Tournament of Books 2021

Tournament of Books
Rooster Award for best fiction
sponsored by Field Notes and Bookshop
details | daily
Love to treat myself with this annual self challenge of reading some or all of the shortlist books for this tournament.

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WINNER: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
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THE SHORTLIST:

Breasts and Eggs
by Mieko Kawakami,
translated by Sam Bett, David Boyd
Literary, Feminism, Japan | Goodreads | my rating: 5
female body image, children and meaning of life

A Children’s Bible
by Lydia Millet
Literary, Dystopia | Goodreads | my rating: 5
adults lacking

Deacon King Kong
by James McBride
Historical, Literary | Goodreads | my rating: dnf

Interior Chinatown
by Charles Yu
Literary, China | Goodreads

Leave the World Behind
by Rumaan Alam
Thriller, Mystery | Goodreads | my rating: 4
to be safe

Luster
by Raven Leilani
Contemporary, African American | Goodreads | my rating: 4
suburban fantasies, twisted relationships

Memorial
by Bryan Washington
Contemporary, LGBTQ | Goodreads | my rating: 4
modern love, parents

Piranesi
by Susanna Clarke
Fantasy | Goodreads | my rating: 5
love how this unravels with its many halls and statues along the way

Sharks in the Time of Saviors
by Kawai Strong Washburn
Magical Realism, Hawaii | Goodreads | my rating: dnf

Shuggie Bain
by Douglas Stuart
Historical, Scotland | Goodreads | my rating: 4
sad realities, but love it there

Telephone
by Percival Everett
Contemporary, Family | Goodreads

Tender Is the Flesh
by Agustina Bazterrica
translated by Sarah Moses
Horror, Dystopia | Goodreads | my rating: 5
creepy, fertility, mortality, morality

Transcendent Kingdom
by Yaa Gyasi
Contemporary, Africa | Goodreads | my rating: 5
religion, science, addiction, depression

The Vanishing Half
by Brit Bennett
Historical | Goodreads | my rating: 4
living true, what's it worth

We Ride Upon Sticks
by Quan Barry
Historical, Sports, Witches | Goodreads
PLAY-IN ROUND:

The Down Days
by Ilze Hugo
Dystopia, South Africa | Goodreads | my rating: 5
grief, hair, ghostbusters

Red Pill
by Hari Kunzru
SciFi, Germany | Goodreads | my rating: 4

The Resisters
by Gish Jen
SciFi, Baseball | Goodreads

Japanese Literature Challenge 14

Japanese Literature Challenge 14
hosted by Dolce Bellezza
January 1 to March 31, 2021
(details)

Before the Coffee Gets Cold
by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
Fantasy, Time Travel, Japan, (audio) | Published: 2019 (first 2015) | Goodreads | my rating: 5
importance of the present

Breasts and Eggs
by Mieko Kawakami,
translated by Sam Bett, David Boyd
Literary, Feminism, Japan | Goodreads | my rating: 5
female body, children and meaning of life

The Memory Police
by Yoko Ogawa
translated by Stephen Snyder
Literature, Dystopia, Japan, (audio) | Published: 2019 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
long-term illness, death and dying

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida
by Clarissa Goenawan
Literary, Japan, LGBTQ, Magical Realism | Published: 2020 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
zines, popularity, truths, untruths

Sailor Moon
volume one
by Naoko Takeuchi
Graphic Novel, YA, Japan | Published: 2003 (first 1992) | Goodreads | my rating: 4
leadership, team work, flicker of romance

Lovely Books and Things - 1.3.21

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

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HAPPY THINGS:

1. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies Zoom! A Free Virtual Jane Austen Mini-Fest Hosted by the Glendale Public Library (here) to celebrate Jane Austen this month. I watched the recording of this event which was held in November.
2. Deciding and preparing for the new year's reading challenges and readalongs. Posts will go up in the next few days.
3. Holiday lights - Embaracadero lit up for the season.

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Library: audiobook

Shuggie Bain
by Douglas Stuart
Literary, Historical, Scotland | Goodreads

The Paying Guests
by Sarah Waters
Historical, LGBTQ | Goodreads

Library:

Breasts and Eggs
by Mieko Kawakami
translated by Sam Bett, David Boyd
Literary, Feminism, Japan | Goodreads

Sansei and Sensibility
by Karen Tei Yamashita
Short Stories, Retellings, Jane Austen | Goodreads

LOVE this cover mashup of Jane Austen and a puzzle!

Free Little Library:

Furthermore
by Tahereh Mafi
Fantasy, Middle Grade | Goodreads

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AND watched: on Netflix

WW84 (2020)
(Wonder Woman 1984)
Director/Writer: Patty Jenkins
Writers: Geoff Johns,Dave Callaham
Based on characters from DC Wonder Woman created by: William Moulton Marston
Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig
Action, Adventure, Fantasy | imdb | my rating: 4

Rewind to the 1980s as Wonder Woman's next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.

FANTASTICAL and fun action.

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Foreign Intrigue Book Club 2021

Foreign Intrigue Book Club
face-to-face (details)
Books, Inc. Laurel Village
Do you like to travel? Experience a country through the eyes of a local? Try the food of another country?

2021

DECEMBER/JANUARY:

Overkill
by Vanda Symon
Mystery, New Zealand | Published: 2018 (first 2007) | Goodreads | my rating: 4
liked this headstrong female police constable
FEBRUARY:

Bad Debts
by Peter Temple
Mystery, Australia | Published: 2005 (first 1996) | Goodreads | my rating: 3
fell for the protagonist and his circle of friends
MARCH:

Aunty Lee's Delights
by Ovidia Yu
Mystery, Cozy, Singapore | Published: 2013 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
sleuthing by way of nosiness
APRIL:

Play the Red Queen
by Juri Jurjevics
Mystery, Historical, Vietnam | Published: 2020 | Goodreads | my rating: dnf

MAY:

The Aosawa Murders
by Riku Onda
transalated by Alison Watts
Mystery, Crime, Japan | Published: 2020 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
diabolical story with Sherlock Holmes vibe
JUNE:

A Nail Through the Heart
by Timothy Hallinan
Mystery, Thailand | Published: 2007 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
justice and compassion
JULY:

Death Notice
by Zhao Haohui
translated by Zac Haluza
Mystery, China | Published: 2018 (first 2014) | Goodreads | my rating: 4
convoluted with twists and turns
AUGUST:

Flowers Over the Inferno
by Ilaria Tuti
translated by Ekin Oklap
Mystery, Italy | Published: 2019 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
amusing bicker and banter
SEPTEMBER:

Murder in Chianti
by Camilla Trinchieri
Mystery, Italy | Published: 2020 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
small town vibe, likable protagonist with dog, foodie delight
OCTOBER:

Death in Provence
by Serena Kent
Mystery, France | Goodreads | my rating: 5
small town feels in regards to exclusion and eventual acceptance
NOVEMBER:

The Chalk Circle
(Commissaire Adamsberg #1)
by Fred Vargas
translated by Siân Reynolds
Mystery, Crime, France | Goodreads | my rating: 4

DECEMBER/JANUARY:

The Darkness
by Ragnar Jónasson
translated by Arvid Nordh
Mystery, Crime, Iceland | Published: 2018 (first 2015) | Goodreads

Clink 2021

*! clink !*
H A P P Y

N E W Y E A R !!!
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* image source: vintage new year's card (here)