Joy (jlshall) Keeps It Simple in 2024

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by. I’m Joy (“jlshall” here at LibraryThing), and I’ve been doing the Category Challenges since 2012, although I didn’t participate during this past year.

I was a little hesitant about the 2024 challenge. 2023 was a rough year for me – some major life changes kept me from doing any reading at all for the first few months. But, little by little, I’ve started up again. Reading has helped me through rough times in the past, and the Category Challenge has always helped keep me focused and on track. And I’m hoping it will go on doing that.

I’m keeping things very simple for 2024. No themes or set goals. If I can read one or two books a month, I’ll feel like I’ve been successful. So I’m just using months of the year as my categories. But I’ve always loved the AlphaKIT, so I think I’ll give that a try. No BingoDOG this year – it requires a little too much commitment. I’m not sure about the other CATs and KITs, but CalendarCAT and RandomKIT both look interesting – I might drop in now and then.

And… I think that’s the plan. At least for now. If there’s one thing this year has taught me it’s that life doesn’t always go according to plan. So we’ll see what develops.

(Originally posted 12/29/2023)

Reserved for lists, notes, rants, random babbling….

AlphaKIT

My favorite of all the CATs and KITs. I love the way it helps me decide what to read each month, and I need that more than ever.



• The Wiki for the 2024 AlphaKIT is HERE.

• The 2024 AlphaKIT main thread is HERE.

Letters / Reading for 2024:

YEARLONG: X Z . . . (Yearlong Thread)
• The Donaldson Case, by Diana Xarissa (2016)
•

JANUARY: A Y . . . (January Thread)
• The New York Trilogy: City of Glass; Ghosts; The Locked Room, by Paul Auster (1985) (added to wiki)
• Heads You Lose, by Christianna Brand (1941) (added to wiki)

FEBRUARY: F E . . . (February Thread)
• Peril at End House, by Agatha Christie (1932) (added to wiki)
• World's Fair, by E.L. Doctorow (1985) (added to wiki)

MARCH: H R . . . (March Thread)
• The Road to Lichfield, by Penelope Lively (1977) (added to wiki)
• Last House, by Jessica Shattuck (2024) (added to wiki)

APRIL: U O . . . (April Thread)
• Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell (2020) (added to wiki)
• Unexpected Night, by Elizabeth Daly (1940) (added to wiki)

MAY: N P . . . (May Thread)
• Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty, by Alexander Larman (2024) (added to wiki)
• Oracle Night, by Paul Auster (2003) (added to wiki)

JUNE: J B . . . (June Thread)
• Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë (1847) (added to wiki)

JULY: I S . . . (July Thread)
• If Death Ever Slept, by Rex Stout (1957) (added to wiki)

AUGUST: M G . . . (August Thread)
• Grave Mistake, by Ngaio Marsh (1978) (added to wiki)

SEPTEMBER: V C . . . (September Thread)
• Final Curtain, by Ngaio Marsh (1947) (added to wiki)
• The House Takes a Vacation, by Jacqueline Davies; illus. by Lee White (2007) (added to wiki)

OCTOBER: D T . . . (October Thread)
• Du Iz Tak?, by Carson Ellis; illus. by author (2016) (added to wiki)
• The Dweller on the Threshold, by Robert Smythe Hichens (1911) (added to wiki)
• Have You Seen My Duckling?, by Nancy Tafuri; illus. by author (1984)
• Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler (2025)
• White Snow, Bright Snow, by Alvin Tresselt; illus. by Roger Duvoisin (1947)

NOVEMBER: L W . . . (November Thread)
• We'll Prescribe You a Cat, by Syou Ishida; trans. by E. Madison Shimoda (2023; 2024)
• Let Me Tell You What I Mean, by Joan Didion (2021)
• Every Time We Say Goodbye, by Natalie Jenner (2024)
• They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson; illus. by author (1940)

DECEMBER: K Q . . . (December Thread)
• The Queen of Poisons, by Robert Thorogood (2024)
• The X-Files: Ground Zero, by Kevin J. Anderson (1995)


............
(The image is from a children’s book illustration by the 19th Century British artist-illustrator Helena Maguire. I added the “ABC” text.)

CalendarCAT (just in case....)



• The Wiki for the 2024 CalendarCAT is HERE.

• The 2024 CalendarCAT planning thread is HERE.

JANUARY: ... (January Thread)
• Death and the Dancing Footman (Roderick Alleyn #11), by Ngaio Marsh (1941; the story takes place during a winter snowstorm) (added to wiki)

FEBRUARY: ... (February Thread)
• Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8), by Agatha Christie (1932; first published in February 1932) (added to wiki)

MARCH: ... (March Thread)
• The Road to Lichfield, by Penelope Lively (1977; author born in March 1933) (added to wiki)

APRIL: ... (April Thread)
• Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell (2020; subject of the book is the son of William Shakespeare, and Shakespeare was born and died in April) (added to wiki)

MAY: ... (May Thread)
• If Death Ever Slept (Nero Wolfe #29), by Rex Stout (1957; I actually read this in July, but the story is set in May, around Memorial Day, so I'm claiming it as my May book) (added to wiki)

JUNE: ... (June Thread)
• Death in a White Tie (Roderick Alleyn #7), by Ngaio Marsh (1938; the book's action takes place during the month of June) (added to wiki)

JULY: ... (July Thread)
•

AUGUST: ... (August Thread)
•

SEPTEMBER: ... (September Thread)
•

OCTOBER: ... (October Thread)
•

NOVEMBER: ... (November Thread)
•

DECEMBER: ... (December Thread)
•

............
(The image is a 1924 advertising calendar for Brainerd & Armstrong Spool Silk.

RandomKIT (also just in case)



• The Wiki for the 2024 RandomKIT is HERE.

• The 2024 RandomKIT planning thread is HERE.

JANUARY Topic: Early Birds ... (January Thread)
• Have You Seen My Duckling?, by Nancy Tafuri; illus. by author (1984)

FEBRUARY Topic: Escape or Rescue ... (February Thread)
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Christ Grabenstein (2013) (added to wiki)

MARCH Topic: World Wildlife Day ... (March Thread)
• The Little Island, by Margaret Wise Brown; illus. by Leonard Weisgard (1946)

APRIL Topic: Enchanting Garden Visitors ... (April Thread)
• Du Iz Tak?, by Carson Ellis; illus. by author (2016)

MAY Topic: Art & Architecture ... (May Thread)
• Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey, by Karen Wilkin (2009) (added to wiki)
• Toyland: Classic Illustrations of Children and Their Toys, by Pamela Prince; designed by Barry Zaid (1990)

JUNE Topic: Initials ... (June Thread) - My initials are J L S H
• Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty, by Alexander Larman (2024) (added to wiki)

JULY Topic: Favorites ... (July Thread)
• If Death Ever Slept, by Rex Stout (1957; a favorite series) (added to wiki)

AUGUST Topic: Titles you find interesting ... (August Thread)
• The Celery Stalks at Midnight, by James Howe (1983)

SEPTEMBER Topic: Weather ... (September Thread)
• White Snow, Bright Snow, by Alvin Tresselt; illus. by Roger Duvoisin (1947)

OCTOBER Topic: Tis the (Spooky) Season ... (October Thread)
• Welcome to Dead House, by R.L. Stine (1992; first book in the Goosebumps series of horror novellas for young readers)

NOVEMBER Topic: I Told It My Way ... (November Thread)
• Let Me Tell You What I Mean, by Joan Didion (2021)

DECEMBER Topic: Roll A Die and Wrap Up Your Year ... (December Thread)
• James, by Percival Everett (2024): I rolled a three (read a book for a BingoDOG category); this would fit several of those categories.

............
(The image is a study of cats by 19th Century Dutch-Belgian artist Henriette Ronner-Knip who was known for her paintings of domestic animals.)

I’ll add the monthly pages as the year goes along. So … I think I’m all set. Off to a brand new start in 2024.

Many thanks to all the challenge organizers and hosts. And another thank you to all the other challenge participants for the inspiration, recommendations, encouragement, etc.

And Happy Reading to everyone in 2024!

Good luck with your 2024 reading!

Welcome back and have fun with your reading!

Love all the vintage kitties. Good luck with your reading in 2024.

Good luck with your challenge.

I hope you find joy in reading in 2024! Oh, and I love the vintage cat pictures.

Welcome back, here's hoping 2024 is a very good year!

Wishing you some irresistible books in 2024!

Glad to see you back again. I hope 2024 is better for you.

Welcome back, and good luck with your 2024 reading!

Love the cat pictures. May you have some wonderful reading adventures in 2024.

Thank all of y'all for the visits and the kind wishes. I hope everyone gets a lot of great reading done this year! And I'm looking forward to seeing what you're reading and adding many more titles to my (already massive) "must read" list.

Just doing a little planning for possible AlphaKIT reads.

For most of my reading in 2024 I’ll be trying to use books already on my shelves. These are a few of the titles I’ve come up with for X and Z:

For “X” I’ll most likely read something by Diana Xarissa. I’ve been working my way through her Markham Sisters series and I’ve already got the next couple on my Kindle. I’ve also got one of the books in her Isle of Man (Aunt Bessie) series.

Also in my Kindle library: The Xibalba Murders, by Lyn Hamilton – first book in her Lara McLintoch Archaeological Mysteries series. Though I’m not sure I really need to be starting yet another new series.

And I think I’ve got at least one of the X-Files TV-show tie-in novels, so that would be another maybe.

For “Z” I have books by Zora Neale Hurston, and Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I also have Save Me the Waltz, by Zelda Fitzgerald, though I’ve tried to read it several times over the years and never made it past the first few pages.

Welcome back, and I hope 2024 will be a good year for you!

>19 MissWatson: Thanks, and I hope the same for you!

JANUARY Reads



1. City of Glass (New York Trilogy #1), by Paul Auster (1985)
2. Ghosts (New York Trilogy #2), by Paul Auster (1986)
3. The Locked Room (New York Trilogy #3), by Paul Auster (1986)
4. Heads You Lose (Inspector Cockrill #1), by Christianna Brand (1941)

1. City of Glass (New York Trilogy #1), by Paul Auster (1985)



Read: Jan 1-9, 2024
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

I usually start my reading year with a mystery, and this is definitely a mystery. In fact, it was nominated for an Edgar award as Best Mystery Novel in 1986. But it's also definitely not in the "whodunnit" category I generally read. It's more of a "what's-going-on-here?" mystery, with Auster playing around with themes of reality and identity, and doing it in a highly entertaining manner.

City of Glass was my introduction to Paul Auster and it's made me want to read the other two volumes in the New York Trilogy. It's also made me want to re-read Poe's "William Wilson" -- obviously a work Auster had in mind when he wrote this.

>22 jlshall: A BB for me! Also, I've read a lot of Poe, but not heard this one--also going to secure!

>23 Tess_W: It's been many years since I read Poe's story, and I only have vague memories of it. But I love Poe, so I welcome any reason to re-read one of his tales.

And now I'm becoming a Paul Auster fan, too! Moving on to the other two books in the trilogy.

2. Ghosts (New York Trilogy #2), by Paul Auster (1986)



Read: Jan 10-11, 2024
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

Novella-length second entry in Auster's New York Trilogy. This is the detective story stripped down to basics: one man, the private detective Blue, is hired by a second man, White, to watch a third man, Black, and to make regular reports on everything Black does. All the character names are colors: As well as Blue, Black, and White, we eventually get Brown, Green, Grey, Gold, Red, and Violet.

Blue rents a room in the building across from the building in which Black has his own room (on Orange Street), with a window that looks directly into Black's window. He settles in and gets started on his assignment – watching Black. And so it goes ... the case continues on for years, with Blue watching Black's every move – or at least every move he can see from his window. And when Black ventures out of his room onto the streets of New York City, Blue follows him, sometimes even donning disguises in the process, Sherlock Holmes-style. (Even though, at one point, Blue tells his mentor, Brown, that he (Blue) is not the Sherlock Holmes type.)

Blue has a fiancée who is referred to only as "the future Mrs. Blue." He tells her he will come back to her when the case is concluded. He thinks about her constantly during all the years he's on the case, but doesn't see her or get in touch with her. Eventually he runs into her (almost literally) on the street, walking arm-in-arm with another man. When she sees him, she starts screaming and beating on his chest, calling him names and accusing him of terrible crimes. The other man pulls her away from Blue and leads her off. She's now referred to as "the ex-future Mrs. Blue" and Blue "realizes that he has thrown away his life." But the case goes on a while longer. There is still a mystery to solve and a lot to happen between Blue and Black, as well as some surprising developments with White, who turns out to be even more mysterious than he seemed in the beginning.

I loved this strange little tale. Loved the way it pares down the mystery genre to its core essentials, and also loved the playfulness and wit. Now I'm ready to take on the third book in the trilogy.

>25 jlshall: Sounds interesting. I will look up book # 1!

3. The Locked Room (The New York Trilogy #3), by Paul Auster (1986)



Read: Jan 12-19, 2024
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Final book in Auster's New York Trilogy, and probably (in my opinion, anyway) the weakest of the three works.

It's a complicated story. But briefly the basics are this: A writer named Fanshawe disappears, leaving behind a wife, a new baby, and his life's work of unpublished novels, plays and poems. His boyhood friend (who is also a writer and the narrator of the novel) agrees to become a sort of literary executor, taking charge of all the manuscripts and seeing that they get published. Along the way, this friend gets involved with Fanshawe's wife and eventually becomes obsessively entangled in the life Fanshawe left behind.

As I said, I think this one doesn't quite come up to the standard of the other two novels in the trilogy, but it's still a great read. So glad I've finally read something by Paul Auster. It's nice to add a new favorite author to my list, even though it took me a long time to discover him.

4. Heads You Lose (Inspector Cockrill #1), by Christianna Brand (1941)



Read: Jan 22-31, 2024
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭

Classic country house mystery. A group of close friends are enjoying their stay at Pigeonsford Estate. Then one of the group is found decapitated in a snowy ditch. But everyone is either a member of the same family, a close friend, or one of the villagers who've all known each other for years. No one seems a likely suspect. And there doesn't appear to be any reason for the murder. At first, anyway. Of course, by the middle of the story, it seems that just about everyone had motive, means, and opportunity. And Inspector Cockrill has a thoroughly baffling case on his hands.

I enjoyed this one, although the solution to the murders seemed a little far-fetched. I did guess who the culprit was fairly early on, but not the why or how.

There's definitely a lot of what we would now consider racist content in the book, some of which would probably have been disturbing even at the time. I don't think of myself as particularly sensitive to that sort of thing, but I believe it did influence my feelings about the series. But I liked the Inspector, so I might give him another chance.

>28 jlshall: I've recorded 5 Inspector Cockrill books on LT, and this one is the weakest, so I hope you like the others. Green for Danger is a classic.

FEBRUARY Reads



1. Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8), by Agatha Christie (1932)
2. World's Fair, by E.L. Doctorow (1985)
3. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein (2013)

PrizeCAT

Adding another category. I probably won't be able to keep up with this every month, but I've got many prize-winners on my TBR lists and on my shelves. And this seems like a good way to help me get a few of them read.



• The Wiki for the 2024 PrizeCAT is HERE.

• The 2024 PrizeCAT planning thread is HERE.

JANUARY: Long-Running Prizes ... (January Thread)
•

FEBRUARY: A Prize from Your Own Country ... (February Thread)
• World's Fair, by E.L. Doctorow (1985): 1986 Winner, National Book Awards (USA) (added to wiki)

MARCH: A Prize That's New to You ... (March Thread)
• Experimental Film, by Gemma Files (2015): Shirley Jackson Award for Novel 2015; Sunburst Award for Adult 2016 (added to wiki)

APRIL: Women's Writing ... (April Thread)
• Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell (2020): Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 (added to wiki

MAY: Doubling Up (books that won two or more awards) ... (May Thread)
•

JUNE: Book Lists ... (June Thread)
• Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë (1847): On The Guardian's List of 100 Best Novels, and just about every other "Must Read" list there is. (added to wiki)

JULY: A Prize from a Country Other than Your Own ... (July Thread)
•

AUGUST: Genre Prizes ... (August Thread)
•

SEPTEMBER: A prize winner that fits another September CAT/KIT ... (September Thread) ("prize winners" also includes long- and short-listed titles)
•

OCTOBER: Missed It By That Much (a book on a shortlist/longlist that didn't win) ... (October Thread)
• Du Iz Tak?, by Carson Ellis; illus. by author (2016): 2017 Caldecott Honor Book
• Have You Seen My Duckling?, by Nancy Tafuri; illus. by author (1984): 1985 Caldecott Honor Book

NOVEMBER: Children's Book Awards ... (November Thread)
• The Little Island, by Margaret Wise Brown; illus. by Leonard Weisgard (1946): 1947 Caldecott Medal Winner
• They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson; illus. by author (1940): 1941 Caldecott Medal Winner

DECEMBER: A Prize of Your Choice (winner or nominee) ... (December Thread)
• James, by Percival Everett (2024): 2024 National Book Award for Fiction

............
The image is an old photo of Fulmer Zaida, a champion show cat born in 1895.

>31 jlshall: Great picture. No wonder that beautiful cat was a champion.

>32 lowelibrary: Yes! He won over a hundred prizes. Reminds me of a Persian kitty I once had.

5. Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8), by Agatha Christie (1932)



Read: Feb 2-9, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

I read a lot of the later Poirot novels when I was a teenager, and now I'm slowly reading my way through the early books. I knew "whodunnit" in this one, as I'd seen the British ITV version, with David Suchet as Poirot. But that didn't keep me from enjoying the read.

6. World's Fair: A Novel, by E.L. Doctorow (1985)



Read: Feb 10-22, 2024
Fiction / Historical Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

7. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein (2013)



Read: Feb 2-28, 2024
Children's Fiction / Middle Grade / Young Adult
Rating: ✭✭✭½

MARCH Reads



1. The Road to Lichfield, by Penelope Lively (1977)
2. Experimental Film, by Gemma Files (2015)
3. Last House, by Jessica Shattuck (2024)

8. The Road to Lichfield, by Penelope Lively (1977)



Read: Mar 1-7, 2024
Fiction / Women's Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

9. Experimental Film, by Gemma Files (2015)



Read: Mar 7-17, 2024
Fiction / Horror / Suspense
Rating: ✭✭✭½

10. Last House, by Jessica Shattuck (2024)



Read: Mar 17 - Apr 3, 2024
Fiction / Historical Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

APRIL Reads



1. After Annie, by Anna Quindlen (2024)
2. Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell (2020)
3. Unexpected Night (Henry Gamadge #1), by Elizabeth Daly (1940)

11. After Annie, by Anna Quindlen (2024)



Read: Apr 1-12, 2024
Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭½

12. Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell (2020)



Read: Apr 13-28, 2024
Fiction / Historical Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭

13. Unexpected Night (Henry Gamadge #1), by Elizabeth Daly (1940)



Read: Apr 25 - May 1, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭

MAY Reads



........

1. The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, by Sarah McCammon (2024)
2. Oracle Night, by Paul Auster (2003)
3. Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty, by Alexander Larman (2024)
4. Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey, by Karen Wilkin (2009)
5. Toyland: Classic Illustrations of Children and Their Toys, by Pamela Prince; designed by Barry Zaid (1990)

14. The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, by Sarah McCammon (2024)



Read: May 2 - May 7, 2024
Nonfiction / Memoir / Cultural History / Religion
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

15. Oracle Night, by Paul Auster (2003)



Read: May 18 - May 31, 2024
Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

16. Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty, by Alexander Larman (2024)



Read: May 1 - June 5, 2024
Nonfiction / History / Biography
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

17. Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey, by Karen Wilkin (2009)



Read: May 3, 2024
Art / Art History
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

----------

18. Toyland: Classic Illustrations of Children and Their Toys, by Pamela Prince; designed by Barry Zaid (1990)



Read: May 2024
Art / Art History / Children's Literature
Rating: ✭✭✭½

JUNE Reads



......

1. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë (1847)

19. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë (1847)



Read: June 2024
Fiction / Classics / Romance
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

JULY Reads



......

1. If Death Ever Slept (Nero Wolfe #29), by Rex Stout (1957)
2. Death and the Dancing Footman (Roderick Alleyn #11), by Ngaio Marsh (1941)

......

20. If Death Ever Slept (Nero Wolfe #29), by Rex Stout (1957)



Read: July 18-24, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

21. Death and the Dancing Footman (Roderick Alleyn #11), by Ngaio Marsh (1941)



Read: Jan - July, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭

I started reading this in January, mainly as my book for CalendarCAT. The story takes place during a winter snowstorm, so that fit with the winter theme. But the book and I never really "clicked," and I kept setting it aside for other books. Finally picked it up again and finished it in July, so I'm claiming it as a July read, but also using it as my January CalendarCAT book. I hope that's legal.

......

AUGUST Reads



......

1. Grave Mistake (Roderick Alleyn #30), by Ngaio Marsh (1978)
2. Death in a White Tie (Roderick Alleyn #7), by Ngaio Marsh (1938)
3. The Celery Stalks at Midnight (Bunnicula & Friends #3), by James Howe; illus. by Leslie H. Morrill (1983)

>54 jlshall: That is perfectly legal. The thing I love most about the Category Challenge is that there are no rules.

>56 lowelibrary: Me, too! I think the no-rules policy is probably the main reason that the Category Challenge is so much fun.

22. Grave Mistake (Roderick Alleyn #30), by Ngaio Marsh (1978)



Read: Aug 5-13, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭½

23. Death in a White Tie (Roderick Alleyn #7), by Ngaio Marsh (1938)



Read: Aug 15-31, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

SEPTEMBER Reads



......

1. Final Curtain (Roderick Alleyn #14). Ngaio Marsh (1947)
2. The House Takes a Vacation. Jacqueline Davies; illus. by Lee White (2007)

>58 jlshall: Those are very stylish covers!

>61 MissWatson: Yes, I think so, too. I've been reading the Kindle editions of the series, and I was surprised the covers were so well designed. Not what you usually find with Kindle books.

24. Final Curtain (Roderick Alleyn #14), by Ngaio Marsh (1947)



Read: Sep 12-30, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Chose this as my “C” book for the September AlphaKIT challenge. I seem to be reading a lot of the Inspector Alleyn books this year. I read several of them many years ago and enjoyed them all, but for some reason I never tried to complete the series. Which turns out to be a good thing because now I’ve still got lots of them left to enjoy.

Final Curtain divides almost exactly into two parts. The first 50 percent (or so) of the novel consists of all the “leading-up-to” action. This is pretty typical of the series. The first half of an Inspector Alleyn novel is frequently almost a comedy of manners, though overlaid with a distinctive touch of foreboding, and ending with a death that doesn’t always initially appear to be murder. And then the second half takes on a more familiar mystery form.

The first half of this particular book doesn’t include Roderick Alleyn at all. He’s at sea, on his way home after being away for several years doing war work in New Zealand. And while she waits for his arrival, his young wife (well-known artist Agatha Troy) accepts a commission from the aristocratic and theatrical Ancred family. She’s to stay at the family estate, Ancreton Manor, and paint a portrait of the patriarch, famous Shakespearean actor Sir Henry Ancred, who will appear in full costume as Macbeth. It’s one of his greatest roles and the family wants the painting finished in time for the great man’s birthday. At first Troy refuses, but after a meeting with one of the Ancred sons, she becomes interested and accepts the job. The family turns out to be just as eccentric as she’s been told, and the time she spends in their midst is filled with intrigue, drama and, finally, the death we’ve all been waiting for. Then, in the second half, Alleyn arrives home, Troy tells him of her adventure among the Ancreds, and (inevitably, of course), an investigation develops and we move into more recognizable mystery novel territory.

Agatha Troy is one of my favorite fictional characters and Final Curtain allows us to spend a nice long chunk of time with her. That was fun. And the mystery was sufficiently hard to figure out – I really wasn’t sure who the murderer was until very late in the story. I’m generally not very good at figuring out whodunnit in mystery novels, so if I do guess the culprit early-on, then I count that as not a very successful mystery. This one kept me guessing.

My one complaint (and it’s a nit-picky point) is that the story slowed down considerably for a while in the middle, while Alleyn was being brought up to speed and the plot was thickening. There was just a little too much “telling, not showing” and things bogged down a bit. But they picked up again fairly quickly, so I’d say it was a solid 4-star read.

25. The House Takes a Vacation, by Jacqueline Davies; illus. by Lee White (2007)



Read: Sep 30, 2024
Children's Picture Book
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

OCTOBER Reads



......

Adult and Middle Grade Children's Lit:
1. The Dweller on the Threshold. Robert Smythe Hichens (1911)
2. Three Days in June. Anne Tyler (2025)
3. Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps #1). R.L. Stine (1992)

Children's Picture Books:
4. Du Iz Tak?. Carson Ellis; illus. by author (2016; 2017 Caldecott Honor Book)
5. Have You Seen My Duckling?. Nancy Tafuri; illus. by author (1984; 1985 Caldecott Honor Book)
6. White Snow, Bright Snow. Alvin Tresselt; illus. by Roger Duvoisin (1947; 1948 Caldecott Medal Winner)

26. The Celery Stalks at Midnight (Bunnicula #3), by James Howe; illus. by Leslie H. Morrill (1983)



Read: August, 2024
Children's Fiction / Children's Lit: Middle Grade
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

27. The Dweller on the Threshold, by Robert Smythe Hichens (1911)



Read: Oct 7-14, 2024
Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭

........
The cover pictured here is the first US edition from 1911. Not a shot of the book I read.

28. Du Iz Tak?, by Carson Ellis; illus. by author (2016; 2017 Caldecott Honor Book)



Read: Oct 4, 2024
Children's Picture Book
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

I will have more to say about this one. For now, I'll just say it's easily my favorite of all the books I've read this year! I guess that does say something about my mental development, but it's just a wonderful book.

29. White Snow, Bright Snow, by Alvin Tresselt; illus. by Roger Duvoisin (1947; 1948 Caldecott Medal)



Read: Oct 4, 2024
Children's Picture Book
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

30. Have You Seen My Duckling?, by Nancy Tafuri; illus. by author (1984; 1985 Caldecott Honor Book)



Read: Oct 7, 2024
Children's Picture Book
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

31. Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps #1), by R.L. Stine (1992)



Read: Oct 18-21, 2024
Children's Fiction / Children's Lit: Middle Grade / Horror
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

32. We'll Prescribe You a Cat, by Syou Ishida; trans. by E. Madison Shimoda (2023; 2024)



Read: Oct 26 - Nov 2, 2024
Fiction / Literary Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

NOVEMBER Reads



......

Adult Fiction and Nonfiction:
1. We'll Prescribe You a Cat, by Syou Ishida; trans. by E. Madison Shimoda (2023; 2024)
2. Let Me Tell You What I Mean, by Joan Didion (2021)
3. Every Time We Say Goodbye, by Natalie Jenner (2024)

Children's Picture Books:
3. The Little Island, by Margaret Wise Brown; illus. by Leonard Weisgard (1946; 1947 Caldecott Medal Winner)
4. They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson; illus. by author (1940; 1941 Caldecott Medal Winner)

>72 jlshall:. My first BB of November goes to this book.

>74 lowelibrary: I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. It's a strange little book, sort of Japanese magical realism. But as a cat lover, I thought it was definitely intriguing.

33. Three Days in June: A Novel, by Anne Tyler (2025)



Read: Oct 15 - Nov 11, 2024
Fiction / Literary Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Expected publication date is February 2025 (by Knopf). I might have more to say about this one a little closer to the publication date. Right now, I'll just say I really enjoyed it. In fact, I liked it much more than I thought I would when I started reading the ARC (thank you to NetGalley!), but I should have trusted Anne Tyler to deliver a solid read.

Here's the description from the publisher:
"Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

"But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past."

34. They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson; illus. by author (1940; 1941 Caldecott Medal)



Read: Nov 16, 2024
Children's Picture Book
Rating: ✭✭✭

35. The Little Island, by Margaret Wise Brown; illus. by Leonard Weisgard (1946; 1947 Caldecott Medal)



Read: Nov 11, 2024
Children's Picture Book
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

36. Let Me Tell You What I Mean, by Joan Didion (2021)



Read: Nov 2-15, 2024
Nonfiction / Essays / Journalism
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

37. Every Time We Say Goodbye, by Natalie Jenner (2024)



Read: Nov 6-16, 2024
Fiction / Historical Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭

38. The Queen of Poisons (Marlow Murder Club #3), by Robert Thorogood (2024)



Read: Nov 16-28, 2024
Fiction / Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭

In their third outing, Judith, Suzie and Becks – the Marlow Murder Club – are helping the police investigate the death of Marlow’s mayor, Geoffrey Lushington, who has died during a town council meeting. When traces of aconite (known as the queen of poisons) are found in his coffee cup, the police realize he was murdered. But who did it? And why? The mayor was an affable and popular figure – so why would anyone want to kill him? And how did they get the poison into his coffee? And is anyone else in danger? This is a difficult case and the police bring the Murder Club ladies in as civilian advisors right from the start, so they are free to investigate whatever, whoever, and however they want. But this case has everyone stumped, including the three members of the Murder Club.

I loved the first book in this series (The Marlow Murder Club, from 2021), but thought the second book (Death Comes to Marlow, 2023) was a definite falling off. So I had high hopes for this third installment, but I was (sadly) once again disappointed. Not a bad read, just nowhere near as entertaining as that first book. I think the main thing that bothered me was the idea of Judith and her pals being more or less official members of the police task force on this case. They no longer have to finagle their way into the investigation. They don’t need to find amusingly devious ways to insinuate themselves, and that takes away most of the fun. Also, now that the gals are legitimate, they have a tendency to become positively overbearing – which is completely out of character and just doesn’t work. So, now I’m just waiting for book number four and hoping it gets the series back on track.

DECEMBER Reads



......

Adult Fiction and Nonfiction:
1. The X-Files: Ground Zero, by Kevin J. Anderson (1995)
2. James, by Percival Everett (2024)
3. The Donaldson Case, by Diana Xarissa (2016)

Children's Picture Books:
1.
2.

39. The X-Files: Ground Zero (X-Files #3), by Kevin J. Anderson (1995)



Read: Dec 1-9, 2024
Science Fiction / Sci-Fi Fantasy / Thriller
Rating: ✭✭✭

Dr. Emil Gregory, a renowned nuclear weapons researcher, dies under strange circumstances -- he's not just dead, he's been charred to a radioactive cinder. Then several other people are found dead, all killed in the same fashion, though not all of them have a connection to nuclear research. Since this is clearly an "X-File" case, FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are called in to handle the investigation. Of course, it soon becomes obvious that these deaths can't possibly be a coincidence. And as Mulder and Scully work to uncover the unifying element, it also becomes clear that this case could have fatal consequences for the entire world.

I've had this on my Kindle for a few years now, and decided to read it for the AlphaKIT year-long category (letters X and Z). I don't usually read movie or TV show tie-in books. So even though I was a huge fan of the X-Files TV show, I was a little skeptical about the book. But it turned out to be surprisingly well-written, and very true to the show's general mood and the personalities of the two main characters. And the story was intriguing and fast-paced. If it had focused a little more on Mulder and not quite so much on Scully, I would have given it a bit higher rating. But it was definitely a fun read.

40. The Donaldson Case (Markham Sisters #4), by Diana Xarissa (2016)



Read: Dec 15-18, 2024
Fiction / Cozy Mystery
Rating: ✭✭✭

Another entry in Xarissa’s series of novella-length cozy mysteries featuring Janet and Joan Markham, two unmarried sisters who have retired to the British village of Doveby Dale and opened a bed and breakfast. In this installment, while the sisters are getting the B&B ready for some new guests, Janet discovers a hidden panel in the library. Inside the hidden space is a piggy bank and inside the piggy bank is a key that doesn’t open any door in the house or any of the out-buildings.

While Janet is eager to find out what the key does open, sister Joan doesn’t show much interest. Joan is busy romancing their attractive neighbor, Michael Donaldson. Michael is the former owner of the local pharmacy and has recently been filling in while the new owner is in the hospital. So when drugs go missing and the police are called in, Michael falls under suspicion and Joan is more interested in helping solve Michael’s case.

Eventually, of course, both mysteries are solved.

These Markham Sisters mysteries are the coziest of cozies. There’s no real violence, and sometimes not even much excitement. But the sisters are fun and their adventures are an amusing read. I find them charming and very relaxing. This installment was just a little less satisfying than the three that came before it – so just three stars.

41. James, by Percival Everett (2024)



Read: Dec 10-26, 2024
Fiction / Historical Fiction
Rating: ✭✭✭½

Percival Everett’s James is a reworking (or retelling) of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from the point of view of the slave Jim. It won the 2024 National Book Award for fiction, was short-listed for the Booker Prize, and has been one of the most talked-about books of the year. I generally stay away from reworkings of literary classics, but Huckleberry Finn is one of my all-time favorite books, so I decided to take a look.

Almost every review I’ve read of Everett’s novel has included some version of the opinion that “retellings are tricky.” That’s very true. And it’s also true that (what with the current popularity of the genre), this is obviously a book that was destined to be written.

Actually, James is more of a spin-off than a retelling. The basic story is still there in the background and a lot of the characters are taken from Twain’s novel, but Everett’s book is really a separate entity. He certainly does a masterful job of “fleshing out” the character of Jim. He also shows in deep and incredibly painful detail what it must have felt like to live as a slave in the American South, and makes the reader understand (and feel) the horrors James/Jim would have faced in that life. In Everett’s tale, James emerges as not just a fully realized character, but a truly noble man.

Of course, Twain’s Jim was already a noble character. He acts as a father figure to Huck and is really the moral center of the novel. He may lack the self-educated polish of James, but he is honest, tolerant, caring, and thoughtful, and does his best to impart these traits to the young Huckleberry. And since the original tale is told from Huck’s point of view, Jim is also something of a mystery throughout Twain’s book, and I guess that’s one of the things that make him so attractive. And so available for fleshing-out.

But even though I appreciated Everett’s literary achievement in James, I didn’t actually enjoy the book as much as I hoped I would. It was so relentlessly dark, without any of the satirical feel of the parent novel. Much of the time I felt like I was being manipulated and battered. I know Everett had a point to make, but so did Twain, and whenever I re-read Huckleberry Finn I never come away with those feelings. So, I’m not sure I’d actually recommend James to other readers, but that won’t keep me from reading more of Everett’s work.