SharronA’s 75 for 2020

Last year I got to 100. Partial credit goes to a back injury that has kept me mostly chair-bound for the past few months. I’m determined to keep up the reading pace even when I return to normal activities.

JANUARY 2020

1. Killing Christmas by Bill Kitson, 4th (of 4) Detective Mike Nash novel
2. Trace by Archer Mayor, 28th Joe Gunther novel
3. Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America by James Poniewozik
4. Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn
5. A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America by Philip Rucker
6. Best Seller by Susan May (How did I get stuck reading this one, waiting and hoping for it to get better or end. I quit halfway through.)

Hope you have a great year of reading!

Welcome back!

Sorry to hear about your back troubles, but hope that you have a wonderful reading year!

Happy reading in 2020, Sharron!

FEBRUARY 2020

7. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker — I’m listing this book before finishing it because it’s SO good.
8. Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse by John Lithgow
9. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer
10. Crooked River by Douglas Preston and.Lincoln Child, unabridged audio narrated by Jefferson Mays, 19th Pendergast novel
11. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, unabridged audio narrated by George Guidall
12. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, 5th and final Inspector Alan Grant mystery
13. The Dooms Day Book by Connie Willis

MARCH 2020

14. American Dirt by Jeannine Cummins
15. Murder in Rat Alley by Mark de Castrique, 7th Sam Blackman story
16. The Disappeared by C. J. Box, 18th Joe Pickett story
17. Proof of Life by J. A. Jance, in the J. P. Beaumont series, unabridged audio read by Alan Sklar
18. Long Range by C. J. Box, 20th Joe Pickett story
19. The Silent Sister by Diana Chamberlain, unabridged audio read by Susan Bennett
20. Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright, unabridged audio read by the author
21. A Collection of Favorite Quilts by Judy Florence
22. The Standard Book of Quilt Making by Marguerite Ickis
23. 101 Patchwork Patterns by Ruby McKim
24. Jelly Roll Quilt Magic by Kimberly Einmo
25. One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet-Deported by E. J. Dionne, Jr., Norman J. Ore stein, and Thomas F. Mann, unabridged audio read by the authors
26. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies at the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel, unabridged audio read by Cassandra Campbell
27. Dessert Roll Quilts by Pam & Nicky Lintott
28. Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, first Nora Kelly book, unabridged audio read by Cynthia Farrell
29. A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley, unabridged audio read by Jayne Entwhistle. 3rd Flavia deLuce story
30. An Ancient and Magical Prayer: Insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls by Greg Braden and Deepak Chopra, MD, narrated by the authors
31. Rock Bottom by Erin Brockovich and C. J. Lyons, unabridged audio read by Coleen Marlowe
32. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler, unabridged audio read by Orlagh Cassidy

APRIL 2020

33. A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon, unabridged audio read by Jeff Woodman
34. The Bat by Jo Nesbo, first Harry Hole novel, translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett, unabridged audio read by John Lee
35. Poison by John Lescroart, unabridged audio read by Jacques Roy, 20th Dismas Hardy story
36 The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, unabridged audio read by Dennis Quaid and ensemble
37. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore, unabridged audio read by Angela Brazil
38. Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, unabridged audio read by Holter Graham
39. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, unabridged audio read by Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee and Danny Campbell
40. Fire and Ice by J. A. Jance, Beaumont and Brady separate stories intersect, unabridged audio read by Hilary Huber and Erik Davies
41. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kruger, unabridged audio read by Rich Orlow
42. Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs, 2nd Tempe Brennan, read by Katherine Borowitz
43. Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs, 3rd Tempe Brennan, read by Katherine Borowitz
44. The Ghost Walker by Margaret Coel, 2nd Arapaho mystery, read by Stephanie Brush

MAY 2020

45. Badlands by C. J. Box, 2nd in the Highway series, unabridged audio read by January LaVoy
46. Fatal Voyage by by Kathy Reichs, 4th Tempe Brennan, read by Katherine Borowitz
47. The Crossing by Michael Connelly, 18th Harry Bosch, unabridged audio read by Titus Welliver
48. The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell, 4th Kurt Wallander, unabridged audio read by Dick Hill
49. The Death Factory by Greg Iles, a Penn Cage novella, unabridged audio read by David Ledoux
50. The Good Son by Michael Gruber, unabridged audio read by Neil Shah
51. The Royal Baths Murders by J. R. Ellis, 4th DCI Oldroyd, unabridged audio read by Michael Page
52. The China Trade by S. J. Rozan, 1st Lydia Chin / Bill Smith mystery, unabridged audio read by Christine Marshall
53. Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash, unabridged audio performed by Richard Ferrone and Tavia Gilbert
54. The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen, 2nd Dept. Q story, unabridged audio read by Steven Lacey
55. The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri, first Inspector Montalbano mystery, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, unabridged audio narrated by Grover Gardner
56. The Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson, an unabridged Longmire holiday novella read by George Guidall 3:39
57. Going Back by Peter Robinson, a DCI Banks novella, unabridged audio read by John Lee
58. The Price of Love and Other Stories by Peter Robinson, unabridged audio read by John Lee, Gideon Emery, Rosalyn Landor, Angela Goethals
59. The Lost Island by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, third Gideon Crew story, unabridged audio narrated by Dennis W. Collins
60. Desert Heat by J. A. Jance, first Joanna Brady novel, unabridged audio read by Ellen Travolta
61. Deep Storm by Lincoln Child, Jeremy Logan #1, unabridged audio read by Scott Brick
62. The End of October: a Novel by Lawrence Wright, unabridged audio read by Mark Bramhall. Normally I dislike “a Novel” tagged onto the end of fiction titles, but in this case it’s a good reminder that the book IS fiction. It reads like a documentary about a world-wide virus pandemic.
63. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Winternight Trilogy #1, unabridged audio read by Kathleen Gati
64. The Master Falconer by C. J. Box, a Nate Romanowski story (including Joe Pickett)
65. Dull Knife by C. J. Box, a Joe Pickett story
66. The Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson
67. The Way She Spoke by Isaac Gomez

JUNE 2020

68. The Closer by Mariano Rivera, unabridged audio narrated (excellently) by Michael Kay
69. The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, unabridged audio read by Katie Schorr
70. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs, 8th Temperance Brennan, unabridged audio read by Michele Pawk
71. Back of Beyond by C. J. Box, Highway #0.5 (prequel), unabridged audio read by Holter Graham
72. Paradise Valley by C. J. Box, Highway #3
73. White Fire by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, 13th Pendergast novel, unabridged audio read by Rene Auberjunois
74. The Dream Stalker by Margaret Coel, 3rd Arapaho story, unabridged audio read by Stephanie Brush
75. Envision This by Tony Dunbar, a Tubby Dubonnet story
76. Extraction by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, a Pendergast story
77. The Deliveryman by Jeffery Denver, a Lincoln Rhyme story
78. Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs, 5th Temperance Brennan, unabridged audio read by Katherine Borowitz
79. The Eyre Affaire by Jasper Fforde, unabridged audio read by Susan Duerden, the author’s first (but my last) in the Thursday Next series
80. City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong, first in the Rockton series, unabridged audio read by Therese Plummer. I looked for mystery, suspense, thrills; found only an overlong weak romance novel.
81. Injustice for All by J. A. Jance, 2nd Beaumont mystery, unabridged audio read by Gene Emgene
82. The Bitterroots by C. J. Box, 4th book in the Highway series, unabridged audio read by Christina Delaine
83. The Story Teller by Margaret Coel, 4th Arapaho story, unabridged audio read by Stephanie Brush
84. Trial by Fury by J. A. Jance, 3rd Beaumont story, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene
85. The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly, 19th Harry Bosch novel (includes Mickey Haller), unabridged audio read by Titus Welliver

JULY 2020

86. Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly, 22nd Harry Bosch story, unabridged audio read by Titus Welliver
87. The Black Box by Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch #16?, unabridged audio read by Michael McConnoughie
88. Taking the Fifth by J. A. Jance, 5th Beaumont story, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene
xx. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, first Jackson Brodie novel. I enjoyed an episode or two of the TV series and thought I’d read the books before watching more. Unfortunately the narrator (nameless here) turned me away — her voice, pacing, and slightly superior tone ruined it for me.
89. Calypso by David Sedaris, unabridged audio read by the author, several short pieces, some better than others
xx. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. I gave this book an hour and a half but couldn’t stand any more of the child abuse and torture.
90. Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, unabridged audio read by Christine Lakin and Titus Welliver, Ballard #1.5 and Bosch #21
91. Sidetracked by Henning Mankell, 5th Kurt Wallander story, unabridged audio read by Dick Hill
92. The Guards by Ken Bruin (Taylor #1)
93. Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, unabridged audio read by Kyla Garcia and Frankie Maria Corzo
94. Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump
95. Suicide Run by Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch #14.5
96. Need To Know by Karen Cleveland, unabridged audio read by Mia Barron
97. Mandarin Plaid by S. J. Rozan, 3rd Lydia Chin & Bill Smith story, unabridged audio read by Cindy Cheung
98. Mulholland Dive by Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch? #15.6
99. Blue on Black by Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch? #19.5
100. Swing Kings: The Inside Story of Baseball’s Home Run Revolution by Jared Diamond, unabridged audio read by Joe Farinacci
101. Split Second by David Baldacci, first in his King & Maxwell series, unabridged audio read by Scott Brick

>12 SharronA: Congratulations on reaching 75 in June, Sharron!

Thanks! Working at home, plus audiobooks, minus all the running around I used to do... lots of books.

AUGUST 2020

102. Gone by Lisa Gardner, 5th in the FBI Profiler series, unabridged audio read by Anna Fields
103. Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt, 13th Andy Carpenter novel, read (disastrously) by Grover Gardner, who gave every character the same nasal whine.
104. Switchblade by Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch #16.5
105. Angle of Investigation by Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch #15.5
106. The Guy Who Died Twice by Lisa Gardner, D. D. Warren #9.5
107. The Contrary Blues by John Billheimer, first (& my last) in the Owen Allison series
108. The Last Mile by David Baldacci, 2nd Amos Decker story, unabridged audio read by Kyf Brewer and Orlagh Cassidy
109. The Darwin Affair by Tim Mason, read because it was free as part of The Big Library Read. I did not like the book. I hope the discussion boards will help me understand why this book was spread around the world in this manner, and how that decision was made.
110. The Fix by David Baldacci, 3rd Amos Decker story, unabridged audio read by Kyf Brewer and Orlagh Cassidy
111. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, unabridged audio read by the author. After disliking his American Gods so much, why did I read this?
112. The Late Show by Michael Connelly, 1st Renee Ballard story, unabridged audio read by Katherine Moennig
113. Hour Game by David Baldacci, 2nd King & Maxwell story, unabridged audio read by Scott Brick
114. The Night Fire by Michael Connelly, Bosch #22 and Ballard #2, unabridged audio read by Titus Welliver and Christine Lakin
115. The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn, unabridged audio read by Ann Marie Lee
116. The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid, Tony Hill story #1, unabridged audio read by Graham Roberts
117. Crosscut by Archer Mayor, Joe Gunther #29.5
118. The Safe Man: a Ghost Story by Michael Connelly (not part of a series, previously published under a pseudonym)
119. Seven Years by Peter Robinson (not a DCI Banks story)
120. Stonefather by Orson Scott Card, unabridged audio read by Emily Janice Card

SEPTEMBER 2020

121. Improbable Cause by J. A. Jance, 5th Beaumont mystery, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene
122. A More Perfect Union by J. A. Jance, 6th Beaumont mystery, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene
123. The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay, unabridged audio read by ... 1st in series about narcoleptic detective (try again sometime in print)
124. A Short Account of the History of Mathematics produced by Amazon, unabridged audio read by Tony Shaloub
125. The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot by Colin Cotterill, final book in the long-running Dr. Siri Paiboun series
126. The Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham, 2nd Albert Campion story
127. Payment in Kind by J. A. Jance, 9th Beaumont story, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene
128. The Last Equation of Isaac Severy: A Novel in Clues by Nova Jacobs, unabridged audio read by Lara Flanagan

OCTOBER 2020

129. Without Due Process by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene, 10th Beaumont novel
130. Lying in Wait by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene, 12th Beaumont novel
131. Dismissed with Prejudice by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene, 7th Beaumont novel
132. Name Withheld by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene, 13th Beaumont novel
133. Breach of Duty by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene, 14th Beaumont novel
134. Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham by M. C. Beaton, 8th In the series. Because I’ve enjoyed the author’s Hamish Macbeth series so much, I tried three of these novels and find the lead character so objectionable that I can’t enjoy the mystery plots. Note to self: no more!
135. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. Rereading this collection of free-verse epitaphs after a 50+ year break. Still captivating. Each short page leaves me wondering about “the rest of the story” of each person’s life.
136. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny, 16th Gamache story
137. Birds of Prey by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Gene Engene, 15th Beaumont novel
138. Exit Wounds by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Stephanie Brush, 11th Brady novel
139. Legacy by James Michener, re-reading a book I enjoyed when it was first published
140. The Outsider by Stephen King, unabridged audio read (excellently) by Will Patton
141. The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West, unabridged audio read by the author
142. Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump by Michael Cohen
143. American Elections: Wicked Game by Lindsay Graham (not the US Senator!) 40+ hour podcasts narrated by the author. Excellent, entertaining, timely — definitely “history that doesn’t suck.”
144. Just Mercy by Bryan G. Stevenson

NOVEMBER 2020

145. The Last Druid by Terry Brooks, unabridged audio read by Simon Vance. Perhaps I made a mistake starting with the last book in the series!
146. Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson. 16th Longmire story
147. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
148. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (why?)
149. Family Secrets by Shawn McGuire, 1st Whispering Pines
150. The Splendid and the Vile: a Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson, unabridged audio read by John Lee
151. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, unabridged audio read by Bahni Turpin
152. Bury the Lead by Archer Mayor, 29th Joe Gunther mystery
153. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, unabridged audio read by J. D. Jackson
154. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higgenbotham, unabridged audio read by Jacques Roy

DECEMBER

155. Shift Work by Brock Bloodworth, first Kilhaven Police book (and my last)
156. How To Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith, 21st novel in The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series
157. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
158. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo, 2nd Harry Hole novel, unabridged audio read by John Lee
159. A Promised Land by Barack Obama, unabridged audio read by the author
160. Bomber’s Moon by Archer Mayor, 30th Joe Gunther novel
161. News of the World by Paulette Giles, unabridged audio read by Grover Gardner
162. Virgins by Diana Gabaldon, unabridged audio novella, a prequel to the Outlander series, read by Allan Scott-Douglas
163. The Space Between by Diana Gabaldon
164. The Orphan’s Guilt by Archer Mayor, 31st Joe Gunther novel

>19 SharronA: Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75 in November, Sharron!

JANUARY 2021

1. The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, unabridged audio narrated by Stephen Fry (perfectly)
2. Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon, Dave Gurney #4
3. White River Burning by John Vernon, Dave Gurney #6
4. The Whistler by John Grisham, unabridged audio read by Cassandra
5. The Rule of Law by John Lescroart, unabridged audio read vat Jacques Roy, Dismas Hardy #18
6. Edge of Evil by J. A. Jance, unabridged audio read by Susannah Burney, first Ali Reynolds novel