Lisa's 2025 Category Challenge Reads- the second chapter

Hi, my name is Lisa, and I've been an LT member since 2007 and I've been participating in the Category Challenge since 2008. I reside in Phila, PA, am married with one son and three granchildren (almost 16, 14 and 9). In addition to reading I like to start my day with the various NYT puzzles, watch classic movies, and try new recipes. I've decided that my categories will be the months of the year. Since I'm such a moody reader, I frequently start and then stop books that I thought I was going to read, so I think "looser" categories will work well for me.

2025 is a year of big change for me, as I've retired at the end of May. It's slightly frightening yet exciting at the same time. A lot of the good wishes in my various cards referred to "the next chapter'. How fitting for a reader!

January

1 Cold As Hell Kindle AlphaKIT”S”, Mysteries and Crime, 3*
2 Red Hook Road Library, Literary Fiction 4*
3 Hidden In Shadows Kindle, AlphaKIT “S”, MysteryKIT 4*
4 This Secret Thing Kindle, Bingo#2 3*
5 The Coincidence of Coconut Cake RandomKIT, CoverCAT, Kindle, 3.5*
6 The First Ladies Kindle. Historical Fiction, 3.5*
7 The Dead Will Tell Library, Mysteries and Crime, 3.5*
8 Fall on Your Knees Library, Literary Fiction, 4*
9 The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister ColorCAT Kindle, 3.5*
10 This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things Library, Short Stories, 3*
11 Beneath the Surface Kindle, Mysteries and Crime, 3*
12 Sleeping Beauties Kindle, Mysteries and Crime, 4*
13 Mercury Library, Fiction 4*
14 Days of Wonder Library,Fiction, 4*
15 Beautiful Ugly Library, Fiction,3*
16 Listen for the Lie Library,Fiction 3*
17 The Loss of Lost Things Kindle, Short Stories,5*
18 Happy is on Hiatus Kindle, Fiction, 3*
19 Death at the Sanatorium Library,Mysteries and Crime, 4*
20 A Reason to See You Again Library, Fiction, 3*

February

1 Girls Who Lie Kindle, Mysteries and Crime, 3.5*
2 Perish Kindle, Fiction 4*, CoverCAT
3 Blank Pages Library, Short Stories 4.5*
4 Good Dirt Library, Fiction, 5*, AlphaKIT
5 The Golden Couple Kindle, Thriller, 2.5* ColorCAT
6 Penitence Library, Fiction 3.5*
7 Run Man Run Kindle, Crime Fiction, 4*
8 The Other Americans Library, Literary Fiction, 3*
9 Margo’s Got Money Troubles Library, Fiction, 4*
10 Bonded in Death Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
11 Whatever Happened to Interracial Love Kindle, Short Stories, 3.5*
12 The Family Game Kindle, Thriller, 4*
13 Three Days in June Library, Fiction, 4.5*
14 The Queens of Crime Library, Historical Fiction, 4*
15 A Thousand Years of Prayers Library, Short Stories, 4*
16 The Blood of Emmett Till Kindle, Non Fiction, 3.5*
17 People of Means Library, Fiction, 4*

March

1 The Unheard Kindle, Thriller, AlphaKIT 3*
2 The Night Shift Kindle, Thriller AlphaKIT, 4*
3 The Detective Up Late Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
4 Show Don’t Tell Library, Short Stories, 3.5*
5 The Most Liiterary Fiction, Library, 3.5*
6 One Good Thing Historical Fiction, Library, 4.5*
7 Ella Kindle, Historical Fiction, 3*
8 A Keeper Literary Fiction, 4*, Kindle
9 The Frozen River Historical Fiction, Library 4.5*
10 High Tea and Misdemeanors Cozy Mystery, Library, 3*
11 Dream Count Literary Fiction, Library 4.5*
12 Kills Well With Others Library, Crime Fiction, Series 3*
13 Hang on St. Christopher Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
14 Nesting Library, Literary Fiction, 4*
15 The Manor House Library, Thriller, 3*
16 Still See You Everywhere Thriller, Library, 3*

April

1 Caucasia Library, Literary Fiction, 4*
2 Highway Thirteen Library, Short Stories, CoverCAT. RandomKIT, 4*
3 Tilt Library, Fiction, AlphaKIT, 3.5*
4 The Sequel Library, Thriller, Series, AlphaKIT, 4.5*
5 Rabbit Moon Library, General Fiction, 3.5*
6 Local Gone Missing Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
7 The Float Test Library, General Fiction, 2.5*
8 Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping Library, General Fiction, Series, 3*
9 The Story of Arthur Truluv Libary, General Fiction, Series 4*
10 Night of Miracles Library, Series, General Fiction, 4*
11 The Confession Club Library, AlphaKIT, Series, 3*
12 These Days Library, Historical Fiction, 4.5*
13 The Maid’s Secret Library, Series, General Fiction, 3*
14 I See You’ve Called In Dead Library 4.5*
15 Bake Sale Murder Own, Crime Fiction, Cozy, Series, 3*
16 Mary Jane Kindle, General Fiction, ColorCAT, 4*
17 Talking to Strangers Crime Fiction, Kindle, 4*
18 The Trees Kindle, Literary Fiction, Kindle, 5*
19 Fever of the Bone Kindle, Crime Fiction, 4*
20 Self-Help Kindle, Short Stories, 3.5*

May

1 The Murderer’s Daughters Kindle, General Fiction, RandomKIT, 3*
2 Red as Blood Kindle, Crime Fiction, ColorCAT, MysteryKIT, 3*
3 The Last One at the Wedding Kindle, Thriller, 3.5*
4 Fault Lines Kindle, Literary Fiction, AlphaKIT, 3*
5 Atavists Library, Short Stories, 4*
6 On a Quiet Street Kindle, Thriller, 3.5*
7 The Cleanup Kindle, Crime Fiction, AlphaKIT 4*
8 Parents Weekend
9 Journey Under the Midnight Sun Kindle, Crime Fiction, 4.5*
10 The Ruin Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
11 Firstborn Girls, Library, NonFiction, 4.5*
12 The Scholar Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 3.5*
13 The Disappeared Library, Short Stories, 4.5*
14 Heart Be at Peace Library, Literary Fiction, 3*

June

1 The Yellow Room Kindle, Crime Fiction, 3*
2 The Vacancy in Room 10 Kindle, Thriller, 3*
3 Butter Kindle, General Fiction, 4*
4 What Happened to Nina? Kindle, Thriller, 4*
5 The Wedding People Library, General Fiction 4.5*
6 Saint of the Narrows Street Library, General Fiction, 3.5*
7 What Happened to the McCrays? Library, General Fiction, 4*
8 The Diamond Eye Kindle, Historical Fiction, 4*
9 Dancing After Hours Library, Short Stories, 3.5*
10 Last Rites Kindle, Crime Fiction, 4*
11 The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes Kindle, General Fiction, 3*
12 Cold in Hand Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
13 King of Ashes Library, Crime Fiction, 5*
14 Kill Your Darlings Library, Thriller, 3*
15 The River Knows Your Name Kindle, Historical Fiction, 4*
16 With a Vengeance Library, Crime Fiction, 3*
17 Murder Takes a Vacation Library, Crime Fiction, 3.5*
18 Holding Library, General Fiction, 3*
19 Buzz Kill Library, Thriller, 3.5*
20 Someone We Know Kindle, Thriller, 3.5*
21 The Light Years Kindle, Historical Fiction, 4.5*

July

1 Marking Time Kindle, Historical Fiction, Series 4*
2 El Dorado Drive Library, Thriller, 3.5*
3 Don’t Let Him In Library, Thriller, 4*
4 White as Snow Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 3*
5 Dread Journey Kindle, Crime Fiction, 3*
6 So Far Gone Kindle, General Fiction, 4*
7 Death in Summer Kindle, Literary Fiction, 3*
8 The Mountains Sing Kindle, Historical Fiction, 5*
9 The Satisfaction Cafe Library, General Fiction, 3.5*
10 The Perfect Father Kindle, Non-Fiction, 3.5*
11 The Body in the Bookcase Own, Crime Fiction, Series, 3*
12 The Body in the Birches Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series 3.5*
13 The Body in the Wardrobe Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 3*
14 Away Library, Historical Fiction, CoverCAT, 4*
15 Finding Grace Library, General Fiction, 3*
16 Confusion Kindle, Historical Fiction, 4.5*
17 Casting Off Kindle, Historical Fiction 4*
18 All Change Kindle, Historical Fiction 5*
19 The Night Always Comes Kindle, General Fiction, 4*
20 Loving Donovan Kindle, General Fiction, 3.5*
21 The Outcast Kindle, Literary Fiction, 4.5*
22 The Good Turn Library, Crime Fiction, 4*
23 Red Clay Library, Historical Fiction, 3.5*
24 William Trevor: Selected Stories Kindle, Short Stories, 4.5*

August

1 The Good Liar Library, Crime Fiction, 3*
2 Night Shadows: Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 3.5*
3 Love Forms Library, Literary Fiction, 3.5*
4 Fox Kindle, Thriller, 4*
5 A Cure for Dreams Kindle, General Fiction,
6 What You Did Kindle, Thriller, 3*
7 Shout Her Lovely Name Library, Short Stories, 4*
8 Nightcrawling Kindle, Literary Fiction, 3.5*
9 The Lying Room Kindle, Thriller, 3*
10 If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This Library, Short Stories, 4*
11 Dominicana Library, Literary Fiction, 4*
12 The Retribution Own, Crime Fiction, Series, 3.5*
13 Cross and Burn Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
14 Nora Jane Kindle, Short Stories, 4*
15 Memorial Days Library, Non-Fiction, 5*
16 Too Old for This Library, Thriller, 4*
17 Broken Country Library, General Fiction, 4*
18 Dominion Library, General Fiction, 2.5*
19 We Are All Guilty Here Library, Crime Fiction, 4*
20 The Names Library, General Fiction 3*
21 Forget Me Not Library, Thriller, 3*

September

1 The Silver Star Library, General Fiction, 3.5*
2 Dark City Dames Kindle, Non Fiction, 4*
3 Framed in Death Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 3.5*
4 What Was Lost Kindle, Literary Fiction, 4.5*
5 Splinter the Silence Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
6 Insidious Intent Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
7 Apostle's Cove Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
8 Buckeye Library, General Fiction, 5*
9 The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer Library, Crime Fiction, 4*
10 Clever Girl Kindle, General Fiction, 3*
11 Gray Dawn Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
12 The Wilderness Library, Literary Fiction, 4*
13 Crooks Library, Crime Fiction, 3.5 *
14 It Was The Way She Said It Library, Short Stories, 3.5*
15 The Elements Library, General Fiction, 4.5*
16 The Women on Platform Two Kindle, General Fiction, 4*
17 What Alice Forgot Kindle, General Fiction, 4*
18 The Kind Worth Saving Kindle, Thriller, 3*
19 A Talent for Murder Kindle, Thriller, 3.5*
20 Andre Dubus: Selected Stories Kindle, Short Stories, 4*
21 The Laughterhouse Kindle, Thriller, 4*

October

1 A Killer Wedding Library, General Fiction, 3*
2 Dead If You Don’t Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series 3*
3 Truly Library, Non Fiction. 3.5*
4 The Killing Stones Library, Crime Fiction 3.5*
5 The Impossible Fortune Library, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*
6 The Irish Goodbye Library, General Fiction, 4*
7 Heart the Lover Library, Literary Fiction, 4.5*
8 The Correspondent Kindle, Literary Fiction, 5*
9 The Mad Wife Kindle, General Fiction, 3.5*
10 Fight No More Kindle, Short Stories, 4.5*
11 Felicia's Journey Kindle, Literary Fiction, 3*
12 A Guardian and a Thief Library, Literary Fiction, 4.5*
13 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories Kindle, Short Stories, 4*
14 Ripeness Library, Literary Fiction, 4.5*
15 Never Flinch Library, Crime Fiction, 3*
16 The Land of Sweet Forever Library, Short Stories, 3.5*
17 How The Dead Speak Kindle, Crime Fiction, Series, 4*

November

December

Bingo



1 Nesting Ireland
2 This Secret Thing
3 The Queens of Crime
6 This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
7 Finding Grace
9 Journey Under the Midnight Sun
12 Still See You Everywhere
13 The Coincidence of Coconut Cake (CoverCAT)
14 The Trees
15 The Frozen River
18 The Detective Up Late
23 Dark City Dames
24 Margo’s Got Money Troubles

I decided to create a new thread to reflect my newly retired life. I'm looking forward to doing some decluttering and organizing, taking a few day trips, and reading of course. My favorite books for the month were The Disappeared, Firstborn Girls, and Under the Midnight Sun.

May in review:

Books read 14 (87)
Library 7 (51)
Kindle 7 (35)
Mine 1
Male authors 6 (17)
Female authors 8(70)
New to me 8 (35)
General Fiction 1(23)
Literary Fiction 2 (13)
Historical Fiction (6)
Crime Fiction 5(23)
Short Stories 2(10)
Series 4 (29)
Non Fiction 1 (2)
Thriller 3(10)

Happy new thread, Lisa, and above all Happy Retirement!!

Enjoy your retirement! You’ll be able to read so many more books now!

>16 NinieB: Thank you Ninie!
>17 Charon07: Thank you, I’m fine tuning what I’d like to read this month.

Happy new thread, Lisa. I am looking forward to seeing all the good books you are going to discover now that you are retired!

Happy New Thread and congrats on the retirement.

>21 RidgewayGirl: Happy New Thread!

>19 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy!
>20 lowelibrary: Thank you April!
>21 RidgewayGirl: Thank you Kay!

Happy new thread, and congratulations on your retirement!

Happy New Thread, and Happy Retirement! Enjoy the reading time!

Enjoy your retirement and please just keep up with your excellent book finding for all of us.

Happy New Thread and Happy Retirement! You'll be surprised at how busy being retired can be.

>23 christina_reads: Thank you Christina!
>24 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit!
>25 JoeB1934: Thank you Joe, and I will do my best!
>26 dudes22: Thank you Betty, it’s amazing how much better I feel physically already!

88 The Yellow Room When Carol Spencer finds a charred corpse in the linen closet of her family's Maine home, she becomes the prime suspect and attempts to clear her name. She is aided in her efforts by a wounded war hero, who insinuates himself in the police proceedings. There are various suspects in addition to Carol, namely her sister and brother, an elderly neighbor, or is it someone else? It was an entertaining read for my first day of leisure.

89 The Vacancy in Room 10 A so-so thriller about the inhabitants of a rundown motel converted into apartments. Anna checks into the building seeking answers about her late husband Henry's life. Cass, the building manager, inhabits the building after her rich boyfriend kicked her to the curb for someone else. The book was a little slow paced, however I kept reading because I really wanted to know what happened.

90 Butter I believe that this book is a BB from RidgewayGirl(Kay). It was an excellent read about a female gourmet cook, who allegedly is also a serial killer. She supposedly is overweight and unattractive, yet able to lure lonely older men through her gourmet cooking. This is not a thriller, rather it's a cat and mouse story where Rika, a journalist, seeks to obtain an exclusive interview with Kajii, the killer. Rika decides that the way to approach her is to connect with her though her love of food by asking for one of her recipes. Through her meetings with Kajii, Rika learns to cook and appreciate food. The book explores the obsession with standards of beauty, the navigation of misogyny, as well as the complexity of female relationships.

91 What Happened to Nina This book was a BB from DeltaQueen50 (Judy). Nina and her boyfriend Simon go away for the weekend at his parent's lakefront property, but only Simon returns home. Simon will maintain that Nina broke up with him and he left her at her request. The reader knows that this is not the case from the very beginning of the book. Through alternating POV's of Nina and Simon's parents, as well the detective in charge of the case, the reader finds out exactly what happened to Nina. It's a powerful read of the lengths that both parents will go through for their children, justice for Nina, and protection for Simon when he becomes the primary suspect. It was hard to put this one down.

92 The Wedding People Phoebe is depressed and seeks to end her pain by checking into a luxurious hotel and finds herself in the midst of wedding festivities. Phoebe has been dumped by her husband, suffered through failed IVF treatments, miscarriages, an unfinished thesis, and the loss of her cat. When she meets the ultimate bridezilla Lila, she finds herself drawn into the wedding festivities and decides that she just might have something to live for after all. I loved this book; it was funny and sad at the same time.

I'm glad you liked both Butter and The Wedding People. They are very different books, but I really enjoyed both of them.

>31 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one.

93 Saint of the Narrows Street This is the story of the long-term effects that an accidental murder has on the family involved. Risa is married to Saverio(Sav), and has an eight-month-old son named Fabrizio. One-night Sav threatens Risa and her sister Guilia with a gun, and Risa hits Sav over the head with a cast iron skillet, instantly killing him. The sisters try to decide whether to call the police or find someone to help them cover it up. Over the next 18 years, Fabrizio hears many rumors about what happened to his father and vows to find out the truth for himself. I had a minor quibble with some of the gaps in the timeline, but overall, I enjoyed the book very much.

94 What Happened to the Mccrays? Casey and Kyle have been together for years until a tragic event tore them apart two years ago. They both thought that the other blamed them for the tragedy and Kyle left town. He returns home again after learning of his father's stroke and has to deal with his lingering feelings for Casey and come to terms with what happened. It was a sad yet hopeful read about second chances.

>32 lsh63: - This was recommended to me by a friend a while ago, but the wait at the library is really long so it will be a while until I get to it.

>31 lsh63: Hi April, I hope you enjoy it!
>32 lsh63: Hi Kay, I don’t think I ever read anything that you liked and I didn’t.
>37 dudes22: Hi Betty, I think I got lucky with it and there was one copy up for grabs. My library has over 600 copies!

95 The Diamond Eye I've enjoyed every book I've read so far by this author and this one did not disappoint. It's the fictionalized autobiography of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, (Mila), a history student and young mother who became a soldier, sniper, and later diplomat during World War II.

>38 lsh63: - Our whole state only has 136 of regular print and around 45 each of large print, audio and ebook. And over 1,000 people waiting. I'm surprised that there are more people waiting for the ebook than the regular print. I may end up having to buy it. I do still have a couple of book gift cards I haven't used yet. I've only heard positive things about it.

>40 dudes22: Maybe you will luck up and find it on sale!

96 Dancing After Hours A short story collection filled with characters experiencing loneliness, loss and love. In "At Night", an elderly woman deals with her emotions when she finds her husband died the night before and is laying in the bed next to her. "The Lover" explores a man's regrets while having an affair with a younger woman and realizing what a crappy husband he's been during his failed marriages. Even though the stories are sad, they are beautifully written.

97 Last Rites Charlie Resnick is one of my favorite characters. In addition to this being a solid police procedural series, I also enjoy the jazz references and his sandwich descriptions. In this installment, Resnick has to make decisions regarding both his personal and professional lives, as well as trying to find an inmate who was released from prison on a temporary basis to attend his mother's funeral. There was a certain plot point at the end that makes me want to read the next to last book sooner rather than later.

98 The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes Teenage Cee Cee Wilkes meets the older, charming Timothy Gleason. She is really vulnerable after losing her mother at the age of 12 and quickly falls under his spell. Her love for him results in a horrific crime committed when she is just 16. Her poor decisions leave her with a newborn baby that isn't hers. Twenty-five years later a dead body is discovered, and Cee Cee is forced to face her past.

>43 lsh63: I finished the Charlie Resnick series a couple of years ago and I still miss it very much. One of my favorite crime series!

99 Cold in Hand This is the next to last in the Charlie Resnick series, which is one of my favorites. After reading Last Rites, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Resnick is nearing the age of retirement and also has a new relationship. Then a tragic event occurs which changes his life forever.

100 King of Ashes This was another winner from this author of "Southern noir" crime fiction. Roman Carruthers returns home after his father is injured in a car accident. He later learns that his younger brother Dante owes a very large sum of money to some dangerous sociopathic criminals. He also believes that his father's accident was likely not an accident at all, but rather a serious warning. Since Roman is a successful financial advisor with very wealthy clients, he thinks that making the criminals an offer to make them richer will appeal to their greedy nature and keep his family safe. This is an action packed, violent, sometimes gruesome story that was hard for me to put down.

101 Kill Your Darlings This was a slow moving, not too thrilling thriller. The story begins in 2023, with Wendy trying to kill her husband Thom. The plot then moves backward in time ending with their initial meeting at age 14, in 1982 on a school class trip. Wendy and Thom have both done bad things which is revealed in the series of events that brought the reader to the present. It was just an ok read.

102 The River Knows Your Name A story of mother-daughter relationships, told in dual time periods. One is in the Depression era, with a woman named Becca struggling to find work and take care of her young daughter after her husband's death. The other time period is set in the 1970's where Nell tries to uncover how her sister Evie came to live with her and her mother Hazel. The girls stumbled upon Evie's birth certificate many years ago and never let on to Hazel that they knew Evie was not her biological child. It's evident how the dual storylines will merge, but it was still a very gripping read.

103 With a Vengeance In 1942, six people caused the deaths of Anna Matheson's family, her father, mother and brother. Twelve years later Anna has the evidence she needs and is out for revenge. She lures them on to a luxury train, once owned by her family for a 14-hour nonstop trip from Philadelphia to Chicago. Her intention is not to kill them but rather turn them over to the FBI. Someone, however, has decided to eliminate the perpetrators one by one before they reach their destination.

104 Murder Takes a Vacation I've enjoyed the author's Tess Monaghan series as well as her many standalone novels. This book is a cozy mystery, where the author features a character named Muriel Blossom, who previously appeared in a few of the Tess Monaghan series, assisting with surveillance activities. Mrs. Blossom is in her late sixties, widowed and one day finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot. She does try to do the right thing and find the owner, to no avail. With a little over 8 million dollars to her name, she decides to treat herself and her best friend to a cruise through France. They meet many interesting characters, and adding a stolen artifact into the mix, made it a fun read. I can see it becoming a series.

105 Holding An entertaining read about a bumbling investigator in an Irish village who has to delve into the romantic history of two women to find out the truth about the human remains buried many years ago which have now been found .

106 Buzz Kill I enjoyed this sequel to Hard Girls, which was a BB from Kay (RidgewayGirl). After their previous adventure tracking down and dealing with their criminal mother, Jane and Lila Pool are now in business together. Jane is resentful of Lila, who feels as though she's been given busy work while Lila is in on all the so-called action. When they learn that the suicide of their aunt may have been murder, they have to deal with a drug cartel and their mother to find out the truth.

107 Someone We Know Everyone has secrets in this neighborhood which come to light after a missing woman named Amanda is killed, her body found in a submerged car trunk. Amanda, who was married, was having an affair with at least two men, and was several weeks pregnant. Several of the neighbors become suspects during the course of the investigation, and while I had an inkling of the killer's identity, it was still an entertaining read.

108 The Light Years I loved this book and immediately started reading the second one, Marking Time. It's a series of books titled the Cazalet Chronicles. There are many characters introduced, a mother and father, their three sons, their wives and children, and many servants. Despite the very large cast of characters, I was immediately drawn to this mess family saga set in 1937-1938 just before World War II. The book is not plot oriented, rather it is very character driven, and I found that I enjoyed the introduction and nuances of each character. I will definitely finish this series over the summer.

Since I am reading a door stopper at the moment, I'm unlikely to finish any more books this month.

I read 21 books and have been enjoying my first month of retirement. Every day is a good one, but I'm especially happy on Sunday evenings, knowing that I don't have to hoist myself and everything else into the office on Monday. I've been tackling organizing and decluttering at home, sighing when my hubby claims "he'll get to it", regarding things he started and never finished, and finally getting things in order to take care of my mother's estate. With the change in administration, it took forever to get a form from the IRS that we needed. We'll be taking short day to three-day trips until I get our retirement budget straight. Right before I retired, we had to replace the HVAC, and I needed two crowns 😒.

June in review:

Books read 21 (108)
Library 10 (61)
Kindle 11 (46)
Mine 1
Male authors 9 (26)
Female authors 12(82)
New to me 5(40)
General Fiction 6(29)
Literary Fiction (13)
Historical Fiction 3(9)
Crime Fiction 6(29)
Short Stories 1(11)
Series 4 (33)
Non-Fiction (2)
Thriller 5(15)

This month I really enjoyed King of Ashes, so gruesome, but so good! The Wedding People, and was happy to have discovered the Cazalet Chronicles, which I am now hooked on. Since I don't have work brain drain anymore, I want to try to read some of the larger books that I have been avoiding for years, because I didn't think I could fully concentrate on them. Since July is my birthday and Thingaversary month, I'm also trying to decide/justify if I want a new Kindle. My current one is acting up a little and not fully charging.

I'm glad you're loving retirement!

Knowing you don't have to go to work after the weekend is one of the best new things about retirement.

I'm currently reading The Wedding People which a friend lent me but not enjoying it as much as I had expected. Maybe it will get better. I also have the Cazalet series waiting for me to start it which I'm hoping to do this summer. I've seen good things about it.

109 Marking Time I'm greatly enjoying this series right now. This book is the second, and takes place from September 1939 to December 1941, which are two important months in the development of World War II. There are mainly three POV's in the novel, Polly, daughter of eldest son Hugh, Louise, daughter of middle son Edward, and Clarissa (Clary), daughter of youngest son Rupert. All are teenage girls who are affected by the war in different ways. At the end a family member dies, and there is renewed hope about another family member who has been reported missing.

110 El Dorado Drive I've enjoyed every book that I've read by this author and this one was no exception. Abbott has written about young girls battling in cheerleading and ballet, noir, and psychological thrillers, all different in their own way. This book features the three Bishop sisters, Debra, Pam and Harper. All of the sisters are having money issues; Debra is dealing with her husband's cancer treatments, Pam is battling her ex during a divorce, and Harper owes a lot of money to someone. Debra and Pam tell Harper that they have the answer to all of their problems, which involves them in a deadly pyramid scheme, that will result in the one of the sisters being killed.

111 Don't Let Him In This was a pretty good thriller. Nick Radcliffe, also known as Damian, Andre, and Alastair, is s sociopathic liar who has torn apart the lives of various women. Nina, his current would be victim, at first disregards her daughter's warnings, but later finds that Nick has been quite busy, married to various women, while also stalking others. There was no real twist in the story, and it's probably frustrating to the reader that so many women fell for his charms, but it was an engrossing read.

112 White as Snow Police officer Daniel and forensic accountant Arora's individual investigations overlap when the police try to find out who is responsible for an abandoned shipping container with the bodies of four young women and a survivor inside. Arora is investigating the boyfriend of Daniel's ex-wife Elin and finds that he's tied to the crime.

>57 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, thank you, yes I am!
>58 dudes22: Hi Betty, so true about Mondays! I think the Cazalet Chronicles would be great to read over the summer. I hope you enjoy it.

113 Dread Journey The reader is told who the murderer and the victim will likely be, so this was not a classic whodunnit which is set on a luxury train traveling from Los Angeles to New York. Movie produce Vivien Spender has to get rid of actress Kitten Agnew, contracted to play a part in his next movie that he wants an unknown actress named Graia Shawn to play. There was a good pacing of the suspense leading up to the actual murder.

>60 lsh63: My copy of this just arrived, so I'm glad it's good!

>65 RidgewayGirl: I hope you enjoy it Kay!

114 So Far Gone Environmental reporter Rhys Kinnick loses control at a Thanksgiving gathering and punches his ultra-Christian son-in-law in the face. He then heads to an old family home in the woods where he goes off the grid and has no contact with his daughter and grandchildren. One day a woman appears at his door with his two grandchildren, who at first, he doesn't recognize. Their mother has disappeared but left instructions with a neighbor that the children are to be left with their grandfather. This was a good read with the story told from the POV of each character, beginning with Rhys, then an old girlfriend, a retired cop, his daughter, grandchildren, his son-in law, and finally his best friend. I enjoyed the book even though some of the extremist viewpoints hit a little too close to home during our present political climate.

115 Death in Summer This is my first time reading anything by this author, and I definitely am looking forward to reading more of his novels and short story collections. This was an unsettling story of a prospective nanny named Pettie who after she doesn't get hired, becomes sightly unhinged and obsessed with widow Thaddeus and his young daughter Georgina. It was a quiet yet disturbing read.

116 The Mountains Sing Admittedly, my knowledge of the Vietnam War has mainly been from the American viewpoint, specifically the protest against the conflict, the loss of American soldiers, and those soldiers who were held as POW's. This book was not an easy read, but I felt slightly more knowledgeable after reading it. The author tells the story from the POV's of a young girl and her grandmother. The grandmother tells her granddaughter of her early life, her struggles and loss, and how she had to fight to survive with her six children during the war. This was a beautifully written tale of the effects of the Vietnam war on its inhabitants.

117 The Satisfaction Cafe Despite the title, and beautiful cover, the cafe doesn't enter into the storyline until the last third of the book. Joan Liang has an unhappy childhood with both parents seeming not to care about her and being overshadowed by her brothers. When one of her brothers can't attend college because he is going to marry his pregnant girlfriend, Joan attends Stanford in his place. She marries at a young age and finds herself divorced very quickly after she stabs her husband. At 26, she married Bill, a wealthy man 25 years her senior, who has been married three times, and has two grown children, one of whom doesn't appreciate having to share their future inheritance. Joan basically tolerates her husband's infidelity and raises her children the best that she can. After Bill's death, her beautiful home burns in a fire, and she learns that she doesn't have as much wealth as she thought. The idea of a cafe where people can meet and connect with each other comes to her after a random conversation, and she sets out to try to make it a success. Overall, it was an easy read with a sad ending.

118 The Perfect Father There's really not much to say about this account of Chris Watts, who murdered his pregnant wife Shanann and young daughters Bella and Celeste in August of 2018. I remember seeing him on the news, pleading for his family's return, then the shocking breaking news of his confession. The book provides the background of their early lives, their marriage and the birth of their children. The author is careful to write in a very factual manner, with great detail about the investigation and other facts that may not have been previously known.

119 The Body in the Bookcase Faith deals with having to cater a Bridezilla's wedding while also reeling from the robbery and murder of an elderly friend. When Faith's family is also later robbed, she vows to get her family's items back. Her quest to find hers and Tom's items finds her going to pawn shops and auctions, dealing with some very unsavory people. The reveal of one of the culprits was a bit surprising. I found quite a few of these books in my mother's house that haven't been read by either one of us, so I will be reading more of them in the future.

120 The Body in the Birches
121 The Body in the Wardrobe



Two more books in the Faith Fairchild series. The Body in the Birches is set during the Fourth of July weekend, where Faith runs into her former babysitter Sophie Maxwell. Faith's home is undergoing renovations, so the family is staying with Pix. Most of the book was about Sophie's family squabbling over who will inherit the family home, known as the Birches. There were way too many of Sophie's family members to keep track of, and somehow the murder got lost in all of the family drama.

The Body in the Wardrobe takes place a few months later and finds Sophie married to her new husband Will and relocated to Savannah. In this book Sophie finds a body in a wardrobe, has to contend with mean girl behavior from her sister-in-law. Sophie calls Faith to flies to Savannah to see if she can help Sophie.

122 Away Set in the 1920's Lillian Leyb, a young Russian immigrant, flees to America after the brutal murder of her parents, husband and her young daughter Sophie. Lillian stays with a cousin in New York and tries to make a new life for herself, which isn't easy. One day, one of her cousins also arrives in New York and tells Lillian that she believes her daughter Sophie is still alive, in Siberia. Lillian sets out on a long journey in order to find her daughter, meeting very unsavory characters along the way. Lillian, however, is not innocent, and does whatever she needs to in order to survive and find her daughter.

123 Finding Grace It's really difficult to write too much about this book without giving anything away. The story is told from an interesting POV, which immediately draws the reader in. Honor is married to Tom with a young daughter Chloe, and desperately wants another child, but will have to utilize an egg donor and surrogate in order to fulfill her dream. The first chapter is intense and takes off from there.

124 Confusion The third book in the Cazalet Chronicles, similar to the previous installment, focuses on the three older girls in the family, Louise, Polly and Clary. As the girls are getting a bit older, they are contemplating their lives as young adults, and how the effects of the war will shape their futures. There is a pleasant surprise at the end which made me immediately start the next book.

125 Casting Off I couldn't stop reading this series, and this book is the 4th in the collection. The war is over, and the family members are preparing to return to their respective homes after spending most of the war at the family home in the country. The cousins are now in their 20's and trying to find their way in the postwar world. Various characters deal with grief, betrayal and infidelity and are finding that their lives are very different than before the war.

126 All Change The final book in this series was written approximately 10 years after Casting Off. Most of the younger children are married with children, and two of the brothers also have more children. There was a "yuck" plotline that made me a little cringey, but overall, it was a fitting end to the series.

127 The Night Always Comes Lynette does many dangerous and questionable things all for the right reason. She has her heart set on purchasing the home where she, her mother and brother are renting. At the last minute her mother reneges on their agreement, and Lynette is driven to even more acts of desperation, that become out of control. This wasn't an easy read, I found myself rooting for Lynette, as the character isn't a bad person, in her heart she believes that she is doing what she has to for herself and her family.

128 Loving Donovan A love story that goes wrong featuring the main characters, Campbell and Donovan. The book is divided into three sections; Campbell's early life and family past, Donovan's past, and their eventual meeting, falling in love and trying to make their relationship work to no avail. Both individuals have heartbreaking events in their life, and you can't help but feel for Donovan, who suffered traumatic abuse that affects his future with Campbell.

I forgot to report on my Thingaversary purchases. I joined LT in 2007 on July 7, which makes 18 years! I also treated myself to a new Kindle! Most of these books were purchased from May to the present.

Dark as Night
Break it Down
Matters of Life and Death
Midwinter Break
So Far Gone
Cascade
The Outcast
Selected Stories: William Trevor
The Huntress
The Dream Hotel
Elbow Room
Long After We are Gone
High Lonesome
The Big Gold Dream
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
Fox
Dream State
Loving Donovan

>81 lsh63: What a great haul—a lot of intriguing books!

>81 lsh63: Happy Thingaversary! That is an excellent haul! I'm reading Fox now.

Happy Thingaversary

Happy Thingaversary! That’s a long time on LT and lots of books...

Happy Thingaversary! Lots of interesting books in that list.

>82 Charon07: Thank you!
>83 RidgewayGirl: Thank you Kay! Joyce Carol Oates is great, there are many books for me to look forward to.
>84 lowelibrary: Thank you April!
>85 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit, it is indeed a long time!
>86 dudes22: Thank you Betty!

Happy Thingaversary! Great books that increase my TBR when I can ill afford it!

>88 JoeB1934: Thank you Joe! Our TBR always increases doesn’t it?

129 The Outcast Lewis Aldridge is 19 years old and going back home after a two-year jail stint. Lewis has suffered with not knowing what to do with his grief since his mother's death when he was a young boy. His father Gilbert is emotionally distant and remarried soon after Lewis's mother's death, thinking that Lewis needed a mother right away. Lewis seeks deeper into depression, becomes more withdrawn and exhibits harmful behavior to himself and others. He finds solace in a friendship with his father's boss's daughter Kit, who sees hope for him and his future.

130 The Good Turn Cormac Reilly faces trouble not only in his relationship with his girlfriend Emma, but also with his police force colleagues. One night his second in command, Peter Fisher responds to a report of a kidnapped young girl. With the department's resources stretched thin, Peter makes a judgment call that leads him to shooting and killing the suspect who they believe was responsible for the kidnapping. Cormac, who has very few friends left on the force, tries to prove that the shooting was justified and save Peter's career.

131 Red Clay In 1943, at the funeral of former slave Felix Parker, his granddaughter notices an elderly white woman that no one seems to recognize. The woman introduces herself as Adelaide Parker and states" a lifetime ago, my family owned yours". Adelaide wants to tell Felix's story to his daughter and grandchildren, who don't know much about his life in slavery. The POV's switch back and forth between 1943 and in the waning years of the Civil War. It was a powerful read.

132 William Trevor: Collected Stories I love short stories, but maybe with large volumes, I should space them out a bit more. This was my first time reading anything by this author and I enjoyed just about every story in the collection. It's a volume of the stories contained in After Rain, The Hill Bachelors, A Bit on the Side and Cheating at Canasta. Of the 48 stories included I selected four that I enjoyed the most : " A Friendship", where Francesca is married to Philip and is friends with Margy. Margy, who is not really a friend in my opinion, encourages Francesca to seek out their friend Sebastian, who Francesca later has an affair with. Philip issues an ultimatum to Francesca, that she can either have her friendship or her marriage.

In " A Friend in the Trade", a married couple are horrified and not sure what to do when their longtime friend thinks that he is moving in with them when they leave London. In "On the Streets", which is much creepier than the other stories, a man stalks his ex-wife and confesses his various crimes to her.

In "Old Flame', Charles, who is married to Zoe, had an affair with Audrey, who lives with Grace. Grace encourages Audrey to keep in touch with Charles by writing to him and meeting him for lunch over the years. Charles doesn't seem to realize that Zoe steams open his mail and reads Audrey's letters. When Grace dies, Charles realizes that he is not going to see Grace anymore.

July in review

I read 24 books this month and enjoyed most of what I read. The standouts were the Cazalet Chronicles, which I gobbled up like candy, The Mountains Sing and The Outcast. I discovered the brilliance of William Trevor, reading Death in Summer and Selected Stories: William Trevor. I will definitely be reading more of his novels and short stories. This month I also celebrated my birthday and Thingaversary, and treated myself to a new Kindle.

Books read 24 (132)
Library 7 (68)
Kindle 16 (62)
Mine 1(2)
Male authors 6 (32)
Female authors 18(100)
New to me 8(48)
General Fiction 5(34)
Literary Fiction 2(15)
Historical Fiction 7(16)
Crime Fiction 6(35)
Short Stories 1(12)
Series 9 (42)
Non-Fiction 1(3)
Thriller 2(17)

>94 lsh63: - You had a good reading month, Lisa. I've got the Cazalet books on my TBR pile and either need to get to them soon or decide to save them for a vacation of laziness where all I do is read. I'm debating whether or not we'll spend an extended time next winter somewhere warm which would be a good time for reading them.

>95 dudes22: Hi Betty! I think your tentative plan to save the Cazalet books for vacation is a good one. I had originally intended to space them out, but I couldn’t stop myself.

>96 lsh63: - You're not the only person who has said that.

133 The Good Liar I love Denise Mina, however the story didn't seem to flow too well in this book. Past and present events were revealed in what I thought was a confusing manner. The plot involves Claudia O'Sheil, a recent widow with two boys, is a blood splatter forensic examiner who is about to give a speech at a fundraiser involving her analysis of a double murder. Earlier, she realized that there were mistakes made in the investigation, as well as her own statistics, and the person convicted of the crime is not guilty. To tell the truth will not only potentially ruin her career but could also make her the target of the actual murderer. I am not a prude by any means, but some readers may be a bit put off by some of the crass language in the book.

134 Night Shadows: A young man dies in a house fire under suspicious circumstances. There were quite a few twists in the storyline and I did not suspect the person responsible. Elma and her detective colleague Saevar, also reach an important milestone in their relationship.

>92 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one.

135 Love Forms This is the one and only book from the Booker Longlist that I've read. I hope to be able to read some of the others on the list soon. Fifty-eight-year-old Dawn, recently divorced with two grown sons, wants to find the daughter that she gave up for adoption when she was 16. Living in Trinidad in her youth, her family arranged for her to give birth in a convent in Venezuela. The story is told in various timelines, after the birth Dawn studied to become a doctor, and also married a fellow doctor and now resides in London.

The reader can't help but feel for Dawn as she gets her hopes up, then later finds that she has been unsuccessful. The ending of the book where she travels back to the site of the convent where she gave birth many years ago, makes for a powerful read.

>100 lowelibrary: Hi April, I hope you enjoy the book when you get around to reading it!

>101 lsh63: If you like this book, I found 2 others on the list that I intend to read: Audition, and Misinterpretation. All 3 are psychological mysteries.

136 Fox The book begins with the discovery of a gruesome corpse, which is in such bad condition that it takes the police quite a while to determine that the deceased is Francis Fox. Fox, is an English teacher at an elite private school who targets several of the 12 and 13 year old girls in his class. Fox is so charismatic that he charms students, parents and faculty alike. The author takes her time with the story's various revelations, and it becomes apparent that there are a quite a few suspects in his murder. This is not an easy read, but it is very well written and I didn't feel like I was reading an overlong book with a lot of filler. I have many many books left to read by the author, who is still going strong at 87.

137 A Cure For Dreams A quiet, character driven novel about four generations of women and their individual stories about their childhood, young adulthood, marriages, and survival in a rural community.

138 What You Did A group of university friends get together after 25 years for a reunion. The reunion turns into a nightmare when the best friend (Karen) of the hostess (Ali), accuses Ali's husband of raping her. As Ali struggles to believe that her husband is guilty or that her best friend is lying, she uncovers a myriad of secrets and lies. The ending was a little unexpected.

139 Shout Her Lovely Name A collection of short stories that focus on the complexities of mother and daughter relationships. In the title story, a mother keeps a journal of the various ways she attempts to help her anorexic daughter. The majority of the stories (8 of the 11 total), feature a mother Ruby, and her daughter Nora throughout the years. Beginning with Ruby to raise Nora by herself after Nora's father Marco left. Ruby's childhood wasn't great, with an alcoholic father and an emotionally abused mother, so she made a lot of missteps with Nora, however well intentioned. I found myself wanting more stories with Ruby and Nora.

140 Nightcrawling Set in East Oakland, 17 year old Kiara is trying to survive, along with her brother Marcus. Their father is deceased and their mother is currently in a halfway house after serving time in prison for a crime which is revealed later in the book. Marcus dreams of rap music stardom, while Kiara tries to find work without success. Kiara also bears the responsibility for her neighbor's son, who is often abandoned by his mother. When everyone's rent is doubled, and facing eviction, Kiara finds herself turning to prostitution , hoping that her brother will eventually obtain a job and help out. Kiara's story is painful to read, but unfortunately all too realistic.

141 The Lying Room Neve Connelly is having an affair with her boss, Saul. One day when she goes to their meeting place, she finds him murdered. She decides to thoroughly clean to remove any evidence that will alert the police to her involvement. Unfortunately, Neve's cleaning was a little too perfect, which made the police even more suspicious. As Neve tries desperately to keep her family from finding out about her affair, she realizes that someone knows, and she is determined to find out who the killer actually is. Neve tells lie after lie, and creates a very tangled web for herself, while she tries to stay one step ahead of the police.

Taking a BB for >106 lsh63:. I need to stay off your thread. I have taken 7 BBs from you this year alone.

142 If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This A short story collection with the theme of loss in some form. In the title story, a woman dying of cancer has asked her hostile neighbor not to put up a high fence on their adjoining property that will make it more difficult for her to get to the family's car for her treatments. If that isn't bad enough, she and her husband realize that their disabled son will have to be placed in a facility as they are no longer able to manage his care at home. In " A Country Where You are Loved", a man travels to England to visit his estranged daughter and son-in- law, whom he has never met. Just when it appears as though they are making headway in their relationship, his daughter suffers a loss.

143 Dominicana 15-year-old Ana's family is depending on her marriage to a man twice her age to improve their lives so that the entire family can emigrate from the Dominican Republic to New York. Ana faces infidelity and horrible abuse, while trying to adapt to her new life. She picks up on a few things by watching television shows, and slowly trying to assert her independence, hoping not to incur her husband's wrath. The reader can't help but root for Ana and her quest for the American dream.

144 The Retribution This seventh book in the series features the return of serial killer Jacko Vance who has patiently been waiting for his opportunity for revenge on Carol and Tony for his imprisonment. Horrific events unfold while the team races to put a stop to Vance and there is a massive shift in Tony and Carol's relationship. I immediately dove right into the next book, Cross and Burn.

>110 lowelibrary: Hi April, 7 BB's? I 'll have to see what you are reading so you can return the favor.

145 Cross and Burn After the events in the previous book, The Retribution, I immediately dove into this one, to find out what happens. Carol takes a break from law enforcement and immerses herself into renovating her brother's farmhouse. She refuses to interact with Tony, and as a result he is also struggling. Paula McIntyre, a member of Carol's previous team, has a new chief who she is having trouble adjusting to. When evidence appears to point to Tony as a killer of several women who resemble Carol, Paula enlists Carol's help in order to clear his name. By the end of the book, Carol has done some self-reflecting and there is a glimmer of hope for her future with Tony.

146 Nora Jane A collection of short stories featuring one of the authors main characters, Nora Jane. Each story is a moment in her life, following a boyfriend to California, giving birth to twins, and meeting and eventually married bookstore owner Freddy Harwood.

147 Memorial Days Author Geraldine Brooks chronicles her grief after the death of her husband, Tony Horowitz, who suddenly died in 2019 at the age of 60 in Washington DC. In 2022, she travels to a remote island and reflects on their life together and how suddenly things can change. It was a beautiful and emotional read.

148 Too Old For This It is perhaps odd to find humor in the tale of a 75-year-old serial killer, but there were parts of this book that were just hilarious. Lottie Jones has killed before and gotten away with it but is hoping to put the past behind her. Unfortunately, her past comes back to haunt her when an investigative journalist comes knocking at her door intent on digging around in her past. Her visit is the catalyst for several more murders, while Lottie just wants to enjoy her Thursday night bingo and her friends. Although Lottie would appear to fit the textbook definition of a serial killer, in her mind her victims were those who made her angry, belittled her son, or just couldn't leave well enough alone. This was a very entertaining read.

149 Broken Country Local girl Beth meets wealthy Gabriel in 1955, and the two have a summer fling. Due to a series of misunderstandings, they break up as teens, and marry other people, each with a son. Flashing forward to 1968, Beth is living on a farm with her husband Frank and brother-in-law Jimmy. Gabriel has now relocated to their town with his young son Leo after divorcing his American wife. Beth slowly starts to insinuate herself in Gabriel and Leo's lives with tragic consequences as their old feelings for each other being to resurface. This was an engaging story that held my interest.

Whatever your searching process is like, you are presenting quite a number of books that appeal to me.

>118 lsh63: & >120 JoeB1934: Me too! I've added Too Old for This to my list.

>118 lsh63: and BB number 8 is taken

>120 JoeB1934:, >121 DeltaQueen50: Hi Joe and Judy! I have to admit, I spend way too much time reading book recommendations that are sent to me and looking at book websites instead of doing the things I should be doing, like housework!

>122 lowelibrary: Hi April, I hope you enjoy it!

150 Dominion This was just an ok read about a reverend's family secrets and coming to terms with the youngest son's violent tendencies.

151 We Are All Guilty Here I think Karin Slaughter is 25 books in, and I believe I've enjoyed them all. I wasn't sure about her introducing all new characters for an intended sequel, as I am a huge fan of the Grant County/Will Trent series. The story begins with a Fourth of July celebration, set in North Falls, Georgia where teen girls Madison and Cheyenne have plans to meet up after the fireworks. Madison is impatiently waiting for Cheyenne who is very late, then the two girls appear to vanish without a trace. Madison is the stepdaughter of police officer Emmy Clifton's best friend Hannah which complicates the investigation. Twelve years later, another young girl is missing, which calls into question whether the correct person was convicted years ago.

This was a biting nails edge of the seat thriller, and Slaughter is not one to shy away from graphic events.

152 The Names This book has a very interesting premise, about a mother, Cora who has to choose a name for her newborn son. She is reluctant to name him after his father, a controlling, physically and verbally abusive man named Gordon, who is a respected doctor. Her young daughter suggests the name Bear, while Cora's preference is Julian. The book travels in time presenting three versions of the future from the child's birth with each name had it been chosen. This was a very thought provoking and read and really made me think about my own family. My brother is named after my father, with a II, my nephew, also has the same exact name, with a III. My mother told me she suggested a variation of the name, spelled differently, which was vetoed. My son is named after his father with a different middle name, and my grandson has the same name as my son with a II. It's a very interesting concept about whether a name has any bearing on one's personality traits.

>123 lsh63: Hi Lisa. I bet we are all guilty of that! I also spend far too much time, scouring the internet for information on books!

>127 DeltaQueen50: >124 lsh63: Quite a few of my better ideas over the last year have come from BookBrowse.com. They do an exceptional job on all new books.

This can be addictive, for example I added 8 books to my TBR today. They ALL matched my preference for Suspenseful Historical Fiction.

>128 JoeB1934: I will have to check that site out.
>126 lsh63: Can't wait to see what you think of this book

>128 JoeB1934: - I'm going to check this out too.

153 Forget Me Not I have a bad habit of requesting the newest thrillers from the library, and there are times when I think I could have skipped reading some of them. This book wasn't bad; it was just kind of meh. Claire Campbell tries to find out what happened to her sister Natalie, who disappeared twenty years ago. I found that the story dragged a bit, and considering that Claire is an investigative journalist, I needed a little bit more to be invested in the plot.

>128 JoeB1934: Thank you for the book site information Joe!

>131 lsh63: I find your thread very useful in telling me which thrillers to read and which to skip.

>133 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, I'm happy to take one or two for the team.

August in review

I read 21 books this month and enjoyed most of what I read. The books that I enjoyed the most were Memorial Days and Fox. The summer flew by, but I am ready for cooler temperatures and some allergy relief. This month I want to concentrate some of my efforts on a few series that appear to be complete, as well as some that I haven't touched in many years. We'll see how that goes.

Books read 21 (153)
Library 12 (80)
Kindle 8 (70)
Mine 1(3)
Male authors 1 (33)
Female authors 20(120)
New to me 10(58)
General Fiction 4(38)
Literary Fiction 3(18)
Historical Fiction (16)
Crime Fiction 5(40)
Short Stories 3(15)
Series 4 (46)
Non-Fiction 1(4)
Thriller 5 (22)

154 The Silver Star When Bean Holladay is 12, and her sister Liz is 15, their mother Charlotte takes off in order to try to become a star and leaves the girls alone with a few hundred dollars that they use primarily to buy chicken pot pies. When Social Services starts sniffing around, the girls decide to make an unannounced visit to their mother's brother, their uncle Tinsley, who lives in Virginia. Uncle Tinsley discourages the girls from getting jobs, but they realize that in addition to being a hoarder, their uncle also thinks it's fine to wear decades old clothes to school. The girls obtain the only job that they are able to but quickly learn that their employer is a disaster in the making. Although there isn't much character development, I love the closeness and resilience of the sisters.

155 Dark City Dames I love viewing classic noir movies almost as much as I enjoy reading, so I really wanted to read this book by Eddie Mueller, of Turner Classic Movies fame, known for his segment "Noir Alley". The book begins with an actress from one of my top ten favorites, "Out of the Past", Jane Greer, who costars with the excellent actor, Robert Mitchum, and also a very good Kirk Douglas. This movie is considered quintessential classic noir, and I could watch it over and over again. Other actresses mentioned in the book are Audrey Totter, Marie Windsor, Evelyne Keyes, Coleen Gray and Ann Savage. The author discusses the various actors and actresses who were considered for and were either unavailable or turned down the role. There was also a section detailing the various actresses' lives after television put an end to this type of movie. I found this to be a very entertaining read.

156 Framed in Death I don't know how the author does it, but this is the 61st book in the series, and I haven't grown tired of it yet. Eve and her team try to stop a homicidal would-be artist who displays his murder victims in recreations of famous paintings such as The Girl with the Pearl Earring and The Blue Boy. In addition, the house that is owned by Peabody, McNabb, Mavis and Leonardo, is just about ready for its unveiling.

157 What Was Lost I thought that this was a very cleverly executed book. The first section set in 1984, tells the story of 10-year-old Kate, who after the sudden death of her father, goes to live with her maternal grandmother. Kate fancies herself a budding detective and makes surveillance notes about various individuals. She is good friends with a shopkeeper's son, Adrian, who is quite a bit older than her. The next section is set twenty years later, with Kate missing during this time, and supposedly Adrian was the last person to see her alive. Adrian has stayed away from his sister Lisa all this time, fearing that everyone believes he had something to do with Kate's disappearance. Lisa befriends a mall security guard, Kurt, who may have information about what happened to Kate. As I read further and realized what happened to Kate, I got chills.

158 Splinter the Silence In this 9th book in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series, Carol is still suffering the effects of a loss, and Tony tries to help her. They work together in an unofficial capacity to stop a killer who targets outspoken women, who become cyberbullying targets, and stages their deaths to look like suicide. There was a huge cliffhanger that made me immediately start the next book.

>137 lsh63: There was a noir film festival going on last weekend in Chicago and I got to see Out of the Past on a big screen with an audience that was really into it. It was a lot of fun.

>139 lsh63: You've reminded me of what a brilliant book that is and now I want to reread it.

>139 lsh63: >141 RidgewayGirl: Between you and Kay, I’m taking a BB.

>141 RidgewayGirl: That sounds like it was a lot of fun Kay. I recently discovered a small theater that’s been showing older movies, and saw Sunset Boulevard.

>142 Charon07: I hope you enjoy it!

159 Insidious Intent Since the previous book ended with a big cliffhanger, I immediately started the next one to find out what happens. Carol is now in charge of an elite murder squad, a fact that doesn't sit well with other members of the law enforcement community for various reasons. She forms her small team with most of the old crew, with the exception of Sam, who previously worked on her squad. Their first case involves single women who are meeting a man at weddings, who dates them, and then kills them. The killer is pretty savvy, and frustration mounts among the team as they cannot seem to catch a break in order to bring him to justice. I did not like the ending at all, but overall, it was a solid read.

160 Apostle's Cove In this installment of the long running series, Cork revisits a 25-year-old murder case after his son Stephen informs him that the wrong man was convicted. Stephen now works for a nonprofit agency to help overturn convictions for those who were unjustly incarcerated. At the time, Cork did have doubts about the conviction but was left with little choice in the matter when the arrested suspect confessed. Cork decides to reinvestigate the old case, but there are several people who would rather that the truth not come out. I enjoyed the dual timeline, which was divided into sections, rathe then chapters, especially the early years when Cork's daughters were young, and Jo works to defend the accused.

161 Buckeye This was a very good book about two families in a small Ohio town that spans 40 years, The reader is introduced to two couples who though various events find their lives intertwined for life. Cal is unable to serve in World War 2 due to a misaligned leg. He is married to Becky, who conducts seances and claims to be able to contact the deceased, which provides closure and comfort for many families. Margaret, new to town, impulsively kisses Cal one day, who is married to Felix, who is gay, but tries to live the life that is expected of him. Other characters who interact are Cal and Becky's son, Skip and Margaret and Felix's son Tom, and Cal's grumpy alcoholic father Everrett, who types letters to the various Presidents over the years, voicing his dissatisfaction with their administration. I really enjoyed the book which covered so many topics, motherhood, marriage, love and loss in a beautifully written manner.

162 The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer I enjoyed this book, as there were at least three timelines that the reader needs to keep track of, and although this book is not classified as a series, it features characters introduced in the author's previous books. A detective named Helgi, who is a big fan of Golden Age mysteries, is offered the assignment of finding out what happened to Elin Jonsdottir, a crime novelist who has disappeared. There isn't much investigation, as one of the suspects practically offers the solution to him. Helgi also has to deal with his messy personal life as an ex-girlfriend is determined that they remain a couple and has threatened his current girlfriend.

163 Clever Girl This is a quiet book, telling the story of protagonist Stella, from childhood to middle age, as she recounts her life choices, experiences, and family relationships. I believe the author's intent is to demonstrate that the word clever doesn't necessarily mean showing good judgment.

164 Gray Dawn Easy Rawlins in hired by a man named Santangelo Burns to find his "aunt", a woman named Lutisha James. Easy thinks that something is off about his client, but he takes the case anyway. During the course of his investigation, he stumbles upon many dead bodies and has to confront his past when not one, but two former loves reappear in his life. The secondary plotline involves him trying to save his son Jesus who has become involved in drug smuggling and is in big trouble.

165 The Wilderness I did not realize that it has been 10 years since this author debuted her first novel, Turner House. I thought that this book was a very well written account of the enduring friendship of four women: Desiree, Nakia, January and Monique spanning twenty years. There is an outlier plotline that probably would have worked better in a separate book, which is the estrangement between Desiree and her older sister Danielle. Although not detailed, the estrangement between the sisters does provide the reader with insight about Desiree and her interactions with her friends. The women are all different in their outlook on life, which affects their various experiences with jobs, relationships, and motherhood. I would have liked to have spent more time with Monique and January, but overall, this was a satisfying read.

166 Crooks This author is well known for his crime fiction novels, but despite the title, this book was more of a family saga involving a family involved in criminal activities. We meet Buddy Mercurio, a mob figure who one day meets his future wife Lillian, a pickpocket. They have five children who at some point during their childhood are exposed to Buddy's various criminal schemes. The rest of the book is devoted to a section for each of the five children, Ray, Jeremy, Alice, Tallulah and Piggy (Paul). Ray is the enforcer of the family, Jeremy uses his good looks and charm to perform cons, Tallulah is an adrenaline junkie, Alice becomes a lawyer, and Paul becomes a writer. This was an interesting read which explored the family dynamics with respect to criminal elements, but it was more focused on family dynamic rather than crime.

167 It Was the Way She Said It This is a collection of the author's short fiction, both published and unpublished. Upon reading it was evident that a few of the short fiction pieces eventually became full length novels. I was especially affected by "From Behind the Counter", which was about an African American man working at Woolworth's during the time of the sit ins. The reader could feel his conflicting emotions between needing his job to support his family while also recognizing the struggle for civil rights. I read quite a few of the author's novels before I joined LT, but one of her more memorable reads for me was Mama, which I reread last year.

168 The Elements This was my first read by this author, and it was a very tough read about the lasting effects of sexual abuse. The book is divided into four sections, which are novellas titled Water, Earth, Fire and Air. The novellas are all loosely connected and despite the subject matter, I found it to be very well written.

169 The Women on Platform Two A riveting read about the seemingly never-ending struggle for women to have a say over their lives when it comes to contraception and childbirth. With dual timelines in 2023 and 1970, it's primarily the story of two women Maura and Bernie, who for various reasons do not want to become pregnant. To an outsider it appears as though Maura has it made. She is married to a successful doctor who physically abuses her, which causes her to miscarry on more than one occasion. She is fearful of her husband becoming violent toward any future children. Her best friend Bernie is happily married with three daughters who becomes pregnant with a son only to lose him during childbirth. For her safety, she should not have any more children, however contraception is illegal where she resides. Since contraception is legal in Northern Ireland, the brave women make the decision to obtain what they need by taking a train ride to Belfast. It was a fascinating read about women's right to have a say about their own bodies, which unfortunately is still debated.

170 What Alice Forgot Alice takes a bad fall at the gym and loses her memory of the past 10 years. She thinks that she is pregnant with her first child and doesn't remember that she has three children and is in the middle of a divorce. Alice is very confused as she doesn't understand why her husband is hostile toward her and why she has such a tense relationship with her sister Libby. In addition, there is also the mystery surrounding a woman named Gina, and why no one wants to talk about her to Alice. Little by little, pieces of Alice's memory start to come back, along with the changes in her personality since she and Gina became friends. It was a solid, enjoyable read, perhaps maybe a bit too long.

171 The Kind Worth Saving It's been seven years since I read the first book in this series, The Kind Worth Killing, so I was torn between rereading the first book or just to continue reading. In the end, I decided not to do a reread, however I was a little lost on some of the character background. A woman named Joan hires Henry, a private investigator, to prove that her husband is cheating. When he finds her husband and the woman both dead, he realizes that he has possibly been set up and enlists Lily to help. It was a suspenseful read, and I found that this book was a semi sequel, that even though the characters are the same, the storyline is not a continuation from the previous book.

172 A Talent for Murder Newly married librarian Martha begins to suspect her husband Alan might be a killer when she finds blood on the back of one of his shirts. Alan is a salesman and attends various conferences all over, and travels quite a bit. Martha does a little research and finds that there are connections with the cities Alan has traveled to and various murders. Martha consults her old friend, the very twisted Lily to help her investigate.

>155 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one.

173 Andre Dubus: Selected Stories With short stories, there is always a chance that some are included in other collections. That being said, I only read 10 of the 23 stories contained in this collection because the others are included in other volumes by the author. Most of the stories are melancholy, involving guilt, sex, and messy relationships. In "Winter Father', a divorced man is enjoying spending time with his children, trying to find ways to entertain them while also realizing that the time spent with them is so short. In the novella "Voices from the Moon" youngest son Richie, who wants to become a priest, grapples with the messy dynamics of his father Greg intending to marry his former daughter in law Brenda. Various POV's are provided by Richie's sister, his mother, father, Brenda, and his older brother.

174 The Laughterhouse Many years ago Caleb Cole's young daughter Jessica was abducted, raped and killed. Her case was one of Theodore Tate's very first, and he never forgot it. When the killer was released after a very short time, Caleb took matters into his own hands and exacted his own revenge. Now Cole vows to make everyone involved in his daughter's case pay, including the mother of the killer, the judge, and various psychiatrists. The storyline switches between Caleb and Theodore's POV's and was a very suspenseful read.

>158 lowelibrary: Hi April, I hope you enjoy it!

I won't finish any more books today, so here is my September recap:

I read 21 books this month and enjoyed most of what I read. I especially enjoyed Buckeye, The Elements, and What Was Lost. Looking at my statistics, I plan to try to incorporate more nonfiction into my reading, and revisit some of the series that I have stashed away and decide whether I really want to continue with them.

Books read 21 (174)
Library 10 (90)
Kindle 11 (81)
Mine 0 (3)
Male authors 11 (44)
Female authors 10 (130)
New to me 4(62)
General Fiction 6(44)
Literary Fiction 2(20)
Historical Fiction 0 (16)
Crime Fiction 7 (47)
Short Stories 2(17)
Series 9 (55)
Non-Fiction 1(5)
Thriller 3(25)

175 A Killer Wedding

An entertaining read about a wedding which takes place at a castle/hotel in Ireland. Just about all of the bride and groom's family members have something that they are hiding. When the family matriarch Gloria, is found dead, the family decides to keep her death a secret from the wedding guests, even though it doesn't appear to be a natural death. Told through multiple POV's, the murder reveal was a surprise.

176 Dead if You Don’t This was a mediocre read with one too many plot lines and lacking a bit of the usual banter between Grace and Branson, and less of Grace's home life. I am a big fan of the series and am looking forward to the next book.

177 Truly At a little over 450 pages, Lionel Richie recounts how he became a member of the Commodores and the story of his writing some of his greatest hits which were used by other artists. He doesn't shy away from discussing his divorces but is respectful enough not to provide the messy details. It was an interesting memoir.

178 The Killing Stones Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeve now reside on one of the Orkney Islands. When Jimmy's friend Archie is found murdered, the murder weapon is found to be a Neolithic stone which was removed from the Heritage Center. Although Willow is almost due to give birth to their second child, she takes part in the investigation. Technically she is Jimmy's boss, and it's also awkward because Jimmy was good friends with the victim. The identity of the murderer came as a surprise, as it seemed to come out of left field.

179 The Impossible Fortune This fifth book in the series finds Joyce's daughter Joanna about to get married. When the best man approaches Elizabeth at the reception with a problem she is intrigued. Ron is worried about his son, daughter and grandson, and Joyce can't seem to find common ground with her daughter. It was a fun read which involved bombs, unbreakable codes, and Bitcoin.

180 The Irish Goodbye A heartwarming read about three sisters spending Thanksgiving with their parents in their childhood home all still grappling with a tragedy which occurred twenty years ago. The sisters Cait, Alice, and Maggie are all having issues in their life, which sets the stage for a very messy family drama. Cait has tremendous guilt about the tragic event of the past and is also struggling with her feelings for someone that the family would probably not approve of. Alice is facing a stumbling block in her plans for the future and would appreciate more assistance from her sisters with taking care of their aging parents. Lastly, youngest sister Maggie has brought her girlfriend home and is worried about how her strict Irish Catholic mother will interact with her. The book managed to pack a punch in less than 300 pages.

181 Heart the Lover This was an excellent read about creative writing student Jordan (not her real name), who is befriended by two young men, Sam and Yash. Jordan's story is divided into sections detailing her college life and her future many years later. It's an insightful read about how the choices we make in our youth impact our later life.

182 The Correspondent This was a five-star read for me that had me a little teary at the end. The story unfolds in an epistolary format with protagonist Sybil Van Antwerp's correspondence to family, friends, and authors Joan Didion, Ann Patchett, Diana Gabaldon and Larry McMurtry. Sybil is a little crotchety and very outspoken and has also learned that she is losing her sight. We learn more and more about Sybil's life, her marriage, loss of her son, and her fractured relationship with her daughter Fiona. I loved her correspondence with her best friend where they each mentioned the books that they were currently reading. I think this book will be in my top ten favorites of the year.

>179 lsh63: - I read this last month and loved it too. It will probably be in my t
op books this year too.

183 The Mad Wife Lulu Mayfield tries her best to be the perfect 1950's housewife. She arranges dinner parties, creates various gelatin salads, and raises her young son. After the birth of her daughter, Lulu sinks into depression while her clueless husband buys her a portable dishwasher to make her feel better. As she sinks further and further, a lobotomy is performed in order to "bring her back to normal". I wasn't expecting the twist that occurred and even though the book was set in the 1950's, it's a reminder that women's health and mental health issues are still not fully addressed.

184 Fight No More A collection of interconnected short stories which all involve various real estate transactions. My favorite story was "The Fall of Berlin", where a Holocaust survivor is faced with her memories while she prepares to sell her home in order to move in with her son, grandson, and her new daughter-in-law due to here declining health.

185 Felicia's Journey A disturbing story about a 17-year-old Felicia, who is pregnant and leaves Ireland to travel to England in order to find her baby's father. She meets religious fanatics and homeless people, until she decides to accept the hospitality of the very creepy but seemingly helpful Mr. Hilditch, who has a habit of befriending troubled young girls. The book reminded me a lot of the Ruth Rendell style of psychological thriller.

>165 lsh63:. I saw this in the store a few weeks ago and immediately put it on my Christmas list.
>172 lsh63: Taking a BB for this one.

186 A Guardian and a Thief A woman, her father and 2-year-old daughter are about to relocate from Kolkata to the United State in a few days to join her husband when a thief breaks into their home and then steals and discards their passports. The thief Boomba, is a criminal with good intentions, meaning that after losing job after job, he is motivated by his desire to do something good for his family. It's a heartbreaking and haunting tale of desperation and the need to protect one's family.

>172 lsh63: I saw that earlier in my local bookstore and was curious. I'll put it on my wishlist.

>173 lsh63: This is on my tbr and you're pushing it higher up the stack.

187 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories I love short story collections. I find that when my concentration isn't great or when I don't seem to be able to retain a lot of detail, they fit the bill. This collection has been on my Kindle TBR since 2021, so I decided to tackle the approximately 40 or so stories at a leisurely pace. The stories range from 1915-2015 and run the gamut beginning with Edna Ferber and ending with Lauren Groff. Some stories were better than others and some I had come across in other collections. I especially enjoyed James Baldwin's " Sonny's Blues", about the relationship between two brothers, one married with a family, the other a jazz musician who has been arrested for heroin possession. The more stable of the brother's impression of his brother changes when he listens to his performance and is moved. In "By the River, Joyce Carol Oates writes a disturbing story about a young woman who has committed adultery and has come home to see her father. In "Diem Perdidi", Julie Otsuka writes about the pain of a middle-aged woman caring for her mother who is afflicted with Alzheimer's. I was able to discover a few authors I hadn't read before and will try to track down their collections if I can.

>175 lowelibrary: Hi April, I hope that you enjoy both books when you get to them.
>177 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, I think you will like both books!

188 Ripeness This book is divided into two timelines, the first is that of 17-year-old Edith who is ordered by her mother to go to Italy to help her ballet dancer sister Lydia through her final weeks of pregnancy. The second timeline finds Edith is her early 70's, happily divorced, with a very active life which includes a close friend and a boyfriend. Edith is recounting her days in Italy with her sister in the event that her nephew, should he have questions about his birth mother and what happened to her. It was a beautifully written story with a number of themes and the impact of mothers on their children.

189 Never Flinch This book was definitely more crime fiction that the horror stories the author is noted for. In this book Holly is unofficially helping her detective friend Izzy with a case of a serial killer out to avenge those on the jury involving the conviction of a man named Alan Duffrey, who it turns out was innocent of the crime. Holly's official case involves that of acting as a bodyguard for a feminist celebrity speaker who has received death threats. I think Holly's character works best on the side, and I didn't think that the introduction of the gospel singer was entirely necessary.

190 The Land of Sweet Forever A collection of the author's never published short stories and published non-fiction. The reader can definitely tell that the early stories were the basis for To Kill a Mockingbird. It was an enjoyable read.

191 How The Dead Speak This 11th and seemingly final installment in the series finds Tony and Carol at turning points in their career paths and their lives. Paula and the revamped REMIT team are working the case of what appears to be two different sets of dead bodies at a convent. Tony's mother, the vile Vanessa, makes an appearance, and Carol becomes intrigued with a former adversary's work project. There is a glimmer of hope at the end. Although I would like to see another book in the series, the ending had just enough loose ends as to not be totally frustrating.