pickThis one felt very different than the other two I‘ve read by her (The Round House, The Night Watchman) although still unmistakably Erdrich. Somehow this one was slower-paced and more diffuse. I still enjoyed it although it wasn‘t quite what I expected - and I still wouldn‘t really know how to describe it if someone asked for a recommendation. #authoramonth
#bookspin #doublespin
Here‘s my February list!
1-2. All Involved
3-4. Being Mortal
5-6. Born Standing Up
7-8. Dragon Reborn, The
9-10. Evidence of the Affair
11-12. Horse
13-14. Little Eyes
15-16. Shutter
17-18. We Were the Mulvaneys
19-20. White Mosque, The
Late posting my #joyousjanuary wrap up but I am feeling the joy! Thank you @Andrew65 for hosting 😊
✅ Finished Appointment with Death
✅ Finished What Meets the Eye
✅ Finished River of the Gods
✅ Read an installment of Serial Reader each day
Friday night #joyousjanuary update
Finished What Meets the Eye … Review to come
Finished part 3 of River of the Gods
Still reading one installment a day on Serial Reader - finished A Christmas Carol and returned to Little Women
#joyousjanuary Day 4 update! Having a Monday off is all fun and games until you have two days‘ work to finish on Tuesday 😬 but I did manage to get a little reading in. I‘m not loving What Meets The Eye so far, but maybe it will pick up once the plot gets cooking.
pickI felt like this one fell a little flat compared to some of her other ingenious plots. Most of her mysteries are character driven - it‘s all about the psychology with Agatha! - but this one seemed so preoccupied with the psychology that the plot suffered a little. Or maybe it just me 🤷🏻♀️
Finished Appointment With Death, read an issue of Christmas Carol, and now I‘m getting back to River of the Gods (which I started in Nov!). I was reading it for book club, but then I couldn‘t make it to the meeting and I moved on and never finished the book. But it‘s so good! I just have to get past my mental block. That‘s what readathons are for 😊 #joyousjanuary
Todays #joyousjanuary reading:
2 installments of Christmas Carol on Serial Reader
Part I of Appointment With Death #serieslove2023
pickI was a little disappointed because the movie anecdotes from Steve Martin‘s 40-year career made up less than half the book. Most of the book is similar to A Wealth of Pigeons; single-panel New Yorker-style cartoons. Entertaining, but not what I expected.
I made this graphic for Hercule Poirot books because even though they can be considered a series, they largely stands alone and I‘m not reading them in order. So I X‘d the ones I‘ve already read and we will see how many I get to this year!
#SeriesLove2023
#JoyousJanuary Readathon goals!
1. Finish River of the Gods (which I started back in November)
2. Read an installment of my serial reader every day
3. Murder in Mesopotamia for #backlistreadathon
4. What Meets the Eye for my book club
Late getting this posted, but I‘m excited to read my #bookspin and #doublespin selections for #january ! Both were Christmas gifts to me … in 2020 😬
Hey, who‘s on StoryGraph? Someone convinced me to sign up, but now I need to find people to follow! Look for me under “Carrie562” or comment below with your username!
panThis was my first by Alice Feeney, and I was darn disappointed. The twists were so glaringly obvious that I was certain they were just the top layer of a more elaborate plot.
Nope.
Unfortunately, the characters and the writing just weren‘t good enough to redeem this one. The backstory should have been gripping but somehow it just felt flat. I think it comes back to not really finding the characters engaging. 2/5 ⭐️
Happy birthday @wanderinglynn !! And congratulations on your 300K, what an accomplishment 😃
#300Kbirthdaygiveaway
pickI enjoyed this fine, although it felt like it wandered a bit. There were quite a few subplots (some obvious red herrings) and it did feel a little contrived at times as he tried to resolve all the loose ends. This was my 2nd by this author, and I would probably say I enjoyed the other one (A Noise Downstairs) more.
pickWow, this book was terrific! I enjoyed the way he alternated the chapters featuring Mulholland, Griffith, and MacPherson. Truly encapsulates the astonishing origins of our highly improbable metropolis (as Dorothy Parker called it, “72 suburbs in search of a city”). Learned a lot about the 1920s and some historical figures that I knew the vague arcs of, but not the details. Highly recommend!
#nonfiction #history #usa
pickNo 1 Ladies Detective Agency BINGO CARD 🤣
I enjoyed this one (book 18), but I have to be careful not to read several of these in a row! The formula gets to be a bit much after two or three back to back!
pickI enjoyed this; although it did feel a bit disjointed at times, eventually I got into it and it get easier to keep reading. Some fascinating history of pigments and ways of thinking about color.
My #bookspin for February - or actually I think it was my #doublespin ?
#Two4Tuesday
Definitely chocolate!
For a good Valentine‘s Day read I would suggest CrossTalk by Connie Willis. She has a great talent for blending sci-fi, humor, and romance and her characters are so much fun to be around.
pick#doublespin
I didn‘t manage to tackle my bookspin pick, but I read my double spin and it was amazing
pickRead this for my science writers‘ book club. Interestingly, the group was divided between those who found it grim and those who found it hopeful. I‘m in the latter camp. Sure, the theme is how well-intended human intervention creates unforeseen problems, but ultimately I find it hopeful that scientists continue to look for creative, technological solutions to humanity‘s ecological problems. Kolbert‘s writing is lovely yet direct.
pick#starwarsbuddyread
Yes that says JANUARY. I did read it closer to Jan, but I never posted my review. I quite liked this one although there were times that I would have liked to spend a little longer in a particular timeline. I don‘t mind the multi-thread construction, but occasionally it felt a bit fragmented. Still I enjoyed the adventure, the characters, the humor, the action. Well done.
pick#bookspin #february @TheAromaofBooks
Finally read this! Connie Willis time travel books are always a turmoil of emotion. She enjoys setting the scene so much that sometimes it feels like the plot is stagnating. But once it gets going, wow. This is part 1 of 2 and it‘s truly part 1 - it just ends in the middle of everything. Ack! Good thing I have book 2 right here ...
1. Last Shot (Star Wars) by Daniel José Older
Blackout by Connie Willis
Assembling California by John McPhee
2. Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart
3. One of Ours by Willa Cather
#weekendreads
so-soThis was an ok romance. Started out intriguing, but the second half was mostly contrived and frustrating. The characters were forced into awkward conflicts and made to react in unnatural ways in order to move the plot to its necessary resolution. I didn‘t really like or relate to any of the characters and I got SO. SICK. of reading about Olive‘s ginormous boobs and Ethan‘s rock-hard abs that I was ready to toss them both into Kilauea by the end.
pick#nonfiction2021
This was a very important book about a real but largely unseen problem - missing data. When tools, systems, and even medical technology and drugs are developed, it‘s from an assumption that men represent all humans and women represent a special case. The problem with the book is that she too often drifts from her thesis, muddling the point. Also, some of her statistics are of questionable sources. 3/5⭐️
#BookCupidSwap @LadyCait84 @candority
Love all my goodies! Dove chocolates are my favorite, and there‘s 3 different kinds in there 💕 I hadn‘t heard of this book before, but it looks really good. I always like reading more translated works and this seems like it will be creepy and fun! Thank you so much!
❤️📚💗🍫❤️📚💕🍫❤️📚💕🍫❤️📚
#BookCupidSwap @candority
Aaaaaand look what arrived today 😍 Such a cute and festive package ... but I have no idea who my Cupid is. Hopefully she included a note inside!
@Bookbinger - yours is projected to arrive on Friday 🤞🏻
#bookcupidswap @Bookbinger @candority
As usual I forgot to include a note before I sealed up the box! But it‘s on its way, and at least the box is marked with the Swap hashtag. (Also, the box is comically big for what‘s inside, so I hope you‘re not disappointed when you open it 😬)
Happy Valentines Day!
1. I‘m working on a 3000-word feature article about how biological sex differences influence drug efficacy, and it‘s due Friday.
2. Coffee Crisp! I got 4 in my Christmas stocking and I‘m savoring them.
3. First thing in the morning, while I‘m drinking my coffee and getting ready for the day. And last thing at night when I‘m tucked in and relaxing.
@Cupcake12
#recommendsday #webtoons #graphicnovel
My 13 year old is looking for a new graphic novel to read. She has read Raina Telgemeier‘s books and enjoyed them. She is asking for recommendations based on her favorite Webtoons: Gourmet Hound, True Beauty, Castle Swimmer, Edith.
Help me out, littens! I don‘t know a lot of graphic novels. Anyone?
pick#translations #AmazonCrossing
I expected a psychological thriller, which this was - but with the emphasis on "psychological" and not so much "thriller." It was a suspense book full of sordid, horrifying events, but written in a quiet, gentle, philosophical tone. If that sounds like an odd reading experience, believe me, it was.
pickThis was good, not my favorite Miss Marple but a quick read. The solution was a bit tenuous but overall it was entertaining. #wintergames @FantasyChick
#24b42020 OMG I STINK at readathons! I read this book yesterday, some in the afternoon and some at bedtime. No idea how many minutes. I got through about 5 chapters. Let‘s call it an hour and a half? #wintergames #jingleballers @FantasyChick @TheReadingMermaid
Selfie with a reindeer!
#SelfieScavengerHunt #WinterGames #JingleBallers @FantasyChick @Clwojick @StayCurious
pick#wintergames #jingleballers #holidayread #booktomovie
Highly satisfying account of a puzzling Christmas Eve murder, where everyone has a motive but the evidence points nowhere. Naturally Poirot reveals the truth using his “little grey cells” and a careful study of the victim‘s psychology. Nobody does it like Dame Agatha!
Note, this was made into a TV episode starring David Suchet as Poirot
Watched our favorite modern Christmas movie, ARTHUR CHRISTMAS. I adore this movie! It never gets old! #wintergames #jingleballers @FantasyChick @Clwojick @StayCurious
pickI have put off reading this for many years because I didn‘t want to commit to a 19 book series or whatever, but now that I‘ve read it, I really enjoyed it! The characters are vivid, the quest is exciting, and the world felt rich. Looking forward to book 2.
Reading by the light of the Christmas tree #wintergames #jingleballers @FantasyChick @Clwojick @StayCurious
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