January BingoDog reads

Welcome to January 2022, what are you reading for BingoDog in January?

The Wiki can be found here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2022_BingoDog

The categories are:
1. An Award Winning book
2. Published in a year ending 2
3. A modern retelling of an older story
4. A book you'd love to see as a movie (maybe starring your favourite actor)
5. A book that features a dog
6. The title contains the letter Z
7. Published the year you joined LT
8. A book by a favourite author
9. A long book (long for you)
10. A book you received as a gift
11. The title contains a month
12. A weather word in the title
13. Read a CAT
14. Contains travel or a journey
15. A book about sisters or brothers
16. A book club read (real or online)
17. A book with flowers on the cover
18. A book in translation
19. A work of non-fiction
20. A book where a character shares a name of a friend
21. A book set in a capital city
22. A children's or YA book
23. A book set in a country other than the one you live
24. A book by an LGBTQ+ author
25. A book with silver or gold on the cover

I'm claiming an early finish, having just completed Murray Walker Incredible for the square received as a gift. The Husband bought it for me for Christmas.

I just finished You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo, which contains travel or a journey.

I am planning to read Pied Piper by Nevil Shute, for a book published in a year ending 2. The book was published in 1942.

I've finished My Dog Tulip by J.R. Ackerley and it will cover a book that features a dog and Fatal Pursuit will cover the country other than your own square. I have started another,The Dry by Jane Harper, it will cover the weather term square.

Happy reading all!

>5 clue: I hope you enjoyed My Dog Tulip, because I plan to read it too, either for the dog square or the LGBTQ square.

>6 pamelad: There is a lot to like about it but I got bored with his trying to breed her. On page 63 the first line is "Soon after Tulip came into my possession I set about trying to find a husband for her." Breeding her through her having puppies went on for at least another 60 pages. I think having lived around dogs all of my life and my dad raising and training dogs spoiled that for me. What I liked a lot about it is that Ackerley and Tulip loved each other and if they could both speak would have been finishing sentences for one another!

Do read it, I'll be interested in what you think.

Tomorrow I will finish Red Land, Black Land, Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz for non-fiction.

I read A Child's Christmas in Wales for the "set in a country other than the one in which you live" square.

Also read The Christmas Dress for a "book I would like to see made into a movie."

>7 clue: I've read My Dog Tulip and, while I enjoyed it, can see what you mean. Ackerley was completely besotted by Tulip, and seemed riven with guilt about whether she should or should not breed. Her being on heat dominated the second half of the book.

But if anyone is looking for a dog book, I'd recommend it.

I read Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, which was a wonderful gift!

I'm putting The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag in 4. A book I'd like to see made into a movie.

I started with an easy one, a children's book: Immer dieser Kater! from my sister's library.

I filled in three squares so far:

- Nußknacker und Mausekönig by E.T.A. Hoffmann for Read A Cat (AlphaKIT)
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien for Favorite Author
- Death of a Dancer by Jill McGown for A book I'd like to see as a movie, although I'd rather see the series as such and not this particular book.

I finished A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale for the square that features a dog. The dog played a prominent role in the story and was probably my fave character.

I've managed to get two in so far:


Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas - set in the capital city of London


Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask) by Anton Treuer - published in 2012

I finished City of Dragons. Published in a year ending in 2.

I used Kartoffeln mit Stippe by Ilse Gräfin von Bredow for "A book that features a dog". This childhood memoir consists of sixteen episodes and most feature the family dog, a large and loyal Saint Bernard called Argo. There is also one chapter completely devoted to his adventures.

I finished Dying for Chocolate for my in person book group. Goldy always annoys me, with sticking her nose in where it does not belong, and then getting into dangerous situations. However, I still read the novels, don't I? In this early installment in the series, Goldy and her son Arch move into a mansion where she will serve as live-in chef and still do her catering, just for the summer until her house is ready. Secret affairs and attractions abound, along with a retired explosives expert who is still enamoured of explosives! There was a lot that required me to suspend my disbelief in this one. I will be interested to see how our reading group perceives the novel.

My illustrated copy of the The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman has silver on the cover--both the title and the author's name are silver.

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami - book in translation.

I read The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan, set in Edinburgh, Scotland, for the "capital city" square.

I read An American Sunrise: Poems by Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate of the United States for Read a CAT (AuthorCAT, indigenous author) square.

I'm counting To Serve Them All My Days as my long book at 576 pages it's longer than my usual fare, which I feel usually weighs in at the 250-400 page mark.

I just finished and enjoyed Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold. I'm counting it for the "character shares a name with a friend" square, since it has a character named Claire, which is also my best friend's name. But it would also work for the "award winner" square -- it won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1988.

I read the cute but forgettable If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy for the "modern retelling" square. It's a contemporary novel loosely based on Cinderella, specifically the Disney version.

I read Homespun Suspicions for the Read a CAT square.

I've counted Secret Rendezvous for the Book in translation square. It's Japanese.

I read The Black Flamingo for the LGBTQ+ author square.

I've got three for BingoDOG, but have been forgetting to add them here (and to the wiki). Remedying that now.

Flowers on the cover
Small and Tall Tales of Extinct Animals / Helene Rajcak, Damien Laverdunt. 4 stars

Book club read
- Forgiveness / Mark Sakamoto. 4 stars

Nonfiction
- Confessions of a Sociopath / M. E. Thomas. 3.5 stars

A book that was long for me: The Good House by Tananarive Due at almost 500 pages

These days, I rarely read a book over 400 pages.

I just finished Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding, and I'm counting it for the "book you'd love to see as a movie" square. It's got a very fun, action-packed plot and great (though not always likable) characters. I'm not sure a movie will ever be made, alas, but I can always dig out my Firefly DVDs if I want something with a similar vibe!

Gold on cover - I read this online, but it looks to me like the author's name on the cover is in gold

Click Here for Murder / Donna Andrews
4 stars

Turing is an Artificial Intelligence Personality (AIP) and has been working hard to figure out how humans work. One of the guys at her company, Ray, has been murdered. Ray has only been with the company for 6 months. Turning helps her (and Ray’s) human friends, Tim and Maude, try to figure out what happened after the police assume Ray was involved in drugs and his murder had something to do with that. Turing and friends don’t think this is the case, but they quickly learn that Ray isn’t really who he says he is. What else might Ray have been hiding? And why did Ray want Tim to play this online role-playing game – unfortunately, it kept Tim from meeting Ray the night Ray died.

I really liked this. I think the role playing game upped my interest a bit. I do see I’ve rated it higher than the first in the series (this is the 2nd). Although the game wasn’t everything I was interested in. Finding out who Ray really is, and why he was hiding his identity was also of interest. I just really enjoyed this one, and am glad I continued the series. (I’m sad to see many other ratings are not as high as mine.)

14. Contains Travel or a Journey

Mr Finchley Discovers His England by Victor Canning is a short, cheerful, optimistic period piece from 1934.

Adding two finished over the weekend:
The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall for "year ending in 2"
Mary's Christmas Goodbye by Linda Byler for "received as a gift"

I devoured Mary Balogh's Only a Kiss and am counting it for the "book by a favorite author" square. I would characterize Balogh as one of my favorite historical romance authors, although I don't consider every one of her books a keeper. I definitely plan to continue exploring her backlist!

I have used Sea of poppies for the "silver or gold on the cover" square. On my copy, the title is printed in gold. It is also a marvellous book about Inda under the British Raj.

I finished The Last House on Needless Street, which was a Christmas gift.

I have finished four books this month and found Bingo squares for them.



1. Award winning book: The stone sky by N.K. Jemisin (2018 Hugo award for best novel) Comments here
2. Book published in a year ending in two: Boneland by Alan Garner, published in 2012. Comments here.
15. Book about brothers or sisters: The invisible guardian by Dolores Redondo - I counted this one because of the relationship of the MC and her sister. Comments here.
16. Book club read: Escaping Exodus by Nicky Dryden online Women of the Future read for January. Comments here.

Using the Chalk Pit for the square 25. A book with silver or gold on the cover. The title is in gold and the copy I read also had a gold promotional stick on the cover.

I've used Nella Last's Peace by Nella Last for the non-fiction square.

Read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon for "award winner" (Newbery Honor Book).

I have read Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland in translation which makes me seriously consider looking at the original.

I've read Before the coffee gets cold for my translation square. I'll likely swap it with something else later this year (this was a good book but hopefully I'll stumble across a great alternative)

I finished my audiobook Abendglanz by Hanna Caspian and it fits "A book about brothers and sisters" because the main characters are a set of siblings - two sisters and three brothers, living on an estate in the east of Germany in 1914.

I just finished His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik, which was published the year I joined LibraryThing (2006).

I just finished Coming Out by Danielle Steel for "gold or silver on the cover."

I've listened to A Christmas Carol, which I will use for 21. A book set in a capital city as it is set in London

I have finished Paris-Brest which I read for our small French book discussion group.

I finished Chaos on CatNet, which is a YA book so I'm counting it for the "Children's or YA" square.

I finished The Little Amish Matchmaker by Linda Byler for the "favorite author" square.

Is "summer" a weather word, or is that too much of a stretch?

>52 sturlington: I vote yes. It's a weather word.

I've finished Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice for the "Book with a Weather Word"

>53 pamelad: That's good enough for me.

I'll put Perihelion Summer by Greg Egan in that category. It fits in a couple of other places, too, but I'm sure I'll read other books that also fit those squares, and I don't see another book with a weather-related word coming up on my TBR.

Set in a capital city

The Five / Hallie Rubenhold
4 stars

This book looks at the five (cannonical) women who were murdered by Jack the Ripper. It doesn’t look at the murders, but it is a biography of each of the women.

So, they weren’t all prostitutes. In fact, most of them weren’t. They were all, however, poor and had trouble finding money to pay for a place to sleep on many nights. Most of them were also alcoholics (well, my perception is that they were – I’m not sure the book actually says that).

In any case, I’m surprised the author was able to find as much information about them as she was. A number of years ago, I read another book that focused on the Ripper victims, but it was thin. I don’t remember it well (only the cover), and I thought I kept it, but it doesn’t look like I did, or I would have checked, but my assumption was that there just wasn’t a lot of information about five very poor girls who grew into women in the mid to late 19th century. But Rubenhold was able to find quite a bit. I was extra surprised to read about Mary Jane Kelly, but I won’t spoil it!

I listened to the audio book and my mind wandered occasionally, but not much. I was interested enough a few times to rewind, as well, so as to not miss what was just said.

I finished Pied Piper by Nevil Shute, a book publised in year ending 2. Book was published in 1942.

I listened to a short story, The Girl in the train which features, surprisingly enough, a train, so I'm using that for the square 14. Contains travel or a journey

Published in a year ending in a 2 (2012)

The Bluebird Effect / Julie Zickefoose
4 stars

The author grew up with parents who enjoyed watching birds and helping them. As an adult she has regularly helped rehabilitate injured and raise orphaned wild birds, and this book contains stories of all the different types of birds she has helped. She is also an artist, so while helping them, she has drawn them at different stages (often as they grow), so many of her illustrations and paintings, with notes alongside, are included.

I really liked this. I do enjoy watching birds myself, but what a lot of work and effort it takes to raise the babies! The author also touches on habitat destruction, hunting, outdoor cats and other threats to wild birds, as well. The illustrations were beautiful, and I have to admit, although I prefer reading on my old Kobo Touch (black & white), the Kobo doesn’t always recognize DRM-free for library books, anymore, so I often end up reading on my tablet via Libby. The colour was really nice for the beautiful illustrations and paintings in this book.

Finished Things Fall Apart which I will use for 23. A book set in a country other than the one you live

Finished Charles Dickens by Catherine Peters for the "non-fiction" square.

I read Death on the Agenda (1962) for the published in a year ending in 2 square.

I read Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers for a book with flowers on the cover.

I read Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy which takes place in England, so it fits "A book set in a country other than the one you live".

I read This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno, which features a dog both on the cover and in a major part of the book. Dog lovers, be aware this is a horror novel, so you may want to avoid.

The Holdout by Graham Moore
Maya was the holdout who convinced the other eleven jurors that the accused was not guilty. Ten years later, she is now a lawyer and has been invited to a reunion of the jury members where Rick, one of the jury, plans to present new evidence to show the accused was guilty. I love legal thrillers and courtroom scenes so Moore's novel was a big draw for me but it was difficult to develop enthusiasm for this convoluted plot and unlikeable characters. The author is a screenwriter, which may have contributed to the loss of focus in print.

Spoiler warning for Christie fans: Moore identifies some of Christie's murderers.

Because I don't belong to a bookclub I chose a Book of the Month Club selection for this square.

Just finished Amish Christmas Carol by Sarah Price for the "retelling" square. Lots of squares covered, but no bingo yet!!

Children's or YA book

The Only Alien on the Planet / Kristen D. Randle
3.5 stars

When Ginny and her family move across the country when Ginny is in grade 12, she does not want to go, and is lonely. She becomes friends with her neighbour, Caulder. There is an odd boy at school, Smitty, who doesn’t talk. None of the kids have ever known him to talk. Not only that, he doesn’t show emotion or any kind of reaction to anything. He is, however, very smart. Ginny is a bit reluctant, but Caulder insists on introducing her to Smitty. The premise behind them visiting is that Ginny needs help with math (she really does!), and Smitty is able to help by showing her how to figure it out on paper. Caulder and Ginny eventually consider themselves “friends” with Smitty, but something soon goes wrong…

I liked this. Ginny and Caulder frustrated me at times when (I felt that) they pushed Smitty too hard or just couldn’t seem to understand why he was having trouble, but I guess – teenagers? And I sometimes wondered what the psychologist was thinking, but what do I know!? I did love the interactions between Ginny and her brothers, though. The last bit of the book picked up a bit with a confrontation, but it wasn’t quite enough to bring my rating up to 4 stars. 3.5 stars is still good for me, though. I liked it.

I just finished The Unbroken by C.L. Clark for a book by an LGBTQ+ author.

I finished The Hollow Places, which is a modern retelling of The Willows by Algernon Blackwood.

I listened to The House at Pooh Corner, written by AA Milne, read by Bernard Cribbins. I'm using this for 22. A children's or YA book.

Just finished Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton for the LGBTQ author square. Got my first bingo!

>72 LadyoftheLodge: First Bingo halfway through January must be some kind of record! Congrats!

>73 christina_reads: Thanks! This has really worked out somehow this month. Guess I have been concentrating on the BingoDOG reads.

I finished reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell for the Long for you square (632 p.) for my book club discussion this evening. (Anything over around 350 p. is long for me.)

LGBTQ+ author

Jonny Appleseed / Joshua Whitehead
2 stars

Not really much of a story to this – Jonny is a gay indigenous boy growing up on the rez, and he moves to Winnipeg when he gets older, where he becomes a prostitute (my mistake – apparently not a prostitute, but a cybersex worker).

It was not in chronological order, and it was quite sexually graphic at times. The author narrated the audio – I rarely lost focus, but he did have a monotone voice. Turns out there might have been more of a “plot” than I thought (although, still kind of flimsy, I think), so maybe I did miss more than I thought. For some reason, I had it in my head that indigenous 2-spirit people were more accepted in indigenous cultures than gay people in white cultures, but (at least in this book) that doesn’t appear to be the case.

For the Flowers on cover square, I've read Oh William by Elizabeth Strout. The cover contains off-white tulips on a white background, and the book's narrator, Lucy Barton, mentions liking tulips several times.

Using The Hidden Girl and Other Stories for the square 15. A book about sisters or brothers as it features a number of sibling relationships within the series of short stories.

I've put Snow by John Banville in the Weather square.

For the "nonfiction" square I read Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley, an entertaining Austen biography.

My January Bingo Squares
A Gift - Fangs by Sarah Anderson
Children's or Young Adult - The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs
Read a CAT - The Cat Who Went Bananas by Lilian Jackson Braun
Flowers on the Cover - Christmas in Oklahoma by Linda Kennedy Rosser
By a Favorite Author - The Family Lawyer by James Patterson

I just finished an Early Reviewer copy of Court of Venom by Kristin Burchell, which will be published in April 2022 (and thus a "year ending in 2").

I've just read Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo for a book title containing a Z square.

I’ve just finished Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara for About Sisters or Brothers.

>82 christina_reads: - I totally forgot about books published this year. (Duh!)

January Bingo
Award Winner: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Modern Retelling: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Weather word in Title: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Children's or YA: Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis

>85 dudes22: It certainly widens the playing field, lol.

I read the short-and-sweet vintage mystery Thou Shell of Death by Nicholas Blake, which I'm counting for the "set in another country" square. It's set mostly in England, with a short detour to Ireland.

Favourite author

A Tap on the Window / Linwood Barclay
4.25 stars

On a dark rainy night, when PI Cal Weaver has a teenage girl knock on his window asking for a ride, he hesitates. But the girl knows his son (his son who died not long ago – via drugs that made him think he could fly… he tried to fly), so Cal feels he can’t refuse (and hopes maybe she can answer some questions for him).

When the girl, Claire, and her friend Hanna do a switch when Claire gets out of the car to use a washroom (Hanna is dressed to look like Claire), it’s not long before Cal figures out it’s not the same girl. But, Hanna refuses to answer questions on what they are doing and tries to jump out of the car. With reservations, Cal decides it’s better to let her out of the car than to have her jump out while the car is moving. The next day, he discovers Claire – the first girl – is missing. And it gets worse...

I really liked this (like most of Barclay’s books). It might not have been as fast paced as some of them, but in the wrap up, there were a couple of surprises, along with a couple of twists to go along with it. With the occasional short chapter from the POV of the “bad guy”, so to speak, I had a guess as to who it was, but I was wrong. To be honest, there is a lot more going on in this book – police corruption and a “fight” with the mayor, Cal and his wife trying to heal, and more.

I have finished Carpentaria which won the Miles Franklin Award.

I finished Der Ritter mit der Web-Adresse - Walisische Panoramen by Michael Bengel, which is a travel book about Wales. The cover shows a metal sign at Snowdonia National Park, so I am using this for "A book with silver or gold on the cover".

For a book that features a dog I read the wonderful The Speckled Beauty by Rick Bragg.

I just finished Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath, which counts for the January AlphaKIT (H = Heath) and thus for the "read a CAT" square. A decent Regency romance, but not a keeper for me.

I read Autumn Light by Dan Walsh for the "character shares the name of a friend." There were actually three characters who share the names of people important to me--Diane (a friend), Margaret (my mom), and Beverly (my cousin).

Last night I read This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens, an enjoyable chick lit novel that has me wanting to read more by the author. I got it as a gift in an online Secret Santa exchange this past Christmas.

I have read The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin for the setting in a capital city which of course was London.

I completed The Royal Assasin by RH. Second book in the trilogy. I will read the last one too.

I’ve just finished The Department of Sensitive Ceimes by Alexander McCall Smith for a book by a favorite author.

I read Cat's Cradle by Julia Golding for a long book (for me--almost 400 pages).

I finished Palladian, which has flowers on the cover. I liked the book a lot less than I expected to.

I have put Catherine the Great : a short history into the non-fiction slot.

Set in a country I don't live

Lab Girl / Hope Jahren
3.25 stars

Hope is a research scientist and professor. She studies trees. This is a memoir primarily focusing on her life starting as a student (though there is a little bit when she is younger). She and fellow scientist and best friend, Bill, set up a lab at a different university three times. Eventually, amidst their long working hours, Hope gets married and has a son, while dealing with bi-polar disorder.

I know most people loved this. I’m waffling between good and ok. I liked the biography/memoir parts of the book. I found some (but not all) of the science interesting (my favourite science chapter was the one on desert plants.) Where I definitely lost interest was in the philosophical parts. She did tend to mix her science with philosophy. Too much philosophy my liking, anyway.

Character = name of a friend

Big Boned / Meg Cabot
4 stars

In the 3rd book in the Heather Wells mystery series, the dorm Heather works at is once again the scene of a murder – this time it’s her new boss. Of course, Heather is the one who finds him. It seems not too many people liked him. Heather has been dating Tad, the perfect guy, but he likes running, herbal tea, and is a vegetarian – and is her remedial math instructor.

I really liked this. This was a lot of fun, but they are as much (or maybe more so) chick lit as mystery, with humour thrown in. And there were parts that made me laugh.

I filled in three squares during January:

Read a Cat: Wonderful Tonight by Pattie Boyd
In Translation: To The Back of Beyond by Peter Stamm
Children's/YA: Blood Feud by Rosemary Sutcliff

I read All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins for the "features a dog" square. Both the hero and heroine have adorable pups, and she brings her dog to his veterinary practice to engineer a meet-cute.

For the Non-fiction square I read Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer

I read Collected Short Stories Vol. 1 by W. Somerset Maugham for the long book square.
Thirty fabulous stories to fill a month! I'm not usually a fan of short stories but have always loved Maugham's. Read over the course of a month instead of gobbling them down in large portions, the humour and characters stay in the memory longer. Outstanding, highly recommended.

>107 VivienneR: Ooh, I really need to read more by Maugham.

>108 christina_reads: I really enjoyed the stories, especially when the reading is spread out and they don't become confused.

I read Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science for the Nonfiction square.

I just finished reading Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie by Lisa Napoli which fits the square "character shares name with a friend." I have several friends with the name of either Susan or Linda.

February's thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/339227