You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

You are not limited to the two chosen books. You may read any book within the theme "Books with something you would drink in the title" if you prefer.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book before or during March 2025.

2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read. Please elaborate on your thoughts on at least 5 of the following topics:
- Setting
- Characters
- Writing style
- Genre
- How the book made you feel
- Which parts stood out
- Did you/will you read more by the author
- Anything else related to the book you find worth mentioning

This can be done in one post after finishing the book, but preferably in a few posts while reading. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.

3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

I just started How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water. I really didn't know what it was going to be about, but it seems to be very relevant to what is happening right now in the U.S. The story centers on an older immigrant women who has lost her job in a factory and to receive benefits has to justify her story and why she deserves the benefits.

That sounds tense Jayme.

I don't think I want to read anything political in fiction right now. Real life is more than enough. 😑 It does sound like an interesting story though. I'll be interested to see what you think of it.

I might end up reading something extra for this theme. I'm thinking about Coffee Self-Talk. "Inspiring affirmations" sound good right now, but a lot of the reviews say the book is very repetitive. I was hoping it would be relaxing and uplifting, but if it's overly repetitive it might not be useful.

I have The Master and Margarita on my shelves but I won't be getting to it this month. I've been putting it off for a long time. I'm not sure why I even bought it.

I am finding it tense, Janice, but not in the way I thought it would be. It is interesting to "chair travel" into another persons culture and their persepective on your culture and the way and why they think we do things here in America. It's a story that once again makes me think about "uterus roulette" and the luck of being born into privilege. I am glad that it is not a very long book and will finish it this afternoon.

Is it sort of the grass is always greener on the other side way of thinking?

I think so, Janice. I finished the book and even though there are some tough, shaking my head scenes the story actually ended on an uplifting note. The title of the book refers to a Spanish phrase "don't drown in a glass of water" which is comparable to the English phrase "don't make a mountain out of a mole hill." In this story Cara our MC has mountains that she is trying to make into molehills. I didn't always agree with how she did it, but I ended up admiring her tenacity.

I am reading Gravewater Lake for this months challenge. So far it’s been gripping!

Tammy wrote: "I am reading Gravewater Lake for this months challenge. So far it’s been gripping!"

Tammy, are you reading this for the monthly challenge, or the group themed read. If you're reading it for the group themed read, it doesn't meet the prompt. The theme is titles with something you would drink in the title. You don't drink either gravewater or a lake. We don't accept embedded words in our activities unless specifically stated that they are okay to use.

I had to Google to be sure there was not a drink with that name.
Tammy, maybe you are reading this for the yearly challenge? I don't think it fits the monthly challenge either, since it is about collective names for animals.

Janice wrote: "Tammy wrote: "I am reading Gravewater Lake for this months challenge. So far it’s been gripping!"

Tammy, are you reading this for the monthly challenge, or the group themed read. ..."

I just was thinking water, but get why this does not qualify. Thanks for pointing it out.

I'm glad to know you are at least enjoying it, Tammy. March is just starting, so you have time to read something else!

Hi Sandra - do plural words qualify like “waters” in Still Waters? Thanks!

I think the general rule is plurals are accepted (unless they are different words, like mouse and mice) but not embedded words. So yes, I will accept it.

Sandra wrote: "I think the general rule is plurals are accepted (unless they are different words, like mouse and mice) but not embedded words. So yes, I will accept it."

Great, I get to jump back into a theme read and knock a book off my TBR list, thanks!

I just finished reading “before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi”
I hadn’t really noticed this kind of challenge before now but luckily I just finished reading the book.
Sadly I couldn’t discuss my progress throughout the book while reading :(

About the book: I did really enjoy it, I thought the story concept to be very interesting and certain characters too.
The story was very gripping and I liked the way the book was kind of split up into I think four different stories but in the same setting with the rest of the characters that we already have been introduced to. The writing style was very easy to follow which made the book easy to get through. Some of the small stories stood more out than other to me.

but overall a solid 4⭐️

Jayme wrote: "I just started How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water. I really didn't know what it was going to be about, but it seems to be very relevant to what is happening right now in the U.S. ..."


I have this on my TBR and it is a likely contender for this challenge. I’ll have to start it next week as I have a few titles that became available at once on Libby in addition to the books I am currently reading 😅

I started Still Waters translated from Swedish. It’s a mystery thriller set in Sandhamm, a Swedish island in the Stockholm archipelago. I finished chapter 2 and enjoying it so far.

I read Her Death Was Also Water
This is well-written in the fact that the story moves along well, and the author portrays the dire situation the characters faced (they are stranded in a boat in and apocalyptic flood). The rich imagery helped me to feel the characters' emotions, and picture the flooding.
There is a lot of magic realism that was OK, but at times I wasn't sure what was real and what was not. I found the ending disappointing because of this - was it real or not?
The story is very bleak, and although the blurb states that "the message is this: even in the face of great loss, we can discover ourselves and find the courage to deepen our humanity." I'm not entirely convinced of this. Most of the characters are deeply flawed, and don't really change much through their ordeal.
The coincidence that everyone in the boat is known to each other even though they are rescued randomly in different parts of the country is not believable. Also, the boat's outboard motor wasn't working for days, but it starts just when needed.
I would read another book by this author if the subject appealed, just for the beautiful prose.

I finished Still Waters, a mystery thriller set on the Swedish island of Sandhamm. It’s the first in the series. I enjoyed the descriptions of the setting and community. I felt I was there enjoying the Swedish summer weather, except murders were taking place shattering the idyllic and peaceful island where the only intrusion generally is the hordes of tourists that descend during the summer months. The author did a nice job keeping me guessing with the murder mystery. The police detective wasn’t too impressive with his sleuthing. I felt his lawyer friend was the real cop here. She did the work and handed him the info, lol. The writing style was simple, no wow factor, which for me is a minus. Overall it was an okay read. Nice to get this one off my TBR list.

Leonora wrote: "I just finished reading “before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi”

I have finished reading the first of four parts, 'The Lovers' of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It seems a gentle, and perhaps a slow start to the book. I enjoyed the storyline and the descriptions of the cafe setting. However, with the unfamiliar names it is a little hard to keep track of the characters. The time travel element is interesting especially with all the conditions attached. For example, get back before the coffee gets cold, the present cannot be changed etc.

I have now read the second and third parts of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Two more stories set in the cafe involving characters going back to their past. Though they cannot change things, it appears to be more about saying a kind word and seeking redemption.
Just one more story to go and then will comment on book as a whole.

I plan to start The Mimosa Tree Mystery today.

Enjoy Tammy.

That is a good selection, Tammy.

I finished reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold
This book grew on me and the further I read the more I enjoyed it.
The setting is a small windowless basement café in a quiet sidestreet, of Tokyo. It is old and has a timeless feel about it.
As the recurring characters became more familiar to me, I became more involved in their story. The stories of all four episodes of time travel seemed to have love as the central theme. The last story which involved travel to the future was very moving and sad.
I liked the style of writing and found this to be a book which has a lot in it to think about.

I just realized that the book I'm reading for the yearly challenge also fits the theme. lol I'm reading Legends & Lattes.

I didn't really want to read this for a long time because I have to be in the right mood to read fantasy, but I recently found that I do enjoy some of the lighter fantasy stories. I figured I'd give this a try since so many people seem to like it and I'm really glad I did.

This is lighter in a lot of ways. It sort of reads like YA, but not in an immature way. The writing is just easy to read, maybe a little simplistic. I know that might sound like I'm insulting it, but I'm really not. Sometimes it is nice to read something and not have to think too hard about about it. I'm able to picture it and just enjoy it. Plus, although there are all sorts of fantastical beings in this story, it doesn't make a big deal out of it. They just are.

I think I really like that the story doesn't take itself too seriously. It's really enjoyable.

A welcomed surprise, Kristie.

Yes, it was, Sandra. I did this last month too. I wonder if I'm choosing them subconsciously when deciding on a book.

Maybe your brain is so trained in gophering that it does it even when you are not trying. :)

Hahaha, maybe!

I finished Legends & Lattes today. It was a lot of fun. Definitely didn't have to think too much with it, actually it's probably better if you don't. I'm not sure if I'll read any of the others in the series, but I might.

my Legends & Lattes review

I'm glad you enjoyed it Kristie. More & more I want books for pure amusement and entertainment, yet I seem to get drawn into bleak stories like Isola. I'll have to check out Legends,

I think sometimes I have a hard time with science fiction or fantasy because there's world building and you need to really wrap your head around things. I enjoy it, but I have to be in the mood. This one was almost YA in concept. It was all just familiar enough with a simple story and it ended up being engaging and relaxing. Like you said, it was pure amusement and entertainment.

I read a lot of stories that are deeper or darker, sometimes hard to read based on content, but lately I find myself grabbing stuff like this too. I still want to read most of the others, but with lighter stuff thrown in as well.

I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading it, Janice.

I just finished How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz. I have had this on my TBR since 2023 and I am grateful for this challenge that motivated me to finally read it. Cara Romero is a Dominican immigrant living in Washington Heights who loses her factory job in the 2008 financial crash. She is required to meet with a job counselor to receive benefits and it is over the course of the sessions with the young counselor (view spoiler)[when she is describing her skills and experience through her uncensored, often painful and sometimes humorous storytelling sessions about key moments in her life, that the reader gets to know her and understand her life and choices. From her decision to leave an abusive husband and flee to the US as a single mom, to the forging of a community in her adopted home of Washington Heights, to tumultuous relationships with family and friends, to facing medical challenges and struggling with debt and the gentrification of “little DR,” Cara comes fully to life as she unleashes the memories of these moments in the context of who she is and her role in life/society. (hide spoiler)] Our fearless and feisty heroine reminds us, we all endure hardships and challenges and “…sometimes we need help to not drown in a glass of water.” I listened to the audiobook and strongly recommend it! ★★★★

That sounds like an interesting read. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

WOF Tammy’s wall

I finished reading The Mimosa Tree Mystery. This book was set in Singapore during the time of Japanese occupation. The main character is a young woman,crippled by polio, who has trained in detective work. This makes her valuable to the Japanese in solving the murder of her wealthy neighbor. I found her character likable and was dissapointed with her to (view spoiler)[find out that she is half Japanese (hide spoiler)]. I enjoyed the read, but had trouble really getting into the story. I gave it 3 stars.