Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) discussion

MARCH- Animal, Number, Color, Name

“Read a book with an animal, number, color, or name in the title."

Comment below with the name of the book you read this month and what you thought of it.

Finished my first motif book for March!
1922 - Stephen King
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

An excellent, quick read. The storyline is pretty tragic for everyone involved, and in true King fashion, the reader is left to wonder about the truth of things - has Wilfred gone slowly insane, or is he actually being haunted? I tend to really enjoy King’s books, and am usually delighted every time I decide to pick one up….so I don’t know why I still have so many of his books languishing on my shelves, waiting to be read 😅

Finished!
I read The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert
(name being the Darling Dahlias who are a group of ladies)
This is the 2nd book of the Darling Dahlias series. I liked this book more than I liked the first. These cozy mysteries are set in Alabama during the 1930's and there is so much description of what life was like in those times.

I read Dewey's Nine Lives! Which is the sequel to Memoir Dewey the Librarian Cat

My second motif book for the month! I have more motif books than word prompt books lined up.

Nine - Zach Hines
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
My 5 star review:
This was actually pretty amazing, especially considering its debut novel status. Since I enjoyed it so much, I immediately checked to see if Hines has published anything else…only to be disappointed that he hasn’t. But I’m definitely glad to have stumbled upon this one, and to have taken a chance on it even though it has some mixed, less than stellar reviews. I loved the dystopian setting, and the nine lives concept was both clever, and well executed. It’s the type of book that you can sit down and easily lose track of time.

For the monthly motif I read The Year of the Horses. This book was especially meaningful as someone who has recently found a lot of calm through working with animals. The author discusses her long battles with anxiety and depression and the worsening of the symptoms when becoming a mother were poignant and relatable. I would definitely recommend this book!

Finished my 3rd motif book of the month!
• Cuckoo Song - Frances Hardinge
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
5 stars on Goodreads.
Ok, so I officially ADORE Frances Hardinge. I’m a bit offended on her behalf that her books are marketed as middle grade. I think they’d get a lot more attention from adults if they weren’t. Aside from the main characters being younger (usually 13 or so), there is nothing middle grade about her books. Her writing is mature, encompasses dark themes, and tiptoes along the line of outright horror, achieving a delightful macabre instead. This book has solidified her place on my list of favourite authors.

CHALLENGE COMPLETE! I did not enjoy this read. There is a lot of potential for the story but too much time was spent educating us about military operations. I will find time to give the second book a try but I won't be in a rush to do so.

I read The Hidden One by Linda Castillo. It is #14 in her Kate Burkholder series about a police chief who had been Amish, and the town she is police chief in has a lot of Amish and the crimes they commit or have committed against them. I've read 3 or 4 of these books now, kinda skipping around the series, and its ok they do fine as stand-alone books. Eventually, I'll read them more in order. I like the series, her relationship with her significant other, and her determination to solve crimes.

Challenge Complete!

MARCH- Animal, Number, Color, Name

“Read a book with an animal, number, color, or name in the title."

The Alpha Female Wolf: The Fierce Legacy of Yellowstone's 06 by Rick McIntyre

https://gilda-elise.livejournal.com/2...

Gilda, I’m truly impressed with your title covering all 4 options this month!
I read with my book club this month , “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver … it is a profound book, it just hits the mail on the head when it comes to the beginning of the opioid crisis, broken foster care system, big pharma , grief , trauma , poverty and so much more …. The book is set during the late 90s and the beginning of the millennium- I was in my late 20s - she captures that time perfectly. Fair warning : a few members of my bc were triggered and could not get through the book

Cristiana wrote: "Gilda, I’m truly impressed with your title covering all 4 options this month!
I read with my book club this month , “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver … it is a profound book, it just hits t..."

Lol, I didn't even notice that I had covered the other three. I was just going for animal!

Demon Copperhead does sound interesting. I don't think it has any triggers for me, so I'm going to look into getting a copy. Thanks!

The Plague Dogs - Richard Adams
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
My review: *SPOILER*
I generally really enjoy classics and classic style fiction, so it pains me to say…this was fucking awful. My review might be reflecting the fact that I’ve had to take a second dose of migraine medication, so there’s a very slight chance my opinion may improve along with the pain in my head…but I don’t think it will. With that in mind, I apologize ahead of time if this review is a jumbled incoherent mess. Anyway. I really enjoyed Watership Down, so I’m super frustrated over how crap this book was in comparison. Ten days to finish it. TEN. I’m angry that I bothered finishing it rather than consigning it to my DNF shelf. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t, other than out of some morbidly stubborn determination that this book wouldn’t defeat me. I couldn’t get through more than a few pages at a time because I kept falling asleep. And then after all that, the dogs don’t even get a happy ending. I know it’s meant to convey a message/lesson. I KNOW. But I hates it anyway. Hmph.

Jennifer wrote: "The Plague Dogs - Richard Adams
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
My review: *SPOILER*
I generally really enjoy classics and classic style fiction, so it pains me to say…this was fuckin..."

I read this years ago. But I remember liking it, and that the dogs do have a happy ending. Of course, I've reread books and wondered how I originally liked them. Sorry it was such an unpleasant experience for you.

Super spoiler for people who haven’t read it, but: The dogs don’t have a happy ending. They drown. I don’t know if different editions have a different ending though. I can copy/paste the last paragraph if you want. 😭

Jennifer wrote: "Super spoiler for people who haven’t read it, but: The dogs don’t have a happy ending. They drown. I don’t know if different editions have a different ending though. I can copy/paste the last parag..."

I apparently had the edition where they survive. I remember them being reunited with Snitter's owner. Per Wikipedia:

Alan Wood: Snitter's master. He is a gentle, kindly man, in late middle age, working as a solicitor. He is somewhat untidy in matters of housekeeping, which he deems unimportant, and seems to have little social life, but is devoted to Snitter. For most of the book, Snitter believes him to be dead — killed in an accident as he saved Snitter from being run over by a truck after the dog ran onto the road. Snitter reminisces fondly and wistfully about his life with his master, gradually working up to the traumatic events of the accident, wracked by guilt because he believes himself responsible for his master's death. Near the end of the story, it is revealed that Wood survived the accident and is recovering slowly in a hospital. He had been told by his sister that Snitter has run off and cannot be found; he is horrified when he eventually sees a report in the Orator and realizes the truth. He writes to Digby Driver, who (in a fit of character reversal) is overcome with guilt for his actions, and takes him from the hospital to the scene of the action just in time to ensure a happy ending, asserting his legal claim as Snitter's owner and taking in Rowf as well.

Dang! I wish I had read that edition! I’m at work at the moment, but I’ll copy/paste the ending I have when I get home.

Oh! Weird! I just looked it up and apparently there are a couple of different endings. One they drown (implied). One where they’re picked up by a a boat right when they’re at the point of drowning, and also one where they see an island in the distance right when they’re about to give up, and it’s implied that they make it to the island.

"Can't—-any more—-Rowf."
"Bite on to me, Snitter. Bite!"
"Cold."
"The island, Snitter--the Isle of Dog! We must get there!"
"Cold. Tired."
No feeling in the legs. Cold. Cold. Longing to rest, longing to stop, losing two gasps in every three for a lungful of air. The stinging, muzzle-slapping water, rocking up and down. This isn't a dream. It's real, real. We're going to die.
"I'm sorry Snitter, about--about the tod. All my fault."
"That's it! Remember--tod-tell you- reet mazer-"
"What?"
"Reet mazer—-yows—“
Cold. Sinking. Bitter, choking dark.

Jennifer wrote: ""Can't—-any more—-Rowf."
"Bite on to me, Snitter. Bite!"
"Cold."
"The island, Snitter--the Isle of Dog! We must get there!"
"Cold. Tired."
No feeling in the legs. Cold. Cold. Longing to rest, longi..."

What an awful ending! I'm so glad I read the edition I did. I saw the animated movie, which has a bad ending, too, and wondered at the time as to why they changed the ending. Apparently, they didn't. At least, not from this ending.

Challenge complete!
Just finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. An interesting view into the lives of the rich and famous in the movie industry during the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. And how sexual orientation could make or break careers during that time, despite what we may have thought. Not sure I felt sorry for Evelyn, given how many people she stepped on to get where she wanted in stardom. But pretty sure her story wasn’t that different from others going through the same thing. The final twist did add a surprise ending that I didn’t see coming, as far as her relationship with Monique went. A long but involved story of one woman’s rise to fame, and all it involved. Good read!

I’m stretching this months key words just a little with Remarkably Bright Creatures (color and animal) and Killers of a Certain Age (number). Both were excellent reads!

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent. A lovely novella from the Crowns of Nyaxia universe, this had a lot of emotional punch. I look forward to seeing more of these characters in future books.

The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle - I choose to use the word animal loosely to apply to mythical animals too. I really enjoyed this book. I have heard about it but never got around to reading it. Its a fast but enjoyable read.

The Case of the Drowning Duck

Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick- Jason Pargin (David Wong)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

I 🖤 Jason Pargin (David Wong). His books are always guaranteed to lift my mood. His characters and storylines are equal parts ridiculous & hilarious. I’ve had this 2nd Zoey Ashe book sitting on my shelf for a little while, but with a new book coming out in October, I figured it was time to get this one read. I’m a little bit mad that paperbacks aren’t released the same day as hardcovers though…hopefully it won’t be too long of a wait. I’m SUPER excited that the newest John Dies book is available in paperback this July. If you have an odd (and maybe slightly immature) sense of humour, Pargin/Wong should definitely be in your TBR pile.

Ended up reading two books that apply to the motifs this month:

The Crimson Cord: Rahab's Story by Jill Eileen Smith (meets number and name!)
and
Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator by Catherine Reef

The Mary Shelley biography was eye opening and not at all what I expected about her life. The book about Rahab was interesting in that it presented a possibility that she entered the life of prostitution by force and not by choice. Of course, that can't be proven, but it IS a possibility I hadn't considered.

For this months challenge, I went back to my childhood and read Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. This book is about a young eskimo girl who is lost in the Artic and befriends a pack of wolves. I was surprised to find that there were 2 more books written about her and the wolves. I found and read them both this month as well: Julie; and Julie's Wolf Pack.

Julie is about the eskimo girl (her American name is Julie, her eskimo name is Miyax) and adjusting to her father's new life (she reunites with him at the end of the first book). He as taken an American wife (his wife died when Julie was very young), and Julie is torn between keeping with the traditions of her eskimo ancestors, or immerse herself into the ways of modern America - as modern as you can be in Northern Alaska, of course.

Julie's Wolf Pack takes place after Julie, but changes focus to the Wolves. Their adventures - both good and bad - on the tundra. Told from the wolves point of view, we learn their ways of life.

Devika wrote: "The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle - I choose to use the word animal loosely to apply to mythical animals too. I really enjoyed this book. I have heard about it but never got around to reading it. It..."

I also just read this but the graphic novel version. I loved the extra bits that weren't in the movie.

I read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I don't remember ever reading Rats of NIMH before, just watching the movie. I really enjoyed this book and was pleasantly surprised at how much backstory on the rats and Mr. Frisby as well it provides. I thought the book was very well written and know the next time I see the movie it'll be through a fresh perspective. I also hope someday that this might be a book my granddaughter and I can read together.

Any one who enjoys the movie needs to read the book and get the full story.

I read House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson - it was fantastic!

I read the following Books that have numbers in April:
-The 7th Month a short detective story by Lisa Gardner--Entertaining.
-Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim-an entertaining epic fantasy and remake of a fairytale. It was fantastic.
-The Six by Anni Taylor- scary psychological thriller of a survival game--gave it 4 stars
-Six: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters- the story itself was interesting but I lost interest as I read this and gave it 3 stars.

I'm late but Challenge Complete!
Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano
=
Really enjoyed book 2 in the series, although it took a bit to get into it,

The boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

The third girl by Agatha Christie