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I saw that eurydice72 is doing ljbookbingo in 2019, so I went to take a look and signed up for it this year. Now that I have joined the book club, I am a cert for 12 books (and hopefully I can fit them into a square!) but in any case I have a library membership now, so if not I can just pick a random book where needed. I have set a target at Goodreads of 50 books a year already. l have decided to link to the reviews of individual books that end up fulfilling squares here, so at the end of the year I will have a complete record, and then link back to this master post so I can keep track of when I get bingos.
This post will be unlocked, and I will state if I enjoyed or otherwise each book, but my review posts will be in my normal journal, so Friends Only. I will create a separate post for each book as I read them, and I will update this post with links to each book.
Let the games begin!
The List
Fantasy Sci Fi Paranormal- The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley This book is a prequel to The Blue Sword, and I love both stories. Possibly the Blue Sword more, but I always enjoy re reading this one too. The story of Aerin, awkward and "strange"daughter of the King's second, Witch from the North, wife, it's a classic quest/hero's journey tale but it also incorporates some unusual elements very effectively. I wasn't keen on the love triangle in this one - hence the preference for The Blue Sword - but it is a good book to read.
Mystery Crime/Thriller True Crime - Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith This book was a crime procedural by JK Rowling using her alter ego of Robert Galbraith about a Private Detective called Cormoran Strike. I liked it enough to read all the other books in the series...
Audiobook or Ebook - Touched, by AJ Aalto This book was about vampires and their "day sitters" - I enjoyed it, but didn't love it enough to get the rest of the books in the series.
Nurmber or Colour in the Title - 206 Bones, by Kathy Reichs This book was about Temperance Brennan... but it was a very different Brennan to the one portrayed in Bones the TV series, and I didn't like this one. I didn't enjoy this book very much. Sometimes the book is better than the film/tv series - and sometimes not.
Diverse Reads - Sofia Khan is not Obliged - by Aiysha Malik Another Book Club book, which was in diary format, very similar to Bridget Jones, except that the main character was Muslim, and the tale was of muslim dating. It was good to read the perspective of a muslim character who was "normal" and not an extemist or terrorist. Just the day to day trials of life with prayers, a hijab and the Koran added to the mix.
Children's or Young Adult - Dr Who: The Good Doctor, by Juno Dawson This book was a about the repercussions of the Doctor's interaction with an alien population - only found out on a return visit many years later with her companions, and how it was resolved.
Biography Autobiography Non fiction - The Astronaut Wives Club, by I was asked to read this book by the Book Club I belong to. It was about the wives of the astronauts who were part of the Moon landing and other Apollo missions. There was a good story there, but this wasn't it. Confusing, referring to the wives by their first names and yet skimming the interesting parts. Not a favourite.
Historical (fiction or non fiction)Sharpe's Rifles, by Bernard Cornwall The story of how Richard Sharpe led a recalcitrant band of soldiers through Spain. Loved it. And could hear Sean Bean in every line of dialogue...
Set in your State/Country or written by a local author - The Hanging Tree, by Ben Aaronovitch A Police procedural with a difference - for a start, the "hero" Peter Grant is working for the Magic Branch... the police stuff was totally believable though, and as it is set in London, I recognised and knew all the places the action took place. Loved this one - I've now read all of the books in the series (the Author started his career writing for Dr Who!), but to get the most out of it, you should read them in order, starting with the Rivers of London.
Title Starts with the first letter of your name (I'm going to go with Hobbituk) - Heads you win, by Jeffrey Archer Another Book club book...This is the first Jeffrey Archer book I have read. His writing style is easy to read, and it was quite well paced. I hadn’t expected the twist at the end – and yes, it was quite apt. However, I felt like the author had lost interest in writing it by the back end of the book and just wanted to get it done - which meant I felt the same.
Female Author - The Widow, by Fiona Barton Another one for the Book Club. This is very relevant to today, about paedophiles and child abduction, but I didn't enjoy it.
One word Title - Kim, by Rudyard KIpling Another Book Club title, this one a classic. It was quite possibly the forerunner of all the spy novels we have today, and while reading it I became aware just how short my attention span has become! I struggled to get into it a bit, but the descriptions of the India Kipling loved was worth it.
Free SpaceHead over heels, by Jill Mansell
Movie tie in/ Made into a movie - The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien With my user name, it's pretty natural that I re read this periodically. The story of the original Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins and his trip there and back again. Reading it again I am struck all over again at the liberties taken by the film makers in adding all those extra female characters... and Legolas! Much as I love him, HE WASN'T THERE!
Title at least 6 words long - The Proof is in the Pudding, by Joanna Sheen and Julia Wherrell This was a murder/mystery lightweight romance story by a lady who most in the craft world know as a crafter and her friend. It reminded me very much of early Mills and Boon stories - definitely no raunchy stuff! A nice lightweight read - just what I used to pick to read on the train, back in my commuting days!
Published this year - The President is Missing, by Bill Clinton and James Patterson Well, if anyone knows how the White House operates, it's Bill Clinton! And he has very sensibly opted to co write this with an experienced Author in James Patterson. I don't understand American politics, and have no affiliations to either side, so I probably enjoyed it more than someone who loathes the Clintons...
Horror Category change - RomanceThe Print Petticoat, by Lucilla Andrews This was a book on my shelf - I've had it for years. It's a long time since I read it last and what struck me was how old fashioned it is now. Basically, the story of a nurse in long term relationship with doctor, nurse is dumped by doctor, nurse meets another doctor who has loved her from afar but doesn't really see him as more than a friend, nurse gets TB, nurse comes to appreciate and love doctor who loves her and stands by her... I do like Lucilla Andrews' nurse stories though.
Chosen based on the cover - What would Mary Berry do? by Claire Sandy I picked this book from the local library and had no idea what to expect, but it was lovely! A tale of two marriages, teenage children and first love, wise beyond their years twin girls, and discovering the joys of baking... what's not to love? I've even noted the author's name so I can read more of her books if there are any.
A banned BookLady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence So yes, I can see why it was banned. Have to say though, I'd rather watch Sean Bean in the film...
A New to you AuthorLast Kashmiri Rose, by Barbara Cleverley One of the ladies from my Colouring Group recommended this one to me. It's a murder/mystery set in the days of the British Raj, just before Mahatma Gandhi stirred it all up, when the stiff upper lipped Brits and their Memsahibs were strutting around India. This was the first story of the author's main character Joe Sandilands (Scottish, ex army, and now police officer seconded to the force in Bombay for a time). I really enjoyed it - so much so I have sought out the next few books in the sequence too. 4 down, 8 or so to go...
Comic or graphic novel Category change - 100k+ word fanficCharms of the Clarion, by eurydice72 This was one of my first ever forays into the world of fanfic - and I couldn't have chosen a better one. I regularly re read this and in fact have it saved to a hard drive on my pc AND a usb so that if the internet explodes I can still read it. I'm pondering printing it out.... The story is about a mission to Scotland and is an ensemble piece. But there is no character bashing (even Riley is treated fairly) and it has a happy ending. Love the characterisation in this one and this Spike and Buffy is one of my favourite incarnations of the characters.
A book that is part of a series (4+ books) - Moon over Soho, by Ben Aaronovitch Ah, the Rivers of London books. I love these! A friend gave me the very first one (Rivers of London) some time ago, and it was in my TBR pile for ages. Then, for some reason (probably a cold rainy afternoon when I had nothing else to do) I picked it up and was smitten. This is the 2nd in the series and continues with the story begun in the first book. I wholeheartedly recommend them.
TV tie in / Turned into a tv story - A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness This book is the first and the beginning of a series of (very long) books. I actually struggled to watch the tv series having read the book first - I found the lead actor a bit jarring at first. It's the story of a Vampire and a very special Witch, and includes time travel as well as the normal magical battles... Loved it.
Fairy Tale or Fairy Tale retelling Wildcard - The Rome Affair, by Karen Swan The story of 2 women, both with secrets, divided by time but brought together by fate. Ultimately, both secrets are revealed, with many turns along the way. I enjoyed this one - and didn't see the twist at the end until the ultimate reveal.
Cookbook or Food memoir - SW Sp Sensations
This is the first recipe I tried from this book - Lamb with Aubergine (Eggplant) and Chickpeas. It was yummy!
I am beyond frustrated... Hypable have started a new Battle Ships, and Buffy/Spike should be coming up next. Except they aren't!! I swear if I miss voting for my wooby I will be extremely cross.
About a month ago, hollydb submitted a short story to All Romance Ebooks for their "Just One Bite" contest. The grand prize is $1000, and second place is an iPOD touch. Holly was selected as one of the 32 finalists. There are rounds of voting in pairs, and the author with the greatest number of votes goes forward to the next round. Now, certainly the Buffy fandom knows what an incredible writer Holly is, but the wider world may not be so enlightened. She's in the second round, but is behind in the vote at the moment. :(
So please, go vote for "Falling" by Rosalie Stanton at this link: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/contest.html and help a terrific writer move towards winning the prize. Holly has entertained us all for years with wonderful fic, and she really, really wants to win this.
Just made a total prat of myself in the garage while trying to fill hobbitmum's tyres with air...
It wasn't my usual garage, where the machine starts up when you put your money in. This one was free, but I couldn't get it to work. I had reduced the air in one tyre down to 10 before I gave in and asked a man to help with the machine. He pushed the button that switched it on...
*blushes furiously* I am going to be THAT woman, now, aren't I?
For the last three days, I have come home in the evening to anything between 13 and 25 dead houseflies in my kitchen. There are no houseflies around anywhere now - so where are they coming from??? I've scrubbed everywhere with bleach and have looked everywhere but have no clue where they are coming from. I know it is a sign of how I am mentally at the moment butI feel persecuted. *pouts*
I don't know if it was THE mouse, but yesterday morning there was another encounter...
I keep some bird food (seed, peanuts etc) in a plastic dustbin in my utility room. I don't feed as much in the summer, but I do like to supplement with a few peanuts etc in one feeder. Anyhow, yesterday morning I went to the bin to get some peanuts and noticed some flakes of grey plastic on top of the bag. How odd, thought I, and inspected the bin lid in more detail. There was a small hole. Not right the way through, but there. Deeply suspicious about the fact the hole was in the inside and not the outside of the lid, I dragged said bin out into the garden and began to remove the bags etc inside. And there, right in the bottom was a small mouse. It looked the same...
Now I am a reasonably tolerant woman, but I did NOT want this mouse in my utility room. So I tipped the dustbin up and ushered the mouse out in the direction of the flower bed. Did it exit stage left into the greenery never to be seen again? Hell no. It turned right, and ran straight into my small natural pond. So now I was faced with a potentially drowning mouse! Of course, I couldn't watch that so rushed over to the pond with garden trowel in hand thinking I'd have to get the damn thing out of the water. But, in a kinda cute way, he was sitting on a lily pad. We stared at one another for a brief minute and then he sort of ran across the pond weed, up and out and into the plants on the other side of the pond.
I really, really hope that is the last I see of him/her!!
Your result for The Which Star Trek Species Would You Be? Test...
Vulcan
The logical and loyal. Congrats, my favourite species!
Congrats, you're a Vulcan! You tend to be the more logical person. Whenever a difficult task comes up, you are the one with the answer. You analyse everything, and make sure you have the right answer before saying anything. You tend to be a more peaceful person, preferring not to act in violence. You are extremely loyal to your friends. However, many people tend to see you as emotionless. This is not true. You tend to hide your emotions from others, rather than let them show through. You are very good at giving advice and saving the humans when they make reckless mistakes.
Well-known Vulcans include: The icon of Trek, Spock; Sarek, fathe of Spock; Tuvok of Voyager; and T'Pol of Enterprise.
I checked the joule thing today for the first time in months. I'd forgotten I had the link to be honest, but it gave me quite a turn to see I'd been unfriended by allthatjazmyne. I guess it has to do with making her journal a memorial, but it did make me feel a bit weird. Also, I heard about two impending funerals, as well. My remaining uncle died last weekend, as did an ex work colleague. I feel a bit depressed...
It's probably because I am not sleeping well. I went to bed early last night and ended up semi awake from 3.30 am to 5.30 am. Then of course I went fully asleep and was totally groggy at 7am when the alarm went off. Hobbitmum reckons it's hormones. I reckon it's a bloody nuisance!
First things first - many good wishes to cal_turner for a very happy birthday.
And now... Some of you may know that I have experienced problems with cats using my front garden as their own, large litter tray. You may also know that I have recently replaced the small lawn with a patio circle. This has meant that there is more actual garden than there used to be -nice fresh, newly dug, earth.
So last night I was still hot and had all the windows open, and was lying there wide awake in the dark at half past midnight,when I heard the unmistakeable sound of a bell on a cat's collar. Enraged, convinced I could hear the perpetrator of all the poo in my garden I leapt out of bed and peered out of the window. And yes, there was a cat. But it wasn't pooing in my garden, it was playing with a mouse in the middle of the road. Every time the mouse ran, the cat pounced and blocked its way.
I watched for a few minutes and then couldn't stand it anymore, so I put my dressing gown on and went downstairs and into the street. I shooed the cat away, and allowed the mouse to (eventually - stupid mouse!!) vanish into the long grass between the garages. The cat came back a few minutes later and looked most put out to find the mouse had gone. In fact, I was half expecting to find poo in the flower bed as a punishment this morning! And as I made my way back into the house, conscious that I was actually standing in public in an indecently short nightie, covered only by a thin dressing gown, I noticed I was being watched by a fox - sitting casually on the pavement outside my house with head tilted in puzzlement. Not my foxy lady though - this was a boy, by the size of him.
Fortuitously, there was no actual humans around. I hope...
Now if only we had an Octopus to let us know the outcome of all the budget cuts and economy doom and gloom... I think I'd feel better if I knew all the pain was actually going to work!
If you want to play then leave a comment and I'll give you 10 actors and 10 actresses (or 5 and 5, if you prefer) and in your own journal, post the movies you enjoy most with those actors. No pressure, do it if you want to and don't if you don't.
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