calm reading 75 and beyond (part 2)

Intro

(Cat picture to be posted when I manage to upload a recent picture)

Hi I'm calm and I have been a member of LT and the 75ers since 2009. Last year I wasn't very chatty and I can't make any promises for this year either; though I do lurk on a number of threads.

Last year I read a lot of fantasy series, some sf and historical fiction mixed in with a little bit of other fiction and 2 or 3 non fiction.

I live in West Wales with two cats and a houseful of books. I am trying to read the books that come into the house shortly after acquiring them but I do have a lot on my TBR shelves (some of which have been languishing for years though I did have good intentions when I bought them).

Best of 2017 not counting re-reads

5 stars
The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey - just loved it
Fitz and the Fool Trilogy by Robin Hobb - amazing conclusion to the story

4.5 stars (in alphabetical order)

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
The Humans by Matt Haig
The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
The Good People by Hannah Kent
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland
The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

They were all really good reads for very different reasons but not quite perfect so I can't give them the full 5 stars

Read in 2018

January

1 Not Forgetting the Whale by John Ironmonger (library)
2 Hild by Nicola Griffith
3 King Rat by China Miéville
4 Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
5 The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
6 Colours in the Steel by K. J. Parker
7 The Belly of the Bow by K. J. Parker
8 The Proof House by K. J. Parker
9 Zone One by Colson Whitehead
10 The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
11 The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey (library)
12 The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

February

13 Sister Noon by Karen Jay Fowler
14 Kine by A. R. Lloyd
15 H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker (library)
16 The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (library)
17 Fellside by M. R. Carey (library)
18 Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss
19 My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman (library)
alternative title - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
20 Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield
21 The Last Family in England by Matt Haig
22 Day Four by Sarah Lotz (library)
23 Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth (library)
24 Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman (library)
25 Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney (library)
26 A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin
27 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
28 The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld
29 The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K Le Guin

March

30 Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
31 The Farthest Shore by Ursula K Le Guin
32 The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
33 Tehanu by Ursula K Le Guin
34 Farthing by Jo Walton
35 Ha'penny by Jo Walton
36 Half a Crown by Jo Waton
37 Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
38 Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck (library)
39 Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (library)
40 Host by Peter James (library)
41 The Golden Cat by Gabriel King
42 Metamorphoses by Ovid
43 The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt

April

44 The Kingdom Beyond the Waves by Stephen Hunt
45 Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner (library)
46 The Snow Queen by Joan D Vinge
47 Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
48 A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne Harris (library)
49 Frogkisser by Garth Nix (library)
50 Grass by Sheri S Tepper
51 Raising the Stones by Sheri S Tepper
52 Sideshow by Sheri S Tepper
53 Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman (library)
54 Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson
55 Six Moon Dance by Sheri S Tepper

May

56 Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip
57 Into the Green by Charles de Lint
58 Shogun by James Clavell
59 Ape House by Sara Gruen (library)
60 The Memory of Whiteness by Kim Stanley Robinson
61 The Power by Naomi Alderman (library)
62 To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey (library)
64 Rose Madder by Stephen King
65 The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
66 Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel
67 Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland

June

68 Moving Mars by Greg Bear
69 In the Approaches by Nicola Barker (library)
70 Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd
71 The Fresco by Sheri S Tepper
72 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (library)
73 Oversleeper by Matt Mountebank (library)
74 The Scandal AKA Beartown (US title) by Fredrik Backman (library)
75 Water & Glass by Abi Curtis
76 Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (library)
77 Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint
78 Stardust by Neil Gaiman
77 The Shattered Chain by Marion Zimmer Bradley
78 Thendara House by Marion Zimmer Bradley

July

79 City of Sorcery by Marion Zimmer Bradley
80 Mulengro by Charles de Lint
81 Circe by Madeline Miller (library)
82 Imajica by Clive Barker

August

83 Pompeii by Robert Harris
84 The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixie (library)
85 Shardik by Richard Adams
86 Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (library)
87 Bright Air Black by David Vann (library)
88 The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip
89 The True Game by Sheri S Tepper
90 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
91 Jinian Footseer by Sheri S Tepper

September
92 Dervish Daughter by Sheri S Tepper
93 Jinian Star-eye by Sheri S Tepper
94 Stormqueen! by Marion Zimmer Bradley
95 Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
96 The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (library)
97 Hawkmistress by Marion Zimmer Bradley
98 Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia McKillip
99 The Female Man by Joanna Russ (library)
100 The Crash of Hennington by Patrick Ness
101 Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip
102 The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
103 Medea By Euripedes
104 A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller
105 The Family Tree by Sheri S Tepper
106 Hart's Hope By Orson Scott Card
107 The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
108 Elidor by Alan Garner
109 The Good Women of China by Xinran

October

110 Dream-weaver by Jonathan Wylie
111 The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint
112 Daughter of Regals & Other Tales by Stephen R. Donaldson
113 City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (library)
114 Doughnut by Tom Holt (library)
115 The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley
116 Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
117 The Chronicles of Mavin Many-shaped by Sheri S Tepper
118 The Night Mayor by Kim Newman
119 Solstice Wood by Patricia A McKillip
120 The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
121 Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
122 Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A McKillip
123 Halloween Party by Agatha Christie (library)
124 A Column of Fire by Ken Follett (library)
125 How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (library)

November

126 Wolfking by Bridget Wood
127 The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A McKillip
128 The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld (library)
129 LaRose by Louise Erdrich (library)
130 Fool's Run by Patricia A McKillip
131 Conclave by Robert Harris (library)
132 Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
133 The Harp of the Grey Rose by Charles de Lint
134 The Visitor by Sheri S Tepper
135 Sunshine by Robin McKinley
136 The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart
137 Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
138 The Thief's Gamble by Juliet E McKenna
139 The Tower at Stony Wood by Patricia A McKillip

December

140 The Sorceress and the Cygnet by Patricia A McKillip (part of Cygnet omnibus)
141 The Cygnet and the Firebird by Patricia A McKillip (part of Cygnet omnibus)
142 Assignment in Eternity by Robert Heinlein
143 Vox by Christina Dalcher (library)
144 The Girl in the Moon by Terry Goodkind (library)
145 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (library)
146 A Gathering of Ghosts by Karen Maitland (library)
147 The White Plague by Frank Herbert
148 The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia McKillip
149 Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip
150 Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip
151 Trader by Charles de Lint
152 Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich (library)
153 The Thing Itself by Adam Roberts (library)
154 Watership Down by Richard Adams
155 Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
156 The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint
157 Widdershins by Charles de Lint

After realising the "read in 2018" tag didn't match the number of books listed I found the ones not added during the months I read them

158 Artemis by Andy Weir (May?)
159 The Little Country by Charles De Lint (October/November?)

Welcome to any visitors or lurkers

In my last thread I started a Gofundme after Xander was in an accident to help with the vet bills. He went through two operations the first to try to save his leg which, unfortunately, wasn't successful and I would like to try and get some things to help alter the house to make it easier for him now as he had to have his leg amputated.

I'm still paying off the vet bills so if anyone can help I would be very grateful.

https://www.gofundme.com/bjbwk-help-for-xander

Happy New Thread!

Thank you

Happy new thread

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, calm.
How is Xander adapting to three legged life?

>6 figsfromthistle: and >7 drneutron: Nice to see you both here :)

>8 FAMeulstee: Xander is adapting slowly, he recently started using the steps I cobbled together from boxes so can get up on the bed. I still need to feed him under the bed sometimes as he doesn't always want to be in the open. He is very cautious and often ends up hiding, especially when there is any sound outside. Though he and Lexa have started playing together occassionally, which is nice to see.

Happy new thread, calm! I'm glad to hear Xander is showing signs of progress.

>10 ronincats: Thanks Roni. It has been slow progress but he is getting faster and stronger so I hope his mobility continues to improve and that he gets his confidence back.

Reposting from the end of my previous thread

September Roundup

Thanks to lot of short books a TIOLI Sweep :) and my 100th book of the year - The Crash of Hennington

1 Dervish Daughter by Sheri S Tepper
2 Jinian Star-eye by Sheri S Tepper
3 Stormqueen! by Marion Zimmer Bradley
4 Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
5 The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (library)
6 Hawkmistress by Marion Zimmer Bradley
7 Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia McKillip
8 The Female Man by Joanna Russ (library)
9 The Crash of Hennington by Patrick Ness
10 Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip
11 The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
12 Medea By Euripedes
13 A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller
14 The Family Tree by Sheri S Tepper
15 Hart's Hope By Orson Scott Card
16 The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
17 Elidor by Alan Garner
18 The Good Women of China by Xinran

Best of the Month - The Good Women of China; this was a re-read and was a lot better than when I first rated it. Harrowing with accounts of sexual abuse but it opened my eyes to what life was like for women in China before, during and after the Cultural Revolution.

No really bad books but both Elidor and The Female Man were very much of their times and, therefore, dated.

Congrats on the 100th of the year.

I'm so glad to hear that Xander is doing better.

>13 libraryperilous: Thank you. I might just manage the double 75 this year :)

Xander is getting better, more active and he even ate in the kitchen this morrning with the neighbour's cat sitting on the windowsill looking in :)

Oh, that is very good news! Fingers crossed for a double 75. :)

Happy new thread and congrats on 100! I see that the Tearling series was one of your favorites last year -- I thoroughly enjoyed it and read all three straight through last month! Glad Xander is doing better.

Good job on 100, and I am SO glad that Xander is doing better.

Congrats on reaching 100 books. Reading rockstar!!

Congratulations on reading 100 books calm and glad to hear Xander is still making progress.

>15 libraryperilous: Still might make the double - depends on how many chunksters I want to read:)

>16 Berly: The Tearling series was good:)

>17 fuzzi: Thank you

>18 figsfromthistle: There are a number of people who read a lot more than I do, I will be happy if I get close to 150 a year

>19 souloftherose: Thank you.

Xander update - I don't need to feed him under the bed any more. He is definitely more active and better balanced, but he still doesn't jump up. He spends a lot of time on a windowsill meeping at any birds he sees :) I arranged a second set of "stairs" so he can get up there. He and Lexa send time playing chase; play fighting and also sleep curled up together sometimes.

I have let him out a few times, supervised, so it has depended on the weather and when I feel like going outside. I'm sure he would like to spend more time out there but I haven't managed to think of a safe way for him to go out and to be able to escape the neighbour's dog if necessary. He is still wary of traffic and loud noises.

I am happy with his progress and when he starts jumping I will try to get some external steps so he can get in and out when he wants.

Glad to hear Xander is doing so much better, calm! Sounds like he's mostly adjusted psychologically.

Oh, that's such good news about Xander!

>20 calm: Very happy to hear Xander continues to make progress and especially that he's playing and interacting with Lexa more.

>21 ronincats:; >22 libraryperilous: and >23 souloftherose: Thank's he definitely has his character back.

At the moment Lexa can get away from him by going up to the top of the cat tree or kitchen table/counter tops when they are playing chase. So I'm hoping that will encourage him to get enough strength in his back leg to be able to get to the top level of the cat tree. The last couple of days I have put his paws on the first level and he has managed to get up to the second stage, with a bit of a scramble, but he still hasn't tried to do it on his own. I think jumping higher will take a lot of effort and I'm not sure if he will ever get there but the remaining leg does seem to be getting stronger and he used to love jumping so you never know.

October Round-up

1 Dream-weaver by Jonathan Wylie
2 The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint
3 Daughter of Regals & Other Tales by Stephen R. Donaldson
4 City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (library)
5 Doughnut by Tom Holt (library)
6 The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley
7 Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
8 The Chronicles of Mavin Many-shaped by Sheri S Tepper
9 The Night Mayor by Kim Newman
10 Solstice Wood by Patricia A McKillip
11 The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
12 Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
13 Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A McKillip
14 Halloween Party by Agatha Christie (library)
15 A Column of Fire by Ken Follett (library)
16 How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (library)

Another good reading month, including re-reads of 5 star books (The Firebrand and Alphabet of Thorn) both were as good as I remembered. Mary Doria Russell's books are great as well but something stops me giving them 5 stars. Of the new to me books the best were Sheepfarmer's Daughter and City of Stairs and I want to read the sequels but the library doesn't have them.

The ones that didn't work for me were the Tom Holt (this was the first of his books I have read since I discovered that he also writes as K. J. Parker) but I definitely prefer the grittier side to his writing and the Agatha Christie as I read a load of her work in my teens and remembered the whodunnit. Also I actually prefer watching the David Suchet dramatisations of Poirot.

Halloween Party is one of the only Christies I've rated under three stars. It is too, too grim, especially compared to her other novels.

I've heard many good things about The Sparrow. I should bump it up Mt. TBR.

>26 libraryperilous: I didn't find Halloween Party too grim but I remembered who the killer was and, for me, seeing if I can work out the whodunnit is part of the fun in reading crime, thrillers and mysteries.

The Sparrow is pretty dark in places but it is a very good first contact story. You know from the beginning that something has gone wrong and it jumps back and forth in time to uncover just what happened.

Wishing you a lovely and restless weekend, Calm.

>25 calm: Hope your November reading has also been good calm.

Sorry to hear the library doesn't have any more of the RJB trilogy as I read them all this year and thought City of Blades and City of Miracles were even better than City of Stairs.

I'm also enjoying following your McKillip reread - where would you recommend starting for a new reader? I've been meaning to get a copy of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld for ages.

>29 souloftherose: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is the one I would recommend. The Book of Atrix Wolfe is excellent but the story is a sad one. I don't find the Riddle-Master trilogy as compelling as I did when it came out, though parts of it are flat out marvelous.

>28 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - I hope you meant restful not restless:)

>29 souloftherose: Hi Heather, not bad. I've been working on SantaThing, thanks to a kind sponsor, but I'll get to the monthly round up soon. More McKillip's on the list and I'm reading another one at the moment :)
I might ask the library to get the other RJB books.

My favourite McKillip's are Alphabet of Thorn and The Book of Atrix Wolfe. But, as her books are mainly standalones, I would say that you can start anywhere. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld would be a good one.

>30 quondame: Hi Susan. I've still got the Riddle-master Trilogy on the re-read pile, not sure if I will get to it this year though.

November Round-up

1 Wolfking by Bridget Wood
2 The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A McKillip
3 The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld (library)
4 LaRose by Louise Erdrich (library)
5 Fool's Run by Patricia A McKillip
6 Conclave by Robert Harris (library)
7 Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
8 The Harp of the Grey Rose by Charles de Lint
9 The Visitor by Sheri S Tepper
10 Sunshine by Robin McKinley
11 The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart
12 Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
13 The Thief's Gamble by Juliet E McKenna
14 The Tower at Stony Wood by Patricia A McKillip

Another good reading month, lots of re-reads of old favourites. I seem to have fallen into trying to read all the McKillip's on my shelves this year and wishing that I had the rest of her books. The Thief's Gamble was one I had sitting on the shelves for a while and now I want to find the rest of the series.

I've decided that Robert Harris isn't really for me, this is the second of his books that I have read this year and, though not bad, I found this one a bit predictable.

Ooh The Thief's Gamble sounds very cool.

>33 libraryperilous: It's one of those late 90's fantasy books and, for a first book, it sets up an interesting world and some good characters so I would like to see how things develop.

>33 libraryperilous:, >34 calm: I recognize McKenna's name but don't recognize any of her titles so I'm not sure I've read any of her ouevre (whereas with McKillip, McKinley, and Tepper, I've not only read but also own most of their titles). I'll look for your judgment on the series at large. Od Magic is one of my favorite later McKillips, but I love my early ones too. All of McKinley but the Damar books (the first read) the best. And you've not read the Paksennarion books before??? I love those books SO much.

How is Xander?

>35 ronincats: Hi Roni - the McKenna had been sitting on my shelf for ages, but it was the first in a series and I have never spotted the rest in any of my local secondhand shops, so it just sort of sat there :( I have no idea if I will be able to find any more of her work but it looks like there are a few series set in the same world.

The same happened with the Paksennarion and I still don't have any of the sequels. Hopefully one day I will be able to get hold of more of their work.

As for McKinley the two I read last month are the only ones I have so I need more of her work as well.

Tepper and McKillip are two of my favourite authors - I don't have all their books, I'm missing 2 Tepper's and several McKillip's. Od Magic is great.

Xander is doing well. He got onto the kitchen table via a kitchen chair which is a bigger step than he has been using. He is getting stronger, he actually stood up on his back leg the other day to grab a toy out of my hand though I haven't managed to get him to repeat that:)
The weather is pretty bad, lots of wind and rain, so he isn't happy that I am keeping him in but I can hear the rain hitting the window where I put the ramp so he wouldn't actually go out even if I did open it.
At the moment he is lying by my side watching me type while Lexa is perched looking out of a window

>36 calm: calm, you've painted such a cozy picture of you, Xander and Lexa! A picture of contentment.
Talk about storms outside, ha!, you've been a reading tornado!
How did you like Un Lun Dun? Is it sci-fi-ish? I've read Miéville once before and I'm not sure I want to ventures down that road again.

>38 calm: Hi Lynda, both cats have now settled down for their naps so it is very quiet now, except for the weather.

Reading is going well, I'm not one of those who regularly read a book (or more) a day but I am happy with how things are going.

The thing with Miéville is that he writes different things, always with a touch of weird about them. Un Lun Dun is a YA urban fantasy, not sci-fi, so it is Miéville light; quite a fun read and he illustrated it himself.

>38 calm: Ok, I may tip toe into that one. Miéville light sounds doable.

Oh, it's so nice to hear that Xander continues to improve!

>40 libraryperilous: It is good to see more progress, Diana. His balance is better and he is zipping around; still no jumping up but if he can get his front paws onto something he manages to get up :)

Sounds like he has his "joy of life" back, calm.

happy new thread! Glad to see things are well :)

>42 ronincats: He does seem happy Roni :)

>43 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle

Hoping your holidays are filled with good friends and good books

(Or in other words, Happy Christmas, to you and yours!)

Hope you have a great holiday season!

Hi calm, hard to believe 2018 is almost coming to a close. Where did the year go?

Stopping by to wish you peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and best wishes for 2019!

Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays and RESTFUL ones too, Calm. xx

>45 Carmenere: >46 SandDune: >47 ChelleBearss: >48 lkernagh: >49 quondame: >50 PaulCranswick:

Thank you all for the Season's Greetings. I hope that you had a good Christmas.

Stopping by to add my Christmas wishes to you, Xander and Lexie! Did you get some good books from SantaThing?

>52 souloftherose: Hi Heather, thank you.

The SantaThing haul wasn't something I would have chosen myself (I asked for standalone fantasy; pre-medieval historical fiction or stories based on non-European folklore) but I hope that they will be interesting.

The Mount by Carol Emshwiller (SF)
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (first in a series, historical fantasy set in Regency London)
Radiance by Catherynne M Valente (alt-historical, steampunk?)
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford (historical - 18th century New York)
and Tea with the Black Dragon by R A MacAvoy (the LT elves substituted this for Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton )

>53 calm: I liked Tea With the Black Dragon!

>54 fuzzi: Hi fuzzi. There are a lot of books I read pre-LT and I am 99% sure that I read some MacAvoy back then. Tea with the Black Dragon was one of them, at least the character names are familiar, but that would have been back in the 1980's and I do re-read a lot so I don't mind getting a copy.

Happy New Year's Eve!!

December Round-up

1 The Sorceress and the Cygnet by Patricia A McKillip (part of Cygnet omnibus)
2 The Cygnet and the Firebird by Patricia A McKillip (part of Cygnet omnibus)
3 Assignment in Eternity by Robert Heinlein
4 Vox by Christina Dalcher (library)
5 The Girl in the Moon by Terry Goodkind (library)
6 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (library)
7 A Gathering of Ghosts by Karen Maitland (library)
8 The White Plague by Frank Herbert
9 The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia McKillip
10 Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip
11 Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip
12 Trader by Charles de Lint
13 Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich (library)
14 The Thing Itself by Adam Roberts (library)
15 Watership Down by Richard Adams
16 Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
17 The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint
18 Widdershins by Charles de Lint

I reached 150 with Harpist in the Wind.

Favourite new to me book was A Gathering of Ghosts by Karen Maitland. Nothing really disappointing but I would warn people that The Girl in the Moon has extremely graphic descriptions of rape; murder and terrorist attack.

I will be starting a 2019 thread after I finish my first book of the year. I still need to figure out my best reads of 2018 and work out where I missed tagging "read in 2018" as the numbers don't match.

Thanks for the New Year wishes Lori and Kim. I hope 2019 is everything you wish.

Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75!

Thanks Anita. Congrats on your 5 x 75 plus reading 365 ROOTS :)

Well I finally balanced my total for the year, there were 157 in my list but 159 tagged read in 2019, so it took me some time to identify the missing two.

I didn't give 5 stars to any new to me reads, though I did re-read some old favourites and they were all as good as I remembered. I'm not listing those :)

These were the new to me 4 and a half star rated books (in alphabetical order). * = the top 5 of those.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey
Fellside by M. R. Carey
Shogun by James Clavell
Water & Glass by Abi Curtis
*Hild by Nicola Griffith
Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland
Not Forgetting the Whale by John Ironmonger
To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
*A Gathering of Ghosts by Karen Maitland
*King Rat by China Miéville
*Circe by Madeline Miller
The Crash of Hennington by Patrick Ness
Frogkisser! by Garth Nix
*Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
Artemis by Andy Weir

Now I need to move to 2019. Hopefully a bit later today. See you there :)

Happy new year, Calm. I'll be looking for you in the new threads.

Thanks Lynda I'm here - https://www.librarything.com/topic/301778