Wrap-Up of the 2023 Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge

When I joined this challenge a year ago, I joined at the Snoop Level which required me to read ten cozies.  I read 22 books! Participants could either choose any ten cozies to read or pick one cozy from the following categories:  

1)    culinary

2)    animal related

3)    craft related

4)    paranormal

5)    career based

6)    based outside the U. S.

7)    holiday

8)    travel 

9)    historical (I tend to prefer these types of books)

10)  wild card or a book of your choice

Here is what I read:

Death on the Danube by Jennifer Anderson

Vanish in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

Murder in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Murder on the Beach by Dianne Harmon

The Sterling Affair by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

The Orchard by Beverly Lewis

The Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs 

Terror in Topaz by A. M. Stuart

Letters of Trust by Wanda Brunstetter

Letters of Comfort by Wanda Brunstetter

Six Feet Deep Dish by Amanda Quigley

Ashes to Ashes Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

Clerical Errors by D. M. Greenwood

The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams

Fourth of July Forgery by Tonya Kappes

Poison by Charlotte King

The Way of the Wicked by Ellery Adams

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Six Sweets Under by  Sarah Fox

Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs

The Heirloom by Beverly Lewis

Bulletproof Barista by Cleo Coyle

Thanksgiving Treachery by Tonya Kappes

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bakeoff by Darci Hannah

Favorite Book:  Honey Drop Dead

Second Favorite Book:  Terror in Topaz

Least Favorite Book:  Death on the Danube

Wrap-Up of the Graphic Novel and Manga Reading Challenge

This challenge is no longer being offered but the Facebook group for the challenge is still up. I have been saving links to my reviews there. I read 27 books during this year.  

Census by Marc Bernardin

Blood Oath by Rob Hart and Alex Segura

Sunburn by Andi Watson

Night at the Belfry by Xavier Saxon

The Vision by Tom King 

Paris by Andi Watson

New America by Curt Pires

Nikola Tesla by Francesco Barilli

Mary Shelley by Alessandro de Virgilio

The Black Ghost by Alex Segura

Book of Evil by Scott Snyder

Barnstormers by Scott Snyder 

Socrates by Francesco Barilla

The Middle Ages by Eleanor Janega

Vincent Van Gogh by Francesco Barilli

Ephemera by Briana Leowinsohn

The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim 

The Joy of Quitting by Keiler Roberts

The Great British Bump Off by John Allison

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V

Arca by Van Jenson 

Frontera by Julio Anta

Family Style by Thien Pham

Global by Eoin Colfer

Supper Club by Jackie Morrow 

White Faced Lies by Eric Flanagan 

The Golden Voice by Gregory Cahill

Favorite Book:  The Great British Bump Off

Second Favorite Book:  Sunburn

Least Favorite Book:  Ephemera

Wrap Up of the 2023 Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge

Twelve books were required to be read for this challenge. The rules specify that for each month a book take place in that month, it's the author's birth month, or it's publication month. I met the challenge with all twelve books! Here is what I read:

Death on the Danube by Jennifer Anderson

Murder on the Beach by Dianne Harman

Murder in the Park by Jeanne Dams

Good Friday by Lynda LaPlante

Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

Fourth of July Forgery by Tonya Kappas

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke.

The Shallows by Holly Craig

A Polluted Font by Mel Starr

Thanksgiving Treachery by Tonya Kappas

Murder at the Christmas Cook Bakeoff by Darci Hannah

Favorite Book:  The Shallows

Second Favorite Book:  Honey Drop Dead

Least Favorite Book:  Key Lime Pie Murder, Murder in the Park and Death on the Danube all received no stars out of 5 so I have a three way tie for my least favorite book. In addition, Thanksgiving Treachery received 1 star and Murder on the Beach only received 2 stars.  These two books I will also consider as my least favorite book for the challenge.  With 5 books that I disliked I have to think more thoughtfully about books that I choose for this challenge.  I will be participating again next year and want to have more success with my book choices.

Wrap-Up of the 2023 What's in a Name Reading Challenge

Six titles were required to be read for this challenge.  Each book title had to contain a word from one of the following categories: 

• punctuation
• 7 deadly sins
• you or me
• chess piece
• celebration
• q, x, z

I met the challenge with eight books! Here is what I read:

Keeper of the Queen's Jewels by Adrienne Dillard

Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald

Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler

The Godmother's Secret by Elizabeth St. John

Sea of Greed by Clive Cussler

The Importance of Pawns by Keira Morgan

Follow You Home by Mark Edwards

Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin

I have been participating in the challenge for years.  I hope that it will continue in 2024 but I have not heard anything yet.

Wrap-Up of the 2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

There were no set number of books required to be read for the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. I managed to read 7 books but they all were just OK. Reading more nonfiction books is a goal that I have but I need to be more intentional about selecting what I read. As I have been drafting my end of year challenge posts, I see that in several challenges I did not like half of the books I read. This is unusual. In prior years I liked so many books that it was hard to rate them. Regardless, here is what I read in 2023:

The White Ship by Charles Spencer

The Bright Ages by Seb Falk

The Middle Ages by Eleanor Janega

The Rebel King by Tom Bower

Camilla by Angela Levin

Traitor King by Andrew Loundes

Chicago The Great Retirement Resource by Russ Fahrner and Bruce Bohrer

Favorite Book:  The Middle Ages

Second Favorite Book:  Traitor King

Least Favorite Book:  The White Ship

Wrap-Up of the 2023 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge

Twelve books were required for this challenge, one book for each month.  The book titles had to have certain words in them in order to qualify.  I read thirteen books but missed a required book for April.  I had planned on reading Axis Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea but did not finish it.  I just didn't care for the genre.  

Below are the books that I read for the challenge:

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson

Whisper in the Night by D. K. Hood

Vanish in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Five Steps Beyond by Luana Ehrlich

Stolen in the Night by Patricia McDonald

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

Poison by Charlot King

Final Call by Alex Lake

Date Night by Samantha Hayes

DNA Never Lies by Sue George

Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey

The Party on Laurel Street by Ruth Heard

Girl Forgotten by Karin Slaughter

Favorite Book:  A Beautiful Blue Death

Second Favorite Book:  The Missing Girls of Alardyce House

Least Favorite Book:  Vanish in Plain Sight

Wrap-Up of the 2023 Color Coded Reading Challenge

Nine books were required to meet the Color Coded Challenge.  Each book had to have the follow colors in the book title or book cover: blue, red, yellow, green, brown, black, white, any other color and something that implies a color.

I met this challenge by reading and reviewing the following eleven books:

The Blue Bar by Damyanti  Bistros

The White Ship by Charles Spencer

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado

Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra

Black River by Matthew Spencer

The Infidel Stain by M. J. Carter

Blood Oranges by Jim Cannon

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

Terror in Topaz by A. M. Stuart

The Yellow Rambutan Tree Mystery by Ovida Yu

Favorite Book:  Blood Oranges 

Second Favorite Book:  It's a tie! Red Queen and Murder Under a Red Moon.

Least Favorite Book:  Key Lime Pie Murder

2024 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

The Finishing the Series Reading Challenge is back for another year. This challenge is focused on finally finishing those series that you’ve started but not yet completed. It was previously hosted by Bea’s Book Nook, but the Celebrity Readers Blog been hosting it since 2018. This challenge is an easy one for me because I read quite a few series. As my favorite authors write and publish their annual novels, I link them to this challenge. There are some situations where I read several installments of a series in one year. Each of those books is also linked to the challenge.  I am signing up the challenge as an A Lister. This requires that I read 9 or more series in 2024.

The Challenge Rules 

1)   The challenge will run from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. Books must be read during this time frame to count. Sign up is open from now until December 1, 2024, so you may join even just for the last month of the year.

2)   Series can be already completed as well as still ongoing. For ongoing series, the goal is to catch up to the most recent book published by the end of 2024.

3)   It is OK if you have only 1 book or 10 books to read in order to finish your series, as long as you’ve started the series before 2024 (ie read at least one book in the series), it counts. Re-reads are not required.

4)   Any format and length of book counts – print, ebook, audio, ARC, etc.

5)   Series can be any length (even if it’s just a duology).

6)   Crossovers from other challenges are OK.

7)   Reviews are not required, but highly encouraged.

8)   To participate, declare your intentions somewhere on the internet!! You do not need to be a blogger to participate, there are many ways to declare. You could write a blog post, create a reading challenge page, create a Goodreads shelf containing series you hope to finish, post about it on Facebook, X, Mastodon, Instagram, etc. Some things you could include (but that aren’t required): A link to the challenge post so that others may find us and join the fun as well (feel free to download the button at the top to use in your posts).

9)   Make a list of series you hope to read for this challenge. 

10)   Select the challenge level you are aiming for.

11)   Sign up at the challenge post, and link directly to where you’ve declared your intentions (ie to the specific blog post, the goodreads shelf, the facebook post, etc).

12)   Only one link up will be posted for the whole year. This is where you can add links to your reviews or any wrap-up/overview posts you wish to share.

13)   Use the hashtag #FinishingTheSeries2024 on any social media to keep up with other participants!

14)    There are 3 different “Celebrity” levels of achievement for this reading challenge:

C-LIST SERIES FINISHER:  Complete 1-4 Series

B-LIST SERIES FINISHER: Complete 5-8 Series

A-LIST SERIES FINISHER:  Complete 9+ Series

Some of the series that I read are:

• Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery Series
• Laura Childs' Indigo Teashop Series
• Charles Finch's Charles Lenox Mystery Series
• Gary McAvoy's Vatican Secret Archives series
• Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series 
• S. D. Sykes's Oswald de Lacy Somershill Manor
• Ellen Crosby's Wine Country series
• Nathan Dylan Goodwin's Forensic Genealogist Morton Farrier series
• Heather Atkinson's Alardyce House series 

A few series I have enjoyed over the years are no longer being written and I am sad about this.

• Alka Joshi's Jaipur trilogy
• Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series
• A. M. Stuart's Harriet Gordon Mysteries
• C. J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series 

2024 Library Love Reading Challenge

It's time to sign up for the eighth annual Library Love Reading Challenge hosted by Angel’s Book Nook & Books of My Heart.  I am not sure how I feel about participating in the challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Before the pandemic, books that I took out from my library had an odor on them.  It was probably incense or perfume but I cannot get the smell out of my mind and it is grossing me out. However, I retired during the past year and cannot expect to spend the same amount of money on books for my Kindle. I don't know whether I will participate if I sign up.  It all depends on my gag reflex.

The Challenge Rules

1)    The challenge runs January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024. You can join anytime.

2)    The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.

3)    Any book format will work for this challenge (prints, ebooks, or audios) as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.

4)    Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).

5)    Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads. The goal is to support your local library and save money.

6)    You do not have to be a book blogger to participate. You can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.

7)    If you’re a blogger grab the challenge button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook, Tweet, or Instagram about the challenge. Please link back to both hosts: Angel’s Book Nook & Books of My Heart

8)    Reviews are optional. Write a review to enter the giveaway – 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like; “The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me.” “I enjoyed the story and really liked the characters.”

9)   Please use #LibraryLoveChallenge when sharing your reviews, library pictures, etc…

There are several levels for the challenge. 

Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books

Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books

Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books

Library Addict: Read 48 books

Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books

 

I will try to complete the Dewey Decimal level but am not going to brow beat myself if that gag reflex acts up.  It is what it is.

End of Year Book Memes

I found both of these memes on Librarything. They both were posted approximately 8 years ago but I just found them last week during a search.  Just fill in the answers with books you've read this year.  Here are my answers:

Meme #1

Describe yourself:  The Middle Ages by Eleanor Janega

Describe how you feel:  Cor Rotto by Adrienne Dillard

Describe where you currently live:  The House of Pines by Ana Reyes

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:  Russka by Edward Rutherfurd

Your favorite form of transportation:  The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse

Your best friend is:  Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey

You and your friends are:  Night Angels by Weina Day Randel

What’s the weather like:  Red Winter by Tom Clancy

You fear:  Date Night by Samantha Hayes

What is the best advice you have to give:  Vanish is Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Thought for the day:  Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childssds

How I would like to die:  Six Feet Deep Dish by Amanda Quigley

My soul’s present condition:  Weyward by Emilia Hart

Meme #2

Shortest book title?  Poison by Charlotte King

How many re-reads?  1: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

Most books read by one author this year?  I read 5 books by Gary McAvoy:  The Avignon Affair, The Magdalene Deception, The Magdalene Veil, The Magdalene Reliquary, and The Jerusalem Scrolls

Any in translation?  1: Juan Gomez Jurado's Red Queen

How many books were borrowed from the library?  19

Name a book you’ve read this year which was recommended by a blogger?  Ashes to Ashes Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

The Triumph of the Lions

I received an advanced review copy of Stefania Auci's newest novel from Net Galley.  The book will be published in English on March 12, 2024 and is the basis for the upcoming Disney produced series on Hulu The Lions of Sicily. The story is about the Florio family who are the lions. They have amassed a fortune that includes palaces, factories, ships, silks, and jewels. The city of Sicily admires them, honors them and, above all, fears them.

The publisher's summary:

Ignazio was destined to rule Casa Florio since birth, a fearless drive that pulses through his veins, pushing him to look beyond Sicily towards Rome, Europe and its courts, the naval domination of the Mediterranean, and eventually the purchase of the entire Archipelago of the Egadi to build his dazzling empire. But his heart is black as ice. To seize Casa Florio, he abandoned the love of his life—an act of treachery which still casts a dark shadow.

Barely twenty, his son Ignazziddu stands to inherit all that his father has built. Yet he is nothing like Ignazio. A nervous young man, he does not want to be shackled to his infamous name, to sacrifice himself for the family. Despite his fears, he embraces Ignazio’s legacy, and must face a world that changes too quickly, agitated by new, violent, and uncontrollable forces. Ignazziddu eventually realizes that it’s not enough to have Florio blood to become the imposing force his grandfather and father were. What is it they had that he lacks?

Beside father and son are two extraordinary women: Giovanna, Ignazio’s wife, hard and fragile as crystal, full of passion but hungry for love, and Franca, the wife of Ignazziddu, the most beautiful woman in Europe, whose golden existence is threatened by the blows of a cruel fate. It is these women who unforgettably animate The Triumph of the Lions.

The book has a slow pace probably because of the simple plot as well as the plethora of Italian words that I was not familiar with. I quickly got tired of looking up words in the dictionary. Since the story has just been translated into English, I have to wonder if there is an issue with the translation or with the plot. However, the translator should not have left so many of the words in Italian. A few of these words were explained in the next sentence but most were not. When the story moved to Ignazio seeing his French lover once again, we had to decipher the French sayings.

We have all heard the admonition to writers to "show not tell."  In Lions there is alot of "tell," especially in the first half of the story.  The characters were one dimensional until the final third of the story where we see Ignazziddu take over the family business. The reader sees Ignazziddu is not up to the challenge of running the family business from his actions.  We see him spending too much money and that he is a womanizer. Having never been interested in the business while his father was alive, Ignazziddu learned nothing over the years that would have prepared him for running the company. In the end, we see the business faltering. The story ends with the birth of his first child. A girl. I am presuming that this means the end of the family. I don't know because the novel ended abruptly with her birth. 

I am not sure how to rate the book. I was bored throughout most of it but the ending was good. There were serious problems with either the writing or the translation or both. I will give it a 2 star rating.

My Life in Books Meme

Shellyrae at the Book'd Out blog came up with this cool meme last year.  To participate all you have to do is complete the prompts using titles from the books you have read in 2023.

2023 was the year of: White Faced Lies (Eric Flanagan)

In 2023 I wanted to be: The Armor of Light (Ken Follett)

In 2023 I was: The Papal Assassin ( S.J. Martin)

In 2023 I gained: The Orchid House (Nancy Bilyeau)

In 2023 I lost: The Magdalene Veil (Gary McAvoy)

In 2023 I loved: The Party on Laurel Street (Ruth Heald)

In 2023 I hated: The Perfumist of Paris (Alka Joshi)

In 2023 I learned: His Fatal Legacy (Heather Atkinson)

In 2023 I was surprised by: The Importance of Pawns (Keira Morgan)

In 2023 I went to:  The Last Kingdom (Steve Berry)

In 2023 I missed out on: A Marriage of Fortune (Anne O'Brien)

In 2023 my family were:  Five Steps Beyond (Luana Ehrlich)

In 2024 

I hope (for a): The House in the Pines (Ana Reyes)

The Red Citadel

I received an advanced review copy of The Red Citadel through the Early Reviewer's Program at Librarything.  It is the third book in Michael Lynes Isaac Alvarez Mystery series and it was published earlier this month.  The Red Citadel is a historical thriller set in the court of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain.  It takes place in Granada, Spain in 1499.

The publisher's summary:

Issac is desperate to return from exile to his family in Seville. Haunted by accusations of heresy he is still recovering from the death of his wife. Granada is riven by religious tension: the Catholics want the Muslims to convert. Isaac falls in love with Aisha, the wife of the rebel Muslim leader and his friend, Abdul Rahman. If he finds out Isaac will be a dead man. The king offers Isaac a chance to return to Seville, in return for gathering intelligence on the rebels. Where do Isaac’s loyalties lie? Then an old enemy accuses Isaac of murdering the Grand Inquisitor. Can Isaac’s daughter, Isabel, save him?  Issac must prove he is innocent of murder, satisfy the king, and reconcile his feelings for Aisha. Can he quell a rebellion and reunite his family?

I had some difficulty getting interested in the story because of the many historical terms used by the author in the initial chapters. There are a lot of them. However, since I have studied this era in Spain and am well acquainted with its history, I was surprised by this. There is an assumption that the reader knows this history and can figure out what is going on. In addition, there were a lot of characters introduced early in the story and that also slowed me down. I continued reading and it all soon gelled in my mind.

As I mentioned above, the book is advertised as a historical thriller perfect for fans of CJ Sansom and SJ Parris.  I agree that Sansom and Parris fans will like the book. However, it is not a thriller.  As mentioned above, the book is the third book in a trilogy and I have not read the first two books. I am sure that this is affecting my experience reading the novel. The author said in an online interview that he believes he did a good enough job of weaving the back story into this novel so that it can be read as a standalone.  Since I have not read the earlier books I cannot make any comments about these statements.

If you have not read any historical fiction about the Spanish Inquisition, I recommend that you read the trilogy but in order. There is much to learn about how Jews and Muslims were treated by the Spanish monarchs during this era. Some of the Jews had converted to Christianity but many of them secretly continued worshipping as Jews. Some of the Muslims also converted but those that did not had to agree to be subject to their Christian rulers.  It's a heartbreaking fact of history.  I am planning to read the earlier two books in the series and re-read The Red Citadel sometime next year.  I feel that the author is giving us a good history lesson in his writing.

I am excited that he plans on returning to Granada next Spring to research his next book.  It is going to be a young adult novel set in the same time period.  The story will focus on Isaac's ten-year-old ward Juana.  Juana's father was executed by the Inquisition and her mother died in "mysterious circumstances." The Alhambra, which is the red citadel in the title, will be the setting of this new novel also.  I love this setting and have been pining to travel to Spain to see it in person.  

The book was a slow read so I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.