Book Girls' Guide - Read Around the USA

 January, 2023:  

• Books Set in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
• I chose Massachusetts and read Things You Save in a Fire  by Katherine Center

February, 2023:  

• Books Set in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
• I chose Wyoming and read The Fire and the Ore by Olivia Hawker

March, 2023

• Books Set in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee
• I've chosen The Indigo Girl, which I have on Chirp

April, 2023

• Books Set in the U.S. Territories
• I chose Guam and found Secret Shopper by Tanya Taimanglo on Kindle

23. Thank You For Listening - Julia Whelan

listened on Libby

2022
432 pgs. (12:13)
Adult Romance
Finished 3/26/23
Goodreads rating: 4.07
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary LA, Las Vegas, Venice (Italy)

My comments: This was read by the author, and is about an audiobook reader - and the industry.  Julia Whelan is an INCREDIBLE narrator.  She can flawlessly switch between characters, making male characters sound like REAL male characters, and all the characters in a book have their own particular, recognizable voice.  Quite amazing!  The story was FUN.  You absolutely had no surprises, but the humor - much of it laugh-out-loud - and the clever, quick conversation is top notch.  However, it went on and on too much, it could have been cut down by a couple of hours at least.  I got a little bored listening at the end, every single mentioned side story was wrapped up so completely that unneeded details were included.  I really did love this, and want to read (listen to!!!) her previous novel.

Goodreads synopsis:  For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger.

On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her.

As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more.

If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers.

From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan’s uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator—who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident—and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.

22. Exiles by Jane Harper

#3 Aaron Falk/Australia

listened on Libby
356 pgs.

2022
Adult mystery
Finished 3/25/23
Goodreads rating: 4.05
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Australia

My comments:      Grew on me more and more as the story progressed.  At first it just seemed to jump all over the place (it actually did this throughout the story), but once I got used to it, it was easier to follow along a little more easily.  A complicated story that kept you wondering all the time - which I like.  Definitely a good mystery.  Happily every after...no more Aaron Falk to come.  Ever. 

Empty Bowls 2023

I finally got to go and had a wonderful time!  The Sentinel took photos, and I'm in three of them.

Link to the article.

Sandy and I have happily decided that this will be an annual outing.

21. The Art of Loving Libby Green by Bellebird James

read on Kindle
252 pgs.

2021
YA CRF
Finished 3/10/23
Goodreads rating: 4.08
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary New Zealand

My comments: A real tough look at homelessness.  Dylan is homeless, trying to watch out for his absurdly alcoholic father and finish his senior year at high school.  He is an incredible graffiti artist whose only dream is to go to SOFA, the prestigious art school right in his community.  But living in a tent beside an abandoned public toilet and riding his bike are all he has to hang on to.  His father abandons him for days, even week on end and he has to take care of his little elderly dog, Bear.  He has no money, so he steals his food and his father makes him steal booze and cigarettes.  It's really sad, quite heartbreaking.  He's got a crush on Libby Green, but he keeps to himself until one day they sit beside each other in art class.  There's the typical obnoxious boyfriend, blah, blah, blah, but I very much enjoyed it, on the whole and as sad as it was.

20. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

listened on Libby/borrowed from the library

2022
360 pgs.
Adult Magical Realism
Finished 3/10/23
Goodreads rating: 4.41
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary coastal Washington state

My comments: Okay, I loved this book.  It was different and interesting and although you knew exactly what was coming and how it would end, it was the route that it took to get there that was so fascinating.  A cantankerous 70-year-old woman, an elderly octopus living out his life in captivity, and a 30-year-old young man abandoned by his mother and raised by his aunt are the three main characters.  All unique and wonderful.  Michael Uri read the character of Marcellus, the octopus, perfectly, oh so perfectly!  Sure, a lot of sadness, but brilliantly done ... a perfect title for this story!  Five star setting: small town on the ocean just north of Seattle, WA.  Genre: magical realism?  To be able to hear the thoughts of an octopus would make it that, I think, the rest is definitely realistic fiction.

Goodreads synopsis:  Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

March Bingo

Note:  Bombed out in March!

 It's March 4th and I totally forgot about this until today.  Bummmer....not that I ever achieve anything!

1 - March BkGirls US Challenge - The Indigo Girl, South Carolina-have on Chirp

2 - March BkGirls W. Europe Challenge - Africa - The Lioness (Chris Bohjalian) checked out fr TPPL (also Black Dove, White Raven, a YA HF by Elizabeth Wein about Ethiopia sounds really good) (as well as Unbowed, Wangari Matthai's autobiography)

3 - Whatever I'm reading on Kindle - The Art of Loving Libby Green

4 - Waiting on Audible 

5 - Waiting on Audible

6 - Waiting on Chirp

7 - Wait Listed at the Library - Remarkably Bright Creatures

8 - Wait Listed at the Library Thank You For Listening

9 - Wait Listed at the Library

10 - any Newbery Award

11 - any recent 4-8 title

12 - YA

13 - 2023 title - Murder at Haven's Rock

14 - a memoir

15 - a "real" book

16 - Kindle Unlimited/Audio

17 - Kindle Unlimited/Audio

18 - short story

19 - 

20 - 

READY TO READ next

Birnam Wood - out 3/23, just purchased with Audible credits

Fall from Grace - Time Weaver, #5 in a series...I read #4 and LOVED it.  Missing persons.

Geraldine Verne's Red Suitcase - 70 year old protagonist for BookGirls YearLong Challenge (KUnl Audio)

The Last Runaway - Tracy Chevalier

Parting the Veil (Bookbug) Kunl Audio - Louisiana to England Mystery/Thriller

Rachel's Story - dystopian!! Kindle only

The Dark Room - Lisa Gray Standalone

The Midnight Children - Dan Gemeinhart

The House at the End of the World  - Dean Koontz, 2023 KUnl Audio

Close to Home - Dugoni - Tracy Crosswhite #5 KUnlAudio

Signal Moon (Kate Quinn) short story

Knitlandia

The Unknown Beloved (Harmon) 1923

The Singing Trees (ME)

The Victory Garden (Rhys Bowen)

The Lying Club (Annie Ward) Thriller

Dark Objects (Simon Toyne)

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper

Final Equinox - Andrew Mayne (#2 Jessica Blackwood & Theo Cray)

in Chirp:

The Girl in the Painting - Tea Cooper

Caught - Harlan Coben

The Indigo Girl - Natasha Boyd - March choice for BookGirls

for April:  The Secret Shopper (Kindle) set some in Guam, funny, partially set in CA

19. Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelly Armstrong

#8 Casey Duncan/Rockton

listened on Audible - purchased

2023
352 pgs.
Adult murder mystery - series
Finished 2/28/2023
Goodreads rating: 4.41
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary Northern Yukon, Canada

My comments: The Rockton adventure continues, but in a brand new location in the Yukon where their custom-built community is being constructed.  Haven's Rock is almost complete, but they have been summoned because two of its builders have disappeared into the forest.  The forest is again one of the characters in the story, and much of the plot seems similar to previous plots in the series, which gets a little bit boring/trying, I must admit.  However, there's something about these characters and the setting AND the narrator that just keep me looking forward to more, and I'm thrilled that Ms. Armstrong didn't end the series after #7.  We've still got the major players with the addition of a few new ones....Yolanda, Emily's granddaughter, who has supervised the building of Haven's Rock and ???, the handsome self-proclaimed watcher of all the comings and goings of the community from his "perch."  Never a dull moment, and as much as I mutter about the similarities in the stories, I really look forward to them.

Goodreads synopsis:  Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0

Deep in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built. A place for people to disappear, a fresh start from a life on the run. Haven’s Rock isn’t the first town of this kind, something detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, know first hand. They met in the original town of Rockton. But greed and deception led the couple to financing a new refuge for those in need. This time around, they get to decide which applicants are approved for residency.

There’s only one rule in Haven’s Rock: stay out of the forest. When two of the town's construction crew members break it and go missing, Casey and Eric are called in ahead of schedule to track them down. When a body is discovered, well hidden with evidence of foul play, Casey and Eric must find out what happened to the dead woman, and locate the still missing man. The woman stumbled upon something she wasn’t supposed to see, and the longer Casey and Eric don’t know what happened, the more danger everyone is in.

18. Rachel's Story by Leigh Russell

Read on Kindle

2021
244 pgs.
YA dystopia
Finished 2/25/2023
Goodreads rating: 3.74
My rating: 3
Setting: Destroyed world which is now entirely desert

My comments: Dystopian, which I love.  Good story, but too quickly glosses over some of the important, more interesting points.  It ends waiting for the next book.

Goodreads synopsis:  A girl struggles to survive in a dystopian world destroyed by war, where food is scarce, the government rules, and ordinary people only exist to serve.

As a child, living in a post-apocalyptic world, the only person Rachel can rely on is her mother. But when her mother is killed, Rachel is initiated into The Programme, where selected young girls are medicated to make them fertile.

Fearing for her future, Rachel escapes. But freedom comes at a price and Rachel must navigate through a terrifying landscape of persecution to survive.

What is on the other side of the city wall? Will the repressive government hunt her down? One thing is certain. Rachel's world will never be the same again . . .

Rachel's Story is the perfect read for fans of women's fiction and dystopian novels, such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

2023 Movies

3 movies in 2023

2022 - Just four?

2021 - ONE MOVIE!! (Continued Pandemic)

2020 - 5 movies (Pandemic!)

2019 - 26 movies

2018 - 51 movies

2017 - 49 movies

2016 - 62 movies

2015 - 37 movies

2014 - 46 movies

2013 - 48 movies

2012 - 37 movies

2011 - 54 movies

*6*  Awesome

5  Loved it

4  Liked it

3  It was okay

2  Not great

1  Nope

A Man Called Otto (2/21/23) Tom Hanks was great, as usual (5)

Marlowe (2/20/23) Atmospheric 1930's setting (4)

Missing (2/19/23) Almost completely done through computer and telephone screens (4.5)

WOW movies of 2023

.

REALLY GOOD movies of 2023 (4.5 & 5)  

A Man Called Otto (2/21/23) Tom Hanks was great, as usual (5)

Missing (2/19/23) Almost completely done through computer and telephone screens (4.5).

GOOD/FUN movies of 2023 (3 - 3.5 - 4)

Marlowe (2/20/23) Atmospheric 1930's setting (4)

WASTE-OF-TIME MOVIES OF 2023 

.

Las Vegas February 2023

Five wonderful days!

2/17/23 - 2/22/23

Drove down Thursday after school and spent the night at Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott at Dulles Airport (23000 Indian Creek Dr., Sterling, VA 703-435-5300)  They actually answer the phone themselves!  Parked my car there and took the shuttle, which leaves every 30 minutes beginning at 4:30 am until midnight.  Breakfast begins at 5 am and is everything anyone might want!  Note: Pickup was quick and easy.  I ended up spending the night here upon my return, leaving at 5 am and heading righ 

Flight out of Dulles (lots of walking, but a great place to fly to and from) on United, nonstop, leaving around 8 am, arriving in Vegas about 10:30 their time. Picked up by Fran and Terry and we had the whole rest of the day to have fun!

Did so many things this week!  

Two quilt shops:  Christmas Goose and Sew Yeah.

Two shoe shops:  DSW and Desert Birkenstock. Purchased a new pair of shoes at each!

Three movies:  Missing, Marlowe, and A Man Called Otto, all at South Point.

One show:  Van Gogh Immersion Exhibit at Aria - WOW!!

Chinese New Year exhibit at the Conservatory at Bellagio - Year of the Rabbit!

Casino fun:  Four times at South Point (love those free margaritas and the Roulette "slot" machine!)

Meals out and meals in.  So much fun sitting around the kitchen island eating salad, warm bread, fruit, decadent deserts from bakeries and Whole Foods and chatting...

Enjoying the outdoors:  Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument AND Desert National Wildlife Refuge

Loved this "slot" machine - spent many hours here (with my free margaritas)

 

On our way to the movies at SouthPoint

 

A teeny, tiny part of the South Point Casino floor

Fran & Terry's rental

We timed it perfectly whilst driving down the strip to see the Bellagio fountains!

Van Gogh Immersion exhibit

Year of the Rabbit at Bellagio Conservatory.  We are able to hit this every year we've been to Vegas in February together - quite a few years' worth now!

Love the Conservatory flowers!

You don't see this signage every day...

Desert Wildlife Reserve.  AMAZING!  1.5 million acres.  2nd largest in the world.  35 natural springs.

Las Vegas mountains.  Everywhere.  Gorgeous.  These are ones that are nearest to the Ranger Station at the Wildlife Preserve.

Time to go home.  At the airport.  I never take selfies, but this was too tempting.

Bye-bye Vegas.  One last look at the strip out the plane window.

Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

1 stick butter
Baby red potatoes
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
To taste:

garlic salt
onion powder
Italian blend
basil
oregano

    or any combination of whatever you desire

Melt the stick of butter in a 9 x 13 glass pan (in an unheated oven set to 400).

Cut potatoes in half and score tic tac toe design one each cut edge (fairly deep).

In a small bowl, mix the cheese and seasonings.  Stir well.

When butter in the oven in melted, stir the dry blend into it well.  

Place the potatoes, cut side down, into this mixture.  

Spray with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 45 minutes

Yum!

Movie - A Man Called Otto

PG-13 (2:06)

Wide 1/12/23

Viewed date at 2/21/23 at South Point Casino Cinema with Fran

IMBd: 7.6/10

RT Critic:  69  Audience:  97

Critic's Consensus:  Check all cynicism at the door and allow A Man Called Otto to tug at your heartstrings with its tried-and-true tune -- it just might sing. 

Cag:  5/Loved it, unexpectedly 

based on the book A Man Called Ove by (which I didn't read)

Tom Hanks

My comments:  Otto can't live his life without his beloved wife, so decides to end it all, with hilarious consequences.  When the new neighbors across the street, a young transgender guy who loved Otto's teacher/wife, and a stray cat all come into his life at once during a snowy Pittsburg winter, Otto's grumpy, unhappy life changes. Very well done movie...and of course, Tom Hanks plays it perfectly.  His own son is cast as the younger Otto, which I personally think is quite cool.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Based on the comical and moving New York Times bestseller, A Man Called Otto tells the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a grumpy widower whose only joy comes from criticizing and judging his exasperated neighbors. When a lively young family moves in next door, he meets his match in quick-witted and very pregnant Marisol, leading to an unexpected friendship that will turn his world upside-down.

Movie - Marlowe

R (1:49)

Wide 2/15/2023

Viewed 2/19/23 at South Point Casino Cinema, Las Vegas with Fran

IMBd: 5.8/10

RT Critic: 23   Audience:  37

Critic's Consensus:  Liam Neeson isn't necessarily a bad fit for the classic character, but Marlowe fails to make a case for itself as either a worthwhile franchise extension or a fun mystery in its own right

Cag:  4 Liked it quite well

Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange

My comments:  Of the three movies I saw this week with Fran, I liked this the least....though I still found it thoroughly entertaining.  Love Liam Neeson.  Loved the 30s setting and all the fancy sets and costumes.

RT Summary:  MARLOWE, a gripping noir crime thriller set in late 1930’s Bay City, centers around a brooding, down on his luck detective; Philip Marlowe, played by Liam Neeson, who is hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress (Diane Kruger), daughter of a well-known movie star (Jessica Lange). The disappearance is the first twist in a series of bewildering events, and soon Marlowe is embroiled in a deadly investigation and web of lies that he’s determined to bring to light.

Movie - Missing

PG-13 (1:51)

Wide 1/20/23

Viewed 2/18/23 at South Point Casino Cinema, Las Vegas with Fran

IMBd: 7.3/10

RT Critic: 87  Audience:  90

Critic's Consensus:  Missing can strain credulity in its efforts to keep the audience guessing, but a fast pace and relatable fears keep this twisty techno-thriller from completely losing its way.

Cag:  4.5  Liked it a lot

Actors: no one I knew, all good

My comments:  I loved the premise of this movie, all the sleuthing was done using the internet and with a hired jack-of-all trades in Columbia who only knew a little English, and their discussions were using facetime.  Fast and furious internet abilities, much of the movie was watching the computer screen!

RTSummary:  When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June's (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it's too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers... and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.