When I signed up for this challenge a year ago I was not certain whether I would be taking many books out of the library. I was still skittish about the pandemic and was afraid of catching something either at the library or from the books. The Chicago Public Library is my local library and way before the pandemic began the books that I withdrew smelled. My tally for the year is 12 books.
My Reads:
Oath and Honor - Elizabeth Cheney
And There Was Light - Jon Meacham
Happiness Falls - Angie Kim
Peach Tea Smash - Laura Childs
Shadow of Doubt - Brad Thor
A Death in Cornwall - Daniel Silva
The Secret War of Julia Child - Diana Chambers
Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich
Seven Up - Janet Evanovich
Pink Lemonade Murder - Joanne Fluke
Key Lime Pie Murder - Joanne Fluke
Cinnamon Roll Murder - Joanne Fluke
Favorite Book: Happiness Falls
Second Favorite Book: Peach Tea Smash
Least Favorite Book: Hard Eight
I LOVE this challenge! Over the years I have found new authors that have become favorites. Last year wasn't great but most of the time this challenge is a huge success. See the links below for my 2024 reads.
Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble
The Amish Wife by Gregg Olsen
Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs
An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly
A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear
Knee High on the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey
The Sins of Our Fathers by Jody Vorra
Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor
Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs
Capture or Kill by Vince Flynn
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Pike Island by Tony Wirt
Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly
Favorite Book: The Silent Patient
Second Favorite Book: Her Every Fear
Least Favorite Book: Capture or Kill
A History of Modern Manga by Insight Editions
And There Was Light by Jon Meacham
A History of Japan in Manga by Shunichiro Kanaya
The Real Watergate Scandal by Geoff Shepard
Okinawa by Susumu
Ogi: A History of the Japanese Fan by Julia Hutt
My favorite book is A History of Modern Manga. It has more information about manga than a reader can possibly digest in any one or two or three sittings. It's a book that one will always have to refer to from time to time and it also is a great coffee table book. My least favorite book was Okinawa. This graphic novel was written for the Japanese people about the Battle of Okinawa in WWII and I took offense at the anti-American feel of the book. I probably should not have read it. Had I used my brain I would have realized the author’s perspective beforehand.
After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. Praying that her niece and nephew will be more hospitable than her brother had been, she arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business while staying in a quaint country village.Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled that her famous aunt is coming to stay—the village has been interminably dull with all the men off fighting. But just as Cressida arrives, so does Violet’s conscription letter. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; how will she ever find a suitably aristocratic husband if she has to spend her days wearing a frumpy uniform and doing war work?Meanwhile, the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is trying in vain to repair her mother’s gown, her only chance of a white wedding. When Cressida Westcott appears at the local Sewing Circle meeting, Grace asks for her help—but Cressida has much more to teach the ladies than just simple sewing skills.Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanizes the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might even manage to find it for themselves.
I loved this novel! It is a heartwarming WWII story about how the women left behind coped with shortages and rationing. The focus of the story is the challenging shortages of clothes during the war. The story had an alternating point of view. There are chapters told from Grace, Cresdida and Violet’s perspective. Each woman grew exponentially during the war with Cressida’s encouragement that they find their own path. At that time in the world women did what they were told by their fathers. Their happiness wasn't considered in choosing a husband.
Grace, Violet and Cressida each had romantic interests. While it may have been predictable who they ultimately ended up with, I wondered about the thought process each character would have to go through in order to ascertain what they really wanted in life. As a seamstress myself, I love that as they grew in sewing skills they grew in confidence to make changes in their lives. Actually making those changes was difficult. Their predicament was whether to choose a different path than the men in their life dictated. It was exciting to read how Grace, Violet and Cressida grew in confidence to demand the life of their choosing.
5 out of 5 stars.
Once again the Book'd Out Blog is hosting the Non-fiction Reader Reading Challenge in 2025. The aim of the Nonfiction Reader Challenge is to encourage you to make nonfiction part of your reading experience during the year. I am joining at the Nonfiction Nosher level of participation which requires me to read 12 nonfiction books. I don't read much nonfiction but I believe that I can meet this challenge next year.
You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books; OR select, read and review any nonfiction book. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.
Choose a goal:
Nonfiction Nipper: Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories
Nonfiction Nibbler: Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories
Nonfiction Nosher: Read & review 12 books, one for each category
Nonfiction Grazer: Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your own goal, or none at all, just share the nonfiction you read through the year.
Categories:
* You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advance. You may combine this challenge with others if you wish. Use your best good faith judgement as to whether a book fits the category or not.
* Where a book is identified by more than one category, it may only count for one, not both.
* You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just aim to complete the challenge by December 31st 2025
Create a blog post committing to your participation in this challenge. * If you don’t have a blog you are still welcome to sign up. You can create a shelf for the challenge at Goodreads, LibraryThing or Storygraph, or post via Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky etc. Just add your name and a link to your shelf/account in the sign-up.
The challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 2025. Participants may join at any time up until December 1st 2025.
*if you would like an email to remind you to add your posts to the Linky please ensure you include a valid email address when you sign up.
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Use the hashtag #ReadNonFicChal on social media. You can tag the host on Twitter: @bookdout or Bluesky @shelleyrae.bsky.social or Instagram/Threads: @shelleyrae _bookdout or any of my other social media linked in my sidebar
Share your review with other challenge participants by including your name or blog name and the category with a direct link to your review in the Linky below.
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Not sure how the Linky works? Click here for what I hope is a helpful pictorial guide (PDF)
RIGHT CLICK OR LONG PRESS AND SAVE THE BADGE TO YOUR DEVICE
Jane Parker never dreamed her marriage into the Boleyn family would raise her star to such dizzying heights. Before long, she finds herself as trusted servant and confidante to her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn—King Henry VIII’s second queen. On a gorgeous spring day, that golden era is cut short by the swing of a sword. Jane is unmoored by the tragic death of her husband, George, and the loss sets her on a reckless path leading to her own imprisonment in the Tower of London. Surrounded by the remnants of her former life, Jane must come to terms with her actions. In the Tower, she will face up to who she really is and how everything went so wrong.
I, Bonnie Miller, am no troublemaker. I’m just an anxious girl trying to keep my emotional support pup in a no-pets apartment building. But my downstairs neighbor is determined to be my personal Grinch and get us both evicted.Just when I think things can’t get any worse, Elliot Eaton offers me a deal I can’t refuse. Suddenly I’m playing girlfriend and giving mistletoe kisses to my sworn enemy, all to keep my home.Who knew that breaking one little rule would lead to a fan-mistletoe-tastic holiday?12 Days of Mistletoe is a closed door, laugh out loud, warm your wintery heart romcom. If you need a book with all the feels, some mistletoe kisses, and lots of holiday spirit, look no further!
I don't usually like romance novels but this one was super cute. It has all the ingredients of my beloved cozies with a meddling grandmother and one of the main characters, Bonnie, uses a service animal; A nice touch in my mind. The story is told in an alternating format, from Bonnie and Elliott's perspectives. The pace is fast and every chapter provides embarrassment for both of them.
A little more detail concerning plot is in order. Elliott is planning on buying this apartment building from his grandmother and managing it by himself. Bonnie has lived in her apartment for three years and has broken the rule prohibiting dogs. Elliott wants to evict her but his grandmother won't hear of it. She likes Bonnie. Grandma thinks the two of them would make a great couple and gives Elliott an ultimatum: be at her house every day for 12 days with Bonnie or she will not sell him the building. Elliott offers Bonnie a deal: pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks and he will pay her rent in the next month. She takes him up on the offer.
Of course, they are attracted to each other but do their best to resist temptation. Their initial meeting was awful and each had built up a hatred for the other. Well, it wouldn't be a romcom if they did not become an item. And they lived happily ever after.
5 out of 5 stars.
Inspired by the life of Easton’s grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family.1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.
Experience the riveting, powerful story of the Native American civil rights movement and the resulting struggle for identity told through the high-flying career of West Coast rock 'n' roll pioneers Redbone.You've heard the hit song "Come and Get Your Love" in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but the story of the band behind it is one of cultural, political, and social importance.Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was "Jimi," and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.
