Trouble with Lichen (John Wyndham)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk.

abebooks.co.uk

What it's about:

Diana Brackley is unusual. She doesn't think about marriage or babies, and wants to go to university. She asks uncomfortable questions and seems to be able to look right through you. Upon graduating from school, she decides to become a biochemist, and soon is hired at the prestigious Darr House, owned and operated by Francis Saxover. Upon working with different strains of lichen, Diana discovers something she never could have foreseen - a lichen species with a property that, if know, will change the course of human history forever.

TMST: Authors for Dinner

No, I'm not eating writers...but I am talking about which ones I'd like to have over for dinner. This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday question is "If you hosted a dinner for authors, who are the six authors you would invite (alive or deceased)?" Thanks so much to Rainy Day Ramblings, who hosts these fun discussions. I can't wait to hear who you all come up with!
For my personal list, I didn't necessarily pick my favourite authors (although some of them are), but instead I picked people I would be interested to have discussions with for various reasons. I've tried to include some of the reasons why I think they'd be fun to sit down with.

1) Ann Radcliffe
- one of the first Gothic writers, and a woman
- an inspiration for many works, and she was popular throughout her life and after her death

TTT: Books I Wish Had Sequels

It feels like forever since I have participated in That Artsy Reader Girl's Top Ten Tuesday, but I do want to start getting back into it from time to time. It's a fun way to add some variety to the blog and connect with other book bloggers.
Anyway, this week's topic is all about standalone books that we wish had sequels. I've tried to avoid picking books that already have companion novels,  but I did sneak one in! Funnily enough, a few books that I would have put on this list did have sequels come out not too long ago...

Here's the moment when I became acutely aware that I read a lot of series.

1) The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - I would love to know how civilization is after this. Tell me all about Sealand!

2) North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell - Could they have children and for some reason be forced to move to the South? Then you can see the reversed prejudices in their children?

3) Lady Susan by Jane Austen - What antics will she get up to next? We all know this isn't the time she starts behaving herself.

4) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - No, I wasn't blown away by this book, but with the way it ended and the only brief glimpses into Offred's life that we get to see...we need a sequel. Guess what though? It's actually going to happen!

5) Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - Although there is a companion novel, Catalyst, that takes place in the same high school, I would really like to see Melinda after she starts coming to terms with what happened to her. Healing doesn't take place in an instant, and I really want to see more of her journey through this process.

2019 TBR Pile Challenge

Yes, I'm doing it again! Originally I had decided that there was no way I was going to do Roof Beam Reader's TBR Pile Challenge again, but when I started going through some of my books, I realized that I still have so many that I want to get through, and have for many years. Now I don't particularly mind if a book is a year or two old before I get around to reading it, but some of these I've wanted to read for about 10 years now...and I really want to finally get them off my TBR list!

So, how does this work?

Pick 12 books that have been on your TBR (to be read) list for at least a year and finish them by the end of 2019. Two alternate books can be chosen to replace any books in the challenge that are just "unfinishable". All of these books must be reviewed and linked back to the original post.  

For a full explanation of the rules for this challenge, check it out here.

Here's this year's list:

"Unhaul" - Getting Rid of Books!

I just got rid of 18 books, and it feels great! Every year we have a big booksale in my region, and so there is a huge call for book donations. Now, 18 books might not sound like a lot, but for me, getting rid of books is borderline sacrilegious...so I'm listing it as a big accomplishment.

So, what didn't make the cut to keep?

1) The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
Why?: Although it was a book I had been curious to read for a while, I had never purchased a copy. When someone I knew was getting rid of a copy, I decided to grab it from them and give it a go. I read it, I reviewed it, and don't really feel any desire to keep it.

2) Ever - Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted and The Two Princesses of Bamarre are two of my favourite books of all time, and I also really enjoyed Fairest and The Wish...but Ever just didn't add up for me. No particular reason, it just didn't click for me in the same way the others did. So, out it goes.

3) Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes
I just don't care. No offense to this book, but it has never held any interest for me. It was given to me when someone I knew was giving away books and I hung onto it until I could donate it.

4) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
It's okay! You can stop screaming! For any of you who don't know, Jane Eyre is my default answer when asked what my favourite book of all time is. I own several copies. This is one I got for I believe...a quarter, and isn't one of the copies that means a lot to me. In order to conserve some space (...to buy nicer copies of Jane Eyre), this one went into the donation bin.

5) One Day - David Nicholls
Read and reviewed, but similar to number 1 on this list I didn't feel the need to reread it or keep it for the future.

6) T*Witches : Split Decision - H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld
Alright, I feel like I need to explain this one a bit. I really loved this series when I was younger (identical twin witches who meet for the first time as teenagers). This is actually book number 9. Why on earth did I only keep book 9? There was information in the back about the healing properties of herbs, crystals, zodiacs, etc. and I thought it was really interesting. Yeah...it was time to get rid.

7) Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this one for a while, but I eventually determined that I didn't care about it at this time, and that I could always easily get a copy in the future. It was given to me by the same person who gave me 1 and 4 on this list.

8) Double Indemnity - James M. Cain
Given to me by the same person as mentioned above, and had no interest in it.

9) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
This book was a huge disappointment for me. If I ever feel the need to give it a second chance, I'm sure my library will have a copy.