Familyhistorian Takes Life (and Reading) as it Comes - Part 1

Well, last year threw a monkey wrench into the works. I don’t know what this year will bring but there will be books and talk about books. That’s something to look forward to.

I didn’t quite meet my goal for reading and sending books from my personal library on their way in 2025. Still 77 recycled out of a goal of 100 is nothing to be sneezed at and it outpaced my acquisitions. Maybe I’ll do better in 2026.



Little Free Library

Books culled in 2026

January - 6

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I write about genealogy and history on my blog. It helps to have a deadline when there are so many unwriterly tasks to be done. Follow my blog posts as I embark on another year of writing about my genealogical explorations and the information I find out about my ancestors. You can see my latest blog posts at: A Genealogist’s Path to History

Challenges

Nonfiction Challenge

January – Prize Winners
February – All That Jazz
March – Off the Beaten Path Religious Sects
April – Internal Matters
May – Been there. Bought the t-shirt
June – Who Built that Beautiful Building and Why?
July – US revolution years from 1760 to 1788
August – Tweet, Tweet
September – Talk, Talk – Linguistics
October – Diaspora
November – Epistolography
December – Bibliography

Reading Through Time

January – Retellings of Classics
February – Agents of change, unexpected events that change the course of lives
March – Slavery in the Antebellum South
April – Spring
May – It Happened in May
June – Love & Marriage
July – The Lives of Wives
August – Holidays/Vacations
September – Daughters
October –
November –
December –

Quarterly

Jan – March – 19th Century – excluding the Americas

List of books for challenges

Nonfiction Challenge

January - Prize Winners - Shortlisted for the 2020 Baillie Gifford prize The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story

Reading Through Time

January – Retellings of Classics - My Fair Brady

Shared reads

We Begin at the End April

Books read in 2025



Books read in 2026

Books read in December 2025

1. The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott
2. The Death of Shame by Ambrose Parry
3. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths
4. Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley
5. The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography by Janine Barchas & Isabel Greenberg
6. An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson
7. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
8. A Lethal Lesson by Iona Whishaw
9. The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jonasson
10. A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor
11. Always Remember by Mary Balogh
12. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
13. The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell
14. Spent by Alison Bechdel
15. Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews
16. Star Fall by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
17. Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti
18. Death in Focus by Anne Perry
19. Sweet Success: How Industry, Immigrants, and Working Women Shaped a Town by Barbara Pagni Denton
20. Home Sweet Homicide by Craig Rice
21. Bloody Mary: A Graphic Biography of Mary Tudor by Kristina Gehrmann
22. Who Left God Playing with Mud? by Namir I. Naoum
23. Evensong by Stewart O’Nan
24. So Far Gone by Jess Walter

Books acquired in 2025



Books acquired in 2026

Books acquired in December 2025

Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
Unnatural Causes by P.D. James
Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson
Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin

Welcome fellow readers. Please ignore the aborted thread that happened when I tried to correct touchstones. Oops almost forgot to star my own thread. I'd be completely lost if that happened!

Happy almost New Year, Meg!

>12 katiekrug: Same to you, Katie. I hope it's a good one!

Hi Meg. It seems 2025 was a rocky road for many of us. I look forward to being more active in 2026, and visiting your thread more regularly.

All good wishes to you for a year of reading in 2026!!

>14 Whisper1: Yes, I'm sure there are a few of us who will be glad to see the end of 2025, Linda. Let's hope that 2026 is a kinder, better year!

Welcome back, Meg!

Happy New Year! I'm impressed with your 77 recycled books in 2025. I need to do a lot better with that.

I see you've already finished the Worsley bio of Agatha Christie. I bought a copy because I collect books by and about Agatha Cristie. It's first up for me in 2026.

Happy New Thread, 🧵, Meg . May 2026 bring happier days .

Hi Meg, Yes, I am wishing you a kinder better year and also wishing you good health and a year of wonderful reading. And WOW!!! You read 20 books in December. I am in shock!

>16 drneutron: Thanks for keeping us on track, Jim!

>17 cbl_tn: Well 77's not bad but it fell short of my aim. I really need to start getting more books out of the house.

The Worsley bio of Agatha Christie delves into more areas of the author's life than many of the other books I've read about her. I enjoyed the read and hope you do to, Carrie.

>18 vancouverdeb: Thanks re the thread, Deborah. I'm hoping for a better 2026 but we'll see what we get.

>19 mdoris: Thanks Mary, a better year would be a gift but we'll see what comes. There were a lot of mysteries and two GNs in that 20 so fairly quick reads.

Great to see you back again for another year dear Meg.

Many happy reads ahead on 2026, Meg, to go with your happier end of 2025.

Happy new thread!! Okay, let's pinky swear that 2026 will be an easier, happier healthier year! : )

>24 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the visit, Paul. It will be interesting to see what 2026 brings!

>25 richardderus: Thanks Richard, I'm not sure how happy the reads will be in 2026 but they will be plentiful. Not quite a plentiful as on your many threads though!

>26 Berly: I'm ready to pinky swear on an easier, happier, healthier year in 2026, Kim! Anything to make it a possibility would be good.

>28 Familyhistorian: It's weird, that...no one bothers to visit my sad, lonely, little threads yet they proliferate like bunnies.

>30 richardderus: Poor, poor unappreciated Richard. I'll make sure to visit your lonely thread in 2026.

>31 Familyhistorian: *Noble profile* I shall bear up somehow until you pay me visit.

Hi Meg, I've placed my star and hope to be able to keep up but these 75er threads have a habit of taking off. Along with you I am hoping for a kinder, healthier 2026. My goal is to just keep reading on ...

>1 Familyhistorian: An interesting sculpture

Happy reading in 2026!

Happy New Year, Meg. I hope 2026 is a good year for you and yours.

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, Meg

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Meg! Here’s to achieving your goals in 2026!

I hope to be better about keeping up this year. I think I got so behind in the great "anomaly" of 2025 at work where we had no Internet for most of two months. I was doing most things off my phone's wifi on my own laptop. I think after that, I just felt so behind that it was overwhelming. Hopefully I can remember that slow and steady wins the race and just keep up day by day.

Happy New Year, Meg. Wishing you a healthy and book-filled 2026.

>32 richardderus: If I can find a spot among all the visitors that are inundating your New Year thread, Richard.

>33 DeltaQueen50: Reading on is the best way to go, Judy. It's helped me through so far. I know what you mean about keeping up with the threads!

>34 figsfromthistle: There are a couple of those sculptures that I discovered while my son was in for treatment and I was killing time in a park near the hospital. They caught my eye. Have a wonderful 2026, Anita!

>35 BLBera: Hi Beth, I'm hoping for a better year than 2025 for sure. I hope your 2026 is a good one!

>36 PaulCranswick: Impressive building, Paul. Well, my thread is a lot easier to keep up with than yours but I'll try to keep up with your thread(s) too.

>37 zuzaer: Happy 2026!

>38 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda, I hope your 2026 is full of good reads and exciting travels!

>39 thornton37814: I hope the problem is fixed, Lori. That sounds like a very frustrating situation for everyone working there. I hope your 2026 is more manageable!

>40 Berly: Thanks Kim. A wonderful 2026 to you and yours too!

>41 msf59: Thanks Mark. The same back at you! May 2026 be a better year than 2025!

I'm posting my last review of 2025 here because I didn't get to it until today. I won't count it among this year's reads though.

So Far Gone by Jess Walter



One last book to add for 2025. So Far Gone was the story of Rhys Kinnick who retired from life so far that he was living off the grid. That was until his two grandkids were dropped off for him to look after. But would he be able to help them? Not if the militant evangelists their parents were connected to had anything to do with it.

It was an action packed thriller with unforeseen consequences as Rhys kept getting pulled into life threatening situations. It was hard to know who would survive to the end.

I wish you a healthy and happy New Year filled with many exciting books. May all your wishes come true.

Happy new year and new thread, Meg. May it be a better one for you and your son.

>42 Familyhistorian: Always room for you, Meg.

>52 Familyhistorian: I have So Far Gone on reserve at the library, Meg. I am looking forward to it.

>53 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! Happy 2026 to you!

>54 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley, I'm hoping for better than last year in 2026!

>55 richardderus: So nice to feel wanted, Richard. Not your usual tone, did you make a resolution or something?

>56 BLBera: So Far Gone was a good one, Beth. The premise was almost too believable.

Happy New Year, Meg! May 2026 be less fraught than the last.

Happy New Year, Meg!

>59 Familyhistorian: Had hopeful news about a new place to live...by myself.

Happy new year, Meg. Looking forward to following your reading adventures again this year.

>52 Familyhistorian: I heard Jess Walter talk about this book and he was SO FUNNY. I want to read it but still waiting for my library hold or else for it to come out in paperback.

>61 Storeetllr: Thanks Mary. Much, much better than last year for 2026 would be good!

>62 quondame: Hi Susan, good to see you here. Happy New Year to you too!

>63 richardderus: Really Richard? That would be wonderful after all this time!

>64 MickyFine: Hi Micky, right back at you. I get a lot of reccs from your thread!

>65 banjo123: After reading the book, I can imagine how funny he would be in person. I hope your library hold comes in soon.

1. All Systems Red by Martha Wells



Length: 149 pages

I’ve seen lots of reviews of the Murderbot books as I bopped around the threads but never read one until now. I started with the first one, All Systems Red and was quickly drawn into the action. It was easy to see the appeal of Murderbot him/herself, I love that going rogue not only showed the personality but also saved the crew.

>71 Familyhistorian: It is such a breath of fresh air - and I've mentioned more than once that Murderbot 2-4 were more fun for me to read!

Sending (belated) good wishes for 2026, Meg.

I loved Murderbot, and found the TV series was fun too. I wonder if there is a TV or movie one in the works for So Far Gone.

>71 Familyhistorian: I listened to all of the Murderbot books, Meg, and the audiobooks are outstanding.

>71 Familyhistorian: I'm glad that you enjoyed your first Murderbot story. It's an excellent series and I am afraid that it another series that I have fallen behind on!

>72 quondame: Ooh, that sounds good, Susan. I'll get to Murderbot 2-4 very soon.

I hope your New Years was a good one, Charlotte.

>73 charl08: I'll have to have a look for the Murderbot TV show. I just had a look and So Far Gone is becoming a Netflick series. That should be a good one! Apparently there was a bidding war and Netflicks won.

>74 BLBera: I haven't followed a series on audio, Beth. Nice that the Murderbot stories were good ones in that medium.

>75 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I know the feeling of so many series, so little time

Two days in a row of walking Muffin without rain, Meg! Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. We have to take what sun we can get this time of year. I'm glad you got some sun in on Saturday and maybe today?

>80 vancouverdeb: Lucky, Deborah. On Saturday it was raining heavily when I left Coquitlam to go to Vancouver. It wasn't raining there. On the way back I even saw sun in Burnaby but, back in Coquitlam, it was still coming down. So I can't really count Saturday as a rainless day.

>71 Familyhistorian: You are in for a real treat, Meg! The next three novellas only get better. Exit Strategy is my favorite for the way it interacts with Mensah. I love Murderbot so much (but not in a weird way) and love the way it grows and changes and starts to know itself. What a great start to the new year of reading!

>82 Storeetllr: To judge by everybody's enthusiasm, especially yours, it sounds like I'm on to a good thing. It might take a while though as even now there are holds on the books at the library. Thanks for the info, Mary!

>71 Familyhistorian: Murderbot itself is a big part of the draw of the series. Wells' way of giving it relatability even as it shudders away from being identified as human is very deft. The series delights me!

>84 richardderus: Even from the limited exposure I've had to the series, I sensed that Murderbot is the character of interest. It's really well done. Nice to know it has your seal of approval, Richard!

I hope today you got some sun, Meg. It was nice in my area of the woods, but the forecast is for more rain. I hope the forecast is wrong.

>86 vancouverdeb: It wasn't raining earlier today, Deborah. I took advantage of it and walked to the mall. The rain has set in now and looks like it's predicted for a long time. Also a possibility of snow but probably for higher elevations.

Meg, it's been a bitter cold winter. Now the last week is grey and dismal. I don't mind it because it provides opportunities to finish taking all holiday decorations to the basement, and cleaning a bit of the basement as I go along. Thus far, I'm proud of my endeavors. And, overcast days provide a good justification for remaining inside, wearing pjs and reading.

All good wishes for a restful time of reading for you.

Hi Meg my dear, i have starred you again and hope to be more visible on your thread this year, dear friend.

2. 6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk



Length: 323 pages

After Agatha’s cancer diagnosis, she had withdrawn from life finding it hard to relate to her husband and son, to find words to write for her next book. That was when Teddy, her husband, gifted her with a train journey between Toronto and Montreal, a journey of the gift of time to write. She found more than that as the train journeyed into a winter storm and the passengers in the first class carriage started losing it as bodies started piling up.

6:40 to Montreal was a compelling story as the tension kept ratcheting up as more and more things went wrong. I think the ending was supposed to be happy but the body count made it feel uncomfortable.

>88 Whisper1: It sounds like you've found a way to cope with your cold winter, Linda. Nice to feel productive during this time.

Our winter isn't what you would consider very cold. It's just dismal with days and sometimes weeks of rain. I'm not good at staying inside and being productive although there is a lot to do here.

>89 johnsimpson: Nice to see you here, John. I look forward to you popping in more often.

>90 Familyhistorian: I’ve been seeing this book here and there. It sounds much different than I expected but I’m intrigued. On to the wish list it goes.

>90 Familyhistorian: What makes authors think they have a perfect right to kill off as many of their characters as they want and we are wimps to object?

>90 Familyhistorian: I think I liked it better than you did, Meg, but yes that was an impressive body count.

I have looked at 6:40 To Montreal but have yet to read it. My current read has to back to the library fairly soon as there is a hold on it, so it will have to wait. I'm glad you liked it, Meg. We had a break in the rain today in my neck of the woods. I hope you did too.

>93 Carmenere: I was expecting more of a traditional mystery, I think. 6:40 to Montreal drew me in but, left me questioning the motives of the main character the whole time.

>94 quondame: I didn't mind the body count per se, except for the one character who was trying to help. It was trying to pass it off as a sort of happy ending that got to me.

>95 richardderus: Yeah, I might have been a bit put off because of the main character's cancer diagnosis. Don't need to see that in my reading as well as dealing with it day to day.

>96 vancouverdeb: I'm sure you'll get to it soon, Deborah. I waited until the weather was supposed to be light rain to go out today. I'm not sure what they consider light because it was coming down pretty hard. No break in the rain here.

>97 Familyhistorian: ahhh, I’ll keep that in mind.

Hi Meg. Happy New Year!

>3 Familyhistorian: Congrats on recycling 77 books. Good luck with this year’s goal.

>9 Familyhistorian: Yay for 201 books read last year.

>99 Familyhistorian: Perfectly understandable, Meg.

>71 Familyhistorian: I really need to read one of these this year.

Happy mid week reading!

Gosh, Meg . Is it night or day outside? I know it’s day, but it is sure gloomy! I guess I got spoiled by some peeks of sunshine over the past few days . ☀️

>105 vancouverdeb: Ditto and where did the sun go?! I did a brief tour of my garden yesterday and the hellebore blooms are emerging as are the primula blooms and tiny leaf spikes from the bulbs too. 🌷
Will start a new book today!

Maybe of little comfort but it is gloomy here too this morning!

>101 Carmenere: Of course, your experience may vary. Enjoy the read.

>102 karenmarie: Thanks Karen, it was a tough year so the books were going down easy. I'll see if I can do the same this year.

>103 richardderus: I tend to filter my reads through my own experiences. But I think we all have that tendency. It was easier when I was younger with less life under my belt.

>104 figsfromthistle: It's a very fast read, Anita. It's a novella. The hard part was waiting for the hold at the library.

>105 vancouverdeb: There was snow mixed with the rain tonight, Deborah. I'd love to see some sunshine.

>106 mdoris: I hope the read is a good one, Mary. Looks like there won't be any nice outside weather for a while.

>107 PaulCranswick: Ah, but what's the temperature, Paul?

>112 Familyhistorian:
>106 mdoris: We got sunshine this afternoon! And I did the afternoon walk with Muffin. It's still not raining , and Dave is off with the evening dog walk. No snow here, Meg.

>52 Familyhistorian: >90 Familyhistorian: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.

>71 Familyhistorian: I love Murderbot! Glad you enjoyed your introduction!

A Belated Happy New Year, Meg!

>71 Familyhistorian: Another Murderbot fan here! I think I have read 5 of them? And they are great on audio as well. Enjoy! And here's to a better year. : )

>114 Familyhistorian: 35 degrees C or 95 degrees F.

Sweet Thursday, Meg. Glad you got to So Far Gone. I am a big fan of Walter. Glad you also got to the Murderbot series. I read very little sci-fi these days but those are irresistible.

>99 Familyhistorian: Oh boy yes. We have a dear friend in our book Club who lost a family member to suicide some years ago.

We read Ruth Ozaki's A Tale for the Time Being where suicide is a major theme. I'm sure that colored her reaction to the book.

>110 Familyhistorian: Then, those were formative moments; now, they're either enjoyable or not.

I re-read Professor Diggins' Dragons, a book I adored in 1968, in 1988 and was appalled! I would not give that tedious thing to *my* kid! Yet it was absolutely formative then, and I still recall the experience of reading it with happy smiling tremulous tears.

3. Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge



Length: 260

As the housekeeper at Mallowan Hall, Phyllida Bright not only ran the house and staff efficiently but also acted as friend and confidante to the lady of the house, Agatha Christie Mallowan. A body turned up in one of the rooms during a house party so naturally, Phyllida had to take an active interest.

Murder at Mallowan Hall was a fun mystery harking back to the manor house mysteries of the golden age but this was post war, so some of the main characters, including Phyllida, had more involved backgrounds and different skills than the run of the mill staff. I can’t wait to see Phyllida and the gruff chauffeur, Bradford, in action again.

>115 vancouverdeb: None of the snow stuck here, Deborah. There was a lot more rain than snow in the mix last night. The weather app on my phone showed falling snowflakes when I woke up this morning but that snow wasn't down at this elevation. It's not raining now, need to get out there soon!

>116 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, you really should read So Far Gone before Netflicks serializes it. I loved Murderbot and will be following up on that series soon.

I hope you had a wonderful New Years and that you get some sleep soon!

>117 Berly: A better year for sure, Kim. We've got our order in, now to see what comes. Yay for Murderbot!

>122 Familyhistorian: I really liked that one too. You remind me that I should add the next volume A Trace of Poison to my library list.

>118 PaulCranswick: Yeah, no comparison to 4 degrees. I actually like temperature in the 30s. It's a lot more reasonable than temps in the 40s. in 2021 the temperature in Lytton, BC reached at all time high of 49.6 and the village burnt.

>119 msf59: Hi Mark, So Far Gone was a page turner. As for Murderbot, I finally caved under all the LT BBs and I'm glad I did.

>120 magicians_nephew: A book dealing with suicide must have been difficult for that reader, Jim. Sometimes it's hard to know what can be a trigger for certain readers.

>121 richardderus: Ha, yes some of the reads we loved are definitely questionable now! My early reading was mostly romances and murder mysteries. I wonder if that explains any of my character now.

>126 Ameise1: It was a fun one. There seem to be a lot of books lately that have mystery writers from the golden age of crime fiction as characters. Having Christie as a side character rather than a main character works well in the Phyllida Bright series, I think.

>131 Familyhistorian: Exactly 😃, that's what makes this series so endearing.

>132 Ameise1: It seems so much better than having a favourite author in action especially if you get a sense that "she wouldn't do that".

Sun, sun, sun, at least here, Meg. I hope you got some too. I think tomorrow is a mixed bag, like many days this time of year. I read Murder at Mallowan Hall and also A Trace of Poison in December . I really enjoyed them both. I will also continue with the series. I'm glad you enjoyed it .

>123 Familyhistorian: I'm glad the snow didn't stick , Meg. Always such a mess when it does. I'm a little further from the mountains and lower down , so that helps.

>122 Familyhistorian: Looks interesting. I like the idea of a real-life mystery writer as a character, but not the main character, in a mystery. I found the audio at the library and will start it soon. Thanks!

>134 vancouverdeb: >135 vancouverdeb: I don't remember the weather on Thursday, Deborah. I was too fixated on having to drive into Vancouver to VGH the next day - well, not actually VGH but one of the medical centres beside it. The appointment was at 8:00 am, it was dark, the streets were under construction and I had to find parking. Not fun. It wasn't raining though so that was a plus.

I really like Murder at Mallowan Hall and will probably borrow the next in the series soon.

>136 Storeetllr: I hope you enjoy it, Mary.

Wordle 1,666 2/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

That was a surprise. guide, manic

4. The Third Circle by Amanda Quick



Length: 418 pages

I’m slowly rereading my way through some of the books that I kept with a few to sending them on their way. The latest was The Third Circle. It was a fun but predictable mystery/romance adventure set in the Victorian age. The main characters, of course, had special psychical abilities which drew them to each other and helped to solve the crimes they were investigating.

>137 Familyhistorian: Your patience is being greatly tested Meg with your early morning and dark forays to places that are not a usual destination. I think the windshield wipers would be full blast today. It is quite something outside and so dark for daytime. Hope you are having a good weekend!

>141 mdoris: We actually started the day with no rain, Mary, but I took the Skytrain into Vancouver and it was raining and gusty there.

The early morning forays to unfamiliar places are made worse by the fact that they are to hospital areas where parking is hard to find except if you get there before the crowd.

>90 Familyhistorian: The last sentence of this review made me smile. :)

>143 The_Hibernator: It was how I felt, Rachel. One of the characters who was trying to help got killed off. It didn't sit well with me.

>142 Familyhistorian: Likewise here , I think Meg. Dave did the morning walk,I think it may have been raining some, but quite a downpour in the afternoon for the second walk. My sympathies with those early mornings and the rain and tough to park. I hope skytrain helped that some today.

5. All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles



Length: 331 pages

Zeb Wyckham was a bit of a disgrace, hapdash in his appearance, looked down upon by his family and once again out of work. So when he showed up at Lackaday House in response to an invitation to stay for a while, he was dismayed to find other members of his family already there. Even worse, his former lover, Gideon Grey, the one he’d gotten sacked from a job, acted as live-in secretary to Wynn Wyckham.

Wynn had gathered everyone together in anticipation of his death, wanting to marry off his ward to one of the Wyckham men. Along with her hand, the lucky recipient was to also inherit the Wyckham fortune including Lackaday House.

All of Us Murderers was a gripping Gothic tale of misdeeds, cruel deaths and dastardly plots. It was up to Zeb to find a way out (hopefully involving Gideon).

>145 vancouverdeb: It was much easier to get where I was going yesterday, Deborah. There were only short walks from the station in Vancouver to the library. Looks like it's another rainy one out there today. I get tired of everything being wet and gloomy.

6. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans



Length: 281

In a story that starts toward the end of a letter writer’s life, The Correspondent weaves the tale of Sybil’s life through her correspondence as she looks back and forward to make connection with the recipients of her missives. She makes connection with a surprising range of people and bit by bit reveals herself. It was a wonderfully poignant tale.

Looks like you are off to a good start with 5 books!

Hi Meg and happy new year to you! I also just finished reading The Correspondent and I absolutely loved it.

I love your attitude about the new year: there will be books and talk about books. That is definitely something to look forward to.

>149 thornton37814: Thanks Lori, the library books are keeping me reading, especially the ones that have to be returned to the library because of holds.

>150 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, I was really surprised by the emotional punch The Correspondent was able to deliver through letters and emails. And yes, books, something to look forward to.

>148 Familyhistorian: The Correspondent was a lovely tale, Meg. Rain, rain but I think we are to have sun on Tuesday. I look forward to that. On my walk on Saturday a fellow walker said - it's a beautiful day for a walk - you just have to reframe your thinking. Maybe....

>122 Familyhistorian: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again. It sounds right up my alley!

>124 Familyhistorian: Well, I won't be watching it on Netflix, that is for sure, lol.

>140 Familyhistorian: I used to read the Amanda Quick books as soon as they came out. I have not read them for years now but I own a lot of them that I need to re-read before I decide whether or not to keep them.

>146 Familyhistorian: That one sounds fun! Into the BlackHole it goes!

>148 Familyhistorian: That one is already in the BlackHole. I just need to get to it!

Have a marvelous Monday, Meg!

Hooray for The Correspondent! I have not heard anyone bad-mouth that one. I hope you enjoy All the Colors. Let us know.

>153 vancouverdeb: Our forecast shows rain on Tuesday too. Sun on Thursday to look forward to. Maybe your fellow walker was being sarcastic when they said it was a beautiful day for a walk, Deborah.

>154 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, the Phyllidia Bright mysteries are fun reads and probably quick ones for you. I've decided it's time for the Amanda Quick early books to move on. Have you read any of her Burning Cove series?

>155 msf59: I've only cracked the covers of All the Colors of the Dark as another of my library books has holds waiting on it so I'm trying to get through Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life before I have to take it back. I should get back to the Whitaker book soon, Mark.

Oh, I am absolutely adding Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life to my wish list. It sounds really interesting.

>159 EBT1002: The book about Crumb is very biographical and very interesting, Ellen. There are pages of comics here and there throughout the book.

I started the third in the Phyllida Bright series today, Meg. That was a nice find for both of us this last while. Fu and relatively quick reads, but I am much slower that you and Stasia.

>156 Familyhistorian: That fellow was quite serious with his comment to me. He showed off his rain hat that he had not lost for 20 years. We have sun in the forecast tomorrow, but it is mixed with some rain. I hope you get some sun in your area soon. Or move to Richmond! :-) I think we get less rain.

>158 Familyhistorian: My dad read this: said it was good, but he preferred reading Crumb's own work (!)

>148 Familyhistorian: It's already on my WL. I haven't heard anything negative about this one yet.

>161 vancouverdeb: I haven't moved on to the next Phyllida Bright book yet, Deborah. Sounds like they keep being fun so that is good news.

We did see sun today after rain in the morning. I didn't go out until I heard the rain had stopped. You do get less rain in Richmond but I like being close to the rivers and mountains.

>162 charl08: When I borrowed the book I was under the impression it would be mostly Crumb's work - so pretty much like a graphic novel. So I kind of agree with your Dad. It's interesting to read where Crumb came from though and to be reminded of what those years were like.

>163 BLBera: I was surprised how good a book written in letters could be, Beth. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

>148 Familyhistorian: I am on the lookout for that one, Meg. Heard nothing but good things about it both here and elsewhere.

>148 Familyhistorian: another one that might end up being read by one of our book clubs

>167 PaulCranswick: I'm surprised you haven't found it yet, Paul. It's a good one!

>168 magicians_nephew: It would be a very good book club book, Jim. Perhaps I should suggest it to my in-person book club.

7. Prized Possessions by L.R. Wright



Length: 325 pages

Prized Possessions was a story that had Staff Sergeant Karl Alberg tracing a wayward husband during his bereavement leave after the death of his father. The investigation was complicated by the information the wife was holding back. In the meantime a not too bright young man in Vancouver had been pissed off by a woman and didn’t know how to deal with it. Things escalated and the two story lines converged on the Sunshine Coast. The story had me turning the pages wanting to see how the story ended. It was also fun to remember how things were back then in the early ‘90s.

>171 Familyhistorian: I did enjoy LR Wright's series way back when, Meg. Dave lived on the Sunshine Coast in his teen until age 20, when moved to first Burnaby , the North Vancouver and finally Richmond. I think I would have read the books anyway, but they were good reads.

Meg, You are reading some good mysteries. Happy Weekend to you!

Finally getting over here to wish you a happy new year, Meg! Glad to see the books are treating you well so far.

8. The Socialite's Guide to Murder by S. K. Golden



Length: 306 pages

I have a lot of mysteries on my shelves and one that I pulled off to read was The Socialite’s Guide to Murder. Evelyn Murphy was the daughter of the owner of the Pinnacle Hotel where she stayed as a privileged guest. She posed as the girlfriend of Henry Fox, a movie star, a cover for him as it was the ‘50s, but she really like Mac, who was a little rough around the edges.

Evelyn had a problem, she couldn’t leave the hotel (anxiety issues) so when a theft occurs at the hotel and then the owner of the stolen painting was killed, she wanted to get to the bottom of things. Could she, with her inside knowledge, figure out what has going on?

>172 vancouverdeb: I didn't visit the Sunshine Coast until last year, Deborah, although I had some relatives who lived there. It looked like a good place to grow up from what I saw. The Karl Alberg mystery did seem a bit dated especially in the tech.

>173 Whisper1: The mysteries are going down easy, Linda. I hope you have a great weekend too.

>174 bell7: Hi Mary, thanks for the visit. The books are keeping me going. I hope they are doing the same for you.

9. Mr Campion's Farewell by Mike Ripley



Length: 278 pages

It was fun to return to a Campion mystery in Mr Campion’s Farewell. I think the writer taking up the baton to continue with our hero’s investigations into mysterious goings on did a good job of keeping the character going. It was a mystery very much rooted in the past although brought into the present of the novel which seemed to be in the early 1970s. It was an interesting view of village life brought into that time period as well as an involved mystery which our hero was able to unravel, of course.

You've been reading some great mysteries, Meg. You remind me I want to get back to the Campion series.

>180 BLBera: The Campion series is an interesting one as several writers carried it on after Allingham and now that I've seen the list of titles on the touchstone it looks like there are a lot that I missed too.

>122 Familyhistorian: Just finished Murder at Mallowan Hall and enjoyed it. Thanks for the the BB!

>182 Storeetllr: Good to see you liked it, Mary. There are more in the series.

>176 Familyhistorian: Had I not met Dave, I don't' know if I would have ever gotten to the Sunshine Coast. Since my dad was a pilot, we got free passes and all our holidays were by plane. Of course, I am now totally plane phobic. I'd to talk Dave into another visit. Since his parents passed away, he has no interest in returning it seems. Foggy day here, and I imagine there too.

>184 vancouverdeb: Growing up many of my family vacations were by plane too, Deborah. My dad worked for Air Canada so we had passes. In fact, TCA, it's earlier iteration was the means for our moving to Canada. The company transferred him to Montreal.

I think it was foggy here last night. Now it is sunny. Still cold though.

10. Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger



Length: 344 pages

In Mercy Falls Cork was sheriff once again when he and Deputy Marsha Dross went out on a domestic call. She was shot as soon as she got out of the vehicle once they reached their destination. And so the story began. The investigation was convoluted and the body count started to pile up as time went on but in this case there was a powerful family involved. One member of that family was a man who Cork’s wife, Jo, used to go out with and it seemed like he wanted to rekindle whatever was between them.

There was a lot going on in this episode which ended with a cliffhanger so I’ll be looking for the next book in the series soon.

>185 Familyhistorian: My dad briefly worked for TCA too. For my family, it was CPA or Canadian Airlines that brought us to Richmond. In the final few years of my dad's work it became Air Canada. We mainly returned to Winnipeg for holidays,but we did go Hawaii, and Disneyland and then a trip from Toronto to PEI when I was 16, that by plane and automobile. We have had 24 /7 fog the past couple of days and it is too continue until Wednesday.

>187 vancouverdeb: There was lots of back and forth between the airlines, Deborah. I worked for CPA briefly in the '70s before a job offer from Canada Post came through with better pay. My Dad was from London and my parents had started out there together so we usually went back to England. Passes came in handy went I went to University too because I went to Acadia University and we were living in Montreal. I also lived in Charlottetown during some of the summers that I was in university so know a bit about PEI as well.

We have sunshine here but someone in the meeting I was in this morning said there was a bank of fog further down the Lougheed. Probably by the water which is why you are blessed with it too.

>188 Familyhistorian: There was a lot of back and forth with the airlines in days gone by. Dave worked as an aircraft mechanic ( aka aircraft maintenance engineer) first with PWA, then got hired on at CPA, then got laid off and worked in Calgary for a while with PWA and then back to CPAir , which turned into Air Canada. Those were the days. I married Dave when he was laid off from CP, and then he started in Calgary with PWA for the second time. Daniel was a new born and we thought we might have to move to Calgary, but Dave got called back from the layoff from CPAir or whatever it was called then about 6 months or so after Daniel was born. That was a relief!

>189 vancouverdeb: Good timing on that call back, Deborah. I lived in Calgary for a while. I remember being driven there from Vancouver in October where everything was lush and green and arriving in Calgary that seemed cold and uninviting. It took months to get out of there.

It makes sense that you live in Richmond with Dave working for the airlines. I remember the commute that I had for CP, another reason that the Canada Post job sounded a lot better!

>169 Familyhistorian: Not sure why it isn't available here yet, but still not, Meg.

>191 PaulCranswick: That's too bad, Paul, but I think you've a few reads to keep you busy while you wait.

11. Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life by Dan Nadel



Length: 458 pages

I remember Fritz the Cat and Keep on truckin’ from the ‘70s so I picked up Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life from the library. I was expecting something like a graphic novel treatment but it was a biography sprinkled with cartoon pages here and there. An easy read in the beginning, it bogged down in the middle so that the last part of the book was harder to get to (kind of like the reality of living through our later years). So over all a good read but be prepared for a bit of a slog towards the end.

It's another sunny, if cold, day here and I'm off to the downtown Vancouver library in a bit. Perhaps all the library books are why I'm finding it hard to gather my traditional Thingaversary haul. That and the need to read and recycle more of my own tomes have changed me from being a collector to a downsizer. It's a good thing but not helpful now because, according to tradition, I'm due to get 19 books, 18 for the years on LT and one for good luck. This is what I've gathered so far:

Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

Hi Meg, I've been thinking of your problem with library vs. buying your Thingaversary books. Why not make a "Thingaversary list" and then whether you buy the book or get it from the library - it could count toward your total.

>195 DeltaQueen50: A good thought, Judy. If I fill out my Thingaversary list with library books then I've already brought home the 19 books I need. But maybe, like you said, I should make a list or maybe I could actually bring in some of the books languishing on my "for later" shelf at Vancouver Public Library. It would be a good idea to get some of those off that list (there are 510 on there.)

I never worry about my Thingaversary, Meg. I try not to buy too many books but of course, buy books I do off and on all year. I think I am getting better about using the library.

>197 vancouverdeb: Maybe not worrying about it is the best idea, Deborah. Was it sunny for you today?

Thingaversaries are getting to be quite the expensive self gift nowadays for us OGs! I would never buy 16 books for myself in one sitting but love the idea of it :)

>196 Familyhistorian: to >199 LovingLit:

I erm, well, er.......

" I would never buy 16 books for myself in one sitting but love the idea of it"

Obviously not something I can say for myself. It was my 15th year in January so I did add the 16 books "required" but I did get most of them from a discount store (well 10 of them anyway).

I think adding them with library books is a good idea though.

Happy Sunday, Meg. What to do on our Thingaversary? What a conundrum to have to deal with. LOL. I have limited the books I have been buying for quite a few years. I still have scores of TBR books on shelf and those are my focus. This has not hindered my reading at all and my pocketbook is a bit heavier too.

>196 Familyhistorian: Love this conversation.

Trying not to see "I could never in >199 LovingLit: as a challenge for myself. Mine is due in March.

Do you think you'll make it Meg? Not sure I have space for 19... How do you pick the "for later" books - are they ones you've previously reserved or something else? My library is currently closed for a refurb, so I'm having to be more restrained with the reservations. I can't just walk down the road to pick them up as soon as they come in.

My Thingaversary is coming up in August. Twenty-one is a lot of books! If I start now, I might manage to buy a few audiobooks or ebooks by then, but other than that? Can't afford it, tbh. The library is the way to go for me these days, except for books I can't find there.

I've already begun counting books I purchase toward my Thingaversary haul. If I don't, I'll never make it (as I have not the last couple of years). I guess I'll see if I can make it to the 19 + 1 for this year. I have a list I'm keeping so I can report at the appropriate time.

I wish the Thingaversary would give us more time to read, so time not books! It is always so easy to find the books. Like you I ❤️ the library! i hope you had a good visit today at the downtown Vancouver library. How many did you manage to bring home Meg?

Just the other day I was thinking I need to get the next in the Cork O'Connor series. Thunder Bay is next up for me.

12. Murder in Containment by Anne Cleeland



Length: 323 pages

The next book for me in the Doyle & Acton series was Murder in Containment. The realization was slow in coming but Acton and Doyle eventually realized that recent murders, including murders of some highly placed people, had actually been murders done to contain a scandal. It was an investigation which reached into some of the higher places of power in CID. Acton was on the case, of course, Doyle not so much because she felt like she was being contained herself through the first difficult phases of pregnancy but her contributions were needed in the end.

>199 LovingLit: Getting all the thingaversary books sounds wonderful in theory but it does get more taxing as the years go by. It would be 19 books for me in 2026!

>200 PaulCranswick: Ha Paul, I think you would be one of the last LTers to find adding the requisite number of books difficult. You added over 600 books last year alone! I added 53 and some of those were from Little Free Libraries.

>201 msf59: Most of the books in my house are TBRs when it comes right down to it, Mark. I'm getting much better at the recycling part of the equation and have also found that some of the TBRs are no longer viable when they stay on the shelf for a while.

>202 charl08: Hi Charlotte, my libraries all allow me to place books on hold or put them on a "for later" list. The Vancouver Public Library system, which is the one I used to use the most, allows me to put 50 books on hold, which can be dangerous! If my hold list is full (over 50) then I tend to put them on the "for later" list where they languish. I need to stay on top of my library holds because I am a member of three libraries all in different library systems.

>203 Storeetllr: I know what you mean, Mary. It does get expensive the more years you have to celebrate. Congrats on the 21 years! It's a rare book that isn't at one of my libraries but I usually only buy them if it's for book club and none of my libraries has it.

>204 thornton37814: That's a smart way to get the number for your Thingaversary, Lori. Unfortunately, mine is in February so not much lead time in the year. Maybe I should have started counting the ones I got in the last months of 2025.

>205 mdoris: More time would be good, Mary. I'm not finding it easy to get the books because I've trained myself to use the library rather than add to the piles at home. I only brought one book back from the downtown library but I dropped off three which felt like a win especially as the ones I dropped off were heavy hard covers and the one I picked up was a paperback.

>206 EBT1002: It was good to get back to the Cork O'Connor series, Ellen. As the one I just read was kind of cliffhangerish, I'll probably get to the next for me soon. Looks like you're just ahead of me in the series. The next up for me is Copper River.

After reading Lori's post about using the months in the year before her Thingaversary to gather the requisite books, I figured maybe I should do the same. Going back a couple of months in 2025 I acquired the following:

November

The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
Make (Sneaky) Art by Nisant Jain
Valentine in Montreal by Heather O’Neill
The Armor of Light by Ken Follett
Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths

December

Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
Unnatural Causes by P.D. James
Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson
Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin

So that's 5 in November and 6 in December for a total of 11.

You have me thinking of how many books I have acquired this year, and it's too many , ,perhaps, Meg. I pre- orderd two titles from Blackstone Books in the UK , both that are released in February. Then I have purchased two recipe books ( one for the dog) and I think 4 others this month, though it was my birthday and I had two gift cards Indigo. I must try to do better.

>217 vancouverdeb: It's easy to get carried away buying books. That's the reason I have more than I have room for already. As long as there are places to put them you're doing good, Deborah.

...it is a happy conundrum to have...whether or not, or how, if and when to acquire new-to-us books. :)

>216 Familyhistorian: Make (Sneaky) Art looks good, Meg! I need to spend more time sketching (or, as my mother used to call it, scribbling) and less time on social media.

>212 Familyhistorian: It will be "only" 20 years for me. The extra book would be the "plus one."

>219 LovingLit: Thinking and writing about it is almost as good as actually going out and acquiring new-to-us books!

>220 Storeetllr: The sketching book was a push in that direction for me, Mary. It has been a while. I took some water colour classes a couple of years ago and became interested in urban landscape drawing. I should get back to that.

20 years is an impressive amount of time and a nice round number of years too!

Time for a new thread, I think. It will take me a few minutes before I'm open for business.