Friday Fives - December TBR

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. Since this is the first Friday in December I'm planning my December TBR.  Since this is the last TBR of the year most of these books are ones in challenges I haven't gotten to yet.  As well, most of my reading this month will be trying to hit my goals as this has not been my best reading year and I'm behind by quite a bit on several.

1.  A Grave Deception by Connie Berry - One last eARC for the month and it's one I'm really looking forward to starting.

2.  Keeper of the Castle by Juliet Blackwell - This is the last one on my series challenge list and I know will be a quick read.

3.  Death and the Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh - I loved the previous book I read by Marsh so I'm really looking forward to this one.  Fingers crossed it's as enjoyable.

4.  Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart - I'm expecting this one to be a bit of a slower read but I do love Stewart's ability to create atmosphere.

5.  Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod - I've enjoyed other books by MacLeod and this one is in season which makes it extra fun.

I also have the November and December Read Christie Challenge books to read as well as 2 more of the Authors I'm Going to Read in 2025.  I have both Authors books on audio and I normally get through Christie's books at a pretty good pace so I'm not too worried.

What's on your reading list for December?  How are you doing with your reading goals?  

Books from the Backlog - The One-in-a-Million Boy

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

Blurb:  The story of your life never starts at the beginning. Don't they teach you anything at school?

So says 104-year-old Ona to the 11-year-old boy who's been sent to help her out every Saturday morning. As he refills the bird feeders and tidies the garden shed, Ona tells him about her long life, from first love to second chances. Soon she's confessing secrets she has kept hidden for decades.

One Saturday, the boy doesn't show up. Ona starts to think he's not so special after all, but then his father arrives on her doorstep, determined to finish his son's good deed. The boy's mother is not so far behind. Ona is set to discover that the world can surprise us at any age, and that sometimes sharing a loss is the only way to find ourselves again.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I picked this up a number of years ago but when Will got sick I couldn't read it.  I think now is the time to give it a try.  It had absolutely glowing reviews.

All My Bones - Mystery Review

Goodreads:  All My Bones (An Old Juniper Bookstore Mysteries #2) by P.J. Nelson

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Madeline Brimley recently inherited a bookstore in Enigma, Georgia, is embarking on her second career, after her first one (acting) founders upon the metaphorical rocks. Settling in, Madeline recruits her friend Gloria Coleman, the local Episcopal priest, to help her plant azaleas in the front yard of the old Victorian that houses the bookstore. Turning the soil, however, uncovers the body of one Beatrice Glassie, a troublesome woman who has been missing for the past six months.

When her friend Gloria is arrested for the murder, Madeline is determined to prove her innocence and, as she quickly finds out, there aren't many people in town who hadn't wanted to kill Bea Glassie at one point or another. And the very expensive and rare first edition of a particular volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales—ordered by the victim and her sister is somehow tied to the grim death. With the help of her not-quite-boyfriend, a local lawman, and her deceased aunt's best friend, Madeline plans to set a trap to catch the real murderer—before she becomes the next victim.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  I read the first book in the series and enjoyed it.  

My Impression:  This has all the hallmarks of a cozy - small town setting, main character owns a bookstore, amateur sleuth, cat sidekick, and a community of unusual characters.  But it doesn't quite read as a cozy to me.  The topics touched on are a bit darker and the setting and characters are a bit grimmer.  As well, while I enjoyed this book, Madeline's world isn't one I'd like to visit nor are the characters people I'd like to be friends with.

The mystery was an interesting one involving a skeleton buried in a front yard, a beloved character maybe not being who they seemed.   There's also some family pressure for a quick arrest that spurs Madeline into investigative action with a little help from her friends.  The pacing was great and kept me engaged from beginning to end.  I wasn't sure just who would end up being the killer - and why but motives and suspects definitely kept me guessing.

This is one you could really start with this one though there is a bit of setup that will help a few non-plot related things make a bit more sense.  If you're looking for a good read somewhere between regular mystery and cozies this would be a good pick.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  I've enjoyed the first two books in the series and look forward to reading more from this author.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you're a mystery reader this is a good series and a good one to pick up.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Want to Read in 2026

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 a Freebie and since 2026 is fast approaching I'm looking through my lists and picking books I want to be sure to read.  Here are 10 on my list for 2026.

1.  The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay - I have read and thoroughly enjoyed two books by this author and her more historical fiction/espionage books are really calling my name. 

2   The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong - I meant to read this one right after it came out.

3.  Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn - I read and enjoyed the first book in this series and am very curious to see how the author develops the series.

4.  Year One by Nora Roberts - I'm not much of a fantasy/scifi reader but I've thoroughly enjoyed everything Roberts has written so I figure I should give this trilogy a try.

5.  The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor - This author is one I've read quite a bit from and really enjoyed all her books but somehow I've never read this one.

6.  The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst - I adored the first book in this world and am so excited to read this one.

7.  Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams - I've read the first two books in the Schuyler Sisters trilogy and am really hoping to finish up in 2026.

8.  The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell - This was the first book by Jewell that really caught my attention and somehow I've yet to read it.

9.  A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey - I read and loved a book by this author last year and really loved it and this one has really been calling my name.

10. Killing Trail by Margaret Muzushima - This series is on book 10 I think and seems to keep getting stronger.  I've had this one my shelf for years and 2026 seems like the year to read it.

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

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 2025.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

Blurb: Rose Mae Lolley's mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she's living the very life her mother abandoned. She's all but forgotten the girl she used to be-teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol-until an airport gypsy warns Rose it's time to find her way back to that brave, tough girl . . . or else. Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas, running from a man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did.

My Thoughts:  As someone from Alabama the fact that I haven't read Joshilyn Jackson seems a bit like a crime so I'm glad to have finally corrected my transgression.  This was quite a ride. I'm not sure I liked any of the characters (other than Fat Gretel (the dog) and a few minor side characters) but I very much enjoyed reading this story.  The audio was fantastic and the narrator's Southern accent was well done (and I'm picky about my accents).  This was fun in a bit of a dark and twisted way and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Friday Fives - Five Quick Reviews for Books I've Read Recently

 

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 week I'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

1.  Every Single Secret by Christina Dodd - I really enjoy this author's books but if you are not able to suspend belief (as in take belief and lock it a box in a closet while you're reading it) this will not be the book for you.  It's plot and the setup are absolutely bananas.  There are crime lords and secret assassins and all kinds of dramatic intrigue and tragedy. I loved the appearance of Gothic in this book and am hoping for another book set there soon.   It was a fun roller coaster of a read that kept me entertained which is kind of the point of this kind of story.  This is a fun bit of escapist reading that will keep you turning pages.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars) 

2.  The Collector's Apprentice by B.A. Shapiro - I didn't enjoy this one.  Maybe if I had more of an appreciation for art I would have enjoyed it more with all the art mentioned and the time spent in the art scene both on the collecting end and with the actual artists.  My main issue was I disliked all of the characters and the story didn't engage me enough to make up for it.  I don't think this author is for me.  I didn't care for the style of writing or how the characters were developed.  My Rating: Not For Me (2 Stars)

3.  The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill - I had read some mixed reviews for this one so my expectations were pretty low going into it and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.  It's definitely a bit unique with one part being a more traditional mystery and the other being an exchange between the woman who is writing the story and a fan.  As the story goes on both plots become more and more unsettling and I had no idea how either would end.  The audio version was fantastic with Katherine Littrell's narration really adding to the experience.  I will be on the lookout for more from both the narrator and the author.  My Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)

4.  The Body on the Beach by Simon Brett - Carole Seddon is incredibly sensible and her neighbor Jude (just Jude) is decidedly not.  However, it is sensible Carole that stumbles upon a body on the beach and gets caught up in an investigation she never had any intention of taking part in.  Who else can she reach out to for help but Jude?  This was a fun very classic feeling English village mystery.  I really enjoyed watching the friendship between Jude and Carole develop and the mystery itself unravel.  This is a series and an author I'm looking forward to reading more from.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

5.  We Solve Murders by Richard Osman - I read and enjoyed a previous book by Osman and I loved the sound of this one.  I went with the audio version and Nicola Walker did a fantastic job with the narration.  The cast of characters is quite the mix involving professional assassins, super tough security, retired police officers, a hodge podge of village residents, oh and a professional author with quite a lifetime of experience.  The mystery is a cat and mouse game through multiple countries with serious stakes and hijinks galore. This was a fun read and I had no idea how things were going to unfold until the end but I enjoyed watching unfold.  I'm looking forward to read more from this author and this series.  My Rating: Really Liked It!  (4.5 Stars)

Books from the Backlog - The Man Who Died Twice

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  While I didn't love the first book in the series I did enjoy it and it's a series I'd like to read more of.