Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) discussion

The April Key Words are...

Rest, Days, Upstairs, Sing, Shell, Starlight, Life, Couple

Share with us! Which key word did you pick? What book did you read and what did you think of it?

For April Key Words Challenge, I hope you read “The Couple on Cedar Close” by Anna-Lou Weatherley.

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant

Challenge Complete: Keyword Days

The Last Days of Richard III and the fate of his DNA: the Book that Inspired the Dig by John Ashdown-Hill

The book is a deep dive into how Richard saw his place, and the rebellions against him. He’s seen here, not so much as a tragic figure, but of someone who believed in what he was doing, but who, unfortunately, suffered the fate of all disposed English kings. We get a second look at what happened right after the battle and in the days leading up to his burial and beyond.

There’s also the search for his family’s descendants and the find that would be the linchpin in proving that the bones found under the carpark were, indeed, those of Richard III. That a direct mtDNA existed was a truly lucky break.

It’s an interesting read, even for someone who has read extensively about the man. My only problem was with the small print, which made reading the book a bit of a chore.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewel

Challenge complete!
Key Word: Sing

I chose to read River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer and it was a very poignant read, though it took me a while to get through.

• The Innkeeper’s Song - Peter S. Beagle
- Fantasy/Romance/LTGBQA+
- Finished: April 21st
- 5 stars on Goodreads
*MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD*

Yes, yes, it did take me an inordinate amount of time for me to read this book. Normally that would mean a lower rating. BUT. The problem was that I could not for the life me read it while in any state of sleepiness whatsoever. Even the tiniest bit of sleepiness meant that I no longer understood what the f*ck was going on. And since I’ve mostly been reading in bed before sleeping….that turned into a hellofalot of chapters I would have to go back to reread. Which was kind of amusing to be honest.
It’s not that the storyline is overly complex (I’ve definitely read storylines that were more difficult to follow), it’s just that the storytelling style itself is so full of whimsy and metaphors. It really required my full attention to keep abreast of it. Then add in the fact that one of the characters has taken on a disguise as the opposite gender, and the reader (and other characters) don’t even find out about it until more than halfway through the book…it just makes for a bit of a muzzy-headed reading experience. If that makes sense.
In any event, both the storyline and style of writing are actually quite genius, and entirely delightful.

Key Word: Days
Book read: Zero Days by Ruth Ware.
A wild ride that stretched belief as to human endurance, but still worth the suspense and mystery Ruth Ware is known for.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Life’s too Short by Abby Jimenez 💗

I chose The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr. Another book I've had on my TBR since 2022. I got this book because I really enjoyed Doerr's other book, All the Light We Cannot See. However, this book is vastly different. There are several short stories that are just that, stories. Some of them are kind of creepy, some of them are cliff hangers. Some don't feel fully developed. I'd say it was mediocre. Not great, but not terrible.

Here are the books read in April with the following key words:
Rest, Days, Upstairs, Sing, Shell, Starlight, Life, Couple
⁠
Rest: The Rest is History by Tom Holland 3 stars; The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen 3 stars


Days: 10 Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly 4 stars; The First 30 days; D-Day by Antony Beevor 4 stars

Read in February: 3 Days to Live byJames Patterson3 stars

Read in May: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom4 stars; The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 3 stars


Upstairs: The Lady Upstairs by Halley Sutton 3 stars; The Upstairs House by Julia Fine; The Girl Upstairs by Georgina Lees 3 stars; The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud 3 stars; The Party Upstairs by Lee Conell 3 stars; The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell 3 stars; The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss 4 stars; Upstairs at the Roosevelts by Curtis Roosevelt 4 stars


Sing: River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer 3 stars; The Sing Sing Files by Dan Slepian4 stars; Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward 4stars; The Lady of Sing Sing by Idanna Pucci 3 stars; Sing, Memory by Makana Eyre 4 stars; Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda 3 stars


Shell: Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler 3 stars; Shell by Kristina Olsson 3 stars


Starlight: Meet me at the Starlight by Rachel Hauck 3 stars; Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird 3 stars

Read in May: Steering by Starlight by Martha N. Beck 3 stars


Life: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 4 stars; Afterlife by Julia Alvarez 3 stars; When Life Doesn't Match your Dreams by Jill Eileen Smith 4 stars; Life's too Short by Abby Jimenez 5 stars; In My Life by John Lennon 3 stars; Build the Life you Want by Arthur C. Brooks 4 stars; The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood 3 stars; Still Life by Sarah Winman 3 stars; Wild Life by Rae Wynn-Grant

Read in May: The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston 3 stars


Couple: The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper 3 stars; The Couples Trip by Ulf Kvensler 4 stars; The Guilty Couple by C.L. Taylor 3 stars; Egypt's Golden Couple by John Coleman Darnell 3 stars

Finally started “the couple on cedar close” my April book. I’m a bit behind as I’ve been reading books for work and ongoing research.

Key Words: Rest, Days, Upstairs, Shell, Starlight, Life




Rest in Pizza by Chris Cavender

How to Choose a Guy in 10 Days by Lila Monroe

The Secret Of the Upstairs Room and Other Ghostly Tales by Gale Burnick

Jingle Bells, Rifle Shells by Bruce Hammack

Snowflakes and Starlight by Debbie Macomber and others

A New Leash on Life by Chelsea Thomas

I was slowing posting, so trying to catch up.

Catching up on posting.

Challenge complete!

Keyword: life

Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger's Life by Sarah Kaminsky