Z is for Zevin (A-Z Challenge 2026) 30/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The Z authors I've read are:

• Zevin Gabrielle
• Zusak Marcus

Yes two Z authors!  So joint prize winners for most read - not difficult as I've only read one book by each author but I gave both 5 stars.

Zusak's The Book Thief had been on my bookshelf for some time.  In fact at one point I think we had 2 copies in the house.  I finally got around to reading it in 2020.  You know, the year when we had a lot of time to stay at home and read!

Anyway I loved it.  My review said, "What a great book! Interesting narrative and so well written. Different to read about WW2 from a German perspective too."

Zevin's book was "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow".  This was a book club choice.

The blurb for it says, 

This is not a romance, but it is about love

Two kids, Sam and Sadie, meet in a hospital gaming room in 1987. One is visiting her sister, the other is recovering from a car crash. The days and months are long there. Their love of video games becomes a shared world -- of joy, escape and fierce competition. But all too soon that time is over.

When the pair spot each other eight years later in a crowded train station, they are catapulted back to that moment. The spark is immediate, and together they get to work on what they love - making games to delight, challenge and immerse players, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. Their collaborations make them superstars.

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it.  I wasn't sure I'd enjoy all the stuff about video gaming, and there is a lot of that, but that is kind of the framework of the story.  Essentially we see how Sam and Sadie's lives become intertwined and how their relationship develops over time.  The ups and the downs.

There are other characters that are key to how that happens but as the blurb says, the story is full of love but it is not a romance.  I liked the way Shakespeare was woven into the story and how other things were included that gave the writing depth.  Who knew there was a glass flowers museum in Harvard?  Not me, but I do now.  I even picked out a favourite quote, "What is a game?" Marx said.  "It's tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.  It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption.  The idea that if you keep playing, you could win.  No loss is permanent because nothing is permanent, ever."

(Although a 5 year old that gets hold of a permanent maker could leave some indelible marks lol.)

This is not the sort of book I would usually pick up but that's the good thing about belonging to a book club, sometimes you're challenged to read books outside your comfort zone.  This was a good pick.

What's the most challenging book you've read?

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 29/4/26

Joyce provides the questions, we prepare our answers and then we link up here.

1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why.

Definitely not full speed ahead.  I need to reset.  I've spent a lot of time blogging during April with the A-Z challenge and I've done less walking.  I've also done more eating....I'm sure you're getting the picture.  A return to healthier eating and habits is required lol. 

2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music...what's your favourite form of art? Elaborate.

  

Definitely literature.  I love to read and now that I've joined two book clubs the reading has become more varied and challenging.

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers? 

Dinner time is flexible but most often it will be between 6-7 pm.  As we're both retired we sometimes switch it around and make lunch into a dinner and then have something light later on depending on our plans.

We try not to do leftovers but often meals for 2 will be made as a meal for 4 with the extra 2 going into the freezer.  But we will use up leftovers as and when necessary.

4.What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating? 

I can't remember anything specific but I do know how easy it is to get sucked into social media and end up in rabbit holes.

5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me...

At what are you 'self-taught?' 

Umm blogging?  My cousin got me hooked and I've used various platforms over the years and muddled myself through the changes.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

So here's my dilemma.  I hate wasting food and currently I have a couple of pain au chocolat in the house.  Plus a bar of chocolate that I started.  Not to mention several packets of biscuits.  All bought for when we had visitors.  (Well mostly.) Now the biscuits will keep. But the pain au chocolat need to be eaten and of course a started bar of chocolate has to be finished.  But I need to eat healthily.  The scales do not lie unfortunately.  Plus there's the looming annual blood test coming up soon and I want to keep myself out of the pre-diabetic range.  But I can't throw good food away, can I?  

Maybe now that the A-Z challenge is finished I should start posting about how good (or badly) I've done each day.  One square of chocolate each day is ok isn't it?  (Only positive answers please!)

Y is for Young (A-Z Challenge 2026) 29/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here

The Y authors I've read are:

• Young Louisa

I was slightly surprised to see I only had one Y author on my list but Louisa Young's "My Dear I wanted to tell you" was definitely a 4 star read for me.  

I read it back in 2019 and my review was, "A very poignant story that details the WW1 experiences of Riley Purefoy and the love of his life, Nadine Waveney.  It's a grim reminder of how awful life was in the trenches and an insight into the terrible injuries soldiers received and how medical advances enabled facial injuries to be repaired."

I can't honestly remember too much about it so I checked out some other reviews on Goodreads which reminded me that it covers the use of postcards sent home by soldiers who had been injured to their loved ones that started with the line "My dear I wanted to tell you" and gave them the options of being very truthful about their circumstances or sending a more edited version to spare feelings.  Postcards being able to be sent quicker than letters which required censorship.  

There is also a lot about the advances in plastic surgery that were necessary due to the awful injuries soldiers sustained.  It's a bit graphic on that front.  

Unfortunately, despite being able to read about the horrors of WW1 and WW2 we still don't seem to have learned any lessons from them.

I swing between watching the news so that I'm informed about what is happening in the world, despite how awful it is, or switching it off and immersing myself in a book.  The books seem to be winning at the moment.

X is for Xarissa (A-Z Challenge 2026) 28/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The X authors I've read are:

• Xarissa Diana

Hands up who thought I'd have to be creative with this letter?

Well not creative exactly but I did seek out an author beginning with the letter X when I was planning for this challenge as I didn't have one.

There are actually lots of authors starting with X, many of which are Chinese.  I went for Diana Xarissa who is American.  I chose Aunt Bessie Assumes, a very cozy crime story featuring, yes you've guessed it, Aunt Bessie and set on the Isle of Man.  Aunt Bessie stumbles across 2 dead bodies in short succession which is surprising given that the Isle of Man, which lies between Ireland and the UK, is only 221 square miles in area and has a population of just over 84,000.

In fact, Aunt Bessie features in her own A-Z series and she's also tackled cold cases.  If you thought that small island, famous for its TT race was a safe place to live, maybe think again lol.  

Turns out Diana has self published over 100 books! Unfortunately one was enough for me.

Do you have an author that you've read but would never read again?