fuzzi's Relocation Compilation for 2024

Still working at it.

Ticker is here:


My main thread is here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356393

And my discarded collection is here:

https://www.librarything.com/catalog/fuzzi

First read completed in 2024:


Nic of the Woods by Lynd Ward

Nic goes on vacation with his family to a cabin deep in the woods. While they go on a fishing trip he is left behind with the cook, runs away, and becomes hopelessly lost. Will Nic find his family again?

This is an old fashioned yet entertaining story that should please dog lovers young and old.

#2 The Wildlife Atlas by Sylvia A. Johnson

This appears to be a simple yet informative book of animals with realistic illustrations.

My copy's binding is so far gone the pages are about to fall out. I think I will send it to my grandchildren so they can enjoy the illustrations.

#3 Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

I Pearl Ruled this book at page 60. I don't like any of the characters, and even eccentric characters should be somewhat likable. The Penderwick and Blossoms (Betsy Byars) series have likable, 3 dimensional eccentric characters, so it can be done well. It wasn't here.

What really amazes me is this book won a Newbery. I don't see how.

What a difference between this and the previous read!


#4 The River Between Us by Richard Peck

An absorbing tale of a poor family living in southern Illinois at the start of the US Civil War. I was so drawn into the story and characters that I read on, late into the night. Another excellent work by this author.

#5 The Man Who Was Poe by Avi - (DNF)

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#6 What You Know First by Patricia MacLachlan

I'll admit it, reading this little book and looking at the striking illustrations brought a tightness to my throat, and a dampness to my eyes. I will gift it to my granddaughters, as they will soon be moving away from their current home, and what they knew first.

#7 The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer

Fairly standard yet entertaining story by an author who is consistently good. I appreciated the lack of melodrama and the cast of interesting characters, but the widow was irritating enough to drop it half a star. Still, it was an enjoyable read.

The astute reader of this thread might have noticed a discrepancy between the ticker and the numbers listed on the book reviews. The ticker is correct for the actual books that have/are headed out the door, I just haven't listed all my rehomed books here, yet.

Patience, grasshopper.

#8 From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

A mildly amusing story of a preteen who runs away to New York City, and takes her younger brother with her. I never felt a connection with the children, and didn't wonder how their adventure was going to end.

#9 The Chicken Health Bible by Noah Phipps

A reference book that is short in actual practical information, and seriously in need of a competent editor. The sentence structure is disjointed, and the text keeps referring back to the book title. The composition of each section within reminds me of product descriptions written in English by someone who has very little command of that language.

>11 fuzzi: Was this print or Kindle? Did you buy it on Amazon? I wonder if you got hit by an AI fake.

>12 lesmel: it is a softcover that someone bought on Amazon for me.

>13 fuzzi: It's weird; but possible. Someone in my IRL bookclub got a copy of Fever in the Heartland, softcover, and it was like 1/3 the size and just pages of word salad. A few weeks later, she got a notice from Amazon that the book was an AI fake copy and she was being refunded. Of course, it could also just be a terrible book. lol

>14 lesmel: it was self-published in August 2023, no editor or company mentioned on the title page.

Either way, it was awful.

Good Riddance!


#10 The Twits by Roald Dahl

After reading a few pages I was tempted to put down this nasty, mean-spirited narrative, for good, but I kept slogging and it got a little better. The monkeys and birds don't make up for the Twits.

>16 fuzzi: That was my first and lasting impression of Dahl. Yeah, no thanks.

>17 2wonderY: I've read other books by Dahl that I enjoyed, but this one was truly awful.

#11 Kid Rodelo by Louis L'Amour

An ex-con, a few escaped prisoners, and a mysterious woman head into the desert with gold in their saddlebags, a posse of Yaquis on their trail. Will they survive the harsh desert, or will the lust for riches decimate their ranks before their pursuers can?

Good straightforward adventure story.

I have read Kid Rodelo before, but probably at least 20 years ago. It's fine, but I don't think I will reread it again any time soon. Bye!

Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis

I JUST DON'T CARE.

Pearl Ruled, rehoming.

Have Spacesuit Will Travel by Robert Heinlein

What a disappointment! I generally appreciate and enjoy this author's books, even most of his earlier juvies but I won't be finishing this one. It started so well, included some of Heinlein's social commentary that has shown to be prophetic, and I found the more technical aspects to be intriguing. But then he lost my interest with a plot twist that was almost cartoonish, outlandish, bizarre, like a skit from Monty Python. Abandoned after fifty pages. No stars.

Your Moon, My Moon: A Grandmother's Words to a Faraway Child by Patricia MacLachlan and Bryan Collier

Grandma and grandchild are half a world apart, but she reminds him that they still see the same moon.

A sweet/bittersweet tale that will personally touch many of us who live far away from our families.

This was a gift from another LTer, but is headed for my granddaughters...who live 1000 miles away.

Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark

Story of a young man living in the Andes with his mentor, and how he learns the ways of the Incas. Mildly interesting, with lots of spiritual and mystic elements. Some portions of the story were rather vague, unclear, and so not satisfying to me.

Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth by E.L. Konigsburg

I was underwhelmed by this story of two girls pretending to be witches. There were several smile-inducing situations but for me most of it fell rather flat. This is the second book I've read by this author that just didn't impress me at all, especially considering it was a Newbery Honor winner. Meh.