Another week of walking mostly in the dark and cold. I had a goal of getting outside in daylight every day in November, but that goal didn’t go so well. I’m going to try again in December because it does really help to get a bit of the weak vitamin D this time of year.
I’m listening to an old favorite this week- Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery.
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It’s already 6:30 am but it is so dark out. Why is it the time of year when I should be most productive is the darkest? Oh well, at least I get to see the sunrise every day.
I plan on listening to all the audiobooks this week while I’m cooking. It’s just the four of us this year for Thanksgiving so no pressure if I try a bunch of new recipes that don’t work out. We can just pretend it never happened.
I’ve also been on a cleaning spree, and am having fun re-connecting with my Buy Nothing group. I love when I find something random in my house that is just what someone else needs. I know some people have had Buy Nothing nightmares, but my group is great and low drama.
Have a great week everyone.
“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”
On My Nightstand This Week:
On My Kindle - Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins - I’m almost done with this one. It’s a good read.
Paper Book - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny - Another one almost done. I’ll be sad when it’s over. I love this series.
Audio Book - Salem’s Lot by Stephen King - I just started this, but even the author’s forward had me riveted.
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
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My kid and I were running errands this morning and wow, the stores are full on Christmas. I picked up some lights for outside and they were almost gone already! I think if I would have waited for December I would have been too late. I did take a peek at Target’s buy 2 get 1 one free book sale, but didn’t see anything I wanted.
Have a great week everyone.
“Imagine a morning in late November. A coming of winter morning more than twenty years ago. Consider the kitchen of a spreading old house in a country town. A great black stove is its main feature; but there is also a big round table and a fireplace with two rocking chairs placed in front of it. Just today the fireplace commenced its seasonal roar. A woman with shorn white hair is standing at the kitchen window. She is wearing tennis shoes and a shapeless gray sweater over a summery calico dress. She is small and sprightly, like a bantam hen; but, due to a long youthful illness, her shoulders are pitifully hunched. Her face is remarkable—not unlike Lincoln’s, craggy like that, and tinted by sun and wind; but it is delicate, too, finely boned, and her eyes are sherry-colored and timid. “Oh my,” she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane, ‘it’s fruitcake weather!’”
On My Nightstand This Week:
On My Kindle - Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins - I bought this when it was on sale in August and I’m about to start it in November. Not a bad turn around for me!
Paper Book - The Break by Katherena Vermette - I had to put this down during the week because the short chapters from multiple points of view were hard to follow when I didn’t have big blocks of time to read. Now that it’s the weekend again I plan to dive in again because this one’s really good.
Audio Book - The Vanderbilts by Anderson Cooper - I switched from paper to audio for this one on the recommendation of another reader. I’m glad I did since Cooper reads it himself. It does add a lot to the story.
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
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I had a couple of days off last week so I took a screen break. I did take some time to start figuring out what I want to study through my reading next year though. I identified 52 books I want to read in order to learn more about the environment, AI, social media, and politics. I’m hoping if I stick mostly to audio books one book a week is do-able. And of course there will be plenty of cozy mysteries in between because aren’t predictable endings exactly what we need right now?
Have a great week everyone.
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
On My Nightstand This Week:
On My Kindle - The Other March Sisters by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker - I have this ARC from Net Galley. It’s a retelling of Little Women that’s no so Jo focused. I love Jo though so not sure how much I’ll like that.
Paper Book - The Break by Katherena Vermette - This book wasn’t what I thought it would be, but I’m liking it more now that I’ve adjusted my expectations.
Audio Book - The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - I started reading her new book, but when the characters from this book started appearing I had to pause and go back and re-read this one.
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
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October Beginning TBR: 416
October Ending TBR: 417
Happy Halloween! Two months left in 2024! I’m concentrating on finishing up my challenges and reading for a Nonfiction November readathon I’m hosting on Litsy.
Here are 20 books I want to read in November:
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waugbeshig Rice
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waugbeshig Rice
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Break by Katherena Vermette
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene
Thomas Hardy (Biography) by Claire Tomalin
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Love and Death in Kathmandu by Amy Willesse
Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins
The Vanderbilts by Anderson Cooper
Tortise for the Queen of Tonga by Julia Whitty
Called Again by Jennifer Pharr Davis
Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (Chapter a Day - 2 month read)
August Beginning TBR: 416
August Ending TBR: 416
(This is two months in a row that my TBR count has stayed the same despite reading 10+ books.)
Books read in August as of 8/25: 10
Reading USA progress: 34/51
Reading Canada progress: 3/13
Reading The Americas progress: 24/46
Reading Africa progress: 31/53
Reading Asia progress: 35/45
Reading Oceania progress: 7/15
Reading Europe progress: 7/51
For several years now I have been working on reading a book set in each country on Earth. Also I set a yearly goal to read a book set in every US state (plus DC) and every Canadian province.
I spent the summer chasing the new releases and reading what I wanted. But now it’s back to school time and I’m getting serious about working towards my reading goals. I’m hoping that aside from finishing my Reading USA and Reading Canada challenges before the end of the year I can also finish Reading Asia and Reading Oceania. I’ve found some great titles for September so I’m really looking forward to my reading this month!
1) 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer (work book club)
2) Tales From The Torrid Zone by Alexander Frater (Reading Oceania Fiji)
3) Micronesian Blues by Bryan Vila and Cynthia Morris (Reading Oceania Micronesia)
4) Pacific by Simon Winchester (Reading Oceania Tuvalu)
5) Vanished by Wil Hylton (Reading Oceania Palau)
6) Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (Reading Oceania Papua New Guinea)
7) Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent (Reading Oceania Solomon Islands)
8) A Tortise for the Queen of Tonga by Julia Whitty (Reading Oceania Tonga)
9) Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins (Reading USA state TBD)
10) The Daughters of Block Island by Crista Carmen (Reading USA Rhode Island)
11) Sunburn by Laura Lippman (Reading USA Delaware)
12) Moonflowers by Abigail Rose-Marie (Reading USA Kentucky)
13) Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe (Reading USA South Carolina)
14) Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew (Reading Asia Brunei)
15) Central Asia by Adeeb Khalid (Reading Asia Tajikistan)
16) You Again? by Nick Spalding (Reading Asia Maldives)
17) The Meeting Point by Lucy Caldwell (Reading Asia Bahrain)
18) The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (Food And Lit Litsy challenge Malaysia)
19) Author A Month challenge on Litsy- something by TJ Klune
20) The Hotel by Elizabeth Bowen (Chapter a day buddy read on Litsy)
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My October was filled with cozy mysteries and thrillers, as is bookworm law. I had a lot of fun, but am enjoying the feeling of my brain coming back to life as I re-introduce deeper books this month. I don’t even know where I am with my reading challenges, but at this point I kind of want to just read what’s overflowing on my shelves and start again with the challenges in 2024. I saw a meme the other day that said something like “It’s officially let’s reconnect after the holidays season!” and that’s how I feel about reading challenges at this point.
Here’s the best of the best from what I read in October.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- If you would have told 10th grade me that I would be willingly getting up pre-dawn on a weekend to finish Tess of the D‘Urbervilles I would not have believed you. This book touched me in ways teenage me would never have imagined. This book is wasted on High Schoolers. It hit way differently in my 40’s.
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James -- Once I figured out the characters and the timelines I was really invested in the story of this boarding school for unwanted girls set in the 1950’s and the reporter who wants to learn more in 2014.
Malorie by Josh Malerman -- Bird Box scared the heck out of me so I had been saving this one for a good Halloween scare. I wasn’t expecting to relate so much to the story of a mom just trying to keep her teens alive when they think they are so much smarter and fight you on every damn thing 🤣 The whole blindfold wearing issue was interesting too after the last few years of mask wearing. So, not the scare I was looking for, but a relatable tale of motherhood.
Going Zero by Anthony McCarten -- A fast paced techno thriller. Bigger than life Elon Musk type Cy challenges ten people to evade his surveillance technology for thirty days. If they do they get 3 million dollars. This book moved, and was hard to put down once I started.
A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale -- I enjoyed this novel about Harry- a man who had to flee to Canada in the years before WWI just because of who he was. The author’s note at the end revealed Harry was actually a distant relative of his, and he got the idea for this novel after reading a family member’s memoirs.
Hotel California edited by Don Bruns -- I enjoyed making my way through this mystery anthology last month. My favorite was the last story, and the inspiration for the title. In Hotel California the famous song is told through the eyes of a social media influencer. And it was as creepy as it sounds.
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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.
Last week was a blur. Getting the kids back to school and getting myself back to the office took all my strength. I did a bit of reading last week, but for the most part I’m still where I was at my last update.
Here’s what I’m reading this week:
The Treeline by Ben Rawlence - This is the January pick for my work book club. I’m about halfway done now. It’s interesting so far.
Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier - I’m trying to get some of the chunkier unread books off my shelf.
The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden - We’re visiting Uganda for #FoodAndLit this month, so I got this book. It’s a novel about the private physician of Idi Amin.
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
Happy New Year! I’m not a fan of New Years Eve, but I do love entering a new year- new beginnings, new books, spring is coming, and so on.
Am I the only one completely done with winter now that the holidays are over?
Here’s what I’m reading this week:
The Treeline by Ben Rawlence - This is the January pick for my work book club. I’m looking forward to it.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala - I’m looking forward to starting this series.
Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier - I’m trying to get some of the chunkier unread books off my shelf.
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
After a series of devastating losses at home Francie is allowed to attend Green Mountain Academy, a wilderness school in British Columbia. In that peaceful setting she begins to heal, but is aware the school is in trouble. While the school leaders are off dealing with business, the girls are cut off from the world by a large storm. When Francie realizes that the plane crash she heard about must have happened on school grounds she knows what she has to do.
I enjoyed this middle grade survival story. The snowy scenes were perfect for winter reading, and I appreciated the relationships between the girls. I recommend this for kids in 6th or 7th grade and their moms.
I received a copy of this from the publisher through Library Thing Early Reviewers program. All opinions are my own.
The vibe I’m going for doesn’t exactly resemble real life!
Two days in a row I’ve overslept and I’m running behind on everything. Here’s my slap dash Show Us Your Books post for the month of March!
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng -- I stayed up way too late reading this book. It was heartbreaking in all the best ways, and completely changed how I reacted to one one my kids’ less than stellar report cards.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn -- I really loved this WW2 code breaking novel. The ending was perfect. This was the first book I read last month, and a great way to get things started.
Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson -- A book about a woman who wrote a book about a woman writing a book. This was just so clever and unexpected. I really enjoyed it.
A Blizzard of Polar Bears by Alice Henderson -- I‘m really loving this series about vegetarian biologist badass Alex and her adventures defending wildlife. I can‘t wait for the next one.
And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts -- This book about the AIDS epidemic was a powerful read in its own right, but absolutely infuriating when read against the backdrop of everything we‘ve gone through in the past two years. I was under the gun to get this finished for a work book club- I will come back to it in a few years for a more careful read.
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell -- This book was a little uneven, but the first and last chapters took my breath away.
Watching You by Lisa Jewell -- This got mixed reviews from my book group. I thought it was fast paced and it kept me guessing even if there wasn’t much to talk about with the group.
This post is linked to Show Us Your Books and Quick Lit.
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I love thrillers where the characters are fighting against each other but also natural elements. It adds such tension when someone has to fight their enemy and mother nature at the same time.
Do you like these books too? Here are a few of my favorites.
The Alex Carter series by Alice Henderson features a badass heroine who saves the earth while fighting the bad guys. I’ve really enjoyed both books in this series so far, and am looking forward to the next one.
The River by Peter Heller had my heart in my throat the whole time. A book about buddies on an easy paddle in Canada quickly turns to life and death as they flee wildfires and killers.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King — Baseball can’t solve all your problems, but it sure can help a lot as Trisha found out when she had the bad luck to get lost in the woods.
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In 1930’s rural Canada five babies were born at once and captured the curiosity of the world. The Dionne Quintuplets were a reality show before there was such a thing as reality shows. They starred in movies and were visited by celebrities like Shirley Temple and Amelia Earhart. A viewing platform was built so that the public could watch them play outside. Their fame brought in huge amounts of money, a lot of which couldn’t be accounted for later. Then they grew up and people forgot about them.
I had never heard of them until I read Louise Penny’s book How The Light Gets In. This is my favorite book in my favorite series, but it took me a few reads to catch on that Penny’s Ouellet quintuplets were based on a true story. When I saw the cover for The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood I knew I had to read it based on my love of Penny’s book. This is another worthwhile read. The main character got on my nerves a little, but the back story is just so darn fascinating.
If you’re looking for a fiction rabbit hole to fall down you can’t go wrong with these two. I promise you many hours of wikipedia research will follow!
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Meet Daisy. Brother Oliver is too fast to get a good picture yet.
Two good things happened since we last met up. One, my library opened for curbside pick up! Two, we adopted two kittens who are adorable and love to lay around with me while I read. We also took a very socially distant trip out of town to go hiking, and that meant audiobooks in the car. So, a good month for reading.
(Note, I was worried to leave my city which is filled with pretty serious social distancing mask wearers to go someplace that didn’t have as good of a reputation, but it was fine. No confrontations I’m happy to say.)
And how is it mid-July already?
The Color Purple by Alice Walker - I read this a long time ago, and picked it back up again early last month. So much good stuff here. You need to read it if you haven’t.
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”
A $500 House in Detroit - I thought I was getting a HGTV style makeover book, but what I got was a really interesting look at race and class in Detroit around 2008.
Parable of the Sower - I read this for a reading challenge not knowing that a dystopian novel set in the year 2025 would seem so believable based on the year 2020. This is the second book I’ve read by Octavia Butler, and I will be reading more. (The other book, Kindred, was also really good.)
Ten Days In A Mad House - In 1887 journalist Nellie Bly had herself committed to a “mad house” so that she could report on the conditions. Once you read about the conditions and the ease of commitment in those days you will be amazed by how brave she was.
I weirdly ended up reading three books set in Chicago last month.
Rodham - A book about what might have happened to Hillary if she hadn’t married Bill. I thought this book was super clever, and have recommended it to a bunch of people (including you!)
Becoming - I loved the behind the scenes looks at the White House, and the very real struggles the Obamas had raising two kids with two working parents. This might have been bad timing though, because to me a lot of the things we worried about in 2008-2016 just seem so quaint.
A Raisin In The Sun - I love this play, and read it often. This was the first “grown up” book I read when my mom took me to see it in Boston as a high schooler. The struggles in this play just poke my heart.
Mary Anne Saves The Day - Yup, I’m 42 years old and read a Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel in preparation for watching the Netflix series. So sue me.
Anne of Windy Poplars - Still reading through Anne’s books. I enjoy them, but they’re feeling more and more like filler that LMM’s publisher talked her into writing.
Twisted Twenty-Six - These books are always the same, and I always enjoy them. This was the first one I’ve ever done as an audiobook, and I liked the narrator.
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Channeling my inner Pete The Cat
Just another average reading month for me. Nothing exciting happening. How about you?
Most of my March reading took place before social distancing took place. You would think that staying at home most of the time would lead to an increase in reading, but my brain is scribble scrabble. Obviously 2020 isn’t turning out to be the year to care about reading goals or challenges. In the mean time I’m doing puzzles, making bread, and working in the yard.
Here are a few things I did manage to finish:
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - This is the one book I did manage to finish in the first few weeks of staying at home. The world of Anne is so comforting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I feel lucky to just be discovering this series now.
The Day The World Came To Town by Jim Defede - It was inspiring to me to read about how people came together during another time of crisis.
Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce - Mrs. Ford is living the good life until the FBI shows up. If you like the twists of Ruth Ware books I think you’ll like this one too.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - This one is getting a lot of good reviews, and I think they’re deserved. It starts with an abduction of two sisters in Russia, but the book itself is only slightly related to the abductions. Instead we get a story each month about others in the community which of course includes mention of the missing sisters. It’s very interesting how it all comes together. I had to return it to the library, but if I hadn’t I would have read it again right away once I knew how it all fit together.
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett - Good, old-fashioned girl power YA dystopia. Give it a try of you like that kind of thing.
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My cat passed away last month, and that has seriously damped my ability to enjoy books. Is reading on the couch even reading if you don’t have a cat practicing yoga moves on your knee? I’ll miss him forever, but hopefully I’ll get back to my love of reading soon. Until then know I am probably being unnecessarily grumpy about some of these books.
The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso - Someone described this as woke Golden Girls, which I thought was pretty funny and also accurate. Two sworn enemies live next door to each other have to put their differences aside when they realize they need each other. For those like me who have been seeking out books with characters over 40 who actually do things more interesting that drinking tea and giving advice give this one a read.
The Gown by Jennifer Robson - A good story matched with good information about England after WWII.
Plainsong by Kent Haruf - I almost put this down because of a lack of quotation marks, but I’m glad I ended up sticking with it. It’s a sweet story about families - the ones you’re born with and the ones you create.
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman - Another sweet story about families. If you like Backman you’ll like this book. If you don’t skip it.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - I really, really loved this book when I first read it, and I still love it today. It was where I first learned about the danger of mitigating language and that I should trust my years of practice.
A Better Man by Louise Penny - I read this really quickly when it first came out, and wanted to read it again but slower. My initial assessment stands- not the best Gamache but still a decent read.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I am in awe of Fitzgerald’s ability to say so much with just a few words. This is a yearly read for me, but to be honest I might pull it out again in a few months. That’s how much I love this book.
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Last week I made it out for a rare night on my own to see Louise Penny talk about her new book A Better Man. She was so kind, and so funny. If you ever get a chance to see her speak you should do it.
A few notes I wrote into my phone while trying to take it all in:
She didn’t write her first book until she was in her mid 40’s
She might be the only one who can get away with writing hopeful murder mysteries
Some of Ruth’s poetry is actually Margaret Atwood’s
Forgiveness is possible and goodness exists
It’s never a good idea to catch a falling knife
I read the book itself in two days. She’s done it again. I’m not sure how, but Penny keeps up the momentum with these books, and I already can’t wait for the next one.
You might also like:
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From a road trip to Indiana -- seems like a nice place, but I was obsessed with finishing Glass Houses, so...
Each month I link with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit as a way to talk about the books I liked, but didn't review. Well, I've been in such a back to school slump that my list is a whopping two book long this month. But really there's only one that matters:
Glass Houses by Louise Penny -- I never buy print books any more (out of room in my house), but I made an exception for this one. It didn't disappoint. These books leave me so emotionally drained, but in a good way. This one had a little different format that previous books in the series - it switched between a trial in the present day, and a murder in the past. I don't always love it when authors tell a story that way, but it worked here.
Also, I love Ruth.
Summer At Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan -- Simple and predictable, just what I needed for reading in the car while my husband drove us along the PA turnpike.
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Spring is here, and I'm spending a lot of time listening to audiobooks while I walk under flowering trees. I'm enjoying it as much as I can before summer starts, and I need to stay inside near my air conditioner! I live in DC, so probably about another two weeks.
I found Z for Zachariah in the kid's section of my library, but it freaked me the heck out, and I'm glad I didn't try to listen to it with my kids. It's an end of the world novel about a girl living alone on a farm after a nuclear war - until a man finds her.
I finished The Nature of the Beast, and am sad to say I only have one book left in the series until the new one comes out in August. I liked this one as much as I have liked the last few. That is to say, a lot. Plus there's physics! Yay physics! Can anyone recommend a similar detective series that is good on audio?
I've also been busy reviewing books for The Armchair Audies.
Here are my review so far:
Reviews for the last two in the category will be coming this month, and then I'll announce who I think should be the winner in the category.
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My February spirit animal
Twitter and political podcasts have been distracting me from reading and listening lately. Still I did manage to get in some winners (and some junk that I listened to with my kids and won't discuss here.)
A Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalin - A thriller that takes place during WWII and in the years after. A bit greusome in parts, but a pretty good story. It kept me guessing until the end.
A Trick of the Light and A Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - I'm still chugging along with these. Each time I start a new one I think "Oh really? Another body in Three Pines? Boring" and then before I know it I'm sucked in. As everyone who reviews these books says these books start with murder, but they're about so much more than the mystery. (To be fair A Beautiful Mystery doesn't take place in Three Pines.)
Bag of Bones by Stephen King - There was a part at the end of this book that almost made me stop listening. Up until then it was a near perfect audiobook. I kept going past that part, and I'm glad I did. Read by the author, and it contained music that added to the story. However I don't think I'll ever re-read it like I usually do with King's books. I know that's probably not very helpful to anyone trying to decide if they should read this book, but I'm not sure what else to say!
Also see Books That Are Saving My Life Right Now.
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