You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Year Long Main 2021
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About TrudyAn - 2017
✔ 1. Trudy, Trudy Ann, TruRead a book that contains one of your names in some way – author, title, character.
Book: The Gargoyle, complete 17/05/8, 3- 3/26
✔ 2. Curling
Read a book that is either about your favourite sport or one of the characters plays that sport. You could also chose a book where the cover shows that sport.
Book: The Roaring Game: The Sweeping Saga of Curling complete 17/02/01 1- 8/12
✔ 3. Brown
Read a book where the colour of your eyes is the main colour of the cover, or the word is in the title.
Book: The Reserve, complete 17/09/29, 3 - 24/26
✔4. Broken bone
Read a book with the word “Bone” in the title.
Book: Cloud of Bone complete 17/02/16, 1-12/12
✔ 5. Schindler's List
Read the book that inspired the movie. Or, read a book that is written by the same author. Or, read a book that has the same title.
Book: A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia, complete 17/06/01, 3 - 8/26
✔ 6. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (Anthony Marra)
Read it again. Or, read a book that has the same title. Or read a book by the same author.
The Tsar of Love and Techno, complete 17/03/23, 2-9/12
✔ 7. 3
Select a series and read the book that corresponds to that number. Or, read a book with the number in the title.
Book: Three Men in a Boat, complete 17/03/11, part 2-5/12
✔ 8. Christmas
Read a book that is about that holiday, set during that holiday, or has the name in the title.
Book: Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe, complete 17/11/18, 3 - 26/26
✔ 9. Married
Read a book with that word in the title, or where the main character or author shares that status.
Book: The Couple Next Door complete 17/01/05 1-2/12
✔ 10. Right
Read a book with that word in the title.
Book: Right Livelihoods: Three Novellas, complete 17/06/24, 3 - 14/26
✔ 11. January
Read a book with the selected month in the title, or set during that month.
Book: January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her complete 17/02/11 1- 11/12
✔ 12. Dog
Read a book featuring that type of pet. Or, read a book with that pet in the title.
Book: A Dog's Ransom, complete 17/02/24, 2 - 2/12
✔ 13. Italian
Read a book set in the country or region of choice.
Book: My Brilliant Friend, complete 17/05/12, 3 - 1/26
✔ 14. Glasses
Read a book with that word in the title. Or, is on the cover. Or…. Get creative. What kind of book will represent that item?
Book: Observatory Mansions, complete 17/06/14, 3 - 11/26
✔ 15. 7
Select that number of books on your TBR, put them into the Fruit Machine (or another randomizer), and read the one that is selected.
Book: The Stump Farm, complete 17/08/19, 3 - 20/26
✔ 16. Mint chocolate chip
Read a book that either represents that flavour by the colour of the cover, or in the title. You may also chose a book that represents that flavour in some way.
Book: Lullabies for Little Criminals, complete 17/05/15, 3- 2/26
✔ 17. Canada
Read a book set in that country, or written by an author that was also born in that country.
Book: The Conjoined: A Novel complete 17/01/19 1-4/12
✔ 18. Spring
Read a book with either the season in the title, or set in that season.
Book: All That Is Solid Melts into Air, complete 17/05/24, 3- 5/26
✔ 19. A lone sparrow sitting on barbed wire on a foggy gray day
Interpret that desk top picture any way you like. Read a book that represents that interpretation.
Book: H is for Hawk, complete 17/03/31, 2 - 10/12
✔ 20. Car
Read a book with your selection on the cover, or in the title, or it plays a significant role in the book.
Book: The High Mountains of Portugal complete 17/01/17 1-3/12
✔ 21. Zero
Go to your TBR and order the shelf by number. Read the book that corresponds to your answer. If you picked “none” or “zero” as your answer, your number will be 100.
Book: On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon, complete 17/09/01, 3 - 21/26
✔ 22. Accident
Read a book set in a hospital, or with the word “accident” in title.
Book: The Ballroom, complete 17/09/25, 3 - 23/26
✔ 23. Shower
Read a book with your selected word in the title, or depicted on the cover.
Book: Journey, complete 17/08/01, 3 - 18/26
✔ 24. Northern Europe
Read a book set in that location. (Finland)
Book: The Year of the Hare, complete 17/06/15, 3 - 12/26
✔ 25. Historical fiction
Read a book in that genre.
Book: Cabbagetown, completed 17/07/19, 3 - 17/26
✔ 26. Car
Read a book with your selection on the cover or in the title.
Book: The Fifth Witness, complete 17/03/18, 2-7/12
✔ 27. No tattoo
Read a book with a tattoo on the cover, or represents a tattoo that you would want if you were to get one.
Book: Do Not Say We Have Nothing, complete 17/04/10, 2 - 12/12,
✔ 28. Contemporary
Read a book published in 2000 – 2017.
Book: Olive Kitteridge complete 17/02/06 1-10/12
✔ 29. Lilac
Read a book with that selection on the cover or in the title. Or, read a book that you feel represents that flower in some way.
Book: Mrs. Bridge, complete 17/06/05, 3 - 10/26
✔ 30. England, Scotland, France, Romania, Netherlands
Read a book set in that location.
Book: Paris to the Moon complete 17/01/09 1-1/12
✔ 31. Elon Musk
Read a biography, autobiography, memoir, or historical fiction about that person.
Book: Elon Musk: Inventing the Future complete 17/01/24 1-6/12
✔ 32. Reliability
Read a book with that feature on the cover or in the title.
Book: A Reliable Wife complete 17/01/27 1-7/12
✔ 33. Alien
Read a story with aliens in it.
Book: Hand Me Down World, complete 17/09/22, 3 - 22/26
✔ 34. Fox
Read a book with that creature on the cover, in the title, or in the story.
Book: Molly Fox's Birthday, complete 17/03/13, 2- 6/12
✔ 35. Exploring the backroads anywhere, by car, with no time constraint and only a very loose destination.
Read a book in that setting or that represents your choice.
Book: Notes from a Small Island complete 17/02/02 1- 9/12
✔ 36. Taste
Read a book with that word in the title, or read a book where a character is afflicted by that same loss.
Book: The Taste of Ashes, complete 17/06/27, 3 - 15/26
✔ 37. John Vaillant
Read either a book by that author, or a book recommended by that author.
Book: Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free, complete 17/10/02, 3 - 25/26
✔ 38. Coffee
Read a book with the word in the title, or set in a country where that beverage is a huge export.
Book: First We Have Coffee, completed 17/02/20, 2 - 1/12
✔ 39. Garnet
Read a book with that gemstone on the cover, in the title, or the colour of that gemstone is the colour of the cover.
Book: The Corpse with the Garnet Face, complete 17/08/18, 3 - 19/26
✔ 40. Strawberries
Read a book with that fruit on the cover, in the title, or the colour of that fruit is the colour of the cover.
Book: Astrid and Veronika, complete 17/02/28, 2 - 3/12
✔ 41. World poverty elimination
Read a book where this issue is prominent or is represented in some way. It may be fiction or non-fiction.
Book: An Untamed State, complete 17/06/22, 3 - 13/26
✔ 42. Under sea
Read a book in that setting.
Book: Shadow Divers, complete 17/04/04, 2 - 11/12
✔ 43. 1960s
Read a book either set in that time period, or published in that time period. Or, read a book about time travel where the character’s time travelled to that period.
Book: The Bartender's Tale, complete 17/05/30, 3 - 7/26
✔ 44. Bare feet
Read a book where your selection is on the cover or in the title, or get creative and find a book that represents your choice.
Book: Santiago, complete 17/07/01, 3 - 16/26
✔ 45. Black
Read a book with a predominantly (75%) black cover.
Book: The Tiger's Wife, complete 17/05/28, 3 - 6/26 .
✔ 46. Aquarius
Read a book that represents your zodiac sign in some way.
Book: Like Water for Chocolate, complete 17/06/09, 3 - 9/26
✔ 47. 64
Go to your TBR shelf and sort by number. Read the book that matches your answer.
Book: The Scarlet Letter, complete 17/03/19, 2-8/12
✔ 48. My Dad
Read a book that represents that person
Book: We Are Still Married: Stories & Letters
complete 17/01/21 1-5/12
✔ 49. Sewing, playing with my little free library
Read a book that represents that hobby in some way.
Book: The Book of Lost Things, complete 17/03/07, 2-4/12
✔ 50. German
Read a book that was translated from that language to one you do speak. Or, chose a book where a character speaks that language.
Book: The Nightingale, complete 17/05/15, 3-4/26
Reserved - I see has Janice has four reserved spots, so that should be enough!
TrudyAn wrote: "Reserved - I see has Janice has four reserved spots, so that should be enough!"I'm hoping it's enough. Hehehehehe.
You can hop into the psychedelic Volkswagen van with the rest of us wanting to go back to the 1960's.
Janice wrote: "You can hop into the psychedelic Volkswagen van with the rest ..."
Janice, that van pretty well encapsulates everything I love about the 60s! :-)
Janice wrote: "TrudyAn wrote: "Reserved - I see has Janice has four reserved spots, so that should be enough!"I'm hoping it's enough. Hehehehehe.
You can hop into the psychedelic Volkswagen van with the rest ..."
Oh, yes! I love the van! This is going to be a wonderful trip to the sixties! :D
Janice wrote: "We'll go to Woodstock. :)"That was my reason to pick the 60s :D
Save a seat for me!
I would have loved to have seen Janis Joplin perform.
Janis, Jimi, and so many others, but especially Janis.
Yup, Janis for me too. I bought the biography written by her sister a while ago, who knows, maybe I can use it for the time travel question!
Peggy wrote: "Yup, Janis for me too. I bought the biography written by her sister a while ago, who knows, maybe I can use it for the time travel question!"Ooh, sounds like maybe a buddy read opportunity!
Buddy read sounds great! Let's see if we can use it for the challenge and otherwise we can buddy read it anyway :)
Not sure if you guys know this already but I've been invited by Elsbeth so I'm coming along! This is going to be interesting...and lots of fun I'm sure! I'm not a huge fan of the whole woodstock thing but I am looking forward to seeing JJ sing! ;)
The van is going to be crowded - just as it should be!
Peggy wrote: "Buddy read sounds great! Let's see if we can use it for the challenge and otherwise we can buddy read it anyway :)"Good plan! I can't wait to read the details of the challenge.
Peggy wrote: "Yup, Janis for me too. I bought the biography written by her sister a while ago, who knows, maybe I can use it for the time travel question!"I recently watched a documentary on Netflix. It was very interesting. They interviewed her sister and brother.
I wonder if it's available on netflix here too. I'll have a look tonight.
Peggy wrote: "I wonder if it's available on netflix here too. I'll have a look tonight."Let me know if you find it, Peggy! I want to prepare myself for our trip! :D
1/12Paris to the Moon
30. Have you been to Europe? Where?
Romania, England, Scotland, France, Netherlands
This is a memoir of an American journalist's experiences while residing in Paris, France. Rating 3/5
I completely missed before that you've been to the Netherlands! Where exactly?
Peggy wrote: "I completely missed before that you've been to the Netherlands! Where exactly?"Peggy, we spent a few days in Amsterdam, on the way home from Romania. Unfortunately, we didn't travel farther afield. What a beautiful part of the world, very different from where I live. We stayed in a B&B in a wonderfully non-touristy area.
2/12The Couple Next Door
9. What is your relationship status? Read a book with that word in the title, or where the main character or author shares that status.
Married - MCs Marco and Anne are married. This is a mystery, where a six-month-old baby disappears from her crib in the middle of the night, while the parents are visiting neighbours next door. For a married couple, they certainly don't know much about each other! My rating: 3/5
3/12The High Mountains of Portugal
20. What is your preferred mode of transport?
Read a book with your selection on the cover, or in the title, or it plays a significant role in the book.
Car - There is a car on the cover (small image, near top RH corner) plus a car plays a significant part in the first section of the book. This is a strange story told in three interconnected parts. My rating 4/5.
4/12The Conjoined: A Novel
17. What is the country of your birth? Read a book set in that country, or written by an author that was also born in that country.
Canada - This novel is set in Vancouver, BC., written by Canadian author, Jen Sookfong Lee. Jessica, cleaning her mother's house after she dies, discovers the bodies of two girls in the basement freezers. The story focuses on events prior to the girls' disappearance 28 years earlier, and highlights the challenges of child protection and social work. Despite some flaws, I enjoyed the book, and rated it 3/5.
Wow! Your 4th book gave me chills. I read the summary but can't bring myself to add it to my TBR list. It made me think about telling my girls that they won't have to worry about finding something like this after I'm gone. (I already got rid of my chest freezer that used to be in the garage.) They occasionally make snide comments about all of my "stuff" and having to sort through it. They think I should start getting rid of it "before they have to".
Cherie wrote: "Wow! Your 4th book gave me chills. I read the summary but can't bring myself to add it to my TBR list. It made me think about telling my girls that they won't have to worry about finding somethin..."
Cherie, Good thought to let your girls know what not to expect. I'm sure they have been wondering! :-). Even though you no longer have a freezer, there is still the yard, the attic, under the foundation - lots of places they will need to check. It puts the notion of finding skeletons in the closet in an entirely different perspective, doesn't it?
The book, fortunately, (view spoiler)
5/12We Are Still Married: Stories & Letters
48. Who is someone you miss? Read a book that represents that person
My Dad - This book reminds me of my Dad in at least two ways. First, he was a loyal husband and promoted family stability. Second, he and I shared a very warped sense of humour! His humour was not at all like Keillor's, but he could find the humour in pretty well any situation. He was a wonderful father, and after 22 years since he passed away, I miss him more than ever.
3/5 for the book. For me, it was too much Keillor humour all at once, and some of the stories were not entertaining on any level.
I don't think I have ever read a book of short stories where I have ever liked all of them. The problem with Keillor or Bryson or others like them is that some stories just go on too long and others just feel forced. I think it is better to read books of short stories over a long period of time to give yourself a chance to come to closure on one before you start another.
Cherie wrote: "I don't think I have ever read a book of short stories where I have ever liked all of them. The problem with Keillor or Bryson or others like them is that some stories just go on too long and other..."Yes, I think that would be a better approach, as I don't much enjoy short stories to begin with.
TrudyAn wrote: "5/12We Are Still Married: Stories & Letters
48. Who is someone you miss? Read a book that represents that person
My Dad - This book reminds me of my Dad in at least two ways. First,..."
What a lovely tribute to your dad, TrudyAn.
TrudyAn wrote: "5/12We Are Still Married: Stories & Letters
48. Who is someone you miss? Read a book that represents that person
My Dad - This book reminds me of my Dad in at least two ways. First,..."
I love this link to your dad TrudyAn :)
I agree with Cherie. I got the chills reading your rundown of that conjoined book, let alone me reading the synopsis. What a discovery!And i too like the connection you made between your short story book and your father. :-)
6/12Elon Musk: Inventing the Future
31. If you could meet anyone famous, infamous, notorious, who would it be? Read a biography, autobiography, memoir, or historical fiction about that person.
Elon Musk - the genius behind Tesla, SpaceX, and Solar City. This is a biography of Musk's life to 2015. His plan to colonize Mars seems ludicrous, but then, many of his other plans seemed crazy until they didn't (paraphrasing Larry Page). Musk's achievements regarding the fully electric car and space travel give me real hope for humanity. I have to rate this 5/5.
7/12A Reliable Wife
32. What is the feature you are most often complimented on? Read a book with that feature on the cover or in the title.
My response to this question was "reliability". The book's MC described herself as reliable when responding to a businessman's advertisement for a wife. It became immediately clear that she misrepresented herself. This is historical fiction, with some interesting turns in the plot. My rating: 3/5.
8/12The Roaring Game: The Sweeping Saga of Curling
2. What is your favourite sport? Curling (as a spectator)
I answered this question honestly, but should have been more attuned to the difficulty of finding a book that fit before I answered it! There are virtually no novels with curling as a theme, and not many non-fiction books. This book was told from a Canadian perspective, which I appreciated. I didn't realize that 90% of curlers in the world are Canadian. It makes one wonder how it ever became an Olympic sport. The book was well written and very well researched, but I would much rather watch curling than read about it. My rating: 3/5
One of my nostalgic memories of childhood is my dad coming home from curling with the smell of cigar smoke on his siwash. He doesn't smoke, so the aroma was very noticeable. Along with that memory is another of being at the rink and hearing the shouts and the slap of the broom against the ice as I peered through the purple haze of cigar smoke. It seemed that's all the men smoked there. LOL!
What great memories of your dad, Janice. Your 'siwash' comment made me smile - don't hear that word often anymore!
It was all about the siwashes and bristle brooms back then. We all had siwashes knit by my grandmother. I even knit one for my son when he was little. It had a firetruck on the back. :) Thanks for a stroll down memory lane this morning, TrudyAn.
9/12Notes from a Small Island
35. What type of holiday do you prefer?
Exploring the backroads anywhere, by car, with no time constraint and only a very loose destination.
Bill Bryson spent seven weeks exploring England, Scotland, and Wales. He changed his plans as he went along, used mostly public transport, walked a lot, and visited both urban and very rural areas. My kind of holiday! I enjoy Bryson's humour immensely. My rating: 4/5.
LOL! I think that's called payback for all the aussie slang we hear. Example of a siwash:
Mine doesn't have animals on it. We also used to call them Cowichan sweaters.
That is what I found when I was looking it up too, TrudyAn.
Janice wrote: "LOL! I think that's called payback for all the aussie slang we hear. "lol indeed!
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe (other topics)Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe (other topics)
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free (other topics)
The Jaguar's Children (other topics)
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stuart McLean (other topics)John Vaillant (other topics)
Kaye Gibbons (other topics)
Simone Chaput (other topics)
Roxane Gay (other topics)
More...
2. What is your favourite sport? Curling (as a spectator)
3. What colour are your eyes? Brown
4. Have you ever had a broken bone? Yes, my arm, as a kid. My older sister was involved.
5. What is your favourite movie? I have no clear favourite, but one movie that I recall in vivid detail is Schindler's List.
6. What is your favourite book? This changes every few weeks! A favourite recent read is A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra.
7. Pick a number between 1 and 10. 3
8. What is your favourite holiday? Christmas
9. What is your relationship status? Married
10. Are you right or left handed? Right
11. What is your birthday month? January
12. Do you have a pet? What is it? Don’t have a pet? Adopt a pet that someone in your immediate circle has (mother, brother, sister, friend, etc.) I currently have no pets, so will borrow my daughter's dog.
13. What is your favourite type of food? (Chinese, Italian, Mexican, etc). Italian
14. What is something you use daily? (brush, computer, car, get creative) My glasses. I can't read without them!
15. What is your shoe size? (No halves; roll up to next number). 7
16. What is your favourite Ice cream flavour? Mint chocolate chip
17. What is your country of birth? Canada
18. What is your favourite season? It used to be autumn, but the older I get, the more I appreciate the arrival of spring.
19. What is your current desk top picture? A lone sparrow, sitting on a barbed wire, on a gray, foggy day
20. What is your preferred mode of transport? Car
21. How many candles were on your last birthday cake? It has been many years since I last had a birthday cake, so I don't recall, but it likely didn't have candles. So my best guess is 0.
22. Have you been in an accident? Yes, a little fender bender.
23. Do you prefer a shower or bath? Shower
24. Name a place you’d like to visit. Northern Europe
25. What is your favourite genre? Historical fiction
26. Do you prefer a car or truck? Car
27. Do you have a tattoo? Not yet.
28. Do you prefer Classic or Contemporary? Contemporary
29. What is your favourite flower? Lilac
30. Have you been to Europe? Where? Romania, England, Scotland, France, Netherlands
31. If you could meet anyone famous, infamous, notorious, who would it be? Elon Musk
32. What is the feature on you are most often complimented? This is a tough one, I virtually never receive compliments. I guess it would be my reliability.
33. Would you rather encounter a ghost, an alien, or neither? An alien, assuming it is friendly.
34. What is your favourite animal (other than domestic pets)? The fox.
35. What type of holiday do you prefer? (Beach, Mountain, Camping, exotic, etc) Exploring the backroads anywhere, by car, with no time constraint and only a very loose destination.
36. If you had to lose one of the 5 senses, which would you prefer it to be? Taste - it is the least functional, and it would be easier to keep to a healthy diet.
37. Who is your favourite author? Again, no clear favourite, but everything I have read by John Vaillant has been terrific.
38. Do you prefer tea, coffee, or water? Definitely coffee
39. What is your birthstone using the US 2016 listing: Garnet
40. What is your favourite fruit? Strawberries
41. Issue you are passionate about (abortion, euthanasia, animal rights… etc). World poverty elimination
42. Would you rather explore in space or undersea? Under sea.
43. To what time period would you like to time travel? The 1960s.
44. Do you prefer shoes or barefeet? Bare feet
45. Do you prefer green or black olives? Neither? Black
46. What is your Zodiac sign? Aquarius
47. What is your height in inches? 64
48. Who is someone you miss? my Dad
49. What is your hobby? Sewing, playing with my little free library
50. What language would you like to learn to speak? German