Be sure to have a Navajo taco while you're in the area.

>90 mstrust: Those are both delicious and deadly. I'm sort of glad they aren't on offer near me, because I would go out for them.

>90 mstrust:, >91 quondame: Already did! We stopped by an outdoor market on the reservation just south of Tucson and had some for lunch a Sunday. Yeah, I could eat that a lot!

Hi Jim! Tucson is such a lovely area

Are you going to Bisbee while you're in southern AZ? It's pretty cool . You're also near Tombstone but that was getting pretty touristy last time I was there. Enjoy your trip whatever you do :)

>93 The_Hibernator: It is! I've really enjoyed visiting and would love to come back when the desert plants are blooming.

>94 RebaRelishesReading: Unfortunately, I've been in meeting since Monday morning, so didn't get to tour the area more widely. We do have some time this afternoon after the meeting is over, so plan to visit an old ICBM missile silo that's now a museum.

Glad you got some fry bread! It's hard to beat. We have a fry bread restaurant up here in Phoenix that has a James Beard award winning chef.
Just a few recs for souvenirs, if you have the luggage space: Goldwater's salsas are excellent, prickly pear candy or jelly by either the Cactus Candy Co. or Cheri, or Del Bac is an Arizona-made whiskey. Oh, and Big Marble is a locally made non-alcoholic ginger beer that is fantastic.

>96 mstrust: I'll do some shopping!

Hope you are enjoying your trip! I quite enjoyed the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the art galleries and studios and the general scenery. We did a cave tour as well and a visit to the biosphere 2.

Ooohhh, fry bread *drool*

Del Bac, weirdly, made its way to Brooklyn somehow and thence into Rob's liquor cabinet. I ventured a sip because whiskey and Arizona do not compute to me. It was okay, and that means it HUGELY overperformed against my expectations.

>99 richardderus: Haha! (Re the whiskey.)

I've never had fry bread; not even sure what it is.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345442

>100 ArlieS: Bread dough fried. It's a bit chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, great for sweet or savory toppings. Navajo tacos are made with fry bread instead of tortillas.

>101 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

We made it back from Tucson late last night. Thanks to flights and long layovers both directions, I got lots of reading done. So here's a big update! I'll split it into two messages, I think.



76. The Reservoir by David Duchovny

Ridley’s spending his time in Covid lockdown watching the world from the 20th story overlooking Centrak Park when he sees a message in flashing lights one night coming from a window on the other side of the Park. And so he kicks off a quest to find that person, one that rapidly descends into surreality.

Duchovny’s got some talent with word painting, and some crazy ideas that came out of his alone time. So now I need to get his other books to see what I’ve been missing.



77. Mysterious and Horrific Stories by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The book offered is a reprint of 15 stories of Le Fanu's originally published in magazines in the 19th century, First some comments about the stories, then about the new collection.

Le Fanu is one of the classic Gothic authors who played with folk stories, ghosts, and the supernatural to fantastic effect. If you enjoy this sort of thing (and I do!), this is a great look at his work. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

Mint is putting together collections of classic authors, of which this volume is one of their catalog. The book itself is nicely printed, with good text and an attractive cover. As an effort at an attractive book, they've succeeded pretty well. My only wish is that the publisher had included more information about the original publications, as clearly there were differences in the maturity of the writing across the stories.



78. The icepick surgeon : murder, fraud, sabotage, piracy, and other dastardly deeds perpetrated in the name of science by Sam Kean

Kean walks us through specific incidents of exactly what the title says - dastardly deeds done in the name of science. Some are pretty amusing - the dinosaurs wars, for instance - but most are pretty horrific, and in cases, truly evil. Anyone who's read history of science will have heard of some of these episodes (Tuskegee syphilis study, Nazi medical research, etc). But some are new to me, and in nearly all of them, I learned more details. A nicely written book about horrible things.

79. Granite Kingdom by Eric Pope

Eric Pope is the owner of a small town newspaper in Vermont who got interested in the history of his town in granite production, both the production itself and the politics of competition and labor/management relations. Granite Kingdom is based on this history.

As an exposition of history, the story was pretty interesting. I enjoyed learning more about the industry and the workers, which the novel seems to portray pretty accurately. As a story, though, I found Pope relatively immature as a fiction writer, so the story didn't captivate me. So ultimately, my verdict is maybe. Granite Kingdom may be of interest to readers, maybe not. If the subject is interesting, take a look - it may work better for you than it did for me.



80. The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Picked this one up on the way out to Tucson at Tattered Cover in the Denver airport. The description of a modern interpretation of a Gothic story got me. And yeah, it's Gothic alright. Creepy house, supernatural things going on, odd relationship between an orphaned woman and a mysterious man. But about halfway through it morphed into quite a bit more - let's call it mind-bending to keep from using a naughty word. 😀

Anyway, I enjoyed it, it was great for killing time on an airplane. It's pretty bloody in its descriptions, and Starling likes to paint horror pictures with her words. Not scary at all for me, which was fine, as the more surreal aspects kept me going.

Welcome home! Sounds like you had a great trip and got lots of reading done too :) The books look a lot too spooky for me but perfect for pre-Halloween reading.

Lots of interesting reading going on there! Now a few more titles go into that great TBR pile.
I'm a Le Fanu fan and have read various collections of his stories here and there, sounds like a nice edition. I'm also a Kean reader and enjoyed The Violinist's Thumb and The Disappearing Spoon, so The Icepick Surgeon seems like it would be good reading as well.

>105 RebaRelishesReading: Pretty much what I was going to say.

Heh. I requested, but did not get, Granite Kingdom from Early Reviewers - I'm mildly interested in the subject (I love Schooner Fare's song Boats of Stone, which is about the same subject). I'll keep an eye out for it, and possibly request it at my library (since I'm mostly reading ebooks these days, and as far as I can tell it's not coming out that way, I'll consider it).

Welcome back!

>103 drneutron: - I reach Duchovny's Holy Cow and thought it was rather fun.

>105 RebaRelishesReading:, >107 humouress: Aw, too bad. But, yeah, great Halloween reading!

>106 kaida46: I hope you can find a copy of the Le Fanu - was a good selection of his stories. And Kean’s on my list now!

>108 jjmcgaffey: I hope you find it!

>109 figsfromthistle: Thanks!

>110 katiekrug: On my list now!

All I ever knew about Sheridan Le Fanu was that Harriet Vane was doing research on him at Oxford during the doing of Gaudy Night.

Your description makes me want to poke a nose in and see what the fuss is about.

If you like Victorian Gothic tales, you’ll probably enjoy Le Fanu. Carmilla, of course, is his interesting take on vampires pre-Stoker. Caused quite the stir in its day.

>112 magicians_nephew: When I hear Le Fanu, I also think of Gaudy Night!

I do have one of his; next Halloween I'll pick it up.

I'd greatly appreciate a favor from you, Doc. Will you, at your leisure but in the next 5-7 minutes (heh), follow this link: https://expendablemudge.blogspot.com/2022/10/
That's all my blog posts for October. I don't expect you to deep-dive into them but I am seeking your input about the balance of single-author group reviews, single-title reviews, and multi-author reviews on my blog.

I'm curious to know how the month's presentation strikes you...do you like the mix of single-vs-multi-title posts, single-vs-multi-author posts, anything rankle or gruntle you? I'm aware you're a busy human and it's a lot to ask...I hope you'll take a fast whip through the month and let me know what strikes you as effective.

>115 richardderus: I'm pretty gruntled with the layout of the blog. I'm not at all bothered by multi-book/multi-author posts, especially if they're related in some way. And you've got the links to individual blog posts on the right if I felt like the volume of the main page was too overwhelming. Ido have to say I'm glad you post the reviews on your thread too so I don't have to wander too far to see what you've been reading. 😀

>116 drneutron: ...and with an entire minute to spare...well, they do say if you want something done give it to a busy person...thanks, Jim!

My pleasure!

>103 drneutron: Great reviews of the Le Fanu collecition and The Icepick Surgeon. Both look like books I'd enjoy.

>112 magicians_nephew: I didn't remember that Harriet was researching Le Fanu in Gaudy Night! I may have to reread that, maybe in conjunction with Le Fanu's short stories.

Although I visited Arizona and lived in Southern Colorado, I've never had fry bread either, but now I really want some. I think I'll have to make it myself here in New York.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345596

Thanks, Silver!

>102 drneutron: I remember getting fried bread with the bacon, eggs and baked beans for breakfast (presumably at school) but that was sliced bread, fried.

Here's the fry bread we had - ours was topped with cinnamon and sugar. They also had fry bread tacos that looked awesome, but we had already eaten lunch...

Oh yeah. I could eat some of that right now. Have a weekend, Jim. A fun one.

>123 drneutron: That looks so tempting I might run out to get some right now except I can't imagine it's available here in the NW (besides, we're in the midst of a storm today so I plan to just stay in).

Quick Update!



81. The Book of Phobias and Manias: A History of Obsession by Kate Summerscale

Summerscale is one of my favorite narrative nonfiction writers, so I was excited to see this one at my library. And for what it was, it was an interesting work. But it's not history, and it's not narrative. Instead, it's a compendium of short writeups about various phobias and manias, most identified (as such) in the late 19th, early 20th century, with a bit of history about each. Its light and quick to read, but with no depth. So not one I can recommend.

Sounds like a less-fun version of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds which you can Gutenberg up here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24518

I recommend it. Lotsa larfs.

>123 drneutron: Looks like fry bread is related to the various types of puris you can pick up here, especially in Little India:

puri

pani puri (chaat)

bhattura (the giant version)

I can see how you got there, but fry bread, which is commonly called "Navajo fry bread" around these parts, is thicker, chewy and made to be filling even without any additional ingredients. It's subsistence food created from just a few ingredients and is adaptable to either savory of sweet toppings. A normal sized fry bread is just smaller than a dinner plate.
My grandmother would make fry bread when the whole family was together, even though she only had one deep frying skillet and everyone had to wait their turn to get one. All the toppings were on the dining room table and we made up tacos or dessert as we wanted. A dessert fry bread is traditionally just honey but I love the cinnamon and sugar or butter and chocolate.

I've seen The Book of Phobias and Mania around, sounds interesting - just the type of book I read. I hope you're having a good weekend!

>129 mstrust: I can see the difference in texture from Jim's photo. They're just ... distantly ... related :0)

>127 richardderus: Yeah, that’s probably so!

>128 humouress: Those do look good! We’ll have to try some when we get to Singapore.

>129 mstrust: Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. I haven’t tried to make it yet, but want to give it a go at some point,

>130 The_Hibernator: so far, so good. Got the tree pruning done, including two trips to the dump to get rid of limbs. Now having a fire pit night with a Brewer’s Alley Kolsch.

>131 humouress: I think fry bread would be hard to fill like the ones you show, but yeah, I imagine there’s a parallel development of breads that went on.

Frying bread in oil is one of the easiest ways to make delicious the most ordinary ingredients. Wrap cooked ground beef and onions in bread dough - the cheap stuff from the grocery store will do, so not much effort there - deep fry, salt and enter heaven.

>133 quondame: ... and there goes my waistline (or, rather, any hope of seeing it again).

>134 humouress: In heaven no one worries about waistlines.

>133 quondame:, >134 humouress:, >135 quondame:, >136 humouress: Mmmmmmm….. 😀

>123 drneutron: now I'm hungry...

>138 fuzzi: 😀

Hope you voted, doc. And everyone else, too!

Yep, I did!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345739

We’ll, how about that… I’m one of the selectees from the latest scavenger hunt!

congrats >143 drneutron:, Jim

>143 drneutron: Well done! What do you get?

>143 drneutron: Congratulations!

>143 drneutron: Congratulations, Jim!

And one of the other winners is @Cariola, such a coincidence ;-)

>145 humouress: I need to go back and look at the prizes. I never paid that much attention to it!😀

>146 quondame: Thanks!

>147 FAMeulstee: Cool!

Congrats on your victorious scavenger hunt!!

Thanks!

>38 drneutron: I know it's late, but congratulations on 75!!

Thanks, Greg!

Update Time!



82. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

5-star read! I loved the McCarthy vibe, really loved the characters. Although it did creep me out a bit to realize how foretelling a book written in 2014 about a pandemic was in 2020. If you like apocalyptic stories, this one's for you.



83. Nettle & Bone by T Kingfisher

A modern fairy tale with princesses, fairy godmothers, and curses. And a prince who's the villain, a dog made of bone, and lots of ghosts. So yeah, not your usual fairy tale - instead, something much better!



84. Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Finished the "Helen Trilogy" in the Pendergast series. I have to confess I've been a bit disappointed in the last few - and this one's no different. Really, Nazis? Anyway, will go on to the next one to see if they improve. But Douglas and Lincoln are on notice...

>153 drneutron: #82 Oh yay! I'm so pleased you fell in love with it, too. I think it's one of the very few books I'll ever willingly seek out to re-read after the statutory ten years have passed so as to re-read it.

#83 She's got some chops, ain't she. Imagining the happily-ever-after doesn't seem to have occurred to her, do it?

#84 Not my favorite genre...any more, anyway. I'm pretty sure you'll be happier with the next one, though, from reports I hear.

>154 richardderus:

I'll definitely be rereading #82.

I've read 4 Kingfisher and loved them all. And will be reading more!

I understand Pendergast gets some mojo back in the next, which is why I haven't given up yet. But I'm a bit skeptical. 😀

>153 drneutron: I am so happy to see another Station Eleven fan. I love that book, and it holds up on rereading.

Yep! I'm very interested in reading more of her books too. Have you? If so, any recommendations?

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345932

Thanks, Silver!

>72 msf59: and >80 sibylline: ---> two BB's for me!

>160 SandyAMcPherson: Both are good ones!

Update Time!



85. A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage

A fun look at at six non-water beverages that had global implications: beer, wine, distilled spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola. Standage's discussion of the economic and societal impacts of these beverages was interesting, as was the historical look at them. I still appreciate coffee the most. 😀



86. The Story of Russia by Orlando Figes

Figes covers Russian (and neighbors') history from the mid-8th century through pretty much earlier this year, though in 300 pages, he's only covering major themes. His intention is to examine the uniquely Russian outlook and tie that into what's happening today with Putin, showing that what we're experiencing is really a continuation of how Russians have seen the world all along. A fascinating insight into how we got here and why the region will continue to be in conflict for a long time after the Ukraine situation is resolved.

>162 drneutron: - I read that one a few years ago but in truth, I enjoyed Standage's previous book, The Victorian Internet better.

>163 jessibud2: Good to know - I added that one to my Overdrive wishlist.

Double book bullet - Six Glasses and Victorian Internet. I have, but haven't yet read, his An Edible History of Humanity - I clearly really like his subjects, now I need to read some of his and find out if I like his writing!

Here's the Thanksgiving readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346030

>165 jjmcgaffey: That one sounds good too - I'll have to see if the library has a physical copy, not on their Overdrive collection.

>166 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver! I'm planning to get some reading in this weekend.

>162 drneutron: >165 jjmcgaffey: Six Glasses is full of information I'm glad to have, and had fun getting!

>162 drneutron: 2 well-aimed book bullets in a single post. Thank you - I think ;-)

Thank you as always for books, thank you for this group and thanks for you. Have a lovely day, Jim.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Jim.

Hi Jim.

I’m thankful for my LT friends, who I’ve been not good about keeping up with this year. I shall strive to do better. Today is a hard reset, and
.

Happy Thanksgiving, Jim! Wishing you much to be thankful for.

>168 quondame: My version had an interview with him at thE end - apparently, he binged on whatever drink he was researching as he wrote each chapter. Sounds like a great gig! 😀

>169 ArlieS: 😀 Sorrynotsorry

>170 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I hope your day is a good one even if it’s not a holiday.

>171 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley!

>172 karenmarie: I’ve been struggling with keeping up this year too - mostly work is getting in the way. You’re always welcome, no matter how long it’s been.

>173 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks! And to you as well!

Hi Jim mate, Happy Thanksgiving Day.

Thursday orisons, Jim!

>175 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>176 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I hope your weekend is a good one.

Happy Friday, Jim. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. How are those books treating you?

Good, quiet Thanksgiving, just the two of us. Now for the Christmas decorating!

I started Sugar Street, haven’t gotten very far as I got distracted by Ghost Eaters from the library. 😀 I can tell it’ll be a good one.

Glad you had a good Thanksgiving!
Three of us yesterday equaled three days of cooking for me.

😀 We had steaks on the grill. Only traditional dish was cranberry relish.

I was waiting to finish my current book to do an update, but it looks like that will be a few more days - and I have a moment, so...

Update Time!



87. Ghost Eaters by Clay Chapman

Chapman's Ghost Eaters is a pretty horrific take on haunting and addiction when a woman takes a new drug to help her see the ghost of the person she just can't give up. This kicks off a spiral of addiction and obsession - and really, that's the point, not the ghosts, but how we get buried in our addictions, the pain it causes, and how it's nearly impossible to get out. Quite a good story, even if there's some work that needed to be done on the characters.



88. Road of Bones by Christopher Golden

I actually read this one in October, but somehow never got it into my 2022 list. And it was a really good October selection! Golden inserts a couple of Americans with dreams of making a hit documentary into a Siberian landscape full of spirits and ghosts. Like The Terror, Golden makes the cold and the place come alive as a character in itself. Highly recommended!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346201

I scored a copy of The History of the World in 6 Glasses just yesterday at a library book-sale. I was so pleased. Now I have read it, of course.

>183 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>184 weird_O: Excellent! I hope you enjoy it.

>162 drneutron: You hit me with a BB for Book #86

Happy rest of the week

Thanks! You too!

I thought that one was one of the better reads for the year.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346358

Thanks, Silver!

Somehow I lost your thread but now I have found it again. Some interesting reading you have been doing!

Jim, you might want to peruse Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All...pretty book, interesting topic, and less than $9 on Kindle!

>190 benitastrnad: Glad you’re back!

>191 richardderus: ooo, sounds interesting!

So mrsdrneutron was away last weekend, so I had the chance to do some reading. Update Time!



89. A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Lots of love here in the 75ers for the crew of the Wayfarer. For me, it was.... unfortunately, just meh. I liked it ok, but didn't love it, and probably will put off reading the sequel in favor of other things. Ah well, not every book works for every reader.



90. Nothing but the Night: Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder That Rocked 1920s America by Greg King and Penny Wilson

King and Wilson give us a new account of one of the more famous murders in the US. Some 100 years ago, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two teenagers living in a wealthy enclave in Chicago, decided to experience the thrill of murder, so kidnapped and killed a younger boy. What made this one so notorious was the sheer brutality and purposelessness of the murder, as well as the highly dysfunctional relationship between Leopold and Loeb. While they were very quickly arrested and pled guilty to the crime, the sensational sentencing hearing was turned by Clarence Darrow into an effort to apply psychiatry to provide mitigating circumstances for the crime without turning the trial into an insanity defense, all in the name of trying to avoid the death penalty. As a result, the sentencing hearing became a circus, with competing psychiatrists and blaming Leopold and Loeb's sexual relationship for the murder. And after Loeb was killed in prison, Leopold was able to spin the story of his "domination" by Loeb into assisting with the murder, probably the most well-known "fact" about the case.

King and Wilson don't just tell the story - they also reanalyze the documentation and statements by all the parties to investigate Nathan Leopold's claim, finding that it just doesn't fit the circumstances. Of course, this is post-facto analysis, but they make a good case that in reality, Leopold was the one really driving the relationship and the murder plot. And that he kinda got away with it in that he was able to spin his story into parole a couple of decades later, then live out his life in Puerto Rico.

King and Wilson do some pretty good narrative nonfiction, so I'll be checking into more of their work.



91. The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser

Latest in attempts to understand the Trump Administration, this time from two New York Times reporters, who cover in detail the (non)workings of the White House staff and Cabinet during this period. Bottom line: I'm convinced more than ever that it's a miracle that we survived it.

The work is detailed and well documented. There's some new insight here, though most of the events themselves have been covered before. The authors' biases do show through, but with the subject matter, it's understandable. I mainly read it for the detail on the run-up to January 6th, which they did very well. Recommended if you can handle reliving the horror.



92. The City Grew Monsters by Hunter Adams

I’m a sucker for zombie apocalypse stories, so this one caught my eye in the ER giveaway. It’s a nicely imagined what-if of the start of a zombie infestation from the perspective of a 6 year old caught up in events. It was a quick. Entertaining read, if a bit deus ex machina at the end.

>193 drneutron: #89 Yeaaahhh, me more or less too on the "oh look, a book" response. It was...fine.

#90 I've always had a sneaking suspicion that Loeb was killed because of Leopold, who then got away with everything.

#91 Oh hell no

#92 I think I'm deficient in some genetic way...zombies leave me unaffected. Not scared, not grossed out, not fascinated, not even a little bit curious. Literally everyone else on the planet has some kind of response...except me.

>194 richardderus:

Re: Loeb - the authors actually offer a bit of evidence that support the theory, discuss its reasonableness. Their post-trial life was an aspect I was unaware of prior to the book, and pretty interesting to me.

Re: #91. Good choice.

Re: #92. Yeah, I get it. And it's getting harder for me to be engaged in zombie stories as there doesn't seem to be much new to offer. This one was entertaining, but not particularly memorable.

Hi, Jim. Thanks for the rec on Nothing but the Night. Good review too. I have added it to my audio list. I should also read The Divider but I may have to wait until far after the holidays. I hate to get sick to my stomach while celebrating.

>196 msf59: Great! I think you'll enjoy it. And yeah, there were some pretty stomache-turning moments in The Divider...

I also loved Station Eleven, though it took me a while to read (all books do these days). Looks like you've been getting through some good books!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346562

>198 The_Hibernator: Yeah, I've been pretty happy with the quality overall. Just wish I had a bit more time to read!

>199 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>199 SilverWolf28: thank you!

>182 drneutron: Just catching up - these both sound really interesting, thanks!

Great! I thought they were both pretty good.

>153 drneutron: The Pendergast novels do improve after the Helen anomaly. I disliked the Helen digression so much I didn’t read them, but the ones after are good.

>193 drneutron: I don’t care much for the Chambers’ stuff I’ve read. I DNFd that one.

It sounds good, but I’m not sure I’m ready for The Divider. Still experiencing the trauma. I'm convinced more than ever that it's a miracle that we survived it. *shudder* I think you’re correct.

drneutron,
I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Thank you for hosting this party every year, I have so enjoyed getting to know everyone and you better this year!!
It's been kind of a rough year and you guys help keep me sane.
Harold

>204 Storeetllr: I'm glad they improve, the characters have so much potential, it seems a shame to waster them. And yeah, I was hesitant on The Divider too, but it'll be interesting to compare their work with the results of the House report.

>205 hredwards: Thanks! It's truly been my pleasure to do this. I'm glad we could help you stay sane!

Yes, Jim! Thanks for hosting the group. We all really appreciate you.

I'm way behind on the threads this year. Looks like you had a busy year, Jim. I had hoped to see the results of the job you are vying for by the time I read to the end of your thread. Good luck with that. Have a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2023.

You got me with a BB for Nothing but the Night.

Just catching up here! Hi!

Here's the Christmas readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346735

Hmm, futzing with URLs I changed a 2022 to 2023 and the 2022 page came up so I assume that it's under construction and I should just be patient and not bug you, but well, here I am. Thanks.

Happy holidays to you and yours, Jim! Along with Mark and Paul you are also Mr. 75er! Without you, none of this is possible. Cheers!

>207 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel! Like I said, this has been fun to host, and I love this community we've built.

>208 Familyhistorian: Nothing but the Night was definitely a good one, Meg - I hope you get to it. As of the Chief Engineer gig, I made it to the second and final round of interviews, which should happen early-ish in January. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

>209 Berly: Hi, Kim!

>210 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver! We're having a quiet Christmas weekend, so I hope to get some reading time in. Next week, visiting The Son, so probably not so much.

>211 quondame: Huh. That's weird. Typo, typo, typo... And I suppose that means I'll need to figure out a new naming scheme for next year's url. But yeah, I'm going to be setting up the new group this weekend.

>212 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! I hope you have a happy holiday too!

And as mentioned in the last message, stay tuned for the 2023 challenge sometime this weekend!

>211 quondame:, >213 drneutron: It's just because the number in the URL before the name of the group is the differentiator. Every group has a different number, so just changing the year in the URL doesn't help.

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23588/75-Books-Challenge-for-2022
https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23215/75-Books-Challenge-for-2021

23588/23215 are the identifiers. :)

https://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2022 points to that first URL. If you change this one to 2023, you just get an error that the page doesn't exist.

>215 ursula: Yeah, I poked around and discovered the same. So my usual routine should be fine!

>216 drneutron: Yep, you're good to go when you're good to go! ;)

God Jul, Jim!

And to you!

So I'm feeling a little lonely over here... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23884/75-Books-Challenge-for-2023

Happy Christmas from my Christmas gnome!

That's cute! Happy Christmas!

Update Time!

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley

Valery K is a radio biologist in 1960s Soviet Russia. He’s also a gulag prisoner who’s been sent to a secret research facility where the plutonium for Russian weapons is made - and particularly nasty experiments are conducted. Valery knows something is seriously wrong, and that leads to trouble, and a relationship he thought he’d never have.

Really good work by Pulley, mostly based on real history, with amazingly well-written characters. And even an octopus.

In Search of the Lost Testament of Alexander the Great by David Grant

We know the story of Alexander the Great’s death mostly from third-hand sources, and not surprisingly, all the sources tell a different story. But what really matters is what happened after he died - did he leave instructions on governing his empire? If so, we’re they followed or suppressed? If not, why not? Grant spends lots of words on lots of pages tracing the histories, the people, how the story was re-assembled and re-told by later historians all in an attempt to satisfy individual objectives. And in the end, any conclusions are just theories…

Grant wrote this for, I would guess, a reasonably knowledgeable audience, but not necessarily an expert one. It’s a fascinating book, but he assumes knowledge I don’t have, so I’m not sure I got it all. On the other hand, it was pretty intriguing, so worth the time I spent over the last year puzzling it out.

>215 ursula: Interesting the way it works. I'm glad it's all better now and the group is already flourishing.

>216 drneutron: Thank you for setting up this new home for us! I even learned the quick way to star threads without opening them. Saving the 2023 ones for later!

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones, Jim!

>223 drneutron: Wait. There's even an octopus? Does Richard know?

>224 quondame:, >225 quondame: happy holidays!

>226 Berly: Well, I’m hoping he’ll drop by…

Merry Christmas

Thanks, John!

Hi Jim! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to keep in better touch with my LT friends.



And thanks, once again, for doing such a wonderful job for the 75ers this year.

Glad you stopped by, Karen!

Merry Christmas, Jim and best wishes for 2023. Thanks for all you do. Looking forward to another year of inspiration and reading.

Merry Christmas, Kristel!

Merry Christmas, Jim. Have a great holiday with the family. Let me know if you sample any bourbon. I know I will...

Malaysia's branch of the 75er's wishes you and yours a happy holiday season, Jim.

>234 msf59: Merry Christmas! No bourbon, but mrsdrneutron did get me a cask strength Glengoyne Scotch that I'll probably sample later. 😀

>235 PaulCranswick: Happy holidays, Paul!

And the Christmas book tally...

From mrsdrneutron: a mystery trilogy set in 18th century China, Jade Dragon Mountain, The White Mirror, and City of Ink.

From Amanda, my 75ers Secret Santa: Arséne Lupin, with absolutely beautiful illustrations, and The Doomsday Book.

From my nephew, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, from Christopher Paolini.

Happy holidays, Kim!

Wishing you and yours the best for the holiday season, Jim!

Thanks for hosting us, yet again. I will see you - and everyone else - in the new group in the New Year.

My pleasure, Nina. See you next year!

>220 drneutron: No need to feel lonely! I see more and more folks joining. I'm trying not to read the new threads until the true end of the year, especially as I'm SO far behind here in this year. Might just draw a line and be done. But I'll be there for sure once the year turns.

Yep, we’re up to 69 already! And feel free to draw a line and move on. One of the great things about having a new group each year is that we can start over!

Yup. 2022 was rough (except for the wonderful wedding of my daughter) and I have moved on to 2023!!

Happy holidays, Jim, to you and your family!

Here's the New Years readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346949

>246 SilverWolf28: thanks!