Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Lea wrote: "And, yes, I'm one of those bad people that votes, even if I haven't read a book. I used to not. But now I do. :-)"

You do whaaaaat????? 😱😱😱

Lea wrote: "Greatest accomplishment: I have completed my 2023 Reading Challenge, I have read over 100 books."

Congrats! Some were good and ended up on my TBR too. Some were not and fell into the "I read this so you don't have to" category, and I'm thankful for that, too.

Can't wait to see what's you're going to read next.

Ioana wrote: "Lea wrote: "And, yes, I'm one of those bad people that votes, even if I haven't read a book. I used to not. But now I do. :-)"

You do whaaaaat????? 😱😱😱"

I know. I feel better about voting, even though I haven't read the book...because I am reading all of the winners, and I want to have some say in the books I'm going to read. That's how I'm going to justify it to myself.

On the other hand, I will say that some of the books that I hoped didn't win ended up being pretty good...and basically it is GRC Awards and Alondra that persuaded me to give Stephen King another try...so there we go.

LOL, I love the way we can always justify our actions.
I read my first SK novel after Alondra convinced me to give him a try, and I'm glad I did.
As for the GRC Awards, I don't trust them anymore since 2016 when Dark Matter did not win. I don't remember who the winner was in the SF category, but I was sooo disappointed.

Lea wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Lea wrote: "And, yes, I'm one of those bad people that votes, even if I haven't read a book. I used to not. But now I do. :-)"

You do whaaaaat????? 😱😱😱"

I know. I feel better about ..."

Now, see? How did I get in it. LOL.... hehehehhehehe

Ioana wrote: "LOL, I love the way we can always justify our actions.
I read my first SK novel after Alondra convinced me to give him a try, and I'm glad I did.
As for the GRC Awards, I don't trust them anymore since 2016 when Dark Matter did not win. I don't remember who the winner was in the SF category, but I was sooo disappointed."

I will say that I liked Morning Star, and while it is still rated higher than Dark Matter, Dark Matter was better. And 3x the number of people read Dark Matter. So there we go. Now that I looked that up, I remembered a couple SF books I was going to read. Time to rearrange that TBR. :-)

Alondra wrote: "Now, see? How did I get in it. LOL.... hehehehhehehe"

GRC Awards can be wrong. But Alondra's taste in books can never be wrong. :-) :-) :-)

Lea wrote: "

GRC Awards can be wrong. But Alondra's taste in books can never be wrong. :-) :-) :-)"


TRUTH

Yyeeesss; fistpump!!

Of course, every now and then, I read something that leaves you all scratching your head. Mmmmm

October Mid Month Report

Books Read: 4 books this month and 107 so far this year. 38,511 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 73/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 66/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 15/16

Recently finished:

The Color of Air - I did finally finish this book, and I did end up enjoying it, although it took me forever to read. It's set on the big island of Hawaii around a variety of times, culminating in the 1935 eruption of Mauna Loa - did you know that the US government sent bombers to divert the lava flow from Hilo? I did not remember that from history class. Anyway, also about a young doctor returning home from practicing in Chicago and to the family and friends he left behind. I got such a strong feeling of community from reading the book, but it was slow. 3 stars.

The Little Friend - This story is about an unsolved murder - 12 years ago, a young boy named Robin was found hanging from a tree. At the time, his younger sister Harriet was just a baby, and she has grown up in the shadow of grief and looks to solve the mystery of her brother's death. The book is by Donna Tartt, who is an amazing writer. I always enjoy reading her characterizations of people, but I never like where her plots take me. This was no exception. I was disappointed by the ending and I think that impacted my rating of this book. I buddy read it with Patricia and Alissa, and I think each of them have a very different impression of this book. 3 stars

The Nineties - I picked up this book with little expectations, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. The nineties seem so recent, but yet I had forgotten many of the key stories that transfixed those of us who lived through the generation. There are a lot of generalities and some of the stuff I couldn't relate to, but a surprising lot of it brought back a fierce nostalgia even if I really don't want to go back to those days. You've Got Mail. 3 stars

Jazz - This is my third book by Toni Morrison, and I think Carolien and I should continue our quest to read one Morrison book per year. We've read Beloved and Sula previously and both were amazing. This book was composed like a piece of music, with the tempo changing and the composition dancing around the place - lots of stream of consciousness writing and changing narrators - which I'm usually not a fan of reading. However, I could not put the book down and had to pay close attention. For such a short novel, Morrison packs a lot in there. This is not one of Morrison's better rated works, but for me, I might have liked it slightly better than Sula. That isn't to say I didn't like Sula, I've greatly appreciated all three of Morrison's works that I've read, and hope to read another next year, if not sooner. 4 stars

Currently reading:

Suttree - This book has a lot of description and is slow to get into.

The Wendigo - Because Alondra recommended it. It's short, but I'm savoring it. Perfect for the season.

Dead Reckoning - Because I needed a little palate cleanser to get through all those serious books, and Sookie delivers.

Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer - I am buddy reading this with Alissa. I just started today and already, the book is crazy.

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)
4. Beartown (1)
5. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
6. Wanderers (1)
7. The Roots of Chaos (1)
8. Jake Brigance (1)
9. The Miniaturist (1)
10. Nantucket (3)
11. Civilizations Rise and Fall (2)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. The Camel Club (1)
2. The Inheritance Games (1)
3. Will Robie (6)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Sookie Stackhouse (3)

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)
3. Zoe Washington (1)
4. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)
5. The Princess Diaries (1)
6. You (2)
7. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
8. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
9. Fractalverse (1)
10. Holly Gibney (1)
11. Thursday Murder Club (1)
12. Comoran Strike (4)
13. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)

Series That Added Books Last Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Stephanie Plum (8)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner
2. The Housemaid

October Month End Report (a little bit late)

Books Read: 11 books this month and 114 so far this year. 40,404 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 76/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 69/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 15/16

Previously discussed:

The Color of Air
The Little Friend
The Nineties
Jazz

Recently finished:

Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer - This was a buddy read with Alissa and it really skeeved me out. The BTK killer turned out to be a scout leader, and the president of his congregation. There really isn't a solid profile for a serial killer, and it was interesting to read what he was thinking. I wanted the book to flow a little bit better, it took me awhile to get into this book, but overall, I think it is worth reading, if you're into this sort of thing. 3 stars

Dead Reckoning - The next book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. This one wasn't my favorite book, but it was a nice palate cleanser from some of the serious books I had on the go. 2 stars

The Wendigo - Alondra made me do it, and I'm glad. This was a short story and perfect for the October spooky season. 3 stars

Hell Bent - This is the second book in the Alex Stern series, and took me awhile to get back into that world. I'd kind of forgotten about some of the things that happened in Ninth House. The book is all action, which I liked, but others may not. It ended with less of a cliffhanger than the first book, so I was a little bit happier with the ending, and am more likely to continue to series. I looked at several of your reviews before deciding to read this one, I was so annoyed with the previous book's ending. 3 stars

The Hit - The second book in the Will Robie series, and I was into it. The story line has been done before - one assassin is assigned to take down another assassin, etc., but it was pretty well executed. 3 stars

Bullseye - an Original Will Robie / The Camel Club Short Story - So here we have the last Camel Club offering as well as another one with Will Robie. Having been given books in both series, I knew I was going to come to the point where I'd read this short story. I'm ordinarily not a short story lover, but I did really enjoy this one. It was very straight forward, but I liked the concise writing and plot about the bank heist. I'm bummed to be done with the Camel Club for now, but looking forward to reading more Robie books in the future. 4 stars

The Love Season - This is another book by Elin Hilderbrand about a former chef and her estranged goddaughter. It was an impulse pick, but I needed something to offset the other books much more serious books I was reading.

Currently reading:

Suttree - I read more pages this morning. I did have to stop after I read something I never expected to read in a book (view spoiler)[a character is arrested while violating a field of watermelons! (hide spoiler)] but I'm reading it again. My BIL loves this book and I love the author, so I'm sure I will appreciate it also, but let's say that is the last thing I expected to read about, so I needed some time away.

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World - I'm not sure it is a good idea to be reading a book about Auschwitz right now with all that is going on with the world, but I do try to only read a book or two about this topic every year and this one came highly recommended.

Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High - Maybe warriors don't cry, but I do. Learning about the Little Rock Nine drew me to reading their books and boy this book made me feel outraged and emotionally drained. It's absolutely unbelievable what these students endured. Between this and the WW2 book above, I might need to read books about fluffy ponies for the next month or two.

The Brothers Hawthorne - This is the next installment in the Inheritance Games series, and I needed something that could serve as another palate cleanser. I've been reading too many heavy topics lately.

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)
4. Beartown (1)
5. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
6. Wanderers (1)
7. The Roots of Chaos (2)
8. Jake Brigance (1)
9. The Miniaturist (1)
10. Nantucket (3)
11. Civilizations Rise and Fall (2)
12. Alex Stern (1)
13. The Camel Club (6)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. The Inheritance Games (1)
2. Will Robie (3)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Sookie Stackhouse (2)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. Zoe Washington (1)
3. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)
4. The Princess Diaries (1)
5. You (2)
6. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
7. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
8. Fractalverse (1)
9. Holly Gibney (1)
10. Thursday Murder Club (1)
11. Comoran Strike (4)
12. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
13. The Firm (1)
14. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1)

Series That Added Books Last Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Stephanie Plum (8)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner
2. The Housemaid

Book of the Month: Jazz
Worst book: Only one book below 3 stars this month, sorry Sookie! Dead Reckoning
Biggest Surprise: The Nineties
Greatest Accomplishment: I'm officially done with my Individual List. I will keep picking off books here or there, but I'm looking forward to focusing on some other books!

Lea wrote: "October Month End Report (a little bit late)

Books Read: 11 books this month and 114 so far this year. 40,404 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 76/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 69/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 15/16 ..."

Nice stats, Lea, congrats! Definitely a good reading year.
I've recently read The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World and found it interesting, I hope you do too. Not sure a book on this topic can be called enjoyable...but interesting it was.

Ioana wrote: "Nice stats, Lea, congrats! Definitely a good reading year.
I've recently read The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World and found it interesting, I hope you do too. Not sure a book on this topic can be called enjoyable...but interesting it was."

I just finished reading it on Sunday, and it was 4 stars. I think it is an important story to be told, but it is hard to say I enjoyed the book. It was a topical book to read, but also hard to get through quickly. I'm so happy I read it.

Lea wrote: "I just finished reading it on Sunday, and it was 4 stars. I think it is an important story to be told, but it is hard to say I enjoyed the book. It was a topical book to read, but also hard to get through quickly. I'm so happy I read it."

I know exactly what you mean; it was a 4 stars for me, too.

Ioana wrote: "I know exactly what you mean; it was a 4 stars for me, too."

So far this month has been pretty good books, but I think I need to pay more attention to what you're reading. I usually like the books we've both read. :-)

November Mid Month Report

Books Read: 6 books so far this month and 120 so far this year. 42,402 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 77/100; 2020 Books 1/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 69/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 15/16

Recently finished:

Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High - Maybe warriors don't cry, but I do. Learning about the Little Rock Nine drew me to reading this book and made me feel outraged and emotionally drained. It's absolutely unbelievable what these students endured. I want to read more of the books written by the group, but maybe not more than one a year. It's hard to read. 4 stars

The Brothers Hawthorne - This is the next installment in the Inheritance Games series, and I actually preferred it than the last two books in the series. There are still games to be played, but the love triangle appears to be resolved and while there are still a lot of characters, they are doing different things, so I thought it helped with the pacing of the book. 3 stars

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World - This is the story about Rudolf Vrba, one of the few people who broke out of Auschwitz and tried to warn others about what was happening in the relocation centers. It is still so hard to believe that so many people were killed in this manner, and frustrating that the stories were not believed sooner. 4 stars

The Perfumist of Paris - This is the conclusion to the Jaipur Trilogy which began with The Henna Artist. I really appreciated the first book, but wasn't as enthusiastic about the second installment, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, but The Perfumist of Paris was back and almost as good as the first book. The growth of the character Radha was very interesting and I was glad to see some redemption of certain people who previously were portrayed as stereotypical. 4 stars

Vox - One day, the government has decided that women are no longer allowed to speak more than 100 words per day and are given "bracelets" in order to enforce this rule. For me, the first 2/3 of this book were "un-put-down-able" but then the last 1/3 of the book, I thought the author either was rushed or got lazy. If you haven't read The Handmaid’s Tale, that book is better. But this book was still good. I buddy read it with Alissa. 3 stars

Time Is a Mother - This is a poetry book by Ocean Vuong. I had planned to read a different book of his, but someone persuaded me to pick up this one. It is short, and I like some of the poems better than others. However, I am not one to whom poetry resonates deeply. So, my rating is probably says more about me than it does about the book. 2 stars

Currently reading:

Suttree - This is a book by the late great Cormac McCarthy. I love his writing, but this book cannot be hurried. It's about an outcast living in a houseboat near Knoxville, Tennessee, and is dark. It's slow going at the moment.

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow - This is a YA book about the civil war in Syria. The main character, Salama was a pharmacy student when the conflict broke out and now she volunteers at the hospital. So far, it's really good and I'm having a hard time putting it down.

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)
4. Beartown (1)
5. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
6. Wanderers (1)
7. The Roots of Chaos (2)
8. Jake Brigance (1)
9. The Miniaturist (1)
10. Nantucket (3)
11. Civilizations Rise and Fall (2)
12. Alex Stern (1)
13. The Camel Club (6)
14. The Inheritance Games (4)
15. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Will Robie (3)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Sookie Stackhouse (2)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. Zoe Washington (1)
3. The Princess Diaries (1)
4. You (2)
5. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
6. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
7. Fractalverse (1)
8. Holly Gibney (1)
9. Thursday Murder Club (1)
10. Comoran Strike (4)
11. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
12. The Firm (1)
13. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1)
14. Stephanie Plum (9)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner
2. The Housemaid

Lea wrote: "October Month End Report (a little bit late)

Books Read: 11 books this month and 114 so far this year. 40,404 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 76/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 ..."

Glad you enjoyed Jazz, which is one of my favs; and The Wendigo, which is quick and crazy-weird.

Alondra wrote: "Glad you enjoyed Jazz, which is one of my favs; and The Wendigo, which is quick and crazy-weird."

Yes, thank you so much for suggesting both of those. I won't be forgetting them any time soon.

Lea wrote: "Vox - One day, the government has decided that women are no longer allowed to speak more than 100 words per day and are given "bracelets" in order to enforce this rule. For me, the first 2/3 of this book were "un-put-down-able" but then the last 1/3 of the book, I thought the author either was rushed or got lazy. If you haven't read The Handmaid’s Tale, that book is better. But this book was still good. I buddy read it with Alissa. 3 stars"

This was on and off on my TBR, and after reading your review I'm still not sure it should go back on.

Ioana wrote: "This was on and off on my TBR, and after reading your review I'm still not sure it should go back on."

I think Alissa enjoyed it more than I did, so make sure to catch her review. :-)

Vox sounds interesting

Bill wrote: "Vox sounds interesting"

It reads pretty quickly and it was an interesting premise. I am glad I read it, but wished for a little smoother ending. Alissa liked it more than I did, so I might be being picky. :-)

November Month End Report

Books Read: 13 books this month and 127 so far this year. 44,824 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 81/100; 2020 Books 1/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 73/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 15/16

Previously discussed:

Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High
The Brothers Hawthorne
The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
The Perfumist of Paris
Vox
Time Is a Mother

Recently finished:

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow - This is a YA book about the civil war in Syria. The main character, Salama was a pharmacy student when the conflict broke out and now she volunteers at the hospital. Despite the fact that it was YA and despite the fact that there was a decent amount of magical realism, I still thought this was good. The Syrian Civil War is an important issue to discuss, and I appreciated that this book tackled that one issue and the impact as opposed to trying to take on too many different issues. Others thought it was boring for that very reason. Your mileage might vary. 4 stars.

On Air with Zoe Washington - This is the sequel to From the Desk of Zoe Washington, a middle grade story about a girl whose biological father was incarcerated for most of her life. He has since been released and Zoe and her dad want to open a food truck together. The book delves into the challenges previously incarcerated people have getting employment, both those who were wrongly convicted and those who have served their time. Zoe is plucky, and I love that, but the book gets awfully preachy. 3 stars

The Target - This is the third (or 4th if you count the inbetweeners) book in the Will Robie series, a series about a team of government assassins. It's hard to provide a synopsis of this book without spoiling previous books. I will say that this book had a somewhat surprising ending. I am planning to continue the series. 3 stars

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance - I really enjoyed Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything when I read it over 10 years ago, but I didn't think this sequel was as interesting. I felt like it was too similar to the first book. 3 stars

When to Rob a Bank - This is the last book in the Freakonomics series, and in my opinion, should have never been written. It is basically a summarization of all of their blog posts and a repeat of previous books. We were bored. 1 star.

Deadlocked - This is the 12th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. It's too hard to provide a summary without spoiling other books, but basically, this book is more of the same. 2.5 stars

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal - This book was a GRC Award winner in 2011. It reminds me of a bunch of other books written about that time: There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children and Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time (which I can't mention without also mentioning Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way) but it had been awhile since I'd read those books, so I did enjoy reading this one. 4 stars

Currently reading:

Suttree - This is a book by the late great Cormac McCarthy. I love his writing, but this book cannot be hurried. It's about an outcast living in a houseboat near Knoxville, Tennessee, and is dark. It's slow going at the moment.

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West - Meh. I thought this might kickstart Suttree but now I have two books I haven't made much progress on.

Amari and the Night Brothers - A middle grade adventure story. So far, it is kind of fun.

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)
4. Beartown (1)
5. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
6. Wanderers (1)
7. The Roots of Chaos (2)
8. Rats of NIMH (2)
9. Jake Brigance (1)
10. The Miniaturist (1)
11. Nantucket (3)
12. Civilizations Rise and Fall (2)
13. Alex Stern (1)
14. The Camel Club (6)
15. The Inheritance Games (4)
16. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)
17. Zoe Washington (1)
18. Freakonomics (2)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Will Robie (2)
2. Supernatural Investigations (2)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Sookie Stackhouse (1)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. The Princess Diaries (1)
3. You (2)
4. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
5. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
6. Fractalverse (1)
7. Holly Gibney (1)
8. Thursday Murder Club (1)
9. Comoran Strike (4)
10. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
11. The Firm (1)
12. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1)
13. Stephanie Plum (9)
14. Killing Series (1)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner
2. The Housemaid

Book of the month: Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High
Worst book: When to Rob a Bank just wasn't interesting to me.
Biggest surprise: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow - I liked this book much more than I expected.
Greatest accomplishment: I finished 4 series this month!

Another good month! As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is on my TBR too (how did we miss this as a buddy read?) and I'm so glad you enjoyed Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. Yes, the comparison to the other books you mentioned is very appropriate.
4 series, wow! It seems we're all on the same page LOL, trying to finish those series where we only have 1 book left, before the end of the year :-)

Ioana wrote: "Another good month! As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is on my TBR too (how did we miss this as a buddy read?) and I'm so glad you enjoyed Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. Yes, the comparison to the other books you mentioned is very appropriate.
4 series, wow! It seems we're all on the same page LOL, trying to finish those series where we only have 1 book left, before the end of the year :-)"

LOL, well As Long as Lemon Trees Grow wasn't on my individual challenge, I just picked it up upon a recommendation from a friend and a complaint about it from my Book Opposite. (I know this person who likes all the books I don't and dislikes all the books I do, so I call her my Book Opposite.) It would have been fun to buddy read it. The YA voice in the novel is really pronounced - far too much energy on the love story but it was a halal romance, so interesting to learn a bit about those customs - so I'm not sure what you'll think when you get to it.

I'm really not making any progress with my series, I started 7 this year and I'm positive it will be worse next year. Not to mention all those series that added books so they aren't finished anymore. But at least I have a lot of great books to read! :-)

I usually read a lot more stand alones than series, but this year I tried to be more half-and-half.
I started 17 series 😱, 4 I will not continue, and I finished 8. I hope to finish a couple more in December, so...not bad.

Talking about series....The House in the Cerulean Sea is now part of a series??? Why?

Ioana wrote: "I usually read a lot more stand alones than series, but this year I tried to be more half-and-half.
I started 17 series 😱, 4 I will not continue, and I finished 8. I hope to finish a couple in more in December, so...not bad.

Talking about series....The House in the Cerulean Sea is now part of a series??? Why?"

It does sound like you've made some serious efforts to contain the series creep.

Wow, I didn't know that The House in the Cerulean Sea is now going to be a series. I think it was inevitable though. It is the most popular of all Klune's books. I hope there's a purpose to the sequel beyond making more money for the publisher. :-)

Lea wrote: "It does sound like you've made some serious efforts to contain the series creep."

I'm trying, but you know....the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation...the success is debatable.

Great update, Lea. So proud of you for completing 4 series! Woot!

Great month! I haven't read any of the books you read, so can't make any kind of comments except Way to Go!

Ioana wrote: "Lea wrote: "It does sound like you've made some serious efforts to contain the series creep."

I'm trying, but you know....the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation...the success is debatable."

Series creep is real. I've been trying to finish out every series I start within two years of starting it. I've had pretty good success the last three years with that. However, this practice does not address the other series I started earlier that are in various states of completion, nor does it account for all of these other "secret series" that are not series and then become series later, by mysteriously adding books. Whack-a-mole, indeed! :-)

Alondra wrote: "Great update, Lea. So proud of you for completing 4 series! Woot!"

Thanks! I was feeling good about that too!! :-)

Patricia wrote: "Great month! I haven't read any of the books you read, so can't make any kind of comments except Way to Go!"

Well, that's a nice comment, Patricia! Thank you!!

Lea wrote: "I've been trying to finish out every series I start within two years of starting it."

I'm trying to do that only with series where there is actually some story continuity between the books. The series where each book can be a stand alone...those can drag (and do drag) for many years.
Harry Bosch...I started the series in 2006, I'm not even half way through, his "universe" has 37 books so far, no light at the end of this tunnel :-(

Ioana wrote: "Lea wrote: "I've been trying to finish out every series I start within two years of starting it."

I'm trying to do that only with series where there is actually some story continuity between the books. The series where each book can be a stand alone...those can drag (and do drag) for many years.
Harry Bosch...I started the series in 2006, I'm not even half way through, his "universe" has 37 books so far, no light at the end of this tunnel :-("

37 books would take me a long time too. I do try to read one book per month on the three or four series that I am actively working on at each point in time. Once I finish one series, I start the next book of some other series, usually one where there are only a few books remaining.

December Mid Month Report

Books Read: 7(!!) books so far this month and 134 so far this year. 44,824 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 81/100; 2020 Books 1/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 73/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 15/16

Recently finished:

Amari and the Night Brothers - This is such a fantastic middle grade book. Amari Peter's brother mysteriously goes missing and she discovers that there is far more to him than she ever knew. He has left her a nomination to join the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and she goes in order to investigate his disappearance. It's a great mystery and I enjoyed this book very much. 4 stars

The Time Machine - I wanted to enjoy this book so much, but I didn't. I chalk it up to the fact that I never seem to get books about time travel. The time traveler's story bored me a bit and I thought his relationship with his female friend was creepy. I found myself not wanting to be anywhere within the book. The dinner companions were pompous and the future looked bleak. 2 stars

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure - Nico was always one of my favorite characters in Rick Riordan's books and it was nice to have a book about him. It had been awhile since I'd read anything by Riordan, I enjoyed it. I hope I can read the next book soon. 3 stars

Remarkably Bright Creatures - A story about an octopus. And friendship. And grief. It was fantastical, and there were some elements that didn't come together for me entirely, but overall, I did enjoy the story and the message. 4 stars

No Brainer - Another installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and not the strongest for me. Just all right. 2 stars

The Quarantine Princess Diaries - This was a disappointment. There are so many things that do not come together here. I seriously think the author has a bingo card with all sorts of things that she must include in each book to not be considered elitist, and she hits them all in this book. There's a babysitter that just happens to mention in one scene that she's bisexual, so the author can check that box. And that's just one example of a million things like this. I haven't even read any of the books in this series since 2015, but it is clear that is more recently than the author, since there are a million continuity errors. For example, Mia volunteers with a nonprofit to help the poor in this book, but in Royal Wedding, poverty and unemployment were at 0%...so I'm not sure how that could be...unless things have gotten worse since she's been in charge. I guess that is possible since spoiler alert: she spends the entire novel drinking wine in sweatpants. I can't hate on the message too much because I think the mental health issues that occurred during Covid are real and should be normalized, but I really wish this was better written. In general, I would prefer if books nowadays didn't have to mention every single possible political issue at the surface level and rather go in depth on one or two issues. I don't need every book to address every social issue that we have, I don't have a Bingo card when I read. 2 stars

Amari and the Great Game - I enjoyed the first book in the series so much, I couldn't wait to read this second book. I was a bit disappointed in this one. There were some glaring continuity errors and I didn't care for the ending. I'm not sure if I'll read the next book. I'm not sure I like where this is headed now. 2.5 stars

Currently reading:

Suttree - This is a book by the late great Cormac McCarthy. I love his writing, but this book cannot be hurried. It's about an outcast living in a houseboat near Knoxville, Tennessee, and is dark. It's slow going at the moment.

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West - Meh. I thought this might kickstart Suttree but now I have two books I haven't made much progress on.

The Alice Network - Another book that I can't seem to make progress into, but I have high hopes for this weekend.

The Guilty - The fourth book in the Will Robie series.

Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation �

Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. Crescent City (1)
2. It Ends with Us (1)
3. Beartown (1)
4. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
5. Wanderers (1)
6. The Roots of Chaos (2)
7. Rats of NIMH (2)
8. Jake Brigance (1)
9. The Miniaturist (1)
10. Nantucket (3)
11. Civilizations Rise and Fall (2)
12. Alex Stern (1)
13. The Camel Club (6)
14. The Inheritance Games (4)
15. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)
16. Zoe Washington (1)
17. Freakonomics (2)
18. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1)
19. The Princess Diaries (1)
20. Supernatural Investigations (2)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Will Robie (2)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Sookie Stackhouse (1)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. You (2)
3. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
4. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
5. Fractalverse (1)
6. Holly Gibney (1)
7. Thursday Murder Club (1)
8. Comoran Strike (4)
9. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
10. The Firm (1)
11. Stephanie Plum (9)
12. Killing Series (1)
13. Heartstopper (1)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner
2. The Housemaid

December Month End Report

Books Read: 12 books this month and 139 this year. 49,364 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 83/100; 2020 Books 1/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 75/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 16/16

Previously discussed:

Amari and the Night Brothers
The Time Machine
The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
Remarkably Bright Creatures
No Brainer
The Quarantine Princess Diaries
Amari and the Great Game

Recently finished:

The Guilty - Another installment in the Will Robie series. I thought this one wasn't as strong as the other books in the series. It takes a turn from the story of two government assassins and takes us back to Robie's upbringing. I saw the twist coming and did not like it. I am excited to read the last book in the series and am hoping to get that read next month. 2 stars

Dead Ever After - I'm not on a "Team" for Sookie, I never saw the television series, so I think that helps. So, I wasn't necessarily as bothered by who she ended up with as I was the journey to get there. It was like Harris got bored herself. While continuity errors were throughout the series, some especially bugged me in the end. Overall, I'm glad I read the series as a whole, but some of the books, including this one, were a bit lackluster. 2 stars

Suttree - I finished this book, but it wasn't a favorite of mine. It's very dark and very bleak. Some very funny parts, but mostly just depressing. Some call it the "doomed Huckleberry Finn." To me, the fun of Huck Finn was the lightness and the lack of seriousness to some very serious topics. This was just the opposite, some very serious topics and not enough hope. It was absolutely beautifully written, some of the best descriptions I have ever read. However, it was just too depressing for me. 2 stars

The Covenant of Water - A multigenerational saga about a family in Kerala, India written by Abraham Verghese, the same author who wrote Cutting for Stone. I'm a bit squeamish about the medical details and I also felt this book was a bit long (it felt every bit of its 724 pages!) but the story was really good and I enjoyed it. Maybe not as much as Cutting for Stone, but I'm very glad I read it. 3 stars.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - I finally decided to read this book because I keep getting it confused with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close which I have read, and then I spend time researching to see which of these books I've already read...so solution...read this book. Ummm...it read quickly. I didn't dislike the book. I'm not qualified to get into how realistic this is. But I don't think I liked any of the characters except for Mrs. Alexander. And sometimes Siobhan. 3 stars

Currently reading:

The Housemaid's Secret - I was totally not going to read the next book in this series...and then it won a GRC Award for Best Mystery and Thriller. I hope I like it better than the first book in the series, The Housemaid.

The Alice Network - I own the paperback of this book and I'm not halfway into a 503 page book...so I'm pretty sure that I won't finish this book before the end of the year, even though it was a buddy read for December. I find myself drawn to the WWI story more than the WWII story.

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West - I'm not making much progress on this one.

Fourth Wing - I just started this one and it is 500 pages, so it will likely carry into the new year.

Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation �

Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. Crescent City (1)
2. It Ends with Us (1)
3. Beartown (1)
4. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
5. Wanderers (1)
6. The Roots of Chaos (2)
7. Rats of NIMH (2)
8. Jake Brigance (1)
9. The Miniaturist (1)
10. Nantucket (3)
11. Civilizations Rise and Fall (2)
12. Alex Stern (1)
13. The Camel Club (6)
14. The Inheritance Games (4)
15. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)
16. Zoe Washington (1)
17. Freakonomics (2)
18. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1)
19. The Princess Diaries (1)
20. Supernatural Investigations (2)
21. Sookie Stackhouse (12)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Will Robie (1)
2. The Housemaid (1)
3. The Empyrean (2)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
NONE

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. You (2)
3. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
4. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
5. Fractalverse (1)
6. Holly Gibney (1)
7. Thursday Murder Club (1)
8. Comoran Strike (4)
9. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
10. The Firm (1)
11. Stephanie Plum (9)
12. Killing Series (1)
13. Heartstopper (1)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner

Book of the month: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Worst book: The Quarantine Princess Diaries
Biggest surprise: Amari and the Night Brothers; it was so good; I just wish the sequel had been better
Greatest accomplishment: Completing a 13 book series started 13 months ago...

Books of the Months (which include all four of my 5 star rated books this year)

January - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

February - The Winners by Fredrik Backman

March - The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

April - The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

May - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

June - The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

July - The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman

August - Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond

September - The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship between a Boy and a Baseball Legend by Sharon Robinson

October - Jazz by Toni Morrison

November - Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High by Melba Pattillo Beals

December - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

It seems you had a mixed bag December. I'm very sad (and worried) about The Covenant of Water , I have high hopes, because I loved Cutting for Stone. I'll get to it next year, I hope, we'll see.

I love your best of the month list, I might copy that idea :-)

Happy reading in 2024!

Ioana wrote: "It seems you had a mixed bag December. I'm very sad (and worried) about The Covenant of Water , I have high hopes, because I loved Cutting for Stone. I'll get to it next year, I hope, we'll see.

I love your best of the month list, I might copy that idea :-)

Happy reading in 2024!"

Well, temper your hopes a little bit with The Covenant of Water, it is a very different book than Cutting for Stone. In some ways, I liked it better, but in other ways, I didn't. I do think there's a good chance that you will enjoy it more than I did, partly because I don't think you get as squeamish as I do with the medical descriptions. But, I also think it is a well connected well written story, and I think you are patient enough with books have multiple threads. The book doesn't have a lot of action at all, and doesn't get going until about 1/4 of the way through, so be patient and I think you'll really enjoy it.

I loved your best of the month ratings too! :-)

Lea wrote: "Well, temper your hopes a little bit with The Covenant of Water, it is a very different book than Cutting for Stone. In some ways, I liked it better, but in other ways, I didn't. I do think there's a good chance that you will enjoy it more than I did, partly because I don't think you get as squeamish as I do with the medical descriptions. But, I also think it is a well connected well written story, and I think you are patient enough with books have multiple threads. The book doesn't have a lot of action at all, and doesn't get going until about 1/4 of the way through, so be patient and I think you'll really enjoy it.."

Thanks for the advice, this is helpful, it's all about the right expectations, right?
I absolutely loved CFS, it's one of my all time favorites, so this will be hard. Fingers crossed.

Ioana wrote: "Thanks for the advice, this is helpful, it's all about the right expectations, right?
I absolutely loved CFS, it's one of my all time favorites, so this will be hard. Fingers crossed."

I gave CFS 4-stars, and The Covenant of Water 3-stars, if that helps. Keeping those expectations right sized is really what it is all about. :-)

Lea wrote: "December Month End Report

Books Read: 12 books this month and 139 this year. 49,364 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 83/100; 2020 Books 1/1, 2022 Books 7/11, 2023 Books 75/82

Books from 12..."

Great update. I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and gave it 3.5 stars. I was loving it, but was not happy about how things were turning and dropped stars.

As stated previously, I don't think I will be reading Suttree or anymore McCarthy. If I do; it won't be anytime soon. I will be finishing Cities of the Plain and already see the tragedy coming down the pipeline. *sigh*

Kudos on a great year of reading, Lea. 🤗

You had an excellent year. Good luck in 2024. I hope to read Fourth Wing in 2024.. It seems a very popular choice.

Alondra wrote: "Great update. I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and gave it 3.5 stars. I was loving it, but was not happy about how things were turning and dropped stars.

As stated previously, I don't think I will be reading Suttree or anymore McCarthy. If I do; it won't be anytime soon. I will be finishing Cities of the Plain and already see the tragedy coming down the pipeline. *sigh*

Kudos on a great year of reading, Lea. 🤗"

Congrats on finishing Cities of the Plain. That trilogy broke my heart. So good, but so sad.

I feel you on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. There was so many opportunities to take the story in a different direction. I was disappointed with that as well. And I know we were supposed to dislike the dad and like the mom and the son, but all of them were a little bit much. It was a tough read. Looking forward to reading more in 2024!

Bill wrote: "You had an excellent year. Good luck in 2024. I hope to read Fourth Wing in 2024.. It seems a very popular choice."

Yes, I hope you get to The Fourth Wing in 2024 sometime. It is very popular and I was going to hold off, but it did win the GRC Award so it must be read. I'm about 50% into it, and while it will not change my world, it is definitely holding my interest. Best wishes! :-)