Betty (Dudes22) Finds the Librarian In 2022

Welcome to my thread. My name is Betty and I’ve been part of LT since 2008 and doing the category challenge since 2010. I live in Rhode Island which is the smallest state in the US. We have 3 grandchildren (2 adults, 1 teenager) – one in Fla, one in NC, and one in Maine so we don’t get to see them too often.

I’ve made a lot of friends over the years here on LT and gotten A LOT of great book recommendations. My book bullets every year are usually more than the books I’ve read, so I’m always behind. I’ve decided to concentrate this year on the book bullets I’ve gotten over the past few years and try to reduce the number. Of course, I also want to reduce my TBR, and there are a few authors I’d like to concentrate on this year. I liked using the Alpha Kit to keep up with my series last year and will do that this year too.

This year I think I’ll be using the library a lot between book bullets and my series reading so that’s my theme for this year. This is a picture of the first library I used when I was young. I was probably about 4 when we moved and I started going there. I still remember the sensation of walking up that big flight of stairs (looked much bigger when I was 4) and the smell that I think all older libraries seem to have. When a new library was built, this became an annex to the town hall.

I also do a lot of quilting and I keep a thread over in the Needlearts group to show what I’m working on. If you’d like to stop by, it’s over here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337198#n7669264

Total Books Read:



TBR pile Books:



Book Bullets Read:



Books Read by Year BB taken:
BBs 2012: Read – 1 of 13 Taken
BBs 2013: Read – 0 of 29 Taken
BBs 2014: Read – 1 of 24 Taken
BBs 2015: Read - 0 of 25 Taken
BBs 2016: Read – 1 of 29 Taken
BBs 2017: Read – 1 of 22 Taken
BBs 2018: Read – 1 of 31 Taken
BBs 2019: Read – 1 of 58 Taken
BBs 2020: Read – 1 of 69 Taken
BBs 2021: Read – 5 of 148 Taken
BBs 2022: Read - 2 of 51 Taken

Currently Reading:



Recently Read:



All Wikis: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/List_of_Category_Challenge_wikis

Alpha Kit:
I’m going to try and only read series books again this year for my Alpha Kit, except for a couple of letters. I usually use the author’s last name for the letter and there are some letters with multiple choices. I’ve taken some BBs for series over the years and I may start a series or two even if I don’t really need more series.

A – The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen
B – Beartown by Fredrik Backman
C – The Last Detective by Robert Crais
A Wanted Man by Lee Child
D – Unexpected Night by Elizabeth Daly
E –
F –
G –
H – Flesh and Blood by John Harvey
I –
J – Messenger by Craig Johnson
K –
L – Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth
M –
N –
O – The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
P – Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
Q – A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn
A Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn
The Iggy Chronicles by SPencer Quinn
R – The Pucelle Connection by Estelle Ryan
S – I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming
T –
U –
V –
W –
X –
Y –
Z –

Wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2022_AlphaKIT

Random Kit:
I’ve done this since it first made an appearance in 2013 and even hosted a month now and then. It’s one of my favorites as the ideas people come up with are very inventive.

Jan – Home, Sweet Home - Objects of Our Affection by Lisa Tracy
Feb – Cat in a Book -
Mar – Hobby Love - Dean Man's Bones by Susan Wittig Albert
Apr – April Showers -
May – May Flowers - Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
Jun – Cookin' the Books - Fannie's Last Supper by Christorpher Kimball
Jul –
Aug –
Sep –
Oct –
Nov –
Dec –

Wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/RandomKIT_2022

BINGO Dog:
This usually stretches my reading too as I try to find books to fit.



The categories are:
1. An Award Winning book
2. Published in a year ending 2 - The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (2022)
3. A modern retelling of an older story
4. A book you'd love to see as a movie (maybe starring your favourite actor)
5. A book that features a dog - A Dog's Purpose by Bruce Cameron
6. The title contains the letter Z
7. Published the year you joined LT - I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2008)
8. A book by a favorite author - Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
9. A long book (long for you)
10. A book you received as a gift
11. The title contains a month - The First 15 Lives of Harry August by Claire North
12. A weather word in the title - Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
13. Read a CAT
14. Contains travel or a journey - Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
15. A book about sisters or brothers - Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
16. A book club read (real or online) - The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
17. A book with flowers on the cover - A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
18. A book in translation - Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
19. A work of non-fiction
20. A book where a character shares a name of a friend - The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich
21. A book set in a capital city
22. A children's or YA book - The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser
23. A book set in a country other than the one you live - The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe by Alexander McCall Smith
24. A book by an LGBTQ+ author
25. A book with silver or gold on the cover - Gastro Obscura by Dylan Thuras & Cecily Wong

Wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2022_BingoDog

Book Club: Keeping track of the reading I do for my RL book club.

Jan – Postponed
Feb – The Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Mar – The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
Apr – The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
May – The First 15 Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Jun – Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Jul –
Aug –
Sep –
Oct –
Nov –
Dec –

Jan:

Jan Alpha Letter - R - The Pucelle Connection by Estelle Ryan
Jan Alpha Letter - H - Flesh and Blood by John Harvey (BB)
Random: Objects of Our Affection by Lisa Tracy
Author Cat: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (BB) (bingo)
CATWoman: Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively (BB)
Mystery Kit: Flesh and Blood by John Harvey
Bingo Block: Weather Word in Title

Other:
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Feb:

Feb Alpha Letter - A - The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler- Olsen
Feb Alpha Letter - B (see Mar)
Random:
Author Cat:
Mystery Cat: The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen (BB)
CATWoman: The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain (bingo)
Bingo Blocks: Book Club Read

Mar:

Mar Alpha Letter - P - Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny (bingo)
Mar Alpha Letter - S - I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming (bingo)
Feb Alpha Letter: - B - Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Random: Dead Man's Bones by Susan WIttig ALbert
Author Cat: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
CATWoman:
Mystery Kit: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
Dead Man's Bones by Susan Wittig Albert
I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Bingo Blocks: Gold or Silver on cover
Book by a favorite author
Book published in year joined LT (2008)
Set in a country other than your own

Other:
Gastro Obscura by Dylan Thuras & Cecily Wong (bingo)
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
The Fell by Sarah Moss (BB)
The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe by Alexander McCall Smith (bingo)

Apr:

April Alpha Letter - L - Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth
April Alpha Letter - J - Messenger by Craig Johnson
Random:
Author Cat:
CATWoman:
Bingo Blocks:
Published in year ending in a 2
Contains travel or a journey
Book has character with friend's name - Mary

Other:
The Cleverness of Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (bingo)
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder (bingo)
The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri
The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich (bingo)

May:

May Alpha Letter - O - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
May Alpha Letter - D - Unexpected NIght by Elizabeth Daly
Random - Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
Author Cat:
CATWoman:
Bingo Blocks:
Title contains a month
Features a dog
Book in translation
Flowers of the cover

Other:
The First 15 Lives of Harry August by Claire North (book club)
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
The Sea Glass Sisters by Lisa Wingate

Jun:

Jun Alpha Letter - Q - A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn
A Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn
The Iggy Chronicles by Spencer Quinn
Jun Alpha Letter - C - The Last Detective by Robert Crais
A Wanted Man by Lee Child
Random: Fannie's Last Supper by Christopher Kimball
Author Cat: Fannie's Last Supper by Christopher Kimball
CATWoman:
Bingo Blocks:
Children or YA Book

Other:
The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser

DNF: The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

Jul:

Jul Alpha Letter - E
Jul Alpha Letter - T
Random:
Author Cat:
CATWoman:

Aug:

Aug Alpha Letter - M
Aug Alpha Letter - F
Random:
Author Cat:
CATWoman:

Sep:

Sep Alpha Letter - K
Sep Alpha Letter - I
Random:
Author Cat:
CATWoman:

Oct:

Oct Alpha Letter - V
Oct Alpha Letter - N
Random:
Author Cat:
CATWoman:

Nov:

Nov Alpha Letter - G
Nov Alpha Letter - U
Random:
Author Cat:
CATWoman:

Dec:

Dec Alpha Letter - Y
Dec Alpha Letter - W
Random:
Author Cat:
CATWoman:

So that’s my plan for reading this year. I’m looking forward to seeing what others read and taking some more book bullets along the way. Welcome to my thread:

Good luck with your 2022 reading!

What a super theme! I love all the cartoons. Happy reading!

Love your theme and all those cartoons. My sister actually had the one in >17 dudes22: on her check-out desk at her library.

Love the theme and laughing at the cartoons. Nice challenge. Good luck!

Love the library cartoons! Looking forward to following along for another year.

Thank you all. I had fun finding the cartoons.

I also love the cartoons -- so cute! "Please do not harm my mother and father" made me laugh out loud.

You can't beat Peanuts or Calvin & Hobbes, can you? What a lovely celebratory thread!

Excellent theme! I love Calvin and Hobbes so glad to see them making an appearance here :)

What a great theme, Betty! I remember the joy, awe and sometimes fear, that I felt when my sister and I were allowed to go to the library on our own. You've made some interesting plans for 2022 and I look forward to following along.

>26 christina_reads: - Trying to find cartoons with "library" themes was fun.
>27 Jackie_K: - They're two of my favorites.
>28 rabbitprincess: - I think my favorites are the snowmen cartoons.
>29 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, Judy. We moved into town when I was 12, and, since my mother didn't drive, I could go more often since I could walk. Hopefully, I'll get rid of some of the BBs you've sent me over the years.

>8 dudes22: should be the law everywhere! I love all the library-related cartoons!

>31 casvelyn: - Absolutely!

Love the cartoons!

>33 hailelib: - Thanks!

Best wishes on your 2022 reading!

Love all the library cartoons. Good luck with your 2022 reading.

The cartoons were great.

How fun! I absolutely love both Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes, and it was delightful to read through the featured comics. Looking forward to following your 2022 reading.

>35 thornton37814: - >36 lowelibrary: - >37 mnleona: - >38 Crazymamie: - Thank you all for stopping by. Looking forward to starting. Still trying to finish one last book for 2021.

Just stopping by your thread, I couldn't remember if I had or not. The library was indeed a special place for me growing up, especially when I graduated to the adult library card at 12 I think, and I was in awe!

>40 lsh63: - Thanks for stopping by, Lisa. When I was around 12, we moved into town and I was within walking distance to the library which I thought was just perfect. (Not the library pictured in #1)

WOW! All those cartoons were a real trip down memory lane! You are an inspiration.

to one and all!

Since I'm planning my reading this year around the BBs I've taken over the years, I thought I would post my Annie Oakley Awards from 2021:

To the following fellow readers who hit me with the most BBs in 2021:

1st place: Laura - 11 (Lauralkeet, a friend from the NeedleArts group who posts in the 75 Group Challenge)

2nd place: Jayne (JayneCM) – 10

3rd Place: Kay (RidgewayGirl) – 9

And a special honorable mention this year to Katie (katiekrug) who provided the book for my husband's Christmas gift this year – Island of the Lost which he says is quite good.

>44 dudes22: Oh, I like this! Great idea!

Happy New Year, Betty! Lovely cartoons. :)

>45 Crazymamie: - Reading here has given me plenty of good reading recommendations.

>46 Chrischi_HH: - Thanks.

Book 1: Flesh and Bloodby John Harvey
Alpha Kit: January "H"
Mystery Kit: January - Series
Book Bullet From: Judy (DeltaQueen) - 2014



Frank Elder is a retired detective who is still haunted by a fourteen-year-old case. And when Shane Donald is released from prison, it brings the case back to his mind and he decides to look at it again. Shane and his partner Alan McKeirnan were convicted of rape and murder, but Alan was the leader so Shane is released earlier. When he skips out and another girl is taken, Frank is asked to help.

As the first in a series, Harvey is working on building his characters and atmosphere in the book. I might even try a book from his other series.

I liked this first book in the series - not that I need another series. Judy was actually reviewing a book in another series by this author when she mentioned this series and I took a BB for it.

>48 dudes22: The good news is that the Frank Elder series only has 4 books - it was originally a trilogy but then he added one more. The other series, Charlie Resnick, is much, much longer. I am glad that you enjoyed this first one.

>49 DeltaQueen50: - I was having trouble finding the reference I had written down for where you talked about it, then realized it was in the middle of a post about his other series. That one does have quite a few books to it.

>44 dudes22: Nice idea! Congratulations to the winners of the Annie Oakley award. :)

I went online to the library around 6 last night to see if a book I had asked for was still "in transit" only to find that the book had arrived but the library was closing at 6 and wouldn't open again until Mon. Curious, I texted my sister (is one of the children's librarians) and she said that 4 people had tested positive for covid, including her. Rats!

Today is my Thingaversary!

I joined LT back in 2008 so I have been here for 14 years now. I originally joined just to keep track of my books, but I soon found a community of like-minded people who love to read and talk about the books they’re reading. (and other things) I’ve had some great times and loads of book bullets over the years which have led to new authors and many interesting books. Since my Thingaversary falls so early in the year, I’ve been spreading my purchases out over the previous year. (an idea I got from Judi) I’ve been very good about not reading any – even though I was tempted. Almost all of these were BBs and I’m hoping to get most of them read this year and not let them linger.

Here’s what I decided on:

Long, Bright River by Liz Moore
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich
Water From My Heart by Charles Martin
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Driftless by David Rhodes
Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy
Restoration by Olaf Olaffson
Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott
One Hundred Years of Lenny and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Happy Thingaversary, Betty!
I loved A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking - it was one of my top books of the year.

>54 Helenliz: - Yes - You're the one who hit me with that BB.

>55 dudes22: Oh! I hope you enjoy it.
I always end up feeling somehow responsible when someone reads a book on my recommendation.

>53 dudes22: Happy Thingaversary, Betty! That is an excellent list of books. I have BIG love for both Last Night at the Lobster and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking.

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy your books. That's a nice list.

>52 dudes22: Oh no, I hope your sister's feeling better soon!

Congratulations on your Thingaversary! I am sorry to read that your sister has gotten Covid, it seems to be everywhere these days! I picked up some books from the library between Christmas and New Years and will be ready to return them early next week - I wonder if our library will still be open.

Thank you all for the good wishes for my Thingaversary and thoughts for my sister. She said she just has a few sniffles. I think she wasn't even thinking of testing except for the others who were sick so I'm guessing everyone went to test.

Happy Thingaversary. What a great haul!

>62 Tess_W: - Thanks

Happy Thingaversary, enjoy reading them!

I hope your sister recovers quickly.

>53 dudes22: What a stellar haul! I hope your sister's experience with covid is short and unremarkable. And we joined at almost the same time. I joined LT in early February of 2008.

>64 Jackie_K: - Thank you so much, Jackie.

>65 RidgewayGirl: - Thanks, Kay. I'm looking forward to seeing your purchases too. (Unless you delay because of moving)

Happy Thingaversary, Betty, and enjoy your book haul. I hope your sister doesn't suffer too much from Covid!

Great set up! Looking forward to following you this year!

Book 2: The Pucelle Connection by Estelle Ryan
January Alpha Kit: "R"
January Mystery Kit: Series



"Renowned nonverbal communications expert Doctor Genevieve Lenard's search for an international criminal is interrupted when her team receives an antique book. At first the book is dismissed--until they discover similar books gifted to people who are now dead."

This is one of my most favoritist series. There are so many interconnected parts that I thought I'd just copy the description. The author has good, strongly defined characters and complicated plot lines. Her main character is "non-neurotypical", seeing the world from a narrow, logical viewpoint. The only thing I didn't get this time is why the book that Philip received didn't make him sick.

All the best for your sister, Betty!

The number of your BBs made an impressive development, especially in the more recent years. ;) I'm always torn between thinking that I want to keep track of everything - and then seeing these (too) high numbers. But hey, it's fun!

>70 Chrischi_HH: - I used to keep track of only the BBs I took from LT, but last year I just made one big list from LT and elsewhere.

Thanks - everyone for all the good wishes for my sister. She's fine and the library is opening again tomorrow. Although she told me they may operate on reduced hours.

>69 dudes22: I've read a couple in that series and I loved them!

>69 dudes22:
That sounds interesting!

>73 hailelib: - This book is #6 in the series and there are storylines that continue from each book, so probably best to start with #1.

>69 dudes22: That looks like a series I'd enjoy. As if I need more of them! But Amazon had the 1st one free for Kindle, so...

>75 antqueen: - ooo - how can u resist?

Happy belated Thingaversary! Very nice book haul to celebrate this important occasion!

>77 mathgirl40: - Thank you. This time I'm going to try and read them instead of just putting them on a shelf.

Book 3: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
January Author Cat: Indigenous Authors
Bingo Block: Book with Weather in Title
Book Bullet: VivienneR -2021



The descriptions of the book all talk about it being post-apocalyptic, so I'm not giving anything away by saying that. Still, I don't want to say too much about how things change in this small Indian village when they find themselves cut off from the rest of the world in winter and how different people react. I think the author really shows the various types of people and how they react to an emergency.

Although many people here have read and talked about this book, I show that I took a BB for this from VivienneR.

Our library system has started doing reduced hours Monday to Thursday for Covid reasons, in hopes that reducing hours across the board will help them avoid having to shut down branches unexpectedly. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are still the same hours, and many branches are closed on Sundays during the winter.

>79 dudes22: Glad you liked this! A sequel is in the works :) https://www.waub.ca/some-recent-writings/

>80 rabbitprincess: - That's great about the sequel although I kind of like the way it left some things unresolved.

>79 dudes22: I am currently reading and loving Moon of the Crusted Snow. I expect my rating will be similar to yours.

>82 DeltaQueen50: - I saw on Laura's (lauralkeet) thread that he's writing a sequel to the book.

Hi, Betty!

I'm adding Moon of the Crusted Snow to my list, too - it sounds really good!

>84 scaifea: - Hope you like it, Amber.

Book 4: Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively
January CATWoman: Biography/Memoir
Book Bullet: Laura (laurakeet) 2021



Although there are tags which say this is a biography/memoir, it didn't seem to be one to me. There's very little about her gardens and how she created them. Instead, there are a series of chapters on gardens from different aspects - gardens in art, gardens in literature, how garden styles have changed over time and economic status. It was somewhat interesting but it's not something that will stay with me.

I took this BB from Laura, a friend from the Needlearts group and a member over in the 75 Group.

Book 5: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Bingo Block: About brothers and sisters



In 1939, Rill Foss and her 4 siblings are taken from their parent's boat and put into the Tennessee Children's Home as orphans even though they are not. The Home is run by Georgia Tann who sells the children to high-ranking politicians, entertainers, and society clients.

In the present, Avery Stafford is home to help her father with his political career and make her face known in case she has to step in for him. While at an event at a nursing home, her bracelet from her grandmother is taken by an old lady. When she goes to retrieve it, she sees a photo on the nightstand with someone who looks like her grandmother when she was younger.

The story continues alternating between times until a resolution at the end. The historical story is the more interesting one because that part is based on actual events which the author explains at the end.

>88 dudes22: Georgia Tann is well-known in these parts! The story still makes the news often enough.

>89 thornton37814: - I thought of you, Lori, when I finished the book and was reading the background about the story. I was going to ask if you'd heard of it.

Wishing you a belated Happy Thingaversary! What a great haul to celebrate with! I loved Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese, I'm sure you will too. I'm told it was set in the area where I live (or near it) so it produced many distinct images in my mind.

>91 VivienneR: - Thanks - I'm going to try and do better about reading my Thingaversary books and not just put them on a shelf (real or e-shelf). The BB I took for this was from rp in 2019, but I know I've seen other good things about it - probably from you among others.

>88 dudes22: That has been on my virtual shelf for 3-4 years. You wrote a wonderful review. I need to read is this year!

>93 Tess_W: - My sister-in-law mentioned another of her books to me as a recommendation but I managed to pick this up at a library sale so I thought I might read it first. Now I want to read the one she recommended.

Book 6 - Objects of Our Affection by Lisa Tracy
January Random: Home, Sweet Home



Lisa Tracy was descended by generations of military men who had traveled the world and collected furniture and household items all over. After moving her mother into assisted living, she and her sister move a household of items into storage units where they stay for many years. Eventually they decide to sell them at auction and this sends the author into letters and papers trying to determine where they came from and what provenance (if any) they had.

Don't some of us wonder if that statue that sat on top of the desk was really something important? In the end, reading about someone else's possessions just wasn't that interesting to me.

January Recap:

Books Read: 6 – (2 physical, 2 ebooks, 2 library)
Books Added – 7 (4 physical, 3 ebooks)
TBR Pile: +3 (2 physical 1 ebook) – Not good
Book Bullets Read: 3
Book Bullets Taken: 9
Best Reads:
The Pucelle Connection by Estelle Ryan
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

I have 5 books going right now and not getting very far with any of them. So - I think I'm going to tweak my challenge just a little. Even though I know Cats and Kits are optional, I find my "completest" personality is working against me. So I'm going to try and read more of what I want and worry less about the Cats and Kits.

>97 dudes22: I've had to take that same sort of action!

>97 dudes22: I basically do the same thing. I read Cats and Kits when they align with something I want to read.

Book 7: The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
Cat Woman: Translated by Emily Boyce from French
Bingo Block: Book Club Read
Book Bullet From: VivienneR 2017



A short little romance perfect for February. When a bookseller comes upon a handbag on a street in Paris and gets no help from the police, he decides to try and find the owner even though there is little in the purse to help him. This novella packs a lot into a little story. I only wish I had understood more of the French references.

>100 dudes22: Glad you enjoyed The Red Notebook as much as I did, Betty.

>100 dudes22: I'm also glad to see your good review, as I've had this book on my shelves for ages!

>101 VivienneR: - When I get a chance, I'm going to try something else by him.

>102 christina_reads: - It's really a very quick read.

>100 dudes22: Oh, I remember when this book was all over instagram. I was still very active there when it was published. It is already on my wishlist - thank you for reminding me of it!

>104 MissBrangwen: - Glad to help. It's been a BB for me since 2017, so I'm glad to have read it. I picked this for book club for next month (my month this year) and I'm thinking up some good discussion questions.

Book 8: The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Alpha Kit: February - "A"
Mystery Cat: Cold Cases



Adler-Olsen packs a lot into his books with multiple story lines and time lines that eventually converge. Carl Morck and his two assistants, Rose and Assad, are the total in Dept Q, a police department that was created to get him out of the way and deals only in cold cases. In this fourth book, Rose has found a case about a missing woman from twenty years ago which bears a similarity to a current case. While trying to connect the cases, they come across a number of missing people from the same time twenty years ago. As they start to look into the cases, they find that they may be connected to the head of a potential political party. There are lots of moving parts to this story but worth the read.

I didn’t have a very good month reading-wise. I’ve been spending a lot of time quilting and we didn’t go on vacation which really cut into my reading time. March promises to be better since I have library books that can’t be renewed so I’ll need to get them done.

February Recap:

Books Read: 2 ( physical, ebooks, 2 library)
Books Added: 3 (2 physical, 1 ebook)
TBR Pile: +3 (2 physical 1 ebook) – Not good
Book Bullets Taken: 11
Best Reads: Both books I read this month were winners
The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen
The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

Book 9: Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide by Dylan Thuras & Cecily Wong
Bingo Block: Book has gold or silver on the cover (around the letters)



This book is a collection of snippets about food and festival around the world. Arranged into large groups (Europe, Asia, America, South America, etc), each snippet has a picture, a brief description, and also tells you were to go to try it. There are also some larger pieces about a page long - sometimes about the history or an explanation that covers a food and how it's used in various places. Most of these I have never heard of although there is a piece about Uzbek flatbread which looks like this:



and is made with these:



The reason I mention this is that my step-daughter gave me a set of three "implements" last Christmas so I could try making this bread.

ETA: I should have mentioned that this is a large book, almost what I'd call a coffee table book.
ETA 2: There are some strange (to me) foods in here.

Book 10: Beartown by Fredrik Backman
February Alpha Kit: "B"



Reading the book’s description, you can guess what the traumatic event is that divides a small town obsessed with hocky. But the author takes almost half the book to reach this point, slowly building the groups and characters that make up the small town. All the stereo-typical types are here – the jocks, the boosters, the immigrants, the rich, the poor. I think that this is where the book shines. By the time you get to the “event”, you’re already invested in many of the characters.

For some reason – whether it’s the events happening in the Ukraine or the Covid events over the past couple of years or the social and political problems that are all around – I found myself feeling defeated and depressed by the actions of the characters in this book. If you look at the big picture, it’s still the usual excuses, actions, and reasons that these “events” produce, yet the author has brought a humanity to them.

”Sooner or later, almost every discussion about the way people behave toward one another ends up becoming an argument about “human nature.” … So we always end up arguing about where the boundaries should be drawn. How selfish are we allowed to be? How much are we obliged to care about each other?”

The moral dilemmas in this book reminded me of similar moral dilemmas in Jodi Picoult’s books where I often feel partly through the book that there is no way to reach a good ending to the book.

This is the first book in a series and it will be interesting to see how the author continues the story. I already have book 2 and book 3 is to be published in the fall.

>109 dudes22: I have read the first two, but was unaware #3 is coming out this year. I liked Beartown (5*) better than Us Against You )(barely 3*) I'm not sure I'll go forward, but will be curious to hear your take on #2.

>110 beebeereads: - I'm not sure how soon I'll get to it. Maybe later this year.

ETA: I see that the average rating is about the same as Beartown.

>111 dudes22: It could have just been a "wrong time for me" issue.

Book 11: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
Alpha Kit: March - "P"
Mystery Kit: Small Town, Big Secrets
Author Kit: First Book Published over Age 40 (47)
Bingo Block: Book by a favorite author



Louise Penny and her Three Pines mystery series is one of my favorites series and this one did not disappoint. Gamache, Myrna, and a stranger are asked to go to a rundown house where they learn they are executors for a will of a person they do not know. There is also a carry-over from the last book as some of the drugs that were not recovered are potentially about to hit the streets. And somewhat of a surprise at the ending that makes me interested to see how she will continue with the story.

In her acknowledgements, she talks about how she almost decided to quit the series after her husband died and how she eventually started this book.

Book 12: Dead Man's Bones by Susan Wittig Albert
March Random Kit: Hobby Love - Herb Gardening
Mystery Kit: Small Town, Big Secrets



This cozy series features China Bayles, a one-time defense lawyer who moved to the small town of Pecan Springs and began an herbal shop with herbs grown in her own garden. She also manages to help solve a few mysteries/murders that happen. China's step-son finds a skeleton in a cave where he is helping with an archeology excavation. There are indications that there was foul play. Then China goes to a play opening and immediately after there is a murder. For once, I had the murderer pegged pretty early in the book.

>114 dudes22: It's been a long time since I read any in that series. I've had mixed success with it, enjoying some I've read more than others.

>115 thornton37814: - So far, I'm still enjoying these.

Book 13: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
April Book Club



Sam Hill is born with ocular albinism, a condition that makes the pigment in his eyes red. Moving in time from his adult life to tell the story of growing up being known as the "Devil Boy", this is a story of growth, faith, bullying, friends, and enemies. His mother's faith and her belief that Sam's life will be extraordinary helps him through the hard times even when he's skeptical. If the ending was a little bit too easy/complete/wrapped up, the writing was an easy read and a great character.

ETA: This is our book for book club in April.

Already this year I'm finding that I'm getting sucked into the Cats and Kits and not making progress on my reading plans. So I'm going to try and back away and just do the Alpha Kit (because it is helping me make progress on my series reading) and the Bingo as books fit. I'll still be following some of them in case a BB should hit. So many books....

>118 dudes22: happens to me all the time, no matter what I do!

>119 Tess_W: - 😂

Book 14: I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming '
March Alpha Kit: "S"
Mystery Kit: Small Town
BINGO Block: Published in the Year You Joined LT (2008)



This is the next book in the series about an Episcopal minister in the small town of Miller's Creek. After the happenings at the end of the last book, Things between Rev Claire and police chief Russ are not going well. As in most books of this series, a body is found and Claire inserts herself into the goings on of the investigation.

Book 15: The Fell by Sarah Moss
Book Bullet From: Laura (lauralkeet) 2021



Kate and her son Matt are on day eight of a 14-day isolation because of a close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with "the virus". Published during the pandemic last year, one assumes it's Covid although that's never really said. Kate has spent part of every day out walking on the fells and she decides to slip out for a quick walk - just a little bit - even though she knows she's not supposed to. After all - she probably won't meet anyone. But when she doesn't return, the rescue crew is called out to find her. Told from various points of view, the isolation of people during this time is felt.

The individual chapters are only one person's thoughts so the loneliness of each person is emphasized. I appreciated this book although I'm not a fan of stream-of-consciousness writing usually, but this was a short book so I managed to stay with it. There's something about it that makes me feel breathless and I try to read even faster. Just not my thing. I have another BB for one of her books and I'm not sure if this is the way she writes all the time, but I'm going to that one too.

I give credit to Laura for the BB, but there have been others that have mentioned it which pushed it a little higher on the TBR pile.

Book 16: Last Night at the Red Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Book Bullet From: Judy (DeltaQueen50) 2016 - and others



At only 146 pages, I guess you would call this a novella. At a New England mall, 5 days before Christmas, the Red Lobster is opening for its final day of business. O'Nan has managed to allow us a window to view what happens from the point of view of the manager Manny through-out the last day. In some ways, nothing special happens. But he has created a cast of characters that are somewhat stereotypical and put them all together in an endearing way.

We had a Red Lobster here once a long time ago, but considering RI is on the ocean and is called "the Ocean State", it didn't last too long.

I originally took a book bullet for this from Judy (DeltaQueen50) way back in 2016. But others have mentioned it lately and I thought it was time I finally read it.

>123 dudes22: I read that one years ago, and it's stuck with me.

>124 thornton37814: - I'm looking forward to reading more by him.

>123 dudes22: I read The Circus Fire by the same author and liked it. I'm putting this one on my WL.

>126 Tess_W: - I also have his Wish You Were Here on my TBR pile. I'll make a note of yours too.

Book 17 - The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe by Alexander McCall Smith
Bingo Block: Set in a Country Other Than the One you Live In (Botswana)



Another in the series about the No 1 Ladies Detective agency. There are the usual goings on, an investigation for the agency, goings on in the garage, and some new adventures.

>123 dudes22: I am glad that you enjoyed Last Night at the Lobster, Betty. I am a big fan of Stewart O'Nan!

>129 DeltaQueen50: - I'm looking forward to reading more by him.

I had a pretty good reading month in March - no real duds.

March Recap:

Books Read: 9 (5 physical, 0 ebooks, 4 library)
Books Added: 2 (0 physical, 2 ebook)
TBR Pile: -3 (-3 physical, 0 ebook) – Progress
Book Bullets Taken: 16

Best Reads:
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Less Successful:
I actually liked all the books I read this month.

Book 18: The Cleverness of Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith



A quick 100-page read of 5 short stories. Some (all?) of them feature ladies from some of his series.

>131 dudes22: Nice that you had no duds in March! Louise Penny is always a reliably excellent read for me.

>133 mathgirl40: - I've been gradually catching up. Only a few more and I'll be up to date.

Book 19: The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Bingo Block: Book published in a year ending in a 2 (2022)



I've read 2 others of Kate Quinn's books and, when I read about this new book, I immediately put a hold on at the library. Months ago. So I was one of the first to get it and I'm so glad. Another book of WW II historical fiction, this one sucked me down the rabbit hole and held me there. I raced through this book and had to stop myself from stay up all night to read it.

The books of Kate Quinn that I have read are based on real historical figures and this one was also. It's the story of a female Russian sniper from the Ukraine. Lyudmila Pavilchenko was a skilled marksman before the war began having taken and passed an advanced marksmanship course even before the war began. So when Russia joins WW II, she volunteers. As a sniper, she eventually has 309 confirmed kills although the number could be higher based on the criteria to count as a "confirmed" kill.

Much of the book is based on an autobiography she wrote although the author has taken some licenses in writing the book which she explains in the afterward. If you've liked other of her books, this one is a must read. It will probably be my best book this year.

>135 dudes22: Going on my WL for sure!

>136 Tess_W: - Hope you enjoy it!

Book 20: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder
Bingo Block: Book with travel or a journey



The author met Dr. Farmer in 1994 while he was in Haiti writing an article and ran into him again on his flight home where they talked about what was happening in Haiti and had dinner. Over the next five years they stayed in touch sporadically. Kidder heard that he was doing something important in health care and in 1999 got in touch to see what was happening. This biography of Dr Paul Farmer and his work in treating TB in Haiti and other places was the result of following him while he worked over the course of a year or so.

Some biographies can be rather dry reading, but not this one. I was fascinated by the story and by Dr. Farmer. He traveled the world trying to make headway in the treatment of TB among the poor. He passed away in Feb, 2022 at age 62.

>138 dudes22: Definitely going on my WL

>138 dudes22: How coincidental...I just added this to my TBR spreadsheet. I had wanted to read this for some time, but Farmer's recent death brought it to the forefront of my brain again. Thaks for your review. I hope I can get to this in the next few months at least, maybe sooner.

>139 Tess_W: - Wow! I hit you with 2 BBs in a row!

>140 beebeereads: - I'll be looking forward to your thoughts.

>141 dudes22: Yeah, I need to quit stopping by! ;)

>135 dudes22: And that's a BB for me too! But there are a lot of people ahead of me in the line.

>143 VivienneR: - The hold is really long at the libraries here too. I put my name on the list as soon as the first library ordered it, so I was first in line at my home library.

ETA: My husband read it too and then found the documentary and the movie to watch.

Book 21: The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri



I've been trying to read books by listening to audio books in my car while doing errands. I try to pick shorter books from the library so I can finish them before they come due and don't require too much of my attention. Someone else here mentioned having listened to one of this series and liking the reader so I thought I'd try this. It was ok. This is the 3rd book in the series and I'm not sure if I'm going to continue or not.

Book 22: Messenger by Craig Johnson
April Alpha Kit: J



This is one of those short story books that fall between two others in a series. The author says that he feels these "in-between" stories are meant as a way to develop a character rather than advance the series.

>138 dudes22: That sounds really interesting. I have a friend who is a university lecturer in anthropology, his work is in the field of TB prevention and he is involved in lots of public health initiatives around the world. I've learnt a lot from him.

>147 Jackie_K: - That's interesting. I'll bet he's heard of Dr. Farmer. I wonder if he was mentioned in the book or the bibliography.

Book 23: The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich
Bingo Block: Character shares the name of a friend (Mary)



Mary and Karl hop on a box car when their mother leaves them and their baby brother at the fairgrounds by jumping into a stunt plain and taking off with the pilot. They land in Argus, North Dakota living with an aunt and uncle and a cousin that isn't happy that they are there. The story then continues to follow these characters over the next 40 years. Not my favorite Erdrich. I think because it's one of her earlier books and doesn't include as much of the Native American culture as I expected. And then - I didn't really like the characters in the book even though I felt sad for most of them. They just weren't likable.

Book 24: Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth
April Alpha Kit: "L"



First book in a new series for me. Antoine Veriaque is called to the scene of the death of a nobleman at Chateau Bremont. Although it appears to be an accident, he suspects that there is more to the story. He contacts his ex-girlfriend Marine Bonnet, a professor at a local university to get some information about the family since she used to know them. Interesting twists and turns to the mystery although a lot of this book is character building as it usually is with the first book of a series. Still, I'll continue with the series just for the wine and food descriptions.

>150 dudes22: you are the 2nd one to review this book today! Taking this as a BB! I need another series like I need another hole in the head!

>151 Tess_W: - I know that feeling! But it's been on my TBR pile for a long time and I figured I'd read it for the Alpha Kit and then decide whether to keep going or not. I'll read at least one more - sometime.

April Recap:

Not a bad reading month, just not much off my shelves.

Books Read: 7 (2 physical, 0 ebooks, 5 library)
Books Added: 2 (1 physical, 1 ebook)
TBR Pile: -2 (-2 physical, 0 ebook)
Book Bullets Taken: 6

Best Reads:
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

Less Successful:
The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri (this was my first audio by this author and I’m not sure audio is the way to go. At least for me.)

I’ve been trying to make an effort to read an audio book while I’m driving to make better use of my time. But I don’t drive a lot so try for shorter books or get a physical book too and alternate my reading/listening.

>150 dudes22: Oh yes, the wine and food descriptions were excellent!

Book 25: The First 15 Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Bingo Block: Title with a Month



This started off rather slow for me and the way the story jumped around between Harry's lives was confusing. I then decided to try it as an audio and eventually I began to like the story as the storylines became longer. As the title says Harry August continually comes back and lives the same life in the same time frame over and over. He tells various parts of each life and some of them multiple times. I did think the book could have used some editing to make some sections a little shorter. I'll be interested to see what the rest of the book club thinks when we meet on Wed.

>155 dudes22: I read this in a day and really liked it. It made me want to read Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson, as well, but I haven't got around to it yet.

>156 rabbitprincess: - You must have a great reading speed. I liked Life After Life much better. I also read that it's like The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell although I haven't read that.

>157 dudes22: It did help that I had the day off :D

>153 dudes22: I have been listening to audiobooks on my commute, which is now only twice a week. I've found that short story collections work well, as does, (surprisingly) things like Dickens that were originally serialised. I need to stop and go back to a chapter start the next time I listen, but that seems to work.

I loved Life after Life. It's currently a TV series on the BBC, but I'm not sure how well that will work. Might give it a go anyway. I will look out for both the Harry August & The Bone Clocks.

>159 Helenliz: - I've just begun to listen to audio books and am finding that YA books work well for me. Still feeling my way. Next month's book club read will be a reread for me so I may try listening to that.

>153 dudes22: I always have an audio book going...for car rides, after I turn the lights out for the night, etc. The only ones I can't listen to are the ones for lots of foreign names and words as I can aurally distinguish what is being said. Other than that, I'm really liking them!

>161 Tess_W: I always have an audiobook going too. Sometimes I have borrowed the book to check foreign names so that I can visualize them. That works for me. But the main thing is to have the right narrator. I can listen to an English actor reading an American book with a slight American accent but not the reverse.

>160 dudes22: YA on audio works very well. Classics too, but not mystery - I miss too many clues.

>162 VivienneR: I don't have problems with mystery on audio.

I've never tried an audio book. What do you play them on?

>163 thornton37814: - I haven't tried a mystery yet, but I will eventually. I just don't want to try a book where I have my own idea of what people should sound like. Especially if there's only one narrator.

>164 pamelad: - I use my phone while I'm driving. I borrow the book from the library through Overdrive and then I open my phone and download it from my bookshelf to my phone.

>161 Tess_W: - >162 VivienneR: - I didn't think about the foreign name thing, but that's a good idea

>164 pamelad: I listen to them on my Samsung tablet. Great for car drives or cleaning the house! I go through 1-2 audiobooks per week.

Book 26: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
May Alpha Kit: "O"
Book Bullet From: Rabbitprincess 2020 & others



With the 3rd book in this series coming out later this year, I figured if I got going I could maybe keep up with this series. (Unlike most of the others I read)

Set in a retirement community, 4 individuals get together and look at old cases of murder that were never solved. But one day, they see the builder in an argument with the developer and when the builder ends up dead, they take an active interest in the case. They're a wonderful quirky group whose methods are not always appreciated by the police. There are quite a few interlocking stories that make up the final answer which I felt was somewhat out of the blue. But, all in all, a great beginning to the series.

Book 27: Unexpected Night by Elizabeth Daly
May Alpha Kit: "D"
Book Bullet: Leslie.98 2021



A mystery in the Golden Age style where intellect and intuition solve the crime.

>169 dudes22: I thought I'd given up buying Kindle bargains, but had to make an exception for this one!

>170 pamelad: - I liked it well enough that I'll probably continue with the series.

Book 28: A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Narrated by William Dufris
Bingo Block: Features a Dog
Book Bullet: 2018 from DeltaQueen and LibraryCin



This book tells the story of a dog's search for his purpose in life told from the dog's point of view as he lives multiple lives. As he moves through various lives, he searches for his purpose in each life. I listened to this as an audio book and, at first, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But it grew on me and I quickly looked forward to hearing more of the story. To which I credit the narrator. I'll even admit to choking up at times. I found that how the author had the dog understand things made sense. Not so much obvious information but enough to let you know what something was and what was going on. Very subtle - which made it believable.

>135 dudes22: I have The Diamond Eye on hold and think it will be available soon. Glad to know you liked it. Quinn's stories can be hit or miss, for me.

>173 Ann_R: - I've read 3 of her stand-alone books and liked them all. I haven't tried any of her series books nor do they interest me much.

Book 29: Bleeding Heartsby Susan Wittig Albert
May Random: May Flowers



In this 14th in the China Bayles series, China is called by the school principal after an anonymous call about the school football coach. When China decides to look into it, she finds some interesting information. And there's an interesting development in her personal life. Although I really thought she's be more interested in those letters, being as snoopy as she is.

>172 dudes22: I am glad that you liked A Dog's Purpose. I remember loving it even though animal stories always make me feel like my emotions are being manipulated.

Book 30: Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
Translated by George Bird
Bingo Block: Book in Translation
Book Bullet: 2012 from Dave (AHS-Wolfy)



Viktor is an aspiring writer who can't seem to produce even a short story. He lives with a penguin Misha that he rescued when the zoo in Kiev went out of business and asked people to "adopt" some of the animals. One day the editor of a major newspaper calls him for a meeting and asks him to write obelisks for people who haven't yet died. Viktor likes this assignment and finding out the information he needs to write an obelisk. Then the editor sends a friend (also named Misha) who asks Viktor to watch his daughter for a few days. Eventually Viktor realizes that the people he's written about are dying and his editor begins to give him names of people he wants Viktor to write about.

This is tagged as a mystery although it's not one in the usual sense. And the penguin makes the book.

>177 dudes22: I really liked Death and the Penguin too. It was a story that stayed in my mind. It has made me wonder what is happening to the zoo animals in Kiev now.

>178 VivienneR: - That's true. I saw an item on the news about groups that are taking in stray dogs and cats but I haven't heard anything about the zoo.

Book 31: A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
May Random Kit: May Flowers
Bingo Block: Book with Flowers on the Cover
Book Bullet: 2022 from Lori



During the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, Clara sees Edward, a young man she has recently met and to whom she feels a connection, jump to his death from one of the windows as she watches. Unable to deal with the feelings this arouses, she escapes to Ellis Island where she works as a nurse with immigrants who are not allowed into America if they are suspected of landing with a disease such as scarlet fever. Four years later she is still there, having not left the island in all that time. When a young man arrives on the ward with a women's scarf that has marigolds on it around his neck, she feels drawn to him.

In 2011, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Taryn's picture from that day is posted in a magazine with the marigold scarf she had stopped to pick up before she was supposed to meet her husband for breakfast at the top of the North Tower where she intended to tell him she was pregnant and which she has been looking for since then. Her delay to pick up the scarf saves her from being in building that day when her husband dies.

The majority of this book is the story from 1911 and includes a lot of historical detail about Ellis Island and the hospitals that were there. I think the one weak point in the book is the way the author linked the two stories together at the end. I found it a little confusing and somewhat rushed. But, all in all, I enjoyed the book.

The library book sale is at the end of June and I figure this is a good time to go through my unread books and do some serious culling before I bring more books into the house. This has been my plan for a while, but I was waiting until I could donate them for a sale. I know my reading tastes have changed and there are some series I know I won't continue and I'll look at other books too. Joyce's post about Candy Palmater made me realize that I need to seriously look at how many books I can expect to read in the years I might have left. (I'm planning to live to 110 in case you're wondering.)

Good luck with the culling. I always start with the best of intentions but usually chicken out after removing one book!

>182 DeltaQueen50: - I have a bunch of those cozy type mysteries that I'm sure can go. I'm going to go through them first and then look at some of the others I've added over the years and never gotten to.

>181 dudes22: Our library is also planning a book sale next month and I have culled a heap of books from my collection. I have enough books to last much longer than I will so the ones I am least likely to read are being donated. I am quite ruthless and in the past have often found myself looking for a book that is no longer on my shelves.

>181 dudes22: A good book cull is an excellent way to be reminded of books you own that you do want to read, too. Enjoy making room on your shelves!

>184 VivienneR: - I have to admit that I have also given away a book only to take a BB for it and need it back.

>185 RidgewayGirl: - I've already seen a few that fall into that category.

I'm starting to think, particularly for fiction, that there are some books that I have that I'll never fancy reading. If I could just reach my fiction shelves (there are two bikes and a pile of stuff in front of them) I probably should take a proper look at them and get some out for our next trip to Barter Books. I know that I'll get book credit for them, which sort of defeats the object, but I'm more discerning now about what books I want to get, so the ones I get now I'm much more likely to want to read further down the line.

>187 Jackie_K: - I've found that too. Since LT, I'm finding better choices for book reading. (Darn those BBs!)

Book 32: The Sea Glass Sisters by Lisa Wingate



This is a prequel to the Carolina Chronicles series by Lisa Wingate. It's only a short story (novella ?) so not much of a plot. Elizabeth falls apart when she thinks she has made a disastrous decision in her job as a 911 dispatcher. While still reeling from this, her mother drags her from Michigan to North Carolina to convince her aunt not to sell her family property. Of course there's a hurricane.

>180 dudes22: I especially enjoyed this book as I taught a big unit on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

>190 Tess_W: - I read another book that was more factual (as I recall) but it must have been before I was on LT because I don't see it in my books.

Not likely to finish anything else so I'll post my recap now:

May Recap:

Books Read: 8 (1 physical, 5 ebooks, 2 library)
Books Added: 6 (0 physical, 6 ebook)
TBR Pile: 0 change (-1 physical, 1 ebook)
Book Bullets Taken: 9
Male authors: 3
Female authors: 5

Best Reads:
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce Cameron
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Less Successful:
The First 15 Lives of Harry August by Claire North

Book 33: The Last Detective by Robert Crais
June Alpha Kit: "C"



This was one of the more violent books in this series. Elvis's girlfriend's son Ben is kidnapped and it appears that it has something to do with Elivis's time in Vietnam and a mission he did there. Even knowing that this is a series and things will work out ok by the end of the book didn't lessen the suspense while reading. Thus my 4 stars. Although the very end of the book was "odd". (It's possible I missed something at the beginning.)

Shannon (sturlington) mentioned this year's Pulitzer Prize winner over on her thread and I decided to get it from the library before the list got too long. Unfortunately, The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family by Joshua Cohen wasn't the book for me. After 50 pages, I still didn't care and couldn't tell you what I'd read. DNF

Book 34: A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn
Jun Alpha Kit: "Q"



In this book in the series, private eye Bernie and his dog Chet are hired by the mayor's office to keep an eye on the star of a movie being made in the Valley. The series is told from the dog's point of view which is not to everyone's taste.

I also thought I'd mention here that my book club just finished Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. I had read it years ago so I'm not including it as part of my reading this year. This is the first time we've tried short stories and we had some interesting discussions about the stories. Quite frequently when I read short stories, I don't find a common thread (unless I read a review) or even understand how the stories relate to the title. But we had a discussion of what malady was in each of the stories which was great. One person mentioned that she read one each night at bedtime and I thought maybe that would be a good way to tackle some of the short story/essay books I have on my TBR pile.

>196 dudes22: I also have trouble relating the stories and the relation to the titles. But also, I think short stories are "short" on plot and when I'm done reading I ask, "what was the point?" I think you might be on to something!

>197 Tess_W: - At least in this case it made a lot of sense. Probably why it won the Pulitzer.

Book 35 & 36: A Tail of Vengeance & The Iggy Chronicles by Spencer Quinn
Jun Alpha Kit: "Q"



These were a couple of those in-between short stories that are written as part of a series. Thought I'd get them read.

Book 37: The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser
Translated by Romy Fursland, Narrated by Mary Sarah
Bingo Block: Children or YA Book
Book Bullet: Pinterest 2021



When Amy and her mother Alexis leave Germany and go the island of Stormsay where her mother grew up, Amy discovers that she is one of only a few people who can jump into a book from the outside world. The Lenox family have lived their whole lives on Stormsay and they and the Laird's family - the McAlister's - are responsible for taking care of literature. After Amy learns how to jump into a book, strange things begin happening and the essential ideas of certain stories are being stolen.

I listened to the audio and enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I had read it. There are some quibbles I had with it, but realizing it's intended for a young audience, I can forgive things.

>199 dudes22: Spencer Quinn sure knows what goes on in a dog's head! I love his stories but can only handle them with long intervals in between.

>201 VivienneR: - I usually do one a year to give me a book for my "Q" in the Alpha Kit. But I Thought I'd get these two short stories out of the way.

Book 38: Fannie's Last Supper by Christopher Kimball
June Random Kit: Cookin' the Books
June Author CAT: Non-Fiction Author



Christopher Kimball is probably best known as the founder of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and the PBS cooking show America’s Test Kitchen. In the early 1990s, he and his wife bought an old Victorian house in Boston, Massachusetts and he became interested (obsessed?) in the Victorian cooking of the late 1800s.

His interest began with a cook book titled Mrs. Lincoln’s Boston Cook Book which was published in 1890 by Mrs. Lincoln who ran the Boston Cooking School. In 1896, Fannie Farmer became the new head of the school and rewrote the cookbook which is more commonly known as “Fannie Farmer’s Cook Book". In the back of the cookbook, there was a menu for a 12-course dinner which Kimball decided he would recreate to include using a wood/coal cookstove which was common in those days and using only methods and utensils that were used in 1896.

The book is basically set up with each chapter titled as one of the dinner courses. At the beginning of each chapter there is a section about some aspect of cooking in Boston in 1896. Then there is information about the testing of each course. I’m sure there was a tremendous amount of research that was done about Boston and the recipes. But the information about Boston in 1896 and the foods available, wines available, and transportation and etc, etc, etc. was just too many things thrown into a book to make it a book.

Although he tested the recipes as written in the book, in the end he decided to improve them by using other methods and sometimes even changed the recipes. In the end – a disappointment.

>203 dudes22: A BB for me!

>204 Tess_W: - Hope you find it interesting.

Book 39: A Wanted Man by Lee Child
June Alpha Kit: "C"



Jack Reacher books are my type of palate cleanser reading, perfect for a sunny day on the porch. Jack gets picked up while hitchhiking and ends up in the middle of another mystery.

Hi Betty, I need to read some of the Jack Reachers that I have around here. I don't read them in order, so I think I will just randomly pick one.

>207 lsh63: - Although they're not written so you have to read them in publication order, I do because otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep track of which ones I've read.

Book 40: Autumn by Ali Smith
Book Bullet: 2019 from Kay (Ridgewaygirl) and 3 or 4 others



I really wanted to like this book. And some of the writing was wonderful. But I had to quit half-way through. I just couldn't follow what was going on. it was a little too stream-of-consciousness for me. Although I did like the scene in the Post Office trying to renew her passport at the beginning.

>209 dudes22: Autumn is my favourite Ali Smith novel so far. I tried some others but set them aside, either for another time or permanently. I've often found myself wondering what was going on. The passport scene was fun.

>210 VivienneR: - Well - I also already have Winter so I guess at some point I'll probably give it a try.