Vivienne's KITs, CATs, and More

Welcome to my 2026 Category Challenge. I’ve been a member of LT since 2007 and in this group since 2014. I live in the south-east region of British Columbia beside the Rockies. Naturally, we get a lot of snow, which is good because winter is my favourite season.

I have simplified my reading plan for 2026 with the hope that I’m able to keep up better than in 2025 when RL took over. The simple cat drawings reflect the plan.

I’m looking forward to following what everyone else is reading and talking about our books. And to everyone I wish good health and happy reading in 2026.

RandomKIT

1. January: Can You Keep a Secret?: Spy’s Honour by Gavin Lyall
   
2. February: Hospitals: Memory Book by Howard Engel
   
3. February: Hospitals: Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline
   
4. February: Hospitals: The End of October by Lawrence Wright
   
5. March: What's in a Name: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
   
6. April: Kings to Knights: Traitors Gate by Jeffrey Archer
   May:
   June:
   July:
   August:
   September:
   October:
   November:
   December:

MysteryKIT

1. January Female Detectives: The Disappeared by M.R. Hall
   
2. January Female Detectives: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
   
3. February Clerical Sleuths: The Lair of the White Fox by Peter Tremayne
   
4. March Nordic Mysteries: The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell
   
5. April Private Eyes: Dead on Target by R.W. Green, M.C.Beaton
   May:
   June:
   July:
   August:
   September:
   October:
   November:
   December:

AlphaKIT

1. All year: X: Smoke Without Fire by E.X. Ferrars
   
2. All year: Z: Bitter Paradise: A Dr Zol Szabo Mystery by Ross Pennie
   
3. Jan : F & E: Smoke Without Fire by E.X. Ferrars
   
4. Jan : E: The Dungeon House by Martin Edwards
   
5. Jan : F: Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes
   
6. Feb: O: With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George
   
7. Feb: B: All the Queen’s Men by S J Bennett
   
8. Mar: V: Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid
   
9. Mar: R: The Long Way Home by Robin Pilcher
   
10. Apr: P: Bitter Paradise: A Dr Zol Szabo Mystery by Ross Pennie
    
11. Apr: J: The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
    May: W & A
    Jun: T & H
    Jul: G & U
    Aug: C & Q
    Sep: M & Y
    Oct: N & D
    Nov: K & I
    Dec: L & S

Colour/Cover CAT

1. January: Orange / from the garden: Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
   
2. February: Blue / clothing item: One Day in December by Josie Silver
   
3. February: Blue / clothing item: The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
   
4. March: Green / greenery: You Are Here by David Nicholls
   
5. March: Green / greenery: Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
   
6. April: Yellow / Celestial Object: A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor
   May:
   June:
   July:
   August:
   September:
   October:
   November:
   December:
   

DecadesCAT

1. January - 50s: Untimely Death by Cyril Hare
   
2. February - 10s: The Reversal by Michael Connelly
   
3. February - 10s: The terrible privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe
   
4. March - 80s: The Night the Gods Smiled by Eric Wright
   
5. April - 00s: The Circle by Peter Lovesey
   May:
   June:
   July:
   August:
   September:
   October:
   November:
   December:

More Mysteries

1. A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon
   
2. My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
   
3. The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer
   
4. After Clare by Marjorie Eccles

More - anything else

1. Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon
   
2. Gut: the inside story of our body's most underrated organ by Guilia Enders January Non-Fiction Cat: Science
   
3. The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton
   
4. Clown Town by Mick Herron
   
5. Close to Home by Michael Magee

Series I’m Following

1. Hang on St Christopher by Adrian McKinty
   
2. Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett
   
3. The Narrows by Michael Connelly

4. Dead author: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
5. Tree on cover: Beating about the Bush by M.C. Beaton
19. We Are Who We Are: An Ode to Indigenous Heroes Past and Present by Wab Kinew

All ready for 2026!

Looks like a great set of challenges! Best of luck with your year of reading!!!

>12 WanderDMD:. All 3 of the BingoDOG templates are found at https://www.librarything.com/topic/374676#9005069.

Great to see you all set up and ready for 2026, Vivienne. I am preparing myself for the book bullets I am sure to get here!

>13 sallylou61: Thank you!

Vivienne! What a wonderfully colourful and feline thread you have set up! I am already looking forward to my January reading and to following along with you in '26.

I love the colorful kitties! Enjoy your 2026 reading!

That’s a wonderful combo of kitties, Vivienne. Happy reading in 2026!

Some great CATegories! Good luck with your 2026 reading.

>12 WanderDMD: Thank you, and welcome to LibraryThing and the group.

>14 DeltaQueen50: Thank you Judy! Those bullets go in both directions!

>16 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I'm looking forward to January reading too. The end of this year was a bit of a damp squib for me.

>18 Charon07: Thank you, although they don't compare with your irises!

>19 MissWatson: Thank you, Birgit. I posted in a hurry, without the usual planning.

>20 Tess_W: Thank you, Tess.

Great blessings to you and your reading in the new year.

>22 lowelibrary: Thank you, April.

I'm looking forward to following your reads in the coming year!

>24 mstrust: And I'll be keeping an eye on your excellent categories.

Wonderful cat paintings! Happy reading in 2026.

Thank you, Jayne! Looks like 2026 will be a good year.

I hope you have a wonderful year of reading in 2026!

>28 beebeereads: Thank you, Barb! And the same wish to you too.

Sorry I'm so late getting here, Vivienne, but hoping you have a great reading year and looking forward to following you. I still need to set up my thread - I'm so far behind this year.

>30 dudes22: Ahh, I understand. As you can probably tell I posted this thread with very little planning.

Dropping my star, and enjoying your cat pictures!

>32 Jackie_K: Thank you, Jackie!

Looking forward to some book bullets, Vivienne. Happy reading.

>34 pamelad: Thank you Pam. Thank goodness, book bullets go in both directions.

Hope you enjoy all the books you are reading for the CATS and KITS.

>36 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori! And the same wishes to you too!

Hi Vivienne, I hope you have a wonderful reading year in 2026! I like your cat pictures, my favourite one is >6 VivienneR:. I just want to give that one a cuddle.

>38 MissBrangwen: Good choice, Mirjam! That's my favourite too!

I love the cats. I'll be following along as best as I can. I seem to have my own challenge - keeping up!

>40 mysterymax: I just found your thread. I'll be keeping an eye on your reading!

>41 VivienneR: Same here. The problem with BBs is that I still haven't read all the books that are already on my shelves! But I keep adding them....

>42 mysterymax: - So true, Max. I'm going to go through my list of BBs sometime next month to see if I have some I took on an impulse that I might not really be interested in reading. I probably could go through my TBR pile too and make the same decision.

I hope your simplified plan brings you great satisfaction and reading happiness.

>42 mysterymax: & >43 dudes22: I just weeded 3 large boxes of books from the shelves, mostly because I can't hold large heavy books anymore. Some I kept to reread but I can see that will never happen. The rural grocery store where my daughter-in-law shops has a Wee Free Library that are happy to have them. The DIL is delighted because my books are all in excellent condition, not the scruffy types they usually have, so they find new homes quickly.

>44 clue: Thank you, Luanne!

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

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026

Somehow I thought I had visited your thread, but it seems I didn’t. I hope you have a great reading year!

Love all the simple kitty pics

>46 PaulCranswick: Wow! You sure changed the cityscape, Paul! Congratulations to you and the team.

>47 Tess_W: Thank you, Tess!

>49 lsh63: Glad you dropped by, Lisa!

>50 lowelibrary: Thank you, April! I was just being lazy about creating a thread. :)

First book of the year...

Category: More Mysteries

AlphaKIT January: F & E & AlphaKIT Year long: X

Smoke Without Fire by E.X. Ferrars

A good whodunnit mystery in the typical British style of the 1980s. I enjoyed this one, and will look for more by Ferrars.

>53 VivienneR: I see this is the 6th one in the series. Did you feel you suffered by not reading the earlier ones?

>54 thornton37814: No, it didn't matter much although I imagine the sleuth (a professor visiting friends at Christmas) would have been introduced in more detail in the first book. I enjoyed it because it was a straightforward whodunnit. The Christmas part didn't make it a seasonal story, but added a friendliness to counter the crime. It was the only one by Ferrars in our library system.

>55 VivienneR: I feared that I might not be able to get earlier ones (or even that particular one), but it does sound like a series I want to try.

>56 thornton37814: I think you would enjoy it, Lori.

MysteryKIT January: Female Detectives



The Disappeared by M.R. Hall

Unlike a coroner in the US, in the UK a coroner is a type of specialist judge who investigates and explains certain kinds of deaths. The second book in the Jenny Cooper series has the coroner being asked by parents whose son has been missing for some years to declare him officially dead. I watched this series on tv and the same flaws in Cooper’s character that I found annoying were the same in print. While the story is good, Cooper’s private life plays too great a part. Usually I like knowing a bit about the investigator, but not too much.

Colour/CoverKIT January: Orange / from the garden



Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

This book is not only a coming-of-age story, but describes the Nigerian culture at home and abroad for a woman and her twin daughters. I didn’t find the mother’s story as interesting as that of her daughters who have been separated for years after a traumatic event. Ekwuyasi explores family love, queer love, spirituality, and food. Not a comfortable read in parts but this prize-winning debut novel is exceptional.

>58 VivienneR: Butter Honey Pig Bread is my first BB of the year from you!

>59 MissBrangwen: Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy it, Mirjam. The writing is beautiful.

Year-End Meme from 2025 books:

Describe yourself: I Am Wind: An Autobiography

Describe how you feel: Private Peaceful

Describe where you currently live: The Russia House

Your favourite time of day is: The Darkness

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Back of Beyond

Your favourite form of transportation: The Joy and Light Bus Company

Your best friend is: Dream Girl

You and your friends are: The Dinner Lady Detectives

Describe your job: The Sweet Shop Owner

What are you eating: French Food at Home

What’s the weather like: Whiteout

You fear: Black Orchids

What is the best advice you have to give: The Code of the Woosters

Thought for the day: Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly

How you would like to die: With a Bare Bodkin

Your soul’s present condition: An Excellent Mystery

What is life for you: Hot to Trot

Did you have guests during the holidays?

What would you call the event? A Murder is Announced

How did they find their way? Blue Moon

How did they know they'd arrived? The Noise of Time

Any special activities? Out Stealing Horses

Did your guests stay over? The Great Dinosaur Sleepover

Were there servants to help? The Nanny

Was there turn down service? The Afghan

How were the guests greeted? Breathless

Was dinner held for late comers? The Midnight Feast

And dinner was? Honey and Spice

Afterward? Payment Deferred

Finally doing the rounds of the 2026 threads -- looks like your year is off to a pretty good start!

>61 VivienneR: - Some great meme answers!

>61 VivienneR: Wonderful list, Vivienne! Happy reading in 2026

>61 VivienneR: The only activity that could possibly top Out Stealing Horses would have been cow tipping! Loved your list.

>61 VivienneR: Enjoyed your meme answers!

>65 mysterymax: The guests tried cow tipping but it doesn't work! :)
>66 thornton37814: Thanks.

>67 VivienneR: Depends on the size on the cow!

>68 mysterymax: Or if it is lying down!

AlphaKIT January: E

The Dungeon House by Martin Edwards
Somehow this took far too long to read. It may have been because I was trying to get all the characters straight, or possibly because chapters were not identified and it took me a while to figure out whose story I was reading. Complicated plots involving the same people didn’t help. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I expected.

I'm late to drop by on threads, but I love your cat pictures! Happy reading this year!

>70 VivienneR: I have had trouble reading every mystery Edwards wrote. I'm grateful to him for his work in getting some of the classics into print, but his own work seems less than stellar.

>71 GraceCollection: Thank you! And happy reading to you too!

>72 thornton37814: Oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. His name is so familiar because of his work making classic mysteries available, but I won't get any more of his own work.

>72 thornton37814: >73 VivienneR: Oh, this is good to know! I think I have one of his books (Gallows Court) on my e-reader, but I won't buy any more till I've seen how I feel about that one.

>69 VivienneR: When I was at university the frat boys would go down to Fargo where the agricultural college was at engage in a bit of cow tipping. The cows were probably young and not so heavy and the boys were young and not so sober.

>74 christina_reads: I realized I have three of his ebooks. It will be difficult to give any of them a try.

>75 mysterymax: That's funny! I didn't realize it was actually possible. Maybe there was some imagination going on. :)

RandomKIT January: Can You Keep a Secret?

This was a BB from pamelad, thanks Pam!

Bingo: Dead Author
My first Bingo square :)

>79 VivienneR: This was the first book I read by Kinsella and it made me a fan.

>80 RidgewayGirl: Understandable! Every book by Kinsella is fun. My first was Twenties Girl that made me a fan.

Nice to see you dropping in on the old group.

>80 RidgewayGirl: Same... my family was going through tough times as my father-in-law was dying, and this book helped release so much pressure as I laughed through the pages!

>81 VivienneR: one of my favourites from her collection too!

>82 Cecilturtle: Yes, a book like this one will bring smiles (unlike her biographical novella What Does It Feel Like? that had me choked up and smiling alternately).

From her books I get the impression Kinsella was a really nice person.

>79 VivienneR: I've heard people say Kinsella's books are fun, but I've never read one. Maybe I need to try one sometime.

>78 VivienneR: Glad you liked Gavin Lyall, Vivienne. That's an ancient book bullet!

>84 thornton37814: I'm sure you'd like them, Lori. I haven't read any of the Shopaholic books but I've certainly enjoyed anything else I've read.

>85 pamelad: Yes, it was 2022, the year I read a book for each year of the Queen's reign and I chose one for Lyall. You responded that you liked that one. Glad you did, it was fun.

>86 VivienneR: Not so ancient a book bullet. I thought it was from 2016!

>87 pamelad: I had a look just to be sure. It was February 2022.

At the same time MissWatson recommended The Secret Servant by Lyall that I see is available on kindle. Charles Dance (a favourite actor) portrayed the character on the BBC tv series so I’ll be able to imagine Harry Maxim.

>88 VivienneR: I also thoroughly enjoyed his stand-alone thrillers from the sixties, such as Midnight plus one or The wrong side of the sky. Hm, I wonder how they read today? Could be an option for the DecadesCAT.

>88 VivienneR: >89 MissWatson: The Secret Servant and the rest of the Harry Maxim series are on Kindle Unlimited, so I’ve downloaded the first two. Published in the eighties, a surprisingly difficult decade to fill.

Fixed touchstone.

>89 MissWatson: I read Midnight plus one in 2012 for Liechtenstein when I was doing the Europe Endless challenge and had forgotten that it was by Lyall. It was very good. Now I know he is a reliable author for those old thrillers.

>90 pamelad: Just added that one to my wish list. I too found the eighties difficult to fill for the QEII challenge.

Category: More of Anything Else

>79 VivienneR: Certainly sounds amusing and out of the ordinary. A BB for me!

>93 Tess_W: As a skilled housekeeper, you will shiver with apprehension when she approaches each task, and think "Oh no, don't give her the iron!".

AlphaKIT January: F & E

For January NonFictionCAT: Science I read

MysteryKIT January: Female Detectives

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

This was a wonderful reread of one of my favourites. Flavia de Luce, an eleven-year-old living in a run-down mansion with her father and sisters is well known to many by now, but in 2009 when the book was published, Flavia emerged as a bright light in the mystery genre and completely charmed me. Often mistaken for YA or children’s fiction, the gravity of Bradley’s subjects belies this. Flavia might be clever, but adult topics show up her innocence. This utterly unique and loveable character is the sleuth of my favourite mystery series.

>96 VivienneR: Glad you liked Gut!

>98 pamelad: Ah, glad you mentioned it, I couldn't remember where I heard about it so thank you for the BB. I enjoy authors who can speak about 'difficult' topics with ease!

JANUARY Summary
Books read: 12
Not as many books read as I would have liked, but two five-star books say it was a very good month.


Gut by Guilia Enders
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley


A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon
Hang on St Christopher by Adrian McKinty
Spy’s Honour by Gavin Lyall
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes


Smoke Without Fire by E.X. Ferrars
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
The Disappeared by M.R. Hall


The Dungeon House by Martin Edwards
Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon

Colour/CoverKIT March: Green/Greenery

You Are Here by David Nicholls

This was my first choice for the March topic but my library hold arrived earlier than I expected. As a result, I flew through it.

Nicholls writes beautifully, paying a lovely attention to the little details that contribute to the whole story without making them into trivial fills. And the characters are varied and believable. A very enjoyable read.

RandomKIT February: Hospitals

A BB!

>103 mysterymax: Good choice!

This was my (Untimely) 1950s read for January’s DecadesCAT.

AlphaKIT February: O & B

With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George

I saw this episode recently on the tv series (Inspector Lynley Mysteries) with Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sharon Small, which was so accurately portrayed that I knew what was coming next. I still enjoyed it but it's a lesson to read the book first.

DecadesCAT February: 10s

The Reversal by Michael Connelly

Published in 2010 although there is little to indicate the year apart from Harry Bosch’s Luddite reluctance to use electronics. Micky Haller was talked into reversing his usual role of defence by prosecuting at the retrial of an old case, a role that provided extra interest to the story and courtroom events. I enjoyed this, as usual with Connelly's books.

Bingo: Tree on cover

Beating about the Bush by M.C. Beaton

This was typical Agatha Raisin. I’m sure there must have been times when even Beaton wanted to get rid of the acerbic Agatha but readers have been faithful. Now that R.W. Green has taken over the series it will be interesting to see if the character changes a little.

RandomKIT February: Hospitals

>95 VivienneR: I mean to read more by Julian Barnes. So far I've only read The Sense of an Ending and loved it.

>96 VivienneR: Gut was a huge bestseller in Germany where the author comes from.

>101 VivienneR: I have You Are Here on my kindle. My husband bought it and shared it with me, but I don't think he has read it so far. It's good to see you enjoyed it!

>110 MissBrangwen: All gems! Isn't it nice that our reading preferences often overlap, Mirjam!

AlphaKIT February: B

Colour/CoverKIT February: Blue / item of clothing

One Day in December by Josie Silver

I know I started reading this some years ago, but must not have finished it because I can only remember the beginning. So this lovely book has been languishing unread all this time. I’m glad I came across it again.

This is another one for March ColourCoverCAT, the cover was too perfect to pass up. Too bad the story didn't live up to the cover.

Hullo Vivienne! I've been busy finishing up 2025's threads, and now I am finally catching up with everyone on 2026.

Joining in the chorus of how charming your cat pictures are at the start of this thread and hope that your February picks up a bit.

>114 VivienneR: I love how you say So this lovely book has been languishing unread all this time. It's so very, very true! I also found some books that I put in boxes in the back of my car. When I have a free hour on weekends, I got to my Little Free Library app and find some LFL's in an area and drop off books. It is freeing though sad to see some of them go.

>77Have you read the entire Adrian McKinty series? The Troubles is a tragic time but I have heard good things about McKinty's writing about them from the POV of a detective.

Look forward to more reading adventures with cats!

>116 threadnsong: I know I replied to your post but must have been distracted before hitting "post".

How convenient that you can access LFLs in an app. I'd no idea this was possible.

Yes, I've read all the McKinty series. I hope there is another soon. I enjoy the humour that he injects into the stories.

Thanks for dropping by!

I read this for MysteryKIT February: Clerical Sleuths

>118 VivienneR: they're a good series, educational as well as a good read. They do get a bit repetitive if read quickly, the explanations get repeated in each one. Although I find his use of kilometers to be utterly bizarre!

>119 Helenliz: I can understand them becoming repetitive as Tremayne writes like the academic that he is. I'll take your advice not to read them close together. And yes, I noticed the use of kilometres and wondered about that.

RandomKIT February: Hospitals

The End of October by Lawrence Wright
A book that was written immediately before COVID19 struck although it describes what we all experienced a short time later. Can we learn anything from it? Did we learn from COVID19? This is well-written, reads like non-fiction, but until another pandemic strikes I doubt it will be heeded. Wright certainly portrayed the US president accurately from his fake tan to the bad choices that made things worse. Let’s hope if, or when, another pandemic occurs, leaders can handle it better.

>118 VivienneR: I don't think I've dipped into this series, but I might give it a go sometime.

>122 thornton37814: Glad to be able to send you a BB, Lori! They usually come in the opposite direction!

For RandomKIT March: What’s in a Name, I read:

February Summary
Books read: 15
Books read to date:. 27


Memory Book: a Benny Cooperman mystery by Howard Engel


The Reversal by Michael Connelly
You Are Here by David Nicholls
With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George
The terrible privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe
One Day in December by Josie Silver
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fyfe by Anna Johnston


All the Queen’s Men by S J Bennett
The Lair of the White Fox by Peter Tremayne


An Untimely Death by Cyril Hare
Beating about the Bush by M.C. Beaton
The End of October by Lawrence Wright
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons


Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline


Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

Hi Vivienne, thank you for the reminder about the Lynley and Havers series, I think my next book is the one before it. I have been putting it off because it’s about 800 pages and there are times when Deborah tries my patience. Maybe I’ll put it into the rotation soon.

Hi Lisa! I feel the same way about the Lynley series - much too long! I have a couple of audiobooks but they are well over 20 hours and I know I don't have that kind of patience. :)

>127 lsh63:, >128 VivienneR: Is that why I don't like the series?!

>129 mysterymax: Could be, although I find the characters are not quite right. Lynley is too arrogant, even for an earl, and Barbara's working class background is emphasized too much.

>130 VivienneR: Clearly there is more than one reason I don't read them anymore.

AlphaKIT March V & R

Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid

Apart from the gruesome details, this was a terrific story, a police procedural featuring profiler Tony Hill. McDermid’s tight plotting is excellent as usual.

AlphaKIT March V & R: For R, I read

>133 VivienneR: I read these and thought they were delightful. But I have baulked at the 4th in the series, which goes back to the young Queen. be interested if you decide to continue further.

>135 Helenliz: I don't think I'll go any further in the series either. I didn't realize the next one has a young Queen, which doesn't attract me as much anyway. It is unfortunate, because Queen Elizabeth, like Victoria, will mainly be remembered as an old lady. A fate that comes to most of us.

Here it is, almost the middle of the month and I've only finished three books so far. Life has been busy, mostly taking my husband for medical appointments and because we live in a small town, that means travelling. Although there has been extensive waiting time, reading on my phone in a busy area doesn't seem to get much actual reading done.

It' s one of those 'remember when' things. I remember when even very small towns had a doctor.

>134 VivienneR: I really enjoy Rosamunde Pilcher's books (that are much better than the terrible adaptations shown on German TV), but I have yet to try anything by her son Robin.

>137 VivienneR: I wish you a better reading month in the second half of March.

>138 mysterymax: Yes, I remember that too! My town has family doctors but no specialists. The eye specialist my husband attended (I almost typed "saw") has consultations in one town and surgery in another.

>139 MissBrangwen: I'm glad you posted, I didn't realize they were related. I started The Shell Seekers but wasn't able to finish it at the time. When I went back to the Overdrive site it was no longer in the collection. I'll have to "seek" it out again.

Thank you, I'm hoping for a better second half too but we have more appointments coming up. Sometimes a waiting room is the best place to read but not when there are patients and nursing staff coming and going all around.

Category: More of Anything Else

MysteryKIT March: Nordic Mysteries

The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell
Another excellent episode from the Wallander series. While Mankell holds my attention throughout, I must mention that his books are long - longer than I usually read.

Series I’m Following

The Narrows by Michael Connelly

Another great novel from Connelly with an exciting finish. One of my favourite series.

>144 VivienneR: I'm a big fan too. I just finished Angels Flight and I really enjoyed it.

>145 Cecilturtle: My problem with Connelly's books is that I have to space them out and not read them one after the other!

March Summary
Books read: 7
Books read to date:. 34

This was a busy month and my reading suffered. Fortunately I had some very good books.


Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid
Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett
The Night the Gods Smiled by Eric Wright
The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell
The Narrows by Michael Connolly


The Long Way Home by Robin Pilcher


The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton

AlphaKIT April: P & All Year: Z

More of Anything Else

Bingo 19: By An Indigenous Author

>150 VivienneR: That sounds like a wonderful book and a great addition to any children's library.

>151 MissBrangwen: Yes, I agree, Mirjam! Every child needs heroes, especially when they are from the same ethnicity. And this book is particularly beautiful, with lots of detail in the illustrations.

>148 VivienneR: Bitter Paradise sounds interesting so I've added to my wish list.

>153 pamelad: Glad it caught your interest. I'm intending to seek out the other books in the series.

Not much reading being done at the present. My husband had a disastrous fall a few days ago and needs a lot of care. He has Parkinson's Disease and when he was taking the recycling to the kerb for pick up he fell onto a concrete step landing on his eye. He was immediately transported off to a hospital a few hours away for surgery. He's back home now but needing so much care.

>154 VivienneR: I'm so sorry about your husband's fall and hope he will be better soon! Much strength to you.

>154 VivienneR: Parkinson's is terrible thing, and hard on you as his caregiver. I hope you have some assistance available? I'll be thinking of you and hoping you get enough rest.

>154 VivienneR: Vivienne, I’m so sorry to hear of your husband’s fall and I hope he is better soon.

>154 VivienneR: I am very sorry to hear this. I hope your husband will get better soon.

Thinking of you.

>154 VivienneR: I'm so sorry to hear this, Vivienne - wishing you patience and strength, and of course healing for him.

I'm also sorry to hear of your husband's fall and surgery. I wish you both the best and hope he recovers quickly.

Best wishes for you both that your lives willreturn to "normal" soon.

All the best to you and your husband, Vivienne.

I am so sorry to read of your husband's fall, Vivienne. All the best to you both.

Sending caring thoughts to you and your husband, Vivienne.

So sorry to hear about your husband's fall. Hope he can heal soon. My best friend from high school has Parkinson's and recently had a fall and broke her ankle. Her sister didn't find her for about 16 hours and then discovered that she hadn't been taking her medications and had begun to have delusions so her Parkinson's had progressed more than she was letting on. She's had to move into assisted living and stop driving and she's having a hard time accepting that.

>155 MissBrangwen:, >156 RidgewayGirl:, >157 lsh63:, >158 MissWatson:, >159 mysterymax:, >160 Jackie_K:, >161 mstrust:, >162 clue:, >163 pamelad:, >164 DeltaQueen50:, >165 beebeereads:, >166 dudes22: Thank you all for your kind thoughts and sympathy. He is improving gradually but needs help with everything. I'm just glad he was able to be airlifted to hospital for immediate surgery (his first experience of a stay in hospital). He had just had cataracts removed two weeks before the fall so wasn't wearing glasses or I suppose it could have been worse. Still, it looks like he's been mauled by a grizzly. It has certainly affected him generally, a condition expected to be permanent.

My biggest problem right now is that I need gas in the car and believe it or not, I've never filled up before. My son assures me it's easy but it seems to be as easy as flying round the moon!

Sorry to hear about your husband's fall, and I hope he has a quick recovery!

>168 christina_reads: Thank you, Christina. I hope so too!

RandomKIT April: Kings to Knights
The author is Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare, and member of the House of Lords.

More Mysteries

A short comment because RL events are taking up all my time.



My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
This is an excellent psychological mystery with an abundance of twists. And probably my favourite Alice Feeney novel so far.

Colour/CoverKIT April: Yellow / Celestial Object
The golden yellow glow makes it apparent that the sun is just under the horizon. This is as close as I can get to a celestial object.

More Mysteries

I'm still finding it difficult to fit in my usual reading but I hope it will increase now that my husband's eye injury is gradually improving.

This one is for April's MysteryKIT: Private Eyes

DecadesCAT April: 00s

More of Anything Else

AlphaKIT April: J

April Summary
Books read: 12
Books read to date:. 46

Looked like it was going to be a winner month - until the final days.


We Are Who We Are: An Ode to Indigenous Heroes Past and Present by Wab Kinew
The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer


Clown Town by Mick Herron


Bitter Paradise: A Dr Zol Szabo Mystery by Ross Pennie
Traitors Gate by Jeffrey Archer
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor
The Circle by Peter Lovesey


Dead on Target by R.W. Green, M.C.Beaton


Close to Home by Michael Magee


The Night She Went Missing by Lisa Jewell
After Clare by Marjorie Eccles

Sorry to hear about your husband's fall, glad he seems to be on the mend. And hoping May's reads improve on the tail end of April for yuou.

>180 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen! He is making a good recovery but still not allowed to do much. He has some lovely scars and did not lose his sight, although it is not good. I'm on the lookout for audiobooks that he would like, not easy because we have such different tastes. That was his first ever stay in hospital and pretty exciting to be airlifted there.

I hope you will come to join me at part 2: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384110#9189519