tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204025922024-03-14T23:41:56.261-05:00A Little ReadingJLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.comBlogger1688125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-75086426239333581202024-01-02T21:40:00.013-06:002024-03-14T23:41:24.934-05:00Books Read in 2024<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Cumulative Reading List</span></b></div><p>Here's where I'll be tracking my reading in 2024. I used to aim for 50 books a year, but for 2024 I'm just hoping to do better than the dozen books I read last year. <br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">
JANUARY</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/432.City_of_Glass" target="_blank">City of Glass</a></b></i> (<i>New York Trilogy, Book 1</i>). Paul Auster (1985; fiction / mystery; 203 pages) <br />2. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/434.Ghosts" target="_blank">Ghosts</a></b></i> (<i>New York Trilogy, Book 2</i>). Paul Auster (1986; fiction / mystery; 100 pages) <br />3. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/435.The_Locked_Room" target="_blank">The Locked Room</a></b></i> (<i>New York Trilogy, Book 3</i>). Paul Auster (1986; fiction / mystery; 179 pages) <br />4. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19125911-heads-you-lose" target="_blank">Heads You Lose</a></b></i> (<i>Inspector Cockrill #1</i>). Christianna Brand (1941; fiction / mystery; 196 pages) <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">FEBRUARY</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6473194-peril-at-end-house" target="_blank">Peril at End House</a></b></i> (<i>Hercule Poirot #8</i>). Agatha Christie (1932; fiction / mystery; 288 pages) <br />6. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10499583-world-s-fair" target="_blank">World's Fair</a></b></i>. E.L. Doctorow (1985; fiction / historical fiction; 304 pages) <br />7. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17410571-escape-from-mr-lemoncello-s-library" target="_blank">Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library</a></b></i>. Chris Grabenstein (2013; fiction / children's literature; 293 pages)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">MARCH</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />8. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39796896-the-road-to-lichfield" target="_blank">The Road to Lichfield</a></b></i>. Penelope Lively (1977; fiction; 224 pages) <br />9. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36565203-experimental-film" target="_blank">Experimental Film</a></b></i>. Gemma Files (2015; fiction; reading now) <br />10. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196775837-last-house" target="_blank">Last House</a></b></i>. Jessica Shattuck (2024; historical fiction; reading now) <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">APRIL</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">MAY</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">JUNE</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">JULY</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">AUGUST</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">SEPTEMBER</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">OCTOBER</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">NOVEMBER</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">DECEMBER</div><div style="text-align: left;">.......</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">📚📚📚📚📚</div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-25341341045096681052023-09-06T14:41:00.006-05:002023-12-07T11:17:10.835-06:00Books Read in 2023<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Cumulative Reading List</span></b></div><p>
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Here's where I'll be tracking my reading in 2023. I'm getting a late start with the list, and didn't manage to do any reading in January or February. But my goal for 2023 is a lot lower than most years. If I read a book or two a month during the rest of this year, I'll be satisfied. </p><div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">MARCH</span></b><br /></div><p>1. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23936461-high-rising" target="_blank">High Rising</a></b></i> (<i>Barsetshire #1</i>). Angela Thirkell (1933; fiction)<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>APRIL</b></p><p>2. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32148735-wild-strawberries" target="_blank">Wild Strawberries</a></b></i> (<i>Barsetshire #2</i>). Angela Thirkell (1934; fiction) <br />3. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34629354-bramton-wick" target="_blank">Bramton Wick</a></b></i>. Elizabeth Fair (1952; fiction) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>MAY</b></p><p>4. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784528-the-windsors-at-war" target="_blank">The Windsors at War: The King, His Brother, and a Family Divided</a></b></i>. Alexander Larman (2023; nonfiction / history)<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>JUNE</b></p><p>5. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34664351-landscape-in-sunlight" target="_blank">Landscape in Sunlight</a></b></i>. Elizabeth Fair (1953; fiction) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>JULY</b></p><p>6. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61828545-death-comes-to-marlow" target="_blank">Death Comes to Marlow</a></b></i> (<i>Marlow Murder Club #2</i>). Robert Thorogood (2023; fiction / mystery)<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>AUGUST</b></p><p>7. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784412-looking-glass-sound" target="_blank">Looking Glass Sound</a></b></i>. Catriona Ward (2023; fiction / horror) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>SEPTEMBER</b></p><p>8. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127305722-the-heiress" target="_blank">The Heiress</a></b></i>. Rachel Hawkins (2024; fiction / thriller) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>OCTOBER</b></p><p>9. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58262631-the-messy-lives-of-book-people" target="_blank">The Messy Lives of Book People</a></b></i>. Phaedra Patrick (2022; fiction / women's fiction / adult fantasy) <br />10. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61135224-the-love-story-of-missy-carmichael" target="_blank">The Love Story of Missy Carmichael</a></b></i>. Beth Morrey (2020; fiction / women's fiction)<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>NOVEMBER</b></p><p>11. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77717342-i-heard-a-fly-buzz-when-i-died" target="_blank">I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died</a></b></i> (<i>Emily Dickinson Mystery #2</i>). Amanda Flower (2023; fiction / mystery / historical fiction) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>DECEMBER</b></p><p>12. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55383397-when-you-are-engulfed-in-flames" target="_blank">When You Are Engulfed in Flames</a></b></i>. David Sedaris (2008; nonfiction / humor / essays) <br />13. <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8347928-nothing-to-be-frightened-of" target="_blank">Nothing to Be Frightened Of</a></b></i>. Julian Barnes (2008; nonfiction / memoir / essays) (reading now)<br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">📚📚📚📚📚</span><br /></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-79252536080571892102022-12-12T01:31:00.001-06:002023-04-10T11:06:32.711-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dLScYicsN36LjrmE-bU7-XH_lva9AmiXSO_sEqKi22GiGXzAIfVNTrZSEiLfG-E0wNElnnjPpWxr3Di-SYQ5HCUdNem2Hs7BeN35bTKTS7jjyIBslVG0ixdtHqLysU_gu2Bvx6Gya4sRlrFU5iHZI0UA0vJv3fPKhrk5weZMFXz2_yLpxz8/s1800/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dLScYicsN36LjrmE-bU7-XH_lva9AmiXSO_sEqKi22GiGXzAIfVNTrZSEiLfG-E0wNElnnjPpWxr3Di-SYQ5HCUdNem2Hs7BeN35bTKTS7jjyIBslVG0ixdtHqLysU_gu2Bvx6Gya4sRlrFU5iHZI0UA0vJv3fPKhrk5weZMFXz2_yLpxz8/w400-h153/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><p>I have no idea what happened to the last month or so. Time flies, right? But I know what's happened to the last couple of weeks — for me, anyway. I came down with COVID right after Thanksgiving and I've been pretty wiped out ever since. I think I might be on the mend now, but I don't wanna speak too soon. I thought I was on the mend <i>last</i> week, too — and then, the dreaded <i>rebound</i> set in. So at the moment I'm in wait-and-see mode, with fingers crossed. <br /><br />But even with the brain fog, I've managed to finish a few books, so far this month....</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIwM3A8Nv5J_FYYWW_m1sNK6NUMtK1nBIs_4v_yhqhkoVUg1sB-TFuNXoqC6aNJff-c4BuNwWTx_XstjqAJP0KB5yWhsp1gW09T-Ol008hDZTe6Dq_-PIkYCOAiUMBOucbaup80xcRkqdAMbxOaQ9BvF4jfRYV7kWqhoJNyv9i6zQYGyvBZU/s1905/Stout_Gambit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="1150" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIwM3A8Nv5J_FYYWW_m1sNK6NUMtK1nBIs_4v_yhqhkoVUg1sB-TFuNXoqC6aNJff-c4BuNwWTx_XstjqAJP0KB5yWhsp1gW09T-Ol008hDZTe6Dq_-PIkYCOAiUMBOucbaup80xcRkqdAMbxOaQ9BvF4jfRYV7kWqhoJNyv9i6zQYGyvBZU/s320/Stout_Gambit.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11645535-gambit" target="_blank">Gambit</a></b></i><br />(<i>Nero Wolfe #37</i>)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Rex Stout (pub. 1962)<br /><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeRUm3Roo1cBtFvGbcyL2cVSWPtgf6EC_fgiyQ77fhl7mnDPtkaueLFzGSscVv797oSerPlxyxkUtjMTeVcvkg_vK8sBozWS2VPLG4gr2dfDo3xkEt43WOpDAd7dEQs2xGOe5pp4CKea1HMLL3e2Yf3vEPD3iNoLZLeYj9cvM4vkJpLtvbvM/s605/PRESTON-CHILD_Cabinet-of-Dr-Leng.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeRUm3Roo1cBtFvGbcyL2cVSWPtgf6EC_fgiyQ77fhl7mnDPtkaueLFzGSscVv797oSerPlxyxkUtjMTeVcvkg_vK8sBozWS2VPLG4gr2dfDo3xkEt43WOpDAd7dEQs2xGOe5pp4CKea1HMLL3e2Yf3vEPD3iNoLZLeYj9cvM4vkJpLtvbvM/s320/PRESTON-CHILD_Cabinet-of-Dr-Leng.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60677335-the-cabinet-of-dr-leng" target="_blank">The Cabinet of Dr. Leng</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(<i>21st book in the Pendergast series</i>)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child</div><div style="text-align: center;">(expected pub. - Jan. 2023)</div><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaM8S3LgZiJSG11Fuhtwdlhu-wnRg9656DWEaigv9cVxP3wT7d1eXG5Hdd4SAK1VDN8E-UfFNd_cVJsy6DfwjgdDjVY-sDenmp6pec47P9frhYPw4Iyg5kR8B8PcQT_U4jvXa5gGzBJQc_ELjjkSfdJK3xlT7mVamHuimqbhJC3ow9nBI3VQ/s1905/Child_Terminal-Freeze.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="1253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaM8S3LgZiJSG11Fuhtwdlhu-wnRg9656DWEaigv9cVxP3wT7d1eXG5Hdd4SAK1VDN8E-UfFNd_cVJsy6DfwjgdDjVY-sDenmp6pec47P9frhYPw4Iyg5kR8B8PcQT_U4jvXa5gGzBJQc_ELjjkSfdJK3xlT7mVamHuimqbhJC3ow9nBI3VQ/s320/Child_Terminal-Freeze.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8150098-terminal-freeze" target="_blank">Terminal Freeze</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(<i>Jeremy Logan #2</i>)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Lincoln Child (pub. 2008)</div><p></p><p>Those are by three of my favorite authors — I expected them to be entertaining, and they didn't disappoint. <br /><br />Not sure what's on the list for the rest of December, but at the moment I'm reading a classic bit of humor by another of my favorite writers. Because, right now, I could definitely use a few laughs....</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSY0d-s8sOu-dwgc8xA5mFx7ufnqXHUNoQ8z7kX2eCe3EdDtMe1pffK8J5Y75tOvH4UFmW1_Wa9z39UGTGtk1lpOgHXviFNbZGjzBCZv7vPEPtVyLA5aCDZdS8SqgFLi7y58OZJAMUwx4j6-vLh4vGUhAvFLgQdLJnuA67MEiTA4oxBtBoxyQ/s475/Cuppy_How-to-Tell-Your-Friends.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSY0d-s8sOu-dwgc8xA5mFx7ufnqXHUNoQ8z7kX2eCe3EdDtMe1pffK8J5Y75tOvH4UFmW1_Wa9z39UGTGtk1lpOgHXviFNbZGjzBCZv7vPEPtVyLA5aCDZdS8SqgFLi7y58OZJAMUwx4j6-vLh4vGUhAvFLgQdLJnuA67MEiTA4oxBtBoxyQ/s320/Cuppy_How-to-Tell-Your-Friends.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54214695-how-to-tell-your-friends-from-the-apes" target="_blank">How to Tell Your Friends from the Apes</a></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Will Cuppy</div><div style="text-align: center;">(first pub. 1931)<br /><br /><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Happy reading, everyone — and have a great week!</div><div><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/2022/12/12/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-349/" target="_blank">It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</a> is hosted by Kathryn at <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. <br /><br /></span></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-27748066108938652702022-11-04T17:19:00.000-05:002022-11-04T17:19:25.013-05:00Book Beginnings: The Cloisters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1I1nVFerfu-qSKW1PY_mjLR9ndoYRJmv2C74E4x2_G9Awc5Shwd4kWlrLiafaUicMitWvZHFnqNd4KNr_Ab1JE6ugyut8dqVX8yZ5MTgFNusFMGdrqspWm9FjpmY5KhnhCVy6xQvOlArR9kmdlFoQidd-wfpZ59uyghx8seo0uaqU35dEtw/s851/HAYS_Cloisters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1I1nVFerfu-qSKW1PY_mjLR9ndoYRJmv2C74E4x2_G9Awc5Shwd4kWlrLiafaUicMitWvZHFnqNd4KNr_Ab1JE6ugyut8dqVX8yZ5MTgFNusFMGdrqspWm9FjpmY5KhnhCVy6xQvOlArR9kmdlFoQidd-wfpZ59uyghx8seo0uaqU35dEtw/s320/HAYS_Cloisters.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59125414-the-cloisters" target="_blank">The Cloisters</a></span></b></i><br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Katy Hays</span><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Atria Books, November 2022<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />First sentence</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote>Death always visited me in August. </blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote> </blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br />Description from GoodReads:</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><p></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.</i></span> </p></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>I've only visited the Cloisters Museum once, but it was an amazing experience, and I'd love to go back someday. And I've always been interested in tarot cards and their history. So <i>The Cloisters</i> sounds like it could be just the book for me! Haven't actually started it yet, but that first sentence is something of a grabber, so I have high hopes. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/11/the-house-on-strand-by-daphne-du.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /><br /></span></p><p><br /></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-8145505809616377212022-10-03T00:07:00.003-05:002022-10-03T00:18:57.746-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmEWkCDB_Usc9jIQOoMj6NRuTWPH5Nd864ePCd9N7Q4PinMao0VJrAdP4aPfKIBafTax0KEKj-dfzrHg0yvQa1LtLilyTqf1SAH4Uee6wqE7lqVmKyqVm3MQRwGf8d_WLcLk1JrkYf1bV6lVPWGU-6IwQ2fMsWejvQi0eKzLi4Kumyj6qnsU/s1800/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1900" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmEWkCDB_Usc9jIQOoMj6NRuTWPH5Nd864ePCd9N7Q4PinMao0VJrAdP4aPfKIBafTax0KEKj-dfzrHg0yvQa1LtLilyTqf1SAH4Uee6wqE7lqVmKyqVm3MQRwGf8d_WLcLk1JrkYf1bV6lVPWGU-6IwQ2fMsWejvQi0eKzLi4Kumyj6qnsU/w399-h152/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><br /><p>September seems to have disappeared while I wasn't really paying attention. But that's OK — it's never been one of my favorite months, even though it's my birthday month. Or maybe BECAUSE it's my birthday month. Anyhoo, I find it's suddenly October, a much nicer month (imho). </p><p>I don't think I posted a reading update during September, so here's what I read last month:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9agXNMdayvXF_RRTxpSXq-e889staNYmoyFRWGqcNnezDQtH1DmkecHFik3ZqFQun1WNYUCUeC3rmxVgxluKjEToZm6ACfn-F7YlRzoBM5XG7jFXsClJrSEvi6A_OLZVQIB2lZSjs6D8mptuChoWqZGgQSdsBbL2NTg_KNkDv6_3bnw0YqA/s500/Dassori_J-R-Silver-Writes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="344" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9agXNMdayvXF_RRTxpSXq-e889staNYmoyFRWGqcNnezDQtH1DmkecHFik3ZqFQun1WNYUCUeC3rmxVgxluKjEToZm6ACfn-F7YlRzoBM5XG7jFXsClJrSEvi6A_OLZVQIB2lZSjs6D8mptuChoWqZGgQSdsBbL2NTg_KNkDv6_3bnw0YqA/s320/Dassori_J-R-Silver-Writes.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59691225-j-r-silver-writes-her-world" target="_blank">J.R. Silver Writes Her World</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Melissa Dassori<br /><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_Yc0CIqK6NsGowi2C2poxxfWKlZXKY1fceFDJYXQlr35w6_8Fk3vP_70mSxX5vLUkOYuH0p6P-NtG0RbgQ8zxruhysr7yGvjqTPDr53rHQDmch8FYb3SJOvRv-kkI0FxtWAX8t7rm_JVdAoPCPI9t8lcrvNuZldjYo3DUaM8rxY-nvaI6o4/s2560/OWEN_Small-Angels.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_Yc0CIqK6NsGowi2C2poxxfWKlZXKY1fceFDJYXQlr35w6_8Fk3vP_70mSxX5vLUkOYuH0p6P-NtG0RbgQ8zxruhysr7yGvjqTPDr53rHQDmch8FYb3SJOvRv-kkI0FxtWAX8t7rm_JVdAoPCPI9t8lcrvNuZldjYo3DUaM8rxY-nvaI6o4/s320/OWEN_Small-Angels.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61611750-small-angels" target="_blank"><i><b>Small Angels</b></i></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Lauren Owen</div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWoEiAocoT-4S8mLZCo140z2FtX3UOtLt6xXZG4AbGoDKmST_N32ETn73BSt8TpRf4GAKzgvjdI9tECqV0pefSixjIdlxKkQPclL1ScYsbdu-NmRy2ipHybeZDVNTx6Hbwn_KwK6vBg0NtG7UHKFu-C2abUUnMbskinbEUgE56IQi9urofFg/s1368/GOLDIN_Stay-Awake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWoEiAocoT-4S8mLZCo140z2FtX3UOtLt6xXZG4AbGoDKmST_N32ETn73BSt8TpRf4GAKzgvjdI9tECqV0pefSixjIdlxKkQPclL1ScYsbdu-NmRy2ipHybeZDVNTx6Hbwn_KwK6vBg0NtG7UHKFu-C2abUUnMbskinbEUgE56IQi9urofFg/s320/GOLDIN_Stay-Awake.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57698691-stay-awake" target="_blank">Stay Awake</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Megan Goldin</div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF0E86e0FfiAgmgGMDjdD7IZoxWhmUiMWKOxw2kVtJ_c98nsKWCdCSv7d5jPoagtdYS9ZbFtZf71njKQPY8YX0818LbVMY-dC3rtfcdbbVplJnPQvLufV8zr2b0EPJPFcsS5ecI9gWScj6lqSSDMT7UkIFG_jhe_yWt4U_3yv2eNCa-ugsrI/s450/KING_Back-to-the-Garden.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF0E86e0FfiAgmgGMDjdD7IZoxWhmUiMWKOxw2kVtJ_c98nsKWCdCSv7d5jPoagtdYS9ZbFtZf71njKQPY8YX0818LbVMY-dC3rtfcdbbVplJnPQvLufV8zr2b0EPJPFcsS5ecI9gWScj6lqSSDMT7UkIFG_jhe_yWt4U_3yv2eNCa-ugsrI/s320/KING_Back-to-the-Garden.jpeg" width="210" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59816908-back-to-the-garden" target="_blank">Back to the Garden</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Laurie R. King</div><br /><p></p><p>And here's what I'm reading right now:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2zET1h-TMONTb7IrtGAuGa4KOwMq_wzNBC71M9iacQzj64HHGnLAEvhkCOEqpNyLL-mALPn4jxjT-yt-AUpzaN1E0hIfdc5x4FAA3FBrkD9eA3B5Ktk1AIYf2PSoccWj5gvmJnHLL_UbbEJDElYl0JOilBoLyPyZONj5GhuWH0Lhl_M1emk/s500/Alaux-Balen_Late-Harvest-Havoc.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2zET1h-TMONTb7IrtGAuGa4KOwMq_wzNBC71M9iacQzj64HHGnLAEvhkCOEqpNyLL-mALPn4jxjT-yt-AUpzaN1E0hIfdc5x4FAA3FBrkD9eA3B5Ktk1AIYf2PSoccWj5gvmJnHLL_UbbEJDElYl0JOilBoLyPyZONj5GhuWH0Lhl_M1emk/s320/Alaux-Balen_Late-Harvest-Havoc.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28177472-late-harvest-havoc" style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Late Harvest Havoc</a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i>by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8l0wJTvhl6bVZ5ZPHCcObStR-PE4buft9zmveHsgHM_J7VSYcjXCF6d-SNBoin6cGXfFXvDI2RvE3q9_FSwsW63iJ-suNU7KOw-6pPLFOO580KD0S5XJMHiVfEbjTYIQ5rUZ0x5QmArIAu2k35N5KhLWP8lweMOcsseNGoaTtZIs9-4LEPi0/s500/MAYNE_Final-Equinox.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8l0wJTvhl6bVZ5ZPHCcObStR-PE4buft9zmveHsgHM_J7VSYcjXCF6d-SNBoin6cGXfFXvDI2RvE3q9_FSwsW63iJ-suNU7KOw-6pPLFOO580KD0S5XJMHiVfEbjTYIQ5rUZ0x5QmArIAu2k35N5KhLWP8lweMOcsseNGoaTtZIs9-4LEPi0/s320/MAYNE_Final-Equinox.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58758786-the-final-equinox" target="_blank">The Final Equinox</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Andrew Mayne</div><br /><p>I haven't been posting any reviews here on the blog this year, and I regret that. I like to say at least a few words about everything I read, so in the future I can go back and see what I thought about the books. Because, you know, the memory isn't getting any better as the years melt away. So, I'm hoping to get a few reviews up this week. At least, that's the plan right now. </p>
<div style="text-align: center;">Happy reading, everyone — and have a great week!</div><div><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/2022/10/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-339/" target="_blank">It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</a> is hosted by Kathryn at <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. <br /><br /></span></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-36974281140713550252022-09-15T23:57:00.001-05:002022-09-15T23:57:47.446-05:00Book Beginnings: Stay Awake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LXl_PwWL3jpdRHJM5HcKrR6wW4iUa_PPKDvx3P0r5qi7EFrmmkzWkI2kFEQdz0T83D5BH_mfBtRKEG_OvSJsT34V98nPmcjP9v04ZwwSREpD0qPNJZyvLXrORpXqKmCPkTrbXci_HOM5_X9fICvorhjBjx2ZvndusGMGYEplGZHcJQd2QS0/s1368/GOLDIN_Stay-Awake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LXl_PwWL3jpdRHJM5HcKrR6wW4iUa_PPKDvx3P0r5qi7EFrmmkzWkI2kFEQdz0T83D5BH_mfBtRKEG_OvSJsT34V98nPmcjP9v04ZwwSREpD0qPNJZyvLXrORpXqKmCPkTrbXci_HOM5_X9fICvorhjBjx2ZvndusGMGYEplGZHcJQd2QS0/s320/GOLDIN_Stay-Awake.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57698691-stay-awake" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Stay Awake</span></a></b></i><br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Megan Goldin</span><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">St. Martin's Press, August 2022<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />Opening Lines</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;">Wednesday 2:42 A.M. </blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote>Starbursts blink from streetlights like they're sharing a secret as I wake to find myself slumped in the back of a cab, without any recollection of how I got here, or where I'm going. </blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote> </blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br />Description from GoodReads:</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><p></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget—permanently. </i></span></p></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>I was attracted to <i>Stay Awake</i> because that storyline reminded me a bit of the movie "Memento" (2000, Directed by Christopher Nolan), which was about a man with short-term memory loss trying to investigate his wife's death. I enjoyed the movie, but I'm happy to report that beyond that basic similar plot device, the stories in the book and film are (thankfully) completely different. </div><div><br /></div><div>Following the thoughts and actions of a central character who keeps forgetting what happened to her just a few paragraphs back is challenging. It's an interesting exercise that works sometimes, but sometimes just becomes irritating. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm hoping to <i>stay</i> interested enough in this one to finish it, since I've started and abandoned several other books recently. And I really do hate to keep adding books to that "Did Not Finish" pile. </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/09/gathering-five-storms-by-jim-geraghty.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.</span></p><p><br /></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-43330139316462460892022-09-01T23:17:00.000-05:002022-09-01T23:17:32.311-05:00Book Beginnings: Small Angels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpDQ6hQXbDUV-gdlfUVXbmoEwwMSEc_warFVZls00exK8GXBTXCO08YCYuPz0Z9rz9F-7ohVWLqfOZFc9h75gl7wgMpN0t6tRb9ee6w-U7BvvuHEA-MWLOfLlRZLzN7i9ZFzHDJtHM3Y3vvOe8RST3cvRQ7_BFNvWtNgAaZHvnYP0oApsseg/s2560/OWEN_Small-Angels.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpDQ6hQXbDUV-gdlfUVXbmoEwwMSEc_warFVZls00exK8GXBTXCO08YCYuPz0Z9rz9F-7ohVWLqfOZFc9h75gl7wgMpN0t6tRb9ee6w-U7BvvuHEA-MWLOfLlRZLzN7i9ZFzHDJtHM3Y3vvOe8RST3cvRQ7_BFNvWtNgAaZHvnYP0oApsseg/s320/OWEN_Small-Angels.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61611750-small-angels" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Small Angels</span></a></b></i><br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Lauren Owen</span><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Random House, August 2022<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />Opening Sentence</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote>Tell it to the trees.</blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><blockquote><span><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Description from NetGalley:</span> </blockquote></span></blockquote><blockquote><span><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Lucia and her sisters grew up on the edge of Mockbeggar Woods. They knew it well—its danger, but also its beauty. As a lonely teenager, Kate was drawn to these sisters, who were unlike anyone she’d ever met. But when they brought her into the woods, something dark was awakened, and Kate has never been able to escape the terrible truth of what happened there. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months. She has the dress, the flowers, and the perfect venue: Small Angels, a charming old church set alongside dense, green woods in the village that her fiancé, Sam, and his sister, Kate, grew up in. But days before the ceremony, Chloe starts to learn of unsettling stories about Small Angels and Mockbeggar Woods. And worse, she begins to see, smell, and hear things that couldn’t possibly be real. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Now, Kate is returning home for the first time in years—for Sam and Chloe’s wedding. But the woods are stirring again, and Kate must reconnect with Lucia, her first love, to protect Chloe, the village, and herself. An unforgettable novel about the memories that hold us back and those that show us the way forward, this is storytelling at its most magical. </i></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>When I read that opening, I couldn't help thinking of the old phrase, "Tell it to the Marines!" Maybe it's all those World War II movies I watched as a kid. </div><div><br /></div><div>And no, I wasn't around during World War II. (Well, almost but not quite.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Not that there would be anything wrong with that. </div><div><br /></div><div>I just watch a lot of old movies.</div><div><br /></div><div>But back to <i>Small Angels</i>. I'm about three-quarters of the way through the book, and it seems like I've been reading it forever. It's not that I haven't been enjoying it, but I do think it's much too long. Hoping to finish it up tonight, although it's one of those books you might not want to read at bedtime. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/09/then-we-came-to-end-by-joshua-ferris.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /><br /></span></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-26189085132293162262022-08-08T15:15:00.000-05:002022-08-08T15:15:21.627-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytmJ4q5JV1lYPvEuDryXVYhLBDT3iIxhhWa_qEqGnOXtTtuFt88QP_hbuPTgK6SnDn23nLC80IGx4NO6jjgCLW7bh9RdmcNLKlfYbSjuQpi4XeZY1k1Rj3meVsOSVgPF40m5h49Tp6QcOO3t3ijYAR6iJUtPOkP7QCfkVxwJViP1pf6kxj7U/s1800/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytmJ4q5JV1lYPvEuDryXVYhLBDT3iIxhhWa_qEqGnOXtTtuFt88QP_hbuPTgK6SnDn23nLC80IGx4NO6jjgCLW7bh9RdmcNLKlfYbSjuQpi4XeZY1k1Rj3meVsOSVgPF40m5h49Tp6QcOO3t3ijYAR6iJUtPOkP7QCfkVxwJViP1pf6kxj7U/w400-h153/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I keep trying to bring this blog back to life, but I don't seem to be having much luck. This has been a really hectic summer around here, and I haven't had much time for reading or blogging. Yeah, I know — excuses, excuses.....</p><p>And since I haven't had a huge amount of time for reading, I've mostly been looking for quick reads that don't challenge my brain too much. Mostly whodunnits, thrillers, and lots of children's books. Comfort reads. Here's what I've finished in recent weeks:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gKZYUh0rLahdVoPoiuZqsY-mQAS7-hDiWkCUwaVuaq6zDilCLq5tQa9x3oDpjGW3LJgLjlnzUCaBR_-PXb-qhoOkqYJomA3BO-u7cBMG2-TcSJ7LNaInnwdlA0YTit2WXt_t0wyH-v_7jnj7C3AmO-a4pVJui9YK0F4FwgNIDo31Ojo9kYQ/s475/CHILD_Chrysalis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gKZYUh0rLahdVoPoiuZqsY-mQAS7-hDiWkCUwaVuaq6zDilCLq5tQa9x3oDpjGW3LJgLjlnzUCaBR_-PXb-qhoOkqYJomA3BO-u7cBMG2-TcSJ7LNaInnwdlA0YTit2WXt_t0wyH-v_7jnj7C3AmO-a4pVJui9YK0F4FwgNIDo31Ojo9kYQ/s320/CHILD_Chrysalis.jpg" width="210" /></a><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59411558-chrysalis" target="_blank">Chrysalis</a></span></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;">by Lincoln Child</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Jeremy Logan series, Book #6),</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKTWNxDe8oU0IUt3MpVe2kzYB5ysjlnl9acg7wr4BGbwVDaxPq1eQsqGDZvjNvGfkpXU5hKC5f6HYiLLO2md1QrPQwqSz7Xls8MsP8YlPfGepNpdkAOCx2agYFaTCp41Kh0YPWKHKxv5dVTIsnv6C6Ht7DO36EVL-GfbaMBtYMy0DhJNMPRA/s475/GATES_Death-by-Beach-Read.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKTWNxDe8oU0IUt3MpVe2kzYB5ysjlnl9acg7wr4BGbwVDaxPq1eQsqGDZvjNvGfkpXU5hKC5f6HYiLLO2md1QrPQwqSz7Xls8MsP8YlPfGepNpdkAOCx2agYFaTCp41Kh0YPWKHKxv5dVTIsnv6C6Ht7DO36EVL-GfbaMBtYMy0DhJNMPRA/s320/GATES_Death-by-Beach-Read.jpg" width="213" /></a><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58930644-death-by-beach-read" target="_blank">Death by Beach Read</a></i><br />by Eva Gates</span><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">(Lighthouse Library series, Book #9),<br /></span><br /></div><p>And the kiddie lit:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGIqmer7Fs6NEWuq98_C85Rvw5uTap-5XwtzTjuYcaVxAAsW5Yg2aL45zY2dkrtNua0iTNUZ2UuxzXz6qV-QbKwr3Wkac0nx775-nIz_WcTrH1NC5CKqaxaq6aFJBcpCVsO5VySZK9IqUmR3ZjrUpyOHFWb_Sx7Np99l9baaMnkbXn21IjFo/s409/PARISH_Amelia-Bedelia-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGIqmer7Fs6NEWuq98_C85Rvw5uTap-5XwtzTjuYcaVxAAsW5Yg2aL45zY2dkrtNua0iTNUZ2UuxzXz6qV-QbKwr3Wkac0nx775-nIz_WcTrH1NC5CKqaxaq6aFJBcpCVsO5VySZK9IqUmR3ZjrUpyOHFWb_Sx7Np99l9baaMnkbXn21IjFo/s320/PARISH_Amelia-Bedelia-1.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15760546-amelia-bedelia" target="_blank">Amelia Bedelia</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Peggy Parish</span><br />illus. by Fritz Siebel<br />(First book in the series)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPP7wJlbTkFSbmXLaVDTRQYPi64DmtryCTiaSY8hv_us9CapIPki7uGwt6BTZ7xVxubw7RZlpe9FUqlT7TWdQ2-ZD2r1VG8LRm8UtuckuOmQdxFRQfJvpIxIbT93sVZd7Y9joi2_PcBerFp0Akm58myDRKcN7HZH3szSg2zrZ_4QxpJ-kQKHI/s499/BLAKE_Mrs-Armitage-on-Wheels.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="386" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPP7wJlbTkFSbmXLaVDTRQYPi64DmtryCTiaSY8hv_us9CapIPki7uGwt6BTZ7xVxubw7RZlpe9FUqlT7TWdQ2-ZD2r1VG8LRm8UtuckuOmQdxFRQfJvpIxIbT93sVZd7Y9joi2_PcBerFp0Akm58myDRKcN7HZH3szSg2zrZ_4QxpJ-kQKHI/s320/BLAKE_Mrs-Armitage-on-Wheels.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1275728.Mrs_Armitage_on_Wheels" target="_blank">Mrs Armitage on Wheels</a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Quentin Blake</span><br /><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGBzheD2aTc3LZ3Mljsk5AZKBXd8IfTCwvSB_xhRSSdNMFCtWEajpByb10NgWkHkmUnEV1k-aKeBittsT1Zx6lgP9q8Ss65bAARNc0qayF1HvNInG4DdfZIZvNTL6YM5wspwdyOJ-zJl6JV-kW_olsrCDrFpoltaxOfm3keq1YZlVwJlnf38/s1598/THURBER_Many-Moons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="1350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGBzheD2aTc3LZ3Mljsk5AZKBXd8IfTCwvSB_xhRSSdNMFCtWEajpByb10NgWkHkmUnEV1k-aKeBittsT1Zx6lgP9q8Ss65bAARNc0qayF1HvNInG4DdfZIZvNTL6YM5wspwdyOJ-zJl6JV-kW_olsrCDrFpoltaxOfm3keq1YZlVwJlnf38/s320/THURBER_Many-Moons.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25728348-many-moons" target="_blank">Many Moons</a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by James Thurber</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">illus. by Louis Slobodkin</span><br /><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxZh2fphk3s4qv1yvQ0VIYwUyNcGkfDVcv549kDIk7Rz0q1D3H3NbVAsM1QnP1zWMmZhJbBEt8xqiF3jRTlt8bimizIk_bVBzYCCbbk7YMvo_W3zE4uhZlvGBh06NcPGYaDrdUdwa-o-ZuBg1--3thM54KZMM7124fg-rXFvLr7RgyC3asw4/s475/LISLE_Afternoon-of-the-Elves_Kindle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxZh2fphk3s4qv1yvQ0VIYwUyNcGkfDVcv549kDIk7Rz0q1D3H3NbVAsM1QnP1zWMmZhJbBEt8xqiF3jRTlt8bimizIk_bVBzYCCbbk7YMvo_W3zE4uhZlvGBh06NcPGYaDrdUdwa-o-ZuBg1--3thM54KZMM7124fg-rXFvLr7RgyC3asw4/s320/LISLE_Afternoon-of-the-Elves_Kindle.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19171796-afternoon-of-the-elves" target="_blank">Afternoon of the Elves</a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Janet Taylor Lisle</span></div><p></p><p>This week I'm finishing up yet another book for young readers...</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlsKrItQuR3aMFwaJScZDfwwdDQjP-1ZlozqJeuSSCiC9QJssOU8VDeq-6iJlnAdmuFjlUndvKxXhlr58CD-FQC1Snv8izEsaQXMOYPFcJKHyCnH88alN0bbxTuN1-NILD5H9a1GD2co7hdgieqtFDOmqfopIa2xYqlBae9cJCThjBi5wmXY/s473/HOWE_Howliday-Inn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlsKrItQuR3aMFwaJScZDfwwdDQjP-1ZlozqJeuSSCiC9QJssOU8VDeq-6iJlnAdmuFjlUndvKxXhlr58CD-FQC1Snv8izEsaQXMOYPFcJKHyCnH88alN0bbxTuN1-NILD5H9a1GD2co7hdgieqtFDOmqfopIa2xYqlBae9cJCThjBi5wmXY/s320/HOWE_Howliday-Inn.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/443658.Howliday_Inn" target="_blank">Howliday Inn</a></i><br />by James Howe</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Bunnicula series, Book #2)</div><p></p><p>...and another thriller...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFHQh6dKvSHKfcmLKlipNOjpZgurl_qZiY0btdqZ3Rca-qFrznJnGnFWMoshqbugwUmHIhx52EokTTIDeFpddV7Ia8BhDN28wiY6EIZkApGXWhEFAFzDK8JhgiJLVBECNo3qt9XGC5ZgVeP32kImgNmUtR1FON8TsCTGkFm8NlWwPBlXYk3I/s400/BERRY_Omega-Factor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFHQh6dKvSHKfcmLKlipNOjpZgurl_qZiY0btdqZ3Rca-qFrznJnGnFWMoshqbugwUmHIhx52EokTTIDeFpddV7Ia8BhDN28wiY6EIZkApGXWhEFAFzDK8JhgiJLVBECNo3qt9XGC5ZgVeP32kImgNmUtR1FON8TsCTGkFm8NlWwPBlXYk3I/s320/BERRY_Omega-Factor.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59038996-the-omega-factor" target="_blank">The Omega Factor</a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Steve Berry</span></div><p></p><p>So far, it looks like not much is going on this week, and it's way too hot to try to do anything outdoors. Maybe a good time to get some reading done. I've got my fingers crossed! (Not really — the arthritis put a stop to that years ago.)</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">Happy reading, everyone — and have a great week!</div><div><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-331/" target="_blank">It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</a> is hosted by Kathryn at <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. <br /><br /></span></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-82873862912473369212022-07-08T00:06:00.019-05:002022-07-08T00:19:08.315-05:00Book Beginnings: Dream Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZHEN_xtYpwCcaVdrsu0lWlovmkdSj-FkYAW34P5GZZmrbxmW3Gub-GKbAMOlnVs3Fpb6cJgMH_nUvH--KCgxlD4lPne4pQR3DgSgFJQw_acIw2GWkaWpQ5ynd0pHiZm7zfvrvhUDYqKPwM2TcY3jVUg7owz12ioecvovXU6BLRQj_jwb00E/s400/BALDACCI_Dream-Town.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZHEN_xtYpwCcaVdrsu0lWlovmkdSj-FkYAW34P5GZZmrbxmW3Gub-GKbAMOlnVs3Fpb6cJgMH_nUvH--KCgxlD4lPne4pQR3DgSgFJQw_acIw2GWkaWpQ5ynd0pHiZm7zfvrvhUDYqKPwM2TcY3jVUg7owz12ioecvovXU6BLRQj_jwb00E/s320/BALDACCI_Dream-Town.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58684532-dream-town" target="_blank">Dream Town</a></b></i>,<br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">by David Baldacci</span><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Grand Central Publishing, April 2022<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />Opening Lines</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote>It was New Year’s Eve, 1952.</blockquote><blockquote>Aloysius Archer was thirty years old, once a decorated soldier, and next a humbled inmate. He was currently a private detective with several years of intense experience trolling the darker side of life.</blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><blockquote><span><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Publisher's Description:</span> </blockquote></span></blockquote><blockquote><span><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>1953 LA. Private investigator and World War II veteran Aloysius Archer intends to ring in the New Year with old friend, aspiring actress Liberty Callahan. Screenwriter Eleanor Lamb interrupts to hire Archer.</i></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>After events escalate — mysterious calls, the same car outside her house, and a bloody knife in her sink—Eleanor fears for her life. First a dead body turns up inside of Eleanor’s home . . . and then Eleanor herself disappears.</i></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>To find both the murderer and Eleanor, Archer enlists Callahan and his partner Willie Dash. The investigation takes him from mob-ridden Las Vegas to glamorous Hollywood to the darkest corners of Los Angeles—a city where beautiful faces belong to cutthroat schemers, cops can be more corrupt than criminals . . . and powerful people who took his client will kill Archer on their trail. </i></span></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>This is not the book I'm currently reading. Actually, I'm <i>still</i> reading the same book I've been reading for the last couple of weeks. Just can't seem to find much time for reading these days. So I thought I'd preview one of the books I've been <i>planning</i> to read. Or maybe I should say <i>hoping</i> to read. </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Dream Town</b></i> is the third book in David Baldacci's series of mystery novels centered around private investigator Aloysius Archer, set in the 1950s. I haven't read either of the earlier books, but I've been curious about them for quite a while. I <i>have</i> read other books by Baldacci, and I know he's a great story-teller. So even though I haven't started this one yet, I think it's moving up to the top of my <i>Read-Right-Now!</i> pile. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/07/what-ho-p-g-wodehouse-on-food-by-paul.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /><br /></span></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-73439237897735473282022-07-04T16:28:00.000-05:002022-07-04T16:28:02.517-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecAT5S0pn8qnQmGPsH7yMg-Px-Q1hxXqp6JugzC9IW4pjEYFAwka8_lX4uYCyrGfu7PI3nPA3ZIz4yew1nXcjEXX_oP_XfiRLbsq_Ih0XZy_B5ZV-1LeJiopRoz8NLLlQtdwXDP5RTiD9Vk1NAUu51jFvf4Cw9-N_CcFbOqX8F87uNRK6RvM/s1800/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecAT5S0pn8qnQmGPsH7yMg-Px-Q1hxXqp6JugzC9IW4pjEYFAwka8_lX4uYCyrGfu7PI3nPA3ZIz4yew1nXcjEXX_oP_XfiRLbsq_Ih0XZy_B5ZV-1LeJiopRoz8NLLlQtdwXDP5RTiD9Vk1NAUu51jFvf4Cw9-N_CcFbOqX8F87uNRK6RvM/w400-h153/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I'm a little late getting this posted. I'd like to say I've been so busy with holiday fun, I just haven't had time to read or blog today. But that would be a bit far from the truth. I've mostly just been sitting around, watching Wimbledon on TV and playing with the NY Times Spelling Bee word game. So, not a lot of excitement around here on this July 4th. Which is OK — I like a quiet life. </p><p>Haven't done a great deal of reading lately, anyway. Universal forces seem to be conspiring against me this summer — whenever I settle down with a good book, something else crops up that needs tending to. But at least it keeps me moving and prevents total stagnation. And at my age, you do need that push. </p><p>Since my last update, I've only finished two books...<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaql7vaRmdc_G7U2umtEmySfbeaPaEqJS0caSf5GJ-gTuDyDkxg_q43f13D-mKbdfZWZpwVwfAt5jPmAvNR6ZznT_fXZq7KoWy91bYuouWeHmz1PJwwz2Y6ARs4X5XEcpFu5lAqyhLxkcGHS6SXzUUsbDJtLe-VxOQgpvmNr5BqHrEf0zg_Eo/s1905/STOUT_Black-Orchids.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="1133" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaql7vaRmdc_G7U2umtEmySfbeaPaEqJS0caSf5GJ-gTuDyDkxg_q43f13D-mKbdfZWZpwVwfAt5jPmAvNR6ZznT_fXZq7KoWy91bYuouWeHmz1PJwwz2Y6ARs4X5XEcpFu5lAqyhLxkcGHS6SXzUUsbDJtLe-VxOQgpvmNr5BqHrEf0zg_Eo/s320/STOUT_Black-Orchids.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8620864-black-orchids" target="_blank">Black Orchids</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(<i>Nero Wolfe #9</i>),</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Rex Stout</span></div><p></p><p>and...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCo0SXb1VodKpUS3soZZo0NoV4SshOWFpcL_jntqdbtpGuX6a0kP_c6w7qXBqHRr5C0BL6uRsDB-Requw2vpIDZdfCT4HxLYd1L_THGDaMI00w2ZZ2m6aUOreeEx0a_H2L5Xh0h7CRsGazPcGmU25ospA0C6vAA-N51-fE5J7HdHD_XSRers/s500/Thorogood_Marlow-Murder-Club_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCo0SXb1VodKpUS3soZZo0NoV4SshOWFpcL_jntqdbtpGuX6a0kP_c6w7qXBqHRr5C0BL6uRsDB-Requw2vpIDZdfCT4HxLYd1L_THGDaMI00w2ZZ2m6aUOreeEx0a_H2L5Xh0h7CRsGazPcGmU25ospA0C6vAA-N51-fE5J7HdHD_XSRers/s320/Thorogood_Marlow-Murder-Club_1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58815966-the-marlow-murder-club" target="_blank">The Marlow Murder Club</a></b></i>,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Robert Thorogood</span></div><p></p><p>Both of those were very enjoyable, and would have been quick reads without all the real-life interruptions. </p><p>This week, I'm hoping to finish this one....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupS-VOwoGRwpTv9OFYULcyopiK6ljZOmcLb1nVBAmQ7XktyGmQ70f1mSq194Y16Ml3AgdmeyCaRdEEZxiS_vAi6eclM5lUJ9dnMc7h2f1aR1RSsAfr-o5iJ7SkAa4z4QpaXkcEMTwhDxndvE4Qcq8MmfxmRldVI1vDdOVQ-xhi2lvNQsetv4/s475/GATES_Death-by-Beach-Read.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupS-VOwoGRwpTv9OFYULcyopiK6ljZOmcLb1nVBAmQ7XktyGmQ70f1mSq194Y16Ml3AgdmeyCaRdEEZxiS_vAi6eclM5lUJ9dnMc7h2f1aR1RSsAfr-o5iJ7SkAa4z4QpaXkcEMTwhDxndvE4Qcq8MmfxmRldVI1vDdOVQ-xhi2lvNQsetv4/s320/GATES_Death-by-Beach-Read.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58975177-death-by-beach-read" target="_blank">Death by Beach Read</a></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(<i>Lighthouse Library Mystery #9</i>),</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Eva Gates</span></div><p></p><p><br />Then, I might get back to one I had to put aside for other things last month...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOXiPUIwW3N0uD61WbHN7JhDgRt_ewbc6eq7gUZyDCPg51Vkz_S9FNlpJGvWgjLmGRTbgcHZV5BShDubLM9nmG6WcTr7hvecA9RR6W5qmvyriph4w290jChqYBnVugm-bPKCFVqVrxKlb-eabnLGUZass0L0H6x_zNqqpwcaLIFhi5iQEQpw/s400/BERRY_Omega-Factor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOXiPUIwW3N0uD61WbHN7JhDgRt_ewbc6eq7gUZyDCPg51Vkz_S9FNlpJGvWgjLmGRTbgcHZV5BShDubLM9nmG6WcTr7hvecA9RR6W5qmvyriph4w290jChqYBnVugm-bPKCFVqVrxKlb-eabnLGUZass0L0H6x_zNqqpwcaLIFhi5iQEQpw/s320/BERRY_Omega-Factor.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59038996-the-omega-factor" target="_blank">The Omega Factor</a></b></i>,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Steve Berry</span></div><p></p><p>That should be enough to keep me occupied for the next few days. Happy 4th of July to everyone here in the U.S., and...</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">Happy reading, everyone — and have a great week!</div><div><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/2022/07/04/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-326/" target="_blank">It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</a> is hosted by Kathryn at <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. <br /><br /></span></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-30353548533119421522022-06-03T09:41:00.002-05:002022-06-03T15:38:44.641-05:00Book Beginnings: The Marlow Murder Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4ZbJwX6fG5Q_KjbgxrdIh0UxgA1C9fuBFdD5jgcQATZRGfHQETmQDhWnC1YX4nSbBSitvIzg8RfAHgDtt3Us07IjNz6SKwfdWEtD4VMPTMCgGteUBTCwjtkzw0u34pfbHOvwneLiGtvaYGZ6FDXky_8Q3V6WcucALZU5ODM18l8ALiU4ySY/s500/Thorogood_Marlow-Murder-Club_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4ZbJwX6fG5Q_KjbgxrdIh0UxgA1C9fuBFdD5jgcQATZRGfHQETmQDhWnC1YX4nSbBSitvIzg8RfAHgDtt3Us07IjNz6SKwfdWEtD4VMPTMCgGteUBTCwjtkzw0u34pfbHOvwneLiGtvaYGZ6FDXky_8Q3V6WcucALZU5ODM18l8ALiU4ySY/w266-h400/Thorogood_Marlow-Murder-Club_1.jpg" width="266" /></a><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50576230-the-marlow-murder-club" target="_blank">The Marlow Murder Club</a></i>,<br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Robert Thorogood</span><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Poisoned Pen Press, May 2022<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />Opening Lines</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote>Mrs. Judith Potts was seventy-seven years old and entirely happy with her life. She lived in an Arts and Crafts mansion on the River Thames, she had a job she loved that took up just enough of her time and no more, and best of all, she didn’t have to share her life with any man.</blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><blockquote><span><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Publisher's Description:</span> </blockquote></span></blockquote><blockquote><span><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…</i></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>I was originally attracted to this book because of that main character. A 77-year-old woman who lives happily on her own, swims in the Thames, and solves mysteries! How could I not love that? Especially since Judith Potts isn't a <i>great</i> deal older than I am. Not that we're terribly alike otherwise. I'm extremely happy that I do have a man to share my life. I don't drink whisky. And you'll never catch me swimming in the Thames. Still, I found her just really intriguing. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's not the book I thought I'd be reading this week, but when I discovered that the author, Robert Thorogood, is the creator of one of my favorite British TV series — <i>Death in Paradise</i> — I just couldn't resist. I'm about a third of the way through the book, and it keeps surprising me. I love that. Definitely enjoying it, so far. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/06/love-is-blind-by-william-boyd-book.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-86136867637037037422022-05-29T22:48:00.002-05:002022-05-29T23:00:36.188-05:00Reading Update - 30 May 2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHlhzi8lfI_n5w_Truu8ubZuoEHpaaCsmIxGZMPCEGRss3UL8nBcow877b-jaGorlZtLWaeiyzJ28QzNx-YpSW4XCCli6HzhFXgEWmS1FxcYm47Ui80ml8kKr8TvGNlB4iEUemHdj9Ts22mwSt2-AuHONVWMjapm5s1T9xRfOYnKmSKJRPzw/s1800/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHlhzi8lfI_n5w_Truu8ubZuoEHpaaCsmIxGZMPCEGRss3UL8nBcow877b-jaGorlZtLWaeiyzJ28QzNx-YpSW4XCCli6HzhFXgEWmS1FxcYm47Ui80ml8kKr8TvGNlB4iEUemHdj9Ts22mwSt2-AuHONVWMjapm5s1T9xRfOYnKmSKJRPzw/w400-h153/What-Are-You-Reading_Greenaway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I haven't posted a reading update for quite a while. As usual, the year seems to be getting away from me — here we are at the end of May already. And I ask my usual end-of-the-month question: <i>How did that happen?</i></p><p>In the last few weeks I've finished several recently-published books...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_nMVVGf9GN7Vioc6NHgsGKWigtpz0s3m4Iha_icKQqkZ0NvPsqSer-f8iaagvsCEu6TszoZ_C6DJBnwajBl4z9-oCWh3wMIb7TVezggVWNhW0UGVuDeZ-mHL0_CAhYahEAG9aDOBauHGjbe_r5KbQvqRwbfxPtkMxYHowrSdnnKLrxyt3PQ/s1905/Golding_Hidden.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="1270" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_nMVVGf9GN7Vioc6NHgsGKWigtpz0s3m4Iha_icKQqkZ0NvPsqSer-f8iaagvsCEu6TszoZ_C6DJBnwajBl4z9-oCWh3wMIb7TVezggVWNhW0UGVuDeZ-mHL0_CAhYahEAG9aDOBauHGjbe_r5KbQvqRwbfxPtkMxYHowrSdnnKLrxyt3PQ/w213-h320/Golding_Hidden.jpg" width="213" /></a><br /><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57670503-the-hidden" target="_blank">The Hidden</a></b></i>,<br />by Melanie Golding<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfgPlw1GLMX567uYd70MM3To7aghuOrp_LO1Tfvs9puI_eCxVqDEBWIr2kG3QViDhHywp14wA3djcz6hcbfJFvHl9KMoNniLMedtEX9wxRluH3fM4B8ZCedjycM79_m3GQbBhljrkyFbRg2iJzuzBShYUk_4sds0heGPApp8jLKnyOyRmdFE/s475/DeGRAMONT_Christie-Affair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfgPlw1GLMX567uYd70MM3To7aghuOrp_LO1Tfvs9puI_eCxVqDEBWIr2kG3QViDhHywp14wA3djcz6hcbfJFvHl9KMoNniLMedtEX9wxRluH3fM4B8ZCedjycM79_m3GQbBhljrkyFbRg2iJzuzBShYUk_4sds0heGPApp8jLKnyOyRmdFE/w210-h320/DeGRAMONT_Christie-Affair.jpg" width="210" /></a><br /><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52012731-the-christie-affair" target="_blank">The Christie Affair</a></b></i>,<br />by Nina de Gramont<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuISwk2MaNsUndtm5SAiFF6u6ugtsJYGANL-HyYb041v5SzCqnDB2ZARprEaouy9D_KIGox4-mIlxFHyN68knfNvvzzmhJc-2LWn7ztgM04ACDBcfK5JAdltloZvPuNpstczd-hZcEUrCNo4C0zgz9emfX1vgyOC7zPO4f1ZQLTZRgvpwtU4/s500/Kellerman_City-of-the-Dead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuISwk2MaNsUndtm5SAiFF6u6ugtsJYGANL-HyYb041v5SzCqnDB2ZARprEaouy9D_KIGox4-mIlxFHyN68knfNvvzzmhJc-2LWn7ztgM04ACDBcfK5JAdltloZvPuNpstczd-hZcEUrCNo4C0zgz9emfX1vgyOC7zPO4f1ZQLTZRgvpwtU4/w211-h320/Kellerman_City-of-the-Dead.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58108593-city-of-the-dead" target="_blank">City of the Dead</a></i></b>,</div><div style="text-align: center;">(<i>Alex Delaware #37</i>)<br />by Jonathan Kellerman</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0ByPFI_ihgi42HBsz5g9xiluORRcI_YBxoQba4LonI46ik1a17aJtyYbWdfO_-aM9lKtRJhLNSsl2Osu6nyA9KXrS5p-E8wecZl90Co1Le75OMqfJjJ05QQgTMiqMNwEOTwBE-h3YrbgyKWeagCBSxRSfcRk7kSGyyqVDUqga4oYdOZyIjM/s851/McMahon_Children-on-the-Hill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0ByPFI_ihgi42HBsz5g9xiluORRcI_YBxoQba4LonI46ik1a17aJtyYbWdfO_-aM9lKtRJhLNSsl2Osu6nyA9KXrS5p-E8wecZl90Co1Le75OMqfJjJ05QQgTMiqMNwEOTwBE-h3YrbgyKWeagCBSxRSfcRk7kSGyyqVDUqga4oYdOZyIjM/w213-h320/McMahon_Children-on-the-Hill.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58466828-the-children-on-the-hill" target="_blank">The Children on the Hill</a></b></i>,</div><div style="text-align: center;">by Jennifer McMahon<br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgixD-KOYnuAW7MeaDJ-vX5mEeSBN0xzbImvkQony1BtOJfeFXSSV0-lFRIFHR60x797opP65CUxyFAdTfI2X1iy1-WlcJ_yr4BT41k7coelvxb2ROHCvwI7Ysjqu8xax8FP5N5dcXAu3Kh6EsIVJoZkWxdQTQIkm5gIyQgtZRmuvJiKxR8gA/s500/Meyers-Rose_Fashion-Orphans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgixD-KOYnuAW7MeaDJ-vX5mEeSBN0xzbImvkQony1BtOJfeFXSSV0-lFRIFHR60x797opP65CUxyFAdTfI2X1iy1-WlcJ_yr4BT41k7coelvxb2ROHCvwI7Ysjqu8xax8FP5N5dcXAu3Kh6EsIVJoZkWxdQTQIkm5gIyQgtZRmuvJiKxR8gA/w213-h320/Meyers-Rose_Fashion-Orphans.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58839960-the-fashion-orphans" target="_blank">The Fashion Orphans</a></b></i>,</div><div style="text-align: center;">by Randy Susan Meyers</div><div style="text-align: center;">and M.J. Rose</div><p>...and a couple of vintage mysteries...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_yBF1lfvTNfvmMjd2O_p-6CuFE-fcnEOpji49ZpspP6Bw6pU_TEn0WggUU5lMC3qW-y9V1ayWfvMMhAs4V3rQPZk4qmNAYhUxZ3uDmL4YKMjtQPs_dH_fb0otXhHhJioAsuxu4t2DGj-MOwTEkK2k9PgO-ykc3OASIUCZJiQ_Jm1tVyq8_0/s475/GARDNER_Silent-Partner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_yBF1lfvTNfvmMjd2O_p-6CuFE-fcnEOpji49ZpspP6Bw6pU_TEn0WggUU5lMC3qW-y9V1ayWfvMMhAs4V3rQPZk4qmNAYhUxZ3uDmL4YKMjtQPs_dH_fb0otXhHhJioAsuxu4t2DGj-MOwTEkK2k9PgO-ykc3OASIUCZJiQ_Jm1tVyq8_0/w197-h320/GARDNER_Silent-Partner.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17305220-the-case-of-the-silent-partner" target="_blank">The Case of the Silent Partner</a></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(<i>Perry Mason #17</i>),</div><div style="text-align: center;">by Erle Stanley Gardner<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUr6n41o-xF9eWb6H-Pmo5IljkWcNJ-u5PhDtB5BKXPbElCLl3nmLuBHqZp32Ik__4ZS6fwi3XgSIwRCSfisKUMi4VkXhaguA2GvLc27a1O_NDruPqBZQer5V0T7Sc7x3_04prFNCgP-Se-tCYot1FR-nMRy7kcDU3VdCZLktvGvRiyQN-jk/s475/Macdonald_Moving-Target_Kindle.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUr6n41o-xF9eWb6H-Pmo5IljkWcNJ-u5PhDtB5BKXPbElCLl3nmLuBHqZp32Ik__4ZS6fwi3XgSIwRCSfisKUMi4VkXhaguA2GvLc27a1O_NDruPqBZQer5V0T7Sc7x3_04prFNCgP-Se-tCYot1FR-nMRy7kcDU3VdCZLktvGvRiyQN-jk/w206-h320/Macdonald_Moving-Target_Kindle.jpeg" width="206" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11506523-the-moving-target" target="_blank">The Moving Target</a></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(<i>Lew Archer #1</i>),</div><div style="text-align: center;">by Ross Macdonald</div><p>All were enjoyable. Some more than others, of course. Hope to get some reviews up this week. </p><p>At the moment, I've got three or four books going. This week, I'll be trying to finish <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59038996-the-omega-factor" target="_blank">The Omega Factor</a></b></i>, a new thriller by Steve Berry, coming out next month.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8XCnlxVzpgO-ADFFTAx4BUVaHyaZYKhVzwJIkVNeJpz8MmiIdvC55vZPVusQQzaha0IyoDOL2QwmpWYDEQWXrZLDrjsJdj8EZCec8OqBpMKqI9gEYwoOo1usL-n4FLS0pA2bzx9lOwNgpRQIKJ4saO88ouVwArrpnV17mRfP1CNyfvrwsNw/s400/BERRY_Omega-Factor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8XCnlxVzpgO-ADFFTAx4BUVaHyaZYKhVzwJIkVNeJpz8MmiIdvC55vZPVusQQzaha0IyoDOL2QwmpWYDEQWXrZLDrjsJdj8EZCec8OqBpMKqI9gEYwoOo1usL-n4FLS0pA2bzx9lOwNgpRQIKJ4saO88ouVwArrpnV17mRfP1CNyfvrwsNw/w213-h320/BERRY_Omega-Factor.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Happy reading, everyone — and have a great week!</div><div><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/2022/05/30/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-321/" target="_blank">It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</a> is hosted by Kathryn at <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. <br /><br /></span></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-53913476894471471812022-04-29T17:23:00.001-05:002022-04-29T17:23:37.739-05:00Book Beginnings: The Children on the Hill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYngqx97nUhjOpfvLYMEL-IMD2zowsUafzEEI2VzpXYmFSPdDnx-QCZFUKDlyENg3NwZLqVZENBVzKrQ2zU6d6aornkRqpbfZ2GpHYU0e9nxYjzkDecuLv1T8JgUUhYx_PElkxkC-a6NwRZM4qNKeUR55eJzZC9aiiD8tmg2XBG2SKfnF7hQ/s851/McMahon_Children-on-the-Hill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYngqx97nUhjOpfvLYMEL-IMD2zowsUafzEEI2VzpXYmFSPdDnx-QCZFUKDlyENg3NwZLqVZENBVzKrQ2zU6d6aornkRqpbfZ2GpHYU0e9nxYjzkDecuLv1T8JgUUhYx_PElkxkC-a6NwRZM4qNKeUR55eJzZC9aiiD8tmg2XBG2SKfnF7hQ/s320/McMahon_Children-on-the-Hill.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58438554-the-children-on-the-hill" target="_blank">The Children on the Hill</a></b><br />by Jennifer McMahon</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Gallery/Scout Press, April 2022</div></div>
<p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br /><br />Opening Lines</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Monster</b></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">August 15, 2019</span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;">Her smell sends me tumbling back through time to <i>before</i>. </blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;">Before I knew the truth.</blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><blockquote><span><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Publisher's Description:</span> </blockquote></span></blockquote><blockquote><span><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">From the New York Times bestselling author of </i><span style="font-family: arial;">The Drowning Kind</span><i style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;"> comes a genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Frankenstein</span><i style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.</i></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>Jennifer McMahon has become one of my favorite writers. I've read several of her psychological thrillers, and this one is the best yet. Nice and creepy. I'm about halfway through the book and loving it. Hoping the ending is as good as everything leading up to it!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/04/family-business-lydia-chinbill-smith.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-67206164594597754052022-04-15T00:30:00.001-05:002022-04-15T08:55:16.565-05:00Book Beginnings: City of the Dead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHsMd-Flu7wUQDNPU8z9ryS4-fL64Rh2Lud-XvQwHxEqCwXhyAxXOhnlNl5HMJtEUnn_2Wygis8KNa-lK8560lEEUdycxLmX6F2Xk2b5QsPeonfAcGoKyZLB0XfwN0m0KqAyalkt8uCP7Psgyqh3Gc5clh3ppXq_yaacqUiLS8KmP2TsQRDk/s500/Kellerman_City-of-the-Dead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHsMd-Flu7wUQDNPU8z9ryS4-fL64Rh2Lud-XvQwHxEqCwXhyAxXOhnlNl5HMJtEUnn_2Wygis8KNa-lK8560lEEUdycxLmX6F2Xk2b5QsPeonfAcGoKyZLB0XfwN0m0KqAyalkt8uCP7Psgyqh3Gc5clh3ppXq_yaacqUiLS8KmP2TsQRDk/w264-h400/Kellerman_City-of-the-Dead.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58081924-city-of-the-dead" target="_blank">City of the Dead</a></b><br />(Alex Delaware #37)</i></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Ballantine Books, February 2022</div></div>
<p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br /><br />Opening Sentence</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;"><blockquote>Four fifty-three in the morning was too early for anything.</blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><blockquote><span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At 5am in the upscale neighborhood of Westwood Village, two removal men are making a routine pick-up when they make a fatal hit. It's a man — who appeared from nowhere — naked and with no means of identification.</span></blockquote><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not long after, a woman is found dead in a house nearby, which neighbors suspect to be a brothel. Could the man have come from there?</span></blockquote><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis calls brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware to the scene, the case gets even more complicated. Delaware has met the woman before. She's a psychologist too.</span></blockquote><blockquote><i style="font-family: arial;">Are the two deaths linked? Or is there a darker force at work? </i><span style="font-family: times;">(--Penguin Books UK website)</span></blockquote></span></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>Ah, yes. When I read that first sentence, my first thought was "Amen!" I definitely admire all those people who can start getting things done that early, but I have trouble waking up before ten or eleven A.M. Even back when I was working and had to be in the office by eight A.M., I didn't wake up until ten or eleven. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is number 37 in Jonathan Kellerman's super-successful <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41421-alex-delaware" target="_blank">mystery series</a> starring forensic psychologist Alex Delaware. I've only read one other book in the series, but really enjoyed it. And so far, I'm really enjoying this one, too. I had been going through a bit of a reading slump earlier this year, but <i>City of the Dead</i> has helped lift me out of it, at least for the moment. Hope to finish it up over the weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first book in the series, <i>When the Bough Breaks</i> (1985) was adapted into a film starring Ted Danson as Alex Delaware. I haven't seen it, and Ted Danson doesn't really match my mental picture of Delaware, but he'd probably be good in the role. I'm not usually enthusiastic about seeing film versions of books I've enjoyed, but I do think this series would be great on screen. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/04/little-big-man-by-thomas-berger-book.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-7849441683466147282022-03-10T21:15:00.000-06:002022-03-10T21:15:18.926-06:00Book Beginnings: The Christie Affair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2e9KXOAcmbF4wOPcQnZDWUc9l2-MN6EKVVuqNfDkpMbgZZZS6AfSfJ7ct24VTWp-_dKrOrOmrtnSdW_3PMBDNphMibd4wIDpCpNuXy6U-16lBkxkUj4HcalIY63k3i7aZv5LhB1h0__A0vJGDmLnEOoTWsAU65MbftgV1U36m1GLYZVntcKo=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2e9KXOAcmbF4wOPcQnZDWUc9l2-MN6EKVVuqNfDkpMbgZZZS6AfSfJ7ct24VTWp-_dKrOrOmrtnSdW_3PMBDNphMibd4wIDpCpNuXy6U-16lBkxkUj4HcalIY63k3i7aZv5LhB1h0__A0vJGDmLnEOoTWsAU65MbftgV1U36m1GLYZVntcKo=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693165-the-christie-affair" target="_blank">The Christie Affair</a></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Nina de Gramont</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span>St. Martin's Press, February 2022</span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />Opening Sentence</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;">A long time ago in another country, I nearly killed a woman. </span></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><i><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></i><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Mystery novelist Agatha Christie famously disappeared for eleven days back in 1926. Nina de Gramont's new novel </i>The Christie Affair<i> is historical fiction that centers around the unexplained disappearance, told </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>from the point of view of the woman who was having an affair with Agatha's husband at the time. </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>It's a tale of star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge, and murder — a clever reimagining of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century</i></span><i style="font-family: arial;">. </i></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br /><div><div>I'm a big Agatha Christie fan, and I generally enjoy a good historical fiction read. So this was sort of a natural choice for me. But I have to admit — the thing that really attracted me to this book was that cover. (Shame on me!)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt2cjvZcdOcFNsEZYzJbeSsKQ1U9sPne3OkVebyN72TBet5e_oxViCEXzn8v4GgGT8p4pBFH-E6aHcuxUmHzK4kYzoGH0Gcl7OcmKukitL4T1bYxyy33KXd8JiqUc06FeVcXPGg/s1600/BB.Button.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt2cjvZcdOcFNsEZYzJbeSsKQ1U9sPne3OkVebyN72TBet5e_oxViCEXzn8v4GgGT8p4pBFH-E6aHcuxUmHzK4kYzoGH0Gcl7OcmKukitL4T1bYxyy33KXd8JiqUc06FeVcXPGg/s1600/BB.Button.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2022/03/on-night-new-york-by-lara-thompson-book.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-5051617194775807952022-02-21T01:22:00.000-06:002022-02-21T01:22:16.730-06:00Reading Update - 21 February 2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaySBY7G8EIjjM7Oo8gk80wYgjU1L0YIsyQoZzphpepfEpzDjnxa9GjLJ9A6a8pEP--i93sX-R6CpAzAxO33sJZb1mHm98DrBa-2k6-kDxXsLz6Bx4YLAJNThd2gEKJIpn0y11yHRHhHPuGJC4tncaiHCyv0zrFR4ukkw9_gsLBaakbzM-C0Y=s1800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaySBY7G8EIjjM7Oo8gk80wYgjU1L0YIsyQoZzphpepfEpzDjnxa9GjLJ9A6a8pEP--i93sX-R6CpAzAxO33sJZb1mHm98DrBa-2k6-kDxXsLz6Bx4YLAJNThd2gEKJIpn0y11yHRHhHPuGJC4tncaiHCyv0zrFR4ukkw9_gsLBaakbzM-C0Y=w400-h153" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>February is not my favorite month of the year. It's cold. It seems like the longest month of the year even though it's the shortest. And it's spelled funny. It's just usually a very frustrating time of year. But even with all that frustration, I generally get a lot of reading done in February. This year, for some reason .... not so much.</p><p>So far this month, I've read a bunch of children's books, but haven't finished any <i>grown-up</i> books. Second childhood? Perhaps. Anyway, here's what I've read this month....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55154037-bright-april" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1313" data-original-width="1350" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0VNC6iIoLGFC07mdeiwkoGtDe2TEzpssw7JxzVMw9p04_a6NXHykXsXO_SQ1UHHD5PxAHeIWqPZXxVJe0njidvM9mda-2ugvlqmL7mRoAA1jQiIpzvw9NxRBgnEvILGkzrfMdVJeYVHL3a73sjLJgyIpp70s_A3wqW5h9wvMxbmc83QHi9KE=w320-h310" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830097.Blueberries_for_Sal" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1350" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9YGnGJMr6kaQ_LgEX9C_VTtZ20z4f36VSkIWA50jA_4b3VV95ymuQFbX_V8f8gJS0-Z8AE7gddK2TDSODJMpjEEZyWzGPePrvath5VbQXzxGo4QLgX9AkOgEDnBo4G6kP_theza7gASizYpTpgvV8lM35carijDYJo0NB-3VfMUquCn4jpl4=w320-h253" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20262578-the-fox-went-out-on-a-chilly-night" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1100" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZHNvtIoSRJRBxZ-f55xCyQ6yPifFjnbmOeKwqUy6s1dnGacvdOdjvZjJR34AWC_kKoJIo6tK52wgK7Ql2FADyGG-octV2YUp1RF7XE4pQPoicNSgsmOukFzvJLOK0DlJFJHeSj2mdhrfblcBr4zgTa43bTE2ik7ZKU0D1FIdu1QByfjeEowc=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/958289.Skippyjon_Jones" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1350" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWyA23gNMAWtcOPfp8InZE1dusZKEfzJxBkGAbZ7eZOIQk8c2E-8odHnWmWyc8jKI7bNHYlc4Y9sFDhSl0iyc9O-u3bmybSAp01K-lz6FH-eC5a9hypL2X7uDvJ59bsQHrcbcgX0ZSIWEqPme19UbKMNnyNuui5Zh7nXrz0993wcn8erfGELg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49155319-the-barnabus-project" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik1jJR25i68JEtj6gwbVAmyjIJxQwcTO5NYr8pyyr_4gAfJArp82ujj0MSl--V5Vjhjf7te0_ieY0glRMUD41rFZhu2etiNWLhWXWF-3vF9DwHr4V1RxgjUQ3TYmL8YwRiT46Vqj83KEidezgHgg8qZjsBNnnkMF9Nl-SsUEYJexnlxWavZmY=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785698-the-night-gardener" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1890" data-original-width="1350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheihkFq4BxjYt30fREcWg9YcqzmkoVOpb294LlEbGLd_6JnhDDWGy6m017NAjqL3sKNjttoNXyCZr17a_JOG5P9moNS49x36HSD42lq-aaGiZNESZFO2vXjWiq27XFojuqHq8l2uTvT8dDDpQOfft0KAvRTgTCaVIQMl859TjzZQVYZy-XdeU=w286-h400" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div>But I do have a couple of adult books going, too. Right now, I'm about halfway through this one....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57670503-the-hidden" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="1270" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBO96uIcxEqjxG06J87g7MJxP5PLIXoHC0AZUx_AS1tD0HXrp0NvK-cRLpLvcPcE6PiBTffQGY8HwPu5sfGIJXsKgqxFQWlBMrhlpYD6VmSczpWA-bNDopGvH-TYaaa9-k1FlWFCgZdqgCj2OSTJeA9MPtnhkiFoEoBIsEh5azszwe4uWCme4=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's definitely a grown-up read. Now I just need to keep myself from sliding back into toddler mode so I can finish it! </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />Happy reading, everyone — and have a great week!</div><div><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh9BgxQW64pGZ5zxfdcwjdCHZgKLTsLjCOvB93eMb8Li7eUMeCWOsGcw6wIcPT8xpvtiKxt4ey3D1tff7FqLFY3VN4IRU_C4YEDCPlKkwLWCa0edGtKZwcxEvjFBKOOhqpXSa_A/s1600/Monday-Reading_03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh9BgxQW64pGZ5zxfdcwjdCHZgKLTsLjCOvB93eMb8Li7eUMeCWOsGcw6wIcPT8xpvtiKxt4ey3D1tff7FqLFY3VN4IRU_C4YEDCPlKkwLWCa0edGtKZwcxEvjFBKOOhqpXSa_A/s1600/Monday-Reading_03.jpg" /></a><br /></div><p>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/2022/02/21/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-308/" target="_blank">It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</a> is hosted by Kathryn at <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. </span></p><p><br /></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-58046830687889965992022-01-31T11:38:00.002-06:002022-01-31T11:46:11.203-06:00Reading Update and January Wrap-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLVNpNQu3HvEKWJu1Ybzgw7Xl3zvy7tt2tsZDGO6VJ4jW3hqWnISzj9SUursMuS5rsFUm89cfJ92bjjojBUaW5QwsS5X6UzGSNUhn1URC-3X4QKYf4agk8cdSts-qwxYlAFlitPMkgh3sedOLfWLDPbF3NffigAb05tCurYv__9VN9l3pJxME=s1800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1800" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLVNpNQu3HvEKWJu1Ybzgw7Xl3zvy7tt2tsZDGO6VJ4jW3hqWnISzj9SUursMuS5rsFUm89cfJ92bjjojBUaW5QwsS5X6UzGSNUhn1URC-3X4QKYf4agk8cdSts-qwxYlAFlitPMkgh3sedOLfWLDPbF3NffigAb05tCurYv__9VN9l3pJxME=w400-h153" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Wow, we're already a month into the new year! That just seems really unbelievable. So far, 2022 is whizzing along even faster than 2021 — or maybe I just feel that way because we've been so busy around here. Busy, but not doing a huge amount of reading, I'm sorry to say. The hubby had surgery earlier this month and I've mostly been concentrating on getting him back up and running! (Well, not exactly <i>running</i> — let's say up and moving around like a normal human being again.) </p><p>So with all the medical drama, I've only managed to finish two books in January....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj95tORjclbm4R32pQN10gH8Gc1wQbKyW-MIVJNeIBtnZQLxWAs9pHt0wvjMR1r3YbhdqMoCJkuPjlIqTYoj1NX3mGWi-7RxTUZFatFLICFsqi5Tg1d8aqSJ-12wMMATeVifyev0hWuXz4qpPkBYECAi5681qrZEamHW3kY1Q56vwEbFAgHtOY=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj95tORjclbm4R32pQN10gH8Gc1wQbKyW-MIVJNeIBtnZQLxWAs9pHt0wvjMR1r3YbhdqMoCJkuPjlIqTYoj1NX3mGWi-7RxTUZFatFLICFsqi5Tg1d8aqSJ-12wMMATeVifyev0hWuXz4qpPkBYECAi5681qrZEamHW3kY1Q56vwEbFAgHtOY=w256-h400" width="256" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19894401-homicide-trinity" target="_blank">Homicide Trinity</a></b></i>, by Rex Stout (first published, 1962) <br />is made up of three separate Nero Wolfe novellas (or long short stories).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjddT19AFoyChHZbo88wsJtpXZ1DDBSgjeOaMziUkQT641xVDzpdM8i9x-DhkXJcHE40SvBQHNZ9FlxpB971IfXfQe0MNOeenR-AnLfYCf20SN7hIV45IcVkgNBdxEvD-tO6eW2S6Fjrzu2EvK_d_t6NOuRYZOtzQEjZejpoy7_E7QtTM5U9sY=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjddT19AFoyChHZbo88wsJtpXZ1DDBSgjeOaMziUkQT641xVDzpdM8i9x-DhkXJcHE40SvBQHNZ9FlxpB971IfXfQe0MNOeenR-AnLfYCf20SN7hIV45IcVkgNBdxEvD-tO6eW2S6Fjrzu2EvK_d_t6NOuRYZOtzQEjZejpoy7_E7QtTM5U9sY=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53030773-the-stately-home-murder" target="_blank">The Stately Home Murder</a></b></i>, by Catherine Aird,<br />(first published 1969)<br />is the third book in her Inspector Sloan mystery series. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Both of those were very enjoyable and just what I needed to help me through a dreary month. And, if all goes as planned, I should finish up one more feel-good book this evening....</div><div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3sThx_qmRlA5onutqA-R7xTaIq8LOGQFCk2ABX2ybHYZSkvT9c-F_kEdy2WN3lQYvuQ9UsD8IaLusY2GW6fch_Wt_0ioD-5izLkKGg83mIPJDLEqjV5WKj9ZZW8ubO5ptHd51uWCygDE0EzAKjMOIx7VWZsEg0XUkPBNrMzbtzQM5faC3ePA=s1905" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="1208" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3sThx_qmRlA5onutqA-R7xTaIq8LOGQFCk2ABX2ybHYZSkvT9c-F_kEdy2WN3lQYvuQ9UsD8IaLusY2GW6fch_Wt_0ioD-5izLkKGg83mIPJDLEqjV5WKj9ZZW8ubO5ptHd51uWCygDE0EzAKjMOIx7VWZsEg0XUkPBNrMzbtzQM5faC3ePA=w254-h400" width="254" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3034711-rabbit-hill" target="_blank">Rabbit Hill</a></b></i>, written and illustrated by Robert Lawson</div><div style="text-align: center;">First published 1944</div></div><div><br /></div><div>That last book was awarded the Newbery Medal for 1945, and I'm a little surprised I never read it as a child. Last year, I read a lot of kiddie lit, and I'll probably read a lot of it this year, too — it's like comfort food for the mind and spirit. And right now my mind and spirit could both use a LOT of comfort.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />Happy reading, everyone — and have a great week!</div><div><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh9BgxQW64pGZ5zxfdcwjdCHZgKLTsLjCOvB93eMb8Li7eUMeCWOsGcw6wIcPT8xpvtiKxt4ey3D1tff7FqLFY3VN4IRU_C4YEDCPlKkwLWCa0edGtKZwcxEvjFBKOOhqpXSa_A/s1600/Monday-Reading_03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh9BgxQW64pGZ5zxfdcwjdCHZgKLTsLjCOvB93eMb8Li7eUMeCWOsGcw6wIcPT8xpvtiKxt4ey3D1tff7FqLFY3VN4IRU_C4YEDCPlKkwLWCa0edGtKZwcxEvjFBKOOhqpXSa_A/s1600/Monday-Reading_03.jpg" /></a><br /></div><p>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/2022/01/31/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-305/" target="_blank">It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</a> is hosted by Kathryn at <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. </span></p><p><br /></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-60356631735090128202022-01-22T21:10:00.002-06:002022-01-24T20:37:29.426-06:00Edgar Award Nominees Announced<p>The Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, commonly referred to as the "Edgars." The annual awards honor the past year's best writing in mystery fiction and nonfiction. There are also awards for television writing, published or produced in 2021. </p><p>Since this is my favorite genre, I always like to see who's been nominated every year. Gives me lots of titles to add to my (already <i>ridiculously</i> long) TBR list, and helps me find new authors I might want to try. This year, I'm embarrassed to admit, I haven't read <i>any</i> of the nominated works, and I've only seen <i>one</i> of the TV shows (the “Happy Families” episode of the <i><b>Midsomer Murders</b></i> series, written by Nicholas Hicks-Beach; available on Acorn TV).</p><p>The awards celebration is scheduled to take place on April 28, 2022 at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square, as well as online. I'm not going to include all the nominations here (you can see the full list on <a href="https://mysterywriters.org/mwa-announce-the-2022-edgar-award-nominations/" target="_blank">the MWA website</a>), but these are a few of the books I'm looking forward to checking out.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYq5FIJh77dwRGXbrzCwYPAm-QJNcAOwkWBhmllR6E_WKLJqqmItBdogED-BMXXXEDdVzs_pDBPKAqKjnQ-47H_VsAT9Y5UTsgTRoCoCnK_unIKy49oQKLyP6XlcrB35XDLA2CkGR2Ja7kxIRwoIshPBQHbTp6Lk-96X83TbQxNgMB9Fg0A1Y=s675" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="446" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYq5FIJh77dwRGXbrzCwYPAm-QJNcAOwkWBhmllR6E_WKLJqqmItBdogED-BMXXXEDdVzs_pDBPKAqKjnQ-47H_VsAT9Y5UTsgTRoCoCnK_unIKy49oQKLyP6XlcrB35XDLA2CkGR2Ja7kxIRwoIshPBQHbTp6Lk-96X83TbQxNgMB9Fg0A1Y=s320" width="211" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Cold-Blooded Myrtle</b></i> (<i>Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #3</i>)</div><div style="text-align: center;">by Elizabeth C. Bunce</div><div style="text-align: center;">Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill<br /><i>Category: Best Juvenile Work</i></div><p></p><p>From the publisher:<br /></p><blockquote><p><i>Myrtle Hardcastle – twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective – is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne and picking up right where she left off in </i>Premeditated Myrtle<i> and </i>How to Get Away with Myrtle<i>.</i></p><p><i>When the proprietor of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it’s clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case – and the motivations of a modern murderer. </i></p></blockquote><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaA0U6XCYdUi7d_M-OCa1TnXeWD4L3l3lp5Hj8HUI6IPEbmHmq7NGJ2T_rSG3jWmRuciGXBKnyJXiCkEwdT07UJTSQ3YClAR4F-ULRWuIoe8PKPfyhM_CHLy1891PD35F08N1LdhYo7s4NIFNYe35_OA8QmzbF9JGE_Io09RDBh6OU_GeawKs=s675" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaA0U6XCYdUi7d_M-OCa1TnXeWD4L3l3lp5Hj8HUI6IPEbmHmq7NGJ2T_rSG3jWmRuciGXBKnyJXiCkEwdT07UJTSQ3YClAR4F-ULRWuIoe8PKPfyhM_CHLy1891PD35F08N1LdhYo7s4NIFNYe35_OA8QmzbF9JGE_Io09RDBh6OU_GeawKs=s320" width="210" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><i><b>The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet</b></i></span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">by Katherine Cowley</div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">(Tule Publishing – Tule Mystery)</div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Category: The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award</i></div></span></div><p>From the publisher: <br /></p><blockquote><p><i>Upon the death of her father, Mary Bennet's life is thrown into turmoil. With no fortune or marriage prospects, Mary must rely on the kindness of her relatives. When a mysterious late-night visit by an unknown relative </i><i>–</i><i> a Lady Trafford from Castle Durrington </i><i>–</i><i> leads to an extended stay and the chance for an education, Mary gratefully accepts the opportunity.</i></p><p><i>But even as she arrives at the castle, she's faced with one mystery after another. Who is Lady Trafford really and what is she hiding? Do her secrets and manipulations place the small seaside community at risk of an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte? Always curious, Mary sets out to discover the truth. But when she discovers the dead body of a would-be thief she outed prior to her father's funeral, Mary jeopardizes her position at the castle and her family's good name in her quest for the truth.</i></p><p><i>Never underestimate the observation skills of a woman who hides in the background.</i></p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6tJV2F2CsqCFHvupXlvMrZWWzOiFT2Jx5a_ku3vd3HYf3DNiGhQsgY8y9_Q4CN1Ky5gkoB0GP9KI24D6QxFrRrdMZeWjyKgzgHask_Ioje6gYm5koG2QhmmhgcQcaLb7_Mgxj37uJWfZ64QQgtpAhO8Dz6ZT_Q_FfYzawVO-qBNwCEDykAyU=s675" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="436" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6tJV2F2CsqCFHvupXlvMrZWWzOiFT2Jx5a_ku3vd3HYf3DNiGhQsgY8y9_Q4CN1Ky5gkoB0GP9KI24D6QxFrRrdMZeWjyKgzgHask_Ioje6gYm5koG2QhmmhgcQcaLb7_Mgxj37uJWfZ64QQgtpAhO8Dz6ZT_Q_FfYzawVO-qBNwCEDykAyU=s320" width="207" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Mark Aldridge</div><div style="text-align: center;">(HarperCollins Publishers – Harper360)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Category: Best Critical/Biographical</i></div><p></p><p>From the publisher:<br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>From the very first book publication in 1920 to the upcoming film release of </i>Death on the Nile<i>, this investigation into Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot celebrates a century of probably the world’s favorite fictional detective.</i></p><p><i>This book tells his story decade-by-decade, exploring his appearances not only in the original novels, short stories and plays but also across stage, screen and radio productions. The hardback edition includes more than 400 illustrations.</i></p><p><i>Poirot has had near-permanent presence in the public eye ever since the 1920 publication of </i>The Mysterious Affair at Styles<i>. From character development, publication history and private discussion concerning the original stories themselves, to early forays on to the stage and screen, the story of Poirot is as fascinating as it is enduring.</i></p><p><i>Based on the author’s original research, review excerpts and original Agatha Christie correspondence, </i>Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World<i> is a lively and accessible history of the character, offering new information and helpful pieces of context, that will delight all Agatha Christie fans, from a new generation of readers to those already highly familiar with the canon.</i></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivb464cdyJICr4yIg9CZ4gJSj1gosu-v7ny6jMwCl5GYZHH9lMR3RawliqQkb-ecp2kYI1P9fQTGUB2HP-5wXlVWSlq_ZzBC83zMkgWt2DM7P6nrrr5stBWvXbjGzrMvyqQ3U49HdrDvwJUinggYmpgZ98RfzJ2kla0SwRWN4M_8rxIJXIWcM=s674" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivb464cdyJICr4yIg9CZ4gJSj1gosu-v7ny6jMwCl5GYZHH9lMR3RawliqQkb-ecp2kYI1P9fQTGUB2HP-5wXlVWSlq_ZzBC83zMkgWt2DM7P6nrrr5stBWvXbjGzrMvyqQ3U49HdrDvwJUinggYmpgZ98RfzJ2kla0SwRWN4M_8rxIJXIWcM=s320" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Reason for the Darkness of the Night:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">by John Tresch</div><div style="text-align: center;">(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Category: Best Critical/Biographical</i></div><br />From the publisher:<br /><blockquote><i>We all think we know Poe – the most popular American writer around the world, dissolute puzzle-maker, pioneer of detective fiction, and author of haunting, atmospheric verse. But what if there was another side to the man who wrote “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”? What if Poe were as well known for his speculations about the birth of the universe or his “Sonnet–to Science”? In </i>The Reason for the Darkness of the Night: Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science<i>, John Tresch offers a bold new life of one of the nineteenth century’s most iconic writers. By shining a spotlight on a time when the line between speculative endeavors and scientific inquiry was blurred, Tresch reveals Poe to have been much more than a practitioner of science fiction – in fact, he was an avid commentator on scientific developments, publishing and circulating in literary milieux that also played host to lectures and demonstrations by the era’s most prominent scientists, semi-scientists, and pseudo-intellectual rogues. As one newspaper put it, “Mr. Poe is not merely a man of science – not merely a poet – not merely a man of letters. He is all combined; and perhaps he is something more.” Beginning with his study of mathematics and engineering at West Point, and taking us through the tumultuous years leading up to publication of “The Raven,” Tresch shows that Poe nurtured a fascination with science from his earliest days as a writer. In works such as “A Descent into the Maelstrom” and “Mesmeric Revelation,” Poe explored subjects ranging from the physics of vortices to occult psychology, later turning his attention to the origins of the universe in a dazzling lecture that would win the admiration of Albert Einstein and other twentieth-century physicists. Throughout, he lived and suffered for his ideas, and remained a figure of brilliant contradiction: he gleefully exposed the hoaxes of the era’s pseudo-scientific fraudsters even as he perpetrated hoaxes himself. </i>The Reason for the Darkness of the Night<i> is the richest portrait yet of a writer whose life is synonymous with mystery and an entertaining, erudite tour of the world of American science just as it was beginning to come into its own.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">............</p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-3359060881797292322022-01-20T21:34:00.064-06:002022-07-30T00:00:19.430-05:00Looking Forward<p>Now that I've signed up for the <a href="https://unconventionalbookworms.com/2022-new-release-challenge-sign-up/" target="_blank">New Release Challenge</a> this year, I've started watching publication schedules a little more closely than I have in recent years. And I've put together a list of soon-to-be-published books that seem interesting. I definitely can't hope to read all of them, but I'm hoping it'll help keep me focused on what's coming up in 2022. (And I do <i>love</i> a list!) I'll try to remember to add to it as I discover new titles throughout the year. (Not <i>every</i> book published during the year will make the list — just books that sound like something I'd like to read.)</p><p style="text-align: center;">JANUARY Releases<br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57344241-chivalry" target="_blank">Chivalry</a></b></i>. Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Colleen Doran (Dark Horse Books; 11 Jan)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://unconventionalbookworms.com/2022-new-release-challenge-sign-up/" target="_blank">The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections</a></b></i>. Eva Jurczyk (Poisoned Pen Press; 25 Jan)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693663-devil-house" target="_blank">Devil House</a></b></i>. John Darnielle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 25 Jan)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55196813-the-maid" target="_blank">The Maid</a></b></i>. Nita Prose (Random House / Ballantine; 4 Jan) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58451312-the-twyford-code" target="_blank">The Twyford Code</a></b></i>. Janice Hallett (Viper; 13 Jan) </li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br />FEBRUARY Releases<br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58438608-beneath-the-stairs" target="_blank">Beneath the Stairs</a></b></i>. Jennifer Fawcett (Atria Books; 22 Feb) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58081924-city-of-the-dead" target="_blank">City of the Dead</a></b></i> (<i>Alex Delaware #37</i>). Jonathan Kellerman (Random House / Ballantine; 8 Feb)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693165-the-christie-affair" target="_blank">The Christie Affair</a></b></i>. Nina de Gramont (St Martin’s; 1 Feb)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693184-dead-silence" target="_blank">Dead Silence</a></b></i>. S.A. Barnes (Tor Nightfire; 8 Feb) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58085230-the-family-chao" target="_blank">The Family Chao</a></b></i>. Lan Samantha Chang (W.W. Norton; 1 Feb)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59538500-the-fashion-orphans" target="_blank">The Fashion Orphans</a></b></i>. Randy Susan Meyers and M.J. Rose (Blue Box Press; 1 Feb)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58108346-a-game-of-fear" target="_blank">A Game of Fear</a></b></i> (<i>Inspector Rutledge #24</i>). Charles Todd (William Morrow; 1 Feb)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58085251-index-a-history-of-the" target="_blank">Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age</a></b></i>. Dennis Duncan (W.W. Norton; 15 Feb)</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br />MARCH Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58371432-the-book-of-cold-cases" target="_blank">The Book of Cold Cases</a></b></i>. Simone St. James (Berkley Publishing Group; 15 Mar) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55004093-the-cartographers" target="_blank">The Cartographers</a></b></i>. Peng Shepherd (William Morrow / Custom House; 15 Mar)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065401-french-braid" target="_blank">French Braid</a></b></i>. Anne Tyler (Knopf; 22 Mar) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58284110-i-was-better-last-night" target="_blank">I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir</a></b></i>. Harvey Fierstein (Knopf; 1 Mar) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58558406-portrait-of-an-unknown-lady" target="_blank">Portrait of an Unknown Lady</a></b></i>. María Gainza; trans: Thomas Bunstead (Catapult, 22 Mar)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49867396-read-dangerously" target="_blank">Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times</a></b></i>. Azar Nafisi (Dey Street Books; 8 Mar)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693604-secret-identity" target="_blank">Secret Identity</a></b></i>. Alex Segura (Flatiron Books; 15 Mar) </li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br />APRIL Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58438554-the-children-on-the-hill" target="_blank">The Children on the Hill</a></b></i>. Jennifer McMahon (Gallery / Scout Press; 26 Apr)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58429364-the-lost-book-of-eleanor-dare" target="_blank">The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare</a></b></i>. Kimberly Brock (Harper Muse; 12 Apr)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58446227-sea-of-tranquility" target="_blank">Sea of Tranquility</a></b></i>. Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf; 5 Apr)</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br />MAY Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58950957-blame-it-on-the-brontes" target="_blank">Blame It on the Brontës</a></b></i>. Annie Sereno (Grand Central / Forever; 3 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55959421-the-cherry-robbers" target="_blank">The Cherry Robbers</a></b></i>. Sarai Walker (Harper / Mariner Books; 17 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58929042-the-flag-the-cross-and-the-station-wagon" target="_blank">The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened</a></b></i>. Bill McKibben (Henry Holt & Co.; 31 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57840571-the-hacienda" target="_blank">The Hacienda</a></b></i>. Isabel Cañas (Berkley; 3 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724923-hidden-pictures" target="_blank">Hidden Pictures</a></b></i>. Jason Rekulak (Flatiron Books; 3 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58890948-hide" target="_blank">Hide</a></b></i>. Kiersten White (Del Rey Books, 24 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59486212-the-house-of-marvellous-books" target="_blank">The House of Marvellous Books</a></b></i>. Fiona Vigo Marshall (Fairlight Books; 19 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58657331-the-library" target="_blank">The Library</a></b></i>. Bella Osborne (Aria; 1 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59076831-the-marlow-murder-club" target="_blank">The Marlow Murder Club</a></b></i>. Robert Thorogood (Poisoned Pen Press; 3 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58672976-notes-on-your-sudden-disappearance" target="_blank">Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance</a></b></i>. Alison Espach (Henry Holt & Co.; 17 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58783797-river-of-the-gods" target="_blank">River of the Gods: Sir Richard Burton, Sidi Mubarak Bombay, John Hanning Speke, and the Epic Search for the Source of the Nile</a></b></i>. Candice Millard (Doubleday; 17 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58772736-the-shores-of-bohemia" target="_blank">The Shores of Bohemia: A Cape Cod Story, 1910-1960</a></b></i>. John Taylor Williams (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 17 May) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58735545-take-your-breath-away" target="_blank">Take Your Breath Away</a></b></i>. Linwood Barclay (William Morrow; 17 May)</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br />JUNE Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58930644-death-by-beach-read" target="_blank">Death By Beach Read</a></b></i> (<i>Lighthouse Library Mystery #9</i>). Eva Gates (Crooked Lane Books; 7 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59228197-a-face-to-die-for" target="_blank">A Face to Die For</a></b></i> (<i>Eve Duncan #28</i>). Iris Johansen (Grand Central; 14 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60431250-the-goldenacre" target="_blank">The Goldenacre</a></b></i>. Philip Miller (Soho Press; 28 Jun)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724854-hatchet-island" target="_blank">Hatchet Island</a></b></i> (<i>Mike Bowditch #13</i>). Paul Doiron (St. Martin's / Minotaur; 28 Jun)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59149026-the-house-across-the-lake" target="_blank">The House Across the Lake</a></b></i>. Riley Sager (Dutton; 21 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59485915-in-search-of-the-magic-theater" target="_blank">In Search of the Magic Theater</a></b></i>. Karla Huebner (Regal House; 1 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59854659-iona-iverson-s-rules-for-commuting" target="_blank">Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting</a></b></i>. Clare Pooley (Penguin Viking; 7 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58772743-the-kingdom-of-sand" target="_blank">The Kingdom of Sand</a></b></i>. Andrew Holleran (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 7 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59693959-lapvona" target="_blank">Lapvona</a></b></i>. Ottessa Moshfegh (Penguin; 21 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59097122-local-gone-missing" target="_blank">Local Gone Missing</a></b></i>. Fiona Barton (Berkley; 14 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59038996-the-omega-factor" target="_blank">The Omega Factor</a></b></i>. Steve Berry (Grand Central; 7 Jun) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59772869-the-woman-in-the-library" target="_blank">The Woman in the Library</a></b></i>. Sulari Gentill (Poisoned Pen Press; 7 Jun) </li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br />JULY Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724862-acts-of-violet" target="_blank">Acts of Violet</a></b></i>. Margarita Montimore (Flatiron Books; 5 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59411558-chrysalis" target="_blank">Chrysalis</a></b></i> (<i>Jeremy Logan #6</i>). Lincoln Child (Doubleday; 12 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54829360-the-daughter-of-doctor-moreau" target="_blank">The Daughter of Doctor Moreau</a></b></i>. Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Random House - DelRey (19 Jul)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58438505-fellowship-point" target="_blank">Fellowship Point</a></b></i>. Alice Elliott Dark (Scribner /Marysue Rucci Books; 5 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59345249-the-it-girl" target="_blank">The It Girl</a></b></i>. Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout Press; 12 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59148342-j-r-silver-writes-her-world" target="_blank">J.R. Silver Writes Her World</a></b></i>. Melissa Dassori; illus. by Chelen Ecija (Christy Ottaviano Books; 19 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58328440-the-poet-s-house" target="_blank">The Poet's House</a></b></i>. Jean Thompson (Algonquin Books; 12 Jul)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57695648-the-retreat" target="_blank">The Retreat</a></b></i> (<i>Detective Elin Warner #2</i>). Sarah Pearse (Pamela Dorman Books; 19 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade" target="_blank">Upgrade</a></b></i>. Blake Crouch (Ballantine Books; 12 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724626-what-moves-the-dead" target="_blank">What Moves the Dead</a></b></i>. T. Kingfisher (Tor Nightfire; 12 Jul) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59314715-when-we-were-bright-and-beautiful" target="_blank">When We Were Bright and Beautiful</a></b></i>. Jillian Medoff (Harper; 5 Jul)</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">AUGUST Releases</div><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808050-daisy-darker" target="_blank">Daisy Darker</a></b></i>. Alice Feeney (Flatiron Books; 30 Aug) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59956172-the-deepest-black" target="_blank">The Deepest Black</a></b></i>. Randall Silvis (Poisoned Pen Press; 2 Aug) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59900690-elizabeth-finch" target="_blank">Elizabeth Finch</a></b></i>. Julian Barnes (Knopf; 16 Aug) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59575958-small-angels" target="_blank">Small Angels</a></b></i>. Lauren Owen (Random House; 2 Aug) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57698691-stay-awake" target="_blank">Stay Awake</a></b></i>. Megan Goldin (St. Martin's; 9 Aug) </li></ul><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">SEPTEMBER Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59900687-back-to-the-garden" target="_blank"><b>Back to the Garden</b></a></i>. Laurie R. King (Random House - Bantam; 6 Sep) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60323162-the-bad-angel-brothers" target="_blank">The Bad Angel Brothers</a></b></i>. Paul Theroux (Mariner Books; 6 Sep) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59464825-because-i-could-not-stop-for-death" target="_blank">Because I Could Not Stop for Death</a></b></i>. Amanda Flower (Berkley; 20 Sep) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60586617-the-deception" target="_blank">The Deception</a></b></i>. Kim Taylor Blakemore (Lake Union Publishing; 27 Sep) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60177373-fairy-tale" target="_blank">Fairy Tale</a></b></i>. Stephen King (Scribner, 6 Sep) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60673295-lucy-by-the-sea" target="_blank">Lucy by the Sea</a></b></i>. Elizabeth Strout (Random House; 20 Sep) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59807954-other-birds" target="_blank">Other Birds</a></b></i>. Sarah Addison Allen (St. Martin's ; 13 Sep) <br /></li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321515-the-other-side-of-night" target="_blank">The Other Side of Night</a></b></i>. Adam Hamdy (Atria Books; 27 Sep) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60209475-we-spread" target="_blank">We Spread</a></b></i>. Iain Reid (Gallery/Scout Press; 27 Sep) <br /></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br />OCTOBER Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808575-come-back-in-september" target="_blank">Come Back in September: A Literary Education on West Sixty-Seventh Street, Manhattan</a></b></i>. Darryl Pinckney (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 25 Oct)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321148-the-dark-between-the-trees" target="_blank">The Dark Between the Trees</a></b></i>. Fiona Barnett (Solaris; 11 Oct) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60058660-the-dark-room" target="_blank">The Dark Room</a></b></i>. Lisa Gray (Thomas & Mercer; 25 Oct) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60686826-ghostwritten" target="_blank">Ghostwritten: Four Novellas</a></b></i>. Ronald Malfi (Titan Books; 4 Oct) </li><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60091367-marmee" target="_blank"><i><b>Marmee</b></i></a>. Sarah Miller (William Morrow; 25 Oct) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60149573-our-missing-hearts" target="_blank">Our Missing Hearts</a></b></i>. Celeste Ng (Penguin; 4 Oct) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60475468-papyrus" target="_blank">Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World</a></b></i>. Irene Vallejo; trans. by Charlotte Whittle (Knopf; 11 Oct)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59917925-shadow-sister" target="_blank">Shadow Sister</a></b></i>. Lindsay Marcott (Thomas & Mercer; 18 Oct) </li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />NOVEMBER Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59785494-bleeding-heart-yard" target="_blank">Bleeding Heart Yard</a></b></i> (Harbinder Kaur #3). Elly Griffiths (Mariner Books; 15 Nov) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61054804-the-cloisters" target="_blank">The Cloisters</a></b></i>. Katy Hays (Atria Books; 1 Nov)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60507532-dead-men-don-t-decorate#" target="_blank">Dead Men Don’t Decorate</a></b> </i>(<i>Old Town Antiques Mystery #1</i>). Cordy Abbott (Crooked Lane Books; 8 Nov) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321411-deliberate-cruelty" target="_blank">Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century</a></b></i>. Roseanne Montillo (Atria Books; 1 Nov)</li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59463334-the-magic-kingdom" target="_blank">The Magic Kingdom</a></b></i>. Russell Banks (Knopf; 8 Nov) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808215-murder-at-black-oaks" target="_blank">Murder at Black Oaks</a></b></i>. Phillip Margolin (Minotaur; 8 Nov) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60415700-now-is-not-the-time-to-panic" target="_blank">Now Is Not the Time to Panic</a></b></i>. Kevin Wilson (Ecco; 8 Nov) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60023131-secluded-cabin-sleeps-six" target="_blank">Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six</a></b></i>. Lisa Unger (Park Row; 8 Nov) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58939851-the-stolen-book-of-evelyn-aubrey" target="_blank">The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey</a></b></i>. Serena Burdick (Park Row; 1 Nov) </li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />DECEMBER Releases</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808244-devil-s-delight" target="_blank">Devil's Delight</a></b> </i>(<i>Agatha Raisin #33</i>). M.C. Beaton, R.W. Green (Minotaur Books, 13 Dec) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808188-the-ingenue" target="_blank">The Ingenue</a></b></i>. Rachel Kapelke-Dale (St. Martin's Press; 6 Dec) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60588443-night-shift" target="_blank">Night Shift</a></b></i> (<i>Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery #13</i>). Robin Cook (Putnam's Sons; 6 Dec) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60588860-showstopper" target="_blank">Showstopper</a></b></i> (<i>Peter Diamond #21</i>). Peter Lovesey (Soho Crime; 6 Dec) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60581095-stella-maris" target="_blank">Stella Maris</a></b></i> (<i>Passenger #2</i>). Cormac McCarthy (Knopf; 6 Dec) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808186-the-widowmaker" target="_blank">The Widowmaker</a></b></i>. Hannah Morrissey (Minotaur Books; 6 Dec) </li><li><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60407687-young-bloomsbury" target="_blank">Young Bloomsbury: The Generation That Redefined Love, Freedom, and Self-Expression in 1920s England</a></b></i>. Nino Strachey (Atria Books; 6 Dec) </li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">..........</p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-5433143699539344652022-01-18T20:45:00.003-06:002022-01-19T09:45:24.868-06:002022 Reading Challenge Sign-Ups (Part 2)<p>Yes, I'm signing up for a few more reading challenges. I promised myself I'd be more conservative about challenges this year, but it looks like I'm already breaking that promise. During the year, I'll be tracking my progress and keeping all my reading lists over on <a href="https://joysreadingchallenges.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my challenge blog</a>. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimk8JTswuJqrVBy7rgzGD5Vdybm8ymC5bAmZC9q-gUiLHXFdYl0uFNQB_CwOKVswf_qdDXkUF1uwQJC7PMXSzmrKOp8LugDO5LAZtutvaFoquWfZKCFv2dxPo1r_EhFGVXaMuNuRqP4IFvXkp3PqndhbHpT-pEfrpQkfTlaLuDCv3rtes2kZQ=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimk8JTswuJqrVBy7rgzGD5Vdybm8ymC5bAmZC9q-gUiLHXFdYl0uFNQB_CwOKVswf_qdDXkUF1uwQJC7PMXSzmrKOp8LugDO5LAZtutvaFoquWfZKCFv2dxPo1r_EhFGVXaMuNuRqP4IFvXkp3PqndhbHpT-pEfrpQkfTlaLuDCv3rtes2kZQ=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica;">2022 Children's Books Reading Challenge...for Adults!</span> </span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>Belle's Library</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.belleslibrary.com/2022/01/the-2022-childrens-books-reading.html" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a></div><br />I love reading children's books of all kinds, so this challenge is perfect for me. Not many rules and you can read any books that might be found in the children's section of a library or bookstore. Sounds great.<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEip_oNZezJd642lGxZqnUjzcCki3RmzwtaOskJdsaHFYK0eESIaJQyQOIN-JJrWeE9rxrgWtGqOSAaZeh7ZdeJIpfSLgRKWyskTfAtl2DAboUh6vlTXza3voLcrLAt8aXZ5ujUxae0lf1ZYq8pcS9POwFXpsjdizg0-Uf5wQkWLOrCUDDyGvvQ=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="400" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEip_oNZezJd642lGxZqnUjzcCki3RmzwtaOskJdsaHFYK0eESIaJQyQOIN-JJrWeE9rxrgWtGqOSAaZeh7ZdeJIpfSLgRKWyskTfAtl2DAboUh6vlTXza3voLcrLAt8aXZ5ujUxae0lf1ZYq8pcS9POwFXpsjdizg0-Uf5wQkWLOrCUDDyGvvQ=w320-h227" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2022</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>Adventures of an Intrepid Reader</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2022</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2021/12/historical-fiction-reading-challeng.html" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a></p><p>I'm signing up at the <i>Victorian Reader</i> level — just 5 books. Much of what I read is historical fiction, so I should be able to handle that many with no trouble.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX7Y7rT48hKagAXenyasa1earHox2eJnfiusQoRgQRE2nm6obsi4mT5gjbpsi6teviX9TB0Tk5TTAYgo24-JfkTN47LnhqgRc0wDErdLqXBlpNCfPChcRnI236iGzSVOqr9wNXJdIMXpZqDs9scSD6xhtDn7tQssl4kYPYHP0yH1vhsUl7wRs=s450" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="450" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX7Y7rT48hKagAXenyasa1earHox2eJnfiusQoRgQRE2nm6obsi4mT5gjbpsi6teviX9TB0Tk5TTAYgo24-JfkTN47LnhqgRc0wDErdLqXBlpNCfPChcRnI236iGzSVOqr9wNXJdIMXpZqDs9scSD6xhtDn7tQssl4kYPYHP0yH1vhsUl7wRs=w320-h142" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">2022 New Release Challenge</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>(un)Conventional Bookworms</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2022</div><div style="text-align: center;">(sign-ups open until September 1)</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://unconventionalbookworms.com/2022-new-release-challenge-sign-up/" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a></p><p>This is a new challenge for me, and I'm hoping it helps me pay a little more attention to current bookish happenings. There are five levels of participation, and I'm signing up at the "<i>New Release Newbie</i>" level (1-30 books for the year). </p><p style="text-align: center;">..........</p><p> </p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-32331858776796289142022-01-15T22:09:00.002-06:002022-01-16T00:57:13.233-06:002022 Reading Challenges - Sign-Ups (Part 1)<p>I didn’t exactly wipe out when it comes to reading challenges in 2021. I managed to do the reading and actually completed several of the challenges. But I didn’t review many of the books I read. Of course, I use the challenges as a spur to keep me reading, and that worked really well. So I’d say it was sort of a 50/50 result. </p><p>I’m getting a bit of a late start in signing up for the 2022 challenges. I’ve had to concentrate on some medical goings-on for the last few months, but things seem to be calming down a bit now and I’ve had a little more time to think about bookish adventures and new challenges. So, here we go….</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRGnr6RgY8kZYZgMXbE2IK3OpgEY0J7ZRndhC93i86UrIdFzprJzjKnaUbWVOIkIoAMvG_sj0v4H5b68rPuWkeDZ8SezIOekpxxyiHTy_2OdVBNISlwHhKrIUFjKik0SJKlhm9L3kaoiu3UEBdgdthFWPxHEyqwofAFC6rzngGHqBNFZU8MZg=s650" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRGnr6RgY8kZYZgMXbE2IK3OpgEY0J7ZRndhC93i86UrIdFzprJzjKnaUbWVOIkIoAMvG_sj0v4H5b68rPuWkeDZ8SezIOekpxxyiHTy_2OdVBNISlwHhKrIUFjKik0SJKlhm9L3kaoiu3UEBdgdthFWPxHEyqwofAFC6rzngGHqBNFZU8MZg=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">2022 Bookish Resolutions Challenge</span><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2022</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.becausereading.com/2022-bookish-resolutions-challenge-is-back-and-its-time-to-sign-up-bookishres2022/" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a> </p><p>I don’t generally make New Year’s resolutions (who needs that pressure?), but this year I do have a few reading/blogging goals.</p><p>My bookish resolutions for 2022: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Read at least 50 books. This is always my annual goal, but most years I don’t reach it. Last year, however, I managed to read 52 books, and I’m hoping I can do at least that well in 2022. <br /></li><li>Post more reviews than I posted last year. This shouldn’t be difficult to achieve, since last year I only reviewed two or three books on the blog. <br /></li><li>Do a better job of replying to comments from readers of my blog(s). I always read and appreciate every comment on my posts, but I don’t always remember to leave a reply or thank you. Must do better. <br /></li><li>Get my NetGalley review percentage up to an acceptable level. I’m not going to commit to any specific number because at the moment my percentage is so embarrassingly low, any increase would be an enormous improvement. <br /></li><li>Finish <i>Jane Eyre</i>! I’ve started Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece several times over the years, but never actually made it through to the end. It isn’t that I don’t find it enjoyable – I just keep being diverted by real life… and other books. Last year I got halfway through, farther than I’ve ever gotten in the past. Hoping 2022 will be the year I can finally check it off my TBR list. </li></ul>Should be interesting to see how far I get with these goals. <br /><br /><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW2pIKFsbw3fIkYkt5jilvyGWe0u28PTllM4oFOY94Uo6q0zEH0ZGlnB_Y1ic7ce-eHMao_nB5SMl1ZPgWpMINKUjO26jArC7Pi0FKsQs19Rr-lVtNLdCJ_HHW2H2ig5ZRoWgkH2885qgEcGQ8OSrhMJKjT_3MzydIZWQZ8idPekc7yxVwYfQ=s1012" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1012" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW2pIKFsbw3fIkYkt5jilvyGWe0u28PTllM4oFOY94Uo6q0zEH0ZGlnB_Y1ic7ce-eHMao_nB5SMl1ZPgWpMINKUjO26jArC7Pi0FKsQs19Rr-lVtNLdCJ_HHW2H2ig5ZRoWgkH2885qgEcGQ8OSrhMJKjT_3MzydIZWQZ8idPekc7yxVwYfQ=w200-h199" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">2022 Books in Translation Reading Challenge</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>Introverted Reader</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2022</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://introvertedreader.com/books-translation-2022/" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be signing up at the Beginner Level (<i>Beginner: Read 1-3 books in translation</i>). I should be able to handle at least one or two translated works.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikxvH4RtzogCwoYo3FRoHZCoPFAjsGMbtKR_XlEcroYPxoIVABuaz5xlq8CUiHeayoDOEiwX6n1UdoS75E7rQ_UXPFdb97mieVZ-CBixe5kbyPBa1eJKNe7Z1eLeIH4XiZCxtLbqd60UtwYCPkbco_fiMlXBIINI11t7fbDxEgo9gpjRLLsEQ=s272" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="189" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikxvH4RtzogCwoYo3FRoHZCoPFAjsGMbtKR_XlEcroYPxoIVABuaz5xlq8CUiHeayoDOEiwX6n1UdoS75E7rQ_UXPFdb97mieVZ-CBixe5kbyPBa1eJKNe7Z1eLeIH4XiZCxtLbqd60UtwYCPkbco_fiMlXBIINI11t7fbDxEgo9gpjRLLsEQ" width="189" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Calendar of Crime 2022</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>Bev @ My Reader's Block</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2022<br /><br /><a href="https://myreadersblock.blogspot.com/2021/10/calendar-of-crime-2022.html" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Calendar of Crime challenge is always one of my favorites, so I'll definitely be signing up for this year's edition. I love matching up books to categories, and I really do intend to review all the books I read this year. Seriously. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfkKdv4ocXxaWjjlRp9X7lW4ZwAE9QxUQOzysxOn38LlbuQlO-T7cGitxSGimduG4d_ZiSqP7-I1CgZK3rfF5QF1UcZw1ckEwHQJMPbe9NF3CiL255nY-YzBYV_QD_4uVS5HQX6Fqau4eavht6f0mXvN4KmLFQPCAUg3jMcTtD0FyCag5PF4Y=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfkKdv4ocXxaWjjlRp9X7lW4ZwAE9QxUQOzysxOn38LlbuQlO-T7cGitxSGimduG4d_ZiSqP7-I1CgZK3rfF5QF1UcZw1ckEwHQJMPbe9NF3CiL255nY-YzBYV_QD_4uVS5HQX6Fqau4eavht6f0mXvN4KmLFQPCAUg3jMcTtD0FyCag5PF4Y=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2022</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>Carol's Notebook</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2022</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://carolsnotebook.com/2021/12/01/cloak-and-dagger-reading-challenge-2022/" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Crime fiction is my go-to genre, so this challenge is a natural for me. I read a lot of <a href="https://joysreadingchallenges.blogspot.com/2020/12/2021-cloak-and-dagger-reading-challenge.html" target="_blank">books for the 2021 challenge</a>, but didn't get many reviews written. This year I hope to do a much better job of actually <i>participating</i> in the challenge. I'll be signing up at the <i>Detective Level</i> (16-25 books). </div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvstZmcpIPjiKOMxbEOdGK5MbPXWa31p7lYjFFKj2LuGHQ1mP9FuhKs9BsHDDaxyzS3nXAoLc9EGLgKmOS3liiRhjduSXVRW1hZHDsm1vt7xjH0cS2bxn40-wcNc4UvZhatwSNPML0kjVW3EgHF-eEUHAG94RpHyGUMmQGIQmrAli4vCctvhU=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="320" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvstZmcpIPjiKOMxbEOdGK5MbPXWa31p7lYjFFKj2LuGHQ1mP9FuhKs9BsHDDaxyzS3nXAoLc9EGLgKmOS3liiRhjduSXVRW1hZHDsm1vt7xjH0cS2bxn40-wcNc4UvZhatwSNPML0kjVW3EgHF-eEUHAG94RpHyGUMmQGIQmrAli4vCctvhU=w200-h174" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">European Reading Challenge 2022</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Host: <i>Rose City Reader</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2022<br /><br /><a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/p/2022-european-reading-challenge.html" target="_blank">Click here for announcement, rules, and sign-ups.</a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Another of my favorite challenges — it can be such a great way to find new authors and learn about places I'd love to tour in real life. 2022 is the tenth anniversary for this challenge and I've signed up almost every year. This year I'll be joining in at the Three-Star (<i>Business Traveler</i>) Level, but (as always) hope to do a little better than three books. </div><div style="text-align: center;">..........</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a few more challenges in mind, but this is enough for now. During the year, I'll be tracking my progress and keeping all my lists over on <a href="https://joysreadingchallenges.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my challenge blog</a>. </div><div><br /></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-12921666367309719632022-01-01T18:05:00.046-06:002022-12-20T16:39:16.195-06:00Books Read in 2022<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Cumulative Reading List</span></b></div><p>
<br />
Here's where I'll be tracking my reading in 2022.<br />
</p><p>I generally think of 50 books as my annual goal, but I'm always really happy if I make it to 40. In 2021 I actually managed to read 52 books. I'd love to do that well again in 2022, but the way this year is starting out, I don't have high hopes. We'll see what develops.</p><div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">JANUARY</span></b><br /></div><p>1. <i><b>Homicide Trinity</b></i> (<i>Nero Wolfe #36</i>). Rex Stout (1962; fiction / mystery; 220 pages) <br />2. <i><b>The Stately Home Murder</b></i> (<i>Inspector Sloan #3</i>). Catherine Aird (1969; fiction / mystery; 160 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>FEBRUARY</b></p><p>3. <i><b>The Hidden</b></i>. Melanie Golding (2021; fiction / mystery; 304 pages)<br />4. <i><b>Bright April</b></i>. Marguerite de Angeli (1946; children's fiction / middle grade fiction; 88 pages) <br />5. <i><b>The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night</b></i>. Peter Spier; illus. by author (1961; children's fiction / picture book; 48 pages; Caldecott Honor Book, 1962)<br />6. <i><b>Blueberries for Sal</b></i>. Robert McCloskey; illus. by author (1948; children's fiction / picture book; 64 pages; Caldecott Honor Book, 1949) <br />7. <i><b>Skippyjon Jones</b></i>. Judy Schachner; illus. by author (2003; children's fiction / picture book; 32 pages)<br />8. <i><b>The Barnabus Project</b></i>. Eric, Terry, and Devin Fan; illus. by authors (2020; children's fiction / picture book; 72 pages) <br />9. <i><b>The Night Gardener</b></i>. Terry and Eric Fan; illus. by authors (2016; children's fiction / picture book; 48 pages) <br />10. <i><b>How to Live with a Calculating Cat</b></i>. Eric Gurney, illus; William Nettleton, text (1962; humor; 128 pages) <br /><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>MARCH</b></p><p>11. <i><b>The Christie Affair</b></i>. Nina de Gramont (2022; historical fiction; 320 pages) <br />12. <i><b>The Case of the Silent Partner</b></i> (<i>Perry Mason #17</i>). Erle Stanley Gardner (1940; fiction / mystery; 215 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>APRIL</b></p><p>13. <i><b>City of the Dead</b></i> (<i>Alex Delaware #37</i>). Jonathan Kellerman (2022; fiction / mystery; 336 pages) <br />14. <i><b>Amelia Bedelia</b></i>. Peggy Parish; illus. by Fritz Siebel (1963; children's literature / picture book; 40 pages) <br />15. <i><b>The Children on the Hill</b></i>. Jennifer McMahon (2022; fiction / horror; 352 pages)<br />16. <i><b>Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There</b></i>. Lewis Carroll (1871; children's literature / fantasy; 166 pages; this was a re-read) <br />17. <i><b>The Moving Target</b></i> (<i>Lew Archer #1</i>). Ross Macdonald (1949; fiction / mystery; 256 pages)<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>MAY</b></p><p>18. <i><b>The Fashion Orphans</b></i>. Randy Susan Meyers & M.J. Rose (2022; fiction / chick lit; 304 pages) <br />19. <i><b>Black Orchids</b></i> (<i>Nero Wolfe #9</i>). Rex Stout (1942; fiction / mystery; 209 pages) <br />20. <i><b>The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws</b></i>. Margaret Drabble (2009; nonfiction / autobiography / cultural history; 368 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>JUNE</b></p><p>21. <i><b>The Marlow Murder Club</b></i> (<i>Marlow Murder Club #1</i>). Robert Thorogood (2021/2022; fiction / mystery; 352 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>JULY</b></p><p>22. <i><b>Mrs Armitage on Wheels</b></i>. Quentin Blake; illus. by author (1987; children's literature / picture book; 32 pages) <br />23. <i><b>Death by Beach Read</b></i> (<i>Lighthouse Library Mystery #9</i>). Eva Gates (2022; fiction / mystery; 288 pages) <br />24. <i><b>Chrysalis</b></i> (<i>Jeremy Logan #6</i>). Lincoln Child (2022; fiction / thriller; 304 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>AUGUST</b></p><p>25. <i><b>Afternoon of the Elves</b></i>. Janet Taylor Lisle (1989; children's literature / middle grade; 128 pages) <br />26. <i><b>Many Moons</b></i>. James Thurber; illus. by Louis Slobodkin (1943; children's literature; 45 pages) <br />27. <i><b>J.R. Silver Writes Her World</b></i>. Melissa Dassori; illus. by Chelen Aecija (2022; children's literature / middle grade fiction; 272 pages)<br />28. <i><b>Howliday Inn</b></i> (<i>Bunnicula Series #2</i>). James Howe; illus. by Lynn Munsinger (1982; children's literature / fantasy; 195 pages) <br />29. <i><b>Small Angels</b></i>. Lauren Owen (2022; fiction; 400 pages) <br />30. <i><b>The Omega Factor</b></i>. Steve Berry (2022; fiction / thriller; 464 pages)<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>SEPTEMBER</b></p><p>31. <i><b>Stay Awake</b></i>. Megan Goldin (2022; fiction / thriller; 352 pages) <br />32. <i><b>Back to the Garden</b></i>. Laurie R. King (2022; fiction / mystery; 352 pages) <br />33. <i><b>Late Harvest Havoc</b></i> (<i>Winemaker Detective #10</i>). Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen; trans. by Sally Pane (2015; fiction / mystery; 167 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>OCTOBER</b></p><p>34. <i><b>The Final Equinox</b></i> (<i>Theo Cray & Jessica Blackwood #2</i>). Andrew Mayne (2022; fiction / thriller; 336 pages) <br />35. <i><b>Night at the Vulcan</b></i> (<i>Inspector Roderick Alleyn #16</i>). Ngaio Marsh (1951; fiction / mystery; 236 pages) <br />36. <i><b>James and the Giant Peach</b></i>. Roald Dahl; illus. by Quentin Blake (1961; children's literature; 151 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>NOVEMBER</b> </p><p>37. <i><b>The Shadow Over Innsmouth</b></i>. H.P. Lovecraft (1936; fiction / horror; 110 pages)<br />38. <i><b>The Wanderer in Unknown Realms</b></i>. John Connolly (2013; historical fiction / horror; 128 pages) <br />39. <i><b>Gambit</b></i> (<i>Nero Wolfe #37</i>). Rex Stout (1962; mystery; 208 pages)<br />40. <b style="font-style: italic;">The Cabinet of Dr. Leng</b> (<i>Aloysius Pendergast #21</i>). Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (Jan 2023; fiction / thriller; 368 pages) <br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>DECEMBER</b></p><p>41. <i><b>Terminal Freeze</b></i> (<i>Jeremy Logan #2</i>). Lincoln Child (2008; fiction / sci-fi thriller; 450 pages) <br />42. <i><b>The Chalmers Case</b></i> (<i>Markham Sisters #3</i>). Diana Xarissa (2015; fiction / mystery; 106 pages) <br />43. <i><b>The Headless Cupid</b></i> (<i>Stanley Family #1</i>). Zilpha Keatley Snyder (1971; mystery / children's literature / middle grade fiction; 228 pages) <br /><br />........<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">📚📚📚📚📚</span><br /></p>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-23400113404330544642021-12-24T18:21:00.000-06:002021-12-24T18:21:15.686-06:00Happy Holidays!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw5TPdaoWtVDh7nAn-8zzmI4X4FttYn924GTQDVykZTgVvCBsc5DIi-D6C1LOpIC99MilTPO8qpY3iqy4zX-94wLsE0ShJoQWz-VgTsDCG9Z3DwW7K2iSBx8WV0phzZJxQPs8aRZu5aQGVepNwcsqmNxEmV7B5EZpj2LMtJSj5-WHEjT0t_2g=s1623" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1623" data-original-width="1226" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw5TPdaoWtVDh7nAn-8zzmI4X4FttYn924GTQDVykZTgVvCBsc5DIi-D6C1LOpIC99MilTPO8qpY3iqy4zX-94wLsE0ShJoQWz-VgTsDCG9Z3DwW7K2iSBx8WV0phzZJxQPs8aRZu5aQGVepNwcsqmNxEmV7B5EZpj2LMtJSj5-WHEjT0t_2g=w484-h640" width="484" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-55303616125007470722021-12-10T12:14:00.004-06:002021-12-10T14:47:30.323-06:00Book Beginnings: London Bridge Is Falling Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2yxD28PGdspFwbZGIMkMfI-gLR8PKq4ThjS--kT6XoV3XcNK5-5zLDPwDzKQokgkKsasUYENSvHyaah8R5XYKSKrmwUkT03uHLYvS5hrmX4XDt9dV4nt_qESU_amc_oQekyZEX7-c9EKOihTu1mH445jR1tXSBFXicnqVIO_pJYhkpp0Jkyk=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2yxD28PGdspFwbZGIMkMfI-gLR8PKq4ThjS--kT6XoV3XcNK5-5zLDPwDzKQokgkKsasUYENSvHyaah8R5XYKSKrmwUkT03uHLYvS5hrmX4XDt9dV4nt_qESU_amc_oQekyZEX7-c9EKOihTu1mH445jR1tXSBFXicnqVIO_pJYhkpp0Jkyk=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/61019-bryant-may-peculiar-crimes-unit" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bryant & May:<br />London Bridge Is Falling Down</span></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Christopher Fowler</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">December 2021</span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />Opening Sentence</span></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;">May in Regent's Park could put a spring in the step of a corpse. </span></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">About the Book</span></div><i><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></i><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: arial;">When ninety-one-year-old Amelia Hoffman dies in her top-floor flat on a busy London road, it’s considered an example of what has gone wrong with modern society: she slipped through the cracks in a failing system.</span></i><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>But detectives Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their doubts. Mrs. Hoffman was once a government security expert, though no one can quite remember her. When a link emerges between the old lady and a diplomat trying to flee the country, it seems that an impossible murder has been committed.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i> </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Mrs. Hoffman wasn’t the only one at risk. Bryant is convinced that other forgotten women with hidden talents are also in danger. And, curiously, they all own models of London Bridge.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i> </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>With the help of some of their more certifiable informants, the detectives follow the strangest of clues in an investigation that will lead them through forgotten alleyways to the city’s oldest bridge in search of a desperate killer.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i> </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>But just when the case appears to be solved, they discover that Mrs. Hoffman was smarter than anyone imagined. There’s a bigger game afoot that could have terrible consequences.</i> </span>(Publisher's description)</div></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><br />Well, my first thought was that this could be my last book for 2021. I have a couple of others I'm trying to finish up, and I'm not sure I'll be able to fit one more into the mix. But if I can, this would be a good choice to end the year with. <div><br /></div><div>My second thought was something about the creepiness of a corpse walking. With or without that spring in the step.<br /><div><br /></div><div><i><b>London Bridge Is Falling Down</b></i> is number 18 in Christopher Fowler's <i>Peculiar Crimes Unit</i> mystery series, featuring the delightful investigative team of Arthur Bryant and John May. I read number 17 in the series (<i><b>Oranges and Lemons</b></i>) earlier this year; it was my introduction to the books and I loved it. So I'm really hoping this one lives up to my expectations.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good weekend, everyone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2021/12/book-beginnings-on-fridays.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></a>. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></p></div></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20402592.post-88558844180267806642021-12-03T17:41:00.000-06:002021-12-03T17:41:23.281-06:00Book Beginnings: Death in a White Tie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozb0hikk3siQcpV3UEVB-WtESORnWU6BWNc8eaFESZNYzVp9rj_DNnz1ov8zUVAdHfl5kDcisnP_NKFckChELPvgMS_LiTy7fqWg2ga4kjEkx7QoWFAezjVY-mYIn_RJyo35qKg/s1270/Marsh_Death-in-a-White-Tie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="767" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozb0hikk3siQcpV3UEVB-WtESORnWU6BWNc8eaFESZNYzVp9rj_DNnz1ov8zUVAdHfl5kDcisnP_NKFckChELPvgMS_LiTy7fqWg2ga4kjEkx7QoWFAezjVY-mYIn_RJyo35qKg/w241-h400/Marsh_Death-in-a-White-Tie.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3114953-death-in-a-white-tie" style="font-size: xx-large;" target="_blank">Death in a White Tie</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by Ngaio Marsh</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">First published 1938</span></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br />Opening Lines</span></div></span><div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">'Roderick,' said Lady Alleyn, looking at her son over the top of her spectacles, 'I am coming out.'</span></div></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><br /></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica;">About the Book</span></div></div><div><div></div><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>A body in the back of a taxi begins an elegantly constructed mystery, perhaps the finest of Marsh's 1930s novels. The season had begun. Debutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, dinners, balls. And the blackmailer was planning his strategies, stalking his next victim. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn knew that something was up. He had already planted his friend Lord Robert Gospell at the scene. But someone else got there first....</i></span><span style="font-family: arial;">(Publisher's description)</span></span></blockquote><div></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: helvetica;">Initial Thoughts</span></div><div> </div><div>Coming out? Well, all righty. Coming out of what, I wonder. Have to remember — this is 1938. So...?</div><div><br /></div><div>I've read a bunch of Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn mysteries, over the years. And I tend to skip around rather than reading them in sequence. So I've managed to neglect some of the earlier books and this is one I'm just now getting to. Hoping it's as entertaining as all the others have been.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
Have a good weekend, everyone.<br />And happy reading!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rose City Reader</span></a> hosts <a href="https://www.rosecityreader.com/2021/12/the-red-button-by-keith-eldred-book.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book Beginnings on Friday</span></span></a> As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc. It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></p></div>JLS Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779539758815705415noreply@blogger.com3