Life‘s too short for characters this annoying. I got 25% in and had to bail. I‘m sure the narrator‘s jailbird roommate Ruby will turn out to be innocent because that‘s how these typically work out. But she‘s on my last raggedy ass nerve so I honestly don‘t care and will be annoyed if she‘s innocent and even more annoyed if she is martyred proving her innocence. 😆

This is the first book from this author I‘ve read/listened to. I really liked it - I‘m surprised it‘s pick percentage is so low. The audiobook kinda felt like Siri was reading to me, but I really enjoyed the story. I will certainly check out other books by the author.

This was the January FOTL read for our little local library. It was a read some/listen some for me. I almost gave it up because a couple of the characters annoyed the peewodden outta me, but I‘m glad I stuck with it. It wound up being a pick and I thought it had done clever parts. One of the characters never did stop annoying me but I learned to put up with her. 😂 I may check out more from this author. She was new to me.

I finally finished this book yesterday at lunch. In spite of it taking me 8 months to finish, I really did enjoy it. It‘s divided into 7 segments, each looking at a bit of Dickens‘s life (childhood, marriage, charity, public readings, etc). It‘s a ‘warts and all‘ account, often showing his contradictory & hypocritical opinions regarding society and mores. If you know most of his work you may enjoy, if not you may be bored as so much is cited.

I shoulda spent my lunch break cleaning my terribly cluttered office, but I finished this instead for tomorrow‘s FOTL meeting. I really liked this book! I can see how it may not be for everyone but as a woman soon to turn 50 I really appreciated it. The idea that life can weather away the enchanting things about us as we get caught up in all we need to do day over day is something I‘ve been thinking about a lot. First Moriarty I‘ve read. 👍🏻

I bumped this up my TBR list so I could get it read before the movie comes out. I really liked it over all. It slogged along a bit in the middle, but it ended up as a pick for me overall. None of the characters are terribly likable so I can see where this may not be everyone‘s cup of tea. Solid, gritty historical crime novel.

Thank you, thank you, @catiewithac !!! I‘m so excited to read this with the chocolate - and the little penguin ornament is absolutely adorable! I love this all so much! Happy Jólabókaflóð!! And thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for putting this on again this year. ?

Thank you, thank you, @catiewithac !! I am so sorry I typo-ed my zip code! ? What a nuisance for you! I can‘t wait to open it ? Happy Jólabókaflóð !

#jolabokaflodswap

This book goes briefly into the real story of Ness and The Untouchables as they worked to gather a case against Capone. It then goes into Ness‘s tenure as head of public safety for the city of Cleveland, during which The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run (or the Cleveland Torso Killer) was active. These cases were never solved, but the book is a fascinating snapshot of law enforcement in the 1930s nonetheless. Good book if crime history‘s your jam!

Ulf and Cnut have finally gotten the #jolabokaflodswap package out to @AFrostCauseReads ! They say you can open the box when it gets there because they tried to wrap it real pretty before they boxed it. (We‘ll see how they did . . . . ) They are also sorry it took so long to get their poop in a group and get it out. It‘s been a week or two!

Happy Jólabókaflóð!!! Hope you love it!

This book was a wonderful stop on my quest to read a book on every President. I was lucky to notice it since just came out in September. Very well annotated with a Sources and Methods section at the back that looks like a great resource for further reading. Check it out if this is your sort of thing. Very interesting book!

This may be my favorite footnote in this book full of interesting and informative footnotes. 🤣

This book was original published in 1977, so many of the essays are really dated. One even laments that Poirot never caught on with film /TV audiences. 😂 Some of the literary criticism is interesting as are some of the essays on Christie herself, but certainly nothing I‘d add to my personal library.

I thought this book was really clever. I loved the historical references (especially the School of Night. Lit nerd heaven!) and the juxtaposition of the story between 1590‘s Europe and the modern timeline. There are brand new characters and you meet some that were previously referenced. I wound up really loving a couple of characters that I didn‘t expect to like at all. I may have even liked this book more than the first one.

I ran across the tv series on AMC+ and gave it a go because I liked the cast. The chemistry between the leads was hot enough to melt your damn teeth so I had to pick up the books once I realized they were a thing. I really like this one! I‘m a science nerd and loved the academic bits that others apparently have found boring (according to other reviews). I really liked the secondary characters and how the author plays with the genre. Good stuff!

I‘ve listened to the entire Kinsey Millhone series this year. I enjoyed them more as the series went on. The tagged book is my favorite of these four but V is for Vengeance was a close second.

I‘ll have to find a new series now 😊

Hawthorne & Horowitz #4 was a total surprise when I heard it came out this week. I typically like to read Horowitz rather than listen but this series is an exception since it‘s read by the lovely and talented Rory Kinnear - I burned through this one in 2 days. If you like the others in this series, you‘ll like this one, too, I‘m sure. I thought it was lots of fun and beautifully performed as always.

I‘m sorry, but every time I see this man‘s name I giggle and think of that scene in Bridget Jones where she tries to cover her “vile Richard” conversation with Jude (will that poor actor be known for anything other than weeping in bathrooms?) by pretending to talk to FR Leavis. Daniel‘s response of “The FR Leavis who died in 1978? Amazing . . .” has been my first thought when I see his name for 20 years. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Wow! This one was so good! While it‘s not a true story, it incorporates some history of the area that I had no idea existed. It‘s solid mystery/thriller fiction but the author has historical notes at the end explaining what inspired some events and pointing the reader to resources for additional reading. I will certainly be looking some of the books and investigative reporting he mentions there. So glad I picked this one up!

Continuing through the Kinsey Millhone series. The tagged book is my favorite of the four. In that book, Grafton departs from her usual format - toggling between perspectives of various characters in 1953 and the current timeline in 1987. She carries on similarly in T is for Trespass, this time toggling between Kinsey‘s perspective and that of the villain, making it one of the more frightening and anxiety inducing of Grafton‘s books.

I enjoyed this one! It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did I could scarcely put it down. I will continue to order Ruth Ware‘s books cold.

The next four Kinsey Millhone books down. The tagged is my favorite of the bunch, but they changed the narrator on book O - I‘m not nuts about how she narrates Henry. She makes him sound too frail for his thriving, fierce octogenarian persona.

This was my first PD James, so I started at the beginning of the Adam Dalgliesh series. I enjoyed it and will certainly continue on. Onward with classic British mystery writers!

I read this when it first came out but wanted to wait until I listened to it to post a review. I really liked this book. It has some essays that are personally revealing and consequently seem a little more raw and honest for Mr Sedaris than his ordinarily snarky family tales. That said there were still some that I laughed aloud heartily. Oddly, the book ends with a mention of Springfield, MO which is the place I mean when I‘m “going to town.”

Listened through the next four Kinsey Millhone books. (Work has been such a sedentary beast recently that audiobooks have been my go to to get me off my arse.) I liked all four of these, but I particularly enjoyed the send up to Elmore Leonard in the tagged book. I‘m almost surprised that Raylan Givens didn‘t swoop in at the end 😂

I‘d been looking for another series I could listen to while gardening and doing chores and whatnot. I really enjoyed the first books of the author‘s Two Rivers series, so I elected to give the Vera Stanhope series a go. This was good and I really like Vera‘s outsider personality and aesthetic- she‘s tough and smart and great at her job but she‘s not cool or attractive in the conventional sense. She‘s chubby, pushy, and middle aged. I relate! 😂

Working my way through Sue Grafton‘s Kinsey Milhone books on audiobook while doing chores. The tagged book was the best of the four in my opinion, and H is for Homicide was my least favorite. I am enjoying them keeping me company during chores.

Just finished this gloriously snarky little gem of a book! It had me at “A book about women who dressed like men to do shit they weren‘t supposed to do.” There were some stories I knew but so many I did not. In some instances women posed as men in name to write, in others women just simply refused to dress the norm and delightfully alienated the society around them. The author often interjects her snarky asides, which I completely enjoyed!

Another great book from Candice Millard! This tells the story of the British search for the source of the Nile, complete with rivalries, egos, and arrogance a plenty. My favorite thing about this book is how well it highlights the reliance upon indigenous guides and their contribution to the travels of folks like Livingston, Burton, and Speke. If you‘re a history nerd, maybe give it go!

This one is a low pick for me. This is the first I‘ve read from this author - it‘s our FOTL book this month - so I had no idea what to expect. I was originally going to listen to it but had to bail on the audio because OMG Timby‘s portrayal was nothing but whiny awfulness. Reading was much better on this one for me. Terribly uncomfortable to read at times because Eleanor is such a mess and I felt for her. But I‘m still glad I finished it.

I am really enjoying these Sue Grafton books. The hardest part is waiting for them to come through on my Libby. Great company during my outdoor chores!

Some of the sweet ladies who come into our little FOTL charity bookshop have been telling me how much they love these books. This first one came out in 1982 and it held up pretty well. It may have even been pretty racy in its day. I had to keep reminding myself of the technological differences of 40 years ago. Nifty little mystery to keep me busy whilst gardening this weekend. I‘ll certainly see if Libby has the others.

This was an oddly delightful little slip of a book. Less than 250 pages, it recounts the 1953 road trip President and Mrs Truman took from Independence, MO to DC and NYC and back after he left the White House. They went completely alone, with no security, which would be unheard of today. The author traced the trip and collected anecdotes from those who remember seeing the Trumans on their trip. A nice little snap shot of America in the 50s.

Another gorgeous novel by Allende - I love her slow-burn storytelling. This time it takes the shape of a memoir/letter written to the narrator‘s grandson, Camilo. She recounts her life in an unnamed South American country, surviving economic collapse and political upheaval, sexist expectations and societal disapproval, and all the joy and heartache and regret and passion that comes with 100 years on this earth. I wasn‘t read to let Violeta go!

I burned through this book while gardening and cooking last weekend. It was so good! After @Crinoline_Laphroaig recommended it (Thank you!!!), I snagged it on Audible and I am so glad I did! It was the middle aged Lady power book I didn‘t realize I needed. It gave me Witches of Eastwick vibes, but it was so much more satisfying. I will certainly be checking out this author‘s other work!

David Sedaris‘s Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross was wonderful. It was quite different from his typical interview. He wore his emotional vulnerability on his sleeve more than he usually does - typically his pain is hidden behind his witty sarcasm and humor. If you are a fan, it‘s worth a listen :

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/31/1101440888/david-sedaris-happy-go-lucky

Murderous Maud, everyone‘s favorite ornery octogenarian, is back in a book of short stories - tied together as Maud reminisces during a flight to South Africa. I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first book. It was good to read stories from Maud‘s earlier life. And she mustn‘t be crossed . . . Unless you want to get beat with a stick. 😂

I finished this chonktastic tome this rainy weekend. Unfortunately, I missed a lecture by the author last week - I can‘t believe he was in Columbia, MO - when he came to speak. This is the first book on George III since a massive project to digitize his papers began in 2017. Lots of new info, including evidence that the porphyria hypothesis is not correct, which I had suspected since working on my biotech degree. Good book on George & his times.

Really interesting book about a serial killer in Florence in the 70s and 80s. The first part tells the story of the murders and the second part tells of the retaliation the government enacted on the journalist who challenged the government‘s investigation. Interestingly, the magistrate who oversaw this case was the same one that oversaw the prosecution of Amanda Knox. He seems a bit obsessed with the idea of Satanic sex rituals. 🤨

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I thought it was even better than Ariadne, which I loved. It‘s a retelling of the Trojan War from the perspectives of Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra. So well done, though heartbreaking in places - particularly where Clytemnestra narrates the fate of Iphigenia. If you like retellings of Greek mythology from the female perspective, give this new one from Jennifer Saint a go.

Oh the irony. Who knew the architect of the Vietnam war invented seat belts in cars when he worked for Ford? I sure didn‘t.

Heads up, nerds! 💕
Available for preorder: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250847959/madly-deeply

Very well done book. It juxtaposes the horrific murders of a mother and her toddler daughter against the history of the early LDS church that informs the extremist, fundamentalist sects of breakaway LDS groups today. I felt the book was fairly even handed in recounting atrocities both perpetrated upon and by the early Mormons, particularly in my home state of MO. If you are watching the show, don‘t expect the book to follow that track. 👇🏻

I first became acquainted with Ms Ford when she co-hosted the Lovecraft Country Radio podcast that accompanied the stellar HBO show Lovecraft Country. (Still pissed there‘s no season two, but I digress . . . ) I simply had to listen to her memoir when I realized she had one. So glad I did! Those that complain about her ‘whining‘ aren‘t actually hearing what she has to say. She‘s not whining- she just recounting her story. And it was hard. 🙌🏻

Oooofff. “still the poor woman is bodily and morally the husband‘s slave” Queen Victoria got it. She was self-aware enough to know how lucky she was to have Prince Albert.

WOW. This was my first Erdrich but it certainly won‘t be my last. I loved the complex relationships and characters and that touch of magical realism. This is also the first fiction I‘ve read that touches on the pandemic and civil unrest of 2020 - I particularly appreciated getting a point of view from the Indigenous perspective. What should my next Erdrich be, Littens?

Interestingly, this book has the same FBI agent Sarah Keller as Finlay‘s Every Last Fear, but the story told in this book predates the story told in Every Last Fear. I figured out the ultimate culprit fairly early on, but that didn‘t impede my enjoyment of the book at all given the different perspectives and multilayered story line. If you enjoyed Finlay‘s first book, you‘ll probably dig this on as well.

I really enjoyed this 9th installment in the Rivers of London series. This is a series I always both listen to as well as read because I love the performances of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith so much. My only complaint is that Nightingale seemed underutilized in this book. I hope to see more of him in the next one.

I read somewhere that this book was combo of Shirley Jackson style gothic horror and Neil Gaiman‘s warmth & whimsy. They were so right! It has that wonderful other-worldliness that I love in Gaiman (and Schwab!) but it also has a haunted ancestral home esthetic that is prevalent some Jackson (& in the work of director Mike Flanagan). But it is not a knock-off at all - It is wonderful and I was not ready to say goodbye at this end of this story.

This was a slow burning novel, but I enjoyed the smoldering story. Set in late50s to early 60s Harlem, it gives a perspective I don‘t think I‘ve ever read before in fiction.