Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2019 Plans
>
Steph's 2019 plan :-)
Hopefully third time is a charm and I can complete the challenge this year. I`ve fallen short the previous 2 years running. Good luck everyone :-)
38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc)- Favourite Poems of England by Pavilion Books. Completed 1st January 2019. **'From London's bustling streets to country green, from lords and ladies to brave soldiers lost in battle, this gorgeously illustrated anthology celebrates England and all that it means to be English. A breadth of poetry from Britain's renowned writers—including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Robert Browning, Hardy, D. H. Lawrence, Blake, Kipling, Emily Brontë, Sylvia Plath, and Roald Dahl—captures a range of visions of the “sceptered isle.”'
3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y-Bella Mafia by Lynda La Plante Completed 5th January 2019. **`Bella Mafia follows the story of the family of Sicilian magnate Don Luciano. When a series of murders tear the family apart, its women group get together to gain revenge on those responsible for the carnage.
Don Roberto Luciano turns informer for the biggest Mafia trial in history, but his family pays a terrible price. The head of his family, his three sons, his two grandsons and his nephew are all killed leaving the five widows to reclaim their inheritance from a dangerous Mafioso.'
Its well written, good story and I was hooked at first so initially was deserving of 4 stars however it dragged on far far too long. It could have been a much shorter book which would have made it much more enjoyable.
1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy- Thief's Magic by Trudi Canavan Completed 18th Jan 2019. *** 'In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen's world faces.
Elsewhere, in an land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer's daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it -- should she dare to risk the Angels' wrath.
But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands... and not even the people they trust. '
32. A book with more than 500 pages-Angel of Storms by Trudi Canavan Completed 31 Jan 2019 **and a half'Tyen is teaching mechanical magic at a school respected throughout the worlds. News arrives that the formidable ruler of all worlds, long believed to be dead, is back and enforcing his old laws - including the one forbidding schools of magic. As teachers and students flee, Tyen is left with no home and no purpose... except the promise he made to Vella, the sorcerer imprisoned in a book. Tyen must decide what he is willing to do to free her.
After five years among the tapestry weavers of Schpeta, Rielle's peaceful new life has been shattered by a local war. As defeat looms, the powerful Angel of Storms appears and invites Rielle to join the artisans of his celestial realm. But what will he require in return for this extraordinary offer?'
21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes- Poll 12 -A book about a cult or a group of people- Daughter of Gloriavale: My life in a Religious Cult by [author:Lilia Tarawa|36107356] Completed 4 Feb 2019**and a half'In this personal account, Lilia Tarawa exposes the shocking secrets of the cult, with its rigid rules and oppressive control of women. She describes her fear when her family questioned Gloriavale's beliefs and practices.
When her parents fled with their children, Lilia was forced to make a desperate choice: to stay or to leave. No matter what she chose, she would lose people she loved.
In the outside world, Lilia struggled. Would she be damned to hell for leaving? How would she learn to navigate this strange place called 'the world'? And would she ever find out the truth about the criminal convictions against her grandfather?'
43. A book related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) [fiction or nonfiction]- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Completed 7th Feb 2018 ****'Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.
Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.
Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia — a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo — to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.
Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family — past and present — is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.
Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother’s cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance?'
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character-Successor's Promise by Trudi Canavan- Completed 10 Feb 2019. *'Five years have passed since the Rebels confronted the Raen. Five years, in which the boy Rielle rescued, Qall, has grown up among the Travellers, with no memory of the life that was stolen from him. Five years of chaos, barely contained by Baluka and the Restorers. Worlds are at war, some overrun by deadly machines, some drained of magic by power-hungry sorcerers. As Qall comes of age, and Rielle and Tyen's hard-won peace is threatened, their loyalties are tested - and Qall's very existence is at stake. Because Dahli is still determined to restore Valhan to power, and he will stop at nothing to succeed.'
45. A multi-generational saga-The March of the Foxgloves by Karyn Hay-Completed 16th Feb 2019. *and a half.'London, 1893, and Frances Woodward is tormented by the restrictions of her puritanical father and the cruelties of 19th-century narcissist, Benedict Hunt.
Having meted out a particularly creative form of revenge upon Hunt, Frances transcends the social norms of the late-Victorian era and travels alone to the far-flung colony of New Zealand, where she is forced to look beyond the establishment life seemingly pre-ordained for her. Falling in with other artists and non-conformists, and inspired by the revolution in thinking brought about by heroic literary figures and social reformers of the time, Frances forges a new path of her own making. '
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1- Magyk by Angie Sage Completed 26th Feb 2019. **** and a half'The 7th son of the 7th son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son, Septimus?'
8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2-Flyte by Angie Sage Completed 10th March 2019 **** and a half'It's been a year since Septimus Heap discovered his real family and true calling to be a wizard. As Apprentice to Extra Ordinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, he is learning the fine arts of Conjurations, Charms, and other Magyk, while Jenna is adapting to life as the Princess and enjoying the freedom of the Castle.
But there is something sinister at work. Marcia is constantly trailed by a menacing Darke Shadow, and Septimus's brother Simon seems bent on a revenge no one understands. Why is the Darke Magyk still lingering?'
30. A book featuring an elderly character-Physik by Angie Sage Completed 21 March 2019. *****'When Silas Heap unSeals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she's still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna's compliance, Septimus's disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda's plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then it will surely involve Nicko, Alther Mella, Marcia Overstrand, Beetle, Stanley, Sarah, Silas, Spit Fyre, Aunt Zelda'
4. A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc)- Queste by Angie Sage Completed 28th March 2019 **** and a half'There's trouble at the Castle, and it's all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans--they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in Physik. But how will Septimus escape the Queste?'
26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue- Syren by Angie Sage Completed 4th April 2019 *****'Septimus ends up on a captivatingly beautiful island, one of seven set in a sparkling sea. He's stranded there with his badly injured dragon, Spit Fyre, along with Jenna and Beetle. There are some strange things about the island, including a Magykal girl named Syrah, a cat-shaped lighthouse that has lost its Light, and an eerie presence that sings to Septimus—can he escape the persistent call?
Trouble is also brewing for Lucy and Wolf Boy, who have become entangled with some nefarious sailors at sea, and for Milo Banda, Jenna's father, who is harboring a mysterious treasure chest in his ship's hold.'
44. A book related in some way to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed (same topic, same era, book appeared in the show/movie, etc.)- Darke by Angie Sage Completed 7th April 2019.**** and a half.'In the sixth book of the Magykal series, Alther Mella has been Banished, a Darke Domaine engulfs the Castle, and a Darke dragon is on the loose. Septimus Heap must use all of his skills to save the Castle and the Wizard Tower from destruction: He must enter the Darke. But he cannot do this alone. With the help of Jenna, Alther Mella, Marcellus Pye, and Septimus's estranged brother, Simon Heap, Septimus and Marcia Overstrand battle the spreading Darkenesse. Will Septimus succeed in protecting his Magykal world?'
23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old (old favourite-series)- Fyre by Angie Sage Completed 12th April 2019. **** and a half'Jenna will soon be Queen and Beetle is now Chief Hermetic Scribe. Septimus, however, must rid the Castle of the Darke Domaine by destroying the Two-Faced Ring. His skills in both Magyk and Physik will be tested, as will his loyalties.'
24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New (a new series to me)- PathFinder by Angie Sage Completed 20th April 2019. ***and a half.'Seven years after the events of the original Septimus Heap series, a young PathFinder named Alice TodHunter Moon—who insists on being called Tod—sets out from her seaside village to rescue her friend Ferdie from the malevolent Lady.
She receives help from ExtraOrdinary Wizard Septimus Heap and Ex–ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, but the Lady’s brother, the Darke Sorcerer Oraton-Marr, has a plan that will put everyone Tod holds dear in danger. To save her people, Tod must embrace her identity as a PathFinder and navigate the often dangerous Ancient Ways.'
50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)-SandRider by Angie Sage Completed 28th April 2019. ****'Now it’s two months later and Alice is settled into her new life in the Castle. Being Apprentice to ExtraOrdinary Wizard Septimus Heap is tricky—there’s loads of new Magyk to learn—but at least she’s mastered the Unseen charm.
She’s lucky she has, too—that Unseen will come in handy when she sets out with friends Oskar and Ferdie on a perilous journey to retrieve the Egg of the Orm from the Desert of the Singing Sands. If they don’t reach the Egg before it hatches, the new baby Orm could imprint on the evil sorcerer Oraton-Marr, giving him unlimited Magyk to do with what he wishes….'
14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term-StarChaser by Angie Sage Completed 9th May 2019 ***'Almost one year ago, Alice TodHunter Moon left her PathFinder village to become Apprentice to ExtraOrdinary Wizard Septimus Heap. The Castle still fills Tod with wonder—it’s hard to believe all that Magyk comes from the great block of lapis lazuli beneath the Wizard Tower.
But in faraway lands, the brilliant blue stone is crumbling to dust. Soon the destruction will spread to the Castle and the Wizard Tower will lose its Magyk and come tumbling down. It seems that the Orm Egg that Tod rescued from the evil sorcerer Oraton-Marr was the Keystone holding the Enchantment of the lapis lazuli in place. But the Egg has hatched now, and the Keystone is no more.
Somehow, from somewhere, another Keystone must be found—but how?
Despite the intrigues of the witch Marissa and the Red Queen, both of whom have their own plans to take over the Castle, Tod sets off on a hazardous journey to find a new Keystone. She has yet to discover that Aunt Mitza has murderous plans in store.'
27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Completed 17th May 2019. *'On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.'
31. A children’s classic you’ve never read-The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Completed May 17th 2019 *'An adventure story for children, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a fun-filled book that shows life along the Mississippi River in the 1840s'
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title-All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye by Dave Barrett Completed 24th May 2019. *'As a teenager Jane Bell had dreamt of playing in the casinos of Monte Carlo in the company of James Bond, but in her punk phase she'd got herself pregnant and by the time she reaches forty-six she's a grandmother, her dreams as dry as the dust her Dyson sucks up from her hall carpet every day. Then her son Ross, a researcher working for an arms manufacturer in Switzerland, is forced to disappear before some characters cut from the same cloth as Blofeld persuade him to part with the secrets of his research. But they are not the only ones desperate to locate him. Bett, his staff have little in common apart from total professionalism and a thorough disregard for the law. Bett believes the key to Ross's whereabouts is his mother, and in one respect he is right, but even he is taken aback by the verve underlying her determination to secure her son's safety as she learns the black arts of quiet subterfuge and violent attack. The teenage dreams of fast cars, high-tech firepower and extreme action had always promised to be fun and games, but in real life it's likely someone is going to lose an eye ...'
Hmmm maybe I'm just not in a reading mood. The third book in a row I cannot get into. Perhaps I should revisit them later.....I'll give Where'd you go Bernadette a crack....
2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, What, Where, When, Why)- Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple Completed 29 May 2019 *'Bernadette Fox has vanished.
When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.'
41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards-Vengeful by V.E. Schwab Completed 15 June 2019 ***'Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there's Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn't know about his most recent act of vengeance.
Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.'
Definitely need to finish that Sage series. I was on Physik when I stopped. Loved her names and was totally obsessed with the series. Wahoo! Love your fantasy/YA/kid's/fiction choices. It makes me very happy.
Celeste wrote: "Definitely need to finish that Sage series. I was on Physik when I stopped. Loved her names and was totally obsessed with the series. Wahoo! Love your fantasy/YA/kid's/fiction choices. It makes me ..."Its a fab series. I hope you enjoy the rest of them :-)
6. A book with a dual timeline- The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton Completed 30th June 2019. ****'My real name, no one remembers. The truth about that summer, no one else knows.
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.
Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?'
17. A speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia)- Spark byJohn Twelve Hawks Completed 7 July 2019 ***'Jacob Underwood is a contract employee of the Special Services Section, a shadow department in the faceless multinational corporation DBG. Jacob is not a businessman…he is a hired assassin…and his job is to neutralize problems deemed unacceptable by the corporation. Jacob is not like other employees, nor is he like other people. Suffering from Cotard's syndrome-a real condition that causes people to believe they are dead-Jacob perceives himself as nothing but a Shell with no emotion and no sense of right or wrong. Emily Buchanan is a bright young second-year associate for DBG, and she has disappeared without a trace. Suspecting she may have stolen valuable information and a fortune from the company, Miss Holquist-Jacob's handler at DBG-assigns him the task of tracking her down and neutralizing her. Jacob's condition allows him to carry out assignments with ruthless, logical precision-devoid of guilt, fear, or dishonor. But as his new assignment draws him inside a labyrinthine network of dark dealings, Jacob finds himself up against something he is completely incapable of understanding. Spark is an ingenious and chilling vision of modern-day humanity under constant, invasive surveillance and a pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse.'
48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Completed 22 July 2019. ****'Set in the days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor's early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor's first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet.'
34. A book with a person's name in the title-Washington Black by Esi Edugyan Completed 31 July 2019. ***'Washington Black is an eleven-year-old field slave who knows no other life than the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born.
When his master's eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or "Titch," is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor, and abolitionist.
He initiates Wash into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky; where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human; and where a boy born in chains can embrace a life of dignity and meaning. But when a man is killed and a bounty is placed on Wash's head, Titch abandons everything to save him.
What follows is their flight along the eastern coast of America, and, finally, to a remote outpost in the Arctic, where Wash, left on his own, must invent another new life, one which will propel him further across the globe. '
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng Completed 2 Aug 2019. *** and a half.'Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.
So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.'
11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject)- Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase Completed 4 Aug 2019. ****'Ghosts are everywhere, not just the ghost of Momma in the woods, but ghosts of us too, what we used to be like in those long summers ...
Amber Alton knows that the hours pass differently at Black Rabbit Hall, her London family's country estate, where no two clocks read the same. Summers there are perfect, timeless. Not much ever happens. Until, of course, it does.
More than three decades later, Lorna is determined to be married within the grand, ivy-covered walls of Pencraw Hall, known as Black Rabbit Hall among the locals. But as she's drawn deeper into the overgrown grounds, half-buried memories of her mother begin to surface and Lorna soon finds herself ensnared within the manor's labyrinthine history, overcome with an insatiable need for answers about her own past and that of the once-happy family whose memory still haunts the estate. '
37. A book set in a school or university-One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus Completed 6 Aug 2019. ****'Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?'
5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare-If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio Completed 8 Aug 2019. *'Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.
As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless. '
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed- The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton Completed 9 Aug 2019. ** and a half'As the novel opens, a threat looms. Enemies are planning an attack of unprecedented scale on America. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the cabinet. The President himself becomes a suspect, and then goes missing...
Set in real time, over the course of three days, The President Is Missing is one of the most dramatic thrillers in decades. And it could all really happen.'
40. A book you stumbled upon-The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Completed 13th August 2019. ****'Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.'
18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik Completed 9th Sept 2019. * 'Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders... but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.
But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.'
Really reluctant to give 1 star for this. I didn't dislike the story and I like the way she writes but for some reason I just couldn't read more than a page or 2 at a time. Was very slow going and in the end I gave up.
20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country-There There by Tommy Orange Completed 15 Sep 2019. *'There There is a relentlessly paced multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. It tells the story of twelve characters, each of whom have private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time.'
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror)-We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Completed 16th September 2019. ** and a half.'My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise, I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cap mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead...'
39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life-The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden Completed 4th October 2019. **** and a half.'At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.'
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand Completed 26 Oct 2019.'On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.'
19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR- The Girl in the Tower. byKatherine Arden. Completed October 2019 ****'Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop. '
28. A book related to something cold (i.e. theme, title, author, cover, etc.)-The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden Completed October 2019 ****'Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.'
22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Completed 1 Nov 2019 **'This is the way the world ends. Again.
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.'
16. A book told from multiple perspectives- The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin Completed October 2019. *'This is the way the world ends... for the last time.
The season of endings grows darker as civilization fades into the long cold night. Alabaster Tenring – madman, world-crusher, savior – has returned with a mission: to train his successor, Essun, and thus seal the fate of the Stillness forever.
It continues with a lost daughter, found by the enemy.
It continues with the obelisks, and an ancient mystery converging on answers at last.
The Stillness is the wall which stands against the flow of tradition, the spark of hope long buried under the thickening ashfall. And it will not be broken.'
10. A book featuring an historical figure-Tombland by C.J. Sansom Completed 9 Dec 2019. **Spring, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos…
The king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, rules as Protector. Radical Protestants are conducting all out war on the old religion, stirring discontent among the people. The Protector's prolonged war with Scotland is proving a disastrous failure. Worst of all, the economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry.
Since the old King's death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of the wife of John Boleyn, a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth's mother - which could have political implications for Elizabeth - brings Shardlake and his young assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer assizes at Norwich. There they are reunited with Shardlake's former assistant Jack Barak. The three find layers of mystery and danger surrounding the death of Edith Boleyn, as more murders are committed.
During their investigation, a peasant rebellion breaks out across the country. Yeoman Robert Kett establishes a vast camp outside Norwich and leads a force of thousands to overthow the landlords. Soon the rebels have taken over the city, England's second largest.
Barak throws in his lot with the rebels; Nicholas, opposed to them, becomes a prisoner in Norwich Castle; while Shardlake has to decide where his ultimate loyalties lie. As government forces in London prepare to march north and destroy the rebels, he discovers that the murder of Edith Boleyn may have connections reaching into both the heart of the rebel camp and of the Norfolk gentry...
15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Completed 14Dec 2019. ****.'Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.'
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Song of Achilles (other topics)The Obelisk Gate (other topics)
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption (other topics)
The Bear and the Nightingale (other topics)
The President Is Missing (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Laura Hillenbrand (other topics)Katherine Arden (other topics)
Naomi Novik (other topics)
Bill Clinton (other topics)
Leigh Bardugo (other topics)
More...
2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, What, Where, When, Why)- Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple Completed 29 May 2019
3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y-Bella Mafia by Lynda La Plante Completed 5th January 2019.
4. A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc)- Queste by Angie Sage Completed 28th March 2019
5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare-If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio Completed 8 Aug 2019.
6. A book with a dual timeline- The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton Completed 30th June 2019.
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1- Magyk by Angie Sage Completed 26th Feb 2019.
8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2-Flyte by Angie Sage Completed 10th March 2019
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror)-We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Completed 16th September 2019.
10. A book featuring an historical figure-Tombland by C.J. Sansom Completed 9 Dec 2019.
11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject)- Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase Completed 4 Aug 2019.
12. A book about reading, books or an author/writerThe Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list- Circe by Madeline Miller.
14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term-StarChaser by Angie Sage Completed 9th May 2019
15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Completed 14Dec 2019.
16. A book told from multiple perspectives- The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin Completed October 2019.
17. A speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia)- Spark byJohn Twelve Hawks Completed 7 July 2019
18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik Completed 9th Sept 2019.
19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR- The Girl in the Tower. byKatherine Arden. Completed October 2019.
20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country-There There by Tommy Orange Completed 15 Sep 2019.
21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes- Poll 12 -A book about a cult or a group of people- Daughter of Gloriavale: My life in a Religious Cult by Lilia Tarawa. Completed 4 Feb 2019
22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Completed 1 Nov 2019
23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old (old favourite-series)- Fyre by Angie Sage Completed 12th April 2019.
24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New (a new series to me)- PathFinder by Angie Sage Completed 20th April 2019.
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed- The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton Completed 9 Aug 2019.
26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue- Syren by Angie Sage Completed 4th April 2019
27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Completed 17th May 2019.
28. A book related to something cold (i.e. theme, title, author, cover, etc.)-The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden Completed October 2019.
29. A book published before 1950
30. A book featuring an elderly character-Physik by Angie Sage Completed 21 March 2019.
31. A children’s classic you’ve never read-The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainCompleted May17th 2019
32. A book with more than 500 pages-Angel of Storms by Trudi Canavan Completed 31 Jan 2019
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng Completed 2 Aug 2019.
34. A book with a person's name in the title-Washington Black by Esi Edugyan Completed 31 July 2019.
35. A psychological thriller- The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson.
36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list-Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz.
37. A book set in a school or university-One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus Completed 6 Aug 2019.
38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc)- Favourite Poems of England by Pavilion Books. Completed 1st January 2019.
39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Completed 4 Oct 2019.
40. A book you stumbled upon-The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Completed 13th August 2019.
41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards-Vengeful by V.E. Schwab Completed 15 June 2019
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character-Successor's Promise by Trudi Canavan- Completed 10 Feb 2019.
43. A book related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) [fiction or nonfiction]- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Completed 7th Feb 2018
44. A book related in some way to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed (same topic, same era, book appeared in the show/movie, etc.)- Darke by Angie Sage Completed 7th April 2019.
45. A multi-generational saga-The March of the Foxgloves by Karyn Hay-Completed 16th Feb 2019.
46. A book with a (mostly) black cover-Artemis by Andy Weir
47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.)- The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge Completed Dec 22 2019.
48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Completed 22 July 2019.
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand Completed 26 Oct 2019.
50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)-SandRider by Angie Sage Completed 28th April 2019.
51. A book published in 2019- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title-All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye by Dave Barrett Completed 24th May 2019.