Lori (thornton37814) enjoys a candy-filled 2025 - thread 2

Welcome to my second 2025 Category Challenge theme. I chose candy as a theme this year, and I had lots of candies I would have loved to use as categories that didn't make the final cut!

In real life, I'm a librarian and genealogist. I enjoy cross-stitching. I live in East Tennessee.

Category 1. 3 Musketeers = Classics

1.

Category 2. M & Ms = Murder & Mayhem

1. Murder in a Scottish Garden by Traci Hall - completed 7 January 2025
2. Aftermath by Peter Robinson - completed 23 January 2025
3. Murder by the Seashore by Samara Yew - completed 10 February 2025
4. The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino - completed 1 February 2025
5. Killer in the Carriage House by Sheila Connolly - completed 4 March 2025
6. Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon - completed 1 April 2025
7. A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley - completed 19 April 2025
8. Murder in a Tourist Town by Lynn Cahoon - completed May 2025
9. Murder in Kensington Palace by Andrea Penrose - completed May 2025
10. Freezer, I'll Shoot by Victoria Hamilton - completed June 2025
11. The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri - completed June 2025
12. The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves - completed June 2025
13. Botched Butterscotch by Amanda Flower - completed 7 July 2025
14. A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany - completed 13 July 2025
15. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley - completed 23 July 2025
16. Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson - completed 12 August 2025
17. A Cyclist's Guide to Crime & Croissants by Ann Claire - completed 29 August 2025
18. Death and the Lit Chick by G. M. Malliet - completed September 2025
19. Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo - completed September 2025
20. A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany - completed October 2025
21. Death Is a Cabaret by Deborah Morgan - completed November 2025
22. Death by Coffee by Alex Erickson - completed November 2025
23. The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny - completed December 2025

Category 3. Now & Later = Fine Arts (Music, Dance, Art, Poetry, Drama)

1.

Category 4. Dove Bar = Christian nonfiction

1. The Characters of Easter: The Villains, Heroes, Cowards, and Crooks Who Witnessed History's Biggest Miracle by Daniel Darling - completed 15 April 2025
2. Deepening Your Prayer Life: Approach God with Boldness by Charles F. Stanley - completed 28 April 2025
3. Exploring Our Hebraic Heritage: A Christian Theology of Roots and Renewal by Marvin R. Wilson - completed May 2025
4. Genesis 1-11: Believing the Simple Truth of God's Word by Warren W. Wiersbe - completed May 2025
5. Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts: Discovering Their Significance to You as a Christian by Richard Booker - completed June 2025
6. As America Has Done to Israel by John McTernan - completed 31 August 2025
7. The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us about Sabbath Living by Eryn Lynum - completed November 2025
8. Day by Day with Charles Swindoll by Charles R. Swindoll - completed December 2025
9. Holy Bible: New King James Version - completed 31 Dec 2025

Category 5. Oh Henry = History & Biography

1. Boardinghouse Women: How Southern Keepers, Cooks, Nurses, Widows, and Runaways Shaped Modern America by Elizabeth S. D. Engelhardt - completed 11 January 2025
2. A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders: Surprising Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps by Jonn Elledge - completed 19 April 2025
3. Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins's Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany by Rebecca Brenner Graham - completed 3 May 2025
4. The Impostor Heiress: Cassie Chadwick, the Greatest Grifter of the Golden Age by Annie Reed - completed September 2025
5. The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet by Nell McShane Wulfhart - completed October 2025

Category 6. Good & Plenty = Amish fiction

1. The Courtship Basket by Amy Clipston - completed 20 March 2025
2. The Peacemaker by Wanda E. Brunstetter - completed 3 May 2025
3. The Crow's Call by Wanda E. Brunstetter - completed 1 August 2025

Category 7. Kit Kat = Books featuring cats

1. We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida - completed 15 March 2025
2. Simon's Cat vs. the World by Simon Tofield - completed 3 April 2025
3. Cat Trick by Sofie Kelly - completed May 2025
4. The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu - completed 2 July 2025
5. Out of Circulation by Miranda James - completed 7 July 2025
6. Cats of the World by Hannah Rene Shaw and Andrew Marttilla - completed September 2025
7. Cats & Us by Gareth St John Thomas - completed 18 December 2025

Category 8. Sugar Babies = Short stories, novellas, and picture books

1. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki; illustrated by Dom Lee - completed 12 Apr 2025
2. Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built by Angela Burke Kunkel; illustrated by Paola Escobar - completed 12 Apr 2025
3. The Lonely Man by Ann Cleeves - completed 14 August 2025
4. The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen - completed October 2025
5. National Parks A to Z: Adventure from Acadia to Zion! by Gus D'Angelo - completed December 2025
6. Kittybunkport by Scott Rothman; illustrated by Zachariah OHora - completed December 2025
7. Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah by Karen Rostoker-Gruber; illustrated by Carles Arbat - completed December 2025
8. The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler - completed December 2025

Category 9. Necco Wafers = Historical fiction

1. Whispers of Fortune by Mary Connealy - completed 8 January 2025
2. My Bonney Lies Under by Susan Cummins Miller - completed 20 February 2025
3. A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber - completed 26 February 2025
4. The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen - completed 7 March 2025
5. The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch - completed 1 May 2025
6. Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber - completed 29 August 2025
7. Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye - completed September 2025
8. A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson - completed October 2025
9. The Secret Guests by Benjamin Black - completed November 2025
10. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman - completed November 2025

Category 10. Goo Goo Cluster = Domestic arts (Cooking, Needlework, Babysitting, Housekeeping, etc.)

1. World Kitchen: Family Recipes from Around the World by Abigail Wheatley; illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat - completed - 18 April 2025
2. Cooking from China's Fujian Province: One of China's Eight Great Cuisines by Jacqueline M. Newman - completed 27 April 2025
3. French Pressed by Cleo Coyle - completed May 2025
4. Simply Jamie: Fast & Simple Food by Jamie Oliver - completed June 2025
5. Gone with the Wool by Betty Hechtman - completed 1 July 2025
6. Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs - completed 15 July 2025
7. Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns - completed 8 August 2025
8. Vanilla Beaned by Jenn McKinlay - completed 18 August 2025
9. Who Moved My Goat Cheese? by Lynn Cahoon - completed October 2025
10. Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle by gravessarah::Sarah Graves - completed 19 December 2025

Category 11. Candy Canes = Christmas

1. The Christmas Lamp by Lori Copeland - completed 21 March 2025
2. Naomi's Gift by Amy Clipston - completed 13 August 2025

Category 12. Whatchamacallit = Books that don't fit another category

1. Followed by the Lark by Helen Humphreys - completed 2 January 2025
2. The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on a Time and a City by Anna Sherman - completed February 2025
3. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson - completed 27 March 2025
4. Happily Ever After by Susan May Warren - completed 3 April 2025
5. The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler; translated by Katy Derbyshire - completed 20 April 2025
6. Rick Steves Amsterdam & the Netherlands by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw - completed June 2025
7. Looking for Miss America: A Pageant's 100-Year Quest to Define Womanhood by Margot Mifflin - completed 7 July 2025
8. The Great American Retro Road Trip: A Celebration of Roadside America by Rolando Pujol - completed 9 July 2025
9. Always Italy by Frances Mayes with Ondine Cohane - completed 22 July 2025
10. The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd's Life by Helen Whybrow - completed October 2025
11. Strong Roots: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Ukraine by Olia Hercules - completed November 2025
12. Trelawny's Cornwall: A Journey through Western Lands by Petroc Trelawny - completed December 2025
13. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum - completed December 2025

Abandoned Reads = Milk Duds

1. Sunrise by Jacquelyn Cook - abandoned 9 Apr 2025

A reminder about why I chose the category names.

3 Musketeers: The candy bar named after the book by Dumas should be obvious.
M & Ms: How could I resist choosing M & M for Murder & Mayhem?
Now and Later: Enjoy the fine arts now or later.
Dove Bars: The Dove is often associated with the Holy Spirit.
Oh Henry: In honor of all the King Henrys
Good and Plenty: This was a restaurant in the Pennsylvania Amish country until the owners retired. I ate there a couple of times.
KitKat: Kat/Cat should be obvious
Sugar Babies: These are smaller works!
Necco Wafers: I did a search for old candy and found the Necco wafer dates back to 1847.
Goo Goo Cluster: In home ec classes, they often taught child care, so this is a play on the baby gooing.
Candy Canes: A very recognizable Christmas candy
Whatchamacallit: A very appropriate name for a catch-all category
Milk Duds: Abandoned reads are duds!

The next thread is yours!

Book 29. The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch

Date Completed: 1 May 2025

Series: Charles Lenox; prequel 1

Category: Necco Wafers

Source: Tennessee Reads Digital Audiobook

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Twenty-three-year-old Charles Lenox and his valet Graham enjoy clipping articles about crime from the London newspapers. Charles and Graham are equally intrigued by a clipping that only one of them spotted initially in a less reputable newspaper. They follow-up the story, finding the murder the correspondent described. They realize that it is about time for the murderer to strike again. Charles takes his suspicions to the police who put him, against his wishes, on payroll as a consultant, particularly after another body turns up. In the meantime, Charles' father is dying and wishes to make the most of his few remaining months. He had not wished for Charles to become a private investigator nor to pursue a life of travel. However, he does ask Charles to travel with him to Russia. Charles also takes on another client for a small matter. It's well-crafted. I listened to the digital audiobook.

Book 30. Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins's Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany by Rebecca Brenner Graham

Date Completed: 3 May 2025

Category: Oh, Henry

Source: Kindle

Rating: 3 stars

Review:
Frances Perkins served as Secretary of Labor under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, becoming the first female cabinet member. At that time, the Immigration & Naturalization Service was under this department, and her efforts to make the United States live up to its reputation as welcoming to immigrants came under fire with Congress. The reality was that America was never quite as welcoming as its reputation. They tried to impeach her. As Hitler rose to power, she wanted to aid the Germans seeking to flee the country. While she had some successes, she had failures too because of the tension between those who wanted to keep the quota system in place or restrict it even further and those who, like her, wanted to embrace more immigrants. The narrative is very political, but it's also very repetitive. My favorite chapter was the one that discussed her efforts on behalf of the Trapp Family Singers which discussed the differences in the reality of their situation and the popular movie. Change in immigration policy came in the year of her death which saw the United States move to an immigration system based more on skill and family members than quotas.

Book 31. The Peacemaker by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Date Completed: 3 May 2025

Series: Mifflin County Amish, 2

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Public Library print book

Rating: 3 stars

Review: In Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, Ada's best friend Rosa continues to be missing, and Rosa's boyfriend Ephraim was accused by Rosa's brother of ending her life. Ephraim was deemed innocent by the sheriff. Rosa's sister Susan likes Ben, a troublemaker that neither her parents or brother approve of her seeing. After Ephraim's grandfather died and his grandmother refused to move to Mifflin County from her home in Bird in Hand, Ephraim goes to live with her, even though he'd much rather be helping in his father's harness shop. When his father suffers a heart attack, Ephraim and his grandmother go to help out for a while. They both find love--Ephraim in Ada, his ex girlfriend's best friend--and his grandmother in the father of Ephraim's neighbors who just moved in with his own children. Will the love be strong enough to keep his grandmother in Lancaster County and will Ephraim and Ada be able to move past the problems that arise from memories of Rosa? I was disappointed that not everything was resolved by the book's end. It will be interesting to see where the series heads next. I have not yet read the first in this series, but I hope to do so soon. I feel calling this series a "mystery" series may be a misnomer as the only mysteries I noticed were the missing Rosa for which little was done to resolve it and some barn arsons which received little attention until near the end when that was resolved.

Happy New Thread!

I smiled when I saw all the images of candy, some of which I remember quite well from my childhood! Thanks for thinking of this delightful category! You are very creative.

Happy new thread, Lori!

Happy new thread! I suddenly find myself craving chocolate...

>19 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

>20 Whisper1: It was fun to come up with them toward the end of 2024. I'm not sure I'll be that creative this coming year.

>21 MissWatson: Thanks!

>22 christina_reads: I'm always craving chocolate! Fortunately someone brought chocolate donuts to work! There were both double chocolate and Boston creme ones!

Happy New Thread

Happy New Thread!

>24 lowelibrary: >25 beebeereads: Thank you both!

Happy new thread Lori. Your candy pictures are delightful - many I recognize but some I guess aren't available in Canada. I've always wanted to try Milk Dud!

Happy New Thread! The candy is so tempting.

>27 DeltaQueen50: Many of these are some I remembered from childhood. I do think a few might have been called something else in other countries.

>28 dudes22: I know! I'm trying to refrain, but I think I'm about to hit the stash in my desk. I need a jolt of chocolate!

Happy new one. I'd like to try an Oh Henry, they sound tasty.

Loved Oh Henry bars!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/370684

>30 charl08: I haven't had one since childhood. I think they are still made, but they are hard to find.

>31 mysterymax: They were good. I'd love to find one again.

>32 SilverWolf28: Thanks.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/370870

>34 SilverWolf28: Thanks! I'll probably read while awaiting the storms to arrive. Hoping they've calmed down a bit by the time they get here.

>17 thornton37814: I've read a lot about Ms. Perkins! I use her testimony as one of the investigators about the Triangle Factory Fire when I teach that unit in American History.

>36 Tess_W: Interesting.

Here's the Memorial Day readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/371148

>38 SilverWolf28: Thanks. I'll be listening to an audiobook as I'll be traveling.

I will try to catch up on book posting next week if I get a chance.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/371287

>41 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

Happy New Thread, Lori! In honor of your chocolate themes, I went and grabbed a couple of mini chocolate eggs left over from the bag I bought close to Easter. It seems to be the never-ending bag o' chocolates!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/371431

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/371538

>45 SilverWolf28: Thanks1

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/371693

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/371899

>47 SilverWolf28: >48 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

Here's Fourth of July readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372020

Book 32. French Pressed by Cleo Coyle

Date Completed: May 2025

Category: Goo Goo Cluster

Source: Knox County Digital Audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Clare's daughter Joy is working under a well-regarded chef at Solange. Clare doesn't like it that Joy seems to be falling for the married chef. When he turns up dead with Clare's knife plunged into his body, she becomes the chief suspect. Clare has to work hard to free her daughter. While this isn't my favorite series, this one had a little more going for it in terms of plot than some of the earlier installments. I listened to the audiobook.

Book 33. Murder in a Tourist Town by Lynn Cahoon

Date Completed: May 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads Digital Audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: After learning she's been passed up for a partnership in spite of putting in countless hours, Jill takes a break from her law career in San Francisco to visit South Cove. She finds some of the peace she needs, but then she witness a fight and before long there's a dead body in the coffee shop--someone she knows. This is a prequel to the Tourist Trap series.

Book 34. Exploring Our Hebraic Heritage: A Christian Theology of Roots and Renewal by Marvin R. Wilson

Date Completed: May 2025

Category: Dove Bar

Source: Kindle

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Wilson takes a look at Christianity's roots in Judaism. Several chapters are devoted to the importance of Abraham and the Abrahamic covenant. He also examines motifs such as shepherds and the shophar. He explores themes of idolatry and worship and relates them both to Old Testament Judaism and to Christianity. Some parts seem a little more academic than others, but it's still a somewhat readable book.

Book 35. Genesis 1-11: Believing the Simple Truth of God's Word by Warren W. Wiersbe

Date Completed: May 2025

Category: Dove Bar

Source: Kindle

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: The text of this review goes to Genesis 1-11: Believing the Simple Truth of God's World in The Wiersbe Bible Study Series. It has been combined in LibraryThing with the commentary Be Basic, but they are not the same book at all. This study by Wiersbe is more of a hands-on Bible study than it is a commentary on the first eleven chapters of Jesus. Our pastor had begun a sermon series about how Genesis 1-11 is foundational to the entire Bible. I chose this little book to accompany that study. I think this book works best if you use it in conjunction with the commentary Be Basic which I did not have. I really wanted more of a commentary than the reflection/question approach in this booklet. However, I still gained insights into the text.

Book 36. Cat Trick by Sofie Kelly

Date Completed: May 2025

Category: Kit Kat

Source: Tennessee Reads Digital Audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: A former resident of Mayville Heights runs a tour company out of Chicago. When he wants to put Mayville Heights on his tour map, some residents are not so happy. When he turns up dead, Kathleen and her magical cats Owen and Hercules set out to help solve the case. It's not my favorite in the series. I listened to the audio book.

Book 37. Murder in Kensington Palace by Andrea Penrose

Date Completed: May 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads Digital Audiobook

Rating: 4 stars

Review: A murder occurred outside Kensington Palace. When Charlotte Sloane's brother is arrested for the crime, she enlists Wrexford to help her find the real murderer. In order to free him, she may have to reveal her aristocratic bloodline. Will she also have to reveal her identity as cartoonist A. J. Quill? This has quickly become one of my favorite series. I enjoy both Charlotte and Wrexford's characters, and I love the "urchins" she's taken in. I listened to the audiobook.

I'll pause on reviews for the evening and try to begin with June ones tomorrow. (I think I got through May this evening.)

>55 thornton37814: That is the next book in the series for me. Thanks for the reminder that I need to bump it up the TBR

I'm just catching up, Lori, so late to the party and wishing you happy new thread.

Glad you included KitKat, it's always been a favourite.

>57 thornton37814: It's a cute series. Of course, I'd say that about most things with cats!

>58 lowelibrary: I had to use KitKat to cover cats! I mean--what is more appropriate?

Book 38. Freezer, I'll Shoot by Victoria Hamilton

Date Completed: June 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads Digital Audiobook

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Jaymie has retreated to Heartbreak Island with two goals in mind--to escape her mother and to write a piece on vintage kitchen pieces. When she visits the ice house restaurant, she finds the perfect pieces in a collection of ice picks. It seems perfect, that is, until she stumbles across a dead person with an ice pick through his chest. She can't resist a little sleuthing to demonstrate her neighbor's innocense in the crime. This was a fun episode, although I must admit that it is not one that is likely to stay with me for a long time. I listened to the audio book.

Book 39. The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri

Date Completed: June 2025

Category: M & Ms

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Montalbano and Livia are having distance relationship problems as usual, but it's getting worse. He's disillusioned with his job. The body of a young woman is recovered from the trash dump. Half her face has been blown off. She has one distinguishing feature--a butterfly-like tattoo--which may help identify her. The team has a feeling she may be an immigrant. When the body fails to match that of any known missing person, they begin investigating immigrants who may have arrived illegally. The butterfly-like moth tattoo is a clue and he uncovers other women with the same tattoo--four including the deceased woman--but they are all missing as well. It takes some careful police work and missed meetings with Livia to uncover the perpetrator. I listened to the audio book. Not the best in the series, but probably not the worst either.

Book 40. Simply Jamie: Fast & Simple Food by Jamie Oliver

Date Completed: June 2025

Category: Goo Goo Clusters

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Public Library book

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Fast and simple food--How does one define that? For me, it is something that is put together in a short time, perhaps with mostly ingredients one keeps on hand. It might involve a trip to the grocery store to pick up something fresh like a meat or a vegetable you may be running low on. To Jamie, it often involves less common foods. I'm not sure if it is a difference between what Americans keep on hand and what Brits keep readily available--although I will acknowledge that Europeans have smaller refrigerators and make more frequent runs to the store so picking up something less common is not quite as big a deal. I already had recipes for something similar in some cases. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations and even found a couple of dishes that I might try at some point, but for the most part, it was not a book I need to keep on hand. The library's copy will serve me fine until I have tried the dishes I wish to try.

I'm pausing for a bit. I'll resume posting this evening. I have six more I've finished and three that won't be far behind. In fact one or two could be completed by this evening. I might even locate something I read that I forgot to include on my list or outstanding reviews or in-process reads. Who knows?

Book 41. Rick Steves Amsterdam & the Netherlands by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw

Date Completed: June 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Public Library book

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: I saw this volume on the new book shelf at the library, so I thought I'd read it to try to become familiar with more places in the Netherlands for the GeoGuessr game I enjoy so much. While it included the types of things tourists are interested in finding--what to see, places to eat, places to stay, etc., it really didn't have a lot of pictures--and most of those it had were black and white. Still I got a little more familiar with the type of architecture in the Netherlands which has helped me a great deal. I think the volume would be valuable if I were going there, but like most people, I'd love to see more color photos. I know that isn't really practical in these types of travel guides, but I'd still love to see it.

Book 42. Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts: Discovering Their Significance to You as a Christian by Richard Booker

Date Completed: June 2025

Category: Dove Bar

Source: Kindle

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Richard Booker has written a very readable and accessibile volume describing how Jesus Christ fulfilled the different Jewish feasts celebrated by the Jews. He shows the importance of the feasts to Jesus as he celebrated them during his ministry. He shows how Christians can observe the feasts in a meaningful way.

Book 43. The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves

Date Completed June 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Vera and team are called to the Holy Island (Lindisfarne) where a man appears to have committed suicide. Vera suspects the man was murdered and tells the coroner to look for signs. She even directs Holly who attends the autopsy to ask certain questions. As expected, the homicide verdict comes back. The man was attending a reunion of old friends who had been coming to the island every five years since graduation. At their first reunion, a young woman lost her life as she tried to cross the causeway at high tide. It was determined to be an accident at the time, but Vera's team keeps it in mind as they investigate these friends. She learns that her friend Annie from a great lunch spot in her own town is among those present and that her then husband was present at the first reunion but never returned. She discovers the man is now connected with her police commissioner when she visits him. It's a well-plotted murder with plenty of suspects and red herrings. I did not see the ending coming! I listened to the audio book.

Book 44. Gone with the Wool by Betty Hechtman

Date Completed: 1 July 2025

Category: Goo Goo Cluster

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review:
When Dr. Sammy's meddling parents come for a visit, he begs Casey to let him "move in" with her so that it will appear he is pursuing her instead of a career as a magician. Although she isn't thrilled at the prospect, she says yes because she still has trouble resisting his smile. She is consoled by the fact that with her retreat coinciding with the town's butterfly festival that she'll be home very little. Meanwhile Sammy's parents, who are also calling her mom with updates, want to spend more time with the couple than either Dr. Sammy or Casey thought. In the midst of the butterfly festival, the three-time former butterfly queen who now chaired the festival is stabbed with a knife from the kitchen of the resort where Casey holds the retreats. At the top of the suspect list is Dane's little sister who had a public run-in with the former queen. Dane is off the case because of his connection with his sister, but he enlists Casey's help to find the real killer so his boss doesn't arrest the wrong person. This series is "just okay" but this installment is not the best. Casey doesn't spend enough time with the retreaters, and the needlework barely figures into the plot--and not into the solution at all. I listened to the audio book.

Book 45. The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu

Date Completed: 2 July 2025

Category: KitKat

Source: Carson-Newman University print book

Rating: 3 stars

Review:
In this Japanese work, cats can be rented for three days. They come with an accompanying blanket which helps them adapt to different environments because it is a familiar object and has their own scent. Each person who adopts a cat has a different reason for doing so for a short time. Some are more successful in their efforts than others. I preferred We'll Prescribe You a Cat to this work. I'll be honest. I just didn't "get" some of the stories. I'm sure it is something cultural that didn't translate well without further explanation, but it sill just didn't work that well for me.

>69 thornton37814: I also preferred We'll Prescribe You A Cat over The Blanket Cats

>69 thornton37814: I'm glad I'm not alone on that!

Book 46. Looking for Miss America: A Pageant's 100-Year Quest to Define Womanhood by Margot Mifflin

Date Completed: 7 July 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Source: Knox County Public Library book

Rating: 2 stars

Review:
Miss America's roots can be found in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the earliest pageant contestants sported bathing suits (later called swimsuits) that were typical of the period--showing very little. However, this quickly changed as the women themselves wanted to be more comfortable. Some of the women were uncomfortable with the swimsuit competition over the years, but attempts to get it abolished did not work until more recent times when women had begun to redefine the pageant. While various Miss Americas such as Phyllis George and Mary Ann Mobley had limited success, the first truly successful one was Vanessa Williams who was dethroned for posing for Playboy. A later Miss America Gretchen Carlson has also met with some measure of success, but in the writer's opinion, not as great as Williams. She also looks at various scandals including the one involving the pageant CEO in 2017. The author views the book through her own tinted lens. It is obvious she is very feminist and belittles Christians and men, in general. She has a "woke" agenda, and this bias shows throughout the book. I'm certain there are better histories of the pageant out there. I'm not actively seeking to read one as I only read this one because of a book club. My own observation is that the pageant imploded on its own by getting away from its roots. When they began making social causes and such more important than the traditional competitions, viewers left. Yes, there were more entertainment options on cable, but they quit watching because the pageant wasn't what it used to be.

I need to review 2 more books to be caught up. I have another book not far behind--in the next couple of days, I think. I'm saving the two reviews for tomorrow so I can relax a bit before bedtime.

Book 47. Botched Butterscotch by Amanda Flower

Date Completed: 7 July 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Knox County Public Library digital audiobook

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: It's Mother's Day, and Bailey's parents surprise her by coming for a visit. Bailey gets fundraiser tea tickets for herself, her mom, her grandmother, and Charlotte. All is going well until someone steals the money which had been in an easily accessible unattended box in the church hall. Bailey had seen a woman who didn't belong there. Aiden assigned a young deputy to the case. He is eager to prove his ability to solve crimes to help his promotion chances, but he might need a little help from Bailey. I listened to the audio book. It's a nice, low key, between-installments novella.

Book 48. Out of Circulation by Miranda James

Date Completed: 7 July 2025

Category: KitKat

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Charlie Harris is archivist at Athena College in Mississippi. His sidekick Diesel, a large Maine Coon cat, enjoys going with Charlie to work and on visits. He likes to be in the thick of things so he can investigate. Just about everyone in town is at odds with Vera Cassity. She's had a row with the Ducote sisters and comes to pay Charlie a visit at the archives. She's hoping to gain access to research something. When Vera's body is found on some dark stairs at the Ducote mansion during a costume party, his housekeeper Azalea is the chief suspect merely because she is locked into the stairwell with her. Charlie knows it would have been an impossible crime for Azalea to commit because of the body's position and costume in relation to Azalea's position. Kanesha is off the case since her mother is the prime suspect. He knows he'll need to solve the crime. Although he's following up with those who attended the event, Charlie wonders if the closed Ducote archives may hold a clue relevant to the motive and perpetrator. He finds an uninventoried diary belonging to the sisters' mother under other folders and begins reading it. He keeps pursuing other lines of inquiry at the same time. I listened to the audio book.

>75 thornton37814: That is the next in the series for me, and I am bumping up the TBR.

>76 lowelibrary: I've put that one off a long time. The series is a bit hit or miss with me. I do love the character of Azalea -- and we get to meet her sister Lily in this installment.

Congratulations on being caught up on reviews! The thing now is to not read anymore books so you stay caught up.

>78 RidgewayGirl: Fat chance! Okay, I'm behind, but I'm about to be caught up again until I read something else.

Book 49. The Great American Retro Road Trip: A Celebration of Roadside America by Rolando Pujol

Date Completed: 9 July 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Public Library book

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Remember the great old signs that used to grace Mom and Pop hotels and roadside eateries more than 50 years ago? Rolando Pujol went in search of some of these and their successors from coast to coast. He found some in most states although a few states were underrepresented. For example, I only remember one photo from Mississippi--of a place in Tunica just south of the Memphis area. There were places that could have been included in all parts of the state. The Gulf Coast used to be full of them although I know the hurricanes did away with many of the best. There should have been representation from Jackson, and I would have thought Tupelo's sign depicting it as the first TVA city should have made his short list. East Tennessee was barely included, although there are lots of middle and West Tennessee locales. East Tennessee is full of things that should have been featured--from the Kay's Ice Cream cone on Chapman Highway in Knoxville to many of the businesses and attractions of Sevier County--and even beyond. Wyoming is another state where most things were in the western half of the state, although there was at least one thing from Cheyenne included. He missed all the things in Sheridan, Gillette, Cody, and probably most noticeably Casper. He also included things like the Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota, one of the shoes that housed a shoe store, teapot-shaped roadside novelties, other big statues, and even the Brady Bunch house with the store of the HGTV retrofit. I know Mr. Pujol had to limit what he included to make the pricepoint affordable enough for people to purchase; however, he sometimes included a lot of similar things that could have been removed to make room for a broader geographic representation. For example, he really liked buildings that resembled space ships. I know he didn't include them all, because he didn't include the one in Nettleton, Mississippi that was a house I passed en route to Tupelo back in the day. However, he did show a lot in different locations across the U.S. He also showed a lot of Big Boys and repurposed Holiday Inn signs. Even though I'm disappointed that some of the locations dearest to my heart were underrepresented, it was still a fun trip down memory lane. I hope someone authors some books that are more state or regionally focused to include some of the gems omitted by Mr. Pujol.

Congrats on getting and staying caught up, Lori!

>81 DeltaQueen50: I guess we'll see how long it lasts. I even tried to stir up some conversation over on the Genealogy@LT group. Not sure it will have much success as I can't seem to get conversation going over there.

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>83 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

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>85 SilverWolf28: Thanks

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>87 SilverWolf28: Thanks

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>75 thornton37814: I need to get back reading this series. Thank you for this review!

>80 thornton37814: We drove from Atlanta to Princeton while my dad finished his dissertation at Princeton Seminary (his job was in the Atlanta area, so . . . ). I remember these signs and staying at many of the hotels over the years. Had no idea there were still so many left! Glad someone started the process to document them.

>90 threadnsong: I neglect the Miranda James series too. I think it's because I didn't enjoy some of the earlier installments as much and am afraid I won't enjoy the next in the series. The roadside book caught my attention on the new book shelf.

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>92 SilverWolf28: Thanks. Maybe my life will return to normal soon so I can participate more.

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>95 SilverWolf28: Thanks

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>97 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

Book 50. A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany

Date Completed: 13 July 2025

Category: M&Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads Digital Audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Fire damages the museum, and it's time for a fundraiser. The auction which includes a first edition Sherlock Holmes book donated by Uncle Arthur never takes place. The museum's board chair is found dead with a knotted tea cup decoration wrapped around her neck. Gemma, of course, assists the police in their investigation even though she has no intention of becoming involved. A month and a half after reading it, it is not that memorable.

Book 51. Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs

Date Completed: 15 July 2025

Category: Goo Goo Cluster

Source: Knox County Digital Audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Theodosia hosts a "Honey Bee Tea" in a local park, but a man in beekeeper's suit shows up spraying toxic smoke and a politician turns up dead. The gallery that hired Theodosia is suffering, and the police seem to be getting nowhere, so the gallery owner asks Theodosia to use her sleuthing skills. A pretty typical installment. This one is better than some installments and worse than others. Recent ones lack the charm of the earlier books in the series.

Pausing to watch Cincinnati's Fireworks! Maybe one day I'll get to view them in person again, but I'm thankful to WKRC for broadcasting them online.

Book 52. Always Italy by Frances Mayes with Ondine Cohane

Date Completed: 22 July 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Source: Morristown-Hamblen library book

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Frances Mayes along with Ondine Cohane provide a great book for the armchair traveler with Always Italy. The book shows regional distinctives in a variety of ways--architecture, food, lodging, hiking, and more. It includes plenty of photos but still includes plenty of text for those who want more than a picture book.

Book 53. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

Date Completed: 23 July 2025

Category: M&Ms

Source: University library book

Rating: 3 stars

Review: After a long absence, Bradley is back with another installment of the Flavia de Luce series. As she learns more about the Nide and her family's involvement, Flavia loses a little more charm from the earlier works in the series. Mrs. Mullet is accused of serving poisonous mushrooms, but Flavia works to clear her. She's also dealing with the annoying Undine. The biggest development has to do with someone becoming "undead." Not my favorite in the series.

I have several more books to report that were read in August. It's time to go join the cats in bed now though.

Book 54. The Crow's Call by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Date Completed 1 August 2025

Category: Good & Plenty

Source: Tennessee Reads Audiobook

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When a tragic accident leaves three family members dead, including her father, a brother, and brother-in-law, Amy King feels obligated to help her mother with the greenhouse business. Her sister Sylvia is so overcome by grief that she's barely able to function and care for her own children. A series of malicious incidents plague the greenhouse. Her younger brother has an attitude problem because he wasn't quite ready to be the man of the house yet. Amy's obligatory feeling gets in the way of her relationship with Jared. We all know how it's going to end but the journey is a fun one.

Book 55. Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns

Date Completed: 8 August 2025

Category: Goo Goo Cluster

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Tessa Esposito's husband died, but when she receives news her husband was murdered, she can't believe it. Who would want to kill him? The Italian cook discovers her husband was not the man she believed him to be. Will she be able to make her own dream of opening her own restaurant come true? While it was enjoyable while listening, it is not that memorable a few weeks later.

Book 56. Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Date Completed: 12 August 2025

Category: M&Ms

Source: University library book

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: It's probably my own fault that I didn't like this better than I did. I did not read the first five series installments. Jackson Brodie is called to Burton Makepeace, a country estate that now hosts mystery weekends, to help track down a stolen painting. When a guest turns up dead, the investigation takes a new direction. The book did not draw me in, and I really didn't want to pick it up a lot of the time. I know it was lauded as one of the best books of the year, but it just didn't work for me. Perhaps it was the failure to read prior installments, perhaps what was going on in my life at the time, or a combination of the two, but it just didn't work for me.

The following book is an accidental re-read because I failed to cross it off my list. I'm sharing my original comments/review because they remain the same. Once I started listening, I did realize that I'd listened to the book previously, but I kept on listening anyway because I'd enjoyed the story.



Book 57. Naomi's Gift by Amy Clipston

Date Completed: 13 August 2025

Category: Candy Canes

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Caleb, a widower, takes his daughter Susie from their Ohio home to Pennsylvania to visit relatives during Christmas. The girl wants to stop at the farmer's market to get a pie to take with them, so they ask their driver to stop. She takes off, having seen a quilt that reminded her of her mother. She takes an instant like to Naomi, the one minding the booth. His sister Sadie wants to set him up with Irene, who seems to dislike children. She thinks Naomi is overly eager to wed, but when Caleb does some independent checking with the men, he discovers a different story altogether. The novel shows a blossoming romance in a situation where either of the parties could be hurt. It's a great story for the Christmas season although it could be read any time of the year.

Book 58. The Lonely Man by Ann Cleeves

Date Completed: 14 August 2025

Category: Sugar Babies

Source: Kindle

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This short story sets the stage for an upcoming installment in the Jimmy Perez series by Cleeves. In it, we find Jimmy and Willow Reeves moving from Shetland to Orkney. They find themselves renting a cottage from a man until their house will be ready, but they find something a little off about him and investigate. It's a nice way to spend a few pleasant moments with a detective I enjoy until the first installment in years comes out to really whet my appetite.

I have a few more until I'm caught up, but it's time for a break.

Book 59. Vanilla Beaned by Jenn McKinlay

Date Completed: 18 August 2025

Category: Goo Goo Cluster

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Mel is not that thrilled with the prospect of opening a franchise of her Scottsdale bakery in Las Vegas, but Tate has determined it's time. Mel is skeptical that a Las Vegas showgirl can handle a bakery. When they arrive to look at a property, the building explodes when the door is opened. They seem to be faced with adversity at every corner. With help from friends, they find what is going on. It's a little too busy and coincidental for me, but it is nice escapism.

Book 60. Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber

Date Completed: 29 August 2025

Category: Necco Wafers

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Verity Kent is becoming reacquainted with her husband Sidney after thinking she's lost him in the war. Her German aunt arrives, but prejudice against Germans is rampant in London so they decide it's time to get her aunt to Verity's parents in the country. Verity had been receiving threats and her spy network contacts aren't able to come up with anything concrete. Her aunt spies a "second guest" that Verity did not send to her home, and Verity soon realizes that while they may be safer in the countryside, they are still vulnerable. I'm enjoying this series, and the audiobook narrator does a good job.

Book 61. A Cyclist's Guide to Crime & Croissants by Ann Claire

Date Completed: 29 August 2025

Category: M&Ms

Source: University library book

Rating: 2 stars

Review: I had high hopes for this one. It featured bicycles which is something different than most cozies. It was set in France. However, it didn't deliver. Sadie Greene left her corporate job in Chicago following her friend's death. She realized her friend was correct and that she wasn't living life, but just working herself to death. She purchased a bicycle tour company. On this trip, her former boss and his family are among the cyclists. The boss wants to lure her back to Chicago and for her to give up this foolish idea, but he soon turns up dead. The investigating detective is a man who made an offer on the same bicycle tour company. It seems odd to me that the family of the deceased would want to continue their vacation, and it seems even odder the police would allow them to continue so long as they stayed within their jurisdiction. This is another book that didn't call to me to continue reading it. I did not think it was that well-written.

Book 62. As America Has Done to Israel by John McTernan

Date Completed: 31 August 2025

Category: Dove Bar

Source: personal copy

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Author John McTernan examines Israel-United States relations through the lens of Genesis 12:3. He shows remarkable parallels between the times the United States stood up for Jews and the nation of Israel and times of prosperity for the United States. He also shows how natural disasters often occurred right on the heels of something that did not benefit or support them. Our pastor recommended the book, and it is very interesting. McTernan could have benefited from better formatting and tighter editing.

Taking a few BBs from your list!

>115 LadyoftheLodge: At least I finally got around to reporting them. I did a lot of audiobook listening when I went to Mississippi. I was driving back and forth every day to another town so I had a lot of time on the road. While I did read some, I probably spent more time cross stitching than reading when I had down time.

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>117 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

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>114 thornton37814: John Hagee has (had) a sermon series on this verse that I just loved!

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So glad to be catching up on your thread as you are catching up on your reviews! I guess there are times when books become 3 stars or less, if only so that we appreciate the higher stars all the more.

And I borrowed and read "Out of Circulation" as well as the next one in the series. I enjoyed learning more about Azalea's life, and the Ducote journal was absolutely fascinating.

Congrats on some cross stitching in there as well! Have to head up to Michael's (the only game in town these days) to pick up some DMC thread next weekend. Thought I had it, but the project bag said "nope!"

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>119 SilverWolf28: >120 SilverWolf28: >121 Tess_W: >122 SilverWolf28: >124 SilverWolf28: Thanks. I haven't checked much on my own thread it appears.

>123 threadnsong: We only have a Hobby Lobby in town. They do stock DMC but that's about the only thing I can get there. I get most of my fabric and fibers in Johnson City at Cross Stitch & Crafts, but we do have a store that opened in spring in Greeneville that has a more limited supply. Also in Greeneville I have to purchase an entire fat quarter of fabric when Cross Stitch & Crafts cuts to size. I also occasionally purchase fabric and occasional fibers in Asheville at Sassy Jacks. She has more color options on 40 count and higher fabrics than the others. I can do pretty well on 36 count in Johnson City, and I belong to the BeStitchMe fabric of the month neutrals club. I'll probably discontinue that at the end of the year until I use some more of what is in the stash.

>125 thornton37814: You're welcome!

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>127 SilverWolf28: Thanks

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>129 SilverWolf28: Thanks

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>131 SilverWolf28: I did listen to books this weekend, and I actually read a little too.

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>133 SilverWolf28: Thanks

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>135 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

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>141 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

I hope to get caught up with all my book posting this week. I think I'm going to take the easy way out on categories for next year and just group by month. I may change my mind before I begin the thread, but as of now, that's my thought.

Book 63. Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye

Date Completed: September 2025

Category: Necco Wafers

Source: Tennessee Reads audiobook

Rating: 4 stars

Review: When a black woman reports her family stolen, Timothy Wilde looks for them and draws the attention of a group of men capturing free blacks of color to send them enslavers in the South. He and his fire department brother soon discover these men have help in the police department and the political machine of the time. I enjoyed listening to the audio version.

Book 64. Death and the Lit Chick by G. M. Malliet

Date Completed: September 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads audiobook

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Cambridge police detective Arthur St. Just was invited to a writer's retreat in Scotland along with several other writers. When one of the authors dies, the Scottish detective in charge of the investigation asks for St. Just's help since he is an "insider." This was a fun "locked room" mystery to which I listened.

Book 65. Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo

Date Completed: September 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Knox County Public Library digital audiobook

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When a father and two of his children are killed in a car-buggy accident in Kate's jurisdicition, it is initially thought to be a hit and run involving a drunk driver, but when one child who survives the accident describes the accident and they begin looking at the forensic evidence left behind on the scene, Kate is pretty sure she's dealing with premeditated murder. But who would want to kill them? I listened to this, and it kept me attentive.

Book 66. The Impostor Heiress: Cassie Chadwick, the Greatest Grifter of the Golden Age by Annie Reed

Date Completed: September 2025

Category: Oh Henry

Source: Interlibrary Loan

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Cassie Chadwick was one of the greatest swindlers of her time. Using forged documents, she convinced men she was Andrew Carnegie's illegitimate daughter. Many Ohio bankers lost money in her scams. The author over-relied on newspapers when other documents that would have made the story much richer should have been readily available. It's an interesting story, but a little more research would have made it more useful.

Book 67. Cats of the World by Hannah Rene Shaw and Andrew Marttilla

Date Completed: September 2025

Category: Kit Kat

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Library print book

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: The authors traveled to over 30 countries to see cats in their natural habitats and to see what the cat culture in that location was like. They took some amazing photographs. I found the text less compelling than the photos, but this book should resonate with cat lovers!

Book 68. A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany

Date Completed: October 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Gemma's dog helps a little girl locate her lost kitten in a nearby garden. It's not long until the little girl returns with a $10 bill, asking Gemma to help exonerate her mother of the murder of her gardening rival. Will Gemma and Jayne be able to find the evidence needed? Probably not the best in the series, but still an enjoyable listen.

Book 69. Who Moved My Goat Cheese? by Lynn Cahoon

Date Completed: October 2025

Category: Goo Goo Cluster

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review:
Angie and Felicia are in the final few weeks before opening their new Idaho restaurant with a farm to fork appeal. When one of the vendors they planned to use turns up dead, Angie ends up taking care of his goat for awhile as well as trying to figure out who killed him and why. Like most cozy mysteries, the amateurs really lack a good reason for trying to solve the mystery.

Book 70. The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd's Life by Helen Whybrow

Date Completed: October 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Whybrow relates restoration of a Vermont farm, and her work tending the Icelandic sheep she put on the farm. She must protect the sheep from predators, tend them as they give birth, and much more. Readers are sure to cry when one special lamb meets a bad fate. There's a cycle to the seasons, and Whybrow enjoys the rhythm.

I made it part of the way through October tonight. I want to allow myself some reading time, so I'm quitting for tonight. I'll continue posting as I have time this week.

>148 thornton37814: That looks like a wonderful book, Lori!

>153 MissWatson: It was fun. It was on the library's new book shelf so I decided to check it out!

Book 71. The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet by Nell McShane Wulfhart

Date Completed: October 2025

Category: Oh Henry

Rating: 4 stars

Review: When this book was selected as our book club's book, the only copy available to me was an audiobook, so I listened to it--which is a bit odd for me for nonfiction. The author interviewed (or at least I assume that is the case since I could not see the end notes) flight attendants from multiple airlines who were involved in the women's movement within that sector which fought for equal pay for women. Part of that was getting rid of their image as sex object and automatic firing if one gained weight, married, became pregnant, etc. The women unionized, at first joining established transportation unions, but eventually forming their own because the unions were not really on their side. I found myself wondering what my cousin who worked as a flight attendant for many years or a friend who also worked as one would think of the book. I'd really love to hear it from their perspective. Neither of them were as feminist as the author and women involved were, and it might provide an interesting contrast.

Book 72. The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

Date Completed: October 2025

Category: Sugar Babies

Source: Knox County digital audiobook

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Inspector Richard Queen and his son Ellery, a writer, are called upon to investigate when a corrupt lawyer meets his death during a theatre performance. Their biggest clues are a missing top hat and empty seats surrounding the lawyer. It's important to remember that this was a short story and has been re-issued as a stand alone. The puzzling is not as complex as you might expect in a novel-length piece, but it's more interesting than many mystery and detective short stories. I found myself enjoying the puzzle as I listened to it.

Book 73. A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson

Date Completed: October 2025

Category: Necco Wafers

Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Rating: 3 stars

Review: An African American girl who grew up in Waxahachie, Texas and moved to Chicago had a dream. She wanted to fly. She had two strikes against her--her race and her sex. She saved to fulfill that dream. With assistance from an African American community leader in Chicago, she was able to gain admission to a flying school in France. Although I enjoyed the inspirational story of Bessie Coleman, the mechanical details detracted from the story. It was interesting to see the differences in treatment of African Americans in America versus Europe during the period. The story didn't flow as well as some biographical fiction. I received this through LibraryThing Early Reviewers with the expectation of an honest review.

Book 74. Strong Roots: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Ukraine by Olia Hercules

Date Completed: November 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Library print book

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Olia Hercules, who now lives in the UK, writes about her experiences growing up in Ukraine and about the experiences of her family, particularly her grandmother. For a book that purports to be a memory about food, there is very little of it. We do get a small section about borscht in the pages, but little beyond that. I was also a bit disappointed in the author's treatment of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict over time, but we still get a good sense of it. The author was repetitive. Tighter editing would have provided more room for better discussion of the foodways. I also felt the author, although her Ukrainian roots were strong, had adapted to the British culture and provided more of a view through a British lens than a Ukrainian one.

Book 75. The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us about Sabbath Living by Eryn Lynum

Date Completed: November 2025

Category: Dove Bar

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Library print book

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The author takes a look at the principle of Sabbath rest in the Bible. She shows how God provided an example for us when he rested on the 7th day of creation and provides helpful tips for readers seeking to incorporate more of the Sabbath principle in the hustle and bustle of their own lives. It's similar to other books out there, but still useful for small group study.

I still have several books to enter, but I'm taking a break. I've got an errand or two I need to run.

Congrats on catching up with your reviews!

>161 christina_reads: Not caught up, but at least getting closer!

>151 thornton37814: - I listened to this a couple of months ago and liked it so much I might buy it.

>162 thornton37814: I suspect then, that you liked it better than I did overall.

Book 76. The Secret Guests by Benjamin Black

Date Completed: November 2025

Category: Necco Wafers

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are whisked away to Ireland during World War II's German blitz. A female agent and a detective provide their security detail as the girls are incorporated into as household as Ellen and Mary. Of course, rumors about their real identities emerge, providing the book's action. It's an interesting story, but I think I'd prefer to read a less fictionalized account.

Book 77. Death Is a Cabaret by Deborah Morgan

Date Completed: November 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: A former FBI agent, now a professional antique picker, is out to recover a family heirloom purported to have been given to a family member in service to the French royal family by the royals. The woman's father had sold it without her consent in a time when the family struggled financially. It's now up for auction on Mackinac Island. But something is amiss, and when a death occurs, he is able to use his background to help with the investigation. The audiobook narrator did not know how to pronounce the setting, and it drove me crazy!

Book 78. Death by Coffee by Alex Erickson

Date completed: November 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Friends Krissy and Vicki open a bookstore/coffee shop which they call "Death by Coffee," but when a person turns up on their opening day in his office dead while drinking a cup of their brew, they feel compelled to help investigate so their coffee is cleared of a bad reputation before their business gets off the ground. It turns up that someone added peanuts to the drink, and the victim was extremely allergic, but it wasn't Krissy and Vicki. Will they be able to clear things up? These amateur sleuths do just about everything wrong. It seemed like Krissy was always absent from the store, leaving Vicki to run things. If she worked 5 minutes during the whole book, it would be surprising. Definitely not the best effort, and I'm really surprised this one was picked up by a publisher as a first in series.

Book 79. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Date Completed: November 2025

Category: Necco Wafers

Source: Knox County Public Library digital audiobook

Rating: 5 stars

Review: Valentina and Oksana are classmates in a village near the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Oksana was reared in a very anti-Semitic home, and Valentina is a Jewish girl. The disaster they'd been assured would never happens takes place. Both of their fathers are working at the plant. One is dead almost immediately; the other is in critical condition. Valentina's mother takes charge of Oksana when her mother is sent to a hospital because her radiation level is already too elevated. The girls head first to Minsk, but they only get two seats instead of three to head to Leningrad where Valentina's grandmother lives. Valentina's mother sends the girls ahead with promises to follow when she can join them. Oksana begins to question the things her father told her about Jews as she sees their kindness played out. We also learn the story of Valentina's grandmother who escaped the horrors of the Nazis by walking out her own village and surviving on her own. This book is very deserving of the Jewish Book Award it won. It's intended for middle school readers, but I recommend it to all.

Book 80. The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: M & Ms

Source: University library print book

Rating: 3 stars

Review: I started reading this one, but I struggled to keep interested. I finished it as an audiobook and was able to keep with it that way. Gamache discovers a plot to poison the drinking water. He races against an unknown timetable to keep Quebec's citizens safe from a bioterrorist plot that extends to both church and state. It reminded me of one of my least favorite books in the series--the one in which the plant exploded--and it also revisits the monastery featured in an earlier installment. When the book ends, you know this story isn't over, and I'm not really looking forward to the next installment. I prefer things a little cozier than the direction Penny is taking the series. I missed the interaction with the characters in Three Pines, although they were mentioned.

Book 81. National Parks A to Z: Adventure from Acadia to Zion! by Gus D'Angelo

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: Sugar Babies

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Library print book

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: I grew up in a family that loved to camp, so I enjoy books set in or about national parks. When I saw that an alphabet book featuring the national parks existed, I knew I had to read it. As you can imagine, there are not national parks that start with each letter of the alphabet. So sometimes, a later word in the name earns it the spot for the letter. (For example Great Smoky Mountains is "S.") In other cases, the presence of a letter garners its right to stand in for the letter. For example, Q is for Sequoia. For X, they had to go all the way to a letter in the state name--Big Bend in Texas. It's still a fun book, and they do mention other things related to national parks that start with the given letter.

Time for another break. The cats are insisting that I feed them some Fancy Feast!

Book 82. Kittybunkport by Scott Rothman; illustrated by Zachariah OHora

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: Sugar Babies

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Library print book

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The cats in Kittybunkport are sailors, but they are afraid of one thing--their haunted lighthouse. Still they must go see why the lighthouse light has gone out, and two are appointed. They are met by dogs from Bark Harbor who help replace the bulb. Cute, but not a spectacular book. Probably children who live in Maine and will understand the puns on place names will appreciate this most.

Book 83. Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah by Karen Rostoker-Gruber; illustrated by Carles Arbat

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: Sugar Babies

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The bear wants to help celebrate Hanukkah, but it is not advisable to let the bear inside your house. See what could possibly go wrong with this children's book. The book does explain some terms associated with Hanukkah for those who might not be familiar with some of the Jewish faith practices, particularly those related to this 8-day celebration.

Book 84. The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: Sugar Babies

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Public Library print book

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This beautifully illustrated picture book celebrates the color blue. While I would appreciate the omission of the blue racer because of my phobia of snakes, young readers will enjoy this volume that includes all sorts of things from nature that are blue.

I'm caught up for now, but I have three more that won't be far behind!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376375

>176 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

Book 85. Cats & Us by Gareth St John Thomas

Date Completed: 18 December 2025

Category: Kit Kat

Source: Morristown-Hamblen Public Library print book

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This is a fun little gift volume about cats I saw at the public library. Of course, it called to me because . . . cats! It's filled with quotes, anecdotes, and even useful information about cats. Of course, the illustrations are also great. It would make a great gift for the crazy cat lady!

I'm inspired by your reviews to catch up on my own! And your comments about simplifying your category challenge next year. I'm planning to only post in Club Read next year, so as to have more time reading and less on-line, but I will definitely follow your thread again next year.

And my old cat, Homer, now gets to take a pill everyday for his overactive thyroid. He seemed fine with the first pill, but I later found it in the hallway, so we got to go through the process twice. At the pharmacy, they were impressed that he is 18.

>179 RidgewayGirl: I'm probably going to take advantage of the feature that allows you to attach the review next year. I think it will be easier to manage. Without formal categories (except month read), I can just do straight numbering both here and in the 75 group and save myself time. I'll decide if I want to add the extra things such as date completed and source later. I may just put the date completed in the monthly listing. I'm trying to make it easier on myself.

You are fortunate to still have Homer around. I'll try to mark your thread in Club Read too.

Book 86. Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle by Sarah Graves

Date Completed: 19 December 2025

Category: Goo Goo Cluster

Source: Knox County Public Library digital audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Jake & Ellie, owners of Maine's Chocolate Moose, want to help Jake's daughter-in-law recover her baking "mojo." If she takes a position at a local community college, she'll need childcare assistance, and even though the child's great grandmother might be willing, everyone knows she is not able to keep up with a toddler. In the meantime, a man drops dead, and a family friend who is his sisters' guardian is the chief suspect. The evidence seems to point to him, and the state police believe he did it. The local law enforcement is on Jake's side this time, but he warns her away from getting too involved. That's not going to stop Jake or Ellie from pursuing it until they find the real person responsible. Even though this one is fun (and Susan Boyce is a great narrator), the plot is a little too convoluted to be plausible.

Here's the Christmas readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376543

>182 SilverWolf28: Thanks! I missed it although I was reading/listening over Christmas--just not as much as I had 1-, 3-, and 6-year-olds to distract me.

Here's the New Year's readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377057

>183 thornton37814: I'm glad you had a good Christmas!

I have loved your various comments, especially about having to pause your reviews while you go feed the cats!

Our old cat is also on several meds, including chemo (pill form), and I've learned to be very, very careful with making absolutely, completely certain that she has swallowed what I put into her little kitty mouth.

>155 thornton37814: What a great review! One of the reasons I never worked for the airlines was because of my height (5' 4" was required at the time) and I always weighed too much for their requirements. Talk about body shaming! I can only wish I weigh now what I weighed then and could once again fit into size 8 jeans.

It sounds like your holidays have been happy and will see you on the 2026 thread!

>184 SilverWolf28: >185 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

>186 threadnsong: I think a lot of the airline folks were glad when the overly strict weight restrictions were gone. More than one "stewardess," as they were then called, lost her job over it--and most of them would have been considered anorexic today if they tried the diets they did to keep the weight down.

Book 87. Trelawny's Cornwall: A Journey through Western Lands by Petroc Trelawny

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Source: Kindle

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Journalist Petroc Trelawny takes readers on a trip through Cornwall where he spent his youth. He mixes old memories in with what he now sees to give readers a perspective of how the area evolved through recent decades. It suffers a bit from what I've come to see as the memoir syndrome--what interests the author may not always be as engaging to the reader--however, this one holds up better than most.

Book 88. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: Whatchamacallit

Source: Tennessee Reads digital audiobook

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Burnt-out from her old job and old life, Yeongju opens a bookshop and hires Minjun as barista. Minjun in the past has gone from one job to another, never staying anywhere long. Both of these people as well as their vendors and customers find healing in the bookshop. Both find success by doing what they enjoy doing.

Book 89. Day by Day with Charles Swindoll by Charles R. Swindoll

Date Completed: December 2025

Category: Dove Bar

Source: Kindle

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Well-known Christian pastor and author Chuck Swindoll wrote this book in 2000. I used it as a daily devotional this year. He uses anecdotes as he comments on a Scripture text--sometimes short and sometimes longish. Some of the anecdotes work better than others at conveying the Scriptural truth. I made the mistake of using this the year after I completed a devotional calendar by the late Charles Stanley who offered more Bible-based commentary on a single verse. I was disappointed almost from the start that I hadn't sought out another of Stanley's books. 40 years ago, Swindoll was a favorite author, and while I still enjoy him as an author, I don't think the devotional book reflects his best work. It's useful, but not earth-shattering, and it's beginning to be dated.

Book 90. Holy Bible: New King James Version

Date Completed: 31 Dec 2025

Category: Dove Bar

Comments: Each year I read the Bible through using a plan. This year's plan was Bible in a Year: 365-Day Reading Plan, using the King James Version as the translation. I completed the plan on the Bible app. I'm looking at a couple of different plans for next year. I wish the Bible app had the M'Cheyne plan because I'd love to try it, but I want a plan that is in the app and can be marked off as I read it. I may end up using a printed copy of M'Cheyne's plan and a print Bible if I don't like the plan I choose.

I could finish one more before I go to bed tonight, but I suspect it will be tomorrow when I finish it.

Looks like you've had a great reading year, Lori. I wish you a Happy New Year with lots of good reading in 2026.

>194 VivienneR: Thanks!

Here's the link to my 2026 thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376332

I've posted my two year-end memes filled with 2025 book titles and my top 10 of 2025 over there.

I hope you'll join me!