"Back in the U.S.S.R." (aka Books 31-35)

 My goal for books to read in 2024 was 36. I have hit 35 in November so I should make it. BTW, I am halfway through a Non-fiction book. Last year I read War and Peace by Tolstoy, and earlier this year I read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. I figured it was time to get Back in the USSR and read another Russian-author book from the bucket list. Here are my latest read books, number 31 to 35.

OOPS!: The Worst Blunders of All Time (#31)

Written by David P Barash; Published in 2023


I found this non-fiction book at Eau Gallie Library. It had some interesting facts and I did learn some new information, but I felt a lot of it was just hot air. Also, a lot of the stories I had read before so I just skimmed through those. My blunder was probably reading it. I give the book a 2.0 (Good).

Calculating God (#32)

Written by Robert J Sawyer; Published in 2000

Another book that my cousin Keith brought to me to read. The book was a memorable read until it got to the end, not so happy with how he wrapped it up. Concept was that  aliens come to Earth looking for God and stop at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto looking for a paleontologist. And it gets better from there  for most of the book... It was a wonderful read and I give the book a 4.0 (Excellent)

A Merciful Silence (#33)

Written by Kendra Elliot; Published in 2018


This is fourth book  in the Mercy Kilpatrick (FBI Special Agent) series of nine books by Elliot. It is the first I have read from this series, and the seventh book by this author; and I know I will read more. The book was good and I like reading them as a break from some of the heavier reads on my Bucket list. It also helps me to reach my yearly goal. I give this book a 2.0 (Good).

The Brothers Karamazov (#34)

Written by Fyodor Dostoevsky; Translated by Michael Katz; Published in 1880

This novel became Book  #73 on my Bucket list. My second book by this author using  a new 2023 translation by a professor from Middlebury College, Michael Katz. He has translated by using more American English, making it a little easier to read. Very interesting NOVEL!! It is divided into Four Parts and each part has Three Books. The version I have is 900 pages. I give it a 4.0 (Excellent).

I grabbed this from Wikipedia:

The Brothers Karamazov  is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger from January 1879 to November 1880. Dostoevsky died less than four months after its publication. It has been acclaimed as one of the supreme achievements in world literature.

Set in 19th-century Russia, The Brothers Karamazov is a passionate philosophical novel that discusses questions of God, free will, and morality. It has also been described as a theological drama dealing with problems of faith, doubt, and reason in the context of a modernizing Russia, with a plot that revolves around the subject of patricide. Dostoevsky composed much of the novel in Staraya Russa, which inspired the main setting.

I will admit, it took about 8 weeks for me to finish it. I was also reading a non-fiction book at the same time. I will also admit, it did make me think about a lot of things. I enjoyed that.

I actually found out about the book reading the Middlebury Alumni Magazine put out by Middlebury College. I am glad I saw it. And when I am ready to get Back in the USSR, I will look up another translation by him.

Ender's Game (#35)

Written by Orson Scott Card; Published in 1985



I had seen the movie and saw that the book was on sale at B&N. It was an easy read, but a little darker than the movie (which I did like too). I give the book a 3.0 (Great)

About Title

"Back in the U.S.S.R." is a song by the English rock band the Beatles and the first track of the 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as the "White Album"). Written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, the song is a parody of Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A." and the Beach Boys' "California Girls". The lyrics subvert Berry's patriotic sentiments about the United States, as the narrator expresses relief upon returning home to the Soviet Union (officially named Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – USSR).

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