M’s Comments (group member since Mar 09, 2013)

M’s comments from the Book Buzz group.

Trying to organize early this year. January was a good month. This is out of character.

A is for Aunties: dark humour, community, BIPOC romance
Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar: referencing work of art, politics
Pope of Palm Beach: dark humour
Three Holidays and a Wedding: religious household, BIPOC romance, community
Expectant Detectives: published in 2024, dark humour, thriller
Yellowface: dark humour, recommended by a younger person

So far it looks like dark humour is my easy category.

When I really don't have a book chosen in advance I use this technique:

1. Gather the potential books with a plan to read the first page of each and make an informed choice.
2. Pick up a book at random and read the first page. Read the second page. Keep going.

It seems like such a great plan but I never get beyond the first book.

I wish I'd read Murder on the Orient Express before I knew the ending. It's still a fantastic book and a great read.

Maybe Dance Dance Dance by Murakami. I would enjoy reading it again but I'm not sure it would be as magical the second time.

And now for my advanced picks:
13. Alliterative title: My Murder by Katie Williams
14. Optimistic future: Charlotte Illes is not a Detective by Katie Siegel
15. Play or Screenplay: Doubt: a Parable by John Patrick Shanley
16. Atlantic Canada: Viola Desmond won't be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner & Richard Rudnicki
17. Multiple Timelines: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
18. Unfamiliar Historical event: Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
19. Month in the Title: March v 1 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
20. Recommend to younger self: Lone Women by Victor Lavalle
21. Non-fiction Graphic Novel: The Life-changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
22. Read more than once: Dinosaur Philosophy by James Stewart
23. Food item/title: Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau
24. Investigative NF: Burn it Down by Maureen Ryan
25. Written before 1923: Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan
26. Published in 2023: All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby

Phew. I usually read a lot of NF but hardly anything this year.

Ok. I am done and I think this year, I haven't used too many creative interpretations of categories.

My Regular Challenge titles:
1. Friendship: Gouda Friends by Cathy Yardley
2. Child's Point of View: Pet by Catherine Chidgey
3. Black Joy: Murder is a Piece of Cake by Valerie Burns
4. About Sports: Small Game by Blair Braverman
5. Indigenous author under 30: All the Way: My life on Ice by Jordin Tootoo
6. A land you'd like to explore: Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor (rural Australia)
7. 2SLGBTQ+ author who is also part of another marginalized group: Survivor's Guilt by Robyn Gigl
8. A person over 65: The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharpe by Leonie Swann
9. About Survival: The Heat will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell
10. A banned or challenged book: Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura
11. Non-apparent disability: Third Person by Emma Grove
12. Makes you happy: Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

I'll add my advanced challenge later. Would love to hear what your choices are!

In 2023, I read less than I expected. I blame podcasts.

What I enjoyed most this was crime fiction--there were so many great books.

I really loved:
All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby
Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
The Detective Up Late by Adrian McKinty
Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor
Wake by Shelley Burr
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister: time slip mystery

So much good fiction coming out of Australia and New Zealand...

I'm on track to finish--fingers crossed.

The multiple timelines category was the easiest for me this year. I read a lot of thrillers that move back and forth, so I probably had a few that fit. I'm using The Villa for the category.

The most challenging one has been: A book written before 1923. My reading tends to be more recent.

I finished the book last night. I enjoyed it a lot.

Though I hate to be the person who complains about what a book *is not*, I'm going to anyway.

Because I know Trevor Noah as a comedian/talk show host I expected that there would be more about that journey. How did he go from a kid selling pirated CDs in South Africa to a world famous entertainer living in New York.

He mentions his work a couple of times in passing--"by then I was hosting TV shows and doing stand up in London"--for example. I felt like there was a big chunk of his story missing.

Marie wrote: "M wrote: "Question 1:

I think it represents the chaos uncertainty and fear which underlines his birth, childhood and existence... And the absurdity of it all.

I agree. I think it also shows how far his mother was willing to go to protect herself and her sons.

Maybe a demonstration that risks are sometimes necessary in order to survive in such a chaotic environment?

M wrote: "Question 2:

Do you agree with Noah’s assessment of the importance of language?

What do his claims suggest about the power of language and the values placed on certain languages over others?"

When Trevor learned in childhood that his knowledge of languages was an entry point to diverse groups, he became a chameleon, utilizing the language of his peers to fit in wherever he needed to.

I was thinking, although it wasn't his mother's intention, this was pretty good practice for his career as an entertainer. His ability to fit in must have been helpful as he tried to establish himself in the United States.

Question 2:

Do you agree with Noah’s assessment of the importance of language?

What do his claims suggest about the power of language and the values placed on certain languages over others?

I'm not far into the book yet but my initial impressions are positive. I love the way he discusses history and then shows the direct impact on his life and the lives of his family.

Question 1:

Noah begins the book about being thrown from a moving car. Why do you think he chose to begin his narrative with this anecdote?

If you're participating in this year's reading challenge, this book could be used for the categories:

A book about a real person
A book that made you laugh (if it did make you laugh, that is!)
A book written by someone who is more famous for something else
A book about history--a personal look at life in apartheid South Africa

I like Trevor Noah on The Daily Show but I'm the last person on earth to read his book.

Have you read it? When?

Did you like it?

Hi, all
It's been a long time since I've done this but my friend suggested a group of us read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and I thought I'd see if any of you want to join the conversation.

This is just a very casual friendly chat about a book. Hope you'll join in.

I switched categories and moved things around a lot as we got to the end of the year.

This year I've already read several books for the current events category. Not sure which of them will be my "official" entry.

I think I've settled on Three Pines from Louise Penny's books for my book I'd like to live in. It has a lot of murders but it seems like an otherwise lovely village. I've listened to two audiobooks in the series so far this year.

(The category is meant, I'm sure, to be more meaningful than just a setting but I'm happy with my choice.)

Lime wrote: "Lime wrote: "Now on to my classic book, rereading pride and prejudice. Also reading Metamorphosis by Kafka and listening to The Eyre Affair as a book that (might) make me laugh. I've heard the latt..."

I liked the Tuesday Next books. They were adorable but they never made me "laugh out loud".

I loved The Book of M. As a person with a family history of dementia that book would definitely qualify as something that scares me.

But, I read it in 2019, so....

I read it last year so I can't count it for 2020 but I really liked the psychological thriller A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson. It's a Swedish book about parents who are shattered when their teenage daughter is accused of murder.