September AlphaKIT - V and C

Welcome to the 2024 AlphaKIT.
This is an unofficial challenge for the 2024 Category Challenge Group. Each month has two letters selected for you to use however you choose.

There are no rules. Have fun and enjoy reading. September letters are: V and C

and

If you like, update the AlphaKIT wiki with your reading.

"City of Vengeance" by D. V. Bishop covers both nicely.

I'm planning on a book by Italo Calvino for my 'C' book, and I Hold a Wolf by the Ears by Laura Van den Berg as my 'V' book.

>1 majkia: oooo, I love that "V"--so Victorian!

Planning to cover both with The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge.

I am planning on reading The Savage Boy by Nick Cole and Hollow Beasts by Alisa Lynn Valdes.

Don't know what to read, but I'll find something!
Currently Reading
ETA
These are what I found!

Caught on the Book ✅
Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson
Incident of the Book in the Nighttime by Vicki Delany ✅
Killer Clue ✅
Much Ado About Muffin by Victoria Hamilton ✅
Murder at Vinland ✅
Murder Checks Out ✅
Next Deadly Chapter by V.M. Burns ✅
Olive You to Death by Lynn Cahoon ✅
Schooled in Murder by Victoria Gilbert ✅
Six Stunning Sirens by Lynn Cahoon ✅

I have a Claire Keegan that would cover C, not sure about V.

I know I'll be reading The Country of the Blind so that will cover C. I'm on the hunt in my TBR for V.

I am planning to read Murder in the Snow by Verity Bright, plus whatever else I come up with.

>9 beebeereads: That was a 5* read for me last year. Will be interested in seeing what you think of it.

I have finished The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers for C.

The Taster / V. S. Alexander
4 stars

Magda is a German girl, living in Berlin in 1943. She does not care one way or the other about the Reich or the Nazis; her mother supports the Nazis, but her father does not agree with Hitler or this war (but he needs to keep quiet about it). Her parents are worried for her safety, so they send her out of Berlin to live with her aunt and uncle. Magda’s aunt insists she work for her keep, but the only job she is able to find, with the help of her uncle, is for the Nazis. She is chosen to be a “taster” for Hitler. She, along with other girls/women, taste his food before he eats to be sure it isn’t poisoned. but she needs this job. The work gets more dangerous as time goes on (for various reasons).

Another different perspective on WWII. This is, of course, based on real events – a mishmash of real events and real people, anyway. I thought it was very interesting. Interesting to see that not all Germans supported what Hitler and the Nazis were doing (and some, in fact, tried to sabotage what he was doing), plus interesting to see the danger that civilians (including those who did not support Hitler) in Germany also faced.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Maybe because of all the rave reviews I expected too much, but this book didn’t have the same appeal for me as it did for those reviewers. Although I enjoy spy novels, I found this one implausible. Strangely, I found the substantial technical data about planes uninteresting, yet that was what I found most interesting in the last book I read (The Defector by Chris Hadfield).

I read Clear by Carys Davies
John Ferguson, a Presbyterian minister who, with hundreds of other clergy, rebelled against the system of patronage whereby Scottish landowners had the power to install ministers of their choice. They formed the Free Church and each one started over from scratch. As a result, he and his wife, Mary were almost penniless. He was offered a job that, while difficult and controversial, would benefit financially. As part of the infamous Highland Clearances, he had to go to a remote island to present removal papers to the last resident so that the land could be used for sheep. The most difficult part of the job would prove to be in communication, as John and Ivar had no common language.

It’s a beautiful story, superbly told, about the vagaries of human connection. Davies packed a lot into this slim volume. It will always remain in my mind.

I read Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer for V.

I have completed both of my September AlphaKit reads with The Savage Boy by Nick Cole and Hollow Beasts by Alisa Lynn Valdes. I enjoyed both of these books.

I've finished The Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini for my "C" book.

I read my first C book: Towards Zero by Agatha Christie. Apart from the ending, this is one of my favourites of hers so far.

Got AlphaKIT done early this month with Edge of Valor and Amelia Fang and the Naughty Caticorns.

I read The Fabulous Clipjoint by Fredric Brown for the C.

ETA I also read Fog of Doubt (aka London Particular) by Christianna Brand for another C.

I just finished Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce.

Starting A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

I read The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa for C.

COMPLETED A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.

Moving on to the same author's "A Prayer for the Crown-Shy"

I have finished Crusoe's Daughter by Jane Gardam for C.

My third C: Blind Man with a Pistol by Chester Himes.

COMPLETED A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

My second C is Königin Caroline Mathilde von Dänemark by Carolin Philipps. A biography of a young English princess married to a Danish king who soon descended into lunacy. Poor girl.

Starting "The Virgin Homicides" by Neil S. Plakcy

COMPLETED The Virgin Homicides by Neil S. Plakcy.

Starting "Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction" by Fred Piper and Sean Murphy

October thread is up.

Both letters: The Endless Vessel, Charles Soule.

I just finished Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews for another C book.

I read A Rage in Harlem, by Chester Himes, for C

Yet another C, The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie.

For C I read The Lost Continent by Tui T. Sutherland

COMPLETED Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction by Fred Piper and Sean Murphy

Starting "City of Vengeance" by D. V. Bishop

Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World / John Vaillant
4.5 stars

Record-breaking heat, strong winds, and desert-like humidity all played a part in the wildfire that hit Fort McMurray, Alberta in May 2016. This book initially introduces the reader to Fort McMurray and its main industry, the oil patch (or tarsands, to be more accurate – that’s not just the environmentalist in me saying that; it seems that really is the most accurate term for it (vs “oilsands” – it really is tar until a lot of equipment, energy, money, etc. go into it to make it liquid)).

The next section is all about the fire, as 88,000 people evacuated the city with no notice, almost all heading out the one highway in/out that doesn’t lead to a dead end. The book then mostly followed first responders who stayed back to fight the fires.

The last section of the book discusses climate change. And the impact this has on the environment, the temperature, fires, and other major disasters that are now happening much more frequently and are stronger than ever before.

I live in Alberta and very distinctly remember the wildfire; I expect many people around the world also remember, with the images and videos that came out as people were evacuating. I remember the one person’s camera inside their house with the fish tank that recorded the fire taking over the house until the camera cut out – this is described in the book (and I went to rewatch the video – those poor fish!).

I have never been to Fort McMurray, nor do I know anyone who works in the oil patch (if I do, I don’t know them well). Of course, the fire was the main pull for me to read the book; I also am fascinated by disaster stories. But also: has anyone else heard of “fire tornadoes”!? Holy crap! New phenomenon. The first one ever occurred in Australia in 2003, then it happened in California in 2017 or 2018. Crazy! The author did provide a lot of information on fires, in general, as well, which I found interesting.

I also read a lot about climate change, and Vaillant had a lot of information in this book, including quite a bit about oil companies that knew what was happening and that humans (and the contributions from oil/gas production) were part of (that is, the main) cause of climate change this time around. It made me think of tobacco companies who didn’t want to lose their profits, so they not only do nothing, they stifle attempts to make things better.

I read The Cat of the Baskervilles by Vicki Delany, hitting both letters.
A Cape Cod bookshop specializing in Sherlock Holmes partnered with a tea shop provides the scene for an entertaining cozy mystery series. An aging actor, well past his prime and usually drunk, is scheduled to play in a theatre festival. When he is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the copious amounts of wine he consumed is the prime suspect. Delany, one of my favourite cozy mystery authors always entertains.

I finally got a V (and another C) with Only a Matter of Time by V. C. Clinton-Baddeley.

COMPLETED City of Vengeance by D. V. Bishop

I just finished A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab, which works for both letters.

C : Cinder by Marissa Meyer
V : 25872473::We're All Game Changers by Antana and Eapen Verhese

Another C, Calendar of Crime by Ellery Queen. I've never had so many books for a single letter before--this is my sixth C for the month.

C: The Backyard Bird Chronicles

I have finished Schnee in Venedig for V.

For an adult education class I read two books by Claire Keegan: Foster and Small Things Like These. I also read her So Late in the Day but not for class. I enjoyed all three.

The Lesser Dead / Christopher Buehlman
3.25 stars

The narrator, Joey, was turned to a vampire when he was only 14, but he is considerably older than that now (in the late ‘70s when this is set). He lives in the subway tunnels of New York City with other vampires and their “head” vampire (the one who turned Joey), Margaret. But when a group of child vampires arrives, seemingly without ever having been taught how to control themselves (they need to control themselves somewhat, in order to avoid being discovered), Joey and a few others take the kids under their wing, but they seem very resistant to learning what the others are trying to teach.

I listened to the audio. I liked the way the narrator broke the 3rd wall and narrated directly to the reader. This was done often throughout the book. Some of the ‘70s pop culture references were fun (I haven’t thought about the tv show “Soap” for years!! Maybe decades?) Unfortunately, though, there were too many parts when I lost focus. Despite this, I would say the narrator was good (and it was apparently the author); he did some good accents, too. I did like the end, though. I heard some of it, lost focus, then (although I rarely do this when the audio isn’t keeping my attention for the most part) I rewound to hear what I missed because that was a good ending! 3 stars is “ok” and I’m giving an extra ¼ star for the end.

>48 LibraryCin: I loved "Soap". Such fun as the plots spiralled more and more out of control.

For another C, 84, Charing Cross Road.

I read two more C books:

The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien (ed.)
Three Sea Stories: Typhoon, Falk, The Shadow-Line by Joseph Conrad

>49 Robertgreaves: I don't remember it well. I was pretty young, but I remember a little bit!

Climate Changed: A Personal Journey Through the Science / Philippe Squarzoni
4.25 stars

This is a graphic novel that chronicles the author as he learns about various aspects of climate change. The author interviewed nine experts in their fields, many (most?) climate experts/scientists, but also economists (with some kind of connection/knowledge of climate change), and one person who combines study of the environment, economics, and society.

I’ve read a lot about this topic, but I still learned a lot from this. It was interesting the way he did this graphic novel, where the majority of the book is providing the information, but some of it was his own musings with his partner about what he was learning. There was much about the science, the exact causes (information about the gases themselves), but also what can be done (or HAS to be done) to mitigate what we’ve done/are doing to have caused those gases to overwhelm nature and our world.

There were dry parts, often when he was going through what some of the scientists were saying (with illustrations that only showed the scientists), but even when the focus was on the experts, it wasn’t all dry; in fact, most of it wasn’t. I also think it’s very important information. Not only do we need to stop our reliance on fossil fuels, we still need to cut back severely on over-consumption and so much more. Things many people aren’t going to want to do.

I learned more about some of the solutions being proposed (mostly by people/politicians who still don’t want to move to renewables (though even that won’t be enough to change our current trajectory, which I suspect is much worse now, as the book is 10 years old), but also by the people who profit from those industries), like hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and nuclear power (that’s only for electricity and nothing else).

It seemed to me this was very truthful discussion. Something I haven’t really read much about or heard/seen discussed much was the intersection of the economy, the environment, and society, particularly from the one expert where that is her field of study.

I have read another book for the bicentenary of Wilkie Collins: Basil. One of his earlier novels and not quite as accomplished as his later works.

I read another C book, Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks by John Curran.

COMPLETED The Clockmaker's Secret by Jack Benton

Finally another V book, My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine.

I finally read my first (and only) V book of the month: Lance by Vladimir Nabokov.

My next V book is Venezianische Verlobung, the second case for Commissario Tron in 1863 Venice.

Another C: Drive-Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler.

My C and V books this month:

C:
My Mortal Enemy, Willa Cather, 1926
A Month in the Country, Ivan Turgenev (a play), 1855
Can You Forgive Her?, Anthony Trollope, 1865
The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne, Ann Radcliffe, 1789
Wednesday's Child: Stories, Yiyun Li, 2023

and one V:
The Little Virtues: Essays, Natalia Ginzburg, 2016

I actually did squeeze one more C book under the wire, Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer.