Stacy's (LittleTaiko) 2019 Challenge - Clue

Hello everyone! I'm back for another year with a challenge built around one of my favorite movies - Clue! The categories are fairly basic and stretched to fit the characters from the movie. Some extreme stretching was needed in some cases. However, I've been wanting to use this as a theme for quite some time and finally decided that 2019 would be the year. The quotes below don't come anywhere near covering all the wonderful quotes however they do represent a few of my favorites.

I am an accountant for a theater in Dallas and love sushi, musical theater, walking, and wine. I will also read pretty much any type of book but my go to books will almost always be mysteries.

There aren't any minimums for any of the categories. The goal is to just to read whatever I want when I want to except when it comes to my book club selections.

Ratings:

1 Star - Didn't like at all or did not finish
2 Stars - It's okay but not something I would recommend.
3 Stars - I liked it but may or may not recommend it
4 Stars - Really liked it and am happy that I spent time reading it
5 Stars - Loved it and the whole world should read it too

Mrs. Peacock - Cozy Mysteries

Professor Plum: What are you afraid of, a fate worse than death?
Mrs. Peacock: No, just death. Isn't that enough?

1. Iced Under by Barbara Ross (4 stars) - Book - Jan
2. Carbs and Cadavers by Ellery Adams (3 stars) - ebook - Jan
3. Aunt Bessie Invites by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - ebook - Jan
4. A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams (4 stars) - Book - Jan
5. Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams (2 stars) - Book - Feb
6. Aunt Bessie Joins by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - ebook - Feb
7. A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert (3 stars) - ebook - Mar
8. Mrs. Jeffries Delivers the Goods by Emily Brightwell (4 stars) - ebook - Mar
9. Aunt Bessie Knows by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - ebook - Mar
10. Aunt Bessie Likes by Diana Xarissa (3 stars) - ebook - Mar
11. A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon (2 stars) - Book - Apr
12. The Killing at Kaldaire by Kate Parker (4 stars) - ebook - Apr
13. Aunt Bessie Meets by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - ebook - May
14. Curses Boiled Again by Shari Randall (2 stars) - book - Jun
15. Aunt Bessie Needs by Diana Xarissa (4 stars) - ebook - Jun

Possibilities:

Unsolicited by Julie Kaewert
Choked Off by Andrea Frazer
Southern Spirits by Angie Fox
The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson

Colonel Mustard - Mysteries/Thrillers

Colonel Mustard: Just checking.
Mrs. Peacock: Everything all right?
Colonel Mustard: Yep. Two corpses. Everything's fine.

1. The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty (4 stars) - Book - Jan
2. Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin (3 stars) - Book - Jan
3. Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes by Karin Slaughter (2 stars) - ebook - Jan
4. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (4 stars) - ebook - Jan
5. The Appeal by John Grisham (2 stars) - Book - Jan
6. The Man on the Washing Machine by Susan Cox (4 stars) - Book - Jan
7. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny (4 stars) - ebook - Feb
8. Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz (2 stars) - ebook - Mar
9. Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth (4 stars) - Book - Mar
10. The Vanishing Man by Charles Finch (4 stars) - ebook - Mar
11. Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson (4 stars) - Book - Mar
12. Endangered by Pamela Beason (4 stars) - Book - Mar
13. An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd (3 stars) - Book - Mar
14. Towards Zero by Agatha Christie (3 stars) - Book - Mar
15. Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland (3 stars) - Book - Apr
16. Clouds in My Coffee by Julie Mulhern (3 stars) - ebook - Apr
17. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (4 stars) - Library - Apr
18. Murder in Midtown by Liz Freeland (4 stars) - Book - Apr
19. Far From True by Linwood Barclay (4 stars) - Borrowed - Apr
20. The Twenty-Three by Linwood Barclay (4 stars) - Borrowed - Apr
21. A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody (3 stars) - Book - Apr
22. An Artless Demise by Anna Huber (4 stars) - Library - May
23. Run Away by Harlan Coben (3 stars) - Library - May
24. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan (3 stars) - Book - May
25. Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie (3 stars) - Book - May
26. Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird (3 stars) - Book - May
27. Whisper of Death by Patricia Wynn (4 stars) - Book - May
28. The One That Got Away by Simon Wood (3 stars) - ebook - May
29. A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks (4 stars) - Book - May
30. Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott (2 stars) - Library - May
31. Death Mask by Jane Dentinger (4 stars) - Book - Jun
32. Diamond Solitaire by Peter Lovesey (3 stars) - Book - Jun
33. Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble (2 stars) - Book - Jun
34. Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec (3 stars) - Book - Jun
35. The Richebourg Affair by R. M. Cartmel (4 stars) - Book - Jun

Possibilities:

Camille by Pierre Lemaitre
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart
Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Miss Scarlet - Classics

Colonel Mustard: Do you like Kipling, Miss Scarlet?
Miss Scarlet: Sure, I'll eat anything.

1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (5 stars) - ebook - Jan
2. Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott (3 stars) - Ebook - Feb
3. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (5 stars) - Borrowed - Feb
4. Call of the Wild by Jack London (3 stars) - Ebook - Apr
5. The Professor by Charlotte Bronte (3 stars) - Book - Apr
6. White Fang by Jack London (3 stars) - Book - Apr

Possibilities:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo - Goal
Islands in the Stream by Ernest Hemingway - Goal
Hard Times by Charles Dickens - Goal
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane - Goal
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss - Goal

Professor Plum - Non-fiction

Miss Scarlet: Why is the car stopped?
Professor Plum: It's frightened.

1. The White Darkness by David Grann (4 stars) - Book - Jan
2. Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff (4 stars) - Ebook - Feb
3. Apple of My Eye by Helene Hanff (5 stars) - Book - Feb
4. Becoming by Michelle Obama (4 stars) - Borrowed - Feb
5. Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After by Heather Harpham (4 stars) - Library - Feb
6. The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris (4 stars) - Book - Mar
7. Mindful of Race by Ruth King (4 stars) - Book - Mar
8. The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan (3 stars) - Book - Apr
9. Lessons from Tara by David Rosenfelt (3 stars) - Book - May
10. The Untold Stories of Broadway, Part 1 by Jennifer Tepper (3 stars) - Ebook - May
11. Vacationland by John Hodgman (4 stars) - Borrowed - Jun
12. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (4 stars) - Book - Jun
13. Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (4 stars) - Borrowed - Jun
14. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (4 stars) - Borrowed - Jun

Possibilities:

The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman
The Great Bridge by David McCullough
Confucius: And the World He Created by Michael Schuman
Extreme Measures by Jessica Nutik Zitter
The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell

Mr. Green - Fiction

Mr. Green: I didn't do it!!!

1. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (4 stars) - Book - Jan
2. The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea (4 stars) - Library - Jan
3. So Lucky by Nicola Griffith (4 stars) - Library - Jan
4. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (3 stars) - Book - Jan
5. Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala (3 stars) - Library - Jan
6. The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel (4 stars) - Library - Jan
7. Small Island by Andrea Levy (4 stars) - Book - Jan
8. Census by Jesse Ball (3 stars) - Library - Jan
9. The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase (3 stars) - Book - Feb
10. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen 83 1/4 Years Old by Hendrik Groen (4 stars) - Borrowed - Feb
11. My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (3 stars) - Library - Mar
12. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (3 stars) - Book - Mar
13. A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams (3 stars) - Book - Mar
14. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (4 stars) - Book - Mar
15. One Hundred Twenty-One Days by Michele Audin (4 stars) - Book - Mar
16. Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid (3 stars) - Book - Mar
17. Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse (4 stars) - Book - Mar
18. The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (2 stars) - Book - Apr
19. The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel (2 stars) - Book - Apr
20. The Comedians by Graham Greene (3 stars) - Book - May
21. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (5 stars) - Book - May
22. Horse Dancer by JoJo Moyes (4 stars) - Book - May
23. The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (4 stars) - Borrowed - May
24. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym (4 stars) - Book - Jun
25. Ten Women by Marcela Serrano (4 stars) - ebook - Jun
26. The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal (3 stars - Library - Jun

DNF
1. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Library

Possibilities:

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Lush Life by Richard Price
Whiskey Rebels by David Liss

Mrs. White - Science fiction/fantasy

Wadsworth: Your first husband also disappeared.
Mrs. White: But that was his job. He was an illusionist.
Wadsworth: But he never reappeared!
Mrs. White: He wasn't a very good illusionist.

1. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams (4 stars) - Book - Jan
2. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (3 stars) - ebook - Jan
3. Passage by Connie Willis (3 stars) - ebook - Apr
4. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams (4 stars) - Book - May
5. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard (4 stars) - Borrowed - Jun
6. Young Zaphod Plays It Safe by Douglas Adams (3 stars) - Book - Jun
7. Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams (4 stars) - Book - Jun

Possibilities:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Grandmother Paradox by Wendy Nikel
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan

Wadsworth - Short stories/Poetry/Other

Wadsworth: ...and to make a long story short...
All: Too late!

1. Civil to Strangers and Other Writings by Barbara Pym (4 stars) - Book - Feb
2. Nothing Like a Dame by Eddie Shapiro (3 stars) - Library - Mar
3. A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman (4 stars) - Book - Mar
4. Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed by Meghan Daum (4 stars) - ebook - Mar
5. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (4 stars) - Book - Apr
6. Poems of Emily Dickinson (4 stars) - Book - Apr
7. The Nonexistent Knight and the Cloven Viscount by Italo Calvino (4 stars) - Book - May
8. Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut (5 stars) - Book - May
9. Billy Budd, Bartleby, and Other Stories by Herman Melville (2 stars) - Book - May

Possibilities:

The Queen of Spades and Other Stories by Alexander Pushkin

BingoDOG

For fun, I'm going to limit this to books from my TBR shelf and not something I've borrowed from the library. More incentive to clear off some of the stack!



completed
possibilities

1. Author uses middle name or middle initial - Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth

2. Debut novel - The Man on the Washing Machine by Susan Cox

3. Book about/featuring siblings - The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase

4. Read a book bullet (meaning another LT member inspired you to read it) - Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff book bullet from Clue

5. Book mentioned in another book you have read - The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (mentioned in The Secret, Book & Scone Society)

6. Topic or character related to medicine/health - Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

7. Animal on cover/in title/plays a significant role - A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams

8. Book with an artistic character - The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty

9. Eastern European author or setting - The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

10. Children’s/YA book, or reread a childhood favorite - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

11. Alliterative title - Murder in Midtown by Liz Freeland

12. Part of a series - Iced Under by Barbara Ross

13. Read a CAT - The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

14. Prize-winning book - Small Island by Andrea Levy

15. Weather (title contains a weather word, or book involves/centers around a weather event) - The White Darkness by David Grann

16. Short stories or essays - Civil to Strangers and Other Writings by Barbara Pym

17. Book made into a movie - Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

18. Fairy Tale - Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino

19. Graphic novel - A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

20. Main title has 6 or more words in it - So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish by Douglas Adams

21. Cover has at least two human figures - The Appeal by John Grisham

22. Book in translation - The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin

23. Food-related title or topic - Carbs & Cadavers by Ellery Adams

24. Book has an LT rating of 4.0 or more - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

25. Title contains a homophone word (such as hair/hare, slay/sleigh, there/their/they’re) - Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes by Karin Slaughter

Welcome to my 2019 thread!

Clever idea!

My daughter and her BFF loved this movie, I lost track of how many times they watched it and I swear they could recite every line! Looks like you are on the track to a good reading year!

>11 Tess_W: - Thank you!

>12 DeltaQueen50: - There was a summer when my brother watched this almost daily and probably could have recited every line as well. Ah youth!

This looks like fun! Happy reading!

Oh I love this theme! "Clue" is brilliant!

The classic board game makes good categories!

This is one of my other half's favourite movies. Great theme! :)

What a fun challenge! And one that might include lots of pics of Tim Curry, which is a plus.

>14 MissWatson: - Thank you! I decided a back to basics in categories would work best for me this year.

>15 christina_reads: - It is brilliant! I'm due for a rewatch - need to just figure out which streaming service it's on these day.s

>16 thornton37814: - Classic board games are my go to gifts for toy drives. I always hope kids love them as much as I did.

>17 rabbitprincess: - Thank you! It makes me smile every time I think of the quotes.

>18 mstrust: - You can never go wrong with Tim Curry pics!

I'm always excited to see what people will use for inspiration for their categories. Looking forward to your reading.

Very fun theme! I look forward to following along.

I love the movie Clue! What a great theme for your 2019 reading.

Love this theme! My family has always enjoyed the game, my son even made a 3-D board complete with doors and furniture. Although, I've never seen the movie so now I'll have to find it!

>20 dudes22: - Thanks for stopping by! I usually am racking my brains for ideas until something finally pops up. This one has been stewing in my head for several years now and I just never could figure out how to make it work until now.

>21 LisaMorr: - Thank you! It's nice to have a thread that makes me smile every time I look at the pictures.

>22 lkernagh: - Happy to see another movie fan!

>23 VivienneR: - A 3D game? Wow - your son sounds awesome!!!!

What fun to see Clue incorporated into your theme! That game brings back memories. Best of luck with your challenge. :-)

>25 This-n-That: - Thanks! I’ve picked out some potential reads and am getting excited for the new year.

Current January reading plans:

- The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel (book club)
- The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (AlphaKit)
- The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty (RandomCAT)
- The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin (AlphaKit, SeriesCAT, TBR challenge)
- The Appeal by John Grisham (AlphaKit, TBRCAT)
- So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish by Douglas Adams (AlphaKit, Calendar CAT, TBR challenge)

>27 LittleTaiko: Nice plan for January taking shape there. Hope that you manage to execute the reading plan better than I usually manage!

This is a fun theme and your January plans sound decent. Happy reading! :)

Haha! Clue! Happy New Year!

Thank you for the lovely New Year's wishes. Such festive and lovely cards!!

1. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (4 stars)

This was a lovely way to ease into 2019. Cuddled up with this book and a warm blanket. This book pokes gentle fun at health spas and social media obsessions while examining what might drive somebody to end up at a health resort like this. There are nine strangers who for reasons of their own are searching for ways to improve their lives. While the rules of no talking, required fasting, and lots of mediation might seem extreme they are still hopeful they might become new and improved people by the end. However they get more than they bargained for with the new protocol being rolled out by the owner. Once I got the characters straight it was easy to settle in and enjoy the ride.

>34 LittleTaiko: - That does sound like the perfect read to "ease into" 2019. ;-)

A theme that makes you smile whenever you see the pictures is perfect! I look forward to following your reading again this year.

End of the year meme using the books I read in 2018.

Describe yourself: Still Me
Describe how you feel: Delivering the Truth
Describe where you currently live: A Place For Us
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Along the Infinite Sea
Your favorite form of transportation: Hot Seat
Your best friend is: Uncommon Type
You and your friends are: And Ladies of the Club
What’s the weather like: Cold Mourning
You fear: Death in the Dentist’s Chair
What is the best advice you have to give: Treacherous is the Night
Thought for the day: Hope Never Dies
How I would like to die: The Body in the Library
My soul’s present condition: A Glass of Blessings

>37 LittleTaiko: What a lovely answer for "my soul's present condition"!

Happy New Year! I love "the best advice you have to give". :)

Ooh, I would fear that too! Good answers :D

What a fun theme! I love the board game, but have never seen the movie. After reading those quotes, I will definitely have to rectify that situation.

>41 staci426: My boys got Harry Potter Clue for Christmas!

>37 LittleTaiko: LOL on what you fear!

I'm going to your greatest fear today! I'll have to remember to check back in later ;)

Thanks all for the comments.

>44 Jackie_K: - Hope all went well today and that you are still with us. :)

2. The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty (4 stars)

This was not your typical detective protagonist in that Sean is a artist, former PI, and very avid fisherman. To be clear I am not a huge fan of fishing though I have done it before, but I seem to really enjoy books about fly fishing for some reason. I adored The River Why and found this book to be quite interesting as well. Anyway, back to the book. Sean has moved to Montana and is no longer a practicing PI. Martha is the sheriff in the town. When a dead body is pulled from the river and accidental drowning is ruled out, Sean and Martha find their paths crossing as they are both drawn into the case for different reasons. Liked the setting and the characters quite a bit with the exception of the rather cliched femme fatale.

3. The White Darkness by David Grann (4 stars)

Thrilling account of Antarctica exploration led by Henry Worsley. Taking part in something so extremely dangerous is not something I would wish to pursue but I am fascinated by those who choose to do so. This is a slim volume that I believe is the same as a New Yorker article he published. If you are into people doing things that really test their mental and physical strength then I would highly recommend the book or article to you.

>46 LittleTaiko: Re: The White Darkness

I can understand why he chose to do the exploration with other people, but to go alone? With a wife and children at home? It's amazing to me that he was fortunate enough to marry someone willing and able to live the life she did when his interest in Artic exploration didn't materialize until after they were married. She was as strong and dedicated as he was.

>47 clue: She was definitely a stronger woman than I could ever be. She and the children were amazingly supportive. His decision to make the solo trip was just inconceivable to me but his brain definitely functioned differently than mine.

>45 LittleTaiko: Haha, yes still here and teeth still intact!

>34 LittleTaiko:
Nine Perfect Strangers sounds like a very easy and calm read -- I may pick this up if it's at the local library!

>49 Jackie_K: - Lol - that's great news!
>50 pammab: - Hope you enjoy it!

4. Iced Under by Barbara Ross (4 stars)

Really enjoyed this latest in the Maine Clambake series. Winter has come to Maine so most people are hunkered down in their homes. Julia's mother receives a package containing a beautiful and expensive necklace that was part of her family for years but had disappeared. Who sent it and why? Where has it been all these years? Julia of course investigates and the path leads to learning more about her mother's side of the family. Loved the additional characters and hope that some of them can be a part of future books somehow.

5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (5 stars)

This is a book club selection and a reread for the umpteeth time for me and I still love it! I do skim most of Anne's speeches when she starts to ramble on but I still admire her spirit. Marilla and Matthew continue to delight as well.

>52 LittleTaiko: I have the first in the clambake series downloaded. I need to dip into it. I love Anne Shirley!

>53 thornton37814: - I agree that Anne Shirley is great! I'm really curious to find out tonight what others in my book club thought of it. I know one member gave it 2 stars on Goodreads which just baffles me. What on earth did she not like?

>54 LittleTaiko: that's all I gave it, but then I came to it first as an adult. I found Anne tedious, with her overly vivid imagination and the way she goes on and on and on to completely no purpose. I can see it has charm, but it was insufficiently charming to overcome its other shortcomings.

So LittleTaiko, in the Bingo (Post 9 I believe), are you trying to get 5 in a row or a coverall?

Seems like a difficult challenge. If I were doing it, looking at that card, I'd be lucky if I can maybe get the bottom row if I tried to do it. I know of at least 2 books on my to read list with 2 humans on the cover, and another that was originally in Russian - I'd have to work for the other three! Good luck whichever you are doing.

6. Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin (3 stars)

Overall I enjoyed this despite not having read anything else in the series. Fandorin is a diplomat and detective who has returned home to Russia after having spent several years in Japan. He's known as a man who can get things done and it was intriguing to see his thought process as he worked through various issues of the case. My biggest problem was with how this book was set up. The first section is all about Fandorin and the case. Then boom, you are hit with section two which gives you the tedious back story of the villain before retelling key events through his eyes. The third section is the resolution. While it was quite interesting to see the two sides to the case, the sudden shift in perspectives really took me out of the story.

7. Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes by Karin Slaughter (2 stars)

This novella is apparently a prequel to her book Pretty Girls which is sitting on my TBR list. After reading this I'm not sure I want to read Pretty Girls. I normally thoroughly enjoy anything by Slaughter so was really disappointed in this overwrought look at the inner workings of a college girls thoughts. It was boring and tedious and quite frankly I didn't care what happened to her by the end. I'll still give Pretty Girls a try as maybe having the story fleshed out a bit more will be helpful.

>55 Helenliz: - I could see that if your fist introduction to Anne was as an adult she could be hard to take. I was fortunate to have read her as a child. I am nothing at all like her - no whimsy here, but I think I liked how she worked hard and didn't mind being smart. As an adult I find Marilla, Matthew, and Mrs. Lynde more interesting.

>56 ChessFanatic: - I'm going for full coverage throughout the year. We'll see if I get there, but my reading covers such a wide variety of things it seems like it should be possible. Thanks for the well wishes!

>57 LittleTaiko:

I've read the first three Fandorin novels and each one seemed to have different structures from the others. So I'll be reading this one with no expectations.

>55 Helenliz: I came to Anne as an adult too, but I quickly devoured not only the Anne books but everything else Montgomery wrote.

>55 Helenliz: & >60 thornton37814: - It was interesting, of the 11 of us at the meeting last night roughly half hadn't read Anne until now. Of the 11 there was only the one person who didn't like. She found it boring and had to force herself to finish it. On the bright side, she got a lot of housework and other things done as a way to avoid picking up the book. :)

>59 hailelib: - That's good to know. I enjoyed Fandorin but wasn't sure I wanted to read anything else if the structure was going to be similar.

8. Carbs & Cadavers by Ellery Adams (3 stars)

Cute first mystery in the Supper Club series that features five friends who form a supper club in an effort to lose weight. The protagonist is a male which is unusual for the cozy mystery genre and a nice change of pace. James has moved home to take care of his father and is now the head librarian at the local library. One of the other club members works is an aspiring police officer who currently works with the department which is how the club gets their information when they decided to investigate the suspicious death of a local young man who was generally considered bad news. When suspicion falls on a lovely young woman they all know they compelled to help her. Typical small town activities and characters. The book focuses a lot on the groups dieting efforts in addition to the mystery, maybe a bit even on the dieting front. Oh! For fans of the her Book Retreat series, you'll get a chuckle out of the fact that there are two characters, young men named Francis and Scott Fitzgerald. She must really be a fan of Fitzgerald since she uses that as a name of one of the twin boys in the Book Retreat books.

9. The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea (4 stars)

I do enjoy a messy family story involving multiple generations, especially when you throw in some humor. Big Angel is dying of cancer and wants to have one last big birthday party before he dies. However his mother dies a few days before his party so the family now have a funeral and birthday party to plan and survive. This books is about family, what it means to be a Mexican, as well as finding a place in America. This shows the family in their messed up, imperfect, lovable way. So many funny bits (the parrot!) along with some moving ones.

>64 LittleTaiko: Sounds like just my kind of read - thanks for the BB!

>52 LittleTaiko:
Netflix did a version of Anne of Green Gables that I was very excited for, right up until a few episodes in when I realized they were playing with the idea that she was deeply psychologically damaged by her time prior to her new home with the siblings, and that's the source of her imagination. Too intense for me! I'll take my sweet version, please.

>65 JayneCM: - You're quite welcome!

>66 pammab: - I tried to watch the Netflix version too but gave up after a few episodes, mainly because they were starting to take a lot of detours from the book. I didn't mind a little darkness to her backstory but completely altering the story bugged me - especially the instance with the lost brooch. In the book it was a normal incident but in the show it became quite a traumatic and really unrealistic event.

10. So Long, And Thanks For All the Fish by Douglas Adams (4 stars)

Another funny installment in the Hitchhikers series. Lovely to see Arthur get his shot at happiness and Ford Prefect continued to delight.

11. So Lucky by Nicola Griffith (4 stars)

This slim little book really packs a wallop. I picked it up and could not put it down - read all 180 pages in one sitting. Mara has been recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the book shows her struggle to adapt to what her new life entails while also dealing with some issues in her personal life. While Mara isn't always the most sympathetic of characters you can't help but feel for her during the struggle. There's a thriller aspect to the novel that helps keep the pages turning.

12. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (3 stars)

Overall compelling read loosely based on some real life spies during WWI. The story alternates between Eve's story in WWI and Charlie's mid 40's story set soon after WWII. Charlie is trying to locate her missing cousin and Eve might be able to shed some light on what happened to her. Around the midway point the book started to feel a bit long and maybe started to become a touch melodramatic. However a lot of horrible and crazy things happen during war so maybe it wasn't so melodramatic after all. Both Eve and Charlie were intriguing characters and I enjoyed spending time in both worlds.

13. The Color of Magic by Terry Practhett (3 stars)

After a false start a couple of years ago with this book, I finally read it and found it be fun escapism. At times it was hard to stay engaged when the story would shift suddenly but overall I loved spending time with Rinceworld and Twoflowers and fully intend to read more in the Discworld series.

14. Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala (3 stars)

I struggled with this book mainly because of the lack of quotation marks. What should have been a gripping story about two teenage Niru and Meredith dealing with the repercussions of him realizing he's gay became quite disjointed. It became quite confusing at times to determine who was speaking and I'd have to stop and reread a few times to figure it out. That only succeeded in taking me out of the story. There was an old-fashioned feel to the book as I kept assuming the story took place in the 80's instead of in modern times since the reaction to his being gay seemed a bit extreme especially from his parent's point of view. Then again they were from Nigeria and had a totally different outlook on life than I would have had. The book is told first from Niru's point of view and then from Meredith's. I will say that I found the Meredith section to be more compelling. Lots of food for thought with this book I just wish I could have found it more engaging.

15. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (4 stars)

I was hesitant to read what is essentially a new Sherlock Holmes story but ended up thoroughly enjoying it which shouldn't be surprising since I have love other books by Horowitz. He did an excellent job of capturing Watson's tone and overall did a good job of getting Sherlock right. The mystery starts with a man who is being followed by someone from his past that he'd rather forget and then goes off in a whole other direction that somehow makes sense. Fun to be back with Holmes & Watson.

16. Aunt Bessie Invites by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)

Oh so lovely to return to the Isle of Man and Aunt Bessie and company. This time Bessie is planning a Thanksgiving feast even though they don't celebrate it on the Isle of Man. When she goes out to the local farm to inspect the turkeys to be used in the feast she discovers that the farm owners have just discovered a skeleton buried in one of the storage barns. The question quickly becomes who was this person and how did he die? Bessie and her friends spend the usual amount of time eating and taking about the case. Added bonuses were how previous story lines were threaded into the book so that characters met previously are still around.

I've heard of Xarissa before here somewhere - maybe on a previous post of yours. I was just thinking this would work for the "X" in the Alpha Kit. Need to check this out and see if the library has any.

ETA: Yup - It was you - took a BB

>70 LittleTaiko: I will say, as a fan of the series, that this is one of the weakest books. I think it takes to book 3 for Pratchett to find his voice and from there he really finds his feet. Well done on persevering with it though. And I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.

>72 dudes22: - Not surprising that it was me as there don't seem to be too many people reading her books. They are definitely on the light side but I find them enjoyable.

>73 Helenliz: - That's good to know. The first time I tried to read it was on an airplane which really was the wrong setting. All that world building needs concentration and that is hard for me to do when flying. Too many other distractions. I'm hoping to read the next in the series later this year.

17. The Appeal by John Grisham (2 stars)

It's quite possible that I've outgrown Grisham books which makes me a little sad. I used to love the legal thrillers and they kept me on my toes. This one was kind of boring and hard to get into. Characters kept being added throughout the book which made it hard for me to really settle in with the book. Plus the subject matter was a bit depressing. While the concepts and the story he was trying to tell are important it may have just been the wrong book for me at this time.

18. The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel (4 stars)

This was quite an unusual book that was moving, heartbreaking, and at times a bit funny. Fielding Bliss is a 13 year old boy in the early 1980's when his dad posts an ad inviting the devil to come to their town. When a young black boy named Sal shows up claiming to be the devil it seems amusing at first. However when the town is suddenly struck with a horrible heat wave and weird things start to happen, the townspeople are only to happy to direct their ire at Sal. The repercussions for Sal, Fielding and the rest of the Bliss family are harsh. This book covers quite a bit about racism, AIDS, and fear but in a different way.

>74 LittleTaiko: - Unfortunately, there are none of her books in the whole library system in our state. I'll have to think about buying one, I guess.

The Summer That Melted Everything sounds very weird, so BB for me! Thanks for the review, I'd never heard of it.

>77 mstrust: Me too!

>76 dudes22: - Yeah, I think they are only in ebook format so harder to get. Good luck finding one!

>77 mstrust: & >78 LisaMorr: - I really hope you like it! It's not a book I had heard of either until someone in my book club picked it for our next read. Probably not something I would have chosen on my own. Always happy to discover something unexpected.

>79 LittleTaiko: - oh -e-books - ok.

19. Small Island by Andrea Levy (4 stars)

The more I think about this book the bigger it's impact. Set in England and Jamaica, and alternating between WWII and shortly after, it is broken into four sections with each section told primarily through the eyes of one of the main characters. The story opens with Hortense, an ambitious and cold Jamaican woman who might dream of England if for no other reason than a friend of hers has that dream. Hortense is someone who never really developed people skills. It's rough to open with her as the primary narrator since she's not the easiest of people to like, however the payoff later makes starting with her a good choice. The second section is from Gilbert's point of view and he is such a delight to spend time with. He's a Jamaican man fighting in the war to help his mother country of England. Even through all the awful stuff that happens to him his voice is so lively and witty. The last two sections are from Queenie and Bernard's points of view. They are an English married couple with plenty of problems of their own.

20. The Man on the Washing Machine by Susan Cox (4 stars)

Well that was certainly fun. Theo Bogart is hiding out in San Francisco trying to rebuild her life under an assumed name. She's slowly made friends with a group of shop owners in her little part of the city and life seems to be pretty good. Or at least it would be if her business partner wasn't such a flake, a neighborhood man hadn't just fallen to his death, strange tensions weren't brewing among the group, and not to mention the strange man she finds standing on her washing machine. I liked Theo and friends and while the ending may have gotten a bit chaotic it was quite a nice ride.

21. A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams (4 stars)

I'm slowly trying all of the various series by Ellery Adams to see which ones I like the best. So far this Books by the Bay series and the Book Retreat series are tied as my favorites. This was the first in the Books by the Bay series and features Olivia Limoges, a wealthy woman who has come back home and is helping out the town in her own way while she works on writing her first novel. When one of the members of her writer's group is killed it shakes up the little group and prompts some investigating. Really loved the characters and look forward to seeing how their lives progress.

>81 LittleTaiko: I thought I'd read Small Island but I guess it was checked out when I was doing the Caribbean tour, and I ended up reading Fruit of the Lemon instead. I should try it. I read the first one in the Adams series several years ago. The second is on my Overdrive list at both libraries, but I don't think I've seen it come up as available often. I'll need to put a hold on it when I think it will work out well for me.

>82 thornton37814: - It started a bit slow for me but then I became quite intrigued with the story. Hope you like it if/when you decide to try it.

22. Census by Jesse Ball (3 stars)

I keep waffling between 3 and 4 starts on this one. On the plus side is the sweet father/son story and the fact that it handles the son's Down's Syndrome in a respectful manner. The preface explains the authors intent which was moving. It was a story easy to engage with but maybe not always to understand. I never really understood the census portion of the story or what it was supposed to say about government overreach. I'm not even sure what was involved with the census besides tattooing people which seemed odd. There were also a few scenes when the man is remembering life with his now deceased wife where things he mentioned about her didn't fit with everything else that we know. In a nutshell, I enjoyed it but didn't always understand it.

>81 LittleTaiko: I loved Small Island, and I also liked her Never Far from Nowhere which I think was her first novel.

>85 Jackie_K: - I'll have to be on the lookout for that one too.

January Recap

I tried doing monthly recaps last year and lost interest somewhere along the way. I'm back with cautious optimism that I can do a recap each month.

#Books Read
5 - Library
0 - Borrowed (Other)
11 - Owned
6 - Ebooks Owned
22 - Total

Purchased
1 - Ebook
0 - Books
1 - Total

I'm enjoying your ToB reviews and looking forward to reading So Lucky and The House of Broken Angels. I felt pretty much the same way as you did about Census. The preface was quite moving, and for me, possibly the best part of the book!

>88 mathgirl40: - I wonder if the book would have had as much impact without the preface. I've enjoyed seeing your ToB reviews as well. Having the short list earlier than usual has been helpful. I don't feel as stressed trying to get as many books in before the tournament starts.

23. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny (4 stars)

For some reason I had been reluctant to start this latest in the series even though I have loved almost all of the books to date. I think it's because I wasn't the crazy about the drug story line from the previous book and was afraid it would dominate. Fortunately while it was part of the story it wasn't the main event. The mystery centered around why Gamache and two other people were named liquidators for a dead woman's will despite having never met her. As always, Penny does an excellent job unfolding the layers of the mystery. While I still found the drug aspect to be a bit tiresome the rest of the book was really a lot of fun. I'm quite interested to see where the next book takes the characters. Oh and the acknowledgements made me tear up at her complete honesty about how hard it was to write this book after the death of her husband.

24. Civil to Strangers and Other Writings by Barbara Pym (4 stars)

I say this every time, but oh how I do enjoy a Pym novel, or in this case a couple of novellas and some short stories. These are all pure Pym with the small village setting, relationship intrigue, vicars, potlucks, etc...One story managed to combine that with a spy plot that was a hoot.

25. The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase (3 stars)

What would you do for your family? That is the question explored in this novel that takes place at Applecote Manor and alternates between four sisters in the 1950's who experience an unforgettable summer in and a married couple with two children who are living at the manor 50 years later. The gloom from a mysterious tragedy that took place in the 50's story still hangs over the house. I much preferred the earlier story as the sisterly dynamic was fun to read about and their melodramatic tendencies could be forgiven because of their age. Less easy to forgive was Jessie the mother in the later story who should be way more of an adult than what she is. Her reactions to events were more in line with how a teenage girl would react than a woman in her 30's.

26. Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams (2 stars)

I think I've confirmed that magical realism and cozy mysteries just don't mix well for me. It means I have to suspend belief even more than usual. Ella Mae has fled home to Georgia after catching her husband in New York cheating on her. In the span of a a few chapters she has started baking pies that are infused with emotions that have an impact on whoever eats them. However she doesn't seem to notice anything strange. She also has the hots for her old high school boyfriend and has renewed a feud with her high school enemy. Oh yeah, and her aunts all seem to have magical powers that she can't see either. Okay characters but overall just not my thing.

27. Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott (3 stars)

The sequel to Eight Cousins pretty much unfolded like I expected. More pompous and creepy interference from Uncle Alec, Rose remains charming and innocent, the cousins remain supportive. The surprising bit was how Alcott resolved the love triangle which felt a bit like her taking the easy way out. Even with all that it was still a cute story for it's time.

28. Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff (4 stars)

Hanff really knows how to tell a story. Her memoir about her early years in show business is informative, funny, and completely entertaining.

29. Apple of My Eye by Helene Hanff (5 stars)

I loved reading this short love letter to New York City/guidebook so much. Around 1976, Helene and her friend Patsy decided to play tourist for a few weeks so that Helene can better write descriptions about various tourist destinations for one of her writing jobs. Following them on their journey was so much fun. Hanff's wry humor struck the right chord with me and I delighted in having been to many of the attractions they described. It was bittersweet to read about the newly build World Trade Center towers. A little weird to also have the new Trump Towers mentioned as well as the up and coming Barnes & Noble company taking over. There were a few places mentioned that I was unaware of and have now added to my list of things to do during one of our visits.

Two from Hanff that I didn't know about! Thanks for the reviews!

>93 mstrust: - You can thank Clue for that. She read Underfoot in Show Business last year which I took a book bullet on. That led me to Apple of My Eye. I wish Hanff would have written more. All I have left is Duchess of Bloomsbury Street and Q's Legacy.

I've read "Duchess..." and found it a hoot.

Yea for three day weekend when I get a chance to read and finish up books that had been in progress for a bit!

30. Aunt Bessie Joins by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)

Bessie has joined a couple of her friends in helping with a fundraiser called Christmas at the Castle. When the obnoxious designer that was brought in to consult is found dead there are plenty of suspects since he managed to offend almost everybody he met. Bessie and friends do their part to help solve the crime.

31. Becoming by Michelle Obama (4 stars)

So lovely to spend some time in her world. She's such an interesting and classy lady, it was a joy to learn to learn more about her life

32. Cannery Row by John Steineck (5 stars)

I really don't know why this book resonated with me so much. Maybe because it was different than what I was expecting. All I know is that I completely enjoyed the characters and the glimpses into a little slice of life in Monterrey. There really isn't a plot unless you count Mack and his gang trying to throw the perfect party for Doc. Loved the insights into everyone's personalities and it just made me happy to read it.

33. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen (4 stars)

Hendrik is a Dutch man living out his remaining days in an assisted living facility in the Netherlands. He decides to start a diary and expose what really happens in the facilities. What follows is a bittersweet, amusing, and insightful look at aging.

Didn't get much reading done this past weekend since we did a quick road trip to San Antonio. Did buy a few books at a really cute book store called The Twig Book Shop though.

The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker
Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss

34. Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After by Heather Harpham (4 stars)

This was an honest look at the struggles of one family to find their way while dealing with a child's severe illness. The author states up front that she's relying on her memory which might not be the most accurate way of looking at things since we as humans have a tendency to rewrite our lives. It shows a bit in the children's dialogue that seems a bit advanced for their years. However the sentiment and humor really add to the emotional impact of the story. It also highlights how important being a registered blood marrow donor is. I can't wait to discuss this book with my book club.

February Recap

I doubt I'l finish anything else today so am posting my recap today.

#Books Read
1 - Library
3 - Borrowed (Other)
4 - Owned
4 - Ebooks Owned
12 - Total

Purchased
8 - Ebook
4 - Books
12 - Total

YTD Recap

#Books Read
6 - Library
3 - Borrowed (Other)
15 - Owned
10 - Ebooks Owned
34 - Total

Purchased - Not yet Read
9 - Ebook
4 - Books
13 - Total

Ended up finishing one book last night and another one this morning which I'm counting both towards my March numbers.

35. Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz (2 stars)

I have enjoyed everything else that I have ready by Horowitz so I guess I was due for one that just didn't float my boat. This book picks up days after Moriarty and Holmes disappeared at Reichenbach Falls. Chase, a Pinkerton agent, joins forces with Athelney Jones from Scotland Yard to track down a rather sinister criminal rumored to have rivaled Moriarty. I appreciated the way the story came together in the end but getting there was a bit of a slog. The pace was slow and I never warmed to Chase and found some of his decisions questionable. However seeing that Chase was really Moriarty, maybe I wasn't supposed to warm to him. I appreciated the nod to one of Agatha Christie's novel with this twist ending. I'm not sure I ever thought Moriarty was as vicious as he comes across in this book. Plus, did he really have to kill Jones?.

36. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (3 stars)

If a book about a serial killer can be considered fun, then this is it. Korede finds herself helping clean up quite literally after her younger sister, Ayoola, who has a pesky habit of killing her boyfriends. When Ayoola sets her sights on a handsome doctor that Korede is fond of things get even dicier. Short chapters make it easy to just keep reading one more and then another.

37. Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth (4 stars)

Nice little mystery that is the first in a series featuring Verlaque, the chief magistrate, and Marine Bonnett, his ex-girlfriend and professor. When a childhood friend of Marine's dies under mysterious circumstances, Verlaque requests her help in getting a better understanding of the family. Verlaque is a bit of an ass which makes it more satisfying when things don't always go his way. I enjoyed the supporting characters quite a bit and do look forward to reading more some day in the series.

38. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (3 stars)

Well, I can see why lots of people might love this book but this is not the book for me. It was excruciatingly slow full of lots of descriptions and thoughts which found me skimming quite a bit. When the narrative came back to the heart of the story I did find myself enjoying this look at societal changes through the eyes of a man who I doubt has ever been in touch with his emotions. It helped that I kept picturing Carson and Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey in the place of Stevens and Miss Kenton.

>101 LittleTaiko: - I have never read Ishiguro's book, I have only seen the movie adaptation starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, which was wonderful. I can see how you kept picturing Carson and Mrs. Hughes as you read this one!

>102 lkernagh: - I really need to see the movie as I think it might be a rare case where I like the movie better than the book. Either that or I'll just start rewatching Downton Abbey. :)

I read The Remains of the Day years ago, and what I remember best is how slow it was. After I finished, I was passing the book along to someone else, and this guy saw that I was holding it. His face took on a sort of bitter expression and he said "Did you actually finish it?" Ha!

>101 LittleTaiko: I thought the slow pace of Remains of the day was one of its strengths. The way everything happens under the veneer was, to me, part of its appeal.

>101 LittleTaiko: I loved The Remains of the Day! Sorry it didn't live up to your expectations. Like >105 Helenliz: I thought the pace was one of its strengths and added to the charm.

After reading it, I saw the movie with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, which was fabulous. That made me read the book again.

>104 mstrust: - That will probably be what I remember it best for as well.

>105 Helenliz: & >106 VivienneR: - I can definitely see how that could be the case which is why I could sort of appreciate it while knowing it just wasn't the right book for me. In general I struggle with anything that is slow paced, even outside of reading. It's like my goal in life is to try to do everything as fast as I can (driving, reading, eating, walking, etc...). That can definitely be a detriment to enjoying a worthy but slow paced book.

39. A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams (3 stars)

Roaring 20's in NYC, family secrets, an love affairs made for an entertaining read. Theresa is woman of a certain age who has an understanding with her charming husband about their respective affairs. Her affair is with a much younger man named Octavian who she rather annoying calls "Boyo." Theresa's brother Ox has finally decided to settle down with the rather young and charming Sophie. When Octavian meets Sophie through a rather weird circumstance, lives start to become a bit confusing. The narrative shift between Theresa and Sophia provided highlighted how different they were. Theresa's jaded yet vulnerable personality contrasted to Sophie's hopeful and innocent outlook nicely.

40. A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert (3 stars)

Cute cozy mystery set in Virginia. Amy is a librarian at the local library after having moved in with her aunt following a breakup with her boyfriend that caused her to flee her old job. Seems a little extreme but whatever works I suppose. A quibble I have is that the aunt is portrayed as being old and fragile but she's only in her 60's. Really? Anyway, the mystery itself is more of a mystery within a mystery which is fun. However as I was reading it, I couldn't help but notice certain points that were obviously being laid our for significant clues and events later on. Of course there is the requisite romance but thankfully there isn't a love triangle to deal with. Also there is some unfinished business with a character that may or may not be doing some shady things which hopefully will play out in later books.

Vacation time has led to lots of reading, a relaxed and happy mood and some four star reads. We were in NYC for a few days and made a visit to the Strand which is always fun. Picked up the following:

Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson
Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman
Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson

Finished a few books too:

41. The Vanishing Man by Charles Finch (4 stars)

Life is always good when the latest Charles Finch mystery comes out. This is another prequel to the series and shows Lenox gaining more confidence in his developing investigation skills. It was really interesting to see the steps he was taking to learn more about the criminal world. He's able to put those new skills to use when a duke calls on him for assistance.

42. The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris (4 stars)

Fascinating and horrifying look at the world of surgery in the 1800's and Joseph Lister's amazing contributions to improving the process. It's truly mind-boggling how far the medical world has come in what is really such a short amount of time.

43. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (4 stars)

Set in India, our narrator, The White Tiger, takes us on a journey as he writes a letter to the Premier of China explaining how things really work in India before the Premiers visit. He takes us through the slums and rich areas and shows what it takes to survive.

Loved this quote about books: "So I stood around that big square of books. Standing around books, even books in a foreign language, you feel a kind of electricity buzzing up toward you."

44. Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

The sense of place is what really sets these mysteries apart. Sarah's mid-wife abilities are in high demand. One of her patient's sister has been murdered and due to the circumstances it's unlikely the police will investigate too hard unless there is a reward involved. Sarah reaches out Sergeant Malloy for assistance. Their burgeoning friendship is delightful as well.

45. Mrs. Jeffries Delivers the Goods by Emily Brightwell (4 stars)

Mrs. Jeffries and the crew are back in a book that is based on coincidences. The setting is the same hotel that a murder occurred in a previous book. Wiggins and the doctor are on the scene of the crime when a rather nasty man is poisoned and are able to provide their input up front. My only quibble was that it was fairly obvious who committed the crime. Then again I like feeling smart so actually solving the mystery was a perk.

The Butchering Art is just a lot of fun, isn't it? I was compelled to read portions of it to family members, much to their dismay.

A visit to NYC sounds wonderful.

The Strand! One of my favorite places on earth!

>110 RidgewayGirl: - Yes! It's the sort of book I had to keep reading bit aloud to my husband because they were just so fantastic. I've passed it on to my dad in the hopes of sharing it further.

>111 mstrust: - It is such a lovely place to be isn't it? When we go to NYC I always stop by either The Strand or The Mysterious Bookshop depending on which one fits in better with the rest of our plans.

>109 LittleTaiko: - re: The Art of Butchering - Your comment, Stacy, "how far the medical world has come", reminded me of the book Stiff about cadavers and how they've helped medicine. I think I'll have to take a BB for this. (I was reading Stiff while I was waiting in the exam room for the dermatologist and when he came in and saw what I was reading, we had a little conversation about it. Not too comfortable in the johnnie I was wearing.)

>113 dudes22: - Stiff is still one of my favorite non-fiction books. I hope you enjoy The Art of Butchering when yo uget to it.

46. One Hundred Twenty-One Days by Michele Audin (4 stars)

I can safely say this was unlike any other book I've read. Each chapter is told different, whether as a fairy tale, research notes, a list of numbers, etc...The author is a member of Oulipo which was not a group I was familiar with until now. I should have been since Italo Calvino is also a member and I'm a big fan of his work. I gather that their goal is to set certain writing constraints for their stories which leads to some really creative writing. If someone has more knowledge on the group, please feel to share and educate me. Audin is also a mathematician and uses that knowledge to good effect here. She weaves a story about several mathematicians, their families, work and lives during WWI and WWII. Not too much math for those who don't enjoy it but enough to give it a solid background.

47. Endangered by Pamela Beason (4 stars)

This is one of those time where I desperately wish I could remember how a book came across my radar. All I know is it was on my wish list and I bought it in 2017. Anyway, thank you to the mystery person. This was an engaging thriller set in a national park in Utah. Sam Westin is a nature journalist who is visiting to write some articles about the cougars living in the park. When a little boy goes missing, the public is all too eager to blame it on the cougars instead of looking into the possibility that a human may have kidnapped him. The FBI is called in though and Sam is able to offer her help in navigating the trails. This was definitely a page turner.

48. Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid (3 stars)

After having read all Hamid's other books I finally got around to reading his debut novel. It was interesting to see him developing his style and how he just keeps getting better and better as a writer. Set in Lahore the book focuses on Daru, his best friend, his lover, and an assortment of other people in his life. Daru is on trial for murder and we slowly see through chapters from different participants points of view how events unfolded over the course of a few months. Daru is not somebody to root for but yet you just can't help but want to keep reading more to see how he continues to make a mess of his life.

49. Mindful of Race by Ruth King (4 stars)

I read this one for work as part of our continuing work in ensuring an equitable work environment for everyone. This was a very thoughtful and gentle book that takes both white people and people of color through ways of handling the stress of discussing race and dealing with racism. It was very eye-opening for me in regards to individual vs group think. Lots of things to continue to think about and to work on.

50. Aunt Bessie Knows by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)

Aunt Bessie is back and it's only been a couple of weeks since the events in the last book. It's New Years Eve and everyone is gathered for a big party at her friend Mary's house. When a rather unpleasant guest is found dead shortly after midnight suspicion falls on one of Bessie's friends, Hugh. Bessie does her usual investigating which involves lots of eating, walking, and talking. While I thought Hugh and his fiancee Grace acted like idiots, the rest of the book was delightful as usual.

>112 LittleTaiko: The Mysterious Bookshop is so beautiful that I took pictures of each wall. I also found their staff to be the most helpful of all the bookstores I hit in NYC. Really, really nice employees.

>115 LittleTaiko: Endangered sounds interesting and I notice that it's the first of a series of three (so far). I sometimes read the Nevada Barr books, mostly for the National Park settings so these books sound like a natural progression.

>117 DeltaQueen50: - I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series. I believe they are all set in different National Parks which will make for a great atmosphere.

51. Aunt Bessie Knows by Diana Xarissa (3 stars)

Less than two months after the events in the last book, Bessie finds herself assisting with a cold case investigation that Hugh is heading up. Several years ago, three young women who were cousins went missing. Strangely nobody in the family wants the investigation reopened. While I still enjoyed how Bessie eats and reads her way through these stories there were a couple of things that bothered me. I'm getting a bit tired of the Inspector asking for Bessie's help but then asking her to not actually talk to any of the suspects. How exactly is she supposed to get information? Also, the ending seemed a bit rushed.

52. Nothing Like a Dame by Eddie George (3 stars)

If you are a fan of Broadway musicals, especially the leading ladies, then this book is for you. Shapiro did countless interviews over a number of years with some of the top names in the business. The criteria was that they needed to have won a Tony. My favorite interviews were with Angela Lansbury and Bebe Neuwirth - both seemed like quite classy ladies. All of the experiences were interesting in their similarity and differences. I would recommend taking a leisurely approach to the book and reading one interview a day or couple of days.

53. A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman (4 stars)

What a fun graphic novel! I was not familiar with the Lovecraft aspect of the story, but the Sherlock Holmes portion really hit my happy spot. I did have to do some googling to better understand the ending, but that sort of added to the fun.

54. An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd (3 stars)

The fourth book in the Bess Crawford series finds Bess still working as a nurse during WWI and smack in the middle of the Spanish influenza. Bess discovers the murdered body of a soldier who had previously served with her father. I enjoy the historical aspects of this series even though somehow the mysteries themselves don't quite sit right with me for some reason. The ending seemed rather out of the blue in this instance.

55. Towards Zero by Agatha Christie (3 stars)

It's a bit sad that there weren't more Superintendent Battle books by Christie as I like the steadiness he brings to the story. The premise with this one is that a lot of murders really start years in advance as events unfold that lead up to the ultimate murder. The setting is a house party where Nigel and Kay are visiting Nigel's relative at the same time that Nigel's first wife, Audrey is visiting. Throw in a couple of old friends/love interests and you know something is going to go wrong. I vaguely remembered how it turned out and loved following the twists and turns. The very end sort of bugged me with an out of the blue romance that made no sense. It also took a bit too long to set up the story but once everyone was together everything moved quickly.

Two more books to round out March.

56. Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse (4 stars)

The first in the Blandings series had me chuckling quite a bit. Full of the usual Wodehouse antics with eccentric relatives, misunderstandings galore, and silly fun.

57. Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed by Meghan Daum (4 stars)

This collection of essays by sixteen different writers about their decision to not have children was quite eye-opening. I'm not a writer but have chosen to not have children as having them was never something I felt a strong desire to do. What surprised me the most in reading the collection was how many of them felt societal pressure to have children and they were being judged as lesser than for not having them. I guess I've been quite fortunate to have somehow escaped all that. I have friends who have children and lots of them who have chosen not too. Nobody has indicated one way or the other that they have any feelings whatsoever about my choices. Even my family has been rather low-key and have never really tried to get me to change my mind.

The essays really show a variety of reasons as to why people make the choices they do. While some of them rubbed me the wrong way, every single one gave me something to think about.

Well, my good intentions about not buying too many books this year went out the window yesterday. My dad had two book store gift cards burning a hole in his pocket so spent the afternoon helping him use them. Of course I had to buy some books too. My 12 year Thingaversary is next week so I celebrated a bit early by buying the following:

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck
The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks
Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland
Murder in Midtown by Liz Freeland
The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan
A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody
Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurty

March Recap

#Books Read
2 - Library
0 - Borrowed (Other)
14 - Owned
7 - Ebooks Owned
23 - Total

YTD Recap

#Books Read
8 - Library
3 - Borrowed (Other)
29 - Owned
17 - Ebooks Owned
57 - Total

Purchased - Not yet Read
8 - Ebook
20 - Books
28 - Total

>121 LittleTaiko: Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed has been appearing on my kobo recommendations recently. It's a subject I'm fascinated by - although I do have a child, I've always been pretty ambivalent about having children, and wouldn't have felt like I'd missed out if I didn't. I feel the need to have to qualify that by saying that obviously I wouldn't be without my daughter for the world! But having a child was never the be-all-and-end-all for me that it clearly was for a number of my friends.

You got some great books to help celebrate your Thingaversary. My 11th is coming up in June so I guess I should start planning my own book haul. ;)

>122 LittleTaiko: My 12th Thingaversary was yesterday. I finally reported my haul. I actually purchased one additional Kindle book because it was on sale for 99 cents, but I'd already decided not to count it because I wanted the last ones to be titles I really wanted that weren't readily available to me. I ordered those last 4 from Book Depository. A couple of my Kindle purchases were things on last year's Christmas wish list that my Santa completely ignored. Three purchases were genealogy-related. One was a cat, and my "one to grow on" was a cookbook!

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy thingaversary and happy reading!

>123 Jackie_K: - How interesting that it keeps popping up as a recommendation since it came out a couple of years ago. It really is a fascinating topic full of lots of reason and emotion.

>124 DeltaQueen50: - It's so much fun planning a book haul, isn't it?

>125 thornton37814: - Happy Thingaversary to you too!

>126 RidgewayGirl: & >127 MissWatson: - Thank you very much!

58. Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland (3 stars)

I'm a sucker for historical mysteries especially if they are set in NYC. Set in the early 1920's Louise has moved to NYC to escape a potential scandal back home and to forge her way. She's sharing an apartment with a friend of her and that friends cousin who appeared one day and shows no signs of leaving. However, when the cousin is brutally murdered in their apartment it opens many cans of worms. I liked that Louise's back story wasn't what you typically find. While some of her actions were quite questionable, I am intrigued enough by how the book ended to see where this series goes.

59. Clouds in My Coffee by Julie Mulhern (3 stars)

Back to the 70's with Ellison helping her mom with a gala, housing her aunt and sister rather unexpectedly, as well as being killed. For some reason there are many serious accidents that seem to be targeting Ellison. Ellison was a bit frustrating throughout the book as she refused to share anything about her family with the police even though it would help the case and she's obviously friendly with the detective. The mystery seemed to be a bit of side story with the relationships taking center stage this time around. I'm hoping that based on how the book ended that there will be less family drama in future installments.

>129 LittleTaiko: Now I'm singing "You're So Vain." For some reason Clouds in My Coffee makes me start singing that one! LOL

Hmmm, need to start picking better books. Only one out of the four was a book I enjoyed.

60. The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriary (2 stars)

The ties with The Last Anniversary as my least favorite of Moriarty's books. Everything else by her has been enjoyable, but this one just fell flat for me. Part of my problem is with the hypnotist story line as I'm a bit skeptical about it as a method of treatment. It just goes against my accounting brain. The characters were fine, but nothing much happened and the casual acceptance of the stalker was just silly. Oh well, they can't all be great.

61. A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon (2 stars)

Hard to pinpoint why this one didn't work for me. The main character was interesting enough and I liked the idea of a writer's retreat. There just seemed to be a whole lot of nothing happening, well besides lots of anguishing whether she had the hots for the handyman or not. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind.

62. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (4 stars)

I recently listened to a podcast that dramatizes various myths and was introduced to Loki and realized that I didn't know anything about Norse myths. When I then came across this book in a store I had to buy it. It was a nice introduction to several of the myths and I found the tone to be engaging.

First DNF of the year.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

It saddens me that I didn't enjoy this book at all since I have loved almost everything else by this author. I wasn't that crazy about her other most recent book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but still had hopes that this one would be better. Nope. This book is written completely as a series of interviews with members of a fictional rock band. The constant back and forth in perspectives prevented me from really getting behind any of the characters. It also didn't help that none of them were particularly likable or interesting. It was full of the usual rock and roll story tropes of sex and drugs. I just kept getting more and more bored and finally gave up halfway through. I appear to be in the minority as Reid's last two books have gotten such raves, but I much preferred her more contemporary stories about your average person and their problems.

On the bright side I'm currently reading The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton which is a wonderfully strange mystery that has me completely confused, intrigued, and amazed. It was really hard to put the book down to go to work but alas being an adult won out.

>131 LittleTaiko: What's your favorite of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books? I keep wanting to try her but haven't gotten there yet.

>132 christina_reads: - Maybe In Another Life is probably my favorite of hers because I love the whole concept of seeing two different versions of the same life and how they played out depending on one decision that was made.

>133 LittleTaiko: Thanks!

63. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (4 stars)

Wow - this was quite unlike any mystery thriller I've ever read before. Part classic mystery and part time travel, this book took me on quite a ride. Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered yet again at the end of a dinner party. This is a cycle that has played out over many days. Aiden Bishop's quest is to determine who killed Eveyln in order to stop the loop. He has eight days to figure it out. If he doesn't succeed the whole process starts over. An added complication is that Aiden isn't participating as himself, he ends up inhabiting a different guests body every day. It stated slow and then bam I was hooked. While I might not have understood everything going on (the back and forth between hosts was mind-boggling), I just couldn't put the book down. Great fun!

>135 LittleTaiko: that sounds most intriguing! And the library have a copy. hmm, taking a book bullet on that one.

>135 LittleTaiko: I borrowed this from the library and was taken aback by the size of it! It may be a "buy secondhand" book for me, because it does sound interesting.

>136 Helenliz: - Hope you enjoy it!

>137 rabbitprincess: - I don't remember it being that big of a book. I just flew through it though and really didn't pay much attention to size. Hope you can find it someday!

64. Call of the Wild by Jack London (3 stars)

This story of Buck, a domesticated dog who was stolen and turned into a sled dog, is at turns brutal and sweet. Definitely leans more towards the brutal though as life of a sled dog in Alaska is hard. It explores the nature of a dog and the pull to move away from domestication and to reclaim his wild roots. As a dog lover, I had to skim a couple of scenes, but I enjoyed seeing life and human foibles through Buck's eyes.

65. The Professor by Charlotte Bronte (3 stars)

While it's easy to see that this is Bronte's first novel, there are a lot of flashes as to the writer she would become. The book starts off quite slowly with William Crimsworth taking entirely too long to figure out his path in life. Once he was settled in as a teacher in a Belgium school the story became a bit more interesting. There is interest in the head of the girls school and then his attentions to his favorite student, Frances Henri. William is a bit of an ass as he's completely taken with himself and scornful of pretty much everybody else. Frances is the real start of the story. Granted her transformation from meek, poor, student to an outspoken feminist was a bit quick, but at least it made her interesting.

66. Murder in Midtown by Liz Freeland (4 stars)

I really like the direction that this second book in the series took. Louise is contemplating a new career. When her current place of employment burns to the ground and one of the business partners found dead in the rubble, it becomes time to make a career change faster than she anticipated. I love the way that early 1920's New York is depicted and that the characters are getting a chance to develop even further. I have to keep reminding myself that Louise is only in her early 20's so doesn't have the life experience to make more mature decisions all the time. There are definitely plenty of potential threads leftover from the first two books that could be pursued in future books. I look forward to seeing where Louise's journeys take her.

67. Far From True by Linwood Barclay (4 stars)

Super annoyed that is has taken me two years to get around to reading Far From True by Linwood Barclay, the second book in the Promise Falls trilogy. Raced through it in a couple of days and immediately dove into The Twenty-Three. Hope to have that one finished soon. This book picks up pretty much immediately after the events in the first book and there are still quite a lot of action happening in the town. The police detective is still trying to unravel a couple of brutal murders that are linked and seem related to someone with an obsession with the number 23. A drive in movie screen has collapsed killing a couple of people, a politician is trying to make a comeback, really awful in-laws are harassing their former daughter-in-law, and the list goes on. The author did a great job of keeping the suspense throughout the story. My main quibble is that there aren't any really strong female characters. There are a few in the book but they seem relegated to being nags, weak, or primarily there for romance potential. Granted the men are all pretty flawed as well so maybe I'm just being overly critical. Can't wait to see how this trilogy plays out!

68 The Twenty-Three by Linwood Barclay (4 stars)

The final installment of the Promise Falls trilogy opens up with a bang - overnight the city's water has been poisoned and people are dropping quickly. The hospital is overrun with people with flu-like symptoms that they can't treat. Detectives are trying to figure out the source of the poison and oh yeah, the serial killer has struck again. It kept me guessing along the way and most of the story lines were wrapped up. One wasn't but I was okay with it as it was the weakest part of the third book.

69. Poems by Emily Dickinson (4 stars)

Dickinson's poems reminded me a bit of Mary Oliver's, or I suppose that I should say that Oliver reminds me of Dickinson. Both write quite a bit about nature and love. They also have a similar style using as few as words as possible. There were quite a few poems that I loved. Here's one for book lovers.

A Book

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book.
What liberty a loosened spirit brings!

70. A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody (3 stars)

This is the fourth in the Kate Shackleton series but the first that I have read. Fortunately I didn't feel that I was missing anything while reading as it was pretty easy to pick up the main characters. Set in 1920's England, Kate is a war widow who has taken up investigating as a way to stay busy. Her task this time is to find a missing wife. When it appears that the wife might be implicated in a murder her investigation takes a turn. Solid mystery with interesting characters.

71. White Fang by Jack London (3 stars)

This was interesting companion piece to Call of the Wild. This time London explores a wolf in the wild becoming domesticated bit by bit. Life in the wilderness was quite grim and challenging, but White Fang was up to the task. He was clever, smart, and a quick-learner. Seeing the world through his eyes made me think a bit differently about why dogs do some of the things they do and how instinctual it is.

72. Passage by Connie Willis (3 stars)

Connie Willis has been one of my favorite authors for quite some time and while this isn't one of my absolute favorites of hers I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Joanna is working with people who have experienced NDE's (near death experiences). She teams up with another doctor who can simulate the experience for volunteers allowing the doctors to gather data on what might happen when dying. When they lose one of their volunteers, Joanna offers to go through the simulation. Each time she goes under she gets more information and starts to discover something disturbing. The concept was quite intriguing and while I don't think I buy into the theory they come upon, it's still creative. It has lots of frantic running around, a very precocious sick little girl, and dated technology. Pagers were apparently quite the thing when this book was written. Plus Blockbuster Video stores were still going (which made me smile since I used to work for them almost 20 years ago).

>145 LittleTaiko: I love Connie Willis, but I haven't gotten to Passage yet...sounds like I should rectify that soon!

>146 christina_reads: - I almost always love her books. This one was fascinating just for the whole concept of what near death experiences could mean. It's almost like a time travel novel.

73. The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel (2 stars)

The quartet was a group of high school kids who liked to play music. After graduation they all go their separate ways but are reunited when one of the members Gavin has moved back home after a professional disaster. It alternates between events right after high school and the present day. This was an aggravating book full of people making idiotic decisions that all seemed to be based on what one silly teenage girl did. Not one of the characters seemed capable of actually living a responsible life.

74. The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan (3 stars)

It always strikes me as strange when a book can be interesting yet dull at the same time. There was quite a bit of information about the Vanderbilt family, Biltmore, and the historical time period that I found interesting. Yet sometimes it felt like I was reading the same bits of information over and over again and not always in the most coherent fashion. One day I would love to actually visit the Biltmore to see it and the surroundings. It does sound like an amazing piece of architecture.

75. The Killing at Kaldaire House by Kate Parker (4 stars)

What a fun new cozy mystery series. Emily is a milliner in London during the beginning of the 20th century. She isn't above a spot of burglary to encourage her clients to pay their bills. During one such burglary episode she discovers Lord Kaldaire lying on the floor dying. Despite the danger to herself she calls for help in an effort to save him. Unfortunately he dies anyway and suspicion immediately falls on her. Luckily, Lady Kaldaire believes Emily's story and covers for her with Scotland Yard with the understanding that Emily will help her figure out who killed him. An added complication is Emily's family, a group of jovial criminals who enjoy a good con or burglary. This was full of fun characters and interesting story lines. I really hope there will be another one in the series soon.

Probably won't finish another book today so am posting my April recap. I'm really happy that I've managed to read 61 of my own books this year which is more than the 31 that have been added but not read yet. Yay!

April Recap

#Books Read
1 - Library
2 - Borrowed (Other)
11 - Owned
4 - Ebooks Owned
18 - Total

YTD Recap

#Books Read
9 - Library
5 - Borrowed (Other)
40 - Owned
21 - Ebooks Owned
75 - Total

Purchased - Not yet Read
15 - Ebook
16 - Books
31 - Total

>148 LittleTaiko: I love to go to Biltmore. I think I enjoy the gardens more than the house overall though. They sometimes rotate which rooms are on tour. There are some always on tour, but others vary. I rated it a half-star higher than you did, probably because I live near there and was more familiar with some of the ins and outs of the home and area.

>149 LittleTaiko: Wow, 61 of your own books read, and we're only a third of the way through the year! That's amazing!

>148 LittleTaiko: - Oh dear regarding The Lola Quartet. I haven't read that one. I was really impressed with her books Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun and did like (but not as much) Station Eleven. My patience for people making idiotic decisions is at an all time low at the moment, so I won't be rushing out to pick up and start reading The Lola Quartet. Good review!

>150 thornton37814: - The surrounding areas sound like they would be quite something to see as well as the house.

>151 rabbitprincess: - Thanks! I've really been trying to focus on what I actually own. So hard to avoid all the new and shiny though.

>152 lkernagh: - I really enjoyed Station Eleven so am even more intrigued now, because of your comments, by Last Night in Montreal since that will be the next one I read of hers.

76. Lessons from Tara by David Rosenfelt (3 stars)

If you are a dog lover then I would definitely recommend that you pick up this book. It is a series of short stories about all the lessons the author has learned from the various dogs in his life, especially Tara his first dog. He and his wife are no ordinary dog owners though. They firmly believe in rescuing dogs and have their own foundation as well. In their own house they may have anywhere from 25-40 dogs at any given point. Needless to say that opens up the possibility for lots of funny stories. I chuckled out loud several times. The only flaw was that the stories start to blend together with a certain sameness.

77. An Artless Demise by Anna Huber (4 stars)

I really do enjoy this series. The way she weaves historical facts with a mystery is truly impressive. Lady Darby and Gage are in London, a place she hasn't been in a couple of years after fleeing due to a scandal. The old problems rise up again when body snatchers are arrested for having murdered someone in order to provide the body to the medical schools. Add to that blackmail, additional murders meant to take advantage of the burker hysteria, and navigating society there is plenty to keep them busy.

>154 LittleTaiko: My big rule whenever the kids wanted another dog was that "two dogs are two dogs, three dogs are a pack" and so we only ever had two at a time (except for a few weeks when a stray showed up). I can't imagine the logistics involved in the giving out of tummy rubs and head scritches alone.

>156 RidgewayGirl: - Apparently it takes a solid hour in the morning to feed them and give out any medication that might be needed. I'm assuming there are some tummy rubs along the say too. Such a commitment!

78. The Nonexistent Knight and the Cloven Viscount by Italo Calvino (4 stars)

These two novellas are aptly named as they completely identify the main characters in each story. The nonexistent knight is a suit of armor who servers under Charlemange and is the most perfect of knights in his actions. When he discovers that the actions that made him a knight might not be true, he sets off to track down the virgin he saved in order to prove his worth. He is followed by his squire who may be the most inept squire ever, a young impressionable knight wanna be, and a female knight who has the hots for the nonexistent knight. The story is narrated by a nun who takes us through these amusing and improbably escapades. I loved this story so much.

The second story is of the cloven viscount who found himself in that situation after being split exactly in half during battle. One half of the viscount returns home where it soon becomes clear that this half is the evil half. Eventually, the other half returns home as well and overwhelms people with his goodness. When the two halves fight a duel to win the hand of a young lady things come to an unusual end.

Both of these stories have Calvino's subtle unique sense of humor that appeals to my funny bone.

79. Run Away by Harlan Coben (3 stars)

How far would you go for the ones you love seems to be the premise of this book. Simon's daughter Paige is addicted to drugs and hasn't been in contact with her family for a while. When Simon sees her in Central Park one day his actions set off a long and really improbable story line involving cults and genetics. The problem with reading lots of thrillers with big twists at the end is that I'm finding that the twists are getting more and more extreme, to the point of really ridiculous. Harlan Coben has long been one of my favorite authors, especially his Myron Bolitar series, and his stand alones have been good too. However this one was just okay for me. The tension was lacking as I wasn't sure I cared that much about whether Simon every found Paige or not. The ending of this book really didn't work for me. The more I think about it, the more I'm annoyed by the sheer absurdity of some of the characters actions and how the plot lines intersected.

80. The Comedians by Graham Greene (3 stars)

My first introduction to Greene's novel turned out to be a nice solid story though maybe just a tad slow. Set in Haiti during the early 1960's, life is a bit grim for the people living there. Papa Doc is in charge with his squad the Tonton Macoute harassing and killing people for political reasons. Into this turmoil come three men, Brown (our narrator), Smith (the Presidential candidate), and Jones (the unknown factor). They met on the ship into Haiti and find their paths crossing throughout the course of the book. Brown is a cynic who has some trust issues with his mistress. Smith and his wife are relentless optimists who aren't afraid of a little realism though. Jones starts to reveal his true self throughout the course of the book. The Smiths were my favorite characters in the book with their determination to do what they think is right. There were a lot of wry observations and lines that showed what a skilled writer Greene was. I look forward to trying more of his books in the future.

81. The Untold Stories of Broadway, Part 1 by Jennifer Tepper (3 stars)

Tepper has embarked on quite the project - interviews with numerous people who have worked on Broadway in various capacities over the years. Her focus is on the actual theaters, what makes them unique and the various stories from shows that ran in each of them. Part 1 focuses on four theaters - the Richard Rodgers, the Wintergarden, the Marriott Marquis, and the Al Hirschfield. Interesting looks at the theater history through the years.

82. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (5 stars)

What a lovely and moving book. Set during the siege on Sarajevo in the 1990's it tells the story of four people. Kenan, a family man, who is making his regular trip to gather water for his family. Dragan is heading to the bakery where he works to pick up some food. Arrow is a sniper charged with keeping the fourth person, the cellist, alive. The unnamed cellist appears every afternoon for twenty-two days to honor the twenty-two people who were killed in a mortar attack while in line to buy bread. The story had me hooked from the beginning and it was disturbing to see the impact that war had on the day to day life. I also admired the courage the characters showed. It was also helpful to know that the premise of the cellist was based on a real person and event.

83. Aunt Bessie Meets by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)

Aunt Bessie runs into Vikki, the widow from the first book in the series, on the anniversary of her husband's murder. Surprisingly Vikki has remarried and seems to be moving on with her life. When Vikki is unexpectedly murdered, Aunt Bessie gets drawn into helping figure out why someone would kill her. Full of the usual characters and activities (these people eat a lot!) it was a nice cozy way to spend a rainy day.

>161 LittleTaiko: I loved The Cellist of Sarajevo too. Very powerful writing.

>161 LittleTaiko: The Cellist of Sarajevo is a book that has stuck with me several years. It's one I may wish to re-read at some point.

>163 thornton37814: - I feel the same way. It was a wonderful book.

84. Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut (5 stars)

This was an amazing collection of creative short stories. I enjoyed every single story though All The King's Horses might have been my favorite one. The concept of a high-stakes chess match with real people as the chess pieces was quite powerful. He touches on themes of war, love, and aging. They were at times funny, bittersweet, or thought-provoking. Loved it!

85. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan (3 stars)

Cute start of a series set in India. On the day of Inspector Chopra's retirement from the police force he receives the rather unexpected inheritance of a baby elephant. He also can't quite step away from a suspicious death that came across his desk on his last day. In order to make sure justice is done he continues to investigate on the side. There's a side story with the Inspector's wife, Poppy. The scenes with the elephant are the best.

86. The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes (4 stars)

Sarah is a young girl obsessed with her horse. The only person in her life that she is close to is her Papa. Natasha is a driven lawyer trying to come to grips with the end of her marriage. Their lives come together in an unexpected way. Sarah frustrated me so many times and while my first instinct was to think she wasn't acting rationally, I would remind myself that for her age and given her circumstances it made more sense. She's never had many people to rely on and trusting people doesn't come easy to her.

87. Billy Budd, Bartleby, and Other Stories by Herman Melville (2 stars)

I only read a couple of the stories and then decided to call it quits, they weren't bad, just not for me.

88. The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul by Douglas Adams (4 stars)

So much fun to spend time with Dirk Gently and the whacky world the Adams creates. This time there is a mysterious incident at an airport, Norse gods, a dead body, and lots of fun conversations.

89. Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie (3 stars)

I've never been a huge fan of most the Christie mysteries set outside of England, and this one set in ancient Egypt didn't change my mind. The story involves one family whose day to day life is disturbed by the addition of a concubine. Six deaths later and the truth about the ugliness within the family is revealed.

90. Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird (3 stars)

It wasn't too surprising when Beatrice dies, it was surprising that her bank account all of a sudden had a quarter of a million pounds in it. How did it get there and was there more to her death? Those are the questions for Inspector Sloan to work through while attempting to support his wife through the last days of her pregnancy. Nice classic mystery.

91. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (4 stars)

I feel like I may be the last person to have read this book. The movie was a vague memory but I remembered enjoying it. The story of the young maid Griet who starts working for the Vemeers didn't necessarily have a lot of action but I just really had a hard time putting the book down. It was so easy to get caught up in their world and Griet's troubles and hopes.

I've been on a mystery/thriller kick lately.

92. Whisper of Death by Patricia Wynn (4 stars)

I love this series and wish new books came out more frequently than one every three years. However the amount of research that Wynn does warrants the long gap between books. Set in England during 1716 the backdrop is the Jacobite rebellion and the tensions that remain. There is of course Hester Kean, her relatives, and St. Mar. The relationship between Hester and St. Mar continues to develop and there is a payoff for series fans. The mystery involves a scoundrel who liked to harass women and also seemed to support the rebellion. When he is murdered suspicion falls on one of the servants within the household where Hester works. If this were to be the last book in the series I would be satisfied. Though I am hoping for more.

93. The One That Got Away by Simon Wood (3 stars)

Zoe and her friend Holly were having a girls weekend when they were abducted. Zoe was able to escape while Holly was being tortured and has lived with survivors guilt ever since. When she sees a news story about a murder committed under the same circumstances as Holly's, she pushes her way into the investigation. I don't know that I completely bought Zoe's actions as reasonable or realistic, but who knows how I'd react given the same circumstances. The reader knows early on who the culprit is and follows the back and forth of his reactions to her actions.

94. A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks (4 stars)

Jane Prescott is a ladies maid in NYC during the early 1910's. One of the ladies she attends to is about to announce her engagement to a young man. When the her fiancee is brutally murdered suspicion immediately falls on anarchists who have been threatening the family. However Jane sees and hears quite a bit in her position that makes her think otherwise. This was a nice balance of characters, social commentary, and history. I look forward to reading more by this author.

95. Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott (2 stars)

When I first started reading this book I was confused as to why it had overall low ratings. The story about two teenage girls who become friends but then a secret shared tears them apart was initially interesting. It was super easy to figure out what Diane's secret was and it's revealed about halfway through the book. Shortly after that the book really goes off the rails with some rather unbelievable actions. I suppose this was supposed to be about how tough it can be to be a woman but I think these women were making it harder than it needed to be.

You'll be zipping past me soon. My reading seems to have slowed down. You're doing quite well.

Definitely won't finish anything else today so time for the recap. Crazy amount of reading done this month. Pleased that I've managed to clear out a net of 44 books so far this year.

May Recap

#Books Read
3 - Library
1 - Borrowed (Other)
13 - Owned
3 - Ebooks Owned
20 - Total

YTD Recap

#Books Read
12 - Library
6 - Borrowed (Other)
53 - Owned
24 - Ebooks Owned
95 - Total

Acquired - Not yet Read
19 - Ebook
14 - Books
33 - Total

>169 thornton37814: - I can't believe I've read this many at this point in the year. I think it's because I've been reading more mysteries than in the past. It's been nice to return to my favorite genre on a more regular basis. I'm sure I'll hit a lull soon though as that tends to happen sometime during the year.

95 books already is amazing!
I happen to be listening to a podcast at the moment of Megan Abbott discussing Give Me Your Hand, so it was probably recorded around a year ago. I haven't read it yet so I can't say anything about it other than the hosts created an unusual cocktail inspired by the book called a "Chemical Reaction" ;-).

>168 LittleTaiko: You're reminding me that I really need to get back to the Blue Satan series! A Death of No Importance also sounds really good.

>172 mstrust: - What a weird coincidence. Maybe I should listen to the podcast to see what I missed from the book. I think she was trying to convey a message that went past me somehow.

>173 christina_reads: - Blue Satan is such a good series! I also hope that if you have a chance to read Death of No Importance that you enjoy it.

96. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan Howard (4 stars)

Johannes Cabal finds himself in the awkward position of needing his soul back. He made an agreement with Satan a few years ago to give up his soul but the lack of it is causing problems with his work. Back he goes to negotiate it's return. Satan is happy to give him his soul back as long as it's replaced with 100 other souls. What's a necromancer to do? He agrees to the terms of gathering 100 souls within the year and is provided the added bonus of a traveling carnival to help him with his endeavor. This was a fun and dark look at what it means to be a functioning member of society.

97. Vacationland by John Hodgman (4 stars)

These essays were at turns hysterical and yet bittersweet. Hodgman relates several stories from his life while fully acknowledging the privilege he was given that allowed him to obtain certain things. This would have been great in audio I'm sure since I could sort of "hear" his voice while reading.

98. Death Mask by Jane Dentinger (4 stars)

This series is custom made for me - murder mystery set in the Broadway world. Jocelyn "Josh" is back and this time she's directing a play. Along with pre-opening jitters she now has to deal with the sudden death of one of her actors, an attempted break-in to her apartment, and lingering feelings for her ex-boyfriend. I'm happy that they were able to work in Philip mainly because his police partner Tommy is then along for the ride and he amuses me. I love the inside look at behind the scenes of a play and there are plenty of clues along the way.

>175 LittleTaiko: - So happy to see you found the first book in Howard's series a fun (and dark) read! I love the stories (Johannes dry, sardonic wit hits just the right tone with me). The other books in the series are all a bit different, so if you read the second one, don't expect quite the same experience as you had with the first one.

>177 lkernagh: - I didn't realize it was a series! That's exciting news. I'll definitely have to read the next one then.

Latest batch of books finished.

99. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym (4 stars)

Jane and Prudence are close friends despite about a ten year age gap. Jane is happily married and settled into small village life as the vicar's wife. Prudence is single but starting to wonder if it's time to settle down. Full of the usual Pym village characters and concerns, there is plenty of quiet humor, matchmaking, and misunderstandings.

100. Educated by Tara Westover (4 stars)

There probably isn't much to say here that hasn't been already said but I completely enjoyed this memoir. I am a sucker for stories about people who manage to improve their lives despite some rocky beginnings. Her dedication to learning from teaching herself algebra and then filling in the gaps in her education and then some were inspiring.

101. Curses Boiled Again by Shari Randall (2 stars)

I wanted to like this more than I did. First of all major points to the author for having a non-romance related reason for Allie to move back home. Allie is a professional dancer recuperating from an injury. While recovering, she is helping out at her aunt's lobster shack. There wasn't even a whiff of a romance much less the usual triangle that seems to feature in so many cozy mysteries. The mystery is set during a lobster roll competition that Aunt Gully is competing in. When all of the judges fall ill after eating one of the lobster rolls and suspiscion falls on Aunt Gully, Allie of course investigates on her own. While I enjoyed most of the characters, Allie was the one who aggravated me the most. She kept making idiotic choices that just didn't feel believable. It's the first in a series so there is potential for improvement.

102. Diamond Solitaire by Peter Lovesey (3 stars)

While this was a bit disjointed I couldn't help but like Peter Diamond and his wry little observations. He is no longer with the police force and has started working security at a department store. A little Japanese girl is found locked in the store and nobody has come forward to claim her. Furthermore she doesn't speak and appears to be autistic. Diamond feels compelled to track down her family. Through some crazy turn of events involving trips to NYC and Japan with the help of a famous sumo wrestler, the truth comes out regarding the girl's family. I didn't buy into Diamond's actions but he was so darn charming it didn't bother me as much as it should have.

103. Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (4 stars)

Finally read this memoir years after it became famous. What struck me about her story was that while her parents definitely had some serious issues, there was a feeling of love throughout her story. It really drove home the fact that you can't tell what somebody is really like based on appearances.

104. Young Zaphod Plays It Safe by Douglas Adams (3 stars)

Fun prequel novella that I'm not sure I completely understood but still enjoyed. Plus anything with that many lobster references is to be appreciated. :)

105. Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble (2 stars)

The first book in the Lady Dunbridge does show some potential as the characters are overall fun and there is definitely more to explore. However as a mystery it fell flat. Lady Dunbridge is a slightly scandalous widow who has moved to New York to visit her equally scandalous friend. When the friend's husband is murdered pretty much in front of them, they start trying to figure out why he was killed. If only they had spent more time actually thinking about the crime instead of the numerous conversations about how scandalous they are or could be. The solution was so obvious about halfway through the book that I then spent the rest of the book wondering when on earth she was going to put it all together.

106. Ten Women by Marcela Serrano (4 stars)

I really enjoyed this simple yet moving book set in Chile that takes a look at the complex lives of women. Natasha is a therapist who for reasons of her own has invited nine of her patients to a meeting. Each chapter is from the perspective of one of the women. Their stories are diverse but there are some similarities as they unveil their thoughts on love and family. Hands down my favorite story was Simona's. While there are differences between us, her way of looking at life and mine are so similar. The only thing holding this back from being a five star rating from me is that you never get to see the women interact with each other. I would have liked to see how they reacted to each others stories.

107. Aunt Bessie Needs by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)

Nothing like Aunt Bessie to pull me out of a moody funk. Bessie is trying to take Manx lessons yet again and at least this time several of her friends have joined her. One of those friends, Laura, is too distracted by the fact that her abusive ex-husband has moved to the island to participate in the class. When a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Laura is murdered the question becomes whether she was the intended victim. This struck a nice balance between Bessie's day to day life and the mystery investigation.

108. Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec (3 stars)

Commissaire Dupin has only lived in Brittany for a few years after moving there from Paris so he's still considered an outsider. His slightly gruff manner and tendency to go things alone probably don't help him fit in either. When a 91 year old hotel owner is brutally murdered it kicks off a very puzzling case. It started off a bit slow for me as I had to adjust to the fact that the chapters were broken up by day of the investigation which meant they were rather long with no obvious breaks. However as the investigation really kicked in and started veering into the art world I can became much more interested. Not a series that I absolutely have to read more of yet I'll keep an eye out for other books in the series anyway.

109. The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal (3 stars)

The title indicates a light-hearted romp with sisters, while the sisters part is accurate the story itself is a bit more dark than originally expected. Not super dark mind you, but definitely more serious. Three estranged sisters are heading to India to dispose of their mother's remains. It was her last wish that they take a very specific trip in an effort for them to get back in touch with their roots and to reconnect with each other. Through the course of the book they work through their issues while confronting the past.

110. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (4 stars)

Having recently read Glass Castle, I was quite eager to pick up this other by Walls. This time the focus is on her grandmother's story. Lily was such an impressive no-nonsense woman with a strong sense of who she was and what needs to be done. It was interesting to see the seeds sown with her daughter Rosemary who became Jeannette's mother.

111. Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams (4 stars)

Sad to read the last installment in the Hitchhiker series. Someday I'll reread them. As usual the parts where Ford Prefect and Arthur are together are the strongest. Also as usual, I'm not sure I understood everything that happened but it sure was fun.

112. The Richebourg Affair by R. M. Cartmel (4 stars)

This is the first in a trilogy set in France that combines two of my favorite things - murder mysteries and wine. Commandant Truchard's brother has died suddenly so Truchard heads home to Burgundy to be with his family on their vineyard. Once there though, a neighboring wine owner is murdered and Truchard helps out the local police solve the crime. It's a beautifully written mystery full of wonderful characters.

Mid year recap.

June Recap

#Books Read
1 - Library
4 - Borrowed (Other)
10 - Owned
2 - Ebooks Owned
17 - Total

YTD Recap

#Books Read
13 - Library
10 - Borrowed (Other)
63 - Owned
26 - Ebooks Owned
112 - Total

Acquired - Not yet Read
21 - Ebook
12 - Books
33 - Total