January 2021 BingoDOG Reads

I thought I'd get things started with the BingoDOG. Here's where you can share what you have read in January, and also don't forget to add your reads to the wiki here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2021_BingoDOG

I started my challenge early, so my first square is Book with a Type of Building in the Title, and I read The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey, which I do recommend.

I wasn't planning on beginning until January but cindydavid4's Shakespeare retellings thread tempted me into an "Impulse read!" of the 1969 play A Tempest by Aime Cesaire that retells Shakespeare's Tempest.

Planning On:
Classical Element: White Fire - Preston/Child
One Word Title : Conquest - John Connolly

I started my challenge on Christmas Eve and decided to make my reading year go from Christmas to Christmas.

I read three books for BingoDOG so far:

The Murder at the Old Vicarage by Jill McGown - New-to-you author
Ruth's First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths - Character You'd Be Friends With
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - Made You Laugh

>1 sturlington: This book sounds so interesting and I love the premise and the connection to the British Museum! But I think I can't read it because I really, really hate stuffed animals and it would give me nightmares!

I also started my 2021 reading early. So far my BingoDOG reads are:

A Midnight Carol for Time Word in Title
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for Made You Laugh
Old Christmas for Less Than 200 Pages
Adventures on the High Teas for Author New to You
The Amish Midwife's Hope for Shared with 20 or Fewer on LT
Mystery of the Mistletoe for History/Alternate History
Twice as Nice Amish Romance Collection for Two or more Authors

I finished A Cosmology of Monsters for the love story square. To get an idea of what kind of love story, check out the cover.



I really enjoyed this. Recommended.

I have marked "made you laugh" for Diary of a Provincial Lady.

I read children's novel The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (a splendid nom de plume!), which was "Suggested by a person from another generation" as a rec from scaifea's 12 year old son, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I finished An Unsafe Haven, Nada Awar Jarrar, which I am using for fewer than 20 LT members, there are 8 libraries containing this book at the point of finishing it.

My first Bingo square to be filled in is "Nature and Environment" with Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell.

My first Bingo Square is White Fire for classical element square.

I read How to Catch a Queen for the Love Story square. It's a lovely contemporary romance that nicely combines escapist elements (it's set in a fictional African kingdom) with realistic emotional and political stakes.

I've filled the "less than 200 pages" square with The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin, which was 182 pages in the edition I read.

>13 rabbitprincess: Oh, that's one of my very favorite childhood reads!

I'm counting Spinning Silver for my Book You Heartily Recommend square. It's so, so good!

I've put Living in the single word title square and Byzantium: The Early Centuries in Read a CAT. Now reading an ancient crime novel for the less than 20 people square.

>15 scaifea: It is!!!

I'm currently reading Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay for the "set somewhere you'd like to visit" square -- i.e., Oxford University.

I read The White Darkness by David Grann, which was recced to me by LittleTaiko for a GeoKIT Polar read but also fits the BingoDOG "Dark or light in title" category. It's a well written short book of 143 pages, including many photos, about Antarctic walker Henry Worsley and his polar expeditions.

I read Over Sea, Under Stone. Wonder if this would work for Classical elements square?

First book of the year read, first bingo square filled: one-word title, Vi, by Kim Thuy.

>17 christina_reads: Right?!

>19 Kristelh: I vote that yes, it does count!

I'm filling my "Read a CAT" square with Swamp Thing: Twin Branches.

>20 Montarville: I need to look to see if either of my reads this year fills a Bingo square. I haven't done that yet.

I'm starting Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan, which will definitely work for the "contains a love story" or "new-to-me author" Bingo square...but I'll wait and see if it also covers one of the more specific ones, like "book you'd heartily recommend" or "character you'd want to be friends with"!

I read The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame for the nature square.

I read The House of Dies Drear for "building type in title".

I'm using this for "under 200 pages". I read the main 185 pages of the book. The rest was notes, references, and the index. Often I actually do read or at least skim the notes, but I didn't like this one enough for that!

The Lady in Medieval England, 1000-1500 / Peter Coss
2.5 stars

This is a nonfiction history of “ladies” in medieval England. Ladies - not just meaning women - but upper class nobility “ladies”. It covered things like inheritance, heraldry (coats of arms, usually from the father or husband, used in women’s seals), kidnapping (aka “ravishing”!), marriage, romance…

Too academic for my liking. There were some interesting nuggets, but also a lot of big words, long paragraphs, and quotes in Middle English. When I’m bored by a book, I don’t put it down, but I tend to skim. I definitely skimmed (or just skipped) anything in Middle English, and a bit more. Otherwise, bits and pieces caught my attention, but not enough to even say it was “ok” (in my rating system). The interesting bits gave it the .5 stars above not liking it, as a whole.

I've completed two squares but I had started reading the books in December.

Read a CAT or KIT (GeoKIT - Europe)
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn ★★★★

New-to-You Author
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor ★★★½

For Nature and the Environment I read The Journeys of Trees.

I've put Georgette Heyer's The Reluctant Widow in the History square.

I completed at least one square, about a marginalized people, In a Free State.

I read Fishing for Trouble: An Alaskan Diner Mystery for the Place You Would Like to Visit square.

I read Ancestral Night for Book about time or with a time word in the title.

Follow the Blue Car by R. A. J. Walling is a deservedly obscure Golden Age crime novel with fewer than 20 copies on LT.

I read Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, which is a bildungsroman set in Antigua, and is a "Book with fewer than 200 pages".

Das fliegende Klassenzimmer has less than 200 pages.

I finished Manchild in the Promised Land yesterday and I'm counting it for the "By or About a Marginalized Group" square.
You can find my review here

I read science fiction novella To be Taught, if Fortunate by Becky Chambers, which turned out to have two "characters I'd like as friends" (Chikondi and Elena).

I read Her Amish Wedding Quilt by Winnie Griggs for the By or About a Marginalized Group (women and children).

Book about history

Barometer Rising / Hugh MacLennan
3.25 stars

It’s 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Penny (a woman working at the shipyard – very unusual for the time)’s love (and cousin) has been at war and he’s missing. They all think he’s dead. So, when Angus (much older than Penny) asks her to marry him, she accepts. Only days later, the Halifax Harbour goes up in an explosion.

The book only follows just over one week. It took longer than I liked to get to the explosion. Leading up to it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the explosion itself and the aftermath, but not long after, it concluded mostly with their regular lives again. If there had been more focus on the disaster, I would have enjoyed it more, I’m sure. There was an afterword by another “classic” Canadian author, Alistair Macleod – one of those that analyzes the book; one of the ones that should never be an introduction but often is (because it gives away the story)! Luckily, it was an afterword.

I just finished The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters, which I'm counting for "contains a love story." As with most books in this series, Brother Cadfael helps a pair of young lovers get together while solving a mysterious death.

Now I'm starting The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs, which works for the "arts and recreation" square. I think we all agree that reading is an excellent form of recreation! :)

I've added Georgette Heyer's The Toll-Gate to the love story square.

New-to-me author

The Crossing Places / Elly Griffiths
3 stars

Archaeologist Ruth is called in to help identify the bones of a child found. That is - how long have the bones been there? It is determined the bones have been there for a very long time, much longer than the police feared, thinking it might be Lucy, a little girl who had disappeared ten years earlier. Ruth then goes on to help the police with their investigation.

I listened to the audio. It was ok. I missed a lot of it at the start, as the audio just wasn’t holding my attention. It picked up part-way through and I was more interested, but I still missed a few things. I really didn’t like two particular characters, but it might have – in part – been due to the voices/accents by the narrator. Those accents (and/or the voices for them) really annoyed me! When they revealed who the killer was, I couldn’t even figure out who that was! Not sure when he was mentioned earlier in the book, but I obviously missed it. There was something else from the end I wanted to mention that wasn’t a spoiler, but I’ve already forgotten what it was. I don’t plan to continue the series.

I read Vittoria Cottage by D. E. Stevenson for the Title contains the name of a Building square.

I read Angela Thirkell's The Demon in the House, then realised it would fit in the Building square.

I read a collection of Tom Gauld's single page newspaper and magazine cartoons, You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, which is clever and witty and frequently made me laugh aloud. It includes many literary parodies so fills the "Arts and recreation" square. 5*

Finished Queens of the Conquest for the history square.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, which I read for my book club, I'm using for the New-to-you author square.

I read The Son by Philipp Meyer, I am deciding between historical novel and elderly protagonist.

I have finished The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony for the "set in a place you'd like to visit" square (Africa)

I'm changing the square for Washington Black >47 sallylou61: to the "about or contains magic" square. In our book discussion group meeting today, some of our members were talking about the book as a magic realism book. I guess the aspects which I did not like -- the unexplained events -- were magic. This is a genre which I seldom read; I can much more easily find a book with a new-to-me author, which I will enjoy, than a book containing magic which I would enjoy.

Finished Loner by Georgina Young, a YA about a university dropout, for the 'one word title'.

I'm reading How Right You Are, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse for the "made you laugh" square. Only two chapters in, and I've already chuckled aloud several times!

I'm counting On Risk, by Mark Kingwell, for the "new-to-me author" square.

I'm almost finished with Glass Houses by Louise Penny and have taken Letters From a Nut by Ted L Nancy from the TBR for my next book.

I have read Orry Kelly: Miss Weston's Protege(which annoyingly has no touchstone, but is about an Australian born Hollywood costume designer) for less than 200 pages and The Mother Fault by Kate Mildenhall for an impulse read.

Just started The Yield by Tara June Winch for by or about a marginalised group - I have been waiting for this library hold for months!

All Australian books as I am reading all Australian for BingoDOG this year.

Senior citizen as protagonist (though, technically, Edward is 63, I believe, but I'm thinking it's close enough)

An Available Man / Hilma Wolitzer
3.5 stars

Edward has recently (within the past 2(?) years) lost his wife, Bee. Bee was his soulmate, though they met and married later in life. Edward is still only 63 (I think). He and his adult stepchildren are close, and those stepchildren decide to move things along by creating and publishing an ad for him on a dating site(?) (or was it a personal ad?). Luckily, they do tell him before he starts to receive replies. He reluctantly tries a few dates.

This was good, although I wasn’t sure I was going to like where it was headed for a while. Luckily, it turned out ok in the end. I also liked Edward’s relationships with his stepkids and his mother-in-law.

>56 LibraryCin: There are a few places he'd get the senior's discount, so I think that's allowed ;)

>57 rabbitprincess: Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was intended to be 60 or 65, but I figured I'd count it for in between!

I read a novella, A Phantom Lover by Vernon Lee, for the fewer than 200 pages square. Enjoyed it.

I have read Death at La Fenice for the "new to you author" and Murder in the Queen's Armes for the "read a CAT or KIT" squares.

Listened to It's not about the Burqa for the marginalised people square.

I have read Krieger und Bauern for the history book square.

I read Stardust by Neil Gaiman for "About or contains magic".

I read Glass Houses by Louise Penny for the "book with a character you'd like to have as a friend" square.

>64 dudes22: Ooh, good choice for that square!

I read Bunny by Mona Awad for the one-word title square. Touchstones aren't working for this title.

2 squares down.

The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell for Building in the title and The Forest of Silence by Emily Rodda

I filled in the "One Word Title" Square with Poppet by Mo Hayder.

I read Marrying Matthew by Kelly Long, which contains several senior protagonists.

I finished P.S. from Paris by Marc Levy for "contains a love story" and Asterix and Cleopatra for "book that made me laugh". I love the beginning of the year when almost every book I read can be used for the BingoDOG!

>70 leslie.98: It's so great to be able to fill those first several squares effortlessly, isn't it?

Speaking of which, I'm currently reading An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson for the "about or contains magic" square.

For the middle square, read a CAT or KIT, I read Hush Now, Don't You Cry by Rhys Bowen for the MysteryKIT. This is a Molly Murphy Mystery which takes place in Newport, Rhode Island, in a mansion which backs onto the Atlantic Ocean, and the ocean is important in the story.

I read Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks and put it in the Nature/Environment square because of its themes exploring how we idealize and anthropomorphize nature and often underestimate its dangers.

Marginalized group

The Tattooed Witch / Susan MacGregor
3.75 stars

Miriam’s father is a doctor. They are in a room with important priests (as a 17-year old woman, she shouldn’t be there) and the young handsome priest is dying. Miriam’s father is trying to help when the Grand Inquisitor comes in, insists the young priest needs his last rites and forces him to drink wine – wine with extra powder in it. The young priest convulses and dies. As Miriam and her father try to leave, the Grand Inquisitor accuses them of murder and locks them up. Miriam has to find a way out and she won’t leave her father behind.

That is pretty much the first chapter. I don’t want to go into too much more, as I don’t want to give anything away, but part-way through we meet another character, Joachin, who lost both parents when he was 9- and 11-years old. Joachin is looking for a priest with a scar – a scar Joachin gave him when that priest murdered Joachin’s mother. Joachin plans to kill the priest with the scar.

When Joachin was introduced, initially I wasn’t as interested in his storyline (nor the storyline of another group of people introduced a bit later), until things (and characters) started to come together. The book really picked up in the last ¼ of the book, and though I didn’t increase my rating up to 4 stars (that’s what I’d rate the last bit of the book), I pulled up my rating just that extra bit above 3.5 stars (good). This is a trilogy, so not everything was tied up at the end, as it will continue, and I will continue with the next book, as well.

The Eyre Affair has been recommended to me very often over the last years, and some of the recommenders were from a different generation, so I consider this square filled.

I've used my latest read, Help me! by Marianne Power for the new toy you author square.

I read The border : a journey around Russia through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway and the Northwest Passage, by Erika Fatland in the 2020 English translation, which fits the "book about history" category. 3.5*

I've just begun reading Mischief Diary by Nada Faris, 2018. I'm the first and only person to catalogue this book on LT so I'm claiming it for the "Book owned by 20 or fewer LibraryThing members" category.

Senior Citizen as Protag

Intervention - Julian May

Read a CAT or Kit - Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters
Made You Laugh - The Space Child's Mother Goose by Frederick Winsor; illustrated by Marian Parry
Set Somewhere You'd Like to Visit - The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James (Cornwall)
About History or Alternate History - The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer
20 or Fewer LT Members - Anchored in Jesus by Johnny Hunt (11 members)
Less than 200 pages - What Though the Field Be Lost: Poems by Christopher Kempf (96 pages)

For the light or dark word in title square, I've read Light for the World to See by Kwame Alexander. This brief book contains three parts: "American Bullet Points" with thoughts inspired by the killing of George Floyd by the Milwaukee police in 2020; "Take a Knee" with thoughts inspired by Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the playing of the national anthem prior to NFL football games (2016); and "The Undefeated" with thoughts inspired by the birth of the author's daughter and the election of Barack Obama (2008). The whole book is printed in and with backgrounds of black, grey, yellow, and white. I assume that the text is approximately 1000 words since the subtitle of the book on the cover is "A Thousand Words on Race and Hope" (which is not printed on the title page or anywhere else).

I've read A Few Days in the Country by Elizabeth Harrower for the Time square.

I've filled the "made you laugh" square with Department of Mind-Blowing Theories, by Tom Gauld.

I read An English Murder for the Impulse Read square. The book was just sitting there on my table and it jumped into my hand, begging to be read. I was happy to oblige.

I had already started reading Peril at End House when I noticed that I could use it for the BingoDOG square of Building in the title. Hurray!

I read The Thursday Murder Club for the senior citizen square.

Recommend

The Guest List / Lucy Foley
4.5 stars

Jules and Will have planned their wedding on a deserted (except for the newly created wedding “pavilion”) island in Ireland. The wedding party is expected to arrive the day before and spend two nights there, while the rest of the guests will arrive the day of. A bad storm is coming the night of the wedding. And things go horribly wrong…

It’s told from different points of view, but at the start of each chapter, we are given the name of that character’s POV for that chapter, as well as who they are. Some of them include Jules, the bride; Hannah, the plus one (her husband Charlie, is Jules’ best friend); Aoife, the wedding planner; Johnno, the best man (and long-time best friend of Will’s from way back in boarding school); Olivia, the bridesmaid (and Jules’ much younger sister).

The atmosphere is done so well – this deserted, dangerous, boggy island with a storm coming. The opening chapter starts with things going wrong during the wedding, then backs up to everything leading up to what happened at the wedding. Parts were creepy, and I was kept wanting to read. There were not very many likeable characters in this book, but there were a couple. No surprise here, but everyone had secrets.

Character you'd like to be friends with: Bathed in Prayer by Jan Karon
Who wouldn't like to be friends with Father Tim and several other Mitford characters?

Senior citizen protagonist: Good-bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton

I am one of two people on LT who own Die Ritter, so that's another square filled for me.

I read children's novel The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson which is about a girl in a children's home, which fills the "about a marginalised group" square. 3*

I'm counting Beyond Religion for my Book with Fewer Than 200 Pages square. You can find my review here.

I read First Light in Morning Star for the Light or Dark word square.

For less than 200 pages, I read Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings. This is a lovely little book published by Tor.

I just finished Mr. Malcolm's List by Suzanne Allain for the "read a CAT or KIT" square. I used it for the January AlphaKIT (M = Mr., Malcolm's).

For the Arts and Recreation square I read and examined the pictures of the photographs in 100 Photographs: The Most Influential Images of All Time by the Editors of Time Magazine. I consider photographs to be art.

I finished The Conquering Family by Thomas B. Costain for the "about history or alternate history" square - it is a history of the first 3 Plantagenet kings (Henry II, Richard I & John).

Title describes me. :-)

Good Neighbors / Sarah Langan
5 stars

The book is primarily set in 2027 (when the pertinent events happen), but it’s actually a reporter in 2042 (I believe) who is looking back on the “Murders of Maple Street”, and what led up to it. Arlo, Gertie and their kids, Julia and Larry moved to Maple Street a year earlier. They are pretty much “white trash”, but were trying to be upwardly mobile. It took a bit of time to be accepted, but after their immediate neighbour Rhea befriends Gertie, things go much smoother… until the 4th of July, when Gertie realizes everyone on the street was invited to the party except them. She’s not sure what happened for them to be excluded.

Things get more and more out of hand amongst the kids when Rhea’s daughter, Shelley, and Julia suddenly aren’t speaking (but Julia doesn’t understand why). Just before Shelley disappears into a giant sinkhole that opened up across the street, she had accused Julia’s father of something terrible. The rumors and gossip get so out of hand, and things go incredibly wrong…

This built, though part-way through I knew I would rate it quite high (was thinking 4.5 stars), but the end – I didn’t see coming! Holy crap – that mob mentality! I was angry at so many of those people! I feel like this is a slightly different take on the current thriller fad. It did remind me a bit of “Big Little Lies” with the articles and interviews (from 2042) that were interspersed, but it was still quite different from others out there (in my opinion).

I read The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria, an autobiographical account of a girl growing up in Tacoma, USA, and amongst Bedouin in Qatar, which fulfils "Book with a classical element in the title". 4*

I read First Class Murder by Robin Stevens for the "Recommended by someone from another generation" square. It is a mystery novel recommended by middle school kids. The story takes place on the Orient Express and involves two young teen girls who solve crimes. It was quite enjoyable, and I intend to read others from the series.

I read Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa for "Impulse Read!". I bought it after I learned about it in a post by LittleTaiko, but wanted to read it later this year. On Sunday I picked it up very spontaneously because I just felt like it.

Mike and Psmith by P G. Wodehouse for Made You Laugh.

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers for the "Set somewhere you'd like to visit" square. With a love for architecture, books and waterways for boating, Oxford is on my bucket list. ;-)

For the "contains magic" square, I read a picture book sent to me as a gift by my sister. Substitute Creacher by Chris Gall is a sort of object lesson for kids who misbehave in school. Their regular teacher takes time off and the substitute turns out to be a green creature with one big eye in front (many in back of his head, like all good teachers) and he has many appendages. He shares with the naughty class stories of kids who misbehaved in class and what happened to them! The ending has quite a twist!! I loved this book!

I'm currently reading Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater, which is shared by 10 LT members and thus fits the "shared with 20 or fewer LT members" square.

I placed The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel in the someplace you'd like to visit square.

January has been a good start for my bingo card.
B1: one word title, Greenwitch
B2: Marginalized group, In a Free State
B3: Dark of light word in title, The Dark is Rising
G9: Classical Item Over the sea, Under Stone
N13: CAT or KIT, Voynich Hotel, Vol 1
I22: senior citizen protagonist, The Son
O25: magic, The Grey King

>107 Kristelh: - That's a great start!

I read The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk, which is a "Book you heartily recommend" (for discerning readers) and my first 5* fiction out of 6 read in 2021 so far (and my second 5* book out of 16).

I'm using To Say Nothing of the Dog for the Time square, as it features time travel and dashing about through time to make sure history is repaired.

>110 Helenliz: I really enjoyed that book - more than Willis's earlier Doomsday Book. At least, I assume from your description that it is the Willis book you mean - your Touchstone goes the the Jerome K. Jerome book.

I used Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 1 for the "less than 200 pgs" square - though I could have used it for my "impulse" read!

>111 leslie.98: Yes, thanks, that was the one I meant. Touchstone corrected.

Not read any of her other books, this was a first for me. Convinced me enough to maybe try some more.

New-to-you author: Murder on the Lake by Bruce Beckham
Book you heartily recommend: A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates

I used A Darker Side by Shirley Wells to complete the "dark or light word in title" square.

I changed my selection for less than 200 pages to set in the Southern hemisphere: Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings. It is set in Australia. I figure I'm much more likely to read another short book this year than another book set in the Southern hemisphere, since most of the books I plan on reading are American/British.

>111 leslie.98: Oh, and I preferred "Doomsday Book".

Another one (part 1 of 2) I really liked was Blackout.

>117 LibraryCin: It would be a boring world if we all liked the same thing! I'll have to check into Blackout - thanks for the recommendation :)

>117 LibraryCin: the library has very few of her books, but it does have Blackout. I enjoyed this one enough (and it obeyed my idiosyncratic rules for sci fi) to pick up more of her books.

I finished The Byzantine Economy, a scholarly book co-written by two authors.

I read The Lord Sorcier by Olivia Atwater, which is a "Book with or about magic" and was drawn to my attention by christina_reads.

Book you heartily recommend: The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington
Arts and Recreation: Stillmeadow Album by Gladys Taber

>118 leslie.98: >119 Helenliz: For anyone looking at "Blackout", please also check if your library has All Clear. If you like "Blackout", it really doesn't finish, so you'll want to (at some point) continue with "All Clear", as well.

Made me laugh

Furiously Happy / Jenny Lawson
4 stars

Blogger Jenny Lawson has a number of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. In this, her second book, she takes a humourous look at herself and her eccentricities, mostly in the form of anecdotes.

I listened to the audio, which she narrated herself and I thought she was really good. There were lots of times when I laughed out loud. Every so often, she’d mention that because I was listening to the audio, I wouldn’t see the photo that’s in the book to go with her current story, but listeners of the audio do get a bonus chapter at the end. It included cats. Which made me happy. Well, she mentions cats at various points throughout the book, anyway. (But that’s not why I gave it 4 stars! Cats were just an added bonus.)

I got another square for January; #14, using The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Using "last" as a word about time.

Read a CAT: GenreCAT

Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine / Olivia Campbell
4.25 stars

This is mainly a biography of three of the first women doctors in the mid- to late-19th century, but also a history of the fight for the right of women to become doctors. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in the US to earn an MD, in the mid-1800s. It took a while longer, but Lizzie Garret was the first in England. Sophia Jax-Blake was not immediately next in the UK, but she worked hard fighting for the right of women to be able to earn that designation; she did get her MD later s well, but she also helped start up two women’s medical schools – in London and Edinburgh.

Every step of the way took months and years of hard work for these women to be able to earn that MD. With the stereotypes and fears of male doctors, professors, and medical students pushing back with excuses to deny them this. Before the women’s schools were set up, these women had to take classes (many privately, and at a much higher cost), as well as find a placement for clinical practice to gain that experience; very very difficult to do when most hospitals continually turned them down. There were some male doctors (and professors) who were sympathetic and did help out as much as they could.

I’ve left out so much of the struggles! This book is nonfiction, but it reads like fiction. Very readable. Oh, the frustration, though, at the male students, doctors, and professors! They call the women “delicate” and such, but as far as I can tell, the men were the “delicate” ones with their temper tantrums (the phrase entered my head even before she used it in the book!), not able to handle that there are women just as smart and can do the job just as well as they (possibly) could (although I do wonder about some of those men!). And these men were supposed to be trusted to tend to women’s health issues!? Ugh! (Many women at the time avoided, if possible, seeing male doctors for their ailments.) Many of the women students had better grades than the men, but of course, were never really acknowledged for it.

>125 Kristelh: Oh, I read that a few years ago - a delightful book!

I have used The Book of the Dead by Elizabeth Daly for the "recommended by another generation" square since my mother recommended the Henry Gamadge series (of which this book is #8) to me.

Also, I counted A Prefect's Uncle by P.G. Wodehouse for "arts & recreation" since there is a lot of cricket in it.

I finished Georgette Heyer's The Reluctant Widow, which I am using for the Love story square

I have finished Die rote Stadt, a historical mystery by Boris Meyn who is a new author to me.

>128 Helenliz: That is one of my favorite Heyers! Such fun - I especially love Bouncer (that scene when he is "guarding" Elinor is great) :)

I finished The Art of the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull which goes nicely for "Arts & Recreation".

I recently read Murders in Volume 2 by Elizabeth Daly, book #3 in the Gamadge series mentioned at >127 leslie.98:. It works for the "less than 200 pages" square -- my edition has 176 pages.

>127 leslie.98: Great idea. I'll count Mike and Psmith for recreation because of all the cricket.

I've finished The Dutch House by Ann Patchett for the "Impulse Read" block. A neighbor just read it and wanted to know if I wanted to read it before it needed to go back to the library.

OH Shoot - I just realized that the impulse was supposed to be related to title or color. Still - the cover is interesting enough that I'm still going to use it.

>134 dudes22: impulse was supposed to be related to title or color.

I haven't done that one yet, but I didn't realize this! But then, I always plan what I'm reading every month (I have to for the number of challenges that I do; but I'm good with that, because the challenges tell me what I'm reading next!). There are no impulse reads! LOL!

I could maybe say something was impulsively added to my tbr due to the cover or title, though....

>135 LibraryCin: - I didn't realize it until I went to add it to the wiki. So went back to the planning thread and there it was. I too have a lot of my reading planned for this year and was wondering what I'd fit in there. So this worked out well. (Even if I had to stretch the truth reason.)

I read Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski, which is a travel book describing how his reading of ancient Greek author Herodotus influenced his perceptions and writing as a journalist. It's "Set somewhere you’d like to visit" if I can count the inside of Kapuscinski's head in addition to the places he visits. 4*

Impulse Read: The Sweet Flypaper of Life by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes

I'm counting The Blackhouse by Peter May for "Nature & Environment" because it includes a lot of descriptions of the natural world of the Hebrides. Nature, in particular the sea and seabirds, are an important aspect of the plot and story.

When I finish Marcel Ayme's The Man Who Walked Through Walls for the Magic square, I will have completed two rows. It's a collection of weird and funny short stories.

Completed A Toast to Tomorrow for the Two or more authors square, and Psmith in the City for the Made me laugh square and moved Mike and Psmith to the Arts and recreation square because of all the cricket.

>134 dudes22: I'm taking title and colour as suggestions for why you'd choose a book on impulse. Neither is likely in my case. My impulse purchases are more likely to be Kindle or Kobo Daily Deals with intriguing descriptions.

Touchstones are coming and going.

I read Spell on Wheels Volume 2: Just to Get to You, by Kate Leth and Megan Levens, which is a "Book by two or more authors" and also a fantasy comic set in contemporary USA about three "witches", each with a specific power, on a road trip. 3.5*

The reluctant widow made me laugh. Again.

I just read Light Raid by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice, which works for the "dark or light word in the title" square.

Also, in an unprecedented turn of events, this book gives me my first bingo! I've never gotten one this early in the year before...in fact, in previous years, I've often marked off 16 or 17 squares before managing to get 5 in a row!

>143 christina_reads: Congratulations!

For the Made Me Laugh square, I read Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton. I am also already having better luck with this year's bingo card than with last year's.

For the Impulse Read thread: Let the People Pick the President: the Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman.
I was not planning to read any political book so soon, but I'm really interested in reforming the way the President of the United States is elected. (I waited until after the inauguration to read this though.) Both the appearance of the book and the title really appealed to me. All the lettering is white with the main title in large letter with People, Pick, and President all lined up. The cover is splotches of various shades of red and blue with much purple.

>143 christina_reads: Congrats! I'm impressed :)

>144 sturlington: >146 leslie.98: Thanks!

I just finished The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John, which I had planned to count for the "Southern Hemisphere" square -- the author is Australian and the book is set in Sydney. But instead I'm going to count it for the "character you'd like to be friends with" square, because I really enjoyed all the main characters, but especially the glamorous Magda. I would love to be friends with her...she knows how to enjoy life! :)

I finished A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher for Character you'd like to be friends with, and The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly for the Nature and Environment square. Only four squares left for a "cover all."

>148 LadyoftheLodge: Woo hoo!! You're on a roll :D

>149 rabbitprincess: Thanks! I have been working on my BingoDog card all month.

My final completed square for the month is the "less than 200 pages" with The Gilt-Edged Mystery by E. M. Channon. This gives me 5 completed squares for January.

>148 LadyoftheLodge: blimy! That's an impressive effort.
I was thinking that I like this time of year, when almost every book can fit a Bingo square. Clearly not if you're down to only 4 left...

>148 LadyoftheLodge: Wow - well done!

I have finished The Princess Bride for the "about or contains magic" square & Meet the Sky for "nature or environment".

Neither of those is a great fit so I may swap them out as the year progresses and I read something that is a better match for the topic.

I've read How to Pronounce Knife, which is about Lao refugees in Canada, and have put it in the Marginalised group square. Also read Friends and Rivals: Four Great Australian Writers a Kobo Daily Deal which I bought based on the title and description, having never heard of the book before, so am putting it in Impulse Reads.

2 or More Authors: The Gospel at Work: How the Gospel Gives New Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs by Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert

New-to-you author square: Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris.

One Word title

Akin / Emma Donoghue
3.5 stars

Noah is 79-years old and planning a trip to his home country, France – a country he had to leave at 4-years old due to the war. He has a set of photographs his mother took that had been in possession of his sister, who has since passed away, and Noah is hoping to find out more about them. A few days before the trip, he is contacted by social services. He has a great-nephew with no other family they are able to find/contact who needs a temporary guardian, as his father (Noah’s nephew) died, and his mother is in jail. Michael is 11-years old; he and Noah have never met.

It was good. Kept my interest, though it wasn’t terribly fast-moving. I sure did dislike the kid, though.

I read The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farouk, which is a children's novel (about 8-10 imo) set in a pre-colonial Sri Lankan kingdom (I think it's a somewhat alternative history medieval Sri Lanka with an idealistic amount of multicultural harmony and a vague nod towards Liluvati). The protagonist is a young Buddhist girl who tries her hand at some redistribution of wealth by thieving from the rich to give to the poor. Unfortunately, having worked her way up to stealing from the royal family, she manages to accidentally get her best friend, a young boy, sentenced to death. A prison break, elephant theft, and the invaluable assistance of their new acquaintance, a young Muslim girl, ensue. The ending is unlikely but sweet. 3*

I just finished Dear Teacher by Jack Sheffield for the "Title Describes You" square.

I have read Ein Mundvoll Erde (A Mouth Full of Earth) by Stefanie Zweig for "Classical element in title".

With this one I have completed my first bingo! Yay!

Two more squares done. Wishful Drinking Carrie Fisher - Made me laugh and The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndhan - Read a CAT or Kit

I think I got through most of the easy squares this month:

Snowspelled - One-word title
How To Catch a Queen - Contains a love story
Pregnant By the Playboy - 20 or fewer LT members
The Wonder Engine - Character you'd be friends with
The Secret History of the Mongol Queens - About history or alternate history
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs - Suggested by another generation
Moon of the Crusted Snow - New-to-you author
Clockwork Boys - Read a CAT or KIT
Thornbound - About or contains magic
Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved - 2 or more authors
Here For It - Made you laugh
The Journeys of Trees - Nature or the environment

I read Marcel Aymé's The Man Who Walked Through Walls for the Magic square. A real winner! Witty, charming, philosophical short stories.

I'm the only member who has added On A Rising Tide by Charlie Phillips to their LT library, so this counts for "20 or Fewer LT Members".

For an impulse read, I just read Literary Witches, a lovely little book to spend an icy Sunday morning with. I originally bought this book and its accompanying deck of cards on impulse because I loved the art.

I've filled the "impulse read" square with a re-read of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley. Seeing mstrust get into the series made me think a re-read was in order.

I've filled several squares this month:

Impulse read: Agent 355 by Marie Benedict, 4*
Less than 20 LT member: Life Ever After by Carla Grauls, 3.75* (I was number19 to add it)
Classical element: Thicker Than Water by Tyler Shultz, 3.5*
New to me author: When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman, 4.5*
Building in the title: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, 4*
Less than 200 pages: Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire, 4*, 166 pages
One word title: Jingo by Terry Pratchett, 3.5*

I read Tropical Fish by Doreen Baingana, which is a suite of short stories revolving around a Banyankole family of three young women growing up in Entebbe in Uganda in the 1980s, and is by an "New-to-you author". 4*

I read The Mystery of the Fire Dragon by Carolyn Keene for the "classical element" square. This is probably my last one for January!

I read Department of Mind-Blowing Theories by Tom Gauld, which is a collection of his single-page comics mostly published in New Scientist magazine, and a "Book with a title that describes me" for several reasons. It probably goes without saying that I laughed aloud. 5*

Book with fewer than 200 p. (179): Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill. I read this to see if I wanted to take an adult education course studying it; I decided that I do.

January was a good bingo month;

1. One Word Title: Greenwitch
2. Marginalized Group: In a Free State
3. Dark or Light Word in Title The Dark is Rising
9. Classical Element Over Sea, Under Stone
10. Read a kit: The Voynich Hotel vol 1 graphic novel
11. Senior Citizen Protagonist: The Son by Meyers
25. contains magic The Grey King
19. historical - The Power and the Glory Mexico, Cristo wars
23. A building in title, Gormenghast a castle.

Time for a February thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/329356

Forgot to add this when I finished it.

I read Toby: A Man by Todd Babiak for the square "shared with 20 or fewer members on LT".

Toby is the star of a Montreal television program where he has a segment devoted to male etiquette. After a traumatic experience, doped up on medications, he makes an unforgivable blunder on live tv and is fired. With the loss of a pay cheque, the high-maintenance girlfriend, ritzy apartment, and BMW are also eliminated and he moved back into his parent's basement. A moment of chivalry when he helped a woman who fell off a bicycle has repercussions when she abandons her child in his care. Toby adores the boy who is delightfully pronoun-challenged: "you are hungry".

Babiak, a writer from Edmonton, Alberta, is probably more well-known in Canada but he definitely deserves more attention. Funny, innocent, with much bilingual humour, I enjoyed this book a lot.

Better late than never (posting) - my January squares:

8. A book about nature or the environment Florida Burning - COMPLETED
10. Book by two or more authors - The Christmas Thief - COMPLETED
11. Impulse read! Two Sisters in Ireland - COMPLETED
12. Book with a love story in it - Sorry, Not Sorry - COMPLETED
13. Read a CAT or KIT - Million Dollar Staircase - COMPLETED
17. Author you haven’t read before The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett - COMPLETED