LibraryLover23's 2024 Reading List

2024 Reading List

January
1. Life Among The Savages by Shirley Jackson
2. System Collapse by Martha Wells
3. Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs: The Left Bank World Of Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer
4. Dominicana by Angie Cruz
5. Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay
6. Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson

February
7. The Liars' Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr
8. The Outsider by Stephen King
9. The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman
10. Baghdad Without A Map And Other Misadventures In Arabia by Tony Horwitz
11. A History Of The World In 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
12. Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories Of People Like You On The Quest For Financial Independence―And How To Join Them by JL Collins

March
13. Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter & Organize To Make More Room For Happiness by Gretchen Rubin
14. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
15. The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton

April
16. Unsolved Mysteries Of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey Through 500 Years Of Discoveries, Disappearances, And Baffling Events by Paul Aron
17. Cat About Town by Cate Conte
18. In This House Of Brede by Rumer Godden
19. Brief Answers To The Big Questions by Stephen Hawking
20. Elevation by Stephen King
21. Outsider by Linda Castillo
22. Thirteen Ways Of Looking by Colum McCann
23. How To Manifest: Bring Your Goals Into Alignment With The Alchemy Of The Universe by Gill Thackray
24. One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
25. Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond

May
26. I Is For Innocent by Sue Grafton
27. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
28. What To Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide by Michelle Singletary
29. The House At Sea's End by Elly Griffiths
30. Dead Simple by Peter James

June
31. Glass Houses by Louise Penny
32. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles
33. More Book Lust: 1,000 New Reading Recommendations For Every Mood, Moment, And Reason by Nancy Pearl
34. It's A Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn
35. A Distant View Of Everything by Alexander McCall Smith

July
36. Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
37. Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount
38. The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
39. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, And The Last Trial Of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
40. The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith

August
41. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
42. Keeping Life Simple: 7 Guiding Principles, 500 Tips & Ideas by Karen Levine
43. The Jellyfish Season by Mary Downing Hahn
44. Plain And Simple: A Woman’s Journey To The Amish by Sue Bender
45. Agatha Raisin And The Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton
46. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

September
47. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
48. A Bintel Brief: Sixty Years Of Letters From The Lower East Side To The Jewish Daily Forward edited by Isaac Metzker
49. The Institute by Stephen King
50. Ranch Of Dreams: The Heartwarming Story Of America's Most Unusual Animal Sanctuary by Cleveland Amory
51. Ex Libris: Confessions Of A Common Reader by Anne Fadiman

October
52. Fallen by Linda Castillo
53. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller
54. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
55. A Mystery Of Mysteries: The Death And Life Of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak

November
56. Our Town by Thornton Wilder
57. A Christmas Memory / One Christmas / The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote
58. 7 Days Of Christmas: A Season Of Generosity by Jen Hatmaker
59. Dinner For Vampires: Life On A Cult TV Show While Also In An Actual Cult! by Bethany Joy Lenz
60. What Time The Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

December
61. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

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Welcome back!

Happy New Year! I hope 2024 is good to you.

Happy reading in 2024!

Happy New Year!!

Happy new year!

>4 drneutron:, >5 BLBera:, >6 FAMeulstee:, >7 Berly:, >8 PaulCranswick: Thanks, all! Happy New Year!

1. Life Among The Savages by Shirley Jackson (241 p.)
While Jackson is known for her horror stories like The Haunting Of Hill House and The Lottery, this is instead a warmhearted memoir of life raising her kids in rural Vermont. Here's the opening sentence:

"Our house is old, and noisy, and full. When we moved into it we had two children and about five thousand books; I expect that when we finally overflow and move out again we will have perhaps twenty children and easily half a million books..."

Very relatable and funny!

>10 LibraryLover23: This is definitely a BB for me! Good luck with your 2024 reading!

>10 LibraryLover23: This sounds delightful!

>10 LibraryLover23: Added to the WL!!

>11 Tess_W: Thank you!

>11 Tess_W:, >12 libraryperilous:, >13 Berly: I hope you all like it if you decide to read it!

2. System Collapse by Martha Wells (245 p.)
Seventh in the Murderbot Diaries series. It took me a beat to pick up on who was doing what, as this one picks up after the events of Network Effect and it's been awhile since I read that one. But it didn't take long; I was easily immersed again in this danger-filled world of shady interplanetary corporations, along with a healthy dose of snark from both Murderbot and ART.

3. Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs: The Left Bank World Of Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer (260 p.)
The storied bookstore "Shakespeare and Company" in Paris is the setting for this memoir. The author, a Canadian journalist, left home after a troubling incident and ended up staying with the ragtag group of writers who are allowed to live for free at the store, in exchange for helping out, reading a book a day, and providing an autobiography. This one zipped right along for me; I loved reading about Paris and especially the store's proprietor, George Whitman. He's really the highlight here, as he's a colorful character in his own right.

>15 LibraryLover23: I just finished #4 today and thought that was the last one in the Murderbot series -- so glad there are more!! Yay!!

>17 Berly: Yes, you're lucky to have more Murderbot to look forward to!

4. Dominicana by Angie Cruz (322 p.)
Loosely based on the author's mother's life, this book follows Ana, who leaves her home in the Dominican Republic to follow her husband Juan to NYC. Juan, however, is abusive to Ana, but Ana must find a way to survive in this new, strange land. This book drew me in and made me fully invested in Ana's story. Recommended.

5. Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay (248 p.)
Another winning collection of essays by Gay, whose Book Of Delights I read around this time last year. The theme of this collection is not just joy, but rather how joy is usually mixed up with sorrow. Some essays worked better for me than others, but overall I found it to be a thought-provoking read.

>20 LibraryLover23: I really enjoyed The Book of Delights, so I'll have to keep this one in mind. : )

I loved Dominicana and also her latest novel How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water. The Gay essays sound good. I will look for them.

>21 Berly: I hope you like it if you get to it! It definitely has the same style as Delights.

>22 BLBera: Oooh, I'd be open to reading more Cruz. Making note of that one!

6. Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson (310 p.)
I haven't read any Icelandic noir before, but I'm here for it. Probably the best part of this one was the atmosphere - endless snow and darkness in northern Iceland and how it affects Ari Thór as he tries to settle in as the town's newest police officer. A suspicious death followed by an attack on another citizen leads to questions as to who could be targeting people in this small, sleepy town. A good start to what I believe is a series.

January Books Read
1. Life Among The Savages by Shirley Jackson
2. System Collapse by Martha Wells
3. Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs: The Left Bank World Of Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer
4. Dominicana by Angie Cruz
5. Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay
6. Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson

January Books Acquired
None!

Added Snowblind to my wishlist!

>26 elorin: I hope you enjoy it!

7. The Liars' Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr (320 p.)
Searing memoir of the author's hardscrabble upbringing in Texas and Colorado. I'd say this is a readalike to The Glass Castle, with poverty and addiction playing central roles. Very well-written, but trigger warnings galore.

Favorite quote:

"Anyway, the four of us tended to eat our family meals sitting cross-legged on the edges of that bed. We faced opposite walls, our backs together, looking like some four-headed totem, our plates balanced on the spot of quilt between our legs. Mother called it picnic-style, but since I've been grown, I recall it as just plain odd. I've often longed to take out an ad in a major metropolitan paper and ask whether anybody else's family ate back-to-back in the parents' bed, and what such a habit might signify." (p. 43)

8. The Outsider by Stephen King (576 p.)
Slam-dunk evidence leads police to a man they're convinced committed murder, although as soon as they arrest him, new evidence is found that shows he can't possibly have committed the crime. What follows is police, lawyers, and family members piecing together what happened and why. I liked that the character of Holly Gibney played a role in this one. Originally found in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy, I'm glad she also got her own spinoff book, which I look forward to reading.

Snowblind sounds good; I've heard other LTers mention it, so I will keep it in mind when I am in the mood for some snow. :)

>30 BLBera: It's definitely good for that! I like reading seasonally - a snowy book like that in winter adds another layer of authenticity.

9. The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman (353 p.)
Most recent entry in the Thursday Murder Club series. The gang wants to solve the murder of one of Stephen's friends. There are the usual hijinks, but also a sad development that will impact the characters going forward, I'm sure. I'll be interested in reading more in the series whenever that time comes.

10. Baghdad Without A Map And Other Misadventures In Arabia by Tony Horwitz (285 p.)
I'm a fan of Horwitz's writing; he has a funny, irreverent sense of humor that I appreciate. During the 80's and 90's he worked as a reporter alongside his wife, Geraldine Brooks. These are essays about their time in the Middle East during that period. I was particularly interested in the chapters on places like Libya and Iraq because I don't think I've read anything, fiction or non-fiction, on those places before. This one is by turns funny, sobering, and always interesting.

Have to get my hands on The Outsider and The Last Devil to Die!! Happy Friday. : )

>33 LibraryLover23: That one really caught my eye.

Have a great weekend.

>34 Berly:, >35 PaulCranswick: I enjoyed all of those and would recommend them. Hope you're both having good weeks!

11. A History Of The World In 6 Glasses by Tom Standage (311 p.)
Standage takes a brief tour through world history while following the invention and rise of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola. It's fascinating to see how they've influenced or changed the course of history through the years. The book ends on a sobering note, however, with Standage making the case that water will be the beverage of the future, particularly in regards to everyone having access to it. And after reading the book, I now have an urge to go and drink a big glass of Coke with lots of ice.

12. Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories Of People Like You On The Quest For Financial Independence―And How To Join Them by JL Collins (300 p.)
Just as it says in the subtitle, this is a collection of short essays by people who are pursuing financial independence. It's broken into categories, like "staying the course" and "lifestyle inflation." I'm obsessed with personal finance, so of course I loved it and breezed through it.

February Books Read
7. The Liars' Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr
8. The Outsider by Stephen King
9. The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman
10. Baghdad Without A Map And Other Misadventures In Arabia by Tony Horwitz
11. A History Of The World In 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
12. Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories Of People Like You On The Quest For Financial Independence―And How To Join Them by JL Collins

February Books Acquired
Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories Of People Like You On The Quest For Financial Independence―And How To Join Them by JL Collins (gift card)
Ex Libris: Confessions Of A Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
Love Is The Way: Holding On To Hope In Troubling Times by Bishop Michael Curry with Sara Grace
Forest Walking: Discovering The Trees And Woodlands Of North America by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst
The Best Cat Ever; The Cat Who Came For Christmas; The Cat And The Curmudgeon by Cleveland Amory
Haven by Emma Donoghue
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (these came from the Marshall Street Bookstore's 50% off Winter ReSort sale)

Great books here! I haven't even read the King or Osman ones yet and who doesn't like Financial Independence? : ) I just finished The Running Grave -- man, some of the cult stuff was dark, but she knows how to write a page turner! Hope your weekend is going well.

>33 LibraryLover23: , >37 LibraryLover23: These both sound interesting to me. You did great reading in Feb.

>40 Berly:, >41 BLBera: Thank you both!

13. Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter & Organize To Make More Room For Happiness by Gretchen Rubin (215 p.)
Title says it all - it's about how a clean home or space can lead to a more settled mindset. Little tips and tricks sprinkled throughout.



14. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (467 p.)
Fantasy novel and first in a trilogy set in a Middle Eastern land. There are jinn, ghouls, magical relics, thieves, and more. I appreciated the setting and enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I also don't have a super strong desire to locate the sequels whenever they may be published.



15. The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton (Kindle)
Second in the Agatha Raisin series. Agatha is a prickly retired PR executive who moves to a small village in the Cotswolds and in true cozy-mystery fashion begins solving crimes. She also has a crush on her neighbor, James, and their interactions (she likes him, he doesn't like her) add interest.

March Books Read
13. Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter & Organize To Make More Room For Happiness by Gretchen Rubin
14. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
15. The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton

March Books Acquired
The Super Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook: 100 Easy, Healthy Recipes That Are Ready When You Are by Toni Okamoto
The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir by D. Watkins
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Gardening In A Small Space by Lance Hattatt
Keeping Life Simple: 7 Guiding Principles, 500 Tips & Ideas by Karen Levine
The Working Poor: Invisible In America by David K. Shipler
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, And The Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
Celebrate Vegan: 200 Life-Affirming Recipes For Occasions Big And Small by Dynise Balcavage (Library's fill-a-bag for $5 sale. I also got a bunch of gift books for other people.)

16. Unsolved Mysteries Of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey Through 500 Years Of Discoveries, Disappearances, And Baffling Events by Paul Aron (480 p.)
Short essays on various unsolved American mysteries, like what exactly happened to Amelia Earhart or the colonists at Roanoke? The book is a little dated - for example, we now know who Deep Throat was, but it's an interesting read all the same.



17. Cat About Town by Cate Conte (295 p.)
First in a cozy mystery series that follows a woman who returns home for her grandmother's funeral, only to later find her stumbling over the body of the man who is trying to buy her grandfather's house. This one was pretty good; lots of well-developed characters and a solid storyline.



18. In This House Of Brede by Rumer Godden (376 p.)
Follows the lives of a group of cloistered nuns in a Benedictine abbey. Not much happens in terms of plot, it's more a series of vignettes that touches on their struggles and triumphs, but it's a beautifully done, quiet kind of novel that I very much enjoyed.

19. Brief Answers To The Big Questions by Stephen Hawking (230 p.)
This was a mixed bag for me. The chapter on how the universe might have formed was mind-blowing, the one on what’s inside a black hole completely lost me, and some of the others focusing on what might happen in the future were utterly depressing. Hawking’s view was that we should be working toward moving off Earth because essentially we’re all doomed. If it’s not nuclear annihilation or environmental catastrophe that finishes us off, maybe AI will overtake us all. So yeah, some interesting bits in there, but very bleak overall.

20. Elevation by Stephen King (146 p.)
Unusual little tale about a man who loses weight, but doesn't get any thinner, and how that affects him and his friends in his small town. I liked the quirkiness of it and the message of people putting aside their differences and coming together when needed.



21. Outsider by Linda Castillo (Kindle)
Kate's old police partner Gina seeks her out while on the run from some corrupt cops. Hiding out with an Amish family during a snowstorm, Kate tries to figure out if Gina is telling the truth and also how far the corruption goes. This one has the same issue that I've had with the other entries in this series in that there is little to no character growth. A lot of the action was spent with the characters sitting around a kitchen table talking, which was also boring. But the previous entry was so good! I continue to waffle on this series.

22. Thirteen Ways Of Looking by Colum McCann (251 p.)
A novella and short story collection that I enjoyed. My favorite was the title story about an old man’s last day of life. I don’t believe I’ve read anything by McCann before, but after reading this collection, I’d be interested in trying a full-length work sometime.

23. How To Manifest: Bring Your Goals Into Alignment With The Alchemy Of The Universe by Gill Thackray (126 p.)
A short little book about how to visualize what you want in life. This is New Agey, so maybe not for everyone, but I agree with the practice of goal-setting and focusing on the positive, like taking stock of what you're grateful for already.



24. One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Kindle)
A story about a day in the life of a man in a Soviet labor camp. It's a day certainly not without its struggles, but there are moments of brief happiness too. It also shows how resilience is the key to surviving tough conditions.

25. Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond (383 p.)
Shows how insidious poverty is in America and how others benefit from it, maybe without even realizing it. I very much enjoyed Desmond's Evicted, and this is in the same vein, although I thought Evicted was the stronger read of the two because in that one he used more personal examples. This one's tone was a bit drier as a result. But still an important, eye-opening read.

April Books Read
16. Unsolved Mysteries Of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey Through 500 Years Of Discoveries, Disappearances, And Baffling Events by Paul Aron
17. Cat About Town by Cate Conte
18. In This House Of Brede by Rumer Godden
19. Brief Answers To The Big Questions by Stephen Hawking
20. Elevation by Stephen King
21. Outsider by Linda Castillo
22. Thirteen Ways Of Looking by Colum McCann
23. How To Manifest: Bring Your Goals Into Alignment With The Alchemy Of The Universe by Gill Thackray
24. One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
25. Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond

April Books Acquired
PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes by Carleigh Bodrug
Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount (gifts)

26. I Is For Innocent by Sue Grafton (Kindle)
A Kinsey Millhone mystery. While investigating a case for a lawyer, Kinsey begins to believe that the man who was charged might be innocent. Another solid entry like always.



27. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue (390 p.)
Set in the 18th century, this one follows the life of teenaged Mary Saunders. The first half of the book was strong, showing how Mary tried to survive on the rough streets of London. The second half takes a complete turn and transfers Mary to a different setting and starts introducing the points of view of other characters. This disconnect didn't work for me; I thought the first half was much stronger. I also couldn't figure out if I was supposed to like Mary, pity her, hate her, or something else. It wasn't until the end where it's revealed she's mentally disturbed that I realized there was no hope of figuring her out.



28. What To Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide by Michelle Singletary (203 p.)
Singletary is a financial columnist for The Washington Post. This was a helpful, basic guide on how to handle money matters with a lot of good references included.



29. The House At Sea's End by Elly Griffiths (Kindle)
Another solid mystery. In this one, Ruth investigates the bodies of German soldiers found on a beach along the Norfolk coast. The characters are fully fleshed out in this series, which I greatly appreciate.



30. Dead Simple by Peter James (404 p.)
Started with a great premise - a group of men who leave a friend buried alive as a stag night prank are killed in a car accident, leaving their friend with no one knowing where he is. I'm afraid it didn't work for me, however. Too many villains kept coming out of the woodwork and I wasn't that interested. The buried-alive scenes were super tense and claustrophobic, though, and well done.

May Books Read
26. I Is For Innocent by Sue Grafton
27. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
28. What To Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide by Michelle Singletary
29. The House At Sea's End by Elly Griffiths
30. Dead Simple by Peter James

May Books Acquired
None! I also did a big book purge this month, and got rid of close to 100 TBRs, bringing my TBR total to a little over 300 instead of a little over 400. They just weren't calling to me for one reason or another, and I couldn't stand how crammed together and disorganized everything was. I feel good about it, but as always, there are book sales here at least once a month and I already have an invite to visit a big used bookstore in June, so the temptation to add more never goes away!

>53 LibraryLover23: Congrats on the unhaul and the likely restock in June!

>53 LibraryLover23: I have a lot of TBRs that have been sitting on the shelf for years, and I am not sure they all appeal to me anymore. Should prob do a purge like you did -- nicely done!!

>54 libraryperilous:, >55 Berly: Thank you both!

Congratulations on taking down mount TBR! Good luck on not restocking too much!

>57 elorin: Thank you! It's always a process. :)

31. Glass Houses by Louise Penny (391 p.)
Number 13 in the Three Pines series. It switches back and forth in time, going from the arrival of a mysterious stranger in the village to the result of a murder trial and large-scale drug bust. I felt this one was a little slow in that the denouement didn't come until the very end of the book, but the characters and atmosphere were well-drawn as always.

32. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles (194 p.)
If you’re familiar with the Blue Zones, this is in the same vein, offering a closer look at why the Japanese have such long life expectancies. It’s primarily what you would expect: a positive outlook, social/spiritual connections, physical activity, a mostly plant-based diet, etc. It was an interesting little read, but as I’m already familiar with this concept, there was nothing too earth-shattering for me here.

33. More Book Lust: 1,000 New Reading Recommendations For Every Mood, Moment, And Reason by Nancy Pearl (286 p.)
I don't know why, but I find that I have to reread at least one of Pearl's Book Lust books every year. It's just the way it is! This time through, I came up with a list of titles that sounded particularly interesting, and between my local library and the Philly Free Library I can access 95% of them, so I'd like to try to incorporate some of those throughout the rest of the year.



34. It's A Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn (262 p.)
One of the Chet and Bernie mysteries. Bernie is a PI and Chet is his best friend/partner/canine companion who hilariously narrates the series. Set around Christmastime, this one focuses on a fellow PI going missing after Bernie had recommended him to a client. Chet is still the best, as always.

35. A Distant View Of Everything by Alexander McCall Smith (Kindle)
Isabel Dalhousie investigates whether a man is preying on wealthy women and swindling them out of their money. I enjoy the Scottish setting and the characters of this series, but this one seemed slower than even McCall Smith's usual leisurely pace.

June Books Read
31. Glass Houses by Louise Penny
32. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles
33. More Book Lust: 1,000 New Reading Recommendations For Every Mood, Moment, And Reason by Nancy Pearl
34. It's A Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn
35. A Distant View Of Everything by Alexander McCall Smith

June Books Acquired
The Gratitude Diaries: How A Year Looking On The Bright Side Can Transform Your Life by Janice Kaplan (library book sale)
Downshifting: Reinventing Success On A Slower Track by Amy Saltzman (bought at Baldwin's Book Barn in West Chester, PA)

Just keeping current here...Hi!

>64 Berly: Hi! Thanks for stopping by!

36. Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez (373 p.)
A very good novel that switches back and forth in perspective between Olga and Prieto, a sister and brother living in Brooklyn. Prieto is in politics, trying to do right by his constituents but also trying to hide a secret, while Olga works to maintain her successful wedding-planning business. Meanwhile, their long-gone mother's shadow looms large over their lives. The well-drawn characters and setting made for an interesting read.

37. Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount (144 p.)
I always appreciate books about books and this one is a winning collection of notes and illustrations to help diversify your reading list. Lots of good recommendations here, so I'm holding on to it for now as a guide for new titles to check out.

38. The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (Kindle)
Housewife Patricia has to convince her fellow true-crime book club members that the new guy in town isn't quite who he seems. I enjoyed this. Rather dark, but I was curious to see if and how the women would band together to overtake their creepy neighbor.



39. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, And The Last Trial Of Harper Lee by Casey Cep (314 p.)
Split into three sections, Furious Hours looks at the case of Willie Maxwell, a serial killer who bumped off family members for the insurance money. He gets the biography treatment in the first section, while the lawyer who represented him gets the second section, and Harper Lee, who wanted to write a true crime book about the case in the same vein as In Cold Blood, gets the third section. I felt this was a bit disjointed in that it was separate stories of each of them that went off on various tangents. Some, like Lee's history, were interesting, while others, like the history of how insurance started, made my eyes glaze over. Still, I feel that I learned a lot about Lee, a person I really didn't know much about.

For fun, here are her five favorite novels:
The Way Of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
Remembrance Of Things Past by Marcel Proust
High Wind In Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Wow, what a lot of great reading! I loved Olga Dies Dreaming, and you might also like her new one, which I thought was also very good. Anita de Monte Laughs Last

Congrats on the culling. I own about 2300 TBR books, and every once in a while, I try to go through them and get rid of some, but it is hard.

>69 BLBera: Thank you! I agree, it can be hard to get rid of books. I just had a feeling that was building for a while and I knew it was time to let some of them go!

40. The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith (Kindle)
Mma Ramotswe is encouraged to take a vacation, even though she feels guilty for not keeping up with her duties at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. However, mysteries are never far away, including the issue of why a young boy is swindling people out of their money. Can Mma Ramotswe solve this case, while also secretly keeping an eye on the business while she's away? Another solid entry in this long-running series with the setting and characters taking center stage.

July Books Read
36. Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
37. Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount
38. The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
39. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, And The Last Trial Of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
40. The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith

July Books Acquired
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery Of A Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale (from the free shelf at the library. I want to see if the ending is as interesting as I remember.)

41. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (333 p.)
Very good novel about a world-ending pandemic with lots of character intersections and some jumping around in various timelines. Some parts reminded me of The Walking Dead, with the tenseness that comes from walking along a lonely, wooded road and not knowing if anyone is going to jump out at you. I really liked it, and will definitely have to check out more by this author.

It looks like July was a good reading month for you!

I love Station Eleven, and since I used it in a class, I have read it several times. And I still like it.

>74 libraryperilous: It was! Hard to believe we're soon heading into September already...

>75 BLBera: My review didn't do it justice, but I really liked it. I'm going to foist it on some family members to try. Glad to hear it holds up to rereading!

42. Keeping Life Simple: 7 Guiding Principles, 500 Tips & Ideas by Karen Levine (154 p.)
Straightforward ideas on how to to streamline and organize your life. I typically gravitate toward simple-living books, so this was in my wheelhouse.



43. The Jellyfish Season by Mary Downing Hahn (169 p.)
A childhood favorite. Kathleen and her sisters have to move in with their aunt, uncle, and boy-crazy cousin, Fay, for the summer when their father loses his job. MDH was always a favorite author for me growing up, and I find her stories stand up well to rereading.



44. Plain And Simple: A Woman’s Journey To The Amish by Sue Bender (152 p.)
Another simple-living kind of book. In this one, the author was drawn to the Amish culture and managed to live with Amish families for a few months to experience their way of life. A so-so read for me.



45. Agatha Raisin And The Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton (196 p.)
Prickly Agatha Raisin is frustrated when a new woman moves into town and shows an interest in Agatha's crush, James Lacey. However, it's not long before a murder throws James and Agatha together again to try and solve the crime. I enjoy this British cozy series and look forward to future installments.

46. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Kindle)
All Violet wants is to be a scribe like her father, but instead, her mother insists she enter the Riders Quadrant of Basgiath, where Violet will face dangerous tasks, dragon bonding, and a possible romance with Xaden...unless he kills her first. Romantasy is what I think the kids are calling it these days, and I found it to be fluffy fun. More than a few things were over the top, though, like if the country needs an army, why is everyone so blasé about the cadets killing each other? But it ends on a zinger of a cliffhanger and I'd like to read the sequels sometime. Sounds like it's a planned five-book series.

>78 LibraryLover23: I will never read this, so I found this part of your review LOL funny: if the country needs an army, why is everyone so blasé about the cadets killing each other?

>79 libraryperilous: Haha, yeah, there was some talk about if the cadets aren't strong enough to survive, then they're not worth the army's time anyway, but it made no sense to me.

August Books Read
41. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
42. Keeping Life Simple: 7 Guiding Principles, 500 Tips & Ideas by Karen Levine
43. The Jellyfish Season by Mary Downing Hahn
44. Plain And Simple: A Woman’s Journey To The Amish by Sue Bender
45. Agatha Raisin And The Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton
46. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

August Books Acquired
The Log From The Sea Of Cortez by John Steinbeck (bought at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, DE)
Ranch Of Dreams by Cleveland Armory (thrift store)
The China Study Cookbook: Over 120 Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes by LeAnne Campbell, PhD (library bookstore)
Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives In North Korea by Barbara Demick
Midnight At The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
Fast & Easy Vegan Cookbook: 100 Mouth-Watering Recipes For Time-Crunched Vegans by JL Fields
Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations To Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, And Find Peace In The Everyday by Matthew Sockolov (Goodwill was having a every-book-is-$1 sale)

47. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters (335 p.)
An asteroid is heading to Earth and will destroy the world, but Detective Henry Palace still has a job to do. He's the only one on his New Hampshire police force who believes the latest suicide (there have been a lot of them lately, what with the end of the world and all) is actually a murder. Palace is a great character and he's what makes the book tick. Sure, he could just goof off and follow his bucket list items like a lot of other people are doing, but his moral code and need to finish what he's started keep him on the straight and narrow. Interesting setup and the first in a trilogy.

>82 LibraryLover23: I read this trilogy and think the first was the best, but if you liked the first one, you will probably like the others.

>83 BLBera: Thanks for the feedback! I read the excerpt of the second book that was included at the back of this one, and I liked what I read, but there are so many other books clamoring for my attention too. As always. :)

48. A Bintel Brief: Sixty Years Of Letters From The Lower East Side To The Jewish Daily Forward edited by Isaac Metzker (214 p.)
A collection of letters from Eastern European Jewish immigrants to a newspaper's advice column. Topics vary, but of course the themes remain universal, with relationships, money, jobs, and life in general all getting their turn in the spotlight. Interesting slice-of-life details and a worthwhile read.

>85 LibraryLover23: This sounds charming!

>86 libraryperilous: It was! It had both funny and sad moments. I was struck by how universal people’s problems/concerns are.

49. The Institute by Stephen King (Kindle)
A genius kid with telekinetic powers is kidnapped and sent to a top-secret facility where other kids with powers are being exploited. Can they work together to break out of the facility and make it to safety? This one very much reminded me of Stranger Things and the Hawkins Lab where Eleven was kept. Not my favorite King, but easily held my attention the whole way through.

50. Ranch Of Dreams: The Heartwarming Story Of America's Most Unusual Animal Sanctuary by Cleveland Amory (288 p.)
Author Amory was a lifelong animal activist, and this is his story about how he established his animal sanctuary, Black Beauty Ranch, in East Texas. It tells how different animals came to be on the ranch, including a large-scale burro rescue from the Grand Canyon and a chimpanzee who was removed from a medical laboratory. Recommended to anyone with an interest in animals. I was also pleased to see that Black Beauty Ranch is still in operation today and can be visited. It's now run by The Humane Society of the US.

>89 LibraryLover23: Oh, I bet my mom would love this. Bummer that it doesn't appear to be on Kindle. She can't see well enough to read physical books anymore.

>90 libraryperilous: That's too bad! I'm not sure how popular Amory's writing is these days. He's probably faded into the background a bit, so I guess it's not too surprising that his works are not quite as easily accessible.

51. Ex Libris: Confessions Of A Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (162 p.)
Collection of essays about books and the love of reading. Anyone on this site would find much to enjoy here. My favorites were her essays on marrying her library with her husband's, how her and her family like to proofread, and her love of Arctic and Antarctic literature. I nodded in recognition and laughed throughout.

>92 LibraryLover23: I love this! You are right, this should be a favorite here on LT.

>93 BLBera: Yes, I’m guessing this one has a lot of fans around here!

September Books Read
47. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
48. A Bintel Brief: Sixty Years Of Letters From The Lower East Side To The Jewish Daily Forward edited by Isaac Metzker
49. The Institute by Stephen King
50. Ranch Of Dreams: The Heartwarming Story Of America's Most Unusual Animal Sanctuary by Cleveland Amory
51. Ex Libris: Confessions Of A Common Reader by Anne Fadiman

September Books Acquired
A bunch, some from the library’s fill-a-bag sale and others from visiting numerous bookstores around Ithaca, NY.

52. Fallen by Linda Castillo (Kindle)
I find this series to be uneven at times, but this was a good entry that kept me engaged. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the murder of a woman who was excommunicated years earlier from their small Amish community. The woman's wild past leads Kate down many different paths of who could have done it and why.



53. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller (378 p.)
The story of Achilles' life and death as told by his best friend/lover/companion, Patroclus. I know next to nothing about Greek mythology, so this was all new to me. I found it enjoyable overall, although at times I felt the pacing was a bit slow. I enjoyed learning more about the mythology, and can definitely see the appeal of reading retellings like this.

54. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx (285 p.)
Loved this collection of short stories, all set in Wyoming. The most well-known and arguably best entry is "Brokeback Mountain," which was made into an award-winning film. It's a quietly devastating story, but well worth the time. My second-favorite in the collection was "The Mud Below," about a rodeo rider and his troubled family life. All the stories, though, were really thought-provoking and well done.



55. A Mystery Of Mysteries: The Death And Life Of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak (Kindle)
Another one I loved - a biography of Poe, with special attention paid to the circumstances surrounding his death. To this day, no one can be sure how he died or what he was doing in the days leading up to his death. I'm a big fan of Poe and his writing, so I was probably predisposed to like this, but I found it fascinating.

October Books Read
52. Fallen by Linda Castillo
53. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller
54. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
55. A Mystery Of Mysteries: The Death And Life Of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak

October Books Acquired
Hollow Bones by CJ Lyons
Night Prey by John Sandford (freebies)
The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health: More Than 200 New Vegetarian And Vegan Recipes For Delicious And Nutrient-Rich Dishes by The Moosewood Collective
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (library book sale)
The Winona LaDuke Chronicles: Stories From The Front Lines In The Battle For Environmental Justice by Winona LaDuke (went to a talk she gave at a local college, she was great!)

56. Our Town by Thornton Wilder (143 p.)
A play about small-town New Hampshire life in the early part of the 20th century. I was familiar with the ending going into it (Emily's speech), but I've never read the whole thing before. Another one I very much enjoyed; would love to see this performed sometime.



57. A Christmas Memory / One Christmas / The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote (107 p.)
Collection of holiday-themed short stores (I foresee a lot of holiday comfort reading in my near future). I've read A Christmas Memory more than once before, but it didn't lose any of its magic during this reread. I didn't love the other two stores quite as much, but they all feature Buddy's good friend, Miss Sook, so for that reason alone, they're more than worthwhile.

58. 7 Days Of Christmas: A Season Of Generosity by Jen Hatmaker (199 p.)
I enjoyed Hatmaker's book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, when I read it a few years ago, and this is a spinoff book with a focus on the excesses of the holiday season. However, I found it to be not so much full of actionable ideas, but rather ramblings that didn't really flow together that well. Important message about taking it easy over the holidays, but not very good execution I'm afraid.

>99 LibraryLover23: Our Town is lovely isn't it?

Nice to see you get to 100 posts and before the 7 days of Christmas!

>101 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! I did enjoy Our Town. You're right, it is a lovely read.



59. Dinner For Vampires: Life On A Cult TV Show While Also In An Actual Cult! by Bethany Joy Lenz (303 p.)
I like to read celebrity memoirs every so often and this one was very interesting to me - I vaguely remember watching Lenz's TV show One Tree Hill back in the day, and I was fascinated to learn more about her time with a religious group while she was on the show. With help from family and concerned friends, Lenz eventually comes to the conclusion that the surrogate family she's been living with and has married into is more controlling than she was able to admit to herself. Interesting stuff.



60. What Time The Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (Kindle)
Flavia, her stalwart pal Dogger, and the rest of Bishop's Lacey are back again. This time, Flavia is trying to clear the name of Mrs. Mullet, who's been accused of poisoning someone. A big twist partway through was a bit surprising, and I remain confused about the whole secret-society aspect to these books. I think they're best when they stick to plain-old mysteries. But, as long as Bradley keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them!

November Books Read
56. Our Town by Thornton Wilder
57. A Christmas Memory / One Christmas / The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote
58. 7 Days Of Christmas: A Season Of Generosity by Jen Hatmaker
59. Dinner For Vampires: Life On A Cult TV Show While Also In An Actual Cult! by Bethany Joy Lenz
60. What Time The Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

November Books Acquired
A bunch! Bookstore visits, Christmas bazaars, you know how it is.

61. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (387 p.)
Steve is rather stuck in his ways until his daughter-in-law enlists his help to solve a set of murders that she's being framed for. This is the start of a new mystery series by Osman, and I enjoyed its madcap style. I think I preferred The Thursday Murder Club books a bit more, though, because I think the characters are a bit stronger in that series. Still, I enjoyed this.

>104 LibraryLover23: I wanted more cat. :)

Thinking of you at this time.

>105 libraryperilous: Agreed! :)

>106 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! :) I hope you and your family are having a wonderful holiday season.