I managed to fill 93 of the 106 slots for the #192025 challenge. I had wanted to make the challenge extra hard by allowing at most one book by any author, but I guess I made it a little too difficult to complete in time! 😂

The best part of this challenge was discovering a lot of new authors. Thank you, @Librarybelle, for hosting and I'm ready to start the #192030 challenge!

Ready for another year of #BookSpinBingo! @TheAromaofBooks

This first Campion book isn't really typical of the series. Campion himself has a secondary role, and the plot is a bit of a mess. It was still fun to reread this story, especially with the #HashtagBrigade.
@BarkingMadRun

I finished this challenge! Thanks @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead for hosting.
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge

Despite the promise of the title, there were only a few Campion stories in this mixed collection. The stories were not especially notable, but I did enjoy an essay by Allingham about her detective.

#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (short stories) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

This reread of an old favourite completes my Gotta Catch Em All and 52 Book Club challenges for the year! I love Bilbo and the dwarves!

#gottacatchemall (Rockruff: mountains) @PuddleJumper
#52bookclub (adventure story)

I picked up an old “Canadian Educational Edition“ of this play about the murder of Thomas Becket. The notes helped but I expect I still missed a good number of references in Eliot's verse. The story was seasonal, as the drama took place during the Yuletide season.

#gottacatchemall (Lycanrock Dusk: TBR 2+ years) @PuddleJumper
#52bookclub (told in verse)

During a nostalgic moment, I picked up a few books from the Vicki Barr series, about the adventures of a flight attendant in the 1940's. These books feel very dated now. In one incident, Vicki presides over a chartered flight of hunters. One shoots a hole in the window mid-flight with his rifle. The pilot admonishes him with stern words and Vicki fixes the hole with duct tape!

#52bookclub (title is a spoiler)

This is a low pick for me. While there are great characters and an intricate plot as with Penny's other books, I prefer her cozy mysteries, and this one is more of a political thriller, though I was happy to see some activity in Three Pines. Warning for other readers: this is not a standalone story but a sequel to The Grey Wolf.

#OhCanada @Jess861
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (red cover) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

This installment in the #Discworld series has Vimes travelling back in time and encountering his younger self. I loved learning more about Vimes's back story and seeing his character develop.

#OokBOokClub @julesG

In this noir thriller, a student murders his pregnant girlfriend and then starts pursuing her sister. This was a very suspenseful read that I found hard to put down!

#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (noir) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead
#52bookclub (author has won an Edgar award)
#192025 #1953

This young-adult mystery is set on the Canadian, a train that travels between Toronto and Vancouver. Almost all the characters, including the teenage sleuth, were unpleasant but I enjoyed very much the details of the setting. I've always wanted to do the cross-Canada journey on this well-known train!

#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (set on transport) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

A fun novella in the Vampire Knitting Club series, perfect for the season!

#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (winter/snow) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead
#gottacatchemall (Luvdisc: set during a holiday) @PuddleJumper

@dabbe Thank you so much for the fun gifts to celebrate the completion of the #ShardlakeBR. I loved the books and the discussion with the group!

My parents recently moved to a seniors' home and I'm cleaning up their house, getting it ready to sell. I found this treasure and am taking it back home. I'm planning to read my #ToB26 books in the company of #TheRooster!
#TournamentOfBooks

My December #BookSpinBingo list!
@TheAromaofBooks

#TodayILearned that hot peppers were not used in European, African or Asian cuisines before the 16th century. Even though I had known that chili peppers came from the Americas, I somehow didn't clue in, since I've enjoyed so many hot spicy foods from Indian, Korean and other cuisines!

#NFN @Bookwormjillk

This was a cookbook that I enjoyed reading all the way through, as it contained interesting history about how curries evolved in different parts of the world and lots of tips on using different spices. I made a baharat spice mix from one of the recipes and hope to try a few more recipes before I return this book to the library.

#gottacatchemall (Trumbeak: a spicy book) @PuddleJumper

This book seems to be a Japanese classic, but I've only just discovered it, thanks to various Litsy challenges that inspire me to try out new authors! I really enjoyed it and will look for more books featuring the eccentric detective Kosuke Kindaichi.

#192025 #1946 @Librarybelle
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (locked room) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead
#gottacatchemall (Herdier: set in winter)

A good installment in the Falco series set in Ancient Rome. In this one, Falco travels to Germania on an imperial mission and has a number of (mis)adventures along the way.

#192025 #1992 @Librarybelle
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (any) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

This was a fun installment, with seances, a spooky mansion and swindlers.
#NancyDrewBR @Librarybelle
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (famous lead detective) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

A low pick. The mystery was OK but I liked the Saskatchewan setting, as I've not read many books set in that province of Canada.

#192025 #1994 @Librarybelle
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge (cosy) @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

These are the books I'm hoping to read for the #ChristmasCrimeChallenge! @Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead

1. The Black Wolf
2. A Colder Kind of Death
3. The Ghost of Blackwood Hall
4. The Honjin Murders
5. The Return of Campion
6. Cat's Paws and Curses
7. Murder on the Canadian
8. A Kiss Before Dying
9. The Iron Hand of Mars

Here's a summary of the #192025 books I finished over the past few months. I'm not sure I'll fill the remaining 17 slots before the end of the year, but I'll give it my best shot!
@Librarybelle

My November #BookSpinBingo list.
@TheAromaofBooks

A very good installment in Brunetti mystery series set in Venice, in which the Commissario investigates deaths in a nursing home. The author explores the role of the church and the power it wields.

#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (boat)
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)
#BodyCountBingo (beneath notice)
#GottaCatchEmAllSpooky (power)

I enjoyed rereading this book with #HashtagBrigade. The novel is terribly melodramatic but a good read for the spooky season!

#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (brown cover)
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)
#AfterDarkBingo (touch of the monster)
#BodyCountBingo (orgy of evidence)
#GottaCatchEmAllSpooky (horror)

@ImperfectCJ @Bookwormjillk @TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper @BarkingMadRun

This felt very different from the other L. M. Montgomery books I've read -- a very sharp critique of societal norms in an entertaining story with glorious descriptions of the Muskoka region in Ontario.

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (initials in author's name)
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)

2104 points so far for #ScreamTeam
#HauntedShelf @ImperfectCJ

Lucy gets help from her fellow witches and vampire knitting friends to solve a murder that occurs at a summer fair. This series is so much fun!

#BirthdayBashReadathon
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#Witchathon
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (exactly two people)
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)

Feeling nostalgic, I recently picked up the first 3 books in this series which I enjoyed as a child. It feels very dated in its portrayal of women's roles and how the airline industry is run (in-flight meals included an after-dinner cigarette). Still, I found this book thoroughly charming and fun to read.

#BirthdayBashReadathon
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo

This review is for Such Dangerous Seas, a novella bundled with Be the Serpent that tells the backstory of the sea-witch Luidaeg. Recommended for fans of the October Daye series.

#BirthdayBashReadathon
#52bookclub (prequel)
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#Witchathon
#BookSpinBingo
#PumpkabooHunt (small)

Not a particularly good installment in this series. There were unappealing side characters, problematic stereotypes and a mess of a plot.

#NancyDrewBR @Librarybelle
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#AfterDarkBingo (Let's Split Up, Gang!)
#ISpyBingo (red hair)
#PumpkabooHunt (small)
#GottaCatchEmAllSpooky (Sinistea: Antique)

@ImperfectCJ @Bookwormjillk @TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper

An apocalyptic novel about the Earth undergoing environmental collapse and how humans react to it. This was published in 1998 but some aspects seem scarily relevant, like the dangers of the anti-science movement.

#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (fire)
#PumpkabooHunt (large)

This was one of our #ScreamTeam lead favourites and it was an excellent choice for the spooky season. A disturbing haunted-house story that has the gothic feel of a Daphne Du Maurier novel.

#HauntedShelf @ImperfectCJ
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (creepy cover)
#PumpkabooHunt (large)

A very enjoyable installment in the #Discworld series, mainly because of the characters featured in this story -- Angua, Sybil and the wonderful Gaspode!

#OokBOokClub
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#PumpkabooHunt (large)
#AfterDarkBingo (Canus Latinicus )
#BodyCountBingo (the dog was the mastermind)
#GottaCatchEmAll (Sylveon: underdog character is victorious)

I'm somewhat behind with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub schedule but finally finished this one. I did enjoy following the interactions of the villagers, even if most of the characters were thoroughly unpleasant!

#192025 #1952 @Librarybelle
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (cosy vibes )
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)

@ImperfectCJ @Bookwormjillk @TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper

A good installment in the October Daye series with a lot of unexpected revelations and the usual amount of faerie chaos.

#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#Witchathon
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (author's name in red)
#PumpkabooHunt (large)
@PuddleJumper

An excellent installment in the Vorkosigan series, in which Miles encounters the seedier side of the cryogenics industry.

#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (orange title)
#PumpkabooHunt (large)
#AfterDarkBingo (corporate dragon)
#BodyCountBingo (meddling kids are useless)
#GottaCatchEmAllSpooky (Gimmighoul: greed)

A low pick. It was slow going but I warmed up to Miss Mole's character as the novel progressed. It's always a pleasure reading VMC editions with the beautiful covers, though this isn't the classic green one.

#192025 #1930 @Librarybelle
#gottacatchemall (Eevee: book you were gifted) @PuddleJumper

Didn't love the characters but such beautiful writing! I enjoyed reading this one along with #HashtagBrigade @BarkingMadRun

A low pick. I am enjoying this sci-fi cosy mystery series, but mostly for it's interesting setting on Jupiter.

#192025 2025 @Librarybelle
#52bookclub (published in 2025)

I absolutely loved this novel about a young trans woman returning to her father's rural home after her mother's death. It's a funny, sad and hopeful story.

#52bookclub (read in a “-ber“ month)
#gottacatchemall (Sliggoo: characters share one brain cell) It took me a while to find a book for this prompt, but I figure that a pair of racist transphobic characters would fit the bill. @PuddleJumper

In my reread of this book, I appreciated King's worldbuilding, but I'm not sure the book stands up well on its own. I had liked book 2 much better and am looking forward to reading it and the rest of the series with #LosersClub.
#KingFromTheBeginning @BarkingMadRead

I loved this final book in the Shardlake series and very sad that there will be no more works from C. J. Sansom. I'll save my thoughts for the upcoming #ShardlakeBR discussion. @dabbe

#52bookclub (explores social class)
#gottacatchemall (cloaks or capes) @PuddleJumper

An excellent installment in one of my two favourite sci-fi series (the other being The Expanse). Listening to Grover Gardner's audio narration made this reread even more enjoyable.

#gottacatchemall (Magearna: set in space) @PuddleJumper

I've loved everything that Kate Heartfield has written, including this historical fantasy novel that incorporates the Bayeux Tapestry in a WWII setting.

#gottacatchemall (Magearna: historical fantasy book) @PuddleJumper

This is my list for both #HauntedShelf and #BookSpinBingo. I'm ready for October!

#ScreamTeam @ImperfectCJ @PuddleJumper @TheAromaofBooks

Having read all the books in the Inspector Gamache series that have been written so far, it was interesting to go back to the beginning and revisit the characters as they were introduced to us the first time.

#gottacatchemall (Smeargle: art or artist as the central theme or character) @PuddleJumper

A pretty good installment in the Nancy Drew series, in which caves, bells and fraudsters play a part. I found the plot much more plausible than those of earlier ND stories.

#NancyDrewBR @Librarybelle