Betty’s 2026 Same Old, Same Old Challenge

Hi – My name is Betty and I joined LT in 2008 and I’ve been doing the Category Challenge since 2010. My husband and I live close to the coast in the tiny state of Rhode Island. Our son and daughter also live in RI so we can see them fairly often. Our grandchildren are scattered – one grandson In Maine, one in Florida and our granddaughter is in North Carolina. I like to quilt, and I have a thread over in the Needlearts Group. If you’d like to stop by occasionally and see what I’m working on, here’s where I am: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377052#n9054562

No new big theme this year. I need to work on my TBR pile and also on some of the BBs I’ve taken over the years. So I’m going to keep my categories from last year including a category for small/independent publishers and I’m going to add one for translated literature. I know there will be some overlapping. I need to try and avoid the Cats and Kits so I don’t get to sidetracked, but we’ll see if that works. I almost always decide on a book for each “just in case” I have enough time. I look forward to seeing what others read even if I don’t always comment.

Tracking:

Books Read 2026:


TBR Pile:



Book Bullets Read:



BBs 2012: 1 of 2
BBs 2013: 0 of 3
BBs 2014: 0 of 6
BBs 2015: 0 of 12
BBs 2016: 0 of 19
BBs 2017: 0 of 15
BBs 2018: 0 of 19
BBs 2019: 1 of 51
BBs 2020: 1 of 51
BBs 2021: 0 of 72
BBs 2022: 0 of 43
BBs 2023: 1 of 63
BBs 2024: 2 of 51
BBs 2025: 2 of 46
BBs 2026: 2 of 18

Currently Reading


Recently Read

Small/Independent Publishers



I’m keeping this category from last year to keep track of books I read from small/independent publishers although it’s sometimes hard to know because publishers can change from hardcover to paperback to audio book.

1. The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr (Coach House Books)
2. I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger (Grove Atlantic)
3. Liar's Bench by Kim Michelle Richardson (Kensington Publishing)
4. The Mussel Feast by Brigit Vanderbeke (Peirene)

Translated Books



I thought I’d keep track of how many books I read in translation this year.

1. Tonight You're Dead by Viveca Sten, translated by Marlaine Delargy
2. Like a Sky Inside by Jakuta Alikavazovic, translated by Daniel Levin Becker
3. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot

Audio Books



I’m hoping to use the audio category to listen to book bullets I’ve taken and whittle down that list.

1. The Hummingbirds' Gift by Sy Montgomery, narrated by author
2. The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser
3. Victoria and Abdul by Shrabani Basu
4. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, narrated by Linda Lavin
5. An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch, narrated by James Langton
6. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeff Zaslow, narrated by Eric Singer
7. Olivetti by Alli Milligan, narrated by Christopher Gebauer and Simon Vance
8. The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede

Series



I still have way too many series that I need to catch up on.

1. Murders in Volume 2 by Elizabeth Daly
2. Aunt Bessie Finds by Diana Xarissa
3. To the Land of Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
4. Thrush Green by Miss Read
5. Letters to a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
6. One Was a Soldier by Julia Specncer-Fleming
7. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
8. An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson
9. Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
10. Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear

Book Club:



Although they would fit in other categories, I like to keep my book club books in a group. We've chosen alliteration for our theme this year.

1. January - we talk about and recommend the best book we read the prior year.
2. February Favorite - Spartina by John Casey (didn't reead)
3. March Movie Madness - The Hours by Michael Cunni8nham
4. April Audition - When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen
5. Mystery May - Heartwood by Amity Gaige
6. June Journey - Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
7. Juvenile July -
8. Alien August -
9. Shorty September -
10. Orange October -
11. Non-Fiction November -
12. December Diamond -

Someone volunteers to lead the discussion and they can pick whatever book they would like the group to read. I already know the first 6 months since I organize the group and need to post it in the community newsletter, and the others will be chosen by May.

Other Fiction



1. The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine
2. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
3. The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tolbin
4. My Friends by Fredrik Backman
5. West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan
6. Georgia by Dawn Tripp
7. Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg

Other Non-Fiction



1. The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
2. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
3. Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter
4. The Last Sweet Mile by Allen Levi

Bingo Dog



Although I didn't finish my card in 2025, I'm always optimistic I'll get something for each block.



1. Microhistory
2. Retelling of a fairy tale or myth
3. Book from an LT Legacy Library
4. A book published before you were born
5. Book by an indigenous author
6. Set entirely or in part at sea - I Cheerfully Refuse
7. Difficult to categorize - Theo of Golden
8. Mode of transportation in the title - The Sleeping Car Porter
9. A beautiful cover - Olivetti
10. Book set in a province/state bordering your own - The Boston Girl (Massachusetts)
11. Something living on the cover - To the Land of Lost Friends (flowers)
12. Female author's debut novel - When the Cranes Fly South
13. Read a CAT or KIT (free space)
14. Great first sentence
15. Classic from another literary tradition
16. Dead author - The Last Lecture
17. New-to-you author - Like a Sky Inside
18. A book of poetry
19. Road trip book - Enrique's Journey
20. A book that has won an award - The Hours
21. Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia
22. Features senior citizens - Aunt Bessie Finds
23. End it - The Last Sweet Mile
24. A "green" book - The Dirty Life
25. Book with a tree on the cover

AlphaKit



A - Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg
B - My Friends by Fredrik Backman
C -
D -
E - I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
F - The Autumn of Ruth Winter by Marshall Fine
G -
H -
I -
J - An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson
K -
L -
M -
N -
O - West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan
P -
Q -
R - Liar's Bench by Kim Michelle Richardson
S -
T -
U -
V - The Mussel Feast by Brigit Vanderbeke
W - Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
X - Aunt Bessie Finds by Diana Xarissa
Y -
Z -

Other Cats and Kits



These are the ones I'm going to try and do.

January:
Random Kit: The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
Non-Fiction Cat: The Hummingbirds' Gift by Sy Montgomery
Arts Cat: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Color/Cover Kit: To the Land of Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
Mystery Kit: To the Land of Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
Decades Cat: The 50s (1959) Thrush Green by Miss Read

February:
Random Kit: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Non-Fiction Cat: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Arts Cat: Biographies - Georgia by Dawn Tripp
Color/Cover Kit: My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Mystery Kit: One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Decades Cat: The 10s (2015) West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan

March:
Random Kit:
Non-Fiction Cat: Threads of Life: The History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter
Arts Cat:
Color/Cover Kit:
Mystery Kit: Tonight You're Dead by Viveca Sten
Decades Cat:

April
Random Kit: Victoria and Abdul by Shrabani Basu
Non-Fiction Cat:
Arts Cat: Like a Sky Inside by Jakuta Alikavazovic
Color/Cover Kit:
Mystery Kit:
Decades Cat: Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazarion

May
Random Kit:
Non-Fiction Cat:
Arts Cat:
Color/Cover Kit: An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch
Mystery Kit:
Decades Cat:

June
Random Kit: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede
Non-Fiction Cat:
Arts Cat:
Color/Cover Kit: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Mystery Kit:
Decades Cat: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede

Welcome to my 2026 thread.

Good luck with your reading in 2026!

Enjoy your reading in 2026!

Good to see you all set up Betty, I hope you have a great reading year!

Dropping my star, I'm sure I'll get plenty of BBs from you, I usually do! I must get round to doing my own thread soon.

Everything you say about your TBR and your series applies to me as well - but I just don't listen to myself! Have a great reading year, I've placed my star so I will be along for the ride.

Best of luck with reducing the tbr. I have a similar goal because bargain ebooks are my downfall.

Great blessings to you and your reading in the new year.

>14 Tess_W: - Thanks, Tess.
>15 Charon07: - Thanks.
>16 lsh63: - Thanks, Lisa. I've had a plan for a while but no time to set up.
>17 Jackie_K: - I'm sure I'll be taking some BBs from you too, Jackie.
>18 DeltaQueen50: - I may even look at another purge this year, Judy. It's just so hard.
>19 pamelad: - Thanks, Pam. I do admit to a weakness for library sales.

Have a great reading year, Betty!

Happy reading in 2026! I am looking forward to seeing what your book club reads and also your translated and independent press categories.

>22 MissWatson: - Thanks, Birgit.

>23 JayneCM: - Thanks, Jayne - I'm getting anxious to start 2026.

I probably should have kept the same challenges as some previous year, but I made it simpler--whatever book I read in a month goes under that month. I've never made my categories so simplistic.

>25 thornton37814: - I think I've done that a couple of times, Lori.

Very nicely organized challenges Betty.

I hope to be more active here in 2026.

>27 PaulCranswick: - Thanks, Paul.

>1 dudes22: Just love your opening image. The simplicity of your layout inspires me. I always enjoy following your reading. We are fellow New Englanders as well!

>29 beebeereads: - Thanks, Barb. I needed simplicity this year. Yes, I see you are in Mass, right next door.

I'm selfishly glad that you're continuing to read small presses and translations. Have a lovely holiday season.

>31 RidgewayGirl: - Thanks, Kay - Same to you.

Great categories! And the AlphaKIT picture is really cute. I hope you have a good year of reading in 2026!

Thanks, Mirjam. I'll admit I'm getting anxious to finish a couple of books from this year and start on 2026. I noticed you've already started and making good progress.

Happy new year! Wishing you happiness in your reading in 2026.

>35 cbl_tn: - Thanks, Carrie.

I saw that Judy has posted her end-of-year meme, and so I thought I would post mine also from the books I read in 2025:

Year-End Meme for 2025:

Describe yourself: The Correspondent

Describe how you feel: Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

Describe where you currently live: Ocean State (No really – The book takes place in Rhode Island which is nicknamed “the Ocean State”)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go; North Country

Your favorite form of transportation is: Dream Wheels

Your favorite food is: Dead Lions

Your favorite time of day is: The Velvet Hours

Your best friend is: An Unusual Boy

You and your friends are: Celestial Bodies

You fear: The Wind That Lays Waste

What is the best advice you have to give: Blind Your Ponies

Thought for the day: What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

What is life for you: Still Life With Bread Crumbs

How you would like to die: Circling the Sun

Your soul’s present condition: The Soul of an Octopus

What was 2025 like for you? A World of Curiosities

What do you want from 2026? The Impossible Fortune

Excellent end of year meme! Looking forward to following along in 2026.

>38 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen.

>39 dudes22: Amazing! Dead Lions for lunch - yum!

😜

I'll be watching you...well that sounds a bit sinister. I look forward to seeing what you read in 2026.

>40 Cecilturtle: - It seemed appropriate.

>41 clue: - Gave me a chuckle. Lurk away!

>37 dudes22: Great meme - most people go for chocolate but, hey, dead lions will do in a pinch!

>43 DeltaQueen50: - As long as you take the fur off.

We're headed to friends in a little while for a New Year's Eve of football (He's an Ohio State fan - they used to live in Cleveland) and mah jong. and take-out Thai food. So I'll pass my wishes on now:

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026

>37 dudes22: I like that thought for the day! Happy new year :D

>46 PaulCranswick: - Thanks Paul - I'll be looking at your reading too.

>47 rabbitprincess: - Same to you.

Book 1: Murders in Volume 2 by Elizabeth Daly
Category: Series



A hundred years ago, a guest at the Vauregard house took a book out into the arbor and disappeared. It was all kept very hushed up, but now a stranger has appeared with the book and elderly Mr. Vauregard believes it’s the guest transported back from wherever she was. His niece approaches Henry Gamage to find out who she really is as the rest of the family believes he will give some of his fortune to her which they all want. Then Mr Vauregard is killed and Gamage must figure out who did it.

This is left over from 2025 that I wanted to finish and make way for 2026. Although not technically a Golden Age mystery, it definitely had that vibe.

Happy New Year, Betty. I hope 2026 is a wonderful year.

I look forward to following your reading again this year.

>50 BLBera: -Thanks, Beth.

>51 lowelibrary: - Thanks, April.

>37 dudes22: I love this. The meme has yet to make the rounds on Club Read. I may have to introduce it.

I had forgotten about the dinner party meme until I saw it on a few threads. here's mine added to the others:

Year-End Party

What would you call the event? Treasure Hunt

How did the guests find their way? November Road

How did they know they'd arrived? Three Apples Fell From the Sky

Any special activities? Game of Mirrors

Did your guests stay over? Friday the Rabbi Slept Late

Were there servants to help? Celestial Bodies

Was there turn down service? Vanishing Fleece

How were the guests greeted? Angelica’s Smile

Was dinner held for latecomers? Dry Bones

And dinner was? Dead Lions

Afterward? Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

Great meme answers!

Today is my Thingaversary! I joined LT back in 2008, so I have been here for 18 years now. I originally joined just to keep track of my books, but I soon found a community of like-minded people who love to read and talk about the books they’re reading. (and other things) I’ve had some great times and loads of book bullets over the years which have led to new authors and many interesting books. Since my Thingaversary falls so early in the year, I’ve been spreading my purchases out over the previous year. I’ve been very good about not reading any – even though I was tempted. A lot of these were BBs and I’m hoping to get most of them read this year and not let them linger. Although I said the same thing last year.

Here are the books I’ve decided on:

Like a Sky Inside by Jakuta Alikiavazovic
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes
The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks
A Sand Country Almanac by Aldo Leopold
The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urea
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
On Kingdom Mountain by Howard Frank Mosher
Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfern
The Way Forward is With Broken Heart by Alice Walker
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
When Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen
The History of Rain by Niall Williams
The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
A River of Crows by Shanessa Gluhm
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
Georgia by Dawn Tripp

>54 dudes22: so much fun, Betty!

Happy Thingaversary Betty! I just borrowed the Alice Walker from the library, I love my short stories.

Happy Thingaversary. Great haul of books.

Happy thingaversary! You have a great selection of books to enjoy!

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy your book haul!

Happy Thingaversary, Betty, and many more years of lovely books!

Happy Thingaversary -- great haul! I'll be interested to see what you think of I Cheerfully Refuse.

Happy Thingaversary, Betty. Nice choice of books. I have I Cheerfully Refuse from the library right now. It was recommended to me during a book conversation over the holidays.

Happy Thingaversary, Betty. Enjoy your books!

>56 dudes22: Happy Thingaversary! That's a great list of books, lots to look forward to this year.

>57 Cecilturtle: - Thanks, Cecile.
>58 lsh63: - I've never been much of a short story reader which I need to correct.
>59 lowelibrary: ->60 cbl_tn:->61 Charon07:->62 MissWatson: - Thanks, all.
>63 christina_reads: ->64 BLBera: - I started it today and like it a lot so far.
>65 DeltaQueen50: - >66 beebeereads: - Thanks

Hubby and I decided this year to leave chilly RI and travel to warmer Fla for a couple of months, so I missed the first book club meeting this year which was today. I always like the January meeting because instead of a set book to read (less stress in Dec over the holidays), each member comes with one or two books they read the previous year that they recommend. I usually get a few BBs this way but it's always interesting to hear about the books that others read. The person who led it for me is supposed to send me a list of the books that were talked about.

Happy Thingaversary!

Thanks, Lori.

Book 2: The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine
Category: Other Fictiom
January AlphaKit: “F”
2025 Thingaversary



When Ruth’s sister Veronica after a year of them not speaking to each other, Ruth assumes it’s because her niece Chloe has asked Ruth to be godmother to the baby Chloe is expecting. Instead, Veronica asks Ruth if she will drive her to a chemotherapy session. Although Ruth and Veronica have never been close, Ruth has trouble understanding why Veronica didn’t tell her that she has liver cancer.

The sisters have never been close since Ruth felt she had to abandon her college studies to take care of their invalid father while Veronica just uo and left. Over the years, both have said hurtful things to each other. Even so, Ruth feels that this is something she should do. Ruth’s remembrances of things from their past and Veronica’s are somewhat different and they gradually begin to reconcile.

I found Ruth to be a believable character. There were a few loose ends at the end that had me wondering if there might be a sequel but the author’s next book doesn’t seem to be one.

>68 dudes22: That sounds like a great idea for a book club.

>72 BLBera: - We hold our meetings right at the beginning of the month so it's the prior month when we're reading. As I said, this has less pressure for our members.

Book 3: Aunt Bessie Finds by Diana Xarissa
Category: Series
AlphaKit: “X”
Bingo Block: Features Senior Citizens



Diana Xarissa’s series which takes place on the Isle of Man. Aunt Bessie is a senior citizen who has lived on the Isle of Man since she was17. She seem to get involved in all kinds of mysteries that take place in her little village. This book is a little bit calmer of a mystery. Bessie’s friend Bahey calls and asks Bessie if she could come to visit and maybe investigate some strange things that have been occurring in her apartment building. Bessie decides to take this opportunity to move into a flat in the building To see if she should consider selling her cottage and moving into a flat. She does find a body, but he’s still breathing and goes off to the hospital. This was ok but not one of my favorites.

>74 dudes22: I'm impressed you found an author beginning with "X." It doesn't sound like a book I want to read, but if I decide to participate in the AlphaCat, I'll have to keep it in mind just because of the difficulty of finding "X" books.

>74 dudes22: I have to get back to that series! It's been some time since I read one.

>75 thornton37814: - It's a palette cleanser between other books and I read one each year for my "X".

>76 MissBrangwen: - I have a few series too that I need to get back to.

Book 4: To the Land of Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
Category: Series - #20
Cover/Collor Kit: January – orange/found in a garden (orange/flowers)
MysteryKit: January – Female Detctive
Bingo Block: Something living on the cover - Flowers



Mma Ramotswe, the owner of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, is once again helping people find answers to their problems. She runs into an old friend who is having trouble with her daughter and although Precious is not specifically hired, she wonders if she should try to find out what is going on.

I found in this book in the series, Mma Makutsi and her opinions began to get on my nerves.

ETA: There are no bicycles in the book - why would they put them on the cover?

Book 5: Thrush Green by Miss Read
Category: Series
Decades Cat: The 50s - 1959



”It had taken almost all her life to realize, consciously, how much the country sights and scents around her had contributed to her inner happiness and had provided zest and comfort in turn.”

Although I’ve read other books in this series, I thought I’d go back and read the first one. I often wonder when I read the first book in a series if the author intended to right a series when he/she writes the first book. I think maybe she did, sicce she had already written some of the books in the Fairacre series. Characters are introduced and the story revolves around the gypsy fair that is taking place on the first of May.

>78 dudes22: LOL, Mma Ramotswe would never ride a bicycle!

>80 RidgewayGirl: - So true.

Book 6: The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
Category: Independent Publisher: Coach House Books
Book Bullet: Kay (RidgewayGirl) 2023
RandomKit: Jan- Can You Keep a Secret
Bingo Block: Mode of Transportation in Title



R.T. Baxter is a black sleeping car porter in the 1920s traveling on the trains across Canada. He is trying to save his tips to be able to go to dentistry school. He is asked to fill in for a sick porter on the Montreal to Vancouver route, a trip of 3 days and 4 nights. During this time, he will cater to the whims of the passengers, make up and take down beds, shine shoes each night, and sleep only fitfully usually sitting up on a stool waiting for the next passenger to ring a bell for his attention. He also harbors the secret of being a homosexual black man and so when he finds a postcard with two men in a compromising position, he keeps it although he realizes he should throw it away. As the train travels west, and he gets little sleep, he begins to hallucinate. And when there is a mudslide on the tracks and the train is stuck in the middle, near no town, he gets even less sleep.

The author won the Giller Prize in 2022 for this novel, one of Canada’s most prestigious awards. She has created a great variety in the secondary characters. I Also liked the pacing of the book. As Baxter gets less and less sleep, and the characters get more frustrated, he seems to move from traveler to traveler faster and faster and his hallucinations come more and more frequently.

Book 7: The Hummingbirds’ Gift by Sy Mongomery, narrated by author
Category: Audio Books
Non-Fiction Cat: Science



This was a pretty short book – only 2 hours on audio. I think it was said that it was originally an article in Birdology (?). It’s the story of how a friend of the author called her to come visit when two baby hummingbirds were found and brought to her friend for rehab. There was lots of good information about hummingbirds.

>83 dudes22: Taking a BB for this one. I loved the author's The Soul of an Octopus, which I read last year, and hummingbirds are my mom's favorite birds.
By the way, the touchstone goes to the wrong book.

>84 lowelibrary: - I listened to that last year and really liked it too. Fixed the touchstone - Thanks. Thought I had caught them all.

>83 dudes22: It's a BB for me too now that passion for birds is blooming!

>82 dudes22: I'm glad you liked it too. It's a book that has stuck with me.

>86 Cecilturtle: - I hope you enjoy it.

>87 RidgewayGirl: - I can see how it would.

>82 dudes22: and >83 dudes22: are BBs for me!

You've started the year with some great reading. The Sleeping Car Porter is really calling to me.

>90 BLBera: I second The Sleeping Car Porter, a great book.

I think the only apocalyptic/dystopian novel I had read before joining LT was The Stand by Stephen King. And that took me 2 tries. Back in the day when I was still reading Stephen King. Anyway – I think the next one may have been Stations Eleven when it was getting some buzz here on LT. Although not what I would call a favorite genre, I dip my toe in now and again usually because Judy or Kay has brought my attention to a dystopian book I would otherwise not notice. This time it was Kay’s mention of Leif Enger’s new book that caught my attention. I would probably have read this eventually because I like Enger’s writing, so even though I’m calling this a bullet, it’s more of a nudge. And it was published by an independent press, another interest that Kay and I share.

Book 8: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
Category: Independent Publishers – Grove Atlantic
AlphaKit: January – “E”
Bingo Block: Set entirely or partly at sea
Book Bullet: Kay (RidgewayGirl) 2025
Thinaversary 2026



Lark and Rainey are living in a town on Lake Superior in a dystopian world. How it got that way is never told about in the story. Lark sells books from the back of a bakery (it seems illicitly) and Rainey plays bass guitar and does odd jobs. When a stranger comes to town, they agree to rent out their attic to him. Although he sems to be running from something, he’s so likable that the danger is somewhat ignored. When tragedy strikes, Rainey decides to take their boat and travel across Lake Superior to a place that he and Lark visited long ago in the belief that lark will find him there.

Enger’s characters are strongly portrayed which always makes me enjoy a book more.

>83 dudes22: I think I need to check out some of Sy Montgomery's books. I've read lots of good things about them.

>94 Jackie_K: - I listened to The Soul of an Octopus last year and quite like her approach and she gives lots of information about whatever topic she's writing about. I think you would like her books.

>93 dudes22: You're nudging this book higher up my TBR list!

>93 dudes22: I read this last year and really enjoyed it (if enjoyed it is the right word).

>96 christina_reads: I would!
Part of my review of it - This is the kind of dystopian novel that I find the most fearful as it seems just like our current world, just a little askew. Making it all the more scary as it would take only a few changes to make this world reality.
Aside from the dystopian future, this is a book about how good people react in terrible circumstances, when law and order breaks down and nasty, evil people have nothing to stop them. It is much easier to be a 'good' person when society protects you; it is much more of a test when it becomes every man for himself.

>96 christina_reads: - nudge...nudge...

>97 JayneCM: - I know what you mean. That's a good synopsis.

Book 9: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Category: Other Fiction
ArtsCat: January - Paintings
Bingo Block; Difficult to Categorize



Theo arrives in Golden, a small Southern town in Georgia, in the spring and stays a year. While visiting a local coffee shop, he notices a number of portraits which he learns were done by a local artist. He decides to buy the paintings a few at a time and give them back to the people who were drawn. So some of the book is about his interactions with the people in the drawings and some of the story is about the people he interacts with in the town. I don’t want to say much more than this because that’s part of the charm of the story.

This will easily be the best book I read this year even though it’s only January.

>99 dudes22: One of my friends works at the library and recommended this to me last week. It's still in processing but I've got a reserve on it. It sounds like a great book for now.

>100 clue: - I thought it was.

>99 dudes22: I am currently reading this for my February book club selection. So far I am really enjoying the writing and the story is very engaging. It looks like a winner for me. I am also reading several other books so it will be a few days before I finish. Back to reading....

>102 beebeereads: - I'll be watching your thread to see what you think.

>99 dudes22: A BB for me! Happy belated thingaversary!

Thanks, Tess. Hope you enjoy the book.

Book 10: The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
Category: Non- Fiction
Bingo Block: A “green” book
2026 Thingaversary book



Kristin Kimball was a free-lance writer in New York when she went to Pennsylvania to interview a farmer who would become her husband. The article she was hoping to write was about young farmers who wanted to grow local, organic food that people would want to eat. One thing leads to another and they end up leasing and then buying a farm in upstate New York where they have been farming since 2004. The book is mostly about the first year they were on the farm.

>93 dudes22: I'm glad you liked I Cheerfully Refuse!

>99 dudes22: Making note of this one.

>107 RidgewayGirl: - I'm glad you brought it to my attention.

Book 11: The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tolbin
Category: Other Fiction



As Helen sends her husband Hugh and her two boys off to visit Hugh’s mother for a week, she notices a car driving slowly down the street. It turns out to be a friend of her brother Declan who has come to tell her that Declan is in the hospital and dying of AIDS. He needs somewhere to go when he leaves the hospital and wants to go to their grandmother’s house. Although Helen has seen him off and on, she has never noticed that he seemed sick and he took great pains to hide it from her. Helen also has big issues with her mother going back to when she was a child and was left with her grandmother when her father was dying. But now they are all forced to live with two friends of Declan at the grandmother's house and all sorts of past issues come to the surface.

I can’t say I liked this very much. I know there are families that don’t speak to each other and ones that hold grievances for years, but I never thought anything was resolved. And I couldn’t figure out how the title had anything to do with the book except for a mention in one sentence. And I know it was short-listed for the booker Prize which has me thinking I missed something.

Book 12: Letters to a Soldier by Julia Spencer-FLeming
Category: Series



Not much to this. Billed as a prequel to the next book in the series, it’s only 11 pages of letters that I suppose are an introduction to some of the characters in the next book. And then there are @20 pages of a preview to the next book.  

Book 13: My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Category: Other Fiction
AlphaKit: February – “B”
Color/Cover Kit: Blue/Clothes (both)
Thingaversary 2026



Louisa is a 17-year-old about to age out of foster care so she decides to leave. For years, she has carried with her a post card that she stole off the refrigerator of a foster home of a painting by the artist C.Jat. When she finds out that the original of the painting is going to be auctioned off, she decides to go see it in person. In the church where the auction is going to take place, she slips beyond the ropes and draws a small red fish on the wall next to the picture. An old lady thinks she is a vandal and alerts a guard. Louisa manages to escape and runs into (literally) a homeless man behind the church. What she doesn’t know is that this man is the artist and he decides to buy the painting and give it to Louisa. His childhood friend Ted does this for him and then Louisa ends up traveling with Ted. The story moves in time, telling of the summer that the painting was created and the stories of the friends he had and the journey of Ted and Louisa while he tells her about it.

Backman has written a wonderful story of friendship. He builds layers upon layers drawing you into the lives of the characters. There is humor and pathos. Another great book by him.

January Stats:

Books Read: 12
Books Added: 6
Audio: 1
Library: 0

I'm happy with 12 books read in January. I hardly ever read that many, but we're away from home so more reading time and less responsibilities. I managed at least 1 book in each category except for translated books. I do know that there are some on my reading list for this year. Although I had one DNF, I intend to go back and read it at some point in time. In Sunlight or in Shadow by Lawrence Block was a book of short stories by various authors inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. I was listening to it on audio, and I suspect that the book actually had photos of the paintings that inspired the stories. Without that, the stories were good but there was no context. So I quit after 4 or 5 stories.

The best books I read this month were:
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine
The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

Least Successful:
The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tolbin

Book 14: West of Sunset by Stewart O’Nan
Category: Other Fiction
AlphaKit: February – “O”
DecadesCat - the 10s (2015)



I usually like Stewart O’Nan’s writing but I just couldn’t get into this book. My interest lagged and I found that I was skimming the last 100 pages. It’s a fictionalized account of the last 3 years of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life when he returned to Hollywood in the late 1930s to try and write screenplays to make some money. His wife Zelda is in a mental hospital, and his daughter is still in boarding school about to graduate. There are lots of names of famous actors, actresses, producers, etc, but it all seemed very mashed together and I couldn’t really keep track of what was going on. Despite the writing of O’Nan, I just couldn’t have cared less.

Book 15: The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser, narrated by Robin Miles
Category: Audio



Third in a series for middle school age. When the Vanderbeeker children manage to cause the baking license fo their mother to be rescinded, they decide the need to find a way to make it better. Meanwhile, someone is leaving animals on their doorstep each night which doesn't help the situation.

Book 16: Georgia by Dawn Tripp
Category: Other Fiction
ArtsCat: Artist Biographies
Book Bullet: 2024 – mentioned on Jennifer’s thread
2026 Thingaversary



Dawn Tripp has written a historical fiction book about the artist Georgia O’Keeffe Much of the book is about the relationship between her and photographer Alfred Stieglitz. She meets him while he is still married and eventually he divorces and they marry. He appears to be an extremely controlling man, influencing her painting and how she shows it.

I’m of two minds about this book. I really loved the descriptions by the author – not only of the paintings but also of the everyday things. And I found the story interesting of how she chose to live her life and chose to paint. The “problem” I had with the book is the same one I struggle with when I read almost every memoir or historical fiction based on real people. And it’s the conversations. To some extent they must be made up no matter how much research is done. And they can influence how a person perceives the person being written about.

Even though it’s historical fiction and not a biography in the strictest sense, I’ve decided to put it in my ArtsCat for this month.

Book 17: One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Category: Series
MysteryKit: March – Clerical Dectives



In this book in the series, Clare Fergusson, an Episcopalian priest, has returned from a deployment in Iraq where she was flying helicopters. She’s been having some trouble with the aftermath and has become hooked on alcohol and drugs although she has hidden this form everyone. She joins a support group for veteran’s and when one of them commits suicide, she’s convinced that it was not and so the group decides to follow up on their own.

The mystery part isn’t what I would call the focus of the book. The bad guys are pretty obvious fairly soon into the book. I think it’s more about showing the different problems people have upon returning to civilian life after deployment. 

Book 18: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Category: Non-Fiction
Random Kit: February – Hospitals
Non-Fiction Cat: February – Medicine and Disease



In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman, dies from an aggressive form of cervical cancer. Before she dies, doctors remove some of her cancer cells to study. Prior to this, cells grown in cultures had all died after a period of time. But the cells they took from Henrietta just continued to grow. But in the 1950s, it was quite common to not require consent from the person.

The author learned of this in a high school biology class and became fascinated by this story. The book is the effort she went through to be able to write this book. She explores the science in this and the human element of the family who for many years had no idea her cells were still being used.

Much of the science was a little over my head (science was not being one of my strong suits), but still interesting.

>111 dudes22: You and I are on opposite sides on this one, but I’m glad it worked for you.

>118 RidgewayGirl: - I think I had seen that when I looked at the reviews. But if we all liked only the same books, where's the adventure in that?

>117 dudes22: I really must put this on the list.

>120 Helenliz: - Hope you enjoy it.

>117 dudes22: I really enjoyed this book, too. I work in health research, so it's great to have an accessible book to suggest to students which covers so many issues around research ethics.

>122 Jackie_K: - Yes - I imagine it would be. I knew a lot of the stuff about not getting permissions, but was surprised it went on as long as it dd.

> 117 My objection to the book has always been that it scolds the doctors for failing to live up to ethical standards that didn't exist at the time. As you note, it was routine at the time for doctors to make use of cells without asking permission. Standards have changed, and were doctors to do that today, they should (and one presumes, would) be raked over the coals, but Skloot is unfair in blaming Lacks's doctors for not meeting today's standards.

>124 KeithChaffee: - I didn't get that vibe from the book. She mentions multiple times that the laws didn't exist as they do today and that there weren't even any ethical standards.

Just checking in to catch up on your reading.

>126 thornton37814: - Happy to have you around.

Book 19: Threads of Life: The History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter
Category: Non-Fiction
Non-Fiction Cat: March - I Want to Know More About…
Book Bullet: Sassy Lassy – 2019



In Threads of Life, the author explores how needlework has played a part in history. Each chapter considers a different aspect of how needlework was important to history but was rarely recognized for its part.

The first chapter is titled “Unknown” and talks about the Bayeux Tapestry which is 70 meters long (that’s about 76 yards- about ¾ of a US football field) and tells the story of the Battle of Hastings. The author writes about the unknown people who contributed to the embroidery. In the second chapter titled “Power”, she explores the role that embroidery played in the life of Mary, Queen of Scots and how she used it to send secret messages to people. She explores how needlework has been used to help distressed or mentally ill people in a chapter titled “Frailty”.

Some of the other chapters are titled “Identity”, “Journeys”, “Community”, “Art”, “Work”, and they continue to show how needlework has been undervalued, yet how important to history it use has been. I thought this way of organizing the book made it easier to grasp how important, yet unappreciated needlework was in many aspects of life.

I was disappointed that there weren’t pictures of some of the art mentioned in the book. I did try to look some up on the internet.

>128 dudes22: Betty, I thought I had read the book and went back to look at my review. It's missing. The book is in my library. I guess I didn't actually read it. I'll have to remedy that some time.

>128 dudes22: I may have to read this for the “microhistory” BingoDOG square.

>116 dudes22: I love this series. I just read the most recent one and it was excellent. I hope there are more coming.

>117 dudes22: I read this several years ago and thought it was very interesting.

>128 dudes22: As someone who enjoys needlework, this sounds interesting, but yes, they should have photos!

>131 BLBera: - I noticed, Beth, that it was a long time before the most recent one. Luckily, I still have a few more.

I had been meaning to read the Henrietta lacks book for a while.

Since Hunter mentions that a lot of the pieces are held and not displayed, pictures would have been nice.

>124 KeithChaffee: I don't think she was being unfair to the doctors, because even after issues around consent were clarified they continued to use the cells with no reference to the Lacks family. But I did feel a bit uncomfortable with her efforts to contact the family, and her persistence when they initially were reluctant - it felt a bit 'white saviour' to me. However, I gather that she arranged her book contract so that a % of the author profits goes to the family, so that did help my discomfort - she is at least putting her money where her mouth is. And the book itself is so very well written, I couldn't put it down, despite the discomfort.

Book 20: Liar’s Bench by Kim Michellle Richardson
Category: Small/Independent Press – Kensington Publishing
AlphaKit: March – “R”



Richardson’s debut novel is set in a small rural town in Kentucky in the early 1970s. When Mudas Summer’s mother is found hanging on Mudas’s 17th birthday, Mudas can’t accept that it was suicide. She believes that her mother’s abusive husband has something to do with it and is determined to find out what happened.

Hmm, how did I not know about this book (Threads of Life)? Must keep an eye out for it.

And turns out it's on KU. Now I really have no excuse.

>135 NinieB: - I found it very interesting. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to it.

Book 21: Tonight You’re Dead by Viveca Sten, translated by Marlaine Delargy
Category: Translated Books
MysteryKit: March – Nordic Mysteries



When a student, Markus Nielsen, is found hanging in his dorm room, it appears to be a suicide. But Inspector Thomas Andreasson can’t help but feel that something is off. Where is is laptop? Why does everyone insist that he would never commit suicide? Soon another death happens to someone Markus interviewed for a college paper he was working on. Could this be connected?

Nora Linde, a friend of Thomas Andreasson, doesn’t have a huge presence in this book helping with the mystery. Her part of the book is more involved with her personal life.

Book 22: The Last Sweet Mile by Allen Levi
Category: Non-Fiction
Bingo Block: End It



I read Levi’s book Theo of Golden in January and liked it so much that when I found he had written another book, I decided to get it. This is actually the first book he wrote and is a memoir about his brother who died of a glioblastoma. It chronicles the year that Levi spent caring for his brother. But it was not a morbid book - although I cried, I also laughed in parts of the book. It’s also a book of faith and a testament to faith.

Book 23: The Mussel Feast by Brigit Vanderbeke , translated by Jamie Bulloch
Category: Small/Independent Publishers - Peirene
AlphaKit: March – “V”



The author says of this book that she wrote it just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. She wanted to understand how revolutions start. In this slim book, a mother and her two children sit at a table with a pot of mussels waiting for the father to return home. They expect him to have good news and so this is meant to be a celebration of sorts. But when he doesn’t come at the regular time, they begin to consider the kind of man he is and the way he affects the dynamics of the family. The teenage daughter is telling the story and although it’s not exactly stream-of-conscious writing, it gives that impression.

Book 24: The Hours by Michael Cummings
Category: Book Club
Bingo Block: Won an award – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1999



This was a reread for me as it’s the book for our book club this month. It’s three stories about a day in the life of three women which all come together at the end.

The first story takes place in 1923. Virginia Woolf is just starting to write her novel Mrs. Dalloway. The second story takes place in 1949 and the main character Julia Brown is reading the novel Mrs. Dalloway. The third story takes place in 1999 and the main character is Clarissa (Mrs. Dalloway) although she has been named that by her friend Richard who thinks she resembles that character.

I’m curious to see where the discussion will take us at book club.

Book 25: A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
Category: Series



In this book, the series has reached the 1930s and story elements begin to lead up to WW II. Maisie is approached by the Secret Service and asked to teach at a college and see if she can ferret out any activities among the students or teachers which would not be in the interests of the government. But soon the head of he college is murdered and Maisie becomes involved in the investigation.

There are (as always) a few subplots to round out the story and returning characters with their own problems that Maisie helps to sort out.

>141 dudes22: You liked it a little better than I did.

>142 thornton37814: - I've been listening to them which is a nice diversion while I'm walking or driving.

>143 dudes22: I listened to that one as well.

Book 26: When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen, translated by Alice Menzies
Category: 2026 Book CLub
Bingo Block: Female Author’s Debut Book
2026 Thingaversary



The author has based this book on a some notes that were found from her grandfather’s caretakers after his death. Bo is an elderly man coming close to the end of his life. Caretakers come in during the day to help him with some of the daily tasks that he can no longer take care of. His son Hans has moved Bo’s wife to a facility that cares for Alzheimer’s patients and now wants to take Bo’s dog away because he doesn’t feel Bo can take care of him anymore.

Bo’s relationship with his son is not good and Bo reflects on his relationship with his own father quite a bit. He wants to tell his son many things but never seems to find the words. An interesting look at the end of life.

>145 dudes22: This is up soon for me. It sounds good.

>146 BLBera: - It's somewhat sad, Beth, but an interesting read.

I won't finish anything tonight so here are my thoughts on my March reading. I'm surprised to find that I actually read 8 books this month. I didn't think it was that many although we were still driving home from Florida the first week so that probably has something to do with it.

I'm very far behind in reading threads here on LT. Of course, this means I'm also not taking as many BBs which might be a good thing. I may try to read all the Mar Cat/Kit threads tonight while they're still at the top. And to see if there's anything I'm really interested in.

Book 27: Victoria and Abdul by Shrabani Masu, narrated by Elizabeth Jasicki
Category: Audio
April Random Kit: From Queens to Knights



An interesting look at Queen Victoria and her Indian Munshi (teacher) Abdul Kareem. For Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, servants are sent from India to England to become part of her serving staff. The Queen becomes quite fascinated with them, particularly with Abdul Kareem who she enlists to teach her Urdu. He becomes more and more important to her and quickly rises in the servant ranks which annoys the other household staff.

The book recounts the relationship between Victoria and Abdul from her Golden Jubilee through the Diamond Jubilee ten year later and then to her death 4 years later. There is a huge cast of characters in this book – both English and Indian. Because I was listening to the book, I found I had some trouble keeping track.

The thing that I ultimately wondered about was how the author could quote from letters and journals if the family had all of them destroyed after Victoria died. I’ll be interested to see how the film interprets the book.

Book 28: An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson
Category: Series
April Alpha Kit: “J”



Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear are asked to go to Hulett, Wyoming to investigate a motorcycle accident. The town needs extra help because it’s the week of the big motorcycle rally and the town is overrun with bikers. In the course of their investigation, they discover that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are also interested in the bikers although they don’t know why.

I like this series and the repartee between the characters. They’re nice when I need a light read.

I've decided that I need to do some purging of books. Based on my age, TBR pile, & number of books read each year, I don't think I'll be able to read what I have never mind those books I haven't heard about yet. Some of the books on my TBR are freebie ebooks that I got when I first had my e-reader that I probably won't ever read so I'm going to move them over to another category, so they don't always show up as waiting to be read. Plus, I have a number of books that are over 10 years old, and I really need to decide how much interest I have in them. Some are books from series I read, so I may keep them. Maybe next year I can work on binging on some of my series until I'm close to caught up. My local library is collecting books for their sale in June, so this is a good time to do this.

>151 dudes22: It's sobering when you start to crunch the numbers, isn't it? I've removed a few books from the TBR this year, but not nearly enough.

If I don't acquire a single other new book, at current rates it will take me 16 years to read through the unread books on my shelves (real, electronic and audio). It's the acquiring that's the issue for me, although I'm getting better about putting books onto my wishlist rather than just buying them straight away.

>152 Jackie_K: - It is, Jackie. I did purges in 22,23, & 24 purging over 100 books each time. I sort-of feel guilty for reading newer books when I have so many old ones lingering. I'm not sure it will be a huge purge, but I think it will make me feel better if those older books aren't staring at me each time I'm looking for my next book. (And that's not even considering the list of BBs that I'd like to read that I don't own.)

>151 dudes22: You are inspiring me to get started on my own purge. My shelves are covered in old books that I will probably never get to and my Kindles have many books that are over 10 years that I don't see getting to in the immediate future. Good Luck with your purge!

>154 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, Judy. I started while we were watching TV last night. My first e-reader was a nook and B&N used to have a free book on Fridays. I started with them and looked at ratings here on LT and descriptions and managed to get rid of a bunch. (I just moved them into a different collection, not that I expect to come back to them.)

I've been purging too. One of the things that has helped me is the fact that most books I have are now available from somehwere. If not my library then Amazon, ABE or other online options.

>156 clue: - So true, Luanne. I think if I have series books that are a few books from where I am, I'll probably purge them knowing they'll be available when I want them.

Book 29: Like a Sky Inside byJakuta Alikavazovic, translated by Daniel Levin Becker
Category: Translated Books
April ArtsCat: Museums
Bingo Block: New-to-You Author
Book Bullet: Eyes on Indie Youtuber – 2025
Thingaversary - 2026

>151 dudes22: It does seem to be the time of year to reevaluate the piles of books, Betty. I've been doing the same thing.

>158 dudes22: This sounds like a fascinating project.

>159 BLBera: - I'm making good headway, Beth, on the books. The fact is I have way too many cookbooks and need to go through them also, but need another shelf to put the ones I want to keep. Besides - I love playing with my books. Hope you make progress too.

I thought it sounded interesting and tried to find out more, but I think it's a "French" (?) project and I couldn't find any other books in English.

With only 2 days left in the month, I notice I've had an awful reading month. I've only finished 3 books so far. I did have to return an audio book early, but I just got a notice that I can borrow that again. I can't even say that the weather has been nice enough to be outside gardening. I know my reading will pick up with nicer weather when I will want to sit outside and read, but for now, other things seem to be taking up my time.

>158 dudes22: Well now I'm going to spend the day deciding which museum I'd want to have to myself overnight.

>161 dudes22: I'm looking forward to reading on the screen porch!

>162 RidgewayGirl: - In the video on Eyes on Indie where Sarah talked about this book, she posed the question of which museum the listener would choose to stay in.

Book 30: The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, narrated by Linda Lavin
Category: Audio Books
Bingo Block: Set in a state/province next to yours (Boston, Massachusetts is next to Rhode Island)



In this book, eighty-five-year-old Addie Baum is telling her granddaughter about growing up in the early 20th century as the daughter of Jewish immigrants. Her granddaughter has asked her how she became the woman she is. So, Addie starts with 1915 when she was 15 years old and tells her granddaughter what Boston was like and how she grew up there. Most of the book covers the years from then until 1931. The next chapter is titled "1985" and Addie summarizes bits and pieces of the rest of her life. Rather a rushed ending.

I listened to an audio book narrated by American actress Linda Lavin. She was never one of my favorites and at first, I was almost annoyed at her narration. But then I realized that she was actually almost perfect for this narration. It was almost as though she was actually sitting and telling me the story.

Book 31: Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
Category: Book Club - June
April Decades Cat: The 00s (2006)
Bingo Block: A Road Trip Book



Sonia Nazario is a journalist and this book was orginally a six-part series for the Los Angeles Times written in 2002 and published as a book in 2006. Enrique’s mother left him in Honduras when he was 5 years old and was smuggled in the US. Her intent was to work and send money back to Honduras for her family to keep her children and to help provide money for schooling, food, etc. When Enrique gets tired of waiting for his mother to return, he decides to make the journey to America by himself, riding on the tops of trains and trying to avoid gangs, immigration officials, and bandits. Besides the harrowing journey, she also talks about what happens to the relationship between parent and child after they have been left for so long.

This is the book we are reading for our June book club which we had to move to May due to a conflict that the person leading the discussion had. I’m sure that many of the statistics which the author talks about are out-dated, but the information is probably good anyway. At the end of the book, she explores what immigrants contribute to the economy of the US and also which services they use and how both Americans and immigrants feel about this. I’m sure this will provoke much discussion at our meeting next week.

I've been absent a lot recently so now I'm desperately trying to catch up with what everybody is reading. Naturally, I've taken a few BBs from your thread, and delighted to note your review of When Cranes Fly South, which I just added to my library list a couple of days ago.

>166 VivienneR: - I hear you, Vivienne. I can quickly fall behind in only a couple of days. When Cranes Fly South was very popular with our book club - I'll watch for your comments.

Today, May 4th, is Rhode Island Independence Day. Rhode Island was the first state to declare independence from Britain on May 4, 1776, 250 years ago.

Book 32: Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Category: Book Club – May 2026
Book Bullet: Jennifer (japaul) 2026



When Valerie(trail name Sparrow) goes missing between two stops on the Appalachian Trail in Maine, a search is quickly organized. Beverly Miller is the lieutenant in charge of this section of the Warden service and responsible for finding lost hikers.

The second aspect of the book is Lena, an elderly lady in a retirement community in Connecticut, who is following the story intently. There are other people who may or may not be important in the search for Sparrow – her husband, who is supposed to be supporting her; her parents who have come to be near the search; Santo who was her walking partner on the trail. Who has the best information to help in the search?

This is our book club selection for June. Kay recently read the book for her book club and said the discussion was interesting about who would hike or had hiked any of the trail. I’ll be finding out and reporting back sometime in June.

>169 dudes22: This is my book club pick for August. I'm glad to see your 4 star rating!

>170 beebeereads: - I hope you enjoy it.

>169 dudes22: I've had this on my library list for some time - obviously I need to get to it!

>172 DeltaQueen50: - It was a pick for our book club which gave me the push I needed.

Book 33: An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch, narrated by James Langton
Category: Audio Books
May Color/Cover Kit: Turquoise/jewelry – Turquoise Sky



It’s 1878 and Charles Lenox has just completed a case which revealed corruption in Scotland Yard. As the trial approaches, Prime Minister Desreali asks Lenox to undertake a diplomatic mission to America and merely submit his testimony in writing and not in person. At first Lenox is reluctant but after getting input from a couple of people he trusts, he decides that he will go to America. He starts in New York and then while traveling by train to Boston, the train is stopped and he is asked to go to Newport, Rhode Island to solve a murder.

A young lady has been murdered and thrown from the cliff in front of one of the “cottages” and the owner wants Lenox to find out who did it. Living in Rhode Island and just across the bay from Newport, I was quite interested in the setting. The “cottages” of Newport are actually mansions and quite a tourist draw. Most of them are now owned by the Historical Society of Newport and tours are given. They were originally built by Vanderbilts and Astors, etc, titans of industry in the late 1800s.

Back to the story – The sons of two of the families were both interested in the young lady and both are suspected in her death. I like the way the Lenox goes about solving the mysteries. The narrator was good but there are many male characters and sometimes the sound almost the same.

Book 34: The Last Lesture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow, narrated by Erik Singer
Category: Audio Books
Bingo Block: Book by a Deceased Author



This book was published in 2008. The author was asked to give a lecture called “The Last Lecture”. This was a series at Carnegie Mellon where professors consider their death and what they would say at their last lecture. When Pausch was asked to give this lecture, he has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was terminal. He titled his lecture “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” and it became an internet sensation. This book is an offshoot of that, covering many of the things he said.

Although I had the book, I chose to listen to this as a audio book. I realized when I looked at the book that there are also pictures in the book.

>175 dudes22: I've added that to my wishlist.

>176 Jackie_K: - His actual lecture is still available online.

>175 dudes22: I remember it was very moving.

>178 Cecilturtle: - I intend to watch it.

>174 dudes22: I was recently talking about reading with my friend who moved across the country after 20 years of friendship. Her daughter still lives where I do so we get to visit with each other a few times a year face-to-face. Recently she was here and she said that there was too much planning around her reading now and after all of the consideration she does she isn't as satisfied with what she reads as she used to be when she just picked up a book and read it. When she said too much planning, she's been making choices the way many of us do these days by checking reviews, checking to see if it's on the best seller list, checking to see if so-and-has read it and what they think if they have, etc. I know how she feels, I do too much of that too.

When I saw your review on the Charles Finch title I thought about how much I enjoy his books. If I went by the criteria above I would never pick one up because his books aren't at the top of the Best Seller List for months,and I've never heard his name come out of Oprah's mouth. But I'm sure looking forward to his new book in November. Know what I mean?

>180 clue: - I do, Luanne. I was just thinking today that even though I try to plan my reading around my TBR, sometimes when I get to the book, I can't get into it. I can't say I was ever much of an Oprah or best seller type of readier. I think I feel the "pressure" of the Cats and Kits. Most of them are interesting to me but I can't seem to read fast enough. And every year, I say I'll cut back on them but...

I still have one more of the Finch books to read before the new one, so I probably won't get to it until next year.

>181 dudes22: That's how I feel too, Betty! I say I'll only read a CAT or KIT if it's on my reading plan, but then I spend time looking for books to fit and ignoring the books I really want to read. I've been trying to change for years with no success. :)

>182 VivienneR: - Me too! It's just so tempting to see what books I have that will fit.

Book 35: Olivetti by Allie Millington, narrated by Christopher Gebauer and Simon Vance
Category: Audio Books
Bingo Block: A Beautiful Cover
Book Bullet: JayneCM 2026



The Olivetti of the title is a typewriter that has been forgotten on the desk of the Brindle family. But he has opinions and observations which he shares with the reader. One day the four Brindle children and their father wake up to find that their mother is missing and so is Olivetti. Twelve-year-old Ernest takes it particularly hard as he and his mother have been somewhat at odds. He discovers that his mother has sold Olivetti and sets out to find out why and find his mother.

Written for a middle school audience, it explores the emotions of grief and loss in a subtle way. My biggest quibble with the book is that even though it’s mentioned multiple times that the mother left her phone, no one ever tries to see if it holds a clue to where she is.

JayneCM read this last (?) month and when it was available on Libby, I thought I’d listen to it now.

Book 36: Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg
Category: Other Fiction
May AlphaKit: “A”
Book Bullet: Laura 2020



This story is based on the life of Mazie Philips-Gordon who spent a large part of her life helping the homeless in New York, especially during the Great Depression. Part of the writing is from a diary she kept and part of it is in interviews although the reader never knows who is doing the interviewing. Most of the story is about her early life and how she began to help people.

May Recap

Books Read:
Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg
An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch
Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Olivetti by Allie Millington

I only managed to read 6 books this month, and I don't see things picking up even though summer deck reading is something to look forward to. If the weather would just co-operate. I have a lot of quilting projects that are taking up a lot of my time.

I've been looking over my planned reading for the year and even though most of the books are already on my TBR pile and I obviously want to read them, I'm thinking I may partially abandon my plans and read more spontaneously. Maybe even binge read a series or author.

>186 dudes22: Yes, sometimes it feels good to throw the plans away and just read random books.

Book 37: Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear, narrated by Orlagh Cassidy
Category: Series
May AlphaKit: “W”



Mazie is approached by some costermongers and asked to investigate the death of a friend of theirs. The police believe that the death of Eddie Petit was accidental, so Eddie’s friends want Mazie to look into it. As Mazie begins to make inquiries, she finds that things are more complicated then they first appear.

Book 38: Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear, narrated by Orlagh Cassidy
Category: Series



In this book in the series, Masie is hired by an Indian man who feels the police didn’t try enough to find the killer of his sister. Masie and James’s relationship is also reaching the point where Masie must make a decision.

Book 39: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
Category: Translated Books
Book Bullet: Keith 2024
Thingaversary 2025
June Color/Cover Kit: purple/food or drink – cups of coffee



In a small café in Tokyo, sitting at a seat at a particular table, a person can go back in time. Going back won’t change the present or the future, so why do it? There are rules about going back and the most important one is that you must drink the cup of coffee which sends you back before it gets cold or you become a ghost.

An interesting premise for a book, but it read rather stilted and the characters were somewhat flat. Could be the translation or perhaps it was a Japanese style of writing.

Book 40: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede, narrated by Ray Porter
Category: Audio Books
Book Bullet: Terri (Tymfos) 2012
June Random Kit: Numbers or Symbols
June Decades Cat: Choose Your Own – 2000s



When terrorists attacked the US in 2001 by flying airplanes into the Twin Towers in New York City, the air space over the US was closed to air traffic and all planes were told to immediately land at the nearest airport. For many planes coming from Europe, this meant they had to land at Gander, Newfoundland. The runway at Gander was long because before larger airplanes that could cross the Atlantic without refueling, any planes going to Europe had to refuel there and because of the use of Gander during WW II. So 38 planes carrying over 6,500 people landed in a town with only 10,000 people. This book tells the story of how this town and nearby ones stepped up to help all the people arriving during this catastrophic event.

Individual stories about some of the people on the planes and the people in the towns became a story of just how kind and wonderful people can be. There were many, many times I choked up and had tears at the goodness of the people of Gander.