21:100 This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

 Two factions fighting across time, trying to nudge the time line this way and that in order to adjust it in their sides favor so they can win the real war. Two sides, each with their own agents that follow the orders from above to give their side the best chance. Two sides, each with an agent in possession of a secret.

The note was left on a battlefield, one of many throughout the time line, as a taunt. But it didn't stop there. One note, left to one agent of the opposing side. A response. And another. Up and down the time line, each finding new and more innovative ways to slip messages to the other. No names, never that, but knowledge of how the other thinks and moves used to ping the consciousness to the message written and wanting to be found. It started with that taunt but how can you know someone that well, for so long, without it becoming more. Respect turns to admiration turns to an intimacy. If they are discovered it would mean death, to fraternize with the enemy so, but the reward of the next missive is worth the risk.

It took me a bit to really get into this one and the writing style but once I did, I found it a fabulous read. Well constructed with beautiful prose.

Page count: 209p/5,665p ytd/353,055p lifetime

17:100 When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

No one knew how Miel had come to be in the abandoned water tower but that's where she appeared one night, at about the age of 5, with roses that grew out of her wrist. The first one to run to her when she emerged was Sam, a young boy about whom not much was known of him or his mother since they recently appeared in town.

It's been years and Sam and Miel are still inseparable, she with the roses growing from her wrist and he who paints moons and hangs them all over town. They are odd and generally left alone until the Bonner girls decide that their sway over the town, the magic that has been the right of the Bonner girls for generations, has been waning and that Miel's roses are what can fix it for them. Now they will use all of Miel's secrets, including those that involve Sam, to get what they want.  

This book wove such a beautiful spell that I was captivated immediately and didn't want to put it down. The imagery, the characters (even when they were being stupid teenagers), the magic all combined perfectly for me.

Page count: 288p/4,533p/351,923p

14:100 The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

 Cora Seaborne is a new widow who feels that she can finally breathe and start being true to herself after all the years being ground under her husband's heel. Having a scientific bent, she is entranced by the idea of the Essex Serpent that some claim to have seen near a small village so she, her son, and her son's nanny head there to check it out. What she finds is more than a mere prehistoric creature could have dreamed up.

The book was slow and trying too hard to be too many things so it only sort of succeeded at some of them. Cora is supposed to be the main character but I found her cold and immature but somehow teeming with friends and people fawning after her which made no sense to me.  The Reverend needed some good shakes and his wife and children deserved the sympathy as did Cora's other suitor. There were a few side characters that were more interesting and were given some good story lines but I just felt it wasn't enough. The author was trying too hard to draw out the suspense and make the story super complex but I think making the main character a little more likeable with a few less bad choices would have made it more enjoyable.

Page count: 433p/3,652p ytd/351,042p lifetime

13:100 Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

The play based on the Greek myth of the same name and eventually turned into the musical My Fair Lady. 

Eliza, a girl who sells flowers on the street, is taken in by Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering in a bet to see if Higgins can teach her how to speak and act like a lady. 

I've lost track of how many times I've seen the movie with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn and since much of the dialogue in the play was used in the movie, it wasn't really a new take on what I knew until we got to the author's notes at the end where we get his impression of what would have happened with Eliza after. The movie deliberately leaves it vague after she returns to the Professor's house after their row at his mother's.  I can't say that I was a fan of what the author thought would happen after, Eliza marrying Freddy and their starting a flower shop with her doing much of the work to support them both (with a lot of help from Col. Pickering) but at the same time, considering the time period that was probably the likely outcome.

Page count: 96p/ 3,219p ytd/350,609p lifetime

6:100 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simpson

 Major Ernest Pettigrew grew-up in Edgecomb St. Mary's, had a military career, and then returned after he retired. He lives in the house he grew up in, having inherited it from his parents, married and raised his son there. He is that Englishman, concerned with doing everything properly as it has always been done, keeping up appearances, and concerned with honor and duty. With his wife dead and his son living in London, he putters around his house taking care of the upkeep and reading, golfing with friends, and going on the occasional hunt. Then his brother dies and his regular world is turned upside down when he starts up an unlikely friendship with the owner of a local shop, Mrs. Ali, who lost her husband several years ago as well. Through a common interest in books and the shared experience of both being widows, the friendship starts growing into something more. However, he being of the old-blood in the village and she being a foreigner no matter how long she has lived there makes this a relationship that no one deems appropriate. Everything says this relationship can't work but will they listen?

Read for book club and really enjoyed it although the Major gets pompous enough and stodgy enough that times I really wanted to reach in and shake him. Yes, it's understandable and totally realistic (I've known enough people like him in many ways) but still....LOL  It was a lovely story, moved well, good characters, and a satisfying ending. 

Page count: 379p/1,402p ytd/348,783p lifetime

93:100 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

It's 1942, Bruno is 9 years old and is not happy to find out that his family is having to leave their comfortable house in Berlin and go to some house away from all his friends. It has something to do with his father being super important and The Fury trusting him with a super important job at Out-With.  Once they get there, it's worse than Bruno could have imagined with no one to play with and officers coming and going all the time. The he discovers the fence and there is a boy on the other side wearing striped pajamas who becomes Bruno's only friend, even if he must keep it secret.

As an approachable way to introduce some of the horrors of the concentration camps to children, this book is ok but really, it's best use is as a fantasy book.  The horrors are glossed over, Bruno acts much younger than his supposed 9 years with constant mispronunciations of things that would not have been common, especially in his own thoughts, and his sister is both too young too old for her supposed 12 years.  The fantasy is really that the commander's son would be allowed to walk right up to the fence and just have these playdates with a child on the other side with no idea why they were there and with no guards anywhere around ever. That does not seem plausible based on the books I've read by survivors.  The story itself is almost sappy sweet which, again, does not mesh with the horrors of the time and those living in the concentration camps. It's almost like it's trying to absolve those who perpetrated those horrors of their sins by making it seem like it was not so bad.  I'm glad I read it before giving it to my son to read. I don't want that history glossed over.

Page count: 216p/22,599p ytd/331,296p lifetime

91:100 Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi

Firdus grew up poor in Egypt and learned early on that men were the only ones who mattered in society.  She wanted to go to school and her uncle helped her but she soon found out that, again, she was subject to the whims of the man her ruled her life. She was thrown out because of the jealousy of her uncle's wife and now must learn how to survive on the streets as a woman in a patriarchal society. It's not long before she realizes that without a husband, her prospects are limited and she ends up a prostitute. Rather than diminishing her though, she is able to realize her own power in that position and is able to be beholden to no one until a man comes in and decides he will now be her pimp. Firdus can only take it so long before she kills him in order to reclaim her own agency. As a result, she is sentenced to death. This is a man's world after all and her agency does not matter.

A true story told by Firdus as she sat on death row. She wanted no clemency, since to have that was to give up her agency again and she would prefer death. Firdus suffers constantly due to the men around her but because she is a woman, that is her "place".  A moving and powerful story that is too familiar to too many women around the world. I can't say I enjoyed it because it's a hard read but it was gripping and important.


Page count: 142p/22,239p ytd/330,936p lifetime

88:100 The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch had just been told that his pancreatic cancer was now terminal and he had less than 6 months left to live when he was invited to give a "Last Lecture".   He knew that he had to take this opportunity to leave a record of who he was for his children so he wrote his book and gave his lecture for them more than anyone else, to let them know who he had been and pass along the things he had learned and would have told them eventually. 

Randy seems like a good guy and the book definitely shows his sense of humor even in the face of everything but his stories and advise definitely come from a place of privilege without understanding it.  He had a middle class background and ended up in situations with offers and mentors that most people will never get.  He was thankful for it but most of his advise just boiled down to work hard enough and it will happen for you which is unfortunately not true for many.  I can see why a lot of people enjoy it but I felt that it was a bit tone deaf that anyone else might have different experiences.


Page count: 206p/21,963p/330,660p lifetime

83:100 Urban Enemies Anthology by Various Authors

We finally get to hear from stories from the Villains point of view in this new anthology.  17 of them in fact.  These are all from existing series with established worlds, most of which I didn't know previously or only in passing.  I bought it primarily for the stories from Kelley Armstrong and Seanan McGuire with interest in the ones from Jim Butcher,Kevin Hearne, Carrie Vaughn, and Faith Hunter and because I will usually get introduced to at least one or two new authors that look interesting.

To that end, I really enjoyed the two stories that I bought it for.  I felt that they did a great job of giving stories that enriched the worlds but at the same time served well as stand-alone introductions to them.  Butcher's didn't fare so well as even though I have read all the Dresden files books, I could barely remember this villain and didn't care about him or this story that much.  Kevin Hearne's from the Iron Druid is with characters that are later in the series than I have read but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the tale.  I enjoy the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn and maybe this serves a nice intro to newbies of the series but it just fell flat for me but really enjoyed Leo's story from Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series.  However, I do feel that one might be harder for readers not familiar with the world to get into.

The new author that stood out to me from this anthology was Diana Pharoh Franics with a tale from her Horngate Witches series.  Never heard of the author or the series before but definitely want to check it out based on this story. 

Other than these, none of the other stories really stood out for me.  Many of them were simply meh and just didn't interest me at all, some were total slogs to finish, and a few were ok but not interesting enough to me for me to go out and read more by that author.  So in all, 5 of the 17 were worth the price of the book, a few more were fun, but I'd say that at least half of the book was just not my cup of tea which was definitely disappointing.

79:100 The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

Bobbie, Peter, and Phyllis have had a lovely life as a middle class family in the early 1900s.  Father works but spends time with them in the evenings, mother is always around and making up stories and playing with them, and there are servants that attend to the mundane tasks.  Until one evening some men come and father goes away with them and the next day they have to pack up and move away from the city.  Now there are no servants and mother tells them that they are poor and she must write and hope to sell her stories to keep them fed and there are many days where there is just toast and jam to eat. Now the children don't go to school and must find ways to amuse themselves so they explore this new town of their and are constantly drawn to the Railway which provides many adventures and surprises along the way.

Definitely a book from another era so I tried to read it with that in mind and leave the bulk of my modern day thinking out of it.  The children wandering all over the town so much by themselves were fine and I do think the bits about the general kindness of the people there was appropriate given the time but having the old gentleman from the train solve all the problems and just happen to be the grandfather of the boy they rescue....a bit too deus ex machina for my tastes but I know that was common enough in these types of tales at the time.  In all, a sweet story of a bygone age.


Page count: 156p/20,347p ytd/329,044p lifetime

77:100 Making Movies by Sidney Lumet

Read for my college film class.

Sydney Lumet is a director whose movies have been critically acclaimed and watched by millions such as 12 Angry Men and Murder on the Orient Express.  In this book, he breaks down how movies are made, specifically the way he does it of course, including insights into certain films he made and stars that he worked with.

I found it an interesting and very accessible read.


Page count: 220p/20,171p ytd/328,866p lifetime

73:100 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

It's 1952 and a meteorite has just struck the ocean outside of the Eastern Seaboard wiping out Washington DC, New York, and pretty much anything else within a few miles of the coastline.  Elma York and her husband were on a weekend getaway when it happened, far enough away that they felt the shockwaves but far enough away that they were able to get to their small plane and escape when so many others couldn't.  Now the world is trying to rebuild and the conclusions coming back are frightening.  While things will settle down in the short-term, global warming (a term never before heard of) will happen in a few decades due to all the particulate matter thrown up in the atmosphere from the meteorite.  What used to be a fun idea of getting into space is now imperative for the survival of the human race and Elma York, a mathematician and WASP pilot, is determined that women will be included in the program, especially herself.

An interesting idea, fairly well executed, although I could have done with a little better explanation as to what was actually up with Elma and her anxiety earlier in the story and a lot less of how much she and her husband are into each other. 


Page count: 432p/19,333p ytd/328,028p lifetime

60:100 In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Elliot is the nerdy, unlikable, smartass, totally obnoxious 13yr old kid is in his class.  His mother left him and his father when he was young and his father has paid almost no attention to him ever since.  Today, he is on a field trip with his school to some place he is sure will be boring and he couldn't be more wrong.  They are in a field when he sees a wall that none of his classmates can see and when he goes to climb it (as that seems like the most logical thing to do), he finds himself in the Borderlands, a world where technology doesn't work and is populated by all the creatures out of our fantasies including, to Elliot, mermaids.  He's not so sure about the rest of the world though since it seems that the human guards that he would be entering into is mostly about weapons and fighting which are definitely not to Elliot's taste but then he meets Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elf and the most loveliest creature he has ever set eyes on.  Right then, he decides to stay and his life turns upside down. 

Honestly, I really wanted to like this book.  I thought the premise was great and was looking forward to it despite how obnoxious Elliot was because I was figuring we would see character growth and development and he would turn into, if not a fully likable character, at least one that didn't just make me want to slap the crap out of him constantly.  That never happened.  He was always an obnoxious, insufferable character with moments of not being that but then he would revert back to form.  Add in the fact that we constantly have to hear about his supposed superior intellect but yet he speaks in small words and repetitive phrases constantly!  My 13yr old had a larger and more imaginative vocabulary when he was 8yr.  The other characters had more character growth but it still wasn't great and I found the over-the-top sexism of the elves horrendous as well.  The world building was solid but the characters populating it made it a slog to read.


Page count: 432p/16,976p ytd/325,671p lifetime

57:100 Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Where Hercule Poirot goes murder seems to follow.  This time he is on a train from Istanbul heading home (or to his next case as he gets a telegram on the train) when one of the passengers has been murdered, stabbed to death many times over but luck is with him as this happened on the night when the train has been stuck in a snow storm and no way for the murderer to escape so Poirot waxes his mustache and sets to work to find out whose done it.

This was my first Agatha Christie novel and I don't know if it's because at this point it's not a novel ending or because so much of what Poirot lays out at the end is not really revealed through the course of the investigation.  You can't go back and go, gee, of course that is how it all fits together, and that type of "mystery" doesn't really appeal to me.  I'm not sure if her other books all follow this same thing but I'll probably give another one a try at some point to find out.


Page count: 265p/15,891p ytd/324,586p lifetime

48:100 Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi

Graphic novel of the story of the author's great-uncle's final days.  A lifetime of memories after he decides to give up living upon the destruction of his beloved instrument.  A future lifetime of memories he will not share with his children.  Last hellos and good-byes.  A poignant tale of love and music and life.


Page count: 84p/11,253p ytd/321,948p lifetime

39:100 Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Sally and Gillian Owens were orphaned at a young age and were sent to live with the aunts in a large house with few rules but teachings about plants and ancient lore.  The aunts were rumored to be witches and one night, a woman came to the backdoor and the girls, instead of going to their room as they were instructed, watched and learned that the rumors about their aunts were true.  Then they saw how the woman's deepest desire came true and the misery that came from it and they both determined that they would not get caught up in the mess.  Gillian ran away with a boy and went from boy to boy and from man to man, never able to settle down.  Sally found love, had two beautiful daughters, and then lost her love to the death beetle's curse. She broke down and moved away to live as normal a life as possible, far away from the aunts and everything they stood for.

And then Gillian came back and she was in trouble.  She had been living with a man who was evil in ways she was both attracted to and repelled by and now things had gone too far and he was dead and she was scared so she came to Sally to fix it.  But some things aren't so easily fixed and some times the dead don't rest so easily and that's when you need to call your aunts.

I really enjoyed the movie so when I found the book on Freecycle a few years ago, I grabbed it.  It's not quite what I was expecting as the feel is much darker than the movie and there were a lot of differences but it was enjoyable as it's own thing.


Page count: 244p/10,137p ytd/321,022 lifetime

34:100 Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

Patternmaster - Seed to Harvest #1

Doro has been wandering the Earth for over a thousand years and knows of no others like him so he has taken to setting up breeding towns from those who show a touch of power like his to try and create a master race.  He can be patient since he has mastered the technique of moving his consciousness to a new host body at any time making him effectively immortal.  But then he meets Anyanwu who is like but not like him.  She has also lived far longer than a normal human but she is able to do so because she can completely control her body at a molecular level which means so long as she has the time, she can heal from anything.  She is powerful in ways Doro isn't and can't be and he craves her subjugation and the mingling of their powers to bring more stability to his line.  And while she believes his lies at first and is intrigued to be mated to one who has powers at least similar to hers and as long a life, she soon learns that Doro is not who she first thought him to be and she is stronger than he thought.

Such an incredibly powerful book.  The theme of eugenics was not one I was comfortable with nor enjoyed but the relationship between Anyanwu and Doro, watching the shift and play of their power struggle, and the eventual conclusion was fabulous and so richly done.

I choose this book for my book club read this month because I learned that it will be adapted for TV and Octavia Butler has been on my list of authors to check out for a bit now.  It's interesting to note that this book was the fourth book written in the series although the first in world chronological order (and one of the books has since been disowned by the author).



Page count: 320p/8,572p ytd/319,457p lifetime

32:100 Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza has an envious life.  The only child of a rich ranch owner in Mexico, doted on by her parents, lots of pretty dresses, education, servants, etc.  Yes, it is an idyllic life and one Esperanza can't imagine changing until one day it does. Her father is murdered by bandits and according to her uncle, everything but the house is left to him.  Her mother has the house but without the income from the ranch, there is no way to keep it so her uncle, her father's brother, says he will marry her mother but both she and her mother know that he is a cruel man and they would be separated.  So instead, they choose to run and hide all the way to America.  Some of the family servants are going and offer them a place with them and their family that has already been established in CA working as crop pickers.  It will be a hard life, harder than either of them has known, but at least they have the chance to stay together and free.  They had no way of knowing that they were immigrating right during the start of what would later be known as the Great Depression.

A beautifully done tale of heartache and love, despair and hope, telling a tale that too often goes untold of why people immigrate and the hardships they face.  This is something I think there needs to be greater visibility and discussion of and let us remember that first of all, these are humans who are deserving of respect and compassion.

Page count: 304p/8,060p ytd/318,945p lifetime

29:100 Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks

A collection of short stories written by the award-winning actor, Tom Hanks.  I was excited by this as I love him as an actor, enjoyed listening to interviews with him, and was intrigued by what he would do with his stories.

I was disappointed, big time.  There were a couple of the longer stories that were good but the majority were boring and pointless.  Nothing happened.  I read a lot of short stories and even though they are short, you can still build a new world or make interesting characters that the reader wants to know more about or a plot that grips the reader.  That was not the case here.  It was really more like sitting around listening to your grandfather tell boring old tales of people he knew in his youth that you don't know and don't care about and the stories just ramble for no reason and most of them have the same basic premise so you don't even get any type of departure from type.  My dad is 90, trust me I'm really familiar with it and that's not what I want to read.



Page count: 416p/7,378p ytd/828,263p lifetime

28:100 A Great Task of Happiness: The Life of Kathleen Scott by Louisa Young

Kathleen Scott was the widow of Captain Scott who died in Antartica and has been a largely misunderstood footnote for her husband and their son, Peter Scott.  Louisa Young, the author, is the granddaughter of Kathleen Scott and wanted to show the world a different side of her.  Her unwavering devotion to seizing life and all it had to offer and to always choose happiness.  The author does stress these points at every opportunity as well as giving long lists of the famous people in whose company she was often found but it felt more like laundry lists than anything else.  While I admire the things that she did accomplish, especially as a woman during that time, I felt that much of the more interesting accomplishments were given very short mentions.

This is a huge issue with this book.  The depth is lacking in so many areas.  Places where it would have been really interesting to know more about.  Her helping with recreating the faces of wounded soldiers.  Her relationships with so many of the artists that she knew.  But it was just mentioned and then quickly moved past.

I also found that the fact that there would be years in the chapter titles and then stuff from all over the place would get mentioned in that chapter so it was jumping time all over the place regularly very frustrating.

And then there is Kathleen Scott herself.  I understand that the author wanted to help get better information about her out there but honestly, she came across as a misogynist, self-centered, and emotionally needy and controlling to me.  I was mostly frustrated and just didn't find her likable at all.  Apparently in real life she was but this book did not bring that across to me.



Page count: 320p/6,962p ytd/317,847p lifetime