Pauline's 2024 Reading

I'm Pauline living in the south of India. This is my fourth year doing the challenge. But, I think I'll be cutting down on my reading this year. Will plan only 3 or 4 books a month so that I don't feel pressured to rush through the book I'm reading to meet my monthly goals! Also, I need to make time to catch up with my backlog of Steam games as well. I will attempt the MysteryKIT, CalendarCAT and AlphaKIT but will prioritise clearing my TBR of books I own. Will try BingoDOG too.... but may not actually finish that.

January

Planned
AlphaKIT
1. I Know Who Killed Your Daughter by Tim Kizer
2. The Advocate's Dilemma by Teresa Burrell
CalendarCAT
3. Dewey by Vicki Myron

Others
4. Talons of Power by Tui T. Sutherland
5. A Regrettable Proposal by Jennie Goutet
6. Postscript to Poison by Dorothy Bowers
7. Mystic Pieces by Ada Bell

February

Planned
8. Hope for Christmas by Elizabeth Maddrey

Others
9. The Echo by Minette Walters
10. I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton
11. The Neighbor's Secret by Kimberley Montpetit

March

12. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny - AlphaKIT
13. Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham - Clearing shelf
14. Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul - CalendarCAT
15. An Invitation to Murder by Leighann Dobbs - MysteryKIT
16. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Read your bookshelf 2024
17. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb - AlphaKIT

April
18. The Leper of Saint Giles by Ellis Peters - MysteryKIT
19. The Case of the Murdered Muckraker by Carola Dunn - MysteryKIT
20. Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery - Read Your Bookshelf 2024
21. Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson - MysteryKIT
22. The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey - CalendarCAT, MysteryKIT
23. The Use and Abuse of the Bible by Henry Wansbrough - AlphaKIT
24. Valley of the Shadow by Carola Dunn - MysteryKIT, AlphaKIT

May
25. Lies Come True by Emerald O'Brien : CalendarCAT
26. Darkness of Dragons by Tui T. Sutherland : Read Your Bookshelf 2024
27. A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake : AlphaKIT, MysteryKIT
28. The Fix by David Baldacci
29. Playing with Fire by Derek Landy : AlphaKIT
30. Darkstalker by Tui T. Sutherland
31. Falling into Magic by Elizabeth Pantley : AlphaKIT
32. Neither Poverty nor Riches by Craig Blomberg : AlphaKIT
33. Going Home by Nora Roberts : AlphaKIT

BingoDOG


2 : Postscript to Poison by Dorothy Bowers
3 : 38118::Neither Poverty nor Riches by Craig Blomberg
4 : 23024823::A Regrettable Proposal by Jennie Goutet
5 : 9788694::The Use and Abuse of the Bible by Henry Wansbrough
7 : Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery
11 : 18125526::Talons of Power by Tui T. Sutherland
12 : The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey
13 : 13044696::The Advocates Dilemma by Teresa Burrell
15 : The Leper of Saint Giles by Ellis Peters
16 : 171117::Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham
17 : 27611710::I Know Who Killed Your Daughter by Tim Kizer
19 : The Case of the Murdered Muckraker by Carola Dunn
20 : Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
21 : Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
23 : 20354092::An Invitation to Murder by Leighann Dobbs
24 : 26153399::State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

I Know Who Killed Your Daughter by Tim Kizer : 2.8 ★
AlphaKIT : Y

A man falsely confesses to being the killer of Hudson's daughter. Hudson knows he is lying (how is revealed pretty early on) but can't figure out why. Meanwhile, there seems to be a copycat murderer around.

The plot was interesting, but a cop pushing his friend to break all the rules in the pursuit of revenge was a bit much. Made it kind of obvious that something was going on there though Hudson didn't seem to think it strange at all...

It was an ok read but will not continue with the series.

Revenge in Barcelona by Kathryn Lane - Did not Finish

This was a free kindle book. Read about 15% and gave up on it.

Talons of Power by Tui T. Sutherland - 5 ★

Love this series and can't wait to get the next book from my nephew.

In this book Turtle faces off with Darkstalker. Though he would rather stay in the background, his animus powers make him the only candidate to thwart Darkstalker's schemes. In the process he deals with the emotional baggage he has been carrying.

The only thing I didn't like about the book is that it is not a self-contained story like the previous ones were but ends on a cliffhanger.

>17 bookworm3091: One of my nephews is super into dragons, so I'm making a note of this series!

I've also made a note of the series.

Welcome back!

>2 bookworm3091: I loved Dewey and hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

Welcome back! I hear you on clearing both the book and Steam backlog. I have some games that I've either not played or barely played at all.

Good luck with both your reading and Steam goals in 2024.

Good luck with your reding!

>18 christina_reads: Hope your nephew likes them as much as my nephew does! Am getting the next book from him tomorrow :)

>19 hailelib: Hope you like it too!

>22 rabbitprincess: I can never resist the Steam sales and probably have nearly 2 dozen games that I haven't played yet!

>21 lowelibrary: >23 DeltaQueen50: >24 MissWatson: Thanks!

>25 bookworm3091: I forgot to say Good luck with your 2024 reading in my previous post.

>26 lowelibrary: Thanks! :)

Happy reading in 2024!

Thanks!

Good luck with your 2024 reading!

>30 Tess_W: Thanks!

The Advocate's Dilemma by Teresa Burrell : 3.3★
AlphaKIT : A

Sabre's best friend and colleague, Bob, is accused of murdering the father of her minor clients. It is up to Sabre and JP to prove Bob's innocence and to find the actual culprit.

The story was quite nice, but I felt that there was consistently a bit too much detail or unnecessary descriptions that didn't really add to the plot.

A Regrettable Proposal by Jennie Goutet : 4.2★
AlphaKIT : A

A steamless, Heyer-esque romance. Read it on Kindle Unlimited.

A complicated inheritance bring Stratford and Eleanor together. He desires the land that will be hers when she marries and so proposes a marriage of convenience to her. Since he is foxed at the time of proposing and not very complimentary in his words, Eleanor turns him down and leaves for London for her debut. Since Stratford's sisters are to have their come-out that season as well, they are thrown together quite a bit and Stratford begins to value Eleanor for more than the inheritance she will bring.

There is a secondary romance for Eleanor's friend Lydia and a minor sub-plot of unmasking a spy.

I enjoyed the book and will look for more by this author. The only quibble I have was that I felt the second half was a bit long drawn out.

>33 bookworm3091: I'm always on the lookout for an enjoyable steamless romance...adding this one to my TBR!

>34 christina_reads: Hope you enjoy it too!

>33 bookworm3091: I listened to The Christmas Ruse by this author in December and loved it! I'm looking forward to discovering more of her work.

>36 MissBrangwen: Will check that out :)

Postscript to Poison by Dorothy Bowers : 3.8 ★

This was a book bullet that I took from DeltaQueen50 last year.

Cornelia Lackland is a cantankerous old lady. When she is poisoned, there is no shortage of suspects as practically everyone connected to her had reason for wanting her dead. Dan Pardoe of Scotland Yard is called in to handle the case and he must sift through the stories of each of the suspects to determine who the guilty party is.

A fairly interesting golden age mystery.

>33 bookworm3091: I am also always happy to see a review that mentions steamless! I see that the trilogy box set is available on Kindle Unlimited, so have added it to my list.

>39 JayneCM: Hope you enjoy them! :)

Dewey : 4 ★
CalendarCAT : Happy Mew Year for Cats (Jan 2nd)
2024 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge : Cat on the Cover

A lovely story about the impact a cat had on a community. Dewey was dropped into a library book return box as a kitten where the staff found him in the morning, nearly frozen. He was adopted by the library and went on to impact the lives of the library staff, its patrons and the whole town.

Mystic Pieces by Ada Bell : 3 ★

Aly discovers, at a job interview, that she has psychic powers. Soon after, her boss is arrested for murder. She decides to try to use her powers, which she can't handle very well, to try and find out the real culprit.

A light, fun read. It was a tad annoying the way she seemed to swoon over every guy she met.

I am curious though to find out what happened to her brother's wife. That is left unsolved at the end of the book.

>41 bookworm3091: I loved Dewey when I read it. Glad you enjoyed it.

Hope for Christmas by Elizabeth Maddrey : 3 ★
AlphaKIT : E & F
CalendarCAT : Romance - Valentine's Day (Feb 14)
2024 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge : Under 250 pages

Hope for Christmas is a Christian romance novel.

Cyan goes down to Hope Ranch to get to know the grandparents he's never met. While there, he meets Maria and her son Calvin. Maria is a single-mother who is nervous about getting into a new relationship.

The Echo by Minette Walters : 4 ★

A homeless man dies of starvation in a garage next to a freezer full of food. Why did he pick that garage and why didn't he eat any of the food he had access to? As journalist Michael Deacon looks into the story, he unravels a complex plot linking 2 unsolved disappearances in the past.

>45 bookworm3091: Scary! I'm off to find this book!

>46 Tess_W: Hope you like it :)

I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton : 4 ★

I liked this more than the other Kinsey Millhone books I've read so far.

It starts out a little different in that rather than solving a mystery, it appears that everyone knows who the guilty party is and Kinsey just needs to make sure that everything is ready for the court case. However, things are never that simple and she stumbles across some complications in her investigation and finds herself in danger.

The Neighbor's Secret by Kimberley Montpetit : 3 ★

Allie Strickland is looking forward to getting married but her fiance is a no-show at the wedding.... because he got held up by a work emergency (rather unbelievable!). She flees back to her hometown to get over the trauma, and some confusion over the rental lease results in her sharing her new house with an attractive guy. That she goes from being jilted to another committed relationship in under two months seemed a bit much, but it was still a fun read. There were some annoying editing errors that were a bit distracting though.

I also expected a resolution to the whole bit about saving the hometown from the corrupt mayor but that was just forgotten.

A steamless romance.

State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny : 4 ★
AlphaKIT : H & R

Reminded me of the TV show "Madam Secretary"

While looking into three bomb blasts across Europe, the Secretary of State Ellen Adams gets on the trail of someone within her own government who is acting to destabilise the US. She and the president dislike each other but must come together to uncover the truth.

It was a fast-paced interesting story.

I was surprised to find typos and editing issues in a print book though. I thought that those happened only with Kindle freebies.

Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham : 3 ★

While investigating the deaths of two women who had been strangled, Thorne realises that he is looking for two serial killers who operate in tandem. Since there is no forensic evidence at all in any of the killings, finding the killers is a bit of a challenge.

The plot was interesting but I felt the f-word was overused. It was a bit too graphic for me as well, so not sure if I will read more in the series.

Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul : 4.5 ★
CalendarCAT : Easter

Bought this at a second hand book sale ages ago. Finally got around to reading it now. Enjoyed all of the stories

An Invitation to Murder by Leighann Dobbs : 3.5 ★
MysteryKIT : Historical Mystery

Katherine's father has promised to give her her dowry to establish her independence if she can solve a mystery by herself before her 25th birthday. So Katherine decides to see if she can figure out who the Pink-Ribbon killer is. Since being a detective is not an acceptable profession for a woman of the ton, she takes on a matchmaking job as a cover.

The characters were fun and I look forward to reading more in the series.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo : 5★
Read your Bookshelf 2024 : Multiple POVs

Kaz and his crew accept a nearly impossible job because of the promise of a payment beyond their wildest dreams. A scientist has created a drug that amplifies a grisha's powers to an incredible extent. They must kidnap the scientist and his formula from an impregnable fortress.

The story is told from multiple POVs filling in the back stories of the characters a little at a time. Each has a different reason for being a part of the crew and it is interesting to see the dynamics of their interactions.

I liked this even more than the Shadow and Bone trilogy and am looking forward to reading the conclusion of the story in the next book.

>54 bookworm3091: I also preferred this duology to the original Grisha trilogy. I love a good heist!

Dragon Keeper : Robin Hobb : 3★
AlphaKIT : H & R

People are eagerly waiting for the dragons to hatch from their cocoons, but the hatching day turns out to be an anti-climax as the dragons are all deformed. As years pass, the dragons become more burdensome to the townsfolk as the dragons cannot fend for themselves. The dragons themselves are also unhappy with their situation and induce the townsfolk to send them off to Kelsingra, a city from their dreams.

I really enjoyed reading the book, but the ending was very sudden. I turned the page expecting it to continue and found that it was the end of the book.

The Leper of Saint Giles by Ellis Peters : 4★
MysteryKIT : Series

Iveta, a beautiful and wealthy orphan, is eighteen years old but betrothed to a baron who is sixty. Her greedy guardians have made this bargain for their own personal benefit and are not in the least bothered about her happiness. Joscelin, one of her fiance's squires, is determined to rescue her from this unhappy situation. But before he can do anything, the baron is killed and suspicion falls on Joscelin. Cadfael must find the real killer before Joscelin is hanged for the murder.

An interesting mystery.

>57 bookworm3091: I've been meaning to begin that series. I have book #1 on my TBR.

>58 Tess_W: This is my second book in the series.... read #1 last year. Couldn't get hold of the in-between ones. It is a nice series.

>58 Tess_W: >59 bookworm3091: I love the Cadfael series! I find them very cozy and comforting.

>60 christina_reads: Yes, it is a nice series. Discovered it thanks to this LT group :)

The Case of the Murdered Muckraker by Carola Dunn : 3★
MysteryKIT : Series

I didn't like this book as much as the earlier books in the series. Daisy is in New York and the bits contrasting American and British English was fun. However, the whole train chase and cross-country airplane chase was a bit too much! But still a fun read.

Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery : 4★
2024 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge : Red-haired protagonist

I haven't read the earlier books in the series but still enjoyed this book.

Anne has taken a job as the principal of a school. But when she gets to Summerside to start work, she finds that half the town (the Pringles clan) is against her because their candidate for the post of principal had lost out to her. The book describes how she eventually wins them over and other events that happen during her three years there.

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson : 4★
MysteryKIT : Series

Sarah Brandt is from a wealthy family and is a widow but is now estranged from her parents and working as a midwife. While visiting one of her patients she finds that a resident in the boarding house has been murdered and that the victim was the sister of an old friend. She is then determined to help Detective Frank Malloy find the killer and bring him to justice.

I liked the characters and how their backgrounds are revealed bit by bit as the story progresses and am looking forward to reading more of the series

>53 bookworm3091: Ackk! I had to check whether this was trad published (nope) or self published (yup) because it has one of the most horrendous covers I've seen in a while. I hate it when you can't figure out from clothing what the time period is supposed to be. The cover character looks like she was put together by Frankenstein. And she seems to be on every cover in the series. Just, no.

>65 ReneeMarie: The book is full of anachronisms, so it isn't really faithful to the time period it is supposed to belong to. But I still liked the story.

The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey : 3★
CalendarCAT : Diamond
MysteryKIT : Series

Peter Diamond is an old-school detective who is suspicious of technology and apparently of making deductions from clues. He seems to think that the only way of solving a case is to interrogate people.

The dead body of a woman is found floating in a lake and Peter Diamond is called on to investigate. Sections of the story are retold from the POV of two of the suspects in the middle - I felt that made it a bit repetitive.

I'm not too sure I liked the ending... since it doesn't really explain what facts led Diamond to arrive at that conclusion, though it does make sense... but overall it was ok.

>67 bookworm3091: I wasn't too enamored of that book either -- I found Diamond obnoxious!

>68 christina_reads: Yes, he was! Have you read others in the series? Does he continue to be as obnoxious as in the first book?

The Use and Abuse of the Bible by Henry Wansbrough : 3★
AlphaKIT : U & O

Provides a synopsis of key milestones in the evolution of the interpretation (and misinterpretation) of the Bible over the course of history.

>69 bookworm3091: No, I decided not to continue with the series since I wasn't a huge fan of book #1.

Valley of the Shadow by Carola Dunn : 3★
MysteryKIT : Series
AlphaKIT : O

Megan and Nick rescue a drowning man who mentions that his family is trapped in a cave and that his mother is dying. He then loses consciousness and so is unable to help them narrow down the location to start searching. So they must figure out on their own where the family is likely to be found.

The book deals with the challenges that refugees face and their exploitation by people smugglers.

Since I was listening to this as an audiobook, I think I missed the part where it is explained why the people who originally arranged for the family to be brought to Cornwall didn't know where they were and didn't get them out.

I didn't like this as much as the previous two books.... but that may be because I was listening rather than reading and so might have missed some bits.

Lies Come True by Emerald O'Brien : 2★
CalendarCAT : Emerald (May birthstone)

A news item about a woman being attacked in the woods by a man in a mask reminds Avery of her experience of being chased through the woods when she was a teenager by a masked person. She had escaped by accidentally falling off a ledge into a river and was rescued by someone who saw her fall.

The police had not taken her seriously ten years ago, but when she gets in touch with them now, new inspector Noah believes her story and believes that it is connected with what is happening now.

The story was ok, but I hadn't looked at the cover properly and was a third of the way through before I realised that it was a trilogy and not a series. At the end of book one, the killer has been identified but he evades capture. I think I would have liked it more if the story had been wrapped up instead of being dragged on for two more books - which I don't think I will have the patience to read to find out how it all works out.

This was a freebie and there were a lot of editing issues - wrong words being used, typos etc. And the way some of the characters related to each other wasn't quite consistent through the book. But I still would have given it 3 stars if it had not been dragged out into a trilogy.

Darkness of Dragons by Tui T. Sutherland : 5★
2024 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge : Favourite Author

Qibli has always wished that he had the powers of an animus dragon. And facing off against Darkstalker makes him wish that all the more. Instead he must rely on his wits and the few enchanted items that Turtle left with him to thwart the schemes of the most powerful animus dragon ever. With the help of his friends he comes to realise that while magic is useful, it has its downsides, and he doesn't really need magic to make his friends like him better.

This is the last book in the Jade Mountain series.

A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake : 3★
AlphaKIT : N & P
MysteryKIT : Golden Age

An unpopular boy is killed on a school sports day. One of the teachers was seen kissing the principal's wife near that spot and they become the prime suspects. The teacher brings in his friend Nigel Strangeways to investigate. Nigel is able to connect with the staff and students in a way that the police cannot and is therefore better able to gather information. His interactions with the students were fun.

The book was interesting until the point towards the end where Nigel claimed to have identified the murderer but wouldn't reveal who it was. He keeps asking the police for one more day before he tells them what he knows because he doesn't have any proof. And even after a second murder takes place the police keep giving in to his one more day request. And the reason for not confronting the murderer with the proof when he did get it finally seemed rather thin.

But overall a nice read.

The Fix by David Baldacci : 4★

Amos Decker witnesses a man shooting a woman and then turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. His team at the FBI is assigned to investigate. At first they cannot find any motive for the man's actions but as they dig deeper they slowly uncover secrets that explain things bit by bit.

Playing With Fire by Derek Landy : 3★
AlphaKIT : P

Skulduggery and Valkyrie face off against the next set of bad guys that are trying to bring back the Faceless Ones. They go from one impossible situation to the next always just managing to escape, while making you laugh at the same time. It was nice, but not as good as the first book I felt.

Darkstalker by Tui T. Sutherland : 4★

This book gives the backstory of Darkstalker, the bad guy of the Jade Mountain series. Since it is kind of a prequel, the ending is already known. But it was still interesting to read how Clearsight and Fathom try to keep Darkstalker good and why Darkstalker turns out the way he does. The relationships in the book are well described.

It was rather grimmer than the other books in the series though. When Darkstalker goes rogue Clearsight has to choose between her love for Darkstalker and the wellbeing of other dragons. She can see all possible futures and while in most of them Darkstalker is totally evil, she also sees a few where there is hope of his redemption. So not an easy choice for her.

Falling into Magic by Elizabeth Pantley : 3★
AlphaKIT : P

A fun read but will not continue the series. Destiny Falls seems like a fun place where buildings move around and the weather is always nice. But by the end of the book it got a bit tiring to have Hayden rave about the town every time she went there!

Hayden's parents and brother went missing the day she was born. As an adult, Hayden falls through a mirror and finds herself in Destiny Falls where she meets up with her father and brother. She also gains the ability to communicate with her cat in that place.

Someone is after her and together they must find out why.

38118::Neither Poverty nor Riches by Craig Blomberg : 3 ★
AlphaKIT : N, P

Took a while to finish it cos I found it a bit heavy but it was interesting.

Going Home by Nora Roberts : ★
AlphaKIT : N

Bought this book years ago but then got a bit tired of Nora Roberts and didn't get around to reading it. The stories were nice enough. More steam than I like in my books though.