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2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


29 / 30 books. 97% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (2)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois (3)
- Indiana (4)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (2)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (7)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (2)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (2)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (2)

International:
- Australia (2)
- Bolivia (1)
- Canada (3)
- China (1)
- England (19)
- France (1)
- Ghana (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (4)
- Italy (1)
- Poland (1)
- Russia (1)
- Scotland (3)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


51 / 51 states. 100% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


41 / 50 books. 82% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


35 / 50 books. 70% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


50 / 52 books. 96% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


35 / 40 books. 88% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


16 / 40 books. 40% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 25 books. 84% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


16 / 26.2 miles (3rd lap). 61% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


35 / 100 books. 35% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


90 / 104 books. 87% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


123 / 165 books. 75% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


73 / 100 names. 73% done!
Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas



I promised my German book blogger friend, Marianne,
I would send her pictures of my "Griswold" Christmas house, but I decided to go ahead and share them with you all as well. Decorating is not my forté (neither is photography, as you can see). Still, I love this time of year and decking my house out with all my favorite things is a fun way to make things feel festive. You'll see several of my collections on display here: nativities (I especially love those designed by
Jim Shore), nutcrackers (they're lining the windowsills—I've been collecting them since I first saw The Nutcracker when I was about 10), Santas (Did I mention I'm a Jim Shore fan?), and Department 56 village houses (from their Original Snow Village collection). 
My husband's all about the lights, so he festooned the bannisters with glow-y garlands (the strand of leg lamps he strung on one can't be seen from the front door, thank goodness). The lights that hang down from the loft, unfortunately, decided to crap out after he strung them up. Bummer. At any rate, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! 
 My 13-year-old spent the weekend enthusiastically wrapping presents while I worked on Christmas cards, so those things are done. All I have left to do now is some last-minute gift shopping for our family Secret Santa gift exchange, making homemade doughnuts for the neighbors (my husband and I are getting booster shots on Doughnut Day Eve, so we'll see how we're feeling for this exhausting event—it may get cancelled), getting my dad a birthday gift (our shared birthday is December 22), and shopping for Christmas dinner (ham, homemade rolls, funeral potatoes, etc.). How is your holiday prep going?

Amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I'm still working on my goal of reading 200 books this year. I'm six away (really five since I'm halfway through the e-book I'm reading and about the same with the audiobook I'm listening to). This week's TTT prompt—Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR List—asks what's next up on the docket. In addition to those I listed last week, I've got ten more possibilities to share with you. I love these seasonal TBRs, so I'm excited to see what everyone has on their lists today.

Don't forget to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give some love to our gracious hostess, Jana.

Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR List  


1. Poison Lilies by Katie Tallo (available May 24, 2022)—This is my current read. Dark August, the first book in the series, was one of my first reads of 2021. I loved it and have been waiting *patiently* for a sequel. Although Poison Lilies doesn't officially come out for a while still, I got an e-ARC from Edelweiss Plus. Huzzah!

Our heroine, Augusta "Gus" Monet, has moved into an old Ottawa apartment complex. She meets her eccentric neighbor, a blind woman who hasn't left the building since the 1950s. When a corpse from the same era is found in a deep pond nearby, Gus's neighbor pays her to investigate the very cold case. 


2. Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien (available January 25, 2022)—I'm always up for the newest installment in this fun cozy mystery series, which is one of my very faves. In this one, Lana Lee helps host a speed-dating event. When one of the participant's dates is murdered and she's accused of the crime, she asks Lana to help prove her innocence. 


3. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid—I think I'm the only one who hasn't read this buzzy mystery/thriller yet. Good thing I'm an airhead and checked out two copies from the library! Set in the 80s, the novel is about a house party gone horribly wrong. It's getting great reviews, so I'm in.


4. In the Market for Murder by T.E. KinseyCath recommended this fun historical mystery series. I enjoyed the first book, so I'm excited to read the next installment which promises to be just as enjoyable. This time, it's the murder of a local farmer that has Lady Hardcastle and her maid playing Sherlock and Watson.


5. Ghost Ship by Brian Hicks—When I posted about my love for books about maritime disasters, Lark recommended this non-fiction account of the fate of the Mary Celeste. It's going to come due at the library soon, so I need to read it soon. It sounds fascinating!


6. Futureface by Alex Wagner—I'm hoping my quest to become a professional genealogist will take a step forward in 2022, as testing has been stalled for the past couple years by COVID. In the meantime, I always enjoy an intriguing family history/DNA story. This one, about a woman's search for her true identity, sounds like just the ticket.


7. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (available February 1, 2022)—I love Sepetys' historical YA novels, so her newest definitely earns a place here. Set in Communist Romania in 1989, this book features a young man who is forced to become an informer, but uses his unique position to undermine a dangerous government.


8. Tips for Magicians by Celesta Rimington—I enjoyed this author's debut middle-grade novel. Her newest is about a grieving boy who moves to a strange town in middle-of-nowhere Utah. The residents believe in a "magical entity" that grants wishes. The boy hopes it's true because he really, really needs his wish to come true...


9. The Last Daughter of York by Nicola Cornick—As much as I love historical fiction, I don't tend to read books set before the 19th Century. Still, this dual-timeline novel set in York (which I loved when I visited England a few months ago) sounds like a good one. 


10. Stiff by Mary Roach—I've been wanting to read a Roach book for forever, so I finally bought this one. It sounds absolutely fascinating!

There you go, ten books on my Winter TBR list. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What are you planning to read this winter? I'd truly love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!
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Reading

<i>Reading</i>
Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong



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