Juli (SuziQoregon) reads through 2025 - Thread 1

Hi, I'm Juli and I’ve been hanging around the 75 books group on and off for several years. I haven’t read 75 books in a year in several years but I haven’t been kicked out so I’m back again. Who knows, this might be the year.

I live in the NE suburbs of Vancouver, WA. We moved here a couple of years ago after living most of our adult lives across the river in Portland, OR. I’m retired and I think The Hubster might finally retire some time in 2025.

Expect books, cats, jigsaw puzzles, and other random nonsense around here.

Speaking of cats, this is Steve and Sophie. The day they called a Friday afternoon meeting in the tub.

They spend a lot of time watching the field behind our house.

Happy 2025, Juli.

>3 SuziQoregon: I love that!

Welcome back, Juli!

Let's resolve to do this more in 2025, Juli.

Happy New Year, Juli. Great photos of the cats. I hope 2025 is a good one for you.

Happy New Year, Juli!

Hope you have a great 2025 with lots of interesting books to fill your time!

Happy New Year, Juli! Steve and Sophie are just so adorable - I still remember when you first got Sophie, and it's so wonderful that they love to hang out together so much.

I have never counted my books before. I am a retired English teacher who always read but when I was teaching, I was so busy with the books I was teaching that I took forever with my own books (except in the summer) So now 75 books? Not sure I can though I am up one for 2025. Just finished Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where are you? I plan to return it tomorrow and start the new Murakami

>3 SuziQoregon: Happy New Year, and happy reading in 2025! (Love the kitties!!)

Happy new year and new thread! Steve and Sophie are so cute in the tub!

Happy New Year, Juli!

>5 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! The cats definitely keep us entertained.

>6 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>7 richardderus: Oh I need to save that one. Love it!

>8 BLBera: Thank you. Same to you :-)

>9 jnwelch: Thanks Joe!

>10 thornton37814: That sounds perfect.

>11 Crazymamie: Thanks. Steve is only 11 months older than Sophie so they bonded quickly when we got her.

>13 ocgreg34: Thanks and hope you have a great reading year too!

>14 banjo123: Thanks! Hope we can manage some meetups this year. Always fun to get the locals together. That tub photo is one of my favorites.

>15 ffortsa: Thanks and Happy New Year to you too!

Happy New Year!

>3 SuziQoregon: and >4 SuziQoregon: Such great kitty portraits!

>18 Berly: Thanks Kim!

>19 justchris: Aw thank you Chris. Steve and Sophie are fun cats.

First puzzle of 2025
The Country Bus from Bits and Pieces (500 pieces)

This was a Christmas gift from my SIL and a quick pretty one to start off the year.

It’s got me looking forward to the upcoming new season of All Creatures Great and Small.

1. Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor narrated by Ray Porter 4 Stars

This is the latest (fifth) book in the Bobiverse series. I’ve listened to the audio editions because Ray Porter’s narration makes these nerdy and science heavy books completely entertaining.

The Bobiverse is the result of the mind of the original Bob installed in a self replicating spaceship and sent out to explore the galaxy. 200 years later there are generations of clones of the original Bob and other “post life” humans still exploring and looking for other intelligent life as well as both helping and annoying the remaining human population.

It’s complicated and ridiculous and a bit silly at times but this series and primarily the way Ray Porter performs it is just fun. Don’t pick it up in the middle. Start with the first book and be aware the book 4 is the weakest one.

>22 SuziQoregon: I have only listened to the first book in that series, but I completely agree about Ray Porter's narration.

Happy Friday, Juli!

>23 Crazymamie: He is so good. I want to listen to Project Hail Mary again because of him.

I adored Project Hail Mary!! Definitely one I will listen to again.

>25 Crazymamie: Yep! Absolutely worth a second listen. I actually first knew of Ray Porter as an actor at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We’ve seen him onstage in many productions there. It was later that I found out about his audiobook narration. There are several actors we have seen at OSF that do audiobook narration.

Puzzle 2 of 2025

I can’t show it to you because it’s a mystery puzzle.
Murder Most Puzzling - The Missing Will from Chronicle Books
You have to put together the puzzle without knowing the image then use the clues in the story and the puzzle image to solve the mystery.

Here’s the back as proof I completed it 🤣
Good quality puzzle with well fitting pieces so it was easy to pick up and flip over for the photo.

>28 SuziQoregon: I would have believed you without the back picture, of course! I think I did one of these years ago, when I could still do puzzles flat on the table. Now I would need a slanted board to do any of my puzzles, and there's no room for that just now.

Juli, you made me laugh with your proof of puzzling.

>1 SuziQoregon: Hahaha -- too true.

>28 SuziQoregon: I love this. We did a maze / mystery puzzle last year. It was fun.

>29 ffortsa: I couldn't resist the photo of the backside.

>30 Crazymamie: Good. That's what I was hoping for.

>31 EBT1002: Glad you liked the topper. I thought that was pretty accurate. I had fun with the mystery puzzle.

2. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune 4 Stars

I liked this one. I didn’t love it as much as the first book (The House on the Cerulean Sea) but I enjoyed being back with the characters and getting to know them better. The addition of another magical child to the group was fun. The transition of the characters from orphans and orphanage master to family was well done. The slightly lower rating is primarily due to a bit much speechifying. The parts of the story with the characters interacting were good, the lecturing not so much.

A sequel I’m glad I read even if I liked the first one better.

The Hubster submitted his resignation today. He’s retiring at the end of the month. My five year routine of being the only one of us retired is about to get rattled ;-)

Seriously though, planning for this is one of the reasons we bought the floorplan we did when we moved. We purposely bought a house with four bedrooms so that we could have a guest room and that each of us could have our own den on opposite sides of the house. We wanted us to both have our own space to retreat to when we wanted to.

Personally I predict lots of golf in his future.

>34 SuziQoregon: Your situation is very similar to ours - my wife retired 2 years ago & I sold my business & retired last August. We also have a 4 bedroom house & my former home office is now my library/den & Deb has her own room, but shares it with a spare bed used when our daughter visits with her kids, who get that bed.

Time to enjoy yourselves!

>35 ChrisG1: Yep! Looking forward to it.

>34 SuziQoregon: Congratulations to your Hubster. Sounds like you have your future well mapped out and good idea to have separate spaces. Here's to a very happy retirement for both of you!!!

Congratulations to your husband on his retirement. Yes, I think it is essential to have some private space. Of course, I don't, as Jim and I live in a one-bedroom apartment. From time to time we ignore each other.

Good thinking about the separate spaces, Juli. Congrats to your husband on retirement.

>37 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba! I'm looking forward to the end of his weekday morning alarm.

>38 ffortsa: Thanks Judy LOL at "from time to time we ignore each other" - probably wise in a smaller space.

>39 Crazymamie: Thank you. I'm happy for us to be entering this new phase.

3. The Examiner by Janice Hallett 4 Stars

What a ride. This one kept surprising me right through the end. It’s about a group of students in a masters focusing on multimedia and working with a business to create their cooperative final project. The story is made up of messaging app records, essays, grading feedback on their assignments and other forms of written and electronic communication.

The group is diverse in culture, age, and experience. Within the first few pages the reader knows that the final project is ready for presentation and that something has gone terribly wrong somewhere during the academic year.

I generally enjoy epistolary novels, and this was no exception. Reading this book is a matter of piecing together the story through the communications without knowing who is telling the truth or even what the truth may be.

As I said, I kept getting surprised right through to the final pages.

>41 SuziQoregon: This is tempting. I read The Appeal, which is in a similar indirect format, and enjoyed it very much.

>42 ffortsa: I don't have that one yet but I do have another of hers on my ereader (The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. The Appeal looks interesting.

4. The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz 4 Stars

This is the follow up to The Plot which is about an author who steals the idea for a book from a student and is then haunted by the consequences of his actions. In this second book the author’s widow is now an author in her own right as well as managing her husband’s literary legacy. When Anna begins getting messages and lightly veiled threats regarding her book and story it seems that history might be repeating itself. In this case however, Anna is less wary than her husband of taking decisive action to protect her own past and future.

I enjoyed The Plot and was happy to see a follow-up book. This one is a twisty thriller, and I enjoyed it. Don’t read it until after you read The Plot.

5. On Turpentine Laneby Elinor Lipman narrated by Mia Barron 3.5 Stars

This was a mix of romance, family drama, and mystery and I thought it was a lot of fun. Faith Frankel has returned to her hometown and is working in the development department of her former private school. On a bit of a whim Faith buys a house on Turpentine Lane without telling her fiancé. He’s off on a walking tour across the country but seemingly spending much of his time posting photos on social media of himself with various women.

Faith soon discovers that her house may hold some dark secrets. Her coworker Nick breaks up with his girlfriend and ends up as Faith’s housemate. In the meantime, Faith’s father is on his own path of self-discovery that may or may not include Faith’s mother.

It’s an enjoyable and entertaining story with enough surprises to balance the predictable parts and Mia Barron’s narration is good (but needs to have the speed boosted a bit).

6. A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year by Jackie Lau 3.5 Stars

This is the third novella in the Holidays With the Wongs series. After his mother and grandmother set up blind dates for Thanksgiving for Zach and his three siblings he’s taking no chances for Chinese New Year. He decides to thwart any matchmaking plans for the holiday by convincing them he’s got a girlfriend. His friend Jo (a local dentist) agrees to go on a few public “dates” and join the family for their holiday.

Yes, we all know how it will end but it’s a fun and sexy story with a hilarious cutthroat family Pictionary game.

There is one more I this series that I will be reading for Valentines Day.

Happy New Thread, Juli. Sorry, I thought I had stopped by earlier and dropped a star. I hope your year is off to a fine start. I saw that your husband is retiring. How exciting for you both. Enjoy!

>47 msf59: Thanks Mark! Nice to have you stop by.

7. So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan 4 Stars

This is a collection of three short stories subtitled Stories of Women and Men. Claire Keegan has an amazing ability to pack a whole lot of story into a relatively small number of pages. I liked this one a lot. Not quite as much as the other two novellas of hers I have read but it’s still very good. I really don’t want to say much about the three stories because I think they’re better if you learn what each is about the way she chooses to tell you. They are fairly quick reads but will involve a lot of thinking time. This author is a must read for me.

Wondering how the first week of joint retirement has gone....

>50 EBT1002: Well, we spent half of it over in Pacific City with friends on our annual beach weekend, so I'd say it was pretty good. I'm sure it still feels like vacation to him. I think we're starting to settle in to a routine. Once the weather warms up, I expect he will spend plenty of his time playing golf. We were talking with our friends who live in SW Portland while we were over at the coast. I think we're going to set up some routine "Play dates" for the Husbands so that they can go do whatever guy stuff they want to and get out of our way on a regular basis.

;-)

>51 SuziQoregon: LOL -- sounds like a great idea

>51 SuziQoregon: That sounds great, Juli! I admit that I wish P had a hobby or activity that took her out of the house a wee bit more. I think that'll develop once we're living in town.

>52 RebaRelishesReading: I originally told our friends I was going to send him to their house one day a week for day care but then we decided getting them together regularly to do stuff beyond just golf would be good.

>53 EBT1002: I’m excited for you to get settled for a long term home. New friendships and social opportunities for both of you.

>54 SuziQoregon: Thanks, Juli. I'm excited to get settled in town, too, although I am loving how snowy it is in Camp Sherman!

Puzzle 3 of 2025

Par for the Course from Cobble Hill Puzzles
Part of the Doodletown series

I enjoy cartoon style puzzles like this. I will look for more from this series. Lots of fun details all over it.

8. The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner 3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this contemporary romance with a fun time travel element. After a horrible year in which she lost her job, apartment, and boyfriend Sadie Thatcher is not really in the mood to go to a circus themed New Year’s Eve party, but her friend convinces her. After evading a creepy clown, she stumbles upon a fortune teller tent and decides to see if her future looks any better. She ends up telling the fortune teller she’d would love to redo the past year to fix mistakes she thinks she made. The fortune teller grants her wish. When she wakes up the next morning it’s January 1st of the previous year.

Sadie learns a lot as she lives her year again but with knowledge of what will happen. Changing how she reacts and choices she makes do cause things to turn out differently but not always in ways she expects.

This was a fun story. I enjoyed the supporting cast of characters and while some of it was predictable the journey was entertaining.

9. Hurricane Punch by Tim Dorsey 3.5 Stars

This is the ninth book in the Serge Storms series and it’s just as insane and hilarious as all of the others. Serge loves Florida and knows more about its history and trivia than almost anyone. He’s also insane and not a fan of his meds. His sidekick Coleman is continually high and willing to go along with pretty much anything Serge comes up with. Serge is not a serial killer because the people he kills deserve their fate and Serge continues to find creative ways to do away with people who break the social contract.

This time around Serge and Coleman are touring Florida through multiple hurricanes and trying to find out who the serial killer is that’s claiming to be Serge. Agent Mahoney, a former nemesis of Serge’s, is out of the mental hospital and on the trail.

It’s violent, it’s utterly implausible, it’s hilarious.

>22 SuziQoregon: Just started the latest Bob and loving as per usual!! : )

>27 SuziQoregon: I have that puzzle and one more (yet to be solved) by the same company. Though it was fun! >28 SuziQoregon: LOL. Proof.

And how are the retirement playdates going? Are you driving each other crazy yet or having fun? Hopefully the latter!!

>59 Berly: Glad you're enjoying the latest Bob. I liked it. Retirement is going well. He's getting out and doing things (golf mostly). He was in Nevada for a few days last week playing golf with friends from college. He had fun and I enjoyed a few days to myself. All in all, we seem to be settling into a good routine of doing things together and separately.

10. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore 3.5 Stars

I got the second book in the series for Christmas from my Sister in Law but of course I had to start with book one.

This is a Halllmark movie in book form. City girl leaves the corporate world to move to a quaint small town to take over her aunt's coffee shop when her aunt wants to retire. A town full of quirky characters all informed on everyone else's business and lives. A hot bearded flannel wearing farmer. Fun Grumpy-Sunshine romance with a little bit of mystery involved. Someone seems to be sabotaging things around the cafe and one problem after another means hot grumpy farmer with a bad romantic history that keeps him suspicious and wary has to come to her aid.

Nothing too deep but a fun palate cleanser of a book. Now I'm ready to continue with the series.

11. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano 4 Stars

This book has been on my ereader for ages. I'm so glad I finally read it. The good thing about waiting so long is that I now have four more books in the series ready to read with no waiting.

Finlay is not exactly killing it. She's a single mom of two with an ex (and his fiance) trying to get custody of the kids. She's a romantic suspense author and way behind on deadlines for her next book. The bills are piling up and she's barely hanging on. At a lunch meeting with her agent the woman at the next table misinterprets their conversation about the plot of Finlay's book. She slips a note into Finlay's bag because she thinks Finlay is a hired assassin and she wants Finlay to kill her husband. The money she's offering is extremely tempting.

This is a fun mix of humor, suspense, romance, and crime that is more reminiscent of the Keystone Cops than The Sopranos. I enjoyed the heck out of it and am looking forward to reading the next book.

Congrats on your home being filled with retirees.

>58 SuziQoregon: The Serge Storms series looks like fun and is clearly doing well with 26 books! That might be too big a commitment for me, though.

>61 SuziQoregon: I swear I saw this one in my Kobo book recs at one point, but I'm not seeing it now. It's the sort of fluff I'm racing through these days.

>62 SuziQoregon: This one also looks interesting.

Basically, I like what you're reading. Hope all is well with y'all.

>63 justchris: Thanks Chris and yes all is well around here. Hope the same is true for you.

12. Conclave by Robert Harris 4 Stars

After two of my friends read this and really liked it I decided I wanted to read it before watching the recent movie. It’s fascinating. I enjoyed all the political intrigue involved int eh election of a new pope. I also enjoyed learning about the procedures involved in the process. Although much of what takes place during a papal conclave is secret, the author’s research allows him to tell the story very well.

It was very interesting to read this while the current pope was in the hospital and very ill. I highly recommend this one. Now I have to wait for The Hubster to read it so we can watch the movie.

13. Giant by Edna Ferber narrated by Courtney Patterson 4 Stars

I have never read this, nor have I seen the movie with Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. I decided I needed to remedy both of those situations. Naturally, I had to read the book first. I’m glad I went with the audio edition. I enjoyed listening to Courtney Patterson. Aside from a few mispronounced places and names she did a good job with it and I would not hesitate to listen to her narrate another book.

The story opens in the 1950’s with a group of wealthy Texans on their way to the grand opening of a hotel owned by another flashy wealthy Texan named Jett Rink. Clearly the Benedict family, consisting of Bick, Leslie and their two children are the focus of the story. After a fight breaks out at the opening the story shifts to twenty-five years earlier to when Bick and Leslie first met.

She’s a society girl in Virginia; He’s a wealthy Texas rancher. They marry and Leslie is transplanted to a place and society in Texas that is as foreign to her as if she’s moved to the other side of the world. Leslie is intelligent and curious and a stark contrast to the other wives of Bick’s friends and business associates. She and Bick love each other dearly but constantly disagree regarding how she behaves versus how he expects her to. Jett Rink is an employee of Bick’s at this point in the story.

I enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to finally watching the movie.

14. After the Storm by Linda Castillo 4 Stars

This is the seventh book in the Kate Burkholder mystery series. Kate grew up Amish but left the faith and her family and friends. She’s now the chief of police in the town where she grew up. Her Amish history is both a help and a hindrance when the crimes she investigates involve members of the Amish community.

This one begins with a tornado devastating parts of the town. When bones are found in the rubble of an old barn that collapsed the story of determining who it is and how he died is complex.

As with other books in this series, the story contains both modern police work and Kate’s interactions with the Amish community. There’s also her somewhat complex, ongoing romantic relationship with a state law enforcement officer.

Parts of this one got a bit gruesome but the mystery and side stories were well done and interesting. A series worth reading but start with the first book.

Hi Juli. Just swinging by to see what's happening on your thread. I hope you are well.

>68 EBT1002: Thanks for checking in. I apparently missed all of April and May. Oopsies.
Time for me to catch up with posting my books.

All is well here. The Hubster and I seem to have settled in to a nice routine now that we're both retired. We have a nice mix of doing things together and separately. We managed a lovely week at the coast in May. He's playing a lot of golf and is in a weekly walking group along with the neighbor down the street. Good for both of them to get out together. We're off to the Reno/Lake Tahoe area tomorrow. We haven't been there since before Covid to it'll be a nice few days in a place we enjoy. We're taking a steam train from Carson City to Virginia City and back and we're also doing a sternwheeler cruise on Lake Tahoe. Weather looks like it will be really nice.

15. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler 4 Stars

This was an interesting little book. My first Anne Tyler but likely not my last. The story takes place the three days around Gail’s daughter’s wedding. The day before the wedding June walks out of her job he middle of the day. Her daughter Debbie is at a spa day that includes the mother of the groom but Gail was not invited.

Then Gail’s ex husband Max shows up at her door needing a place to stay for the weekend. He also has an older foster cat with him. Debbie shares with her parents something she was told about the groom that may bring her to call off the wedding.

The whole thing sends Gail on a look back at her life with and without Max and her relationship with her daughter. Over the three days and a relatively short number of pages there is much more story than you would expect and much of it is between the lines of what is actually said.

This was funny, happy, sad, and touching all at the same time.

16. Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman 4 Stars

This is a quick novella related to the Heartstopper series of graphic novels. The series is charming story of a teen gay romance. Nick and Charlie are completely adorable and delightful.

This novella takes place at the end of the school year when Nick is graduating and heading off to University and Charlie still has another year of school. Nick is excited and Charlie is wary. Will they survive a long-distance relationship? Will Nick want to break up with him? Will Nick please stop talking all the time about how excited he is to be leaving?

It’s typical teen romance troubles but it’s complicated by the fact that Charlie is afraid that their relationship won’t survive but at the same time he won’t tell Nick what’s really going on and all Nick knows is that Charlie is mad at him

This was a good addition to the series, and I liked how the characters managed their fears and worries. Funny how actually communicating helps.

17. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 4 Stars

I first read this about a year ago but decided that I wanted to reread it before continuing with the next two books in the series. I’m glad I read it again. There were definitely details I’d forgotten. I enjoyed it just as much the second time and the snarky dragons are still my favorite part. I’m looking forward to reading the second book soon.

18. The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore 3.5 Stars

This is the second book in the Dream Harbor series. I got this for Christmas from my Sister-in-law but had to read the first book in the series before I read this.

It’s another Hallmark movie in book form. Quaint small town, quirky but gorgeous townspeople, secret crushes that everyone knows about, opposites attracting, etc.

Hazel has worked in the bookstore for years but with her 30th birthday looming she’s looking for a way to have some wild adventure she never had. When she starts finding clues in romance books in the store she takes them as a quest. Gorgeous fisherman Noah agrees to help her with this scavenger hunt and have a fun summer before her birthday.

Of course, Noah already has a crush on Hazel and they both keep reminding themselves that this is just a summer casual thing and you already know exactly how it’s going to end.

It’s a pleasant enough palate cleanser between other types of books. I think I liked the first one in the series a little better than this one. I’m not sure whether I’ll continue the series or not.

19. Beach Read by Emily Henry narrated by Julia Whelan 4 Stars

After enjoying Funny Story by Emily Henry, I decided to try another of her books. Choosing the audio edition was easy because Julia Whelan is one of my favorite narrators.

January Andrews is a romance writer who has serious writer’s block. A lot of it is related to the recent death of her father and learning that in many ways he was not the man she thought he was. It’s clouded her belief in a happily ever after and for a romance writer that’s a tough hurdle to get over.

Then while cleaning and getting her father’s house in Michigan ready for sale it turns out that the neighbor is Gus Everett who she knew in college. He’s a literary fiction writer and they could not be more different. Except that he’s also blocked. They make a bet and decide to swap genres for the summer. He’ll write a happy ending for his next book, and she’ll write a literary fiction book.

It’s part fun romance, part about the process for an author to get over a block and write and also part about coming to terms with grief and past actions by others that have altered one’s outlook on life.

I liked this one a lot.

20. Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer 3.5 Stars

This is the sequel to Assistant to the Villain which I thoroughly enjoyed. This continues the story and is just as fun. It’s a send up of all the common romantasy tropes so definitely not to be taken as serious high-level fantasy. I mean, the dragon is named Fluffy and there’s a frog with a crown that holds up signs with what he wants to add to the conversation.

I like the main characters, and the supporting cast is great too. I enjoyed getting to know more about everyone and seeing the relationships develop along with the story.

As with the first, the ending is open. I’m looking forward to the next book due out later this summer.

21. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez 4 Stars

I’ve had many friends recommend Abby Jimenez so it’s about time I finally read one of her books. This was very good, and I will definitely be reading more.

Alexis Montgomery is an emergency physician at the hospital her family was instrumental in founding and supporting for multiple generations. She and her brother are expected to continue the family tradition and continue to lead the facility. On her way home near a small town, she drives her car into a ditch avoiding a raccoon. She’s rescued and towed out by Daniel the local too good to be believable guy. She ends up getting dinner at the local VFW before continuing home. Daniel and his friends are there.

The chemistry between Alexis and Daniel is apparent from the start but they seem doomed to relationship failure because she can’t escape her family obligations and big city lifestyle, and he is committed to his small town lifestyle and obligations he has to the place where he grew up.

Fun contemporary romance with a few surprise twists along the way. There is discussion of emotionally manipulative and abusive behavior but not between Alexis and Daniel. I’ve already got the next one on my ereader.

22. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 4 Stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Fourth Wing when I read it for the first time last year but then I decided to reread it before starting this second book in the series. I’m glad I did that so that all the history and intrigue was fresher in my mind.

This continuation of the series was just as enjoyable as the first book. The surprises at the end of the first book are explained further and the surprises continue to come throughout the book.

My favorite parts are once again the snarky dragons. Adolescent humans are extremely easy to put up with compared to adolescent dragons. That part provided regular humorous moments among all the political and military happenings that are much less humorous thanks to some pretty nasty creatures wanting to do away with most of both human and dragon populations.

I’m going to take a break for a few books before continuing with the third book in the series but don’t want to wait too long because the ending of this one definitely has me wondering what’s going to happen next.

Great to see you back posting and reviewing up a storm too, Juli. xx

>78 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. This gets me through the end of May. I’ve got a couple more that I’ve finished in June but they’ll have to wait until we get back from our trip.

Nice to see you again Juli. Your trip to Tahoe sounds lovely. We took that train a few years ago and enjoyed it.

We need to make that lunch date when you get back. Have you been to White Oak Books recently?

>80 RebaRelishesReading: I have not been to White Oak Books since they expanded and I want to go! I’ll text you when we get back about a lunch date.

>81 SuziQoregon: Yes, please do. I keep thinking about it but things seem to get in the way -- if you contact me I'll actually do something.

At this point my goal is to finish recording the books I read this year. And that hasn't been many. Apparently, The Hubster being retired has negatively impacted my reading time. ;-)

23. Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor narrated by Zara Ramm 4 Stars

Another great adventure with my favorite time traveling historians. This time St. Mary’s is under new management and it’s definitely not a good thing. Max is certain that the new director as well as the new head of security and her new team are all a bunch of idiots.

A jump to ancient Babylon starts out well but ends in disaster and despite Max’s efforts two of her team may be gone. She ends up getting fired and has no idea what she’ll do now.

Fortunately, an unexpected opportunity arises and the fun of this series continues in a new and interesting way.

This series is fantastic whether in print or audio. I personally love the audio editions because I feel that Zara Ramm perfectly embodies Max’s voice and attitude. Read the series but start at the beginning.

24. Hotel Splendide by Ludwig Bemelmans 3.5 Stars

I learned about this book from the Read Like the Wind newsletter from the New York Times. Often it features older and out-of-print books and because of it, I’ve discovered quite a few gems. Ludwig Bemelmans is the author and illustrator of the Madeline book series for children. He also wrote for adults.

This little book is a fictionalized memoir of the author’s time working as a busboy and waiter at several high-end New York hotels in the 1920’s. The Hotel Splendide is a thinly disguised Ritz Carlton where Bemelmans worked for 15 years.

The book is a series of stories about the dining room staff and guests at the hotel. Much of it is humorous and charming and parts are definitely a reminder of societal norms that are best left in the past. All in all, it was witty and charming with a few moments that were a bit darker. Worth a read if you can hunt up a copy.

25. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde 4 Stars

This is the third book in Fforde’s Thursday Next series. It’s a mix of alternate history, fantasy, science fiction, humor, and mystery. It’s a challenge to say much about the plot because by this third book it’s rather complex. So, I’m going to just copy this from the publisher:

“Protecting the world’s greatest literature—not to mention keeping up with Miss Havisham—is tiring work for an expectant mother. And Thursday can definitely use a respite. So what better hideaway than inside the unread and unreadable Caversham Heights, a cliché-ridden pulp mystery in the hidden depths of the Well of Lost Plots, where all unpublished books reside?

But peace and quiet remain elusive for Thursday, who soon discovers that the Well itself is a veritable linguistic free-for-all, where grammasites run rampant, plot devices are hawked on the black market, and lousy books—like Caversham Heights—are scrapped for salvage. To top it off, a murderer is stalking Jurisfiction personnel and nobody is safe—least of all Thursday.”

Confused? You won’t be if you’ve read the first two books and you should. If you love books you will love the wit and humor and all the literary references in this series.

26. Tilt by Emma Pattee 3 Stars

This was interesting. It’s about a pregnant woman in Portland, Oregon. While shopping at IKEA for a crib a major earthquake hits. We all know that “the big one” will hit the Pacific Northwest at some point but no one knows when.

Annie spends the day walking through a devastated city trying to find her husband. She experiences both the good and bad of humanity along the way. She spends the whole time talking to her unborn child describing what is going on and telling the baby about her life and marriage.

I have lived in the Portland area for over 40 years, so I was extremely familiar with the places Annie walks through. That definitely kept me invested in the story. However, the story itself began to lose my interest along the way. It was fine but I wish it was better.

27. Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero 4 Stars

Well, this was just delightful. Cat is a stray black cat who has lived on the streets in the neighborhood for a long time. This is told partly from Cat’s viewpoint, but other chapters are told by the people Cat calls Rainbow Lady, Cheery Mailman, Sad Bodega Man and Awkward Neighbor Guy. An additional person joins the story a few chapters in.

These people all keep an eye out for Cat and because of him they get to know each other better.

It’s a charming story of found family (in multiple ways) with a common concern for a stray black cat. I will say that although Cat develops some health issues, he’s alive and well cared for at the end of the book.

28. Safecracker by Dave McOmie 3.5 Stars

I learned about this book after a story in our local paper about the author. He lives in the area, and he had been hired to open a safe at the Cal Neva resort in Tahoe that had belonged to Frank Sinatra. It was an interesting story, and I was happy to discover that McOmie’s book was available at my local library.

McOmie is a professional safecracker but not the criminal kind. He opens safes that the owners or heirs cannot open for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the combination has been lost, other times people have purchased used locked safes. Sometimes the owners have died and the ability to open the safe died with them. Sometimes banks and financial institutions have timelocks go bad either through error or malfunction.

It was a fairly short but interesting book about the types of jobs McOmie typically takes on. It’s not literary nonfiction by any means but it’s a quick and interesting book. The final part of the book is about how he was called in to open the vault at Paisley Park after Prince died.

29. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir narrated by Ray Porter 5 Stars

I first listened to this audiobook shortly after it was released in 2021. I thought it was excellent and knew I’d listen again someday. Thanks to a readalong on StoryGraph that someday came along, and I eagerly started this again.

It’s just as good the second time around. Even though I knew what was coming the tension was still there and I think the funny parts were even funnier this time. I still love these characters and I love the way Ray Porter gives them life. The audiobook remains one the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to and it’s highly likely that I will listen again at some point in the future.

The first time I gave this book 4.5 stars but this time I’m upping that to a full 5 stars because it absolutely holds up to a repeat listen. If you’ve only read the print edition, I strongly encourage you to experience this audiobook.

30. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 4.5 Stars

This series is still fun and interesting. My favorite part is still the dragons when they get snarky. Most of the quotes I saved are related to that.

The expansion of the world was interesting and brought in many new elements and populations. It was hard in places to keep track of who was who but a bit of googling combined with a very active fan base made it quick to get my bearings. As with the other two books, this one ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. We're going to be waiting a while for the next book so I expect to be rereading this one again once the new one is out.

Dragons, magic, good people, bad people (often on the same side of the war), and as usual some unexpected and surprising character deaths. It's pretty much the formula now but I'm still enjoying the heck out of it.

31. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child 4 Stars

It’s been a while since I read a Jack Reacher book, so I was due. I found out that I’m a few books behind the one that will be the basis of the next season of the TV series, so I need to catch up.

This one was the basis for the second season of the show, so I knew some of what was coming but there were enough differenced from the TV adaptation to keep it interesting.

Lots of Reacher being Reacher and it was fun to see him working with at least part of his old team of Special Investigators instead of being totally on his own. It’s book 11 in the series so I know what I’m in for when I pick one up.

32. In the Market for Murder by T.E. Kinsey narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden 3 Stars

This is the second book in the Lady Hardcastle mystery series. It’s a mostly cozy mystery series. Lady Hardcastle and her maid (assistant) Flo do have some as yet not fully explained experience in their past that seems to be spy/intelligence related so they’re not totally amateur investigators.

The setting is full on cozy mystery though. It takes place in a small town in the English countryside in 1909. When a local farmer dies face down in his pie in the local pub the authorities ask Lady Hardcastle and Flo to look into the case as they do not have the staff nor time to do so. Along the way two find themselves involved in a couple of other investigations. A theft and a probably fraudulent medium running a séance add to the work for Lady Hardcastle and Flo.

It's a bit slow moving but with a bit of humor. I read the first one in print but decided to try the audio for this second book. Elizabeth Knowelden is a good narrator, and I’ll likely continue the series on audio.

33. The Toast of Time by Jodi Taylor narrated by Zara Ramm 4 Stars

The Chronicles of St. Mary's series is about a group of time traveling historians. There are quite a few related short stories and I enjoy them just as much as the full books. Zara Ramm is excellent as the narrator of this series and once I switched to the audio editions I haven’t gone back to print for the series except for the few short stories that aren’t available on audio.

This and with many of the short stories is set around Christmas time. Max and Markham have both left the comfort (and chaos) of St. Mary’s and are getting used to their new roles working with a pair of time traveling bounty hunters (I mean Recovery Agents).

As usual there are lots of interesting happenings and plenty of humor and of course, the Time Police.

Great series but start at the beginning.

34. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy 4 Stars

After we finished watching the latest season of The Gilded Age I wanted to read a big historical fiction family saga. This has been on my radar for years and it was time to go ahead and read it.

This was just what I was in the mood for. Set in mostly London beginning in the 1880’s and continuing into the 1920’s it’s the story of the four generations of the Forsyte family. There are a lot of characters and an image of a family tree was quite helpful in the beginning. There are several family names that are repeated to keeping everyone straight is difficult at first. Originally published between 1906 and 1921 as three novels and two interludes between the novels this is all combined in one book.

There were characters I loved, and just as many characters I despised. The relationships are complicated and messy and some of the background (in particular the second Boer War) made me do some online searching to figure out things that would have been quite familiar to readers at the time.

It was slow at first, but I definitely became invested in the characters and their stories. So glad I finally read this.

35. All Systems Red by Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free 4 Stars

I read most of the Murderbot books several years ago but after watching the recent television adaptation (which I loved) I decided I wanted to revisit them. This time around I decided to listen to the audios. This is a novella, so the audiobook is only a little over three hours. The narration is pretty good, I did need to speed it up a bit and the narrator has a habit of dropping to a near whisper for some characters, so I occasionally had to back up and listen again at a higher volume, but I still thoroughly enjoyed a second time around with this story. I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the series even though I’ve already read most of them.

36. Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood 4 Stars

Elsie is barely scraping by with multiple adjunct professor jobs and augments her meager income working for a service being a fake girlfriend. Yeah – seems farfetched but I’m willing to go with it. She gets a chance to interview for her dream job, but the biggest hurdle is the older brother of her current fake boyfriend job. He’s her academic nemesis who wrote a brutal takedown of her mentor years ago and neither she nor her mentor have forgiven him. Of course he’s on the team that’s interviewing her.

OK – it’s pretty clear how this is going to play out but I was pleasantly surprised at some of the twists and turns this contemporary romance took. I was also frustrated with Elsie for being a total doormat and people pleaser to her family and colleagues. But it’s an Ali Hazelwood book so I had a good time and enjoyed the story. I liked it but not without some annoyances.

37. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 4 Stars

I’m actually surprised I haven’t read this one before not. It’s kind of right up my alley and many friends have recommended it. I fixed that problem and finally read it and enjoyed it a lot.

Penelope Keeling has checked herself out of the hospital after a heart attack that she feels the doctors and her family are overreacting about. Her adult children learn that Penelope’s prized possession (a painting by her father called The Shell Seekers) is potentially worth a considerable sum of money. Two of the children urge her to sell it. The other daughter is fine with her mother doing whatever she wants.

That setup leads to the remainder of the book which moves back and forth between present day (mid 1980’s when the book was published) and Penelope’s and her family’s past. As a young woman when World War II broke out Penelope spent the war years as a new mother with an absent husband.

Both the present day and the earlier years stories were interesting and well told. I enjoyed this family saga and the secondary characters just as much as I enjoyed Penelope’s story. I’m glad I finally read this one.

Lovely to see you back posting, Juli! Also pleased to see that you are enjoying quality time with your husband following his retirement - I am sure that your reading pace will settle down after the readjustment.

>95 SuziQoregon: I enjoyed that excellent sequence of novels - John Galsworthy told a good story - are you counting it as one book as it is actually published in at least three books (depending on whether the interludes are included or not)?

38. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden 2.5 Stars

I have no idea where all the high praise for this book comes from even though several of my friends are included in praising it. This one was a mess. The first part was silly and by the time I got to the beginning of part 2 I was considering DNFing it. But I stuck with it because of the good reviews hoping that something would change in the rest of the book. Also it was a quick read and I knew I could finish it in one afternoon. So I ended up sort of hate reading the rest of it as a comedy (in my mind anyway). It’s definitely not written as a comedy but it’s so utterly ridiculous it should be.

Anyway – there were some surprises in the second and third parts, but it wasn’t enough to make me want to read any of the sequels.

39. Memory in Death by J.D. Robb narrated by Susan Ericksen 4 Stars

This is book 22 in the series so obviously I enjoy them. Set in New York City in the near future where flying cars and off planet travel is routine but the gritty police work of the New York City cops is not all that different. Lieutenant Eve Dallas happens to be married to the incredibly sexy and wealthy Roarke and while this is mostly a police procedural it’s also an ongoing romance with their relationship a large part of the story. There is also plenty of comic relief with many of the recurring secondary characters who by this point in the series are old friends.

This time around Eve’s former foster mother shows up in town. Eve has no interest in reestablishing any kind of acquaintance with this woman who essentially tortured and abused Eve as a child. When the woman goes to Roarke and attempts to extort a large sum of money Eve decides to confront her in person after all. When she goes to the woman’s hotel room, she finds the woman dead and apparently beaten before dying from a blow to the head.

Another good story and while I figured out the guilty party fairly early it worked just well as a “how will Eve catch ‘em” as it would as a “whodunnit”.

Great series and the audio editions narrated by Susan Ericksen are excellent.

40. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 3.5 Stars

Viv is an orc. After years of battles and bounty hunting she decided it was time to hang up her sword and open a coffee shop in Thune. There might be a slight complication because almost no one in Thune has ever heard of coffee. There’s also Thune’s version of the mafia who want her to pay protection money that she most definitely does not want to pay. Plus some of her former allies in battle might not be allies in her newly chosen life and career. Then there’s the Dire Cat.

This was a fun cozy fantasy story with a great mix of interesting and often funny creatures and humans. It was a nice, pleasant found family type of story with some fun characters and intrigue as well as dose of humor.

The second book in the series is a prequel that takes place before the events of this book. I’m looking forward to reading it.

41. How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley 4 Stars

I stumbled across this book while browsing and it sounded fun. I’m so glad I decided to read it because it was utterly delightful.

A senior citizens social group and a daycare center join up to take on the city council that wants to demolish their community center building. There is a great mix of characters of all ages and backgrounds, none of whom get quite what they expected when the social group was organized.

Lydia is looking forward to her new job running a social club for seniors. Daphne has spent years distancing herself from her apparently notorious past but as she turns 70 she’s feeling lonely and looking to expand her long neglected social life. There’s a failed actor/shoplifter, a teenage single father, an avid knitter who makes hilarious yarn bomb creations.

It's sweet, charming, and a lot of fun.

42. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid narrated by Julia Whelan and Kristen DiMercurio 4.5 Stars

I loved this. It’s about the early female astronauts recruited by NASA in the 1980’s. Parts are set in 1984 when something goes terribly wrong on a Space Shuttle mission. That’s only part of this story and while it provides tension throughout the book most of the story is flashbacks to the beginning of the recruitment and training process for the class of astronaut candidates. With four women in the class, it’s a new mix for the space program and the years of training for this class leads to strong and sometimes unlikely friendships and more.

Joan is the main character and while she develops working and personal relationships with her peers during their training, she also has a complicated relationship with her sister and a lovely close bond with her young niece.

It’s a wonderful book and the audio edition is excellent. Julia Whelan ins one of my favorite narrators and she and Kristen DiMercurio do an outstanding job with this story. Definitely recommended.

43. Nothing to Lose by Lee Child 4 Stars

Yep, time for another Jack Reacher book. Perfect when I need a break from romance and fantasy.

This was a typical Reacher book. A loner making his way across the country. He gets dropped off in Hope, Colorado and after visiting the town a bit decides to check out it’s nearby counterpart town Despair. That doesn’t go well at all. Almost immediately he is charged with vagrancy and taken to the boundary line to be dropped off back in Hope.

Reacher gets picked up by a local cop and she explains a bit that Despair is a company town ruled by the owner who also happens to be the local preacher. They don’t like anyone but their own people.

Of course, Reacher can’t let this go and goes back to find out more about what is going on in Despair. He finds plenty but also plenty more questions.

In typical Reacher fashion he defies authority, battles and wins against various thugs and helps those in trouble.

It’s a formula and I still enjoy it.

Really great to see you here! I often think about our failed attempt to get together and desire to actually get that done soon but I don't see any hope for that until February... Also hope we can manage a Portland/Vancouver meet-up sometime before toooooo long. Life is busy, time is short.

44. In the Time of Five Pumpkins by Alexander McCall Smith narrated by Bianca Amato 3.5 Stars

Another series that has a formula that I enjoy. The audio editions of this series are totally comfort food reading for me. I love to hear the stories narrated by either Bianca Amato or Lisette Lecat. There is one book that was read by someone else but after reading the reviews I read that one in print.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is now a well established Botswana institution. Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are not typical private investigators but they are old friends by now. These two women and their supporting characters are delightful.

The mysteries are light. The observations about Botswana and the homespun wisdom are usually more of the story than the actual mysteries. As always there are interesting new clients and continuing stories about the main cast.

Just light pleasant audiobooks that I continue to enjoy.

>107 SuziQoregon: I just finished that one a week or so ago -- also audio version -- and yes, they are candy for the ears and soul, aren't they?

45. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie 3.5 Stars

This is a collection of 14 short stories featuring Hercule Poirot and his assistant and friend Captain Hastings. Hastings serves as narrator and viewpoint most of the time. The roles of the two are very similar to Sherlock Holmes and Watson, with Poirot serving as the brains and Hastings helping and often misinterpreting clues only to have Poirot correctly wrap up the mystery at the end.

There was a nice variety of stories in this collection. A few I was able to figure out before Poirot’s final pronouncements but not all. Christie often doesn’t provide all the necessary information to the reader, and her detectives tend to figure out what happened without telling the most pertinent clues until the very end.

It was a fun and quick read.

46. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman 4 Stars

Well, this was just a ton of fun. I made The Hubster start reading it before I was even halfway through myself.

Carl is a Coast Guard veteran who has recently broken up with his girlfriend. He still has her prize show cat Princess Donut. Donut escapes out the window and Carl goes out to get her. That happens to be the moment that aliens collapse all buildings on Earth killing everyone under a roof. The survivors are told that the collapsed structures are now a multilevel dungeon that will be the setting for a live action game televised galaxy wide and that they have an hour to decide whether to enter the game or attempt to survive on what’s left on the surface of the planet.

Then the story gets crazy. It’s equal parts hilarious, adventurous, gory and kind of gross. I loved it and cannot wait to continue with the series and find out what’s up next for Carl and Donut in the game and whether Carl will ever get a pair of pants.

47. Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson narrated by Marin Ireland 4 Stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Wilson’s earlier book Nothing to See Here also narrated by Marin Ireland so when I saw this one it was an easy choice for me to read it. I've always enjoyes Marin Ireland's narration.

Madeline Hill runs a farm in Tennessee with her mom. They have made a success of it and have been featured in several major magazine articles. Mad’s father left them when Mad was a young girl and Mad has no idea where he is or even if he’s alive or dead.

One day while she’s wrapping up the day at their farmstand a PT cruiser drives up and the man driving it announces that he’s Mad’s older half-brother and that their father also abandoned him and his mother when he was young.

Rueben tells Mad that after his mom died he hired a private investigator to track down their father and that’s when he learned about Mad. He also found out that they have other half siblings out there and he wants Mad to come with him to find them and possibly find their father.

It’s a wacky road trip with all kinds of quirky characters (which is what I expect from Kevin Wilson). It was strange, funny, heartwarming and oddly lovely.

48. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna 4 Stars

This was just a delightful mix of cozy, fantasy, magic, romance and found family and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

Sera Swan was a powerful young witch but when the great aunt who raised her suddenly died Sera used a forbidden resurrection spell and brought her aunt back but as a result lost almost all of her magic and was exiled from the Guild of Sorcery.

Years later she helps her aunt run an Inn and hopes to someday restore her magic. A handsome magical historian arrives at the inn with his magical and autistic younger sister. Can he help Sera get her magic back?

There are plenty of quirky characters and doses of both romance and humor. I recommend it.

49. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells narrated by Kevin Free 4 Stars

This is the second on the Murderbot series. I read the print edition a few years ago but after watching the first season of the TV adaptation (which is excellent) I decided to reread the series on audio. This one was my favorite of the series and I absolutely loved listening to it again. Kevin Free does a great job with the narration.

This time around Murderbot is trying to fill in pieces of its partially destroyed memory and is making its way to the scene of where it first went rogue. In order to fit in and not be outed as a rogue SecUnit, Murderbot manages to get itself hired by a group of researchers on a doomed quest to get their data back from a murderous former employer.

Along the way, Murderbot finds and ally/annoyance in a transport ship it nicknames ART (nope, I'm not telling you what that acronym means so you'll just have to read or listen to the series). These two are as good as some of the greatest duos in the history of buddy films.

In the first book I was surprised how attached I got to Murderbot and in this one ART became another favorite character.

>99 PaulCranswick: I'm counting it as one because the ebook I have is all three books and the interludes all in one edition. It's a whopper at 928 pages though.

>106 RebaRelishesReading: Yes a Portland/Vancouver get together would be lovely

>108 RebaRelishesReading: Glad you enjoyed the latest Ladies Detective Agency audio. Now we wait for the next one. Just comfort listening for me.

50. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree 3.5 Stars

This is the second book in this series, but it takes place before the first book (Legends and Lattes). It's the early days of young Viv's career (she's an Orc) as a mercenary. Wounded in an unsuccessful battle she's sent to the sleepy seaside town of Murk to recover (and to wonder if Rackam's Ravens are really going to come back for her.

While recovering she gets to know the people and creatures of the town. She meets Fern, the bookshop owner, and her companion Potroast (part owl, part pug). Fern takes care of Viv's boredom by lending her books to read. Viv becomes an integral part of the community and when the necromancer who got away at the beginning of the book comes back, possibly the last line of defense.

It's a cozy fantasy with bits of humor, romance, friendship and found family stories. It's much like the first book and fills in some history as well as setting up the next book.

51. Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost 3.5 Stars

This is partly a cozy mystery, partly a light romance, and partly a holiday story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve already got the next in the series bookmarked for next year’s holiday reading.

Holly White has moved back home after her fiancé cancelled their wedding planned for Christmas Eve. She’s glad to be home though. Her family runs a Christmas tree farm in Mistletoe Maine. The whole town is a Christmas village. The Reindeer Games Farm is known for their series of games and events leading up to Christmas involving the whole town and visiting tourists.

Unfortunately, the town grump and head of the historical society is found dead at the farm on the first night of events. Holly (of course) gets involved in trying to solve the murder mostly because she wants to prove that none of her family or their employees are involved. The new sheriff in town tries to discourage Holly but there’s also clearly a spark between them.

It was a fun book with plenty of great characters. This series could be a holiday reading tradition for a while since there are currently six books.

52. Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto narrated by Eunice Wong 4 Stars

I enjoyed the first book in this series and when I saw there was a second, I had to get it. It’s essentially the same plot as the first book but just as entertaining. Eunice Wong’s narration is excellent

Vera Wong is an elderly teashop owner in San Francisco. In the first book she inserts herself in the investigation of a man found dead in her teashop. Along the way she collected a group of stray people who were connected to the man and they formed a lovely found family.

This time around Vera “accidentally” sees a file belonging to the Detective girlfriend of her son while cat sitting. It turns out the file is about the presumed suicide of a social media influencer. The same man who a young woman Vera met that afternoon was looking for.

Of course, Vera can’t help investigating the case. Once again, she meets a group of unrelated people connected to the victim. Vera is certain that a good dose of her cooking can solve all their problems and help figure out the case.

A little formulaic but still a lot of fun.

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026

Thanks Paul!

Happy New Year, Juli! Hope you're taking good care of our lovely town while I'm away :>

>120 RebaRelishesReading: Happy New Year to you too Reba

>121 SuziQoregon: Thank you. We're on our way home and I plan to get in touch once we're there and I'm a bit caught up. Hope your year is going well and look forward to seeing you.