This is the first year I actually set a reading goal with numbers:
- 52 books for the year
- 12 classics
- 12 nonfiction
I even threw in a few challenges:
- Thirteen Moons
- Genres
- Read through the Ages
- The Classics
- Fully Booked
- Your New Favorite
- Thoughtful Reading
And there are the book clubs:
- Book of the Month Club
- Aardvark Book Club
- Read with Jenna
- Reese’s Book Club
- Oprah’s Book Club
- Read with Allison
All of these are great resources for finding new books to read. The problem is that my “To Be Read” list gets longer and longer. As the saying goes, “So many books, too little time.” At present, I’ve read sixteen books, only one of which is nonfiction. I started my classic, Les Miserables. (I think this book should count as three as it comes in at 1500 pages!).
Here is a list of five recommendations so far:
The Fury by Alex Michaelides: This book uses the “locked room” murder mystery trope (even though the locked room is an island assessible by boat only) without a Poirot, Miss Marple, or Sherlock Holmes to solve the case. Instead, there is a first-person narrator who may or may not be completely reliable. There are enough plot twists and turns to keep it interesting. The characters are not completely likeable, but they are interesting.
I bought The First Ladies by Mary Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray last summer and put off reading it for quite some time. I regret that decision now. This is the story of the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune. I didn’t know much about either lady, but I learned a great deal about them from this historical novel. The authors not only tell the story of how their friendship grew, but they also tell the story of the civil rights movement. As I read, I felt that “the more things change, the more things remain the same.” We have come a long way, but the book shows me that we still have a long way to go.
In The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, Caroline goes to London to “celebrate” her tenth wedding anniversary–alone. She joins a mudlarking group and finds a late 18th-century apothecary bottle with a crude bear etched on it. This leads her to search for its origins. While she finds the origins of the bottle, she also finds herself. The novel is not exactly a time-slip novel, but there are parallel stories: Caroline’s story in the present, and the story of Nella, the apothecary, and her young customer, Eliza. This is a story of love and betrayal and friendship. I highlight recommend this book.
I do love a good historical romance and mystery, and The Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins did not disappoint. This is one of the add-ons for the March Aardvark Book Club box. When Poppy Delamere learns that her younger sister is accused of murdering her husband, Poppy goes to clear her name. She literally bumps into the Duke of Langham who is on his way to the same village to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday. Although the two seriously do not like each other, they combine forces to clear Poppy’s sister’s name and thwart the Duke’s grandmother’s matchmaking attempts during the birthday celebration houseparty. Collins uses the tropes of enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and mysterious but menacing secret societies to create a lighthearted and fun read. It was the break I needed from the “heaviness” of Les Miserables.
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli is another book club recommendation. It fits into the category of Young Adult literature given the protagonist is eighteen years old. The novel also fits into dystopian and fantasy categories as well. The protagonist, Rune, is a witch, but witches are being hunted and killed by the current regime. She works undercover as the Crimson Moth to help witches escape to the mainland from their isolated island. When she comes under suspicion, she flirts with a witch hunter and, not surprisingly, the two fall in love. The novel ends on a cliff hanger, so there will be a book two. I am looking forward to reading it.
I have always been a voracious reader, and setting these reading challenges has been fun. What else would a retired teacher of English do?
Telling Stories 