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

I love November. And that is because it is the beginning of summer fruit season here in Australia. Berries start emerging. Mangoes appear everywhere. Figs are putting out their first flush. Cherries start appearing in boxes on the roadside. It's glorious.

So in celebration of me hunting down my first tray of mangoes of the season, let's pay homage to the weird and wonderful fruits of the world.

Head to https://www.generatormix.com/random-f... when you are ready to play.
Only click the link once, you get what you get. And I recommend screenshotting or writing this down, as if you visit the link again it will give you a new random list.

This will generate a list of six random fruit for you like this:


Then, read a book that ties into one of those fruits some how. So for example from the above:
• Marionberries - I could read a book published in 1956, the same year the Marionberry was released to the market after it's development.
• Mangosteens - These are Lexx's favourite fruit in the world. So I could read The Library at Mount Char which is one of his favourite books he has been on at me for years to read.
• Quince - I could read One Wild Dawn as the author's last name is Quince.
• Crab Apple - I could read a book with a crab apple tree on the cover.
• Tamarillo - I could read Tamarillo Tart with the fruit in the title.
• Star Apple - I could read a book set in Panama which is where star apples come from.

Share your random assignments (if you can share a screenshot so we can all learn, awesome. If not, a list is fine), what you decide to read and what the link is, and then when you report the read tell us what you thought of it.

No cheating, go generate some fruit!

General Rules:

1. The book may be in any format - paperback, ebook, audiobook.
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge and the Group Themed Read.
3. The book must be read between November 1 - November 31, 2023 (based on your local time zone).
4. The challenge is for one book. You may read more books if you chose but you may only report one.
5. The book must be 175 pages or more determined by the issue you read.

In the case of ebooks & audiobooks, use the hardcover or paperback edition to determine page length. From the book page, select “all editions”, then select the first paper edition as your guide. If reading an ebook and there is no paper edition, the ebook book must be at least 250 pages. If reading an audiobook and there is no paper edition, your book must be a minimum of 6 hours long.

Tell me in your reporting post:

Your WOF Name
What you read?
What fruit did you generate?
What fruit did you choose and how does the book link?
What you thought of the book

WoF Marnie

I read The Grace Year 416 pages

My choices were peach, tamarind, honeydew, avocado, apple or dragonfruit

I chose apple. This book ( compared to The Handmaid’s Tale v Lord of the Flies) had religious undertones. The sins of Eve is even discussed and The Bible tells of Eve and her apple. According to Wikipedia, Norse mythology recognizes apples as a sign of fertility which was discussed also in this story.

I gave it 3 stars because while I enjoyed reading it I ended up with a sore throat from screaming “Booooo the patriarchy.” Also the ending didn’t have the big reckoning I think the story needed.

WoF AnneFindsJoy

My choices were: custard apple, peach, gooseberry, fig, star fruit, honeydew.

I chose star fruit..I linked it to star as in celebrity, so i read the memoir of Britney Spears.
The Woman in Me

I gave the book 4 stars. I appreciated that Britney could finally tell her story. While it may not be a complete picture, it was enough to show what a challenging time she's had in so many ways. In particular the conservatorship seemed a raw deal.. so harshly enforced by her father controlling so much of her life, and it went on for way too long. The writing in the book showed her to be introspective, owning up to her own parts, and looking ahead with positivity. The writing is polished - there was a ghost writer, so the reader has to trust that it was an authentic portrayal of Britney's own voice. What does seem clear is that she deserves to have her independence back, and I hope that her future will be a lot easier than her past.

WoF Almeta



I chose to read for banana, a name adopted by the author of
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto 208 pages

This is the same author who wrote Kitchen. I like her "study" of different character responses to grief and other emotions.

WoF Fiona

I read To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise.

One of the fruits I got was the Cherimoya (custard apple). On this picture you can see that it looks like it has thorns (at least I think so). The link is that there is Thorn in the title/the MC's last name is Thorn.


I really liked the book, it was funny, dramatic and had some spice. I'm already excited to read the second book in the series.

WoF Katrisa
My fruits were surinam cherry, currant, star fruit, honeyberry, plantain, and akee
I chose the star fruit and read a book by a celebrity (a star)
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
It was a good read - kind of sad really. It is easy to judge celebrities and forget that they are human beings. I am glad for her that she is free from the conservatorship.

Fiona wrote: "WoF Fiona

I read To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise.

One of the fruits I got was the Cherimoya (custard apple). On this picture you can see that it looks like it..."

Fiona, I am really sorry, but I am not going to accept this. Custard apples don't have thorns, they are like globe artichokes and have big leaves.

I understand your reasoning, and the leaf ends do go black and look a bit spiky. But a quick google would have told you this.

Completely understand there are going to be things you don't know about and aren't familiar with in this challenge, it's part of the fun. But going to be a bit firm and a meanie here.

WoFSharonBiskit

My fruits were Grape, Juniper Berry, Pear, Miracle Fruit, Cherimoya, and Honeyberry.

I chose the Honeyberry. One of its characteristics is that it is a fruit grown in Northern climes where it is cold and is a hardy fruit.

I read A Blizzard of Polar Bears. This book takes place in a northern clime where it is quite cold. . Residents in this area are hardy. The main character, Alex, certainly is a hardy woman.

This is the second book in the series. The first book was about wolverines and this book is about the issues affecting polar bears. It was a good read. I am enjoying this series so far.

WoF Name - Lanelle

Here's what I got:
Dragon fruit
Boysenberry
Lychee
Goji berry
Strawberry
Pine berry - first identified in South America around 2002

I decided to read Last Scene Alive for pine berry. It was first published in 2002.

This book is #7 in the Aurora Teagarden mystery series. It's a solid addition. Aurora is recovering from the events that happened in the previous book. Lots of action, character growth, and at least two mysteries that need to be solved. Not quite 4 stars. More like 3.75 stars :)

WoF Roz

I got the following fruits:

1. Lime, 2. Fig, 3. Jabuticaba, 4. Raisin, 5. Elderberry, 6. Jostaberry

I decided to read Lime Kiln Road for lime.

I have to start by saying this book has some gory parts. But it came with a strong endorsement from Matthew FitzSimmons whose books I've enjoyed reading. It was suspenseful, and although I thought at the start I knew "who did it", I was glad at the end that I didn't figure out the whole story, there were some surprises. 4 stars

Wof Anna M

My fruits were Jostaberry, Pineapple, Pineberry, Guava, Mango, Soursop

I chose the jostaberry it was released to the public in 1977, and read In the Flesh first published in 1977.

I enjoy this book, The story is a slice of life tale that portrays a happy marriage until the husband starts questioning whether he wants to remain with his family. + Funny and lovable main character, great writing style.

WoF Cherie

My fruits were:
1. Coconut 2. Kiwifruit 3. Jackfruit
4. Star fruit 5. Avocado 6. Salmonberry

I chose the Avocado, because I had a book in mind that had cover colors that reminded me of avocado trees, but I could not find it. I entered "star" on my list of books that I owned and it came up with Summary of The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig: Conversation Starters, which I got free, thinking that it was the actual book, The Midnight Library. As I read the summary (which gave away the whole story line), I realized that the MC was a single woman named Nora Seed. Well, avocados have a single seed and that is the first thing you see when you cut an avocado open. It was karma.

I enjoyed the story and the story concept. The story was about the multi-verse of your lives that exist if one believes in the parallel universes theory. The MC gets to visit multiple ones via the Midnight Library, but I will not tell you why. This is the first book that I have read by Matt Haig but I have two others on my TBR list.

WoF Silver

My choices were: Jubejube
Redcurrant
Kiwano
Salal Berry
Raisin
White sapote
Damsel

I choose to use Salal Berrry. Salal was an important part of the Native American diet so I choose to read a book about Native Americans.

I read She Who Remembers by Linda Lay Shuler

The book tells the story of Kiwani a woman born with unusual blue eyes. Because of this she was driven from her tribe accused of witchcraft. She embarks on a harrowing journey to find family, home, and acceptance. I quite enjoyed the book. I found the story rather compelling. Kiwani was a strong, independent heroine. I enjoyed the insights to Native American spirituality. It was also interesting getting a backstory on the famous Kokopelli figure.

WoF Vicki

I got these fruits:
Marionberry
Blueberry
Akee
Cherimoya (Custard Apple)
Jostaberrry
White Sapote

I used the blueberry and read a book with a blue cover.

I read The Night Swim and I enjoyed it. The MC is a true crime podcast host and is doing a story of a current trial in a resort town. Meanwhile, a traumatized podcast fan asks for help with a cold case that looks increasingly similar to the current case. Sprinkled throughout are podcast chapters that were nice deescalating cleansers. Super heavy subject matter, check trigger warnings around rape but I think it was really well done and also lightly touched on some other topics like the voyeurism around trials and podcasts and how just the accusation can ruin a life, and of course the violence against women in a lot of different forms.

WoF Aya

I got Elderberry, Jambul, Melon, Kumquat, and Cloudberry.

I chose Jambul, which is native to India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. And read a book set in Indonesia.

I read Di Tanah Lada and I have a mix feelings about it. The MC is a 6 years old girl who likes reading a dictionary. I think the author had succeeded in narrating children's logic, though I have to admit that she's too mature at some part. The book is both funny and ironic. Funny how she describe her dad and almost everything. But ironic because she thinks that every dad is bad and cruel. It is sad to think that someone becomes sceptical from the early age, to doubt her parents' love, and never feel happy. Sadder because of such incompetent adults, she has to make her own decision to find happiness.

WoF - Lynn

Read: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Fruit List: Jujube, Jambul, Persimmon, Mulberry, Dragonfruit, Lemon
Fruit Link: Went with Lemon (honestly wish I'd gone with Dragon now!), and Lemon is in the title of the book, and on the cover, and mentions so many times in the book
Thoughts: Not a fan I'm afraid. The same conversation and plot were repeated over and over again for so much of the book. There was very little plot line on the actual Syrian conflict and a huge part on the romance and I was just bored.

WoF - Janice

I chose Buddha's Hand and read The Shadows




The hand on the cover of the Shadows is similar to what Buddha's Hand looks like.

Does anyone remember the season in Dallas that was passed off as a dream so that the one character didn't die and how everyone was ticked off? That's how I feel about this book.

Janice wrote: "WoF - Janice

I chose Buddha's Hand and read The Shadows




The hand on the cover of the Shadows is similar to what Buddha's Hand looks like.

Does ..."


LOL, Janice! What a great write up for a story plot. Yes, I definitely remember the dream plot season. I felt SO RIPPED OFF! By the way, I think I saw on Facebook that it was Linda Evan's birthday last week. She is 81.

Janice wrote: "WoF - Janice

I chose Buddha's Hand and read The Shadows




The hand on the cover of the Shadows is similar to what Buddha's Hand looks like.

Does ..."

Oh, that's funny! I hate when things are passed off as a dream or some other lame excuse.

I read this one and enjoyed it well enough. I think it was 3.5 stars for me, but I was well aware of the lucid dreaming aspect and had very low expectations for it going in because of that, so maybe that affected my enjoyment of the book. Plus, I tend to like North's writing style, so that helped too.

If kind of made me think of the movie Flatliners. It went nowhere as did the lucid dreaming.

Hmmm... I saw Flatliners. Don't remember it. I see your point.

WoF Jayme

I chose Longan and read Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See.




The Longan is native to tropical Asia and China and my book takes place in China.
I haven't been a fan of Lisa See's latest books, but this book was great. See brings to life the little known history of a woman Chinese doctor in the 15th century. The history and culture of China was fascinating. It was a 5 star read and I highly recommend.

WoF: Kristie

The fruits I generated:


I chose Grapes and decided to read The Charisma Myth for its white cover because grapes have a white variety, as shown in the picture.

I thought the book was really good. I found it interesting regarding ways to stay focused in the moment and settle your internal critic, etc. There were activities to try, but I was unable to do them because I listened to the audio. (I don't think shutting my eyes for a minute and imagining anything is a good idea while driving...) I did find the information interesting enough to request the library book so that I could try the activities and take my time with it a little more. I'm hoping to absorb more of the information by reviewing it this way.

Once again, I forget to post mine. WOF Rusalka

My fruit:


I chose Kiwano which is native to south and central Africa. I read The Hairdresser of Harare which is set in Harare, Zimbabwe which is one of the countries the kiwano grows and is eaten.

I didn't love this book. I found it a bit predictable and judgmental. However, on reflection I realised I read this book from a very privileged, Australian, white perspective. This doesn't mean I enjoyed it, it means I realised that this was written from an experience I didn't have. So there is an appreciation of displaying a perspective that I feel is true although for me hard to understand.

Badges are posted. Sorry for the delay. December got away from me with being sick.