Thank you dear Misty for sending me this book! I love getting a surprise and I love getting a book I‘ve had on my TBR for months! 😘

This is an excellent memoir for those of you that are fans of James Taylor. He discusses his first 21 years, his influences, and reasons why he wrote certain songs. 5⭐️ I love that he includes music too.

#mandmchallenge2020 #celebrity

Finally I read this book! Thankfully the #authoramonth2020 challenge inspired me to read the story of an escaped slave, Cora, and her travel on the Underground Railroad. I was a little disappointed the fantasy part was not developed more. I also was put off by the fact that Cora kept stopping in unsafe places knowing that a slave catcher was after her. Still, Cora‘s fierce will to survive, kept me turning the pages and rooting for her.

Time for a #bathandbook. Today‘s read is a historical true crime murder/suicide!

Thanks to @Meredith3 for the beauty products 🥰

#newyearwhodis was so much fun! @Mitch and I were a match made in book heaven! I really appreciate being motivated and inspired to read books I might not normally read. Thanks @monalyisha for putting this together!

(I own The House on Mango Street and American Dirt)

This is a lovely cookbook that has recipes for a tea party and they all have literary references. There are savory and sweet choices that all look good. I tried this savory treat today for a family get together and it got rave reviews. Not only were these tasty, but they were easy! Thank you dear Leah for sending this book to me ❤️

When I can‘t put a book down, when I‘m sad that I finish the book, and when I keep thinking about the book long after I finish - that‘s a 5⭐️ book for me. Renner wrote a disturbing memoir that intertwined with the strange disappearance of Maura Murray. He is definitely a true crime addict and it effects his life. The personal side was hard to read but the mystery and his theories on where Maura might be, made the book fascinating.

Maude is an 88 year old serial killer. These wickedly fun short stories follow her on her killing spree as she knocks off annoyances one by one. I wish there was a sequel. Thank you @LeahBergen for a terrific little book!

I had such a wonderful surprise package in my mail today! Thank you @LeahBergen for the perfect birthday gifts! I opened the chocolate before I even took a photo 😂. What a darling cookbook with gorgeous photos! You are so sweet. I‘m starting Elderly Lady immediately!🤗

I have read so many books on this subject, but I picked this up on a whim to honor Lincoln in the month of his birth. 🎂 I am pleasantly surprised- not only is this book highly readable, it is not bogged down in too many details, and I actually learned new information.

Thanks to my hibernation in January, I was able to check off 5 books on my #memoirsandmysteries checklist!

Bookish - The Fact of a Body
Far Away - The Monster of Florence
Home/house - A House to Remember: 10 Rillington Place
New Series - Case Histories
Classic - My Cousin Rachel

#mandmchallenge

January #bookreport - all read for book club or challenges
#newyearwhodis
#readwithmrbook
#classicschallenge2020
#authoramonth2020
#memoirsandmysteries
#belowzer00s

Rebecca is one of my favorite classics so I decided I need to read more Du Maurier. I struggled with the gullibility of the main character,Phillip, but I will chalk that up to his immaturity. That aside, there were no definitive answers to some of the mysteries in this book which I found intriguing. The ending was surprising and satisfying.

#classicschallenge2020

Book #2 for #authoramonth and I agree with other reviewers- this was not for me. I would‘ve bailed too if it wasn‘t such a short book. I thought the writing was awkward 🤷🏼‍♀️

I started reading this for #authoramonth challenge and discovered the movie on Netflix one day. After watching the movie, I was conflicted about finishing the book. Thank goodness I decided to keep reading because there are so many more layers to the book! Such a heartwarming story in the vein of A Man Called Ove.

During the Book Depository sale I bought this for the cover and because I grew up loving the movie starring Hayley Mills. ❤️
It is a delightful book and we could all use a little more Pollyanna in our lives. 😁

#ReadWithMrBook #1wordtitle
#ClassicsChallenge2020

This is the strangest, most convoluted true crime that I have read! The judicial system in Italy is so scary and backwards that I see now why this crime has never been solved. The author decided to write this book after moving to the Florence area and ended up being charged with crimes related to the case! One of the inept ministers was also involved with charging Amanda Knox with murder and now those false charges make sense. Thank you @Cinfhen

Rainy and dreary here which seems to be the norm. ☁️🌧💧☔️🌫 Which is really perfect reading weather! I‘m reading The Monster of Florence, so the weather is fitting.

Thanks for doing a giveaway!
#tammysgiveaway

Starting this today. Some reviewers liked it better than Rebecca, which is one of my all time favorite books. 🤞🏼
#classicschallenge2020

Two heartbreaking stories that center around sexual abuse are told simultaneously and are interwoven. When the author alternated chapters about her life and Jeremy‘s murder, I felt the side by side stories flowed. When the sentences went back and forth between her experiences and those of Jeremy and Ricky, the story lost its power for me and became awkward. It is an interesting way to combine the author‘s life with a tragic murder.
#newyearwhodis

I 💗Mapp and Lucia!
Thanks to @Reviewsbylola and her influence, I decided to go on eBay and treat myself to the whole set published by Folio in 1994. 😁

Rose and I are reading and I‘m sipping on a cocktail. Such a perfect Friday night! 😊 This is book #3 for #newyearwhodis and 70 pages in, I‘m pretty obsessed. Thanks @Mitch @monalyisha

So far my book buying this year has everything to do with great book covers! 💁🏼‍♀️I was very excited to snag the set of British Library Crime Classics in hardcover from the Folio sale.

1) always.buying.books.
2) evening baths are the best for reading!
3) best book so far - The Five
Worst book so far - And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
(Not that it‘s a bad book but it just ranks the lowest in my books read this year 😁)
4) please play along!

On to book number 2 for #newyearwhodis 👏🏼
I love that you and I love non fiction and reading in the bath tub @Mitch 💙 You did a great job @monalyisha matching me up with her!

I‘ve been organizing my bookshelves and getting ready for all the 2020 challenges.
#classicschallenge2020 #readwithmrbook #mandmchallenge2020 #authoramonth2020

I just finished my first book for #newyearwhodis. For fans of Victorian England or those interested in Jack the Ripper, this is a must read!

Rubenhold meticulously researched the 5 women murdered by JTR and portrayed them and their lives with empathy and consideration. How, with decent upbringing, did they end up in the slums of London, wandering the streets? The author answers that question while humanizing the victims. Fascinating! 5🌟

What should I do?!?!

I own three of the #boty finalists and I‘m not feeling the other two. But I can get a free one.
A) do I choose one that I don‘t own and hope I‘ll read it?
B) do I choose one I don‘t own and put it in my LFL?
C) do I choose one I own and that I think more people would like and put it in my LFL
D) do I pick one and give it to someone as a gift?
I own the three that are marked.

I am exhausted from all the festivities so it‘s time for a bath, a bath bomb, and a book! 🛀🏻 This book is fascinating! It is a lesson in Victorian England‘s lower class while telling the story of Jack the Ripper‘s victims. Thank you @Mitch for suggesting it for #newyearwhodis !

I love getting unexpected book mail! 💛. Thank you so much @Cinfhen for popping this in the mail and brightening my day. 🌝. My little granddaughters will be thrilled with their surprises when I see them later today! I‘m very anxious to read this one after seeing your review.

I‘m trying to relax a little today and get some reading done in this NF account of a fundamentalist Christian family in Alaska. Rose, my reading partner, apparently had too much Christmas as she‘s sprawled on my chest upside down as I read.

Thank you Leah for gifting me my first Jolabokaflod present ever! Rebecca is one of my favorites so I can‘t wait to dive into this! Happy Holidays!

I‘m so excited to start reading from my #newyearwhodis list of books recommended by @Mitch 🤗 The highlighted 4 are the ones I‘m starting with.

I‘m a sucker for classic British house party murder books and this one did not disappoint. There were so many characters that could‘ve committed a murder dressed up as Santa Klaus! 🎅🏼. I didn‘t guess the culprit until the end, so that‘s always a win. This is a perfect December read.

I have now read all of Liane Moriarty‘s books and this is my least favorite. I give it 4 stars but it was 50 pages too long. Moriarty always does a wonderful job of taking relationships and adding mystery and misunderstandings and then brings everything to a satisfying conclusion. This was a sweet love story about a hypnotist and her boyfriend that must deal with his feelings about his dead wife and his ex-girlfriend that stalks them. #audiobaking

Merry Christmas to me!
My Black Friday order from Book Outlet arrived today. 😄🎄💚

I finished my first Christmas themed book today - Mystery in White. It is a typical British Crime Classic with murders taking place at an English country home. This time a group of travelers leave their train that is stuck in the snow to try and find shelter and they come upon a deserted house that has all the fires lit and tea about to be served. Now they need to figure out where the residents went and who is the dead body in the snow.

I read a lot of nonfiction but these ten still stand out to me.
#Top10oftheDecade #NonFictionEdition

I‘m not a fan of metaphorical stories so this is a miss for me. This novella is haunting and atmospheric- a perfect winter read for readers that enjoy allegories.

Starting this today for the Goodreads read along with Karen. Seems perfect for this time of year.

I live part time in Wheeling,WV and I discovered the Hare Krishna Golden Palace is right down the road. This fascinating book chronicles the history of the Hare Krishna movement in the US, while highlighting the illegal things that went on in order to keep the cult thriving and the money flowing. The leaders resorted to drug smuggling, drug dealing, money laundering and murder. *for those of you interested in cults and true crime.

#Decembertbr
Queenie- Family Book Club
Mystery In White - just for fun Christmas book
The Ice Palace - Goodreads read along
NeedTo Know - Book Club

#HollyJollyReading

Family dysfunctional dynamics at its finest. Attenberg crisply depicts her characters with raw realism. I love her writing style. It‘s interesting that this book takes place during the 24 hours after the family‘s patriarch is struck down by a heart attack. In that short time, each family member is well drawn out and many family questions are answered.

I‘m supposed to be doing a #botmbuddyread for this book, but I couldn‘t stop reading it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ This is a look at the factionalized account of what happened to a mob member involved in the JFK assassination after the job was finished. But it‘s really about the man and how his life changed completely with one decision.

I had a really great lunch today listening to author Jami Attenberg talk about her latest novel with @Reviewsbylola . I‘m looking forward to reading about family craziness that takes place in one of my favorite cities, New Orleans.

I loved the story of an unlikely hero, Saint Mazie, told through diary excerpts and interviews. She watched life pass her by as she worked in a ticket booth in NYC during the 20‘s and 30‘s. She found love in the most unlikely places but could never quite hold on to it. So she took the bums, the victims of the depression, under her wing and made them her passion.

Jack is as unimpressed with this book as I am. I am going to see Jami Attenberg with @Reviewsbylola next week so I‘m trying to read one of her books first. This one is so depressing that I have to bail. I‘m moving on to Saint Mazie. 🤞🏼 My daughter told me I wouldn‘t like this book and she knows me well!

Yoyo and I had a reading marathon today. Once I got into this historical fiction about Vietnam in the 1930‘s, I couldn‘t put it down. Karin Tanabe does a good job of depicting the sense of place and time and I learned so much about French colonization in indochine. The conflict between the two main characters, Jessie and Marcelle, turned into intrigue and suspense that kept me turning the pages. Thank you for the ARC @StMartinsPress

#weeklyforecast but possibly my #monthlyforecast as I‘m having a hard time getting into Auntie Poldi. November Road is for the month long #botmbuddyread and I‘m knitting more right now and binge watching Married to Medicine. 🤩

So many choices. So much for my book buying ban. Again. #BOTM
Our family picked Queenie for our December book, so it‘s very handy I can get it on BOTM.