TBR 22 in '22 Challenge — wrap up post

The TBR 22 in '22 Challenge was hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader.  The goal was to read 22 books from my TBR shelves in 2022.  The bigger goal, of course, is to read books I already own.  These books could be on my shelf or on my Kindle.  Books I read for other challenges counted as well.  So here are the books I completed in 2022 that fit the criteria:

1.  From the Dark We Rise ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2021, historical fiction (Germany), 281 pages, 7/10

2.  A Light in the Window ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2021, historical fiction (Germany), 280 pages, 6/10

3.  War Girl Lotte ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2017, historical fiction (Germany), 180 pages, 7/10

4.  Croissants and Corruption ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 164 pages, 8/10

5.  Desserts and Deception ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 128 pages, 7/10

6.  Mrs. Peachtree and the Eighth Avenue Cat ~ by Erica Silverman, illustrations by Ellen Beier, 1994, children's picture book, 32 pages, 8/10

7.  Caterpillar Kisses: Lessons My Kindergarten Class Taught Me About Life ~ by Christine Pisera Naman, 2005, anecdotes, 100 pages, 9/10

8.  Chester's Way ~ by Kevin Henkes, 1988, children's picture book, 32 pages, 10/10

9.  A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story ~ by Linda Sue Park, 2010, children's historical fiction (Sudan), 122 pages, 10/10

10.  The Titanic Sisters ~ by Patricia Falvey, 2021, historical fiction, 320 pages, 8/10

11.  Squeeze Me ~ by Carl Hiaasen, 2020, mystery (Florida), 352 pages, 4/10

12.  The Midnight Library ~ by Matt Haig, 2020, fiction, 288 pages, 8/10

13.  Still Alice ~ by Lisa Genova, 2007, literary fiction (Massachusetts), 320 pages, 9/10

14.  Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" ~ by Zora Neale Hurston, foreword by Alice Walker, 2018, cultural anthropology, 208 pages, 8/10

15.  The Butterfly Effect ~ by Rachel Mans McKenny, 2020, fiction (Iowa and Costa Rica), 328 pages, 6/10

16.  Dovetail ~ by Karen McQuestion, 2020, fiction (Wisconsin), 353 pages, 8/10

17.  Grandaddy's Short Stories ~ by Everette Summers, 2007, short stories, 47 pages, 1/10

18.  Grandaddy's Short Stories: Book II ~ by Everette Summers, 2007, short stories, 90 pages, 4/10

19.  Happy Now: Let Playfulness Lift Your Load and Renew Your Spirit ~ by Courtney Ellis, 2021, psychology, 213 pages, 9/10

20.  The Virtues of Aging ~ by Jimmy Carter, 1998, memoir, 160 pages, 10/10

21.  Fresh Scars ~ by Donna Mumma, 2021, fiction (Florida), 305 pages, 8/10

22.  Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Isabel Dalhousie Mystery, Book 2) ~ by Alexander McCall Smith, 2005, mystery (Scotland), 272 pages, 9/10

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I did it! Then I kept reading books I already own.

I think l remembered to come here and add most of them.

Either way, I went WAY past my goal, so I'm happy.

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23.  Regarding Anna ~ by Florence Osmund, 2015, fiction, 272 pages, 10/10

24.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

25.  Liar and Spy ~ by Rebecca Stead, 2012, children's mystery (New York), 208 pages, 8/10

26.  Pastries and Pilfering: Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 12 ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (California and Mexico), 180 pages, 7/10

27.  Oy Vey, Maria! : A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2021, cozy mystery, 186 pages, 8/10

28.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

29.  Class Reunions Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 4) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2013, cozy mystery, 240 pages, 9/10

30.  Retirement Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 1) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2009, cozy mystery, 214 pages, 8/10

31.  A Pain in the Tuchis: A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2015, cozy mystery, 217 pages, 10/10

32.  Last Train to Istanbul ~ by Ayse Kulin, 2002, historical fiction (France and Turkey), 417 pages, 4/10

33.  The Consequences of Fear: A Maisie Dobbs Novel (Book 16 of 17) ~ by Jacqueline Winspear, 2021, mystery (England), 352 pages, 9/10

34.  Educated ~ by Tara Westover, 2018, memoir (Idaho, Utah, England), 336 pages, 10/10

35.  The Value of Honesty: The Story of Confucius ~ by Spencer Johnson, illustrated by Steve Pileggi, 1979, children's picture book, 64 pages, 10/10

36.  StrengthsFinder 2.0 ~ by Tom Rath, 2007, self-help, 183 pages, 10/10

37.  Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way ~ by Lao Tzu, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin with J. P. Seaton, 1997, religion, 137 pages, 9/10

38.  A Charlie Brown Christmas ~ by Charles M. Schulz, 2007, children's book, 128 pages, 10/10

39.  Kiss My Asterisk: A Feisty Guide to Punctuation and Grammar ~ by Jenny Baranick, 2014, English language, 178 pages, 4/10

THIS is the page where we are supposed to link our wrap up posts.  I listed books on my original sign-up post as I finished them, copied them for this page, and 39 is my final total.  Whew!  I've had a good reading year.

The book I'm finally reading

Last Train to Istanbul ~ by Ayse Kulin, 2002, historical fiction (France and Turkey), 417 pages

As the daughter of one of Turkey’s last Ottoman pashas, Selva could win the heart of any man in Ankara.  Yet the spirited young beauty only has eyes for Rafael Alfandari, the handsome Jewish son of an esteemed court physician.  In defiance of their families, they marry, fleeing to Paris to build a new life.  But when the Nazis invade France and begin rounding up Jews, the exiled lovers will learn that nothing — not war, not politics, not even religion — can break the bonds of family.  For after they learn that Selva is but one of their fellow citizens trapped in France, some brave Turkish diplomats hatch a plan to spirit the Alfandaris and hundreds of innocents, many of whom are Jewish, to safety.  Together, they must traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in a desperate bid for freedom, from Ankara to Paris, Cairo, and Berlin.

From an online comment about this book:

The action takes place from 1933 to 1941, and the main characters are sisters Sabiha and Selva, who grew up in Istanbul as happy, well-educated, and beautiful blondes who want for nothing.  Older sister Sabiha marries Macit, who works directly under President Inönü's Foreign Minister; they and their beautiful child live a charmed life enjoying all the advantages of their wealth and prominent standing.  Yet Sabiha is too depressed to care, because she's ravaged by guilt at having had a hand in her younger sister Selva's decision to marry the Jewish man Rafael Alfandari.  That is what led to the couple's complete ostracization and subsequent flight to southern France, where they found themselves hiding from Nazis.

I've decided to read this for the 2022 Big Book Summer Challenge

(to read a book over 400 pages long), hosted by Sue Jackson at Book by Book.

I have only this week to read the book before Labor Day weekend (which I can do).

I've already read 16 books in August, and I've started this book now, anyway.

I purchased this on April 18, 2018 (Amazon says), so it also applies to my

TBR 22 in '22 Challenge to read 22 books I already own.

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UPDATE:  Yay!!!  I finished all 417 pages on the last day of August 2022, so I feel great about my reading (even though I rated the book only 4 of 10, which I define as "Struggled to finish, but not worth it").  Too bad, since it had such great potential.  I was an editor of two in-house publications once upon a time, and I could see how it could have been tightened up and made to feel less plodding ... through day by day ... and hour by hour ... and thought by thought.  But I did accomplish my goal.  So hurray for me!!!

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Musing on Monday

Reading report

I've decided to quit getting books from the library.  Why?  Because I have an entire library in my apartment (on shelves and in boxes), a storage unit full of boxes from the bookstore Donna and I owned 20 years ago, 438 books on my Kindle, and 331 books on Donna's Kindle (which her sister let me "inherit").

So . . . I've decided to read my own books.  Doing exactly that is, after all, one of my reading challenges.  The goal of the TBR 22 in '22 Challenge is to read 22 books from my TBR shelves in 2022.  (TBR is shorthand for "to be read.")

Monday is a good day to share this report on getting older.

I'm sure you are pleased to hear this "news."  LOL.

The TBR 22 in '22 Challenge

The TBR 22 in '22 Challenge is hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader.  The goal is to read 22 books from my TBR shelves in 2022.  The bigger goal, of course, is to read books I already own.  These books can be on my shelf or on my Kindle, and books I read for other challenges can count here as well.  Gilion says that rereads count and any genre.  Okay, I'm in!

Books I have completed:

1.  From the Dark We Rise ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2021, historical fiction (Germany), 281 pages, 7/10

2.  A Light in the Window ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2021, historical fiction (Germany), 280 pages, 6/10

3.  War Girl Lotte ~ by Marion Kummerow, 2017, historical fiction (Germany), 180 pages, 7/10

4.  Croissants and Corruption ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 164 pages, 8/10

5.  Desserts and Deception ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 128 pages, 7/10

6.  Mrs. Peachtree and the Eighth Avenue Cat ~ by Erica Silverman, illustrations by Ellen Beier, 1994, children's picture book, 32 pages, 8/10

7.  Caterpillar Kisses: Lessons My Kindergarten Class Taught Me About Life ~ by Christine Pisera Naman, 2005, anecdotes, 100 pages, 9/10

8.  Chester's Way ~ by Kevin Henkes, 1988, children's picture book, 32 pages, 10/10

9.  A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story ~ by Linda Sue Park, 2010, children's historical fiction (Sudan), 122 pages, 10/10

10.  The Titanic Sisters ~ by Patricia Falvey, 2021, historical fiction, 320 pages, 8/10

11.  Squeeze Me ~ by Carl Hiaasen, 2020, mystery (Florida), 352 pages, 4/10

12.  The Midnight Library ~ by Matt Haig, 2020, fiction, 288 pages, 8/10

13.  Still Alice ~ by Lisa Genova, 2007, literary fiction (Massachusetts), 320 pages, 9/10

14.  Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" ~ by Zora Neale Hurston, foreword by Alice Walker, 2018, cultural anthropology, 208 pages, 8/10

15.  The Butterfly Effect ~ by Rachel Mans McKenny, 2020, fiction (Iowa and Costa Rica), 328 pages, 6/10

16.  Dovetail ~ by Karen McQuestion, 2020, fiction (Wisconsin), 353 pages, 8/10

17.  Grandaddy's Short Stories ~ by Everette Summers, 2007, short stories, 47 pages, 1/10

18.  Grandaddy's Short Stories: Book II ~ by Everette Summers, 2007, short stories, 90 pages, 4/10

19.  Happy Now: Let Playfulness Lift Your Load and Renew Your Spirit ~ by Courtney Ellis, 2021, psychology, 213 pages, 9/10

20.  The Virtues of Aging ~ by Jimmy Carter, 1998, memoir, 160 pages, 10/10

21.  Fresh Scars ~ by Donna Mumma, 2021, fiction (Florida), 305 pages, 8/10

22.  Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Isabel Dalhousie Mystery, Book 2) ~ by Alexander McCall Smith, 2005, mystery (Scotland), 272 pages, 9/10

===========================================

I did it!  Now to keep reading books I already own.

Maybe I'll remember to come here and add them.

===========================================

23.  Regarding Anna ~ by Florence Osmund, 2015, fiction, 272 pages, 10/10

24.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

25.  Liar and Spy ~ by Rebecca Stead, 2012, children's mystery (New York), 208 pages, 8/10

26.  Pastries and Pilfering: Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 12 ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (California and Mexico), 180 pages, 7/10

27.  Oy Vey, Maria! : A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2021, cozy mystery, 186 pages, 8/10

28.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

29.  Class Reunions Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 4) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2013, cozy mystery, 240 pages, 9/10

30.  Retirement Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 1) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2009, cozy mystery, 214 pages, 8/10

31.  A Pain in the Tuchis: A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2015, cozy mystery, 217 pages, 10/10

32.  Last Train to Istanbul ~ by Ayse Kulin, 2002, historical fiction (France and Turkey), 417 pages, 4/10

33.  The Consequences of Fear: A Maisie Dobbs Novel (Book 16 of 17) ~ by Jacqueline Winspear, 2021, mystery (England), 352 pages, 9/10

34.  Educated ~ by Tara Westover, 2018, memoir (Idaho, Utah, England), 336 pages, 10/10

35.  The Value of Honesty: The Story of Confucius ~ by Spencer Johnson, illustrated by Steve Pileggi, 1979, children's picture book, 64 pages, 10/10

36.  StrengthsFinder 2.0 ~ by Tom Rath, 2007, self-help, 183 pages, 10/10

37.  Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way ~ by Lao Tzu, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin with J. P. Seaton, 1997, religion, 9/10

38.  A Charlie Brown Christmas ~ by Charles M. Schulz, 2007, children's book, 128 pages, 10/10

39.  Kiss My Asterisk: A Feisty Guide to Punctuation and Grammar ~ by Jenny Baranick, 2014, English language, 178 pages, 4/10

(There may have been others I forgot to add, but I went way past my goal.)