November AlphaKIT: L and W

Welcome to the 2024 AlphaKIT.
This is an unofficial challenge for the 2024 Category Challenge Group. Each month has two letters selected for you to use however you choose.

There are no rules. Have fun and enjoy reading. November letters are: L and W

and

If you like, update the AlphaKIT wiki with your reading.

I am planning on reading Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey and Two Old Women by Velma Wallis.

I've picked out a couple for other CATs/KITs that will work here, too:

Buried Angels / Camilla Lackberg
Mary Boleyn / Alison Weir
Julia Child / Laura Shapiro

Planning to cover both letters with Connie Willis's collection of holiday-themed SF stories A Lot Like Christmas.

>4 KeithChaffee: I hope you love it! I'm such a Connie Willis fan.

I'm planning on reading How It All Began by Penelope Lively and Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear.

I plan to read Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison which is a book club selection for November. I hope to get to The Women by Kristin Hannah which is coming up on my Libby queue. There may be others as the month progresses.

I may change my mind depending on other challenges, but at the moment I'm looking at Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir and The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu, which is the oldest inhabitant of my virtual TBR shelf.

I have been on a binge of reading Christmas books lately, and I found on my shelves A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis that fits both letters.

I'm planning to read Look Both Ways by Linwood Barclay who has never failed to entertain me.

I have set up the 2025 Category Challenge group here: https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/24518/2025-Category-Challenge. Feel free to stop by anytime, start suggesting CATs and KITs, and post your threads for the 2025 challenge!

(I'm posting this notification to a bunch of threads, so sorry if you see it multiple times!)

Lots for November!
Currently Reading

Can't Wait to Get to Heaven
Death As A Fine Art by Sharon Linnea ✅
Death from Beyond by Sharon Linnea ✅
Essence of Foul Play by Darryl Wood Gerber ✅
Everlasting by Kathleen Woodiwiss
Grey Wolf
I Loved Her in the Movies by Robert Wagner
Limited Edition Murder ✅
Little Lost Library ✅
Little Shop of Found Things
Murder in Verona by T A Williams ✅
Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs ✅
Sieve or Let Die
Spirited Blend by Lauren Elliott
Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!
Winemaker's Wife
Witless Protection Program

I just read Mimi Matthews's A Lady of Conscience.

Also, if you haven't yet visited the 2025 Category Challenge group, come on over! CAT and KIT discussion is in progress, and we're going to start voting on Wednesday, November 6. So if you'd like to suggest a CAT or KIT for next year, check out the discussion and make your proposals here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/365087.

I'm posting this several places in the 2024 group, so my apologies if you see it a bunch of times!

For my first W I read My Murder by Katie Williams.

L & W : Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott

W: The Big Bite, Charles Williams.

I have finished Winter, Weihrauch, Wasserleiche, an anthology of 24 mystery stories.

The Last Note of Warning took care of both letters.

Currently reading "One Last Song" by Nathan Evans

COMPLETED One Last Song by Nathan Evans

Started Lucia, A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon by Andrea Di Robilant.

I just read Sinéad Murphy's The Jane Austen Rules: A Classic Guide to Modern Love, which was a mixed bag, but at least it counts as an L book!

Another book for W is Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

For the W, I read The Asphalt Jungle by W. R. Burnett.

For L I finished Event by David L Golemon. Now starting Little Fuzzy.

Both letters: A Lot Like Christmas, Connie Willis.

I just finished my first W book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.

Also, today (Sunday, November 10) is the last day for voting on the 2025 CATs, so if you haven't voted yet, you can do so here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/365087. See message #73 and following. Again, cross-posting in many places, so sorry if you see this message multiple times.

I finished Venus in Copper, Lindsey Davis for L.

For both the L and the W, I read Laidlaw by William McIlvanney.

For another W, I read Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley.

I have read The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and a few other short stories, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

For another W book, I have read Moskau : Von der Siedlung im Wald zur Kapitale einer Weltmacht by Heddy Pross-Weerth.

The last alphakit for 2024 is up: December

And yes, we're doing it again in 2025. Come join us.
2025 AlphaKIT main thread

I just read and enjoyed The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich.

I read A Thousand Li : The First Step by Tao Wong for W and Three Little Words by Melissa Tagg for L

Starting Finished Business by David Wishart.

Still reading Lucia, A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon.

>37 Robertgreaves: Continuing with the next in the series, Trade Secrets

COMPLETED Finished Business and Trade Secrets, both by David Wishart

Another W book, The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden.

Mary Boleyn / Alison Weir
3.5 stars

This is a nonfiction “biography” of Mary Boleyn. Mary lived during the first half of the 16th century, and was most likely a mistress to Henry VIII before he divorced his first wife, Kathrine of Aragon, and married Mary’s sister, Anne Boleyn.

There really isn’t a whole lot known about Mary, so the author took a lot of sources, both primary and secondary, and analyzed them to figure out what she could of Mary’s life. I expected this. She did also explain why she thought some of the sources were (likely) correct or not. So there is still much speculation, but the author did want to correct some obvious things that people think about Mary due to recent popular movies and tv shows (that, yes, I also enjoyed!).

I did learn a little bit, too: apparently, the likely affair between Henry and Mary was the same in the minds of people at the time, with regard to not allowing Henry and Anne to marry, as Henry marrying Katherine (his brother’s widow), which is what Henry used to annul his first marriage – it was considered incest, and shouldn’t have allowed him to marry Anne. But no one (at least who was willing to outwardly oppose Henry and Anne’s marriage) knew about it to bring it up.

This is, of course, a bit of a longer read, not in terms of pages, but it’s nonfiction, so a little more dense. But, still interesting!

COMPLETED Agents of Winter by Ada Maria Soto

I have a W: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, 4*.

I have completed both my alpha reads for November with Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey and Two Old Women by Velma Wallis.

I finished my first AlphaKIT read this month: Driftnet by Lin Anderson.

The Secrets of Vesuvius / Caroline Lawrence
2.5 stars

This is the second in a series of children’s mysteries, this one set in ancient Italy. Flavia is our main character; she and friends are given some kind of riddle (I’m not sure why). Later on, they try to help a boy find his biological parents. Then, the volcano at Vesuvius erupts.

All of that in a very short book. I listened to the audio and, like with the first book, there was too much I missed because it didn’t hold my attention. After the first one, I had decided to give the series another try (this one), but I think I’ll stop here. Maybe I could try a non-audio, but I don’t think I will. The boy and the volcano were the most interesting, though.

Finished audio of Black Wind by Clive Cussler.

I have finished Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis for L.

I read The Forgiving Quilt by Lenora Worth for both letters.

...and I also read another book for L: Giving A Heart Of Lace by Arietta Richmond, a Regency romance.

I have finished another W: Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf.

My latest ER book fits L.
Lemming’s First Christmas by Jamesie Fournier, Ill. by Tim Mack

I've read two this month that fit: Lost and Found in Spain by Susan Solomont and The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny.

>54 clue: I'm reading Grey Wolf right now!

Just finished Look Both Ways by Linwood Barclay that hit both letters.
It seems Barclay has attempted to repeat the terror of Elevator with driverless cars. It’s funny, imaginative and entertaining and will make you think twice about trying one.

I just finished The Drifter by Susan Wiggs.

Currently reading "Come Death and High Water" by Ann Cleeves

Reading a lot of Ws this month. Finished The Weavers of Alamaxa by Hadeer Elsbai. I am working on an L, The Great Library of Tomorrow by Rosalia Aguilar Solace which I am hoping to get finished by the end of the month.

I just read Jude Morgan's A Little Folly -- a delightful rediscovery!

Stars Between the Sun and Moon / Lucia Jang
3.5 stars

The author grew up in North Korea but soon learned she wanted out. She went through abusive relationships, two children (one who was sold, not by her choice), landed in jail more than once, went back and forth between China, and more. Eventually, she got out for good and made her way to Canada.

I listened to the audio. Unfortunately, that meant it was a while before I got interested. And it was interesting (and awful for her) once it was holding my attention, but I’d already missed a bunch of what was going on by that point, and I continued to lose focus at times. You could say there were some technical issues with the audio that didn’t help, but it’s hard to say if that would have made a difference in the rating or not. I actually thought I caught more than I did, but in reading some of the other reviews, I guess I missed more than I thought, even.

It's unlikely I'll finish either my "L" or "W" book before month end so they will continue into Dec. I'm pretty sure I'm up to date except for this month and next.

I finished Lady With a Black Umbrella by Mary Balogh.

I only finished one L or W book in November: The Provincial Lady in London by E. M. Delafield.

I'm currently reading The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather, but I won't finish it by the end of the month. Oh well.

I have finished Der Abituriententag by Franz Werfel for W, and Life among the savages by Shirley Jackson for L. Both were great.

I listened to one more W book at the end of the month: Das Geheimnis der Weihnachtswichtel by Sven Nordqvist.