Cindy/LibraryCin's 2025 Challenges

For anyone who doesn't know me:

I'm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and am a librarian. I have three cats - Kells (boy) is about 14; Lainey is about 13; Gretel is 10 years old. Gretel was adopted just over a year ago, and still tries to avoid the others. All is well unless they get too close to each other, so they try to stay out of each other's way (for the most part).

Reading? There's more I don't read than do read. I'm iffy on "classics" and "literary" fiction, not a big fan of "epic" fantasy. Science fiction varies. Not a fan of romance or westerns.

Favourite genres? Mystery/thrillers and historical fiction. Nonfiction - biographies are right up there, along with popular science and history.

Ratings?
5 stars - very rare
4.5 stars - likely to be a favourite, but couldn't quite give the full 5 stars (it's hard to rate something "perfect"!)
4 stars - I really liked this
3.5 stars - good
3 stars - ok
2.5 stars - didn't like it, but there might have been ok threads
2 stars - didn't like it (this rating is becoming a bit more common for me)
1.5 stars really didn't like it (very rare)

I do use .25 and .75, usually when I really can't decide.

Challenges? Here goes...

12x12 Challenge

Play Book Tag (tags or challenges)
1. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands / Kate Beaton. 4.5 stars
2. Find You First / Linwood Barclay. 3.75 stars
3. The Sister Season / Jennifer Scott. 3.5 stars
4. The Tumbling Turner Sisters / Juliette Fay. 4 stars
5. My Extraordinary Ordinary Life / Sissy Spacek. 3.5 stars
6. The Woman Who Died a Lot / Jasper Fforde. 2 stars
7. Shaded Grove / Oliver C. Seneca. 4 stars
8. The Overstory / Richard Powers. 2.5 stars
9. Cruise Confidential / Brian David Bruns. 4 stars
10. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox / Maggie O'Farrell. 3 stars
11. A Libertarian Walks into a Bear / Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. 3 stars
12, Snowstorms & Sleigh Bells / Kelley Armstrong. 4 stars
_________________________________________________
13. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes / Suzanne Collins. 4 stars

ARCs (Netgalley, Early Reviewers)
1. Sweet Fury / Sash Bischoff. 3 stars
2. Oh No He Didn’t / Wendy Murphy. 3.5 stars
3. Listen to Your Sister / Neena Viel. 2 stars
4. The Ascent / Allison Buccola. 4 stars
5. Welcome to Cemetery / C.J. Daley. 4 stars
6. The Thing in Christmas Town / Iseult Murphy. 4 stars
7. What Kind of Paradise / Janelle Brown. 4 stars
8. The Intelligence Explosion / James Barrat. 3.5 stars
9. Atlas of Unknowable Things / McCormick Templeman. 3 stars
10. The Night That Finds Us All / John Hornor Jacobs. 3 stars
11. The Zorg / Siddharth Kara. 3.5 stars
12. Dark Sisters / Kristi DeMeester. 3.5 stars
____________________________________________
13. Digitally Hijacked / Muhammad Atique. 3.5 stars

Reading Through Time
1. Galileo's Daughter / Dava Sobel. 2 stars
2. White Like Her / Gail Lukasik. 3 stars
3. The Donnellys: Powder Keg / John Little. 3 stars
4. The White Princess / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars
5. Beauty and the Werewolf / Mercedes Lackey. 4 stars
6. Hotline / Dimitri Nasrallah. 3.5 stars
7. The Four Seasons / Laurel Corona. 3.75 stars
8. Three Sisters / Three Queens / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars
9. Dark Harvest / Norman Partridge. 4 stars
10. Middle Passage / Charles Johnson. 2 stars

Oh Canada! (Canadian Authors)
1. The Break / Katherena Vermette. 4 stars
2. The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford. 3.5 stars
3. Greenmantle / Charles de Lint. 3.5 stars
4. Nobody's Mother / Lynne Van Luven (ed.). 3.5 stars
5. Big Lonely Doug / Harley Rustad. 4 stars
6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things / Iain Reid. 2.5 stars
7. Amuse Bouche / Anthony Bildulka. 4 stars
8. The Crisis of Canadian Democracy / Andrew Coyne. 4.5 stars
9. Deadly Appearances / Gail Bowen. 3 stars
10. Every Little Scrap and Wonder / Carla Funk. 3 stars
11. Still Life / Joy Fielding. 4 stars
12. Bad Cree / Jessica Johns. 3.5 stars
__________________________________

Trim the TBR (On TBR 3+ years)
1. The Mammoth Hunters / Jean M. Auel. 3.5 stars
2. Better Nate Than Ever / Tim Federle. 3.25 stars
3. Blood Orange / Drusilla Campbell. 3.75 stars
4. The Shopping Bags / Anna Wallner, Kristina Matisic. 3.5 stars
5. Longbourn / Jo Baker. 2.5 stars
6. The Marriage Pact / Michelle Richmond. 4.5 stars
7. The Goldfinch / Donna Tartt. 3 stars
8. Beyond the Burning Time / Kathryn Lasky. 3.25 stars
9. City of Bones / Cassandra Clare. 4 stars
10. The Sixth Gun / Cullen Bunn. 2 stars
11. The Perfect Ghost/ Linda Barnes. 2.5 stars
12. The Impossible Fortress / Jason Rekulak. 4 stars
________________________________________________

Will it Ever End? (Continuing Series)
1. The Lord God Made Them All / James Herriot. 3 stars
2. A Twist in Time / Jule McElwain. 3.5 stars
3. Heirs and Graces / Rhys Bowen. 3.5 stars
4. Emerald Green / Kerstin Gier. 3 stars
5. Dust / Hugh Howey. 2.75 stars
6. Codex Born / Jim C. Hines. 3.75 stars
7. The Shepherd's Crown / Terry Pratchett. 3.25 stars
8. Chickadee / Louise Erdrich. 3.5 stars
9. Breaking Silence / Linda Castillo. 3.5 stars
10. Forever Fox / Mary E. Pearson. 3.25 stars
11. Science Comics: Volcanoes: Fire and Life / Jon Chad. 3.5 stars
12. A Twist of Fate / Kelley Armstrong 3.5 stars
_______________________________________________
13. Unbound / Jim C. Hines. 3.25 stars

Off the Shelf (Print or E-Books I Own)
1. The Haunting of Ashburn House / Darcy Coates. 4.5 stars
2. Everything She Ever Wanted / Ann Rule. 4 stars
3. Hunted / Darcy Coates. 4 stars
4. Malibu Rising / Taylor Jenkins Reid. 3.5 stars
5. A Newfoundlander in Canada / Alan Doyle. 4 stars
6. The Mall Walkers / R. Brian Howe. 3.5 stars
7. A Ladder to the Sky / John Boyne. 3.75 stars
8. Firefly Lane / Kristin Hannah. 4.25 stars
9. Ghost Camera / Darcy Coates. 4 stars
10. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry / Rachel Joyce. 3.5 stars
11. Yellowface / R.F. Kuang. 3.75 stars
12. The Persian Always Meows Twice / Eileen Watkins. 4 stars
___________________________________________________
13. Born Bad / Heather Burnside. 3.5 stars

Is Listening Really Reading? (Audio Books)
1. Beyond That, The Sea / Laura Spence-Ash. 3 stars
2. The Donnellys: Massacre, Trial, and Aftermath / John Little. 3 stars
3. Look Me in the Eye / John Elder Robison. 3.5 stars
4. Code / Kathy Reichs, Brendan Reichs. 4 stars
5. The Postscript Murders / Elly Griffiths. 3 stars
6. The Mayor of Casterbridge / Thomas Hardy. 3 stars
7. Mercy / Jodi Picoult. 3 stars
8. Dead Silence / S. A. Barnes. 3.75 stars
9. Saving Sophie / Ronald H. Balson. 3.5 stars
10. The Rooster Bar / John Grisham. 3 stars
11. A River of Stars / Vanessa Hua. 2 stars
12. Legend / Marie Lu. 3.25 stars
___________________________________________

I'll Travel Virtually (Books Set in Other Countries - not Canada, USA, or England)
1. Rock Paper Scissors / Alice Feeney. 4 stars
2. The Nightingale / Kristin Hannah. 4.5 stars
3. Love in the Time of Cholera / Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 2 stars
4. Ghosts of the Tsunami / Richard Lloyd Parry. 3 stars
5. The Lifeboat / Charlotte Rogan. 3 stars
6. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow / Zoulfa Katouh. 4.5 stars
7. Tamarind Mem / Anita Rau Badami. 3 stars
8. Maria / Michelle Moran. 3.5 stars
9. Far North / Marcel Theroux. 3 stars
10. Tiger / Tash Aw. 2 stars

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! (Animals)
1. Food Pets Die For / Ann N. Martin. 4 stars
2. The Wisdom of Sheep / Rosamund Young. 2.25 stars
3. Science Comics: Sharks: Nature's Perfect Hunter / Joe Flood. 4 stars
4. Animal Madness / Laurel Braitman. 3.75 stars
5. Don't Turn Your Back in the Barn / David Perrin. 4 stars
6. A Dog's Journey / W. Bruce Cameron. 4 stars
7. Seal Wars / Paul Watson. 4.25 stars
8. True Story / Marty Chan. 2 stars
9. Bird Brain / Nathan Emery. 3 stars
10. Our Native Bees / Paige Embry. 3 stars
11. We Bought a Zoo / Benjamin Mee. 4 stars
12. Sea of Slaughter / Farley Mowat. 3.75 stars
_________________________________________
13. The Bird Way / Jennifer Ackerman. 3 stars

Truth is Stranger than Fiction (Nonfiction)
1. The Autobiography of an Execution / David R. Dow. 4 stars
2. When We Were Shadows / Janet Wees. 3.5 stars
3. Where the Buffalo Roam / Anne Matthews. 3 stars
4. Unsinkable / Daniel Allen Butler. 4 stars
5. Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III / Michael Hicks. 3 stars
6. The Carpool Detectives / Chuck Hogan. 3.75 stars
7. The Trial of Lizzie Borden /Cara Robertson. 2.5 stars
8. Dangerous World / Marq De Villiers. 2.5 stars
9. Come Fly the World / Julia Cooke. 3 stars
10. Helter Skelter / Vincent Bugliosi. 4.5 stars
11. A Singular View / Frank Brady. 4 stars
12. The Sun Does Shine / Anthony Ray Hinton. 4 stars
_____________________________________________
13. Librarian Tales / William Ottens. 3 stars

BIPOC (Authors or main characters)
1. Benazir Bhutto / Brooke Allen. 3.5 stars
2. Moon of the Crusted Snow / Waubegeshig Rice. 3.5 stars
3. All the Sinners Bleed / S. A. Cosby. 4 stars
4. The Orphanage by the Lake / Daniel G. Miller. 4 stars
5. Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem / Elaine G. Breslaw. 3.25 stars
6. Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend / Ben Philippe. 3 stars
7. Love and Other Consolation Prizes / Jamie Ford. 4 stars
8. The Red Letter / Daniel G. Miller. 4 stars
9. The Only Good Indians / Stephen Graham Jones. 3 stars
10. The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace / Jeff Hobbs. 2.75 stars
11. While We Run / Karen Healey. 3.5 stars
12. Finding Me / Viola Davis. 3.75 stars
_______________________________________________

Overflow (doesn’t fit other categories)
1. Brideshead Revisited / Evelyn Waugh. 2 stars
2. If It Bleeds / Stephen King. 4 stars
3. The Children on the Hill / Jennifer McMahon. 3.5 stars
4. The Only Woman in the Room / Marie Benedict. 4 stars

BingoDOG



1. Newly in public domain.
2. Features adoption/foster care/nontraditional family. Beyond That, The Sea / Laura Spence-Ash. 3 stars
3. A long title (5+ words). Oh No He Didn’t: Brilliant Women and the Men Who Took Credit for Their Work / Wendy Murphy. 3.5 stars
4. Author has your or relative’s 1st or last name. The Donnellys: Massacre, Trial, and Aftermath / John Little. 3 stars
5. Nonhuman narrator. The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford. 3.5 stars
6. The sun on cover/in title. The Sun Does Shine / Anthony Ray Hinton. 4 stars
7. Hollywood!. Rock Paper Scissors / Alice Feeney. 4 stars
8. A place you've never been. Galileo's Daughter / Dava Sobel. 2 stars
9. Features winged creature(s). Bird Brain / Nathan Emery. 3 stars
10. A profession in title.Don't Turn Your Back in the Barn / David Perrin. 4 stars
11. Travel. Where the Buffalo Roam / Anne Matthews. 3 stars
12. Child as a main character. Better Nate Than Ever / Tim Federle. 3.25 stars
13. Read a CAT. Benazir Bhutto / Brooke Allen. 3.5 stars
14. Totally random.
15. Originally published in a language not your own. Emerald Green / Kerstin Gier. 3 stars
16. Medical topic. Animal Madness / Laurel Braitman. 3.75 stars
17. A holiday in title. The Thing in Christmas Town / Iseult Murphy. 4 stars
18. Writing about writers. Sweet Fury / Sash Bischoff. 3 stars
19. Either "Library" or "Thing" in title. Everything She Ever Wanted / Ann Rule. 4 stars
20. Features fire. The Donnellys: Powder Keg / John Little. 3 stars
21. Recommended by a friend or LT member.Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend / Ben Philippe. 3 stars
22. Oldest book in your TBR.
23. Set in your favorite season. The Sister Season / Jennifer Scott. 3.5 stars
24. Features a birth. The Wisdom of Sheep / Rosamund Young. 2.25 stars
25. A piece of furniture on the cover.

CultureCAT

January: Migration or displacement
- Beyond That, the Sea / Laura Spence-Ash. 3 stars
- Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands / Kate Beaton. 4.5 stars

February: Finno-Urgic peoples

March: Neurodiverse voices
- Look Me in the Eye / John Elder Robison. 3.5 stars

April: TTRPG & LARPers
May: Punk/metal
June: Aboriginal Australia

July: India
- Tamarind Mem / Anita Rau Badami. 3 stars

August: Free space - any culture you are not part of
- Chickadee / Louise Erdrich. 3.5 stars
- The Only Good Indians / Stephen Graham Jones. 3 stars

September: Working class cultures
- The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace / Jeff Hobbs. 2.75 stars

October: Non-Mainstream Religious Subcultures (Amish, Quakers, Mennonites, or Church of the Brethren)
- Breaking Silence / Linda Castillo. 3.5 stars
- Every Little Scrap and Wonder / Carla Funk. 3 stars

November: Indigenous North America
- Bad Cree / Jessica Johns. 3.5 stars

December: LGBTQ+
- Dark Sisters / Kristi DeMeester. 3.5 stars
- Unbound / Jim C. Hines. 3.25 stars

Bonus CAT 1: South East Asia/Pacific Islander
Bonus CAT 2: Wrongly convicted people
- The Sun Does Shine / Anthony Ray Hinton. 4 stars

ColourCAT:

January: Green
- Galileo's Daughter / Dava Sobel. 2 stars
- Benazir Bhutto / Brooke Allen. 3.5 stars

February: Gold
- Blood Orange / Drusilla Campbell. 3.75 stars

March: Pink
- The Shopping Bags / Anna Wallner, Kristina Matisic. 3.5 stars
- Look Me in the Eye / John Elder Robison. 3.5 stars

April: Brown
- If It Bleeds / Stephen King. 4 stars
- Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem / Elaine G. Breslaw. 3.25 stars
- Love in the Time of Cholera / Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 2 stars

May: Red
- Beauty and the Werewolf / Mercedes Lackey. 4 stars

June: Yellow
- Love and Other Consolation Prizes / Jamie Ford. 4 stars
- What Kind of Paradise / Janelle Brown. 4 stars

July: White
- A Dog's Journey / W. Bruce Cameron. 4 stars
- Seal Wars / Paul Watson. 4.25 stars
- Maria / Michelle Moran. 3.5 stars

August: Grey
- Saving Sophie / Ronald H. Balson. 3.5 stars
- The Mall Walkers / R. Brian Howe. 3.5 stars

September: Silver
- The Intelligence Explosion / James Barrat. 3.5 stars

October: Black
- Helter Skelter / Vincent Bugliosi. 4.5 stars
- Dark Harvest / Norman Partridge. 4 stars
- The Zorg / Siddharth Kara. 3.5 stars
- Finding Me / Viola Davis. 3.75 stars

November: Blue
- The Children on the Hill / Jennifer McMahon. 3.5 stars
- The Only Woman in the Room / Marie Benedict. 4 stars

December: Purple
- A Twist of Fate / Kelley Armstrong 3.5 stars

CoverCAT:

January: something involved in a tea party

February: a tree
- Listen to Your Sister / Neena Viel. 2 stars
- Greenmantle / Charles de Lint. 3.5 stars
- When We Were Shadows / Janet Wees. 3.5 stars

March: farm animals
- Where the Buffalo Roam / Anne Matthews. 3 stars
- Don't Turn Your Back in the Barn / David Perrin. 4 stars
- Heirs and Graces / Rhys Bowen. 3.5 stars

April: a road
- Welcome to Cemetery / C.J. Daley. 4 stars

May: more than two elements/objects
- The White Princess / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars
- Beauty and the Werewolf / Mercedes Lackey. 4 stars
- Codex Born / Jim C. Hines. 3.75 stars

June: something with wheels
- Beyond the Burning Time / Kathryn Lasky. 3.25 stars

July: a fruit
- As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow / Zoulfa Katouh. 4.5 stars

August: a photograph
- Firefly Lane / Kristin Hannah. 4.25 stars

September: dogs and/or cats
- True Story / Marty Chan. 2 stars
- Tiger / Tash Aw. 2 stars
- We Bought a Zoo / Benjamin Mee. 4 stars

October: something that will fit in your pocket
- Atlas of Unknowable Things / McCormick Templeman. 3 stars
- Forever Fox / Mary E. Pearson. 3.25 stars
- Deadly Appearances / Gail Bowen. 3 stars
- The Perfect Ghost/ Linda Barnes. 2.5 stars

November: celestial objects

December: something you would like for a Christmas present
- Librarian Tales / William Ottens. 3 stars

ScaredyKIT:

January: Diverse Perspectives
- Rock Paper Scissors / Alice Feeney. 4 stars
- Moon of the Crusted Snow / Waubegeshig Rice. 3.5 stars
- All the Sinners Bleed / S. A. Cosby. 4 stars

February: Haunted Houses / Haunted Places
- The Haunting of Ashburn House / Darcy Coates. 4.5 stars

*March: Real-life Monsters (True Crime)
- Everything She Ever Wanted / Ann Rule. 4 stars

April: Arachnids, Insects, and Reptilia
- Codex Born / Jim C. Hines. 3.75 stars

May: Out in the Wild
- Hunted / Darcy Coates. 4 stars

June: YA and graphic novels
- The Sixth Gun / Cullen Bunn. 2 stars

July: Ghosts
- Shaded Grove / Oliver C. Seneca. 4 stars
- Dead Silence / S. A. Barnes. 3.75 stars

August: Female authors
- Ghost Camera / Darcy Coates. 4 stars

September: Stephen King and family
October: Gothic
- Atlas of Unknowable Things / McCormick Templeman. 3 stars
- Dark Harvest / Norman Partridge. 4 stars

November: Psychological Thrillers
- Yellowface / R.F. Kuang. 3.75 stars

December: Your Favorite Scary Trope
- A Twist of Fate / Kelley Armstrong 3.5 stars

MysteryKIT:

January: Winter mysteries
- Rock Paper Scissors / Alice Feeney. 4 stars

February: Vintage mysteries
March: Espionage
- Heirs and Graces / Rhys Bowen. 3.5 stars

April: Paranormal
- Emerald Green / Kerstin Gier. 3 stars
- Code / Kathy Reichs, Brendan Reichs. 4 stars

May: Mysteries not set in my country
- The Postscript Murders / Elly Griffiths. 3 stars

June: LGBTQ+ detectives
- Amuse Bouche / Anthony Bildulka. 4 stars

July: Series sleuths
- The Red Letter / Daniel G. Miller. 4 stars

*August: Legal thrillers
- The Trial of Lizzie Borden /Cara Robertson. 2.5 stars
- Saving Sophie / Ronald H. Balson. 3.5 stars
- The Rooster Bar / John Grisham. 3 stars

September: Silver age mysteries
October: Police procedurals
- Breaking Silence / Linda Castillo. 3.5 stars

November: Psychological mysteries and thrillers
- Yellowface / R.F. Kuang. 3.75 stars

December: Cozies
- The Persian Always Meows Twice / Eileen Watkins. 4 stars

RandomKIT:

January: Eat, drink and be merry
- Food Pets Die For / Ann N. Martin. 4 stars

February: Playing with Time
- A Twist in Time / Jule McElwain. 3.5 stars

March: Wishes
- If It Bleeds / Stephen King. 4 stars

April: Prime
- Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III / Michael Hicks. 3 stars

May: Punctuation
- Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend / Ben Philippe. 3 stars

June: Invasion
- The Shepherd’s Crown / Terry Pratchett. 3.25 stars

July: "The Hills are Alive..."
- A Newfoundlander in Canada / Alan Doyle. 4 stars
- The Four Seasons / Laurel Corona. 3.75 stars
- Maria / Michelle Moran. 3.5 stars

August: A Writer
- A Ladder to the Sky / John Boyne. 3.75 stars

September: Cardinal Direction in Title
- Far North / Marcel Theroux. 3 stars

October: When I was a Child
- Deadly Appearances / Gail Bowen. 3 stars
- Every Little Scrap and Wonder / Carla Funk. 3 stars

November: Villains

December: Beginnings and Endings
- The Persian Always Meows Twice / Eileen Watkins. 4 stars
- Born Bad / Heather Burnside. 3.5 stars

NatureKIT:

January: Sheep and Shepherding
- The Wisdom of Sheep / Rosamund Young. 2.25 stars
- The Lord God Made Them All / James Herriot. 3 stars

February: Forests, Farms & Grasslands
- Greenmantle / Charles de Lint. 3.5 stars

March: Landscape
- Where the Buffalo Roam / Anne Matthews. 3 stars

April: Flying Creatures
- Bird Brain / Nathan Emery. 3 stars

May: Plants, Fungi, Etc.
- Big Lonely Doug / Harley Rustad. 4 stars
- Codex Born / Jim C. Hines. 3.75 stars

June: Oceans and Rivers
- The Lifeboat / Charlotte Rogan. 3 stars

July: Inner Lives of Animals
- A Dog's Journey / W. Bruce Cameron. 4 stars

August: Weather and Climate
- Dangerous World / Marq De Villiers. 2.5 stars

September: Urban Nature
- Our Native Bees / Paige Embry. 3 stars

*October: Endangered Species
- Sea of Slaughter / Farley Mowat. 3.75 stars

November: The Effects of Nature on Human Beings
- Science Comics: Volcanoes: Fire and Life / Jon Chad. 3.5 stars

December: Wild Card
- The Bird Way / Jennifer Ackerman. 3 stars

AlphaKIT:

January: S O
- Sweet Fury / Sash Bischoff. 3 stars
- Galileo's Daughter / Dava Sobel. 2 stars
- Oh No He Didn’t / Wendy Murphy. 3.5 stars
- The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford. 3.5 stars
- All the Sinners Bleed / S. A. Cosby. 4 stars

February: L G
- Listen to Your Sister / Neena Viel. 2 stars
- Greenmantle / Charles de Lint. 3.5 stars
- White Like Her / Gail Lukasik. 3 stars
- The Donnellys: Massacre, Trial, and Aftermath / John Little. 3 stars

March: U A
- Everything She Ever Wanted / Ann Rule. 4 stars
- Animal Madness / Laurel Braitman. 3.75 stars
- Where the Buffalo Roam / Anne Matthews. 3 stars
- Unsinkable / Daniel Allen Butler. 4 stars
- The Shopping Bags / Anna Wallner, Kristina Matisic. 3.5 stars

April: K E
- Brideshead Revisited / Evelyn Waugh. 2 stars
- Emerald Green / Kerstin Gier. 3 stars
- If It Bleeds / Stephen King. 4 stars
- Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem / Elaine G. Breslaw. 3.25 stars
- Code / Kathy Reichs, Brendan Reichs. 4 stars

May: I D
- Dust / Hugh Howey. 2.75 stars
- The Thing in Christmas Town / Iseult Murphy. 4 stars
- Hunted / Darcy Coates. 4 stars

June: C Q
- City of Bones / Cassandra Clare. 4 stars
- The Sixth Gun / Cullen Bunn. 2 stars
- The Lifeboat / Charlotte Rogan. 3 stars

July: W T
- The Woman Who Died a Lot / Jasper Fforde. 2 stars
- Tamarind Mem / Anita Rau Badami. 3 stars

August: N J
- A Ladder to the Sky / John Boyne. 3.75 stars
- The Rooster Bar / John Grisham. 3 stars
- The Only Good Indians / Stephen Graham Jones. 3 stars

September: B M
- True Story / Marty Chan. 2 stars
- Far North / Marcel Theroux. 3 stars
- The Intelligence Explosion / James Barrat. 3.5 stars
- Cruise Confidential / Brian David Bruns. 4 stars
- We Bought a Zoo / Benjamin Mee. 4 stars

October: F P
- Dark Harvest / Norman Partridge. 4 stars
- Forever Fox / Mary E. Pearson. 3.25 stars
- Every Little Scrap and Wonder / Carla Funk. 3 stars
- A Singular View / Frank Brady. 4 stars
- Finding Me / Viola Davis. 3.75 stars
- The Perfect Ghost/ Linda Barnes. 2.5 stars
- Still Life / Joy Fielding. 4 stars

November: Y H
- A River of Stars / Vanessa Hua. 2 stars
- Yellowface / R.F. Kuang. 3.75 stars

December: V R
- The Impossible Fortress / Jason Rekulak. 4 stars

Yearlong: X Z
- As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow / Zoulfa Katouh. 4.5 stars
The Zorg / Siddharth Kara. 3.5 stars

Roundtuits
(3+ years on the tbr)

1. Stay / Allie Larkin (ILL req)
6. No Way Down / Graham Bowley (openlib)
7. No Kidding: Women Writers on Bypassing Parenthood / Henriette Mantel (ILL req)
10. The Singing Bones / Shaun Tan (CPL)
11. The Impossible Fortress / Jason Rekulak (CPL)
12. Apollo 8 / Jeffrey Kluger (CPL)

1. Food Pets Die For / Ann N. Martin. 4 stars
2. Benazir Bhutto / Brooke Allen. 3.5 stars
3. Moon of the Crusted Snow / Waubegeshig Rice. 3.5 stars
4. The Autobiography of an Execution / David R. Dow. 4 stars
5. The Mammoth Hunters / Jean M. Auel. 3.5 stars
6. The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford. 3.5 stars
7. Better Nate Than Ever / Tim Federle. 3.25 stars
8. Greenmantle / Charles de Lint. 3.5 stars
9. Blood Orange / Drusilla Campbell. 3.75 stars
10. The Haunting of Ashburn House / Darcy Coates. 4.5 stars
11. Everything She Ever Wanted / Ann Rule. 4 stars
12. Where the Buffalo Roam / Anne Matthews. 3 stars
13. Nobody's Mother / Lynne Van Luven (ed.). 3.5 stars
14. Don't Turn Your Back in the Barn / David Perrin. 4 stars
15. Unsinkable / Daniel Allen Butler. 4 stars
16. The Shopping Bags / Anna Wallner, Kristina Matisic. 3.5 stars
17. Look Me in the Eye / John Elder Robison. 3.5 stars
18. Find You First / Linwood Barclay. 3.75 stars
19. Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem / Elaine G. Breslaw. 3.25 stars
20. Code / Kathy Reichs, Brendan Reichs. 4 stars
21. Longbourn / Jo Baker. 2.5 stars
22. The Sister Season / Jennifer Scott. 3.5 stars
23. Ghosts of the Tsunami / Richard Lloyd Parry. 3 stars
24. Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III / Michael Hicks. 3 stars
25. The Tumbling Turner Sisters / Juliette Fay. 4 stars
26. The White Princess / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars
27. My Extraordinary Ordinary Life / Sissy Spacek. 3.5 stars
28. Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend / Ben Philippe. 3 stars
29. Love and Other Consolation Prizes / Jamie Ford. 4 stars
30. The Marriage Pact / Michelle Richmond. 4.5 stars
31. The Goldfinch / Donna Tartt. 3 stars
32. Beyond the Burning Time / Kathryn Lasky. 3.25 stars
33. Amuse Bouche / Anthony Bildulka. 4 stars
34. City of Bones / Cassandra Clare. 4 stars
35. The Sixth Gun / Cullen Bunn. 2 stars
36. The Shepherd’s Crown / Terry Pratchett. 3.25 stars
37. The Woman Who Died a Lot / Jasper Fforde. 2 stars
38. A Newfoundlander in Canada / Alan Doyle. 4 stars
39. A Dog's Journey / W. Bruce Cameron. 4 stars
40. Seal Wars / Paul Watson. 4.25 stars
41. Saving Sophie / Ronald H. Balson. 3.5 stars
42. Dangerous World / Marq De Villiers. 2.5 stars
43. Firefly Lane / Kristin Hannah. 4.25 stars
44. True Story / Marty Chan. 2 stars
45. The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace / Jeff Hobbs. 2.75 stars
46. Our Native Bees / Paige Embry. 3 stars
47. Far North / Marcel Theroux. 3 stars
48. Tiger / Tash Aw. 2 stars
49. Cruise Confidential / Brian David Bruns. 4 stars
50. Three Sisters / Three Queens / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars
51. We Bought a Zoo / Benjamin Mee. 4 stars
52. While We Run / Karen Healey. 3.5 stars
53. Forever Fox / Mary E. Pearson. 3.25 stars
54. Deadly Appearances / Gail Bowen. 3 stars
55. Every Little Scrap and Wonder / Carla Funk. 3 stars
56. Finding Me / Viola Davis. 3.75 stars
57. The Perfect Ghost/ Linda Barnes. 2.5 stars
58. Still Life / Joy Fielding. 4 stars
59. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox / Maggie O'Farrell. 3 stars
60. Middle Passage / Charles Johnson. 2 stars
61. Sea of Slaughter / Farley Mowat. 3.75 stars
62. A Libertarian Walks into a Bear / Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. 3 stars
63. The Impossible Fortress / Jason Rekulak. 4 stars
64. A Twist of Fate / Kelley Armstrong 3.5 stars
65. The Persian Always Meows Twice / Eileen Watson. 4 stars
66. Librarian Tales / William Ottens. 3 stars
67. Born Bad / Heather Burnside. 3.5 stars

PBT Trim the TBR

1. Sea of Slaughter / Farley Mowat. 3.75 stars
2. Still Life / Joy Fielding. 4 stars
3. Everything She Ever Wanted / Ann Rule. 4 stars
4. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox / Maggie O’Farrell. 3 stars
5. Tiger / Tash Aw. 2 stars
6. Born Bad / Heather Burnside. 3.5 stars
7. We Bought a Zoo / Benjamin Mee. 4 stars
8. A Newfoundlander in Canada / Alan Doyle. 4 stars
9. Seal Wars / Paul Watson. 4.25 stars
10. Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III / Michael Hicks. 3 stars
11. Nobody's Mother / Lynne Van Luven (ed.). 3.5 stars
12. The Autobiography of an Execution / David R. Dow. 4 stars

Play Harder

1. A book featuring a journey, trip, or quest. The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford. 3.5 stars
2. Read a book that's been included on a celebrity book list (Oprah, Barack Obama, Reese Witherspoon, Bill Gates, etc).
3. A book published in the 1970s. Helter Skelter / Vincent Bugliosi. 4.5 stars
4. A book featuring female friendship. The Carpool Detectives / Chuck Hogan. 3.75 stars
5. Book with a dog on the cover. Food Pets Die For / Ann N. Martin. 4 stars
6. A book with a plot including a circus or carnival. The Tumbling Turner Sisters / Juliette Fay. 4 stars
7. A book related to exploration (of any type). White Like Her / Gail Lukasik. 3 stars
8. Read a book that was made into a movie. Everything She Ever Wanted / Ann Rule. 4 stars
9. A book about intelligence. Bird Brain / Nathan Emery. 3 stars
10. A book set in Asia. Ghosts of the Tsunami / Richard Lloyd Parry. 3 stars
11. Read a book from the 2024 Play Book Tag Top Ten list. All the Sinners Bleed / S. A. Cosby. 4 stars
12. Read a book recommended by a librarian. The Overstory / Richard Powers. 2.5 stars

Fall Flurries

October (Halloween):
- Atlas of Unknowable Things / McCormick Templeman. 3 stars
- The Night That Finds Us All / John Hornor Jacobs. 3 stars
- Dark Harvest / Norman Partridge. 4 stars
November (Remembrance Day):
- Legend / Marie Lu. 3.25 stars
December (Christmas):
- Snowstorms & Sleigh Bells / Kelley Armstrong. 4 stars

Travel Across Canada

Alberta: (16 books between 2014 – 2024)
- Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands / Kate Beaton. 4.5 stars
- Bad Cree / Jessica Johns. 3.5 stars
British Columbia: (24 books between 2014 – 2024)
- Don't Turn Your Back in the Barn / David Perrin. 4 stars
- Big Lonely Doug / Harley Rustad. 4 stars
- Every Little Scrap and Wonder / Carla Funk. 3 stars
Labrador: (1 books between 2014 - 2018)
Manitoba: (8 books between 2014 – 2023)
- The Break / Katherena Vermette. 4 stars
New Brunswick: (0 books between 2014 - 2020)
Newfoundland: (10 books between 2014 – 2023)
- A Newfoundlander in Canada / Alan Doyle. 4 stars
Northern Canada: (3 books 2019-2022)
Northwest Territories: (3 books between 2014 – 2021)
Nova Scotia: (7 books between 2014 – 2022)
Nunavut: (4 books between 2014 – 2021)
Ontario: (28 books between 2014 – 2024)
- Moon of the Crusted Snow / Waubegeshig Rice. 3.5 stars
- The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford. 3.5 stars
- Greenmantle / Charles de Lint. 3.5 stars
- The Donnellys: Massacre, Trial, and Aftermath / John Little. 3 stars
- The Donnellys: Powder Keg / John Little. 3 stars
Prince Edward Island: (3 books between 2014 – 2022)
Prairie Provinces: (2 books between 2014 – 2021)
Quebec: (7 books between 2014 – 2024)
- Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend / Ben Philippe. 3 stars
- Hotline / Dimitri Nasrallah. 3.5 stars
- Seal Wars / Paul Watson. 4.25 stars
Saskatchewan: (21 books between 2014 – 2023)
- Amuse Bouche / Anthony Bildulka. 4 stars
- Deadly Appearances / Gail Bowen. 3 stars
Yukon: (1 book between 2014 – 2019)

Play Book Tag

January: Canada
- The Break / Katherena Vermette. 4 stars
- Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands / Kate Beaton. 4.5 stars
- Moon of the Crusted Snow / Waubegeshig Rice. 3.5 stars
- The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford. 3.5 stars

February: Science
- Science Comics: Sharks: Nature's Perferct Hunter / Joe Flood. 4 stars

March: Thriller
- Find You First / Linwood Barclay. 3.75 stars

April: Fun
- The Sister Season / Jennifer Scott. 3.5 stars

May: Strong Women
- The Tumbling Turner Sisters / Juliette Fay. 4 stars
- The White Princess / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars
- My Extraordinary Ordinary Life / Sissy Spacek. 3.5 stars
- Beauty and the Werewolf / Mercedes Lackey. 4 stars

June: Summer
- Malibu Rising / Taylor Jenkins Reid. 3.5 stars

July: Speculative Fiction
- The Woman Who Died a Lot / Jasper Fforde. 2 stars
- Shaded Grove / Oliver C. Seneca. 4 stars
- The Overstory / Richard Powers. 2.5 stars

August: Family Drama
- Saving Sophie / Ronald H. Balson. 3.5 stars
- Chickadee / Louise Erdrich. 3.5 stars

September: Around the World
- Cruise Confidential / Brian David Bruns. 4 stars
- Come Fly the World / Julia Cooke. 3 stars

October: Scifi-Fantasy
- Atlas of Unknowable Things / McCormick Templeman. 3 stars
- The Night That Finds Us All / John Hornor Jacobs. 3 stars
- While We Run / Karen Healey. 3.5 stars
- Dark Harvest / Norman Partridge. 4 stars
- Forever Fox / Mary E. Pearson. 3.25 stars

November: British Literature
- The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox / Maggie O'Farrell. 3 stars

December: Recommended
- A Libertarian Walks into a Bear / Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. 3 stars
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes / Suzanne Collins. 4 stars

Reading Through Time

January: Look to the Heavens
- Galileo's Daughter / Dava Sobel. 2 stars

February: Colors
- White Like Her / Gail Lukasik. 3 stars

March: Sweet, Sweet Revenge
- The Donnellys: Powder Keg / John Little. 3 stars

April: All is not what it seems
- The White Princess / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars

*May: Once Upon a Time (Fairy tales)
- Beauty and the Werewolf / Mercedes Lackey. 4 stars

June: People on the Move
- Hotline / Dimitri Nasrallah. 3.5 stars

July: Composers
- The Four Seasons / Laurel Corona. 3.75 stars

August: Don't Let Yourself Get Checkmated!

September: Highlands & Islands
- Three Sisters / Three Queens / Philippa Gregory. 4 stars

October: Autumn
- Dark Harvest / Norman Partridge. 4 stars

November: The High Seas
- Middle Passage / Charles Johnson. 2 stars

December: Countrylife

Hope you have a great reading year!

>31 thornton37814: Thank you! Hopefully this weekend, I'll have time to visit a few other people's challenge threads

Happy New Year and good luck with your reading.

Nice to see another familiar name! Happy New Year and happy reading :)
I didn't realise you are in Calgary - I spent my high school years there and my Mom taught at Western Canada High for many years! We all left the city many years ago but I still do miss the Rockies.

I hope you have a great reading year!

I'll be following along again. Sounds like a great year!
Find me here this year
https://www.librarything.com/topic/367017#8712413

I've placed my star and I am looking forward to following along, Cindy.

Happy New Year! Wow you've chosen such fun challenges and such fun titles for your different lists this year! Can't wait to follow along :D

>34 Cecilturtle: Oh, wow! Where are you now?

Thank you, everyone, for visiting. I do still hope to peruse a bit more on other people's threads this weekend.

>39 LibraryCin: I'm in Ottawa. A very different kind of city but I've come to really love it :)

>41 Cecilturtle: I've actually never been to Ottawa. Toronto a couple of times. Way back (waaayyyy back) in high school was also briefly in Niagara Falls. Not really anywhere else in Ontario.

12x12 Oh Canada, Travel Across Canada, PBT

The Break / Katherena Vermette
4 stars

Emily is only 13-years old. She has a crush on a boy and attends a party he invited her to, but she also doesn’t realize a. what kind of party this is; and b. the boy has a girlfriend… a very jealous girlfriend with a violent streak. Emily ends up in the hospital after a very severe attack, and is surrounded by her extended family as she heals and as the police try to figure out what happened.

This was very good. It’s a very difficult topic, but I liked the writing and thought it was well done. There were a LOT of characters. The first five or six paragraphs were all from different points of view and initially didn’t appear connected. Of course, they were and it was explained, but it was still hard to keep everyone straight and how they were related (many literally) to each other.

12x12 Audio, BingoDOG, CultureCAT

Beyond That, The Sea / Laura Spence-Ash
3 stars

Bea is 11-years old(?) in England during WWII when her parents decide it would be safer to send her away to the United States to live with a family there. Bea stays with Mr and Mrs G, and their two sons Gerald and William. The book continues beyond the war when Bea heads back home, and in the years beyond.

I listened to the audio and it was ok. There were a few times I lost interest, though I think not many. There were a few characters I never quite figured out, though – who are they? I guess I either missed when they were introduced or I heard it, but then forgot. The book is told from multiple points of view.

That's a nice wide range of categories. Happy reading in 2025.

12x12 PBT, PBT, CulitureCAT, Travel Across Canada

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands / Kate Beaton
4.5 stars

In 2005, the author Kate finished university with a social science degree and had student loans to pay off. She was from Cape Breton Island (off the coast of Nova Scotia) and there weren’t a lot of good paying jobs there, so she (like many men do) headed to Alberta to work in the oil sands (which I will, going forward, call the tar sands… yes, that’s what environmentalists call it, but after having read “Fire Weather” by John Vaillant, I do feel like it’s a more accurate description), so she could make a lot of money and pay off those loans. Unfortunately, it is a place where the men outnumber women 50 to 1. There was (likely still is) a lot of sexual harassment (and worse) going on, and Kate had to just deal with it. Complaining did nothing.

It’s disheartening to see this is still so prevalent. It reminded me of the “Class Action” book about the woman in Minnesota(?) working in a mine in the 70s and everything she went through (the movie made from the book was called “North Country”). I used the word disheartening; maybe frustrating or enraging are better words. By the time Kate went to Alberta, it had been three decades since that case (or at least when it all happened), and things haven’t changed!? Ugh! Of course, with the way things appear to be (politically) now and how people talk, etc, it seems another two decades probably still haven’t changed much (if at all).

Though that was the main focus of the book, toward the end there was some mention of the environmental impacts to animals and the other Indigenous communities living nearby.

>46 LibraryCin: This one looks really interesting. My Dad worked in mining in Northern Saskatchewan (not tar sands but I'm sure in equally unforgiving environments). I'm sure it would give me insight into what his field work was like.

>47 Cecilturtle: I forgot to add to my review that this is a graphic novel! Just so you know. :-)

ETA: I grew up in Southern Sask. Was your dad in the uranium mines?

>48 LibraryCin: Yup, uranium in Wollaston Lake (you're good!)
A graphic novel is even better.

>49 Cecilturtle: Ahhh, a "few" years back, that's the only mining I remember in Sask! Maybe there was/is more, but that's what I think of.

Looks like you're off to a good start. I don't know how anyone could read every genre!

Have a great reading year, Cindy!

12x12 ARCs, Netgalley, BingoDOG, AlphaKIT

Sweet Fury / Sash Bischoff
3 stars

Lila is an actress who has come to psychologist Jonah to help unpack some childhood trauma as she embarks on a new movie with her director fiancee, Kurt. The new movie is based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, but with a feminist twist. It seems, though, that Lila has more going on than the childhood issues; is Kurt mistreating her, as well? Plus, there are things Jonah hasn’t told Lila about knowing her when they were at Princeton together.

This started very slowly for me. I wasn’t interested in all the movie scenes, nor am I much interested in F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have read “The Great Gatsby”, but nothing else by him and the author tells us early on there are a lot of Fitzgerald references (and Easter eggs). I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. The first bit of the book was a mix of the movie scenes and letters written by Lila to Jonah (as a way to put down her thoughts). Now, it did pick up in the last half or 1/3 of the book or so, and there were some tense moments, but it wasn’t enough to bring my rating up by much (though it did a little). The end was also ambiguous to me; I wasn’t quite sure what happened there, so I didn’t like that, either. Overall, I’m rating it ok, but only for the twists and extra suspense close to the end of the book.

12x12 RTT, RTT, BingoDOG, ColourCAT, AlphaKIT

Galileo's Daughter / Dava Sobel
2 stars

(One of) Galileo’s daughters wrote letters to her father, so this includes those letters. She was a nun (as were her other sisters, I think, though one not by choice, I think). Primarily, though, I think this followed Galileo himself more than his daughter.

This is nonfiction, and I listened to the audio (which may explain why I’m not too sure what all happened). It just didn’t hold my interest. I caught bits and pieces of things… Galileo was still religious despite the conflict his science brought to religion; somewhere along the way he was on trial and I think he went to jail? I haven’t read anything else about him, so I’m not sure, and either this book or the audio or both just didn’t interest me enough to pay attention. One word I heard far too many times was the odd pronunciation of Soeur (sounded like “sewer” or “sewar”), so I feel like I heard him say “Sewer” Maria (whatever the rest of her nun name was). That definitely bothered me! (And as I read the summary now, of course, it’s Italian, not French so the word is Suor… so I’m not sure how that should be pronounced.) Anyway, I might be willing to try a different book about Galileo, but this isn’t the one for me.

12x12 Animals, RandomKIT, Roundtuits, Play Harder

Food Pets Die For / Ann N. Martin
4 stars

This is the third edition. The author is looking at commercial pet food diets, what’s in them, the animals testing, all kinds of other crazy things the pet food companies do for profits (potentially at the expense of people’s pets, and certainly at the expense of animals who are used for testing). The author advocates for people making their pets’ food from human-grade foods.

I knew of some of these things, but there are horrifying things going on, particularly the animal experiments. I will add that this book (I don’t think there is a newer edition) is from 2008, but I’d be surprised of many of these practices have changed. The author is Canadian, and looks mostly at pet food in Canada and the US.

There is a good chunk of detail explaining what many of the ingredients you see on packaging actually mean. For this reason, I feel like this is a good book to have as a reference (I borrowed a library copy). It’s hard to keep all the ingredients straight. Pets that were euthanized, but not cremated, are likely in most of these foods… this includes the drug used to euthanize those pets ending up in these foods. Also dead livestock, roadkill, and zoo animals. These are all sent to rendering plants that grind and mix them up, then send them to pet food companies to use in pet food.

The drug companies do awful tests on animals for useless purposes (some, actually useless, while other testing is likely done to find the cheapest things they can add to the food to make more money). I’d already read this, but vets are rarely taught about nutrition except in elective courses, and even then, those courses are taught by the pet food companies themselves. Regulations are pretty much nonexistent, and what regulations there are, are mostly voluntary.

Despite the author preferring a home-made diet for pets (and she includes all kinds of nutrition information that needs to be included (for cats and dogs), as well as recipes), she also mentions a few of the companies that she thinks are better than others (at least back in 2008).

There is a lot of repetition in the book, but I just assumed that was in case someone read the chapters out of order (that is, if they were reading a certain chapter on a certain topic, then maybe later (or not) came to read a different chapter on a different topic).

>55 LibraryCin: That book sounds very disturbing.

>56 lowelibrary: It kind of is, yup. She is a journalist but has been looking into this industry for about 15 years before this 3rd edition was published.

ETA: I am happy that the brand I prefer for kibble (at least without particular health issues we are trying to deal with via diet) was listed as one that she is (mostly) ok with - at least as of 2008. I don't like switching to the vet foods, but I do/have once there is something health-related that we are trying to make better.

12x12 BIPOC, ColourCAT, BingoDOG, Roundtuits

Benazir Bhutto: Favored Daughter / Brooke Allen
3.5 stars

Benazir Bhutto was the first female prime minister of Pakistan in 1988 (she was also the youngest at 34-years old). Her father had been prime minister earlier on before the country was taken over by the head of the military. Her father was a socialist and believed in democracy. He made sure his children were well-educated in the US and England. Benazir was attractive and charismatic. When she was elected, she promised health care, education, and more housing.

But underneath it all, Benazir herself wasn’t really democratic nor socialist, despite her adoration of her father and being groomed by him to become a politician. With her feudal family background, she felt she had a God-given right to rule as she wished. She and another party leader switched leading Pakistan throughout the 1990s, but Benazir and her husband were actually quite corrupt and stole/skimmed a lot of money from Pakistan. She was later arrested and forced into exile. But she came back to devastating results (for herself): she was assassinated in 2007.

I’ve left out quite a bit and there is a lot of detail in this short book (it’s under 200 pages). The history of Pakistan is not something I know much about, so I feel like I learned a lot, but there was also so much information that it was also hard to take it all in. It is a good book; I do feel if I’d already known more about Pakistan, I might have been able to absorb even more.

12x12 Travel, MysteryKIT, ScaredyKIT, BingoDOG

Rock Paper Scissors / Alice Feeney
4 stars

Amelia and Adam have been having trouble in their marriage. When Amelia wins a trip at work to head to Scotland to stay in an old isolated church, she jumps at the chance, hoping the two of them can start to repair their marriage. They drive through a snowstorm to get there and the church is locked. It’s cold, and dark, and they were lucky to not be killed on the drive, due to the road conditions. There are creepy things happening all around. Meanwhile, Robin lives in a small cottage nearby. Robin is a hermit and rarely goes into town. Amelia and Adam don’t know she’s there, but she is keeping a very close eye on the two of them.

We read the story from the viewpoints of all three characters. In addition, we back up in time to read letters written to Adam on their anniversary every year and we can see where things have been going wrong. There were definitely creepy bits and there were a few twists at the end; I don’t think I saw any of them coming.

>59 LibraryCin: Taking a BB for this one.

>60 lowelibrary: Hope you like it!

12x12 BIPOC, PBT, ScaredyKIT, Roundtuits, Travel Across Canada

Moon of the Crusted Snow / Waubgeshig Rice
3.5 stars

When a remote northern Indigenous community loses all power and cell service, no one is quite sure why, but this happens sometimes, just not usually at the same time. But when this continues for a while, the community decides they need to figure out what to do to make it through the winter in case is doesn’t come back. When two young boys from the community return from the city in the south on snowmobiles, they learn that things are just as bad in the city and it’s getting worse. At least many of the Indigenous peoples can hunt and fish. Soon, a large white man appears asking for a place to stay; he has followed the tracks of the boys’ skidoos to get there. People aren’t sure if they can trust this guy, but they allow him to stay.

I listened to the audio. It occurred to me that Indigenous people (at least those who learned to hunt and fish and to do other traditional things might be in a better position than many (certainly us city folk) to withstand hardships like this). Of course, even so, not everyone fares well. It was actually a pretty slow moving book, but there were moments of tension. I am willing to give the sequel a try, as well.

>62 LibraryCin: - I recently listened to the sequel and I think I'd say that I liked it better than the first one.

>62 LibraryCin:, >63 dudes22: I don't know if its recency bias or not, but I would agree that I liked the second more than the first. It moves along faster too.

>63 dudes22: >64 beebeereads: Thank you - good to know!

12x12 ARCs, BingoDOG, AlphaKIT

Oh No He Didn’t: Brilliant Women... / Wendy Murphy
3.5 stars

This is a collection of essays highlighting different women in history (mostly the 19th and 20th centuries, but at least one earlier than that) who were inventors, scientists, architects, artists, and more, but had their work “stolen” by men, and the men got the credit (and often, the men were awarded prestigious prizes for that work, including a number of Nobel prizes).

This was good. The stories/essays were short, so it’s hard to remember them all. There was biographical information included about the women, as well. And, sadly, a few women whose husbands took advantage and took credit for their wives ideas/inventions/art/etc. (some of those marriages also ended later). A couple of memorable ones for me was who invented Monopoly and the discovery of two-strand DNA. There were also chapteres on Einstein and his wife, Mileva, as well and F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda.

>66 LibraryCin: - This sounds interesting - I'll take a BB for this.

>67 dudes22: Enjoy! (Or maybe be frustrated... LOL!)

12x12 Animals, NatureKIT, BingoDOG

The Wisdom of Sheep / Rosamund Young
2.25 stars

The author runs an organic farm. These are little anecdotes.

The book started well – a bit of her biography/background. But then it got into chapters of (sometimes odd, in my opinion) anecdotes. Some chapters were just a poem or a quote from literature; some were about other critters (not sheep) such as frogs, insects, butterflies, birds. Many chapters (maybe more than the ones about sheep?) were about cows. (Some of) the chapters on cows and sheep were the most interesting to me, but often she’d also throw in more literary references and other things that just were odd to me. There were some nice little illustrations and it was a very fast read.

12x12 Nonfiction, Roundtuits, PBT Trim

The Autobiography of an Execution / David R. Dow
4 stars

The author is a lawyer for inmates on death row in Texas. In fact, at one point, this lawyer was in favour of the death penalty. The main part of this book is when he was fighting to save the life of a man convicted of killing his wife, then two kids. But it was all circumstantial evidence and his lawyer was completely inept. Another death row inmate talked to Dow to tell him he knew who killed the other man’s family and it was a mistaken identity. You can’t always believe these guys, but Dow and his staff looked further into it, and they were pretty convinced the man didn’t do it.

In the meantime, other cases came up with people looking for help. Like with our main case in this book, many were represented in their trials by inept lawyers who didn’t do their jobs. There are appeals after appeals for the people on death row, but they rarely help or change anything. There are so many rules, it’s almost impossible to overturn these sentences, despite the legal issues with some of the inmates even being on death row.

I already don’t agree with the death penalty. But the more I read about it, the more convinced I am (once upon a time I wasn’t convinced).

12x12 Series, NatureKIT

The Lord God Made Them All / James Herriot
3 stars

This is another of English veterinarian James Herriot’s books about his practice during the mid-20th-century in rural England, mostly working with farm animals. Amidst the usual anecdotes about various critters, he did a couple of long trips (one on a ship to Russia), tending to the animals aboard during the trips.

I listened to the audio, so there was a bit too much that I missed to be able to rate it higher. Most of what I heard was enjoyable. There were tidbits included about his family and kids, as well.

>71 LibraryCin: I've got this one on audio, also. I have been noticing that my mind isn't focusing as it once did on audio!

12x12 Trim, Roundtuits

The Mammoth Hunters / Jean M. Auel
3.5 stars

In the 3rd book of the series of prehistoric people, Ayla and Jondalar have arrived at a “Mamutoi” settlement. These are humans more like we know them now, and more like Ayla, than the “cave” people she was raised with. In addition to having to learn the new culture and still being new to the spoken language, it’s hard for Ayla to fit in. Not only that, she brought domesticated horses with her, which is unnerving for the people here. But she is beautiful and she brings many good qualities, first and foremost as a Healer. So she is soon welcomed. But her relationship with Jondalar is tested as one of the men in this camp is very interested in Ayla and doesn’t keep it a secret.

Of course, there is a lot more going on in this than I’ve summarized. It’s a good book, but it was so long. I started it two months ago, but it was taking so long to read, I set it aside for other books before I came back to finish it off. It is a bit annoying how perfect Ayla is, though. Maybe not perfect, but she does so many things so well – things that others can’t do or have a hard time doing. I also hate the hunting; I cry for the animals, though I know the people needed to hunt to survive.

12x12 Oh Canada, PBT, Roundtuits, Travel Canada, AlphaKIT, BingoDOG, Play Harder

The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford
3.5 stars

When their owners leave for months, two dogs and a cat are boarded with a friend many miles away, but when that person leaves for a few days, the pets (after a mixup with the people meant to care for them for those few days) head out to find their way to their owners’ home through the wilderness in Ontario. One of the dogs is older, one younger, but they all have bumps and bruises along the way and sometimes come close to death as the three do their best to survive and take care of each other as they encounter water to swim across, various humans (most who help), and various wildlife.

I enjoyed this. It was quick to read. I do suspect the author had pets herself as many of the descriptions of the animals seemed pretty true to life. Despite this being a Canadian “classic” (I think), I’ve never read it before, nor have I seen any of the movies.

>74 LibraryCin: I've never read the book, but my brother and I loved the movie "Homeward Bound" growing up!

>75 christina_reads: I should see if I can find the movie... I rarely take time to watch, but if I know I can get it, maybe I will at some point.

12x12 BIPOC, ScaredyKIT, AlphaKIT, Play Harder

All the Sinners Bleed / S. A. Cosby
4 stars

It started as a school shooting in a small town in Virginia. A white teacher was shot and killed by a black man. The black man came out of the school to confront the black sheriff and was shot by two white officers. Then they found the pictures and videos on the teacher’s phone and it gets messy in this religious Virginia town with religion and racism all mixed together.

Titus is the black sheriff. He once worked for the FBI and something happened there. He came home to help out his elderly father, and ran to be sheriff, hoping he could make some changes from the inside to this racist area.

This was very good. Definitely some tense moments. The book is very dark and some awful things happen. On the personal side (Titus’ personal side) of the book, I have to agree with his girlfriend – what did he ever see in his ex!?

>77 LibraryCin: Taking a BB for this one.

>78 lowelibrary: Hope you like it.

12x12 Animals, PBT

Science Comics: Sharks: Nature's Perfect Hunter / Joe Flood
4 stars

Another in the Science Comics series, this focuses on sharks. Many people are fascinated by them; many are scared of them. This looks at their biology, their evolution, many different types of sharks, and their (rare) interactions with humans.

I love this series. It’s geared toward a younger audience, but there is so much for adults to learn, as well. These are also graphic novels, but with the colour pictures, they can illustrate so much of what is being explained to make it all easier to picture. Have to admit, I liked that this one had less “focus” on the story to tell us about sharks (in comparison to some of the other Science Comics); I’m sure that part of it is to appeal to younger readers, so maybe it is more appealing for the younger ones, but I feel like this one had less of that.

12x12 ARCs, CoverCAT, AlphaKIT

Listen to Your Sister / Neena Viel
2 stars

A young woman (in her mid-20s), Callie, ends up taking care of her 16-year old brother, Jamie, while her other brother, Dre (early 20s), had said he’d help out, but he rarely does. After Jamie is suspended from school due to drugs, things get worse when he attends a protest with friends and is driving a vehicle caught handing out weapons. Meanwhile, Dre gets caught up in a conflict that should have been his roommate’s conflict, but it’s Dre in the middle of it. Callie has nightmares about both her brothers dying. With all this going on, they decide to leave town and find a horribly beaten down cabin to regroup. Then things get worse.

I am not a fan of stories within a story, or in a similar note, I tend to tune out if there is a dream in a book. This was all about the dream. Especially when they reached the cabin and it was hard to tell what was a dream and what wasn’t. I like horror. I also was interested before the horror aspect picked up, in what was going on with this family. But the nightmare and trying to figure out the nightmare vs reality… I just ended up tuning half (or more) of that out.

12x12 Trim, Roundtuits, BingoDOG

Better Nate Than Ever / Tim Federle
3.25 stars

13-year old Nate lives in Pennsylvania, but dreams of being on Broadway. When there is a casting call for a musical production of E.T., he and his best friend Libby collaborate so he can get into NYC for a day without his parents finding out so he can try out for the part of Eliot. Nate was excited, not only to try out, but to also experience New York for a short time.

I listened to the audio and this was enjoyable. Some humourous bits thrown in. It’s meant for a young audience and I expect many that age would enjoy this little adventure of Nate’s. It looks like this is the start of a series, but I’m not sure if I’ll continue. The narrator was the author himself and he did a very good job. Adding an extra ¼ star for his narration.

12x12 Oh Canada, Roundtuits, CoverCAT, NatureKIT, AlphaKIT, Travel Across Canada

Greenmantle / Charles de Lint
3.5 stars

14-year old Ali and her mom, Frankie, have moved to Frankie’s old house after she won the lottery. They are going to fix the house up and stay. But when Frankie’s ex, Earl, learns that Frankie won the lottery, he’s coming after her for the money. Meanwhile, Ali is making friends with their neighbour, Tony. They don’t know at first, but Tony is hiding from the mafia, which he used to be involved in until there was a “hit” out for him. But Ali can tell Tony’s a good guy. In the forest behind their homes are some odd things though: a piper that plays eerie music that makes people do odd things, a stag that appears, a young girl who is a little odd…

This was good. I’m not always a fan of fantasy, but this is urban fantasy (though not an urban area, the bulk of the story is in the “real” world, with parts of fantasy in the forest), and I usually do better with this type of fantasy. Based on the description and cover, there was less fantasy that I expected, so I was happy about that. The book followed many different characters at different points, and I’m not always as interested in the “bad guys’” perspectives when books do this. This was the case, once again, particularly following Tony’s crew. Overall, though, I did like the story, and I like Ali and Frankie, especially. And even Tony. There were some pretty terrible characters, though (looking at you, Earl! For one).

12x12 Travel

The Nightingale / Kristin Hannah
4.5 stars

Vianne and Isabelle are sisters, but are not close. Vianne is married and has a daughter and lives in rural France, while Isabelle prefers Paris. Vianne’s husband goes to fight in World War II, and Isabelle goes to live with Vianne. The sisters are opposites. Vianne wants to not rock the boat and just wait for Antoine to come home. Isabelle is furious and wants to help stop the Germans, so she gets involved with some underground resistance. In fact, Isabelle is very involved and it is very dangerous. Meanwhile, Vianne’s home is “confiscated” by the Germans when the town is invaded and a German soldier stays with them. This is dangerous for everyone…

2025 Review: This is a reread. I don’t have a lot to add to my review from the first time and I am rating it the same. I was able to listen to about two-thirds of it this time before I had to switch to the ebook, but the audio was also done really well. Still an amazing book the second time around. There was very little I actually remembered of the book, so it was almost like not having read it before.

2017 Review: The book goes back and forth between 1995 and 1939-1945. I think I’ve only read one other book (that comes to mind, anyway) that is set in France during the war (Sarah’s Key), so between the two books, I am learning more of what happened in occupied France. At first, I found Isabelle’s story more intriguing (we also went back and forth between what was happening with each sister), but as time went on, things were happening on both ends. Despite the length of the book, it was a fast read for me. Very, very well done and very interesting and heartbreaking, at times.

<74 When I was around 13 my mother saw this in the grocery store and bought it for me because I was (and am) an animal lover. I asked my teacher if it was a classic. I clearly remember her telling me no and it never will be, and not in a kindly way. I wish she was still around. I'd make sure she knew it was first published in 1961 and still popular today. She on the other hand was never popular!

>83 LibraryCin: I'm not a fan of fantasy either but De Lindt is from Ottawa and sometimes describes parts of the city. I tried but no city however curious I was to find my beloved streets.

>85 clue: Wow - did she just not like animal stories, I wonder!?

>86 Cecilturtle: That's always fun - recognizing the places as you read.

12x12 Nonfiction, CoverCAT

When We Were Shadows / Janet Wees
3.5 stars

Walter is only 5-years old when his Jewish family moves out of Germany to the Netherlands in 1937. He doesn’t understand why they have to leave. In the following years, after the Nazis invade the Netherlands in 1940, Walter’s family has to continually move around and hide to stay safe, often with Walter not really understanding what is going on.

This is nonfiction and geared toward a younger audience. It is an interesting perspective of a young boy who really doesn’t understand (at least for the first few years) what is happening around him as his family constantly needs to keep moving. The book mentions some of the people who were part of the Dutch Underground who helped Walter and his family and includes pictures of some of the people and places. I found the “Hidden Village” in the forest particularly interesting, but I suppose people had to be creative in order to survive. There were letters included that Walter wrote to his grandmother while they were (separately) in hiding. I probably could have done without the narration of an older Walter to his granddaughter.

>85 clue: I don't know why but I clearly remember she made me feel stupid for asking. I was just learning what a classic is.

>90 clue: That's sad that a teacher did that. You're supposed to be able to trust that you can ask questions of your teachers without being made to feel stupid. :-(

Back after a short hiatus of no reading, tv, or online. Some of you doing the ScaredyKIT may have seen my comments about me having eye issues. It turned out, there was, in fact, a tear in my retina, so they lasered it on Monday. I thought it might be a week or more before I could be back to normal, but surprisingly, I saw my ophthalmologist today and he said all was well, Just don't lift heaving things.

Now, I am trying to take things slowly. I have been online for a bit today - an hour earlier, and hopefully no longer than an hour this evening. I am going to "work" tomorrow, but just for a library staff social thing we had planned (the library is closed in the morning for this event). I will not join in the bowling, but I will watch and chat and be there for lunch before coming home. I'll take it easy over the weekend, then see how things go at work on Monday. My supervisor is ok if I feel like I'm best not to do the entire day, so we'll see.

I had already cancelled all my activities this week and weekend. I love that my book club got a "care package" together for me. :-)

>92 LibraryCin:, Oh, I'm so glad it was able to fixed so quickly! That's fantastic news :) And so sweet of your book club, too!

>92 LibraryCin: Sorry about your retina, but I’m happy to see you’re on the mend!

Thank you both! Keeping my fingers crossed things continue to go well. Can't recall where I've mentioned it yet, but 14 years ago, this was in my other eye. It took 3 weeks of lasering before I was back at work and my retina detached 2 weeks later, anyway. Fingers crossed this works out better this time around!

12x12 Series, RandomKIT

A Twist in Time / Jule McElwain
3.5 stars

Book 2 of a series. FBI agent, Kendra, is still stuck in 1815. When Lady Dover is found stabbed multiple times, likely with a stiletto, Kendra is called on to help solve this murder. There are an abundance of people who did not like Lady Dover, as she had affairs with multiple men (a father-in-law and son-in-law), her stepson disliked her, and many more people had reason to dislike her.

This one focused less on the time travel and time differences than the first book, and it seemed like more of a police procedural-type mystery. It was good. I listened to the audio (as I believe I did with the first book) and I admit to losing focus occasionally, but it was still good. There was a bit more with Kendra’s relationship to Alec. I didn’t like this one as much as the first, but I do plan to continue the series.

12x12 RTT, RTT, AlphaKIT, Play Harder

White Like Her / Gail Lukasik
3 stars

Gail Lukasik is a mystery author. As an adult, she sent away for her mother’s birth certificate from New Orleans, only to see “(col.)” after her mother’s name. “Col”? Coloured? What!? This began a genealogical search (after her mother refused to talk about it), with help from the tv show “Genelalogical Roadshow” for her ancestry (much of the searching, and the tv show came after her mother died). Her mother did, indeed, abandon her family in New Orleans so that she could move north and pass for white.

There were some interesting stories in her family’s background, but it was hard to keep track of all the people. And not all the stories were as interesting as others. Doing the tv show also helped reunite her with family she never knew she had, which was interesting.

>97 LibraryCin: Taking a BB for this one.

>98 lowelibrary: Enjoy!

12x12 Audio, AlphaKIT, BingoDOG, Travel Across Canada

12x12 Off the Shelf, ScaredyKIT, Roundtuits

>102 LibraryCin: This would be a BB for me but Judy (DeltaQueen) already got me!

>103 Charon07: LOL! I'm really loving this author as a whole!

>102 LibraryCin: This was my first book by Darcy Coates and I certainly will be looking for more by her! I was thoroughly scared by the book as well so I sympathize with you for not being able to go to the basement.

12x12 BIPOC

12x12 Off the Shelf, PBT Trim, Roundtuits, ScaredyKIT, AlphaKIT, BingoDOG, Play Harder

12x12 Animals, AlphaKIT, BingoDOG

>108 LibraryCin: This sounds really interesting. I might see if I can find it at the library.

12x12 Nonfiction, NatureKIT, CoverCAT, BingoDOG, AlphaKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 Oh Canada, Roundtuits, PBT Trim

12x12 Animals, CoverCAT, BingoDOG, Rounduits, Travel Across Canada

12x12 RTT, BingoDOG, Travel Across Canada, RTT

>111 LibraryCin: This looks interesting. I have a friend in Canada who's working on a project about childless men. I might recommend this to him as he thinks to the specificities for different genders.

>115 purpleiris: Good thought! I hope it's helpful.

>117 LibraryCin:

I haven’t read ‘Unsinkable’ but I did read the book on the Carpathia - The Other Side of the Night - a couple of years ago and thought it was excellent.

>118 Zozette: Yes, that's the other one I've read by this author! That one may have even made my favourites the year I read it.

12x12 Trim, ColourCAT, AlphaKIT, Roundtuits

The Shopping Bags / Anna Wallner, Kristina Matisic

12x12 PBT, Roundtuits, PBT

12x12 Overflow, AlphaKIT

12x12 Series, MysteryKIT, AlphaKIT, BingoDOG

12x12 BIPOC, ColourCAT, AlphaKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 ARCs

12x12 Trim, Roundtuits

12x12 Travel, ColourCAT

12x12 PBT, PBT, Roundtuits, BingoDOG

I know I mentioned this in some of the challenge threads, but as of mid-April for almost two weeks, I was relegated to only audio books due to unexpected surgery for a detached retina.

I still hope to (eventually) get to most of the books I had planned for April challenges, but they might come during May or even a little bit later (as well as trying to get to May's challenges!).

I'm still off work until the 12th and still can't see in that eye (beyond a water-y blur). I'm looking through a gas bubble, which is why it looks this way until the bubble just dissipates.

12x12 Travel, Roundtuits, Play Harder

12x12 Nonfiction, RandomKIT (Apr), PBT Trim (May), Rounduits

12x12 PBT, PBT, Play Harder, Roundtuits

I hope recovery is going well. That's great that you're able to keep reading with audiobooks. I can never get into them. I think I am too easily distracted, although for some reason I find it easier to listen to essays than fiction.

>136 purpleiris: To be honest, I attempted three audio books during that time and, despite having no distractions, none were super-exciting and one really didn't hold my attention at all.

Though, I do normally do audios, and it does depend. Some will hold my attention, but others don't. Those, though, not holding my attention when there was nothing else to draw it elsewhere, that doesn't bode well for those books! I guess 2/3 at least partially held my attention, but none of the three made me want to come back to listen, either!

12x12 RTT, RTT, PBT, CoverCAT, Roundtuits

12x12 PBT, PBT, Roundtuits

12x12 Oh Canada, NatureKIT, Travel Across Canada

12x12 Series, AlphaKIT

>141 LibraryCin: I had much the same thoughts about Dust. I loved the first book but didn't care for the next two at all. I did leave too much time between the books so couldn't connect the story at all.

>142 DeltaQueen50: Glad I'm not the only one. Maybe it wasn't just the audio, then.

12x12 RTT, RTT, PBT, CoverCAT, ColourCAT

>144 LibraryCin: That is the only Five Hundred Kingdoms book I have read, but I am looking forward to finding the others and reading from the beginning.

>145 lowelibrary: I believe there are five others. Enjoy!

12x12 Series, (Apr) ScaredyKIT, (May) CoverCAT, (May) NatureKIT

12x12 ARCs, (Apr) CoverCAT

>144 LibraryCin: I'm glad to see that Mercedes Lackey added to the fairy tale re-tellings of our modern era. This looks like it was a good one. And I'm so sorry that that this series has ended for you!

Thought I'd post another update. My retina detached again last week so I had surgery again on Friday. No gas bubble this time, but oil instead. So, I don't need to be face down. (But I do need to sleep on my back only, or face-up, anyway.) If I'm up, I can sit or stand with my head up, as normal. One drawback o the oil, though, is I will need an additional surgery to remove it. I don't know the details of that surgery yet, beyond that it will likely be in 2 or 3 months.

I was told I can do all the things (tv , online, reading), but to take it easy. So, I'm really trying to limit things and trying to rest and do some listening to things again. I have three more reviews to add in here, but am trying to limit my computer time. I still hope I can get those updated in the next few days.

>150 LibraryCin: Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Wishing you a speedy recovery and an uneventful follow-up surgery!

>150 LibraryCin: So sorry to hear this, and I hope you are soon on the mend!

>151 Charon07: >152 christina_reads: Thank you both. Fingers crossed this works out better this time.

>150 LibraryCin: I'm sorry you have to go through this again and hope all is well this time.

Wishing you a safe and speedy recovery!

>150 LibraryCin: Best wishes for a full recovery soonest.

>150 LibraryCin: Oh no!! I hope the additional surgery goes well and that you have an easy and full recovery.

>150 LibraryCin: Thinking of you and wishing you a complete recovery.

>150 LibraryCin: What a lot to go through! Thank you for the reviews you posted and best wishes for a swift and thorough recovery.

Thank you all, again! My follow-up with the surgeon is on Saturday, so hopefully she'll tell me it's all looking good!

12x12 ARCs, ColourCAT

>166 LibraryCin: Taking a BB for this one.

>168 lowelibrary: Hope you like it!

12x12 Trim, Roundtuits

>170 LibraryCin: I pretty much detested this book, except for the character of Boris. I didn’t like him, but he was the most interesting part of this book.

>172 Charon07: He definitely made the book more interesting!

12x12 Oh Canada

12x12 Oh Canada, Travel Across Canada, MysteryKIT, Rounduits

12x12 Trim, AlphaKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 Trim, Roundtuits, ScaredyKIT, AlphaKIT

12x12 Series, RandomKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 Travel, NatureKIT (June), AlphaKIT (June)

12x12 Travel, CultureKIT, AlphaKIT

12x12 Nonfiction, Play Harder

12x12 Audio

And... I'm back from a 4th detachment and 4th surgery. This time around, I have oil (that may be left there for years or infinitely), and another option.

I can have 3 injections in my eye. It is a medication that is supposed to prevent or control "proliferative vitreoretinopathy". If I have this or am developing it, it means there are extra cells growing on my retina that may be causing multiple detachments (at least in part). Or something along those lines.

I will likely get the injections, but I have a bit of time to think about it before my next follow up on Sept 4th. Really, I can have the first injection that day, as long as I give them about a week's notice, so they can arrange to get the medication to the office for me.

>199 LibraryCin: You are going through so much right now to preserve your sight. You have my sympathy and my support as you make your decisions. That is really what healthcare is all about, isn't it? Which route to take when several options are laid out for you. Good luck, Cindy.

>200 beebeereads: Thank you so much.

I am so sorry to hear the eye troubles continue. All my best wishes that the treatments work.

>202 MissWatson: Thank you. :-)

I have never heard of multiple detachments before and I'm sorry to hear you've had so much to go through. Best of luck on the next treatment.

>204 clue: Thanks so much! I had a detachment in my other eye 14 years ago and one surgery did the trick that time. Have to say, I'm not thrilled that it didn't go that way this time.

12x12 Nonfiction, NatureKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 Series, CultureCAT, PBT

I'm so sorry to hear about all the trouble you are having with your eye. My husband has just been told he's rapidly going blind in one eye and will be going for treatment next week. It's a long drive so I hope it works. But he's 83, not a young person like you (at his age, everyone under 60 is "young"). I wish you all the best.

>209 VivienneR: Oh no. :-( I'm so sorry to hear that. Losing sight, even "just" in one eye, is very scary (it has certainly crossed my mind!).
And thank you for the well wishes.

12x12 Off the Shelf, ColourCAT

>199 LibraryCin: Adding here my best wishes for your recovery from this retinal surgery. I am so, so glad that there exist ways to re-attach it, and I know you will make the best of decisions about the options you have.

>212 threadnsong: Thank you so much. I appreciate all the well-wishes!

12x12 Off the Shelf, RandomKIT, AlphaKIT

12x12 Audio, MysteryKIT, AlphaKIT

12x12 BIPOC, CultureCAT, AlphaKIT

12x12 Animals, CoverCAT, AlphaKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 Off the Shelf, ScaredyKIT (Aug)

12x12 Animals, NatureKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 Travel, RandomKIT, AlphaKIT, Roundtuits

12x12 ARCs, ColourCAT, AlphaKIT

12x12 Travel, PBT Trim, CoverCAT, Roundtuits

This sounds very entertaining! For some reason your description reminds me off Emergency sex and other desperate measures

>229 purpleiris: LOL! That's not one I've heard of!

The title makes it sound more exciting than it is. It's about people who participate in humanitarian missions. Let me see if I can get the touchstone to work.

>231 purpleiris: Ah, thank you. I take a look!

ETA: It does look good. I've added it to my tbr!

I look forward to hearing what you think if you do read it.

>233 purpleiris: It could be a while. I mostly choose what I read based on monthly challenges, but I also often try to get to what's been on my tbr longer. :-) But sometimes something recent is one of the only, or few things that fit, so you never know!

12x12 RTT, RTT, Roundtuits

>236 LibraryCin: - I read this a few years ago and thought it was interesting.

12x12 Nonfiction, PBT

12x12 Nonfiction, Play Harder, (Oct) ColourCAT

Helter Skelter / Vincent Bugliosi

2025 Reread:
4.5 stars

2025 Reread: This is, of course, the story of Charles Manson and his “Family”, who went on a murder spree over a couple of days (plus more murders, in addition) in August 1969. The first night, they killed five people, including actress Sharon Tate; the second night they killed a married couple. They were very violent and frenzied murders. It is written by the main prosecutor in the case; not only that he seemed to help out quite a bit with the investigation.

I read this in high school, then listened to the audio a few years ago. Unfortunately, I discovered that the library (audio) copy was abridged and I wanted to reread the entire book. It is long. Bugliosi, being so involved in the trial and also helping with the investigation, has a lot of information to provide, including info that was public that they were able to use in the trial, and what wasn’t able to come out or be used at trial.

I am rating this so highly due to all the detail, but there were a lot of people and there were a couple of times where I kind of lost where we were and what was happening. This time around, I was reading a 25th anniversary edition, so there is an afterward that was able to update readers on what was happening with many of the people involved at that point (I have, of course, also looked up more online!). As I reread my review of the audio, I commented on not being able to see the pictures included. Unfortunately, they were also not included in the ebook, either! (There was note, something about copyright, I think.)

2021 Reread (audio): 3.5 stars

In 1969, Charles Manson and a few of his “family” committed multiple murders two nights in a row. Vincent Bugliosi was the DA who got them convicted and sentenced to death. This book looked at the murders, the investigation, and the trials.

I listened to the audio, and unfortunately, this ended up being an abridged version of the book. As I ask in all my reviews of abridged audios – why? Why not record the entire book? Anyway, I read this when I was in high school (a few decades ago!), and it wasn’t as creepy as I remember. I can’t say for sure if the abridged version was the reason for that, but in part, I’m certain not seeing the photos was part of that. Charles Manson was a creepy creepy looking man. Since this was abridged, I still want to reread the entire thing. Overall, it appeared that the abridgement was done fairly well, though I’d much rather read the entire book.

12x12 ARCs, ScaredyKIT, CoverCAT, Fall Flurries, PBT

12x12 Off the Shelf

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry / Rachel Joyce

When Harold Fry learns (via a letter) that a former coworker he hasn't seen in 20 years has terminal cancer, he plans to mail a letter back. On the way to the mailbox, he decides to walk to her – all the way from Southern England to Northern. He leaves his wife Maureen behind, and they both think about where their marriage went wrong.

2025 Reread:
3.5 stars
I guess I liked this a bit better the second time around. I did lose focus occasionally on this, but (unlike the first time I read it), I don’t think I liked one POV over the other. I didn’t remember the little “twist” near the end. But I did like the ending. Similar to the first time I read it, I wasn’t a big fan of the big group of people that joined him, and (like Harold), I felt relieved when they were gone.

2016 Review:
3 stars
I preferred reading the chapters from Maureen's point of view to reading about Harold's walking. For some reason, I just didn't find his hike very interesting. I did get annoyed when he had that entire group of people join him for a while. I liked the end and Maureen's portions, but overall, I'm giving it an “ok”, 3 stars.

12x12 BIPOC, Roundtuits, PBT

12x12 RTT, RTT, ScaredyKIT, AlphaKIT, ColourCAT, PBT, Fall Flurries

12x12 Oh Canada, RandomKIT, CoverCAT, Roundtuits, Travel Across Canada

12x12 Nonfiction, AlphaKIT

12x12 BIPOC, AlphaKIT, ColourCAT, Roundtuits, Play Harder

12x12 Trim, AlphaKIT, CoverCAT, Roundtuits

12x12 Oh Canada, Roundtuits, PBT Trim, AlphakIT

>258 LibraryCin: I really liked this one when I read it. I hadn't been that infuriated by a character in a while!

12x12 Oh Canada, CultureCAT, Travel Across Canada

>262 LibraryCin: - I have this in my TBR pile, Cindy, and I'm thinking that I started it once and put it aside. I'm wondering if confusion was the reason. Your review has me thinking I might leave it there for a while longer.

>263 dudes22: I might be in a minority, so you could take a look at other reviews, as well. But if you remember starting it and setting it aside, there must have been a reason!

12x12 PBT, PBT, Roundtuits

12x12 Off the Shelf, Roundtuits, RandomKIT, PBT Trim

>277 LibraryCin: I personally was disappointed in this book when I read it. However, it did serve to remind me of why I hated Coriolanus Snow. The next book Sunrise on the Reaping is much better. I found it as enjoyable as the first book.

>278 lowelibrary: I'll admit, I mostly read this one to get to the next one; I really want to read Hamitch's (sp?) story. I do see that the reviews really vary for this. It was the middle portion of the Games that kept the rating as high as it was for me.

Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year! And lots of books!

>281 VivienneR: Thank you, Vivienne! Happy (and healthy) New Year to you, too!

I had more books rated 2 stars (dishonourable mentions below) than 4.25 stars + (only 7). Not completely true, I don't put rereads into my top 10 for the year, but they are "honourable mentions" - I have two of those, rated 4.5 stars. None of my books were 5 stars this year.

My top (7) (4.25+ stars):
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands / Kate Beaton
The Haunting of Ashburn House / Darcy Coates
The Marriage Pact / Michelle Richmond
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow / Zoulfa Katouh
The Crisis of Canadian Democracy / Andrew Coyne
Seal Wars / Paul Watson
Firefly Lane / Kristin Hannah

Honourable mentions (rereads):
The Nightingale / Kristin Hannah
Helter Skelter / Vincent Bugliosi

Dishonourable mentions (9) (2 stars):
Galileo’s Daughter / Dava Sobel
Listen to Your Sister / Neena Viel
Brideshead Revisited / Evelyn Waugh
Love in the Time of Cholera / Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Sixth Gunn / Cullen Bunn
The Woman Who Died a Lot / Jasper Fforde
Tiger / Tash Aw
A River of Stars / Vanessa Hua
Middle Passage / Charles Johnson

I will post stats at some point - if not later today, then on the weekend (I have to work tomorrow/Friday - boooo).

Stats
151 books
50,691 pages
= 336 pages / book (average)

Canadian authors: 28 out of 151 = 18.5%

Some genres (some of these will overlap, and I probably missed some, too):
Nonfiction (not including Biography/Memoir): 31 out of 151 = 20.5%
YA + Children’s: 11 out of 151 = 7.3%
Biography/Memoir: 18 out of 151 = 11.9%
Graphic novels: 3 out of 151 = 2%
Mystery/Thriller: 17 out of 151 = 11.3%
Horror: 12 out of 151 = 7.9%
Historical Fiction: 16 out of 151 = 10.6%

Nonfiction + Biography/Memoir: 49 out of 151 = 32.5%