October AlphaKIT: G and T

Welcome to AlphaKIT for October

The rules are... none! Use the letters however you like to choose your reads for the month. Well, okay, there is one rule: Have Fun!

September AlphaKIT letters are : G and T.

and

Please remember to update the wiki and enter books alphabetically: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2019_AlphaKIT#October:_-_Letters_G_and_T

I've got lots of T's. My book club book for October is "In the Time of Madness" by Richard Lloyd Parry. I'm also thinking of Second Act by Marilyn Todd and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Although I have some G's, I think I will wait and see what the other challenges are first.

I have a couple of options for the SeriesCAT that would work for this (if I decide on those):

- Born of Deception / Teri Brown
- The White Princess / Philippa Gregory

My two-in-one for October is Grass by Sheri S. Tepper.

I just found a three-fer. A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas works here as well as for the historical series cat and for the Random cat as a tribute to Sherlock Holmes. Woohoo! This is going to be a busy month so I wasn't sure how many challenges I could complete. This was meant to be!

I'm planning on All the Ever Afters by Danielle Teller so that covers T. I'm not sure about G but I'm considering Watery Grave by Bruce Alexander for another CAT so that may be it. I have lots of Gs on my shelf.

I am planning on reading When the Winds Blow by Derek Tangye andA Small Weeping by Alex Gray.

I'm going to try and get to Evenings at Five by Gail Goodwin and A Dublin Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor.

Here are some of my possibilities:

Am I Guilty?
Be Our Ghost
Body in the Gravel
✔Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake by Sarah Graves
Digging for Trouble
✔Golden Compass
Lady in The Lake
✔Gown with the Wind
Guilty as Charred
✔Mumbo Gumbo Murder
Peach Clobbered by Anna Gerard
✔Thread on Arrival
✔Toxic Toffee
✔Triple Jeopardy
✔Trouble on the Books
✔Tudor Dawn
Until Proven Guilty
✔Winning American Mah Jongg Strategies: A Guide for the Novice Player

I'm planning on Theodore Boone, kid lawyer by John Grisham or Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell. Each of them hits both letters.

I am planning to read A Gathering of Days which would also fit for my personal Newbery category.

Planning on:

A Matter of Justice - Charles T odd
The Guns of Empire - Django Wexler

I am reading Educated by Tara Westover

I'm currently reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow for "T."

Just started The Guns of Empire.

I have a couple of G books started A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson and A Gilded Grave by Shelley Freydont. Contemplating reading The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti for my T book.

>16 LittleTaiko: I really enjoyed The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley I know a number of people who said it wasn't for them, but I thought the story was compelling and the writing was top notch.
I am tempted by this to read her first book for this challenge The Good Thief I'll have to see if I can fit it in this month. Thanks for the reminder of this author.

oh, I found a book that fits for both, so I'll be adding it to my pile for the month The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Gross. . And it fits the RandomCAT.

>17 beebeereads: - I read The Good Thief a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so am looking forward to reading this one. I'll be looking to see if you fit in The Good Thief or not.

Finished Educated by Tara Westover.

I finished listening top Whack A Mole (by Chris Grabenstein; narrated by Jeff Woodman) - This is the third title in the John Ceepak series wherein Ceepak and his partner, Danny Boyle solve cases in the seaside resort town of Sea Haven, NJ. The previous two books were what I considered great Summer beach reads-- not too graphic, light banter, but this one took a much darker turn in style and tone. Ceepak's hobby of metal detecting on the beach turns up a charm bracelet from the 1980's and, he looks into the story of how it might have gotten there. What follows develops into a case involving a serial killer of a particularly gruesome bent, a touch of religious fanaticism and mental instability. The story is told form Danny's POV and his usual light heartedness and turned into sarcasm and cynicism. Jeff Woodman did a great job as always. I'm giving third 3.5 out of 5.0 stars though because one of the plot points didn't make sense in terms of following up a lead. Not a huge deal, but one that stuck out in my mind and made the story a little less credible.

>21 Tanya-dogearedcopy: - I particularly like his Mr Lemoncello series.

This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us (by Edgar Cantero; narrated by January LaVoy) - This a parody of the detective noir genre and features twins who are co-mingled genetically in the same body. It's all so weird and bizarre that I'm honestly a little uncomfortable when I laugh (am I supposed to find this or that part funny?) I just don't know what to make of the plot, the characters, the design and tone of the narrative.. so I'm not going to rate it for now. I do know that I am hesitant to pick up another book by this author so there's that strike against it. But on the audiobook side of things, January LaVoy! :-)

I just finished Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange, which works for both letters! It's insubstantial but cute -- worth a read for Northanger Abbey fans.

I'm not quite sure where to put this, but are there any threads planning what KITS and CATs we're having next year?

>25 Robertgreaves: I've been thinking about that recently, as well. Wondering when we should start discussing...

Also read The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe, another double.

I read Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell hitting both letters.

I read Watery Grave by Bruce Alexander for G.

I have read Watery Grave by Bruce Alexander.

I finished The Green Gene by Peter Dickinson and Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook.

Just picked up Graceling by Kristin Cashore and realized it would work for this month!

COMPLETED The Truth by Terry Pratchett

Starting The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

COMPLETED The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

The Cuckoo's Calling / Robert Galbraith
3.5 stars

Strike is a Private Investigator, and not doing well. He and his fiancee have split up and he is sleeping at the office… the office where he is at a point where he may not be able to make any more payments to keep it open. On the same day the temp secretary, Robin, walks in (by mistake, as Strike had intended on cancelling the temp), Strike gets a job to investigate the suicide of a lawyer’s sister. John, the lawyer, doesn’t believe it was suicide.

This was good. There were parts that lost my interest just a little bit. I think sometimes the “hard-boiled” (darker, grittier) mysteries don’t always keep my interest as much as other mysteries (maybe not always). This may have been one of those. Overall, though, I still thought it was good. I am planning to try the next in the series, so I’ll continue for now.

Completed
Cat and Mouse by Günter Grass.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

November thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/312073

I read The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths from one of my favourite series (Ruth Galloway). Griffiths' intention for this book was to highlight the shrine at Walsingham as well as to work into the story a real person and dog (the distinction won in a contest at a charity fundraiser) but I believe this stratagem came at the cost of her novel. And there was far too much religion, understandable to a point, given the location, but it began to wear. I couldn't imagine police wearing the robes of the apostles in order to blend in. I still have a soft spot for Ruth, Nelson, Cathbad and Clough and I'm sorry to see Tim leave but I'll expect more from Griffiths in the next episode. 3.5★

I'm starting The Spider's Touch by Patricia Wynn for another "T" read.

Born of Deception / Teri Brown
4 stars

Anna, a young magician and medium, has just arrived in London from New York. She is hoping to get connected with a society of Sensitives, where she hopes to meet people like her, and to get advice on using her powers. At the same time, she manages to find a job with a group doing a vaudeville-like tour of Europe. Shortly after she arrives, though, a couple of the sensitives turn up murdered.

I really enjoyed this. I was sure frustrated with Anna and Cole and their lack of communication? Understanding of each other? (Sadly, it’s been a few days since I finished, so I’m already forgetting details of how I felt about the book!) I did like the cowboy (part of the touring show Anna becomes a part of) – he was a fun addition. Although, not quite as good as the first book, I still enjoyed the atmosphere of this one. As YA, it was also a fast read.

Finished The Likeness by Tana French. This is the second in her mystery series and I am on board! This was a five star read for me...the characters!, the setting!, the writing!

Finally read a T book for the month - The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg. Cute but a bit too sweet.

I've finished The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer.

Finished Girls Like Us by Gail Giles which was a free audio from the AudioSync Summer Program in 2018. I really enjoyed this young adult story that covers issues of special ed, abuse, foster care and resiliency.

I finished The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull. A disappointment, alas.

I have read All the Ever Afters by Danielle Tellers. It is an udated and adult version of the Cinderella story and I like it a lot.

For this month's letters, I have read The Gay Phoenix by Michael Innes and Topper by Thorne Smith.

Just finished Lethal White by Robert Galbraith that I loved!

COMPLETED Second Act by Marilyn Todd. Starting the next in the series, Widow's Pique.

I forgot to mention earlier that I had completed In the Time of Madness by Richard Lloyd Parry

I have completed both my G and T reads with A Small Weeping by Alex Grey and When the Winds Blow by Derek Tangye

Starting 1984 by George Orwell

I completely my G selection today:



Art Matters by Neil Gaiman
A couple of short essays illustrated by the amazing Chris Riddell. Like all of Gaiman's stuff, it's excellent.

So far this month, I've read a couple of books that work for AlphaKIT: Who Goes There?, by John W. Campbell Jr., and The Shape of Night, by Tess Gerritsen.

Thoroughly enjoyed the Campbell book; wish I could say the same thing about the Gerritsen.

Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising / Kathryn Meyer Griffith
4 stars

It’s been five years since the park at Crater Lake had to deal with dinosaurs that appeared and were attacking people. Now, they are back! But, not the same dinosaurs – these are different ones, these ones can fly…

I really enjoyed this one, as well. There was a stretch in the middle where it slowed down a bit and we were dealing with the head park ranger’s (Henry’s) wife’s (Ann’s) illness, but it picked up again soon after that. Speaking of Ann, I still quite liked most of the characters (the only ones I didn’t like were very secondary), and I was interested in how things would go for them. Also loved the kitten. :-) I do hope to continue with the series (though, it’s self-published, so a bit trickier to get my hands on).

I finished Loving by Henry Green (for G).

I've read a second G, Sapphires and Garlic by Ruth Reichl

COMPLETED 1984 by George Orwell

Managed to read two books for G:

A Grue of Ice, by Geoffrey Jenkins
Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival, by Laurence Gonzales

Almost finished my second T--A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas. I did not get to either of my G reads this month, but they are waiting in the wings! Maybe I'll find a cat that fits them in November or December.

The Magician's Lie / Greer Macallister
4 stars

When famous magician, the Amazing Arden, finishes her show, her husband is found murdered and she runs. A police officer catches up with her and takes her in for questioning. He listens to her life story as she tries to explain and hopes he’ll believe that she didn’t do it. It’s a story of poverty and abuse, and an escape to a life of performance.

The story goes back and forth in time. It’s set between the late 19th century and 1905. I quite enjoyed it, but wasn’t overly crazy about the end. I really liked the setting and the atmosphere of the story. I also love the cover. There was an interview with the author at the end of my copy; I had been wondering as I read, and it was confirmed, that Arden’s magician mentor in the story was a real woman. There really weren’t many women illusionists at the time (nor are there now, I don’t think). One of the events near the end of the story (a fire at a theatre in Chicago) also really happened.