MONICA'S (CRAZY4READING) ATTEMPTS 75 BOOKS AGAIN

I am going to attempt to read 75 books again this year. Hopefully I can reach more then 30 books like I did this year. Will post more later when I am home

Challenges I am participating in

Tracker

ROOTS:


75 BOOK CHALLENGE:

List of books read

January
1. Look At Us by T. L. Toma

A space for fun stuff.

Just in case.

Happy new year, Monica, and best of luck reading 75 books in 2024!

>7 bell7: Thank you!! Happy New Year to you too!!

Hi Monica my dear, starred you once again dear lady.

Welcome back!

Happy reading in 2024, Monica!

>9 johnsimpson: Hi John and thank you for the star and stopping by. I still need to stop by threads.

>10 drneutron: Hi Jim! It is great to be back!

>11 Berly: Hi Kim! Thanks for the star!

>12 FAMeulstee: Hello Anita & Frank! Thanks for stopping by!

I finished my first book of 2024.

1. Look at us by T. L. Toma

I won this book in 2021 and I never got around to reading it. That was the year my father passed and just dealing with life I forgot all about it. This is my goal is to read books that I own more then library books. I am not sure how I feel about this book. It was different and sometimes interesting. You have a family that hires a nanny from Ireland and the dynamic in the house changes. There is sexual tensions and parts that could be trigger warnings for some.

I did enjoy the characters but also felt at times that they were lacking something. You have Lily and Martin, the au pair Maive and the twin boys. Lily and Martin and two people that seem to be in their own worlds at times. He is in finance and she is a lawyer. Maeve is more of a mother to the children then Lily is at times.

3 stars

I am currently reading: Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

I will be starting my new ER book Pushing Back the Desert Operation Ajax by Gordon Zuckerman

I will also be starting Harry Potter & The Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling My sister and I are hoping to go on a bus trip to New York to see the play in May. I have to go purchase tickets this week.

>14 crazy4reading: Hurray for #1!!! And seeing the HP play in May. Awesome!

>15 Berly: Yay! I hope to finish another book this week. I am so excited to see the play in May! I still need to start the book.

>1 crazy4reading: Glad to see you back, Monica! Good luck with your reading goals for the year!

>14 crazy4reading: I found Undead and Unwed to be a fun read. I hope you enjoy it.

2. Undead & Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

I seem to have read this book before. Here is my review. Well I seem to be on binge of reading series and vampires. I bought this book because the cover interested me along with the title.

Undead and Unwed was a funny book. I found myself laughing or cracking a smile while reading. Elizabeth Taylor or Betsy as she likes to be called gets hit by a car saving her cat one night and wakes up in the funeral home wondering what happened.

Once she finally figures out what happened she sees her father and stepmom then visits her mother. Her best friend is thrilled to see her up and walking even if she is a vampire. The abilities that she has make her a very unique vampire and the possible Queen.

This book would probably still be sitting on my TBR pile if not for the SOS Bingo game. I look forward to reading the next books in this series.

5 stars

3. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

I read this book for book club. The consensus of the book was not good. Most of the members felt the book could have been shorter. They didn't care for the language and some of the promiscuity. I enjoyed the book but it wasn't a 5 star read for me. I enjoyed Vivian and seeing her life after failing out of Vassar. I think if I had more time to read it and actually take my time I could enjoy it more. My book club books can sometimes be ones that are hard to read in 4 to 6 weeks.

4 stars

4. When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey

This is my first book by Hanna Morrissey and I did not realize it was part of a series. I loved this book and will go back and read the previous 2 of the Black Harbor series. I was gifted this book and as soon as I read the synopsis I was interested in reading it.

When I'm Dead is the 3rd book in the Black Harbor series. You have a murder of a girl and one girl is missing. Chloe goes missing after leaving the local high school after her performance in the play. Her mother and father are out investigating the murder of her daughter's best friend.

The emotions that Rowan and her husband go through are nerve racking. I found myself getting upset because they wouldn't talk to each other about what they were thinking. Is their daughter the murderer or is their daughter the next victim of the killer?

You have Libby the neighbor who is friends with Chloe and is a very peculiar person. She practices taxidermy and is a little larger than most of the girls in her school. One of my fave reads so far this year.

5 stars

>17 alcottacre: I really enjoyed Undead and Unwed again. I have to find the other books in the series that I have and start them. I have a whole bunch of series that I need to finish.

I am still trying to start my ER book and I have another one I just won. Those two are my top priorities along with the Harry Potter Cursed Child. I want to finish that before I go to see it on Broadway.

Here is a list of books I am currently reading:

1. Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland (my book club read for March)
2. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand (My book for February that was wrapped by my daughter)
3. What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
4. The Night I spent with Aubrey Fisher by Christopher M. Tantillo
5. Pushing Back the Desert: Inspired by True Events by Gordon Zuckerman
6. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling

Hopefully I will finish one or two of these books this week.

Hi! Happy March. : )

I have read #2 and #6 of your current reads. Both were really good, so happy reading.

>20 Berly: Happy April! I have been so busy I have not checked in here in awhile. I finished #6 this month! Reviews coming soon for some books!

>19 crazy4reading: I have a whole bunch of series that I need to finish. I completely understand that!

Some good reading in that book club list!

>21 crazy4reading: Yay!

Reviews:

#5 Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

This book was for our Library Book Club March meeting. I listened to the book while following along in the actual book. This book got my interest from the beginning. While I was listening to it, I actually went back to re-read something because I couldn't believe what I had just heard/read!

It was nice to read a book in a setting that I am familiar with. This book is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hearing and reading about the area in the 1930's was interesting. You have this Jewish family who has a business and two adult girls. Living their lives and tragedy hits the family.

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#6 The Night I spent with Aubrey Fisher by Christopher M. Tantillo

I have seen this book all over TikTok and decided to purchase the book. I enjoy YA books. This is a coming of age story with some trigger warnings. This deals with death, suicide and mental health. I love books that can make a reader think about things. This book made me think about life and how precious it is and how quickly life can change. Life can change from the choices we make, the choices others make and even just natural events.

The Night I spent with Aubrey Fisher is about Grayson dealing with his life after his brother dies. The emotions he keeps bottled up and how a strange person sees him and steps in to help him. The things that both Grayson and Aubrey learn about each other and themselves is one that brought tears to my eyes. I felt for all the characters in this book.

This book is the debut novel by Christopher M. Tantillo. I am glad I took the plunge into this somewhat dark book. I had an array of feelings after reading this book. Having lost friends and co-workders to suicide and not even realizing what someone is going through for them to make that decision and seeing how most of us do not even notice how people act could be away of them asking indirectly for help. I look forward to more books by Christopher M. Tantillo.

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#7 We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

I love historical fiction books about World War II. I picked this book up because of a monthly challenge for a book with Luck or Lucky in the title. And finding out that it is also becoming a show on one of the streaming services.

I enjoyed this book based on real people and how they survived one of the darkets moments in world history. This is the story of the Kurcs. You have the mother, father, sisters, brothers, cousins etc. They mostly live in Radom in Polind in 1939. Some of the family live in other areas. One lives in France and comes home for Passover and heads back to France right after the celebrarion.

To loose touch with your family and not know where they are or even if they are still alive, is something we don't think we could survive. This book shows just how resilient people can be when it matters. This family endured beating, starvation, work conditions that were horrendous. One member had a young child and was hiding her while she worked. She finally places her in a catholic convent to hopefully save her.

As the war ended and seeing the family slowly find each other was a heartwarming moment. I am so glad I took the time to read this book.

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#8 Harry Potter & the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling

I am going to see this play in May of 2024 in New York, so I decided I needed to read this book before seeing the performance. I love Harry Potter and reading this book was a different feel. I enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to seeing the performance.

This book is differrent in the fact that it is written as a screen play and not like the other HP books in long chapters. I loved that because it made the book move faster. Meeting some of the characters from the previous books was great, now they are adults, I tried picturing the actual actors from the movies playing these roles. Not sure I can picture them as adults and with families.

So excited to see the play in almost a month!!

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jealous that you are seeing the Harry Potter play!! OMG! : )

#9 One For the Money by Janet Evanovich

I thought I had read this book before but I did not remember it. I love Stephanie Plum. I have read a few of the books that stand-alone.

We are introduced to Stephanie Plum. She needs a job and decided to work for her cousin Vinnie, as a bounty hunter. I love meeting Ranger and Morelli.

Stephanie decides to take on the Morelli case since that has the largest payout. This book was entertaining and the fact that it takes place in nearby New Jersey is nice.

5 stars

I really need to read more from the list of books I stated above.

#10. Trouble at Lone Spur by Roz Denny Fox

I picked this book up because of the TBR Jar Challenge I am doing. Another pleasant surprise read. I have so many books I keep putting off for a different book. This is a cute romance story. I love a good romance.

Trouble at Lone Spur is the story of Lizbeth Robbins and her daughter. Lizbeth is a widower and has been following the rodeo circuit that her husband used to work in. She has a daughter who is now in school and needs some stability. She becomes a farrier at the Lone Spur. She is enjoying the job. Gil Spencer is the owner of Lone Spur and has two young children of his own. He is a divorced man and hates rodeos because his ex wife loves them.

Gil returns from being out doing work for his ranch, to return to learn that he has a woman farrier, and he is not too happy about it. You can feel the tension between Gil and Lizbeth. Gil doesn't want a woman distracting his workers and when he learns that she is from the rodeo, that adds more fuel to his dander of dislike. He fires her and the story just gets better. A nice light read.

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#11. Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen

I picked this book up because of the TBR Jar Challenge I am doing. I really enjoyed this story. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. You have Molly Murphy who leaves her home in Ireland after killing someone in self defense. I loved reading this book due to the Irish accents written. I could hear them speaking as I was reading the story. Molly leaves Ireland under a false identity to America in the late nineteenth century.

As she is on the Ellis Island waiting to be allowed to enter New York a murder occurs and Molly is the prime suspect! Molly has a mouth on her and is determined to prove she is innocent. The way the storyline progresses kept me entertained and interested in the characters and the story. I do plan to read more of this series and to see what ultimately happens to Molly Murphy.

5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#12 Verity by Colleen Hoover

OMG!! I did not know what to expect when I picked up this book. This is my first book by Colleen Hoover and I enjoyed this book a lot. I could not put this book down! I kepts stopping to do something and then came right back to start reading it.

This book was had so many emotions in it. You have Lowen who is a struggling writer, that just lost her mother. Lowen has some issues, she doesn't like publicity, she has so much self doubt and she cannot take compliments. Then you have Jeremy Crawford who is married to a bestselling author Verity Crawford.

The things you supposedly learn about Verity and Jeremy are astounding!! The ending just got me. Part of me just wants to think that what Verity wrote in her autobiography manuscript was true but then I think or was she fibbing or exagerating things. I see now why people told me to read this book first. I will give her other books a try.

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

13. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler

I started reading this book and then decided to download the audio so I had could listen to the book while I did some work. I enjoyed the audio book and following along in the physical book.

This is the story of Willa Drake. She is a woman who has lived a life lead by others. The decisions that others make have affected her starting at the age of 11. Her mother disappears at various times growing up.

She gets married and becomes a young widow. Her kids grow up and move out and she meets another man. She starts to feel her life is mundane and then she makes a split decision to help her son's ex girlfriend who is injured and take care of her daughter. The people she meets while helping this woman shape her life to the possibility of making a change in her life.

4⭐⭐⭐⭐