Wrap-Up of the 2024 New Release Reading Challenge

This challenge is the easiest for me to complete. For the past several years most of the books that I have read were new releases. In 2024 I read 54 new releases and 29 new, to me, authors. Many of the books could have been my favorite for the year. They were expertly written. It was difficult in choosing just one as the favorite, especially because they come from different genres. I read a lot of mysteries, cozies, historical fiction and graphic novels. Links to the books that I read and reviewed are below.

The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D'Silva

Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

The Amish Quiltmaker's Unlikly Match by Jennifer Strickland

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang

Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs

You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

The Psychology of Secrets by Andrew Gold

Meghan and Harry: Persecutors of Victims by Lady Colin Campbell

The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel

Under Water by Rachel Callaghan

A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra

The Girl in the Dark by J. M. Cannon

The Champaign Letters by Kate McIntosh

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 

The Protector by Wanda Brunstetter

Bellevue by Robin Cook

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert

Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Sabari

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson 

Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr

A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva

The Sins of Our Fathers by Jody Vorra

Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor

Capture or Kill by Vince Flynn 

The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana Chambers

The Sound of a Thousand Stars by Rachel Robbins

By Evening's Light by Leslie Gould

My Husband's Affair by Ruth Heald

Art Club by Rashad Doucet

An Age of Winters by Gemma Liviero

Pike Island by Tony Wirt

Agony in Amethyst by A. M. Stuart

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

The Butcher Game by Alaina Urquhart

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

She's Running on Fumes by Dennis Hopeless 

Tender by Beth Hetland

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

Tienamen Square by Lai Wen

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble 

The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini 

Seoul Before Sunrise by Samir Dahmani 

Oath and Honor by Elizabeth Cheney 

South of Sepharad by Eric Weintraub 

Letters of Wisdom by Wanda Brunstetter 

Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker 

Neptune by Michael Conrad 

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly 

The Baku Inheritance by Anne M Kennedy 

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton 

12 Days of Mistletoe by Jen Atkinson 

Favorite Book:  Tender

Second Favorite Book: Under Water

Least Favorite Book:  Songs for the Brokenhearted 

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge

The Graphic Novel/ Manga Challenge is another favorite challenge of mine. When I signed up I could not pick a level of participation, wavering between reading 24 or 52 books.  In the end I read 28 novels. Many of them could be my favorite for the year, maybe even 10. The depth of writing was sky-high.  

The challenge host opened a Facebook group several years ago so that participants can post links to reviews. There isn't an annual sign up for the challenge anymore. We just continue to post our reviews every year in the group site. Please let me know if you are interested in joining the challenge and I will connect you with the group. 

The following are links to my reviews for 2024.

Open Borders by Matt Caplan

Seoul Before Sunrise by Samir Dahmani

Enlighten Me by Minh Le

We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuining

Cool Japan Guide by Abby Denson 

A History of Modern Manga by Insight Editions 

Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker

We Hereby Refuse by Frank Abe

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang

Animal Pound by Tom King

Displacement by Kiki Hughes

The Way of the House Husband by Koysuki Oona

A History of Japan in Manga by Shunichiro Kanaya

Uniquely Japan by Abby Denson

Cool Tokyo Guide by Abby Denson

Ruined by Sarah Vaughn

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

Tender by Beth Hetland

Okinawa by Susuma

Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruq

Art Club by Rashad Doucet

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

Green Lantern Alliance by Minh Le

She's Running on Fumes by Dennis Hopeless

The Black Ghost by Alex Segura

The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu

Neptune by Michael Conrad 

Redbone by Christian Staebley

Favorite Book:  Animal Pound 

Second Favorite Book:  Tender

Least Favorite Book:  Okinawa 

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

The Cloak and Dagger mystery reading challenge is a top favorite of mine.  I have participated in it for many years.  One year ago I signed up for the challenge at the Special Agent level of participation which required me to read between 36 and 55 books. My book count for 2024 is 55 books so I successfully finished the challenge. The links to the books I read are below:

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Agony in Amethyst by A. M. Stuart

Such a Loving Couple by Hayley Smith

The Blue Monsoon by Dimyanti Biswas

Salt House Place by Jamie Sogn

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble

The Amish Wife by Gregg Olson

Darling by Rachel Edwards

Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson

The Waitress by Emily Shiner

One Day Gone by Luana Ehrlich

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Last Patient of the Night by Gary Gerlacher

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Two Days in Caracas by Luana Ehrlich

Girl in the Dark by J. M. Cannon

Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

The Woman Inside by Anna-Lou Weatherly 

Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs

Three Weeks in Washington by Luana Ehrlich

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley

An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

Four Steps Missed by Luana Ehrlich

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Manner of Death by Robin Cook

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

The Butcher Game by Alaina Urquhart

The Merchant's Tale  by PK Adams

Five Days in Yemen by Luana Ehrlich

Six Days Spent by Luana Ehrlich

Under Water by Rachel Callaghan

A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra

Bellevue by Robin Cook

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey

Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert

Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr

Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor

A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva

Twice on Christmas by McGarvey Black

The Girl in Apartment 9 by AJ Rivers

My Husband's Affair by Ruth Heald

Pike Island by Tony Wirt

The Body in the Boot by Patrick Walsh

Capture or Kill by Vince Flynn

Favorite Book:  Twice on Christmas 

Second Favorite Book:  Such a Loving Couple

Least Favorite Book:  The Last Patient of the Night

Wrap Up of the 2024 Net Galley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge

2024 was the first time I participated in this challenge. I was lucky to receive books from authors that I love and knew straightaway that I would enjoy them. There were three new, to me, authors whose books I enjoyed: Kate McIntosh, Diana Chambers and Leslie Gould. The challenge was successful and I am looking forward to participating in the challenge in 2025. Links to my reviews are below.

Letters of Wisdom by Wanda Brunstetter

Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker

The Amish Quiltmaker's Unlikely Match by Jennifer Strickland 

Seoul Before Sunrise by Samir Dahmani 

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Protector by Wanda Brunstetter

Bellevue by Robin Cook

The Champagne Letters by Kate McIntosh

Songs for the Broken Hearted by Ayelet Dabari

The Secret War of Julia Child by

Diana Chambers

By Evening's Light by Leslie Gould

Favorite Book:  The Champagne Letters

Second Favorite Book:  Letters of Wisdom

Least Favorite Book:  Songs for the Brokenhearted

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Cruisin' Through the Cozies Challenge

I read fourteen books for this cozy reading challenge. I liked all of them except those by Janet Evanovich.  She has a huge readership but just isn't my cup of tea. There were new, to me, authors whose series I enjoyed. Judy Leigh, Mindy Quigley and Lucy Connelly are now on my radar and I look forward to reading their books in the future. Links to my reviews are below.

The Vintage Village Bake-Off by Judy Leigh

Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini

An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey

Forget Me Never by Susan Witting Albert

Pink Lemonade Murder by Joanne Fluke

Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

Cinnamon Roll Murder - Joanne Fluke

Seven Up - Janet Evanovich

Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich

Agony in Amethyst by A. M. Stuart

Favorite Book:  Agony in Amethyst 

Second Favorite Book:  Death at a Scottish Christmas

Least Favorite Book:  Hard Eight

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge

The Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge is another priority for me when selecting reading challenges. I have found new authors that I enjoy through the challenge so it is always a success for me. Below are the links to the reviews that I posted for it.

Salt House Place by Jamie Sohn

The Last Patient of the Night by Jason Rekulak

Woman Inside by Anna Lou Weatherly

You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley

Darling by Rachel Edwards

Girl in the Dark by J. M. Cannon

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson

Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr

Twice on Christmas by McGarvey Black

Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead

Such a Loving Couple by Hayley Smith

Ice by Kevin Tinto. After reading 65 pages with no action or even a hint of the plot I decided to stop reading.  The book is advertised for kids 12 - 18 but I can't believe they would be interested.  It is probably the first book that I DNF'd in about 5 years.

Favorite Book:  Such a Loving Couple

Second Favorite Book:  Twice on Christmas 

Least Favorite Book:  Ice

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

When I saw the numbers for this challenge I was surprised at how many books I read from Luana Ehrlich.  All of them were read for the Clock Reading Challenge.  While they were OK reads, the plots were similar. I decided to switch to books written by Janet Evanovich but liked them less. My favorite books were new installments to series that I have been reading for years. The links to those are below.

The Blue Monsoon by Dimyanti Biswas 

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry 

A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra 

Peach Tea Smash - Laura Childs

Shadow of Doubt - Brad Thor

A Death in Cornwall - Daniel Silva

Capture or Kill - Vince Flynn

Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

Luana Ehrlich

One Day Gone

Two Days in Caracas

Three Weeks in Washington

Four Steps Missed

Five Years in Yemen

Six Days Spent

Janet Evanovich

Seven Up

Hard Eight 

Robin Cook
Manner of Death
Bellevue

Joanne Fluke

Pink Lemonade Murder

Key Lime Pie Murder

Cinnamon Roll Murder

Favorite Book: The Blue Monsoon

Second Favorite Book:  Peach Tea Smash

Least Favorite Book:  Capture or Kill

Wrap Up of the 2024 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge Author Edition

I missed a couple of letters but just ran out of steam in the past few months. I wanted to spend more time on creating collages and needlepoint. It was hard to give myself permission to not complete the challenge. However, I gave myself that grace in a few reading challenges including this one. Below are links to the reviews that I posted.

A:  PK Adams, The Merchant's Tale

B:  Steve Berry, The Atlas Maneuver

C.  Matt Caplan, Open Borders

D:  Rebecca D'Harlingue, The Map Colorist

E:  John Elcik, Ancestry Standazrds for Data Integrity 

F:  Joanne Fluke, Pink Lemonade Cake Murder

G:  Gary Gerlacker, The Last Patient of the Night

H:  Julia Hutt, Japanese Fans

I:  

J:  

K:  Angie Kim, Happiness Falls

L:  Jess Lourey, Knee High by the Fourth of July

M:  Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient

N:  Harini Nagendra, A Nest of Vipers

O:  Gregg Olson, The Amish Wife

P:  Alan Scott Pate, Japanese Dolls

Q:  Mandy Quigley, Public Anchovy #1

R:  Jennifer Ryan, The Kitchen Front

S:  Peter Swanson, The Kind Worth Saving

T:  Kate Thompson, The Wartime Book Club

U:  

V:  Jody Vorra, The Sins of the Fathers

W:  Eric Weintraub, South of Sepharad

X: 

Y:  Gene Luen Yang, Lunar New Year Love Story

Z:  

Favorite Book:  The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides 

Second Favorite Book:  Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 

Least Favorite Book:  The Sins of the Fathers by Jody Vorra 

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

I had every intention of completing the challenge but missed books beginning with Q, X and Z. My month long vacation in October put me behind in my reading and it was hard to catch up with all of my reading challenges. There’s always hope for a full finish next year. Follow the below links to reviews of the books that I read for this challenge.

A:  The Amish Wife by Gregg Olson

B:  The Blue Monsoon by Dimyanti Biswas

C:  Cool Japan Guide by Abby Denton

D:  Darling by Rachel Edwards

E:  Enlighten Me by Minh Le

F:  Four Steps Missed by Luana Ehrlich

G:  A Geek in Japan by Hector Garcia

H:  Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

I:  The Importance of Sons by Kiera Morgan

J:  Japanese Dolls by Alan Scott Pate

K:  The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

L:   Letters of Wisdom by Wanda Brunstetter

M:  Manner of Death by Robin Cook

N:  A Nest of Vipers by Harindi Nagendra

O:  Oath and Honor by Elizabeth Cheney

P:  Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter 

Q:  Quarry Girls by  Jess Lourey ( DNF)

R:  Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr

S:  Salt House Place by Jamie Lee Sogn

T:  Two Days in Caracas by Luana Ehrlich

U:  Uniquely Japan by Abby Denson

V:  Vintage Village Bake Off by Judy Leigh

W:  Where the Body Was by Ed Brubacker

X: 

Y:  You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Steve McCauley

Z:  

Favorite Book:  The Blue Monsoon

Second Favorite Book:  Manner of Death

Least Favorite Book:  Salt House Place

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Color Coded Reading Challenge

I have enjoyed participating in the Color Coded Reading Challenge over the years. It's getting harder to find books with a color in the title. At this point I need to be selecting new releases. Fortunately, the 2025 challenge allows books with covers that have a majority of a color. That makes it easier! 

The challenge requires participants to read books with these colors in the title:  blue, red, green, yellow, brown, white, black, and any other color. Below are links to the books that I read in 2024.

Blue:  The Blue Monsoon - Dimyanti Biswas

Yellow:  Yellowface - R. F. Huang

Red:  Red Sky Mourning - Jack Carr

Red:  Pink Lemonade Cake Murder - Joanne Fluke

Any other color:  Peach Tea Smash - Laura Childs

Green:  Key Lime Pie Murder - Joanne Fluke

Brown:  The Cinnamon Roll Murder - Joanne Fluke

Black:  The Black Ghost - Alex Segura

White:  White Mulberry - Rosa Kwon Easton

Favorite Book:  Peach Tea Smash

Second Favorite Book: Blue Monsoon

Least Favorite Book: Pink Lemonade Cake Murder 

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

One year ago I joined the challenge at the Nonfiction Nibbler level. Nonfiction Nibbler requires that 6 books should be read. I completed the challenge with 11 books. However, most of the books I read, with the exception of the Japanese art books, were so-so.  Perhaps I should reduce the number of them that I read but make sure the topics I select are exciting to me.  Links to my 2024 reads are below:

The Amish Wife by Gregg Olson

And There Was Light - Jon Meacham

Oath and Honor - Elizabeth Cheney

Ancestry Standards for Data Integrity - John Elcik

A History of Japan in Manga - Shunichiro Kanaya

The Psychology of Secrets - Andrew Gold

Meghan and Harry - Lady Colin Campbell

The Real Watergate Scandal - Geoff Shepard

Japanese Kokeshi Dolls - Alan Scott Pate

The History of the Japanese Fan - Julia Hutt

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

Favorite Book:  Japanese Kokeshi Dolls 

Second Favorite Book:  The History of the Japanese Fan 

Least Favorite Book:  The Psychology of Secrets 

Wrap Up of then 2024 What's In a Name Challenge

Six Books are all that participants are required to read for this challenge. You get to choose books from the following categories. 

double letters:  The Blue Monsoon by Dimyanti Bissau

an  NFL team: The Raven's Widow by Adrienne Dillard

a virtue:  Oath and Honor by Elizabeth Cheney

a shape:  The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

footwear:  The Body in the Boot:  Patrick Walsh

a natural disaster:  The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

Favorite Book:  The Body in the Boot 

Second Favorite Book:  The Blue Monsoon

Least Favorite Book:  The Johnstown Flood 

Wrap-Up of the 2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge is one of my top two reading challenges. In most years I read many more historical fiction stories than mysteries. Mystery novels were always second place.  In 2024 I predominantly read mysteries.  It was surprising to me when I realized this. I managed to fail miserably with this challenge because I joined the challenge at the Prehistoric level which required me to read 50 books. I only got around to reading 23 novels. Links to my reviews of these books are below:

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton

The Baku Inheritance by Anne Kennedy

The Importance of Sons by Keira Morgan

The Raven's Widow by Adrienne Dillard

The Map Colorist by Rebecca D'Harlingue

South of Sepharad by Eric Weintraub

The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D'Silva

The President's Wife by Tracey Wood

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

The Merchant's Tale by PK Adams

The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel

Under Water by Rachel Callaghan

A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra

The Champaign Letters by Kate MacIntosh

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson

The Sins of Our Fathers by Jody Varro

The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana Chambers

The Sound of a Thousand Stars by Rachel Robbins

An Age of Winters by Gemma Livierno 

Agony of the Amethyst by A. M. Stuart

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Safari

Favorite Book:  The Champaign Letters

Second Favorite Book: Agony of the Amethyst

Least Favorite Book:  The Sins of Our Fathers