Christina reads 4 x 25 in 2025

Christina's 2025 Category Challenge


Ivan Kramskoy, "Reading Woman (Portrait of Artist's Wife)"

Hi, I’m Christina, and welcome to my 2025 category challenge! I started doing this challenge way back in 2009, so this will be my 17th year participating. I live in northern Virginia, and by day I work as an editor for an online magazine. Aside from reading, my main hobbies are music (piano, trombone, and singing) and community theater.

This year I’m keeping things simple: 4 categories, 25 books in each, for a total of 100 books. For the past few years I’ve exceeded that total, but I want to give myself some space to read longer or more challenging books instead of focusing solely on quantity. I’ve also learned that I enjoy this challenge most when I have broad categories that will include every book I read. So with that in mind, here are my 2025 categories:

I. Series and Sequels: This category is open to any book that’s part of a series, though I hope to focus on (1) continuing with series I’ve started and (2) reading series I already own, in whole or in part. I’ll also focus on series I am trying to read in order, so I probably won’t include installments of romance series here, as they can usually stand alone.

II. Something Old: One of my most frequently used categories, this one is for physical books I’ve owned since before January 1, 2025. I’m always trying to whittle down my TBR! But I’ll include rereads in this category as well.

III. Something New: This category is for books I buy, borrow, or otherwise acquire in 2025. I anticipate filling this one up quickly, as my book-buying habit is out of control!

IV. Nook Books: My digital TBR is also piling up – I can’t resist those e-book deals! – so I’ll devote a category to the books on my e-reader, whether old or new.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!

I. Series and Sequels


Poul Friis Nybo, "A Favourite Author"

1. Kristen Britain, Blackveil (Green Rider #4)
2. Genevieve Cogman, The Lost Plot (Invisible Library #4)
3. Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric's Demon (Penric & Desdemona #1)
4. Kristen Britain, Mirror Sight (Green Rider #5)
5. Genevieve Cogman, The Mortal Word (Invisible Library #5)
6. Kristen Britain, Firebrand (Green Rider #6)
7. Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric and the Shaman (Penric & Desdemona #2)
8. Genevieve Cogman, The Secret Chapter (Invisible Library #6)
9. Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer (Green Rider #6.5)
10. Genevieve Cogman, The Dark Archive (Invisible Library #7)
11. Kristen Britain, Winterlight (Green Rider #7)
12. Genevieve Cogman, The Untold Story (Invisible Library #8)
13. Ashley Weaver, One Final Turn (Electra McDonnell #5)
14. Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric's Fox (Penric & Desdemona #3)
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

Possibilities
- Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series, picking up with Broken Harbor
- Patricia Wynn’s Blue Satan series, picking up with The Motive from the Deed
- Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael series, picking up with The Holy Thief

II. Something Old


Albert Edelfelt, "Woman and Parasol"

1. Rupert Latimer, Murder after Christmas (10/19/24)
2. Sheri Cobb South, Of Paupers and Peers (7/24/17)
3. Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells (4/15/12 - reread)
4. Jenny Colgan, 500 Miles from You (unknown)
5. John Bude, The Lake District Murder (9/20/15)
6. Pamela Morsi, Simple Jess (4/7/24)
7. Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery (8/8/06 - reread)
8. Juliet Marillier, Wildwood Dancing (8/11/09 - reread)
9. Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel (3/16/15)
10. Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast (10/27/23)
11. Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering (1/29/10 - reread)
12. Agatha Christie, Towards Zero (8/8/06 - reread)
13. Freya Sampson, The Lost Ticket (4/7/24)
14. Stephanie Laurens, Impetuous Innocent (7/14/24)
15. Edith Layton, To Wed a Stranger (4/20/24)
16. Megan Whalen Turner, Moira's Pen: A Queen's Thief Collection (5/21/24)
17. Anthony Wynne, Murder of a Lady (10/15/16)
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

III. Something New


Karl Parsimagi, "Reading Woman"

1. Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or Steal
2. Eva Shepherd, Wagering on the Wallflower
3. Lucy Parker, Misdirected
4. Mary Balogh, Remember When
5. Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley
6. Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners
7. Ande Pliego, You Are Fatally Invited
8. Loretta Chase, My Inconvenient Duke
9. Charlotte Stein, My Big Fat Fake Marriage
10. Beth O’Leary, Swept Away
11. Emily J. Taylor, The Otherwhere Post
12. Emily Henry, Great Big Beautiful Life
13. Susanna Kearsley, The King's Messenger
14. Katherine Center, The Love Haters
15. Mimi Matthews, Rules for Ruin
16. Sarah Ready, Ghosted
17. Linda Holmes, Back After This
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

Possibilities
- Maggie Stiefvater, The Listeners
- Megan Bannen, The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam (July 8)
- Brigitte Knightley, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy (July 8)
- Lynn Painter, Maid for Each Other (July 15)
- Sophie Irwin, How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days (July 17)
- Ally Carter, The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold (Aug 5)
- Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Accomplice to the Villain (Aug 5)
- Mimi Matthews, The Governess and the Rogue (Aug 5)
- T. Kingfisher, Hemlock and Silver (Aug 19)
- Connie Willis, The Spanner in the Works (?)

IV. Nook Books


Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "Young Woman Reading"

1. Stephanie Burgis, Scales and Sensibility (reread)
2. Stephanie Burgis, Claws and Contrivances
3. Fiona Hill, The Country Gentleman
4. Molly Clavering, Love Comes Home
5. Eva Leigh, My Fake Rake
6. Sarah Mayberry, Her Best Worst Mistake
7. Caroline Linden, An Earl Like You
8. Stella Riley, The Shadow Earl
9. Martha Waters, And Then There Was the One
10. Annie Darling, Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop
11. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic
12. Stella Riley, Masque of Deceptions
13. Sulari Gentill, The Woman in the Library
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

CATs and KITs


Fritz von Uhde, "A Reading Girl with a Cat"

Here I’ve listed the CATs and KITs I'll participate in at least some of the time. As always, I won’t complete all of them every month, but I’ll dip in and out when I have a book that fits. And I’ll try to do the whole AlphaKIT, plus or minus an X book!

January
ColorCAT (green): Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells; Kristen Britain, Blackveil
CoverCAT (something involved in a tea party): Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or Steal
AlphaKIT (S, O): Sheri Cobb South, Of Paupers and Peers; Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells; Stephanie Burgis, Scales and Sensibility; Stephanie Burgis, Claws and Contrivances; Pamela Morsi, Simple Jess; Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or Steal; Eva Shepherd, Wagering on the Wallflower
MysteryKIT (winter): Rupert Latimer, Murder after Christmas
RandomKIT (food or drink): Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells
SF&FKIT (cozy fantasy): Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells; Stephanie Burgis, Scales and Sensibility; Stephanie Burgis, Claws and Contrivances

February
ColorCAT (gold): Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery; Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley
CoverCAT (tree): Mary Balogh, Remember When; Juliet Marillier, Wildwood Dancing
AlphaKIT (L, G): Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric's Demon; Lucy Parker, Misdirected; Genevieve Cogman, The Mortal Word; Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley; Eva Leigh, My Fake Rake
MysteryKIT (vintage): Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery
RandomKIT (playing with time): Kristen Britain, Mirror Sight
SF&FKIT (art of SFF): Juliet Marillier, Wildwood Dancing

March
ColorCAT (pink): Freya Sampson, The Lost Ticket
CoverCAT (farm animals): Kristen Britain, Firebrand; Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel
AlphaKIT (U, A): Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners; Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering; Agatha Christie, Towards Zero
MysteryKIT (espionage):
RandomKIT (wishes):
SF&FKIT (magical realism):

April
ColorCAT (brown): Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer
CoverCAT (road): Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer
AlphaKIT (K, E): Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer; Stella Riley, The Shadow Earl; Emily J. Taylor, The Otherwhere Post
MysteryKIT (paranormal):
RandomKIT (prime): Loretta Chase, My Inconvenient Duke; Genevieve Cogman, The Dark Archive
SF&FKIT (women authors): Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer; Genevieve Cogman, The Dark Archive; Emily J. Taylor, The Otherwhere Post

May
ColorCAT (red): Emily Henry, Great Big Beautiful Life; Stephanie Laurens, Impetuous Innocent
CoverCAT (more than two elements/objects): Emily Henry, Great Big Beautiful Life; Susanna Kearsley, The King's Messenger
AlphaKIT (I, D): Stephanie Laurens, Impetuous Innocent; Annie Darling, Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop
MysteryKIT (not set in my country):
RandomKIT (punctuation): Susanna Kearsley, The King's Messenger
SF&FKIT (Global South authors):

June
ColorCAT (yellow): Katherine Center, The Love Haters
*CoverCAT (something with wheels): Edith Layton, To Wed a Stranger; Anthony Wynne, Murder of a Lady
AlphaKIT (C, Q): Katherine Center, The Love Haters; Megan Whalen Turner, Moira's Pen: A Queen's Thief Collection; Genevieve Cogman, The Untold Story
MysteryKIT (LGBTQ+ detectives):
RandomKIT (invasion):
SF&FKIT (anthologies & collections): Megan Whalen Turner, Moira's Pen: A Queen's Thief Collection

July
ColorCAT (white):
CoverCAT (fruit):
AlphaKIT (W, T):
*MysteryKIT (series sleuths):
RandomKIT (the hills are alive...):
SF&FKIT (alternative history):

August
ColorCAT (gray):
CoverCAT (photograph):
AlphaKIT (N, J):
MysteryKIT (legal thrillers):
RandomKIT ():
*SF&FKIT (space):

September
ColorCAT (silver):
CoverCAT (dogs or cats):
AlphaKIT (B, M):
MysteryKIT (Silver Age):
RandomKIT ():
SF&FKIT (back to school):

October
ColorCAT (black):
CoverCAT (something that fits in your pocket):
AlphaKIT (F, P):
MysteryKIT (police procedurals):
RandomKIT ():
SF&FKIT (mysterious artifacts):

November
ColorCAT (blue):
CoverCAT (celestial objects):
AlphaKIT (Y, H):
MysteryKIT (psychological):
*RandomKIT ():
SF&FKIT (the day after):

December
ColorCAT (purple):
CoverCAT (something you’d like as a gift):
AlphaKIT (V, R):
MysteryKIT (cozies):
RandomKIT ():
SF&FKIT (disabled main character):

Year-Long
AlphaKIT (X, Z): Agatha Christie, Towards Zero

* = I'm hosting this CAT/KIT.

BingoDOG

I'm aiming to cover my card, but we'll see how it goes!



1. A place you’ve never been: Pamela Morsi, Simple Jess (Arkansas, Ozarks)
2. “Library” or “Thing” in the title: Sulari Gentill, The Woman in the Library
3. Writing about writers: Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
4. Oldest book on your TBR:
5. Holiday in the title: Rupert Latimer, Murder after Christmas
6. Long title (5+ words): Charlotte Stein, My Big Fat Fake Marriage
7. Features adoption, foster care, nontraditional family: Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley (one MC was a foster child)
8. Medical topic: Jenny Colgan, 500 Miles from You (both MCs are nurses)
9. Sun on cover or in title: Beth O'Leary, Swept Away (on cover)
10. Child as main character:
11. Newly in the public domain: Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery
12. Author has your, or a relative’s, first or last name: Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners (Christina)
13. Read a CAT: Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells (January ColorCAT = green)
14. Totally random: John Bude, The Lake District Murder (chosen via random number generator from "My Unread Books" collection)
15. Features a birth: Freya Sampson, The Lost Ticket
16. Nonhuman narrator:
17. Features winged creatures: Stephanie Burgis, Scales and Sensibility (dragons)
18. Profession in the title: Susanna Kearsley, The King's Messenger
19. Travel: Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel (bicycle tour of Germany)
20. Recommended by a friend or LT member:
21. Set in your favorite season: Ande Pliego, You Are Fatally Invited (autumn)
22. Originally published in a language not your own: Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering (French)
23. Hollywood!:
24. Piece of furniture on the cover: Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or Steal (table)
25. Features fire: Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric's Demon (MC starts fires by sorcery)

And...I think that's it! Welcome to my 2025 thread. I'm still reading and recapping for 2024, so I probably won't be over here much until the new year, but I'm excited to embark on another category challenge!

Have a wonderful year of reading.

>9 majkia: Thank you!

Love the header art! Happy reading in 2025!

I love the pictures you chose! My favourite one is the one in >2 christina_reads:, so atmospheric!
I hope you have a wonderful year of reading in 2025!

Nie to see you here again, Christina and looking forward to seeing what you read in 2025.

I like your reading women! Enjoy your reading this year!

Good reading in 2025. The art of women reading is very special.

>11 VivienneR: >12 MissBrangwen: >13 dudes22: >14 Charon07: >15 mnleona: Thank you all for stopping by! I've been using paintings of women reading for the past few years, and it's always fun to search for them!

Love all the women reading images, especially >2 christina_reads:, with the bookshelves in the background! Good luck with all of your challenges.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I wish you a year of happy reading!

Happy New Year! Lovely artwork selections.

Happy New Year and good luck with your reading. I look forward to the bullets I will pick up here this year.

>17 kac522: >18 cbl_tn: >19 mstrust: >20 LadyoftheLodge: >21 lowelibrary: Thanks and happy new year to you all!

Happy New Year, Christina!

Books you already own and books you buy this year cover everything, really. Good categories!

Really enjoy the artwork you chose. Hope you have a great reading year in 2025. I am following along again. My thread is finally up.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/367017#8712413

Hope you have a fabulous year of reading in 2025!

>23 pamelad: I definitely want every book I read in 2025 to "count" for the challenge!

>24 beebeereads: Thank you -- looking forward to visiting your thread!

>25 thornton37814: Thanks for stopping by! :)

Happy New Year, all! I took advantage of yesterday's holiday to wrap up my 2024 category challenge and post my year-end favorites: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362373#8714435. I'm currently reading my first 2025 book, Murder after Christmas by Rupert Latimer, and enjoying it quite a bit! Hoping to finish it tonight.

In the meantime, here are my answers to the 2024 year-end meme:

Describe yourself: The Reluctant Heiress
Describe how you feel: When Grumpy Met Sunshine
Describe where you currently live: 84, Charing Cross Road
If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: The Invisible Library
Your favorite form of transportation is: The Ships of Air
Your favorite food is: Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie
Your favorite time of day is: Under a Dark Moon
Your best friend is: Agent Sonya: The Spy Next Door
You and your friends are: The League of Gentlewomen Witches
What’s the weather like?: Snowed In
You fear: A Gathering of Shadows
What is the best advice you have to give?: Marry in Secret
Thought for the day: It Takes Two to Tangle
What is life for you?: Funny Story
How you would like to die: Just Stab Me Now
Your soul’s present condition: StarCrossed
What was 2024 like for you?: A Trick of Fate
What do you want from 2025?: Impossible Things

Oh my goodness, our categories are very similar. Series and sequels is a great category - I have a ton of those to catch up on, too.

Great meme answers - how you would like to die made me laugh. And I would also love impossible things from 2025 - here's hoping we both get some.

I always enjoy reading the meme answers. I fear there may be several people suffering your weather tomorrow.

Great meme answers. I chuckled at how you want to die also. Some years the books read fit so nicely into this meme. Yours might be the best I've seen this year.

>28 Crazymamie: The series and sequels are never-ending!

>29 thornton37814: Yes, I'm supposed to get some snowy weather on Sunday and Monday, which means the grocery stores on Sunday morning will be filled with people panic-buying milk and toilet paper!

>30 dudes22: I was very fortunate with my book titles in 2024. There are usually several meme prompts (food, transportation) that I struggle to fill!

Book #1: Rupert Latimer, Murder after Christmas
CATs: Mystery (winter = set in late December)
Bingo: Holiday in the title (Christmas)

A Christmas house party turns deadly when the guest of honor, Sir Willoughby Keene-Cotton, is found dead on Boxing Day. Uncle Willie was very rich, so plenty of people had a motive to kill him—except that, based on the specific legal circumstances surrounding his demise, it was unclear who would inherit his fortune. Similarly, he died by poisoning—but apparently nothing he ate in the hours before his death could have contained the poison. The increasingly bewildered police must sift through piles of red herrings before they can even verify that a murder has been committed, let alone by whom. This breezy vintage mystery multiplies motives and clues so that it’s nearly impossible to separate the important information from the surrounding camouflage. And that’s what makes it such a fun read—that, and the whimsical characters who needlessly obstruct the investigation. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it as a good vintage holiday read.

>32 christina_reads: This is my first BB of the year!

>33 Tess_W: I'm honored! :) Hope you enjoy the book -- I think it's a fun one.

>32 christina_reads: Oh, that's going on my list! BB

>35 beebeereads: I hope you like it!

>31 christina_reads: Yes, and I love it that way!

>32 christina_reads: Adding this to The List - lovely review.

Placing my star here, Chistina, and looking forward to following along in 2025!

>37 Crazymamie: Thanks, I hope you enjoy the book!

>38 DeltaQueen50: Great to see you, Judy!

>32 christina_reads: My first bullet of the year- and next month's MysteryKIT is vintage

>40 lowelibrary: An excellent point -- if you don't get to it this month, it also works in February!

Book #2: Sheri Cobb South, Of Paupers and Peers
CATs: Alpha (S = Sheri, South; O = Of)
Bingo: none

James Weatherly, a poor village curate, is shocked when a London solicitor informs him that he's the new Duke of Montford. He travels to Montford immediately to claim his title, only to be attacked by thieves and lose his memory in the process. Miss Margaret Darrington finds him at the side of the road and assumes he's Mr. Fanshawe, the tutor she hired for her teenage brother. James has no reason to doubt her identification and takes up his new tutorial position. But complications ensue when James seems smitten by Margaret's beautiful sister, Amanda, who must marry a wealthy man -- and when Margaret begins to fall for James herself. This is a sweet and steamless Regency romance that I very much enjoyed, despite the fact that it's not particularly original. I liked that, while there are various moments of mistaken identity, they're not drawn out too long and are solved promptly with intelligent communication. I'd definitely recommend this to fans of traditional Regencies, and I'll seek out more by Sheri Cobb South.

>42 christina_reads: I've read Sheri Cobb South's The Weaver Takes a Wife and John Pickett series. The first book is each series is available free in KindleUnlimited and KoboPlus. I like her - she doesn't take herself at all seriously - and will definitely look for Of Paupers and Peers.

>42 christina_reads: That's a BB for me, and since I saw that the audiobook is narrated by Stevie Zimmerman, a narrator I enjoy very much, I downloaded it to my audible library.

>43 pamelad: I have the Pickett series on my Nook -- I recall reading and enjoying the first book, so I'm excited that I have a lot more Sheri Cobb South in my future!

>44 MissBrangwen: I hope you enjoy it, and I'm glad it has a good audio narrator!

Several BBs here already! Off to a good start.

>46 LadyoftheLodge: Of course we're only a few days in, but I've really been enjoying my 2025 reading so far!

Hello Christina and I am suitably impressed with your monthly Challenges all ready to go! The women reading, especially >6 christina_reads: where she looks like she's just completed all of her household duties and is carving out some reading time, are great finds. Looking forward to following along on your thread this year.

>42 christina_reads: That does sound like a good read.

>48 threadnsong: Thanks for stopping by!

>49 mnleona: I really enjoyed it! And it's a shorter book, too, so it's a nice quick read.

Book #3: Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells
CATs: Color (green = green cover); Alpha (S = Sarah, Spells); Random (food or drink = main character is a caterer); SF&F (cozy fantasy)
Bingo: Read a CAT (January ColorCAT = green)

In the small town of Bascom, North Carolina, magic is an understood and largely unspoken fact of life. Everyone knows, for instance, that the Waverley family’s garden produces plants that can influence your mood, and that if you eat the apples from their tree, you’ll have a vision of the biggest event in your life. Claire Waverley has embraced her family’s legacy and uses the magic plants in her catering business, while her estranged sister, Sydney, never liked being a Waverley and couldn’t wait to leave town. But when Sydney unexpectedly returns with a five-year-old daughter in tow, Claire’s carefully cultivated life begins to change. I really enjoy Allen’s books, which are tales of family, romance, and female friendship overlaid with a patina of magic. Claire and Sydney’s relationship is the heart of this novel, and I loved how they slowly grew closer despite years of misunderstandings. Recommended if you like books about small towns and the bonds between women.

>51 christina_reads: One of my favorite books; I reread it every few years.

>52 Crazymamie: I was surprised to see that I hadn't read this one since 2015! I really need to revisit Sarah Addison Allen's books more often.

>27 christina_reads: Terrific meme responses!

>32 christina_reads: This is a BB for me!

>54 VivienneR: Thanks, and I think you will enjoy Murder after Christmas!

I like those reading women images, so calming and soothing! Happy reading!

>56 MissWatson: Thank you! I always enjoy picking the images -- there are so many great paintings of women reading!

Book #4: Kristen Britain, Blackveil
CATs: Color (green = Green Rider series)
Bingo: none

For centuries, a magical wall has protected Sacoridia from the forest of Blackveil, which was originally an Eletian kingdom but was tainted long ago by the evil sorcerer Mornhavon the Black. Now the wall has been breached, and a group of combined Eletians and Sacoridians, including Karigan, is sent inside the forest to discover whether anything good remains. But there are tensions among this group, and they are not the only ones who’ve entered Blackveil. I’m continuing to enjoy this series, though the books are very long and slow-moving – the group going to Blackveil doesn’t actually get there until more than halfway through! But I like that the series doesn’t forget about any plot threads, following up with many characters as they deal with magical destinies, court intrigues, and so on. Things are left very much unresolved at the end of this book (as in, there’s a bona fide cliffhanger), so I will certainly be continuing with the next one!

>42 christina_reads: BB for me!

>59 Tess_W: It's a cute one -- hope you enjoy!

>42 christina_reads: I'm very picky about romance novels and I rarely read them. Making note of this one for the next time I try the genre!

>61 cbl_tn: I'll be interested to see what you think of it!

Book #5: Stephanie Burgis, Scales and Sensibility
CATs: Alpha (S = Stephanie, Scales, Sensibility); SF&F (cozy fantasy)
Bingo: Features winged creatures (dragons)

Elinor Tregarth is a “poor relation,” used to being despised and tormented by her spoiled cousin Penelope. But after one particularly awful day, Elinor has had enough and decides to leave her cousin’s home for good—taking Penelope’s dragon with her. (In this world, dragons are fashionable pets, small enough to perch on a lady’s shoulder.) As she decides what to do next, Elinor wishes she were as confident and poised as Mrs. De Lacey, one of society’s leading ladies. To her surprise, the dragon has the magical ability to make her look like Mrs. De Lacey—which gives Elinor the confidence to right some wrongs and even find romance. I love a good “magical Regency” novel, and this one is charming. It’s essentially a (steamless) Regency romance, with the fun addition of some dragon lore. I’m not sure the plot would stand up to rigorous scrutiny, but if you’re happy to go along for the ride, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

Book #6: Stephanie Burgis, Claws and Contrivances
CATs: Alpha (S = Stephanie); SF&F (cozy fantasy)
Bingo: none

This sequel to Scales and Sensibility features Elinor’s sister, Rose, who has been living with a ramshackle but loving set of distant relations. When Rose discovers a dragon in the buttery, she assumes it must belong to her relatives’ neighbor, Sir Gareth. On her way to return the dragon, she encounters Cornelius Aubrey, an absentminded scholar hoping to consult with Rose’s uncle on some aspects of dragon lore. He convinces Rose not to surrender the dragon to Sir Gareth, and for plot reasons they must pretend to be betrothed. As they uncover a dastardly scheme involving the mistreatment of dragons, Rose finds herself increasingly attracted to her fake fiancé. This is another charming Regency romance with magical elements. I really enjoyed the interplay between Rose’s well-meaning bossiness and Aubrey’s obliviousness. The romance is sweet, the secondary characters are fun, and justice is served in the end. I believe there will be another book in this series at some point, featuring the third Tregarth sister, and I definitely plan to pick it up!

Book #7: Jenny Colgan, 500 Miles from You
CATs: none
Bingo: Medical topic (both main characters are nurses)

Lissa and Cormac are both home care nurses, she in London and he in the tiny town of Kirrinfief, Scotland. When Lissa is traumatized by an on-the-job tragedy, her boss forces her into a swap: She’ll go to Kirrinfief for three months, where she’ll theoretically have enough peace and quiet to begin healing, and Cormac will take her place in London. At first, both Lissa and Cormac have trouble adjusting to their new surroundings, but gradually they grow and change in unexpected ways. I’ve read a few books by Colgan and found them sweet, uplifting comfort reads. This book definitely has more darkness in it: Lissa’s trauma is described in detail, and many of the patients she and Cormac treat suffer horribly. But the novel retains a gentle feel and warm sense of community, especially in Kirrinfief. Scottish life is a bit too idealized, and the novel seemed to end rather abruptly, but I did enjoy it overall and will continue to read more by Colgan.

>32 christina_reads: I'll have to add Murder After Christmas to my list! I'm always on the lookout for Christmas mysteries, especially ones from the Golden Age, to read in December.

>65 christina_reads: I read this last year and agree with you about the ending!

>66 mathgirl40: It's a great read for the festive season!

>67 Tess_W: Right?! I wanted more of Lissa and Cormac actually interacting with each other in the same place.

I love your categories. Looks like you're off to a great reading start!

>69 purpleiris: Thanks for stopping by!

Book #8: Genevieve Cogman, The Lost Plot
CATs: none
Bingo: none

In this fourth installment of the Invisible Library series, Irene and Kai are unwillingly roped into political intrigue among the dragons, which puts the Library’s careful neutrality between dragons and Fae in jeopardy. To protect the Library, Irene and Kai travel to an alternate version of Prohibition-era New York City, where they have to evade mobsters and police as well as dragons. This fourth installment of the Invisible Library series is a fun read, consistent with previous books in the series. I enjoyed the new setting with its gangsters and speakeasies, and Irene continues to subtly grow and change as she realizes the Library isn’t always her highest priority. I missed Vale in this book, but it looks like he’ll be more prominent in book 5, which I plan to read next month.

Book #9: Fiona Hill, The Country Gentleman
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Anne Guilfoyle is celebrated as one of the cleverest ladies in London, and she relishes her position and status. But when her fortune is lost due to a bad investment, she’s forced to move to a country manor she’s inherited from a distant relative—and by the terms of the will, she must reside there for 10 months every year. Anne resents the change in her circumstances and views her country neighbors—especially the owner of the closest estate, Henry Highet—as ignorant bumpkins. But as she acclimates to her new life, she grows to appreciate country living, and Highet, more. I’m always on the hunt for well-written, steamless historical romances, and this one definitely fits the bill! Anne is somewhat hard to like at first, as she’s very condescending, but she grows sufficiently throughout the book. I also really liked Anne’s companion and the secondary love story featuring her. Overall, this was a very pleasant surprise, and I’m eager to try more by Fiona Hill.

***E-book deal alert!***

The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John is $1.99 at Amazon US and Barnes & Noble today. I absolutely adored this book -- a slice-of-life novel about four female department store workers in 1950s Sydney, Australia -- when I read it a few years ago!

>73 christina_reads: Oh, I loved The Women in Black as well!

>73 christina_reads:, >74 DeltaQueen50: Oh! Thanks for that - I just snagged it.

>74 DeltaQueen50: So good!

>75 Crazymamie: Yay, I hope you enjoy it!

>73 christina_reads: I just grabbed it as well. That's been on my TBR for ages. Thank you!

>77 beebeereads: It's always great when something that's been on your TBR for a while goes on sale!

Book #10: John Bude, The Lake District Murder
CATs: none
Bingo: Totally random (chosen via random number generator from “My Unread Books” collection)

At an isolated garage in the Lake District, a man is found dead inside a car, with an apparatus indicating that he deliberately killed himself by asphyxiation. But Inspector Meredith notices a few things that aren’t consistent with suicide and soon comes to believe the man was murdered. As Meredith investigates, he also uncovers shady business dealings at the garage and searches for the connection between them and the murder. I love a good Golden Age mystery, but this one was often frustrating for me. The plot doesn’t really present a puzzle for readers to solve; rather, the story plods along with what feels like a minute-by-minute account of Meredith’s investigation. I think Bude was trying to make the point that detective work is often dull routine, not dramatic and glamorous—but that doesn’t make it fun to read about the dull routine! Overall, fans of police procedurals might enjoy this one more than I did, but I found it a slog.

>79 christina_reads: I agree with your review, I found this one terribly boring.

>80 MissBrangwen: So boring! And I also guessed an aspect of how the murder was committed LONG before the inspector did, which made me even more frustrated.

>78 christina_reads: I just grabbed it too, and I had 99 cents credit so that dropped the price even more.

>82 LadyoftheLodge: Even better!

Book #11: Pamela Morsi, Simple Jess
CATs: Alpha (S = Simple)
Bingo: Place I’ve never been (Arkansas, the Ozarks)

Althea Winsloe is a young widow with a three-year-old son and a good farm property. Her small, tight-knit community is pressuring her to marry again, but she has no desire to give up her freedom or her farm. Still, she needs a man to help her work the land, so she hires Jesse Best, known to everyone as “Simple Jess” because he has an intellectual disability. As Althea gets to know Jesse, she realizes that despite his limitations, he’s very knowledgeable about farming and hunting – as well as being kind, loyal, and handsome. I think this is a book that might be polarizing; Morsi boldly chooses to tell some of the story from Jesse’s POV, and while I think she portrays him with sensitivity and kindness, it's certainly a fine line to walk. I was rooting for him from the start, and I also liked the various secondary characters who populate Althea and Jesse’s community. Overall, I really liked this one and appreciated the unique premise, but I don’t think it’s a book for everyone.

Book #12: Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or Steal
CATs: Cover (tea party = table, vase of flowers); Alpha (S = Sarah, Steal)
Bingo: Furniture on the cover (table)

This is Adams’s third book set in Rome, Kentucky, and the heroine is the oldest Walker sister, Emily. She’s the one who (seemingly) has it all together, who helps her family with terrifying competence and no hesitation. But lately she’s been feeling lonely and dissatisfied—that is, until her longtime nemesis, Jack Bennett, moves back to town. Emily and Jack have always argued, but now their fights are feeling more flirty than genuinely aggressive. They’ll have to overcome some baggage, however, before they can move past their bickering and truly trust each other. I enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope and think this book does it well. I’m also a fan of prickly heroines who are outwardly competent but inwardly struggling, so Emily particularly appealed to me. Toward the end, I think things got a bit too syrupy-sweet (all the men in this series are annoyingly perfect), but I enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next one when it comes out!

Book #13: Molly Clavering, Love Comes Home
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Jane Cranstoun is having a wonderful time visiting friends in England and has just become secretly engaged to handsome naval officer John Marsh. But now she’s summoned back to Scotland to welcome her younger sister, Love, home from finishing school. Though only 18, Love has very definite opinions and plans for the future – plans that include marrying Jane off to their new neighbor, Peregrine Gilbert, much to Jane’s dismay. The ensuing romantic tangle causes a fair amount of turmoil, but it all turns out right in the end. This was my first book by Molly Clavering, but it won’t be my last; if you like the kinds of books published by Virago, Persephone, etc., you’ll like this one too. I must admit, the plot didn’t go where I was expecting it to, and I wasn’t thrilled about some developments. But overall I found this a pleasant, gentle, and occasionally quite funny read.

January recap

Books read in January:
1. Rupert Latimer, Murder after Christmas
2. Sheri Cobb South, Of Paupers and Peers
3. Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells
4. Kristen Britain, Blackveil
5. Stephanie Burgis, Scales and Sensibility
6. Stephanie Burgis, Claws and Contrivances
7. Jenny Colgan, 500 Miles from You
8. Genevieve Cogman, The Lost Plot
9. Fiona Hill, The Country Gentleman
10. John Bude, The Lake District Murder
11. Pamela Morsi, Simple Jess
12. Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or Steal
13. Molly Clavering, Love Comes Home
14. Eva Shepherd, Wagering on the Wallflower

Favorite book of the month:
I enjoyed most of what I read this month, but The Country Gentleman stands out because it introduced me to another writer of well-written, steamless historical romance. Can’t wait to try more by Fiona Hill!

Dishonorable mention:
The Lake District Murder was, quite simply, a slog. I’m sure it’s true that detective work is often boring, but novels about detective work shouldn’t be!

CATs completed:

• ColorCAT (green): Garden Spells has a predominantly green cover, and Blackveil is part of the Green Rider series.
  
• CoverCAT (something involved in a tea party): Beg, Borrow, or Steal has a table (because you need somewhere to put the teapot down) and a vase of flowers (for ambience).
  
• AlphaKIT (S, O): *Sheri Cobb *South, *Of Paupers and Peers; *Sarah Addison Allen, Garden *Spells; *Stephanie Burgis, *Scales and *Sensibility; *Stephanie Burgis, Claws and Contrivances; Pamela Morsi, *Simple Jess; *Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or *Steal; Eva *Shepherd, Wagering on the Wallflower
  
• MysteryKIT (winter): Murder after Christmas takes place, as the title indicates, at Christmastime.
  
• RandomKIT (food or drink): In Garden Spells, one of the main characters is a caterer, and some of her foods and recipes have magical properties.
  
• SF&FKIT (cozy fantasy): Garden Spells is a story about small-town life, friendship, and family, with a hint of magical realism. Scales and Sensibility and Claws and Contrivances are essentially Regency romances with slight fantastical elements.

Bingo squares completed:

• Holiday in the title: Murder after Christmas qualifies.
  
• Read a CAT: Garden Spells fulfills the January ColorCAT, as well as the Alpha, Random, and SF&F KITs.
  
• Features winged creatures: Scales and Sensibility contains dragons, though sadly their wings are clipped so they can’t fly.
  
• Medical topic: In 500 Miles from You, both main characters are home care nurses, and their treatment of patients is featured in the book.
  
• Totally random: I chose The Lake District Murder via random number generator from my “My Unread Books” collection on LT – it was (at the time) book 182 of 275.
  
• Place I’ve never been: Simple Jess is set in the Ozarks in Arkansas; I’ve never been to the region or the state.
  
• Furniture on the cover: Beg, Borrow, or Steal has a table on the cover.

Books acquired in January:

• Loretta Chase, Knaves’ Wager (already read and owned as an e-book, but I wanted a paper copy)
  
• Eva Shepherd, Wagering on the Wallflower (read - see below)
  
• Jenny Colgan, The Christmas Bookshop
  

>86 christina_reads: It sounds like a good one! Just snagged it on Kindle. We seem to have similar reading tastes, as I often find BB on your thread. Dangerous for my credit card....

>88 LadyoftheLodge: LT is a dangerous place for us book lovers! Hope you enjoy the Clavering book.

I ended up finishing one more book in January!



Book #14: Eva Shepherd, Wagering on the Wallflower
CATs: Alpha (S = Shepherd)
Bingo: none

Lady Hazel Springfield is a socially awkward bluestocking. Now in her fifth Season, she knows she’s unlikely ever to marry, unless some old and/or impoverished man wants her for her dowry. Enter Lucas Darkwood, an incredibly rich and handsome man with a passion for horse racing and breeding. To win an acquaintance’s exceptional broodmare, he makes a bet that he can find Hazel a beau before the Season is over. To make her seem more attractive to other men, he starts paying attention to her himself, only to find that he’s gotten more than he bargained for. I liked the “She’s All That” premise of this romance, but overall the book is just okay. Hazel and Lucas are nice, but they’re pretty flat stock characters, and I never really got invested in their romance. Oddly, I found Hazel’s siblings more interesting, and I think her two sisters each have their own book…but I’m not sure I care enough to seek them out.

>90 christina_reads: Aww, that's too bad. The way you described the plot sounded pretty interesting but flat characterisation can ruin even the best idea :(

>87 christina_reads: I started on the wrong foot with Fiona Hill because of the blurb that said she had more wit and pizzazz than Georgette Heyer, but will put that out of my mind and try another of her books. I quite liked The Country Gentleman but thought the humour was heavy-handed compared to Heyer's and that pizzazz was out of place in Regency England. Pizzazz indeed!

>91 shimmermarie: Yeah, I was a bit disappointed. There are definitely much better historical romances out there!

>92 pamelad: I saw that blurb too, and it made me roll my eyes pretty hard! No one is as good as Georgette Heyer, and people need to stop claiming otherwise. But I did quite like Hill and am hopeful that I'll enjoy more of her books.

>58 christina_reads: I like how this book "doesn't forget about any plot threads" - it so often happens in books. And thanks for the good review.

>71 christina_reads: Enjoying your reviews of Genevieve Cogman's books, and hope to read a few of hers.

>94 threadnsong: I'm so torn on the Green Rider series...it does a lot of things well, but each book is SO LONG! The next up for me, Mirror Sight, is 784 pages, and I'm finding it hard to muster up the enthusiasm. The Invisible Library books are also fun, and thankfully quite a bit shorter!

Book #15: Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric’s Demon
CATs: Alpha (L = Lois)
Bingo: Features fire (MC starts fires by sorcery)

Penric kin Jurald, the younger son of a minor noble, is about to finalize his betrothal to a rich merchant’s daughter when fate takes a hand and changes the course of his life. When he encounters a dying woman on the road, he stops to help and ends up acquiring her demon—which means he’s now a sorcerer, albeit an untrained one, able to do magic. Now Penric is suddenly a person of interest to both the local Temple and certain secular powers, who all have different agendas for the demon’s (and therefore Penric’s) future. I really enjoyed this novella, which introduces new characters to the Five Gods universe, where the Chalion books are also set. The plot is simple yet effective, and Penric and his demon, a.k.a. Desdemona, are great characters whom I’m excited to follow in future installments of the series. Another winner from Bujold!

Book #16: Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery
CATs: Color (gold = Golden Age mystery); Mystery (vintage)
Bingo: Newly in the public domain (published 1929)

At a lively country house party, the young guests mock their friend Gerry Wade for always sleeping late. They decide to play a prank on him, setting up eight alarm clocks in his room to go off early in the morning—but the joke falls flat when Gerry is found dead the next day, ironically from an overdose of sleeping medication. The death is ruled an accident, but when another of the houseguests is killed shortly thereafter, Gerry’s friends begin to suspect murder. The resulting story is a mashup of thriller and farce that includes sensitive political documents, hijinks at a second house party, and the mysterious Seven Dials society. This novel is a fun romp, with a light tone despite the murders, and Christie puts her own unique spin on the “secret society” trope. I enjoyed rereading the book and seeing just how she pulls off the unexpected conclusion. Not a top-tier Christie, but a good read nonetheless!

Book #17: Lucy Parker, Misdirected
CATs: Alpha (L = Lucy)
Bingo: none

Hattie Murton is an actress with a major role on the popular (and steamy) historical soap “Leicester Square.” Now she has a problem: Her character is about to embark on a passionate romance with the show’s villain, played by the coldly arrogant Anthony Rafe. She’s not eager to simulate love for the man who treats her and everyone else with cynical disdain, so she’s shocked to feel a genuine spark of attraction during their scripted love scenes—and even more shocked to discover that Anthony might feel the same way. Lucy Parker is an autobuy author for me, so I was hoping to love this book, and I did. Hattie is a sweetheart without being insufferably saccharine, and Anthony is a swoonworthy hero who nevertheless retains his hard edges. His indignation at his growing feelings for Hattie is a delight! Definitely recommended for romance fans if you like the premise.

This book is only available on Audible right now, and it’s narrated by Nicola Coughlan (of “Derry Girls” and “Bridgerton” fame) and Gwilym Lee. I never listen to audiobooks, so I don’t have any basis for comparison, but I think both narrators did a good job, especially Lee. It was hard for me to get into the story at first, and occasionally I got confused about who was speaking, but ultimately the format didn’t prevent me from enjoying the book. Though if it’s ever published in paperback, I will definitely pick up a copy!

Book #18: Kristen Britain, Mirror Sight
CATs: Random (playing with time)
Bingo: none

This installment of the Green Rider series is somewhat unusual. At the end of the last book, Karigan was spirited away somewhere; in this book, we learn that she’s traveled 168 years into the future. The Sacoridia she knows has vanished, and the land is now ruled by a tyrannical emperor. Technology has advanced, but magic is virtually unknown and the Green Riders are no more. Karigan is determined to get back to her own time and somehow prevent this future from occurring—but what if she can’t find a way home? I was initially biased against this book, fearing it would be a tedious side adventure with no lasting consequences for the series. But I actually found the book a refreshing change of pace, with an interesting steampunk setting and some new characters for Karigan to interact with. That said, it’s still far too long, and it doesn’t affect the series arc in any real way. My enthusiasm for this series is waning, honestly, but I’m still invested enough that I plan to continue for now.

Book #19: Mary Balogh, Remember When
CATs: Cover (tree)
Bingo: none

Clarissa Ware, the dowager countess of Ravenswood, is taking stock of her life. She’s nearly 50, her husband has been dead for several years, and her children are grown. Now she wants to discover who she is apart from her role as society wife and mother. To that end, she rekindles her friendship with village carpenter Matthew Taylor, who was her neighbor and best friend growing up. But any relationship between them will cause gossip; should they get together despite the possible cost to their reputations? This is a gentle, peaceful installment of the Ravenswood series. The conflict is practically nonexistent, and many of the scenes feel repetitive, as both Clarissa and Matthew spend a lot of time reflecting on whether they should be together. There are also the obligatory updates on Clarissa’s many children and family members, which I found a bit tedious. Overall, it was a decent enough read, but so far this series hasn’t grabbed me…though I am excited for Stephanie’s book now, and I hope it’s coming soon!

Book #20: Genevieve Cogman, The Mortal Word
CATs: Alpha (G = Genevieve)
Bingo: none

World-hopping, book-stealing Librarian Irene Winters has just been given her most high-stakes assignment yet. A secret peace treaty between dragons and Fae is in the works, mediated by the neutral Library—but one of the dragon negotiators has just been murdered. Irene and Vale are summoned to the scene of the crime, a version of Belle Époque Paris, where they must solve the murder and prevent negotiations from breaking down. But do the powers that be really want the truth to come out? This is another fun, page-turning installment of the Invisible Library series; it might even be my favorite so far. Most of the major series characters (Kai, Lord Silver, etc.) are on the scene and get some good page time. The romantic subplot takes a significant step forward. Plus, I always enjoy a good murder mystery! So yeah, I liked this one and am excited to continue with book 6.

>101 christina_reads: I'm glad to hear that the series continues in such a good way!

>102 MissBrangwen: I think it's still going strong and definitely want to know how it all turns out.

Book #21: Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley
CATs: Color (gold = embossed gold border on cover); Alpha (L = Lissa)
Bingo: Features adoption, foster care, nontraditional family (one MC was a foster child)

World War II has just ended, and Valentine Vere-Thissett is leaving the army to return to Dimperley manor, which he’s just inherited (along with a title) from his older brother, who died in the war. Valentine doesn’t particularly want the responsibility, especially since Dimperley is falling apart. Fortunately, Zena Baxter, who came to Dimperley in a group of pregnant women who were evacuated from London during the war, has an idea that might save the estate. But not everyone is ready to embrace her plan. I loved this slice-of-life novel and its realistic depiction of postwar changes, but the characters are what really make the novel shine. Every single one is treated humanely and feels like a real person. There’s also plenty of quiet humor and an understated romance that I loved. All in all, an incredibly satisfying reading experience. I’m so glad I saw @pamelad’s review and decided to buy the book from a UK store (since it hasn’t been published in the US)—totally worth it!

>104 christina_reads: Glad you enjoyed it. I can also recommend the Neil Bostock series, starting with Crooked Heart then V for Victory. Old Baggage is like a prequel because the other two were published first.

>105 pamelad: I did read Crooked Heart a while back and remember liking it. I'll add the series to my list!

Book #22: Eva Leigh, My Fake Rake
CATs: Alpha (L = Leigh)
Bingo: none

Lady Grace Wyatt and Sebastian Holloway have been friends for years, as both are socially awkward, scientifically minded nerds. Grace is infatuated with another scientist, but he sees her only as a colleague. So she and Sebastian concoct a plan: He’ll become a stylish, sought-after rake, then publicly flirt with Grace to make her crush jealous. But their plan goes awry when Grace and Sebastian find themselves wildly attracted to each other. I wanted to like this book – it seemed like a silly but fun gender-flipped take on the makeover trope (he takes off his glasses and is suddenly hot!) – but the execution fell flat. The hero and heroine are both anachronistically progressive (at one point, the hero refuses tobacco because it would be culturally appropriating Native American rituals), and their scientific interests try but fail to substitute for actual personalities. Ultimately, the book just wasn’t well-written or fun enough to compensate for these issues, and I don’t plan to try more by Leigh.

>107 christina_reads: I didn't finish My Fake Rake and agree about the anachronisms and bad writing.

>108 pamelad: In a way it's a relief knowing I have absolutely no desire to continue with the series!

Book #23: Juliet Marillier, Wildwood Dancing
CATs: Cover (tree); SF&F (art of SFF = Kinuko Y. Craft cover)
Bingo: none

Jena and her four sisters have a happy life as the daughters of a loving and prosperous merchant. Moreover, every full moon they’re able to visit the Other Kingdom, where they dance till dawn at the fairy court. But things change when Jena’s father travels south for his health, leaving the girls virtually alone. Jena’s sister Tati falls in love with a mysterious denizen of the Other Kingdom, and her cousin Cezar tries to take control of her father’s estate and business. Can Jena and her frog companion, Gogu, right these wrongs before it’s too late? I adored this book when I first read it and still liked it a lot this time around. Marillier’s prose is magical, and she creates a believable and immersive world. I really liked the incorporation of fairy tales and folklore, not just “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” but also “The Frog Prince” and vampire legends. I also appreciated the moral complexity of the book’s villain, Cezar, despite the intended YA audience. I prefer Marillier’s adult work, but this is still a very good read.

Book #24: Sarah Mayberry, Her Best Worst Mistake
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Martin is a conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer. Violet is a free spirit who wears scandalous outfits and likes breaking the rules. They’ve disliked each other for years but have had to get along because Martin was dating Violet’s best friend, Elizabeth. But when Elizabeth suddenly dumps Martin, Violet feels sorry for him and reaches out – only to discover a shocking sexual chemistry between them. But could that chemistry be the beginning of something more? This is a novella (about 150 pages) that manages to pack in quite a bit of backstory for the two main characters, setting up their opposites-attract dynamic and the conflicts that initially keep them apart. I liked both Martin and Violet and found their journey to love believable, if a bit sudden. There are several steamy scenes near the beginning, but the overall romance is surprisingly sweet. Recommended if you like the premise.

February recap

Books read in February:
1. Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric’s Demon
2. Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery
3. Lucy Parker, Misdirected
4. Kristen Britain, Mirror Sight
5. Mary Balogh, Remember When
6. Genevieve Cogman, The Mortal Word
7. Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley
8. Eva Leigh, My Fake Rake
9. Juliet Marillier, Wildwood Dancing
10. Sarah Mayberry, Her Best Worst Mistake

Favorite book of the month:
I absolutely adored Small Bomb at Dimperley! Wonderful characters and plenty of quiet humor. But honorable mention goes to Misdirected, which I also loved.

Dishonorable mention:
My Fake Rake had a fun premise but was let down by bad writing and ridiculous anachronisms.

CATs completed:

• ColorCAT (gold): The Seven Dials Mystery is a Golden Age mystery (published in 1929), and Small Bomb at Dimperley has a gold border on the front cover.
  
• CoverCAT (tree): Remember When and Wildwood Dancing both have trees on the cover.
  
• AlphaKIT (L, G): *Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric’s Demon; *Lucy Parker, Misdirected; *Genevieve Cogman, The Mortal Word; *Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley; Eva *Leigh, My Fake Rake
  
• MysteryKIT (vintage): The Seven Dials Mystery was originally published in 1929.
  
• RandomKIT (playing with time): The main character in Mirror Sight travels through time.
  
• SF&FKIT (art of SFF): Wildwood Dancing has a gorgeous cover designed by Kinuko Y. Craft.
  

Bingo squares completed:

• Features fire: The main character in Penric’s Demon can start fires via sorcery, a fact which becomes relevant in the climactic scene.
  
• Newly in the public domain: The Seven Dials Mystery came into the public domain in the US this year.
  
• Features adoption, foster care, nontraditional family: One main character in Small Bomb at Dimperley was a foster child.
  

Books acquired in February:

• Eva Leigh, My Fake Rake (e-book) (already read)
  
• Laura Kinsale, Seize the Fire (e-book)
  
• Lissa Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley (already read)
  
• Cara Bastone, Just a Heartbeat Away (e-book)
  
• Chloe Liese, The Mistletoe Motive
  
• Stephanie Burgis, Wooing the Witch Queen
  
• Heather Fawcett, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (e-book)
  
• Ashley Poston, A Novel Love Story (e-book)
  
• Fiona Hill, Fiona Hill Anthology (e-book)
  
• Helen Simonson, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club (e-book)
  
• Jennifer Estep, Only Bad Options (e-book)
  
• Lois McMaster Bujold, The Sharing Knife: Legacy
  
• Jo Beverley, Lord Wraybourne’s Betrothed
  
• Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners
  
• Erin Langston, Forever Your Rogue (e-book)
  
• T. Kingfisher, Swordheart (special hardcover edition)
  

Book #25: Kristen Britain, Firebrand
CATs: Cover (farm animal = horse)
Bingo: none

Karigan is back in her own time but wounded and grieving after the events of Mirror Sight. Eventually she gets a new mission to distract her: She’ll head to the northern edge of the kingdom in search of allies in the coming war between Sacoridia and Second Empire. Meanwhile, an elemental spirit summoned by Grandmother attacks the royal family and abducts King Zachary. While I didn’t hate Mirror Sight, I’m glad this book takes us back to the series’ familiar setting and characters. I liked that Karigan has realistic human responses (sadness, anger, despair) to all the suffering she’s endured throughout the series. I also really enjoyed getting a bit more of Zachary’s POV than usual! The book is still far too long and has too many characters, and I could have done without some of the more melodramatic bits of violence near the end. But overall I enjoyed this one and will definitely continue with the series.

Taking a hit for The Small Bomb at Dimperley book!

>114 Tess_W: I really loved it! It'll almost certainly be among my top reads of the year.

Book #26: Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners
CATs: Alpha (U = Unhoneymooners)
Bingo: Author shares your or a relative’s first or last name (Christina)

Olive and Ethan have never gotten along, even though her twin sister is marrying his brother. But when everyone at the wedding gets food poisoning except the two of them, they find themselves in the awkward position of taking their siblings’ places on the (nonrefundable) honeymoon to Hawaii. As they pretend to be married while participating in the various resort activities, Olive is surprised to discover another side to Ethan and finds herself falling for him. But a conflict between their siblings might derail their fledgling romance. This is my first encounter with Christina Lauren, and I enjoyed the book, but given the hype surrounding these authors, I think I was expecting a bit more. The initial conflict between Olive and Ethan felt very contrived and made me dislike Olive for jumping to conclusions. I did like the later conflict involving their siblings, which felt more realistic and gave some real stakes to the story. Overall, it’s a perfectly good read, but it just didn’t grab me.

Book #27: Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel
CATs: Cover (farm animal = chicken)
Bingo: Travel (bicycle tour through Germany)

In this sequel of sorts to Three Men in a Boat, narrator J. and his friends Harris and George decide to take another trip, this time a bicycle tour of Germany. But of course things start going wrong from the start, and the three men get into a variety of humorous scrapes. Meanwhile, J. often digresses to give his views on issues such as English vs. German education, the Germans’ passion for law and order, and why long descriptions of scenery aren’t necessary in a travelogue. Like its predecessor, this little book is a quick and enjoyable read, full of humor and satire. The book pokes gentle fun at the British traveler abroad, various countries’ attitudes toward foreigners, and the travel genre as a whole. There’s no plot to speak of, just a series of vaguely connected anecdotes. Worth a read if you enjoy this sort of light humor, though I remember liking Three Men in a Boat more.

N.B. According to Google Translate, “Bummel” can mean a stroll, spree, tour, wander, ramble, or saunter. All accurate descriptions of what J., Harris, and George get up to!

>110 christina_reads: Ooooh, Juliet Marillier! I have this one on my shelves, and thanks for your review. I now know a bit more about what to expect when I take it down to read. She probably enchants her YA audiences as well as she does her adult audiences.

I'm also enjoying your reviews in the romance genre. There are so many different books that would qualify that it can be a bit overwhelming to select one.

>118 threadnsong: I hope you enjoy Wildwood Dancing! It does feel more YA than the Sevenwaters books, for example, but I think if you're a fan of Marillier's you will still like it. And thanks re: the romance reviews...I love the genre, but there is certainly a wide variation in quality!

Book #28: Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric and the Shaman
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Four years after making the acquaintance of the demon Desdemona, sorcerer Penric has become a divine in the Bastard’s order. In that capacity, he is asked to participate in the hunt for a runaway shaman who’s responsible for the death of a young nobleman. His partner, the in-world equivalent of a police officer, distrusts all sorcerers and isn’t impressed by Pen’s youth and affability. But as they work together, they come to understand one another better—and realize that the shaman also isn’t quite what he seems. This novella has a lot of world-building that I found a bit hard to follow, even though I’ve read The Hallowed Hunt, which introduced the concept of shamans in this world. There’s also not much conflict; all the major players are well-intentioned and willing to collaborate to solve their problems. But I did enjoy the story and liked seeing Pen impress those who initially underestimated him. I’m excited to continue this series!

Book #29: Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
CATs: none
Bingo: Writing about writers (Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, etc.)

I just got back from my first trip to Paris and thought this would be the perfect book to read while I was there! It’s Hemingway’s fictionalized account of his life in Paris in the 1920s with his first wife, Hadley. He talks about his favorite cafés, his writing process, his affinity for gambling and skiing, and his many friends and acquaintances in the Parisian literary world, such as Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I wouldn’t say I’m a huge Hemingway fan, but I do admire his writing style, and there are plenty of wonderfully evocative turns of phrase in this book. I think it’s a bit uneven—which is fair, as it was incomplete when he died and published posthumously—and I’m not sure I’ll ever want to reread it. I think it’s a bit too inside-baseball unless you’re intimately familiar with Hemingway and all the people he describes. Still, it’s reminded me that I would like to read more of Hemingway’s fiction.

Book #30: Caroline Linden, An Earl Like You
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Hugh Deveraux has just inherited an earldom, and with it a mountain of debt that his father had kept secret. With a widowed mother and two sisters to support, he needs money fast. He tries to recover his fortunes at the gaming tables, where he receives an unusual proposal: Rich merchant Edward Cross wants his daughter, Eliza, to marry an aristocrat. If Hugh is willing to be the bridegroom, Cross will pay all his debts and give Eliza a hefty dowry. Hugh is reluctant at first, but when he meets the warm and down-to-earth Eliza, he decides to go through with the marriage. But what will happen when Eliza discovers that her handsome suitor is only after her money? I quite enjoyed this variation on the marriage-of-convenience plot, where only one partner knows it’s a marriage of convenience. Hugh’s deception is appalling, especially because the kind and trusting Eliza thinks it’s a love match, and the book treats this conflict with the gravity it deserves while still making Hugh a likable and redeemable character. I liked this one and may try more from the author.

Book #31: Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering (trans. Alison Anderson)
CATs: Alpha (A = Anna)
Bingo: Originally published in a language not your own (French)

This novel, set in the late ’90s/early aughts, follows four characters struggling to survive in Paris. There’s Camille, literally a starving artist, who’s eking out a living as a cleaning lady; Philibert, a sheltered aristocrat with OCD and no idea how to live in the 21st century; Franck, a talented chef who does nothing but work; and Paulette, Franck’s grandmother, who’s getting too old to live in her house but doesn’t want to move to a nursing home. All four are lonely and at the end of their resources, but as their lives intersect, they find connection and hope. I’ve read this book before and enjoy it every time. I laugh and cry and fall in love with the characters, and there’s an achingly lovely slow-burn romance as well. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows—Paulette’s story is particularly heartbreaking—but overall it’s a warm and uplifting book.

Just back from Paris! It's been years for me. Do tell. What sights did you visit, and did you buy books? :-D

>121 christina_reads: I hope you had a wonderful trip!

Welcome back. Was Paris what you hoped? The first time I went, a long time ago, I was surprised that it was just the way it was meant to be.

>121 christina_reads: I read this book after we returned from visiting Hemingway's home in Key West. I own several books by and about him. He was quite the tragic figure.

>121 christina_reads: Paris! I read A Moveable Feast right after my first time in Paris and it's been my favorite book since. I hope your trip was wonderful.

>124 mstrust: >125 MissBrangwen: >126 pamelad: >128 RidgewayGirl: Thanks for the good wishes! The Paris trip was both wonderful and exhausting--my friends and I did a LOT, but we had a great time! We were 100% tourists and saw all the predictable attractions. Some of the highlights:


Arc de Triomphe.


Eiffel Tower.


Notre Dame. Some construction is still ongoing, but fortunately it's open again!


And of course, Shakespeare and Company! I did buy a book, A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike, since I've seen good buzz about it here and it doesn't seem to be readily available in the US.

>127 LadyoftheLodge: I may have bought the book in Key West; I can't remember! I definitely went to see his house and all the six-toed cats. :)

We went to Paris this February and had such a good time! I was a little disappointed in Shakespeare and Co. but I was glad to have been once.

>129 christina_reads: Love your pictures and they make me want to go there instantly! And how good to hear that it is possible to visit Notre Dame again.

Thanks for posting your pics; you're an excellent photographer!

>131 japaul22: I'm sorry you were disappointed by Shakespeare and Company, but I agree, worth a visit for the historical interest if nothing else! Amusingly, I spent the bulk of my souvenir shopping money there, and I regret nothing.

>132 MissBrangwen: I would highly recommend a visit. :) I was very happy that it was possible to go inside Notre Dame and am still sad that I never made it to Paris before the fire.

>133 mstrust: Why thank you! :)

Book #32: Agatha Christie, Towards Zero
CATs: Alpha (A = Agatha); Year-Long Alpha (Z = Zero)
Bingo: none

The setup of this Christie novel is an ill-assorted house party in a small coastal town. Nevile Strange and his new wife, Kay, are visiting his former guardian, the rich invalid Lady Tressilian. Awkwardly, Nevile’s first wife, Audrey, happens to be visiting at the same time. The three members of the love triangle all claim to be perfectly fine with this arrangement, but tensions are high. When Lady Tressilian is murdered and it’s clearly an inside job, Superintendent Battle takes a hand in the investigation. This is one of Christie’s more farfetched tales, but it’s still a compelling read! I remembered the murderer’s identity and was entertained by the book’s clever misdirection involving certain clues and alibis. The characterization is on the weaker side—for example, there’s a romance shoehorned in at the end that doesn’t really work—but I still enjoyed rereading this one.

>129 christina_reads: What wonderful photos and so glad you finally got to visit Paris! I was lucky enough to live near the Arc de Triomphe when I was a student there and just loved all the walking.

Next time I will have to see the rebuilt Notre Dame and visit Shakespeare & Co. as well.

What were your favorite places when you visited?

>136 threadnsong: Oh, that "favorites" question is such a hard one to answer! I loved Sainte-Chapelle, with its astounding stained glass; the gorgeous mountaintop basilica of Sacré Coeur; and the Rodin museum, which was a much more peaceful and chill experience than the big museums like the Louvre.

Book #33: Genevieve Cogman, The Secret Chapter
CATs: none
Bingo: none

In this sixth installment of the Invisible Library series, Irene is tasked with acquiring a book from Mr. Nemo, a mysterious Fae collector with a Bond-villain-esque island lair. In exchange, Mr. Nemo wants her to participate in a heist: She’ll work with a crew of dragons (including Kai) and Fae to steal a famous painting from an alt-21st-century Vienna. But tensions are high among the crew, the nascent dragon-Fae-Library treaty notwithstanding, and everyone has a hidden agenda. I love a good heist caper, so I found this book a lot of fun; it doesn’t do anything groundbreaking with the genre, but it both embraces and mocks the various tropes. I’m not sure the book does much to move the series forward, and with just two books remaining, I’m curious about the endgame. Guess I’ll just have to keep reading to find out!

Book #34: Freya Sampson, The Lost Ticket
CATs: Color (pink)
Bingo: Features a birth

In 1962, twentysomething Frank met a girl on a London bus, and that single encounter changed his life. Unfortunately, he lost the phone number she gave him, and he never saw her again. Sixty years later, Libby has just arrived in London after simultaneously losing her job and her boyfriend. When she meets Frank (on the bus, of course), she’s fascinated by his story and decides to help him find the girl from the bus—posting flyers, placing newspaper ads, inventing a Twitter hashtag, etc. In the course of the search, Libby grows in unexpected ways as she discovers a new purpose and perhaps a new romance. This is a gentle, bittersweet novel about community and the positive ways people can influence each other. There are a lot of tender, effective moments, and Libby is a realistically complex character. Some aspects of the plot, like the romance and Libby’s conflict with her family, get short shrift. But overall, this is a pleasant, escapist, not too saccharine read.

March recap

Books read in March:
1. Kristen Britain, Firebrand
2. Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners
3. Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel
4. Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric and the Shaman
5. Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
6. Caroline Linden, An Earl Like You
7. Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering
8. Agatha Christie, Towards Zero
9. Genevieve Cogman, The Secret Chapter
10. Freya Sampson, The Lost Ticket

Favorite book of the month:
I might have to go with An Earl Like You. It didn’t blow me away, but I liked the unusual conflict (a marriage of convenience where only one partner knows it’s a marriage of convenience) and the realistic resolution of that conflict.

Dishonorable mention:
The Unhoneymooners was fine, honestly! Just not as great as I’d hoped it would be, given the hype surrounding the authors.

CATs completed:

• ColorCAT (pink): The Lost Ticket has a predominantly pink cover.
  
• CoverCAT (farm animals): Firebrand features a horse on the cover, and Three Men on the Bummel has a chicken.
  
• AlphaKIT (U, A): Christina Lauren, The *Unhoneymooners; *Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering; *Agatha Christie, Towards Zero
  
• Year-Long AlphaKIT (X, Z): Agatha Christie, Towards *Zero
  

Bingo squares completed:

• Author shares your or a relative’s first or last name: The Unhoneymooners author Christina Lauren shares my first name.
  
• Travel: Three Men on the Bummel is set on a cycling tour of Germany and Central Europe.
  
• Writing about writers: A Moveable Feast is Hemingway’s fictionalized memoir about himself and his writer friends in 1920s Paris, such as Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  
• Originally published in a language not your own: Hunting and Gathering was originally published in French.
  
• Features a birth: The Lost Ticket qualifies, though I can't say more without spoilers!
  

Books acquired in March:

• Lillian Marek, A Scandalous Adventure
  
• Caroline Linden, An Earl Like You (e-book) (already read)
  
• Rosanna Pike, A Little Trickerie
  
• Celia Lake, Outcrossing (free e-book)
  
• Elisabeth Aimee Brown, What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball
  

Book #35: Ande Pliego, You Are Fatally Invited
CATs: none
Bingo: Set in your favorite season (autumn)

Six mystery authors are invited to a writers’ retreat at the home of reclusive best-selling author J.R. Alastor. Alastor is a pen name, and no one knows the author’s true identity, but the guests are all eager to meet their host. They don’t know that Mila, the event coordinator acting as Alastor’s proxy, has a grudge against one of them and is planning murder as her revenge. But when someone turns up dead—and it’s not the murder Mila had planned—she and the guests must team up to find the killer(s?) in their midst. This novel is heavily influenced by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, with a dash of the Clue board game thrown in. As such, I was sold on the premise, and ultimately I enjoyed the book. It’s a little gory, and some of the logistical plot elements didn’t quite make sense (but maybe that’s my fault, as I was racing to the end and might have missed some details). But I liked the ending, and I’m pleased with myself for figuring out Alastor’s identity. Recommended if the premise appeals to you.

Just dropping by to say hello. Enjoyed catching up with your reading and travels!

>142 VivienneR: Thanks for stopping by!

Book #36: Loretta Chase, My Inconvenient Duke
CATs: Random (prime = 3 words in title, book #3 in series)
Bingo: none

Lady Alice Ancaster has decided it’s time to marry. Her brother constantly engages in reckless behavior that could get him killed, and his heir is a terrible cousin who would make Alice’s life miserable. Unfortunately, she’s already in love with the wrong man: Giles, duke of Blackwood, one of her brother’s best friends and partners in crime. Giles has loved Alice for years but knows she’s far too good for him, and he’d rather sow wild oats with his friends than settle down to marriage and respectability. When circumstances push them together, however, their attraction threatens to overcome their better judgment. Much as I love Loretta Chase, I found this book a little disappointing. It’s the third in a series, and the first two books hinted at problems in Alice and Giles’s marriage, which I assumed this book would explore. Instead, this is more of a prequel, starting well before their marriage and the events of books 1 and 2. The story is entertaining and well told, but it’s not the story I was hoping for. It’s still a Chase novel, which means there’s still a lot to enjoy (I do love me some pining, and there’s plenty of it here!), but this one won’t be a keeper for me.

>144 christina_reads: I also thought it was a bit tired, but even a mediocre book by Loretta Chase is not to be sneezed at.

>145 pamelad: You're right about that -- I'm happy I still have a bit of her backlist left to explore!

Book #37: Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer
CATs: Color (brown = house and ship); Cover (road); Alpha (K = Kristen); SF&F (women authors)
Bingo: none

This book is a collection of two short stories and one novella that Britain wrote to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Green Rider’s publication. The stories aren’t part of the Green Rider series per se, but they’re set in the same world and include some characters from the series. The book also contains some illustrations by Britain and a foreword from her friend and fellow fantasy writer Julie Czerneda. To me, this collection is nothing special, with the two short stories especially being quite forgettable. It feels like an attempt to pacify fans who’d gotten impatient of waiting three-plus years for each new book. I haven’t felt that same impatience, as I didn’t start the series till last year and am not a hugely invested fan. So I was neither excited nor disappointed; this volume is fine, but it’s unnecessary filler that does nothing to move the series forward. I was happy to have a little break from the usual 800-page tomes, though!

>121 christina_reads: Not a Hemmingway fan, but most certainly a fan of Paris. Hope you enjoyed!

>148 Tess_W: I enjoyed the trip more than the book. :) Though the book does have its merits.

>141 christina_reads: This sounds like a great premise for the book. Thank you for not revealing Alastor's identity, and congrats on figuring it out on your own.

>150 threadnsong: It was a fun read! I always try to avoid giving spoilers, but especially with a book like this, you don't want to go in knowing too much!

Book #38: Charlotte Stein, My Big Fat Fake Marriage
CATs: none
Bingo: Long title (5 words)

Connie’s never had much luck with men, and the seemingly nice ones always turn out to be the biggest jerks. So she’s deeply suspicious of her neighbor, Henry Samuel Beckett, who appears to be the kindest person on the planet. Turns out, Beck does have a secret: He’s single, but because of a coworker’s bullying, he’s invented a fake marriage. And when he needs to prove his story, Connie volunteers to pose as his wife. Having enjoyed Stein’s When Grumpy Met Sunshine, I was eager to read this one, which features Mabel’s BFF. I really liked both Connie and Beck, both of whom have been constantly devalued by most of the people in their lives. As a result, they’re deeply insecure, and they have trouble standing up for themselves—but immediately leap to defend each other. There’s no plot to speak of, just enough scaffolding to get them to the fake marriage/only one bed premise. There’s also a lot of steam, which I’m not a fan of, but it’s par for the course with Stein. Overall, I did enjoy this one but would recommend looking at an online sample to see whether the writing style works for you.

>141 christina_reads: I added this one to my wish list, it sounds great!

>153 MissBrangwen: I hope you enjoy it!

Book #39: Stella Riley, The Shadow Earl
CATs: Alpha (E = Earl)
Bingo: none

Christian, the earl of Hazelmere, vanished three years ago on his Grand Tour. Now he’s suddenly reappeared in London, but he won’t disclose what happened to him while he was missing. He’s also not quite the same gentle, carefree young man he once was—a fact that dismays Sophie, who was informally betrothed to him before he disappeared. Will Christian heal from his traumatic experiences enough to find happiness with Sophie? I really like Stella Riley’s novels; you’re always going to get good writing, likable leads, and a historical setting that’s not just window dressing. But this book lacks any sort of dramatic tension. We learn what happened to Christian early on, and the bulk of the “plot” is he and his friends seeking revenge. I kept waiting for a surprising revelation or twist, but none came. The novel does, however, provide tons of sequel bait; there are at least six or seven supporting characters who could have their own books. Of course, I will read those sequels if/when they materialize! But I still prefer Riley’s Rockliffe books.

Book #40: Genevieve Cogman, The Dark Archive
CATs: Random (prime = book 7 in series); SF&F (women authors)
Bingo: none

In the penultimate installment of the Invisible Library series, Irene Winters and her friends face a whole new set of problems. They’re the targets of various assassination attempts (even more so than usual), a new master criminal is on the loose in London, and an old enemy unexpectedly resurfaces. To figure out exactly who’s after them and why, Irene and company travel to a scientific exposition that leads to a dramatic showdown in Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia. As with the series in general, I liked this book, though I didn’t find it particularly hard to put down. With only one book left in the series, I’m wondering if everything will be wrapped up in a satisfying way. All along I’ve suspected that the Library may not be completely benign, but I fear the last book won’t explore that idea and will force me to take it at face value. I also question the durability of Irene and Kai’s relationship (and whatever happened to her unresolved sexual tension with Vale?). Looking forward to reading the last book to see how it all turns out.

Book #41: Beth O’Leary, Swept Away
CATs: none
Bingo: Sun in title/on cover (cover, at the horizon)

The back cover of this novel asks, “What if you were lost at sea … with your one-night stand?” And that’s the entire plot of this contemporary romance. Lexi and Zeke meet in a bar on the north coast of England. They have great sex in Zeke’s houseboat, but due to a miscommunication, neither of them secures the boat to the dock. So the next morning, they’ve been washed out to sea and must work together to survive and find their way home. I really like Beth O’Leary’s writing in general, and this book mostly worked for me. I loved the slow-burn romance; both Lexi and Zeke are very guarded people, and it’s lovely to watch them gradually let each other in. The survival stuff wasn’t as compelling for me, and I never really felt they were in serious danger (though of course in real life, they totally would be!). So The Flatshare is still my favorite O’Leary novel, but I did enjoy this one very much as well.

Book #42: Emily J. Taylor, The Otherwhere Post
CATs: Alpha (E = Emily); SF&F (women authors)
Bingo: none

Maeve’s father is a notorious murderer, so for the past several years she’s lived under assumed names, never staying in one place long or getting too close to anyone. When she receives an anonymous letter saying her father was innocent, she’s determined to find out more. The answers may be at the Otherwhere Post, a place that teaches the art of scriptomancy—magic-infused writing that allows people to travel between worlds. But the search is dangerous, and Maeve may not be ready for the answers she finds. I really liked the concept of this novel (a school for magic writing! Alternate universes!), but for me, the plot and characters didn’t live up to it. Everything just felt a bit predictable—the characterization, the romance, the “twists” all felt like exactly what you’d find in a typical YA fantasy novel. Plus, Maeve does some unethical (and stupid) things in the course of her quest, which made her a less sympathetic character to me. Overall, a fine but not an exceptional read.

April recap

Books read in April:
1. Ande Pliego, You Are Fatally Invited
2. Loretta Chase, My Inconvenient Duke
3. Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer
4. Charlotte Stein, My Big Fat Fake Marriage
5. Stella Riley, The Shadow Earl
6. Genevieve Cogman, The Dark Archive
7. Beth O’Leary, Swept Away
8. Emily J. Taylor, The Otherwhere Post

Favorite book of the month:
I think I have to go with You Are Fatally Invited – I’m not sure all the plot threads totally came together, but I enjoyed the ride and would like to reread the book knowing what I know now!

Dishonorable mention:
The Dream Gatherer was a nothingburger – not bad, but also not memorable or interesting.

CATs completed:

• ColorCAT (brown): The Dream Gatherer has various brown tones on its cover, particularly on the house and the ship.
  
• CoverCAT (road): The Dream Gatherer has a path on the cover.
  
• AlphaKIT (K, E): *Kristen Britain, The Dream Gatherer; Stella Riley, The Shadow *Earl; *Emily J. Taylor, The Otherwhere Post
  
• RandomKIT (prime): My Inconvenient Duke has three words in the title and is the third book in a trilogy. The Dark Archive is the seventh book in a series.
  
• SF&FKIT (women authors): The Dream Gatherer, The Dark Archive, and The Otherwhere Post are all fantasy novels by female authors.
  

Bingo squares completed:

• Set in your favorite season: You Are Fatally Invited is set in autumn; though while I love fall for its cozy vibes (crisp cool weather, changing leaves, etc.), this is more on the spooky side, with a dramatic Halloween climax.
  
• Long title (5+ words): My Big Fat Fake Marriage has five words in the title.
  
• Sun in title/on cover: The cover of Swept Away shows a small sun just above the horizon.
  

Books acquired in April:

• Stella Riley, The Black Madonna (e-book)
  
• Stella Riley, Garland of Straw (e-book)
  
• Stella Riley, The King’s Falcon (e-book)
  
• Stella Riley, Lords of Misrule (e-book)
  
• Stella Riley, The Marigold Chain (e-book)
  
• Stella Riley, A Splendid Defiance (e-book)
  
• Jenny Holiday, Canadian Boyfriend (e-book)
  
• John Dickson Carr, The Problem of the Wire Cage
  
• Mike Chen, We Could Be Heroes
  
• Morgan Matson, Take Me Home Tonight
  
• Mimi Matthews, The Muse of Maiden Lane (e-book)
  
• Mimi Matthews, The Governess and the Rogue (e-book, preorder)
  
• Delano Ames, Murder Begins at Home
  
• Charlotte Armstrong, A Dram of Poison
  

Book #43: Emily Henry, Great Big Beautiful Life
CATs: Color (red); Cover (more than two elements = people, stylized background, text)
Bingo: none

Alice Scott is an entertainment journalist who’s trying to level up her career. So she’s thrilled when she gets the chance to interview Margaret Ives, a reclusive former “tabloid princess” who was the child of a media dynasty and the wife of a famous rockstar. If the interview goes well, Alice might get to write Margaret’s biography. But there’s another journalist in the running, Hayden Anderson, who’s won a Pulitzer and isn’t happy about having Alice as his competition. As Alice uncovers the secrets of Margaret’s past, she falls for Hayden in the present. I’ve enjoyed every Henry novel that I’ve read, and I think this one might be my favorite. The romance between Alice and Hayden, while lovely, actually gets somewhat short shrift because a lot of the book delves into Margaret’s family history. Some might find the divided focus distracting, but I was genuinely invested in every story. The novel is about love (both romantic and familial), grief, loneliness, art, and the things we regret. I liked it a lot and look forward to the next Emily Henry book.

Book #44: Kristen Britain, Winterlight
CATs: none
Bingo: none

After the events of Firebrand, Karigan is still dealing with trauma and constantly hearing the voice of her torturer, Nyssa, in her head. But she doesn’t have time to dwell on this because Second Empire has officially begun war with Sacoridia, capturing a strategically important castle in the mountains. Karigan and the other Riders are sent to help, but they must also contend with Darrow Raiders, evil wraiths, Eletians with a hidden agenda, and the looming threat of Mornhavon the Black. It took me forever to get through this 835-page tome, and honestly I’m not sure it was worth it. I did like seeing Karigan back among the other Green Riders, and it feels like progress is finally being made on some of the series-long arcs. But it’s still too long, some of the side plots feel uninteresting and inconsequential, and I just don’t care much about this series anymore. I’ll still read the new one that’s coming out this fall, but I hope it ties up some of the main storylines, because I’ll almost certainly be quitting the series after that.

Book #45: Martha Waters, And Then There Was the One
CATs: none
Bingo: none

A fun bit of news: I will soon be an occasional contributor to the All About Romance blog, which publishes reviews of books in every subgenre of romance. I’ll be reviewing historical romances, including this novel, which I received as an advance reader copy from AAR—the book won’t be published till October. Since I’m reviewing the book for AAR, I won’t say more here, but I wanted to note that I did read this book for my challenge. I’ll come back and post a link to my full review at AAR once it’s published!

ETA: My review at All About Romance is here! https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/and-then-there-was-the-one-by-martha-wat...

Book #46: Stephanie Laurens, Impetuous Innocent
CATs: Color (red = author’s name, spine and back cover); Alpha (I = Impetuous, Innocent)
Bingo: none

Georgiana Hartley has just returned to England after living abroad for several years, only to find her odious cousin Charles living in her family’s ancestral home. When Charles makes unwanted advances, Georgiana runs away and begs her nearest neighbor—Dominic, a viscount—for help. Dominic escorts her to his sister in London but thinks little more of the matter at first. But as he sees Georgiana thriving in London society, surrounded by suitors, he finds himself attracted to her. Meanwhile, Georgiana is head over heels for Dominic but can’t believe he would be seriously interested in her. This book has its good points; it’s steamless, it’s reasonably well written, and though it’s nowhere near Heyer quality, some plot points and characters are vaguely reminiscent of her. But Georgiana and Dominic are incredibly frustrating! Why they fall for each other is a mystery, as they spend hardly any time together until they’re already “in love.” They seem incapable of rational communication and are kept apart by a series of increasingly stupid misunderstandings. So, unfortunately, this one is definitely not a keeper for me.

>162 christina_reads: That's great, Christina! I always enjoy your reviews, and I'm sure the blog readers will as well!

>164 NinieB: Thanks, and I hope you're right! :)

>162 christina_reads: Looking forward to this review! You'll be an asset to the romance blog.

>163 christina_reads: I have a soft spot for Stephanie Laurens because she's Australian and have read the other books in the Tangles series, but this one is really expensive. I'd read it if it were free.

>162 christina_reads: Congratulations! I'll bet even with a deadline to
meet it will be fun. I don't read much romance, but I always read your posts and pass on your opinions to the romance readers in my orbit.

>166 pamelad: Thank you! And too bad about the Laurens being so expensive. I lucked out by finding a cheap paper copy in a used bookstore.

>167 clue: Aw, thanks!

Book #47: Susanna Kearsley, The King’s Messenger
CATs: Cover (more than two elements/objects: birds, yellow swirls, text); Random (punctuation = apostrophe)
Bingo: Profession in the title

It’s 1613, and King James I sits on the throne of England. His son, Prince Henry, has recently died, and rumors suggest that he was poisoned. To investigate (or possibly to set up a scapegoat), the king sends one of his messengers, Andrew Logan, to arrest the prince’s mentor and close companion, Sir David Moray. Traveling with Andrew are a scrivener and his daughter, Phoebe Westaway, who will record any statements made by Sir David. Andrew and Phoebe have a contentious history, but their proximity on this journey leads to very different feelings. Meanwhile, their perspective on Sir David also begins to change. Susanna Kearsley is a top-notch writer of historical fiction, and while I don’t know much about this time period, her depiction feels believable and authentic. I found the present-day adventure and romance more interesting than Sir David’s history with the prince, which is interspersed in the narrative via flashbacks. But overall, I really liked this one, though A Desperate Fortune remains my favorite Kearsley novel.

Congratulations on your new adventure in writing. I am sure other readers will enjoy your reviews as much as I do.

>162 christina_reads: Congrats on your new writing role, how exciting!

>162 christina_reads: Well, that's exciting! Best wishes!

>170 LadyoftheLodge: >171 MissBrangwen: >172 beebeereads: Thank you all! :)

>162 christina_reads: Congratulations on this new role! I know they are lucky to have you as a reviewer.

>169 christina_reads: This really sounds like a good book. So much is written about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, but then there was James I and I'm glad there is someone who is delving into this time period.

>174 threadnsong: I totally agree! Kearsley also writes a lot about the Jacobites of the following century -- another time period that seems neglected for no reason!

Book #48: Annie Darling, Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop
CATs: Alpha (D = Darling) - I read this in May
Bingo: none

Nina, who works with her two BFFs at a bookstore specializing in romantic fiction, prides herself on being unconventional, from her vintage-pinup-girl style to her sleeves of tattoos. Her romantic ideal is Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Noah, a consultant who’s evaluating the bookstore’s finances, couldn’t be farther from Nina’s usual type—yet she feels a surprising attraction to him. But as they get to know each other, they discover an unpleasant shared history that may drive them apart. I remember enjoying the previous book in this series, True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop, but this one didn’t do much for me. I think it’s because I can’t really relate to Nina at all (again, her romantic ideal is Heathcliff). The book also feels pretty dated in its approach to friendships and relationships, despite being published in 2018—it seems a bit like a Bridget Jones’s Diary copycat. Overall, not a horrible book, but not one I’d recommend either.

May recap

May was a tough month for me, job-wise, and that translated into one of the worst reading months (in terms of quantity) I’ve had in a long time. Apparently I only have the mental bandwidth for Hallmark movies and “House Hunters” right now. Still, here’s what I managed to read this month:

Books read in May:
1. Emily Henry, Great Big Beautiful Life
2. Kristen Britain, Winterlight
3. Martha Waters, And Then There Was the One
4. Stephanie Laurens, Impetuous Innocent
5. Susanna Kearsley, The King’s Messenger
6. Annie Darling, Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop

Favorite book of the month:
I really enjoyed Great Big Beautiful Life; it’s both a sweeping historical saga and a lovely contemporary romance. The King’s Messenger is a very close second!

Dishonorable mention:
Winterlight wasn’t a bad book, but it was way too long at 800+ pages, and I just found it such a slog.

CATs completed:

• ColorCAT (red): Great Big Beautiful Life has a predominantly red cover, and Impetuous Innocent has a red spine and back cover.
  
• CoverCAT (more than two elements/objects): Both Great Big Beautiful Life and The King’s Messenger qualify, having multiple layers of graphics plus text.
  
• AlphaKIT (I, D): Stephanie Laurens, *Impetuous *Innocent; Annie *Darling, Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop
  
• RandomKIT (punctuation): The King’s Messenger contains an apostrophe.
  

Bingo squares completed:

• Profession in the title: The King’s Messenger qualifies.

Books acquired in May:

• Joanna Quinn, The Whalebone Theatre
  
• Caitlin Rozakis, Dreadful
  
• Martha Waters, And Then There Was the One (free e-book) (already read)

Book #49: Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic
CATs: none
Bingo: none

It’s 1950, and Noemí Taboada is a glamorous socialite in Mexico City. But when she receives a disturbing letter from her cousin Catalina, who has recently married and moved to her husband’s remote mountaintop estate, she decides to visit and find out what’s going on. Noemí is repulsed by the decaying estate and its hostile inhabitants. She’s also alarmed by Catalina’s seeming insanity, and becomes even more so when she too starts having strange dreams. She eventually uncovers a complex and horrific history that’s holding her cousin captive—and is now attempting to ensnare her as well. I’ve enjoyed every Moreno-Garcia book I’ve read so far, and this is no exception, though it’s way closer to horror than I normally go! It’s definitely not for the faint of heart—there’s violence (including sexual violence), body horror, and all manner of creepy goings-on. But I really liked this take on the gothic genre and how it explores power dynamics, particularly conquerors vs. conquered and men vs. women. I also loved Noemí as a heroine; she’s got quite a bit more intelligence and spunk than some of her predecessors in this genre. It’s not quite my kind of book, but if this premise interests you, I’d highly recommend it!

Book #50: Katherine Center, The Love Haters
CATs: Color (yellow = inner tube); Alpha (C = Center)
Bingo: none

Katie is a video producer at a struggling company that’s about to make some layoffs. So when her superior assigns her a job filming a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West, she jumps at the chance—even though she knows nothing about the Coast Guard and can’t even swim. Things get even trickier when she meets her subject, Hutch, who is kind and patient and staggeringly handsome. But both Katie and Hutch will have to overcome some baggage if they want to embrace the possibility of love. I like Katherine Center’s books and devoured this one in a single sitting. It’s funny and charming and romantic, but it also delves into some deeper issues, most notably Katie’s struggles with body image. Frankly, I’m torn on how the book handles that particular element…I did sympathize with Katie at times, but (although the book never reveals her size or weight) it’s clear that she is not a fat person. And as a fat person myself, I sometimes felt annoyed by the book’s simplistic message of body positivity. But apart from that issue, I did like this novel a lot and would recommend it to rom-com fans.

>178 christina_reads: Loved that one, and it was my introduction to Moreno-Garcia. She's become a major horror writer in a short time.
I agree, Noemi turned out to be such a smart MC.

>180 mstrust: I'm impressed with Moreno-Garcia's versatility! I really enjoyed Velvet Was the Night, which is a noir mystery, as well as The Beautiful Ones, which is a Regency-esque romance with a bit of magic. I like that all her novels seem different from one another.

Book #51: Edith Layton, To Wed a Stranger
CATs: Cover (wheels = carriage)
Bingo: none

Lady Annabelle Wylde is the reigning beauty of London society, but after several years of pursuing and being rejected by various men, her reputation has taken some hits. Now she’s nearing 30 and decides it’s time to marry. Her new husband is Miles Croft, Viscount Pelham, who is reasonably wealthy and handsome and has the right social status. Neither of them loves the other, though they hope that love might grow. But when Annabelle falls ill and loses her looks, a romance seems less likely than ever. This is my first experience with Edith Layton, but it won’t be my last because I really enjoyed this book! I love a marriage of convenience, and I thought both Annabelle and Miles had realistic thoughts and feelings about their situation. I also liked Annabelle’s growth as she slowly realizes that her worth isn’t determined by her looks. This book is part of a series, and while it can be read as a stand-alone, it’s made me curious to try out a few of the earlier installments. I’d definitely recommend this one to fans of the genre; it’s one of the better Regencies I’ve read lately.

Book #52: Megan Whalen Turner, Moira’s Pen: A Queen’s Thief Collection
CATs: Alpha (C = Collection, Q = Queen’s); SF&F (anthologies/collections)
Bingo: none

I’m a huge fan of the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, so I was excited to pick up this collection of stories and other short works that are set in the same world. Some of the stories have been previously published in various editions of the series novels, while others are new. The book also contains some essays by the author sharing her inspiration for various places, items, and characters. I generally liked this collection, though it’s nowhere near as compelling or emotionally rich as the main series. It’s been a few years since I read the novels, so I didn’t remember who some of the supporting characters were; I think I’d have enjoyed the stories more if the main series were fresh in my mind. Still, it was nice to spend a little more time in this world, and the completist in me is glad to own this book. I’d only recommend it to those who love the series, though – if you haven’t read any of the main novels, you’ll have no idea what’s going on!

Book #53: Anthony Wynne, Murder of a Lady
CATs: Cover (something with wheels = car)
Bingo: none

This mystery, set in the Scottish Highlands, opens with the murder of Mary Gregor, the elderly sister of the local laird. Her corpse is found in a locked room, and the police are stymied as to how the murderer got in or out. The discovery of a fish scale on the body leads the locals to believe that supernatural merman-like creatures are responsible. Luckily, amateur detective Dr. Eustace Hailey is visiting the area, and he eventually discovers a more logical explanation—but not before a troubled marriage nearly falls apart, and several more deaths occur. I quite liked this Golden Age mystery; I didn’t guess the culprit, and the locked-room puzzle was ingenious. I also found the psychological discussion interesting, although it occasionally seemed questionable and dated. But Hailey’s analysis of the dead woman’s character is both fascinating and integral to the solution of the case. It’s a bit melodramatic, and the book ends very abruptly; but overall, I liked this one and would recommend it to vintage mystery fans.

>184 christina_reads: Ooh, I'm glad you liked that one, as it's waiting on my shelf. And good eye for the teeny tiny car!

>185 NinieB: It had been on my shelf for several years, so I'm glad I finally picked it up. And I wasn't even thinking of this book for the CoverCAT, but when I saw the tiny car, I thought, technically it counts!

>184 christina_reads: It's on my shelf as well, so I am glad to read that you liked it.

>187 MissBrangwen: I'll be interested to see what you think of it as well.

Book #54: Mimi Matthews, Rules for Ruin
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Euphemia “Effie” Flite was plucked from the streets as a child and placed in the Crinoline Academy, a school dedicated to educating strong and independent young women. Effie graduated years ago, but now the headmistress is calling in a favor: Effie must use her training to ruin the reputation of Lord Compton, a member of Parliament who’s opposing a bill that would allow married women to own property. In so doing, Effie butts heads with Gabriel Royce, a self-made man from the London slums who needs Compton’s influence to pursue his plans for social reform. I think Mimi Matthews is one of the best historical romance authors writing today, but I was worried that this new series would be too anachronistic and unsubtle (the back cover says something about “disrupting the patriarchy”). Happily, my fears were unjustified; Effie and Gabriel are both progressive thinkers for their time, but their beliefs are grounded in their cultural context and make sense for their characters. I also loved the romance, which is steamless but leaves no doubt that Effie and Gabriel are wildly attracted to each other. I’m excited to continue with the series—book 2 comes out in November!

>189 christina_reads: I had the same worries about the book, so I am happy to read that you liked it and that it makes sense!

>190 MissBrangwen: I was very pleasantly surprised, and hope you will like it too.

Book #55: Genevieve Cogman, The Untold Story
CATs: Alpha (C = Cogman)
Bingo: none

***Warning: SPOILERS for previous books in the series!***

In the last (at least for now) installment of the Invisible Library series, Irene finally comes to a reckoning with Alberich, who is a murderer, a traitor to the Library—and Irene’s biological father. But at their climactic meeting, Alberich reveals information that has Irene questioning her most deeply held beliefs and loyalties. How was the Library founded, who really controls it, and for what purpose? Irene must find these answers without getting herself or her loved ones killed in the process. When I first read The Invisible Library, I remember being disappointed that Alberich was a villain with no nuance and that Irene never questioned the benevolence of the Library. Thankfully, those complaints are no longer valid! This book finally digs into the Library’s true nature and sheds some light on a few things from previous books that seemed strange or incongruous. I think it’s a satisfying ending to the series, though I can imagine Irene & co. having further adventures if the author ever wants to return to this world.

Book #56: Sarah Ready, Ghosted
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Jillian writes a column about love and relationships, but her paralyzing shyness around men means she’s never had a serious relationship herself. That all changes when she moves into a new apartment and promptly bumps into a hot shirtless guy named Daniel. Jillian has no trouble talking to him—because it turns out he’s a ghost, and she’s the only one who can see him. They decide he needs to help her with her career and love life in order to “move on,” but as they grow closer, Jillian wants him to stay with her instead. I’m of two minds about this book. The romance develops way too quickly, but then there’s a twist halfway through that puts a new spin on the relationship, but then in the end the ghost-related logistics aren’t really explained. So, you have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit. That said, some of the emotional moments did land, and I really enjoyed the secondary characters such as Jillian’s coworkers. So overall, I liked it fine but didn’t love it.

Book #57: Ashley Weaver, One Final Turn
CATs: none
Bingo: none

This is another book I'm reviewing for All About Romance, so I won't say too much here yet -- though I'll provide the link to my full review once it's published! All I'll say now is that it's the final installment of the Electra McDonnell series of mystery/spy novels set during World War II. If you like the series, I think you'll like this book too. :)

ETA: The full review is here: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/one-final-turn-by-ashley-weaver/

Book #58: Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric’s Fox
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Sorcerer Penric and his friend Inglis, a shaman, plan to enjoy a leisurely day of fishing. But when their friend Oswyl, a policeman of sorts, interrupts them to reveal that a sorceress has been killed, they both join him at the crime scene, and Penric finds himself once again helping to investigate a murder. But alongside finding the sorceress’s killer is an equally important question: Where is her demon? I’m continuing to enjoy this series about Penric and his snarky demon, Desdemona. So far it’s been a fun mix of fantasy world-building and crime solving, with likable characters who are learning to work together; I hope we’ll continue to see more of Inglis and Oswyl in future installments. I also love the richness of Bujold’s theology in this world. Overall, delightful as always, and I’ll definitely be continuing with the series!

Book #59: Linda Holmes, Back After This
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Cecily is an audio producer for a podcast network, but she’s always wanted to host her own show. Now she finally has her chance, but the show her boss proposes is not her style, to say the least. The network wants her to work with an influencer-turned-relationship-coach, Eliza, who will set her up on 20 dates and give her advice on how to find love. Cecily agrees reluctantly but is surprised by Eliza’s perceptiveness. Meanwhile, as she goes on dates for the podcast, she also connects with Will, a man she meets by chance—but will she have to choose between a promising romance and the success of her show? I really like Linda Holmes’s writing style; she’s funny and her characters feel like real people. I also loved Cecily’s arc in the novel—she’s likable and sympathetic throughout, but she clearly needs to grow and change in some areas, and Eliza is surprisingly helpful with this. Some of her advice to Cecily is really true and pointed. The romance is a winner as well, so overall, I liked this one a lot!

Book #60: Stella Riley, Masque of Deceptions
CATs: none
Bingo: none

Daniel, Viscount Reculver, has recently inherited his father’s title, along with a mountain of debt he didn’t know about. To make ends meet, he’s begun selling some of his family’s valuables. When Anna Hawthorne of Hawthorne’s porcelain manufactory hears this news, she’s determined to buy back the set of scent bottles that the late viscount had purchased from Hawthorne’s over the years. But when she meets the handsome and charming Daniel, she’s tempted to make a different offer entirely. As Daniel contemplates her surprising proposal, he begins to see Anna in a new light. This is the second book in Stella Riley’s new series, after The Shadow Earl, and I liked it more than its predecessor. Both Anna and Daniel are very sympathetic characters, and their slow journey from awkwardness to love is delightful. Of course Daniel’s close friends, at least two of whom are sequel bait, make a few appearances, but the focus is largely on the central romance. There are not one but two villains, which gets a bit tiresome, but luckily they don’t overwhelm the story. I’m hoping the next book in this series comes out soon, as I’m definitely excited to read it!

Book #61: Sulari Gentill, The Woman in the Library
CATs: none
Bingo: “Library” or “Thing” in title

Four strangers are sitting at the same table in the reading room of the Boston Public Library, when they hear a woman scream. At the time nobody knows what’s happened, but news reports later reveal that the woman was murdered. The four strangers, who began talking to each other after hearing the scream, quickly become friends and speculate on who could have killed the woman—but things get complicated when it comes out that one of them has a violent past. I was intrigued by the premise of this book and imagined it would be a variation of the locked-room whodunnit, perhaps with a side of “unbreakable” alibi. Instead, very little time is actually spent on the woman in the library, as the book becomes more of a thriller, with plenty of "shocking" but repetitive revelations and a couple more violent deaths. As a thriller, it was…fine. The unmasking of the murderer fell flat, and then everything ended very abruptly. Overall, I just found it a bit lackluster, and I wouldn’t particularly recommend it.

June recap

Books read in June:
1. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic
2. Katherine Center, The Love Haters
3. Edith Layton, To Wed a Stranger
4. Megan Whalen Turner, Moira’s Pen: A Queen’s Thief Collection
5. Anthony Wynne, Murder of a Lady
6. Mimi Matthews, Rules for Ruin
7. Genevieve Cogman, The Untold Story
8. Sarah Ready, Ghosted
9. Ashley Weaver, One Final Turn
10. Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric’s Fox
11. Linda Holmes, Back After This
12. Stella Riley, Masque of Deceptions
13. Sulari Gentill, The Woman in the Library

Favorite book of the month:
I feel like it’s boring to pick the Mimi Matthews book, as I’m such a big fan of hers, but I really did love Rules for Ruin!

Dishonorable mention:
Ghosted was a decent read, but I found myself getting too hung up on the plot logistics.

CATs completed:

• ColorCAT (yellow): The Love Haters features a bright yellow inner tube on the cover.
  
• CoverCAT (something with wheels): To Wed a Stranger has a carriage on the cover, and Murder of a Lady has a tiny car.
  
• AlphaKIT (C, Q): Katherine *Center, The Love Haters; Megan Whalen Turner, Moira's Pen: A *Queen's Thief *Collection; Genevieve *Cogman, The Untold Story
  
• SF&FKIT (anthologies & collections): Moira's Pen: A Queen's Thief Collection is a collection of stories, poems, essays, etc. set in the Queen’s Thief universe.
  

Bingo squares completed:

• “Library” or “Thing” in the title: The Woman in the Library qualifies.
  

Books acquired in June:

• Maggie Stiefvater, The Listeners
  
• Christianna Brand, London Particular
  
• Alicia Thompson, The Art of Catching Feelings
  

Please join me at my new thread for the second half of the year! https://www.librarything.com/topic/371976