Monthly Reading Recap - December 2024

 

Monthly Reading Total:  22 - I finished off a couple of books I had started in previous months so the number is a bit artificially high.

Type:
Print:  5

Ebook:  10

Audio: 7

Genre:

Mystery - 20

Fiction - 2

Favorite Book of the Month:

I read a lot of mysteries so while I enjoyed the majority of my reading there weren't any major standouts.  

The Family Vault by Charlotte MacLeod did prove to be a surprise so I think that's enough to get it into my favorites!

Least Favorite Book of the Month:

Pretty Dead Things by Lillian West - I didn't hate this one, but I wanted to like it a lot more than I actually did.

My Monthly Armchair Travel:

Domestic Travel:  I visited three new states - Missouri, Nevada, and Ohio.  I also visited Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, New York, Illinois, Georgia, and North Carolina.

International Travel:  In addition to England I also went to Scotland and Russia.

How was your reading in December?

Friday Fives - January TBR

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This is the first Friday in January so I'm picking out five books I hope to read this month.

1.  Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke - This is the start of a new cozy that looks very entertaining.  I do love some ghosts mixed in with my mysteries.

2.  Written Off by E.J. Copperman - This book has been on my review shelf for far too long and looks like an interesting read.

3.  Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea - This is the first book off my priority reads list and I'm very excited about it.

4.  Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams - I've heard good things about this series and have enjoyed other books by this author, so this looks like a good cozy to start the year off with.

5.  A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong - I read and loved the first book in this series at the beginning of 2024 and am really looking to continuing it.

What are you hoping to read in January?

Reading What I Want - My 2025 Priority List

The last few years I've made a list of 10 books - 5 books off my shelf, 5 books from the library - that I'm really wanting to read.  There's no real rhyme or reason.  I just go through my library list and my shelves and pick the books that are calling to me.  Here are my 10 top priority books for 2025.

Library Books:

1.  Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley - I've enjoyed everything I've seen from Lucy Worsley but I've never read any of her books.  Now that she has a biography of Christie I need to fix that!

2.  The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews - I've read one book by this author that I really enjoyed and I've seen great reviews for her books. 

3.  The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - This just sounds fantastic and I've been wanting to read it since it came out.

4.  Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea - I absolutely love the premise of this one and loved the only book I've read by this author.

5.  Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett - Fawcett wrote one of my top ten books that I read in 2024 and this sounds just as wonderful.

Books From My Shelves:

1.  Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships by Hayley Arceneaux - Hayley was Will's PA when he was first diagnosed with Leukemia in 2020.  She was us through some of the toughest times and I was so excited to get her book - though I think this is the first year I'm really able to read it.

2.  Seeing Darkness by Heather Graham - I really enjoy the Krewe of Hunters series but somehow I stopped reading a number of books ago.  This is the next book in the series that's just been sitting there for quite some time and is starting to give me dirty looks.

3.  Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson - I've heard great things about this one and it looks like a fun read!

4.  Murder on Mustique by Ann Glenconner - This one looks gorgeous and has been sitting on my shelf for far too long.

5.  The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West by Sara Ackerman -  I love the look of this one and couldn't resist buying it.  I can't wait to read it!

Have you read any of these?  Thoughts?  What are you hoping to read this year?

First reads of 2025

 

My first book for 2025 is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  But not just any copy of the book.  I'll be reading this gorgeous Chiltern edition that I picked up on a book shopping binge in December.  It's one of those books that just feels nice to hold and while it is a reread it's one of my very favorite books.  When I picked it up at the store I just knew it would be my first read of 2025.

First Ebook:  

Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Kretnz - My first ebook read last year was the second book in the Lost Night Files series so it seems like the third book is the right pick!

First Audio Book:

Funny Story by Emily Henry - The library made the decision for me when this audio book on hold arrived just in time for this to be my first audio book of the year.

First Slow Read:  

The Comfort Food Diaries by Emily Nunn - This one has been sitting on my shelf for awhile and looks like a good choice for a slow read.

My theme for the year is cozy.  I'm going to work on enjoying my time and feeling cozy and content and focusing on the little things that I neglect that make life so much better.  

What are your first reads of 2025?

Top Ten Tuesday - Best Books I Read in 2024

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is the Best Books I Read in 2024.  I'm not worrying about publish dates but am instead just focusing on the date I read the book.

1.  The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett - I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but I absolutely loved everything about it - especially the connections from this book to Anne of Green Gables.

2.  City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong - I had heard raves about this author for ages and decided I had to try one of her books.  I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it had a few surprises.  This is a series I really want to continue in 2025.  

3.  The Lantern's Dance by Laurie R. King - I have read this series for years and years and I think this was my favorite one yet.

4.  The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan - I love when characters find themselves and what makes them happy, and this was a wonderful summer read that was fun escapism.

5.  The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber - This author's books are always my favorite and this was no exception.

6.  Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - I was a bit meh on reading this one but it ended up being a total delight.

7.  Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh - I've read a number of Marsh books but this one really wowed me.  

8. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman - I love a good found family and this may just be the best one I've read in awhile - plus the characters are very bookish.

9.  Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea - I love a good mystery and this one really grabbed me.  I can't wait to read more from this author.

10. The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen - This was one of those right time right book books.  I loved the historical mystery element and I loved the characters. 

What were your favorite books this year?

Authors I'm Going to Read in 2024 Recap

 

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2024.  

1. Kelley Armstrong - Book:  City of the Lost -  I thoroughly enjoyed this one.  It is a series I'm hoping to focus on more in 2025.

2.  Taylor Jenkins Reid - Book: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - I liked this one though did feel like it went on a bit too long.  I don't feel a huge pull to continue with this author's books but if one catches my eyes I will pick it up.

3.  Riley Sager - Book: The Only One Left - I liked this one though the end was a bit of a stretch.  I do want to read more of his books though.

4.  Marie Benedict - Book: Lady Clementine - I really enjoyed this one and it had me wanting to know more about the Churchill family.  I am really looking forward to reading more by this author.

5.  Kristin Hannah - Book: Winter Garden - I liked this one and found it very immersive.  I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about the ending though and am not feeling super motivated to read more from this author.

6.  Ann Patchett - Book: Tom Lake - I really enjoyed this one except for one scene that just didn't feel like it went with the character or the book.  I do want to read more by this author and already own a couple more of her books.

7.  Joanna Schaffhausen - Book: Gone for Good - This is a series I'm really hoping to read more of this year.  It's a police procedural and while the main detective has some serious baggage she is not self-sabotaging which is nice.  I will definitely read more from this author.

8.  Mary Balogh - Book:  Someone to Love - I had read a lot of Balogh years ago but hadn't in awhile and the woman puts out a ton of books.  I'm so glad that I picked up the first in this series and I have book 2 ready to read in 2025.

9.  Kristy Woodson Harvey - Book: Slightly South of Simple - This was a delight, and I really was pulled into the story of the three very different sisters and their mother.  The author did a good job of making the characters relatable if not always likable and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author and from this series.

10.  Jodi Thomas - Book:  Breakfast at Honey Creek Cafe - I wasn't fully sold on this one at first but as the book went on I was pulled into the story and understood why I've heard so many good things about this author.  I'm really looking forward to reading more from her.

Overall, pretty good results!  Have you read any of these?  What were your thoughts?

My Classic Mystery List for 2024 - Recap

 

At the beginning of this year I picked 10 classic mysteries to read over the course of the year.  Here are my quick thoughts on all ten.

1.  Death on the Agenda by Patricia Moyes - I liked about 95% of this quite a bit but there is one scene that isn't even really related to the mystery that kind of ruined it for me.  I can't quite look at quiet unassuming and loving husband Henry Tibbett the same. 

2.  A Deadly Affair by Agatha Christie - This is a collection of short stories that have mostly been published in other collections but all are on the same theme.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and always look forward to reading Christie short stories.

3.  A Late Phoenix by Catherine Aird- This was a fun mystery set in post-war England and had quite a few twists and turns.  Aird is definitely an author that I really want to read more from.

4.  Pursuit of a Parcel by Patricia Wentworth - Set during World War II there is a lot more intrigue than I usually expect in a Wentworth mystery.  While I do think Miss Silver would have been a fantastic edition to this one it was still an entertaining mystery.

5.  Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers - Peter Wimsey meets Harriet Vane which in itself is pretty fantastic but throw in a murder trial and a rather shocked family and it's even more fun.

6.  The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart - I very much enjoy murder on trains apparently and this has quite a lot of drama to make it extra fun.  I've found I really enjoy this author's touch of Gothic-ness mixed in with a solid mystery.

7.  The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey - I have a bit of a rocky history with Tey but this one I enjoyed.   The premise is unique, and I liked the combination of country lawyer and Scotland Yard detective investigating

8.  Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart - This was a fun read set in the wilds of Scotland that was more of a mystery than most of the other books I've read by Stewart.  It is a bit dated but overall I enjoyed it.

9.  Nothing Venture by Patricia Wentworth - I really enjoyed this one and is one of the few Wentworth books without Miss Silver where I didn't feel the lack of Miss Silver.  This was a very traditional Wentworth mystery with gorgeous characters and lots of secrets and people with questionable motives.

10. Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh - This one blew me away and was one of my favorite reads of the year.   The mystery was so fun and the method of murder was definitely unique.  

Did you read any classic mysteries in 2024?  Any of these look interesting?