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

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Badge 1 Help
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Badge 1 - Themes - 15 books (view spoiler)[🌞B - Books about books What You Are Looking For Is in the Library 🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞C - Childhood - Impossible Creatures 🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞D - Dogs - The Twelve Dogs of Christmas🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞F - Fantasy - Somewhere Beyond the Sea 🔤🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞G - Ghosts - The September House 🔤🔤🔤
🌞H - History - Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time 🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞L - Love - The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern 🔤🔤
🌞M - Mythology - Babylonia 🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞N - Nature - Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures 🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞 P - Pirates - The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi 🔤🔤🔤
🌞R - Religion - Outgrowing God: A Beginner's Guide 🔤🔤🔤
🌞S - Survival - The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder 🔤🔤🔤🔤
🌞T - True Crime - The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession 🔤🔤🔤
🌞V - Villainy - The Villain Edit 🔤🔤🔤
🌞W - Women - The Women 🔤🔤🔤🔤 (hide spoiler)]
Badge 2 - Titles - 25 Books (view spoiler)[
🌷A -The Astronaut and the Star
🌷B - Black Woods, Blue Sky
🌷C - The Connellys of County Down
🌷D - Definitely Better Now
🌷E - Elbow Room
🌷F - Fate of the Fallen
🌷G - Gone to Pot
🌷H - How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water
🌷I - I Think We've Been Here Before
🌷J - Jennie
🌷K - The Karma Map
🌷L - The Lost Story
🌷M - Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame
🌷N - North Woods
🌷O - Olivia Strauss Is Running Out of Time
🌷P - Pride of Lancashire
🌷Q - The Quiet American
🌷R - The Ragged Edge of Night
🌷S - The Stolen Queen
🌷T - The Teller of Small Fortunes
🌷U - Under the Golden Sun
🌷V - Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
🌷W - The Wedding People
🌷Y - Your Perfect Year
🌷Z - Zorrie (hide spoiler)]
Badge 3 - Female Authors 25 Books (view spoiler)[🌴A - Annie Hartnett - The Road to Tender Hearts
🌴B - Geraldine Brooks - Memorial Days
🌴C - Georgia Clark - Most Wonderful
🌴D -Danzy Senna - Colored Television
🌴E - Ashley Elston - First Lie Wins
🌴F - Fiona Davis - The Spectacular
🌴G - Xóchitl González - Anita de Monte Laughs Last
🌴H - Emily Henry - Great Big Beautiful Life
🌴I - Syou Ishida - We'll Prescribe You a Cat
🌴J - Darynda Jones - A Bad Day for Sunshine
🌴K - Kim Fay -Love & Saffron
🌴L - Lindsay Currie - The Girl in White
🌴M - Liz Moore - The God of the Woods
🌴N - Namrata Patel - The Candid Life of Meena Dave
🌴O - Jenny OffillStories|128713517] Dept. of Speculation
🌴P - Jayne Anne Phillips - Night Watch
🌴Q - Mindy Quigley - Public Anchovy #1
🌴R - Rebecca Serle - In Five Years
🌴S - Maggie Stiefvater - The Listeners
🌴T - Tess Gerritsen - The Summer Guests
🌴U - Loung Ung - First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
🌴V - Victoria Christopher Murray The Personal Librarian
🌴W - Sarah Winman - Tin Man
🌴Y - Sonja Yoerg - True Places
🌴Z -Zoulfa Katouh - As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (hide spoiler)]

Badge 4
List 3 - Male Authors🥸
🥸A - Kaveh Akbar - Martyr!
B - Ben Shattuck - The History of Sound - own
🥸C - Matt Cain - Becoming Ted
D - The Way Life Should Be by William Dameron- kindle or Dan Brown The Secret of Secrets - library
🥸E - Hal Ebbott Among Friends
🥸F - Fredrik Backman - My Friends
🥸G - Mike Gayle - The Museum of Ordinary People
H - Adam Haslett - Mothers and Sons or Nathan Harris - Amity
🥸I - Michael Idov - The Collaborators
J - Jason Mott by People Like Us
🥸K - John Kenney - I See You've Called in Dead
🥸L - Lloyd Alexander - The Book of Three
🥸M - Matt Haig - The Midnight Library
🥸N - Nevil Shute - Pied Piper
O - or Ocean Vuong The Emperor of Gladness - own
🥸P -Richard Powers - Playground
🥸Q - Spencer Quinn - Dog on It
🥸R - Richard Osman - The Man Who Died Twice
🥸S - Simon Van Booy - Sipsworth
T - Tommy Orange - Wandering Stars - own
U -Luis Alberto Urrea - Into the Beautiful North - own
V - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
🥸W - Andy Weir - Project Hail Mary
🥸Y - Brian Yansky - The Librarian of the Haunted Library
🥸Z - Zeyn Joukhadar - The Thirty Names of Night

1. Badge 1, Book 1
2. Theme List, Task G: Ghosts
3. Link – The September House by Carissa Orlando
4. Read HB, 352 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of Ghosts.
6. There are so many ghosts haunting this house that I lost track. "Ghosts" also shows as a MPG.
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Will you sleep tonight?

Janice wrote: "Will you sleep tonight?"

Hahaha I am off to find a funny rom/com.

1. Badge 1, Book 2
2. Theme List, Task V: Villains
3. Link – The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore
4. Read e-book, 336 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of Villains.
6. This was an interesting look at how realty shows create their "villain" through editing to entice and gain viewers/ratings.
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That sounds interesting. Begs the question - who's the villain?

1. Badge 1, Book 3
2. Theme List, Task P: Pirates
3. Link – The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
4. Read HB, 483 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of pirates.
6. This was the story of a retired female pirate captain who gets her crew back together to rescue a teenage girl from a magic seeking demon wannabe.
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Ghosts, Villains and Pirates - what a way to start the new year :)

Oh! I have this book slated for the challenge under titles. Did you enjoy it?

I thought it was good - a bit long, and would have liked to have known more about the secondary characters. I just realized that this is going to be a trilogy (but the book works as a stand alone - no cliff hanger ending), so maybe we will find out more about them. Bottom line - I'm glad I read it.

Wow Jayme, you're off to a flying start!

Seems The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ticks a lot of boxes. There is a waiting list in my library unfortunately, not available till May! I'm struggling with Villainy (is something a grifter would say LOL). I might steal your idea and read The Villain Edit.

I'll be listening to it on audiobook which I tend to prefer for longer books.

I'm trying to read as much as I can over the next couple of months because reading time will come to a screeching halt beginning the 1st of March when Francis Land House historic garden opens up and my time is devoted into getting the garden squared away and planted for the season. The house has been closed to the public for renovations the last 5 years, but will open in June so the educational garden will open again and that just means busy busy busy.

Exciting stuff! Lucky it's not me doing the gardening, the only things that don't die in my garden are the weeds ;-)

1. Badge 1, Book 4
2. Theme List, Task C: Childhood
3. Link – Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
4. Read HB, 368 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of childhood.
6. This was the story of two kids who set off on an unplanned adventure to the magical Archipelago to save the magical creatures from extinction. Middle Grade and Children's are also MPG.
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I put that on my audible wishlist after Marnie posted for the same task. I may have to up the priority on it.

1. Badge 1, Book 5
2. Theme List, Task B: Books About Books
3. Link – What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
4. Read HB, 304 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of books about books.
6. This is a collection of 5 stories about different people (though they all are subtly connected) who are at a crossroads in their lives and happen to find direction in books suggested by an unassuming librarian. Books About Books is also MPG.
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1. Badge 1, Book 6
2. Theme List, Task N: Nature
3. Link – Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell
4. Read HB, 224 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of nature.
6. This is a collection of essays about 23 incredible animals currently facing extinction. The author gives us little marvelous facts about the uniqueness of each creature and then the brutal reality of their uncertain existence.
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Sounds interesting.

1. Badge 1, Book 7
2. Theme List, Task S: Surival
3. Link – The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
4. Read HB, 331 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of survival.
6. This story is a testament to survival. Surviving daily life as a sailor in the 1700's was tough enough. But then being shipwrecked and facing starvation, anarchy, teachery and maybe even cannibalism - not a good day or year for a sailor.
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You finished already! I still have a couple of hours to go.

Hi Jayme - I am currently reading Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell for the Childhood task. (view spoiler)[ I just finished the Gelifen chapter where ‘you know what’ happens at the end. I am so sad. (hide spoiler)]
The illustrations in the book are beautiful.

My iPad mini needs to be charged so I‘m going to bed now.

Cherie wrote: "Hi Jayme - I am currently reading Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell for the Childhood task. [spoilers removed]
The illustrations in the book are beautiful.
.."

I loved the book and have pre-orders the next book in the series, but it doesn't come out until September. I know I couldn't believe that happened 🥲

1. Badge 1, Book 8
2. Theme List, Task L: Love
3. Link – The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman
4. Read HB, 320 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of romance.
6. I really liked the idea of the story a geriatric missed love/romance with flashbacks to the 1920's and women finding agency, but the story just dragggged on that at times it seemed like a hardship to pick-up the book to read it.
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1. Badge 1, Book 9
2. Theme List, Task D: Dogs
3. Link – The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane
4. Read ebook, 368 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of dogs.
6. This was a cute holiday rom/com about a woman who's family owns a dog shelter and how they tried to find homes for the last 12 dogs before the shelter closed Jan 1st.
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1. Badge 1, Book 10
2. Theme List, Task F: Fantasy
3. Link – Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
4. Read kindle edition, 406 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of fantasy.
6. This was a delightful story about love, acceptance and wonderful, funny fantastical magical beings. Fantasy is also a MPG
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1. Badge 1, Book 11
2. Theme List, Task T: True Crime
3. Link – The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
4. Read HB, 224 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of True Crime.
6. Fascinating account of Stephane Breitwieser who over the span of 10 years stole more than 1 billion dollars' worth of art and kept it all in his bedroom to love and admire. True Crime is also a MPG
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1. Badge 1, Book 12
2. Theme List, Task R: Religion
3. Link –Outgrowing God: A Beginner's Guide by Richard Dawkins
4. Read HB, 295 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of Religion.
6. In this book Dawkins tries to explains how we have outgrown the belief in God (gods), why the bible is myth and how evolution explains what we once thought were miracles.
🔤🔤🔤

I was considering buying Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists yesterday which is similar in premise I think.

Your book looks interesting too. The book I read looks at it through the lens of a scientist where yours looks at through the lens of a preacher. It would be interesting to see their different takes and how they came to the same conclusion.

1. Badge 1, Book 13
2. Theme List, Task W: Women
3. Link –The Women by Kristin Hannah
4. Read HB, 471 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of Women.
6. This book focuses on the forgotten women nurses of the Vietnam War and the trauma that they faced when they returned.
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I'll be reading the Women next after my current read.

1. Badge 1, Book 14
2. Theme List, Task H: History
3. Link –Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time by Dava Sobel
4. Read PB, 208 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of History.
6. This is a nonfiction book about John Harrison the clockmaker/creator of the chronometer which impacted and changed maritime navigation by giving sailors a way to accurately figure out where they were at sea by using longitude lines. History is also the 1st MPG.
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Looks like you enjoyed it! :)

Janice wrote: "Looks like you enjoyed it! :)"

It was a quick read, but also very aggravating. I felt so bad for Harrison. The astronomers who were part of the board of The Royal Society who he had to present his invention were against a clockmaker winning and beating an astronomer. The hoops that they made him jump through. Urrghh.

That sounds typical and territorial.

1. Badge 1, Book 15
2. Theme List, Task M: Mythology
3. Link – Babylonia by Costanza Casati
4. Read HB, 448 pages
5. Read a book with a theme of History.
6. This book is a weaving of myth and ancient history based on the Diodorus's myth about Semiramis the legendary Queen of Assyria. Myth is the 1st MPG.
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Congrats on finishing the first badge, Jayme! I'm reading Babylonia for that prompt, too.

Woohoo! Congrats. You beat me to the finish line. I have about 2 hours left.

I'll have a beverage waiting for you, Janice!

Thanks. :)

Well done Jayme! I hope to be claiming badge 1 during the toppler.

We'll be waiting for you at the finish line with a nice cool beverage. :)

Ta Janice - Jayme has increased my expectations when it comes to crossing finish lines ;-p

Margo and Janice - you all will fly by me soon enough. I'm trying to read as many as I can during these last few weeks of winter. March 10th I head back into the garden and reading will come to a screeching halt.

1. Badge 2, Book 1
2. Theme Title, Task D
3. Link – Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson
4. Read HB, 352 pages
5. Read a book with a title beginning with the letter D..
6. Definitly Better Now
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I've caught up to you and I hope I'll be posting my badge 2, book 1 today. :)

Wahoo, Janice!!

1. Badge 2, Book 2
2. Theme Title, Task S
3. Link – The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis
4. Read HB, 338 pages
5. Read a book with a title beginning with the letter S.
6. The Stolen Queen
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1. Badge 2, Book 3
2. Theme Title, Task W
3. Link – The Wedding People by Alison Espach
4. Read HB, 384 pages
5. Read a book with a title beginning with the letter W.
6. The Wedding People
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