Reading Challenge/Goals for 2023--2024 link added

[evilmommie]

9/24 The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
️️️️
This was my local book club’s pick for this month. Starts you out unconnected, leads you almost book-report-style to interested, and then wraps you up in full investment.
Complex but relatable characters, probably living lives quite different than yours [mine anyway]. Good anecdotal notes and even a twist or 2.

10/24 Peter Pan by JM Barrie
️️️️

We all know this classic and most of us love it! I’m a member of the Literary Book Club Box which is produced on a quarterly basis. The proprietor selects a beautiful edition of a classic book and then curates special treats to open while you are reading. It’s a really fun way to revisit a classic read!

 

[sdk1231]

9/24 The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
️️️️
This was my local book club’s pick for this month. Starts you out unconnected, leads you almost book-report-style to interested, and then wraps you up in full investment.
Complex but relatable characters, probably living lives quite different than yours [mine anyway]. Good anecdotal notes and even a twist or 2.

10/24 Peter Pan by JM Barrie
️️️️

We all know this classic and most of us love it! I’m a member of the Literary Book Club Box which is produced on a quarterly basis. The proprietor selects a beautiful edition of a classic book and then curates special treats to open while you are reading. It’s a really fun way to revisit a classic read!

Literary Book Club Box... sounds interesting. I'm a collector of "beautiful editions" and I have to wonder which edition of Peter Pan was selected for your box? I'm guessing the MinaLima illustrated?

 

[KevM]

March:

45) Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery – History/Biography. 4/5

46) The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant – Historical Fiction. 4/5

47) Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson – Speculative Fiction/Historical Fiction. 3.5/5

48) The Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – Classic/Romance/Thriller. 4.5/5

49) Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin by Marion Meade – History/Feminism. 3.75/5

50) Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga – Classic/Historical Fiction. 4/5

51) River Woman, River Demon: A Novel by Jennifer Givhan – Magical Realism/Thriller

52) Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumbach and Jud Newborn – History/Biography. 4/25/5

53) Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo – Contemporary/LGBTQ+/Feminism. 4.5/5

54) Thin Places by Kerri ní Dochartaigh – Memoir/Nature. 4/5

55) Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Anne Zaleski – Memoir. 4.25/5

56) The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher – Memoir/Sports. 5/5

57) Elsa Lanchester, herself by Elsa Lanchester – Memoir. 4/5

58) The Black Unicorn: Poems by Audre Lorde – Poetry/Race/LGBTQ+/Feminism. 4.5/5

 

[evilmommie]

Literary Book Club Box... sounds interesting. I'm a collector of "beautiful editions" and I have to wonder which edition of Peter Pan was selected for your box? I'm guessing the MinaLima illustrated?

It’s a Chiltern. https://www.chilternpublishing.co.uk/
Here’s the Literary Book Club. It’s such a great gift idea! There’s currently a waitlist, but she offers special boxes occasionally. https://www.theliterarybookclub.com/

 

[sdk1231]

It’s a Chiltern. https://www.chilternpublishing.co.uk/
Here’s the Literary Book Club. It’s such a great gift idea! There’s currently a waitlist, but she offers special boxes occasionally. https://www.theliterarybookclub.com/

Oh!!! I have about 20 of the Chiltern editions. They are lovely! I use them for decor - they're a bit small for me to use comfortably as reading copies. But beautiful editions! I do not have Peter Pan. I'll have to take a look at that one. Those come in book/notebook gift sets as well. For fun - I have a set of the Chiltern horror classics that I put out at Halloween. I got rave reviews from friends. A nice way to "class up" a Halloween display. Thanks for your reply.

 

[willowsnn3]

#18/50 The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton
From Goodreads:
Mason "Mace" Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection. He trains dogs to hunt for the dead. Reid’s coming off a taxing year—mourning the death of a beloved springer spaniel as well as the dissolution of his marriage. He adopts a rescue dog with a mysterious past—a golden retriever named Vira. And when Reid begins training Vira as a cadaver dog, he comes to realize just how special the newest addition to his family truly is…Suddenly, Reid and his prize pupil find themselves hurled into a taxing murder case, which will push them to their very limits. Paired with determined Chicago Police Officer Kippy Gimm, Mace must put all his trust in Vira's abilities to thwart a serial killer who has now set his sights on Mace himself.

I really enjoyed this one. Could have finished in one day if I had a whole day to devote to reading, lol.
I will be picking up the next 2 books in this series.

 

[melk]

8/35 Still Life by Louise Penny

First book in the Inspector Gamache series, this one focusing on the death of Jane Neal, who has been found dead in the woods. Townspeople think it was a tragic hunting accident but it’s soon clear she is dead at the hands of some one more sinister than a careless hunter.

I‘m not normally a mystery reader but thought I would give this a try as I know Penny is such a popular author and has so many books. While I didn’t dislike the book it’s probably a one and done for me.

 

[sdk1231]

#20 Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie
Sparkling Cyanide is an engaging whodunnit told from multiple POVs.. If you like Christie or just enjoy a good mystery - this one's a gem. It features neither of Christie's famous detectives, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, and is a good stand alone classic mystery.

 

[bobbiwoz]

27/75. Brides of Iowa by Connie Steven. 3 novellas, 3 brides in small Iowa town. Lite read, but enjoyable. 3.5/5

 

[DisneyHardin]

8/26 - She Memes Well - Quinta Brunson - 4/5 stars. I love memoirs, and this was a quick read. Quinta Brunson is the producer and star of the awesome show "Abbott Elementary", but unfortunately, this memoir was written before her Abbott Elementary fame. It was still a good read.

 

[mgarbowski]

7 of 24 - Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott. This was written as a play-style audiobook but I read the text. It provides the back story of Count Dooku character from the Star Wars prequels. I'm not too deep in SW books; this was maybe not the best place to start. Meh.

 

[Simba's Mom]

#14/56-"The Sunshine Girls" by Molly Fader. Two best friends from nursing school in the late 60s. one small town type, the other heads to the bright lights of Hollywood after a year of nursing school. Years later, circumstances have them sharing a huge secret. When one friend dies, the other shows up at the funeral, much to the surprise of the family who didn't even know they were friends. The one who survives shares the secret. I was hoping for more information about the times in history, but instead the book just reminded me of a Danielle Steel. Enjoyable, for the most part, but other shallow. 3 stars.

 

[Wood Nymph]

08/30 - The Moonstone - by Wilkie Collins

description from the first page of the book -
"The elements which make up The Moonstone - a purloined Indian jewel which carries with it a mysterious curse, a stolid British police sergeant, a drama of theft and murder in a spacious country home - have been repeated, in slightly varying guises, throughout much of the detective fiction that Wilkie Collins' immensely popular 1868 novel gave birth to. But none of those books has surpassed the richness and suspense of the storytelling in The Moonstone, the first of all detective novels and the continuing standard of its genre."

The Moonstone was in my list of books that I wanted to read someday. I have no idea where the recommendation came from. But I ended up checking it out from the library when the book I wanted wasn't on the shelf.

The book was published in 1868 by a British author and I found the way it was written, the vocabulary, the sentence structure, etc, to be very intriguing. You will get an idea of the kind of words used in the novel by the excerpt that I posted. We don't use the word "purloined" in everyday dialog in the modern age, for example.

The edition of the book that I read not only included a long introduction but a chronology of events that occurred during the author's lifetime. For example, the Suez Canal was opened the year after the book was published. There was an element of the plot that somehow related to something in the author's life, so it was a good thing I skimmed through the introduction. But otherwise, it was a good mystery with interesting characters. I really enjoyed it.

rating 4.5/5 - good story

 

[mgarbowski]

08/30 - The Moonstone - by Wilkie Collins

description from the first page of the book -
"The elements which make up The Moonstone - a purloined Indian jewel which carries with it a mysterious curse, a stolid British police sergeant, a drama of theft and murder in a spacious country home - have been repeated, in slightly varying guises, throughout much of the detective fiction that Wilkie Collins' immensely popular 1868 novel gave birth to. But none of those books has surpassed the richness and suspense of the storytelling in The Moonstone, the first of all detective novels and the continuing standard of its genre."

The Moonstone was in my list of books that I wanted to read someday. I have no idea where the recommendation came from. But I ended up checking it out from the library when the book I wanted wasn't on the shelf.

The book was published in 1868 by a British author and I found the way it was written, the vocabulary, the sentence structure, etc, to be very intriguing. You will get an idea of the kind of words used in the novel by the excerpt that I posted. We don't use the word "purloined" in everyday dialog in the modern age, for example.

The edition of the book that I read not only included a long introduction but a chronology of events that occurred during the author's lifetime. For example, the Suez Canal was opened the year after the book was published. There was an element of the plot that somehow related to something in the author's life, so it was a good thing I skimmed through the introduction. But otherwise, it was a good mystery with interesting characters. I really enjoyed it.

rating 4.5/5 - good story

Good book and review. It's not quite the first detective mystery novel, but it is responsible for a substantial portion of the template.

 

[RangerPooh]

8/12 Ropes and Trees and Murder (Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries Book 6) by Patti Larsen.

While at the opening of a local zip line course Fiona finds herself crash landing into a murder scene. Was it a protestor, a local, or one of her guests? Just as things begin to heat up with Crew, Fiona discovers that he's not the only one in town with a sweet spot for her.
**Great cozy mystery with likeable characters.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

9/32 - A Place to Heal by Allie Pleiter
A female detective has a dream to open a camp for children and families that have been affected by violence. She finds the perfect spot and her dream is fulfilled after some town opposition. HEA for her and widowed land owner and his cute son.

10/32 - O Little Town: A Romance Christmas Collection by Amanda Wen, Janyre Tromp and Deborah Raney.
Three novellas tied together by one town over a time span.
Hopes and Fears by Amanda Wen. Former school rivals bond as teacher and principal in two room schoolhouse. Christmas play and school fire turns into HEA.
While Mortals Sleep by Janyre Tromp. WWll setting. Newspaper reporter returns home to solve her sisters murder. Has a HEA with former school friend now lawyer and her sweet niece.
The Wondrous Gift by Deborah Raney. Unemployed school music teacher and coach find a HEA after they follow their dreams together.

11/32 - Forced to Hide by Terri Reed. Judge is being stalked and evades being killed many times by unknown assailants. US Marshall guarding her helps solve the case and they have a HEA.

And in honor of bobbiwoz and her cozy mystery review
12/32 - Deck the Donuts by Ginger Bolton. Christmas cozy that involves a bus crash and later the driver is murdered. Didn’t figure out the killer until the end. Cute town and characters. Lots of Christmas spirit and of course donuts.

 

[Simba's Mom]

#15/56-"After the Roundup" by Joseph Weissman. This is hard to review. The early part of the book was easily a 4-5, but the latter was just a 3 for me. It was a true story, told and translated, of a young boy who was initially sent to a labor camp for Jews by the Germans in the early part of WWII. He and a friend managed to escape. Unfortunately that happened less than half way through the book, and after that focused on his life during and after the war as a child without parents. I found the early part so interesting that I was actually disappointed when he was able to escape.

 

[mrs. magoo]

12/30 - The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman 3 out 5 for me. I really wanted to like this book more but the Bernice character was so unbelievable with all her lies. I did find the story about Philadelphia during the Spanish flu outbreak to be very interesting and the scary idea of all the orphaned children.

From Goodreads:
In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia’s overcrowded slums and the anti-immigrant sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the U.S. Army. But as her city celebrates the end of war, an even more urgent threat arrives: the Spanish flu. Funeral crepe and quarantine signs appear on doors as victims drop dead in the streets and desperate survivors wear white masks to ward off illness. When food runs out in the cramped tenement she calls home, Pia must venture alone into the quarantined city in search of supplies, leaving her baby brothers behind.

Bernice Groves has become lost in grief and bitterness since her baby died from the Spanish flu. Watching Pia leave her brothers alone, Bernice makes a shocking, life-altering decision. It becomes her sinister mission to tear families apart when they’re at their most vulnerable, planning to transform the city’s orphans and immigrant children into what she feels are “true Americans.”

Waking in a makeshift hospital days after collapsing in the street, Pia is frantic to return home. Instead, she is taken to St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum – the first step in a long and arduous journey. As Bernice plots to keep the truth hidden at any cost in the months and years that follow, Pia must confront her own shame and fear, risking everything to see justice – and love – triumph at last. Powerful, harrowing, and ultimately exultant, The Orphan Collector is a story of love, resilience, and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most.

 

[Wood Nymph]

09/30 - The Tattooist of Auschwitz - by Heather Morris - 5/5

from a New York Times review:
This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov--an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

I decided to read this book from a review posted on this thread. I have read many WWII holocaust stories but this was the first one about a real person who lived within the system. It was a very interesting story about real people and I couldn't stop reading it.

 

[willowsnn3]

8/35 Still Life by Louise Penny

First book in the Inspector Gamache series, this one focusing on the death of Jane Neal, who has been found dead in the woods. Townspeople think it was a tragic hunting accident but it’s soon clear she is dead at the hands of some one more sinister than a careless hunter.

I‘m not normally a mystery reader but thought I would give this a try as I know Penny is such a popular author and has so many books. While I didn’t dislike the book it’s probably a one and done for me.

Thank you for this honest review. I have thought about starting with the first Inspector Gamache book as like you said Penny is a popular author & I love a good series. I have only read a couple of her other books & they were just ok so I never tried any others.