staci426's 2018 challenge

A bit late getting this thread up and running this year. My reading & LT participation took a major nose dive last year when I discovered and became obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons. The obsession has died down a bit, so I’m looking forward to reading some regular books again and this year’s challenge. I like the CATS & KITS that were selected this year and hope to participate in all of them. I’m going to keep my own categories pretty simple this year, they are all carry over’s from last year. I thought 8 of them would be a good number for 2018 and I’m not going to specifiy a specific number in each, I’ll just see how things work out. I will keep a running total of the books read for the year in this post and then a breakdown of the categories in the following posts. Here’s to a fun reading year!

JANUARY
1. The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, mystery, ***1/2
2. Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, science fiction, ***1/2
3. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott, mystery, ***1/2
4. The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala, horror, ***1/2
5. What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong, horror, ****
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, classics, ****1/2
7. Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall, historical fiction ***1/2
FEBRUARY
8. I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest, YA fiction ****
9. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen, horror ***1/2
10. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, history, ****
11. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, fantasy ***1/2
12. At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, horror ***1/2
13. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust by Alan Bradley, mystery ***1/2
14. Cranberry Queen by Kathleen DeMarco, chick lit ***
15. The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen, mystery ****
16. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire, urban fantasy ****
17. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older, YA urban fantasy, ***1/2
18. The Brown Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, fairy tales
***1/2
19. Conviction by Julia Dahl, mystery ****
20. The Road by Cormac McCarthy, fiction ***
MARCH
21. The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch, historical mystery ****
22. Rediscovering Americanism by Mark R. Levin, nonfiction ***1/2
23. The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson, horror ***1/2
24. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, fiction ***
25. On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev, fiction ***1/2
26. The Flight of the Silvers by Daniel Price, speculative fiction ****
27. Rage by Zygmunt Miloszewski, mystery ****
28. The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus, mystery ***1/2
29. The Vital Abyss by James S. A. Corey, sci fi ***1/2
APRIL
30. Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta, historical fiction ****
31. In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar, fiction ****
32. Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie, mystery ***1/2
33. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, sci fi ****
34. Time and Again by Jack Finney, sci fi ***1/2
35. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay, psychological horror ***1/2
36. The Sun is God by Adrian McKinty, mystery ***1/2
37. Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang, fiction ***
38. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers, mystery ***
39. Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey, sci fi ****
MAY
40. Supernatural: Nevermore by Keith R. A. DiCandido, horror ***
41. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, horror ****
42. Eat Dirt by Josh Axe, non-fiction ***
43. Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless, mystery ***1/2
44. The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers, non-fiction ***1/2
45. Quietly In Their Sleep by Donna Leon, mystery ***1/2
46. Invisible by Paul Auster, fiction ***
47. Dune by Frank Herbert, science fiction ****
JUNE
48. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore, memoir ***1/2
49. The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson, non-fiction ***
50. Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare, hirstorical drama ****
51. After the End by Amy Plum, YA dystopia ***1/2
52. Animal Farm by George Orwell, classics ***1/2
53. Golden Fool by Robin Hobb, fantasy ****1/2
54. Exhume by Danielle Girard, mystery ***
55. Psycho by Robert Bloch, horror 3.5
56. Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb, fantasy ****
57. Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter, non-fiction ***1/2
58. The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin, fantasy ***1/2
JULY
59. Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie, mystery ***1/2
60. Great Mythologies of the World by The Great Courses, mythology lectures ****
61. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, fiction *****
62. Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams, science fiction ***
63. The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri, mystery ***1/2
64. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, historical fiction ****
65. I Killed Pink Floyd's Pig by Beau Phillips, non fiction ***
66. Body Double by Tess Gerritsen, mystery ***1/2
67. Lock 14 by Georges Simenon, mystery ***1/2
68. The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, mystery ***1/2
69. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, classics ***1/2
AUGUST
70. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, thriller ***1/2
71. The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan, fiction ***1/2
72. The Devil's Breath by Tessa Harris, mystery ***1/2
73. Mischief by Douglas Clegg, horror ***1/2
74. The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch, mystery ****
75. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett, fantasy ***1/2
76. One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters, mystery ****
77. Dangerous Women edited by Gardner Dozois, short stories ***
78. Books That Have Made History, Books That Can Change Your Life by The Great Courses, literary lectures ***
79. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey, horror ***1/2
80. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, classics *****
SEPTEMBER
81. This Time Together by Carol Burnett, memoir ****
82. In Sunlight or in Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper edited by Lawrence Block, fiction/short stories ****
83. Necroscope II: Vamphyri! by Brian Lumley, horror ***1/2
84. Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn, historical fiction ***1/2
85. There But For The by Ali Smith, fiction ***1/2
86. The Fireman by Joe Hill, horror ***1/2
87. Pet Sematary by Stephen King, horror ****
88. Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain, fiction ****
89. King Arthur: History and Legend by Dorsey Armstrong, non-fiction *****
90. Slan by A. E. VanVogt, science fiction ***1/2
OCTOBER
91. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen, mystery ****
92. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, historical fiction *****
93. Beastly Bones by William Ritter, historical fantasy ****
94. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, fiction ****
95. Moonraker by Ian Fleming, spy ***1/2
96. A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul, fiction ***
97. League of Dragons by Naomi Novik, fantasy ***1/2
98. A Palm for Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman, mystery ****
99. The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian, horror ***
100. God Save the Queen by Kate Locke, urban fantasy ****
101. How Not to Die by Michael Greger, non-fiction ****
102. The Black Death: The World's Most Devastating Plague by Dorsey Armstrong, non-fiction ****
NOVEMBER
103. First Test by Tamora Pierce, fantasy ****
104. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley, mystery ***1/2
105. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson, fiction ****1/2
106. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes, thriller ***1/2
107. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, fantasy ****
108. Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi, science fiction ****
109. Page by Tamora Pierce, fantasy ***1/2
110. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, thriller ****
111. The Circle by David Eggers, fiction **1/2
112. Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire, urban fantasy ****
113. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, historical fiction ****1/2
114. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh, fiction ****
DECEMBER
115. The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri, mystery ***1/2
116. Old Christmas by Washington Irving, classics ***
117. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage, thriller ***
118. My Sister the Moon by Sue Harrison, historical fiction ****
119. Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Ambreen Razia, play ****
120. Jingle Bell Pop by John Seabrook, non-fiction ****
121. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, horror ****
122. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, fiction ****
123. Wastelands 2 edited by John Joseph Adams, post-apocalyptic ****

1. SERIES: I was quite pleased with my progress in this category last year. I was able to make a big dent in the numerous different series I’ve been working on. Hopefully I’ll be able to continue to do so this year. I will list any book that is number 2 or later in a series here, no matter what other category it might fit in.

1. The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, book 3 in the Martin Beck series ***1/2
2. Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, book 3 in The Expanse, ***1/2
3. What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong, book 3 in John Dies at the End, ****
4. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley, book 7 in Flavia DeLuce ***1/2
5. The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen book 3 in Rizzoli & Isles ***1/2
6. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire book 5 in October Daye ****
7. Conviction by Julia Dahl book 3 in Rebekah Roberts ****
8. The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch, book 5 in the Hangman's Daughter series ****
9. The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus, book 3 in the Bodenstein & Kirchoff series ***1/2
10. Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie, book 10 in the Hercule Poirot series ***1/2
11. Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey, book 4 in the Expanse ****
12. Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon, book 6 in Commissario Guido Brunetti ***1/2
13. Golden Fool by Robin Hobb, The Tawny Man Trilogy, book 2 ****1/2
14. Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb, The Tawny Man Trilogy, book 3 ****
15. The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin, book 2 of the Broken Earth series ***1/2
16. Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie ***1/2
17. The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri, Inspector Montalbano book 14 ***1/2
18. Body Double by Tess Gerritsen, Rizzoli & Iles book 4 ***1/2
19. The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, Martin Beck book 4 ***1/2
20. The Devil's Breath by Tessa Harris, Dr. Thomas Silkstone book 3 ***1/2
21. One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters, Brother Cadfaek book 2 ****
22. Mischief by Douglas Clegg, book 2 in Harrow House ***1/2
23. The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch, The Hangman's Daughter book 6 ****
24. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett, Discworld book 17 ***1/2
25. Vamphyri! by Brian Lumley, Necroscope II ***1/2
26. Beastly Bones by William Ritter, Jackaby book 2 ****
27. Moonraker by Ian Fleming, James Bond, book 3 ***1/2
28. League of Dragons by Naomi Novik, Temeraire book 9 ***1/2
29. A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax book 4 ****
30. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley, Flavia deLuce #8 ***1/2
31. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, The Gentlemen Bastards book 2 ****
32. Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi, Old Man's War book 4 ****
33. Page by Tamora Pierce, book 2 in the Protector of the Small series ***1/2
34. Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire, October Daye book 6 ****
35. The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri, Inspector Montalbano book 15 ***1/2
36. My Sister the Moon by Sue Harrison, Ivory Carvers Tilogy book 2 ****

Did Not Finish
Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon, book 5 in the Vatta's War series
Cress by Marissa Meyer, book 3 in the Lunar Chronicles
Contagious by Scott Sigler, book 2 of the Infected series
The Seven Songs of Merlin by T. A. Barron, book 2 in The Lost Years of Merlin

2. SPECULATIVE FICTION: This is a comfort genre for me. I made decent progress in this category as well last year. I will only list stand alones and the first book in a series here. I’m lumping all of speculative fiction into one category because it can sometimes be difficult to put a specific label on a book.

1. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien ***1/2*
2. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older ***1/2
3. The Road by Cormac McCarthy ***
4. The Flight of the Silvers by Daniel Price ****
5. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel ****
6. Time and Again by Jack Finney ***1/2
7. Dune by Frank Herbert ****
8. After the End by Amy Plum ***1/2
9. Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams ***
10. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch ***1/2
11. Slan by A. E. van Vogt ***1/2
12. God Save the Queen by Kate Locke ****
13. First Test by Tamora Pierce ****

Did Not Finish:
Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, did not like the narrator at all, couldn't finish listening, will come back to this in ebook

3. 1001 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE: I was a bit disappointed in my numbers here last year. Hopefully I’ll made better progress this year. I’ve been working on this list for several years now and have finished 224 so far. Still a long way to go.

229. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte ****1/2
230. The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson ***1/2
231. On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev ***1/2
232. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers ***
233. There But For The by Ali Smith ***1/2
234. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset *****
235. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino ****
236. A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul ***
237. The Circle by Dave Eggers **1/2
238. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh ****
239. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid ****

Re-read
1. Invisible by Paul Auster ***
2. Animal Farm by George Orwell ***1/2
3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck *****

Did Not Finish
Ulysses by James Joyce
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Wild Harbour by Ian MacPherson
Legend by David Gemmell

ETA: My count was off when I started this year. I was at 228, not 224. A little further along that I had originally thought.

4. MYSTERY: I contemplated not having a mystery category this year because most of the books I will probably read in this category will be continuations of series, so will go into my series category. But I decided with the MysteryCAT this year, maybe I’ll start some new series.

1. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott ***1/2
2. Rage by Zygmunt Miloszewski ****
3. The Sun is God by Adrian McKinty ***1/2
4. Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless ***1/2
5. Exhume by Danielle Girard ***
6. Lock 14 by Georges Simenon ***1/2
7. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler Olsen ****
8. Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook

5. HORROR: I’ve gotten into reading more horror since I met my current boyfriend, a horror writer, a few years agoter. I’ve also been working on Stephen King’s bibliography in chronological order, so expect a lot of this category will be King books. I’ll also be trying to participate in the ScardeyKIT, so those books will go here.

1. The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala ***1/2
2. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen ***1/2
3. At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft ***1/2
4. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay ***1/2
5. Supernatural: Nevermore by Keith R. A. DeCandido ***
6. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist ****
7. Psycho by Robert Bloch ***1/2
8. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey ***1/2
9. The Fireman by Joe Hill
10. Pet Sematary by Stephen King ****
11. The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian ***
12. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes ***1/2
13. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris ****
14. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage ***
15. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ****

Did Not Finish:
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

6. NON-FICTION: I’ve been reading and enjoying a lot more non-fiction the past few years than I have before. I was pleasantly surprised with my progress in this category last year and hope to keep it up this year. I’m especially drawn to biographies & memoirs

1. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing ****
2. Rediscovering Americanism: And the Tyranny of Progressivism by Mark R. Levin ***1/2
3. Eat Dirt by Josh Axe ***
4. The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers ***1/2
5. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore ***1/2
6. The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson ***
7. Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter ***1/2
8. I Killed Pink Floyd's Pig by Beau Phillips ***
9. This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett ****
10. King Arthur: History and Legend by Dorsey Armstrong *****
11. How Not to Die by Michael Greger ****
12. The Black Death: The World's Most Devastating Plague by Dorsey Armstrong ****
13. Jingle Bell Pop by John Seabrook ****

Did Not Finish
Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

7. SHORT STORIES: This was an experimental category for me last year and I was very pleased with the outcome. I’ve got many different short story collections going, I’ll read one here & one there. I’m hoping to eventually get some of these collections actually finished. I will list individual short stories and completed collections separately.

Individual Stories:
1. The Vital Abyss by James S. A. Corey, an Expanse novella ***1/2
2. In Vermis Veritas by Poppy Z. Brite, from the collection Are You Loathsome Tonight ***1/2
3. Arise by Poppy Z. Brite, from the collection Are You Loathsome Tonight ***
4. The Man Whom the Trees Loved by Algernon Blackwood from the collection, Weird Tales: 101 Weird, Strange and Supernatural Stories ***1/2
5. The Case of the Curio Dealer by William Hope Hodgson from the Weird Tales collection, ***
6. The Night Wire by H. F. Arnold from the Weird Tales collection, ****
7. The Bus-Conductor by E. F. Benson from the Weird Tales collection, ***
8. The Room in the Tower by E. F. Benson from the Weird Tales collection, ***1/2
9. The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S. A. Corey, part of The Expanse series ***1/2
10. Windows by Susan Palwick from The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 ***1/2
11. The Thing About Shapes to Come by Adam-Troy Castro from The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 ****
12. We Are the Cloud by Sam J. Miller from The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 ***
13. The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever by Daniel H. Wilson from The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 ***1/2
14. How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman from The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 ***
15. Skullpocket by Nathan Ballingrud from The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 ****
16. The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday by G. D. Falksen from Steampunk II ****
17. Lullaby by Jonathan Maberry from Audible originals, stand alone story, ****
18. The Persecution Machine by Tanith Lee from Steampunk II ***1/2

Collections:
1. The Brown Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, a collection of fairy tales ***1/2
2. In the Country by Mia Alvar ****
3. Dangerous Women by various edited by Gardner Dozois ***
4. In Sunlight or in Shadow edited by Lawrence Block ****
5. The Best American Noir of the Century edited by James Ellroy
6. Gather Round the Sound by various ***
7. Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams

Did Not Finish:
Are You Loathsome Tonight by Poppy Z. Brite

8. EVERYTHING ELSE: There’s bound to be some things that don’t fit anywhere else, so here’s my catch-all category.

1. Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall ***
2. I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest ****
3. Cranberry Queen by Kathleen DeMarco ***
4. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff ***
5. Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare ****
6. Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta ****
7. Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang ***
8. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk *****
9. Great Mythologies of the World by The Great Courses ****
10. Books That Have Made History, Books That Can Change Your Life by The Great Courses ***
11. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See ****
12. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka ***1/2
13. The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan ***1/2
14. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson ****1/2
15. Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthann Lum McCunn ***1/2
16. Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain ****
17. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant ****1/2
18. Old Christmas by Washington Irving ***
19. The Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Ambreen Razia ****
20. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

Did Not Finish
Sarah: A Novel by Marek Halter

ColorCAT

January: Black
The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala ***1/2
What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong, has a mostly black cover

February: Brown
The Brown Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire, cover is in the brown family

March: Green
The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch, has a green cover

April: Yellow
Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang
The Sun is God by Adrian McKinty

May: Blue

June: Purple
After the End by Amy Plum, author's last name

July: Pink
I Killed Pink Floyd's Pig by Beau Phillips

August: Grey/Gray
The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan
The Devil's Breath by Tessa Harris, cover
Dangerous Women edited by Gardner Dozois, cover

September: Metals
Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthann Lum McCunn

October: Orange
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler Olsen, cover is orangey

November: Red
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

December: White
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage, cover

MysteryCAT

January: Nordic
The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo

February: Female Cop/Sleuth/Detective
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen
Conviction by Julia Dahl

March: Global Mysteries
The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch, 17th century Germany
The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus, modern Germany
Rage by Zygmunt Miloszewski, modern Poland

April: Classics/Golden Age
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers

May: Mysteries Involving Transit
Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless, main character is a railway cop

June: True Crime
The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson
Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter

July: Police Procedurals
The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri, Inspector Montalbano
Lock 14 by Georges Simenon, Chief Inspector Maigret
Body Double by Tess Gerritsen, Det. Rizzoli & Iles
The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, Marin Beck series

August: Historical Mysteries
The Devil's Breath by Tessa Harris, 18th Century England, Dr. Thomas Silkstone
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters, 12th century England, Brother Cadfael
The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch, 16th century Germany, The Hangman's Daughter

September: Noir/Hard Boiled
The Best American Noir of the Century edited by James Ellroy & Otto Penzler

October: Espionage
Moonraker by Ian Fleming
A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman ****

November: Cozy Mysteries
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley, Flavia deLuce

December: Futuristic/Fantastical
Sweet Silver Blues by GLen Cook, fantasy PI

RandomCAT

January: Book Bullets
The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala ***1/2
Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall ***, BB from Kindle Daily Deals

February: Laissez les bons temps rouler: lesser known holidays and celebrations
Cranberry Queen by Kathleen DeMarco, for the Cranberry Festival

March: Ripped from the Headlines:

April: April Loves Books:
Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare, author born in April
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, published 4/26/16
Time and Again by Jack Finney, Audible release date, 4/7/11

May: Spring is in the Air
Wildflower by Drew Barrymore

June: Unusual Narrators
Animal Farm by George Orwell

July: Getting to Know You/Generations
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, the greatest generation, WWII era

August: Mountains
The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch, a lot of the book takes place in a mountain town in Germany

September: Happy Birthday!
This Time Together by Carol Burnett, birthday 4/26/33
Slan by A. E. van Vogt, birthday 4/26/12

October: Playing Cards
Moonraker by Ian Fleming, card game in first part of story
A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul, the river cadr in Texas Hold 'em
God Save the Queen by Kate Locke, queen card

November: Money
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, thieves

December: Gifts
My Sister the Moon by Sue Harrison, gift to myself
Legend by David Gemmell, another gift to myself

SFFFKIT

January: Read A Book You Mean to Last Year
Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey, started it last year, put it aside, finished this year.
The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkein, started last year, put it aside, wanted to finish it

February: Urban Fantasy
One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

March: Off World
The Vital Abyss by James S. A. Corey, takes place mostly somewhere in the Belt I believe and on different stations

April: Time Travel
Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer, did not finish
Time and Again by Jack Finney

May: Rise Up
Cress by Marissa Meyer

June: Series
Golden Fool by Robin Hobb, The Tawny Man Trilogy, book 2
After the End by Amy Plum, book 1 of the After the End series
Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb, The Tawny Man Trilogy, book 3
The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin, book 2 of the Broken Earth series

July: Cyber Punk/Techno SF
Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams

August: Makes You Laugh
Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett

September: Myths/Legends/Fairy Tales
The Seven Songs of Merlin by T. A. Barron
King Arthur: History and Legend by Dorsey Armstrong

October: Historical/Alternate History
Beastly Bones by William Ritter
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

November: Creatures
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, did not finish
Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire, fae creatures

December: This is How it Ends
Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams

ScardeyKIT

January: Gothic
The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen, maybe, has gothic tags
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte ****1/2

February: Survival/Disaster
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing ****
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

March: Weird Fiction
The House on the Borderland by Willaim Hope Hodgson ***1/2

April: Supernatural
Supernatural: Nevermore by Keith R. A. DeCandido

May: Close to Home
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, childhood fear of vampires

June: Adapted to Screen
Psycho by Robert Bloch

July: Science/Techno Thrillers

August: Series
Mischief by Douglas Clegg, book 2 in Harrow House
The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey, book 1 in the series
Vamphyri! by Brian Lumley, Necroscope II

September: Stephen King & Family
The Fireman by Joe Hill
Pet Sematary by Stephen King

October: Ghost Stories
Lullaby by Jonathan Maberry, short story
The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

November: Serial Killers
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

December: Psychological Suspense
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage

AlphaKIT

January:
M
The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala ***1/2
Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall ***
The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
V
The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott

February:
P
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest ****
At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft
J
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
Conviction by Julia Dahl

March:
F
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
The Flight of the Silvers by Daniel Price
I
On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev
The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus

April:
Y
Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang
Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
U
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

May:
Q
Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon
K
The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers

June:
G
Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Exhume by Danielle Girard
The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin
R
Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson
Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb
Psycho by Robert Bloch

July:
S
Lock 14 by Georges Simenon
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Sarah: A Novel by Marek Halter
The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S. A. Corey
A
Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri
The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S. A. Corey


August:
O
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
D
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Devil's Breath by Tessa Harris
Dangerous Women edited by Gardner Dozois
Mischief by Douglas Clegg
The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch

September:
B
This Time Together by Carol Burnett
In Sunlight or In Shadow edited by Lawrence Block
The Seven Songs of Merlin by T. A. Barron
Necroscope II: Vamphyri! by Brian Lumley
There But For The by Ali Smith
E
The Best American Noir of the Century edited by James Ellroy
Slan by A. E. van Vogt

October:
N
A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian
L
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler Olsen
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
Lullaby by Jonathan Maberry
God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

November:
T
First Test by Tamora Pierce
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
Page by Tamora Pierce
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
H
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh

December:
C
Old Christmas by Washington Irving
The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook
W
Old Christmas by Washington Irving

Year Long
X
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest ****
Z
Rage by Zygmunt Miloszewski
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

ETA: I lost my touchstones here for some reason and I'm not going to try to fix it at this point.

BingoDOG



1. Famous Person in Title: The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott
2. Published Over 100 Years Ago: The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson, 1908
3. Translation: The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala
4. New to You Author: Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall
5. Relative's Name in Title: On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev
6. Money in the Title: Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn
7. Published in 2018: Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter
8. X in the Title: I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
9. More Than 500 Pages: The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch, 619 pages on the Kindle edition
10. Set During a Holiday
11. LGBTQ Main Character: Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
12. 1001 List: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
13. Read a CAT: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley, MysteryCAT
14. Number in the Title: One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
15. Humorous Book: What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong
16. Purchased in 2017: Rediscovering Americanism: And the Tyranny of Progressivism by Mark R. Levin
17. Something in the Sky in Title: Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang
18. Related to the Pacific Ocean:
19. Fits at Least 2 CATS/KITS: The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo (MysteryCAT/AlphaKIT)
20. Beautiful Cover: The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin
21. Autobiography/Memoir: Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
22. Poetry or Play: Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare
23. Long Time TBR: Dune by Frank Herbert
24. Story Involves Travel: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
25. Person's Rank in the Title: The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus

Welcome back, I think a lot us are going to be reading more horror because of the ScaredyKit.

Welcome back and have a great reading year! Excellent work on putting a dent in a lot of your series last year.

Welcome back and have fun with your reading!

Have a great year of reading!

Thanks for the welcome!

I'm off to a good start so far. Two books down and some good progress in a few more. I’ve started taking notes while I’m reading/listening to my books. I’ve noticed that I don’t really remember a lot about the books I’ve read when I try to write a review or describe them to someone later on. I’m hoping this will help. We’ll see how long I can keep it up :) .

1. The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo ***1/2
Unabridged Audiobook read by Tom Weiner, 5:33 hours
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery

This is book 3 in the Martin Beck series which takes place in Stockholm, Sweden in 1967. Young girls are turning up molested & murdered in the park. There's also a mugger at work in the park. Is he involved, or a possible witness? Another possible witness is a three year old boy. Superintendent Martin Beck and his collegues on the police force investigate. This was a good installment in the series. The subject matter, of course, is brutal, but I think it was handled well. It was a pretty quick listen too, with a good narration on the audio. Hopefully, I won't wait as long to get to the next book. I picked this book for the Nordic MysteryCAT. It also fits for the AlphaKIT with an M in the title & author & I'm going to use it in the BingoDOG square: Fits at least 2 CATS/KITS. This one is going into my Series category over Mysteries since it's not the first.

2. Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey ***1/2
Unabridged Audiobook read by Jefferson Mays, 18:26 hours
Category/Genre: Series/Sci Fi

This is book 3 in the Expanse series. Here is a summary from the book’s page here on LT. An alien artifact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has emerged to build a massive structure outside the orbit of Uranus: a gate that leads into a starless dark. Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artefact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core. This was a good installment. I had started the book in November, but put it aside for some reason, I don’t remember why now. Decided this months’ SFFKIT theme would be a good excuse to pick it back up again. I started this one before my note-taking endeavor, so the details are a bit hazy for me. I’m still enjoying the series and looking forward to when the next season of the TV starts up again.

Currently Reading:
The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen, horror/ebook
The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott, mystery/audiobook
The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala, horror/audiobook
Planning to Start Next:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, classics/audiobook

>6 staci426: I have also found nonfiction enjoyable. I prefer narrative nonfiction.
Hope 2018 will be a stellar year for you.

Welcome back and great job already having a book finished for each one of the January CATS!

Finished three more books:

3. The Black Tongue by Marko Hautala ****
Unabridged Audio read by James Patrick Cronin, 8 hours 55 minutes
Category/Genre: Horror/horror

This is a Finnish horror story that was mentioned by zozette on the ColorCAT thread which caught my interst, so I geve it a try and am glad that I did. The story starts out with Samuel heading back to his childhood home upon the death of his father. He finds a video which brings back memories of when he was 15 and meets Julia, a new girl in town who's family has just returned to Finland from the US. The story switches back and forth between Samuel's flashbacks of that time and the present day story of Maisa. She is currently researching teenage rituals and the local legend of Granny Hatchet in the same town. There is a history of missing girls throughout the years and a mysterious house on the water that everyone stays away from. The book slowly brings the stories together. I really enjoyed Hautala's writing. He drew a great picture of this isolated creepy town. The horror was more psychological. I was slightly confused by the ending, I think I may have missed something when I was listening. But overall, thought it was a solid read. I hope more of his work gets translated into English. I used this for the RandomCAT, book bullet, and the ColorCAT, black. I also used it for Bingo square, originally written in another language.

4. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott ***1/2
Unabridged Audio, read by Carla Mercer-Meyer, 9 hours 53 minutes

This is book 1 in the Book Collector series. Jordan Kelly Bingham takes a job working for Vera VanAlst, a crotchety old woman, who is trying to track down a possible missing play written by Agatha Christie. The first person she hired for the job ended up dead. Jordan tries to track down the play and find out what happened to her predecessor. This was an OK story. The main problem for me was the audio narrator. I guess this would fall in the cozy mystery category, and those tend to be my least favorite types of mysteries. I may read the next one in the series if I can find it, my library only has books 1 & 3 for some reason, no book 2. I chose this one for the AlphaKIT, V. I also used it for Bingo square, famous person's name in the title.

5. What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong ****
Unabridged Audio book read by Stephen R. Thorne, 11 hours 10 minutes
Category/Genre: series/horror

This is book 3 in the John Dies at the End series. David Amy & John are drawn into another crazy case involving missing kids, the mysterious Mr. Nymph & possible doppelgangers. It's so hard to explain what's going on with this series. It's a humorous horror series. The scenarios are absolutely ridiculous, but it just works, for me at least. I think I liked this one the best in the series. I especially enjoyed the narration by Stephen R. Thorne, he did a fabulous job. This book fits for this month's ColorCAT, the cover is mostly black, and I used it for Bingo square, humorous book.

Currently working on:
The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen, horror/ebook
Jane Eyre by Charolotte Bronte, classic/audio

>24 staci426: The Book Collector series is pretty cozy. I'm not normally a big fan of cozies, but the author (or rather, one half of the team behind the author name) is local to me and I've read other series of hers, so I read this one as well. To date there are only five and I'm not sure it will continue.

>24 staci426: You liked The Christie Curse better than I did. I looked back at my review which said I wasn't sure if I'd continue with the series or not. I guess I didn't. I thought the interactions with the police sounded too fake.

>24 staci426: I've not even read the 2nd in the John Dies at the End series never mind this one. I definitely want to get back to it at some point as the first was such good fun so it's good that you're enjoying the further adventures of the characters.

Last two books for January and first few of February:

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte ****
Unabridged Audio edition from the library, read by Nadia May, 18 hours 52 minutes
Category/Genre: 1001 books/classics

I know that I had read this book back in high school at some point, but didn’t really remember much about the story. I decided to pick it up for the January ScardyKIT for gothic. I’m glad to have given it a re-read now. It did take a bit for me to get into the story at first, but once Jane gets to Thornfield Hall, the story really started to move along for me. The narration by Nadia May on the audio edition was excellent. I also used this book to fill the BingoDOG square for a book from the 1001 list.

7. Miramont’s Ghost by Elizabeth Hall ***
Unabridged Audible edition from Kindle Unlimited, read by Emily Durante, 10 hours 22 minutes
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Historical Fiction

Adrienne is a young girl living in her grandfather’s castle in the French countryside in the late 19th century. At a young age, she starts having visions. She can see things that have hapeened. People start to talk and remember her grandmother, who also had visions and died after giving birth to Adrienne’s mother. Her Aunt Marie also starts keeping an eye on her. Upon his deathbed, her grandfather tells her not to talk about her visions and she grows up living a lonely childhood, her only true companion her governess, Lucie. The story picks up again when she’s around 17. Aunt Marie is still worried about Adrienne’s visions and convinces her mother to let her come back to Americ where her son is a bishop and has just finished building his grand castle in Colorado. I have mixed feelings about this book. It piqued my interest as a Kindle Daily Deal which was also available through Kindle Unlimited and the description sounded like it would fit for the gothic ScardyKIT theme. I spent the most of the book waiting for the ghost story part of the book to show up. It wasn’t until the very end and it didn’t really have a gothic feel to me. As an historical fiction book about a young clairvoyant girl in 19th century France, I really did enjoy that aspect of the story. I am drawn to stories with a French connection. But as a gothic ghost story, this just did not work for me. This did fit for the AlphaKIT, M and Bino square, new to me author. Not sure if I’ll look for more by this author though.

8. I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest ****
Unabridged audio edition from the library, read by Mary Robinette Kowal, 6 hours 59 minutes
Category/Genre: Everything Else/YA mystery

May & Libby are best friends. They create a comic together, Princess X, May does the writing, Libby the drawing. Then Libby and her mother are killed in a car accident. Now, three years later, May sees a sticker of Princess X in her Seattle neighborhood. She discovers there’s a webcomic. Nobody knows who the author is, but May is convinced it can only be Libby. With the help of Patrick, a young hacker in her building, she tries to solve the mystery. This was an enjoyable surprise. I stumbled across this book when I was looking for something else by the author and thought it sounded interesting and am so glad that I gave it a listen. It was super quick, well narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal. Parts of the story did seem a bit implausible at times, but I didn’t mind that. It was still a fun read. This one fit for February AlphaKIT, p, and also AlphaKIT, X and I also used it for Bingo square, X in the title.

9. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen ***1/2
Kindle ebook, owned
Category/Genre: Horror

I started this one in January for the ScardyKIT, gothic theme. I don’t remember when or why I downloaded this Kindle book and didn’t really know anything about it, other than it was a horror written in the late 19th century. It didn’t really have a gothic feel to me, but it was interesting. It’s hard for me to give a description of the story. I like isabelx’s review on the book’s page here.

I have two more that I've finished and want to post, but will probably not get to those until tomorrow.

My current reads are:
The Brown Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, ebook fairy tales
At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft, audio horror
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley, audio mystery

>24 staci426:
I'm always on the look-out for good audio readers, so I'll put the audio version (read by Stephen R. Thorne) of John Dies at the End on the wishlist.

I’ve gotten a bit behind on posting my reads. Real life is getting in the way of my LT enjoyment  I’ve still been reading though, and am pretty happy with how my progress has been going this year so far. Here’s what I’ve read since my last post. I’m not going to do full reviews.

10. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, history, ****
Read this one for the ScardyKIT survival for February and it filled my Bingo square for involving travel. Really enjoyed this one.

11. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, fantasy ***1/2
This one fit for the February AlphaKIT, J. This was a reread. I listened to the audio this time and enjoyed it much more than the print version I think.

12. At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, horror ***1/2
This was another reread inspired by my reading of Endurance. This one fit for February AlphaKIT P

13. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust by Alan Bradley, mystery ***1/2
This one fit for February MysteryCAT, female sleuth. This was my least favorite of the series so far. I put this one into my Read a CAT square for Bingo.

14. Cranberry Queen by Kathleen DeMarco, chick lit ***
I picked this for the February RandomCAT, obsure holiday/festival in honor of the Cranberry Festival near my home in the Pine Barrens of NJ. Did not like this at all. Only kept reading because of the NJ setting & I actually did like some of the supporting characters.

15. The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen, mystery ****
Picked this one for the MysteryCAT female sleuth. It’s book 3 in the Rizzoli & Iles series. It was a good installment.

16. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire, urban fantasy ****
Read for the SFFFKIT for urban fantasy. Still enjoying this series. It also filled my Bingo square for number in the title and has shades of browns & tans in the cover so fit for the ColorCAT.

17. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older, YA urban fantasy, ***1/2
This was another one for the urban fantasy SFFFKIT. It also fit for AlphaKIT J. I enjoyed it.

18. The Brown Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, fairy tales ***1/2
Chose this one for the February ColorCAT, brown. It was OK, I enjoyed his Blue Fairy Book more than this one.

19. Conviction by Julia Dahl, mystery ****
This was another one for the female sleuth MysteryCAT, book 3 in the Rebekah Roberts series featuring a journalist who gets drawn into investigating crimes within the Hasidic Jewish community of New York. I really enjoy this series and hope there will be more. This one also worked for AlphaKIT, J.

20. The Road by Cormac McCarthy, fiction ***
This has been on my to read list for a while and chose it for the ScaredyKIT, survival. I didn’t realize I was listening to an abridged version until I was almost finished. I didn’t enjoy it enough to want to read the full version.
MARCH

21. The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch, historical mystery ****
This is a great series, book 5 in the Hangman’s Daugher. I chose this for MysteryCAT, global. It takes place in 17th century Germany. It also worked for the ColorCAT, with it’s green cover. And even though I listened to the audio, I used it for Bingo square over 500 pages, the Kindle edition says it was 619 pages.

22. Rediscovering Americanism by Mark R. Levin, nonfiction ***1/2
This was a quick interesting read. I used it for my Bingo square, purchased in 2017.

23. The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson, horror ***1/2
I read this one for the ScardeyKIT, weird fiction. It was definitely was weird, but I enjoyed it. I listened to the LibriVox recording, which was pretty good. I also used this for Bingo square published more than 100 years ago with a publication date of 1908.

24. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, fiction ***
I read this one for the AlphaKIT, F. It had been on my library wish list for a hile, I’m not sure how it got there, but I did not like this one.

25. On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev, fiction ***1/2
This was a quick check off the 1001 Books to Read list. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I used it for AlphaKIT, I and Bingo squre, relative’s name in the title, Eve is my grandmother’s name. This was another LibriVox recording which was pretty good.

26. The Flight of the Silvers by Daniel Price, speculative fiction ****
Someone in the group here recommended this book and I’m glad that I took the BB. I really enjoyed this. I used it for the AlphaKIT, F

27. Rage by Zygmunt Miloszewski, mystery ****
This caught my eye as a Kindlle Daily Deal and was available through Kindle Unlimited. I read it for the global MysteryCAT, it takes place in modern Poland. I’ve never read anything from Poland before, and I liked it quite a bit. It also fits for AlphaKIT, Z.

28. The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus, mystery ***1/2
This was another global MysteryCAT pick taking place in modern Germany. It also filled my Bingo square, person’s rank in the title and worked for AlphaKIT, I. I’ve enjoyed this series which I think I’ve read out of order. I’m not sure if there are any more translated into English that I haven’t read yet.

29. The Vital Abyss by James S. A. Corey, sci fi ***1/2
This was a novella in the Expanse series coming between books 3 and 4. I read this for the SFFKIT for off world. Not 100% sure where this one takes place, but I think it’s somewhere in the Belt mostly.

I had two abandoned books this month:

Are You Loathsome Tonight by Poppy Z. Brite. I had been wanting to try something by him for a while, and found this collection of short sories at my library which probably would have worked for the ScardeyKIT, weird fiction. But it just was not my cup of tea.

Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon, this is book 5 in Vatt’a War series. I picked it up for the SFFKIT, off world. I realized part way in that I really wasn’t enjoying the series any more and was finding the audio narrator especially annoying this time around for some reason.

I am currently reading:
The Potter’s Field by Andrea Camilleri, audio/mystery
Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare, ebook/historical

Great job recapping your reading so far!

>31 lkernagh: Thanks!

I am not currently reading The Potter's Field any more. I realized that I already read it last year, lol. Not sure what my next audiobook will be yet. I did start another ebook which I found in my Kindle library, Weird Tales: 101 Weird, Strange and Supernatural Stories. I'm thinking it will probably work for the ScardyKIT for both this month and next month.

Looks like you've read a few good ones you just reported.

I have finished my first two April reads:

30. Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta ****
Unabridged Audible download, 11 hours 26 minutes, read by Robin Miles
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Historical Fiction

I picked this up during an Audible sale some time last year and finally got around to reading it now for the U AlphaKIT. I'm so glad to have finally listened. It was quite an interesting story about a young girl growing up as a lesbian in 1970s Nigeria. I really liked Okparanta's writing and thought the narration by Robin Miles was excellent. I stayed up later than usual trying to get this finished. I don't do that often with books. Besides fitting the AlphaKIT, I also used this one for the Bingo square, LGBTQ main character.

31. In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar ****
Unabridged audio download from the library, 13 hours 6 minutes, read by Nancy Wu and Don Castro
Category/Genre: Short Stories/Fiction

This was another pleasant surprise. This was a collection of short stories about the Filipino diaspora. I don't really know anything about the Philippines or its history and found these stories quite interesting. I was surprised to learn that so many Filipinos travel to the Middle East for work. My favorite story in the collection was The Miracle Worker, about a special education teacher who had moved to Bahrain with her husband and was hired by an Arab woman to try to help teach her severely handicapped daughter. Overall, I enjoyed all of the stories. I had actually started it in March for the I AlphaKIT, but didn't get far enough in before the end of the month for me to count it for March.

I am currently working on:

Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie, audio/mystery
Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer, audio/time travel
Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare, ebook/drama
Weird Tales: 101 Weird, Strange and Supernatural Stories by various, ebook/short stories

Finished two more books:

32. Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie ***1/2
Category/Genre: Mystery
Unabridged Audio Download from the library, 5:47 hours, read by Hugh Fraser

I picked this one up for the MysteryCAT, golden age authors. This is book 10 featuring Hercule Poirot. I always enjoy Poirot, but found something a bit lacking in this one, not sure what exactly. It could have been the fact that Poirot didn't really seem to play a part in the investigation or story until well into the story. It was a nice quick listen, with a good narration by Hugh Fraser.

33. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel ****
Categoy/Genre: speculative fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, 8:28 hours, read by a full cast

This one had been on my library wishlist for a while and I decided to give it a listen now for the RandomCAT when I realized it had been published in April 2016. A young girl falls into a hole and wakes up in the palm of a giant metal hand. Seventeen years later, she is a scientist and part of a secret team trying to figure out exactly what that hand is. The story was told in a series of files related to the project which consist of interviews, journal entries, reports and things like that. It took me awhile to figure out if I was enjoying this, I did feel a bit of a disconnect with the characters because of this style. Once I finished it, I realized, that yes, I did enjoy this, very much so. I think it was an excellent idea to do the audio edition with a full cast of narrators, all of whom did a great job. I look forward to continuing with this series.

I also had one abandoned book:

Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer I had found this through Kindle Unlimited and thought it sounded like a fun idea for a time travel story to read for the SFFKIT. A hacker in modern America finds a secret computer file and realizes he can use it to travel back in time. He decides to go to England of the Middle Ages to pose as a wizard. Once he went back in time, it just didn't work for me.

Current Reads:

Time and Again by Jack Finney, sci fi/audiobook (this is a much better time travel story)
Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang, ebook/fiction
Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare, ebook/drama

Four more books finished this month:

34. Time and Again by Jack Finney ***1/2
Category/Genre: Speculative Fiction/Sci Fi
Unabridged Audible download, read by Paul Hecht, 17 hours
Simon Morley is recruited into a government project experimenting with travelling back in time. If successful, he will be visiting New York City in the 1880s. I picked this one for the SFFFKIT based on all of the positive comments about it in that thread. I’m glad to have given it a try, I thought it was pretty good. I thought the method of time travel was interesting and I really liked the time period in the past that was explored. I was surprised to discover that there is also a sequel. I will be interested to see how that one turns out.

35. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay ***1/2
Category/Genre: Horror
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Joy Osmanski, 8 hours 49 minutes
The Barrett family agree to participate in a reality TV show called The Possession, when they believe that their 14 year old daughter, Marjorie, who has been showing signs of schizophrenia, is possessed by a demon and want to have an exorcism performed. The book is told from younger sister, Merry’s, point of view as she tells the family’s story to a writer years later. This book was not what I was expecting, but it was still very good. The horror aspect of the story was much more psychological and there were some interesting twists and turns along the way. I will be looking for more by this author.

36. The Sun is God by Adrian McKinty ***1/2
Category/Genre: Mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Gerard Doyle, 7 hours 43 minutes
Will Prior retires to colonial New Guinea in 1906 and is asked to help investigate some suspicious deaths involving the members of a secluded nudist colony who believed that sunbathing and eating only coconuts and bananas would lead to longer lives. This was an interesting setting with some very interesting characters. I didn’t realize until the end that this was actually based on true events. I decided to read this one for the yellow ColorCAT.

This is only three. There is one more book that I'm still trying to figure out what I want to say about it. I will post that one later tonight or sometime tomorrow.

Currently reading:
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers, mystery/audiobook
Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey, science fiction/audiobook
Supernatural: Nevermore by Keith R. A. DeCandido, horror/ebook
Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare, drama/ebook

The other book I wanted to post about was

37. Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang ***
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Fiction
Kindle Unlimited e-book, 322 pages

Aubrey Johnson is a young artist who has recently discovered that she is going blind. She decides to take a spur of the moment trip around the world with a childhood frienc to try to figure out how to cope with this news. I found this book doing a search on Kindle Unlimited for yellow books for the ColorCAT, and was drawn to the going blind aspect of the story and wondered if she was going to end up having retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which is the same eye disease that I have. We learn early on in the book that she does have RP. So I was excited to find an author who decided to feature this disease in her work, most people have never heard of RP and don’t know much about it. Unfortunately, I don’t feel as though the author gave an accurate portrayal of what having RP is like and how the disease progresses. This really detracted from my being able to enjoy the overall story. I really wanted to like this one, but ended up being disappointed. It did fit for the ColorCAT and I also used it for Bingo square, something in the sky in the title.

I finished one more book today:

38. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers ***
Category/Genre: 1001 Books/Mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Ian Carmichael, 10 hours 35 minutes

This is book 11 of the Lord Peter Wimsey series. I’ve read the first book, tried reading the second, but didn’t finish and decided to give this one a try for the MysteryCAT since it’s on the 1001 list. I think I’m in the minority here, but I’m just not enjoying this series. Not really sure what it is, but it’s just not clicking with me. Part of the problem, at least with this one, may be the narrator. If I do decide to give this series another try, I think I’ll try a print version.

Still working on everything else from the previous post, but have also started a new audio book:
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

>37 staci426: If it helps, it took me a few tries to get into the Lord Peter Wimsey series...I think I read Whose Body? three times before it clicked for me.

>38 christina_reads: Ok, thanks. I will keep that in mind and maybe give Lord Peter another chance.

Forgot to post my last two April books:

39. Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey ****
Category/Genre: Series/Sci fi
Unabridged Audible download read by Jefferson Mays, 20:06 hours

This is book 4 in the Expanse. I was inspired to read this one with the start of the next season of the show. I really enjoyed this one. I got into it a lot more quickly than I did with book 3. Looking forward to seeing what happens next in the series. I'm also excited about this new season of the show. Off to a great start so far.

40. Supernatural: Nevermore by Keith R. A. DeCandido ***
Category/Genre: Horror
Kindle e-book, 336 pages

I actually finished this one on May 1. I picked this up for the April ScardyKIT supernatural theme. I thought it would be fun to read one of the Supernatural books since the show is one of my favorites. I was a bit disappointed. I didn't think the writing was that great and the story didn't feel like it fit with the show. I don't know, this is the first novel so it does take place early in the show timeline, so maybe I was expecting too much. Not sure if I'm going to try more of the novels.

May has gotten off to a slow start. I had started two other books in April which I decided to stop reading because they just were not grabbing my attention: Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry & Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari. I would like to eventually finish both of these, but I just wasn't in the right from of mind for them now.

I am working on:
Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon, ebook/mystery
Cress by Marissa Meyer, audio/sci fi
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, audio/horror
Ulysses by James Joyce, audio/classics

>40 staci426: If you ever want to give the Supernatural books another try, I'd recommend Supernatural: Fresh Meat. Of the ones I've read, it was by far the best. I really enjoyed it. It read more like an episode (a good episode at that). The others I've read varied from really not very good at all (Coyote's Kiss) to just ok.

>41 virginiahomeschooler: Thanks for the recommendation. I will give that one a try.

Things have started to pick up for May, I’ve finished several more books:

41. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist ****
Category/Genre: horror/vampires
Unabridged Audible download, read by Steven Pacey, 16 hours 54 minutes

I had asked some horror fan friends for advice on a good vampire story and this was recommended by both of them as one of the best. I wanted a vampire story for the ScardyKIT close to home theme to represent my childhood fear of vampires. I’m glad I took their recommendation. This was a very interesting take on the vampire story. I thought Lindqvist did a great job with the characters, especially Oskar and Eli. I also liked the Swedish setting and the whole story overall was good. I definitely want to check out the movie now. I also understand there was a short story sequel that he wrote. I will look for that as well.

42. Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It by Josh Axe ***
Category/Genre: Non-fiction/Diet & Nutrition
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Eric Martin, 8 hours 31 minutes

I wanted to read this because my boyfriend is always complaining about stomach issues and wanted to see if there was anything useful in it. It was interesting. He talks about how people are overly obsessed with cleanliness these days with all of the antibacterial products and also the overprescribing of antibiotics and how it all helps lead to leaky gut and digestive issues. He goes over different types of leaky gut and what you can do to help cure it with specific recipes. Some of his dietary suggestions conflict with the dietary recommendations I try to follow, so I probably won’t be using them. I did appreciate the section about the essential oils and recipes.

43. Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless ***1/2
Category/Genre: Mystery
Unabridged audio download from Kindle Unlimited, read by Emily Sutton-Smith, 12 hours 4 minutes

This is book 1 in the Sydney Rose Parnell series. She is an Iraqi war veteran who has returned home to Denver and is working as a railway cop with her K9 partner, Clyde, also an Iraqi veteran. She is investigating the murder of a family friend which may be connected to her time in Iraq. I happened upon this book doing a random browse through the Kindle Unlimited selection of books with narration. I thought it would be a good fit for the MysteryCAT involving transit theme. The railways weren’t a major part of the crime, but were featured a bit throughout the book. The story drew me right in and I was able to finish this pretty quickly. I probably would not have chosen this if not for the fact that it would work for the MysteryCAT, but I’m glad I did. I will most likely continue with the series.

44. The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers ***1/2
Category/Genre: Non-fiction/biography
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Robin Miles, 7 hours 39 minutes

This is the summary from the book’s page here on LT: Phiona Mutesi is a teenage chess prodigy from the slums of Kampala, Uganda. Her dream is to one day become a Grandmaster, the most elite title in chess. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world's most unstable countries, a place where girls are taught to be mothers, not dreamers, and the threats of AIDS, kidnapping and starvation loom over the people. I don’t really know anything about chess, but thought that this sounded like an interesting story, and it was. It did seem to drag a bit in parts, but overall, it kept my interest and am glad to have given it a shot. It was the perfect fit for this month’s AlphaKIT with both K & Q in the title.

45. Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery
E-book from the library, 321 pages

This is book 6 in the Commissario Brunetti series taking place in Venice, Italy. Brunetti is approached by a nun who worked at the nursing home where his mother stays. She thinks something might be going on there and has left the order. This was another enjoyable visit with Brunetti. It’s been a while since I’ve read one from this series. I decided to read this one now for the Q AlphaKIT.

46. Invisible by Paul Auster ***
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by the author, 7 hours

Another description from the book’s page here on LT: Poet and student Adam Walker meets the enigmatic Frenchman Rudolf Born and his silent, seductive girlfriend, Margot, sending Adam into a perverse triangle that leads to a shocking act of violence that will alter his life. I had started listening to this book back in 2011 because it was on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. I remember I had enjoyed the parts that I had listened to at that time, but then my library edition had expired and I never got around to finishing it until now. I guess my tastes have changed since then because I did not really enjoy it that much this time around and almost abandoned the book, but did decide to finish it. At least it’s one more checked off the list. I’m also not 100% sure, but the cover may be blue, so would count for the ColorCAT this month, but it might be green. I have a difficult time differentiating colors sometimes.

I am still working on my Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2. It’s taking me longer to get through than I had expected. I’ve also just started listening to Dune by Frank Herbert, a book that’s been on my wishlist forever. I’ve also been working on Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk in actual print book format. It’s fairly short, under 200 pages, but I’m slow at reading actual books. I’ve actually been making better progress in it than I had expected.

>43 staci426: I've bounced around the Commisario Brunetti series and haven't met one yet that I didn't like.

>43 staci426: I keep seeing The Queen of Katwe and debating on whether to pick it up or not. I think I may get it next time I see it.

>43 staci426: I read the print version of The Queen of Katwe and enjoyed it a lot. I can understand that the audio version might drag a bit in places. I also saw the movie but liked the book better.

>43 staci426:
For some reason, I've never gotten around to trying Brunetti. Everyone who's read them seem to think they're great.

Next round of reads:

47. Dune by Frank Herbert ****
Category/Genre: speculative fiction/science fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by a full cast, mainly Simon Vance, 21 hours 12 minutes

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read this classic. I’ve owned a print edition of this book since 2007, but finally decided to listen to the audio edition. This was an interesting recording. Simon Vance did the main narration, but there were short sections featuring a full cast. I’m not sure why they did it that way and I saw a lot of complaints about it, but it didn’t bother me. I really enjoyed this story. I tend to enjoy political intrigue and that was a big part of this. I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I used this book for Bingo square, long time to be read.

48. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore ***1/2
Category/Genre: Non-fiction/memoir
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by the author, 7 hours 5 minutes

This was a collection of stories about Drew’s life told in no particular order, about her personal and professional life. It was interesting. She did a good job with the reading for the audio for the most part, but there were a few parts where she got over enthusiastic about what she was reading, I thought. I used this for the May spring related RandomCAT with the flower related title, but did not end up finishing it until June. It did work for the autobiography/memoir Bingo square.

49. The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson ***
Category/Genre: non-fiction/true crime
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Cassandra Campbell, 5 hours 33 minutes

The author is getting ready to publish a book of poetry about the unsolved murder of her Aunt Jane in 1969, when the family gets a call that the case has been reopened, and a suspect is in custody. The description on the book’s page here says “The Red Parts is much more than a “true crime” record of a murder, investigation, and trial. For into this story Nelson has woven a spare, poetic account of a girlhood and early adulthood haunted by loss, mortality, mystery, and betrayal…” This is why I didn’t particularly care for this book. I was hoping for more of the traditional “true crime” story than what the author provided here. I did read this one for the MysteryCAT true crime theme and it also fit for AlphaKIT, R.

50. Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare ***1/2
Category/Genre: Everything else/Historical drama
Kindle e-book, part of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

This play takes up where Part 1 ended and deals with the conflicts between Henry’s nobles leading up to the Wars of the Roses. I really enjoy reading about this period in English history and have been enjoying Shakespeare take on things. It took me a bit longer to get through then I was hoping, but it was worth it to get this finished. I will be looking forward to moving on to part 3. I used this for the poetry/play Bingo square.

51. After the End by Amy Plum ***1/2
Category/Genre: Speculative fiction/YA
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Graham Hamilton & Emily Rankin, 8 hours 46 minutes

Description from the book’s page here: World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land. When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie. I discovered this book while searching for purple books for this month’s ColorCAT and thought that it sounded like an interesting idea, and it was. It was a quick, enjoyable read. It didn’t have the annoying teen angstsy romance angle that sometimes tends to overwhelm these types of stories. I am looking forward to finishing the series. This book counts for this month’s ColorCAT as well as the SFFKIT, series.

52. Animal Farm by George Orwell ***1/2
Category/Genre: 1001 books/classic satire
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Ralph Cosham, 3 hours 11 minutes

Orwell’s classic satire about communism where the pigs take over the farm from the humans. This was a re-read for me, I first read this back in 8th grade, I think, so it’s been quite a while, and I didn’t remember much. I think I appreciate it more now, than back when I was 12. I chose this for the RandomCAT, unusual narrators, but now that I’m thinking about it, although the story is told from the animals’ points of view, they weren’t actually the narrators. It did also fit for the AlphaKIT, G.

53. Golden Fool by Robin Hobb ****1/2
Category/Genre: series/fantasy
Unabridged Audible download, read by James Langton, 26 hours 28 minutes

This is book 2 of the Tawny Man trilogy. Fitz is back at Buckkeep, posing as the Fool’s servant, working back with Chade and helping to train Prince Dutiful in the use of the Skill. You definitely do not want to start with this one if you are new to this series. It’s been quite a while since I’ve visited with Fitz and the Fool and I was happy to delve back into their lives. This was another excellent installment in this world. So good, in fact that I went almost right into the next book in the series, which is extremely unusual for me. This was also the first time that I listened to part of this series, and by series, I’m referring to the whole thing going back to Assassin’s Apprentice, not just the Tawny Man trilogy. I though Langton did a great job with the narration and look forward to listening to the rest of these books in audio. This book fit this month’s SFFFKIT for series, as well as the AlphaKIT for both G & R.

54. Exhume by Danielle Girard ***
Category/Genre: Mystery/Mystery
Unabridged audio download from Kindle Unlimited, read by Shannon McManus, 11 hours 49 minutes

This is book 1 in the Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman series. She is a medical examiner, where she is starting to build a life for herself after escaping an abusive husband back in South Carolina. Her latest case seems to hit too close to home. I think I accidentally borrowed this from Kindle Unlimited, so decided to give it a try. It was Ok, but not great. It kept my interest enough to want to finish the story, but not enough to want to read any more in the series. It did work for the AlphaKIT for G.

55. Psycho by Robert Bloch ***
Category/Genre: Horror/Horror/thriller
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Paul Michael Garcia, 5 hours 23 minutes

Most people probably already know the story of Norman Bates and his overbearing mother as portrayed in the classic Hitchcock film adaption of this book. I normally don’t mind knowing the outcome of a book that I’m reading, but I think in this case, that fact hindered my enjoyment of this book. It is a great story, but I wish I had read this first before seeing the movie. I chose this for the ScaredyKIT adapted to screen and it also first for AlphaKIT R.

56. Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb ****
Category/Genre: Series/fantasy
Unabridged Audible download, read by James Langton, 32 hours 46 minutes

This is the conclusion to the Tawny Man trilogy. Another excellent visit with Fitz & the Fool and the rest of the folks in Buckkeep. I was slightly disappointed in the ending, I feel like she tied up everything a bit too nicely, but overall, this was a great series. I will definitely be moving on to the Rain Wilds Chronicles, but I’ll probably take a bit of a longer break before staring that one. This book fits the SFFKIT for series, and the AlphaKIT for R.

I am currently working on:

Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter, non-fiction/audio
The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin, fantasy/audio
The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz, dystopian/e-book
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, fiction/paperback

Here are my last two June reads and first few for July:

57. Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter ****
Category/Genre: Non-fiction/biography
Unabridged audio download from Kindle Unlimited, read by Malcolm Hillgartner, 8 hours 53 minutes

This was a Kindle Daily Deal which ended up working perfectly for the True Crime MysteryCAT. Belle Gunness was a Norwegian immigrant living in Idaho in the late 19th early 20th century, suspected of killing at least 14 and possibly as many as 40 people. She would lure men out with offers of marriage and prospects of running her farm, only to steal their money and kill them. When her home burned many buried bodies were discovered. It was never fully proven whether or not she perished in the fire. This was an interesting story about the rare female serial killer. It was surprising that suspicions about her hadn’t arisen sooner. I’m glad to have ended up stumbling upon this book. I also used it to fill Bingo square, published in 2018.

58. The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin ***1/2
Category/Genre: series/fantasy
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Robin Miles, 13 hours 13 hours 26 minutes

This is book 2 in the Broken Earth series. I’ve been looking forward to reading this for a while, but was slightly disappointed. This second installment did not grab me as much as the first. It was still enjoyable and I look forward to continuing the series. I used this book for SFFKIT series, AlphaKIT, G and Bingo square, beautiful cover (I’m drawn to those types of circular designs featured on this cover).

59. Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie ***1/2
Category/Genre: series/mystery
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Hugh Fraser, 6 hours 18 minutes

I was looking for something quick and light, and this fit the bill. In this one, Hercule Poirot is returning to England by a flight across the channel, when one of the passengers on the plane is murdered. Everyone on board, including Poirot, is a suspect. I was hoping to get to this one in May for the mystery involving transit, but it wasn’t available at the library until now. This one did work for the July AlphaKIT, A.

60. Great Mythologies of the World by The Great Courses ****
Category/Genre: Everything Else/mythology lectures
Unabridged Audible download, read by the professors, 31 hours 33 minutes

I’ve listened to a few of The Great Courses before and have really enjoyed them; this was no exception. This was a series of lectures by 4 different professors focusing on the mythologies of many different cultures throughout the world. I know the basics about the different European mythologies, but wasn’t really familiar with the mythologies of Africa, the Americas and Asia and the Pacific Islands. This course covered quite a lot of material. I haven’t looked at the PDF info that came with the Audible download, but I’m looking forward to perusing that as well. My original plan with this was to listen to a lecture or two here and there, but I was enjoying this so much, I just listened straight through. This didn’t fit any of the July categories.

61. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk *****
Category/Genre: Everything Else/fiction
Trade Paperback borrowed from a friend and e-book borrowed from the library, 221 pages

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m probably one of the few people around who hasn’t seen the movie and didn’t know anything about the story before starting to read this. I definitely need to see the movie now to see how they were able to adapt the book into a film. I really liked Palahniuk’s writing style for this and had an idea about what might have been going on pretty early on, which for me is unusual, I usually don’t pick up on things like that. Even though I had somewhat of an idea, the story was so engaging I just had to keep reading right up to the end. I even ended up getting the e-book from the library because it was taking me way too long to get through the print edition I was reading, and I was so impatient to finish the book (I have a difficult time reading actual paper books). This is by far, my favorite read of the year.

I have one abandoned book:

The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz. The description sounded interesting, but it just wasn’t clicking for me. The Gate has taken over. In order to get anything done, you need permission from The Gate, but it’s never open, so people spend their days waiting in line. I had started this back in May for the AlphaKIT, Q and the ColorCAT, blue because there is a blue eye on the cover. I would eventually like to go back to this. I wish I could have found it in audio.

I am currently working on:

Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams, audio/science fiction
Books That Have Made History, Books That Can Change Your Life by The Great Courses, audio/lectures about literature

The rest of my July reads:

62. Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams ***
Category/Genre: Spec Fiction/Cyberpunk
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Stefan Rudnick, 12:27 hours

I decided to give this one a try for the SFFKIT for cyberpunk. It was ok, but I felt like I didn’t really understand a lot of what was going on. I think the main issue with this one was the audio narrator. He was so monotone, I found myself zoning out a lot while I was listening. If I continue this series, I will try it in print.

63. The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Grover Gardner, 5:22 hours

Now this was an excellently narrated book and another enjoyable installment in the Inspector Montalbano series, number 14. I can’t believe that I considered not continuing with this series after reading the first book. This has become one of my favorites. I read this one for the MysteryCAT, police procedurals and it also fit for AlphaKIT, A.

64. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See ****
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Historical Fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Janet Song, 13:30 hours

I picked this one up for the RandomCAT, generations, for something dealing with the Greatest Generation, WWII era, which is usually a time period of which I am not fond of reading. This was the story of sisters May & Pearl, living a modern life in 1930s China, who flee to America during the war. The book deals with the struggles of the Chinese immigrants during this time period and moving into the 50s with the era of McCarthyism. I am so glad that I finally got around to reading this one. It was one of the very first books I added to my OverDrive wishlist when that function became available there, but I kept putting it off because of the time period. I look forward to reading the sequel. This one also fit for AlphaKIT, S.

65. I Killed Pink Floyd’s Pig by Beau Phillips ***
Category/Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir
Unabridged audio download from Kindle Unlimited, read by the author, 6:28 hours

This was a super quick listen. The author has worked in the music industry for year, as a DJ, radio station program director & working for VH1 & MTV. He shares a collection of stories about rock stars he’s known over the years, some crazy, some poignant, some boring. I found this one for the ColorCAT, pink.

66. Body Double by Tess Gerritsen ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Kathe Mazur, 11:04 hours

This is book 4 in the Rizzoli & Isles series. In this one, the next victim bears an uncanny resemblance to Isles. This was another pick for the MysteryCAT, police procedurals. I’m really enjoying this series. I started reading because I loved the TV show. The show definitely veers from the books, but they are both enjoyable.

67. Lock 14 by Georges Simenon ***1/2
Category/Genre: Mystery/Mystery
E-book from the library, 160 pages
This is book 2 in the Maigret series. I haven’t read the first one, but know I’ve read at least one other in this series. The wife of an English yacht owner is found murdered near the canal and Maigret comes out to investigate. I enjoyed this, although I did learn more than I ever think I’ll need to know about how canals & locks worked in 1920s France. But, for an ebook, it was a quick read for me and I look forward to reading more of the series. This was another read for the MysteryCAT and AlphaKIT, S.

68. The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Tom Weiner, 6:42 hours

Book 4 in the Martin Beck series. Beck and the team are investing the murder of multiple passengers on a bus, one of whom was also a policeman. This is another enjoyable mystery series which I picked up for the MysteryCAT, and the AlphaKIT, S.

69. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka ***1/2
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Classics
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Ralph Cosham, 2:03 hours

The classic story of Gregor Samsa who wakes up to discover he is a giant bug. I know I must have read this back in school, but didn’t really remember much about it. It was a quick listen which is just what I was looking for at the time. I actually thought it was on the 1001 list of books to read before you die, but it wasn’t. Still glad to have given it a reread.

First August book finished:

70. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch ***1/2
Category/Genre: Spec Fiction/Science Fiction
Unabridged audio from the library, read by Jon Lindstrom, 10:08 hours

I had hoped to get this one read for the July ScardyKIT, but my library hold did not come through until August. This was an interesting story that pulled me in right from the beginning. Things got a bit confusing for me at the end, but overall, it was an enjoyable listen. This ended up working for the AlphaKIT, D.

I am currently working on:

Books That Have Made History, Books That Can Change Your Life by The Great Courses, audio, lectures
The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan, audio, fiction
The Devil’s Breath by Tessa Harris, audio, mystery
Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson, paperback, fiction

I also finished a few short stories:

The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S. A. Corey ***1/2
Part of the Expanse universe. Tells the background story of how Fred Johnson came to be known by that title.

And a few stories from a collection I’ve been slowly making my way through for a few years, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015:

Windows by Susan Palwick ***1/2
A mother travels to visit her son in prison with a birthday message sent by her daughter who is currently on a generation ship in space. This was ok.
The Thing About Shapes to Come by Adam-Troy Castro ****
Most children are born as a shape, rather than an actual human baby. This is the story of Monica and her cube daughter. This was an odd story, but I liked it.
We Are the Cloud by Sam J. Miller ***
This was about a kid in some type of foster care who can connect to the cloud with his mind for money. I didn’t really understand what the point was of this one.
The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever by Daniel H. Wilson ***1/2
This was about a scientist father and his young daughter who is raising on his own. It was ok.

I am working on one more story in this collection, How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman. I’m not sure how I feel about his one yet.

My August reads:

71. The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan ***1/2
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Fiction
Unabridged audio download from Kindle Unlimited, read by Scott Merriman, 36 hours 47 minutes

I got this book for free from Amazon, I believe it was for World Book Day, and thought this would be the perfect time to read it for the ColorCAT this month. Then I realized how massive it was and would never finish the ebook, so was happy to see it was also available in audio through Kindle Unlimited. This was an interesting story, about a boarding school for kids with disabilities. It deals with the kids relationships with each other & their teachers, the packs and bonds that are formed, how they use their disabilities to their advantages and have created an isolated world within the school. There were a lot of different POVs in the story, which would sometimes become confusing, but overall it was a good read.

72. The Devil’s Breath by Tessa Harris ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Simon Vance, 9 hours 59 minutes

This is book 3 in the Dr. Thomas Silkstone mystery series taking place in 18th century England. Thomas is from the colonies, living in England now. In this installment, he is dealing with murdered children, a deadly fog in the air and helping Lady Lydia Farrell track down her son thought to have died at birth. I’m really enjoying this series and look forward to reading more. I chose this book for the historical MysteryCAT, the ColorCAT with a lot of gray in the cover and the AlphaKIT, D.

73. Mischief by Douglas Clegg ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/Horror
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Michael Taylor, 6 hours 41 minutes

This is book 2 in the Harrow House series which I picked up for the ScardyKIT this month. Harrow House is now a private boarding school for boys. Jim is the new kid in class and discovers the dark secrets of the house. Each of the books in this series are a complete story which I think can be read in any order. I enjoyed the first book a little more than, but this one was still pretty good. It also fits for AlphaKIT D.

74. The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch ****
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery
Unabridged audio download from Kindle Unlimited, read by Grover Gardner, 17 hours 32 minutes

This is book 6 in the Hangman’s Daughter series taking place in 17th century Germany. This installment has most of our characters travelling to the mountain village of Oberammergau. The town is putting on a Passion Play ahead of schedule, and people associated with the play are dying, Jakob and Simon are drawn into the investigation. Back home, Magdelena is trying to save her sister who’s been accused of witchcraft. I am thoroughly enjoying this series. The characters and setting are great, and the narration by Grover Gardner is excellent as well. There’s only one more left until I am fully caught up. I hope there will be more to come after that. This one fit for MysteryCAT, historical, RandomCAT, mountains, and AlphaKIT, D & O.

75. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/Fantasy
Unabridged audio download, read by Nigel Planer, 10 hours 18 minutes

This is book 17 in the Discworld series. This one features Rincewind and the wizards, as well as Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde as they travel in the Agatean Empire. It has been way to long since I’ve visited the Discworld. This wasn’t one of my favorites, but it’s still an enjoyable listen with plenty of chuckles. I read this one for the SFFKIT, makes you laugh.

76. One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters ****
Category/Genre: Series/Mystery
E-book download from the library, 189 pages

This is book 2 in the Brother Cadfael series taking place in 12th century England. The war between Stephen and Maud for the crown is waging. Stephen has taken Shrewsbury Castle and hanged 94 of its men as traitors. While preparing the bodies for burial, Cadfael discovers an extra corpse. He is determined to discover who it is and why he was murdered. This is only the second book in the series, but I’m really enjoying it so far. I look forward to visiting with Brother Cadfael in the future. This one fits for MysteryCAT & AlphaKIT, O.

77. Dangerous Women edited by Gardner Dozois ***
Category/Genre: Short Stories/Fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library with multiple narrators, 32 hours 47 minutes

This was a massive collection of short stories encompassing different genres, from historical, to mystery to sci/fi & fantasy. I found this collection a bit disappointing. There are 21 different stories. I did not finish three of them, two were part of series I don’t read by Jim Butcher & Diana Gabaldon, and the other, I just couldn’t get into and was quite long. The George R. R. Martin story, The Princess and the Queen was the longest in the collection. I found it a bit dull. It was read by Iain Glenn, which was one good thing about it. My favorites out of the bunch were probably, Neighbors by Megan Lindholm about an older woman who’s friend has disappeared and starts seeing mysterious people around and Norah’s Song by Cecelia Holland about the youngest daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Most of the stories were ok, but not great for me. This book did fit for the ColorCAT with a gray cover and the AlphaKIT D.

78. Books That Have Made History, Books That Can Change Your Life by The Great Courses ***
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Literary Lectures
Unabridged Audible download, read by Rufus J. Fears, 18 hours 30 minutes

In this series of lectures, Rufus J. Fears talks about several books that have made an impact throughout history and why he considers them great works. There is a wide range of books covered here, from books of the Bible, to ancient Greek plays, to Shakespearian plays, to memoirs of great leaders, to novels. I was actually expecting this course to be more focused on novels than it was for some reason. These were interesting lectures, but not exactly what I was expecting, so I was slightly disappointed.

79. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey ***1/2
Category/Genre: Horror/Horror
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Finty Williams, 13 hours 4 minutes

Description from Amazon: Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her "our little genius". Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh. – This was a really interesting take on the zombie story. I’ve had this on my to read list for quite a while and am finally glad to have read it. I really enjoyed the narration too, I think that helped add to the story. I picked this one up for the ScardyKIT, series.

80. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck *****
Category/Genre: 1001 Books/Classics
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Gary Sinise, 3 hours 12 minutes

I picked this one up because my nephew was talking about having to read it for school and thought I would give it a reread since I was probably my nephew’s age when I first read this. This was such a moving story. I probably did not appreciate it as much when I had read it at a younger age. Well worth the reread. It fits for the AlphaKIT, O.

Currently reading:

Vamphyri! by Brian Lumley, horror/audio
Lighthousekeeping by Jeannette Winterson, fiction/paperback

I need to pick an audio book to listen to at work and an ebook.

Congrats on sailing past 75!

>53 thornton37814: Thanks!

I found and finished my work listen book:

81. This Time Together by Carol Burnett ****
Category/Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir
Unabridged audio from the library, read by the author, 5 hours 40 minutes

I picked this book for the Happy Birthday RandomCAT after discovering that we share a birthday. This was just wjhat I was looking for. It was a quick, fun memoir with some interesting anecdotes about her life and career. This was an enjoyable read to start out the month. It also worked for the AlphaKIT, B.

I've taken a bit of a break on Vamphyri! by Brian Lumley which is my listen at home audio, to listen to podcasts. And I've been making some surprisingly good progress in my actual paper book, Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson. I'm about half way through and really enjoying this one. I've started a new work listen, an interesting collection of short stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, In Sunlight or in Shadow edited by Lawrence Block. Still haven't picked an e-book yet.

I’ve fallen way behind in posting my reads. I’m just going to do a list, with maybe a sentence about each.

For September:

82. In Sunlight or in Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper edited by Lawrence Block, fiction/short stories ****

This was a really interesting collection which I ended up enjoying much more than I was expecting. Used this for AlphaKIT, B

83. Necroscope II: Vamphyri! by Brian Lumley, horror ***1/2

Think I enjoyed this one more so than the first in the series. Used for AlphaKIT, B

84. Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn, historical fiction ***1/2

This was a really interesting biographical novel of a Chinese immigrant to the American west. Used for ColorCAT, metals

85. There But For The by Ali Smith, fiction ***1/2

This was a quick read off the 1001 list. Used for AlphaKIT B

86. The Fireman by Joe Hill, horror ***1/2

A pretty good apocalyptic horror read for the ScardyKIT, Stephen King & family

87. Pet Sematary by Stephen King, horror ****

I was always reluctant to read this one because of the subject matter, but am glad I finally got around to it. Used for the ScardyKIT, Stephen King and family.

88. Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain, fiction ****

I had chosen this for the MysteryCAT noir/hardboiled. It was neither noir nor hardboiled, but it was still worth the read.

89. King Arthur: History and Legend by Dorsey Armstrong, non-fiction *****

This was an excellent installment in The Great Courses series of lectures. I used this for SFFFKIT, myths & legends.

90. Slan by A. E. VanVogt, science fiction ***1/2

This was an early sci fi story that I chose for the RandomCAT since the author has the same birthday, month & day as me.

OCTOBER

91. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen, mystery ****

This took me a little to figure out what was going on, there was a jump back & forth between different time periods, but once I got that straight, I enjoyed this. Ended up working for the ColorCAT with an orange cover.

92. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, historical fiction *****

This was absolutely fabulous. It’s actually three books in one volume about the life of Kristin living in 14th century Norway. Highly recommended. Worked for the AlphaKIT, L.

93. Beastly Bones by William Ritter, historical fantasy ****

This is a fun series taking place in 1890s New England featuring a detective of the unexplainable. Used for the SFFKIT, historical

94. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, fiction ****

This was an odd but interesting book. I chose it for the monthly group challenge on the 1001 Books group.

95. Moonraker by Ian Fleming, spy ***1/2

Book three in James Bond. This one fit two CATs, Random, the first part of the book involved a game of cards & Mystery, spy/espionage.

96. A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul, fiction ***

This was another I chose for the 1001 Books group monthly challenge. I found it a little dull and only kept listening because of the narrator, Simon Vance.

97. League of Dragons by Naomi Novik, fantasy ***1/2

The last book in the Temeraire series. I love this series and am sad there are no more books, but I was slightly disappointed in this one. I’m not sure exactly why though. Used this for the SFFKIT, historical & AlphaKIT, N & L

98. A Palm for Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman, mystery ****

Another fun adventure with Mrs. Pollifax, this time in Switzerland on the hunt for clues about stolen plutonium. Used for the MysteryCAT, spy/espionage.

99. The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian, horror ***

Chose this one for the ScardyKIT, ghost story. It started out promising, but then veered from where I thought it was going to go and ended up being more of a witch story than a ghost story to me.

100. God Save the Queen by Kate Locke, urban fantasy ****

This was a fun alternate history where the British aristocracy are vampires and werewolves, with some goblins thrown in as well. Really enjoyed it. Used for SFFKIT, historical/alt history & AlphaKIT, L.

I am currently working on:

Wild Harbour by Ian MacPherson, 1001 book/ebook
The Black Death: The World’s Most Devastating Plague by Dorsey Armstrong, non-fiction/The Great Courses/audio
By the Night Under the Stone Bridge by Leo Perutz, historical/audio

You've had some good reading!

Don’t want to fall so far behind again. I finished off October with a couple of non-fiction listens:

101. How Not to Die by Michael Greger ****
Category/genre: Non-fiction
Unabridged Audible download read by the author, 17:09 hours

This was a reread for me. In the first half of the book, Dr. Greger, goes through the leading causes of death by disease in America and explains how eating a whole food plant based diet can help reverse and prevent them. The second half is his recommendations on exactly what we should be eating. My doctor had recommended this book to me a few years ago when I was going through some health issues as a way to help boost my immune system. I followed the advice in the book and cleared up my problem, and then fell back into old habits. I wanted to get myself re-motivated to try to follow a healthier diet, so felt a reread was in order. It has definitely helped, I’m mostly back on track, feel better and have lost almost five pounds in the past two weeks.

102. The Black Death: The World’s Most Devastating Plague by Dorsey Armstrong ****
Category/genre: Non-fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by the author, 12:18 hours

This is another of the Great Courses, as the title suggests, dealing with multiple aspects of this major catastrophe of the Medieval world, the black death. I really enjoyed this series of lectures. It’s not a pleasant topic, but thought this time of year would be a good time to give this a listen. Armstrong is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the Middle Ages and this is the second of her offerings in The Great Courses that I have enjoyed. I look forward to listening to more of her work.

And to start off November:

103. First Test by Tamora Pierce ****
Category/genre: Speculative fiction/YA fantasy
Unabridged audio from the library, read by Bernadette Dunn, 5:46 hours

This is book 1 in the Protector of the Small series. Keladry is a young girl who is the first to enroll in training to become a knight after it has been approved that girls are allowed to train, just like the boys. I am surprised by how much I really enjoyed this. I think Kel is a great character and I look forward to following her story in the upcoming books of the series. I was actually going to move right on to book2, which is something I normally don’t do, but it wasn’t available at the library. This book fits for the AlphaKIT, T.

104. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d by Alan Bradley ***1/2
Category/Genre: series/mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Jayne Entwistle, 9:01 hours

Book 8 in the Flavia deLuce series. Flavia returns home to England after being expelled from school in Canada, to discover her father is ill. One day, while running an errand for the vicar’s wife, she comes upon the dead body of a wood-carver and she is on the case. I much prefer Flavia back home. I think that’s what didn’t work for me with the last book. I almost decided not to continue with the series, but did give this one a try for the MysteryCAT cozy theme, since I don’t read a lot of cozied. I did enjoy this installment much more than the last one. The one thing I wasn’t crazy about with the one, was the way he dealt with Flavia’s father’s illness. This also fit for the AlpahKIT, for T & H

105. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson ****1/2
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Fiction
Paperback, owned by me since 2011, 232 pages

I am really excited to finish my first actual physical book in a very long time and am glad that it was such a good one. This is the story of Silver, orphaned at a young age and taken in by Pew, the blind lighthouse keeper of a small Scottish town. Silver’s story is also interspersed with the story of Babel Dark, a 19th century minister who lived in the same town. My description definitely does not do this story justice. Winterson’s writing here is beautiful.

106. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes ***1/2
Category/Genre: Horror/Horror/thriller/mystery
Unabridged audio download from library, read by multiple narrators, 13:24 hours

A serial killer is at work in Detroit, turning his victims into disturbing works of art. The story is told from multiple point of views, each with a different narrator in the audio. It did take a little time for me to get figure out what was going on and get into the story, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. Beukes evokes a great sense of the setting and her characters. I read this one for the ScardyKIT, serial killers.

107. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch ****
Category/genre: series/fantasy
Unabridged audible download, read by Michael Page, 25:34 hours

This is book 2 of the Gentleman Bastard series. In this installment, Locke & Jean find themselves pretending to be pirates for some fun adventures on the water. I really enjoyed this one, maybe even slightly more than the first in the series. Lynch has created such a fun cast of characters, with a great story for them to be involved with. I look forward to more of this series. I had been holding off reading this one until now for the ColorCAT, red. This one also fits for the RandomCAT, money, since thieving is a big part of the plot.

Currently reading:
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi, science fiction/audio
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, fantasy/audio
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, fiction/ebook
And trying to find a physical book with print that is not going to be too much of a strain on my eyes for me to read.

>58 staci426: I want to read a book about the black death at some point. I'm not sure I want to listen to lectures though. I'll keep it in mind though if I don't find another book I'd prefer.

>59 thornton37814: If you do decide to give it a try, she is a very engaging lecturer. I don't feel like I'm sitting in a class listening to a boring professor or something like that. She really seems to know her stuff and makes it interesting. Also with the Great Courses, there is usually a PDF with written info that you can download, but unfortunately, my library does not offer the PDFs. Audible has them though. One novel that I remember she recommended as being a good depiction of the plague was Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. I read this years ago and remember enjoying it.

>60 staci426: I have access to two Overdrive collections, and although they offer several of the Great Courses, that is not one either has. I've got several options with print and electronic books though.

The rest of my November reads:

108. Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi ****
Category/Genre: series/science fiction
Unabridged audio download from Playster, read by Tavia Gilbert, 10 hours

This is book 4 in The Old Man’s War series. This one was the same story that was told in book 3, but from the point of view of 16-year-old Zoe, John & Jane’s adopted daughter, dealing with the colonization of a new planet. I really enjoy this series. It’s been quite a while since I read the third book, so it did not feel like I was rereading the same story. I liked seeing things from this new point of view. Hopefully it won’t take me so long to get to the next one in the series. This book fit for AlphaKIT, T & Z.

109. Page by Tamora Pierce ***1/2
Category/Genre: series/YA fantasy
Unabridged audio download from Playster, read by Bernadette Dunne, 6:24 hours

This is book 2 of the Protector of the Small series. In this installment, Kel is allowed to come back to finish her training as a knight. She is still facing challenges as the only girl, but manages to excel nonetheless. This one wasn’t quite as good as the first in my opinion, but still very enjoyable. I will keep going with this series. This one fits for AlphaKIT, T.

110. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris ****
Category/Genre: Horror/thriller
Unabridged audio download from Playster, read by Alan Sklar, 12:06 hours

This is book 1 in the Hannibal Lecter series. Former FBI profiler, Will Graham, is called in to help catch a serial killer referred to as the Tooth Fairy. He enlists the help of another serial killer he helped to convict, Hannibal Lecter. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading the rest of this series. I liked how Harris introduces us to the killer so we can get to know his motivations. This one fit several CATS & KITS this month; Color, red; Scardy, serial killers; Alpha, T & H.

111. The Circle by Dave Eggers **1/2
Category/Genre: 1001 books/fiction
Unabridged audio from the library, read by Dion Graham, 13:42 hours

From the description on Overdrive: “When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world's most powerful internet company, she feels she's been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users' personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency.” This was one of the most painful books I’ve ever read and really wanted to give up on it, but found the whole thing so credulous I had to keep reading to see how it ended. I read this for the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die group challenge for November to read a new addition to the 1001 list. I don’t agree that this book should be on the list.

112. Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire ****
Category/Genre: series/urban fantasy
Unabridged audio from Audible, read by Mary Robineete Kowall, 12:26 hours

This is book 6 in the October Daye series. She is asked to find the missing changeling daughter of Etienne, another knight, whom he never even knew existed until her disappearance. This was another solid installment in the series. I’ve really been enjoying this one. I also have to give credit to the narrator, Mary Robinette Kowal. She does an excellent job with these books. Looking forward to more. I read this one for the SFFFKIT, creatures, with all of the fae involved in the story. And it also fit for AlphaKIT, H.

113. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant ****1/2
Category/genre: everything else/historical fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Carol Bilger, 11:50 hours

This is the story of Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob and his wives from the Old Testament. This gives an excellent depiction of what a woman’s life may have been like during that time. I’m not a particularly religious person, but I do enjoy these biblical based stories for their historical aspects. I had picked this to read for this month’s ColorCAT, red, and didn’t realize until about half way through that I had already read this a few years ago. I had never added the book to my LT library when I read it the first time around, so went back and checked my old threads when I got to a point in the story that sounded way too familiar. It’s a great book and worth the re-read. It also fit for the AlphaKIT, T.

114. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh ****
Category/genre: 1001 books, fiction
Unabridged audio download from Playster, read by Andrew Sachs, 6:43 hours

Description from Amazon: “After seven years of marriage, the beautiful Lady Brenda Last has grown bored with life at Hetton Abbey, the Gothic mansion that is the pride and joy of her husband, Tony. She drifts into an affair with the shallow socialite John Beaver and forsakes Tony for the Belgravia set. In a novel that combines tragedy, comedy, and savage irony, Evelyn Waugh indelibly captures the irresponsible mood of the "crazy and sterile generation" between the wars.” This was my first book by Waugh and I really enjoyed. I didn’t care for any of the characters, but I think that was the point. The ending took a twist I did not see coming, but I think it was just right. I will look forward to reading more of his work. I read this for the 1001 Books Group read for November and it also fits for AlphaKIT, H.

I am currently working on:

The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri, mystery, audio
Old Christmas by Washington Irving, classic/audio
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, fiction/ebook

My reading tends to slow down a bit this time of year due to my addiction to listening to Christmas music. Also, a lot of the books I’ve started recently just haven’t grabbed my interest, so I’ve put them aside for a later time. I have managed to finish a few this month, several of which were very short:

115. The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri ***1/2
Category/Genre: Series/mystery
Unabridged audio downloard from library, read by Grover Gardner, 5:40 hours

Book 15 in the Commissario Montalbano series. This one wasn’t one of my favorites in the series, but a visit with Montalbano is always enjoyable. This one fits for ALphaKIT C.

116. Old Christmas by Washington Irving ***
Category/Genre: Everything Else/Classics
Unabridged audio download from Playster, read by Phil Paonessa, 2:19 hours

This was a short story about an English Christmas celebration. The description compares it to A Christmas Carol, but I didn’t think it was up to that quality. I found it dull. I did use it for my Bingo square, set during a holiday. It also fits for both AlphaKIT letter, C & W.

117. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage ***
Category/Genre: Horror/Psychological thriller
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Kirsten Potter, 14:13 hours

This book started out promising with the murder of a young wife and mother in her new home. The husband is the prime suspect. Then the story flashes back so we learn about the previous owners of the home and the life of the young couple before the murder. I’m not really sure what it was about this that didn’t work for me, but I just did not care for it. I contemplated abandoning the book, but wanted to know how it turns out, only to be extremely disappointed in the ending. I had chosen this one for the ScardyKIT, psychological thriller and it also fit for ColorCAT with a mostly white cover, and for AlphaKIT, C.

118. My Sister the Moon by Sue Harrison ****
Category/Genre: series/historical fiction
Unabridged Audible downlad, read by Holly Fielding, 14:39 hours

This was book 2 in the Ivory Carvers Trilogy which takes place in pre-historic Alaska. Kiin is the unwanted daughter of one of the men of the First Men Tribe living amongst the harsh environment of the Aleutian Islands. She finally escapes her miserable existence when she is married to one of the chief’s sons, only to soon be betrayed by her own family. This is an excellent series. I’m sorry I waited so long to get to book 2. Hopefully, I will get to book 3 early next year. I used this one for the RandomCAT since I bought this as a gift to myself.

119. Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Ambreen Razia ****
Category/genre: Everything else/drama
Unabridged Audible download, read by the author, 1:36 hours

This was one of the free Originals that Audible has started giving away each month to members. It’s a play about a Pakistani teenager growing up in London, struggling with the traditional life her mother wants her to lead, as opposed to the life of a modern English teenager that she wants. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I felt like I really got to know this girl in such a short time and sympathize with what she was going through; even thought I was not really familiar with Pakistani culture.

120. Jingle Bell Pop by John Seabrook ****
Category/genre: non-fiction/music history
Unabridged Audible download, read by Erin Moon, 1:14 hours

Another Audible original. I had to pick this one, as a self-proclaimed Christmas music addict. This was a fun look at the history of commercial holiday music.

121. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ****
Category/genre: Horror/horror
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by David Warner, 6:06 hours

This was a reread for me. I wanted to give it a relisten before watching the Netflix show. I knew that I had read this before, but honestly could not remember a thing about it. Looking back, I realized that the first time I read this was back in October 2011 which was right after the f of a long term relationship, so I was probably not in any frame of mind to be reading anything at the time. I really enjoyed this the second time around and am glad that I decided to give it another go.

122. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid ****
Category/genre: 1001 books/fiction
E-book borrowed from the library, 218 pages.

Changez is a young Pakistani man who tells the story of his short time spent in America to an American visiting Pakistan over the course of a day. I really enjoyed this and am glad to have finally gotten around to it. I’ve owned a physical copy of the book for over ten years now, but was having difficulty reading the print, so got the ebook edition from the library. I actually didn’t really know anything about the story going in, I had bought it because it was on the 1001 Books to Read list. I really enjoyed Hamid’s writing and thought he told an interesting story. I will definitely look for more of his work. This book brings my total on the 1001 list of books read so far to 239.

I’ve started and abandoned two books this month:

Legend by David Gemmell, this is another book off the 1001 list, a fantasy, which is usually a comfort genre for me, but, my head just wasn’t in it right now. I will definitely come back to this some time early next year.

White Cat by Holly Black, I had heard good things about this, but I couldn’t really get into this one right now. Not sure if I will come back to it or not in the future.

I decided that short stories would probably be a better fit for me right now, so I’ve started Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams. I’m about a third of the way through right now, and it’s working much better for me. Have enjoyed most of the stories so far.
I’ve also started The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, I was in the mood to try one of his comedies. Still only on Act 1, but so far, so good.

These will probably be my last reads to finish out the year. I need to get working on setting up my next year’s challenge now.

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with good health and good reading.