LoisB is starting over

I had started the year with a post titled “I’m Baack!”. However, something happened to it and I can no longer see it, so I’m starting over with March reads. I spent my entire career in the IT world and much of it in tech support so you might think that I could solve my own problems. Not so!

My reading tends towards mysteries of all types, historical fiction, and the occasional non-fiction best-seller. I love the TIOLI challenges and fully expect to meet the 75 Books goal.

I will say happy new thread, Lois!

I was able to see the last one no problem.

It was a problem for me. I can’t see it no matter what I try, so it was time to move on.

This is the link to your previous thread if you needed it.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/378084#n9131212

Anyway no reason why you cannot start a new thread whenever you want to! xx

Thank you!

JANUARY 2026 Reads

*1. The Killing Hour Lisa Gardner ***.5 COMPLETED
*2. The Baking Games Rachel Hanna *** COMPLETED
3. Wisteria Wedding Rachel Hanna ***.5 COMPLETED
4. Go as a River Shelley Read *** COMPLETED
*5. Next of Kin Kia Abdullah ***** COMPLETED
*6. Those People Next Door Kia Abdullah *** COMPLETED
*7. Murder at an Irish Bakery Carlene O’Connor *** COMPLETED
*8. Tai Chi and Chai Tea P. D. Workman *** COMPLETED
9. The Shepherd Frederick Forsyth *** COMPLETED

TIOLI
#3. Read a book with a food word in the title - Tai Chi and Chai Tea
#8. Read a book with multiple words in the title, all of which are one syllable - Next of Kin
#11. Read a book connected to your reading intentions for 2026 - Murder at an Irish Bakery
#12. Read a book whose page length is divisible by 26 Wisteria Wedding(234)
#14. Read a book by an author who died in 2025 The Shepherd Frederick Forsyth

February 2026 Reads
Icebreaker A Novel Hannah Grace DNF
10. Singing to the Sun: a novel TIOLI #8 COMPLETED 423p
11. Blade Wendy Walker TIOLI #14 COMPLETED 287p
12. Burial Rites TIOLI #11 COMPLETED 336p
13. Wisteria Winds TIOLI #2 COMPLETED 241p
14. Beneath a Scarlet Sky TIOLI #7 COMPLETED 515p
15. Once There Were Wolves TIOLI #20 COMPLETED 257p
16. I Remember That!: Captivating Stories, Interesting Facts and Fun Trivia for Seniors Bill ‘O’’Neill TIOLI #7 *** COMPLETED
*17. 1222 *** TIOLI #18 COMPLETED 284p
*18 Take it Back: A Novel Kia Abdullah TIOLI #4 COMPLETED 294p
*19. The Brutal Telling Louise Penny TIOLI #10 COMPLETED 374p
*20. Rebecca Daphne DuMaurier The TIOLI #13 COMPLETED 480p

I have to document some coincidences. In February, I read Beneath a Scarlet Sky and loved it. It’s a WW II novel that takes place in Milan. The book’s cover shows the Duomo Cathedral. At the same time, I was watching the Winter Olympics, also taking place in Milan, and regularly showing the Duomo Cathedral. Coincidence #1.

I am now reading State of Terror, a political thriller written by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny. I’m hearing about the US/Israel attack on Iran. Coincidence #2. I fear the similarities.

February 2026 Reads
Icebreaker A Novel Hannah Grace DNF
10. Singing to the Sun: a novel TIOLI #8 COMPLETED 423p
11. Blade Wendy Walker TIOLI #14 COMPLETED 287p
12. Burial Rites TIOLI #11 COMPLETED 336p
13. Wisteria Winds TIOLI #2 COMPLETED 241p
14. Beneath a Scarlet Sky TIOLI #7 COMPLETED 515p
15. Once There Were Wolves TIOLI #20 COMPLETED 257p
16. I Remember That!: Captivating Stories, Interesting Facts and Fun Trivia for Seniors Bill ‘O’’Neill TIOLI #7 *** COMPLETED ***
*17. 1222 *** TIOLI #18 COMPLETED 284p
*18 Take it Back: A Novel Kia Abdullah TIOLI #4 COMPLETED 294p
*19. The Brutal Telling Louise Penny TIOLI #10 COMPLETED 374p
*20. Rebecca Daphne DuMaurier The TIOLI #13 COMPLETED 480p

‘’’State of Terror’’’ Louise Penny Hillary Clinton ***** TIOLI #8

This was one of those books that I could not put down! It is a political thriller about nuclear weapons in the hands of Middle East terrorists working with corrupt US officials. Definitely a good read if your politics lean liberal.

March Reads UPDATED LIST

21. March TIOLI #16 **.5 COMPLETED
22. State of Terror TIOLI #8 ***** COMPLETED
23. Culpability TIOLI #13 ***** COMPLETED
24. What Happens in the Dark ***.5 COMPLETED
25. Hostage **.5 TIOLI #13 COMPLETED
26. Myra Breckinridge TIOLI #12 * COMPLETED
27. Death in East New York ** COMPLETED
28. Murder at an Irish Chipper *** COMPLETED
29. Killing by Numbers TIOLI #17 **.5 COMPLETED
30. Bury Your Dead TIOLI #5 ** COMPLETED

I just finished State of Terror, a ***** read by Hillary Clinton and Louise Perry. It was one of those books that I didn’t want to put down. It deals with nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists and corrupt politicians in our own government. It is particularly relevant given our current international relations.

I also finished MARCH: Book One. It is part of a Trilogy but didn’t have a clear ending. I was a bit disappointed in that, thus my **.5 rating. It was also my first and possibly last, graphic novel. I had intended to pass it onto my 11 year old great granddaughter, but given its’ frequent use of the “n word “ I will need to send it by her parents first.

I also finished Death in East New York. It was a novella written by the father of an LT member.it was a good story but written like a newspaper article rather than a crime thriller. I only gave it ** as it lacked some intrigue.

Sorry you started over, but glad you're here! Here's the link to the previous thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378084#n9134065

It may be that you accidentally clicked to ignore it.

>19 drneutron: you are correct. That is what I did without being aware of it. I was able to go in and unignore it so now I have visibility to it myself. However, I am going to go forward with the “LoisB is starting over” thread.

Just finished What Happens in the Dark, another Kia Abdullah courtroom drama. This story centered on domestic violence. It was not as good as some of her others so I only rated it ***.5 but it had a shocking ending, so definitely worth reading.

I finished Killing by Numbers by M S Morris, a new author to me. Rated it 2.5 stars. I won’t be in a hurry to read the next in the series.

Today, I finished Myra Breckinridge. I HATED this book. I would have Pearl-ruled it, but because it was a shared read, I felt it would be better-served if I stayed with it and rated it only 1*. I didn’t like the writing style - run-on sentences and multi-page paragraphs. I didn’t like the author’s pretentious attitude that most women want to be raped as part of their sexual experience. And, I could not find a character that I liked! The only saving grace was that it did have a happy ending. I do not recommend reading this book.

Finished Culpability, another great ***** read! It’s a fictional look into the world of Artificial Intelligence, and makes you think about how it is impacting our lives today. I’m skeptical about the bombing of the school in Iran and will be looking closely at other events in the future.

Finished Hostage and rated it 2.5 stars. It was suspenseful but ... rather raw. Somehow I think it would appeal to a man more than to a woman.

In honor of St Patrick’s Day, I read Murder at an Irish Chipper, one of a series that I often turn to when I want a sort of cozy mystery. I rated it ***.

Finished Bury Your Dead but only rated it **. I found it difficult to read as it kept switching time periods. I like my stories to start at the beginning and go to the end chronologically. It also switched between multiple investigations (the murder from Brutal Telling, a deep dive into a missing corpse, a search for historic documents, and another murder. The saving grace was the history of Quebec City which I did enjoy.

Welcome back twice, Lois. Ah, the little things we do with technology that we don't see over and over and over. I reset my password at Amazon at least 15 times and couldn't get in. THEN I noticed that for some reason they had my email address from before the local server switched. Much sympathy!

I read a lot of what you read, but I could tolerate L. Penny's sentence fragments for only a couple of books. My politics are actually closer to Elizabeth Warren than anybody else, so I'm intrigued by the Penny/Clinton collaboration. I'm hoping for books that avoid present reality though.
*Scarlet Sky* is calling to me, and I'll likely say yes. Thanks!

I enjoyed Beneath the Scarlet Sky. I think you will enjoy State of Terror too.

April Reads
✅31. Golden Girl TIOLI #23 COMPLETED
✅32. No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality TIOLI #5 COMPLETED
✅33. Charlotte’s Web TIOLI #20 ***** COMPLETED
✅34. The BFG TIOLI #20 ** COMPLETED
✅35. Dear Debbie TIOLI #11 ** COMPLETED
✅36. Stone & Webster, 1889 - 1989: A Century of Integrity & Service TIOLI #4 COMPLETED
✅37. Island: the complete stories TIOLI #14 ** COMPLETED
✅38. If He Finds Us **** COMPLETED
✅39. The Wreck of the Mary Deare TIOLI #9 *** COMPLETED
✅40. What We Find TIOLI #8 COMPLETED
✅41. The Beginner’s Guide to Mah Jongg COMPLETED
✅42. The Great Alone COMPLETED
✅43. The Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg COMPLETED

His & Hers DNF
The Private Lives of the Impressionists
The Ice Harvest TIOLI #22
The White Lady

Finished Golden Girl, the story off Vivi, an author on Nantucket who is hit by a car, goes to the Beyond, and is assigned a Person to help her transition to the afterlife. It was an interesting **** read.

Also finished No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Michael J Fox’s story of living with Parkinson’s disease. His optimism was impressive. It was an interesting story that I rated ***.5.

Finished Charlotte’s Web *****
Finished The BFG **

Charlotte’s Web was everything that you want in a Children’s classic - good story line, interesting characters, good message. The BFG didn’t.

Finished Dear Debbie and only rated it **. I want to like the main character, and if that’s not possible, I want to like one of the subordinate characters. Debbie is a horrible person! I couldn’t find any other character that was prominent and likable. The only saving grace was the surprise ending.

April challenges

Stone & Webster, 1889 - 1989: A Century of Integrity & Service COMPLETED

No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality. COMPLETED

8. What We Find COMPLETED

9. The Wreck of the Mary Deare COMPLETED

11. Dear Debbie Frieda McFadden -COMPLETED

18. Island: The Complete Stories. COMPLETED

20. The BFG. COMPLETED
Charlotte’s Web COMPLETED

23. Golden Girl COMPLETED

24. THE Great Alone COMPLETED

Finished Stone & Webster 1889 - 1989 ***. It was a company where I spent more than 15 years working in IT. It was interesting to read about jobs that I had worked on and people that I worked with.

Finished Island: The Complete Stories, a compilation of short stories by Alistair MacLeod. I was disappointed in the collection as a whole because it was long-winded and didn’t capture Canada for me. I rated it **. I realize that I am looking at it from the “Tourist” perspective and that I have a general dislike for too much descriptive text, so I expect that a true Canadian might feel kindlier than I do. But, for me, it was a chore to read rather than a treat.

Finished If He Finds Us **** . Interesting, in that it was a short psychological thriller. The author managed to create an intriguing thriller in less than 70 pages and achieved a very surprising ending.

Finished The Wreck of the Mary Deare ***. This book went from **** down to *** due to the last 100 pages, which were boring and repetitive. Otherwise it was an interesting murder story, taking place on a commercial ship. Given that my experience on commercial ships is limited to the cruise ship variety, I had difficulty relating to the scene.

Finished What We Find by Robyn Carr. It was a reread of a **** first-in-a-series novel.

Finished rereading The Great Alone, a **** read by Kristen Hannah for my RLBC. It’s a great story about a dysfunctional family living in Alaska.

May Reads

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book with a title which includes JUST ONE four-legged animal or TWO two-legged animals - msg #1
Thunder Dog

2. Read a book by a woman about a woman or women - msg #3
The Vanishing Triangle

✅3. Read a book in which either the author’s name or a character in the book has the name Nancy - msg #4
The Clue in the Antique Trunk

✅4. Read a book that somewhere on the front or back cover states that it is a mystery or a detective story, but from an author you haven’t read in the last 2 years or ever - msg #5
Dead in the Morning . KU

✅5. Read a book that has a Q or a Z in the title or the author's name - msg #8
The Pet Negro System

6. Read a book from a series with 7 or more works (books, novellas, short stories, etc.) - msg #10
A Rule Against Murder Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series

Challenges #7-12

7. Read a book that has the words Dance, Dances, Dancing or Danced in the title - msg #11
The Case of the Dancing Sandwiches Frederick Brown KU

8. Read a book featuring Vikings - msg #12
9. Read a current Hugo finalist or a previous Hugo winner - msg #15
10. Read a book where the author is from or the setting is placed in a state that borders the book above - msg #18

11. Read a book published before the year 2000 - msg #29
Winnie the Pooh A Milne

12. Read a book by an author featured in the 2018 American Authors challenge - msg #45
Sag Harbor Colson Whitehead

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book with a title word or author's name starting with F E R G U S, in that order - msg #49
14. Read a book about a family tragedy - msg #53

15. Read a book with two words that rhyme in the title - msg #55
Creole Dishes and Deadly Wishes: Paranormal Women’s Fiction

16. Read a book that either takes place in Hawai'i or has a word which signifies aloha spirit in the title (love, compassion, peace, and respect, kindness or empathy).
Aloha Means Goodbye

17. - msg #
18. - msg #

Challenges #19-23
19. - msg #
20. - msg #
21. - msg #
22. - msg #
23. - msg #

What my mother hid … Daniel Hurst
The Celebrants Steven Rowley
Dream State

Finishing up April reads:

His & Hers DNF
The beginner’s guide to American Mah Jongg ***

In the past, I have focused on quality reads, not quantity reads. For May, I am changing that focus and am trying to make better use of my Kindle Unlimited subscription. The downside is that I have started several books to meet specific TIOLI challenges and have Pearl-ruled them. The upside is that I have been able to find many books under 300 pages, so this should be an interesting month.

Challenges #1-6
✅44. Thunder Dog *****
✅45. The Vanishing Triangle **
✅46. The Clue in the Antique Trunk ***
✅47. Dead in the Morning ***
✅48. The Pet Negro * Zora Neale Hurston
✅49. A Rule Against Murder (Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series) ****
✅50. The Case of the Dancing Sandwiches
✅11. Read a book published before the year 2000.
Winnie the Pooh
✅12. Read a book by an author featured in the 2018 American Authors challenge. The Colossus of New York (Colson Whitehead) **’
✅15. Read a book with two words that rhyme in the ktitle - msg #55 *
Creole Dishes and Deadly Wishes
✅Aloha means Goodbye: Murder on Maui Mystery ***
20: Read a book set in Republic of Ireland or United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Scotland, England(, Wales)
✅Irish Soda Bread Murder **
No Strangers Here

2026 Q1 Reads

JANUARY 2026 Reads

✅1. The Killing Hour Lisa Gardner ***.5 COMPLETED
✅2. The Baking Games Rachel Hanna *** COMPLETED
✅3. Wisteria Wedding Rachel Hanna ***.5 COMPLETED
✅4. Go as a River Shelley Read *** COMPLETED
✅5. Next of Kin Kia Abdullah ***** COMPLETED
✅6. Those People Next Door Kia Abdullah *** COMPLETED
✅7. Murder at an Irish Bakery Carlene O’Connor *** COMPLETED
✅8. Tai Chi and Chai Tea P. D. Workman *** COMPLETED
✅9. Shepherd Frederick Forsyth *** COMPLETED

February 2026 Reads

✅10. Singing to the Sun: a novel COMPLETED
✅11. Blade Wendy Walker COMPLETED
✅12. Burial Rites Hannah Kent COMPLETED
✅13. Wisteria Winds COMPLETED
✅14. Beneath a Scarlet Sky COMPLETED
✅15. Once There Were Wolves COMPLETED
✅16. I Remember That!: Captivating Stories, Interesting Facts and Fun Trivia for Seniors Bill ‘O’’Neill COMPLETED
✅17. 1222 *** COMPLETED
✅18. Take it Back: A Novel Kia Abdullah COMPLETED
✅19. The Brutal Telling Louise Penny COMPLETED
✅20. Rebecca Daphne DuMaurier COMPLETED

March Reads

✅21. March - COMPLETED
✅22. State of Terror - COMPLETED
✅23. Culpability - COMPLETED
✅24. What Happens in the Dark - COMPLETED
✅25. Hostage - COMPLETED
✅26. Myra Breckinridge - COMPLETED
✅27. Death in East New York - COMPLETED
✅28. Murder at an Irish Chipper - COMPLETED
✅29. Killing by Numbers - COMPLETED
✅30. Bury Your Dead - COMPLETED

2026 Q2 Reads

April Reads
✅31. Stone & Webster, 1889 - 1989: A Century of Integrity & Service COMPLETED
✅32. No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality. COMPLETED
✅33. What We Find COMPLETED
✅34. The Wreck of the Mary Deare - COMPLETED
✅35. Dear Debbie Frieda Mac Fadden - COMPLETED
✅36. Island: The Complete Stories - COMPLETED
✅37. The BFG. COMPLETED
✅38. Charlotte’s Web COMPLETED
✅39. Golden Girl COMPLETED
✅40. THE Great Alone COMPLETED
✅41. Creole Dishes & Deadly Wishes: Twisted Sisters' Midlife Maelstroms * COMPLETED
✅42. The Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg - COMPLETED

May Reads
✅43. Winnie the Pooh #11**
✅44. Thunder Dog *****
✅45. The Vanishing Triangle **
✅46. The Clue in the Antique Trunk ***
✅47. Dead in the Morning ***
✅48. The Pet Negro * Zora Neale Hurston
✅49. A Rule Against Murder (Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series) ****
✅50. The Case of the Dancing Sandwiches**
✅51. The Colossus of New York (Colson Whitehead) **
✅52. Creole Dishes & Deadly Wishes*
✅53. Aloha means Goodbye: Murder on Maui Mystery ***
✅54. Irish Soda Bread Murder**
✅55. Barracoon ** Zora Neale Hurston
✅56. Dream State **
June reads
✅57. Beautiful Country - Qian Julie Wang ****
✅58. Red Mountain: A Novel ***.5
✅59. Rabies Positive: An Animal Doctor's Memoirs ****
✅60. A Breach of Security ****
✅61. The Rainbow ***
✅62. The Five-star Weekend ***
✅63. A Wreath for the Bride **.5
✅64. The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris ****
✅65. THE CRUSADES A History from Beginning to End ***
✅66. America *
✅67. Mary Poppins***
✅68. Braiding Sweetgrass*****
✅69. The Briar Club **

On to June …

The Five-star Weekend *** good read but lacking some local Nantucket color

Rabies Positive **** interesting account of the author’s life as a veterinarian

The Rainbow *** A WW II novel based on a true story

June reads
✅57. Beautiful Country - Qian Julie Wang ****
✅58. Red Mountain: A Novel ***.5
✅59. Rabies Positive: An Animal Doctor's Memoirs ****
✅60. A Breach of Security ****
✅61. The Rainbow ***
✅62. The Five-star Weekend ***
✅63. A Wreath for the Bride **.5
✅64. The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris ****
✅65. THE CRUSADES A History from Beginning to End ***
✅66. America *
✅67. Mary Poppins***
✅68. Braiding Sweetgrass*****
✅69. The Briar Club **

>52 LoisB: Edging steadily to the 75 target - this month or next by the looks.

I also finished Charlotte's Web over the weekend and concur entirely with your view of it at >34 LoisB: .

I finished America by Jean Baudrillard and rated it 1 star! The writing is terrible (long drawn out sentences), the author makes assumptions that are not valid, and he seems to hate America. He has a strong dislike for Los Angeles, former President Reagan, and much that we would consider Americana. Don’t bother reading this book.

Braiding Sweetgrass *****
WOW. The 5 stars says it all. I try to rate on a strict bell curve, so it’s rare that a book gets 5 stars from me. This is a story written by an indigenous SUNY ecology professor that is hard to classify. It deals with ecology, botany, and indigenous spiritual beliefs. It made me rethink some of my science beliefs with respect to nature.

Finished Mary Poppins, the June selection for Kennella, my great granddaughters’ family book club. I had never read the book before and I never saw the movie so it was a bit of a surprise for me. I expected Mary to be more likable.

Finished The Briar Club and rated it 2 **. I’m not a fan of books that jump around in time.

Edited to add: I just attended my book club discussion of this book and have changed my mind. I am updating my rating to *** . It is a good story, I just don’t like the way it was written.

Planned July reads

✔️Hooked: A Thriller t1
✔️The Restoration Garden
Nobody told me t11
✔️Red mountain rising t8
Have You seen Luis Velez? t15
Summer Island kh
✔️The Silent Girl r&i
✔️viaNantucket Nights t16
✔️The breath of Cuba t18

July reads

✅70. The Restoration Garden: A Novel ***
✅71. Hooked ***
✅72. Nantucket Nights ***
✅73. Parsley Sage Rosemary *
✅74. HALF THE CITY ***

✅75. The Silent Girl ***

I did it! 75 and still time for more. I’ve been a bit under the weather for the last few days so I have been able to get a lot of reading done. I am a big fan of the Netflix Rizzoli and Isles series which is based on books written by Tess Gerritsen. This was one of them.

Congrats!

July reads

✅70. The Restoration Garden: A Novel ***
✅71. Hooked ***
✅72. Nantucket Nights ***
✅73. Parsley Sage Rosemary *
✅74. HALF THE CITY ***
✅75. The Silent Girl ***
✅76. The Accident **
✅77. The Breath of Cuba *
✅78. Red Mountain Rising ***
✅79. A Fatal Grace **.5
80. Have You Seen Luis Velez?

Congrats on zipping past the goal!

Just finished A Fatal Grace, an early Inspector Gamache mystery by Louise Penny. As with many things in life, the series improves with age.

Planned reads for August

The Last Mandarin
Bambi
In Her Eyes