here's to reading.
117 in 2020.
wondering how many i will read in 2021.
1. the midnight library by matt haig. excellent. alternate time lines ... what if you could choose other options to your big life choices?
2. other people's houses by abbi waxman .... close community of couples raising children .... diverse, real seeming couples with problems and imperfect kids ... infidelity. good book!
3. starman jones by robert heinlein .... sci fi. super interesting. really enjoyed listening to it. liked the main character and his development.
4. anxious people for. th. book club. EXCELLENT .... i think it is a bit weirder than Frederik Backman's other books ... but i loved it ... a bank robbery and a hostage situation called anxious people... everyone was indeed anxious ... and hiding things. so good.
5. deacon king kong by james mcbride .... i listened to it .... which i think made me like it more .... slow start but good finish ....
6. dovetail by karen mcquestion ... i always like this author .... this wasn't her very best but i did enjoy it ... the characters are likable ... and you want them to sort out the past .... quite good.
the following are a series ... reading the first for a book club and i got carried away and plan to read the whole series of 9 ... and i like the escapism so much (during the pandemic and all) that i think i might read this author's other series too.....the bridgerton series by julia quinn (netflix series, bridgerton, i'm not watching yet)
6. the duke and i ... about daphne bridgeton
7. the viscount who loved me ... anthony bridgeton
8. an offer from a gentleman ... benedict b.
9. romancing mr. bridgeton ... collin b.
10. to sir phillip with love .... about eloise
FEBRUARY:
11. when he was wicked ... about francesca ... which is interesting because she is sort of out of order and been left out from most of the stories ...
12. it's in his kiss ... about hyacinth bridgeton
13. on the way to the wedding ... about gregory
14.the bridgertons happily ever after ... a book of short stories or epilogues about the bridgertons
15.then i switched off the "bridgerton series" and on to the rokesby series by julia quinn .... but the first one is a bridgeton title: because of miss bridgerton ... but she must be a cousin of the 8 bridgerton alphabeticals
16. mexican gothic by silvia moreno garcia ... julia says this is one of her favorite books ever ... i chose it for my april wednesday book club ... and then started it ... and wow it is weird and dark and not what i expected ... creepy good stuff.
17. The bluest eye by toni morrison ... i read this years and years ago ... but read it again because sophie was assigned it in her women's lit class .... the best part of reading it again was dissecting it in conversations with sophie.
18. a thousand ships by natalie haynes I LOVED THIS. i have a thing for the homeric stories, trojan war books, odysseus, greek gods ....and this book was spectacular. it was from the women's point of view ..... so well done. i loved it so much.
19. chemistry by week wang. another book from sophie's lit class ... i read it because she did ... not what i expected from a lit class ... but in the context of a tech school where you can't even major in english, this book in english class makes sense as it is about an awkward female scientist in grad school ... pretty light, fun read. best part was talking to sophie about it.
20.the vanishing half by brit bennet .. this was a reread from a book club last year for my sunday book club .... which we had in my front yard around a fire pit on a sunday night .... we did more chatting than book club discussion even though this book is a perfect book club book with loads of discussion points.
21. the henna artist by alka joshi ... i read this last year but reread it for thursday march book club .... it is epic. such a well written book. great storytelling.
22. the shell seekers by rosamunde pitcher ... a reread from maybe more than 20 years ago ... i was thinking it would feel romantic/escapist like the bridgerton books ... it wasn't at all what i remembered, but it was good to reread it.
23. between two kingdoms by suleika jaouad is for my march wednesday book club ... a memoir or a woman with cancer .... the cancer is nearly a character in the book ... a character that influences every bit of suleika's life. great book.
24. children of the fleet by orson scott card... i always enjoy OSC books. her wrote ender's game ... and this book is in the future of ender's world. also about a brilliant kid figuring out how to be an influence in the world while at fleet school which is what battle school has turned into ...
25. peace in every breath by thich nhat hanh. i am listening to this on audio and it is SO soothing and calming ....
march 13th^ wrote that. after march 13 is below.
26.i see you by clare mackintosh! oh! psychological thriller ... with some suspense and stalking and mass transit (all those cameras!) and lots of people to think are guilty and you'll be wrong.
27. the four winds by kristin hanna ... well. that was depressing.... as the depression era is. update on the grapes of wrath and how horrible people could be to each other when things are hard. super well done. i love this author.
28. a beautiful, terrible thing by jen waite... great book. when you think your marriage is one thing and it is another thing all together ... another terrible thing!
29. children of the fleet by orson scott card ... dabbed ochoa is sort of a pawn for the fleet school ... they talk about ender and what he did .... far future book from ender's game. quite good.
30. stone father by orson scott card ... short book ... magic ... almost like a fairy tale .... and a happy ever after. loved it.
31. lillian boxfish takes a walk by kathleen rooney .... loved this.... crotchety old lady telling her story while walking around NYC. great book.
32. the kept woman by karin slaughter ... i didn't know it was part of a series , but it was fine as a stand alone .... kind of cop and suspense and mystery all in one ... with a strong lead woman.
33. four minutes to save a life by anna stuart ... I LOVED THIS. so sweet. a grocery delivery guy who does a lot to help the people on his route ... even though he's not supposed to take the time to do so. really enjoyed these characters.
34. red rising by pierce brown .... book 1 in a series. i liked it very much ... has a little bit of that hunger game kids killing kids thing going on that makes me worry i can't stomach any escalation in the next book. haven't decided if i'll try it or not. but was totally edge of my seat for this one.
35. magic for liars by sarah bailey
36. nantucket nights by erin hildebrand
37. the particular charms of miss jane austen by ada bright and cass grafton
38. set my heart to five by simon stephenson ... artificial intelligence .... super interesting ...
39. a children's bible by lydia millet ... post apocalyptic. really liked it.
40. hidden valley road by robert kolker
41. klara and the sun by kazoo ishiguro
42. confessions of a curious bookseller by elizabeth green
43. a boy and his dog at the end of the world by c.a. fletcher
44. the last flight by julie clark
julia quinn (of bridgerton) books
45. the girl with the make believe husband
46. the other miss bridgeton
47. first comes scandal
48. splendid
49. dancing at midnight
50. minx ........... i'm going to wait a bit before moving onto her next series .... get some of my book club books read ....
51. other people's houses by abbi waxman ... the neighborhood, the carpool, infidelity, lots of kids, enjoyed it
52. the house in the cerulean sea by tj klune ... i loved this book ... it had a bit of a slow start, but pretty quickly i loved the characters and the growth and changes and goodness.
53. the good sister by sally hepworth ... what a suspenseful, interesting book .... a kind portrayal of (not named as such but likely) an autistic person ... and her seemingly more neurotypical twin sister
chandelle lavaun
54. reread the cursed witch, set 3 (i think) , book 1
55. the rogue witch, book 2
56. the rotten witch, book 3
57. the ruin by dermal mctiernan ... listened to it ... love the accent....intriguing story tying all the pieces together of a 20 year old incident and a current death
john gaspard ... 3 mysteries with a magician:
58. the ambitious card
59. the bullet catch
and 60. the miser's dream .... all three were fun light reads ... the main character is good, fun, enjoyable to read about ... always rooting for him.
61. the hiding place by corrie ten bloom .... ww 2 ... i LOVED this book.... i listened to it and loved both the story and the narration .... it was WW2 with a christian spin in the netherlands ... so not like any i have read before .... really well done.
62. new girl in little cove by damhnait monaghan .... a french teacher new to a small town ... light and fun from chirp
63...repacking your bags: lighten your load for the good life by richard leader and david shapiro ... recommended by patti digh....
64 ...a quiet life in the country by t.e. kinsey ... quirky cozy mystery with a widowed lady and her maid solving the crime.
65. cemetery boys ... by aiden thomas .... julia had me read this because she loved it so much .... it was super and should win awards for its story telling and depth of characters .... very current YA fiction with a latinx family and a trans kid and some occult spookiness and ghosts. really great.
66...midnight riot by ben aaronovitch ... more ghosts! a detective talks to ghosts to get the low down on a murder .... matter of fact supernatural.
67...a memory of violets by hazel gaynor .... this was a good book ... but i find it sort of haunting ... i'm still sad for the girls in the book. very well done.
68 ...the good sister by sally hepworth .... and unreliable narrator ... never really knowing who to believe story to sort out. well done.
69...the last of the moon girls by barbara davis..... three sisters .... women who feel nature, know nature, going back to where you were raised .... wanting to leave your past and having it pull you in.
70 ...conversations with friends by sally rooney. i read about this in the new york times book section i think .... it sounded smart. so i listened to in on audible. i think this sort of author does such a deep dive into the characters .... many of them were quite complex .
71...behold the dreamers by imbolo mbue. excellent story. the kind of book you should read to learn about our country and what you don't know about it. cameroon immigrants trying so hard to make it in the US.
72...project hail mary by andy weir. LOVE LOVE LOVE. sci fi but i think even someone who doesn't like sci fi would like this ... pretty universal themes ..... but it was SO good... the main character is so flawed and so great ..... the premise was super intriguing..... lots of notions about humanity and courage and morality. great book. one of my faves this year if not my very favorite.
73...the last thing he told me by laura dave .... a dude leaves his wife and stepdaughter ... mystery to figure out where he went and why ..... twists and turns and really all surprises. unexpected. well done.
74...walking in this world by julia cameron.... artist's way author.... really liked it. listened to it once and read it bit by bit as well. helpful. maybe my fave of her books.
75...the writing life by annie dillard ... listened on audible, short .... being a writer how to book.
76...the sundown motel by simone st. james was a creepy book i read for thursday book club near halloween time. creepy. plot twists. great discussion with my friends.
77...wild words by nicole gulotta ... listened on audible ... very julia cameron like ... but a little more new age ... lots of writing and self care tips .... not so much what to write or how to write it , but how to make yourself a writer, to get to it, to stay at it.
78...the seaside cocktail camper van ... by caroline roberts ... inexpensive chirp audio book with an accent .. light and happy romance.
79...how the penguins saved veronica. by hazel prior. cute, cute, cute. veronica is old and grumpy and takes one big chance and goes to antarctica. very good. light and fun.
80...long story short by margot leitman. not a writing craft book, but instead, a storytelling book ... for on stage aloud stories to be told ... didn't even know it was a thing, but i really loved the book.... found it helpful. very matter of fact insightful... listened to it from audible.
81...how to stop time by matt haig. yes. i loved this. from the same guy who wrote midnight library ....a little more sci fi that that but exploring living and life and long lives and how to make them well lived. so intriguing. i loved it a ton.
82...calypso by dave sedaris. two thumbs up
83....christmas at carly's cupcakes by Jessica redland .... this was like a hallmark movie in an audio book.... i like the people, was happy when it ended the way i wanted it to. cute.
84....thanksgiving by janet evanovich. light. fun. not as good as her stephanie plum series ... but great for easy read while taking long walks.
85.. the art of the poetic line by james longenbach ... recommended by ellen bass (the poet) in a class i am taking from her .... i just write poems like a blurt ... and this book has me thinking about line and syntax and goodness.
86. save the cat! writes a novel by jessica brody. .... what a great title, huh? hopefully the book has made me smarter too.
87. the edge of collapse by kyla stone ... a post apocalyptic book ... or ... during the apocalypse book .... it is the beginning of a set ... but it might be a little too hardcore for me to read more.
88. mr. dickens and his carol by samantha silva
89 lily and the octopus by steven rowley. i loved lily. i hate the octopus. good book.
90. winter street by elin hildebrand ... classic e.hildebrand. regular people with complex relationships, baggage, bad choices. good read.
91. find layla by meg elison. GREAT book. layla is neglected and cares for her little brother... and then tells the world about it in a video that goes viral. foster care story.
92. long story short, the only story telling guide you'll ever need by margot leitman. one of many non fiction books i'm reading on the writing craft ... this one isn't specifically for writers .. but def worthwhile.
93. christmas every day by beth moran ... free audible book .... for christmas time walks .... i liked it ... quirky
94. witch and wizard by james patterson
95. the apology project by jeanette escudero ... super cute book. hardcore lawyer regrets some of her choices. decides to apologize to pretty much everyone. in person. awkward.
96. once upon a wishmas by laura barnard. kindle unlimited offer .... light quick read
97. self editing for fiction writers by renin browne and dave king. i read this fast. now i think i need to read it again. or talk about it in a class with a teacher. but, when i saw it listed as a class book, i just bought the book, i didn't take the class. so i guess i'll be reading it again.
98. save the cat! writes a novel. the last book on novel writing you'll ever need. by jessica brody. .... i'm trying to get smarter ... to be a better writer .... i'm an excellent reader is all i can say to that. i think this book was an excellent choice to meet some new goals.
99. night sky with exit wounds. by ocean vuong. a poetry book that julia gave me for christmas.
100. the tradition by jericho brown. book of poetry from julia. i LOVE jericho brown. i've heard him live. he's brilliant. nice book to end the year on. i was reading it simultaneously as hand help book while reading love overboard on kindle (not finished this year) and listening to such a fun age on audible (not finished this year)so those are book one and two for next year. i'll finish them in the first day or so!
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