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OutsmartYourShelf
Dead of Winter | Darcy Coates
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Pickpick

Christa & bf, Kiernan, join a small tour group heading to an isolated lodge in the Rocky Mountains for 2 weeks. They are almost there when things start to go wrong: first a fallen tree blocks the road, Christa has an accidental fall & is separated from Kiernan when he & Christa take a short walk whilst waiting for the coach to be freed, & Christa only just finds her way back before succumbing to the snowstorm. (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf The rest of the group have had to take refuge in a small hunting cabin due to the bad weather, things could be worse, until the group starts to be picked off one by one. Is there a killer out there or is the threat closer to home?

This was a good read to finish off 2023. It started off a little slow & I felt the pace was a bit off, but it soon picked up. I thought it was well-written if a little predictable
12mo
OutsmartYourShelf (I guessed what was happening almost straight away) but I still enjoyed it. Most the characters weren't very likeable but that's how you make a 'locked room' mystery work - plenty of suspects.

Verdict: well-written & hugely entertaining but rather predictable. 4🌟

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5330090696
Read 30th-31st Dec 2023

#WinterGames #HollyJollyReaders @Laughterhp
12mo
See All 7 Comments
Catsandbooks ❄️🍭❤️ 12mo
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 12mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 12mo
PuddleJumper ❄️❄️ 12mo
22 likes1 stack add7 comments
review
Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

I used to get this book out from the library, but this year it seemed like it had been lost or culled. So I bought myself a copy as a present. It‘s such a great book to dip in and out of on those weird days around Christmas and New Years. And I‘m happy to have my own copy that I can highlight and fall asleep with.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 12mo
Chrissyreadit I love the poem above. 12mo
See All 10 Comments
AllDebooks I love this book so much ❤️ 12mo
BookmarkTavern Oh that is lovely. Thanks you for sharing it. 💖 12mo
Bookwormjillk @AllDebooks me too. Have you read any of her other books? 12mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo
Catsandbooks ❄️🍭❤️ 12mo
bthegood 🎁❄️💙 12mo
kspenmoll Beautiful! 12mo
47 likes2 stack adds10 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

One year ago Carrie's husband, Sean Miller, went missing on Mount Everest. He had been part of a small group aiming to reach the summit, but was never seen again after the final push for the top. Carrie is determined she is going to find her husband's body & bring him home for burial, & their friend Tom, Sean's best friend & former climbing partner, volunteers to accompany her. (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf Their Sherpa guide gives Carrie a journal left behind by Sean, & she reads this whilst they start their journey. It seems that Sean was haunted by something up there on Everest & spent the last few days feeling watched by something unseen.

The narrative is mostly told from Carrie's point of view in the present, whilst we get Sean's view from the expedition where he went missing.
12mo
OutsmartYourShelf I'm not gonna lie, I was hoping it was going to be a lot scarier than it turned out to be. The book does discuss the strange things that can happen on the mountain whether it's due to oxygen deprivation or something more supernatural (i.e. Third Man syndrome) but I felt a lot more could have been done with this. The majority of the book seemed to be Carrie being a pain in the ass. 3.5🌟- could have been better. 12mo
See All 10 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 12mo
Emilymdxn I LOVE creepy mountaineering novels! Have you read 12mo
OutsmartYourShelf @Emilymdxn Its an automatic yes from me if it‘s about mountaineering or polar exploration. I‘m fascinated by those two subjects. Echo is on my TBR list but I haven‘t read it yet. 12mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 12mo
Catsandbooks ❄️🍭❤️ 12mo
21 likes10 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
Good Girls Don't Die | Christina Henry
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Mehso-so

Celia wakes up in a house with a husband & a daughter she doesn't recognise. When a nasty neighbour, who lives next door to the restaurant Celia supposedly owns, is murdered it looks like Celia is being primed to take the blame. Can she work out who she really is & who the killer is?

Allie has arranged to go to the beach for her birthday with friends Madison & Cam, however when the two friends' boyfriends tag along, Allie is annoyed. (Continued)

OutsmartYourShelf She falls asleep on the way there & when she wakes up they are not at the beach - Brad (Cam's bf) has driven them to an isolated cabin in the woods. Horror movie fan Allie is already uneasy & when a stranger starts trying to break into the cabin that night, it looks like big screen horror has become real.

12mo
OutsmartYourShelf Maggie wakes up in a shipping container with a group of women. None of them know each other or where they are, but they are all wearing t-shirts with a number on the back. They are finally released into The Maze, a deadly obstacle course, where they are told that if they want to see their loved ones alive again, they have to complete the course within 12 hours.

12mo
OutsmartYourShelf The synopsis sold me on this one & it was one of my few pre-orders for 2023. Maybe I was expecting too much, but it was a bit of a let-down. I didn't really care for the Celia storyline which was rather boring, the Allie & Maggie storylines were much better in my opinion, but it was the final reveal which was the worst - it was all a bit pedestrian. It was good but not great & left me feeling a bit unsatisfied really.
3⭐

12mo
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TheAromaofBooks At least it's off the list!! 12mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 12mo
Catsandbooks ❄️🍭❤️ 12mo
18 likes8 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
The Resort | Sarah Goodwin
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Pickpick

Perpetual screw-up Mila & her husband Ethan are enroute to her sister's destination wedding. After picking up the hire car, Mila falls to sleep whilst Ethan drives & when she wakes up, they are lost. As they pull over to get their bearings, the car engine dies & they can't restart it. The weather is turning cold & snowy & no cars have come past whilst they have been there, so they decide to head down to a village signposted on a nearby post.

OutsmartYourShelf When they reach the village, it is obviously deserted but as it's too late for anything else, they decide to break into & sleep in one of the empty cabins. It's not easy but they finally fall to sleep, but when Mila wakes up hours later, Ethan has disappeared. The snow outside shows no sign of Ethan having gone outside so where is he? And why does Mila feel as if she is being watched by someone or something in the deserted village? 12mo
OutsmartYourShelf The narrative is from Mila's point of view & we get the present-day & an occasional flashback to Mila & her sister's childhood. Mila is a difficult main character to like at first as she seems to have been the 'golden child' whilst her sister was the scapegoat & she really played into that, but Mila really wants to make it up to her sister & give her the wedding of her dreams.
12mo
OutsmartYourShelf It did irritate me that the blurb & the cover make you think it's a deserted ski resort, but it's not really, it's just a deserted village of 6 small wooden cabins. It was also pretty easy to work out what was going on, I had worked it out really quickly as the clues are all there, & just kept waiting for the realisation to dawn on the MC. The final few chapters certainly made up for the rest of the book in intensity & nerve-racking tension. 3.5🌟 12mo
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5feet.of.fury Yeah you would think a book called “The Resort” spends the majority of the time at …the resort… lol 12mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo
Andrew65 Excellent 🎄🎄🎄 12mo
OutsmartYourShelf @5feet.of.fury Exactly 😀 12mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 12mo
BookmarkTavern Sounds thrilling! 12mo
PuddleJumper 💙❄️💙 12mo
Catsandbooks ❄️🍭❤️ 12mo
29 likes13 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
Derbyshire Murders | Martin Baggoley
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Pickpick

Fifteen murder cases from the nineteenth-century which took place in Derbyshire. I know most of these places quite well having been born in the county, but hadn't heard about any of these cases. It's an interesting read, lots of information even though each chapter is quite short, & they're written in a way that keeps the attention. Overall, a great read with some lovely photos of the area from the author. 5🌟

22 likes5 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
Fir | Sharon Gosling
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Pickpick

The Stromberg family suddenly pick up & move from their comfortable life to an isolated house, surrounded by pine forests, in northern Sweden. Although their mother & father seem happy enough, the youngest Stromberg is angry at being torn away from their old life. At first the surprisingly large house is part-occupied by a group of children on conservation work, but when they leave, the Strombergs are left alone with just the weird housekeeper.

OutsmartYourShelf This is quite an atmospheric read. The author conveys the sense of isolation & feeling surrounded by malevolence quite well. The reader never learns the narrator's first name or anything else about them really, & maybe it's personal bias, but I felt as if it was a teenage girl. Not that it really matters. I enjoyed it & an extra star for choosing that ending. The author could have wrapped it all up nicely but the actual ending is rather bleak.
(edited) 12mo
OutsmartYourShelf A book that I will probably re-read at some point. 4🌟

TWs: animal death, gore, blood, mention of miscarriage.

Sorry to my team #HollyJollyReaders for going missing for the last week or so, but I tested positive for Covid on Christmas Eve & had been feeling a bit off before. Still not back to normal but I do have some reviews to catch up on.

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3161110984
Read 17th-21st Dec 2023

#WinterGames
(edited) 12mo
See All 9 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 12mo
BookmarkTavern Love this cover! 🖤 12mo
Texreader Also works for #foodandlit 12mo
Andrew65 Excellent 🎄🎄🎄 12mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo
Catsandbooks 🍭❄️❤️ 12mo
27 likes9 comments
review
JessieKB
The Santa Suit: A Novella | Mary Kay Andrews
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Pickpick

Another quick and sweet read!!! Divorcee Ivy leaves her big city life for a new town and an old farm house. While looking for change she finds so much more. ❤️🎄💚 I will catch up on the rest of her books soon!! #GangstaWrappers #WinterGames 2,130 for the word search and several readathons!! #Adventathon #AtoZ #CandyLand #HolidayRomance #RushAThon #WinterCosy

KadaGul @JessieKB I read this book 📖 for a library 📚 challenged and enjoyed. The storyline and characters were light and very likable. #LOVEREADININGMARYKAYANDREWBOOKS 12mo
JessieKB Yes!!! I agree🎄 12mo
bthegood ❄️🎁 12mo
17 likes3 comments
review
Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

This book was quite the tearjerker, whew. Luckily this little pup has been following me around since I got to my family‘s house in Ohio so I had some company.

Last Christmas in Paris is a WWI book and is mostly told through letters. It was a good, quick read.

51 likes2 stack adds11 comments
review
Bookwormjillk
Jayber Crow: A Novel | Wendell Berry
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Mehso-so

Right book wrong time. I would have loved this book at certain times, but I was not interested in reading something so slow right now. I‘ll probably give it another try later.

53 likes6 comments