Book #52 Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown
A book of magic, generations of women under a curse should've been fun. The narrative had alternating chapters of four women & I only cared about 2 of them. The one who had been cursed was so annoying! I could understand why she'd been cursed. As for the mother-teen daughter pair, why didn't the mother just reveal that they were cursed? In the end, this is a debut and it was ok.
2.5/5 stars audiobook
Books #53 Mrs. Jeffries Pleads Her Case by Emily Brightwell 3/5 stars
#56 Mrs. Jeffries Sweeps the Chimney 3.5/5 stars
#57 Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter 3/5 stars
The detecting continues with Mrs Jeffries and the rest of Inspector Witherspoon's household staff. Continues to be fun and comfort food.
audiobooks
Book #54 Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana
Collection of short stories about the tenants of an apartment building whose owners are trying to get rid of them. The teacher's assistant and the would be olympic gymnast stories stood out for me. I don't think there were any awful stories, just some more fleshed out than others. I'd like to read a full length novel by the author when he puts one out.
3/5 stars audiobook
Book #55 The City of Mist Stories (Cemetery of Forgotten Books) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The last release by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, think it was right after his death. Was so excited to read it because they were stories that take place in "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books" world. They were ok. This just reinforces my feelings of full length books/novellas as being better than a collection of short stories. Eh.
2.5/5 stars audiobooks
Book #58 The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
A good book about a blogger who researches cold cases and starts interviewing a woman accused of being a serial killer but who was found not guilty. There were elements of paranormal/horror in it but that's to be expected from this author. Not going to say anymore in case I spoil it for others.
4/5 stars audiobook
Book #59 There There by Tommy Orange
What a powerful collection of stories. I thought I was going to be reading interconnected short stories but it turned out to be a book with multiple narrators. We follow the lives of a number of individuals who will end up at the Oakland Powwow.The stories were almost like the ocean with its ebb and flow, like waves crashing and receding. Very absorbing.
4/5 stars audiobook
Book #60 The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
What a lovely light contrast to the previous book. Just what I needed. I’m not used to reading a script but after the first bit, I adjusted quite easily. This left me laughing, smiling the whole way through. Definitely fun.
4/5 stars print
Book #61 A Restless Truth (The Last Binding, #2) by Freya Marske
A follow up to A Marvellous Light featuring Robin's sister Maud. Set wholly on a passenger ship from New York to London, Maud's mentor is murdered and Maud starts investigating to find out which magician killed her. Not quite as quirky or fun as the first book unfortunately. Still ok but I'm not sure I'll be quick to pick up the next book.
3/5 stars audiobook
Book #62 Exhalation by Ted Chiang
A sci-fi collection of short stories. There were so many fantastic reviews and I went in with high expectations. It seemed as though the author was trying deliver stories with lessons for us. Though I didn't disagree with the messages, I couldn't lose myself in the stories. Some were really good and others fell flat. It was alright.
2.5/3 stars audiobook
Book #63 The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
A fun dystopian set in the near future where the general population of North America has been affected by climate change and the cure seems to be draining the Indigenous population of their dreams. Indigenous people are on the run because the Residential schools have been resurrected so their dreams can be stolen. Heart pounding at times, it drew me in and held me in thrall. Good book.
4/5 stars audiobook
#66 The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
A writer is hunkering down alone to write her latest true crime novel when a winter storm hits which brings with it a young child wandering by themselves. Who is the child? Where are their parents? Why are they so terrified? Read for book club. Fun.
4/5 stars print book
#67 A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge
I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. In an alternate reality, the British Royal Family is spending Christmas at Balmoral Castle. King Eric is found dead, probably murdered. Storm is brewing outside so this is a locked room mystery. Was it the Queen? His daughters? His brother? It's up to the Royal Chef to find out.
2/5 stars audiobook
#68 All Dressed Up A Novel by Jilly Gagnon
Such a fun premise, a young couple go to the murder mystery weekend at a B&B. It promises to be so much fun, a murder mystery within a murder mystery. But it falls flat. Found it boring overall. Would not recommend.
2/5 stars audiobook
#69 Fall of Angels (Inspector Redfyre Mystery #1) by Barbara Cleverly
Set in 1930's London, a Detective Inspector starts to investigate a murder at an annual Christmas concert. It didn't feel cohesive as it's at times a quirky mystery and at others a more serious feminist discussion. The mystery itself was alright. Would've fared better for me if it had been one thing or the other as it wasn't integrated very well.
3/5 stars audiobook
#70 The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander
Sweet romance of an isolated young woman, who upon the death of her only family, her grandmother, up and moves after she's been laid off as a librarian. She moves into a fixer upper next to a grumpy single dad. The community is small has no library. Luckily, she has an old phone box which she makes into a small library. The town comes together and love wins. If you're looking for cotton candy, this is it.
3/5 stars audiobook
#71 The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
Think I'm late in the game for this book. Believe there's a movie out there and I'd like to see it now after having read the book. Four ladies in 1920's England escape for a month to Italy. There they each find out a little something about themselves. A gem.
4/5 stars print book
#72 Dead and Gondola (Christie Bookshop, #1) by Ann Claire
Ellie has come back home to Colorado to help her sister run a bookstore. They get involved in a murder mystery after a strange encounter with a man at their book club meeting. Who was he? Who was he looking for? And why has their cashier disappeared? Another snowed in setting. Liked it, will look for the second book.
3/5 stars audiobook
#73 Every City Is Every Other City (A Gordon Stewart Mystery, #1) by John McFetridge
Maybe it was the audiobook narration but what a slog. I couldn't tell if it was trying to be hardboiled with gangsters and such. Wasn't sure what the actual mystery was. Another wouldn't recommend. Although, maybe the print version would've been better? I don't know.
2/5 stars audiobook
#74 Playing Dead (Molly Madison, #2) by Peggy Rothschild
Before I say anything else, you need to be a dog person because there's a lot about dogs and training. The second book in the series, a former police detective/former PI now dog trainer, is on the scene of a murder. She reluctantly becomes involved in the case when the murder suspect asks for her assistance. I liked it quite a bit.
3.5/5 stars audiobook
#75 Of Manners and Murder (Dear Miss Hermione Mystery, #1) by Anastasia Hastings
New to the Agony Aunt business, Violet has been thrust into the role when her aunt & guardian takes off for an adventure. Set in the late 1800s in London, Violet comes across a letter from a newly married woman who's scared that someone is trying to kill her. Unfortunately, she arrives after the lady's death. Fun start to a cozy mystery series. Will be coming back for more.
4 stars audiobook
Book #76 When All the Girls Have Gone
Book #77 Promise Not to Tell
Book #78 Untouchable
by Jayne Ann Krentz (Cutler, Sutter & Salinas, #1, 2, 3)
Needed an easy read/listen while traveling. This trilogy fit the bill. Krentz was one of my favorites while in my 20s. Still pick her up from time to time. Formulaic but immensely cotton candy reading. "Thriller" romances with a bit of magical realism in the last book.
all 3/5 star audiobooks
#79 Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
A much needed beach read. A fun story with quirky characters, ghosts & a bit of magic realism. A young woman, Zoey, is spending the summer before college, on an island off of South Carolina, in a small condo left to her by her mother. There she starts interacting with reluctant fellow residents. One of the residents dies accidentally and that starts off the action. Allen's storytelling is engaging.
3.5/5 stars print
Book #80 Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight by Emily Brightwell
It was good to get back to Mrs. Jeffreys and the rest of Inspector Witherspoon's household staff. This time a grumpy, miserly Baron is murdered a week before Christmas. The suspects are plentiful, including his 3 adult daughters, a distantly related cousin and the suitor of one of the daughters.
3.5/5 stars audiobook
Book #81 Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
We follow Lisamarie's memories as she and her family wait to find out the fate of her brother. He's been lost at sea from the fishing boat he was on. As a young indigenous woman in Canada, we follow her ups and downs. Her close relationship with her Uncle Mick is a highlight. Overall, a good book but the middle dragged a bit and I would've liked more of a resolution regarding Jimmy, Lisamarie's brother.
3.5/5 stars print
Book #82 Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict by Emily Brightwell
Book #21 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Mrs. Jeffries and her household co-workers are brought a case by a friend to try to find evidence that would excoriate a convicted murderer set to hang. How will they get Inspector Witherspoon to help them on their quest without revealing to him that they have been instrumental in helping him solve his previous cases? Another fun story.
3.5/5 stars audiobook
Book #83 Lost & Found by Kathryn Schultz
A memoir of a woman on her grief journey that juxtaposes her journey in finding love. The first part is about losing her father, the second about finding love and the third about how she's trying to reconcile the good with the bad. Painful at times, sweet at others, and very courageous in allowing us into her life. Lovely.
4/5 stars print
Book #84 The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett
An absolutely fun cozy starring Queen Elizabeth II helping, behind the scenes, her Asst Private Sec, Rozie Oshodi investigate a death that's happened at Windsor Castle. A Russian pianist seems to have strangled to himself but there are clues that show that he was murdered. Why was he killed? QEII and Rozie are the duo I didn't know I needed. Definitely recommend and can't wait to read this next one.
4/5 stars audiobook
Book #85 The Secret, Book & Scone by Ellery Adams
The first in a cozy series set in Miracle Springs, NC where 4 women, who've ended up there because of past trauma in each of their lives, form a book club where they start to begin friendships. Just as they start getting to know each other a murder occurs, one of them gets thrown in jail and the rest of the group start to investigate. I liked it.
3/5 stars audiobook
Book #86 The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams
Second in the cozy series, this time a young woman appears just as a customer of the bookstore is murdered. Who is this young woman? What has happened to her? Where did she come from? And did she murder the bookstore customer? Also, what's going on with the new housing development happening in town? How are they all related? Or are they? Liked this one as well.
3/5 stars audiobook
Book #87 The Shadow Murders by Jussi Alder-Olsen
I wanted to love it and I'm sad that I didn't. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the primary mystery, it was the secondary mystery/storyline that I did not like at all. WTH was that ending? everyone actually believes that Carl is a drug lord? Wish I'd waited until the next one. Highly recommend waiting for the next book in the series before starting this one.
3.5/5 stars audiobook
Book #88 Alias Emma (Alias Emma, #1) by Ava Glass
Ok, that was fun. Realistic? Nope, but then I'm not in the spy game, lol. "Emma" is to talk Michael into protective custody because the Russians are trying to find a path to his mother who'd betrayed their country to the UK. They want to get her back to Russia for trial. Before she can talk him into it, the Russian agents are chasing them across London. A fun spy thriller. Ready for the next book.
4/5 stars audiobook
Book #89 Violeta by Isabel Allende
Set in a South American country that's never named (but I think it's Chile and set in the same world as The House of the Spirits), this story follows the life of Violeta from 1920-2020. Even though serious issues are broached (civil war, dictatorship, loss, drug use, etc), I found it to be almost a gentle book, not overly dramatic. Enjoyed how the story unfolded.
4/5 stars print
Book #90 A Million Aunties by Alecia McKenzie
A short book about a recent widower and the community around him. An artist, Chris decides to visit his mother's homeland of Jamaica. While there, a community rises around him. And we hear from them in individual chapters. Would I have liked it to have been a longer book? Absolutely. I hope the author decides to revisit this group of people in her later works. Off to look for more of her work.
4/5 stars print
Book #91 Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
2nd book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, we follow Precious Ramotswe, the owner of the only ladies' detective agency in Botswana, has a case brought by a young man's mother. He's been missing for the past 10 years without a trace. Really enjoying this detective series set in a part of the world I'm unfamiliar with.
4/5 stars audiobook
Book #92 Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
3rd book in the mystery series featuring Precious Ramotswe. I'm loving how the author intertwines Prescious' personal life, her business life and the cases that she solves. The main case in the book is to figure who is trying to kill the younger brother of a government official and why. The audiobook narrator is pretty good.
4/5 stars audiobook
Book #93 Sherlock Holmes' Rediscovered Railway Stories by John Taylor
Benedict Cumberbatch is the narrator of this short audiobook and is honestly, the best part of the book. There are 4 short stories of Sherlock Holmes' lost cases. I was expecting a lot more than we got. The mysteries weren't complicated at all, which made me sad.
2.5/5 stars audiobook
Book #94 The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams
Third book in the Secret, Book & Scone Society. In a little North Carolina town, where people come to heal, 4 friends, who themselves moved to this town to heal, investigate a death of an artist and the link to a local inn. It's a nice little series that I'm enjoying following.
3/5 stars audiobook
Book #95 Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse, #6) by James S.A. Corey
This was good as I thought it would be! It's such a complex story but I didn't feel lost once I get into it. It was fun to be back in Holden, Naomi, Alex and Amos' world. And Bobbie's a part of the crew now. So much intrigue, politicking, and civil war. I've read that the next one is more of a roller coaster. I'm here for it.
4/5 stars print
Book #96 Strange Dogs (The Expanse, #6.5) by James S.A. Corey
The large books really work for me, I think because there's time to delve into the characters and their motivations and their actions. These novellas aren't long enough to do anything other than give us a little glimpse in the world of The Expanse. This one has an interesting premise, one I hope will be explored in the larger novels.
2/5 stars audiobook
Book #97 Memorial by Bryan Washington
Idk how to feel about this book. Ben and Mike are a couple who live together but don't even seem to like each other. Mike's mother comes to visit but he decides to go to his dying father, leaving Ben with his mother. The best parts of the book were the interactions between Ben and Mike's mother, Mitsuko, Ben and his family, and the one between Mike and his father, Eiju. It's a book about grief and dysfunction.
3.5/5 stars print
Book #98 The Kalahari Typing School for Men (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #4) by Alexander McCall Smith
This one has Mma Ramotswe dealing with issues with the kids, a rival detective agency opening, her business not being as busy as it should be and investigating a possible errant husband. Another enjoyable book in the series. I think this series is more a slice of life plus a mystery in the background type and I'm loving it.
4/5 stars audiobook
Book #99 Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams
This series focuses on a group of ladies who all came together and then started solving mysteries (with Nora as the main "detective"). The books take place in a small town in NC. In this third book, they're up against a killer who has murdered the daughter of the newest shop keeper. Are they opposed to the shop because they sell cbd, etc or is there a link to a possible cult in another part of the state?
3/5 stars audiobook
Book #100 The Department of Sensitive Crimes (Detective Varg, #1) by Alexander McCall Smith
Same author as the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency but soooo soooo different. This one is more in the vein of Jasper Fforde type of book. Weird, strange and quirky. I liked it and am interested in revisiting this world sometime in the future.
3/5 stars audiobook
Book #101 Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
Ocean's 11-ish book. A Chinese American art student at Harvard gets drawn into an art stealing/repatriation scheme. He ropes his sister and 3 friends into art heists. It sounded like fun, it wasn't. It wasn't the worst book I've read, it was just ok.
2/5 stars audiobook
Book #102 The Vanishing Type (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #5) by Ellery Adams 3.5/5 stars audiobook
Book #103 Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans (Mrs. Jeffries #22) by Emily Brightwell
3.5/5 stars audiobook
Book #104 The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #5) by Alexander McCall Smith
4/5 stars audiobook
The 3 series I've been following. All enjoyable for different reasons. Like the narrators for each series.
Pt 4 #Books read in June:
#122 A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot #2) by Becky Chambers 3.5/5* print
#123 We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu 3.5/5* audiobook
#124 Love & Saffron by Kim Fay 3.5/5* audiobook
#125 The English Understood Wool by Helen DeWitt 4/5* print
#126 Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson 4/5* print
22 books read: 15 audiobooks/7 print
Pt 4 #Book read in July:
#143 The Double Comfort Safari Club (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #11) by Alexander McCall Smith 4/5* audiobook
#144 Third Gate (Jeremy Logan #3) by Lincoln Child 2.5/5* audiobook
18 books read: 14 audiobooks/4 print
Pt 4 #Book read in Aug:
#163 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 4.5/5* audiobook
#164 Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty 4/5* audiobook
#165 How to Order the Universe by Maria José Ferrada 1.5* ebook
#166 Mrs Jeffries Speaks Her Mind (Mrs Jeffries #27) by Emily Brightwell 3.5/5* audiobook
#167 How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz 4/5* audiobook
#168 The Butterfly House (Kørner/Werner #3) by Katrine Engberg 3/5* audiobook
24 books: 19 audiobooks/2 ebooks/3 print
Lillias