Monday, January 1, 2024

Happy New Year!

 

I read 137 books last year and now that I am retired, I wonder what my reading stats will be in 2024.  I plan on traveling a lot this year so I might be reading less. We shall see. I am wishing everyone seasons readings in the new year. Happy New Year!

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Sunday, December 31, 2023

2024 What’s In A Name Challenge


I am excited that the What’s in a Name Reading Challenge is on again for 2024. In years past, this challenge was hosted by Charlie at The Worm Hole. Andrea at the Carolina Book Nook blog took over in 2019 and will host the challenge again.

Challenge Rules:

1)     The challenge runs from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. You can sign up any time, but only count books that you read between those dates.

2)     Read a book in any format (hard copy, ebook, audio) with a title that fits into each category.

3)     Don’t use the same book for more than one category.

4)     Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!

5)     You can choose your books as you go or make a list ahead of time.

6)     Sign up using the Mr Linky on the challenge post.

7)     In 2024, choose 6 books that have titles that contain:

Double letters
An NFL team
A natural disaster
A virtue
A shape
Footwear

This challenge has been going on 17 years already! It's exciting to participate again.
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Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Top Ten Books of 2023

I read 137 books in 2023!  It is always hard to determine what my best ten books are for any year.  This year is a little different in that I knew off the top of my head what the top ten seven books were going to be and in what order.  Please note, I am choosing books from among different genres for this list.  The list includes mysteries, historical fiction and graphic novels. Among the genres, I read 51 mysteries, 46 historical fiction/historical mysteries, 27 graphic novels, and 7 nonfiction books. There were 6 additional books where I did not classify a genre.  They were Amish fiction novels. In addition, 64 of the books that I read were new releases and 33 were written by new (to me) authors.  Below are my top ten:

10.  White Faced Lies by Eric Flanagan (graphic novel)

9.  Sunburn by Andi Watson (graphic novel)

8.  Night at the Belfry by Xavier Saxon (graphic novel)

7.  The Shallows by Holly Craig (mystery)

6.  Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado (mystery)

5.  The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loetsch (historical fiction)

4.  Banyan Moon by Thao Thai (historical fiction)

3.  Blood Oranges by J. M. Cannon (mystery)

2.  Weyward by Emilia Hart (historical mystery)

and my best book of the year is: 

1.  The Armor of Light by Ken Follett (historical fiction)
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Monday, December 25, 2023

Top Ten Historical Fiction Novels of 2023

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Between them and mysteries I read at least 100 books every year. Note that my top ten books were not necessarily published in 2023 but come from any of the books that I read this year.  The top five books, though, were published in 2023. Below is my list.  Drum roll please.


10)   Keeper of the Queen's Jewels by Adrienne Dillard

9)    The Godmother's Secret by Elizabeth St. John

8)    Cor Rotto by Adrienne Dillard

7)    Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra

6)    The Importance of Pawns by Keira Morgan

5)    The Porcelain Moon by Janie Chang

4)    Terror in Topaz by A. M. Stuart

3)    Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

2)    Weyward by Emilia Hart

1)    The Armor of Light by Ken Follett

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Sunday, December 24, 2023

Top Ten Mystery Books of 2023

I have been reading mysteries ever since I learned to read.  They are my favorite genre and this year I read 61 of them. Note that my top ten books were not necessarily published in 2023 but come from any of the books that I read this year.  Eight of the books, though, were published in 2023. Here is my list:


9)    Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler

8)    Hide by Tracy Clark

7)    The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas

6)    Date Night by Samantha Hayes

5)    Final Call by Alex Lake

4)    Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs

3)    Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado

2)    The Shallows by Holly Craig

1)    Blood Oranges by J. M. Cannon
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Saturday, December 23, 2023

Top Ten New Authors of 2023

This past year I read books from 35 new (to me) authors. From these 35 authors, 17 wrote and published their debut novels in 2023. My best new author list contains 5 of these debut authors. Check out my list below:

10    Lyn Liao Butler - Someone Else's Life

9)    Damyanti Biswas - The Blue Bar

8)    Tracy Clark - Hide

7)    Thao Thai - Banyan Moon

6)    Erin Jameson - Sky of Ashes Land of Dreams

5)    Kristin Loetsch - The Last Russian Doll

4)    Heather Atkinson - Evil at Alardyce House

3)    Holly Craig - The Shallows

2)    Emilia Hart - Weyward

1)    J. M. Cannon - Blood Oranges
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Friday, December 22, 2023

Top Ten Book Covers of 2023

Below are my favorite book covers of the year. I have posted them in order beginning with the best, ie, Weyward is my favorite book cover of the year.








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Thursday, December 21, 2023

Top Ten Books I Want in 2024


Each of these books is part of a series. Some are from a new (to me) series while others are series that I have been reading for years.










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Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Wrap-up of the 2023 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge


2023 is the first year that I have participated in the Alphabet Soup Challenge. I only managed to read 24 of the 26 required books, even though the 2 unread books are saved in my kindle app. There is no more time for reading this year. Of course, the two letters I missed are hard ones:  Q and X. I will be reading Jess Lourey's The Quarry Girls and Jeffrey Deaver's XOXO sometime next year. Below, in alphabetical order, are links to the reviews that I posted on my blog.

A Marriage of Fortune by Anne O' Brien
The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas
Cor Rotto by Adrienne Dillard
Death on the Danube by Jennifer Anderson
Ephemera by Briana Loewensohn
Follow You Home by Mark Edwards
The Godmother's Secret by Elizabeth St. John
The Infidel Stain by M. J. Carter
Keeper of the Queen's Jewels by Adrienne Dillard
Letters of Trust by Wanda Brunstetter
Night Shift by Robin Cook
The Orchid Hour by Nancy Bailey
The Papal Assassin by S. J. Martin
Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado
The Sterling Affair by Nathan Dylan Goodwin
The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
Vanish in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
The White Ship by Charles Spencer
Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald

Favorite Book:  Red Queen

Second Favorite Book:  The Orchid Hour

Least Favorite Book:  Ephemera
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Monday, December 18, 2023

Wrap-Up of the 2023 New Release Reading Challenge


Early in January I signed up to rejoin The New Release Challenge. It is an easy challenge for me as most of my book selections every year are new releases.  I increased by personal challenge by selecting the New Release Pro level of participation which required me to read between 31 and 60 newly published books.  I had no problem meeting this challenge.  I read 66 books!  Here is what I read:

House Aretoli by K. M. Butler
The Heirloom by Beverly Lewis
The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas
Dead Fall by Brad Thor
Tides of Fire by James Rollins
Hide by Tracy Clark
The Orchid Hour by Nancy Bilyeau
Night Angels by Weina Day Randel
Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler
The Red Citadel by Michael Lynes
New America by Curt Piers
Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream by Alessandro di Vigilio
The Last Kingdom by Steve Berry
The Porcelain Moon by Janie Chang
The Flame Tree by Siobhan Daiko
Five Steps Beyond by Luana Ehrlich
Terror in Topaz by A. M. Stuart
The Shallows by Holly Craig
The Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs
The Rail Splitter by John Crabb
Letters of Trust by Wanda Brunstetter
Letters of Comfort by Wanda Brunstetter
The Paris Notebook by Tessa Harris
The Cursed Heir by Heather Atkinson
His Fatal Legacy by Heather Atkinson
Evil at Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson
An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo
The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse
The Jerusalem Scrolls by Gary McAvoy
Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado
Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra
Weyward by Emilia Hart
The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loetsch
A Marriage of Fortune by Anne O'Brien
Where Waters Meet by Zhang Ling
The Triumph of Lions by Stefania Auci
Fourth of July Forgery by Tanya Kappes
Black River by Matthew Spencer
Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
Rebel King by Tom Bower
The Armor of Light by Ken Follett
A Polluted Font by Mel Starr
The Spectacular by Fiona Davis
Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox
The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble
Blood Oranges by J. M. Cannon
Ephemera by Briana Loewinsohn
Sisters by the Sea by Wanda Brunstetter
Final Call by Alex Lake
Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs
Arca by Van Jensen
Frontera by Julio Anta
Family Style by Thien Pham
The Collector by Dan Silva
Banyan Moon by Thao Thai


Favorite Book:  Weyward

Second Favorite Book:  The Paris Notebook

Least Favorite Book:  Black River
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Sunday, December 17, 2023

Wrap-Up of the 2023 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

One year ago when I signed up for this challenge I agreed to read between 26 and 35 books.  The was the Inspector Level of participation.  I more than met the challenge by reading 61 books!  A few of these were historical mysteries and were also counted for that genre. Below are links to my book reviews:

Date Night by Samantha Hayes
Dead Fall by Brad Thor
The Way of the Wicked by Ellery Adams
Good Friday by Lynda Laplante
The Papal Assassin by S. J. Martin
Night Shift by Robin Cook
The Blue Bar by Dominate Biswas
Murder in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
Vanish in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
Terror in Topaz by A. M. Stuart
Murder in the Park by Jeanne Dams
Murder on the Beach by Dianne Harman
Death on the Danube by Jennifer Anderson
Girl Forgotten by Karin Slaughter
The Sterling Affair by Nathan Dylan Goodwin
The Avignon Affair by Gary McAvoy
Hide by Tracy Clark
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler
Five Steps Beyond by Luana Ehrlich
The Last Kingdom by Steve Berry
Sea of Greed by Clive Cussler
Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs
Tides of Fire by James Rollins
The Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs
Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
The Shallows by Holly Craig
The Magdalene Veil by Gary McAvoy
Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley
Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado
Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra
His Fatal Legacy by Heather Atkinson
Evil at Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson
Stolen in the Night by Patricia McDonald
The Cursed Heir by Heather Atkinson
Follow You Home by Mark Edwards
Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox
Blood Oranges by J. M. Cannon
Fourth of July Forgery by Tonya Kappes
Final Call by Alex Lake
Poison by Charlot King
The Infadel Stain by M. J. Carter
Black River by Matthew Spencer
A Polluted Font by Mel Starr
The Spectacular by Fiona Davis
The Collector by Dan Silva
An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo
Thanksgiving Treachery by Tanya Kappes
DNA Never Lies by Sue George
The Strangler Vine by M. J. Carter

Favorite Book:  Weyward

Second Favorite Book:  Blood Oranges

Least Favorite Book:  Key Lime Pie Murder

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Saturday, December 16, 2023

Wrap-Up of the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Last year I signed up for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge at the Ancient History Level. The level required me to read 25 books. I did much better than my goal by reading 46! Below are the links to my book selections:

The Magdalene Veil - Gary McAvoy
The Avignon Affair - Gary McAvoy
Cor Rotto - Adrienne Dillard
The Godmother's Secret -  Elizabeth St. John
The Papal Assassin - S. J. Martin
Zemindar - Valerie Fitzgerald
Night Angels - Weina Day Randel
The Red Citadel - Michael Lynes
The Porcelain Moon - Janie Chang
The Flame Tree - Siobhan Daiko
The Rail Splitter - John Cribb
A Marriage of Fortune - Anne O'Brien
The Paris Notebook - Tessa Harris
The Cursed Heir - Heather Atkinson
Weyward - Emilia Hart
Murder Under a Red Moon - Harini Nagendra
The Last Russian Doll - Kristen Loesch
Where Waters Meet - Zhang Ling
His Fatal Legacy - Heather Atkinson
The Strangler Vine - M. J. Carter
The Infidel Stain - M. J. Carter
Evil at Alardyce House - Heather Atkinson
A Polluted Font - Mel Starr
The Tiffany Girls - Shelley Noble
The Spectacular - Fiona Davis
Banyan Moon - Thao Thai
The Ghost Ship - Kate Mosse
House Aretoli - K. M. Butler
Russka - Edward Rutherfurd
The Orchid Hour - Nancy Bilyeau
Mistress of Bhatia House - Sujata Massey
Terror in Topaz - A. M. Stuart
The Armor of Light - Ken Follett

Favorite Book:  The Armor of Light

Second Favorite Book:  Weyward

Honorable Mentions:  The Perfumist of Paris, Banyan Moon, Terror in Topaz  and The Last Russian Doll

Favorite Series:  Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson

Least Favorite Book:  The Infidel Stain
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Friday, December 15, 2023

Sky of Ashes Land of Dreams

I received an advanced review copy of this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer's Club in exchange for an honest review. This enthralling story is about three young adults who are living on the cusp of great change in early 20th-century Mongolia. It is a beautiful saga about having dreams, finding love, and learning to survive in a harsh, ever-changing place.


The publisher's summary:

Bolormaa is introduced to the man she is to marry on her eighteenth birthday, over mutton stew and steaming buuz. She has spent her entire life in the Gobi Desert, living a nomadic life with her family, always moving with their animals in search of grazing lands. Reading about other places in a tent school, she dreamed of another sort of life. But now, her education is finished, and her future seems to be laid out before her like the colorful rugs in the family’s ger.

Ganbaatar grew up under the vast, blue-gray, Mongolian sky, the protective arm of his mother, and the withering gaze of his father. He has been a good son and a steady hand, working on the land with the herds, often feeling that he was meant for something different—if only he had the courage to reach for it.

When Aisin’s parents die, she leaves her siblings and everything she knows in China to live with her uncle in Mongolia. She’s unprepared for the level of prejudice she’ll face because of her heritage, but her bravery and stubbornness form a shield she readily dons. An accomplished horse rider and rare beauty, she works alongside her uncle and forges a path as a single woman during challenging times.

Under the mutable sky of the Gobi Desert, these characters find the resilience to face the harsh, brutal winters, the challenges of drought and scarcity, and the political upheaval that will threaten the nomadic lifestyle their people have practiced for generations. A sweeping novel of historical fiction, Sky of Ashes, Land of Dreams is the story of unforgettable characters surviving extraordinary times, a journey of self-discovery and self-determination, and a powerful exploration of love in its many forms.

I loved this story! It is a captivating portrait of people and their ways of life in an isolated, rarely-examined setting, the Gobi Desert. The story begins in the Gobi Desert in 1917 and it ends in 1960. The main characters are husband and wife Bolormaa and Ganbaatar. The novel follows their childhood activities, marriage ceremonies, meal preparations, nursing the dying, unpacking homes, gers or yurts as I would call them, to be reassembled where the grazing is better. A third main character is Aisin. She was born in China but when both of her parents died, she was sent to live with an uncle in the Gobi. Because she is Chinese, Aisin is ostracized by the Mongolians. Ganbaatar falls in love with her the first time he sees her. He marvels at her beauty. Ganbaatar marries Bolormaa instead because his father insisted on the marriage. There is a question throughout the story whether they were having an affair. Both were in love with each other but they may have restrained their feelings. We don't really know.

The story encompasses two world wars and the political upheavals in both China and Russia. These events are seen in the distance, because they are secondary to getting through another day alive. Eventually, though, the Soviet political forces affect the livelihood of the characters when the communist redistribution of land and animal ownership is forced upon them.

The book is a quick read. The ending seemed to be rushed though. Many loose ends are tied up but I wish that the author had taken her time writing this part of the story. The book is about 270 pages in length so devoting more detail to the ending would not have been too much reading for the reader.

I highly recommend this book, especially to historical fiction fans. 4 out of 5 stars.
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