I missed you all! Busy days + vision issues kept me away, but I‘ve improved enough to start back here. Hopefully by January I‘ll be able to fully rejoin challenges & buddy reads. While away I read 50 books via audio, mostly mysteries and books from my ongoing series. My 4½ and 5 star reads are posted above. #indeath never fails me! Looking forward to catching up and adding far more books to my TBR mountain than I‘ll ever finish! #serieslove2024

I‘m in a slump…of sorts. I tried to read 8-10 different books in the past month and couldn‘t get past the first chapter in any. I think I‘m so overloaded that nothing new sinks in. Fortunately, I‘ve been able to enjoy my ongoing series. I read the above 6 books in quick succession. Echoes in Death is book #44…and still going strong! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it‘s been just 3 years in Eve and Roarke time. Yay. Hope that means another 44 books. 😜
#serieslove2024

Here‘s my April list for Bookspin Bingo!
Don‘t look too close—it‘s nearly the same list as last month. 🙄
Hoping April is more successful!

March was a bit of a bust.
Not much time for reading & even less time for Litsying.
Did not get to join any group reads and achieved nothing off BookspinBingo.
I hope to do some catch up in the next few days and see what you all have been reading.

Favorite book of the month: The Women
Including the Follett book even though I‘m not done-i‘ve listened to 30 of the 40 hours, so I say it counts!
It‘s amazing! Looking forward to finishing it soon.

It took time to get drawn into the book, but glad I stuck with it. Set in ‘New Salem‘ in 1893, where there is no such things as witches. Fairy tales are woven into this tale of 3 estranged sisters finding each other again as they learn their history and fight for women‘s and witches rights. The audio version definitely helped keep my interest. Some bits were slow, but the reader was wonderful and the music interspersed throughout was charming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️😢😣

Love this book!
Heartbreaking, horrifying, appalling, frustrating.
Such a range of emotions!
It‘s a wonderful tribute to the Women of Vietnam!
I had no idea of the unique struggles they faced on returning from service! How could even the VA deny they were ‘true veterans!‘ 😡

So well researched and written! She makes you feel like you were there—for better or worse! A difficult book to read for those who lived through it.

I‘m still in a busy time and not getting onto Litsy as much as I‘d like.
However I was still able to read several books via audio while on the road. Yay!
I got one Bingo and read both the Bookspin and Doublespin books.
Favorite of the month was Blood Lines. It‘s the best of the series…so far.
Runner up: The Running Grave. Love Cormoran Strike! I hope I don‘t have to wait too long for the next one.
#bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

My March #bookspinbingo list.
I have a few chunksters in the mix, so unless I have the luck of the Irish it‘s unlikely I‘ll get a bingo. 😜
@TheAromaofBooks

Soooooo. I tried reading this book a year ago, but I couldn‘t get into it and set it aside. Love the cover, love everything about the book blurb, and enjoy the writing. This book totally seems my cuppa! I picked it up again for #literarycrew read, but after 25% I‘m giving up. #hailthebail. It‘s just not working for me. 🙈

34 hours, 960 pages in print. This definitely qualifies as a chunkster for #chunksterchallenge2024. Book 7 in the Cormoran Strike series—my favorite to date. Disturbing book with Robyn going undercover in a cult ?? stressful! But absolutely loved the pacing. Great character development in this one too: Strike and his ½ siblings, Pat and her fam, Robyn and her fam. The tension btwn Robyn and Strike. Love it! Where‘s the next one! #serieslove2024

It‘s definitely me. I enjoyed some of the stories, but there were two major barriers that killed it for me. 1. After reading 40 books in the In Death series narrated by Susan Ericksen, it just felt wrong listening to her read something else. I kept waiting for Eve to appear. 2. I‘m not a big fan of short stories and in the audiobook they all ran together. No definite break to give an indication a new story was starting. I found it disconcerting!

I was curious to read this author and excited that he‘s finally been translated into English, however it wasn‘t for me.
I like the detective, Eugene Tarpon—an interesting character I wouldn‘t mind getting to know better. However the style didn‘t work for me. Too much slapstick type action for me.

#52bookclub24 a revenge story

My February list….just in the nick of time.
I‘m being overly ambitious with all the Litsy buddy reads, especially since a few of my library holds may not come in time.
Wish me luck!
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

The last ½ of January totally got away from me and I had no time to be here.
I will try to backtrack to some of my buddy reads in the next few days.
I liked all my January reads. Got one Bingo for #bookspinbingo. @TheAromaofBooks
Favorites for the month were The Frozen River & the Follett book.
Really Enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures and The Spectacular!
Cooking for Picasso and Ultra Processed People were flawed, but soft picks for me.

I‘m a fan of historical fiction/historical mystery. Set in Colonial Maine & based on the diary of midwife Martha Ballard. I‘d read about her years ago and was excited when I realized this book was based on her. While the subject of rape may be triggering for some, I loved this book. The steady pacing of the tale built up the tension so I didn‘t want to set it down until finished. While only January, I suspect this will be in my top reads of 2024.

My 2nd book by this author. I love how she chooses historical landmarks and weaves her story around true events. While I preferred The Masterpiece more than this one, I enjoyed the Radio City setting with an insider look at the Rockettes of the 1950‘s + a good mystery. Looking forward to #LiteraryCrew discussion at the end of the month!
#joyousjanuary

Posting a bit late, but here are my plans for #joyousjanuary! @Andrew65
6 of these books are monthly buddy reads and the other 3 are books checked out from the library that are due by the 21st.
I am hoping to finish at least 3 books and make progress on all the rest.
I‘m currently in the middle of reading 6 books! Never had so many going at once!

I love the Kingsbridge series! This one is set during Viking times and gives the ‘backstory‘ to the creation of the town and bridge. While it‘s been years since I read Pillars of the Earth, I felt the themes were almost too similar. The brilliant and ‘jack of all trades‘ main character, the pious and smart Monk, the evil Bishop, unrequited love…. Nevertheless, I was caught up in the story, rooted for Edgar and Aldred and was completely satisfied.

#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

Atmospheric, historical fiction, mystery, fortune telling. I‘m still thinking about this one!

And it‘s a wrap! Looking forward to some more great reading in 2024

#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

Loved this book!
A new author for me.
I plan to read more!

#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

It was a tough decision between this one and Tom Lake. Both excellent reads
#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

2023 was a great reading year for me. I initially hope to read at least 55 books. I far surpassed that 😀
Read lots of books I would have otherwise missed if not for my Litsy friends, challenges and group reads.
While my series stats for 2023 were quite good, I am hoping for better in 2024.
I nearly met my goal of not starting any new series until I complete one already in progress.
#serieslove2023

I got 4 Bingos for December and read the Doublespin book!
I‘m hoping to continue the success in #2024

For January, I‘m leaving things a bit open-ended, hoping to focus mostly on challenges and my TBR list, and less on the shiny new books that call out to me….
@TheAromaofBooks

Final tally for #teamreindeergamers! @LiseWorks thanks for leading the team!
I read 16 books in 71 hours (highest number of books in a single month this year)
Completed 3 Bingos each for Rushathon and littenlistens. 4 for Bookspin Bingo.
Most points came from the word searches—they added up quickly!

#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

Yes, I bought into the hype and read it as soon as I could get a library loan!
It actually exceeded my expectations! I loved the world building and the characters.

#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

I was ambivalent about starting this book. After reading the description, I didn‘t think a satire about racial diversity in publishing was right for me. So wrong! Good reminder to keep trying books outside my comfort zone!

I‘m really liking this author!
I read Babel earlier in the year and loved it!
Both quite different from one another…but I didn‘t want to set either down and was kept reading late into the night!

I ended 2023 by completing the Tradd Street series by reading these last 2 books. 🥳
I love the setting of the historic homes in Charleston South Carolina & the paranormal elements to these cozy mysteries.
The Christmas Spirits book was disappointing. It dragged for me and one of the mysteries was left open-to be resolved in the next book 🤮

Fortunately, the final book was much better: the mysteries were interesting & all was nicely tied up.

June was another great reading month for me…I couldn‘t narrow it down to just one book.
Also really liked Weyward by Emilia Hart!
#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

My favorite Cotton Malone book to date!

May was a good reading month for me.
Other high points for the month were:
The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis
Notorious RBG : The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg

#12booksof2023. However, I could not pick just one!

Rupert Holmes: Great storyteller. Absolutely wonderful premise: a school to teach one how to ‘delete‘ a hated boss. Unique, creative and fun! I must read more by him!

The other fav is quite different. A beautiful memoir about a guard at the Met. Lovely insights into the art, the visitors and his personal journey dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. This went straight to my heart!

Loved the audiobook!
#12booksof2023
@Andrew65

#12booksof2023 @Andrew65

My favorite read of the year. Highly recommend the audio version.

Starting a day late for #12booksof2023.
I read so many good books in 2023 that it is hard to narrow the list down…but this one is in my top 3 reads for the year (2nd or 3rd place).

Runner up for January: Babel by R. F. Kuang. This one would have made the top 12 list if read in a different month. Lol

#andrew65

It‘s a wrap! With a few tweaks (and assuming Dracula fits for “featuring mythology,”) this book by Octavia Butler completes the final prompt needed for #52bookclub2023” 🥳. A great way to finish—Loved this book! Another one that had languished on my TBR pile for too long!

#rushathon #littenlistens

Woot woot! Met my goal for #dashingdecember! Read all the above books!
@Andrew65

One of my favorite authors. Usually I get swept into her books from the outset. However this was a slow start for me. Once I got past page 100 it picked up and I raced through the last ¼ of the book. Mystery, history, dual timelines, family secrets, great setting, wonderful writing. So much to love, but not her strongest book. #52bookclub2023 set in Australia #rushathon #littenlistens #cloakanddagger#dashingdecember #wintergames #authoramonth

It‘s me, not you.
I enjoy some of the holiday rom-com movies so thought to give a ‘rom-com‘ book a try. I just couldn‘t get into it. I found the typical misunderstandings and rom-com foolery I like in a movie were just annoying and silly in a book. I came close to bailing. The 2nd half of the book was better, so ultimately was glad I finished. On the bright side: there were good explanations of Jewish/Hanukkah traditions—and Bubbe was a delight!.

10 books read, more than 100 hours (several chunksters), 9 holiday movies, and misc. others. However most points came from the week one challenge and the word searches. Hopefully the 2nd half will be better. Haven‘t added in the bingo cards yet…will wait til the end of the month

#wintergames
#teamreindeergamers
@LiseWorks

I did lots of holiday reading last week. I loved Tim Curry‘s audio version of A Christmas Carol. This is my new favorite version—and suspect it will be hard to beat! It‘s my Victorian read for December‘s #bookedintime read.
Hercule Poirot‘s Christmas is a bit of a misnomer—it really had very little ‘christmas‘ to it, but was a good locked mystery story.
#wintergames #teamreindeergamers #LittenListens #cloakanddagger #RushAThon #DashingDecember

High tension, excellent plotting and bonus of tandem storyline about the main investigator‘s family. I was loving this one til near the end-the resolution was a bit of a let down. Nevertheless a solid 4 ⭐️ read. Though not exactly set in Dublin I am using it for #52bookclub2023 prompt ‘set in Dublin‘ since it‘s a Dublin Murder Squad mystery. #RushAThon #LittenListens #cloakanddagger #serieslove2023

Joining #DashingDecember readathon.
My goal is to read all 4 of the above books + a few holidays reads.
@Andrew65

Thanks #52bookclub2023! I‘ve had this book on my TBR list for years and it would have likely languished there longer if not for the #newberrymedalwinner prompt. Am kicking myself I didn‘t read it sooner!

! @LaraReads @KarenUK @britt_brooke @CarolynM @DebbieGrillo @Smarkies @Lizpixie @LeeRHarry @BookBelle84 @jenniferw88 @Deblovestoread @AshleyHoss820 @Librarybelle @triplem80 @Read4life @rmaclean4 @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @ravenlee

Fabulous book! I‘m not much of a cook, but this author makes me want to pull out my apron and spend more time in the kitchen! Highly recommend the audio—the author‘s enthusiasm is infectious! I had to go out and buy the print book. It‘s a wonderful reference!

15 year old Ellie Mack disappears on her way to the library. 10 years later her fractured family is still looking for answers. The book alternates between the present and the time leading up to the disappearance. Told from multiple viewpoints, but mostly Mom‘s. Despite figuring out fairly early what happened, the tension was palpable throughout my read. Very Creepy!
#52bookclub2023 Author with my name.
#RushAThon #LittenListens #cloakanddagger

Week one of Wintergames is over.
I watched 5 holiday movies-a few new ones and a few classics
Watched the original and the remake of Miracle on 34th St. both were good, but I still prefer the classic.
#teamreindeergamers
@LiseWorks @annahenke @JessClark78 @Karons1 @TorieStorieS @MatchlessMarie @aperfectmjk

This was a long book that seemed to drag a bit in the middle. I started to think more editing was needed. As I read further I realized I was wrong. Everything was important, lol. So many twists and turns to the plot that my head was spinning—in a good way! Excellent historical mystery set in Georgian England. The setting and atmosphere of the book were spot on and the fortune telling aspect was unique. Don‘t skip the historical note at the end!

Stendhal syndrome: a clinical phenomenon in which the presence of a beautiful artwork causes intense physical/mental symptoms. Stephane Breitwieser thinks he has it. 🤔 He stole more than 300 artworks in 10 yrs, estimated to be worth over one billion dollars. He kept them crammed in his tiny attic room for his own pleasure. He stole from museums, castles & churches…during their open hours with no advance planning! Incredible! Fascinating account!

Exceeded my expectations! Book 2 of the series was nearly 28 hours of nonstop action and excitement! I thought it was going to feel too long, but I didn‘t want it to end. Now the year long wait for the next installment. Sigh.

I made my goal of 20 hours reading for #20in24
#serieslove2023. I vowed not to start new series this year, but this one was well worth breaking my promise to myself!
#RushAThon #LittenListen
##TeamReindeerGamers

Here‘s my December tbr list. Several of these are to finish #52bookclub23 challenge before years end 🤞.
#wintergames #teamreindeergamers #bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks @LiseWorks