Lisa's 2023 Retro Reading Challenge Part 2

I’m Lisa. I’m an accountant/auditor by day, married with one son and three grandchildren, residing in Pennsylvania. I’m closing in on my last few years of working (I think). In addition to reading, I also enjoy crossword puzzles, movies, and cooking. I’ve been doing the Category Challenge is some form since 2008 and this year I decided to use the months of the year as my categories.

I’m also turning 60 in July, and I thought it would be interesting to feature items from the decade for each month not necessarily related to what I decide to read. I’m a moody reader so what I plan and what I finally decide to read are always subject to change, so I think this will be a good format for me.



Currently Reading:

January- Toys I remember going back to school after the Christmas holiday worried that my younger sister and brother who were not in school then, would break my brand-new toys. One of my favorites, pictured here, was my Show and Tell, I was also very fond of my Etch a- Sketch, and Shrinking Violet doll.

January Books Read (13)
1 The Frozen Thames Bingo #4
2 Ordinary Life
3 Cold Earth MysteryKIT
4 Wild Fire MysteryKIT
5 A Trick of the Light Bingo#9,MysteryKIT
6 The Pull of the Moon
7The Real Minerva
8 The Patron Saint of Liars Bingo #2
9 Blanche on the Lam SeriesCAT, Bingo #13
10 Gun Street Girl
11 Three Act Tragedy RandomKIT
12The Last to Disappear
13 Secrets of Happiness

Best of the month The Frozen Thames, The Patron Saint of Liars.

February- Civil Right Movement and the birth of Black History Month
The 1960’s saw a dramatic rise in civil right movements. Black Americans used sit-ins and protest marches to fight rampant segregation poverty and unemployment. Black History Month was first celebrated in 1970, however it was first proposed by educators and students at Kent State University in February 1969.

February Books Read (9)
14 The Beautiful Mystery
15 A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You
16 Crochet for Beginners Bingo#1
17 The Shadow Murders SeriesKIT, AlphaKIT
18 Cat Among the Pigeons MysteryKIT
19 The Facts of Life and Death
20 Encore in Death
21 Family Album
22 Shadows of Pecan Hollow

Best of the month The Facts of Life and Death

March- Music There were many musicians who took the world by storm in the 1960’s. The Beatles made their US debut on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. There were also great artists from Motown, such as the Supremes and the Temptations. Also, in August 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair drew more than 450,000 people to Bethel NY.

March Books Read (14)
23 Mercury Pictures PresentsAlphaKIT
24 I Have Some Questions for You
25 Rain Dogs RandomKIT
26 A Spell of Good Things
27 The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up BINGO #3
28 Queen of Bebop BINGO #12
29 Falling BINGO
30 How The Light Gets In
31 The Good House
32 The Long Way Home
33 The Book of Goose
34 Earth’s the Right Place for Love
35 Trespasses
36 The White Lady

Best of the month Mercury Pictures Presents, I Have Some Questions for You, Trespasses and
How the Light Gets In.

April- TV shows As a child, my absolute favorite TV show was Bewitched, because I really wanted to twitch my nose. It aired from 1964 to 1972.

April Books Read (16)
37 A Killing of Innocents AlphaKIT
38 Exiles
39 Easter Bonnet Murder
40 We Were The Lucky Ones
41 Heavy BINGO#17
42 Hang the Moon
43 Dance of the Happy Shades
44 Homecoming
45 The Soulmate
46 Wandering Souls
47 Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
48 Innocent Victims
49 The Last Thing He Told Me Alpha KIT
50 Lemon Curd Killer
51 The Queen of Dirt Island
52 After Anna

Best of the month We Were the Lucky Ones

May- Movies Of course these movies were not geared toward children, but some of the popular movies of the decade include Psycho, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Graduate, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

May Books Read (16)
53 Small Mercies
54 Broken Promise
55 The Last Remains
56 The Half Moon
57 Standing in the Shadows
58 September Song
59 Home Safe
60 The Midnight News
61 A Death at the Party
62 A Flaw in the Design
63 Where It Hurts
64 No Safe House
65 If You Want to Make God Laugh
66 The Guest
67 Maame
68 With My Little Eye

Best of the month The Midnight News

June- Firsts The first televised debate between Nixon and Kennedy took place in 1960. Also in 1960, after months of sit ins, the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina became desegregated.
Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon in 1969.

June Books Read (17)
69 The Nature of the Beast
70 A Great Reckoning
71 Beware the Woman
72 Babysitter
73 Love and Saffron
74 Sing Her Down
75 Pineapple Street
76 Newcomer
77 The Untelling
78 The Maid’s Diary
79 Police at the Station and they Don’t Look Friendly
80 All the Sinners Bleed
81 Little Secrets
82 Killers of a Certain Age
83 Literary Noir
84 Mothers Tell Your Daughters
85 The Only One Left

Reread: A is for Alibi
Best of the month All the Sinners Bleed

July- Also Turning 60 this year Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Helen Hunt, Lisa Kudrow, John Stamos, Michael Jordan, Vanessa Williams, Quentin Tarantino, Phoebe Cates (same day as me) Brian Boitano, Tracy Nelson, Zina Garrison Ann Patchett, and Donna Tartt all turn 60 this year.

July Books Read (17)
86. Hidden in Snow
87. Talking as Fast as I Can
88. Factory Girls
89. Love You Dead
90. Need You Dead
91. Whistling in the Dark
92. Property
93. The Kitchen Front
94. Early Morning Riser
95. This Thing of Darkness
96. Games and Rituals
97. Glass Houses
98. Kingdom of the Blind
99. Prom Mom
100. Somebody’s Fool
101.Life and Other Love Songs
102. No One Will Miss Her

B is for Burglar reread
C is for Corpse reread
Best of the month: Games and Rituals, Whistling in the Dark

August- Miscellaneous Facts Construction on the Berlin Wall begins in 1961. Also in 1961, The Bay of Pigs invasion is an unsuccessful operation to overthrow Fidel Castro. Yale becomes coed in 1968.

August Books Read (20)
103 Tom Lake
104 Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
105 Witness: Stories
106 Blood Salt Water AlphaKIT
107 Family Lore
108 Strange Sally Diamond
109 The Cleaner
110 Dirty Little Secrets
111 Cemetery Lake
112 Cathedral
113 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
114 None of This is True
115 If I Survive You
116 Little Children
117 Honey Drop Dead
118 After You’d Gone
119 The Bee Sting
120 The Connellys of County Down
121 A Better Man
122 The Last Bookshop in London

Best of the month: Tom Lake, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

September It happened in 1963 Medgar Evers and JFK are assassinated, Martin Luther King gives his “I Have a Dream” speech. Alcatraz Prison closed in March of 1963. The United States begins to use zip codes, and BBC broadcasts the very first episode of Doctor Who.

September books read (20)
123 What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
124 D is for Deadbeat
125 Hello Beautiful
126 After That Night
127 The Block Party
128 Country Place
129 Holly
130 The Book of Ruth
131 The River We Remember
132 Chenneville
133 Payback in Death
134 Spare
135 Normal Rules Don't Apply
136 The Raging Storm
137 The Dog of the North
138 Sleep No More
139 The Veiled One
140 Western Lane
141 Go As A River
142 The Last Devil to Die

Best of the month: The River We Remember

October – Books Released The Feminine Mystique (1963), The Valley of the Dolls (1966), To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), In Cold Blood (1966), The Bell Jar (1963), and The Fire Next Time (1963).

October Books Read (17)
143 All The Devils Are Here
144 The Madness of Crowds
145 The Kindest Lie
146 All That Is Mine I Carry With Me
147 My Darling Girl
148 Old God’s Time
149 I Am No One You Know
150 The Caretaker
151 The Unsettled
152 Daddy Was a Number Runner
153 Jar of Hearts
154 The Leftover Woman
155 Thicker Than Water: A Memoir
156 Easy Meat
157 Like Life
158 The House of Doors
159 Dark Ride

Best of the month: The Caretaker, Dark Ride

November- Significant Legislation The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, prohibiting discrimination in public facilities and employment. In addition, the 24th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, were enacted guaranteeing the right to vote.

160 Outback
161 Mrs. Everything
162 Let Us Descend
163 Absolution
164 The Second Murderer
165 You Must Remember This
166 Past Lying
167 Resurrection Walk
168 How Can I Help You
169 So Late in the Day
170 Day
171 Good Bad Girl
172 Notes on an Execution

Best of the month: Notes on an Execution

December Fashion Miniskirts, pillbox hats, skinny pants, fringe and go-go boots were all popular items during the decade.

173 Collecting Cooper
174 Sugar Plum Poisoned
175 A World of Curiousities
176 The Mystery Guest
177 Refund
178 The Housemaid
179 Twelve Days of Winter
180 The Last List of Mabel Beaumont
181 Prophet Song
182 The Housemaid’s Secret
183 Paradise
184 Secret Smile
185 The End of The World is a Cul de Sac
186 Those We Thought We Knew
187 Company: Stories
188 Tell Me What I Am
189 Sometimes I Lie
190 The Perfect Lie
191 A Flicker in the Dark
192 Big Book of Christmas Mysteries

Best of the month: Those We Thought We Knew, Prophet Song

BINGO



1. Crochet for Beginners
2. The Patron Saint of Liars
3. The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up
4. The Frozen Thames
5. Property
7. After You'd Gone
8. Three Act Tragedy
9. A Trick of the Light July 1
10 Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
11 Encore in Death
12 Queen of Bebop
13.Blanche on the Lam SeriesCAT
14.Exiles
16 Falling
17 Heavy
19 The Pull of the Moon
20 The Untelling
21 The Last Bookshop in London
22 Trespasses
23 Homecoming
24 After Anna
25 Tom Lake

I decided that a new thread was in order for the second half of the year. I set my reading goal for 185 books this year, and my stats tell me that I have 100 books left to meet that goal. I don't know if I will get there or not, but it will be fun trying. July will feature my Thingaversary (16 years), and my birthday. I pretty much buy books on a weekly basis for my Kindle, I'll have to see what I recently purchased to count them toward my Thingaversary/birthday books. I'm also going to try to vary my reading a little bit more the rest of the year, as pretty much any mystery, police procedural, thriller, messy family fiction draws my attention.

Happy new thread! 185 books is an impressive goal, but it seems like it's within your reach -- good luck!

Happy new thread! And good luck with your goal!

Happy new thread

>15 lsh63: We share a birthday month! Happy new thread.

Happy New Thread!

>16 christina_reads: Thank you Christina!
>17 MissWatson: Thanks Birgit!
>18 lowelibrary: Thank you April!
>19 RidgewayGirl: Thank you Kay and I hope you have a great birthday!
>20 dudes22: Thank you Betty!

Happy new thread.
Hope you have a great birthday and Thingaversary planned.
Mine are separated by ~ 2 weeks, makes for a perfect excuse for a book buying outing >:-)

>22 Helenliz: Thank you Helen!

86 Hidden in Snow I'm a big fan of this author's Sandhamn series, and thought I would give this book a try. The main character, Hanna Ahlander has been let go from the Stockholm Police force at the same time that her boyfriend decides to break up with her. With nowhere to go, she moves into her sister's house in the ski resort town of Are. While figuring out what her next steps will be, she becomes involved in the disappearance of a young girl named Amanda, who was keeping a secret from her parents, which may or may not have led to her disappearance. I would definitely read the next book in this series.

87 Talking as Fast as I Can I loved Gilmore Girls and have been meaning to read this book for a while. This collection of essays provides the reader with stories about her childhood and acting career. I know that this book was timed to focus on the Gilmore Girls revival, I had hoped for more items focusing on the Gilmore Girls show. I skimmed the parts about the show Parenthood, because I never watched it. Overall it was a good read, but I wish there had been more about the seven seasons of the show.

88 Factory Girls I enjoyed this story set in Northern Irelandin 1994, about three friends who are waiting for their test results to determine their future. While they are waiting, they spend the summer in a shirt factory, where Catholics and Protestants are both employed, which can be challenging at best, especially during the time of the "Troubles". Maeve, the main protagonist, wants to do well enough on her exams to attend college in London in order to study journalism. Maeve and her friends Caroline and Aoife, quickly realize that their lecherous boss Andy is up to more than his horrible treatment of women, as everyone works together to obtain justice.

>24 lsh63: - I like the Sandham series too and I have this book on my kindle. Not sure when I'll get to it, but nice to know it should be good.

Happy new thread, happy Thingaversary and have an excellent birthday, always a good excuse for book-buying. We share the same birthday month.

>26 lsh63: I haven't heard of Michelle Gallen before and as we are both from Northern Ireland I'm interested in her book. When my mother was a teen (a long time ago) she worked at a shirt factory too. I'm delighted to find it at the local library.

>24 lsh63: >27 dudes22: I enjoyed Hidden in Snow too; it made me want to explore the Sandhamn series.

>27 dudes22: Hi Betty, I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it.
>28 VivienneR: Hi Vivienne, I hope you had/have a great birthday also! That's great that you were able to find Factory Girls at the library, it was a very interesting read.
>29 NinieB: Hi Ninie, the Sanhamn series was great, I wonder if the author is finished with it now after 10 books in the series.

Today's my Thingaversary! 7/7/2007, so it's been 16 years. I remember reading about the site in a magazine, Real Simple, I think, and thought it would be a good way to catalog my books. All these years later, it's been so great getting endless book recommendations, and "meeting" other book lovers. As for my Thingaversary purchases, one of the first things I do every day is check the Kindle daily deals, so I pretty much buy at least 1 to 5 books a week depending on what's being offered. Since it's a milestone birthday for me this year also, I decided to do something that I don't normally do, which is use some birthday$ to obtain pre-orders that I really want to read. I will keep a list here of the 17 books that I'm counting for my purchases:

1 Country Place
2 All That is Mine I Carry With Me
3 Fear No Evil
4 Red as Blood
5 After That Night (pre order)
6 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store ( pre order)
7 The Mushroom Man
8 The Collected Stories of William Humphrey
9 Father and Son
10 Crook Manifesto pre order
11 Tom Lake (pre order)
12 Girls Who Lie
13 Seating Arrangements
14 The End of the Point
15 Hello Beautiful
16 The Professor’s House
17 Heartburn

>31 lsh63: Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Lisa! Here's to many, many more. :)

>32 christina_reads: Hi Christina, thank you!
>33 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I'm going to copy your idea for next year and specifically designate books for my Thingaversary, we'll see if I can do it, I'm pretty weak when it comes to things like that, especially books!

>34 lsh63: Just make sure you keep track of what you are buying and setting aside. I had to keep double checking so I didn't buy anything twice!

Happy Thingaversary. I will be back to keep check on the rest of your purchases.

Happy Thingaversary! Your list has me adding to my wishlist.

Happy Thingaversary! I just read The Mushroom Man and liked it a lot.

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy your books!

>36 lowelibrary: Thank you April!
>37 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, I'm happy to return the favor, I almost always see something I want to read when I visit your thread.
>38 dudes22: Thanks Betty, I haven't read The Picasso Scam yet, it's on the soon to be read list, but I usually read books 1&2, to decide on a series that's new to me. I can't remember if the BB came from you or Judy.
>39 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit!

89 Love You Dead
90 Need You Dead

I read these two books in the Roy Grace series back to back, because of a certain plot point (which has reached closure status). In Love You Dead, Roy is dealing with a Black Widow who literally marries a series of wealthy men who later meet their demise at her hands. She also keeps mice, amphibians, snakes, and spiders in her house! At the same time, he is frustrated with his awful boss Cassian Pewe, and the escape of a serial killer in custody in France, who is about to extradited back to the UK. Last but not least, there is a development with his ex-wife Sandy. It was a very good read.

Need You Dead picks up shortly after the previous book, with the aftermant of the certain plot point and the investigation into the suspicious death of Lorna Belling, who is known to the police due to frequent domestic abuse incidents between her husband. As the book progresses, there are many suspects who could have killed her; her husband, the man she was seeing , a man who was blackmailing her, and yet another individual who may be a police officer. This was also a good read, but I have to admit I thought there were more police procedural aspects than in previous books, and a lot of the story was taken up by Roy's thoughts.

91 Whistling in the Dark I enjoyed the story of Sally O'Malley and her sister Troo, set in 1959 as they have to fend for themselves after the death of their father and the hospitalization of their mother. Their older sister Nell, who is supposed to be looking after them, is more interested in her boyfriend than anything else. Their stepfather, an abusive drunk, is running around town and also of no help to the two sisters. The neighborhood is in a state of dear because two young girls are found murdered and molested. Sally has convinced herself that she knows who the killer is and vows to stop him before anyone else is killed. I loved how the author portrayed Sally as wise beyond her year while also describing the and actions from a young girl's perspective.

>41 lsh63: Making note that numbers 12 and13 of the Roy Grace books need to be read together. My next one will be You Are Dead which is #11.

>43 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! That's a good plan, and when you get to the next book you will see why!

92 Property A story about slavery's effects on the owner and her so called "property". Set in 1828 Louisiana, the main protagonist is a vile woman named Manon, the unhappy wife of a sugar plantation owner who also resents her husband's progeny with Sarah, who was given to her as a wedding gift. Both women absolutely hate each other and there is tension in the household, while at the same time and a slave rebellion is looming. When Sarah manages to escape one day, Manon enjoys her power over her and vows to have her return, so that she can be just as miserable as Manon. In a sense, Manon is also "property" in that she is not allowed to make any financial or any other decisions following her husband's death.

93 The Kitchen Front I enjoyed this story about a group of British women who compete for a spot as co-host on a cooking show named the Kitchen Front, during World War II. My mother is 93, so we often discuss how certain things were made when she was a girl, since a lot of ingredients were rationed or scarce. In her words" butter and eggs were precious, and not to be used for experimentation". A young widow, a trained chef, a kitchen maid, and a lady of the manor all compete against each other, but by the end of the book they have become friends. I loved reading about how they all substituted items for various ingredients that weren't available.

>46 lsh63: - My mother used to make an eggless, butterless, sugarless cake when I was young and I think it was something my grandmother made which would probably have been from that time.

>47 dudes22: Hi Betty, that’s very interesting no butter, eggs or sugar. Since my gb surgery I do better with safflower oil for baking. As a matter of fact for dessert today, we’ll be having one of our those Depression era cakes. Hubby likes them, I’ll see what the grandchildren think.

94 Early Morning Riser I'm glad that I decided to take a chance on this book. Set in Boyne City Michigan, Jane, a school teacher, falls in love with Duncan, who's apparently been with just about every woman in their small town. If that's not bad enough, Duncan seems to be way too chummy with his ex wife Aggie, and also assumes some responsibility for his learning disabled coworker Jimmy. A tragic car accident changes everyone's lives, and Jane settles for the life fate has provided for her, knowing that she will never have Duncan all to herself, even after they marry and have their own children. I loved how the community banded together to help and look out for each other, and the quirkiness of the characters, which reminded me a great deal of an Anne Tyler or Elizabeth Strout novel. I saw the author recently released a short story collection this year, Games and Rituals, which I am reading now.

>47 dudes22: My Grandma made war time pastry the remainder of her life, I forget the recipe, but I think it had a lower fat content than conventional pastry. It tended to fall apart quite a lot and be rather clarty. Some things she baked quite well, that was never one of them.

>46 lsh63: There's a guy on TikTok who bakes from recipes from vintage cookbooks and it's a lot of fun. Often the results are, at best, moderately edible, but every few episodes, he bakes something delicious. It's interesting finding out what all those substitutions were.

https://www.tiktok.com/@bdylanhollis/video/6931139522726071558

That's a link to a recipe for "fake apple pie" from 1933.

>51 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! Thank you for that link, I've become fascinated with "vintage" recipes.

95 This Thing of Darkness I read the book before this one about 6 years ago, so I think I may have been a little fuzzy on some of the detail. Fiona is a very unusual character with a medical condition that makes her act and think in an awkward manner, yet she is a brilliant police officer. I found this storyline to move a little more slowly and slightly less suspenseful than the previous installments, however it was an excellent read. Fiona tries her best to stay within the boundaries of legal police procedures as she determines that there is a link between two solved death cases involving an apparent suicide, a fall off of a cliff, and a robbery where the items were returned. I enjoyed Fiona's disjointed narration, as it fits well with her character.

96 Games and Rituals I enjoyed Early Morning Riser so much that I decided to read the author's recently released short story collection. Most of the eleven stories portray characters in various romantic and family relationships. I especially enjoyed "CobRa", which was hilarious, about a woman who decides to whittle down her whole house via the Marie Kondo method, maybe because I tried this with my borderline hoarding husband. "Twist and Shout", about a woman's frustration with her elderly father, was especially moving. The first sentence, "your father has mistaken his $4000 hearing aid for a cashew and eaten it", immediately drew me in.

97 Glass Houses I read these back to back because of certain events that Gamache put into action weren't resolved in Glass Houses and I had a feeling that they would be in the next book. Glass Houses opens with a murder trial where Gamache is giving testimony while also flashing back to events that took place months earlier. The murder victim wasn't identified until almost the middle of the book, and the switching back and forth from the present to the past, slowed things down a bit.

98 Kingdom of the Blind This one finds Gamache and Myrna summoned to an old abandoned farmhouse with another individual that they don't know, because all three are named as executors of a will, of a woman who is unknown to both Myrna and Gamache. The events that Gamache set into motion in Glass Houses come to a head, and there is an interesting plot development involving his son-in-law's future and career.

99. Prom Mom It's really hard to categorize this book, it's a character driven slow burning cat and mouse game that was very addictive, so much so that I finished it in a day. The story begins on prom night in 1997, where 16 year old Amber gives birth in her date Joe's, hotel room. When the baby is determined to have been killed, the tabloids name Amber "Prom Mom" and Joe "Cad Dad. Amber had been Joe's tutor while he was despondent over the breakup with his girlfriend Kaitlyn. Joe liked Amber as a friend, while Amber convinced herself that she was in love. The plot flashes forward to 2019, with Amber back in Baltimore, and Joe married to a very successful plastic surgreon, Meredith. The storyline alternates between the pov's of Amber, Joe and Meredith. Lippman also covers th effects of Joe's unwise financial choices as COVID looms in the background. The ending was jaw dropping for me, with not one but two plot twists, although one of them was just a bit confusing.

>56 lsh63: Having just returned from the library with a copy of this, I read the first sentence of your review and, satisfied, I'll return after I've read Prom Mom.

>57 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! I can't wait to see what you think of it!

100 Somebody's Fool Richard Russo returns to North Bath in upstate New York with the characters introduced in Everybody's Fool and Nobody's Fool. I missed Sully's presence, but there is enough mention of his effect on all of the residents, that I thought was very well done. Sully's son Peter now resides in Sully's house and struggles with his relationship with his son Thomas. Peter struggles with the fact that much like his relationship with Sully, his relationship with Thomas is also strained. Former police chief Doug Raymer struggles with what to do with himself after his resignation, while also trying to make sense of his relationship with Charice Bond, who is now the police chief. The town of North Bath has been struggling financially, and the decision has been made to make it a part of the more financially solvent Schuyler Springs. The various residents know that for some of them it will mean a loss of their jobs and possibly their homes. Reading this book was like visiting with friends you haven't seen in a few years.

101 Life and Other Love Songs Ozro Armstead's sudden disappearance on his 37th birthday leaves his wife Deborah and daughter Trinity shattered as they try to come to terms with their heartache and try to piece together what could have happened. This book is a character driven story as we learn how Deborah and Oz meet, how Deborah had ambitions and the tragedy of Oz and his brother Tommy's past. Set in Detroit, in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's, the ending was truly heartbreaking.

102 No One Will Miss Her This book was a BB from Betty's (dudes22) thread. It's the story of what happens when town resident Lizzie meets social influencer Adrienne, who rents a tiny lake house from Lizzie in Copper Falls, a small Maine town. When Lizzie is found brutally murdered in the lake house and her husband Dwayne, the most likely suspect is missing, Detective Ian Bird comes to town to lend a hand with the case and finds himself with more questions than answers.

I sometimes see plot twists coming, but in this instance I didn't.

July Reading Recap:

I read 17 books this month. I didn't count the rereads of B is for Burglar and C is for Corpse in my totals.

5 library books
11 Kindle books
4 male authors
13 female authors

I seem to have rated most of this month's reading with 4 stars, however my best books of the month were Whistling in the Dark, Games and Rituals, and Somebody's Fool. In August, I'm looking forward to Tom Lake which I started this morning, and Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.

>53 lsh63: Oh, that's another series I have to get back to reading. I enjoyed the first two and have the third on the shelf waiting. I enjoyed the quirky maladjusted character of Fiona.

>61 lsh63: I have a library hold for Tom Lake

>60 lsh63: - I was surprised too. Our book club meeting is tomorrow and it will be interesting to see what others thought of the book.

>62 VivienneR: Hi Vivienne, I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. There are so many series that I started and haven't read in a few years.
>63 lowelibrary: Hi April, I'm enjoying Tom Lake.
>64 dudes22:> Hi Betty, it was a pretty good read. Thank you for putting it on my radar.

>65 lsh63: - Happy to -you've given me some good ones.

104 Pink Lemonade Cake Murder I started reading these when I would get them for my mom and read them also. I needed something where I didn't need a lot of concentration and I also like reading recipes, so this fit the bill. Those familiar with this series will not be surprised that Hannah still goes back and forth between Norman and Mike. I think the writing has changed, but I can't figure out exactly what it is, maybe it's a few repetitive details that I noticed this time, or the fact that the police actually defer to Hannah's judgment in solving their murder? This time Hannah's mother was overheard by everyone about how much she loathed the victim, and she was also holding the murder weapon in her hand. There was a bad news cliffhanger that may be an interesting plot development in the next book.

103 Tom Lake I loved everything about this book. It's the spring of 2020 in Northern Michigan. Lara and her three daughters are at the family orchard picking cherries, when her daughters (Emily, Maisie, and Nell) beg their mother to tell them about a man named Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared a stage and a romance. As Lara recalls the various events of her life, her daughters reexamine what they thought they knew about their mother, and the paths not taken in life. It's always mind boggling when you reach a certain age and realize your parents were young once and had lives before you were born. It's a simple story, but so very well done. I have to admit, reading it is making me want to see "Our Town".

105 Witness: Stories I was a big fan of this author's previous short story collection, A Lucky Man, and knew that I was in for a treat. The focus of the ten stories in this volume were African Americans in New York City, dealing with gentrification, dementia, poverty, old age and relationships. I particularly enjoyed Comfort as the main character Simone struggles with the death of her brother Marcus, who was shot by a white police officer. Arrows is the story of Hasan, who doesn't have a great relationship with his father and is struggling with having to sell his family home, which is inhabited with his mother's ghost. Lastly, the title story Witness, focuses on Silas and his relationship with his sister Bernice.

106 Blood Salt Water This book, the fifth in the author's Alex Morrow series, also appears to be her last. It's been 5 years since I read The Red Road, so there were a few details that I wasn't sure about. Not one for niceties or diplomacy, Alex nonetheless does her job as she performs surveillance on a mother of two, Roxanna Fuentecilla, hoping that she will lead them to bigger criminals and a percentage of any illegal take involved. When Roxanna turns up missing, the plot thickens as Alex also deals with her inner turmoil involving her crime lord brother Danny.

107 Family Lore This was an ok story about a Dominican-American family told through the point of view of four sisters (Matilde, Flor, Pastora, Camila) Ona (Flor's daughter) and Yadi (Pastora's daughter). Each woman with the exception of Matilde, has a unique gift. Flor sees death, Pastora can recognize the truth, and her daughter Ona apparently posesses a magic vajayjay. When Flor decides that she wants to hold a living wake for herselfand has the gift of seeing death, her sisters, daughter and niece are all concerned. It was a little difficult at times to keep track of who was who, I had to refer to a chart at the beginning of the book to remember which sister I was reading about. Two of the sisters had subtle differences in their storyline, but also had many similarities which made it slightly confusing for me. There were also flashbacks mixed in with each POV, and a non-linear writing style which made for a somewhat difficult reading experience.

108 Strange Sally Diamond The book begins with Sally Diamond facing public scrutiny because she tried to incinerate her dead father. She didn't kill him, rather he had remarked to her "just put me out in the trash when the time comes". He was joking of course, but Sally didn't realize that. Sally's story is at times funny, sad, and heartbreaking. Sally had been overly protected by her parents, and finds social situations difficult and stressful and doesn't always recgonize that she shouldn't say everything that she is thinking. Sally, who was adopted by her parents, has no childhood memories before the age of 7, has PTSD from her traumatic past that she doesn't have any memories of. As the reader discovers more of Sally's past, you can't help but root for her as she tries to make friends, connect with family members, and assert herself.

109 The Cleaner I enjoyed this book which reminded me a lot of the character Dexter, although the main protagonist, Joe, is much more twisted and sinister. Joe works as a janitor in a police station, and unknown to his co-workers, is the Christchurch Carver, who has murdered seven women. The problem, as Joe sees it, is that he has only killed six, someone else killed number 7, but who did it? He is determined to find the copycat killer, punish him or her, and then frame that person for the other murders. He knows he's smarter than the police and sets his wild crazy plan into action. Along the way he has to deal with his strange mother, and his co-worker Sally, who may be trying to replace him with her deceased brother, or is interested in him. This was a good read, gruesome, but also with touches of humor. I see that there is a sequel to this, which I will be reading shortly.

>73 lsh63: I read The Cleaner a number of years ago and it totally hooked me into reading everything by Paul Cleave. I've been working my way through his Christchurch Murders series and I have finally come full circle back to the sequel of The Cleaner, Joe Victim. I am really looking forward to it!

>74 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! I have both Joe Victim and Cemetery Lake borrowed from Kindle Unlimited and I’m trying to decide which one to read first. Decisions decisions. I need to return a few items so that I can obtain more of course!

>73 lsh63: That sounds like a good read. Taking a BB.

>75 lsh63: It's a very good but odd series. I chose to read it in chronological order but although loosely connected, it does jump around quite a bit. The Cleaner was the first book, but it doesn't get back to that story until book #7, Joe Victim.

>76 lowelibrary: Hi April, I hope you like it when you get around to reading it.
>77 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I'm a little puzzled about the chronological order, while I was reading Cemetery Lake, there were references to the "Carver". It also appears that the second book doesn't have Tate or Joe in it. I'll keep reading though, I think this is one case where the order won't matter to me that much.

110 Dirty Little Secrets This was a pretty good thriller about various residents of a gated community who don't seem to notice or care that their neighbor Olive Collins has been dead in her house for three months. As the police investigate, the reader learns that most of her neighbors disliked her and that they all had secrets, leading to a host of suspects.

111 Cemetery Lake I recently read The Cleaner and I decided to try another book by this author. This book features Theodore Tate, a former police officer now private investigator who while overseeing an exhumation for a client, stumbles upon the work of a serial killer. Theo is a sad man, mourning the loss of his daughter and his wife's physical condition, and tries to right wrongs, but doesn't go about it in the best manner. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

112 Cathedral I'm always on the hunt for short story collections and realized I had never read any Raymond Carver. I enjoyed all twelve of the stories in this volume, however "A Small Good Thing", took me on an emotional roller coaster. It's about a family getting ready for their young son's birthday one day and that same day waiting in the hospital for news about his condition after a hit and run. I also loved the title story "Cathedral" where a blind man teaches another man an important lesson about being able to "see" without sight, and diminishing the abilities of those with physical limitations.

>80 lsh63: And this is when I realized that Raymond Carver and Raymond Chandler are two different people!

113 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store I loved this novel about a small Pennsylvania town, named Chicken Hill, and its immigrant Jewish and African American inhabitants live. It begins with the discovery of a skeleton at the bottom of a well in 1972, and flashes back to the 1930's where we meet Moshe and Chona Ludlow, who ran the Heaven and Earth Grocery store and also a theater. When a no good doctor and the KKK come looking for a young black boy named Dodo who is unable to hear or speak, in order to institionalize him, Chona and the rest of the community try to keep him safe. It was amazing and hearwarming to read how the residents all worked together toward a common goal.

114 None of This is True I enjoyed this twisted thriller a great deal. While out celebrating her 45th birthday Alix Summers crossed paths with another woman named Josie Fair, who is also celebrating her birthday. When Alix and Josie meet again, Josie broaches the subject of being the subject of one of Alix's podcasts. Alix realizes that there's something very off about Josie, but her journalistic nature gets the better of her, and she agrees. Alix slowly learns that Josie has very dark secrets in her past, and Josie begins to covet Alix's life, infiltrating her home with her husband and children. It was a very addictive page turner.

115 If I Survive You A collection of connected short stories about a Jamaican family's struggles. The first story takes place in the 1970's as the family deals with financial difficulties, racism and poverty as well as their complicated family dynamics. The stories feature various POV's, although most of them are told through Trelawny, the younger brother of Delano. Delano is favored by their father, and of course this complicates their relationship and also their relationship with their father. Equally humorous as well as heartbreaking, it was a good read.

116 Little Children I read a short story collection by this author last year, and decided to try this novel. It's about a group of adults in a Boston suburb with small children who all seem to be disenchanted with their lives. Sarah, is unhappily married and spends most of her time at the playground with her three year old daughter Lucy. When Sarah meets Todd, also married but very happily unemployed, the sparks fly and they embark on an affair. When a convicted sex offender moves into the neighborhood, the residents are of course angry and upset, and everything gets out of hand. I have to admit that I skipped over most of the various football play references, but overall I found this to be a very good read.

117 Honey Drop Dead This is the 25th installment in the Tea Shop mystery series, and reading it felt like catching up with old friends. Theo investigates the murder of a politician who for some reason was at her Honey Bee Tea. I love reading about the various teas and also perusing the recipes. I'm torn between wanting the author to shake things up a bit or leave everything the same. I always enjoy reading this series no matter how unbelievable Theo's investigation techniques may be.

>84 lsh63: It's such an interesting viewpoint. It's fun seeing this book get recognition.

>85 lsh63: Little Children is my favorite Perrotta. I suspect I read it at the exact right time in my children's lives.

118 After You'd Gone My library recently acquired Maggie O' Farrell's debut novel After You'd Gone, and of course I enjoyed it. There were times when I wasn't sure if I was reading about a past event or a current thought, but somehow it all made sense. When Alice Raikes takes a train from London to Scotlan to visit her family, she sees something that causes her to have an emotional outburst causing her to want to immediately return to London. Later, Alice is lying in a coma after an accident that may or may not have been a suicide attempt. Little by little the layers of her life are revealed and the reader finally learns what Alice witnessed. The fact that the author was able to maintain multiple POV's and timelines on the same page without it being terribly frustrating, is pretty amazing.

>82 lsh63: I'm taking a BB for The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store! I loved McBride's Deacon King Kong.

>87 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay! I aim to read more Perrotta in the near future.
>89 mathgirl40: Hi Paulina, I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it. I believe Deacon King Kong was a five star read for me as was The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.

119 The Bee Sting This book is on the Booker longlist, and I had no idea it was 650 pages plus! The reader follows the lives of the four main members of the Barnes family; Dickie, his wife Imelda, and their daughter and son, Cass and PJ. The once wealthy family is now feeling the pinch of an economic slump as Dickie faces the fact that his car dealership is failing, Imelda begins to question why she married him, their daughter Cass is just unpleasant, and poor PJ is being bullied for things that are not his fault. I thought the book was just a tad too long, and I felt very cheated by the ending.

120 The Connellys of County Down A story about loyalty and family dynamics when Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving an 18 month term for a minor drug charge. With nowhere else to go, she is back at her family home with her sister Geraldine and brother Eddie. Geraldine has a serious hoarding problem and Eddie, who is also a single father, suffers from the effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago. Trying to rebuild her life isn't easy and she also seems to be falling for the police officer who helped put her in jail. This was an enjoyable read.

121 A Better Man In this 15th book in the series, Gamache and Clara are both victims of terrible comments on social media, Gamache's former second in command is preparing for a major move, and the team works together to find a missing pregnant woman in the midst of severe and deadly flooding. Although the case isn't really investigated until much later in the book, it was a very good read.

>91 lsh63: I just this minute finished The Bee Sting and yes. I have read many books where they went on too long and should have ended a few pages or chapters earlier. Despite its length, this one ended too early. I don't mind ambiguous endings, but this is ridiculous.

122 The Last Bookshop in London In 1939, Grace and her friend Viv leave their small home town and move to London to escape from Grace's overbearing uncle and Viv's strict parents. Viv gets a job at Harrod's while Grace finds work at the Primrose Hill Bookstore, even though at first she has no particular fondness for books. Before long, as London faces day after day of bombings, Grace makes the bookstore a huge success and finds joy in reading, finding herself recommending books to others and reading aloud to her patrons. Even while experiencing sadness and loss, it was also an uplifting read in the way that the characters united and faced the consequences of the war together.

>94 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, you're right ambiguous is one thing but I was very annoyed. If that had happened in a book half the size, I would have been less frustrated with it.

I won't finish any more books this month, so here is my August recap:

I am happy that I have read 20 books this month.

10 library books
10 Kindle books
8 male authors
12 female authors

I read two five star books Tom Lake and The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. I also enjoyed two short story collections Witness and Cathedral. I've been avoiding large books, but I read The Bee Sting and enjoyed it despite being frustrated with the ending. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather, and hope that it will make me more productive. I've been lethargic of late and my house really shows it haha. I guess that's why I was able to read 20 books this month.

>97 lsh63: This is not housekeeping weather! No one expects any dusting to be done.

>97 lsh63: I also read Tom Lake this month. Other than making me want to re-read Our Town the book did nothing for me. I rated it 3 stars.

123 What We Talk About When We Talk About Love I was in the mood for short stories again, and found this collection lurking on my Kindle. Particularly distubring was the story "Tell the Women We're Going", where two close friends, Bill and Jerry going out for a drive, and a beer for old times sake, when one of the men losing his mind and committing murder. In "Little Things", a couple is splitting up, with one of them packing a suitcase and arguing over their baby with disastrous consequences. The title story reveals how people have different interpretations of what "love" is.

124 D is for Deadbeat I believe I read most of these books pre-LT, then donated them years ago. I have no recollection of most of the storylines, and they fit the bill for a quick read. In this one, Kinsey tries to find the man who asks her to deliver a $25,000 cashiers check to a 15 year old boy. What she finds out that the man is John Daggett, an ex-con with a drinking problem, two wives, and many enemies. When Daggett's body eventually turns up, the police rule it an accident, but Kinsey isn't so sure. I'm not judging, but Kinsey did something that she may regret.

125 Hello Beautiful This was a very good, although sad read. William grew up in a house where his family fell apart after the death of his sister, and he spent most of his childhood feeling unloved. When he meets and marries Julia Padavano, he also realizes that she is a package deal with her sister Sylvie, Cecelia, and Emeline. One event after another causes rifts in the family. There are many references to Little Women, and each sister fits somewhat with the character traits of Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth. The ending was very emotional but also heartwarming.

126 After That Night I've been a big Karin Slaughter fan for a while now. I particulary enjoy that the author took the character of Sara, from her Grant County series and brought her into the Will Trent series which features GBI special agent Will and his partner Faith Mitchell, and his ex-wife Agnie Polaski. In After That Night, Sara relives the worst night of her life when 15 years ago, what was supposed to be an night of celebration resulted in her rape which affected her life forever. When Sara treats a patient who has life threatening brutal injuries, tells Sara that she was raped, Sara is determined to seek justice for her no matter what the cost, including having to relive her own nightmare. I love this series, however I've been waiting for Sara to interact with a certain character from the Grant County series that I would love to come back and wreak a little havoc.

127 The Block Party This was a so-so domestic suspense story about the residents of an exclusive community when tragedy strikes during their annual Memorial Day block party. There were many characters, but only two narrators, Alex, and her daughter Lettie, which made it easier to follow the plot. This was a good read for me at a time when I didn't feel like my concentration was the best.

128 Country Place Ann Petry was the first Black woman to obtain book sales in excess of a million copies for her novel The Street. I've been on the lookout for more of her works and found Country Place. In this 1947 novel, Ms. Petry write about a small New England town, where a man returns from World War II to find that his wife has changed and isn't interested in him any more. Her act of infidelity sets off a chain of events where a murder is committed and secrets are revealed. The book was very well plotted, and I was able to picture the smal town with all of the characters knowing everyone's business, and the description of a raging rainstorm was very atmospheric and added to the suspense of the ending.

129 Holly I loved the Holly Gibney character from the Bill Hodges trilogy, and was pleased to see her return. Holly has evolved from a shy recluse to a very capable private detective, who owns an agency named Finders Keepers. When a woman calls about her missing daughter, she is reluctant to take the case for a variety of reasons. She is supposed to be on a leave of absence from work while her partner Pete recovers from COVID, and she tries to come to terms with her complicated relationship with her mother. As she investigates, the connections to her case become more and more disturbing. There were some pretty gruesome aspects of the story (it is a Stephen King) work after all, but I was surprised to find more than a few references to anti vaxxers, Trump, and COVID. It seemed as though every chapter contained some political aspect. At times, I felt as though I was watching MSNBC. This book might not be everyone's cup of tea.

130 The Book of Ruth

131 The River We Remember This book was just a perfect read that was hard for me to put down at times. The story is set in 1958 Minnesota where most of the town's residents are at a Memorial Day (used to be known as Decoration Day) commemoration. When the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, the sheriff, Brody Dern isn't sure at first whether it's a suicide or homicide case. When the coroner eventually determines tha it was a homicide, most of the town residents are pointing their fingers at Noah Bluestone, a Native American who also has a Japanese wife. While investigating the murder, we learn that Brody is struggling with the effects of the war, and the choices he's made in his life.

With vivid characterization and setting descriptions, it was an excellent read.

>108 lsh63: This is one of my most favorite authors of all time and have been anxiously waiting to get a copy. I just got it!

>109 JoeB1934: It was great, I couldn't put it down! I hope you enjoy it.

>108 lsh63: - I put a hold on this earlier this summer as soon as I knew it was coming out and now I'm waiting for my turn at the library.

>111 dudes22: Hi Betty, I hope you turn comes soon! I've been very greedy with my library requests, I'm hoping nothing else comes in before I finish at least some of what I already have.

132 Chenneville This was a very good read. In my mind I kept picturing a Clint Eastwood type portraying the character in a movie adaptation. It's the story of John Chenneville who has suffered a traumatic head injury during the Civil War. He has spent most of the year in a coma, not knowing it is 1865, that the war had ended and that his sister, brother in law, and baby nephew were all murdered. When Chenneville awakens and slowly recovers, he begins to plot revenge and kill his sister's murderer. The killer is a man named Dodd, who uses many aliases and always seems to be one step ahead of hime. The author excels at describing the state of the land, living conditions, and the various characters he meets along the way while traveling from Missouri to Texas while searching for Dodd. I was torn between Chenneville exacting his revenge or trying to build a future with a woman he falls in love with. I felt that the ending was just a bit anti-climatic.

>113 lsh63: I am looking forward to this one!

>113 lsh63: - I didn't realize she had a new book out. On the list it goes.

>108 lsh63: The Denver Post has a review of the book that was equally enthusiastic. She had a phrase which captured my attention. It was:

There is beauty to Krueger’s writing. Author of the popular Cork O’Connor mystery series, Kruger is also the author of two best-selling stand-alone novels “Ordinary Grace” and “This Tender Land.” He is a fine storyteller, but it is his understanding of his characters and his sense of the past that make “The River We Remember” more than just a story. As novels go, this one is a work of art. BOOK REVIEW “

If you haven't read his stand-alone novels give them serious thought. I first read This Tender Land and I place it very near the top of my very best books list.

It's fun seeing so much love for Krueger. Years ago, VictoriaPL and I sat next to him at an author lunch and he was a kind and gracious man.

>114 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I hope you get to it soon!
>115 dudes22: Hi Betty, I have a habit of stalking book release lists haha.
>116 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, I was able to read the book review, and wholeheartedly agree. I think I rated This Tender Land five stars when I read it.
>117 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay, that's good to know. He appears to be the "down to earth" type. I thought I read everything of his, but it turns out I didn't read The Devil's Bed.

133 Payback in Death After returning home from a relaxing vacation, Eve is called to the scene of a suspected suicide of the former Captain of Internal Affairs. Eve has her suspicions about the so-called suicide from the start and the death is eventually ruled a homicide. She has her suspicions about the suspect right away, but just can't seem to make it fit, which frustrates her. One of the best parts of the book was the way she took down the murderer at the end. For a fifty-seventh installment in a series, it was a pretty good read.

134 Spare I went back and forth with myself about whether I wanted to read Prince Harry's "tell-all", but I have to admit I was curious about it. It was sad to read about how his mother's death affected him and in turn led to his life-long aversion to reporters and the paparazzi. There are those who say don't air your family's dirty laundry, then there are others who maintain that he and Meghan were horribly mistreated. I had always been of the opinion that the two brothers were close, but apparently according to Harry's account, that was not the case. I thought that William and Harry's relationship, already strained, wasn't helped anywhen Harry kept taking shots at his brother's baldness. I thought that the book was a tad too long, and I skimmed a lot of pages in the section about his life in the army, but overall it was a quick read.

135 Normal Rules Don't Apply I've been reading a lot of short stories these days. I find that they are good for me when my brain isn't in the mood for heavy concentration. Kate Atkinson is wonderful, however I just liked, not loved the stories in this collection. I found the content to be a very strange mix of fantasy with talking animals and other things that I just couldn't seem to grasp. I'm sure that there was probably a fantasy element in Not The End of the World, I just don't remember it.

136 The Raging Storm This is the third book in the Two Rivers series. Police Inspector Matthew Venn investigates the murder of Jem Rosco, a sailor and well know celebrity. Matthew is very uncomfortable taking this case because it brought him back to the community that he parted ways with years ago. I felt a little let down with the reveal of the murderer and the motive didn't exactly make that much sense to me.

137 The Dog of the North Penny Rush has a lot going on in her life. Her marriage is over, she is currently unemployed, her mother and stepfather sent missing in Australia five years ago, her father harrasses her, and her hoarding grandmother has bad things in her woodshed. Penny strikes up a friendship with her grandmother's accountant Burt, who is also very odd, and finds herself attracted to his younger brother Dale. I wanted the road trip with Penny and her grandfather to last longer, and I wanted her to spend more time with her sister. Thanks to her grandmother's shenanigans this wasn't possible. Equally heartbreaking and humorous, it was a very good read.

138 Sleep No More I enjoyed this collection of six short stories by P.D. James, where the murderers got away with their crimes. The first story " The Yo-Yo" where a young boy's Christmas holiday goes wrong, and the last story "Mr. Millcroft's Birthday" where a brother and sister are told by their father at his birthday celebration that he committed a murder were especially good.

139 The Veiled One I thought that I had read all of the Inspector Wexford series, but it turns out I missed a few, and this was one of them. When Wexford is injured in a car bombing, most of the investigation of a dead woman in a shopping mall garage falls on his detective Mike Burden. As Burden matches wits with who he believes is the murderer, Wexford quietly goes about doing his own investigation, as he doesn't agree with Mike about the committed the crime. There were a lot of red herrings and minor characters in this one, but I was totally surprised by the ending.

140 Western Lane This book which is shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, is about a family of three sisters who are struggling with the loss of their mother. Everyone processes grief differently, and their father throws himself into coaching the three girls to play squash. The youngest daughter Gopi, who takes to the sport the most and is soon practicing at a club. Her father becomes more and more depressed and withdrawing into himself, not working and also finding solace in talking to a mother of another squash player. It was a good read.

>123 lsh63: I loved The Dog of the North. Her previous novel, The Portable Veblen, is equally charming.

>126 RidgewayGirl: Good Morning Kay, I will add The Portable Veblen to my list.

141 Go As A River This book almost had me reaching for the tissues. Beautifully written, it's the story of Victoria Nash and how her life is impacted by a chance encounter with Wilson Moon. Victoria (Torie) is the only female in her household after her mother dies, and she is expected to wait on her brother, father and uncle , who all live on peach farm in Colorado. At 17, Torie meets the Native American Wilson Moon, a drifter, who has been displaced from his tribal land.The reader follows Torie over the next four decades through loss and heartbreak as she fights for her survival, and has to make difficult choices that she believes are for the best.

>128 lsh63: Thanks for your very well written review of this book, which is one of my most memorable books of 2023.

I read it several months ago. I didn't reach for tissues, but I did everything but that.

I am familiar with the environment surrounding the book, and very aware of the plight of Native Americans in our whole culture. I ended the book with heartbreak over 'what could have been'.

There is another book that I think of as a twin sister of this one in terms of 'what if'. It is Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult.

>128 lsh63: - And my BB list gets longer.

142 The Last Devil to Die This fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club was funny and also heartbreaking at the same time. When an old friend of Elizabeth and Stephen's is murdered, the group along with the police investigate. Their friend was an antiques dealer who somehow also got himself in a drug deal that went wrong. With Elizabeth preoccupied with taking care of her husband, Joyce takes the lead helping their police friends Donna and Chris and interacting with the various very entertaining criminal characters. My favorite character is Joyce, I love her diary entries!

The author has indicated that he is working on a new series, so it will be a while before I visit Coopers Chase again, but I'm glad that the series will continue.

>129 JoeB1934: Hi Joe, thank you. That title sounds familiar. I think it was a Kindle deal not that long ago. I meant to get it, that day, but I forgot. I'll keep an eye out for it.

>130 dudes22: Hi Betty! I'll have to swing by and see what you're reading.

>131 lsh63: Joyce is my favorite too! I'm sad Osman is taking a break from the series, though of course it's his prerogative. :)

>133 christina_reads: Hi Christina, I hope we don't have too long a wait for the next book, but I guess I can catch up on all of the other series that I need to move along.

>108 lsh63: William Kent Krueger has just come to my attention via DeltaQueen50's thread. I don't know how he has escaped my reading until now! Looking forward to his books.

>135 VivienneR: Hi Vivienne, you are in for a big treat with William Kent Krueger, I hope you enjoy them!

Happy October everyone!

My September reading was as follows:
20 books read in total
11 library books
8 Kindle books
1 book from my shelf

5 male authors
15 female authors

My highest rated books were The River We Remember 5 stars, The Book of Ruth, The Dog of the North and The Last Devil to Die. I don't know where the year went, but I am looking forward to crisp fall weather, and lots of reading time!

143 All the Devils Are Here I've been working my way through this series this year, and I think I prefer when the main characters are in Three Pines. In this 16th installment, Gamache is in Paris, visiting his godfather, son, daughter and son-in-law, Jean-Guy who have just relocated. After a family meal, Gamache's godfather Steven, is deliberately run down and critically injured. When a body is later found in Steven's apartment, more secrets and lies are divulged, while at the same time Gamache's daughter Annie is about to give birth.

144 The Madness of Crowds When Gamache is asked to provide security for a visiting Professor of Statistics, during the lull between the Christmas and New Year holiday, he thinks it's a simple job, even at the same time he wonders why the head of Homicide should be involved. After he discovers the professor's agenda, he tries in vain to have the lecture cancelled. This book is set right after COVID immunizations became available and people started to venture out again. It took a long time for the reader to learn exactly what the professor's agenda was, and one of the more interesting facets of the story was the way it affected one of the characters.

145 The Kindest Lie It takes Ruth Tuttle's husband Xavier, mentioning that he would like to start their family, for Ruth to become obsessed with finding her 11 year old son, who was adopted "off the books". The fact that she never told her husband about her son drives a wedge between them and she returns home to her grandmother and brother, to find out what happened to her son. I didn't find Ruth's character to be very sympathetic or likeable, and I think providing her husband Xavier's perspective or her granmother's could have made it a more compelling read.

146 All That Is Mine I Carry With Me I enjoyed this story about a mother vanishing and the father presumed guilty until the ending.

147 My Darling Girl This was a pretty good scary read. The story is set during the Christmas holiday, but it was a perfect read for the Halloween season. Alison is estranged from her mother Mavis, who was an alcoholic and physical and verbally abused her and her brother Benjamin. When Alison receives a call that her mother is dying with weeks to live, and that Mavis wants to spend her remaining days with Alison, her husband and two daughters, she is torn about what to do. She agrees to take her mother into her home, hoping that they can finally heal their relationship before her mother passes away. Then weird, exorcist events start to happen that gave me chills. I think I finished the book in just over a day.

148 Old God's Time Newly retired police officer Tom Kettle moves to a reclusive village seeking peace and quiet. One day two policeman come knocking on his door, asking for his help with the investigation of a dead priest. Tom is tormented by his memories, and it is difficult to read about his many losses in life. At times I wasn't sure if what I was reading was an actual fact or a figment of the protagonist's faltering memory, but it was an excellent read.

149 I Am No One You Know This is a collection of 19 short stories by Joyce Carol Oates, who is still going strong at 85. Some of the stories were better than others, however there were a few that stood out " The Deaths: An Elegy"- after being separated for many years after their parents' deaths, a woman and her brother meet again and visit the sight where their father allegedly killed their mother. There is a strong hint at the end that history may repeat itself. "I'm Not Your Son, I Am No One You Know"- a man and his brother visit their father, suffering from dementia, in a nursing home. "Curly Red"- a young girl becomes estranged from her family after revealing a secret involving a member of her family and a racist crime.

150 The Caretaker I didn't realize that it has been seven years since Ron Rash's last book. Set in the era of the Korean War in North Caroling, it's the story of the graveyard caretaker Blackburn Gant, and his friendship with Jacob Lampton. Blackburn, who had a childhood case of polio, is withdrawn from most people, and finds comfort and purpose in taking care of the graveyard. While Jacob is overseas, Blackburn takes care of Jacob's young wife Naomi, who he eloped with, and who is now expecting a child. Jacob's parents look down on Naomi because she is uneducated, poor and worked as a maid, and concoct a horrible plan to keep them apart forever.

151 The Unsettled This is the author's second novel after about ten years. Set in the 1980's in Philadelphia, and also in Bonaparte Alabama, it's about mother Ava Carson, and her ten year old son Toussaint, who arrive at a family shelter. Ava is determined to rescue her son from the squalid conditions they experience, however her plans don't always pan out with her expectations.

152 Daddy Was a Number Runner This book has been on my to be read list for a while, and when I read that the author recently passed away at age 100, I decided to finally get to it. It's the author's first novel, and depicts the life of a poor family in Harlem, during the Depression Era. The story is told from the perspective of 12 year old Francie and the family's struggles. Her father unable to find work, becomes a number runner in order to get by, and while one brother dreams of being a chemist, another brother becomes dazzled by the life of gang members. It was a sad read, but an important one.

>142 lsh63: I have an audio version of Old God's Time but knowing the topic of child abuse comes up, I'm reluctant to start listening.

>147 VivienneR: Good Morning Vivienne, it was definitely tough to read.

>148 lsh63: I may give it a miss. There has been so much real life news about child abuse that I don't really want to read about it in fiction, even though I realize fiction mirrors RL.

153 Jar of Hearts This was a good but gruesome story into the past of three best friends. One was murdered, one went to jail, and one became a police officer seeking the truth.

154 The Leftover Woman Jasmine Yang leaves China for New York in search of her daughter who was taken from her at birth. Her daughter Fiona, is being raisd by Rebecca Whitney, a successful publishing executive, who is married to a Columbia University professor.

155 Thicker Than Water: A Memoir I found actress Kerry Washington's memoir mildly interesting, but found the big reveal to be very anticlimatic, since the secret had been revealed prior to the book's release. Growing up, she felt oddly disconnected from her parents, sensing that there was some tension between them. She writes with honesty about her same sex relationships, eating disorder, abortion and her mother's fight against cancer three times. She is known for keeping her private life private, however I felt that there could have been more to the memoir, as the book was mainly about her parents.

I was a big fan of Scandal, particulary her interaction with the fabulous Joe Morton, and had forgotten the other movie roles that she's had over the years.

156 Easy Meat I'm greatly enjoying the Charlie Resnick series. This one was very heartbreaking as various members of one family commit various crimes, and one of Resnick's team members is himself a victim of savage violence. As always, I appreciate the jazz references and I'm way too interested in his sandwich preparations.

157 Like Life As much as I enjoy short stories, I found this to be a so so read.

158 The House of Doors


159 Dark Ride I enjoyed this Jack Reacher type protagonist named Hardy "Hardly" Reed who is drifting through life, when he encounters two young children who he suspects are being abused. Hardly is not your typicalHe does the right thing and reports this to Child Protective Services, but he gets the sense that things may not move quickly enough, and he takes matters into his own hands. The ending was very well done.

Happy November everyone!

My October reading was pretty much on target:

17 books read

7 Kindle books
10 Library books
11 Female authors
6 male authors

The books I rated the highest for the month were The Caretaker and Dark Ride. I hope to get in more reading time soon, my brain has been tired in the evenings.

160 Outback This was a BB from Judy (DeltaQueen50), and I have to say you don't have to twist my arm to try a new thriller. The fact that it was available through Kindle Unlimited was even better. This is the first in the DS Lucas Walker series, and is set in the Australian outback. Lucas is currently on leave from work as he is spending time with his very sick grandmother. When two German backpackers disappear, Lucas is asked to act as liason between their families and the police. As time goes on, Lucas starts to wonder if their disappearance is somehow linked to organized crime and the increasing drug trade. I enjoyed that the story was told through various POVS, and I look forward to reading the next book very soon.

161 Mrs. Everything I enjoyed this story of sisters Jo and Bethie Kaufman, who grew up in 1950's Detroit, who were very different, with unexpected events in both of their lives. Jo is a tomboy, perceived as a rebel, who pursues activism, and shuns the traditional marriage and family role. Bethie, is the "good" girl, pretty and feminine, who dreams of the traditional life. Jo, winds up married with children living in Connecticut, while Bethie, struggles with substance abuse, free love, and roaming the world. It was my first time reading this author and an important reminder about how society views the roles and actions of women to this day.

162 Let Us Descend I'm a big fan of the author, but I found the use of magical realism in the story to be a bit heavy handed. The writing is of course brilliant thought provoking as well as heartbreaking to read. It's the story of a young enslaved girl named Annis, who is separated from her mother, who has been sold. When Annis herself is later sold, she finds strength in the stories that she was told about her African warrior grandmother, Aza.

163 Absolution Set in 1960's Saigon, this is the story of a young newlywed named Tricia, who is married to a lawyer who is working temporarily with navy intelligence. A professional corporate spouse named Charlene takes Tricia under her wing, to groom her in learning how to be the best wife she can be and help the Vietnamese. They form an alliance, however Tricia realizes that Charlene is not a nice person, and has her own agenda. The book ends a little abruptly, but it was an overall good read.

164 The Second Murderer As the first woman to tackle Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Denise Mina did a good job. The plot involves a vile wealthy old man who hires Marlowe to find his missing daughter. In typical noir like fashion, Marlowe's case takes him from the upper crust of society to Skid Row, with bar fights, cops on the take, and a fellow PI who just happens to be female, which was great.

165 You Must Remember This A so-so mystery/thriller set during the Christmas holiday. 85 year old Miriam Gardiner is suffering from dementia and is brought home from her care facility to her sprawling Maine mansion to celebrate the holidays, everyone aware that this could be her last Christmas. Also in attendance are her granddaughter Delphine, and Miriam's daughters Theodora and Diana and obnoxious son Richard. When Miriam is found dead on the frozen river behind her home, the question becomes did someone help her meet her end or was it simply an accident?

166 Past Lying I was happy to see the return of Karen Pirie and her team as she plays fast and loose with COVID protocols while living in her boyfriend Hamish's apartment during lockdown. Karen and her team may be limited in their usual investigation techniques, but that doesn't stop her from achieving her goal. The case involves a tip from the library and the records of a recently deceased novelist whose manuscript closely mirrors the disappearance of a student. At times it was hard to put the book down, and I hope there are more books in the series in the future.

167 Resurrection Walk I think that Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series is one of the best. Although this book is a Lincoln Lawyer installment, I was glad to see Harry featured as he helps his brother investigate the case of a woman who allegedly killed her husband, a sheriff's depty, and maintains that she is innocent. When Harry reviews the case notes, he thinks that something isn't quite right and that there was some sort of coverup involved in the murder. While I enjoyed this book, I felt as though I had missed pertinent details that may have been outlined in the last one or two books in the Renee Ballard series, which I think I should now complete.

168 How Can I Help You I enjoyed this twisty thriller about a former nurse named Margo (think Kathy Bates in Misery), who winds up in a library, where she tries to control her murderous urges, until a new employee named Deborah is hired. Patricia notices that something is off about Margo, and is determined to find out what it is.

169 So Late In The Day I think I read this short story collection of three stories in about an hour. The first story "So Late in the Day", which focuses on a man named Cathal, who reflects over a long weekend about the end of his relationship with the woman he was supposed to marry. The second story, " The Long and Painful Death", about a writer who arrives at a seaside home to work on her writing and is interrupted by a pushy academic. The last story "Antarctica", I had previously read, is about a married woman, looking for excitement, who learns her lesson, when she takes up with a stranger.

Happy Thanksgiving, Lisa!

170 Day This is what would be termed a "quiet" book, set in April 2019, 2020, and 2021. When the story begins Dan and his wife Isabel, are struggling and also drifting apart, both with conflicted feelings about Isabel's younger brother Robbie. Robbie lives with Isabel and Dan, and since his niece and nephew are getting older, it's time for Robbie to move out of the house. His departure threatens to sever the already tenuous family ties. In 2020, as the world goes into lockdown, Isabel and Dan's daughter Violet becomes terrified of contracting the virus while Robbie is stranded in Iceland. Finally in 2021, the family emerges from the lockdown with a new reality and a new family dynamic.



171 Good Bad Girl I was in the mood for a thriller, and this one was good not great. The story begins with a baby stolen from a stroller twenty years ago, while in the present day an elderly woman is murdered in a care home. From there the story evolves from three different POV's; Patience, a young girl who works at the home, Edith, a resident, who Patience helps to escape, and Clio, Edith's daughter who has a strained relationship with her mother. Eventually all of the loose threads are tied together, but by the end, I just wasn't that interested.



172 Notes on an Execution This book won the Edgar Award this year, and I found it to be an engrossing read. Ansel Packer is on death row, scheduled to be executed in 12 hours. As he awaits his fate, he looks back on hoe he wound up the way he did. Through the POV's of various women in his life; his mother Lavender, Hazel, the twin sister of Ansel's wife Jenny, and Saffy the homicide detective who knew him when they were children, and is determined to obtain justice for the women he killed. The ending was perfect.

Hello everyone,

I won't finish any books between today and the end of the day tomorrow, so here's my November recap:

13 books read

6 Kindle books
7 Library books
11 Female authors
2 male authors

I rated 7 of the 13 books I read as 4 star reads: Mrs. Everything, Notes on an Execution,Outback, Absolution, Past Lying, Day, and So Late in the Day. I'm looking forward to the holidays, and taking some time off from work. I also want to give some more thought to what my 2024 challenge will look like.

173 Collecting Cooper I finished this early this morning. Private Detective Theodore Tate returns after spending a few months in prison for his actions in Cemetery Lake. Tate is hired by the father of the young girl (Emma), who Tate almost killed while driving DUI, because he feels that Tate owes him. It turns out that Emma is not the only person missing, also missing is her professor Cooper Riley. Tate finds that their disappearances are linked and hunts down a former mental patient in order to find them.

174 Sugar Plum Poisoned This book was exactly what my tired brain needed at the time. I think it's the 15th entry in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, with chief baker Melanie and her best friend Angie who own Fairytale Cupcakes. Mel and Angie are asked to provide seasonal cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge for Angie's old friend Shelby Vaughn. Of course Shelby's manager is found dead with cupcake in his hand, which was not good for business. I guessed the murderer pretty early on, but I really was more interested in reading about the various cupcakes: Sugar Plum, Eggnog, Sugar Cookie, and Gingerbread. I made note of the gingerbread cupcake recipe with cinnamon cream cheese frosting to try.

175 A World of Curiousities This is the 18th book in the Inspector Gamache series, and with this installment complete, I'm all caught up. Gamache and Beauvior flash back to their first case together, when the mother of two young children was murdered. The children, Fiona and Sam now adults, are in Three Pines and Gamache decides to keep his eye on one of them, as he fears that trouble is on the horizon. There were a couple of plot points that made me wonder if I had missed them in earlier books, but overall it was a good read .

176 The Mystery Guest This book is the second in the Molly the Maid series. When I read The Maid, I didn't think it would become a series. Molly is now head maid, and has gained more self-confidence and assertiveness which is good to see. When famous mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe,dies at the hotel, Molly notices little details that other miss, and we also learn that she has a connection to him, which makes her a potential suspect in Detective Stark's eyes. I enjoyed how Molly has grown and now stands up for herself, even gaining the respect of Detective Stark.

177 Refund A collection of stories centered around money, those who have it, those who don't and the way it affects our lives. This stort story collection made the short list for the 2015 Nation Book Award for Fiction.

178 The Housemaid I decided to read this because I wanted something that I could read quickly and didn't require too much thought or concentration. I kept seeing it "recommended" for me , and it fit the bill for my mood at the time. The protagonist Millie, is a recent parolee, homeless and in need of employment. She is eventually hired by Nina and Andrew as a live in housemaid/nanny, and thinks she has found her perfect job. It was a very engrossing read, with a couple of plot twists, then a crazy ending.

179 Twelve Days of Winter This is a collection of twelve linked short stories beginning with "A Partridge in a Pear Tree" and ending with "Drummers Drumming". This is definitely not a cozy collection, rather it's pretty gritty and gruesome Tartan Noir with the stories set during Christmastime.

180 The Last List of Mabel Beaumont When Mabel's husband Arthur dies suddenly after over 60 years of marriage, she finds a list that he left her "Find D". She interprets this to mean that she should track down their mutual friend Dot who they haven't seen or heard from during their entire marriage. As Mabel deals with her loss, she assembles a group of new friends to help her in her quest and finds that it's never too late to make changes in your life or try new things. It was just the heartwarming kind of read that I needed at the time.

>177 lsh63: - I think I'll take a BB for this.

>177 lsh63: I am also taking a BB for this

>178 dudes22: Hi Betty, I loved the idea of an 80 plus year old woman making new friends of various ages and trying new things.
>179 lowelibrary: Hi April, I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it.

181 Prophet Song This book was this year's Booker Prize winner. I was drawn into the story of a Dublin woman trying to protect her family during impossible circumstances. Her husband, a trade union leader, is arrested and disappears, she then loses her job, and her efforts to protect her four children on her own and deal with her father who has dementia, become frustrating at best. I don't usually read books with an dystopian tone, but it was a good read.

182 The Housemaid's Secret I enjoyed The Housemaid, and dove right into this sequel. This book wasn't as gripping as the first, and I think there was a definite "tongue in cheek" tone in this one that wasn't present in the first book. Once again Millie is hired as a housemaid at a home where she is led to believe that a woman is in distress. The ending was very underwhelming.

183 Paradise I've been making an effort to read more books from my Kindle, in particular those that I have borrowed from Kindle Unlimited. This book is the sequel to Outback, which I enjoyed when I read it last month. In Paradise, Lucas Walker recovers from his injuries and finds himself working on a home invasion that left a young mother dead and her nine year old daughter fighting to survive. Something about the case nags at Lucas, and while he works to keep the young girl safe, he also crosses paths with the drug gang led by Stefan Markovich who wants Lucas gone.



184 Secret Smile This was a a story about obsession, the classic girl meets boy, realizes he is not quite all there and dumps him. Unfortunately when Miranda broke up with Brendan, he didn't go away easily. Miranda becomes horrified as Brendan infiltrates just about every aspect of her life, and makes her look crazy in the process. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it held my interest.

185 The End of the World is a Cul de Sac A collection of 15 stories by the author of Trespasses, which I greatly enjoyed. Most of the stories feature women on the edge, sometimes making bad choices, but all in relatable circumstances. I especially enjoyed "Gibaltar" which is the story if a mother and daughter through several decades, and "Powder", about a young woman who is scattering the ashes of her boyfriend with his mother, who thinks that their relationship was more serious than it actually was.

186 Those We Thought We Knew I enjoyed this combination criminal investigation tied into the social issue of racism. Toya, a young graduate student returns to her grandmother's North Carolina town and sets a series of events in motions when she encounters a Confederate solider monument in the town square. At the same time, a drifter shows up in town with a notebook of prominent names and a Klan uniform. As the town is destined for confrontation, a tragic event occurs, and the fallout kept my engaged throughout the book. The "whodunnit" at the end seemed to come out of nowhere, but overall it was a great read.

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season and hopefully some time to unwind and read. I'm using a few use or lose it days, so I will be happily reading and relaxing until I go back to work on January 3rd.

187 Company: Stories I loved this short story collection, which features 13 linked stories about a family and others as the timeline takes the reader from the 1960's through the 2000's. While reading them, I felt as though I was there for the various family events; in the kitchen preparing food, at a mother's house to celebrate her birthday, bringing someone new to Thanksgiving dinner, and other events in the family lives. I thought the collection was very well written.

188 Tell Me What I Am This was just a so-so read about the disappearance of Nessa Garvey's sister Deena in 2004, and how it affects the whole family, especially her daughter Ruby. Ruby is abducted and raised by her father Lucas in Vermont, while the rest of Ruby's family resides in Philadelphia. The story is told mainly through two POV's Ruby, who has faint memories of her mother, but is thwarted in her attempts to learn more about her by her father, who abused her. Deena's sister Ness also struggles with her sister's disappearance and has always suspected that Lucas had something to do with it. This is not a thriller or mystery, but rather a portrayal of the effects that various forms of abuse can have on an entire family.

189 Sometimes I Lie This was a pretty good psychological thriller. Amber Reynolds wakes up in the hospital, unable to move, speak or do much of anything. She can hear others talking, but can't remember what happened to her. She tries to piece together how she wound up in the hospital, suspecting that her husband had something to do with it. The book alternates between her childhood diaries, the week before her accident, and the present. At the end I was thinking what the heck did I just read?

190 The Perfect Lie Yet another thriller, the story of young college student named Lauren, who is beaten and raped by her boyfriend, which is intertwined with the story of Erin Kennedy, who lives happily with her new husband Danny, a police detective. One day, Danny jumps out the window of their fourth floor apartment, and eighteen months later, Erin is charged with her husband's murder. It was a very interesting read.

191 A Flicker in the Dark I think I must have been in the mood for thrillers, because here's another that I read during my time off from work. Chloe Davis, a psychologist, is engaged to be married soon, and hopes to finally put her past behind her. When she was 12, her father confessed to the murder of six young girls, and is serving a life sentence. Now twenty years later, local teenage girls are missing again, and she's not sure who the copycat killer is.

192 The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries The third time's the charm, because this is the third year that I've tried to read this huge collection of Christmas mysteries. I started around the 15th of December and finally finished early this morning. I like how the collection was structured with Agatha Christie stories at the beginning and at the very end. Some stories I had read before, and some were better than others, however I enjoyed stories in the collection by Ed McBain, Rex Stout, Mary Roberst Rinehart, Ellis Peters, and Peter Robinson. As much as I enjoy short story collections, I may need to take a break one month from reading them.

December recap:

20 books read
14 female authors
5 male authors
1 male and female duo

13 Kindle books
7 Library books

I read 192 books read in total, and my best or most memorable books were:

The River We Remember
The Midnight News
We Were the Lucky Ones
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
I Have Some Questions for You

I'd like to keep more detailed statistics in the coming year, after all I create spreadsheets every day. Please join me at my new home https://www.librarything.com/topic/355693#n8328087.

Happy New Year!

>194 lsh63: I was neck and neck with you, finishing with 191 books. See you in the 2024 group! :)