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I am collecting 100 books I want to read in the next 5 years. After 5 years, if I've read 75% of the books I put on the list 5 years before, I'll consider this a success.

I've read all the books selected 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

2020 is also officially finished as I selected 62 books and there is 1 book left, so I've definitely read 75% of my selections before the end of 2024.

2022 is also officially finished as I picked 82 books and there are 11 left.

So essentially, I've read 75% of every year, but I'm still interested in these books, so I'm keeping them on the list for the moment.

For 2023, I will select 88 books, and I will try to read at least 66 of them over the next 5 years.

3 2022 He Started It by Samantha Downing
10 2022 You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes
11 2022 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
12 2022 The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson

14 2023 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
28 2023 Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
31 2023 Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
33 2023 Six Years by Harlan Coben
37 2023 American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
40 2023 Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
66 2023 Blade Runner 4: Eye and Talon by K.W. Jeter
67 2023 The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang
76 2023 Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
84 2023 No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen
91 2023 The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
93 2023 The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith
97 2023 The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax

1 2020 Vox by Christina Dalcher READ 11/14/2023
2 2022 Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart READ 7/14/2023
4 2022 The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart READ 1/5/2023
5 2022 The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig READ 5/28/2023
6 2022 A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand READ 6/21/2023
7 2022 The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand READ 7/4/2023
8 2022 The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand READ 8/21/2023
9 2022 The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson READ 3/7/2023
13 2023 Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson READ 7/27/2023
15 2023 The Winners by Fredrik Backman READ 2/10/2023
16 2023 The Camel Club by David Baldacci READ 4/25/2023
17 2023 The Collectors by David Baldacci READ 5/28/2023
18 2023 Stone Cold by David Baldacci READ 6/27/2023
19 2023 Divine Justice by David BaldacciREAD 7/26/2023
20 2023 Hell's Corner by David Baldacci READ 8/9/2023
21 2023 The Innocent by David Baldacci READ 9/14/2023
22 2023 The Hit by David Baldacci READ 10/27/2023
23 2023 Bullseye - an Original Will Robie / Camel Club Short Story by David Baldacci READ 10/27/2023
24 2023 The Target by David Baldacci READ 11/22/2023
25 2023 The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes READ 4/11/2023
26 2023 The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes READ 5/16/2023
27 2023 The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes READ 6/10/2023
29 2023 Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown READ 1/27/2023
30 2023 The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton READ 7/23/2023
32 2023 The Christian Family by Larry Christenson READ 9/8/2023
34 2023 Rasco and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conly READ 4/17/2023
35 2023 RT, Margaret And The Rats Of Nimh by Jane Leslie Conly READ 5/2/2023
36 2023 Columbine by Dave Cullen READ 9/21/2023
38 2023 Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond READ 8/16/2023
39 2023 Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis by Jared Diamond READ 9/18/2023
41 2023 Bossypants by Tina Fey READ 2/2/2023
42 2023 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus READ 6/23/2023
43 2023 The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell READ 2/22/2023
44 2023 Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman READ 1/25/2023
45 2023 Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan READ 11/29/2023
46 2023 Sparring Partners by John Grisham READ 5/24/2023
47 2023 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi READ 5/18/2023
48 2023 Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris READ 1/24/2023
49 2023 Club Dead by Charlaine Harris READ 2/17/2023
50 2023 Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris READ 3/27/2023
51 2023 Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris READ 4/21/2023
52 2023 Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris READ 5/12/2023
53 2023 All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris READ 6/20/2023
54 2023 From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris READ 7/12/2023
55 2023 Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris READ 8/25/2023
56 2023 Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris READ 9/28/2023
57 2023 Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris READ 10/19/2023
58 2023 Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris READ 11/28/2023
59 2023 Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris READ 12/20/2023
60 2023 The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood READ 2/1/2023
61 2023 Book Lovers by Emily Henry READ 3/11/2023
62 2023 It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover READ 1/30/2023
63 2023 House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson READ 1/18/2023
64 2023 Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human by K.W. Jeter READ 2/9/2023
65 2023 Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night by K.W. Jeter READ 3/17/2023
68 2023 Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen KilgariffREAD 8/14/2023
69 2023 The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fischer READ 2/18/2023
70 2023 Type Talk: The 16 Personality Types That Determine How We Live, Love, and Work by Otto Kroeger READ 6/17/2023
71 2023 SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt READ 11/23/2023
72 2023 House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas READ 1/26/2023
73 2023 Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel READ 4/26/2023
74 2023 Suttree by Cormac McCarthy READ 12/26/2023
75 2023 I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy READ 2/6/2023
77 2023 The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty by G.J. Meyer READ 1/11/2023
78 2023 Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey READ 3/3/2023
79 2023 The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery READ 9/23/2023
80 2023 Jazz by Toni Morrison READ 10/12/2023
81 2023 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien READ 3/20/2023
82 2023 Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver READ 1/21/2023
83 2023 Heartstopper: Volume Four by Alice Oseman READ 1/28/2023
85 2023 The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman READ 7/11/2023
86 2023 I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us by Andie Powers READ 1/28/2023
87 2023 The Maid by Nita Prose READ 2/15/2023
88 2023 Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid READ 3/24/2023
89 2023 Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak READ 8/24/2023
90 2023 The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship between a Boy and a Baseball Legend by Sharon Robinson READ 9/4/2023
92 2023 Gallant by V.E. Schwab READ 8/28/2023
94 2023 The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks READ 9/30/2023
95 2023 The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb READ 4/27/2023
96 2023 The Little Friend by Donna Tartt READ 10/9/2023
98 2023 Wayward by Chuck Wendig READ 3/17/2023
99 2023 To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf READ 1/13/2023
100 2023 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin READ 1/12/2023

I read and loved the NIMH books as a child, but I don't really remember them. I should read them again some day. The only other 2023 books I've completed are Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (slow, but fascinating) and The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty (good book).

I did have two DNF from your list: Dead Until Dark and To the Lighthouse, but maybe you'll have better luck than me. The former was just not right for me. For the latter, I found the structure too annoying to continue. I certainly shouldn't have tried it as an audiobook.

I've been waiting waiting for this, great list and I've only read a few, but enjoyed them a lot. Daughter of Moloka'i was good, although not as good as Moloka'i, which I loved. Homegoing, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Columbine, American Dirt are all excellent.

If you want a buddy read for The Winners, let me know. Happy reading!

Fascinating list. The Tipping Point was interesting as I recall. I don't usually get poetry but I did 'enjoy' Amanda Gorman's collection. I finally decided to put away my Charlaine Harris books. I really enjoyed two of her series, kind of enjoyed the Sookie books (although I preferred the TV series) and got tired out of Midnight. I hope you enjoy all of your selections. It's a great list.

Anne wrote: "I read and loved the NIMH books as a child, but I don't really remember them. I should read them again some day. The only other 2023 books I've completed are Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (slow, but fascinating) and The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty (good book).

I did have two DNF from your list: Dead Until Dark and To the Lighthouse, but maybe you'll have better luck than me. The former was just not right for me. For the latter, I found the structure too annoying to continue. I certainly shouldn't have tried it as an audiobook."

Anne, thanks for your comments. I'm eager to read The Tudor Dynasty and Collapse, and will keep in mind how slow going Collapse might be. I really enjoyed Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, and I thought the same about that book. It wasn't one I could race through. I have been meaning to pick up Collapse for many years.

That's good info about To the Lighthouse, sounds like I need to pick it up as a physical book. I resisted the Sookie Stackhouse series for many years, but I am trying to read all the GRC Awards, and that series won twice, so we'll see if I have better luck than you did. Sometimes I like something silly, like the Wimpy Kid books I read last year, but sometimes I just don't get it. So fingers crossed.

Ioana wrote: "I've been waiting waiting for this, great list and I've only read a few, but enjoyed them a lot. Daughter of Moloka'i was good, although not as good as Moloka'i, which I loved. Homegoing, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Columbine, American Dirt are all excellent.

If you want a buddy read for The Winners, let me know. Happy reading!"

I'd love a buddy read for The Winners, Ioana! When would you like to read it? I had planned to try and read it in January, but if you'd rather read it another month, just let me know. How fun!!

I'm glad you liked so many of the books on the list! That gives me hope that my list won't have too many disappointments on it. Well, fingers crossed anyways! :-)

Bill wrote: "Fascinating list. The Tipping Point was interesting as I recall. I don't usually get poetry but I did 'enjoy' Amanda Gorman's collection. I finally decided to put away my Charlaine Harris books. I really enjoyed two of her series, kind of enjoyed the Sookie books (although I preferred the TV series) and got tired out of Midnight. I hope you enjoy all of your selections. It's a great list."

Charlaine Harris is a new author for me, but I can imagine why you might want to take a very long break from reading her many series books. I will take her one series at a time and see where I want to go from here. So many great series. So little time!

I enjoyed The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman, so I'm intrigued to see how I will like Call us What we Carry. I can't wait to start reading this list!!

Sooooooooooo many buddy read ideas for 2023!!

Lea wrote: "I'd love a buddy read for The Winners, Ioana! When would you like to read it? I had planned to try and read it in January, but if you'd rather read it another month, just let me know. How fun!!"

I'm on the waiting list, #44 on 13 books, so that makes it what, maybe 10 weeks or so? So maybe March, or anytime after that. Let me know what works with your schedule.

I read Collapse a few years ago and remember it was fascinating. If you want buddy reads for The Endless Steppe or The Blue Castle at some point let me know. Both are on my lists.

I admire your discipline in reading your planned books every year. I seem to add more and read other stuff half the time.

Carolien wrote: "I read Collapse a few years ago and remember it was fascinating. If you want buddy reads for The Endless Steppe or The Blue Castle at some point let me know. Both are on my lists.

I admire your discipline in reading your planned books every year. I seem to add more and read other stuff half the time."

I definitely read other stuff at least half the time too. :-) Like in November, I read 14 books. Only 3 of them were on any of my lists. Now, 5 of them finished out series, so I cannot say they weren't on my radar, but I couldn't squeeze them onto my 2022 list and I wanted to read them more than anything that was left on my list, so I did.

I'd love to read The Endless Steppe and The Blue Castle. I own The Endless Steppe, so I could read that anytime. I was even thinking about January, but nothing is definite? It might take me a little bit to lay my hands on The Blue Castle, so maybe later in the year. Let me know what you're thinking!

Alissa wrote: "Sooooooooooo many buddy read ideas for 2023!!"

Yahoo! I love buddy reading with you!!

Ioana wrote: "I'm on the waiting list, #44 on 13 books, so that makes it what, maybe 10 weeks or so? So maybe March, or anytime after that. Let me know what works with your schedule."

March is perfect, I am really looking forward to this book. I hope we both like it!

Lea wrote: "March is perfect, I am really looking forward to this book. I hope we both like it!"

We liked the other 2, I have high expectations. If it gets to me sooner, I'll let you know.

Lea wrote: "I am collecting 100 books I want to read in the next 5 years. After 5 years, if I've read 75% of the books I put on the list 5 years before, I'll consider this a success.

I've read all the books s..."

That is a great challenge, Lea! I am trying to do the same and am hoping for different results. LOL

There are some goodies on your list, too; I just haven't read them yet!! LMAO

Ioana wrote: "We liked the other 2, I have high expectations. If it gets to me sooner, I'll let you know."

Sounds good. I am looking forward to it!

Alondra wrote: "That is a great challenge, Lea! I am trying to do the same and am hoping for different results. LOL

There are some goodies on your list, too; I just haven't read them yet!! LMAO"

Thanks, Alondra! We'll see how well I picked this list. I seem to always pick a few winners and a few stinkers. I refuse to believe that I am at fault in *any* way, my moodiness should not be a consideration. :-) :-) :-)

Lea wrote: "Thanks, Alondra! We'll see how well I picked this list. I seem to always pick a few winners and a few stinkers. I refuse to believe that I am at fault in *any* way, my moodiness should not be a consideration...."

How can we readers be at fault?? Like, we always go in with great intentions. It's not a readers fault that a book was not what was needed. Every Book is Not for Every Body.

Alondra wrote: "How can we readers be at fault?? Like, we always go in with great intentions. It's not a readers fault that a book was not what was needed. Every Book is Not for Every Body."

Sometimes I think that if I waited, I might like a book better when I was in a different mood. Then other times, I think that if the book was that good, it would speak to me no matter what mood I'm in. Because some do. At least for me. :-)

January Mid Month Report

Books Read: 5 books this month and so far this year. 1,953 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 4/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 1/11, 2023 Books 3/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 3/16

Recently Finished:

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup - I started reading this book last year and several of us had a discussion on my last year's thread about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, a company which supposedly patented a new method to diagnose disease with just a drop of blood. I was trying to find something redeeming about her and this situation, but it wasn't found in this book or the podcast. Unless there's an alternate reality out there, lying, swindling money out of investors, hiding entire laboratories from regulators and providing false medical data to patients is not OK. Recommended to nonfiction lovers, it is quite a tale. 4 STARS

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise - A middle grade fiction story about a girl and her father dealing with grief and acceptance of others. This book bites off a lot of issues as is the style these days, but does a fair job of it all. I loved the voice of Coyote. Recommended, but maybe not for a middle grade reader without some discussions. 4 STARS

The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty - Henry VIII was such an interesting historical figure, known for his 6 wives and changing the religion of the nation that he ruled over. This is a nonfiction book that handles the entire Tudor dynasty, but it spends a lot of time on the reign of Henry VIII. I did learn some new things and was greatly appreciative of all of the research and the multiple side bars, and I really liked how accessible the book was and the explanations of who people were and how they related to the story. I did think the author was a bit biased in some aspects and had a heavy focus on Henry VIII and religion. I'm really glad I finally read it. Recommended to those who like long nonfiction books about history and/or religion. 3 STARS

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - A story of 30 years in the life of two friends who are game designers. It's a beautiful story of friendship and I really loved it. Lots of references to Shakespeare. Recommended, but keep your expectations reasonable. There is one long game sequence in the book that probably should be read, and if games aren't your thing, you might need patience. 4.5 STARS

To the Lighthouse - A stream of consciousness story about a family and their guests on holiday. I thought it was very well written, but maybe not that enjoyable, if that makes any sense. I appreciated it more than I liked it. Only recommended for serious classics lovers or those who enjoy stream of consciousness stories. I do not. I always end up feeling less normal reading about what is meant to go through other people's heads. 3 STARS

Currently reading:

Anne's House of Dreams - At 17%, so some progress, but not much.

House of Sky and Breath - Welp, I said I wasn't going to read any more books in this series and then it won GRC Award, and I decided to continue. Sarah J. Maas is obviously a very popular author, but I'm not sure I get all of her books.

House of Hunger - So this book is loosely based upon Countess Bathory. It's a horror book. I'm about 20% in and it seems very much like a YA novel. I'm not sure what I think just yet.

Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation ��

Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
NONE

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
NONE; I haven't even read a series book yet this year!

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Bladerunner (3)
2. Wanderers (1)
3. Sookie Stackhouse (12)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Alex Stern (1)

Series That Added Books Last Year with number of books I still need to read in that series: (so you can see how I really made no progress!)
1. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (8)
2. Jake Brigance (1)
3. The Miniaturist (1)
4. Comoran Strike (4)
5. Beartown (1)
6. It Ends with Us (1)
7. Stephanie Plum (8)

Nice start of the year! Glad to hear you enjoyed Bad Blood (quite a tale, yes!), and good to hear that The Tudors is worth reading. It will stay on my TBR for someday, this life time hopefully.

You're off to a good start in 2023. I've read two of Woolf's books, Mrs. Dalloway and Between two Acts. Like you, I appreciated her style and how she presented a story. Not always just an enjoyable read but still worth trying her work. I will have to try and find To the Lighthouse.

Ioana wrote: "Nice start of the year! Glad to hear you enjoyed Bad Blood (quite a tale, yes!), and good to hear that The Tudors is worth reading. It will stay on my TBR for someday, this life time hopefully."

Haha, I know what you mean. I have enough books on my TBR for a Tudor Dynasty worth of reading, but sadly, I am unlikely to be able to read for that long. You weren't kidding about Bad Blood. There's really no nice way to spin it. Although some of the people I had dinner with last night surely tried. (They are in the medical devices industry and know some of the lower level people that worked there...)

Bill wrote: "You're off to a good start in 2023. I've read two of Woolf's books, Mrs. Dalloway and Between two Acts. Like you, I appreciated her style and how she presented a story. Not always just an enjoyable read but still worth trying her work. I will have to try and find To the Lighthouse."

The positive thing I can say about To The Lighthouse is that it is 211 pages long, so it doesn't go on and on and on like some. It is fairly tightly constructed. With stream of consciousness books, I have just learned to read it in the same way I sit and listen to some people I know who go on and on and on talking about anything and everything. It's not just what they are saying, it's how they are saying it and what they aren't saying. I will one day get to Mrs. Dalloway, but not for awhile. :-)

Lea wrote: "Bill wrote: "You're off to a good start in 2023. I've read two of Woolf's books, Mrs. Dalloway and Between two Acts. Like you, I appreciated her style and how she presented a story. Not always just..."

I think it's a smart move to keep a gap between her books. I reread my reviews of the other two books and in both I kind of said it was like climbing a sand dune... lol

Lea wrote: "Although some of the people I had dinner with last night surely tried. (They are in the medical devices industry and know some of the lower level people that worked there...)"

I think the difference between the low level people and a company's management is the same as the difference between people of a country and its government. You might be friends with the people, even if/when you disagree with their country's political government.

I am sure that some, most of the the low level employees at Theranos were people who genuinely believed in what they were doing, worked hard and hoped their CEO/CFO were doing the same.

Great start to the year! I listened to Bad Blood last year. Not many authors (in my opinion) make good narrators, but I thought he did an excellent job.
One of these days, I need to try To the Lighthouse.
Glad you enjoyed Tomorrow, etc. I'm just getting into it.

Great update.

Still not sure about Tomorrow, tomorrow, etc.... LOL. I may hold off and if I see a free copy laying on the ground, may pick it up... ijs

Bill wrote: "Lea wrote: "I think it's a smart move to keep a gap between her books. I reread my reviews of the other two books and in both I kind of said it was like climbing a sand dune... lol"

I love that analogy. Climbing a sand dune. That's pretty much what I just did. I struggle with Faulkner's books too, same reason. Instead of feeling like I'm in somebody else's mind, I feel like my brain doesn't work that way. I mean, yes, definitely, I go on different bunny trails, but not the same ones. Where their heads go, I'm not interested in, so I end up wondering what the point is...

We'll see. My reading club seemed to love the book, so someone will probably pick another book by her before I'm ready for it. If I'm really not in the mood for it, I won't read it. :-)

Ioana wrote: "I think the difference between the low level people and a company's management is the same as the difference between people of a country and its government. You might be friends with the people, even if/when you disagree with their country's political government.

I am sure that some, most of the the low level employees at Theranos were people who genuinely believed in what they were doing, worked hard and hoped their CEO/CFO were doing the same."

Yes, I love your analogy with government and agree with it! It's interesting that the low level employees still seem to believe Elizabeth was framed, despite being presented with all of this evidence from the book/podcast. It's like having a Russian friend who doesn't actually believe people are getting seriously harmed in the Ukraine. At first, we try to explain, present our evidence, help them understand where we're coming from, but it doesn't work. And then, since we know this person isn't directly harming anyone, and they cannot seem to believe the same set of facts, we just have to agree to disagree.

Patricia wrote: "Great start to the year! I listened to Bad Blood last year. Not many authors (in my opinion) make good narrators, but I thought he did an excellent job.
One of these days, I need to try To the Lighthouse.
Glad you enjoyed Tomorrow, etc. I'm just getting into it."

I agree with you regarding the audio book narration.

I hope you like Tomorrow, etc as much as I did. I can't wait to discuss with you! :-)

I read so many good books at the beginning of the year, my current books are kind of a let down. We'll see if I add another book into the mix in order to improve the flavor! :-)

Alondra wrote: "Great update.

Still not sure about Tomorrow, tomorrow, etc.... LOL. I may hold off and if I see a free copy laying on the ground, may pick it up... ijs"

Sounds like a plan. It's definitely not for everybody, but I really loved it. I enjoyed it so much more than A.J. Fikry.

Lea wrote: "Bill wrote: "Lea wrote: "I think it's a smart move to keep a gap between her books. I reread my reviews of the other two books and in both I kind of said it was like climbing a sand dune... lol"

I..."

'bunny trails'... I love it. I took an American literature course in uni.. (I think that was what it was called). I couldn't get into Faulkner for some reason.... Good for you for attempting and finishing.

Lea wrote: "Sounds like a plan. It's definitely not for everybody, but I really loved it. I enjoyed it so much more than A.J. Fikry..."

Yikes, and that one is definitely on my list. *sigh*

Alondra wrote: "Lea wrote: "Sounds like a plan. It's definitely not for everybody, but I really loved it. I enjoyed it so much more than A.J. Fikry..."

Yikes, and that one is definitely on my list. *sigh*"

The good news is that it sounds like most of the readers around here like that one better than Tomorrow. I think I'm just destined to have different book taste than a lot of people. :-)

Lea wrote: "January Mid Month Report

Books Read: 5 books this month and so far this year. 1,953 pages.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise - A middle grade fiction story about a girl and her father dealing with grief and acceptance of others. This book bites off a lot of issues as is the style these days, but does a fair job of it all. I loved the voice of Coyote. Recommended, but maybe not for a middle grade reader without some discussions. 4 STARS.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - A story of 30 years in the life of two friends who are game designers. It's a beautiful story of friendship and I really loved it. Lots of references to Shakespeare. Recommended, but keep your expectations reasonable. There is one long game sequence in the book that probably should be read, and if games aren't your thing, you might need patience. 4.5 STARS"

Loved The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise when I read it a couple of years ago. It tugged at my heartstrings. Loved Coyote.

I'm so glad that you really enjoyed Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I have it as a book club read for this year and I was hesitant about it. I loved her previous books, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young but absolutely hated Elsewhere. Here's hoping 🤞🏼

Bill wrote: "'bunny trails'... I love it. I took an American literature course in uni.. (I think that was what it was called). I couldn't get into Faulkner for some reason.... Good for you for attempting and finishing."

I really couldn't get into Faulkner either. I read The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Light in August, and As I Lay Dying was my least favorite. After that, I decided not to continue and read Absalom, Absalom! for a long period. Faulkner is on indefinite pause at the moment. :-) But there are so many other good books to read!

Lillie wrote: "Loved The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise when I read it a couple of years ago. It tugged at my heartstrings. Loved Coyote.

I'm so glad that you really enjoyed Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I have it as a book club read for this year and I was hesitant about it. I loved her previous books, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young but absolutely hated Elsewhere. Here's hoping 🤞🏼"

Maybe I'll try Young Jane Young next then. I am not very political, so I wasn't sure...but it could be good. Fingers crossed that you enjoy Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I can't wait to see what your thoughts are and what camp you're in, Lillie.

January Month End Report

Books Read: 15 books this month and so far this year. 5,315 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 13/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 1/11, 2023 Books 12/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 4/16

Previously discussed:

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
To the Lighthouse

Recently Finished:
House of Hunger - This book was a bit weird. It was loosely based upon Countess Bathory, but set in a fictional world where the rich people take bloodmaids to improve their health by taking the blood of others. The premise was weird, but oddly gripping. The problem was the writing style. It was very YA adjacent. 2 STARS

Before I Fall - In the early 2010's, there were a lot of YA books about teenagers and mental health, and this was from that oeuvre. It was super popular and a movie came out almost immediately. The book is about a girl who dies (this is not a spoiler, it happens in the prologue and mentioned on the summaries) and gets a chance to think over and relive her life choices. It wasn't very similar to my own teenage experience and made me glad that I'm older than the dinosaurs. It felt a bit dated, but I couldn't put it down. 3 STARS

Living Dead in Dallas - Book #2 in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Let's just say that if there are only two books in the series, I am less tolerant of continuity errors. I get why someone might not want to re-read twelve books to figure out what they said in Book 1 about a character's family life, but this is Book 2. Entertaining, but nothing life changing. 2 STARS

Call Us What We Carry - The GRC Award winner for poetry. Amanda Gorman certainly has a way with words. I struggle with poetry because I can't always understand/agree with the poet's emotions, but this was pretty good. 3 STARS

House of Sky and Breath- I said I wasn't going to read any more of this series, and then it won the GRC Award and I heard from someone that I couldn't miss the ending, so I read it...and in my opinion, it was a cliffhanger, so that was no ending at all...and the book is very long and some of the things that happen strain credulity...but it wasn't unreadable. I just don't think it's my jam...but if there's only one more book in the series, I might need to know how she is going to end this thing...unless of course, it's just going to cliff hang again!!! 2 STARS

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience - The GRC Award winner for nonfiction. It was good, but not life changing for me. I listened to the audio and still need to find the time to look at all the diagrams that are included in the pdf. 3 STARS

I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us - A children's picture book. I liked the distinction the author made between children who are quiet and children who are shy. There's a difference. 3 STARS

Heartstopper: Volume Four - GRC Award winner for Graphic Novels. This was adorable. I was strangely unmoved by the first book in the series, but as it goes, I'm starting to get what the author has going on. I really enjoyed it. 4 STARS

Subpar Parks: America's Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors - As a National Parks lover and someone who continually finds funny reviews everywhere on the internet, I eventually found this book funny. Initially, when people pointed me to her Instagram account long ago, I didn't think it was that funny, but I think I'm finally on board with irony. 3 STARS

It Starts with Us - Colleen Hoover and I have a sketchy past together. I have read 4 books from her, and didn't care much about 2 and liked the other two. This one is a sequel to It Ends with Us, which I buddy read with Lindsey. I was a bit nervous, because I wasn't sure this book needed to be written, but I think it did. Let me try to explain without spoilers. Readers were torn about the ending of It Ends with Us. This book was a further explanation of why It Ends with Us ended that way for the unbelievers. Since I was already on board with the ending of It Ends with Us (if it had ended any other way, I would have been horrified), I thought this book might be unnecessary, but turns out it wasn't. I enjoyed it. 3 STARS

Currently reading:

Anne's House of Dreams - At 22%, so some progress, but not much.

Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human - This is the sequel to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, but it is written by another author. I have a hard and fast rule about not reading sequels written by other authors, but apparently I'm breaking that rule. This book is trying to merge the movie version into the book version and I haven't seen the movie in a million years, so I need to do that. So far, I don't hate it?

The Love Hypothesis - I am buddy reading this with Alissa, but I'm flying through it right now!

Book of the Month: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Worst book: Hmmm...nothing was unreadable...but I'll pick House of Sky and Breath because it is too long, and had that annoying ending. So there.
Biggest surprise: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise - Coyote has an amazing voice
Greatest accomplishment - 15 books this month! I mean one was a children's book and one was a graphic novel and one was mostly pictures, but one book was over 800 pages, so I think it all evens out.

Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation ��

Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. Crescent City (1)
2. Heartstopper (1)
3. It Ends with Us (1)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
NONE

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Bladerunner (3)
2. Wanderers (1)
3. Sookie Stackhouse (11)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Alex Stern (1)
2. Xanth (41)

Series That Added Books Last Year with number of books I still need to read in that series: (so you can see how I really made no progress!)
1. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (8)
2. Jake Brigance (1)
3. The Miniaturist (1)
4. Comoran Strike (4)
5. Beartown (1)
6. Stephanie Plum (8)

I feel the same about poetry generally. I liked Amanda Gorman's book as well. I've read the first Heartstopper after super reviews by my local bookstore owner. I liked it, didn't love it, but I've got #2 to try. Glad to hear it gets better. I understand the Netflix series is fantastic.

Lea wrote: "After that, I decided not to continue and read Absalom, Absalom! for a long period. Faulkner is on indefinite pause at the moment. :-) But there are so many other good books to read!"

I've tried Absalom, Absalom! some time ago, it did not work well. Actually, it did not work at all. Maybe in my next life?

Great month! I have enjoyed some Faulkner but only because I read them in college. I don't think I would have gotten far with them on my own but had an enthusiastic professor, so that helped.

Lea wrote: "January Month End Report

Call Us What We Carry - The GRC Award winner for poetry. Amanda Gorman certainly has a way with words. I struggle with poetry because I can't always understand/agree with the poet's emotions, but this was pretty good. 3 STARS"

Yeah, I feel the same way about poetry, I just don't know enough. So, I'm challenging myself to read a very small list of poets that sound interesting and Amanda Gorman is one of the ones I've chosen. After your review, I'm looking forward to reading her collection.

What a really nice month of reading you've had. Happy February :)

Lea wrote: "The good news is that it sounds like most of the readers around here like that one better than Tomorrow. I think I'm just destined to have different book taste than a lot of people. :-)..."

I feel you. I definitely have a much different taste than most of this group. Yikes. LOL

...and kudos on all of your progress this month!

Bill wrote: "I feel the same about poetry generally. I liked Amanda Gorman's book as well. I've read the first Heartstopper after super reviews by my local bookstore owner. I liked it, didn't love it, but I've got #2 to try. Glad to hear it gets better. I understand the Netflix series is fantastic."

I haven't watched the Netflix series, but I've heard the same thing as you. I hope you enjoy the Heartstopper books. I actually thought #4 was the strongest of the series and #1 was the weakest of the series, but that might not be the same for you.

It's good to read a poetry book or two every year, and Gorman is quite a writer, but I could not live on a steady diet of poetry. :-)

Ioana wrote: "I've tried Absalom, Absalom! some time ago, it did not work well. Actually, it did not work at all. Maybe in my next life?"

Maybe our next lives? That's a better way to say indefinite pause.
Life is too short to read bad books, especially when there are so many good ones.

Patricia wrote: "Great month! I have enjoyed some Faulkner but only because I read them in college. I don't think I would have gotten far with them on my own but had an enthusiastic professor, so that helped."

Oh yes, Patricia, having the right professor definitely makes a difference. I always find I enjoy a book or movie more when someone else is talking me through it. :-) So, maybe I just need to take another literature class sometime. That actually sounds really fun.

Lillie wrote: "Yeah, I feel the same way about poetry, I just don't know enough. So, I'm challenging myself to read a very small list of poets that sound interesting and Amanda Gorman is one of the ones I've chosen. After your review, I'm looking forward to reading her collection.

What a really nice month of reading you've had. Happy February :)"

I hope you find Gorman as interesting as did. I might have just been happy to have a change in poetry style come into fashion. I was a little tired of the random phrase phase of poetry that was in a few years ago. It just never spoke to me.

Alondra wrote: "I feel you. I definitely have a much different taste than most of this group. Yikes. LOL

...and kudos on all of your progress this month!"

Thanks! It feels good to be making progress and not struggling to read books. :-)

And although I am unapologetic for my having different taste, and although I do think that everyone has their own unique individual tastes and that's wonderful, it never fails to make me wonder why I'm not into some of the mainstream stuff. Oh, well, not something to get too worried about! :-)

Lea wrote: "although I do think that everyone has their own unique individual tastes and that's wonderful, it never fails to make me wonder why I'm not into some of the mainstream stuff.."

Same. I just can't do it. I would probably have more interactions if I did more mainstream/popular books; but that sounds like a "should" and I don't do those! 😂😂