Marell (Mary) Gets Cracking in 2014

Hope to make 75 in my third attempt.

You can do it!

I like the kinds of books you say you like, and I am also retired. So it seems putting a star on your thread might be a good idea. So..... You are starred!

thanks, fuzzi, for the encouragement!

Thank you, Karen. I really want to comment more on the books I read, rather than just listing them as I did this year. Let's keep in touch!

It is a deal!

Welcome back! You're all set on the Threadbook.

Thanks! I think one of my New Year's resolutions should be to become a bit more computer literate!

** TIOLI Challenge
JANUARY:
1. My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme **
2. Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield **
3. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
4. The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian **
5. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie **
6. I Loved Jesus in the Night: Teresa of Calcutta-A Secret Revealed by Paul Murray
7. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson **

FEBRUARY:
8. Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis **
9. The Case of the Love Commandos by Tarquin Hall**
10. Unbroken- A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
11. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith
12. Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman

MARCH:
13. My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
14. The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star by Susan Wittig Albert **
15. The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
16. Bertie Plays the Blues by Alexander McCall Smith
17. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson**
18. One Virgin Too Many by Lindsey Davis**

APRIL:
19. People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman
20. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
21. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
22. Louise's War by Sarah R. Shaber
23. Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman

MAY:
24. Gratitude by Joseph Kertes
25. The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman
26. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
27. Prague Fatale by Philip Kerr
28. Strawberry Yellow by Naomi Hirahara
29. Louise's Gamble by Sarah R. Shaber

JUNE:
30. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
31. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
32. A Man Without Breath by Philip Kerr

JULY:
33. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
34. The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell
35. Louise's Dilemma by Sarah R. Shaber
36. A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorhead
37. Shadows & Lies by Marjorie Eccles
38. The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman

AUGUST:
39. Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas
40. Ode to a Banker by Lindsay Davis
41. A Blind Goddess by James R. Benn

SEPTEMBER:
42. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
43. Master & God by Lindsey Davis

OCTOBER:
44. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
45. Jackdaws by Ken Follett
46. The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen
47. Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman
48. At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read
49. Simon Said by Sarah R. Shaber
50. Zoo Station by David Downing

NOVEMBER:
51. Sunshine on Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
52. A Body in the Bathhouse by Lindsey Davis
53. Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst
54. The Secret Place by Tana French

DECEMBER:
55. The Rest is Silence by James R. Benn
56. The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe by Alexander McCall Smith

What a fabulous end to the old year and fabulous beginning to the new one with Julia Child in My Life in France. Such energy and passion! She and her husband LIVED every moment of their lives. I felt a little exhausted at times myself just reading about it! My only regret is that since my French is mostly non-existent, I missed out on some of the expressions and sometimes had no idea what dishes she made. But, "eh bien, tant pis!" A joy from start to finish, a 5-star read.

Just another thought to take into the New Year from Julia: "The sweetness and generosity and politeness and gentleness and humanity of the French had shown me how lovely life can be if one takes time to be friendly."

I think that sounds like a great slogan for us all these days. It seems that friendliness is sometimes hard to find, except of course when one comes to LT for a little book talk.

I loved the Julia Child book also and have continued to be impressed how she just carried on despite all sorts of potential obstacles: her height, being female in a male dominated field, being American in Paris, etc. etc. She just behaved as if none of that mattered for a moment, as indeed she proved it did not. An inspiring woman, and I frequently think I should try more French cooking due to admiration for her.

Hi, Mary!
I admit that I don't know much about Julia Child, but the little I do know, and the more I hear about her, makes me want to get to know her better. I may just add your first read to my wishlist...

#12 & 13: Reading this book has also made me want to read more about her. I would like to take a look at Mastering the Art of French Cooking but whether I would actually cook from it, I'm not sure. But even if I never actually cook anything, I sure love reading about all that food. I may have even gained a few pounds just reading their descriptions!

I can't tell you how many cookbooks I have from which I will likely never cook. I've a soft spot for the things, but somehow never manage to put them to any practical use - instead I just oogle and drool over the pictures. *sigh*

Finished Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield today. The story flowed and kept my interest to the end. It is a gothic novel, but not too creepy, although death is a major theme. It has a clever premise, but I was slightly frustrated in a way, not quite knowing where the thing was going and the ending was just okay, not entirely satisfying. Can't really put my finger on it. So with five stars being the best, I would rate this book three and three-fourths.

3. Plainsong by Kent Haruf. Oh, what a beautiful and beautifully written book. I cared so deeply for the characters. It has a wonderful sense of place. Just perfection in every way. This is the first book of his I've read and now I can hardly wait to read the others. Started it yesterday and finished it today and I didn't want it to end. Can I give it 10 stars?!

4. The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian is a book that takes place in Tuscany during WWII 1943-44 and 1955. The book alternates between the two time periods to tell the story of the Rosati family whose members are being murdered in 1955, the roots of the killings taking place during the war. It is a sort of historical novel/mystery in one. I gave it 4 stars.

Finding out the identity of the murderer is almost anticlimatic. It is the unraveling of the events at the villa and in the position of Italy during the war, the plight and awful effects of war on the people and the choices they make in the smallest details of everyday life that is at the heart of the story. It is the first book I have read by this author and now I will probably read more of his books.

Mary, that book sounds like it was very interesting. If I were not trying a focus on WWI this year I would probably grab that title for my pile of To Be Read books, but I think I may have to duck that Book Bullet (BB). I'm enjoying reading Maisie Dobbs right now and that book also talks about the awful effects of the war on people, just an earlier big war.

Hi Karen. I have read all the Maisie Dobbs books to date and I think it is an excellent series. The last two books in the series, Elegy for Eddie and Leaving Everything Most Loved were especially memorable.

Just finished No. 5, The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. I haven't read anything by her in years and years so reading this was great fun, especially since it is the book that introduces Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings to the world.

I keep my Christie books around so that I can pick them up to reread every so often. I still can't figure out who done it even though I am reading them for the second (third, fourth) time.

Yes, I definitely need to read more of her. I can never figure out who done it either. Pure enjoyment without all the gore and sex in so many of today's books.

Thanks for the recommendation on following the Maisie Dobbs series. I may get on that, but first I have a William Faulkner book I must read. Oh Life can be so Hard. (ha ha ha)

6. I Loved Jesus in the Night by Paul Murray is a short book, only 111 pages. I'm glad I read it not only because it offers an intimate glimpse into the heart and mind of Mother Teresa, but because although painful at times, it reveals her as a real person, not just an icon. I found comfort in it too and it is a book I won't soon forget.

Oh, I'm such a Christie fan! Just love her mysteries, and I'm slowly working through all of them.

7. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Does KA ever disappoint? I could hardly put this down. Think the movie Groundhog Day but different. It is just a great read.

I wasted time trying to read A Peculiar Grace by Jeffrey Lent as a TIOLI challange (read a book by the author of a favorite book of 2013), which was In the Fall, a book I loved and wil never forget. When I finally quit reading this one at page 218, about halfway through, I wanted to throw the thing out the window. I didn't like the characters, and all the main character, Hewitt Pearce, did was cry and boo-hoo his way through the thing. I regret having spent so much time on it hoping it would get better.

8. Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis, 10th in the Marcus Didius Falco mystery novels. This time around, Falco gets involved with gladiators and their trainers. They are wonderfully humorous. The characters are so well-drawn so you feel you know them and the details and history of ancient Roman life make you feel you are right there. I have been reading them for a couple of years now. I think it's time I finished them all this year.

I love the Falco books. While not universally brilliant, they are, taken together, so much fun. I read them all through, and then I got my 92 year old father hooked on them. He read them all through twice! We are still looking for other series with the same element of humor, history, and mystery. Only found one so far ...

Oh, the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries sound interesting. I have added them to my ever growing list of books to look for when I get to the library.

My favorite of the Falco books so far is A Dying Light in Corduba.

Other books in the same vein are the books by Ruth Downie featuring a Roman army medic and amateur sleuth in Britain which begins with the book Medicus. The Steven Saylor series is very good too and historically accurate.

Yes, indeed. They are a lot of fun and there are a lot of them!

9. The Case of the Love Commandos by Tarquin Hall is the 4th book in the wonderful Vish Puri mystery series. Based in Delhi, Vish Puri is, in his words, the greatest private detective in all India, a man of high moral fiber, with a big appetite, a loving wife and exasperating (to him) mother, known to one and all as Mummy-ji. He employs a faithful group of associates with monikers like Facecream and Tubelight. Recipes and a glossary are included in each book, and in my opinion, each book just gets better and better.

Well that sounds interesting. Might have to look for this series ...

10. Unbroken - A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. An incredible book by an incredible writer. Highly recommended.

I thought that was a great book, too. You know there's a movie coming out, right? It is such an epic story I don't know how they'll fit it all into a movie.

You are right about the movie. Hopefully, it will be just as good as Seabiscuit. There is always such a fear of being disappointed. There are numerous examples, of course, but two that come to mind for me are the movie versions of Practical Magic and The Perfect Storm. The books were so great but the movies just mediocre. So let us hope.

11. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, the latest Precious Ramotswe book, is another gentle, lovely read, and may be my favorite of all.

12. Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman is the third book in the Joe Leaphorn series. Wonderful sense of place. Hope to read them all this year.

Read the first Vish Puri book. Good fun! Thanks for the recommendation!

I'm so glad you liked it.

My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira begins at the start of the Civil War. Mary Sutter, from Albany, New York, is a midwife, as is her mother and was her grandmother, but her desire is to be a surgeon. Excellently written. All the horror of the war is presented, but not in a gratuitous way. Highly recommended.

Ooh, that book on the Civil War sounds very interesting.

14. Just finished the fourth book in the Depression-era series by Susan Wittig Albert, The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star. These are cozy little mysteries set in Darling, Alabama (closest big city is Mobile), this one taking place in 1932.

The Darling Dahlias are the ladies of a garden club. This time around, the Dahlias are in charge of the town's annual Watermelon Festival and the big attraction is none other than "the fastest woman in the world," the "Texas Star," Lily Dare and her Dare Devils Flying Circus.

All the period details in these books are spot-on. Each book has a few recipes from food featured in the book and some home remedies, in this one homemade beauty aids. The "mysteries" in this book were pretty obvious about halfway through, but it really didn't matter to me. A great series for a light, fun read, and your mouth will be watering from the descriptions of good Southern food.

15. Oh, that Amy Tan. I've been meaning to read The Bonesetter's Daughter for a long time and finally did. There are three parts: present day, China past, and present day. The first part is the daughter's story, the second part the mother's story, and the third part is the conclusion. The China parts of Ms. Tan's books are always so fascinating, but it was the last chapters of the third part that touched me very deeply. Aside from a few crude and unnecessary references that made me wince (my opinion & pet peeve of mine) in the first part of the book, this is a wonderful story of the power of guilt, love, and forgiveness.

16. Book 7 in the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith is Bertie Plays the Blues. Pithy, a ramble here and there, gentle, so amusing and sometimes laugh out loud, this book, like the others in the series, brings Edinburgh and its inhabitants alive. A delightful, easy, feel good, fun read. I always want to stay and never leave.

17. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson. A fascinating and frightening look at Hitler's rise to power between 1933 to 1937, when William E. Dodd was the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. Although he had Roosevelt's backing, Dodd was hampered at every turn by a number of problems, among them, the elites who comprise the Foreign Service and the U.S. State Department, to which he is a complete outsider, and his daughter, who has one affair after another, often simultaneously, some of them with highly dangerous men. Sometimes naive and by his own admission, not cut out for the job, he nevertheless stuck to his principles, and worked very hard to wake up the world to the coming horror, even after he was removed as ambassador.

20. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. What can I say? A remarkable and devastating book by a remarkable writer. My first time reading him but not the last.

21. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny. This is the ninth book in a series featuring Armand Gamache of the Quebec Surete. This book, and the previous one, the Beautiful Mystery were by far my favorites. This is a series that should be read in order, starting with Still Life.

Her characters are wonderfully drawn, Quebec is brought to life, and the food descriptions always make me hungry. Although a couple of the characters in Three Pines, the little town that features in most of the books, annoy me somewhat, and I find their dialogue often irritating, they are an integral part of the stories.

So if you like police procedurals, interesting characters with a touch of cozy thrown in, give this series a try.

>48 marell: I just read that one for the first time last year, and felt much the same way about it - beautiful but devastating. I'm so glad that I finally read it.

#50. Yes, you said it perfectly.

22. Louise's War by Sarah R. Shaber. First in a mystery series taking place during WWII in Washington D.C. Great sense of time and place, and believable characters. One of the things I most appreciated is that Louise's actions were totally believable. In so many mystery series, even if the story is enjoyable, I often find myself rolling my eyes at some of the ridiculous situations and shenanigans the lead character gets up to. This was a quick, engaging read, thoroughly enjoyable, and I'm eager to read the rest. So exciting when you find a new author.

23. I have heard the title Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman for a long time. Had no idea what it was about but thought it was about time I read it. Love, adventure, life, death, hope in the Canadian wilderness. Good old-fashioned story-telling at its finest.

33. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. What a great read this was. I have liked all her books, but this one was really something. Storytelling at its very best.

34. The Saxon Series continues in The Pagan Lord by the incomparable Bernard Cornwell. This is a magnificent historical series featuring Uhtred of Bebbanberg, a Northumbrian by birth, raised by Danes, and fighting to take back his stolen fortress at Bebbanberg and create a united country called "Englaland," the vision of King Alfred the Great.