Betty (dudes22) publishes a 2025 List - Part 2

Hi – My name is Betty and I joined LT in 2008 and I’ve been doing the Category Challenge since 2010. My husband and I live close to the coast in the tiny state of Rhode Island. Our son and daughter also live in RI so we can see them fairly often. Our grandchildren are scattered – one grandson In Maine, one in Florida and our granddaughter is in North Carolina. I like to quilt, and I have a thread over in the Needlearts Group and this year my goal is to finish 16 quilts for my great-nieces/nephews before next Christmas. If you’d like to stop by occasionally and see what I’m working on, here’s where I am: https://www.librarything.com/topic/366865#n8708391

Seemed like a good time to continue in a new thread.

2. Tickers & Covers & Book Bullets;







Book Bullet Reading Tracking:

BBs 2012: 0 of 6
BBs 2013: 0 of 7
BBs 2014: 0 of 10
BBs 2015: 0 of 13
BBs 2016: 0 of 19
BBs 2017: 0 of 15
BBs 2018: 0 of 19
BBs 2019: 1 of 51
BBs 2020: 1 of 50
BBs 2021: 6 of 80
BBs 2022: 2 of 51 (1 dup of 2021)
BBs 2023: 4 of 68
BBs 2024: 7 of 64
BBs 2025: 4 0f 35 (Aug)

Currently Reading:


Recently Read

Small/Independent Publishers:



In 2024, I started following a YouTuber who talks about books from small/independent publishers. A publisher is considered a small or independent publisher if, in general, they have less than $50 million in sales or are publishing less than 10 books a year. Indie presses tend take chances on new voices and innovative writing that large houses would never consider. When I decided to use this as a theme for my RL book club for 2025, I thought I’d incorporate it here as the main focus of my 2025 challenge.

1. Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan (Grove Press)
2. The Promise by Damon Galgut, narrated by Peter Noble (Europa Editions)
3. Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie (Sort Of Books)
4. The Sound of the Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova Bailey (Algonquin)
5. Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West (Algonquin)
6. The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple (Black Rose)
7. Fowl Eulogies by Lucie Rico, translated by Daria Chernysheva (World Editions)
8. Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan (Oneworld Publications)
9. Sister Golden Calf by Colleen Burner (Split Lip Press)
10. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (House of Anansi or Catapult)
11. Ruby & Roland by Faith Sullivan (Milkweed)
12. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions)
13. The False Inspector Dew by Peter Lovesey (Soho Crime)
14. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson (Boldwood Books)
15. Frost in May by Antonia White (Virago)
16. Dream Wheels by Richard Wagamese (Milkweed Editions)
17. The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson (Milkweed Editions)
18. The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada (Graywolf Press)
19. The Salt Stonesby Helen Whybrow (Milkweed Editions)
20. She Would be King by Wayetu Moore (Graywolf press)
21. An Unusual Boy by Fiona Higgins (Boldwood Books)

Audio Books



Over the past couple of years, I’ve gotten into listening to books while I drive or when I walk. It’s allowed me to fit in another 12-13 books a year which is a good thing.

1. Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
2. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
3. When the English Fall by David Williams
4. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg
5. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
6. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
7. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
8. The Velvet Hours by Alyson Richman
9. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
10. Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie
11. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman, translated by Alice Menzies, narrated by David Morse
12. The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman
13. November Road by Lou Berney
14. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Series



I have a number of series I’m reading and I’m always hoping to make progress on them. I might even binge read some this year in an effort to catch up.

1. The Colors of All the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon)
2. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Crime)
3. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (Random House)
4. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen (Grand Central Publishing)
5. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley (Bantam)
6. Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri (Penguin)
7. Dead Lions by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)
8. Aunt Bessie Enjoys by Diana Xarissa (Create Space - Amazon)
9. Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri (Penguin Books)
10. The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley (Delacourt)
11. Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
12. High Rising by Angela Thirkell
13. Dry Bones by Craig Johnson
14. Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri
15. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
16. The Last Passenger by Charles Finch
17. The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
18. The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear
19. The Vecellio Connection by Estelle Ryan
20. The School at Thrush Green by Miss Green

Other Fiction



Other fiction reads which were not published by a small press.

1. Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (Ballentine)
2. Long Way Gone by Charles Martin (Thomas Nelson)
3. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper)
4. The Wife You Know by Chad Zunker (Thomas & Mercer - Amazon)
5. Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey (Random House)
6. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (Doubleday)
7. Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen (Random House)
8. The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Henry Holt - Macmillan)
9. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (crown - Penguin)
10. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (Penguin)
11. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (Harper)
12. One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - DNF (Hatchett Books)

Non-Fiction



I’m hoping to make some progress with non-fiction titles that have been languishing on my shelves and the 2 year-long reads mentioned above.

1. Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster)
2. Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool by Clara Parkes (Harry N Abrams)
3. The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts (Random House)
4. The Woman Who Stole Vermeer by Anthony M Amore (Pegasus Books)
5. North Country by Howard Frank Mosher (Mariner)

Year-long reads:
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St Claiar
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden

Bingo Dog



I think the Bingo Dog has some squares that will be challenging for me this year, so we’ll see how it goes.



1. Features winged creature(s) - Fowl Eulogies
2. Features fire The Wife You Know (fire in daycare starts book)
3. Travel
4. Newly in public domain
5. Child as a main character - The Grave's a Fine and Private Place
6. Long Title (5+ words) - The Color of All the Cattle
7.Features adoption/foster care/nontraditional family - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
8. Totally random - November Road
9. Author has your or relative’s 1st or last name - My Name is Lucy Barton
10. A holiday in title
11. Nonhuman narrator
12. Originally published in a language not your own - Celestial Bodies (Arabic)
13. Read a CAT
14. A piece of furniture on the cover - The Last List of Mabel Beaumont (bench)
15. Medical topic - The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride
16. Features a birth - The Postmistress
17. Hollywood!
18. A place you've never been - The Promise (South Africa)
19. A profession in title - The False Inspector Dew
20. The sun on cover/in title Circling the Sun
21. Oldest book in your TBR
22. Set in your favorite season
23.. Recommended by a friend or LT member - Ruby & Roland
24. Either "Library" or "Thing" in title - What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
25. Writing about writers

AlphaKit



A - Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan
B - And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
C - Game of Mirrors by Andrea Camilleri
D -
E -
F - The Last Passenger by Charles Finch
G - The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen
H - Neverhome by Laird Hunt
I -
J - Dry Bones by Craig Johnson
K - Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
L - The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts
M - North Country by Howard Frank Mosher
N - Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
O - Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan
P - A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
Q - Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen
R - The Vecellio Connection by Estelle Ryan
S - The Colors of All the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
T - High Rising by Angela Thirkell
U - Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
V -
W - Frost in May by Antonia White
X - Aunt Bessie Enjoys by Diana Xarissa
Y - Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Z - The Wife You Know by Chad Zunker

Challenges



I’m not sure how many other Cats or Kits I’ll do so I’ll just include this one overall category to keep track.

MysteryKit
Mar: Espionage - Dead Lions
July: Series Sleuths The Golden Tresses of the Dead
Oct: Police Procedural A World of Curiosities

ColorCat
Jan: Green - Vanishing Fleece
Feb: Gold - Circling the Sun
Mar: Pink - Sister Golden Calf
May: Red - Ruby & Roland
June: Yellow - Still Life With Bread Crumbs
July: White - Frost in May
Dec: Purple - The Mapping of Love and Death

CoverCat
Jan: Tea Party - Maisie Dobbs (hat)
Feb: Tree - The Promise
Mar: Farm Animals - Fowl Eulogies
May: Multiple Items - Ruby & Roland
Oct: Can be put in a Pocket: A World of Curiosities

RandomKit
Jan: Eat, Drink, & Be Merry - Taste: My Life Through Food
Mar: Wishes - The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride
May: Punctuation - Ruby & Roland
Aug: Writers - The Correspondent
Sep: Cardinal Direction - The Westing Game
Dec: Beginnings & Endings - The Mapping of Love and Death

NatureKit
Jan: Sheep and Sheepherding- Vanishing Fleece

I saw this while reading The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass and it made me think of LT:

“We each have our own book spaces inside us, and they do not match up perfectly. Nor should they.”



Ready for the rest of the year!

Happy new thread Betty! I hope The Wedding People gets better for you and I see you are also reading The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, which I also enjoyed.

Happy new thread! You've had some really good reads so far this year.

>12 lsh63: - Thanks, Lisa. I took a BB from you for The Last List... I'll be posting a review later today.

>13 Jackie_K: - Thanks, Jackie. I have had some good reads.

I'm annoyed. I've just started reading Frost in May by Antonia White. Imagine my surprise when the introduction proceeds to tell me that it is different from other school stories "only in not having a happy ending". Why put that in an introduction? Isn't that something for the reader to discover? Rant over!

Happy New Thread! It's bizarre, but a good rule of thumb is to never read an introduction before reading the book. They are too liable to assume you've already read the book and it drives me nuts.

>16 RidgewayGirl: - Well now I know better.

Happy New Thread.

Happy new thread, Betty.

>18 lowelibrary: - >19 MissWatson: - Thank you both!

Book 40:The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson
Category: Small/Independent Publishers
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Bingo Block: Furniture on the Cover (bench)
Book Bullet: Lisa (ish63) 2023



After 62 years of marriage, Mabel’s husband Arthur dies and leaves her alone. They had no children, and she has no other family. She is surprised to find that Arthur had made arrangements for her to have a carer (sort of a helper) to help her cope for a few months. She also finds a note on a scrap of paper that says, “Find D”. She takes this to mean that he was going to try and find Dot, her childhood friend who disappeared soon after Mabel’s brother Bill passed away when they were young. Soon she has acquired a group of women friends who want to help her in this quest.

The author has done a good job of creating a diverse set of characters and fleshing out each of them. I really enjoyed this book.

Happy new thread, Betty! The Last List of Mabel Beaumont sounds like a fun read.

>22 christina_reads: - It was.

Happy new thread, Betty. I see you are reading The Wedding People. I really enjoyed it.

>24 BLBera: - I'm holding out hope.

Book 41:The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons, narrated by Nicolette McKensie
Category: Audio Books
Publisher: William Morrow



Eudora Honeysett is 85 years old and tired of life. She has no relatives and she’s afraid that failing health might put her in a nursing home. So she thinks it’s time to die. She contacts a clinic in Switzerland to arrange for an assisted suicide. Meanwhile a new family has moved in next door with an extremely precocious daughter who is determined to be friends with Eudora. There are flashbacks to Eudora’s life and why she has turned out to be a embittered, old lady.

This is really a cute book with plenty of humor and the narrator did an excellent job capturing the personalities of the characters. An extra ½ star for the narrator.

Book 42: Frost in May by Antonia Whiteons
Category: Small/Independent Publishers
Publisher: Virago
July AlphaKit: “W”
July ColorCat: White



Nanda has come as a 9-year-old to the Covent of the Five Wounds to attend the Catholic bording school there. Her father has recently converted to Catholicism and has decided that a Catholic boarding school will enhance her education. Nanda is quite willing to embrace her new religion and hoped to make friends at the school.

The book covers four years that Nanda spends at at the school and is a coming of age story. Her inner thoughts are reflected in her outward actions and the conflict she feels about it.

I understand this is partly autobiographical and was written by the author to show a difference in the boys’ boarding school stories.

>27 dudes22: I downloaded that one during COVID, it appears, and I haven't read it yet. I will make a note to get to it soon.

>28 thornton37814: - I still have some left from then too.

Book 43: The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley, narrated by Jayne Entwistle
Category: Series
Publisher: Delacourt (Random House)
July MysteryKit: Series Sleuths



Flavia's sister Ophelia is getting married. But in the middle of the reception, when Ophelia and her new husband cut the cake, they find a finger in it. Since Flavia and Dodger have just decided to start their own investigative business, they decide that this will be their first case.

There's lots I like about this series and this time I listened to an audio version of the book. I like how there are lots of little tidbits of information, not only about Flavia's obsession with chemistry, but also information about history and other things. I really enjoyed the narrator and I'm planning now to listen to the next book when I get to it. I'm even wondering if I should go back and listen to them from the beginning.

Book 44: Thw Wedding People by Alison Espach
Category: Other Fiction
Publisher: Henry Holt (Macmillan)
Book Bullet: Mary 2024



“Anywhere farther than thirty minutes in Rhode Island is a destination wedding.”

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the US and located on the East Coast. Phoebe has come to RI from Missouri with the intention of committing suicide. Her husband has had an affair, gotten the woman pregnant, and left her. She has always wanted to come to the Cornwall Inn, an opulent hotel perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean and she has decided that this is where she will take an overdose and die. But when she gets there, she finds that the whole hotel is booked for an elaborate wedding. There is only one room left which she convinces the desk to give to her. Which really upsets the bride who thinks that she is deliberately trying to ruin the wedding. When the maid of honor drops out of the wedding, Phoebe is recruited to be the maid of honor. She then has to help solve many problems to get the wedding to take place.

I can see how this could be viewed as “an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined” (front flyleaf), but I can’t say I liked it that much. Since I live in RI, I could appreciate the various places mentioned, But I just couldn’t like any of the characters enough to care. And the situations and reactions of people seemed predictable, contrived, unrealistic, and cliched.

(BTW - That quote is true - you can travel from the Connecticut border through the state to the Massachusetts border in about 40 minutes. So almost anywhere is a destination. My favorite line in the book.)

Happy new thread Betty! I am so glad to see you continue to search out indy publishers for some of your reading this year.

I liked how you said in your first thread about Still Life with Breadcrumbs as a "middle book." Sometimes, those are just what the mind, body, and spirit need.

>30 dudes22: Oh, you're reminding me to dig through my shelves and get back into this series. I've read the first two (they were gifts a while back) and I very much enjoyed Flavia and her insatiable curiousity.

>32 threadnsong: - I really enjoyed the audio of the Flavia book, in case you like audios. Looks like it's the same narrator for all of them.

Book 45: The Velvet Hours by Alyson Richman, narrated by Tavia Gilbert & Kate Reading
Category: Audio Books
Publisher: Berkley Books (Penguin)
Book Bullet: Luanne (Clue) 2024 – on my own thread



The author explains at in her notes at the end of the book, that she based this novel on a newspaper article in 2010 about an apartment in Paris that had been opened after 70 years. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323297/Inside-Paris-apartment-untouched.

Solange Beaugiron doesn’t meet her grandmother Madame Marthe de Florian until she is in her late teens. As they grow closer Marthe begins to tell Solange the story of her life. How she started as a seamstress and then moved on to dancing and eventually became the mistress of a man that she loved. Solange wants to become a writer and so she takes notes as Marthe tells her the story. As WW II draws closer and Marthe’s health begins to fail, Solange must figure out whether to stay in Paris or leave everything behind.

When I read The Paris Apartment last year, Luanne (Clue) mentioned this book on my thread. I made a note of it, and when I was looking for a new audio book, thought I would try this. There are many layers to this book, and I’ve only mentioned the main one that the others all feed into. I really enjoyed this.

Book 46: Dream Wheels by Richard Wagamese
Category: Small/Independent Publishers
Publisher: Milkweed Editions



I love the descriptive writing of Richard Wagamese and this book was wonderful. Two young men, each trying to find their way out of difficult circumstances.

Adrian and his mother have had a difficult time. Celeste goes from man to man, trying to find someone who will take care of them but continues to choose badly. Adrian gets a gun with the intention of robbing a store with his friend to get money so he and his mother can leave the man she is with. The “friend” tries to rob the store by himself and when caught, blames everything on Adrian who ends up going to jail for a couple of years. When he gets out, the sheriff arranges for he and his mother to spend some time on a ranch.

Joe is a rodeo cowboy who rides bulls and is close to winning the championship for the best cowboy when he has a devastating accident with a bull and ends up disabled. When Adrian and his mother arrive at the ranch, he wants nothing to do with them.

The ending is somewhat predictable but getting there is a pleasant journey.

Book 47: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Category: Other Fiction
Publisher: Crown (Penguin)
Book Bullet: Jennifer (japaul) 2025
RandomKit: August -About Writers

"

I love me a good epistolary novel, and when Jennifer raved about this book a couple of months ago on her Club Read thread, I went and put a hold on it at the library.

It’s a novel told in letters written by and to Sybil, a 73-year-old woman who is losing her eyesight. The letters cover many years and memories of her life. Sybil was a lawyer and over the years, one of the decisions she made had haunted her. Now she decides to try and explain why she made the decision she did.

I find it interesting in these types of novels to see if the author can manage to find a “voice” that is different for each of the letter writers, and I think this novel was successful in doing that. My favorite character was probably Harry and the relationship Sybil had with him.

Like, Jennifer, I highly recommend this especially if you like epistolary novels.

Book 48: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Category: Other Fiction
Publisher: Penguin
August AlphaKit: “N”



Bird Gardner and his father live in a college dormitory and his father works in the college library. Bird is now in 7th grade and his mother left them when he was 9. The world they live in has become one of strict rules after an event called “The Crisis”. A government agency called PACT has passed legislation which represses many of the rights which Americans have. It includes a provision for children to be taken from parents who are deemed unfit, mostly based on either their Asian ancestry or their disagreement with PACT.

It’s all too easy to see some of this happening and some of it is based on reality as the author explains in her afterward. I loved this story although I also found it sad and disheartening and the possibility that it could easily become real.

>37 dudes22: I loved this novel as well, and like you, it is easy to see this thinking could play out.

>36 dudes22: There was an epistolary book I read a couple of times called Sorcery and Cecilia. It was co-written by Patricia C. Wrede (one of my favorite fantasy authors) and Caroline Stevermer, and is set in Regency England. I'm glad you found one you liked; it's a fun concept.

>38 threadnsong: - re: >37 dudes22: -In looking back, I see that I had made a note to look at your review again. Not sure why I didn't actually take a BB for it. Our book club read her previous book Little Fires Everywhere which I remember I wasn't a big fan of, so maybe that's why I was on the fence about this one. But I'm glad I read it. I think it will be one of my best books this year.

>38 threadnsong: I love Sorcery and Cecelia! Might be time for a reread...

Book 49: Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
Category: Series
Publisher: varies
April AlphaKit: “K”



I picked this up for a little light reading. When a murdered girl is found on the temple grounds and her purse is found in Rabbi Small’s car, he is drawn into the mystery of her death. Although he is not actively looking for the murderer, his analysis of events helps the police chief figure out who the murderer is.

Book 50: The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson, narrator Kayle Garcia
Category: Small/Independent Publishers
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Book Bullet: Jennifer (japaul) 2021
Book Club: September



When Rosalie Iron Wing’s husband dies, Rosalie decides to move back to the cabin where she was raised for a little while. The story then moves back and forth telling Rosalie’s story going back to her grandmother and her relationship with her husband. The stories are also intertwined with Indigenous life and genetically modified corn. There are a lot ove moving parts. I enjoyed this quite a lot and look forward to our book club discussion although I think it could have been told in a straightforward manner.

>42 dudes22: Taking a BB for this one

>43 lowelibrary: - I'll be looking for your thoughts, April. (When you get to it.)

Book 51: High Rising by Angela Thirkell
Category: Series
Publisher: Virago
July AlphaKIt: “T”



What a delightful novel. Laura Moreland is a widow with 4 sons, only one of whom is still young enough to be at home when not at boarding school. She supports herself by writing what she calls “bad, good writing” in High Rising. Her friend George Kent who lives in Low Rising writes historical non-fiction and has just hired a secretary to help him complete his most recent book.

I'm kind of at a loss on how to describe this. It’s sort of a cozy, feel good book with lots of humor. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Book 52: Dry Bones by Craig Johnson
Category: Series
Publisher: Penguin Books
August AlphaKit: "J"



Another in the Walt Longmire series. When a dinosaur is uncovered in Wyoming and presumed to be the largest, complete one of its kind, a dispute over who owns it takes place. But then the presumed owner of the land on which it is found, Danny Lone Elk, is found dead. And Walt needs to juggle all the groups and still determine who owns the dinosaur. Meanwhile, something from previous books makes another appearance.

Book 53: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, narrated by Jeff Woodman
Category: Audio
Publisher: Penguin House
Newbery Medal - 1979
RandomKit: August – Cardinal Direction in Title
Book Bullet: Judy (DeltaQueen 50) 2019



This Newbery Medal winner is a mystery/puzzle type story. Sixteen people who all live in an apartment building near the Westing mansion are all invited to the mansion for the reading of the will of Sam Westing. The heirs are paired up and given some words as clues that will lead to an answer and the most money. There are lots of interesting characters. Sort of reminds me of the Chris Grabenstein Mr Lemoncello series.

Book 54: Mostly What God Wants: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere by Savannah Guthrie, narrated by author
Category: Audio
Publisher: Thomas Nelson



I’m going to start by saying that whenever I hear that a celebrity has written and published another (usually) children’s book, I often wonder – somewhat cynically, I admit – whether this book would have been published if it weren’t written by a celebrity and could probably make money for the publishing company based on named recognition alone. How many talented authors are there who never get a chance because they are unknown? OK – off my soapbox.

So, when this popped up on Libby when I was looking for a new audio book, I hesitated. But then I thought there was no (good) reason not to give it a try. Although Guthrie says this is not a memoir, there is enough personal information to let you know that she has thought about many of the topics she writes about from a personal and not “academic” perspective.

In short chapters she considers various aspects of faith and a relationship with God. I found a lot to consider and the 30 seconds of music at the end of each chapter (in the audio) wasn’t enough time to consider the points she was making. I think I’ll probably get the book now so I can spend more time with it. There are 31 chapters in the book which could be used as a daily devotional for a month.

>48 dudes22: Uh-oh, you don't want to get me started on celebrity children's authors...or the media that promotes them!

Book 55: And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman, translated by Alice Menzies, narrated by David Morse
AlphaKit: September - "B"



For just a short novella, this book packs a big punch. The story of an elderly man who is gradually sinking into dementia and his grandson who trying to help him. He is desperately trying to hold onto his memories, especially those of his wife. Unfortunately, the narrator wasn't very good. He frequently dropped his voice to suggest a whisper or aside and then I couldn't understand what he was saying and had to rewind multiple times.

>50 dudes22: Taking a BB for this one. My husband is showing concerning signs and has a family history.

>51 lowelibrary: - I'm sorry to hear that, April.

What a varied choice of books you've read recently!

>45 dudes22: I have this on the shelf. I've been waiting for the right challenge prompt to pick it up!

>53 VivienneR: - Yes - Finding something strikes my fancy or is available on Libby has been challenging lately. I took a BB last year for High Rising (although I forgot to note that) and it was on sale on kindle recently. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series. Maybe next year.

Book 56: The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada, translated by Chris Andrews
Category: Small/Independent Publishers
Publisher: Charco Press
Book Club Choice: October



This is a small book – I guess you’d call it a novella. There are only 4 characters, and it takes place on one day. Reverand Pearson and his daughter Leni are on their way to visit friends when their car breaks down. The car is towed to the garage of Gringo Bauer and his assistant who is called Tapioca. There’s not a lot of action. It is mostly memories and reflections. I’m waiting to see what others in the book club think.

Book 57: Game OF Mirrors By Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, narrated by Grover Gardner
Category: Seried
AlphaKit: June - "C"



Another in the Inspector Montelbano series, this book starts when he is called out for a bomb which has been found outside an empty warehouse. He also comes to the help of his next-door neighbor and finds himself attracted to her. I can't say that I liked the beginning of the book, but it was ok after a while. Not one of the best in the series.

>56 dudes22: I enjoyed Camilleri's books after the first one that I wasn't sure about. It was the only one I read in print and I found the audiobooks read by Grover Gardner were much better. Unfortunately I listened to all the library holdings and have run out.

>57 VivienneR: - Yes, Vivienne - I enjoy listening to them. There are a few that my library doesn't have in audio either. Including the next one.

>58 dudes22: I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get the print copies. I'm sure Camilleri will still be fun.

>59 VivienneR: - Yes - but listening to Catarello (?) talk is so much more fun.

>60 dudes22: I can hear Catarella's voice in my mind right now so I'm sure I'll "hear" it in print! :)

>61 VivienneR: - LOL!

Book 58: The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow
Category: Small/Independant Publishers
Publisher: Milkweed Editions



Helen Whybrow and her husband Peter get an opportunity to take care of a 200-year-old fam in the Green Mountains of Vermont. They decide to raise sheep on the land, and this is a telling of how they have lived and raised their sheep and the challenges it presented and still does. I liked the "voice" that she writes in and the knowledge and information about sheep. And her philosophical musings about sheep, farming, and how to belong to where you are.

This book is on the 2025 National Book Award for Non-Fiction long list. The winner will be announced in November.

>63 dudes22: this sounds like a book I would love to read - thanks for putting it on my radar!

>64 japaul22: - Wow, Jennifer! I just barely finished posting. I was going to add - I had to give it back to the library before I finished it and so I listened to not quite half of it. The narrator was really good if you listen to audios. My brother has a small farm and raises sheep. I think I might get this for him as a gift.

>63 dudes22: I've added this to my wishlist, probably unsurprisingly!

>66 Jackie_K: - If you hadn't stopped by, I was going to visit and mention this to you. You're right, Jackie - no surprise. And it's good.

>65 dudes22: - that's funny - I didn't notice you had just posted when I commented! I'm not much for audio, so I will probably read it in print.

>63 dudes22: I plan to read it too, someone in my bookclub mentioned it after hearing it discussed on NPR. I'm glad for the reminder, I didn't make a note of the title...or author!

>68 japaul22:- I wasn't sure if you did audio. I only really listen when I'm in the car or walking. Otherwise I lose track.

>69 clue: - I'll have to see if I can find it on NPR.

I loved The Seed Keeper, which got a lot of publicity here (Minnesota). I saw Wilson talk about it, and she is a lovely person.

The Salt Stones sounds interesting although my dad had sheep when I was pretty young, and I don't have good memories of them although we loved the lambs.

The Wind that Lays Waste sounds like one I might like. What did your book club think?

>71 BLBera: - Hi Beth! I have a friend in Minneapolis who might have told me about this before it was picked for book club. She belongs to a book club that's so big that they basically just have an author speak at their meetings, so she tells me about them. I've heard of many Minnesota authors from her.

I found The Salt Stones interesting too because of the author's philosophies about the land and living on it.

Book club was yesterday and most of the book club found TWTLW very interesting and there was a good discussion. Many wondered is there might be a sequel because there were a few questions about characters that weren't really answered in the book.

>63 dudes22: I have this one beside my bed right now. I'm reading a chapter or so each night.

>73 thornton37814: - That's probably a good way to do it. I think I may end up buying it I liked it so much.

>74 dudes22: Mine is a library book. I need to check to see if it is due this Tuesday or next. If it's this one, I need to step up my reading today and tomorrow to finish it.

>75 thornton37814: - I read part of it and then listened to the rest. The audio narrator was good.

Book 59: A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
Category: Series
MysteryKit: October – Police Procedural
CoverCat: October – Item that Fits in a Pocket - watch
AlphaKit: October –“P”



There was a lot going on in this installment of the Inspector Gamache mystery series. One story was a flashback to the first case that Gamache and Bouvier worked together. Which played a part in the current day mystery. Then there is a secret room above the bookshop that is discovered and contains a painting what is based on a famous painting and holds bits and pieces that are related to the present-day case. Which seems to be related to another past case of Gamache’s.

This book disturbed me in a way that I don’t think any book has since I read The Shining when I was in my 20s. I had to put the book down multiple times and give it a rest from a psychological thriller aspect. And that’s even when I had an idea of who the “bad guy” was. It was very suspenseful.

Book 60: The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman, narrated by Nancy Peterson
Category: Audio
Publishers: Gaydon House (Harper Collins)



When Sunny Dunes, a meteorologist in Palm Springs, Ca, is replaced by a robot to do the weather, she has a massive, on-air, drunken rant and ends up going home to Michigan in the middle of winter. An acquaintance, Lisa, from college is running the local TV station and decides to hire Sunny to do the weather. Lisa and Sunny have their issues from their college days which also provides some tension. Sunny is also forced to participate in almost every activity that is taking place during the winter festival. Sunny is haunted from an incident when she was a teenager (it’s essy to figure out what) and it affects everything she does. I guess I’d use the word “cozy” to describe it.

The audio version that I listened to also contained a novella of Shipman’s titled “Christmas in Tinsel Tree Village”. There was no warning on the audio, it just continued like it was another chapter and really threw me for a minute.

Book 61: North Country: A Personal Journey Through the Borderland by Howard Frank Mosher
Category: Non-Fiction
September AlphaKit: “M”



North Country: A Personal Journey Through the Borderland is a travelogue of sorts. In 1992, at the age of 50, Mosher decided that he wanted to explore the border between the US and Canada from east coast to west. He records his observations about the land and the people he meets and their recollections. Many of the people he meets become characters in some of his novels. I found it very interesting.

Book 62: The Last Passenger by Charles Finch
Category: Series
October AlphaKit: “F”



This is a 3rd prequel in the Charles Lenox series. At this stage in his detective career, he is young and his profession is still looked upon with a great deal of skepticism. He is invited to get involved in an investigation of a murdered man found on a train. Meanwhile, his mother has enlisted the help of his next door neighbor to find him a wife. I enjoy this series set in the 1800s with no cell phones or fingerprints to help in the investigation.

>80 dudes22: In like this series, his new one comes out next month.

>81 clue: - I still have one more (I think) to read before I get to this new one, Luanne.

I'm not sure what happened but I only read 4 books in Oct and I didn't take one BB. How did that happen? I wasn't on vacation and I wasn't sick. And heading into the end of year is usually when my reading slacks off but this is a little early for that.

Book 63: Neverhome by Laird Hunt, narrated by Mary Stuart Masterson
Category: Audio Books
Publisher: Coffee House Press
November AlphaKit: “H”



Constance Thompson is stronger than her husband and they decide that she should be the one to join the Union Army disguised as a man while her husband stays home and works the farm. How she lives and fights among the men she serves in and her thought process is masterfully told by Hunt. It seems a simple story but he works wonders with developing the character of “Ash”, as she calls herself.

Book 64: She Would Be King by Wayetu Moore
Category: Small/Independent Press
Publisher: Greywolf Press
October Color Cat: Black Cover
Book Club: November



Wayetu Moore has found a way to tell the story of the beginnings of Liberian history in unique way. She has created three characters who each have a magical realism talent. Gbeesa was born in a Vai village in Africa on a day that the village elders had declared the day cursed and so Gbeesa is also considered cursed and when she turns 13 is banished from the village. But Gbeesa is also immortal. June Day is born on a plantation in Georgia, the son of the plantation owner and one of the house servants. His magical power is that he has unusual strength, and bullets won’t penetrate his skin nor do whips leave marks. And Norman Aragon who is the child of a white colonizer and a Maroon slave in Jamaica, can make himself invisible.

These three characters represent the three groups of people who colonized in the late 1800s what became Liberia; the indigenous Africans, freed slaves from America and Afro-Caribbeans from Jamaica. The story was a very inventive way to tell of the start of Liberia. Each of the characters was well developed and the story kept me interested.

ETA: One of the members of our book club read the wrong book by mistake and read her memoir which she said was very interesting too.

Book 65: November Road by Lou Berney, narrated by Johnathan McClain
Category: Audio
Bingo Block: Totally Random



“With every decision, we create a new future. We destroy all other futures.”

When Frank Guidry’s New Orleans mob boss Carlos asks Frank to go to Dallas to drop off a get-away car and then is asked to go to Houston and get rid of it, Frank quickly realizes that the car probably has something to do with the Kennedy assassination. And when people who have any knowledge of what might have happened start “disappearing”, he realizes that he might be next on the list - a loose end that needs to be dealt with.

He decides to make a run for it and go to Las Vegas. He runs into Charlotte and her two girls when her car breaks down as she is driving to Los Angeles to escape from her husband who is a drunk. Frank decides that they could provide the perfect cover. No one looking for him will be looking for a husband and wife and two girls. So, he offers to take them with him to LA.

Berney has created some characters who have a lot of depth in the midst of what’s basically a crime thriller. I listened to the audio of this book and although the narrator was good, he would frequently drop his voice when someone was whispering or sometimes thinking. So much so that I often had to rewind and turn up the volume to hear what was being read. Since I mainly listen while I’m driving, it was very annoying.

Book 66: The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
Category: Series



After a quiet year at Cooper’s Chase, Joyce is getting ready for her daughter Joanna’s marriage to Paul. While at the wedding, Paul’s friend Nick approaches Elizabeth and asks for a meeting to get some advice because he thinks someone is trying to kill him.. When he doesn’t show, the Thursday Murder Club finds his office ransacked and Nick is nowhere to be found.

There are always a lot of different threads that all come together at the end.

She Would Be King sounds like one I would like.

>77 dudes22: This Penny might be my least favorite. I don't really care for her switch from mystery to thriller.

>88 BLBera: - I hope you give SWBK a try.

The Penny did have a different feel to it. Have to see what the next book is like. Although there have been a few series that became so much of the same thing that I quit reading them.

>87 dudes22: I wondered about the group of characters after reading this. Joyce's daughter had a big role with their change in relationship and Elizabeth was written as if declining. I'll be interested to see how it goes in the next book.

>90 clue: - I suppose the author has to shake things up to keep people interested in seeing what happens. I think I posted somewhere else that if the story/character becomes too formulaic, then I lose interest.

To all my friends here:

Book 67: The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, narrated by the author
Category: Audio/Non-Fiction
November ColorCat: Blue



When April posted that she had listened to this recently and that the author had narrated it, I decided that it was time to listen to/read this. It’s been in my physical TBR pile but I thought maybe listening might be the way to go. I was every bit as entertaining as April said. Montgomery is a naturalist who studies her interests in depth. This time she tackles octopusus and the time she spent at the New England Aquarium in Boston. She weaves scientific information with stories of the people and fish at the Aquarium which keeps the story interesting.

ETA: Because I listened to it, I didn't think about the fact that there is actually a blue edge around the cover.

>93 dudes22: I am so glad you enjoyed it.

>93 dudes22: The Soul of an Octopus looks fascinating. I just had a look at the ebook sample section and immediately put the title on my wishlist. No audiobook available through my library, though.

>95 VivienneR: - That's too bad. I think her enthusiasm really was evident in her reading the book.

>96 dudes22: I'll probably read the ebook but I'll pick up the print copy so that my husband can read it too. Thanks to you both for the BB.

Here it is December already and I'm still dithering over my 2026 thread. I need to find time to get it done as this month is sooooo busy.

>98 dudes22: My 2026 thread is getting shorter every day! I'm trying to keep it really simple.

>93 dudes22: When I brought home The Soul of an Octopus for my husband, he immediately started telling me about this woman who... turned out to be the author! He's read about her. I got him both of her books because the earlier one has such great photography. I love her writing style.

>99 VivienneR: - I have another of her books about hummingbirds on my TBR pile. I might try to get to it next year.

>100 dudes22: My husband and son are crazy about birds. They already have extensive book collections so I don't need to look for that one.

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I've posted. Reading has been slow with a bunch of holiday stuff getting in the way of my reading time. Probably like a lot of you. Although I have finished one book which I hope to post thoughts on later today. And I need to find some time to post my thread for next year. It's supposed to snow tomorrow so maybe I can get it done then. I need to finish getting my holiday packages that will be mailed done, so that means baking some of the cookies I made and froze earlier. And - one more - I still have 2 quilts that are going to be Christmas gifts to finish. So reading is taking a back seat.

Book 68: An Unusual Boy by Fiona Higgins
Category: Small/Independent Publishers
Publisher: Boldwood Books
December Book Club



This book is told in alternating chapters by Julia and her son Jackson. Julia is a busy mom of three children – her teenage daughter Milla, her youngest daughter Ruby and her eleven-year-old son Jackson who has never had a clinical diagnosis, but seems to have some type of neurodivergent issue. One day Jackson follows his friend Digby into the girl’s toilet at the school and what happens changes everything for Jackson and his family.

Besides the family, Higgins has written a diverse and wonderful set of secondary characters – Julia’s mother-in-law, the soccer coach, the detective in charge of the investigation. Milla’s boyfriend, the mostly absent husband. This was our book club choice for December, and it prompted some very interesting discussions.

Book 69: The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear, narrated by Orlagh Cassidy
Category: Series
RandomKit: December – Beginnings & Endings
Color Cat: December – Purple



In this book in the Maisie Dobbs series, Maisie is approached by an American couple. Their son’s body from WW I has just been found and they want more information on his death. The father has read enough of the autopsy report to figure that he may have been murdered. Then the couple is attacked in their hotel room. Meanwhile Maisie’s mentor Maurice Blanche’s health is going downhill. And her assistant Billy’s wife has returned from the convalescent home she has been in recovering from the death of her daughter.

I may have liked this book in the series the best of those I’ve read. Lots of interesting plot lines with a pathos to it all that was touching to me.

>100 dudes22: I read The Hummingbirds' Gift in 2023. It was a marvelous story of dedication and wonder. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

>103 dudes22: That's a BB for me!

>105 beebeereads: - I think I'm going to read it for the Jan non-fiction next year.

Hope you enjoy Unusual Boy.

Book 70: Days at the Morisaki Bookstore by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa
Category: Other Fiction
Book Bullet: rabbitprincess 2024



When Takako’s boyfriend announces that he’s been seeing someone else and is planning to marry that person, Takako goes into freefall. She goes into a deep depression and eventually loses her job and soon reaches the point that she can’t afford her apartment. She ends up going to live above that bookshop that her uncle owns.

I found the book just so-so. Maybe it was the translation, but I never became invested in the book.

Book 71: The Vecellio Connection by Estelle Ryan
Category: Series
December AlphaKit: “R”



In this book a character from a previous book, Marco Gallo, has returned. After many months of sending threatening letters to Genevieve Leonard, he has shown up at her place of work claiming to want to save lives that are in danger. Genevieve can see that he is sick and wonders why he would help. This is where trying to describe all the tentacles of this story would take to long. Ryan mixes many plots into one interesting story.

If I had a quibble, it would be that the art and paintings really take a back seat in this book.

Some of you who have been reading my thread this year, will know that I picked small/independent publishers for the theme for our 2025 book club. One of our members just texted me to say that she had never really heard of small/independent publishers before we did this. One of the publishers that she had for the month she hosted was Milkweed Editions. I guess based on the research she did on them, she steered her granddaughter to them, and they've agreed to take on her book of poetry. How exciting!

>109 dudes22: That is a fabulous outcome!

>109 dudes22: Congratulations to your friend, and hurray for small presses and for you for introducing her to them!

To all my LT friends:

We had a really lovely day yesterday. Because we're one of those blended families fitting in times among various groups can be difficult. And the grandchildren are only here for a short time. So yesterday was time with my step-children and grandchildren. Our granddaughter brought her boyfriend home for Christmas this year. They've just moved in together and he's a really lovely person. (but there was no ring on her finger yesterday) We take them all out to a late lunch and then come back home for gifts and dessert. We were supposed to get snow last night (and we did) so my husband kept threatening to send them home. I got some lovely gifts including a book card which I intend to spend before we leave for a warmer climate right after the new year. We had just seen them all on Christmas Eve, but this was extra nice.

>113 dudes22: Sounds like a lovely day with family, old and new.

Best wishes for a new year filled with love, peace, and joy.

>114 VivienneR: - Thanks, Vivienne - Same to you.

Book 72: One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - DNF
Category: Other Fiction



I did not finish One Amazing Thing but am counting it anyway as I did manage to get through 3/4 before I quit. I saw a mention in another review somewhere that it just seemed like a mostly unrelated series of short stories. I mostly agree with that. A group of people are waiting in a passport/visa office when an earthquake hits, and they are stuck in the building. In order to distract each other, one person makes the suggestion that each person tell of one amazing thing that has happened to them. I didn't see that the stories they told were particularly amazing in the context of what we know of their lives. I just got tired of them.

Book 72: The School at Thrush Green by Miss Read, narrated by Gwen Watford
Category: Series (#9)/Audio



Dorothy Watson and Agnes Fogerty, school teachers in Thrush Green have decided that it is time to retire. Dorothy wants to learn to drive and buy a car and they have decided to move away from Thrush Green. Many other little sub-stories are taking place in the village of Thrush Green.

A pleasant story to end the year.

I'm pretty sure this will be the last book I finish this year. I'll go and figure out some stats and post them soon.

Year-End Wrap-Up:

I’ve read some really good books this year and taken quite a few book bullets. Of course, my TBR pile has also increased. I didn’t reach most of my goals and didn’t even finish the AlphaKit or the Bingo. I had a massive quilting project this year (Christmas quilts for all my great nieces & nephews) which took up most of my time. One of my goals was to read more books by independent publishers and I discovered some great books and authors.

Stats:

Books Read – 72 (TBR pile – 46, library – 6, audio – 20)
Independent Publishers - 29
Books Added – 101 (I mangaged to read 14)
Book Bullets – 51 (I managed to read 5)
Best Books: I’ve had some excellent reading this year and I had trouble limiting my choices to just 5:

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts
The Sound of the Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova Bailey
November Road by Lou Berney
Dream Wheels by Richard Wagamese
The Salt Stones by Helen Weybrow

Observations:

63% of my reading came from my own TBR pile which makes me happy.
I’ve added more books than I’ve read, but I blame that on the library sales – I love getting new to me books. (And I’ve already bought the books for my Thingaversary in January.)
About 40% of my reading has been from small/independent publishers this year.
I didn’t finish either of the books I intended to read month-by-month. Not sure that’s a good format for me.
 

The Anne Oakley Award:



Every year I give out the Anne Oakley Award to the person who hits me with the most book bullets. This year my BBs were pretty scattered but 2 people each gave me 4 and so they will share the award:

Judy (DeltaQueen50) and Kay (RidgewayGirl)

And I expect there will be more in 2026.

That's a great wrap up! I've enjoyed following your reading and look forward to 2026!

>121 japaul22: - Thanks, Jennifer. I like following you also.

>104 dudes22: This sounds like a great installment in this series. I've picked up the next few from the bookstore (instead of waiting till Christmas to receive a copy), and look forward to reading them in the new year.

>109 dudes22: Kudos to you! It's amazing how what is important to us begins to reach out into the wider world of friends, neighbors, and book club members.

And yes, it has also been a busy month for me, and not just for reading.. Glad I'm not the only one who had to spend time with wrapping and posting for the extended family!

Have a great new year, and see you on the 2026 thread!