Lisa's 2021 Category Challenge #2

Welcome to my 2021 Category Challenge thread. This is my 13th year doing the challenge in this group. I tend to be a sporadic poster to my own thread, starting out strong in the beginning of the year and then dropping out of sight. I do however, try to remember to let everyone know that I'm still around from time to time.

I'm going to read from 10 specific categories, plus the BINGODOG, and I will also dip into the various KITS and CATS. For the first time since I started doing the challenge, I'm not going to set a goal with a ticker. I just want to read from each category and see where I wind up. I usually read around 150 books a year. If I made that statement outside of this forum, you can just imagine the silence that statement would cause. I'm looking forward to the new year!

Books I Own



1 Coming of Age in Mississippi February 3.5 *
2 The Distant Echo March 4*
3 A Darker Domain May 4*
4 Rough Treatment August 3.5*
5 Just One Look August 3.5*
6 Poirot Investigates August 3.5*
7 Taken at the Flood October 3*
8 Tippy Toe Murder October 3*
9 The Babes in The Wood October 3*
10 The Wire in the Blood October 4*

Fiction



1A Good Neighborhood January 3.5 *
2.The Wedding 3.5 *
3 Bailey's Cafe February 3.5*
4 Good Company April 3*
5 The Drowning Kind April 4*
6 Zorrie April 4.5*
7 Whereabouts May 4*
8 The Postscript Murders May 3 *
9 The Hand That First Held Mine June 4.5*
10 The Exiles July 4*
11 This Must Be The Place July 4*
12 Razorblade Tears July 4.5*
13 False Witness July 4.5 *
14 The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox August 4*
15 Swimming Lessons August 4.5*
15 The Magician September 3.5*
16 Henry Himself September 4*
17 Rock Paper Scissors October 3*
18 The Night She Disappeared October 4 *
19 The Sentence November 4*
20 This Bitter Earth November 4*
21 The Confession December

Series in Progress



1 In The Name of Truth January 3*
2Charcoal Joe January 4*
3 A Darkness Absolute February 3*
4 Midnight Atlanta February 4*
5 Not Dead Yet March 4*
6 The Lewis Man April 4.5 *
7 The Chessmen April 3.5 *
8 Blackout April 3.5*
9 In Bad Company May
10 Haunted Hibiscus May 3.5 *
11 Egg Shooters May 3*
12 Careless Love May 4*
13 Many Rivers to Cross June 3.5*
14 Lady Cop Makes Trouble July 4*
15Not Dark Yet July 3.5*
16 Forgotten in Death September 4*
17 The Heron's Cry October 4*
18 Pray For Silence October 4*
19 The Man Who Died Twice October 4*
20 A Line To Kill November 3.5*
21 Lazybones November 4
22 Dead Man's Time December 4*
23 Want You Dead December 4*

E Shelf



1 The All Girl's Filling Station Last Reunion January 4*
2 The Bluest Eye February 5*
3 Love March 3.5 *
4 No Exit March 3*
5 Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel May 3*
6 How The One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House June 3.5
7 His Bloody Project June 4*
8 The Summer Wives July 3*
9 Unsettled Ground August 4*
10 The Killer Next Door August 3*
11 Silver Anniversary Murder October 3*
12 Bitter Orange November 4*

Series Not Started



1 The Cold Cold Ground January 4.5 *
2 Blue Monday March 4*
3 Sick of Shadows March 2.5*
4 The Ghosts of Belfast April 4*
5 Lonely Hearts July 3*
6 With Our Blessing October 4*
7 River of Darkness November 4*

Short Stories



1 Tiny Love January 4 1/2 *
2 How To Pronounce Knife January 4 1/2 *
3 The Awkward Black Man February 4*
4 An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good February 4*
5 Kiss Me Someone March 4.5*
6 Daddy May 4*
7Justice May 4.5*
8Certain American States3.5 * June
9Kinsey and Me 4* July
10 Difficult Women August 4*
11 Thunderstruck and Other Stories August 4.5*
12 Love Like That September 3*
13 So We Can Glow October 4*
14 Milk, Blood, Heat October 4.5*
15 On Girlhood November 4.5
16 Five Tuesdays in Winter 4*
17 The Souvenir Museum December 4.5*
18 Christmas Stalkings December 3*

New Books



1. Before She Disappeared February 3.5 *
2.Blood GroveFebruary 4*
3. Faithless in Death February 3.5 *
4. The Survivors February 3.5 *
5 Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder March 3*
6 The Unwilling March 4.5*
7 The Burning Girls March 3.5 *
8 The Consequences of Fear April 4*
9 Eternal April 4*
10 The Four Winds April 4*
11 Mother May I April 3*
12 Malibu Rising June 4*
13 Dust Off the Bones June 5*
14 Dream Girl June 3.5 *
15 Survive the Night July 2*
16 The Night HawksJuly 3.5*
17 Survive The Night July 2*
18 Not A Happy FamilyAugust 3*
19 The Turnout August 4.5*
20 Lightning Strike September 4*
21 A Slow Fire Burning September 3*
22 Such a Quiet Place July 3.5*
23 Apples Never Fall September
3*
24 Harlem Shuffle October 4*
25 The Lincoln Highway October 4.5*
26 When Ghosts Come Home November 3.5*
27 Twisted Tea Christmas December

Awards- Winners of various book awards, as well as those that were also long and shortlisted.



1 There, ThereAmerican Book Award 2019 January 4.5 *
2 Disappearing Earth National Book Award Finalist 2019 March 4*
3 Sisters Tournament of Books 2021 Longlist March 4*
4 Luster Tournament of Books 2021 Longlist/ Bailey's 2021 Longlist April ***
5 Interior Chinatown National Book Award May 3.5*
6 The Most Fun We Ever Had May 3.5* Bailey's Longlist 2020
7 Circe June 4.5* IMPAC Long list 2020
8 The Buddha in the Attic July 4* Pen/Faulkner Award 2012
9 Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead July 3.5* Man Booker Prize International Shortlist 2019
10Shuggie BainBooker Prize 2020 September 5*
11 Sing Unburied Sing National Book Award 2017 September 4*
12 The SwallowsNovember 3* Alex Award 2020
13 Ghost Wall November 3* IMPAC Longlist 2020
14 The PromiseDecember 4.5*
15 The Spinning Heart December 4*

Miscellaneous



1.A Black Woman's History of the United States January 4 *
2.The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 January 4*
3.Memorial Drive January 5*
4. Caste: The Origins of our Discontents January
5 Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams March 4 *
6 A Town Called Solace May 4*
7 Rupture May 4*
8 If It Bleeds June 3.5 *
9 The Summer Book August 4*
10 Exit August 4*
11 Oh William! October 4*

New To Me Authors



1 These Women January 4 1/2 *
2 Malice February 3 1/2 *
3 The Case of the Missing MarquessFebruary 3*
4 My Dark Vanessa March 4*
5 Whiskey When We're Dry April 4.5
6 Writers and Lovers April 4.5*
7 His & Hers May 4*
8 Crimson Lake June 5*
9 The Other Black Girl July 3*
10 The Paper Palace July 3.5*
11 Summerwater July 4.5*
12 The Thursday Murder ClubAugust 4*
13 The Sweetness of Water September 4.5*
14 What is Left the Daughter October 4.5*
15 Sugar November 4.5*
16 The Plot November 3.5*

KITs and CATs

January Random CAT The All--Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
January MysteryKIT In The Name of Truth
January AlphaKit Charcoal Joe Walter Mosley
January AlphaKIT These Women Ivy Pochoda
January GenreCAT The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921

February GenreCAT Coming of Age in Mississippi
February MysteryKIT The Case of the Missing Marquess

March AlphaKit The Unwilling

April AlphaKIT Whiskey When We're Dry, The Consequences of Fear

May GenreCAT Justice, Daddy
May AlphaKIT Interior Chinatown
May RandomCAT Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel
May MysteryKIT In Bad Company

June AlphaKIT Circe, Certain American States, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House
June RandomCAT Circe
June GenreCAT Dust off The Bones

July RandomCAT Summer Wives, Summerwater

September RandomCAT Shuggie Bain, Sing Unburied Sing
September AlphaKIT Apples Never Fall, Lightning Strike

BINGODOG



1 Nature or Environment
2 Title Describes You Good Company
3 Contains a Love Story Eternal
4 You Heartily Recommend The Bluest Eye
5 Impulse Read Faithless in Death
6 Suggested by another Generation
7 About Time or time word in title Midnight Atlanta
8 By or about maginalized group There There
9 20 or fewer LT members
10 Classical Element in Title Disappearing Earth
11 Set somewhere you'd like to visit The Summer Book Finland
12 Dark or Light Word in Title A Darkness Absolute
13 Read a CAT or KIT In The Name of Truth
14 New to you Author Ivy Pochoda These Women
15 Arts and Recreation Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams
16 Senior Citizen Protagonist An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good
17 Type of Building in Title Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel
18 Less than 200 pages How to Pronounce Knife
19 2 or more authors Blue Monday
20 Character You'd Be Friends With
21 One-Word Title Malice
22 About History or Alternate History A Black Woman’s History of the United States
23 Made You Laugh The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
24 Southern Hemisphere The Survivors
25 About or Contains Magic

I decided to do a second thread because it was a bit slow for me. I don't think I've ever had a second thread before. WFH gives me more LT time.

This is my first book read in May and I enjoyed it immensely.



56 His & Hers

This book was one of my impulse reads from browsing through the library's catalog. The story involves a murder victim who is known to newsperson Anna and her detective hex-usband Jack. Anna and Jack are both very acquainted with the murder victim and keeping secrets from each other. In fact, the detective becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. This was a very good psychologlical thriller and when the murderer was revealed, I did not see it coming.

Woo hoo, second thread! :)

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread! Glancing over the books you've read, I notice that you've had some pretty good reads so far.

Happy New Thread! And I've made note of His & Hers.

>16 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP, the second thread is an indication of wfh, more LT time lol!
>17 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit!
>18 dudes22: Thank you Betty!
>19 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! Thank you. I wasn't too sure about it, but I'm glad that I took a chance. It was just what I needed at the time.

57Daddy As with most short story collections, there are some stories that stand out more than others. Most of the stories featured characters who were hiding something from their friends and families. My favorite story of the collection was What Can You Do With A General, about a father who reflects on his son and two daughters at Christmas, which is a subtle reminder that that holidays are not always happy for everyone.

58 In Bad Company I found this 9th installment in the Sandhamn Murder series to be just a tad bit long and a little different and darker than the previous books. Nora is trying to convict a drug lord with tax evasion when she also becomes involved with the domestic abuse that he is inflicting upon his wife. It was fast paced and held my interest. I do fear that Nora is going to test the boundaries with her level of involvement in the future. There is a cliffhanger involving Thomas and his wife Pernilla, which hopefully will resolve itself in the next book.

59 Whereabouts Jhumpa Lahiri is a wonderful writer. I've enjoyed everything that I have read of hers. This very short novel was translated from Italian and is quite simply a series of vignettes about an unnamed woman written in first person present tense over the course of a year. Each one is simple, and ordinary; going to the market, at dinner, at the villa, and the one that tugged at my heartstrings, at her mother's. It brought to mind discussions that I had with a friend not too long ago about the perception of alone vs. lonely. The protagonist in this story led a solitary life, but I didn't get the impression that she was lonely, that she enjoyed her life as it was.

60 Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel I struggled a bit with the beginning of this book, but I'm glad that I perservered and finished it. The story unfolds in alternating chapters Tilly as a child, and Tilda as an adult. After her mother's death Tilda struggles to understand the events of her childhood, specifically when her father left, and when her she and her mother became residents of the Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel. Tilly loved the hotel, then seemingly out of nowhere with no explanation, her mother sent her away to boarding school, which devastated her.

Tilda has a few behavior quirks, she sees people who are no longer with us, including a pet dog, and has a few OCD tendencies. She feels unloved, then her life changes for the better.

>22 lsh63: - I'm planning to start this series during the month for AlphaKit "S" so I skipped whatever you had to say except I saw this was the 9th book.

>23 lsh63: - Jhumpa Lahiri is a local author for me as she grew up in the town I live in now. Her parents were teachers at the local university. I was just reading about this book in the May issue of Book Page which I picked up at the library this morning while I was picking up some books that had arrived. I'm looking forward to reading it.

>25 dudes22: Hi Betty, I hope that you enjoy the series, I remember gobbling them up like candy last year!

Have you read other Lahiri?

I've only read Interpreter of Maladies which I gave 4.5* and I have two others in my TBR waiting to be read.

61 A Darker Domain This is technically the second book in the Karen Pirie series although she only briefly appeared in the previous book The Distant Echo. The story is told in alternating timelines in 1984, when Cat Grant and her infant son are kidnapped and in 2008, when a journalist stumbles upon new evidence which opens the cold case. Another event that took in place in 1984 which also ties into the story is a woman who approaches the police in order to report her father missing after over 20 years. Multiple storylines can make it a bit confusing to keep track of all the details but I took my time and was rewarded with the outcome. I look forward to the next one which I plan to read very soon.

62 The Postscript Murders I enjoyed this one but not as much as I enjoyed The Stranger Diaries. This book features a 90 year old woman who is known to various murder mystery writers as an expert on how to kill people and is dubbed a "murder consultant". At first it seems that she died of natural causes, but then suspicion begins to mount among her caretaker, her friend, and eventually the police as various murder mystery writers are killed.

63 A Town Called Solace Set in Ontario in early 1972 7 year old Clara is waiting for her teenage sister Rose to come home after she ran away. Liam a stranger to Clara, moves into the house next door that he has just inherited from Clara's neighbor Mrs. Orchard. The story unfolds in alternating points of view from Clara, Liam, and Mrs. Orchard who is spending her final days in the hospital. It's a quiet heartwarming book about a small town, families, and a child who just wants to be told the truth.

64 Interior Chinatown It took me a while to get used to the screenplay/vignette format but overall I thought it was a very creative way for the author to blend a little humor along with an analysis of various Asian stereotypes in America. A short read but so thought provoking.

65 Justice Reading this short story collection made me want to read Montana 1948 again. The collection gives the reader backstories of various members of the Hayden family; patriarch Wesley, his wife Enid and sons Wesley and Frank. I plan to read as many of the author's works as I can.

66 Rupture This was the next installment for me in the Dark Iceland series. I found it to be a timely read as the town mentioned (I'm not even going to try to mess up the spelling of it) is in quarantine. Ari Thor looks into an old case while also reaching a resolution about this relationship with his girlfriend Kristin.

67. Haunted Hibiscus Book number 22 in the Tea Shop Mystery series, which takes place the week before Halloween, finds Theodosia and Drayton at a haunted house party at a mansion bequeathed to the Heritage Society when a murder takes place. Unfortunately, Timothy Neville, the patriarch of the Heritage Society, has a relationship with the murder victim, as does Theodosia's chef, Hayley. Since giving up coffee a few years ago, I enjoy reading about the various tea blends and delicious recipes that accompany them.

68 Egg Shooters This in the 9th book in the Cackleberry Club series, written by the same author of the Tea Shop Mystery series. The Cackleberry Club crew, owners of the Cackleberry Cafe, have slightly more wacky escapades than Theodosia and the characters in the Tea Shop series. In this installment of the series, Suzanne drops by the hospital to bring dinner to her fiance and stumbles upon a robbery in progress which in turn leads to a murder.
The title (because it intrigued me)refers to a fancier version of the classic deviled egg with creme fraiche instead of mayo and topped with pickled peppers and caviar.
I like reading these series because I like to peruse the various recipes, even if I have no intention of making them. I think I need to stop reading about food!

69 The Most Fun We Ever Had I enjoyed this multigenerational story of a couple and their 4 daughters, although I thought it was just a bit too long and if you watch This Is Us, I felt as though the book was like the show, back and forth in time, sometimes abruptly.

Marilyn and David are the parents of Wendy, Violet, Liza and Grace who are all slightly dysfunctional in some way. Wendy is bitter and drinks a lot, but she has also lost her husband and baby. Violet is anxious, and tries to be a perfect wife and mother. Liza is in a relationship with a depressed young man that no on seems to want to help, and Grace has lied about getting accepted into law school and thinks she can keep it a secret from everyone.

The characters were slightly annoying, but there were likeable aspects to each one as well. The character that I liked the best and thought the most realistic, was Violet's son Jonah, given up for adoption, at birth but who is now in their lives.

70 Careless Love This is one of my favorite series. I probably say that about a lot of them though. Two bodies are found in remote locations. A young female student is found in an abandoned care seemingly from a drug overdose and a widowed businessman in his 60's is found in a ravine with a broken neck. Banks and his team try to find the connection if any, between the two deaths. There was a little something at the end that I did not like, that I hope doesn't become an issue in the next book or two. I'll be reading the next one shortly to find out!

Happy June! Here are my May stats:

15 books read (70 YTD)
7 Series
15 Fiction
Female Authors 11
Male Authors 4
Library Books 8
Kindle 7

I took an extra day off today, one of a couple of use it or lose it, and I need to be more work productive. Over the past 14 months I have found and must admit, I am one of those people who do not focus well working at home. I think we will go back to some sort of hybrid in the fall which should be better for me, because I do tend to procrastinate, not just with LT time. I'm going to try to do better with reading more of my own books, I'm going to pluck a couple off of the shelves today and also stalk the Amazon monthly sales.

>70 lsh63: The Alan Banks series is one my favorites as well, Lisa. I am behind you by a couple of books and now I want to catch up and see what it is that bothered you!

>39 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I can't wait for you to catch up so that we can discuss it ! Which book is next for you?

71 Circe I enjoyed this retold tale of Circe, daughter of Helios, who, deemed inferior to the rest of her family, is treated cruelly and banished to an island to live by herself. Circe thrived on the island, becoming one with nature, and holding her own against various other gods; Hermes, Athena, and Odysseus to name a few.

72 Certain American States I bought this as Kindle deal last year. As with just about all short story collections, there are stories that stand out while others are just okay. This collection features various aspects of relationships dealing with death, divorce, family dynamics and other losses. While certainly not uplifting, the stories are about everyday people with everyday problems. One story that I liked best was " Ur Heck Box"- about a native Texan woman now living in New York who struggles over her brother's sudden death and tries to come to terms with her mother wanting to come live with her. The other story "Family Physics" tells the story of a woman who enjoys being the black sheep of her family.

73 His Bloody Project I thought that this book was a very clever piece of historical fiction. The story is that of Roddy MacRae, a young man standing trial for gruesome triple murders. Although he has confessed to the killings, the police and the court try to determine the root cause for the murder of the local constable and two children, was he insane or not? The book is divided into the killer's account, medical doctor and psychologist opinions, the defense counsel's account, and court transcripts which make the reader feel as though they are reading a historical event rather than cleverly structured fiction.

Just catching up on your thread Lisa!
I admit I don’t gravitate towards short story collections. You’ve read quite a few this year.
I hope the hybrid work model opens for you if that is best for your personality. I am so introverted that I really thrive at home and it’s been so good for my emotional state.

>44 VictoriaPL: Hi Victoria! I'm so glad that you dropped by and to see you posting. Short story collections are pretty hit or miss, but I'm such a moody reader they work for me when I want to dip in and out of a book. As for work, I am pretty introverted but I occasionally need the office structure to get things done, as I do tend to procrastinate.

74 How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House This is a hard book to read as it filled with great sadness. Set in Barbados, the main character Lala, struggles with the cycle of poverty and abuse that have plagued the women of her family. The book is well written, but I'd steer clear if you are looking for anything uplifting. Sometimes you have to be in the right mood for this type of book.

75 Malibu Rising I enjoy books with alternate timelines and I thought that this one was pretty good. The chapters alternate between Nina Riva's annual end of the summer party in 1983, and flashback to the story of her parents Mick and June Rivas. As everyone gets ready for the party, we learn that Nina's brothers Hud and Jay, and sister Kit all have secrets that they are keeping, and we know that something explosive is likely to happen at the party but the reader doesn't know exactly what. I greatly enjoyed the flashback story of the parents which was heartbreaking.

76 Many Rivers to Cross Banks investigates the murder of a teenage boy found in a bin. I'm not a big fan of the protagonist in the side story, which is also connected to Bank's old nemesis. The side story is a carryover from the last book and I hope that it reaches a conclusion in the next one. There were also many political references, which I'm not really fond of when reading one of my favorite police procedurals.

77 Crimson Lake This book was a BB from RidgewayGirl and DeltaQueen50 aka as Kay and Judy and it was a good one. Set in Queensland Australia, the main characters are Ted Conkaffey, a former police detective, accused of a terrible crime and private investigator Amanda Pharrell, a convicted murderer who now runs a private detective agency. I thought the story was very well plotted, featuring three different murder investigations and very interesting and complex characters. I will definitely read the next book in the series at some point.

78 Dust Off the Bones I loved this sequel to Only Killers and Thieves, which was one of the best books that I read last year. The sequel continues the story of Tommy and Billy McBride and the evil Native Police officer Noone in 1890. Billy and Tommy are living far apart from each other and dealing with the tragedy of their family in different ways. Racism, excessive violence and offensive wording are a large part of the book, so it's definitely not an easy read, but the characters are interesting and the story is engaging. This was a five star read for me.

>50 lsh63: I needed one more book to complete my Thingaversary purchases and when I saw that you were reading this one, I immediately got a copy for my Kindle. I can't wait until I get to it!

>51 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I think you are going to love Dust Off the Bones!

>49 lsh63: - I took this same BB. Now it has 3 BBs. Guess I need to move it up the list.

> 53 It was very good Betty I'm surprised that I hadn't heard more buzz about the author or the series. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

79 The Hand That First Held Mine This was an engrossing novel about two women, Lexie and Elina, who have a connection that is slowly revealed to the reader. Lexie's storyline in the 1950's to 1970's and Elina's in the early 2000's are perfectly paced with alternating narratives and vivid scenic descriptions. It really made me think of what my first clear childhood memory is, not just bits and pieces of various events. I will definitely read more by this author. I won't be able to get my hands on Hamnet for a while, but I will try some of her other works.

80 Dream Girl This book was fun to read. The protagonist, an author named Gerry Andersen is far from a likeable character. After being injured in a home accident, he lies in a hospital bed and is fed daily doses of Ambien, Oxy, and other pills provided by his night nurse Aileen, while his assistant Victoria tends to his care during the day. When Gerry starts to get strange phone calls, he begins to doubt his sanity, especially when there seems to be no record of the call. One day Gerry wakes to a dead body and starts to wonder is it's the pills or if he is losing his sanity. The storylines was of course reminiscent of Misery, and there were other book and movie references throughout the book. Even old favorite Tess Monaghan made a very brief appearance.

81 If It Bleeds I finished this collection of 4 novellas late last night. I really enjoyed Mr. Harrigan's Phone and the title story If it Bleeds, The Life of Chuck and Rat were just ok. I loved the Holly Gibney character of the Bill Hodges series and I hope that there is more of Holly in the future.

Just catching up on your thread.
Are you excited about the new Slaughter release next month? I have mine on pre-order.

>58 VictoriaPL: Hi Victoria! I'm patiently waiting for it although if it was a Will Trent, I would have pre-ordered it haha.

>59 lsh63: I hear you! Do you still want to read it together? I can wait. 😊

>60 VictoriaPL: I do if you can wait for me. I'm not sure of my place in the library queue just yet.

Happy July everyone!

Here are my June stats:

11 books read (81 books year to date)
3 series
11 fiction
7 female authors
4 males authors
6 library books
5 Kindle book

My favorite or highest rated book of the month was Dust off the Bones the sequel to Only Killers and Thieves. This month is my Thingaversary and my birthday. I think I buy several books a week as a rule, which are usually Kindle deals, so I'm torn about buying 15 books for my Thingaversary. Ok, who I am kidding, I will probably buy more than 15 books during the month! I want to try and read more off my shelves this month, I've been doing a poor job of that. My goal is to clear one of the two bookcases in one of the back rooms, and have one big bookcase instead of two smaller ones, because it's starting to feel very cluttered. I don't usually count my purchases in a given month, but this month I think I will.

>62 lsh63: Great June stats!

It is true that double-digit Thingaversaries can add a lot to the shelves! You could also spend $15 at a secondhand bookstore, or buy a book that relates to 15 in some way (15 short stories or novellas, page count a multiple of 15...).

>61 lsh63: certainly! No problem.
Happy Thingaversary! And Happy Birthday!

>63 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP. Sometimes I don’t think outside the box 😃
>64 VictoriaPL: Thanks Victoria!

82The Buddha in the Attic In eight segments, the author told the heartbreaking story of Japanese mail order brides who leave for America and hope to live the American dream before World War 2. Once I got used to the first person plural narrative, I found the book to be a beautifully written timeline of the young women as they find out they've been duped, struggle with childbirth, raising children, and interacting with Americans both before the outbreak of World War 2, and shortly thereafter.

83 The Exiles I enjoyed this story of three women in 19th century Australia and their hardships. Evangeline, a young governess, who is fired when she is accused of a crime and also finds herself pregnant. Hazel, a young midwife, who is caught stealing, and Mathinna, an orphaned Australian Aboriginal who finds herself torn from her home and everything she knows to be adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen's Land, a penal colony in Australia. As the book progresses, the Hazel, and Evangeline's storyline are seamlessly interwoven, and it becomes clear how Mathinna's sad story fits into the plot, although I wanted more of her character.

84 The Other Black Girl I was intrigued by the premise of this book's storyline, that of a young Black editorial assistant at a publishing company. I have to say that I did not care for the satiric tone and Twilight Zone ending. There was also a secondary plot line that left me slightly confused and a few characters who I wasn't sure exactly how they fit into the storyline.

>67 lsh63: - Just thought you should know that your touchstone goes to a different book.

>69 dudes22: Thanks Betty, I fixed it!

>70 lsh63: - Great! I wanted to look at it as I do like Christina Baker Kline. It also looks like a style I'm liking right now of multiple stories/characters or different time periods.

85 Kinsey and Me This collection is divided into short stories featuring the author's character Kinsey Millhone and Sue Grafton's autobiographical account featuring the protagonist Kit Blue. Kit spends her early and later years dealing with her parents, both alcoholics, one functional, the other not so much. The autobiographical stories were sad to read, but you get the feeling that Ms. Grafton was able to make peace with her childhood and grieve for her mother.

Today is my Thingaversary (14 years). Up there is >62 lsh63:, I said that I wasn't sure how I felt about purchasing 15 books. Er um, I think i may have already passed that with the monthly and daily Kindle deals, oops. I have purchased these 15 books since July 1st and it's only the 7th! Somehow the fact that they were not full price is making me feel better!

A Golden Age
The Thursday Murder Club
Imperfect Women
All Adults Here
The Missing American
The Bird Tribunal
Once Upon A River
The Untelling
Festival Days
Slammerkin
The Top Ten
The Winthrop Woman
Deceit and Other Possibilities
The Hired Man
The Bayou Trilogy

Happy Thingaversary, Lisa! You've got some good books there - I've read Once Upon a River, Slammerkin and The Winthrop Woman and thought they were all good. And hooray for Daniel Woodrell, I haven't read that one yet but I find he always delivers a great story.

Happy Thingaversary Lisa!

Happy Thingaversary! I see a few on your list that I'm thinking of reading too.

>74 DeltaQueen50: Thank you Judy! Right now I'm preoccupied with library books but I would like to get to Woodrell soon.
>75 VictoriaPL: Thank you Victoria!
>76 dudes22: Thank you Betty!

Happy Thingaversary -- enjoy your haul!

>73 lsh63: Yay, Thursday Murder Club! Excellent choice.

Happy thingaversary! And the book-buying didn't hurt at all, did it?

>78 christina_reads: Thanks Christina!
>79 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP I hope to get to it fairly soon.
>80 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit, nope not one bit!

86 This Must Be The Place I loved this story of married couple Daniel a linguistics professor, and Claudette an ex movie star who live a reclusive existence in Ireland. The book shifts both time and place quite a bit, with many characters, but the writing is fantastic.

87 Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead An odd but enjoyable book about a remote Polish village where Janina, studies astrology, translates William Blake, and is caretaker of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Janina is a recluse, and is perceived to be mentally unstable. Her reputation is further suspect as she prefers the company of animals to human beings. When her neighbor and other residents turn up dead, Janina claims that the animals are seeking revenge on their human killers. The ending was great!

88 The Night Hawks In this installment, Ruth returns to Norfolk, and after giving up her Cambridge lecture career, find herself with her old boss's job as head of the Archaeology Department. The complicated dynamic of Nelson, Ruth and his wife Michele continues and hopefully will be resolved soon. When a body is discovered on the beach, Nelson and Ruth become involved with the Night Hawks, a group of detectorists who probe the beach looking for treasure. I thought that the plot of this book was a little weak, and much shorter than the other books in the series. Nevertheless, it was fun to catch up with the rest of the characters, as well as the details about the landscape, and archaeology.

89 Not Dark Yet This is a favorite series of mine, however the last three books have included a certain character whose backstory detracts from the concentration on the police procedural format of earlier books. I hope that this character is gone for good, although the ending suggests that there may be a return in the future.

90 The Summer Wives Miranda Thomas returns to her family home on Winthrop Island after 18 years away. Coincidentally, her first love Joseph has also recently escaped from prison. The story is told through various timelines; 1931-1951, and 1969. The reader can pretty much determine how the story unfolds and how it will end. This wasn't a bad book, but I wasn't compelled to pick it up either.

91 Survive the Night Reading fiction of course requires ones to suspend realistic belief. That being said, I was a little annoyed that the protagonist of this story, a college girl named Charlie, decides to go on an hours long interstate trip with a complete stranger just two months after her best friend who was murdered by a serial killer. She finds her ride from a ride board from the college bulletin board. Maybe that's something that existed back then? I'm not sure.

Charlie is named after a character in the movie "Shadow of a Doubt", and is feeling guilty about what happened to Maddie, when she decides to go back home to her grandmother's. I enjoyed the various film references ( Charlie is a film major), and the cat and mouse games played between Charlie and the driver Josh Baxter, who may or may not be the serial killer who killed her friend.

False Witness arrived today. I have lovingly set it aside on Mount TBR. Just let me know when you get it from the library, no pressure. 😊

>88 VictoriaPL: Now you are making me want to buy it lol! I’m going to check and see how far I am in the line.

92 Lady Cop Makes Trouble It's been about 5 years since I read Girl Waits With Gun, and there was a minor detail that I didn't remember at first, but then it came back to me. I really enjoy this series, particularly that the main character is based on a real life sheriff deputy. In this installment Constance holds her own tracking down a con man who threatens her livelihood. I love the characters of Norma, her pigeon training sister and young Fleurette, who dreams of a life on stage. I will try to get to the next book sooner than five years, as they are fun and interesting!

93 Summerwater This is my first time reading this author, and I definitely intend to read her other works. Summerwater is a short book, but the author's description of a rainy Scottish summer camp and the weather's effect on all of the vacationers. The reader enters the thoughts of the various guests during a single day. The fact that nothing really happens doesn't matter, however the reader is told that something bad will happen at some point. Some of the characters were tiresome, others sad, and there was also the right amount of humor added in. I wanted more detail about the ending, and thought that is was a little rushed, but overall I found this to be a very satisfying read.

94 The Paper Palace This book has been described as a "beach read", but a forewarning, the story also involves sexual abuse , rape and maybe a few more instances of the "f" word than necessary in my opinion. At any rate, the story of 50 year old Elle, married to Peter, but lusting after her childhood friend Jonas, had me reading pretty quickly because I wanted to know what happens. The title Paper Palace refers to the fact that Elle's grandfather ran out of money and had to use pressed paperboard to build the family beach house. The present day plot take place over the course of one day, while the flashback accounts provide the reader with more insight as to the history of Elle and Jones, and the events that brought them to the present. While the parts of the story that described the sexual abuse were hard to read, I thought that they were important for the reader to understand Elle's character development and why she did the things she did.

95 Razorblade Tears This was a heartbreaking story of two fathers, one black (Ike), one white (Buddy), whose paths would never had crossed if it wasn't for the fact that their sons Isaiah and Derek, were married to each other and both brutally murdered. United in their grief and their inability to accept their sons' same sex union, Ike and Buddy, both ex-cons, vow to make the killer of their sons suffer. This book is not for the faint of heart, it is brutally violent and filled with non-stop action.

I read and loved this author's Blacktop Wasteland, and I thought this book was even better.

>93 lsh63: I have Blacktop Wasteland on my TBR and have added Razorblade Tears to my list. They sound like books that I will appreciate!

96 Such a Quiet Place A quiet suburban neighborhood panics when the person convicted of killing one of their neighbors is released from prison and moves back home. There's a little bit of cat and mouse while they try to figure out if she is truly innocent of the crime and if she is seeking revenge. Nothing much happens until the Fourth of July party, then the fireworks really begin.

You've been doing some interesting reading!

>95 lsh63: Hi Judy, I think you will enjoy them!
>96 VictoriaPL: Thank you Victoria!

97 Lonely Hearts I've been wanting to read the first in the Charlie Resnick series, since somehow I've stockpiled at least the next 8 or 9 books. It's a good thing I liked it and will continue with the rest of the series. In this entry, Resnick investigates the murder of two women, which at first appear to be separate cases, but eventually both murders are linked to Lonely Hearts, a dating site. I thought the pacing of the book was great, and was the characterization of the police personnel in the series. I'm looking forward to reading the next book soon.

98 False Witness I'm a huge Karin Slaughter fan, and of course I enjoyed her latest stand alone. This story of two sisters, Leigh, a defense attorney with a teenage daughter and an estranged husband, and Callie who is a drug addict, scarred by their horrific childhood. The sisters strive to protect each other when a secret from their past is about to come out and destroy them both. Slaughter's books are gritty and realistic, which can make for difficult reading, particularly in this book which heavily describes drug and sexual abuse.

99 The Summer Book This book was a quiet one, with the focus on 6 year old Sophia and her grandmother. They are spending the summer together on a small island and learn to adapt to each other's ways. There is no plot so to speak, rather vignettes that provide the reader with insight into Sophia and her grandmother's thoughts and feelings. I love the dichotomy of a very young girl and an elderly woman's outlook on life.

Happy August !

I had a good reading month in July, probably because I took quite a few days off from work.

17 books completed

4 series
17 fiction
13 female authors
4 male authors
14 library books
2 Kindle books
1 Book I Owned

There were 3 books I rate 4.5 stars, Summerwater,Razorblade Tears, and False Witness. I finally managed to read the first in the Charlie Resnick series, despite finding at least 8 of them on my Kindle. The only book I rated on the low side was Survive the Night, but that's what I get for falling for the latest new thriller, which happens a lot.

in other news, our office has been instructed to start acclimating to being in the office this month, with a full return after Labor Day. The full return "may" include a one or two day option of working from home. I'm torn because on one hand, I was feeling ok about it after being vaccinated, but on the other hand that was before the daily reports on the Delta variant. I'm also slightly freaked out about a wedding at the end of this month, is it rude to wear my mask when interacting with others? I know for a fact that there are several people not vaccinated and I do have an 91 year old mother who is not vaccinated due to other health reasons.

>102 lsh63: 17 books is a fantastic number! I so enjoyed reading False Witness with you.
I can understand your concerns about return to office and Delta. Your health is very important. I say, if you feel most comfortable wearing a mask, than wear it. It doesn't matter what others think.

>103 VictoriaPL: Hi Victoria! I enjoyed reading False Witness with you also. I'm still thinking over my comments about it. I appreciate your input regarding my slight anxiety regarding the mask. There are still so many people who think that it can't happen to them even after knowing someone who's had it! Yeah, I'm going to do what I think is best for me, and if it doesn't go over well so be it.

>104 lsh63: I'll second Victoria's support of you wearing a mask when interacting with people. It feels weird when not many are doing so, but it is the smarter move, especially with someone older in your life. I wear one for my Dad when I'm in stores.

Thanks Kay, I really need to stop worrying about what people will say, but since it’s family I was spending more time than usual thinking about it. Hopefully everyone will understand. It’s so funny about the different reactions; when I went to get my hair cut about two weeks ago, the stylist asked me to remove my ask so he could cut around my ears, I did and held it across my nose and mouth until he was finished and I saw a lady in the other chair roll her eyes at me, I guess thinking I was being over dramatic? Then we went to look at furniture over the weekend and all of the salespeople were sitting in close proximity of each other with no one wearing a mask!

>106 lsh63: - I'm with you guys. Being retired, I don't have the work worry, but I'm starting to wear my mask again when I grocery shop, etc. I'd call it selective wearing.

Definitely wear a mask if that's what makes you feel comfortable! And you did exactly the right thing with the hairdresser! I did the same on a previous haircut (before the latest round of lockdowns).

One reason I plan to continue wearing masks even after the pandemic is that I bought a lot of cute cloth ones from friends who know how to sew, and I'll be darned if I leave them to moulder in a drawer ;)

It certainly makes it easier where I live as in Victoria (Australia), our state government just made masks compulsory last year from the start of the pandemic. You will still occasionally see people not wearing them but when there is a fine involved, it certainly gives people incentive to wear them! My boys don't like wearing them all day at high school but this Delta strain seems to be thriving in schools so it is definitely worth it.

>93 lsh63: Blacktop Wasteland just got a rave review in my newspaper, so the author definitely goes onto the WL!

>107 dudes22: Hi Betty, I don't see myself going maskless for a long time.
>108 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP! This has become a divisive issue but I have to what's best for me. Yes, I have a couple of masks that my SIL made for me that I absolutely love!
>109 JayneCM: You bring up a good point about kids. I can't see my 6 year old grandson wearing a mask for longer than a few minutes!
>110 MissWatson: Blacktop Wastland was good, I hope you enjoy it!

100 Rough Treatment Book # 100 is the second in the Charlie Resnick series. I had hoarded several books in this series thinking I might like them and now I want to read more of them. In this installment, Resnick focuses on professional house thieves, drug dealers while trying to sell his house. Resnick is a sympathetic character, who quietly does his job, but you keep hoping that he will find enjoyment in his life as well as his police work.

>112 lsh63: congrats on reaching triple digits with your book count!

>113 VictoriaPL: Thanks Victoria!

101 The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox This is the third book that I've read by the author this year, and I've enjoyed them all. In this one, the heartbreaking stories of Iris, Esme and Kitty are revealed to the reader. Iris, is the niece of Esme, and granddaughter of Kitty. One day, she receives a phone call that Esme is being released from a mental hospital where she has resided for the past 60 years and has no place to go. Iris has always been told that her grandmother was an only child, and believes that the hospital must have made a mistake. Although this was a very satisfying read, the book had no chapters, so there were abrupt transitions between Kitty's present day Alzheimer's passages and her memories, as well as Esme's memories. The ending was spectacular and haunting at the same time!

102 Not a Happy Family This book was quite the page turner for me, but when I reached the "whodunnit", it was rather obvious. Fred and Sheila Merton were murdered after Easter dinner with their three children and their significant others. Also at the dinner was the former nanny and current house cleaner. The father Fred, is completely unlikeable , so a motive for his murder is not hard to fathom. What's not clear is who would also kill their mother? Catherine, the oldest leaves the dinner after her father makes a remark about her infertility. Son, Dan and his wife leave after Dan gets shot down by his father about asking for money. Youngest daughter Jenna also is not happy with her father. With all of the children in line to inherit millions of dollars, the suspense builds as the reader tries to figure out which child killed their parents in order to hurry their inheritance along.

103 Just One Look I'm trying to make an effort to read the books that remain on my shelves. When Grace Lawson looks through a set of pictures that she had developed, she notices a picture that she didn't take and doesn't belong with the others. A closer look reveals that one of the people in the picture is her husband from 20 years ago. Shortly thereafter, her husband disappears and Grace and her children's lives are in danger. A very gripping thriller.

104 Exit I enjoyed this darkly humorous story about the Exiteers, those who try to ease the very ill and suffering as they try to have a peaceful transition. When the wrong person dies, there is an investigation into how a merciful act might be considered murder.

I am a big fan of the Charlie Resnick series and I found the books got better and better as I went along. I think I only have one left to read and I have been saving it. There is also a small series of 4 books that he wrote featuring retired D.I. Frank Elder that is excellent, the first book is Flesh and Blood.

>119 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! Did you just hit me with another BB for yet another series lol? I can't find Flesh and Blood so perhaps that is a sign.

105 The Turnout Megan Abbott has written about cheerleading, gymnastics, and now the world of ballet dancing. This book was dark and hard core with detail about the conditioning and abuse that ballet dancers have to deal with. The plot revolves around a ballet studio run by sisters Dara and Marie, and Dara's husband Charlie. The pupils and the in are all consumed with preparing for the production of the Nutcracker. All you know what breaks loose when there is a fire and a shady contractor hired for repairs to the studio becomes involved with Marie.

106 Unsettled Ground This was such a sad read, but I was engrossed in the story of what happened to 51 year old twins Janie and Julius, when their mother suddenly dies. The reader quickly learns that they are not equipped to deal with real life issues and are completely lost while also living in isolation and poverty. As they try to figure out what to do, they are plagued with one problem after another. I was hoping that they would catch a break in the end, but even that glimmer of hope might have been too late.

107 Swimming Lessons I thought that this was an ingenious plot device. Ingrid Coleman writes a series of letters to her husband Gil about their marriage and hides them in the books he's collected over the years instead of giving them to him. After her last letter Ingrid disappears leaving her husband as well as her two daughters Nan and Flora. Years later Gil thinks he sees Ingrid, but does he really?

>118 lsh63: I really liked Exit. Bauer is an author I just automatically read right away.

>121 lsh63: I thought this was better than her last few (which I liked a lot). It was grimmer, more twisted and left me wanting the contractor's wife story and just generally more.

>124 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! Yes I haven’t been disappointed by any of her books yet. I’m glad I still have a few more to read. I also like everything Abbott has written, but I think she upped the darkness in this one and I thought it was great.

108 Poirot Investigates An entertaining collection of short stories. My favorites are the story where a nephew and his wife kill his uncle, and then are later killed in a plane crash, and the last story featuring poisoned chocolates.

109 The Thursday Murder Club I enjoyed this story about the four residents of the Cooper Chase Retirement Village who spend their time reviewing cold case murder files. When the group takes a young female police officer under their wing along with her boss Chris, they all find themselves working together to solve two current crimes. I would definitely read another book in this series.

110 Thunderstruck and Other Stories I've been reading more short story collections this year. I find that they work for me when I'm not in the mood to concentrate on an intricate plot or keep track with a lot of characters. All of the stories were good, but the one I liked the best was the title story which involves a family fleeing to Paris for the summer in an attempt to quell their teenage daughter's risky behavior, only to have their lives turned upside down. All of the stories feature some sort of sadness or loss, but there are also glimmers of hope.

>128 lsh63: I just picked up a signed hardcover of this at a booksale. I loved her collection, The Souvenir Museum.

111 Difficult Women This beautifully written short story collection focuses on women facing various issues including but not limited to sex, weight, sexual abuse while also facing loss, pain and grief. These stories are brutal, yet honest, and the reader can feel the pain of the characters with every page. Gay is a wonderful writer, and I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection. The story that absolutely blew my mind was Noble Things, which was about the United States being divided into territories, republics, and combined states. After reading it, I reflected for a little bit about the election, January 6, and the vaccination controversy. I plan to try her non-fiction very soon.

I won't read anything else this month, so here's my August recap:

14 books completed

2 series
14 fiction
11 female authors
3 male authors
7 library books
4 Kindle books
3 Books I Owned

I read several books that I thought were worthy of 4.5 stars; The Turnout, Swimming Lessons, and Thunderstruck and Other Stories. I also managed to read three books from my shelf; Poirot Investigates, Just One Look, and Rough Treatment.

I'm currently reading Shuggie Bain and while it is heartbreaking, it's beautifully written.

>129 RidgewayGirl: Thanks for the tip about the Souvenir Museum, Kay, I'm off to see my library has it.

I was so focused on my monthly recap, I forgot the last book that I finished.

112The Killer Next Door This was a pretty gruesome about 6 residents of a building, one of whom is a serial killer. What's odd is that no one realizes that the women are missing, let alone that they have been murdered.

113 Shuggie Bain This was a sad heart wrenching read although it was a 5 star one for me. Shuggie spends his childhood dealing with his mother's alcoholism while also coping with his being different from other boys his age. His older brother and sister escape the first chance they get which leaves Shuggie to become an adult while trying to help his mother.

114 Lightning Strike I enjoyed this prequel to the Cork O' Connor series. Set in the summer of 1963, Cork is 12 years old when he stumbles upon the body of a man hanging from a tree, he tries to help his father Liam, the sheriff of Aurora, determine if the death was a suicide or murder. The ending suggests the reason that Cork decided to enter the field of law enforcement.

115 The Sweetness of Water I thought that this was an excellent effort for a debut novel, especially since the author is fairly young. Set in the South after the Civil War, the story focuses on brothers Prentiss and Landry, now free, who seek refuge from George Walker and his wife Isabelle. The Walkers hire the brothers to work on their farm, which causes trouble for them with the other residents of the town who no longer have their slaves to work for them. Another subplot of the story is the relationship between the Walkers' son Caleb and another Confederate soldier. Although heartbreaking at times, this book was beautifuly written.

116 A Slow Fire Burning I just can't seem to help myself when new thrillers come out. I really like The Girl On the Train by this author so I keep reading her books. This book focuses on a murdered man on a houseboat and the three women who were acquainted with him. Laura, his one-night- stand, who has issues stemming from a childhood accident, Carla his aunt, who is also mourning his mother, also her sister, and Miriam the nosy neighbor who is keeping secrets. By the end of the book, I just didn't care anymore.

117 Sing Unburied Sing I wasn't sure why I hadn't read this book, since I think the author is brilliant. I think because it was released in 2017, and I was moving at that time, so I think I returned it unfinished to the library. The book is told in alternating narratives, 13 year old Jojo, and his mother Leonie, and Richie, and well as the deceased Richie a young man from Jojo's grandfather's past and Given, Leonie's deceased brother. The reader's heart breaks for poor Jojo and his little sister Kayla, and you can't help but sympathize with their drug addicted mother Leonie. Although there is a lot of misery and unhappiness in this story, there is also a glimmer of hope that Jojo will be able to overcome all of the obstacles in his young life one day.

118 Love Like That I enjoyed this collection of stories featuring women with relationship and family issues, often making bad choices or are caught in bad circumstances. I particularly enjoyed where a teacher loses it when a student plagiarizes and is told not to pursue the matter by management. Another good story was a woman struggling with the changes that come with going from a divorced father with a young son to living with him and having the child try to come between them.

119 Henry Himself This is the prequel to Wish You Were Here and Emily Alone. As the title indicates, the focus is on Henry Maxwell and his life with Emily, both in their 70's and retired . This is not a book where anything happens, but it doesn't really need to in order to engage the reader. It's a quiet story life, about Emily and Henry, their children and grandchildren, and Henry's musings on life now that he's lived most of it. I skimmed the parts of the book regarding golf, but as usual, the author provided a very satisfying read.

120 The Magician I thought I might be bored with the author's account of the life of Nobel Prize winning author Thomas Mann thinking that it might be too fact based, but it wasn't and was very well written. The book is filled with detail from Mann's early life in Lubeck Germany to his escape from Nazi terror and his later years in the United States. Mann marries and fathers six children, while also battling his attraction to the opposite sex. I may decide to read Death in Venice at some point in the future.

>141 lsh63: Oh, that sounds very promising! BB taken.

>140 lsh63: I read Wish You Were Here earlier this year and liked it a lot.

>141 lsh63: I thought it might be boring, too, and was likewise surprised to find myself invested in Mann's life and enjoying the book quite a bit.

>142 MissWatson:, I surprised myself by enjoying it. It's not my usual type of book.
>143 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! I love Stewart O'Nan. I'm glad that I read The Magician, since it's not my usual type of book.

121 Forgotten in Death Eve finds herself trying to solve two cases at the same time, when she finds a dead body in a dumpster on a building site. Not far away is another body, a skeleton from a murder that took place years ago. There wasn't a lot of personal stuff in this one, so I'm hoping there will be more with Peabody, McNab, Mavis, and Leonardo in the next one.

122 Apples Never Fall I enjoyed this book as it held my interest and had good character development and pacing. The four siblings of the Delaney family become divided as they try to find out what happened to their mother Joy, who is missing, while also realizing that their father may be the prime suspect. I was very vested in the story because I wanted to know what happened to her.

The ending where the reader finally learns what happened to Joy, is kind of dumb. I found myself thinking I read over 450 pages for this? There was also a random reminder of the pandemic at the end which wasn't integral to the plot, so I wasn't sure why it was included.

123 The Night She Disappeared This was a pretty good thriller. Kim's 19 year old daughter Tallulah goes missing along with her boyfriend one night. Kim knows that her daughter would not willingly abandon her one year old son no matter how hard being a young mother is, and is increasingly frustrated in her attempts to find her. The police believe that she just ran off with her boyfriend. The plot alternates between the past which leads up to the disappearance and the present where Kim encounters one stumbling block after another as she tries to find out what happened.

I seem to have missed your thread - until now! Our taste in books is very similar and I've taken a few BBs. I recently added A Slow Fire Burning to my holds list at the library but it will be some time before my name surfaces.

>148 VivienneR: Thanks for visiting Vivienne. I will stop by your thread to see if I'm missing any books that weren't on my radar!

Happy October and Fall everyone!

I missed doing my monthly recap on Friday due to jury duty. And as much as tried not to make eye contact, and darn it picked me! Sitting in that hard chair all day was not fun lol!

My September summary:

12 books read in total
9 Library books
3 Kindle books
3 books in a continuing series
5 male authors read
7 female authors read

My most enjoyable books of the month were Shuggie Bain just so sad, but so good, and The Sweetness of Water. I also greatly enjoyed Sing Unburied Sing and The Heron's Cry. I think Ann Cleeves is great, I'm enjoying this new series, and I also need to get back to the Shetland series, I don't remember where I left off with it.

124The Heron's Cry This was my last book for the month of September. I enjoyed this second installment in the DI Matthew Venn series. The writing is great, with really developed characters, especially Venn's co workers single mother Jen and the ever ambitious Ross. When Jen attends a summer party thrown by her friend Cynthia, she is too intoxicated to speak to Nigel Yeo, who wants to speak to her in her professional capacity. The following day Yeo, is found murdered , which begins a somewhat complex investigation, with more bodies turning up and the final reveal of the murderer, which I did not expect. I read some books very quickly, but this is one I'm glad that I took my time with, as I soak in the character interaction and the setting.

125 Harlem Shuffle I loved the author's Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, both 5 star reads for me. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy Harlem Shuffle, I did, but I'm not sure why I wasn't more enthusiastic about it. It is a good book, but I didn't find it great. It could have been my mood at the time. The book takes place in early 1960's Harlem where Ray Carney tries to remain a respectable furniture store salesman and admittedly a petty thief. He also tries to look out for his cousin Freddie, who is like a brother to him, but unfortunately Freddie involves his cousin in his more serious criminal activities. There was a great deal of background about minor secondary characters, that didn't seem to tie into the storyline, and I was surprised to find myself struggling to finish this one.

126 Rock Paper Scissors I finished this one this morning. Mr. (Adam) and Mrs. (Amelia) Wright are having trouble in their 10 year marriage. When Amelia wins a weekend away to a converted chapel in Scotland, she thinks it's just the thing her marriage needs in order to save it. One of them is lying to the other, and they didn't randomly win the trip. In fact someone is working very hard to destroy their marriage. Every year for their anniversary, the couple exchange the traditional gifts of paper, cotton, etc, and each year Amelia writes Adam a letter that she never lets him read. This is an anniversary they will never forget. This book had a nice creepy atmosphere, with a snowstorm and noises and their dog disappearing. I was totally clueless about the main twist in the story.

>152 lsh63: - I took this out of the library because I liked Underground Railroad. I was gone for when our book club read The Nickel Boys but plan to get to it sometime. Anyway - I'm having a hard time getting into Harlem Shuffle and will probably return it unfinished for now. I think I just haven't had the time to devote to it and reading it in small chunks just isn't working.

>154 dudes22: Hi Betty, I’m curious to see if other people struggle to get into Harlem Shuffle. Maybe I was looking for a third five star read.

127 Taken At the Flood Sometimes I confuse myself with the various titles of Agatha Christie's books. I thought I had read all of the Hercule Poirot, but there are a few that I haven't. This was a pretty good story about all of the various members of the Cloade family who were hoping to obtain a piece of the deceased Gordon Cloade's fortune. Enter his young widow and her brother and things become very complicated. The very end of the book spoiled my enjoyment of it.

128 Milk Blood Heat This was an outstanding short story collection mainly because I enjoyed every story. Set in various Florida locations, these 11 stories feature mostly women dealing with grief, infertility, racial, and family issues. In "Feast", a woman struggles in the aftermath of her miscarriage. In the title story "Milk Blood Heat", 2 teenage girls friendship ends in a tragic event. In "The Loss of Heaven", a man struggles with the return of his wife's cancer and her refusal to seek treatment for the second time. All of the stories left a lasting impact on me and I can't wait to see what the author does next.

129 Tippy Toe Murder I was in the mood for a short book that wouldn't tax my tired brain, so I pulled this one off the shelf. I started reading these while obtaining them for my mother, and have pretty much read them out of order. This book is the second in the series and features Lucy pregnant with her fourth child in late summer while dealing with her daughters' ballet recitals and trying to solve the disappearance of a retired dance instructor. It's been a while since I read this series, and although it's considered a cozy, this one contained a few graphic scenes.

130 Silver Anniversary Murder After reading Tippy Toe Murder, I was still in the mood for a non taxing read, so I chose this 25th in the series. As Tinker's Cove prepares for a silver anniversary celebration, Lucy thinks back to her own wedding and finds out that her old friend and maid of honor had committed suicide. Lucy has a hard time coming to terms with the news, and travels to New York to seek answers. There were a lot of unusual things crammed into the book, including a cult, and the fact that the murder didn't take place in Tinker's Cove disappointed me just a bit.

131 What is Left the Daughter I saw this book mentioned on Katie's thread, and decided to take a chance on it. I'm glad that I did, it was just what I needed at the time. I loved the Nova Scotia setting, and the storyline of Wyatt Hillyer recounting his life events to his daughter.

132 Pray For Silence This is the second in the Kate Burkholder series. When a family of seven is brutally murdered, Kate, who left the Amish order when she was 17, is haunted by her own past while she tried to solve the crime. I enjoy this series, it deviates from the usual larger city crime series set in an Amish community. The author does not shy away from graphic detail, so these are definitely not cozy mysteries.

133 So We Can Glow I've been reading a lot of short story collections this year. I find that they are perfect for me when my brain is tired and can't handle complex storylines. I would describe this collection as a tribute to women and relationships. There were 42 stories even though it was a short book. Some of the stories were very nostalgic, which were great.

134 The Babes in the Wood I decided to pull this off my shelf because I have been doing a terrible job of reading my own books this year. There wasn't too much going on in this one, it's flooding in Kingsmarkham, two teenagers are missing, the mother is hysterical, believing that her children have drowned, while their father seems indifferent to the situation. This was a very slow read.

135 The Lincoln Highway I enjoyed this book, although admittedly, there were a few parts that I skimmed, and I thought it was just a little lengthy.

In June 0f 1954, 18 year old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska, after serving a one year term for involuntary manslaughter. His parents are gone, and he is reunited with his precocious younger brother Billy. Since their father's death, the family farm is now in foreclosure, and Emmett and Billy decide to head west so they can start their lives over. Their plans go awry when Emmett's two friends, Duchess, and Wooly, show up and present Emmett with a different plan. The rest of the book is filled with their adventures, told from various points of view. I didn't see the ending coming at all.

136 With Our Blessing I took a chance on this series mainly because of a Kindle deal at the time. In 1975, a baby is forcibly taken from its mother, 35 years later , the body of an elderly nun in found in a Dublin part in the middle of winter. The book introduces DI Tom Reynolds as he and his team work to solve the case. I'm glad that I took a chance with this book, as I thought it was a very good debut, and I plan to read the rest of the series.

137 The Man Who Died Twice I found this books just as good as the first one The Thursday Murder Club. In this one, Elizabeth receives a letter from a former colleague, who is in trouble for stealing millions of dollars worth of diamonds from the mafia. He's in trouble and seeks Elizabeth's help. Elizabeth agrees to try to keep him safe while he's on the run.

This book was action packed and held my interest. When Joyce's Instagram account name was revealed I laughed out loud.

>166 lsh63: I also laughed out loud at that!

138 The Wire in the Blood It's been 4 years since I read the first book in the Hill and Jordan series, so I was a little hazy on certain details. In this second book, Carol and Tony, along with a group of young eager police officers, team up to stop a well known serial killer of young girls. I'm not sure how I feel about knowing who the killer is from the very beginning.

139 Oh William! Lucy Barton reflects on her relationship with her first husband William, with whom she had 2 daughters. Even though Lucy left William years ago, and they both remarried, they still use pet names for each other and maintain a friendship. Each is at a turning point in life, Elizabeth's second husband has dies, and William's wife has left him along with their 10 year old daughter. It's a short read, but it accomplishes a great deal. It made me want to read My Name is Lucy Barton again.

Happy November everyone!

I can't believe how time is flying- or not depending on how you look at it.

My October recap:

15 books read
5 books I owned
9 Library books
1 Kindle book

4 male authors
11 female authors

I was determined to read some of the books that were on my shelves , so I'm happy that I read 5 of them. My standout reads for the month were What is Left the Daughter, Milk Blood Heat, and The Lincoln Highway. I also liked Harlem Shuffleand The Man Who Died Twice.

>169 lsh63: - I think you're the second person who has said that. I guess maybe I will.

140 When Ghosts Come Home I really enjoy reading Wiley Cash's books, and this one was no exception. Set in Oak Island, NC over a few days in 1984, the plot involves a murder mystery, but also racial tension and family relationships. 60 year old Sheriff Winston Barnes is awakened out of his sleep by the sound of an airplane crash. When he investigates, he also finds the body of Rodney Bellamy. It's not long before racism rears its head, as Sheriff Barnes is white, an Rodney is black, and assumed to have committed a criminal act which led to his murder. The ending was gut wrenching, but it was revealed to the reader in a fast forward to the future manner, which left me with a few questions.

>172 lsh63: Oh, I love Wiley Cash's writing. I'll have to pick this one up!

>172 lsh63: Oh, I'm very interested in your thoughts on this one. Victoria and I are going to an event for this book next weekend.

141River of Darkness This was a very good first in the series historical mystery. Set in small village, the book is part police procedural, part psychological thriller, as we learn who the murderer is early in the book, it's the why the murders are happening that is slowly revealed to the reader. Scotland Yard Inspector John Madden, a war veteran who lost his wife and daughter in the influenza outbreak, had his hands full when a family has been murdered with a bayonet, and he quickly realizes that his suspect has military training. Don't be fooled with the small village setting, the killings are pretty brutal. I have the second book in the series which I hope to get to sometime soon.

>173 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! I enjoyed it, I just had a minor issue with the ending.

>174 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, I hope you enjoy the event! It was good, but as mentioned above, I had a minor issue with the manner in which the ending was revealed.

142 A Line to Kill I enjoyed my revisit with author Horowitz and detective Hawthorne. Hawthorne and Horowitz are invited to a literary festival on an island , where invariably they find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. It was a fun read, and I did not guess the identity of the murderer. The author did a great job in leading me in the wrong direction.

143 Lazybones I've amassed most of the books in this series and I read this one so I could get to the next in the series which is on my shelf. In this 3rd book of the series, DI Thorne investigates the deaths of several rapists, some of whom were were recently released from prison. Thorne also begins a romance with a young woman who is very mysterious.

144 The Sentence This was a fun read about a woman named Tookie who works at a bookstore, but is haunted by the ghost of a former customer. The author also successfully weaves in the beginning of the pandemic, panic purchases, and the outrage over the death of George Floyd. She also refers to a former president as "orangey", which cracked me up. Since the main protagonist works in a bookstore, I was feverishly making note of the various books mentioned, until I learned they were listed as an appendix.

145 The Plot This was my first time reading this author. The storyline evolves slowly, then picks up the pace midway and at the end. A writer, Jacob Finch Bonner, has had some success with one published book, but is struggling trying to write his next great novel. While teaching at an MFA program, he meets a rude student who shows him pages of the book he is working on, that Jacob realizes could be a success. Years later, Jacob discovers that the student is now dead and never wrote the book, so Jacob adapts the plot for himself, which later becomes a bestseller. He begins to receive texts and emails telling him he's a thief. The question becomes who is sending him these messages, since the student is dead. This was good stuff that had me glued to the pages to see how it would all unfold.

146 On Girlhood I read Well-Read Black Girl last year, and when I saw this book, I decided to read it as well. This anthology of 15 short stories is a celebration of black girls and women, written by both well-know and lesser known authors. Included are stories by Toni Morrison, Dorothy West, Alice Walker, and Edwidge Danticat. The book is divided into 4 sections; Innocence, Belonging, Love, and Self-Discovery. My favorite story was "The Richer, The Poorer" by Dorothy West, the story of two very different sisters. One, worked and worked and saved all of her money, basically denying herself any pleasure in life, while the other sister had a bad marriage and has no money. The sister with no money has to move in with her sister and they both learn from each other.

>179 lsh63: That sounds great.

>182 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, it was an enjoyable read.

147 and 148 Sugar and This Bitter Earth I read both of these books over the weekend and greatly enjoyed them both. Sugar is the story of a young prostitute who comes to Bigelow Arkansas, and moves next door to Pearl. Pearl is grieving the brutal murder of her young daughter who was killed 15 years ago. Pearl believes that Sugar's strong resemblance to her daughter Jude, is a sign and after a while, the two become good friends. The ending left me wanting more, so of course I started reading the sequel, The Bitter Earth right away. In the sequel, Sugar leaves Bigelow, and returns to her childhood home where she learns the truth of her parentage. Events take place which cause her to return to Bigelow, and secrets are revealed and closure takes place. Although Bitter Earth was less intense than Sugar, they were both very good reads. I will definitely read more of this author.

149 Bitter Orange Frances Jellico is on her deathbed and reflects back to the summer of 1969, where she lived with a couple in a dilapidated country house. Frances, lonely and also dealing with her controlling mother's death, is hired to examine the garden architecture and provide ideas for renovations, when she meets Peter, who was hired to perform an inventory of the house, and his wife Cara. Their friendship takes a strange turn and the slow moving novel quickly ended with a bang. I've loved the three books that I've read by this author.

150 Five Tuesdays in Winter This is the second collection of short stories that I've read by this author. I enjoyed all ten stories, but my favorites were the title story about a bookstore owner, also a single parent who dares to hope that he can find love again, and Waiting for Charlie, about a 90 year old man who hopes to communicate with this granddaughter who has been in an accident and suffered traumatic injuries and is now in a coma. He reflects on the times they spent together while he also acknowledges his own life lessons.

151 The Swallows This book is part mystery and thriller and also young adult fiction. A new teacher at a New England prep school causes controversy when a writing assignment she assigns reveals disturbing events that take place at the school, that seem to be swept under the rug. While the book deals with difficult and unpleasant subject matter such as sexual exploitation, and the objectification of women, the author also manages to provide slight bits of humor such as the manner in which the teacher interacts with the students and her dealings with her parents.

152 Ghost Wall For a short book, it was pretty dark and scary. Silvie and her family try to live like Iron Age Britons in the North of England. Her father, obsessed with Iron Age tools, rituals, and a natural existence is abusive, cruel and overbearing. I couldn't believe what I was reading at the end.

>187 lsh63: Whoa, did they really market The Swallows as YA?

>186 lsh63: I just finished this and my favorite was the first story - the one about the girl working as a nanny for the summer. I wanted it to be an entire book and it took a while to adjust to the next story.

>189 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! No I didn’t see anything where The Swallows was marketed as YA, I may have just been projecting my own thoughts about it. It did win the Alex Award though, so yeah, I guess I thought the book was definitely a hybrid.

All of the stories in Five Tuesdays were good, but the first story did set an amazing tone for the rest of the book.

153 Christmas Cupcake Murder In this 26th book in the long running series, Hannah takes us back about 10 years during Christmas time. Hannah has just opened her shop, and tries to help a homeless man asking for a cup of coffee and work. I read these books for recipe ideas, and for brain candy as I relax with the characters in Lake Eden, and the mystery usually takes a backseat to Hannah's life and her family and friends.

Happy December everyone!

My November recap:

14 books read
9 Library books
5 Kindle book

4 male authors
10 female authors

I had a great reading month: I enjoyed When Ghost Come Home I love Wiley Cash, but the ending of this one bothered me a bit. I also discovered a new author to me when I read Sugar, which was so good that I promptly checked to see if the sequel This Bitter Earth was available at the library and read it the next day!

154 Twisted Tea Christmas In this 23rd installment in the series, Theo and Drayton are catering a Victorian Christmas party when the hostess is murdered, and also her valuable ring and Renoir are missing. I enjoy these books as light reads when my brain is taxed, and always look forward to the listing of recipes and tea facts.

155 The Souvenir Museum This was a very well written short story collection. All of the stories were excellent, my favorites were the stories that featured the characters of Sadie and Jack, who appeared in 4 of the 12 stories.

156 Christmas Stalkings A collection of Christmas themed short stories, most were ok, but I particularly enjoyed Elizabeth Peter's story ,Liz Peters PI, and the last story Fruitcake, Mercy, and Black Eyed Peas, a Deborah Knott story by Margaret Maron.

157 The Spinning Heart The structure of this book is told in 21 chapters from many characters in a smal rural town, who have all been affected by the damage of the financial crisis in Ireland in the late 2000's. A construction company, which is the main employer in the town, closes down without paying the workers, which leads to alcoholism and violence. One would think that a book with a large number of characters wouldn't work too well,but in this case, the various characters all connect in some manner and are well fleshed out.

158 The Promise I think I read this story of the destruction of a South African family in a day. The story revolves around 4 charactersvover three decades and the ends of their lives. First, Rachel the mother of Anton, Astrid, and Amor. On her deathbed, Rachel reminds her husband, Manie, of their promise to their black maid Salome, that they would bequeath a portion of their land to her with her own house. Amor, then six years old, overhears their conversation. The second chapter focuses on Manie, the third Astrid, and the final chapter, Anton. As time passes, the youngest daughter, Amor, tries to do the right thing by Salome, and is constantly thwarted in her efforts.

>196 lsh63: Very eager to hear what you thought of The Spinning Heart as I have a copy of this on my tbr.

159 The Confession This is one of these books where you find out who committed the crime on the first page. The last page reveals to the reader why. This is a twisted psychological thriller that held my interest throughout. When banker Harry McNamara is severely beaten with a golf club, his wife Julie does nothing. After the attack John Carney turns himself into the police confessing to killing Harry, who isn't dead yet. The story is told through the perspectives of Julie, John Carney and DS Alice Moody, who is convinced that there is more to this attack than meets the eye, and is determined to find out what it is.

160 Dead Man's Time I love this series, and hope to get further along with it next year. Currently there are 17 books in the series, and this is the 9th. In 1922, young Gavin Daly and his sister Aileen are headed to Dublin with their aunt, after their mother is killed in front of them and their father disappears. Before boarding the ship, Gavin is given a piece of paper with four name and eleven numbers, along with a cryptic message which will stay with him for the rest of his life. In Brighton, in 2012, Roy Grace investigates the burglary and savage murder of an old woman, whose antiques and rare vintage watch are taken. The family of the murdered woman want the watch back more than anything else that was taken, much to Roy's confusion. As the story unfolds, the reader understands the significance of the watch.

>198 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, I finally caught up with my reads here! I enjoyed the book very much and will look for more by this author.

161 Want You Dead After reading Dead Man's Time, I had to read the next installment. The main plot point dealt with a deranged ex boyfriend stalking his ex girlfriend in unbelievable ways. There's also a certain plot point that has been simmering for a while now, and I wanted to see what happened with it. I'm going to take a small break before diving into the next one, although I do have the rest of the series on my Kindle, so no waiting, if I decide to binge read!

>202 lsh63: They are really dragging that "plot point" out!

>203 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! Yes it’s like how long do I have to wait for the big reveal?

162 The Good Sister This story is told by twin sisters, Rose and Fern. They have had a difficult childhood, and also share a big secret, that binds them. Rose is married to Owen, and is suffering from fertility issues as well as troubles in her marriage to her husband Owen. Rose is portrayed as the protector of Fern, while Fern, who is on the Asperger spectrum is portrayed as needing Rose to help her through life. As the story progresses, you can't help but root for Fern, who decides to get pregnant to help her sister. We also realize that Rose may not be as good as she is portrayed to be.

163 Midwinter Murder This was a great collection of 12 winter themed, stories from Agatha Christie. Mr. Quin. Miss Marple, and of course Hercule Poirot all appear here, as well as Tommy and Tuppence and Parker Pyne. I had read Three Bline Mice before, and of course loved reading it again.

164 Finders Keepers I had been meaning to read this last book in the Exmoor trilogy for a few months, and finally got around to it. Policeman Jonas Holly is still on leave after tragic events in his life, but returns to work just as children are being kidnapped from cars with a note left behind in each case. Steven Lamb returns, perhaps a little wiser than the 12 year old that he was in Blacklands and finds himself having to deal with another killer. The story was pretty gruesome, but I enjoyed it immensely.

I think that this will be my final post for 2021. I'm reading the wonderful Just As I Am, Cicely Tyson's memoir, which will take me into 2022, and I still have to plan the rest of my January reads. My workload the next couple of months will be heavy, so I don't know how much reading I will get done, but I'm going to try my best!

December recap:

11 books read
4 Library books
7 Kindle books

4 male authors
7 female authors

I found that I wasn't in the mood to concentrate much this month, so most of my reading were short books, as well as short stories, and holiday themed mysteries.

Happy New Year to everyone, I'm looking forward to what 2022 will bring!

Happy new year! I hope you find just the right books at the right time during the upcoming busy season!

>209 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP!