2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2025 Reading Challenge
2025 52 Club Reading Challenge
2025 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2025 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2025 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge
2025 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2025 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
2025 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Author Discoveries in 2024
Like every other reader, I have my favorite, go-to authors whose books I always look forward to reading. I also enjoy discovering new authors to love. In fact, out of the 230 titles I read in 2024, 127 of them—almost half—were penned by new-to-me writers. That made it really easy to create a list to fit this week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024. As always, this fun weekly link-up is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024
1. Benjamin Stevenson—Everyone knows I love me a good mystery/thriller, especially when it's both clever and funny. Stevenson's Ernest Cunningham series is exactly that. You can tell just by the titles of the books—Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone; Everyone On This Train is a Suspect; and Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret—that they're hilarious. I read all three in 2024 and loved each one.. This Australian author has a couple other mystery/thriller series that I need to check out.
2. Sally Hepworth—Another Aussie, Hepworth writes absorbing domestic thrillers. I read three of them in 2024, of which The Good Sister was my favorite. I definitely plan to continue exploring Hepworth's backlist this year.
3. Raquel V. Reyes—Cozy mysteries make nice palate cleansers for me between heavier reads, so I'm always on the lookout for entertaining ones. Reyes' series starring a Cuban American food anthropologist and amateur sleuth in Miami is a fun one. I read the first two books last year and have already read #3 this year.
4. Erin Lindsey—I'm a big historical mystery fan, so I get excited when I find new series in this genre to enjoy. I discovered Lindsey's Rose Gallagher series in 2024. It stars an Irish American housemaid in Gilded Age New York City who can see ghosts. She becomes part of the Pinkerton Detective Agency's secret paranormal division, which deals with supernatural disturbances. With lots of interesting historical details, cameos by famous people of the past, and quirky characters, it's an enjoyable series. I read the first book in 2024 and the second last week.
5. Marthe Jocelyn—Speaking of historical mysteries, I found Jocelyn's Aggie Morton series last year. The series, which is aimed at middle grade readers, features a young Agatha Christie and her new friend, Hercules Poirot. The youngsters team up to do what else, but solve mysteries. I read the first installment, The Body Under the Piano, in 2024 and plan to continue the series this year.
6. Gabrielle Meyer—Meyer is a popular author of Christian and inspirational fiction. Her publisher, Bethany House, has kindly sent me all the books in her Timeless series as they have come out. It took me until last year to finally read the first installment, When the Day Comes, which I enjoyed. The book is about a woman who has the unique ability to time travel between two lives—one in Gilded Age New York City, one in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg. When she turns 21, she will have to choose which life to inhabit permanently.
7. Ying Chang Compestine—Compestine is a Chinese American food expert and writer who grew up in Wuhan, China, a city that became famous in 2020 because of the Covid outbreak there. Morning Sun in Wuhan, a middle grade novel, was one of my favorite reads of 2024 because of its authenticity and hopeful vibe. I'm interested in reading Compestine's other middle grade novels as well as her memoir, Growing Up Under a Red Flag.
8. Naomi Stephens—Although she only has a few books under her belt, this Christian historical fiction writer impressed me with The Burning of Rosemont Abbey. I hear that she is planning to write more mysteries and I am here for them!
9. Melanie Crowder—Crowder writes books for children in several different genres. I read her YA novel, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky, last year. It's set in 1999 Bolivia and concerns an Indigenous boy whose father is unfairly targeted by a corrupt government and sent to prison. Unable to cope, his mother abandons the family, leaving the boy and his younger sister no choice but to live with their father in prison. It's a beautiful novel about keeping hope alive even in the most dire circumstances. I enjoyed it, so I want to read more by Crowder.
10. Lesa Cline-Ransome—Cline-Ransome pens biographies and novels featuring important events and people in Black history. I loved One Big Open Sky, her middle-grade verse novel about Black homesteaders on the American frontier. Not only does it tell a unique story, but it's also poetic, poignant, and powerful. I'm definitely up for reading more by this author.
There you are, ten new-to-me authors I discovered in 2024. Are they new to you, too? Which writers did you find last year? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday: The Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection
I've been feeling a little emotionally bruised lately because of some...things, which has led to a *bit* of indulgence in the bookish retail therapy department. Needless to say, this week's TTT prompt is going to be a cinch for me: Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection
1. The Agatha Christie Collection by Agatha Christie—I've read a few of Christie's iconic Hercules Poirot mysteries, but I've been wanting to start at the beginning and read the rest in order. The first one, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, always seems to be checked out from my library, so I finally just bought this volume which includes that title, as well as The Murder on the Links (#2) and Poirot Investigates (#3). I'm excited to see how it all began!
2. Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith—I've mentioned this middle grade novel before. It's about a young Black girl from New York City who loves nature to a degree that confounds everyone around her. She finds a kindred spirit in her aunt, who lives in a remote cabin in the Adirondacks. Despite all that Auntie Raven teaches Ava about wilderness survival, though, Ava's terrified when she finds herself alone in the woods. Does she have what it takes to make it ouf of the forest alive?
3. What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan—I have been enjoying this Irish-Australian author's Cormac Reilly crime series, so I was eager to give this standalone a go. It has not been available in my local libraries or bookstores and even Amazon didn't have it until recently. Finally, I was able to get myself a copy. The story revolves around a young couple who go on a romantic vacation to a remote cabin in the woods. When only the man returns, telling a story full of holes, everyone is asking the titular question: What happened to Nina?
4. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu—Considering what is going on right now, particularly in the U.S., I figured this was a good time to buy a copy of this book, about which I've heard great things. A warm, respectful conversation between two wise, compassionate leaders about what really matters in life sounds like just what my soul needs.
5. Not Nothing by Gayle Forman—I've never been overly interested in this author's YA novels, but I do like the sound of this one, her first middle-grade book. Alex is a lonely 12-year-old boy who commits an act that gets him sentenced to a summer performing community service at a retirement home. He is not at all enthusiastic about the prospect until he meets a 107-year-old resident named Josey. A man who has lived through it all, including the Holocaust, Josey just wants his long life to be over. When he meets Alex and begins telling the boy his story, the experience changes both of them. Can Josey's tales of courage give Alex the strength he needs to own up to the worst mistake he's ever made?
6. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny—Changing Hands Bookstore, my local indie, offers a $10 birthday discount to its customers when we shop during our birth month. I used mine to pick up a copy of this 14th installment in the Armand Gamache crime series. It's one of my favorite series of all time, so I want to own all of them so I can re-read the books whenever I want. I haven't read Kingdom of the Blind yet, but it begins with a strange letter informing Gamache that he has been named in the will of a woman who is a complete stranger to him. He's baffled. When a dead body is found, the deceased's intentions become a little more clear—and a lot more sinister.
7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett—Santa Claus brought me the beautiful Fingerprints edition of this children's classic. It's about a young girl who discovers a neglected garden on her uncle's estate. As she nurtures it back to life, she unearths secrets, clues, and answers to important questions about her family and herself.
8. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton—My sister gave me a Barnes & Noble gift card for my birthday, which is a few days before Christmas. I used it to buy this dystopian/murder novel that I've been eyeing. It has a very intriguing premise: a killing fog has decimated the world's population, leaving only 125 people living on an idyllic island protected by a security system that keeps the fog away. Then, a scientist is murdered. The death triggers not just a lowering of the security system, which will disappear entirely if the killer isn't found in the next 107 hours, but also an erasure of everyone's memories of the night before. Someone on the island is a murderer, even if they don't remember that they are. Can the islanders solve the murder before it's too late?
9. Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson—I also used my gift card to buy a copy of this murder mystery by one of my favorite YA authors. It concerns Marlowe Wexler, a teenage girl who takes a summer job as a tour guide at a mansion that was built on a remote island in the 1920s and abandoned soon after. It's an easy gig, if not the most exciting job in the world. Except for the unexplained deaths that happened on the island. Those are...something. When Marlowe's employer mysteriously vanishes, Marlowe worries that the house's haunted history is making a deadly comeback...
10. The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander—You know those tempting Kindle deals, where interesting-looking books can be had for just a few dollars? I fall for those way too often! Such is the case with this historical novel about three young Irish women who are sent to a Dublin convent that now serves as a Magdalen laundry for the crimes of being too pretty and too independently-minded. Despite the grimness and cruelty they experience in their new home, the young women form a fast, deep friendship. When they are finally able to escape the laundry, they'll need that bond to help them survive in the outside world, which might be more harsh than the one they've just escaped. Sounds depressing, but intriguing.
There you go, ten of my newest book acquisitions. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which volumes have you acquired lately? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2025
With the onset of a new year, our minds naturally seem to turn to thoughts of clean slates, fresh starts, and new beginnings. We contemplate what we want to accomplish in the next 365 days and what mini steps we need to follow to get us there. Not surprisingly, today's prompt for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl) is along these same lines: Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2025.
Although I love to make ambitious goals and resolutions every year, I've actually made very few bookish ones for 2025. I'm pretty happy with how I'm reading and blogging right now, so I mostly want to keep doing what I'm doing. I couldn't come up with ten goals, but I did think of a few.
Top Ten Five Bookish Goals for 2025
1. Read at least 215 books. I've read 200+ books for the past several years and in 2024, I read 230, so I upped my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal from my usual 200 to 215. Shouldn't be too hard to reach.
2. Review more books on my blog. Since I've only posted a handful of reviews here at BBB over the past couple years, this one won't be difficult to improve! Ha ha. I do review every book I read on Goodreads as soon as I finish it, but I also want to post longer, more in-depth reviews on my blog like I used to.
3. Read more of the physical books I already own. I have hundreds of physical books and my bookshelves are already double and triple-stacked. I need to read more of my own books and slow down on buying more. Easier said than done.
4. Enjoy my reading challenges and finish them if I can. I've taken on a bunch of reading challenges for 2025. Although I never take them too seriously, I do enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I get when I complete them. We'll see how I do this year. So far, so good.
5. Try to read more clean, uplifting books. I tend to be drawn to darker books, but so much heaviness in my reading has started to feel weighty on my mood and soul. I'm not going to give up my murder mysteries, but I would like to focus more this year on the genre's lighter side—cozy mysteries, historical mysteries, classic mysteries, light-hearted mysteries, etc. I'll also be on the lookout for reads that are lighter and less depressing than my usual fare. Any recommendations?
That's about all I can come up with for this list. How about you? What are your bookish goals for the new year? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Friday, January 10, 2025
Life-Affirming "Spring" Novel Uplifting in Any Season
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Even though Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio is more of a Spring/Summer read than a Fall/Winter one, I loved the infusion of sunshine it gave my end-of-the-year reading. Its hopeful, life-affirming message is uplifting no matter what the season!
Written in verse, this middle-grade novel concerns a 12-year-old girl from the Philippines who has just moved to California to live with her mother. She has been raised by her grandparents for most of her life while her single mother worked in the U.S., visiting her native country only occasionally. Isabel is nervous not only about relocating to a foreign place, but also about living with a woman she barely knows. In the Philippines, she has her friends, her beloved grandparents, the lush garden she helps care for, and the sights, sounds, and tastes she's used to. What is there for her in America?
Just as Isabel feared, she feels like a complete outsider in San Francisco. When she discovers a neglected garden at her school, though, she sees a glimmer of hope. Could resurrecting the Garden Club be the key to finding belonging in her strange new life? Or will her efforts be shut down before she—and the garden—really gets the chance to blossom?
Isabel in Bloom addresses some serious issues, including Asian hate, but overall, it's a sweet, wholesome novel with a happy ending (that comes too easily, but still...). It provided a perfect palate cleanser for me after a series of darker reads. Isabel is a sympathetic character. Even if we've never had to start over in a new place, all of us have been the "new kid" in one situation or another. It's easy to empathize with Isabel as she navigates life in a foreign environment, tackles homesickness, and learns to trust a parent she hardly knows. I loved watching our heroine use her unique talents and skills to not just find belonging for herself but also to inspire her classmates to help others in their community. Her story is inspiring, teaching valuable lessons about teamwork, speaking up about things that are important, the power of the natural world to bring people together, service to others, etc. Because I lived in the Philippines briefly as a teenager and it still holds a special place in my heart, my favorite part of Isabel in Bloom is the descriptions of life in that country. Reading about the smell of sampaguita flowers, the taste of bibingka cakes, the mano po gesture used to show respect to the elderly, and more brought back happy memories of things I'd almost forgotten. For all these reasons, I very much enjoyed this nostalgic, edifying read.
(Readalikes: Reminds me a bit of Blackbird Fly by Erin Estrada Kelly and New From Here by Kelly Yang)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild violence
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Isabel in Bloom from Cindy over at Kiss the Book, who got it free from an American Library Association conference. Thank you!
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Top Ten Tuesdays: 2025 Releases I'm Ready For
Happy New Year! I hope 2025 is off to a good start for everyone. My first week of the year has mostly been spent in packing away Christmas decorations, cleaning my house, and trying to get myself organized for the year to come. The beginning of a new year always feels like a fresh start full of possibilities. We'll see what the year brings.
The first TTT prompt of the year is all about new releases we're excited about: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025. There are a lot of great-looking books coming out and, honestly, I could have done a whole list of just those coming out in January. Or just sequels. I decided to leave out the sequels and choose a variety of titles I haven't talked about before that have been or will be released between January and May.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Eleven Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025
1. Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (published January 7)—Set in 1963, this middle-grade verse novel is about a young Black girl who's navigating life in a predominantly white Pennsylvania community. Amid Beatlemania, race riots, and the assassination of JFK, she struggles to find herself and her place in a confusing, chaotic world.
2. Freeze by Chris Priestley (available January 14)—Another middle-grade title, this one is a spooky tale about a girl whose class is given the assignment to write shivery stories with a winter theme. At first, it's fun to hear everyone's creepy ideas read aloud, but when Maya realizes that she features in all of them, she starts to feel a little...uneasy. As snow piles up outside the school, it becomes increasingly obvious that she and her classmates are going to be trapped inside for the forseeable future. Why does it suddenly seem like she's the star of a terrifying horror flick?
3. Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove (available January 21)—Carrie Starr, formerly a Chicago detective, fell apart after her daughter was murdered. In search of purpose, she accepts a job as the tribal marshal on the reservation where her father was raised. An unnerving amount of young women have disappeared from the rez and Carrie is tasked with finding the latest one. The investigation is taking its toll on the still-fragile detective, especially when she sees a mythological creature she recognizes from her father's fantastical tales. Either she's going crazy or something truly unimaginable is happening in her new home.
4. The Crash by Freida McFadden (available January 28)—All the mystery/thriller lovers I know seem to be raving about McFadden's books. I haven't tried her out yet, but her upcoming novel definitely sounds intriguing. The story revolves around a woman who is eight months pregnant and desperate to start a new life. She's driving to Maine to stay with her brother while she figures things out when she's trapped by a surprise blizzard. When a couple offers her a place to stay while she rides out the storm, she thinks she's saved. Then, things take a dangerous turn that will put both her life and that of her unborn child at grave risk.
5. The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (available February 13)—The first in a new series, this novel stars police officer Ali Dawson, who works on cases so cold, they're practically frozen. Unbeknownst to most, Ali's team is able to travel back in time to investigate old mysteries. When Ali is tasked with clearing the name of an eccentric old man in Victorian England, she finds herself investigating a woman's murder. Things get complicated when Ali gets stuck in the 1850s with no way to get home.
6. Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister (available February 25)—McAllister's newest mystery/thriller has a simple, but very intriguing premise. A literary agent wakes up on the morning she's supposed to return to work after months of maternity leave only to find her husband gone, with only a cryptic note left in his place. Breaking news informs her that her missing spouse is involved in an escalating hostage situation—as the gunman.
7. The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn (available February 27)—This historical novel is about a wealthy English woman trapped in a loveless marriage, who is pushed into letting her young son be raised mostly by a nanny. When she is gifted tickets to sail to America onboard the Titanic, she jumps at the chance to get away with her son. The ship's sinking gives her a chance to shed her identity, fleeing a life she doesn't want. With nothing to her name but another woman's identity papers, can she survive on the streets of New York City? What will she do when someone threatens to expose her secret to her husband in England?
8. The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller (available March 11)—In the 1920s, there are few places Black Americans can safely stop to gas up while traveling. The Threatt Filling Station is one of them. It's not just a place to fill up on fuel, but a place to gather for support, community, and strength. After the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, it's where two sisters find refuge. What they really need is the courage to return to their hometown and rebuild their lives. Can they find what they need at the filling station?
9. Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson (available April 1)—Anderson's newest is a middle-grade historical novel centering around Elspeth Culpepper, a 13-year-old who's desperate to avoid being sent to an orphanage after her father disappears. Alone and scared, the young woman must deal with not just the Siege of Boston but also a smallpox outbreak that has the city in a panic. Can Elspeth safely navigate the chaos to find her missing father?
10. The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian (available April 1)—I loved Mustian's debut novel, The Girls in the Stilt House, so I'm eager to read her second book. It concerns 42-year-old Nell, who was raised, along with her younger sister, by a reclusive mother who never spoke about her past. Nell promised her sister she wouldn't confront their mother about the birth certificate they found—the one that identifies a different woman as Evie's mother—but Nell can't shake the disturbing memories that still linger in her memory that hint at long-buried secrets and dangerous lies.
11. Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala (available May 13)—Manansala's YA debut, this mystery stars Danika Dizon, a mystery lover who runs a tarot card reading business between classes. When one of her clients disappears after receiving a death card, Danika takes on the case, eager to prove to her parents that she deserves to be part of her family's detective agency. The more she digs into the missing girl's background, though, the darker—and more dangerous—the case becomes.
There you go, eleven upcoming releases I'm excited to read. How about you? Which 2025 books are you looking forward to? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Wednesday, January 01, 2025
The Bookish Books Reading Challenge: January Book Ideas and Link-Up for Reviews
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Welcome to the 2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge! I'm so glad that you've decided to join me for this fun, totally laidback challenge. All you have to do is enjoy bookish books. Easy peasy. You do not have to post reviews, but it's great if you do. I always like seeing what others are reading and getting recommendations on bookish books that shouldn't be missed. Every month, I will make a post like this one with a Mr. Linky widget for reviews. I also like to yap a bit about the bookish books I think I may read during the current month.
With a fresh new month and a brand new year ahead of me, I have no real idea of what I want to read next. I'm thinking these three are the next bookish books I'll read, whether it's in January or later.
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss—I've mentioned this one before because it sounds super fascinating to me. I've even got it checked out from the library right now, so I have no excuses. It's about, well, exactly what the title says it's about. Imagine that!
The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict—This historical novel is about a group of famous female crime writers banding together to solve a real mystery. Inspired by true events, it stars Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, and more.
The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes—Another historical novel, this one is about a disgraced editor who is sent off to Montana to work with a Works Progress Administration (WPA) campaign designed to help unemployed writers get back to work. There, she discovers a mystery revolving around a small town librarian and her colleauge, who hasn't been seen since she ventured into the countryside to deliver books to men working at the area's mining camps.
What about you? What bookish books are you planning to read this month?
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If you are participating in the 2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge, please use the widget below to link-up your January reviews. If you're not signed up for the challenge yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to join the party.
Out With the Old, In With the New
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Happy New Year! It's my favorite time of the year here on the blog—time to analyze my reading for the last year, time to tidy up the blog and get it all refreshed for the new year. I'm not sure what 2025 is going to bring poitically and personally, but I'm hopeful I'll have a good reading year at least.
2024 was an exceptional reading year for me as far as the numbers go. I read more books than I ever have before. As far as exceptional books, though, I didn't find many. While I dished out a lot of four-star ratings on Goodreads, there were only a few titles I deemed worthy of five. Still, I enjoyed most of what I read, discovered some great new authors, did well with my reading challenges (one of which I also hosted), helped to judge three different book awards programs, and headed up a fun, in-person book club. All in all, it was a successful year of reading.
Let's take a look at the numbers:
Like every year, I set my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal at 200 books. I whizzed past that number, ending with 230 read. That's seven more books than last year and, as I said, more than I've ever read in a year. Go, me! I haven't set my 2025 Goodreads goal yet, but I'm thinking I should up it a little, maybe to 215? Or maybe I'll keep it at 200 so I don't feel too pressured.
No one who hangs out here at BBB will be surprised to know that I, once again, read primarily fiction. Despite serving as a non-fiction judge for the Cybils Awards, I only read 24 non-fiction books this year (although, to be fair, many of the books I read for the Cybils were picture books or middle-grade ones that were under 80 pages, none of which I count toward my yearly total).
This next breakdown has stayed pretty consistent throughout the years, although I did read more middle-grade titles this year than last:
I always like to look at where the books I read throughout the year came from. In 2024, I focused on reading the print books I already own, both those I've purchased and those I've received for review. Looks like I succeeded in my goal, at least more so than last year:
Since mystery/thriller and historical fiction are my favorite genres, these results are no surprise. Although there is a fair amount of crossover between the categories (I read a lot of historical mysteries, for instance), here's a basic breakdrown of the genres I read in 2024:
1. California (13 books)
2. New York (11 books)
3. Tie—North Carolina and Utah (5 books each)
4. Tie—Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, and Washington (4 books each)
5. Tie—Florida, Georgia, and Vermont (3 books each)
The first two places are always California and New York, although sometimes the latter wins out.
Not counting the U.S., I visited 17 different countries in my reading. The Top 4 were:
1. England (32 books)
2. Australia (9 books)
3. Tie—Canada, Ireland, Poland and Scotland (4 books each)
4. Tie—China, France, and Russia (2 books each)
In past years, I've tracked the formats (print, digital, audio) of the books I read during the year, but that got to be too much for my aging memory to handle. I did track audiobooks, though. In 2024, I listened to 30 of them.
As for blogging resolutions, I'm not going to make any. I want to keep doing what I'm doing and continue to enjoy it. Actual reviews have been really scarce around here lately, so I am going to try to review more in 2025. That shouldn't be too hard, considering I only posted a handful of reviews in 2024. Oops!
How about you? How did your 2024 reading year go?
Just for my records, here are the books I read in 2024:
- 1. The Nightmare House by Sarah Allen (Jan)
- 2. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan* [audio] (Jan)
- 3. Graysen Foxx and the Treasure of Principal Redbeard by J. Scott Savage (Jan)
- 4. The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman* (Jan)
- 5. Ditch the Glitch by Camille Smithson (Jan)
- 6. Zeke Zooter and the Eye of Balor by Bruce Jacobs (Jan)
- 7. Never Lore: Journey to Mt. Smolder by Taya and Nathan Okerlund (Jan)
- 8. God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney [audio] (Jan)
- 9. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Jan)
- 10. The Last One by Will Dean (Jan)
- 11. Last Word to the Wise by Ann Claire (Jan)
- 12. My Plain Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Jan)
- 13. Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong (Jan)
- 14. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda* (Jan)
- 15. The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Jan)
- 16. Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce* (Jan)
- 17. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson* (Jan)
- 18. More Than a Body by Lindsay and Lexie Kite (Feb)
- 19. All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (Feb)
- 20. Slayed on the Slopes by Kate Dyer-Seeley (Feb)
- 21. My Imaginary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
- 22. Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee (Feb)
- 23. Artifice by Sharon Cameron* (Feb)
- 24. Something About Sophie by Mary Kay McComas (Feb)
- 25. Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow (Feb)
- 26. My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
- 27. Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt (Feb)
- 28. Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead (Feb)
- 29. Murder on Millionaires' Row by Erin Lindsey (Feb)
- 30. Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson (Mar)
- 31. End of Story by A.J. Finn (Mar)
- 32. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Mar)
- 33. My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Mar)
- 34. Where There's Smoke by E.B. Vickers (Mar)
- 35. Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong* (Mar)
- 36. The Kind to Kill by Tessa Wegert (Mar)
- 37. Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban (Apr)
- 38. Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Apr)
- 39. Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright (Apr)
- 40. The Girl Who Wasn't There by Penny Joelson (Apr)
- 41. The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers [audio] (Apr)
- 42. The Secret of Rainy Days by Leslie Hooton (Apr)
- 43. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (Apr)
- 44. The Nights the Lights Went Out by Karen White (Apr)
- 45. Flippin' Skaters by Teresa Richards (Apr)
- 46. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch [audio] (Apr)
- 47. The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes* (Apr)
- 48. Dust by Dusti Bowling* (Apr)
- 49. Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie (Apr)
- 50. One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (Apr)
- 51. Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (Apr)
- 52. The Hunter by Tana French (May)
- 53. Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell (May)
- 54. The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters [audio] (May)
- 55. Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird (May)
- 56. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson* (May)
- 57. No Matter What by K.M. Frost (May)
- 58. Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen (May)
- 59. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain [audio] (May)
- 60. Candy Cane Crime by Amanda Flower [novella] (May)
- 61. An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves (May)
- 62. Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs* (May)
- 63. Borrow My Heart by Kasie West (May)
- 64. Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham (May)
- 65. Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (May)
- 66. The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickelson (May)
- 67. Make the Fireflies Dance by Rachel Bateman (May)
- 68. The Lost Girls of Willow Brook by Ellen Marie Wiseman [audio] (May)
- 69. A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan (Jun)
- 70. Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan (Jun)
- 71. The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss by Gary Foster [audio] (Jun)
- 72. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (Jun)
- 73. A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams (Jun)
- 74. The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (Jun)
- 75. Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen, and the Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn [audio] (Jun)
- 76. The Watchers by A.M. Shine (Jun)
- 77. Deep Water by Jamie Sumner (Jun)
- 78. First Victim by Debbie Babitt (Jun)
- 79. One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome* (Jun)
- 80. Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix [audio] (Jun)
- 81. When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer (Jun)
- 82. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Jun)
- 83. The Great Trouble: A Story of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson [audio] (Jun)
- 84. 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Jun)
- 85. Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (Jun)
- 86. Trouble Island by Sharon Short (Jun)
- 87. Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn (Jun)
- 88. I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter* (Jun)
- 89. Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Jun)
- 90. Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey (Jun)
- 91. First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly* (Jun)
- 92. Homecoming by Kate Morton* (Jul)
- 93. The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King* [audio] (Jul)
- 94. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager* (Jul)
- 95. The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (Jul)
- 96. The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave (Jul)
- 97. Operation: Happy by Jenni L. Walsh* (Jul)
- 98. Shutter by Ramona Emerson (Jul)
- 99. Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris (Jul)
- 100. The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson (Jul)
- 101. The Monsters We Make by Kali White (Jul)
- 102. The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall by Ali Standish (Jul)
- 103. Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon [audio] (Jul)
- 104. Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney* (Jul)
- 105. A Patchwork of Clues by Sally Goldenbaum (Jul)
- 106. Popcorn by Rob Harrell* (Jul)
- 107. Library Girl by Polly Horvath (Jul)
- 108. Such a Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson (Jul)
- 109. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (Aug)
- 110. The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon (Aug)
- 111. Basket Case by Nancy Haddock (Aug)
- 112. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett* (Aug)
- 113. Front Country by Sara St. Antoine [audio] (Aug)
- 114. Stowaway by John David Anderson (Aug)
- 115. Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland (Aug)
- 116. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman* (Aug)
- 117. Louder Than Hunger by John Schu (Aug)
- 118. Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd (Aug)
- 119. Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower (Aug)
- 120. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Aug)
- 121. Flight 171 by Amy Christine Parker (Aug)
- 122. Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower [novella] (Aug)
- 123. The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo (Aug)
- 124. The Last Word by Gerri Lewis (Aug)
- 125. The Last Kids On Earth by Max Brallier* (Aug)
- 126. Cruzita and the Mariacheros by Ashley Granillo (Aug)
- 127. It Could Be Anyone by Jaime Lynn Hendricks (Aug)
- 128. Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (Aug)
- 129. A Winter Grave by Peter May (Aug)
- 130. Laika by Nick Abadzis (Aug)
- 131. Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin [audio] (Aug)
- 132. A Quiet Retreat by Kiersten Modglin (Aug)
- 133. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell [audio] (Aug)
- 134. The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson (Aug)
- 135. Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien (Sep)
- 136. Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler, ed. (Sep)
- 137. Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko (Sep)
- 138. After the Storm by G.D. Wright (Sep)
- 139. Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray and Carsen Smith (Sep)
- 140. The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James [audio] (Sep)
- 141. The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton (Sep)
- 142. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder* (Sep)
- 143. Up to No Gouda by Linda Reilly (Sep)
- 144. Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green (Sep)
- 145. Last Gamer Standing by Katie Zhao (Sep)
- 146. Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman (Sep)
- 147. Murder at the Library by Ellen Jacobson (Sep)
- 148. A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes (Sep)
- 149. All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris [audio] (Sep)
- 150. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara (Sep)
- 151. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose* (Sep)
- 152. Shipwrecked! Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor by Martin W. Sandler (Sep)
- 153. Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens (Sep)
- 154. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter* (Sep)
- 155. Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine* (Oct)
- 156. The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong* (Oct)
- 157. Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James* (Oct)
- 158. Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E.F. Barone (Oct)
- 159. Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan (Oct)
- 160. The Good of the Woods by Liz Moore (Oct)
- 161. History Smashers: Salem Witch Trials by Kate Messner (Oct)
- 162. Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools by Dan SaSuWeh Jones (Oct)
- 163. The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods (Oct)
- 164. Gone to Hot Pot by Vivien Chien (Oct)
- 165. The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (Oct)
- 166. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James* [re-read] (Oct)
- 167. Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (Oct)
- 168. Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis (Oct)
- 169. Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah SoonLing Blackburn (Oct)
- 170. A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner (Oct)
- 171. The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters (Oct)
- 172. Sightseeing With Aliens by Insha Fitzpatrick (Oct)
- 173. Remember This: The Fascinating World of Memory by Monique Polak (Oct)
- 174. The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning [audio] (Oct)
- 175. Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino (Oct)
- 176. Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes (Oct)
- 177. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare* (Oct)
- 178. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie (Oct)
- 179. The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (Nov)
- 180. The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (Nov)
- 181. Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales by Wendy S. Swore (Nov)
- 182. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth [audio] (Nov)
- 183. Chadwick Boseman: King of Wakanda: A Hero On and Off the Screen by Chris Singleton (Nov)
- 184. The Legend of the Last Library by Frank L. Cole (Nov)
- 185. Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston/adapted for young readers by Ibram X. Kendi (Nov)
- 186. The Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied Méndez (Nov)
- 187. The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander [audio] (Nov)
- 188. A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey* (Nov)
- 189. The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion by Ann Bausum (Nov)
- 190. Ruby, Who? by Jill Campbell (Nov)
- 191. Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (Nov)
- 192. A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander [audio] (Nov)
- 193. Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes (Nov)
- 194. The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore (Nov)
- 195. The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase (Nov)
- 196. Uprising by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Nov)
- 197. Animal Climate Heroes by Alison Pearce Stevens (Nov)
- 198. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson* (Nov)
- 199. Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus [audio] (Nov)
- 200. Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson* (Nov)
- 201. The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Joshua M. Greene (Nov)
- 202. Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson (Nov)
- 203. They Saved the Stallions by Deborah Hopkinson (Nov)
- 204. Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas by Kaela Rivera (Nov)
- 205. The Burning of Rosemont Abbey by Naomi Stephens* (Dec)
- 206. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth* [audio] (Dec)
- 207. How to Stop Freaking Out: The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Cool When Life Feels Chaotic by Carla Naumburg (Dec)
- 208. Quantum Interstellar Sports League by J. Scott Savage (Dec)
- 209. A Window into the Ocean Twilight: Twenty-Four Days of Science at Sea by Michelle Cusolito (Dec)
- 210. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens* [audio] (Dec)
- 211. Under the Surface by Diana Urban (Dec)
- 212. Why We Need Vaccines: How Humans Beat Infectious Diseases by Rowena Rae (Dec)
- 213. The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen (Dec)
- 214. The Act of Disappearing by Nathan Gower (Dec)
- 215. Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer (Dec)
- 216. The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James [audio] (Dec)
- 217. The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey by Chad Soon (Dec)
- 218. Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict (Dec)
- 219. Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet by Geo Rutherford (Dec)
- 220. Scar Dakota by Jason F. Wright (Dec)
- 221. The Lawnmonsters by Shannon Cooley (Dec)
- 222. Taffy Nackman's Guide on How to be a Star by Gaylene Wilson (Dec)
- 223. The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore [audio] (Dec)
- 224. Monster Tree by Sarah Allen (Dec)
- 225. The Buried Road by Katie Tallo (Dec)
- 226. Grimmworld: The Witch in the Woods by Michaelbrent Collings (Dec)
- 227. The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose* (Dec)
- 228. The Rush by Michelle Prak (Dec)
- 229. Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio (Dec)
- 230. Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud [audio] (Dec)
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