sjgoins

(1) Beginning 2022 with An Advent Book of Days by Gregory Kenneth Cameron. A different character of Christmas discussed for each day of Advent.

This group always helps me to read; welcome back to the group.

Welcome back to another year of reading! I hope 2022 is great for you.

Have a great year of reading!

Happy reading in 2022!

>2 PaulCranswick: Thank you. As a former school librarian, I am a frequenter of my public library. There’s always a book.

>4 thornton37814: it’s certainly my plan. Thanks.

>5 FAMeulstee: And thank you, too. Happy reading to all.

(2) Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan. Rather than start the year out with a mystery, I read the Advent book first then finished this one. It was originally published in 1949 and is somewhat dated in style, but it kept my interest.

(3) Aftershocks: a Memoir by Nadia Owusu. More an interior dissection than memoir; she analyses everything and everyone, but her life is anything but typical for most people.

(4) The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs. I liked this better than the previous book.

(5) Something to Hide by Elizabeth George. Another of her marathon reads. Even with the many interwoven story lines that at times were hard to keep straight, she still keeps the interest level high.

(6) Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells. Okay. Reads a little stiff but characters have potential to create a viable series.

(7) An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor. The villagers are worth revisiting.

(8) The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Oscan. A good follow up to his first book. It’s a bit silly, but the characters are ones you’d like to know. Age has some benefits besides its issues.

(9) Nantucket Counterfeit by Steven Axelrod. Not a great promo for Nantucket Island residents but a good mystery.

(10) The Red Door by Charles Todd. This book in the series has a lot of twists. I still hope the son of this author combination continues both the series we are reading.

>16 sjgoins: I have always been fascinated by Nantucket and old sea tales, but I guess it is not all salty goodness!

Have a good weekend.

(11) Nantucket Penny by Steven Axelrod. You're right, Paul, and this one wouldn't recommend the area's inhabitants, except for the police chief's finding some humanity tucked away here and there. Still a good series.

(12) And then there's The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridason. Perhaps closer to real detective work with its mind-numbing checking of every detail, which is described too well. I think I recall liking his other books better.

>19 sjgoins: Agree about The Darkness Knows. I found the next two Konráð books much better (not sure if they are available in English translation), and comparable to the best Elendur books.

>20 FAMeulstee: Thanks for sharing your opinion about the books. Perhaps I’ll have to try additional books in that series as well and not judge only the first book in the series.

(13) Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger. The prequel certainly fleshed out the backstory of the rest of the series.

(14) The Murder Book by Jane A. Adams. No wonder some of the plot seemed familiar: I read this book five years ago. But enough had been forgotten that it held my interest.

(15) The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber. A pretty good beginning to a series. The characterizations started for some seemingly as stereotypes but then gave some of them more depth.

(16) Death Scene by Jane Adams. Good to learn more about the main characters.

(17) Mortal Arts by Anna Lee Huber. A good follow up to the first in the series with probably the ending that needed to happen—that didn’t require too many mental gymnastics to make sense.

(18) A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber. I think the series gets better with each book—or I finally realized it is a mystery/romance series. There are a few anachronistic phrases and grammatical concerns, but the story holds my interest.

(19) Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. An honest and informative book.

(20) Kith and Kin by Jane A. Adams. Grit and grime become a setting for a battle of criminals, gypsies, and the police. It's a wonder anyone survived in post WW I England from the tenor of these books--but the mysteries are intriguing.

(21) Unnatural Causes by P.D. James. While I liked the book, it had not quite a caricature of a drawing room mystery, more than some others we've read. Will have to read more to see how the series develops and the author lives up to her reputation.

(22) A Lonely Death by Charles Todd. Maybe at last some movement in the primary characters' lives.

(23) Still Life by Sarah Winman. A cross between poetry and tedium. I got used to—and liked— many of the quirky characters, but the “talking” trees were easier to relate to than Claude. Florence was the star.

(24) A Study in Death by Anna Lee Huber. The characters are developed further, keeping me interested. There are a few seemingly anachronistic terms used.

(25) The Clockmaker by Jane A. Adams.

(26) A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purcell. Well researched and documented biography of an American who organized much of the effective French resistance in WW II.

(27) The Body on the Train by Frances Brody.

(28) Molten Mud Murder by Sara E. Johnson. A decent first book of a series. And the author became a fan of Oxford commas—a plus.

(29) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. While it reminds me of another book, I think I like the premise of this one more.

(30) Kids Say the Darndest Things by Art Linkletter. May have read it years ago because so much was familiar.

(31) The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larsen. Very well researched. It took me longer to read because there was so much to absorb.
(32) The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton. So many of the recent historical novels I’ve read haven’t felt real. This book is truly convincing.

(33) Malicious Intent by Lynn H. Blackburn. Mystery was fine, but the good guys were probably too good, sort of Nancy Drew for adults.

(34) Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce. Glad I read it, though the reading was often tiresome. I enjoyed the author’s book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry much more.

(35) The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman.

(36) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Hard to find characters to like very much. Still, Patchett writes well enough to make you believe the story, though it’s so grim.

(37) Three Debts Paid by Anne Perry. The humanity of the main characters is welcome compared to the previous book.

(38) When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris. The research into the history of the time is appreciated. The plot is also plausible. A good series.

(39) As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber. Nearly as good as C.S. Harris’ St. Cyr series, but with a few grammatical errors and occasional contemporary expressions. Well, there are a few unnecessary descriptions of clothing as well. Still, Huber has done her research and does tell a good story.

(40) Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. Read it four years ago and had only fleeting recollection till the end. Still like the book.

(41) Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd. This book was rather convoluted in getting to the solution, but it’s still a great series.

(42) Billie Holliday: the graphic novel. Graphic novels are less historical than going for the backstory, which this book does.

(43) 22 Seconds by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. It’s fast paced action and short chapters make these books easy, quick reads. It doesn’t hurt that the story is a good one.

(44) Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd. Another complex murder. A bit difficult keeping characters straight, but a logical conclusion.

(45) City of the Dead by Jonathan Kellerman. Another articulate mystery. I like the characters, the events that are not overstated or overly depicted. (Conversations don't always have to end with "...he said," and some things happen that readers can easily figure out without saying what went before.)

(46) The Biographical Dictionary Literary Failure. It’s almost like falling for “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” I knew the book was fiction, but it reminded me too much of sophomoric writing attempting to be humorous. There were amusing bits, and my vocabulary got a good workout, but I felt as if I’d been fooled into reading it.

(47) The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan. A lot of research whether the final decision is correct or not.

(48) The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton. The technique of jumping back and forth between each set of characters introduces them but makes it difficult at first to find continuity in the story. Once the threads are knitted together, it is more continuous.

(49) The Barbizon by Paulina Bren. While a good commentary on the women who lived in the hotel since it’s construction and how their expectations were met—or not, there are some generalizations that mightn’t hold true for all. The book also attempted to be chronological but there was some jumping back and forth.

(50) The Book of Moon by George Crowder. Didn’t think I’d like it, but I found the characters more interesting and not as typical as they started out.

(51) Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson. A bit predictable but a fun read.

(52) The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood. While a bit awkward and while the reader has to accept a lot of solutions some of which have little to suggest them, it still was a generally fun read.

(53) The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. Clever book within a book and a second mystery of sorts.

(54) Monastery Mornings by Michael Patrick O’Brien. Mr. O’Brien’s memories of his introduction to the monastery and how the monks cared for him and influenced his life.

(55) The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. Nice to get back to a fantasy book after some time. For a first in a series this is worth continuing. There was some difficulty in understanding the "logic" behind some of the characteristics of the various groups: Library, Fae, and others, but it still created a world I'd like to explore more and see the development of the characters.

(56) The Business of Blood by Kerrigan Byrne. A new twist on a Victorian woman who is in an unsavory job as a person who cleans up after murder—but also helps supply bodies to doctors for dissection. The story was told pretty well, but grammatical errors kept getting in the way. I’ll try the next book to give the series a fair chance.

(57) Murder in the Latin Quarter by Cara Black. Aimee Leduc always gets into difficulty solving crimes, but she covers Paris in doing so. The mystery and the setting make these books worth reading.

(58) A Fine Summer’s Day by Charles Todd. The prequel to the series. Nice links to the Bess Crawford series as well.

(59) The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Reasonably well written, though the switch of narrators chapter by chapter got a bit tiring and, once in a while, confusing. None of the characters was a true protagonist; there were too many backstories. All were damaged people, and many were just truly unlikable. So--well written but about the wrong people.

(60) Murder is in the Air by Frances Brody. Not the best book in the series. There are several plot lines which mostly get resolved; however, some leave the reader wondering what happens next. A few of the characters in this book don’t ring true, and some are ignored after their part in the book is deemed finished—at least to the author.

(61) A Treacherous Trade by Kerrigan Byrne.

(62) The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan. An epic odyssey based on the lives of a German Ukrainian family who escaped Stalin's Russian troops and in a long trek made it to British West Berlin and then to the US.

(63) The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. Full of contradictory impressions of Chris Knight—appreciation for his endurance and for his apparent lack of need for human interaction and wondering why he couldn’t have tried to maintain his solitude without disturbing other people.

(64) Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner. A fun read. It leans a bit heavy on name dropping, but it lent a little credence of how the ending could happen.

(65) She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge. Good start to a series.

(66) A Brush with Shadows by Anna Lee Huber.
(67) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. Having read a book by Charlotte and Emily, I felt it only right to read one by Anne. Worth the read.
(68) No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd. Interesting twist on cause and effect.

(69) Cold, Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs. Four stars with reservations. The heavy jargon got in the way of communication. It fits Slidell, but it seems more gratuitous with Ryan and Tempe. The killer also wasn't quite as believable. Still a good mystery.

(70) Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan. Perhaps overly sentimental but contains wonderful discussions about reality versus imagination in writing or life in general.

(71) The Puzzler by A.J. Jacobs. Would like to try some of the puzzles. Almost too many all at once but maybe more “intriguing “ a few at a time.

(72) The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History. Well done.

(73) An Artless Demise by Anna Lee Huber. Progress in Lady Darby’s acceptance into society.

(74) Racing the Devil by Charles Todd. Hope the series continues and finds a way to help Rutledge.

(75) The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck. Three different perspectives of ordinary Germans during WW II.

>81 sjgoins: Congratulations on reaching 75!

Congrats!

Thank you.
(76) The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman. The Language is a clever contrivance but after not reading fantasy for so long, it is (along with other "powers") something that I'll have to suspend belief a bit in order to accept it. Still, I like the characters and want to see them develop.

(77) Wild Prey by Brian Klingborg. If possible to happen, scary. Nice to find an ethical character.

(78) A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber.

(79) The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Amazing that I read this two years ago and didn’t recall it but did remember reading The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek the year before. So many parallels between the two books, some faintly changed, others more blatant. Still, I liked both books.

(80) A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott. Having read more about Alcott's strong promotion of women's rights, I read the book (for the second time it seems) and appreciate it more--especially noting how she (like Jo March) wrote to earn money for her family.

(81) Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge. Similar format as first book: alternating time periods getting closer to the actual crime. Decent bit of keeping the reader in the dark till the reveal at the end.

(82) The InkBlack Heart by “Robert Galbraith.” Kept me guessing but could have been edited a bit more.

(83) The GateKeeper by Charles Todd. Some rather despicable characters create an interesting plot.

(84) Upright women wanted by Sarah Gailey. I appreciate the perspective but felt it was a re-dressed old-style Western with plenty of action and not much character and plot development. But it begins to speak to some people, like the person who recommended it to me.

(85) A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber. Character development continues along with occasional grammatical issues. Still like the series.

(86) When We Were Young and Brave by Hazel Gaynor. Sometimes understated, which made more of an impact.

(87) The Black Ascot by Charles Todd. Glad to see Dr. Fleming’s help again. Hope for something more.

(88) Lie Beside Me by Gytha Lodge. She managed to keep me guessing to the end. There are some loose threads still at the end of the book, but they probably are there to draw the reader into the next.

(89) Britt-Marie was Here by Fredrick Backman. Good translation that made me think it was set in England, though I knew otherwise. The ending was a bit of a surprise, though it shouldn’t be.

(90) Forgiveness: the Story of Eva Kor by Joe Lee. The author has done much research plus having the enviable opportunity to take the last trip Eva Kor led to Holocaust sites in Europe. I got to visit her CANDLES museum in Terre Haute and witness the remarkable hologram of Eva “sitting” across from visitors to the museum and seeming to answer questions put to her.

(91) Little Sister by Gytha Lodge. Probably the best of the series to date. I thought it was going to be too similar to the first book, but it was a new twist that had a surprising ending.

(92) The Coldest Case by Martin Walker. So nice to have a humane policeman, chef, and fairly self-sufficient gardener/farmer as the protagonist.

(93) A Truth to Lie For by Anne Perry. Perhaps it ended the only way possible.

(94) A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd. Clever ending.

(95) The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart. Some good twists mixed with a few grammatical errors and dubious word choices that diminished the usually good writing.

(96) The Maid by Nita Prose. Molly was well defined; there were some unexpected twists; the ending was a bit predictable but clever. A good reminder of the value in some unconventional people.

(97) Black Coral by Andrew Mayne. Action, good characterizations, the familiar setting of the undervalued woman detective discovering the criminal, but it makes for a good story.

(98) Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge. Okay but a lot of stereotypes.

(99) The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin. Seems to be a believable plot that was well researched and based loosely on factual people and events.

(100) The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves. Another typical Vera Stanhope with lots of suspects and a few terrible twists. My husband commented about the disparities between saying there was no cell coverage on the island, yet people were occasionally making calls. Otherwise a good mystery.

(101) A Fatal Lie by Charles Todd. Lots of unhelpful people making lots of suspects. Interesting recommendations at end of the book.

(102) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Is it possible to read too much? Parts of this book seemed a bit like others I'd read, but when entering this one, I found I'd apparently read it four years ago. It's a disturbing book in some ways, and I'd have thought it would resonate more in my memory. I did like it but find one mystery has not quite been discovered by more than a couple of characters.

(103) The Secret of Bow Lane by Jennifer Ashley. Nice period series. The current mystery is usually solved, but there is always something left a bit up in the air for the reader to want the next book in the series to read.

(104) A Game of Fear by Charles Todd. The series continues to intrigue, and I hope the author will write more on his own.

(105) Zorrie by Laird Hunt. A life in 156 pages. Well described but either too familiar or not different enough.

(106) The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman. Though I did know I had previously read this book, I reread it so that I could now read the second book in the series with a better recollection of the background.
Each of the historical mysteries we’ve read that gives author’s notes at the end provides further understanding of the times involved, which I appreciate.

(107) A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver. Not the usual background for some of the protagonists, but effective.

(108) The Last to Disappear by Jo Spain. Finally being able to care about the main characters, I was better able to like the book.

(109) Silence in the Library byKatharine Schellman. The second in another mystery series with some decent historical/cultural snippets.

(110) The Shadow Murders by Jussi Adler-Olsen. While I hate having a book ending with the plot hanging unfinished, this moved along and finishing the series will be satisfying—I hope.

(111) Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. The double entendre of the title is mild; the characters are generally well developed, though occasionally stereotyped; the period of time is relatively correct.

(112) A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber. Suspected the culprit somewhat early, but it was still well enough written to keep me guessing.

Thank you as always for books, thank you for this group and thanks for you. Have a lovely day.

>121 PaulCranswick: I do appreciate so many of the offerings of LibraryThing. Thank you.

(113) The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. Despite a reader's finding some discrepancy in information within the book, I think the author accepted the account of the protagonist's son and created a valid story around it.
(114) The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. Mixed reaction to the book. First I liked the premise. Then I found it hard to get into the story. Then I felt it gave too much credence to the power of books; however, finally, I appreciated the development of the story.

(115) The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan. Totally predictable, but the kind of book to read this time of year.

(116) Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. While another predictable story, the characters were well-drawn and the story good for the season.

(117) The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman. I liked this book better than the last. Though it's a bit necessary to suspend belief in the actions of the characters, it's also a fun read with some clever twists.

(118) The Man in the Shadows by Alys Clare. The author juggles two distinct cases well without confusing the reader.

(119) Murder Has a Motive by Francis Duncan. A decent mystery although slightly outdated attitudes keep it from being totally believable.