You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I am going to be 100% honest. I have found it really hard this week to think of something fun. It's been a little full on. And that is okay, but I do apologise for this challenge coming a little later than I usually would post one.

But reflecting on what the hell is going on at the moment, really made me think about what I am happy about at the moment. And that is I am at the tail end of summer here in Aus, and I have the jauntiest bunch of sunflowers on my back fence who are greeting me every day with their happy massive faces (as long as those damn possums don't eat them over night) and particularly against the rainy days we are having at the moment in SE Aus.

So - Let's celebrate small wins! Let's focus on the sunflowers and their stupid exuberance! Let's remember that small tiny seeds, can turn into 2m tall plants with 12 flowers the size of dinner plates, and as a metaphor with what is going on, we don't forget that us as tiny humans can bloom wonderful things even when we feel small and useless.

And if you can have a lovely, escapist read this month too - bonus :D No points this month, just make sure you read.

Read a book that fits one of the following requirements:
• Cover is 80% or more yellow. Please check your cover on http://labs.tineye.com/color/
• Set in Mexico, Ukraine, or Brazil - sunflowers originate from, have innovative production methods, or sunflowers are their floral emblem.
• Cover has a bee on it - sunflowers attract beneficial pollinators.
• Has dual timelines - due to the fact you have the massive sunflower petals on the outside of the flower, but also the middle of the flower are actually tiny tiny little individual flowers.
• 75% is set in summer.
• Cover has a sun on it.

General Rules:

1. The book may be in any format - paperback, ebook, audiobook.
2. The book must be read between March 1 and March 31, 2022 (based on your local time zone).
3. The challenge is for one book. You may read more books if you chose but you may only report one.
4. The book must be 175 pages or more determined by the issue you read.

Thanks Rusalka. :)

I read A Bad Day for Sunshine which has a sun on the cover. It's reflected in the lenses of the sunglasses. Gives a whole new meaning to "sun" glasses.

The story was light and easy to read. There was lots of snark which made me chuckle throughout.

WoF Name - Lanelle

I read The Secrets of Wishtide. It's cover is 84.2% yellow.

While the writing is good and the mystery was intriguing, it felt like I was reading book two of the series and not the first. The author brought up previous mysteries and difficulties that the main character solved. Other than that annoying issue, I enjoyed the book.

WoF Stacy SP

I read The Sky Unwashed which is set in Ukraine. I found it on a list of Ukrainian literature. It tells a story of people that lived in a village near Chernobyl and what happened to them after the disaster. I gave it five stars because I found I couldn't put it down. Definitely not an escapist read but this book was really well written and I think the story will stay with me for a long time.

WoF - Lynn

I read It Must Be Love for the dual timelines prompt.

An emotional second chance romance, that was a tad too melodramatic and angsty for my taste, but overall an enjoyable read.

I really wish that the author hadn't chosen to write a third person involved in the romance, or at least mentioned it in the synopsis, as there was emotional (if not physical) cheating involved. Despite this, there was still an eventful plot with well written characters and believable struggles of grief and family expectations.

I also read A Bad Day for Sunshine (cover has a sun on it, reflected in sunglasses). I enjoyed this book. There are many story lines within the book, but the author mostly keeps them untangled, and they all get resolved in the end. I like the main characters very much. Thanks to Janice for bringing this book to my attention.

It was a fun read and a great balance to the stress in the world right now. I'm glad you enjoyed it Casceil.

WoF SharonBiskit

I read Golden Girl which fits the prompt “takes place in summer 75%”. 100% of this book takes place in the summer from June until Labor Day.

I can sometimes take or leave Erin Hilerrbrand. I am not always a fan of the “romance” bent of her books. I do confess to a love of reading about Nantucket Island and hope to visit one day as it’s on my bucket list.

This book is a bit different than some she has written. Vivi, a mom of 51 and a successful author, is hit by a car and dies one morning early on. (This is really not a spoiler as we find this out on the synopsis.) The book is mostly about Vivi in a sort of “waiting room” and we follow her story as she follows her children, ex husband, best friend, and others as they adjust to her death. It isn’t at all sad, mostly poignant and redemptive. Although there is a touch of romance here and there, that is not really the focus of the book, and that is refreshing. The ending leaves us with the sense that Vivi moves on and those left behind will heal and come together as they face the future. It was not preachy at all. I enjoyed the story.

WoF - Odette

I read The Diary by Vikki Patis as this book has dual timelines.

The 10th anniversary of Hannah's death forces Lauren to return home to her father and the village she grew up in for a special commemoration service. Something felt not right, Lauren was receiving threatening messages and did not trust her old friends.

The book is set in the past (10 years ago) and the present. The chapters are alternating, titled 'then' and 'now'. Though sometimes a past incident would creep up in the 'now' chapters

This book exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed the mystery and the style of writing which drew me in. Though it involved a difficult topic, I felt it was done in a meaningful way. The characters developed well and grew in stength over the 10 years.

WoF Jayme

I read The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia. This book is set in Mexico, has three bees on the cover and is a lovely shade of yellow.

The book that I read was a translation from the original Spanish novel, so I thought going in that I would miss something, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is one of the most lyrical and beautifully written stories that I have read. The author was able to weave magical realism with historical fiction and make it work. I am so glad that I finally got around to reading this book - solid 4 stars.

WofF TrudyAn

I read The Bees (has a bee on the cover, setting is at least 75% during summer). The novel's concept was unique, the story imaginative, and I learned many things about the inner workings of a beehive. However, I seldom enjoy novels with anthropomorphized creatures, and this was no exception.

WoF Almeta

I read Lake House 17 Mar with dual timelines.

I always get uncomfortable when reading criminal themes involving children. This one though was so twisty/turn-y that I was kept engaged.

WoF Shirley

I read The Colony
It is set in the summer of 1979 on a small island off the coast of Ireland. It is the story of an English artist and a French linguist who come to the island for the summer. Throughout the book there is a thread with the theme of The Troubles.
It’s a beautifully written book.
I read the ebook. The h/c is 385 pages.
I finished it on March 17

WoF Anusha

I read Bridge of Souls fulfilling the prompt: 75% is set in summer.
Read on March 20.
Setting: 4 days in June (summer vacation), New Orleans.
While filming their paranormal TV show, Cassidy's parents arrive in New Orleans. Here, she has to hunt or be hunted by supernatural creatures while saving everyone she loves.
It has been a while since a middle-grade book kept me engaged. It was a nice wrap to the series.

I listened to

WoF margo

I listened to Plain Bad Heroines and thought I'd never get to the end of it! I didn't like the narration and the plot, which promised a lot, didn't deliver. There was just hinted at on fir me to keep decide to tough it out for one more chapter, and then another to the point where I was so committed that I had to carry one but if I could only get those 19 hours back I'd do it in a heartbeat!

How it fit the challenge: it was set in duel timelines. About 100 years ago two girls died horribly in a prestigious new England school. In the contemporary timeline there is film being made about the incident.

WOF Marie57 Uk

I read res around the murder
The book fits the theme of yellow cover

This is a book told by multiple voices and centres around the murder / possibly lawful killing of a man intending to bomb a primary school.

I got it from Netgalley It has some great write ups with a rating approaching 4.
I found it really hard going I felt that the characters were indistinct and the whole strangely one dimensional.

WoF Aya

I read The Saturday Night Ghost Club which set in summer holiday (85%) and has a dual timelines (1980 and present day)

This slice of life story is fun to read, but kinda plain, until I've reached the climax part in which I could finally understand the connection and how gloomy the backstory is. Though this one part is stood out, the rest was so-so. I gave it 3.5 stars, expecting it'd be better than this.

WoF:Ashley

I read Klara and the Sun

There is a sun on the cover.

I enjoyed the book. The narrator is Klara, an AF (artificial friend) who is learning about people and the world around her. We get to see the differences in how humans and robots think. Interesting read, it makes you wonder about the benefits/consequences of AI and technology, can AI be truly self aware and what that means. Lots to think about.

Tammy wrote: "I listened to "

What you think, Tammy?
And how does it fit the challenge?

WoF annerlee

I read Billy Summers by Stephen King an.d lov.ed it. Awarded a full 5 stars.

The book has a dual timeline, current events and events looking back to the Iraq war (Fallujah)

Billy Summers

It was a good thriller with lots going on and with relatable characters. I especially liked echoes to themes in Kings other books - a photo of a hotel that may or not be haunted, an author as a main character, the idea of multiple worlds existing side by side that an author can reach out to.

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump so far this year, so I’m glad to have finished (and enjoyed) this one.

I listened on audiobook. The narrator was awesome too! Hardcover edition has 515 pages

WoF - Katrisa

I chose Our Native Bees: North America’s Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them
My book was audio and this is the cover


It has bees on it. The hardcover page count is 224

My hubs is a sustainable farmer so we are all about pollinators that aren't honey bees! We listened to this book on the way home from our trip to Santa Fe for my spring break. It was very interesting and I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about pollinators! :)

WoF Peggy

I read Fiercombe Manor for dual timeline. I rated it 3.5 stars.

I always enjoy dual timeline books and it's been a while since I read one (or at least it feels that way). I've owned this one for ages so I'm glad I finally got round to it!

I enjoyed it, especially in the beginning I found it intriguing and hard to put down. However, at some point I felt like it started to drag a bit and it wasn't as interesting as before. Then there was a bit of romance that the book could have done without which made the ending also rather predictable.

Wof Emma R.

I read The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan for set during the summer. The majority of the book takes place during the summer, with a few flashbacks to unspecified seasons.

WoF Roz

I read The Music of Bees. There are honeybees on the cover.

I thought it was well written and had characters the reader could care about. It wasn't just about beekeeping, although it was the foundation for the story. Rather I felt it was about how life can blindside you and knock you down. It's about lifting yourself up, and finding a new purpose, turning things around and being true to yourself. I rated it 3 stars.

WoF: Kristie

I read Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life . The cover is 94.4% yellow per tineye.

No escapism here. I was hoping for something to help me stay on task and avoid some of the rabbit holes I've been going down lately. Not sure if this will help, but it had some interesting ideas. I think it would be difficult for most people to put all his recommendations in place as you would have to be pretty regimented, but some of the science is interesting and making a few of his suggested changes would likely be beneficial to many people.

WoF - Jenn

I read People We Meet on Vacation, which is set in summer of a 12 year time span.

It was fun to romp around the world with Poppy and Alex, watching them grow as people. It was a little jarring, bouncing forwards and backwards through their twelve years of history, but it all came clear in the end. Fairly light, and fluffy, but still had some decent substance.

WoF Grainne

I read The Music of Bees


I read The Music of Bees. It has bees on the cover. It was a sweet book about strangers who are overcoming grief, circumstance, and/or a criminal record. They become friends when they begin to work on a honeybee farm. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Badges have been posted everyone. Sorry for the delay this month. Please let me know if I accidentally missed you.

I'm sorry to be a pain Rusalka, but it looks like the other Stacy got a free badge lol 🤔

Oh my! I am sorry! All fixed now, thanks for letting me know

No worries, thank you, it's a lovely badge =)