Kristel's Year of the Rooster 2017, 2nd quarter

This is a continuation of Kristel's Year of the Rooster, Category challenge, 2017, http://www.librarything.com/topic/242877



2017 is the year of the Rooster in the Chinese Zodiac. I hope to spend more time following and reading books from the ToB (Tournament of Books) this year and also other awards such as The Booker, etc. The 2017 year of the Rooster is Fire.

F2F

January: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, 1/6/17, 5 stars
February: Suds in Your Eye by Mary Lasswell, 1/29/17, 3 stars
March: --Everything is Illuminated
April: Moonglow 4/23/17, 3.87
May: The Innocent Sleep, 5/15/17, 2.6
June: Seveneves, 6/23.17, 4.29 stars
July: Underground Railroad 7/22/17, 4.71 stars
August: Broken Verses 8/30/17
September: Vacationland by Sarah Stonich 9/30/17
October: Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman 10/18/17
Nov/Dec: Beartown by Fredrik Backman 11/20/17 3.25 stars

1001 Books

BOTM
January: If On A Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, 1/13/17, 3 stars
February: Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis 2/6/17, 5 stars
March: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, 3/7/17, 5 stars
April: Amerika: A new translation
May: 2001: a space odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, 3 stars Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos, 3.625 stars, Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee 4.42 stars.
June: Time's Arrow by Martin Amis, 6/18/17, 3,43 stars
July: Hallucinating Foucault by patricia Duncker, 7/4/17, 3.57 stars, Notes from Underground by Dostoesky, City of God
August: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, The Artamonov Business, Maxim Gorky, 3.5 stars
September: The Roots of Heaven by Romain Gary 4.75, Legend by David Gemmell 4
October: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, 4.75 stars
November: World's End by T. C. Boyle, 4.375
December: What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt 4.25

Seasonal Reads:
1. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 2/1/17, 4.5 stars
2. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, 7/10/17
3. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, 9/21/17
4.

Random

Challenges:

Others:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams, 2/4/17, 3.5 3 stars
War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, 2nd reading
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, 7/28/17, 3.85
American Rust by Philipp Meyer
The Wonderful O by James Thurber
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, 8/12/17

PBT

Psychological Thriller: Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet

January - foreign literature: If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter; The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Korean lit)
February - quirky: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams, 2/4/17, 3.5 3 stars
March - Ireland, High Dive - Jonathan Lee
April - bestsellers: Ready Player One Ernest Cline 4/5/17, 4 stars, Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg 4/7/17, 4 stars, Moonglow by Michael Chabon, 3.87 stars, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah,
May - 2004
June - coming of age: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
July -award winners: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
August - space opera: A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
September - american: Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
October - society: The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
November - African-American:African American The Obelisk Gate by Jemisin
December - social issues The Refugees, My Name is Not Easy, Sugar

SFF
Science Fiction, Fantasy Reads in 2017
January 2017 (Procrastination)
Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, 3.5
February: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams, 2/4/17, 3.5
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
March: Version Control by Dexter Palmer, 4 The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, 5 , Dune by Frank Herbert 5
April: All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders 3.5 , Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, 5 , Dune by Frank Herbert 5 , Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. 4
May: Aliens The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury, 3.875 stars, 2001: a space odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, 3.75 stars, War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 3.28 stars.
June: Series, Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, 4.85 stars. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, 4.14 stars
July: award winning,
August: Humor: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
September: Steam Punk, Soulless by Gail Carriger
October: Near Future Feed by M. T. Anderson
November: Historical Fantasy Jackaby by William Ritter
December: Magical Systems, Anansi Boys by Gaiman, The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanne Clarke, Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

75 + Timeline
Here I will keep track of books read and years of their original publication.




-560: Aesop's Fables by Aesop
1782: Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos
1845: The Cricket on the Hearth by charles Dickens
1852: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
1853: Bleak House by Charles Dickens
1864: Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 7/30/17
1868: The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 2/1/17
1897: War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells 5/19/17
1899: Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis, 2/6/17
1903: The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois, 10/22/17
1925: The Artamonov Business by Maxim Gorky, 3.5 stars, 8/18/17
1927: Amerika by Franz Kafka, 4/21/17
1942: Suds in Your Eye by Mary Lasswell, 1/29/17
1950: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, 5/7/17
1951: The End of the Affair by Graham Green, 8/2/17
1952: Invisible Man Ralph Ellison, 3/7/17
1954: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, 7/2/17
1956: The Roots of Heaven by Romain Gary, 9/22/17
1957: The Wonderful O by James Thurber, 7/16/17
1965: Dune by Frank Herbert, 3/26/17
1968: 2001: a space odyssey 5/8/17
1969: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, 6/6/17
1973: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, 8/12/17
1977: The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, 11/25/17
1979: If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino 1/13/17
1979: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 5/22/17
1980: Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee, 5/22/17
1984: Legend by David Gemmell 9/18/17
1985: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, 6/9/17
1986: Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, 1/6/17
1987: World's End by T. C. Boyle, 11/27/17
1988: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams, 2/4/17
1991: Barrayar by Lois Mc Master Bujold, 2/10/17
1991: Time's Arrow by Martin Amis, 6/18/17
1996: Hallucinating Foucault by Patricia Duncker, 7/4/17
1996: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, 7/10/17
2000: City of God by E. L. Doctorow, 7/29/17
2000: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, 10/24/17
2001: Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes,
2002: Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola, 5/14/17
2002: Feed by M. T. Anderson 10/7/2017
2002: What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt 12/17/17
2001: What I Love by Siri Hustvedt
2005: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln Doris Kearns Goodwin, 5/25/17
2005: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman 12/21/17
2006: The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
2007: The Vegetarian by Han Kang, 1/22/16
2009: American Rust by Philipp Meyer7/15/17
2009: Soulless by Gail Carriger, 9/7/17
2011: My Name is not easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
2011 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, 4/5/17
2011: A Horse Walks into a Barby David Grossman, 5/31/17
2011: Shadows on the Moon Zoe Marriott. 12/17/17
2012: Vacationland by Sarah Stonich, 9/30/17
2012: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, 11/16/17
2013: The Unwinding by George Packer, 1/25/17
2014: The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez, 3/13/17.
2014: Everything I Never Told You Celeste Ng, 6/10/17
2014: High Dive by Jonathan Lee 3/1/17
2014: The Innocent Sleep by Karen Perry 5/15/17
2014: Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler, 6/3/17
2014: A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, 8/19/17
2014: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James 10/2/17
2014: God Help the Child by Toni Morrison, 10/21/17
2014: Jackaby by William Ritter, 11/26/17
2015: Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg, 4/7/17
2015: A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson, finished 1/2/2017
2015: Grief is the Thing with Feathers, finished 1/20/17
2015: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, 6/23/17
2015: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich 5/1/17
2015: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler 5/12/17
2015: The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli, 5/29/17
2015: The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin, 10/27/17
2015: Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall
2016: All the Birds in The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, 3/31/17
2016: My Name is Lucy Barton - Elizabeth Strout - finished 2/10/17
2016: Version Control - Dexter Palmer - 3/12/17
2016: Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet, 1/28/17
2016: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, finished 1/6/17
2016: The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder, 1/17/17
2016: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, 3/18/17
2016: The Fireman by Joe Hill, 1/18/17
2016: The Sport of Kings by C. E. Morgan, 3/1/17
2016: Mister Monkey by Francine Prose, 3/20/17
2016: The Nix by Nathan Hill 2/19/17
2016: Moonglow by Michael Chabon 4/23/17
2016: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, 4/24/17
2016: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, 4/29/17
2016: Before the Fall Noah Hawley, 5/3/17
2016: When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
2016: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, 7/22/17
2016: Transit by Rachel Cusk, 10/29/17
2016: Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman, 10/18/17
2016: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, 11/21/17
2016: The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin, 11/22/17
2016: Wintering by Peter Geye 12/22/17
2017: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, 8/4/17
2017: The Night Ocean by Paul LaFarge, 7/2/17, 9/25/17
2017: Beartown by Fredrik Backman, 11/20/17
2017: The Refugees Viet Thanh Nguyen 12/22/17

ToB

January -- Year's Best lists and Costa Book Award -- hosted by DeltaQueen50COSTA AWARD
A God in Ruins 2015 Costa COMPLETED 1/2/2017
Best of Year: New York Times: The Vegetarian by Kang; NPR, The Fireman by Joe Hill

February -- Canada Reads competition and The Morning News Tournament of Books -- hosted by RidgewayGirl
Tournament of Books and other Awards read.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, 1/6/2017 5 stars
The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder 1/17/17 4 stars
Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter 1/20/17 5 stars
The Vegetarian by Han Kang 1/22/17 4 stars
Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet, 1/27/17 4 stars
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout 2/10/17
The Nix by Nathan Hill 2/19/2017
High Dive by Jonathan Lee, 3/1/17 4 stars
The Sport of Kings by C. E. Morgan, 3/1/17, 4 stars
Version Control by Dexter Palmer, 3/12/17, 5 stars
Mister Monkey by Francine Prose 3/20/17 4.5 stars
All the Birds In the Sky by Charlie Anders, 3/31/17, 3.5 stars
Moonglow by Michael Chabon, 4/23/17, 3.87 Stars

March -- The Newbery and Caldecott medals and other Genre Awards (any genre prize not already featured) -- hosted by cbl_tn
Newberry Award
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

April -- International Dublin Literary Award and the Pulitzer Prize -- hosted by luvamystery65 Longlist: Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg, Purity by Jonathan Franzen, longlist, short list, Dublin; The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli.

May -- Man Booker International Prize and the Edgar Awards -- hosted by jonesli Before the Fall - Noah Hawley, Edgar Award for Novel, 5/3/17, A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman Man Booker International short list

June -- The PEN Literary Awards and the National Book Award (USA) -- hosted by clue

July -- Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and any Science Fiction/Fantasy award -- hosted by sturlington

August -- Miles Franklin Award and the Stonewall Book Award -- hoisted by LisaMorr

September -- Man Booker Prize and O. Henry Award -- hosted by Kristelh 2015, A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

October -- Nobel Prize for Literature and the Giller Prize -- hosted by rabbitprincess God Help the Child by Toni Morrison (Nobel Prize) and Giller Short List Transit by Rachel Cusk

November -- Local Awards (a regional prize of your choice) -- hosted by Chrischi_HH Jackaby by Ritter, Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee for Honor book (2015), The Magnolia Award Nominee for 9-12 (2016)

December -- International awards (a prize from a country you aren't living in) -- hosted by Kistelh What I loved by Siri Hustvedt (won Quebec Award)

CATZ,

Other Challenge CATS:

Alpha
Jan - M & S Ethan of Athos Lois McMaster Bujold, The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder, Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter Sweet Lamb of Heaven and Lydia Millet, both S and M in this last. Suds in Your Eye by Mary Lasswell (S-suds, M-Mary)
Feb - W & H, The Nix by Nathan Hill
Mar - E & K The Sport of Kings by C. E. Morgan, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Apr - I & D
May - C & T
Jun - Y & N Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler,
Jul - B & G
Aug - O & F
Sep - U & P The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett
Oct - A & V
Nov - L & Q
Dec - J & R

Culture:

January for Ethics in Science & Technology -- hosted by mathgirl40..... Ethan of Athos by McMaster Bujold
February for Medicine & Public Health -- hosted by luvamystery65 Barrayar by McMaster Bujold
March for Cultural Awareness & Diversity -- hosted by whitewavedarling Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Book of Unknown Americans
April for for Religious Diversity & Freedom hosted by EBT1002
May for Gender Equality -- hosted by sallylou61
June for Environmentalism/Conservation (including global warming concerns) -- hosted by LibraryCin
July for Violence, Crime & Justice -- hosted by DeltaQueen50
August for Impact of Natural disasters -- hosted by LibraryCin
September for Journalism & the Arts -- hosted by Kristelh
October for Poverty -- hosted by jonesli
November for Conflict & War (including terrorism) -- hosted by LisaMorr Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.
December for Cultural Flow & Immigration -- hosted by katiekrug

Woman:
January: Classics by women -- japaul22 Suds in Your Eyes Mary Lasswell
February: Debut books -- LittleTaiko nada
March: Genres -- sturlington The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquz and The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, Mister Monkey by Francine Prose
April: Biography/autobiography/memoir -- sallylou61
May: Women in the arts -- Violetbramble
June: Professional women -- LittleTaiko
July: Women of color -- luvamystery65
August: Nonfiction or historical fiction -- LibraryCin
September: Children's/YA/Graphic novels -- DeltaQueen50
October: Regional reading -- RidgewayGirl
November: LGBT/Feminist writing -- mathgirl40
December: Modern (post-1960) novels by women -- christina_reads

Random:
Jan - rabbitprincess Search and Rescue: Ethan of Athos by McMaster Bujold
Feb - RidgewayGirl Mine, Yours, Ours My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Mar - LibraryCin Luck of the Irish: High Dive by Jonathan Lee
Apr - dudes22 Love in the stacks: Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg, Overdrive audio, Purity by Jonathan Franzen, overdrive, audio book
May - DeltaQueen50
Jun - majkia
Jul - jonesli
Aug - LittleTaiko
Sep - whitewavedarling
Oct - christina_reads
Nov - Chrischi_HH
Dec - VioletBramble

Bingo


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4. Set in a Place you want to visit: A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson, set in England
20. Debut Novel, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
16. Science Related: Ethan of Athos McMaster Bujold, genetic engineering
11: Book About Books: If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
12: Title refers to another literary work, The Fireman by Joe Hill refers to Farenheit 451
21: Book or Title about an Animal (Crow) Grief is the Thing with Feathers
14. Author shares your first and last initials. I am using The Vegetarian by Han Kang which turned around would be K and H
22. Place Name in Title: The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America, place America.
7. Appeals to the senses: Sweet Lamb of Heaven This book is about "hearing"
8. Published 1942, Suds in Your Eye
24: set in a time before I was born: The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
23: set in a beach community, this book is in Rio and the ocean is a part of the story, Dom Casmurro
5. One word title; Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
1. A Satire: The Nix BY Nathan Hill
6. The author uses initials, C. E. Morgan, author of The Sport of Kings
9. Made into a movie; Dune by Frank Herbert
2. Set in a country you've never been, Purity by Franzen, this is set in East Germany and Bolivia and the US, I have not been to East Germany or Bolivia.
10. Short Stories The Martian Chronicles By Ray Bradbury
19: book written by author born in 1917, Arthur C. Clarke
3. Color in title, A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler.
18. Author abroad, Valeria Luiselli wrote The Story of My Teeth while living in New York, Mexican author, story set in Mexico. Jumex Juice factory.
17: Author born in the 30s, E. L. Doctorow, City of God
15: Owned More than 5 years, The Blind Assassin by Atwood
13. Read a CAT, read Code Name Verity for culture CAT in November.
25. Next book in a series, The Obelisk Gate

Happy new thread!

(Check your code - a lot of your covers didn't appear.)

Happy new thread! You're doing very well with the Bingo!

You are doing well with your Bingo! Posting to keep following!

27. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, 4 stars

This is a fun read that everyone should read but especially lovers of all things 80s. I listened to the audio book read by Will Wheaton who is also mentioned in the book. A story about gaming but you don't need to be a gamer, like gaming or have knowledge of gaming to enjoy this book. This is the classic good vs evil story that made the New York Times bestseller as a hardback, paperback and trade paperback. It won awards; The Alex Award and the Prometheus Award. Reportedly by Wikipedia, a movie by Spielberg is on the way with a scheduled release in 2018. Should make for lots of sitting on the edge of your seat action. The story is set in a dystopian world, United States with characters hardly leaving the web for anything but eating and sleeping and probably not much of the latter.

>13 Kristelh: Rarely has a book given me as much sheer enjoyment as RPO. I talked one student into reading it and its popularity rose through word of mouth as a must read book.

>13 Kristelh: I'm taking a BB on this one.

>13 Kristelh: That sounds like fun! I've taken a bullet.

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg, 3.3 stars Random
Four people die in a house fire and June is the only survivor and really there are no survivors. June leaves in the car which is all she has left and ends up on the west coast in Washington on the Pacific Ocean. The death of these four people brings a web of connections together. The story is told by alternating perspectives and examines grief, loss and guilt. I enjoy books that examine grief and loss but this really is a book more about guilt and regret. This book has made a lot of lists but hasn't won any prizes yet including the Booker Man long list. It is currently on the International Dublin long list. I listened to the audio which was read by the author. This was a mistake. The author can read, he reads fine but that's just it, he is reading and he has a male voice and it never changes. There are many perspectives, mostly women characters and it is hard to keep track of who is the current narrator because they all sound the same. Still I will have to say I enjoyed the book but the reason it was so enjoyable is that when June drives to Washington she ends up at the Pacific Ocean. I just returned from Washington where this book takes place; Aberdeen, Lake Quinault, Gray's Harbor, Ocean Beaches. What a nice surprise. I had no idea that I had started a book that was set in places I had been. I walked along the shore at Aberdeen, the beach at Ocean Beaches and I stayed at the Lodge on Lake Quinault. Every year I get a calendar delivered to me from the Quinault Indians which have a part in the book.

29. Purity by Jonathan Franzen, 3.5 stars
The novel is the story of Purity a young woman raised by her reclusive mother without any information about her father. Purity wants to find her father. There simply is no family in this book. There is the absence of family. In Franzen style, these characters are not all that likable. I totally disliked Purity starting out. I found his East German character beyond belief but over all the story grew on me. What really was the most interesting to me is that I am also reading Infinite Jest at the same time and I couldn't help but notice the strong influence that book had on this book. The author discussed the book at the end and he did not mention it but the points of similarity are the mother's attempt in school to produce a movie to get her message across and her stating that her movies are never finished. Another incident is the tennis playing. The main points are the lack of family and that in this digital age we can't keep secrets no matter how hard we try. Franzen tells us at the end of the book that he creates characters that are neurotic, strongly personality disordered and in this book mentally ill. Over all, I enjoyed the book, but I also found it just a bit beyond believable. But still, Franzen is a good author and well worth reading and he does a nice job of bringing the book to conclusion which often is a weak point for authors.

30. Amerika by Franz Kafka, 3.8 stars 1001
I read an audio book narrated by George Guidall. He does a very good job of narrated the story. Franz Kafka's last book and this translated is truer to the original condition. Kafka had left instructions to burn all his work. Thank goodness that wasn't done. This is the story of an immigrant that comes to the United States. It is like short little adventures here and there and nothing really goes well in the end. Probably the most reality based book Kafka wrote it was never finished but he thought of it as his American novel. Kafka never visited America. This book starts with a picture of the statue of liberty with a punishing sword and Karl our protagonist is being punished by being sent to America. As an immigrant his own desires are completely disregarded in this book. Everyone poor Karl meets take advantage of him and use him even though Karl is a nice guy and more than willing to help out his acquaintances. There is a sex scene in this book where Karl is basically raped by one of the servants. It is the reason he has been sent to Amerika. It is well done, if only author's could take a hint if they think sex scenes need to be a part of their books. The poor Karl does seem to finally find a home in Oklahama but who knows if it would have lasted if Kafka had finished the book.

31. Moonglow by Michael Chabon, 3.87 stars f2f
While the book is historical in this context, it is a story of family secrets and madness. Grandpa married a young Jewish woman who had a child who has bouts of madness and dies. It is about his love and his grief after her death. On another level it is about anger, perhaps the damage of anger, and the decision to let go of anger. The story is told over the week to his grandson (Chabon) as grandfather is dying of cancer. Rating 3.87

32. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Memoir of life in South Africa by Trevor Noah. I have to admit that I did not know anything about Trevor Noah. This was my first introduction to him. He is great to listen to on this audio book that gives the reader a look at the culture/history of South Africa from just before Apartheid ended to the present. I now have a better picture of Apartheid and of South Africa than I did before I read this book. Rating 3.75. Loved listening to Trevor Noah.

33. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, Canadian Author, Climb the PBT stairs
The first of a series written by Canadian author, Sylvain Neuvel. The story starts with a young girl who falls in a hole and lands in a large hand. This hand defies explanation so mostly it is abandoned until years later. The question is who built this hand and is there more parts and why is the hand not heavier than it is. Later the same girl who fell in the hand is a scientist who is working on research of the hand and the head of team made of an army helicopter pilot and linguist from Canada and a geneticist from Eastern Block country.

Genesis 6:4 KJV, "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."

It is a debut novel and perhaps not all unique. Science Fiction, Political thriller. I enjoyed the book and guess I probably will have to read the second book. Anyone who knows my reading style knows I really hate having to read series. The audio of this was so well done. The book is written in epistolary style with a combination of journal entries, mission logs, official reports, news articles and interview transcripts. The writing is compared to World War Z. Over all it may not be a new idea in sci fi but this book is a thriller and it addresses issues of origin of species and what would you do if you owned this technology. The plot holds together and pulls you in. The characters are very interesting people who you can love or hate. It is very readable and audio is excellent with a full cast. For a debut novel, I think the author did a pretty good job and book two is already out. I think he achieved what he set out to do. I know his book was nominated for Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2016). 4.125 stars

34. The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, This is the first of the free audio sync books for 2017. LT predicts I probably won't like it and it is accurate. This is a book about young people, dark arts, mental illness and dissociative identity disorder vs paranormal. It is a debut novel by the author Dawn Kurtagich. Dawn Kurtagich is a writer of psychologically sinister fiction. She lives in Wales.She writes and blogs for YA Scream Queens and is a member of the YA League. The Dead House is very dark. It is told through a mixture of medias such as diary entries, news clippings, video footage, and various interviews. There is swearing, sex, cutting, eating disorder, dark arts, hallucinations and a whole lot of violence. There are some interesting psychological terms including the title Dead House. Houses often being ourselves. There is a Jungian feel as well. Is there anything particularly new in the book. This is certainly not the first book to use mixture of media to tell the story (Epistolary style), in fact Dracula used this format. It also isn't the first young adult book that has cutting, swearing, sex, violence. The plot was difficult because of the multiple media used, the various characters (seemed like a surplus of characters) and the jumping back and forth. The setting is in England, an old school and a psychiatric hospital. I do think the author did achieve what she sent out to do and that was to write a book that would enlighten the reader about DID (dissociative identity disorder). Stars: 2.6

35. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, AwardCAt, Edgar
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley is the winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel 2017. Noah Hawley is a television writer and producer, screenwriter, and bestselling author, best known for creating and writing the FX television series Fargo and Legion. This is the story of a recovering alcoholic artist who gets on a private plane at the last minute on his way to New York to set up a showing of his more recent paintings and ends up finding himself swimming for shore like Jack Lelane, hauling a four year old boy instead of a boat. The story is about survival and how one copes with surviving such a disaster but it is also about the condition of journalism that is more interested in ratings and telling a story rather than reporting facts. I started this book May 1st and finished May 3rd so I guess I would say this story pulls you in and doesn't let go. The setting is the current times (2015). I have to say, the descriptions of the paintings are really intriguing and while I know this is a work a fiction, I would like to see them. So this story is about how we tell ourselves stories in the absence of facts, its about the randomness of life that will place one person on a plane that is going to crash while another stays home and it is about loss. It's a really great story that captures the spirit of the age and mood of the current times. It's a mystery and it has some great characters. Most glaring is the loud mouth journalist. My rating 4.13

I've put a hold on Before the Fall and am glad to hear you enjoyed it!

36. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, SF, Aliens
I listened to the audiobook and in the introduction the author tells the reader how the Chronicles came to be. He also tells the reader that this is not science fiction because there is no science. It is a collection of short stories that are at the same time good prose, philosophy and story telling. The stories share some connections and are about colonizing Mars by humans from earth. Time period covered is from the 2000 to 2026.

The author wrote them as short stories but later was encouraged to publish them as a book so there are some short vignettes to connect the stories. I think the publishing date is 1950 for the first edition by Doubleday. The genres are considered to be Science fiction, Post-apocalyptic fiction, Horror, Dystopian fiction.

There is a lot of literary influence in these stories. Bradbury said the John Carter of Mars books and Harold Foster's 1931 series of Tarzan Sunday comics had such an impact on his life that "The Martian Chronicles would never have happened" otherwise. Bradbury cited the Barsoom stories and Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson as literary influences.

I liked the Fire Balloons that addresses evangelism and Christianity and the concept of sin in other beings. Especially interesting was Usher II which addresses censorship and moral police (House of Usher, Poe) and would later be revisited when the author wrote Fahrenheit 451. And the last story, The Million Year Picnic, reminds me of an Adam Eve type story.

Over all, you can tell that these stories are dated and the audio was good but not exceptional in any way. While the stories are dated you can still recognize how a book written in 1950 contributed to a lot of current literature and it does capture the age it was written (cold war, fear of blowing up the earth, rocketry).

Rating 3.875

37. 2001: a space odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. 1001, aliens
I watched the movie when it came out in 1968 and finally got the book read. Not sure why it took me so long, it is not a long book. I found Hal and space travel really scary. This book was written in conjunction with Stanley Kubrick and the film was released before the book. When this movie and book were first released man had not yet walked on the moon. This book covers from early man-ape to the evolution of man to star child. It is a book about technology, artificial intelligence, aliens, and space travel. The book actually is quite detailed about the space travel. I found the book slow to get into. For me it was hard to engage until Hal becomes malevolent and has to be taken out. That is quite a tension filled section. I also found the last sections of the book to be like the first part. I just wasn't all that engaged. The movie was quite awesome, ahead of its time and received awards for visual affects. Arthur C. Clarke born in 1917 was a British science fiction author. 2001 is made up of some short stories he had written. The book and movie were worked on in tandem. The editor's of 1001 state that while the details of the passage of time made the author's projected futuristic developments not age well, Clarke is known and respected for the many fictional predictions that have become fact. Rating 3.75

>24 Kristelh: - I have that one in my July TBR stack - happy to see a positive review.

38. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler A Spool of Blue Thread (2015) by Anne Tyler is a book that made many long and short list but hasn't won any prizes. I have a lot of Anne Tyler on my shelf but hadn't read any until now, so I have rectified that. I liked this book immediately. I was pulled into the story of this family; hardworking people trying to make things better for themselves, to give their children what they never had. So I finished this last night and this morning upon waking I started thinking, what was this book about, who was the protagonist. Why did I like this book when the structure was so jarring. This is a story of family, there really is no protagonist. There are the original parents who moved to Baltimore, the next generation who raise their children in the home that his father had bought. The parents are aging, the children are adult and mostly launched except Denny. More and more of the family unspoken history is revealed and then one of the characters dies and it is like you start over from a different point of view, then you start over from another point of view. The protagonist in this book is the family and because it is also about aging which is a subject are always resonate to, that is why I liked this book. Rating 4.0

39. Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola The book, Pagan Christianity? is not exactly about Paganism but really is about the where the current way we do Church actually comes from and how does this fit with the how the Bible describes the early church. Frank Viola is an advocate for the home church movement. George Barna is the chairman of Good News Holdings, founder and leader of The Barna Group, a research and resource firm. The topic is the true church, the body of Christ and how the institutional church is in direct conflict of the true church. The structure basically introduces the topic and then looks at the various parts of church; the building, the order of worship, sermon, pastor, Sunday Dress, music ministries, tithing, baptism and Lord's Supper, Christian education, the New Testament, the Savior. The book does not cover all the topics comprehensively but there are footnotes and lists of resources if a person wants to pursue more information. Each sections entertains questions that a person might ask about the topic. I liked the cover and page layouts, I found the book easy to read though admit that it took awhile to get the book done. I think the book would accomplish what the author wanted to achieve including inspiring a person to see church differently or even look for an organic home church. Rating 3.8

>30 Kristelh: Interesting! My father and mother hosted a mission in our house until they were large enough to rent a building and then eventually build their own. It was a good experience for me.

40. The Innocent Sleep by Karen Perry f2f
The Innocent Sleep by Karen Perry (Karen Perry is the pen name of Dublin-based authors Paul Perry and Karen Gillece). The story starts out in Tangiers, Morocco. The couple are living there as artists, and they have a son. He dies in an earthquake and they move back to Ireland where she is an architect and he is an artist. Harry is unsympathetic character with a lot of things to fault him for. It's a mystery so not to give anything away. The couple are trying to get on with their lives. Harry believes his son is still alive, Robyn believes he died in an earthquake. The book would be considered a psychological thriller with a few twists and turns, not so much that you can't guess what's going to happen. I wasn't overly impressed with this one, didn't feel that believable but it was for my f2f book club and it wasn't difficult to finish. Rating 2.625

41. Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 1001
I read this (and listened to it). My book was translated by Helen Constantine. The book is an epistolary book written by the author in 1782 and is an excellent example of a a pre soap opera book set in France. I didn't care for the characters. It reminded me just a bit of The Charterhouse of Parma. This book was quite scandalous when it was written and it serves as a morality tale. Rating: 3.75

42. War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells SF, Aliens
A reread for me, better the second time. Story that covers a lot but isn't very long. Rating 3.625

Stopping by to get caught up. Fantastic job with your Bingo reading! Happy to see you enjoyed Ready Player One. As an 80's teen, I could relate to a lot of the 80's pop culture mentioned throughout the book. ;-)

43. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, reread, SF Aliens
The second time to read this book. I found it a bit more hilarious than the first time I read it but the best part are the first few pages then it loses some of its momentum. Over all, a fun read, audio was well done and I own it so probably will read it again someday. I thought of the talking, annoying robots and computer voices and thought of Hal from 2001 a Space Odyssey and I also thought of those annoying voices of GPS in our vehicles and Siri and Alexa, etc. I think that was forward thinking on the author's part. Rating 3.285 (so the 3 star rating stands)

44. Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee 1001 Books This book, written by South African author J. M. Coetzee in 1980, tells the story of a magistrate of an outpost of the Empire. The magistrate and the Empire are never given a name. The Empire sends some soldier's or government agents to investigate the barbarians and to stop any insurrection that might be brewing. Their methods are brutal. They learn nothing about the culture. They capture and torture people who probably have no information and they do unspeakable cruelties. The magistrate finds himself confronted with knowledge that he wishes he could avoid, cover his head, stick his head int he sand but he no longer can do so. Later the magistrate is removed from his office, accused of treason and also tortured. In between there is this diversion where he finds one of the female torture victim and there is a quite a bit of pages about his messaging her, oiling her and in general doing some kind of penance to make up for his allowing such cruelty. I do think this story may reflect how it might be to be South African in a country under apartheid which Coetzee was when he wrote this story. He was one of the privileged. This magistrate may be the author. The Empire may be South Africa. There is a lot of sexual content that I think might be significant. It did not read as gratuitous. The magistrate was a womanizer but in the end he barely was able to engage with other people. Another item that is reoccurring are eyes and especially blind eyes. What i got from the book is that if you use torture then you are the barbarian. If you try to be blind to what your country is doing, you still are participating and you are a barbarian. I think Coetzee is very good with his writing though his stories are far from enjoyable pleasure reads. Rating 4.42

45. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
I have to admit that even though I thought I knew about the civil war and Abraham Lincoln, I learned so much from this book. Lincoln truly was a political genius and a really great humanitarian. This is the first book that I have read by the author, Doris Kearns Goodwin. Goodwin is an author of presidential biographies. I really enjoyed the book because of how it showed the executive office of the presidency and his cabinet working. The same political ploys that exist today was present in the 1800s. This book also was a new look at the Civil War. I was very upset with General McClellen, I thought he should be tried for treason. The war could have been so much shorter with less lives lost if he would have done his job right. Lincoln wasn't without his mistakes. I think he should have dealt with guy a whole lot sooner but on the most part, Lincoln was very wise and a nice guy. Finally the book provides a look at slavery, abolitionist, political parties including the birth of the republican party. This was a nonfiction book that fit well with Cloudsplitter and Good Lord Bird. 5 stars

46. The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli, Dublin shortlist The Story of My Teeth by Mexican author Valeria Luiselli, translated by Christina MacSweeney and published by Coffee House Press is an unique experience to say the least. Valeria Luiselli was born in Mexico City (1983) and grew up in South Africa. She currently lives in New York City.
Christina MacSweeney the translator specializes in Latin American fiction. She has her own chapter in the book titled The Chronologic which centers the novel in chronologic order and serves as a kind of index or map of the works. I really liked it.

The publisher is a nonprofit literary publisher located in Minnesota.

The goal of the publisher is "celebrate imagination" of which this book is a perfect example. The afterword tells us that this work is a work of collaboration. The author was commissioned to write a work of fiction for the catalog of The Hunter and The Factory. Jumex (Mexican juice) has a large art collection. There is a gap between two worlds, gallery and factory. The author decided to write this book in segments and have it read at the factory with workers. (This was done in cigar factories in Cuba). the book was written therefore in collaboration with the factory and with factory workers. NPR review refers to the work as a kind of novel-essay and I think that is excellent description of a book about teeth, collections, fortune cookies and contributions various authors (Robert Graves, Charles Lamb, Proust) and texts. Another interesting fact is that Luiselli never was at the factory or met any of the workers reading and listening to her work while she wrote the book. Two people from the Jumex team took pictures of the artwork, gallery, neighborhood and sent them to her so she could virtually experience the spaces she was writing about. All of these components made this book one that I wanted to read and am glad to have taken the time to enjoy. Even the book's feel, look and structure is an art form. Rating 4.29

47. A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman AwardCat
A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman, translated by Jessica Cohen and on the short list for the Booker International is about a stand-up comedian who is playing in Netanya, Israel. He has asked a friend from school days to be there. In this story told in dialogue of a comedian and the POV of his friend from school days we the reader slowly learn about the man's life and a bit about the politics of Israel which sounds like their is a need to be politically correct. The narrator is the friend, a retired judge who is there to watch the comedian and to give him some feedback.

The structure of the story being told through the judge who is witnessing his old school friend on stage pour out his life to all. I appreciated the look at life in Israel that is portrayed in the book. The story is told in little jerks of emotion in between one liners that one would expect from a stand up comedian. I also think that comedians could be the saddest people that we often use humor or other emotions to cover our sadness. The characters that are fully developed are the comedian, Greenstein and the judge Lavar. There are a few other characters but we only see them through the judge's eyes so we know nothing about them except what he observes or what the comedian tells the audience. I read t he book in a couple of days so it was fairly easy to stay interested in the book. The book was nominated for the short list the 2017 MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE. It is stand up comedy so there is some sexual content in the jokes and the comedian also attacks political correctness and the Palestinian issue, but mostly this is a story about betrayal, loss and survival. Rating 4.42

48. Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler, published 2014 is a story of men's friendships set in current times in Wisconsin. It was like an ode to the midwest for me. The setting was Wisconsin but Minnesota got a lot of honorary mention being the nearest large airport and city. The story offers nothing new in originality or inventiveness. The plot is complete with different POV that allow for character development. We have the man who stayed in the home town, married his childhood friend and farms. We have the bull rider who is "broken" and alcoholic, the composer and singer of the album Shotgun Lovesongs and the man bought the old mill. I enjoyed the book but there was a lot of sexual content, a lot of heavy alcohol consumption and heavy on the swearing. it is a debut novel. My rating for the book is 2.71

>37 Kristelh: I enjoyed your review of Waiting for the Barbarians. The only Coetzee I've read is Disgrace but I have Age of Iron waiting on my shelves. There seem to be a large number of Coetzee's works on the 1001 list.

>42 mathgirl40:, yes, 1001 is a little heavy on Coetzee. I really liked Elizabeth Costello but Waiting for the Barbarians too.

>38 Kristelh: I started that one last year and got distracted. I'm about to start it again and am looking forward to it.

>39 Kristelh: - That was a weird but fascinating book. I loved he auction tie in.

>41 Kristelh: I'm about 3/4 of the way through Shotgun Lovesongs now. I'm really liking it.

49. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursual K. Le Guin
The Left Hand of Darkness is a science fiction/fantasy work by feminist author Ursula K. Le Guin and was published in 1969. In this work, part of the Hainish Cycle, the effects of gender on culture is explored. The alien in this book is from Terra (Earth) where there is male and female and he has come to Gethen which is populated by a people of no fixed sex. His mission is to unite Gethen to the Ecumen but Ai does not know how to communicate with the Gethen because of the difference in gender. The title comes from Taoism. Here is a quote from page 287 of the book I read, "It is yin and yang, Light is the left hand of darkness...how did it go? Light, dark. Fear, courage. Cold, Warmth. Female, male. It is yourself, Therem. Both and one. A shadow on the snow."In addition the book does have a bit of ecology in it but it is not the main theme. There is also politics and government; the author preferring no government.

I especially liked the introduction to the book written by the author. I recommend reading it before reading the book. It does not give away the story. "Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive. Predictions are uttered by prophets (free of charge), by clairvoyants (who usually charge a fee, and are therefore more honored in their day than prophets), and by futurologists (salaried). Prediction is the business of prophets, clairvoyants, and futurologists. It is not the business of novelists. A novelist's business is lying." and more, really great stuff.

The book is a significant contribution to literature being one of the first published in the feminist science fiction genre. It also captures the mood of the time which was heavily laden with feminism. It remains relevant today in looking at and asking the question of how does gender effect society. The plot was well developed but did not answer all questions as this is part of the Hainish Cycle and the author tells bits and pieces from the various works. The characters are interesting and include several but the main characters are the Gethenian, Estraven and the Terran, Genly Ai (the narrator) and their relationship to each other that develops over a long journey in the cold of the planet Winter. I found the book enjoyable, I listened to the audio and also had the book. It is narrated by George Guidall. The author reads the introduction (not part of the original but added later) and the last part that gives information about the Gethenian Calendar and clock. The book won both the Hugo and the Nebula. It is also on the NPR 100 Science Fiction/Fantasy books to read. The book covers a bit about sexuality and gender. It was not done in any explicit way but spends time in a scientific manner so to speak to explain reproduction in a society where you are apt to be male or female depending on how it all works out during a cycle. It all fit well, the political agenda was feminism and to examine effects of gender on society. rated 4.85

50. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

This is the first book in the Ender's Series. It is a young adult series and this is military science fiction. Ender is taken to military training at age 6. He is a third. Families are not allowed to have three children unless the third is given to the government to use in the bugger wars. These children are trained by playing military games. It has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards. The book has also made it on the Modern Library 100 lists, The American Library List and NPR top 100 SF/Fantasy books. It is also mandatory reading in the military (the Marines) for training theory, leadership, and ethics . It is quite violent. Language is generally non offensive but can be strong and includes name calling and minor references to reproduction all appropriate to the novel. I found it to be entertaining but I don't feel that it offered new ideas. I think there are other books where aliens are insects and communicate by the whole rather than individual. The plot was good. Characters were well developed. It was written to reflect the time and updated by the author to make it still relevant. Rated 4.14

>40 Kristelh: - Interesting review. I haven't read any Grossman books, although I do own a copy of To The End of the Land, which I probably should get around to reading at some point.

51. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng,

This book has been on my TBR for awhile but just never quite making it to one that I actually got read. I knew going into the story that it was about the death of a child of a Chinese American family so that is not a spoiler. The book tells you right away that Lydia is dead. This story is about family but more than that, it is about a failure to communicate. The parents meet and marry in the fifties when interracial marriage is rare and illegal. One parent wants to be different and one wants to fit in. Marilyn, the mother, is on the cusp of women's rights. She wants to be a doctor. James Lee is a Chinese born in America and he has always been "different". He wants to fit in. The Lee's have three children, their first born Nathan, second Lydia and the youngest Hannah but all the attention by the parents are poured into Lydia. This is a story of parents trying to live their own dreams through their children.

This story is very sad and difficult to read but tells the impact of a loss of child in a family. A loss that is riddled with unanswered questions that will never have a satisfactory answer. We the readers get multiple POV so we "know" but family members only get bits and pieces and their knowing will depend on their abilities to grapple with their own issues.

My reactions: The book has some originality and understanding of the content. The plot is well done. As deep as this families problems were, the years of not communicating, it was hard to accept that they were able to come together to overcome such a huge tragedy. Characters are well developed. I listened to the book in one day but whether the story pulled me in or I simply had the opportunity to read continuously is more likely. The book examined racial attitudes of the fifties, sixties and seventies (fits time period of the reader) with some efforts of political correctness (minor) and a bit excessive on the sexual content beyond what was actually needed. Score 4.

52. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis published 1991 is the story of Dr. Tod T. Friendly, living in the United States, who once worked in Auschwitz as a doctor. The story is told in reverse chronology and makes the mere 165 pages a very laborious read. No doubt Martin Amis is a skilled writer but this is not the first book written about a man's life lived backwards because there is Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The difference in this case, the man is old and dying and maybe his life is flashing backwards and it is told by the narrating soul of the man. It is all very confusing. I can't really say I enjoyed the story. I felt that there was inconsistencies and the plot, story board and turning points were difficult using reverse chronology. My rating is 3.43

53. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, story of earths end and recreation. 4.29 stars

54. The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge, rated 4 stars. A mixed bag but well done. Mystery, historical, a book about books and authors.

55. Hallucinating Foucault by Patricia Duncker, published in 1996 was her debut novel. It is the story of a postgraduate students quest from Cambridge to psychiatric hospital to the shores of southern France to rescue the author of his thesis. It is the story of the love between the writer and the reader.

The author of the book is called Paul Michel which happens to be the name of Michel Foucault. Paul-Michel Foucault is a famous French philosopher whose thories address power and knowledge. Foucault died in 1984 of complications of HIV/AIDs. The writer Paul Michel quit writing after the death of his "reader" Michel Foucault.

The book was published in 1996 and addressed issues of homosexuality, madness, and touched on AIDS/HIV. The originality is the part about addressing the love affair between writer and reader but this is not a new thought. It has been covered in other books like If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. The plot was mostly connected but the connecting of Paul Michel and Michel Foucault, the Germanist, the doctor, etc was all a little loose. The characters wer mostly well developed, the setting and scenes were descriptive with a lot of comments about smells especially of the asylum smelling of urine and excrement. It was readable. A short book and I finished it in a couple of days of reading. It won a prise in England and it is on the 1001 Books list. The book addressed issues of homosexuality such as a choice or born that way. The prose was mostly good with some foul language and sexual content. Sexual content is not overly descriptive but it is present.

56. Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace, 4 stars. So glad to have finished, took me way to long but I am happy to have read it.

57. When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore, 2.86 stars. Gender book, young adult, lots of sexual content.

58. American Rust by Philipp Meyer, 1001 Book, Summer Road Trip rating 3.43

59. The Wonderful O by James Thurber, children's book, word play, great book for adults. rating 3.86 1001 Books, Summer Road Trip

60. The Underground Railroad by Coleson Whitehead, great story of slavery both in past and now, alternate history, Award winning. Rating 4.71 f2f, AwardCat

61. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 1001 Books, Summer Road Trip Finally read this one, so glad I did. Good to read it after reading Coleson Whitehead's book. 3.85

62. City of God by E. L. Doctorow, 1001 Books BOTM, Bingo Card #17 A bit hard to read, philosophy, existential 3.14

63. Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1001 Books BOTM another existential novel. My least favorite Dosteovsky. Rating 3.43

64. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, 1001 Books BOTM story of an affair, love/hate. Rating 4.28

65. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, long list for Booker Audio, well casted. Story of grief, historical fiction. Rating 3.71

>62 Kristelh: Glad you enjoyed The End of the Affair! I really need to reread it one of these days.

>59 Kristelh: - I'm planning on reading that one in the next month or two. Seems like one I should have read before now.

>65 LittleTaiko: - Loved the casting for the audio version - they did such a great job.

>65 LittleTaiko:, I should have read it before too but glad to have read it when I did. Y
Yes the casting (Lincoln in the Bardo?) was great.

66. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, reread, always good, read for Summer road trip

67. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, SciFi, humor, 1001 Books

68. The Artamonov Business by Maxim Gorky, published 1925, Family Saga of The Artamonov's from the time shortly after Tsar Alexander abolished serfdom, beginning of the industrial revolution that came to an end with the Bolshevik Revolution. 1001 Reads

69. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Fun space opera with interesting characters, more about relationships than series science fiction.
SFFkitten

70. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Great travelogue (written in the sixties) by one of my favorite authors. Rating 3.75 stars

71. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie. Story of mother daughter relationship, grief/loss, arts and politics. Was a slow read. Rating 3 stars. f2f

72. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. A light read. Not the best but certainly an okay read. Rating 2.75 stars

73. Soulless by Gail Carriger, Rating 2.88. Story was fun (steampunk) but too much sexual content.

74. Legend by David Gemmell Reading 1001
4 stars

75. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, second time that I've read this. Got more this time and can see another reading someday. Rating, 4.75. Reading 1001

76. The Roots of Heaven Romain Gary. Excellent book set in Africa after WWII and colonialism coming to an end in Africa. Reading 1001

77 What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era by Peggy Noonan.
Memoir of a speech writer to Ronald Reagan administration. Rating 3.13 CultureCat

78. Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. This a great story that I wished was nonfiction. Rating 4.62

79. Vacationland by Sarah Stonich. Rating 3.125. connected short stories, great array of characters set in place (northeastern Minnesota).

80. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Winner of the Booker, 2015, audio was well done but this is a very violent. Rating 4.25

81. Feed by M.T. Anderson,
The audio aspect of this book featuring the Feed was a great part of the audio. Rating; 3.37

82. God Help the Child Toni Morrison AwardCat Nobel Prize for Literature (author)

Read this as a quick read to get a good start on October Readathon. It was good but not up to Ms Morrison's usual standard. I still enjoyed it.

Rating 3.5 stars

83. The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois

Nonfiction/essay, written in 1903. This author was very interesting. He was the first black man to earn a doctorate in the U.S. He challenges Booker T. Washington of selling the blacks short and campaigned for education here in the US and overseas.

84. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood Rating 4.75 Reading 1001

covers the time period from just before WWI to just after WWII and actually into 1999. It is the story of two sisters. Iris is the sister who is telling the story in her old age and she is such a perfectly developed "old" person. I just loved her as the senior Iris, not so much as the young Iris. The story is not only historical, a story about sisters, it is also a mystery and a bit of science fiction.

85. The Fifth Season by N.K.Jemisin Rating 4.00

this book kept popping up in my horizon (like an obelisk) until I finally bought it. This is a first book in The Broken Earth Series) and I found it to be entertaining. Racism, ecology, strong female characters, sexual diversity, this book covers a lot, a book that starts with the END, status quo is unacceptable.

86. Transit by Rachel Cusk, Read this book because it is on the Giller short list. Why I am not sure. The Giller is a Canadian Award and this author is living in England and the story takes place in London. I also did not realize that this is book 2, the first was Outline. It is a story of a woman, divorced, mother of two who is in transition. There are some beautiful quote-worthy lines in this book. The title of the book pretty much sums up the themes found in the book.
Rating: 3.62 AwardCat Giller

87. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein CultureCat war

I enjoyed this YA novel written by Elizabeth Wein and my appreciation increased when the author explained her research and decision making in writing this book. I listened to the audio version narrated by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell. The story is set in WWII and is a story of two young women and their friendship, one a aviator and the other an espionage agent. The setting is France and the French Resistance and England.
4.5 stars

>88 Kristelh: So glad you liked Code Name Verity! There's a sequel (of sorts), Rose Under Fire, which is also very good, though it didn't resonate with me quite as much. A tough read, though, as most of it takes place in the Ravensbrück concentration camp!

>86 Kristelh: I loved The Fifth Season and enjoyed its sequel a great deal too, though not quite as much as the first book. I'm on my library's waiting list for the third book and hope it meets the expectations the first two have set. Are you planning to read the sequels?

>90 mathgirl40:, just finished The Obelisk Gate which I liked better than the first, for minor points, but the first book is great because of the world building. I will probably read book 3 as it is a good series and only 3 books. I don't do well with long series.

88. The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin, rating 4.65 and I finished by Bingo for the year!!!!

>92 Kristelh: Glad to hear you liked The Obelisk Gate even better than the first, and congratulations on finishing Bingo!

89. Beartown by Fredrik Backman F2F a book about hockey, family and community.

90. Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance. So glad I read this. Put a lot of meaning to my own experience.

91. The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, 1977 publication of his early works published posthumously of course by his son.

92. Jackaby by William Ritter, historical fantasy, SFFkit also AwardsCAT Georgia Peach and Magnolia.

>51 Kristelh: I don't think one could boil down that huge book any more than that!

>88 Kristelh: One of my favorites. The ending was heart wrenching!

93. World's End by T. C. Boyle, Reading 1001, AwardsCat
BOTM, Nov 2017. Story of generations of Dutch that settled the New York area. A family saga (two families actually) and it goes back and forth from early settlement (1600s to to the 1960-70s). I really enjoyed learning about the Dutch and the early years of the New York area. I thought the author did a great job of putting the history into his characters. Rating: 4.375.

94. Bleak House by Charles Dickens, Reading 1001 seasonal read Rating 3.625

95. Aesop's Fables by Aesop Rating 3.75

96. Cricket on the Hearth Charles Dickens. A reread for Christmas season. RandomCat

97. The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories by Susanna Clarke SFF, magic Rating 4 stars

98. Sugar by Deirdre Riodan Hall, PBT, social issues Rating 3.5

99. My Name is not easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson PBT social issues Rating 3.88

100. What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt, Reading 1001 4.25

Hi Kristel, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!