VictoriaPL's 2017 reading, part two

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VictoriaPL's 2017 reading, part two

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1VictoriaPL
Editado: Feb 24, 2017, 7:34 am

Hi there!
My name is Victoria and this is my thread for the 2017 Category Challenge!
I grew up on the Spacecoast of Florida and am currently living in Upstate South Carolina. I'm married with no kids, though I am owned by one calico cat named Mallory.

This year won't be far different from the other 8 years I've done the Category Challenge. In 2017 I will celebrate 10 years on LT, so I have 10 categories. I anticipate changing jobs soon and sometimes Real Life derails my reading time, so I'm not making a numbers goal for 2017.

Thanks for stopping by!

2VictoriaPL
Editado: Jul 27, 2017, 7:37 am

CURRENTLY READING

3VictoriaPL
Editado: Ago 18, 2017, 8:56 pm

1. FIDELITY (Favorite Authors)

Redemption Road by John Hart 2.17.2017 *audiobook*
small great things by Jodi PIcoult 6.7.2017
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter 8.17.2017

4VictoriaPL
Editado: Ago 25, 2017, 9:55 am

2 ANTIQUITY (Books from my TBR shelf)

Dark Road Home by Anna Carlisle 6.28.2017
Mr Mercedes by Stephen King 8.24.2017

6VictoriaPL
Editado: Ago 15, 2017, 8:21 am

4 AVAILABILITY (Shiny books caught on the fly)

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon 2.17.2017
Moonglow by Michael Chabon 3.1.2017 *audiobook*
The Hum and The Shiver by Alex Bledsoe 3.2.2017 *audiobook*
Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey 3.2.2017
Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe 3.21.2017 *audiobook*
Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe 4.3.2017 *audiobook*
The Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates 6.8.2017 *audiobook*
The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly 8.14.2017

7VictoriaPL
Editado: Dic 6, 2017, 8:34 am

5 CURIOSITY (Space Program History and Sci-Fi)

1. Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space by Chris Jones 2.5.2017
2. Apollo 8:The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger 7.8.2017
3. Dealing in Futures by Joe Haldeman 8.1.2017
4. Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly with Margaret Lazarus Dean 12.5.2017

8VictoriaPL
Editado: mayo 18, 2017, 10:35 am

6 CAUSALITY (Self Improvement)

1. Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte 1.18.2017
2. Fox and Geese: A Great-Grandmother's Tale by Sarah Robinson Lowery 2.8.2017
3. The Hungry Brain by Stephen Guyenet 3.3.2017
4. Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life by Jessica Zitter 3.14.2017
5. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell 5.18.2017 *audiobook*

9VictoriaPL
Editado: Nov 7, 2017, 8:43 am

7 IMMATURITY (Young Adult or New Adult)

1. The New World: Prequel to the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness 1.24.2017
2. The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig 3.13.2017
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 3.24.2017 *audiobook*
4. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 5.3.2017 *audiobook*
5. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth 11/6/2017

11VictoriaPL
Editado: Dic 26, 2017, 2:46 pm

9 COMMUNITY (Group/Tandem reads)

1. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham 1.25.2017
2. Demelza by Winston Graham 2.24.2017
3. Jeremy Poldark by Winstom Graham 3.18.2017
4. Warleggan by Winston Graham 4.12.2017
5. American Rust by Philipp Meyer 5.13.2017
6. The Black Moon by Winston Graham 5.30.2017
7. The Four Swans by Winston Graham 6.19.2017
8. The Angry Tide by Winston Graham 7.24.2017
9. The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham 8.13.2017
10. The MIller's Dance by Winston Graham 9.20.2017
11. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham 10.25.2017
12. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham 11.29.2017
13. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham 12.22.2017

12VictoriaPL
Editado: Jul 13, 2017, 2:04 pm

10 MOBILITY (Interlibrary Loan tracking)

1. Literary Lost by Sarah Clarke Stuart (DNF), Furman University, Greenville SC
2. Grace in the Wilderness: After the Liberation 1945-1948 by Aranka Siegal 2.25.2017 McDonough GA
3. The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice by Trevor Corson 5.2.2017 East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
4. The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D. MacDonald 7.12.2017 GA State University Law Library

candidate:
Jamaica Inn



create your own personalized map of the USA

14VictoriaPL
Editado: Dic 26, 2017, 2:47 pm

FINISHED

1. Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season by Nick Heil
2. Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
3. Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte
4. The New World: Prequel to the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
5. The Circle by Dave Eggers
6. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
7. The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman
8. Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space by Chris Jones
9. Fox and Geese: A Great-Grandmother's Tale by Sarah Robinson Lowery
10. The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood by Mark Kurzem
11. Redemption Road by John Hart
12. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
13. Demelza by Winston Graham
14. Grace in the Wilderness: After the Liberation 1945-1948 by Aranka Siegal
15. Moonglow by Michael Chabon
16. The Hum and The Shiver by Alex Bledsoe
17. Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey
18. The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts that Make Us Overeat by Stephen Guyenet
19. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
20. The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible by Simon Winchester
21. Blue on Blue: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops by Charles Campisi
22. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
23. Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life by Jessica Zitter
24. The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
25. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham
26. Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe
27. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
28. Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe
29. Warleggan by Winston Graham
30. The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice by Trevor Corson
31. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
32. American Rust by Philipp Meyer
33. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
34. Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation by Anne Sebba
35. The Black Moon by Winston Graham
36. small great things by Jodi PIcoult
37. The Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates
38. Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide by Josh Katz
39. The Four Swans by Winston Graham
40. Dark Road Home by Anna Carlisle
41. Apollo 8:The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger
42. The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D. MacDonald
43. The Angry Tide by Winston Graham
44. The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith Hahn Beer
45. Dealing in Futures by Joe Haldeman
46. The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham
47. The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly
48. The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
49. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
50. Resistance by Owen Sheers
51. The Kaiser's Last Kiss by Alan Judd
52.The MIller's Dance by Winston Graham
53. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham
54. The Unquiet Heart by Gordon Ferris
55. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
56. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham
57. Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly with Margaret Lazarus Dean
58. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham

15LittleTaiko
Feb 24, 2017, 5:39 pm

I loved The Story of Sushi - granted it helps that it's my favorite food so I found the whole thing fascinating. I'll be reading Moonglow soon as well.

16VictoriaPL
Editado: Feb 24, 2017, 5:50 pm

>15 LittleTaiko:
Stacy, was it your review that got me curious about this one? Someone in this group...

17luvamystery65
Feb 24, 2017, 6:22 pm

Following along on your new thread! I love the photo on >1 VictoriaPL:

If I wasn't already reading so many series I'd join you all on the Poldark.

18VictoriaPL
Feb 24, 2017, 6:31 pm

>17 luvamystery65: maybe you can join us later in the year!

19VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:07 am

13. Demelza by Winston Graham 2.24.2017



Amazon description:
In the enchanting second novel in Winston Graham's beloved Poldark series, Demelza Carne, an impoverished miner's daughter Ross Poldark rescued from a fairground brawl, now happily finds herself his wife. But the events of these turbulent years test their marriage and their love.
As Ross launches into a bitter struggle for the right of the mining communities, Demelza's efforts to adapt to the ways of the gentry (and her husband) place her in increasingly odd and embarrassing situations. When tragedy strikes and sows the seeds of an enduring rivalry between Ross and the powerful George Warleggan, will Demelza manage to bridge their differences before they destroy her and her husband's chance at happiness?


Another great read. I love Graham's writing style. He's got the bon-homie of Alexandre Dumas but it's not as long winded, and therefore, less tiring. I love Ross' spirit, how he struggles to endure and I can't wait to see how Graham furthers the plot with the Warleggans in the rest of the series. I like the development we've seen in Demelza and how her relationship with Ross has changed. I've said before that I enjoy the class struggle in the Poldark books and that continues to be true.

I love this passage where Ross is observing both Elizabeth (his former love) and Demelza, his wife:

"Hers was the loveliness of gracious, aristocratic womanhood, used to leisure and bred to refinement. She came from uncounted generations of small landed gentlefolk. There had been a Chynoweth before Edward the Confessor, and, as well as the grace and breeding, she seemed to have in her a susceptibility to fatigue, as if the fine pure blood was flowing a little thin. Against her Demelza was the upstart: bred in drunkenness and filth,a waif in a parlor, an urchin climbing on the shoulders of chance to peer into the drawing rooms of her betters; lusty, crude, unsubtle, all her actions and feelings were a stage nearer nature. But each of them had something the other lacked."

20rabbitprincess
Feb 24, 2017, 9:26 pm

Happy new thread! Hope you are continuing to enjoy the Poldark series. I will join you around May with the fifth book :)

21MissWatson
Feb 25, 2017, 8:32 am

Happy new thread!

22VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:07 am

14. Grace in the Wilderness: After the Liberation 1945-1948 by Aranka Siegal 2.25.2017



Aranka was born in Czechoslovakia. She and her family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, where she and her sister Iboya were separated from the rest of their family. They were then sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp before being liberated in April 1945. Both girls were sent to Sweden to recover and Aranka lived for a few years with a family there before immigrating with her sister to America.

This is the second book in Aranka's trilogy. I can't remember why I decided to start in the middle, but I enjoyed the read. It reminded me of what Anne Frank's diary might be like if she had survived the camp she was sent to. Of course, being a teen, it was mostly about the boys she was interested in and her feelings for them. Also, her angst at becoming attached to her Swedish family and having to leave them for America.

23VictoriaPL
Feb 25, 2017, 11:43 pm

>20 rabbitprincess: >21 MissWatson: Thanks for stopping by! I am reading like crazy this weekend trying to get somewhere with this book stack. I hope to post some reviews on Monday.

24thornton37814
Feb 26, 2017, 2:46 pm

Happy new thread! I plan to start one at the end of the month or beginning of March.

25VictoriaPL
Feb 27, 2017, 8:29 am

>24 thornton37814: Hi Lori! Yeah, the other one felt a little too long. It was time.

26VictoriaPL
Editado: Feb 28, 2017, 9:07 am

FEBRUARY RECAP

7 books complete:
Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space by Chris Jones
Fox and Geese: A Great-Grandmother's Tale by Sarah Robinson Lowery
The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood by Mark Kurzem
Redemption Road by John Hart
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Demelza by Winston Graham
Grace in the Wilderness by Aranka Siegal

I worked this month to get books in categories that I hadn't touched yet: Fidelity, Availability and Curiosity . Sadly, Antiquity (TBR) remains unread. I will work on that next.

CURRENTLY READING
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
The Hungry Brain by Stephen Guyenet
Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey

OTHER PLANS FOR MARCH:
Lust for Life by Irving Stone
The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

27RidgewayGirl
Feb 28, 2017, 7:52 am

Looks like you're at full reading speed!

28VictoriaPL
Feb 28, 2017, 8:32 am

>27 RidgewayGirl: I'm just trying to keep up with all the books I've checked out from the library. LOL.

29LittleTaiko
Feb 28, 2017, 10:49 am

>28 VictoriaPL: - Ha! It's such a challenge keeping up with those library books, isn't it? I had to create some space on a shelf just for my library books.

30VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:07 am

15. Moonglow by Michael Chabon 3.1.2017 *audiobook*



Two fellow-LTers recommended this one to me. I like WWII books, I like Space Program books and I'm from Florida (in fact, there's a visit to my hometown in the narrative). So yes, it was pre-destined that I would enjoy my time with Moonglow.
I'm not going to give a full review, since there is already so much love for it. I just wanted to record my thoughts. I had the impression going in that the story was about Chabon's grandfather and I was surprised how much time was dedicated to the grandmother. I liked the WWII sections the best. I enjoyed Chabon's word-craft (this being my introduction to him) and will likely read another of his works.

31RidgewayGirl
Mar 1, 2017, 9:29 am

I'm glad you liked it! I'm always wary of telling you to read a book because we like such different things. What did you think of Ramon?

32VictoriaPL
Mar 1, 2017, 9:57 am

>31 RidgewayGirl: Ha! Ramon was the best, truly unanticipated.

33dudes22
Editado: Mar 1, 2017, 2:07 pm

>30 VictoriaPL: - this was on the 7-day express shelf at the library before we left on vacation, but there wasn't enough time so I'm hoping to find it there when we get back. It sounds like a book I would like and I'd like to fit in at least one more before the TOB starts.

34VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:07 am

16. The Hum and The Shiver by Alex Bledsoe 3.2.2017 *audiobook*



Amazon description:
No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Enigmatic and suspicious of outsiders, the Tufa live quiet lives in the hills and valleys of Cloud County. While their origins may be a mystery, there are hints of their true nature buried in the songs they have passed down for generations.
Bronwyn Hyatt, a pure-blood Tufa, has always insisted on doing things her own way, regardless of the consequences. Even though Tufa rarely leave Cloud County, she enlisted in the Army to escape the pressures of Tufa life―her family, her obligations as a First Daughter, and her dangerous ex-boyfriend. But after barely surviving a devastating ambush that killed most of her fellow soldiers, Private Hyatt returns to Cloud County wounded in body and in spirit. But danger lurks in the mountains and hollows of her childhood home. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, and a restless "haint" lurks nearby, waiting to reveal Bronwyn's darkest secrets. Now Bronwyn finds the greatest battle to be right here at home, where her obligations struggle with her need for freedom, and if she makes the wrong choice, the consequences could be deadly for all the Tufa. . .


I first came to this book after seeing that it was based in East Tennessee. I lived there for several years.
I'm not sure the tag "urban fantasy" is appropriate, as this tale is very rural. "Magical realism" surely, maybe "Modern fantasy" would be better. I really loved how Bledsoe assimilated the manner of the mountain people into the tale - the music, the isolated family communities, the superstitions, etc. I wasn't expecting the reveal of what the Tufa were and I enjoyed that, I won't spoil it for you.

This was an audiobook for me. It uses two narrators - a woman and very deep-throated man. It was very jarring when they switched off. I didn't care for it at all. But there is a book two and I am considering borrowing the audio book of it. We'll see.

35VictoriaPL
Mar 2, 2017, 1:27 pm

The library says more books are ready for me. I gotta get over there!

Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean *audiobook*
The Men Who United the States by Simon Winchester *audiobook*
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman *audiobook* (Movie coming out this month!)

36DeltaQueen50
Mar 2, 2017, 3:17 pm

Great to see you praise The Hum and the Shiver as I have that book sitting on my Kindle, patiently waiting.

37VictoriaPL
Mar 2, 2017, 3:23 pm

>36 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on it.

38thornton37814
Mar 2, 2017, 4:20 pm

>35 VictoriaPL: Looks like you have a lot of listening to do. I'm hoping I finish my current one either on the way to or from Greenville Monday and will be able to begin the next one. Then I know which one I'll download if available when I see the end of the second one in sight.

39RidgewayGirl
Mar 2, 2017, 5:20 pm

I'm looking forward to seeing you both on Monday!

40thornton37814
Mar 2, 2017, 7:32 pm

>39 RidgewayGirl: Yes. We'll have a fun, even if brief, visit.

41VictoriaPL
Mar 2, 2017, 7:57 pm

The audiobooks are keeping me sane at work.
We have a whole crew of new reps that are training and it's SO loud.

I am very much looking forward to our dinner!

42VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:08 am

17. Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey 3.2.2017



This is Carey's take on The Tempest. I was familiar with Carey, having had a massive character-crush on Joscelin from Kushiel's Dart. I didn't finish the Kushiel series but when I saw she had tackled The Bard, I thought I might give her another try. I've never read or seen any portrayal of The Tempest, by the way, so I came to the story blind. This has all the hallmarks of Carey, a taboo relationship, obligations, etc. I did not mind the beginning setup with Prospero's study, Miranda's response to her "woman's curse" and the enslavement of Ariel. But Caliban's self abuse was just too much for me as was the literal bodice-ripping. Can't say I recommend it.

43-Eva-
Mar 5, 2017, 11:45 pm

>42 VictoriaPL:
The Tempest is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, but I think I'll pass on this version. :)

44VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:08 am

18. The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts that Make Us Overeat by Stephen Guyenet3.3.2017



You know that word Hangry? Well, that word was coined to describe me. I'm hungry 24/7 and when it's been more than 2 hours since I last ate something, I get irritable. I was intrigued when I saw this in our library's catalog. Maybe I could learn how to take back control of something that has clearly gone wild. Guyenet goes into great detail on the working of the brain. How our various bodily systems compete for attention and why we evolved (or were created) that way. How our nutritional needs / energy expenditure has changed from our hunter-gather ancestors and why that's a problem. He also covers no small amount of brain chemistry.
It seems that just as the info dump was becoming too much for me, Guyenet stepped back and summarized so that I was back on board before he started anew. I appreciated his sense of timing in that regard. The book also has several photos and diagrams to help illustrate his talking points.
There's nothing terribly new here - it's more an exploration of why - and there's no "quick fix" for a hungry brain. Eat more of the foods that will keep you full longer - oatmeal, potatoes, etc. Move around more, i.e. exercise. Also, get your sleep. People who get less than 7-8 hours eat more calories - scientifically proven!

45VictoriaPL
Mar 6, 2017, 7:29 am

>43 -Eva-: Hi Eva! Thanks for stopping in! One day I will get around to the original....

46mamzel
Mar 6, 2017, 10:46 am

>44 VictoriaPL: And I thought "hangry" was invented for me! ;-)

47VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:08 am

19. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman3.6.2017 *audiobook*



After the Germans pilfered what animals they wanted and killed those they didn't, the Warsaw Zoo took in a new collection: refugee Jews. For cover, they started a "fur farm" which produced coats to keep the German army provisioned. Many Jews hid in the main house and others were placed in the empty animal houses. There were underground tunnels that connected the animal houses to the main house, making it easy to transport "guests" and food unseen by enemy eyes. The Zabinskis were able to save over 300 people from the Nazis in this fashion. A fascinating true tale.

48VictoriaPL
Mar 6, 2017, 11:11 am

<46 Ah! We hangry girls must stick together!

49-Eva-
Mar 6, 2017, 5:02 pm

>46 mamzel: & >48 VictoriaPL:
Haha, me too - I get so growly! :)

50rabbitprincess
Mar 6, 2017, 6:43 pm

I too am much more pleasant to be around if I am fed regularly. :)

51dudes22
Mar 7, 2017, 5:23 pm

>47 VictoriaPL: - I thought this was a very interesting book when I read it as I had never heard about this before.

52VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:00 am

>51 dudes22: Betty, there's a movie coming out of Zookeeper's Wife later this month.
I don't recognize much from the trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJNFeHHGGN4

53andreablythe
Mar 8, 2017, 1:56 pm

Both the book and the movie for The Zookeeper's Wife look rather interesting.

54VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 12:47 pm

20. The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible by Simon Winchester3.9.2017 *audiobook*



Amazon description:
"How did America become “one nation, indivisible”? What unified a growing number of disparate states into the modern country we recognize today? To answer these questions, Winchester follows in the footsteps of America’s most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators, such as Lewis and Clark and the leaders of the Great Surveys; the builders of the first transcontinental telegraph and the powerful civil engineer behind the Interstate Highway System. He treks vast swaths of territory, from Pittsburgh to Portland, Rochester to San Francisco, Seattle to Anchorage, introducing the fascinating people who played a pivotal role in creating today’s United States."

I really enjoyed hearing the stories of mapmakers, wagon trains, locks and waterways, railroads, interstate highways, telegraphs, wireless, radio, telephone, television and the Internet. All of these brought the people who lived in the United States closer together, helped them forge bonds and creating a national economy. I had never really given much thought to how technological innovations had improved interpersonal relationships - though I can't count how many people have told me they only use FaceBook to "keep in touch with friends and family."

The audiobook is read by Simon Winchester himself. I could listen to him all day, though I thought it ironic to hear this story of America told by a British accented voice (he is a naturalized citizen).

55VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 9:08 am

21. Blue on Blue: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops by Charles Campisi 3.9.2017



"I love the New York City Police Department, anybody ask me, I bleed NYPD blue. But you can love something while at the same time acknowledge its faults and problems."
"One thing that experience taught me. No matter what happened, I would never work for Internal Affairs. Never. That just wasn't the kind of cop I wanted to be."


This is a memoir of Charles Campisi's time in the NYPD. The different divisions he worked in before being drafted into Internal Affairs. Yes, drafted. Almost all IAB cops are drafted these days. It was how the NYPD changed IAB forever. They found that if they only selected officers who applied to be IA to work in IAB, they had a division of corrupt cops shaking down other corrupt cops. They got nowhere. Campisi became part of the new IAB, the turnaround. His stories of how cops break the system and how other cops catch them doing it are interesting. It's like sitting across the kitchen table from your uncle and hearing about his days on the job.

56cbl_tn
Mar 10, 2017, 9:31 am

>54 VictoriaPL: That one sounds interesting. How long is the audio version? I'll have to check and see if the audio is available from the public library.

And I didn't know that Simon Winchester had become a U.S. citizen!

57VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 10, 2017, 10:48 am

>56 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie. It was 12 disks. I listened to it over 2 days.

58dudes22
Mar 11, 2017, 10:31 am

>54 VictoriaPL: - I'm debating whether or not this might be something my husband would enjoy. I've read his book about the Oxford dictionary which I found interesting, although a little too detailed at times.

59VictoriaPL
Mar 11, 2017, 2:30 pm

>58 dudes22: He is very thorough!

60lkernagh
Mar 12, 2017, 6:20 pm

Stopping by and getting caught up with your reading. I like your reviews for Moonglow and The Hum and The Shiver. I also like the title for the Bledsoe book!

61VictoriaPL
Mar 13, 2017, 6:34 am

>60 lkernagh: Hi Lori, thanks for stopping by!

62LittleTaiko
Mar 13, 2017, 10:17 am

>55 VictoriaPL: - Sounds fascinating! Definitely something I'd like to read someday.

63VictoriaPL
Mar 13, 2017, 10:23 am

>62 LittleTaiko: It's very readable, Stacy. And you can't help but hear the NY accent as you read it.

64VictoriaPL
Mar 13, 2017, 11:03 am

22. The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig 3.13.2017



Amazon Description:
Nix's life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix's father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he's uncovered the one map he's always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix's mother died in childbirth. Nix's life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix's future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who's been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.

An enjoyable YA romp through time and place. I loved the switch up from modern New York to historic Hawaii. The ship was fun, how could it not be? I'll be looking for book 2.

65andreablythe
Mar 13, 2017, 1:36 pm

>64 VictoriaPL:
Neat! Time travel romps are my jam.

66VictoriaPL
Mar 13, 2017, 2:30 pm

>65 andreablythe: Awesome! Let me know what you think of it Andrea!

67VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 14, 2017, 3:28 pm

23. Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life by Jessica Zitter 3.14.2017



I see so many patients, so many lives. Very few have this opportunity to live life all the way through to the end. So many are cut off from life before their bodies leave this earth. We've achieved amazing things in modern medicine. Our tools can bring the dying back to life. But too often they serve to take life away from the dying. I sat at that funeral with tears streaming down my face. But these were not tears of failure or even grief. They were tears of joy. This is what life should be, right to the end.

I reminded myself that death comes for us all, and sooner or later, I will be the one in that bed, on the other end of the stethoscope. I understand what type of doctor I would want to have with me as I made those find decisions, as I breathed my final breaths. It would be one who would strive to know who I was and what was most important to me. One who would counsel my family members if I could not speak for myself. Who would alleviate my suffering, make sure I never felt abandoned or scared, that all of the pieces were in place. And then allow me to pass peacefully into that good night.

I read this all in one sitting. Meaning I stayed up all night long with this book and did not put it down.
Wow. I think everyone should read a book like this. I've heard Being Mortal is also good, in fact, Zitter mentions that one herself. Lots of food for thought here. And action, too. I think I'll press gang my husband into reading it. And maybe his aunt. And all of you too! Such great info about what really happens in hospitals across our nation.

68brodiew2
Mar 14, 2017, 3:01 pm

Good morning, Victoria!

>54 VictoriaPL: I had this one in my car a couple of weeks ago, but opted for River of Doubt first. I'll get back to it for sure. Thanks for the excellent review.

>55 VictoriaPL: This sounds really interesting. I remember loving Serpico many years ago. My mom really enjoyed Prince of the City as well. Both are older stories, but none the less compelling.

69LittleTaiko
Mar 14, 2017, 3:26 pm

>67 VictoriaPL: - You got me with another review. I loved Being Mortal and this sounds like another intriguing look at end of life matters.

70VictoriaPL
Mar 14, 2017, 3:30 pm

>68 brodiew2: Hi Brodie! Thanks for stopping in. Let me know what you think of the Winchester.

>69 LittleTaiko: Hi Stacy. I plan to read Being Mortal as well.

71RidgewayGirl
Mar 14, 2017, 10:30 pm

I'll look for Extreme Measures. It sounds worthwhile.

72VictoriaPL
Mar 15, 2017, 7:41 am

>71 RidgewayGirl: I encourage you to read it Kay.

73VictoriaPL
Mar 15, 2017, 4:21 pm

24. The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean 3.15.2017 *audiobook*



Amazon description:
Bit by bit, the ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. An elderly Russian woman now living in America, she cannot hold on to fresh memories—the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild—yet her distant past is miraculously preserved in her mind's eye. Vivid images of her youth in war-torn Leningrad arise unbidden, carrying her back to the terrible fall of 1941, when she was a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum and the German army's approach signaled the beginning of what would be a long, torturous siege on the city. As the people braved starvation, bitter cold, and a relentless German onslaught, Marina joined other staff members in removing the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping, leaving the frames hanging empty on the walls to symbolize the artworks' eventual return. As the Luftwaffe's bombs pounded the proud, stricken city, Marina built a personal Hermitage in her mind—a refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . .

The horrible tales of WWII are hard enough to grasp without having an unreliable narrator added into the mix. I wasn't quite sure if all that Marina remembered actually happened, or happened as she recalled them. This is a very quiet telling, which required me to carefully take in all the details so that the whole picture came into focus.

74thornton37814
Mar 16, 2017, 12:47 pm

>73 VictoriaPL: Interesting. If I read that one, I'd probably want print if it is that "quiet." I generally do better with something a little more "lightweight" on audio.

75VictoriaPL
Mar 16, 2017, 12:55 pm

>74 thornton37814: The narrator almost lulled me to sleep, LOL.

76thornton37814
Mar 16, 2017, 1:01 pm

>75 VictoriaPL: In that case, it's definitely a print form book.

77VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 20, 2017, 6:54 am

25. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham 3.18.2017



Ross Poldark faces the darkest hour of his life in this third novel of the Poldark series. Reeling from the tragic death of a loved one, Captain Poldark vents his grief by inciting impoverished locals to salvage the contents of a ship run aground in a storm-an act for which British law proscribes death by hanging. Ross is brought to trial for his involvement, and despite their stormy marriage, Demelza tries to rally support for her husband, to save him and their family.
But there are enemies in plenty who would be happy to see Ross convicted, not the least of which is George Warleggan, the powerful banker whose personal rivalry with Ross grows ever more intense and threatens to destroy the Poldarks.
And into this setting, Jeremy Poldark, Ross and Demelza's first son, is born...


Did not care for this one as much as Demelza but still enjoying the writing and the larger story.
I like the slow burn of George Warleggan and look forward to seeing his plot line brought to fruition. Enjoying the start of Dwight and Caroline's story. They have great banter. I love the marriage of Ross and Demelza - the ups and downs, the work of it.

78VictoriaPL
Editado: Mar 21, 2017, 4:26 pm

26. Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe 3.21.2017 *audiobook*



Amazon description:
Touched by a very public tragedy, musician Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee, in search of a song that might ease his aching heart. All he knows of the mysterious and reclusive Tufa is what he has read on the Internet: They are an enigmatic clan of swarthy, black-haired mountain people whose historical roots are lost in myth and controversy. Some people say that when the first white settlers came to the Appalachians centuries ago, they found the Tufa already there. Others hint that Tufa blood brings special gifts.
Rob finds both music and mystery in the mountains. Close-lipped locals guard their secrets, even as Rob gets caught up in a subtle power struggle he can't begin to comprehend. A vacationing wife goes missing, raising suspicions of foul play, and a strange feral girl runs wild in the woods, howling in the night like a lost spirit.


Liked this one better than the first book in the series, which is strange for me. Some of that, I think, is because the audiobook only has one narrator, not two like the first book (which I disliked).
Love the concept Bledsoe has going on here. Will be reading the rest of the books as well.

79mathgirl40
Mar 22, 2017, 9:45 pm

>54 VictoriaPL: I too love Simon Winchester's narration on his audiobooks. I've not read this one yet but will add it to the wishlist.

80VictoriaPL
Mar 22, 2017, 10:29 pm

>79 mathgirl40: Let me know what you think of it!

81VictoriaPL
Editado: Abr 14, 2017, 3:36 pm

27. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 3.24.2017 *audiobook*



Amazon description:
When 19-year-old Feyre kills a wolf in the barren woods near her home in Prythian, she thinks it might be enough to help her family survive another long winter. Instead, a monstrous creature soon comes to the cottage, accusing Feyre of murder and demanding she return with him to the Fae realm as payment for the life she took. Feyre finds herself held on a lavish estate belonging to an elite Fae creature known as Tamlin. Over the course of her captivity, Feyre soon learns that life in the Fae realm can be as much of an opportunity as a punishment. When her feelings for Tamlin shift from loathing to lust, Feyre also realizes little will be able to keep them apart—not even the threat of evil lurking on the borders of the estate. Something that has cursed Tamlin for centuries may destroy him and his realm if Feyre can't find a way to stop it.

It's Beauty and the Beast and Tam Lin mixed together with Laurel K. Hamilton (just substitute Faerie for Vampire and you've got it). I'm not sure I would agree that it's Young Adult - maybe New Adult. I tired of Hamilton for a reason. I've gotten the sequel waiting for me at the library. We'll see....

82VictoriaPL
Mar 25, 2017, 1:18 am

You might have a problem.... when checking out your books, the librarian asks you "How many series are you reading right now?" LOL

83clue
Mar 25, 2017, 9:26 am

>82 VictoriaPL: Oh, I have a reputation too. When I checked out a book earlier this week, the clerk said, "Back again?"

84rabbitprincess
Mar 25, 2017, 9:43 am

>82 VictoriaPL: This is why I am glad our library has a self-checkout kiosk ;) although I'm sure the clerks probably recognize me constantly coming and going. That reminds me, I have holds to pick up today!

85VictoriaPL
Mar 25, 2017, 3:43 pm

>83 clue: I'm sure they secretly enjoy the regulars.

>84 rabbitprincess: we have a self-checkout too but I like the personal touch. Sometimes I feel like if I use the machine they might not employ as many humans.

86RidgewayGirl
Mar 25, 2017, 4:59 pm

I like having the librarians check out my books for me as well, although today I felt a little self-conscious about the size of the stack I was checking out.

87rabbitprincess
Mar 25, 2017, 6:02 pm

>85 VictoriaPL: I prefer to think of it as freeing up the librarians to deal with more complex patron issues and process holds. Also, I hate waiting in line to have someone do something that I can do myself. But at grocery stores I will always take the staffed checkout rather than the self-serve.

88LisaMorr
Mar 31, 2017, 2:08 pm

Catching up on threads and took a bunch of book bullets here (as expected...). Blue on Blue, Extreme Measures and the Tufa series are going on the list.

89VictoriaPL
Abr 2, 2017, 7:26 am

>88 LisaMorr: Hi Lisa! Happy reading!

90VictoriaPL
Abr 3, 2017, 7:20 am

It's been over a week since I finished a book and I feel like I'm just treading water. I hate that feeling.
But I do hope to have reviews for you soon!

Current reading:
Lust for Life by Irving Stone
Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan
Warleggan by Winston Graham

91mamzel
Abr 3, 2017, 12:45 pm

>90 VictoriaPL: I find that reading more than one book at a time means I don't have reviews to post. Except that one day all of them end at once it seems. In the end, though, I figure I'll have the same number of books read in the end so I plug on. I read Lust for Life many years ago and I seem to recall it was a thick one!

92VictoriaPL
Abr 3, 2017, 1:30 pm

>91 mamzel: Lust for Life it is! I'm reading it in honor of Vincent's birthday (last week). I'm not loving it though but I'm sticking with it hoping it will get better. I have also Stone's Michaelango book too.

93mamzel
Abr 3, 2017, 2:58 pm

>92 VictoriaPL: I hope it's not a spoiler to say it doesn't have a happy ending!

94VictoriaPL
Abr 4, 2017, 12:38 pm

95VictoriaPL
Editado: Abr 14, 2017, 3:36 pm

28. Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe 4.3.2017 *audiobook*



Amazon description:
In all the time the Tufa have existed, only two have ever been exiled: Bo-Kate Wisby and her lover, Jefferson Powell. They were cast out, stripped of their ability to make music, and cursed to never be able to find their way back to Needsville. Their crime? A love that crossed the boundary of the two Tufa tribes, resulting in the death of several people.
Somehow, Bo-Kate has found her way back, and fueled by vengeful plans to change the town forever. The only one who can stop Bo-Kate is Jefferson, but even he isn't sure what will happen when they finally meet. Will he fall in love with her again? Will he join her in her quest to reign over the Tufa? Or will he have to sacrifice himself to save the people who once banished him?

The third Tufa book and the one I've liked the least. I enjoy the town and the mythos that Bledsoe has built, I just didn't care for the "stars" of this installment. Meh, might read the fourth book.

96thornton37814
Abr 9, 2017, 3:57 pm

Thought I'd at least say hi as I'm passing through threads and playing catch-up!

97VictoriaPL
Abr 9, 2017, 9:15 pm

>96 thornton37814: Hi Lori! Thanks for dropping by!

98VictoriaPL
Editado: Abr 14, 2017, 3:36 pm

29. Warleggan by Winston Graham 4.12.2017



Amazon description:
Cornwall 1792. Ross plunges into a highly speculative mining venture which threatens not only his family's financial security but also his turbulent marriage to Demelza. When Ross and Elizabeth's old attraction rekindles itself, Demelza retaliates by becoming dangerously involved with a handsome Scottish cavalry officer. With bankruptcy an increasingly real possibility, the Poldarks seem to be facing disaster on all fronts.

There are a lot of notable events in this installment! I love these characters. Their lives are so interwoven and tangled. The tangles are so dramatic - Graham does have a taste for flair. Besides that, the honesty in Ross and Elizabeth's relationship is beautiful. I take such comfort in that I'm not even halfway through the series.

"Life holds only two or three things worth having, and if you possess them the rest don't matter, and if you do not possess them the rest are useless."

99VictoriaPL
Abr 24, 2017, 8:09 am

Where has April gone? I spent the last three weeks training my replacement at work and that was emotionally exhausting. I had little energy left to read.
Somewhere in there we took a brief trip to Florida for Easter and to celebrate my Mom's birthday.
I also had two interviews with the hospital system here and hope to hear back this week.

I had to give up Death and Life of the Great Lakes as I wasn't making any headway and the library would not give me another extension on it. Maybe someday I'll come back around to it.

I am still nibbling at Lust for Life by Irving Stone. It was my March read for Van Gogh's birthday.

My ILL book The Story of Sushi is due back very soon so I am working on it.

American Rust is waiting quietly in the wings (I promise, Kay).

Whew! Hope you all had a fabulous holiday and are enjoying the Spring. It's been raining like a monsoon for two straight days here.

100RidgewayGirl
Abr 24, 2017, 12:03 pm

Max won tickets to a baseball game tonight. I'm thinking it will be rained out.

I'm ready when you are, but we can also meet even if you haven't read American Rust!

101VictoriaPL
Abr 24, 2017, 1:29 pm

>100 RidgewayGirl:
I was just at the ballpark on Thursday. It was a beautiful night for a game. Maybe they will reschedule.
Long lunches or any PTO has become difficult as I'm supposed to be available for my new trainee at all times during the work day. And my backup is taking some time off, which complicates it further. I'll let you know.

102RidgewayGirl
Abr 24, 2017, 2:01 pm

I'm happy to wait. I'm sorry work is so stressful for you these days - added to the stress of looking for a new job! I'm glad you have a cat and that chocolate exists and your husband is a nice guy who takes care of you.

103VictoriaPL
Abr 24, 2017, 2:44 pm

>102 RidgewayGirl: I am blessed by all those and also by great friends like you!

104LisaMorr
Abr 28, 2017, 1:20 pm

>107 VictoriaPL: >108 Chrischi_HH: Cat, chocolate and a good guy - definitely blessed! Hang in there!

105VictoriaPL
Abr 28, 2017, 2:31 pm

>104 LisaMorr: Thanks Lisa. Let go of another 11 co-workers today. Tough.

106LisaMorr
Abr 28, 2017, 3:09 pm

>105 VictoriaPL: That is tough, sorry to hear that.

107VictoriaPL
mayo 1, 2017, 2:34 pm

Oh my. I only completed 2 books in April.

Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe
Warleggan by Winston Graham

I DNF'd The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan because the library wanted it back and I wasn't loving it enough to pay the fine.

I'm trying to make room for books again in my schedule. I am closing in on finishing two so I should have some reviews soon!

108Chrischi_HH
mayo 1, 2017, 3:47 pm

Stopping by to say hello after going through both of your threads (seems like I'm much less in LT than the previous years). I took a bb for >47 VictoriaPL: The Zookeeper's Wife and cross my fingers for a less stressful schedule rather sooner than later.

109VictoriaPL
mayo 1, 2017, 3:57 pm

>108 Chrischi_HH: Hope you enjoy it. The movie was pretty good too!

110VictoriaPL
Editado: mayo 3, 2017, 10:03 am

30. The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice by Trevor Corson 5.2.2017



"The entire history of sushi has been a quest for speed. More than a thousand years ago, when people made sushi they had to wait for a year before they could eat it. In the 1600s, they shortened the fermentation time to a month. After the invention of vinegar, they pressed sushi under stones for just a couple of days. With the invention of hand-squeezed sushi in the 1800s, it could be eaten immediately. Sushi has evolved into a meal of instant gratification."

"In America, it has taken the popularity of sushi to get people interested in eating eel. There is some irony in this, because eel is one of the oldest and most adored dishes in Western cuisine, going back to the ancient Greeks. Eel pies were a popular street food in Paris and London, and eel was a staple ingredient for recipes in early English cookbooks. The early European settlers in American had little experience eating, say, lobsters, but eels made them feel right at home, and they ate them in abundance. After the Civil War, though, something changed. Americans decided they were above eels. In Europe, eel is still a popular dish."

I heard about this book from someone in this group. I'm sorry I neglected to write down who - leave me a comment below!

I only began to eat sushi a few years ago. And I still only consume the cooked or smoked rolls. I still don't eat fish eggs. And only this year have I had the guts to try Eel Sauce, which is quite delicious! So when I saw this book, I decided to give it a go. I absolutely ate this book up. Pun intended. The format follows a group of individuals through their classes at the California Sushi Academy and there's history about sushi scattered throughout. Also, there's fascinating tidbits about fish. All of the fish. In my younger years, I wanted to be a marine biologist and I think that really helped cement my love of this book. I could not put it down. Corson is a wonderful story-teller and I look forward reading him again.

111VictoriaPL
Editado: mayo 3, 2017, 8:26 am

31. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 5.3.2017 *audiobook*



Wow. I was surprised with the first book. It was more dark and more Laurell K. Hamilton than I thought YA should be. This one... surpassed that. Crazy. I do love the world-building that Maas does, she's got that down. Still, I'm not in love with Feyre. There's a little too much Special Snowflake about her. I hated seeing the character of Tamlin twisted to what Maas needed him to be for this episode. I did find myself coming to love Rhysand and that made me feel so manipulated - Maas dragged me somewhere I didn't see myself going and I enjoyed it - so I have to give her credit there. I think I need a break before the third book though.

112VictoriaPL
Editado: mayo 3, 2017, 10:04 am

Reading plans for May

finish Lust for Life by Irving Stone
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell *audiobook* for work
American Rust by Philipp Meyer (sorry I'm so late on this Kay!)
The Black Moon by Winston Graham - if I can wrench it from the library. Queue? What queue?
Apollo 8 by Jeffrey Kluger my LTER book. Loved his Lost Moon
Les Parisiennes : how the women of Paris lived, loved, and died under Nazi occupation by Anne Sebba

113LittleTaiko
mayo 3, 2017, 2:51 pm

>110 VictoriaPL: - I loved that book! Learned so much about fish and the life of a sushi chef. His other book about lobsters is also quite good.

114VictoriaPL
mayo 3, 2017, 4:24 pm

>113 LittleTaiko: Stacy!! It was you!! I just ordered his Lobster book through a swap site. I'm excited!!

115dudes22
mayo 4, 2017, 7:41 am

>110 VictoriaPL: - I read his book about lobsters a few years ago and liked it quite a bit. A lot about the sustainability of lobster fishing. I have to say I don't think I've ever tried eel in any form. Maybe next time I have sushi, I'll give it a try. I think one of the "Bizarre Foods" or "Delicious Destination" shows with Andrew Zimmerman had him catching and eating eels recently. Can't remember where he was though.

116VictoriaPL
Editado: mayo 4, 2017, 7:52 am

>115 dudes22: Hi Betty! You'll be happy to know that eel is never served raw, it is always cooked.

ETA: I haven't watched Bizarre Foods. I'm afraid, actually, LOL.

117tymfos
mayo 6, 2017, 10:53 am

I'm sorry about the stress at work.

Wishing you a peaceful weekend!

118VictoriaPL
mayo 8, 2017, 8:17 am

>117 tymfos: Thanks Terri, I appreciate that. Thanks for stopping by!

119VictoriaPL
Editado: mayo 13, 2017, 7:29 pm

32. American Rust by Philipp Meyer 5.13.2017 w/RidgewayGirl



I distinctly remember the day I bought this book. I was in our Friends of the Library book warehouse, deep in the stacks with RidgewayGirl. Kay pointed it out to me and told me it was good and that I should get it. So I did! We hadn't moved 5 feet when a volunteer came around the corner, glanced into my pile, pointed to the book and said how much she enjoyed it. Well... who can ignore such praise?

At first it felt a little in flavor like Stand by Me but that changed. Each chapter told in the POV of a different character, it feels very introspective in nature. Each person examining themselves, their motives and how that affects the others. I liked it very much. I feel like I need to read it again to get the full-on scope of it though.

120RidgewayGirl
mayo 13, 2017, 9:21 pm

We've managed to both like the same book! Is this the third or fourth one?

121VictoriaPL
mayo 14, 2017, 8:50 am

It must be the third. Surely there aren't four books that we agree on! LOL

122mathgirl40
mayo 16, 2017, 9:46 pm

>110 VictoriaPL: Taking a BB for this book, as I love sushi, as well as fish in other forms!

123VictoriaPL
mayo 17, 2017, 7:14 am

>122 mathgirl40: Hi Paulina! I'll be interested to hear your thoughts once you've read it! It really is fascinating.

124VictoriaPL
Editado: mayo 18, 2017, 10:48 am

33. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell



My new boss has a passion for reading and he likes to recommend books. Which makes the knowledge that I only have about six weeks left in his employ bittersweet. He also shares my affinity for very dark chocolate, which just bites all the more. So, Mr New Boss recommended that we all read The Tipping Point and I agreed to, mainly because no boss had ever asked me to read a book before.

Wow! I don't know if I can describe just how much this book knocked my socks off. I listened to the audiobook, read by Gladwell himself. I don't know if the subject is just that intriguing or if part of it was Gladwell's natural enthusiasm for his own material. I was fascinated! About Hushpuppies and Airwalks, graffiti on NY subway cars and Big Bird and teenage smoking. Just spellbound by it all. And busy. Not so much applying it to my job here, as I'm on my way out the door, but maybe the next job. Definitely my home life. My health. My hobbies. I have to get my hands on more Gladwell books!

125dudes22
mayo 20, 2017, 3:40 pm

>124 VictoriaPL: - I read What the Dog Saw a couple of years ago and I have this one on my TBR pile. I really enjoyed his writing and it's good to know this one is good too.

126lkernagh
mayo 22, 2017, 10:17 am

>124 VictoriaPL: - Taking a BB for the Gladwell book. Sounds fabulous!

127mamzel
mayo 22, 2017, 2:30 pm

>124 VictoriaPL: You might also like his book The Outliers.

128VictoriaPL
mayo 23, 2017, 11:33 am

>126 lkernagh: Hi Lori. Would love to hear your thoughts once you finish with it.
>127 mamzel: I might try that one next, thanks mamzel!

129VictoriaPL
mayo 30, 2017, 7:07 am

34. Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation by Anne Sebba 5.29.2017



WWII books are one of my passions. I love to read about war-time Paris, either non-fiction or fiction, so I knew many of the names that Sebba mentions. Having said that, even I found this rather encyclopedic volume an undertaking. Sometimes my brain just switched off when the text became 'work' to digest - like a litany of the who's-who. That said, I did enjoy the passages where Sebba wrote about the women of Paris as a collective, which broadened my scope of who they were as a whole.

Some Americans were outraged by such showiness while a war was still being fought. But they misunderstood French culture and the belief among some Parisiennes that to look dowdy was a negation of their patriotic duty, when by sporting extravagant costumes they could thumb their noses at the Germans. Some even went as far as to call it 'resisting'. Fashion was, to the French, even after four years of occupation, anything but trivial. For them, remaining stylish provided a beacon of hope for the future. It was a matter of pride to make a dress from old curtains if they could, or to adapt a man's suit if the man wasn't coming home. Many French woman tried to assert their individuality in definace of the enemy; they remained as fashion conscious as possible throughout the war in order to retain their pride, boost morale and remain true to themselves, because fashion expressed their identity.

130VictoriaPL
mayo 31, 2017, 7:50 am

35. The Black Moon by Winston Graham 5.30.2017 Poldark #5



My goodness gracious, can Graham write a beginning and ending. The middle parts aren't bad, it's just that the man knows how make an entrance and exit! When there is such drama, I figure it's for a purpose - so that the reader does not forget what happens here. Like a signpost. I'm always trying to guess what's on down the road, what does Graham have up his sleeve?
I loved this installment. The birth of Elizabeth's "premature" son has my spidey sense tingling! Morwenna and Drake's hesitant beginnings were lovingly weaved in with bits of Caroline and Dwight, who are both now on the same page (finally!). Aunt Agatha making preparations for her landmark birthday was so endearing. And you can always count on George Warleggan to stir up the pot! Even if you don't see his name on the page for half the book, never count him out! I'm so glad that Graham expanded the series and that there are 7 books left!

132VictoriaPL
Jun 5, 2017, 7:17 am

Today is my 10th Thingaversary!!! Looking back, I could not imagine the last 10 years without my friends here on LT. I so enjoying hanging out with you, discussing books and so much more!

133lsh63
Jun 5, 2017, 7:19 am

Happy Thingaversary Victoria! I'm right behind you 10 years next month:)

134dudes22
Jun 5, 2017, 8:03 am

Oh - Happy Thingaversary, Victoria! Hope you have many more good years of reading. (Or years of good reading.)

135virginiahomeschooler
Jun 5, 2017, 8:16 am

Happy Thingaversary!

136AHS-Wolfy
Jun 5, 2017, 9:21 am

Happy Thingaversary! Congrats on the new badge you've received (or are about to).

137MissWatson
Jun 5, 2017, 10:49 am

Happy thingaversary! Here's to the next ten years!

138VivienneR
Jun 5, 2017, 1:00 pm

Happy Thingaversay, Victoria! I had mine a couple of weeks ago. It's been a wonderful ten years!

140RidgewayGirl
Jun 5, 2017, 1:24 pm

Happy Thingaversary! Without LT, we never would have become friends, so I'm grateful to LT for that.

141VictoriaPL
Jun 5, 2017, 2:30 pm

>140 RidgewayGirl: I feel the same way, Kay! I was thinking about that earlier, anticipating our lunch on Thursday!

142Chrischi_HH
Jun 5, 2017, 2:41 pm

Happy thingaversary! :)

143DeltaQueen50
Jun 5, 2017, 11:22 pm

Happy 10th Thingaversary, Victoria!

144VictoriaPL
Jun 6, 2017, 7:40 am

145VictoriaPL
Jun 8, 2017, 7:51 am

36. small great things by Jodi PIcoult 6.7.2017



"But when I open the folder, there's a hot pink Post-it on the paperwork. NO AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSONNEL TO CARE FOR THIS PATIENT. My face floods with heat. Marie is not at the charge nurse's desk. I start to methodically search through the ward until I find her talking to one of the pediatricians in the nursery. "Marie," I say, pasting a smile on my face. "Do you have a minute?"

What happens when a nurse is alone on the ward and a baby starts to code - a baby she is prohibited from touching? Is the condition "except in an emergency" implied? Is she legally protected by the circumstance? And what of the moral obligation?
These are great questions and that is why Picoult is such a staple on my "go-to authors" list. Picoult said she always wanted to write a book about race relations. The story alternates between the African American nurse, the Skinhead father of the child and the Defense attorney.
To be honest, I enjoyed 5/6ths of the book. Towards the end I did feel as though I already had a firm grasp on what Picoult was saying and now I was just being preached to. I did take the points raised by the book to heart and they have prompted further thought.

146VictoriaPL
Editado: Jun 8, 2017, 3:33 pm

37.The Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates 6.8.2017 *audiobook*



Amazon description:
In this striking, enormously affecting novel, Joyce Carol Oates tells the story of two very different and yet intimately linked American families. Luther Dunphy is an ardent Evangelical who envisions himself as acting out God’s will when he assassinates an abortion provider in his small Ohio town while Augustus Voorhees, the idealistic but self-regarding doctor who is killed, leaves behind a wife and children scarred and embittered by grief.
In her moving, insightful portrait, Joyce Carol Oates fully inhabits the perspectives of two interwoven families whose destinies are defined by their warring convictions and squarely-but with great empathy-confronts an intractable, abiding rift in American society.
A Book of American Martyrs is a stunning, timely depiction of an issue hotly debated on a national stage but which makes itself felt most lastingly in communities torn apart by violence and hatred.


This was a my very first Joyce Carol Oates read, well, listen. I enjoyed it! Some times the story would go down long jags where you would wonder if it was going to circle back but then Oates would scatter in lyrical phrases that would make me just happy to spend time on her path. I'll definitely be searching out more of Oates.

"In the collapse of her life she wasn't unhappy. In the ruins in which she stumbled she would salvage something valuable, she was sure."

"If the dead could return to life, they would rejoice in life, whatever it was. They would not be picky and quarrelsome. They would not be ironic and so we, who are alive, had better rejoice in their place."

147RidgewayGirl
Jun 8, 2017, 5:41 pm

I would never have expected you to love Oates at first book! It took me three tries and a lot of encouragement before I warmed to her. One thing is that she never goes in expected directions and I thought the end of this book was just lovely.

148VictoriaPL
Editado: Jun 14, 2017, 12:53 pm

We've adopted a polydactyl cat (sometimes called a "mitten" or "Hemingway" cat)!
I've always wanted one. She was found at a national park, no collar, no chip. My husband's cousin, who is a ranger there, tried to find an owner but it's been over six months. She is definitely not feral, she is SO chill and incredibly sweet. So far her one quirk seems to be that she likes to drink from running water. And she's already made herself at home in my library.
All of my pets are named for authors or characters. We wanted to name her after Hemingway, so we're calling her Margot, like his grand-daughter. Ernestina (or Tina) was also in the running.
So far the integration with our current cat, Mallory, is going okay. There haven't been any out-and-out spats but a lot of hissy fits. Not as many as last week though. We are finding our way.



149dudes22
Jun 14, 2017, 4:55 pm

So cute.

150rabbitprincess
Jun 14, 2017, 6:25 pm

Awww, pretty kitty and lovely name!

151clue
Jun 14, 2017, 10:27 pm

>148 VictoriaPL: I'll bet she's going to be fun! I just visited a friend who has acquired a cat since I last saw her. This cat, Oreo, also will only drink from running water. There is always a bowl of water out for her and the dog but oh no, she won't touch it. We were in the living room just talking when Oreo started meowing, and Mary jumped up and said she had to go water the cat.

152VictoriaPL
Jun 15, 2017, 7:42 am

>149 dudes22:, >150 rabbitprincess: Thanks!
>151 clue: Water the cat, LOL! Margot doesn't meow for it. But if you get near the bathroom she nearly runs you down to get to the tub. You know what she wants. She does drink from the water bowls but she prefers the faucet.

153LittleTaiko
Jun 15, 2017, 5:47 pm

Isn't she adorable?! Love how she fits right in on the library shelf.

154DeltaQueen50
Jun 15, 2017, 7:26 pm

Margot is beautiful, Victoria and I love your idea of naming your cat's with authors in mind. I have always wanted to have a couple of female cats and call them Agatha and Josephine (Christie and Tey), but unfortunately I am allergic - not to cats but to flea bites which I have a strong reaction to and I'm afraid to take the chance that I could keep them flea free.

155VictoriaPL
Jun 16, 2017, 7:57 am

>153 LittleTaiko: My husband walked in the room and didn't even see her there at first. Then he took the pic and texted it to me, LOL.

>154 DeltaQueen50: Oh, those are such nice names! At least not having cats makes your moving easier!!

156RidgewayGirl
Jun 16, 2017, 9:10 am

>148 VictoriaPL: That's so cool to be related to a Park Ranger. I think that's my husband's secret fantasy job.

And what a gorgeous girl! She really is lovely. I'd love to add a third cat and the rest of my family would have already done so, except Tarzan is such a monumental jerk and he'd terrorize any new cat (he's lived with AJ since he was a kitten and will still go find her and harass her when he's feeling bored).

157VictoriaPL
Jun 16, 2017, 9:17 am

>156 RidgewayGirl: She has taught me that being a park ranger is no easy thing, but it has awesome moments.

You'll have to come meet Margot. I know she will love you. What's funny is when Mallory is all bothered and hissy and Margot doesn't react. At all. She just looks at me like 'who is this drama queen?'

158RidgewayGirl
Jun 16, 2017, 9:20 am

She's sucking up to you. She knows a good home when she sees one.

159andreablythe
Jun 16, 2017, 11:56 am

>81 VictoriaPL: and >111 VictoriaPL:
I've never read Hamilton, so I don't know if it's a comparison that appeals or not. But the description of this series sounds fun and I certainly don't mind dark storylines.

>110 VictoriaPL:
The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice is definitely hitting my TBR!

>119 VictoriaPL:
I have one of those rusty railroad spikes sitting on a bookshelf, found loose and collected when a friend and I were walking the tracks ages ago. The novel itself sounds fantastic. I'm going to have to get ahold of that one.

>148 VictoriaPL:
OMG! Kitty is so cute!

160VictoriaPL
Jun 16, 2017, 7:24 pm

>159 andreablythe: thanks for stopping by Andrea!

161lkernagh
Jun 18, 2017, 1:34 pm

I am rather late but Happy Thingaversary. Congrats on 10 years!

>148 VictoriaPL: - How adorable! I had to look up what a poly-dactyl cat is, and why it is sometimes called a "Hemingway" cat. See, I stop by to visit your thread and I learned something interesting in the process. ;-)

162VictoriaPL
Editado: Jun 18, 2017, 7:29 pm

>161 lkernagh: ha! Thanks! Wonderful! Now the pressure is on to keep it interesting!

163VictoriaPL
Jun 19, 2017, 11:03 am

38.Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide by Josh Katz 6.17.2017



I loved this book! I read? experienced? enjoyed! it with my husband and in my opinion, that's the way to go. Get a group together. It's so much fun. You find yourself saying some words out loud in sentences because you're not really sure which one you actually use. It would make a great coffee table book / conversation starter.





164VictoriaPL
Editado: Jul 2, 2017, 8:12 am

39.The Four Swans by Winston Graham 6.19.2017
Poldark #6



Amazon description:
Just when Ross Poldark, now something of a war hero, seems secure in his hard-won prosperity, he must confront a new dilemma: the sudden infatuation of a young naval officer with his wife Demelza.
And it soon becomes evident that Demelza is not the only woman close to him whose life is in turmoil. Ross’s old love Elizabeth, her cousin Morwenna, and his friend’s new wife Caroline have also become embroiled in their own personal conflicts in life and in love. It’s a time of dramatic change for Poldark and Cornwall, and those who cope best will come out ahead.
Winston Graham's The Four Swans will sweep you into new territory, as the stakes for the Poldark and Warleggan clans intensify in shocking ways.


I can't believe I am halfway through the Poldark saga. Still loving Graham's writing. Still enjoying the characters.
No idea what's happening next!

165andreablythe
Jun 19, 2017, 3:30 pm

>163 VictoriaPL:
Oh, wow, does Speaking American look like a blast to read. And the watercolored maps are so pretty!

166thornton37814
Jun 19, 2017, 4:03 pm

>163 VictoriaPL: That one looks interesting.

We expect frequent updates on the adventures of Margot.

167VictoriaPL
Editado: Jun 19, 2017, 4:21 pm

>165 andreablythe: It really is a fun book, I recommend it!

>166 thornton37814: we took Margot to the vet on Saturday to get her up-to-date on her shots and also got a good look at her toes. She has 22 (a regular cat has 18). Essentially, she has an extra toe on every paw. And she's a mitten foot as opposed to a pad foot. So, I learned something there too!
I know you are glad to be reunited with your boys. I hope they let you sleep tonight.

168thornton37814
Jun 19, 2017, 4:27 pm

>167 VictoriaPL: They'll probably be as interested in sleep as I am.

169clue
Editado: Jun 19, 2017, 9:09 pm

>163 VictoriaPL: BB, I love books like this. I read one once that had something I've always thought odd. Here in the Ozarks we say "I tumped the glass over." Meaning I turned it over accidentally. According to the book, the only other place this word is common is in the Boston area. Go figure. Actually, I don't hear it as much as I used to, I think that sadly, we are losing our regional speech since it's not used on TV.

170VictoriaPL
Jun 19, 2017, 9:05 pm

>169 clue: I haven't heard that one!

171whitewavedarling
Jun 19, 2017, 10:41 pm

I'm late to comment as I catch up on threads, but Margot is adorable! We have a kitty that came from a campground in our household; someone told us that she might be feral, but that she was just in a spot that had so many more people than humans, she doesn't have the same personality. I don't know, one way or another, but she's been with us for years, and is more spoiled even than our other pets :) I hope Margot ends up being the same for you :)

172VictoriaPL
Jun 20, 2017, 7:22 am

>171 whitewavedarling: Thank you so much!

173rabbitprincess
Jun 20, 2017, 6:49 pm

Sounds like American English is a fun read! I love books about language usage.

174VictoriaPL
Jun 20, 2017, 7:17 pm

>173 rabbitprincess: You should check it out!

175pammab
Jun 20, 2017, 11:52 pm

>163 VictoriaPL: I'm pretty sure I took a survey that they used to collect data for the American dialects book back in the day! I hadn't realized they'd turned that work into a book, and now I'm curious to see how they put it all together. What's the format? It seems like it might be primarily 2-page spreads of maps?

176VictoriaPL
Editado: Jun 21, 2017, 7:32 am

>175 pammab: Yes, it's a coffee table size book with two-page spreads of maps. It's beautiful.

177LittleTaiko
Jun 21, 2017, 2:19 pm

>163 VictoriaPL: - There was something on the New York Times website yesterday about this book I think. My co-workers and I spent a good amount of time comparing our responses. Lots of fun!

178VictoriaPL
Jun 21, 2017, 2:56 pm

>177 LittleTaiko: It really is a book that is better for being shared.

179brodiew2
Jun 22, 2017, 11:58 am

>163 VictoriaPL: Hello Victoria! This book looks interesting. The graphs you posted make me want to investigate more.

180VictoriaPL
Jun 22, 2017, 6:54 pm

>179 brodiew2: you should! LOL

181mathgirl40
Jun 23, 2017, 10:31 pm

Happy belated 10th Thingaversary!

>124 VictoriaPL: I really like Malcolm Gladwell's books too. That's partly because he grew up near my home, so we think of him as a "local hero", but I also like that he forces me to reexamine assumptions and see ideas in a different light.

182VictoriaPL
Jun 28, 2017, 8:17 am

>181 mathgirl40: Thanks! Yes, he is very thought-provoking.

183RidgewayGirl
Jun 28, 2017, 9:19 am

ROOOOOAAAAAAADDDD TRRRRRRRRRIP!

That is all.

184cbl_tn
Jun 28, 2017, 9:30 am

BB for Speaking American! And I'm looking forward to tomorrow's meetup. :-)

185VictoriaPL
Jun 28, 2017, 1:39 pm

>183 RidgewayGirl:. >184 cbl_tn:
ha! I am SO ready. See you ladies tomorrow!

186thornton37814
Jun 28, 2017, 10:49 pm

>185 VictoriaPL: It will be fun! I'm wondering what time I'll eventually get to bed tonight. Jeff is seriously delayed by a meeting. Fortunately I can sleep in a bit in the morning, if needed. I don't have as far to drive as you guys do.

187VictoriaPL
Editado: Jun 29, 2017, 9:29 pm

I had such a wonderful day at the Knoxville LT meetup with Carrie (cbl_tn), Lori (thornton37814) and Kay (RidgewayGirl)! We really could not have asked for a more beautiful afternoon on the riverfront. We ate BBQ at Calhoun's and then, of course, went book shopping. We scoured McKay's Used Books & CDs.



My haul:
Second Variety and other classic stories and The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. I'm always looking to expand my PKD collection.

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson (I texted this to my husband as a joke and he insisted that I bring it home for him, LOL).

Anne Frank House a Museum with a Story this is a really wonderful book of the house, chock full of color photos of the exhibits.

Carrie also brought these for me (Thanks again!)

Dissonance by Lisa Lenard-Cook
THis one sounds interesting!

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
This one has been on my radar!

All Shall be Well and A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie.
These look good, looking forward to reading them!

188cbl_tn
Jun 29, 2017, 9:46 pm

>187 VictoriaPL: It was a beautiful day to be on the waterfront! The Anne Frank book is really lovely. What a great find!

189thornton37814
Jun 29, 2017, 10:00 pm

>187 VictoriaPL: I second what Carrie said about the Anne Frank book. It looked delightful. Tell David "Hi." I hope he enjoys the book.

190RidgewayGirl
Jun 29, 2017, 10:43 pm

You were so restrained in the number of books you brought home! My total was fourteen.

Thanks for being excellent company on the drive.

191thornton37814
Jun 29, 2017, 11:19 pm

>190 RidgewayGirl: She definitely was too restrained, especially in comparison to the rest of us.

192VictoriaPL
Jun 30, 2017, 7:45 am

>190 RidgewayGirl: thanks for driving!!

I had to be somewhat restrained, knowing that today is my last day at my job. Didn't want to overspend. But it was SO much fun. It was just the distraction I needed.

193thornton37814
Jun 30, 2017, 9:13 am

>192 VictoriaPL: And we all had a blast!

194VictoriaPL
Jul 2, 2017, 8:03 am

Well, I might have exercised restraint when I went to McKay's but when my husband and I went by Mr K's I was bad. Very bad. I was so surprised when I could not find any Poldark books in Knoxville... but here in Greenville, they had three of them. And they were below Amazon price, so I bought them all. Demelza, The Black Moon and Bella Poldark are mine now. I also bought Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny by Garrison Kellor because I couldn't resist it either.

195VictoriaPL
Jul 2, 2017, 8:04 am

I am DNF'ing The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman. It's not working for me.

196VictoriaPL
Jul 2, 2017, 8:18 am

40.Dark Road Home by Anna Carlisle 6.28.2017



Amazon description:
The summer after she graduated from high school, Gin Sullivan's little sister Lily went missing. Her family fell apart, not to mention her relationship with her high school sweetheart, Jake. Now, almost twenty years later, Gin is living in Chicago and working as a medical examiner when she gets the call: a body's been found in the woods outside her small hometown. It could be her sister. After all these years, it's time for Gin to go home and face the demons she tried to leave behind.
Confronting your past is never easy, but for Gin it also means confronting Jake, who was the prime suspect in Lily's disappearance. To find an answer to the question of what happened to her sister that fateful summer, Gin makes the difficult decision to use her talents as a medical examiner to help the police investigation. But as Gin gets deeper into the case, she uncovers a shocking truth that could change everything--if it doesn't destroy what's left of her and her family first.


This was a gift from Carrie (cbl_tn) - THANKS AGAIN! - and I probably would not have found it on my own. It really sucked me in, three-fourths of it read in one day. I love a small-town, family drama. It reminded me somewhat of Greg Iles' book The Quiet Game. I didn't realize this was the start of a series. I'll probably add it to my list - but the TBR is SO long.....

197VictoriaPL
Jul 2, 2017, 8:43 am

JUNE RECAP

Books Read
small great things by Jodi PIcoult
A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates
Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide by Josh Katz
The Four Swans by Winston Graham
Dark Road Home by Anna Carlisle

Books DNF
The Billion Dollar Spy by David E Hoffman

Only five books completed in June. To be fair to myself, I was massively busy finishing up the training for my replacement at work. My last day was June 30th. And at home I was playing peace-maker between my two felines. I also did a few days of orientation at my new part-time job, which I'm really excited about. I have the rest of the long weekend to relax then I start training again for several more weeks.

On the plate already for July:
Apollo 8 by Jeffrey Kluger (LT ER book that I failed to get to in June)
The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D. MacDonald (ILL book)
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth (audiobook)
The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
The Angry Tide by Winston Graham (Poldark #7)

198RidgewayGirl
Jul 9, 2017, 12:18 pm

>196 VictoriaPL: Carrie did a good job at choosing books for us! I liked the one I've read quite a bit.

199VictoriaPL
Editado: Jul 9, 2017, 9:38 pm

41. Apollo 8:The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger 7.8.2017



"Collins sat back in his seat. He was startled to discover that what should have been one of the most thrilling moments of his life was actually one of the most unsatisfying.
Three human beings, he reflected, were about to tear themselves away from the gravitational grip of the Earth, and in three days' time they would surrender to the gravity of another celestial body. No living creature had ever done that before. There ought to be an oompah band, he thought. There out to be fireworks. there ought to be some way to mark the moment. Instead there was just this dull, flat little scrap of language: You are go for TLI.
But the jargon was deliberate; it was designed to hollow out those very feelings of momentousness, because feelings like those could be distractions when you needed to focus on the only the task at hand."


One of my favorite reading genres is US Space Program History and within that, the Apollo program specifically. I very much enjoyed Kluger's novel Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, which he wrote with astronaut Jim Lovell. Lovell was also aboard Apollo 8 and so when I received the book, I automatically assumed he would be the star of this story as well. But Kluger pleasantly surprised me by letting astronaut Frank Borman have the spotlight this time.

Apollo 8 was the first manned flight to the Moon. No one at NASA was 100% confident the capsule could get into lunar orbit or even successfully splashdown back on Earth. Mission Control had the numbers and the theory but no hard verification. The crew was stepping out into terra incognita of their own by even leaving Earth orbit. The mission was to discover how a lunar landing could be accomplished and it paved the way for all the following missions that brought such pride and glory to the USA.

What I like about Kluger's writing is how much color he injects into the material. It's never boring and is most always insightful and amusing. From the astronauts, their wives and family to the Mission Control brass and even to their Russian counterparts, the book provides well-rounded insight into the mission. I ate through this like a 5 course meal, hungry and eagerly expecting each new delight. Kluger did not let me down. Highly recommended.

This book was provided to me by LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

200andreablythe
Jul 10, 2017, 5:39 pm

>187 VictoriaPL:
Nice haul. :) Night of the Living Trekkies has an especially great name, would have grabbed me, too.

>199 VictoriaPL:
I love learning about US Space Program History, as well, and about space travel and all its difficulties in general. This one sounds like a great read.

201VictoriaPL
Jul 11, 2017, 5:59 pm

>200 andreablythe: Hi Andrea! Thanks for stopping by!

202VictoriaPL
Jul 13, 2017, 2:15 pm

42. The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D. MacDonald 7.12.2017



Amazon Description:
Carolyn Milligan was only aboard McGee’s boat for one night. She came to drop off a hundred grand for safekeeping. What Carrie really needed was someone to keep her safe. She said she’d be back in a month. Instead Carrie is killed in a dubious roadside accident. Now McGee is left with a fortune—and a nagging conscience.
So McGee takes a trip to the seedy little town of Bayside, Florida, to look into Carrie’s life before she showed up on his boat. What McGee finds only pushes him further into the corrupt world of drugs and blood that Carrie was trying to escape. McGee is used to high stakes, but when the bodies start piling up, even he may be in over his head.


This gem caught my eye when someone here on the 2017 Challenge reviewed it. It has been awhile since I've read something hardboiled and it was wonderful to step back into the genre. With the exception of the middle, this one flew by for me. Middles can be difficult. All in all, it's a nice distraction, a palate cleanser.

203LittleTaiko
Jul 13, 2017, 8:00 pm

>196 VictoriaPL: - That does sound intriguing. Like you, I enjoy a good small town family drama.

204VictoriaPL
Jul 25, 2017, 10:17 pm

43. The Angry Tide by Winston Graham 7.24.2017 Poldark #7



Wow. At over 600 pages, this entry in the Poldark saga has a lot of meat to it. It's so hard not to give out spoilers. There are many things that raise the eyebrows here. Thank goodness we have a discussion thread! But in general:

Demelza is finally cajoled into joining Ross in London and tries to fit in. She becomes the target of a wager, which leads to disaster for Ross. Elizabeth is expecting another child and she tries once and for all to set George's demons to rest. Morwenna must learn to face life again when unforseen circumstances arise.

205brodiew2
Jul 26, 2017, 9:22 pm

>202 VictoriaPL: After leaving McGee behind after one outing, this one sounds pretty good. I may have to give McDonald and McGee another shot.

206VictoriaPL
Jul 27, 2017, 7:32 am

>205 brodiew2: me too! Although I'm not sure when.

207VictoriaPL
Editado: Jul 27, 2017, 7:46 am

44. The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith Hahn Beer 7.26.2017



"You will ask how I felt about spending so much time with people who supported the HItler regime. I will tell you that, since I had absolutely no choice in the matter, I no longer dared to think about it. To be in Germany at that time, pretending to be an Aryan, meant that you automatically socialized with Nazis. To me, they were all Nazis, whether they belonged to the party or not. For me to have made distinctions at that time - to say that Hilde was a "good" Nazi and the registrar was a "bad" Nazi - would have been silly and dangerous, because the good ones could turn you in as easily and capriciously as the bad ones could save your life."

(Hilde) "When I was fifteen I went to a Nazi Party banquet, and they served rolls with butter. It was the first time I ever tasted butter." Is that the reason I wondered. Is that why they averted their eyes, made themselves blind? For the butter?

A wonderfully readable memoir, like sitting down on the sofa with your grandmother. The more I read WWII memoirs it amazes me how pragmatic the young people were then. Maybe it's a European thing, I don't know.

208andreablythe
Jul 27, 2017, 7:02 pm

Woah. Those two quotes from The Nazi Officer's Wife gave me chills. Sounds like a fascinating read.

209VictoriaPL
Jul 28, 2017, 7:47 am

>208 andreablythe: it was a good read and it goes quickly too.

210Chrischi_HH
Jul 28, 2017, 3:25 pm

>207 VictoriaPL: BB for me, this sounds very interesting.

211VictoriaPL
Jul 29, 2017, 1:08 am

>210 Chrischi_HH: let me know what you think when you get around to it!

212dudes22
Jul 30, 2017, 4:52 pm

>207 VictoriaPL: - I'm going to take a BB for this too although I know it will be a while before I get to it.

213VictoriaPL
Jul 31, 2017, 7:49 am

>212 dudes22: Hi Betty! Understandable. There are SO many books out there! Thanks for stopping by!

214VictoriaPL
Ago 1, 2017, 10:52 pm

45. Dealing in Futures by Joe Haldeman 8.1.2017



Felt like some sci-fi so I pulled this one off my TBR shelf. Haldeman is one of those fall-back kind of authors when I'm in the mood for something in the genre. There is a novella and also several stories here, so it was nice to dip in and come back if I had somewhere to be. Not to fond of free poetry myself but I think it's a good thing it was included. Nice mix to the collection.

215andreablythe
Ago 2, 2017, 11:40 am

>214 VictoriaPL:
It's always interesting to me when authors mix poetry into a short story collection. They seem so separate to me most of the time.

216VictoriaPL
Ago 2, 2017, 2:57 pm

>215 andreablythe: I'm sure he doesn't write too much of it, so it's a nice way to get them out there to his readers. They are towards the end.

217lindapanzo
Ago 3, 2017, 12:44 pm

>207 VictoriaPL: This one sounds terrific. I know my library has the Kindle version so I might give it a try.

The other day, I saw, I think, a new astronaut book and thought of you and of how I haven't read one in quite awhile. But what was it, hmmmm...

218VictoriaPL
Ago 4, 2017, 8:02 pm

>217 lindapanzo: Hi Linda! Oh! Now you have me curious!

219clue
Ago 4, 2017, 8:23 pm

It might be Scott Kelly's new book. It doesn't come out until October but it's already available for presale on Amazon. I tried to resist but...

220lindapanzo
Ago 5, 2017, 4:29 pm

>218 VictoriaPL: I know, I know. I need to write down the titles when I hear/see something about them.

221VictoriaPL
Ago 5, 2017, 11:27 pm

>219 clue: that sounds interesting! Thanks!

222VictoriaPL
Ago 14, 2017, 11:26 am

46. The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham 8.13.2017 Poldark#8



Amazon description "Cornwall 1810. The Poldark family awaits the return of Ross from his mission to Wellington's army in Portugal. But their ordered existence ends with Jeremy Poldark's dramatic rescue of The Stranger from the Sea. Stephen Carrington's arrival in the Poldark household changes all their lives. For Clowance and Jeremy in particular, the children of Ross and Demelza, Stephen's advent is the key to a new world—one of both love and danger."

Ah, the younger generation comes of age. I still enjoy the relationship of Ross and Demelza as it enters new phases and matures. The children, now that they are old enough to have their own adventures and love affairs, are interesting but (to me) not as much as Mom and Dad. Of the offspring, I like Jeremy quite a bit. Will be watching that one.

223VictoriaPL
Editado: Ago 15, 2017, 8:19 am

47. The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly 8.14.2016



Amazon: "Paul was led into a life of crime by his boyhood protector. One night, a petty theft turned into murder. Now Paul must bear witness against his friend to avoid prison. Louisa's dark secrets led her to flee a desperate infatuation gone wrong many years before. Now her days are spent renovating the grounds of a crumbling Elizabethan garden. Her fragile peace is shattered when she meets Paul, the spitting image of the person she never thought she'd see again."

Meh. This one just did not work for me. I skimmed much of the last quarter.
If I want a doppelganger May-December romance, I prefer Elizabeth Hand's Waking the Moon.

224RidgewayGirl
Editado: Ago 16, 2017, 10:39 am



This guy stopped by to reassure you that your next book will be a lot better.

225VictoriaPL
Ago 16, 2017, 5:40 pm

>224 RidgewayGirl:. Ha! I loooooove it!

226rabbitprincess
Ago 16, 2017, 6:32 pm

And if the next book isn't better, you still get to look at him, so you win either way ;)

227christina_reads
Ago 17, 2017, 5:17 pm

*swoon*

228VictoriaPL
Ago 18, 2017, 9:03 pm

48.The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter 8.17.2017



Well, I made sure my next book WAS good. One can never go wrong with Karin Slaughter.
And even though this was not a Will Trent book (sniff, sniff), I enjoyed it very much.
I don't know if this will be a new series for Slaughter. She certainly left the door open. I wouldn't mind as I really like the character of Ben. Of course, he's no Will...

Harper Collins blurb:
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.
Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever…

229LittleTaiko
Ago 19, 2017, 8:39 pm

It is hard to go wrong with one of her books, isn't it? Glad you had a good read!

230VictoriaPL
Ago 19, 2017, 9:54 pm

>229 LittleTaiko: Thanks Stacy! There's definitely a reason she's on my 'buy and read immediately' list.

231VictoriaPL
Ago 25, 2017, 9:54 am

49. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King 8.24.2017



Amazon description
The stolen Mercedes emerges from the pre-dawn fog and plows through a crowd of men and women in line for a job fair in a distressed American city. Then the lone driver backs up, charges again, and speeds off, leaving eight dead and more wounded. The case goes unsolved and ex-cop Bill Hodges is out of hope when he gets a letter from a man who loved the feel of death under the Mercedes’s wheels…

This is the start of a new series for King. I can't say I really enjoyed the opener considering what has happened around the world lately with the trend in terrorist attacks. The cat-and-mouse between Hodges and Mr Mercedes was straight thriller-mystery, no supernatural, for those of you who don't care for that. Not sure if I'll read the followup or not.

232andreablythe
Ago 25, 2017, 12:57 pm

>231 VictoriaPL:
The opener sounds like it would hit too close to reality at this point. I haven't really read any of the new work by King, though I keep meaning to since I read so much of his work while I was in high school. Not sure that I'll grab this one, though. I like more of the supernatural horror stuff.

233lindapanzo
Ago 25, 2017, 1:17 pm

Hi, any interest in reading The Sky Below by Scott Parazynski?

234VictoriaPL
Ago 25, 2017, 2:13 pm

>233 lindapanzo: it looks interesting! My library doesn't have a copy though :(

235lindapanzo
Ago 25, 2017, 2:26 pm

I've got Kindle Unlimited and so I don't have to pay extra to get a copy.

Hmmm, let me keep looking for something else.

236VictoriaPL
Editado: Ago 25, 2017, 2:44 pm

darn, it's not included with Prime.
That cover animation is cool!

237RidgewayGirl
Ago 25, 2017, 8:02 pm

I liked Mr Mercedes quite a bit, although I spent most of it worrying that King would throw in a bunch of supernatural horror stuff. I liked how well he knew and conformed to the private detective genre. And I love it when a band of diverse people join forces.

238rabbitprincess
Ago 26, 2017, 9:38 am

>231 VictoriaPL: I'd read the whole trilogy before the wave of car-driven-into-crowd attacks, and Mr. Mercedes was the first thing that came to mind when the news of the first one broke :( So I can understand how the opening scene would be unpleasant to read about with that in mind!

I second >237 RidgewayGirl: -- loved how King worked with the crime genre and the bond between Hodges, Holly, and Jerome. I'd like to reread the trilogy someday. It's my new favourite Stephen King work (previously that was The Dark Half).

239VivienneR
Ago 26, 2017, 11:23 am

>231 VictoriaPL: Add me to the list of fans of King's shift to mystery. Like >238 rabbitprincess:, I found the characters to be so different yet worked well together. I finished the trilogy pretty quickly and look forward to reading it again sometime.

I can understand the opening scene being difficult to read given recent events, but I feel that way about a lot of mystery novels where the crime is close to reality. The second book in King's trilogy doesn't get any easier.

240VictoriaPL
Ago 26, 2017, 12:41 pm

>237 RidgewayGirl: >238 rabbitprincess: and >239 VivienneR: I really liked Jerome though not so big on Holly.

241brodiew2
Ago 30, 2017, 12:46 pm

Hello VictoriaPL! I hope all is well with you.

>231 VictoriaPL: I enjoyed Mr. Mercedes on audio narrated by Will Patton. I liked the Hodges character and Jerome as well. Holly was weird, but I liked her emerging character once given a purpose. I have not gone to book two as I hear it it light on Hodges and crew. Perhaps, I'll change my mind.

242VictoriaPL
Sep 8, 2017, 9:30 am

50. Resistance by Owen Sheers 9.8.2017



Amazon description:
Resistance is a beautifully written and powerful story set during an imagined occupation of Britain by Nazi Germany in World War II.
In a remote and rugged Welsh valley in 1944, in the wake of a German invasion, all the men have disappeared overnight, apparently to join the underground resistance. Their abandoned wives, a tiny group of farm women, are soon trapped in the valley by an unusually harsh winter—along with a handful of war-weary German soldiers on a secret mission. The need to survive drives the soldiers and the women into uneasy relationships that test both their personal and national loyalties. But when the snow finally melts, bringing them back into contact with the war that has been raging beyond their mountains, they must face the dramatic consequences of their choices.


I've read a few alternate history WWII novels and this one is so different. Well, different from most other WWII stories, I'd say. It's the pace and the ambiance. It's slow but I did not find it boring. The writing is so beautiful. And it felt like the isolation of the valley encompassed me as well. The tension is nicely done - like an overfull glass and nobody wants to be the cause of the spill, even while knowing that a spill will come.

243clue
Sep 8, 2017, 11:38 am

>242 VictoriaPL: My library has this so I've put it on my "get at library" list. Sounds good.

244VictoriaPL
Editado: Sep 8, 2017, 2:10 pm

>243 clue: I look forward to seeing your thoughts on it!
Apparently they made a movie but sadly it's not on Prime ;(

245VictoriaPL
Sep 8, 2017, 2:23 pm

Yesterday I totally binged on Amazon Prime WWII films. So many out there that I didn't know about!

Habermann
The Exception
Spring 1941
Rosenstrasse

246lkernagh
Sep 8, 2017, 9:31 pm

>242 VictoriaPL: - Taking a BB for that one!

247VictoriaPL
Sep 8, 2017, 11:01 pm

248VictoriaPL
Editado: Sep 13, 2017, 11:49 am

51.The Kaiser's Last Kiss by Alan Judd 9.12.2017



The Kaiser continued staring, his eyes wide, breathing as if from exertion. "They are men of dreams," he said, more calmly, "who lead us sleepwalking into their own nightmare."

Amazon description: It is 1940 and the exiled Kaiser is living in Holland, at his palace Huis Doorn. The old German king spends his days chopping logs and musing on what might have been. When the Nazis invade Holland, the Kaiser's Dutch staff are replaced by SS guards, led by young, eager Martin Krebbs, and an unlikely relationship develops between the king and his keeper. While they agree on the rightfulness of German expansion and on holding the country's Jewish population accountable for all ills, they disagree on the solutions. Krebb's growing attraction and love affair with Akki, a Jewish maid in the house, further undermines his belief in Nazism. But as the tides of war roll around them, all three find themselves increasingly compromised and gravely at risk.

I recently watched The Exception and was curious about the source material, so I borrowed Alan Judd's novel from the library. Several changes, of course, in names and details and even plot. Oddly, I liked the movie better but then again, I am a sucker for lush cinematography.

"When you are young you do not understand how different then and now are because you have lived only in now and it feels as if that is where you will always live. You do not realize that your now - and you - are becoming then. And when you realize how completely now has become then, how different it is, it is like the fall of the ax. It splits you off from all these younger people who, however much they think they know or understand, cannot feel life as it was then. The pulse of it: that was the thing, always, with everything, and that is what cannot be conveyed."

249pammab
Sep 16, 2017, 11:45 pm

>248 VictoriaPL: I really like that meditation on age. Is it from Alan Judd?

250VictoriaPL
Sep 17, 2017, 5:59 pm

>249 pammab: Yes! I thought it was such a great paragraph. Had to share.

251LittleTaiko
Sep 18, 2017, 9:36 pm

Love that quote from the book. Thanks for sharing.

252VictoriaPL
Sep 21, 2017, 5:29 pm

>251 LittleTaiko: Glad you enjoyed it!

253VictoriaPL
Editado: Sep 21, 2017, 5:35 pm

52.The MIller's Dance by Winston Graham 9.20.2017



I don't know that I can talk about this one without giving away spoilers for the previous eight books.
I liked it, but not as much as the others. You can really feel the sun setting on the series in this one. Three books to go!

254lindapanzo
Oct 15, 2017, 8:21 pm

I'd like to read the new Scott Kelly memoir, Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery. Any interest?

255VictoriaPL
Oct 16, 2017, 10:11 am

>254 lindapanzo: Hi Linda! Yes! My library has it on order so I put in a hold for it.

256lindapanzo
Oct 16, 2017, 11:57 am

>254 lindapanzo: Let me know when you want to start. I'm eager to read it!!

257RidgewayGirl
Oct 16, 2017, 12:18 pm

I've been rewatching the second season of Poldark in preparation for season three, and thought of you. How many books left in the series for you?

258VictoriaPL
Oct 26, 2017, 8:46 am

>256 lindapanzo:
Hi Linda. It has not yet arrived at our library yet. You can start without me if you need to.

>257 RidgewayGirl:
Hi Kay! I just finished book 10, which makes for 2 books remaining. I just watched the first in Season three myself. Such a well crafted series, so beautiful to look at.

259VictoriaPL
Oct 26, 2017, 8:55 am

53.The Loving Cup by Winston Graham 10.25.2017 Poldark #10



Amazon description:
A silver cup lies half-forgotten in a dank cave amongst a pile of stolen goods. Yet the tiny vessel and its inscription—Amor gignit amorem—haunts the lives of the feuding Poldark and Warleggan families, as Ross, Demelza, and the ambitious and powerful Sir George Warleggan watch their children make the decisions that will shape their destinies. For Jeremy and Clowance, and for arrogant, cynical Valentine Warleggan, these are troubled and momentous times.

No spoilers here.
I thought the second half or at least the last third was the best. I like Graham's lyrical, let-me-catch-you-up-on-things voice but my favorite is when he lets loose with something unexpected and the fireworks fly. The hasty, passionate action that will set everything on its head. He's so good, I just love Graham. I definitely want to read more of his non-Poldark books after this year.

260lindapanzo
Oct 26, 2017, 9:57 pm

>258 VictoriaPL: I'm not in too much of a hurry but do want to read it by the end of the year. I've compiled a list of books to read to finish my category challenge and this one is on it, though I could easily substitute something else.

261VictoriaPL
Nov 3, 2017, 12:52 pm

>260 lindapanzo: Linda, you may want to go ahead without me. I'm on the wait list for it. We'll find another to read.

262VictoriaPL
Nov 3, 2017, 12:56 pm

54.The Unquiet Heart by Gordon Ferris 11.3.2017



Amazon description:
Danny McRae is a private detective scraping a living in ration-card London. Eve Copeland, crime reporter, is looking for new angles to save her career. It's an alliance made in heaven—until Eve disappears, a contact dies violently, and an old adversary presents McRae with some unpalatable truths. His desperate search for his lover draws him into a web of black marketeers, double agents, and assassins, and hurls him into the shattered remains of Berlin, where terrorism and espionage foreshadow the bleakness of the Cold War. And McRae begins to lose sight of the thin line between good and evil.

Enjoyed this one. It didn't completely knock my socks off but I don't regret my time with it either. I thought the first half was better than the second, where things felt looser. I liked how hardboiled it was. Harboiled + WWII = happy camper!

263lindapanzo
Nov 3, 2017, 1:15 pm

>261 VictoriaPL: I've quite a few others and am in no hurry.

btw, when I was on Net Galley, I saw a new book due out in the spring about Apollo 8. This was the Christmas 1968 mission. I have to check out the qualifications to see whether I'd be able to get a free copy of that one.

264thornton37814
Nov 3, 2017, 1:34 pm

>262 VictoriaPL: I love the WWII angle, but I'm not sure about the hard-boiled.

265VictoriaPL
Nov 3, 2017, 7:34 pm

>263 lindapanzo: That one sounds good too!

266rabbitprincess
Nov 3, 2017, 8:57 pm

>262 VictoriaPL: I really need to get back to Gordon Ferris. I enjoyed his The Hanging Shed, which is set in Glasgow.

267VictoriaPL
Nov 3, 2017, 9:08 pm

>266 rabbitprincess: I think I should go back and read that one.

268lindapanzo
Nov 3, 2017, 9:09 pm

>265 VictoriaPL: I've put together a list of books to read for the remaining 2017 category challenge. The Scott Kelly book is currently on that list but can just as easily get pushed back til 2018. I've got plenty of other books to fill the categories.

269VictoriaPL
Nov 4, 2017, 7:58 am

>268 lindapanzo: I'm definitely in the mood to read a space book! I'll let you know when I get my hands on a copy.

270RidgewayGirl
Nov 4, 2017, 10:38 am

Ha! Hard-boiled and WWII is exactly your wheelhouse. I'm in a Southern Lit kick myself, although the noir I'm currently reading is less satisfying than I'd thought it would be.

271VictoriaPL
Editado: Nov 7, 2017, 8:58 am

55.Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth 11.6.2017



Amazon description:
Cyra Noavek and Akos Kereseth have grown up in enemy countries locked in a long-standing fight for dominance over their shared planet. When Akos and his brother are kidnapped by the ruling Noavek family, Akos is forced to serve Cyra, the sister of a dictator who governs with violence and fear. Cyra is known for her deadly power of transferring extraordinary pain unto others with simple touch, and her tyrant brother uses her as a weapon against those who challenge him. But as Akos fights for his own survival, he recognizes that Cyra is also fighting for hers, and that her true gift—resilience—might be what saves them both. When Akos and Cyra are caught in the middle of a raging rebellion, everything they’ve been led to believe about their world and themselves must be called into question. But fighting for what’s right might mean betraying their countries, their families, and each other. When the time comes, will they choose loyalty or love?

It's Romeo and Juliet... with powers! LOL. If you read my thread than you know I love angsty YA love stories and I was in the mood for one. It was a solid 4 star for me. I enjoyed the world building quite a bit. I liked the witty banter. And I will say this for Roth - there was no love triangle, hallelujah! That is SO overdone in YA fiction this past decade. She sets up for a sequel (of course), so we'll see.

272lindapanzo
Nov 7, 2017, 2:54 pm

>271 VictoriaPL: Is that the woman who wrote Divergent? Pretty sure it is. Those are not at all my usual but I really liked them, especially the first in the trilogy.

273VictoriaPL
Nov 7, 2017, 7:04 pm

>272 lindapanzo: yes, correct!

274mamzel
Nov 16, 2017, 4:47 pm

I haven't been by since June so here's a belated Happy 10th to you! I wish I could see the pics of you kitty. Can you reload them please?

275mathgirl40
Nov 16, 2017, 8:16 pm

>262 VictoriaPL: Hardboiled+WWII sounds like a good combination indeed. I'll have to try this series out.

276lindapanzo
Nov 23, 2017, 9:36 pm

Hi Victoria, I'll probably start that space book later tonight. After a big Thanksgiving dinner out, I came home and took a nap and then read a short mystery in its entirety. Later on, I'll feel like reading something more substantial, I think.

277DeltaQueen50
Nov 23, 2017, 11:52 pm

Happy Thanksgiving, Victoria.

278VictoriaPL
Nov 29, 2017, 11:21 pm

>276 lindapanzo: I'm so glad you are feeling better!
>277 DeltaQueen50: Happy Thanksgiving Judy!

279VictoriaPL
Nov 29, 2017, 11:31 pm

56. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham 11.29.2017 Poldark #11



Publishers Weekly review:

"Graham once again follows the fortunes of the Cornwall family. Series readers will not be surprised at the the centrality here of Ross Poldark and his wife, Demelza, who have matured from youthful emotional turbulence to become people of substance. His American war experience behind him, Ross is now a titled MP, called to England's secret service on the Continent during the Napoleonic wars. The Poldark children are also involved in the war, with tragic consequences. Old feuds and frustrated romances shadow the domestic scene, as Ross undertakes the role of patriarch, reflecting on the three decades that have elapsed since his meeting in 1783 with the incomparable Demelza. With customary grace, Graham handles a busy story, deftly conveying a stormy period in England and France while managing to provide helpful recaps of prior Poldark history."

It's amazing to me that after 11 books in a series, Graham can still surprise me. I did not anticipate half of the things that happened. And I finally got one of the things I've been wanting to happen for about three books now, LOL
The last half was very dark in tone, leaving us on a down note. I'm hoping the next (and last) book is a bit lighter in tone.

280christina_reads
Nov 30, 2017, 2:52 pm

>279 VictoriaPL: Agreed -- I am definitely hoping the last book will end on a happy note!

281VictoriaPL
Editado: Dic 6, 2017, 9:03 am

57. Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly with Margaret Lazarus Dean 12.5.2017
read with lindapanzo



"Gennady, Misha, and I all served in our militaries before being chosen to fly in space, and though it's something we never talk about, we all know we could have been ordered to kill one another. Now we are taking part in the largest peaceful international collaboration in history. When people ask whether the space station is worth the expense, this is something I always point out. What is it worth to see two former bitter enemies transform their weapons into transport for exploration and the pursuit of scientific knowledge? What is it worth to see former enemy nations turn their warriors into crewmates and lifelong freinds? This is impossible to put a dollar figure on, but to me it's one of the things that makes this project worth the expense, even worth risking our lives."

"Only later, when the Twitter chat is over, do I have the chance to reflect that I just experienced being trolled, in space, by the second man on the moon, while also engaging in a Twitter conversation with the president."


In case you missed it, Scott Kelly recently spent a year in space aboard the International Space Station. He and his Russian counterpart, Misha (Mikhail Korniyenko), were human guinea pigs studying the long-term effects of weightlessness on the human body. I love astronaut biographies in general but I thought this one was really well done. Kelly doesn't glaze over his life and make you feel like he's a god among mortals. He tells you what a crappy student he was, the times he was less than a top gun as a test pilot and the mistake he made on his second spacewalk - that precipitated another costly EVA. He's human and he's real about it. He talks about his frustration with Roscosmos and NASA. He talks about the challenges of being away from his family and his home for so long. And, of course, he talks about the science they did on Station. Fascinating stuff. Highly recommended!

282clue
Dic 6, 2017, 9:29 am

>281 VictoriaPL: I liked this a lot too, one of the eye openers for me was the sacrifice he made with his own health. When I read the amount of radiation he has had in comparison with most people my jaw dropped. He really was (and still is) a human guinea pig.

283thornton37814
Dic 6, 2017, 9:38 am

>281 VictoriaPL: When I went to the conference at the Greenbrier last month, I was asked on the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the hotel if I was one of the astronauts. Apparently two groups were at the hotel. I was mistaken as a member of the wrong group.

284VictoriaPL
Dic 6, 2017, 10:27 am

>282 clue: I know! It will be interesting to see what we learn in the future from his health. The part with his eye got me, I guess I was remembering my cataract surgeries. Also, the bit about euthanizing the mice and how angry he got when NASA didn't wake him when one was in distress.

>283 thornton37814: Oh wow! My Mom once took me to a flight readiness meeting out at the Cape and I had the best time imagining who in the “audience” were astronauts.

285clue
Dic 6, 2017, 8:34 pm

>283 thornton37814: Congratulations, I'm sure one would ever mistake me for an astronaut!

286thornton37814
Dic 6, 2017, 9:30 pm

>285 clue: I'm not sure how I was mistaken for one.

287pammab
Dic 7, 2017, 12:27 am

>281 VictoriaPL: Endurance sounds fantastic -- what a great review! I have been thinking of another space biography after Sally Ride, and this may be the one. I will have to see if the library has it. There is just something about space for fun politics and science and personal connection, all rolled into one....

288VictoriaPL
Dic 7, 2017, 9:45 am

>287 pammab: I have not read anything on Sally Ride - I need to correct that!

289lindapanzo
Dic 9, 2017, 12:05 pm

>281 VictoriaPL: I'm so glad you liked it. I'm eager to get back into it but, for a week or so, I'm still thinking of light, fluffy reading. I read for a half hour straight yesterday, for the first time this month, so I think my concentration is coming back.

At this point, I think I'm at around page 110.

290VictoriaPL
Dic 10, 2017, 2:17 pm

I'm about five chapters in to what will likely be my last book of the year.. Bella Poldark.
I have NO idea what to do for next year's challenge.

291RidgewayGirl
Dic 10, 2017, 9:50 pm

After your comments and hearing an interview with Scott Kelly, I've decided to get my Dad a copy of his book for Christmas. Thanks for talking about it!

292VictoriaPL
Dic 11, 2017, 1:17 am

>291 RidgewayGirl: awesome! I hope he enjoys it!

293lkernagh
Dic 23, 2017, 8:07 pm

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

294RidgewayGirl
Dic 24, 2017, 11:59 am

Merry Christmas Eve, Victoria. I look forward to catching up with you.

295VivienneR
Dic 25, 2017, 10:39 am

296lsh63
Dic 25, 2017, 12:24 pm

Merry Christmas Victoria,

Hope you are having a good one!

297dudes22
Dic 25, 2017, 3:36 pm

Victoria - My wish for you this year:

298andreablythe
Dic 25, 2017, 5:17 pm

Happy Holidays! Wishing you all the best and many new, glorious books to read!

299VictoriaPL
Dic 26, 2017, 2:18 pm

Aw, Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope you all had a lovely holiday!!

300VictoriaPL
Dic 26, 2017, 2:53 pm

58. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham 12.22.2017



panmacmillan synopsis:
"Cornwall 1818. We continue the tale of Ross and Demelza; of the wayward Valentine Warleggan, whose existence keeps open the old wounds of the feud between Ross and George; of Bella, the Poldarks' youngest daughter, whose precocious talent as a singer is encouraged by her old flame, Christopher Havergal, and by a distinguished French conductor, who has more in mind than Bella's music; of Clowance, the Poldarks' widowed daughter, who considers remarriage to one of two rival suitors; and of a murderer who stalks the villages of west Cornwall."

Ah, the twelfth and final Poldark book. I wasn't sure what to expect since book#11 The Twisted Sword was a bit of a downer. But never fear, Graham rallied and Bella proved to be a page-turner for me. In fact, I think it's my second favorite of the series behind The Black Moon. I really enjoyed my time spent in Cornwall this year with the Poldark clan.