All About Books discussion

I am going to use fictional detectives for my theme in 2021. I am not sure yet exactly how though...

I am thinking that I might just pick a fictional detective for each month rather than having a bunch of categories. It is the individual book postings that I have a hard time keeping up with so maybe this will work better for me.

My overall reading goals are fairly straightforward:

·To read as many of my already owned books as I can, hopefully 75+ books owned as of Dec. 31, 2020. I will be calling these ROOTs (from LibraryThing's Read Our Own Tomes) for short

·To read 25+ new-to-me books from The Guardian's List of 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read. This includes books in series that count as a single entry in the list (such as the Discworld series or Balzac's Human Comedy). These books will be denoted with an asterisk * except for books from Balzac's The Human Comedy which are donoted by a diamond ♦

·To continue (and perhaps finish) the several series I have been working on

My attempt to define my rating system:
I rate by gut reaction & sometimes I will go back and change a book’s rating after some time has passed, based on how it has (or has not) stuck with me. Thus books that I enjoyed at the time may end up lower down on the scale if they are forgettable while books that I didn’t care for very much may rise up in the ratings if they strike me as significant in some way (even if I didn’t like them).

0.5 ★: Utter waste of paper and ink; should never have been written.
1.0 ★: Couldn't finish reading or a very poor read.
1.5 ★: Major disappointment.
2.0 ★: It was OK but either the writing or the plot was lacking.
2.5 ★: Flawed in some way but still enjoyable
3.0 ★: Good, a solid read that I finished but can't promise to remember
3.5 ★: Above Average, there's room for improvement but I liked this well enough to pick up another book by this author.
4.0 ★: A very good read; a book that I think will last
4.5 ★: An excellent read, a book I will remember, recommend and probably reread
5.0 ★: A powerful book, either because it was the right book at the right time for me or because it will stay with me for a long time to come

Some symbols & abbreviations :
·Books with an asterisk (*) are from The Guardian's List of 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read; those with ♦ are specifically from Balzac's The Human Comedy
·Authors with a capital N (ℕ) are Nobel Laureates in Literature
·books sourced as MOB are from my own bookcases; SYNC refers to audiobooks acquired (for free) through the annual summer program hosted by http://www.audiobooksync.com/; APll refers to Kindle books borrowed from the Amazon Prime lending library; libraries not my local one: BPL=Boston Public Library, OCLN=Old Colony Library Network; CLAMS=Cape Library Automated Materials Sharing; NOBLE=North of Boston Library Exchange; CW MARS=Central and Western MAssachusetts Resource Sharing; MVLC=Merrimac Valley Library Consortium; MLN=Minuteman Library Network; SAILS=Southeastern Automated Integrated Library System

Great plan Leslie,you have inspired me.Get ready 2019!

John of Canada wrote: "Great plan Leslie,you have inspired me.Get ready 2019!"

Glad that I have been inspirational but not if it has sent you back in time to 2019!

Oops!

Leslie, good reading to you as well!

Cathie wrote: "Leslie, good reading to you as well!"

Thanks Cathie! I'm so glad to finally reach the last day of 2020...

Sherlock Holmes - January books read:


1. *No Country for Old Men (1/2), audiobook owned since Jan. '19, 2.5*
2. Death at La Fenice (1/5), Kindle book owned since Dec. '19; 4*
3. Murder in the Queen's Armes (1/10), Kindle book borrowed from APll; 3.5*
4. P.S. from Paris (1/12), Kindle book owned since Aug. 2017; 3.5*
5. Asterix and Cleopatra (1/13), ebook borrowed from Open Library, 4*
6. The Conquering Family (1/17), Kindle book borrowed from OCLN; 5* (reread)
7. Wives and Daughters (1/22), Kindle book & audiobook, 4.5* (reread), AAB Group Classic
8. Henry VI, Part 1 (1/22), read in Kindle omnibus The Complete Works of William Shakespeare owned since July '15 & LibriVox full cast audiobook; 4*
9. The Book of the Dead (1/23), Dad's Kindle (owned since July '17); 4*
10. A Prefect's Uncle (1/24), Kindle book owned since March '12; 3.5*
11. *The Bonfire of the Vanities (1/27); audiobook owned since Dec. '19; 2.5*
12. Meet the Sky (1/27); audiobook owned since May '19; 3*
13. Tropical Issue (1/28); Dad's Kindle (owned since July '17); 3*
14. The Princess Bride (1/28); Kindle book borrowed from APll; 4*
15. Poirot Investigates (1/30); Paperback from MOB; 3* (reread)
16. The Stone Sky (1/30); Dad's Kindle (owned since July '17); 4*
17. The Miser (1/30); Kindle book & LibriVox full cast audiobook; 4* (reread)
18. Watery Grave (1/31); paperback from MOB; 4* (reread)

I am not keeping up the pace of reading I had last year at this time but at least I am still reading... but I hate seeing the yearly challenge on the home page telling me I am behind :(

I have made some progress on the AAB 2021 Read the Name challenge (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...). My challenge is in post #4 - I am doing Honoré de Balzac. So far, 4/14 done :)

Me too!

LOL - bookish twins again Laura!

Kidred spirit!!!!!

I have gone back and edited post #3 with my symbols & abbreviations, which I just realized was missing. Most folks probably won't be interested in the abbreviations, which indicate various libraries & other sources of my books, but it is helpful for me to keep track!

January round up: Sir John Fielding

      
1773 oil painting    View of the Bow Street Court with Sir John Fielding (1795)
Source of sketch: Wikimedia Commons; License details

I had forgotten how much I love the Sir John Fielding books by Bruce Alexander until I decided to reread the first one last year. Wonderful historical fiction and excellent mysteries! Sir John Fielding, though a major character in these books, isn't really the protagonist (at least in my view); the true protagonist is his (fictional) helper, Jeremy Proctor, who is also the narrator. Sir John is a real person - as his portrait and the sketch above show! - who took over the Bow Street court and the newly formed Bow Street Runners from his brother Henry Fielding (the novelist who wrote Tom Jones).

How did I do with my goals in January? Let's see:

Goal #1: To read as many already owned books as possible, hopefully 80+ (ROOTs)
18 books read, 10 of which were ROOTs and 5 others were rereads. So I am on target for this goal.

Goal #2: To read 25+ new-to-me books from the Guardian's list
Two books finished: No Country for Old Men (1/2) and The Bonfire of the Vanities (1/27)
One in progress: ♦The Magic Skin

Goal #3: To continue (and perhaps finish) the several series I have been working on
Not as good progress here. Need to work on this goal a bit more in Feb.! I finished one book from an ongoing series - The Book of the Dead, #8 in the Henry Gamadge series - and one to complete a trilogy - The Stone Sky.

Goal #4: AAB 2021 Read the Name Challenge
I am tracking my progress on this goal in post #4 of the group thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I am working on the name Honore de Balzac which has 14 letters. In January, I completed 6 of the 14, so excellent progress with this goal!

Amelia Peabody Emerson - February books read


1. Last Ditch (2/2), Kindle book (Dad's Kindle) & audiobook (BPL); 3* (reread)
2. ♦The Magic Skin (2/3), Kindle book (in omnibus of "The Human Comedy") owned since Aug. '20 & audiobook (BPL); 2*
3. The Bachelors (2/4), audiobook (Audible Plus lending library); 3.5-4*
4. Thank You, Jeeves (2/5), audiobook (Audible Plus lending library); 5* {reread}
5. Interview with the Robot (2/6); audiobook (Audible) owned since Jan. '20; 3.5*
6. A Red Death (2/6); Kindle book (OCLN); 4*
7. King Henry VI, Part 2 (2/7); read in Kindle omnibus "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" owned since July '15 & LibriVox full cast audiobook; 4*
8. Late Harvest Havoc (2/7); Kindle book (Dad's Kindle); 3*
9. Three Men on the Bummel (2/12); audiobook (Hoopla); 3*
10. Cotillion (2/13); audiobook (Audible); 4* (reread)
11. A Civil Contract (2/14); Kindle book; 5* (reread)
12. Murder in E Minor (2/14); Kindle book (APll); 3*
13. Agent of Change (2/14); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
14. Carpe Diem (2/15); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
15. Plan B (2/16); Kindle book (Dad's Kindle); 4*; (reread)
16. I Dare (2/16); Kindle book; 4.5* (reread)
17. Ghost Ship (2/17); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
18. Necessity's Child (2/17); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
19. Dragon in Exile (2/18); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
20. Alliance of Equals (2/19); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
21. Neogenesis (2/20); Kindle book; 3.5* (reread)
22. Accepting the Lance (2/21); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
23. Trader's Leap (2/21); Kindle book; 4*
24. Balance of Trade (2/22); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
25. Trade Secret (2/23); Kindle book; 3.5* (reread)
26. Conflict of Honors (2/24); Kindle book; 4* (reread)
27. Third Girl (2/24); paperback; 3* (reread)
28. Les Liaisons Dangereuses: Read by the Cast of the Stage Play (abridged) (2/25); audiobook (Audible) owned since April '20; 3.5*
29. Educated (2/25); Kindle book (OCLN); 4.5*
30. ♦Study of a Woman (2/26); Kindle book owned since Dec. '19; 4*
31. Any Shape or Form (2/26); Kindle book (Dad's Kindle); 4*
32. The Small Bachelor (2/28); audiobook (Hoopla); 4* (reread)
33. *King Solomon's Mines (2/28); audiobook narrated by Simon Prebble (Audible) & Kindle book (Amazon); 4* (reread)

Just a reminder to myself of what letters I need for the 2021 Read the Name challenge:
O, O, R, E, E, Z, A

Lots of vowels :/

Anyone perusing my February list will see that the last week or so I have been rereading a lot! I bought myself Trader's Leap, the latest Liaden Universe novel, a few weeks ago but after starting it quickly decided I needed (lol - wanted is more like it!) to refresh my memory of the series... So I have been immersed in the Liaden universe to the exclusion of much else recently (having read 8 books in the series over the past 5 days).

On the plus side, my GR yearly challenge finally has me ahead of schedule instead of behind :)

February round up: V.I. Warshawski

   

Victoria Iphigenia (Vic to her friends) "V. I." Warshawski is a Chicago P.I. in a series of detective novels and short stories written by [[Sara Paretsky]] starting in the early 1980s. Vic is the contemporary female equivalent of Philip Marlowe - the lone investigator who works the mean streets and occasionally gets in over her head but is too stubborn to give in. While hard boiled detective stories featuring women aren't so unusual today, Paretsky & Grafton (author of the Kinsey Millhone books) were groundbreakers. I am generally not a huge fan of the hard boiled subgenre but I do love Chandler & Hammett and Paretsky fits in with them in my mind.

How did I do with my goals in February?

Goal #1: To read as many ROOTs as possible, hopefully 80+
33 books read, only 7 of which were ROOTs and a whopping 20 were rereads
Progress on goal was acceptable but could be better...

Goal #2: To read 25+ new-to-me books from the Guardian's list
Two books finished: ♦The Magic Skin (2/3) & ♦Study of a Woman (2/26)
One in progress: Voss
and I did reread 2 books from the list: Thank You, Jeeves and King Solomon's Mines
Again, acceptable progress but disappointing based upon my plans for the month which didn't work out.

Goal #3: To continue (and perhaps finish) the several series I have been working on
I finished 3 books from ongoing series - Late Harvest Havoc, #12 in the Winemaker Detectives series; Any Shape or Form, #9 in the Henry Gamadge series; Trader's Leap, #23 in the Liaden series

Goal #4: AAB 2021 Read the Name Challenge
I am tracking my progress on this goal in post #4 of the group thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I am working on the name Honore de Balzac which has 14 letters. As of now, I completed 10 of the 14; progress has slowed (6 finished in Jan. and 4 in Feb.) but is still good.

Hercule Poirot - March books read


1. The Talisman Ring (3/1); audiobook (Audible) & paperback (MOB); 5* {reread}
2. Code Blue - Emergency (3/2); Kindle book (in omnibus "General Practice" owned since Feb. '21) (Amazon); 4*
3. The Genocidal Healer (3/2); Kindle book (in omnibus "General Practice") (Amazon); 3.5* {reread}
4. A Man's Head (3/3); paperback (library); 4*
5. Red Rising (3/5); audiobook (Hoopla); 3.5*
6. *The Three Musketeers (3/8); audiobook (Audible) & paperback (MOB); 5* {reread} AAB March Group Classic
7. Hamnet (3/8); hardcover (library); 4.5* AAB March Group Read
8. The Fifth Man (3/9); paperback owned since July '18 (MOB); 4*
9. Meet Mr. Mulliner (3/10); audiobook (Audible Plus lending library); 3.5*
10. Asterix and the Normans (3/10); ebook (Internet Archive); 4*
11. Golden Son (3/12); audiobook (BPL); 3.5*
12. Somewhere in the House (3/12); Kindle (Dad's Kindle); 4*
13. King Henry VI, Part 3 (3/13); read in Kindle omnibus "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" owned since July '15 & LibriVox full cast audiobook; 3*
14. The Lost Diadem (3/13); Kindle book (Amazon) owned since Aug. '12; 3.5*
15. The Unfinished Clue (3/14); Paperback (MOB); 4* {reread}
16. H.M.S. Surprise (3/15); audiobook (BPL); 3.5*
17. Morning Star (3/16); audiobook (BPL); 4*
18. Money in the Bank (3/17); audiobook (Audible Plus lending library); 3.5* {reread}
19. *The Secret History (3/19); audiobook (Audible) owned since Aug. '19; 3.5*
20. Tainted Tokay (3/20); Kindle (Dad's Kindle); 3*
21. Moroccan Traffic (3/21); Kindle (Dad's Kindle) (& hardcover (MOB)); 3* {reread}
22. *The Count of Monte Cristo (3/24); audiobook (BPL) (& paperback (MOB)); 5* {reread}
23. Dead or Alive (3/26); audiobook owned since Oct. '19 (Audible); 3.5*
24. The Burning Court (3/27); ebook (Open Library); 3*
25. The Teeth of the Tiger (3/28); audiobook (MLN) (& paperback (MOB)); 3*; {reread}
26. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (3/28); Kindle (Proj. Gutenberg Canada); 5*; {reread}
27. Trading in Futures (3/28); ebook (Hoopla); 3.5*
28. Changeling (3/28); ebook (Hoopla); 4*
29. The Other Boleyn Girl (3/30); audiobook owned since Feb. '20 (Audible); 4*
30. ♦Ursula (3/31); Kindle book (in Proj. Gut. omnibus of "The Human Comedy") owned since Aug. '20; 4*
31. Redliners (3/31); Kindle book owned from Sept. '19 (Baen); 3.5*

My fvourite ever!!! Egghead

LauraT wrote: "My fvourite ever!!! Egghead"

:-) One of the best detectives ever, I agree!

As usual of the same mind!!!!

I am reshelving Killer Cuvee as TBR at ~20% done so I'm not giving it a number or review here. I started this mystery for February's AlphaKIT over at LT but it failed to grab my attention. Since Feb. is over, I am giving up on it for now to focus on books that will hopefully appeal more.

March round up: Nero Wolfe

   

Nero Wolfe, that giant of detection with his third of a ton bulk, and his sidekick Archie Goodwin were the detectives invented by Rex Stout in 1934. Stout wrote 33 novels and 41 novellas & short stories featuring Nero Wolfe, many of which have been adapted for radio, TV and movies. Wolfe was well known for several quirks - his collection of orchids, his knowledge of food and his dislike of leaving his New York city brownstone. The characters outlived their creator with the "new" Nero Wolfe series by Robert Goldsborough!

How did I do with my goals in March?
Goal #1: To read as many ROOTs as possible, hopefully 80+
31 books read, only 13 of which were ROOTs and 8-9 were rereads
A tad better than February...

Goal #2: To read 25+ new-to-me books from the Guardian's list
Two new books finished: ♦Ursula & The Secret History
One somewhat new-to-me book - The Count of Monte Cristo (I have previously read an abridged edition but this was my first time reading the unabridged one) - and one reread The Three Musketeers
One (still) in progress: Voss
Again, acceptable progress

Goal #3: To continue (and perhaps finish) the several series I have been working on
I finished 3 books from ongoing series - Tainted Tokay, #13 in the Winemaker Detectives series; Somewhere in the House, #10 in the Henry Gamadge series; A Man's Head, #5 in the Maigret series; and 2 new-to-me short stories in the Liaden series - Trading in Futures & Changeling. Plus I finally read the last new-to-me book in the Sector General series, Code Blue - Emergency.

Goal #4: AAB 2021 Read the Name Challenge
I am tracking my progress on this goal in post #4 of the group thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I am working on the name Honore de Balzac which has 14 letters. 2 new letters finished in March. As of now, I completed 12 of the 14 - only E and Z left!

-----------
I had several 5* books in March: The Talisman Ring, The Three Musketeers, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats & The Count of Monte Cristo. All of these are rereads with the exception of The Count of Monte Cristo (as I mentioned above, I have previously read an abridged edition). Since this one is the most 'new-to-me', I am selecting it as my best book of the month.

Plans for April:
Still working on these...

Shall we start our The Layton Court Mystery next week after Easter? Tell me when

LauraT wrote: "Shall we start our The Layton Court Mystery next week after Easter? Tell me when"

Next week is good for me! Shall we start on Tuesday?

Good!!!
I've already uploaded it on my Sony reader.
Tuesday be it then

:)

Philip Marlowe - April books read:
 

1. The Way of Kings (4/5); audiobook owned since Nov. '20 (Audible); 4*
2. Thirty-Three Teeth (4/5); audiobook (BPL); 3.5*
3. ♦Another Study Of Woman (4/5); Kindle book owned since Dec. '19 (Proj. Gutenberg); 3*
4. And So to Murder (4/6); Kindle (Dad's Kindle) owned since July '17; 3.5*
5. Alone with the Stars (4/6); audiobook owned since Feb. '20 (Audible); 3.5*
6. Sacred Games (4/7); audiobook (BPL); 3*
7. The Thursday Murder Club (4/8); hardcover (library); 4*
8. El Dorado: Further Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (4/9); Kindle book owned since Aug. '12 (Amazon); 3*
9. Loose Cannon (4/9); ebook (Hoopla); 3.5*
10. Why Shoot a Butler? (4/10); paperback (MOB); 4* {reread} group read in English Mysteries group
11. Oedipus the King (4/10); audiobook owned since July '17 (in Audible Original omnibus "The Oedipus Plays"); 4.5*
12. Oedipus at Colonus (4/10); audiobook owned since July '17 (in Audible Original omnibus "The Oedipus Plays"); 3.5*
13. Antigone (4/10); audiobook owned since July '17 (in Audible Original omnibus "The Oedipus Plays"); 4.5*
14. The Layton Court Mystery (4/10); Kindle (Dad's Kindle) owned since July '17; 3.5*
15. Night Walk (4/11); Kindle (Dad's Kindle) owned since July '17; 3.5*
16. *The Accidental Tourist (4/11); Kindle (BPL); 3.5*
17. The Murder on the Links (4/12); Kindle book owned since Jan. '19 (Amazon); 4* {reread}
18. Alien: Out of the Shadows (4/12); audiobook owned since Nov. '17 (Audible); 2.5*
19. The Attenbury Emeralds (4/13); Kindle (Dad's Kindle) owned since July '17; 3*
20. A Presumption of Death (4/13); Kindle (Dad's Kindle) owned since July '17; 3*
21. The Husband's Secret (4/15); audiobook (Hoopla); 4*
22. Falling Free (4/16); audiobook (Audible Plus lending library); 4* {reread}
23.

And what do you say to Prince John?????
LOL!

LauraT wrote: "And what do you say to Prince John?????
LOL!"

I thought it was going to be (view spoiler)[a dog (hide spoiler)] It was predictable but funny :)

I had not thought it!!! You're more Engliah than I am!

LauraT wrote: "I had not thought it!!! You're more Engliah than I am!"

LOL - well they do say Americans are "cousins" to the English! I was helped by the fact that Prince is not an uncommon name for dogs...

It's more real than one may think!
And how did you like it in the end?
I have to say that in the end, only because he had run out of possible culprit, I somehow got it was the friend!!!

I had wondered about the friend idly but was still caught by surprise. The mailing of the letters was a good clue that I totally missed.

Leslie wrote: "I had wondered about the friend idly but was still caught by surprise. The mailing of the letters was a good clue that I totally missed."

That I missed as well!