LittleTaiko (Stacy) - Lullaby of Broadway

Hello!!!

I'm Stacy, an accountant for a theater in Dallas. I've lived here since the early 1990's when I moved here for college and have been married for over 20 years. Besides reading, I love puttering in my garden with widely varying degrees of success, walking, and pretty much all Asian food. Oh yeah and musical theater!

It's been five years since the last time I used Broadway songs as a theme and it felt right to bring it back now with a whole new batch of songs. Listening to show tunes is pretty much guaranteed to put me in a good mood.

My challenge comprises of some basic categories with the exception of the presidential bios which I am determined to finally make some progress on next year after being stalled at Abraham Lincoln for more years than I care to mention. No minimums overall but if I get three in that category I'll consider the year a success.

The other goal is to read as much as possible from my shelves but there will be a few trips to the library and some other borrowed books along the way.

I'n all set to try and fill my Bingo card this year and am going to try and participate in the CAT's and a couple of KIT's along the way.

Welcome!

Ratings:

1 Star - Didn't like at all or did not finish
2 Stars - It's okay but not something I would recommend.
3 Stars - I liked it but may or may not recommend it
4 Stars - Really liked it and am happy that I spent time reading it
5 Stars - Loved it and the whole world should read it too

Cozy Mysteries - Poison in my Pocket from A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

1. Aunt Bessie Provides by Diana Xarissa (4 stars)
2. Pane and Suffering by Cheryl Hollon (3 stars)
3. Against the Claw by Shari Randall (2 stars)
4. The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate (3 stars)
5. Wine and Punishment by Sarah Fox (3 stars)
6. Aunt Bessie Questions by Diana Xarissa (3 stars)
7. Murder at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison (2 stars)
8. Aunt Bessie Remembers by Diana Xarissa (3 stars)
9. Room With a Clue by Kate Kingsbury (3 stars)
10. House Party Murder Rap by Sonia Parin (3 stars)
11. Class Reunions are Murder by Libby Klein (2 stars)

Historical Mysteries - Somebody Kill Me from The Wedding Singer

1. A Trace of Deceit by Karen Odden (4 stars)
2. Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley (4 stars)
3. The Silver Gun by L. A. Chandlar (4 stars)
4. The Counterfeit Lady by Kate Parker (4 stars)
5. Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber (4 stars)
6. Lady Takes the Case by Eliza Casey (4 stars)
7. Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)
8. Doorway to Murder by Carol Pouliot (4 stars)
9. The Last Passenger by Charles Finch (5 stars)
10. A Soupçon of Poison by Jennifer Ashley (4 stars)
11. Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley (4 stars)
12. An Orphan of Hell's Kitchen by Liz Freeland (4 stars)
13. A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber (4 stars)
14. Murder Knocks Twice by Susanna Calkins (4 stars)
15. No Comfort for the Lost by Nancy Herriman (3 stars)
16. Murder on the Last Frontier by Cathy Pegau (4 stars)
17. Murder at the Marlowe Club by Kate Parker (4 stars)
18. The Royal Assassin by Kate Parker (4 stars)
19. The Conspiring Woman by Kate Parker (3 stars)
20. The Detecting Duchess by Kate Parker (4 stars)
21. A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey (4 stars)
22. Murder in Mayfair by D. M. Quincy (3 stars)

Possibilities:
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott
A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman
The Fiend in Human by John MacLachlan Gray
Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

Mysteries - Exquisite Corpse from Hedwig and the Angry Inch

1. The Cosmic Clues by Manjiri Prabhu (3 stars)
2. The Teahouse Detective by Emmuska Orczy (3 stars)
3. A Better Man by Louise Penny (4 stars)
4. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (4 stars)
5. Molten Mud Murder by Sara E. Johnson (3 stars)
6. Still Waters by Viveca Sten (4 stars)
7. Malice by Keigo Higashino (4 stars)
8. Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett (3 stars)
9. Unsolicited by Julie Kaewert (4 stars)
10. Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming (4 stars)
11. Killing in C Sharp by Alexia Gordon (4 stars)
12. Fatality in F by Alexia Gordon (4 stars)
13. Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George (4 stars)

Thrillers - The Moment Explodes from If/Then

1. Final Girls by Riley Sager (3 stars)
2. All This I Will Give to You by Dolores Redondo (4 stars)
3. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (3 stars)
4. Port Vila Blues by Garry Disher (3 stars)
5. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (3 stars)
6. Stinger by Diana Chambers (3 stars)
7. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (4 stars)
8. Ninja Daughter by Tori Eldridge (4 stars)

Presidential Biographies - History Has It's Eyes on You from Hamilton

1.
2.
3.

Possibilities:

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Andrew Johnson: A Biography by Hans L. Trefousse
Grant by Jean Edward Smith
Rutherford B. Hayes by Ari Hoogenboom

Non-fiction - It Is What It Is from The Band's Visit

1. The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson (4 stars)
2. What the Chinese Don’t Eat by Xinran (3 stars)
3. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Anne Boyd Rioux (4 stars)
4. West with the Night by Beryl Markham (3 stars)
5. American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew by Annejet Van der Zijl. (3 stars)
6. Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan (4 stars)
7. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty (4 stars)
8. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff (5 stars)
9. Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff (5 stars)
10. The River People by Philip Wayre (4 stars)
11. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (3 stars)
12. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (5 stars)
13. Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell (5 stars)
14. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (4 stars)

Possibilities:
She Said by Jodi Kantor
Six Memos for the Next Millennium by Italo Calvino

Classics - Hard to be the Bard from Something Rotten!

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (5 stars)
2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (5 stars)
3. The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (3 stars)
4.
5.

Possibilities:

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Fiction - What Do You Do with a BA in English? from Avenue Q

1. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza (4 stars)
2. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (4 stars)
3. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti (3 stars)
4. All This Could be Yours by Jami Attenberg (2 stars)
5. The Bette Davis Club by Jane Lotter (4 stars)
6. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (4 stars)
7. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan. (4 stars)
8. Miss Chopsticks by Xinran (3 stars)
9. The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman (3 stars)
10. Sourdough by Robin Sloan (3 stars)
11. Sheltering Rain by Jojo Moyes (3 stars)
12. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin (2 stars)
13. The Great Passage by Shion Miura (4 stars)
14. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi (3 stars)
15. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel (2 stars)
16. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (2 stars)
17. Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas (4 stars)
18. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (2 stars)
19. I'd Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos (3 stars)

Historical Fiction - Changing Lives from The Prom

1. As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner (3 stars)
2. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson (4 stars)
3. A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams (4 stars)
4. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin (3 stars)
5. Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit by P. G. Wodehouse (4 stars)
6. Live by Night by Dennis Lehane (3 stars)
7. The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams (4 stars)
8. So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger (3 stars)
9. Carry Me Home by Sandra Kring (4 stars)
10. Wicked City by Beatriz Williams (3 stars)
11. Wicked Redhead by Beatriz Williams (3 stars)

Agatha Christie Rereads - Together Again from Young Frankenstein

1. There is a Tide by Agatha Christie (3 stars)
2. Witness for the Prosecution (3 stars)
3. Crooked House (4 stars)
4. A Murder is Announced (4 stars)
5.

Everything Else - Anything Can Happen from Mary Poppins

1. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (3 stars) - Novella
2. Oishinbo a la carte: Japanese Cuisine by Tetsu Kariya (4 stars) - Manga
3. Oishinbo a la carte: Sake by Tetsu Kariya (4 stars) - Manga
4. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (4 stars) - Sci-fi
5. Oishinbo a la carte: Ramen and Gyoza by Tetsu Kariya (3 stars) - Manga
6. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (4 stars) - Novella
7. Oishinbo a la carte: Fish, Sushi, and Sashimi by Tetsu Kariya (4 stars) - Manga
8. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (4 stars) - Sci-fi

BingoDOG - Big Dog from The Color Purple



Read
Possibilities

1. Title contains a pun - Pane and Suffering by Cheryl Hollon
2. Book with "library" or "thing" in the title or subtitle - Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate
3. Book published under a pen name or anonymously - The Carrion Death by Michael Stanley
4. Book about books, bookstores, or libraries - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Anne Boyd Rioux
5. Book by a woman from a country other than the US/UK - Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza
6. Epistolary novel or collection of letters - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
7. Book with a periodic table element in the title - The Silver Gun by L. A. Chandlar
8. Book that's in a Legacy Library - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
9. Mystery or true crime - The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
10. Book with at least three letters of BINGO consecutively in order in the title (BIN, ING, NGO, GOB, OBI...the letters can cross words but must be in order and be consecutive) - Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson
11. Mythology or folklore - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
12. Book set in Asia - Cosmic Clues by Manjiri Prabhu
13. Read a CAT - A Trace of Deceit by Karen Odden
14. Book published in the year of your birth - The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
15. Red cover, or red is prominent on the cover - Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
16. Book published in 1820 or 1920 - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by Washington Irving
17. Book not set on Earth - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
18. Book published in 2020 - The Last Passenger by Charles Finch
19. Book about birth or death (childbearing, midwifery, human aging -- this is a combo of the "childbearing" and "human aging" suggestions) - Murder on Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson
20. Book with a proper name in the title - Aunt Bessie Provides by Diana Xarissa
21. Weird book title - Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty
22. Book published by a small press or self-published - Texas: The Great Theft by Carmen Boullosa
23. Book involving a real historical event (fiction or nonfiction) - As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
24. Book written by an LT author - Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
25. Book by a journalist or about journalism - What the Chinese Don't Eat by Xinran

Personal Challenges - I Resolve from She Loves Me

World Book Day - read at least 8 of the 17 I downloaded

1. All This I Will Give You by Dolores Redondo
2. An American Princess by Annejet van der Zijl
3. The Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin
4. The Great Passage by Shion Miura
5. Still Waters by Viveca Sten
6.
7.
8.

Read the remaining 7 books from my book of the month subscription

1. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
2. As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
3. Final Girls by Riley Sager
4. Sourdough by Robin Sloan
5.
6.
7.

Read the remaining 10 books from by birthday/book buying binge of 2017

1. Port Vila Blues by Garry Disher
2. Sourdough by Robin Sloan
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Read at least 10 of the books borrowed from my dad

1. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
2. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Welcome - kick back and enjoy the lullaby of Broadway!

Super-fun theme! And several mystery categories—right up my alley. Looking forward to seeing what you read!

The title of your thread was an instant draw because I love Lullaby of Broadway! And I love that you begin with all the mystery and thriller categories. I'll be following along!

Very nice! Good luck with your challenge!

Lullaby of Broadway keeps playing in my head!

Great set-up and great categories!

You had me at musical theatre!

Happy reading in 2020.

Happy reading in 2020!

This is a fun theme, have a great reading year!

I always admire a thread with a song theme. My mind goes blank the minute I think I'll try it. Happy reading!

What a brilliant theme! And thank you for reminding me of Avenue Q, which I absolutely loved!

Great choices of songs! Have fun with your reading in 2020 :)

This is a cool idea! I love musical theater. We just bought season tickets for next year for our Beef and Boards theater in Indianapolis. We saw A Christmas Story The Musical yesterday. Lots of fun and cute.

(Once upon a time, I worked theater tech. Most fun job I ever had! I could not believe I got paid for it.)

When I got to the "She Loves Me" category, I let out an audible "Awwww!" One of my favorite musicals, and I'm so happy that the 2016 production is available to stream on Broadway HD!

>16 NinieB: - Thank you! Mysteries are my go to genre for enjoyment and I realized that I had so many different types that it was easier to break it down into several categories and see what I actually read the most of. Plus, there were just so many murder related songs to choose from!

>17 VivienneR: - It is such a classic song! Mysteries are my favorites. Glad to have you along!

>18 majkia: - Thank you!

>19 pamelad: - Me too! Especially every time I open up this thread.

>20 DeltaQueen50: - Thank you!

>21 JayneCM: - I could probably make musical theater my theme every year but it is fun to mix it up.

>22 Tess_W: - Thank you!

>23 MissWatson: - The theme definitely makes me happy - glad you enjoy it as well.

>24 dudes22:- Thanks! For some reason my tendency is to always start with songs as a possible option. Then I get stuck trying to make the songs I really want to use work instead of using the ones that will. At least this time I overall managed it.

>25 Jackie_K: - Isn't it such a fun show? It's been a while since I've seen it but I do still listen to the music quite a bit.

>26 rabbitprincess: - Thank you! I really had fun picking out the songs this year and rearranging my list several times.

>27 LadyoftheLodge: - That's how I feel sometimes about my job - they pay me to be an accountant for a theater? While we only do one musical a year I do enjoy the plays we do as well, well most of them anyway. :)

>28 christina_reads: - That is a sweet show that I think I've seen about three times now. The library song from that one always makes me laugh.

I was just thinking about a category on presidents a few days ago. I decided to forgo it this year but may jump in next year. I bought a biography on Chester Arthur earlier in the year, I know almost nothing about him, I'll read it in 2020..other than that, I'm not sure. Have a great year, love the thread.

Have a 2020 full of good reads!

Happy reading! We don't have a whole lot of books in common, but from your possibilities I'd recommend Maybe You should Talk to Someone and The Library Book.

Has anyone been talking about Group Reads yet? I'd be interested in a group read for Shirley if it was in March or later.

Fun theme! Don't let Abe keep you from Team of Rivals--great book, and more about every one around him than Lincoln himself.

Happy reading in 2020! I have to admit that I've heard of only a few of the musicals listed, but I did do make-up for my high school production of West Side Story. :-D

I'll be watching this thread. And I'll be heading to the library to check out some of the music you mentioned. (I'm also reminded that I still don't own the soundtrack to "The Pajama Game"....)

I have a tendency to relate word phrases to song lyrics. Watched tons of golden age of Hollywood movie musicals growing up, which made me think it was normal to sing about what you were doing as you were doing it.

>35 ReneeMarie: Oh my, me too! I am constantly singing about what I am doing. Pretty sure everyone thinks I am mad but hey, I enjoy it!
Must be why I love the movie Elf so much. 'I'm in a store and I'm siiinnnging.' I find I always want to sing that when I am shopping, but I do it in my head!

Love your theme and the song choices are great. Enjoy our reading!

>35 ReneeMarie: I know that feeling, too! Some phrases just bring forth a song in my head. :)

Happy New Year, Stacy!

Happy reading!! Looking forward to seeing what you put in your mystery categories especially!

>30 clue: - I'm hoping that this will force me to actually get back to reading them. I've been putting it off for years now.

>31 thornton37814: - Thank you!

>32 BookLizard: - I'll definitely be reading You Should Talk to Someone as it's one of our RL book club picks and is one I've been wanting to read due to all the buzz. I also "stole" The Library Book during our book club gift exchange since it worked for one of the bingo dog categories. Weird how these challenges shape our priorities!

>33 kac522: - It's the length that keeps me from finishing. I've started it twice and have enjoyed what I've read both times and then it gets set aside for something shorter. This is the year!

>34 mstrust: & >38 mstrust: - Thank you and happy new year to you too!

>35 ReneeMarie: - Now that you mention it, I don't have the Pajama Game songs downloaded yet either. Must work on fixing that.

>36 JayneCM: - Singing about shopping might make the whole experience more enjoyable. I may try that the next time I'm out, solely in my head mind you.

>37 Chrischi_HH: - Thank you!

>39 jennyifer24: - Thank you, those are my favorite types of books to read so there should be plenty of activity in those categories.

And we're off for 2020! Finished a couple of books today that i had started over the last couple of days. I'm really going to miss having my days free when I go back to work tomorrow. All that work business really gets in the way of good books.

1. The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson (4 stars)

What I love about book club choices is that sometimes I end up reading a book that I never knew I wanted to read. This is the case here. This is the true story of a bird heist from a Natural History Museum in England. The reason for the heist, the perpetrator, and the aftermath of the crime are just mind-boggling. It exposed me to a world I didn't know existed and now find oddly fascinating. There should be loads to discuss at our meeting next week.

2. A Trace of Deceit by Karen Odden (4 stars)

This follow up to the first in the Victorian Mystery series satisfied and seemed to be a tad tighter in terms of plot. The focus now is on Annabelle, an aspiring artist, who shares artistic tendencies with her troubled older brother Edwin. When Edwin is murdered she forms an alliance with Matthew, the Scotland Yard detective from the first book in the series. The author establishes the time period really well through the happenings in the art world and auction houses of the time.

>41 LittleTaiko: The Feather Thief a sure BB for me!

The Feather Thief sounds so familiar to me, but I don't see it in my library or on any list. I'm wondering if I started it and then decided not to read. Odd.

ETA: I can't seem too get the touchstone to work.

I read The Feather Thief last year and really liked it. You're right - what a strange world! And oh those Victorians, decimating nature to appease their esthetics.

>43 dudes22: That's what I did, checked it out, read a few chapters and decided I didn't want to go further because someone else had it on hold and I knew I couldn't get it finished in time. Hopefully this year I'll get back to it. I knew about the book because just after it came out I happened across a program on public radio about it,,,and I have several men in my family that tie their own trout flies. They ponder over packets of feathers for ever before deciding if they are the right feather for the right time of year and the right place and on and on.

I have borrowed The Feather Thief four times from my library and still have not read it! I find it so intriguing but some reason it just keeps getting passed over for something else. I'll try again this year!

The Feather Thief sounds intriguing but I don’t see getting to it any time this year.

OK - So I think I'll call this a BB and put it in my recommended collection. Even your comments about fly tying sound familiar. Maybe I heard the same thing on PBS that you did.

I love you theme!

>42 Tess_W: - Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

>43 dudes22: & >48 dudes22: - It starts a little slow with the set up and then becomes quite a page turner.

>45 clue: - I never knew what an art and science fly tying was until reading this book. How cool that you know people that tie their own flies.

>46 JayneCM: - Hope you give it a go at sometime. I kept thinking it was going to be a bit dry and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't.

>47 hailelib: - Maybe someday!

>49 lkernagh: - Thank you! The theme makes me happy.

3. What the Chinese Don't Eat by Xinran (3 stars)

One thing I love about LT and these challenges is reading a book outside my normal selections. The non-fiction challenge started with a journalism category which is not an area I generally read about. Most of my non-fiction reading is history, science, or animal related. Based on recommendations for this topic, I selected this book since I am generally interested in Asian culture. This was a collection of essays that Xinran wrote for The Guardian in the early to mid 2000's. Though the collection was a bit dated it still provided a matter of fact look at different aspects of life in China.

Happy reading. I share your interest in mysteries, so I'll regularly stop by here.

>52 Trifolia: - Always happy to have a fellow mystery lover on board!

4. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (3 stars)

Super short semi-horror novella that explores human nature and how do you know what is true. Not my normal read but it was a free gift from the Book of the Month club a few years ago and I decided to read it since clearing my remaining Book of the Month club books from my TBR is one of my personal challenges.

5. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza (4 stars)

A Tournament of Books nominee that is right up my alley. It manages to combine a compelling story that reads like a memoir with fascinating tidbits about famous artists throughout history.

6. The Cosmic Clues by Manjiri Prabhu (3 stars)

Well, I have such mixed feelings about this book. Sonia lives in Pune, India and has opened a detective agency. It's an agency with a twist though, she uses Hindu astrology as an aide in solving cases. It's not the sole tool in her skillset but it is a big component. Astrology really isn't something I believe in but yet I found the whole premise fascinating, especially the fact that everyone had their horoscopes on hand when needed. This isn't a story with just one case but instead a series of smaller cases with another story line running through.

7. Aunt Bessie Provides by Diana Xarisa (4 stars)

Aunt Bessie is helping Hugh solve a cold case. They are looking into trying to identify the body of a young man who washed up on the beach 20 years prior. There ends up being quite a few possibilities for the body and they work through all the various scenarios. Always fun to spend time on the Isle of Man and with Bessie.

>41 LittleTaiko: A Victorian mystery with an art theme is right up my alley. A Trace of Deceit is going on the wishlist!

>55 cbl_tn: - It’s hard to miss with that combo - hope you like it when you get to it!

8. Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley. (4 stars)

This is the second in the series featuring Kat, a cook in one of the nicer homes in London. The lady she serves requests Kat’s help in determining who could be stealing paintings from one of her friends and it leads to a much bigger art and antiquity theft ring than originally imagined. Enjoyable characters and a good mystery made this the perfect book to curl up with during a stormy afternoon.

9. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Anne Boyd Rioux. (4 stars)

With Little Women the movie being released recently and the theater where I work producing a play based on the book in February, plus the fact that my book club is reading it for our February meeting, this seemed like a must read. I got quite a bit out of this book. It covers a little bit of Alcott’s history but also explores the impact the book had at the time it was published and how it has continued to be a big part of many peoples reading lives. It also takes a look at why it isn’t being taught in schools anymore. I’d recommend this if you’re a fan of Little Women and want to know more.

Wonderful quote from Abigail Alcott (Louisa’s mother): “A woman can accomplish as much as a man,...Educate yourself up to your senses. Be something in your self. Let the world know you are alive. Push boldly off. Wait for no man.”

>56 LittleTaiko: Go Abigail! I have been watching the third series of The Handmaid's Tale so I am all for girl power at the moment!!
I have this book to pick up soon - looking forward to it.

10. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (5 stars)

Finished rereading it and still loved it. It might not actually be a five star read anymore but for nostalgic reasons I’ll still give it that. It was definitely interesting to read it after having read Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as it gave me a different perspective in some cases.

When I was younger I assumed that I was a Jo. Now, I can clearly see that really isn’t the case. I’m a mixture of all of them, but probably am most similar to Meg. My younger self was shy like Beth, I’m still clumsy and out of sorts in society like Jo, aspire to be a good lady like Amy, and am content with family life with a small yearning for nice things like Meg. Wonder what I’ll think in another 10 or 20 years when I reread it again.

>58 LittleTaiko: I re-read that last year and like you, it was better when I read it 50 years ago! I also took my mother to see the movie, but it wasn't that good!

It's so hard to do it correctly in a movie as there is so much that needs to be cut. The theater I work at is going to do a production next month and from what I've read of the script, I'm not that excited. It's basically just the highlights from the first half and a speeded up ending. I'm hoping it translates better to the stage than I think it will. After all, I am an accountant and my artistic side doesn't function particularly well. :)

>58 LittleTaiko: Oh my, you could be describing me there! I, too, always thought I was a Jo, but I certainly never had her confidence!

11. The Silver Gun by L. A. Chandlar (4 stars)

Super fun mystery set in NYC during the 1930’s. It features Lane, an aide to Fiorello LaGuardia, the mayor of New York. Loved the historical references, especially the aunt with the Van Gogh paintings.

12. There is a Tide by Agatha Christie (3 stars)

What happens when a family has lived their lives believing they are going to inherit only to have the head of the family marry someone else and die within a couple of weeks of the wedding? It brings out the ugly side of their lives, is what. Solid Poirot mystery but the very ending was a bit much. Really, after her fiancée almost strangles her, that’s when she realizes she loves him?

13. The Counterfeit Lady by Kate Parker (4 stars)

Second in what looks like a total of five books about a Victorian bookshop owner who has befriended a duke. He needs her help along with the society she belongs to whose focus is on righting wrongs.

14. Penny For Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber (4 stars)

This is the third and strongest in the series. Verity's friend, Ada, is in need of her help when Ada's husband is murdered. Verity and her husband Simon have become something of celebrity detectives and use their WWI intelligence friends and connections to help figure out what really happened. I've always been a fan of Huber's other series and but this Verity Kent series is growing on me quickly. The characters are nicely complex and evolving. Definitely looking forward to the next one.

>62 LittleTaiko: I'm glad to see the Huber series is worth sticking it out. I only gave the first one 2.5 stars. I've seen several people who really like the later ones, so I'll probably try to continue. My comments indicated its plot was convoluted.

>13 LittleTaiko: I just got the first in the series from Overdrive last night. I have to admit this is one I got because of the cover so I'm glad to see your liking them!

15. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner (3 stars)

I loved the first half of this book as it alternated points of view between the mother and each of her three daughters. They are dealing with the loss of their younger brother and a move to Philadelphia away from their remaining family and friends. They are now living above a funeral home while their husband/father learns the business from his uncle. When WWI and the Spanish flu hits their family in a big way, they learn to cope even more. The second half of the book lost me a bit as a couple of events occurred that were just too coincidental to be believed and caused some eye rolling on my end.

16. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (4 stars)

Who knew that a story about immigration could be so amusing? Nayeli and her friends live in a small Mexican town that seems to have run out of men. Most of the men have moved to the United States to work. When they watch the movie The Magnificent Seven, it sparks the idea that they should go to the US and recruit seven men to come back home to help protect them from bandits and to help repopulate the town as well. Their task isn't easy but they are determined.

It was interesting to see the impact of immigration both into and out of Mexico. It was also quite amusing to see how appalling parts of the US were to them. Great characters!

17. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti (3 stars)

Started this book last year and finally came back to it. The story alternates between Samuel's story and how he got each of the 12 bullet hole scars on his body and his teenager daughter Loo. Needless to say that a man who has lived the sort of life that results in being shot at that many times may not be the best parent. However, he tries is best. Loo is a rather feral child who grows up to become a complicated young woman. Lots of decisions were made that didn't make sense to me, but then again their world isn't mine.

18. Final Girls by Riley Sager (3 stars)

Quincy is a Final Girl, the name given to the lone survivor of massacres. She escaped from a murderer yet all of her friends perished. Fortunately for her she can't remember anything from that night and has tried to move on with her life. She has had contact with one other final girl but or the most part chooses to ignore the past as best she can. When the other final girl appears to commit suicide, and another final girl reappears after going off the grid for a few years, her whole world gets turned upside down.

The problem with thrillers is that you can usually assume there is a twist so you spend the whole time contemplating what it could be. By the time you get to the end of the book, it really isn't that surprising. AT least that was my experience with this book.

19. Lady Takes the Case by Eliza Casey (4 stars)

This is the first in the Manor Cat series and boy does it conjure up images of Downton Abbey along the way. The Bates family own Danby, their family house, that is starting to become harder to manage on meager funds. There hope is to marry one of their children to someone with money. When a rich American heiress comes to visit it looks like there problems may be solved. Until murder interrupts their plans.

Besides the Bates reference, there is a Miss Hughes, and several other familiar names. Just enough where I was contouring up the TV show but not enough to be outright stealing. The mystery was fairly simple to work through but the setting and characters made it worthwhile. For a series that is supposedly about a cat, the cat itself wasn't the big a part of the story, though he did nudge some critical clues into the light towards the end of the book.

>65 LittleTaiko: Book 19: I'm glad the cat helped solve the mystery.

>66 thornton37814: - Me too! I’m just hoping that Jack, the cat has a bigger presence in the next book.

20. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson (4 stars)

Received this book as a Christmas gift in 2016 when the book was published and for some reason I kept putting off reading it. I think because I had heard that some people were disappointed in it compared to her first book. I am now kicking myself for waiting as I completely enjoyed reading this book. It was the sort of book where I'd pick it up to read just a couple of chapters and then find it hard to put down. The title is a bit misleading as the war starts about a third of the way through the book. The book opens with Hugh contemplating his future as a doctor, Beatrice is starting a new life in East Sussex as a Latin teacher at the local school, Daniel is flitting aimlessly about writing poetry and Agatha is doing her best to organize everyone's affairs. All the while the threat of war is looming over them. The story unfolds and we see how the war impacts them and how the smallest words or decisions can have huge repercussions.

21. The Teahouse Detective by Emmuska Orczy (3 stars)

Picked this up hoping for mystery stories more in the vein of the authors Pimpernel books. Alas, they weren't quite like that but they were still solid if a little dry. There are twelve stories that are roughly three chapters each. The premise is that a young girl sitting in a coffee shop strikes up a conversation with an odd gentlemen sitting there playing with a piece of string. He claims to know the solution to cases that have baffled the police. These were probably quite ground breaking at the time they were written but now a lot of the solutions seem obvious simply because the stories have been told over and over again with their own various twists.

22. All This I Will Give To You by Delores Redondo (4 stars)

Excited that I've finally read another of the World Book Day selections as I've downloaded all 18 for the last two years and have now read two. I had never really thought it possible that a slow paced thriller could exist but yet that is what I swear I just read. The book opens slowly with Manuel getting the news of his husband's, Alvaro, death. Manuel quickly learns that Alvaro had been hiding some important things from him, including his family. At the funeral, Manuel meets Alvaro's mother, brother, and various other relatives that he never knew existed. They in turn are less than thrilled to see him and treat him with hostility, especially when the will is read and it turns out that Manuel inherits the estate. When a policeman tells Manuel that he thinks Alvaro was murdered but that it was hushed up, they end up investigating with the help of a local priest who was friends with Alvaro.

The first half of the book was all about setting up the story, characters, and exploring what it means to grieve all the while not knowing if you really knew the person who you're grieving for. The second half becomes more of a traditional thriller as the trio starts unraveling the family secrets to get at the truth. Lots of themes explored along with some lovely writing.

>68 LittleTaiko: The Simonson one has been on my radar for about that long. We must have been hit by the same book bullet that year. I haven't gotten around to it either.

>68 LittleTaiko: >69 thornton37814: Me too! I will need to get to it.

I've read both of her books, liked them a lot, and probably need to reread them as she is much too slow getting the third out! Every one of my favorite authors is that way! It's been four years sine the last one so hopefully soon.

>69 thornton37814: & >70 JayneCM: - Hope you both enjoy it!

>71 clue: - Agreed that she is much too slow in getting a new book out. Crossing my fingers that it is soon too.

23. Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

Always enjoyable to spend time with Sarah and Detective Malloy. Sarah's friend has gotten himself into a bind with a young lady. When she's found dead, suspicion quickly falls on him. However, it seems that maybe the young lady had a few more friends who might have wanted her dead. This time the mystery was a bit more predictable as it seemed pretty obvious who did it through the majority of the book.

24. Pane and Suffering by Cheryl Hollon (3 stars)

I was intrigued by the premise of this cozy mystery since it's set in a stained glass shop. The glass aspect of the story was great, full of information about the glass process. The mystery aspect was a little weak as it meant that the police department was incredibly ineffective and the amateurs did some really stupid things towards the end. However, I liked the characters and enjoyed it overall.

25. All This Could be Yours by Jami Attenberg (2 stars)

Dysfunctional family in all their glory. Set in New Orleans, it opens with the patriarch of the family collapsing and lapsing into a coma. Everyone stops to reflect on the impact of his life on theirs. It's interspersed with other characters viewpoints. It's rather disjointed and I'm not sure what the overall point was. I think it's just a matter of my personal taste in books then anything else.

26. The Bette Davis Club by Jane Lotter (4 stars)

Cute caper involving old Hollywood as a backdrop. Margo is attending her niece's wedding. The wedding goes terribly awry and Margo finds herself chasing after her niece with the jilted fiancé's tagging along in Margo's dad's MG. Her dad was a famous screenwriter back in the day and their are some charming Hollywood stories as Margo looks back on her life. It's a light romp where everything wraps up in a nice happy bow which sometimes you just need that in life.

27. A Better Man by Louise Penny (4 stars)

The lives of the Three Pines residents continue on. Clara is reeling from bad reviews about her latest art show, Ruth and Rosa are quacking about town, Gamache is back at work but now reporting to Beuvoir, at least until Beauvoir and family move to France. What starts out as a seemingly routine mystery persons case escalates to murder and becomes much more complicated. While I enjoyed this book, I found the actions of the police force to be a little amateurish and the identity of the murderer seemed a bit obvious as well. Still she writes so well it's easy to forgive these things.

28. Doorway to Murder by Carol Pouliot (4 stars)

This combined two of my favorite things: time traveling and mysteries thereby creating a partial historical mystery. The story alternates between the current day where a young woman is a bit disturbed to find a strange man in her apartment at night who quickly disappears. Turns out the man is from the 1930's and they are living at the same address just 80 years apart. Steven is a police officer working on a case. They end up talking each night about the case and life in general. It's such an interesting premise and the characters are quite interesting.

29. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (4 stars)

Two suburban families drawn together by one tragic event has lasting repercussions for all of them. The story explores what it means to be a family, is love enough, and the impact of mental illness. All the characters are flawed and oh so very human. Kate was the one I related to the most with her analytical approach to life even as I was frustrated by her short sightedness and blind optimism at times.

30. The Last Passenger by Charles Finch (5 stars)

The last of the prequels to this established series was remarkably well thought out and a very satisfying mystery. It opens with an unidentified murdered man found on a train. Lenox is aiding Scotland Yard and eventually they discover the identity of the victim. Slowly, Lenox and Graham track down the full story. There is much more going on within this well researched mystery and it was a delight to read.

31. West by Night by Beryl Markham (3 stars)

If I were giving stars for how interesting a persons life is, this would get an easy five. Beryl grew up in Kenya with a menagerie of animals around her, she learned to hunt, break horses, and along the way became a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a pilot. Oh yeah, she's the first person to fly from England to America. She has a delightful way of telling a story too though I found the book to be a bit disjointed and I had a hard time picking the book up after setting it down.

Stacy--You are doing very well. You'll surpass me before long if you keep it up! I'm beginning to slow down.

I liked All This Could Be Yours more than you did, but I do like unlikeable characters, and they were all unlikeable! I'm really looking forward to Ask Again, Yes.

>75 thornton37814: - Oh, I doubt that - I've seen your totals. You're really reading quite a bit. Plus, I know that I'll have a lull eventually. It happens every year.

>76 RidgewayGirl: - I did actually like most of the unlikeable characters in their own way. They were really all quite flawed.

32. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan (4 stars)

This the sort of book you pick up knowing you'll be treated to pleasant characters and the knowledge that everything will turn out in the end. Zoe is a single mom with a young son who won't speak. She needs a change of pace and finds a couple of jobs in Scotland in the small town featured in Colgan's first book. One job is to be a nanny for three miserable children whose mother has disappeared. Her other job is to help Nina, the local bookseller with her mobile bookstore. It was funny, sweet, and a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

33. American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew by Annejet Van der Zijl (3 stars)

Well, Allene Tew lived quite an interesting and at times tragic life. She was born in the late 1800's in upstate New York. She married her first husband when she was 18 and found herself part of one of the wealthiest families in the area. From there her she kept moving onward and upward financially and socially. She ended up married five times, had two children, and traveled the world. She showed fortitude during some difficult times including both world wars, the stock market crash, and the Spanish flu epidemic.

I will out The Bookshop on the Shore down as a possibility for my novels set in bookstore category. Thank for your review.

>79 Zozette: - Hope you enjoy it!

34. Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan (4 stars)

Memoir about one young woman's descent into madness due to a very rare disease and her subsequent path to recovery. It's a fascinating and scary look at the complexities of our bodies, the challenges of the medical profession, and how sometimes luck is really all we have.

35. Against the Claw by Shari Randall (2 stars)

I've now read the first two books in this series and have had the same reaction, I just don't like the main character that much. It's hard to pinpoint why but it's partially because she does the dumbest things throughout the course of the book. The mystery itself was actually fairly well thought out for the most part but did veer into some rather weird territory towards the end. Just not for me.

36. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (3 stars)

One of those books where a number of people arrive at a remote area but not all of them leave alive. A group of friends regroup each year to celebrate New Years and reminisce about their past. This year they meet at a remote lodge in the Scottish Highlands. The only other people there are the gamekeeper and the manager. The story is told from the point of view of the gamekeeper, manager and three of the female friends attending and flashes back and forth between the couple of days leading up to the murder and the day after. The suspense builds as the reader is left in the dark as to who was actually murdered until late in the book.

37. The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate (3 stars)

Hayley Burke has a plum job as curator of a first edition library devoted to Golden Age mysteries. Trouble is she has never read a mystery in her life and has no clue what she's doing. She has agreed to let a group of Agatha Christie fan fiction writers meet at on the society premises each week to discuss their works. When one of group members is found dead in the library Hayley realizes she better start learning a bit more about how mysteries are solved. This started off slowly, mainly because as a mystery lover myself, I found Hayley's lack of interest irritating. Things pick up once she finally reads an Agatha Christie novel and is transformed. The mystery itself was fairly weak, but it was fun to see a character discovering the wonders of Miss Marple.

>80 LittleTaiko: I think you liked the Wingate book a little better than I did. The mystery was definitely weak.

>81 thornton37814: - Just a hair better. It was definitely rough in the beginning but her joy when she discovered the magic of Miss Marple helped win me over.

So, relegated to working from home for at least the next week though quite possible longer. Taking a break from work to update my latest reads. With the libraries being closed it's nice to know that my incessant book buying will pay off as I could read from my book shelves for a couple of years without needing to replenish. See - buying books is a good thing!

38. A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams (4 stars)

I've become quite a fan of her books. This isn't part of the Schuyler sister series but I would recommend reading it first as some of the characters who appear in later books make their debut here. Lily Dane is spending the summer at the family home in Rhode Island with her much younger sister, mother, and aunt. When an estranged friend and ex-fiancee show up it causes Lily to confront several truths about her family's past. Lily was strong and real which was refreshing. Not sure if I bought her friendship with Budgie being as close as it supposedly was but that's just me.

39. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty (4 stars)

What happens when kids ask questions about death? You get a question about cats eating your eyeballs and many other random things that I wouldn't have thought about but definitely wanted to know. She covers all sorts of things from the legality of retaining skulls, can you have a Viking funeral, what really happens to our bodies after death, and much more. Short little chapters that made it easy to pick up when I need a chuckle.

40. Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie (3 stars)

A collection of short stories that ranged from what just happened to really good. My favorites were the title story and the one with Poirot.

I think your right that I'll try to read A Hundred Summers first which is the one my friend recommended too. The fact that it's set in RI is also an incentive. The libraries in our state have closed as of today so I can't even ask my sister to grab it for me.

Hopefully they won't be closed for too long. Ours are closed too but I'm not sure if they've set a reopen date. Probably not since as of today all of our restaurants, bars, gyms, and theaters are closed indefinitely.

41. Miss Chopsticks by Xinran (3 stars)

According to this book girls in China are referred to as chopsticks and boys are roof beams with the implication that girls are fragile and to be discarded while boys are what hold homes together. Xinran took three separate stories from women she met and weaved them together into a novel featuring three of six sisters - Three, Five, and Six who are able to move from the country to the city and explore a whole new way of living.

I don't know if it's a problem of the translation or the story itself, but sometimes it felt more like a lecture on Chinese history and politics than a novel. People were dropping long winded factual explanations in their conversations that just didn't sound natural.

You do root for all three girls to succeed though and each of their personalities showed through.

42. A Soupçon of Poison by Ashley Gardner (4 stars)

I'm a fan of the Kat Holloway series and being a completist had to read the prequel novella. Kat is accused of poisoning her dreadful, handsy employer. Her friend Daniel helps her track down who else had a motive to kill him. The ending wasn't as satisfactory as I would have liked since it introduced a character that I didn't remember from earlier in the book. The more important part of the book though was setting the up the friendship between Daniel and Kat and seeing a bit of their history.

43. Death in Kew Gardens by Ashley Gardner (4 star)

I'm all caught up now and waiting for the next book in the series to be released later this year. Kat befriends a Chinese man who she helped out of trouble. When he is accused of murdering the owner of the house next door to where Kat works she and the ever growing support team start investigating. Why are so many people interested in the plants that the murdered man collected? What is the link with Kew Gardens? I adore all the regular characters, especially Elgin Thanos.

44. The Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin (3 stars)

Shamefully I've never given any thought to the role that Turkey played during WWII. Pretty sure it never came up in any of my history classes. This is set partially in Turkey and partially France and is the story of two sisters. Selva, defied her families wishes and married a Jewish man. They fled to France to start their life anew. When France and Germany start threatening the Jews in France life becomes unpredictable and scary. Selva, her husband, and some of their friends look for a way to escape back to Turkey. The tension grows as they get closer and closer to escape. I enjoyed the book but felt that it may have lost something in the translation. There were a few scenes towards the end that felt more obligatory than useful to the story.

45. Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman (3 stars)

Cute but slightly unbelievable story about a young single mom still grieving the death of her husband three years ago. Told with a very offbeat sense of humor which I enjoyed, it follows Lilli, her two insanely precocious children, her sister, and a host of other friends that she makes while taking a gardening class. The characters were fun even though they never struck me as quite real. I had to suspend belief on the gardening scenes because I'm fairly sure some of those vegetables don't grow that fast. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong. :)

I don't remember hearing about Turkey in relation to WWII either in history class. I think I'll take a BB for that one. Sounds interesting.

>88 dudes22: Sorry, don't mean to butt in, but I'm a history professor! Turkey tried to remain neutral during WWII. They only entered in the final stages of the war in 1945 on the side of the Allies and suffered no deaths. I think that's why they weren't included in most textbooks.

AAAH!

>89 Tess_W: - That makes sense as to why they weren't included. It was interesting to see how they were being used as a pawn (at least in this fictionalized version).

46. Port Vila Blues by Garry Disher (3 stars)

An Australian heist novel that features Wyatt, a very well prepared thief, who has the task of burglarizing a lawyer's home and stealing her valuables. One of the items he takes is a diamond Tiffany brooch. When news of the brooch being stolen comes to light it kicks off quite the hornets nest. There are so many potential double crosses with everyone focused on taking their revenge on one man. It was rather amusing to see Wyatt and others all targeting the same person and all for different reasons. It was a little slow to set up the story but once it got going it was fairly entertaining.

47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (5 stars)

It makes me sad that I can't go back and recapture the complete and utter enjoyment I encountered when I first read this book about five years ago. Rereading it now for book club I still enjoyed it but wasn't surprised by it. The five star rating is from when I first read it. My heart still aches for Charlie and I can't wait to discuss this with my friends later this week.

48. Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit by P.G. Wodehouse (4 stars)

Oh Jeeves and Bertie - the perfect tonic for my topsy turvy moods these days. So nice to settle into the their usual madcap shenanigans involving aunts, Anatole, romantic entagelements. This time Jeeves and Bertie are trying to help Aunt Dahlia out of a pickle involving her publishing company, a pearl necklace, and her need to keep the world's greatest chef in her employ. To add to the mix there is a Stilton who would like to pulverize Bertie, Flo who thinks she'd like to marry Bertie and a few others colorful characters. Loads of fun as usual.

49. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (4 stars)

Well this was fun. Malcolm once wrote a blog post about the eight perfect murders found in mystery novels. An FBI agent contacts hims because it appears that someone is using that list to recreate the murders. He finds himself helping her try to track down a rather clever murderer. This is highly recommended for fans of Agatha Christie in that several of her books are referenced, especially The ABC Murders (one of the books on his list). However, there are spoilers in this book regarding the outcomes of all the books on the list and a few others so proceed with caution. To be fair, most of the books listed have been around for many years so most likely readers are familiar with the plots.

Here's a quote from the book that I found appropriate, especially when rereading a favorite book.
"Books are time travel. True readers all know this. But books don't just take you back to the time in which they were written; they can you back to different versions of yourself."

>92 LittleTaiko: That was my initial reaction on first reading Flowers for Algernon a few years ago. It really is unfortunate that there's no way to read a book again for the first time.

>92 LittleTaiko: I liked that quote you shared!

>92 LittleTaiko: Taking a BB for Eight Perfect Murders -- it sounds right up my alley!

>92 LittleTaiko: I've bought Rules for Perfect Murders, which looks to be the same book. I hope so, because the ebook costs less than $2, even in Australia.

50. Sourdough by Robin Sloan (3 stars)

Cute story about Lois, an overachieving science nerd who is recruited to work at a big tech company in San Francisco. She's soon swept up in the competitive work world and left with little free time. Too tired to cook she orders food from a local restaurant. Well, restaurant is too strong of a word, it's two guys cooking out of an apartment, but they make the best sourdough bread. When they leave to go back home they leave her their sourdough starter. Lois starts experimenting with baking bread and soon finds a way to combine her love of science and baking while rediscovering what it means to live a full life.

51. Wine and Punishment by Sarah Fox (3 stars)

Sadie has recently moved to a small Vermont town where her aunt lives. She fell in love with an old pub there, purchased it, and took over running it. Let's just say I would love to go to this pub - it has books lining the wall, literary themed cocktails, and eventually literary themed food. Sounds like the perfect place to unwind. Her ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly to try to win her back. When he winds up dead, suspicion initially falls on Sadie, but thankfully there are plenty of other people who wanted him dead. Overall I liked the setting and the characters, though Sadie does some of the usual dumb cozy mystery things but there is potential.

52. Orphan of Hell's Kitchen by Liz Freeland (4 stars)

Louise Faulk isn't having the best Thanksgiving. It's 1914 in New York and she's finally a police officer but is relegated to doing what is considered acceptable female officer work such as baby-sitting the female prisoners. She gets an opportunity to visit a potential crime scene only because there is a baby involved. When the team gets to the apartment, they find a young prostitute dead of an apparent suicide as well as the dead body of one of her twin sons. The other son is mute but alive. Louise suspects that there is more to this death and starts investigating on her own despite being told not to. She also tries to help the orphan find a home. Louise has to get creative with how she investigates and gets some assistance from her friend Otto. For some reason I adore pretty much any scene with Otto - probably because he's trying to write a musical. There are a couple of sub plots going as well that add to the the multi-dimensional characters.

53. Sheltering Rain by Jojo Moyes (3 stars)

Three generation of women who struggle to relate to one another. Joy is the uptight proper grandmother who isn't quite sure what to do with her granddaughter Sabine when she comes to stay for a while. Joy's daughter Kate has no idea how to relate to either her mother or daughter. Kate also really has no idea how to run her personal life either. However, when circumstances bring all three of them together, they are forced to actually talk and be honest with each other. Moyes does a great job of capturing the self-centeredness of teenagers as well as the messiness of being an adult. You wanted to shake the characters a couple of times and tell them to grow up but yet they were acting in ways that felt real.

Wine and Punishment sounds like fun. Maybe it improves if there are later installments.

I've been pretty busy lately with work so am woefully behind on updates. Here's a quick recap of what I've been reading over the last few weeks.

54. Aunt Bessie Questions by Diana Xarissa (3 stars)

Usual Aunt Bessie story - this time it involves the murder of the vicar the day before he was was supposed to marry her friends. Aunt Bessie does her usual digging and overall the story was fine. The ending was a bit abrupt though and really not much of a surprise as to who the culprit was.

55. A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber (4 stars)

Love the detail that Huber brings to her historical mysteries. Lady Darby and Gage are visiting their friends during the annual Twelfth Night celebration. She sets the scene so well that I could really see the festivities and debauchery that typically ensued during these parties. During a tour of the secret tunnels a dead body is discovered, the big question is whose is it? The mystery part of the story was good overall though it became quite obvious what was happening so that the reader was a few steps ahead of Lady Darby for a good portion of the book. Also, her constant comments regarding the fact that she was pregnant became a bit much.

56. Molten Mud Murder by Sara E. Johnson (3 stars)

Interesting murder set in New Zealand where an unfortunate man has been found murdered in a mud pit. Due to the high temperatures of the pit it's a bit challenging to determine who the victim actually is. Enter Alexa Glock, a forensics expert looking to stay in New Zealand a bit longer before heading back to the United States. Her offer to assist in the investigation is reluctantly accepted. Through her eyes we learn quite a bit about the Maori culture. Fairly solid mystery and I enjoyed spending a bit of time in a country I don't know much about.

57. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (3 stars)

Oof, the beginning of this book was really bad. So bad that I only read about 10 pages before setting it aside for a few weeks. Then in need of something mindless I picked it up again and found that it improved a bit. There are still so many things wrong with it, but it's a Dan Brown thriller so he knows how to keep you reading. The premise is how much information should the government be able to gather on individuals and the power plays between factions. Pretty thin characters, very contrived plot, but yet entertaining in the end.

58. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin (2 stars)

Four siblings have their childhood upended when their father dies and their mother who can't cope hides in her bedroom for a year or so. They are resilient though and manage to get by though apparently there are scars from this time that impact them as adults. At least that is what I gather we are supposed to take from this book. The book opens somewhere in the 2070's with some mild dystopian society happening. It's not really an important part of the story so I really don't understand why it was even included. The youngest sibling who became a poet is now an elderly woman telling an audience the story of a great love story. The only problem is that the love story is really rather lame when you get down to it. You spend most of the time with the younger sibling and just when she gets annoying you switch to another sibling and find them to varying degrees of annoying as well. It's one of those books that the longer I think about it the things I disliked really outweigh anything that I did like.

59. Oishinbo a la carte: Japanese cuisine by Tetsu Kariya (4 stars)

Fun first book in a manga series about Japanese cuisine. This first installment is about the broader components of Japanese cuisine and is told through a story about a young man who has been challenged to come up "The Ultimate Menu" and is constantly being berated by his father, a very famous gourmet food aficionado and artist. Loved the food aspect of it and will definitely being moving on to the second book which focuses on sake.

60. Stinger by Diana Chambers (3 stars)

There's a reason I don't read too many espionage books, all the double-crossing just confuses me. I don't understand how people can lie so easily without feeling guilty. Nick is a CIA operative in Pakistan who is arranging some sort of deal involving stinger weapons. Robin is a journalist who is determined to find her old love, Jamal, now a respected leader in Afghanistan. I found the sections with Robin to be annoying as she is just too self-involved and unappreciated of other cultures. Anyway, typical spy stuff with lots of countries trying to outdo the others, no one knows who they can trust, etc...

>99 LittleTaiko: That is usually the reason I don't read espionage, either!

>99 LittleTaiko: I enjoyed Molten Mud Murder when I read it because of its setting. The novel had problems, but the setting was interesting and the mud pot angle was too. Guess an author could replicate it in Yellowstone!

>101 thornton37814: - I met the author at Bouchercon last October. She was handing out bookmarks and mud mask samples to promote the book. I finally tried the mask the other day and it was quite lovely! A good book and a facial - nice combo!

Historical mystery binge

I am reading other books off and on but have found myself drawn to historical mysteries lately.

61. Murder Knocks Twice by Susanna Calkins (4 stars)

Gina is a smart, clever, young woman who has taken a job in a Chicago speakeasy as a way to earn a living while she takes care of her ailing father. When not working as a cigarette girl at the club she has taught herself how to fix the electrical appliances that her dad used to fix in order to make sure that end of the business doesn't falter. Gotta love her determination. Shortly after she starts working at the club, the photographer is murdered right in front of Gina. Of course she gets involved in trying to figure out what happened, how does it relate to the club, the death of the previous cigarette girl and possible her own family?

62. No Comfort for the Lost by Nancy Herriman (3 stars)

San Francisco in the 1860's wasn't a place for the faint of heart. Celia is a nurse who followed her husband to the US in hopes of a better life. Now she has no husband but a nice practice as a nurse doing the best she can to help women in the area, especially the Chinese patients who nobody else wants to help. When one of her former patients is murdered, Celia feels guilty for not having been able to help her. Celia and Nick, the detective assigned to the case, work together to whittle down the long list of people who may have had a reason to kill her. The historical aspect of the book was quite good. The ending came together in quite a rush though and the book felt a bit long. However, I definitely would read more in the series as I'm intrigued to see what else happens.

63. Murder on the Last Frontier by Cathy Pegau (4 stars)

Interesting first book in a series set in Alaska during the 1910's. Charlotte Brody has decided to join her brother in Alaska so that she can write articles about life on the frontier for a magazine back home. Charlotte is a feminist who has no qualms speaking her mind and stirring up trouble if needed. When a local prostitute is brutally murdered she feels that somebody needs to find out who did even if some of the town people aren't interested in justice.

Charlotte's relationship with her brother felt real with all of the difficulties of adjusting to your siblings growing up and becoming complex people. The solution to the murder was a bit obvious but there is a lot of promise for this series.

64. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff (5 stars)

I have decided that Helene Hanff has earned herself a spot on that list of people (dead or alive) who I would have dinner with if I could. Her spirit and willingness to just do things are something to be admired. I also adore how she recognizes her faults. This is the follow up to 84, Charing Cross Road when she finally gets to visit England and meet some of the people she corresponded with as well as have her dream England vacation.

65. Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff (5 stars)

Another wonderful memoir from Hanff that explains a bit as to how she became interested in books and how her life changed after the success of her Charing Cross and Duchess books. She knows how to tell a story and I was delighted to spend some more time with her. Now, I'm just sad that I've read all of her books now.

66. The Great Passage by Shion Miura (4 stars)

An awkward, book loving guy who is helping to write the biggest dictionary of all time in Japan, what's not to love? Majime loves words and books but is most definitely outside his comfort zone when it comes to interacting with people. When he's asked to join a small group of people who are creating the biggest dictionary of the Japanese language ever his life begins to change as he makes friends and further learns how impactful words can be. I was delighted to find out that there is an anime series based on the book. Three episodes in and I'm enjoying it as much as the book.

67. Oishinbo: Sake by Tetsu Kariya (4 stars)

Second in the a la Carte series with the focus on sake this time. I am not a sake drinker but man was this book fascinating. I learned quite a bit about the world of sake including why I probably think I don't like it - lots of poorly made sake out there in the world. Now I'm intrigued to actually try a higher quality sake and see what I think.

68. The River People by Philip Wayre (4 stars)

Lovely book that provided quite a few details about otters and their lives. The author raised several otters and shared some hysterical and sweet stories about them. The one with the otter taking a ride on a clothesline in the wind had me in stitches.

>104 LittleTaiko: Looks like some really great reads there! I took several hits!

I really need to get some more Helene Hanff read. SO many books....

I must try and get hold of Q's Legacy - I loved the two 84 Charing Cross Rd books.

69. Crooked House by Agatha Christie (4 stars)

Partway through this reread I was fairly sure that I remembered who the culprit was, but wasn't positive which is the beauty of her novels. They can have you second guessing yourself even when you are fairly sure you know what's happening. I can see why this is one of her favorites and was probably quite fun to write.

70. Still Waters by Viveca Sten (4 stars)

Vacation time in Sweden has everyone, including the police detectives, looking forward to some time off. Too bad that a dead body has just washed up on the beach of a popular vacation destination. Thomas finds himself postponing his much needed time off to start investigating. Fortunately for him, his good friend Nora is currently staying on the island and proves to be a good sounding board during the investigation. There were a few moments where I wondered how Thomas became a detective when he didn't think of the most logical next step in the case, but it sort of made him seem more human and relatable.

71. Murder at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison (2 stars)

Just meh. Kat is a semi-famous person who is looking to starting a business with her mom. Too bad that she doesn't seem to actually talk to her mom who has no interest in the business and in fact has bought a home in the country. The relationship between these two women was rather irritating as Kat is incredibly self-absorbed and the mom is too flighty to be believed. There's also the memory of Kat's deceased father who she adored but by all accounts was rather controlling and possibly emotionally abusive. Oh yeah, there's a murder too, but that doesn't happen until the last third of the book.

72. Murder at the Marlowe Club by Kate Parker (4 stars)

It's London, 1905 and Emily is still busy with her hat shop and her budding relationship with the inspector she met in the first book. When she stumbles across the dead body of the notorious Lady Roxanne while on her way to deliver a hat, she ends up becoming involved in tracking down the killer. It turns out that Roxanne is a relative of Lady Kaldaire's (from the first book) close friend. Lady Kaldaire has no qualms about blackmailing Emily into assisting her in discreetly investigating. The more they investigate the more sordid the truth seems to be. The bonus with this book is the appearance of some characters from Parker's Victorian Bookshop series. It would be lovely to continue to have this crossover in future books.

73. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (4 stars)

Found myself in the mood for some sci-fi. It might be because the sci-fi section of books is right in my eyeline when I'm doing the mountain pose during yoga in my home. Anyway, I finally picked up this book and was completely immersed from the beginning. I love stories that explore the idea of multiple versions of a persons life and this book does it in spades. So much fun!

>108 LittleTaiko: I wondered how the Dennison novel was. I'd seen it somewhere and was undecided as to whether I'd like it. I may have added it since it was an English setting which I tend to favor, but your review makes me think I save my energy and read something else.

>109 thornton37814: - I would definitely suggest that you read something else. Like you I was into the setting, however, the characters were just really not for me.

74. The Royal Assassin by Kate Parker (4 stars)

Georgia has been asked to help protect Princess Kira, a Russian royal who is engaged to one of the Queen's cousins. Kira's bodyguard has been murdered and there are concerns that someone will get to Kira. Lots of intrigue involving anarchists, relationship developments, and of course murder.

75. The Conspiring Woman by Kate Parker (3 stars)

The Duke is away and while Georgia misses him she's quite eager to continue her detecting work with the Archivist Society. Sir Edward Hale has hired them to find his missing son. His wife as also disappeared but he really doesn't care about her whereabouts - only his son. Georgia quickly finds the son but his location and the people who have him only leads to more questions especially when the mother's dead body is soon discovered. This was the weakest in the series as Georgia just kept doing so many stupid things - all things she should have learned by now not to do. I still really enjoy the characters though and their journey has been fun to follow.

76. The Detecting Duchess by Kate Parker (4 stars)

Nice way to end the series, at least I think it's the end of the series since it's been a few years since she wrote a new one. Georgia is getting ready for her wedding day but has concerns that she's going to miss out on the investigations that she has become used to assisting with. When a woman contacts her to find a friend of hers, she feels compelled to get involved in one last case. With the help of the Archivists Society, they quickly find that the story behind the missing man has far reaching implications and involves stolen Egyptian gold that everyone seems to want to get their hands on.

77. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi (3 stars)

Rahima is a young girl living in Afghanistan in 2007. Her family is struggling to make ends meet and her father has forbidden Rahima and her sisters from attending school. Her mother decides to try an old custom of passing one of the girls off as a boy. Rahima's great-aunt, Shekiba, had done something similar about 100 years ago and her story is passed along to Rahima from one of her aunts. The book alternates between the two women's stories and the consequences from the decision to pass as a male. I ultimately enjoyed the book but found it really hard to get into in the beginning as the stories kept alternating too quickly. It was challenging to get any sort of interest in either story for a bit but eventually their stories started to resonate.

78. A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey (4 stars)

The two women in this mystery, Lady Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong, are a hoot! After several years of adventures they have decided to reside in the country for a bit and enjoy the quiet life. Though with these two, it's hard to imaging anything being quiet. Shortly after they move, they discover a dead body hanging in the tree. It's pretty clear to Lady Hardcastle that this is a murder masquerading as a suicide. Of course they end up asking questions and getting involved when it appears that the local police aren't being as thorough in their investigation as they should. The relationship between the two women is one of two friends instead of a lady and her maid. Their conversations made me chuckle and I appreciated Flo's love of the novel Emma since that is one of my favorites.

>78 LittleTaiko: The first three in this series were given to me recently. I looked on Amazon to see how many there are and saw that a new Lady Hardcastle book is coming out next year but it is apparently the first in a new series.

>112 clue: - I've preordered that book - based on the description it takes some of my favorite side characters from the book I read and give them a major story. Can't wait!

Goodness, where did the time go? How has it been almost a month since I last updated my thread. Here's what I've read lately.

79. Oishinbo a la carte: Ramen and Gyoza by Tetsu Kariya (3 stars)

80. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel (2 stars)

81. Live by Night by Dennis Lehane (3 stars)

82. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (2 stars)

83. Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas (4 stars)

84. Aunt Bessie Remembers by Diana Xarissa (3 stars)

85. The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams (4 stars)

86. Carry Me Home by Sandra Kring (4 stars)

87. A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (4 stars)

88. Murder in Mayfair by D. M. Quincy (3 stars)

89. So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger (3 stars)

90. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (4 stars)

>114 LittleTaiko: - It looks like you have been busy reading! Sorry to see the low star rating for the Mantel book. I loved it when I read it back in 2009, but could not tell you what the story was about if you asked me now.

>115 lkernagh: - It's funny how that works. My dad asked me to compile a list of my 20 favorite books - there are some on the list that I remember enjoying quite a bit, but if you were to press me for details on it I might not be able to tell you much about the book. I just remember how it made me feel.

Apparently I've been on a mystery/thriller kick with one non-fiction book sneaking in.

91. Malice by Keigo Higashino (4 stars)

92. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (4 stars)

93. Room With a Clue by Kate Kingsbury (3 stars)

94. House Party Murder Rap by Sonia Parin (3 stars)

95. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (3 stars)

96. Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett (3 stars)

>117 LittleTaiko: Same! I've been bingeing on British Library Crime Classics because my library ordered a bunch of them as ebooks.

97. Unsolicited by Julie Kaewert (3 stars)

Wasn't quite the book I was expecting but it was still enjoyed quite a bit. For some reason I thought this was going to be a cozy but instead it was more of an action packed book related mystery involving a reluctant publisher who finds himself the target of several attempts on his life.

98. The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (3 stars)

99. You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (5 stars)

This book was perfect for me - I love a good memoir and throw in the psychology aspect and I'm hooked. I love getting insights into why people do what they do and at how complex they are. Spent the last half alternating between lightly crying and sobbing as various stories wrapped up.

100. Class Reunions are Murder by Libby Klein (2 stars)

There were parts of this cozy mystery that were quite funny, the problem was with the main character. The book opens with her reluctantly agreeing to attend her high school class reunion. She doesn't have fond memories of high school because she felt that she was bullied. She also is mourning the death of her husband, feels self-confident about her weight and in general is just going through the motions. She should be a sympathetic character but yet soon enough you see that she's not that great - lots of snide comments and thoughts about the "losers" back home. She also doesn't seem to realize that she was a bit of a bully either. The police officer was also a horrible character and should never have been allowed to investigate the case. Oh yeah, there's also a rather ridiculous love triangle that doesn't make sense. She also solves her depression with a shopping spree, trip to the spa, and taking up a gluten-free diet.

101. Oishinbo a la carte: Fish, Sushi, and Sashimi by Tetsu Kariya (4 stars)

Fun installment in the series, though there were definite jumps in time regrind the "action". Loved learning more about my favorite part of Japanese cuisine.

102. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (2 stars)

I really wanted to like this book more since I adore otters, however it quickly became a repetitive story of otters eating, fighting, playing, fending off predators. This repeated over and over again. I finally skimmed the last third of the book.

103. Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming (4 stars)

Oh I love this series so much. Clare and Russ are getting used to life with a newborn, a proposal to get rid of the local police department and have the state take over, as well as a dead body that may or may not be murder related and is reminiscent of two other murders from 1952 and 1972. Complicated and well written as usual.

104. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (4 stars)

Classic sci-fi novel that explores the libertarian ideals. Manny, Prof, Wyoh, and Mike lead the attempt of the Luna residents to rebel against the authority figures on Earth who have been holding them back. It took some time for me to get into the story and adjust to their way of speaking, once I did though it was an interesting look at the role of government. Loved Manny and his interactions with everyone else.

>119 LittleTaiko: Oh, I need to get to the Julia Spencer-Fleming. I think I'm behind a couple of books, and it's such a good series..

105. Killing in C Sharp by Alexia Gordon (4 stars)

Gethsemane is being forced to open her cottage to a group of ghost hunters wanting to film their latest episode there in hopes of catching the famous McCarthy ghost on film. Besides the hunters there is the debut of an opera written by a famous composer to help keep her occupied as well. Things heat up when a crooked music reviewer ends up murdered during a rehearsal of the opera, a really angry ghost is unleashed, and an illness hits all the first born men in the village. Gethsemane has her hands full trying to figure out how to appease the ghost so that the illness curse will be reversed.

106. Fatality in F by Alexia Gordon (4 stars)

Gethsemane's friend Frankie has entered a famous garden competition and is considered a favorite to win. Trouble starts when his arch nemesis shows up with an equally stunning entry into the competition. When the nemesis is murdered using Frankie's shears, Gethsemane knows Frankie didn't do it and sets out to figure out who did. This had a lovely combination of mystery, flowers, and classical music. I really like Gethsemane has a character - she's smart and doesn't let anybody push her around.

107. Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell (5 stars)

I loved this book so much! It was beautifully written, captured the author's love of nature, and most importantly featured a couple of amazing otters.

108. The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams (3 stars)

Set in New York City, the story alternates between Ella in the modern day and Gin during the Prohibition Era. How their stories connect is still an unanswered question by the end of the book which sets up the sequel.

109. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (4 stars)

Montgomery has written a fascinating book that explores the life of octopuses and other marine animals. The focus is primarily on four octopuses who reside at the Boston Aquarium and the devoted staff and volunteers who love them. I never really appreciated how interesting the octopus is and have a much deeper appreciate for how complex they are.

110. The Ninja Daughter by Tori Eldridge (4 stars)

Nothing like a kick ass woman sticking up for other women to perk up my reading life. Lily Wong is a trained ninja who is using her skills to help protect abused women in Los Angeles. She's of Norwegian and Chinese descent which impacts her family life and how she views the world. There were a few coincidences that made the story a bit too pat at times but I enjoyed the character quite a bit and would like to read more by the author.

111. The Wicked Redhead by Beatriz Williams (3 stars)

Apparently this were will be a third book because there are still a lot of unanswered questions at the end of this book too. It still focuses on Ella and Gin and their messed up love lives.

112. Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George (4 stars)

I am a sucker for mysteries set in posh boarding schools for some reason and this one did not disappoint. Lynley and Havers end up being assigned to a case of a missing boy when one a friend of Lynley's old school friends asks for their help. Lots of character development, clues, a

113. I'd Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos (3 stars)

Really light novel which is surprising given some of the subject matter - arson, bullying, sexual harassment, etc.... Ginny's husband is in the middle of a scandal and her reactions to it are a bit too easy going to be believed. There are also flashbacks to when Ginny was a teenager and some of the drama from that time with her group of friends and family. The ending was a bit ridiculous but despite all that I still enjoyed most of the book and found it to be a very quick read.

>119 LittleTaiko: I'll have to look for the Oishinbo series. I like graphic novels and I love Japanese food, so this looks like a great combination. (Just checked and my library has the e-books!)

>123 mathgirl40: - I'm so glad you were able to find it! They have been fun reads. I still have two more books to go to finish the series.

Oh wow - I'm so behind. Here's what I've read lately.

114. Death in the Stacks by Jenn McKinlay (4 stars)

115. Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody (3 stars)

116. A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman (4 stars)

117. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (4 stars)

118. A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder by Dianne Freeman (4 stars)

119. Wolf Pack by C.J. Box (4 stars)

120. Long Range by C.J. Box (4 stars)

121. Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely (4 stars)

122. A Perfect Manhattan Murder by Tracy Kiely (4 stars)

123. Oishinbo a la carte: Vegetables by Tetsu Kariya (4 stars)

124. The Widows by Jess Montgomery (3 stars)

125. The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis (3 stars)

126. The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen (4 stars)

127. Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery (4 stars)

128. Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser (3 stars)

>125 LittleTaiko: You've been busy! My husband loves the C.J. Box series and read the last one a few months ago - he asks me about once a week if the next one is out yet - I just checked and it's coming out in March of 2021 - now I have to go and break the news to hubby that he has a bit of a wait.

Looks like a good selection of reading! Glad there weren’t any terrible books in that lineup.

Now that summers almost over maybe I'll get back to posting actual reviews and being on LT more. For some reason every year I hit a bit of a slump regarding posting. In the meantime, here's what I've read - lots and lots of mysteries with an odd other book thrown in at times.

129. Hitting the Books by Jenn McKinlay (4 stars)

130. Sealed Off by Barbara Ross (4 stars)

131. The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (3 stars)

132. Murder on Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

133. Murder on Marble Row by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

134. Murder on Lenox Hill by Victoria Thompson (3 stars)

135. Murder in Little Italy by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

136. Murder in Chinatown by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

137. The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine (4 stars)

138. Murder on Bank Street by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

139. Execution in E by Alexia Gordon (4 stars)

140. Murder on Waverly Place by Victoria Thompson (3 stars)

141. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

142. Aunt Bessie Solves by Diana Xarissa (3 stars)

143. Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia (4 stars)

>128 LittleTaiko: - Based on your star ratings, it looks like Thompson's Gaslight Mystery series is a good one. Adding it to my future series reading list!

I'm currently reading Pumpkin Spice Peril from Jenn McKinlay. I know she has a couple of series going but I haven't read anything from her before despite her being a local.

>128 LittleTaiko: I'm in the same boat. I've been reading a lot but just can't seem to keep up with posting! I'll have to get back to the Victoria Thompson series. I've only read a couple but enjoyed them very much.

>129 lkernagh: - They are lovely mysteries with nice character development. Hope you enjoy them - they have been hitting the spot this year. Only a few more to go and I'll be caught up on the series.

>130 mstrust: - I need to try her other series, I've only read the Library one I think. Maybe one of the hat series. I did just read her non-mystery book Paris Is Always a Good Idea which was cute and fun.

>131 mathgirl40: - I think my problem is that in the summer I get really beaten down by the heat and just don't feel up to doing much. Plus, I've been really busy with work and the thought of turning on my computer even for something fun just wasn't appealing. Fortunately fall is here and work is calming down. Maybe I'll be better at posting now.

144. Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben (3 stars)

145. The Boy From the Woods by Harlan Coben (4 stars)

146. They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie (3 stars)

147. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (5 stars)

I was worried about this book during the first third when it seemed to be a bit chaotic for my tastes. Once it settled in though I was completely captivated by the characters and the story. It was quirky and a nice look at the weird craziness of human beings.

148. Murder on Sisters' Row by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

149. Fly Girls by Keith O'Brien (4 stars)

150. Paris Is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay (4 stars)

Cute and fun romantic comedy where you know how it is going to end but the journey there is entertaining.

151. Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

152. Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

153. Murder on Murray Hill by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

154. The Words of Every Song by Liz Moore (3 stars)

I enjoyed this collection of linked stories centered in the music industry. Some characters make multiple appearances and towards the end you start to see more of a connection. The only downside was that you're never fully invested in the characters.

155. Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

156. Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

157. All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny (5 stars)

I was curious as to how Penny would handle a novel set outside of Three Pines. This latest in the Gamache series did not disappoint. There's a really intricate mystery, a exploration of what it means to be family and how small moments can change a relationship in significant ways. It's also a love letter to Paris. Loved this book!

>133 LittleTaiko: (157) I'm so glad you loved it! I plan to start it during the weekend and especially look forward to a new setting though of course I love Three Pines.

158. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (3 stars)

Enjoyable story about a rather unique woman, Cussy, who is a member of the Pack Horse Library Association and who also happens to be blue. At the time the book is set, not much is known about why some members of her family are blue and she is subjected to quite a bit of discrimination due to her status as a colored person. I was hoping the book would be more about the library then what it was but you still got a nice sense of how important the library service was for the people in Kentucky. This read with Giver of Stars provides insight into life at that time and how hard the women had to work to bring books to the community.

159. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver (3 stars)

Lydia's fiancee Freddie dies on her birthday. As she's grieving, she takes a sleeping pill prescription that has the side effect of seeing Freddie still alive and their life continuing. Lydia struggles to keep both worlds going and has to finally figure out who she is and what is her life going to look like now. Cute novel even though it sounds a bit grim. I do love a good pull yourself together and come out stronger story.

160. Murder in Morningside Heights by Victoria Thompson (3 stars)

161. Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien (3 stars)

162. Murder in the Bowery by Victoria Thompson (3 stars)

163. A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thompson (4 stars)

164. Staging is Murder by Grace Topping (3 stars)

165. The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh (4 stars)

Dark and interesting book about an experimental town set up in the remote part of West Texas. All the members of the community know that they have either been the perpetrator of a crime of a witness, but due to a memory erasing process nobody knows who they really are. When a suicide and murder take place in quick concession the whole town is turned on it's head. The thing I liked best was how the citizens chose their new names: They could choose the first name from a list of Golden Age movie celerities and the last name from Vice Presidents.

166. Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland (3 stars)

167. Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson (3 stars)

168. Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery (2 stars)

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood, but I really didn't like this book that much. While Jane was a character I should like - practical and no-nonsense. It's the adults in the book that I just couldn't stand, especially the parents. The mother is a flighty, selfish woman who doesn't seem bothered by the fact that her mother is verbally abusive to Jane. The father is perfectly content to have Jane be his housemaid.

169. Go by Kazuki Kaneshiro (3 stars)

Coming of age story set in Japan that explores the difficulties of being of Korean dissent in Japan.

>136 LittleTaiko: Jane of Lantern Hill is not one of Montgomery's better books. It's not just you!

>136 LittleTaiko: Oh wow! I had been considering adding Jane of Lantern Hill to my comfort reads list for 2021 but it sounds like the characters would get on my nerves. Perhaps this is one to add to my 'skip it' list instead. Sorry it was a disappointment.

>136 LittleTaiko: Jane is in my TBR pile. Perhaps I will get to it later rather than sooner (or not at all!)

>137 NinieB: - That's good to know. So many people raved about it that I felt I was missing something.

>138 This-n-That: - I read it because I was looking for something comforting as well and it just didn't work for me.

>139 Tess_W: - Some people adore it so maybe it'll work for you. I kept feeling like I should like it more than I did.

170. Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger (4 stars)

First in the Cork O'Connor series set in Minnesota. I enjoyed the setting and the story moved along quickly. Cork is the former sheriff of a small town and is part Irish and part Anishinaabe Indian which allows him to move between worlds but never fully be part of either.

171. In the Market for Murder by T E Kinsey (3 stars)

Fun, historical cozy with Lady Hardcastle and her "tiny servant" Florence. They are back with their banter, crime solving skills, and general zeal for life. By the end they are juggling three different cases. While the outcome for a couple seemed obvious it was still fun to tag along.

172. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (5 stars)

Loved this book so much - four friends in a retirement village meet every Thursday to discuss unsolved crimes. They are delighted when a current crime occurs on their doorstep. The four of them were a hoot - especially Elizabeth and Joyce. While Elizabeth seemed to be the star, my favorite was Joyce. She was so relatable. Their shenanigans made me chuckle throughout the book.

173. Murder on Trinity Place by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)

To be honest I liked this one mainly because it involved a small look at the dairy industry in Manhattan during the early 1920's. I grew up on a dairy, so anytime there is a character who gets excited about pasteurization I'm probably going to be interested. The mystery was pretty solid too and the characters remain engaging. Only one more to go to get caught up after binging most of them this year.

>141 LittleTaiko: - The Thursday Murder Club has been getting a lot of buzz. And there's a second one coming out next year.

>141 LittleTaiko: I've earmarked The Thursday Murder Club for a 2021 Bingo square, senior citizen as the protagonist.

>142 dudes22: - I'm eagerly awaiting the second book.

>143 pamelad: - It'll work perfectly for that square. It will also work for anyone participating in the MysteryKit in April - Senior Citizen as a Detective.

>136 LittleTaiko: I've read all the Anne books but not much else by Montgomery. Sorry to hear Jane of Lantern Hill was disappointing. I have a copy of Kilmeny of the Orchard that's been sitting on my shelves a long time and I hope that one is as good as the Anne books.

>145 mathgirl40: Kilmeny is very different than the Anne novels. It reminds me of some of the short stories in Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles of Avonlea.

>145 mathgirl40: - I haven't read Kilmeny but have read some of her other non-Anne books and overall enjoyed them though wasn't a fan of the last in the Emily trilogy. The first two were pretty good though.

174. The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey (5 stars)

This was just the book I needed. Set during WWII it focus on three friends who want to do their part during the war so they sign up for the Red Cross Clubmobile. Fiona is using this as a chance to find out more about her missing fiancee, Viviana is ready for an adventure, and Dottie who wants to go along because her two best friends will be there. Loved the characters and quietly wept my way through a good portion of the book.

175. Murder on Pleasant Avenue by Victoria Thompson (2 stars)

Probably the most disappointing entry in the series since the mystery wasn't really much of mystery at all. It was pretty obvious who did it. I did enjoy having more Gino and Maeve in the story though the ending was a bit much.

176. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey (3 stars)

Set in Ghana this mystery provided a mixed look at belief in modern medicine and the rituals of the past. Darko Dawson may be a bit rough around the edges but he has a big heart and will do anything to protect his family and those he feels are being neglected. Looking forward to more in the series.

177. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais (3 stars)

Not my usual fare and the noir aspect definitely had an out of date feel to it, especially in how the female characters were portrayed. One of them had a panic attack when confronted with having to fill out a check for the first time. Yet despite all that it was still fairly entertaining and I liked it in spite of myself.

178. From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris (3 stars)

Cute cozy mystery set at a bar in the panhandle of Florida. Chloe Jackson had made a promise to her best friend that if something happened to him she would help take care of his grandmother. When he dies, she moves to Florida to keep her promise. His grandmother hardly seems to need Chloe's help, but when a murder threatens the bar that the grandmother owns, Chloe will stop at nothing to help find the culprit. Fun characters and setting.

179. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (3 stars)

I do enjoy a cooking memoir and this did not disappoint. It was definitely rude and crude, but also quite insightful. I worked in the back office of a private dining club so had a tiny insight into the chef world, his stories made the guys where I worked look like choirboys. There were some moments that made me laugh and some that made me uncomfortable, especially knowing what happens to Bourdain later in life.

180. Lady Rights a Wrong by Eliza Casey (4 stars)

Back again with the Manor Cat series in which the cat helps a little with the investigation but very little. The charm is in the Downton Abbeyesque setting. Lady Cecilia is at a point where she knows she needs to marry but has very little interest in doing so. Instead her imagination is captured by the suffragette movement and what she can do to help. When the leader of the movement is murdered she and lady's made, Jane and Jack the cat do some investigating to find out what really happened. Only two books in the series so far and I do hope there will be more.

181. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne (1 star)

Just not for me - too many pages and not enough of anything happening. I made it about halfway through and decided I had had enough of Cyril and his life. The coincidences were a bit much and Cyril's refusal to take responsibility for the things he had done wrong were grating. I'm sure he redeemed himself in the second half but just didn't care to stick around to find out.

182. Snowballs and Scotch Mist by Andrea Frazer (3 stars)

Needed something light and a visit with the fearsome foursome did the trick. This time they headed to Scotland in January for Burns' Night in a friend's castle. Conditions are tough - no alcohol, mediocre food, and really cold rooms. Fortunately Lady Amanda planned ahead and brought provisions. Of course there is a murder or two and lots of sleuthing and outright funny moments (Hugo's skiing attempt for instance).

183. Who Ate the First Oyster? by Cody Cassidy (4 stars)

There have been times I wondered who did eat the first oyster, along with other firsts. In this book you learn about 17 different firsts and who achieved them. While some of it is speculation there are a lot of interesting facts and it left me with a sense of how big our history really is and a wish that I had taken at least one anthropology class in college. My favorite was the "Who was the first murderer in the first murder mystery." Though really all of them were quite appealing and presented nicely.

re: book 183 - I love reading and thinking about stuff like that. I have Never Shower in a Thunderstorm which I haven't read yet and I'm going to add this to the list of fun-fact books.

>174 My bff got Beantown Girls for Christmas last year and I still haven't read it. I'll try to move it up on my TBR!

>149 dudes22: - I'll have to look for that book - sounds fun.

>150 Tess_W: - Hope you like it when you get to it.

184. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (5 stars)

This book was completely in my wheelhouse - historical fiction novel based on real events that I knew nothing about previously? I'm in. Set in Hawaii during the late 1800's and early 1900's it explores the impact that leprosy had on the lives of Hawaiians at that time. Rachel is a smart, energetic, and slightly mischievous young girl with a loving family. It starts to unravel when her beloved uncle starts to show signs of leprosy and is shipped off to Moloka'i, this island where leprosy patients were sent to live or most likely die. When Rachel shows signs too she is sent there as well. Turns out Rachel is a survivor and creates a vibrant life on the island. The author did a fabulous job of blending real and fictional characters and creating a vivid portrait of what life at this time was like.

185. Greenglass House by Kate Milford (3 stars)

Not sure I realized this was a young adult mystery when I purchased it. It put me in mind of Westing House a bit. I think if I had read this book when I was a kid I would have loved it. As an adult, it was charming but not gripping. Milo is a young boy who is settling in for the Christmas holiday when mysterious guests start appearing at the inn his family runs. Who are they and why are they so interested in the house? Who keeps stealing items from the guests? Milo is on the case. I liked Milo, I could relate to his strong dislike to unexpected things happening. It was a pleasure to see him gain more confidence throughout the book.

186. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (3 stars)

Really not much to say - entertaining enough. I like stories with an average man battling extreme conditions and those Martians were pretty vicious.

187. Along the Tapajos by Fernando Vilela (3 stars)

Cute children's book about two siblings in Brazil who realize that their pet turtle was left behind when the family moved. They sneak out at night and row along the Tapajos river to rescue their beloved pet.

188. Take a Look at the Five and Ten by Connie Willis (4 stars)

I love a Connie Willis Christmas story and this one didn't disappoint. Lighthearted with chuckles along the way especially at the expense of the more ridiculous family members.

189. Second to Nun by Alice Loweecey (3 stars)

Fun cozy mystery featuring Giulia Driscoll, former nun turned private investigator. Giulia is called on to help a B&B owner rid her house of the family ghost. Giulia is too practical to believe in ghosts and has her sites set on determine the very real person causing trouble. There isn't an actual murder in the story but a couple of attempts along the way. The mystery is more about who is trying to sabotage the B&B.

190. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (4 stars)

Fascinating story about Marconi's efforts to establish wireless communication intertwined with the Crippen murder story. The chapters alternate between stories for the most part with the Marconi chapters the longer of the two initially. There is a thrilling chase at the end with two ships. This is my first book by Larson and I know understand why his books are popular. I'll definitely be reading more by him.

191. The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley (4 stars)

This is a collection of four linked novellas by different authors - Susanna Kearsley, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent, and C. S. Harris. The stories center on a cursed watch that passes from Italy in 1733 to Edinburgh in 1831, London in 1870, and then to coast of Kent in 1944. All the stories were strong and I enjoyed the small references to a previous story.

>153 LittleTaiko: I also enjoyed Take a Look at the Five and Ten, and I'm intrigued by The Deadly Hours...might have to take a BB for that one!

>154 christina_reads: - I'm a historical mystery fan so it was definitely in my wheelhouse especially with loosely connected stories.

192. Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay (4 stars)

The thing I like most about the Library Lover's series is that while it's a cozy mystery, the author manages to handle some serious issues. This time there is a library patron who starts stalking Lindsay. However his stalking is done in subtle ways that could just be interpreted as him being nice. When the stalker is murdered, Lindsay's fiancee is at the top of the suspect list. Really good mystery and now I'm almost caught up with the series.

193. IQ by Joe Ide (2 stars)

I have seen so many people rave about this book and a close friend enthusiastically recommended it to me, but alas it just wasn't for me. I think I liked the main character, IQ, or at least I would have it the story didn't keep jumping backing forth in time and from one character's perspective to another. It just made it too challenging for me to figure out what was happening much less have a vested interest in any of the characters.

194. Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt (4 stars)

Andy Carpenter is an unconventional lawyer who pushes the boundaries of appropriate courtroom behavior. While his antics drove me bonkers, I'd probably appreciate them if I were his client. He has taken on a murder case involving a man on death row who insists he is innocent. How this case relates to a mystery in Andy's own life makes everything much more complicated. Andy is witty and a bit full of himself, but every time I thought he was a bit much he pulled off some nice legal maneuvering. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

>152 LittleTaiko: Moloka'i looks right up my alley too -- gonna take a note! Lots of solid reading and many good reviews to get through when I haven't checked in recently. :)

>156 LittleTaiko: I just made sure that the next one in that Library Lovers series was on my list for next year. I'm ready for #4 (and you're on #10). My list for next year is really growing. I suspect I won't get to all of them, but I'm pretty sure I'll get to that one.

>157 pammab: - It's so hard to keep up with all the threads isn't it? I hope you enjoy it when/if you have time to read it.

>158 thornton37814: - It's a series that I think gets better with each book, except for book #5 which was by far my least favorite. After that one it really did get stronger with each book.

195. A Literary Christmas by British Library (4 stars)

This is the perfect book to flip through at Christmas time. It's a collection of poems, excerpts from novels, and short stories set during the Christmas and New Years season.

My absolute favorite was the P.G. Wodehouse story about a man trying to diet during the holidays. The Tennyson poem, "Ring Out, Wild Bells" at the end was beautiful as was the short selection from Shakespeare's As You Like It.

Other highlights were from Emma, Little Women, and of course Dickens. Loved the pictures and how the book felt in my hands.

196. Hard Times by Charles Dickens (3 stars)

It's not often that I want a book to be longer, but this book could have been a tad longer with a bit more character development and I might have given this 4 stars. It's still a Dickens novel and therefore quite worth the time. This is Dickens mocking the Industrial Revolution and full of characters who are not as easily defined as "good" or "bad" as in some of his other novels. The rich vs poor themes still resonate today.

>160 LittleTaiko: A Literary Christmas sounds delightful.

>161 thornton37814: - It was - just a lovely collection. All the stories were short so it made it easy to pick up whenever I was in the mood for a story or two.

197. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (3 stars)

Whimsical story about Nina a single, introvert who is perfectly content with her bookstore job, trivia competitions, and cat. The characters are fun but not really believable though there were quite a few aspects of Nina's personality that I could relate to. I did appreciate the nod to a couple of characters from a previous book of hers though I was glad it was small dose as the two children really get on my nerves.

198. The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker (4 stars)

The second in the Bruno series was an intricate mystery involving wine, environmentalists, and family dramas. Bruno's unruffled approach to solving crimes and diffusing tense situations is comforting and at times amusing. One of life's pleasures when you realize that you are at the beginning of a well-established series and have plenty more to read.

199. The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (3 stars)

Hard to go wrong with a collection of Poirot stories where he flexes the little gray cells and has Hastings accompanying him.

200. Recursion by Blake Crouch (3 stars)

Mind-bending sci-fi thriller that questions what is a memory and how would you react if you were confronted with very real but conflicting memories about your own life.

So glad you like Bruno, I have really enjoyed him as well as the other characters.

Last books of 2020. I really can't believe I crossed the 200 line. Doubtful that it'll happen again in 2021 as I'm planning on reading more nonfiction and that always slows me down a bit.

201. The Cobra Story by Carroll Shelby (3 stars)

I started this book at the end of 2019 after watching the movie Ford vs. Ferrari. Carroll Shelby is such a character and it comes across on the page. He's also very passionate about cars with many of the details going over my head. My favorite parts were his racing stories especially when he raced at Le Mans.

202. No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox (4 stars)

How one person can be so upbeat is beyond me. Even when he's down he still shows humor and a sense acceptance about whatever life is bringing his way. It's a nice blend of behind the scenes entertainment stories and coping with the medical issues that keep coming his way.

203. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim (3 stars)

Legal thriller with multiple points of view about a tragic accident or murder involving an exploding hyperbaric chamber and the patients that had been trapped inside. I liked the alternating points of view as it gave a good sense of how one incident could be interpreted many different ways depending on circumstances.

204. Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler (3 stars)

Anne Tyler captures the nuances of every day life really well in this look at Mitch, a man who really likes his routines and starts to become a bit befuddled when friends and family start to intrude upon his carefully constructed life. I particularly enjoyed the bits with his inner monologue while driving as I sometimes have similar thoughts. Though I definitely feel that the speed limit is more of a general suggestion which Mitch would firmly disapprove of.

205. One for the Books by Jenn McKinlay (4 stars)

The wedding day is finally here for Lindsay and Sully, but of course there needs to be a murder first. When Sully's friend, who was going to officiate their wedding, is murdered they are determined to figure out who did it. Of course there are other pressing matters such as who will perform the ceremony now? Slightly predictable ending to both questions but I just love being with these characters that it didn't matter.

On to 2021!