Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Play Book Tag discussion

42 views
Member Challenge Tracking 2022 > Joy's Gems 2022 Reading Challenges

Comments Showing 1-13 of 13 (13 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Joy D (last edited Jun 30, 2022 10:50AM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Jan - Science:
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky - 1/4/22 - 3* - Review
Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong by Paul A. Offit - 1/5/22 - 4* - Review
The Age of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build the Next Technology Revolution by Susan Hockfield - 1/7/22 - 3* - Review
My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir by Katherine G. Johnson - 1/8/22 - 4* - Review
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut - 1/10/22 - 4* - Review
Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert - 1/14/22 - 4* - Review
A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathan Meiburg - 1/15/22 - 4* - Review
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov - 1/17/22 - 4* - Review
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green - 1/18/22 - 4* - Review
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 1/21/22 - 5* - Review
Diagnosis: Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries by Lisa Sanders - 1/25/22 - 3* - Review
Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik - 1/29/22 - 3* - Review

Feb - Thought Provoking:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 2/3/22 - 3* - Review
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan - 2/6/22 - 4* - Review
A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro - 2/8/22 - 3* - Review
Love, Death & Rare Books by Robert Hellenga - 2/10/22 - 4 stars - Review
Swann's Way by Marcel Proust - 2/17/22 - 4* - Review
Lying Awake by Mark Salzman - 2/18/22 - 4* - Review
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate- 2/25/22 - 3* - Review
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks - 2/26/22 - 4* - Review
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis - 2/27/22 - 4* - Review
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See - 2/28/22 - 2* - Review

Mar - Classics:
The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - 3/4/22 - 4* - Review
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - 3/5/22 - 5* - Review
Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood - 3/6/22 - 4* - Review
Paradise by Toni Morrison - 3/9/33 - 4* - Review
Adam Bede by George Eliot - 3/13/22 - 4* - Review
In a Free State by V.S. Naipaul - 3/14/22 - 4* - Review
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat - 3/15/22 - 5* - Review
The Egyptian by Mika Waltari - 3/16/22 - 4* - Review
July's People by Nadine Gordimer- 3/20/22 - 4* - Review
Lady Susan by Jane Austen - 3/25/22 - 3* - Review
The Ambassadors by Henry James - 3/26/22 - 3* - Review
Independent People by Halldór Laxness - 3/27/22 - 4* - Review
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro - 3/28/22 - 4* - Review
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell - 3/29/22 - 4* - Review
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - 3/31/22 - 4* - Review

Apr - Detective:
The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly - 4/2/22 - 3* - Review
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - 4/10/22 - 3* - Review
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - 4/11/22 - 4* - Review
Flower Net by Lisa See - 4/15/22 - 3* - Review
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4/19/22 - 4* - Review
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow - 4/23/22 - 3* - Review

May - Character Driven:
Beloved by Toni Morrison - 5/2/22 - 4* - Review
A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne - 5/3/22 - 5* - Review
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel - 5/4/22 - 4* - Review
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison - 5/6/22 - 4* - Review
The House Of Special Purpose by John Boyne - 5/7/22 - 4* - Review
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo - 5/8/22 - 4* - Review
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah - 5/9/22 - 2* - Review
Jazz by Toni Morrison - 5/9/22 - 3* - Review
The Absolutist by John Boyne - 5/10/22 - 4* - Review
The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga - 5/12/22 - 4* - Review
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty - 5/13/22 - 3* - Review
Eventide by Kent Haruf - 5/13/22 - 3* - Review
Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala - 5/14/22 - 4* - Review
The Ghost Road by Pat Barker - 5/17/22 - 4* - Review
The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman - 5/18/22 - 5* - Review
Baba Dunja's Last Love by Alina Bronsky - 5/19/22 - 4* - Review
Judgement Day by Penelope Lively - 5/23/22 - 2* - Review
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman - 5/24/22 - 5* - Review
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold - 5/25/22 - 2* - Review
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver - 5/26/22 - 3* - Review
Taft by Ann Patchett - 5/27/22 - 2* - Review
Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin - 5/28/22 - 2* - Review
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman - 5/29/22 - 4* - Review

Jun - LGBT:

Edinburgh by Alexander Chee - 6/12/22 - 2* - Review
Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - 6/16/22 - 4* - Review
The Book of Salt by Monique Truong - 6/21/22 - 4* - Review
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune - 6/25/22 - 4* - Review
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen (Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold - 6/26/22 - 2* - Review
Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold - 6/27/22 - 3* - Review
Elevation by Stephen King - 6/29/22 - 3* - My Review


message 2: by Joy D (last edited Dec 09, 2022 07:24AM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Jun - LGBT (cont)
A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom by John Boyne- 6/27/22 - 3* - My Review
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman - 6/28/22 - 2* - My Review

July - Memoir:
Things My Son Needs to Know about the World by Fredrik Backman - 7/2/22 - 3* - My Review
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King - 7/2/22 - 4* - My Review
These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett - 7/6/22 - 4* - My Review
The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison - 7/8/22 - 3* - My Review
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout - 7/10/22 - 4* - My Review
Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver - 7/12/22 - 4* - My Review
One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School by Scott Turow - 7/12/22 - 4* - My Review
The Man in the Empty Boat by Mark Salzman - 7/13/22 - 4* - My Review
On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See - 7/14/22 - 4* - My Review
The High Sierra: A Love Story by Kim Stanley Robinson - 7/18/22 - 4* - My Review
The People of the Abyss by Jack London - 7/22/22 - 4* - My Review
Paula by Isabel Allende - 7/25/22 - 4* - My Review
Black Dog of Fate: A Memoir by Peter Balakian - 7/27/22 - 4* - My Review
War and Me by Faleeha Hassan - 7/30/22 - 4* - My Review

August - Women's History:
The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies by Jason Fagone - 8/6/22 - 4* - My Review
Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Lynne Olson - 8/22/22 - 3* - My Review
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell - 8/23/22 - 4* - My Review
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz - 8/25/22 - 3* - My Review
Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983 by Barbara Kingsolver - 8/29/22 - 4* - My Review

September - Favorites:
Glory: A Novel by NoViolet Bulawayo - 9/1/22 - 5* - My Review
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka - 9/2/22 - 5* - My Review
The Stand by Stephen King - 9/4/22 - 4* - My Review
Sanditon by Jane Austen - 9/5/22 - 3* - My Review
Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War by Sebastian Faulks - 9/6/22 - 5* - My Review
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson - 9/7/22 - 3* - My Review
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman - 9/8/22 - 3* - My Review
The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat - 9/9/22 - 5* - My Review
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff - 9/10/22 - 4* - My Review
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - 9/13/22 - 4* - My Review
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng - 9/14/22 - 5* - My Review
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami - 9/15/22 - 4* - My Review
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers - 9/18/22 - 4* - My Review
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen - 9/19/22 - 4* - My Review
Sweetland by Michael Crummey - 9/20/22 - 4* - My Review
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli - 9/21/22 - 5* - My Review
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - 9/22/22 - 4* - My Review
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler - 9/23/22 - 4* - My Review
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill - 9/24/22 - 4* - My Review
Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh - 9/25/22 - 4* - My Review
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams - 9/26/22 - 4* - My Review
The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung - 9/27/22 - 5* - My Review
The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant - 9/28/22 - 4* - My Review
Writers & Lovers by Lily King - 9/29/22 - 3* - My Review

October - scary:
Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt - 10/13/22 - 3* - My Review
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks - 10/18/22 - 4* - My Review
Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm Of 1894 by Daniel James Brown - 10/22/22 - 4* - My Review

November - Book Club:
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather - 11/1/22 - 4* - My Review
Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse - 11/6/22 - 4* - My Review
The Wall by John Lanchester - 11/8/22 - 4* - My Review
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson - 11/9/22 - 3* - My Review
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr - 11/9/22 - 4* -My Review
The Winners by Fredrik Backman - 11/10/22 - 4* - My Review
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford - 11/11/22 - 4* - My Review
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - 11/12/22 - 4* - My Review
The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro - 11/12/22 - 3* - My Review
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson - 11/16/22 - 3* - My Review
Foundation by Isaac Asimov - 11/17/22 - 4* - My Review
The Measure by Nikki Erlick - 11/18/22 - 4* - My Review
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - 11/21/22 - 4* - My Review
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel - 11/22/22 - 3* - My Review
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li - 11/23/22 - 4* - My Review
Speak by Louisa Hall - 11/24/22 - 5* - My Review
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang - 3* - My Review
A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi - 11/26/22 - 4* - My Review
Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly - 11/28/22 - 4* - My Review
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams - 11/29/22 - 4* - My Review
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - 11/30/22 - 3* - My Review


message 4: by Joy D (last edited Aug 18, 2022 10:16AM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments PBT Annual Challenge: Who's PBT's Favorite?

WPF: Vote Tracking:
/topic/show/...

WPF: Participation Point Tracking:
Round of 8:
/topic/show/...

Round of 16:
/topic/show/...

Round of 32:
/topic/show/...

Round of 64:
/topic/show/...


message 5: by Joy D (last edited Dec 09, 2022 07:26AM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments PBT Annual Challenge - History Walk:

Pearls of the Past: Loop 1, Book 4 (the team formerly known as Group E)

Name of Book:
The Egyptian by Mika Waltari - 4* - My Review

Fiction

Person or Event represented: Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV (who changed his name to Akhnaton)

Page number: 514 pages

Link with previous book: The previous book was non-fiction world history about this region (The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome by Susan Wise Bauer) and mentions the reigns of Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV. It also covers the change in religion from worship of Ammon and the traditional Egyptian gods to Aton and back again.

Extra Points - tagged "classics" by 230 people:
/work/shelve...

Review:

“My name was once inscribed in Pharaoh’s golden book, and I dwelt at his right hand. My words outweighed those of the mighty in the land of Kem; nobles sent me gifts, and chains of gold were hung about my neck. I possessed all that a man can desire, but like a man I desired more—therefore, I am what I am. I was driven from Thebes in the sixth year of the reign of Pharaoh Horemheb, to be beaten to death like a cur if I returned—to be crushed like a frog between the stones if I took one step beyond the area prescribed for my dwelling place. This is by command of the King, of Pharaoh who was once my friend.�

First published in Finland in 1945, this novel is a sweeping classic historical saga that tells the story of Sinuhe, an Egyptian physician. He is writing his life story from an older age while living in exile. He starts at the beginning of his life, as an orphan adopted by a doctor and his wife. He tells of his family, adventures, journeys, wars, friendships, and relationships. He ends with how he became exiled. His story features real Egyptian leaders, such as Amenhotep III, Nefertiti, Horemheb, Eie, and Tutankhamun.

In addition to following Sinhue’s journeys, it depicts the rise and fall of Pharoah Akhnaton (Amenhotep IV). Akhnaton changed the primary Egyptian religion from Amon and the traditional gods, to Aton, the sun god and only god. This change to monotheism created much disruption, upheaval, and violence. It is ironic since Aton was supposed to be a god of peace. It reflects the ways in which wars tend to surface despite peaceful intentions.

It is an engaging story with deeply drawn characters, expressive writing, and emotional ups and downs. The first half reminds me a bit of The Odyssey, where the main character travels by ship and surmounts many obstacles, though The Egyptian is fully set in the real world and does not employ actions by mythological creatures. A bit of humor is introduced through the antics of Sinuhe’s slave, Kaptah. Over the course of the story, they form a close friendship.

Through Sinuhe’s adventures, the reader feels immersed in the customs, culture, religious beliefs, medical practices, politics, and society of ancient Egypt and the surrounding regions. He encounters people from Syria, Mitanni, Hattusa, Babylon, and Crete. It would have been even more enjoyable if it were shorter (the war scenes become a bit much after a while) but is definitely worth reading and highly recommended. This book was made into a Hollywood film in 1954.

4.5

WHL-related quotes:

“I was born in the reign of the great King Amenhotep III and in the same year as that one who desired to live by truth and whose name may no longer be named because it is accursed—though at the time nothing of this was known. There was great rejoicing at the palace when he was born, and the King brought many sacrifices to the great temple of Ammon that he had built; the people also were glad, not knowing what was to come.� (at 1% of e-book)

“I heard now for the first time that the heir had come to the throne as Amenhotep IV and liberated all slaves and prisoners so that the mines and quarries in the east by the coast were deserted, also those in Sinai. For there was none in Egypt so mad as to work in the mines of his own free will. The royal consort was the Princess of Mitanni, who still played with dolls, and Pharaoh served a new god.� (at 20% of e-book)

Link to PBT discussion thread:
/topic/show/...


Pearls of the Past: Loop 2, Book 3

Name of Book:
Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1945-1962 by Martin J. Sherwin - 4* -My Review

Non-Fiction

Person or Event Represented: Cuban Missile Crisis, Cold War, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro

Pages: 624

“The first in a cascade of ominous events began the most dangerous 24 hours of the crisis, perhaps some of the most dangerous hours in world history. Advisors in the White House, the Joint Chiefs in the Pentagon, Fidel Castro in Havana, hard-liners in the Kremlin, Soviet submariners in the quarantine area, and a rogue American officer in the missile fields of Okinawa came close to initiating a military confrontation that could have led to a nuclear holocaust.�

Exploration of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It provides the background and context for the Cold War, starting from the first usage of atomic weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II. It covers the key players leading up to the crisis, including Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro. The major dramatic set piece is a gripping and detailed analysis of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It emphasizes the role luck played in a handful of direct confrontations, in which thermonuclear war could have easily resulted.

Sherwin used recordings, memorandums, and notes from actual meetings between Kennedy and his advisors. He also provides documentation of Khrushchev’s perspectives, speeches, and personal correspondences with Kennedy. We learn about the US missiles in Turkey and the manner in which an agreement was reached to stand down.

Initially, many people in the US military and political arena wanted to invade Cuba. This book portrays what a bad idea that would have been. It illustrates the importance of leadership, and the willingness to follow a path to diplomacy. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and how close we came to devastating consequences.

4.5


message 6: by Joy D (last edited Dec 09, 2022 07:26AM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Link to Site Where I Track All My Challenges (PBT and Other Groups)
/topic/show/...

I keep them all in one place, so I do not have to duplicate.


message 7: by Joy D (last edited Mar 14, 2022 07:06PM) (new)


message 8: by Joy D (last edited May 12, 2022 10:23AM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Books I own or can easily access:
Taft by Ann Patchett (eb)
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett (eb)


message 9: by Joy D (last edited May 27, 2022 10:38AM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Not for me:
Linwood Barclay - thrillers
Stephen King - horror
Colleen Hoover - contemporary romance
Linda Castillo - Amish related
Barbara Delinsky - contemporary family dramas
John Sandford - crime/detective/murder mysteries
Talia Hibbert - romance
Elizabeth George - mystery series
Stephen Graham Jones - Horror
Thea Stilton - childrens books
Ilona Andrews - series writers (husband/wife team)
Antonia Hodgson - series of historical fictions
Sophie Kinsella - shopaholic series
Sharon Shinn - fantasy romance series
Terry Pratchett - discworld series
Katherine Center - contemporary romance
Coco Simon - cutesie stuff


message 10: by Joy D (last edited Mar 14, 2022 01:41PM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Round of 32:

BRACKET A:

Kingsolver, Barbara v.
Ozeki, Ruth

Hellenga, Robert v.
See, Lisa

Morrison, Toni v.
Reid, Taylor Jenkins

Follett, Ken v.
Hannah, Kristin

BRACKET B

Connelly, Michael v.
Towles, Amor

Haruf, Kent v.
Strout, Elizabeth

Patchett, Ann v.
Kinsella, Sophie

Hoffman, Alice v.
Alyan, Hala

BRACKET C

Boyne, John v.
Moriarty, Lianne

Bowen, Rhys v.
Atwood, Margaret

Backman, Fredrik v.
Center, Katherine

Ishiguro, Kazuo v.
Bradbury, Ray

BRACKET D

Turow, Scott v.
Delinsky, Barbara

Michener, James v.
King, Stephen

Austen, Jane v.
James, P.D.

Bujold, Lois McMaster v.
Christie, Agatha


message 11: by Joy D (last edited May 14, 2022 08:53PM) (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Read in Round of 32:

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki - 3* - My Review

Lady Susan by Jane Austen - 3* - My Review

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4* - My Review

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - 4* - My Review

The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly - 3* - My Review

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout - 3* - My Review

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - 3* - My Review

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - 4* - My Review

Flower Net by Lisa See - 3* - My Review

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nighfall by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4* - My Review

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4* - My Review

The Fall of a Sparrow by Robert Hellenga - 2* - My Review

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury - 4* - My Review

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow - 3* - My Review

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - 3* - My Review

This Noble Land: My Vision for America by James A. Michener - 4* - My Review

Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman - 3* - My Review

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver - 4* - My Review

Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold - 3* - My Review

Beloved by Toni Morrison - 4* - My Review

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne - 5* - My Review

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison - 4* - My Review

The House Of Special Purpose by John Boyne - 4* - My Review

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah - 2* - My Review

Jazz by Toni Morrison - 3* - My Review

The Absolutist by John Boyne - 4* - My Review

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood - 4* - My Review

The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga - 4.5* - My Review

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty - 3* - My Review

Eventide by Kent Haruf - 3* - My Review


message 12: by Joy D (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Round of 16:

BRACKET A

Kingsolver, Barbara vs.
See, Lisa

Morrison, Toni vs.
Hannah, Kristin

BRACKET B

Towles, Amor vs.
Strout, Elizabeth

Patchett, Ann vs.
Hoffman, Alice

BRACKET C

Boyne, John vs.
Atwood, Margaret

Backman, Fredrik vs.
Ishiguro, Kazuo

BRACKET D

Turow, Scott vs.
King, Stephen

Austen, Jane vs.
Bujold, Lois McMaster


message 13: by Joy D (new)

Joy D | 9316 comments Round of 8:

BRACKET A

Kingsolver, Barbara vs.
Hannah, Kristin

BRACKET B

Towles, Amor vs.
Hoffman, Alice

BRACKET C

Atwood, Margaret
Ishiguro, Kazuo

BRACKET D

King, Stephen
Austen, Jane vs.

Round of 4:

BRACKET A

Kingsolver, Barbara vs.
Hoffman, Alice

BRACKET B

Ishiguro, Kazuo
Austen, Jane vs.


back to top