January 2025 Reading

I read 14 books in January: all fiction but one, including three audiobooks and two rereads. The God of the Woods and Frozen River are historical novels which were much hyped, with long waiting lists at the library. I was disappointed in the first and found its ending completely unbelievable. I liked Frozen River and its themes of justice and male dominance provided lots of material for my book group discussion. I also enjoyed the newest Michael Connelly and my reread of False Colours.

Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum #Ozathon24

In L. Frank Baum’s final Oz book, published a year after his death, Ozma learns from Glinda’s Great Book of Records that two tribes in the distant Gillikin country are about to go to war. 

The Skeezers have declared war on the Flatheads, and although Ozma has never heard of either faction previously, she now feels a sense of responsibility:

The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum #Ozathon24

In the penultimate book in the series – at least by the great and powerful L. Frank Baum – The Magic of Oz, it is Ozma’s birthday again and everyone wants to find her something special. 

However, there is trouble on the horizon in Munchkin Country. A dissatisfied young man from a mountain people called Hyups finds a magical secret involving transformation his father has kept hidden:

The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum - #Ozathon24

If you remember when Dorothy first met the Tin Woodman in The Wizard of Oz, he revealed he was once an ordinary wood-chopper in love with a Munchkin girl. After his axe was enchanted by a witch, he lost every limb, one by one, and a tin-smith replaced everything with tin. Once his heart was gone, he no longer loved the girl, so continued as a tin man until he got caught in a rainstorm and rusted, ultimately to be rescued by Dorothy.

My November 2024 Reading

My favorites this month were The Law of Innocence about Harry Bosch’s half-brother, Mickey Haller, accused of murder and forced to defend himself from prison, and Mrs. Hart’s Marriage Bureau, a historical novel set between the wars in Britain. I also enjoyed another book about Orphan X and two books by Joan Aiken for Witch Week 2024 – Night Fall is just as memorable as the first time I read it.

My October 2024 Reading

My favorite books this month were Northern Spy, a thriller about an innocent young woman, dragged into an IRA conspiracy, and Abigail, an unusual boarding school story with a distant background of WWII intrigue. Abigail was one of several books I enjoyed for the 1970 Club.

Suspense

The Unwedding by Ally Condie (2024) (audio). Ellery Wainwright is despondent after her husband demands a divorce so her best friend persuades her to go on what was supposed to be an anniversary trip to Big Sur - and was already paid for (otherwise the ex and his new girlfriend would go and that would be even worse!).

The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum - Ozathon24

The eleventh Oz book begins dramatically – Ozma, the lovely and beloved girl ruler, has disappeared! Dorothy sounds the alarm because she knows Ozma would never intentionally cause worry, so she must have been stolen. The Magic Picture, Glinda’s Great Book of Records, and the Wizard’s black bag of magic tools are also missing, preventing anyone from using magic to find Ozma.

My September 2024 Reading

A few books stood out this month, including Radio Girls, about the early days at the BBC, and The Trap, the newest book about Emma Makepeace. I also enjoyed The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher, which follows what seems like a recent trend in senior citizen sleuths but features an appealing heroine who is both vulnerable and resilient. I couldn’t decide if I liked or disliked The Second Lady by Irving Wallace but I couldn’t stop reading! There were also some disappointments.

The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum - Ozathon24

Trot, a serious little girl, and her devoted friend, Cap’n Bill, are exploring the California coast when their boat hits a whirlpool. They are brought down, down, down into the depths of the ocean and eventually resurface in a cave where they are temporarily safe (if you are like Alec Ramsey and can survive on seaweed). 

My August 2024 Reading

No 5s this month: I liked The Briar Club but not as much as Kate Quinn's other books. I enjoyed Long Island and will suggest my book group reads it but his style is very understated and I wasn’t sure I understood the ending. The Rom-Commers was fun and I’ve decided I like Center’s books much better than Emily Henry’s: although their styles are not dissimilar, I think Center demonstrates more sense of humor.

Tik-Tok of Oz and Rinkitink of Oz #Ozathon24

I got a little behind with Lory’s group read of the Oz books but here are two more, slightly out of order:

Tik-Tok of Oz (1914). This book starts off in an obscure part of Oz called Oogaboo, where a dissatisfied young woman called Ann Soforth decides to muster an army and go conquer the rest of Oz. Elsewhere, Betsy Bobbin and Hank the mule, wash up from Oklahoma into the Rose Kingdom, a land bordering Ev (see Ozma of Oz) and the Nonestic Ocean, where they meet our old acquaintance, the Shaggy Man, searching for his brother who was captured by the Nome King.

My June 2024 Reading

June found me starting an absorbing new-to-me series by Susan Hill about Simon Serrallier, a police detective in a Cathedral town in southern England where there is an unexpected amount crime. I am already on book five! Other winners this month were two new historical novels, the delightful The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson, which reminded me of Flambards, and the more serious Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray, about Roosevelt’s female Secretary of Labor.

The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum #Ozathon24

Title: The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Illustrator: John R. Neill
Publication: Dover paperback, originally published in 1913
Genre: Juvenile fantasy/series

Description: The seventh Oz book features Ojo, a Munchkin boy who lives in an isolated part of the magical realm with his taciturn Unc Nunkie. When their food supply runs out, they realize they must leave home, and head to their closest neighbor, the Crooked Magician, who was responsible for the magic powder that Ozma (then Tip) used to bring Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse to life back in The Land of Oz.

My May 2024 Reading

There is no doubt my two favorite books of the month were Going Zero, a thriller involving a chase I am still thinking about, and The Diamond Eye, about a Russian sniper during WWII. I suspect they will be on my "Best of 2024" list and I recommend both of them highly.  Overall, there were some very strong and some disappointing books with two good rereads, Lucy Parker's Act Like It and The Emerald City of Oz for Ozathon24.

The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Title: The Emerald City of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication: Books of Wonder, hardcover edition, originally published in 2010
Genre: Juvenile Fantasy/Series

Description: In this sixth Oz book, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em are faced with bankruptcy as their Kansas farm has failed.

WWW Wednesday – May 22

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra (2022) is this month’s book group selection. It is set at a Hollywood movie studio during WWII that is full of European refugees trying to make a living as screenwriters or actors.

My April 2024 Reading

Lots of good books in April, including some for the #1937Club, a spine-tingling Orphan X book, a book by Nicholas Stuart Gray I’d always wanted to read, and Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame, which was the most delicious read of the month - I'm surprised I didn't gain weight just reading it!

The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum - Ozathon24

Title: The Road to Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Illustrator: John R. Neill
Publication: Dover, paperback, originally published in 1909
Genre: Children’s fantasy/series

Description: When a shaggy man asks Dorothy Gale to show him the road to Butterfield, she should probably yell, “Stranger danger!” instead being beguiled by the twinkle in his eye.

My March 2024 Reading

This month’s best reads were all historical fiction: The Phoenix Crown, set around the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco; Daughter of Lir by Diana Norman, about an abbess in medieval Ireland; and Wheel of Fortune by C.F. Dunn, in which a 15th century orphan learns she is powerless against men who should be her protectors.

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum – Ozathon24

Title: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication: Books of Wonder/HarperCollins, hardcover, originally published in 1908
Genre: Juvenile fantasy/series

Description: In this fourth installment, Dorothy has returned from Australia where she was visiting with her Uncle Henry (including a detour described in Ozma of Oz), and has been staying with friends in San Francisco prior to rejoining her uncle.