April catches up in 2024- the Fourth and Final Quarter

Hi, I am April. I joined LibraryThing in 2015 and the Category Challenge in 2018. This year my themes are 6 LibraryThing created challenges (Random KIT, MysteryKIT, ScaredyKIT, PrizeCAT, CalendarCAT, and BingoDOG) and my 9 personal challenges. I am doing great on my LibraryThing challenges, but am struggling with some of my personal ones. I will set realistic hopes for the rest of the year on each post.

My reading goal is 170 books this year. I am on target, having read 45 books in the first quarter, 49 in the second quarter, and 49 in the third quarter for a total of 143 books for the year. This is 84% of my goal.

I already have a theme for next year and am working on setting my 2025 challenges.

RandomKIT - hosted April

January (Early Birds) - Birds Do The Strangest Things by Leonora and Arthur Hornblow
February (Escape or Rescue) - The Elephant Girl by James Patterson and Ellen Banda-Aaku
March (World Wildlife Day) - Still Alive by Forrest Galante
April (Enchanting Garden Visitors) - Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People by Janet Bord
May (Art or Architecture) - Borobudur by Bedrich Forman
June (Initials) - The Special Guest by Lee & Donna Allen
July (Favorites) - You Never Know by Tom Selleck
August (Titles) - Death of a Country Fried Redneck by Lee Hollis
September (It's Raining Men (Weather)) - Hidden in Snow by Vivica Sten
October (Tis the Season) - It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
November (I Told It My Way) - My Murder by Katie Williams
December (Roll A Die! and Wrap Up Your Year)

MysteryKIT

January (short stories) - Mystery Cats edited by Cynthia Manson
February (True Unsolved Mysteries) - Murder At Teal's Pond by David Bushman
March (Historical Mysteries) - The Tale of Holly How by Susan Wittig Albert
April (Series) - Cross Fire by James Patterson
May (Golden Age) - The Boomerang Clue by Agatha Christie
June (An Author New To You) - The Appeal by Janice Hallett
July (Cross Genre Mysteries) - Dark, Witch & Creamy by H.Y. Hanna
August (Amateur Sleuths) - Getaway With Murder by Diane Kelly
September (Upstairs/Downstairs) - Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
October (Not-too-scary mysteries) - Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley
November (Noir) - The Cleaner by Paul Cleave
December (Culinary Mysteries) - Sleep In Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley

FINISHED 12 OF 12

ScaredyKIT - hosting September (Stephen King and family) and November (Things with a Bite - Vampires and Werewolves)

January (Psychological Thrillers) - The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
February (Gothic) - Greygallows by Barbara Michaels
March (True Crime) - The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson
April (Witches, Evil Spirits, and Black Magic) - Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
May (Graphic Novels and Short Works) - Vlad the Impaler by Sid Jacobson
June (Serial Killers) - Please Tell Me by Mike Omer
July (The Corporeal Undead) - Pay Me In Flesh by K Bennett
August (Middle Grade and YA Horror) - Miss Peregrine's Museum of Wonders by Ransom Riggs
September (Stephen King and family) - Horns by Joe Hill
October (Contemporary Horror Authors) - Ushers by Joe Hill
November (Things With A Bite) - Above the Circle of the Moon by T.M. Tucker
December (Catch-Up! Read Something That Fits Any Month's Theme) - The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller

FINISHED 12 OF 12

CalendarCAT

January - A Chosen Destiny by Drew McIntyre - Burns Night, January 25th.
February - Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: Book of Love by The Bathroom Reader's Institute - Valentine's Day, February 14th.
March - Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe - Rob Lowe's 60th birthday, March 17th.
April - What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama - National Library Day, April 6th.
May - J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World Movie Magic: Curious Creatures by Ramin Zahed - International Harry Potter Day, May 2nd.
June - A Little Bit of Fairies by Elaine Clayton - International Fairy Day, June 24th.
July - Death Is Like A Box of Chocolate by Kathy Aarons - World Chocolate Day, July 7th.
August - What-the-Dickens by Gregory Maguire - National Tooth Fairy Day, August 22nd.
September - Carrie by Stephen King - Stephen King's birthday, September 21st.
October - Being Henry by Henry Winkler - Henry Winkler's birthday, October 30th.
November - We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo - Native American Month
December

PrizeCAT

January (Long-running prizes) - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1959 Newberry Award)
February (A prize from your own country) - The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden (1961 Newberry Award)
March (A prize that's new to you) - Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017 Costa Debut Novel Award)
April (Women's Writing) - Circe by Madeline Miller (2019 Women's Prize for Literature - shortlist)
May (Doubling Up) - American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2002 Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards)
June (Booklists) - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1001 Books to Read Before You Die)
July (Prize From A Country Other Than Your Own) - The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (2019 Baillie Gifford Award for Non-Fiction, Great Britain)
August (Genre Prizes) - Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (2006 World Fantasy Award)
September (A September CAT/KIT that won a prize) - Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (2007 YALSA Best Book for Young Adults)
October (Missed It By That Much) - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (2015 Man Booker Award shortlist)
November (Children's Literature) - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2009 Newbery Award)
December (A Prize of Your Choice) - Starter Villain by John Scalzi (2024 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel)

FINISHED 12 of 12

01. Twelfth Knight
02. The Appeal
03. Murder At Teal's Pond
04. A Man and His Cat 02 - written in the Manga fashion
05. The Woman In Me (number #11 on the NYT bestseller list when read)
06. How To Train Your Humans
07. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
08. Don't Open This Book
09. Let the Snow Begin (1 copy on LT)
10. A Little Bit of Fairies
11. No Two Persons
12. An Invitation To Tea
13. The Elephant Girl - February RandomCAT
14. Cat Under Fire (author was 68 when book was written)
15. Mystery Cats
16. Redwood Court
17. First Lie Wins
18. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (in the library of MelodyCrim)
19. The Wives (set in Seattle and Portland)
20. Vlad the Impaler
21. The Witch of Blackbird Pond
22. Before We Were Innocent
23. Still Alive
24. George Orwell: Complete & Unabridged
25. Anita de Monte Laughs Last

CHALLENGE FINISHED OCTOBER

Kindle Challenge - Read and discard 12 books off my Kindle. Books will not count towards the challenge if they are kept.

1. Cutthroat Cupcakes by Cate Lawley read and discarded January
2. Murder At Teal's Pond by David Bushman read and discarded February
3. My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood read and discarded in March
4. The Animal: Party At Kelly's by Chad Nicholas read and discarded in April
5. Midnight Prince by Aisha Urooj read and discarded in May
6. Please Tell Me by Mike Omer read and discarded in June
7. Houdini: A Life Worth Reading by Higher Read read and discarded in July
8. The Bare Witch Project by Celeste Hall read and discarded in August
9. Hidden In Snow by Vivica Sten read and discarded in September
10. Birdie Nook by Laurie Ann Pokin read and discarded in October
11. 101 Tips for Travelling with a Vampire by Joleene Naylor and Jonathan Harvey read and discarded in November
12. Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson - read and discarded in December

FINISHED 12 OF 12

Book Bullet Challenge
As of December 2023, I have 60 books on this list. The goal is to read one from each person (23 contributors). My top 3 contributors were JayneCM (11 books), christina_reads (6 books), and DeltaQueen50 (5 books).
UPDATE I am 10 books behind on my goal. I still hope to finish. Hopefully I have some short books on my list.

1. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill from rabbitprincess - read in January
2. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot from DeltaQueen50 - read in January
3. A Man and His Cat 01 by Umi Sakurai from JayneCM - read in January
4. I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel from cyderry - read in February
5. The Dinner by Herman Koch from VivienneR - read in February
6. Hunted by Meagan Spooner from christina_reads - read in March
7. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong from lkernagh - read in April
8. Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey from scaifea - read in June
9. The Appeal by Janice Hallett from majkia - read in June
10. Wintering by Katherine May from threadnsong - read in July
11. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James from mstrust - read in August
12. Gracie the Lighthouse Cat by Ruth Brown from thornton37814 - read in September
13. Rewild Yourself by Simon Barnes from Jackie_K - read in September
14. No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister from beebeereads - read in October
15. Think Like A Detective by David Pakman from Nickelini - read in October
16. The Cleaner by Paul Cleave from lsh63 - read in November
17. My Murder by Katie Williams from RidgewayGirl - read in November
18. The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski bullet from Helenliz - read in November
19. The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller bullet from LibraryCin - read in December
20. Starter Villain by John Scalzi bullet from Zozette - read in December



Book Bullets taken and read in 2024 While not part of the challenge, I am noting the ones I read.

1. Cackle by Rachel Harrison from sturlington - read in February
2. Chouette by Claire Oshetsky from staci426 - read in March
3. Vexed To Nightmare by Macabre Monday from mstrust - read in April
4. What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama from charl08 - read in April
5. Pemberly: Mr. Darcy's Dragon by Maria Grace from JayneCM - read in May
6. The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence from majkia - read in June

Reese's Book Club Challenge
I joined Reese's book club last year. The books were an average of 4 stars, so I am continuing the challenge. I get all the books from my library, so they are not necessarily read in order. I also want to read at least 3 books from the years before I joined the club.
UPDATE Since the club has added YA picks this year, I will probably not get to read any of the older selections. The average this year has been 3 1/2 stars.

✔ December 2023 - Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman (2) read in January
✔ January 2024 - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (4.5) read in January
✔ February 2024 - Redwood Court by Delana R.A. Dameron (3.5) read in March
✔ March 2024 - Anita De Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez (3) read in April
✔ April 2024 - The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (3) read in May
✔ May 2024 - How To End A Love Story by Yulin Kuang (2.5) read in June
✔ June 2024 - The Unwedding by Ally Condie (3.5) read in August
✔ Summer YA pick 2024 - Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth (3.5) read in July
✔ July 2024 - The Cliffs by J Courtney Sullivan (3.5) read in August
✔ August 2024 - Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell (5) read in September
✔ September 2024 - The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl (4) read in October
✔ Fall YA pick 2024 -Looking For Smoke by K. A. Cobell (3.5) read in October
✔ October pick 2024 - Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown (3.5) read in November
✔ November pick 2024 - We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo (4) read in November
December pick 2024 - City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim
Winter YA pick 2024 - Throwback by Maurene Goo

Books read from previous selections
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman the first ever pick in May 2017 - read in March (4.5)

Let's finish the series challenge
I am focusing on finishing the Alex Cross series this year.

Alex Cross series by James Patterson - remaining books as of October 1st.
UPDATE I am hoping to read at least 4. This would leave 12 in the series for next year.

Cross Justice - read in December
Cross Kill (Bookshot) - read in December
Cross the Line
Detective Cross (Bookshot)
The People vs. Alex Cross
Target: Alex Cross
Criss Cross
Deadly Cross
Fear No Evil
Triple Cross
Cross Down
Alex Cross Must Die
The House of Cross releases November 2024

Adding the Ali Cross series which I will read when I get to them in publication order of the Alex Cross books.
Ali Cross read after Criss Cross
Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son read after Deadly Cross
Ali Cross: The Secret Detective read after Fear No Evil

It's time to claws the book on these series challenges
I have so many cat cozy mystery series started. I hope to finish these series. Updated as of October 1st.
I finished the Sassy Cat Mysteries last quarter.
UPDATE I am removing the A Bad Luck Cat Mystery series. I will finish the Deep Dish Mysteries and hope to read at least 2 of the Witch Way Librarian Mysteries

Deep Dish Mysteries by Mindy Quigley SERIES FINISHED
Public Anchovy #1 - read in October
Sleep In Heavenly Pizza #4 - read in December

Witch Way Librarian Mysteries by Angela M Sanders
Witch and Famous #3
Witch Upon A Star #4
Gone With The Witch #5
The Witch Is Back #6 - releases November 26th

Just read the Thing already challenge
This challenge is for all my SantaThing and Thingaversary (April 7th, 2015) books. Books left to read as of October 1st.
UPDATE I hope to read one from each sub-category this quarter.

2023 SANTATHING GIFTS
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

UNREAD SANTATHING GIFTS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
The Crime That Binds by Laurie Cass (2022)
Ghost of a Chance by Simon R Green (2018)
Heist Society by Ally Carter (2016)
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (2017)
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (2016)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (2017)
A Trip With Trouble by Diane Kelly (2022)

UNREAD THINGAVERSARY BOOKS
All Around Town by Mary Higgins Clark (2021)
The Secrets of Dumbledore by J.K. Rowling (2023)
What the Cat Saw by Carolyn Hart (2022)
Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf by Kathryn Lasky (2022)

2024 THINGAVERSARY BOOKS
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
Cross Justice by James Patterson - read in December
How To Keep A Werewolf by Fiona Bowron - read in November
How Witchcraft Saved My Life by Vincent Higginbotham

Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books
This challenge is to help me read my new books as I receive them. All books given or bought (except for library sales) are listed here. As of July 1st, I have divided this challenge into 2 parts (Physical and Kindle). The books listed still need to be read as of October 1st.
UPDATE I will finish the Christmas gifts and hope to finish the birthday gifts. Any other books finished are a pleasant plus.

CHRISTMAS 2023 GIFTS -FINISHED
Answers in the Form of Questions by Claire McNear - finished in October
Being Henry by Henry Winkler - read in October

BIRTHDAY 2024 GIFTS
Cat About Town by Cate Conte
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith

PURCHASES 2024
Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
The Chef by James Patterson
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons From The Cat by Amy Newmark - finished in November
Criss Cross by James Patterson
Cross The Line by James Patterson
Deadly Cross by James Patterson
Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book by Terry Jones - read in Ocotber
The Last Close Call by Laura Griffin
Proverbs For Young People by Jack Levin
Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley - read in October
The Red Book by James Patterson
Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson
Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan
That Mistletoe Moment by Cat Johnson, Kate Angell and Allyson Charles
The Twelve Topsy-Turvy Very Messy Days of Christmas by James Patterson and Tad Safran
When I Was Your Age by Kenan Thompson
Witch Upon A Star by Angela M Sanders
You Like It Darker by Stephen King

4TH QUARTER PURCHASES
Think Like A Detective by David Pakman - read in October
Sleep In Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley - read in December
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M Schulz read in October
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles M Schulz read in October
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M Schulz - read in October
The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep by Rien Poortvliet -read in November
The Gift-Giving Band of Snowy Snowgate by Andrew Blackburn - read in December
Chicken Soup For the Soul Celebrates Cats and the People Who Love Them by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen - read in December
The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney

EARLY REVIEWER WINS - I read these once they are received
May 2024 - To Make The Sky by March Mattingly - read in June
June 2024 - Body On Ice by Alan Kessler - read in July
September 2024 - Chain of Evidence by Charles Le Voile - read in October

Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Kindle Edition
This is the Kindle portion of the above challenge. Books that still need read as of October 1st.
UPDATE I fell down the stuff your Kindle rabbit hole and have accumulated over 60 new books and with two new book blasts happening in October, I will not make a dent in these so I have removed the list. I hope to read the purchased Kindles and at least one of the Amazon Free Reads.

KINDLE PURCHASES 2024
Longbourn: Dragon Entail by Maria Grace
The Witches of New York by Julia Whelan
The Cleaner by Paul Cleave - read in November
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski - read in November

AMAZON PRIME FREE READS (My Amazon Prime membership allows me to receive one or two books a month for free)
January - Last Night by Luanne Rice
February - The Canopy Keepers by Veronica G Henry
March - What Is Love? by Jen Comfort
April - The Vacation Rental by Katie Sise
May - Meet Me On The Bridge by Sarah J Harris
June - Still The Sun by Charlie N Holmberg
July - In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim
August - The Moonflowers by Abigail Rose-Marie
August - Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand
September - Remember Me Tomorrow by Farah Heron
October - Ushers by Joe Hill - read in October
October - Grave Talk by Nick Spalding
November - The Answer Is No by Frederik Backman
November - Trial By Ambush by Marcia Clark
December - The Conjurer's Wife by Sarah Penner
December - The Christmas Book Hunt by Jenny Colgan

Library Sales Books This is not a challenge.
These are all the book sale purchases I have purchased this year that have not been read. There is no goal for these books, I am just keeping track of what I read. Updated as of October 1st.

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY SALE (FEBRUARY)
Bodyguard by Jessica Linden
Cat Laughing Last by Shirley Rosseau Murphy
The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse by Leann Sweeney
Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
No Escape Claws by Sofie Ryan
The True Tails of Baker and Taylor by Jan Louch
Walk The Blue Line by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann
2 cookbooks
The Best of Mr. Food: Quick and Easy Recipes by Art Ginsburg
The Mr. Food Cookbook by Art Ginsburg

STILLWATER SPRING LIBRARY BAG SALE (APRIL)
Breath of Magic by Teresa Medeiros
The Christmas Day Murders by J.B. Smith
Karma by Nancy Deville
Life With the Little People by Robert Johnson Perry
The Neighborhood by Debbie Williams
The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans
Savage Dawn by Cassie Edwards
Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner, Jr

SHAWNEE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY SALE (OCTOBER 3-5) This is my local library sale.
Made a great haul see >23 lowelibrary: for the list of books

Pick a book, any book challenge
I have 6 bookcases full of unread books. I hope to read 2 per bookcase.
UPDATE I am behind on this challenge, but hope to finish them all.

FIRST HALF (24TH BOOK FROM THE TOP OF THE SHELF)
January (case 5) The Presence by John Saul - read in February
February (case 1) Mysterious Menagerie by Cynthia Manson - read in March
March (case 6) Emma's Secret by Barbara Taylor Bradford - read in April
April (case 3) Stories From Other Lands by Walt Disney - read in May
May (case 4) Once Upon A Time by Arthur Rackham and Margery Darrell - read in June
June (case 2) Grace by Richard Paul Evans - read in July

NOTE: Having finished the first half of the year, I have kept one and discarded 5 books from my shelves with this challenge.

SECOND HALF (24TH BOOK FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SHELF)
July (case 4) The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson - read in August
August (case 5) Pursuit by Gene Hackman - read in November
September (case 1) American Pharoah by Joe Drape - read in November
October (case 2) Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parrish - read in October
November (case 6) Then Came Christmas by Randy Lee Eickhoff - read in November
December (case 3) How Many Dragons Are Behind the Door? by Virginia Kahl - read in December

FINISHED 12 of 12

OCTOBER

Starting the month with some healthy choices, because we all know what happens when the trick-or-treaters leave.

>5 lowelibrary: CalendarCAT - September Stephen King's birthday and banned book week


143. Carrie by Stephen King ★★★★

Unpopular at school and subjected to her mother's religious fanaticism at home, Carrie White does not have it easy. But while she may be picked on by her classmates, she has a gift she's kept secret since she was a little girl: she can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. Her ability has been both a power and a problem. And when she finds herself the recipient of a sudden act of kindness, Carrie feels like she's finally been given a chance to be normal. She hopes that the nightmare of her classmates' vicious taunts is over . . . but an unexpected and cruel prank turns her gift into a weapon of horror so destructive that the town may never recover.

I swore I read this book in the 1980s. However, I am now positive I must have read a condensed version, because I remembered the story, but not all the reports that are included as a way of relating the tale. This book is pretty tame compared to his later books. I remember relating to and rooting for Carrie (bullied and abused) when I first read the book and I still don't place all the blame on Carrie with the reread.

Happy New Thread, April. I've enjoyed strolling through your lists and I picked up a couple of candy corn on my way by.

>21 dudes22: Thank you. Come back and get all the candy corn you want. I am not a fan. Jut leave the Oreo spiders.

SHAWNEE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE and most likely the last of the year.
This is my local library that gets my annual membership fee. This enabled me to go to preview night for the first time. In previous years, I worked during the preview hours—a haul of 34 books for just over $25.

Biographies
American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson
The Boys by Ron Howard

Cookbooks
Hazel's Hot Dish by Hazel Smith
Mr. Food Cooks Real American by Art Ginsburg - I love the original Mr. Food
You're Just My Cup of Tea by Camille Ellerbrook - read in October

Trusted authors
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
The Forgotten Road by Richard Paul Evans
The Exchange by John Grisham
Marple, Holmes, and Poe by James Patterson - this was on my Christmas list, but who could wait for a buck
The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson
Three Fates by Nora Roberts

Series I am collecting to read in order
A Bone To Pick by Charlaine Harris
Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris - first in series
Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris
The PMS Murder by Laura Levine

First in series
Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance by Gyles Brandreth
Final Sentence by Daryl Wood Gerber - who could resist this cover
Murder at the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane

Books I have heard great things about
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey

Other books that caught my eye
The Christmas Joy Ride by Melody Carlson
The Silent Spirit by Margaret Coel
The Last Apprentice: A Coven of Witches by Joseph Delaney
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson - bought for the title
The Accidental Further Adventures of the 100-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson
Frogkisser by Garth Nix - a Frog Prince retelling
Read on Arrival by Nora Page - had me at Septuagenarian librarian
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales by Elizabeth Rudnick
Kent State by Deborah Wiles
Ada's Heart by Sandra Wilkins - an autographed historical fiction that takes place in the town I currently live in

A Book Bullet
My Murder by Katie Williams - read in November

and a Beauty and the Beast retelling of course
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

>23 lowelibrary: Great haul! My local library's book sale is this weekend also...looking forward to adding to my already-groaning TBR shelves!

>8 lowelibrary: Kindle Challenge


144 Birdie Nook by Laurie Ann Pokin ★½

In this spine-tingling short story, Birdie Nook, a big woman in an isolated life whose only happiness is T.V. and food, is haunted by a malevolent presence in her tiny, city apartment. Alone, Birdie must navigate a treacherous landscape of overeating and isolation, but her grip on reality weakens, plunging her into a nightmarish world where the line between the living and the thing in her apartment blurs. Will Birdie Nook escape the clutches of darkness, or is she already just another victim of some malevolent curse?

I had picked this book for the ScaredyKIT challenge, but I am unsure of what I even read. The author seemed to have remembered in the last pages that it was supposed to be a horror and added a "spooky" element let's have something eat her, instead of her just overdosing . For me, it is just a sad story of someone living with depression.

>4 lowelibrary: ScaredyKIT - contemporary horror authors
>15 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Kindle Edition


145. Ushers by Joe Hill ★★★★★

Martin Lorensen is a twenty-three-year-old counselor for disturbed teenagers. He’s bright, compassionate, attractive, and outgoing. He’s also—and this is the most interesting thing—not dead. Martin has improbably survived not one but two deadly disasters that claimed dozens of lives. The kid is riding one hell of a lucky streak. Two federal agents think there is something darker at play. Now that they’ve arranged to interview Martin, they want answers. Martin is ready to share everything he knows. One thing is for certain: when it comes to escaping death, luck doesn’t figure into it at all.

This short story is well worth the time. I love Joe Hill books because they do not read as true horror, but always have a paranormal or odd twist. This book is the same. I cannot say more without spoiling the ending.
This Amazon Original Stories ebook will be released on November 1st. My prime membership allows me to get Free Reads per month before they release.

no category- special read


146. Heel Turn #1 by WR Peden ★★★½

What happens when Pro Wrestling meets Dexter? Ethan Johnson works a normal job just like you and me, but on the weekends, Ethan puts on a mask and transforms into “The Arch Angel of Extreme” Ethan Edwards, a masked professional wrestler who is known to go to extremes for his fans. But the side you don’t see from Ethan is that when he is wronged he loses control and becomes a sadistic serial killer. What causes Ethan to become so Extreme?

This comic was written by my son. I had previously read the PDF before release as a beta reader. My son gave my husband a print copy a few weeks ago. And as a mom, I had to read and rate it for him. He loves the fact that the mom does not rate it, only the reader.

>17 lowelibrary: Pick a book, any book challenge -October pick


147. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parrish ★★★★★

From dressing the chicken to drawing the drapes, Amelia Bedelia does exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Rogers tell her to do. If things get a bit mixed up, well, that's okay. When Amelia Bedelia is involved, everything always turns out perfectly in the end!

I loved Amelia Bedelia when I first read her, I love Amelia Bedelia still.

>23 lowelibrary: Unofficial - In The Door Challenge - Library Sales


148. You're Just My Cup of Tea by Camille Ellerbrook ★★★★½

Like a good cup of tea, a good friend makes life richer and more beautiful. Artist Camille Ellerbrook’s cheerful paintings of delicate teacups and charms of the easy life grace this tribute to that special someone. Sweet quotes flow among color–infused pages and celebrate the woman who adds flavor, comfort, and warmth to the conversation of living. For every occasion, this will be a welcomed gift of friendship.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. "Enjoy life sip by sip not gulp by gulp" - The Minister of Leaves

>10 lowelibrary: Reese's Book Club Challenge - September pick


149. The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl ★★★★

In The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl presents a literary devotional: fifty-two chapters that follow the creatures and plants in her backyard over a year. As we move through the seasons—from a crow spied on New Year’s Day, its resourcefulness and sense of community setting a theme for the year, to the lingering bluebirds of December, revisiting the nest box they used in spring—what develops is a portrait of joy and grief: joy in the ongoing pleasures of the natural world, and grief over winters that end too soon and songbirds that grow fewer and fewer. Along the way, we also glimpse the changing rhythms of human life. After unexpectedly leaving home during the pandemic, grown children prepared to depart again. Birdsong and night-blooming flowers evoke generations past. The city and the country where Renkl raised her family transform a little more with each passing day. And the natural world, now in visible flux, requires every ounce of hope and commitment from the author—and us.

While I am not an outdoorsy person, this book made me wish I was. It also reminds me of the joys I get watching the birds and squirrels that live in my yard.

>3 lowelibrary: MysteryKIT - Not-So-Scary Mysteries
>12 lowelibrary: It's time to claws the book on these series challenge
>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books


150. Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley ★★★★½

While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move. But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

This series gets better with each book. I love the slow build of Delilah and Capone. This book had more Butterball, who I have madly fallen in love with. I just pre-ordered the next book in the series and cannot wait for it to arrive.

>28 lowelibrary: I loved Amelia books when my children had to read them!

>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books -Early Reviewers September win review here


151. Chain of Evidence by Charles Le Voile ★★★★½

A judge with a secret. He’s a federal judge who wants to take America back to the 1950s. He bases his rulings on the Bible. He bans books. He is anti-choice, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBQ+. He has been nominated for the Supreme Court. He is assassinated in a professional hit . . . at a swingers’ resort.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Marlon Grimes, an army veteran with a deadly secret, is put on the case. His partner is Deputy U.S. Marshal Jana Berry, a former homicide detective haunted by secrets of her own. Together, they follow the chain of evidence from Washington, D.C., to Jamaica, to Austin Texas, and back to D.C. Link by link, the chain leads to higher and higher echelons in the government, until it points inexorably toward the White House.

This is a really good read. There is no doubt which way the author's political views run but he incorporates these into the story to further the plot. And with today's environment a little too believable to be comfortable.

>7 lowelibrary: BingoDOG - paper-based item in plot - THIS BOOK COMPLETES THE BINGODOG CARD
>9 lowelibrary: Book Bullet Challenge bullet from beebeereads


152. No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister ★★★★

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…
Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller searching for love, and a widower rent by grief. Each is drawn into Alice’s novel; each discovers something different that alters their perspective and presents new pathways for their lives. Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected ways―and how we are all more closely connected than we might think.

Each story is a complete short story on its own carrying the common thread of a book throughout each. Then you begin to see little connections that catch you off-guard and bind the stories closer together to create one novel. The way the stories connect reminded me of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

Congratulations on finishing your Bingo card!

Congratulations on finishing your card!

>34 lowelibrary: - I listened to this book earlier this year and thought it was good too. I took the BB from beebeereads too.

>5 lowelibrary: CalendarCAT - Henry Winkler's birthday - October 30th
>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books


153. Being Henry by Henry Winkler ★★★

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you. Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he’s been revealed as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as The Fonz, he could hardly find work.

I wanted to love this book, since I love Henry Winkler, but I just couldn't. I always find the best autobiographies are the ones where I can hear the author telling the stories in my head and I could not hear Henry in this book. While some of the stories are interesting, others felt like just filler material.

>34 lowelibrary: Congratulations on finishing the Bingo!

>36 dudes22:, >38 pamelad: Thank you.

>9 lowelibrary: Book Bullet Challenge - bullet from nickelini
>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books


154. Think Like A Detective by David Pakman ★★

This book introduces children to the basics of critical thinking, such as analyzing information, reasoning, and evaluating evidence. With colorful illustrations and relatable examples, this book presents critical thinking concepts in a way that is easy for children to understand and apply.

While this book does introduce critical thinking terms and ideas for children, it does not truly guide them in solving anything. Also, a very thinly veiled illustration of rich kid "Ronald" depicted as a known liar does not belong in a children's book regardless of your politics.

>2 lowelibrary: RandomKIT - 'Tis The Season
>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books


155. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M Schulz ★★★★
It’s Halloween night, which means costumes, trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples…and waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Linus is certain that the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch to bring toys to all the children of the world. Could this be the year that it finally happens?

And since I bought them as a set, I also read

156. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles M Schulz ★★★★½
When Peppermint Patty invites herself (and most of her friends) to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, Charlie Brown reluctantly agrees to make a holiday feast even though he can barely make toast and cold cereal! Can he pull together a memorable meal, or will he and his friends just be grateful when it’s over?

157. A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M Schulz ★★★★½
Christmas is almost here, which means ice skating, Christmas carols, and sparkly lights everywhere—even on Snoopy’s doghouse! Everyone is enjoying the holiday celebrations except Charlie Brown. Can the Peanuts gang help Charlie Brown discover the true meaning of Christmas?

These beautifully illustrated books are adaptations of the television specials that have been beloved since childhood. As I was reading them, I was reliving the cartoons in my head.

>10 lowelibrary: Reese's Book Club - Fall YA pick 2024


158. Looking For Smoke by K.A. Cobell ★★★½

When local girl Loren includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet Giveaway to honor Loren’s missing sister, Mara thinks she’ll finally make some friends on the Blackfeet reservation. Instead, a girl from the Giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered. Because the four members of the Giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation. And all of them—Mara, Loren, Brody, and Eli—have a complicated history with Samantha.
Despite deep mistrust, the four must now take matters into their own hands and clear their names. Even though one of them may be the murderer.

This is the author's first novel and as a YA book, it is a well-written book, with surprising twists. However, I have read too many mysteries and have become too jaded to not have figured out most of the book, although a couple of the twists did still catch me off guard.

>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books - Christmas 2023


159. Answers in the Form of Questions by Claire McNear ★★★★½

Jeopardy! is a lot of things: a record-setting game show, a beloved family tradition, and a proving ground for many of North America's best and brightest. Nearly four decades into its current edition, Jeopardy! now finds itself facing unprecedented change. This is the chronicle of how the show became a cross-generational touchstone and where it's going next. ANSWERS IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS dives deep behind the scenes, with longtime host Alex Trebek talking about his life and legacy and the show's producers and writers explaining how they put together the nightly game. Readers will travel to bar trivia showdowns with the show's biggest winners and training sessions with trivia whizzes prepping for their shot onstage. And they'll discover new tales of the show's most notable moments-like the time the Clue Crew almost slid off a glacier-and learn how celebrity cameos and Saturday Night Live spoofs built a television mainstay.

Fans of Jeopardy, like me, will enjoy this behind-the-scenes look into the making of the show and its' former champions.

>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books


160. Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book by Terry Jones ★★★★★

"July 6th 1895. Nanna wuldnt bleive me. Ettie wuldnt bleive me. Auntie Mercy wuldn't bleive me. But I got one. Now theyv got to blieve me." What young Angelica Cottington "got" was...a fairy. And, you are holding the evidence in your hands! It really happened--a hoax perpetrated by two girls who claimed to have photographed actual "fairies"; among the people caught up in the popular hysteria were Arthur Conan Doyle (who fell for it) and Harry Houdini (who did not). Now, this remarkable parody, written by a former member of the Monty Python troupe, takes a sly look at what happened in a fashion that's riotously witty, visually extraordinary, and wildly original. In every respect, this "handwritten diary" captures the look of the age--though the fairies, it is true, do sometimes have a more malevolent aspect than one might expect...A fresh--and funny--take on the true story.

The fairies in this book make me laugh every time I see them, although I do not approve of the method of catching them. I bought the book because I am a huge fan of Brian Froud's work.

OCTOBER ROUND-UP

I read 18 books in October - 2 Kindle, 3 library loans, and 13 from my shelves. I discarded 1 Kindle and 1 physical book.
I finished my BingoDOG card this month.

This month's books (in alphabetical order).

★★★★★
Amelia Bedelia
Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book
Ushers
★★★★½
Answers In The Form of Questions
Chain of Evidence
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Public Anchovy #1
You're Just My Cup of Tea
★★★★
Carrie
The Comfort of Crows
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
No Two Persons
★★★½
Heel Turn #1
Looking For Smoke
★★★
Being Henry
★★
Think Like A Detective
★½
Birdie Nook

Best Book of the Month: Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book
Worst Book of the Month: Birdie Nook

NOVEMBER

I couldn't resist this adorable dip tray.

>46 lowelibrary: - That's a great idea and would be pretty easy to do. I'm keeping this in mind.

>47 dudes22: It is adorable. I wonder how hard it is to find a bell pepper with just the right “turkey face” shape?

Yummy and healthy!

I wonder what they used for the eyes? Life Savers and olives?

>47 dudes22:, >48 Charon07:, >49 DeltaQueen50:, and >50 dudes22:. I am glad you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I have located the recipe. https://lilluna.com/turkey-veggie-tray/

>17 lowelibrary: Pick-a-book, any book challenge - August pick


161. Pursuit by Gene Hackman ★★★★

“I’ll say this for the last time. Take your hand off the shotgun.” In a tense standoff with a shopping mall shooter, Sergeant Juliette Worth has the suspect about to surrender—then in a few explosive seconds, she takes him down. Usually a by-the-book cop, Julie has too much at stake, raising her daughter on her own, to break protocol—until the mall killer pushes her over the line. Instead of kudos for saving his hostage, the Missouri State Criminal Investigation Unit hands Julie cold case duty. Among the forgotten files, she uncovers a disturbing connection between disappearances from years ago—all pretty girls, all presumed runaways. Now Julie’s instincts have her hunting a predator still very much in the picture. Someone who pulls Julie into a harrowing chase—by abducting her daughter. . . .

I stayed up all night finishing this book. I was immediately caught up in the drama of Julie looking for her daughter and abductor. Some of the geography put me off since I lived many years in the area and the book got some of it wrong.

>52 lowelibrary: WOW, I was unaware that Hackman was also an author!

>54 lowelibrary: I think I found this at a library sale and picked it up because I did not know Hackman was an author.

>4 lowelibrary: ScaredyKIT -Things With A Bite


162. Above the Circle of the Moon by T.M. Tucker ★★★½

Jamaica, 1766: Cyrus, the mixed-race son of a white plantation overseer and a black slave woman has always yearned for freedom. When he learns of a planned revolt by the Maroons, the native free blacks, he grabs his chance and escapes to join the rebellion. But Cyrus's plans are shattered when he is recaptured and imprisoned. He is shocked to discover that his father is a werewolf. He learns that he will inherit the curse forever unless he kills his father and severs the lycanthrope bloodline. As the English scientist Melchior Croll abducts both father and son to study the secret of immortality, Cyrus is torn between his loyalty to his father and his desire to be free. He must find a way to save himself and his father or become doomed to a life of savagery and bloodshed.

This book started out really good with the story of Cyrus and the turmoil of being stuck between two worlds. Then he was captured and once we arrived in England it became more of a revenge story than a werewolf story. I was unhappy with the ending since I dislike books that don't completely end the story, but set up the next book. I feel that you can end the story and still have a successful series. But I will get the next book and continue the story.

>10 lowelibrary: Reese's Book Club - October pick


163. Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown ★★★½

Maya has returned to Princeton for her college reunion—it’s been a decade since she graduated, and she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her time there. This visit is special because Maya will also be attending the graduation of her little sister, Naomi. But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya’s worst nightmare when she receives the news that Naomi is dead. The police call it an accident, but Maya suspects there is more to the story than they are letting on. As Maya pieces together what happened in the months leading up to her sister’s death, she begins to realize how much Naomi hid from her. Despite Maya’s warnings, Naomi had joined Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus—the same one Maya belonged to. And if she had to guess, Naomi was likely tapped for the secret society within it. The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes that Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as wonderful as she’d always made it seem—after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past . . . and to the secret she’s kept all these years.

A good first novel, I found the story bogged down in some spots and some scenes unnecessary since they did not relate to the crime. However, the end of the book had some surprising twists and I did not figure out the murderer.

>6 lowelibrary: PrizeCAT - Children's Literature - 2009 Newbery Award


164. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman ★★½

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family. The Graveyard Book, a modern classic, is the only work to win the Newbery (US) and Carnegie (UK) medals.

I could not get into this coming-of-age book maybe because I am closer to the aging gracefully group, maybe because the characters did not grow on me, maybe because I could not quite follow the story.
Mr. Gaiman's Newbery Acceptance Speech (included in the 10th anniversary edition, I read) is 5 stars.

>13 lowelibrary: Just Read The Thing Already Challenge - Thingaversary 2024


165. How To Keep A Werewolf by Fiona Bowron ★★★★½

This is a humorous book that starts from the premise that there are many benefits to owning a pet but acknowledges that not everyone is content with conventional animals such as cats and dogs. In fact, the very adventurous pet owner might prefer a pet that is so exotic that it technically doesn’t exist. This book suggests, therefore, that the reader may want to opt for a crypto-zoological or mythological creature. The main problem with owning such an animal is knowing how to look after it. A glance through the local paper will reveal a startling lack of adverts offering baby bigfoots free to a good home, and there is little in the way of obedience classes for werewolves. What, you may ask, does one feed a baby Mongolian Death Worm? Is the giant squid a good choice of pet if you live in a penthouse flat? This book describes each animal, together with an assessment of its suitability for domestication, along with hints and tips on how to obtain and care for your chosen animal. Arranged in terms of the dangerousness of the animal, it is designed to be dipped into, so that the reader may quickly locate useful information such as how to remove the budgie from the jaws of a newly introduced pet sea monster, should the need arise. Armed with the information in this book, you’ll be ready to embark on the rewarding endeavor of owning your very own phoenix, dragon, or bogeyman.

A cute little book that is just what the description states. A series of pages on owning various cryptids.

>5 lowelibrary: CalendarCAT - Native American Month
>10 lowelibrary: Reese's Book Club - November pick


166. We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo ★★★★

Born into the Waorani tribe of Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest—one of the last to be contacted by missionaries in the 1950s—Nemonte Nenquimo had a singular upbringing. Her elders taught her about plant medicines, foraging, oral storytelling, and shamanism. At age fourteen, she left the forest for the first time to study with an evangelical missionary group in the city. Eventually, her ancestors appeared in her dreams, pleading with her to return and embrace her culture. She listened. Two decades later, Nemonte has emerged as one of the most forceful voices in climate change activism. She has spearheaded the alliance of indigenous nations across the Upper Amazon and led her people to a landmark victory against Big Oil, protecting over a half million acres of primary rainforest. Her message is as sharp as a spear—honed by her experiences battling loggers, miners, oil companies, and missionaries. In We Will Be Jaguars, she partners with her husband, Mitch Anderson, founder of Amazon Frontlines, digging into generations of oral history, uprooting centuries of conquest, hacking away at racist notions of indigenous peoples, and ultimately revealing a life story as rich, harsh, and vital as the Amazon rainforest herself.

This book focuses more on Nemonte's life and what was happening to her family, than on the activism. A good look at what life is like for the indigenous. Parts of the book made me stop and think of how missionaries treat the people they arrive to "help" all over the world and how "white people" just disregard everything to accomplish their own goals. It's worth the read if you want to know more about Ecuadorian indigenous life in the rainforest.

>3 lowelibrary: MysteryKIT - Noir
>9 lowelibrary: Book Bullet Challenge bullet from lsh63
>15 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Kindle Edition


167. The Cleaner by Paul Cleave ★★★★

Joe is in control of everything in his simple life - both his day job as a janitor for the police department and his "night work." He isn't bothered by the daily news reports of the Christchurch Carver, who, they say, has murdered seven women. Joe knows, though, that the Carver killed only six. He knows that for a fact and is determined to find the copycat. He'll punish him for the one, then frame him for the other six. It's the perfect plan because he already knows he can outwit the police. All he needs now is to take care of all the women who keep getting in his way, including his odd, overprotective mother and Sally, the maintenance worker who sees him as a replacement for her dead brother. Then there's the mysterious Melissa, the only woman to have ever understood him, but whose fantasies of blackmail and torture don't have a place in Joe's investigation.

This book is full of quirky characters and twists that you will never see coming. I could not wait to see what happened next.

>2 lowelibrary: RandomKIT - I Told It My Way
>9 lowelibrary: Book Bullet Challenge bullet from RidgewayGirl
>23 lowelibrary: Shawnee Friends of the Library Sale - not an official challenge


168. My Murder by Katie Williams ★★½

Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She’s also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her. Now it’s not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she’s always enjoyed—she must also figure out the circumstances of her death.

An easy read, but I was not drawn into this book. I also could not relate to the characters at all and could not get interested in them.

>9 lowelibrary: Book Bullet Challenge - bullet from Helenliz
>15 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Kindle Edition


169. The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski ★★★★½

The novel is about a young married woman who lies down on a chaise-longue and wakes to find herself imprisoned in the body of her alter ego ninety years before.

I had trouble reading this book with all the distractions around me, so I tried again during my day off. I was immediately drawn into the story. The way the author wrote immediately had me experiencing all the fears and confusion of the character and I did not put the book down until the end. A great short story.

>8 lowelibrary: Kindle Challenge


170. 101 Tips for Traveling with A Vampire by Joleene Naylor and Jonathan Harvey ★★

There aren’t a lot of resources for a human who’s running with the “undead”; No Facebook groups, no forums, not even a decent book of tips – until now. 101 Tips for Traveling with a Vampire is just that – 101 tips for everything from boat travel to the American classic Road trip. Sometimes funny, sometimes serious, these tips will prepare you for any travel that your vampire friend has in mind. Want more fang for your buck? The revamped 101 Tips for Traveling with a Vampire features a special bonus “25 Tips for Dealing with a Vampire”

Mostly common travel tips that the author tried to make humorous with a vampire twist and failed. The best part of the book was the bonus tips for dealing with a vampire.

>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books


171. The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep by Rien Poortvliet with text by Wil Huygen ★★★★★

This beautifully illustrated children's book tells the story of the Sandman who travels with his donkey Suzanne, visiting beings all over the world to bring them sleep. Readers will wonder if the Sandman himself ever sleeps and why he is called the Sandman. Both children and adults will delight in this lovely and timeless story.

I sent my husband to the local thrift store to pick me up a Santa reading statue that I saw in their online ad. When he brought it home, I google searched it because of the high quality and discovered it was a statue of the Sandman and Suzanne. I then discovered this lovely book telling their story and bought it immediately on eBay due to the statue and being a huge fan of the author's gnome books. Imagine my surprise when I opened the book and found it autographed. The story was well worth the money and the illustrations just bring everything to life. Plus I think the sandman did his job, while I was distracted reading the book.

>17 lowelibrary: Pick a book, any book challenge - November pick


172.Then Came Christmas by Randy Lee Eickhoff ★★★

On Thanksgiving Day, 1953 Samantha "Sam" McCaslin was content with life on her family's ranch in South Dakota. It was her birthday, and her life was beginning. She had turned twelve and was certain the year ahead would be special. But her world soon shatters. Sam stumbles across the body of an Indian friend, a hired hand helping her father on the ranch. With her mother sick, Sam is determined to bring the magic of Christmas back to the family of her murdered friend. Realizing suddenly that the world outside is not the perfect place that her parents had created on the ranch, Sam makes a harrowing Christmas Eve ride to spread the joy of Christmas, even if there are those out to destroy it. Anti-Indian racism and the ignorance of the world outside her front door are brought to full light as Sam finds herself being stalked by her friend's killer.

A simple story of a stubborn girl who enjoys being a tomboy. The crime and subsequent events seem to take backstage. Until she tries to be better, the main character seems one-sided. Not a story that I overly enjoyed, but it was decent. More of a life in the ranch than an overly Christmassy book.

>17 lowelibrary: Pick a book, any book challenge - October pick


173. American Pharoah by Joe Drape ★★★

History was made at the 2015 Belmont Stakes when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown, the first since Affirmed in 1978. As magnificent as the champion is, the team behind him has been all too human while on the road to immortality. Written by an award-winning New York Times sportswriter, American Pharoah is the definitive account not only of how the ethereal colt won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, but how he changed lives. Through extensive interviews, Drape explores the making of an exceptional racehorse, chronicling key events en route to history. Covering everything from the flamboyant owner's successful track record, the jockey's earlier heartbreaking losses, and the Hall of Fame trainer's intensity, Drape paints a stirring portrait of a horse for the ages and the people around him.

The book was not what I wanted it to be. I wanted a story of the horse and his life, I got a history on racing and all the owners, trainers, jockeys and any one else they could mention to extend the book.

NOVEMBER ROUND-UP

I read 13 books in October - 4 Kindle, 2 library loans, and 7 from my shelves. I discarded 1 Kindle and 4 physical books.
I met my reading goal of 170 this month.

This month's books (in alphabetical order).

★★★★★
The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep
★★★★½
How To Keep A Werewolf
The Victorian Chaise-Longue
★★★★
Pursuit
The Cleaner
We Will Be Jaguars
★★★½
Above the Circle of the Moon
Society of Lies
★★★
American Pharoah
Then Came Christmas
★★½
My Murder
The Graveyard Book
★★
101 Tips for Traveling with A Vampire

Best Book of the Month: The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep
Worst Book of the Month: 101 Tips for Traveling with A Vampire

DECEMBER

I have enjoyed looking at the charcuterie boards that you've been posting this year. Lots of good ideas.

>70 dudes22: I am glad you enjoyed my treats this year. I am not that creative myself.

>14 lowelibrary: In The Door Challenge - Physical


174. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons from the Cat by Amy Newmark ★★★½

What do we learn from our cats? Everything. Our cats make us better people. If we rescued them, they rescued us back. If we’re sad, they comfort us. If we need to have more fun, they show us how. They are our therapists, our role models, and our best friends. You’ll laugh a lot, tear up at times, and nod your head in recognition as you read these tales about the wonderful experience of sharing life with a cat. Life lessons from our cats come in many forms, from the hilarious to the heroic.

My faithful followers know I read one of these stories a night to my beloved, Little One. This collection had more whimsical stories and less sad stories, so it was more enjoyable for both of us.
Little One: What mom said- I want more cats getting the best of their humans and less death and vets.

>72 lowelibrary: I’m glad both you and Little One enjoyed this book!

>73 Charon07: Little One: Thanks. I love these stories. I am not supposed to say anything, but I am getting my own category in mom's challenge next year.

Earlier this year, I finished collecting all the Hallmark Holiday stories that go with my Hallmark Snowman Collection. When I pulled them out to decorate, I discovered I had six unread ones. So, I will be reading them this month, and then I can read the new one.


175. Snow What Fun! by Cheryl Hawkinson ★★★★★
Just what do snowmen do when no one is looking? This lively account of the snowfolks' big gathering "just south of North Pole" will answer that question in a truly unforgettable way.

This book written in poetic format is so fun to read, the rhymes flow easily and I reached the end before I realized it. One of the best of the series.


176. Snow Place Like Home by Diana Manning ★★★★

The snowkids of Marshmallow Mountain were meeting one troublesome Tuesday at two. They all gathered round in their clubhouse, Fort Snowpack, to try to decide what to do. There's nothing to do in Marshmallow Mountain! And the snowkids are bored! But when they discover the old broken-down candy factory in a quiet corner of town, they prove that with a little hard work and a lot of cooperation, anything is possible.

While a cute book some of the story seems headed in one direction and then skipped to the kids and I wanted a little more clarity

>4 lowelibrary: ScaredyKIT - Catch Up! Read Something That Fits Any Month's Theme March theme - True Crime
>9 lowelibrary: Book Bullet Challenge - bullet from LibraryCin


177. The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller ★★★★

Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. In a compelling, linear narrative, Miller takes readers along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets underway, a gripping portrait of a woman and a town emerges.

A good starter book for the Lizzie Borden case, written for the YA audience. The case details are presented fairly without pointing the reader to guilt or innocence, like most books on Lizzie Borden. I will be reading more Sarah Miller.

I have loved all the beautiful snack boards you've put out for us this year. On this most recent one, the fresh strawberrries are calling out to me!

>74 lowelibrary: I’m so looking forward to Little One’s category! I wish my cat were more interested in reading, but she’s more of an obstructionist in that regard.

>77 DeltaQueen50: Thank you for the kind words and the borrowing of the tea for next year's monthly headers.
>78 Charon07: I have one of those. Mama does not enjoy reading at all, but attempts to shred my fingers when I won't allow her to claw the books.

178 Snow Time To Lose by Diana Manning ★★★★
When chilly weather threatens the town of Shiverdale, Finny O'Flurry and his little dog Rex have to think fast, or the Christmas Eve Ding-ALong could be on ice

It is a cute little story, but some characters are rude, which is unnecessary in a children's book.


179 The Snow Must Go On by Molly Wigand ★★★★★

The penguins and snow people of Antarctic Springs are out to prove that their little town is the place for fun, festive holidays! Their stage show may be way, way off-Broadway, but with an Elvis impersonator, a stand-up comedian, and a flock of talented penguins, this whimsical troupe of players puts the South Pole on the map.

A very funny and entertaining book, especially the penguins' tricks.


180 The Snowman Band of Snowboggle Bend by Cheryl Hawkinson ★★★★½
Every year this snowman band auditions to play at the annual Slush Fest. This year, they're as determined as ever to make it big. And more importantly -to have a great time! Join the excitement as the band heads off to Slush Fest and faces adventure after adventure. It's snow much fun.

Wonderfully illustrated and a rhyming story that flows off the tongue.


181 The Snowbelly Family of Chillyville Inn by Cheryl Hawkinson ★★★★

There's no time to rest for the Snowbelly clan as they happily entertain guests at their lodge in the frozen North. Join this bustling family of snowfoldk as Papa plays piano, Mama serves ice-cream souffles, Grandma and Grandpa make gifts for the guests, and the Snowbelly kids - Snowbert and Snowbelle - find themselves in a colorful predicament.

A charming look into a family's life in an inn at Christmas. Lost stars on the uneven rhyming scheme.

>14 lowelibrary: In The Door Challenge - Physical


182. The Gift-Giving Bandit of Snowy Snowgate by Andrew Blackburn ★★★★½

Mac Frost and his family have just moved to Snowgate, where something feels snow very wrong - no one is excited for Christmas! But when mysterious gifts start popping up all over town Mac and the rest of the snowfolk are set to discover the most special gift of the season.

This is the 2024 book of the Hallmark Holiday series and brings me 100% up to date. I now own and have read all 21 in the series. This book is about the hidden joy in giving and getting unexpected surprises. Beautifully illustrated by Ramon Olivera with full-page brightly colored images and scenery.

>17 lowelibrary: Pick-a-book, any book challenge - December pick


183. How Many Dragons Are Behind The Door by Virginia Kahl ★★★½

A very good question indeed, especially since the answer depends on when and of whom you might choose to ask it. Young readers will delight in joining the good-natured Duchess and her thirteen daughters who bring home a friendly dragon that delivers many surprises. in this easy-to-read mystery, young readers will find lots of opportunities to put their counting skills to use in figuring out just how many dragons are behind the door.

A very brightly colored book, all greens and reds, we begin by counting daughters and end with counting dragons. What happens in between the counting makes an adorable story.

>11 lowelibrary: Just read the Thing Already challenge
>13 lowelibrary: Let's finish the series challenge - Alex Cross



184. Cross Justice by James Patterson ★★★★½
For Alex Cross, the toughest cases hit close to home and in this deadly thrill ride, he's trying to solve the most personal mystery of his life. When his cousin is accused of a heinous crime, Alex Cross returns to his North Carolina hometown for the first time in over three decades. As he tries to prove his cousin's innocence in a town where everyone seems to be on the take, Cross unearths a family secret that forces him to question everything he's ever known. Chasing a ghost he believed was long dead, Cross gets pulled into a case that has local cops scratching their heads and needing his help: a grisly string of socialite murders. Now he's hot on the trail of both a brutal killer, and the truth about his past - the answers he finds might be fatal.

This edition takes Alex to the place of his birth, where you meet his aunts and visit his childhood home along with the memories stirred up by the visit. The socialite murders at first seemed to be filler for no purpose but to give Alex another crime to solve. The surprise at the end of this one shocked me as much as it shocked Alex. Great ending.

My edition of the book included a bonus story Cross Kill originally published as a BookShot, since I read them together in one book, I am not counting it as a separate read although it was the next in my series list.


Cross Kill ★★★½

Alex Cross, I'm coming for you - even from the grave if I have to. Along Came a Spider killer Gary Soneji has been dead for over 10 years. Alex Cross watched him die. But today Cross saw him gun down his partner, John Sampson. Is Soneji alive? A ghost? Or something even more sinister? Nothing will prepare you for the wicked truth.

The best part of this book involved John Sampson and it is worth reading as part of the series just for that storyline. The rest of the story bordered on unbelievable at times and predictable at others.

>83 lowelibrary: I've still to follow up on the Alex Cross BBs I got from you. I have collected several books but just not got around to them yet. I'll have to find a CAT or KIT for him in 2025.

>84 VivienneR: Next year will be my final challenge for Alex. I only have 14 books left, including companion books.

>14 lowelibrary: lowelibrary: In The Door Challenge - Physical


185. Chicken Soup for the Soul Celebrates Cats and the People Who Love Them by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen ★★★★

From the impishness of kittens to the regal mystery of adult cats, our feline companions never cease to captivate our hearts and imagination. This wonderful volume celebrates the moments we share with our feline friends—those both tender and amusing. It reminds us of the unique idiosyncrasies that keep us in their thrall: their independence and their affection, their mystique, their playfulness, and, yes, even their disdain.

A sampler of stories each with an adorable accompanying photo. All sweet stories that fit the series perfectly.

Little One: Cat pictures, who needs them, when you have the real thing.

>6 lowelibrary: PrizeCAT - Prize of your choice -2024 Winner Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
>9 lowelibrary: Book Bullet Challenge bullet from Zozette


186. Starter Villain by John Scalzi ★★★★★

Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

I am not a big science fiction fan, but this fantasy/spy novel is my favorite read of the year. It is fast-paced and funny, with great characters who are easy to love. I hope this is not the end of Charlie (or Hera and Persephone).

>8 lowelibrary: Kindle Challenge


187. Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson ★★★½

With Christmas only three days away, Carol Claus agrees to her father’s request that she leave the North Pole on a mission to help save Christmas. Joining single father Ben Hanson and his children for the holidays seems easy until Santa informs her that Ben is the man behind the disturbing new book ‘Beyond Bah Humbug: Why Lying to Your Children about Santa Claus is a Bad Idea’. Posing as Miss Kane, the children’s new nanny, Carol pulls out all the stops to show Ben how fun Christmas can be while struggling to understand how one man could hate the holidays so much. How could she, Santa’s only daughter, be so attracted to a man who refuses to believe her father exists?

This novella hits all the Christmas movie tropes, which is exactly what I want this time of year. The book should have continued its pace (which was slightly quick and quirky), instead of speed bombing the ending.

>3 lowelibrary: MysteryKIT - Culinary mystery
>12 lowelibrary: It's time to claws the book on these series challenges - A Deep Dish Mystery
>14 lowelibrary: Read the books as they come through the door challenge - Physical books


188. Sleep In Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley ★★★★

Pizza chef Delilah O’Leary and her kitty companion, Butterball, get into the holiday spirit as Geneva Bay, Wisconsin hosts the nation’s premier snow sculpting championship. The annual event transforms the charming resort town into a wonderland of snow castles, ice rinks, and cozy cups of cocoa. On the eve of the festival though, a too-good-to-be-true Chrismukkah catering gig brings some frosty tidings and heralds an unexpected visit from Delilah’s high-intensity older sister. Suddenly it seems that the holidays may not be the hap-happiest season of all. And when one of the town’s snowy sculptures reveals a chilling surprise, murder threatens to put the celebrations―and Delilah’s crew―on ice for good.

I love these characters, although this edition created more problems for our friends than I felt necessary. The myriad of suspects were well selected and all feasible, yet the culprit was a surprising choice. This book catches me up with the series and I cannot wait for the next one.

Christmas book haul
A Man and His Cat 04 by Umi Sakurai
A Gnome's Christmas by Rien Poortvliet and Bruce Goldstone
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Lars the Awkward Yeti, Volume 2 by Nick Seluk
Wednesday's Library by Calliope Glass
Cher: The Memoir Part One by Cher
You're My Little Cutie Pie by Nicola Edwards

and 3 Chicken Soup for the Soul books for Little One and I to read.

>6 lowelibrary: PrizeCAT - October - Missed It By That Much - 2015 shortlist for Man Booker Award
>13 lowelibrary: Just read the Thing already challenge - SantaThing 2017


189. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara ★★★½

A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into and those we make for ourselves.

This book was hard for me to read. It was very sad and so triggering The descriptive abuse and the very realistic depictions of the feeling of worthlessness and deserving of the abuse with the suicidal tendencies that arise with these feelings at points that I had to set it down for weeks at a time. The book made me remember, think, and feel. Not anything I would have chose for myself, but I am glad I took the time to finish it.

SantaThing gifts
Janis: Her Life and Music by Holly George Warren
Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

These and the other books I received for Christmas are moving into 2025.

I have two books I am currently reading that I hope to finish this year for CalendarCAT and RandomCAT. I am going to have Christmas with my son and grandkids this weekend and will post my 2025 thread next week.

>93 lowelibrary: - I have the Ishiguro on my list for next year too.

A fine Christmas book haul! Have a happy, healthy New Year filled with reading.