Play Book Tag discussion
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Cindy/LibraryCin's 2020 Challenges
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LibraryCin
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Dec 29, 2019 01:52PM
Here goes. I have a long list...
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12x12 ChallengePlay Book Tag
1. The Woman in the Window / A.J. Finn. 4 stars
2. Caught / Harlan Coben. 3.75 stars
3. World Made By Hand / James Howard Kunstler. 3 stars
4. The Humans / Matt Haig. 3.75 stars
5. Seven Lies / Elizabeth Kay. 4 stars
6. Killer Within / S.E. Green. 3.5 stars
7. A Bone to Pick / Charlaine Harris. 3.5 stars
8. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man / Fannie Flagg. 3.5 stars
9. In the Devil's Snare / Mary Beth Norton. 2.5 stars
10. The Good Son / You-Jeong Jeong. 3.5 stars
11. Educated / Tara Westover. 4.25 stars
12. Ghost Soldiers / Hampton Sides. 3.5 stars
___________________________________________
13. Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega. 4 stars
14. The Bat / Jo Nesbo. 3 stars
PBT Challenges1. Tuesdays with Morrie / Mitch Albom. 3 stars
2. Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl / Susan McCorkindale. 3.5 stars
3. Giant George / Dave Nasser. 3.5 stars
4. Out of America / Keith B. Richburg. 3.75 stars
5. The Lace Reader / Brunonia Barry. 4 stars
6. Seeing Voices / Oliver Sacks. 3 stars
7. The Witches of New York / Ami McKay. 3.5 stars
8. A Gift of Magic / Lois Duncan. 3.5 stars
9. To Kill a Kingdom / Alexandra Christo. 4 stars
10. Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter / Loretta Lynn. 3.75 stars
11. The 100 Thing Challenge / Dave Bruno. 3 stars
12. Krakatoa / Simon Winchester. 1.5 stars
__________________________________________
13. Phantoms / Dean Koontz. 4 stars
14. Fire Watch / Connie Willis. 2.5 stars
Reading Through Time1. The Great Hunger / Cecil Woodham-Smith. 2.75 stars
2. The Invention of Wings / Sue Monk Kidd. 4 stars
3. Go Down Together / Jeff Guinn. 4.25 stars
4. Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley. 3.5 stars
5. Alone / Richard E. Byrd. 4 stars
6. Murder at the Vicarage / Agatha Christie. 3.5 stars
7. The Great Halifax Explosion / John U Bacon. 4 stars
8. The Ghost Map / Steven Johnson. 3.75 stars
9. Salt: A World History / Mark Kurlansky. 2.5 stars
10. Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln / Janis Cooke Newman. 3.75 stars
11. Stephen King Country / George Beahm. 3.5 stars
12. Countdown / Alan Weisman. 3.5 stars
Oh Canada! (Canadian Authors) 1. Michelle Remembers / Michelle Smith, Lawrence Pazder. 3 stars
2. A Noise Downstairs / Linwood Barclay. 4 stars
3. You Are Here / Colin Ellard. 3.5 stars
4. American War / Omar El Akkad. 3 stars
5. Hands Like Clouds / Mark Zuehlke. 3 stars
6. The Brideship Wife / Leslie Howard. 4 stars
7. Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography / Chester Brown. 3.5 stars
8. 7 Generations / David Alexander Robertson. 4.5 stars
9. Missing / Frances Itani. 4 stars
10. The Couple Next Door / Shari Lapena. 4 stars
11. Once Every Never / Lesley Livingston. 3 stars
12. The Gown / Jennifer Robson. 4 stars
____________________________________________________
13. Half Spent Was the Night / Ami McKay. 2.5 stars
14. The Pull of the Stars / Emma Donoghue. 3.5 stars
15. From the Ashes / Jesse Thistle. 4 stars
Trim the TBR (On TBR 2+ years) 1. Dead to You / Lisa McMann. 3.5 stars
2. Split Estate / Charlotte Bacon. 3 stars
3. Endangered / Eliot Schrefer. 5 stars
4. The Brief History of the Dead / Kevin Brockmeier. 3 stars
5. The Fact of a Body / Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich. 3.5 stars
6. Grounded / Seth Stevenson. 4 stars
7. Kingdom Under Glass / Jay Kirk. 3.5 stars
8. The Hate U Give / Angie Thomas. 4 stars
9. Stuff / Randy Frost, Gail Steketee. 4 stars
10. Enchantments / Kathryn Harrison. 2 stars
11. The House Girl / Tara Conklin. 2.5 stars
12. The Venetian's Wife / Nick Bantock. 3.5 stars
_______________________________________________
13. This Other Eden / Ben Elton. 3 stars
14. How to Cook Without a Book / Pam Anderson. 3.5 stars
15. The Tie That Binds / Kent Haruf. 4 stars
16. Light on Snow / Anita Shreve. 3.5 stars
Will it Ever End? (Continuing Series) 1. Unbound / Neal Shusterman. 3.5 stars
2. The Widow / Fiona Barton. 3.5 stars
3. A Cat Abroad / Peter Gethers. 3.5 stars
4. Big Cherry Holler / Adriana Trigiani. 3 stars
5. Cat & Mouse / James Patterson. 4 stars
6. Lady of Sherwood / Jennifer Roberson. 4 stars
7. Fables, Vol. 22. Farewell / Bill Willingham. 4 stars
8. Iron Kissed / Patricia Briggs. 3 stars
9. Red Bones / Ann Cleeves. 3 stars
10. An Echo in the Bone / Diana Gabaldon. 3.5 stars
11. Forever / Maggie Stiefvater. 2.5 stars
12. Susannah's Garden / Debbie Macomber. 3.75 stars
_____________________________________________
13, The Silkworm / Robert Galbraith. 3 stars
Off the Shelf (Print or E- Books I Own)1. Triangle/ Katharine Weber. 2.5 stars
2. After Visiting Friends / Michael Hainey. 3 stars
3. The Other Child / Joanne Fluke. 4 stars
4. Beyond Belief / Jenna Miscavige Hill. 4 stars
5. The Book of Joy / Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams. 3 stars
6. Powder Burn / Carl Hiaasen. 3 stars
7. Dark Tide / Stephen Puleo. 3.75 stars
8. Alaska Bound / Margaret Frank. 3 stars
9. Deep Freeze / Lisa Jackson. 4.5 stars
10. Little Disasters / Sarah Vaughan. 4 stars
11. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters / Jane Auster, Ben H. Winters. 3.5 stars
12. Confessions on the 7:45 / Lisa Unger. 3.75 stars
___________________________________________________
13. The Fireman / Joe Hill. 3.5 stars
14. The Quintland Sisters / Shelley Wood. 3.75 stars
15. The Scarlet Plague / Jack London. 3 stars
16. These Nameless Things / Shawn Smucker. 3.5 stars
Audio Books1. Manhattan Beach / Jennifer Egan. 3 stars
2. The Infinite Sea / Rick Yancey. 3 stars
3. The Thorn Birds / Colleen McCullough. 3 stars
4. The Fault in Our Stars / John Green. 3.5 stars
5. Alaska / James A. Michener. 3.5 stars
6. Green River, Running Red / Ann Rule. 3 stars
7. The Rosie Project / Graeme Simsion. 4 stars
8. Little Women / Louise May Alcott. 3.5 stars
9. The New Jim Crow / Michelle Alexander. 3 stars
10. All the Wrong Places / Joy Fielding. 4 stars
11. A Single Thread / Tracy Chevalier. 3.25 stars
12. Cover of Snow / Jenny Milchman. 2.25 stars
_______________________________________________
13. Sworn to Silence / Linda Castillo. 4 stars
14. The Institute / Stephen King. 4 stars
I'll Travel Virtually (Books Set in Other Countries - not Canada or USA) 1. No Will But His / Sarah A. Hoyt. 4 stars
2. Royal Flush / Rhys Bowen. 3.5 stars
3. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats / Jan-Philipp Sendker. 2 stars
4. Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange / Amanda Smyth. 3.25 stars
5. Big Little Lies / Liane Moriarty. 4.5 stars
6. Escape from Syria / Samya Kullab. 4 stars
7. Escape to the Wild / Andrea Hejlskov. 3.75 stars
8. Outlaw / Angus Donald. 4.25 stars
9. The Band that Played On / Steve Turner. 3.25 stars
10. Bill Bryson's African Diary / Bill Bryson. 3 stars
11. The Book of Hidden Wonders / Polly Crosby. 3.5 stars
12. The Kitchen God's Wife / Amy Tan. 3.5 stars
__________________________________________
13. Circling the Sun / Paula McLain. 3 stars
14. The Turn of the Key / Ruth Ware. 4.25 stars
15. A Thousand Splendid Suns / Khaled Hosseini. 4 stars
Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! (Animals) 1. Tyrannosaur Canyon / Douglas Preston. 3.5 stars
2. Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof / Blaize Clement. 4 stars
3. The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse / Leann Sweeney. 4 stars
4. Great Cat Tales / Various. 2.5 stars
5. The Third Chimpanzee / Jared Diamond. 4 stars
6. Fire in the Turtle House / Osha Gray Davidson. 4 stars
7. The Werewolf of Bamberg / Oliver Potzsch. 4 stars
8. Mew is for Murder / Clea Simon. 3.5 stars
9. The Llama of Death / Betty Webb. 3.5 stars
10. Kitty Cornered / Bob Tarte. 3.5 stars
11. Elephant Speak / Melissa Crandall. 4.5 stars
12. Jonathan Livingston Seagull / Richard Bach. 2.5 stars
_______________________________________________
13. The Power of Meow / David Michie. 3.5 stars
14. Shelter: Lost & Found / R.A. Conroy. 4.5 stars
Truth is Stranger than Fiction (Nonfiction)1. The Forgotten Explorer / Samuel Fay. 3 stars
2. Dead Mountain / Donnie Eichar. 3.75 stars
3. Her Little Majesty / Carolly Erickson. 4 stars
4. The Woman Who Can't Forget / Jill Price. 4 stars
5. A Cast of Killers / Sydney D. Kirkpatrick. 3.5 stars
6. Six Degrees / Mark Lynas. 4 stars
7. Revolution for Dummies / Bassem Youssef. 4 stars
8. Collapse / Jared Diamond. 3.5 stars
9. Storm Warning / Nancy Mathis. 4 stars
10. Gulp / Mary Roach. 3 stars
11. The Secret Lives of Saints / Daphne Bramham. 4 stars
12. Two for the Road / Jane & Michael Stern. 3.5 stars
__________________________________________________
13, The Dark Heart / Joakim Palmkvist. 4 stars
14. My Secret Sister / Helen Edwards, Jenny Lee Smith. 3.75 stars
15. Swimming to Antarctica / Lynne Cox. 4 stars
16. Old Sparky / Anthony Galvin. 4 stars
KIT Challenges1. Round Trip / Ann Jonas. 3 stars
2. Never Too Late / Jo Barney, 3,5 stars
3. Forgiven / Terri Roberts. 3 stars
4. Lost in NYC / Nadja Spiegelman, Sergio Garcia Sanchez. 4 stars
5. Whiter Than Snow / Sandra Dallas. 4 stars
6. The Price of Everything / Eduardo Porter. 3 stars
7. The House of Doctor Dee / Peter Ackroyd. 2 stars
8. Kiss of the Fur Queen / Tomson Highway. 3 stars
9. Jane / Aline Brosh McKenna, Ramon K. Perez. 4 stars
10. Zeitoun / Dave Eggers. 4 stars
11. The Sometimes Daughter / Sherri Wood Emmons. 4 stars
12. Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens. 4 stars
_______________________________________________
13. The Woman Outside My Door / Rachel Ryan. 4 stars
14. The Boat People / Sharon Bala. 4 stars
15. Rest You Merry / Charlotte MacLeod. 3.5 stars
16. Floodpath / Jon Wilkman. 3.5 stars
17. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. 4 stars
Overflow1. The Summer List / Amy Mason Doan. 3.75 stars
2. The Arrival / Shaun Tan. 3.5 stars
BingoDOG
1. Book that's in a Legacy Library. Kiss of the Fur Queen / Tomson Highway. 3 stars
2. Book written by an LT author. Dead to You / Lisa McMann. 3.5 stars
3. Book published in 1820 or 1920
4. Book published in the year of your birth
5. Book published under a pen name or anonymously. The Woman in the Window / A.J. Finn. 4 stars
6. Book set in Asia. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats / Jan-Philipp Sendker. 2 stars
7. Mystery or true crime. Royal Flush / Rhys Bowen. 3.5 stars
8. Book involving a real historical event (fiction or nonfiction). Triangle / Katharine Weber. 2.5 stars
9. Book about books, bookstores, or libraries. The Fault in Our Stars / John Green. 3.5 stars
10. Book with at least three letters of BINGO consecutively in order in the title (BIN, ING, NGO, GOB, OBI...the letters can cross words but must be in order and be consecutive). The Invention of Wings / Sue Monk Kidd. 4 stars
11. Red cover, or red is prominent on the cover. The Thorn Birds / Colleen McCullough. 3 stars
12. Title contains a pun
13. Book about birth or death (childbearing, midwifery, human aging). Tuesdays With Morrie / Mitch Albom. 3 stars
14. Book with a proper name in the title. Michelle Remembers / Michelle Smith, Lawrence Pazder. 3 stars
15. Book published by a small press or self-published. The Forgotten Explorer / Samuel Fay. 3 stars
16. Book published in 2020 The Brideship Wife / Leslie Howard. 4 stars
17. Epistolary novel or collection of letters. The Venetian's Wife / Nick Bantock. 3.5 stars
18. Book by a journalist or about journalism. After Visiting Friends / Michael Hainey. 3 stars
19. Book not set on Earth. These Nameless Things / Shawn Smucker. 3.5 stars
20. Mythology or folklore. Lady of Sherwood / Jennifer Roberson. 4 stars
21. Weird book title. Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange / Amanda Smyth. 3.25 stars
22. Book with "library" or "thing" in the title or subtitle. The 100 Thing Challenge / Dave Bruno. 3 stars
23. Book with a periodic table element in the title. Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof / Blaize Clement. 4 stars
24. Book by a woman from a country other than the US/UK. Big Little Lies / Liane Moriarty. 4.5 stars
25. Read a CAT. Dead Mountain / Donnie Eichar. 3.75 stars
I'm not necessarily going to plan for every month for this one, but I want to keep track of the ones I do. NonfictionCAT:
February: Travel
- Dead Mountain/ Donnie Eichar. 3.75 stars
- You Are Here / Colin Ellard. 3.5 stars
March: Biography
- Her Little Majesty / Carolly Erickson. 4 stars
- The Woman Who Can't Forget / Jill Price. 4 stars
- Giant George / Dave Nasser. 3.5 stars
- Beyond Belief / Jenna Miscavige Hill. 4 stars
April: Law and Order
- Go Down Together / Jeff Guinn. 4.25 stars
- The Fact of a Body / Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich. 3.5 stars
May: Science
- Alone / Richard E. Byrd. 4 stars
- Six Degrees / Mary Lynas. 4 stars
June: Society
- Collapse / Jared Diamond. 3.5 stars
July: Human Science
- Stuff / Randy Frost, Gail Steketee. 4 stars
August: History
- The Ghost Map / Steven Johnson. 3.75 stars
- In the Devil's Snare / Mary Beth Norton. 2.5 stars
- The Band that Played On / Steve Turner. 3.25 stars
September: Religion and Philosophy
- The Secret Lives of Saints / Daphne Bramham. 4 stars
- Educated / Tara Westover. 4.25 stars
November: Food, Home and Recreation
- How to Cook Without a Book / Pam Anderson. 3.5 stars
December: Adventures by Land, Sea or Air
- Swimming to Antarctica / Lynne Cox. 4 stars
KITastrophe:*January: Fires
- Triangle / Katharine Weber. 2.5 stars
February: Invasions
- The Inifinite Sea / Rick Yancey. 3 stars
March: Epidemics and Famine
- The Brief History of the Dead / Kevin Brockmeier. 3 stars
April: Riots/Uprisings/Sieges
- American War / Omar El Akkad. 3 stars
May: Geologic Events (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, avalanches, meteor strikes)
- Whiter Than Snow / Sandra Dallas. 4 stars
June: Man-Made
- Dark Tide / Stephen Puleo. 3.75 stars
July: Weather Events (hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, droughts, heatwaves)
- Storm Warning / Nancy Mathis. 4 stars
August: Transportation and Maritime
- The Band that Played On / Steve Turner. 3.25 stars
September: Catch-Up Month
- Zeitoun / Dave Eggers. 4 stars (July/Weather)
October: Pre-1900
- Krakatoa / Simon Winchester. 1.5 stars
November: Outside Your Home Country
- The Pull of the Stars / Emma Donoghue. 3.5 stars
December: Technology/Industrial
- Floodpath / Jon Wilkman. 3.5 stars
TravelKIT:*January: City vs. Countryside
- Round Trip / Ann Jonas. 3 stars
- Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl / Susan McCorkindale. 3.5 stars
February: In translation
- The Art of Hearing Heartbeats / Jan-Philipp Sendker. 2 stars
March: Tourist meccas
- Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange / Amanda Smyth. 3.25 stars
- Lost in NYC / Nadja Spiegelman, Sergio Garcia Sanchez. 4 stars
- A Cat Abroad / Peter Gethers. 3.5 stars
April: Related to a place where you do not live
- Out of America / Keith B. Richburg. 3.75 stars
May: Modes of transportation (sea, air, rail, driving, etc)
- Grounded / Seth Stevenson. 4 stars
June: Legendary places, such as Camelot, Atlantis, Avalon
- Lady of Sherwood / Jennifer Roberson. 4 stars
July: Myths or legends from a specific region/country/location
- Outlaw / Angus Donald. 4.25 stars
August: Travel Narratives
- Bill Bryson's African Diary / Bill Bryson. 3 stars
September: Festival or event
- The Gown / Jennifer Robson. 4 stars
October: Related to food or drink from a specific location/country/region
- Two for the Road / Jane & Michael Stern. 3.5 stars
November: Living in a New Country
- The Boat People / Sharon Bala. 4 stars
December: Related to a Place You Would Like to Visit
- The Bat / Jo Nesbo. 3 stars
- Swimming to Antarctica / Lynne Cox. 4 stars
- The Turn of the Key / Ruth Ware. 4.25 stars
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret / Brian Selznick. 4 stars
AlphaKIT:Year-Long: X, Z
- Hands Like Clouds / Mark Zuehlke. 3 stars
- Zeitoun / Dave Eggers. 4 stars
January: A, U
- Round Trip / Ann Jonas. 3 stars
- Tuesdays With Morrie / Mitch Albom. 3 stars
- Unbound / Neal Shusterman. 3.5 stars
- The Woman in the Window / A. J. Finn .4 stars
February: F, B
- Never Too Late / Jo Barney. 3.5 stars
- A Noise Downstairs / Linwood Barclay. 4 stars
- Split Estate / Charlotte Bacon. 3 stars
- Forgiven / Terri Roberts. 3 stars
- Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof / Blaize Clement. 4 stars
- The Widow / Fiona Barton. 3.5 stars
March: G, C
- Her Little Majesty / Carolly Erickson. 4 stars
- The Thorn Birds / Colleen McCullough. 3 stars
- A Cat Abroad / Peter Gethers. 3.5 stars
- Giant George / Dave Nasser. 3.5 stars
April: S, T
- Big Cherry Holler / Adriana Trigiani. 3 stars
- Seeing Voices / Oliver Sacks. 3 stars
- The Book of Joy / Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams. 3 stars
May: L, P
- The Price of Everything / Eduardo Porter. 3 stars
- Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography / Chester Brown. 3.5 stars
- The House of Doctor Dee / Peter Ackroyd. 2 stars
- Six Degrees / Mark Lynas. 4 stars
- Powder Burn / Carl Hiaasen. 3 stars
June: K, Y
- Seven Lies / Elizabeth Kay. 4 stars
- Kingdom Under Glass / Jay Kirk. 3.5 stars
- Revolution for Dummies / Bassem Youssef. 4 stars
- Kiss of the Fur Queen / Tomson Highway. 3 stars
- Killer Within / S.E. Green. 3.5 stars
July: J, R
- The Great Halifax Explosion / John U Bacon. 4 stars
- Deep Freeze / Lisa Jackson. 4.5 stars
- Stuff / Randy Frost, Gail Steketee. 4 stars
- Jane / Aline Brosh McKenna, Ramon K. Perez. 4 stars
- Red Bones / Ann Cleeves. 3 stars
August: O, H
- The Werewolf of Bamberg / Oliver Potzsch. 4 stars
- Enchantments / Kathryn Harrison. 2 stars
September: M, E
- Mew is for Murder / Clea Simon. 3.5 stars
- Educated / Tara Westover. 4.25 stars
- Salt: A World History / Mark Kurlansky. 2.5 stars
- The Sometimes Daughter / Sherri Wood Emmons. 4 stars
- Forever / Maggie Stiefvater. 2.5 stars
October: D, V
- Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens. 4 stars
- The Venetian's Wife / Nick Bantock. 3.5 stars
- The Dark Heart / Joakim Palmkvist. 4 stars
- Phantoms / Dean Koontz. 4 stars
November: I, Q
- The Quintland Sisters / Shelley Wood. 3.75 stars
- The Institute / Stephen King. 4 stars
December: W, N
- The Bat / Jo Nesbo. 3 stars
- The Turn of the Key / Ruth Ware. 4.25 stars
- Countdown / Alan Weisman. 3.5 stars
- Floodpath / Jon Wilkman. 3.5 stars
ScaredyKIT:January: 1970s/1980s Horror
- Michelle Remembers / Michelle Smith, Lawrence Pazder. 3 stars
February: Psychological Thrillers
- A Noise Downstairs / Linwood Barclay. 4 stars
- The Widow / Fiona Barton. 3.5 stars
March: Haunted Places
- The Other Child / Joanne Fluke. 4 stars
April: Paranormal
- The Lace Runner / Brunonia Barry. 4 stars
*May: Occult
- The Witches of New York / Ami McKay. 3.5 stars
- The House of Doctor Dee / Peter Ackroyd. 2 stars
June: Cryptids and Legendary Creatures
- To Kill a Kingdom / Alexandra Christo. 4 stars
July: Femmes Fatales
- Deep Freeze / Lisa Jackson. 4.5 stars
- Iron Kissed / Patricia Briggs. 3 stars
August: Serial Killers
- The Werewolf of Bamberg / Oliver Potzsch. 4 stars
- All the Wrong Places / Joy Fielding. 4 stars
September: International
- The Good Son / You-Jeong Jeong. 3.5 stars
October: Halloween
- Phantoms / Dean Koontz. 4 stars
November: Stephen King and family
- Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega / Joe Hill. 4 stars
- The Institute / Stephen King. 4 stars
December: Classics
- The Scarlet Plague / Jack London. 3 stars
This is another one where I will do some, but not all.MysteryKIT
January: Historical Mysteries
- Royal Flush / Rhys Bowen. 3.5 stars
February: Furry Sleuths
- Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof / Blaize Clement. 4 stars
- The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse / Leann Sweeney. 4 stars
March: Golden Age
- A Cast of Killers / Sydney D. Kirkpatrick. 3.5 stars
May: Novel to screen
- Red Bones / Ann Cleeves. 3 strs
*June: Police Procedurals/Private Investigator
- Cat & Mouse / James Patterson. 4 stars
July: Cross genre/mashup
- Alaska Bound / Margaret Frank. 3 stars
- Deep Freeze / Lisa Jackson. 4.5 stars
- Iron Kissed / Patricia Briggs. 3 stars
August: International authors
- The Werewolf of Bamberg / Oliver Potzsch. 4 stars
September: Series
- Mew is for Murder / Clea Simon. 3.5 stars
October: New to You
- Cover of Snow / Jenny Milchman. 2.25 stars
- The Dark Heart / Joakim Palmkvist. 4 stars
- The Woman Outside My Door / Rachel Ryan. 4 stars
November: Noir/Gumshoe
- The Silkworm / Robert Galbraith. 3 stars
December: Cozies
- Rest You Merry / Charlotte MacLeod. 3.5 stars
(Classic) Trim the TBR /Roundtuits5. Stay / Allie Larkin
8. An Available Man / Hilma Wolitzer
11. Sugarhouse / Matthew Batt
13. The Richest Woman in America / Janet Wallach
14. Small and Tall Tales of Extinct Animals / Hélène Rajcak, Damien Laverdunt
15. All My Patients Kick and Bite / Jeff Wells
1. The Forgotten Explorer / Samuel Fay. 3 stars
2. Dead to You / Lisa McMann. 3.5 stars
3. No Will But His / Sarah A. Hoyt. 4 stars
4. Triangle / Katharine Weber. 2.5 stars
5. Michelle Remembers / Michelle Smith, Lawrence Pazder. 3 stars
6. Caught / Harlan Coben. 3.75 stars
7. Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl / Susan McCorkindale. 3.5 stars
8. Split Estate / Charlotte Bacon. 3 stars
9. Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof / Blaize Clement. 4 stars
10. You Are Here / Colin Ellard. 3.5 stars
11. World Made By Hand / James Howard Kunstler. 3 stars
12. Endangered / Eliot Schrefer. 5 stars
13. The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse / Leann Sweeney. 4 stars
14. Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange / Amanda Smyth. 3.25 stars
15. Lost on NYC /Nadja Spiegelman, Sergio Garcia Sanchez. 4 stars
16. Her Little Majesty / Carolly Erickson. 4 stars
17. The Thorn Birds / Colleen McCullough. 3 stars
18. The Woman Who Can't Forget / Jill Price. 4 stars
19. The Brief History of the Dead / Kevin Brockmeier. 3 stars
20. After Visiting Friends / Michael Hainey. 3 stars
21. Giant George / Dave Nasser. 3.5 stars
22. Beyond Belief / Jenna Miscavige Hill. 4 stars
23. Out of America / Keith B. Richburg. 3.75 stars
24. American War / Omar El Akkad. 3 stars
25. A Cast of Killers / Sydney D. Kirkpatrick. 3.5 stars
26. Hands Like Clouds / Mark Zuehlke. 3 stars
27. Go Down Together / Jeff Guinn. 4.25 stars
28. Big Cherry Holler / Adriana Trigiani. 3 stars
29. The Fact of a Body / Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich. 3.5 stars
30. Seeing Voices / Oliver Sacks. 3 stars
31. The Book of Joy / Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams. 3 stars
32. Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley / Alison Weir. 3.5 stars
33. Alone / Richard E. Byrd. 4 stars
34. Whiter Than Snow / Sandra Dallas. 4 stars
35. The Price of Everything / Eduardo Porter. 3 stars
36. Grouned / Seth Stevenson. 4 stars
37. The Witches of New York / Ami McKay. 3.5 stars
38. Green River, Running Red / Ann Rule. 3 stars
39. The House of Doctor Dee / Peter Ackroyd. 2 stars
40. Six Degrees / Mark Lynas. 4 stars
41. Powder Burn / Carl Hiaasen. 3 stars
42. Great Cat Tales / Various. 2.5 stars
43. Fire in the Turtle House / Osha Gray Davidson. 4 stars
44. Kingdom Under Glass / Jay Kirk. 3.5 stars
45. Missing / Frances Itani. 4 stars
46. Kiss of the Fur Queen / Tomson Highway. 3 stars
47. Cat & Mouse / James Patterson. 4 stars
48. Lady of Sherwood / Jennifer Roberson. 4 stars
49. Dark Tide / Stephen Puleo. 3.75 stars
50. Collapse / Jared Diamond. 3.5 stars
51. The Hate U Give / Angie Thomas. 4 stars
52. Storm Warning / Nancy Mathis. 4 stars
53. Outlaw / Angus Donald. 4.25 stars
54. The Great Halifax Explosion / John U. Bacon. 4 stars
55. A Bone to Pick / Charlaine Harris. 3.5 stars
56. The New Jim Crow / Michelle Alexander. 3 stars
57. Deep Freeze / Lisa Jackson. 4.5 stars
58. Stuff / Randy Frost, Gail Steketee. 4 stars
59. Jane / Aline Brosh McKenna, Ramon K. Perez. 4 stars
60. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man / Fannie Flagg. 3.5 stars
61. Iron Kissed / Patricia Briggs. 3 stars
62. Red Bones / Ann Cleeves. 3 stars
63. In the Devil's Snare / Mary Beth Norton. 2.5 stars
64. Enchantments / Kathryn Harrison. 2 stars
65. Gulp / Mary Roach. 3 stars
66. The 100 Thing Challenge / Dave Bruno. 3 stars
67. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters / Jane Austen, Ben H. Winters. 3.5 stars
68. Once Every Never / Lesley Livingston. 3 stars
69. Mew is for Murder / Clea Simon. 3.5 stars
70. The Secret Lives of Saints / Daphne Bramham. 4 stars
71. The Good Son / You-Jeong Jeong. 3.5 stars
72. The House Girl / Tara Conklin. 2.5 stars
73. The Sometimes Daughter / Sherri Wood Emmons. 4 stars
74. Forever / Maggie Stiefvater. 2.5 stars
75. The Llama of Death / Betty Webb. 3.5 stars
76. Kitty Cornered / Bob Tarte. 3.5 stars
77. The Venetian's Wife / Nick Bantock. 3.5 stars
78. This Other Eden / Ben Elton. 3 stars
79. My Secret Sister / Helen Edwards, Jenny Lee Smith. 3.75 stars
80. Susannah's Garden / Debbie Macomber. 3.75 stars
81. Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln / Janis Cooke Newman. 3.75 stars
82. How to Cook Without a Book / Pam Anderson. 3.5 stars
83. Stephen King Country / George Beahm. 3.5 stars
84. Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega / Joe Hill. 4 stars
85. The Boat People / Sharon Bala. 4 stars
86. Swimming to Antarctica / Lynne Cox. 4 stars
87. Countdown / Alan Weisman. 3.5 stars
88. The Tie That Binds / Kent Haruf. 4 stars
89. Jonathan Livingston Seagull / Richard Bach. 2.5 stars
90. The Power of Meow / David Michie. 3.5 stars
91. Light on Snow / Anita Shreve. 3.5 stars
92. The Scarlet Plague / Jack London. 3 stars
93. Old Sparky / Anthony Galvin. 4 stars
PBT Trim the TBR 1. Hallucinations / Oliver Sacks
2. The Tattooed Witch / Susan Macgregor
3. The Silver Linings Playbook / Matthew Quick
5. Beth / Nora Kay
7. Kitty Cornered / Bob Tarte
8. Herbert Has Lots for a Buck / Elizabeth McLachlan
10. Old Sparky / Anthony Galvin. 4 stars
11. Once Every Never / Lesley Livingston
12. No Will But His / Sarah Hoyt. 4 stars
13. The Dreams of Ada / Robert Meyer
14. Daughter of Time / Sarah Woodbury
16. Susanna’s Garden / Debbie Macomber. 3.75 stars
17. The Power of Meow / David Michie. 3.5 star
18. Such a Pretty Face / Cathy Lamb
20. Sylvia / Bryce Courtenay
22. Beyond Belief / Jenna Miscavige Hill. 4 stars
23. The Horseman’s Graves / Jacqueline Baker
24. Honolulu / Alan Brennert
PBT Decades Bingo
B: 1971: A Gift of Magic / Lois Duncan. 3.5 stars
1976:
1978: Rest You Merry / Charlotte MacLeod. 3.5 stars
1974:
(X-Unofficial)1970: Jonathan Livingston Seagull / Richard Bach. 2.5 stars
I: 1989: Seeing Voices / Oliver Sacks. 3 stars
1981:
1985: Fire Watch / Connie Willis. 2.5 stars
1983: Phantoms / Dean Koontz. 4 stars
1988: Alaska / James A. Michener. 3.5 stars
N: 1991: The Third Chimpanzee / Jared Diamond. 4 stars
1992:
1993: This Other Eden / Ben Elton. 3 stars
1995:
G: 2009: Outlaw / Angus Donald. 4.25 stars
2002:
2006:
2005:
2000:
O: 2012: Kitty Cornered / Bob Tarte. 3.5 stars
2014:
2010: The 100 Thing Challenge / Dave Bruno. 3 stars
2015:
2019: From the Ashes / Jesse Thistle. 4 stars
PBT Poll Ballot TallyAlabama - civil rights
- The Hate U Give / Angie Thomas. 4 stars
- The House Girl / Tara Conklin. 2.5 stars
Alaska - Inuit
Arizona - Grand Canyon
Arkansas: education
- Tuesdays With Morrie / Mitch Albom. 3 stars
- Stuff / Randy Frost, Gail Steketee. 4 stars
- The Gown / Jennifer Robson. 4 stars
California - Hollywood
- The Woman in the Window / A.J. Finn. 4 stars
- A Cast of Killers / Sydney D. Kirkpatrick. 3.5 stars
Colorado - Rocky Mountains
- Whiter Than Snow / Sandra Dallas. 4 stars
Connecticut - Constitution
Delaware - business
- The Price of Everything / Eduardo Porter. 3 stars
- The Great Halifax Explosion / John U. Bacon. 4 stars
- The Ghost Map / Steven Johnson. 3.75 stars
- The 100 Thing Challenge / Dave Bruno. 3 stars
- Two for the Road / Jane & Michael Stern. 3.5 stars
District of Columbia - presidents
- The New Jim Crow / Michelle Alexander. 3 stars
- Gulp / Mary Roach. 3 stars
Florida - Disney
Georgia - antebellum
- The Invention of Wings / Sue Monk Kidd. 4 stars
Hawaii - volcanoes
- Krakatoa / Simon Winchester. 1.5 stars
Idaho - nature
- Giant George / Dave Nasser. 3.5 stars
- Alaska / James A. Michener. 3.5 stars
- Escape to the Wild / Andrea Hejlskov. 3.75 stars
- The Third Chimpanzee / Jared Diamond. 4 stars
- Forever / Maggie Stiefvater. 2.5 stars
- Kitty Cornered / Bob Tarte. 3.5 stars
Illinois - comedy
- Royal Flush / Rhys Bowen. 3.5 stars
- Big Little Lies / Liane Moriarty. 4.5 stars
- A Cat Abroad / Peter Gethers. 3.5 stars
- Revolution for Dummies / Bassem Youssef. 4 stars
- Murder at the Vicarage / Agatha Christie. 3.5 stars
- Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man / Fannie Flagg. 3.5 stars
Indiana - auto racing
Iowa - politics
- The Great Hunger / Cecil Woodham-Smith. 2.75 stars
- Out of America / Keith B. Richburg. 3.75 stars
- Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography / Chester Brown. 3.5 stars
- Red Bones / Ann Cleeves. 3 stars
Kansas - weather
- Storm Warning / Nancy Mathis. 4 stars
- Zeitoun / Dave Eggers. 4 stars
Kentucky - horses
- Split Estate / Charlotte Bacon. 3 stars
Louisiana - southern gothic
- American War / Omar El Akkad. 3 stars
- Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens. 4 stars
Maine - Stephen King
- The Fireman / Joe Hill. 3.5 stars
- Phantoms / Dean Koontz. 4 stars
Maryland - Navy
Massachusetts - witches
- The Lace Reader / Brunonia Barry. 4 stars
- The Witches of New York / Ami McKay. 3.5 stars
- A Gift of Magic / Lois Duncan. 3.5 stars
- Fables, Vol. 22. Farewell / Bill Willingham. 4 stars
- In the Devil's Snare / Mary Beth Norton. 2.5 stars
- The Werewolf of Bamberg / Oliver Potzsch. 4 stars
Michigan - Great Lakes
Minnesota - vikings
- Collapse / Jared Diamond. 3.5 stars
Mississippi - blues
Missouri - pioneers
- Circling the Sun / Paul McLain. 3 stars
Montana - wildlife
- Endangered / Eliot Schrefer. 5 stars
- Kingdom Under Glass / Jay Kirk. 3.5 stars
- Elephant Speak / Melissa Crandall. 4.5 stars
Nebraska - farming
- Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl / Susan McCorkindale. 3.5 stars
- The Dark Heart / Joakim Palkvist. 4 stars
Nevada - gambling
New Hampshire - hiking
- Dead Mountain / Donnie Eichar. 3.75 stars
- Alone / Richard E. Byrd. 4 stars
New Jersey - mafia
- Manhattan Beach / Jennifer Egan. 3 stars
New Mexico – extraterrestrials
- The Infinite Sea / Rick Yancey. 3 stars
- The Human / Matt Haig. 3.75 stars
New York - Broadway
- The Rosie Project / Graeme Simsion. 4 stars
North Carolina – Appalachia
- Big Cherry Holler / Adriana Trigiani. 3 stars
- The Sometimes Daughter / Sherri Wood Emmons. 4 stars
North Dakota – paleontology
- Tyrannosaur Canyon / Douglas Preston. 3.5 stars
Ohio - industry
- World Made By Hand / James Howard Kunstler. 3 stars
- Dark Tide / Stephen Puleo. 3.75 stars
- This Other Eden / Ben Elton. 3 stars
Oklahoma - Great Depressionj
- A Single Thread / Tracy Chevalier. 3.25 stars
Oregon - ecology
- Six Degrees / Mark Lynas. 4 stars
- Fire in the Turtle House / Osha Gray Davidson. 4 stars
Pennsylvania - Amish
- Forgiven / Terri Roberts. 3 stars
Rhode Island - sailing
South Carolina - pirates
- To Kill a Kingdom / Alexandra Christo. 4 stars
- Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters / Jane Austen, Ben H. Winters. 3.5 stars
South Dakota - frontier
- Little Women / Louisa May Alcott. 3.5 stars
- An Echo in the Bone / Diana Gabaldon. 3.5 stars
Tennessee - country music
- Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter / Loretta Lynn. 3.75 stars
Texas - space
- You Are Here / Colin Ellard. 3.5 stars
Utah - Mormon
- The Secret Lives of Saints / Daphne Bramham. 4 stars
Vermont - libraries
Virginia - FBI
- Cat & Mouse / James Patterson. 4 stars
Washington - coffee
West Virginia - mining
- Salt: A World History / Mark Kurlansky. 2.5 stars
Wisconsin - cheese
- Iron Kissed / Patricia Briggs. 3 stars
Wyoming - western
- Kiss of the Fur Queen / Tomson Highway. 3 stars
- Educated / Tara Westover. 4.25 stars
Travel Across CanadaAlberta:
British Columbia:
- The Forgotten Explorer / Samuel Fay. 3 stars
- Michelle Remembers / Michelle Smith, Lawrence Pazder. 3 stars
- Hands Like Clouds / Mark Zuehlke. 3 stars
- The Brideship Wife / Leslie Howard. 4 stars
- The Secret Lives of Saints / Daphne Bramham. 4 stars
- The Boat People / Sharon Bala. 4 stars
Labrador:
Manitoba:
- Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography / Chester Brown. 3.5 stars
- Kiss of the Fur Queen / Tomson Highway. 3 stars
New Brunswick:
Newfoundland:
Northwest Territories:
Nova Scotia:
- Missing / Frances Itani. 4 stars
- The Great Halifax Explosion / John U. Bacon. 4 stars
Nunavut:
Ontario:
- The Quintland Sisters / Shelley Wood. 3.75 stars
- From the Ashes / Jesse Thistle. 4 stars
Prairie Provinces:
- 7 Generations / David Alexander Robertson. 4.5 stars
Prince Edward Island:
Quebec:
Saskatchewan:
Yukon:
Reading Through TimeJanuary: 19th Century Irish Experience
- The Great Hunger / Cecil Woodham-Smith. 2.75 stars
*February: Crime & Mystery
- Dead Mountain / Donnie Eichar. 3.75 stars
- Go Down Together / Jeff Guinn. 4.25 stars
March: Mothers and Daughters
- The Invention of Wings / Sue Monk Kidd. 4 stars
- The Thorn Birds / Colleen McCullough. 3 stars
April: Off With Her Head!
- Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley / Alison Weir. 3.5 stars
May: Explorers
- Alone / Richard E. Byrd. 4 stars
June: Get thee to a nunnery (or a monastery)!
- Murder at the Vicarage / Agatha Christie. 3.5 stars
July: On the Shore
- The Great Halifax Explosion / John U. Bacon. 4 stars
August: Epidemics, Famine and Other Health Disasters
- The Ghost Map / Steven Johnson. 3.75 stars
September: I'll Trade You (Economics)
- Salt: A World History / Mark Kurlansky. 2.5 stars
October: Deception: All Is Not As It Seems
- Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln / Janis Cooke Newman. 3.75 stars
November: Author Biographies
- Stephen King Country / George Beahm. 3.5 stars
December: Predicting the Future
- Countdown / Alan Weisman. 3.5 stars
RandomCAT: January: New Year’s Resolution (challenging/intimidating read)
- The Forgotten Explorer / Samuel Prescott Fay. 3 stars
February: Still LEAPing into a New Year (Leap Years)
- Split Estate / Charlotte Bacon. 3 stars
- Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof / Blaize Clement. 4 stars
- The Art of Hearing Heartbeats / Jan-Philipp Sendker. 2 stars
- World Made By Hand / James Howard Kunstler. 3 stars
- Endangered / Eliot Schrefer. 5 stars
March: Seasons of Love (a season in the title)
- The Summer List / Amy Mason Doan. 3.75 stars
April: Showers and Flowers
- Hands Like Clouds / Mark Zuehlke. 3 stars
May: Believe in Your Shelf
- Great Cat Tales / Various. 2.5 stars
June: Take it to the Sea
- Fire in the Turtle House / Osha Gray Davidson. 4 stars
- To Kill a Kingdom / Alexandra Christo. 4 stars
July: Picture This!
- Fables, Vol. 22. Farewell / Bill Willingham. 4 stars
- Jane / Aline Brosh McKenna, Ramon K. Perez. 4 stars
August: Get Your Groove On
- Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter / Loretta Lynn. 3.75 stars
- The Band that Played On / Steve Turner. 3.25 stars
September: Recommendations
- The Kitchen God's Wife / Amy Tan. 3.5 stars
- Educated / Tara Westover. 4.25 stars
October: Healthcare Heroes
- The Fireman / Joe Hill. 3.5 stars
- Phantoms / Dean Koontz. 4 stars
*November: Lest We Forget
- Ghost Soldiers / Hampton Sides. 3.5 stars
December: Goodbye 2020 (roll the die = 6: published between 2009-2016)
- Countdown / Alan Weisman. 3.5 stars
- Floodpath / Jon Wilkman. 3.5 stars
- The Power of Meow / David Michie. 3.5 stars
- Old Sparky / Anthony Galvin. 4 stars
12x12 Nonfiction, RandomCAT, Trim the TBR (Classic), BingoDOG, Travel Across CanadaThe Forgotten Explorer: Samuel Prescott Fay's 1914 Expedition to the Northern Rockies / Charles Helm, Mike Murtha (editors)
3 stars
Samuel Fay was an American hunter who explored the Northern Rocky Mountains (North and West of Jasper, Alberta) over a few years, in 1912, 1913, 1914. His longest trip was 4ish months between the end of June and November, 1914, when he was hunting and collecting wildlife for the US “Biological Review”. The bulk of this book is Fay’s journals while on that trip, though the foreword is someone else’s summary/account of the trip, and there are appendices that include articles Fay wrote about his travels afterward.
I hadn’t realized before starting the book that Fay was a hunter and that was the purpose of his travel. I don’t like hunting. I did enjoy the descriptions, especially of the wildlife; I just kept hoping the next sentence after any wildlife was mentioned wouldn’t be along the lines of “so we shot one [or more]...”. I think I won the book at a conference, and it’s just been sitting here, waiting for me to read it for a while now. It’s not a long book (page-wise), but I was kept from reading it for a long time due to the tiny font in the book! It’s now done and I will donate the book. Overall, I rated it ok.
12x12 KIT Challenges, AlphaKIT, TravelKITRound Trip / Ann Jonas
3 stars
This is a creative picture book where someone is going on a trip… leaving from their town, driving through the country into the city… then turning around and driving home again. The creative part is that half-way through, once they leave the city, the reader turns the book upside down to follow along to head home. The photos work in both “directions”.
It is creative. It reminded me of “Mirror Mirror” the poetry book of “reverso” poems – read one way, then you can read from the bottom up and it’s kind of the opposite story of reading it “down”. I guess this one should really get the credit, though, as it was published in 1983! The pictures were a bit more artsy than I like, though of course, they had to be drawn in such a way that they would work right-side-up, and again, upside-down. Overall, I’m rating this ok.
12x12 PBT Challenges, Poll Ballot, BingoDOG, AlphaKITTuesdays with Morrie / Mitch Albom
3 stars
Morrie was a university professor of Mitch’s. When Morrie was diagnosed with ALS, Mitch started visiting, although it had been a couple of decades since he last saw his teacher. Morrie enjoys having people around and loves to give advice. He has come to terms with his illness and impending death and is happy to chat with Mitch about life (and death, and other things).
This is a rearead – read the first time before I wrote reviews. I don’t know what I would have rated it then, nor do I recall if I cried. I didn’t this time. I am not a “touchy-feely” person; in fact, I’m not much of a people-person. I generally prefer animals to humans. So, I suppose I looked at some of the advice with some skepticism (as Mitch apparently did at the time he was talking to Morrie). It is a quick read, though. 3 stars, for me, is “ok”.
12x12 Series, AlphaKITUnBound / Neal Shusterman
3.5 stars
This is a collection of short stories set in Neal Shusterman’s “Unwind” world. We revisit some of the characters and the stories are from before, during, and after the events of the main series.
As with most short story collections, I’d rate these individually somewhat differently, though most, I would rate as “good”, 3.5 stars. There were a couple stories that stood out for me, though, and had they been standalones, they would have each gotten a 4 star rating: “Unnatural Selection”, and “Rewinds”. “Unstrung” is also included in this set of stories, originally released on its own to fill us in on Lev while he was away – had to look it up; I originally rated this story 3 stars (ok), but it sounds like I just wanted more of it. I liked the characters and wanted the story to be longer. Overall, for this collection, though, I’m keeping my rating at good, 3.5 stars.
Oops! Missed copy/pasting this monthly challenge here!!!Play Book Tag
January: Thriller
- Tyrannosaur Canyon / Douglas Preston. 3.5 stars
- Dead to You / Lisa McMann. 3.5 stars
- The Woman in the Window / A.J. Finn. 4 stars
- Caught / Harlan Coben. 3.75 stars
February: Survival
- The Infinite Sea / Rick Yancey. 3 stars
- Dead Mountain / Donnie Eichar. 3.75 stars
- World Made By Hand / James Howard Kunstler. 3 stars
March: Journalism
- After Visiting Friends / Michael Hainey. 3 stars
April: Science Fiction
- American War / Omar El Akkad. 3 stars
May: Comedy
- The Humans / Matt Haig. 3.75 stars
June: Suspense
- Seven Lies / Elizabeth Kay. 4 stars
- Cat & Mouse / James Patterson. 4 stars
- Killer Within / S.E. Green. 3.5 stars
July: Southern
- A Bone to Pick / Charlaine Harris. 3.5 stars
- Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man / Fannie Flagg. 3.5 stars
August: Witches
- In the Devil's Snare / Mary Beth Norton. 2.5 stars
- The Werewolf of Bamberg / Oliver Potzsch. 4 stars
- An Echo in the Bone / Diana Gabaldon. 3.5 stars
September: Psychological
- The Good Son / You-Jeong Jeong. 3.5 stars
- Educated / Tara Westover. 4.25 stars
October: Animals
- The Llama of Death / Betty Webb. 3.5 stars
- Kitty Cornered / Bob Tarte. 3.5 stars
- Circling the Sun / Paula McLain. 3 stars
- Elephant Speak / Melissa Crandall. 4.5 stars
November: Books to Screen
- Ghost Soldiers / Hampton Sides. 3.5 stars
- Stephen King Country / George Beahm. 3.5 stars
- The Silkworm / Robert Galbraith. 3 stars
- Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega / Joe Hill. 4 stars
December: International
- The Bat / Jo Nesbo. 3 stars
- Swimming to Antarctica / Lynne Cox. 4 stars
- Countdown / Alan Weisman. 3.5 stars
12x12 Animals, PBT, Poll Ballot TallyTyrannosaur Canyon / Douglas Preston
3.5 stars
When a man is shot in a desert canyon, it seems he was hunting for some sort of treasure. Before the guy who did the shooting got to him, though, veterinarian Tom Broadbent got there and tried to help. While he was unable to help, the man who died had Tom promise to deliver a notebook to the guy’s daughter. Little did Tom know, but the man was shot for that exact notebook.
This had chapters (mostly in the middle of the book) where it was very suspenseful and I wanted to keep reading. On the other hand, there were sections/chapters when it was a bit technical and not nearly as interesting. So, how interested I was in the book varied, depending what was happening at the time. Overall, though, I thought it was enjoyable, and definitely a good story. I really enjoyed the chapters that followed the t-Rex and her life.
12x12 Trim, Trim the TBR (Classic), BingoDOG, PBTDead to You / Lisa McMann
3.5 stars
Ethan was only 7-years old when he was kidnapped. He’s now 16 and being reunited with his family – his parents, his younger brother, and a younger sister who is only 6-years old, whom, of course, he hadn’t met until now. Every family member has to learn to deal with this, as they all learn to live together again, after so many years apart. Things definitely are not going smoothly.
I like the premise of this book and liked most of the book itself. I wasn’t a fan of the ending. I feel like the penultimate event that happened “fit”, but I didn’t like the result of that event, what happened at the very end. It’s YA, so it was very fast to read.
12x12 Travel, Trim (Classic), PBT TrimNo Will But His: A Novel of Kathryn Howard / Sarah A. Hoyt
4 stars
This is a fictional story of Kathryn Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife. Kathryn was still a teenager when she became Henry’s wife (and he was up in years). It wasn’t long that they were married before she was arrested and beheaded for trysts with a few men, some from before she’d even met Henry.
I haven’t read a lot about Kathryn, and I never had a good impression of her. This one, however, gave me a bit of sympathy toward her. Unfortunately, the author’s note didn’t address how much was known and how much was out of the author’s head; I was particularly interested in how much was known from before she came to court. Despite that, I still quite enjoyed it.
12x12 Off the Shelf, Trim the TBR (Classic), KITastrophe, BingoDOGTriangle / Katharine Weber
2.5 stars
Esther was working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York in 1911 when it burnt down. Her sister and fiancee both died in the fire, but she managed to get out. She was pregnant at the time. In current day, she is 106-years old. A historian, Ruth, has been interviewing her to find out more about the fire. When Esther passes away, Ruth contacts Esther’s granddaughter, Rebecca, to find out how much she knew.
I didn’t find any of the characters likable. The whole music thing with Rebecca’s husband was boring – way too much detail on that, and it really didn’t seem necessary. The info about the fire itself was interesting, but retold a few times in a few different way (interviews, trial transcripts, etc). The very end confused me a little; I may have it figured out, but I’m not positive. The current-day storyline was definitely not one I was interested in, though of course, the fire itself (even if I didn’t like the way it was told), was the best part of the book.
12x12 Travel, Poll Ballot Tally, MysteryKIT, BingoDOGRoyal Flush / Rhys Bowen
3.5 stars
In this third book in the series, Georgie (Lady Georgiana, 34th in line to the British throne) is headed back to Scotland to her family’s castle, where she plans to help her (hated) sister-in-law with an influx of (unwanted) visitors. While there, she is asked by someone at Scotland Yard to watch and listen. It seems that some of the royals’ lives may be in danger! And there do seem to be way too many “accidents” for comfort.
It’s funny, as I started reading this, I wondered why I kept adding this series to my tbr, as it started off slow, and there aren’t very many characters I actually like! I tend not to be impressed even with Georgie – at least at first. I think it’s the interaction between Darcy and Georgie that I keep reading for. Anyway, in the end, I did like it, and I do plan to continue with the series.
12x12 PBT, PBT, BingoDOG, AlphaKIT, Poll Ballot TallyThe Woman in the Window / A.J. Finn
4 stars
Anna, a psychologist who is suffering from agoraphobia (she is scared to leave her house), has a tendency to watch her neighbours through the window. When a new family moves in (parents and a teenage son), she soon meets both Ethan (the son) and Jane, his mother. The more she talks to them and the more she watches the house, she is afraid for them. One day, she sees something horrible, but the police don’t believe her.
I really liked this. The beginning reminded me of “Rear Window”, the Alfred Hitchcock movie (which was later mentioned, as Anna is a huge classic thriller movie buff). It drew me in from the start and, at least for me, the pace kept up almost the entire way through the book. Anna also drinks, so it was hard to figure out what she really saw and what she didn’t. It seems many are tired of psychological thrillers/unreliable narrators, but I’m still enjoying them, this one included! I did figure out a couple of small things along the way, but not the big twists.
12x12 Reading Through Time, Read Thru Time, Poll Ballot TallyThe Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-1849 / Cecil Woodham-Smith
2.75 stars
In the mid-1800s, the main food in Ireland was potatoes. A disease (blight) hit potatoes and was devastating for the people of Ireland. There was nothing else to substitute, as it’s what the most vulnerable populations ate.
This was an audio, and as soon as I heard the narrator, I had a bad feeling. I’m sure I’ve listened to this narrator before; also male and a British accent – sadly both of those are warnings that I am more likely to lose interest and miss a lot of what’s going on. And that’s what happened.
Although, I did follow more than I expected. There was also a lot of politics – coming out of England, how would they help the people (or not)? I followed at least some of the issues with the potatoes, the starving population, and some of the immigration to North America; I missed something about a trial (no idea what that was about), and the queen visited Ireland after it was over, but I missed most of that, as well (beyond that everyone loved her during her first trip). Given how much of it I missed, I couldn’t quite rate it “ok”, but I didn’t want to rate it too low, either, as what I did pay attention to was interesting.
12x12 Oh Canada, Travel Across Canada, BingoDOG, Trim the TBR (Classic), ScaredyKITMichelle Remembers / Michelle Smith, Lawrence Pazder
3 stars
This was published in 1980. In 1977, Michelle Smith recounted repressed memories (from when she was 5 years old in 1954/1955) to her psychiatrist (co-author Lawrence Pazder). This book follows that therapy. When Michelle was only 5, her unstable mother gave her away to a cult of Satanists to be abused and used in various rituals.
So, I’ve owned this since I was in high school, but I don’t think I read it back then. The first half was more interesting than the second half, when (view spoiler). The second half got much more religious, and it was less interesting to me. Now, this has since been debunked, and I found that out in the middle of reading it, but I don’t think it affected my rating (though it appears that many rated it 1 star, simply because it’s not true); I actually didn’t want that knowledge to affect how I rated the book.
12x12 PBT, PBT, Trim the TBR (Classic)Caught / Harlan Coben
3.75 stars
Dan is set up by a reporter who is out to catch a pedophile. The charges are later dropped, but Dan’s life is ruined. Meantime, a teenage girl has gone missing. Wendy, the reporter who set things up on Dan, thinks there is still something going on and won’t give up until she finds out what it is.
It’s actually hard to summarize this one, as there are a few things going on. For the most part, though, as with most of Coben’s books, I was kept turning pages; I wanted to keep reading. As usual, there were plenty of twists and turns. Although I didn’t figure out any of the twists, for some reason (I have no idea why), I didn’t feel shocked at most of them. They were a surprise, but the twists didn’t blow me away, like they usually do. I’m just not sure why the end underwhelmed me.
12x12 PBT Challenges, TravelKIT, Poll Ballot Tally, Trim the TBR (Classic)Jade Dragons
Nebraska - Farming
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/users...
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl: A Memoir / Susan McCorkindale
3.5 stars
The author, her husband and two sons (7 and 14-years, I think) were living in New Jersey and Susan was working in New York City when they decided to move to a farm in rural Virginia. Susan had to give up a very high paying job, though she wasn’t enjoying it anyway, for her husband’s dream of being a farmer.
It was meant to be funny, and parts were humourous, but not a lot was laugh-out-loud funny for me. Despite the title, the author really didn’t do any farming (at least not as reported in the book); her husband did it all. She did a lot of shopping, when she got into nearby towns and cities. I’m not into fashion at all, so any brand names she threw out there, I just assumed were shoe brands, as shoes seemed to be her favourite shopping/fashion item. Some of the acronyms, I wasn’t sure about.
Despite my comments so far, I did enjoy the book, overall. It did make me realize that although I grew up in a small town (farming community, but not on a farm), it would be hard – even for me, the homebody and nonshopper – to move back. Not for the same reasons, but other shopping items might be tricky to come by (products not tested on animals, for instance).
12x12 KIT Challenges, PBT Trim, AlphaKITNever Too Late / Jo Barney
3.5 stars
When Edith wakes up Christmas morning, she discovers her husband of many years has died in his sleep. They were not happy in their marriage, as it had been a shotgun wedding after she’d gotten pregnant 47 years earlier. Now, Edith is discovering many secrets in her husband’s life that she had no idea about. Meantime, her daughter-in-law, Kathleen, has come to her with admissions that something is going on with Brian, Esther’s son, and his marriage. That is, Brian has been very secretive about things, and Kathleen thinks he’s cheating.
I liked this. It wasn’t fast-moving, but there were interesting family secrets going on to learn about.
12x12 Audio, Poll BallotManhattan Beach / Jennifer Egan
3 stars
When Anna is young, she goes on business with her father to visit Dexter Styles and while their fathers are talking, Anna and Dexter’s daughter head to the beach to play. When Anna is grown up, the Second World War is happening, her father has since disappeared, and Anna is working, but what she really wants to do is learn to dive.
I listened to the audio. There were three (?) narrators (the two male narrators (I think) sounded very similar to me; I couldn’t tell their voices apart, plus there was one female narrator). The book was mostly from Anna’s and Dexter’s points of view, but occasionally Eddie’s (Anna’s father’s) POV came into play, as well.
As expected, for me, I lost interest more in the male narrated portions. I did (eventually) enjoy Anna’s, particularly her quest to learn to dive. I did not like Dexter at all, though. (Not surprising, really, as he was a mobster), so I didn’t like when Anna’s and Dexter’s paths crossed. I also just didn’t like him. Not sure if I would have liked it better had I not listened to the audio; I’m still not sure the gangster/mobster aspect of Dexter would have interested me, anyway.
12x12 Oh Canada, ScaredyKIT, AlphaKITA Noise Downstairs / Linwood Barclay
4 stars
When Paul came across Kenneth, a co-worker, on a deserted road, it appeared Kenneth was trying to dump a couple of bodies! Paul suffered a head injury while Kenneth was arrested and sent to jail on two counts of murder and one of attempted murder (Paul). Months later, Paul has been working with a therapist for both the head injury and just getting past what he went through. He decides he’d like to revisit the event and try to figure out what happened to make Kenneth do such a thing. When Paul’s wife, Charlotte, brings home an old typewriter – similar to one Kenneth used when he killed his victims – things start happening...
As with all Barclay’s books, this was really good. I loved the idea of the old typewriter and I could hear the sounds it made in my head. It was also quite creepy, at times. It was hard to know what was happening with Paul, and the twists were a surprise to me.
12x12 Audio, PBT, KITastrophe, Poll Ballot TallyThe Infinite Sea / Rick Yancey
3 stars
This is a continuation of “The 5th Wave”. The human population has mostly been wiped out by an alien invasion. Some young people are left and a small group of them are trying to survive.
Ok, sadly, it’s hard to come up with a good synopsis. It wasn’t long ago I read the first book, but it was long enough that a recap would have been nice, but I didn’t get one (I don’t think; this time, I listened to the audio, so lost focus for a good portion of it). This was also harder to “get into” because many of the characters go by two names, so that didn’t help me remember things from the first one (I particularly forgot that “Zombie” = “Ben” for a good portion of this one).
I’m still rating it ok for the parts I paid attention to. I think I will continue with the third book, as I still want to know what’s going on (and I will admit that there was an interesting storyline happening at the end of this one). I will just have to remember to NOT listen to the audio. Oh, I also missed until 3/4 of the way through, that the female narrator wasn’t just narrating from Cassie’s POV, but also from Ringer’s. So, I’m not sure how much of Ringer’s story I heard (or, maybe, didn’t hear!), thinking I was listening to Cassie. Sigh.
12x12 Nonfiction, PBT, Poll Ballot, Reading Thru Time, NonfictionCAT, BingoDOGDead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident / Donnie Eichar
3.75 stars
Nine Russian hikers disappeared in February 1959 while hiking in the Ural Mountains in Siberia. When they were found, their tent was all set up nicely, though it had a few rips, and their bodies were a ways from the tent. The oddest part was that they were in various states of (un)dress and not one of them was wearing their boots. This was in very cold -- far below freezing -- weather. The American author heard of the mystery and was interested in trying to figure out what happened.
The book was told in three different “parts” - the hikers (almost all in their early 20s), based on photos and diaries; the searchers, only a month to three months following the hikers’ disappearance; and the author’s trek to Russia to see what he could find out (including a trip to the place they disappeared, and interviews with a tenth hiker (in his 70s when the author met him), who had had to turn back early due to health issues).
I was particularly interested in the parts from the ‘50s. The author’s story, I didn’t find quite as interesting, until he came closer to the end where he ruled out many theories (and, of course, explained why he ruled them out), and put forth a scientific theory as to what may have caused the hikers to retreat from their tent, to ultimately succumb to the elements. There were plenty of photos included, as well.
12x12 Trim. Trim the TBR (Classic), AlphaKIT, RandomCAT, Poll Ballot TallySplit Estate / Charlotte Bacon
3 stars
After Arthur’s wife, Laura, kills herself by throwing herself off their balcony in New York, Arthur decides to take his two teenage kids to Wyoming, where they will all stay with his mother on what land she has left that she hasn’t sold (can’t really call it a ranch!). The kids have to learn how to fit in to this rural area, as well as figure out how to deal with their grief.
It’s told from all four characters points of view: Arthur; his mother Lucy; his son Cam; and his daughter Celia. It’s kind of slow, but a decent story. I liked the different points of view that explored their new life in Wyoming, as well as thinking back on each of their relationships with Laura. I wasn’t real happy with the ending, though.
12x12 KIT Challenges, AlphaKIT, Poll BallotForgiven: The Amish School Shooting, a Mother’s Love, and a Story of Remarkable Grace / Terri Roberts
3 stars
In 2006, Charlie Roberts walked in to an Amish school and shot 10 girls – 5 died, 5 were injured – between the ages of 6 and 13. He then shot himself. He and his family were neighbours to the Amish community, and he (and his father) often worked with the Amish. He knew some of the girls he shot. This was written by his mother, detailing how she came to terms with what happened with the help of the Amish community as they supported each other in this tragedy.
It was interesting, but there was a LOT of God and religion. (I was warned just before I started reading the book.) After a bit, I mostly skimmed over those parts. I will admit that it was quite amazing how the Amish families were able to reach out and support the Roberts’ while the Amish were trying to come to grips with their own losses. It is impressive that years later, she still has a relationship with many of those Amish families (as well as the one injured girl (6-years old at the time) who will never heal).
Play Book Tag
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