Lisa Leaps into 2024- Part 2

I'm Lisa, an accountant/auditor, married with one son and three grandchildren, residing in Pennsylvania. I've been participating in the Category Challenge since 2008. My favorite genre is mysteries and crime, but I will occasionally dip into other genres as the mood strikes. In addition to reading, I also enjoy crossword puzzles, old movies, trying new recipes, and practicing with crochet stitches, although I haven't made anything of real consequence yet. I've made the decision to retire in the fall of 2025, which makes me nervous and happy at the same time. I've purchased a two-year planner so that I can mark off the days! I look forward to seeing what everyone else is reading and losing myself in books to destress.

My challenge is going to consist of 10 categories, and I will participate in the CATS and KITS if I have any books that fit, as well as the BingoDog.

Short Story Collections
1. After the Funeral (January AlphaKIT) Library
2. Rear Window and other Murderous Tales (January MysteryKIT) Kindle
3 Pieces of Justice (Kindle) February
4 Neighbors and Other Stories (Library) February
5 Dearborn (Library) February
6 Wednesday’s Child Library, March
7 Table for Two April
8 You Think It, I’ll Say It Library, April
9 This is How You Lose Her Library, May
10 Like One of the Family Kindle, June
11 The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted Kindle, July
12 Mrs Somebody Somebody Kindle, July
13 Married Love Kindle, August
14 Stay Up With Me Library, August
15 Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self Library, September
16 Don’t Go To Sleep In the Dark Kindle, October
17 Holler Child Kindle, November
18 You Are Free Kindle, November
19 Old Crimes Library, November
20 Shoko’s Smile Library, December
21 Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop Kindle, December

New Books
1 The Heiress January
2 Northwoods January
3 The Fury January
4 Random in Death February
5 One of the Good Guys April
6 She’s Not Sorry April
7 Darling Girls May
8 The Last Word May
9 Long Island May
10 Lake County May, Kindle
11 Fondant Fumble June
12 Same As It Ever Was Library, June
13 Middle of the Night Library, June
14 The God of the Woods July
15 The Briar Club July, Library
16 What Have You Done? Library, August
17 Guide Me Home Library, September
18 Tell Me Everything Library, September
19 The Night We Lost Him Library, September

New To Me Authors
1 I Love It When You Lie (Kindle) February
2 Leaving (Library) February
3 Mrs March Library, March, March CalendarCAT
4 Amazing Grace Adams Kindle, March
5 Victory over Japan Kindle, May
6 Mother Daughter Murder Night Kindle, May
7 The Appeal Kindle, May
8 Hard Girls May
9 Piglet Kindle, June, RandomCAT
10 The Rose Code June, Kindle, CalendarCAT
11 The Switch Library, June
12 Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers Library, July
13 Welcome Home Stranger Library, July
14 Cruel Beautiful World Kindle, August
15 The Rich People Have Gone Away Library, August
16 A Little Hope Kindle, September
17 Count The Ways Kindle, October
18 Grown Women Library, October
19 The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster Library, October
20 Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop Kindle, December

Non-Fiction
1 To Be Loved (Kindle) February
2 Medgar and Myrlie (Library) February
3 This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing (Kindle), April
4 Motherhood (Kindle), May, May CalendarCAT
5 Bad Feminist (Kindle) May
6 You Need A Budget (Kindle) May
7 What a Fool Believes Library,May
8 Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff Kindle, June
9 Truth and Beauty Library, July
10 Have I Told You This Already? Kindle, July
11 The Fire Next Time Library, August
12 Hunger Kindle, August
13 The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Living Kindle, August
14 Be Ready When The Luck Happens Library, October

Historical Fiction
1 Sing Wild Bird Sing (Kindle) January, RandomKIT
2 Dear Mrs Bird (Kindle) March, CalendarCAT
3 Mockingbird Summer Kindle, March, AlphaKIT
4 Restless Dolly Maunder Library, April
5 The Undertaking Kindle, April
6 The Rumor Game Library, May
7 Stars Over Sunset Boulevard Library, May
8 The Queen of Sugar Hill Library, June
9 Brotherless Night Library, July
10 My Brilliant Friend Kindle, August
11 Good Night Irene Kindle, August
12 The Things We Cannot Say Kindle, August
13 The Farming of Bones Library, September
14 The Women Library, September
15 The Alice Network, Kindle, December

One Word Titles

1 Afterlife January AlphaKIT, (Kindle)
2 Out (Library) January
3 Yellowface (Kindle) January
4 Monogamy (Kindle) April
5 Trust (Kindle) April
6 Mama (Kindle), May
7 James (Library) June
8 Sandwich Library, June
9 Slammerkin Kindle, July
10 Quicksand Kindle, July
11 Liars Library, August
12 Clear Library, August
13 Ties Kindle, August
14 Touch Library, October
15 Snow Kindle, November

Long and Shortlisted Books
1. The Rachel Incident 2024 Tournament of Books Longlist Library (Jan)
2. My Men 2024 Dublin Literary Award Longlist (Library) (Feb)
3. After This 2007 Pulitzer Finalist Kindle, March
4. Kala Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, Library, March
5. The Road Home Costa Shortlist, Kindle, April
6. Bright Young Women Edgar Nominee 2024, Kindle, April
7. Ordinary Human Failings Women's Prize Longist, Library, April
8. We Begin at the End Barry Award Nominee, Kindle, April
9. Nightbloom Women’s Prize Longlist, Kindle, May
10.River East, River West Women's Prize Longlist, Library, June
11. The Berry Pickers Kindle, June, Crime Writers of Canada Shortlist
12. Goodbye Vitamin Kindle, June Tournament of Books Shortlist
13 56 Days Dublin Literary Prize Longlist, Kindle, July
14 Love Novel Dublin Literary Award Shortlist, Library, July
15 Strange Flowers Library, July, Dublin Literary Award Longlist
16 Acts of Desperation Dublin Literary Award Longlist, July
17 Transcendent Kingdom Tournament of Books Shortlist (August)
18 The Easter Parade Kindle, September, National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
19 Wild Houses Library, October
20 The Safekeep November
21 Black Butterflies Library, December

Mysteries and Crime
1. The Quiet Tenant. Library, January
2. Death on Account Kindle, January
3. Every Last Fear Kindle February AlphaKIT
4. Dangerous to Know March, Kindle
5. The Hunter March, Library
6 Beneath the Bleeding Kindle, April, MysteryKIT
7. Daughter of Mine April, Library
8 Friday on My Mind May, Kindle
9 The End of Her, Kindle, May
10. Her Perfect Twin Kindle, May
11 Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? Library, May
12 Dead on the Level Kindle, June
13 Sunday Silence, Kindle, June
14 Day of the Dead Kindle, July
15 Take Your Breath Away Kindle, July
16 The Hours Before Dawn Kindle, August
17 The Man Who Loved His Wife Kindle, September
18 Clean Cut Kindle, October
19 Phantom Lady Kindle, November
20 Just the Nicest Couple Kindle, December
21 The Christmas Guest Kindle, December

Series
1. Bloody January (January CalendarCAT) Kindle
2 Tuesday’s Gone Library, February
3 Waiting for Wednesday, Library, February
4 Still Water Kindle, March, AlphaKIT
5 Murder in the Tea Leaves Library, March
6 April in Spain, Kindle April, MysteryKIT, April CalendarCAT
7 Thursday's Children Library, April, MysteryKIT
8 Dark Saturday Kindle, May
9 The Comfort of Ghosts Library, June
10 Farewell Amethystine Library, June
11 The Creak on the Stairs Kindle, July
12 Peach Tea Smash Library, August
13 This Is Why We Lied Kindle, August
14 Spirit Crossing Library, August
15 The Red Dahlia Library, September
16 Passions in Death Library, September
17 Death at the Sign of the Rook Library, September
18 Midnight and Blue Library, October
19 The Grey Wolf Kindle, November
20 Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off Kindle, December
21 Locked In Library, December
22 Breaking Silence Kindle, December

Fiction General and Literary
1. Goodnight Beautiful Kindle, January
2. Charming Billy Kindle, January
3. Beloved Kindle Prize and CalendarCAT, February
4 Looker Library, February
5 Everyone Here is Lying Library, March
6. Inheritance from Mother Library, March
7 The Body Lies Kindle, April
8 The Family Next Door Kindle, May
9 Real Americans Library, May
10 The Golden Spoon Library, May
11 Those People Library, May
12 Talk Before Sleep Library, June
13 Things We Do in the Dark June Kindle
14 Father and Son Kindle, June
15 Wolf at the Table Kindle, July
16 Like Mother Like Daughter Library, August
17 The Coast Road Library, August
18 The Last Party Kindle, August
19 Here One Moment Library, September
20 Within Arm's Reach Kindle, September
21 The Mighty Red Library, October
22 All the Colors of the Dark Kindle
23 How the Light Gets In Library
24 Safe and Sound Kindle, November
25 The Last Mrs. Parrish Kindle, November
26 Safe and Sound Kindle, November
27 City of Girls Kindle, November
28 Open House Library, December
29 The Birthday Kindle, December
30 The Year of Pleasures Library, December

BingoDog



1 The Golden Spoon
2 Amazing Grace Adams
3 Beloved
4 Her Perfect Twin
6 The Heiress
7 The Appeal
8 A Little Hope
9 Bright Young Women
10 Dear Mrs. Bird
11 Death on Account
12 Yellowface
13 Charming Billy
14 After the Funeral
15 The Rachel Incident
16 Murder in the Tea Leaves
17 Sing Wild Bird Sing
18 Medgar and Myrlie
19 Random in Death
20 Day of the Dead
23 Inheritance from Mother
24 Transcendent Kingdom
25 Table for Two

Welcome to my second thread!

Happy new thread, Lisa! Looks like you've had a great reading year so far!

Happy new thread--looks like your Bingo card is filling up!

Happy New Thread, Lisa!

Happy new thread, Lisa. I am looking forward to even more book bullets!

>14 christina_reads: Thank you Christina!
>15 NinieB: Thank you Ninie, I hope to complete it soon.
>16 MissBrangwen: Thank you Mirjam!
>17 DeltaQueen50: Thank you Judy. I'll have to visit your thread to see what you're reading.

Happy New Thread, Lisa. Looking forward to spending a lot of time here.

Happy new thread. I also have The Appeal listed for my epistolary or diary Bingo square. I hope to read it next month.

Happy new thread, Lisa!

Happy New Thread, Lisa. Looks like you'll finish your bingo card soon.

>19 RidgewayGirl: Thank you Kay! Even though most of the time we are reading twins, your thread often provides me with new authors to try.
>20 lowelibrary: Thank you April. I really liked the author's writing style.
>21 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit!
>22 dudes22: Thank you Betty! Yes I hope to have it completed by the end of the summer. I have to admit the warriors square is proving to be a bit difficult for me.

87 James This book is the story of Jim (James), the character from Huckleberry Finn, reimagined through the eyes of the author. When James finds out that he is going to be sold to a man who lives in New Orleans, he runs away from his wife and daughter, so that he can formulate a plan for the whole family to stay together. At the same time, Huck Finn fakes his death in order to escape from his abusive father, and joins Jim on a raft traveling down the Mississippi River, with the intention of Jim finding a free state, so that he can purchase his wife and daughter. I loved that the author made James an educated man, who reads, and has imagined conversations with philosophers, and that to Huck, although he knows Jim is a slave, he is also his friend. This was an excellent read that I found hard to put down, and I will definitely be reading more of this author.

88 River East, River West Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction Award, this book tells the story of Alva who is mixed race, her stepfather Lu Fang, and her mother Sloan, who is American. Alva wants to leave China for the United States, but instead finds herself enrolled in the American School in Shanghai after her mother marries their landlord, Lu Fang. The characters are all unlikeable, but you can get past Alva's behavior because she is afterall, a teenager. She acts out, experiments with alcohol, drugs and sex, and is disrespectful at times to both Sloan and Lu Fang. The reader eventually learns more about Sloan and Lu Fang's backstory, and Alva eventually finds herself softening toward Lu Fang. I thought that the book captured being an expatriate in Shanghai very well, and it was an interesting read.

>23 lsh63: - I'm thinking that will be hard for me along with the ugly cover block.

>23 lsh63: To prove we are reading twins, I am currently reading James and River East, River West is high on my list of books to read next.

>26 dudes22: Hi Betty, yes that one also. Maybe a book might just pop up for me without even thinking too much about it.
>27 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, isn't James great?

>28 lsh63: I'm about halfway through and it is on track to be the best book I've read this year. If you're new to Everett, The Trees is another fantastic book, although I've loved everything of his that I've read.

Happy new thread, Lisa! The Percival Everett book looks intriguing.

>29 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, I think I have The Trees buried on the Kindle somewhere, I'll move it up in the rotation. Thanks!
>30 VivienneR: Hi Vivienne, thank you. I'll be interested to see what you think of it, if you decide to read it.

89 The Queen of Sugar Hill A fictionalized account of Hattie McDaniel's experiences and life after winning her Supporting Actress Award for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind in 1940. She was unable to attend the movie's premiere because it was held at a whites only theater in Atlanta. Later at the Oscar ceremony she had to sit a segregated table apart from her costars. The Black community berated her for playing a maid, overlooking the fact that she had actually worked as a maid and laundress to make ends meet. Her critics wanted her to use her standing to promote Black awareness, while she tried very hard not to rock the boat. In her mind, portraying a maid was better than being one. She didn't look down on her former profession, she just wanted more for herself. She hoped that her Oscar win would lead to more substantial movie roles other than a maid, but sadly that was not to be. In addition to her career struggles, she married four times, and was disappointed that she never had any children. Ms. McDaniel died in 1952, after suffering with breast cancer that became to advanced to treat. Her final wish was to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery, which was denied due to it's white only policy. Many years later the cemetery offered to re-inter her, but her family politely declined. Her Oscar was bequeathed to Howard University, and despite many years of working as an actres, her final estate was less than $10,000 which was seized to pay off creditors and the IRS. I found this to be a very thought provoking read.

90 The Comfort of Ghosts This is the final book in the Maisie Dobbs series. As with any series of books, some were better than others, but I've always enjoyed reading them. Maisie's story began in Maisie Dobbs, set just after World War I, when Maisie was just 13 yeard old . This book is set in 1945, just after the end of World War II , with Maisie exploring changes in her life and revisiting her painful past. I thought this last entry was very well done, acknowledging the various tragedies the characters have endured over the years due to war injuries and illness, while also providing hope for the future. I greatly respect the author's decision to end the series.

>33 lsh63: I too loved the Maisie Dobbs series and agree that this book is a worthwhile end. I now wonder if Winspear will do anything new, as she has the talent.

>33 lsh63: - I like the series too and still have a few books to read.

>34 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, I certainly hope that she will continue with something new.
>35 dudes22: Hi Betty, where are you in the series?

91 The Berry Pickers A very good read about what happens to a family when their four-year-old daughter and sister Ruthie, vanishes without a trace. Due to their "transient" status, the family receives absolutely no help from the authorities, and search for her to no avail. Ruthie's brother Joe, who was six at the time, was the last one to see her, and remains haunted for the rest of his life by her disappearance.
Another character in the book, Norma, has vague memories of her life before she was five, but can't quite put everything together or know what the glimpses of memory mean. The family suffers for fifty years until Ruthie finally comes home.

>37 lsh63: Another great find from you!

>36 lsh63: - According to my list, #6 is next up for me. So lots of pleasant reading ahead.

92 Goodbye Vitamin Heartbreaking but also humorous, this is the story of Ruth dealing with her father's worsening dementia told in diary entry format. Ruth is 30 years old, has just ended her engagement, and after avoiding her family for years, comes home for the holidays to find her father not doing well and her mother dealing with it by remaining slightly detached from the situation. The reader learns that Ruth's mother and her also her brother, have remaining resentment about his past drinking and infidelities. I found this to be a very good read.

>38 JoeB1934: I'm glad Joe!
>39 dudes22: You have a lot of great reading in your future. Sometimes I'm caught between gobbling up or pacing myself with a series.

93 Talk Before Sleep Part sad, but also funny, this story of two best friends, one of who is dying of breast cancer. The main protagonist Ann, drops everything in her family life, to be there for her dying friend Ruth. Rounding out the friend circle who all take turns staying with Ruth, are L.D, Helen and Sarah. The story is said but also inspiring with the strength of close friendships as one faces the inevitable.

>40 lsh63: I'm glad you liked this. I loved it.

>40 lsh63: Between you and >43 RidgewayGirl:, I’m taking a BB.

94 Piglet Once I got over the fact that a grown woman was called Piglet, I enjoyed the book. I have to admit, while reading, I really wanted to know what Piglet's real name was, which was finally revealed at the end. Piglet appears to have it all, she is engaged to a well-to-do man, works as a cookbook editor, has moved into a beautiful new house and is set to have an elaborate wedding in two weeks. When her fiance reveals a transgression, (the reader never finds out exactly what happens), Piglet starts to unravel with eating and preparing food, using it as a coping mechanism. I loved the descriptions of all the meals created, and the train wreck of a wedding was fun reading.

95 Like One of the Family A series of vignettes, told from the perspective of Mildred, and her friend Marge, both domestic workers in New York. As I was reading, I realized that these 62 chapters were in a serial format, and I later learned that they were published in a newspaper that Paul Robeson founded, titled Freedom. Mildred is the only character who actually speaks, but Marge's responses can be inferred from the context. Set in the 1950's Mildred, voices her opinion on race relations, those who look down on domestic work, union representation and so much more. Most of the vignettes revealed a moral without being overly preachy. It was a very interesting read.

The Queen of Sugar Hill and The Berry Pickers are BBs for me!

I have been interested in Hattie McDaniel since I watched a documentary about her, but I haven't heard about this book before.

96 The Rose Code I loved this book! It focuses on three women all from different backgrounds who come together to assist the British solve the codes that the Germans sent back and forth among their troops and military leaders. Mab comes from an impoverished background and seeks to find a husband in order to ease the financial burden on her mother and baby sister. Osla comes from a wealthy background, who wants to show that's she not all debutante balls and fluff. Beth has been oppressed by her overbearing mother for years, is timid and socially awkward, yet she is very gifted in mathematics and solving puzzles. The women all become best friends until a tragedy occurs which causes their estrangement. Years later one of the women, who is in a terrible predicament, seeks the assistance of the other two as she seeks to bring a dangerous traitor to justice. I will definitely read more books by this author. The fact that it was over 650 pages, is sometimes a deterrent for me, but not in this case.



97 Fondant Fumble Mel and Angie provide assistance to two professional football players who want to open a Fairy Tales Cupcakes franchise. I enjoy reading about the various cupcake recipes, even if wouldn't be a good idea for me to eat them.

>48 lsh63: The Rose Code was one of my very best books of 2023. Be prepared for an outstanding story!

>47 MissBrangwen: Hi Mirjam, I'm trying to remember if I watched the documentary or not.
>49 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, I loved it and want to read more her work!

>50 lsh63: - I can recommend her books The Alice Network and also The Diamond Eye. She writes great historical fiction.

>50 lsh63: She has 2 new books out this year. The first one was The Phoenix Crown which she wrote with co-author Janie Chang. I never got a connection with the book and DNF. A second book The Briar Club sounds more down her alley and I plan to read it soon.

98 Keep the Memories Lose the Stuff I decided to read this book to see if would give me any clarity about items that I held onto from my mother's house and information about the final clean out that will need to take place before the house is sold. An interesting concept is what the author refers to as a legacy list. This involves making a list of various items that have some special meaning or something that tells the person's story. For instance, an old tee shirt might be put in the throw away pile, but it could be that there's a story behind the tee shirt. To her credit, all of my mother's important papers and her final instructions were organized and clearly labeled, which made things so much easier. Some things that I removed from the house were no brainers for the trash pile: old clothes, kitchen utensils, odd dishes, a Rubbermaid container of every greeting card my mother received over the past 20 years, and other items that no one had room for. It's easy to see how items accumulate with each generation, because I believe some things belonged to my grandmother that my mom didn't want to throw away when she died.

Even though many things brought back memories, it was easy to let them go. I repurposed my father's neckties into a pillow, and donated her hundreds of books to an organization that provides used books to shelters, youth groups, and libraries. I limited myself to items of significance for me, such as my mother's original wedding ring from 1954, my father's police badge, his commendations from the force, my first baby shoes, etc. Now if I could just get my slightly hoarding hubby on board with the concepts in the book, that would be great. I would hate for my family to have to go through a bunch of stuff when we're gone.

99 Dead on the Level One day I went down the Kindle Unlimited rabbit hole of "pulp" novels. I noted many authors that I was not familiar with, and I decided to try Dead on the Level by Helen Nielsen. There weren't many women writers in the 1950's pulp era, so I was intrigued. Most of the books in this genre begin with too much alcohol and a no-good dame, and this one was no exception. A man named Casey is in a bar drinking with his last two dollars returning to his hometown after 8 years away, when a beautiful woman named Phyllis offers him $5,000 and a proposition. Casey wakes up the next morning with the $5,000 in his pocket, in an apartment that he doesn't recognize, and later finds out that Phyllis has disappeared, and her father has been murdered. Casey realizes that he has been framed for murder and sets out to clear his name. It was a pretty good read.

You have just added several books to my wishlist. So much good reading here!

>53 lsh63: This is something I have to attend to so that things are easier for my family. I don't keep collectibles but no one will ever figure out my financial system.

>54 lsh63: I've read a couple of Helen Nielsen's books and will look for this one. Detour was pretty good too.

100 Sunday Silence This is one of those series where I won't be satisfied until I finish it. I cannot seem to pace myself. As a matter of fact, I will be reading the last book in the series very soon. In this one, Frieda is still being taunted by a serial killer who everyone believes is dead. When a corpse is found under her floorboards, and one by one her friends are systematically and violently attacked, Frieda believes that there is a copycat killer behind the attacks. Will the police finally believe her before anyone else is killed?

101 Things We Do In The Dark This was a pretty decent thriller about a woman arrested for the murder of her husband with a straight razor in the bathtub of their home. As she mourns her husband, she is also very afraid that someone will uncover her twenty five year old secret. It's a pretty dark read, but a good one.

>55 VivienneR: Hi Vivienne, thank you, I hope you enjoy the books on your wishlist. The financial aspect is an important one also, my husband does not have the attention span or patience for all the various user names, passwords, authenticators, etc, for our financial institutions.
>56 pamelad: Hi Pamela, good to know, I can't believe I hadn't heard of her before, but now that I think about it, there may have been a short story collection I read with one of her stories in it.

>58 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one. I enjoy a dark book every now and then.

102 Father and Son Upon his release from prison, Glen Davis returns to his hometown in southern Mississippi, and manages to wreak havoc within a 48 hour period. He commits double homicide, doesn't want to have a realtionship with his young son, and refuses to respect his father. Glen is a vile character, and a psychopath, but the story was typical Southern noir at it's best.

103 Sandwich A story that takes place over the course of a week with mother Rachel (Rocky), husband Nick, children Willa and Jamie, and his girlfriend Maya, on their annual family trip to Cape Cod. Rocky is struggling with menopause, mood swings, and navigating the dynamics of her family and elderly parents. This was a very relatable read.

104 Same as it Ever Was

At a little over 500 pages, and with a slow moving plot, I was a little worried that I would lose interest in this book, but I didn't. Julia the protagonist, is married to Mark, with two children Ben, and Alma. Through flashbacks, the reader learns about her early married years, her struggles with motherhood, and her tumultuous relationship with her own mother, Anita.

105 The Switch This book read much like a Lifetime movie, where friends Elena and Sophia decide to spice up their love lives by sleeping with each other's significant others Adam and Finn. Little does Elena know that Sophia has more up her sleeve than "spicing "up" her marriage. Spme parts of the book were slightly unbelievable, but after all, it is a psychological thriller.

106 Farewell Amethystine In 1970, Easy Rawlins takes the case of damsel in distress Amethystine, whose ex husband Curtis, has gone missing. Mouse and Fearless Jones are also featured, as well as Easy's family Jesus, Feather, Benita, and little Essie. What was slightly distracting for me were the number of characters to keep track of, and alternating chapters with Easy's memories of a long lost love. While assisting Amethystine, he also tries to help his LAPD friend, Melvin Suggs, which adds another layer to the story. All in all, as usual, this was a good read.

107 Middle of the Night A so so thriller about a man named Ethan, who remains haunted by the disappearance of his childhood best friend Billy, from Ethan's own backyard. When Billy's remains are found almost thirty years later, Ethan vows to find out exactly what happened that night.

Happy July everyone!

I had a very good reading month in June, probably because I had about two weeks of use it or lose it time on the books, went away for a few days, and read constantly.

My June recap:
21 books read
5 male authors
15 female authors
1 male and female writing duo
11 library books
10 Kindle books

My favorite book of the month was James, closely followed by The Rose Code.

108 Brotherless Night Winner of this year's Women's Prize for Fiction, this book is a heart breaking story of love and loss and survival. Set in 1981, 16 year old Sashi dreams of becoming a doctor one day, just like her eldest brother and grandfather. Over a series of years, one by one of her four brothers are affected as civil war in Sri Lanka intensifies and violence ensues between the government and the Tamil militants. Sashi begins to realize that along with helping people with her medical expertise, she can also expose the plight of the civilians who suffer in the aftermath of the destruction between the warring factions. It was a extremely engrossing read.

109 Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers This was a fun and very entertaining read. When 60 year old Vera Wong, owner of a teahouse finds a dead man in her shop, she decides that the police won't do their job properly and decides that she will do a better job of finding out what happened. Eventually Vera meets all four of the likely suspects, Julia, the dead man's widow, Rikki and Sana, and Oliver the dead man's twin brother. She bulldozes her way into each of their lives, and very humorously solves the case.

110 The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted A series of short stories about mature women who take stock of their lives and decide to liberate themselves in various acts. The first and title story "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted', features a woman who decides to forego her Weight Watchers restrictions for a few hours and eat whatever she pleases. She visits Dunkin Donuts, treats herself to a bacon cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake, then a complete steak dinner. In contrast, "The Day I Ate Nothing I Wanted" a woman's dietary restrictions are so rigid that they are making her miserable. I also enjoyed "Sin City" where a widow decided to enjoy herself, travel to Las Vegas, and treats herself to expensive new clothes and meets a man on the plane who changes her life. The overarching moral or lesson is that we should take care of ourselves in addition to others and treat ourselves, but in moderation.

My Thingaversary is Sunday July 7, 17 years!

Since I almost always purchase several Kindle books a month, here's a list of my purchases this year that I'm counting as my Thingaversary gifts. I did treat myself to a new release and pre-ordered another:

This is Why We Lied preorder
All the Colors of the Dark (I was getting impatient with my hold at the library)
A Perfect Stranger and Other Stories
The Distance Between Us
The Ghost at the Table
All Aunt Hagar's Children
Sing to It
Everybody Knows
The Betrayal
Q Road
The Diamond Eye
A Rage in Harlem
Free Love
Wolf at the Table
Opinions
Every Night is Ladies Night
The Vengeance Man
The Night Always Comes

I'm going to try to get to them this year, in a last in first out format, when of course I should be reading my older books first!

>71 lsh63: I have read several of those books, but please read All the Colors of the Dark. I just finished it and it is absolutely on my top tier of books for all time. I have a review on my thread but believe you shouldn't read mine. I don't give away the plot but experiencing it for yourself is best.

I bought it from Audible with pre-order but at about 1/3 through I decided I needed also to read it in Kindle because that way I could savor the writing, which is exceptional.

I should note that on GR it has 70% with 5-stars.

Hi Joe, I’m glad I took a chance on it, since I loved We Begin at The End. I’m off to check out your thread!

You've got some interesting books that you've bought. I think I have a couple of them on my TBR. And I can say that The Diamond Eye was one of my top books last year.

Also - if you get them read, I see some great titles for the year-end meme in your list.

Happy Thingaversary.

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary! I'm in line for A Rage in Harlem from the library, as part of a Chester Himes omnibus. Looking forward to reading it!

Happy Thingaversary!

>74 dudes22: Hi Betty, I really want to get to The Diamond Eye soon, I think you are also the one who told me how much you liked The Alice Network.
>75 lowelibrary:, >76 MissWatson:,>77 rabbitprincess:, 78 Thank you April, Birgit, RP and Pamela!

111 Day of the Dead This book completes the Frieda Klein series. Frieda and her nemesis Dean Reeve finally have their long-awaited standoff, and I thought that this was a satisfying end to the series. There was one loose end that I would have liked to see resolved, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

>79 lsh63: I have read all of those books and absolutely loved them.

>67 lsh63: James goes on my WL!

112 56 Days Set in the very early days of the COVID outbreak, Ciara meets Oliver, who both thinkg they may have met "the one". Both are new to Dublin, and with a potential lockdown looming, they worry about not being able to see each other, and Ciara moves into Oliver's apartment. The story unfolds with alternate POV's which led to some repetition of what happened in the preceding chapter. No one knows about their relationship, and they are both keeping secrets from each other. When one of them winds up dead, the police are tasked with finding out what happened between a couple who met less than two months before.


113 Love Novel This book was on the Dublin Literary Prize shortlist, and is the story of a marriage that is not going to end happily ever after. The husband is unemployed, and working on an unfinished novel. The wife is a former actress who gave up her career to care for their child and takes promotional work to get by. With no money coming in and a child to care for, tensions are high. The couple are in a cycle of fighting, then gettting back together, but you know that the cycle can't continue forever. This wasn't an easy read by any means, but it was very well written.

114 The God of the Woods I loved everything about this book. With alternating storylines set in the 50's, 60's, and 70's, the book begins with the disappearance of a teenage girl named Barbara from summer camp in 1975. It's bad enough when a child disappears, but Barbara just happens to be the daughter of the family who own the campgrounds. It's not lost on the community that Barbara's older brother also disappeared 14 years before never to be found. Various POV's fill in the backstory of the various characters; the camp counselor Louise, Alice, Barbara's mother and Judy, a young state trooper who was recently promoted to investigator. Sometimes a 500 plus page book can become tedious but not in this case. The ending was perfect.

115 Take Your Breath Away An average thriller about the disappearance of a man's wife who suddenly reappears after six years, but is it really her? The man Andrew Mason, has always been suspected of harming his wife Brie, but the detective on the case wasn't able to find enough evidence to make any charges stick. Andrew has changed his name, and has become involved with another woman Jayne. Andrew is torn between wanting Brie to be alive and also not wanting anything to destroy his present life. There was a lot going on in the book and it was a good read that I had a hard time putting down.

116 Welcome Home Stranger Rachel, returns home after 10 years away after the passing of her mother. Her sister Celeste resents Rachel for staying away while their mother was dying, and not helping to care for her. Given their toxic relationship, Rachel wasn't able to bring herself to being around her mother. The sisters lead very different lives, Rachel became a prize winnng journalist, while Celester married a wealthy man, and is a mother to two children. Throughout the course Rachel makes questionable decisions that alter the course of her life.

117 Slammerkin A story about a young girl (Mary) who turns to prostitution in order to survive after she is raped, becomes pregnant, and is thrown out of her family home at14 years of age. After a few years she attempts to reform in her mother's hometown, looking up one of her mother's friends, and trains to become a dressmaker's assistant. Her past won't let her go, and tragic events ensue. Mary is not a likeable character, but you can't help but empathize with her situation.

>84 lsh63: I just picked up my library copy of this yesterday and I'm eager to dive in.

>84 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one.

>84 lsh63: I have that book and am about to read it also.

>88 RidgewayGirl: I predict that you will love it Kay!
>89 lowelibrary: I hope you enjoy it, April!
>90 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, I'm really enjoying it so far.

118 The Briar Club I've only read one other book by this author The Rose Code, but I definitely want to read more of her works. I loved this story about a Washington DC boarding house and its various inhabitants during the 1950's. The beginning chapter focuses on a double murder at the house on Thanksgiving Day, 1954. The reader doesn't know if one of the boarders is the culprit, or the identity of the murder victims. We do learn that there is one body in a room occupied by one of the boaders, named Grace March. The story then reverts back to 1950, when Grace moved in. She becomes a friend to most of the other boarders, learning about each of them but remaining silent about her own past. The other boarders include a wonderful cast of characters: Fliss, a young mother whose husband is in San Diego, Nora, who works for the National Archive, and falls in love with a gangster. Bea, an ex-baseball player, Reka, an elderly Hungarian immigrnat, Arlene, who is not so likeable and who works for a committe that investigate un- American activities, and Claire, who is saving her money in order to buy her own house. All of the women have a secret or are struggling in some way, and we learn later on that Grace is keeping a pretty big secret herself. I loved everything about this book and devoured it in two days.

>92 lsh63: This high on my list too. But there are Soooooo many excellent books and so little time!

>92 lsh63: - I just picked my copy up from the library, so I skipped your review (mostly). I did read the first sentence, and I can definitely recommend The Diamond Eye. It's probably my favorite of hers so far. I have one book I'm almost finished with and then I'll be jumping into this.

>93 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, you're so right, I keep adding to my list of books I want to read!
>94 dudes22: Hi Betty, thanks I'm going to move The Diamond Eye up in the reading rotation.

119 Truth and Beauty After reading This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, I wante to know more about Ann Patchett's friendship with Lucy Grealy. Ann and Lucy met in college in 1981, and later became closer after they both enrolled in the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Lucy had a hard life, losing most of her face to cancer of the jaw as a child, making it difficult if not impossible for her to eat properly or close her mouth. After endlesss painful surgeries, Lucy became involved with drugs and sadly died at age 39 in December of 2002. The books tells the story of their friendship, their opposite personalities and Lucy's neediness and seeking someone to love her. I can understand the family's unhappiness at the book being published so soon after Lucy's death, while I can also understand the author's writing it in the midst of her grief.



120 Have I Told You This Already? I'm a big fan of the Gilmore Girls, A Year in the Life, not so much. Gilmore Girls is not mentioned that often in this book, of esssays, instead Graham writes about life before fame, her family and friends, aging and other hilarious topics. I enjoyed her writing as much as I loved her in Gilmore Girls.

121 Wolf at the Table I loved this story about a member of a family who turns out to be serial killer. The siblings, Fiona, Myra, Alec, and Joan, raised by a military vet father, and a very religious mother, are all different, and take very different turns in life.

Thank you for drawing my attention to The God of the Woods, which I just finished. It is easily very close to the top of my list of books read this year. It provided every aspect that I look for in my reading.

Thank you!

>98 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, you're welcome! It was an excellent read.

122 Strange Flowers Moll Gladney vanishes from her parents' home and then mysteriously returns five years later, giving no explanation about what happened to make her leave and what she has been doing while she was gone. Eventually the secret life she established while she was away is revealed, which is not easy for some members of her rural town to accept.

123 The Creak on the Stairs This was a good start to a series that I will more than likely read more of in the future. Elma, returned to Arkanes after a failed relationship, investigates the death of a woman discovered in a lighthouse. I had a hard time keeping track of the various characters at first, and I found the ending abrupt, but it was a good read.

124 Quicksand This book was the author's first, published in 1928. It tells the story of Helga Crane, a biracial woman who struggles to live in a segregated world. Born to an African American father and a Danish mother, she eventually gives up on finding a place where she belongs.

125 Mrs. Somebody Somebody I'm always on the lookout for short story collections, and I really enjoy linked stories. Set in a mill town in Lowell Massachusetts, the first story is about two women working in the mill in the 1940's, one of whom wants to form a union. The last story, probably my favorite is about a dying man who tries to gather enough strength to take care of something he doesn't want found after he's gone.

126 Acts of Desperation A pretty dark read about a unnamed woman's obsessive and toxic relationship with a man named Cieran that she meets at an art gallery. Although there were aspects of the book that were uncomfortable to read, it was also realistic.

My July recap:

19 books read
8 libary books
11 Kindle books
15 female authors
1 male/female team
3 male authors

I enjoyed many books this month. At the top of the list is The Briar Club. Also excellent were Brotherless Night, The God of the Woods,and Wolf at the Table.

>105 lsh63: I just received The Briar Club as a gift -- glad to see you and others on LT are enjoying it!

127 My Brilliant Friend I tried to read this book a couple of times and put it aside. I'm not sure why, but I think it may have something to do with the many characters, that my tired brain tried to keep track of. This time I was able to keep most of them straight and I enjoyed the book very much. I'm glad that I finally read it. Set in Naples, it's the story of Elena and Lila, who are friends, but also at times, rivals. By the end of the book I was completely invested in their story, and of course the cliffhanger caused me to immediately look for the second book The Story of a New Name, which surprise, is on my Kindle!

>106 christina_reads: Hi Christina, what a nice gift! Have you read any of the author's other books?

>108 lsh63: I've read The Alice Network and Mistress of Rome, both of which I enjoyed. So, good odds that I'll like this one too!

>97 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one.

128 Liars This is the story of a 15 year marriage unraveling bit by bit. Jane, a writer, meets John an artist, at an art show, and they fall in love and get married. Fast forward to Jane realizing that her career is taking a back seat to John's many failed business ventures, her doing all of the housework, and later fully responsible for their son, referred to as "the child". This was an emotionally draining read as Jane becomes more bitter and resentful, and the book is formatted in various journal entries where Jane expresses her feelings at the time. There was one sentence that really struck me: "I was in charge of everything and in control of nothing", which pretty much sums up her marriage.



129 Clear This book about a minister who is dispatched to a remote Scottish island in order to "clear" its last inhabitant via a forced eviction was a very good read. The unexpected connection between John the minister, and Ivar, the inhabitant of the island, is heartwarming. The book is short, simple, and very well written. I was not expecting the plot twist at the end.

>111 lsh63: Our reading is bizarrely similar. I just finished Clear and have Liars on the stack next to my bed now.

>110 lowelibrary: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it April!
>112 RidgewayGirl: Wow, that is quite the coincidence Kay!

130 Transcendent Kingdom I've had this book for a while, and I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it. Gifty, a neuroscience PHD candidate, receives a phone call one day that her mother isn't doing well and is suffering from a severe depression. Unfortunately, Gifty has also experienced this 17 years ago, after the death of her brother Nana. The chapters alternate between the family's life in Ghana, and their experiences in Alabama, where the family hoped for a better life. The overarching topics of science and faith , even in the wake of grief, make this book a heartbreaking but also through provoking read.

>111 lsh63: Off to find this one!

>115 Tess_W: Hi Tess, I hope you enjoy it!

131 The Fire Next Time There's not much I can say about this book of two essays where Baldiwn explores race in America. So much of what he wrote in 1963, remaisn very relevant today. The first essay written to his nephew, tells of his experiences, while cautioning him of his future. In the second, he discusses meeting Elijah Muhammad, and the various aspects of Christianity and the Nation of Islam. He is direct, and truthful in his writing, which might be difficult to read, however I didn't perceive the book as angry, rather that the issues of racial inequality and social injustice are urgent matters that need to be addressed.

132 Good Night Irene A very interesting read which is a fictionalized account of the author's mother's experiences during World War II. The main protagonist of the book Irene, flees an abusive fiance and her family to join the Red Cross in 1943 as a "clubmobiler". The clubmobiles were trucks and buses that were repurposed to provide donuts, coffee, and other items to attempt to lift the morale of the troops. Irene befriends another woman Dorothy as they travel all over, often finding themselves in grave danger. The portion of the book about the liberation of a concentration camp was especially heartbreaking to read.

133 Like Mother Like Daughter I can't seem to resist the latest thriller, much like short stories, they are enjoyable to read when my brain is tired and I don't have much concentration left in me. Katrina has a very difficult relationship with her daughter Chloe, but she will never stop looking out for her or trying to protect her. After months of estrangement, Chloe agrees to come over for dinner. When she arrives she finds dinner burnt, the kitchen in disarray, her mother nowhere to be found and a bloody shoe. While trying to find out what happened to her mother, Chloe finds out secrets from her life, and things she wish she didn't know about her father. As the story progresses, the reader is left to wonder if Katrina's past is responsible for her fate, or is it something else? This was a so-so read, not bad, but nothing really extraordinary.

134 What Have You Done? When teenager Diana Brewster is found dead in a hayfield, the story evolve with various POV's including Diana's. There were quite a few characters to keep track of, but overall this book was a decent read. The reveal of the killer was a bit of a surprise to me.

135 Peach Tea Smash Theo tries to solve a murder which took place at an Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter themed masquerade party. The murder victim just happens to be the husband of the event's chairwoman. I enjoy this series and reading about the themed teas and the meals that accompany them. As always, it was a good quick read.

136 Cruel Beautiful World In 1969, 16 year old Lucy runs away with her much older teacher William to a small rural town in Pennsylvania, where she envisions a wonderful life together. As time goes on, Lucy begins to realize that she is isolated from everyone, and that William has become controlling. Lucy's sister Charlotte and Iris (their much older sister), are devastated, and anxiously await some form of communication to let them know that she's safe. When Lucy finally realizes that she wants her life to change, a tragic event occurs that affects everyone involved. I found this book to be a heartbreaking, but very good read. I would definitely read other books by this author.

137 Married Love A short story collection consisting of twelve stories. The title story is about an immature 19 year old who marries a 60 year old man and what happens in her life after having three children and reflecting on her life choices. "In The Country", is about a woman who reflects on the time she, along with spouses and children visited her husband's family for her mother in law's 60th birthday. She meets her sister in law's boyfriend which has a lasting effect on her life.

138 Hunger The author recounts her lifelong struggle with weight and body image which is a direct result of her being a victim of sexual violence. She pulls no punches about what it feels like to be obese, how people treat you, and how society hits us over the head with being thin. It was a heartbreaking read.

139 The Rich People Have Gone Away This was a very interesting book with interconnected characters whose backstories and POV's are told in a series of vignettes. Set in Brooklyn, New York in 2020, just as COVID hit, Theo Harper and his pregnant wife Darla decide to leave the city and quarantine upstate. They get into a fight, Darla escapes into the woods with a head injury and seemingly disappears. There were many side characters introduced which made the book a bit disjointed at times.

140 The Hours Before Dawn This book won the Edgar Award for best mystery in 1960. It's the story of a tired mother named Louise, who has two young daughters and a baby boy who is nursing and has to be fed at exact times. She is overwhelmed by doing everything without much help from her husband. When she rents the top floor of her house to a seemingly harmless teacher, named Vera Brandon, she starts to doubt her sanity. Are strange things really happening or is she merely sleep deprived?

>124 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one. It may be a hard read since I relate 100% with what you wrote about the book.

141 The Coast Road This was an interesting book set in the 1990's in a small Irish town, about three women struggling in their marriages. Divorce is not yet legal in Ireland, and at least one of the main characters in the story is contemplating ending their marriage. Colette, a poet, returns to the small town from Dublin after the relationship that she left her husband Shaun for fizzled. She wants to see and spend time with her children, but her husband refuses to allow it. Izzy, the wife of a politician, is mother of two, and feels unfulfilled in her marriage although she seems to live a very good life. Dolores, has three children and expecting her fourth. Her husband Donal, is cruel and chronically unfaithful, but she tries to keep the peace for the sake of her family. The story alternates between the three POV's of each woman as they contemplate their life choices. I thought the book was a very good debut by the author.

>127 lowelibrary: I hope it's not too difficult for you April, should you choose to read it.

142 This Is Why We Lied I always look forward to a new book by Karin Slaughter, and this one was a very good read. Sara and Will are married and on their honeymoon at a remote lodge run by what has to be the most repugnant family in history. The family is more than dysfunctional, they are hateful. When the manager of the lodge, Mercy, screams as she is stabbed multiple times. Will and Sara, who have lied about their professions as police officer and medical examiner, quickly get to work immersing themselves with the investigation and processing the medical evidence. Faith, Will's partner sums up this story perfectly, "an Agatha Christie locked room mystery with a V.C. Andrews twist", which is pretty spot on. I enjoyed the book, but I thought that there was a little bit too much description of the scenery. This author may not be for everyone as her books are pretty gruesome.

143 Ties This was a short book about the relationships between a husband and wife and the ramifications the husband's infidelity and abandonment has on them and also on their two children. The frist part is the wife's POV, in the format of letters to her husband. Her bitterness literally oozes from the pages as she struggles to take care of her children, and a house and trying to manage on her own. The second part, which is the longest, is told from the husband's point of view. We learn that at some point he returned to his wife and children, as the couple is now elderly and about to go on vacation. The last part is told from the perspective of the couple's son and daughter, who are now mature adults, and how their parents' marriage difficulties affected their own lives.

144 The Things We Cannot Say A moving story told in two time periods, one in 1942 and the present day. In the present, 95 year old Hannah is dying after suffering a series of strokes. She cannot communicateverbally with her family, but she has one important thing that she asks her granddaughter, Alice to take care of for her. Alice is struggling herself, with two children, a son who is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, and a daughter who is gifted, but is still a child and needs her mother. Hannah wants Alice to travel to her native Poland to take care of unfinished business for her. When Alice arrives in Poland, she slowly unravels family secrets. It was a hearbreaking but also hearwarming read.

>132 lsh63: Another two winners for you.

145 Stay Up With Me One would think by reading the title, that this book features horror stories. Rather, it's a short story collection of thirteen stories, mostly about individuals dealing with love, loss, and lapses in judgment. In "The Break", a divorced woman becomes way too involved in her adult son's love life while he is home from college on Christmas break, and finds herself acting like a jealous wife instead of a concerned mother. In "Birthday Girl", a young woman, driving while drunk, hits a 14 year old girl with her car and suffers the consequences of her actions. Usually there are stories that fall flat in a short story collection, but I enjoyed all of them.

>133 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, I hope you enjoy them.

146 The Last Party I was all set to read A Game of Lies, when I saw that the book was second in a series introducting DCI Ffion Morgan. The setting is a cluster of lodges built on the shore of a lake separating Wales and England. The reader is introduced to DCI Ffion Morgan when she has a one night stand with DC Leo Morgan,(neither one of them used their real name), and is shocked to find him the next day at the crime scene where Rhys Morgan has been found dead.

Rhys had thrown a big New Year's Eve party, with many people in attendance, most of whom had a motive to kill him. The reader learns that Ffion is keeping secrets, possibly thwarting the investigation, because she's protecting someone. She works hard trying to keep Leo off her trail. I thought that the book was maybe at bit long for a police procedural/mystery at a little over 430 pages, but it was a very good read and held my interest.

147 Spirit Crossing This was the twentieth book in the Cork O'Connor series, and the ending made me reach for the tissues! Everyone is at home getting ready for Cork's son's wedding, when Cork's young grandson stumbles upon a shallow grave while out picking blueberries. The youngster, Waaboo and claims that the deceased is talking to him, which puts the whole family in grave danger when the wrong people find out about it. There is a lot of tension in the book due to the fact that a Minnesota senator's daughter is missing, and more manpower was deployed to search for her, while the police perform a limited search for Ojibwe women who are also missing.

148 The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Living My finances have been on my mind a lot lately, maybe too much. It started earlier this year when one appliance after another started to fizzle out and then we had to buy a new car after many years of not having a car payment. Let's just say the interest rate offended me! I read this book to see if there were any ideas that I could use as I'm retiring next year (I think), and my husband and I are quite different as far as money matters go. He's of the you can't take it with you school of thought, and I'm of the yes, but you need have something to last you while you're here philosophy!

This book reiterated some things that I already do such as cooking mostly from scratch, as we rarely eat out. I also make a list when grocery shopping and try to plan meals for most of the week, and we try to consolidate our errands. The book did make me realize that in some respects I might be a little wasteful, such as the use of aluminum foil and paper towel usage. There were also many ideas for making cleaning solutions and laundry detergent that I might give a try. I have great respect for the author as she raised two children as a single parent with quite a few financial setbacks along the way.

Happy September!

I managed to read more books than I thought I would this month. I've had a bad allergy month (ragweed maybe?) I also had a nasal cauterization procedure which was no fun, and the ointment the doctor prescribed gives me a powerful headache. It was so bad, I couldn't read for a few days, but how I tried! Hopefully all will be healed, and the nosebleeds will stop when I see the doctor on Thursday. Apparently, I sneeze so much and so hard that my blood vessels couldn't take it anymore. I'm thinking that going forward I might be better off with a saline solution than allergy medicine.

I also finally cleared out most of my mother's house this month, which was necessary but also very emotional. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather and trying to get myself more organized. I spend way too much time walking back and forth in the house looking for things! I get steps in, but it's also ridiculous because it's not a big house.

August recap:
22 books read
16 female authors
6 male authors
11 Kindle books
11 library books

My best books of the month were Spirit Crossing, Clear, and The Fire Next Time.

>124 lsh63: Adding Stay Up With Me to my wishlist. I do like a good short story collection.

>139 lsh63: No one likes unsolicited medical advice, but allergy shots have made a world of difference for me.

>140 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay I do appreciate the input about the allergies. I’ve been pretty miserable lately and the Xyrtec is simply not doing the trick anymore. I will definitely ask about the process when I see the doctor.

149 The Man Who Loved His Wife Elaine is married to Fletcher, 19 years her senior. When he becomes ill, he plans to commit suicide to make it look like a murder and frame his wife by making false diary entries which implicate her. Meanwhile, Fletcher's daughter and son in law arrive for a visit and start to plot on getting their inheritance and plot to get Elaine out of their way. At times the reader is uncertain whether parts of the book are real or a figment of Fletcher's imagination. The ending was so-so, but it was a good read.

150 The Easter Parade Sisters Sarah and Emily Grimes, the children of divorced parents who move a lot with their flighty, alcoholic mother Pookie, and hardly ever see their father, Walt. Over the years and the course of the book, the sisters grow apart, not because of any rift, but simply that they live very different lives. Sarah marries at a very young age and has three sons, while Emily goes to Europe and has a series of unfulfilling relationships. It was a very sad, but good read.

151 The Farming of Bones This was a very gripping read about the 1937 massacre of Haitians who were working in the Dominican Republic. The island was separated by a Dominica and a Haitian population. The protagonist Amabelle, is Haitian and is working as a maid in the Dominician Republic. She is an orphan, with her parents having drowned when she was a young girl. Amabelle recounts her story between actual events and her dreams and memories. She is love with Sebastien, a Haitian cane worker, who is captured during the massacre. Amabelle vows to find out what happened to Sebastien no matter what happens to her.

>132 lsh63: This one is on my TBR. I just read a gut-wrencher, so I'll need some time before I can begin this one.

152 The Red Dahlia This is the second entry in the Anna Travis series. I looked back at my records and noted that I read the first book back in 2012. I decided to read this book to see if I want to continue the series, and I was pleased to find out that my library has all of the books available. Of course I don't remember any details from Above Suspicion, but I enjoyed the book very much. Anna Travis, a police detective, tries to solve the case of a copycat killer who is killing women in the same manner as the Black Dahlia case years ago. I found this to be a very suspenseful and well plotted, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

153 The Women This was a very good book about a young girl named Frankie, who becomes a military nurse during the Vietnam War. She makes lifelong friends with two other nurses during her deployment, Barb, and Ethel who see her through many struggles in her life. Although the surgical nurses weren't directly involved in combat, their experiences were just as harrowing. As Frankie attempts to settle back into her former life, she finds that she suffers from PTSD, which isn't treated in the same manner as the male veterans. With ther help of her friends, she attempts to help others with their postwar struggles. This was a heart wrenching read that taught me aspects of the Vietname War that I didn't know.

154 Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self A very good short story collection featuring African American or biracial individuals facing challenges in their identities, relationships with others, and family dynamics. My favorite of the eight stories was "Snakes" about a young girl of colorn amed Tara, who spends the summer with her toxic and very cruel grandmother. I want to read The Office of Historical Corrections very soon.

155 Death at the Sign of the Rook Jackson Brodie returns, and is investigating the theft of a portrait taken from the home of an elderly widow, when he finds himself an accidental guest at Burton Makepeace, where a Murder Mystery weekend is taking place. The book alternates time periods where the reader learns how Jackson wound up at the event. This was a very entertaining read, much like a Golden Age mystery with humorous new characters introduced, as well as the return of a few familiar characters from previous installments of the series.

156 Passions in Death This book is the 59th in the series, and finds Eve and Peabody investigating a murder at a pre-wedding party. The two brides, Erin and Shauna, are celebrating with their friends, when one of them steps away from the party to put the finishing touches on a big surprise for the other. The book was just the right mix of police procedure and the interaction of various familiar characters.

157 Guide Me Home In the final novel in the Highway 59 series, Darren Matthews, who is no longer a Texas ranger after turning in his badge, tries to solve the disappearance of a young Black college student from an all-white sorority. Hestill has a contentious relationship with his mother, but finds out more about her early life and why she left him to be raised by his uncles years ago. I thought that this was a satisfying conclusion to the series.

158 A Little Hope This was a quick and very good read about many characters who are facing difficult challenges. It was a little sad, but also hopeful at the same times. All of the characters in the book are facing some sort of challenge or experiencing sadness. There are many characters introduced but the main protagonists are :A man with a wife and young daughter who is diagnosed with a terminal illness, a widow still grieves her husband and has a difficult relationship with her son, and a man who has been married for a number of years is keeping a big secret from his wife. I enjoyed the book very much.

159 Tell Me Everything I've met the various characters in other books by the author, and it was a treat to have them all together in the same book. While reading, it was like being reunited with friends you haven't seen in a while. There's cranky Olive Kitteridge now living in a retirement home, the Burgess brothers, and the odd Lucy Barton, who left New York and is back with her ex-husband William, sort of. Lucy and Bob take frequent walks together, and on one of these walks, he suggests that she visit Olive. Lucy and Olive tell each other stories about random people they knew, and become to develop a friendship of sorts. The ending left me very satisfied, in that Lucy told Olive a story for her ears only. I loved every bit of this book, and might re read Olive Kitteridge.

>150 lsh63: 59th in a series, just wow!

160 Here One Moment This was a pretty long book, but it had an interesting and unique plot. It's a story about an odd woman on a short domestic flight, who claims to be able to determine how the passengers will eventually die. Months later when more than one passenger dies exactly as she predicted, the remaining passengers start to alter their lives hoping that her predictions aren't true. I enjoyed the various POVs in each chapter, as well as the chapters about the woman herself. Of course the book made me start thinking about my mortality, if one is 50 and you're told you'll live to be 100, you think differently then if you're 60 and told your number is up at 65.

>154 Tess_W: Hi Tess, It's unbelievable that the series is still going strong after so many books!

161 Within Arm's Reach For some reason I didn't realize that this was the author's debut novel. It's about three generations of an Irish American family, one of whom is a 29 year old unmarried pregnant woman whose pregnancy causes quite the stir among her family members. There are six family member POVs, which along with their various children, caused me to to refer to the family tree in the beginning of the book quite a bit. The ending was left open ended, which isn't always a bad thing.

162 The Night We Lost Him I think I was expecting more of a nail biting thriller than a family drama. When Liam Noone is found dead, estranged siblings Nora and Sam join forces in order to determine if their father's death was deliberate or accidental. The timeline alternates between Liam's past, with each of his three marriages and the births of his children, while pining for the woman he really loved. The story was slow paced in parts, not a bad read, but nothing that really wowed me.

September round up

14 books read
4 Kindle books
10 library books
12 female authors
2 male authors

The best read of the month was Tell Me Everything, but I also enjoyed The Women and Before you Suffocate Your Own Fool Self. I also revisited a series to see if I wanted to continue with it, reading The Red Dahlia, having read the first book 12 years ago! I'm looking forward to fall weather, but not to the sinus surgery that I'm having at the end of the month. There's a polyp or something else on my septum which was causing my nosebleeds, which has to be removed, and since it's pressing on the septum, it's now deviated. I'm very uncomfortable but trying to deal with it. No intense pain, but just a stuffy feeling every day where I feel like I can't breathe well. Hopefully when everything is over I will feel better.

>159 lsh63: Yikes, it's really hard to wait for surgery, regardless of how much relief it will bring you.

>160 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, it's kind of making me wish I hadn't been so conscientious about work and asked if there was an earlier date!

163 Count the Ways I really enjoyed this book about wife and mother Eleanor, and her daughters Al and Ursula, and son Toby. I saw red as her husband and father of her children Cam, decided he didn't want to be married anymore and continued to live in the farmhouse she paid for and enter a relationship with their former babysitter. Parents sacrifice for their children, and Eleanor continued to give and give throughout the book. I was frustrated at times with her not standing up for herself, but I also understood why she made some of her choices. Sometimes as much as parenthood can be rewarding, it can also be thankless at times. I can't wait to read the sequel.

164 The Mighty Red This was a very good read about a young woman named Kismet and her mother Crystal and their small community in North Dakota. When Crystal's husband and Kismet's father disappears with church funds one day, their lives are turned upside down. Kismet impulsively enters into a hasty marriage which she soon realizes was a big mistake.

>139 lsh63: You have my sympathy regarding allergies. Mine have been bad recently too.

>149 lsh63: I'm so looking forward to this book. Jackson Brodie is a favourite.

>155 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one. I have been drawn to mortality books lately, hopefully, it is because I see 60 being close and not other reasons.

165 Touch Set in the early days of the pandemic, 75 year old Kristopher decides to close his restaurant in Iceland for good. As he gets things in order to permanently close up shop, he receives a Facebook message from his Japanese ex-girlfriend Miko, who abruptly disappeared over 50 years ago without a word. He decides to visit her, and in alternating chapters, reflects on his relationship with her when they were in London. It was a very touching read.

>164 VivienneR: Hi Vivienne, many years ago it was just spring and summer when I was affected, now I feel like it's all year long. Ah well, it could be worse. I hope you enjoy the new Jackson Brodie when you get to it, I missed him!
>165 lowelibrary: Hi April, the book had a very interesting plot. I hope you enjoy it!

166 Wild Houses A slightly humorous novel about what happens when small time drug dealer Cillian English can't account for some of his product, and mob enforcers Gabe and Sketch Ferdia kidnap his younger brother Doll, to show him that they mean business. The brothers take Doll to their cousin Dev's house, who reluctantly becomes involved in their crime. When Nicky, Doll's girlfriend discovers what has happened, she vows to save him. This book is much more than a crime novel, it also explores characters with anxiety, depression and poverty, and how they are struggling just to get by.

167 Be Ready When The Luck Happens I enjoyed Ina Garten's memoir, where she shares her personal story of her early life and difficult childhood, meeting and marrying Jeffrey, and leaving her unfulfilling job to buy a specialty food store, the Barefoot Contessa. I enjoy her cooking shows, and have also purchased a few of her cookbooks. I occasionally balk at the price of the "good vanilla", but you can taste the difference. It was a very interesting read.

168 Don’t Go To Sleep in the Dark A short story collection with female characters who struggle with marriage and mother child relationship issues. Some of the stories were a tad more supernatural than others, none of them very scary. I did enjoy most of the stories in the book.

169 Clean Cut Anna has her work cut out for her when she and James are working on two separate murder cases that might be connected. Things get worse when James is injured and their relationship goes downhill. It was a grim, but very good read. I'm going to read the next book very soon.

170 All the Colors of the Dark At just over 600 pages, I never grew tired of this book. Patch is a 13 year old boy with one eye, who is best friends with a young girl named Saint. One day Patch saves a wealthy girl in town named Misty from a kidnapper, only to be kidnapped himself. Saint vows to find her friend at all costs, and when he is finally back home, he is different and their friendship is never quite the same. This character driven novel spans the years from 1975 to 2001, and finds Patch in one predicament after another, with Saint trying to save him from himself. This was an excellent read.

>172 lsh63: One of my very top literary mysteries of 2024

171 Grown Women A novel about four generations of woemn who struggle with motherhood in addition to generational trauma, racism, and being beaten down by life. The story begins with Charlotte, pregnant as a teen, who runs away from her affluent household and her oppressive mother Evelyn. Charlotte gives birth to a daughter Corinna, who also as a teen gives birth to a daughter Camille. The mother daughter dynamics make for an interesting read, especially as the grandmothers in the story, Evelyn and Charlotte, view the next generation as their chance to redo motherhood.

172 How the Light Gets In A sequel to Count the Ways, this books continues Eleanor's story as she lives her life on her farm with her son Toby and tries to deal with her rocky relationship with her daughter Ursula. It was a very satisfying read.

173 The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster As her wedding day draws nearer, Mae tries to reconnect with her family after the death of her paternal grandmother. She is met with open hostility, and slowly the reader learns about what took place. Secrets are revealed, and old grudges are addressed. Reading about the grandmother's cooking for the family barbecue reminded me so much of my mother who didn't really have a recipe for most things, just that "it looked or tasted just right".

174 Midnight and Blue As much as I love Rebus, I struggled just a bit to get through this one. The previous book left quite a cliffhanger, and the reader now knows what has happened. I suppose I struggled because the setting is different. Nonetheless, Rebus is still on the case, no matter where he finds himself.

175 The Man in Black and Other Stories I enjoy short story collections, and I especially enjoyed this offering by Elly Griffiths. The collections features her well known characters; Ruth and Nelson, Harbinder Kaur, and Max Mephisto, who I've never read.

Happy November everyone,

I haven't been reading much lately, I had a septoplasty( for a deviated septum) and a polyp removal on Wednesday, and between the pain meds, antiobiotics, and various nasal sprays, I haven't done much of anything. I hope that when all is said and done that I can breathe better and that allergy season won't make my nasal passages go haywire. My work environment has not been conducive to my recovery process, so the sooner I can move on the better. It's going to happen soon!

October recap:

13 books read
4 Kindle books
9 library books
4 male authors
9 female authors

I enjoyed How the Light Gets in, Count the Ways and All the Colors of the Dark this month.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

>179 lsh63: Wishing a quick and uneventful recovery.

>179 lsh63: Feel better soon!

>179 lsh63: Wishing you a speedy recovery!

176 The Grey Wolf Gamache receives a series of phone calls from an old nemesis which he ignores, then his Montreal apartment is broken into. What he finds is a complex potential terrorist attack.

Hope you are feeling better soon, Lisa.

Sorry you are feeling yucky.

>179 lsh63: Ouch! That sounds painful. Wishing you a complete and speedy recovery.

>180 rabbitprincess: Thank you RP!
>181 RidgewayGirl: Thanks Kay!
>182 Charon07: Thank you!
>183 christina_reads: Thanks Christina!
>185 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy!
>186 Tess_W: Thank you Tess!
>187 VivienneR: Thank you Vivienne!

Thank you everyone for the well wishes! Last week made for a very stressful recovery, as I was trying to finish some work, and I just didn't feel well at all. My boss's attitude toward me just reinforced to me that it is time to retire soon. I was always going to do it next year, but the way I and others have been treated, made me move up my timeline. Basically, I have working throughout my FMLA leave, and I am trying very hard not to whine and be professional, but boy oh boy, is it difficult. I didn't expect a thank you, but I guess I expected just a little bit of appreciation and a tad bit of empathy.

Everything seems to be healing well, and the pathology report for the removed nasal polyp was favorable. I'm about to settle down with a book very shortly, as I need to seek solace in my reading.

>188 lsh63: I hope things improve at work, Lisa. It seems some bosses can't accept medical leave. Reading will surely provide healing, physically and mentally.

>189 VivienneR: Thank you Vivienne. Today is my first day back in the office. Reading is definitely helping.

177 Holler Child This short story collection was longlisted for the National Book Award last year. In the title story, a mother tries to protect her son when he finds himself in serious trouble, that she herself is all too familiar with. In another story, titled Sweat, a woman is tired of her husband and wants him to suffer like she has over the years. This was a very good short story collection with an overarching theme of poverty, racism, and disappointment. Certainly not uplifting, but very realistic.

178 Phantom Lady This book was my noir November read, and it was a good one. A man is accused, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. He has an alibi, but no one has been able to substantiate it. His girlfriend, a friend, and a detective try to save his life before his time runs out. As I was reading the book, the story seemed vaguely familiar and I thought maybe I had read it before, but it turns out, I had seen the movie. There was a very good plot twist at the end.

179 Safe and Sound Amelia and her sister Kylee have big dreams of leaving their small town and not working in the Waffle House for the rest of their lives. Before they go, they vow to find out what happened to their older cousin Grace, who disappeared six years ago, while babysitting them. The story has a lot of abuse triggers and a very unrealistic ending.

180 The Safekeep This book was longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and was a pretty good read. It's the story of what happens when two women share the same house in the Dutch countryside in the summer of 1961. Although you can see the twist in the story coming, it was still very well plotted.

181 The Last Mrs. Parrish I was in the mood for a twisted psychological thriller and this book was perfect for me. I greatly enjoyed the story of the devious Amber who sets out to take Daphne's rich powerful husband Jackson away from her. There's a reason why the saying "be careful what you wish for" exists. It was very addictive and a fun read.

>195 lsh63: I love psychological thrillers and this one was great!

182 Snow Detective St. John Strafford is summoned to investigate the grisly death of a parish priest in a mansion, where all of the family members have a secret. The story is set in the 1950's, around Christmas, and it's not hard to figure out who did it, although I found it to be an entertaining read.

183 You are Free I wasn't in the mood to concentrate much this month, so I sought a short story collection and tried to find an author I hadn't read before. The stories in the collection feature mixed race individuals who either look "black" or "white", and struggle with relationships, parenthood, and racism. I particularly enjoyed the story "Triptych", which featured the same story written in three different narrators, family and pieces of fruit. The author is the wife of Percival Everett.

184 City of Girls A very long-winded account of Vivian Morris's life and she explains to a young woman named Angela, the nature of her relationship with Angela's father. Set in 1940's New York, Vivian leads a promiscuous lifestyle after getting kicked out of Vassar. Frustrated, her parents send her to live with her aunt who owns a crumbling theater. Not much happens, and in my opinion the book went on far too long.

185 Old Crimes Another short story collection with the characters looking back on their lives and the choices they made. In "Act III", a family vacations with her grown children and their families and looks back on the years gone by while she decides if she wants to share the news of her failing health with her family. In "The Lineman". a man reflects on how far technology has evolved, while lamenting his failed relationships. I enjoyed all of the stories in the collection.

186 All We Shall Know While the protagonist Melode Shee is not always likeable, the reader can empathize with her unhappy marriage to her childhood boyfriend Pat, and her becoming pregnant by a 17-year-old boy she was teaching to read. Each chapter follows a week in her pregnancy, beginning with the 12th week when she announces her pregnancy to her husband, and he leaves her. She later befriends a young woman named Mary who is in the middle of a family feud because she is unable to have a child of her own. This was a very good read with a touching ending.

>196 Tess_W: Hi Tess, I'm conflicted about reading the sequel. Part of me wants to, but the other part thinks the sequel might not be as good!

Hello, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving if you celebrate. I finally got some of my reading mojo back. It's been a rough couple of weeks, but I am healing well from my surgery, although it left with an allergic reaction from the adhesive tape used afterward. I saw a dermatologist, but I'm not interested in even putting low grade acids on my face, so I'll just deal with it. At some point it should go away. Things could certainly be worse. I'm looking forward to the end of the year and taking it easy.

To my horror I somehow missed the fact that I needed to file an inheritance tax return for my mother which is due very soon. My brother and I mistakenly thought that it was required after everything had been settled, but nope, PA wants $ within 9 months after the date of death. My sisters do not live locally, so it's been rough going getting the paperwork back from one of them. It's adding to my stress level, but if we have to pay penalties so be it. It's taught me an important lesson to have my own affairs in better shape.

I read 11 books this month.
9 Kindle books
2 library books
8 female authors
3 male authors

My best reads of the month were Phantom Lady, which I didn't realize that I had seen the movie until the end of the book, Old Crimes, The Last Mrs. Parrish, and Holler Child.

187 Open House This book reminded me of an Anne Tyler novel a comfort read with quirky characters. It's the story of what happens when David decides to divorce Samantha, and she doesn't handle it very well. Instead of selling the house, she decides to rent out rooms to boarders in order to cover the mortgage. Early in the book Samantha comes across as whiny and needy but later evolves into a much more interesting character.

>204 lsh63: - I read this earlier this year and even though I usually like her books, I didn't like this one as much as others.

>205 dudes22: Hi Betty, I agree it was just ok. I also downloaded The Year of Pleasures also. I’ll see if I like that one a little more.

>203 lsh63: I'm glad you're recovering well, but my sympathies for the tape allergy and all the related discomfort. Best of luck getting all the inheritance stuff figured out and I hope the holiday season gives you plenty of room to breathe.

>201 lsh63: I'm adding this to my wishlist. You've made it sound interesting.

>207 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, thank you. I hope you enjoy the book when you read it.

188 The Alice Network I loved everything about this book. The story unfolds in dual storylines, one in 1915, the other in 1947. In 1947, Charlie goes looking for her cousin Rose, while her mother tries to get her to take care of "her little problem", and get back to her society life. While tracking down leads on her cousin she comes across a woman named Eve Gardiner who has led quite the life as a member of a female spy network during World War I. I found Eve's storyline much more insteresting, but overall it was a great read. I can honestly say I've greatly enjoyed every Kate Quinn book I've read so far.

>209 lsh63: - I love Kate Quinn books.

>210 dudes22: Hi Betty, yes this was a five star read for me. I have two more to look forward to: The Huntress and The Diamond Eye.

The Diamond Eye is maybe my favorite of hers. But it's hard to choose.

189 The Birthday Nothing much happens in this book, it's about a very unlikeable self absorbed woman on her birthday. Her husband is having an affair, her daughter gets married without her being there, and her son tries to avoid her as much as possible. I guess I kept waiting for a murder, but it didn't happen.

190 The Year of Pleasures This was a good read about a woman who tries to move on after her husband's death. Betta decides to move away from her Boston homeand moves to a small town to start her life over. She reconnects with old friends, forms new realtionships, and takes pleasure in the things in life that bring her happiness. It was an uplifting read that fit my mood at the time.

191 Just the Nicest Couple A so so read about a husband's disappearance that affects two couples. Jake is married to Nina, and Lily is married to Christian. Lily and Nina teach at the same school and are friends. Lily confesses to Christian that she and Jake had a confrontation, and he vows to protect her from whatever happened to Jake. I kept waiting for the "thriller" part of the story, which really didn't happen except for the slight plot twist at the end.

192 Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop I was in the mood for something cozy, and this book fit my mood at the time. It's the first book in a series about a woman named Lindsey Bakewell, who abandons her Wall Street career and her no good ex boyfriend in order to open a bakeshop. She buys an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor Michigan, and converts into a combination bakery and home for herself and her dog, Wellington. On her bakery's opening day, her ex and his new girlfriend show up to cause trouble and when someone dies of cyanide poisoning, the bakery becomes a crime scene. The reader is introduced to many interesting characters and I thought that this was a good read. I am currently reading the second book Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bakeoff. The first five books are currently available on Kindle Unlimited, and I plan to read more of them.

193 Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off I was in the mood to read about Christmas cookies and this book did the trick. This second book in the series finds Lindsey entering a Christmas cookie bake-off in her town. When the sleazy judge of the bake off is found murdered, most of the contestants find themselves suspects. There were a few interesting recipes in the book that I might try one of these days, but I think I will stick to the basic cookies for me: snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, sugar, and oatmeal.

194 Black Butterflies This was a heart wrenching read about a woman's experience living in Sarajevo during the beginning of the Bosnian conflict. Thinking that things will settle soon, she sends her elderly mother and husband to her daughter's home in England, with the hope that she can join them later on for a visit. As she begins to run out of food, electricity, heat and running water, she realizes how dire her circumstances are.

195 Locked In This is the 10th and last book in the author's Department Q series. Carl has been arrested for drug trafficking and murder, thanks to the actions of one of his former co-workers. Assad, Rose, and Gordon work together tirelessly to prove not only his innocence, but to also save his life. This was a satisfying end to the series.

196 The Third Wife Widower Adrian Wolfe investigates the apparent suicide of his third wife Maya, a year after her death. Did Maya purposely walk into the path of an oncoming bus or was she helped? This book has a pretty flimsy plot, but it wasn't the worst read in the world.

197 The Christmas Guest Ashley is spending her Christmas holiday alone, when she stumbles upon her old journal which details the events of years ago when she spent the Christmas holiday with her classmate Emma. The first half of the book is made of the journal entries, while the second part is set in the present. There was a big plot twist that involves Ashley, who has a big secret in her past. This was a fun pre-Christmas read.

>220 lsh63: I've read a couple of Lisa Jewell's--one was good, one was mediocre.

198 Breaking Silence I've been meaning to revisit this series and realized that this book was residing on my Kindle. The case that Kate and John investigate involves three adults who've died in a manure pit accident leaving four children without their parents. When the coroner finds that one of the victims had a head injury, the accident becomes a suspected murder. I did not see the plot twist coming.

199 Shoko's Smile This short story collection was a BB from Kay (RidgewayGirl). The stories are compelling, and depict complicated relationships and the effects of political upheaval. "The Secret", about a mother and daughter and a teminal illness, tore at my heartstrings.

200 Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop I've had a really bad cold for almost a week, it's been so long since I've had one, I immediately started thinking COVID or flu crazy because I couldn't smell, and my throat was burning! Then my rational self said, "you just have a cold". My concentration hasn't been that great, so I've been filling my time with light reading and short story collections.

This book was very good, and it's making me want to visit the bookshop. I enjoyed all of the stories in the collection, but my favorites were: "The Christmas Party" by Jeffery Deaver and " A Christmas Puzzle" by Ragnar Jonasson. In the Deaver story, a man John has been put into residential senior care by his nephew and niece in-law. A kindly caregiver named Carmen offers to help them with putting John out of his misery. In the Jonasson story, an elderly woman seeks the assistance of a clerk at The Mysterious Bookshop to help her solve a puzzle from her late husband.

>222 Tess_W: Hi Tess, Agreed some of her books were better than others I've read.

>226 lsh63: That sounds like fun!

I hope your cold was nothing worse and recovery achieved. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.