Kiss Her Once for Me

Finished January 6

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

This lesbian romance has much more to offer than the satisfying romance it contains. It is a book about dealing with failure, about how we respond to the expectations of others, about being our true selves in all their messy truth, and about how we find those true selves.

It is a book about dealing with the fears we all face, the fears of failure, of rejection, of imperfection, of negative attention, of positive attention, of success, and of being vulnerable. 

Ellie Oliver is a woman who more or less raised herself and is still dealing with a toxic parent in her life. She has used art as a way to make herself feel good, as a way to get positive attention, and now as a way to earn a living, but it has also become something that is no longer something she does for herself in a healing way, but usually something that she does for others. She is broke, unhappy, and trying to hide from everything that she doesn't want to deal with.

Jack Kim-Prescott is a woman who has not lived up to the expectations her wealthy family has had for her. She tried, but she stopped trying a while back. She is slowly finding her path, career wise, but still struggling in her personal life. When they meet, they recognize each other, but it also scares them both to a certain extent because of their pasts. 

The book is set in Portland, Oregon, beginning in December 2021 and ending sometime early in 2023. 

This book makes you feel for the characters, and hope for them, and care about what happens to them. A great read. 

European Reading Challenge 2023 Sign-up

I'm joining this challenge again. Last year was the first time I didn't successfully complete it.

I will join at the 5 star level, which requires me to read books from or set in 5 different European countries. 

It's hosted by Rose City Reader, here.

I usually get Great Britain and France pretty quickly, and some others trickle in. I'm going to be more organized at seeking books to meet the challenge out this year, and hopefully will do better. 

January Reviews for the 16th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

Add the link to your review, and comment as well.

Summary of 2022 Reading

I always keep statistics on my reading and one of the sites I track it on gave me some additional information that I will share.
Total books read was 102, much less than the previous few years. I would have to go back more than 20 years to get a number lower than that of 2022. 

Total pages read was 29,073.

Audience

Children    10

Teen            5

Adult         87

Genre 
(there is some overlap with multigenre books so the numbers won't necessarily add up)

Fiction                                            86

    Fantasy                                         6

    Historical Fiction                       10

    Mystery/Thriller                         33

    Romance                                    26

    Science Fiction                            2

    Short Stories                                6

    Western                                        1

Nonfiction                                     16

    Essays                                         0

    History                                        2

    Memoir/Biography                     6

    Poetry                                          2

    Science/Social Science               4

    

Setting (some books had multiple settings, some didn't have one, or it wasn't named)

Canada                                          9

United States                               52

Europe                                         30

Asia                                               4

Australasia                                    2

Africa                                            1

South and Central America           2

Fictional world                              1

Translations    3

    French                 1

    Portuguese          1

    Spanish               1

Source

Library                  11

My own                81

Borrowed                2

Temporary              9

* temporary were digital copies that expired, but not from the library

70 of the owned books left for new homes after I read them.

Author

Men            18

Women       76

Both             5

Format

Physical book        87

ebook                    15

Advanced copy     27

Netgalley                9

29 of the books were part of a series, and 77 of them were authors I hadn't read before.

Other insights

Storygraph analyzed some things that I hadn't before and I found it very interesting

One thing it looks at was the mood of the books. Lighter books moved the line up. My graph had a definite upward slant to it.

I could also see from another graph that I went through obvious cycles this year in reading and not reading, with the line undulating up and down.

My longest read this year was only 544 pages, while the shortest was 24 pages, and my average length came in at 287 pages.

What's in a Name Reading Challenge 2023

 This reading challenge is not too onerous and it's super fun. The signup page is here.

The idea is to read a book that matches each of the prompts. The book can be in any format. 

This year the prompts are:

Punctuation 

7 Deadly Sins

You or Me

Chess Piece

Celebration

Q, X, Z

52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

 Information on the challenge can be found here.

There are usually some mini-challenges in different months as well and I will add those in my Reading Challenge Progress page for the year.

The main list
1. A book with a subtitle

2. Featuring an inheritance

3. Title starting with the letter "G"

4. Title starting with the letter "H"

5. Title starting with the letter "I"

6. Under 200 pages

7. A city or country name in the title

8. Dystopian fiction

9. A book with a dedication

10. Takes place during the Roarding 20s

11. A book about secrets

12. High fantasy

13. Published posthumously 

14. A survival story

15. Set in Australia

16. Featuring one of the "seven deadly sins"

17. By a Caribbean author

18. Set during a war other than WWI or WWII

19. Typographic cover

20. A book about siblings

21. A second-hand book

22. A body-positive message

23. An alliterative title

24. Nordic noir

25. A fashionable character

26. Has an epilogue

27. Newberry Medal winner

28. Includes a funeral

29. Sends you down a rabbit hole

30. An author with a same name as you

31. Set in a workplace

32. Published by MacMillan

33. A banned book

34. Featuring mythology

35. A book you meant to read last year

36. Chapters have cliffhangers

37. Written in present tense

38. An enemies to lovers plot

39. The final book in a series

40. Written by a comedian

41. A character who is a refugee

42. Time in the title

43. A book "everyone" has read

44. A contemporary setting

45. First word in the book is "the"

46. Script font on the spine

47. Set in the city of Dublin

48. A book by Octavia E. Butler

49. Books on the cover

50. Related to the word "murder"

51. Doesn't fit any of the other 51 prompts

52. Published in 2023

Wrap-Up of 52 Book Club 2022 Reading Challenge

 I didn't complete this challenge, but I did read to most of the prompts. I particularly didn't read the mini challenges very well, so that is something I will try to focus on in 2023.

52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2022

1. A second-person narrative
    Lipstick and Lies by Lesley Grant-Adamson. Finished September 21
2. Featuring a library or bookstore

    Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Finished April 1
3. Title starting with the letter “e”
    The End of October by Lawrence Wright. Finished December 2
4. Title starting with the letter “f”
    For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten. Finished March 22
5. Chapters have titles
    The Family Man by Elinor Lipman. Finished January 26
6. Household object on the cover
    Changing Habits by Debbie Macomber. Finished September 12
7. A non-fiction bestseller
I didn't read as much nonfiction this year as usual, and not any bestsellers. Something to think on for 2023
8. Involving the art world

    A House Among the Trees by Julia Glass. Finished May 4
9. A book that sparks joy
    The Lonely Fajita by Abigail Mann. Finished April 10
10. A book based on a real person
    Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen. Finished January 24 
11. A book with less than 2022 Goodreads ratings

    Rabbit Ears edited by Joel Allegretti. Finished January 12 (9 ratings at time of review)  
12. Set on at least two continents

    Die For You by Lisa Unger. Finished January 15 (New York City and Prague)  
13. Includes a club
    Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel. Finished March 2
14. A character with superhuman ability
    Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe. Finished February 4
15. A five-syllable titles
    So Say The Fallen by Stuart Neville. Finished February 12
16. A book you’ve seen someone reading in a public place
I had a book that I was reading for this prompt (Lessons in Chemistry), but didn't finish it in time.
17. A book picked based on its spine
    The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman. Finished April 21
18. Jane-Austen-inspired
    I have a book I identified for this prompt, but never even started it.
19. A book that has an alternate titles
    The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell. Finished February 25 (alternate title: Bone China)
20. Related to the world “gold”
    The Other's Gold by Elizabeth Ames. Finished September 22
21. Published by Simon & Schuster
    Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald. Finished February 2
22. An unlikely detective
    The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James. Finished May 22
23. Author with an X, Y, or Z in their name
    Sea Wife by Amity Gaige. Finished June 28
24. Addresses a specific topic
    If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It by Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac. Finished December 11
25. A wealthy character
    Leave Me By Dying by Rosemary Aubert. Finished April 8
26. Has an “Author’s Note”
    The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher. Finished May 14
27. Includes a map
    A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz. Finished January 28
28. Award-winning book from your country
I was really bad at paying attention to awards this year, so I may have achieved this one without realizing it.
29. Over 500 pages long
    Find You First by Linwood Barclay. Finished May 6
30. Audiobook is narrated by the author
I didn't listen to a single audiobook this year. I'm finding myself listening to radio more often in the car and my trips have been shorter
31. Technology-themed
Again, didn't read a lot of nonfiction this year. Usually I read in this genre, so it was a bit surprising to miss this prompt
32. A book that intimidates you
    Pitch Dark by Renata Adler. Finished December 14
33. A bilingual character
    I Found You by Lisa Jewell. Finished February 28
34. An author’s photo on the back cover
    Stars in the Junkyard by Sharon Berg. Finished March 28
35. From the villain’s perspective
I had problems with the premise of this one being a bit of a spoiler alert. I don't think I fulfilled it though
36. Recommended by a favourite author
I probably fulfilled this one, but again not something I really look for regularly
37. Set in a rural area
    The Beacon by Susan Hill. Finished April 24
38. Don’t judge a book by its cover!
    The Heart of the Deal by Lindsay MacMillan. Finished May 18
39. A middle-grade novel
I had one planned for this, but never got to it.
40. A book with photographs inside
    An Emotional Education by The School of Life. Finished March 15
41. Involves a second chance
    The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Finished April 13
42. An indie read
I probably fulfilled this one, but didn't specifically note it
43. Author who’s published in more than one genre
    Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith. Finished December 6
44. An anthology
I did some stories and essays, but no anthologies this year
45. A book with illustrated people on cover
    Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond. Finished May 16
46. A job title in the title
    The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns. Finished August 28
47. Read during the month of November
    The Witch of Babylon by D.J. McIntosh. Finished November 26
48. Redo one of this year’s prompts but with a different genre
    Prompt 11 (less than 2022 GR ratings)

    X + Y: A Mathematician's Manifesto for Rethinking Gender by Eugenia Cheng. Finished December         31 (at time of writing had 605 ratings)
49. Book title starts with the same letter as your first name
    Sight by Adrienne Maria Vrettos. Finished February 16
50. A person of colour as the main character
    Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli. Finished December 16
51. The word “game” in the title
    Rules of the Game by Lori Wilde. Finished May 29
52. Published in 2022.

    Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst. Finished April 4

Mini-Challenges

February

* Second in a series

    So Say the Fallen by Stuart Neville. Finished February 12.

* A title with the same word twice

* Mirror, Mirror on the wall

March

* Character who works in math or sciences

* Circle on the cover The School of Life: An Emotional Education by the School of Life. 

* Pi or Pie

April (NONE!)

* Rain on cover

* Comical Read

* Foolish Character

June (AGAIN NONE!)

* Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

* Suitcase of the Cover

* Set in a Place You Wish You Were Vacationing

Summer Genre Challenge (June 21-Sept 22)

Includes the following genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi, Children's Story, Young Adult, Mystery, Memoir/Biography, Romance, Classic, Thriller, True Crime, Non-Fiction, Adventure, Self-Help, Poetry, and Other

Mystery: Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman. Finished June 23

Adventure: Sea Wife by Amity Gaige. Finished June 28

Fantasy: An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard. Finished August 15

Historical Fiction: Mary Coin by Marisa Silver. Finished August 31

Romance: A Family for Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor. Finished September 2

Children's: Windy Days by Deborah Kerbel and Miki Sato. Finished September 5

October

* Related to the word "Dark"

* A Psychological Thriller

* Local Legends The Second Chance Inn by Susan Hatler. Finished October 9

November (NONE!)

* Dessert on the cover

* Let's Party

* Related to the word "gift"

December

* 300-399 pages long In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (336 pages)

* Set or written 300 years ago 

* Three "C"s on the cover Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. 

You All Grow Up and Leave Me

Finished December 31

You All Grow Up and Leave Me: A Memoir of Teenage Obsession by Piper Weiss

This memoir is about Piper's relationship with a tennis coach, Gary Wilensky, who, when she was fourteen, attacked a former student and then later killed himself. As Piper works through her emotions around the man she liked and trusted, she looks at him as well. 

Piper was a private school student, a girl shorter than her peers, who found tennis an activity she could be special in. Gary was a sought after instructor, with a personality that was engaging. He made his teen students feel special, taking them to dinner and buying them presents. He treated them as peers. 

When one of his students felt that something was off and told her mother, she stopped taking lessons from him, and that triggered something in him. He had a plan, but he was also panicking in the moment of action, and that led to mistakes that led to him aborting his plan and finding himself with no way out. 

This is a sad story, a story of questions that don't all have answers. The author also has issues and wonders why this is a story that she still cares about years later. As a journalist, she's done her research, interviewed who she could, and been open about her own story, leaving me sad for her as well. 

The title comes from a conversation she had near the end of her time with Gary when he said this and she promised that she wouldn't, that she'd be there for him, and perhaps this is her way of keeping that promise. 

X + Y

Finished December 31

X + Y: A Mathematician's Manifesto for Rethinking Gender by Eugenia Cheng

I was looking for a book to help meet a reading challenge and came across this book which got me thinking about many things in different ways. The author is a mathematician and an artist. She teaches mathematics at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. In her career, and in other aspects of her life, she has encountered sexism and racism. She has thought a lot about this and how often gender issues are substituted for behaviour issues. She outlines how our society favours more aggressive, competitive, individualistic behaviour, and about how that behaviour has come to be seen as masculine. 

She has come up with new descriptors for this issue around behaviour that take the gender out of the discussion, eliminating one red herring to change. She describes two behaviour types as ingressive and congressive, where ingressive is the current valued type of behaviour that values competition, winners, contests, and individual success. The other type of behaviour, congressive, values understanding, sharing, working together, collaboration, and societal success. She makes a great argument for this new set of descriptors and how using them and thinking of them more in the behavioural sense and not tying them to gender norms can overcome not only gender bias, but also other biases in our society that favour the status quo. 

I found myself easily understanding her descriptions of category theory mathematics (I was a math major in my first year of university) and seeing how it applies to this idea of behavioural categories. She advocates gradual change, using congressive approaches and responses to replace ingressive or passive ones, and finding a way forward that will benefit not only society as a whole, but individuals more broadly as well. 

This is a fascinating book that needs to be read by more people and have them seriously consider her suggestions. 

Cosy Nook Book Box December

 I received this book a few weeks ago, but forgot to post about it then. This book box subscription includes a book, some snacks and other fun items.

Upon opening the box, I first saw the card for the Give a Book campaign, and a fun reindeer sticker.

Opening the paper gave me a first glimpse of some of the items from socks to edibles. 

Here are the edibles: 

They include a Tim Hortons tea bag (peppermint flavour), some Cadbury mini eggs (something I'd never eaten before), a small Toblerone bar, and an instant cappuccino. 

I next looked at the wearable items:

Here are those fun watermelon inspired socks I saw when I first opened the paper, and a toque that coordinates with the winter clothing items from the November box. I found the toque VERY stretchy, so it would fit any size head. 

There are a couple of cosmetic items:

These are a face mask and a lip mask. Hydrating IS important!

There was a small craft to make a simple Christmas ornament:

And some other nice items: 

The reindeer stick I saw at first was joined by a couple of other cute stickers, a coaster with a holiday theme, and a glass mug perfect for those hot mulled beverages. 

The book was also Christmas themed.