SqueakyChu flutters through 2014 - Page 5 (4th qtr)

This thread is continued from page 4 (3rd qtr).

All of my 2013 challenges (except for that speedy calendar) were really a FAIL! My mom used to say "my eyes were bigger than my stomach". I guess that's me. This year, I'll set my sights a little lower and hopefully will do better in all of my challenges.

The 2014 Race of the Butterflies includes all of my challenges and a calendar. I'll really try to finish all of my challenges before the year runs out.

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Which butterfly will win the race by year's end?

Did you guess correctly?

Results:

1. Butterfly #4 - Representing the ROOTs challenge which I failed miserably last year. :)

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Butterfly #1: My 75 Books Challenge for 2014
I am determined to do better in this challenge than last year. I've conquered this challenge before and know I can do it again. The question is...when? *****COMPLETED 12/8/14*****FOURTH PLACE*****



Butterfly #2: My 15,000 Pages in 2014 Challenge. I was so close to achieving my goal last year that I'm trying this challenge again. *****COMPLETED 10/8/14*****THIRD PLACE*****



Butterfly #3: My BookCrossing MT TBR Challenge
This is my very first totally BookCrossing challenge that I'm doing on LibraryThing. These are books I acquired from other BookCrossers. *****COMPLETED 6/8/14*****SECOND PLACE*****



Butterfly #4: My Read Our Own Tomes (ROOT) Challenge 2014 - *****COMPLETED 4/16/14*****FIRST PLACE*****
I cut back on the number of ROOTS for my goal as I always seem to be distracted by newer books. These are books I acquired prior to 2010.



Butterfly #5: My 2014 Calendar
Watch out for this butterfly. He (or she?) is trying to get to his destination before I finish my other challenges. *****ALL CHALLENGES COMPLETED ON DAY #324 OF THE YEAR!



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Reading Rate: I'm trying to keep up in order to reach 75 book by year's ends. I'm now a wee bit behind, but we'll see what happens...

Ever onward!!!

October:


Photo by whologwhy - Flickr - CC, CCA

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My Book Plans for October:
1. BookCrossing Meet-Up at Union Station on Sunday, October 26th in Washington, DC. - COMPLETED

COMPLETED
57. The Accident - Curt Finch - TIOLI: Read a book whose title starts with a letter of HALLOWEEN in rolling order (A) - 262 pages
58. Drawing Autism - Jill Mullin - TIOLI: Read a book with an S and a T in the title that you've never read before - 160 pages
59. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield - TIOLI: Read a book with a species of bird named in the narrative - 406 pages
60. The Book of You - Claire Kendal - TIOLI: Read a book where either a character or the author is named Henry (Henry) - 349 pages
61. Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis - TIOLI: Read a book whose title starts with a letter of HALLOWEEN in rolling order (L) - 208 pages
62. Doing Italians...oops...Italy - Stephanie Jones and Debra Knapp Rinaldi - TIOLI: Read a book with both orange and black on its cover - 305 pages
63. ***The Good Girl - Mary Kubica - TIOLI: Read a book that is dark (cover, dark plot with kidnapping, stalking, etc.) - 350 pages
64. *The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells - TIOLI: Read a book that lists the words 'magic' or 'horror' in the tags (horror) - 177 pages
65. Save Me - Lisa Scottoline - TIOLI: Read a book with a species of bird named in the narrative (stern) - 416 pages

***TIOLI shared read

November:


Chalk Hill Blue - Photo by Duncan - Flickr, CC, CCA

My Book Plans for November:
1. The BookCrossing Meet-Up at Birdie's Café in Westminster, Maryland on November 2, 2014 - COMPLETED!

COMPLETED:
66. *Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - Matthew Dicks - TIOLI: Read a book with one plural word in the title - 316 pages
67. *Xenophobe's Guide to the Canadians - Vaughn Roste - TIOLI: Read a book with one plural word in the title - 59 pages
68. ****Siberiak: My Cold War Adventure on the River Ob - Jenny Jaeckel - TIOLI: Read a book with an embedded word in the title - 119 pages
69. Strange Weather in Tokyo - Hiromi Kawakami - TIOLI: Read a book with the capital city of a country in the title or the author's name - 176 pages
70. Grayson - Lynne Cox - TIOLI: Read a book with an embedded word in the title (gray, ray, ay, so, son, on) - 148 pages
71. Beginning Pearls - Stephan Pastis - TIOLI: Read a book with one plural word in the title - 224 pages
72. **Thirst for Love - Yukio Mishima - TIOLI: Read a book by an author whose publication career spanned at least 15 years - 200 pages
73. That Night - Chevy Stevens - TIOLI: Read a book where the title completes the phrase "I am thankful for..." - 372 pages
74. */**/***Harvest Home - Thomas Tryon - TIOLI: Read a book where the title or author's name contain a "traditional" Thanksgiving holiday item, though not necessarily food (harvest) - 415 pages

*BookCrossing Mt. TBR Challenge eligible
**ROOTs Challenge eligible!
***TIOLI shared read
****LT ER book

December:


Photo by Rachel Kramer - Flicker, CC, CCA

My Bookish Plans for December -
1. BookCrossing Annual Party on December 14, 2014. The First Line Game was so much fun!

COMPLETED
75. Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali - TIOLI: Read a book using a minimum three-letter part of the name "Madeline" in your book's title (del) - 353 pages
76. *****Gun, with Occasional Music - Jonathan Lethem - TIOLI: Read a book that has nothing to do with Christmas - 263 pages
77. The Ocean in the Closet - Yuko Taniguchi - TIOLI: Read a book with a title containing a contradiction - 255 pages
78. *Beware of God - Shalom Auslander- TIOLI: Read a book that you gave or received as a gift in 2014 (RABCK from Bookcrosser slipperbunny of Finland) - 194 pages
79. **Daniel Isn't Talking - Marti Leimbach - TIOLI: Read a book using a minimum three-letter part of the name "Madeline" in your book's title - 275 pages
80. **The Soul Thief - Charles Baxter - TIOLI: Read a book with a musical term in the title or author's name (so = a note of the scale) - 210 pages
81. The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami - TIOLI: Read a book with a musical term in the title or author's name (range = The gamut of tones that a voice or instrument is capable of producing) - 96 pages

*BookCrossing Mt. TBR Challenge eligible
**ROOTs challenge eligible
*****promised to someone else

A note to my visitors...

If you've seen me absent from your individual threads for a long time, I must admit that I have given up following most threads that grow very quickly. It was simply taking too much time to follow them all. A group-wide hello to all of you.

The interesting life of a Little Free Library steward...

I thought that my own Little Free Library of Twinbrook (#7720) would be a great way to pass along some gently used books. Well, my idea has sort of backfired.

This week, it seems as if I received more book donations than the number of books that were taken. I'm not complaining as I have all sorts of ways of rehoming books. It did strike me as funny, though.

That was the same reason I joined BookCrossing and LibraryThing years ago...to put a lid on my book collecting. Well...we all know about LibraryThing's book bullets. I won't even mention how BookCrossing has increased the number of books that enter my home.

*sigh*

You say this like it's a bad thing... :)

>7 drneutron:

Well, I really would like to share my books with others. If no one takes them, that makes sharing hard. :/

57. The Accident - Curt Finch


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book whose title starts with a letter of HALLOWEEN in rolling order (A)
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This is the second book I've read by this author. What I liked about the first book has also carried through to this book. The story is told in first person by a church pastor.

In this book, the pastor's wife suddenly dies in a car accident. The story is how the pastor adjusts psychologically to his new situation. Much involves his trying to reconstruct what happened and to see if he was in any way responsible for his wife's death. He needs to tell his two children about their mother's death and change his role in the household.

The prose is soft and easy to read. It is filled with grace and many notable quotes. I stopped many times while reading this book to jot these down.

I've met the author in person, have very much enjoyed talking to him, and often think he is the main character of his books...which he is not. These are fiction.

However, the author does live on Bogue Banks, North Carolina, a barrier island on which my family and I vacation every year. I loved reading about the sights that are familiar to me in Curt Finch's book. In this book, he hit upon our very favorite place: Bogue Inlet Pier.

Anyway, this book was enjoyable to read for many reasons...not the least of which is that this self-published book is very good.

Keep writing, Pastor Finch. I'm ready to buy your next book!

Rating - 4 stars

58. - Drawing Autism - Jill Mullin


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with an S and a T in the title that you've never read before
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The quality of the artwork of those ASD individuals whose work is included in this book is amazing. It is so varied and beautiful. If only everyone could appreciate all facets of each individual despite handicaps or differences, what a better world we would have. Kudos to the author and to Temple Grandin for putting together this collection and explaining it to us so clearly.

My favorite drawing was "Vogels" (Birds) by David Barth. This was a picture, featured on the cover as well, of about 400 different birds drawn in ink and colored pencils. I loved it because I'm now trying to draw birds with colored pencil. This picture, done by the artist at the age of 10, is a hundred times better than what I can do at age 66. :)

Don't miss David's picture (Click on the link and scroll down just a bit, then click on the bird picture to enlarge it)

Another artist whose drawings I really loved were those of Shawn Belanger. He did colorful drawings of people in city scenes in ink and marker.

See Shawn's art

A picture called "Winter Trees" done in oil by Esther J. Brokaw was simply lovely.

Here's Esther's painting

Eleni Michael's "Picture #007" of flowers was amazing as well.

This is Eleni's art - (Scroll up just a bit when this link opens)

It's nice to put aside people's differences in these pages and focus on their incredible talent. My only issue with this book is the font in which it was printed. Its light color and small size was rather difficult for my aging eyes, although I forced myself to read it because I wanted to fully appreciate the art

Rating - 4.5 stars

>10 SqueakyChu: Incredible and inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing.

>11 MsMaryAnn:

You *must* see the rest of this book. It is awesome...but get out your magnifying glass because the font is so small that you won't believe! At least the artwork is the correct size to enjoy. :)

I was surprised to learn that this was an LT Early Reviewer book. I wonder why it didn't hit me at the time? No matter. It just jumped out at me on the new book shelf at my local library so I borrowed it and just sped through the whole thing in no time.

Hi! I've been shocking about thread visiting lately, so I'm just dropping in to say "Hi!" :)

>10 SqueakyChu: That is an AMAZING picture!

Hi Liz. Thanks for dropping by!

59. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with a species of bird named in the narrative (goose/67)
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This novel turned out to be a very intriguing story, although it did test my endurance. The story is of a young woman, Margaret Lea, who works in a bookshop with her dad. One day she is beckoned by a reclusive dying writer, Vida Winter, to write the author's biography. She is chosen by the novelist because they are both twins, a theme carried throughout this novel.

The story is long and detailed. Its draw is that it has gothic elements and labyrinthine plot twists. I admit to having been a bit bogged down and confused midway through this novel. However, the ending was fascinating and noteworthy. It pulled all of the elements of this fascinating story into a satisfying conclusion and was well worth my time.

I am thoroughly impressed that this intricate story is a debut novel. What an auspicious beginning! I hope there is more to come from Diane Setterfield, such a satisfying writer.

Rating - 4 stars

60. The Book of You - Claire Kendall


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book where either a character or the author is named Henry (character: Henry)
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British debut novelist Claire Kendal created quite the page-turner. I read this book in three days and stayed up well into the night that last day to finish the book entirely.

The story is of Clarissa, a young woman whose one-night stand with English professor Rafe, ends up in a horrifying stalking situation perpetrated by this colleague of hers from work. The most dreadful part of this story is the psychological horror of the stalking. I credit the author in being able to give me real nightmares just from reading the beginning of her book. However, I'd just as soon read a good book and not have nightmares.

The plotting is clever in that the story of the stalker runs parallel with a court case in which several men have been accused of raping a woman who was repured to be a hooker.

Be aware that you might very well come away from this book being angry. The story is in no way kind to women. It pictures graphically the many ways which women easily become "victims". This happens over and over again.

SPOILER ALERT: There are two things that I find extremely hard to believe in this story. The first is how "fireman Robert" suddenly appears exactly when needed to defend Clarissa. The second is how a woman who could never get pregnant and failed several IVF trials suddenly and conveniently becomes pregnant.

I'll let both of these coincidences pass because this book turned out to be a great thriller and excellent entertainment. I wonder what Claire Kendal will now do for an encore?

Rating: 4.5 stars

P.S. A big "Thank you!" to the anonymous donor of this book to my Little Free Library of Twinbrook (#7720). I'd never heard of this book or the author before, but this book turned out to be a thrilling read for both my husband and myself.

61. Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book whose title starts with a letter of HALLOWEEN in rolling order (L)
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Having recently read Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho, I was interested in reading other books by this same author. I can see Less Than Zero being a build-up to American Psycho, although the former actually became Book One of a different series later.

This is not the kind of book that you read for its story. It's a voyeuristic look into life of older teens in wealthy, film industry-affected, drug-overpowered, music and club-filled areas of California (mostly Los Angeles and Palm Springs).

The story follows Clay, an eighteen-year-old, who is back in Los Angeles during a 4-month hiatus from college in New Hampshire. He has an on again/off again relationship with his girlfriend Blair, a dependent relationship on his drug dealer Rip, and a puzzling relationship with Julian, a not-so-good drug dealer who borrows money from Clay for reasons unknown.

What do Clay and his friends and acqaintances do with their time? They really don't know. You'll find clubs, parties, film talk, ostentatious wealth, sex, as well as drug dealing and drug taking in this story. The narrative displays scene after scene of disaffected youth. It's almost as if you're watching a documentary of what happens to youngsters who have no responsibility nor a need to do anything significant with their lives.

The story is depressing, but quite well told. I hope that Clay and his friends, most of whom are in college (many at UCLA or USC) in this story change by the time they graduate! I'll have to check out Book Two.

Rating - 4 stars

I'm now reading The Good Girl by Mary Kubica for my great niece's online book club. One chapter of the novel begins in the following way... (I kid you not!)

There's trees and a lot of them. Pine, spruce, fur.

Don't Kindle books have editors? What kind of a tree is a "fur" tree"?! Perhaps those trees stay woolly in the winter? Maybe they are pussy willows? Haha!

I didn't even notice "fur". I couldn't get past "There IS trees"...

>19 lyzard:

I know! That, too (which I also caught). :)

The rest of the book is exactly like this. :(

Fun day yesterday...

A student in broadcast journalism at the University of Maryland came to my house to do a film of my Little Free Library of Twinbrook (#7720). She filmed me talking about it and also of me using my LFL and reading. Of course, I also had to get some plugs in about BookCrossing and LibraryThing!

I don't know what she'll use of the film, but it's only for her class at school (of 15 students), but she said I can get to see it later on social media. If I find it there, I'll share it with you...if I don't look too bad on the film! :D

62. Doing Italians...oops...Italy - Stephanie Jones and Debra Knapp Rinaldi


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: TIOLI: Read a book with both orange and black on its cover
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The Delusional Divas, Shelby and Dena, started out their two tours of Italy as rather "determined" Divas. That's where they went wrong.

In this hilarious book of two female friends traveling in Italy in pursuit of men and love, I couldn't help but think back on the days of my own young adulthood. My European travels also included a female blonde friend to accompany this brunette. We both were looking for entertainment throughout our travels so that, if we grew bored with museums and statues, we could always look for cafes and discos to seek male companionship.

What made me laugh the most in this book were: (1) one friend is always threatening to get into any "danger zone", but the other friend says not to until the former relents and passes up the opportunity, (2) one friend is always trying to pawn off her male companion's male friend onto to the second female, and (3) "danger zones" always end up having nicknames or code names. As an example of #3 in this book, Dena christened one man Ottavio the Octopus "because he seemed to have more arms than a tree has branches". Do all women do this in their travels? I hope so because it makes traveling more fun.

This book is kind of long, but delightful. If reading it gets tiring, just put it aside for a while, then come back later to read another chapter. It will make you laugh because it all seems so familiar!

The ending is worth it. The Dynamic Duo...er, the Delusional Divas come to their senses and write a book! I'm still waiting for my former travel buddy to start writing... :D

Rating - 4 stars

P.S. I had the delightful experience of meeting Stephanie Jones, one of the co-authors of this book at the Gaithersburg Book Festival and again when she stopped in front of my home to visit the Little Free Library of Twinbrook. At that time, she tried to leave her book in the LFL. Of course, I grabbed it to read first, promising her to return it to my LFL when I finished reading it. At this time, her book will happily continue its travels.

Aaaaaagh! Every so often I go to the 75er group page to check for anything new. Guess I haven’t been there in awhile, because I discovered not only this thread 5, but that I’d missed the transition from 3 to 4. I’ve seen you in the garden group so I didn’t miss you personally, and never went looking for a lost thread. I rely on the stars.

Going back to your previous thread, I see that you read Moonwalking with Einstein recently. I did too. I’m curious about the memory techniques that you’re using, successfully.

64. The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book that lists the words 'magic' or 'horror' in the tags (horror)
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I loved this book! It was so entertaining!!

It's not easy being invisible!

Griffin, a minor scientist in England, discovers how to make things invisible. His experiments with living things only left the back of a white cat's eyes, but he was able to make himself totally invisible. That's when his troubles began.

How does an invisible man eat (especially if partially digested food is still visible), clothe himself (especially if "walking clothing" scare others, or get and carry money without creating "floating money" (especially before the days of "virtual money"? In addition, how does an invisible man refrain from performing acts of mischief that are so enticing?

This classic novel answers the above questions and provides for an interesting play-by-play of this scientist's adventures, including his ability to find someone (Mr. Marvel, the tramp) who scams him and, by chance, to discover someone who could help him (Dr. Kent). Both funny and sad, this story is well written, almost believable, very imaginative, and a most enjoyable read.

Rating - 5 stars

>23 qebo:

I’m curious about the memory techniques that you’re using, successfully.

I don't create large memory palaces like Joshua Foer did, but I create small images which really work.

For example, I can never remember the number of my audiologist's office which is Suite 603. So when I go there, I just picture her as the fat number 6 (she's not really fat) being pregnant with triplets. She really has two sons of different ages. I always remember her office number now. I'm trying to use this same technique for other things as they happen. :)

I also wonder about the impact of never having to remember anything any more because we use electronic media to look up everything. That is really bad for our personal memories and our brains. As I age, I'm more forgetful, but I don't want to be. I will try to continue to use memory techniques in order to try to remember more things. It has to be for my own good.

66. Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - Matthew Dicks


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November 2104 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with one plural word in the title (memoirs)
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In the voice of an eight-year-old, this novel tells the story of the in-existence-for-five- years Budo, the imaginary friend of Max, an autistic first-grade child. At the opening of the book, Budo clearly explains the differences in Max from a "normal" child, but shows such a loving understanding in doing so that it made me want to jump into the story to also befriend Max. Max is an only child whose parents tend to differ in how best to handle him. Max's idol is one of his teachers, Mrs. Gosk.

When Max suddenly disappears from school, no one knows what to do except Budo, who is determined to figure out what happened to Max. Budo's adventure is so imaginative that it becomes a quest to right a wrong.

Due to the simple narrative, I consider this a young adult book rather than an adult novel, but the story is so endearing, I recommend it for all ages.

Rating - 4.5 stars

Oops! I forgot #63 so I'll add it here...

63. The Good Girl - Mary Kubicka


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October 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book that is dark (cover, dark plot with kidnapping, stalking, etc.)
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Although this book was compared to Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn, I saw nothing comparable other than a missing woman. I had many objections to the way The Good Girl was written not the least of which were editorial lapses. When I find such errors in a novel, I start deviating from the story and start looking for even more editorial mistakes.

For example, these two jumped off the pages at me...
1. "There's trees and a lot of them. Pine, spruce, fur."
2. "A Tibetan mastiff, to be exact, a loyal guard dog with an abundance of thick, shedding fur that ordinarily weighed well over a hundred pounds."

I'm not particularly fond of books with chapters that are told each from a different person's point of view, but the moving back and forth in time by each character at whim drove me crazy!

I disliked the character of Judge Dennett not only because he was such a dreadful character but also because he had no redeeming characteristics. Even the kidnapper had a good side! Characters that are all good or all bad do not come alive for me on the pages of a novel.

I also question the motivation of some characters. For example, I understand the issue of Stockholm syndrome, but I cannot understand Mia's motivation for attempting to offer her body to the kidnapper as soon as they are alone together. Did she really think that would secure her release?

In addition, I was appalled at the behavior of police detective Gabe Hoffman. As a professional police officer, he had no business touching or kissing anyone in the family of a client. That is just wrong.

Come to think of it, I didn't like any of the characters in this story at all, perhaps with the exception of Canoe...who was a cat who could only demonstrate instinctive behavior.

I liked the plot twist at the end of the book. I did not see that coming. It took a long time to get there, though. Good luck to you if you choose to read this book!

Rating - 2 stars

But tell us how you REALLY feel. :D

>27 SqueakyChu:

Haha!

67. Xenophobe's Guide to the Canadians - Vaughn Roste


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November 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with one plural word in the title
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A mildly amusing and somewhat educational guide to Canadians. Personally, I'd rather learn about Canadians from talking to them and taking another trip through their vast and beautiful country.

Rating - 3 stars

>67 LovingLit: Hmmm..... I'd be rather curious about this one. I adored Will and Ian Ferguson's *How to be a Canadian even if you already are one* but still think that some references will surely cause blank stares from non-Canadians. ;-)

>31 jessibud2:

Should I save it for Zoe to take a look at? I got bored reading it.

> 32 Is it hard cover? I am trying to read through/unload/get them out of my house. If not, then sure. Thanks. Do you know when she is coming back here for a visit? I do have that Jewish graphic novel anthology (edited by a local bookcrosser) for you but it's heavy.

>33 jessibud2:

I might give it to ResQGeek first and then get it back for you. I took it away from him at our last meet-up. It's softcover and skinny. This is the book.

>34 SqueakyChu: Ok, thanks! Let me know when Zoe is coming in

68. Siberiak: My Cold War Adventure on the River Ob - Jenny Jaeckel


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November 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with an embedded word in the title (old, eon, her, rob)
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For anyone who has traveled abroad, spent time learning another language, and has become absorbed in another culture, this story, told simply as a travelogue in graphic novel form, will tug at your heartstrings. Some experiences are just universal. Jenny recalls her trip as a teenager to the U.S.S.R. where her group of Americans teens was teamed with a group of Soviet teens and treated to a trip of rowing, biking, and rafting. During their adventures, the Americans were hosted by Soviet families and grew to learn more about their fellow Soviet travelers.

I liked the different animals for the different nationalities, an idea that was probably taken from Art Speigelman's Maus. I liked Jenny's black ears, a good way to identify her on each page. I liked the Russian words, but would have also liked a key to the Cyrillic alphabet, more translation, and a key to pronunciation. Not having it wasn't that bad, but I really love languages and would have found those items helpful. I thought the printing in this book was a bit too small for my aging eyes, but that didn't bother me too much. I squinted because I didn't want to miss any part of this story!

Some parts of this book were laugh-out-loud funny. I loved the scene where Jenny's grandmother asks Jenny's mom if her girlfriend was Jewish.

By the end of this book, I did not want these kids to have to say goodbye to each other. Was I there? Maybe, in a way, I was. This book shows me that a terrific way to promote peace is through promoting international friendship.

Rating - 5 stars

Nice review of Siberiak, Madeline. You're well on your way to reaching the 75 books mark!

> 37

Thanks, Daryl.

I know! I didn't quite make it last year. Working for a living got in the way! ;)

69. Strange Weather in Tokyo - Hiromi Kawakami



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November 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with the capital city of a country in the title or the author's name
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This is a lovely story taking place in Japan. Tsukiki is an unmarried woman, pretty lonesome at the time we meet her, who encounters a much older previous teacher of hers at a bar. She and he, whom she only addresses as Sensei, the respectful Japanese word for teacher or older person, become friends through chance encounters. When Tsukiki does not run into him, she longs for his companionship. He is very careful to maintain a respectful distance from her. We follow their relationship through all kinds of weather (the weather passages are so beautiful), in various places, through all kinds of culinary experiences, and in various states of inebriation. The lingering questions are...does he really love her...and will he ever sleep with her?

Rating - 4.5 stars

Hello Madeline,

Hooray for another one who likes Strange Weather in Tokyo that was one of my fave books of last month.

Excellent review on Siberiak put it on my WL.

>40 drachenbraut23:

Hi Bianca,

I saw that you read Strange Weather in Tokyo and enjoyed it, too. I'd really like to read more books by this author. The writing was so melancholy yet sensuous. There is something very lyrical about the way that Japanese fiction translates into English. I love its simple flow. Feel free to recommend more books of this type to me any time!

I hope you like Siberiak as much as I did. It made me so nostalgic for the traveling days of my youth. :)

*rant*

The cover art is wrong for the whale story I'm now reading!

Here's a Wikipedia picture of a gray whale, like the one in this story...



Here's the inaccurate cover art!



My husband says it's a cartoon. I disagree. I say it's an inaccurate representation of the mammal species in this true story!

>42 SqueakyChu: It's a cartoon of the wrong species of whale. I'm with you.

>43 qebo:

I'll let my husband know what you just said! :D

70. Grayson - Lynne Cox


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November 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with an embedded word in the title (gray, ray, ay, so, son, on)
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This heartwarming story might leave you short of breath. It follows competitive swimmer Lynne Cox on a practice swim as she discovers a baby gray whale that was separated from its mother in ocean waters off the coast of California. She knows that she cannot come ashore since the baby whale might follow her and end up dying on the beach. Instead, she heads offshore to an area of oil rigs in hopes that she can spot the baby whale's mother. Cox makes multiple deep dives when the baby gray whale seems to have disappeared. The baby gray whale cannot survive without the nutrition and protection provided by its mother.

This book is a lovely tribute to mother nature in all her glory - with a tip of the hat to the mighty ocean, her thriving plants such as kelp, and the magnificent creatures which abound in the sea.

Rating - 4 stars

With a square head like that, it's a sperm whale.

(That kind of thing annoys me too, can you tell??)

>46 lyzard:

Hey! Thanks for identifying the drawing of the whale species that that didn't belong on my book! :)

I think that square outline is what comes to mind for a lot of people when they think "whale", probably because of Moby Dick. But having mentioned a different species...

Cover art that doesn't reflect the content of the book is a real bugbear of mine - I'm always jumping up and down over historical novels that can't be bothered getting the period clothing right. :)

>42 SqueakyChu: Yeah, that's a sperm whale.

What bugs me with covers is getting the hair color wrong. How difficult is that?!?

I guess everyone thinks that all whales are blue! The whale pictured looks almost teal, though. ;)

Anyway, whales are just covered by skin and not by hair. (...Just kidding...I know you were referring to hair color of people on book covers.)

>49 Morphidae: Oh, I know! Isn't it infuriating?

>50 SqueakyChu: Whales have hair.

One reference among many:

"Like all mammals, whales breathe air, are warm-blooded, nurse their young with milk from mammary glands, and have body hair." ~ Wikipedia

So NYAH! :D

71. Beginning Pearls - Stephan Pastis


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November 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with one plural word in the title
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I'm such a great fan of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine that Stephan Pastis can do no wrong in any of his work. However...I miss those terrific and complicated puns that abound in his present-day strips that I read in The Washington Post. This book is a good "Beginning Pearls", but I want just a tad more! I do know that this book was written for a younger audience, but still...

If you don't know rat, pig, goat, zebra, or the crocs, then this is the book to introduce you to them. I especially love that Pastis was once a lawyer. I have a daughter who is a good artist and who's just about to graduate from law school. I'll have to follow her career (law or art?) as I also continue to read Pastis' fun books and follow his newspaper comic strips.

Rating - 4 stars

72. Thirst for Love - Yukio Mishima


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November 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book by an author whose publication career spanned at least 15 years
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This is an interesting love triangle! Etsuko is a woman whose husband has died so she is invited to and moves to the home of Yakichi, her father-in-law, where she resides as a mistress while secretly being in love with Saburo, the young household man-servant.

I found this story very intriguing as I was trying to piece together the relationship of the various individuals living within the household. The story seemed very Japanese in the way in which it was told (for instance, the hierarchy within the household and the festival observance), but the feelings were universal. Etsuko tried to deal with what she thought was a secret love, but, more importantly, both she and Yakichi were trying to deal with their individual jealousy.

I liked the tone of the story and its gentle flow as well. I could not guess what would happen so it kept up my interest to the end. This is the second book by this author I've read, and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Rating - 4 stars

73. That Night - Chevy Stevens


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November 2014 TIOLI Challenge: TIOLI: Read a book where the title completes the phrase "I am thankful for..."
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This is the third novel I've read by Canadian thriller author Chevy Stevens and the one I like the most so far. Perhaps that's because I recently read the nonfiction book, Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman* who shared her true life experiences of being a woman in prison. Much of this novel addresses the same experience so I'd just like to point out that the fictional version seems very true-to-life.

The scariest and saddest part of this novel was not the violence, but the hatred generated between characters. The most prominent hatred was the bullying between high school girls, but there was plenty of other unnecessary hatred generated by various characters. It was interesting to note how individuals let their emotions take over situations in day-to-day life that only exacerbated existing problems.

I thought that this novel was quite a page-turner and had lots of fun trying to figure out who did what and why. Although I started listening to this novel as a CD, I had to get the hardcover version so I could stay up late one night to finish it. I didn't quite make it in that one night...but I did finish it the first thing the next morning.

The only things I didn't like about this novel were the scene at the end (call it the "big reveal") which seemed a bit far-fetched (they always do this in crime novels) and the fact that I only have one more novel by this author yet to read. I hope she finishes her fifth novel soon. This is quite an accomplishment for this author as I never have been a big fan of crime novels, but Chevy Stevens seems to make her characters real. She puts quite a lot of psychological depth into them. I much appreciate this.

*As a note of interest, the author was pregnant with her own daughter Piper when she wrote this book!

Rating - 4.5 stars

>53 SqueakyChu: I am a big of fan of Pearls Before Swine. I thinks the Crocs are especially hilarious though Rat's sullen nature appeals to me on bad days (the whole taking a baseball bat to idiots thing).

I assume that Pastis is much happier doing comics than practicing law.

>56 Oberon:

I just love rat. He's my favorite. I want to keep that Pearls Before Swine book, but there is already one other neighbor who called dibs on that book which came to me via my Little Free Library. I can't deprive anyone else of Steve Pastis' creations. I now follow his cartoons online as I don't want to miss any of them. His are the only comics that actually can make me laugh out loud. His puns are especially creative. I first groan at them...then I laugh.

Speaking of lawyers...my daughter is now finishing up her last 3 credits of law school, has a part time job with an estate planning attorney who is willing to take her on after she passes her bar exam in February. She is confident that she will do well on it. She seemed pretty happy the last time I saw her. She should be here for Thanksgiving, barring too much snow...as there's a snowfall predicted for tomorrow.

I wish you and your family a lovely Thanksgiving, Eric.

>57 SqueakyChu: That is fantastic news that your daughter has a job lined up. I am sure that is a huge relief.

Hopefully everybody makes it safely home for Thanksgiving.

>58 Oberon:

You could hear my sigh of relief in Minnesota?! I didn't realize it was that loud! ;)

I have caught out myself making _targets for my reading that I am really struggling to meet. In large part encouraged by your fantastic stewardship of the TIOLI challenge - truly an institution.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

74. Harvest Home - Thomas Tryon


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November 2104 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book where the title or author's name contain a "traditional" Thanksgiving holiday item, though not necessarily food ("harvest")
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What a horrifying story! What a great book!

This is the story of what awaits Ned Constantine, his wife Beth, and his daughter Kate after they leave urban life behind and move to the rural Connecticut town of Cornwall Coombe. Its population of individuals, most notably the herbalist Widow Fortune and the postal worker Tamar Penrose, carry out their ancient harvest traditions and festivals, having as their crescendo the rite of Harvest Home, an ancient secret ceremony celebrating the corn harvest and ritually symbolizing earthly renewal.

The characters of this story are positively creepy. It turns out that you can't tell the good guys from the bad guys (or gals). I really liked the main character Ned who was an artist. He, at first, saw the beauty of Cornwall Coombe and tried to capture it in his paintings. His intention was to make a better life for his family. Unfortunately, he didn't realize his mistake until too late.

If you love taut writing, unpredictable characters, small town settings, and unsettling scenes, you'll appreciate this book. if you have a queasy stomach for grizzly scenes, it might be better to just pass this book along to someone else who finds horror novels entertaining.

Rating 4.5 stars

>61 SqueakyChu: I need to add a post script to this post. The book fell apart while I was reading it! I got it as a RABCK (random act of BookCrossing kindness) from a fellow BookCrosser in 2005. I didn't read this paperback until now. It was yellow and brittle by now. The spine split in two and clumps of pages fell out while I was reading it. I couldn't put it down. I clipped it with a "clipper" and rubber-banded it at times. I then pulped it with my paper recyclables when I finished reading it. However, I do want to find another copy of this book that I can circulate in my Little Free Library of Twinbrook. It was such an unputdownable read! It is also a book which is now out of print. I'm sure I'll be able to find another copy of it, though, as it seems to be pretty well known.

You're almost at the finish line!

I am almost there...and very proud of my progress this year!

I'm so very behind on all threads. I hope your holiday was a good one Madeline!

I read Harvest Home years ago, and I agree with you. It is a good (and creepy) book!

All the best to you and your family.

Hi, Linda!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're doing well and enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. I just mooched

another book by Thomas Tryon called Lady. It's not a horror book, but I like his style of writing. I can't do touchstones because I can't find them on my new i-pad (actually, my son's old i-pad). Anyone have any idea where I can find them? Ha!

Just de lurking to add that I love your high standards for appropriate cover art- you remember.......the whale! (of course you do).
I had a chuckle over that as I too have cover-issues.

75. Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali


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December 2014 TIOLI Challlenge: TIOLI: Read a book using a minimum three-letter part of the name "Madeline" in your book's title (del)
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I found this autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali totally fascinating. It amazed me how this woman proceeded as a child in Somalia from a family of devout Muslims to the atheist activist member of the Dutch parliament that she eventually became.

Her story takes us on travels through Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. It shows us the progression of her change from a devout Muslim to an atheist. It lays bare the facts of Islam which bind it to religious beliefs from centuries ago making it almost a contradiction in the modern world and to human rights. Ironically, it also gave me more of an understanding of the way Islam is practiced in the modern world and why.

I was also astonished to learn of the large Muslim population in the Netherlands and what upheaval Ali's progressive agenda for women's rights gave to the Dutch parliament. Being the liberal country that the Netherlands is, what surprised me even more was that, by protecting immigrants' rights, that country was inadvertently giving free rein to abuse of women for such acts as infibulation, wife beating, forced marriages, forced body covering, and honor killing.

This is a brave book in the way that it exposed Ali to fear for her life due to those Muslims who intend to kill her for being an "infidel". She has dedicated her life to making this world a better place for all women. She also gives us food for thought as to how religion can work for us or against us as we incorporate it into our daily lives and to what extent we do that.

Rating 4.5 stars

Congrats on hitting 75!

>68 SqueakyChu: She's gotten lots of controversial buzz. The book looks worthwhile. Added to the WL, like I need more.

75? Congrats! And you've hit every goal. Unlike last year.

>69 drneutron: >70 qebo:

Thanks!

>70 qebo:

I knew just a bit about Ayaan Hirsi Ali prior to reading this book. Mostly I knew that she was the object of a fatwa at the time that Theo van Gogh was murdered in the Netherlands. Ali went into great detail about her family and background in this book. I was completely immersed in her story. She still remains very controversial, and I can see why. Her story is truly amazing, though.

And you've hit every goal. Unlike last year.

Last year I had a job! :O

>71 SqueakyChu: Last year I had a job!
So finally there's an up side to the unwanted retirement!

>72 qebo:

So finally there's an up side to the unwanted retirement!

Yeah. I'm finally getting used to it.

You want to know what preserved my sanity this year? Books! Really. BookCrossing meet-ups, meet-ups with LTers, visits to The Book Thing to collect books, stocking my Little Free Library, visiting other Little Free Libraries, sorting through book donations, working on my TIOLI challenges, collecting and reading books to my grandson, discussing books with my husband and friends, and reading for pleasure.

Here's something else pretty cool...This week we had an LTer from Durham, North Carolina, stop at my Little Free Library of Twinbrook! Our visitor was jim53. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet him, but he did stop by to take some books and leave a few books as well. My husband met him but had no idea he was an LTer.

>75 SqueakyChu: - I recently picked this book up at my local used book store but haven't read it yet. I first read her book, Nomad last year and was very moved by it. I listened to her read it on the unabridged audiobook format. My review of that book is in that link, a bit further down. I should google to see how and what she is doing these days.

Hmmm, the link to *Nomad* that I put between the square brackets, for some reason goes to the wrong book. Here is the link I intended: http://www.librarything.com/work/8713954/book/96087687

Hope that one works

>74 jessibud2:

Nice review of Nomad, Shelley! I'll have to look for that book now.

Even just reading the book Infidel, the story of this amazing woman came alive. She went into a lot of detail, but didn't dwell too long on any one detail. She included facts and feelings so that book came alive for me, even though I read it and didn't listen to it. I had to keep reading just to see what happened next!

I should google to see how and what she is doing these days.

I've did look her up on Wikipedia following my read of Infidel. :)

>75 SqueakyChu: Thanks. Your link also goes to the wrong book. Why is that? Is it something LT can fix? Is there somewhere we could report it?

Nomad
It's on the list of "others", not a bug.

> 76

Fixed. Thanks.

>78 SqueakyChu: - Ok, tell me how you did that so I can fix it in my post, too, please!

Congratulations on hitting the 75 books mark, Madeline! Nice review of Infidel; I'll have to rank it higher on my TBR list.

>80 kidzdoc:

Thanks, Darryl. Infidel is a very thought-provoking book.

76. Gun, With Occasional Music - Jonathan Lethem


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December 2014 TIOLI Challenge: TIOLI: Read a book that has nothing to do with Christmas
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I took me a long while to pick up this book, Jonathan Lethem's debut novel. I'm so glad I did. What an auspicious beginning to this author's writing career!

This book is unlike anything else I've ever read because I tend to veer away from mysteries as well as science fiction. Because I'm such a big fan of Lethem's _Motherless Brooklyn_, I thought I'd give this book a try, plus it's a novel that my daughter loves. I promised to return this book to her when I finished it

It takes a long, long time to get into this story. It is very complicated, not only because of the intertwining characters, but also because it is set in a dystopian world which needs to be figured out along the way. You learn about karma, make, inquisitors, the license to ask questions, memory machines, evolving animals. music from all machines, the deep freeze, etc. What fun! What imagination!

I loved the ending where Conrad Metcalf, private inquisitor (not part of the Office) figures out who killed Maynard Stanhunt. I laughed out loud for a long time.

This novel is brilliant, Give it a try and don't give up midway through. It's worth working your way straight through the ending whether or not you're a fan of mysteries and science fiction. If you are such a reader, your enjoyment of this novel will be that much greater!

Rating - 4.5 stars

>82 SqueakyChu: I've been wanting to give Jonathan Lethem a try. This looks interesting.

> 83

Don't start with Gun, With Occasional Music. It might turn you off completely. It's really off the wall. Start with Motherless Brooklyn which also was brilliant and much easier to read.

Once you learn to like this author, you will be more forgiving for books of his you don't like. The funny thing is, I now want to go back and reread a book of his that I once started but gave up because I didn't like. The book was Girl in Landscape I might have to just read it more thoroughly and to its conclusion.

My daughter just loves the writing of this author. Lethem is one of her favorite authors.

Lethem has a book of short stories, Men and Cartoons, that's also really good.

>84 SqueakyChu: Oh dear. Motherless Brooklyn doesn't look as interesting.

>84 SqueakyChu:

It's ultimately your choice! :)

He also has another book I've read, As She Climbed Across the Table which is easier to read but is, oh, so weird! It's a fun read, though.

>86 SqueakyChu: Hmm, that may be weird in the right ways for me...

20 Things That Happen When You're a Book Nerd

Could this be you?! :)

>88 SqueakyChu: That link doesn't seem to work, Madeline.

>89 kidzdoc:

Fixed. Thx!

>88 SqueakyChu: Love it!. So true! :-)

77. The Ocean in the Closet - Yuko Taniguchi


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December 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with a title containing a contradiction
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This is a beautiful and tender story told by a nine-year old girl Helen about her difficult life with her brother Ken, her mom Anna, and her dad James. Her mentally ill mother, biracial Japanese and Caucasian American, is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, while her Caucasian American dad is suffering the lingering psychological effects of his wartime experiences in Vietnam. Helen's uncle Steve (James' brother) and his wife Mary take Helen to Japan to meet her great-uncle Hideo and his wife Chiyo in an attempt to understand family dynamics and then work out a solution to help the family to heal.

The tempo of this story is much like a ship at sea, gently rolling to and fro, never losing its direction and yet dealing fully with a heavy undercurrent. I love the way the story itself leads to a deeper understanding of the post-WWII Japanese psyche. It's nice to hear this story being told from the Japanese point of view instead of from the American point of view as the story progresses. It brings out the humanity we all share.

Rating - 4 stars

>92 SqueakyChu: Hmm, that looks interesting. As do so many other books, so who knows when, but I've added to the wishlist.

78. Beware of God - Shalom Auslander


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December 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book that you gave or received as a gift in 2014 (RABCK from Bookcrosser slipperbunny of Finland)
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These are stories based on the Jewish tradition which are totally profane and blasphemous so read them at your own risk. Some of them are quite funny. I liked three of the stories better than the others. "Bobo the Self Hating Chimp" is the story of how a chimp becomes aware of God, Death, Guilt and Shame. In "Somebody Up There Likes You", Bloom does not die in the car accident meant to kill him. "Startling Revelations from the Lost Book of Stan" tells the story of Stan finding the oldest Testaments. Don't say you weren't warned about the impropriety of these stories!

Rating - 3.5 stars

Happy last day of Hanukkah, Madeline!

Happy Holidays!

>95 norabelle414: >96 qebo:

Thank you! Merry Christmas to you both.

Love the "J", qebo! :)

Madeline, have a great Christmas and new year!

>98 SandDune:

Thanks, Rhian. Best wishes to you for a happy holiday season!

Happy Holidays to you and your family, Madeline! Hopefully 2015 will be the year that we'll finally meet in person. I'll probably attend the 2015 National Conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics in November, so I'll be in the area then, at least.

Merry Christmas to you and your family Madeline. Looking forward to another year of your wonderful TIOLI in 2015 :) !

>100 kidzdoc:

Thanks, Darryl.

Happy holidays to you. I'm looking forward to the day we'll finally get to meet in person.

>101 drachenbraut23:

Happy holidays, Bianca!

Thanks for joining me in the TIOLI challenges. It's the people who play thins along with me that make it so much fun. Wishing you the best in 2015.

79. Daniel Isn't Talking - Marti Leimbach


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December 2014 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book using a minimum three-letter part of the name "Madeline" in your book's title ("eli")
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This is a good book which I appreciated much more after I read it completely and also read "A note from the author". During my read of the novel, I thought it was transforming into a competition between the two men in Melanie's life, but, by the end of the book, I saw it was much more than that. My favorite part about Daniel, Melanie's autistic son, was when the author wrote the following which seemed to run more true in the way it was expressed than anything else in this book.

"Some mothers appear to make a badge out of autism, behaving as though it is not a disability but a "difference" and that we shouldn't be seeking to cure these children. Understanding is what is in order, they cry, a broader mind, an enlightened perspective. What you know about such people is that they have a child who functions very well, who may have Asperger's syndrome and not full-blown autism, and that they have probably not scrubbed feces from their carpet, or watched their child dry and rock in what looks like agony because he cannot speak. These people annoy me a little, although I admire how they cope, admire their presence of mind, their fearless defenses of their children. But we've walked different paths, and they are talking about mine as though they've been there, which they have not, and will not. Because having a child with autism--at least the type of autism I have experienced--is less like walking a patch than like hacking at a jungle with a scythe, not able to see much in front of you at all except more stuff you have to clear or step over, or around, or through."

Rating - 4 stars

>104 SqueakyChu:

Minor quibble about book cover art again:

The "Daniel" who is pictured on the front cover of Daniel Isn't Talking clearly has blue eyes (at least on my personal copy of this book). In three different parts of this novel, Daniel was described as having brown or dark eyes. Does the author have no say over the cover art?

Thank you, Paul.

Best wishes to you and your family in this loveliest of seasons!

80. The Soul Thief - Charles Baxter


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December 2014 TIOLI Challenge: TIOLI: Read a book with a musical term in the title or author's name (so = a note of the scale)
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This book was such a surprise and so fabulous. Prior to reading it, I saw that many people found this book not particularly praiseworthy, but I wanted to form my own opinion before reading reviews of others.

I love this kind of book. It twisted my mind trying to figure out what was going on. It was creepy and bizarre, but this novel completely mesmerized me. It was the story of graduate student Nathaniel Mason and friends Jeremy Cooley and Theresa. Something was not quite right with this Jeremy character. He seemed to be taking over Nathaniel's life, first by horning in on his relationship with Theresa and then by slowly taking away Nathan's belongings. What was happening?

I did not guess the outcome of this story. It frightened me as I neared its conclusion. I did not guess what was going to happen, but the convoluted story in its entirety just blew me away. There were some lines in this novel which made me laugh. I loved that comic relief. The writing was great. It dipped into descriptions of all kinds from details of married life with two sons to the airport in Los Angeles to the overstuffed household of a lonely man.

Let me read more of this author's work...and very soon!

Rating - 5 stars

81. The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami


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December 2014 TIOLI Challenge: TIOLI: Read a book with a musical term in the title or author's name (range = The gamut of tones that a voice or instrument is capable of producing)
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What a gruesome story! It's the tale of a boy who was drawn deeper and deeper and deeper into a strange library where he met an old man, a sheep man, and a disappearing beautiful girl. The boy only wanted to return to his mother and his pet starling and avoid being bitten by a black dog which had bit him once before. The ending is frightful, but I loved the artwork which accompanied this story and opening this book in such an odd way. The donuts looked tasty! The artwork was by Chip Kidd. The book was printed in China.

Rating - 4 stars