Bloggin' 'bout Books: January 2025

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama

- Alaska

- Arizona

- Arkansas

- California

- Colorado

- Connecticut

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- Illinois

- Indiana

- Iowa

- Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- Maine

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Michigan

- Minnesota

- Mississippi

- Missouri

- Montana

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New Mexico

- New York

- North Carolina

- North Dakota

- Ohio

- Oklahoma

- Oregon

- Pennsylvania

- Rhode Island

- South Carolina

- South Dakota

- Tennessee

- Texas

- Utah

- ~~Vermont~~ (1)

- Virginia

- Washington

- West Virginia

- Wisconsin

- Wyoming

- Washington, D.C.*

International:

The Bookish Books Reading Challenge: January Book Ideas and Link-Up for Reviews

5:27 PM

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?

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

11:22 AM

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:

Just for funsies, I always keep track of where the books I read are set. This year, I "visited" all 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., at least once. Which did I travel to most (at least fictionally)?

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)