May AlphaKIT: U and C

Welcome to the 2023 AlphaKIT.
This is an unofficial challenge for the 2023 Category Challenge Group. Each month has two letters selected for you to use however you choose.

There are no rules. Just have fun and enjoy reading. May Letters are: U and C

and

Please remember to update the wiki with your reading: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_AlphKIT#May:_-_Letters:_U_and_C

I am thinking about The Scar by China Miéville and "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" by Jesse Sutanto.

Another possibility is a twofer, "Always Coming Home" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Don't know how many I'll get to since I'll be in the midst of moving, but I'm going to try! Still looking for a U!

Clause of Death
Cryptic Clue
Cuckoo's Calling
Death by Chocolate
✔ Dressed to Drill by Kate Carlisle
Lemon Curd Killer
Medium Fate by Lynn Cahoon
Murder in Chianti
One Last Summer by Victoria Connelly
Paper Cuts
Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer

I am planning on The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco for my "U" read, and American Dirt by Jeannie Cummins for my "C" read.

I plan to read We the Drowned by Carsten Jensen. U is a bit harder to tackle - I might read Ungebremst leben by Heidi Hetzer.

Right now, my plan is to read Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale and One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin.

I'm planning on An Untimely Frost and Conventions of War

>5 MissBrangwen: I loved We, The Drowned! Hope you do too :)

My under consideration list is: Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Collin Cotterill and The Age of Homespun by Laurel Ulrich

>8 rabbitprincess: Oh, that is very encouraging! I am a bit afraid because it looks like such a tome and so serious, so I am relieved that you loved it.

Tentative plans: Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers.

U is usually tougher for me, but I see I have one that will also fit ScaredyKIT, so this one is very likely:
An Unwanted Guest / Shari Lapena

C should be eaiser. I have another that will also fit for ScaredyKIT, but since I'll use my U book fo rthat, I may or may not also read this (unless something else for another challenge fits):
Old Bones / D. Preston, L. Child

I was thinking U would be hard to fill, but I just had not one but two library holds come in that will work:

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Utomi

I'm starting to two new series, set in between-wars Britain, adding to those I'm already reading. Why? Why not?

I'm going to give Nicola Upson a spin and read An Expert in Murder.
Followed by Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge.

I am working on The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer.

Starting Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I've started Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey. I re-read for me. Planning on reading the entire series.

Not sure about U, but an early finish for C
Cocktail Time, PG Wodehouse

I just finished Up in Smoke which I did not realize at the time would fit this challenge. I am still finishing The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer. It is slow going. I prefer her other novels over the mysteries.

I just finished Up a Road Slowly.

COMPLETED Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Also reading "Chimerascope" by Douglas Smith

I finished The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi.

Starting "An Unsafe Pair of Hands" by Chris Dolley

COMPLETED An Unsafe Pair of Hands by Chris Dolley

First two reads for the month ended up a C and a U:

The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad, 3.5*
Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott, 4.5*

I read The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen

I'm working on Intruder by CJ Cherryh, the first of several "C" books I plan to read this month.

"U" will be a little more difficult, as I am trying to only read off my shelves this year.

U: Under the Rainbow, Celia Laskey.

ETA: That would also count for C, wouldn't it? I'll add it to the wiki there, too.

COMPLETED Chimerascope by Douglas Smith

Starting An Act of Detection by Charlie Cochrane

I read The Listerdale Mystery by Agatha Christie for C.

COMPLETED An Act of Detection by Charlie Cochrane

Starting the same author's "The Case of the Grey Assassin"

COMPLETED The Case of the Grey Assassin by Charlie Cochrane

Starting The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

June thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/350840

Read The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

Finished Intruder, heading for Silver Canyon next.

I've finished The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin.

I read A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill, book #2 in the Kit Brightling series and a fun historical fantasy.

C: A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers.

C: Cradle and All by James Patterson

I've finished Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale.

I read Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge which will work for C.

I just finished Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg, a cozy take on the haunted house genre.

Although it has taken me awhile, I have finished my read of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, my selection for U this month. I have also completed American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins.

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman for C. A nice twisty mystery set in LA.

Finished Silver Canyon, added it and Intruder to the wiki.

Currently reading To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

C: Mystery of the Tolling Bell by Carolyn Keene

I finished City of Brass by S A Chakraborty. A interesting and exciting read.

I finished Untethered Sky and Six Crimson Cranes.

Finished another U:
Unsouled by Will Wight
And working on a C:
Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey

COMPLETED To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

Currently reading Death on Delos by Gary Corby

COMPLETED Death on Delos by Gary Corby

Finished Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood and found it disappointing. It reminded me that I didn't like the tv episode either.

Another C: Cover Her Face by P. D. James.

Finally finished my U book, The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. A good read, but not one of Heyer's best, in my opinion.

C and U : Cozy Up to Death by Colin Conway

I've completed Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice.

An Unwanted Guest / Shari Lapena
4.5 stars

I see this as a cross between The Shining (isolated inn in the mountains during the winter) and And Then There Were None (only two staff, along with 10 guests in the isolated inn… and people are being murdered). James owns the inn, and his son Bradley helps out; because of the storm, they are the only two staff around on this cold wintery weekend. The guests: Candice is an author; David is a criminal defense attorney; Ian and Lauren are a fairly new couple, Henry and Beverly are a longer-married couple having trouble in their marriage, Matthew and Dana are planning their wedding; Gwen and Riley are long-time friends trying to reconnect. They all come with their own baggage and secrets. Who could be slowly murdering the others…?

I loved the cold wintery setting of this one! And I loved (what I saw as) the combo of The Shining with And Then There Were None. Although there were a lot of characters to introduce, I was able to figure them out pretty quickly and was interested from the start. I wasn’t sure if there would be a twist at the end (or how that would happen), but there was one and I think it was done well!

Another C book, The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. A book of my heart, and I absolutely loved this reread!

I read A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton for C. An enjoyable private investigator novel.

China Rich Girlfriend / Kevin Kwan
3 stars

In the second book in the trilogy, Nick and Rachel still plan to get married, despite Nick’s mother’s opposition. They do end up in China, however, when Nick’s mother tells them she found Rachel’s biological father, whom she had been looking for. Unfortunately, when Rachel arrives to visit, her father and his wife have left the country, but her half-brother is there to welcome her and get to know her. So, Carlton and his girlfriend Colette host them. Ultra-rich Colette decides they should fly to Paris with other friends to do some shopping, though.

This was ok. I didn’t like it as much as the first one. The rich people really do get on my nerves sometimes, and I’m not a big shopper, so the shopping and descriptions and brand names, etc, don’t do anything for me. (Once again), with so many characters, it took quite a while to figure out who everyone was and how they were all related (and I never did figure them all out). I really found Nick and Rachel’s story the most interesting, with Carlton and Colette next. Things picked up toward the end of the book and there was a bit of surprise that came from Colette.

I finished a few more C books this month: The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray, The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams, and The Duke's Counterfeit Wife by Louise Allen.

My C & U books this month:

C:
My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok (1972)
Chaim Potok, Edward Abramson (1986)
A Month in the Country, J. L. Carr (1980)

U:
Under the Greenwood Tree, Thomas Hardy (1872)

ETA: "C"--I'm just finishing up an audiobook re-read of:

Barnaby Rudge, Charles Dickens (1841) --historical fiction set during the London Gordon (anti-Catholic) riots of 1780.

Two C books this month:

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, by Rebecca Thorne
Children of the Mist, by Nigel Tranter

Wolvercraft Manor / Cas E. Crowe
4.5 stars

Saige has been gone from her childhood home on an island for years, but her brother wants to get married there. The last time Saige was there, she saw her mother kill herself. Saige also “sees” things (i.e. ghosts) and because of this her father had her institutionalized. What the rest of her family doesn’t realize is that Saige really is seeing these things. It’s not all in her head. She is very anxious about returning.

Once there, she finds that her brother’s best friend from when they were younger, Jasper, is also there. He is a musician and will play at the wedding. What the rest of the family doesn’t know is that Saige and Jasper were not only in a relationship, they were engaged until Jasper just up and left without a word.

When Saige starts seeing ghosts again, it seems that Jasper is able to see them, as well, so the two embark on trying to figure out why all the ghosts are there and how to stop them from what appears to be a curse on the house and anyone who marries into the family.

While I feel like I gave a lot away, I don’t really think it’s too much, as so much more goes on in the story. The atmosphere of the book is very very creepy and very well done. The haunted old mansion. A storm that has them trapped. The ghosts are very scary and quite well-described so this book may not be for the squeamish. It was fast-paced. I also really liked the relationship between Saige and Jasper, though (not surprisingly) Saige had a hard time with Jasper, him having abandoned her way back when.