Gilroy Tries again 2022 -Reading and Life Thread

With the continued pandemic and a lot of other changes in life over the last year, my reading has slacked off. I hate crossing the years with books still active ... but I crossed with three this year. UGH. No increase in numbers for goals, just a push to get reading.

Each book will have an initial post when I start it, then will receive a bulk update of notes from when I finish it. These will be followed by a month summary of all reads. I'm a slow reader, so you'll have to forgive me updating backdated posts. The notes also will go into the reviews. If books cross months, they don't get a new post for the new month, but they also don't get counted until finished.

At the end of the year, I'll do a final goal count post as well as my annual book poll. That poll will also be posted in the new thread.

The hopeful goals:
Total books to read: 45 -- 30 audio, 9 physical, 6 e-books
(Count as of December 31 - 9 audio, 8 physical, 7 e-books)

The current reads:

Audio - {Debating end of year book}
Physical book - Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett

E-book -
(Kindle) Frey by Melissa Wright
(Google Books) 20000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne

Dud Books - Books I attempted to read and gave up:
(Also known as Pearl Rule books)

Wolves of the Northern Rifts by Jon Messenger {Ebook}
History of Things to Come by Duncan Simpson {EBook}

Note on how I designate a dud book:
Unless the book is so horrid of prose/story/cliché that I can't get past the first few pages, I feel the need to give the author at least 50 pages or a third of the book, which ever I can make. This allows for initial bad openings and characters to grow enough. At that point, if I continue to struggle and can't get into the book, I'm done and it becomes a dud. At least that's the plan.

2021 Reading poll :)
Annual Book Poll on Google Forms

Links to all previous year's polls should be on my profile.

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin
Series A Song of Ice and Fire

Started 09/04/021 End 02/01/2022

Thoughts
-- The book has an intriguing storyline, but the cast of characters breaks it up worse than the Wheel of Time series.
-- This book is too easy to set down and walk away from for hours, days, weeks. It's suggests enough violence to make it hard to read when there is a pandemic and political strife everywhere someone turns.
-- Some of these twists were easy to see coming, just because they are hugely telelgraphed. (I've never seen the TV show so that saves me some spoiler moments.) Ned being betrayed, the king being poisoned by the queen and her desperate want of power, the councilor turning on Ned at the last moment. I'm intrigued to see where the author goes with a few characters, but I'd rather each character have a book and go through the full timeline , so each book hits the important points for that character rather than the way it is broken up now.
-- I pushed through to the end (I wrote the above points when I had like 200 pages left) and I was underwhelmed with the story as a whole. I imagine the TV show helped make this book bigger than it actually might be. That being said, I still stand by the fact that the format is not good.
-- To me, Catelyn is a minor character in the story, really not relevant overall. Her POV doesn't add to the story except maybe with her taking of Tyrion Lannister so I'm not 100% sure why she got so much real estate in the book. Jon Snow has a more valid POV. Sansa and Arya are closer to the story than she is. Even if Sansa is merely a puppet and a "silly girl."
-- I can't recommend this book.

Happy New Year!

>4 gilroy: I read the first four volumes of A song of ice and fire when they were released (in paperback), but by the time book 5 finally appeared I realised I would have to reread them all in order to remind myself what had happened. I just couldn't bear to relive all the violence and torment again, so I've abandoned the series. Like you, there were some characters who I found really interesting, but other plotlines I just didn't care about.

>5 Sakerfalcon: Samesies! I stalled out after A Feast for Crows. I picked up a copy of A Dance With Dragons when it came out but didn't read it. At the time, I figured I might attempt the whole thing again once all volumes are published - but it's starting to look as though that may never happen. Frankly, I've pretty much lost interest at this point.

Happy New Year and New Thread, >1 gilroy:!

You guys are all missing out because I thought the 5th book was the best since the 1st. But it doesn't matter because I doubt we'll ever see books 6 and 7. Or if we do it won't be until someone else is hired to complete them a decade or two from now.

I remember the fifth book being released. My friend Rob, who owned "The Loft Bookshop" in Dublin, built a large display with the books, which were more like 9 inch cement blocks than bricks. Rob and I were talking at the counter when a friend of his arrived. Rob had not seen the friend in a long time and after some hellos and long-time-no-sees the friend asked him to give him some guidance on what he should read.

Rob, who is very well read and au fait with many genres, led his friend around the shop pointing out various books that might be of interest and ended up standing in front of the display of Book 5, A Dance with Dragons. "Of course," said Rob, "there is the latest book in The Game of Thrones, just released today. That might be of interest to you."

Rob's friend looked at the stack of books rising about five feet from the floor, and said, "That looks more like a lifestyle choice than a book."

The comments in the earlier posts reminded me of that incident, and I think Rob's friend may have been expressing some similar sentiments to those presented by the previous posters.

>8 pgmcc: This is hilarious. And so spot-on. My son started reading the first book when he was in college. He did NOT have a lot of spare time for reading just for pleasure then, and he doesn't really now. He's been working since he graduated, and now he's working on a Masters degree in engineering in his spare time. I think he is reading book four now.

Happy New Thread/Year.

>4 gilroy: I agree. Far too easy to walk away at the end of each chapter. Even though each chapter itself is very well written and engaging, but the switch to the next character and knowing you don't get back to the one you've just been interested in for ages is a downer. I did read them all - as one massive ebook - but no inclination to re-read.

Planetside by Michael Mammay
Series Planetside

Start 01/15/2022 End 01/17/2022

Thoughts
-- After the slog that was Game of Thrones, this book is a breeze. I don't like to compare books to each other, especially when one is a fantasy and the other a military space mystery, but i can't help it. Yet in just a few hours, I'm already through more than 70 pages and want to read more. Only thing that stopped me was falling asleep in the book.
-- This is a military mystery with some of the usual cliche things - various commands not wanting to work together, stone walling, tech where someone shouldn't be able to tamper ... being tampered, an older veteran being called back by an old buddy to explore an issue that no one else could. I could go on. I think that is part of what makes the read so smooth. Most of the build is easy because it is all old hat.
-- Main character, Butler, is married. Suggested the marriage is happy, but we haven't met the wife yet. We've also met a few other female characters and Butler hasn't reacted in any way other than professional. Not even in his descriptions (so no T&A commentary) which is good.
-- Author is trying to suggest certain characters are part of a major cover up but I'm not buying the suggestion. Incompetent maybe, but not what's suggested.
-- This was better written than I expected, as the surprise twist really did come out well. It didn't really come from out of nowhere, but it also twisted the entire story into a very strange ending. Worth the read. Totally.
-- Some of the characters that I had read as incompetent showed to be more nuanced than I had first expected. Allowing for the MEDCOM vs SPACECOM vs SPECOPS the whole genetic manipulation twist adds something I'd not considered.

I'd recommend this for a mystery lover who also likes military fiction and science fiction.

>11 gilroy: I've got Planetside in my TBR pile. I'll be glad to hear your take on this when you are finished. So far, sounds pretty good.

Naked Heat by Richard Castle
Series Nikki Heat

Start 01/17/2022 End 02/13/2022

Thoughts
-- Again, a change of pace from the previous book. This one I have to read as if I hear Nathan Fillion narrating it, because -- well Castle.
-- I'd be more inclined to call this a spoof of the modern mystery genre, in part because the TV show made such light of the police procedural but also in part because of the way the book is written. It's flowery and a little overly ridiculous of its descriptions. Moreso than I'd normally see in mystery books. But that's part of the fun.
-- A little disappointed that the culprit doesn't really appear in a traceable way until the end of Chapter Six.
-- This book is reading so fast and so interesting that I'm already nearing the end. Still a lot of dangling threads with 70 pages left. But just imagining Nathan Fillion reading this has made it all the more fun. That and hearing Stana Katic whenever Nikki Heat talks.
-- I'm torn on just how much Soleil Gray is actually involved, or if she is a total red herring. Toby Mills also seems like a red herring, though his is more obvious. But Toby's manager feels more like a culprit, much as I hate to say it.
-- One thing I have noticed on this book, maybe I just missed it on the last, the writer has a tendency to switch points of view mid-chapter, sometimes mid-paragraph. And the shift can be a bit jarring, because you're going along with Castle -- No I mean Rook's -- thoughts and suddenly, you're in Nikki's head and I have to backtrack to see where the change happened.
-- Huh. I was more or less right. Guessed it, in a roundabout way. Go figure.
-- Fun book. Not a good one to push through and finish just before bed, but good book.

>13 gilroy: I always "see" Nathan Fillion typing the manuscript as I read the Castle books. Fun indeed.

Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger
Series Magic & Machinery

Start 12/15/2021 End 01/27/2022

Thoughts
-- I'm only a few pages in and I already have this sense that a good editor would have tightened a good chunk of this prose.
-- I feel like this could be a good concept. But the execution leaves much to be desired. There's showing, there's details for details sake, then there's extraneous details that really are pointless unless it's unusual. Specifying that a pencil has a graphite point is only important if you establish that no other pencil in the world you're writing has such a thing.
-- The story has a good germ beneath, but the layers of extensive wordiness just bury the concept. There are also points where the Point of View (POV) shifts mid-paragraph between Simon and Luthor, which tends to come across as jarring. Sadly, I wanted to like this, as I am trying to be a connoisseur of werewolf stories, but this one just falls like a flat dud to the ground. I gave up at the end of Chapter 9.

>11 gilroy: That is not a book that I would normally pick up but you are tempting me. The Devil's Own Luck (by David Donachie) introduced me to the potential of the mystery/military fiction mashup.
(And I am currently in the middle of a Babylon 5 revisit.)

>16 -pilgrim-: I'm not usually into historical fiction but I'll take a look at that one.

So I'm skimming through my old thread and I noticed that I gave limited details on our house situation. Well, since only half that plot line resolved, I'll write a bit more on it.

Old house: We are working to sell it still. *face palm* It's under contract for the 4th time. Looks like this one MIGHT go through. Fingers are crossed. We had put it on the market "As Is" so we didn't have to dump a lot of money into it, thus allowing us to buy the house we wanted with what we saved. Yeah, that didn't happen, though fortunately, the savings we had paid for the repairs on the old house. Our newest closing date is now February 11. (Original closing date was November 30, 2021.)

New House: We signed on the many many lines on November 12th, had movers gather our stuff on November 15th. We've got a little over a third of an acre of land. I can correct myself now from the last assessment -- it is a two car garage. We have both cars parked in there. (which has been a blessing with all these recent snow storms.) In a small way, I feel like we bought above our station, as our house is on a golf course. Down the hill and across the street from the 10th green. The golf cart path runs past our house to the rest of the course. And it's owned by the county so as long as we leave the golfers alone, we can walk the golf cart path. (Already had one incident with a drunk golfer being mad we were walking during decent weather. We left him alone, but he came after us. That still bugs me.) I'll have to get an updated picture of our new library, as the small living room lent itself well to the set up.

>18 gilroy: I'm glad you are getting settled into your new house, and am keeping my fingers crossed that the sale of your old one goes through this time.

>18 gilroy: Hope you sell the old place, soon! I have a pretty good idea of what you're going through. We were trying to sell our previous house in Illinois while we were already living in Connecticut. Talk about stressful...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Start 02/09/2022 End 03/02/2022

Thoughts
-- I thought I'd read this so long ago, but now I'm finding I don't remember it in the least.
-- I'm surprised at how quickly it starts and no meandering preamble like I'm used to with books from this era.
-- Um, what was Lewis Carroll on when he wrote this book? I thought my writing got weird, but this . . . Whoa. And Alice hasn't even gotten past the pool of tears yet.
-- Okay, I'm finding maybe I haven't read this book before, as I thought the tea party took up more time in the book. I thought the Cheshire Cat had a bigger part in the book. I knew the queen was a bit unbalanced, but she's already chopping heads even before we meet her. (just past 60% done according to Google Books.)
-- The book proved much much shorter than I expected. It took me this long because I was reading it at lunch at my work and I can only fit so much in a half hour when people keep asking me questions.
-- So much that I've seen and heard about this book just . . . isn't in this book. Perhaps they frequently merge Through the Looking Glass with this one, which is why so much more seems to happen.
-- I am glad I don't need illicit substances to write, as I'd be scared of what might come of that...

>20 clamairy: Ouch, that had to be a pain, crossing state lines! Mine was in the same county and still a problem.

-- GOOD NEWS! --
My wife and I are back to being a 1 mortgage household. Officially signed off on the closing paperwork Yesterday.
*Happy dance*

>22 gilroy: Congratulations! Hope you can have time and inclination to relax and enjoy your new home now.

>22 gilroy:
Fantastic news. Congratulations. That is a big concern off your mind. Good luck with your new home. I home you have a lovely time settling in.

>22 gilroy: I know that's a relief. Best wishes for happiness in your new place.

>21 gilroy: Your third question is one that I remember having too.

>22 gilroy: Congratulations that's great news.

>22 gilroy: Most hearty congratulations! I too have horror stories of trying to move during Covid, so I have been following your saga with sympathy.

>22 gilroy: Fabulous news! You must be so relieved.

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Start 02/14/2022 End 04/04/2022

Thoughts
-- I'm just mixing all the genres up this year. :) Maybe that's why I'm reading so much more so far this year.
-- I'm not sure how much of this will be spoilery so I'm going to block it and people can tell me later. Based on a few other books in the series, I already know that Vetinari is a bastard and a worse criminal than Moist Von Lipwig. But moving Moist from the Post Office to the BANK? Talk about the fox in the hen house...
-- This didn't end the way I expected it to. Kind of a downer. Not as good as some of the earlier books.

>22 gilroy: Congrats!

Okay, almost a month gone from selling old house . . . and I'm still knocking on heads trying to finalize paperwork. I know of at least two checks that are still not even CUT yet that total more than US$1000 from that closing. I'll be back on the phone with the old mortgage company to find out what's going on with what they owe me.

>23 MrsLee: >24 pgmcc: >25 Jim53: >26 Peace2: >27 -pilgrim-: >28 clamairy: >30 Karlstar: Thanks for the pep!

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Start 03/03/2022 End 05/18/2022

Thoughts
-- If I've read this before, it's been so long that I don't remember it. I know I've seen multiple versions of the movie, including Muppet Treasure Island with Tim Curry as Long John Silver.
-- I'm only 30 pages in, but I'm a little surprised at how accurate the Muppet version came. Though in the book, Jim's Parents owned the inn, he wasn't adopted like in the Muppet movie. Just passed the point with the blind sailor and the black spot.
-- Lots of stuff has happened since last I've commented on this book. There are times when I don't want to stop reading, but others where I go "A good editor..." I can tell this was written as a serial that was put together as a book later as the chapters are short and quick. I thought I'd be farther along than I am, all things considered. 53% in and they've already arrived at the island and the mutiny has occurred.

>32 gilroy: The Muppet version is the best! I read an illustrated (probably abridged) version as a kid, and was thrilled to read the actual novel as an adult. Wonderful stuff. I need to get some RLS into my stack. I have The Master of Ballantrae sitting around. Pretty sure his books are all free as ebooks.

>32 gilroy:
I remember reading that when I was 11 years old. I loved it. Not sure I will read it again, but I loved it then.

Muppet Treasure Island was great fun.

>32 gilroy: >34 pgmcc: I first read it when I was around 11 or 12 years old as well. Re-read in 2015 and thought it held up admirably.

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Start 04/04/2022 End 06/16/2022

Thoughts
-- I listen to the podcast so had to start the book.
-- I'm only three chapters in and it feels like a faulty podcast script. The writer meanders; there feels a lack of focus. Almost like they took a story idea or a backstory of a character for the podcast and tried to turn it into a book. Not really vibing with it yet.
-- Oh look, a Podcast update between chapter 3 and 4...
-- Some things that have bugged me as I pushed my way through this. 1) This is written in omniscient point of view which is harder to do and just not all that common. I assumed part of my dislike was related to this, which is why I continue. 2) there is a grasp of the written word which is fine when doing podcasts and scripts, because performers will fix on the fly. Doesn't work as well with a printed text. 3) too many not so obvious plots that will eventually merge, but they are all a jumbled mess as you read.
-- Even as I approach the end of the book, the jumbled, crazy plots aren't merging, per say, but kind of falling into each other in an effort to resolve.
-- Some of the fun and mystery of this podcast just doesn't work well in the written form.

Planetside made it to the wishlist. Sounds fun.

I still feel the pain from moving house and that was 7 years ago. Builders are even worse.

>29 gilroy: - distinctly into the decline by this one :-( Some clever ideas but it never quite hangs together properly.

I know I don't tend to talk a lot about my life outside of books, though I do give some tidbits here and there. Today is a moment that hurts, but I need to share just so I can make the drive safely without tears.

If you've ever looked at my profile, you'll note the orange furry bookend. His name was Edison. Though in a way, that was his middle name. We liked to refer to him as Scared Edison Cat (Scared E. Cat). A lot of that came from him being timid when he was young and always being a puff of smoke when a stranger appeared. I don't think my wife met him fully until her third or fourth visit to my house.

The past couple of months have been ... difficult. He'd been seriously losing weight and we got concerned and dragged him to see the dreaded white coats. After a few blood tests and x-rays, they declared him allergic to ... well cat food. Nothing with feathers, no normal red or white meat (no beef or pork), and nothing from the sea. That sent me on the great limited ingredient hunt. He seemed to improve on that, but then started back downhill. A week ago Thursday, my wife witnessed him have a seizure. First of his life. Then this past Sunday, he has a stroke that took away mobility in his front left paw and arm. After a week of calling and BEGGING the vet to get him in for follow up, we finally managed to get him seen today.

The diagnosis proved bad. Quality of life would not return. His paw was still cold to the touch and he just couldn't really use it. Then we got the x-ray results. He has a serious cancer, which got his heart and kidneys and had started expanding into his chest. So this evening (because we had to drop Eddie off at the vet to be seen when they could fit him in) my wife and I will go down to say our final goodbyes to our orange snuggle bug.

RIP Edison We love you.
October 1, 2009 - April 22, 2022

So very sorry for your loss. Their lives are so short compared to ours, but giving him a peaceful goodbye is the best thing you can do. Hugs.

Aw I'm so sorry. Orange cats are the bomb. Losing them is so hard no matter what color they are though. They take up such room in our hearts. I bawl like crazy when one of mine dies. It's a wrench and I hope your intense grief doesn't last too long and you can go on to more pleasant memories of him.

>38 gilroy: Oh no. I know that losing them is part of the bargain we make when we take them in, but when it happens there really is little solace to be had. Massive hugs to you.

>38 gilroy:
I am very sorry to hear that. My condolences on the passing of obviously well loved companion.

>38 gilroy: I am so, so sorry for your loss :(

>38 gilroy: May you find comfort in your memories, and solace that you gave him the best life a cat could hope for. *hug*

>38 gilroy: I'm so sorry for your loss. Out four footed family members leave such a hole when they have to leave us.

>38 gilroy: May I join the chorus of condolences? Losing one's Feline Overlord is often harder than losing a hoomin relative.

May the 4th be with you!

>47 gilroy: :o)

Okay, I'm a little mad at Amazon and Audible now. I bought a kindle book and it's matching audio back in 2016. I decided I wanted to read/listen to that book (it's a 42 hour audio book) but the whispersync link isn't working. When I looked into the situation on the Amazon site, it's saying I don't have the audible audio book. So they lost the link between the two files, making the whispersync option useless.

Now I have to contact their customer service to get that link restored. And I don't have time to deal with that crap right now.

>38 gilroy: - just catching up on threads. So sorry about Edison.

Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin
Read by Rob Inglis
Series Earthsea Cycle

Start 05/09/2022 End 05/21/2022

Thoughts

20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Start 05/19/2022 End 12/26/2022

Thoughts
-- It starts kinda dry with lots of vague details, but seems to be leading toward better. (though they don't technically set to sea until Chapter 3)
-- I'm feeling like I need to be a Marine Biologist to understand half the paragraphs in this book.
-- Based on when this was written, I'm amused at some of their "advanced tech" since a lot of it seems so normal and common now.

>52 gilroy: Who did the translation for the edition you're reading?

>53 jillmwo: I'm not rightly sure. I got it from Google Play Books as a digital scan of the 1917 copy from Grosset and Dunlap.
Looks like the forward was written by Stanley H. Twist.

Ah, if that's the case, then it was probably the first translation done back in 1871 by Mercier. His was the first one done of Verne's novel.

>52 gilroy: "It starts kinda dry...". Well, sure, but then they go under the sea. :)

>56 Karlstar: *snort"

>57 MrsLee: Hey, >52 gilroy: said it.

Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
Narrator Marie Forleo

Start 05/23/2022 End 06/10/2022

Thoughts
-- I'm dealing with a lot of stuff at once, so figured this might help me through it. Nonfiction for the settled brain, right?
-- Lots of pop psychology, as frequently found in these books, but presented in a more playful way.
-- She does offer some good strategies and tips, even if all don't work for everyone.

>56 Karlstar: *facepalm*

You know, 2022 really REALLY sucks right now.

One month, almost to the day, of me having lost my little orange cuddle bug (I miss him so much) I get a call from the rehab center my dad had entered just a week before. My mom was in the same facility in the long term care ward. So I was expecting the call to be about mom. Nope.

May 21, 2022 my dad passed away in his sleep. He was 82.

Oh no, I am so sorry. I hope your year starts to improve big time after such sad losses.

>61 gilroy: So sorry for your loss, mate. Seconding what >62 Sakerfalcon: said.

>61 gilroy: So sorry for your loss. Condolences to you and your family.

>61 gilroy: Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear this. My deepest condolences to you and your family.

>61 gilroy: So sorry for your loss. Condolences to you and your family. So hard to deal with an unexpected loss. Not that losing a parent is ever easy.

>61 gilroy: Nothing really prepares one for this kind of phone call. I'm so very sorry for your unexpected loss. My most heartfelt condolences to you and yours.

>21 gilroy: About 40 years ago, I purchased a book called 'The Annotated Alice' (published MCMLX - Bramhall House; Introduction and Notes by Martin Gardner) from a used bookstore in Brooklyn, NY. The notes involved more than twice the reading time than the two books, but what an incredible insight into the mind and lifestyle of the author!

>61 gilroy:
My condolences. It is never easy.

The things you find when cleaning out a relative's house.

How about a 1971 paperback printing of The Exorcist
Or a 1963 paperback of On the Run by John D MacDonald
Or a combo paperback from Andre Norton of Voodoo Planet and Star Hunter (Copyright 1962)

>70 gilroy: Much better than the sex toys we found when cleaning out my parent's house. >

>71 MrsLee: We haven't gotten to the back of the closet or under the bed yet. *wince*

>70 gilroy: My dad had all his tax returns back to 1955.

>70 gilroy: Back in the day the butcher used to deliver to homes; each parcel came with a slip listing the contents. When my mom's uncle died we found butcher slips dating back to 1952.

>70 gilroy: That's good stuff!

>71 MrsLee: *chokes*
Bwahahaha....

Big Damn Hero by James Lovegrove

Start 06/16/2022 End 07/13/2022

Thoughts
-- I needed something lighter and more fun after struggling through the Night Vale book.
-- For those that watched the series, the book picks up just after the episode "The Message" but before the last two. And it has Badger in it. Saying more would require spoilers.
-- Okay, Badger has a very small part, so mentioning him doesn't hurt much.
-- This deals with history and filling in some of Mal's background. It definitely opens an interesting page on why Mal is who he is.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Narrator Lauren Fortgang
Series Grisha Trilogy

Started 07/01/2022 End 07/15/2022

Thoughts
-- Got this cause I wanted to read the book before I saw the TV show.
-- There's a bit of a magic school vibe to the book, but it doesn't occupy the primary story line, so that's good.
-- Some twists just feel too overdone. The main villain is trying to be the love interest of the female main character, made worse by the age difference between them. He's hundreds of years old. She's like late 20s. Or worse, the love triangle, even if this one is more vague.
-- The storyline is interesting, though I feel like the love interest thing was shoehorned in and it stretches hard to make it work.
-- Ends with a good cliff hanger that makes you want to read the next book

Voyage of the Star Wolf by David Gerrold

Start 07/14/2022 End 08/05/2022

Thoughts
-- First ten pages are infodump type set up for background. Don't get a true character until page 11
-- Okay, so this now becomes a world building/hard science fiction question. Why bother building other weapons if a ripple effect from two hyperstate engine bubbles brushing is so devastating?
-- Lots of OMG moments of the "Why?!" type. Also oh joy bureaucrats. and naturally they have to blame someone else for their failure. And it has to be the lone surviving crew...
-- I can tell this was an early 90s novel as there's a lot more telling and a lot less showing. It has that early feel of bridging the hard scifi/soft scifi gap and not sure how to do it.
-- That was ... a ... um ... interesting book. I'd say the story is a disgrace to hero type thing, but I'm not sure that would do it justice. The military strategist might enjoy some of the maneuvers. How to out think your opponent, seven steps ahead.
-- These are very small ships, though seem to hold more people than I thought. Definitely hard on a crew, no matter the situation.
-- This is on my "Good, but not sure I'd recommend to people" list.

>79 gilroy: I'm interested to see what you think of that one, I have it hanging around in the 'not sure I'm going to read this' pile.

>78 gilroy: I enjoyed this series, but it is VERY much a YA series, especially with the love triangle, etc.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Narrator Lauren Fortgang
Series Grisha trilogy

Start 08/01/2022 end 08/07/2022

Thoughts
-- Okay, I'm glad they didn't try to keep shoe horning in the stupid love triangle. That thing was just horrible.
-- Another hunt for another amplifier. Why does part of this feel like a retread of the previous book? And still they try to romance, but this is more a gag inducing push now.
-- Some twists and turns I'm liking. Rogue Grisha. privateer who is also an inventor. Another failure for the ancient one trying to get in the pants of a young thing. This feels like its going a touch slower than the first book.
-- The rule of three. Sometimes we do need to break that. It feels cliche.
-- I'm not sure how I feel about the "saints" as their religion in the books, though it does work well with the narrative. Especially as more details come to light (so to speak)
-- Correction: the author did try to shoehorn in another love triangle... at least from one character's perspective. The MC is so not into it. Thank goodness!
-- Why does this story line feel SO familiar? (I want a kefta!)
-- I don't feel like this had as good a cliff hanger ending as the first book of the series. It felt darker. Still enjoying the series, though I really wanted Alina to kill the Darkling in some manner other than the one she chose.

Lie Down With Lions by Ken Follett

Start 08/06/2022 End 11/11/2022

Thoughts
-- I saw him speak at a National Book Festival once. Now I'm starting one of his books finally.
-- Feels like a cold war spy thriller as I start through chapter 1. Will have to see. There's going to be a break in the reading as I'm not hauling this hardback onto the plane when we go on vacation.
-- There are three alternating points of view so far, but the book is too easy to put down and ignore for days on end. This doesn't bode well to me finishing it.
-- The book deals with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan back in the early 90s. And the CIA interference versus the KGB spy network already in country. Not my usual cup of tea.
-- The writing is okay, but very dry. It's almost an accounting of events. It's written in omniscient POV so there is some head hopping in scenes, but at least it is clear from paragraph to paragraph who's thinking/speaking. I wasn't really drawn to any of the characters. I finished it more because I wanted to see the end of the love triangle... Cripes I can't believe I just wrote that. Two things I had hoped would happen: the death of Jean-Pierre, cause he was a bloody bastard of a character. That happened. The other was the death of Anatoly. We flew away from him without knowing his final fate. Sadness.

The Falconer by Elisabeth May
Series The Falconer

Start 08/10/2022 End 08/18/2022

Thoughts
-- It has both fantastic elements like Faeries and the Seelie Courts, but it also mixes in steampunk, and 1800s English/Scottish aristocratic mores. These create a very unique world.
-- Set in Edinburgh, Scotland. Heroine is of noble birth but no longer wishes to stay there. To describe more takes away book plot
-- Damn it, quit with the love triangles.
-- Oh this could be a great battle ... Nope, cliffhanger. SIGH!

History of Things to Come by Duncan Simpson
Series Dark Horizon Trilogy

Start 08/18/2022 End 11/13/2022 (DNF)

Thoughts
-- I already don't like any of the characters. Not a good sign when you're barely 10 percent into the book
-- A continued negative to this book is wordiness for wordiness sake. I feel like an editor didn't do their job at tightening the prose.
-- This is reading like a really bad Da Vinci Code knock off. I'm at 20%. If things don't improve, I'll be dropping it in the DNF bin.
-- The last five percent that I read was an info dump of backstory. Really didn't find it worth the effort to continue reading. This felt like a poor man's Da Vinci Code, and a horribly written one at that. It might be more on par with the Lost Symbol, which also proved horrible.

Might notice I was quiet for over a week. Good reason for that.
HUGE family trip. My In-laws hit their golden wedding anniversary (50 years!) and decided they wanted to take a trip of a lifetime. And they wanted to take their kids and the kids' spouses with them so we could all experience it together.

The trip: A week in Alaska!
This meant I had to do something I've not done in over 30 years. I had to get on a plane. That's right, I haven't flown in over 30 years.

We flew out on August 10 (after major delays - 4 hours for the first flight, then a layover of 6 hours in Seattle because we missed all the previous options of connecting flights due to the extended delay for the first flight), then stayed in Anchorage for a couple days, took the tour bus to Talkeetna for a couple hours before boarding the sightseeing train to Denali. Stayed a couple days in Denali where we saw a grizzly bear and a MOOSE. Then a tour bus from Denali to Seward, for two days in Seward. We hiked up to see Exit Glacier and we toured the Sealife Center in Seward. Then the bus back to Anchorage to catch the plane back home in August 18.

We have over 1100 pictures to wade through so may be a while before I get a chance to post any.

Just one small problem. Got a souvenir that I didn't want. Came down with COVID -- dang it.

>86 gilroy:
Sorry to hear about the COVID, but your trip sounds great. Looking forward to seeing some of your pictures.

>86 gilroy: Oh yikes! I hope it's a mild case. Post the pics when you feel better. Sounds like a great trip. (Except for the delays.)

>86 gilroy: Sounds like a great trip, I hope the covid case passes quickly.

One benefit of the extra week - more reading time.

Trip was epic and amazing. Just seeing the moose was a highlight, but then to also see the grizzly bear, right next to the road, completely not caring about the humans near it, made it extra.

I hope you have a mild case of Covid. Your trip sounds amazing, what a great way for your in-laws to celebrate. I love moose, they look so goofy.

Shiver me timbers! The scallywag snuck up on me port bow again.
A hearty bottle of rum to ye on this Talk Like a Pirate Day!

>86 gilroy: that sounds like a great trip! I love the Seward Sealife Center - they had a rescued elephant seal when I went there.
That is a lot of plane time to endure (plus Covid); I hope your good memories were worth the hassle!

>93 Darth-Heather: I must confess to spending a lot of time just watching the puffins. :) We had gotten a new DSLR camera prior to the trip but didn't have a lot of play time to get used to it. So with one of the puffins happily posing for me, I learned camera functions. LOL

>92 gilroy: I greeted everyone at work this morning in pirate talk. One of the workers looked at our manager and said, "I think Lee needs to be drug tested." Sigh.

ETA: I dressed like a pirate yesterday and said, "Arrgh" when my 15 month old grandson came over. He started screaming. Pirate day has not gone well for me. :D

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Narrator Anna Fields

Start 09/26/2022 End 10/05/2022

Thoughts
-- It starts with some exposition, though it does have the action woven through much of the exposition.
-- This book is ... I don't know. The whole thing is seeing the kidnapping of people by terrorists in an unnamed South American Country from the view of the hostages. While this is an interesting take, I'm not drawn to any one character. There's too many.
-- The book is written in third person omniscient POV, which makes it strange to read, since most who attempt this style fail. The shift of POV seems to happen after a set number of paragraphs, where the story offers a good flow to shift.
-- I'm not sure why this book ends up on so many to read lists. It's not amazing literature. It's not overwhelmingly awesome. Some aspects are subtle, others are ham fist obvious. I can't give it more than 3 stars in my opinion.
-- The ending left much to be desired, and the epilogue made little sense to me. While part of the ending was ... expected with the way the words were flowing, it felt like a different twist should have happened.

Been here 17 year. Guess I should go buy 20 books... ;)

>97 gilroy: Sounds like a plan.

>97 gilroy: 17 years! Congrats!

>96 gilroy: Some years ago, I saw this book highly praised and gave it a try, but I couldn't get into it at all. Recalling from this distance, I think it was the writing style that put me off.

Congratulations on your seventeen years!

>96 gilroy: Bel Canto was one of the reads for our book club. I found this read much more interesting than many, if not all of the other books selected by by book club colleagues. Like yourself I thought the epilogue was senseless and unnecessary, but I enjoyed the rest of it. I thought the author managed the relationships well, and gave me the sense of being one of the hostages.

The 8 Minute Organizer by Regina Leeds
Narrator Regina Leeds

Start 10/12/2022 End 10/18/2022

Thoughts
-- Not sure what made me decide to start something on organizing again. Must have been dealing with cleaning out my dad's house. Five 20 yard dumpsters worth of trash so far and we already have enough to fill at least half of a sixth. With some spaces still to be cleaned.
-- Simple formula. Like most of these. Eliminate, categorize, organize. Not up to the point where she actually tells you what each of these mean yet though.
-- Okay I feel like I'm listening to a shill for some of the organization companies. She keeps mentioning go to "The Container Store." Which keeps catching me as "Really?"
-- Uh, there's an out of touch comment. Most natural food stores are MORE expensive than normal stores, not less. This has been true for more than a decade for me.
-- Even with it just released in 2012, this book is already dated in some of its advice. I can't in good conscience recommend it as helpful.

>102 gilroy: One of my goals in life is to clear out/ organize my stuff before my children have to. I'm working on it!

ETA: My mother-in-law actually had notes on things in the back of her cupboards. One of them said, "If you are reading this, it means I'm dead. Now you can decide what to do with it!"

>102 gilroy: and >103 MrsLee: I think that's an activity that many of us are wrestling with. What do you keep because it is (or might be) a family memory / heirloom and what can you safely jettison? It seems as if we hold on unnecessarily to more than we might realize. (OTOH, I need to keep all my books so I don't run out of reading material...)

>104 jillmwo: I think I have one benefit. Didn't have a great set of memories from childhood, so dumping things in that respect is easy. The harder part is "Is this worth money to someone?"

He was definitely a hoarder from a long line of hoarders. And grew up during the end of the Great Depression and during World War II. So he saved a lot of stuff because "he could fix it later" or "never know when you'll need a box like that" ... etc.

>105 gilroy: There are a number of "really useful-sized boxes" lurking about in odd corners in my house as well.

>97 gilroy: Happy belated 17th!

Good luck with the sorting process. I still have stuff to go through.

>104 jillmwo: Had a similar conversation with my sister just this evening. She was being urged to get rid of a cookbook she rarely uses. She flipped it open to show that it was given to her by our grandmother many years ago. It's not going anywhere.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Narrator Em Grosland
Series Monk & Robot

Start 10/24/2022 End 10/29/2022

Thoughts
-- Curious that it starts from a religious context. That threw me a little bit. As did the 20 hour day.
-- There was definitely a not so subtle commentary on the way people treat the planet in this book.
-- The robot is interesting.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
Narrator Em Grosland
Series Monk & Robot

Start 10/31/2022 End 11/02/2022

Thoughts
-- These books get rather philosophical.
-- Some of these scenes, while I understand are complete with the thought that the author was trying to get across, feel incomplete. For instance, when Mosscap needs to get a part replaced the point of the scene was choices, but what happens with what lead to the point of the scene in the first place?
-- A very abrupt end. It feels like there should be so much more to the story! I hope we have more to come in this series.

Ashes of Victory by David Weber
Narrator Allyson Johnson
Series Honor Harrington

Start 11/03/2022 End

Thoughts
--This is a reread for me, as we come back to a series I've read through much of this.

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett
Series Discworld

Start 11/11/2022 End

Thoughts
-- Light and fluffy satire. That's what I need right now. Let's see where Sir Terry takes it.
-- The concept seemed sound. Let's pick on Hollywood and all the movie making shenanegans. I'm not laughing much and honestly struggling to find a character to like. Not even the main character is much of a draw. Gaspode the talking dog isn't bad, but he's a minor side character. Detritus the Troll is ... unique. Maybe half way through with the objective to finish before the end of the year. Not sure I'll make it here.

Frey by Melissa Wright

Start 11/17/2022 end 12/15/2022

Thoughts
-- Started this the other day to test something on my paper white. Story starts kinda slow but away we go.
-- Bully torture of the main character in the first chapter. Is this supposed to be making us feel sorry for the character?
-- Yeah the "romance" subplot honestly sucks, as the main character can't make up her mind if she likes him or hates him. This is not the same as a triangle. And the other "suitors" that she might consider are written more as friends and not romantic ideals.
-- Uh, I have to see if this is written for the YA or Kids market, because the main character is written like she's a petulant child who just needs a good spanking.
-- While most of the characters are rather poorly designed, the story line and mystery attached to it keep me reading. I can't believe I've almost reached the end of this book.
-- The last few chapters had a definite laziness to the writing as the reveals to the main character all came in the form of journal entries instead of being written into the action throughout the book. It killed the mystery that was the book, at least to me. And because of the way the reveals were done, the final scene just didn't have the same impact that it could have had.

Real life has snuck up and smacked me in the eye. I'm a touch scared now.

Went to the eye doctor yesterday (annual check up) but hit a small snag. They spotted a small hole in the retina of my left eye. And they're sending me to a retinal specialist on Monday to see about a fix. On one hand, this means more audio books for a while. But on the other, I'm scared of what this means for life in general. Don't want to no longer be able to drive, or to read. My appointment is early Monday morning, so I'll let you know what happened once I can look at a computer screen again.

>114 gilroy:
Wishing you the best for Monday. I hope the "fix" is straightforward.

Good luck!

>114 gilroy: Best wishes from here too. I wholeheartedly sympathise with your fears.

>114 gilroy: What the fellas said, and a *hug*

>114 gilroy: Anything relating to the eyes is terrifying, I think. Hoping you get good news at your appointment.

>114 gilroy: Ye gods and little fishes. More best wishes from me too.

>114 gilroy: Good luck with your appointment. Eye issues are scary.

Eye update:
No hole, no laser repair. The doctor saw a spot of "potential atrophy" that they want to watch to make sure it doesn't lead to a detachment. But otherwise, retinal specialist said I is good.

>121 gilroy: That's GREAT news! Such a relief for you, i'm sure!! Something unexpectedly wonderful added for Thanksgiving!!

>121 gilroy:
Super. That is a relief.

>121 gilroy: What Peter and Jill said. Great news!

>121 gilroy: Yay!

>121 gilroy: Great news!

>121 gilroy: Thank goodness! So glad you got good news!

>121 gilroy: Great news!! Anything relating to vision is scary, I'm happy for you.

>121 gilroy: What a great bit of news to be thankful for!

Now I want 2022 to go away.

Had to say goodbye to another of my cats today. Another one who I loved and adored. My black and white who chose me as her human.
Lucky Cat, we miss you dearly.

>130 gilroy: I'm so sorry. Always a hard thing to do.

>130 gilroy: Oh man :( My deepest condolences.

>130 gilroy:
I am very sorry to hear that.

Well that's the pitz. I felt the same about 2010 - it couldn't be over soon enough. I'm so sorry you had to go through this so soon. It's wrenching don't I know it. They take up so much room in our lives and hearts.

>130 gilroy: Loads of sympathy. I am owned by a real-life Mister Mistoffelees, who chose me at the SPCA, and so I could imagine the wrench if my mind didn't recoil away from trying.

>135 hfglen: I'm so sorry to hear that. Cats leave such a hole in our hearts when they leave us.

I switched my profile picture over to an older one for now, as it has me with the cat I just said goodbye to. She was my reading buddy.

Very sorry for your loss.

>130 gilroy: Very sorry to hear that. I like the picture, it is a nice tribute.

>130 gilroy: I'm so sorry about your kitty. They leave such a giant empty space when we lose them. (But I'm very happy to hear the eye thing isn't as terrible as you thought!)

Overture (Earth song) by Mark Wandrey

Start 12/10/2022 End

Thoughts
-- I always read the prologue when it's available. Maybe I should start. This one starts with the climax in the prologue. Ugh, no!
-- Okay so this is reading like one of those disaster movies as a book. One where there's a giant cast and they keep jumping from group to group until all the survivors end up together type. It has an ... interesting premise of aliens are trying to save humanity from a meteor crashing into the planet, but humans are too stupid and screwing it up . My objective is to either finish it or mark it a dud before the end of 2022. I was at 17% on my kindle at lunch today.

And this is why I stay inside and read books.

9 degrees F with a windchill of -5 degrees.

>142 gilroy: You are a wise individual. A book, a blanket and a beverage are the necessities in winter!!!

>143 jillmwo: Here too, oddly enough. This morning's news is a picture of inland holidaymakers trying to find the beach through driving rain, and a story that the temperature has dropped from low 30s C to mid-teens.

Time for the Annual Book poll. I'd hoped to have more than this, but the year shredded me and I fell asleep in the middle of a Sir Pratchett book

https://forms.gle/LCzGdwqakgioNN4B8