La's Orchestra Saves The World, by Alexander McCall Smith

I started reading this book out loud to my mother, but she asked me to stop because it was too sad. I suppose sadness is a big part of any WWII story. This was a small one—a small book and a small story, the tale of one woman's war in Surrey, where it didn't seem to touch her all that much other than growing vegetables in her lawn and taking care of a neighbor's chickens. From the title of the book you would think the orchestra plays a bigger part than it did, but it all seemed superficial. Not much depth, and not much happiness for La or the reader.

Madame Koska & le Spectre de la Rose, by Ilil Arbel

Received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Madame Koska & Le Spectre de la Rose had a classic Agatha Christie feel to it—the time period, the amateur sleuth, the details, the red herrings, the length. I liked the characters and the mystery, but I think there were a couple of plot points left unexplained that might have been tightened up with another round of editing. I would read another Madame Koska book with no hesitation.

Books Read in 2018

My reading is heading in the right direction—2018 was an improvement over 2017 as I managed to read 22 books this year, 7 more than in 2017.

These are the books I tackled in 2018. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? Always Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen; Call The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth; and Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson.

January
1. Marriage Most Scandalous, by Johanna Lindsey

February
2. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (A) (R)
3. Sleeping Giants, by Sylvain Neuval (A)
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote (A)

March
5. Call The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth (A)
6. Call The Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse, by Jennifer Worth
7. Call The Midwife: Farewell to the East End, by Jennifer Worth

April
8. The Body in the Library, by Agatha Christie

May
9. Hardcore Twenty-Four, by Janet Evanovich (E) (L)
10. In The Company of Cheerful Ladies, by Alexander McCall Smith

June
11. Blue Shoes and Happiness, by Alexander McCall Smith
12. March, by Geraldine Brooks
13. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland
14. Armada, by Ernest Cline (A)

July
15. Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins (E) (L)
16. Claire of the Sea Light, by Edwidge Danticat

August
17. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling
18. Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

November
19. Beautiful Tempest, by Johanna Lindsey

December
20. Hearts Abroad, by Skye McNeil (E)
21. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, by J. K. Rowling (E)
22. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: The Original Screenplay, by J. K. Rowling

Hearts Abroad, by Skye McNeil

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, both predictable and unpredictable, but oftentimes, that is what I am looking for in a romance novel. I want the familiar formula and I want the unexpected and this book delivered both. I liked the characters and I believed the fairy tale.

Books Read in 2017

It looks like 2017 wasn't a great year for reading—I managed to read only 15 books this year—26 fewer than 2016, and the fewest I have read in the last decade.

These are the books I tackled in 2017. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPhone; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood; Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett; and the three books that make up The Corfu Trilogy, by Gerald Durrell.

January
1. Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear

March
2. The Full Cupboard of Life, by Alexander McCall Smith (E)

April
3. Birds of a Feather, by Jacqueline Winspear (E) (L)

June
4. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven, by Chris Cleave (E) (L)

July
5. The Lioness of Morocco, by Julia Drosten (E)

August
6. The Gravity of Birds, by Tracy Guzeman
7. Death Comes As The End, by Agatha Christie
8. Fantastic Voyage, by Isaac Asimov
9. Funny Letters From Famous People, by Charles Osgood

September
10. My Family and Other Animals (The Corfu Trilogy), by Gerald Durrell (E)
11. Birds, Beasts and Relatives (The Corfu Trilogy), by Gerald Durrell (E)

October
12. The Garden of the Gods (The Corfu Trilogy), by Gerald Durrell (E)

November
13. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

December
14. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
15. The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection, by Neil Gaiman (A) (L)

The Full Cupboard of Life, by Alexander McCall Smith

From the Kindle Kache. I am glad that story lines are moving forward. With each new-to-me book in this series, I have to wonder if the people of Botswana are OK with how they are being portrayed. The tone seems somewhat condescending and I wonder if it's just me. It makes me feel a bit guilty because I turn to this series when I am looking for something soothing to read: I know everything will turn out OK and that there are happy endings.

Books Read in 2016

Like many others, I bid good riddance to 2016. It wasn't a great year for a number of reasons, one of which is that I managed to finish only 41 books this year—19 fewer than 2015—and several of them were Extremely Easy Reads.

These are the books I finished in 2016. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPhone; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss; Going Solo, by Roald Dahl; and two audiobooks that should make the list twice because I loved both the books and the performers: The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer (read by Amanda Palmer), and Agent to the Stars, by John Scalzi (read by Wil Wheaton).

January
1. A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin (E)
2. French for Cats, by Henry Beard
3. Furiously Happy, by Jenny Lawson
4. Appointment with Death, by Agatha Christie
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon

February
6. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell (E) (L)
7. Love Story, by Erich Segal
8. The Lady In The Lake, by Raymond Chandler

March
9. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
10. The Talbot Odyssey, by Nelson DeMille

April
11. Outlander, by Diana Galbadon
12. While You Were Mine, by Ann Howard Creel (E)
13. Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice continued, by Anna Elliott (E)

May
14. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming (A)
15. The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman (A) (L)
16. Ghost Gifts, by Laura Spinella (E)
17. Tricky Twenty-Two, by Janet Evanovich (E) (L)
18. Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved, by Russell Martin
19. Happy! by Pharrell Williams

June
20. Murder at Longbourn, by Tracy Kiely
21. The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill (A)
22. Runemarks, by Joanne Harris
23. The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
24. I've Got You Under My Skin, by Mary Higgins Clark

July
25. Murder on the Links, by Agatha Christie
26. Pasta Imperfect, by Maddy Hunter
27. Saturday, by Ian McEwan (A)
28. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

August
29. Capricorn One, by Ron Goulart
30. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss (E)

September
31. Ballet of the Elephants, by Leda Schubert
32. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
33. The Bridge to Nowhere, by Megan McDonald
34. Going Solo, by Roald Dahl
35. A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

October
36. Audrey Rose, by Frank De Felitta
37. The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer (A) (R)
38. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle, by Washington Irving

November
39. I Will Never NOT EVER Eat a Tomato, by Lauren Child
40. Girl On A Wire, by Gwenda Bond (E)

December
41. Agent to the Stars, by John Scalzi (A)

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

Read Kindle version on an old recommendation of a Wil Wheaton tweet and more recent recommendation by Niece No. 1. Like them, I found this book very enjoyable, and I am glad there is still a lot of story to tell. It seems like every book is part of a series these days, and I have been reluctant to start another, but this is one story that deserves to be told slowly and completely.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I was skeptical about this newest Harry Potter story, and after an all-at-once reading session, I can say that it wasn't horrible—it was OK. Even though Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron are unrecognizable as adults, the magic is still with the children. I enjoyed the time-turner story, and the cameos by old friends. The best part of it for me were the astonishing stage directions and set descriptions—how will they pull this off? When can I see it?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming

Bought the audio version through audible.com because David Tennant reads it brilliantly. What a fun little book! I don't recall ever reading it, or seeing the movie, though I'm told by my older siblings that I did. It was a great adventure—sort of like a James Bond Jr. There were also lots of little things that reminded me of Lemony Snicket books in a good way.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell

Borrowed Kindle version from my local library.

First of all, I love the cover images on Sarah Vowell's books. Never change.

Second of all, the inside of the book was just as stimulating. My knowledge of the American Revolution, and of Lafayette's role in it, was a bit hazy, not having revisited it since my childhood. I recognized many of the names because they surround me every day: I live in a town named for Nathanael Greene even though he never stepped foot in it. I live adjacent to counties named for Lafayette and Greene and Washington and Jefferson. Towns named for Steuben are nearby.

I don't think I ever knew (or thought I needed to know) what happened to Lafayette after the war or that he had a triumphant return in 1824, where two-thirds of the population of NYC turned out for him. I didn't realize how closely the Revolution followed on the heels of the French & Indian War, why the French were so anxious to fight the British again, and what the result of that fight would be on the French monarchy (sorry Louis & Marie!).

Finally, I love Sarah Vowell's snark and her drawings. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Books Read in 2015

Another year in the books (hahaha)! I managed to finish 60* this year—2 fewer than 2014, but, as in 2014, several of them were Very Easy Reading, so that 60 deserves an asterisk.

I was lucky enough to meet a couple of great authors this year—Rainbow Rowell and Lois Lowry;  read a great author for the first time this year—Kurt Vonnegut; and "discover" some new-to-me authors I look forward to reading again—Sarah Vowell, Andy Weir, and Paula Hawkins.

These are the books I finished in 2015. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPod Touch; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? "Grave Surprise," "An Ice Cold Grave," and "Grave Secret," by Charlaine Harris; The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein; The Martian, by Andy Weir; and Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell.

January
1. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, by Matthew Quick (A)
2. One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson (E) (L)
3. Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (A)
4. The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer
5. Top Secret Twenty-One, by Janet Evanovich (E) (L)
6. The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams (R)
7. How to Care for Your Monster, by Norman Bridwell (R)  

February
8. Looking for Alaska, by John Green (E) (L)
9. Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins (E) (L)
10. Journey Into Narnia, by Kathryn Lindskoog
11. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling (E) (L)
12. Dark Summer, by Iris Johansen  

March
13. Misery, by Stephen King
14. Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman
15. Not That Kind of Girl, by Lena Dunham (E) (L)
16. Grave Surprise, by Charlaine Harris
17. The Kalahari Typing School for Men, by Alexander McCall Smith
18. Orange Is The New Black, by Piper Kerman
19. Pete's A Pizza, by William Steig  

April
20. The Great Train Robbery, by Michael Crichton
21. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce (E)
22. We Were Tired Of Living In A House, by Liesel Moak Skorpen (R)
23. Celestial Land and Sea, by Amy McLean (E)
24. An Ice Cold Grave, by Charlaine Harris  

May
25. The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (A) (L)
26. Third Girl, by Agatha Christie
27. Argo, by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio (A) (L)
28. Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn
29. Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, by Christopher Moore
30. The Beginner's Goodbye, by Anne Tyler (A) (L)
31. Every Seventh Wave, by Daniel Glattauer  

June
32. Persuasion, by Jane Austen
33. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney
34. Grave Secret, by Charlaine Harris (E)
35. Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel, by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
36. The Silver Linings Playbook, by Matthew Quick  

July
37. Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks (A)
38. Charleston, by John Jakes
39. Thumbelina, by Hans Christian Andersen
40. The Moon Lake, by Ivan Gantschev
41. The Happy Prince and Other Stories, by Oscar Wilde
42. A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson (A)
43. The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, by Mary Street
44. Happiness Is A Warm Puppy, by Charles M. Schulz  

August
45. The Outsider, by Jimmy Connors (A) (L)
46. Trigger Warning, by Neil Gaiman (E) (L)
47. Slow Decay, by Andy Lane
48. Emma: A Modern Retelling, by Alexander McCall Smith (E) (L)
49. The Martian, by Andy Weir  

September
50. Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis (R)
51. I Am The Messenger, by Markus Zusak
52. Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell (E) (L)  

October
53. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell (E) (L)
54. Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell (A) (L)
55. Wave, by Sonali Deraniyagala  

November
56. The Girl On The Train, by Paula Hawkins (E) (L)
57. Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut  

December
58. Prosecco & Paparazzi, by Celia Kennedy (E)
59. Tremors In The Cloister: A Memoir, by Allan Spiegler
60. Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own, by Doreen Orion

Prosecco & Paparazzi, by Celia Kennedy

Received from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in October 2015.

It has been a long time since I read a romance, so when I read the description of this book, "a contemporary romantic comedy about what happens when the paths of a celebrity god and a mere mortal collide," I was interested. Who doesn't wonder about what would happen if they met their ultimate celebrity crush?

It started off well. A cute meet. A dream of a night. But then it took a really weird turn that it never quite recovered from. There were too many inconsistencies in character and plot that kept distracting me from the story. I  enjoyed the glamorous settings—the French Alps, New York, London, Ireland, the French Riviera, Rome, Barbados—and the glamorous people, but I was looking for that one real thing that would make me care about these characters and I just didn't find it. I was interested in Charlotte's romance, but she was cheated by having to share her story with too many characters who were too obviously being set up for their own stories, as this is Book One in The Passport Series.

All in all, Prosecco & Paparazzi could have benefited greatly from a couple more rounds of editing. There were too many insignificant details, too much uncontrollable laughter, too much prosecco, and not enough paparazzi.

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

Borrowed Kindle version from my local library. Finished reading this morning because I'm going to see/hear Rainbow Rowell tonight.

"Fangirl" is a coming-of-age story about a painfully shy and awkward fanfic internet star. The book is full of dualities like that—first, with the main character, Cath, being an identical twin, then with her being reclusive but famous, weak but strong, intellectually smart but socially dumb, having an old boyfriend and new boyfriend, making good and bad decisions, and finally, with hearing both Cath's story and Simon's story.

I can remember working through some of those dualities in myself at that age, so I could definitely relate to Cath as a character. If I had read this book 30 years ago, I think it would be one of my favorites.

Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell

Borrowed Kindle version from my library because I'm going to see Rainbow Rowell when she comes to town and I thought I probably should read more than one of her books (Eleanor & Park) before I did/do.

I liked this "adult" book. I especially liked the time it was set in—the months before Y2K when half the world was convinced that the world would be ending on January 1, 2000. Oh, those children. I liked the characters, the situations, the humor, and the writing. I will definitely be reading more Rainbow Rowell in the future.

Emma: A Modern Retelling, by Alexander McCall Smith

Borrowed Kindle version from my local library.

Alexander McCall Smith's style is well suited to this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. I find his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books soothing, even when there are dangerous situations, and I felt the same level of comfort with "Emma." A tweak here, a tweak there, but never straying too far from the core of the original.

Trigger Warning, by Neil Gaiman

Borrowed Kindle version from my local library.

These are great stories: I love Neil Gaiman's voice, even when he's not reading to me (although I will be adding his audio version to my wishlist). From his lengthy introduction to his explanations of each story's origins to the stories themselves, this is Neil Gaiman in top form. Even though the stories were written over a long period of time and for many different reasons, they fit together nicely. And, as a bonus, I get to mark off the top right corner of my BINGO card. Thanks, Neil Gaiman.

The Outsider, by Jimmy Connors

Borrowed audio version from my local library. Read by Rich Orlow.

I love tennis. Watching it, not playing it. I grew up with the Connors-McEnroe rivalry in the early 1980s, or so I thought. Turns out that McEnroe was on his way up while Connors was at the top of his game and it was more a Connors-Borg rivalry in the 1970s. I loved hearing about the "early" days of competitive tennis and Jimmy Connors' role in bring tennis to the masses by exploding out of the stuffy confines of the country club sets. He loved being the bad boy of tennis and he admits to all his "assholery" (his word) with few regrets.

For the most part, Rich Orlow did a really great job reading this memoir. I have only two complaints: 1) he almost always pronounces "Wimbledon" as "Wimbleton," and 2) he pronounces "Vitas Gerulaitis" as "Vitas Jerulaitis." (Either he is wrong on that, or all the sportscasters and newscasters from his era are.) Other than that, his energy, tone, and inflections were spot on.

Catch #250!

This catch is exciting for two reasons: 1) It's a milestone—number 250! *confetti* *cheering* *fireworks* and 2) It's my first catch from the Little Free Library that I have been filling for the past year. Thank you, melissaharris, for using the LFL and journalling this book. I hope it's the first of many. Enjoy!

Catch #249!

Another Panera Bread catch, four months and four days after its release. An AnonymousFinder says: "I found this book while eating at Paneras with my roommates! As a poor college student, finding free books to read is a miracle. I had heard of the book, but the cover made me think it was some sweeping romantic book a'la Nicholas Sparks, which I do not enjoy reading. But I gave it a shot and it was nothing like I thought it would be! I was absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend. Since I will not be returning to that Panera for some time, I will find some other place to release it soon :)"