BingoDog, thread the second

A second 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
Thread 1 is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346810#8010013

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!!

Switched/stolen identity

How I'll Kill You / Ren DeStefano
5 stars

Sissy is one of three triplets; they were abandoned as babies and brought up in various foster homes (mostly separated). As adults they are serial killers. Moody and Iris have each killed three men, and Sissy is the clean-up person, and it’s finally her turn. They pick out a man, get him to fall in love with them, then murder him. (One of them usually works “alone” while the others mostly hide away, just making sure one of the others is out and about somewhere noticeable as an alibi at the time the other is doing the killing.) And make a nice clean getaway. That’s how it works. But Sissy makes the mistake of really falling in love.

Wow! None of these women is particularly likeable, though I suppose Sissy is the most of the three (I guess, given what they do, that’s not a surprise). Not only did Sissy fall in love with Edison, she even made friends (really became friends; something the sisters also tend to avoid beyond how the “friend” can be of help to them getting away with what are doing) with the neighbour. I was really not sure how this book was going to end and it really surprised me, but I thought it was done really well.

I've read Danger on the Atlantic by Erica Ruth Neubauer which I'm using for the Ship square.

I read a memoir, Spare by Prince Harry. This finally gives me my first bingo!

I'm using The Measure of a Mountain for the STEM square, since it covered a lot of volcanology, plate tectonics, ecology, and the science of what high altitudes do to the human body.

I have used The Dry for a popular author's first book.

For the STEM topic square, I have finished The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield that I enjoyed much more than I expected to. Five stars!

Features a journalist: Confess, Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald. A bit of a stretch, perhaps, but Fletch is a former journalist, and he does give his former editor some emergency assistance when the newsroom is short-staffed during a crisis.

I read Shiners by John T Biggs, an Oklahoma author for the local or regional author square.

In The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, Lord Asriel's Daemon is a beautiful leopard, and Lyra's daemon frequently turns into a wildcat, so I am using this book for the square "Features a member of the cat family".

Das verschwundene Fräulein is the next in a series of historical mysteries I quite enjoy, set on the island of Norderney.

Peach blossom spring, a debut novel by Melissa Fu was an enjoyable read covering the travels and travails of a family of kerosene and antique dealers during and after the War of Aggression (the invasion of China by the Japanese, also known as World War II.) It follows the family, primarily through the voice of Shui Meilan, the mother of Dao Renshu, the only grandson of the family patriarch, as the family attempts to keep itself safe and fed in China, then in Taiwan, and finally in the USA.

This is counting toward #8 on the Bingo Dog card, a book with a plant on the cover or in the title.

The Last Remains by Elly Griffith - STEM topic. She's a forensic archaeologist.

I just finished The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa for the "bestseller of twenty years ago" square. A charming story, thought-provoking and unforgettable.

Features music or a musician: The Pallbearers' Club by Paul Tremblay. The main character is a punk musician and the book is filled with punk rock references.

I read The Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini for the "Art or Craft Related" block.

I filled the "features member of the cat family" square with A Man and His Cat, Vol. 2, by Umi Sakurai, translated by Taylor Engel.

During the month of March I filled in 5 Bingo squares:

1. A Memoir - The Customer is Always Wrong by Mimi Pond
2. A Book that taught me something - Life on the Mississippi An Epic American Adventure by Rinker Buck
3. Next Book in Series - The Laughterhouse by Paul Cleave
4. Music or Musician Featured: Star of the North by Anna Jacobs
5. Author Under 30: Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster

I read Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton for the book with a plant in the title or on the cover square. I am currently reading The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom for the involves an accident square.

I read My Life As A Cat for features a member of the cat family.
Thank you to lowelibrary for the recommendation - I loved Leonard and Olive!

I've added Commandments Six and Eight to the number square and Too Many Men to Read A CAT.

I've filled in several more squares since my last post:

Author under 30: Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Author shares your sign (Taurus): Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton
Small town/rural setting: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Switched/stolen identity: Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Plant in title/on cover: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

>20 JayneCM: Glad you enjoyed it.

>20 JayneCM: I loved My Life As a Cat that was an Early Reviewer snag.

A popular author's first book

The Johnstown Flood / David McCullough
2.5 stars

In 1889, Johnstown, Pennsylvania’s dam broke and the town was flooded. The town had flooded many times before, but it was nothing like this. Over 2000 people lost their lives. Turns out the dam wasn’t maintained nor repaired properly.

Sounds like an interesting story, but it just couldn’t keep my attention. Much of the book was just not that interesting to me, especially before the flood hit and after. The flood itself and people’s stories of what happened during was a bit better, but not great. I have read one other book by this author and it seems I was underwhelmed reading it, too; that one, I listened to and wasn’t sure if it was the writing or the topic, but I’m thinking it’s the author’s writing style that just isn’t for me. There were photos included, and I have to say those were pretty impressive, pretty scary. The photo that might stick with me is one of all the debris smashed up against a bridge.

I'm using The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill for art or craft related, since the protagonist's mother is a tapestry artist, and her work plays a major role in the story.

I read Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay which shows a book on its cover.

I also read Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie - although she is a favourite author of mine, this is only the second spy thriller I have read in my life, and I don't intend to read more (apart from those she wrote), so I am using this for "A topic you don't usually read".

I've read Making Rounds with Oscar by David Dosa, MD for the "features a member of the cat family" block.

I forgot to share the Bingodog books I've read so far this year, so starting from an end. Sorry about spamming.

1: Features music or a musician: City of girls by Elizabeth Gilbert.
A smart and engaging coming of age story set in a theatre in New York during WWII, putting on a eponymous musical.

The story of a very privileged young woman slumming in the New York demi monde peopled with chorus girls and dancers, stars and racketeers. The setting is reminiscent of the world of Holly Golightly in Trumans Breakfast at Tiffanys, and is set in about the same timeframe.

2: Features or is set in an Inn or Hotel: Mand uden ansigt by Dennis Jurgensen
A fairly one dimensional crime story, competently plotted, but with some linguistic issues. The author started as a YA writer, and his overwrought metaphors and attempts as creating atmosphere is very simplistic and youth skewing.
A man is murdered in the borderland between Denmark and Germany, and a Danish cop and a German cop ( hence the Inn) is paired up to solve the case over the head of a somewhat incompetent local cop. As a who dunnit it telegraphs the solution quite early, and the professional frictions are quickly smoothed over, leaving a harmonious, if not very believable, conclusion.

3: Features a member of the cat family (as big a cat as you like): Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews
A novella set in the Kate Daniels world. A pretty simple story, introducing the next chapter for Kate, Curran (a werelion) and their son Conlan. Probably not a good place to start if you haven't read the rest of the series.
This is one of the 'rushing around and *ish happen while securing new allies and astonishing reader' plots, which I generally can be entertained by, but which ultimately is a little thin as plot goes.

4: The next book in a series you've started: Desert Star by Michael Connelly
New book in the Bosch and Ballard series. Ballard has returned to the LAPD, and gotten permission to restart the Open Unsolved unit (where several of the very best Bosch novels took place). Now the place is running on volunteers, and she is re-activating Bosch for a specific case that needs solving to keep her sponsors happy.
As often, the plot consists of two cases running in parallel, the 30 year old murder of a council members sister, and the equally old murder of a family buried in the desert. And as always, a pretty satisfactory resolution, although not without some discordant notes.

5: A book by an author that shares your sign of the zodiac: All the seas of the world by Guy Gavriel Kay (A scorpio)
A little too self indulgent to be one of his truly great books.
All the seas of the world takes place in the same universe as the Serantium books, The Lions of Al-Rassan, and Kays most recent books A brightness long ago and Children of earth and sky. As the two latter, it takes place in a renaissance Europe around the Mediterranean, mainly the city states of Italy.

The book has quite a lot of (unnecessary) in-universe references, to the point that it interferes with the reading. Maybe it is meant as a sort of hat-tip to the regular readers, as a kind of fan service, but it comes across as self-indulgent, and as if the book is propped up by its predecessors, and may not be strong enough to stand on its own.

6: A memoir: Me by Elton John
The autobiography by Elton John is an easy and enjoyable read. It has it all - sex, drugs and rock and roll - and a self deprecating humour that on several occasions made me laugh out loud.
Not being a great Elton fan, or particularly well acquainted with the British music scene of the period, the movie about Elton John, Rocket man, provided some context. The book is so well written I assume Elton had help, but the voice seems to be all his own, wry and funny, factual and to the point even when recounting the absurd.
At times the deluge of names and places and records that only a connoisseur of 60-70 rock and roll will recognize can be a bit overwhelming, but if you can let it roll off your back instead of haring down rabbit holes to research and map all the characters and their relations, the flow of the narrative will keep you moving through to more entertaining passages.

>30 amberwitch: I have also read and enjoyed Me by Elton John.

I have read The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson for the author shares your zodiac sign. We are both Aries.

In Peril by Post by Sheri Cobb South the characters spend a lot of their time in an inn.

Next batch of bingodog reads:

9: A book with switched or stolen identities: Cast in eternity by Michelle Sagara
Book 17 in The Chronicles of Elantra builds on the previous stories in the series, so not a good place to start for new readers. Nice enough entry into the series, following the same template as all the other stories, although it seems that the author is struggling a bit to keep all the many plates spinning and all the many characters from the previous novels in play. This is a more lower stake entry in the series, where Kaylin starts by investigating a ghost story, and ends up discovering identity theft and murder, hidden places and subversive plots, exploring dimensional travel and healing.
Nice enough story, an opportunity to revisit Elantra and catch up with (some of) the characters.

12: Features something art or craft related: Hvide blomster by Sissel-Jo Gazan
A really well written and easily read book. what I imagine a story would look like if you asked for 80'es Astrid Lindgren, but make it social realism in rural Denmark and add a pinch of revenge.
The narrator is 13 years old Jenny, who lives with her mother. We experience the island and its inhabitants from her point of view, and when a string of dramatic deaths involving her nearest an dearest occur, her attempts at making sense of the world is very well written and true to her voice.
As the plot unrolls, we learn of a revenge conspiracy, trying to set right the misstreatment and abuse of children and youngsters in an unbeliveable, yet very satisfying plot.
More or less all the adults in the book are tattoo artists (art or craft), and at the end of the book Jenny is a tattoo artist herself.

13: Read a CAT: Burn for me by Ilona Andrews
A very average urban fantasy verging on paranormal romance.
The worldbuilding is ok, but not captivating. The characters the same - they do the job, but don't really come to live.
Despite an intriguing premise, the whole thing comes across as rather cookie cutter.

14: A book with a small town or rural setting: Girl, forgotten by Karin Slaughter
Sequel to Pieces of Her, this story follows Andrea as she graduate as a US Marshall and is put on her first case. The case has threads to her own past, and she ends up investigating a cold case, a 40 years old murder as well as possible murder connected to an abusive cult.
Not as good as Pieces of Her, this is still a solid read.
I tend to find Slaughters books hard to read due to the misogyny and nastiness, but they are also very well written and tightly plotted stories, so if I can get into the plot before being repelled by the suffering I usually end up enjoying the ride.

15: A book on a STEM topic (Science Technology, Engineering or Maths): Stallion gate by Martin Cruz Smith
An early book by Cruz Smith, this book takes place during WWII, when Oppenheimer developed the nuclear bomb at Trinity.
The main character is a native indian; a boxer, a jazz musician, now a soldier and a spy. He has very little volition, seems to be drifting through life (reminescent of the protagonist in the much later The venice girl), although he does have agency and takes chargen when push comes to shove.

16: A book with an LT rating of 4 or more: A wizards guide to defensive baking by T. Kingfisher
Really entertaining YA fantasy. In a medieval setting, Mona is an apprentice baker with a pinch of magic, a small scale wizard in a city state where few are.
When she finds a dead girl in the bakery one morning, she gets involved in investigating the disappearance of the smattering of wizards of her city. Her life is threatened, as is the whole city state, and as the sole remaining wizard in the city, she find innovative ways of deploying her baking magics to defend the city.
The story have humour without being haha funny, and quite a lot of heart without being sentimental. A lot of action and drama made relatable by Monas singular voice - it is not a lot of novels where the protagonist throws up on multiple occasions.

8: Book with a plant in the title or on the cover Surfacing Margaret Atwood. The version I listened to had a tree in the cover thumbnail.

21: A book on a topic you don't usually read The Judge's House, Bram Stoker. I don't read a lot of horror/ghost stories. I certainly don't read them at night!

Whoops! Didn't notice this one fit, initially:
Book with a number in the title

The Secret Wife of King George IV / Diane Haeger
3.5 stars

King George IV (King of England between 1820 an 1830) before becoming king, did not get along with this father at all. Not only that, he fell in love with a Catholic (Maria) and there was no way his father would agree for them to marry. Maria insisted on being married before agreeing to becoming further involved in the relationship, so they married in a Catholic ceremony (that was illegal/not recognized in England). George had hoped his father would not live much longer (but he did), so he would be able to change that law and have Maria recognized as his legal wife.

This is not a time period I have read much (or anything?) about. It was really interesting to learn of this secret relationship/marriage. There was more romance to the story than I’d expected; I added this to my tbr a long time ago, so it’s possible I realized that at the time. But it was still interesting. There were times that the story moved a bit slowly, though. I also can’t say I really liked either main character, but I was still interested to read that this had happened at all.

I have finished The minstrel and the dragon pup and used it for the "music or musician" prompt.

I used one of Ann Cleeves Shetland mysteries, Raven black for square 25, >1000 copies on LT.

A book with a plant on the cover: Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

I have to admit that the novel itself has nothing to do with plants, but it does have a lovely cover.

I filled the small town / rural setting square with Emily of New Moon, by L. M. Montgomery.

Inn/Hotel (or what the Fair Isle uses as a "hotel"

Blue Lightning / Ann Cleeves
3.5 stars

On the “Fair Isle”, a part of the Shetland Islands, there is an observatory with a group of bird watchers in attendance. Police detective Jimmy Perez is visiting home with his fiancee, Fran. Jane is the cook at the observatory, which is also the place where most people stay when they come to the Fair Isle. Angela and Marshall run the observatory, and Marshall’s teenage daughter is also visiting. Unfortunately with bad weather, everyone is stuck with no way on or off the island. Then, someone is found with a knife in her back.

This was good. It is quite atmospheric, but in all honesty, I tend to tune much of that out. I did have a bit of trouble figuring out all the characters at the start of the book; it didn’t help that at least one of the characters (though I did eventually figure it out) was sometimes called by his first name and sometimes by his last (Jimmy Perez). Overall, though, the story ended up being good, and I liked it as much as the first in the series and better than the other two.

Murder at the Pageant has a plant on the cover.

I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah as the switched/stolen identity square. One of the characters uses false identity papers and works for the French Resistance under this assumed name.

I filled the "popular author's first book" square with The Master Key, by Masako Togawa. She wrote over 30 novels and was billed as the P.D. James of Japan.

I read Zurück zur ersten Liebe by Teresa Zukic. The title translates as Back to the first love, so I am using this for "Number or quantity in title".

I read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson for author under 30 (at the time of publication--per wikipedia she's 31 now).

I read Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets by Kay Frydenborg for the STEM topic. Giving myself my first and second bingo. --I

For the "topic you don't usually read" square, I'm counting Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It combines the noir genre with Mexican history, two things I hardly ever read -- but I enjoyed the book a lot!

The Chosen starts off with an accident in a baseball game.

I am using The Medicine Wheel as the topic I don't usually read. It is a book on Native American Astrology.

I've finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir for the "set on a plane, train, or ship" box. After all - spaceship has the word "ship" in it.

I'm using The Cat who saved books for "3: Features a member of the cat family (as big a cat as you like)"
It features a large. talking, ginger tabby.

A book involving an accident: Blitz, Daniel O'Malley. An accidental housefire sets one of the book's plot threads in motion.

I managed to fill in 5 squares during April:

: Title includes a number or a quantity - One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker
: Art or Craft related - Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan
: Author shares my zodiac sign - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
: Hotel or Inn Setting - The Maid by Nita Prose
: Involves an accident - The Sands of the Kalahari by William Mulvihill

Switched or stolen identity: In Royal Flash Harry Flashman stands in for a Danish prince about to marry a minor German duchess, in a fiendish plot devised by Otto von Bismarck.

Read Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld for the features music or musician square.

I filled a few squares in April:

STEM topic: The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel, 5*
Number in the title: Ten Women by Marcela Serrano, 4*
Features music or musicians: A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kaye, 5*
Memoir: The Dark Child by Camara Laye, 3.5*

For the author under 30, I read Cinder. Marissa Meyer was 28 when she wrote the book.

>58 lowelibrary: I loved that series. I may need to reread it. What did you think?

>59 dreamweaver529: I was instantly drawn into the story. I liked how it followed the Cinderella storyline without copying the story.The characters were great and I look forward to the next volume. The only complaint I have is that I hate the trend of book series, not making each book a standalone.

I'm going to use Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg for the "involves and accident" block since it starts with a fall off a ladder.

>60 lowelibrary: There is defined a threw storyline, which is most evident in my mind in Winter, the last of the books. My favorite is Scarlet, book 2. I'm off to read the graphic novels I just learn were out there, and available at my library!

STEM

Klara and the Sun / Kazuo Ishiguro
3 stars

Klara is a robot with incredible AI (Artificial Intelligence) waiting in a store with other robots to be bought by kids as companions. When Josie sees her, she knows she wants Klara, but can’t bring her home right away. Klara just hopes Josie will be back. When Klara eventually goes home with Josie, things aren’t exactly what she’d expected. Josie has some kind of illness, and Klara is expected to do something unexpected.

I listened to the audio and I liked the start of it (after the short bit to figure out what was going on), but as the book continued on, I lost more and more interest. I guess it did end “better” than I’d expected (for the main storyline that I was (mostly, as far as I know) following). I’m rating this “ok”. As I read reviews that include a summary, it seems I missed more than I’d even realized!

I scored my first bingo of the year last week with the following:

6. Memoir: All the young men by Ruth Coker Burks
7. Bestseller from 20 years ago: Emma Bull's Bone dance
8. Plant in the title on the cover: Peach blossom spring by Melissa Fu
9. Switched or stolen identities: A World of curiosities by Louise Penny
10. A book that taught you something: Coot club (sailing terms) by Arthur Ransome

>64 markon: Congrats to you!

Small town/rural setting: Under the Rainbow, Celia Laskey.

Filled another square with The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad for set on a plane, train or ship.

I have finished Leonora by Maria Edgeworth who shares my Zodiac sign.

I've finished The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin for the "title includes a number or quantity" block.

Finished East Anglia in Verse. As it was written be people from and living in the area, I work in the area, my mother was born in the area and I was staying in the area, I'm using this for the local author Bingo square.

For "set on a plane, train, or ship" I read Stateless by Elizabeth Wein.

An exciting account of a 1937 air race that was created specifically for young pilots and was intended to promote peace in a world on the brink of war. Stella North, representing the United Kingdom, is a one-time refugee from Russia and the only female competing against pilots with varying political sentiments from several European countries. When she witnessed two planes almost colliding, one flew away unscathed and the other plummeted to the ocean in what she believes to be the deliberate elimination of a competitor. Stella and other pilots investigate the event. The life stories of the competitors reflect the positions of European countries at the time, making this a good overall portrayal of the era. It's a fascinating and thrilling adventure story that although classified as Young Adult, readers of any age can enjoy.

Featuring a cat

A Cat Named Darwin / William Jordan
4 stars

The author was not a cat person, but when he came across a stray (at a time when the author was feeling lonely), there seemed to be a connection. He brought the cat he later named Darwin (the author is a biologist) in and gave him food. There was a back and forth between inside and outside, then on or off the bed, etc. Darwin wormed his way into the author’s heart, but it wasn’t long before Darwin was diagnosed with FeLV (feline leukemia). Darwin only lasted another year before he died.

I loved Darwin and enjoyed the parts most that focused on him. The author brought in some philosophy of things he learned from Darwin and, though I’m not usually a fan of philosophy, I actually found this quite interesting. I did disagree with a lot of decisions the author made, especially as Darwin got more and more sick, but I still rated it as high as I did, primarily because of Darwin himself. The book hit close to home, as I have been dealing with a palliative cat for a few years now, myself (he’s now 20 and still mostly doing ok, but it’s tough).

I've read Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro for the block "features music or a musician" block.

Popular author's first book: Cover Her Face, P. D. James.

Journalism: Plots and Prayers by Niki Savva. She's a journalist.

I have only four squares to go now: Zodiac sign, Accident, Music, Under 30. I'm planning to read The Shooting Party by Anton Chekhov for under 30.

For the "author shares your zodiac sign" square, I read The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. Her birthday is August 16, which makes her a Leo like me.

Set on a ship - well, at least half of it was, though the rest focused on people's lives otherwise.

Shadow of the Titanic / Andrew Wilson
4 stars

This book looks not just at the Titanic, but picks out a few of the survivors to follow after the ship sank. Of course, it also backs up to include biographical information on these people from before the Titanic, as well as where they were and what happened with each of them the night the ship sank.

This was a bit of a different look at the story of the Titanic. I quite liked it! Some of the stories were of first class passengers I knew a bit about or at least remember hearing their names (Madeleine Astor, John Jacob Astor’s young, new, pregnant wife; Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife, Lady Duff Gordon); also J. Bruce Ismay, a White Star official. Many of the stories were people I hadn’t heard about before. Probably the one I’ll remember best is Jack Thayer, 17 years old and was going down with the ship when he jumped, managed to clear the ship, and be rescued. Dorothy Gibson was a silent screen actress on the Titanic who made it out. There were two little boys who were on the ship with their father; he got them in a lifeboat and they never saw him again… turns out the father had kidnapped them from their mother in France!

Ismay, of course, was on trial after the Titanic sunk. The Duff Gordons were, as well, it being alleged that they bribed the rowers of their lifeboat to not go back to see if they could help anyone. Madeleine Astor married and divorced two more times (though remarrying caused her to lose all wealth left to her by John Jacob). A number of people committed suicide (not necessarily right away) and many just wouldn’t talk of the Titanic afterward.

I'm counting Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman for local or regional author, since she also lives in Washington State.

I read Dear America: Voyage on the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White for the takes place on a plane, train or ship square.

I am down to two squares, and I need a bit of help. How did you find a book that fulfilled A bestselling book from 20 years ago?
Ideally the answer is something already in my library, that I haven't read already. But I just have a hard time finding any sources on it that I can use.

>80 amberwitch: - There's a couple of ways to try. I did a search (not on Lt) for "books published in 2003" and then checked what I might want to read. The other way on LT is to go to Charts and Graphs - then choose Cataloguing and change the collection at the top to the collection you use for unread books (or you can do "all books"). There's a section for publication dates and you can choose 2000-2009. It gives more than you want but will give you a place to start.

Amazon seems to give annual lists of their 100 top selling books by year. Here is 2003.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/2003/books
That may help.

The Sunday Times does the same, but is behind a subscription wall.

>80 amberwitch: I found this site for New York Times Best Seller List of 2003, broken down by week: https://www.hawes.com/2003/2003.htm.

I've also found it helpful to look at long-running popular series that had a book come out in 2003; those tend to make the list.

>82 Helenliz: Thank you, this is great! I found a couple of books on the list I actually own, that I haven't read yet. High Society and A question of blood - and interestingly, Earth from above, which might be interesting to devote some time to.

>81 dudes22: Thanks for the guide on how to mine my library m,ore efficiently, much appreciated:-)

>83 christina_reads: Really great resource, thank you. There are quite a few books on those lists that I could use ad well:-)

>80 amberwitch: There's a Google doc with all the titles from that year's NYT bestseller lists:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m8pLhUpdgY4Op16wkRZ2vLcqPKLUD4A2XNi3QctF...

I got my list here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_New_York_Times_number-one_books_of_200...

I dug out a bestseller list for 2003 from The Globe and Mail, which covers the Canadian market and features both hardcover and paperback. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-bestsellers-of-2003/article1049597/

>80 amberwitch: That is my last square, as well!

ETA: Thanks, everyone, for the links. I will do some investigating...

For "book on the cover" square I read Oxford Exit by Veronica Stallwood

Novelist and one-time librarian, Kate Ivory, has been asked to do some cataloguing at the Bodleian Library, Oxford in an undercover effort to find out how to make rare books disappear when they are in the process of being added to the computer catalogue and removed from the card index. Not only did she discover major losses and what became of the books, but someone else had the same suspicion and came to a nasty end. The book theft is referred to as the Oxford Exit. This was a lot of fun, not a cozy, but kept light with Stallwood's humour and library lore. And of course the setting is first-rate.

Most noteworthy: a particularly creepy character has the name of Vivian.

Troubles is set entirely at the Majestic hotel in Ireland during the fight for independence after the First World War.

I won't be reading any more "bingo" books this month so in May I checked off three squares:

: A topic I don't usually read - Blue Horses by Mary Oliver - Poetry
: A local or regional author - Grizzlies, Gales & Giant Salmon by Pat Ardley
: Switched Idenity - The Bone Garden by Kate Ellis

This leaves 5 squares to fill in order to complete the card.

I read Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel for more than 1000 copies on LibraryThing.

For the journalism square I read Little Lindy is Kidnapped: How the Media Covered the Crime of the Century by Thomas Doherty. As the subtitle states, this book is primarily about the news coverage of the case rather than solving the case. Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh were a very popular couple, and the public followed the news closely. The different media, newspaper, radio, and news reels at theaters raced to cover the case. It's amazing to think that in the 1930s, only around 90 years ago, radio was the new technology.

Thanks to the recent discussion of the bestsellers from 20 years ago, I discovered that my next installment in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs would fit the square. So I've just finished Bare Bones, which is book 6.

>96 staci426: Excellent!

I read Gwendy's Magic Feather and got the Next in a Series You've Started square--I almost never read series, so I didn't think I would get this one.

For the number in the title square, I read The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs.

I still have 2 more squares to fill my BingoDOG card. However, they will be more difficult for me than most. For the books on cover square I had been planning to read An Autobiography by Agatha Christie, which has 2 large piles of books on the cover. However, it has over 500 pages of text, and at 79 years of age, I much prefer considerably shorter books. My bookclub book is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which has one opened book on the cover. However, it is 486 p. of text, and I'm not sure I will read all of it.

The STEM square is also giving me difficulty in deciding what to read since I really do not like reading books on that topic. I have several candidates; will need to see which one I can finish.

>99 sallylou61: I found it pretty difficult to get the book on cover one as well, but got lucky with a library book.
And i was fairly creative with the STEM one - I used a book about the oppenheim project stallion gate which had lots of physicists and nuclear experiments. Another option was a local author with a Biology theme, hvide blomster in reality it was a sort of crime/ coming of age story.

>99 sallylou61: For the STEM square I read an Elly Griffiths book from the Ruth Galloway series. Ruth is a forensic archaeologist.

I've decided to use The Winners by Fredrik Backman for the "book about a subject you don't usually read". It was about hockey.

>100 amberwitch:, >101 pamelad:. Thanks for the suggestions. For now I plan to concentrate on reading The Shadow of the Wind for my bookclub and the book on cover square. Plus, I have some books lined up for various monthly challenges. However, I would like to finish my card by next month if not this month.

I have used Butler to the world for the journalist square, as that is the author's main job and he uses the work of some colleagues to make his point about how willingly Britain helps the kleptocrats of the world keep their ill-gotten money.

ETA: This also gives me my first Bingo!

Number in the title: 18 Tiny Deaths, Bruce Goldfarb.

Book on cover: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlo Ruiz Zafón.

Claiming Service with a Smile for the "local author" square. PG Wodehouse lived in my home town for a while and named one of his characters after the town.

I'm counting The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold for "features a member of the cat family." It's hard to explain, but one of the main characters gets (sort of) possessed by a leopard spirit.

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens, which I finished yesterday, has 5,368 copies on LT, well over the 1,000 needed for a Bingo square.

Has a plant on the cover: A Killing in Costumes, Zac Bissonnette. That completes the first bingo on my card!

>110 KeithChaffee: Congrats!

I read Ali Hazelwood's Love, Theoretically for the "STEM topic" square. The two main characters are physicists (one theoretical, one experimental), and a big chunk of the plot is about the heroine trying to get a tenure-track research position at a university.

I'm using a non-fiction book for the STEM topic: Ein Seehund aus Eisen, which tells the story of Wilhelm Bauer who built one of the first working submarines.

I read Call of the Wild by Jack London for author under 30. I enjoyed it better when I read it in my teens.

I finished my card with the STEM square: Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova. In my opinion, it gets rather repetitious. However, the part on Alzheimer's was especially interesting. Although I have often filled a second card, I'm not planning to start one this year.

I finally got a bingo with The Muddleheaded Wombat, in which one of the main characters is Tabby, a member of the cat family.

I finished Phillis Wheatley: Complete Writings for a book with a book on the cover.

I got my first bingo with The Ferryman by Justin Cronin: set on a plane, train, or ship.

I used Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich for the square "popular authors first book".

A book involving an accident: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix begins with a car accident.

Set in an inn or hotel: The Paradox Hotel, Rob Hart.

With a plant on the cover or in the title: The Measure by Nikki Erlick

I read Backpacking Through Bedlam by Seanan McGuire for an author who shares my zodiac sign (Capricorn).

Charles Dickens was 29 when he wrote and published Barnaby Rudge.

I just finished A Masked Deception, the first published novel of popular romance novelist Mary Balogh. It has some ridiculous plot elements, but honestly I enjoyed it more than I did her most recent book!

Can I stretch the 'set on a plane, train or ship' prompt to be a spaceship?

I'm using Helgoland for 15: A book on a STEM topic (Science Technology, Engineering or Maths)
It's written by a physicist and is about Quantum Mechanics.

>125 JayneCM: I did - I read The galaxy, and the ground within by Becky Chambers as my “set on a plane, train or ship” bingo.
What is yours?

>127 amberwitch: It is an Australian book called Grey Nomad, about a seventy year old knitter called Joyce who accidentally finds herself in the middle of an intergalactic conflict. It is fun so far.

For "art related" I read A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny.

>128 JayneCM: looks interesting. I really like stories with older protagonists. Particularly if they are women, which is rarely the case. I recently read Library of the sapphire wind, where the heroes are three middle aged to retired women. It wasn’t one of Jane Lindskolds better books, but I enjoyed the efforts to be more age inclusive.

Totally loved Grey Nomad by Alison Ferguson - read for 'set on a plane, train or ship' (spaceship).

"It's time to get back to boldly going where no CWA member has gone before."

Seventy year old Joyce Campbell thinks she is "just Joyce". She has always been told she is not capable of much so there is no point in trying.
But Joyce is determined not to end up like her mother, "eking out a sour old age having done nothing worth remembering."
So when the opportunity arrives in her email inbox to tour a visiting spaceship, Joyce decides to take up the offer. And what ensues is a rollicking space adventure where Joyce finally learns just what she can do.
This was such a fun ride. Joyce's determined yet kind spirit shines through as she copes with space travel and her not so cooperative aging body.
I certainly hope we will have more books about Joyce as the ending leaves us wondering what will happen next in the intergalactic storm Joyce has created.

This is an Australian book - the CWA is the Country Women's Association, renowned for their baking and crafting skills. Like the WI in Britain, not sure of a US equivalent.
I found this book when I was searching the library catalogue for new knitting books and I am so glad I did - it was a thoroughly enjoyable and different addition to my usual sci fi fare.

Filled in the "read a CAT" square by doing the July ClassicsCat challenge, "the classic you've always wanted to read," with Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon.

For the memoir square, I read The Answer Is by Alex Trebek

>133 lowelibrary: I read The Answer is ...: reflections on my life by Alex Trebek too! Same square.

I finally claimed the Read a CAT square with a ClassicsCAT read, Eugénie Grandet by Honoré de Balzac.

>134 VivienneR: Such a good book

For my "bestseller from 20 years ago" square, I read Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black by John Feinstein.

For 'switched or stolen identities" I read Elephants can remember by Agatha Christie.

>136 lowelibrary: Wasn't it! It was great to hear his voice again and I loved all the background details from the show and his life.

I just want to get a line! I have about four that only need one square to finish them. I do this every year, read all over the board and take forever to get my first line filled in!

Bestseller from 20 years ago.
And that's a blackout BINGO for me! I'm done!

Prey / Michael Crichton
3.5 stars

John is a coder, but was let go from his last job, so is now a stay-at-home dad while his wife, Julia, works. Julia seems to be working a little too much… coming home late – or not at all! John is suspicious. And he has to deal with a sick baby on top of it. Oddly sick – suddenly very sick, then just as suddenly, she gets better. When he is given a chance to work where he once worked, to see if he can help fix some code, it is also where his wife has been working. He is sent out to the desert in Nevada to see if he can figure out what’s going on, where he finds some odd swarms of something run amok.

I’m not sure that’s a great summary and it is very different from the broader summary you’ll see for the book. Anyway, I listened to the audio and it mostly held my attention. I actually found John’s home life pretty amusing, particularly the fighting siblings (that was pretty realistic – lol!). Was interesting reading now, in 2023, about Crichton’s speculation of artificial intelligence back in 2002.

>141 LibraryCin: Congratulations!!

>142 Helenliz: Thank you!

I read Grace Harlowe's First Year at Overton College for the book-on-the-cover square.

>141 LibraryCin: Congratulations! I'm right behind you -- I just completed the "bestseller from 20 years ago" square too, and it also gives me a blackout Bingo!

I read To Sir Phillip, with Love by Julia Quinn, which is now right up there with The Viscount Who Loved Me as one of my favorite Bridgerton novels. According to Quinn's website: "At the time of its release in 2003, To Sir Phillip, with Love spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, peaking at #6." It also spent six weeks on the USA Today bestseller list.

>141 LibraryCin:, >145 christina_reads:. Congratulations to both of you! Its interesting that you both had the same square for last.

>145 christina_reads: Another congratulations!

>146 sallylou61: It is interesting - that is also the only square I am still struggling with.

I read a cute paranormal fantasy, Summon The Keeper by Tanya Huff, that takes place in a B&B for the features an inn or hotel square.

Congratulations Cindy! Christina, I am with you having only one square to complete. My last square will be "takes place on a plane, train or boat".

>145 christina_reads: Yay! Congrats to you, too!

>146 sallylou61: >148 amberwitch: Isn't that funny!? I think many of the others, I just happened to be reading things, anyway, that fit. But this was one I had to look for something to fit.

>152 LibraryCin: Same here -- it's one of the squares I had to do some research for!

For the local or regional author square, I read North Star Conspiracy by Miriam Grace Monfredo, who is based in upstate New York, where I live as well.

With the completion of The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan, I have filled my total Bingo Card!

>155 DeltaQueen50: Congrats to you!

>155 DeltaQueen50: Well done on covering the card!

>155 DeltaQueen50: - Congratulations! I still have a few squares to go and will probably limp in at the last minute.

I listened to Sleepless Over You by Sydney Smyth. The protagonist is an influencer who is frequently interviewed or appearing on TV. The story also features a podcast which is a kind of journalism as well. So I am using it for "features journalist/journalism". Two squares to go now!

My Early Reviewer book perfectly fitted "with a plant on the cover" square:

The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

Soloy has created the most delightful and inventive picture book introducing a community of gnomes who live in The Pocket. Each one has a special interest and talent, but together they enjoy egg-sitting for the robins, tail-fluffing for the squirrels, circle dancing, or just sitting not talking with another person. They offer a close look at the tiny things in nature such as woody pigs, who are introduced through Billy Buttons, a friend of Abel Potter the inventor. I loved that the gnomes sleep in a pile, often joined by baby mice who also like to sleep in a pile.

A good book to read aloud and fun to be able to name the gnomes on each page. This is absolutely charming!

>141 LibraryCin: & >145 christina_reads: & >155 DeltaQueen50: Congratulations for completing your cards!

My book set on a train is Stamboul Train where we travel on the Orient Express.

I filled two more squares:

Book on the cover: By Book or by Crook by Eva Gates
Topic you don't usually read: Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon, this is an historical fiction account of the Hindenburg disaster, I don't usually read historical fiction set in this time period.

Read The Hotel Witch by Jessica Miller for the inn/hotel square. And finally got a bingo!

I read A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier for the "number or quantity in title".

Laughing Gas by P. G. Wodehouse for the accident square.

For the local author square I read An Old Cold Grave by Iona Whishaw.

What I enjoy most in Whishaw's books are the mentions familiar places such as Nelson and Balfour, near where I now live in British Columbia. Each time I drive along that road I try to imagine the King's Cove buildings, separated by paths and overlooking the lake as described in the series. The recollection of life in the 1940s is not always rosy, especially when homeless, abandoned children were involved. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the budding romance between Lane and Inspector Darling, and look forward to reading more books in the series.

Only 3 square left.

My bestseller from 20 years ago is Am Beispiel meines Bruders.

I have finished two more squares:

* For a book that taught me something, I read The Companion to the Iliad by Malcolm M. Willcock.
* For a book involving an accident, I read Martin Chuzzlewit, in which a coach crashes in a ditch.

Just in case one of the historical romances I'd read this year featured a musician, I had a look on GoodReads and found, in a list of musicians in historical romances, Shana Galen's The Making of a Gentleman, mentioned here.

For bestseller from 20 years ago, I read An Offer From A Gentleman. Officially, 22 years ago, but the whole Bridgerton series was a bestseller around 20 years ago.

>171 JayneCM: Nice! I also went with Bridgerton for that square. :)

And I have finally filled my Bingo card! The last square was the most difficult, "a genre you don't usually read". I settled for a graphic novel, kind of: The Gabriel Set-Up contains the first three episodes of the Modesty Blaise comic strips.

ETA: Just noticed that it's called "on a topic". Sigh. I need to reconsider.

>173 MissWatson: I would think that an unfamiliar genre would count for that square. I read a novel in a genre (noir) and setting (1970s Mexico) that I rarely read...so, not exactly a "topic," but I am counting it anyway!

>173 MissWatson: Congratulations! My choice for that square was a graphic novel too. In my opinion, that's perfectly acceptable.

>174 christina_reads: >175 VivienneR: Thank you! In that case, I'll be generous with myself and report a finished card.

>176 MissWatson: That's what I'm planning on also.

Starting a new Bingo card with:
a topic you don't usually read A room of one's own (feminism)
features a musician or music Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts

I read I, Robot by Isaac Asimov for my last square, Reader Under Thirty. Finished!

>179 pamelad:, >176 MissWatson: congrats on achieving a finish

For the STEM square, The Violin Maker by John Marchese, which deals with acoustics and carpentry.

For the "set on a boat/plane/train" square, Blood on the Tracks, a collection of mystery stories set on trains edited by Martin Edwards.

>180 Helenliz: Thank you.

>173 MissWatson: Congratulations Birgit!

>180 Helenliz: >182 pamelad: Thanks!

Read The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood, for popular author's first novel.
I don't read reviews until after I have finished the book. But someone else had exactly the thoughts I was having when reading this - The Bell Jar meets The Vegetarian.
You can certainly see the beginnings of The Handmaid's Tale and other works by Atwood appearing here.

>184 JayneCM: I loved The Edible Woman, the first Atwood I read and which inspired me to read as much of her writing as possible - until The Handmaid's Tale, which I didn't like at all.

I also liked "The Edible Woman" and it was the first I'd read by Atwood.

I was in library school, and thought I *should* read some well-regarded authors. A friend suggested Atwood and gifted me "The Edible Woman". I have enjoyed most of what I've read by Atwood since, but not necessarily everything.

>186 LibraryCin: One of my favourites is Strange things : the malevolent north in Canadian literature, a series of lectures she gave at Oxford. Her sense of humour is awesome.

>187 VivienneR: Oh, interesting. I don't think I've read any nonfiction by her!

I read The Lady Vanishes, which is set on a train. If you're struggling to fill this square, it's a short novel that you can read in a couple of evenings.

I have one more square to go!

Half of a yellow sun currently has a rating of 4.15 on LT and I quite agree with that.

I have also finished Le diable au corps by an author who died aged twenty. It was mercifully short because I couldn't have taken much more of this self-indulgent male narcissist. Why is this still on the 1,001 list?

I read The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly that features a journalist.

Connelly is a fairly new author for me and this Jack McEvoy and Rachel Waling book was a winner. It’s a fast moving action thriller even though the plot required substantial suspension of disbelief. McEvoy is a journalist who is being let go because not only has the delivery of news changed, but he costs more than the new kids in the business. Together with Waling, an FBI agent, they pair work on identifying the murderer responsible for a grisly series of murdered women. McEvoy believes he has the makings of a great story and the paper will beg him to come back. Complex and gripping.

Author shares my zodiac sign (Aquarius): Celeste Holm Syndrome, David Lazar.

For the first book by a popular author: Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth.

ETA: I've just learned that this was not Wentworth's first book. I'm off to find a book that will fit.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea for switched/stolen identity.

For first book by a popular author I read Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (see >194 VivienneR:)
An account of a mother and young daughter who arrived in Brooklyn from Hong Kong. Despite experiencing dire conditions, the worst imaginable, the daughter went on to earn a full scholarship at a prestigious school that proved to be no relief because as well as her studies she still has to help her mother in her sweatshop job. School was just as challenging, where she looks different, sounds different, and wears the cheapest clothes. Students are encouraged by teachers to watch the news, read newspapers, and discuss current events with their parents, not realizing for this child, it is impossible. It's heartbreaking to read about the difficulties that many immigrants suffer and it appears the author may have had first hand knowledge.

And for a book involving an accident Saturday by Ian McEwan.
Henry Perowne, a day that is shattered by violence, a minor car accident, and a plane crash witnessed. For such a short book, McEwan dips into many topics. If you like McEwan, you will love this one.

This completes my Bingo card!

>196 VivienneR:. Congratulations for finishing your Bingo card.

>196 VivienneR: Well done! I'll bet that feels good to be finished.

>196 VivienneR: - Great job! I still have a few left and know what I want to read for them, but keep getting sidetracked to something else.

>197 sallylou61: Thank you!

>198 NinieB: Thank you. Yes, it is satisfying.

>199 dudes22: Thank you, Betty. Mid-year I felt like it was going to be another case of rushing to finish in December, then suddenly it was done!

Finished my BingoDog card with Starter Villain by John Scalzi, which features members of the cat family.

>201 KeithChaffee: Congrats!

>196 VivienneR:, >201 KeithChaffee: Nice!
I'm a few short. How's everyone feeling about the last few to the finish?
Which squares have caused the most problems?

>201 KeithChaffee: Congratulations!

>203 Helenliz: I have one to go on that tough square, bestseller of 20 years ago. But I have identified The Dante Club and just need to find time to read it.

I'm dragging with 5 to go. I have books chosen for them so it just remains to be seen if I can get them in.

I'm like Luanne - 5 to go, 4 planned and I decided to leave the "Read a CAT" as my last square this year so that's not planned yet. I just need to find the time to read them and not get sidetracked by other books.

I have 2 squares left. Bestseller from 20 years ago and features journalist/journalism

>201 KeithChaffee: Congratulations!

>203 Helenliz: "Involving an accident" was the most difficult for me. None of my books were tagged accident.

I'm using The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich for the "memoir" square.

I am finally returning to say that I found a book by an author with the same zodiac sign as me: Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet. I very much enjoyed the book. And we not just have the same zodiac sign, but we also have the same alma mater, and I believe based on our ages that we may have attended very much around the same time, and I was also in the writing program there (although alas, not so well accomplished).

Howl's Moving Castle for author with same zodiac sign as me. Diana Wynne Jones' birthday is 16th August, making her a Leo like me.

I'm using The Girls of Slender Means for the square 2: Features or is set in an Inn or Hotel
Yes I know it is stretching a point, being a boarding club, but I'm going with it anyway. It has that communal living theme about it.

I'm counting Lois the Witch for the "Read a CAT", as it fits two CATs.

And the author who shares my zodiac sign is Maria Edgeworth whose Belinda I just finished.

Invitation to the waltz is set in a small English town immediately after WW I.

Bridge of Birds has more than 1,000 copies on LT.

My next read in the Alex Cross series, Cross Country, featured a journalist as Alex's guide.

Just an FYI that the 2024 group is now live, and we are discussing Bingo squares for next year! Feel free to join the discussion and suggest topics here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/354729.

For accident I'm using The Dusty Way to Death by Alistair MacLean for accident. It revolves around an unusual number of accidents in car raciing. More mystery than thriller and just an average read.

In Sturmflut, a young woman persuades her elder sister to go to a family party on the island of Duiveland in her stead, where she is lost in the Great North Sea flood of 1953. Armanda then marries her sister's husband and is mother to her daughter, so in some sense lives her sister's life. By the way, this was a great read.

ETA: I'm counting it for the "switched identities".

Finished my card with The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl, a bestseller of 2003.

Voting for the 2024 CATs is now happening at https://www.librarything.com/topic/354675#8274629! Voting will take place until Thursday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m. EST, at which time the votes will be counted and the 2024 CATs officially chosen. So stop by and vote for your favorites!

(Cross-posting to a bunch of threads to reach as many people as possible.)

I read Starter Villain for Features a Cat.

I'm using Sharpe's Assassin as next in a series.

I read Devil's Cub by Gergette Heyer. We share the same birthday month.

I just finished listening to Love and Saffron by Kim Fay and am using it for the "features a jounalist/journalism" square.

I have resumed work on my Bingo card and read The Titanic Story by David Hutchings for "Set on a plane, train or ship". Now I have only one square to go!

...and I also finished Der Mann, der lächelte (The Man Who Smiled) by Henning Mankell. This novel was first published in 1994 in Sweden, but it came out in Germany in 2001 and was still a bestseller in 2003 in the wake of the Wallander series being aired on TV.

And with that my BingoDOG card is completely filled! Yay!!!

>228 MissBrangwen: Well done!

I am using the mystery Verdächtige Geliebte for the STEM square, because the duel of wits between the physics professor and the mathemician drive the plot.

And a number in the title: Null-Null-Siebzig Mord in Hangzhou, a rather weak spy story involving a retired British agent in China.

I read The Lovely Bones for the bestseller from 20 years ago. Even though released in 2002, it was #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list for 2 weeks in January 2003.

My bingo card is now finished.

Le passager du Polarlys is set on board a ship going from Hamburg along the Norwegian coast. A very early non-Maigret novel, and the case of the murdered passenger was very unsatisfactory. But the voyage in winter seas is very atmospheric.

>232 lowelibrary: - Congratulations! I still have 3 blocks (One is the "read a cat" block that I'm leaving for last) but I'm not sure I'' finish this year.

>234 dudes22: Thank you.

For involves an accident, I read Das Jahr des Dugong(The Year of the Dugong), a cli fi novella available in English only on KU. Very good.

Finished my last 2 squares.
Monstrous Regiment for my bestseller 20 years ago.
A MOnster Calls for read a CAT - it features a tree so fits RandomCAT.

I'm still not ready for Christmas, let alone for 2024!

I've read Cinder by Marissa Meyer for author under 30 and that completes my card.

>237 Helenliz: >238 clue: Woohoo, congrats to you both for completing your bingo cards!

>237 Helenliz: >238 clue: Well done!

I filled two more squares today: A sentimental journey features lots of hotels where the narrator stays, and Jims brillante Weihnachten has a tree on the cover.

I had 3 more squares to fill so I thought I'd go back and look through my reading to see if I could find some books to fill the squares. Here's what I came up with:

Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern - local or regional author (Vermont)
Breath by Tim Winton - book that taught you something - about surfing in Australia
Auntie Lee's Deadly Special by Ovidia Yu - Read a CAT (series Cat)

And that's a finish for me. I'll update the wiki's later.

>242 dudes22: well done, another finish!

>242 dudes22: Congratulations!

Finished my Bingo card! With a three star read - The Girl Before Me; and an absolutely enchanting five star read - How To Be Remembered.

Hurrah!

YEAH!

>245 JayneCM: Just in time! Congrats!