It's time again to sign up for the 18th annual What’s in a Name reading challenge! In years past, this challenge was hosted by Charlie at The Worm Hole. The Carolina Book Nook blog has been hosting this challenge since 2019 and is once again handling the challenge.
Book reviews of mysteries, historical fiction and graphic novels with a smattering of non-fiction books.
Monday, December 30, 2024
2025 What’s in a Name Challenge
It's time again to sign up for the 18th annual What’s in a Name reading challenge! In years past, this challenge was hosted by Charlie at The Worm Hole. The Carolina Book Nook blog has been hosting this challenge since 2019 and is once again handling the challenge.
Sunday, December 29, 2024
End of Year Book Memes
Saturday, December 28, 2024
My Life in Books Meme
Shellyrae at the Book'd Out blog came up with this cool meme two years ago. To participate all you have to do is complete the prompts using titles from the books you have read in 2024.
2024 was the year of: My Husband's Affair (Ruth Heald)
In 2024 I wanted to be: Under Water (Rachel Callaghan)
In 2024 I was: Her Every Fear (Peter Swanson)
In 2024 I gained: Japanese Dolls (Alan Scott Pate)
In 2024 I lost: The Champaign Letters (Kate MacIntosh)
In 2024 I loved: The Black Ghost (Alex Segura)
In 2024 I hated: The President's Wife (Tracey Wood)
In 2024 I learned: The Importance of Sons (Keira Morgan)
In 2024 I was surprised by: The Comfort of Ghosts (Jacqueline Winspear)
In 2024 I went to: Salt House Place (Jamie Sohn)
In 2024 I missed out on: Three Weeks in Washington (Luana Erhlich)
In 2024 my family were: The Sins of Our Fathers (Jody Vorra)
In 2025
I hope (for a): A Lunar New Year Love Story (Gene Luen Yang)
Friday, December 27, 2024
My Life in 2024 Meme
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Top Ten Books of 2024
Now, for my top books of 2024:
10) The Champaign Letters by Kate McIntosh (historical fiction)
9) The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel (historical fiction)
8) Agony in Amethyst by A. M. Stuart (historical mystery)
7) Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang (graphic novel)
6) Tender by Beth Hetland (graphic novel)
5) The Merchant's Tale by PK Adams (historical fiction)
4) Twice on Christmas by McGarvey Black (mystery)
3). Such a Lovely Couple by Hayley Smith (psychological thriller)
2) Under Water by Rachel Callaghan (historical mystery)
And my Number 1 book of the year is:
1) Animal Pound by Tom King (graphic novel)
I have had a goal during the past two years to reduce the number of books that I read in a year. I think most years I have been reading over 200 books. With my recent retirement I am spending more time on my art and I have joined a senior group that offers lots of classes. I am trying to re-learn French, which I haven't studied in 50 years. I also am taking classes in art history and drawing. Also, I have begun taking more vacations and spent the month of October in Japan. In addition, I took up card making as well as collage. I have had many people ask if I was selling the cards and collages, which wasn't my intent. However, it's easy for me to create them so this will probably be a side hustle for me. I am enjoying making art and reading in a more balanced manner than before.
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Top Ten Books I Want in 2025
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Top Ten Historical Fiction Books of 2024
Monday, December 23, 2024
Top Ten Mysteries of 2024
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Top Ten New Authors in 2024
Saturday, December 21, 2024
Top Ten Book Covers of 2024
Friday, December 20, 2024
Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2024
1. Animal Pound by Tom King
2. Tender by Beth Hetland
3. Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen
4. Seoul Before Sunrise by Samir Dahmani
5. We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuining
6. A History of Modern Manga by Insight Editions
7. The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha
8. Art Club by Rashad Doucet
9. Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker
10. Enlighten Me by Minh Le
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Wrap Up of the 2024 Clock Reading Challenge
2024 was the first year that I participated in this challenge. Initially I thought it would be easy to find a wide variety of books that met the challenge but that did not turn out to be true. Most of the books I read were OK but several I did not like at all. The best books were the last two that I read: Girl 11 and 12 Days of Mistletoe.
One Day Gone - Luana Erhlich
Two Days in Caracas - Luana Erhlich
Three Weeks in Washington - Luana Erhlich
Four Days Missed - Luana Erhlich
Five Years in Yemen - Luana Erhlich
Six Days Spent - Luana Erhlich
Seven Up - Janet Evanovich
Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich
The Girl in Apartment 9 - A. J. Rivers
The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware
Girl, 11 - Amy Suiter Clarke
Twelve Days of Mistletoe - Jen Atkinson
Favorite Book: Girl, 11
Second Favorite Book: 12 Days of Mistletoe
Least Favorite Book: The Woman in Cabin 10
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
2025 New Release Reading Challenge
Challenge Rules
1) The challenge runs the calendar year from January 1st through December 31st.
2) Books must be published in 2025.
3) Books can count towards more than one challenge, meme, book-tag, or book-list.
4) The minimum length for a book to qualify is 100 pages and can be in any format such as physical, e-book, ARC or audiobook, in any genre (including graphic novels and comics), set in any era (past, present, or future), and written for any reading age group.
5) You don’t have to be a book blogger to participate, you can link to your review on Goodreads or Booklikes or anywhere that you post a review of a newly released book.
6) If you want to spread the love, please use #2025NewReleaseChallenge on any and all social media sites where you promote your reviews.
7) There is a Facebook Group for the New Release Challenge, to have a place where we can keep up with each other, cheer each other on, and get to know each other better. It is also a place where we can help each other find even more new releases. For those of you who have already participated, it’s the same group as before.
8) You can also link to your review on Goodreads or Booklikes or anywhere that you post a review of a newly released book.
9) There are five levels in the New Release Challenge:
1-30 books per year – New Release Newbie
31-60 books per year – New Release Pro
61-100 books per year – New Release Veteran (my personal goal)
101-200 books per year – New Release Enthusiast
200+ books per year – New Release Obsessed
Please consider joining the challenge with me. It's a fun way to find new books that interest you. You can sign up for the challenge here.