Decided to cut my losses and abandon The Lion and the Unicorn. At least, I get to do a quick roll before bedtime:

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2019-07-25 21:36:32 UTC

...which takes me to:

Ok, so I did at some point start Antony Sher's and Greg Doran's Woza Shakespeare!: Titus Andronicus In South Africa, but only managed to read 23 out of 303 pages. 

Would it be ok to nominate this book for this task?

I'll happily deduct the 23 pages I've already read from the total of eligible pages read. 

If this doesn't pass muster, then I'll probably pick King Leopold's Ghost. I'd really like to get back to Woza Shakespeare!, tho.

Having finished The Singing Sands, today is a new roll day for me.

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2019-06-01 17:20:49 UTC

...which takes me to:

Uh, ok. Right. Well, ... Erm, ... I have a few options there, but since Lillelara and I are planning on a buddy read on The Climb, and perhaps some others, I think I'll go for Maurice Herzog's Annapurna. 

I have very low expectations for this one. Based on some comments I have read about Herzog and this particular expedition, I have a feeling that we won't get on, in which case I at least get to whittle down Mt. TBR by another book. However, Annapurna can still prove me wrong, and it would not be the first time that a book has that impact. 

Also, I may change my book choice if it turns out that Sourcery is set in a mountain community. ;D

And because, I rolled doubles, I get another roll:

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2019-06-01 17:30:12 UTC

...which takes me to:

One of the benefits of BL-Opoly is that I get to scour my bookshelves for unread titles and get to work (unofficially, since this is "the year of free-range reading") on Mt. TBR. 

There are actually three books I have on my shelves that fit this particular prompt:

My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan,

Woza Shakespeare by Antony Sher, and 

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild

I will make a decision once I finish Annapurna and Sourcery. At the moment, I am leaning towards Malan's book. Not only has this been on my shelf the longest, but it might actually be the least challenging (even if have I no expectations to this one being a fluffy read either). 

Cards in Pocket:

The Cat

Book: Today, I read Amelia: An Autumn Bride (Brides for All Seasons #7) by Hildie McQueen (autumn colors).

Task #1

The three books I am most thankful for reading this year are:

1. To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild

          This is what I would recommend to anyone, but especially non-history readers, if they wanted to read one book about World War I. 

2. Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances by Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, and Alyssa Cole

              I'm not a fangirl of Hamilton or his musical (although I do listen and enjoy the soundtrack), but getting new material from these authors was enough for me to buy it. Courtney Milan's story was my favorite, but Rose Lerner's and Alyssa Cole's stories were wonderful as well. 

3. Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald

             This book was a door stopper, but read so much like a novel that it didn't feel over long at all. This is the true story of the rise and fall of Enron.

Honorable mention: The Lotus Palace and The Jade Temptress (Pingkang Li Mysteries #1 and 2) by Jeannie Lin.

Task #2

My perfect meal, created by a chef and his/her/their team, is inspired by my Italian heritage. It would be time and resource intensive, ergo I would never make it for myself.

1. Starters - Caprese salad and friend calamari

2. Main - Zuppa di Pesce e Frutti de Mare (just a ton of seafood in a clear broth)

3. Sides - Baked Fennel with Parmesan and Mushroom risotto

4. Dessert - Tiramisu

Task #3

The book I read this year with the most "stuffing" was Once Upon a Spine (A Bibliophile Mystery #11) by Kate Carlisle. Details about the most mundane things with boring vanilla characters and constant wedding talk - and the murder mystery was an afterthought until the very end. 

Task #4

Honestly, I can't remember all the freebies I download in a single month, let alone in a year. So here is what I bought this month:

1. Bitch Planet Volume 1 and 2 by Kelly Sue DeConnick et al (from Foyles)

2. A Nightingale Christmas Carol and Nightingales Under the Mistletoe by Donna Douglas (from a charity shop)

A very disturbing book that puts light on colonialism. Hochschild writers very well; at no point is the book boring nor does it read like a list. Hochschild is also even handed. He doesn't whitewash - good guys have flaws, and he mentions them. Hochschild does make the reader think about how the West sees Africa not only during the colonial period but even today. It is a book everyone in Europe and the United States should read. What I really enjoyed was the fact that Hochschild doesn't just focus on Leopold but on reactions to Leopold. Hochschild shows us what Europeans, Americans, and Africans did to combat Leopold. I enjoyed the unearthing of previously little known heros like Sheppard. I will not ever be able to look at the Stanley and Livingston story the same way ever again. 

It also makes you look at how such myths still survive. Look at History Channel's Expedition Africa, for instance. On that show, one Brit and three Americans followed Stanley's journey, but do their porters get any credit? Not really. I'm suppose to be impressed by the four "explorers". I'm suppose to think one of them is da bomb because he had to eat his dog on one of his expeditions. Why does this make him "da bomb"? (As a totally inappropriate aside, what is it with Brits and tampons? They can't just say tampon; they have to say woman's tampon. Is there a man's tampon, and if so what does it do? And why does woman's tampon sound dirtier than just tampon?). The myths that the History Channel (or the producers) play on are addressed in this book.

King Leopold's Ghost should also be read with Heart of Darkness because Hochschild shows how Conrad responded to what he saw.