July 2021 BingoDOG Reads

I read After the Fine Weather by Michael Gilbert for the Time Word square. In this title, "after" is a time word.

And The Yield by Tara June Winch goes in the Marginalised Group square because Winch is an Australian indigenous writer and the book is about aboriginal people.

I have started my second card with three squares: Alatriste for the one word title, Les deux régentes for the history book and A la table des seigneurs, des moines et des paysans du Moyen Âge for the less than 200 pages.

And I can add Elizabeth and her German garden for the nature square.

I finally have a line after reading Elizabeth & Elizabeth for the history or alternate history square.

I read A Bitter Feast by Deborah Crombie for the arts or recreation square. The action takes place when the detectives are on a weekend away at a grand country home where a charity luncheon is being held.

I read Three Past Midnight: The Library Policeman by Stephen King.

Nurse Keate is probably a bit bossy and judgemental, but could be a nice, kind, reliable person to have as a friend. Murder by an Aristocrat by Mignon G. Eberhart

Indians on Vacation by Thomas King was a perfect fit for "made me laugh".

Der Wald ruft made me laugh.

I've just started The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. Both my mother and grandmother have recommended it to me, so it's been "suggested by someone of another generation." This will complete my Bingo card!

>10 christina_reads: Congratulations Christina!

I hope you enjoy The Shell Seekers, Christina. I remember loving it - but then I am also of a different generation!

>11 VivienneR: Thank you!

>12 DeltaQueen50: I'm liking it so far, Judy! I can see why my mom and grandma both liked it, and why they recommended it to me.

I could do with some inspiration - need a book for the "about nature or the environment" square written by a woman. Any ideas welcomed - I'm fresh out of ideas.

>14 Helenliz: That was a tough square for me too. The book that immediately comes to mind for me is Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. But if you don't want to read nonfiction, what about a novel wherein the main character is a biologist, botanist, or other type of student of flora and fauna? I almost chose Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent for this square, since the protagonist is an amateur naturalist who is investigating a possible sea monster. Or maybe a book about gardens/gardening or where the main character is a gardener? Or there's The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, which has a character who's a nature writer and a lot of descriptive passages about the Canadian environment. Good luck, and I hope you find something you enjoy!

>14 Helenliz: I am about to read Fathoms: The World In The Whale by Rebecca Giggs.
And I really enjoyed Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us.

>14 Helenliz: This list includes women authors: https://www.librarything.com/list/43001/all/Recommended-Nature-Writing

>14 Helenliz: - Barbara Kingsolver wrote Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which is about her family living off the land for a year. One of my favorite books. I would consider it an environmental book.

And it's a blackout BINGO for me! I'm done!
- A building in the title

The Sun Down Motel / Simone St. James
4 stars

In 1982, Viv arrives in Fell, New York, and starts working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel. It’s not long before she learns of the visitors (some alive, some not) to the motel. As she learns more about the murders (and deaths) that happened in the previous few years, she does some investigating and comes up with a theory about what happened. But, not long after, Viv herself disappears.

In 2017, Viv’s niece Carly arrives in Fell. Carly has a fascination with true crime, and with her mother (Viv’s sister) recently passed away, Carly feels like she can investigate what happened to Viv. Following in her aunt’s footsteps, Carly also starts working at the Sun Down Motel… only to discover some of those same visitors to the motel.

I listened to the audio. There were two different voices for each of the main characters. It didn’t hold my attention 100%, but I was interested enough that plenty of times, I “rewound” to hear what I’d missed. There was some good atmosphere, with some creepy happenings.

>19 LibraryCin: Congrats on reaching the finish line!

>19 LibraryCin: Congrats!

I have read Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra by Harald Meller and Kai Michel for the "2 or more authors".

>19 LibraryCin: Yay, congratulations!

Thank you!

Senior citizen protagonist

Olive , Again by Elizabeth Strout - highly recommended.

>19 LibraryCin: Congratulations!

I've finished Still Waters by Viveca Sten for the "classical element in the title" block.

Summer is a lovely love story, even if it doesn't end happily.

For the square that describes me, I read Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer, as I was born on a Friday.

>28 NinieB: - That's a great way to do that square. I'll have to see what I have that might fit.

>28 NinieB: Clever!

And I am the only one on LT (so far) who owns Der tote Rittmeister.

>29 dudes22: >30 MissWatson: I agonize over squares like this, so it helped me it was black and white.

Die beiden Baroninnen is set in Denmark, and I hope to visit Copenhagen at least after this pandemic is finally over.

>19 LibraryCin: Congratulations, Cindy!

I just finished Lady in waiting: my extraordinary life in the shadow of the crown by Anne Glenconner which was surprisingly entertaining. The author was an attendant at the coronation and later became Princess Margaret's lady-in-waiting.

I'm adding to the history square.

>34 VivienneR: I definitely have that book on my TBR. I just watched a DVD on the coronation and they interviewed Anne Glenconner. She was the one who blew the secret of the attendants' dresses by accidentally showing some of it on leaving a rehearsal! She also said it went for so long that she felt like she was going to faint and she couldn't imagine the shame of doing that at such an event. I certainly think it will be interesting to read more about Princess Margaret.

>35 JayneCM: She mentioned both episodes. The length of the coronation made me appreciate how exhausting it must have been for everyone, especially for those standing still. Yes, she provided some interesting details about Princess Margaret.

For the light/dark square, I read Moonlight Downs by Adrian Hyland.

Only one square filled in during July, that of Art or Recreation with Enchanted Cornwall by Daphne Du Maurier.

On the plus side, I have one square left and should fill it in next month.

Another Australian author for my Australian Bingo.

I read A Lifetime of Impossible Days for the contains magic square.

What a delightful book! Willa Waters creates a time slip in her backyard which allows three versions of herself to visit each other - 93 year old Willa, 33 year old Willa and 8 year old Willa. Can she help her younger selves prevent a tragedy and heal the horrors of their past?

A wonderful debut novel. I am looking forward to reading her second book, The Emporium of Imagination.

I have finished Civilizations by Laurent Binet who is a new author to me. An alternate history which I quite enjoyed.

If anyone's looking for a book featuring a senior citizen protagonist, Miss Rachel Murdock from The Cat Saw Murder is 70 years old.

And I just finished A Lifetime of Impossible Days in which the main character is 93 years old.

I read Kill All the Judges by William Deverell.

Chosen for the category "with a character you'd like to have as a friend".

Retired criminal lawyer Arthur Beauchamp ("pronounced Beecham") is generous, hospitable, witty, tolerant, and lives in British Columbia's idyllic Gulf Islands in the Salish Sea. Naturally as a friend, I'd expect an invitation.

Like his character, Deverell is also a criminal lawyer, founder of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, whose books draw on his experiences in the courtroom and as an activist.

I read On Patrick White for the Arts and Recreation square.

I started my second Bingo card in July. Here's what I've read so far:

Contains a love story: Mansfield Revisited by Joan Aiken
You heartily recommend: The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden
Arts & recreation: The Mystery of Swordfish Reef by Arthur W. Upfield
Less than 200 pages: Lord Mullion's Secret by Michael Innes
Character you'd be friends with: Marling Hall by Angela Thirkell