Avanders' 2015 ROOT Challenge - Thread #2

Since Ctrl-End wasn't as effective as it once was, seemed time to copy Meg (FamilyHistorian) & continue this thread!
I've met my ROOT and non-ROOT goals for 2015, so now I'm just reading for pleasure! (novel concept ;)) I am still focusing on my own books, though...

Here are my tickers:

ROOTS (I picked a Christmas theme since we end in December ;))





All Books Read in 2015



Here's my ongoing list of books! (copied from prior threat, post 6, and updated as I continue reading)

JAN (7)
XX 1. The Green Man (304) (ARC and ROOT 1), January 1, 2015 (give away)
XX 2. Moriarty (285) (GR ARC and ROOT 2), January 6, 2015 (give away)
XX 3. The Phone Company (424) (ROOT 3 and ARC - LT Member Reviewer), January 11, 2015 (remove from kindle)
XX 4. Secret Keeper (484) (Morton) (ROOT 4) (also Feb 2015 Book Group - my Choice), January 18, 2015 (give away)
XX 5. Goldfinch (771) (October 2014 Book Group (more than half done) - Kristina's Choice) (ROOT 5), January 22, 2015 (give away)
XX 6. Red Rising (400) (ROOT 6), January 29, 2015 (give away)
XX 7. The Strange Library (96) (Murakami) (ROOT 7), January 29, 2015 (give away)
Ave Page #s read/book in Jan = 335.43 (total pages 2,348 (not counting 416 pages already read in Goldfinch); per day 75.74)

FEB (7)
XX 8. Magic Toyshop (Carter) (200) (ROOT 8), February 1, 2015 (give away)
XX 9. The Martian (Weir) (369) (ROOT 9), February 6, 2015 (give away)
XX 10. Belzhar (264) (Wolitzer) (ROOT 10), February 7, 2015 (give away)
XX 11. Miniaturist (Burton) (392) (ROOT 11), February 15, 2015 (give away)
XX 12. Gone Girl (Flynn) (415) (ROOT 12), February 21, 2015 (give away)
XX 13. The Giver (Lowry) (179) (ROOT 13), February 22, 2015 (give away)
XX 14. Maus I (Spiegelman) (160), February 24, 2015 (library book - recommended by FamilyHistorian)
Ave Page #s read/book in Feb = 282.71 (total 1,979; per day 70.68)

MAR (4)
XX 15. Ender's Game (Card) (368), March 10, 2015 (library book)
XX 16. J: A Novel (Jacobson) (326), March 17, 2015 (library book)
XX 17. Roverandom (Tolkien) (89), March 19, 2015 (library book) (recommended by Amberfly)
XX 18. The Room (Karlsson) (188), March 30, 2015 (library book)
Ave Page #s read/book in Mar = 242.75 (total 971; per day 31.32)

APR (5)
XX 19. Fiercombe Manor (Riordan) (403), April 7, 2015 (library book)
XX 20. Rosemary's Baby (Levin) (308), April 10, 2015 (library book)
XX 21. Court of the Air (Hunt) (582) (ROOT 14), April 23, 2015 (give away)
XX 22. Days of Blood & Starlight (Taylor) (517), April 24, 2015 (audio library book & ebook)
XX 23. The Fold (Clines) (372) (ARC (LT Mar)), April 29, 2015 (give away)
Ave Page #s read/book in Apr = 436.4 (total 2,182; 72.7 per day )

MAY (14)
XX 24. Soul Tracker (Myers) (352), May 1, 2015 (sister's)
XX 25. The Presence (Myers) (322), May 11, 2015 (sister's)
XX 26. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Jackson) (146) (ROOT 15), May 12, 2015 (give away)
XX 27. Night of Cake and Puppets (Taylor) (100), May 14, 2015 (library e-book)
XX 28. Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs (Cali) (32), May 16, 2015 (library book)
XX 29. Island of Dr. Libris (Grabenstein) (256), May 17, 2015 (library book)
XX 30. Americanah (Adichie) (477) (Apr Book Group (Char's choice) & ROOT 16), May 17, 2015 (give away)
XX 31. Betsy's Story, 1934 (Whitby) (154), May 18, 2015 (library book)
XX 32. Flicker Men (Kosmatka) (352) (ARC (LT Apr)), May 21, 2015 (give away)
XX 33. Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Taylor) (624), May 27, 2015 (audio library book)
XX 34. The Green Turtle Mystery (Queen) (186) (ROOT 17), May 27, 2015 (give away)
XX 35. Ivy & Bean (Barrows) (120), May 27, 2015 (library book)
XX 36. Lips Touch: Three Times (Taylor) (266), May 29, 2015 (library book)
XX 37. The Seeing (Myers) (313), May 31, 2015 (Sister's)
Ave Page #s read/book in May = 264.29 (total 3,700; 119.34 per day)

JUNE (13)
XX 38. The Brief History of the Dead (Brockmeier) (252) (ROOT 18), June 2, 2015 (give away)
XX 39. Trespassers (Wynn) (345) (sent by author and ROOT 19), June 3, 2015 (remove from kindle)
XX 40. Dorothy Must Die (Paige) (452), June 6, 2015 (audio & kindle library book)
XX 41. Station Eleven (Mandel) (333) (Jun Book Group (Danielle's choice) & ROOT 20), June 6, 2015 (give away)
XX 42. The Creature Vault (Revenson) (207), June 7, 2015 (library book)
XX 43. Wicked Will Rise (Paige) (293), June 10, 2015 (library book (2nd in series))
XX 44. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls (Sedaris) (288), June 10, 2015 (ROOT 21 & kindle & audio library book) (return/delete)
XX 45. What Ho, Automaton! (Dolley) (kindle) (159) (ROOT 22), June 15, 2015 (remove from kindle)
XX 46. Girls' Night In (Lauren Henderson) (325) (ROOT 23), June 15, 2015 (give away)
XX 47. No Place Like Oz (Paige) (125), June 18, 2015 (kindle library book)
XX 48. Department of Speculation (Offill) (192) (August Book Group (Liz's Choice) & ROOT 24), June 18, 2015 (give away)

BOTH GOALS MET on 6/18/15!!


XX 49. Ex-Heroes (Clines) (310) (ROOT 25), June 27, 2015 (give away)
XX 50. Prophet (R.J. Larson) (338), June 29, 2015 (sister's)
Ave Page #s read/book in June = 278.38 (total 3,619; 120.63 per day )

JULY (8)
XX 51. The Queen of the Tearling (Johansen) (448) (audio library book & kindle ROOT 26), July 1, 2015 (remove from kindle)
XX 52. Bellman & Black (Setterfield) (328) (ROOT 27), July 2, 2015 (give away)
XX 53. The Wager (Bill Myers) (161), July 5, 2015 (sister's)
XX 54. The Golem and the Jinni (Wecker) (484) (ROOT 28), July 9, 2015 (give away)
XX 55. The (Phantasmagorical) Astrarium Compendium (Langdale) (432) (NetGalley ER), July 11, 2015 (delete from kindle)
XX 56. Paper Magician (Holmberg) (224) (ROOT 29), July 12, 2015 (give away)
XX 57. From Notting Hill with Love Actually (McNamara) (440) (ROOT 30), July 16, 2015 (I read as much of this as I could before I decided to just give it away)
XX 58. Cloud Atlas (Mitchell) (515) (ROOT 31), July 31, 2015 (give away)
Ave Page #s read/book in July = 379 (total 3,032; 97.81 per day )

AUGUST (7)
XX 59. Armada (Cline) (368), August 6, 2015 (audio library book)
XX 60. Boy Genius Detective Agency (Grey) (204) (Members' Reviewer), August 6, 2015 (remove from kindle)
XX 61. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights (Rushdie) (304) (ARC (LT Jun)), August 13, 2015 (give away)
XX 62. Acid (Pass) (431), August 14, 2015 (audio library book)
XX 63. Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye (del Rio) (256), August 15, 2015 (ARC NetGalley, delete from kindle)
XX 64. Midwich Cuckoos (Wyndham) (220), August 17, 2015 (audio library book)
XX 65. 13 Reasons Why (Asher) (288), August 24, 2015 (audio library book & BB from deep220)
Ave Page #s read/book in August = 295.86 (total 2,071; 66.81 per day )

SEPTEMBER (3)
XX 66. The Night Parade (Kathryn Tanquary) (320) (NetGalley ER), September 4, 2015 (delete from kindle)
XX 67. Boneman's Daughters (Dekker) (416), September 15, 2015 (audio library book)
XX 68. After Alice (Maguire) (ARC (LT Jul)) (288), September 15, 2015 (give away)
Ave Page #s read/book in Sept = 341.33 (total 1,024; 34.13 per day )

OCTOBER (8)
XX 69. A Visit From the Goon Squad (Egan) (341) (ROOT 32) (Sept. Book Club Book (Michelle's choice)), October 1, 2015 (give away)
XX 70. Legend of Sleepy Harlow (Logan) (304), October 3, 2015 (library book)
XX 71. Invasion of the Tearling (Johansen) (515), October 5, 2015 (audio library book)
XX 72. Witches Protection Program (Cash) (238) (NetGalley ER), October 10, 2015 (delete from kindle)
XX 73. Charms and Chocolate Chips (Cates) (336), October 12, 2015 (library book)
XX 74. Moon Over Soho (Aaronovitch) (289), October 18, 2015 (library book)
XX 75. The Night Gardener (Auxier) (350), October 20, 2015 (library book)
XX 76. The Circle (Eggers) (508), October 20, 2015 (audio library book)
Ave Page #s read/book in Oct = 360.13 (total 2,881; 92.94 per day )

NOVEMBER (8)
XX 77. Death Before Decaf (Fardig) (296) (NetGalley ER), November 1, 2015 (delete from kindle)
XX 78. This Present Darkness (Peretti) (375) (ROOT 33), November 8, 2015 (give away)
XX 79. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Skloot) (370) (ROOT 34 and also audio library book), November 8, 2015 (give away)
XX 80. Bone Gap (Ruby) (368) (audio library book) (reading challenge (long list for NYTimes YA books) w/ a friend), November 14, 2015
XX 81. Circus Mirandus (Beasley) (304) (audio library book), November 20, 2015
XX 82. Dorothy Must Die Stories (3 prequel novellas to the Dorothy Must Die series) (Paige) (392) (audio library book), November 23, 2015
XX 83. Slade House (Mitchell) (238) (ARC (LT Oct)), November 29, 2015 (give away)
XX 84. The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World (Jaher) (448) (ARC (LT Sep)), November 30, 2015 (give away)
Ave Page #s read/book in Nov = 348.88 (total 2,791; 93.03 per day )

DECEMBER (3)
XX 85. Renovation of the Heart (Willard) (272) (ROOT 35 & Small Group Book for church), December 1, 2015 (hold onto for now)
XX 86. Machine of Death (North) (452) (ROOT 36 & Nov. Book Group Book (Asra's choice)), December 23, 2015 (give away)
XX 87. The Rest of Us Just Live Here (Ness) (336), December 26, 2015 (keep for now - lend out)
Ave Page #s read/book in Dec = 353.33 (total 1,060; 34.19 per day )

AND Extra Tracking Notes:

# of Books IN, in 2015:
Jan: 0
Feb: +2 (Jane Austen classics - free kindle downloads) + 1 (Fri Night Knitting Club - given by friend)
Mar: - 1 (gave book to friend's kid) + 2 (Divergent 2&3, returned from friend)
Apr: +1 (The Fold (ARC)) + 1 (Writing Book) + 1 (Deep Water (bday gift)) + 7 (bday gifts) + 2 (from sis-in-law)
May: +1 (Flicker Men (ARC)) + 2 (Off to Be the Wizard and Dangerous Laughter - used, vacation) - 2 (gave mom Insurgent & Allegiance) + 2 (Insurgent kindle & Far from the Madding Crowd kindle) +37 (library clearance sale (unread, non-duplicates)!) + 3 (book group books (We Were Liars, Station Eleven, and Department of Speculation) + 2 (oops - used book store (The Killing Moon and Anarchy (James Treadwell)) + 11 (used books in Austin (see >223)) + 1 (Bestie book to read w/ bestie)
Jun: + 11 (used books at library sale) + 10 (thriftbooks.com purchase) +1 (another from thriftbooks.com) + 2 (more thriftbooks.com!)
Jul: + 6 (thrift stores) + 1 (Seattle - Written in Red)
Aug: + 4 (Bone Clocks, How to be a Heroine, Stone Mattress, Snow Child - all new purchase from B&N!) + 6 (4 Eragon books, Sharper Objects, and Wolves of the Calla - friend's estate sale)
Sept: + 1 (Some Like it Witchy hospital bookstore) + 36!! (see >89 avanders:)
Oct: +8 (Hastings) + 3 (used Amazon - complete sets) (see >117 avanders:) +65 (library book sale & thrift stores - see >121 avanders:) + 1 (Penelopiad - VA used bookstore) + 1 (Witch of Lime Street ER)
Nov: + 1 (Slade House) +1 (In the Mountains - ROOT BB) + 62 library clearance sale) + 1 (Shopaholic and Sister) + 2 (mini Shopaholic & Shopaholic to the Stars)
Dec: +1 (Rest of Us Just Live Here - Christmas gift) + 1 (The Peripheral - gift to self) + 2 (sci fi books - christmas gift card) + 3 (from sister-in-law for Christmas) + 4 (SantaThing) + 4 (Hastings after Christmas) + 1 (from mother-in-law) + 1 (BOTM club) + 2 (The Book & Christian kids book) + 1 Little Women - 1 Furst book given to MiL - 2 given to coworker to give to niece + 3 (thrift store) + 2 (mostly gift card purchase at Barnes)

Thus, my TBRs:
(Total books from prior month, plus books IN, minus books Read (unless otherwise noted))
as of 1/1/15, total books in personal library = 585
as of 2/1/15, total books in personal library = 578
as of 3/1/15, total books in personal library = 575
as of 4/1/15, total books in personal library = 576
as of 5/1/15, total books in personal library = 586
as of 6/1/15, total books in personal library = 638
as of 7/1/15, total books in personal library = 654 a-hem... continues in the wrong direction!
as of 8/1/15, total books in personal library = 656
as of 9/1/15, total books in personal library = 666
as of 10/1/15, total books in personal library = 703
as of 11/1/15, total books in personal library = 780
as of 12/1/15, total books in personal library = 843
as of 12/31/15, total books in personal library = 864

(Not counting permanent already-read books, cookbooks, or other reference type books, but yes counting e-books (not duplicates))

I'm impressed at your totals! Just looking at your July reads, A year in the merde is on my TBR pile too (along with the sequel, Merde Actually).

Woo hoo!! Thread 2! Also congrats on meeting both your goals! :D

Congrats on the new thread and meeting your goals. Could you perhaps post on my wall how to create a 2nd thread? (linkage and such)

>2 Jackie_K: thank you! Though my July reads currently include "reading" and "to read"... they're "read" once I have those double bold x's before them ;) A friend recommended that book, so I'm reading it this week ... she also gave me the sequel... looking forward to it! :)

>3 rabbitprincess: thank you!! :D

>4 Tess_W: Thank you too! Also -- at the very bottom of your thread, there's this: "Continue this topic in another topic" .. if you click on that, it automatically creates thread 2 -- you just have to update the title for that 2nd thread (I added the "- Thread #2"). That's it! I think it only appears at a certain point (after 25 posts? 50? 100?), but I see it's there at the bottom of yours :) Let me know if you have any difficulties!

Happy new thread, Ava! The continuation line shows up after the 150th post.

Hi Ava! **Struck speechless by your reading prowess**

Marking the new thread

Hi Ava, shiny new thread, yay!

>6 Familyhistorian: Thank you! oh, 150, makes sense :) I never paid attention before!

>7 Shutzie27: ha well thanks! ;) This year has been a big reading year for me.. much more than in years past (not counting when I was a kid and had nothing to do but read all the time ;))

>8 Robertgreaves: hello! :)

>9 MissWatson: hee hee reminds me of shiny new books... maybe I should... no, no, I'll refrain. for now. ;)

Wow, that's some great reading (and some impressive tracking!).

I see a couple of your currently-reading books are things on my own TBR shelves, too.

>11 bragan: thank ya! :)

Congrats on meeting your goals! I also have the problem of more books coming in than going out. And room is at a premium now...

>13 billiejean: thank you! Yeah.... it seems I'm going to have to get that problem under control one of these days.... ;p

Update:
Before I left for Seattle, I finished The Golem and the Jinni (ROOT 28)

which I gave to... Just a beautiful written tale. It's about a golem (generally, a mass of clay made into human'ish form for the purpose of serving its master, usually for a brief, intense, and muscle'y task) who finds herself master'less almost immediately after being brought to life, while on her way to New York at the turn of the century. This is one "half" of the book -- what and how Chava (the golem) do in a small Jewish community in Manhattan. Around the same time, a jinni (genie), named Ahmad, is brought back to existence by a clueless Syrian in a small community, also in Manhattan. And of course they 2 meet. Amid their stories and challenges, including the one that may challenge their very existence, we get a little mythology and a little history of the 2 and the others who impact their lives. It is not fast-paced, but it is well-paced. It never seems to slow really, just keeps on going. It was a very complete and satisfying read and I'm glad I finally got to it!

Then, on my way to Seattle, I started to read The (Phantasmagorical) Astrarium Compendium

which I received from NetGalley... Ugh. Almost immediately, I began reading sentences to my husband, who begged me to stop because it was so bad. I got to about 5% and he asked why I was still going, and I said I thought I owed it at least 10% (it's ~400 pages.. I had it in Kindle format, so I'm not sure how many pages, exactly). It just... it's one of those books where every 3rd sentence (on average) ends in an exclamation point. Seriously. It was almost impossible to take it seriously. It also had .... I really didn't see the originality in it. It purported to be original, and it sounded interesting, but it pulled (way) too much from other classics and... well, at 10% I just couldn't anymore.

Then I read Paper Magician (ROOT 29).

Another great disappointment. I did finish this one (and it read quickly enough)... it just was... blah. It was incredibly predictable and cliched, even while attempting to do something different (a paper magician -- one who uses magic via paper). So.... yeah. Ready to move on...

And finally, I read about a third of From Notting Hill with Love Actually (ROOT 30).

I know some people really enjoyed this (including a good friend of mine!), but I couldn't do it. I understand the concept was that the main character is obsessed w/ movies, but McNamara took it too far and made too little story up herself. The characters are flatter than 2-dimensional, and if the ooooooobvious love interest grins one more time.......... argh. So Yeah. Couldn't.

Now.... reading Cloud Atlas, which promises to be a much better book.....

Looks like you are having a rough time finding a good read. At least you are whittling down your TBR pile.

I have The Golem and the Jinni sitting on my bookshelf. I should read it soon.

>14 avanders: Your luck with finding a good read is about the same for me, my last 3 being real stinkers!

Sorry to hear about the stinkers, but at least they're off the shelf now!

I tried to read From Notting Hill with Love Actually and just couldn't cope with it either. I don't even remember what it was about it except feeling like the heroine had some serious ostrich syndrome going on...

>14 avanders: Glad you liked The Golem and the Jinni. I just picked that one up recently, and I'm looking forward to it.

Pity that it was followed by such a bad run of books, though.

>15 craso: I know! It was a rough run.. But, yes, I was very happy to be whittling down the TBR Pile! :) And Cloud Atlas is quite good so far!

>16 Tess_W: yech! I sometimes wonder how that happens... is it my mood? Am I getting pickier? Just rotten luck? I imagine a combination ;)

>17 Jackie_K: exactly! :)

>18 Caramellunacy: glad to know I wasn't the only one! I talked to my friend about it -- she didn't disagree w/ my assessment, she just happened to be in the right place to read it for what it was when she did... I, apparently, wasn't ;)

>19 bragan: Hope you enjoy it! Yes, I know :P But I'm back "on" now, hopefully..... :)

Have you seen the film version of Cloud Atlas? I saw it and had absolutely no idea what was going on until I read the book. I certainly liked the book enough to get some others of his. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is even better and I've got Ghostwritten in the virtual TBR pile.

>21 Robertgreaves: no not yet! I am really looking forward to seeing it, but I definitely wanted to read the book first :)
Glad to hear it sounds like I made a sound decision... I generally don't like "spoiling the book," and if having read the book makes my movie-watching experience more comprehensible, all the better!

Yeah, I'm already impressed w/ his writing & story telling :) I have 1 of his other books (Cloud 9 something) on my shelves already, and I'm really looking forward to the Bone Clocks... :) Will also have to check out the Thousand Autumns one!

Status Update:

Still reading Cloud Atlas ... I am still quite enjoying it! But it is a little dense and I have suddenly become very busy! (summer...)
Hoping to have some down time in the next couple weeks though :) Once I'm done w/ Cloud Atlas, I have a couple early reviewers/member reviewers to get through (Boy Genius Detective Agency and Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights), and I'm still reading This Present Darkness (I've read less than 50 pages so far), Tale of Two Besties (with a friend who, I think, hasn't advanced much in the book ;)), and the audio books: Armada (eeeee!!!!!) and Acid (not too shabby)

Yep, SO super geeked excited about Armada ... can't believe it finally came!!

Wil Wheaton is an excellent reader, as I think many people already know :) Makes it extra enjoyable on my way to and from work!

>23 avanders: You just made me laugh! That picture/movie. LOL

Gad to hear you finally found a good book!

>23 avanders: LOL too funny!

Way to go! Such a lot of progress!

>23 avanders: This Present Darkness, now that's a blast from the past! I remember reading it in the late 80s and lapping it up, and then re-reading it in the mid-90s when I was a bit more cynical and actually crying with laughter reading it at how corny and badly written it was. I actually now wish I'd kept it (and the sequel, the name of which escapes me now) as sometimes you just need to go to something you know will be guaranteed to make you laugh.

>22 avanders: >27 Jackie_K: I loved This Present Darkness and its sequel Piercing the Darkness. They did make a movie, but it was awful.

>28 Tess_W: Piercing the Darkness, that's the one! I remember being so surprised when I re-read it - the story was still very good, but the corny conversational style of writing really threw me and made me laugh.

>24 connie53: lol glad to make you laugh! :)

>25 Tess_W: ;)

>26 karen_o: thank you! It's been a good reading year :)

>27 Jackie_K: I know.. I'm "one of the last" to read it, apparently ;) Yeah it's... definitely dated, but still enjoyable!

>28 Tess_W: Hmm, good to know about the movie! I'll watch it anyway, of course...... ;)

Oh, and update.. I'm winding down in Cloud Atlas. What a ... I don't even know. It's hard to describe the book. But I am definitely enjoying it and VERY much looking forward to finally seeing the movie! I'll finish it by tomorrow and have updated my roots already so they can be counted for July stats in case August is put up early ;)

Also, I won After Alice in the July ER batch, and I am excited to get a new Maguire! I loved Wicked, enjoyed the 2nd (Son of a Witch, I think), still have to read the 3rd and 4th in the series... Enjoyed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror alright... and just didn't like The Next Queen of Heaven... so after all THAT, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what he's doing now :)

I thought Wolkenatlas was a great book. So I'm happy you are enjoying it too.

I intend to get more involved in the August ROOT thread stuff. I feel I've neglected the June and July thread too much.

>32 connie53: Yes! And I finished it ON July 31st!

Cloud Atlas

(love this pic!)

I particularly enjoyed the New Seoul section (LOVE the way Mitchell wrote the concept of a corpocracy!). And I wasn't as thrilled w/ the Hawaii after-the-fall section. But, overall, a very satisfying and enjoyable read! Mitchell is clearly a master at enveloping his reader in the setting in which he's writing ... in a book that covers 6 completely different eras and perspectives, this challenge was nevertheless met with apparent ease. I can't wait to see the movie now! It's waiting for me at the library :) And I can't wait to read more Mitchell!


And >32 connie53: Aw, it's okay! Life happens! (and those threads can be intimidating ;))

>33 avanders: I have Cloud Atlas on the TBR shelves, and really need to get to it soonish, not least because I somehow keep constantly acquiring more David Mitchell books without reading the ones I have first. I figure I'll start with CA, but I can't help feeling a little intimidated by it, as I keep hearing it's a very complex book.

>33 avanders: I've had to many people tell me Cloud Atlas is difficult to understand they quit it half way through, so I'm very much in awe of you, Ava, because you are truly the first person that I know has finished it and liked it!

>35 Tess_W: I did finish and liked it, Tess. See >32 connie53: ;-))
I've read it in 2007 in 6 days and gave it a 7.

>34 bragan: lol I had the same problem.. I kept acquiring more Mitchell books without having read even one! That was also an issue w/ China Mieville books for a while (until I read The City & the City and is currently an issue with Alice Hoffman! You know... it's involved and dense and smart, so I'd say just be in a place where you're ready for that kind of read and it'll be great. If you're looking for something fluffy, it's not going to work ;)

>35 Tess_W: lol what's really weird is I swear one of my book group friends recommended it to me years ago, but no one in my book group has read it!
Hmm. Maybe it's just that they weren't in the right place to read it? Like I mentioned above, I think if you're not in the place to read something involved and dense, you might float too much on the surface and then find it too difficult? But for me, it was quite a satisfying read :)

>36 connie53: that's right! :) What was your favorite sixth? Just curious.... now that I've finally read it, I want to talk about it, but as Tess indicated.... not a lot of people have actually finished it! ;p

Updates:
I finished Armada

Loved it. So, I don't know if I would have loved it as much had I not been listening to Wil Wheaton (at 1.5 speed)... he's a great audio reader! But since I don't know until I do read it myself, I can only base my opinion on the audio version ;) And it was just wonderful. It's true sci-fi with aliens and spaceships and moon bases, but it's also a very accessible book about a kid who's lost his dad when he was a baby and grew up obsessed with video games, only to discover there's a LOT more to his obsession than it would appear. Yes, there are a lot of references to games and classic sci-fi movies and famous persons in the science and sci-fi genre (Carl Sagan being at the top of that list), but for me, it did not interrupt the story at all and, rather, gave it depth and humor and personality that I think the story, without the nostalgia, might have lacked. Overall, I just really loved this book. I have NO complaints about the book (at least, the audio version), and I will definitely get the actual book as well to read it "on my own" ;)


I'm currently actively reading Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights (an ER) (very good so far, but slower paced than I was expecting), Boy Genius Detective Agency (a member reviewer) (almost done with this bizarre comic-book style narrative), Acid (audio library book) (put it on hold while I listened to Armada ;)), and This Present Darkness (only reading on Sundays, and my Sundays have been very full lately!)

AND I bought a few BRAND NEW books. Man, there's just something about new books ;)
These are the books & their synopses from Amazon:
Bone Clocks

Following a terrible fight with her mother over her boyfriend, fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes slams the door on her family and her old life. But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: A sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as “the radio people,” Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena. Now, as she wanders deeper into the English countryside, visions and coincidences reorder her reality until they assume the aura of a nightmare brought to life.

For Holly has caught the attention of a cabal of dangerous mystics—and their enemies. But her lost weekend is merely the prelude to a shocking disappearance that leaves her family irrevocably scarred. This unsolved mystery will echo through every decade of Holly’s life, affecting all the people Holly loves—even the ones who are not yet born.

A Cambridge scholarship boy grooming himself for wealth and influence, a conflicted father who feels alive only while reporting on the war in Iraq, a middle-aged writer mourning his exile from the bestseller list—all have a part to play in this surreal, invisible war on the margins of our world. From the medieval Swiss Alps to the nineteenth-century Australian bush, from a hotel in Shanghai to a Manhattan townhouse in the near future, their stories come together in moments of everyday grace and extraordinary wonder.

How to be a Heroine

While debating literature’s greatest heroines with her best friend, thirtysomething playwright Samantha Ellis has a revelation—her whole life, she's been trying to be Cathy Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights when she should have been trying to be Jane Eyre.

With this discovery, she embarks on a retrospective look at the literary ladies—the characters and the writers—whom she has loved since childhood. From early obsessions with the March sisters to her later idolization of Sylvia Plath, Ellis evaluates how her heroines stack up today. And, just as she excavates the stories of her favorite characters, Ellis also shares a frank, often humorous account of her own life growing up in a tight-knit Iraqi Jewish community in London. Here a life-long reader explores how heroines shape all our lives.

Stone Mattress

In this extraordinary collection, Margaret Atwood gives us nine unforgettable tales that reveal the grotesque, delightfully wicked facets of humanity. “Alphinland,” the first of three loosely linked tales, introduces us to a fantasy writer who is guided through a stormy winter evening by the voice of her late husband. In “Lusus Naturae,” a young woman, monstrously transformed by a genetic defect, is mistaken for a vampire. And in the title story, a woman who has killed four husbands discovers an opportunity to exact vengeance on the first man who ever wronged her.

By turns thrilling, funny, and thought-provoking, Stone Mattress affirms Atwood as our greatest creator of worlds—and as an incisive chronicler of our darkest impulses.

Snow Child

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

That audio version of Armada sounds great. I do like Wil Wheaton.

>37 avanders: It's nice to know I'm not alone in my accumulation of unread David Mitchell novels! I'll just try to make of point of reading Cloud Atlas sometime when I know I'm going to be reasonably awake -- which is not always guaranteed, with my work schedule.

>38 avanders: I'm so glad you liked Armada! I'd seen a couple of responses saying that it was a terrible disappointment after Ready Player One, which I loved, and I was wondering whether I should avoid it. Your reaction has reassured me considerably.

>38 avanders: I've just picked up How to be a Heroine, too and started reading it yesterday. I'm only a few chapters in (and I haven't read some of the books that she's discussing), but it kind of makes me want to write something like it myself...

Maybe a blog post for my copious free time :)

>39 Jackie_K: have you heard other audio books by him? I was really pretty impressed w/ his range!

>40 bragan: lol nope ;)
Yes I also LOVED Ready Player One... and I'd also read the negative reviews of Armada... And maybe knowing that people were disappointed and why made my experience more enjoyable -- i.e., I didn't have heightened expectations that no one could meet based on my feelings re Ready Player One? Or maybe Wil Wheaton really elevated it? Or who knows, moods affect book reactions too... but yes, Loved it! :)

>41 Caramellunacy: Oooh I can't wait to read it! lol yeah, copious free time.... ;) If you do start up that kind of blog, share w/ us!

Finished Boy Genius Detective Agency...


I had a hard time really deciding what to rate this one... On the one had, it was a really quick read and it was really unique, interesting, silly, and kind of fun. On the other hand, there was such a lack of information presented, that I'm not sure is really necessary?

It's about a boy genius... whose age is never revealed, but based on context clues could be anywhere from .... 12 to 17? He's sort of girl-crazy, but doesn't care at all about his appearance; he's obviously super intelligent, but also kind of arrogant-a** about it; and he seems to be appealing to the opposite gender of various ages... ranging from, I don't know, 8 to 50? And his detective agency cohorts, Lollipop, who I think might be younger and less intelligent, and Bubble Gum, who is I think the same age as Boy Genius (aka Phidias) and perhaps just as smart. And they have started a "kid" detective agency and Boy Genius is concerned about not being taken seriously... when Wham! Boom! Bam! they're suddenly in the middle of some crazy sci-fi, super-villain, time-traveling, time-looping, telepathy whirlwind adventure. And the wham-boom-bam... it's a literal description. The book reads like a comic book, but without the actual pictures.

And it somehow works! Although there's virtually no set up of the overall book or each scene, somehow you have just enough information to mostly glean what is going on and keep turning the pages (quickly) to find out how it all resolves. And you mostly know at the end of it all. Or maybe not. Despite the plethora of unanswered questions (including, notably, how old Boy Genius and Bubble Gum are and... I don't believe we know when it takes place? (though it's definitely in the future)), it's a fun middle-grade book with bad guys, super-hero abilities, intrigue, hot women (perhaps a little too much focus on this?), and a clear ongoing plot-base (i.e., it's the beginning of a series). I think the younger generation will appreciate a book that seems much more catered to their way of thinking (maybe? at least insofar as the ADD plot & pace were concerned), though I am a little hesitant to suggest it to my friend's 12-year-old son because, really, Boy Genius has a serious wandering-eye, and it does not seem to matter how old the girl/woman is.

So. Enjoyable? yes. Quick fun read? yes. Amazing? well, no. But still recommended for something completely different.. and pretty well accomplished. So overall, .

>42 avanders: Having lowered expectations certainly can help a lot. I'll try not to let mine get too high. :)

>44 bragan: Sometimes it's hard... ;)

So I bought some more books this weekend... but it was a friend's estate sale and I was only trying to help out... ;) Plus, at that price? 6 books for $6!
I bought the Eragon series...

I'd read the 1st years ago, when it first came out... but I don't know if I ever read the 2nd and I definitely didn't get to the 3rd or 4th. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either, and I think I was left definitely curious as to how it all went. So now I'll know! (or, more likely, in a few years when I get around to reading them ;))

And then Sharp Objects, which my friend recommended as a fan of Gone Girl..


And Wolves of the Calla because, if I'm going to re-read the series, may as well buy them when I see them in good shape for a good price!

PS I really enjoyed the Cloud Atlas movie, but I can definitely see that reading the book first would be advantageous! I wasn't confused about anything because I already knew the stories.. but there was a lot that moved fast and went unexplained, so I certainly understand why people thought it was too complicated!

Sorry for the loss of your friend.

It's amazing how often our better natures just force us to buy books against our will, isn't it?

Such a good friend you are!;)

>47 Robertgreaves: thank you, but sorry, that was very sloppy language on my part! It was my friend's sale.. Not her estate .. Was her relative who passed, and I was just helping w the sale (both by being there and also by buying books :))

And >47 Robertgreaves: and >48 Tess_W: lol yes, we must buy books.. To help! ;)

It's like when people bring their home-baked brownies to work. One wouldn't like to offend by refusing, now would one?

Okay here we go

>34 bragan: >37 avanders: I do that too! Buying every book by a certain writer without ever reading one.

>37 avanders: To be honest. I don't remember which person I liked the most. It's just the feel of the book I remember.

>38 avanders: Kind van sneeuw Ahh, there you have a very fine book. I gave it and read the book in 2013.

>45 avanders: Lots of good books there!

>50 Robertgreaves: lol exactly!

>51 connie53: The worst is when you buy all the books... and then the first you read is a dud ;P Fortunately that doesn't happen too often when I go on those author-sprees :)

Cloud Atlas: And that's fair... I hardly remember the details of some of my favorite books... I just know I loved them!

Re Snow Child -- I've heard SUCH good things about it! Your 4.5* review is icing on the cake! Must read it soon....

>52 avanders: Yes, please do and tell me what your thoughts are!

>53 connie53: will do! :)

I've finished Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, an ARC from the June LT ER batch. Review to come...

Ok a lot of reading lately, but not a lot of reviewing! In brief, I finished Acid (audio library book) , Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye (NetGalley) , and The Midwich Cuckoos (audio library book)

I'm currently reading The Night Parade (Kathryn Tanquary) (NetGalley), 13 Reasons Why (audio library book - was a BB here), and still reading This Present Darkness (only on Sundays and Sundays have been busy!) (the only ROOT right now!)

And for this month, I still intend to read A Visit From the Goon Squad (Book Club Book & a ROOT) and After Alice (ARC (LT Jul)), which I just received last night!

Reviews for the Rushdie book and Warren the 13th will come...

Wow, that's a lot of reading on the go!

You will feel good when you wrap all those books up?!

>56 Jackie_K: heh yeah... and honestly, while I used to do it a lot up through college, I intentionally stopped all those years ago, and now I find myself "regressing" ;p It's okay though... I think that 3 is probably the "Sweet spot" for now: given that I read 1 book on Sundays, 1 while driving to and from work, and 1 as my "regular book".. so I'm about there now :D

>57 Tess_W: DEFinitely! I... get so darn excited about early reviewers! But then I hit the point (like now :)), where I want to stop reading the "obligation" books and just get back to my own shelves.... Soon! :)

Here's my review on Warren the 13th

Review based on free copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just what it purported to be: a quick, fun, quirky story about Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye. It is populated with classic fairy-tale characters, including a quirky, sweet, smart (though not terribly smart), and relatable main character; the imaginary or non-imaginary but definitely weird and quirky side-kick and/or best friend; the missing or dead parents; the oblivious relative caring for the protagonist; the evil pointy villain who only shows her true evil'ness to the hero; and a mystery with supernatural implications.

Immediately, I liked Warren - the 12-year-old sole bellhop to the Warren, the hotel that has been owned and run by every prior Warren up to him. Because his father died when Warren was 7, he has to wait many years before he can officially take over. Meanwhile, his lazy uncle has taken over and the place has fallen into complete disrepair. Warren is completely likable. Even though he may have yellow ringlets and a toad-like face with weird spaced out teeth... he's charismatic, hard-working, and optimistic. I immediately trusted him and his perspective, and I immediately wanted for him to overcome the nasty step-mother and the eventual evil villain.


Overall, I thought del Rio did an excellent job of juxtaposing the characters one from another -- perhaps the characters were a little stock and two-dimensional, but for a middle grade modern "fairy tale," it was just right. I love the sheer oblivion and laziness of the uncle, the questionable character of his new best friend, and the creep-factor of Paleface.

The plot moved quickly with a lot of fun, crazy things happening. The heros were in just enough fixes with just enough uncertainty to keep the plot moving. I enjoyed the variety in location, and I appreciated the type and amount of outside factors used throughout. The only thing I didn't *love* was every part of the resolution. Parts of it were great and fit in well, but I though that just 1 or 2 bits were perhaps a bit too... convenient. (no spoilers!) I also LOVED the illustrations.

Overall, a great middle grade book that I will DEFinitely purchase for my friend's 12-year-old male son (or his 7-year-old sister!).
FOUR of five stars.

>59 avanders: Sounds like a lovely and enticing read!

>60 Tess_W: I thought so! :)

Hi Ava! *waves* That sounds like my favorite kind of book growing up. As always, I enjoyed your recommendations!

Just waving, Ava! You are reading a lot of books at the same time! And you are so organized about that. I'm reading three books too, which means I'm reading one and the other two are patiently waiting.

>62 Shutzie27: and >63 connie53: waving back!
Glad you enjoyed the recommendations Christina :)
And yes, Connie... perhaps I need to re-think my whole situation ;) But I do tend to be pretty organized about... well, everything ;p
lol yeah! That is definitely how it plays out, isn't it!

Finished Thirteen Reasons Why...


It's about: Hannah, a teenager who decides to commit suicide. But, before she does, she makes recordings on tape cassettes explaining why and pointing to 13 very specific reasons (people). She tells her story from where she sees the beginning, and explains how each of the 13 people who get copies of the recordings either contributed to her decision or could have helped her and didn't.

The thing is, it's uncomfortable, and the main character is at times very off-putting and unrelatable - in many ways a typical selfish self-obsessed teenager... and yet, I think the book should be REQUIRED reading for all 8th graders. Maybe even younger, I'm not sure.

Asher did an amazing job of going through the actual psyche and impact that various words and actions have had on Hannah that led her to kill herself. And although these words and actions will not always have the same impact on all teenagers, it is certainly not unusual for this type of reaction -- the isolation and fear and depression that results. At the same time, Asher did an amazing job with Clay (the other narrator) and hope and awareness.

Such an impressive feat.
An easy (based on audio version, listened to at 1.5 speed)

And finally, review on Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights


I don't know why this one was so hard for me to review. Rushdie has written a lyrical and poetic tale that is supposed to be a spin on 1001 nights. It is about a storm in the approximate-now (a little in the future) that resulted in 1001 nights of "strangenesses," a near-millennium long debate between two philosophers that began in the far past and continued into the time of the strangenesses, and a historical account of the narrators' ancestors, who began with one of the philosophers and continued into the 1001 nights of strangenesses. So right, that doesn't clear it up.

It's about a jinni who falls in love with a philosopher in the past, who allows him to mistreat her and refuse to marry her and give all of her children (with him) his legitimate name, and who passes back into her own world for nearly a thousand years, while their children have children and so on until there are many descendants all over the world and we are in the approximate-now. It is then about a re-awakening of the philosopher and his philosophical nemesis and their continued intellectual debate which turns into a physical war, apparently between the jinn and the humans but, at its heart, between the two philosophies. It then becomes about the war and the strangenesses that are indicative of that time when the jinn sought to take control and the humans, many descendants of the jinni-who-fell-in-love and her philosopher, who fought back. And it is all told as a history, from the perspective of the future (near-1000 years in the future) descendants of the descendants.

Maybe that's why it's been so hard to review... it's much to wrap your head around. It is interesting and it is pretty and it is thought-provoking. It is romantic and harsh and philosophical. It is historical and analytical and distant. It is so many things (in not that many pages!), and it is a dense, thoughtful read. And it is enjoyable, but not fun. It is fulfilling in many ways, but not complete. Its focus is broad - covering millennia - and yet it is almost only about 1 person (the jinni who fell in love with a human). And it is even funny. Rushdie throws in a lot of repetition about the obsession of the jinn (sex) that, in lesser hands would have been infuriating but was, instead, point-making and amusing. I really appreciated a lot about the book. I liked Rushdie's story and imagination and his take on the 1001 nights.

What weren't so great to me were the pace and the fact that it seemed a bit unfocused. I would have liked the book to be a little more intentional about being 1 thing or another. I would have loved Rushdie's take on the fantastical or Rushdie's romance and philosophy or Rushdie's political waxing as a historical tome... but attempting all 3 at once ended up feeling a bit slow and cumbersome. It also felt a bit unfocused... I'm not sure why - it's not simply the time-period or the variety of characters that are covered - I think it was the constant shift in perspective, perhaps without enough of a shift in perspective. Maybe there was too much sameness with all the differences. I'm not sure, but it felt, to me, a little unfocused and a little belabored.

Nevertheless, I am very glad to have read this. I am looking forward to more Rushdie. I would definitely recommend to Rushdie fans. I would also recommend to those interested in a philosophical evaluation of our time with some fantasy thrown in for good measure. But I'm not sure I would recommend to someone looking for a quick fun magic-realism tale - this one takes on a more serious tone and pace.
All in all, .

Okay, I'm a little behind on reading threads :(. But I just wanted to say...

>38 avanders: I cannot wait to read Armada!! My husband's birthday is in a couple of weeks, it's on his wish list, and I'm crossing my fingers that he gets it. Lol. Also,

>46 avanders: I loved the Cloud Atlas movie, even though it was confusing and I wasn't sure I totally "got" it. I've wanted to read the book ever since but haven't gotten around to it (your comments on it make me want to get around to it) :).

Your reviews are great!

>67 readingtangent: Well if he ;) gets Armada for his bday, let me know what you think of it!
and yes, re Cloud Atlas... I think enjoyment of the movie is definitely increased by the book. Though it is a dense book!

>68 Tess_W: well thanks! Glad you enjoy them :)

And I'm about to be off... Taking another trip, not so much a vacation ;)
Going back home (one of the 3 places I consider home) to Chicago to get the 'rents & bring 'em back w/ me to the Southwest!

Book-wise, I will bring w/ me After Alice, which I'm enjoying so far, This Present Darkness, which I'm about 1/2-done with now, and another ROOT tbd once I get home and look at the shelves one last moment before heading to the airport!

I'm not bringing my kindle (w/ currently-reading Night Parade (Kathryn Tanquary) on it) or Goon Squad because a friend has my paperback copy..

Excited to just PICK a book off the shelves! :D

Off I go...


sigh I do miss it sometimes...

>70 avanders: Enjoy the trip, safe travels!

Enjoy your trip, Ava!

Hope you have a great trip!

Have fun!

>71 Jackie_K: >72 connie53: >73 Familyhistorian: >74 Tess_W: Thank you!
Alas, "fun" was not the appropriate word... the trip was long and hard because it turns out my dad's health was ... much much worse than they had let on. But we made it.. just in time. We made it to the house Sunday evening, and w/in hours had to call 911 and dad was taken to the ER. It's been a loooong week, but his health is definitely improved, he's been moved from ER to IMC to General and will (hopefully!) be moving again to the in-patient physical therapy facility tomorrow! So I've been MIA here until today and I've read very little... but I'm looking forward to both getting back into something of a routine & to the folks being a lot closer so we can keep a much better eye on them!

Books: I finished The Night Parade which was a ... sweet thing (much more later as it's an early reviewer :)), and am still reading After Alice. I am also still listening to Boneman's Daughters in the car, and I am going to get in A Visit From the Goon Squad, which we're reading for book group next month.

So, overall, a relatively slow month for me, but looking forward to fall & winter reading!

Yikes! I am glad to hear that your dad is doing better after the ER scare. Hope you get back into the reading routine soon to ease some of the stress.

Glad to hear things turned out right in the end. Here's hoping for continued improvement.

That's been quite a scare. Crossing fingers that things will continue to improve.

>76 rabbitprincess: >77 Robertgreaves: >78 MissWatson: Thank you for you kind words! Did finally hear from the PT facility, and he should be transferred today! :)

Oh yikes, what a fright that must have given you. I'm glad that he's seemingly on the mend, I hope the transfer happened!

>80 Jackie_K: - yep, transferred on Tues evening... :) And thanks - he is seemingly on the mend... I hope (and expect ;)) that he continues to progress in the right direction!

Sorry to hear about your dad's health, but glad he is on the mend.

So sorry to hear about your dad, Ava. That really is not FUN at all! But I read here that your dad is getting better. I hope it will stay that way. Hugs and lots of kind thoughts to you and the family!

>82 Tess_W: and >83 connie53: thank you! Yes, he's doing much better! He's actually lost over 70 pounds of mostly water weight just since he went to the hospital on 8/30! (they've been focusing on draining the liquids that have been building up as a result of his heart issues) That's a LOT of extra water to carry around! He's walking so much better now and seems ... well, very much on his way!

No real update on the reading. Still need to write my review for the Night Parade.. almost done w/ Boneman's Daughters... more than halfway through After Alice, which I think is taking way longer to read than is really warranted.... But looking forward to hopefully having more time to read soon!

OK finished After Alice and Boneman's Daughters, both
I owe 2 reviews now! (For After Alice & Night Parade (no review on Boneman's Daughters -- all I'll say is: Interesting style - a lot of repetition w/ certain points, which I think drove them home and gave a sense of the psychology of the characters; very interesting plot and good thriller'y book with a strong sense of what-will-be-fixed-in-time; and I did not love the ending. I just didn't. Lots of it (the ending) was good, but one of the main components of the ending struck me wrong... otherwise, I think I would have given it an even higher rating :) Note: listened to on audio at 1.5 speed).)

NOW finally onto A Visit from the Goon Squad, both a ROOT & a book group book! :)

Review of The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary


Review based on advanced reader copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What I think I enjoyed most about this book is the imagination that went into it. This is something I would like to recommend to my friends' children (only because I don't yet have my own!) because it's smart and thoughtful and ultimately has a good message without feeling preachy.

Saki (middle-grade) is forced to spend several days during her precious summer vacation in the village where her grandmother lives, preparing for the annual Obon ceremony (honoring the dead), rather than with her friends in her big-city Tokyo. She is, as expected, sullen about the retreat, spending the time with her family, and being without good signal on her cell phone. Looking for any way to have some real fun during this antiquated ritual time, Saki agrees to go with several local kids (typical troublemakers) to her family's property and dishonors it in an attempt to prove both her bravery and her coolness. Saki unknowingly invokes a death curse and opens the door to the spiritual world.

In the nights that follow -- the nights of the Night Parade -- Saki is guided by various spirits, meets good and evil spirits, and learns a lot about the village, the importance of the rituals and honor, and herself.

I thought Saki was written beautifully. She is a complex character, accurately depicting that pre-teen/teen angst, apathy, anger, care, and innocence all at once. She is frustrating and endearing and ultimately tries to do the right thing. I like that the path was not easy, that things were not always what they seemed, and that little efforts made big differences, both good and bad.

The book is pretty and soft and gentle, while addressing big and hard and deep issues. It is not fast paced, but it is steady and consistent throughout. And, as I said, ultimately, I think the things that Saki learns throughout her experiences in the book are great things. And I think the book pulls off an impressive feat by merging Japanese legends, universal truths, and difficult physical and emotion lessons with a beautiful, creative, and imaginative background, populated by a unique array of friends and foes.

I would definitely recommend (and give!) to smart middle and high schoolers open to something beautiful and thought provoking, and to anyone looking for the same!
(and a beautiful cover to boot!)
FOUR of five stars.

>85 avanders: Hit by a BB! Thanks Ava!

And in comment on your remarks in Bragan's thread:

I would like to avoid knee surgery but walking is getting more painful each day and I really would like to get rid of that. I have made an appointment with a well known orthopaedic surgeon in October and I hope he has a solution for the pain. And if a new knee is needed, so be it!

And I agree with your remark on reading alone. I don't mind some music in the background, but Peet is here too and he is constantly zapping from one CSI episode to another. And that is very distracting for me. So I rather sit outside.

>87 connie53: hee hee, you bet! ;)

Ah yes, that makes sense re the knees.... regardless of what happens, I hope all of your knee pain disappears!

And yes re reading alone... it's esp. hard when the TV is on in the same room, even if it's something I don't particularly want to watch! (exceptions: sports on TV and, for some reason, cooking shows, even though I do find those interesting if I'm watching them.)

Another Library Book Sale! Not even a clearance sale, and I still managed to acquire a bunch of new books. :-o


New (to me) books:
1. The Gunslinger (read once, but am planning on re-reading the whole series, so here it is again!)
2. Forever Odd book 2 in the series
3. Odd Thomas book 1 in the series
4. Brother Odd book 3 in the series - have read, but didn't know at the time that it was part of a series, enjoyed it & will read whole series...
(Sandra Brown books for my mom; Big Trouble was an accidental repeat)
5. Broken Homes have read 2, have a 3rd from the library, and this is the fourth...
6. Airframe bc Crichton
7. Rising Sun ditto
8. Next same
9. Alienist
10. Sycamore Row - actually the sequel to A Time to Kill.. neither of which I've yet read
11. A Time to Kill
(Holiday Grind and Decaffeinated Corpse are repeats of kindle versions)
12. The Trouble with Magic - these themed murder mysteries are fun...
13. Hocus Croakus
14. September Mourn
15. Back to School Murder
16. A Killer Stitch
17. A Charmed Death
18. Whodunits: More Than 100 Mysteries for You to Solve
19. Naked Pictures of Famous People
20. Neither Here Nor There
21. Dave Barry's Greatest Hits
22. The Janissary Tree
(A Most Wanted Man was an accidental duplicate)
23. The Redbreast

And THEN, woe unto me, I bought MORE books from thriftbooks.com AND Amazon.

24. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders - recommended by friend at work
25. Machine of Death - book group book for November
26. Fantastic Adventures: May 1939 - this may be a magazine, I'm not sure, but I'm SUPER geeked mostly for the picture on the back cover. ;) Long story.
27. Renovation of the Heart - reading for small group w/ church
28. You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled - this was a BB from someone on here, I can't remember who right now...
29. Mistletoe Murder - because I wanted to actually read the first in the series
30. Drawing of the Three - see #1, above
31. Just Desserts - because why not buy more themed mysteries?! (Yeah, starting to feel a little crazy here!!)
32. Catering to Nobody: A Novel of Suspense - yep, more. I blame incoming fall...
33. Odd Hours more in the Odd Series (see #s 2-4, above)
34. English Tea Murder
36. Blueberry Muffin Murder just... couldn't... stop...

.

Holy mackerel! That is quite the haul!! I hope you like Airframe and the Dave Barry book.

>90 rabbitprincess: hee hee D-:
I take it you've read those? I have read nothing by either author! So I'm looking forward to testing them out a bit... :)

The Janissary Tree is great. It's the first in a detective series set in 19th century Istanbul. We read it in my Real Life book club last year and a friend tried to re-create one of the meals described. Great fun.

>92 Robertgreaves: I've heard that from another friend too... We accidentally read the 4th in the series for my RL book group and I definitely felt I needed to go back to the beginning :) Very cool that your friend tried to re-create one of the meals... I assume "tried" indicates that s/he didn't quite succeed? ;)

PS RAIN! We're getting a little rain here now and, as a pluviophile through-and-through, I'm thrilled :D

Looks a little like this out my window right now...


(for those of you who don't recognize the term -- definition. Also, I didn't know all these terms before, but I'm all 4 of these! I suppose they do kind of go hand-in-hand for many... :)

>94 avanders: The Greeks can make a word for everything! I love all of these myself, but thunderstorms are best enjoyed from inside looking out.

>95 MissWatson: yeah they do! And agreed... thunderstorms are amazing from inside looking out :D

>93 avanders: There is an overall story arc so it's best to read them in order. I say she 'tried' to re-create the meal because the information in the book gives you the general idea rather than precise instructions, so although the result was very tasty we don't really know how authentic it was. We also went to a Turkish restaurant but they didn't have those particular dishes on the menu.

>97 Robertgreaves: Now I am really curious. Off to find a copy.

oh, and I defy anybody's jaw not to drop slightly at the Valide's back story.

>89 avanders: wow that is a huge haul! Neither here nor there is the only one that I've read before (I enjoyed it, as I do all Bill Bryson's books).

>97 Robertgreaves: Ah, well that's good to know! Glad I bought the first book :) And that makes sense about the recipe -- impressive that she was able to make something tasty w/out instructions!

>100 Jackie_K: I seem to be collecting Bryson's books... I haven't yet read a one, though my husband really liked the Australia one... :)

>101 avanders: oh you have a lot of treats in store! I loved the Australia one too. It's just such gentle humour, but (based on his book on travelling round the UK) very very well observed, I often laughed out loud.

>102 Jackie_K: I'm really looking forward to them! :)

And finally! My review for After Alice


Review based on advanced review copy received for free in exchange for an honest review.

I am no stranger to Gregory Maguire. I started with Wicked , as everyone should. I was wow'd. After Alice did not completely move me, as Wicked did. However, it was a wonderful little novel with a lot of the magic that Maguire showed in Wicked coming through.

As the title and cover imply, After Alice is somehow a take on Alice in Wonderland. However, this story does not really track Alice, per se; rather, it tracks her awkward, chunky, physically disabled friend Ada.

Ada is mentioned in Carroll's own Alice only in passing (passage at the beginning of After Alice shows only mention of Ada's long ringlets). In Maguire's version, Ada is a difficult, perhaps abrasive, curious, but sweet-hearted child, with a near-full body back-brace and an inclination to get in trouble. Ada perhaps intentionally misunderstands the instruction to bring Alice some marmalade and uses the opportunity to escape not only the vicarage, where she lives with her noisy baby brother, but also her governess who is always attempting to correct Ada into ... well, into someone perhaps more like Alice.

Ada sees the famous white rabbit with a timeclock and, as we know Alice has done, follows the rabbit and falls down the hole to wonderland.

Everything from the fall itself to Ada's experiences in Wonderland and the various "people" she meets down there are described with a very strong nod to the images and stories we know from the traditional Alice. Unsurprisingly, Maguire's take is dark. There is an ominous presence hanging over everything and even careless death occurs without the batting of an eye.

Additionally, amidst Ada's adventures, Maguire takes us back and forth between her nanny's awful day (she has lost one of her charges!), Alice's sister's day (her very teenage confusing feelings about her mother's recent passing and the attentions of an American visitor and his black adoptee), and Siam, the black child who has escaped slavery and worse under the care of Mr. Winter (the American). And there are, I believe, a few other perspectives as well.

Yet Maguire is certainly a talented writer, and the varying perspectives work well together, moving together toward a climax in Wonderland and in the real world around the same time.

I enjoyed the story and the magic that Maguire weaves into the everyday, and the everyday that Maguire weaves into the magical... and I was particularly impressed with the ending.... something about it (no spoilers!) just... I don't know, it almost made me feel as if the world were unsteady for a few moments.

What I didn't love... all I really didn't love about the book might be the pacing. I say "might be" because I had so much going on in my own life while I was reading this, it is hard to tell if the book or real life was the cause of my relatively slow read. Regardless, I thought it was a pretty, enjoyable read. I would recommend to fans of Maguire, to fans of Alice in Wonderland, and to fans of magical realism and fantasy. FOUR of five stars.

Your review is fantastic!

>105 Tess_W: Thanks! glad you enjoyed it! :)

Hi Ava, I love the picture of the rain!

But I'm a sun lover (Solisophile?)

>104 avanders: that is a great review. It's not really my kind of book, I don't think, but your review is really tempting me!

>107 connie53: That's a good guess! According to this website, http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/philias.html, it's actually augophilia: (bright lights, glare, sunlight) or heliophilia (the sun or sunlight) or phengophilia (daylight or sunshine) ... I suppose it depends on what you like about it? Like if what you like about it is the fact that it's bright, then you're an augophile; if what you like about it is that it's the sun, then a heliophile; and if what you like about it is that it's daytime, then a phengophile? Just guessing from context clues ;)

other interesting 'philes: http://mentalfloss.com/article/53610/15-philes-and-what-they-love

>108 Jackie_K: thanks! Hmm... what about it generally makes you think it's not your kind of book? I can tell you if it's a prevailing part of the book.... :)

> Yes, I'm a heliophile! Love the sun!

>110 connie53: hee hee, that's the opposite of me ;)

Welp.... I did NOT read much this month!!
(although my final numbers look worse than they really are because I started a bunch that I'll have to finish in Oct ;))
Hopefully Oct will be a BIG month for me!
NO new ROOTs this month; only 3 "regular" books read (2 ARCs & a library book)....

>109 avanders: I'm usually a bit of a wuss so things that are generally dark in tone stay with me and trouble me more than they should given that they're not actually real! I think it uses up too much emotional energy. But from your review it is kind of tempting me to toughen up a bit! :)

>113 Jackie_K: ah well... Maguire has a dark mind, but I've never found him particularly disturbing. Of course, I to tend toward dark.... So I'd say, read other reviews and see if you can get a sense of whether you would rather not read it. It's.... you know, there is definitely a disturbing element to it, especially once all is said and done. Have you read other Maguire?

Also, update... I finally finished another ROOT!
Visit From the Goon Squad
Really nicely done...

I haven't read any other Maguire, no. I'm also feeling quite tempted by Wicked, as I don't think I've heard anyone ever say a bad thing about it, either the book or the musical!

Well I loved Wicked (as noted in my review for After Alice) ;) It is also dark... but it is a really great piece. I'd hate to recommend something that would leave you disturbed! But if you're inclined to read it, you know you best :)

Also, finished Legend of Sleepy Harlow

Fun & just the perfect mystery to kick off fall!

Oh yeah and I went to Hastings and found ... just a couple more used books that I apparently had to add to my collection :-o

1. The Stranger's Magic (Max Frei) #3 in a series that I've started

2. Version 43 - just stumbled upon these (this & the next 2) and they look fun!

3. Red Claw

4. Artemis (also by Philip Palmer)

5. Ghostwalk

6. A Crossworder's Holiday (yeah these just seem fun :))
7. The Windup Girl

8. Shopaholic & Baby (I have the 1st 3 in the series.. haven't read any yet, but I hear they're fun also :))

So THEN of course I HAD to finish a couple sets on Amazon (used):

9. Stranger's Woes (#2 in the series)
(#1 was just The Stranger:
)
10. Stranger's Shadow (#4 in the series)
11. Debatable Space (first fiction novel written by Palmer, I believe)


SOooo yeah.

>117 avanders: WOW ! WOW !

Nice haul, Ava.

>111 avanders: One thing to disagree about! Imagine that. Amazing.

>118 connie53: lol thanks! I sure enjoyed it ;)

And yes, of all the things... ;)

Finished Invasion of the Tearling - audio library book.
Loved it. Can't wait for the 3rd book in the series -- Fate of the Tearling. Also can't wait for the movie (for the 1st book)!!

Reading Witches Protection Program - a NetGalley early reviewer and The Circle on audio from the library.
Still very slowly making my way through This Present Darkness -- finding less and less time to read on Sundays, but hoping that trend reverses in the fall ;) And also reading Renovation of the Heart for church small group.

And I have several books checked out from the library that I'm hoping to get to this month ;)
Lots of reading!
Happy Fall!!

Soooooo, another library book sale! Let's just call 2015 the year of looooots of new books. ;) Here are the books I found at the library book sale (plus about 10 of these are from thrift stores that day) (sorry about the orientation.. they're right on my computer & the html code to rotate it didn't work on LT! - feel free to check out slightly larger, correctly oriented pics on my blog here):


65 non-duplicates (2 are duplicates, oops!)
As you can see, I've continued my ... present obsession w/ what I've learned are called "Cozy Mysteries"... the perfect fall reading!

Also, finished the early reviewer (NetGalley) Witches Protection Program


This was a decent supernatural action-adventure book with some interesting characters and a creative plot.

Wes has spent his life being second to all in his family, struggling to prove that he deserves the Rockville family name as a police officer under his father's directorship. Unfortunately, on his first assignment, he makes his first huge mistake, resulting in an escaped prisoner and embarrassment to the Rockville family name. Without giving Wes a second chance, his father transfers him to a different department for his last chance in the force.

With all the pouting, grunting, and moaning to make a 13-year-old teenage girl proud, Wes goes to his new boss. There, Wes discovers that not only are there witches in the world, but they are separated into two factions (the wicked willas and the good davinas) and infiltrate every aspect of every-day-living (including hollywood and the tabloids). Grumbling every step along the way, Wes accompanies his new boss Alastair to meet an old davina Junie, who expresses her concern over what appears to be a huge willa plot.

Enter Morgan Pendragon - heir to a multi-billion dollar cosmetics corporation currently run by her aunt - and the story is on its way. Morgan is an apparent davina who is doing nothing more than just trying to stay under the radar; unfortunately, her aunt wants her to hand over the rights to run the company and Morgan does everything in her... power... to avoid doing just that. However, because of what Junie knows and Alastair/Wes suspect, Morgan will soon have to confront her aunt and her wishes, face to face.

The plot is fast, the pace is well done, and the story is fun. I liked Alastair and Scarlett (the aunt's #1 protege) in particular - they were very well written and not quite as... predictable as the others. I also thought some of the minor characters were nice additions -- Jasmine and Wu to name a couple -- and I liked some of the less conventional mini-sub-plots that Cash (author) threw in there.

What I didn't love as much were the often-stilted conversations, the over-stereotypical behaviors of many of the characters (Morgan and her aunt, in particular), and the incredibly immature, unbelievably whiney and snarky Wes who was, unfortunately, the main character of the story.

Fortunately, Wes does show some growth throughout the book and ends up much more mature and respectful by the end of the book -- which I do think was the point.

Overall, a fun, fast read that I'd recommend to anyone who felt that the plot was right up their alley. I expect this to be a series based on how it was set up, and I would definitely be curious to see how it continues!

>121 avanders: Oh My Goodness Gracious Me! That is a *lot* of books! :D

>121 avanders: What an amazing haul!

>121 avanders:. That are tooooooo many books! I bet you are creating new ROOTs for 2016 ;-))

>121 avanders: Holy moley! That is astounding! Looks like a resounding success ;)

>123 Jackie_K: >124 MissWatson: >125 connie53: and >126 rabbitprincess:
lol yes... it was an unfortunate influx of books given that next month is the library clearance sale ... ;)
But so exciting! (and "success" sounds like the right word to me! :))
lol Connie -- DEFinitely creating a lot of new ROOTs for 2016!

Finished Charms & Chocolate Chips ... Cates is a pretty good author and did a good job w/ the mystery and the pacing. I definitely found myself reading through this quickly. I thought the occult stuff could lose some audience-members - it was a very persistent theme throughout the story - but it is the "schtick" with this series, so was certainly appropriate in that sense :) I probably won't read more in the series, but it was a fine way to pass a warm fall October day!

Oh wow! That is quite the addition. So much fun buying books isn't it?

>129 LittleTaiko: tooooooo much fun.... ;)

And I thought I bought a lot of books! That is quite a haul!

>121 avanders: Great haul! I have read many of the YA books and the good news is that they are easy (but good) reads you can do in one sitting. I can honestly say that I have NOT brought home 65 books at one time--not even half that! Good luck!

>131 Familyhistorian: lol yeah.. I really canNOT repeat this year again....

>132 Tess_W: nice! I bought some for me to read, but I just like having different level of books around for all my friends' kids.. when they come over w/o some form of entertainment, I like having good things around for them too :)

lol I ... have done close to 65 before, though I think this is also a personal record for me. But last time I did "close to 65"... it was a clearance sale (you can fit 30+ books in 1 bag and that bag only costs $5.. so, I mean.... you HAVE to get a lot ;))

Update -- I came to Virginia this weekend (Fri-Sun) for "work" meeting (in quotes bc it's actually a professional association related to work, and not a direct work function)...
What a BEAUTIFUL state. I had NO idea. I went to Colonial Williamsburg (SO cool) and stayed in Richmond and saw the beautiful U of Richmond campus and went to Virginia Beach and Charlottesville! VERY busy weekend. I found limited time to read...

So I'm really enjoying The Midnight Gardener (Auxier) and The Circle (Eggars) and I'm also enjoying Moon Over Soho .. but haven't yet finished any.

Also, I "won" 2 new "ER's" from NetGalley (this is a very air-quote-filled post ;)) so I'm going to have to get on that when I get back, which will definitely interrupt my flow! But happy to be reading good books!

3 finished! All library books....
The Midnight Gardener (Auxier) Fantastic.

The Circle Loved it.

Moon Over Soho Good! Quickish fun read - will continue the series. :)

Now to read Death Before Decaf (a NetGalley ER) ...

>135 avanders: Funny! Your stars for De cirkel gives me hope for this book. Some of my friends did not think to much about it. Now it's moving up the TBR pile.

>136 connie53: Yeah, I think it's one of those books that is probably really polarizing... I was clearly on the "loved it!" side. ;) Once you read it, I will definitely look forward to hearing your thoughts!

I don't know that I disagree w/ some of the critiques I've read, per se.. I just think those things didn't really bother me. And I loved the speculative aspect of it and thinking about that sort of "social media" monster that is depicted...

And update on reading... still reading Death Before Decaf... just haven't had much time to read the last week or so!

But I just found out I won Slade House in the October ER -- so Super excited about that!

>138 avanders: Congrats on winning the book, Ava! And my reading is a bit slow too. Maybe it's that time of the year.

>139 connie53: thanks! :D
Yeah, I think it gets so BUSY in the fall!

Well.. I only managed to read 1 ROOT in October (and 7 "others")... will try to be more diligent this month!
Also, after meandering through the threads... I think I need to re-hunker down on this whole concept... I want to be reading more ROOTs and NOT acquiring over 200 books in a year! (I'm only at a net gain of 195 at this point, but I will be heading to the library clearance sale in a couple weeks and... well. I will try to re-hunker down AFTER that ;))

But seriously, I think I need to reevaluate my present 2016 plan.... ;)

Also, finished Death Before Decaf
Still need to review it for NetGalley, but it was an ok cozy mystery -- I didn't love the romantic aspect (it was cliched and clunky at the same time), but the mystery itself was interesting!

Need to get to some of the other ERs that are starting to get old.. Just got so busy!
And I have a new one coming in - Slade House - which I am *really* excited about!

Ok... Let's focus in November......

>141 avanders: Hi. I was very exited to see that Slade house was translated. So I put it on my wishlist for my thingameanniversary that's coming up in a few day.

8 books for October total is very good. Them not being ROOT's not so, but hey! You can't ignore the new and shiny ones!

I'm going to include new shiny books as ROOTs next year. That way I'll feel less guilty about reading them, *and* contribute to the total. After all, they are on the shelf waiting to be read.

>142 connie53: Fun! Thingameanniversary... how many years is it for you now? For me... Let's see, I've been here a few months over 8 years :) Weird.....

lol yeah... not so good, but sooo true that I just couldn't ignore the new and shiny ones....
the thought of it....


;)

>143 Jackie_K: Yes yes of course! Meaning.... even shiny new ones you buy next year? Or shiny new ones you bought this year?
I am really really going to try to focus on MY books next year. More than this year. And try to stay away from the library. And the bookstore.

>144 avanders: I mean books I buy even in the ROOT year (this year, apart from a couple, I have tried to stick to books bought before 2015). I have found this year in particular (maybe because I got so many!) I have felt both guilty and a bit 'what's the point of waiting?' about my 2015 acquisitions, and I know that my husband doesn't get it at all! He's a great reader, but buys a book then reads it, I think the concept of TBRs just doesn't cross his consciousness! So from next year I will include 2016 new shiny acquisitions as ROOTs.

I am going to do the category challenge next year, and have included a 'Random' category which will be for those books that I just feel like reading (or those I can't wait for Fate to assign me from the Jar of Fate). I just figure they are all TBRs, they might as well be ROOTs and count to the total, and meantime I will stop feeling guilty because life is too short :)

I do that too, Jackie. ANY book that is yet to be, regardless of when/how obtained, is a TBR and hence a root!

>145 Jackie_K: I know... it's so true! The weird self-imposed guilt! I recently took a personality test and one of the things it said was that I like to impose rules on myself that don't matter to anyone else or the world and then feel guilty when I don't stick to them ;) So true of all ROOTers I think! For 2015, I counted as ROOTs any book that I owned as of the prior month... that worked pretty well for me :)
The category challenge "random category" sounds like a good plan!

>146 Tess_W: It really is true. Perhaps I'll loosen my definition all the way... And of course try to just be better about not buying so many new books :-o

>147 avanders: - I'd be interested in having a look at that personality test - is it online? (it sounds like we may have a bunch in common on that score)

For me ROOTing is really a matter of reading the ones that I had for a long time and that tend to be forgotten. They were shiny new ones too. My challenge goal will be 30 or 35 and that leaves enough room for the really new ones!

>148 Caramellunacy: there are a couple you can take.. I think one of the more involved/subtle tests is at www.16personalities.com .. the results seemed a little more "spot on" for me when I took that one :)

>149 connie53: also a good goal! It's getting hard to even pick how to format the challenge ;) (so many options!) I think I will probably (?) reduce the goal and stick to focusing on chunksters next year? or .... I'm still thinking about it.... ;)

>150 avanders: just keep thinking, Ava. You will come up with something good that will work for you.

>151 connie53: By January 1, I'm sure I'll have it locked and loaded...... ;)

BTW Anyone getting REALLY excited for SANTATHING?????? yeah, me too.... ;)

>152 avanders: I've never done Santa Thing.......am pondering it

>152 avanders: >153 Tess_W: excuse my ignorance - what is Santa Thing? (I'm assuming it's a Christmassy LT thing but beyond that I don't know!).

>153 Tess_W: >154 Jackie_K: Oh!! You know, it's great if you really like that whole "grab bag" concept... you may get things that are amazing or you may get complete duds. For me, the excitement is worth the chance they may be duds (that's only happened with maybe 1 or 2 books over the years :))

SantaThing is like a secret santa on LT where you sign up for the amount you want to spend (say, e.g., $25) and the store you want your books (or ebooks) to be purchased from (say, e.g., Amazon), and then you are assigned to be someone else's secret santa and someone is assigned to be yours. Your secret santa picks books for you up to your price limit from your store based (hopefully!) on your library & comments (you leave comments about what you do and do not like, do and do not want) and you do the same for your santee. You also get to help by leaving comments on other santees' pages of recommendations for their santas (and they can leave comments on your pages :)). If you just want to buy just what you want, it's probably not worth it... but if you like getting brand new books you've never heard of and/or just having someone else pick from your wish list, it might be a great idea for you! Me? I love it :D

They'll likely put an announcement (near the upper right corner) on the home page in the next couple weeks...

>152 avanders: - I love Santa Thing! Looking forward to participating again this year.

Santa Thing is just great, can't wait!

We have our own Santa Thing on my book-club. We don't work with real money, we just sign in for ST and then someone matches the names. We just give some recommendations and the reasons why we choose this books. But it is fun to do!

>156 LittleTaiko: >157 Familyhistorian: So much fun!! :) :)

>158 connie53: That's also really cool.. I would LOVE to do a secret santa w/ my book group.... maybe I'll see how they react to the possibility.... maybe I'll wait until next year. A lot of my RL book group members are also involved w/ a lot of the other thing I coordinate (cookie exchange, craft days, paint nights, frock swaps, etc.), and it can get overwhelming at the holidays. For them.... ;)

Your recommendation idea is a good one! Maybe they would like that...

Oh and I finished 2 ROOTs yesterday!

I finally finished This Present Darkness

It's a Christian thriller/conspiracy theory sort of book. It's a bit dated and that is distracting. But if you can get past the dated-ness of the story, it's definitely entertaining. I might recommend reading it more quickly than I did (it was dragged out for me over a couple months, so I think I lost some of the momentum that might otherwise have built). :)

Briefly, it's about a small town that has big problems developing, with its university, the local newspaper, and a small church at the center of the conflict. Families are torn apart, lives are ruined and ended, and nothing is at it initially seems. The pastor of the local small church (there is also a big church) and the owner of the paper, separately and in their own lives, try to get to the center of what is happening that is ripping the small town of Ashton completely apart, and both find their own families, jobs, and lives in danger.

I liked a lot of the imagery of demons and angels, and I thought the spiritual group was well written and interesting (spiritual in the sort of new-agey, collective consciousness sense). It is certainly thought provoking, if nothing else.


And I finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which I both read physically and listened to on audio

I really enjoyed how Skloot approached the Lackses' story. She really humanized both the Lackses and the scientists.
I liked how she explained the legal and scientific advances and changes in an interesting but involved way, but never forgot the Lackses at the center of the story. I felt like my questions were answered as they arose, and I appreciated that Skloot filled in a lot of holes -- with regard to the legal aspects, the scientific aspects, and the personal aspects -- that others might have left gaping.

However, one of the things that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, which often happens in these kinds of books, is the way the author exuded a sort of ongoing humble-brag. It felt like she was always trying to remind the reader how special she was by having access to the inner-Lacks circle. And I think in some ways she probably was, I just generally find it a bit off-putting when the person tells me about it themselves. ;P
And I know that the information is really limited, and I loved learning about Henrietta's daughter Debora, but I also wished there was just a little more about Henrietta herself. Not necessarily her medical history, but her life. I wanted to know a little bit more who she was. But you know, maybe that's the point ... she has lost a little of her identity while gaining "immortality."

Nonetheless, I thought overall it was a great piece that was fair to all sides and thorough without becoming boring. My heart really went out to the Lackses.

Two more down, Ava! Great job.

And please let me know if your book club is going to try the Secret Santa thing!

>161 connie53: Thanks & will do! :)

>160 avanders: you know I've kept checking your thread to see if you'd read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks yet, as you mentioned it ages ago!! I loved it! I thought your 'humblebrag' comments were really interesting. I hadn't thought about it like that, I think because I've done research myself that involved getting people interested in what I was researching and persuading them that they really do want to be interviewed that I really enjoyed Skloot's story in the middle of it all because I found I could relate to quite a lot of the frustrations of the process. I can see what you mean though, definitely.

I also read This Present Darkness a long time ago - I loved it when I was a student (late 80s), and if I'm honest took it quite seriously, but tried reading it again about 10 years later and couldn't stop laughing at the writing. It's not even that it was dated (although I think you're right, it is), I just found a lot of the writing style so very cliched and corny. I don't think I've got the books any more (I got the sequel too, at the same time), part of me feels quite nostalgic and like I'd quite like to read them again. Mind you, they'd have to join the queue behind Mount TBR :D

>163 Jackie_K: lol! Sorry to have kept you waiting.. I've been so busy lately! ;)
I can also definitely see what you mean and I really appreciate the you's of the world!! ... And of course the "humblebrag" tone doesn't show up everywhere... But it was REALLY obvious in Wild: From Lost to Found, and I felt like Skloot was just a teensy bit overboard.... but really, a WONderful book overall. And even though I did have those mild critiques, I would definitely recommend to everyone. I just ... I feel like the Lackses deserve to have their story told :)

Re This Present Darkness I can totally see both perspectives! In fact, my little sister read it recently, and although she is generally a very critical reader of "bad writing," she LOVED the book. I think that sometimes it's just nice to read something that unapologetically Christian (without being offensive) ;)

Plus you read it in the late 80s for the first time? I bet the writing wasn't really cliched or corny back then because I think the way we communicate keeps changing.. As I've said, I think the book is dated, but I guess what i mean by that is that the communication method is dated. So if you read it initially when it first came out (or near there), then it wouldn't necessarily have had that dated feel at all! For me, reading it in 2015, it felt very "cliched and corny," as you say, which was kind of distracting, but I also think it can very much depend on where you are in your life and reading at any given time how much that would be a problem... I've loved some terrible books because I read them at "the perfect time" ;)

lol Mount TBR ;) Well, if you do re-read, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on how the third go-through, after all these years, goes...

>164 avanders: I think you're right, books are often very context-dependent. As well as reading This Present Darkness in the late 80s (I'm not going to even work out how many years ago that is as it's too depressing!), that was also when I was a very new and shiny and enthusiastic (and probably very annoying!) Christian. I'd say I'm in a very different place now (still Christian, but much more rough round the edges, and not at all into the wackier end of the spectrum!!) which of course will affect how I read it now.

Totally agree about the Lackses and Henrietta in particular needing and deserving her story to be told. I just found with the book that I couldn't put it down pretty much from start to finish, I couldn't wait to find out what happened, and it was one of those books that left me feeling bereaved when it had ended.

>165 Jackie_K: lol "probably very annoying" ... not all shiny new Christians are annoying.... ;) (though my little sister, who read the book recently & loved it, was a recently invigorated Christian... which can be quite similar to a shiny, new one ;))

I can totally see how it would be hard to put down the HeLa book... I would have appreciated the time to read it in bigger chunks. :P But I'm glad I was able to get to it all eventually! :)

And yes, bereaved. That is just the right word to describe finishing it......

Hi Ava, Reading the conversation between Jackie and you is just very interesting. I do not know any of the books you are talking about, but I like the talk!

>167 connie53: glad you're enjoying it!
About the books, I'd say, if you're Christian, read This Present Darkness...
and if you're human, read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ;)

>168 avanders: That last line really made me laugh!

I just think *everyone* (human or not! ;) ) should read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. As I occasionally say of good books, it's probably one of my top 5 all-time favourite books, along with about 15 others! :)

>169 Jackie_K: Jackie! LOL and >168 avanders: Ava! LOL

But I'm human ( at least I think so) and I'm not very religious. I don't like the idea of a club of people telling me how to believe in (a) god. But I do think there must be something beyond our knowledge.

>168 avanders:, what if you are both Christian and human?;)

>169 Jackie_K: >170 connie53: lol yes, everyone, human or not, should read it! ;)
Connie - Immortal HeLa (how I refer to it in quick-speak ;)) is about a woman's inadvertent contribution to science via her cancerous cells, how science (and law and the world) has been affected since then, and how her family was affected. It's a very heart'y book (i.e., with a lot of heart ;)) and I think an important read in general.

>171 Tess_W: lol Well then, by all means, read both! ;)

So I finished Bone Gap, which I just loved.


I listened to this one (i.e., audio recording from library), but it just stole my attention. I think I want to re-read it on paper. I mean, I really loved it. Sorry, this isn't a review, I'm just gushing ;P

It's about... I'm going to copy a synopsis from somewhere so I don't ruin anything. From Amazon:
Bone Gap is the story of Roza, a beautiful girl who is taken from a quiet midwestern town and imprisoned by a mysterious man, and Finn, the only witness, who cannot forgive himself for being unable to identify her kidnapper. As we follow them through their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures, acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

It was heartbreaking in a very real way, and incredibly hopeful and lovely. I loved pretty much every character. SO well written. (and certainly, well-read by the reader of the audio version!)

I don't really want to say anything more. I knew almost nothing about the book going in other than that it's a YA and it was on the short list for some award. And I think that's the way to take it. I will say, if you HATE magical realism, probably don't read it. ;)
For me, an easy .

I'm sorry to say that the Immortal HeLa doesn't appeal to me at all.
I've searched for it on the net and there is a translation, but that one is 79 Euro's (85 Dollar)! And I really don't think it's for me.

>174 connie53: oh my goodness! $85! Well, hopefully someday it become very cheap and you stumble across it :) (if it otherwise interests you!)

>174 connie53: That is such a lot of money! I got it on amazon Marketplace for a few pence! (but of course, in English, so it would be much more readily available). I understand that it wouldn't appeal to everyone, but it really is my kind of book (you may have noticed that I'm much more into non-fiction than fiction, plus this one had nerdiness, personal tragedy, problem-solving, human interest - wonderful stuff!).

>175 avanders:, >176 Jackie_K: I think the price is that high because it's not available any more. The few copies that are circulating in Holland are all second hand and expensive!

>177 connie53: well... maybe shipping to Holland is cheaper? Perhaps a Christmas present?

But then....I don't read English ;-)

>179 connie53: RIGHT! whoops ;)

Ok, I've finished 2 audio library books...

Circus Mirandus


was a great middle-grade book! It has magic and friendship and difficult adult decisions and hope all smooshed into one. The audio narration was really well done, and I found myself empathizing greatly with almost all of the characters. Very creative! The one con was was that some of the characters were rather two-dimensional. This, in and of itself, was not necessarily a problem for a middle-grade book, but I felt that the great aunt Gertrudis conflict resolved rather abruptly and ... it definitely felt incomplete to me. Other than that, a lovely book that I'll be sure to recommend!

Brief synopsis from Amazon:
Do you believe in magic?
Micah Tuttle does.

Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.

The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.


Dorothy Must Die Stories


is actually 3 prequel novellas to the Dorothy Must Die series. I had already read the first story, No Place Like Oz, which I thought was ok. That's sort of the origin story of Dorothy's return to Oz that sets the whole story up. It's good, but Dorothy is not the most interesting character Paige has re-written. The second two, The Witch Must Burn, which is told from the perspective of one of the top maid/servants in Dorothy's castle (previously Ozma's castle), is well-told, well written, and interesting! It introduces the rebellion, which has a major role in the main series and gives some background and depth to some of the characters we get to know better in the main series.

The third novella, The Wizard Returns was probably my favorites in the novella-prequel-series so far. It, of course, sets up what has happened to the Wizard since Dorothy exposed him as a fake and he was forced to leave the Emerald City. I really love the introduction of Pete in the Wizard's story, as well as more information regarding the Wizard and his motivations. Looking forward to reading (or listening to :)) more prequels, including Heart of Tin and The Straw King, which are already out & spotlight the Tin Woodman and The Scarecrow! These are also really reminding me that I'm really looking forward to the third book in the main series, Yellow Brick War... Way to go Paige! I'm very impressed w/ the whole new universe she's created with these very familiar characters!

Overall,

Other than that, am currently reading TWO early reviewers from LT: Slade House (which is fanTAStic) and The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World, which has a very very interesting subject matter (non-fiction), but is a bit of a slog to get through.

And the audio I'm currently "reading" is Finding Audrey, which is, so far, very cute!

Lots of good reading going on!

>182 Tess_W: thankfully! ;)

Also, everyone who was interested in SantaThing - if you've missed it, it's up NOW for sign up -- only til December 7th!
Go to LT Homepage & there should be a link in the upper-right region :)

Or go here: http://blog.librarything.com/main/2015/11/santathing-2015/

>183 avanders:, Thanks, Ava! I got in this year for the first time. It's sort of like a gift to yourself but also a surprise!

>181 avanders: Ahh, Doorgang!! It is fanTAStic isn't it? I'm so glad you like it.

>184 Tess_W: Yay! I'm glad you signed up! You're exactly right - it's a gift to yourself, but a surprise from another bookie! :)

>185 connie53: Yeeeeessssss! :D :D Finished it yesterday. Just right. 5* ... to make up for the draggy 3* Witch of Lime Street....
(reviews to be posted later... hopefully tonight! I'm behind...)

So now I'm buying all the books by Mitchell that are translated. I've got two and 2 are ordered but are difficult to get.

The Dorothy Must Die Stories sound really interesting. But I'm trying to be disciplined about dodging the BBs!

>187 connie53: bummer about the difficulty.. But exciting to get all his books! I have Number 9 Dream and Bone Clocks on the shelves.. But still have to get Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Black Swan Green, and Ghostwritten...

>188 Jackie_K: I know the feeling! Try to breeze through the posts and not read reviews too closely... ;)

A very belated review for Death Before Decaf


Free copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I felt that this was an "okay" cozy mystery. While I did not particularly enjoy the romantic aspect because I felt that it was a little cliched and clunky, the mystery itself was interesting and novel.

In the book, Juliet Langley has returned to her college town to work for her old crush and former co-worker, the now-owner of local coffee shop Java Jive. Juliet has returned because her life and career have crashed and spectacularly burned after a horrible relationship with an apparently horrible person has ended.

Given Juliet's experience both at Java Jive and in the food industry, her old crush and one of her best friends Pete makes her manager. Juliet, however, does not appear to remotely be a people-person and immediately pisses off pretty much everyone in her employ. This is only made worse when the chef turns up dead.

Juliet is, of course, a prime suspect. In order to try to clear her name, she delves into amateur sleuthing. With the help of a local college professor who seems perhaps much more sinister than at first glance and, of course, Pete, Juliet slowly works through a list of culprits as more people end up dead and Juliet begins to get death threats herself.

So that's the set up and it's a good one. I generally liked the characters and I especially liked Seth (the professor). I did not particularly like that, rather than tale responsibility for her anger issues, Juliet simply called her temper the Red Headed She Devil (Juliet is a red-head)... it was too cutesy and lame as an excuse for her poor people skills. And I did not particularly like the cliched and, somehow, also clunky romantic triangle between Juliet, Pete, and Seth that is rather unsatisfying in the end (though this is a series, so surely there is more to come).

But as I say, the mystery itself was fun and it was a good, quick read for a cold night. I would recommend to "cozy mystery" fans, especially if someone were looking for a softly-steamy romantic one with a fiery protagonist. Overall, THREE of five stars.

Been a little MIA ... December is SO busy. And then this past weekend dad had to go back to hospital ... ER on Monday, then ICU on Tuesday, then IMC on Wednesday, and yesterday downgraded again to "Med/Surg" (which I think is essentially general). It was primarily due to small bowel obstruction resulting from strangulated hernia and, as a result of that, acute kidney failure from severe dehydration... plus balancing the ongoing congestive heart failure. Phew! What a list! But he's doing MUCH better and I have been getting some sleep :)

Not much reading though, I'm afraid. It's a lot of energy balancing mom & dad and helping them through the whole western Medicine process ;p

But I am nearly done with Machine of Death ... a very interesting and thought-provoking book (30 stories), if not always terribly well written.
And I started The Rest of Us Just Live Here, which has been perfect for hospital-time.

Also, I guess I finished Renovation of the Heart, which I was reading w/ my church small group, because most of us really did not enjoy the writing style.. to the point of it being completely distracting from the subject. The group seems to have stopped reading it. With the exception of my husband who is really enjoying it :) But I don't think I'll go back to it, so it's "done" for all intents & purposes (heh heh, intensive purposes ;P). (ooh, and a ROOT!) I gave it I know there's a good message in there, but it's lost in his writing!

And still listening to Finding Audrey on audio, but that's completely paused in December as I listen to Christmas music in the car instead ;)

Hoping to read a few more before the end of the year.... I have a few days off for the holidays, so perhaps some time?
Hope your Decembers are joyful and peaceful!

Oh also, I got this for myself yesterday:
The Peripheral by the purported "God of Speculative Fiction"

Amazon Blurb:
Where Flynne and her brother, Burton, live, jobs outside the drug business are rare. Fortunately, Burton has his veteran’s benefits, for neural damage he suffered from implants during his time in the USMC’s elite Haptic Recon force. Then one night Burton has to go out, but there’s a job he’s supposed to do—a job Flynne didn’t know he had. Beta-testing part of a new game, he tells her. The job seems to be simple: work a perimeter around the image of a tower building. Little buglike things turn up. He’s supposed to get in their way, edge them back. That’s all there is to it. He’s offering Flynne a good price to take over for him. What she sees, though, isn’t what Burton told her to expect. It might be a game, but it might also be murder.

Can't wait! :D

Ack! Your poor dad! I am glad to hear he is doing better. Be sure to take care of yourself too -- hope you have some really good books to luxuriate in during your holidays.

>191 avanders: No wonder your December has been so busy. I am glad to hear that your Dad is on the mend. Hope everything goes well for the holiday season.

Praying for your father's continued recovery

>191 avanders: Wow, what a roller coaster - I hope your dad is on a more even keel now! And that you get a chance to relax too. x

I'm glad that your dad is more stablized.

So sorry to hear your dad has been so ill! But he is doing better now. That's good to hear.
Thinking of you all, Ava!

Glad you're dad's doing better and hopefully you're enjoying that possible reading time you mentioned.

Sorry to hear your dad's been in the hospital again :(. Here's hoping his health continues to improve.

>193 rabbitprincess: Thank you! Trying.... still some days left ;)

>194 Familyhistorian: Thank you! Things seem to be on the up-and-up...

>195 Robertgreaves: Thank you! Much appreciated :)

>196 Jackie_K: Thank you and yes, he seems to be doing better! He was discharged from the hospital on Saturday evening... long week!

>197 Tess_W: Thank you :)

>198 connie53: Yes, true & thank you!

>199 Shutzie27: Thank you too! :) No reading time yet... but in days to come, maybe! :)

>200 readingtangent: Thanks Elizabeth! Doing better so far and we're praying for an all-the-way recovery!

And to all... really, just a gigantic:

You are more then welcome, Ava!

Just wanted to wish you a happy holiday and New Year. I hope your dad's health improves and you have lots of quality reading time.

>203 Shutzie27: thank you and the same to you!!

Finally, reviews!
Slade House


Review based on ARC (Advanced Reader Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review).

I have talked about and written about this book so many times since reading it, I didn't realize I hadn't yet officially reviewed it!

In short, I loved this book. It's a mini little ghost story with a lovely repeating but not really repetitious pattern.

It is almost a series of short stories, taking place every 9 years. It starts with a small black iron door. It starts with the Slade House. You may not find it, but if you do, you will be invited, expected, needed.

You're not quite sure who lives there, but you are sure that the brother and sister who crop up every 9 years play a significant role.

No more explanation. It's all spoiler other than that. But it's a quick read, an interesting read, and a thought-provoking read. It's creepy and atmospheric.. the perfect read for a dark and stormy night...

I love how it starts. I love how it middles. And I love how it ends. An easy 5 stars from me.

Note: I've only read 1 other David Mitchell book, so far. Cloud Atlas was a very good book, but a completely different type of book. I am impressed with Mitchell's ability to write different types, different characters, different perspectives. I look forward to more!


The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World


Review based on ARC (Advanced Reader Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review).

This is a book with a fascinating subject: The existence and experience of spirits and seances and whether or not they are real (or were proven to be real and/or false). Houdini, named in the title, himself experimented with so-called psychic experiences, but as he never really did them but happened to be particularly talented at convincing people he was "the real deal," he was particularly skeptical about all others who claimed to in fact be in contact with spirits and/or the dead.

In addition to Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was heavily involved in the whole spirit world - he was an ardent believer of contact with the dead, largely driven by various deaths in his own life and others and the loss of so many people in the recent war and epidemic.

And then there is the famed Witch of Lime Street, the wife of a Boston surgeon. She is young and smart and appears to be genuine.

In addition, Scientific American created a contest to determine whether any psychic could prove his or her merits. And of course Conan wants Margery (the Witch of Lime Street) to enter the contest, and Houdini is on the committee to determine whether she (among others) are legitimate.

So, fascinating, right?! Right up my alley. Interesting historical topic about very interesting people.... and Jaher doesn't do a bad job. He just doesn't do a particularly good job either. I found the book often dragged and spent too much time re-explaining the same inclinations of the various peoples, rather than moving more quickly through the events and analyses. Nonetheless, I enjoyed learning more about the topic and found myself repeating the information I'd learned to others in (somehow) every day topic.

Overall, a good historical account of a fascinating group of people and series of events. I would recommend to people interested in the subject, with the obvious caveat to simply "bear with" the parts that seem to drag.

Overall, THREE of five stars.

I love your thoughts on Doorgang, Ava. They were mine exactly. This book made me buy all other books by David Mitchell.

>206 connie53: :) Yes... it can have that effect ;)

>205 avanders: Pity The Witch of Lime Street wasn't better. It's on my wishlist, after seeing it on the ER list (but not winning it), and I'm going to leave it there, because it does at least sound worthwhile, but I will try to lower my expectations.

>208 bragan: perhaps lowered expectations are appropriate ;)
I agree - such a pity! But you know, some of the other reviews are a lot more positive than mine.... perhaps I was just too critical?

2015 is over! 2016 has begun, and I've a separate page over in the 2016 ROOT category....
for a brief wrap-up...
I read 36 ROOTs (of a goal of 24) :)
And 87 books overall... quite a bit more than my goal of 48!