Newby ChrisG Reads 75+ in 2021

Discussão75 Books Challenge for 2021

Aderi ao LibraryThing para poder publicar.

Newby ChrisG Reads 75+ in 2021

1ChrisG1
Editado: Jul 9, 2021, 2:06 am

Hi all - I found this group a few weeks ago & have been lurking through many of your threads. Readers are my kind of people! I started tracking my reading in 2018, reading about 60 books that year and the next. And then, the pandemic happened. I finished 2020 just short of 100 books & am well on my way to that mark again this year.

I read just about anything - my interests fluctuate, but generally 70-80% fiction. Genres like sci-fi & fantasy, mysteries, historical fiction, a bit of literary fiction & classics (starting to do more of that). History & biography, plus some Christian theology rounds out most of my non-fiction.

My reading so far in 2021:

January
1. Scents and Sensibility, by Spencer Quinn
2. Heart of Barkness, by Spencer Quinn
3. Ever Ancient, Ever New, by Winfield Bevins
4. Exhalation, by Ted Chiang
5. Gentle and Lowly, by Ray Ortland
6. The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien
7. The Two Towers, by JRR Tolkien
8. Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien
9. Of Mutts and Men, by Spencer Quinn
10. A Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle
11. The Eagles of Heart Mountain, by Bradford Pearson
12. The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle

February
13. Still Life, by Louise Penny
14. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
15. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
16. The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman
17. Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey
18. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle

March
19. Introducing Postmodernism, by Richard Appignanesi
20. Evangelism in the Early Church, by Michael Green
21. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
22. The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer

April
23. Prodigal Son, by Gregg Hurwitz
24. The Inimitable Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
25. The Valley of Fear, by Arthur Conan Doyle
26. Chameleon Christianity, by Dick Keyes
27. Carry On, Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
28. Horseman, Pass By, by Larry McMurtry
29. Very Good, Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
30. Leaving Cheyenne, by Larry McMurtry
31. Right Ho, Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse

May
32. Moving On, by Larry McMurtry
33. The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis
34. Netherland, by Joseph O'Neill
35. His Last Bow, by Arthur Conan Doyle
36. The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse
37. All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers, by Larry McMurtry
38. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
39. Carmen, by Prosper Merimee
40. Billy Budd & Benito Cerano, by Herman Melville
41. A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
42. Joy in the Morning, by P.G. Wodehouse

June
43. Leonardo Da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson
44. Kim, by Rudyard Kipling
45. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
46. Dune, by Frank Herbert
47. The Possessed, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
48. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
49. Perfect Love, by Kevin Watson
50. An Irish Country Doctor, by Patrick Taylor
51. The Mating Season, by P.G. Wodehouse
52. The Time Machine Did It, by John Swartzwelder

July
53. An Irish Country Village, by Patrick Taylor
54. David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens

2scaifea
Jul 9, 2021, 7:43 am

Hi, Chris, and welcome to the group! You're off to a great start with your reading!

3drneutron
Editado: Jul 9, 2021, 9:18 am

Welcome! I'm glad you've joined us.

Hopefully you've found these already, but if not, here are links to our group wikis.

- 75er's Wiki - Here’s where we keep links to our important threads!
- 2021 Threadbook - Looking for someone’s thread? Try here!

4ChrisG1
Jul 9, 2021, 11:46 am

>3 drneutron: Thank you for both the welcome and the resources - I'm looking forward to (hopefully) years of fun & book-sharing.

5ChrisG1
Jul 11, 2021, 10:12 am

55. Terms of Endearment, by Larry McMurtry. Third novel of McMurtry's Houston stories. Adapted for movie of the same title, which won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture. Easily one of McMurty's best. I first read this 30 years ago, without having read the first 2 Houston stories. It's stands alone well, but having now read the previous stories, it added depth to the read.

6ChrisG1
Jul 12, 2021, 3:43 pm

56. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O, by Sharyn McCrumb. First book of her "Ballad" series. I had read the first 4 or 5 of the books back when they were new, but lost track of it. Seeing it had continued for several more, I decided to reread the early ones & make through the rest, mixed in with other reading in the coming months.

7ChrisG1
Jul 13, 2021, 2:45 am

57. The Moon is Down, by John Steinbeck. I have a Kindle collection of the short novels of John Steinbeck and have been picking them off here and there. This story was a pleasant surprise. In some ways it was told almost as a fable of WWII, never identifying Germany or the nationality of the invaded town. It depicts the misery of trying to subjugate a conquered town, seemingly easily beaten in the invasion, but never truly defeated. The cost of subjugation, mentally, emotionally, spiritually & economically destroys the conquerors.

8ChrisG1
Editado: Jul 15, 2021, 11:24 pm

58. Sombody's Darling, by Larry McMurtry. Continuing my way thru McMurtry's books. Not one of his best, but there are always things to like in his writing. You can depend on quirky characters, humorous situations and clever dialogue. The story was separated into three parts, each from the viewpoint of a different character. In addition to his many novels, McMurtry has a number of screenplays to his credit & this novel is his sendup of Hollywood.

9richardderus
Jul 16, 2021, 6:38 pm

Good gracious, you're motoring towards 75 reads with great speed. Jump right in, the water's usually fine, and if it isn't...wait a minute.

Welcome on board!

10ChrisG1
Editado: Jul 19, 2021, 12:47 am

59. Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible, by Michael F. Bird. I found this be an excellent introduction to having a more educated understanding of scripture.

11SilverWolf28
Jul 18, 2021, 10:06 pm

Welcome to LibraryThing & this group.

12PaulCranswick
Jul 18, 2021, 11:14 pm

Welcome to the group , Chris.

13ChrisG1
Editado: Jul 19, 2021, 12:48 am

14ChrisG1
Jul 19, 2021, 12:48 am

15ChrisG1
Jul 21, 2021, 11:26 am

60. The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, by Sharyn McCrumb - book 2 of her Ballad series.

16ChrisG1
Jul 27, 2021, 1:18 pm

61. The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson. The story of Winston Churchill's first year as PM, guiding the nation through the initial setbacks and the terror of The Blitz. Popular history at it's best.

17ChrisG1
Jul 28, 2021, 11:35 am

62. The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych, by Doug Wilson. For me, this was a piece of bittersweet nostalgia. Fidrych was a one-year phenomenon for the Detroit Tigers in 1976, the summer after my senior year in high school. It was, in retrospect, a strange, almost Elvis/Beatles-like event - ballparks all over the country sold out to watch him pitch & it had as much to do with his goofy, unselfaware hyper kid-ness as his skills as a pitcher (which were impressive). Sadly, he suffered a knee injury early next season, which later contributed to hurting his arm & he never recovered.

If you're curious, but don't want to buy the book, here's a good ESPN documentary about him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD8l5bUud5Q

18ChrisG1
Jul 30, 2021, 1:45 pm

63. Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit, by P.G. Wodehouse. I never fail to enjoy the silly adventures of the Wooster. Great fun.

19ChrisG1
Jul 31, 2021, 11:36 pm

64. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. My second Austen during my recent foray into classics.

20ChrisG1
Ago 1, 2021, 12:04 pm

July Reading Summary:

Books read: 13

Pages read: 5230 - I'm pretty sure this is a new high

Longest book: 503 - The Splendid & the Vile, by Erik Larson

Shortest book: 144 - The Moon is Down, by John Steinbeck

Average book length: 402

Book of the Month: bypassing the 3 rereads, I'll go with Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen

21ChrisG1
Ago 9, 2021, 4:01 pm

65. An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor. 3rd in the Irish Country series, cozy and somewhat predictable, but I enjoy them.

22ChrisG1
Ago 10, 2021, 7:00 pm

66. She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb, 3rd in her "Ballad" series set in Appalachia - love this series & highly recommend it.

23ChrisG1
Ago 12, 2021, 3:56 pm

67. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. This will make my best of the year list, for sure. Eerie, sad, heartbreaking, with a tinge of horror. I guess I'd call it a dystopian book with an alternate history twist, but it's truly all about the characters & how they experience it. Also, man's inhumanity to man & how willing we can be to accept the inhumane if we benefit from it. And how people can blindly accept limitations placed on their lives simply because they're told it's "just how the world works." I'm not a terribly good review writer (obviously) but not many novels hit me like this one. Highly recommended.

24ChrisG1
Ago 15, 2021, 2:03 pm

68. Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - I feel like I should have liked this book more than I did. I mean, I liked it, but didn't love it. It's something of an alt-history-myth-fable, charmingly told, with magical creatures, quirky characters & surprise twists.

25ChrisG1
Ago 19, 2021, 10:07 am

69. Some Can Whistle by Larry McMurtry - continuing on through McMurtry's "Houston" stories. A very rough grouping, more in reference to a group of characters who connected in Houston - McMurtry seems to compelled to further explore characters introduced in earlier tales. This one seems semi-autobiographical.

26ChrisG1
Ago 23, 2021, 7:00 pm

70. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by CS Forester - I've been meaning to read the Hornblower series for years & took the dive. I suspect it won't take long to read them. Volume 1 didn't disappoint.

71. Lieutenant Hornblower by same

72. The Pearl by John Steinbeck. The last of The Short Novels of John Steinbeck compilation - excellent reading. I expect to include some of his longer novels to my reading list going forward, in fact, I have East of Eden sitting on my shelves waiting to be read.

27ChrisG1
Ago 26, 2021, 2:06 pm

73. Hornblower and the Hotspur by CS Forester - I guess you can tell I'm enjoying this series...just flying through it!

28ChrisG1
Editado: Ago 26, 2021, 6:38 pm

74. Hornblower During the Crisis by CS Forester

29ChrisG1
Ago 27, 2021, 1:27 pm

75. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. This is a reread & the beginning of finally reading through the entire series.

30drneutron
Ago 27, 2021, 3:43 pm

Congrats on hitting the goal!

31ChrisG1
Ago 27, 2021, 11:56 pm

>30 drneutron: thanks - by golly, I think I'll make it to 100!

32FAMeulstee
Ago 28, 2021, 3:42 am

>29 ChrisG1: Congratulations on reaching 75, Chris!

34ChrisG1
Set 2, 2021, 10:35 am

77. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - Historical fiction has become one of my favorite genres & this has been on my list to read & I'm glad I got around to it. Political intrigue in the 16th century. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to, but overall an engaging read.

35ChrisG1
Set 2, 2021, 12:04 pm

August Summary:

Books read: 13

Longest book: An Irish Country Christmas 472 pgs
Shortest book: The Pearl 96 pgs

Favorite Book: Never Let Me Go

Total pages read: 3567

36ChrisG1
Set 4, 2021, 11:07 am

78. Hornblower and the Atropos by CS Forester - continuing to enjoy this series of historical adventure fiction.

37ChrisG1
Set 5, 2021, 5:38 pm

79. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. This is a truly unique story in which the main character & first person narrator is a 15 year old autistic boy. Seeing his life through his eyes & his unique perspectives certainly makes you think. Well done.

38ChrisG1
Set 6, 2021, 11:45 am

80. Fables of La Fontaine - I've been reading a few of these per day over the last couple of months. One of my additions to my Limited Editions Club collection I acquired earlier this year.

39ChrisG1
Set 7, 2021, 12:22 pm

81. Beat to Quarters, by CS Forester - I think this is the best of the series thus far. Interesting that it's the first one he wrote, but is in the middle of the chronology.

40ChrisG1
Set 8, 2021, 5:42 pm

82. Ship of the Line, by CS Forester - I'm just (ahem) sailing through these...

41ChrisG1
Editado: Set 9, 2021, 2:25 pm

83. Prince Caspian, by CS Lewis, 2nd in the Chronicles of Narnia series.

42ChrisG1
Set 9, 2021, 11:18 pm

84. Flying Colours, by CS Forester. Didn't I mention previously that I'm...sailing...through this series?

43ChrisG1
Set 13, 2021, 5:21 pm

85. Commodore Hornblower, by CS Forester. Probably my least favorite of the series thus far, but still much to enjoy in this excellent series.

44ChrisG1
Set 15, 2021, 7:34 pm

86. Arena by Karen Hancock. It was...okay. Didn't really do much for me.

45ChrisG1
Set 19, 2021, 8:30 pm

87. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. This novel was written as a series of vignettes about various people of the town, but generally centered around a young man named George Willard, as he if formed by the town and comes of age.

46ChrisG1
Set 20, 2021, 10:16 am

88. Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel. Second volume of her three part series on the career of Thomas Cromwell, Secretary to King Henry VIII.

47ChrisG1
Set 22, 2021, 11:41 am

88. Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology by Thomas Oden (859 pgs, not including notes). I've been nibbling away at this for about a year, reading 2-3 pages at a time. Obviously not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if you have an interest in theology, Oden's thesis is built on gathering the classic consensus of the Church (defined universally of all major traditions), with particular emphasis on the great doctors of the Church from the first 5 centuries after Christ.

48ChrisG1
Set 23, 2021, 1:13 pm

89. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by CS Lewis. Volume III of the Chronicles of Narnia, a reread for me.

49PaulCranswick
Set 25, 2021, 2:04 am

>48 ChrisG1: I seem to remember that that one was the favourite instalment of the series for my gang when I read them to them years back.

Have a great weekend.

50ChrisG1
Set 26, 2021, 12:56 am

90. Travels With Charley, by John Steinbeck. The first non-fiction book by Steinbeck I've read, he recounts his 3 month meandering trip around the country. Feeling as though he's lost touch with American, he wanted to see it first hand, close up. Steinbeck's prose is always a pleasure to read. His encounters with those he meets along the way are the highlight.

51ChrisG1
Set 28, 2021, 6:55 pm

91. Tender is the Bite, by Spencer Quinn - hmmmm....two dog-companion books in a row. This is the latest installment of the delightful Chet & Bernie detective series. The stories are told from the dog's perspective, which makes it both unique and hilarious. I highly recommend the entire series - it makes for a nice change of pace from...pretty much anything else.

52ChrisG1
Set 30, 2021, 5:41 pm

September Reading Summary:

Books read: 15

Pages read: 5216

Longest book: 653 pgs - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Shortest book: 214 pgs - Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

Average book length: 348 pgs

Book of the Month: Wolf Hall

53ChrisG1
Out 3, 2021, 6:30 pm

92. The Evening Star by Larry McMurtry. Last of his "Houston" stories and a direct sequel of Terms of Endearment. I saw some complaints in Goodreads that the book meanders in spots & is overlong. I won't disagree, but felt the strengths far outweighed these issues. McMurtry has such a gift with creating compelling characters that you simply HAVE to find out what happens to them. The final 25 pages made for a brilliant ending, giving Aurora Greenway and the Houston stories a memorable & poignant close.

54ChrisG1
Out 7, 2021, 12:44 pm

93. Hard Times by Charles Dickens. So far my least favorite of his novels, as I work my way through his works. Still a good novel. It definitely took longer to become interested in the characters. In some books, I might have given up, but I trusted him to put it together & of course he did.

55ChrisG1
Out 7, 2021, 5:20 pm

94. Tales of East and West by Rudyard Kipling - a short story collection published by The Limited Editions Club. Overall, I was a bit disappointed in the stories. In any such collection, you'll find a mix of good & not so good. Certainly, there were a few stories that were excellent, but fewer than I could have hoped. One annoyance I had with Kipling's writing was his excessive use of dialect in the dialogue of the characters. Sometimes it made it nearly unreadable. Some stories were primarily dialogue & in those, it was particularly annoying. I wouldn't put this volume anywhere near his best novel Kim. Still there was much to enjoy & I'm glad to have invested the time. With short story collections, I generally only read 1 story in a day & spread it out while reading other books.

The production value of this LEC volume was a big plus - the binding, paper & illustrations were all at a high level & it added to the overall aesthetic experience.

56ChrisG1
Out 10, 2021, 11:29 am

95. The Rosewood Casket by Sharyn McCrumb - next installment of her Ballad series. A family gathers back in their home town as their father is on his death bed.

57ChrisG1
Out 13, 2021, 10:04 am

96. Lord Hornblower by CS Forester - second to last of the series & a well told tale.

58PaulCranswick
Out 14, 2021, 4:22 am

>50 ChrisG1: I have read quite a lot of John Steinbeck's books, Chris, but not that one yet. I did add it to the shelves last week though!

59ChrisG1
Out 15, 2021, 2:00 pm

97. Jeeves in the Offing by P.G. Wodehouse - continuing my push through the Jeeves stories & always great fun.

60ChrisG1
Out 17, 2021, 11:23 pm

98. Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies by C.S. Forester. A fine close to the series.

61ChrisG1
Out 20, 2021, 4:37 pm

99. Best American Short Stories 2012 - One of my reading lists is "unread Kindle inventory." This qualified. It's a solid collection. Also on my reading plan is to have a short story collection in progress along with a novel and/or non-fiction book. Time to figure out the next one....

62ChrisG1
Out 21, 2021, 10:11 pm

100. Tono-Bungay by H.G. Wells. Wells considered this to be his best true novel, so I thought I'd give it a go. No science fiction here. The title is the name of a patent medicine, which the protagonist's uncle hopes to make his fortune with, starting a meteoric rise of business success doomed to fail in the end. This is no spoiler - Wells makes it clear this is where's the book is heading. The novel is less about the business details than where success takes the main characters. It's a bit of a morality tale & reflects poorly on the more tawdry aspects of commercial products, advertising & finance. Definitely worth a read, but there were better novelists of this sort of book than Wells & no surprise that he's best known for his speculative fiction.

63ChrisG1
Out 23, 2021, 7:39 pm

101. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison. Quite an evocative title. Ellison has a reputation for psychadelic story telling, which is sometimes true - that fits some of the stories, including the title story, which is as nightmarish as you might expect. I was in the mood for a change of pace, and this fit the bill.

64ChrisG1
Out 31, 2021, 2:03 am

102. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel - third & final volume of her Thomas Cromwell series. Excellently done - highly recommended!

65ChrisG1
Nov 1, 2021, 12:47 am

103. Call for the Dead by John Le Carre

66PaulCranswick
Nov 1, 2021, 1:32 am

>64 ChrisG1: I must sit down with that one soon, Chris.

67ChrisG1
Nov 1, 2021, 9:42 am

>66 PaulCranswick: Have you read any of the series yet?

68ChrisG1
Nov 1, 2021, 10:50 am

October Reading Summary:

Books read: 11

Pages read: 3879

Longest book: 754 pgs - The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

Shortest book: 128 pgs - Call for the Dead by John Le Carre

Average book length: 352.64

Book of the Month: The Mirror and the Light

69PaulCranswick
Nov 1, 2021, 11:10 am

>67 ChrisG1: I read the first two already, Chris and the first, Wolf Hall, is one of my favourite Booker winners.

70ChrisG1
Nov 5, 2021, 10:21 am

103. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. This had been sitting in my Kindle for years, having picked it up in the bargain bin, so to speak, one day. I'm glad I finally got around to it. A most unusual novel, as it doesn't have much in the way of plot. It takes the form of a letter that an old man is writing to his son, so that he might know him better.

71ChrisG1
Nov 7, 2021, 11:51 am

104. The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb. The Fifth book in McCrumb's outstanding "Ballad" series. If you're looking for a mystery series, I can certainly recommend this one.

72ChrisG1
Nov 9, 2021, 2:43 am

105. The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis

73elkiedee
Editado: Nov 9, 2021, 7:06 am

>71 ChrisG1: I wish I could find my copies - I think I've read a couple and I bought 3 that I've not read but my crime fiction is always chaotic - I ran out of shelf space about 20 years ago and then 5 years ago I had to take those bookshelves down to make way for stairs to the "loft extension" in our house. I would love to reread/read the whole series.

74ChrisG1
Nov 9, 2021, 10:54 am

>73 elkiedee: I'm using our local library system. Mine is a large suburban multi-library system that accomodates online holds that get sent to my local branch. Very convenient and I can almost always find any book I want to read that way.

75ChrisG1
Nov 10, 2021, 2:54 pm

106. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway - this has been on my to-read list for a long time & I'm glad I did it. I do love his prose style. Any complete collection will have some stories that are not his best. But any Hemingway fan wants it all - and this edition delivers. I've added his novels to my long-term reading plan.

76elkiedee
Nov 10, 2021, 3:20 pm

>74 ChrisG1: London is divided into 32 boroughs for local government purposes - actually some boroughs on the outskirts are a mix of London suburbia and towns/villages some way beyond. That means each borough has its own stock and you can join more than one service, but I think there are advantages here to living in an area with one much bigger system, such as Manchester (city) or Lancashire (large county) in the north west of England. I can't afford to buy lots of whole series of books again.

77ChrisG1
Nov 10, 2021, 7:14 pm

>76 elkiedee: I live in Washington County in Oregon. It consists entirely of suburbs to the west of Portland and has a population of over 600,000. There are multiple libraries run by each city, but they have a county-wide network and shared computer system and they co-operate beautifully. I'm glad to have this resource, as it allows me to read almost anything without spending a fortune and/or filling every available surface of my home with bookshelves...

78elkiedee
Nov 10, 2021, 7:17 pm

I ran out of space for (more) bookshelves about 20 years ago or more!

79ChrisG1
Editado: Nov 13, 2021, 2:19 pm

107. I, Claudius by Robert Graves. Just an excellent novel. I enjoyed the "fictional autobiography" format. Easily one of the best historical novels I've read.

80ChrisG1
Nov 15, 2021, 1:31 am

108. A Murder of Quality by John Le Carre. Second of the George Smiley stories.

81ChrisG1
Nov 17, 2021, 5:13 pm

109. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell. After reading Hemingway's short story collection, I wanted to learn a bit more of the Spanish Civil War. To me, the best parts of this book were the telling of his personal experiences - on the front as a soldier, in Barcelona on leave, seeing the outbreak of street fighting between the various political factions. He also tried to summarize the the political situation & war on a national scale & much of that made my eyes glaze over, perhaps because I'm already getting a dose of that from another book that covers that material already.

82ChrisG1
Nov 18, 2021, 3:18 pm

110. The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction by Helen Graham. As mentioned in #109 above, I had wanted to learn a bit more about the Spanish Civil War and chose this short book to get an overview. Between this book & Orwell's Homage, I'm pleased with a modest increase in understanding. One thing that struck me is how different a civil war it was from the American one, which was a war between distinct regions, with relative unanimity within each region, whereas in Spain, it was a war between ideological groups. Some have been warning of the potential for this to happen in the US, with increased fractures between right & left. There are certainly similarities - urban liberals vs rural conservatives, secular vs religious, and to some extent, the military & police are (at least a majority) more aligned with conservatives, ideologically. Certainly, there are factions within each camp who are spoiling for a fight. But it's hard to imagine it spreading to the entire populus. In Spain, it was precipitated by a military coup & I'd venture to say it would take something of similar magnitude to trigger one here in the states.

83ChrisG1
Nov 21, 2021, 10:57 pm

111. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Up to now, I had only read Steinbeck's shorter works & this one is far more ambitious,. It's not hard to understand how this was quite a blockbuster in it's day (as well as controversial). And it still resonates today. 5 stars.

84ChrisG1
Nov 24, 2021, 12:02 am

112. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis - book 4 of the Chronicles of Narnia

85ChrisG1
Editado: Nov 24, 2021, 1:01 pm

113. Socrates: A Man For Our Times by Paul Johnson. This book was perfect for what I wanted - a brief synopsis of his life and ideas. Certainly, it was through Johnson's personal lens, but that's always true with these sort of books.

86PaulCranswick
Nov 25, 2021, 6:12 am

A Thanksgiving to Friends (Lighting the Way)

In difficult times
a friend is there to light the way
to lighten the load,
to show the path,
to smooth the road

At the darkest hour
a friend, with a word of truth
points to light
and the encroaching dawn
is in the plainest sight.

Chris, to a friend in books and more this Thanksgiving

87ChrisG1
Nov 28, 2021, 2:07 am

>86 PaulCranswick: Such a fine thought to share - thank you for doing so!

88ChrisG1
Editado: Nov 28, 2021, 2:10 am

114. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. I'll confess that in the middle of the book, I wasn't sure I looked forward to the rest of it. Maugham takes you through a great journey with the life of Philip Cary. Frequently, I felt I didn't even like him & didn't care what happened to him, but something kept me going & it paid off handsomely.

89ChrisG1
Dez 1, 2021, 6:20 pm

November Reading Summary:

Books read: 11

Pages read: 3644

Longest book: 684 pgs - Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

Shortest book: 150 pgs - The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction by Helen Graham

Average book length: 331 pgs

Book of the Month: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Dud of the Month: I only got 44 pages into Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Just not my cup of tea. I put it into the same category as On The Road by Jack Kerouac - aimless people living pointless lives....why should I care?

90ChrisG1
Editado: Dez 3, 2021, 9:32 pm

115. Claudius the God by Robert Graves. The sequel to I, Claudius. This is a case where it feels like the two books are merely two volumes to tell one story. The first is the better novel overall, but the second was still quite worthwhile.

91PaulCranswick
Dez 3, 2021, 10:07 pm

>88 ChrisG1: & >90 ChrisG1: Agree entirely with your comments, Chris. Favourite authors of mine both, but I, Claudius is definitely stronger than the sequel and Human Bondage is long but worth the trouble though my favourite of his books remains The Moon and Sixpence.

92ChrisG1
Dez 4, 2021, 10:12 am

>91 PaulCranswick: I will definitely read more of Maugham & The Moon and Sixpence is next on my list. Any other favorites?

93ChrisG1
Dez 5, 2021, 11:51 pm

116. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This had been on my "meaning to get around to list for...decades. I have friends who are big fans. But for me, it was a bit of a...meh. Ok, kind of cute & fun, but really not much to it. Fortunately it's short. Two stars.

94PaulCranswick
Dez 6, 2021, 12:09 am

>92 ChrisG1: Cakes and Ale and The Magician are both interesting too. His short stories are excellent including those of his Secret Agent Ashenden.

95ChrisG1
Dez 8, 2021, 9:48 am

117. The Best American Short Stories 2014 This is my second volume of this series completed this year. I find it to be a solid choice to scratch my occasional short story itch.

96ChrisG1
Dez 9, 2021, 7:07 pm

118. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Does anyone truly have the power to corrupt another person, or is that person drawn to corruptor by their own sinful nature? That's one question this classic novel brought to my mind. It's hard to read this novel and not be affected. It's a classic for good reason.

97ChrisG1
Dez 11, 2021, 11:00 pm

119. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson - first in the popular "Longmire" mystery series. I was a big fan of the TV show, so i decided to try the books. Gotta say the writing is excellent. I may enjoy the books even more than the show.

98ChrisG1
Dez 14, 2021, 10:31 pm

120. War Lord by Bernard Cornwell - final installment in The Last Kingdom series. It's been a good ride.

99ChrisG1
Dez 18, 2021, 12:05 am

121. The Songcatcher by Sharyn McCrumb - another installment of the Ballad series.

100ChrisG1
Dez 22, 2021, 2:06 am

122. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson. 2nd installment of the excellent "Longmire" series. I enjoyed the TV adaptation enormously &, if anything, the books (so far) are even better.

101PaulCranswick
Dez 22, 2021, 2:38 am

Congratulations Chris on reaching 100 posts - not at all shabby in less than six months with the group!

102ChrisG1
Dez 22, 2021, 6:49 pm

Thanks, Paul - I've enjoyed being a part of this group & gotten a number of ideas about books to read from it. Your reviews are a particular favorite!

103ChrisG1
Dez 22, 2021, 6:51 pm

123. The Chimes by Charles Dickens. One of his 5 Christmas novels (more like a novella). It was...okay. Not at all as good as The Christmas Carol.

104PaulCranswick
Dez 24, 2021, 7:58 pm



Have a lovely holiday, Chris.

105ChrisG1
Dez 25, 2021, 9:23 am

124. San Fransicko by Michael Shellenberger. The author seems to be a bit of an apostate progressive, especially in the area of homeless policy. He documents all too well the failures of progressive policy towards homelessness in San Francisco and advocates more "tough love" policies and a return to residential substance abuse & mental health treatment. I don't disagree. The book veers off course a bit into some other areas, but is best in dealing with homelessness.

106drneutron
Dez 25, 2021, 9:30 am

>105 ChrisG1: Sounds like an interesting one. I'll add it to my list!

107SilverWolf28
Dez 26, 2021, 5:17 pm

Merry Christmas!

108ChrisG1
Dez 27, 2021, 11:33 am

125. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John Le Carre. This is the book that made Le Carre's reputation & deservedly so.

109ChrisG1
Dez 27, 2021, 12:04 pm

126 Lieutenant Hornblower by CS Forester - I reviewed my entries on a spreadsheet I keep & found I had overlooked entering this one.

110ChrisG1
Dez 29, 2021, 1:29 am

127. The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis, 6th of the Chronicles of Narnia

111ChrisG1
Dez 31, 2021, 10:25 am

128. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

112ChrisG1
Dez 31, 2021, 2:14 pm

December Reading Summary:

Books read: 14

Pages read: 4009

Longest book: Claudius the God by Robert Graves - 533 pages

Shortest book: The Chimes by Charles Dickens - 116 pages

Average book length: 286 pgs

Book of the Month: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Dud of the month: The Chimes by Charles Dickens - this one just didn't come together for me. The theme seemed weak and had far less power and impact than A Christmas Carol.

113ChrisG1
Dez 31, 2021, 2:25 pm

Reading Summary for 2021:

Books read: 128 - by far a record for me

Pages read: 44,104

My top ten - does not include rereads:

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
4. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
5. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
6. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
7. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
8. Leaving Cheyenne by Larry McMurtry
9. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
10. Kim by Rudyard Kipling

I began the year with a determination to read a great deal more literary fiction, both modern & older classics & somewhat less contemporary genre fiction and certainly achieved that goal. It has been a very satisfying year of reading. I hope yours was as well.

114PaulCranswick
Jan 1, 2022, 2:47 am



Forget your stresses and strains
As the old year wanes;
All that now remains
Is to bring you good cheer
With wine, liquor or beer
And wish you a special new year.

Happy New Year, Chris.

115SilverWolf28
Jan 1, 2022, 11:13 am

Happy New Year!