BingoDog, thread the first

A thread to post your BingoDog reads as well as any queries and struggles on squares.

Rather than monthly threads, which make it hard for people to review previous suggestions & discussion, let's try this year a year long thread, with new linked threads posted as it gets too long.

The wiki is here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_BingoDog

I wonder how quickly we'll blackout the wiki, working as a group... >;-)

THE list:
1: Features music or a musician
2: Features or is set in an Inn or Hotel
3: Features a member of the cat family (as big a cat as you like)
4: The next book in a series you've started
5: A book by an author that shares your sign of the zodiac
6: A memoir
7: A bestselling book from 20 years ago
8: Book with a plant in the title or on the cover
9: A book with switched or stolen identities
10: A book that taught you something
11: A book with a book on the cover
12: Features something art or craft related
13: Read a CAT
14: A book with a small town or rural setting
15: A book on a STEM topic (Science Technology, Engineering or Maths)
16: A book with an LT rating of 4 or more
17: A book by a local or regional author
18: A book involving an accident
19: A book featuring a journalist or about journalism
20: A popular author's first book
21: A book on a topic you don't usually read
22: A book with a number or quantity in the title
23: A book by an author under 30
24: A book set on a plane, train or ship
25: A book in >1000 libraries on LT

There is also a wildcard available. If you're struggling on a particular square, or know that you will not read a book to fit, substitute it for "Read A CAT".

Over to you! Woof!!

A good place to ask! I haven't participated in bingo dog for a few years, so how do I tic off the squares? I thought I knew, but when I completed it, both of my squares markers are gone! Help!

>2 Tess_W: umm. No technical expert.

This from LShelby may help:
If you haven't used my cards before, instructions on how they work can be found at:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/180134#4971850

>3 Helenliz: Thanks, that was the ticket!

My new reading year has already started and so far I have read A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (also published as Dead Cold), which involves an accident, and Into The Water - the author Paula Hawkins is a virgo like me.

I'm a new BingoDogger. Is the wiki meant to be a repository for suggestions, or an ongoing list of the appropriate books that we've finished? (If it's the second, then of course over time, it will also become the first.)

>6 KeithChaffee: Hi Keith, welcome on board. The wiki is intended for the books that have been completed. As you say, it gradually becomes a source of ideas.

Happy New Year to all!

21. Features a cat (cats) or member of the cat family (leopard, lion, tiger, etc.) French for Cats by Henry Beard

So pleased to find this book about cats! Short, very funny, and available in the Open Library.

3. A book that taught you something The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

It taught me something about dinosaurs.

Picking off a few of the easier-to-fill squares at the beginning:

- A book that taught me something: Slow Birding by Joan E. Strassmann taught me many fascinating facts about common backyard birds.

- LT rating of 4+ or more: Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey

- Next in a series I'm reading: Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan

Finished my first square - The Vampire Knitting Club for art/craft related.

I thought the stolen identities square might be hard to fill but the new Gamache book, A World of Curiosities works well there. I've also read Murder at the Mena House for hotel or inn.

>13 clue: Thanks for the tip- I also thought this one would be hard, but you're right, this will work. And I'm just a few chapters away from the end.

I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which has a rating of 4.42 on LT (four and a half stars), so I used it for "4+ rating on LT".

Regarding "Stolen Identities", I plan to read The Likeness by Tana French for that square, which is the second book in the Dublin Murder Squad series.

>9 pamelad: I discovered Open Library early in Covid. I love it for books my own library doesn't have! I know there's ILL, but that wasn't available at the time I found Open Library, and it takes longer.

I received a book of cat cartoons for Christmas which fits here Cats with Attitude. We read it out loud on New Year's Eve and were cracking up with laughter! Too true as cat owners would know.

I just finished The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson, and I'm counting it as "a book that taught me something." I came across a new-to-me word, "lupanar," so I looked it up and discovered it's Latin for "brothel." :) You learn something new every day!

My edition, from the Otto Penzler American Mystery Classics series, would also work for "a book with a book on the cover."

15. Book by a local/regional author where you live/have lived Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au

Jessica Au lives in Melbourne. Her novella is the inaugural winner of The Novel Prize.

Features music or a musician: Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older. The protagonist is a musician who discovers he can use his music in magical healings.

Book by a local/regional author: I'll Never Be Long Gone, Thomas Christopher Greene. Comments in my main thread.

10: A book that taught you something: Sight Unseen by Sandra Ireland: Charles Bonnet Syndrome and how often it is mistaken for dementia and other old people diseases (it is always fun to learn new things from your fiction)

Technically I also have a book for 14 but as it is not completely set there, I will look for something else. This one above would also fit 14...

Greater than 1000 libraries on LT

Deal Breaker / Harlan Coben
4 stars

Myron Bolitar is a sports agent, and he represents Christian Steele. Christian’s girlfriend disappeared over a year ago and was presumed dead, when Christian receives a phone call supposedly coming from her, so Christian calls Myron for help. It appears that her naked body is also now in an ad in a porn magazine with very low circulation, and this magazine has been sent to Christian and a few others. Myron also used to date Kathy’s sister, Jessica. More recently, Kathy and Jessica’s dad was murdered, but the police have chalked that up to a robbery and not related.

I had forgotten that I’d already read one other book in this series, although this is the first in the series (unusual for me to read out of order). I wasn’t sure I’d like it with all the references to sports, but I still did. And there were a lot of sports references. But the mystery and what happened to Kathy kept me interested. And even the sports negotiations and such were interesting (there was another story thread about another one of Myron’s clients, as well) – or more likely, what was happening around those negotiations was interesting. I liked Jessica and her relationship with Myron; not too sure about Myron’s friend, Win, though – he’s a bit scary! I’m still not convinced this series will be nearly as good as Coben’s standalones, but I will definitely continue this series to see where it goes.

Winter counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an own voices mystery set on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. This was available at my local library as an ebook and was a quick read on the plane back from my sisters today.

This book has won several awards, including the Anthony for best first novel. I thought the mystery was a bit predictable, but would be willing to check out the next in this series and see how the writer's skill develops.

Bingo Dog #14: Rural or small-town setting

6: A memoir: Zarifa: A Woman's Battle in a Man's World by Zarifa Ghafari and Hannah Lucinda Smith

While a bit too whitewashed, it does have some good moments...

Local/regional author. Not sure where she lives now, but she and I both grew up in Saskatchewan. She has lived in Alberta (I think), and I currently do.

Halfbreed / Maria Campbell
3 stars

The author grew up in Saskatchewan; she is Metis (or “halfbreed” is the word she uses: part Cree (indigenous), and part European), descended from Gabriel Dumont. Her family was poor and she never really got out of the poverty, even as she married, had kids, moved to B.C. and Alberta, etc. She also ended up drinking, doing drugs… I think prostitution, too, but (unless I missed it), she only hinted at it.

I maybe made a mistake in listening to the audio. Maria herself read it, but she has a very monotone voice. I thought that I was still able to focus in the first half or so of the book, but I did miss things as the book continued, and I suspect I missed more earlier in the book than I originally thought.

For the "author under 30" square, I read The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig; she was 28 when the book was published. It's a fun romp of a historical romance, and I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the series!

Switched/stolen identities: The Bigger They Come, Erle Stanley Gardner. Comments in my main thread.

My first square is a book with a plant on the cover: Der Himmel über Palermo where Richard Wagner's stepdaughter meets and marries a Sicilian aristocrat.

My first square is also for the Switched/stolen identities square - which I agree I had thought might be quite hard. But I'm claiming it complete with The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.

>30 Helenliz: It's also a square that you feel a little guilty about identifying what you read, since doing so is probably going to be at least a mild spoiler for some part of the plot.

For my book club I've just read The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray which is about a woman employed by J. P. Morgan to acquire for his library numerous valuable manuscripts, books, and art works. I'm using it for the art or craft related square. The beauty of the architecture and furnishings in which it is housed as also described.

I read Mort by Terry Pratchett for a book in >1000 libraries on LT.

I have finished Wachtmeister Studer which is set in a small rural town.

I read A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle for the 'shares my zodiac sign' square.

I read I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf for the book with a book on the cover square.

Plant on the cover

Ivan: the Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla / Katherine Applegate
4 stars

This is a picture book about Ivan, a gorilla poached as a baby and brought to the U.S. to live, first with a family until he was too big, then he lived for almost three decades in a mall by himself. From there, he was taken to a zoo to live the rest of his life with other gorillas in a more natural habitat.

I loved the YA book “The One and Only Ivan”. This is a really nice children’s story about the same gorilla with such a sad life. There are some really great illustrations. Despite it being so short and succinct (it’s a kid’s book, and no surprise, really), this one still had me crying a couple of times. There are a few pages at the end with a longer textual summary of Ivan’s life and a note from one of the zookeeper’s who took care of him in his last decade of life.

Author with same zodiac sign (Austen, Sagittarius)

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies / Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen
3.25 stars

I don’t think a summary is really needed for this one, but not only are the Bennett sisters looking for husbands with the help of their mother, but the girls in this book are also all trained (they’ve been to the Orient and have a dojo for further training) to fight zombies – those with the “plague”.

This was ok. It does surprise me that I rated the original so high, as on parodies such as this, the story itself seems so slow and not something I would usually like. I suppose I was in the right frame of mind when I first read it? Anyway, with the addition of the zombies, a couple of big fight scenes livened things up a bit! I was also amused with Charlotte’s illness. The zombies did seem quite out of place in the book. The notes at the end of the book were interesting and one did touch on how it might not have been so out of place to add zombies into the book with the popularity of gothic fiction at the time it was written. The other fun extra at the end was a list of “discussion” questions – now those were amusing!

I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and it occurred to me that it was a good fit for "Switched/Stolen Identities" since the characters often use Polyjuice Potion to assume the appearance of others and thus to achieve something.

I read The Key to My Heart by Lia Louis, which works for the "features music or a musician" square. The main character is a pianist and composer, and part of the plot is a mystery about who is leaving sheet music for her on the public piano where she plays.

I just read True to Form by Elizabeth Berg for the square next book in a series. It is the third and final book of the Katie Nash Saga. I read the first two last fall (in order).

Art or craft related: The Burnt Orange Heresy, Charles Willeford. Comments in my main thread.

Small town

The Boy / Betty Jane Hegerat
4 stars

This book is a combination fiction, memoir, and true crime. The author goes back and forth between telling her fictional story… which (in some ways) mimics the true crime portion of the story as she writes about her research into the crime. The chapters alternate between the fiction and the memoir.

The fictional story is set in the 90s, and is from the POV of a woman, Louise, marrying a man, Jake, who has a 12-year old son, Daniel. Louise is a teacher and knows that Daniel often gets into trouble, so she is concerned about how this will go as she becomes his stepmother. The true crime portion of the story is about a boy (Bobby Cook) in small town Alberta who, in his 20s, was convicted and hanged in 1960 for murdering his family: his father, stepmother, and five younger half-siblings. This was the last execution in Alberta.

It seems kind of an odd mix, but it worked really well for me. I liked that the character Louise would “talk” to the author, usually in between chapters, but occasionally in the memoir chapters, as well, as Louise and the author Betty figured out what the fictional Louise’s story would be and how similar it would be to Bobby Cook’s story. I liked both the fictional story, and I found the true crime portion of the story quite interesting, as well. Might have to look further into Robert Raymond Cook.

I finished Rebuilding Coventry by Sue Townsend, with whom I share a star sign.

Filling in the Read a CAT square with my January KiddyCAT read - The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

If the "read a CAT" square encompasses KITs too, then I've completed it with The Midnight Queen by Sylvia Izzo Hunter, which fulfills both letters of the January AlphaKIT. It's also a really enjoyable historical fantasy, if you're into that kind of thing!

I read Round Dozen by Elizabeth Cadell for the "music or musician" square. A composer trying to find recognition in the classical music field plays a role in this story.

I read I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider for the block "book with a book on its cover".

I'm putting Thalia by Frances Faviell in the art/craft square because the narrator is a painter.

Can't really say why without spoilers, but Sarah Addison Allen's Other Birds works for the "switched/stolen identities" square. But if you've filled that one already, it's also set in a small town. I love this author and enjoyed the book a lot, though I think The Sugar Queen is still my favorite of hers.

On a topic I don't normally read: Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids, Scott Hershovitz. Comments in my main thread.

>50 christina_reads: I think The Sugar Queen is my favorite too and it's the first of hers I read. I just looked at my library though and see I've rated Garden Spells higher. I haven't read Other Birds yet, I brought it home from the library and took it back 2 weeks later without opening it! Maybe in a few weeks I can catch it in again.

I've decided to use my most recent read The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith for the block "next in a series". It's book #16 in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series.

So far I've filled two squares:

4+ rating on LT: Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baldree, which had a rating of 4.24 when I reviewed the book
Next in series you've started: Heartstopper, Vol. 4, by Alice Oseman

I learned something... and this completes my first straight-line Bingo! And I wasn't even trying for it! ...although I had a choice of putting this in two different places, though I think I would have chose to put it here, anyway.

Stuffed and Starved / Raj Patel.
3.5 stars

The title of the book comes from the fact that as more and more people are becoming overweight, there is also a larger number of people who are starving. The author has done a lot of research for this book, looking at our increasingly corporate food system, where so much of every step of our food is produced and brought to our plates via businesses in it for the profit only. There is a lot of focus on the farmers (many commit suicide as it’s harder and harder to make a living) around the world. There are chapters on genetically-modified foods, on the supermarket, Mexico, Brazil, corn, soy, and much more.

The author has actually worked fro the WTO (World Trade Organization) and the World Bank, both are mentioned (generally, not in a good way) in this book. There is a lot to take in in this book. Mostly interesting stuff here. He does end with some suggestions to try to make things better, but the sad part is corporations that make a lot of money won’t go for it, and though you’d like to think governments will step up, over and over that doesn’t happen with money from those large corporations funding the politicians.

I read Die kleine Seenadel - "Jeder ist wichtig" by Nicole Bernard, who was born and grew up in Bremen, the capital of my state. In fact, the state of Bremen consists of only two cities - Bremen and Bremerhaven, where I live.

I read Rust in the Root for a book with a plant in the title or on the cover.

I read Light Perpetual which has a musician as one of the characters.

I just finished The Complaint of the Dove, a well-written historical mystery by Hannah March, which works for the "4.0+ rating on LibraryThing" -- as of now, it has a rating of 4.06, which I think is deserved.

Next book in a series I've started: Fall Guy, Archer Mayor. Comments in my main thread.

I finished Where The Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen. While some chapters are set in London, most of the story takes place in rural Lincolnshire, in a small village, so I am using it for that square.

I read The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton for the " greater than 4 rating" on LT. This is one of my fave childhood books and it was time for a re-read, one of many re-reads. This is one of those childhood books that always makes me feel happy.

I am counting Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca for the "local or regional author" square. She was born and raised in Virginia, the state where I've lived most of my adult life. The book would also work for the "features a musician" square, as the hero plays guitar at a Renaissance fair.

I am counting Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell for the "plant in title or on cover" square although it qualifies for several squares. I read the paperback copy whose cover has a big capital H with plants on the vertical lines of the H.

I am counting Murder on Board for the "inn or hotel" square since it took place at the Dolphin Hotel, and Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans for the "art related" square since the person who was murdered dabbled in painting. I finally got a straight line Bingo! I have been reading a lot for my Bingo card, but they were sort of random and did not line up.

Adding to the earlier 2:

8: Book with a plant in the title or on the cover: Double Blind by Edward St. Aubyn
9: A book with switched or stolen identities: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (that one can also go into 22: A book with a number or quantity in the title but knowing my reading, this is the harder to fill category for me)
12: Features something art or craft related: Avian Illuminations: A Cultural History of Birds by Boria Sax
24: A book set on a plane, train or ship: Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television by Koren Shadmi (framing story only but I count it anyway; may replace it later)
25: A book in >1000 libraries on LT: Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Wiki updated :)

series

Lethal White / Robert Galbraith
4 stars

Robin is just married and away when a man who is obviously having a psychotic episode comes in to Cormorant Strike’s office saying he saw a little kid murdered years ago when he himself was younger, but the man soon disappears. Meanwhile, a politician comes to Strike to help him find “dirt” on someone the politician says is blackmailing him.

I listened to the audio and thought it was really good. I did miss a couple of things near the beginning, I think, so I was briefly confused, but I got past that. And for the most part, I really liked it and wanted to know how this was going to play out (and how are these two stories connected?). Although I have to admit sometimes I find the personal stuff going on in these books to me just as interesting or more interesting that the mystery itself!

I read The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths for the "next in a series" square.
Going by the average rating I'm obviously in the minority but I find the Ruth and Nelson angle is getting a little tired. And the crimes in this episode were unconvincing. But of course I'll be reading the next one.

I finally got my first marker with The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham, which features journalists--reporters for the EBC (the BBC's fictional competitor).

I read In Distant Fields by Charlotte Bingham, which has some poppies on the cover.

I share a zodiac sign with Claire North, the author of Ithaca, so have marked off another square.

I finished The Eagle of the Ninth, which would fit into quite a number of squares. I'm currently using it for involves an accident.

I marked off two squares today, which gave me two more straight line bingos.
The Age of Misadventure by Judy Leigh featured a journalist.
Juvenilia by Jane Austen fits the author under 30 square.

I also read a book for "Author under 30": Nachts ist es leise in Teheran by Shida Bazyar, who was 28 when the novel was published.

Using Ann Cleeves The rising tide for #18, Involves an accident.

For the "features a journalist" square, I just finished A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins. The heroine owns and writes for a newspaper, and one of her articles is the impetus for her involvement in a murder investigation.

Book on the cover (actually a bookshelf full of books!)

Sugarhouse / Matthew Batt
3.5 stars

Matthew Batt and his wife Jenae are in Salt Lake City and looking to buy a home. Unfortunately, they can’t afford what they really want, so they end up with a (huge!) fixer-upper. It is only after they are renovating they find out that the house used to be a crackhouse. Oh, and they aren’t particularly handy people, but do the bulk of the work themselves.

Interspersed with their house dilemmas, Matt’s grandmother passes away, so Matt and his mom have to help out Matt’s grandfather, a playboy who really just wants to be with Tonya, the home care nurse who took care of his wife when she was alive.

It maybe doesn’t sound like the more interesting part of the story, but I liked the renovating of the house portions of the story better. I’m actually not quite sure how the two stories fit together, except I suppose that the things that happened with Matt’s family really were happening at the time. There were plenty of humourous bits, maybe more humourous because super-non-handy me could relate. I’m sure they managed to do a heck of a lot more than I ever could have, even with help from friends! Overall, I liked it.

I've decided to put The Dry by Jane Harper in the "small town or rural setting" block.

If you're looking for a list of possibilities for the "bestselling book from 20 years ago" square, this page gives you quick access to all of the New York Times bestseller lists for 2003.

Or, because it is my nature to consolidate that which can be consolidated, here are all of the authors/titles from those lists in one Google page.

(This is my first attempt at creating and sharing a Google document, so I'd be grateful if someone would let me know that they can actually get to it.)

>79 KeithChaffee: - Looks like the Google page works. Now to find a book.

>79 KeithChaffee: Thanks for sending this on, I see several on my TBR!

>79 KeithChaffee: Thanks for doing this; it's incredibly helpful!

For the "memoir" square, I read Rachel Bloom's I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, which was fine, though I was hoping for more about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

>79 KeithChaffee:, Thanks, it worked, and I have found some options on my TBR.

>79 KeithChaffee: that's really very useful. And the technology seems to be playing nicely. Thank you. I'm sure lots of people will find that helpful.

Finished Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. She excels at writing claustrophobic books. This one is set up on the Moors somewhere in the North, at an Iron Age re-enactment.

For the Music or Musicians square I've just read the excellent Something Wonderful; Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution by Todd S. Purdum. I have loved the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, and really enjoyed reading about their careers creating this music, especially the lyrics (and earlier drafts of some of them).

I read The Summer of the Danes by Ellis Peters, which works for the "more than 1,000 copies on LT" square -- apparently there are 1,622 copies!

>79 KeithChaffee: Google doc works. Thanks, this is helpful! Making my list now!

>79 KeithChaffee: Thanks for creating this. I found two that might work for me.

I've managed to fill four squares this month:
Next in a series: The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch, book 3 in the Gentlemen Bastards series
Taught you something: An Immense World by Ed Yong
More than 1000 libraries on LT: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers, 2440
4+ LT rating: Atomic Habits by James Clear, 4.11

For the "book on the cover" square, I read Ruined by Rumor by Alyssa Everett. The cover shows the main couple kissing in a library, surrounded by books -- the perfect romantic setting, lol!

For the author with the same zodiac sign as I have (scorpio), I'm using my current LT ER book, Silver Alert by Lee Smith.

I read Little House in the Big Woods for "author's first novel."

Read a CAT

By Book or By Crook / Eva Gates
4 stars

Lucy has left her family and former fiancee behind in Boston, as well as her librarian job at Harvard. She is thrilled to be the new (assistant) librarian at a lighthouse library in a small town in North Carolina. But while at a party to open a Jane Austen exhibit when Lucy is just starting to meet people, the chair of the library board is murdered. He seemed to be arguing with a lot of people at the party, including Lucy (he didn’t think another librarian was needed) and the head librarian, who of course, had hired Lucy. Bertie, the head librarian, was found in the room with the murdered man and the murder weapon in her hands by Lucy. Lucy is convinced Bertie would never do such a thing.

I really enjoyed this. Loved the setting of the library inside the lighthouse. I also liked (most of) the characters. I will absolutely be continuing this cozy series. I want to see what happens with Lucy and Butch… or Lucy and Connor! And, of course, I loved Charles, the library cat.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman for more than 1000 copies on LT. Not as suspenseful as if I had not seen the movie first - something I try to never do! But still a great read.

In January I filled in three squares -

STEM topic - The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich
Read A Cat - Deadly Friends by Stuart Pawson
1,000 Copies on LT - Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard

I filled the "arts or crafts" square with Sommergäste whre one of the heroines of the story learns taxidermy.

LT rating of 4+

White Chrysanthemum / Mary Lynn Bracht
4 stars

It is during WWII, and 16-year old Hana is a haenyeo with her mother in he water on Jeju Island in Korea when she is stolen from the beach in an effort to protect her younger sister from the soldier Hana spotted. She is taken with other young girls to a brothel in Manchuria to “service” the soldiers (these girls/women are later known as “comfort women”). In 2011, an older woman, Emi, is still haenyeo, but has two middle-aged children in Seoul. Emi has kept plenty of secrets from her children about her life when she was younger.

I was not prepared for the amount of violence and rape. I must have known that would be the case when I added it to my tbr, but often, between the time of adding a book to my tbr and actually reading it, I forget what the book is about. I only remembered it being about haenyeo (women divers in Korea). That being said, although I learned about haenyeo in Lisa See’s book, I didn’t know about “comfort women”; the two books have a different focus.

I often like one storyline more than the other in these dual timeline books, but although Hana’s story is the more jarring and powerful of the two (I often “like” those better), I think Emi’s story gave me a bit of a break from Hana’s abuse. Oddly, although I often don’t like unrealistic endings, this one didn’t bother me (and the author explains in her note why she ended it this way). Overall, I thought this was very good.

>96 LibraryCin: - We read this for a book club read in 2021. As I recall, there was some good discussion about the book.

>97 dudes22: It is my book club book for February! I chose it, actually, so will be leading the discussion. I am a bit concerned that people won't "like" how violent it was. Well, not that anyone likes violence, but they might not be happy with the book, given that. I guess we'll see.

But you're right. It should make for good discussion.

Birds of California by Katie Cotugno has "plants on the cover," some lovely flowers and leaves (though I'm not sure the cover really matches the content of the book).

What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher is a novella based on The Fall of the House of Usher. It's a speculative, historical, fungal horror story. I've put it in "topic you don't usually read".

Let's Do It: The Birth of Pop Music: A History by Bob Stanley, taught me something new. In a footnote on Petula Clark, Stanley describes one of her albums as "brumal," a word that was new to me. It means "wintry." Comments in my main thread.

I read Rock paper scissors by Alice Feeney for the "features inn or hotel" square.
I suspected what the twist would be so the suspense was in short supply. Feeney tried so hard to fill this with tension that she effectively erased it. Disappointing.

Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger is the latest in the Cork O'Connor series set in northern Minnesota. Much of the action takes place in the Boundary Waters in this novel.

Cork and many of the characters in the book are of Anishinaabe descent. Graphic shows the distribution of Anishinaabe people around 1800 from Wikiipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anishinaabe)

Bingo Dog #4: Next in a series

Art/craft related

Don't Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew, and Reuse to Make Things Last / Lori Baird
3 stars

The title of the book kind of says it all. It’s more of a reference book to check when you have something you might need to fix or if it’s time to get rid of, you can look up some alternate ways to use those things.

There are lots of suggestions in the book, some of which I already know about or do. Many, though, (especially the fixes, but even some of the maintenance to help things last longer) require someone handier than I. I am not handy at all. That being said, I do plan to hold on to the book so I can check if there is something I might be able to do with something when it’s time to get rid of it. I already try to use most things until they die.

Finished Run by Ann Patchett for the >1000 libraries square.

I filled three squares this month:
* For next in series, A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
* For small town/rural, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
* For memoir, The Dancing Bear by Frances Faviell

Ngaio Marsh's Artists in Crime is "art or craft related" -- it's a murder mystery in which all the suspects are visual artists.

Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin takes place on a ship.

Using The Secret Seven for the square with a number in the title.

I read We Need to Do Something and the author, Max Booth III, is 29, so that fits the under-30 category.

I filled in the next in a series square with my next Alex Cross novel, Four Blind Mice.

I'm considering an avalanche an "accident"

Last Winter / Carrie Mac
3.5 stars

Early in the book, we learn that 5 children died in an avalanche. One adult also died. 8-year old Ruby was one of 2 children who made it out alive, along with one other adult.

Leading up to the avalanche, we follow Ruby, her mother Fiona, who has a mental illness, and Ruby’s father Gus, who is a former Olympic snowboarder and now runs a backcountry guiding company and was one of the adults on the trip when the avalanche happened. Fiona and Gus’s relationship is in bad shape and they fight a lot. Fiona often does not take her medication, so is quite shocking in some of the things she says and does with friends.

It took me a long time to get “into” the book. It was hard to follow for the first 1/3 to ½ of the book, as there were a lot of characters I had trouble keeping straight (who was who, and how are they “related”?). There were also a couple of shifts in time that I struggled with. Fiona was extremely unlikable; I guess I should try to have more sympathy, but it’s hard when she won’t take her mediation. But, the book really picked up in the second half as the avalanche hit, along with the aftermath.

I just finished Lauren Willig's The Masque of the Black Tulip, book #2 in the Pink Carnation series and thus the next book in a series I've started. I'm very much enjoying my reread of the series so far!

I've learned a few new words from Whose Body?, by Dorothy L. Sayers, so I'm counting it as a book that taught me something.

The title page of my edition, which I'm reading from Faded Page, gave me these words:

Incunabulum: a book printed from the earliest period of typography (1450s to 1501) per Britannica
Vade-mecum: "a handbook or other aid carried on the person for immediate use when needed" per Collins

Later on Lord Peter talked about people being "quodded", which means "put in jail"; quod is (probably now outdated) British slang for jail (per Collins)

I read What If? 2 for book with a number or quantity in the title.

I have 4 to add for a total of 6:

Home Waters by John Maclean for memoir

The Absent Author by Ron Ray (a children's book) for first book by a popular author

The Cat Who Sang For the Birds by Lilian Braun for Features a Cat

Night Gardening by E. L. Swann for plant on cover

I read The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham in which one of the main characters is an artist and his art plays a role in the plot, so I am using it for "Art or craft related".

I read 84, Charing Cross Road for >1000 copies on LT.

I just finished First Class Murder by Robin Stevens, which is "set on a plane, train, or ship" -- specifically the Orient Express. It's a very good homage to Christie's novel, and I'd recommend both the book and the Wells and Wong series as a whole.

I read Nghi Vo's Siren Queen for switched/stolen identities. To say would give spoilers, but suffice it to say it's a good fit.

Here's a link I found that could be helpful for the "shares your zodiac sign" square: https://www.writerswrite.co.za/literary-birthday-calendar/

I have finished A murder of quality which has more than 1,000 copies on LT.

Book about music or a musician: Finale: Late Conversations with Stephen Sondheim, D.T. Max. Comments in my home topic.

I read Dunkel (The Darkness/Dimma) by Ragnar Jónasson for this month's SeriesCAT and am using it for the "Read A Cat" square.

Today I read Between Shades of Gray, which was the first book by Ruta Sepetys, so I am using it for the appropriate square.

I read Who Was Seabiscuit? for the BingoDog square "a topic you do not usually read." I also counted Betrayal at the Beach for the "local or regional author," although the author does not live in Indiana any more.

One more square to go for a "cover all" Bingo!

Remainders of the Day, by Shaun Bythell, features many books on the front and back covers.

Two more squares filled:
* There's a Reason for Everything involves switched identities.
* Oliver Twist was published when Charles Dickens was 26 years old.

>128 NinieB: Excellent, news about Oliver Twist, I'm currently listening to that one.

>126 LadyoftheLodge: Blimey! That's impressively speedy!!

I read Death of a Bookseller, which has books on the cover.

>129 Helenliz: It has taken concentrated effort for sure.

The Cat and the Tao for the art or craft related square

I read Little Eve by Catriona Ward, which has switched/stolen identities.

>129 Helenliz: Helen, I was super happy when I realized the age thing. Dickens and I also share a Zodiac sign, so I'll get that one for a subsequent book.

Well, I caved. I was trying not to do any challenges beyond a few of the CAT/KITs. But I made the mistake of taking a look over here and...well, I've finished 6 squares:

The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
4. The next book in a series you've started ➤ book #4 in a really good series.


The Ghost Tree by Natasha Deen
14: A book with a small town or rural setting


Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price
16: A book with an LT rating of 4 or more ➤ currently 4.65 and VERY worth the read


Rooted by Lyanada Lynn Haupt
17: A book by a local or regional author ➤ author lives and writes in Seattle WA


Loveless by Alice Oseman
23: A book by an author under 30 ➤ author born 1994


The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis
25: A book in >1000 libraries on LT ➤ currently 26,438

>135 dreamweaver529: Welcome! :)

I'm counting A sweep of the heart by llona Andrews for square #2: features an inn or hotel. (It's part of the Inkeeper Chronicles.)

>135 dreamweaver529: Welcome!

>135 dreamweaver529: Excellent start! The challenges have a way of drawing a person in. . . . .

I read The Last Folk Hero for a book on a topic I don't usually read (sports biographies).

For the written under 30 square, I've read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her second novel, which was published when she was 29.

I read Der eiserne Wolf im barocken Labyrinth - Erwachendes Vilnius by Cornelius Hell (The iron wolf in the baroque labyrinth - Vilnius awakening). It taught me many things about the history of Lithuania, the Lithuanian language, and the culture and the architecture of Vilnius, so I am using it for the appropriate square.

...and I have also finished Letters of Note - Music, ed. by Shaun Usher, which is perfect for the square "Features music or musician".

Filled another square:
Features an inno or hotel: Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews, 3.5*

>143 staci426: I also filled that square, I read Murder at the Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon.

Beth and the Mistaken Identity by Alicia Cameron can go in the switched or stolen identities square. I'm trying to avoid putting historical romances in the Bingo squares, but this is a romance sort of square.

Featuring a journalist

The Broken Girls / Simone St. James
4.25 stars

At Idlewild Hall, a boarding school in Vermont in 1950, a girl is returning (early) from a visit with family off-campus. It’s night, and no one was expecting her back early. As she walks across the schoolyard, something catches her eye. Scared, she starts running, but she never makes it back.

In 2014, Fiona is a reporter with bad memories of that school from 1994 (though the school closed in 1979) – Fiona’s sister was murdered and her body found in the schoolyard. Although, the guy was caught, convicted and is in jail, Fiona just can’t get past this. When she learns that someone has bought the school and wants to refurbish it and reopen it, she gets permission to do a story on it. Her investigations lead her to not only discover what happened in 1950, it puts her in danger as she also learns more about her sister’s murder.

This was really good! The 1950 portions of the story are told from four different points of view – four friends/roommates at Idlewild Hall. In these portions, we learn the backstories for each of the girls, plus we follow them for a month or two leading up to the disappearance of the one returning from her off-campus visit. There is creepiness all around the school. Although Fiona’s story doesn’t initially sound as interesting as the girls in 1950, I really liked both timelines and thought it all came together really nicely at the end.

Blood on the Tracks, a collection of railway mysteries compiled by Martin Edwards, fills my "set on a plane, train, or ship" square.

Finished Buy A Whisker by Sofie Ryan for features a member of the cat family.

Read Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain for switched identities square.

I read Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie for the number or quantity in title square.

I read Bleachers by John Grisham for the bestseller 20 years ago square. This is one of the relatively few sports books he has written, being about football. It's about high school football in a small Southern town. Many former players have returned to pay their respects to a former football coach who is dying. This gives me my first bingo line, the second down horizontal line on BingoDOG card 3, the card many of us are using.

I've decided to use As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley for the square "STEM topic" since Flavia de Luce solves part of the mystery using science.

BINGO! Just finished the last square to complete my BingoDog card for a "cover all" bingo! The final square was "bestseller of 20 years ago" and I read The Christmas Train by David Baldacci. It has been on my TBR list for years and was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I have not seen the movie, but I see how it would make a good one!

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Well done!

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Wow!

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Congratulations!

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Adding my congrats as well!

I read two more squares over the weekend. Anne Gracie's The Winter Bride involves an accident -- the hero's brother dies in a tragic childhood accident, which is the hero's main source of conflict in the novel. And J. Jefferson Farjeon's Seven Dead has a number or quantity in the title.

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Wow, congrats!

For "A Book Featuring a Cat or a Member of the Cat Family", I read No Beast So Fierce by Dane Hucklebridge. This was the story about a famous man-eating Tiger who was responsible for over 430 deaths in the early 1900s.

Remarkably Bright Creatures - Set in a small town on Puget Sound in Washington state. The small-town setting is important to the story.

Thanks for all the kind wishes. This is the earliest I ever finished my Bingo card. It took a concerted effort and lots of searching through my book shelves and my Kindle.

I just finished Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin for a popular author's first book.

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Wow! That must be a record! Congratulations!

I just filled my third square. I have a long way to go to catch up on LadyoftheLodge!

The Great War: July 1, 1916: the first day of the Battle of the Somme: an illustrated panorama by Joe Sacco, Adam Hochschild for "topic you don't usually read". Actually, this was more accurately a format I don't usually read, but I imagine it will be allowed. An outstanding book.

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Congrats on covering the card in 2 months. Super impressed.

>153 LadyoftheLodge: Wow, what a feat!

I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which has more than 12,000 copies on LT, so that is definitely more than 1000 and I am using it for that square.

>163 VivienneR:, >165 lowelibrary:, >166 MissBrangwen: Thanks for your kind words.

I am using Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham for the more than 1000 copies on LibraryThing square. It has 1416 copies.

Has a book on the cover: Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian, Ellen Jovin. Comments in my home topic.

Charles Dickens and I share a zodiac sign (Aquarius), so I've counted Nicholas Nickleby for that square.

Topic I don't usually read: Fantasy

The Barren Grounds / David A. Robertson
2.25 stars

Morgan and Eli are indigenous kids, foster kids in a white home. Morgan is a sulky teenager, always in a bad mood, and Eli is younger. When they hide in the attic one day, Eli has a drawing he puts up on the wall that comes to life and pulls them through to another world of talking animals and learning of their indigenous culture.

Fantasy, talking animals – definitely not my thing. At first, I really did not like Morgan (sulky, complaining teenagers), but I would have been happier with a story in the real world. I listened to the audio and tuned out much of the other world stuff. I had a gist of some of what was going on, but it just wasn’t that interesting to me. And… talking animals. No.

Memoir

The Other Family Doctor / Karen Fine
4.5 stars

Karen Fine is a veterinarian and this is a memoir that includes her grandfather (human) doctor in South Africa, vet school, her marriage, and the lives and deaths of a few of her pets, in addition to a few stories of clients, as well as connecting with (human) clients, alternate medicines, behind-the-scenes being a vet, and more.

I really liked this. This was so much more than your usual vet stories of clients and their pets, and I especially liked that about this book. Of course, her pets dying had me sobbing, but that’s not a surprise.

Rating of 4 or 4+ in LT

Horse by Geraldine Brooks (4.33 as of 2/23; 182 out of 212 votes).

I decided that since I don't usually read historical gothic/horror, I would claim the "topic you don't usually read" square with The Witch of Tin Mountain by Paulette Kennedy.

At 23 February 2023, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, had 6009 copies on LT, so I used it for the "1000 copies on LT" square.

Features music

Dewey Decimal System of Love / Josephine Carr
3 stars

Ally is a librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia. When she attends a symphony, she immediately falls in “love” with the conductor, whom she has never met, and not only that, he is married. She manages to get a volunteer position with the orchestra, so is able to see him more often. Meanwhile, his wife comes in to the library doing research to write a book.

Ally fit all kinds of librarian stereotypes, and initially I found it funny (I’m a librarian, too, and I fit some of those same stereotypes), but she just went way over the top. I also wasn’t crazy about the ending (although, I suppose, better than the alternative?). Overall, I’m rating it ok for the few parts I enjoyed.

Using Flowers for the Judge for the square 4: The next book in a series you've started

I recently finished The Matchmaker by Stella Gibbons, which has a "small town/rural setting" -- a village in Sussex. Not as funny as Cold Comfort Farm, but still a good slice-of-life novel.

For "small town, rural setting" I read The Hanging Valley by Peter Robinson.
In an attempt to go back and discover more of Inspector Banks' early cases I picked up this book. Not bad, but clearly Robinson improved his art considerably. A hiker discovers a body in the Hanging Valley of the Yorkshire Dales. The investigation requires Banks to travel to Toronto reminding me that Robinson made the same journey but to live in Canada. Like most detective stories that were written between the Golden Age era and contemporary times, it feels more dated than it should.

LT rating of 4+: Light from Uncommon Stars, Ryka Aoki; 4.1 rating as of this morning. Comments in my home topic.

A couple of finishes today see a couple more squares filled
16: A book with an LT rating of 4 or more: Chivalry by Neil Gaiman, currently rates 4.1 on LT..
23: A book by an author under 30: Oliver Twist by a 26 year old Charles Dickens.

I'm going to use The Witch Elm by Tana French for the "More than a 1,000 copies on LT" block.

I've read Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas, which was first published in 2003. For the sake of the Best Seller from 20 Years Ago square, I hope it sold well.

I've read 4 more for a total of 8:

Big Russ & Me by Tim Russert
Table Two by Marjorie Wilenski
What a Picture's Worth by Susan Page
Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkle

I read a few more last month.

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch by Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli
3: Features a member of the cat family (as big a cat as you like) ➤ There is a smilodon on the cover


Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
7: A bestselling book from 20 years ago


The Heir by Grace Burrowes
13: Read a CAT


A Game of Birds and Wolves by Simon Parkin
21: A book on a topic you don't usually read ➤ War History


20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
22: A book with a number or quantity in the title


Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
24: A book set on a plane, train or ship

A popular author's first book: Scenes from Clerical Life by George Eliot
More than 1000 copies: Again, the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

I filled in 4 more squares during February:

: A popular author's first book - Splendid by Julia Quinn
: Features a cat or a member of the cat family - No Beast So Fierce by Dane Hucklebridge
: Best seller from 20 years ago - Slightly Scandalous by Mary Balogh
: Rated above 4.0 on Library Thing - Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee

This brings my total completed squares to seven. No bingos yet.

I've finished P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern for the block "written by an author under 30". (Or she was when it was published)

I was surprised and pleased to realize that Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson works for the "features an inn or hotel" square -- it's a murder mystery set at an Australian ski resort.

I've counted Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun, Vol. 2, written by Izumi Tsubaki and translated by Leighann Harvey, for the "art and craft related" square because the series is about a manga artist and this particular volume talks a bit about the techniques used by manga artists to create their comics.

Author under 30: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. Asimov was 30 when the book was published, but the stories that comprise the book were written and originally published during his 20s. Comments in my home topic.

This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You, by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas, is perfect for the "features music or a musician" square.

I read The Third Person by Emma Grove for the Memoir square.

I read Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
I've been dipping into this library book of essays by Hitchens, one of my favourite authors, for the last few weeks. It's over 700 pages and I was picking essays here and there but was so awed by the quality of subjects and writing that I ordered my own copy. Difficult to name favourites, there were so many and I'm not quite finished, but On Animal Farm definitely belongs in the upper echelon.

ETA This was for the square "LT rating of 4 or more".

I'm using The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri for the block "bestseller from 20 years ago".

I've used Table Two by Marjorie Wilenski for number in title.

Author under 30. She was 29 when this was published.

The Rape of Nanking / Iris Chang
3.5 stars

Nanking, China was attacked by Japan in December 1937 during the Sino-Japanese War. The Chinese military had abandoned the city and the Japanese military took advantage and tortured, raped, and murdered hundreds of thousands of civilians. There has not (at least as of the publication date… I haven’t yet followed up) been any apology or reparations for the war crimes from Japan. In fact, Japan has spent decades trying to hide this part of their shameful history.

I really knew nothing about this beyond having heard of it. The lead-up to the main part of the story didn’t catch my interest – this was the history leading up to Nanking being taken over by the Japanese. The things that happened were incredibly awful, but the author also followed up with chapters on Westerners who tried to help with a “safe zone” in the middle of the city (one of those Westerners was actually a Nazi), then chapters on how the Chinese people fared after and how the Japanese tried to hide what had happened (despite it having been on the news around the world, even at the time).

I read the ebook and there was mention of photos in the notes, but my ebook edition did not have any photos. My edition was published in 2011 (originally, this was published in 1997), and had an afterword by the author’s husband; the author herself committed suicide at the age of 36, and her husband addressed this in the afterword.

Pünktchen und Anton has a current rating of 4.22 on LT. One of my childhood favourites, holding up well on a re-read.

I'm counting The High House by Jessie Greengrass as a book with a STEM topic since it deals with climate change and one of the characters is a climate scientist.

Well, it's very new, so the rating may change, but when I read We Spread by Iain Reid, it had a rating of 4.02 so I put in the rating of "4 stars or higher" square.

I just finished my recent ER book. Why Sinéad O'Connor Matters by Allyson McCabe for the "music or musicians" square.
Apart from her famous song Nothing Compares 2 U and that she comes from Ireland, I knew next to nothing about Sinéad O'Connor and I was excited to find out more. McCabe's book is well-researched and provides a knowledgeable analysis of the singer. The misogyny that she has been subjected to, after the abuse suffered growing up was shocking. Her support of other artists, movements such as BLM, and allowing us to share her life through her music is why Sinéad O'Connor matters.

200 posts always feels to me like new thread time, so we have a continuation thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349535#8098825