Books Read in 2023

 

1.  Night Shift; Robin Cook - audio - 4/5 stars (January)
2. Women Talking; Miriam Toews - audio - 3.5/5 stars
3. It Ends with Us; Colleen Hoover - 4audio - 4/5 stars
4. The Levee: a novella; William Kent Krueger - audio - 3.5/5 stars
5. Looking for Me; Beth Hoffman (reread for book group) - 5/5 stars
6. Ms. Demeanor; Elinor Lipman - audio - 4/5 stars
7. Rough Sleepers: Jim O'Connell's Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People; Tracey Kidder - NF/audio - 4.5.5 stars - February
8. The Stolen Lady; Laurea Morelli - 3.5/5 stars (audio) book group read February
9. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo; Taylor Jenkins Reid - 3/5 stars - (book group) March
10. The Couple at Number 9; Claire Douglas - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
11. Hello, Beautiful; Ann Napolitano - 4.5/5 stars (April)
12. The Forest of Vanishing Stars; Kristin Harmel - 4.5/5 stars (book group)
13. The Half Moon; Mary Beth Keane - 3.5/5 stars (audio) (May)
14. Mad Honey; Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan  - 5/5 stars (print/audio)
15. The Kind Worth Saving; Peter Swanson - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
16. Soulmate; Sally Hepworth - 4.5/5 stars - (audio)
17. The House in the Pines; Ana Reyes  - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
18. A House with Good Bones; T. Kingfisher - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
19. Gone Tonight; Sarah Pekkanen - 5/5 stars - audio (June) 
20. What Comes Next & How to Like It (NF); Abigail Thomas - 4/5 stars (audio)
21. Finding Me (memoir); Viola Davis - 5/5 stars (audio)
22. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water; Angie Cruz (audio) 4.5/5 stars
23. Small Mercies; Dennis Lehane - (audio) 4.5/5 stars
24. The Bird Hotel; Joyce Maynard - (audio) 4.5/5 stars
25. Sunflower Sisters; Martha Hall Kelly (book group- June) - 3.5/5 stars
26. Central Park West; James Comey - (audio) - 4/5 stars
27. The Five Star Weekend; Elin Hilderbrand - (audio) 4.5/5 stars (July)
28. The Guest; Emma Cline - (audio) 3/5 stars
29. What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing (NF); Stephanie Foo - 3.5/5 stars
30. The People's Hospital: Hope & Peril in America (NF); Ricardo Nulia - 4/5 stars
31. The Collective Regrets of Clover; Nikki Brammer (audio) - 4.5/5 stars
32. How to Sell a Haunted House; Grady Hendrix - (audio) 2/5 stars
33. The Drowning Woman; Robyn Harding - (audio) 4/5 stars (September)
34. The Measure, Nikki Erich (reread- book group)
35. Lucy By the Sea; Elizabeth Strout (reread - book group Sept)
36. Tom Lake; Ann Patchett (audio) 4.5/5 stars (October)
37. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell; Robert Dugong (current read - Oct Bookgroup)
38. Happiness Falls; Angie Kim (audio) 3.5/5 stars 
39. Holly, Stephen King (audio) 3.5/5 stars November
40. Metamorphosis, Kafka - 4/5 stars (audio)
41. Beyond that, the Sea, Laura Spencer-Ash (book group) - 4/5 stars 
42. So Late in the Day, Claire Keegan - 4/5 stars December
43. Elon Musk, Walter Isaccson - NF/Bio/audio - 4.5/5 stars
44. One of Our Own, Lucinda Berry - audio 4.5/5 stars
45. A Dream Life, Claire Messud - 3/5 stars
46. The Mystery Guest, Nita Prose 4/5 stars (audio)

• Fiction - 38
• Non Fiction -  8
• Children's Books - 
• Print Books (includes ARCS) (my shelves) - 
• Print Books (library) - 5
• eBooks/eGalleys (my shelves) -
• eBooks (library) -
• Audiobooks (my shelves) - 9
• Audiobooks (library) - 35
• Combo (read/listens) - 4
• Female Authors - 34
• Male Authors - 11
• January Books Read - 6
• February Books Read - 2
• March - 2
• April - 2
• May - 5
• June - 8
• July - 6
• August - 0
• Sept - 2
• Oct - 3
• Nov - 3
• Dec - 5

DNF - 

1. We Should Not Be Friends; Will Schwalbe - abandoned at 27% wasn't holding my interest (May)
2. The Book of Goose; Yiyun Li - audio abandoned at about 30% - couldn't connect with story (May)

Goodbye September - October Reading Plans

 

September was not the best of months for me for a number of reasons and, although I managed to read or listen to (9) books, September was also my slowest reading month of 2022.  I did enjoy several of the books I read though so let's look at those.

                                                        Favorite Books of SEPTEMBER

QUICK REVIEW

Forsaken Country; Allen Eskens

Mulholland Books - Macmillan Audio - 2022

(audio purchase and NetGalley (eBook)

(11 hours 10 min - Brian Troxell - narrator - very good 

Allen Eskens is one of my favorite authors and, I've read everything he has written since his first book, The Life We Bury (2013).  Forsaken Country is his latest release and, the story held me captive even though at times I had wished for a different outcome.  I thought it was truly deserving of a 5 star rating.

Max Rupert is a former homicide detective in Minneapolis, MN. He is mourning the loss of his wife and, he is also haunted by an incident triggered by her loss.  Lyle Voight is the former sheriff who is desperate to find his daughter, Sandy, and his six year old grandson, Pip, who have gone missing. Lyle believes his former son-in-law, Reed, is responsible  for their disappearance and, he pleads with Max to help him investigate and locate them.  What follows is an intense thrill ride with both nail-biting and tender moments.  

Esken's characters have so much depth and, even some of the bad guys, men  who have done terrible things show us that they have a soft side in this story.  I love the way the author has a way of drawing you in and making you feel invested in the characters and their outcomes.  While reading this one, I quickly. forgot everything I had planned to do as I just had to keeping reading/listening.  

BTW - For readers new to Allen Eskens, Max Rupert is a character that has appeared in other novels yet this book can be easily read as a standalone.

Rating - 5/5 stars

We Spread; Iain Reid

Simon ^ Schuster Audio - 2022

(5 hours 58 minutes)

Narrator - Robin Miles - very good)

(audio download sent by publisher)

Penny is an elderly artist who has lived in the same apartment with her long term partner for years and years.  After her partner passed away, she felt comfort in the sameness of her days, surrounded by the things she loved and which brought her comfort. She felt happy and at peace despite the fact her partner had died.

After a few incidents at the apartment, she finds herself uprooted from her apartment and the things that she loves to a strange but beautiful home occupied by several elderly residents her age and some kind staff.  The group dines together, continues with hobbies and socializes. They are supervised by a caring staff who monitors their daily activities but, for Penny it is not the same as her apartment.

This was quick, well-written novel that I very much enjoyed.  It was one of those stories that as a senior myself, made me pause and reflect. It was hard to see many of Penny's prized possessions of her former life packed away as she was moved to her new residence.  Her new life was often clouded by confusion yet it felt quite realistic.

RATING - 4.5/5 stars

                                                            SEPTEMBER Reads

1. The Left-Handed Twin; Thomas Perry - 4/5 stars -  (September)
2. The Woman in the Library; Sulari Gentill - 2.5/5 stars
3. Killers of a Certain Age; Deanna Raybourn - 3/5 stars
4. Dark Tales: Stories; Shirley Jackson - 4/5 stars
5. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook; Ellen Marie Wiseman - 4/5 stars
6. We Spread; Iain Reid - 4.5/5 stars
7. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six; Lisa Unger  - 3.5/5 stars
8. Forsaken Country; Allen Eskens - 5/5 stars
9. Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir of Friendship  (NF) ; Nina Totenberg - 3/5 stars (no review yet)

 (YTD - 127)

September Book Group - I was able to make my book group lunch and meeting which was fun as always. We had several new members thia month who offered some interesting perspective on Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.  You can read my review here. While more than half of us were non-SF fans, we enjoyed the story anyways.  Others, a few with a physics background enjoyed the SF aspects yet wanted more depth. 

Current Reads

1. Fellowship Point;  Alice Elliot Dark - almost done
2. Quartet in Autumn; Barbara Pym - almost done - Bucket List Book

October Reading Plans

1. The Old Place; Bobby Finger
2. The Maze; Nelson DeMille
3. The Last Chairlift; John Irving
4. The Good Sister; Sally Hepworth (book group read)
5. Demon Copperfield; Barbara Kingsolver
6. Because I Could Not Stop for Death; Amanda Flower

                                             How was your month? Any exciting plans for October?

April Reading - Plans for May

 

April passed in a bit of a blur -- lots of doctor's appointments for both of us but, some fun stuff as well.  There was Easter and we all were able to get together (this year my SIL hosted) and she did a beautiful job.  It was my middle granddaughter's birthday on Easter (L - in pic below). She was just recovering from the flu so she kept her mask on most of the time --poor kiddo.  We did and Easter egg hunt and celebrated her sister's birthday (R) as it's a few days after. The cousins all got new Crocs as part of the gift as well as books and several other things.

It was also school vacation week so we all went to an art and book store and they all worked on a jellyfish project.

I also had my book group meeting. Some of us met for lunch beforehand and then (10) of us gathered to discuss Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I actually read this when it first released and loved it. ALL of our group members loved this one (something new).  Has anyone seen the miniseries on Netflix?  I just watched the first episode so far - kinda fun. Next month's read is The Lost Apothecary; Sarah Penner which is suppose to be quite good. Have you read it?

April Reads

1. Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir; Natasha Trethewey - 5/5 stars (April)
2. Hat Cat; Troy Wilson - 4/5 stars
3. The View From the Very Best House in Town; Meena Trehan - 4/5 stars
4. Margreete's Harbor; Eleanor Morse - 4/5 stars
5. The Diamond Eye; Kate Quinn - 4/5 stars
6. Lessons in Chemistry; Bonnie Garmus - 5/5 stars
7. Oceanarium; Loveday Trinick - 5/5 stars
8. Unraveling Oliver; Liz Nugent - 4.5/5 stars (unintentional reread - it sounded familiar but I liked it!)
9. Kids Fight Climate Change: Act Now to Be a #2minutesuperhero; Martin Dorey - 4/5 stars
10. My Big Book of Outdoors; Tim Hopgood - 5/5 stars
11. Two Nights in Lisbon; Chris Parvone - 4/5 stars
12. The Mad Girls of New York; Maya Rodale - 4/5 stars
13. The Dolphin House; Audrey Schulman - 4.5/5 stars
14. Unlikely Animals; Annie Hartnett - 4.5/5 stars
15. Bittersweet:: How Sorrow & Longing Make Us Whole; Susan Cain - 3.5/5 stars

I read (15 books in April) - (5) were children's books - of the others:  (2)NF and (8) Fiction.  I only downloaded (2) audiobooks from the library in April. All of my other reads were from my physical or virtual shelves.

Favorite Books for April

May Reading Plans

1. (Finish) Remarkably Bright Creatures; Shelby Van Pelt
2. Project Hail Mary; Andy Weir
3. The Lioness; Chris Bohjalian
4. The Lost Apothecary; Sarah Benner (book group read)
5. Metropolis; B.A. Shapiro
6. Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases; Paul Holes
7. The Book Woman's Daughter; Kim Richardson
8. Summer Love; Nancy Thayer
9. Little Souls; Sandra Dallas
10. All the Lovers of the Night; Mieko Kawakami
11. The Orchard; Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry
12. The Fields; Erin Young

How was your month? Any plans for May.

January Reading Wrap Up and February Reading Plans

Can you believe January is a thing of the past? How did the first month of 2022 go for you?   We survived the cold weather, the bomb cyclone and hunkering indoors for much of the month.  I did go back to yoga mid-month -- I needed to chat with other women and my body appreciated it as well. Our class size has dropped from about 25 to about 14-17 and it's a huge room so I'm not overly concerned.  Although the Covid cases are declining in our area, I tried making an appointment for a haircut but, just found out my stylist has Covid:( --so not sure when that haircut will happen. Hey is anyone playing WORDLE? I'm hoping now that the NY Times has purchased it - they don't screw it up.  I love this daily feature which is not a time waster since you can only play one time a day. I'm on a roll and although I haven't guessed the word on the first try yet (been playing 2 weeks), I have guessed it several times on the second try. Try it - it's fun.

Now on to my favorite subject - books:

January Reading - 14 books

Some of you might recall, I started January by coming up with a list of (12) books I hoped to read during the month - ( I read 8/12) plus (6 other books that called my name). This plan worked quite well for me and most every book was one I was happy I tried.  I love having a plan  - do you?

January Reads

1.  Honor; Thrity Umrigar - 4/5 stars
2. Abide with Me; Elizabeth Strout - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
3. Amy and Isabelle; Elizabeth Strout - 4/5 stars
4. Winter Solstice; Rosamunde Pilcher - 5/5 stars - a favorite
5. The Maid; Nita Prose - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
6. After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond; Bruce Greyson, M.D. - 4/5 stars (NF)
7. Joan is Okay; Weike Wang - 4/5 stars
8. Mala's Cat; Mala Kacenberg - 5/5 stars (NF) - a favorite
9. Mouth to Mouth; Antoine Wilson - 4/5 stars
10. Ladder of the Years; Anne Tyler - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
11. The School for Good Mothers; Jessamine Chan - 3.5/5 stars
12. In Five Years; Rebecca Serle - 3/5 stars
13. The Lincoln Highway; Amor Towles - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
14. One Step Too Far; Lisa Gardner - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite

My wishful thinking read list for February  ** (will be updating throughout the month)

1. To Paradise; Hanya Yanagihara (combo eBook & audio) - 3.5/5 stars (from January list)
2. The Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times; Katherine May  (January list) - 5/5 stars
3. The Elephant of Belfast; S. Kirk Walsh (January list) - 4/5 stars
4. Greenwich Park; Katherine Faulkner (January List)
5. The Heights; Louise Candlish (ARC) - 4/5 stars
6. The Swimmers; Julie Otsuka - 5/5 stars
7. The Paris Apartment; Lucy Foley - in progress
8. The Authenticity Project; Clare Pooley (Feb. book group read) - 4/5 stars
9. A Town Called Solace; Mary Larson - 5/5 stars
10. Very Cold People; Sarah Manguso 
11. Talking to the Dead; Helen Dunmore (my shelves)
12. Xstabeth; David Keenan
13. The Overnight Guest; Heather Gudenkauf
14. These Silent Woods - K. Cunningham-Grant -  4.5/5 stars
15. Vladimir; Julia May Jonas - DNF
16. The End of Getting Lost; Robin Kirman - 3.5/5

** I'd also like to read a few new children's books that arrived as well.

Hope everyone has a great February. Did you have any outstanding reads last month?

Goodbye May, Hello June - Month in Review

May was a good month up until Memorial Day Weekend made it a bust. 3-days of heavy rain and cold 50 degree temps certainly put a damper and canceled our outdoor plans.  The bad news is most of the coming week looks like rain as well.  (Those April flowers bring May flowers arrived a month late here). 

Our thanks and appreciation to all who served

our country, we are forever grateful.

In May we caught up on a new series for 2021 called: Mare of Easttown starring Kate Winslet (which we loved) and, we disappointed to learn in the season finale of This is Us that there will be just one more season of the series.

Good news was that my book group met in person at the park to discuss Normal People, Sally Rooney which I read in 2019 and thought was good but not great. I didn't read it a second time just reviewed my notes but, I was surprised that only (1) person in my group liked the book. I'm guessing it was because the story involves an exasperating college-age couple and most everyone in the group is 65+ and most really disliked the characters and their failure to communicate.  Have you read this book?

June's book is one I haven't read and heard was very good: Before We Were Yours; Lisa Wingate. 

May Reading

Here's a breakdown:

1. The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida; Clarissa Goenawan - 4.5/5 Setting: Japan (May)
2. The Story of Joe Biden: A Biography for New Readers; Frank Berrios - NF - 5/5
3. The Story of Climate Change: A First Book About How We Can Help Save the Planet; Barr & Williams - NF - 5/5
4. If Cats Disappeared From the Earth; Genki Kawamura - 4/5 Setting: Japan
5. The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands; Jon Billman - NF - 4/5
6. Hour of the Witch; Chris Bohjalian - 3.5/5 Setting: MA
7. The Perfect Daughter; D.J Palmer - 4/5 Setting: MA
8. What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience & Healing: Oprah Winfrey & Dr. Bruce D. Perry - 4/5
9. The Nightingale; Kristin Hannah - 4.5/5  Setting: France
10. The Plot; Jean Hanff Korelitz - 4/5  Setting: NY, VT
11. Cold Caller; Jason Starr - 4.5/5 Setting: NY
12. Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; Jeff Gottesfeld - 5/5
13. One Two Three; Laurie Frankel - 4/5  Setting: MA
14. The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye; Jane Yolen - 4.5/5
15. Family Reunion; Nancy Thayer - 5/5 - Setting: Nantucket, MA
16. Under the Wave at Waimea; Paul Theroux - 3/5 Setting: Hawaii
17. What Comes After; JoAnne Tompkins - 4/5 Setting: WA 

Some MAY FAVORITES

READING: My reading choices for May were mostly winners with just a few so so books.

I read (17) books.

(4) children's books

(13) Fiction

(4) Non Fiction

(7) print books - (7) from my shelves of which (5) were sent by publishers and (2) I purchased.

(6) audio books - (3)  library  download and (3) publisher download (0) purchased

(4) eBooks/eGalleys/ARCs - (3) publisher (1) purchase

(8) female authors  (YTD) (62)

(9) male authors     (YTD) ( 24)

YTD Total (86)

Countries traveled to through the books I've read:  France,  Japan  (2X).

US States:  NY (2X), MA (4X) WA, OR, VT and HI.

June Plans (plus a few as the spirit moves me titles)

1. Heaven; Mieko Kawakami
2. When the Stars Go Dark; Paula Mclain
3. Count the Ways; Joyce Maynard
4. The Music of Bees; Eileen Garvin
5. The Disappearing Act; Catherine Steadman
6. Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz; Gail Crowthers
7. Six Weeks to Live; Catherine McKenzie
8. The Photographer; Mary Dixie Carter
9. Haven Point; Virgina Hume
10. That Summer; Jennifer Weiner

How did your month of May go? Any exciting plans for June?

April in a Nutshell - Reading Plans for May

April has come and gone and a few good things happened: we are all fully vaccinated and we had out first restaurant dining experience in 14 months (we did sit outside but, it was great).  We also celebrated our granddaughter sisters birthdays in April. The girls were born 2 years and 5 days apart and, I can't believe they are now 9 and 7. Happy girls and glad to be back in-person at school - that happened in April as well.

My book group met online to discuss The Night Circus which I read in 2011 and loved, this time I listened to it performed by Jim Dale of Harry Potter audio book fame. It was wonderful and like a theatrical performance. The book is great but overly long.

This post has taken me much longer to compose with these (2) lap cats hindering helping out.  My husband asks, why my legs are often sore when I get up from the sofa and, I'm guessing it is from these two which amount to about 30 extra pounds around my ankles and knees....it's so worth it though and they are probably the reason I've never had high blood pressure?? Aww to feel so needed again.

so I persist....

April Reading

Here's a breakdown:

READING: My reading choices for April were mostly winners so I was pleased.

I read (18) books and I also had (1) DNF.

(3) children's books

(16) Fiction

(2) Non Fiction

(7) print books - (1) from my shelves of which (5) were sent by publishers and (1) from library

(8) audio books - (5)  library  download and (3) publisher download (0) purchased

(4) eBooks/eGalleys - (4) publisher downloads (0) purchase

(12) female authors  (YTD) (54)

(6) male authors       (YTD) ( 15)

YTD Total (69)

DNF 

1. Good Neighbors; Sarah Langon

Countries traveled to through the books I've read:  South Korea, United Kingdom,  France,  Japan , Peru, Switzerland, Italy and England.

US States:  NY, CT, DC, OR, CA, New South and TX

1. Stranger on a Train; Patricia Highsmith - 4/5 Setting: NY, CT. DC (April)
2. Later, Stephen King - 4/5 Setting: NY
3. Infinite Country; Patricia  Engel - 4/5 Setting: Columbia and US
4. The Night Always Comes; Willy Vlautin - 5/5 Setting: Oregon
5. The Island of Sea Women; Lisa See - 4/5 Setting: South Korea Island of Jeju
6. Vera; Carol Edgarian - 2.5/5 Setting: San Francisco 
7. A Sunday in Ville-d'Avray; Dominique Barberis - 4/5 Setting: France
8. Everything That Rises Must Converge:Stories; Flannery O'Connor - 4.5/5 Setting: New South
9. Zonia's Rain Forest; Julia  Martinez-Neal - 5/5 Setting Peru
10. Zee Grows a Tree; Elizabeth Rusch - 5/5
11. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer; Fredrik Backman - 3/5 Setting: UK
12. The Sanatorium; Sarah Pearse - 2/5 Setting: Swiss Alps
13. A World of Plants; Martin Jenkins and James Brown - 5/5
14. Earthlings; Sayaka Murata - 4.5/5 Setting: Japan
15. The Last Thing He Told Me; Laura Dave - 4/5 Setting: CA, TX
16. What Unites Us: Reflections of Patriotism; Dan Rather and Elliot Kirshner - (NF) 4/5
17. Nives; Sacha Naspini - 3.5/5 Setting: Tuscany
18. The Absolutist; John Boyne - 5/5 Setting: WWI (France) and England

May Reading Plans

Finish - The Cold Vanish; Jon Billman - audio narration is fantastic and The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida; Clarissa Goenawan

Hope to Read in May (plus a few as the spirit moves me titles)

1. Hour of the Witch; Chris Bohjalian
2. Heaven; Mieko Kawakami
3. When the Stars Go Dark; Paula Mclain
4. One Two Three; Laurie Frankle
5. Count the Ways; Joyce Maynard
6. Family Reunion; Nancy Thayer 
7. The Nightingale; Kristin Hannah
8. The Perfect Daughter; DJ Palmer
9. The Music of Bees; Eileen Garvin
10. The Disappearing Act; Catherine Steadman

How did your month of April go? Any exciting plans for May?