Betty (Dudes22) Reflects Back for 2023

Reflecting Back to Previous Years



My name is Betty and I’ve been part of LT since 2008 and doing the category challenge since 2010. My husband and I are both retired from the military and we live in Rhode Island. Our children are still in RI, but our grandchildren have scattered to Florida, N. Carolina, and Maine.

I had trouble finding a theme this year and decided that this year I would look back over my past challenges and use one category from 10 of the past years. No set number of books in each category. I like the Cats, Kits, and Bingo to help me expand my reading into areas and books I might not normally read. And I’m hoping to make some progress reading the Book Bullets I’ve taken over the years. I may even binge read one or two authors.

Book Bullets Read:

BBs 2012: Read – 1 of 7 Taken
BBs 2013: Read – 0 of 11 Taken
BBs 2014: Read – 0 of 12 Taken
BBs 2015: Read - 0 of 14 Taken
BBs 2016: Read – 0 of 20 Taken
BBs 2017: Read – 0 of 18 Taken
BBs 2018: Read – 1 of 22 Taken
BBs 2019: Read – 0 of 55 Taken
BBs 2020: Read – 0 of 57 Taken
BBs 2021: Read – 2 of 94 Taken
BBs 2022: Read – 3 of 54 Taken

Currently Reading:



Recently Read:

1. I’m Just a Kid at Heart (2010) – YA and children’s books



This is a category from the first time I did the challenge. My first challenge didn’t have an overall theme, just some random categories to fit my reading.

1. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser (BB - JayneCm 2022, audio)
2. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
3. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
4. Mr Lemoncello's Very First Game by Ghris Grabenstein

2. The Super Bowl (2012) – Award-Winning Books



My theme for 2012 was the New England Patriots (football team). We did make it to the Super Bowl that year but lost. Anyway, I’ll be putting books that have been short listed or won an award. Since award-winning books is our book club theme this year, I should have no trouble filling this category.

1. The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (Pen/Faulkner Award 2012)
2. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (Women's Prize for Fiction - 2020)

3. Hemlock (2016) – Mysteries/Crime Books



My theme for 2016 was flowers. Deadly hemlock seems appropriate for my mysteries and crime books.

1. Crimson Lake by Candice Fox (BB)
2. A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson
3. Aunt Bessie Considers by Diana Xarissa
4. The Witch Elm by Tana French
5. Guiltless by Viveca Sten
6. Never Go Back by Lee Child
7. Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh

4. Melvil Dewey (2020) – Non-Fiction Books



My theme for 2020 was the men considered the “father”/inventor of something. As Dewey was the creator of the Dewey Decimal System, my non-fiction books will go here.

1. The Masque of Africa by V.S. Naipaul

2.

5. An Ambush of Tigers (2021) – Book Bullets



My theme from 2021 was animal groups. Over the years I’ve been here on LT, book bullets have expanded my reading to books and authors I might never have found otherwise. Right now the list is over 400 and I expect it to grow again this year. I’m hoping to get lots (?) of them read this year.

1. I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider (BB - lowelibrary 2023, KiddyCat)
2. The Dry by Jane Harper (bb- Roro 2018, SeriesCat, Bingo)
3. Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson (DeltaQueen50 2012)
4. The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander (thornton37814 2022)

6. Jul/Aug Quote (2017) – Book Quotes - Translated Books/Non-USA authors



In 2017, I used book quotes to introduce my monthly reading. This was the quote from Jul/Aug and I’ll be putting translated books here.

1. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker, translated by Kevin Wiliarty (BB- Bookpages Jun2021)
2.

7. Father’s Day Necktie (2015) – Male Authors



Bookcases was my theme for 2015 and this bookcase was my June choice celebrating Father’s Day. Male authors who don’t fit anywhere else will go here.

1. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith
2. Where the River Ends by Charles Martin

8. Sunbonnet Sue (2014) – Female Authors.



Some of you will remember that I used quilt blocks for my 2014 theme and made a block each month which resulted in a Christmas quilt which goes on my bed each year. Although I didn’t make the Sunbonnet Sue block for my quilt, I’ll use it here to put female authors that don’t fit anywhere else.

1. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
2. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
3. Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson
4. The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
5. The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
6. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
7. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
8. The Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

9. Raining Cats & Dogs (2019) – Cats, Kits, & Bingo Dog



I’ve always enjoyed the Cats, Kits and Bingo Dog to help organize and expand my reading for the year. And I enjoy seeing what others are reading for them. I never really thought I’d like science-fiction until the year it was a Cat. Now I read at least some kinds of sci-fi. I’ll track books for these here except for the Bingo, Random, & Alpha which will get their own post.

1. The Dry by Jane Harper - SeriesCat - Jan
2. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine - MysteryKit - Jan
3. I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf- - KiddyCat - Jan
4. Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savitt - GeoCat - Jan
5. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley - KiddyCat - Feb
6. The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camillieri - SeriesCat - Feb
7. The Masque of Africa by V.S. Naipaul - GeoCat - Feb
8. Aunt Bessie Considers by Diana Xarissa - MysteryKit - Feb
9. Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson - GeoCat - Mar
10. Mr Lemoncello's Very First Game by Chris Grabenstein - SeriesCat - Mar

GeoCat wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/GeoCAT_2023
SeriesCat wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_SeriesCAT
MysteryKit wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_MysteryKIT
KiddyCat wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_KiddyCAT

10. Libraries (2022) – Borrowed Books/Audio



Cartoons about libraries and borrowing books filled my 2022 challenge. Although there are other categories where these might go, I’m going to use this to track the audio books that I borrow from the library.

1. The Catch by Alison Fairbrother (BB - RidgewayGirl 2022, audio)
2. The Bookwoman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson (audio)
3. Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit (audio)
4. The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri (audio)
5. Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri (audio)
6. Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson (library)
7. The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri (audio)
8. Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri (audio)

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 - Hidden Gems - A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Feb – Second or Two - The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendjer
Mar – Water, Water, Everywhere - Where the River Ends by Charles Martin
Apr – The Seven Ages of Man -
May –
Jun –
Jul –
Aug –
Sep –
Oct –
Nov –
Dec –

wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_RandomKIT

Alpha Kit:



I usually use the Alpha Kit to keep up with my series reading. But this year, I’m going to concentrate more on book bullets and other books I never seem to get to. Although, this is still a good place for my series.

A – P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
B –
C -
D -
E -
F - Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
G -
H -
I - To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
J - A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson
K -
L -
M -
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S - The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
T -
U -
V -
W -
X - Aunt Bessie Considers by Diana Xarissa
Y -
Z -

wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_AlphKIT#2023_AlphaKIT

16.Bingo Dog:





I find the Bingo Dog encourages me to stretch my reading also.

The Official List of Squares:
A bestseller from 20 years ago - The Namesake
A book about a topic you don’t usually read
A book rated above 4 on LT - The Nature of Fragile Things
A book that taught you something
A memoir
A popular author’s first book
Art or craft related - The Winding Ways Quilt
Author who shares your zodiac sign
Book by a local/regional author where you live/have lived
Book is set on a plane, train or ship
Features a cat (cats) or member of the cat family (leopard, lion, tiger, etc.)
Inn or hotel - A Northern Light
Involves an accident
Journalist or journalism
More than 1000 copies on LT - The Witch Elm
Music or musician
Read a CAT
Small town or rural setting - The Dry
STEM topic - As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
Switched or stolen identities
The next book in a series you started - The Woman WHo Walked in Sunshine
Title contains a number or quantity
With a book on the cover - I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf
With a plant in the title or on the cover
Written by an author under 30 - P.S. I Love You

wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_BingoDog

2023 Interconnected Monthly Reading Challenge

Judy introduced this on her thread and I thought "why not"?

1. January: A Book That Starts with “A” or “The” - The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

2. February: The cover or spine of the book compliments the January book cover - The Masque of Africa by V.S. Naipaul

3. March: The Title Starts with the next letter in the alphabet from your February book. - The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

4. April: A different genre from your March book

5. May: The book is longer than the book in April

6. June: The title has half as many letters as your May book

7. July: Set in a different country or part of the world from your June book

8. August: The same genre as the July book

9. September: Turn to page 50 of the August book and your September book must have one of the words on this page in it’s title.

10. October: The book’s title starts with the first letter of the author’s name from your September book

11. November: Set in a different time period from your October book

12. December: Book has to be within 20 pages of the book you read in November.

Had some extra time after Thanksgiving dinner and thought it would be a good time to post my thread. I'm looking forward to some good books next year.

It looks as though your categories will cover pretty much everything. Happy unrestricted reading in 2023!

Very nice Betty. I’ll be by to visit to see what you’re reading, especially in the mystery category.

I love the cartoon in >12 dudes22:! Never underestimate the library! :)

Oh I love this idea! And especially love the BBs category. I am terrible at remembering who I got BBs from - every year I say I will make a note of them but I never do.
Happy reading in 2023.

I think 90 percent of my catalog is book bullets.:) Good luck!

Your thread is like taking a trip down memory lane - I remember most of these previous categories. I totally forget about leaving space for the year end meme, I guess I will squeeze it in when I get to it. Looking forward to taking a few hits from you this year. :)

Awesome idea! Love revisiting those old challenges. I remember the quilt challenge well!

Love this look back on the years. Great idea. Good luck with your reading in 2023

This is a lovely idea! It's great to see Linus again. Enjoy your reading year!

You've built a great theme of themes! Enjoy your reading!

Such a great idea! And I love the picture you chose for the bingo, the dogs are so cute.

>19 pamelad: - Thanks, Pam.

>20 lsh63: - Thanks, Lisa. Most of my mystery reading is series - not sure that will help you much.

>21 Jackie_K: - I've really started using the library even more, Jackie. But it doesn't help get books off my shelves.

>22 JayneCM: - Jayne - When I first started logging my BBs into LT, I put a comment in the comments section for where I got it. I also keep a spreadsheet going.

>23 majkia: - I seem to add more BBs each year than I read, so an on-going battle, Jean.

>24 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, Judy. Actually, I post one thing twice so had to figure out what I could put there and then remembered the meme.

>25 rabbitprincess: - That was one of my better ideas, rabbit.

>26 lowelibrary: - Thanks, April.

>27 MissWatson: - Thanks, Birgit.

>28 NinieB: - Thanks, Ninie.

>29 MissBrangwen: - Thanks, Mirjam. Aren't they just?

I like the Sunbonnet Sue. I have not seen a picture of her in a long time or on a quilt at the State Fair.
Good luck in 2023.

Like everyone else I think this is a terrific idea. It was fun to read about your past catagories and it will be fun to see what lands in each one. Best wishes for a great year!

Thanks, Luanne.

What great cats!

>34 Tess_W: - Thanks

Excellent use of previous themes. Very smart idea.
Hoping to follow along for another year of great reading.

Stopping by with best wishes for your 2023 reading.

Dropping in to wish you Happy Reading in 2023. Looks like you have it covered!

>37 lkernagh: - >38 VivienneR: - Thanks. I'm looking forward to things slowing down after the holidays and settling in for some good winter reading.

Wishing you happy reading in 2023!

>40 mstrust: - Thank you so much!

Judy has convinced me to try the 2023 Interconnected Monthly Reading Challenge and I've posted the prompts in post #16. I think there are some that are open to interpretation, so we'll see how it goes.

>41 dudes22: I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out for you!

My sister-in-law has gifted me a wonderful book for Christmas - The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden. IF (yes big IF) I can restrain myself, I think I will only read each month in the month. A brief glance shows wonderful drawings that accompany the text. Maybe I'll give a brief review each month.

>43 dudes22: I own a copy of that book - it is delightful.

>44 JayneCM: - It looks like it would be. I suspect she bought it at a used bookstore (I love that idea) because the spine seems a little loose. I'm going to have to be careful reading it. I bought her a book of garden stories too, so it seems we were thinking alike this year.

We had our Christmas yesterday with my stepchildren and grandchildren. My step-daughter usually gives me a gift card for a bookstore, and I'll be using that to get a few books for my Thingaversary which is in a couple of weeks. Just have to decide which ones.

Since I already posted my year-end stuff, I guess I'll start 2023.

Book 1: The Catch by Alison Fairbrother, narrated by Julia Knippen
Category: Libraries (2022)- Borrowed/Audio Books
Book Bullet from Kay in 2022



I took a BB from Kay for this a few months ago, but I wasn't as impressed with it as Kay was. I think the reason is because I felt the description of what the book was about was actually a small part of the book. Ellie is a young 24-year-old, living in Wasington, DC, hoping to be a journalist, working for a start-up internet news service and with a married boyfriend. When Ellie's father dies suddenly, and she hears that he has left each person in the family something special, she assumes that she will get the baseball that has always been special to her father. When he leaves it to someone else, she wants to find out who that person is and why they got the baseball. Or so says the description. I thought that was actually a small part of the book. I think it was more about Ellie finding out who she is. But I did like the word imagery that author used. She knows how to turn a phrase.

>48 dudes22: At least you didn't hate it!

Wishing you a fantastic year of reading!

Have a great 2023 year for reading.

>50 mstrust: - >51 thornton37814: - >52 hailelib: - That you all so much!

Happy New Year! I hope it's a great reading year for you!

>54 cbl_tn: - Same to you, Carrie!

I totally forgot to post yesterday that it was my Thingaversary. (Despite having a reminder on my phone.) So here it is, a day late:

Yesterday was my Thingaversary! I joined LT back in 2008 so I have been here for 15 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. (Although I said the same thing last year.)

Here are the 16 books I decided on:

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
Ocean State by Stewart O’Nan
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
If on a Winter’s Night by Italo Calvino
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet
The Last Gift by Abdulrazak Gurnah
An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
The Masque of Africa by V.S. Napiel
Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazou Ishagaru
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St John Mandel
Josephine Baker’s Last Dance by Sherry Jones

Happy thingaversary! Great haul! I took a BB for the Josephine Baker book!

Great choices!! That's a great mix of authors/genres.

Happy thingaversary! Excellent selection, I hope you enjoy them all.

Happy Thingaversary, Betty! Excellent haul. :)

>56 dudes22: Excellent selection! I really want to read Vesper Flights. I'm reading H is for Hawk at the moment, and love her writing.

Happy Thingaversary.

Happy Thingaversary, Betty!

>57 Tess_W: - >58 japaul22: - >59 Helenliz: - >60 DeltaQueen50: - >61 Jackie_K: - >62 lowelibrary: - >63 RidgewayGirl: - Thank you all!

>57 Tess_W: - I actually found this on the FOL shelf at the library.

>61 Jackie_K: - I have H is for Hawk on my TBR pile already. It was recommended by a friend of my husband, and I've been trying to get to it ever since. Maybe this year. I'll be watching your thread for your thoughts.

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy your haul!

Happy Thingaversary! That's a lovely haul. I've read the Ishiguro. It's a nice collection.

>65 MissWatson: - Thanks. Hoping to get to some of them this year.

>66 cbl_tn: - Thanks. I have the Ishiguro in the rotation sometime this year. (I think for the Alpha I month)

Congratulations! Can you believe you've been on LT that long? I joined in 2007 but it seems like just a few years ago! Heck, it took me a few years to get all of my books cataloged! It's been a pleasure reading your thread for years, and I look forward to continuing to do so.

>68 clue: - Thanks, Luanne! It's true - sometimes I wonder where the time has gone. It took me a year to decide to get a lifetime membership and start entering all the unread books I had, so there are a lot of books with the same entry dates near the beginning. (what helped me decide was I found I was buying the same books at library sales as I already had.)

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy your stack of books.

>56 dudes22: Happy Thingaversary! Great haul!

>70 hailelib: - >71 thornton37814: - Thanks!

Happy Thingaversary Betty! I've read four books from your haul, and one of them I've started and stopped a few times, I'm not sure why. I wonder how many books I've purchased so far only nine days into the new year???? I'm off to check lol.

>73 lsh63: - Thanks, Lisa. I purchased them all last year but set them aside for my "Thingaversary" and didn't read them.

Book 2: When the Emperor Was Devine by Julie Otsuka
Category: Sunbonnet Sue - Female Authors



Out book club read for next month is The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. When I picked it up at the library, I noticed that her first book was also a novella and decided to read it first.

This book tells the story of a Japanese family who separated and are sent to internment camps at the beginning of WW II. The father is removed from the house and sent to one and his wife, son, and daughter are sent to a different one. I read that the story is based in part on the author's life. Each chapter is told from a different point of view. The sparseness of the story enhances the separation and loneliness of the family.

Happy Thingaversary, Betty! What a wonderful haul to celebrate with.

>75 dudes22: I loved Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic. I haven't read this one but it's going on the wishlist.

>76 VivienneR: - Thanks, Vivienne! I have The Buddha in the Attic and will be reading it later this month.

Book 3: The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser, narrated by Robin Miles
Category: I'm Just a Kid at Heart - YA books
Book Bullet from JayneCM 2022



Delightful middle-school age book about a family who lives in a brownstone in Harlem, New York City. They have a landlord who they never see who isn't going to renew their lease and so they have to be out of the brownstone by Dec 31st. I listened to the audio and enjoyed it a lot. I'll be listening to more in this series.

Book 4: I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider
Category: An Ambush of Tigers - Book Bullets - April (lowelibrary) 2023
KiddyCat - Jan - Picture Books/Graphic Novels
Bingo Block: Book with a book on the cover



I saw this over on April's thread, and thought I'd use it for the KiddyCat this month. I'm not much of a graphic novel reader, so a topic I can relate to seemed to be the way to go. I found it amusing and very inventive.

Love your themes this year. Looking back can be fun. Kind of lost track during the covid era, did the Pawtucket team finally move?

>80 mysterymax: - Oh Yeah! They moved to Worcester, Ma and are now called ...wait for it... "the WOOSOX". They moved in 2021.

ETA: There's talk now of a soccer stadium going in there.

OMG, that's horrible. It's a part of history lost, except in our memories. But 'the woosox'? Yuck. How have the Pawtucket fans taken it?

There were a lot of bad feelings when it happened. Lots of people thought the mayor and governor could have done more to keep the team here. There was speculation that there was a developer somewhere in the background who wanted that parcel of land.

Book 5: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Category: I'm Just a Kid at Heart - Young Adult Fiction
January Random: Hidden Gems
Bingo Block: Features an Inn or Hotel



Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has a big dictionary and every day she looks up a new word. These words are the titles of the chapters in the book and the way the author ties them into the story is inventive. The book was inspired by a real event (no spoiler - it's on the back cover), but I've had the book so long, I didn't bother to read the back so was surprised when I got to the author's notes at the end.

Mattie wants to go to college and escape the dreary life she leads. Her mother has died, and she is the oldest and so expected to take over and take care of her father and sisters and brother. Her teacher has gotten her a scholarship and a place to live, but she needs to make some money for books, etc. Her father allows her to work at the Glenmore, a fancy hotel in the Adirondack Mountains of NY where the rich go in 1906 to escape the heat in the summer. When one of the guests gives Maddie a stack of letters and asks her to destroy them, she's not sure what to do. And when the woman ends up drowned, she decides to read them instead of getting rid of them.

I've had this book in my TBR list since 2009 when I first started adding my physical unread books to LT. I wasn't sure partway in that I would call it a "hidden gem", but the more I read, the more I decided that it might be. The only thing I really don't like is the cover. I just don't see it going with the book.

>84 dudes22:, Thank you for this review! I loved Donnelly's historical fiction series, but have never gotten around to this one even though it's on my shelf. You've reminded me to reach for it sooner than later :)

>79 dudes22: Glad you enjoyed the book.

>85 whitewavedarling: - >86 lowelibrary: - I'm not sure why I left it on the shelf so long.

Book 6: The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith
Category: Father's Day Necktie Bookcase - Male Authors
January MysteryKit: TV/Movie Detective
Bingo Block: Next in a series you've started



In book #16 in this series, Mma Ramotswe is persuaded to take a holiday althought she is not sure that she wants to. Even on "holiday", she manages to have mysteries to solve.

Some heavy hits with BB's here!

>88 dudes22: I should get back to that series and that would be my next book.

>89 Tess_W: - Always happy to help ;)

>90 hailelib: - I enjoyed this one a lot although I was slightly annoyed at the beginning.

>88 dudes22: I had to check and see how many of the series I've read, and it's just the first five so far. But have you ever looked at Smith's full list of works? Jeez, how is that even possible?

>92 mstrust: - In theory, I'm only reading 3 of his series but there are a couple more that I've thought of trying.

I think I've also read at least one book from 3 of his series. My favorite is the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series.

>94 mstrust: - That's one I'm hoping to try.

Good luck on your categories - looks like you've made a good start. I especially like the BB idea and may have to borrow that next year. :)

>96 madhatter22: - Well - I have a backlog of BBs and I'm hoping having a category will help get them read.

Book 7: The Dry by Jane Harper
Category: An Ambush of Tigers - Book Bullets (Roro 2018, also Judy, Laura, Kay, & Lois, & probably more)
Series Cat: New Series
Bingo Block: Set in a small town or rural setting



This is the first book in the Aaron Falk series which I've seen mentioned her on LT many times. So when the prompt for the Jan Series Cat was a new series, I figured it was time to take the hint.

In this first book, Aaron Falk returns to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood friend Luke, his wife, & son. The assumption is that Luke killed his wife and son and then committed suicide. Luke's father asks Aaron to look further into the tragedy because he doesn't believe it's true. Aaron hooks up with the local police chief to see if there's more to the story. The past is also on trial as Aaron and his father were banished from the town when Aaron was a teenager.

I enjoyed this and will read more in this series. (And there are just 2 books so far - with another one this year - so I should be able to keep up.)

>84 dudes22: That's a BB for me! Thank you!

>98 dudes22: I really enjoyed The Dry too! The next one in the series was good but not as good as The Dry. It didn't have the same sense of place.

>99 VivienneR: - I guess it was a "hidden gem" since 2 of you are taking BBs for it.

I really liked The Dry. I didn't like the second one as much, Force of Nature, but I really liked the two standalones she did. Especially The Survivors.

>101 japaul22: - I'm going to try and read Force of Nature for the Feb RandomKit.

Book 8: The Bookwoman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson, narrated by Katie Schorr
Category: Library Cartoons (2022) - Borrowed/Audio Books



This is the sequel to The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek which I listened to last year and loved. And I loved this one just as much. The narrator was awesome.

The book starts about 16 years after the previous book. Honey and her parents have been hiding from the law for all of Honey's life. Even in 1953, the miscegenation laws make the marriage of her mother (who is a "blue") from marrying or living with her father (who is white). When her mother and father are arrested and sent to prison for this, Honey needs to find a way to stay out of the reformatory where some people want to send her until she is 21. Her mother's old friend agrees to be her guardian which stops the social workers from taking her, but when she dies, Honey needs to find a way to stay free. Although the Pack-Horse Program from the 1930s/1940s was discontinued, the library has some funds to reestablish the program and Honey gets hired to do her mother's old job.

Having listened to the first book, I knew I would listen to the second book also. Five stars aren't enough for this book.

>103 dudes22: I had an interesting (okay, to me) experience reading this. In the print copy there were pictures of women who had done other groundbreaking work in Kentucky. There was a picture of a woman miner and another of a spotter in a fire tower like those in the book. Also in the book was the mention of a nurse who came to homes. Even so, I was surprised to turn a page and see a picture of Mary Breckenridge who was a founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. Her family lived in my hometown when she was a teen and young adult. I stumbled across her when I was doing research for an exhibit at a National Historic Site here.

As an adult Breckenridge witnessed a traveling nursing service in Scotland, and having family ties to Kentucky introduced that service to the U.S. there. It's still in operation and she ran it until her death in the 1960s.

She would be fodder for a book herself. She'd certainly had an interesting life, as a child she lived in Russia when her father was ambasador to Czar Nicolas II!

>103 dudes22: I liked the first one so well, I'm putting this one on my WL!

>104 clue: - This audio included the afterward and all these women were mentioned. I was thinking it would make for an interesting topic for a high school history paper. Didn't realize there were pictures. Maybe when I'm in the library someday, I'll thumb through it and take a look.

>105 Tess_W: - Since you liked the first one, you'll like this one too. My sister (who is a librarian) just had a shoulder operation and since she'll be laid up for quite a few weeks, I'm going to mention these to her when I see her tomorrow. It will be like having her own personal reader and she won't have to hold books.

Book 9: The Buddha in the Atticby Julie Otsuka
Category: Super Bowl (2012) - Award Winning Books (Pen/Faulkner Award 2012)
February Random: Second or Two



This book tells the stories of the Japanese women who came to America to marry Japanese men that they had never met. (picture brides) Written in the third person plural, it tells many stories of many women, each chapter concentrating on one aspect of their lives: their journey, their interaction with Americans, their children, until the last chapters which are about their removal from towns at the start of WWII and the aftermath in the town. Using the third person plural lets the author tell multiple stories within one book and was effective in giving an overall view.

This is our book for book club discussion this afternoon and it will be interesting to see what others think.

I had a successful reading month in Jan. I finished 8 books although most of them were library books so no big dent in the TBR. I have 3 left that I'm carrying into Feb so, with a short month, the pressure is on to finish them and my planned reads for Feb.

>107 dudes22: Always wanted to read that! Put it in my TBR pile!

>109 Tess_W: - It's a rather quick read.

>107 dudes22: I hope you let us know what your book club thought of Buddha in the Attic. I read it years ago and it is still in my mind.

>111 VivienneR: - Our theme for this year is award winning books and my award was the Pen/Faulkner. This won in 2012. The PEN/Faulkner is dedicated to the idea that fiction creates empathy within and among communities and advances civil discourse. We all agreed that the book accomplished this. And we liked the format of the first-person plural for this book that allowed the author to present many facets of the Japanese bride experience - more than a story with only one or two main characters would have.

>103 dudes22:
I hope to get to the first one sometime soon.

>110 dudes22: That's good to know...will put it after some of my big fat books!

Book 10: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
Category: Book Quotes - Jul/Aug 2017 - Translated Books/Non-USA Authors
Jan 2023 Interconnected Book Challenge
Book Bullet - BookPages Jun 2021



Julia travels to Burma to see if she can find her father. He left suddenly 4 years ago and there was no trace of him until her mother found a love letter with a woman's name on it. Once Julia gets to Burma, she goes to the village where her father lived. There she is approached by a man who claims to have known her father. Intrigued, she meets with him every day to hear the story of her father's life.

I saw this referred to in another review as a fairy tale. and I think in some ways it is. I can't say I liked the character of Julia very much, but the story of her father was "magical".

>115 dudes22: A BB for me!

>116 Tess_W: - Fantasticfiction tells me there are 2 more books in this series although I'm not sure I want to read them. I can't imagine it getting better than this first book.

Book 11: Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit, narrated by Allan Corduner
Category: Library Cartoons (2022) - Borrowed/Audio Books
Jan GeoCat: Central & Eastern Europe



This novel starts in the early days of WW II in Krakow, Poland. Anna's Father is a linguistics professor and Anna has grown up learning multiple languages. She is 7 years old and is content to be left at the store of a family friend. But her father never returns because the Germans choose that day to round up her father. Then the family friend tells her she cannot stay at the store any longer and puts her out onto the street. There she meets the Swallow Man who takes her under his wing, and they begin to travel all around Poland to avoid the wolves and the bears (Germans and Russians).

This is tagged and described as a YA novel, but maybe at the upper age limits and more into the adult area. There's a bit of magical realism in it too and there were parts I just didn't get. (Maybe because I was listening, and it wasn't easy to go back.) But still a good book.

Book 12: Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
Category: Hemlock (2016) - Mystery/Crime Books
February Alpha Kit: "F"
Book Bullet from Judy (DQ) 2021



Ted Conkaffey has moved to Crimson Lake to try and escape his past. Little did he know, when he stopped after a fishing trip to fix a rod making noise in his back seat, that the young girl he saw waiting for a bus would be abused and murdered and he would be accused of doing it. Although the case was dropped, it still hangs over his head and he thinks moving to a small out-of-the-way town where he is not known will help. But soon he is embroiled in a missing/presumed-dead case of a popular writer.

Ted is hired by a local investigator hired by the writer's wife to find out if her husband is really dead. Turns out the investigator is a convicted murderer herself.

If this sounds somewhat confusing, it's not. The author has included three different mysteries and developed very interesting characters, including the bad guys. It sometimes takes a couple of chapters for me to get interested in a book, but this one grabbed me right away. And one mystery is still hanging - hopefully to be continued in the next book.

>119 dudes22: I am glad that you enjoyed Crimson Lake as I remember loving it. Somehow I haven't yet picked up the next book but hopefully I will soon!

>119 dudes22: I like the tropical North Queensland setting. Makes a nice change from dusty outback noir. I’ve read all 3 books in the series.

>121 pamelad: - I'm planning on the next one soon.

Book 13: A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson
Category: Hemlock (2016) - Mystery/Crime Books
February AlphaKit: "J"



Next up in the Walt Longmire series about a sheriff out in Wyoming. Slightly disappointed in this one. And I figured out what was going on about 2/3 of the way into the book - well before Walt.

Just catching up on your thread!

Hi Betty, just saying hi and seeing what you’ve been up to reading wise. Reading >119 dudes22:, makes me curious about where I am in that series, I don’t remember.

>125 lsh63: - Hi Lisa - I'm glad I took a BB from Judy for this - and it's a small series (at least so far).

Book 14: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
Category: I'm Just a Kid at Heart - YA/Children's Books
February KiddyCat: Mystery
Bingo Block: STEM Topic



In the 7th book in the Flavia de Luce series, Flavia is sent to boarding school in Canada - to the same boarding school that her mother attended. The first night she is there, a classmate comes to visit her. When it seems like they will be caught, the classmate hides up the chimney until she falls - along with a corpse. The book is somewhat slower at getting Flavia involved in solving the crime, but eventually it all comes together.

Book 15: The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, narrated by Grover Gardner
Category: Libraries (2022) - Borrowed/Audio Books



Montelbano is in a small car accident on the way to a funeral. When he doesn't receive a response to the note he leaves, he returns, breaks into the house, and finds a dead woman. Why is she naked in a house which is not finished and where are all her belongings. While trying to figure out how to solve this murder, he must also deal with a new bureaucratic leader who wants to get rid of him. I like listening to these as I drive and seeing how he figures out what's going on.

>127 dudes22: I hear that Bradley is writing a new Flavia novel. I have mixed feelings about that.
>128 dudes22: Montalbano is one of my favorites! I have the entire set of books as well as the set of tv shows, which I've watched at least three times, and which seem to follow the books very closely. My favorite scene in the series was Montalbano dragging the body out of the sea... only to find his photograph in the paper the next day. It was funnier in the book than in the show. I haven't heard the audio's.

>129 mysterymax: - Grover Gardner does a good job of making him sound very irascible. I'll have to see if I can track down any of the TV series - I didn't know there was one.

Why mixed feelings about another Flavia?

>129 mysterymax: He's writing another Flavia?! I thought the series was supposed to be over.

>130 dudes22: You'll love the tv series, I hope you find it. Re Flavia - Somehow as Flavia got older she lost some of her charm for me.

>131 rabbitprincess: I could be wrong, I don't remember where I saw the news. I shouldn't start a rumor!

>129 mysterymax:, 131 I hope Alan Bradley is well and writing, but his website hasn't been updated in years and his facebook page is maintained by his publisher although it looks like he may occasionally provide a response.
He would be 84 this year and may just not be interested in all the falderol. I see no reference to a new book.

Book 16: The Masque of Africa by V.S. Naipaul
Category: Melville Dewey (2020) - Non-Fiction
February GeoCat: Place You'd Like to Visit
2023 Interconnected Reading Challenge - February - Spine or Cover compliments January cover



Subtitled "Glimpses of African Belief", I picked this up from the FOL shelf at the library without knowing anything about it or the author. I think I was expecting a more academic writing, although I did enjoy it. His "glimpses" are smallish vignettes of people and places, with a little history thrown in to try and give you a feeling for the African belief.

Re: Interconnected challenge: I thought the cover with the shape around the title was similar to my January book for this challenge.

Book 17: Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, narrated by Grover Gardner
Category: Libraries (2022) - Borrowed/Audion Books



I was looking for a quick audio before we leave on vacation and thought I'd continue with another Inspector Montelbano book. Not the biggest fan of this one - it was kind of convoluted.

>133 clue: That was what I thought, that he ended the series where he did because he wasn't getting any younger and wanted to make sure that the series was wrapped up properly.

Darn it, now I want to re-read the series!

Book 18: Aunt Bessie Considers by Diana Xarissa
Category: Hemlock (2016) - Mystery/Crime Books
February MysteryKit: Classic Settings
AlphaKit: "X"



Another mystery set on the Isle of Man centers around a conference at the Manx Museum. Aunt Bessie is going to present a paper at the conference and has decided to attend all three days. The sudden appearance of Mack Dickson causes much confusion and resentment among some of the attendees. When he is found dead, Aunt Bessie starts collecting confidences from some of the people although the Police Inspector doesn't want her to interfere.

Book 19: The Witch Elm by Tana French
Category: Hemlock (2016) - Mystery/Crime Books
Bingo Block: More than 1,000 copies on LT"



I was in the process of looking for a few physical books to take on vacation for the plane, etc and luvaturtle happened to mention this on her thread. I was going to take a BB for it when I realized that I already had it. And, at 500+ pages, it seemed a good one to take for the plane.

The story begins with Toby who works PR for an art gallery out for a night with a couple of buddies. Later that night he hears someone breaking into his apartment and when he confronts them, they beat him very badly, almost to death. While he is the process of recovering, he learns that his Uncle Hugo has brain cancer and only a few months to live. His family convince him to go the Ivy House and look after his uncle while Toby is recovering. While he is there a skull is found in an old tree and who it is and how it came to be there starts a novel of tense, phycological intrigue.

Ms French has written an interesting character in the person of Toby. Ther were times I liked him, times I felt sorry for him, times I disliked him, times I found him frustrating. And the other characters were also very well written - complex.

I've seen a few reviews that mention the length of the book and there were I few times I thought it dragged, but overall, I liked it.

I'm glad you liked The Witch Elm. It was different from her murder squad books, but I liked what she did with Toby. Incidentally, she used to put out a book every two years like clockwork, but she hasn't published anything since 2020 and there's no sign of a new book on the horizon.

>139 RidgewayGirl: -I'm only a few books into the Murder Squad books and I haven't read her other stand-alone yet, so I have a few more to read. I think we shouldn't give up hope yet. There was an excellent book I read some years ago and the author had won the "5 Best New Authors Under 35" prize and she's never published another book.

Was dropping in to say hi and saw the discussion about Bradley possibly writing a new Flavia. I've only read this first four in the series so far, but I'd love it if it went on indefinitely like the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency seems to be doing.

>141 mstrust: - Someone mentioned that it would only work until she gets too old - which I can understand.

Book: Where the River Ends by Charles Martin
Category: Father's Day Necktie (2015) - Male Authors
March Random: Water, Water, Everywhere



Charles Martin is one of my favorite authors and this book was so enjoyable andheart-rending at the same time. One of the larger tags on this book is "Christian Fiction" which will turn some people away from it, and yet - not so much. It's also told from a present/past time frame for those who don't like this.

"That which we cannot speak about, we must pass over in silence."

Doss and Abbie meet when Doss saves Abbie from a rapist. Doss is poor, a struggling artist trying to finish college and Abbie is a Charleston, SC born-and-bred debutante whose father is a Senator. When her father refuses permission for them to marry, they elope anyway. Fourteen years later, Abbie gets cancer (no spoiler - this is at the beginning of the book). She has a bucket list of 10 items she wants to do and one of them is to go down the St Mary's River from top to bottom. They story alternates between the current trip down the river and the past of their relationship.

I don't write good reviews compared to some people here and there's no way I can convey the emotional impact this author's writing has. Whether he's writing about the relationship that Doss and Abbie have, or the cancer, or their trip down the river, he picks exactly the right words. If the completion of the bucket list is somewhat contrived, so be it. Some people may call it sentimental, but, still ...

>137 dudes22: Glad you enjoyed Aunt Bessie. A reminder that I have to catch up on the series. When I was a child we visited the Isle of Man often and I loved it, thought it the most exciting place I'd ever been (although I hadn't been far). A few years ago a couple of young teenage relatives who live there visited me. They thought it the most boring place.

>144 VivienneR: - I'm pretty sure almost all teenagers think the place they live is boring.

Book 21: P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
Category: Sunbonnet Sue (2014) - Female Authors
March AlphKit: "A"
Bingo Block: Book written by an author under 30



This has been on my TBR for far too long and thought this would be a good time to get it off.

When the book starts, Holly has recently lost her husband to a brain tumor and she's devistated and can barely funtion. One day a couple of months later, her mother calls and reminds her that there is an envelope that has been waiting for her. Turns out, her husband had written a series of tasks for her to accomplish after he died. There is one to open on the first of each month for the next 10 months.

I see the tag chick-lit on this book and that's a good description. A decent premise and not that bad a book.

>143 dudes22: Not a fan of dual time lines as many don't do them well. However, this book has good reviews, so on my WL it goes!

>147 Tess_W: - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Book 22: Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson
Category: Sunbonnet Sue (2014) - Female Authors



This book begins in 1943 in the middle of WWII in Venice. Life is becoming more difficult for Jews and Antonina Mazin's father has decided that it is time for his daughter to leave. He is a doctor and has a Catholic priest as a friend who was once a patient. They arrange for Anonina to go to the countryside with a man who will be her "husband". They must go to the family farm, and she will have to convince them that they are actually husband and wife. Her husband was studying to be a priest but had to return to the farm when the war broke out. A good man, he is also helping others to escape from the Nazis.

There have been many historical fiction books written from many different storylines about WWII and what happened to personalize the stories of the Jewish people. This one is very well done. I think the simpleness of the story makes it just as compelling as being bombarded with gruesome descriptions.

>134 dudes22: What a great match you made for the covers that compliment each other! After loving my first Charles Martin book, I have failed to get back to him. I am adding Where the River Ends to my list and hopefully will get to him sooner rather than later!

>150 DeltaQueen50: - You might need a hankie reading that book. One of the things I like about his books is the way he writes his male characters.

Book 23: The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
Category: Sunbonnet Sue (2014) - Female Authors
Bingo Block: Rated 4+ on LT
2023 Interconnected Challenge - March - Title Starts with Next Letter Alphabetically from February Book



Sophie, who is an Irish immigrant, answers a newspaper ad to go to San Fransisco and marry a man and take care of his young daughter. They come to an agreement that until she has some feelings for the man, they will occupy separate bedrooms. He tells her that he works for an insurance agency and has to work on the road for days or weeks at a time. His wife has died, and his 4-year-old daughter has stopped speaking. One day she answers the door to find a pregnant woman there claiming to be her husband's wife. Then the Great Earthquake of 1906 happens, and they must escape the city. There are plenty of hints and twists to this story which are well done.

>152 dudes22: One for my WL!

>153 Tess_W: - Hope you enjoy!

Book 24: Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson
Category: Ambush of Tigers (2021) - Book Bullets - DeltaQueen50 2012
March GeoCat: Australia & New Zealand



The story of a platypus who escapes from the Adelaide Zoo and goes searching for "Old Australia".

I've read a couple of Susan Meissner's books and really liked them - I can see that I will eventually have her whole catalog in my library!

Wow! I don't even remember Alberts of Adelaide!!

>155 dudes22: Looks delightful! ANOTHER BB!

I've read a couple of books by both of these authors and I'll put these on my list!

>156 DeltaQueen50: - I can understand why.

>157 Tess_W: - >158 clue: - Hope you enjoy.

Book 25: Guiltless by Viveca Sten
Category: Hemlock (2016) - Mystery/Crime Books



This book is number 3 in the Sandhamn mystery series. Told in alternating timelines and going back in history to find the reason for the murder. A little bit more depressing than the others, I thought. A book bullet for this one is what started me on the series.

Book 26: The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Category: Sunbonnet Sue (2014) - Female Authors



I generally like almost everything I read by Elizabeth Berg, but this one was only so-so for me.

Arthur Moses Lives with his cat Gordon and goes every day to the cemetery to have lunch with his wife Nola who died 6 months ago. There he befriends a young high school girl who is having problems at school and at home. And then there's a neighbor, Lucille, and her issues. I can see why some people love it, but just not for me right now.

Book 27: Never Go Back by Lee Child
Category: Hemlock (2016) - Mystery/Crime Books



Number 18 in the Jack Reacher series, this one takes place after he's left the Army. He goes to Washington to meet with Susan Turner who currently has the position he used to have in charge of the 110th MP only to find that she has been arrested. Then her replacement tells Reacher that he is being recalled to active duty and then arrested for 2 different crimes. Reacher manages to break Turner out of jail, and they proceed to figure out what is really going on.

Book 28: Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson
Category: Libraries (2022) - Borrowed/Audio Books



This is one of those in between, novella length books in the Walt Longmire series. A young lady shows up looking for Lucien Connelly on Christmas Eve which leads to the backstory of how she knows him.

>162 dudes22: I have not read the book, but I enjoyed the movie greatly. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back starring Tom Cruise

>164 lowelibrary: - The book is relatively different from the movie. (And somehow Tome Cruise was never Jack Reacher for me) (i.e they never go to New Orleans)

Book 29: Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh
Category: Hemlock (2016) - Murder/Crime Books



When Inspector Allyn is invited by his friend to a play at the Unicorn Theater, little does he know that a murder will be committed during the show when a supposed fake gun shoots a live bullet.

Book 30: The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander
Category: An Ambush of Tigers - Book Bullets (Lori - thornton37814 -2022)



This was a good book to end my vacation. A feel-good story about Jess, who has lost her grandmother and then her job as a librarian. (ok - that doesn't sound feel-good) While out for a drive one day, she comes upon a small village, and she quickly decides to buy a cottage that's for sale and move. Once she moves in, she finds that she also owns a red phone box booth that she needs to find a use for. Her grandmother had packed boxes and boxes of books for Jess before dying and Jess decides to turn the phone booth into a library.

There are lots of little side stories about people in the village and some romance. I also liked how the people who borrowed books usually found an inscription or underlining in the book that helped them or was particular to their situation.

>167 dudes22: It is a nice little book--great when you need the feel-good story!

>167 dudes22: I liked it and I've loaned it to two people who did too. It's one of those that give you a nice break from real life.

>168 thornton37814: - >169 clue: - Yes - a feel good story for sure.

Book 31: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Category: Sunbonnet Sue (2014) - Female Authors
Bingo Block: Bestseller from 20 years ago



This book is the first novel that Jhumpa Lahiri published after she won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her short story collection Interpreter of Maladies in 1999. The story is rather a quiet one about a family that emigrates to America from India. It centers around the son in the story and his experiences. It also explores how the immigrant experience for the parents is different than for the children and how they embrace or reject it.

>167 dudes22: That sounds lovely. I've added it to my library list. A feel-good story is always worthwhile.

>173 VivienneR: - Sometimes that's just what one needs.

I've just had my first DNF for the year - The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate. I was listening to the audio and it just wasn't working for me. Part of it was the narrator. In trying to work a southern (?) accent, I found there were words I just didn't understand. The description of the book is that Tandy finds 81 boxes that an old lady had hidden and supposedly it tells about her life. But at almost 1/3 of the way in, she's just found the boxes in the back of a closet. Plus, the guy she's seeing sounds exactly like the guy she ran away from - I just couldn't go on. Maybe I'll try it again sometime in print to see if I like it any better.

>175 dudes22: I think I'd enjoy the Hatteras Island setting more than the book itself.

>176 thornton37814: - I've read a couple of other books of hers and I have one that my sister-in-law recommended, but this just didn't do it for me.

Book 32: Mr Lemoncello's Very First Game by Chris Grabenstein
Category: I'm Just a Kid at Heart (2010) - YA &Children's Books
March Series Cat: Children & YA Series



This is the 6th book in the series but tells the story of how Mr Lemoncello began making up games when he was just a kid. He's one of ten children in the family and likes to play and design games. When the carnival comes to town, Luigi gets a chance at a job in one of the booths. The player pops balloons to reveal a rebus puzzle and if he/she guess correctly, they get a prize. And Luigi is trying to invent a new game too. There are once again, puzzles which can be solved before reading the answers that are part of the story.

Book 33: The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, narrated by Grover Gardner
Category: Libraries (2022) - Borrowed/Audio Books



This is the 6th book in the Inspector Montelbano series about a police inspector in Sicily. They're a pleasant diversion to listen to as I drive. I'm thinking of working my way through the series this way as they're also a fairly quick read. This time the Inspector is investigating a man who has disappeared with all his clients' money. I particularly like the references to the food that he eats.

Book 34: To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
Category: Sunbonnet Sue - Female Authors
January AlphaKit: "I"



Although it took me a while to finish my January AlphaKit "I" book, I really enjoyed it a lot.

The book takes place in 1885 when Cpt Forrester leads an expedition to explore the Wolverine River in Alaska. He leaves his wife back at the barracks in Vancouver. Chapters vary between his diaries of the trip up the river and his wife Sophie's diaries of what's happening while he is gone. While he is exploring and interacting with the native Indians, she is starting to learn how to take photos of nature and birds, a particular interest of hers.

The author has done a great job in making the realities of life in Alaska in the late 1880s real and exciting. Her portrayal of the wilderness and well as the environment to which women were relegated brought a poignancy to the book.

>180 dudes22: Though Eowyn Ivey has only written two books, she is a favorite of mine. I so hope she'll write another book although I've read she's not sure she will. I can look forward to rereading this one though. Did you read her first book, The Snow Child? I liked it too, but her writing here is so much more mature and the book more complex. I read an article/interview with her in an Alaskan newspaper where the reviewer says it's the best book ever writen about Alaska. I can't weigh in on that, I can only say it's an enduring favorite of mine!

>181 clue: - That's interesting. I did read The Snow Child and I agree this one was better. (Although they are rather different) I hope she decides to write more too.

>179 dudes22: There's a cookbook with Adelina's recipes for rice balls. My husband made them, good but very time consuming in the preparation.

>183 mysterymax: - That's interesting.

>180 dudes22: Sounds like a wonderful book! I put on my WL....however, it will probably be awhile since I'm currently burned out on books over 500 pages!

>185 Tess_W: - It's not as long as it seems because there are photos and short little blips about some of the artifacts.

>180 dudes22: Such a beautiful cover! I haven't read The Snow Child, but have only heard good things about it. I wasn't aware of this book, but will add it to the WL, too.

>187 MissBrangwen: - Hope you enjoy it whenever you get to it.

Book 35: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Category: Super Bowl (2012) - Award Winning Books



Although this book was getting rave reviews, I had never really been that interested in reading about Shakespeare's son. But then it was picked as our book club book for next month, so I "had" to read it.

In some ways, I really liked it. I thought the descriptive parts were wonderful. As detailed as they were though, they also had a somewhat filmy quality, like looking through a gauzy curtain. I think the fact that there wasn't much of a plot contributed to this. And it's not that much of a story of Hamnet as it is more about his mother Agnes. It will be interesting to see what others think next week at our meeting.

Book 36: The Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
Category: Sunbonnet Sue (2014) - Female Authors
Bingo Block - Art or Craft Related



This is the 12th book in the series about the Elm Creek Quilters. In this book, some of the original characters are leaving and some new ones are arriving. There's always a little bit of information from previous books about the quilters and the history of the Elm Creek Quilters and since it's been a while since I've read one, it jogged my memory about a few things. Not saying to much so I don't give things away.

>189 dudes22: "a somewhat filmy quality, like looking through a gauzy curtain."

Excellent comments on Hamnet I loved it too and have a reminder to reread it. I'll look forward to hearing what your book club think of it.

>189 dudes22: I've started Hamnet a few times but didn't get far. I must persevere!

>192 pamelad: - There's not a lot of action, so it took me a while to read it.

>189 dudes22: I DNF'd that last year; it wasn't the time for me. I hope to pick it up again this year.

>194 Tess_W: - I may not have picked it up except for book club.

Book 37: Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri, translated by translated by Stephen Sartarelli, narrated by Grover Gardner
Category: Libraries (2022) - Library/Audio Books



I've really been enjoying this series on audio while driving and think I'll probably just continue with reading them this way unless something else comes along.

Inspector Montelbano thinks he is doing a good thing when he "captures" a young refugee and returns him to his mother. But then he learns that the young boy was killed in a hit-and-run accident and Montelbano wonders what is going on.

One of the things I enjoyed most in this installment was the relationship between Montelbano and the secondary characters.

That's my last book for March and I had a very good reading month (19 books) - mostly because we were on vacation for the beginning of the month, and I indulged in book after book. Almost at 200 posts so I think I'll start a new thread sometime this weekend.