The good news is this was a compelling and interesting story. It‘s 1922 in St. Louis, and the MC gets inadvertently involved in investigating the murder of a player for a local Negro League team. He finds out more than he expected about the racism and violence of the KKK and segregation. There‘s also a little personal crisis in his life.

The bad news is I can‘t find the next installment. Not insurmountable but inconvenient.

#serieslove2025

One of my all time favorites! #FridayNightShare #naturallitsy #midwintersolace

Catching up with the last couple weeks of joys since I pivoted to a full year of joys last week.
1. I finally visited a local Amish market & bought some yummy muffins & other baked goods.
2. We got about 7.5 inches of snow & one of my neighbors made the world‘s most pathetic snowman.
3. Our friends from NJ came to visit with their sweet collie.
4. I got a new Billy bookcase & did a little rearranging.
5. Local teams in the playoffs.
#5joysfriday

I‘ve read 28/100 including all of the Grimm fairy tales, that were in a fat book that I devoured as a child. In some cases that may have been ill advised! (I‘m looking at you, Red Shoes!) But I digress. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Watership Down
2. The Secret Garden
3. Brown Girl Dreaming
Here‘s the link if you want to take the survey: https://www.listchallenges.com/litsy-bbcs-100-greatest-childrens-books
#TLT

Beautiful service. 😢

Her writing flows over you like water, and she led such an interesting life. I‘d like to dive into the next installment, but I still have three physical library books I need to finish soon. One of them is from another series that‘s also nearing the end, so I‘ll keep pausing the García Saenz for now. #serieslove2025

1. Sometimes! (It‘s complicated.)
2. Tagged!
#two4tuesday

For #whereareyoumonday I‘ve compiled a rough list of where the books I read in 2024 were set.
USA 39.5
UK 12.5
Europe 4
W Hemisphere 1
Asia/Oceania 7
Space 1
Various or indeterminate 14
Nearest: The Ways of the Dead (Washington DC)
Farthest: The Last Gifts of the Universe (space)
Picture is from my visit to Bath in October.

When you‘re waiting for snow and watching football, of course you read a book about baseball. #hyggehourreadathon

Just one?!?

I recently learned that one of my favorite books from 2024 will have a sequel this year.

#sundayfunday

What was my favorite book of December? And the answer is…this clever and wistful story about siblings in space with their cat. Their CAT, y‘all. #12booksof2024

One day every adult on Earth gets a box with a string inside that indicates their life span. Are these boxes #blessings or curses? It‘s hard to say! I think my book club will have lots to discuss.
#25alive!

We‘re getting close to the end! #12booksof2024

I‘m doing something a little different for #5joysfriday this week. Usually I make a Thanksgiving post but didn‘t for some reason this year, so I‘m rolling it into a joy a month for 2024.
Jan-a clean closet at last
Feb-winery outing w/ book club
Mar-Monet exhibit
Apr-Malice Domestic
May-mountain laurel bushes
Jun-strawberries
Jul-new pastor
Aug-Opera in the Outfield
Sep-day trip to DC
Oct-Gladstone‘s & Bath
Nov-see comments
Dec-Christmas parade

This charming MG fantasy was my favorite for October. #12booksof2024

Last year I read 42 books that were part of a series and discontinued a handful where my interest had waned with the passage of time. I also started three new-to-me series because I couldn‘t help myself.

I‘m going to start #serieslove2025 with a smaller focus and not try to read everything everywhere all at once. I‘ve already started reading a few of these, so then I can fill in some others!

It took me a while to finish this, but that was a mood and time thing, not a book thing. #12booksof2024

This is a nice reading journal, but I never used it, so I took it to the LFL along with another offloaded book and an extra 2025 planner I somehow acquired.

I missed my chance to donate the rest of the magazines in my free cycle group, so I‘ll just keep chipping away at the pile when the mood strikes me. It didn‘t strike me in December! No worries, though, because the pile is much smaller than when I started.

#readordonate #monthlymagazineblitz

Continuing through the year to August. #12booksof2024

I‘m moving to StoryGraph, so here‘s one last #wrapup from Goodreads. Some stats are from my own spreadsheet and some from GR.

Out of 77 authors, 43 were new in 2024, 51 were women, and 18 authors of color. At least eight authors identified as LGBTQ and/or the story featured one or more LGBTQ POV characters.

Surprising no one, almost half (43) were mysteries. Six were MG/YA, 15 had a speculative element, and 18 were historical. More in comments!

Which book was my favorite in December? Was it the intense historical novel that left me with a book hangover? Was it the intriguing cold case mystery? Was it the wistful story of siblings in space? Was it the charming prequel to a book that was a monthly favorite earlier in the year? Was it something else?

You‘ll have to wait until Sunday (if I counted correctly) to see! 😎

#wrapup

1. No numbers just reading.
2. New book from Laura Lippman!
#two4tuesday

This book was ponderous and annoying. I picked it for my book club and was almost immediately sorry. But I persisted and finished it!

The Wild Inside doesn‘t make a lot of sense and contains animal abuse that isn‘t contained just to “the wild.”

Burn had an interesting premise but didn‘t really live up to it, and I‘m probably done with Peter Heller.

The Darkness was great until the ending, and that‘s all I can really say. 🤬

#worstof2024

Another vote for James! #12booksof2024

My favorite from June and possibly my favorite of the year. #12booksof2024

Getting back into this book and series for my #hyggehourreadathon tonight. I just got back from going out to dinner with my friends, and my husband is at work. The rest of the evening is for me.

Every year I make a complicated set of reading goals and challenges, and every year I get frustrated trying to keep up with and track them all. This year I‘m going to keep my reading resolutions simple! (Famous last words…)
1. Complete transition from Goodreads to StoryGraph. Username: suzheist
2. Read book club and author-a-month selections in the designated month.
3. Fill in the rest of the month with whatever I want to read.
#sundayfunday

May selection for #12booksof2024 goes back to the mystery genre, as promised.

Not only is it an interesting story, but also the book was a surprise gift for guests at Malice Domestic, which I attended for the first time this year.

April‘s selection for #12booksof2024 is not a mystery! But don‘t worry, mysteries will return to the list later!

I still have a little hangover from the last book I read, and I have company coming in for a couple days … BUT I also have four books checked out from four libraries plus one from Libby … SO my goal for the #OutWithTheOldInWithTheNew #readathon is to finish ONE more book by the end of the year. Anything more is, as they say, gravy.

Many joys this week!
1. Stopping by Bollman Bridge on the way home from a lovely Christmas Eve service.
2. Magnet from a book club member when we had our social gathering at the winery.
3. Cool t-shirt and a P&P pin from my sister.
4. Cheesy holiday movies.
5. Christmas Eve Eve dinner with friends.
#5joysfriday

For March‘s #12booksof2024 it‘s another mystery set in Northern California, but this one‘s contemporary.

I think I need to get out more! My score was 34/108 and I was pretty generous with the definitions. Things on the list that I‘d like to do:
1. Attend a murder mystery dinner
2. Celebrate New Years Eve in another country
3. Pamper night
Link to survey: https://www.listchallenges.com/new-years-eve-bucket-list
#TLT

My February favorite was another historical mystery set in Northern California. #12booksof2024

I‘ve been looking forward to posting #12booksof2024 so let‘s get it started with January. Thanks for organizing this @Andrew65

An #angel visits Mary and Joseph, separately, and then later to shepherds in the field. The angel says: Do not be afraid. #Christmascheer

The section about the wise men got a little woo woo, but overall I enjoyed this thoughtful book.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

Happy Christmas Eve Eve! I‘m not going to finish anything else by tomorrow night, so here‘s my wrap up for #Adventathon which as usual did not go entirely as planned. But that‘s okay!

I finished three books from my original list plus two more. The tagged book plus three more from various libraries are riding around in my car waiting for me to get (back) to them.

The Frozen River became available earlier than expected, so I pivoted to it for now.

So charming!
#sundayfunday

Last week I forgot to post, so this week I‘m doing my #hyggehourreadathon a little early. I‘m tucked away in a corner of the cafe at a little local shopping area. I just had a yummy chicken and avocado sandwich, and I‘m nursing a raspberry mocha latte. There‘s Christmas music softly playing. And across the cafe a family is conversing in what I think is Italian. I just have one more gift to buy before I go home to wrap. But first, latte and book!

I started the year intending to #readordonate these 21 books in the top picture. I ended up donating 15 of them plus many more from the rest of my books on other shelves. The tagged book is the only LFL book that I didn‘t donate…yet.

I also donated a piece of furniture from my bedroom and completely reorganized my bookshelves. Bottom picture is the same bookstand thingy in its revised location, and it now holds books that I don‘t plan to donate.

1. After Libby said it would be two more weeks, I got a notification that I could check out the tagged book.
2. The Crime Writers of Color podcast is back after a long hiatus.
3. I got together with a friend for dinner and a movie.
4. We enjoyed War of the Rohirrim!
5. I bought a new wet-dry floor cleaner.
#5joysfriday

Decisions, decisions! I could be happy with nothing but chocolate chip cookies for the rest of my life, but I also like…
1. Peanut butter cookies (love the fork marks)
2. Walnut snowball cookies
3. Snickerdoodles
Plus I want to TRY pistachio cookies, cinnamon palmiers, red velvet whoopie pies…..
My score is 37/75
#TLT

I was scrolling through some old pictures on my phone and found this #wreath my coworker made for our office door in 2011. #Christmascheer

1. Sitting quietly in the morning with a cup of coffee and a book on my phone makes my day. Today that was a little delayed thanks to a power outage, but it‘s all sorted now.
2. The MC of this book is showing, just like in the first book, that she can be compassionate and caring to those in need but won‘t take any 💩from pompous people who try to tell her how to live her life.
#two4tuesday

Here are the last three of my monthly necklaces. You may notice that the October necklace is earrings! I have some ideas and materials for a Halloween necklace, but I haven‘t put it together yet. For November‘s necklace I used a pendant my sister gave me. I couldn‘t find a suitable chain for it, so I made one! #litsycrafters2024

Mystery + music + calling out racism? Yes please! #sundayfunday

I heard an interview with the owner of this bookstore. When asked how she came up with the name, she said it was based on her two favorite literary characters: Francie Nolan (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) and Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird). What would you name your bookstore using your favorite characters? Mine would be Millhone & Gamgee. Or maybe Kinsey & Sam.

1. Kathy Mattea in concert
2. Scottish Walk Christmas Parade
3. Butter chicken pizza at the Indian Italian restaurant
4. Cute holiday card from the library
5. Much needed rain
#5joysfriday

#TLT
I had a post all ready to go, and it disappeared! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Anyway, I‘m not sure how accurate it is, but my score is 73/100. Here are a few of my favorites.
1. O Come All Ye Faithful (Nat King Cole)
2. Santa Claus Is Comin‘ to Town (Bruce Springsteen)
3. Anything by Pentatonix

And here are a couple albums/artists that aren‘t on the list:

https://pinkmartini.com/discography/joy-to-the-world/

https://kathymattea.bandcamp.com/album/good-news

This was an interesting family drama/mystery/legal thriller that I read for one of my book clubs. There are twists, of course, but they‘re not the whole point of the story. Characters are all annoying. I liked it but didn‘t love it.

I‘m making my way through my #Adventathon goals. Next up: The Black Loch. It‘s been riding around in the back of my car for a few days!