1Hope_H
Who Says You Can't Go Home (Bon Jovi)
I'm taking a similar route this year as I did last year. My categories will revolve around the idea of Home! I'm still setting the bar low - 24 books in 2024.
Homecoming by Kate Morton: page 543: She herself had been thinking about "home" a lot. Home, she'd realized, wasn't a place or a time or a person, though it could be any and all of those things: home was feeling, a sense of being complete. The opposite of "home" wasn't "away," it was "lonely." When someone says "I want to go home," what they really meant was that they didn't want to feel lonely anymore.
I'm taking a similar route this year as I did last year. My categories will revolve around the idea of Home! I'm still setting the bar low - 24 books in 2024.
Homecoming by Kate Morton: page 543: She herself had been thinking about "home" a lot. Home, she'd realized, wasn't a place or a time or a person, though it could be any and all of those things: home was feeling, a sense of being complete. The opposite of "home" wasn't "away," it was "lonely." When someone says "I want to go home," what they really meant was that they didn't want to feel lonely anymore.
2Hope_H
Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling
Helpful Hints:
How to force a touchstone:
Left square bracket + title + comma + author last name + right square bracket will usually get you close to the correct (if not correct) touchstone.
The Library, Stewart = The Library, Stewart
If it still isn't the correct touchstone you can look to the right of the "add a message" box where the touchstones display, click (Others), scroll for the correct touchstone, click the link, and ta-da...correct touchstone.
Last way to get correct touchstone: left square bracket + work number + colon + colon + title + right square bracket.
The Library = The Library
To Make a Checkmark: = & # 1 0 0 0 4
To Make a Star: = & # 9 7 3 3
Other helpful "how-to's": http://www.librarything.com/topic/59470#
To insert a cover or other image: img src = "URL_HERE" (take out space around = sign and put in html brackets)
2017 Reading Pyramid - https://www.librarything.com/topic/244325
2018 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/279502
2019 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/300982
2020 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/314462
2021 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/328168#n7647720
2022 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/337837
2023 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/346938#n8309890
Helpful Hints:
How to force a touchstone:
Left square bracket + title + comma + author last name + right square bracket will usually get you close to the correct (if not correct) touchstone.
The Library, Stewart = The Library, Stewart
If it still isn't the correct touchstone you can look to the right of the "add a message" box where the touchstones display, click (Others), scroll for the correct touchstone, click the link, and ta-da...correct touchstone.
Last way to get correct touchstone: left square bracket + work number + colon + colon + title + right square bracket.
The Library = The Library
To Make a Checkmark: = & # 1 0 0 0 4
To Make a Star: = & # 9 7 3 3
Other helpful "how-to's": http://www.librarything.com/topic/59470#
To insert a cover or other image: img src = "URL_HERE" (take out space around = sign and put in html brackets)
2017 Reading Pyramid - https://www.librarything.com/topic/244325
2018 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/279502
2019 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/300982
2020 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/314462
2021 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/328168#n7647720
2022 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/337837
2023 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/346938#n8309890
3Hope_H
Pick a Friend Challenge - Spanish Pipe Dream - John Prine
1. Roses by Leila Meacham
2. One of my Viet Nam books - reread
3. Broken Trail by Alan Geoffrion
4. Miracle at St Anna by James McBride
- 5. Whatever Lucy Clarke book I need to read - either You Let Me In or The Castaways
6. Burial by Neil Cross
✔ 7. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
8. The Deep Deep Snow by Brian Freeman
9. Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf
- 10. Where You Once Belonged by Kent Haruf
11. Whatever Larry Watson book I need to read
12. The Lives They Left Behind by Darby Penney
Alternates: My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart, My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier, Whatever I need to catch up on from Victoria Helen Stone, Catch up on Mark Spragg
1. Roses by Leila Meacham
2. One of my Viet Nam books - reread
3. Broken Trail by Alan Geoffrion
4. Miracle at St Anna by James McBride
- 5. Whatever Lucy Clarke book I need to read - either You Let Me In or The Castaways
6. Burial by Neil Cross
✔ 7. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
8. The Deep Deep Snow by Brian Freeman
9. Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf
- 10. Where You Once Belonged by Kent Haruf
11. Whatever Larry Watson book I need to read
12. The Lives They Left Behind by Darby Penney
Alternates: My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart, My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier, Whatever I need to catch up on from Victoria Helen Stone, Catch up on Mark Spragg
4Hope_H
NAPL Challenge - Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money
A: Aoyama, Michiko - What You Are Looking for Is in the Library
B:
C: Cooney, Caroline B. - No Such Person
D: Duncan, Francis - Murder for Christmas
E:
F: Foley, Lucy - The Hunting Party
G:
H: Hoyt, Elizabeth - Notorious Pleasures
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P: Phillips, Susan Elizabeth - Simply the Best
Q:
R: Raybourn, Deanna - Killers of a Certain Age
S: Smith, Geoff - Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:
A: Aoyama, Michiko - What You Are Looking for Is in the Library
B:
C: Cooney, Caroline B. - No Such Person
D: Duncan, Francis - Murder for Christmas
E:
F: Foley, Lucy - The Hunting Party
G:
H: Hoyt, Elizabeth - Notorious Pleasures
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P: Phillips, Susan Elizabeth - Simply the Best
Q:
R: Raybourn, Deanna - Killers of a Certain Age
S: Smith, Geoff - Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:
5Hope_H
January - Take Me Home - Phil Collins
Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan - 347 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney - 276 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography by Geoff Smith - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan - 347 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney - 276 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography by Geoff Smith - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
6Hope_H
February - Take Me Home, You Silly Boy / Girl - Tom Waits
The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B. Cooney - 273 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin - 255 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B. Cooney - 273 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin - 255 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
7Hope_H
March - Back Home Again - John Denver
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - 300 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - 300 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
8Hope_H
April - Home Is Where the Heart Is - Peter, Paul, and Mary
Simply the Best: A Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - ★ ★ ★ ★
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - 349 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt - 372 - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Simply the Best: A Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - ★ ★ ★ ★
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - 349 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt - 372 - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
9Hope_H
May - Home Free - Wayne Watson
Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt - 390 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Funny Story by Emily Henry - 387 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt - 390 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Funny Story by Emily Henry - 387 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
10Hope_H
June - Homeward Bound - Simon and Garfunkel
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne - 353 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne - 353 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
11Hope_H
July - Home on the Range (My Western Home) - Brewster Higley
All We Need Is Love and a Really Soft Pillow by Peter H. Reynolds
All We Need Is Love and a Really Soft Pillow by Peter H. Reynolds
12Hope_H
August - Long Way Home (Live in the Country) - Dan Fogelberg
You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke - 408 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke - 408 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
14Hope_H
October - Country Roads, Take Me Home - Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver
The Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute
The Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute
15Hope_H
November - Take the Long Way Home - Supertramp
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman - 387 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman - 387 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
17Hope_H
Kids' Books - Grandma's House - Patty Shukla
The Jolly Postman
The Jolly Christmas Postman
Blueberry Cake
Hippos Go Berserk
Pugicorn
Bubbly Beautiful Kitty-Corn
Dear Zoo
Merry Christmas, Mouse
Night-Night Iowa
Animal Numbers Slide and Seek 123
Drip Drop
Possum Come A-Knockin'
Toad on the Road
Chalk
Jan Brett's Gingerbread Boy
Buzzzz said the Bee
Splat the Cat: Good Night, Sleep Tight
A Picture for Harold's Room
Charlie the Ranch Dog
Pete the Cat: Rockin' in my School Shoes
Farmhouse
Let's Count Goats
Duck for President
Problem Solved!
Click Clack Moo
The Lost Stone (Book 1 - Wrenly)
The Jolly Postman
The Jolly Christmas Postman
Blueberry Cake
Hippos Go Berserk
Pugicorn
Bubbly Beautiful Kitty-Corn
Dear Zoo
Merry Christmas, Mouse
Night-Night Iowa
Animal Numbers Slide and Seek 123
Drip Drop
Possum Come A-Knockin'
Toad on the Road
Chalk
Jan Brett's Gingerbread Boy
Buzzzz said the Bee
Splat the Cat: Good Night, Sleep Tight
A Picture for Harold's Room
Charlie the Ranch Dog
Pete the Cat: Rockin' in my School Shoes
Farmhouse
Let's Count Goats
Duck for President
Problem Solved!
Click Clack Moo
The Lost Stone (Book 1 - Wrenly)
18Hope_H
Books by Rating: Home Again - Carole King
5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 ½ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne - 353 p.
4 ★ ★ ★ ★
No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney - 246 p.
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - 300 p.
Simply the Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - 382 p. -
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - 349 p. -
Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt - 390 p.
Funny Story by Emily Henry - 387 p.
You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke - 408 p.
3 ½ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan - 347 p.
Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography by Geoff Smith - np
The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B. Cooney - 273 p.
The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin - 255 p.
Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt - 372
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman - 387 p.
3 ★ ★ ★
2 1/2 ★ ★ 1/2
2 ★ ★
1 ★
Did Not Finish
5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 ½ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne - 353 p.
4 ★ ★ ★ ★
No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney - 246 p.
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - 300 p.
Simply the Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - 382 p. -
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - 349 p. -
Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt - 390 p.
Funny Story by Emily Henry - 387 p.
You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke - 408 p.
3 ½ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan - 347 p.
Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography by Geoff Smith - np
The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B. Cooney - 273 p.
The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin - 255 p.
Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt - 372
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman - 387 p.
3 ★ ★ ★
2 1/2 ★ ★ 1/2
2 ★ ★
1 ★
Did Not Finish
19Hope_H
Add to the TBR: Pictures of Home - Deep Purple (Carried over from the past six years!)
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
Insight by Tasha Eurich
Missoula by Krakauer
The Child by Fiona Burton
Gone without a trace by Mary Torjussen
A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin
Deadliest Sea by Thompson
Abandon All Hope by Schiller
Losing It by Carmack
Killer of the Flower Moon
Finding Rebecca
Dennis LeHane - title?
What the dead leave behind
Then she was gone by Lisa Jewell
A Prayer Before Dawn by Billy Moore
Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart by Scott Eyman.
*Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman
The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith
The End of Everything by Megan Abbott
The Great Typo Hunt / Jeff Deck, Benjamin D. Henson
*Mary Oliver poems
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
The Five Families by Raab
To sleep with ? By Cowan
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library - Halpern
The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark by Meryl Gordon
Lies of the Heart - Michelle Boyajian
Inside the O'Briens - Lisa Genova
In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware
To Sleep With the Angels: The Story of a Fire - David Cowan, John Kuenster
The Downstairs Girl by Lee
*Furious Hours (Harper Lee and the trial inspiring TKM)
Simply Dead by Kuhns
The Murmur of Bees
Edgar Sawtell
Words of Silk by Sandra Brown
Border Bride by Arnette Lamb
Waiting for Deliverance
Fortune is a Woman - Adler
The Most Fun We Ever Had - Claire Lombardo
Song for the Missing - Stewart O'Nan
Women Talking - Toews
The Winter Men - Kold
*A Killer's Mind - Mike Omer
A Prayer for Travelers
Drive your plow over the bones
She's leaving home
Playing House
Highway of Tears - Macdarmuid?
28 1/2 Wishes (Rec by Janene)
The Flying Circus (Rec by Donna)
The Gown by Robson
The Roanoke Girls - Amy Engle
The Ruthless – David Putnam
Love and Other Consolation Prizes - Jamie Ford
The Night Swim - Megan Goldin
The Woman Outside My Door / Rachel Ryan
Every Secret Thing Laura Lippman
Sold on a Monday - Krista McMorris
Yellow Wife
Before We Were Yours - Wingate
The Professor and the Madman
You Should Have Known
Boys Life - McCammon
L.A. Witt - Bad Behavior series
Julie Mulhurn books
Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey (true crime memoir)
We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (True crime memoir)
Charlie Adhara - Big Bad Wolf series
Nana - Brandon Massey
Perfect Family - Robyn Harding
On the way to Birdland - Marelli
Hotel - Alex Hailey
Grand Hotel - V.Baum?
Martin Dressler - Millhauser
The Aster Orphan - Aldrich
Mad about the Marquess
A Promise of Spring
A Compromised Lady
Seducing Charlotte
Temporary Wife
Once upon a Marquess
Gone so Long - Andre Dubas III
Conversations with RBG
Honestly, We Meant Well - Grant Grinder
Be More RBG
Electric hotel - Dominic Smith
Local Woman Missing - Mary Kubrica
Grange House - Sarah Blake
This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger
Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
Housekeeping - Robinson
We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It - Tom Phelan
Twenty-one Truths about Love - Matthew Dicks
This is How I Lied - Heather Gudenkauf
Irena's Children - Tilar J. Mazzeo
Suzanne's Children - Anne Nelson
GI Brides - Duncan Barrett
Grayson - Lynne Cox
Army Wives - Midge Gillies
Hidden Valley Road - Robert Koelker
The Dinner List - Rebecca Searle
Ethel Rosenberg - Anne Sebba
Battle for the Bigtop - Les Standiford
Your Brain is always listening - Daniel Amen
My Name is Selma - Selma Van de Verre
Obit by Victoria Chang
Crying in H Mart - Zauner
On Earth We're briefly Gorgeous - Vuong
Cider with Rosie - Laurie Lee
Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
A Country of Strangers by Conrad Richter
Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penny
Every Man Dies Alone
The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers
Prodigal by TA Moore
The son - Phillip Meyer
Wall of Silence - Tracy Buchanan
One of Us Is Lying
One of Us Is Next
The Cousins - mcManus
The Shootist - Swarthout
The Last Ride - Tom Eidson
Her Final Words - Brianna Labuskes
The Trauma Cleaner - Sarah Krasnostein
How to Disappear - Roat
When We Were Mermaids
Mary - A tale of the Old West - Janis Hoffman
Lost Children Archive
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
Rural Rebellion by Benes
Playing Nice by J. Delaney
Shuggie Bain by Stuart
The Chosen
Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
The Best of Richard Matheson
The Johnstown Flood
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash
The Body: A Guide for Occupants
Forgiveness by Mark Sakamoto
The Boat Man by Dustin Stevens
The Monsters We Make by White
Pictures of an Exhibitionist by Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer)
What you never knew by Jessica Hamilton
The Boy in the Field by Livesey
Grief Cottage by Godwin
The Deep Deep Snow by Freeman
The Personal Librarian by Benedict
A Single Thread by Chevalier
The Safe Place by Downes
The Last Train to London by Clayton
Fresh Water for Flowers by Perrin
We Keep the Dead Close by Cooper
The Library of Lost and Found by Patrick
All the Frequent Troubles of our Days by Donner
The Fortnight in September by Sherriff
The Lamplighters by Stonex
The Weekend by Wood
An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by ThurstenT
More News Tomorrow - S Shreve
Such a Fun Age by Reid
The Postscript Murders by Griffiths
Come Fly the World by Cooke
Tisha by Specht
Rose Cottage by Stewart
Lest Innocent Blood be Shed by Hallie
Montauk by Harrison
The Bride Wore Black by Woolrich
Haunting Paris by Chaudhry
A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska by Jacobs
An Elegant Woman by McPhee
The Paris Library by Charles
The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories
In the Unlikely Event by Blume
The Left Handed Twin by Perry
Everything We Didn't Say by Baart
Mr. Nobody by Catherine Stead
The Great Hotel Murder by Starrett
Quiet in her Bones by Singh
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Fraser
A Town Called Solace by Lawson
Flight of Dreams by Lawhon
The History of Love by Krauss
The Night She Disappeared by Jewell
Village of Lost Girls by Martinez
The Dead Letter by Regester
The Whispering House by Brooks
The Temple House Vanishing by Donohue
The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Chase
The Last Flight by Clark
The Plot by Korelitz
The Hollywood Spy by MacNeal
I Found You by Jewell
The Room on Rue Amelie by Harmel
The Last Garden in England by Kelly
The Paris Hours by George
When All Is Said by Anne Griffin
I Had My Underwear On the Entire Time by Michael and Amy Blair
Children of Men by PD James
Dyatlov Pass by Eichar
The Personal Librarian by Benedict
River Lady - Jude Deveroux
How the Penguins Saved Veronica
Follow You Home by Mark Edwards
One Left Alive by Phifer
The Family Across the Street by Trope
Lessons in Chemistry by Garmus - read ASAP!
Steve Thayer (a few of these are rereads - read before I started tracking on Shelfari)
Meet Me in the Margins by Ferguson
Not My Child by Samantha King
Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone by Stevenson
The Lost Village by Sten
Three by Perrin
Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins
Local Woman MIssing by Kubica
The Love of my Life by Walsh
Two-Way Murder by Lorac
The Woman in the Library by Gentill
The Last Bookshop in London by Martin
The Book of Lost Names by Harmel
The Bookseller's Secret by Gable
The Book Thief by Zusuk
The Paris Library by Charles
The Stationery Shop by Kamali
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Jurczyk
About the Author by Colapinto
An Unwanted Guest by LaPena
One Hundred Saturdays by Frank
Horse by Brooks
The Body in the Garden by Schellman
The Last Diving Horse in America by Branigan
The Latecomer by Korelitz
The Birdcage by Chase
Last Call at the Hotel Imperial by Cohen
The House in the Orchard by Brooks
Daisy Darker by Feeney
The Last Train to London by Clayton
Confessions of a Bookseller by Bythell
Christmas by the Book by Ryan
A Summer House Party by Fraser
The It Girl by Ware
The Ride of her Life by Letts
Miss Julia Speaks her Mind
The People We Keep
Saving CeCe Hunnicut
The House Maid
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Way from Here
A Dark-adapted Eye by Vine
The Confession by Burton
Always, Always by Lane
The Witch Elm by French
The Hand that First Held Mine
After You'd Gone by O'Farrell
Hooked on the Game by Owens
The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson
Mrs. March by Virginia Fielto
The Lager Queen of Minnesota
The Midnight Library
Missing Daughter - Rick mafino
After You've Gone - Maggie O'Farrell
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart - Holly ?
The Night Riders of Hardin County - Lance Hansman
The Last Chance Library - Sampson
Daisy Darker - Feeney
How I'll Kill You - Ren Destefano
The Library of Lost and Found - Patrick
The Weekend - Wood
The Plot - Korelitz
I Found You - Jewell
The Whispering House - Brooks
The Temple House Vanishing - Donohue
The Daughters of Foxcote Manor - Chase
The Last Flight - Clark
Miss Julie Speaks her Mind
The People We Keep
Saving CeCe Hunnicutt
The House Maid - McFaddin
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Lost Ticket
Sunshine Girls - Fader
A Family Recipe - Henry
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Little Wartime Library
Stay Awake - Golden
The Night Swim - Golden
The Improper Life of Belezia Grove - Gregg
Medgar and Myrlie - Joy Ann Reid
The Librarianist - Patrick deWitt
One Breath Away - Gudenkauf
McMurtry - Horsema, Pass By
David Ross - Teammates
Verducci - The Cubs Way
White - Getting out of Saigon
Alexander - Why Fathers Cry at Night
Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog
Authors:
Jo Nesbo
Henning Mankell
Donald Harstad
Shari LaPena
Jane Harper
Lisa Wingate
Karin Slaughter
Helene Thursten
Simone St. James
Lucia St. Clair Robson
Janice Woods Windle
Ann Cleaves
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
Insight by Tasha Eurich
Missoula by Krakauer
The Child by Fiona Burton
Gone without a trace by Mary Torjussen
A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin
Deadliest Sea by Thompson
Abandon All Hope by Schiller
Losing It by Carmack
Killer of the Flower Moon
Finding Rebecca
Dennis LeHane - title?
What the dead leave behind
Then she was gone by Lisa Jewell
A Prayer Before Dawn by Billy Moore
Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart by Scott Eyman.
*Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman
The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith
The End of Everything by Megan Abbott
The Great Typo Hunt / Jeff Deck, Benjamin D. Henson
*Mary Oliver poems
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
The Five Families by Raab
To sleep with ? By Cowan
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library - Halpern
The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark by Meryl Gordon
Lies of the Heart - Michelle Boyajian
Inside the O'Briens - Lisa Genova
In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware
To Sleep With the Angels: The Story of a Fire - David Cowan, John Kuenster
The Downstairs Girl by Lee
*Furious Hours (Harper Lee and the trial inspiring TKM)
Simply Dead by Kuhns
The Murmur of Bees
Edgar Sawtell
Words of Silk by Sandra Brown
Border Bride by Arnette Lamb
Waiting for Deliverance
Fortune is a Woman - Adler
The Most Fun We Ever Had - Claire Lombardo
Song for the Missing - Stewart O'Nan
Women Talking - Toews
The Winter Men - Kold
*A Killer's Mind - Mike Omer
A Prayer for Travelers
Drive your plow over the bones
She's leaving home
Playing House
Highway of Tears - Macdarmuid?
28 1/2 Wishes (Rec by Janene)
The Flying Circus (Rec by Donna)
The Gown by Robson
The Roanoke Girls - Amy Engle
The Ruthless – David Putnam
Love and Other Consolation Prizes - Jamie Ford
The Night Swim - Megan Goldin
The Woman Outside My Door / Rachel Ryan
Every Secret Thing Laura Lippman
Sold on a Monday - Krista McMorris
Yellow Wife
Before We Were Yours - Wingate
The Professor and the Madman
You Should Have Known
Boys Life - McCammon
L.A. Witt - Bad Behavior series
Julie Mulhurn books
Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey (true crime memoir)
We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (True crime memoir)
Charlie Adhara - Big Bad Wolf series
Nana - Brandon Massey
Perfect Family - Robyn Harding
On the way to Birdland - Marelli
Hotel - Alex Hailey
Grand Hotel - V.Baum?
Martin Dressler - Millhauser
The Aster Orphan - Aldrich
Mad about the Marquess
A Promise of Spring
A Compromised Lady
Seducing Charlotte
Temporary Wife
Once upon a Marquess
Conversations with RBG
Honestly, We Meant Well - Grant Grinder
Be More RBG
Electric hotel - Dominic Smith
Local Woman Missing - Mary Kubrica
Grange House - Sarah Blake
This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger
Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
Housekeeping - Robinson
We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It - Tom Phelan
Twenty-one Truths about Love - Matthew Dicks
Irena's Children - Tilar J. Mazzeo
Suzanne's Children - Anne Nelson
GI Brides - Duncan Barrett
Grayson - Lynne Cox
Army Wives - Midge Gillies
Hidden Valley Road - Robert Koelker
The Dinner List - Rebecca Searle
Ethel Rosenberg - Anne Sebba
Battle for the Bigtop - Les Standiford
Your Brain is always listening - Daniel Amen
My Name is Selma - Selma Van de Verre
Obit by Victoria Chang
Crying in H Mart - Zauner
On Earth We're briefly Gorgeous - Vuong
Cider with Rosie - Laurie Lee
Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
A Country of Strangers by Conrad Richter
Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penny
Every Man Dies Alone
The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers
Prodigal by TA Moore
The son - Phillip Meyer
Wall of Silence - Tracy Buchanan
One of Us Is Lying
One of Us Is Next
The Cousins - mcManus
The Shootist - Swarthout
The Last Ride - Tom Eidson
Her Final Words - Brianna Labuskes
The Trauma Cleaner - Sarah Krasnostein
How to Disappear - Roat
When We Were Mermaids
Mary - A tale of the Old West - Janis Hoffman
Lost Children Archive
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
Rural Rebellion by Benes
Playing Nice by J. Delaney
Shuggie Bain by Stuart
The Chosen
Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
The Best of Richard Matheson
The Johnstown Flood
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash
The Body: A Guide for Occupants
Forgiveness by Mark Sakamoto
The Boat Man by Dustin Stevens
The Monsters We Make by White
Pictures of an Exhibitionist by Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer)
What you never knew by Jessica Hamilton
Grief Cottage by Godwin
The Deep Deep Snow by Freeman
The Personal Librarian by Benedict
A Single Thread by Chevalier
The Safe Place by Downes
The Last Train to London by Clayton
Fresh Water for Flowers by Perrin
We Keep the Dead Close by Cooper
The Library of Lost and Found by Patrick
All the Frequent Troubles of our Days by Donner
The Fortnight in September by Sherriff
The Lamplighters by Stonex
The Weekend by Wood
More News Tomorrow - S Shreve
Such a Fun Age by Reid
The Postscript Murders by Griffiths
Come Fly the World by Cooke
Tisha by Specht
Rose Cottage by Stewart
Lest Innocent Blood be Shed by Hallie
Montauk by Harrison
The Bride Wore Black by Woolrich
Haunting Paris by Chaudhry
A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska by Jacobs
An Elegant Woman by McPhee
The Paris Library by Charles
The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories
In the Unlikely Event by Blume
The Left Handed Twin by Perry
Everything We Didn't Say by Baart
Mr. Nobody by Catherine Stead
The Great Hotel Murder by Starrett
Quiet in her Bones by Singh
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Fraser
A Town Called Solace by Lawson
Flight of Dreams by Lawhon
The History of Love by Krauss
The Night She Disappeared by Jewell
Village of Lost Girls by Martinez
The Dead Letter by Regester
The Whispering House by Brooks
The Temple House Vanishing by Donohue
The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Chase
The Last Flight by Clark
The Plot by Korelitz
The Hollywood Spy by MacNeal
I Found You by Jewell
The Room on Rue Amelie by Harmel
The Last Garden in England by Kelly
The Paris Hours by George
When All Is Said by Anne Griffin
I Had My Underwear On the Entire Time by Michael and Amy Blair
Children of Men by PD James
Dyatlov Pass by Eichar
The Personal Librarian by Benedict
River Lady - Jude Deveroux
How the Penguins Saved Veronica
Follow You Home by Mark Edwards
One Left Alive by Phifer
The Family Across the Street by Trope
Lessons in Chemistry by Garmus - read ASAP!
Steve Thayer (a few of these are rereads - read before I started tracking on Shelfari)
Meet Me in the Margins by Ferguson
Not My Child by Samantha King
Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone by Stevenson
The Lost Village by Sten
Three by Perrin
Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins
Local Woman MIssing by Kubica
The Love of my Life by Walsh
Two-Way Murder by Lorac
The Last Bookshop in London by Martin
The Book of Lost Names by Harmel
The Bookseller's Secret by Gable
The Book Thief by Zusuk
The Paris Library by Charles
The Stationery Shop by Kamali
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Jurczyk
About the Author by Colapinto
An Unwanted Guest by LaPena
One Hundred Saturdays by Frank
Horse by Brooks
The Body in the Garden by Schellman
The Last Diving Horse in America by Branigan
The Latecomer by Korelitz
The Birdcage by Chase
Last Call at the Hotel Imperial by Cohen
The House in the Orchard by Brooks
Daisy Darker by Feeney
The Last Train to London by Clayton
Confessions of a Bookseller by Bythell
Christmas by the Book by Ryan
A Summer House Party by Fraser
The It Girl by Ware
The Ride of her Life by Letts
Miss Julia Speaks her Mind
The People We Keep
Saving CeCe Hunnicut
The House Maid
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Way from Here
A Dark-adapted Eye by Vine
The Confession by Burton
Always, Always by Lane
The Witch Elm by French
The Hand that First Held Mine
After You'd Gone by O'Farrell
Hooked on the Game by Owens
The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson
Mrs. March by Virginia Fielto
The Lager Queen of Minnesota
The Midnight Library
Missing Daughter - Rick mafino
After You've Gone - Maggie O'Farrell
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart - Holly ?
The Night Riders of Hardin County - Lance Hansman
The Last Chance Library - Sampson
Daisy Darker - Feeney
How I'll Kill You - Ren Destefano
The Library of Lost and Found - Patrick
The Weekend - Wood
The Plot - Korelitz
I Found You - Jewell
The Whispering House - Brooks
The Temple House Vanishing - Donohue
The Daughters of Foxcote Manor - Chase
The Last Flight - Clark
Miss Julie Speaks her Mind
The People We Keep
Saving CeCe Hunnicutt
The House Maid - McFaddin
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Lost Ticket
Sunshine Girls - Fader
A Family Recipe - Henry
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Little Wartime Library
Stay Awake - Golden
The Night Swim - Golden
The Improper Life of Belezia Grove - Gregg
Medgar and Myrlie - Joy Ann Reid
The Librarianist - Patrick deWitt
One Breath Away - Gudenkauf
McMurtry - Horsema, Pass By
David Ross - Teammates
Verducci - The Cubs Way
White - Getting out of Saigon
Alexander - Why Fathers Cry at Night
Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog
Authors:
Jo Nesbo
Henning Mankell
Donald Harstad
Shari LaPena
Jane Harper
Lisa Wingate
Karin Slaughter
Helene Thursten
Simone St. James
Lucia St. Clair Robson
Janice Woods Windle
Ann Cleaves
20Hope_H
Comments, Musings, and Other Ideas . . . Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
"You don’t have to keep books to be a reader. And you certainly don’t need a reason to keep them. But if you grew up on stories, if your memories are infused with what you read where and when and who you talked about it with, books aren’t that different from photographs. They remind you how, and when, and why, and what you did with that knowledge, and how it fits into your life even now."
Landmark Childhood of Famous Americans series
Sunfire Series - Jessica by Mary Francis Shura
The Forest of Coubron - painted by Jean-Baptistie-Camille Carot - The art hanging on our wall!
Mosser Jennifer miniature glassware
Jeffty Is Five by Harlan Ellison
Spending a Day at the Lottery Fair by F. Pohl
Poem: For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon
High Flight by John Gillespie Magee
Block Optic
Tea Room
Pyramid
Red Gallagher
You Owe Me a Murder - Ellen Cook - rec by T Balthas
Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett
The Dragon in the Clock Box by M. Jean Craig
The Monster Club - third part - Ghouls
1949 Scott Foresman. Our Big Country. "Mark King's Town."
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New You!" - KMH - 3 years old
"You don’t have to keep books to be a reader. And you certainly don’t need a reason to keep them. But if you grew up on stories, if your memories are infused with what you read where and when and who you talked about it with, books aren’t that different from photographs. They remind you how, and when, and why, and what you did with that knowledge, and how it fits into your life even now."
Landmark Childhood of Famous Americans series
Sunfire Series - Jessica by Mary Francis Shura
The Forest of Coubron - painted by Jean-Baptistie-Camille Carot - The art hanging on our wall!
Mosser Jennifer miniature glassware
Jeffty Is Five by Harlan Ellison
Spending a Day at the Lottery Fair by F. Pohl
Poem: For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon
High Flight by John Gillespie Magee
Block Optic
Tea Room
Pyramid
Red Gallagher
You Owe Me a Murder - Ellen Cook - rec by T Balthas
Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett
The Dragon in the Clock Box by M. Jean Craig
The Monster Club - third part - Ghouls
1949 Scott Foresman. Our Big Country. "Mark King's Town."
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New You!" - KMH - 3 years old
21threadnsong
Looking forward to keeping up with your theme and books this year, Hope! I always love how you include songs that go through my head when I catch up on your thread. And thank you for keeping the links to "helpful things" current - I do refer to it year after year 😉
22Hope_H
>21 threadnsong: Thank you! I'm glad you are using the "helpful things" - I need the reminders sometimes and am happy to provide them for others, too. I'm hoping to get a few more books read this year, although I prefer to focus on enjoyment rather than quantity!
23Sergeirocks
>22 Hope_H: ‘Enjoyment’ is the keyword, Hope.
I love how organised you are. When it comes to reading, I must admit I make it up as I go along… ☺️.
Happy Reading!
I love how organised you are. When it comes to reading, I must admit I make it up as I go along… ☺️.
Happy Reading!
24LibraryCin
Hi, Hope. Just popping in to follow along. :-)
25Hope_H
Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan
347 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Mordecai Tremaine, an amateur sleuth, is invited to Benedict Grame's famous Christmas party. On his invitation is a note from Nick Blaise, Grame's assistant, letting Tremaine know that Blaise suspects harm may come to Grame. And in the wee hours of Christmas morning, Tremaine and the other house guests discover that harm has come to the old manor house - there is a body under the Christmas tree. Tremaine already has some suspects in mind, and as the snow falls and suspicions fly, he tries to prevent anyone else's Christmas murder.
A reprint of a 1949 work, this hasn't aged too badly. I don't think the author gave us quite enough clues to solve it on our own, although I was halfway there. A very large cast of characters, not all of whom were fleshed out, and it took a while to meet all of them. Once we met them all and the murder was committed, the story started to move quickly. It just took a while to get there. I would give it a 3.75 if I could, as it is better than my typical 3.5 and not up to a 4.
347 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Mordecai Tremaine, an amateur sleuth, is invited to Benedict Grame's famous Christmas party. On his invitation is a note from Nick Blaise, Grame's assistant, letting Tremaine know that Blaise suspects harm may come to Grame. And in the wee hours of Christmas morning, Tremaine and the other house guests discover that harm has come to the old manor house - there is a body under the Christmas tree. Tremaine already has some suspects in mind, and as the snow falls and suspicions fly, he tries to prevent anyone else's Christmas murder.
A reprint of a 1949 work, this hasn't aged too badly. I don't think the author gave us quite enough clues to solve it on our own, although I was halfway there. A very large cast of characters, not all of whom were fleshed out, and it took a while to meet all of them. Once we met them all and the murder was committed, the story started to move quickly. It just took a while to get there. I would give it a 3.75 if I could, as it is better than my typical 3.5 and not up to a 4.
26Hope_H
No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney
246 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Miranda Allerdon loves her family's summer cottage on the Connecticut River. She loves that her neighbors drop by any time and that the two little boys next door spend more time at her house than at theirs. She starts to question everything, though, when her sister Lander, a beautiful, almost-perfect pre-med student, is accused of murder. Miranda is certain that Lander's new boyfriend has something to do with it. But no one believed her when she said she thought she saw him drop a water skier in front a barge. So Miranda, with the help of a young neighbor, starts investigating on her own.
I thought this was one of Cooney's first adult novels, but I was wrong. This is one of her YA novels, and boy - is it a good one! It kept me guessing up until the end what was going on.
246 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Miranda Allerdon loves her family's summer cottage on the Connecticut River. She loves that her neighbors drop by any time and that the two little boys next door spend more time at her house than at theirs. She starts to question everything, though, when her sister Lander, a beautiful, almost-perfect pre-med student, is accused of murder. Miranda is certain that Lander's new boyfriend has something to do with it. But no one believed her when she said she thought she saw him drop a water skier in front a barge. So Miranda, with the help of a young neighbor, starts investigating on her own.
I thought this was one of Cooney's first adult novels, but I was wrong. This is one of her YA novels, and boy - is it a good one! It kept me guessing up until the end what was going on.
27Hope_H
Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography by Geoff Smith
NP - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
I really like the Little Golden Book biographies! This one is about Willie Nelson, classic outlaw country singer. The book mentions how he grew up fairly poor on his grandparents' farm, started singing professionally at age 10, went to Nashville as a songwriter and singer, and then to Austin where he developed his own sound. It also highlights his work with Farm Aid.
A nice book for young people and fans of Willie Nelson.
NP - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
I really like the Little Golden Book biographies! This one is about Willie Nelson, classic outlaw country singer. The book mentions how he grew up fairly poor on his grandparents' farm, started singing professionally at age 10, went to Nashville as a songwriter and singer, and then to Austin where he developed his own sound. It also highlights his work with Farm Aid.
A nice book for young people and fans of Willie Nelson.
28Hope_H
The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B. Cooney
273 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Freddy is kind of a disappointment to his family. He is a glassmaker, allegedly making lampwork beads for a living, when in reality, he makes more money making glass bongs and fancy pipes. He has, however, stepped up to care for his aging, Alzheimer's afflicted grandmother when his three sisters couldn't and his mom was killed in car accident out of the country. Freddy has had to put Grandma in a memory care facility, but he visits every day and actually has gotten to know some of the other families and helps with some of the other residents. Freddy's easy-going life hits a huge speed bump, though, when one of Grandma's friends at Middletown Memory Care is murdered. Freddy, realizing his income and friends are both sketchy, tries to figure out who could have killed Maude. He, along with Laura Maple, one of Memory Care's extended family, try to solve the murder on their own.
Pro:
Can fly through the last third of the book
Cooney really understand glass
Cooney talks about the dementia patients with great respect and she recognizes the different feelings that families may have
Con:
Large cast of characters
First two-thirds of the book dragged a little. I think it was because of how each of the characters was introduced.
The ending leaves some things open - Was Auburn really at Memory Care? Will Gary the Leper really leave Freddy alone? What will happen with the Charles Ives manuscript?
Her other books for adults are less frenetic, and more enjoyable, in my opinion.
273 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Freddy is kind of a disappointment to his family. He is a glassmaker, allegedly making lampwork beads for a living, when in reality, he makes more money making glass bongs and fancy pipes. He has, however, stepped up to care for his aging, Alzheimer's afflicted grandmother when his three sisters couldn't and his mom was killed in car accident out of the country. Freddy has had to put Grandma in a memory care facility, but he visits every day and actually has gotten to know some of the other families and helps with some of the other residents. Freddy's easy-going life hits a huge speed bump, though, when one of Grandma's friends at Middletown Memory Care is murdered. Freddy, realizing his income and friends are both sketchy, tries to figure out who could have killed Maude. He, along with Laura Maple, one of Memory Care's extended family, try to solve the murder on their own.
Pro:
Can fly through the last third of the book
Cooney really understand glass
Cooney talks about the dementia patients with great respect and she recognizes the different feelings that families may have
Con:
Large cast of characters
First two-thirds of the book dragged a little. I think it was because of how each of the characters was introduced.
The ending leaves some things open - Was Auburn really at Memory Care? Will Gary the Leper really leave Freddy alone? What will happen with the Charles Ives manuscript?
Her other books for adults are less frenetic, and more enjoyable, in my opinion.
29Hope_H
The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin
255 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The cover photos drew me to this book, and if I were rating it just on the photos in the book, it would be 5 stars. The photos are gorgeous, and almost makes me wish I had white woodwork and white closet doors. But. I don't want white woodwork and white closet doors. I would like my cupboards and closets as gorgeous as the ones pictured, but I would also like the book written from the standpoint of not having enough storage space for all the stuff you have to have - like the jumbo pack of toilet paper. (No, I don't have room for a tea station in my kitchen. I do have room for a few boxes of tea and tea bags, but not for an entire tea station. Seriously - who does??) I like some of the philosophy behind the book - there's a difference between organized and minimalism and that it is great to own things, but some of the advice is questionable. The authors show a home library. It has maybe 250 books - arranged in rainbow covers, with non-color-conforming books turned spine-side in. And the child's library has maybe 20 books. The best advice was for storing photos and other similar items and keepsakes. The storage bins and labels used were cool, but I don't know that most of us can completely replace what we already have.
I would read their other works and would like to see the workbooks that go along with this book, but I would really like to see them organize for a family of five living in a too-small farmhouse that sees four seasons. (Their photo of the boots also drove me nuts.) I want realism!
255 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The cover photos drew me to this book, and if I were rating it just on the photos in the book, it would be 5 stars. The photos are gorgeous, and almost makes me wish I had white woodwork and white closet doors. But. I don't want white woodwork and white closet doors. I would like my cupboards and closets as gorgeous as the ones pictured, but I would also like the book written from the standpoint of not having enough storage space for all the stuff you have to have - like the jumbo pack of toilet paper. (No, I don't have room for a tea station in my kitchen. I do have room for a few boxes of tea and tea bags, but not for an entire tea station. Seriously - who does??) I like some of the philosophy behind the book - there's a difference between organized and minimalism and that it is great to own things, but some of the advice is questionable. The authors show a home library. It has maybe 250 books - arranged in rainbow covers, with non-color-conforming books turned spine-side in. And the child's library has maybe 20 books. The best advice was for storing photos and other similar items and keepsakes. The storage bins and labels used were cool, but I don't know that most of us can completely replace what we already have.
I would read their other works and would like to see the workbooks that go along with this book, but I would really like to see them organize for a family of five living in a too-small farmhouse that sees four seasons. (Their photo of the boots also drove me nuts.) I want realism!
30Hope_H
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
300 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
An enchanting book that features a small ward library in Tokyo. The librarian, Sayuri Komachi, asks her patrons what they are looking for, and then she recommends some books and includes something quite surprising. Five loosely connected stories weave Komachi's magic into their tales - a saleswoman at a department store, a woman whose maternity leave derailed her career, a young man who failed to launch, a man who wants to quit his job and open an antiques store, and a man who recently retired, thereby losing his identity.
This was surprisingly good! While not "un-put-down-able," it was charming and engaging. Komachi claims her skill in matching people with books lies in the meaning people find in literature - something this former librarian can believe.
300 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
An enchanting book that features a small ward library in Tokyo. The librarian, Sayuri Komachi, asks her patrons what they are looking for, and then she recommends some books and includes something quite surprising. Five loosely connected stories weave Komachi's magic into their tales - a saleswoman at a department store, a woman whose maternity leave derailed her career, a young man who failed to launch, a man who wants to quit his job and open an antiques store, and a man who recently retired, thereby losing his identity.
This was surprisingly good! While not "un-put-down-able," it was charming and engaging. Komachi claims her skill in matching people with books lies in the meaning people find in literature - something this former librarian can believe.
31Hope_H
Simply the Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
382 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Rory Meadows doesn't do a lot right. Her business, a candy-based food truck, is sinking. Her desire to be a chocolatier is sinking. Her relationship with her Chicago Stars quarterback brother is sinking. Her relationship with her stepmother has sunk. And, the sports agent that she hooked up with at a party for her brother thinks she's a hooker. She's hoping to never see sports agent Brett Rivers again, but when her brother isn't answering either of their phone calls, they go to his house to find him. Instead they find her brother's girlfriend dead on his patio. Against her - and his - better judgment, Rory and Brett team up to try to clear her brother's name.
Cute, although I think the Chicago Stars books should be coming to an end.
382 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Rory Meadows doesn't do a lot right. Her business, a candy-based food truck, is sinking. Her desire to be a chocolatier is sinking. Her relationship with her Chicago Stars quarterback brother is sinking. Her relationship with her stepmother has sunk. And, the sports agent that she hooked up with at a party for her brother thinks she's a hooker. She's hoping to never see sports agent Brett Rivers again, but when her brother isn't answering either of their phone calls, they go to his house to find him. Instead they find her brother's girlfriend dead on his patio. Against her - and his - better judgment, Rory and Brett team up to try to clear her brother's name.
Cute, although I think the Chicago Stars books should be coming to an end.
32Hope_H
The Hunting Party: a novel by Lucy Foley
349 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Nine thirty-something friends from their college days in Oxford go on a New Year's Eve holiday in the Scottish Highlands. Emma, the group's newest member, has planned the outing. A few fine dinners have been planned, along with a hunt on the side of the mountain. The problem, though, with old friendships, is that sometimes, those friendships should have worn away long before this. As the champagne flows, so does the resentment among the friend group. Even Doug, the Highland guide, and Heather, the lodge's manager, can see the cracks in the group. But what wasn't anticipated was murder.
A deliciously crafted mystery, the reader doesn't know which of the nine friends is even the victim until the last few chapters, let alone who did it. Some of the nine are just there as window decoration, someone who can remind one of the characters "about that one time when that one thing happened," without being really important to the plot. We quickly see, though, who the five main suspects - for both victim and perpetrator - are. Doug and Heather are sympathetic characters. The members of the friendship group are quite unlikeable.
349 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Nine thirty-something friends from their college days in Oxford go on a New Year's Eve holiday in the Scottish Highlands. Emma, the group's newest member, has planned the outing. A few fine dinners have been planned, along with a hunt on the side of the mountain. The problem, though, with old friendships, is that sometimes, those friendships should have worn away long before this. As the champagne flows, so does the resentment among the friend group. Even Doug, the Highland guide, and Heather, the lodge's manager, can see the cracks in the group. But what wasn't anticipated was murder.
A deliciously crafted mystery, the reader doesn't know which of the nine friends is even the victim until the last few chapters, let alone who did it. Some of the nine are just there as window decoration, someone who can remind one of the characters "about that one time when that one thing happened," without being really important to the plot. We quickly see, though, who the five main suspects - for both victim and perpetrator - are. Doug and Heather are sympathetic characters. The members of the friendship group are quite unlikeable.
33Hope_H
Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt
372 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
I had read the first one in this series a while ago and wanted to read the main character's sister's story. That, apparently, is the third book in the series, and, since I have to read a series in order, I had read book two. Lady Hero Batten, sister to the Duke of Wakefield, is engaged to the Marquis of Mandeville. Except she meets his rakish brother, who makes his living distilling gin. Of course, Wakefield hates the gin trade. Hero eventually chooses the rakish brother.
Kind of ho-hum story. Hero grew tiresome (and what is up with the names of the characters - Hero, Temperance, Silence?) Her sister Phoebe, who for some reason is going blind, was probably the most interesting character. I think this book existed to tell us about the gin trade and lay out the major players so that the third book wasn't bogged down with it, as the villain in Book 2 is also the villain in Book 3. It also served to bring us up to speed with the St Giles Orphans and Foundlings Home so we are ready for Silence's story.
372 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
I had read the first one in this series a while ago and wanted to read the main character's sister's story. That, apparently, is the third book in the series, and, since I have to read a series in order, I had read book two. Lady Hero Batten, sister to the Duke of Wakefield, is engaged to the Marquis of Mandeville. Except she meets his rakish brother, who makes his living distilling gin. Of course, Wakefield hates the gin trade. Hero eventually chooses the rakish brother.
Kind of ho-hum story. Hero grew tiresome (and what is up with the names of the characters - Hero, Temperance, Silence?) Her sister Phoebe, who for some reason is going blind, was probably the most interesting character. I think this book existed to tell us about the gin trade and lay out the major players so that the third book wasn't bogged down with it, as the villain in Book 2 is also the villain in Book 3. It also served to bring us up to speed with the St Giles Orphans and Foundlings Home so we are ready for Silence's story.
34Hope_H
Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt
390 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Silence Hollingbrook, whose life was turned upside down when she saved her husband's ship from the clutches of pirate Mickey O'Connor, is now a widow working at her family's orphanage. She is the substitute mother for little Mary Darling, who receives gifts from an unknown benefactor each month. One day, Silence and little Mary are taken . . . by Mickey O'Connor. It is a bid to keep them safe, because his evil father is out to harm them. Will Mickey find himself protecting Silence, dangle from the end of a noose, or tangle with the "Vicar of Whitechapel"?
Much better than the previous entry in the series, Silence and Mickey were interesting, believable characters. I also found Silence's brothers to be intriguing characters. I'll probably wind up reading their stories, too.
390 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Silence Hollingbrook, whose life was turned upside down when she saved her husband's ship from the clutches of pirate Mickey O'Connor, is now a widow working at her family's orphanage. She is the substitute mother for little Mary Darling, who receives gifts from an unknown benefactor each month. One day, Silence and little Mary are taken . . . by Mickey O'Connor. It is a bid to keep them safe, because his evil father is out to harm them. Will Mickey find himself protecting Silence, dangle from the end of a noose, or tangle with the "Vicar of Whitechapel"?
Much better than the previous entry in the series, Silence and Mickey were interesting, believable characters. I also found Silence's brothers to be intriguing characters. I'll probably wind up reading their stories, too.
35Hope_H
Funny Story by Emily Henry
387 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Children's librarian Daphne used to love how her now ex-fiance used to tell how they met. She uprooted her life to move to his home in his Michigan hometown. But then, just a few months before their wedding, he left her for his best friend Petra, giving Daphne a week to find somewhere else to live. She moves in with Miles, Petra's ex-finace. While nursing their sorrows, the two become friends, to the point of posting deliberately misleading photos of themselves online. It's all just for show, because there is no way they could fall for each other - right?
Cute story. Both Miles and Daphne bring baggage to their relationships, and they both make missteps along the way. The supporting cast is good, too, as they help Daphne figure out who she really is and what she's really like.
387 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Children's librarian Daphne used to love how her now ex-fiance used to tell how they met. She uprooted her life to move to his home in his Michigan hometown. But then, just a few months before their wedding, he left her for his best friend Petra, giving Daphne a week to find somewhere else to live. She moves in with Miles, Petra's ex-finace. While nursing their sorrows, the two become friends, to the point of posting deliberately misleading photos of themselves online. It's all just for show, because there is no way they could fall for each other - right?
Cute story. Both Miles and Daphne bring baggage to their relationships, and they both make missteps along the way. The supporting cast is good, too, as they help Daphne figure out who she really is and what she's really like.
36Hope_H
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne
353 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have spent their entire lives working for a covert operation known to them as "The Museum," originally developed to hunt and kill former Nazis. The four women were trained as assassins. Now in their early 60's, the women were offered a retirement trip. While on this trip, they are targeted by an operative of The Museum. The women realize they've been marked for termination, and must rely on each other, their wits, and the protections they put in place long ago in order to survive.
This is a fun romp! We see the events mostly through Billie's eyes. She's cynical, but she has a sense of humor. The story is told with flashbacks detailing some of their work with the present day events. Over all, I really liked this one. A few details that were out of place: Billie is a year younger than I am. I was in college when she was - late 1970's. She made reference to the protest marches and bra-burning on her campus. Um - that was over by the time I hit campus. Those were over by the early 70's. Other than a few references like that, very well done.
353 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have spent their entire lives working for a covert operation known to them as "The Museum," originally developed to hunt and kill former Nazis. The four women were trained as assassins. Now in their early 60's, the women were offered a retirement trip. While on this trip, they are targeted by an operative of The Museum. The women realize they've been marked for termination, and must rely on each other, their wits, and the protections they put in place long ago in order to survive.
This is a fun romp! We see the events mostly through Billie's eyes. She's cynical, but she has a sense of humor. The story is told with flashbacks detailing some of their work with the present day events. Over all, I really liked this one. A few details that were out of place: Billie is a year younger than I am. I was in college when she was - late 1970's. She made reference to the protest marches and bra-burning on her campus. Um - that was over by the time I hit campus. Those were over by the early 70's. Other than a few references like that, very well done.
37Hope_H
You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke
408 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Elle Fielding, a newly-published best-selling author, is losing it all. She's behind on her mortgage, her husband has left her, building her cliff-top mansion has alienated her neighbors, her second book (that she hasn't started yet) is due in a few weeks, and, after renting out her house on AirBnB, something is different. A paperweight in her locked office has been cracked. Her late mother's brooch has gone missing. As the weeks go on, other strange things happen - she suffers from food poisoning, water is left running - ruining flooring, bedding, and ceilings, a window is left open, and she finds the word LIAR written in her books and carved into her desk. Is her insomnia getting the best of her, or is something more sinister going on? And how does this tie in to her past - specifically, one of her professors from her freshman year of college?
I had a hard time getting into this story. I did not like Elle, nor did I like her sister Fiona. I didn't even like the two librarians in her sister's book club. But, once I hit page 300, I couldn't put it down. There were a few surprises along the way, which is always good!
408 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Elle Fielding, a newly-published best-selling author, is losing it all. She's behind on her mortgage, her husband has left her, building her cliff-top mansion has alienated her neighbors, her second book (that she hasn't started yet) is due in a few weeks, and, after renting out her house on AirBnB, something is different. A paperweight in her locked office has been cracked. Her late mother's brooch has gone missing. As the weeks go on, other strange things happen - she suffers from food poisoning, water is left running - ruining flooring, bedding, and ceilings, a window is left open, and she finds the word LIAR written in her books and carved into her desk. Is her insomnia getting the best of her, or is something more sinister going on? And how does this tie in to her past - specifically, one of her professors from her freshman year of college?
I had a hard time getting into this story. I did not like Elle, nor did I like her sister Fiona. I didn't even like the two librarians in her sister's book club. But, once I hit page 300, I couldn't put it down. There were a few surprises along the way, which is always good!
38Hope_H
The Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute
257 p. - ★ ★ ★
Hmmm - I had to read this one for a few church committees I'm on. I understand the principles behind this book, and can buy into them/agree with them. However - the how this book is written drove me bonkers. The dialog is SO unrealistic, and that is primarily how the information is conveyed. If this had been presented as strictly nonfiction - without the story of Lou and Carol around the information - this could have been completed in thirty pages.
Most important: The Influence Pyramid:
Correct
Teach and Communicate
Listen and Learn
Build the Relationship
Build Relationships with Others who Have Influence
Get Out of the Box - Obtain a Heart at Peace
257 p. - ★ ★ ★
Hmmm - I had to read this one for a few church committees I'm on. I understand the principles behind this book, and can buy into them/agree with them. However - the how this book is written drove me bonkers. The dialog is SO unrealistic, and that is primarily how the information is conveyed. If this had been presented as strictly nonfiction - without the story of Lou and Carol around the information - this could have been completed in thirty pages.
Most important: The Influence Pyramid:
Correct
Teach and Communicate
Listen and Learn
Build the Relationship
Build Relationships with Others who Have Influence
Get Out of the Box - Obtain a Heart at Peace
39Hope_H
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
387 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Steve is a retired cop living in the New Forest in the UK. He's very lonely since his wife passed away. He's not really close to his son Adam, but he adores his daughter-in-law Amy. Amy works for Maximum Impact, an elite security firm. She's on assignment in South Carolina, protecting best-selling author Rosie D'Antonio. When some of their lower list clients start getting murdered, Amy's boss contacts her and tells her she may be in danger. Then her boss disappears. Amy, Rosie, and Steve put their heads together to try to figure out what is going on and who is behind the murders.
I did not like this one as much as I liked the Thursday Murder Club series. This one got off to a much slower start. Other than the true villain, the bad guys really aren't all that bad. There was also a large cast of characters, so it was difficult at first to figure out who was important to the story. In the end, it was kind of easy to figure out who the villains were, because everyone else was tied up - some literally! By the end of the novel, the pace had picked up. I think will enjoy this series, too.
387 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Steve is a retired cop living in the New Forest in the UK. He's very lonely since his wife passed away. He's not really close to his son Adam, but he adores his daughter-in-law Amy. Amy works for Maximum Impact, an elite security firm. She's on assignment in South Carolina, protecting best-selling author Rosie D'Antonio. When some of their lower list clients start getting murdered, Amy's boss contacts her and tells her she may be in danger. Then her boss disappears. Amy, Rosie, and Steve put their heads together to try to figure out what is going on and who is behind the murders.
I did not like this one as much as I liked the Thursday Murder Club series. This one got off to a much slower start. Other than the true villain, the bad guys really aren't all that bad. There was also a large cast of characters, so it was difficult at first to figure out who was important to the story. In the end, it was kind of easy to figure out who the villains were, because everyone else was tied up - some literally! By the end of the novel, the pace had picked up. I think will enjoy this series, too.
