Mount TBR 2020 discussion

I am one book away from reaching the summit of Mt. Vancouver in the 2019 challenge (although I'm behind on posting), but I really need to up my game if I am to make any appreciable dent in my TBR pile. So here we go, and if I don't make it to the top, at least I will get a lot of fresh air and exercise on the way! And maybe I will surprise myself and go higher!

Glad you'll be back with us! Good luck in 2020.

First measurable step up the mountain, although I am currently working on three or four other books. This was one of my audiobook library TBRs. It was a relatively short listen, with good narration. I really enjoyed the writing, also. However, it is considered a children's book. And yes, I probably would have enjoyed it as an older child. But I can picture myself getting into some fairly heavy discussions with teens and adults, were we to read this book together. POSSIBLE VERY MILD SPOILERS:.............



There are questions about the necessity or non-necessity of the military, about conforming or not conforming to the will of "God" (I don't recall whether God was named, or if it was a more general sense of the powers that be, and I think the conflict was imagined and not real, if it was God that was being referenced), comments on communication, and the statement that truth changes. Much food for discussion and much of it possibly over the heads of the target audience. Perhaps it is a book older children will enjoy now, but will think about when they go back and re-read it.

2. The Woman on the Orient Express Evidently I have been reading a lot more than reporting! I will attempt to rectify that over these next few days.

I read Agatha Christie's autobiography last year, so it seemed a good idea to read this beore many of the details left my mind. Although there were obviously some licenses taken to make the story (I felt Mrs. Woolsey in the story was mixed with another domineering lady mentioned in the autobiography, besides the obviously fictional characters). there were many incidents that I recognized. I enjoyed the book very much.

3. Quentin Durward I had read this before in my youth, but basically remembered only the name. Scott continues to be a great writer. Quentin is young, noble, and upright, and naturally falls in love. But he is poor and she is not. As we progress with the swash-buckling love story, we get a lesson in French history. I love reading this historical fiction from over 200 years ago. The e-book I was reading had the notes in the text and not at the end, which was handy. That's another thing I like about Scott--his chapter beginnings and his explanatory footnotes.

4. Pat of Silver Bush
I was a bit worried about Pat and the way change upset her at first. But once I got into the book, I came to appreciate her and her hombody ways. I must say, however, that the book would not be nearly as entertaining withouth the strong support characters of Judy and Jingle. All in all, it was a deep pleasure to read an L.M. Montgomery that I hadn't read before. I look forward to reading the sequel and hope to get to it this year.

5. The Golem This was very well written, somewhat profound, interesting, and illustrated. I enjoyed it very much, and it definitely had the flavor of another culture.

6. Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning
Last year I read two books about Christianity and popular culture. This book is a bit deeper than either of those were. Pearcey further develops her "two story" explanations of worldviews set forth in her Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity, this time more specifically relating them to the arts. There were times I felt a little over my head, perhaps from reading when I was too tired for analytical thought, but it is a good book and takes a stance with some elements from both of the books I read last year.

7. The Final Curtain by Gilbert Morris
I liked this better than I thought I would. It was a little preachy in spots, which didn't bother me (other than one doctrinal point), but the mystery itself was pretty good. I guessed the murderer, but more by instinct than logic. In some ways the book was realistic--not everyone Dani witnessed to became a Christian, and Dani herself had some real internal conflicts about her actions even though she did the right thing. I won't be keeping these, for space reasons, but I am looking forward to reading the other two volumes I own in this series.

8. The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations Zhu Xiao-Mei
I discovered something about myself as I listened to this book. I really don't like feeling helpless. I listened to the first part on a car trip, and I just couldn't face it on the way home...I put music on instead The situation in China in the author's youth was unbearable. And the blind adoration of a leader with really awful ideas...I can see people heading that way on both sides of the politcal spectrum, and that's depressing. But once I cleansed my palate, so to speak, I was able to go back to listening to the book. All in all, it was very interesting. You must admire the author's tenacity. It is an added bonus to be able to go on YouTube and find videos of her playing the music that is so much a part of her life.

9. State of Fear Michael Crichton
Wow! I know that climate change is a polemical subject. I have tended away from the idea that all climate change is man-induced--there have been enough variations in non-industrialized ages to show that mankind cannot be the only factor involved. But although this is a work of fiction, there are many cited facts that put a lot of radical climate change ideas in doubt. I would like to point out that the author was not against taking care of the environment, but he also included data that shows that we do not always know how to do that, and in trying to fix one thing we break another.

But just as interesting was the title and the dialogue in the book that explains it. Without going all conspiracy-theory, there is some truth in the idea that people who fear something are easier to control. I think that can be seen in several different situations within my life-time.

This book was published in 2004. One would think the question of climate change would be decided one way or the other by now. Yet as recently as 2017, Judith Curry, a climatologist resigned because the subject is guided more by politics than science, and the science does not bear out what politics says.

One thing I appreciated about the book was the extensive bibliography in the back, which included books both supporting and denying the author's views (although in his comments you can tell which is which, haha).

Setting to one side the foul language, I would recommend this book. It may not change any minds, but it is food for thought set in an exciting novel.

10. Howards End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home Susan Hill
The idea of having books tucked into odd spots all over the house fascinates me. It reminds me of C.S. Lewis's description of his childhood home. And with this challenge, I am also trying to read more from home, as the author chose to do. The parts of this book that dealt with the reading and rediscovering of books I liked; less so the constant reminiscing about Famous People I Have Met, especially as many were unfamiliar to me. All in all, I enjoyed it, though.

11. Big Mike - The Old Bear: A Classic Western Adventure Rob Maupin
This book was written by a friend, so I picked it up even though Westerns are not my thing--not in books, and not in TV and movies, although I will make an exception for Shane With that disclaimer, I will say that the book kept my interest despite not being my favorite genre. Part of that probably came from being able to visualize well some of the main characters, as their general traits were loosely based on members of the author's family that I know. But part of it was the story-line, also. All in all, it was a respectable first effort, and while there are two or three things I would have corrected in grammar or usage, it was very good in that aspect also for something that has not gone through a professional editor. It's worth looking into, if you enjoy Westerns.

12. A Seaside Practice: Tales Of A Scottish Country Doctor Tom Smith
This was a delight! For one thing, I listened to it on audio book and it was read by the author. Not all authors read well, but this one did. I enjoyed the accents, also--both the author's narrative accent and the thicker Scots he used when quoting some of his patients.
The book is reminiscent of James Herriot's works, but with people as patients (for the most part) instead of animals. And if the stories are true, as they are claimed to be, truth truly is stranger than fiction. I was delighted to see there are two more volumes available and that they are not excessively expensive on audio. I hope to pick them up in the near future. Highly recommended.

13. Defend and Betray Anne Perry
This was an accidental re-read. Her books are well written, but one does tire of all the illicit and perverted sexual situations, even though they are handled as tastefully as possible and only held up to be condemned and fought against. I will probably read the few others I have by Anne Perry that I haven't read previously, but I am not really interested in continuing the two series I have beyond that point (I know there are newer volumes out). Or it might just have been the wrong time to pick up one of her books.

14. The Illyrian Adventure Lloyd Alexander
I like his Chronicles of Prydain better, but these have their place. You have to get used to the narrating style and realize that the prejudices, perceptions, and expectations of the narrator show up in his narration. Sometimes this can lead to irony of situation, but at first it makes Vesper Holly, the heroine, seem a bit over the top. In this first adventure, she deals with two factions in a foreign country that have been feuding for ages. Her arch enemy is also revealed. I thought I had all six in the series, but I am only finding five on my shelves, but I hope to read them all this year.

15. Amish Werewolves of Space Kerry Nietz
I love this series! The same title that attracts some of us with a weird sense of humor might be off-putting to others, but really, these books do not make fun of the Amish people, nor are they comic. Rather, they are science fiction novels. The author has quite an imagination, and at the same time makes some keen observations, some more overt than others. Yet although the novels are also classified as Christian, and people live according to their beliefs and occasionally touch on theological points, Nietz's books do not feel "preachy". And there is plenty of story here--with space travel and monsters! Start with the first of the series, Amish Vampires in Space. Highly recommended.

16. The Drackenberg Adventure Lloyd Alexander
In this episode we have castles, gypsies, and kidnappings. But our heroes manage not only to survive, but also to save the day.

17. Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel Ok, if my boarder and I had already watched Kingdom (Korean zombie series) on Netflix during this Corona-virus isolation time, why not read about a pandemic and the world it leaves behind? I enjoyed the way the author told the story. Tying the flashbacks and some of the current action to one group of people was an effective way of keeping the story "local", even though the characters wandered pretty far before the catastrophe. Very well written, and although maybe not for everyone at this point in time, for me it helped to show that things could be much worse than they are.

18. Murder at the Vicarage Agatha Christie
Classic Christie with a nice plot twist. We are introduced to Miss Marple. I am trying to read through Christie's books pretty much in order over the next few years, and if I remember correctly from books further down the line that I have already read, Miss Marple develops as a character as one moves through the canon, and becomes more likable than she seemed at least in the first part of this book. Of course some of that may be because of how our narrator the vicar sees her at first, and as his appreciation of her grows, ours does also.

19. Where There's a Will Rex Stout
A seemingly unfair will causes big problems--until murder pops up, and the problems get even bigger. For some reason I could visualize parts of this book better than some. Very good. This is another series I am trying to gradually read through in order.

20. The Jedera Adventure Lloyd Alexander
This is the best of the series so far, in my opinion. It includes deserts, camels, rival tribes, a primitive flying machine--I am not overly convinced by the recurring villain; it seems a bit fortuitous that they are always running into him. But that aside, this was a very enjoyable entry in the series.

21. The Mysterious Mr. Quinn Agatha Christie
This is a non-series Christie. It is a collection of short stories tied together by the mysterious appearances of Harley Quinn. Also involved in each story is Mr. Satterthwaite, a mostly passive observer of human nature who does develop a bit through the progression of the stories. We are left wondering exactly who or what the mysterious Mr. Quinn is. I enjoyed the book very much.

22. Deadly Deception Gilbert Morris
Again, better than I expected. This time Dani and her partner take a job with a mafia family that has suffered an attack. I appreciate the author presenting people as complex beings that make good and bad decisions in moral dilemmas--good and evil do exist, and the difference is important, but mostly the bad guys are not all bad and the good guys have their struggles. That makes it more realistic than some Christian fiction. I own one more book from this series. It is set at a rodeo--not a venue I would choose, so we'll see how it goes.

23. The Philadelphia Adventure Lloyd Alexander
I was afraid I would not enjoy this one as much as some of the others in the series, due to the non-exotic setting of Philadelphia. But it was better than I expected, perhaps because a new character--Tobias, also known as The Weed, was introduced. Also, the ever-present villian seemed to keep a little more behind the scenes, and that was a plus.

24. The Lacuna Barbara Kingsolver
Wow. I had trouble getting into the book at first, but by the time the action moved to Mexico City and places I know (although they have changed a lot from the time in which the book is set) and people I have heard of came into the story, I was hooked. I have been to the Diego Rivera museum in Guanajuato, and to the Trotsky museum in Coyoacan, Mexico City. I even learned some US history about WWI veterans that I did not know. And the later part of the book, which dealt in part with the McCarthy era, made a good companion to some of the points about living in fear that Michael Crichton made in a book I read previously this year: State of Fear. I listened to this as an audio book, and I was also impressed with the author's narration skills. The ending was perfect, also, as was the idea of "lacuna" in different parts of the book and in different contexts.

25. Missing Joseph Elizabeth George Not my favorite of hers so far. I had to skip several paragraphs several times due to open-door sexual content. And the story seemed to dwell on those type of relationships more than was strictly necessary to the drama, I felt. I do like how she picks a theme and ties it in to several parts of the story--the case at hand and some of the things going on in the lives of our protagonists. And the climactic scenes near the end were very well done. But still, not my favorite.

26. Slaves of Obsession Anne Perry This was a bit of a departure. Not only was the main story almost entirely free of the reference to "illicit and perverted" sexual practices that I complained about being so predominant in her works, but also a portion of the book took place in the United States during the first major battle of the Civil War. The murder was of a man who sold many commodities, including guns. I had suspected the murderer, but had discarded the possibility that it was indeed that person.

27. The Xanadu AdventureLloyd Alexander This was a satisfying conclusion to the series. I enjoyed the references to the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, although every time I picked the book up, I heard Olivia Newton John in my head--just the first part of the chorus, because that is all I could remember. And maybe, just perhaps, this time the villain
stayed dead!

28. The Twisted Root Anne Perry This one kept me tense, as there did not seem to be enough pages left for Hester and Monk to find the motive and the evidence necessary to break the case. And I had a sense of helplessness as the villain twisted the facts. So I figure if an author can provoke such feelings, she is doing a good job of writing. The sub-plot about forgotten veterans was applicable both to modern times and to America´s past, as I learned recently in another novel.

29. A Circle of Quiet [ author:Madeleine L'Engle|106] I have enjoyed L'Engle's YA fiction, I have enjoyed some of her adult fiction also, although I threw A Live Coal in the Sea down on the floor a few times. Yet I picked it back up, because there was some truth in it. I am definitely not in accord with the author on all subjects, but there are many shining moments of truth and "realness" in her works, and she writes well.

30. In the Presence of Mine Enemies Debbie Viguié Ok. Most, if not all, of this series is over the top, although enjoyable nonetheless. I think there are more murders per capita in Pine Springs, and particularly associated with our now rather extended group of protagonists, than in Cabot Cove! This entry was even a little more over the top than most, but given that 2020 has been over the top (at this writing a bunch of sand from the Sahara is heading across the ocean)...I just went with it. And thus I enjoyed the book,even though the next in the series was much better.

31. Anointest My Head With Oil Debbie Viguié Thi entry worked better for me than the last one. It was still very intense, and our crew still gets into an inordinate amount of dangerous situations , somehow it seemed more believable. And as the author runs out of phrases in Psalm 23, some plot points are beginning to move towards some expected (or at least hoped-for) conclusions.

32. Rhats! (Takamo Universe) Kerry Nietz Good world-building. It took me the first chapter or so, but I felt like a Rhat, which was a rather depressing thing to feel like, at first. But our hero, I think, is on his way to becoming more than he is. This book was short, but the second is longer and will give even more chance for development.

33. The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures Library of Congress This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it a lot. This book gives a history of the cataloging of books to build up to the history of and cataloging of books in the Library of Congress. It was interesting, especially as there were pictures of items in the collection with their corresponding cards. Although the emphasis was on the cataloging of the library of Congress, Melvil Dewey was mentioned and I was surprised there was not at least a brief section on his alternate method of cataloging.

34. Igraine the Brave Cornelia Funke
I would have enjoyed this more when I was younger, but it was a pleasant read. There were some interesting elements, such as singing books of magic, and the frustration of people who try to follow the rules confronting people who don't. I will be keeping it for my granddaughter to grow into.

35. Black Orchids Rex Stout Not perhaps my favorite in the series, but you cannot go far wrong with a Nero Wolfe mystery. There are two tales in this book, tied together by the black orchids, which had me googling for images. I may have blinked, but thinking back I cannot think of the motivation for the second murder. I may have to leaf back through. I would binge-read these for a while, as they are relatively short books and never boring, but there are many other things on my TBR and I try to keep it mixed up a bit. I plan to hit two or three more sometime before next year, though.

36. Rhats Too! (Takamo Universe) Kerry Nietz This entertaining space adventure left me hoping for another book in the series. The characters are developing, but I feel there are still more stories to be told. These books are part of a larger project that includes books by other authors and some sort of game, but I enjoyed them without knowing anything about the rest of the Takamo Universe.

37. Mistress Pat L.M. Montgomery I know some L.M. Montgomery fans don't care as much for this duo as for some of her other works, but I found them quite satisfying. There is a sort of simple, overlying story, but the strength of the book is in the short stories of the incidents that make up everyday life and the histories of Pat's family and neighbors. The almost inevitable conclusion was eventually reached, though not without looking that it might not be. And a few unexpected things happened along the way.

38. Revenge at the Rodeo Gilbert Morris Although I didn't enjoy the venue as much--I'm not big on rodeos--they mystery was still pretty good. I appreciated that the book addressed how much one should or shouldn't modify behavior to "fit in" to where one needs to be.

39. The Chronological Life of Christ Mark E. Moore I liked it. The language was a little informal in spots, and that may eventually date the book a bit. But it is very accessible while maintaining good scholarship. Not much was new to me, but I did pick up a few things to include in my classes.

40. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels J. Warner Wallace This book made me miss my dad--I think he would have found it interesting. This is apologetics presented as examining the gospel accounts as a cold-case detective would. I makes some aspects of apologetics accessible and interesting to the general public. Comparisons with things that have come up in the author's own cold-case investigations as a police officer make it easy to understand, but there is still plenty of solid material here. Serious students will want to investigate even further, but this is a good introduction.

41. The Summer of the Great-Grandmother Madeleine L'Engle I wondered a little at the beginning of this book if now was really the right time to read it. A close friend had just lost his dad, and I am afraid that my mom is starting to not remember things properly and to get muddled more easily. But I carried through. It is a beautiful book, full of laments and fond memories of the before, honest expressions of difficult and mixed emotions, and through it all a sense of family and the great support that can be found and given there.

42. People of the Book Geraldine Brooks The interesting back-history of a beautifully and untipically decorated book, the Sarajevo Haggadah, which necessarily gives perspective on the history of the People of the Book, as well. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as The Weight of Ink, which shares some similarities with this book, but it was still well worth reading. I felt one character was perhaps too overdrawn, but perhaps there really are people like that.

43. The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club Wanda E. Brunstetter Besides the Perils in Space trilogy, I am not big on Amish fiction. But I picked this up a while back because it looked interesting. And it was--not great literature, perhaps, but a pleasant read, and I kept reading just a bit more because I really did want to see what happened to the characters. Yes, there were a few unlikely coincidences, but strange things do happen sometimes, so I will suspend my disbelief and enjoy.

44. The Brontë Plot Katherine Reay This is one of the books put out by Christian publishers that include uplifting themes, but barely brush on overt Christianity. That's fine, there is definitely a place for this type of book also. Although the premise was perhaps a bit improbable, the story was entertaining, especially for anyone who loves books and appreciates the Brontës.

45. Mark of the Raven Morgan L. Busse I started listening to this book from AudiobooksSYNC and then realized that I have owned the Kindle edition for a while. It was good, good enough fro me to buy the next in the series. Some of Selene's meditating over the morality of using her gift seemed a little repetitive, but then again, it would be on her mind quite a bit, I suppose. The world building was very good. This is also Christian fiction, but as a fantasy one doesn't expect it to be particularly overt, not even allegorically, but more nevertheless there was enough recognizable for me to wonder, before I identified it as a book I already owned, if it was a Christian fantasy.

46. Funeral in Blue Anne Perry Oliver Rathbone was not in this one, even though there still was a trial scente. It was a good entry, as it departed for the pattern not only in this aspect, but also in having part of the investigation take place in Vienna. Gambling, especially the involvement of females in, and prejudice against Jews were two other themes she seldom mentions.

47. The Bookman’s Tale Charlie Lovett Ok. The story I loved. It wasn't quite as over-the-top as a Dan Brown novel, but at one point it had some of that flavor of being on a quest while being hunted. However, I found some of the language very offensive and totally unnecessary. Basically only one character was foul-mouthed, and for no apparent reason. And even so it wasn't so much the words, although they were bad enough, but the pairing of those words with the name of Jesus. I have two more books by the author on my Kindle, and I really hope the author did not make the same choice in them. If so, I may not get them read, which story-wise would be a real shame. We knew things the main characters didn't, and still there were some good plot twists to make what we knew and what they knew come together. Because of seeing the history of a book (Pandesto, on which Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale is based) occurs in alternative sections with the story of the main characters, it was also a good book pairing with People of the Book.

48. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions Gregory Koukl
I am of two minds about this book. It did have good ideas about how to engage in meaningful disagreement without being argumentative or ugly. Basically, it is an introduction to identifying and pointing out logical fallacies. Yet at times, although I think the author tried to avoid it and to clarify that he didn't mean it in that way, I felt a hint of condescension or at times of manipulation. Obviously, one is trying to guide people to truth, but I think an organic conversation is going to have more variables present, and that people nowadays are not particularly interested in being logical if it goes against what they "believe" (sometimes it is something they truly do believe; but sometimes it is just what they have picked up from popular culture without analyzing all aspects of the question). He only really mentions negative reactions at the end. All in all, some useful guidelines, but still challenging for us introverts.