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I have some of my regulars (nonfiction/ memoirs, series) as well as new ones, and I won't come close to completing them. But its sure fun to try!!!

CURRENTLY READING
(book) (audiobook) (book)

Names of Challenges:

Book of the Month/ Books I Own 7/15

First in Series 7/15

Continuing Series 8/20

Nonfiction/ Memoirs 7/40

States 8/52

Never Before Read Authors 5/26

Genre Reads
*Graphic Novels 5/10
*Middle Grade 5/10
*YA BIPOC 2/10
*YA Fantasy/ Sci fi 1/10
*Chick Lit 3/10

Old as Fack
*Horror 3/5
*Chick Lit 0/5
*Hist. Fiction 1/5
*Mystery/Thriller 1/5

Book Total: 159/150

JANUARY- 18 Books Read
The Locked Door
One True Loves
She Started It
Small Mercies
The Lost Ticket
The House Next Door
Gideon Falls, Vol. 1: The Black Barn
The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing
I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls
The Stranger Upstairs
Glory in Death
A Deadly Game
The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder
The Alice Network
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting
The Lies We Told
The Unmaking of June Farrow
The Awakening

FEBRUARY- 12 Books Read
Murder in the Family
Dear Martin
Yellowface
All Your Perfects
Honey Girl
I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf
The Beauty in Breaking
The Nickel Boys
Girl in Pieces
Herding Cats
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Get a Life, Chloe Brown

MARCH- 16 Books Read
Adelaide
The Women
XOXO, Cody: An Opinionated Homosexual's Guide to Self-Love, Relationships, and Tactful Pettiness
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1
If You Find Me
The Wilderwomen
Counting the Cost
The Midwife of Auschwitz
Daughter of Moloka'i
Ararat
Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files: Storm Front, Volume 1: The Gathering Storm
Parable of the Sower
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake
Part of Your World
The Coffin Dancer
The Disappearance

APRIL- 12 Books Read
The Drowning Woman
Alone
Love and Other Words
Holly
Legends & Lattes
The Unhoneymooners
All Rhodes Lead Here
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Bright Young Women
Haunting Adeline
The Hunting Wives
The Dresden Files: Storm Front, Volume 2: Maelstrom

MAY- 14 Books Read
You, with a View
Amelia Unabridged
Songs of the Humpback Whale
The Comeback
The Weight of Blood
Wonderland
All Systems Red
The Break-Up Book Club
The Trespasser
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 2
Made in the U.S.A.
The Teacher
Loves Music, Loves to Dance
Paris: The Memoir

JUNE- 14 Books Read
Hang the Moon
Starfish
The Housemaid
Check & Mate
The Fourth Monkey
The Hawthorne Legacy
This Time Next Year
Stepsister
The Vanishing
Hooked
White Ivy
All the Living and the Dead
I'll Meet You There
The One and Only Ivan

JULY- 13 Books Read
Normal People
Birthday Girl
Seabreeze Inn
C is for Corpse
Throne of Glass
None of This Is True
The Forgotten Girl
Shark Heart
The Island
Esperanza Rising
The Vacation
This Spells Love
Don’t Forget to Write

AUGUST- 14 Books Read
You Shouldn't Have Come Here
Sleepers
Yours Truly
Never Lie
One Dark Window
Margo's Got Money Troubles
Let Me Go
The Passengers
The Mystery Guest
Just for the Summer
Bad Summer People
Our Missing Hearts
One of Our Own
Good Luck with That

SEPTEMBER- 13 Books Read
Boys in the Valley
Quicksilver
The Flatshare
56 Days
City of Thieves
Wait Till Helen Comes
Run on Red
The Girls Weekend
He Started It
Dear Edward
Powerless
Powerful
Sullivan's Island

OCTOBER-11 Books Read
Lights Out
You Like It Darker
Incidents Around the House
The Paris Apartment
Goddess of Filth
You Love Me
Home Is Where the Bodies Are
The Children on the Hill
This Could Be Us
Dearest
Under the Whispering Door

NOVEMBER- 10 Books Read
Middletide
Monday's Not Coming
The Eyes Are the Best Part
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
The Ritual
City Spies
The Lost Story
For You and Only You
The Paper Palace
The Ex Vows

DECEMBER- 12 Books Read
The Dark One
House of Glass
Before We Were Innocent
Ring Shout
Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog
The Christmas Swap
25 Days
The Christmas Train
The Whittiers
A Winter in New York
Carrion Comfort
The Christmas Holiday

Type of Media:

Physical: 69
Ebook: 21
Audiobook: 61
Graphic Novel: 8

Gender:
Female: 123
Male: 36
Nonbinary:

Total Pages Read: 52, 833
Jan Pages: 5536
Feb Pages: 3584
March Pages: 5141
April Pages: 4563
May Pages: 4779
June Pages: 4741
July Pages: 4731
Aug Pages: 4609
Sept Pages: 4637
Oct Pages: 3969
Nov Pages: 3714
Dec Pages: 3966

Genres:
Mystery-Thriller: 40
Romance: 19
Dark Romance: 5
Historical Fiction: 10
Horror: 16
Graphic Novel: 8
Memoir: 5
Nonfiction/True Crime: 4
Fantasy: 6
Classic: 1
YA: 10
Adult Contemporary: 15
Magical Realism: 4
Science Fiction: 2
Middle Grade: 6
Cozy Mystery: 3
Chick Lit: 5

Cat 1: Book of the Month/ Books I Own

7/15 Completed

CURRENTLY READING

1.Good Luck with That COMPLETED 8/31/24- 3 STARS
2.Honey Girl COMPLETED 2/13/24- 4 STARS
3. A Little Hope
4. The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
5.The Housemaid COMPLETED 6/9/24- 4 STARS
6. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
7.She Started It COMPLETED 1/5/24- 2.5 STARS
8.Loves Music, Loves to Dance COMPLETED 5/28/24- 3 STARS
9. Upgrade
10. Mudbound
11.The Hunting Wives COMPLETED 4/24/24- 2.5 STARS
12. River Sing Me Home
13. Sign Here
14.The Unhoneymooners COMPLETED 4/13/24- 3 STARS
15. The Attic Child

Cat 2: First in Series

7/15 Completed

CURRENTLY READING

1.The Fourth Monkey COMPLETED 6/10/24- 4 STARS
2. Into the Wild
3.Sullivan's Island COMPLETED 9/30/24- 3 STARS
4.Legends & Lattes COMPLETED 4/11/24- 2 STARS
5.Get a Life, Chloe Brown COMPLETED 2/29/24- 2 STARS
6. The Pillars of the Earth
7. Silent Child
8. The Surgeon
9. On What Grounds
10. The Friend Zone
11. Burying Water
12. Open and Shut
13.All Systems Red COMPLETED 5/17/24- 3.5 STARS
14.Seabreeze Inn COMPLETED 7/11/24- 2 STARS
15.Ararat COMPLETED 3/15/24- 3 STARS

WILL I CONTINUE SERIES?

YES:
Ararat
All Systems red (Murderbot)
The 4MK series

NO:
Chloe Brown
Legends & Lattes
Seabreeze Inn
Sullivan's Island

Cat 3: Continuing Series

1st 10 are #2 in series, 2nd 10 are #3 and up!

7/20 Completed

CURRENTLY READING

1. Us Against You
2.The Coffin Dancer COMPLETED 3/27/24- 2 STARS
3. The City
4. Wasteland: Book Two of the Phoenix Cycle
5.The Mystery Guest COMPLETED 8/19/24- 2.5 STARS
6.The Hawthorne Legacy COMPLETED 6/11/24- 2.5 STARS
7.Glory in Death COMPLETED 1/17/24- 3.5 STARS
8. Cold Wind
9. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
10. The Absent One

11. Changes (Harry Dresden #12)
12. Code Zero (Joe Ledger #6)
13. Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum #3)
14. One of Us Is Back (One of Us is Lying #3)
15. Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake #4)
16.The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad #6) COMPLETED 5/19/24- 3.5 STARS
17. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun(Finlay Donovan #3)
18. Broken (Will Trent #4)
19.Let Me Go(Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #6) COMPLETED 8/16/240 4 STARS
20.C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone #3) COMPLETED 7/10/24- 2 STARS

Cat 4: Nonfiction/ Memoirs

8/40 Completed

CURRENTLY READING :

1. Counting the Cost COMPLETED 3/13/24- 5 STARS
2. Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General
3. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
4.The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder COMPLETED 1/22/24- 3 STARS
5.The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing COMPLETED 1/12/2024- 5 STARS
6.Paris: The Memoir COMPLETED 5/30/24- 3.5 STARS
7. Turning Inward: The Practice of Introversion for a Calm, Joyful, Authentic Life
8. Still: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Motherhood
9.All the Living and the Dead COMPLETED 6/24/24- 3.5 STARS
10. The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic
11. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
12. Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence
13.Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog COMPLETED 12/13/24- 3 STARS
14. A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming
15. Wasteland: The Secret World of Waste and the Urgent Search for a Cleaner Future
16. Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny
17.The Beauty in Breaking COMPLETED 2/19/24- 3 STARS
18. The Nineties
19. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
20. Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations
21. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
<22. The Search for the Green River Killer
23. No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden
24. Secret Service Dogs: The Heroes Who Protect the President of the United States
25. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls
26. Crying in H Mart
27. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
28. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
29.The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
30. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
31. Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
32.If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood COMPLETED 2/27/24- 4 STARS
33. The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar
34. Concussion
35. The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found
36. Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System
37. Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood
38. Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
39. Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up
40. The Witches: Salem, 1692

Cat 5: 51 States

I chose 1 book for each state (plus Puerto Rico) where the story takes place!

8/52 Completed

CURRENTLY READING

Alabama Midnight at the Blackbird Café
Alaska The Simple Wild
Arizona 24 Hours in Nowhere
Arkansas A Painted House
California Parable of the Sower COMPLETED 3/20/24- 4 STARS
Colorado All Rhodes Lead Here COMPLETED 4/19/24- 3 STARS
Connecticut All Your Perfects COMPLETED 2/12/24- 4.5 STARS
Delaware Sunburn
Florida The Nickel Boys COMPLETED 2/20/24- 3.5 STARS
Georgia When Stars Rain Down
Hawaii Summer Bird Blue
Idaho Walk Two Moons
Illinois The Revolution of Birdie Randolph
Indiana All Good People Here
Iowa Little Mercies
Kansas Kill Creek
Kentucky Prodigal Summer
Louisiana Out of the Easy
Maine Olive Kitteridge
Maryland Mary Jane
Massachusetts The Huntress
Michigan Amelia Unabridged COMPLETED 5/5/24- 5 STARS
Minnesota The Lager Queen of Minnesota
Mississippi The Girls in the Stilt House
Missouri The Weight of Blood
Montana The Flood Girls
Nebraska The Lincoln Highway
Nevada Made in the U.S.A. COMPLETED 5/23/24- 4.5 STARS
New Hampshire The Lake Season
New Jersey Gone for Good
New Mexico Summer of Fear
New York The Price of Salt
North Carolina The Moonshiner's Daughter
North Dakota The Round House
Ohio The Female of the Species
Oklahoma The Long and Faraway Gone
Oregon Geek Love
Pennsylvania The House of Eve
Puerto Rico Olga Dies Dreaming
Rhode Island The Survivors Club
South Carolina The House on Tradd Street
South Dakota Winter Counts
Tennessee If You Find Me COMPLETED 3/8/24- 3.5 STARS
Texas Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
Utah Autoboyography
Vermont The Drowning Kind
Virginia Bearskin
Washington Simply Irresistible
Washington DC The Pelican Brief
West Virginia Intercepts
Wisconsin Homeland Elegies
Wyoming You Shouldn't Have Come Here COMPLETED 8/1/24- 2.5 STARS

Cat 6: Who ARE you???

Never Before Read Authors, listed by last initial

5/26 Completed

CURRENTLY READING

A Abulhawa, Susan Against the Loveless World
B Benioff, David City of Thieves COMPLETED 9/12/24-4 STARS
C Carcaterra, Lorenzo Sleepers COMPLETED 8/4/24- 3 STARS
D Demetrios, Heather I'll Meet You There COMPLETED 6/27/24- 4 STARS
E Emezi Akwaeke The Death of Vivek Oji
F Francis, Patry All the Children Are Home
G George, Jessica Maame
H Harris, Terah Shelton One Summer in Savannah
I Ivey, Eowyn To The Bright Edge of the World
J Jackson, Jenny Pineapple Street
K Kabler, Jackie Am I Guilty?
L Liggett, Kim The Grace Year
M Mandanna, Sangu The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
N Napolitano, Ann Dear Edward COMPLETED 9/26/24- 4 STARS
O Oakes, Stephanie The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
P Pearce, Bryony The Girl on the Platform:
Q Quinn Meghan The Mother Road
R Robotham, Michael The Secrets She Keeps
S Sullivan, Mark T Beneath a Scarlet Sky
T Tarttelin, Amber Golden Boy
U Umrigar, Thrity The World We Found
V Vandelly, T.Marie Theme Music
W Wheeler, Genevieve Adelaide COMPLETED 3/2/24- 2 STARS
X Xinran Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet
Y Yates, Christopher Grist Mill Road
Z Zappia,Francesca Eliza and Her Monsters

Cat 7: Genre Reads

CURRENTLY READING

I chose 5 genres at random to show more attention/ love to!
The categories are:
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade
YA written by BIPOC authors
YA fantasy/sci fi
Chick Lit "cartoony covers"


GRAPHIC NOVELS
5/10 Completed

1.Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 COMPLETED 3/5/24- 3.5 STARS
2. I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After
3.I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf COMPLETED 2/16/24- 3 STARS
4. Harrow County, Vol. 1: Countless Haints
5.Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History COMPLETED 4/20/24- 3 STARS
6.Gideon Falls, Vol. 1: The Black Barn COMPLETED 1/11/24- 3.5 STARS
7. Stillwater, Vol. 2: Always Loyal
8. Saga, Volume 11
9. The Low, Low Woods
10.Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Storm Front Vol 1 #2 COMPLETED 3/16/24/ 4 STARS

MIDDLE GRADE
5/10 Completed

1.The One and Only Ivan COMPLETED 6/28/24- 4 STARS
2.Esperanza Rising COMPLETED 7/22/24- 3 STARS
3. The Midnight Children
4. El Deafo
5. Fish in a Tree
6. The Thing About Jellyfish
7.Starfish COMPLETED 6/5/24- 4 STARS
8. The Girl Who Drank the Moon
9.Alone COMPLETED 4/3/24- 4 STARS
10.Wait Till Helen Comes COMPLETED 9/14/24- 3 STARS

YA- BIPOC
1/10 Completed

1. Last Night at the Telegraph Club
2.Dear Martin COMPLETED 2/7/24- 4.5 STARS
3. The Gilded Ones
4. The Sun Is Also a Star
5. Monday's Not Coming
6. With the Fire on High
7. All American Boys
8. Watch Us Rise
9. On the Come Up
10. One of the Good Ones

YA FANTASY/ SCI FI
1/10 Completed/ 1 DNF

1.Throne of Glass COMPLETED 7/11/24- 4 STARS
2. The Iron King
3. The Bone Houses
4. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
5. The Wicked Deep
6.Illuminae DNF @ 23%- 4/28/24
7. The Marrow Thieves
8. Steelheart
9. Aurora Rising
10. The Darkest Minds

CHICK LIT CARTOON COVERS
3/10 Completed

1. Modern Lovers
2. 99 Percent Mine
3. The Chicken Sisters
4.The Flatshare COMPLETED 9/9/24- 2 STARS
5. None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive
6. Nora Goes Off Script
7.Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting COMPLETED 1/25/24- 4 STARS
8. Hello Stranger
9.The Break-Up Book Club COMPLETED 5/19/24- 4 STARS
10. Twice Shy

Cat 8: Old as Fack- Genre Edition!

I chose 4 genre categories and listed the ones that have been on my TBR the longest. Let's hope I can dust some off and discover some 4-5 star winners!

The genres chosen are:
Horror
Chick Lit
Historical Fiction
Mystery/Thriller

CURRENTLY READING

HORROR
2/5 Completed

1. The House Next Door COMPLETED 1/9/24- 3 STARS
2. Ghost Story
3. A Stir of Echoes
4.The Vanishing COMPLETED 6/17/24- 3 STARS
5. Carrion Comfort

CHICK LIT
0/5 Completed

1. THE LIES WE TOLD
2. Maine
3. Gods in Alabama
4. The Last Letter from Your Lover
5. The Ice Cream Girls

HISTORICAL FICTION
1/5 Completed

1.The Homecoming of Samuel Lake COMPLETED 3/21/24- 3 STARS
2. The Blind Assassin
3. The Cellist of Sarajevo
4. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
5. The Dovekeepers

MYSTERY/THRILLER
1/5 Completed

1. Blood Harvest
2. Missing You
3. The Mourning Hours
4.The Forgotten Girl COMPLETED 7/15/24- 1 STAR
5. The Creeping

Great ideas, Alissa.

That mix of books for the states is really, really good. I have quite a few on my tbr.

I can't wait to get my hands on Legends & Lattes, to see what the hype is all about. It looks fun, so I think I will really enjoy it.

Of course, I loved The City (Autumn #2). I just read a short story by same author in that dystopian universe called The Cost of Living. It was just okay for me. It showed "the cost of living" when you make bad decision after bad decision, really.

Code Zero was fun, but of course, its Joe Ledger.... ssooo.

The darker era of Harry Dresden. I haven't read any of these books in 2 years. I'm just not ready to let him go. *sigh*

Good luck and happy reading!! 📚📚📚

What an interesting and varied list, I LOVE it. The ones I've read were almost all 4-5 stars for me: Us Against You, Code Zero, Parable of the Sower, Prodigal Summer, Out of the Easy, The Lincoln Highway, Gone for Good, Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, City of Thieves, The Cellist of Sarajevo, The Dovekeepers) and I can't even begin to tell you how many others are on my TBR too.
Happy reading, can't wait to hear your thoughts on all of them!

Okay alllllllllllll the categories are FULL and done! Phew =)

Another great graphic novel series:

American Vampire, Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder. Great lore, pretty gory, but a great story.

28 Days Later, Vol. 1: London Calling by Michael Alan Nelson I think this might be just as good, if not better than the movie. Its just cool. Only 6 books

The Dark Tower #1 by Stephen King; Robin Furth. **For anyone who is ready to step into the DT Universe and start making connections with that universe; I highly recommend reading at least the first 3-4 graphic novels here, before reading The Gunslinger, which can be weird, off-putting and did I mention, weird.

This is a very dangerous thread, but what a great set of lists! :-)

You are so organized. It's difficult to comment on such a list. Some series that I'm also enjoying, Some of your graphics, and many of your books, I've enjoyed. I bet you'll have a most enjoyable reading year.

Bill wrote: "You are so organized. It's difficult to comment on such a list. Some series that I'm also enjoying, Some of your graphics, and many of your books, I've enjoyed. I bet you'll have a most enjoyable r..."

i have a notebook that I jot stuff down all year lol I think I WAY overdid it this year but whateves, ;-)

Alissa wrote: "Bill wrote: "You are so organized. It's difficult to comment on such a list. Some series that I'm also enjoying, Some of your graphics, and many of your books, I've enjoyed. I bet you'll have a mos..."

I've got lists online, a notebook and other lists. The trick is trying to keep them up to date.. LOL

Great challenges! So many great memoirs on that list. I'm going to be checking back in to see which ones I need to read.

Michelle wrote: "Great challenges! So many great memoirs on that list. I'm going to be checking back in to see which ones I need to read."

And theres SO many I didnt add. I love nonfiction/memoirs

Great lists! Good luck.

Oooooookkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!! Are you ready to add to our master buddy read calendar??!!??!!

So, here are a few books on your list i own and could do buddy reads;
- The Mystery Guest - i need to read The Maid first, so i just need a little heads up on this one.
- The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
- If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
- The Huntress
- Maame
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky
- Adelaide
- The Sun Is Also a Star

Lindsey wrote: "Oooooookkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!! Are you ready to add to our master buddy read calendar??!!??!!

So, here are a few books on your list i own and could do buddy reads;
- [book:The Mystery Guest|15..."


Let's do it. No idea when but lets do it lol

Working on my January list! I have a few that are not listed in any challenges but are on my January list. They are

- buddy read with Lea
- virtual book club choice
- finally got this one in, I've been on the list forever at my library!
- creepy winter book, doesn't matter if it's 60 in Florida lol
- that title. lol. This was a winner in a poll in my Horror Aficionados group and I can get it on Kindle Unlimited so why the heck not

And here are the ones I'm planning on for my challenges!
- Books I Own/ Buddy read with Lindsey
- Old as Fack, Horror
- Never Before Read Author
- Memoir

Appears that my 2024 reading year is starting off with some dark tones! =)

Cool list! I'll try to read Small Mercies with you, and I'll watch for your reviews on a few others. I'm intrigued!

Hey, i newd to check my kindle. But i think i own Grist Mill Road. You know, because we don't have enough options to pick from for buddy reads. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Love all your challenges, what a mix of great books! And it's so freaking impressive that you've got your January books all lined up to go. Looking forward to seeing your reviews (or maybe not, since I know I'll end up adding them to my own lists, lol)

Happy reading!

CURRENTLY READING

(ebook)
(audiobook)
(book)
(book)
(ebook)

First Book Done annnnnnnnnnnnd it's not from any of my lists (is ANYONE really shocked by this lol)

BOOK 1

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden



3.5 STARS
Ebook

This is my 2nd Freida McFadden. I liked this one much better than , and it read super fast- like not kidding. I was able to read this at work in one day haha.

The ending was SO cheesy but I did not see it coming. I don't know what it is about serial killers and their family members (in this case, its the serial killer's estranged daughter) but I love these types of books and the palpable tension I get from reading these!

Alissa wrote: "First Book Done annnnnnnnnnnnd it's not from any of my lists (is ANYONE really shocked by this lol) "

LOL, no, no surprise there.

Reading Small Mercies too. I know Lehane will break my heart again, but I need to keep going.

BOOK 2

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid



4 STARS
Audiobook

Remember that scene in Castaway when Tom Hank's character gets rescued and his long time girlfriend has married someone else and has a child, but she is struggling with her new life as she doesn't want to say goodbye to her old life?

This is basically what this story is about, Emma having to struggle with choosing which love of her life to be with . I struggled alongside this with her, as I saw both men as her soulmate and felt for this nearly impossible decision.

Ultimately, I was so happy with the ending and left the story sighing happily. An oldie (from 2016) but another goodie from Queen TJR

Alissa wrote: "First Book Done annnnnnnnnnnnd it's not from any of my lists (is ANYONE really shocked by this lol)

BOOK 1

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

[bookcover:The Lo..."

No, I'm not shocked. I did the same thing! I don't think there is any hope for either of us.

Completed a "Books I Own" book/my first buddy read of the year!

BOOK 3

She Started It by Sian Gilbert



2.5 STARS
Book

If you received a random email from the girl you mercilessly teased back in middle school/high school suddenly asked you and your friends to be in her wedding, to fly to a all-expense paid vacation to an isolated island for a weekend ( this takes place in England so its a hen party) and she's paying for all of it, all you have to do is show up..... would you go?

The girl whose live you ruined.....whom you've never apologized to.... what could go wrong? ;-)

Overall it was a wild ride that kept me guessing, and these 4 girls were TERRIBLE who deserved everything that happened to them. For me, it felt flat at the end but overall it was a fun buddy read with Lindsey. And we both knocked a BOTM book off our shelves!

BOOK 4

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane



4 STARS
Book

If you are looking for a brilliantly told novel with raw and real characters that ends with everyone hugging and living happily ever after, then this is not the book for you.

If you are looking for a brilliantly told novel with raw and real characters that ends with some people learning something about themselves and how the world works, and ends with you wiping the tears out of your eyes, grab a few tissues and pick this one up. Dennis Lehane did it again.

Alissa wrote: " BOOK 4

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane



4 STARS
Book

If you are looking for a brilliantly told novel with raw and real charac..."

It was brilliant, raw and real. Such amazing writing! Glad to see you enjoyed it too. Although enjoy is not exactly the right word for this book. Maybe that should be appreciated it too.

I agree, enjoy is not the right word, but a very good book. Very thought provoking. And if this was not set in the 70s during school segregation times, it could very well be set in current times. And this is terrible.

BOOK 5

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson



3.5 STARS
Book

I read this for my virtual book club, and I really thought it was adorable. It reminded me a lot of , if the elderly main character was a friendly adorable old man looking for a girl he met on the 88 bus 60 years ago who changed his life.

This was a nice easy read if you enjoy chance encounters and cheesy love stories.

BOOK 6

The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons



3 STARS
Audiobook

This book has been on my TBR list ever since I joined Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ in 2013 and I FINALLY got to it!!

Is it a lot of "jump scare" scary? No. But is it a slow build with ecletic characters and the scenes that are indeed horror are truly horrific? Absolutely! Plus, any old house can be haunted but why is it creepier when the house is a brand new build? Read this and find out!

=)

Alissa~Love your Lists. You have picked so many books I’ve read or want to read. I found the Non-Fiction really interesting. I’ve will see how you like The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing, definitely want to read that one. Best of luck with all your Challenges 📚

Completed a GN in my Genre Reads category

BOOK 7

Gideon Falls, Vol. 1: The Black Barn by Jeff Lemire



3.5 STARS
Graphic Novel

Two men- a young troubled man obsessed with finding hidden clues within the city's trash & a down-on-his-luck Catholic priest,- seemingly with nothing in common . However, they do not know it yet but their lives are about to intersect in Gideon Falls, a small town with big secrets, including an elusive Black Barn, an ominous building that seems to disappear but when it again appears, death and destruction lie in its wake.

This one seemed to be a character/world building one, but the graphics were very good and I already requested the next installment from the library.

Completed my first memoir/ nonfiction of the year, and it was an excruciating masterpiece.

BOOK 8

The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin



5 STARS
Audiobook

From soccer mom to opiod user to jailhouse "momma" to successful ghostwriter/ co-writer (she helps co-write ) . This book was a harrowing journey and I'm so proud of Lara for being so honest with her experience.

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row was very good, now I want to read his one too. Thankfully it was on my TBR already, but you pushed it higher!

BOOK 9

I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing



2 STARS
Ebook

In addition to my current challenges, I am also attempting to participate in group read selections for my other groups- Addicted to YA, Catching Up with Classics and Horror Aficionados. I bet you can guess which group this one was chosen for lol

If you had a fear of Sesame Street or the Muppets ( as the author states) you may find this book terrifying. I myself found it a bit light on the horror, almost like a Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode. I mean, a homicidal Elmo is pretty scary but I feel like I could dropkick it and get away....

I love the name of your challenge Alissa!!!

Alissa wrote: " BOOK 9

I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing



2 STARS
Ebook

In ad..."

Oh my goodness this sounds creepy😂😂😂 homicidal Elmo😂😂😂😂😂😂

Alissa wrote: "Completed a "Books I Own" book/my first buddy read of the year!

BOOK 3

She Started It by Sian Gilbert



2.5 STARS
Book

I..."

I would not be going. The amount of petty and diabolical crazy, is astounding. LOL

Alissa wrote: " BOOK 9

I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing



2 STARS
Ebook

In ad..."

The title of this alone sounds terrifying. I definitely do not want to read it. Especially with only 2 stars.

Michelle wrote: "Alissa wrote: " BOOK 9

I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing



2 STAR..."

His others sound terrifying as well I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House and I Found Christmas Lights Slithering Up My Street

Alondra wrote: "Alissa wrote: "Completed a "Books I Own" book/my first buddy read of the year!

BOOK 3

She Started It by Sian Gilbert



2.5..."

Oh 100%. Im like "no good can come from this!!!"

BOOK 10

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin



2.5 STARS
Book

I read this BOTM choice with Lindsay and I wouldn't be surprised if we both had the same exact bald spot on our heads from scratching it so hard. What in the hell was this book lol

Sarah is THE most unreliable narrator I have ever read, and after every chapter I found myself more confused as I just could not take any of what she was saying and doing as the truth. In this case, the confusion worked but unfortunately it fell flat for me at the very end and felt it could have been "cleaned" up a bit more smoother.

BOOK 11

Completed a continuing series, and was back into the throes of Eve Dallas!

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb



3.5 STARS
Audiobook

This is not your typical detective/police procedural series, as it takes place in 2058 and by then we can travel easily across the world and to the moon.

I love Detective Eve, and that she is horribly flawed with a horrific past, She is also smart as a whip and determined to get justice for the string of important women being slaughtered by an angry killer. Looking forward to continuing the series!