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Finished Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz by Olga Lengyel

My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3060962101

Started The Journeyer

Cherie wrote: "Margo wrote: "How are you liking Brooklyn Cherie? ..."

I finished it last night, Margo. It was ok. I never cared for the MC at all. [spoilers removed]"

I couldn't agree more Cherie! I really disliked her and I wasn't impressed with his writing style. Itvwas me first book by the author and I was expecting more 😡

Margo wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Margo wrote: "How are you liking Brooklyn Cherie? ..."

I finished it last night, Margo. It was ok. I never cared for the MC at all. [spoilers removed]"

I couldn't agree more Cherie..."

Hear hear! To both of you!

Planning to start The Shadows We Hide today.

What do you do if you're scared to use the bathroom at school because of the teasing? The picture book Jacob's New Dress introduced a little boy who likes to wear dresses, inspired by Sam, the son of the authors, Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman.

Jacob's Room to Choose is a good followup about Jacob and Sophie, a little classmate who prefers shirts and jeans. A teacher helps the other kids wake up to themselves!
4.5� Link to my review with pictures

Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly is #6 in the series by Adrian McKinty, but I was assured that it works fine as a standalone, and it certainly does! Now to find some more. :)
4.5� (rounded up) Link to my review

There Was Still Love is the most wonderful historical fiction about two Czech grandmothers, sisters, who survived WW2 and are raising grandchildren - a boy in Prague, a girl in Melbourne. It is warm, funny, sad, poignant, perfect. Aussie author Favel Parrett was the "Little Fox" in Melbourne.
5� Link to my review of a new favourite!

Finished Everything I Never Told You - my third time and it still packs a mighty punch. My review from 2014 - /review/show...

Reading Walking to Samarkand: The Great Silk Road from Persia to Central Asia and Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive.

I finished Me and have since started A Murderous Procession. I'm happy that I'll be able to kill off another series this year.

Finished and enjoyed Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3067358588

Oh how funny Janice. I am listening to a Murderous Procession. I had forgotten this series. It was on a display at the library. The theme was series that ended. I love this series and regret its end.

Renee wrote: "Oh how funny Janice. I am listening to a Murderous Procession. I had forgotten this series. It was on a display at the library. The theme was series that ended. I love this series and regret its end."

Her daughter was going to finish the series, but I can't find any more talk about it.

Janice wrote: "I finished Me and have since started A Murderous Procession. I'm happy that I'll be able to kill off another series this year."

Did you like Me? I have that slated for the year long challenge .

Jayme wrote: "Janice wrote: "I finished Me and have since started A Murderous Procession. I'm happy that I'll be able to kill off another series this year."

Did you like [book:Me|..."

Yes, I did enjoy it quite a bit. I've been a huge fan of Elton John's all along. Sometimes, non-fiction won't hold my interest for the entire book, but this one had me turning the pages.

How do you know if someone is attracted to you for your 'real' self or for what they think you represent? The Weddings by Alexander Chee is an excellent short story from the new Amazon Original Stories collection, 'Inheritance'.
Link to my review

Still available on NetGalley, if you're a NetGalley reader.

I finished The Ashes of London and will be giving it 3 stars. As a work of historical fiction it was interesting but the mystery kept butting in! Lots of snippets about the execution of Charles I and what happened afterwards that just left me wanting to know more. The mystery was linked to what had happened but it was too long drawn out.

I'm now listening to Bring Me Back for the monthly challenge.

I finished To The Bright Edge of the World for my monthly challenge read.

I will start The Huntress tomorrow. I will add it to my trivia challenge and it's a 2019 release.

I started The Rithmatist for the monthly challenge.

I finished Bring Me Back. It was OK but I guessed the twist pretty early on.

I'm now listening to An Almond for a Parrot. It's unexpectedly saucy!

A Christmas Memory Truman Capote

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3085963965

I'm behind on my 2019 Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ challenge. I haven't read much this year. I adjusted my target a month or so back and it's not looking good with only a couple weeks left of the year. So I've started Binti which is short and doesn't fit any challenges but will count for a book. I'm hoping I'll finish my audio that I'm halfway through and one of the other two books I'm reading.

I listened to As Time Goes By during a long drive I did on Thursday and Friday.
I am still reading To The Bright Edge of the World, which is my month challenge book. I am a little behind in the buddy read, but I hope to catch up and finish in the last 3 days.
I also started yesterday The House at Sea's End because I needed an ebook to read when I have insomnia and my husband is sleeping.

I am finally getting back to the group read book Everything I Never Told You. I started listening to Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal - just because. I finished a couple of other audiobooks Fledgling and Some Danger Involved - both great stories and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared which started out well but was just plain dumb by the ending. I also finished my monthly challenge book, The Golden Apples of the Sun - which was excellent!

Laid In Earth is my favourite Czech detective Josef Slonský investigation so far. Number 6 in the series harks back to the Communist regime and evidence of their interrogations in Prague. English author Graham Brack has created an appealing cast of characters.
5� Link to my review

Finished Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned with the U.S. Army to Fight Hitler

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3075334835

I just re-read Olive Kitteridge, which has been a firm favourite since I first met Olive many years ago. Elizabeth Strout is some kind of special writer. Her books aren't long, but they occupy so much mind-space.
5� Link to my review

If the cockles of your heart could do with a little warming, let Truman Capote's charming A Christmas Memory do the trick. A lonely little boy (him) and a loving old lady (elderly relative) get ready to cook up a storm for the festive season!
5� Link to my Christmas memory review with a link to a film version of it!

Josh Venkataraman was a college student who read a book, got fired up, started a Change.org petition demanding justice, and after a determined slog over several years, this is the result: Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four. It's wonderful to see youthful enthusiasm infect old fogies and get things done!
3.5â˜�&²µ³Ù;4â˜� Link to my review

I finished Everything I Never Told You for the group read and started listening to Talon a YA dragon themed book. I am going to start The Three Monarchs tonight. I am going to read some books that I own and have never been able to use for a challenge because they are too short (under the 175 page limit for challenges).

I already have four library books standing by, waiting for Jan 1st to get here. I may have to break down and read one or two of them soon.

I finished A Murderous Procession, killing off one more series for the year. While I really enjoyed the book, I was disappointed that it ended in a cliffhanger. The author died in 2011 and we will never know how the story is resolved. I ranted a bit about that in my review. There was talk that her daughter would finish the series, but that was 8 years ago, and nothing has been published.

I started Rising Sun which will fit both my Movie Mania challenge and leftover stew.

Janice wrote: " While I really enjoyed the book, I was disappointed that it ended in a cliffhanger. The author died in 2011 and we will never know how the story is resolved."

That is annoying!

Sandra wrote: "Janice wrote: " While I really enjoyed the book, I was disappointed that it ended in a cliffhanger. The author died in 2011 and we will never know how the story is resolved."

That is annoying!"

I agree! One more reason to not like cliffhangers.

Finished Everything My Mother Taught Me byAlice Hoffman

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3091937100

I'm getting to the point where I really dislike cliffhangers. Is it a cheap ploy to get readers to buy more books? If I really like an author's writing, I'm going to continue buying books.

I don't mind series where the story continues from one book to the next, but I prefer that each book has a conclusion.

Another preference would be that if an author HAS to write a cliffhanger, that they at least have the follow up book written. That way, if something happens, readers aren't left hanging.

It bodes the question, do authors have a responsibility to their readers? I see lots of comments defending authors with comments like, "authors aren't your ****". I used to think that one just needs to be patient, but I'm beginning to lose patience. When an author takes 5 plus years to publish the next book in the series, it's discouraging. If they want me to continue to buy their books in a series, they need to publish them closer together. I've been waiting 4 years for The Thorn of Emberlain and it looks like Orion has scheduled to publish it in October 2021. By then, I likely won't remember the first 4 books and won't have the energy to reread them. I might decide that I'm done with the series now and not bother with further books in the series. There's to be a total of 7 and only 3 are published.

But this is a different situation than The Mistress of the Art of Death series. It wasn't a matter of delaying the publishing process. I wish her daughter would finish the next book. I don't care if it's good or bad, I just want to know how it ends.

I'm currently reading Animal Farm and 1984. A couple of others but mainly focusing on these two most 'cause I'm close to finishing them. While I don't fully attest to these books being "the most disturbing books ever written" but I definitely understand their hype, especially 1984. I see how they're timeless. 1984's world-building feels so surreal it's terrifying in a sense. Absolutely loving it.

I just finished This Tender Land. I didn't love it as much as everyone else seemed to. It was very religious, which I wasn't expecting. I don't have a problem with religious stories when I know what I'm getting into,. This one also had an almost paranormal religious aspect to it, so I was really unprepared.

I'm currently listening to My Story by Elizabeth Smart. It's horrifying What she went through as a child. The story is a bit repetitive, but that was the nature of their abuse.

I am about to start The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It was highly recommended to me.

mars wrote: "I'm currently reading Animal Farm and 1984. A couple of others but mainly focusing on these two most 'cause I'm close to finishing them. While I don't fully attest to these books being "the most di..."

Welcome to YLTO, mars!

mars wrote: "I'm currently reading Animal Farm and 1984. A couple of others but mainly focusing on these two most 'cause I'm close to finishing them. While I don't fully attest to these books being "the most di..."

Welcome Mars!

Thanks, Janice and Rusalka!

Hi Mars. I well remember reading those books in high school. Absolute classics.

Shirley wrote: "Hi Mars. I well remember reading those books in high school. Absolute classics."


Yeah, I personally never pegged myself as an avid classic reader, mostly steered away from them for some reason. i can't even pin point why. But i loved 1984 and Animal Farm. think I might delve into more classics next year.

For the month challenge I finished yesterday To The Bright Edge of the World which was a 5 stars.

I am reading now book #3 in Ruth Galloway series The House at Sea's End

Sandra wrote: "For the month challenge I finished yesterday To The Bright Edge of the World which was a 5 stars.

I am reading now book #3 in Ruth Galloway series [book:The House at Sea's End|9130..."

I want to get back to the Ruth Galloway series. I have so many series that have run off the rails and I want to get back to them.

I recently enjoyed Anthony Marra's short story The Lion's Den. An author son who has capitalised on his father's notoriety has moved back home. Awkward?
4� Link to my 'Lion's Den' review

Still available on NetGalley, if you're NetGalley reviewer.

The Girls in the Garden Its an ok read. I was hoping for more suspense.

I could not stand to hold on until next year, so I am listening to Supernova. It arrived from my library sooner than planned. It will allow me to kill off another series though.

I just finished The Paragon Hotel. I agree with you Cherie. It’s great. Not once did I lose interest. I didn’t follow your advice about listening to the audio, however, but I can imagine how entertaining the dialogue would have been to listen to. It was very entertaining to read.

I'm in the middle of Traitor's Blade. It's a fun fantasy but a bit too action packed for my taste. As soon as I finish this I plan to start The Toymakers which just sounds so christmasy!

I am rereading THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, and loving it as much as the first time.