Mount TBR 2021 discussion

I am shooting for less but longer books this year.

Good luck with the bigger books in 2021!

Bev wrote: "Good luck with the bigger books in 2021!" Thanks!

1. Kenilworth Walter Scott As I have the last few years, I started the year with a Sir Walter Scott novel. I had read this one before, but probably about 40 years ago (goodness, I must be getting old!). I didn't remember much about it going in other than Queen Elizabeth was in it and there was some scandal or intrigue with one of her courtiers, but as I read I vaguely remembered some of the minor characters also. It amazes me how Scott can tell us in his prologue exactly what his story is about, and still have us turning pages to find out how it all happens! Evidently there was a mini-series in the late 60's, which I have not seen, but I think it would make a great movie (or miniseries). This is not one of the longest books on my list this year, but it is over 500 pages. My goal is to have an average of at least 450 pages per book for all books I read this year, for this challenge or otherwise. I expect it to be higher, if I stick to my plan. Goodreads tells me that my average number of pages per book last year was 284 pages.

This is my busy semester, and I have more students than usual for me in one class, which means more grading. So I am behind on reading and even further behind on reporting. But I will try to catch up on the second for now...
2. All the Devils Are Here Louise Penny This book started a bit slowly for me, and I was beginning to wonder if Penny had lost her touch. But no. Absolutely not. I could not read the second half of the book fast enough (although it did not take me until then to get into it). I think I do have to suspend my belief with her a bit regarding the situations Gamache and others find themselves in and especially how they manage to successfully get through them, but I am definitely up for it! I do appreciate how she weaves the family and friendship relations into her plot without sacrificing the crime story.

3. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Christopher Paolini I liked the Eragon series, even though it was derivative (especially at first) and the final fight with Galbatorix was disappointing to many (I personally found it very effective). But this book, not so much. Oh, it had its positive points. The world building was good, several of the characters were interesting--but at almost the half-way point I came across something that I just could not suspend enough disbelief for--not telling, because it would be a spoiler, but it seemed to me that there was not nearly enough time allowed for something that was a major plot point to have actually happened. There are lots of positive reviews, so don't let me discourage you if you really want to try it. But I did not really care for the ending, either, Reflecting on other books I have read, it is the type of ending that I don't like, and not that it was poorly written or anything of the sort. But again I can't be specific because of spoiler potential. One thing I personally did not like was all the foul language. I don't like it in any book, and more time has passed since Eragon than I had realized so Paolini is older than I was thinking, but it still felt to me like "I'm writing a grown-up writing a grown-up book now, and here are all the "grown-up" bad words to prove it." Anyway, the book was not awful, but it was not compelling to me and that also slowed my reading down.

4. Underland: A Deep Time Journey Robert Macfarlane Besides some commercial (tourist) caves I have been in before and after, during high school I had a chance or two to do some "real" spelunking--we were given a map and a miner's hat with a light and allowed to go beyond the commercially developed part of the caves. I loved it, and am sorry now I didn't do more of it back then when I could! So when I saw this book, it looked very interesting to me. I listened to the audio sample last year and bought the Kindle edition and the audio. I listened to the book when out on errands or sometimes while working at the house. I would like to go back someday (although there are so many other things to be read) and read it on Kindle or listen to it at normal speed instead of 1.25 in order to savor it more. Macfarlane is an excellent writer, and his descriptions of the places he goes and the people he meets and the things he experiences makes you feel like you are there. He has also done much research. I did learn some things while reading this book. Even if I never get back to this one, I have put another of his books on my wishlist.

5, The Citadel A.J. Cronin This is shorter than my ideal av. number of pages read, so I will need to read some even longer things to make up. I listened to it on audio, and it was not always easy to listen to. At first, I settled in for an enoyable story. I like stories about doctors or vets in remote parts of England. But Dr. Charles Manson lost his way in the second part of the book, and it was affecting him and his marriage and...I just wanted to shake him so he would wake up and smell the coffee! But the ending was good, and there was a courtroom scene, and I'm always up for a good courtroom scene. The audio version surprised me by its relatively low quality--it was an old recording with scratches in it, possibly brought across from vinyl! Errors were not edited out but corrected by the reader as he went. Despite that, it did not detract from the story, and the narrator did a really good job when the main character was angry!
I believe I read somewhere that this book did help bring about some medical reforms in England. All in all, I'm glad to have read it.

6. The Passage Justin Cronin
I'm not sure what I expected--I think maybe more time in South America at the first--but I liked this book more than I thought I might. I don't really read "scary" books, but I didn't find it terrifying. And the story is very well told. We are introduced to characters and want to know more about them, so we keep reading. Amy is described on the first page in some very interesting terms, but we are told this is before and we want to know how she came to merit that description and what it all means. I also enjoyed all the biblical symbolism he worked in. He admits to it somewhat in the author interview at the end, but is a bit cagey as to what he himself believes. And unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have inhibitions about using inappropriate expletives. I relaxed some in the middle section of the book where the chosen exclamative word had no negative connotations for me. But even with that, I was so interested in the story that I bought the next two books full price instead of waiting for a sale. So if there is time left in the year after making it up this TBR mountain....

7. Match Made After exploring underground, watching the rise-fall-rise of a doctor and getting frustrated with him, and living through many pages of a post-apocalyptic world, I needed a palate cleanser. It was a little on the short side for my goals this year at 412 pp, but it was a fast read and did what I wanted it to do. These books are rather like all the yummy food described in them--very good on occasion, but not meant for a steady diet. There are a few serious insights provided--things the characters hear in a sermon that speak to what they are going through at the moment--but a lot of it is just fun. This one ended with rather a cliffhanger moment, so I'll admit I bought the next one (they are relatively inexpensive) and read it in a day or two, even though it won't count for this challenge.

8. He Knew He Was Right Anthony Trollope This was another book where I just wanted to shake some of the characters. We almost find out what happens when an irresistible force meets an immoveable object, and it is not pretty. Louis Trevelyn does not want his wife seeing an old family friend he suspects of being too familiar with her, but since the friend, a colonel, is an old man, Emily does not see the danger. Louis is too imperious in his way of handling the situation and Emily says she is willing to obey her husband, but does so at best only in the letter of the law and certainly not in the spirit. Louis's jealous grows to be all-consuming, Emily is as stubborn as stubborn can be, Col. Osbourne is no true gentleman and rather enjoys causing the scandal than otherwise, the family separates, Louis health suffers...if that were all, it would be a very depressing story all around. Plus I have observed too many situations with false accusations and misunderstandings and stubbornness to find it relaxing to read about. But fortunately, there are several young people of a marriageable age running about (well, Charles Glascock is a little older), and getting them sorted out despite the fact that the course of true love never did run smooth alleviates a lot of the heaviness of the book. The book was written at a time when women were beginning to assert themselves more, and Trollope may poke gentle fun at the extremists of his time but he does seem to be in favor of women having a better lot than what they still did have in many ways.

9. The Golem and the Jinni Helene Wecker I realize I missed reporting two books from March. I loved this book! I have always enjoyed stories about people of other species or non-humans especially trying to learn how to be human or how to interact with humans (think Spock, Worf, Data, the Doctor from Star Trek Voyager, Johnny 5, Chappie...). So of course I enjoyed watching both the Golem and the Jinni learning to survive in New York City, and also watching their interactions with each other. The bad thing about liking the first book in a series though, is...yes, I have the next one on pre-order.

10. Playing for the Ashes Elizabeth George I have a love/hate relationship with this series, yet I keep reading them. Elizabeth George does a good job of exploring relationships, even though they are often dysfunctional ones. And I like the mystery part of her stories. But I had to skip two or three pages at a time of just sheer nastiness more than once. I also regret a lot of the language she uses. Yet I keep coming back...

11. Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus Klyne R. Snodgrass
I am so glad to have finally finished this book! Don't get me wrong--it was quite good. But I have been reading it since January. Non-fiction generally takes me longer to read anyway, and although the language is accessible, the book is very well researched and the footnotes slowed me down, especially when reading on my Kindle Paperwhite (if the footnote link numbers were near the sensitive areas for the page turns, it was difficult to get to the footnote and not just turn the page). And over 40% of the book was made up of the footnotes and bibliography! I liked that the author interacted with other scholars, mentioning various interpretations that are postulated for each parable, although of course he explains his own position and gives his reasoning. I also appreciate that he emphasized understanding the parables and their intent in their original context, yet also gave a brief and somewhat devotional thought at the end of each discussion on how the parable applies to our (the readers') lives.

12. The Best American Mystery Stories 2018 Louise Penny As with any anthology, some stories were better than others. The Jack Reacher story was one of the better ones, while there was one story in particular that was just about pure trash (language and terminology). Although all involved a crime, many didn't seem to really be about solving the crime. In at least four, no real justice was done, and in another the criminal suffered for his crime, but from a rather O. Henry twist of events at the end (that was one of the other stories I enjoyed). Several other stories were good but not memorable. All in all, reading this collection brought me to form two possible conclusions: For mystery short stories, perhaps I should stick to what I know I like, such as Christie, Ngaio Marsh, or Dorothy Sayers, or perhaps I just prefer a longer form, where there is more space to develop and solve a mystery (that may be, as I don't care for the shorter Mary Russell stories nearly as much as the full-length novels, and I also did not think The Hangman was nearly as good as Louise Penny's other books.)

13. The Child from the Sea, Part 1 of 2 Elizabeth Goudge This was historical fiction about a person I had heard nothing about, Lucy Walter, mistress to Charles II f England. The author chose to follow the rumor of a secret marriage, and made Lucy a much more upright person than she appears to be in the Wikipedia article I read. Historically, it was interesting and informing to see the English court in exile. What I know of the time period is more what went on in England under Cromwell.

It took me a while to get through this book. It was by no means boring, but it did go at a slower pace, and the writing deserved being read a bit more carefully than some books I have read this year. Elizabeth Goudge expresses herself very well, and I have recorded several quotes in my reading journal. Yet every once in a while I felt she had tried a bit too hard to turn an interesting phrase and muddled it. She writes from a basically Christian world-view, too, although one or two unorthodox ideas show through in her writing. I own a few more books by Elizabeth Goudge (and have read others by her), and I hope to eventually read those also.
Note: Although the link says part one of two, I think my edition is the whole book together).

14. No Name Wilkie Collins
I had this book in a physical copy, which I sold or donated when I got a "complete works" on my Kindle, but I actually read it by audiobook. I am finding I enjoy 19th century British literature on audio--maybe because many books of that time were published in serial form and probably often read out loud by one family member to the rest.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read The Moonstone two or three times, and I have also read The Woman in White, which evidently did not impress me as much, as I can't remember anything about it. But after this book, I am ready to read more Collins! Dickens remains my favorite from this time period, but Mr. and Mrs. Wragge were almost worthy of Dickens. And like Dickens, the novel is partly a commentary on a social problem. However, it was evidently seen as scandalous in its day.

At times it was difficult to find someone to root for. The only really upright character(s) get very little "screen time". Yet even though Magdalen does some reprehensible things, we do hope it doesn't go too badly for her at the end. The ending was perhaps a little too rapidly forgiving, but I still liked the book. I enjoyed the transition between the sections of the book, given in the form of correspondence between the different characters.

15. Illusion Frank E. Peretti
An entertaining time-travel book, which could have gone creepy but didn't. I had to suspend belief about the extremely blithe manner in which one of the protagonists accepted a suddenly found ability, but overall, I really enjoyed the book. The time-line concepts were interesting. I think it would make a good movie--maybe not a blockbuster, but one that I would enjoy. And while not overtly Christian, the author explains some of his intended symbolism in an afterward.

16. Pig in a Taxi and Other African Adventures Suzanne Crocker This was a short but interesting book about some of the adventures and challenges that the author and her family faced as missionaries in Africa, and her meditations over the same. I could relate to some stories more than others, but found it a rewarding read.

17. The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Of course there was language and some scenes and descriptions I blipped over, all in all I enjoyed the book. I thought the translation managed to keep the Spanish flavor of the book while making it accessible in English. I suspected who was destroying the books, but "why" was the question the book eventually answered. The story was interesting and very well written.

18. Father Elijah: An Apocalypse Michael D. O'Brien This was apocalyptic novel I have read from a Catholic point of view. The prose was very lyrical in spots. There was definitely a spiritual warfare aspect, but there were also challenges in the visible world. There were many spot-on observations about culture and belief, and I copied several of them into my reading journal. There were other elements I was not so in-line with, but in general I enjoyed the book and am glad I read it. At times, it almost seemed like a reverse Dan Brown novel, although with a little less action. I don't think I would seek out another book by this author, but if I stumbled across one and the premise looked interesting, I would pick it up.

19. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson
My first Nordic noir. I enjoyed it more than I thought I might--it really kept me turning the pages--but I didn't like the casual sex (although at least there weren't pages and pages of too much information). The nature of the crimes themselves (not the financial ones) was horrendous, of course, but even the murders in a "cozy" mystery should make us reflect on the horror of sin, if we really stop to think about it. The author did an excellent job of bringing the story lines together. Yet he did leave me with many questions about Lisbeth. So I will be continuing with the series.

20. The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ Ted Turnau After an apologetic for engaging with popular culture and a discussion of the two extremes to be avoided--throwing it all out as evil and accepting all of it without questioning or analysis--the authors present specific examples of how to help kids in three different age groups evaluate popular things. For young children, it is a popular movie, as it also is for older children. For teens, it is a popular video game that is evaluated. Some questions are suggested for helping kids see both the positive and the negative elements in these things. Parents are also encouraged to participate in their children's pop culture interests. I found the approach of this book to be very balanced. Although some of the advice is perhaps intuitive, I think it can be a valuable resource for parents.

21. Bring Up the Bodies Hilary Mantel
This is the second in her series focusing on Thomas Cromwell. This book covers the transition from Anne Boleyn to Jane Seymour. There are things I dislike about these books--the present tense narration, for one, although after a while it stops jarring so much. And the characters tak among themselves at times like Shakespeare at his most bawdy. But Mantel manages to keep me reading despite all that because the court intrigue is so interesting. Cromwell comes across in this book and especially the next as a complex character. And that Mantel can make me sympathize at all with Cromwell, given how much I love the movie (and the play) A Man for All Seasons, where he is definitely a villian, is saying something!
22. The Mirror & the Light Hilary Mantel I continued right into the last entry, so that I wouldn't have to get used to her way of writing again! In this volume Jane Seymour exits and Anne of Cleves enters...and exits, but alive. And Thomas Cromwell's story comes to its end. But there is a lot of good reading along the way. It saddens me though, that her version of Cromwell seems very interested in further reforming the church, but has so many things in his character that do not reflect a good understanding of what God wants. It saddens me because proclaiming one thing and doing another is such a common failure for all of us, some more blatantly than others, perhaps, but it is a very common temptation.

23. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity Nabeel Qureshi This is a very interesting account of the spiritual journey of one second-generation Muslim from one of the more pacific sects, as he and especially his friend David explore claims and counterclaims for Islam and Christianity. I learned a lot about some Muslim cultures and beliefs, and also appreciated the type of friendship these two young men had, in which they could respect each other and yet disagree, and debate their strong differences without losing their friendship. That is something a lot of us need to learn to do again.

Just one more to go!!

24. The Faith-Filled Grandmother: Promises, Prayers & Practical Advice for TodayTeresa Kindred
For some reason I forgot to list this in my last update. This was a short book and it started out pleasantly and positively, with not much I hadn't considered before. But it got into deeper waters when addressing grandparents who have been expecting a grandchild and then there was a miscarriage, or grandparents who are not allowed contact with their grandchildren. I realized that I am truly blessed. Input from other grandmothers added some variety to the book. There was also a chapter about grandparenting when the grandmother has physical challenges. All in all, I felt it covered a good bit of territory for a fairly short book.

Of course I kept reading, but I will not make the next mountain top. Some of my books have been shorter (mostly ones for devotional reading), so we will just consider those side excursions to look more closely at a beautiful flower on my way up this mountain!
25. TEN: Laws of Love Set in Stone J. John
This was a very accessible treatment of the 10 commandments. Rather than starting from the top as they are presented in the BIble, the author chose to begin with commandment #10 and work up. He did emphasize the interconnectedness of the commandments and pointed out that in breaking one, we often break others with the same act. His emphasis is on recognizing our failures and correcting them, and he manages to be neither too condemning nor too tolerant of our tendency to mess things up. I would be interested in reading more by this author.

26. No Less Days Amanda G. Stevens David Galloway has lived a lonnngg time. In this first book we find out why, find a few more in his condition, and explore some of the difficulties of this type of life and different reactions to them. I intend to continue in the series.

27. Mama Bear Apologetics™: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies Hillary Morgan Ferrer This book should be read and then kept as a resource, as it is a lot to take in in one reading, especially for its intended audience. I understand there is a related website which should also prove quite useful. The purpose of the book is to help mothers help their children to listen to and analyze the assumed messages in what they read and hear in the light of biblical teaching. The tone was mom-to-mom, which worked in general but at times was slightly off-putting. Nevertheless, this is a valuable resource.

28. Antiquities of the Jews Flavius Josephus I found it easier to listen on audio than to read. His accounts of the stories found in the Bible were mostly in line with those biblical accounts, although occasionally some traditional material snuck in, and occasionally he left out a detail I felt was important to the story. The intertestamental material was quite interesting, yet I tended to get a bit lost because so many people had the same or similar names, which carried on into the times of the Herods in the New Testament. Nevertheless I know more than I used to about that period. And if it has not been done yet, someone could find plenty of material for a soap opera in the history of Herod the Great and his family! Some things I already knew, but Josephus included other details I did not know.

29. Preparing Your Heart for Christmas - A Daily Devotional to Comfort, Encourage and Bring Peace All Year Long Donna Goodrich A very short book of very short devotionals designed to be read between Thanksgiving and Christmas, although I started later and doubled up. The author had gone through some hard things around Christmas time, so some of the devotionals were a little heavy, but others have had similar experiences and can probably relate and be uplifted by such honesty. The reflections were good, but reading through them will not become a yearly tradition.

30. The Max Lucado Christmas Collection: An Angel's Story/The Christmas Candle/The Christmas Child Max Lucado Since all are short and the last is really just a short story, I am only going to count this as one book. These were fictional stories by Max Lucado on Christmas themes. They were good but not great, to my mind.

31. Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson Well, I know more about codebreaking and hacking and laying cables in oceans than I did before, but since the book is almost 25 years old, many things have probably changed again by now. I really liked the author's writing style and sense of humor when he was being clean, but unfortunately there was a lot of language and a lot of things I really did not need to read about--so much so that I almost gave up, but I had invested a lot of time and the story was interesting. The changes between characters and timelines were abrupt at times but fit the narrative very well--especially with the Bobby Shaftoe line, I felt he was about as surprised to find himself in another place doing something new as I, the reader, was to find him there. I was surprised the story ended so long before the book did, but found the long article on the laying of cable in the ocean--just one of several appendices--fell into the category of things I never knew I wanted to know but that were interesting. There are evidently two other related books, but I don't think I will read them.

32. And, finished on New Year's Eve at about 11:50 p.m. ,,,,
The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries Otto Penzler For a collection of mysteries, this was pretty good--only one or two weak entries, and it was a big book. Some I had read before in smaller collections, but it had been a while, so that was fine.