January, 2022 Reads

A most(ly) enjoyable month of reading. I spent time with two most estimable and accomplished women. I visited ancient Egypt and crossed the Atlantic with Monty Bodkin. I solved crimes with Vera Stanhope, Roddy Alleyn, Hercule Poirot Peter Wimsey, Philip Marlowe and two different art historians. On the other hand, I DNFed two books this month, one because it was way too ugly and the other because the narrator was insufferable. C'est la vie!

Best books of the month, I never thought I would say it, but the three memoirs that I read: Katherine Johnson, Justice Sotomayor and the Howard brothers.

Quotes of the month: "Books heal everything." (The Reading List) and "You don't have to understand life, you just have to live it." (I don't remember what book I was reading when I scribbled it down.)

 

YTD:  21 Books Read, 205 Hours Spent
Goal: 100 books and 1500 hours
 
This Month: 21 Books Read, 205 Hours Spent

 

 

Death of a Fool --  Ngaio Marsh  --  NEW1
My Remarkable Journey  --  Katherine Johnson  --  NEW2
Three Act Tragedy  --  Agatha Christie  --  NEW3
The Boys  --  Ron Howard & Clint Howard  --  NEW4
The 7½  Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle  --  Stuart Turton  --  NEW5
The High Window  --  Raymond Chandler  --  NEW6
All the Lonely People  --  Mike Gayle  --  NEW7
LATW: 8  --  Dustin Lance Black --  NEW8
Great Courses: The History of Ancient Egypt  --  Bob Brier  --  NEW9
The Darkest Evening  --  Ann Cleeves  --  NEW10
Telling Tales  --  Ann Cleeves  --  NEW11
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek  --  NEW12  --  DNF (too ugly)
My Beloved World --  Sonia Sotomayor   --  NEW13
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Dramatized)  --  Dorothy L. Sayers  --  NEW14
The Reading List  --  Sara Nisha Adams --  NEW15
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos  --  Donna Andrews  --  NEW16
The Luck of the Bodkins  --  P.G. Wodehouse  --  NEW17
The Raphael Affair  --  Iain Pears  --  NEW18
The Van Gogh Deception  --  Deron Hicks  --  NEW19
Sex on the Moon  --  Ben Mezrich  --  NEW20  DNF (horrible, insufferable narration)
The Dictionary of Lost Words  --  Pip Williams  --  NEW21

The Reading List

by Sara Nisha Adams (read by Tara Divina, Sagar Arya, Paul Panting)
Library Loan
Debut novel

 

 

Publisher's Summary
 
An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

 

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley, in West London after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

 

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

 

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list...hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again.

 

©2021 Sara Nisha Adams (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

 

Something for everybody: Old fart fiction meets dysfunctional family

 
"Books heal everything."

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the book. Me, who does not enjoy borrowing other people's troubles. Me, who proclaims "no dys-anything." Hmm, maybe a good sign that I am not as intractable as I would like to believe. It also makes me wonder about the current binge of old fart fiction that I seem to be engaged in. Am I trying to tell myself something? "Be prepared, honey. This could be you any day now." Or, maybe I'm just tired of reading books whose main characters are half my age.

The book was not perfect; it has its flaws but nothing that brought me to a halt yelling, "Life's too short!"  It was enjoyable, thought-provoking, entertaining and, as the blurb says, heartwarming. The plot was plausible enough and it drew me along; I wanted to know where the reading list came from. The characters were interesting enough to want to get to know further and the writing was satisfying. Given that this was a debut novel by a young author, I look forward to more books with the hope that as she matures, so does her writing and her understanding of the world around her.

The book list gimmick was nicely handled and served as an interesting way to bring a diverse cast of characters together. I  liked that while the list provided structure, the story was not weighed down by endless analysis of the novels. Short descriptions of the plots were neatly woven into the fabric of the novel for those who were unfamiliar with the books on the list; analysis was the natural extension of conversation among the characters and limited to a sentence or two at a time.

The list of books:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

 

 

 

I hopped on the way back machine looking for something new to read, something I didn't have to buy, because at this point my audio library is large enough.  Still, I was looking for something new. At the same time, I wanted to do some 'research' into American crime fiction before 1970 for the Agatha Christie read, which is focusing the side reads on American authors for the coming year. The result was the start of a hard-boiled noir marathon, with more to come in the next few months.

 

 

The Moving Target c.1949
by Ross Macdonald (read by Tom Parker aka Grover Gardner)
Audible Plus

 

Publisher's Summary
The first book in Ross Macdonald's acclaimed Lew Archer series introduces the detective who redefined the role of the American private eye and gave the crime novel a psychological depth and moral complexity only hinted at before.

Like many Southern California millionaires, Ralph Sampson keeps odd company. There's the sun-worshiping holy man whom Sampson once gave his very own mountain, and the fading actress with sidelines in astrology and S&M. Now, one of Sampson's friends may have arranged his kidnapping.

As private eye Lew Archer follows  the clues from the canyon sanctuaries of the mega-rich to jazz joints  where you can get beaten up between sets, The Moving Target blends sex, greed, misdirected love, and family hatred into an explosive crime novel.

Wait! There was S&M in this book? Really? Where? Well, maybe Tom Lehrer was right, "When correctly viewed, everything is lewd." I guess I didn't view it right.

I liked the book. It was a quick entertaining read Yes, it was full of the typical misogyny, objectification of women, racism, antisemitism, bigotry, violence, etc. that you find in this genre but I tend to ignore that baggage. I think of it as the macho version of the romantic fantasies that Harlequin peddles. It reminds me of how things used to be -- and will be again if things continue the way they are going.

Lew Archer is an interesting dude and I expect that I will be reading a few more before I give up completely on the series -- especially if I can find more read by Tom Parker, who is in reality Grover Gardner. When I first heard the narrator's voice, I recognized it immediately. I've heard it enough times. But it said 'narrated by Tom Parker" in the details and I said, "No, no, no! There cannot be two people with that same voice." A little research proved me right; that voice has multiple names.

 

---

 

The Big Bang
The Lost Mike Hammer Sixties Novel
By: Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins
Narrated by: Stacy Keach
Audible Plus

 

Publisher's Summary

In midtown Manhattan, Mike Hammer, recovering  from a near-fatal mix-up with the Mob, runs into drug dealers  assaulting a young hospital messenger. He saves the kid, but the muggers  are not so lucky. In a New York of flashy discotheques, swanky bachelor  pads, and the occasional dark alley, Hammer deals with doctors and drug  addicts, hippie chicks and hit men, meeting changing times with his  timeless brand of violent vengeance.

Originally begun and  outlined by Spillane in the mid-sixties, and expertly completed by his  longtime collaborator Max Allan Collins, The Big Bang is vintage  Mike Hammer on acid—literally. Hammer and his beautiful, deadly partner  Velda take on the narcotics racket in New York, just as the streets have  dried up and rumors run rampant of a massive heroin shipment due any  day.

On the other hand, The Big Bang was a complete disaster. I wanted to read a Mickey Spillane but I made the mistake of choosing this one. This one was started by Spillane in the Sixties and finished by Max Allan Collins a few years ago. It was a stupid choice to begin with. How could I ever get the feel for Spillane if I didn't know what was Spillane and what was his not-quite-ghost writer. The more I read, the more it drove me crazy. How much of this is Spillane and how much of this is Collins? And how much of this is Collins get his jollies writing things that he would not get away with saying in one of his own novels?

Life's too short! DNF after a few chapters. I'm looking for one that is 100% Spillane; they are hard to come by on audio.

 

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The High Window c. 1942
by Raymond Chandler (read by Scott Brick)

 

Publisher's Summary
 
A  wealthy Pasadena widow with a mean streak, a missing daughter-in-law  with a past, and a gold coin worth a small fortune - the elements don't  quite add up until Marlowe discovers evidence of murder, rape,  blackmail, and the worst kind of human exploitation. 

I like Chandler and this one has been in my wish list for a long time now. Before I was able to buy it, Audible lost the rights to it. It was only recently that a new version was recorded and ended up in a sale pile where I could see it (and buy it). Glad I finally got my hands on it.

& More: Tiny Beautiful Thing

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Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed. Adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos.

 

Finding hope by asking and answering the hardest questions

A celebration of the simple beauty of being human, this funny, deeply touching, and uplifting play is an exploration of resilience, based on Cheryl Strayed’s journey as the beloved anonymous advice columnist for “Dear Sugar.” Over the years, thousands of people turned to “Sugar” for words of wisdom, compassion, and hope. Reluctant to claim that she has all the answers, Sugar looks to her own past and draws on her life experiences to bring light, laughter, and humanity to others.

 

 

It is so good to be back at Trinity Rep. The 2021-22 season has finally begun in earnest and it has started with a huge, reverberating BANG!!! And I can't wait for the remaining three shows in this truncated season.

I am torn. I can't decide how I feel about this play. For sure, sitting through Tiny Beautiful Things is being put through an emotional wringer. There is no intermission, no time to take a breath. Nothing is taboo, rape, abuse, pedophilia, death; whatever problems her readers send her, Sugar tackles them with love and compassion and the message that we are resilient. It is exhausting but, in a way, it is also uplifting.

Nonetheless, I had some problems with the vehicle. About halfway though I found myself asking, "Where is this going? How is this going to end?" How many times can we go through the same 'read the letter, give her answer' cycle? I'm getting bored. The message hasn't changed. There is no arc to this story.  She keeps upping the ante and I keep wondering just how many more hard luck stories can one person have to share with her audience before we all start wonder how much of this Sugar is making up for her readers. And it still isn't going anywhere. The self-help lesson was emotionally moving but the little bit of plot, "Who are you really? What's your name and why won't you tell us who you are?" was not a strong enough to carry the play. 

On the other hand, the acting was superb, as usual. It is one of the things that keep us coming back to Trinity year after year. We might not be enamored of the vehicle but the staging is never bad. Angela was superb as Sugar. Brian, Phyllis and Stephen, three veteran members of the resident company, were absolute chameleons as they moved from one letter writer to the next without regard to age or gender of the character.

Next show: August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean.

DNF. Life's Too Short

 

The Book Woman of Lonesome Creek

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I'm done.

This is not what I signed on for.

It is just way too ugly for me and I'm not slogging through anymore ugliness waiting for it to get better.

I've read my fill of bigotry and man's inhumanity towards man. I get the message.

 

 

The Boys

 

Written and Read by Ron Howard and Clint Howard 

Library Loan

 

Publisher's Summary

Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, Gentle Ben — these shows captivated millions of TV viewers in the ’60s and ’70s. Join award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and audience-favorite actor Clint Howard as they frankly and fondly share their unusual family story of navigating and surviving life as sibling child actors.

“What was it like to grow up on TV?” Ron Howard has been asked this question throughout his adult life. in The Boys, he and his younger brother, Clint, examine their childhoods in detail for the first time. For Ron, playing Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days offered fame, joy, and opportunity — but also invited stress and bullying. For Clint, a fast start on such programs as Gentle Ben and Star Trek petered out in adolescence, with some tough consequences and lessons.

With the perspective of time and success — Ron as a filmmaker, producer, and Hollywood A-lister, Clint as a busy character actor — the Howard brothers delve deep into an upbringing that seemed normal to them yet was anything but. Their Midwestern parents, Rance and Jean, moved to California to pursue their own showbiz dreams. But it was their young sons who found steady employment as actors. Rance put aside his ego and ambition to become Ron and Clint’s teacher, sage, and moral compass. Jean became their loving protector — sometimes over-protector — from the snares and traps of Hollywood.

By turns confessional, nostalgic, heartwarming, and harrowing, The Boys is a dual narrative that lifts the lid on the Howard brothers’ closely held lives. It’s the journey of a tight four-person family unit that held fast in an unforgiving business and of two brothers who survived “child-actor syndrome” to become fulfilled adults.

©2021 Ron Howard, Clint Howard (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

 

Family, education, hardwork, respect for other people

 

I don't normally read celebrity memoirs or biographies. They don't need my money and I already know more than I want to know about them the headlines they generate. There are exceptions: Penny Marshall, Tim Conway, Ron Howard, Katherine Jounson to name a few. You get the idea of the kind of people I'm interested in getting to know-- and its not the glitz and glitter people and its not the broken people either. The minute I saw it on Audible, I knew I had to read it -- and it was well worth it.

Four stars

 

by Katherine Johnson with Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore (read by Robin Miles)

 

Publisher's Summary

The remarkable woman at heart of the smash New York Times best seller and Oscar-winning film Hidden Figures tells the full story of her life, including what it took to work at NASA, help land the first man on the moon, and live through a century of turmoil and change.

In 2015, at the age of 97, Katherine Johnson became a global celebrity. President Barack Obama awarded her the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation’s highest civilian honor - for her pioneering work as a mathematician on NASA’s first flights into space. Her contributions to America’s space program were celebrated in a blockbuster and Academy-award nominated movie. 

In this memoir, Katherine shares her personal journey from child prodigy in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia to NASA human computer. In her life after retirement, she served  as a beacon of light for her family and community alike. Her story is centered around the basic tenets of her life - no one is better than you, education is paramount, and asking questions can break barriers. The memoir captures the many facets of this unique woman: the curious “daddy’s girl”, pioneering professional, and sage elder. 

This multidimensional portrait is also the record of a century of racial history that reveals the influential role educators at segregated schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities played in nurturing the dreams of trailblazers like Katherine. The author pays homage to her mentor - the African American professor who inspired her to become a research mathematician despite having his own dream crushed by racism. 

Infused with the uplifting wisdom of a woman who handled great fame with genuine humility and great tragedy with enduring hope, My Remarkable Journey ultimately brings into focus a determined woman who navigated tough racial terrain with soft-spoken grace - and the unrelenting grit required to make history and inspire future generations. 

©2021 Katherine Johnson, Joylette Hylick, Katherine Moore (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

 

What bothers me is that there aren't enough Katherine Johnsons writing books like this

Katherine G. Johnson's memoir is reminiscent of another memoir written almost 30 years ago, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. Also barrier breakers, Sadie and Bessie Delany were born at the end of the 19th century. They both graduated Columbia University. Both were professionals, one a dentist and the other a teacher. Both scored firsts for black women in the United States. But it wasn't the lists of accomplishments that made me think of the sisters as I read Ms. Johnson's book. It was actually something in the language and the diction that triggered the thought; there was something about the way Ms. Johnson wrote that brought the Delany sisters to mind, because, for whatever reason, they sounded so much alike. Then, there was the message that both books articulated: success in life requires an education and hard work and a successful life includes giving back to the community that raised you in order to raise yet another generation of successful community members. Nothing in life is just given to you. It is a universal message.

I don't usually read memoirs, especially the celebrity memoirs that seem to be the sum total of the memoirs and biographies that turn up in the Audible sale piles. I want to read about good people who have contributed to society and are proud but humble about their accomplishments, not a bunch of self-entitled braggarts or drugged up yahoos. I'm interested in the people who have given to society and worked to make it a better place for everyone. Mrs. Johnson's life story is a life lesson for all of us; we need more of them on our library bookshelves.

In short, go, get this book and spend a few hours with a remarkable woman.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

by Stuart Turton (read by James Cameron Stewart)

Audible sale pile

 

 

 

Publisher's Summary

The rules of Blackheath: Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. 

Understood? Then let's begin....

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others....  

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity that it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.

©2018 Stuart Turton (P)2018 Tantor

 

 

The 1920's country house mystery to end all 1920's country house mysteries

 

I have mixed emotions about this one. I loved the start of it: bang! You are off and running before you even have a chance to stick your toe in the water.  You are sucked in. You have no idea where you are or what is going on. You are completely disoriented -- just like the main character. I did not like the ending. I was disappointed.  It lacked verisimilitude. I didn't understand how the main character could make such an about-face, and because of spoilers, that is all I am going to say about the ending. I really don't want to give away one iota more of this story than I have already given.

While I was wishy-washy about his plot choices, I applaud his writing. He doesn't waste words and uses simile to his advantage. There is a lot of action in the book and that doesn't leave much room for florid description; he doesn't need it. Agatha Christie lovers may get a kick out of Turton's 2020 take on the 1920's country house mystery. Is he telling us that they are his version of Purgatory?

In the end, I think that Turton has a few pearls of wisdom for his audience, perhaps even a few words of advice. But again, we are getting to close to spoiler territory and I will leave you to decide for yourself.

8

 

by Dustin Lance Black. Produced by L.A. Theatre Works. Directed by Rob Reiner

Library Loan

 

 

 

Publisher's Summary

 

An unconstitutional proposition.

An unprecedented decision.

An all-star cast.

Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Martin Sheen, 8 is written by Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar) and directed by acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner.

 

The play is a powerful account of the case filed by the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) in the U.S. District Court in 2010 to overturn Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. Framed around the trial's historic closing arguments in June 2010, 8 provides an intimate look what unfolded when the issue of same-sex marriage was on trial.

 

A full-cast performance featuring:

George Clooney as David Boies 

Brad Pitt as Chief Judge Vaughn Walker 

Martin Sheen as Theodore B. Olson 

Kevin Bacon as Charles Cooper 

Jamie Lee Curtis as Sandy Stier 

Christine Lahti as Kris Perry

 

 

 

I was looking for an amuse bouche, something short and sweet.

 

Oh my goodness, what a disaster of a play. I put this in my TBR because I wanted to see if Clooney, Pitt and Sheen were any good on stage -- and where else are you going to see all three of them on the same stage.  I finally picked it up because I was looking for something short and palate-cleansing.

 

This is so obviously a piece of political propaganda that, in spite of its all-star involvement, is some of the worst writing, directing and acting I have ever heard. My issue is with the art, not the politics. It feels like this whole thing was thrown together in a weekend.

 

The writing sucks. Take back the man's Oscar. Instead of writing a fresh new piece, he took the transcript of the trial and reenacted the key portions: a couple of the memorable witnesses and parts of the summations. There are many plays out there that have been "issue' plays, plays that we still talk about, plays that are still performed. They survive because the work transcends the specific issue it was designed to address by finding a universal kernel of truth that will speak to all ages. This play doesn't find that universal. It tried to but it was so obvious that all anyone cared about was staging the crucial moments of the prosecution and the embarrassing moments for the defense of the trial verbatim. The damned thing only made sense if you were familiar with the trial and the issues. 

 

From there is was down hill. Reiner failed to direct; maybe he was just trying to herd cats. Sheen was completely disappointing in his role. I had the highest hopes for him. He turned in a bloviating, one note performance -- sounded like Pres. Bartlett giving a speech at a campaign rally, not a lawyer giving his closing arguments in front of a judge and jury. John C. Reilly stole the show; he had the hardest part to do well. He played a bumbling expert witness who could not defend his own testimony. He was like a deer in the crosshairs; getting the pauses and the half-finished words just right wasn't easy. Finally, even though it was performed as a radio-play (no staging), it should not have been recorded in front of live audience because after a while it seem obvious that they were only there to laugh at the defendants.

 

From all this nitpicking on low points, you might think that I should have just DNFed the whole thing. The truth is that even if it was a terrible play, what was being said was interesting from an historic point of view. So I ignored all the geegaws that were stuck onto it to try to make it a play and paid attention to the court record.

All the Lonely People

 

by Mike Gayle (read by Ben Onwukwe)

Library Loan

 

 

Publisher's Summary

In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship, and fulfillment. But it's a lie. In reality, Hubert's days are all the same, dragging on without him seeing a single soul.

Until he receives some good news - good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on. The news that his daughter is coming for a visit.

Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out. Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship, and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all....

Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows, will he ever get to live the life he's pretended to have for so long?

©2021 Mike Gayle (P)2021 Grand Central Publishing

 

Look out! It's a two-boxer!

In my family, any book or movie can be rated by how many boxes of tissues you go through while reading or watching. We are an 'easily moved to tears' family-- at least when it comes to fiction; real-life is another matter -- so two-boxer is actually a warning that this one will really make you cry. Regardless of how many boxes of tissues I just went through, I really enjoyed this book; it touched me. It is, at its core, a  story of love, marriage and family, of joy and of sorrow, all beautifully told, without being an overly-saccharine, overly-sentimental mess. It is also a story about aging and loneliness. In other words, its another one of those 'old fart' books that seems to be making their way on to my bookshelves on a regular basis lately. Maybe someone is trying to tell me something.

2021 Reading List: December

 

I did not make my reading goal this year.  I was 3 books short. I would have made it if I had not gone on vacation halfway through December.  Never-mind. It was still a good month for reading.  It began with a bang. Two re-reads for the Christie Centenary Read. Went over some rough ground with The Present and The Big Bang -- two authors I won't be revisiting.  Doesn't matter. Deacon King Kong, Writing the Bible, Wait for Signs and even the two I read by Matt Haig more than made up for up for the rough spots. Two DNFs this month. The Mickey Spillane was an unfinished manuscript finished by another author and the other was a P.G. Wodehouse that I do plan to return to in 2022. All things considered, December was a bookishly good month and 2021 was a bookishly satisfying year.

I am very far behind on reviewing books, to the point of not remembering what I read and not remembering if I like it or not. Doubt I will catch up. I'd rather read than write.

December: 15 Books Read, 108 Hours Spent

2021:  197 Books Read, 1744 Hours Spent

Murder on the Orient Express  --  Agatha Christie -- Re-read

An English Murder -- Cyril Hare -- Re-read

The Present -- Jay Martel -- NEW121

Hercule Poirot's Christmas -- Agatha Christie -- NEW122

Wait for Signs -- Craig Johnson -- NEW123

The Midnight Library -- Matt Haig -- NEW124

Dead Heat -- Dick Francis -- Re-read

Writing the Bible -- Martien Halvorson-Taylor -- NEW125

Deacon King Kong -- James McBride -- NEW126

Anarchy and Old Dogs -- Colin Cotterill -- NEW127

Hogfather -- Terry Pratchett Re-read

How to Stop Time -- Matt Haig -- NEW128

The Big Bang -- Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins -- NEW129 DNF

The Moving Target -- Ross McDonald -- NEW130

The Luck of the Bodkins -- P.G. Wodehouse -- NEW131 DNF

 

 

 

 

Best Book of the Month