Book a Week 2017 - BW52: Year End Wrap Up

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday and welcome to week 52 in our 2017 adventurous prime reading year.   Greetings to all our readers and everyone following our progress. Mister Linky is available weekly on 52 Books in 52 Weeks  to share a link to your book reviews.

 

 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!  Our Adventurous Prime reading journey is drawing to a close.  Did you enjoy spelunking and digging up gems from around the world, uncovering polished stones as well as rough, blemished chunks of minerals just waiting to be revealed.  I had loads of fun searching for and reading new to me authors plus reading through series by favorite authors with the Birthstone Bookology challenge as well as delving into different centuries, countries, and genres with 52 Books Bingo.  

 

 

 

·         Where did your reading take you this year?

·         What was your reading goal for the year and did you meet or beat your personal goal?  Did you end with a prime number of reads?

·         Top 5 (or more) favorite reads?

·         Which book stayed with you the longest after finishing it?

·         Which book made you want to read it all over again?  

·         Which book did you think you were going to love, but didn't?

·         Which genres or authors you thought you'd never read and was pleasantly surprised to like them?

·         Which countries and time periods did you visit?

·         Which books or authors would you recommend everybody read? 

·         Which mini challenges did you enjoy? 

·         Please share favorite covers or quotes

·         And last, but not least, share your list of completed reads! 

 

 
Congratulations on completing our 52 Books quest and thank you to everyone who joined in our 2017 adventurous reading year.    I'd also like to thank all who have followed our progress.  Are you ready to dive in yet?  *grin*    Whether you read fast or slow or listen to audio books; read fluffy, light romances or heavy classics, comedy to drama, urban fantasies to thrillers, or nonfiction to comics, the most essential thing is reading.  

 

 

 

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.†~ Charles William Eliot

 

 

I have enjoyed sharing our reading journey and look forward to the new year and more bookish adventures.  

 

~Cheers to a blessed and happy reading new year!

 

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 51

[Robin M]

Good morning, dear hearts.  We just finished breakfast with my in- laws and now are heading back for home.  Have a lovely day and I'll check in with you later tonight. 

 

:wub:

[Kareni]

A bookish post that might interest some here ~

 

Urban Fantasy versus Paranormal Romance

 

This is from 2014.

**

 

A one day only classic that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

Looking Backward: 2000–1887  by Edward Bellamy

 

"A masterwork of science fiction that imagines the world not just how it could be, but how it should be

In Boston in the year 1887, Julian West is hypnotized and falls into a deep sleep. He awakens at the dawn of a new millennium in an America where war, crime, and inequality no longer exist. In this brave new world, goods are delivered in the blink of an eye, public kitchens ensure that no one goes hungry, and the retirement age is forty-five. It sounds too good to be true, but Julian soon learns that this socialist utopia is not the stuff of dreams—it is a carefully planned, wondrously liberating reality.
 
One of the bestselling American novels of the nineteenth century, Looking Backward launched a vibrant political movement and sparked an enormous amount of debate. Today it stands as an enduring testament to the power of imagination and the best of human nature."

 

Also currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

Forgotten & Remembered  and  Despised & Desired  both by Bree Wolf

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Zebra]

I completed 90 books this year, and will probably get a couple more read this week.

 

I didn't complete any challenges.   Challenges stress me out  :lol: !

 

Looking over my list, I did notice that I read a number of biographies/memoirs about old or dead white guys.  George Lucas, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, William Daniels, Prince Charles and Alexander Hamilton.   The Prince Charles books was particularly interesting to me, in light of watching The Crown on Netflix.   Prince Charles finds himself in an extremely odd situation, and I can't imagine being him.   It makes me feel claustrophobic just thinking about it.

 

I also read a couple of bestsellers from a few years ago that everyone loved.   A Man Called Ove, which I thought was fine.   I didn't dislike it, I just do not understand the hoopla surrounding it.  I also finally read Gone Girl and I thought it was fantastic. 

 

My daughter and I read the Marissa Meyer Lunar Chronicle series this year.    They were fine, and probably better if I was a teenage girl!   But, it's nice to read what my daughter is reading sometimes.

 

This week I completely Beartown by Fredrik Backman, which I did not enjoy.   It's about a hockey town, it was full of locker room talk, (and a rape) and I was expecting something lighter.   I also read A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro which I also did not enjoy.   Remains of the Day is one of my favorite books, and I also enjoyed Never Let Me Go.  A Pale View of Hills was boring and hard to follow, but at least it was short!   Finally, I finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.   It was an interesting story in some ways, but also scattered and hard to follow.   It did get better as is progressed.

 

This week I am still slogging away at Alexander Hamilton.   I am also reading The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline.   I hate every book this author writes.   I have no idea why I am reading another one.   Probably so I can complain about it :lol: !   

 

Happy reading to all this week...  

[Loesje22000]

· Where did your reading take you this year?

&& I read quite some books about Feminism and WWII

The connection between Goodreads and BaW made me reading quite some Spanish and Scandinavian books

 

· What was your reading goal for the year and did you meet or beat your personal goal?

&& I Aimed for a slighty higher number then 2016 so 67 or so, but I met that goal too early so I raised my goal several times

 

Did you end with a prime number of reads?

I’m not sure that will happen on 31 december.

 

· Top 5 (or more) favorite reads?

· Which book stayed with you the longest after finishing it?

· Which book made you want to read it all over again?

&& the Lent book of the archbishop of the anglican church. I’m not Anglican, but what he said/wrote is worthwhile to ponder.

 

· Which book did you think you were going to love, but didn't?

&& Several prizewinners were a misser

And the debute novels I read.

Sometimes I don’t get to masculin books as a woman.

And I don’t like bedroom scenes in detail.

 

· Which genres or authors you thought you'd never read and was pleasantly surprised to like them?

I never thought I would like Science Fiction or books set in Ancient Rome

 

· Which countries and time periods did you visit?

· Which books or authors would you recommend everybody read?

· Which mini challenges did you enjoy?

· Please share favorite covers or quotes

· And last, but not least, share your list of completed reads!

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 51

I will answer in episodes I think :)

This is Part 1

[ErinE]

I'll answer the question in a bit, but I wanted to put up my weekly post.

 

Books read last week:

• The Burning: Destruction and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Tim Madigan. History-American. In 1921, a white woman claimed a black man attacked her, sparking a white mob to enter the black section of Tulsa and kill people, loot homes, and burn buildings. Over 34 city blocks were destroyed. Madigan writes in a novelistic style, immersing the reader in the thoughts and actions of many different participants: a scared young girl, a racist man, an older businessman and more. The time period covers the city’s founding, the riots themselves, and the event’s erasure from history. I knew about the riots, but this is my first read dedicated to the event, inspired by the YA novel Dreamland Burning. Highly recommended, even if it requires an interlibrary loan.

• Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin by Stephen Jay Gould. Science - Evolution. A look at the development and complexities of biological systems and baseball. I first discovered Gould in college and for a few years, I read several of his essay books. My children’s arrival and his death caused his name to fall off my preferred authors list. This book served as a reminder that he was an excellent thoughtful scientist and philosopher. I highly recommend this book, and he will be a focus author for next year.

• The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. Historical Fiction. Before the Great War, an educated woman arrives in town to tutor the local students in Latin.

• The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson. A history of the creation and use of financial instruments. The latter half of the title more accurately captures the book’s focus: a history of finance. Jack Weatherford’s History of Money is a better history of fiat currency. In Ascent, Ferguson breaks the history into six parts: money as a means of exchange, bonds and debt, joint stock companies and equity, derivatives, property and capital, and the future of finance. Despite a few shaky claims (particularly a simplification of Hernando De Soto’s The Nature of Capital), I found this an engaging read.

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Pevear and Volokhonsky. Literary Fiction. Russian families deal with the turmoil caused by Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. I finished! I hauled this doorstopper everywhere, including the pediatrician’s office where the doctor asked, “Did you think your wait would be that long?†I laughed and told her no, but having the book with me helped me finish before the end of the year. Tolstoy ends with several pages of philosophical musings on the nature of war and progress of history, which combined with Gould’s Full House gave me plenty to consider.

• Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Historical Fiction - American Revolutionary War. Eight books and 7000+ pages later, Jamie and Claire still aren’t done with history.

I’ve charged myself with finishing my Currently Reading shelf so I have The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, the Finnish epic Kalevala, and four short stories from Anton Chekhov. I’m also trying to work through a few other books from my library stack. I’m reading aloud The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Pratchett’s Hogfather.

[Lady Florida.]

I'll do my wrap-up later in the week. Just popping in to update my reading.

 

I'm two books away from my Goodreads goal of 107 (my prime number goal). With things being so busy the last few days I took the easy way out and am rereading/re-listening. It wasn't so I could hit the goal though (I'll probably surpass it by one or two books before the year is out) but because with all the activity I needed something that was easy to read. I put my other in-progress books aside. On Audible I'm listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when I'm not listening to Christmas music. I'm also reading Pride and Prejudice. Though I often reread Austen novels I tend to avoid that one because it's the one that gets so much attention thanks to Colin Firth. :) It's been quite a while since I read it and I'm really enjoying this reread.

 

Safe travels to all who will be on the road tomorrow! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all who are celebrating the season!

[Negin]

Robin, Merry Christmas to you and thank you for all that you do, all the wonderful work that you do here with this wonderful thread.  :grouphug:  This final thread of the year is always my favorite! 

 

 

       

I'll try answer as best as I can. 

 

Yes, I met my goal. :)

 

My favorite reads:

Victoria and Albert: Life at Osborne House

My Life in France

Monet's House

Because They Hate

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

The Girl You Left Behind

The Nightingale

 

             

 

The books that stayed with me the longest - hard to say:

Victoria and Albert: Life at Osborne House

My Life in France

Monet's House

Because They Hate

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

 

The book that I thought I would love, but didn't:

The Complete Guide to Fasting

 

My Favorite Covers:

      

 

 

 

My list of completed reads:

 

1. Sleeping Murder – 3 Stars

2. Martha’s Vineyard: Isle of Dreams – 5 Stars

3. Boy: Tales of Childhood – 3 Stars

4. Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies – 5 Stars

5. Corinne True: Faithful Handmaid of Abdu’l-Baha – 5 Stars

6. Victoria and Albert: Life at Osborne House – 5 Stars

7. Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour – 3 Stars

8. A Gentleman in Moscow – 4 Stars

9. My Cousin Rachel – 2 Stars

10. The Envoy – 4 Stars

11. Rick Steves France – 5 Stars

12. My Life in France – 5 Stars

13. The 6:41 to Paris – 5 Stars

14. French Milk – 1 Star

15. Hunting and Gathering – 2 Stars

16. A Moveable Feast – 2 Stars

17. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – 4 Stars

18. Flirting with French – 4 Stars

19. Chocolat – 2 Stars

20. Monet’s House – 5 Stars

21. Paris: The Novel – 4 Stars

22. Monet’s Palate Cookbook – 3 Stars

23. Lessons from Madame Chic – 5 Stars

24. 15-Minute French – 5 Stars

25. The Little Prince – 3 Stars

26. At Home with Madame Chic – 4 Stars

27. Rick Steves: Provence and the French Riviera – 5 Stars

28. Rick Steves: Pocket Paris – 5 Stars

29. Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic – 5 Stars

30. The French Beauty Solution – 2 Stars

31. A Year in Provence – 2 Stars  

32. We’ll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Memoir – 2 Stars   

33. Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte – 3 Stars

34. The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy – The Shocking Inside Story – 3 Stars

35. A Dark Time in America – 5 Stars 

36. Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work – 4 Stars

37. About Alice – 1 Star

38. Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America – 5 Stars

39. From Julia Child’s Kitchen – 3 Stars 

40. Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington – 3 Stars

41. Dennis Prager: Volume 1 – 5 Stars

42. We Go to the Gallery – 5 Stars

43. The Complete Guide to Fasting – 1 Star

44. We Learn at Home – 5 Stars

45. Child 44 – 4 Stars

46. We Go Out – 5 Stars

47. Mourning Diary – 2 Stars

48. The Divine Art of Meditation – 5 Stars

49. In a Sunburned Country – 4 Stars

50. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper – 4 Stars

51. The Modern Rapunzel – 3 Stars

52. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big – 5 Stars

53. The Man in the Queue – 2 Stars

54. Peter the Great: His Life and World – 3 Stars

55. The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code – 5 Stars

56. A Russian Journal – 2 Stars

57. Victoria: The Heart and Mind of a Young Queen – 4 Stars

58. Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph – 5 Stars

59. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – 5 Stars

60. The Ladybird Book of Red Tape – 3 Stars

61. The Girl You Left Behind – 5 Stars

62. Loner – 1 Star

63. The Gifts of Reading – 4 Stars

64. The New Rules of Lifting for Women – 3 Stars

65. Rick Steves Italy – 4 Stars

66. The Secret History – 2 Stars

67. The Nightingale – 5 Stars

68. The Talented Mr. Ripley – 3 Stars

69. Parkinson's Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life – 3 Stars

70. Dogs as I See Them – 5 Stars

71. The Agony and the Ecstasy – 3 Stars

72. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House – 3 Stars

73. Pushing to the Peak – 3 Stars

74. Katie’s London Christmas – 4 Stars

 

I have a hard time recommending any specific book or author that everyone should read. Tastes are so subjective and vary so much. 

 

This week, I didn't get much reading done. I read a children's book, which was cute. Katie's London Christmas - 4 Stars - When my children were younger, we had a few of these Katie books. I couldn’t resist getting this Christmas one the other day when we visited the book boat that stopped here. I love the whole English feel about it, things like “Father Christmas†and there were lots of Welsh corgis, which are my favorite. 

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

 

[Kareni]

I couldn’t resist getting this Christmas one the other day when we visited the book boat that stopped here.

 

I'll admit to being intrigued at the idea of a book boat, Negin.  Can you elaborate, please?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

This week I finished Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny and I should finish today Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper. I will then start The Dark is Rising also by Cooper. And hopefully get to one more after that to hit an prime 59 books for the year. But my year-end wrap-up will happen sometime between Christmas and New Year's.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Ali in OR

[mumto2]

I just wanted to say I 'm excited Ali and Scoutermom are planning to read the Dark is Rising in the coming week or so. Maybe we can all list our favorite parts???? Or any other idea. I have about an hour left on my audio book. Maybe I will have a chance to listen to it tomorrow but am a bit doubtful. :!o!:

 

I am also planning to do my year end wrap up in parts throughout the week. I am still trying to finish my challenges and still think I can. I am currently reading a murder mystery called Storm Peak https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6372496-storm-peak chosen because the author's name starts with an F and it is shorter than the new Ken Follet sequel to Pillars of the Earth which is what I had planned. The Follet will be my first book of the new year because it will fill a Bingo square. I have to say as a mystery lover Storm Peak has me intrigued so having to switch my be positive. I had to compromise with my Z author also because the book I wanted is still on hold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17165966-palace-of-spies

[Violet Crown]

Last week, finished Rose Macaulay, The Towers of Trebizond; Edwin Muir, Selected Poems; and J.-K. Huysmans, Marthe. Currently reading Child's Ballads; Cleanth Brooks, The Well-Wrought Urn; and Eugène Sue, The Wandering Jew.

[Negin]

I'll admit to being intrigued at the idea of a book boat, Negin.  Can you elaborate, please?

 

Regards,

Kareni

Kareni, it's said to be the world's largest floating bookstore. They used to visit here more often and it had been several years since they last did. We were delighted that they finally came and went there pretty much every day during their stay here (Grenada). It's Christian-based, and I would say that about half of the books are Christian. My daughter wrote about it here and she has quite a few photos as well. Oh, and the books are very reasonably priced! :)

 

Edited December 25, 2017 by Negin

[Negin]

I didn't complete any challenges.   Challenges stress me out  :lol: !

 

 

 

Me too. 

[Negin]

Merry Christmas to everyone!

 

Kindle book on sale today:

 

The Alice Network (historical fiction, WW II)

 

[Loesje22000]

Part 2 :)

 

Which countries and time periods did you visit?

- I visited: Egypt, Nairobi, Irak, UK, Poland, Russia, Germany, China, Spain, France, India, USA etc....

After reading a lot of Brontes in 2016 I was happy to read more modern books and making a better use of the library

 

· Which books or authors would you recommend everybody read?

Bloodlands was very good, but also nightmare giving.

Hindergroen was a joyful light reading that plays with Dutch Language.

I liked a lot of my readings :)

[Shawneinfl]

Merry Christmas everyone! This was a slow year for me book wise but I took on several big life projects and I'm finding that my need for sleep is cutting into what was formerly my reading time. I started teaching for VIPKID in April and I love, love, love this job. However it does require me to get up several hours earlier in the A.M. I am learning to be a morning person much to my husband's surprise. I also learned to crochet this year and have taken on several larger projects. The ADHD in me loves this new hobby. I think all boys should learn crochet to give them something to do so they can sit still. I do try to listen to audio books while I work but I find I'm just as likely to listen to the radio or, shockingly, listen to nothing and just have quiet time so my 50+ year old brain can recover and think a complete thought.

 

My current read is Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro.

 

I know I'm not a prolific poster but I feel privileged to be a long-time member of this group.

 

Blessings, Shawne

[Mothersweets]

Merry Christmas everyone!!

 

I finished two books this week and will post my year end wrap up later. For now - 

 

His Official Fiancee by Berta Ruck. 3 and a half stars. I liked the premise of the story - a young typist is offered a job by her cold and stand-offish employer  - pretend to be his fiancee for the next year. I struggled a bit with the cadence of the language but then I realized that this book had been first published in 1914  - aha! Made sense now. Overall it was fun to read and have a peek inside the mind of a young working woman's mind of that time period. And don't worry, Amy! I liked it but think it just didn't hit my funny bone the same way. :) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8272381-his-official-fiancee

 

Bitch in a Bonnet:Reclaiming Jane Austen From the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps, and the Saps - Volume 2 by Robert Rody. This was a re-read for me. It covers Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion while the first volume covers Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park. I love these two books - they are laugh out loud funny to me.I completely agree with Mr. Rody's assessment of Jane Austen's writing - she was not a swooney, starry-eyed romance writer but a sharp-tongued satirist that loved exposing society's fools, snobs, and hypocrites. Lots of fun! 

[mumto2]

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!

 

I feel very fortunate to be part of such a wonderful group! I hope everyone has a lovely day.

 

 

I have already hopefully had my oops moment for this holiday. I decided to take the gift opening photos using the new iPad. Why???? I didn't know what the "live" in the corner meant and wasn't concerned. I should have been. I have a whole lot of photos that move a bit. Actually fun but we have no still photos now. Ds says he will fix them for me.

 

Negin, I love your DD's book boat link. The pictures are beautiful!

[Penguin]

I have had a hard time getting to the forums for more than five minutes, and that remains true. I am not complaining, though. The busyness has been fun busyness.

 

mum2to, I finished The Dark is Rising yesterday. I would give it an A+++ for the atmosphere. The visual descriptions are what stood out for me. Parts of the plot seemed weak, and I was unimpressed by The Quest itself. I vacillated between four and five stars on Goodreads, but ended up settling on four. I might amend that later though lol.

 

If I ever read it again, I could see reading it on the schedule of one chapter per day from Dec 20th through 12th night, but as a first read I was too caught up in the story for that level of patience :) I do think I would like to read the whole series.

 

Oh, and I loved the Britishness of it!

 

Negin, thanks for the link to your DD's review of the book boat. That looks amazingly fun!!

 

Shawne, I remember someone on the WTM posting about a VIPKID job but I had forgotten who it was and didn't know it was a BaW boardie. I am currently an ESL volunteer one-on-one tutor, and will be teaching my first group class in January. Hopefully, this will be a job for me at some point. Right now, I am content with the volunteering though. And I also learned how to crochet this year, but I haven't done much. Hope springs eternal and I plan to progress in 2018. What are your projects? I am focused on amigurumi. Have you seen Literary Yarns? I am trying to make the White Rabbit.

Edited December 25, 2017 by Penguin

[Kareni]

Kareni, it's said to be the world's largest floating bookstore. They used to visit here more often and it had been several years since they last did. We were delighted that they finally came and went there pretty much every day during their stay here (Grenada). It's Christian-based, and I would say that about half of the books are Christian. My daughter wrote about it here and she has quite a few photos as well. Oh, and the books are very reasonably priced! :)

 

What fun, Negin!  Thanks so much for posting the link to your daughter's writing; I enjoyed reading it and seeing her pictures.

**

 

Wishing a very merry Christmas to those who celebrate.

 

And wishing peace and joy to all!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Here's my year-end review:

 

·         What was your reading goal for the year and did you meet or beat your personal goal? My goal was 52 books. Yes, I met my goal and surpassed it by a few. Did you end with a prime number of reads? Not at the moment (54); I still have three books in progress and time to finish before the end of the year.

 

·         Top 5 (or more) favorite reads? The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs; The Woodcutter by Kate Danley; Starship Grifters by Robert Kroese; What Made Maddie Run by Kate Fagan; Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

 

·         Which book stayed with you the longest after finishing it? The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs

·         Which book made you want to read it all over again?  The Woodcutter by Kate Danley

·         Which book did you think you were going to love, but didn't? My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall

·         Which books or authors would you recommend everybody read?  See my response to Top 5

·         Which mini challenges did you enjoy? I read War & Peace.  Yay me!!

·         Please share favorite covers or quotes

"When the sins of our fathers visit us, we do not have to play host. We can banish them with forgiveness" Fences, August Wilson

 

"You should also realize that, no matter what happens in this match, your life will go unchanged. In the long run, winning or losing this specific match will make no great difference to you. And if you think other people care about your results, your ranking, or your record, forget it. They don't." On a player's perspective on tennis. by Allen Fox

 

"A champion's mindset is exemplified through a consistent effort to become the best version of themselves on and off the court." 7 on Court Strategies to Experience Play State by Styrling Struther

 

·         And last, but not least, share your list of completed reads! 

1. Fences by August Wilson

2. The Night Bird by Bryan Freeman

3. Thru Hiking Will Break Your Heart by Carrot Quinn

4. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

5. Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde

6. The Plover by Brian Doyle

7. Signature Wounds by Kirk Russell

8. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

9. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey

10. Crimes Against a Book Club by Kathy Cooperman

11. The Buried Book by D.M. Pulley

12. An Accidental Death by Peter Grainger

13. Leaving Blythe River by Catherine Ryan Hyde

14. Grace of God by Peter Grainger

15. Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale

16. The Last Girl by Joe Hart

17. The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford

18. The Shark by Mary Burton

19. Fireblood by Jeff Wheeler

20. Starship Grifters by Robert Kroese

21. Cyberstorm by Matthew Mather

22. The Woodcutter by Kate Danley

23. The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

24. My Mother was Nuts by Penny Marshall

25. The Blue Line by Ingrid Belancourt

26. The Unfinished life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

27. The Secret of Spellshadow Manor by Bella Forrest

28. The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs

29. The Great Passage by Shion Miura

30. Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

31. All the Breaking Waves by Kerry Lonsdale

32. The Dead Key by D.M. Pulley

33. Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale

34. War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy

35. Mrs. Saint and the Defectives by Julie Lawson Timmer

36. Cotton Grass Lodge by DeNise Woodbury

37. The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne

38. All the Little Children by Jo Furniss

39. The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen

40. Abandon by Blake Crouch

41. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

42. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

43. Wreakage by Emily Bleeker

44. 7 on Court Strategies to Experience Play State by Styrling Struther

45. When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker

46. Getting High: The Annapurna Circuit in Nepal by Bill Walker

47. The Strawberry Hearts Diner by Carolyn Brown

48. Balancing on Blue: Hiking the Appalachian Trail by Keith Foskett

49. The Man of Legends by Kenneth Johnson

50. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

51. Allie & Bea by Catherine Ryan hyde

52. What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan

53. Working Fire by Emily Bleeker

54. Dangerous Waters by Toni Anderson

55. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (completed 12/25)

Edited December 26, 2017 by Scoutermom

[Kareni]

A one day only classic that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 

 

Also currently free ~

 

Silver Bells: Rivers End Romance  by CJ Hunt

 

Magic Mirror (The Georgia Lee Maxwell series, Book 1)  by Michaela Thompson

 

Don't Leave Me  by James Scott Bell

 

Regards,

Kareni

[AppleGreen]

I am still reading, so I won't post my final list or answers until the very last minute. I know I can squeeze in one or two more books! 

 

I read Moxie yesterday. It is YA. Good girl power book. I am almost 100 pages into Gone Girl. I *think* I may be able to eek out one more. Guess I should fill in my BINGO square and see what I need to at least complete a row. 

[Robin M]

Merry Christmas, dear hearts.  I'll post my wrap up later in the week too.  Have to get more reading done!   My guys contributed to my book stack this year 

 

 

 

:wub:

[Violet Crown]

Santa despaired of picking out books for me this year and gave me an Amazon gift card. Books are being purchased on it. Santa did better with dh, who only wanted the Strugatsky brothers' science fiction, and Wee Girl, who only wanted Asterix.

 

Santa failed to give me what I really wanted: a replacement inlet valve assembly for a Whirlpool Quiet Partner, so I could have a functional dishwasher, or indeed running water at all while the dishwasher is sitting in the middle of the kitchen. Santa Prime is bringing the part to me Wednesday. Until then it's dishes in the bathtub.

[-M-]

Happy day after Jólabókaflóð, BaWers! A bit of my "yule book flood" is pictured above. It’s been a while since my last post because coming out of retirement, even for a parttime gig, has certainly changed my schedule.

 

In an unprecedented move, I have decided to call the year now. This week brings several adventures (including two more plays, a museum visit, and geocaching -- to say nothing of games, movies, and Season 2 of Stranger Things); plus, I have a one-hour music lesson for which to prepare. So... it's a wrap at 157 books this year.

 

— 53 plays (37 by Shakespeare)
— 45 novels (not including graphic works)
— 23 non-fiction works (29, including graphic works)
— 5 poetry titles
— 31 graphic works (6 of which were non-fiction titles)

 

This unrepentantly promiscuous reader could easily add thirty more titles to my annual list â€” books left in various stages of “undress†— but, as always, I have included only cover-to-covers.

 

A few fun facts:

 

▪ My participation in the “Shakespeare in a Year†project accounts for forty of my entries and may (partially) explain the thirty-four-book increase over last year’s 123.

 

â–ª I read three fewer graphic works this year than last year.

 

â–ª Forty-one of the books I read were published this year. (Last year, I read forty-six books published in 2016.)

 

â–ª The forty-five novels represent a decrease from fifty-seven in 2016.

 

And now to some of Robin’s questions.

 

What were your reading goals for the year? Did you meet those goals? 

I exceeded my two perennial goals — Read at least one non-fiction work every two weeks and Read more poetry — by finishing twenty-nine non-fiction books (six of which were graphic works, including the three volumes of John Lewis’ remarkable memoir, March) and reading each of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, as well as Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece.

 

Did you end with a prime number of reads?

Yes, 157.

 

Which book did you think you were going to love but didn't?

Hunger (Roxane Gay; 2017. Non-fiction.)

 

In which challenges did you participate? 

Shakespeare in a Year.

War and Peace. (Thank you, Robin.)

 

Which of the books you read this year do you recommend? 

This year, I reread a number of books that were as good if not better than they were when I first (or, in some cases, last) read them. (I have not included Shakespeare’s plays in this discussion.) To me, Reread generally equals Highly recommended, so consider these well worth your time:

 

■ The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood; 1986. Fiction.)
â–  Rhinoceros (Eugene Ionesco; 1959. Drama.)
â–  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tom Stoppard; 1966. Drama.)
â–  The Odyssey (Homer. (Trans. Robert Fagles; 1996.) Poetry.)
â–  Fun Home (Alison Bechdel; 2006. Graphic memoir.)
■ Cat’s Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut; 1963. Fiction.)

 

In addition, I'd like to recommend the following:

 

â–  So Long, See You Tomorrow (William Maxwell; 1980. Fiction.)
As much a meditation on loss and grief as it is an exploration of memory and how memory shapes (and haunts and robs from) the present, William Maxwell’s 1980 novel is as perfect a book as A Good School or Revolutionary Road (both by Richard Yates) or Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout). You’ll find commonplace book entries here.

 

â–  World of Trouble (Ben H. Winters; 2014. Fiction.)
I’m cheating here because this is the final book in the Last Policeman trilogy, which means, yes, I am actually recommending three books. They’re not heavy, though, and Henry Palace is not simply another quirky detective; he is a character who will roam the rooms of your imagination for a long time.

 

â–  Before the Fall (Noah Hawley; 2016. Fiction.)
It’s unsurprising that the flow of this “thumping good read†is reminiscent of great television; Hawley is a television writer and producer. (Commonplace book entries here.) My “Honorable Mention†recommendation would be Fierce Kingdom (Gin Phillips; 2017). This beautifully written and almost recklessly fast-paced thriller is destined for big-screen treatment. (Commonplace book entries here.) Pack either or both of these in your vacation bag.

 

â–  Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders; 2017. Fiction.)
Whether or not you ordinarily like audiobooks, you must hear Saunders’ first novel to appreciate how original and remarkable it is. My husband and I listened during trips to and from the University and in and out of Chicago, and we are still talking about this beautiful book. (Related article here.) Neither of us were surprised to learn that it will be a film.

 

â–  Fatale (Jean-Paul Manchette; 1977 (2011, English). Fiction.)
In the “slim book you can finish in a day†category, I shook things up earlier this year by recommending this dark, odd character study over the other contender, News of the World (Paulette Giles), which didn’t need my recommendation, anyway, as it was touted by everyone and her mother.

 

â–  American War (Omar El Akkad; 2017. Fiction.)
This is my entry in the “best post-apocalypse / dystopia / it’s a mad, mad world fiction read this year†category. Others chose The Power (Naomi Alderman) or The Book of Joan (Lidia Yuknavitch)… but I think I’m right on this one.

 

â–  A Whole Life (Robert Seethaler; 2014. Fiction.)
In 2015, I noted that Maria Beig’s novel Hermine: An Animal Life (translated from the German by Jaimy Gordon) is perfect, so comparing my experience of A Whole Life (translated from the German by Charlotte Collins) to Hermine is the highest praise I can offer this beautiful and deceptively simple novel. See also this review from The Irish Times, which draws parallels to Stoner (John Williams) and So Long, See You Tomorrow (William Maxwell), two books that would, like Hermine, easily earn a spot in my “Essential Bookcase.â€

 

â–  Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Matthew Desmond; 2016. Non-fiction.)
This is the sort of book everyone talks about and shares articles about but never reads. I recommend that you actually read it.

 

â–  Reclaiming Conversation (Sherry Turkle; 2015. Non-fiction.)
“They decide there should be a rule: A good friend should keep you off your phone when you are together.†(p. 157) Don’t miss this thought-provoking exploration of what has been lost since people turned away from each other to connect via phone.

 

â–  The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple (Jeff Guinn; 2017. Non-fiction.)
This well-researched account fascinates and saddens: If it were all so inevitable, how did no one prevent the tragedy?

 

â–  Briggs Land, Volume 1: State of Grace (Brian Wood; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
I thought I was going to recommend Wood’s The Massive, Volumes 1-5, and then I remembered how strong the opening to his new series is… and how annoyed I was by the resolution of The Massive.

 

Please share favorite quotes.

From The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl:

 

p. 36
“First, words. We want words that are about Venus, words that’ll tickle people. Make them sit up. Make them muse about change, and space, and other worlds. Words to make them a little discontented with what they are and a little hopeful about what they might be. Words to make them feel noble about feeling the way they do….â€

 

p. 47
“… It always winds up with him telling me the world’s going to hell in a hand-basket and people have got to made to realize it — and me telling him we’ve always got along somehow and we’ll keep going somehow.â€

 

p. 81
It was an appeal to reason, and they’re always dangerous. You can’t trust reason. We threw it out of the ad profession long ago and have never missed it.

 

p. 95
It was a simple application of intelligence, and if that doesn’t bear out the essential difference between consumer and copysmith mentality, what does?

 

Share your list of completed reads.

 

January
â–  Pygmalion (George Bernard Shaw; 1912. Drama.)
â–  A.D.: After Death, Book 2 (Scott Snyder; 2016. Graphic fiction.)
â–  I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives (Martin Ganda and Caitlin Alifirenka; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (J.D. Vance; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  The Selfishness of Others (Kristin Dombeck; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  So Long, See You Tomorrow (William Maxwell; 1980. Fiction.)
â–  King John (William Shakespeare; 1623. Drama.)
■ The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood; 1986. Fiction.)
â–  Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Matthew Desmond; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  Bird Watching (Paula McCartney; 2010. Non-fiction.)
â–  The Taming of the Shrew (William Shakespeare; 1590. Drama.)
â–  The Two Gentlemen of Verona (William Shakespeare; 1589. Drama.)
â–  Much Ado: A Summer with a Repertory Theater Company (Michael Lenehan; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  Henry VI, Part 1 (William Shakespeare; 1591. Drama.)

 

February
â–  King Charles III (Mike Bartlett; 2014. Drama.)
â–  Henry VI, Part 2 (William Shakespeare; 1591. Drama.)
â–  Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Bryan Stevenson; 2014. Non-fiction.)
â–  Henry VI, Part 3 (William Shakespeare; 1591. Drama.)
â–  Richard III (William Shakespeare; 1592. Drama.)
â–  Sun Moon Star (Kurt Vonnegut; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  Titus Andronicus (William Shakespeare; 1593. Drama.)
â–  The Comedy of Errors (William Shakespeare; 1594. Drama.)
■ Love’s Labour’s Lost (William Shakespeare; 1595. Drama.)
â–  The Futures (Anna Pitoniak; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Books for Living (Will Schwalbe; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  Countdown City (Ben H. Winters; 2013. Fiction.)
â–  Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath (Ted Koppel; 2015. Non-fiction.)
â–  The Joy of Geocaching (Paul and Dana Gillin; 2010. Non-fiction.)
â–  Rhinoceros (Eugene Ionesco; 1959. Drama.)
â–  Small Admissions (Amy Poeppel; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  The Confession (John Grisham; 2010. Fiction.)
â–  The Changeling (Thomas Middleton and William Rowley; 1622. Drama.)
â–  The Little Book of Hygge (Meik Wiking; 2017. Non-fiction.)
â–  Outcast, Volume 4 (Robert Kirkman; 2017. Graphic fiction.)

 

March
■ No Man’s Land (Harold Pinter; 1974. Drama.)
â–  World of Trouble (Ben H. Winters; 2014. Fiction.)
â–  The Walking Dead, Volume 27: The Whisperer War (Robert Kirkman; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Security (Gina Wohlsdorf; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  Before the Fall (Noah Hawley; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  Richard II (William Shakespeare; 1595. Drama.)
â–  The Last One (Alexandra Oliva; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  The Massive, Volume 1: Black Pacific (Brian Wood; 2013. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Massive, Volume 2: The Subcontinental (Brian Wood; 2013. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare; 1595. Drama.)
â–  The Hard Problem (Tom Stoppard; 2015. Drama.)

 

April
â–  The Massive, Volume 3: Longship (Brian Wood; 2014. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Massive, Volume 4: Sahara (Brian Wood; 2015. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Massive, Volume 5: Ragnarok (Brian Wood; 2015. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Class (Lucinda Rosenfeld; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Saga, Volume 7 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Letter 44, Volume 4: Saviors (Charles Soule; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
■ A Midsummer Night’s Dream (William Shakespeare; 1595. Drama.)
â–  Venus and Adonis (William Shakespeare; 1593. Poetry.)
â–  Monster (Walter Dean Myers; 1999. Fiction.)
â–  Birds Life Art (Kyo Maclear; 2017. Non-fiction.)
â–  Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Revival, Volume 8 (Tim Seeley; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Art of Practicing (Madeline Bruser; 1999. Non-fiction.)
â–  Reclaiming Conversation (Sherry Turkle; 2015. Non-fiction.)

 

May
â–  Fatale (Jean-Paul Manchette; 1977 (2011, English). Fiction.)
â–  Tenth of December (George Saunders; 2013. Fiction.)
■ The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Geocaching (2012. Non-fiction.)
â–  Briggs Land, Volume 1: State of Grace (Brian Wood; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Those Who Wish Me Dead (Michael Koryta; 2014. Fiction.)
â–  Henry IV, Part 1 (William Shakespeare; 1597. Drama.)
â–  The Rape of Lucrece (William Shakespeare; 1594. Poetry.)
â–  Henry IV, Part 2 (William Shakespeare; 1597. Drama.)
â–  The Metamorphosis (Peter Kuper (adapting Frank Kafka); 2003. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Roughneck (Jeff Lemire; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Harvey (Mary Chase; 1944. Drama.)
â–  The Good, the Great, and the Unfriendly (Sally Gardner Reed; 2017. Non-fiction.)
â–  A.D.: After Death, Book 3 (Scott Snyder; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Shylock Is My Name (Howard Jacobson; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  American War (Omar El Akkad; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  The Book of Joan (Lidia Yuknavitch; 2017. Fiction.)

 

June
â–  The Power (Naomi Alderman; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  The Merry Wives of Windsor (William Shakespeare; 1602. Drama.)
â–  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tom Stoppard; 1966. Drama.)
â–  Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare; 1599. Drama.)
â–  Lazarus, Vol. 5 (Greg Rucka; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  News of the World (Paulette Jiles; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  Bitch Planet, Vol. 2: President Bitch (Kelly Sue DeConnick; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware; 2016. Fiction.)
■ Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Albee; 1962. Drama.)
â–  Much Ado about Nothing (William Shakespeare; 1599. Drama.)
â–  March, Book One (John Lewis; 2013. Graphic non-fiction.)
â–  All the Missing Girls (Megan Miranda; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  March, Book Two (John Lewis; 2015. Graphic non-fiction.)
â–  March, Book Three (John Lewis; 2016. Graphic non-fiction.)
â–  The Bunker, Volume Four (Joshua Hale Fialkov; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
■ Ah, Wilderness! (Eugene O’Neill; 1933. Drama.)

 

July
â–  Descender, Vol. 4: Orbital Mechanics (Jeff Lemire; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Henry V (William Shakespeare; 1599. Drama.)
â–  Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood (Marjorie Liu; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  On Such a Full Sea (Chang-Rae Lee; 2014. Fiction.)
â–  Dis Mem Ber (Joyce Carol Oates; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches (Tony Kushner; 1993. Drama.)
â–  Dream Hoarders (Richard V. Reeves; 2017. Non-fiction.)
â–  Last Things (Marissa Moss; 2017. Graphic non-fiction.)
â–  The Dead Lands (Benjamin Percy; 2015. Fiction.)
â–  Final Girls (Riley Sager; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Postal, Vol. 5 (Bryan Hill; 2017. Graphic fiction.)

 

August
â–  Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika (Tony Kushner; 1994. Drama.)
â–  As You Like It (William Shakespeare; 1599. Drama.)
â–  Twelfth Night (William Shakespeare; 1601. Drama.)
â–  Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans (Don Brown; 2016. Graphic non-fiction.)
â–  The Odyssey (Homer. (Trans. Robert Fagles; 1996.) Poetry.)
â–  The Followers (Rebecca Wait; 2015. Fiction.)
â–  Hamlet (William Shakespeare; 1602. Drama.)
â–  The Grip of It (Jac Jemc; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Measure for Measure (William Shakespeare; 1604. Drama.)
â–  The Marriage Pact (Michelle Richmond; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Fierce Kingdom (Gin Phillips; 2017. Fiction.)

 

September
â–  Fun Home (Alison Bechdel; 2006. Graphic memoir.)
â–  Othello (William Shakespeare; 1603. Drama.)
â–  Timon of Athens (William Shakespeare; 1605. Drama.)
â–  Macbeth (William Shakespeare; 1606. Drama.)
â–  Do Not Become Alarmed (Maile Meloy; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (Jeanette Winterson; 2012. Non-fiction.)
â–  Carrying the Elephant (Michael Rosen; 2002. Poetry.)
■ War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy; 1869. (Trans. L. and A. Maude; Everyman’s Library; 1992.) Fiction.)
â–  Machinal (Sophie Treadwell; 1928. Drama.)
â–  You (Caroline Kepnes; 2014. Fiction.)
â–  Antony and Cleopatra (William Shakespeare; 1607. Drama.)
■ Cat’s Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut; 1963. Fiction.)

 

October
â–  The Walking Dead, Volume 28: A Certain Doom (Robert Kirkman; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Outcast, Volume 5 (Robert Kirkman; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Royal City, Volume 1: Next of Kin (Jeff Lemire; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
■ All’s Well That Ends Well (William Shakespeare; 1605. Drama.)
â–  The Witches (Stacy Schiff; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  Pericles (William Shakespeare; 1608. Drama.)
â–  The Skin of Our Teeth (Thornton Wilder; 1942. Drama.)
â–  The Space Merchants (Frederik Pohl; 1952. Fiction.)
â–  Coriolanus (William Shakespeare; 1608. Drama.)
â–  Paper Girls, Volume 3 (Brian Vaughan; 2017. Graphic fiction.)

 

November
â–  American Fire (Monica Hesse; 2017. Non-fiction.)
■ Reading Shakespeare’s Sonnets (Don Paterson; 2010. Poetry.)
â–  King Lear (William Shakespeare; 1608. Drama.)
â–  Unbelievable (Katy Tur; 2017. Non-fiction.)
â–  A Whole Life (Robert Seethaler; 2014. Fiction.)
â–  Hard Times (Charles Dickens; 1854. Fiction.)
â–  Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson; 1989. Drama.)
â–  Children of the New World (Alexander Weinstein; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  The Tempest (William Shakespeare; 1610. Drama.)
■ The Winter’s Tale (William Shakespeare; 1609. Drama.)
â–  Henry VIII (William Shakespeare; 1613. Drama.)
â–  The Hate You Give (Angie Thomas; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  Conversion (Katherine Howe; 2014. Fiction.)

 

December
â–  Heather, the Totality (Matthew Weiner; 2017. Fiction.)
â–  The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple (Jeff Guinn; 2017. Non-fiction.)
â–  The Two Noble Kinsmen (William Shakespeare; 1614. Drama.)
■ The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (Heinrich Böll; 2014. Fiction.)
■ Believe It or Not (Eugène Scribe; 1848. (Trans. Ranjit Bolt; 2004.) Drama.)
â–  Polar Bears (Mark Haddon; 2010. Drama.)
â–  My Name Is Rachel Corrie (ed. Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner; 2006. Drama.)
â–  Hunger (Roxane Gay; 2017. Non-fiction.)
â–  Our Little Racket (Angelica Baker; 2017. Fiction.)

 

[-M-]

 

 

My current read is Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro.

 

 

Our family book club selected this as our winter break book.

 

[Loesje22000]

Santa despaired of picking out books for me this year and gave me an Amazon gift card. Books are being purchased on it. Santa did better with dh, who only wanted the Strugatsky brothers' science fiction, and Wee Girl, who only wanted Asterix.

 

Santa failed to give me what I really wanted: a replacement inlet valve assembly for a Whirlpool Quiet Partner, so I could have a functional dishwasher, or indeed running water at all while the dishwasher is sitting in the middle of the kitchen. Santa Prime is bringing the part to me Wednesday. Until then it's dishes in the bathtub.

Oh I hope you will get the replacement soon!

Our dishwasher failed last month, did you recieve a lot of company during the holidays?

So you’ll have much more dishes to do?

[Loesje22000]

Dd finished her bingo not, she still has 2 squares to do: Western and Your name in Title.These were hard to find in something she would like,

She did a great a job, although I adjusted the rules a little to her: as she was 14 she was allowed to use YA books, and books she has to read for Dutch Literature she could also use for Bingo.

The Bingo helped her to find her way in the adult section of the library.

She will try the new bingo too :)

[Negin]

What fun, Negin!  Thanks so much for posting the link to your daughter's writing; I enjoyed reading it and seeing her pictures.

Kareni, thank you for your kind words. You are sweet. She'll be delighted to hear that you enjoyed it. 

[Negin]

Negin, I love your DD's book boat link. The pictures are beautiful!

 

 

Negin, thanks for the link to your DD's review of the book boat. That looks amazingly fun!!

Thank you both so much also. She'll be happy to hear that you both liked it as well. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

This week I finished Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny and I should finish today Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper. I will then start The Dark is Rising also by Cooper. And hopefully get to one more after that to hit an odd 59 books for the year. But my year-end wrap-up will happen sometime between Christmas and New Year's.

You and I are parallel reading. I finished Over Sea, Under Stone yesterday (Dec. 25) and began The Dark is Rising.

 

I, too, am trying to get to 59 for the prime reading challenge. We can do it Ali!!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Negin - I now want to buy a boat, fill it with books, and travel the world (or at least up and down the Mississippi).

 

Thank you for sharing your DD's link.

[mumto2]

:grouphug: VC, I feel your pain! No dishwasher and no water in the kitchen for Christmas is so not fun. I hope Wednesday goes well!

 

Raifta......I finished my mystery by John Flanagan and was surprised to discover that he is also the author of the Ranger's Apprentice series that my son and his friends all loved at about 10. I had forgotten this series for boys.

 

Storm Peak https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6372496-storm-peak was a good adult mystery. Some adult content and some violence but nothing huge. It is set in Steamboat Springs and centers around skiing. As a former ski enthusiast (my back surgery ended that activity) I lived vicariously through this book for a few hours. Fun read and glad I had to read it for my alphabetical author challenge. I will definitely read the next book in this series soon.

 

Off to attempt to finish The Dark is Rising. I am so close.....

[Kareni]

A one day only classic that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

This is by the author of The Phantom of the Opera:

 

The Perfume of the Lady in Black by Gaston Leroux

 

"Set in a medieval castle on the Côte d’Azur, this classic locked room mystery reunites journalist-turned-detective Joseph Rouletabille; Mathilde Stangerson, daughter of a famed French-American scientist; and master of disguise Frédéric Larsan.
 
Stangerson and her sweetheart Robert Darzac have just married and taken up residence in the Square Tower of the Fort of Hercules when Larsan strikes again. The attack leaves Stangerson frightened and confused, not only because she thought her nemesis dead, but also because she cannot figure out how he entered and escaped her room without notice. Only one man is capable of matching wits with Larsan, but when Rouletabille arrives in the South of France to investigate, he finds himself drawn deeper into his own past and his memories of a mysterious woman in black.
 
Best known as the creator of The Phantom of the Opera, author Gaston Leroux takes the locked room mystery to terrifying new heights in The Perfume of the Lady in Black."

**

 

Also currently free ~

 

Under a Black Sky (Part of the Daniel Trokics Series)  by Inger Wolf

 

Rock Addiction  by Nalini Singh

 

LGBT:  Point Shot Trilogy Box Set  by V. L. Locey

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

I'm pretty sure the only books I'll finish before the week/year is out are the two rereads I have in progress (HP #4 and Pride and Prejudice). My other current reads are too long for me to finish before the new year begins. 
 
 
·         Where did your reading take you this year?

 

Various U.S. states including my own state of Florida more than once, China, Russia, Pakistan, Bosnia and Herzegovena, North and South Korea, Australia, Peru, Mexico, the UK, Vietnam, Japan, France, Iceland, Italy, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, the distant past, more recent past, the apocolyptic future, and outer space. 

 

Reading that list made me realize I've read more books set in an Asian country or written by an Asian author than usual. It's neither here nor there, just an observation.

 

 

·         What was your reading goal for the year and did you meet or beat your personal goal?  Did you end with a prime number of reads?

 

My goal was the prime number 107. I'm at 105 and have no doubt that I'll finish two more. I might or might not finish another one, though I doubt it.

·         Top 5 (or more) favorite reads?

 

Fiction: News of the World, Big Little Lies, Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti books, A Place Beyond Courage, Song of Solomon.

Non-fiction: The Histories (Herodotus), The Wars of the Roses, Bellevue:Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital

 

·         Which book stayed with you the longest after finishing it?

 

News of the World, Being Mortal

 

·         Which book made you want to read it all over again?  

 

News of the World

 

·         Which book did you think you were going to love, but didn't?

 

Like Water for Chocolate, Doctor Zhivago, Hidden Figures (loved the movie, thought the book was dry). I didn't dislike any of these or I wouldn't have finished them, I just didn't like them as much as I thought I would.

 

·         Which genres or authors you thought you'd never read and was pleasantly surprised to like them?

 

I wouldn't say I thought I'd never read them, but books that surprised me were Big Little Lies and The Histories. I avoided the first because of all the hype and because of the tv series (also much hyped) but I was pleasantly surprised. As for The Histories I thought I might try to read it someday but the ancients bingo square brought someday to me this year. I found it much less dry (and even somewhat humorous) than I thought it would be.

 

·         Which countries and time periods did you visit?

 

Oops. I answered that in the first question about where my reading took me.

 

·         Which books or authors would you recommend everybody read? 

 

I don't generally recommend books unless 1. I'm specifically asked about a book or 2. I know the other person and I share reading tastes.

 

·         Which mini challenges did you enjoy? 

 

The birthstone challenges.

 

·         And last, but not least, share your list of completed reads! 

 

Here's my Goodreads Year in Books.

 

ETA: If I did recommend a book it would be Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. 

 
 

Edited December 26, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Robin M]

Do we have any book wizards that can tell me what to read next if I give you a few of my favorites, and a dislike from this year ala Modern Mrs. Darcy? :)

 

I have a lot on my "To Read" list, but none really striking me at the moment. I always feel a bit ADD after Christmas and need something that will draw me in quickly. 

 

Three books I read for the first time and adored in 2017: 

 

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

 

Last book read I didn't care for at all- History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund. The ending left me a bit  :001_huh:

If you liked Golem and the Jinni and want a quick read, check out Kij Johnson's The Dream Quest of Vellit Boe. I really enjoyed it! 

[mumto2]

Reading Wrap Up for 2017Reading Wrap Up for 2017

 

· Where did your reading take you this year?

 

All the continents except Antartica. My favorites were the Scandinavian mysteries closely followed by my Japanese authors. I loved The Devotion of Suspect X and my Murikami (Norwegian Wood) start to 2017. Looking forward to exploring both places further in 2018:

 

· What was your reading goal for the year and did you meet or beat your personal goal? Did you end with a prime number of reads?

 

I exceeded my goal. As for ending with a prime number I might. ;). Several books in progress......

 

· Top 5 (or more) favorite reads?

 

1). Pretty everything by Louise Penny. :lol: I gave most of them 5’s.

2). Same thing for DE Stevenson.

3). Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

4). Where he Dead Lie by CS Harris because it’s the latest in my favorite series.

5)The Lost book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

 

· Which book stayed with you the longest after finishing it?

 

The Zookeeper’s Wife

 

· Which book made you want to read it all over again?

 

Pretty much all the DE Stevenson books.

 

· Which book did you think you were going to love, but didn't?

 

My Tom Clancy Bingo read. Although I do remember it really well......all 50 or so hours of it!

 

· Which genres or authors you thought you'd never read and was pleasantly surprised to like them?

 

BaW has made me a fan of dystopian novels. I have also enjoyed some books set in outer space.

 

· Which countries and time periods did you visit?

 

Thanks to Sarum I pretty much covered all time periods.......it was so very long! I probably spent the most time in the U.K. I covered my Asian and Scandinavian reading already.

 

· Which mini challenges did you enjoy?

 

As usual I love Spooky October. I really enjoyed the monthly birthstones and can’t wait to start my flowers. Of course I have to finish spelling Turquoise first!

 

Edited to fix a massive copy and paste problem.

Edited December 27, 2017 by mumto2

[mumto2]

Do we have any book wizards that can tell me what to read next if I give you a few of my favorites, and a dislike from this year ala Modern Mrs. Darcy? :) 

 

I have a lot on my "To Read" list, but none really striking me at the moment. I always feel a bit ADD after Christmas and need something that will draw me in quickly. 

 

Three books I read for the first time and adored in 2017: 

 

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

 

Last book read I didn't care for at all- History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund. The ending left me a bit  :001_huh:

 

 

I loved The Golem and the Jinni also. Maybe Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Great book.

 

 

 

 

Dd finished her bingo not, she still has 2 squares to do: Western and Your name in Title.These were hard to find in something she would like,

She did a great a job, although I adjusted the rules a little to her: as she was 14 she was allowed to use YA books, and books she has to read for Dutch Literature she could also use for Bingo.

The Bingo helped her to find her way in the adult section of the library.

She will try the new bingo too :)

Your Dd did such a great job! She came so close to finishing. I had a hard time with those categories too.

[Kareni]

A one day only classic that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

The Wicked Marquis  by E. Phillips Oppenheim  

 

Also currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

This is by a favorite author of mine and it's a book I recommend; it's a new adult romance:  The Year We Hid Away: A Hockey Romance (The Ivy Years Book 2) by Sarina Bowen

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

I've finished several books over the last few days ~

 

I quite enjoyed In The Absence Of Light by Adrienne Wilder which is a contemporary male/male romance.  One of the heroes is an artist/bus boy who is autistic; the other hero is a man who was a smuggler.  (Adult content)

 

"For years Grant Kessler has smuggled goods from one end of the world to the next. When business turns in a direction Grant isn’t willing to follow he decides to retire and by all appearances he settles down in a nowhere town called Durstrand. But his real plan is to wait a few years and let the FBI lose interest, then move on to the distant coastal life he’s always dreamed of.

Severely autistic, Morgan cannot look people in the eye, tell left from right, and has uncontrolled tics. Yet he’s beaten every obstacle life has thrown his way. And when Grant Kessler moves into town Morgan isn’t a bit shy in letting the man know how much he wants him.

While the attraction is mutual, Grant pushes Morgan away. Like the rest of the world he can’t see past Morgan’s odd behaviors

Then Morgan shows Grant how light lets you see but it also leaves you blind. And once Grant opens his eyes, he loses his heart to the beautiful enigma of a man who changes the course of his life."

**

 

I also enjoyed Rachel Gibson's newest contemporary romance The Art of Running in Heels  which I read in its entirety yesterday.  This book had me chuckling from time to time.  (Adult content)

 

"Running in five-inch stilettos is an art form

 

Leaving your fiancé at the altar on live television is a disaster. Lexie Kowalsky thought she was ready to get married in front of millions of people, but at the last minute she fled the set of television’s hottest reality show, Gettin’ Hitched. Wearing a poofy white dress and a pair of five-inch sparkly shoes, Lexie hopped a float plane for Sandspit, Canada. She figured no one would find her there. But she was wrong.

 

Sharing her flight was the Seattle Chinooks biggest star, Sean Knox. Lexie wasn’t just a reality-show runaway, she was his pain in the butt coach’s daughter. She was chaos and temptation and definitely off limits, but getting her luscious body out of that wedding gown, he couldn’t resist getting her in his bed for one amazing night.

 

Then a photo of Sean and Lexi breaks the internet—and suddenly they’re both swept up in a crazy plan to spin the whole story. But you can’t run from love—"

**

 

The third book was a re-read (though I didn't realize it until I'd finished the first chapter), an enjoyable historical romance by Mary Balogh ~ Christmas Belle.

 

"Jack Frazer arrives at his grandparents' home for Christmas. He has resigned himself to announcing his betrothal to the young lady his grandmother has picked out for him. The family has always entertained itself with amateur theatricals, but this year his grandmother has an unexpected treat for them--the presence as an honored guest of the famous actress, Isabella Gellée, Comtesse de Vacheron. The last time Jack saw her was nine years before when he had loved her passionately. But she had been a struggling actress then and his mistress--and she had abandoned him without a word of farewell."

**

 

Here's one more currently free book for Kindle readers that sounds intriguing:

 

The Book of Simon  by  Sean Cameron

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

Santa despaired of picking out books for me this year and gave me an Amazon gift card. Books are being purchased on it. Santa did better with dh, who only wanted the Strugatsky brothers' science fiction, and Wee Girl, who only wanted Asterix.

 

Santa failed to give me what I really wanted: a replacement inlet valve assembly for a Whirlpool Quiet Partner, so I could have a functional dishwasher, or indeed running water at all while the dishwasher is sitting in the middle of the kitchen. Santa Prime is bringing the part to me Wednesday. Until then it's dishes in the bathtub.

 

Bummer all around. Is Wee Girl to the age where she's interested in Calvin and Hobbes at all?

 

Merry Christmas, dear hearts.  I'll post my wrap up later in the week too.  Have to get more reading done!   My guys contributed to my book stack this year 

 

 

 

:wub:

 

Have you read any Sol Stein yet? He seems very arrogant in his writing but he knows what he's talking about.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!!

 

I finished two books this week and will post my year end wrap up later. For now - 

 

His Official Fiancee by Berta Ruck. 3 and a half stars. I liked the premise of the story - a young typist is offered a job by her cold and stand-offish employer  - pretend to be his fiancee for the next year. I struggled a bit with the cadence of the language but then I realized that this book had been first published in 1914  - aha! Made sense now. Overall it was fun to read and have a peek inside the mind of a young working woman's mind of that time period. And don't worry, Amy! I liked it but think it just didn't hit my funny bone the same way. :) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8272381-his-official-fiancee

 

Hurrah. Glad you didn't hate it.

 

 

Yes, I met my goal. :)

 

<<snip>>

 

 

This week, I didn't get much reading done. I read a children's book, which was cute. Katie's London Christmas - 4 Stars - When my children were younger, we had a few of these Katie books. I couldn’t resist getting this Christmas one the other day when we visited the book boat that stopped here. I love the whole English feel about it, things like “Father Christmas†and there were lots of Welsh corgis, which are my favorite. 

 

 

 

Three cheers for meeting your goal.

 

That Katie's London Christmas looks so charming. Every year St. Nicholas brings each of the kids a Christmas book and I think I'll add this to the list for Chews for next year.

 

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Pevear and Volokhonsky. Literary Fiction. Russian families deal with the turmoil caused by Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. I finished! I hauled this doorstopper everywhere, including the pediatrician’s office where the doctor asked, “Did you think your wait would be that long?†I laughed and told her no, but having the book with me helped me finish before the end of the year. Tolstoy ends with several pages of philosophical musings on the nature of war and progress of history, which combined with Gould’s Full House gave me plenty to consider.

 

And how does it feel to be done?!?!

[Kareni]

Here's an enjoyable post from the Word Wenches site:

 

The Books of Christmas Past by Susanna Kearsley

 

"Susanna here. (And yes, dear copy editors, I know the rules of grammar say the title should read: “Christmasesâ€, but if Charles Dickens could slide around the rules, I’ll happily slide alongside him).

 

I can’t recall a Christmas when I didn’t get a book.

 

There was always a special feeling of anticipation when I picked up a flat, rectangular gift and felt the telltale indentations along bottom, top, and one long side. In childhood, it meant I’d be spending long, happy hours wrapped in my blankets in bed, with no interruptions save mealtimes, and even then, if it were a really exceptional story, my parents would give me a pass on the meals and just let me come down and grab food from the fridge when I wanted to.

 

It’s an inherited thing. I remember once asking my mother what her favourite gifts were when she was a little girl, and she replied without needing to ponder. “A pair of pajamas,†she said, “and a book.â€

 

So I think, in my case, it’s genetic...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Robin, Merry Christmas to you and thank you for all that you do, all the wonderful work that you do here with this wonderful thread.  :grouphug:  This final thread of the year is always my favorite! 

 

 

       

I'll try answer as best as I can. 

 

Yes, I met my goal. :)

 

My favorite reads:

Victoria and Albert: Life at Osborne House

My Life in France

Monet's House

Because They Hate

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

The Girl You Left Behind

The Nightingale

I have a hard time recommending any specific book or author that everyone should read. Tastes are so subjective and vary so much. 

 

This week, I didn't get much reading done. I read a children's book, which was cute. Katie's London Christmas - 4 Stars - When my children were younger, we had a few of these Katie books. I couldn’t resist getting this Christmas one the other day when we visited the book boat that stopped here. I love the whole English feel about it, things like “Father Christmas†and there were lots of Welsh corgis, which are my favorite. 

 

 

 

Thank you, sweetie and a belated Merry Christmas.  I love the Katie books.  We haven't read any in a while but  Katie and the Mona Lisa was a favorite which we read over and over again.  I'd like to collect the whole lot of them. 

 

Kareni, it's said to be the world's largest floating bookstore. They used to visit here more often and it had been several years since they last did. We were delighted that they finally came and went there pretty much every day during their stay here (Grenada). It's Christian-based, and I would say that about half of the books are Christian. My daughter wrote about it here and she has quite a few photos as well. Oh, and the books are very reasonably priced! :)

 

How neat and loved reading your daughter's write up about it.  Would totally enjoy exploring the floating bookstore.  

 

Santa despaired of picking out books for me this year and gave me an Amazon gift card. Books are being purchased on it. Santa did better with dh, who only wanted the Strugatsky brothers' science fiction, and Wee Girl, who only wanted Asterix.

 

Santa failed to give me what I really wanted: a replacement inlet valve assembly for a Whirlpool Quiet Partner, so I could have a functional dishwasher, or indeed running water at all while the dishwasher is sitting in the middle of the kitchen. Santa Prime is bringing the part to me Wednesday. Until then it's dishes in the bathtub.

Did you get your dishwasher fixed yet?  What books did you end up getting from Amazon?

[Robin M]

 

A bookish post that might interest some here ~

 

Urban Fantasy versus Paranormal Romance

 

This is from 2014.

Thanks for the link and making for some interesting reading.  I'll be following lots of rabbit trails checking out authors I haven't read yet. 

 

I completed 90 books this year, and will probably get a couple more read this week.

 

I didn't complete any challenges.   Challenges stress me out  :lol: !

Awesome!  Want to know a secret.  Too many challenges stress me out too!   During the first or second year of when I started blogging, I joined multiple challenges and drove myself crazy trying to complete them all.  I learned to take it slow.  No worries about completing any challenges other than reading.   :thumbup1:  

 

I will answer in episodes I think :)

This is Part 1

 

· Where did your reading take you this year?     I read quite some books about Feminism and WWII

The connection between Goodreads and BaW made me reading quite some Spanish and Scandinavian books

 

· What was your reading goal for the year and did you meet or beat your personal goal?    I Aimed for a slightly higher number then 2016 so 67 or so, but I met that goal too early so I raised my goal several times

 

Did you end with a prime number of reads?

I’m not sure that will happen on 31 december.

 

· Top 5 (or more) favorite reads?

· Which book stayed with you the longest after finishing it?

· Which book made you want to read it all over again? 

&& the Lent book of the archbishop of the anglican church. I’m not Anglican, but what he said/wrote is worthwhile to ponder.

Congratulations and the lent book sounds quite interesting.  Kind of reminds me of Thomas Merton's books 

 

I'll answer the question in a bit, but I wanted to put up my weekly post.

 

Books read last week:

• The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson. A history of the creation and use of financial instruments. The latter half of the title more accurately captures the book’s focus: a history of finance. Jack Weatherford’s History of Money is a better history of fiat currency. In Ascent, Ferguson breaks the history into six parts: money as a means of exchange, bonds and debt, joint stock companies and equity, derivatives, property and capital, and the future of finance. Despite a few shaky claims (particularly a simplification of Hernando De Soto’s The Nature of Capital), I found this an engaging read.

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Pevear and Volokhonsky. Literary Fiction. Russian families deal with the turmoil caused by Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. I finished! I hauled this doorstopper everywhere, including the pediatrician’s office where the doctor asked, “Did you think your wait would be that long?†I laughed and told her no, but having the book with me helped me finish before the end of the year. Tolstoy ends with several pages of philosophical musings on the nature of war and progress of history, which combined with Gould’s Full House gave me plenty to consider.

• Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. Historical Fiction - American Revolutionary War. Eight books and 7000+ pages later, Jamie and Claire still aren’t done with history.

I was introduced, virtually that is, to  Niall Ferguson when he debated Fareed Zakaria in the Munk Debates. Both very intelligent men and made me want to read all their books.   Congrats on finishing War and Peace!       

 

Nope, Jamie and Claire aren't done with history.    :laugh:

 

Merry Christmas everyone! This was a slow year for me book wise but I took on several big life projects and I'm finding that my need for sleep is cutting into what was formerly my reading time. I started teaching for VIPKID in April and I love, love, love this job. However it does require me to get up several hours earlier in the A.M. I am learning to be a morning person much to my husband's surprise. I also learned to crochet this year and have taken on several larger projects. The ADHD in me loves this new hobby. I think all boys should learn crochet to give them something to do so they can sit still. I do try to listen to audio books while I work but I find I'm just as likely to listen to the radio or, shockingly, listen to nothing and just have quiet time so my 50+ year old brain can recover and think a complete thought.

 

My current read is Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro.

 

I know I'm not a prolific poster but I feel privileged to be a long-time member of this group.

 

Blessings, Shawne

Good idea  -  getting boys to crochet. That would be an interesting experiment.   :laugh:   What is VIPKID?  So glad you have been a part of 52 books!  Hugs!  

 

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!

 

I feel very fortunate to be part of such a wonderful group! I hope everyone has a lovely day.

 

 

I have already hopefully had my oops moment for this holiday. I decided to take the gift opening photos using the new iPad. Why???? I didn't know what the "live" in the corner meant and wasn't concerned. I should have been. I have a whole lot of photos that move a bit. Actually fun but we have no still photos now. Ds says he will fix them for me.

 

Negin, I love your DD's book boat link. The pictures are beautiful!

The live feature drives me crazy as well as the burst.  We've ended up with some amusing photos because of the live. I think I've figured out how to edit them now.  

Edited December 28, 2017 by Robin M

[Robin M]

Have you read any Sol Stein yet? He seems very arrogant in his writing but he knows what he's talking about.

Nope, not yet.  I'll dive in soon as I'm trying to figure out which writing book to begin the year with. 

[Robin M]

I am still reading, so I won't post my final list or answers until the very last minute. I know I can squeeze in one or two more books! 

 

I read Moxie yesterday. It is YA. Good girl power book. I am almost 100 pages into Gone Girl. I *think* I may be able to eek out one more. Guess I should fill in my BINGO square and see what I need to at least complete a row. 

You have plenty of time. 

 

 

We'll start the new year on Monday January 1st - so you all have through Sunday to get all those last reads in.   So much fun reading through all your lists of completed reads.  I think I may have reached a prime number. We'll see since I've got a couple more books that I'm diving into.  

 

Currently reading Keri Arthur's Circle of Fire in her Damask Circle series.  My battery is about to die so going offline while it recharges and back to reading.  More tomorrow, my dears. 

Edited December 28, 2017 by Robin M

[Negin]

I now want to buy a boat, fill it with books, and travel the world (or at least up and down the Mississippi).

Me too. :)

[Negin]

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby is on sale today (contemporary fiction).