Caroline's Reads in 2021

Hello Everyone! Now that I know 25 books is more than I can read in a year, I'm going to challenge myself to go 1 book beyond what I read in 2020. I will read 13 books in 2021. Here is a list of possible reads. I will revise the list as I go.

1. The Constant Rabbit: A Novel by Jasper Fforde (Finished 1/30/2021)
2. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (Finished 3/05/2021)
3. Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson (Finished 3/29/2021)
4. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (Finished 4/5/2021)
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Finished 5/7/2021)
6. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (Finished 5/24/2021)
7. The Inheritance Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Finished 6/5/2021)
8. Beach Read by Emily Henry (Finished 6/16/2021)
9. The Last Hours Book 1: Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare (Finished 7/6/2021)
10. Star Trek Deep Space Nine Saratoga by Michael Jan Friedman (Finished 07/13/2021)
11. Brat: An ‘80s Story by Andrew McCarthy (Finished 07/19/2021)
12. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Through the Mirror by Scott Tipton (Finished 07/20/2021)
13. The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips (Finished 07/31/2021)
14. Troy by Stephen Fry (Finished 08/08/2021)
15. As She Climbed Across the Table by (Finished 08/14/2021)
16. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Finished 08/27/2021)
17. The Last Hours Book 2: Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare (Finished 09/23/2021)
18. The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Finished 10/07/2021)
19. The Hidden Palace: a Golem and Jinni Novel by Helene Wecker (Finished 11/10/2021)
20. The Vexations by Caitlin Horrocks (Finished 12/03/2021)
21. Gun, with Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem (Finished 12/19/2021)

Enjoy your reading in 2021, Caroline.

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde 4 Stars

Jasper Fforde has created a world where a Spontaneous Anthopomorphizing Event has created human-size rabbits in the UK. They have been housed in colonies but some of them live legally off colony in villages with humans. Other animals have been anthropomorphized including rabbit’s deadliest enemies, foxes. Organizations like the Rabbit Compliance Taskforce, RabCoT, were created to keep the rabbits in check. Hominid Supremacists group TwoLegsGood use violent tactics to frighten and suppress rabbits.

The story is told by a British human everyman named Peter Knox, who finds himself stuck between working as a rabbit spotter at RabCot and Constance Rabbit, the rabbit he met in college and still has feelings for. Constance moves in next door to Peter with her rabbit family and disrupts the peaceful village of Much Hemlock.

No one knows for sure why the Spontaneous Anthopomorphizing Event has occurred. Some believe that the event was created by satire and that is what this book is, a triumph in satire. Fforde makes comments on race relations, politics, environmentalism, and religion. The rabbits are vegans who know how-to live-in harmony with nature. They have no understanding of greed and live peacefully with each other under the leadership of Venerable Bunty. It’s like the event happened to show the humans a better way to live. Instead of embracing their bunny neighbors they are afraid they will take over the UK because of their prodigious reproduction.

This is one of the best books Jasper Fforde has written in recent years. I truly enjoyed reading it and recommend it to all Jasper Fforde fans; and newcomers alike. Fforde is back in fine form with this humorous satire.

>3 craso: Is this part of the Thursday Next series by Fforde, or a standalone novel by him? I remember he had a sarcastic streak in The Eyre Affair.

>4 threadnsong: Sorry to be so late in replying. The Constant Rabbit is a stand alone novel. All of Jasper Fforde’s novels have a sarcastic British sense of humor. I haven’t been enjoying some of his newer novels except for this one. He is back in good form with this novel.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn 4 Stars

I decided to read romance novels as part of my readers advisory goal for work. I am not someone who enjoys reading romance novels so this is a challenge for me. I use the Hoopla app regularly for both pleasure and work. I opened the app and this novel popped up as a popular book. The Bridgerton tv show is popular on Netflix and people are reading the book series. I decided to give the book a try and to my surprise I enjoyed reading it. It’s an easy read with likable characters. The dialog is sarcastic and witty. The Bridgerton’s are a loving family. The book was fun to read. I have downloaded the next book in the series and I can’t wait to start reading it.

Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson 5 Stars

I am still working on my readers advisory goal at work. I participated in a Young Adult Book Webinar and this was one of the recommendations.

On her 16th birthday, Princess Diana leaves Themyscira to save a boat load of refugees. When she tries to head back home the invisibility field has covered the island and she can’t find it. She is taken in as a refugee and learns what it is like to be in a refugee camp. Diana is found by two men Steve and Trevor who foster her and bring her to America. There she lives with a kind women and her granddaughter. She encounters homelessness, race and economic prejudice, and learns about the immigrant experience.

This was a great graphic novel. I would recommend it to Teen librarians, people who like to read books about social issues, and anyone who is a Wonder Woman fan.

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn 3 1/2

This novel is the second book in the Bridgerton series. I read it as part of my Romance readers advisory goal for work.

Anthony Bridgerton has vowed that he will marry to keep the viscount title and produce an heir, but he will never love his wife. Kate Sheffield believes Anthony is a complete rake and will not let him marry her younger sister. Their verbal sparring becomes physical attraction.

This is another funny, intelligent, romance novel by Julia Quinn. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed “The Duke and I”. I liked Kate, but Anthony was too egotistical and self centered. His vow not to love the woman he married was made because he thought he would die young like his father did. He used it as an excuse to have love affairs and do whatever he liked. I never felt that he was hurt or broken inside like I felt Simon was in “The Duke and I”. I do still like the interaction between the Bridgerton siblings. They are a loving family. I recommend this book if you have already read the first book in the series and enjoy the Bridgerton family dynamic.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 4 Stars

This is the first audiobook I have ever listened to. I enjoyed it very much. The voice actress, Tatiana Maslany, did a superb job portraying each character. Everyone knows the book so I won’t go into a review of the story. I listened to it or read it depending on how you feel about audiobooks, because of my teen book readers advisory goal at work. I also read/listened to it because The Hunger Games has seeped into our pop culture and I wanted to understand the references.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 4 Stars

This romance novel was recommended to me by a friend. I have just started reading romance novels this year so the genre is still new to me. The story line is boy and girl work together and hate each other until they realize they have always been in love. This seems to be a recurring theme in Romance novels. I liked the story and the characters. It’s been made into a movie and I looked at the Imdb page. Not sure when or if the movie will be released.

The Inheritance Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 4 Stars

The plot revolves around a young woman named Avery who inherits a fortune from Tobias Hawthorne, a man she has never met. She moves into the Hawthorne family’s mansion where she meets each quirky family member. This includes Tobias Hawthorne’s four handsome, ingenious, and talented grandsons. Each grandson sees her differently; an innocent, a con-artist, a pawn in a game, and a playmate. She eventually discovers that they are all part of a puzzle and she is the only one who can solve it.

There are a number of mysteries to solve. Why was Avery picked to inherit Hawthorne’s millions? Who was Emily and why did her death affect the brothers so profoundly? Who is trying to kill Avery and why?

This book was recommended during a webinar on new young adult novels. I have not read any teen mysteries before. There were enough plot twists to keep me interested. I also liked the characters especially the Hawthorne grandsons. This is the beginning of a series and I plan to read the next volume.

Beach Read by Emily Henry 3 1/2 Stars

This novel began as an intelligent story about two very different authors with writers block who swap writing styles. January writes romance and Gus writes literary fiction. They start a research program, Gus takes January to interview former members of a cult and January takes Gus out on fun filled dates. We find out they are each dealing with issues from their childhoods which affects their burgeoning relationship. The writing style is filled with witty banter and quirky side characters. The characters fall in love and have a sappy rom-com ending that doesn’t gel with the rest of the writing style of the book.

The disappointing ending is the reason I took 1/2 a star away from my usual 4 star rating for a good read.

The Last Hours Book 1: Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare 4 Stars

This book is the beginning of a new series within the Shadowhunter series. I didn’t realize this when I requested it at the library I work at. All I knew was that the second book in the new series, “Chain of Iron,” was a popular teen novel and I want to read more teen books for readers advisory. I didn’t know I was getting into a large series with many other series. It’s complicated.

Even though it’s part of a larger series, the author makes sure to describe all aspects of the Shadowhunter world. I never felt lost. The Shadowhunter’s are nephilim who fight demons to keep mundanes safe. The setting is 1903 London. Other books in the series take place in Victorian London and modern day Los Angeles.

This novel is a romantic supernatural fantasy. The main characters are James and Cordelia. James is a dark brooding romantic character and Cordelia is beautiful and brave. They have a strong group of family and friends and they all look out for one another.

It’s a long novel, but it is fast passed with a lot of action. I’m looking forward to reading more about these characters in the next novel “Chain of Iron”.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine Saratoga by Michael Jan Friedman 4 Stars

I read this novel as part of a podcast I am doing for work. The storyline was exactly like an episode of Deep Space Nine, which is great because DS9 is my favorite of all the Star Trek tv shows.

Captain Sisko and the survivors of the Borg attack on the Saratoga during the battle of Wolf 459 are traveling on the Defiant to the commission of the new Saratoga at Utopia Planetica shipyard. At the same time Kyra asks Quark to negotiate a deal to get parts for water pumps to help out a Bajoran village. He becomes sick with the Ferengi version of chicken pox so Odo and Rom must go instead of Quark with Odo disguised as Quark.

The theme of the book is comradeship and friendship. The novel is character driven and the storyline is humorous and action packed. I already care about the characters because of watching the tv show so the story kept me engaged. If you enjoy watching Deep Space Nine then you will enjoy this book.

Brat: an '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy 4 Stars

Andrew McCarthy was a popular actor when I was a teenager. I enjoyed watching him in "St. Elmo's Fire", "Less than Zero", and "Weekend at Bernie's." Every once in a while he pops up on a "Law and Order" episode or another TV Show. It was nice to learn that we is doing well and has become a travel writer for "National Geographic" and directs a lot of TV shows.

His memoir is about his life growing up in New Jersey and how he got started in acting. He is very straight forward and honest about his introverted tendencies and his anxiety that lead to a drinking problem. Being introverted myself, I could feel for him. At one point I said to myself, "oh, this sounds familiar." This is not a tell all scandalous account of fame as a member of the Brat Pack. The book is just about one mans struggles to find himself. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Mr. McCarthy, has issues with anxiety and/or alcohol and drug abuse, or is a struggling actor.

I’m running a little behind on reviews. I’ll have one for Star Trek: The Next Generation: Through the Mirror by Scott Tipton and The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips soon.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Through the Mirror by Scott Tipton 4 Stars

I read this graphic novel for a Star Trek podcast I am doing at the library where I work. This is a fun look at what The Next Generation's Enterprise crew would be like in the mirror universe. Captain Picard is sleeveless and really muscular. Deanna Troy is an inquisitor instead of a councilor. Barclay is the head of security and actually beats a crewmember up for calling him broccoli. Obviously, you have to have watched Start Trek: TNG to understand how vastly different the mirror universe characters are from the prime universe characters. I recommend this graphic novel to all Star Trek: TNG fans.

The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips 4 Stars

Arthur Phillips is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. The basic story is straight forward enough, a Muslim physician that was left behind by an Ottoman Empire diplomatic mission to Queen Elizabeth's court becomes a spy in King James Stuart's court in Scotland to find out if James is truly a Protestant before he becomes king at Elizabeth's death. What the book is really about is perceptions. For example, when people look at the doctor they automatically think he is a Muslim even though he converted to the Protestant faith. There is no way for someone to know what is in the heart and mind of another individual. You can have spies watching a person day and night, but will they actually discover the truth about a person?

When you read this book you will feel like nothing major is happened, until you get to the end and find out what was really going on. If you enjoy historical novels about the 16th and 17th Centuries or, if you are like me and enjoy books with unreliable narrators or novels that tell you a story from the perspective of more than one character, then you will enjoy this book.

My goal this year was to read 13 books. I have now read 14 books. Yay for me!!! My library work this year has involved reading books for readers advisory and programming. This has jump started my reading and now I am finding it much more pleasurable.

Troy by Stephen Fry 5 Stars

This is the third volume in Stephen Fry's Greek Mythology series. I knew about the heroes in the Trojan War and the judgment of Paris, but I had never read Homer's Iliad. I'm glad I read this book. Stephen Fry makes Greek Mythology very accessible. I enjoyed volume as much as the other two volumes in the series. If you have ever been interested in the stories from Greek Mythology, but found Edith Hamilton and Robert Graves to dry, these books are for you.

>20 craso: Didn't you mean Troy by Stephen Fry?

>21 Carol420: Yes! Thant's awful! Thank you! ...and thank you for looking at my posts! :-)

>22 craso: I look at every post that my friends make. I can't image what type of Greek Mythology Stephen King would produce but I bet it would be interesting:)

As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem 4 Stars

I found this paperback in our Friends of the Library room at work. I picked it up and then put it back and thought about it for a week. I decided I had to read it, so I bought it for $0.75. I think I have found another favorite author.

This book is a science fiction love story between two neurotic science professors. It's witty, intelligent, philosophical, and laugh-out-loud funny. The characters are wacky and the dialog is banter like. The author philosophizes about consciousness and reality.

The academics work at a fictional North California University. Professor Soft has created a proto-universe that shows intelligence by selecting and rejecting different items pushed into it. It will accept a sock or a cat, but not Alice, a physics professor that has become obsessed with the phenomenon called Lack. Jealous boyfriend Philip tries everything possible to get her attention back.

Their were times when the dialog was beyond me. Hard science is not something I can grasp easily. The philosophizing about perception and reality was right up my alley. I love books that question reality. I also like books with a sense of humor. If you enjoy books set in academia, love stories, humor, or slip-stream science fiction, then you will like this novel.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 4 Stars

I found this novel to be the perfect companion to Troy. It is a retelling of the Trojan War and the life of Achilles seen through the eyes of his close companion and lover Patroclus. We get to know each characters background and motivations. Achilles is a very complicated character with a soul that becomes corrupted by fame and glory. I had more sympathy for Patroclus who didn't find fame as a great hero, but became respected by his peers. If you enjoy books inspired by mythology or tragic love stories, you will enjoy this novel.

The Last Hours: Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare 4 Stars

This is another romantic, supernatural, young adult novel in the Shadowhunter universe created by Cassandra Clare. I really have grown to like the characters in the Last Hours series. Most of the story is teenage romance with a splash of fantasy. I also enjoy the Victorian and Edwardian literary references. If you haven't read a Shadowhunter novel before, the main plot is that the children of angels, Nephilim, are trained to fight demons. They are a tight knit band with different Shadowhunter families. This novel featured a few of the warlocks that are the children of demons. The warlocks help the Nephilim cast spells. The main storyline revolves around James and Cordelia who have married to save Cordelia's honor. There are a few love triangles between the characters. I look forward to reading what maybe the conclusion of the series whenever it comes out.

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 4 1/2 Stars

I did a readers advisory presentation at our all staff meeting at work on The Inheritance Games Series so I decided to include it here as my review of the second book in this series The Hawthorne Legacy.

This year one of my reader’s advisory goals was to start reading and learning about teen books. I took a seminar on new teen books coming out this year and one of the new series that stood out for me was The Inheritance Games Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Since the second novel in the series came out it has become popular. I notice it on the New York Times bestsellers list for teens and on our Intranet top circulated and requested books for teens. I decided to read it because it was hyped as a teen version of Knives Out.

The premise is, a teen girl names Avery inherits a vast estate from a man she has never meet. Overnight she goes from a simple existence of school, living with her half-sister Libby, and playing chess with a homeless man in the park to a private school, living in mansion, and all the luxuries of the unbelievably rich. The man who she inherited the fortune from is Tobias Hawthorne. He has plenty of family members who could have inherited the fortune; his daughters Zara and Skye and his four grandsons Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander. Each of his family members gets as their inheritance a clue that is designed to bring the family together. Tobias’s daughters resent Avery, but his grandsons see it as an opportunity to investigate a mystery.

The first novel introduces the characters and is okay, but the second novel is great with a lot more twists and turns. Besides all of the fun investigating a mystery brings, this is a character driven novel with many interesting well defined characters. Avery has to go through a lot of changes because of her new social status. She gets a makeover and has a lawyer and a PR consultant that grooms her for the reporters and paparazzi. She also has a private security team and her life is threated more than once.

Of course, with every teen novel comes romance and this one is no exception. Avery is caught in a love triangle between the serious and magnetic Grayson who has been groomed all of his life for the responsibilities of running the estate and Jameson who is mysterious and reckless.

You may want to recommend this series to teens and adults who enjoy mysteries and romance.

>27 craso: Nice review. sounds like it would be really good.

>28 Carol420: Thank you!

The Hidden Palace: a Golem and Jinni Novel by Helene Wecker 4 Stars

This is a sequel to The Golem and the Jinni. What I like the most about these novels is how the author portrays the emigrant experience in New York at the turn of the last century. This novel include the Triangle fire, the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania. It’s a character driven novel. You care about the golem and the Jinni and the people around them. The ending makes me think that the author intends to turn the story into a long running series. Since the golem and the Jinni are immortal, we can watch how their lives change through the 20th Century. Sounds like fun to me.

The Vexations by Caitlin Horrocks 4 Stars

I recently read a short story where one of the characters had Erik Satie’s music going through his mind. When I read that I thought “Who is Erik Satie?” so naturally I Googled it. Sure enough, there was a classical composer that I didn’t learn about in music history class in college. He sounded like such an eccentric person that I decided to look at our library catalog at work to see if we had any books on him and recordings of his music.

“The Vexations” is an historical novel about the life of Erik and his sister Louise and his brother Conrad and the circle of friends and family that surrounded him. The story is told from the point of view of Erik, Louise, Conrad, Erik’s collaborator Philippe, and his onetime girlfriend Suzanne Valdon. Erik came from a broken home. His mother died when he was young and his father had a nervous breakdown so the children were sent to different family members. Erik knew all of his life he was destined for greatness, but he was his own worst enemy. He gave himself bronchitis to get out of military service. He flunked out of conservatory twice. He alienated everyone he knew and drank too much. Erik became notorious for his odd behavior and only became known for his musical talents near his death. His sister Louise lived with tragedy after tragedy. Erik’s brother Conrad was the steadfast dependable one that bailed Erik out time and time again.

The author was very good and creating the setting. I learned a lot about the art and music scene in Paris between 1880 and 1920. This is a character driven novel. I would have liked to have had more of Erik's point of view and less of Louise. Her life was the hardest emotionally and it was great to see how she endured, but I would have liked to get more into Erik's psyche. I recommend this to people who are interested in art history in Paris.

Gun, with Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem 3 1/2 Stars

This novel is a fun noir pastiche set in a dystopian future. The main voice is a gumshoe named Conrad Metcalf who has a case fall into his hands. A former client has been murdered and he is hired by the guy who is being framed for the crime. Metcalf isn't a hero, but a down on his luck drug addict. In fact most of society are drug addicts. They use free mind numbing drugs called Forgettol and Acceptol. Metcalf is being following by a gun happy evolved kangaroo and the main bad guy is a thinly disguised Sydney Greenstreet. Animals in this bleak near-future Oakland have been scientifically evolved to speak and interact like humans. As he pursues the case his Karma level starts to hit rock bottom. Karma cards are how the police keep the citizen in check. Loose all your karma points and you spend 6 years frozen.

This was a fun read and I recommend it to fans of Philip K. Dick and film noir.

This is my last post before I start my new thread. Wow! I read 21 books! I only challenged myself to read 13 this year. This is the best I've done in a long time. Thank you to everyone who dropped by in 2021. See you in my 2022 thread!

>33 craso: Well Done! 👏

>34 Sergeirocks: Thank you!

>33 craso: See you there!