JulieLill's 2024 Reading Challenge

Another year of good reading!

2024 Reading Challenge

1 1980- Whispers by Dean Koontz 4/5 stars 1/25/2024
2. 1981- Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez 4/5 stars 3/2/2024
3. 1982- Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski 4/5 stars 4/13/2024
4. 1983- The Summer of Katya by Trevanian 4/5 stars 5/1/2024
5. 1984- The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks 3/5 stars 5/19/2024
6. 1985- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind 4/5 stars 5/31/2024
7. 1986- A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine 4/5 stars 6/17/2024
8. 1987 The Door by Magda Szabó 4/5 stars 7/18/2024
9. 1988- The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst 3/5 stars 8/7/2024
10. 1989- Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer 4/5 stars 8/27/2024

Whidbey Island Saga Series by
11. The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George 4/5 stars 2/6/2024
12. The Edge of the Water by Elizabeth George 4/5 stars 2/28/2024
13 The Edge of the Shadows by Elizabeth George 4/5 stars 3/19/2024
14. The Edge of The Light by Elizabeth George 4/5 stars 3/31/2024

Favorite Mystery Authors
15. Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich 3.5/5 stars 1/30/2024
16. The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman 4/5 stars 4/6/2024
17. Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman 4/5 stars 4/28/2024

A Dozen Film and TV Books
18. Learning to Live Out Loud by Piper Laurie 4/5 stars 1/9/2024
19. Gracie - A Love Story by George Burns 4/5 stars 2/12/2024
20. Giant: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber, and the Making of a Legendary American Film
by Don Graham 4/5 stars 2/17/2024
21. Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard 4/5 stars 4/3/2024
22. Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong by Katie Gee Salisbury 4/5 stars 4/15/2024
23. What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life by Billy Dee Williams 4/5 stars 4/22/2024
24. Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch by Alexandra Jacobs 4/5 stars 5/21/2024
25. This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett 4/5 stars 5/23/2024
26. The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley Jr. 3.5/5 stars 9/9/2024
27. The World Is Yours: The Story of Scarface by Glenn Kenny 3.5/5 stars 9/18/2024
28. The Spamalot Diaries by Eric Idle 4/5 stars 10/31/2024
29. Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Philip Gefter 4/5 stars 11/28/2024

One Last Ruth Reichl Book and 8 Other Biographies
30. Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan 4/5 stars 2/21/2024
31. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner 4/5 stars 2/28/2024
32. Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune by Anderson Cooper 4/5 stars 4/25/2024
33. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl 4/5 stars 7/26/2024
34. My Mama, Cass: A Memoir by Owen Elliot-Kugell 4/5 stars 8/31/2024
35. White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America by Shelley Fraser Mickle
4/5 star 9/6/2024
36. Tom Selleck You Never Know A Memoir by Tom Selleck 9/27/2024 3/5 stars
37. The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem by Sandra Tsing Loh| 4/5 stars 10/11/2024
4/5 stars
38. Will by Will Smith 4/5 stars 10/25/2024

Horror Novels
39. The Elementals by Michael McDowell 4/5 stars 3/13/2024
40. The Haunted Forest Tour by James A. Moore 3.5/5 stars 9/13/2024
41. What Dreams Become by Richard Matheson 4/5 stars 10/3/2024

Beverly Cleary Books
42. My Own Two Feet: A Memoir by Beverly Cleary 4/5 stars 1/24/2024
43.A Girl From Yamhill by Beverly Cleary 4/5 stars 1/16/2024

44. A Banned Book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 4/5 stars 5/4/2024

Sports
45. Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League by Lyndsey D'Arcangelo 3/5 stars 5/13/2024
46. 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports by Kostya Kennedy 3/5 stars 9/24/2024

10 Non-Fiction Titles
47. Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health by Anupam B. Jena
4/5 stars 3/8/2024
48. Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America by Therese Oneill 4/5 stars 5/72024
49. James Herriot's Dog Stories by James Herriot 4/5 stars 6/14/2024
50.Who Cooked the Last Supper: The Women's History of the World by Rosalind Miles 4/5 stars 8/22/2024
51. Shift Happens - The History of Labor In The United States by J. Albert Mann 4/5 stars 9/3/2024
52. The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II by Buzz Bissinger 4/5 stars 10/7/2024
53. My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me by Caleb Carr 4/5 stars 10/18/2024
54. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson 3/5 stars 11/1/2024
55. The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman 4/5 stars 11/15/2024
56. Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre 4/5 stars
11/15/2024

The Country Girls Trilogy and Epilogue by Edna O'Brien
57.
58.
59.

Science Fiction
60.This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar 2/5 stars 6/21/2024
61. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 3/5 stars
62. Recursion by Blake Crouch 3/5 stars 7/4/2024

Books Off My Never Ending Reading List
63. Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally 4/5 stars 3/25/2024
64. The Little Liar by Mitch Albom 4/5 stars 6/1/2024
65. Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley 3/5 stars 7/6/2024
66. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 4/5 stars 7/15/2024
67. Friend of My Youth by Alice Munro 3/5 stars 7/26/2024
68. Thornyhold by Mary Stewart 4/5 stars 8/13/2024
69. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley 4/5 stars 11/18/2024
70. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner 4/5 stars 11/22/2024

Miscellaneous Books
71. The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki 4/5 stars 12/1/2024
72. Bride of the Tornado by James Kennedy 3/5 stars 12/6/2024
73.Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea 4/5 stars 12/14/2024

70/72

>2 JulieLill: Good Luck with your goals, and Happy Reading! ☺️

Learning to Live Out Loud
Piper Laurie
4/5 stars
I knew about Piper Laurie, the actress but I don't think I ever saw her in many films but I going to check out some of her older films. She was the mother in the horror film Carrie (which I did see). She also lived quite an interesting life. I really enjoyed her autobiography. She just recently died in 2023 at the age of 91. A Dozen Film and TV Books

A Girl from Yamhill
Beverly Cleary
4/5 stars
This is one of two biographies written by Beverly Cleary. This is the first one and it details her life growing up in Yamhill, Oregon. This is a juvenile biography but I really enjoyed it and I think adults will really enjoy this book too. I am going to read her second book My Own Two Feet and am looking forward to that one also! Beverly Cleary books.

My Own Two Feet: A Memoir
Beverly Cleary
4/5 stars
This is the second memoir from Beverly Cleary, writer. The book starts with her college years during the depression including WWII, working at a library and ends with the publication of her first book. I really enjoyed this book too! I am surprised this is a Juvenile book but it is definitely a book adults will enjoy! Beverly Cleary Book.

Whispers
Dean Koontz
4/5 stars
This is a very suspenseful novel about a woman and filmmaker, Hilary Thomas who is being stalked by a mad man named Bruno Fyre. When he has been found dead, she is relieved, but he is still haunting her from the grave or is someone else terrorizing her. I enjoyed this book. 1980

Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight
Janet Evanovich
3.5/5 stars
Stephanie Plum is back in her 28th book and she is with Diesel, who also apprehends criminals too! This time they are going after Oswald Wednesday. He is known for hacking computers and he is killing off other hackers who hacked into his network! I like her stories which are fun and not too involved! Favorite Mystery Authors

The Edge of Nowhere
Elizabeth George
4/5 stars
This is the story of Becca, who's on the run from her stepfather and ends up with a family friend who knows what is going on. In the meantime, she meets a nice, young man, Derric from Uganda. Unfortunately, he is found at the bottom of a hill and is in a coma. There is a suspect, but Becca is not sure that he was the culprit. Whidbey Island Saga

Gracie: A Love Story
George Burns
4/5 stars
Written by the actor George Burns, he talks about his life and his love for his wife and partner Gracie Burns. He talks about his adopted children since Gracie couldn't have children and he also goes over their roles in entertainment including films, radio and television. Very entertaining! A Dozen Film and TV Books

Giant: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber, and the Making of a Legendary American Film
Don Graham
4/5 stars
I have seen this film years ago and highly enjoyed it. The author did a nice job of relating the history of the making of this film and the events around the actors lives in that time period. I am definitely going to re-watch it. A Dozen Film and TV Books

Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs
Jennifer Finney Boylan
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Jennifer Finney Boylan who talks about her life when she becomes a transgender. She also writes about her love of her dogs and what she learned from each of them. Nicely written. One Last Ruth Reichl Book and 8 Other Biographies

The Edge of the Water
Elizabeth George
4/5 stars
This is the second book of the Whidbey Island Saga series. Becca returns in this novel, but there is also a story of a girl who won't speak and an island mystery about a seal who returns yearly to the Island. Whidbey Island Saga

Crying in H Mart
Michelle Zauner
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully written autobiography about the rock musician, Michelle Zauner. She writes about her life as a musician, and her Korean family but she also talks about her mother's cancer diagnosis and the effect it had on her family. Highly recommended! Biography

Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Gabriel García Márquez
4/5 stars
This is the story of a young woman, Angela Vicario who married but than was returned to her family because her new husband thought that she slept with another man. Her brothers want to kill the new husband for her dishonor. 27 years later, a man returns to look into the incident. Who is to blame? 1981

Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health
Anupam B. Jena
4/5 stars
The title pretty much explains it all. It was a fascinating look at healthcare and poses questions that the researchers worked on. One chapter focused on who is a better doctor, a seasoned veteran doctor or someone who just graduated. Is it ever a good time to have a heart attack? Another chapter was why kids with summer birthdays are more likely to get the flu. Non-Fiction Books

The Elementals
Michael McDowell
4/5 stars
This is a haunted house story revolving around the McCray and Savage families. Matriarch Marian Savage has died and the family has escaped to their summer homes for respite. There are three homes but only two are livable. The third home is sinking and is uninhabitable. The family members are scared of the third home and rarely enter it until this summer when unexplained things are happening to the home and the family members. Horror Novels

The Edge of the Shadows
Elizabeth George
This is the third book in the Whidbey Island Saga. Becca is still hiding out from her stepfather on the island. However, now someone is setting fires! Who is it? There are couple of suspects. There is one more book left in the series! Whidbey Island Saga

Schindler's List
by Thomas Keneally
4/5 stars
This is the fictionalized version based on the real-true life story of Oskar Schindler which was later made into a film. Schindler during WWII helped a number of the Jewish population escape from the death camps in Czechoslovakia. Lengthy but interesting! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List

>17 JulieLill: I found this quote "As for wrapping up the series, Elizabeth George has not yet concluded it. While she plans to eventually finish the Lynley/Havers saga, the exact timing remains uncertain. Perhaps the enigmatic allure of Whidbey Island will continue to inspire her storytelling, leaving readers eagerly awaiting the next installment." Not sure when this was written but I would read another Whidbey Island Saga book!

Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Eddie Izzard, comedian and entertainer who was born in Yemen but also lived in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Raised by his dad after his mother died which greatly affected him. He has come out as genderfluid. He is also involved in politics. Very interesting! A Dozen Film and TV Books

The Burnt House
Faye Kellerman
4/5 stars
Decker and his wife Rina get involved in a mystery of a woman airplane employee who was supposed to be on a flight that crashes. Her body is not identified and Peter Decker gets the assignment to track down Roseanne when her stepfather insists that she was killed by her abusive husband. Great read! Favorite Mystery Authors

Ham on Rye
Charles Bukowski
4/5 stars
"In what is widely hailed as the best of his many novels, Charles Bukowski details the long, lonely years of his own hardscrabble youth in the raw voice of alter ego Henry Chinaski. From a harrowingly cheerless childhood in Germany through acne-riddled high school years and his adolescent discoveries of alcohol, women, and the Los Angeles Public Library's collection of D. H. Lawrence, "Ham on Rye" offers a crude, brutal, and savagely funny portrait of an outcast's coming-of-age during the desperate days of the Great Depression." From the Good Reads Book Synopsis 1982

Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong
Katie Gee Salisbury
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully interesting story about the American Asian actress Anna May Wong. She grew up in America, lived in Los Angeles and worked in her family's laundry business where she was discovered. She starred in the Douglas Fairbanks' film Thief of Bagdad and that started her career. Well written! A Dozen Film and TV Books

What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life
Billy Dee Williams
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Billy Dee Williams. He has led a pretty interesting life as an actor. He talks about his family and his movie roles. I enjoyed reading it. A Dozen Film and TV Books

Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Anderson Cooper
4/5 stars
This is the wonderfully written book on the Astor Family including John Jacob Astor, the founder of the family who settled in New York in 1783, then came the story of John Jacob Aster IV, who perished on the Titanic and their reign finally ended in 2009. A great read!
One Last Ruth Reichl Book and Eight Other Biographies

Evidence
Jonathan Kellerman
4/5 stars
Alex Delaware is back and his friend Milo Sturgis are on a case where a couple was found dead in a home under construction. The young woman could not be identified but the man who was found Desmond Backer who was an architect. Also in this story is another woman, Helga Gemein who was his for former boss. Who killed the two victims? Favorite Mystery Authors

The Summer of Katya
Trevanian
4/5 stars
"In the quiet Basque countryside in 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, a handsome young doctor, moves to the small French village of Salies to assist the village physician. It's there that he meets the seductive, beautiful Katya Treville. Jean-Marc is bewitched, driven to know everything about her. But as he and her family become friendly, he realizes they are haunted by an old, dark secret.
When Jean-Marc learns that the Trevilles are planning to leave the village forever, he insists on a final meeting with Katya. That meeting and the events that follow turn what was an idyllic romance into an unending nightmare. And when Katya’s secret is revealed, the chilling climax will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned." 1983

Synopsis from Good Reads
I enjoyed this book - Very interesting!

Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
4/5 stars
Melinda is a freshman in high school and is now a pariah in her school. Turns out she called the cops and the kids at the unchaperoned party who are not too happy with her. What caused her to do it and how she is shunned at school will shock her school mates when the truth comes out. Banned Book

Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America
Therese Oneill
4/5 stars
This is quite an interesting look at women who have influenced the nation. The book covers several women, including Carrie Nation, Hetty Green (the first self-made lady billionaire) and Aimee Semple McPherson, a preacher who also faked her kidnapping. It was a short read but so fascinating. Non-Fiction

Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo
3/5 stars
Interesting book about the National Women's Football League and the ups and downs of women playing professional football. Sports

The Wasp Factory
Iain Banks
3/5 stars
This a very dark story about a family of all men. Frank Cauldhame is 16 years old and a murderer, but no one knows about it. 1984

Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch
Alexandra Jacobs
4/5 stars
What an interesting life and story the author weaves around Elaine Stritch, an actress who performed on TV, stage and in the movies for years! A Dozen Film and TV Books

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Carol Burnett
4/5 stars
Not a complete autobiography but Burnett relates tales of her life on her show, the celebrities she encountered on her show and audiences she who motivated her. If you are a Carol Burnett fan, you would enjoy this book. A Dozen Film and TV Books

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Patrick Süskind
4/5 stars
This is quite an interesting dark story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who was born in Paris in 1738. He has no smell of himself but has an absolute sense of smell. He has made as mission to identify and isolate the perfect scent of all - life. 1986

The Little Liar
Mitch Albom
4/5 stars
A story of the holocaust and the young man, Nico Krispis from Greece who never told a lie yet convinced his countrymen to go to safety and jobs. But seeing them on the station he realizes they were being sent to Auschwitz. Well written! Books Off My Never-Ending Reading List

James Herriot's Dog Stories
James Herriot
4/5 stars
I think I have read most of Herriot's books and this one is still as good as all of his other books. He is one of my favorite authors! Non-Fiction

A Dark-Adapted Eye
Barbara Vine
4/5 stars
A death upends the lives of a family when Vera Hillyard was hanged for murdering a child in this unusual story of a family tragedy! 1986

This Is How You Lose the Time War
Amal El-Mohtar
2.5/5 stars
I was not impressed with this science fiction book in which a dying world which has two rivals trying to win a war. Science Fiction

Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel
3/5 stars
This is a much darker fictional version of what we went through with Covid. Fortunately, we recovered. I enjoyed this book. Science Fiction

Recursion
Blake Crouch
3/5 stars
This is the science fiction story surrounding a New York City cop Barry Sutton and scientist Helena Smith. Smith wanted to have people to keep and remember their memories. However, her technology attacks the mind and changes the past and the world. Very interesting! Science Fiction

Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair
Lucy Knisley
3/5 stars
Lucy Knisley writes and draws about her beloved cat Linney. Very short but very sweet!
Books Off My Neverending Reading List

The Berry Pickers
Amanda Peters
4/5 stars
A family from Maine who travel and pick crops find their four-year-old daughter is missing and it tears the family apart. Each chapter reflects one of the family members thoughts, feelings and actions. Very well written! Books Off My Reading List

The Door
Magda Szabó
4/5 stars
This is the story of two neighbors in communist Hungary. One is Magda a writer and the other is Emerence, a peasant/housekeeper who will not allow anyone to come into her house. Slowly, Magda becomes a friend to her when Emerence becomes ill but will their relationship last? 1987

The Paris Novel
Ruth Reichl
4/5 stars
I love Ruth Reichl but I thought this was a non-fiction book. However, it was a fictional book about Stella who has inherited some money from her mother so she who heads off for Paris and has some wonderful adventures and meets some wonderful people. Highly recommended! Character Biography

Friend of My Youth
Alice Munro
3/5 stars
A wonderful collection of ten short fictional stories written by Alice Munro who reaches into the soul of her characters and bring out the best and the worse of them. Books Off My Neverending Reading List

The Swimming-Pool Library
Alan Hollinghurst
3/5 stars
This is a coming-of-age story before AIDS of a young man who is gay and the relationships he has with his lovers and friends. Well written but a little long! 1988.

Thornyhold
Mary Stewart
4/5 stars
Gilly Ramsey inherits a home from her cousin and Gellis, an herbalist and decides to live there. The neighbors call it the witch's house. Gilly who is shy and a loner and she opens up to a young boy and his father. A sweet story! Books Off My Neverending Reading List

Who Cooked the Last Supper: The Women's History of the World
Rosalind Miles
4/5 stars
Fascinating true stories of women's history! A great read!
Non-Fiction

Morning Glory
LaVyrle Spencer
A young widow meets a man recently and invites him into her home and help raise her kids and work on her property. Will it work out or not? I enjoyed it! 1989

My Mama, Cass: A Memoir
Owen Elliot-Kugell
4/5 stars
Wonderful biography of Cass Eliot by her daughter. Definitely for fans of The Mamas and the Papas! One Last Ruth Reichl Book and 8 Biographies

Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States
J. Albert Mann
4/5 stars
This was a fascinating book about the history of labor in the United States. It discusses exploitation of workers including child workers, miners who wanted to unionize, textile workers wanting wages that would cover their expenses and have left over money and organizing Uber drivers. Non-Fiction

White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America
by Shelley Fraser Mickle
4/5 star
Interesting biography of Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt! Biography

The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts
Tom Farley Jr.
3.5/5 stars
This is the biography of Chris Farley who made it big on Saturday Night Live and in films. However, his addictions doomed him and he died early! Well written but sad! A Dozen Film And TV Books

The Haunted Forest Tour
James A. Moore
3.5/5 stars
This is the story of the Haunted Forest Tour. Riders will be amazed at the creatures on this Halloween night. However, something goes terribly wrong with the tour which is supposed to be very safe but the creatures in the night will see that won't be true! I enjoyed this book! Horror Novel

The World Is Yours: The Story of Scarface
Glenn Kenny
This is the story of the making of the film Scarface starring Al Pacino. This is a pretty detailed account of things that happened during the shooting of the film and some history and the legacy of the film. 3/5 stars A Dozen Film and TV Books

56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports
Kostya Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting sports book on Joe DiMaggio and his winning streak in the summer of 1941. Sports

What Dreams May Come
Richard Matheson
4/5 stars
This the story of Chris and his wife Annie. When Chris is killed from an accident, he discovers that life hasn't ended but he is now in Heaven. Annie has lost all hope without her husband and he will try to stop her horror of despair. Horror

The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
Buzz Bissinger
4/5 stars
This is the story of a group of the All American football players who entered WWII and served in the Marine Corp. This is the story of those players and who survived and who died. I enjoyed this book. Non-Fiction

The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem
Sandra Tsing Loh|
4/5 stars
This was a very delightful book about her family experiences and of her domestic mayhems. I have never heard of her before but she has written several books and I am looking forward to reading more of her. Biography

My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me
Caleb Carr
4/5 stars
Caleb Carr is a bestselling author, and he has written a wonderful story about his life and his pet cat Masha who he rescued from an animal shelter.
Non-Fiction

Will
Will Smith
4/5 stars
This is the actor Will Smith's autobiography and published in 2021. I thought this was quite an interesting book and a good read. Biography

The Spamalot Diaries
by Eric Idle
4/5 stars
This is the story of Eric Idle's creation of his play Spamalot. Our family had seen the play in Chicago years ago and it was very enjoyable and so was his book! A Dozen Film and TV Books

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
Erik Larson
3/5 stars
Erik Larsen's newest book looks into the beginning of the Civil War and the events surrounding it including the election of Lincoln. Not my favorite of his books but I still learned a lot about that time in history! Non-Fiction

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
Sarah Weinman
4/5 stars
What a very interesting true-life book about Sally Horner who was kidnapped and killed at the age of eleven. Lolita, the movie was based on Sally's life. Non-Fiction

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory
by Ben Macintyre
4/5 stars
Interesting WWII book surrounding an operation about using a dead man to fool the Nazis into thinking that the Allied Forces were going to attack Greece or Sardinia instead of Sicily. Non-Fiction

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust
Alan Bradley
4/5 stars
Flavia de Luce is back again in a mystery about a case of poisonous mushrooms eaten by a neighbor, Major Greyleigh. Greyleigh used to be a hangman. The cook is a suspect but Flavia believes that she didn't do it. This is one of my favorite series! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
Anne Glenconner
4/5 stars
Interesting autobiography of Anne Glenconnor. She was friends of the royal family and acted as a Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation along with being a Lady In Waiting to Princess Margaret. Well written! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List

Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Philip Gefter
4/5 stars
Interesting book about the making of the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This is quite an extensive look of the film made by director Mike Nichols. It was Nichols' first film. A Dozen Film and TV Books

I'm still waiting for 3 book trilogy to come in from the library. I may have to pick some thing up in case they don't come in.

Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting book about a town who has a Tornado Day. The residents lock up during the tornado but there is a boy called the Tornado Killer and the adults seem to know that there is a secret of the origins of this storm! Miscellaneous

Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which females from the United States came to help set up food depots to serve the men during the war. Very fascinating! Miscellaneous Books

A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
by Lawrence Ingrassia
4/5 stars
This is an interesting non-fiction book about a family who discovered that many of their family members came down with cancer and how they lived and coped with the disease. Non-Fiction