Play Book Tag discussion

The random number for the Trim the TBR Challenge in November is...

28

Head to your list that you posted in your personal challenge tracking thread, find your 3rd book, and get your hands on it! Reading cannot start until November 1, but this gives you a few days to get it physically in your possession.

Feel free to post here what your 28th book is if you want to see if anyone else is reading it, but this is absolutely not required!

Once November 1st hits, then you can post your reviews here when you complete your book. Reviews must be at least 4 sentences long. Other things to include if it fits:

• Fits the November tag of American history.
• Page length of the book.

Still working on your previous books? You can post your review here when you finish, but please label it clearly as your, e.g., #19-January book!

A note on page lengths:
To keep this fair, the official page count will be the hardcover edition OR, if there was no hardcover version, the format that the book was first published in. You can find these numbers on the book details page here on GR or you can also find them on Amazon.

This means your page length you are reporting only for this challenge may not EXACTLY match the edition you read, but it is the best way we can keep things even in the age where mass market paperback editions can have many more pages than other versions. This page length applies to audiobooks as well.

A reminder of the scoring:
• Read your book - 3 points
• Your completed book happens to fit the tag (must be tagged as such on GR) - 2 points (plus you'll get an additional 2 for posting your review in the Monthly Tag folder)
• Read the longest book among all people who completed their randomly assigned book in any given month - 5 points
• Read the most pages in any quarter (up to 3 books total and quarters are Jan-Mar, April-June, Jul-Sept, and Oct-Dec) - 25 points
• Read the most pages for the whole year (up to 12 books total) - 100 points
• Read the most books that fit a tag for the year - 25 points (totally random luck, but still fun!)

A note for people who start the challenge after January 1:

Whenever you join, if you want to participate in the current month, then Anita or I will randomize your list as described above, locking in the book for that month as well as the books for all previous months (exact number depending on when you join). Then, you can have the random number for the next month is announced to rearrange the order of the remaining books to align with any buddy reads or just going with your gut instincts!

Once the random number for the next month is announced, your list is locked and you cannot change it until our mid-year shake-up!

This seems like the best way for people to jump in at any point while still keeping things as fair as possible.

Reminder of numbers:
January: 19
February: 17
March: 34
April: 12
May: 24
June: 30
July: 23
August: 16
September: 3
October: 32
November: 28

My # 28 is These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901-which fits the Tag!

Joanne wrote: "My # 28 is These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901-which fits the Tag!"

How lucky are you! That definitely fits the tag!

I believe there are 4 or 5 others with this book-extra bonus of a buddy read-Barbara, Nancy and who else?

My #28 is The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple

And it's tagged American History. Yay!

And I wanted to add, These Is My Words is one of my favorites!

My 28 is the Secret of Clouds by Allyson Richman

My #28 is A Painted House
Looking forward to reading this one.

My #28 is 11/22/63 by Stephen King and it fits the American History tag!

SouthWestZippy wrote: "My #28 is A Painted House
Looking forward to reading this one."

I remember really liking this one-it's been a awhile but I know I read it-There was a time I read Grisham as soon as the book was out

My 28 is Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. Pity it missed October for Flurries, LOL. And since it is set in Tudor England, misses theme too.

My 28 is "The Persian Pickle Club" by Sandra Dallas. Looks like it also fits the month tag!

I got Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal
so no luck on the US front, but I might use it later on for my few empty horizon months

Olivermagnus wrote: "My #28 is 11/22/63 by Stephen King and it fits the American History tag!"

I don't like Stephen King books, but read this and did like it, though a bit long for my taste.

28. Slave dancer-Paula Fox

A Plague on Both Your Houses - Susanna Gregory.

My Trim nearly always matches the previous month's tag!

My #28 is Martinis & Mayhem. Another mystery I've owned for a very long time. It doesn't fit the monthly tag.

My #28 is Written in Red by Anne Bishop. It is a paranormal fantasy so no American History tag for me.

My #28 is Behind Her Eyes, not American history, but it has been on my TBR for some time, so this is good!

My # 28 is The Milagro Beanfield War
Fits the tag: YES (1 person has tagged it American-History)

Also a book I've been meaning to read for ages. So glad it came up!

Mine is Ancestral Night. I'd like to actually read this one.

Joanne wrote: "I believe there are 4 or 5 others with this book-extra bonus of a buddy read-Barbara, Nancy and who else?"

Awesome. I've been hoping this one would come up soon.

The original people with this book were: Barbara, Joanne, LindaC, Nancyj. Others may want to join us because this fits the American History tag. We might discover it fits Native American and November flurries as well.

In November, I'll be reading:
#28 Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris

Mine is Warlight by Michael Ondaatje.. honestly not sure I'll get to it. I've been struggling to finish my Oct Trim... I picked too many long books for my Trims lol

Mine is These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 and I'm looking forward to delving into it. I found it available at the library - hooray! I should be ready for the buddy read.

Meli wrote: "My #28 is Behind Her Eyes, not American history, but it has been on my TBR for some time, so this is good!"

I have the same trim book, Meli!

My #28 is The Mitford Murders - Jessica Fellowes

My 28: Porter's Lodge (Sins of the Father Book 1)

My 28 is Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse by Andrea di Robilant

Booknblues wrote: "My 28 is Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse by Andrea di Robilant"

oooo-I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this one!

Joanne wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "My 28 is Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse by Andrea di Robilant"

oooo-I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this one!"

I've read a number of books about him and couldn't pass this one up. I hope it is good.

Barbara, Joanne - I picked up These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 tonight, and the hard cover is very interesting. It's very battered looking like an old diary would be. It really looks and feels like the book has suffered a lot of wear and tear, but I can tell that at least some of it is by design. There are even bits worn off the corners. The librarian and I were looking closely to try to figure it out.

I'll be curious to know if you find the same thing.

NancyJ wrote: "Barbara, Joanne - I picked up These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 tonight, and the hard cover is very interesting. It's very battered looking like an old dia..."

I just ordered mine from the library and that's exactly how it looks in the picture in the on-line catalog

I have the paperback version that you have linked to-so the detail is not as good as it would be on a hardcover-

Nancy are you going to start the BR link? I am probably going to start it later this week-I am so bad at keeping up with BR's I really want to this time.

Charlotte wrote: "Mine is Warlight by Michael Ondaatje.. honestly not sure I'll get to it. I've been struggling to finish my Oct Trim... I picked too many long books for my Trims lol"

I hear you! I'm trying to finish my SEPTEMBER trim by the end of this month (900 pages long). I also put too many long book on my list.

Barbara wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Barbara, Joanne - I picked up These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 tonight, and the hard cover is very interesting. It's very battered looking ..."

Joanne wrote: "Nancy are you going to start the BR link? I am probably going to start it later this week-I am so bad at keeping up with BR's I really want to this time."

Sure, I can get it started. Some of my new book (7 day) holds came in at the same time, but I'll try to fit in at least the first chapter of "These is" this weekend.

Let's try to read the Trim book early in the month. I got out of that habit this month, and it made me feel too rushed.

I'm reading #28:

The Case of the Missing Marquess BY Nancy Springer

#28 Written in Red - Anne Bishop

4 stars
NOT TAGGED MONTHLY TAG
433 pages

This is a paranormal fantasy that is set in a world very similar to ours, yet very different as well. It is a world where the "Others" have all the powers and the humans rely on their goodwill for all of our resources, and our survival. Meg is fleeing from a place where she is considered property because of what she is. She is a human, but she has some powers that make her very valuable. The only place she will be safe is in the confines of the Other's courtyard, where Human Laws Do Not Apply. Luckily for her, they have a job opening for a human liaison (a fancy title for mail person). Will they protect her when they find out who she really is?

This was a very original paranormal fantasy. It had all the usual suspects (werewolves, vampires, etc.) but it also had some magical creatures that are less common in the genre. I liked the main character, although she did appear to be a bit of a Mary Sue with her ability to make everyone love her. I liked the world building a lot and really look forward to reading more about this world. One warning: this book is not for those with a history of self harm or cutting. (view spoiler)[The main character's power is to see prophecies when she cuts her skin. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I read this book (over 500 pages in my edition) in one day. It was a fast read that really kept my attention and made me not want to put the book down.

#28 Prayers for SalePrayers for Sale
****

A tale of two women that have similar stories, one starting out, the other finishing. How they find each other, help each other and come out on the end with full hearts looking forward.

The Secret of Clouds by Alyson Richman

Also my Trim Book, #28. Glad I picked it. I am doing a great job of plowing through my TBR but also being more selective about what goes on it. Glad this little ditty survived my claws. It had a real beauty to it.

This morning I did not take a shower. You readers know the feeling. You are immersed in a world, and even though you are due somewhere at 9AM, you find yourself transported into another world sobbing, just needed to feel through the experience and ride it to its natural conclusion. Shower be damned... I did pause to watch with my husband the early morning talk show clips of Donald Trump Jr embarrassing himself on the View. And to hear more about the Supreme Court's decision to fine Donal Trump 2 million dollars for siphoning Charity funds for personal or political use. But other than that, I was in Alyson Richman's lovely world of Maggie and 12 year old Yuri, and Katya and Sasha and Daniel and Suzie. Transported back to Middle School, where literature and childhood, and imagination, and locating yourself in the world, and wondering all have a place. Where beauty and loss are intertwined. Not sure this was a YA book in the least, but it had that feel, in terms of both the characters, plot, and themes, and yet the writing was quite exquisite. And what is unforgettable, is Maggie's father, who is retired, and now despite severe arthritis, became a violin maker in the basement of their home. His careful treatment of wood and what makes music and sound, is the perfect corollary, to what literature does, and love. And dreams. Just loved this little ditty.

#28 A Plague on Both Your Houses - Susanna Gregory - 4 stars
406 pages
Doesn't fit the monthly tag

Blurb: Matthew Bartholomew, unorthodox but effective physician to Michaelhouse college in medieval Cambridge, is as worried as anyone about the pestilence that is ravaging Europe and seems to be approaching England. But he is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michaelhouse - a death the University authorities do not want investigated.

But Matt is determined to get to the truth, leading him into a tangle of lies and intrigue that cause him to question the innocence of his closest friends - and even his family - just as the Black Death finally arrives...

Review: I enjoyed this book and it's definitely a series I'm interested in continuing, although there's no immediate rush for me to continue. I loved the characters, time period and setting, and also the acknowledgement of issues surrounding Edward II and Piers Gaveston:

'About thirty years ago, King Edward II founded King's Hall. He gave it money, buildings, and sent to it scholars and boys destined to be some of the most powerful men in England. Many scholars at Oxford considered this a great insult to them - the King should have endowed this great foundation in Oxford, not Cambridge. But the City of Oxford had refused to help Edward's - well, let us say "friend" - Piers Gaveston when he was imprisoned, and the man was later killed.'

My only criticisms are that the chapters are rather long - I think they could have been cut into shorter chunks; and the Black Death arrives in Cambridge earlier than the blurb suggests - I was expecting it towards the end of the book whereas it's more like the middle.

#28 - Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough / 3 stars
307 pages
Does NOT fit tag

This is a pretty straightforward suspense thriller. The setup is single mom Louise, in a long romantic drought, meets David in a bar and they seem to really connect leading to some sexy kissing. Then she discovers when she comes in to work that he is her new boss, and he is married. Yuck! From there the story bounces back and forth between Louise narration and Adele, David's wife, with some flashbacks into Adele's past as well.

I was 100% on board with this story and completely on the edge of my seat until about the last 3rd. I skipped to the end to find out what happened and the ending is just ridiculous.

Could be a combo of things that made this book end up a 3 star for me; I am burned out on thrillers lookin to scratch that Gone Girl itch that is seemingly impossible, this book was just a tad too long and the suspense drug too much at the end, or the ending ruined it. One of those or all three, not sure.

Still, I love Pinborough's writing and the story was engaging. I will read her again. This is a good read for thriller fans and even though I rated it kinda low it is arguably better than some of the other thrillers out there. The main protagonist Louise is a well-drawn character that I think readers will connect with. And, bonus, she is reliable! (some others not so much)

Trim the TBR - November

Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris - 3 stars
752 pages for the hard cover (my ebook was 730)
Does NOT fit the tag

PBT Comments: This book is set in 1960 but it could have happened at any time - it's more literary fiction than historical fiction, in my opinion. I'd advise staying away from this book if you are suffering from depression, as it is pretty bleak.

Character-driven novel about the people living in a small town in Vermont in 1960. The storyline revolves around a con artist involved in an act of violence, who hides in plain sight by taking advantage of a lonely divorcee. The woman is supporting three children with no help from her alcoholic ex-husband. The story branches out to cover numerous people residing in the town, including the police chief and his family, the former police chief (now blind) that runs a popcorn stand, a dishonorably discharged marine trying to get his life back on track, an insurance salesman with financial issues, and many more.

None of the main characters are very likeable and it would have been nice to have at least one or two in such a large cast of characters. Surely the entire town isn’t populated with unpleasant people. It was a struggle to keep reading this at times. I kept waiting for a bright spot. There are a few small glimmers of hope, but not many.

Here’s a sampling of primary characters:
- A con artist selling pipe dreams to people that can’t afford much of anything
- A woman who constantly berates her children
- An alcoholic father that neglects his family
- A priest taking advantage of a minor
- A thief stealing from local businesses
- A woman that poisons her husband’s dog
- A “heavy breather” making crank calls
- A man that has an affair while his wife is dying of cancer

All that said, it is very well-written. Themes include the ramifications of choices and how people can be entrapped by their hopes, fears, and desires. The characters are multi-layered. The author does a great job of getting inside the heads of the three children, ages 12, 16, and 17, as well as the divorced wife, alcoholic father, and various colorful characters living in this small town. The rationalizations of the con man seem very realistic, as he comes up with excuses to justify his atrocious behavior. For example:

“People were just dying to find someone they could trust, and intimate, someone who not only understood, but knew things without having to be told. And he didn’t regard it in any way as taking advantage or preying on their troubles, because the truth was, he cared about people. He really did. Even when they turned on him. It pained him to see anyone hurt. There were still nights when he could not close his eyes, but what images of Earlie came to mind, that most headstrong, stubborn, and selfish young man who in a very real sense had been the instrument of his own harm. And of this he had no doubt. None whatsoever.”

I appreciated the writing and would have probably liked it more if it were shorter and less repetitious, but after almost 750 pages, I am glad to be finished.

Link to My GR Review

November: #28 A Painted House
Fits the November tag, NO: American History
Page Length of the book-480 pages


1 star
Taken from the back of the book. "Until that September of 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie, but in the long, hot summer of his seventh year, two groups of migrant workers-and two very dangerous men-came through the Arkansas Delta to work the Chandler cotton farm, And suddenly mysteries are flooding Luke's world."
Sounds like it would be a fast moving, twist turning mystery plot but it fell short.
John Grisham introduced us to a group of people and took it nowhere. Wonderful writing but storyline dull, predictable and I could care less about any of the characters. Seven year old Luke is the narrator and gives his views and observations on what is going on in the world around him. Someone is killed, a baby is born and a house needs painting is about all I got out of it.

#28 Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse - 4 stars
pp. 368
Doesn't fit November tag

I am a bit of a Hemingway junkie, so I was excited to see Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse. I was pleased to read this and it completed a journey for me which started by reading his A Moveable Feast, followed by The Paris Wife, Beautiful Exiles, Love and Ruin and True at First Light.

Hemingway visits Venice with his fourth wife Mary Welsh and meets young, Adriana Ivancich and becomes infatuated with her. This book is their story. Robilant researched it well and referenced letters to Adriana, Adriana's letters to Hemingway and Mary's diary.

While Hemingway maintained his friendship with Adriana, he was at the top of his game and wrote The Old Man and the Sea for which he received a Noble.

I found this book very interesting and it seems to present Hemingway true to form.

#28
The Persian Pickle Club / Sandra Dallas
3.25 stars

The story is told from Queenie’s point of view. It is the “dirty thirties”. When city-girl, Rita, moves to Harveyville, Kansas, she is quickly taken in and befriended by the local quilting women, the “Persian Pickle Club”. Rita has married Tom, a man from the town and they have moved back to live with Tom’s family. Queenie quickly befriends Rita, but Rita stays a bit distant. As a budding journalist, Rita is all over the story when a body is found in a field – the man had been gone for over a year.

The book was pretty slow, but did pick up about half-way through when the body was found, and as a few other more exciting/interesting things happened. Overall, it’s all about the women’s friendships. The first half, I was about to rate it 3 stars (ok), but upped it just a bit once it got more interesting in the second half.

The Outsider by Stephen King
5 Stars
560 Pages
Trim Book #23 - July

An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.

An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

As with most Stephen King books, this book was extremely enjoyable as it is fast-paced in nature with great characters and an intriguing story line. King is one of the masters of our time, in particular in creating characters that develop as the story moves forward and are utterly relatable. Reading King's novels is equivalent to taking a master class on human emotion and how destructive or redeeming it can be.

A secondary, but none the less enjoyable, aspect of this novel was how well it was written as a crime story. Most of the things King writes work on human interest and horror, but fall short to some degree on the crime novel side. I did not feel this was the case with this book. In my opinion, the way King set forth the crime aspect of the novel was as good as any crime writer and was intriguing throughout the course of the book.

However, neither of the items mentioned above were the greatest quality of this book. In the story we are presented with the legend of (view spoiler)[ El Cuco. In hispanic legends this mythical creature travels around kidnapping children and eating them to survive. Without getting into all of the details of the legend he is essentially the boogeyman. He hides under beds and fills kid's nightmares. However, in this novel King is able to take the mythical boogeyman of kid's fears and highlight the real life boogeyman that millions of Americans face each day. The boogeyman or El Cuco in King's novel is able to shape shift and takes on the identity of his victim, down to his finger prints and DNA. As a result, not only does he kill and eat children but he also effectively frames innocent men for their murders. The whole premise behind his actions works because of mistaken identity and a rush to prosecutorial judgement. The miscarriages of justice that happen in this country due to those exact things, mistaken identity and a rush to judgement, are the things of nightmares for minorities and the poor every day in this country. I was incredibly impressed with how King took an old legend of El Cuco and developed in such a way to highlight the miscarriages of justice happening all over this nation. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I was reminded once again how much I truly enjoy reading the works of Stephen King.

November #28
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
4 stars
432 pages
does not fit the monthly tag

Clementine and Erika have been best friends since elementary school, but 'best' friends is a bit of a stretch. They have nothing in common and want completely different things from life. Clementine is a professional cellist married to Sam and together they are parents of two girls. Erika is married to Oliver, childless and neat and orderly to a fault. Erika's next door neighbors Vid and Tiffany invite the other two couples to an impromptu barbecue. Something devastating happens during the barbecue that affects each of these people so deeply that none of them are ever the same. Marriages are tested and the long friendship between the two women begins to show just how unlikely their pairing has always been.

The story is told in both the present time and in flashbacks to the barbecue. Except for her anxiety over a very important upcoming audition, Clementine is a friendly, laid-back woman who is constantly looking for lost items in her less than spotless home. Erika is uptight, regimented and trying to overcome an unhappy childhood with a 'hoarding' mother. I like Clementine; Erika, not so much. The story was a good one with the barbecue incident doled out in little snippets throughout. Very interesting.

These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901, 5 star

384 pages, 5 stars
Fits the Tag American History

This is a wonderful story about settlers in the Arizona Territory in 1881- 1901. I learned a lot about this time in American history, and I fell in love with Sarah and her family. The book is full of adventure, challenges, and family life. There is also some great mature romance. Last month someone was asking for recommendations for "clean" romance stories, and I would highly recommend this book.

The book follows 20 years of Sarah's life, beginning with her experience as a teenager traveling with a large group in covered wagons. It was a dangerous trip, There were all sorts of dangers, and losses on the road. Sarah became very strong, and she had to keep the whole family going when her mother was "addled" due to grief. One wondrous bit of luck though, is that Sarah found an abandoned wagon full of books on all different subjects.