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What did you read for the toppler? Tell us a bit about it (no spoilers!) and what you thought of the book/writing. Will you read more by this new-to-you author?

Finished My Man Jeeves. Couldn't help but picture Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in every episode!

Starting How Come the Best Clues Are Always in the Garbage?. It is short and should be an easy unchallenging read.

I just finished reading Sunflower Morning by Danielle Shaw. Like Almeta's second book, it was short, easy and unchallenging.

The blurb for the book says, "Likening herself to a modern day Jane Eyre, Catherine Wickham arrives at Whycham Hall, where her aunt is housekeeper." Um, she's nothing like Jane Eyre. There are a few more things in the blurb that are misrepresented.

I don't think I'll seek out any other books by this author. (Especially if she writes her own blurbs :)

I'm in the middle of in the forests of the night. Taking a break from reading, since I'm halfway through. It's an easy read. It's about a girl's before and now feelings of being a vampire

Finished See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
This is her debut novel, which I really enjoyed. Gave it 4 stars.
Schmidt retells the Lizzie Borden murder case. In 1892 Lizzie Borden was accused of killing her father and stepmother with an ax. In the novel we discover what life was like in the Borden house and who had a motive for the murders. Lots of interesting background on the family and the maid gives a deeper perspective on an old case.

I finished Brilliant, which is something of a jewel heist book with a heroine in her 50s. It was a lot of fun and while the heroine was often a bit cold emotionally, I also found her admirable in many ways. I gave it 4 stars.

Second book finished: Artificial Absolutes. I gave this 4 stars, though I was tempted to give it three. The plot was really fun, as were the different characters, however, the heroine was a bit too immature and silly.

Jennifer wrote: "I'm in the middle of in the forests of the night. Taking a break from reading, since I'm halfway through. It's an easy read. It's about a girl's before and now feelings of being a vampire"

Hi, Jennifer. This thread is for reporting when you've finished reading a book, so I know who to give a badge to. There is a thread for discussion here: /topic/show/...

Finished The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit - interesting true story about Christopher Knight aka the Hermit who spent 27 years living in the woods in Maine.

I finished my second book for this Toppler. It was Krampus and The Thief of Christmas.

This story is much better than my first book. Lots of action and growth. I'm glad I read it. I think I will see what else this author has written.

I have finished The Stump Farm. The author of this autobiography was born in 1938 and grew up on a farm in Alberta. The book shares a series of situations he got himself into. The writer is a good storyteller and he includes a lot of humour or self-deprecation in the tales. This was a quick read. There is a second book, and though I wouldn't mind reading it, I doubt that I will search for it.

Finished Primo Levi: The Matter of a Life by Berel Lang in between napping (it has been nighttime for me after all!). It wasn't quite the straight forward biography that I thought, more of a philosophical analysis of Lei's life and work. Still a rather interesting read though.

And I've finished my second book, Mischief by Ed McBain, which was a rather good crime thriller.

Sadly I think that might be my last for this toppler as I'm off for Sunday dinner a my nan's then my mother is using me as child labour by dragging me to the DIY store to carry gravel and cement! Thankfully there will be a brewery visit afterwards.

Happy reading all!

I finished The Rejected Writers' Book Club by Suzanne Kelman for the toppler.

The Rejected Writers' Book Club by Suzanne Kelman is one of the best books I've read this year. Imagine if novels by Debbie Macomber and Janet Evanovich had a baby, The Rejected Writers' Book Club would be their baby. I laughed all of the way through the book. These ladies of a certain age know how to have fun and get into some situations. I really want to go on their next road trip!

Yes this is more fluff than substance, but it's funny and heartwarming if you keep reading after the first few pages. Then "the reject" ladies provide you with lots of laughs and action, hijinks included.

The "reject ladies" are on a mission. They need to get back one of the members manuscript from the Publisher that has (gasp) ACCEPTED her book for publication. Now, the The Rejected Writers' Book Club have been writing their Poetry and Novels for a few years, and celebrate the Members' Rejection Letters.

"There are no bad writers here, only rejected ones."

But the rule is: if one of their members get an Acceptance Letter, she is out! And their infamous (General Patton-like) leader, Doris is THE one who'll be left out from her group of friends, not to mention the hurt her manuscript will cause another member who is close to her. And they need 26 more Rejection Letters to get to their goal of 500. When they get that many, the Club plans a big "rejects" festival for the Rejected Children of Southlea Bay, Washington.

They turn to Janet Johnson, a librarian, as their go-to book lady. But Janet has other things too worry about. A racoon problem that looks like the rodents are personally waging war against her husband, Martin. And her cold, somewhat estranged daughter is pregnant and suddenly wants her mother. Janet has really never felt comfortable or made friends since moving to Southlea Bay, and really doesn't want to get involved with the "loony women", but she does. And the result is a wacky, hilarious road trip to San Francisco to see her daughter and to help retrieve Doris' manuscript. What could go wrong? Pretty much everything.

Their Plans A, B, and C had me in stitches. And the scene at the San Francisco Airport had me roiling with laughter. (Remember, I asked What could go wrong on their Road Trip?) But the friendship of the ladies and their loyalty to each other are the main thread that run through the novel. And Grace's story will warm your heart.

Ok, Anne, you've convinced me to add another book to my TBR! Drat again!

I finished The Pitcher Shower, a unique, compelling, heart-warming, and humorous, historical read. I gave it 4 stars... might up it to 5 because it was so unique and well-written.

Debra, I am so glad that you gave The Pitcher Shower such a high review because I have it on my iPad and have been wondering if I should read it soon. I am going to move it to the top of my tbr list! 😊

I finished The Heirs by Susan Rieger. I enjoyed reading this very elegantly written drama about a NYC family. At the beginning of the book, Rupert Falkes is dying while his family is gathered around him. Eleanor, his wife, and his five adult sons are introduced to us as Rupert lies on his deathbed. When Rupert dies and leaves a vast estate, a strange woman emerges, suing the estate claiming to have two sons by Rupert. Eleanor deals with the claim with a calm demeanor, which throws the five sons into turmoil. Eleanor's sons feel they have really never known their parents at all.
This is a grand family drama. I don't care for this kind of book unless it is well written, and this one is beautifully written. The chapters are told from different characters' POV, giving the reader an insight into the character's motives, desires, etc., as well as providing variety to the storytelling. If you enjoy Edith Wharton's books, you will like this one.
I gave it 5 stars.

First timer - didn't realise there was a separate reporting thread!

I finished How To Be A Vigilante: A Diary and I thoroughly enjoyed. A great read that I can best describe as Adrian Mole meets The Catcher in the Rye. The auther himself says that it a more realistic version of the movie Kickass, although it was written about 6 years previous to the movie. I would also say it's a lot darker.

Glad you found the thread, Margo!

I read Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia. Mindy is a relatively new author. Her debut novel was published in 2012, though she did have a short story published in a collection in 2009. This book is her 2nd novel.

This was a really good mystery novel with plenty of interesting characters and twists. It starts out with the death of a young high school girl, then goes backwards to the beginning of the school year to fill you in on what happened. There are multiple perspectives including that of the to-be-murdered girl and the sherif investigating the case among others.

I'm not sure what I'm rating it yet, but I think I'll go with 4 stars. I read it fast, so I need a little time for it to settle to be sure. :) I would definitely try more books by this author in the future.

I finished Bone Gap by Laura Ruby. I guess this is a very good book for young adults. I liked how the author combined themes like love, loss, beauty or inner beauty with magical elements and it was a suspenseful and touching story.

I finished Pineapple Lies by Amy Vansant. This is humorous cozy mystery, billed as something that will be liked by fans of Jana Deleon. The main character is 26 year-old Charlotte, who has grown up in a retirement community. After her mother died, she moved into this community to live with her grandmother. After her grandmother died, the grandmother's best friend and some of the neighbors took over raising Charlotte. The book opens with the police in Charlotte's back yard, digging up bones that were apparently buried there fifteen years ago. The "who-done-it" aspect of the book is the mystery of how those bones got there.

I give the book three stars, mostly because it is uneven. Some parts are truly hilarious. Other parts, not so much. The solution to the mystery is very convoluted. I enjoyed spending time with the characters, but I don't know yet whether I will visit them again in book two of this series. It will probably depend on my mood, and what else is around to read.

I only finished on book this time. I read A Man Called Ove. I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but I loved it. It was touching without being sappy. It is about an older man who is known as the neighborhood grouch. He is very strict about rules of the housing community and is constantly reminding everyone of the rules. The book slowly reveals his history and why he is the way he is. I don't want to give anything else away. I highly recommend!!

Debra wrote: "Ok, Anne, you've convinced me to add another book to my TBR! Drat again!"

Hi Debra, it's worth adding it. If you're like me, I add more to my TBR shelf than remove by reading the books :)

Connie (Ava Catherine) wrote: "I finished The Heirs by Susan Rieger. I enjoyed reading this very elegantly written drama about a NYC family. At the beginning of the book, Rupert Falkes is dying w..."

Connie I have this on my TBR shelf and you've convinced me to move it up several notches.

I'm sorry, Kristie, I did not finish my book, but I am still reading it. I found out that William Faulkner is not an author one should read during a 24 hr Toppler. 216 pages sounded so easy. I started a few hours late but it would not have made any difference.

No problem, Cherie. I started with a shorter book too and realized I wouldn't be able to finish during the toppler. I had to switch to something faster moving.

I started with Last Gentleman Standing by Jane Ashford. Though it was a short book, I was not able to complete it in one day as it was boring. The story was very outdated. I had got it from Netgalley. Only after I finished it yesterday, I came to know that it was released 25 years back and it a revised edition.

I started but didn't come close to finishing "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams. I like it very much. Reading it for About Me year-long challenge because I'm right handed. Meanwhile, in real life, dealing with broken a/c in house and vehicle, ant infestation in kitchen, not to mention the problems all over with whatever.

Finished How Come the Best Clues Are Always in the Garbage? 19 Aug around 11:00 pm. Had to catch some sleep before starting another.

Started From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but did not finish it in time.

One drink Tippled, Two books Toppled, Three books Tagged!

Cherie wrote: "I'm sorry, Kristie, I did not finish my book, but I am still reading it. I found out that William Faulkner is not an author one should read during a 24 hr Toppler. 216 pages sounded s..."

I should have warned you. When I saw your earlier post about what you were reading, I remember thinking that was awfully ambitious. But if you had never read any Faulkner, I guess 216 pages did sound short. I hope you are enjoying the book. Everyone should read some Faulkner sometime.

Casceil wrote: "I should have warned you. When I saw your earlier post about what you were reading, I remember thinking that was awfully ambitious. But if you had never read any Faulkner, I guess 216 pages did sound short. I hope you are enjoying the book. Everyone should read some Faulkner sometime..."

I did finish it, Casceil, but I did not enjoy the story. The writing - maybe. I have The Sound and the Fury to read next. I have been told that it is better, by several people.

Almeta wrote: "One drink Tippled, Two books Toppled, Three books Tagged!..."

I love the picture, Almeta! It must be the liquor library poster. hehehe

Badges have been posted. Please let me know if I missed anyone.

Fun toppler and great badge, Kristie. Thank you!

Cherie wrote: "Almeta wrote: "One drink Tippled, Two books Toppled, Three books Tagged!..."

I love the picture, Almeta! It must be the liquor library poster. hehehe"

lol! Somewhat disturbing that I recognize a lot of those bottle labels. Of course the huge bottle of Bacardi is front and center.