Book a Week 2021 - BW36: 52 Books Bingo - Number in the Title

[Robin M]

Since the majority of you live in areas several hours ahead of me and I’m late to bed, late to rise on Sunday, I will post Saturday night before I go to bed.  

**************************

Happy Sunday! If you are a procrastinator, then today is your day as it is Be Late for Something Day. Your excuse. You got caught up in a book as you wanted to get a head start on Read a Book Day on Labor Day. 

Which brings us to our next 52 Books Bingo category which is read a book with a Number in the Title.  You can interpret it any way you like by reading a book with an actual number in the title or the word number in the title or with numbers on the cover or a book about numbers. 

I fell in like with this poem the instant I read it. 

 

NUMBERS BY MARY CORNISH

I like the generosity of numbers.
The way, for example,
they are willing to count
anything or anyone:
two pickles, one door to the room,
eight dancers dressed as swans.

I like the domesticity of addition—
add two cups of milk and stir—
the sense of plenty: six plums
on the ground, three more
falling from the tree.

And multiplication’s school
of fish times fish,
whose silver bodies breed
beneath the shadow
of a boat.

Even subtraction is never loss,
just addition somewhere else:
five sparrows take away two,
the two in someone else’s
garden now.

There’s an amplitude to long division,
as it opens Chinese take-out
box by paper box,
inside every folded cookie
a new fortune.

And I never fail to be surprised
by the gift of an odd remainder,
footloose at the end:
forty-seven divided by eleven equals four,
with three remaining.

Three boys beyond their mother’s call,
two Italians off to the sea,
one sock that isn't anywhere you look.

Inquiring minds would like to know: What is your favorite number and why?

Have fun following rabbit trails!

**************************
Count of Monte Cristo 

Chapter 82. The Burglary
Chapter 83. The Hand of God
Chapter 84. Beauchamp

Link to week 35

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges, as well as share your book reviews with other readers around the globe.

 

[Robin M]

I'm immersed in the strange, yet hilarious world of the Charley Davidson 13 book  series in which Charley is the grim reaper written by Darynda Jones

Finished (#1)  First Grave on the Right, (#2) Second Grave on the Left, and currently on #3 Third Grave Dead Ahead.

All of which match well with our challenge of the week. 

We just finished watching Cruella which was excellent.

[mumto2]

Thank you Robin!

I just searched my current stack of virtual books to see if I had anything with a number in it. No luck, but I recently read Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9899381-towards-zero and will use it to fill that category this year. In the past I have used Stephanie Plum.......twenty eight is soon to be released! Yes, I still love that series.......https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56971384-game-on?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=2nkXwIZgHU&rank=2

So what am I currently reading? I want to be reading A Fiances Guide to First Wives and Murder https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55841948-a-fianc-e-s-guide-to-first-wives-and-murder but seem to be reading Nora Robert’s Public Secrets. That’s what happens when you take an unupdated Kindle out with you and have time to read a couple of pages!😂. I know I must have read Public Secrets before but so far no memories of it and I think I may be hooked.

Yesterday I finished listening to Smoke and Iron which is the fourth book in this month’s librarian series. It’s been awhile since I read the first books and I quickly became immersed and remembered more backstory than I expected to.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36595619-smoke-and-iron

I just started listening to The Deadly Hours which is another story collection by several good authors. It has a theme, a really cool mermaid etched watch, which passes through time to different owners. Each author tells about a different time period with CS Harris being one of the authors. So I am reading in hopes of a St. Cyr story.........no idea if I will get my wish.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48768157-the-deadly-hours

 

 

[Ali in OR]

I finished Stacy Abrams' While Justice Sleeps, often reading it when I should have been doing more important things like sleeping. Very good. Then I picked up Allie Brosch's Solutions and Other Problems knowing nothing about her or this book when a coworker raved about it over the summer. It's a fat book, but I was surprised when I opened it up and each page is mostly cartoon-like pictures. Not really a graphic novel though. It's all true stories of the author's life and at first they feel like they're just disconnected stories. Then you realize they're not. I think they are her way of processing some very difficult things in her life. It was a good model to me of how someone might go about the mental health healing after loss. It's also really funny at times. I put her earlier book on hold, Hyperbole and a Half.

Not expecting to have much reading time now, but I'm reading Routines for Reasoning (math teacher stuff) while I'm on the treadmill and I have March Book 2 (John Lewis) if I have any evening reading time. I hope to settle into a routine where after I get disabled dd to bed around 8:30, the rest of the night is for me (not schoolwork). But it might take a couple of weeks before I can get into that pattern. First day of school is Wednesday.

[Negin]

Thank you, Robin!

I read What Alice Forgot - 4 Stars

[Mothersweets]

Hello everyone! I've been busy lately and just haven't had enough time to keep up with all the great books I have in my TBR pile. My oldest daughter got married last weekend and my #4 daughter is getting married in 3 weeks time here from home! I'm semi-freaking out about hosting the wedding and reception because as I age I find myself turning into something of a recluse and having 50 people in my home is definitely out of my comfort zone. Wish me luck!

 Haven't finished anything but am close to finishing a terrific audiobook - Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce and read by Juliet Stevenson. Set shortly after WW2, spinster Margery decides to upend her mundane life and go to New Caledonia to find the elusive golden beetle. She advertises for an assistant and ends up with kooky, fun-loving Enid who fulfills none of the position's requirements. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and at first I thought it was going to be an adventure, then maybe a mad-cap farce, and now it is turning poignant and I am really not sure what is going to happen to these two ladies that I care about! I glanced at a few reviews and many readers said they found it sad but I haven't, so far. I think Juliet Stevenson's narration has made  a big difference in how I am experiencing the story. Has anyone else read or listened to this?

eta- I need to catch up with the Count and friends but haven't forgotten him. 

Enjoyed the poem, Robin, and neat idea for a reading challenge! My favorite number is 3 - it's a magic number 🙂

Edited September 5, 2021 by Mothersweets

[Kareni]

17 hours ago, Robin M said:

...read a book with a Number in the Title. 

As it happens.... I finished Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris which my distant book group will be discussing on Tuesday. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book -- early in the book, the narrator says something to the effect that 'you are probably wishing I would just get to the point' and I could identify with that thought. It's the second book I read recently that centered to a large extent on a child, in this case a nine year old in world war two era France. 

"When Framboise Simon returns to a small village on the banks of the Loire, the locals do not recognize her as the daughter of the infamous woman they hold responsible for a tragedy during the German occupation years ago. But the past and present are inextricably entwined, particularly in a scrapbook of recipes and memories that Framboise has inherited from her mother. And soon Framboise will realize that the journal also contains the key to the tragedy that indelibly marked that summer of her ninth year. . . ."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I'm participating in a reading challenge on another site;  this week's challenge is to read a new to me author.

Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick

This featured a romance between Carter, an American assistant event planner and Edgar, crown prince of England. It was entertaining and made me chuckle several times; however, I also considered putting it aside after 100 pages. It takes place in the US and the UK. I'd describe it as an almost closed door romance. 

"After having his heart trampled on by his cheating ex, Carter Ogden is afraid love just isn’t in the cards for him. He still holds out hope in a tiny corner of his heart, but even in his wildest dreams he never thought he’d meet the Crown Prince of England, much less do a lot more with him.  Yes, growing up he’d fantasized about the handsome, openly gay Prince Edgar, but who hadn’t? When they meet by chance at an event Carter’s boss is organizing, Carter’s sure he imagined all that sizzling chemistry. Or was it mutual?

This unlikely but meant-to-be romance sets off media fireworks on both sides of the Atlantic.  With everyone having an opinion on their relationship and the intense pressure of being constantly in the spotlight, Carter finds ferocious obstacles to his Happily Ever After, including the tenacious disapproval of the Queen of England. Carter and Price Edgar fight for a happy ending to equal their glorious international beginning. It’s a match made on Valentine’s Day and in tabloid heaven."

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Just wanted to update on The Deadly Hours https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48768157-the-deadly-hours.  No St. Cyr but I found the entire anthology awesome.......coming from me that’s quite the compliment because I traditionally skip them.  Now I am wondering what I have missed.  I seem to have checked out two books from formerly new to me authors.

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

...I found the entire anthology awesome.......coming from me that’s quite the compliment because I traditionally skip them...

That is indeed high praise, @mumto2; thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

14 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

Hello everyone! I've been busy lately and just haven't had enough time to keep up with all the great books I have in my TBR pile. My oldest daughter got married last weekend and my #4 daughter is getting married in 3 weeks time here from home! I'm semi-freaking out about hosting the wedding and reception because as I age I find myself turning into something of a recluse and having 50 people in my home is definitely out of my comfort zone. Wish me luck! 

Congratulations to both your daughters, Mothersweets! 
Thinking of you within the next few weeks. I've also become a bit more reclusive in the past few years. 

10 hours ago, Kareni said:

As it happens.... I finished Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris which my distant book group will be discussing on Tuesday. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book

Kareni, I read this a few years ago and had mixed feelings about it also. 

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

The Empty World by D. E. Stevenson  This is science fiction so not what you might expect from this author. It was first published in 1936.

"Boarding an airliner headed from New York to London, writer Jane Forrest knows it will be a turbulent flight.

An electrical storm stands between Jane and London. When a spectacular surge of lightning illuminates the clouds below them and the airliner is knocked off course, Jane turns to the dashing, intelligent Sir Richard Barton in the next seat. As dawn breaks, Jane realises there are no lights on the ground and the radio is jammed.

When the airliner is safely landed on a deserted airfield they find cars abandoned and a mysterious lack of people on the deathly silent streets of Glasgow. Believing she will be safe in the arms of Sir Richard, it’s not until he is mysteriously taken ill that Jane questions her love..."

Regards,

Kareni

[bookbard]

Speaking of anthologies, really enjoying the Firebirds anthologies (there's 3) recently - all fantasy and a bit of sci-fi, mostly YA. Lots of famous names in there from Diana Wynne Jones to Emma Bull. There were only a few stories that weren't good, the majority were fantastic.

Just finished Klara and the Sun by Ishiguro. Very creepy, reminded me a lot of his other book Never Let Me Go, but not so sad. Very readable, had to finish it, and yet . . . I wouldn't say as good as his earlier books.

[Kareni]

I finished another book last night for the new to me author challenge I mentioned previously.

Sunshine & Shadows by K.C. Wells

Two men, best friends until age thirteen, meet by chance a dozen years later. Jamie works from home in web design and is a talented artist; when he was 18, a drunk driver caused a spinal injury that has him in a wheel chair. Jamie is the Sunshine in the title. Stephen works as an accountant in a business his father is starting; he has had some bad relationships and carries a lot of Shadows. Jamie offers his guest room while Stephen house hunts and the men reconnect as friends and then more. There is frank discussion of the daily life of someone who deals with paralysis (physically and emotionally) and also of the challenges and rewards associated with intimacy. I enjoyed this book, but I don't expect to reread it. (Adult content)

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Happy wedding season, @Mothersweets! We recently attended a lovely wedding for the daughter of old friends. It was held in a ferry terminal building. The reception followed and was a brunch buffet with quiche, waffles, bacon, fruit, etc. There were doughnuts in lieu of a cake. It was different but quite enjoyable.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

3 hours ago, bookbard said:

...really enjoying the Firebirds anthologies (there's 3) recently - all fantasy and a bit of sci-fi, mostly YA.

I enjoyed the initial Firebirds some years ago. I see  Firebirds Rising. What is the third title?

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

The Life-Changing Fantasy of Tamora Pierce

Ten Standalone Fantasy Novels to Combat Series Fatigue 

A BRIEF LOOK AT SOME MYSTERY SERIES IN WHICH SLEUTHS AGE GRACEFULLY

https://crimereads.com/a-brief-look-at-some-mystery-series-in-which-sleuths-age-gracefully/

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

My answer to favorite number is 42.  Yes, that.

Hubby said I'll make margaritas forgetting that both the blenders are now broken.  He's now cleaning up the mess he said it would take five minutes to take care of, given his ingenuity in which he managed to make delicious margaritas with an ice crusher and the ice bucket.  Dinner will be really, really late.  

[bookbard]

2 hours ago, Kareni said:

I enjoyed the initial Firebirds some years ago. I see  Firebirds Rising. What is the third title?

 

Firebird Soaring - more sci-fi in this one.

[Kareni]

And I finished yet another book for my challenge ~

Heart of Gold: A Summer Olympics Romance by Anna Martin

This book takes place at the (fictional) 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2020 in a non pandemic world. That was a little jarring.

This was a romance between two men (one Canadian, one American) who were just starting a relationship at the 2012 Olympics when one was in an accident that resulted in a spinal injury. They reconnect at the 2020 Olympics where one is competing and the other is a commentator. I liked the emotional connection between the two leads and could imagine rereading this. (Adult content)

"Matty Webber knows that Tokyo 2020 is his last chance to take home an Olympic medal for Team USA. And it’s not like he hasn’t been trying—this will be his third Olympic games, after he came so close to glory in Rio de Janeiro and London.

Clarke Roberts gave up his Olympic dreams after an accident at the 2012 Olympics ended his career... and any chance of continuing the secret, passionate affair he’d been having with Matty. So when he arrives in Tokyo ready to prove himself as a rising star in the sports commentary world, running into Matty is a less than ideal distraction.

Eight years after their clandestine romance ended in tragedy, Clarke and Matty have another chance to rekindle the relationship that burned fast and bright in London. But between Clarke’s interfering mother and Matty’s desperation to finally win a medal in the Triathlon, there’s plenty standing between them and romantic gold."

Regards,

Kareni

[Maus]

 

59. "With All Due Respect" by Nikki R. Haley.

58. "One Vote Away" by Ted Cruz.

57. "Weekend Makeover" by Don Aslett. 

56. "Saints, Vol. 2. (LDS)

55. "Written Out of History" by Mike Lee.

54. "A Time for Truth" by Ted Cruz.

53. "Scorch Trials" by James Dashner. Audible. 

52. "Quidditch Through the Ages" by J.K. Rowling. Audible. 

51. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling/Newt Scamander. Audible. 

50. "An Excellent Mystery" by Ellis Peters. Audible.

49. "Tales of Beadle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling. Audible.

48. "Maze Runner" by James Dashner. Audible.

47. "Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. Audible.

46. "The Rational Bible: Exodus - God, Slavery, and Freedom" by Dennis Prager. 

45. "A Better Heart: The Impact of Christ's Pure Love" by Tom Christofferson. (LDS)

44. "That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith & Family" by Tom Christofferson. (LDS)

43. "Surviving Columbine" by Liz Carlston.  (LDS)

42. "The Right Side of History" by Ben Shapiro.

41. "Guerilla Learning" by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver.

40. "Don't Burn This Book" by Dave Rubin.

39. "The Madness of Crowds" by Douglas Murray.

38. "The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye" by Nancy Springer.

37. The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline" by Nancy Springer.

36. "The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan" by Nancy Springer.

35. "The Case of the Bizarre Bouquet" by Nancy Springer.

34. "The Case of the Left-Handed Lady" by Nancy Springer.

33. "Stuff Matters" by Mark Miodownik. Audible Book.

32. "Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World" by Sy Montgomery. Audible Book.

31. "Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism" by Barry M Prizant. Audible Book.

30. "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park. 

29. "The Kidnapped Prince: The Life of Olaudah Equiano" by Olaudah Equiano, adapted by Ann Cameron. 

28. "Journey to Jo'Burg" by Beverley Naidoo. 

27. "United States of Socialism" by Dinesh D'Souza.

26. "For the Love of Europe" by Rick Steves. 

25. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. Audible book.

24. "The Case of the Missing Marquess" by Nancy Springer. 

23. "Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen" by J.K Rowling. Audible book. 

22. "Blackout" by Candace Owens.

21. "An Excellent Mystery" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

20. "The Pilgrim of Hate" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

19. "Dead Man's Ransom" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

18. "4:50 from Paddington" by Agatha Christie. Audible book.

17. "Man in the Brown Suit" by Agatha Christie. Audible book. 

16. "The Mysterious Mr. Quin" by Agatha Christie. Audible book. 

15. "I Will Repay" by Baroness Orczy. Audible book. 

14. "Dead Man's Ranson" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

13. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Baroness Orczy. Audible book.

12. "The Devil's Novice" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

11. "The Sanctuary Sparrow" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

10. "The Virgin in the Ice" by Ellis Peters. Audible book. 

9. "Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?" by Caitlin Doughty. 

8. "Law and Disorder: The Legendary Profiler's Relentless Pursuit of Justice" by John Doublas and Mark Olshaker. Audible book. 

7. "The Leper of St. Giles" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

6. "The Cases That Haunt Us" by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Audible book. 

5. "From Here to Eternity: Travelling the World to Find the Good Death" by Caitlin Doughty. 

4. "Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth" by Dr. Everett Piper. Audible book. 

3. "The Innocence of Father Brown" by G.K. Chesterton. Audible book.

2. "St. Peter's Fair" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

1. "The Mysterious Mr. Quin: A Harley Quin Collection" by Agatha Christie. Audible book.

[Negin]

Kindle books on sale today!

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Piranesi

Do Not Say We Have Nothing

      

 

[Kareni]

I finished another book by a new to me author.

A Rational Arrangement (Arranging Paradise Book 1) by L. Rowyn

This lengthy fantasy takes place in a world, Paradise, similar to the regency era (arranged marriages, the season, homosexuality punishable by death), but with differences such as the Blessed (who can heal or build) and sentient talking Greatcats. Our three leads are Lord Nikola (Blessed in mind-healing, poor-ish),  Lord Justin (wealthy, charming), and Wisteria (intelligent, neurodiverse). When the story begins, the two men have been secretly intimate for years, and Lord Nikola's family is pressing him to marry a wealthy woman. Throughout the book each character develops a relationship with the others. I REALLY enjoyed this book and plan to read more by the author. (Caution: one violent scene and adult content) 

"Wisteria Vasilver does wish to marry. Truly. But though she lives in Paradise, arranging a match is full of traps and pitfalls for the unwary ... or perhaps just for her.

Nikola Striker, Lord of Fireholt, expects he'll wed -- someday. But not now, and never to a rich icicle of a woman like Miss Vasilver. No matter how much his parents might want the match, or his house might need her dowry. Besides, he has his own problems -- most of them people who need his help as a mind-healer.

Lord Justin Comfrey, Viscount of Comfrey, would be more than happy to help Striker with his financial troubles, and not just to ensure that Miss Vasilver's dowry doesn't tempt Striker into marriage. If only he could find some way to make his proud, stubborn friend accept the money!

Can three people of such different temperaments ever find their way to a more perfect Paradise?"

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I finally updated my Literary Librarian spelling challenge.  I am not going to do the bolding because I haven’t updated for three months so just know a word in either the title or authors names starts with that lines letter.

June - Cheshire Cat

 

C.......A Wicked Conceit by Ann Lee Huber

H.......What the Devil Knows by CS Harris

E.......Mr. ChurchillS Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

S.......The Survivors by Jane Harper

H.......Scoundral of My Heart by Lorraine Heath

I.........After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman

R........The Unkindmess of Ravens by ME Hilliard

E.........How to Break an Undead Heart by Hailey Edwards

 

C........The Lost Gallows by John Dickson Carr

A........A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

T.........In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo

 

July - Israel Armstrong

 

I..........The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley

S.........Someone to Cherish by Mary Balogh

R.........The Best Man to Die by Ruth Rendell

A.........The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

E..........Princess Elizabeth’s Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

L..........The Duke Undone by JoAnna Lowell

 

A.........The Third Circle by Amanda Quick

R.........Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

M........The Music of the Bees by Eileen Garvin

S.........Slow Horses by Mick Herron

T..........Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch 

R..........The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson

O.........The Other Side of the Coin by Angela Kelly

N.........The Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham

G.........The Bride by Julie Garwood

 

August - Lindsey Norris

 

L.........Little Black Book by Kate Carlisle

I..........Plainly Murder by Isabella Allan

N.........Northern Lights by Nora Roberts

D.........The Man Who Died Laughing by Clara McKenna

S.........Northern Spy by Flynn Berry

E.........Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron

Y.........You Will Remember Me by Harrah Mary McKinnon

 

N.........Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles

O.........The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler Olsen

R.........A Midsummer Night’s Romance by Various

R.........Remind Me by Samantha Chase

I..........If the Duke Demands by Anna Harrington

S.........Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis

 

 

[Robin M]

Link to week 37