April's 2026 Challenge - Everything Old Is New Again, Part 3

Hi, this is April returning for another year of Challenges. I am following the "6" in 2026 with 6 LibraryThing-based challenges and 6 personal ones.

My challenges this year are a combination of old and new challenges. I have 3 perennial KITS that I always participate in: RandomKIT, MysteryKIT, and ScaredyKIT. I am adding 3 new ones to the mix: HomeCAT, DecadeCAT, and Colored CoverKIT.
My 6 personal challenges will be a mix of old and new books.

On a personal note, I am leaving my 6th decade this year (turned 59 in March) and am looking to reframe my reading priorities. I had my first DNF in January and have considered doing this more often. I am finding that I turn more and more towards cozy mysteries and further away from romances.

I am also learning that I enjoy very few classic novels. Due to this, I have decided to remove my unofficial challenge, since I am not motivated to read these books at this time.

The books I read for the LibraryThing challenges cannot be used for other LibraryThing challenges. My personal categories can and most likely will be used as LibraryThing challenges.

HALF YEAR STATS AND NOTES

LibraryThing Challenges - 49% of goals currently met. I am behind on the Colored CoverKIT for June.
RandomKIT 6 of 12 50%
ScaredyKIT 6 of 12 50%
MysteryKIT 6 of 12 50%
HomeCAT 6 of 12 50%
DecadeCAT 6 of 12 50%
Colored CoverKIT 11 of 24 46% - I am reading one book for each half -Color and Cover. Currently reading A Kiss Of Fate for the color portion.

Personal Challenges:
Kindle of Kittens challenge 12 of 24 50%
Unfinished business challenge 16 of 24 -67%
Welcome to my home challenge 26 of 70 37% - keep adding more than I read. Will set a goal for this quarter. UPDATE Goal is to read 2 per month.
Annual Book Bullet challenge 12 of 30 40% -- 2026 Bullets 6 of 12 50%
Will I Ever Finish A Series challenge 12 of 12 100% CHALLENGE FINISHED- I am going to do a round two for this challenge.
Bingo 19 of 25 76%

I have read 113 books so far this year, with the average being ★★★½.
As of June 30th, I have bought 70 books this year and have taken 28 book bullets.

The worst book I read so far this year was I Am A Cat
The best book I read so far this year was My Lucky Life In And Out Of Show Business

I have eliminated my unofficial challenge, since I am not motivated to read the classics and have not enjoyed the ones I have read so far.

RandomKIT hosting October

January (Can You Keep A Secret) - The Secrets Of Dumbledore by JK Rowling
February (Hospitals) - Cross Down by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
March (What's In A Name) - The Strange Case Of Susanna by GH Komali
April (From Queens To Knights) - Lady Beast's Bridegroom by Jude Knight
May (Dance Like No One Is Watching) - One Last Dance by Eileen Goudge
June (Numbers Or Symbols) - Fifteen Postcards by Kirsten McKenzie
July (World War II) - The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

ScaredyKIT hosting September

January (Isolated Location) - Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
February (Ghost Stories) - 13 Alabama Ghosts And Jeffrey by Kathryn Tucker Windham
March (Haunted Houses) - The Librarian Of The Haunted Library by Brian Yansky
April (True Crime) - The Barn by Wright Thompson
May (Reanimation) - Dracula and Frankenstein by Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley
June (Evil Children) - The Boys From Brazil by Ira Levin and Children of the Corn by Stephen King
July (Monsters And Creatures) - Beast Ballerz by Wesley King

MysteryKIT

January (Female Detectives, Amateur Or Professional) - Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
February (Clerical Detectives) - The Silent Spirit by Margaret Coel
March (Nordic Mysteries) - The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
April (Private Eyes) -The Strange Disappearance Of A Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan
May (Hardboiled/Noir) - Joyland by Stephen King
June (Police Procedurals) - The House Of Cross by James Patterson
July (Less Than Lawful) - Leverage: The Con Job by Matt Forbeck

HomeCAT hosting December

January (bathroom) - Quilted Northern 100th Anniversary Bathroom Book by Uncle John's Bathroom Reader
February (living room) - Extra Cheesy Zits by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
March (the attic) - By Familiar Means by Delia James
April (the kitchen) - The Skeleton Takes A Bow by Leigh Perry
May (the front porch) - Cat Trick by Sofie Kelly
June (garden rooms) - The She Shed by Leah Orr
July (the nursery) - Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

DecadeCAT
I have a Children's or Young Adult book on my shelves for every decade, so I will be reading them for this challenge.

January (50s) - A Day At The Zoo by Marion Conger
February (10s) - Grandma Kisses by Laura Neutzling
March (80s) - If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff
April (00s) - Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
May (30s) - The Sword In The Stone by TH White
June (choose your own decade) - The Outsiders by SE Hinton
July (70s) - Basil In Mexico by Eve Titus

Colored CoverKIT
For this challenge, I plan to read 2 books a month, one for the color and one for the cover item.

January- color (orange) - Southern Spirits by Angie Fox
January - cover (something found in a garden) - Tangerines by Tsvi Jolles
February - color (blue) - Curse Of The Dragon Shadow by Selina A Fenech
February - cover (item of clothing) - Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble by HP Mallory
March - color (green) -The Tale Of Cuckoo Brow Wood by Susan Wittig Albert
March - cover (greenery) - Aunt Sally's Gnomes by Dean Jarvis
April - color (yellow) - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstoreby Robin Sloan
April - cover (sun, moon, stars) - When Pigs Fly by Bethany Buttons
May - color (turquoise) -Jackaby by William Ritter
May -cover (jewelry) - Forgotten Memories by Cecilia Agetun
June - color (purple) - A Kiss Of Fate by Mary Jo Putney
June cover (food or drink) - Tea Is For Traitor by Karen Sue Walker
July - color (pink)
July - cover (umbrella) - Deluge: The People That Melt In The Rain #1 by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch and Mike Dubisch

Kindle of Kittens Challenge
For this challenge, I plan on reading the 12 oldest and 12 newest books on my Kindle, as of December 31st, 2025. Books are listed in alphabetical order for my ease in locating them on the Kindle. These are the selections remaining as of July 1st.

Oldest:
Cupcakes, Trinkets, And Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge
Limitless by Jim Kwik
Miss Spelled by Morgana Best
Once Blessed, Thrice Cursed by Coralie Moss
Per-Bast: A Tale Of Cats In Ancient Egypt by Lara-Dawn Stiegler
The Sweet Smell Of Murder by Cindy Bell

Newest:
Bogs, Brews And Banshees by Rowan Dillon
Murder At Sunrise by Holly Finch no touchstone is correct
Murder Most Pemberley by Jessica Berg
Murder Mystery Book Club by Danielle Collins
Take Me Back To Yesterday by Jasmine Little
Wrighting Old Wrongs by Maria Grace

Unfinished Business Challenge
This is a list of the remaining books planned for challenges in 2025 that I did not make it through as of July 1st. The goal is to read 2 per month.

ALEX CROSS SERIES (in order)
Return Of The Spider
GIFTS AND THINGAVERSARY BOOKS
Beasts Of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
Cat About Town by Cate Conte
Chicken Soup For The Soul: What I Learned From My Cat by Amy Newmark
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Fable by Adrienne Young
Heist Society by Ally Carter
How Witchcraft Saved My Life by Vincent Higginbotham
Janis: Her Life And Music by Holly George Warren
Lending A Paw by Laurie Cass
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Crime That Binds by Laurie Cass
The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
What The Cat Saw by Carolyn Hart
Wolves Of The Beyond: Lone Wolf by Kathryn Lasky
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Beast by Brie Spangler
Beastly by Alex Finn
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
Once Upon A Time by Irene B Brand
The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross
SHELVES
I Am Spock by Leonard Nimoy
Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly
Lily White by Susan Isaacs
Prime Evil by Douglas E Winter
The Autobiography Of Henry VIII by Margaret George
The Beach House by James Patterson
The Black Book by James Patterson
The Chef by James Patterson
The Christmas Secret by Donna VanLiere
The Life And Writings Of Abraham Lincoln by Philip Van Doren Stern
Thurber On Crime by James Thurber
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Welcome To My Home Challenge
This is for all books brought home in 2026. This includes all physical purchases and gifts. I will list the Library Sale books as they accumulate. These are the unread books as of July 1st. Goal is to read 2 per month.

Christmas
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Finders Keepers Library by Annie Rains
The Tales Behind Tarot by Alison Davies
Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries And Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed

First Quarter impulse buys
Bats Sing, Mice Giggle by Karen Shanor
Days of Gold by Jude Deveraux
The Letter by Richard Paul Evans
The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate
Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans

Second Quarter impulse buys
Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis
The Dead of the Day by Steven E Wedel
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
Turn It Up Trivia Super Fan Edition: Bon Jovi #1 by Brad Groghan unexpected gift from Mom

OKC Library Sale
Beauty And The Beast by Barbara Hambly
Blackthorn's Protection Magic by Amy Blackthorn
Cajun Justice by James Patterson
Crystal Clear by Jaya Saxena
Fur Love or Money by Sofie Ryan
Gwendy's Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar
Hollywood Obscura by Brian Clune
Lizzie by Dawn Ius
Mort by Terry Pratchett
Noel Street by Richard Paul Evans
On Secret Service by John Jakes
Reading Tea Leaves by A Highland Seer
Scaredy Cat by Sofie Ryan
Six Cats A Slayin' by Miranda James
The Fairies Of Nutfolk Wood by Barb Bentler Ullman
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter by Sharyn McCrumb
The Master Of Blacktower by Barbara Michaels
The Secrets Of Lizzie Borden by Brandy Purdy
The Tao Of Pooh by Benjamin Huff
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader by The Bathroom Reader's Institute

Birthday
Cross And Sampson by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
The World Of Peter Rabbit boxed set by Beatrix Potter

Thingaversary
Gone With The Witch by Angela M Sanders
One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake
Secrets of the Gnomes by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet
The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith
Wellness For Cats by Annabelle Valentin
What The Fact?! by Gabe Henry
Winnie The Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner by AA Milne

Early Review wins
Beast Ballerz by Wesley King (May 2026 win, received in June) read in July

Annual Book Bullet Challenge
Once again, I have created a challenge for my Book Bullets. I am starting the year with 134 recommendations from 30 LTers. @JayneCM leads the way with 15 bullets taken.
I have 10 bullets from one-time contributors and hope to read all 10. I also hope to read an additional 20 others (1 from each contributor).

1. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - from @VivienneR
2. A Magic Steeped In Poison by Judy I Lin from @krys_reads
3. The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander from @staci426
4. Steeped In Suspicion by Eryn Scott from @MissBrangwen
5. My Lucky Life In And Out Of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke from @cbl_tn
6. The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley from @Charon07
7. I Am A Cat by Natsume Soseki from @NinieB DNF
8. Don't Point That Thing At Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli from @mstrust
9. Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill from @whitewavedarling
10. Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell from @Zozette
11. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio from @RidgewayGirl
12. A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J Maas from @scaifea
13. The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell from @majkia

2026 Bullets I hope to read at least one a month, beginning with the first bullet taken.
First bullet of the year goes to @mstrust.
1. You Are The Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson from @mstrust The First Bullet of the Year
2. Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire from @GraceCollection
3. Purgatory Funeral Cakes by Sanyo from @nerdytheorist
4. Waxing On: The Karate Kid And Me by Ralph Macchio from @LibraryCin
5. The Barn by Wright Thompson from @susanna.fraser
6. No Cats In The Library by Lauren Emmons from @thornton37814
7. Magic, Lies And Deadly Pies by Misha Popp from @scaifea
8. The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders from @JayneCM

Will I Ever Finish A Series Challenge
This challenge is for the many, many series I am reading. I finished this challenge in June.
CHALLENGE FINISHED
1. Cat Massage Therapy, Vol. 3 by Haru Hisakawa series finished
2. A Man And His Cat 06 by Umi Sakurai
3. I Ate The Sheriff by K Bennett series finished
4. The Tale Of Cuckoo Brow Wood by Susan Wittig Albert
5. By Familiar Means by Delia James
6. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - will not continue this series
7. The Strange Disappearance Of A Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan
8. A Man And His Cat 07 by Umi Sakurai
9. Cat Trick by Sofie Kelly
10. Netherfield: Rogue Dragon by Maria Grace
11. Tea Is For Traitor by Karen Sue Walker
12. An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong currently caught up with series
13. The Tea Dragon Festival by K O'Neill

I am going for round two of reading my series. I hope to finish or catch up on at least 3 series.

2. The Malleus Maleficarum by Henrich Kramer and James Sprenger - witches and heresy
4. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson, who died in 2004
5. Tangerines
6. Lady Beast's Bridegroom by Jude Knight -retelling of Beauty & The Beast
7. Topsy's Big Escape
8. Every Heart A Doorway - 2017 Hugo
9. I Ate The Sheriff - end of the series and end of the theme of the series
10. A Day At The Zoo - published in 1950
11. Alice Feeney- read Daisy Darker
12. The Green Mile: Two Dead Girls
13. January RandomKIT - The Secrets Of Dumbledore
14. Mur, The Kitty-Knight
15. Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type
16. Joyland
17. A Magic Steeped In Poison - Judy I Lin's debut
18. Impossible Creatures - "It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him."
23. A Man and his Cat 07 - Japanese manga
24. Fifty Poems of Emily Dickinson
25. Dracula and Frankenstein by Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley

JULY
HAPPY 250TH BIRTHDAY AMERICA

Impulse reads this month
1. Cat Naps by Sellers Publishing
2. Love Life by Rob Lowe

Happy new thread, April. And happy 250th too! I share America's birthday, but I'm not as old. :)

Happy New Thread, April!

>17 VivienneR: Thank you, Vivienne. Happy Birthday to you.
>18 MissWatson: Thank you, Birgit

114. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown ★★★★★


In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room—to the picture of the three little bears sitting on chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one—the little bunny says goodnight. One of the most beloved books of all time, Goodnight Moon is a must for every bookshelf and a time-honored gift for baby showers and other special events.

I do not know how this book escaped my reading pile for so many years. I have never read it at all. This very beautiful book has fabulous illustrations by Clement Hurd depicting the perfect nursery and bedtime book. Although I did have to add "Goodnight Little One" to my reading.

I read this book for >6 lowelibrary: HomeCAT

115. Deluge: The People That Melt In The Rain #1 by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch and Mike Dubisch ★★★


12-year-old Laura was just a normal girl from Seattle when her mother decided to move to a mysterious town in the Midwest. The moment they arrive at their new home, hundreds of frogs rain from the sky. Her quirky new neighbor has a house full of knickknacks and odd tiny creatures beckoning from the shadows, and there's a terrible curse on the town that makes every summer storm a life-threatening event. Welcome to the town of Deluge.

I downloaded this free Kindle because of the umbrella on the cover. It is a cute story for pre-teens with very colorful graphics. It reminded me of the old show, Eerie Indiana. I did dislike that it ended in a cliffhanger, but I was not interested enough to continue.

I read this book for the cover portion of >8 lowelibrary: Colored CoverKIT

>20 lowelibrary: Our family loved that book!

>22 Tess_W: I can understand why. Wish I had discovered it sooner.

116. Beast Ballerz by Wesley King ★★★★


When eleven-year-old Baxter Brooks wakes up one morning with a sweet beard, he's pumped. How many fifth graders get to sport cheek mittens in math class? It's pretty much the greatest day of his life. What he first assumes is insta-puberty, escalates rapidly. He grows fangs, people scream, he almost gives a cat a heart attack. It's a total mess. When Bax gives his whole school a were-scare during a play, he's shuttled off to an academy for misfit monsters and into the zany world of beast ball. But if Bax wants to lead the long-suffering Pugs to triumph and solve the mystery of the Extremely Inconvenient Phantom, he'll have to learn to embrace his hairy werewolf alter ego. Yes, even the ankle scarves. Welcome to Prodigium Academy, where Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Hotel Transylvania in this middle-grade series featuring ludicrous artwork, loads of humor and a monster-sized heart.

I won this book in the May Early Reviewers group and listed it in the >11 lowelibrary: Welcome To My House Challenge. I am also counting the book for my >4 lowelibrary: ScaredyKIT read.

117. Magic, Lies And Deadly Pies by Misha Popp ★★★★


The first time Daisy Ellery killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. Now, it’s her calling. Daisy bakes sweet vengeance into her pastries, which she and her dog, Zoe, deliver to the men who’ve done dirty deeds to the town’s women. But if she can’t solve the one crime that’s not of her own baking, she’ll be out of the pie pan and into the oven. Parking her Pies Before Guys mobile bakery van outside the local diner, Daisy is informed by Frank, the crusty diner owner, that someone’s been prowling around the van—and not just to inhale the delectable aroma. Already on thin icing with Frank, she finds a letter on her door, threatening to reveal her unsavory secret sideline of pie à la murder. Blackmail? But who whipped up this half-baked plot to cut a slice out of Daisy’s business? Purple-haired campus do-gooder Melly? Noel, the tender—if flaky—farm boy? Or one of the abusive men who prefer their pie without a deadly scoop of payback? The upcoming statewide pie contest could be Daisy’s big chance to help wronged women everywhere…if she doesn’t meet a sticky end first. Because Daisy knows the blackmailer won’t stop until her business is in crumbles.

A quick, intriguing read. I had no idea where this story was going and was all in. Although I feel the ending could have been better, I am invested in the characters enough to read the next in the series.

This book was a 2026 bullet from @scaifea and read for my >12 lowelibrary: Annual Book Bullet challenge.

118. The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders ★★★★★


Welcome to the most magical house in London. The family of eleven-year-old twins Oz and Lily have inherited it, together with the mysterious shop downstairs. Long ago, the shop's famous chocolate-makers, who also happen to be Oz and Lily's great-uncles, were clever sorcerers. Now evil villains are hunting for the secret of their greatest recipe. The terrifying powers of this magic chocolate have the ability to destroy the world. Soon, Oz and Lily are swept into a thrilling battle, helped by an invisible cat, a talking rat, and the ghost of an elephant. It's up to them to stop the villains and keep the magical chocolate recipe out of harm's way. Their family and the world depend on it.

I have not laughed and giggled throughout a book in a long time. I kept returning to the book at every opportunity and finished it in 2 days. Great characters, great situations, and magically believable solutions. I did not feel that this was a children's book at all.

This book was a 2026 bullet from @JayneCM and read for my >12 lowelibrary: lowelibrary: Annual Book Bullet challenge.

119. Leverage: The Con Job by Matt Forbeck ★★★½


When a disreputable dealer starts swindling aged and ailing comic-book creators out of their wealth—and their high-value comics and artwork—the daughter of one victim comes to ex-insurance investigator Nathan Ford and his team of counter-crooks for help. Their scheme: run a con at the Comic-Con International, where the crook intends to sell the goods. But there’s more going on than simple theft. An arson plot is in motion that will not only destroy countless rare collectibles, but may end up costing lives. With time short, the team must take down a ruthless mark whose true motives have yet to be revealed.

Fans of the series will enjoy this caper. The book leaves out a lot of background detail for those not familiar with the characters. I loved the idea of Hardison and his arch-enemy Cha0s at San Diego Comic Con. The book is true to the style of the series, although some of the nuance is lost in the book format.

I read this book for >5 lowelibrary: MysteryKIT because "Sometimes Bad Guys are the only Good Guys You Get."

120. A Kiss Of Fate by Mary Jo Putney ★★½


Laird of an ancient, powerful Scottish clan, Duncan Macrae is committed to ending the ceaseless strife between Scotland and England. But he also has other, secret powers—those of a Guardian, humans with mystical abilities to control nature’s forces and see into the hearts of others. And from the moment he encounters the young and independent English widow Gwyneth Owens, his fiery spirit is irrevocably drawn to claim her as his own—a passion that will not only set his loyalty to his land against his sworn Guardian vows, but will also threaten everything he cherishes most. Though Gwynne’s father was a Guardian, she believes that she has inherited only her mother’s beauty, not her father’s power. Then one kiss from the dangerously alluring Laird of the Macraes ignites a hunger that shakes her to her soul—and reveals visions of a looming catastrophe that threatens England and Scotland both. Only by becoming Duncan’s wife, and ultimately betraying the man she loves, can she avert disaster. As destiny and two mighty nations clash, Gwynne and Duncan must push their powers and passions beyond the most forbidden limits if they are to save their love—and secure the future.

This historical fiction spent more pages having sex than accomplishing anything else. I kept setting it aside and reading something else.

I read this book for the June >8 lowelibrary: Colored CoverKIT

121. The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell ★★★★


"He thinks he's a wizard," they said. For five grand a month and a million-dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn't care how crazy the old geezer was. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year. They didn't tell him about the pixies.

This was an interesting read. I was unsure which direction the book was taking, and that was good because it kept changing. I have already picked up the sequel and have begun reading it.

This was a book bullet from @majkia and read for my >12 lowelibrary: Annual Book Bullet Challenge

122. Cat Naps by Sellers Publishing ★★★★


Cat Naps: The Key to Contentment is filled with over 50 color photographs and 112 pages of rest and repose. This book proves that every cat is a master when it comes to the art of relaxation with great quotations and excerpts that illustrate the value of slowing down and catching your breath.

3 stars for the common quotes about resting and sleep. 5 stars for the photos of kittens and cats sleeping.

This was an impulse read when I discovered it lying on my bookshelf and listed in >16 lowelibrary:

123. Love Life by Rob Lowe ★★★★½


Actor, producer, and New York Times bestselling author Rob Lowe offers up a collection of personal stories in an honest and celebratory memoir about men and women, art and commerce, fathers and sons, addiction and recovery, and sex and love. When Rob Lowe’s first book was published in 2011, he received the kind of rapturous reviews that writers dream of and rocketed to the top of the bestseller list. Now, in Love Life, he expands his scope, using stories and observations from his life in a poignant and humorous series of true tales about men and women, art and commerce, fathers and sons, addiction and recovery, and sex and love.
Throughout this entertaining book, you will find yourself in the presence of a master raconteur, a multi-talented performer whose love for life is as intriguing as his love life.

Each chapter is a different story told with honesty and candor. Some moments bordered on TMI, but all entertained. Listening to Rob tell these tales added to the entertainment factor. Rob Lowe fans will love this glimpse into his life. I could stare at this cover all day.

This was an impulse listen and is listed in >16 lowelibrary:

124. Basil In Mexico by Eve Titus ★★★½


Basil—the famous sleuth of mousedom—has learned a great deal living in Sherlock Holmes’s cellar. Now, his sleuthing skills are being put to the test on a wild trip to Mexico! First, mousedom becomes frantic as mice are cracking their teeth on phony cheese made of concrete. Can he find a way to stop whoever is making the counterfeit cheese? Then, he must ferret out the truth when a beloved masterpiece—the Mousa Lisa—goes missing. And finally, Basil must track down the culprit when Dr. Dawson, Basil’s faithful friend and companion, is mousenapped! In each of these daring adventures, Basil proves himself to be a true disciple of his hero, Sherlock Holmes!

This is a cute book with some serious dad jokes and puns included. However, because it is written for younger kids, it sticks to the facts and skips unnecessary information that you are used to in a mystery.

I read this book for >7 lowelibrary: DecadeCAT

125. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris ★★★★


In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to survive the camp somehow and marry her. A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an unforgettable work of historical fiction and a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

This book is hard to describe my feelings while reading it. The tale would be unbelievable if it weren't a true story. We do not often get tales from those who assisted the Nazis to survive.

I read this book for >3 lowelibrary: RandomKIT