Day 29 Prompt - Naughty
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Took a while to find a book with Naughty on the cover that wasn't erotica!
Day 29 Prompt - Naughty
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Took a while to find a book with Naughty on the cover that wasn't erotica!
Day 28 Prompt - Ice Skating
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Childrens book.
My pick for favourite book of May for #12Booksof2024
This novella from Mel Torrefranca's 'Belladonna' series about the students of Nightshade Academy is practically perfect. The second full-length book in the series is due out May 2025.
@Andrew65
My pick for favourite book of April for #12Booksof2024
It seems April was a low point for books in my reading of 2024 & I struggled to pick something that stood out. I finally went for this book in JD Robb's 'In Death' series as I love the series & the characters, even if this one wasn't one of my favourites.
@Andrew65
pickA fictional take on the life of Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, up to the WWII. As a young woman, Hedy stars in a play onstage & gains an admirer. He is a powerful Austrian arms dealer, & may be the key to allowing her & her family to evade Nazi persecution despite their Jewish heritage. Her husband turns out to be controlling & jealous & when Hedy overhears the Third Reich's plans at a dinner party one night, she decides to flee.
Day 27 Prompt - Cards
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
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Christmas romance.
My pick for favourite book of March for #12Booksof2024
From my review:
“It's wild to realise that what we think of... her death is mostly based on conjecture which doesn't hold up under close scrutiny. Evidence here suggests that KP did not die of puerperal fever, but lived for several days afterwards with no sign of illness .....................Her death was mightily convenient for her enemies & her husband“
@andrew65
pickIt's like sitting down to afternoon tea with Moore & having him regale you with Hollywood gossip. Funny, self-deprecating, & ever -so-slightly ribald, he must have been a riot at dinner parties. Featuring stories about (but not limited to) Michael Caine, Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, & Cubby Broccoli, this is an undemanding & humorous read. 4🌟
Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1107636060
Read 18th-24th Dec 2024
Day 26 Prompt - Scrooge
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Day 25 Prompt - Pinecone
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Catching up from yesterday with a short novella romance.
pickMolly is your average 15-year-old, wanting to join a band, live under the radar at school, & being totally embarrassed by her parents being 'The Rocking Stockings' a Christmas band. Back when Molly was just a small child & her parents were known as the 'Brussel Shouts', they made a Christmas record called 'Love Your Elf' & Molly starred as 'Little Elf Girl'. A fact Molly has been trying to hide ever since. (continued)
Day 24 Prompt - Angel
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Day 23 Prompt - Mistletoe
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#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
I have this series on my Kindle but not read it as yet. Maybe next year (but probably not).
pickWhen Guy Haines meets Charles Bruno on the train he has no idea his life is about to unravel. On his way to see his estranged wife to hopefully obtain a divorce, Haines finds himself confiding in fellow passenger Bruno almost against his will. Bruno has his own trouble, namely his father, & during a quiet meal in Bruno's compartment, Bruno comes up with the idea of swapping murders.
Day 22 Prompt - Snow
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
This one is on my TBR list.
Day 21 Prompt - Magical
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#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
panThis looked a promising thriller in the synopsis & I really enjoyed books set in/on isolated areas. I found this one a little underwhelming though. Although the idea is good, the POVs for Dee & Tori were not differentiated enough by their characters, & I had to keep checking who was narrating a particular chapter as it could have been either. (continued)
Day 20 Prompt - Cheer
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#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Cosy Christmas mystery.
Day 19 Prompt - Firewood
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Childrens' book.
pickA collection of short ghost stories all written by the author. Like many collections, it's a mixed bag - some of the stories are really quite effective with the ambience & creeping sense of menace, whereas others either wander off into too much extraneous detail or frustratingly fizzle out just as they're getting good. Given James's background, it shouldn't come as a surprise that so many of the stories are based around religion & the Church.
Day 18 Prompt - Tree
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#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
An episode of series 3 of Supernatural sees Sam & Dean take on a couple of pagan gods who take human sacrifices in the Christmas season. I've never been able to view meadowsweet the same since.
Day 17 Prompt - Wreath
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#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
A Christmas cosy mystery. No, I haven't read it.
Day 16 Prompt - Bows & Ribbons
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A Christmas story about the owner of a gift-wrapping store called 'Ribbons & Bows'. To no-one's surprise: I haven't read it.
pickThis penultimate (for now) book in the series examines the dark side of....Morris dancing. Yes the traditionally twee pastime involving dressing in a costume, with bells, & banging wooden sticks together! I might have been more incredulous had I not read a book earlier this year (or last year) about the old practice of wassailing & its more sinister side.
Day 15 Prompt - Yuletide
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
A collection of festive short stories by indie authors. Haven't read it.
Day 14 Prompt - Bells
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Cozy mystery - haven't read it.
pickI wasn't sure whether I liked this book right from the start but there was something about it that kept me reading. It did pick up into a decent thriller apart from the absurdity of Yasmin driving an eighteen wheeler along the ice road in a heavy snow storm. Suspend your disbelief there!
Day 13 Prompt - Family
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I immediately thought of Little Women. The 1994 film is my favourite screen version & I love the book.
pickThis is a comparatively short read for a crime thriller at under 300 pages but it packs a punch. I was simultaneously sympathetic to Madeleine & suspicious that she might not be being completely truthful. It was fairly fast-paced due to the length but I thought that the ending was a little weak. 4🌟
Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5966872614
Read 8th-9th Dec 2024
Day 12 Prompt - Candy Cane
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Cosy mystery.
Day 11 Prompt - Gift
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#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
This author's writing seems to be like a certain yeast-based food spread, you either love her books or hate them.
pickThis is the fourth of the books set in the Jolvix world that I've read, & it's probably my second least favourite. The story line is good but I disliked the main character. Granted she has issues to do with both her childhood & the death of her first love, but she is absolutely horrible to ex-colleague & friend Ted at times. I found myself a bit irritated with her to be honest. 3.5 🌟
TWs: death, discussion of suicide, drug use/alcoholism.
Day 10 Prompt - Festive
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One of my favourite series!
so-soA book by a former head of the FBI‘s Behavioral Sciences Unit, Gregory M. Cooper, which details the founding & work of the Cold Case Foundation which he started in 2013. The Foundation takes on cases which have gone unsolved for many years & applies the latest techniques & the combined experience of more than 150 former police officers & FBI agents who donate their time to help solve the cases & give the families some closure.
Day 9 Prompt - Santa
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
Origin story of Santa Claus by the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz himself.
Day 8 Prompt - Advent
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#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
25 short stories based on Christmas carols - I haven't read it so no idea if it is any good or not.
so-soMy review is a bit too long to post here so see it in full at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/729121346
Read 6th-7th Dec 2024
4630 points (including 419 words found)
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious #Readaway2024 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @andrew65
#Adventathon @BookmarkTavern #AVeryScaryChristmas @Jadams89
#WinterClearDown #WinterCosy @puddlejumper
#ReindeerReadathon (Dancer) #ChristmasCardReadathon
Day 7 Prompt - Lights
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Posting 2 today as I missed yesterday's prompt. One of my cats, Cole, had a seizure out of nowhere & passed away during it. It was a total shock, if he had been ill I would have been prepared. At least he died surrounded by those who love him.
RIP Cole my little prince.
Day 6 Prompt - Holly
#ChristmasCheer @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers @staycurious
A short book of scary tales for young teenagers written by a teenager.
Just finished my Goodreads 2024 goal a few weeks early.
pickI've had this on my TBR shelf for absolutely ages so decided this year was the one, & I wish I'd read it earlier. The synopsis really doesn't convey how creepy the story is & there are one or two good twists. The only weak point I thought was the conclusion, I could see what the author was aiming for but it could have been a bit stronger.
4.5🌟
Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2422935343
Read 2nd-3rd Dec 2024
Day 4 Prompt - Decorations
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pickRemie Yorke took a job at the MacKinnon Hotel in the Scottish Highlands to be close to her brother, the only family she had left. Now he is dead & Remie has one shift left before she catches a flight & leaves for good. Only Remie & 2 guests are left at the hotel so it should be an easy shift but then Storm Ezra threatens to derail her plans as a blizzard hits.
Day 2 Prompt - Manger
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so-soArcadia 'Dia' Gannon applies for an internship with Louisiana Veda Foundation. Veda was a feted creator of intricate board games which now go for thousands of dollars apiece. Although Veda is dead, her foundation is apparently carrying on her work & 7 lucky applicants will have the chance to work for the company. The application is surprisingly simple, just answer one question: what would you kill for?
