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Looking forward to reading some interesting book this year.

2022 Reading Challenge

1. 1970- Zelda by Nancy Milford 2.5/5 stars 1/3/2022
2. 1971- The Abortion by Richard Brautigan 4/5 stars 1/10/2022
3. 1972 - The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury 4/5 stars 1/25/2022
4. 1973 - Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 3/5 stars 2/17/2022
5.1974 - Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi 4/5 stars 4/6/2022
6. 1975- The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton 4/5 stars 5/20/2022
7. 1976- Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer 3/5 stars 5/11/2022
8. 1977- The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams 3/5 stars 6/10/2022
9.1978- The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan 4/5 stars 5/3/2022
10. 1979- A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell 5/5 stars 6/9/2022

11. Mary Roach Book - Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach 4/5 stars 1/16/2022
12. Ian McEwen Book - The Child in Time by Ian McEwan 3/5 stars 1/23/2022
13. Frederick Backman Book - Things My Son Needs to Know about the World by Fredrik Backman 4/5 stars 2/13/2022
14. A. Scott Berg Book - Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg 5/5 stars 11/19/2022
15. Book about film/television - Forever Dobie: The Many Lives of Dwayne Hickman by Dwayne Hickman 4/5 stars 1/20/2022
16. Geography- Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies by Alastair Bonnett 4/5 stars 6/18/2022
17. Toys- Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?: The Lost Toys, Tastes, and Trends of the 70s and 80s by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper 3/5 stars 4/11/2022
18. Patrick Ness Book- The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness 3/5 stars 3/7/2022
19. Susan Orlean Book- The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters With Extraordinary People by Susan Orlean 4/5 stars 5/17/2022
20. Historical Fiction - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 3/5 stars 4/23/2022

21. Peter Heller Book- The Guide by Peter Heller 4/5 stars 4/8/2022
22. Architecture �The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan 4/5 stars 8/28/2022
23. Cartoon Artist- Chuck Amuck: The Life and Time of an Animated Cartoonist by Chuck Jones 4/5 stars 4/13/2022
24. LGBT Fiction - They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera 4/5 stars 8/22/2022
25. True Crime - The Brown's Chicken Massacre by Maurice Possley 4/5 stars 5/5/2022
26. Comics History - The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines by Mike Madrid 4/5 stars
9/7/2022
27. Barbara Ehrenreich Book -Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer by Barbara Ehrenreich 4/5 stars 8/11/2022
28. Richard Matheson Book - A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson 4/5 stars 7/5/2022
29. Circus - Barnum: An American Life by Robert Wilson 5/5 stars 7/10/2022
30. Food - Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers by Deborah Cadbury 4/5 stars 6/30/2022


31. Mary Higgins' Book - Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark 4/5 stars 5/22/2022
32. Paulette Jiles Book - Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles 4/5 stars 3/16/2022
The County Nurse Series
33. Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. MacLeod 5/5 stars 1/8/2022
34. Nurse, Come You Here!: More True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. MacLeod 5/5 stars 2/5/2022
35. The Country Nurse Remembers: True Stories of a Troubled Childhood, War, and Becoming a Nurse by Mary J. MacLeod 5/5 stars 3/20/2022

The Witcher Series
36. The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski 4/5 stars 6/7/2022
37. Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski 3/5 stars 6/22/2022
38. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski 4/5 stars 7/1/2022
39.The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski 4/5 stars 7/11/2022
40. Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski 3/5 stars 7/21/2022
41. The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski 3/5 stars
42.Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski 4/5 stars 8/25/2022
43. Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski 4/5 stars 9/4/2022

44. James Thurber Book - The 13 Clocks by James Thurber 3/5 stars 6/22/2022
45. Stephen King Book- Lisey's Story by Stephen King 3/5 stars 2/5/2022
46. PG Wodehouse Book The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse 3/5 stars 9/17/2022
47. Dashiell Hammet Book - Woman in the Dark by Dashiell Hammett 4/5 stars 9/7/2022
48. Mystery - Something to Hide by Elizabeth George 4/5 stars 3/11/2022
49. Michael Connolly Book Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly 4/5 stars 10/7/2022
50. Keigo Higashino Book The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino 4/5 stars 9/11/2022

51. YA Novel - Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn 4/5 stars 4/20/2022
52. Animal Book - The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood by Sy Montgomery 5/5 stars 7/21/2022
53. Book on A Scandal- Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend by Mitchell Zuckoff 4/5 stars 9/19/2022
54. Diary - This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay
5/5 stars 69/14/2022
55. Coming of Age - The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer 4/5 stars 4/30/2022
56. Horror-House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland 4/5 stars 7/23/2022
57. Satire - Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov 4/5 stars 9/26/2022
58. Western - The Sisters Brothers by
Patrick deWitt 3.5/5 stars 9/23/2022
59. Sports - Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America's First Sports Hero by Christopher Klein 4/5 stars 9/30/2022
60. Religion Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill 4/5 stars 10/22/2022

Books picked out from the initials� of My Favorite Cartoonist -
61.D -Dumplin' -Julie Murphy 4/5 stars 10/11/2022
62. A - Alexander Hamilton: A Life by Willard Sterne Randall 4/5 stars 4/3/2022
63. N- Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon
3.5/5 star 10/28/2022
64. C- Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story by Chris Nashawaty 4/5 stars 10/21/2022
65.O - Old Sparky: The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty by Anthony Galvin 5/5 stars 11/8/2022
66.L Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood 4/5 stars 8/6/2022
67.L- The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America by John F. Kasson 5/28/2022 4/5 stars
68. I I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze by Deepak Malhotra 3/5 stars 10/4/2022
69. N - Notes on a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr, With a New Preface by the Author
John Lahr 3/5 stars 11/2/2022
70. S - Surfacing by Margaret Atwood 3/5 stars 1/30/2022
70/70

Julie wrote: "Looking forward to reading some interesting book this year."

As always, I look forward to reading about the books you select !

Which reminds me, I better get started on my 2022 list.

What a great list. We all look forward to reading more about your selections. I've barely given any thought to next year's list yet. Thanks for the encouragement.

Zelda
Nancy Milford
2.5/5 stars
This is the story of Zelda Fitzgerald, her life, her marriage to Scott Fitzgerald and her fight against mental illness. This was an awfully long book not helped by the extremely small print. It seemed to me that a lot of the information was repeated but the author was thorough in her research. 1970

Julie, you are making me glad i read it when i was in my 20s and had good eyesight. I liked the book and details about the woman. She was such a part of the literary past of US authors. I've even read a couple of her own short stories and found them quite similar to Fitzgerald's, which may be expected since he drew ideas from her life.

Julie wrote: "
Zelda
Nancy Milford
2.5/5 stars
This is the story of Zelda Fitzgerald, her life, her marriage to Scott Fitzgerald and her fight against mental ill..."

Since covid I've been reading almost all eBooks. I have to say one reason I am a convert is due to the ability to adjust the font.

Sorry the book wasn't a winner for you.

They can't all be winners! The one I am reading now is quite delightful!

Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle
Mary J. MacLeod
5/5 stars
This was a wonderful recollection of a nurse’s time working on a Scottish Isle in the late sixties. There are two more books in this collection and I look forward to them. This reminds me of the writings of James Herriot’s books. The County Nurse Series

Neat, Julie. I would imagine the setting would be a feature of the books, too. I'd like to visit some of those Scottish islands next time we travel there.

Julie wroteThis reminds me of the writings of James Herriot’s books."

I have a friend who loves the TV show, All Creatures Great and Small. I will pass this title on to her. Thanks !

The Abortion
Richard Brautigan
4/5 stars
This is the story of a young man who runs an unusual library where the patrons bring books that they wrote to be added to the library. One day he meets Vida, a young woman who writes poetry and has a book to add to the library. They fall in love and she becomes pregnant leading them to go to Tijuana for an abortion. This was quite an unusual book but very intriguing. 1971

Powerful topic for that year, Julie. Good choice.

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
Mary Roach
4/5 stars
One of my favorite authors is Mary Roach and she does not disappoint in this book about the space program and living in space. She discusses the myriad of problems of living in space including living in confined quarters, eating, washing and toilet issues. This still holds up even though it was written in 2010. Mary Roach Book

I would like to see her write a book on the space program since this book was written.

Julie wrote: "
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
Mary Roach

including living in confined quarters,."

I can't recall if it was at the Huntsville Alabama Space Center or the National Air and Space museum in Washington D.C. that I saw one of the earlier space capsules. It was for a single person. I recall there was no room to get up and the astronaut would be in a reclining position with the instrument panel inches from his face. Needless to say one couldn't be claustrophobic. Honestly, I can't imagine how they didn't freak out crammed into a tiny space and blasted into space.

I don't recall if it was Mercury that I saw, but it was similar to this.

Colonel Glenn seated in Mercury capsule Friendship 7 in the United States.


Compare NASA's Mercury Gemini and Apollo Space Capsules

Julie, i agree, it would be neat to read an updated version of Roach's book on space. She's an opinionated person and what is going on now with private space travel would be a good topic for her.....Plus all the science stuff. :-)

Alias, i can't remember what they offered at the D. C. Space Museum but i still recall how cramped it looked. Not for the weak of heart.

Forever Dobie: The Many Lives of Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Hickman
4/5 stars
This was a wonderful autobiography of Dwayne Hickman who starred in the TV series The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis which aired from 1959-1963. He talks about his life on the show, his career as an actor and life after being an actor including running a Las Vegas resort and later as a CBS executive where he managed comedic shows like MASH and more. Highly recommended! Book About Film or Television

Neat bio choice, Julie. I didn't really know much about his CBS exec career.

madrano wrote: "Neat bio choice, Julie. I didn't really know much about his CBS exec career."

This was really well written and interesting. I remember watching the reruns on TV. Another interesting fact was that they made him dye his hair blonde but it started falling out so by the end the series he was to his natural hair color.

I always wondered why the blonde hair. Why do that? Weird.

The Child in Time
Ian McEwan
3/5 stars
A young couple’s daughter is kidnapped at a grocery store and the couple struggle to deal with the loss of their child and end up separating. Will they ever get over their grief and re-unite? Not my favorite of his books but never the less, it is compelling! Ian McEwen Book

I do like McEwan's writing but i'm not always fond of his novels. This sounds like one of those less fond ones. I don't even recall hearing about this one, strong a story line as it is. Julie, thanks for the comments.

The Halloween Tree
Ray Bradbury
4/5 stars
It is Halloween and Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, a sinister man appears to a group of friends who are about to go trick or treating but their friend Pip is missing. Moundshroud takes them on a journey which transcends time and place to find their friend. I enjoyed this Bradbury tale. 1972

Sounds neat, Julie.

madrano wrote: "Sounds neat, Julie."

It is a short book too so I was able to read it a couple days!

This is always a bit of a bonus!

Surfacing
Margaret Atwood
3/5 stars
A young, woman artist, along with her boyfriend and another couple, travel to an isolated island in Quebec. She is searching for her father who has gone missing and they end up staying in his cabin. Unfortunately, the longer she stays there, the relationships between her friends and lover strain and the more her state of mind unravels. Not my favorite of all her books but I love her writing and the ideas she provokes. S

Julie, i came to Atwood via her poetry, which i have liked for decades. When she published this novel, i was under-impressed and didn't read any more of them until last year. The laugh is on me, as she's turned out to be a most popular novelist.

Your final line sums it up for me, too.

Started reading How The States Got Their Shapes Too -The People Behind the Borderlines not realizing it was the second book in the series. So I decided to skip it and look for the first book. I have started Stephen King's Lisey's Story instead.

Oh, i had no idea there was a second book, Julie. Have fun waiting for the first. King is probably a good choice for grabbing your attention in the meanwhile.

Nurse, Come You Here!: More True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle
Mary J. MacLeod
5/5 stars
This is the second book in the series of MacLeod’s life as a nurse and mother. In this one the family, re-locates to California due to her husband’s new job. She talks about life in the USA compared to life on the Scottish Isle they lived on but unfortunately, she was unable to work as a nurse since she did not have a license to practice in the US. I am enjoying her books. There is one more book in the series that I look forward to reading. The Country Nurse Series

I'm wondering about the time frame for this series, Julie?Re-locating overseas doesn't sound as far in the distant past as i'd imagined. This sounds as though it's a good series for those interested in living elsewhere.

The Country Nurse Remembers: True Stories of a Troubled Childhood, War, and Becoming a Nursemadrano wrote: "I'm wondering about the time frame for this series, Julie?Re-locating overseas doesn't sound as far in the distant past as i'd imagined. This sounds as though it's a good series for those intereste..."
The last book is about her younger years-
[The Country Nurse Remembers: True Stories of a Troubled Childhood, War, and Becoming a Nurse (The Country Nurse Series, Book Three)].

The first book was set in the late sixties when the moved to the Scottish island. I am not sure when the second book took place possibly the seventies.
The third book is about her growing up during the war and becoming a nurse.

Thank you, Julie. It's a good progression. My guess is that folks were wondering about her early life, so she supplied it with the third. It's a nice rounding out of her story, it seems to me.

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World
Fredrik Backman
4/5 stars
This non-fiction book revolves around the author Fredrik Backman, his relationship with his son and what he wants to teach him. I have always enjoyed his books and this non-fiction doesn’t disappoint. Short but very sweet! Fredrik Bachman Book

Good idea for a book. I recall in the '70s Kurt Vonnegut Jr. claimed he wanted to write a similar book, explaining life as we live it. Ultimately, he said, he couldn't define gravity and stopped plans to write the book. LOL!

Breakfast of Champions
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
3/5 stars
Writer Kilgore Trout who writes fiction finds out that a car dealer thinks he is writing the truth in this unusual satire. I thought I had read some Vonnegut before this book but nothing comes up in my logs. I’m not sure if I would read any more of his books though he is highly acclaimed. 1973

Julie, in the '70s Vonnegut was my favorite. His writing style was new then and the science fiction intriguing. Then, suddenly, my infatuation ended and i didn't read another thing by him. Honestly, i'm afraid to go back and read one, lest i am fully deflated.

Still, your review reminded me how fond i once was of his writing. His book of short stories, Welcome to the Monkey House was a pleasure to read for the variety. Several clunkers but at least one could move on.

Julie wrote: ". I thought I had read some Vonnegut before this book but nothing comes up in my logs. I’m not sure if I would read any more of his books though he is highly acclaimed. 1973

I've only read Cat's Cradle. It wasn't for me and I wasn't moved to try any of his other novels. Though I know a neighbor of mind loved Breakfast of Champions and recommended it to me. Perhaps he is an author you love or hate.

Alias Reader wrote: "Julie wrote: ". I thought I had read some Vonnegut before this book but nothing comes up in my logs. I’m not sure if I would read any more of his books though he is highly acclaimed. 1973

I've onl..."

Don't think I would read anything else by him. Too many books on my reading list and too little time to read.

I think he will probably be known more as an author for his time. He broke ground in some ways, in looking humorously at how society was changing in the late 60s & early 70s, for instance. A fresh look at marketing, as well, which most folks barely understood until he poked fun at it.

He also was particularly important in understanding the bombing of Dresden during WWII, which he survived. What he was describing, and his reaction to it, was a firm introduction to PTSD, even before the acronym.

madrano wrote: "I think he will probably be known more as an author for his time. He broke ground in some ways, in looking humorously at how society was changing in the late 60s & early 70s, for instance. A fresh ..."

I did not realize he was in Dresden in that time period. Interesting!

Yes, he was caught by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge, kept in a slaughterhouse. After the bombing, Germans used prisoners like him to help clean up the city, as i recall. I've not read his biography, And So it Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life--Charles J. Shields. It was longer than i wanted to read, to be honest.

Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office
Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman
4/5 stars
I loved The Office and when I found this book at the library, I put everything else down to read this wonderful book told by everyone who acted, produced , wrote and worked on the series. If you haven’t seen the series -don’t read this book but definitely see the series then read this book. Highly recommended for fans of the series!

I couldn't fit this into any of my categories but just had to read it!

Love that last sentence, Julie. Sometimes you just have to read it!

Lisey's Story
Stephen King
3/5 stars
Lisey Debusher's husband, Scott, a famous writer died a couple of years ago after a long marriage. Lisey continues struggling from his death and goes to place to where he fought his demons. With the help of one of her sister's, she comes to terms with her life with Scott and his death.
Not my favorite book of King's, I found it awfully long and somewhat repetitive. Stephen King Book

I saw ads for the tv mini-series they made of this book. Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Clive Owen make a fine cast. But it didn't call to me at all. Thanks for the comments, Julie. Do you intend to try the filmed version? At least (one hopes) the repetitive nature would be under control.

madrano wrote: "I saw ads for the tv mini-series they made of this book. Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Clive Owen make a fine cast. But it didn't call to me at all. Thanks for the comments, Julie. Do yo..."

I didn't realize it was made into a series- I probably would watch it especially if Clive Owen is in it- I do like the movies he has been in.

He seems to make good choices in the roles he takes. If you find it available, i hope you like it better than the book.