75 Books...More or Less! discussion

My husband pointed out to me that 65 books comes out to 1-1/4 books per week, and that sounds do-able to me. Happy reading to all in 2019!

1. 4/5

This is the first book by Octavia Butler that I've read, and I really enjoyed it--a sci-fi/fantasy/time travel story. Takes place in 1976 California and pre-Civil War Maryland.

I still haven't read any Octavia Butler! And I own a few! Too many books, too little time! lol. Good luck!

Elyse wrote: "I still haven't read any Octavia Butler! And I own a few! Too many books, too little time! lol. Good luck!"

Thanks--I'm looking forward to reading more of her books!

2. 3/5

Number 3 in the Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation series. The series takes place in India, and a baby elephant sidekick helps Inspector Chopra solve his cases. An enjoyable look into Indian culture, although this one was a bit disjointed at times.

Joanne wrote: "Donna wrote: "2. 3/5

Number 3 in the Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation series. The series takes place in India, and a baby elephan..."

This one meandered a bit, but was an interesting look at the Bollywood scene, and especially the eunuch subculture in India, something I knew nothing about!

Donna wrote: "2. 3/5

Number 3 in the Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation series. The series takes place in India, and a baby elephant sidekick hel..."

I am reading this series, also. I like the look into the Indian culture. Have not gotten to three yet. Sometime this year...

3. 4/5

This is the first book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill. This has some elements of being a cozy, such as quirky characters, humor, and two interesting murder mysteries. There is also some political intrigue, as well as supernatural occurrences. This takes place in Laos in 1978 after the Communist takeover.

Donna wrote: "3. 4/5

This is the first book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill. This has some elements of being a cozy, such as quirky characters, humor, an..."

Sounds good! Adding to my list!

Elyse wrote: "Donna wrote: "3. 4/5

This is the first book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill. This has some elements of being a cozy, such as quirky charact..."

I read it a ways back. It was good.

4. 3/5

This was a book of short stories set in the near-future world of the Unwind dystology. It's a YA book, and the Unwind series is possibly the American answer to Kazuo Ishiguro's , but where the kids do fight back. Ishiguro's came first and is more elegant; the Unwind series is probably more enjoyable and accessible to teens.

Donna wrote: "4. 3/5

This was a book of short stories set in the near-future world of the Unwind dystology. It's a YA book, and the Unwind series is possibly the American answer to ..."

I've read the first 2 Unwind books. Really good series! They are VERY dark! I plan to finish the series this year, including UnBound.

Elyse wrote: "Donna wrote: "4. 3/5

This was a book of short stories set in the near-future world of the Unwind dystology. It's a YA book, and the Unwind series is possibly the Ameri..."

A teacher friend's middle school class was reading the series and it was sparking their interest in reading, so that's why I picked it up. It raises a lot of questions about what it means to be alive or have a soul for young readers.

5. 3/5

Number 8 in the Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James. This was a fairly laid-back mystery about two murders that take place at an academic librarians' conference. An enjoyable series, with likeable characters.

Donna wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Donna wrote: "4. 3/5

This was a book of short stories set in the near-future world of the Unwind dystology. It's a YA book, and the Unwind series is poss..."

Awesome that they're reading it in middle school!

Elyse wrote: "Donna wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Donna wrote: "4. 3/5

This was a book of short stories set in the near-future world of the Unwind dystology. It's a YA book, and the Unwind ..."

Yes--the whole unwind world takes place after a war that starts over abortion rights. A lot for middle schoolers to think about!

Donna wrote: "1. 4/5

This is the first book by Octavia Butler that I've read, and I really enjoyed it--a sci-fi/fantasy/time travel story. Takes place in 1976 California and pre-Civil ..."

I read this in College. I had just moved to the US and was only superficially familiar with slavery and the civil war. I loved, loved, loved that book and have been considering re-reading it.

Juli wrote: "Donna wrote: "1. 4/5

This is the first book by Octavia Butler that I've read, and I really enjoyed it--a sci-fi/fantasy/time travel story. Takes place in 1976 California ..."

Yes, such a good book for really placing the reader in that role and empathizing with the main character. Have you read The Underground Railroad and The Help? Also great! I decided I definitely need to read more Octavia Butler!

Donna wrote: "Juli wrote: "Donna wrote: "1. 4/5

This is the first book by Octavia Butler that I've read, and I really enjoyed it--a sci-fi/fantasy/time travel story. Takes place in 197..."

Yes, I've read both. I honestly hated The Underground Railroad. I felt that if you're re-imagining the underground railroad as an actual railroad, there needs to be more railroad in the story! I enjoyed The Help.

And yes, I too want to read more Octavia Butler.

6. 4/5

Number 7 in the Rei Shimura mystery series. Rei is a Japanese-American antiques dealer, and this story takes place in Washington, DC. I probably prefer her stories that take place in Tokyo, with the different cultural references and locations that are talked about in the Tokyo metro area in those books. In this book, Rei investigates the disappearance of a Vietnam era Japanese war bride who disappeared in the Washington area after the war.

7. 5/5

Just wow--my first 5* book of 2019. The author grew up in a Mormon survivalist family in Idaho. She overcame ignorance, poverty, a lack of education, a dangerous childhood working in her father's junkyard, abuse, gaslighting, and toxic patriarchy, and somehow survived, and earned a PhD, studying at BYU, Cambridge and Harvard. Her real education to me was when she finally was able to trust her own experiences of the world and walk away from her toxic family dynamic.

8. 4/5

Number 8 in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. With gentle humor and likeable characters, the series takes place in Botswana.

9. 5/5

Such a wonderful little book--I picked this up for my 2-1/2-year-old grandson. It's a little board book showing the love between father and son teddy bears. It has charming illustrations by Satomi Ichikawa--some of the illustrations even reminded me of my grandson! Great little bedtime book or shower present.

10. 4/5

In this book, April Yamasaki talks about stepping back and taking care of ourselves as a means of spiritual formation and growth so that we can achieve our potential, not just for others, but also for ourselves. She refers to self-care not as a "me first" attitude, but a "me too" attitude, which I found helpful. Reading is something that I've thought of being escapist, but for me it's kind of a necessary act of self care. I'd like to go through this book again more slowly and journal through some of April's ideas and questions.

11. 4/5

Number 12 in the Molly Murphy series. A pregnant Molly searches for a missing young Irish immigrant woman, and becomes involved in solving a series of baby kidnappings. Her delightful Bohemian friends, Sid and Gus, help her out on this case.

12. 5/5

Eleanor Oliphant keeps telling her social worker that she is just fine, but is she? She performs well at her 9-to-5 job as a finance clerk, goes home to her small apartment, has no friends and few social skills, and drinks a lot of vodka. She has a disfiguring facial scar and no memory of a traumatic childhood event that put her into foster care. When she makes a chance acquaintance at work and they become involved in helping an old man on the street, events are put into motion that guide Eleanor towards healing. Eleanor's inner dialogue observations about life and other people are hilarious and poignant.

Donna wrote: "12. 5/5

Eleanor Oliphant keeps telling her social worker that she is just fine, but is she? She performs well at her 9-to-5 job as a financ..."

I really liked this book as well!

13. 5/5

This book was a mystery, but not your typical murder mystery. It was layered and mystical, like the tropics of Malaya (Malaysia), where it was set in 1931. Ren, an 11-year-old houseboy, Yi, his dead twin brother, and Ji Lin, a seamstress/dance hall girl, are supernaturally bound together, and Ren has been given an unusual task to accomplish by his dead master. Several deaths have occurred, and it is not clear whether they are the result of a weretiger, a mythical human who can change into the form of a tiger to hunt by night. The local superstitions and customs were interesting, and the theme of the fierce love between Ren and his dead twin is echoed in the love between Ji Lin and her "twin" stepbrother, Shin. When Ren accomplishes his master's task, will the ghost tiger go away and the deaths stop?

Donna wrote: "13. 5/5

This book was a mystery, but not your typical murder mystery. It was layered and mystical, like the tropics of Malaya (Malaysia), where it was set in 1..."

I got this from BotM and haven't read it yet but want to soon! I bought The Ghost Bride for a challenge I never ended up completing a few years ago and still haven't read that! Glad you loved it!

Elyse wrote: "Donna wrote: "13. 5/5

This book was a mystery, but not your typical murder mystery. It was layered and mystical, like the tropics of Malaya (Malaysia), where i..."

I'm looking forward now to reading The Ghost Bride.

14. 3/5

The first in the Will Rees mystery series, this takes place shortly after the Revolutionary War in Maine. Will is an itinerant weaver and widower, who left his farm and son in the care of his sister and her husband. He returns home to find that his young teen-age son has been treated poorly and has run off to live in a Shaker village. When he arrives at the Shaker village, he finds that a young Shaker woman has been murdered, and sets out to find her killer. An interesting mystery, and I enjoyed the tie-in to the Shaker sect.

15. 4/5

It's not Agatha Christie, but I still enjoyed it. I thought Hannah did a good job with Poirot and with this mystery. Three people are found dead in a London hotel in three different locked rooms. Poirot's Scotland Yard detective friend, Catchpool, is the weakest part of the story. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

16. 3/5

This is number 26 of the Hamish MacBeth mystery series. A captain and his wife retire to the village of Drim, and the captain is murdered, along with, coincidentally, a chimney sweep. Hamish goes to and fro seeking clues while the bodies stack up. I still love Hamish, but the earlier books in the series were more charming.

17. 4/5

This was fun and campy, and had a decent mystery. Joe's slightly noir narrative made me laugh out loud at times. "The moral arc of the universe bends towards justice, but sometimes the universe needs a little help." I like that. I think it makes me feel good to think that somewhere Uncle Joe and Barack are still teamed up, fighting the good fight, keeping us safe.

18. 4/5

This one is number 27 in the Agatha Raisin mystery series. Wealthy Lord Bellington has plans to develop some land that is being used by the local villagers as a community garden, to turn it into a housing estate. Tempers flare, and suddenly Lord Bellington turns up dead. Agatha is her usual abrasive, insecure, clumsy, endearing self.

19. 5/5

A coming-of-age book about Julia, a young teenaged Mexican-American girl in Chicago, who feels she can never live up to the legacy of her "perfect" sister, Olga, who was killed in a street accident. Julia's desire to get out from under the strictness of her family, go to college and become a writer practically oozes out of her pores. Her parents are trapped as well within their own cultural confines, fears and secrets. It was interesting to me to see what it might be like to grow up in America as a first generation citizen, a child of undocumented Mexican parents.

Donna wrote: "19. 5/5

An awesome coming-of-age book about Julia, a young teenaged Mexican-American girl in Chicago, who feels she can never live up to..."

Glad you liked it! This is in my TBR.

20. 4/5

This book reads almost like a fable. Kya, a young girl, is abandoned first by her mother, and then, one-by-one, by her brothers and sisters, to grow up with her abusive father in the marshes of the North Carolina coast. Finally, her father leaves, and she is left to fend for herself, becoming the "marsh girl" to the locals. Kya knows everything there is to know about the rhythms and secrets of all the life forms in the marsh. Beautifully descriptive!

Donna wrote: "20. 4/5

This book reads almost like a fable. Kya, a young girl, is abandoned first by her mother, and then, one-by-one, by her brothers and sisters, to..."

I'm in a huge queue on Overdrive for the audiobook! I feel like it would be good on audio, for me at least.

Donna wrote: "20. 4/5

This book reads almost like a fable. Kya, a young girl, is abandoned first by her mother, and then, one-by-one, by her brothers and sisters, to..."

I wanna read it solely because it takes place in NC.

Elyse wrote: "Donna wrote: "20. 4/5

This book reads almost like a fable. Kya, a young girl, is abandoned first by her mother, and then, one-by-one, by her brothers a..."

I was on a long waiting list for this from the library!

Juli wrote: "Donna wrote: "20. 4/5

This book reads almost like a fable. Kya, a young girl, is abandoned first by her mother, and then, one-by-one, by her brothers a..."

I would love to see what these marshes look like in North Carolina--it sounds like a beautiful area.

21. 4/5

This is the first in the Perveen Mistry mystery series. Perveen is a young female lawyer, a first in 1920s Bombay, who has joined her father's law practice, although she is not yet allowed to argue cases before a court. Her family is Parsi, and when her father's Muslim client dies, his three widows, who live in full purdah without direct contact with men, are being pressured to give up their inheritances to a charity. Perveen is the perfect one to speak face-to-face with the widows to explain their rights and options under Muslim law. The estate administrator, however, is not at all cooperative. An interesting murder mystery, as well as an interesting look at Parsi and Muslim customs and laws. Perveen is a strong, likeable female lead.

22. 3/5

This is number 28 in the Hamish Macbeth mystery series. An obnoxious art student takes a job at a factory in a nearby village and spends an evening sketching the faces of the locals at the pub. Eventually she turns up dead and her sketchbook is missing. More mayhem ensues, and Hamish continues to sabotage his love life. A fun, light read with quirky characters.

23. 4/5

Number 5 in the Constable Evans mystery series. A plane had crashed and sunk into a lake near Llanfair during World War II, and a film crew comes to document the attempt to raise the plane from the lake. Constable Evans is assigned to keep the filming site secure, but an obnoxious crew member still winds up dead. An interesting mystery with some unexpected twists.

24. 5/5

Wow! Such an intense book! Starr is a young, black, teenaged girl who is the passenger in a car driven by a slightly older, black male childhood friend. The car is pulled over by white police officers, and ultimately, her friend is shot and killed. The question for Starr is whether to tell her truth about her friend and about the incident, which could result in danger for her family.

25. 4/5

This is number 8 in the Rei Shimura mystery series. Rei is asked by the government to locate a pitcher that was stolen from the Iraq National Museum, and believed to be in the possession of her former boyfriend. Rei is given a visa to return to Japan to investigate, and makes a number of bad decisions. Another enjoyable Rei Shimura mystery!

Donna wrote: "24. 5/5

Wow! Such an intense book! Starr is a young, black, teenaged girl who is the passenger in a car driven by a slightly older, black male childhood friend..."

I really enjoyed this one, too.

26. 4/5

This is a YA book, a coming-of-age book of sorts, and a love story. Hazel is a depressed teenager with terminal cancer who meets Augustus, a teenage cancer patient in remission, in a support group. They fall in love, and manage to find some happiness in the face of their grim circumstances. This is a tough book for young adults, as it doesn't sugar coat some of the crappier realities of life, but for kids who might be going through this in some form, it could be a godsend. I admit that I had mixed feelings about this book, as books like this always tend to make me feel that my emotions are being manipulated a bit, but maybe that's just me.

27. 4/5

This book is number 8 in the Reverend Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne mystery series. Police chief Russ decides to take his pregnant bride, Reverend Clare, ice fishing on their honeymoon in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. What could go wrong? A double homicide with a kidnapped child who desperately needs medication to stay alive. Suspenseful, with a number of unexpected plot twists. Great series!