2024 TBR Challenge - gypsysmom will finish 35
DiscussionsBookCrossing Reduce MTBR and Other Challenges
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1gypsysmom
As the subject title says, I'm going to try to finish 35 from the TBR list this year. Some of them won't be registered on BookCrossing because people have loaned me books too. For the first time ever, I don't have any books from other BookCrossers. That's due to the fact that our local group hasn't met in a couple of years plus I've basically dropped out of BookCrossing as I find the site very user-unfriendly now.
2soffitta1
I haven't been using the site for more than registering - which is a faff. I am lucky that my local group is still pretty active.
3mathgirl40
>1 gypsysmom: Good luck with your challenge this year! I mostly use the BC site for the "Favourite book of the year" roundabout, which I've really enjoyed participating in the past few years.
4gypsysmom
January Books
1. False Value by Ben Aaronovitch - #8 of the Rivers of London fantasy series. These books are about London policemen who use magic to solve crimes. They are cleverly written and usually snarky in the patented British way.
2. The Last Election by Andrew Yang and Stephen Marche - scary prediction about the next presidential election in the USA
3. Every Contact Leaves a Trace by Elanor Dymott - investigation into a woman's murder leaves her husband realizing he really didn't know her
4. Homecoming by Kate Morton - This novel was written by Morton during the pandemic lockdown when she was holed up with her family in Australia. In 1959 a mother and her three children were found dead on Christmas Eve at a picnic site. The infant daughter is missing from her cradle nearby. It's determined that the rest of the family died of an unknown poison and the coroner determines that the mother killed the children and then herself. Almost 50 years later a relative who is a journalist learns about the tragedy and starts investigating more. I could hardly put this book down.
1. False Value by Ben Aaronovitch - #8 of the Rivers of London fantasy series. These books are about London policemen who use magic to solve crimes. They are cleverly written and usually snarky in the patented British way.
2. The Last Election by Andrew Yang and Stephen Marche - scary prediction about the next presidential election in the USA
3. Every Contact Leaves a Trace by Elanor Dymott - investigation into a woman's murder leaves her husband realizing he really didn't know her
4. Homecoming by Kate Morton - This novel was written by Morton during the pandemic lockdown when she was holed up with her family in Australia. In 1959 a mother and her three children were found dead on Christmas Eve at a picnic site. The infant daughter is missing from her cradle nearby. It's determined that the rest of the family died of an unknown poison and the coroner determines that the mother killed the children and then herself. Almost 50 years later a relative who is a journalist learns about the tragedy and starts investigating more. I could hardly put this book down.
6mathgirl40
>4 gypsysmom: I've finished only the first 4 Rivers of London books. It's a great series and I need to get back to it.
7gypsysmom
February Books
5. Escape from Manus Prison by Jaivet Ealom - the author was born in Myanmar/Burma to the Muslim minority, the Rohingya, that have been denied basic human rights and citizen rights by the governing Buddhists. Realizing that he had no future in Myanmar, he decided to try for refugee status elsewhere. He took his chances on being smuggled by boat from Jakarta to Christmas Island, a territory of Australia, but Australia had decided to not accept any refugees. So, Jaivet spent 4 1/2 years in prison in Papua New Guinea, an inhumane detention camp. He became the only person to escape from the prison camp and he made his way to Canada where he was given the chance to make his refugee claim and get a university education.
6. The Sad Truth about Happiness by Anne Giardini - the author is Carol Shields' daughter and has obviously inherited her talent for description and characterization. The story is told from the point of view of Maggie who lives in Vancouver and has a good job, a roommate, two sisters but no love life to speak of. Then her life takes a dramatic turn when one of her sisters gives birth to a child who may or may not be from the lover she had when she lived in Rome.
7. The Everlasting Road by Wab Kinew - I got this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program and was happy to do so. The author is now Manitoba's premier but he has somehow found time over the past few years to write books. As probably everyone knows, Kinew is Indigenous and this book is set on an Anishinaabe reservation. The main character is a teenage girl called Bugz who is a wizard player in a video game called the Floraverse (sometimes just the 'Verse). Bugz has to deal with the recent death from cancer of her older brother and uses the game to work some things out. I'm not a video game player and I think someone who does might get more out of this book but I did enjoy the exploration of Indigenous beliefs and themes.
5. Escape from Manus Prison by Jaivet Ealom - the author was born in Myanmar/Burma to the Muslim minority, the Rohingya, that have been denied basic human rights and citizen rights by the governing Buddhists. Realizing that he had no future in Myanmar, he decided to try for refugee status elsewhere. He took his chances on being smuggled by boat from Jakarta to Christmas Island, a territory of Australia, but Australia had decided to not accept any refugees. So, Jaivet spent 4 1/2 years in prison in Papua New Guinea, an inhumane detention camp. He became the only person to escape from the prison camp and he made his way to Canada where he was given the chance to make his refugee claim and get a university education.
6. The Sad Truth about Happiness by Anne Giardini - the author is Carol Shields' daughter and has obviously inherited her talent for description and characterization. The story is told from the point of view of Maggie who lives in Vancouver and has a good job, a roommate, two sisters but no love life to speak of. Then her life takes a dramatic turn when one of her sisters gives birth to a child who may or may not be from the lover she had when she lived in Rome.
7. The Everlasting Road by Wab Kinew - I got this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program and was happy to do so. The author is now Manitoba's premier but he has somehow found time over the past few years to write books. As probably everyone knows, Kinew is Indigenous and this book is set on an Anishinaabe reservation. The main character is a teenage girl called Bugz who is a wizard player in a video game called the Floraverse (sometimes just the 'Verse). Bugz has to deal with the recent death from cancer of her older brother and uses the game to work some things out. I'm not a video game player and I think someone who does might get more out of this book but I did enjoy the exploration of Indigenous beliefs and themes.
8mathgirl40
>7 gypsysmom: I'd read Walking in Two Worlds, the book that preceded The Everlasting Road. I'd found the plot somewhat weak but did also enjoy the exploration of Indigenous themes. I'm impressed that Wab Kinew can still write books with all his other responsibilities, and I hope that he can continue to do so!
9gypsysmom
>8 mathgirl40: Unfortunately, the Ethics Commissioner for Manitoba told the Premier to stop writing books or promoting them while he is in office. I presume his ruling was because of concerns about a conflict of interest between his writing/publishing work and his work as premier because he also told him to recuse himself from any dealings with publishers. So, for at least 4 years (and hopefully more if I can show my political side here) there won't be anything coming from him. Kinew said he welcomed the ruling because being premier is his sole focus while he is in office. I still don't know how he managed to write given his schedule as a working politician, leader of the NDP, and a father and husband.
10mathgirl40
>9 gypsysmom: That's too bad, but having him focus on being premier is important, so I can accept that! Also, like you, I am hesitant to bring politics into LT discussions, as I don't want to make assumptions about others' leanings and I want to be respectful of their beliefs. However, I can say that I was very happy to see Wab Kinew become premier for a number of reasons.
11gypsysmom
March Books
8. Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell - this is a collection of essays written by Orwell and gathered together ina little pocket book. I picked it up some months ago and kept it in my purse for when I was waiting without any other reading material. Gave me some insight into Orwell's character.
9. A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin - I bought this in the fall of 2022 when Rankin visited Winnipeg on his book tour. He said then that he wouldn't be publishing anything in 2023 so I held off reading this latest Rebus book until now. Glad I did because it has quite the cliffhanger ending.
10. The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe - the author's name is a pseudonym for Michael Redhill. This has been on my TBR pile for over 10 years but I didn't find it dated. I loved the police detective, an older woman in charge of a small detachment in Ontario. I'm going to try to find the rest of the series.
11. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson - her first book. It's a story about two young girls who are left with their maternal grandmother in a small town in Idaho. When the grandmother dies, two maiden great-aunts step in but they give up childrearing duties in favour of the mother's sister. She is also not much of a child minder and one of the girls goes off to live with a teacher. Very odd family dynamics but some of the descriptive passages are wonderful.
12. Sing a Song of Summer by Raye Anderson - Fourth in a series of mysteries with RCMP Sargeant Roxanne Calloway as the sleuth. It's set in a small town in cottage country. Four siblings share the use of a cottage which, in my experience, is a recipe for disaster. In this case, the family members get killed one after another.
8. Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell - this is a collection of essays written by Orwell and gathered together ina little pocket book. I picked it up some months ago and kept it in my purse for when I was waiting without any other reading material. Gave me some insight into Orwell's character.
9. A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin - I bought this in the fall of 2022 when Rankin visited Winnipeg on his book tour. He said then that he wouldn't be publishing anything in 2023 so I held off reading this latest Rebus book until now. Glad I did because it has quite the cliffhanger ending.
10. The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe - the author's name is a pseudonym for Michael Redhill. This has been on my TBR pile for over 10 years but I didn't find it dated. I loved the police detective, an older woman in charge of a small detachment in Ontario. I'm going to try to find the rest of the series.
11. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson - her first book. It's a story about two young girls who are left with their maternal grandmother in a small town in Idaho. When the grandmother dies, two maiden great-aunts step in but they give up childrearing duties in favour of the mother's sister. She is also not much of a child minder and one of the girls goes off to live with a teacher. Very odd family dynamics but some of the descriptive passages are wonderful.
12. Sing a Song of Summer by Raye Anderson - Fourth in a series of mysteries with RCMP Sargeant Roxanne Calloway as the sleuth. It's set in a small town in cottage country. Four siblings share the use of a cottage which, in my experience, is a recipe for disaster. In this case, the family members get killed one after another.
12mathgirl40
>11 gypsysmom: I have a book from that same series, also a collection of essays by Orwell which I'd enjoyed very much: Decline of the English Murder and Other Essays.
I'm glad you liked The Calling. I've read all 4 of the books that Michael Redhill wrote as Inger Ash Wolfe and I'm very disappointed that there hasn't been another for years.
I'm glad you liked The Calling. I've read all 4 of the books that Michael Redhill wrote as Inger Ash Wolfe and I'm very disappointed that there hasn't been another for years.
