2022 Color Coded Reading Challenge

I am signing up again for the Color Coded Reading Challenge. It was a successful challenge for me this year as every book I read was from a new (to me) author. Nine books must be read with the various colors listed below in their titles or as a dominant color/image on their covers. 

1. Read book with "Blue" (or a shade of blue):

2. Read a book with "Red" (or a shade of red):

3. Read a book with "Yellow" (or a shade of yellow):

4. Read a book with "Green" (or a shade of green):

5. Read a book with "Brown" (or a shade of brown):

6. Read a book with "Black" (or a shade of black):

7. Read a book with "White" (or a shade of white):

8. Read a book with any other color:

9. Read a book a word/image that implies color (rainbow, polka dot, etc)

Master Wycliffe's Summons

Master Wycliffe's Summons is the 14th book in Mel Starr's series The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon. I have read most of them and they are fabulous. Starr writes tightly woven medieval mysteries that move fast. The death always occurs early in the story so that the rest of the novel can be about solving the crime.  In this particular installment of the series, a student at Queen's College Oxford, Richard Sabyn, has been found dead in bed. There was a lightening storm the night before and it appears that he may have been struck by the lightening.  However, Oxford Master John Wycliffe does not believe that the evidence shows a lightening strike and wants Singleton to look into the death. Singleton agrees with Wycliffe that it is possible to make it look as though Sabyn died from a lightening strike. 

I enjoyed the story but it was not as exciting as some of Starr's earlier books in the series. The pace was slow and the howdunnit didn't grab my attention. While the howdunnit was interesting I don't think the writing was well executed. Singleton spent alot of time trying to figure out how someone could collect enough urine, dove droppings and a small amount of charcoal to create the substance that killed Sabyn. I was eating dinner while I read the book and that urine section didn't set well with my tummy. I did find it interesting that the deceased was copying a gospel into English while John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English between 1382 and 1395, denied any knowledge of it. Our protagonist did not perform any surgeries but did gather herbs for several people to help ease the pain of the plague. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #10

Ken Follett's newest book Never was just published a few days ago and I cannot wait to have the time to read it. It is over 800 pages so I probably won't be able to read it until after Christmas or New Year's Day. Never is a little different from Follett's earlier books. It is an international political thriller, not his usual historical fiction story. The plot line involves a shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert, a stolen U. S. Army drone, an uninhabited Japanese island, and another nation's secret stash of biological weapons. The characters who are fighting to prevent another world war include a young female intelligence officer, a spy working undercover with jihadists, a Chinese spymaster, and a female contender for the White House. This novel sounds like a Dan Silva book. I love Silva so I have high expectations for Never. Let's see how well. Follett can switch genres.

Wrap-Up of the 2021 What's in a Name Challenge

I read 6 books for the challenge:

One by One by Ruth Ware

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

White Ivy by Susie Yang

The Art Collector's Daughter by Derville Murphy

The Woman in a Green Dress by Tea Cooper

The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion

Favorite Book:  The Moonlight Child (my only 5 star rated book)

Second Favorite Book:  White Ivy (my only 4 star rated book)

Least Favorite Book:  The Woman in the Green Dress  (my lowest rated book with 2 stars)

I have been doing this challenge on and off for years and I love it. I wish that there were more categories but 6 has been the limit since the challenge began. Let's hope that it returns in 2022.  I haven't heard anything yet.

Wrap-Up of the 2021 Creativity Reading Challenge

The 2021 Creativity Reading Challenge did not require that a set number of books be read. I always read several books on art and crafts each year but not many of them. This year I read five books.  They are:

Sarawak Sketchbook by A. Kasim Abas

Amsterdam Sketchbook by Graham Byfield

Botany for the Artist by Sarah Simblet

Yellow by Michael Pasteaureau

Menorca Sketchbook by Graham Byfield

Favorite Book:  Sarawak Sketchbook

2nd Favorite Book:  Botany for the Artist

Least Favorite Book:  Yellow

The Challenge will be open in 2022 and I am going to sign up.  I hope some good arty books come out next year.

Wrap-Up of the 2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

I signed up to read six books for this year's nonfiction reading challenge. I read seven, which is more than I have read in the past 10 years. Non-fiction is not a genre I have ever read much of but I found that I really liked the books that I selected for the challenge.

The Queen's Marriage by Lady Colin Campbell

The Cartiers by Francesca Cartier Brickell

The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson

The Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Yellow by Michael Pasteaureau

Dear Abigail by Diane Jacobs

Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berlin

Favorite Book:  Empire of Pain

2nd Favorite Book:  Revolutionary Mothers

Least Favorite Book:  Yellow

I purchased an additional three books for the challenge but have not read them yet.  If the challenge is renewed in 2022 I will definitely join.  This was a successful challenge for me as every author was new to me.

The Flower Boat Girl

The Flower Boat Girl is the story of Shek Yang who rises from being sold into the sex trade as a young girl to becoming the most powerful female pirate known to sail the South China Sea. In 1801, Yang has finally bought her freedom but is soon kidnapped by a brutal pirate gang and forced to marry their leader.  She needs to be scrappy to survive her circumstances and she carves out a role against the resistance of powerful pirate leaders, including her husband's male concubine.  Eventually, Yang has to choose between power over the pirates and love.  The novel is based on a true story.

I rarely review a book that I did not finish but this one requires comment.  The author uses crude and course descriptions of Yang's sex acts with men. You know that a man wrote a book when this type of language is used. Women just don't use certain descriptions. I am surprised that the author chose a woman as his main character because it is hard for men to accurately write about women and vice versa. I made it to page 70. There was no explanation of how Yang got into various situations, just one nasty sex act after another. How is the reader to know what the story is about when you go from one rape to another?  The reader at least needs to know something about the main character other than she is being raped by many men over 70 pages. In those 70 pages she was still a sex slave, I presume. There is no way to tell from these pages where we are in the plot.

I am surprised that the book has had many good reviews, half of them from women. At a minimum I would call this novel soft core porn.  Skip it.  0 out of 5 stars.