staci426's 2019 Challenge of Categories

Hi everyone! I am Staci, a 40-something state employee from the Jersey Shore. I live with a bunch of cats and an ex-boyfriend. I have been a member of the group for several years now. I am not the most active person around here and like always, have high hopes for participating more this year. I am legally blind, so do most of my reading via audiobooks. I can still read print, but it takes a very long time for me to finish an actual paper book, a little less long to finish an eBook. I’ve finally come to the realization that I am never going to be able to read all of the physical books that I own, about 200 unread, so have started looking for electronic editions of them.

My reading tastes are pretty varied, I read a little bit of everything except romance. My favorite genres are fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction and mystery. I have been slowly making my way through the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I have finished 239 so far. I am also working on the bibliographies, in publication order, of Agatha Christie, Terry Pratchett and Stephen King. I made good progress on the numerous series I’ve been working on last year, and hope to continue with that again this year.

I’m going to try something a little different for me with my categories this year. I’ve always struggled to figure out which category to put a book in if it worked for more than one of them, so this year, I will put the book in every category it fits. I have 12 categories and I’m not going to aim for specific numbers in each. I should read at least 100 books this year, probably more. I will also be participating in the various CATS, KITS and DOG. I haven’t been able to come up with a theme, so will maybe come back later and add cute pictures of my cats to each thread :)

I find it easier to reference a running list of my books read for the year, so will keep that here.

JANUARY
1. Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon, sci fi/horror 3.5*
2. Snow White and Other Stories by The Brothers Grimm, fairy tales 3.5*
3. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, spec fic/horror 4*
4. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, historical mystery 4*
5. Quicksand by Nella Larsen, fiction 3.5*
6. Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis, mystery 3.5*
7. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, science fiction 4*
8. The Spies That Bind by Ally Carter, YA 3.5*
9. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, psychological thriller 3.5*
10. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman, non-fiction 3.5*
11. Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund, historical fiction 3.5*
12. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, fantasy 3.5*
13. Intensity by Dean Koontz, thriller 4.5*
14. Maskerade by Terry Pratchett, fantasy 3.5*
15. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino, mystery 3.75*
16. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, science fiction 4*
17. Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor, science fiction 4*
18. Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor, science fiction 4*
FEBRUARY
19. Feedback by Mira Grant, zombies 3.5*
20. Ageless Vegan by Tracye McQuirter, non-fiction 3.5*
21. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, YA fantasy 3*
22. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, fiction 3.5*
23. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, Children's fiction 3.5*
24. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket, Children's fiction 3.5*
25. Oronoko by Aphra Behn, classics 3.75*
26. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket 3.25*
27. The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy, fiction 4*
28. Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners by Therese Oneill, non-fiction 3.5*
29. The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke, urban fantasy 4*
30. Enduring Love by Ian McEwan, fiction 3.5*
31. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, sci fi 3*
32. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, short stories 3.75*
33. Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey, fantasy 4*
34. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson, fantasy 4*
35. A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz, memoir 3.25*
MARCH
36. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie, mystery 3.25*
37. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, YA apocalyptic 3.75*
38. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mystery 3.5
39. The Test by Sylvain Neuvel, dystopia 4*
40. TheYiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon, mystery 3.5*
41. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 edited by John Joseph Adams, short stories 3.5*
42. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett, fantasy 4*
43. After the Coup by John Scalzi, sci fi short story 3.5*
44. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny, mystery 3.5*
45. Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station by Dorothy Gilman, mystery 3.5*
46. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire, urban fantasy 3.5*
47. My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen, mystery 3.5*
APRIL
48. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, fiction 3.5*
49. The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, fantasy 3.5*
50. Sex from Scratch: Making Your Own Relationship Rules by Sarah Mirk, non-fiction 3*
51. Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick, non-fiction 3.5*
52. The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis, historical mystery 3.25*
MAY
53. Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming, spy 3*
54. The 3-Day Effect by Florence Williams, non-fiction 4*
55. Great Minds of the Medieval World by Dorsey Armstrong, history 3.5*
56. How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy by Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, non-fiction 3*
JUNE
57. Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey, science fiction 4*
58. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie, mystery 3.5*
59. Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke, alternate history/fantasy 4*
60. Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel, science fiction 3.5*
61. Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri, mystery 3.5*
JULY
62. Abundance Now by Lisa Nichols, non-fiction 4*
63. The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner, historical fantasy 4*
August
64. It's Not What it Looks Like by Molly Burke, memoir 4.5*
65. A Grown-up Guide to Dinosaurs by Ben Garrod, non-fiction 4*
66. Warriors, Queens and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women Before 1400 by Joyce E. Salisbury, non-fiction 4*
67. Food: A Culinary Cultural History by Ken Albala, non-fiction 4*
68. The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia, science fiction 3.5*
69. Exile by R. A. Salvatore, fantasy 4*
70. Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore, fantasy 4*
71. The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore, fantasy 3.5*
72. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo, mystery 3*
73. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, fiction 3.5*
74. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch, urban fantasy 4*
75. Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore, fantasy 3.5*
SEPTEMBER
76. The Halfling's Gem by R. A. Salvatore, fantasy 3.5*
77. M is For Malice by Sue Grafton, mystery 3.5*
78. Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock, fantasy 3.5*
79. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, fantasy 3.5*
80. Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha by Dorothy Gilman, mystery 4*
81. The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch, post-apocalyptic 3.5*
82. The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett, mystery 3.5*
OCTOBER
83. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, fiction 4*
84. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, thriller 4*
85. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter, supernatural mystery 4*
86. The Sisters by Dervla McTiernan, mystery 3.5*
87. The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey by James Lecesne, drama 4.5*
88. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey, mystery 4*
89. The Good House by Tananarive Due, horror 3.5*
90. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick, fiction 5*
91. A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie 3.5*
92. The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire, urban fantasy 3.5*
93. Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark by Stephanie K. Smith, fantasy 4*
94. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, horror 4*
NOVEMBER
95. Squire by Tamora Pierce, fantasy 4*
96. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, sci fi 5*
97. The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen, historical fiction 3.5*
98. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski, fantasy 3.5*
99. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch, urban fantasy mystery 3.5*
100. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo, historical fiction 3.5*
101. Find Another Dream by Maysoon Zayid, memoir 4*
102. Mountain Son by James Dommek, Jr., true crime 4*
103. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, classics/horror 3.5*
DECEMBER
104. Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scotoline, mystery 3.5*
105. Soulless by Gail Carriger, steampunk 4*
105. Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin, sci fi 4*
106. You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles, sci fi 3.5*
107. Summer Frost by Blake Crouch, sci fi 4*
108. Ark by Veronica Roth, sci fi 4*
109. The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay, sci fi 3.75*
110. Randomize by Andy Weir, sci fi 3*
111. Buried Deep by Margot Hunt, mystery 3*
112. Mary of Nazareth by Marek Halter, historical fiction 3.5*
113. A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott, fiction 3.5*
114. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, fiction 4*
115. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley, fiction 3.5*

1. Speculative Fiction
This is one of my g-to genres when I'm looking for a comfort read. I read nothing but fantasy for over 10 years and then slowly started branching out to other genres. There are so many different sub-genres within this area sometimes with blurred lines on what it actually is. So I will just dump them all into this general one.

1. Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon, 3.5*
2. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer 4*
3. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel 4*
4. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb 3.5*
5. Maskerade by Terry Pratchett 3.5*
7. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor 4*
8. Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor 4*
9. Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor 4*
10. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 3*
11. The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke 4*
12. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 3*
13. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado 3.75*
14. Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey 4*
15. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson 4*
16. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff 3.75*
17. The Test by Sylvain Neuvel 4*
18. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon 3.5*
19. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 edited by John Joseph Adams 3.5*
20. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett 4*
21. After the Coup by John Scalzi 3.5*
22. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire 3.5*
23. City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty 3.5*
24. Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey 4*
25. Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke 4*
26. The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner 4*
27. The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia 3.5*
28. Exile by R. A. Salvatore 4*
29. Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore 4*
30. The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore 3.5*
31. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch 4*
32. Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore, fantasy 3.5*
33. The Halfling's Gem by R. A. Salvatore 3.5*
34. Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock 3.5*
35. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley 3.5*
36. The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch 3.5*
Sweet Silver Blues byGlen Cook
37. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter 4*
38. The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire 3.5*
39. Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark by Stephanie K. Smith 4*
40. Squire by Tamora Pierce 4*
41. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal 5*
42. The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen 3.5*
43. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski 3.5*
44. Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch 3.5*
45. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo 3.5*
46. Soulless by Gail Carriger 4*
47. The Forward Collection curated by Blake Crouch, 105-110 in post 2, 4*

2. Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Another favorite genre of mine. I have multiple mystery series I've been working on and hope to make more progress on this year.

1. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, 4*
2. Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis 3.5*
3. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith 3.5*
4. The Spies That Bind by Ally Carter 3.5*
5. Intensity by Dean Koontz 4.5*
6. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino 3.75*
7. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket 3.5*
8. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket 3.5*
9. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket 3.5*
10. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie 3.25*
11. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 3.5*
12. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon 3.5*
13. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett 4*
14. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny 3.5*
15. Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station by Dorothy Gilman 3.5*
16.Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire 3.5*
17. My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen 3.5*
18. The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis 3.25*
19. Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming 3*
20. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie 3.5*
21. Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri 3.5*
22. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo 3*
23. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite 3.5*
24. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch 4*
25. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton 3.5*
26. Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha by Dorothy Gilman 4*
27. The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett 3.5*
28. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 4*
29. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter 4*
30. The Sisters by Dervla McTiernan 3.5*
31. The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey by James Lecesne 4.5*
32. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey 4*
33. A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
34. Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch 3.5*
35. Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scotoline 3.5*
36. Buried Deep by Margot Hunt 3*

3. Historical Fiction
This was the first genre I looked into when I decided to branch out from fantasy, and found myself quickly hooked. I feel like I didn't read much of it last year, so decided to make it a category for this year.

1. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, 4*
2. Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund 3.5*
3. The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis 3.25*
4. The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner 4*
5. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter 4*
6. The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen 3.5*
7. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo 3.5*
8. Soulless by Gail Carriger 4*
9. Mary of Nazareth by Marek Halter 3.5*

4. Horror
I hope to get to more of Stephen King this year. I feel like I did not make much progress there last year. I am also always looking for new authors in this genre.

1. Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon, 3.5*
2. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer 4*
3. Feedback by Mira Grant 3.5*
4. The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke 4*
5. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado 3.75*
6. Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke
7. The Good House by Tananarive Due 3.5*
8. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty 4*
9. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith 3.5*

5. Non-Fiction
I enjoy several different areas in non-fiction: histories, memoirs, health & nutrition related. I've also recently discovered The Great Courses series of lectures and hope to read more of those this year.

1. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman 3.5*
2. Ageless Vegan by Tracye McQuirter 3.5*
3. Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners by Therese Oneill 3.5*
4. A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz 3.25
5. Sex from Scratch: Making Your Own Relationship Rules by Sarah Mirk 3*
6. Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick 3.5*
7. Great Minds of the Medieval World by Dorsey Armstrong 3.5*
8. The 3-Day Effect by Florence Williams 4*
9. How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy by Kimberlee Bethany Bonura 3*
10. The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works by Robert Greenberg 3.5*
11. Abundance Now by Lisa Nichols 4*
12. It's Not What it Looks Like by Molly Burke 4.5*
13. A Grown-up Guide to Dinosaurs by Ben Garrod 4*
14. Warriors, Queens and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women Before 1400 by Joyce E. Salisbury 4*
15. Food: A Culinary Cultural History by Ken Albala 4*
16. Find Another Dream by Maysoon Zayid 4*
17. Mountain Son by James Dommek, Jr. 4*

6. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
I have been slowly making my way through this list since 2007. I've discovered some great books I never would have read if not for the list, so will keep plugging away at it. I would love to make it to 300 this year, but that is probably unlikely with all of the other books I want to read as well.

240. Quicksand by Nella Larsen 3.5*
241. The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead, DNF
242. If on a Winter's Night, a Traveler by Italo Calvino 3.5*
243. Oronoko by Aphra Behn 3.75*
244. Enduring Love by Ian McEwan 3.5*
245. A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz 3.25
246. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 3.5*
247. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym 4*
248. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto 4*

7. Around the World
This will be books set anywhere outside of the United States and books in translation. I would also like to read at least one book in French, the only other language in which I can read, this year. I'm working on trying to read at least one book set in, or by an author from every country of the world. I need to figure out how to do one of those maps that I've seen on other threads.

1. Snow White and Other Stories by The Brothers Grimm, 3.5*, translated from the German
2. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, translated from German, 4*
3. Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis, Denmark & Ukraine, 3.5*
4. Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund, France 3.5*
5. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino, Japan 3.75*
6. If on a Winter's Night, a Traveler by Italo Calvino, Italy 3.5*
7. Oronoko by Aphra Behn, Africa, Surinam 3.75*
8. The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy, French 4*
9. The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke, England 4*
10. Enduring Love by Ian McEwan, England 3.5*
11. A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz, Israel 3.25
12. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie, England 3.25*
13. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, England 3.5*
14. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, England 3.75*
15. The Test by Sylvain Neuvel, England 4*
16. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny, Quebec 3.5*
17. Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station by Dorothy Gilman, China 3.5*
18. My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen, Finland 3.5*
19. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, Italy 3.5*
20. The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis, Rome 3.25*
21. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie, England 3.5*
22. Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke, England 4*
23. The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner, Ukraine 4*
24 Warriors, Queens and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women Before 1400 by Joyce E. Salisbury, many countries other than the US 4*
25. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo, Norway & Thailand 3*
26. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, Nigeria 3.5*
27. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch, London 4*
28. Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha by Dorothy Gilman, Hong Kong 4*
29. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, England 4*
30. The Sisters by Dervla McTiernan, Ireland 3.5*
31. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey, Ghana 4*
32. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick, England 5*
33. A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie, somewhere in the Caribbean 4*
34. The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen, Mongolia 3.5*
35. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski, Polish 3.5*
36. Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch, London 3.5*
37. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo, Malaya 3.5*
38. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, England 3.5*
39. Soulless by Gail Carriger, England 4*
40. Mary of Nazareth by Marek Halter, Ancient Israel, 3.5*
41. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, Japan 4*

8. Animals
I wanted to have some more fun, less serious categories this year, so picked animals as one. This will be books about animals, with pictures of animals on the cover, or an animal in the title or authors name.

1. Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis 3.5*
2. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 3*
3. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
4. The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner 4*
5. A Grown-up Guide to Dinosaurs by Ben Garrod 4*
6. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo 3*
7. The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen 3.5*

9. Food
Another fun category. This will be anything relating to food: the story itself, the tile, author or cover. Also books related to diet and nutrition as I'm hoping to get into better health this year.

1. Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook.
2. Ageless Vegan by Tracye McQuirter 3.5*
3. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket 3.5*
4. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
5. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
6. Food: A Culinary Cultural History by Ken Albala 4*
7. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

10. The Arts
This will include books related to performing and visual arts such as painting, acting, sculpting, dance, etc. I will also include plays and graphic novels here.

1. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman 3.5*
2. Maskerade by Terry Pratchett 3.5*
3. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino 3.75*
4. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket 3.5*
5. The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy 4*
6. The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works by Robert Greenberg 3.5*
7. The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey by James Lecesne 4.5*
8. Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch 3.5*
Watchmen by Alan Moore

11. Off the Shelf
Like I mentioned in my first post, I know I will never be able to read all of my physical books with the deteriorating state of my vision. It has been getting harder and harder over the years for me to read actual books. So I've been hunting down electronic (preferably audio) versions of all of the books that I own, starting with what I can get free from the library. I have been able to find quite a few, so will try to get as many read this year as I can. So, the edition I'm reading might not physically come from my shelf, but if there is a copy sitting on my shelf, it will count here. I will not include audio or eBooks that I already own here.

1. Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook, purchased 11/13/07
2. Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund, purchased 2/1/08 3.5*
3. Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey, purchased 8/30/09 4*
4. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon, purchased 3/14/09 3.5*
5. Exile by R. A. Salvatore 4*, reread of a book purchased over 20 years ago
6. Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore 4*, reread of a book purchased over 20 years ago
7. The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore 3.5*, rereaed of a book purchased over 20 years ago
8. Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore 3.5*, reread of a book purchased over 20 years ago
9. The Halfling's Gem by R. A. Salvatore, reread of a book purchased over 20 years ago
10. Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock, purchased omnibus containing books 1-3 on 11/7/09
11. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley 3.5* purchased before 2005
12. The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett, purchased 8/20/11 3.5*
13. Squire by Tamora Pierce, purchased omnibus of the series 2/8/11 4*
Sepulchre by Kate Mosse purchased 6/11/10 - DNF

12. Everything Else
And one final category just in case I can't manage to fit something into one of the others. I will also track the books I did not finish here.

1. A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott 3.5*
2.
3.

Did Not Finish
1. The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead
2. Company of Liars byKaren Maitland
3. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
4. Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
5. The Religion by Tim Willocks
6. The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman
7. Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

RandomCAT

JANUARY: Your Name in Print
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, Barbara
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, Eva
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead

FEBRUARY: Let's Take a Break
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, the travel between the two countries
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy
Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey, Moirin leaves her home and travels across the world to fulfill her destiny

MARCH: Brexit: read something set in the EU
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie, England
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, England
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, England
The Test by Sylvain Neuvel, England
My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen, Finland

APRIL: Tournament of Books

MAY: I Could Have Danced All Night

JUNE: Pick a Card

JULY

AUGUST: Back to School
Warriors, Queens and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women Before 1400 by Joyce E. Salisbury, history was a favorite subject

SEPTEMBER: Equinox

OCTOBER: Inspired by something else
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

NOVEMBER:Childhood Memories

DECEMBER: D.E.C.E.M.B.E.R.
Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scotoline
Buried Deep by Margot Hunt
Mary of Nazareth: A Novel by Marek Halter
A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott

CalendarCAT

JANUARY
Snow White and Other Tales by The Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm was born in January
The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, 12th Night 1/5 & story starts out in late January
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, dragon appreciation day
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, author birthday
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, sci fi day
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead, Australia Day

FEBRUARY
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Tell a Fairy Tale Day
The Bad Beginningj, The Reptile Room & The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket, author's birthday 2/28/70
Oronoko by Aphra Behn, a love story, though tragic
The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke, character named Valentine
Feedback by Mira Grant, President's Day, story follows presidential election

MARCH
My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen, author born 3/11/64

APRIL
Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick, published 4/21/15
The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis
Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming, birthstone

MAY
Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming, author birthday 5/28/08

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, Halloween horror read
The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire, part of the October Daye series

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER
Mary of Nazareth: A Novel by Marek Halter, about the life of Mary up to the birth of Jesus
A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott

SeriesCAT

JANUARY: In Translation
The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, book 7 in the Hangman's Daughter series, German
Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis, book 3 in the Nina Bord series, Danish
Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino, book 2 in the Detective Galileo series, Japanese

FEBRUARY: YA/Children's
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, book 1 of the Bayern Series
The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room & The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket, books 1 & 2 in A Series of Unfortunate Events

MARCH: Favorite Author
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold

APRIL: A Series You've Wanted to Get Back To

MAY: Newest Book in a Favorite Series

JUNE: Series is Complete
The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke

JULY: Fantasy

AUGUST: Set Somewhere I Don't Live
Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo, Norway & Thailand
Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch, London

SEPTEMBER: Mystery

OCTOBER: Historical

NOVEMBER: Female Protagonist
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, Lady Astronaut series #1

DECEMBER: New to Me
Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scotoline, Rosato & Associates
Soulless by Gail Carriger, The Parasol Protectorate

TBRCAT

JANUARY: First In, Last Out
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, one of my early Kindle purchases
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook
Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund, purchased 2/1/08

FEBRUARY: Borrowed Book Still Unread

MARCH: Acquired on /for a trip or special occasion

APRIL: Acquired for a group read or challenge
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, planned for last year's ColorCAT

MAY: Keep looking at it, but never manage to pick it up

JUNE: Book Bullet

JULY: Author has more than one book on the TBR shelf

AUGUST: Purchased with great excitement, but still not read

SEPTEMBER: Classic I should have read

OCTOBER: Purchased because of it's visual appeal
Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey 4*

NOVEMBER: Given as a gift

DECEMBER: Bought it because it was so cheap
A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott

SFFKIT

JANUARY: Something I didn't get to last year
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook

FEBRUARY: Colonization
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

MARCH: Mystery/police procedural/detective
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire

APRIL: Sword & Sorcery

MAY: International SciFI/Fantasy

JUNE: Road-trip

JULY: Space Opera

AUGUST: Alternate History

SEPTEMBER: Series
Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock, book 1 in the Elric Saga

OCTOBER: Comedy

NOVEMBER: Award-winners
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, 2019 Hugo
The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, Nebula 2011; World Fantasy & Hugo 2012

DECEMBER: End of the year wrap-up

ScardyKIT

JANUARY: NPR 100 Horror/Thriller
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Intensity by Dean Koontz

February: Corporeal Undead
Feedback by Mira Grant, zombies
The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke, vampires exist in the world, though weren't prominent in the story

MARCH: True Crime

APRIL: Chills & Thrills with modern horror (2014-2019)
The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman, 2014

MAY: Children's horror or horrific children

JUNE: Technothrillers

JULY: Vacation time, anything goes

AUGUST: Gothic

SEPTEMBER: Ghosts & Hauntings

OCTOBER: Monsters & Creatures

NOVEMBER: Stephen King & family

DECEMBER: Small press/Indie or catch up on a previous month

AlphaKIT

JANUARY
Q
Quicksand by Nella Larsen
A
Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis
Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund

FEBRUARY
K
The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke
Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
Company of Liars by Karen Maitland
O
Oronoko by Aphra Behn
Unmentionable by Therese Oneill
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz

MARCH
U
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
L
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen

APRIL
B My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
Spinster; Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick
The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman
M
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Sex from Scratch by Sarah Mirk

MAY
H
V

JUNE
J
Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey
D

JULY
C
P

AUGHUST
N
Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
I
Warriors, Queens and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women Before 1400 by Joyce E. Salisbury

SEPTEMBER
F
W

OCTOBER
G
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter
Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey
The Good House by Tananarive Due
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
T
The Good House by Tananarive Due
Squire by Tamora Pierce

NOVEMBER
S
Squire by Tamora Pierce
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
Sepulchre by Kate Mosse
Mountain Son by James Dommek, Jr.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
Y
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo


DECEMBER
E
Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scotoline
R

YEAR LONG
X
Z
Find Another Dream by Maysoon Zayid
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

1. Prize winner: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, Printz Award
2. Graphic novel:
3. Related to medicine or health:
4. Children's/YA: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
5. Mentioned in another book:
6. Book bullet: Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners by Therese Oneill
7. Eastern European author or setting:
8. Food related: Food: A Cultural Culinary History by Ken Albala
9. In translation: The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch, German
10. Short stories/Essays: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
11. Part of a series: Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis, Nina Bord book 3
12. Alliterative title: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
13. Read a CAT:
14. Animal related: Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
15. Weather related:
16. Fairy Tale: Snow White and Other Stories by The Brothers Grimm
17. Made into a movie: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
18. Author uses middle name or initial: Exile by R. A. Salvatore
19. Cover has at least 2 humans: A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
20. Main title has 6+ words: If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
21. Debut novel: Quicksand by Nella Larsen
22. LT rating of 4.0+: Feedback by Mira Grant, 4.06
23. Artistic character:
24. Homophone in the title: A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz
25. About or featuring siblings: The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

I'm excited to finally get this thread up and running and to start a new year of reading. Now I need to start visiting all of the other threads. Happy reading everyone!

Happy reading in 2019!

Nice well-rounded categories. I'm especially interested in your mysteries and historical fiction sections.

Welcome back and have a great reading year! Good luck with continuing to tackle the 1001 Books list.

Good Luck with your 2019 reading!

Welcome back!

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!

I've started off the year with a few short listens:

1. Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon 3.5*
Categories: science fiction/horror
Audible Original Drama, read by full cast, 4:28 hours

This was a free Audible Original giveaway for December. I normally would not listen to something like tjhis as it is a dramatization of a novel. It takes place in between the first two movies and features Ripley, a new ship full of characters, Ash and the aliens. It was a fun quick listen, well acted and a good way to start of the New Year. I probably won't listen to the rest of the series though, I feel like it's a waste of a credit to use one on a dramatization. Maybe I'll eventually get around to the actual novels. This one fits for AlphaKIT, A.

2. Snow White and Other Stories by The Brothers Grimm, 3.5*
Categories: Around the world
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Rebecca Burns, 4:33 hours

This was a collection of about 20 of the original fairy tales included in the Grimm collection. It included all of the big ones, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel & Gretel as well as some lesser known ones, at least to me, Ricky of the Tuft, The Raven and Twelve Brothers. This was just the type of listen I was looking for on my first day back to work after the holidays. I used this for Bingo Square, fairy tale. It also fits for CalendarCAT, Jacob Grimm was born in January.

I am currently listening to:
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch

An wonderful challenge. I am also trying to get through the works of Agatha Christie and of Stephen King. And I also like fairy tales, so I will be following your thread with interest. I read nearly all of Christie’s book as a teenager and many again when I was in my 30s but that was a couple of decades ago.

Like you I find it easiest to listen to audiobooks, partly because my eyesight is getting worse as I age but mainly because arthritis in my fingers often makes it difficult for me to hold books.i am particularly enjoying the Christie audiobooks that are narrated by Hugh Fraser. It will be interesting to see you enjoy the same books as me.

Welcome back and wishing you a great year of reading! I rely on audioreads for roughly half of my reading so I am looking forward to following your audio reading.

>30 Zozette: Sounds like we have some common reading interests. I will have to make my way over to your thread. I also have enjoyed listening to Hugh Fraser's Christie narrations. I hope to get to more this year.

>31 lkernagh: Thanks for stopping by!

Another fantasy and sci-fi lover, I'll be following along! And great job on the 1001 list so far!

I've dropped my star and I look forward to following along in 2019.

>33 LisaMorr: & >34 DeltaQueen50: Welcome!

Feel like I'm off to a good start so far this year.

3. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer 4*
Categories: Speculative Fiction/Horror
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Carolyn McCormick, 6 hours

This was a reread for me. I had wanted to get to it last year after I had watched the movie and realized I didn't really remember the story. I think I enjoyed this even more on a second listen and will reread the rest of the series as well. I used this for RandomCAT, name in print: my brother is Jeff, SFFFKIT, wanted to read it last year & AlphaKIT, A.

4. The Council of Twelve by Oliver Potzsch 4*
Category: Mystery/Historical/Around the World
Unabridged Audible download from Kindle Unlimited, read by Grover Gardner, 18:09 hours

Another excellent installment in the Hangman's Daughter series, taking place in 17th century Germany. In this installment, the entire family is together in Munich for a meeting of the top 12 hangmen of the country. This is the last published book in the series. I hope there will be more. This book fit several CATs & KITs: Random, name in print: I have an Aunt Barbara, she was an important part of this story; Series, translation: originally written in German; Calendar, January: for 12th night, also story takes place in late January into early February; Bingo: in translation.

5. Quicksand by Nella Larsen 3.5*
Categories: 1001 books, fiction
Unabridged audio download from LibriVox, read by Elizabeth Klett, 5:03 hours

This was a quick listen off the 100 Books list. From what I've read about the author, the early parts of the novel were semi-autobiographical. The story is about Helga Crane, a young mixed race woman struggling to find a place where she fits amidst the racial tensions of the 1920s. I found this a very compelling and interesting story. I look forward to reading the author's only other novel which is also part of the 1001 list. I chose this for the 1001 books group monthly challenge to read a new to you author as well as for this month's AlphaKIT, Q.

I am currently working on:
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook, hard cover/fantasy
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, ebook/fantasy
Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis, audio/mystery
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, audio/thriller

You really are on a roll!

I love fitting one book into multiple challenges! It is so satisfying :)

6. Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis 3.5*
Categories: Mystery/Around the World/Animals
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Susan Boyce, 10:57 hours

This is book 3 in the Nina Borg mystery series. Nina is a nurse working at a refugee camp. The story follows her in modern day Denmark as she tires to help a young girl from the camp who's Ukrainian mother has been accused of killing her husband and is on the run. The story also flashes back to 1930s in the Ukraine and the story of two young sisters, Olga & Oksana. I've really been enjoying this series. It looks like there is only one more book after this one. I like the character of Nina. She's definitely not perfect, but I think she's trying. It will be interesting to see what she does in the last book. This book fit a few CATS/KITS: Series, in translation from the Danish; Calendar, January for National Bird Day; Alpha A & Bingo, part of a series.

Still working on:
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook, hard cover/fantasy
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, ebook/fantasy
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, audio/thriller
And will be starting:
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, sci fi/audio

>38 staci426: Could this book be read as a stand alone?

>39 Tess_W: I think it would be ok to read this as a stand alone. There is some of Nina's family life issues that follow her throughout the series, but I don't think you need to have read the earlier books to appreciate this one.

After not reading anything for over a week when I was sick, I’ve gotten back on track and have finished several more books to finish out January:

7. Waking Gods by {Sylvain Neuvel 4*
Categories: Speculative fiction
Unabridged audio from the library, read by a full cast, 7:55 hours

This is book 2 of the Themis Files series. This one takes place about 10 years after the events in book 1. It features most of the same characters from the first book plus a new one and follows the same format of interviews and files relating to the events. I’m really enjoying this series and looking forward to reading the final book. This one ended on a bit of a cliff hanger. I didn’t realize until just now that this book fits for the RandomCAT this month, the new character is named Eva, which is the name of my grandmother and a niece. It didn’t click when I was listening because it was pronounced with a Spanish accent.

8. The Spies That Bind by Ally Carter 3.5*
Categories: Crime
Unabridged Audible Original download, read by Rebecca Soler, 2:55 hours

This was another free Audible Original download. It is a prequel novella in the Gallagher Girls series which is about a boarding school for girls who want to be spies. This story focuses on Cammie, and her first week at the school. Her parents are both spies, her father was presumed dead and her mom is starting as headmistress at the school. This was a cute story. I might check out the series, although it does have a romance tag which is not usually my thing. But I still might check it out.

9. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith 3.5*
Categories: Crime
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Bronson Pinchot, part of a collection Patricia Highsmith: Selected Novels and Stories

This s a classic noir/psychological thriller. Guy Haines and Charles Bruno meet one day on the train. Guy is a successful architect going through a divorce. Charlie is an alcoholic who wants to kill his father. I had never seen the movie or read this before, but was familiar with the basic premise. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would play out. I really enjoyed it. The one thing I didn’t care for was Bronson Pinchot’s narration. I especially didn’t like his women’s voices. I picked this for the ScardyKIT, NPR thriller list. It also fits for CalendarCAT, the author’s birthday and it fits for RandomCAT, name in print, I have two Aunt Patricia’s. I thought about listening to the short stories and other novel in the collection, but decided against it for now. Might come back to it later.

10. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman 4*
Categories: Non-fiction/The Arts
Unabridged audio from the library, read by Kimberly Farr, 13:34:40

The author was inspired to write this book while house hunting, he found an estate for sale owned by Huguette Clark that she had never lived in and did some research on her to discover she owned many more estates that she never visited. She was an interesting woman. The youngest daughter of W.A. Clark, he made a fortune in copper mining in the late 1800s and is the name sake of Clark County, Nevada. She was a painter and musician, avid doll collector, fan of cartoons and a recluse for most of her life, never leaving her Fifth Avenue apartments until she moved into a hospital where she spent the last 20 years of her life, even though she was not ill. The audio edition also included recordings of phone conversations that she had with one of her cousins which were interesting to hear. The book ended with her extended family contesting the will, she left most of the money to an arts foundation, her accountant, attorney, nurse & doctors. But there hadn’t been a resolution at the time the book was published. I put this one in my non-fiction, as well as arts category, her father was a large supporter of the arts and had a valuable personal art collection which she inherited and she herself was a painter and musician.

11. Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund 3.5*
Categories: Historical Fiction/Around the World/Off the Shelf
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Susanna Burney, 11:56 hours

This novel tells the story of Marie Antoinette from the time she turns 14 and marries the Dauphin to her death during the revolution. The book was written in first person from her point of view and portrays her in a more sympathetic light than she seems to get in history. I enjoyed this and especially liked the first person POV. I had purchased this book back in 2008, so it’s about time I’ve finally read it. It fits for TBRCAT, first in, last out and AlphaKIT, A.

12. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb 3.5*
Categories: Fantasy
Kindle e-book, 500 pages

This is book 1 of the in the Rain Wilds Chronicles and book 10 in the overall Realms of the Elderlings series which started out with Assassin’s Apprentice. Dragons have returned and are living in the Rain Wilds, but they are stunted and unable to hunt for themselves. They have been draining the resources of the city. So they decide to hire some dragon keepers and travel up the river to find the fabled dragon city of Kelsingra, where the dragons can hopefully live in comfort. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the earlier books set in this world, but it was still enjoyable. CATS/KITS: Calendar, dragon appreciation day; TBR: this was one of the first Kindle books I purchased back in 2012; SFFF: I had actually started listening to the audio edition last year, but did not like the narrator at all, so put it aside and decided to finish it this month.

13. Intensity by Dean Koontz 4.5*
Categories: Crime
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Kate Burton, 11:34 hours

This really was an intense listen. Chyna goes home with her friend from college to visit her family. On her first night in their home, she is unable to sleep, so hears the sounds of the family being murdered by Edgler Vess. Her only thought is to get out alive. The story flips back and forth from her perspective to Vess’s. This book had me hooked right from the beginning. I did not want to stop listening. I really enjoyed this. For some reason, I’ve always avoided Koontz, I’m not sure exactly why. I may give him another try. CATS/KITS: Scardy: NPR top horror & thriller list.

14. Maskerade by Terry Pratchett 3.5*
Categories: Speculative Fiction/The Arts
Unabridged audio download read by Nigel Planer, 8:43 hours

This was a fun visit to Discworld. This one features the witches. Nanny & Granny want a third witch to join them in Lancre, so travel to Ankh-Morpork to find Agnes, who left home and has joined the opera. This one was a spoof on Phantom of the Opera. It was another enjoyable installment in the series. It’s been too long since I’ve read a Discworld book and hopefully I’ll get to the next one much sooner. This one fits in my Arts category because the opera played a big part of this story. It did not fit any CATs/KITs.

15. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino 3.75*
Categories: Crime/Around the World/The Arts
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by David Pittu, 9:10 hours

This is book 2 in the Detective Galileo series which takes place in modern Japan. A man is found dead, poisoned, in his home. His wife has an air tight alibi. The detectives on the case contact a physics professor, known as Detective Galileo, who sometimes help out in solving impossible seeming crimes. I really enjoyed this. I really like the setting and the characters. I think there’s only one more book available in English in the series. According to the LT series page, there are some short story collections but I’m not sure if they’ve been translated. This one fit a few of my categories, including the Arts, the all of the suspects in this case have artistic professions, patchwork quilters and an illustrator. CATs/KITs: Series: translated from Japanese.

16. 17. & 18. Binti, Binti: Home, Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor 4*
Categories: Speculative Fiction
Unabridged audio downloads from Audible & library read by Robin Miles, 2:30 hours, 4:13 hours & 6:15 hours

This is an excellent series of sci fi novellas about a girl named Binti. She decides to leave her home community to go to University on another planet. During the trip, she is caught up in the fight amongst an alien race and the university. In book 2, a year has passed and she decides to take a trip home with her new alien companion. And in book 3, still home on Earth, she is drawn back into the fight between the humans and aliens. I really enjoyed this series. I was originally only planning to re-listen to the first book in preparation of reading the second for next month’s AlphaKIT, but it was so short and so good, I just kept reading all three. Combined they equal one good length novel. I also wanted to mention the excellent narration by Robin Miles. She is always a pleasure to listen to. CATs/KITs: Calendar: sci fi day.

I am currently working on another audio book that I was hoping to finish this month but won’t, The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead. This one fits for CalendarCAT for Australia day & RandomCAT as my sister is named Christina. It will fit for next month’s group challenge on the 1001 Books group, read a book with “love” in the title. I’m not really enjoying the story, but do enjoy the narrator, so will keep going.
I’m also working on an eBook, Ageless Vegan by Tracye & Mary McQuirter and an actual book Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook, which I had started for the TBRCAT, but won’t have finished by the end of the month.
Still trying to figure out what my next home audio listen will be. I’m surprised with how many books I was able to finish this month with over a whole week of no reading or listening at all.

>41 staci426: I'm really glad to see that you're enjoying Sylvain Neuvel's series. Last year, I attended an SFF convention in Toronto and enjoyed his presentation so much that I bought the first book in the series. I hadn't heard of him before that. I've not gotten to the book yet but hope to fit it into one of the SFFKIT challenges this year.

>41 staci426: Empty Mansions sounds interesting. There are just so many fascinating real-life stories out there that are never told. I wish there was a book about everyone!

Glad to see you are feeling better and great job with your reading!

>41 staci426: Lots of great reading!

I'm glad you like your first Dean Koontz novel! I've read a lot by him and have mostly enjoyed his books - I think the last one I read by him was a little bit of a dud, but by and large, I think he's a great suspense/horror author.

Empty Mansions sounded really interesting to me too; and I'll take a book bullet on the Binti series.

>42 mathgirl40: I hope you enjoy the book once you get to it. I'm sure a presentation by Neuvel would be really interesting. I can't remember how I found this series. Probably just drawn to the French name when I was browsing the OverDrive catalog and then became even more excited when I found out he was from Québec.

>43 JayneCM: Empty Mansions was really interesting. I'm not even sure how it ended up in my OverDrive wishlist, but I'm glad I did find it. That would be fun if everyone had their own biography. Mine would probably be pretty boring though, lol.

>44 lkernagh: Thank you :)

>45 LisaMorr: I will definitely give Koontz another try. After I had posted that, I rememberd that I did also read Odd Thomas byt didn't care for it enough to want to continue with the series. Hope you enjoy the Binti series if you decide to give it a try!

February reads so far:

19. Feedback by Mira Grant 3.5*
Categories: horror
Unabridged Audible download read by Georgia Dolenz, 16:34 hours

This is book 4 in the Newsflesh zombie series. This story follows the same time line as the first book, but from the point of view of a different news team covering the other candidate in the election. They are an interesting team, Ben & Aislin, married couple, but only so that she could become a US citizen, Audrey, Aislin’s girlfriend with a secret past & Matt, a gender fluid fashion reporter. I did enjoy meeting these characters and would like to see more of them, but I do think I liked the earlier books a little bit better. Overall, still a solid zombie story. CATS/KITS: Scardy, corporeal undead; Calendar: President’s day, the story follows a presidential campaign & election, Bingo: LT rating 4.0+=4.06.

20. Ageless Vegan by Tracye McQuirter 3.5*
Categories: Non-fiction, Food
Kindle ebook, 256 pages

This was a quick read. Most of the book is a cookbook with vegan recipes. I tried three of them so far and really enjoyed them, especially the Crispy Tofu Bites. In the first part of the book, Tracye and her mother Mary talk about why they chose to become vegan 30 years ago. They talk about the health benefits of eating a vegan diet, give tips on transitioning and stocking your kitchen and the benefits of specific foods. This was ok, nothing really new here for me. I do like the recipes though and hope to try out some more of them. This one didn’t fit any CATS/KITS.

21. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 3.25*
Categories: Speculative fiction/animals
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Cynthia Bishop & a full cast, 10:16 hours

This is book one of the Books of Bayern series. It’s a retelling of the Goose Girl fairy tale. Ani is a young princess next in line to inherit the throne of her country. She is a little different from the rest of her family though and is taught by her aunt to be able to speak with the animals. Then she is unexpectedly sent off to marry a prince from another country. The trip goes awry, and she is forced to fend for herself. This book has been on my to read list forever. I think it was one of the first books I added to my OverDrive wish list when I originally discovered OverDrive. It was an Ok story and followed the story of the original fairy tale (a24t least the version I did a quick re-read of in Andrew Lang’s Blue Fairy Book). I think my main problem with this was the full cast narration. The main narrator was fine, but I did not care for the full cast in this one. I think it would have been better to just stick with the one main narrator. Not sure if I will continue with the series. This one fit a few CATs/KITs: Calander: Tell a Fairy Tale Day; Series: YA/children’s; Random: travel between the two countries; Bingo, alliterative title.

22. If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino 3.5*
Categories: 1001 Books, Around the World
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by
Jefferson Mays, 9:58 hours

This is a difficult book for me to describe. I picked this up now after reading scaifea’s review on the RandomCAT thread, so read her review if you want to read a good one. I don’t really know if I understand everything that was going on, but I enjoyed this. I really like Calvino’s writing. This is the second of his books that I’ve read and I will definitely be reading more. CATs/KITs: Random; travel; Bingo: 6+ word title.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
23. The Bad Beginning 3.5* Unabridged audio from library read by Tim Curry, 2:30 hours
24. The Reptile Room, 3.5* Unabridged audio from library read by Tim Curry, 3:11 hours
26. The Wide Window 3.5* Unabridged audio from library read by the author, 3:10 hours
Categories: Mystery, Food, Animals

Books 1-3 of this fun children’s series. The three Baudelaire children have been orphaned and Count Olaf is scheming to get to their fortune. I’ve never read any of these books, so decided to give them a try. I listened to the first three in a row since they are so short. They are cute. I much preferred the narration by Tim Curry in the first two audios over the author’s narration in the third and it looks like a few of the later books. I may try those in print if I continue. I guess they would be considered mysteries. I see them tagged as fantasy, but didn’t notice any real fantasy elements. I also put them in my food category because of the author’s name. CATS/KITS: Series: YA/children’s; Calendar: author’s birthday is 2/28/70, also one of the main characters is named Violet, one of February’s flowers; Bingo; YA/children’s.

25. Oronoko by Aphra Behn, 3.75*
Categories: 1001 books, Around the world (Africa & Surinam)
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Clare Wille, 3:33 hours

The unnamed narrator tells the tragic story of Oronoko, an African prince who had been tricked into slavery over the love for the beautiful Imoinda. This is an early novel from the 17th century written by one of the first women to make her living as a writer. I found it a quick, enjoyable listen. I’m glad to have discovered this through the 1001 Books to read list and may try to find some of Behn’s other work. CATS/KITS: Calendar: Valentine’s day, a love story; Alpha, O.

First abandoned book of the year:

The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead
This is one of the 1001 Books which I’ve had on the to-read list for a while. I just couldn’t finish it. The main character is so frustratingly annoying, I just couldn’t continue. I stuck it as long as I did, a little over half way through, because I was really enjoying the narration by C. M. Hebert, but, I just couldn’t continue any more. I will still count it as read for my tally of books off the list since I did make it more than half way through.

Current reads:
The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy, fiction/audio
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill, non-fiction/audio
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook, fantasy/hardco

I don't blame you on giving up on The Man Who Loved Children I almost did the same more than once. I felt it picked up as it went on, but not enough to give is a more than mediocre rating.

I also struggled with The Man Who Loved Children, I really had to push myself not to toss it. At least I had that pleasure after I finished it! ;0

Here is the rest of my February reading. I probably won't finish anything else today. I’m surprised how many I was able to finish in this shorter month:

27. The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy 4*
Categories: Around the World/The Arts
Unabridged audio download from Kindle Unlimited, read by Stina Nielsen and Braden Wright, 13:10 hours

Eleanor-Rigby Donovan is a journalist from London. She starts getting mysterious letters about her mother who has passed away which eventually lead her to Baltimore where she meets George-Harrison Collins who received similar letters. They work together to try to discover the meaning behind these letters. The book actually switches between three different time lines, modern day with Eleanor & George, a group of friends in 1980s Baltimore and an American soldier in France during WWII. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was browsing the Kindle Unlimited selections for books with narration, this author caught my attention as my sister had brought back a French book for me when she travelled there by this author which I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, so wanted to give him a try. Levy has created a unique and interesting cast of characters here. I especially liked his exploration of the relationship between Eleanor and her siblings. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author. This one fits for Around the World as it was translated from the French and also takes place in several countries other than the US and The Arts, the Stanfields of the title are big art collectors & gallery owners and a painting plays an important part of the story. CATS/KITS: Random: a lot of travel involved here, from London to Baltimore to Canada and then also during the WWII sections, trying to get out of France during the occupation.

28. Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners by Therese Oneill 3.5*
Categories: Non-fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Betsy Foldes Meimen, 7:12 hours

This was such a fun quick listen. This was told as though the author was talking to someone from today who happened to have been transported to the Victorian times. She talks about a lot of the unpleasant aspects of being a woman during this time with issues relating to dress, using the bathroom, illness and things, but puts a humorous spin on it. The audio edition also had a downloadable supplement which I just realized I forgot to download and check out. CATS/KITS: Alpha, O and Bingo square, book bullet, this was mentioned by a friend of mine at work who was reading it because she is planning a Victorian tea party later this year.

29. The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke 4*
Categories: Speculative fiction, Horror, Around the World
Unabridged audio download from library, read by Moira Quirk, 10:25 hours

This is book 2 in the Immortal Kingdom series. Set in an alternate England where the aristocrats have been infected by a plague which causes them to become vampires, werewolves or goblins. Queen Victoria still rules in modern day as she is a vampire. The main character, Xandra, is coming to terms with who she truly is (which she discovered in the first book). Also, her brother Valentine is missing, so that is one of the main focuses of the story. I’m really enjoying this series. There is one more book left which I look forward to getting to soon. I had wanted this one to fit for the ScardyKIT, but the vampires were not really present in this installment, except for a small appearance of the Queen at the end. Other CATS/KITS: Calendar: character named Valentine; Alpha, K.

30. Enduring Love by Ian McEwan 3.5*
Categories: 1001 books (244), Around the World (England)
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Stephen Crossley, 9 hours

Joe and his wife are having a picnic in the park one afternoon when a hot air balloon starts having trouble. Joe, along with several other men who are around, try to get the balloon under control, but they eventually lose control of it, with one of the helpers getting killed in the process. After the incident, one of the other men, Jed Parry, seems to have become obsessed with Joe. He struggles to try to get Parry off his back throughout the rest of the story. This is my second book by McEwan. I read and did not particularly care for Atonement several years ago. I enjoyed this one more. It went in a different direction than I was expecting, but I thought it was pretty good. I had chosen this book to read for the 1001 Books group challenge for this month, a book with “love” in the title or author. It didn’t fit for any of this month’s CATS or KITS.

31. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 3*
Categories: Speculative Fiction
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Stephen Hoye, 9:16 hours

This is a series of connected stories taking place on Mars, first featuring the native Martians, then the humans who have come to colonize. I was disappointed in this. I found it a bit boring and confusing. CATS/KITS: SFFF: colonization

32. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado 3.5*
Categories: Speculative fiction/Horror
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Amy Landon, 8:42 hours

This was an interesting short story collection. The stories have a theme of horror/fantasy/apocalyptic/magical realism to them. The one about Law & Order SVU was bizarre. I think I enjoyed the first one the most, The Husband Stitch. One negative about the audio version was that the narrator didn’t really give a good delineation between the stories. Sometimes I didn’t realize one story had ended and a new one had begun. CATS/KITS: Alpha, O; Bingo square, short story/essay collection.

33. Naamah’s Kiss by Jacqueline Carey 4*
Categories: Speculative fiction/Off the shelf
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Anne Flosnik, 26:52 hours

This is the first book in the Moirin Trilogy, but 7th overall in the Kushiel’s Legacy series and takes place quite a while after the events in the first two trilogies. Moirin and her mother live alone in the forest of Alba. When she undergoes the adulthood rites of her people, she realizes she has a destiny she must follow which will bring her from her home to the land of her father’s people, Terre d’Ange and even beyond. It has been way too long since I’ve visited the magnificent world that Carey has created in these books. This is a fantasy world that is loosely based on medieval Europe and Asia. In this one, we return to Terre d’Ange, but also explore the Far East when Moirin’s destiny leads her to follow her teacher back home to Ch’in. Even though I enjoyed the characters from the earlier books more, Carey’s writing is still so beautiful and her world so well fleshed out that I still enjoyed this one and hopefully won’t wait as long to finish this series. One thing to note, these books might not be for everyone though, there are explicit sex scenes and descriptions of graphic violence (not as much in this one as the earlier books). This book counts for my Off the Shelf category, even though I listened to a library edition, I’ve owned a physical copy since 8/2009. CATS/KITS: Random: Moirin does a lot of traveling; Alpha: K.

34. The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson 4*
Categories; Speculative fiction
Unabridged Audible download, read by Angela Lin, 3:55 hours

This is a novella sent in the same world as Elantris, part of Sanderson’s overall Cosmere Universe. Shai is a forger; she is caught trying to replace the Emperor’s Moon Scepter with one of her forgeries. In exchange for her life, she is tasked with the ultimate forgery, that of the Emperor’s soul. I really enjoyed this quick listen. It’s been a while since I’ve read something from Sanderson. I really enjoy this and hope to get back into reading more of Sanderson’s work soon.

35. A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz 3.25*
Categories: 1001 Books/Around the world (Jerusalem)
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Stefan Rudnicki, 23:52 hours

This is a memoir focusing mostly on Oz’s childhood growing up in Jerusalem. He also goes back in time with stories about his parents and their families. It was really interesting, but I found it dragged a bit in places and was a bit too meandering for my liking. I also wanted to mention the narration by Rudnicki was excellent and is what kept me going through this. I picked this up now as another book that fit for the 1001 Books to read group challenge for this month. CATS/KITS: Alpha, O; Bingo square, Homonym in the title, Tale/tail.

One book that I did not finish, Company of Liars by Karen Maitland. I was enjoying it, but I decided to put it aside for now as I’ve recently finished a few long, more serious works. I needed something a little lighter right now, so started The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side by Agatha Christie, which has been a much better fit for me right now. I haven’t started a new home listen yet; I’ve been getting caught up on podcasts. For print works, I’ve been still making my way in Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook. On the e-book front I’ve been working on some short stories, I have several collections I’ve been making my way through, a story or two at a time. Recently I’ve finished a few from The Best American Noir of the Century and The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015. I think I only have 3 or 4 left in the latter, so might try to get those all finished.

>50 staci426: I'll take a book bullet on Unmentionable - sounds interesting!

Your Naamah's Kiss review reminds me I need to get back to this series - I read the first three and have the second three sitting around here somewhere.

Well done with your February reading!

Haven’t been up to date on posting my March reads. This month I’ve felt like I’ve been struggling to pick books to fit specific categories and challenges, and they turn out to be books I didn’t really want to read at the time. I’ve decided to just pick what I want and if it fits somewhere, good, if not, that’s fine too. So here’s what I’ve read for March:

36. The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side by Agatha Christie 3.25*
Categories: Mystery/Around the world
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Emilia Fox, 8:26:51 hours

This is book 8 in the Miss Marple series. Movie star Marina Gregg stars in a real-life mystery when her biggest fan is poisoned. Scene stealer Miss Jane Marple suspects that the lethal cocktail was intended for someone else, and wonders who's next for a final fade-out. (from the book page here on LT which states it was taken from Amazon). This was ok, but not one of my favorites. It was exactly what I was looking for at the time I chose to read it, though-a quick easy read. I did choose this one for the SeriesCAT, favorite author and it ended up working for RandomCAT, Brexit, as well.

37. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff 4*
Categories: speculative fiction/around the world
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Kim Mai Guest, 4:15:17 hours

To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the family while devastating the land. (from the books page here on LT). This was a recommendation from a friend’s wife which I really enjoyed. It was a quick interesting listen about how Daisy and her cousins survive on their own during and after the war. CATS/KITS: Random, Brexit-England; Alpha, L.

38. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 3.5*
Categories: 1001 books, around the world. Mystery
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Patrick Tull, 10:23 hours

This is a collection of 11 short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes told from the point of view Watson. The only other Sherlock Holmes I’ve read was The Hound of the Baskervilles and I’ve been way overdo in reading more. This was an enjoyable collection. I will hopefully get to more of the stories sooner rather than later. I chose to read this now for the 1001 Books to read group monthly group challenge. It also worked for the RandomCAT, Brexit: England.

39. The Test by Sylvain Neuvel 4*
Categories: speculative fiction/around the world
Unabridged audio novella, read by Neil Shah, 2:13:07 hours

I was pleasantly surprised to find this book in my checked out books on OverDrive. It was the first book that I had recommended my library purchase, they did and I got to be on top of the list to listen. This was an interesting novella about a man taking a test to become an English citizen. I really enjoyed this.

40. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon 3.5*
Categories: speculative fiction/mystery/off the shelf
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Peter Reigert, 12:37 hours

In a world in which Alaska, rather than Israel, has become the homeland for the Jews following World War II, Detective Meyer Landsman and his half-Tlingit partner Berko investigate the death of a heroin-addicted chess prodigy. (description from the book’s page here on LT). This was interesting. It had a hard-boiled feel to it. I had originally purchased this 10 years ago and am glad to have finally gotten around to reading it. It would be interesting to read more in this setting. CATS/KITS: SFF, speculative mysteries; Alpha, U.

41. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 edited by John Joseph Adams 3.5*
Categories: speculative fiction
Kindle e-book, 371 pages

I’ve been dipping in and out of this book of short stories since I bought it back in 2016 and have finally finished the last story. There were a couple of stories I did not finish, but overall, the stories were pretty good. Some of the authors included are: Seanan McGuire, Neil Gaiman, T. C. Boyle, Kelly Link, Carmen Maria Machado.

42. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett 3.5*
Categories: speculative fiction/mystery
Audio CD owned, read by Nigel Planer

This is book 19 in the Discworld and focuses on the City Watch in Ankh-Morpork. They are investigating the poisoning of the Patrician and some murders in the city that seem to be connected. This was a fun quick listen. I like the Watch books. I didn’t even think about it until I was finished, but it also ended up working out for the SFFKIT for speculative mysteries.

43. After the Coup by John Scalzi 3.5*
Categories: speculative fiction
E-book short story from the library, 28 pages

This was a quick story that is part of the Old Man’s War Universe that is set between books 4-5. Harry Wilson, a Colonial Union officer, he’s not a fighter, but is part of a diplomatic mission. He is forced to put his fighting skills to the test to help salvage the mission. This was ok. Not sure if it really adds anything to the overall story, but it was a quick fun story.

44. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny 3.5*
Categories: mystery/around the world
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Robert Bathurst, 13:29 hours

This is book 12 in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. In this installment, Gamache starts his new job as head of the officer training academy. Gamache is given an unusual map of the village of Three Pines as a gift from the villagers. He uses some of the cadets to help uncover the secrets of the map. But then they are all drawn into the mystery of who killed one of the instructors at the academy. A lot is learned about the Village of Three Pines, as well as Gamache’s past during the investigation. It’s been way too long since I’ve visited Three Pines. Glad to get back to this series. I do miss Ralph Cosham, though, as narrator on the audio. But still an enjoyable listen. CATS/KITS: Alpha, L

45. Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station by Dorothy Gilman 3.5*
Categories: mystery/around the world
Unabridged audio download from the library, read by Barbara Rosenblat, 7:23 hours

This is book 6 in the Mrs. Pollifax series. In this installment, she is sent by the CIA to China to find out information about a labor camp where there is a man another agent will try to extract. She doesn’t know who the other agent in her tour group is, but they knows her. As usual, we’re introduced to an interesting cast of supporting characters here. And Mrs. Pollifax can’t help but get into some adventures along the way. This was a fun quick listen. It’s always enjoyable to travel somewhere new with Mrs. Pollifax. No CATS/KITS for this one.

46. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire 3.5*
Categories: speculative fiction/mystery
Unabridged Audible download, read by Mary Robinette Kowal, 12:14 hours

This is book 7 in the October Daye urban fantasy series. October is a changeling, half human, half of the fae. She investigates crimes involving the fae in San Francisco. In this installment, she is investigating the influx of the highly addictive goblin fruit into the area as well as who should be the rightful ruler of the Mists. I’ve really been enjoying this series and look forward to reading the rest of them. CATS/KITS: SFFF, speculative mysteries

47. My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen 3.5*
Categories: mystery/around the world
Unabridged audio from Kindle Unlimited, read by Amy Rubinate, 7:19 hours

This is book 1 Maria Kallio series. Maria is a young detective in Finland assigned to her first murder case while her boss is out because of his alcoholism. A member of a student choir is found murdered at his family’s vacation home. The suspects are all members of the choir who were with him at the home for a practice session. Maria knows them all from her time at school, so tries to stay professional throughout the investigation. This was interesting. I haven’t read a lot of Finnish books, so enjoyed the setting. I wasn’t really sure in what time period the story took place, there was a definite lack of today’s technology which I find interesting when reading mysteries. Turns out it was originally published in 1993. Overall, I enjoyed this and will look for more in the series. CATS/KITS: Random, Brexit: Finland; Calendar, author’s birthday 3/11/64; Alpha, L

A few abandoned books:

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith: This has been on my to read list for a while, it sounded like a really interesting story, but it just wasn’t working for me.
Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold: I was very disappointed in this. I’ve enjoyed everything by Bujold that I’ve read up to this point. This was just too much romance for my liking and didn’t really care about the story or characters to overlook that aspect of the book.
The Religion by Tim Willocks: I’ve owned this for a while and finally got around to trying to read it, but it wasn’t what I was in the mood for at the time, so may come back to it later.

I am currently working on:

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, fantasy/audio
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, fiction/audio
The Umbrella Academy, graphic novel/ebook
Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook, fantasy/hard cover book

Looks like you had a good March, and a lot of your reading naturally fit into the categories!

I didn't know Mary Robinette Kowal read audiobooks as well as wrote books! I have a copy of The Calculating Stars waiting for me to pick up at the library :)

>54 rabbitprincess: Yes, I did get lucky with some things fitting into some categories!

Mary Robinette Kowal is an excellent reader. I believe she's been doing it for quite a while. I remember listening to her read short stories on an old podcast I used to listen to a while back. I haven't gotten around to reading any of her books yet but have heard good things about them.

I’ve been MIA around here for most of this year. I was not listening to many books for a good chunk of the year because I was listening to podcasts and once I got back to the books, life got in the way of my posting here. I think I’ve gotten to a good balance of listening to both podcasts and books and I’m ready to get involved again here. I’m excited to see how things are working out for next year’s challenge and can’t wait to start planning for that. I am still hoping to get some good books in to finish out this year. If anyone is interested in what I have read this year, I did keep my list in post #2 up to date.

I’m happy with how my reading’s been going for this year. I’ve made some progress in many series I’ve been working on, and even finished a few and started a few new ones. I’m also happy with my Off the Shelf category (listening to audio versions of physical books that I just can’t read any more due to my vision). I’ve also listened to and enjoyed quite a few of the Audible Originals that they offer free each month to members. I’ve enjoyed almost all of the ones I’ve picked so far. One area I have been a little lacking in is my 1001 Books reading. But that’s ok, I’ll try to focus on this more next year.

I will mention some of the stand outs:

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal 5*, this one grabbed me right from the first and kept me listening until I finished the book in one evening. I thoroughly enjoyed this and eagerly look forward to the rest of this series. It’s funny, just noticed my last post was about this author.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick 5*, this was a sweet story about a new widower who discovers a charm bracelet that belonged to his wife and learns more about her life before they met and discovers more about himself along the way. This is not something I would normally read, but it was exactly what I was looking for at the time I picked it up.

Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch 4*, I’ve heard nothing but good things about this series and am so glad to have finally gotten around to starting it. It was a lot of fun and can’t wait to read more.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty 4*, I’m probably one of the few people around who hasn’t seen this movie, so I was going into this without much knowledge (aside from the obvious that there is something to do with an exorcism). I really enjoyed this and definitely want to see the movie now. A lot of my friends describe it as the best horror movie ever made. And I’ve also heard it’s a pretty good adaptation of the book.

I am currently working on:

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse, historical fiction, this is my work audio listen. I need to find a home audio listen, not sure what I’m in the mood for yet though.

Watchmen by Alan Moore, superhero graphic novel, this is a going very slowly for me, I’m really enjoying this, but find that the font they use for the text bubbles is not easy for my eyes to read. I might need several renewals from the library to get this one finished.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, classic/horror (my sister and I decided to start a little book club, we have totally different tastes in reading, she likes Jane Austen and I prefer the zombie type of stuff, so thought this was a good compromise)

Glad you liked The Calculating Stars and Midnight Riot! The Rivers of London series is such fun.

>57 rabbitprincess: Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, glad to have read both of them. And I actually decided last night, that Moon Over Soho was going to be my next home audio listen.

Finished off November with a couple of the short Audible Originals, both were pretty good. Find Another Dream was a memoir by comedian Maysoon Zayid, which finally gave me my first Z for AlphaKIT, and Mountain Son by James Dommek, Jr., a true crime account of attempted murder in the Alaskan wilderness.

Also finished a few novels:

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch, 3.5*, book 2 in the Peter Grant urban fantasy series. Jazz musicians are turning up dead with signs of magic involved. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first in the series, but it was still entertaining.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo, 3.5*. This takes place in 19th century Malaya. Li Lan is asked to become the wife of the dead son of a prominent family, but she is in love with his living cousin. This was an interesting story. I’m not sure how it ended up in my wishlist, but I’m glad to have discovered it. It was beautifully written and the author did a very good job of reading the audio herself.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, 3.5*. My sister and I decided to read this together. She’s a huge Jane Austen fan, me not so much. I did read the original. The addition of zombies to the story was interesting. My sister hasn’t finished yet, so not sure what her opinion is.
I had started, but abandoned, Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. I just couldn’t get into this one. I’m not a huge fan of boks that jump back in forth between two time periods, which was what was happening here. I also didn’t realize this was actually book 2 in a series. Not sure if reading the first book would have helped, probably not.

And I finished my first December read:
Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scotoline, 3.5*. This is book 1 in the Rosato & Associates series. There was no sign of Rosato here, so not sure how that comes into play. I enjoyed this, I guess it’s a legal thriller since the main characters are lawyers. I especially liked the Philly setting. I live in NJ, about an hour from Philly, so I consider it local to me. I look forward to more in this series.

December is usually a slower reading month for me because I like to listen to Christmas music when I’m doing stuff around the house, rather than my audio books. I have managed to finish a few more books though:

Soulless by Gail Carriger 4*: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I was actually expecting not to like it when I started, but it’s been on my to read list for a while so wanted to finally give it a go. I was sucked right into the story and can’t wait to read the rest of this series. So glad I finally gave it a go.

The Forward Collection curated by Blake Crouch, a series of six short stories that I found individually through Amazon Prime Reading that all had something to do with technology in the future. Overall, I enjoyed the stories. Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin, Ark by Veronica Roth & Summer Frost by Blake Crouch were all 4* reads. I gave The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay 3.75*, You Have Arrived At Your Destination by Amor Towles 3.5* and my least favorite at 3* was Randomize by Andy Weir. I really enjoyed listening to the audios of the stories, they were all read by a different actor from shows like Westworld, Stranger Things & Star Trek.

Buried Deep by Margot Hunt 3*: This was one of the free Audible Originals for December. A short story about a wife whose husband is accused of murdering his girlfriend who went missing after a camping trip when they were kids and whose body was just discovered. It was an interesting idea, but the writing wasn’t that great.

Mary of Nazareth by Marek Halter 3.5*: this is a fictionalized account of the life of Mary up to the birth of Jesus. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this as I had tried to read another book by this author, Sarah, but couldn’t finish it. I think the writing and story in this one was a little better. Even though I’m not a religious person, I tend to enjoy historical fiction relating to the Bible.

A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott, 3.5*: As the title states, this was a collection of Christmas-themed short stories, plus one poem. It was overall, a charming collection. Most of the stories tugged at your heart strings. It was the perfect thing to get you in the Christmas spirit.

I am currently working on:
The Rook by Daniel O’Malley, urban fantasy/audio
How Not To Diet by Michael Greger, health/audio
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, fiction/ebook