Show Us Your Books November 2023

My October was filled with cozy mysteries and thrillers, as is bookworm law. I had a lot of fun, but am enjoying the feeling of my brain coming back to life as I re-introduce deeper books this month. I don’t even know where I am with my reading challenges, but at this point I kind of want to just read what’s overflowing on my shelves and start again with the challenges in 2024. I saw a meme the other day that said something like “It’s officially let’s reconnect after the holidays season!” and that’s how I feel about reading challenges at this point.

Here’s the best of the best from what I read in October.

Five Star Reads:

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- If you would have told 10th grade me that I would be willingly getting up pre-dawn on a weekend to finish Tess of the D‘Urbervilles I would not have believed you. This book touched me in ways teenage me would never have imagined. This book is wasted on High Schoolers. It hit way differently in my 40’s.

Four Star Reads:

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James -- Once I figured out the characters and the timelines I was really invested in the story of this boarding school for unwanted girls set in the 1950’s and the reporter who wants to learn more in 2014.

Malorie by Josh Malerman -- Bird Box scared the heck out of me so I had been saving this one for a good Halloween scare. I wasn’t expecting to relate so much to the story of a mom just trying to keep her teens alive when they think they are so much smarter and fight you on every damn thing 🤣 The whole blindfold wearing issue was interesting too after the last few years of mask wearing. So, not the scare I was looking for, but a relatable tale of motherhood.

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten -- A fast paced techno thriller. Bigger than life Elon Musk type Cy challenges ten people to evade his surveillance technology for thirty days. If they do they get 3 million dollars. This book moved, and was hard to put down once I started.

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale -- I enjoyed this novel about Harry- a man who had to flee to Canada in the years before WWI just because of who he was. The author’s note at the end revealed Harry was actually a distant relative of his, and he got the idea for this novel after reading a family member’s memoirs.

Hotel California edited by Don Bruns -- I enjoyed making my way through this mystery anthology last month. My favorite was the last story, and the inspiration for the title. In Hotel California the famous song is told through the eyes of a social media influencer. And it was as creepy as it sounds.

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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.

On My Nightstand January 8, 2023

Last week was a blur. Getting the kids back to school and getting myself back to the office took all my strength. I did a bit of reading last week, but for the most part I’m still where I was at my last update.

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

The Treeline by Ben Rawlence - This is the January pick for my work book club. I’m about halfway done now. It’s interesting so far.

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier - I’m trying to get some of the chunkier unread books off my shelf.

The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden - We’re visiting Uganda for #FoodAndLit this month, so I got this book. It’s a novel about the private physician of Idi Amin.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand January 1, 2023

Happy New Year! I’m not a fan of New Years Eve, but I do love entering a new year- new beginnings, new books, spring is coming, and so on.

Am I the only one completely done with winter now that the holidays are over?

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

The Treeline by Ben Rawlence - This is the January pick for my work book club. I’m looking forward to it.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala - I’m looking forward to starting this series.

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier - I’m trying to get some of the chunkier unread books off my shelf.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

REVIEW: Green Mountain Academy by Frances Greenslade

After a series of devastating losses at home Francie is allowed to attend Green Mountain Academy, a wilderness school in British Columbia. In that peaceful setting she begins to heal, but is aware the school is in trouble. While the school leaders are off dealing with business, the girls are cut off from the world by a large storm. When Francie realizes that the plane crash she heard about must have happened on school grounds she knows what she has to do.

I enjoyed this middle grade survival story. The snowy scenes were perfect for winter reading, and I appreciated the relationships between the girls. I recommend this for kids in 6th or 7th grade and their moms.

I received a copy of this from the publisher through Library Thing Early Reviewers program. All opinions are my own.

Show Us Your Books March 2022

The vibe I’m going for doesn’t exactly resemble real life!

Two days in a row I’ve overslept and I’m running behind on everything. Here’s my slap dash Show Us Your Books post for the month of March!

Five Stars:

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng -- I stayed up way too late reading this book. It was heartbreaking in all the best ways, and completely changed how I reacted to one one my kids’ less than stellar report cards.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn -- I really loved this WW2 code breaking novel. The ending was perfect. This was the first book I read last month, and a great way to get things started.

Four Stars:

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson -- A book about a woman who wrote a book about a woman writing a book. This was just so clever and unexpected. I really enjoyed it.

A Blizzard of Polar Bears by Alice Henderson -- I‘m really loving this series about vegetarian biologist badass Alex and her adventures defending wildlife. I can‘t wait for the next one.

And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts -- This book about the AIDS epidemic was a powerful read in its own right, but absolutely infuriating when read against the backdrop of everything we‘ve gone through in the past two years. I was under the gun to get this finished for a work book club- I will come back to it in a few years for a more careful read.

Three Stars:

I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell -- This book was a little uneven, but the first and last chapters took my breath away.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell -- This got mixed reviews from my book group. I thought it was fast paced and it kept me guessing even if there wasn’t much to talk about with the group.

This post is linked to Show Us Your Books and Quick Lit.

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Thrilling Books That Take Place In The Great Outdoors

I love thrillers where the characters are fighting against each other but also natural elements. It adds such tension when someone has to fight their enemy and mother nature at the same time.

Do you like these books too? Here are a few of my favorites.

The Alex Carter series by Alice Henderson features a badass heroine who saves the earth while fighting the bad guys. I’ve really enjoyed both books in this series so far, and am looking forward to the next one.

The River by Peter Heller had my heart in my throat the whole time. A book about buddies on an easy paddle in Canada quickly turns to life and death as they flee wildfires and killers.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King — Baseball can’t solve all your problems, but it sure can help a lot as Trisha found out when she had the bad luck to get lost in the woods.

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Two Books Inspired By The Dionne Quintuplets

In 1930’s rural Canada five babies were born at once and captured the curiosity of the world. The Dionne Quintuplets were a reality show before there was such a thing as reality shows. They starred in movies and were visited by celebrities like Shirley Temple and Amelia Earhart. A viewing platform was built so that the public could watch them play outside. Their fame brought in huge amounts of money, a lot of which couldn’t be accounted for later. Then they grew up and people forgot about them.

I had never heard of them until I read Louise Penny’s book How The Light Gets In. This is my favorite book in my favorite series, but it took me a few reads to catch on that Penny’s Ouellet quintuplets were based on a true story. When I saw the cover for The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood I knew I had to read it based on my love of Penny’s book. This is another worthwhile read. The main character got on my nerves a little, but the back story is just so darn fascinating.

If you’re looking for a fiction rabbit hole to fall down you can’t go wrong with these two. I promise you many hours of wikipedia research will follow!

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Show Us Your Books July (What!?)

Meet Daisy. Brother Oliver is too fast to get a good picture yet.

Two good things happened since we last met up. One, my library opened for curbside pick up! Two, we adopted two kittens who are adorable and love to lay around with me while I read. We also took a very socially distant trip out of town to go hiking, and that meant audiobooks in the car. So, a good month for reading.

(Note, I was worried to leave my city which is filled with pretty serious social distancing mask wearers to go someplace that didn’t have as good of a reputation, but it was fine. No confrontations I’m happy to say.)

And how is it mid-July already?

The Best Book I Read Last Month

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - I read this a long time ago, and picked it back up again early last month. So much good stuff here. You need to read it if you haven’t.

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”

— The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Food For Thought

A $500 House in Detroit - I thought I was getting a HGTV style makeover book, but what I got was a really interesting look at race and class in Detroit around 2008.

Parable of the Sower - I read this for a reading challenge not knowing that a dystopian novel set in the year 2025 would seem so believable based on the year 2020. This is the second book I’ve read by Octavia Butler, and I will be reading more. (The other book, Kindred, was also really good.)

Ten Days In A Mad House - In 1887 journalist Nellie Bly had herself committed to a “mad house” so that she could report on the conditions. Once you read about the conditions and the ease of commitment in those days you will be amazed by how brave she was.

Chicago

I weirdly ended up reading three books set in Chicago last month.

Rodham - A book about what might have happened to Hillary if she hadn’t married Bill. I thought this book was super clever, and have recommended it to a bunch of people (including you!)

Becoming - I loved the behind the scenes looks at the White House, and the very real struggles the Obamas had raising two kids with two working parents. This might have been bad timing though, because to me a lot of the things we worried about in 2008-2016 just seem so quaint.

A Raisin In The Sun - I love this play, and read it often. This was the first “grown up” book I read when my mom took me to see it in Boston as a high schooler. The struggles in this play just poke my heart.

Just For Fun

Mary Anne Saves The Day - Yup, I’m 42 years old and read a Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel in preparation for watching the Netflix series. So sue me.

Anne of Windy Poplars - Still reading through Anne’s books. I enjoy them, but they’re feeling more and more like filler that LMM’s publisher talked her into writing.

Twisted Twenty-Six - These books are always the same, and I always enjoy them. This was the first one I’ve ever done as an audiobook, and I liked the narrator.

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Show Us Your Books April 2020

Channeling my inner Pete The Cat

Just another average reading month for me. Nothing exciting happening. How about you?

Most of my March reading took place before social distancing took place. You would think that staying at home most of the time would lead to an increase in reading, but my brain is scribble scrabble. Obviously 2020 isn’t turning out to be the year to care about reading goals or challenges. In the mean time I’m doing puzzles, making bread, and working in the yard.

Here are a few things I did manage to finish:

My favorites

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - This is the one book I did manage to finish in the first few weeks of staying at home. The world of Anne is so comforting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I feel lucky to just be discovering this series now.

The Day The World Came To Town by Jim Defede - It was inspiring to me to read about how people came together during another time of crisis.

Good Stories To Pass The Time

Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce - Mrs. Ford is living the good life until the FBI shows up. If you like the twists of Ruth Ware books I think you’ll like this one too.

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - This one is getting a lot of good reviews, and I think they’re deserved. It starts with an abduction of two sisters in Russia, but the book itself is only slightly related to the abductions. Instead we get a story each month about others in the community which of course includes mention of the missing sisters. It’s very interesting how it all comes together. I had to return it to the library, but if I hadn’t I would have read it again right away once I knew how it all fit together.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett - Good, old-fashioned girl power YA dystopia. Give it a try of you like that kind of thing.

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Show Us Your Books Feb. 2020

My cat passed away last month, and that has seriously damped my ability to enjoy books. Is reading on the couch even reading if you don’t have a cat practicing yoga moves on your knee? I’ll miss him forever, but hopefully I’ll get back to my love of reading soon. Until then know I am probably being unnecessarily grumpy about some of these books.

My Best Read of the Month

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso - Someone described this as woke Golden Girls, which I thought was pretty funny and also accurate. Two sworn enemies live next door to each other have to put their differences aside when they realize they need each other. For those like me who have been seeking out books with characters over 40 who actually do things more interesting that drinking tea and giving advice give this one a read.

Great For Winter Reading On The Couch

The Gown by Jennifer Robson - A good story matched with good information about England after WWII.
Plainsong by Kent Haruf - I almost put this down because of a lack of quotation marks, but I’m glad I ended up sticking with it. It’s a sweet story about families - the ones you’re born with and the ones you create.
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman - Another sweet story about families. If you like Backman you’ll like this book. If you don’t skip it.

Operation Re-Read

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - I really, really loved this book when I first read it, and I still love it today. It was where I first learned about the danger of mitigating language and that I should trust my years of practice.
A Better Man by Louise Penny - I read this really quickly when it first came out, and wanted to read it again but slower. My initial assessment stands- not the best Gamache but still a decent read.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I am in awe of Fitzgerald’s ability to say so much with just a few words. This is a yearly read for me, but to be honest I might pull it out again in a few months. That’s how much I love this book.

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Out Past My Bedtime: Louise Penny's A Better Man

Last week I made it out for a rare night on my own to see Louise Penny talk about her new book A Better Man. She was so kind, and so funny. If you ever get a chance to see her speak you should do it.

A few notes I wrote into my phone while trying to take it all in:

• She didn’t write her first book until she was in her mid 40’s

• She might be the only one who can get away with writing hopeful murder mysteries

• Some of Ruth’s poetry is actually Margaret Atwood’s

• Forgiveness is possible and goodness exists

• It’s never a good idea to catch a falling knife

I read the book itself in two days. She’s done it again. I’m not sure how, but Penny keeps up the momentum with these books, and I already can’t wait for the next one.

You might also like:

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September 2017 Quick Lit

From a road trip to Indiana -- seems like a nice place, but I was obsessed with finishing Glass Houses, so...

Each month I link with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit as a way to talk about the books I liked, but didn't review. Well, I've been in such a back to school slump that my list is a whopping two book long this month. But really there's only one that matters:

Glass Houses by Louise Penny -- I never buy print books any more (out of room in my house), but I made an exception for this one. It didn't disappoint. These books leave me so emotionally drained, but in a good way. This one had a little different format that previous books in the series - it switched between a trial in the present day, and a murder in the past. I don't always love it when authors tell a story that way, but it worked here.

Also, I love Ruth.

Summer At Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan -- Simple and predictable, just what I needed for reading in the car while my husband drove us along the PA turnpike.

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April 2017 Audiobooks

Spring is here, and I'm spending a lot of time listening to audiobooks while I walk under flowering trees. I'm enjoying it as much as I can before summer starts, and I need to stay inside near my air conditioner! I live in DC, so probably about another two weeks.

I found Z for Zachariah in the kid's section of my library, but it freaked me the heck out, and I'm glad I didn't try to listen to it with my kids. It's an end of the world novel about a girl living alone on a farm after a nuclear war - until a man finds her.

I finished The Nature of the Beast, and am sad to say I only have one book left in the series until the new one comes out in August. I liked this one as much as I have liked the last few. That is to say, a lot. Plus there's physics! Yay physics!  Can anyone recommend a similar detective series that is good on audio?

I've also been busy reviewing books for The Armchair Audies.

Here are my review so far:

In Harm's Way

Paul McCartney

A Time to Die

Reviews for the last two in the category will be coming this month, and then I'll announce who I think should be the winner in the category.

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February 2017 Audiobooks

My February spirit animal

Twitter and political podcasts have been distracting me from reading and listening lately. Still I did manage to get in some winners (and some junk that I listened to with my kids and won't discuss here.)

A Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalin - A thriller that takes place during WWII and in the years after. A bit greusome in parts, but a pretty good story. It kept me guessing until the end.

A Trick of the Light and A Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - I'm still chugging along with these. Each time I start a new one I think "Oh really? Another body in Three Pines? Boring" and then before I know it I'm sucked in. As everyone who reviews these books says these books start with murder, but they're about so much more than the mystery. (To be fair A Beautiful Mystery doesn't take place in Three Pines.)

Bag of Bones by Stephen King - There was a part at the end of this book that almost made me stop listening. Up until then it was a near perfect audiobook. I kept going past that part, and I'm glad I did. Read by the author, and it contained music that added to the story. However I don't think I'll ever re-read it like I usually do with King's books. I know that's probably not very helpful to anyone trying to decide if they should read this book, but I'm not sure what else to say!

Also see Books That Are Saving My Life Right Now.

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My favorites from 2016

Like a lot of people, for me 2016 just seemed like one bad thing after another. One of the few bright spots was all of the great books I read. Between reading for this site, my deeper involvement in the bookish community, and ridiculous delays on the metro I read more books than ever - 147 as I write this. 2016 is truly the year I embraced my inner book worm.

I broke my favorites down into categories over the past few days:

Favorite audiobooks from 2016

Favorite non-fiction from 2016

Favorite fiction from 2016

Naming my favorites was a fun exercise, but now I feel like it's time to name my favorite over all. I went back and forth on this a few times. My pride wants me to name something that has been deemed an IMPORTANT BOOK by the 2016 powers that be. Reality and book tracking reminds me that I still haven't gotten any of the IMPORTANT BOOKS from the library yet.

So, it comes back to favorites. What books had me waiting impatiently for them to be released? What books did I reserve from the library months before they came out, and then read in one big gulp?

So, when I thought about it, I realized my favorites of 2016 were actually two series. These are the books that I've gulped down one after another. I start one book, tell myself I'll take a break after this one, but then as soon as it ends I download the next because I WILL DIE OF I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

These two series are:

Both of these are more than the sum of their parts.

You can read more about the Bill Hodges series here and here.

I've talked about the Gamache series in the last few Show Us Your Books link ups here, here, and here.

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My favorite audiobooks from 2016

I put off naming my favorites until now because it always seems like December gets the short shift in terms of being able to add anything to a favorites list. Christmas is less than a week away though, and then it will be time to forget about 2016, and start setting goals for 2017.

Note, when I say favorites from 2016 it's favorites that I listened to in 2016, not favorites that were published in 2016. Also, great audiobooks don't necessarily mean great writing. It helps, of course, but the reader makes a huge difference too.

Here are my top five favorite audiobooks that I listened to in 2016:

1.

The Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny - Hands down the best thing I've listened to all year. The stories are absorbing, the characters are wonderful, and I could listen to the reader talk all day long. I'm so excited I still have many more volumes in this series to go.

2.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - We listened to this in the car and my kids really got into the story (as did I.) It was a great book that led to a lot of discussion in our house.

3.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Read by Jim Dale, simply the best. A classic book read by one of the greatest voices around. Listen to it now if you can. It will get rid of any Scrooge like feelings you might have.

4.

The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza - This isn't classic literature, but the CRAZY narrator had me rooting for the main character in a big way. Highly relate-able for those of us who are too old to sit at the cool young people's table at the company holiday party any more.

5.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - I listened to this again with my brother on our way to Mt. Katahdin this year. It's not the first time I've heard it, and the version narrated by the author is funny enough to shop up on my top five any year.

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December 2016 audiobooks

I have been tearing through audio books this month. It must be all of the cookie baking and laundry. It's really a great way to decompress after so many social gatherings. Manual labor and great voices telling me stories, it's good for the soul.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - I listened to the version read by Jim Dale and just loved it. I've seen the movie thousands of times, but this is the first time I've read the book.

I'm still binge listening to the Gamache mysteries. This month it was A Fatal Grace  and A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. I'm starting to like Peter about as much as I like Matthew from the Cormoran Strike books. That said, I'm so glad I stuck with these.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead was a fun 1970's coming of age story with a little time travel thrown in. It's a middle grade book that I listened to in the car with the kids, but I think I liked it better than they did.

And of course, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling for the 500th or so time. Harry kind of drives me nuts in this one with all of his teenage angst, but still, I liked being in Hogwarts. I'm waiting impatiently for Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows to come in through Overdrive.

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November Audiobooks

Sometimes wasting hours on Pinterest is so worth it...

It's my busy time at work, and I've been cranking through audiobooks as I program my life away. I never used to listen to mysteries, because I thought I wouldn't be able to follow them. I gave a couple a try last month though, and now I have a whole new world open to me.

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal was enjoyable enough. It's a World War II book with a bunch of twists and turns, but nothing too mentally taxing. I didn't realize it was part of a series when I started. I'm not sure I'll seek the others out, but wouldn't turn them away if they showed up on my doorstep. Has anyone else read anything from this series?

Foul Play by Janet Evanovich bills itself as a mystery, but really it was a romance that had a little bit to do with a missing chicken. Total fluff, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Everyone who told me that the Gamache books got better with time was right. This month I listened to The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny, and loved every minute of it. I went out of order and read #3 before #2, and I'm hoping that doesn't mess things up too much. That's the risk when you depend on Overdrive!

Linked to:

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October 2016 Audiobooks

This time of year seems like a constant sprint/marathon combined. Meaning I have to go to meetings and practices a lot and talk to people. Meaning I am not able to dream away my time while listening to audiobooks as I would prefer. However I did make my way through two mysteries.

I always thought I wouldn't be able to follow mysteries on audiobook, but turns out I quite like them. Just goes to show you're never too old to try new things.

X is the latest in the Kinsey Milhone series by Sue Grafton. This wasn't the best in the series, but I liked how this book continued the story of some of the characters from the previous book.

With only two letters left in the alphabet I'm strongly considering starting over again at 'A' before the series ends. These books started in 1982! Can you believe it?

When I tried to read Still Life by Louise Penny in print I didn't get past the first 15 pages. I heard so many people rave about these books though I decided I needed to try again, this time on audio. I'm so glad! I'm not sure if it was the country setting on the back drop of a fall hurricane, or the delicious way pastries are pronounced with a French accent, but I too am now in love with these books. I'm anxiously waiting for it to be my turn to listen to the next one on Overdrive.

I started listening to It by Stephen King this month as part of a spooky Halloween reads challenge. However it is 44 hours long, so I may not have a review until next Halloween!

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