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December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
That's a Wrap!
- 1. Cece Rios and the King of Fears by Kaela Rivera (Jan)
- 2. Bastille Vs. The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson (Jan)
- 3. Sunny by Jason Reynolds [audio] (Jan)
- 4. The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green (Jan)
- 5. Madwoman by Louisa Treger (Jan)
- 6. The Art of the Decoy by Trish Esden (Jan)
- 7. Ten Days a Madwoman by Deborah Noyes (Jan)
- 8. Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates (Jan)
- 9. Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire* (Jan)
- 10. The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong [audio] (Jan)
- 11. Plantation Shudders by Ellen Byron (Jan)
- 12. Exiles by Jane Harper* (Jan)
- 13. The Stranded by Sarah Daniels (Jan)
- 14. No Strangers Here by Carlene O'Connor (Jan)
- 15. Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber [audio] (Jan)
- 16. All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (Jan)
- 17. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (Jan)
- 18. The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden [audio] (Jan)
- 19. The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho (Feb)
- 20. Five Survive by Holly Jackson (Feb)
- 21. Beneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye Huey* (Feb)
- 22. The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart (Feb)
- 23. The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong* (Feb)
- 24. The Starburst Effect by Kelly Oram (Feb)
- 25. Falling for Korea by Piper Jean (Feb)
- 26. Without the Mask: Coming Out and Coming Into God's Light by Charlie Bird* (Feb)
- 27. American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson (Feb)
- 28. Don't Look For Me by Wendy Walker [audio] (Feb)
- 29. Her Little Flowers by Shannon Morgan (Feb)
- 30. The Silence by Susan Alcott (Feb)
- 31. Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family by Erika Hayasaki (Feb)
- 32. In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward (Feb)
- 33. The Lost Wonderland Diaries by J. Scott Savage (Feb)
- 34. Secrets of the Looking Glass by J. Scott Savage (Feb)
- 35. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park (Feb)
- 36. The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation by Rosemary Simpson [audio] (Feb)
- 37. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds [audio] (Mar)
- 38. Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare (Mar)
- 39. Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry* (Mar)
- 40. The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon (Mar)
- 41. The Opera Sisters by Marianne Monson (Mar)
- 42. Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country in the World by Sarah Smarsh [audio] (Mar)
- 43. The Letter Carrier by L.C. Lewis (Mar)
- 44. This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong* (Mar)
- 45. Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong* (Mar)
- 46. Courts and Alleys by Elizabeth J. Stewart (Mar)
- 47. A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly (Mar)
- 48. In the Shadow of a Queen by H.B. Moore (Mar)
- 49. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede* (Mar)
- 50. The Letter From Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd [audio] (Mar}
- 51. Book Lovers by Emily Henry [audio] (Apr)
- 52. A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon* (Apr)
- 53. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (Apr)
- 54. The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore (Apr)
- 55. A Stolen Child by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Apr)
- 56. Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley (Apr)
- 57. Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley (Apr)
- 58. The Swell by Allie Reynolds (Apr)
- 59. Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (Apr)
- 60. The Wedding Dress Sewing Cirlce by Jennifer Ryan (Apr)
- 61. To Catch a Storm by Mindy Mejia (Apr)
- 62. Lone Women by Victor LaValle (Apr)
- 63. Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong* [audio] (Apr)
- 64. The Close by Jane Casey* (May)
- 65. Misfortune Cookie by Vivien Chien (May)
- 66. The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs* (May)
- 67. The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden (May)
- 68. The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie (May)
- 69. Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke (May)
- 70. Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark (May)
- 71. A Stranger in Town by Kelley Armstrong* [audio] (May)
- 72. Where Are the Children Now? by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke (May)
- 73. The Right Kind of Fool by Sarah Loudin Thomas (May)
- 74. Enola Holmes and the Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer* [audio] (May)
- 75. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (May)
- 76. The Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz (May)
- 77. The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong* (May)
- 78. Mousse and Murder by Elizabeth Logan (May)
- 79. Zero Days by Ruth Ware (Jun)
- 80. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson [re-read] (Jun)
- 81. Home Away From Home by Cynthia Lord (Jun)
- 82. Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen [audio] (Jun)
- 83. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Jun)
- 84. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Jun)
- 85. Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths [audio] (Jun)
- 86. On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis (Jun)
- 87. A Simple Plan by Scott Smith (Jun)
- 88. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser (Jun)
- 89. In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce* [audio] (Jun)
- 90. I Lived On Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin (Jun)
- 91. The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate (Jun)
- 92. Stiff by Mary Roach (Jun)
- 93. The Talk by Darrin Bell* (Jun)
- 94. Surrender by Bono (Jul)
- 95. The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda (Jul)
- 96. Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA by Richard Hill (Jul)
- 97. A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones [audio] (Jul)
- 98. A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer (Jul)
- 99. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (Jul)
- 100. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (Jul)
- 101. A Gathering Of Days by Joan W. Blos (Jul)
- 102. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney* [audio] (Jul)
- 103. What Stands in a Storm by Kim Cross (Jul)
- 104. Enchanted Hill by Emily Bain Murphy (Jul)
- 105. Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen [audio] (Jul)
- 106. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë* [re-read] (Jul)
- 107. The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan (Aug)
- 108. Death in Bloom by Jess Dylan [audio] (Aug)
- 109. O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Aug)
- 110. Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow* (Aug)
- 111. What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski (Aug)
- 112. Lasagna Means I Love You by Kate O'Shaughnessy (Aug)
- 113. The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor (Aug)
- 114. Sincerely Sicily by Tamika Burgess (Aug)
- 115. Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (Aug)
- 116. Adrift by Lisa Brideau (Aug)
- 117. 102 Days of Lying About Lauren by Maura Jortner (Aug)
- 118. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd [audio] (Aug)
- 119. Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison (Aug)
- 120. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado (Aug)
- 121. Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright (Aug)
- 122. Lemon Drop Dead by Amanda Flower (Aug)
- 123. Anatomy by Dana Schwartz [audio] (Aug)
- 124. Goldilocks by Laura Lam (Aug)
- 125. The Codebreaker's Secret by Sara Ackerman (Aug)
- 126. The Unbreakable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher (Aug)
- 127. The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil [audio] (Aug)
- 128. All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers (Aug)
- 129. The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer (Aug)
- 130. Little Wonders by Kate Rorick (Aug)
- 131. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman* (Aug)
- 132. I Survived The Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79 by Lauren Tarshis (Aug)
- 133. The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman (Sep)
- 134. How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller (Sep)
- 135. The Vanishing Violin by Michael D. Beil (Sep)
- 136. The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne (Sep)
- 137. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming (Sep)
- 138. Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister (Sep)
- 139. Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig (Sep)
- 140. Yarned and Dangerous by Sadie Hartwell (Sep)
- 141. Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life by Sutton Foster [audio] (Sep)
- 142. Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy (Sep)
- 143. Murder By Degrees by Ritu Mukerji (Sep)
- 144. Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese (Sep)
- 145. Off the Grid by Tess Sharpe (Sep)
- 146. Lay Your Body Down by Amy Suiter Clarke (Sep)
- 147. Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan (Sep)
- 148. Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (Sep)
- 149. All the Small Poems and Fourteen More by Valerie Worth (Sep)
- 150. Like Vanessa by Tami Charles [audio] (Sep)
- 151. Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford (Sep)
- 152. Scene of the Climb by Kate Dyer-Seeley (Sep)
- 153. The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (Oct)
- 154. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (Oct)
- 155. Beer and Loathing by Ellie Alexander (Oct)
- 156. A Brew to a Kill by Ellie Alexander (Oct)
- 157. My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Oct)
- 158. Solito by Javier Zamora (Oct)
- 159. The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch (Oct)
- 160. The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott (Oct)
- 161. The Secret of Snow by VIola Shipman [audio] (Oct)
- 162. The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie (Oct)
- 163. War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi (Oct)
- 164. Your Second Act by Patricia Heaton (Oct)
- 165. A Bit of Earth by Karuna Riazi [audio] (Oct)
- 166. Eventide by Sarah Goodman (Oct)
- 167. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center* (Oct)
- 168. The Inn Between by Marina Cohen (Oct)
- 169. Finally Seen by Kelly Yang (Oct)
- 170. Devil By the Tail by Jeanne Matthews (Oct)
- 171. The Third Mushroom by Jennifer L. Holm* (Nov)
- 172. Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. [audio] (Nov)
- 173. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Nov)
- 174. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict (Nov)
- 175. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (Nov)
- 176. River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (Nov)
- 177. The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters (Nov)
- 178. The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor (Nov)
- 179. The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White* (Nov)
- 180. Austenland by Shannon Hale (Nov)
- 181. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree* (Nov)
- 182. The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl (Nov)
- 183. Year of No Sugar by Eve O. Schaub (Nov)
- 184. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (Nov)
- 185. Weird Rules to Follow by Kim Spencer (Nov)
- 186. Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins (Nov)
- 187. Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong* [audio] (Nov)
- 188. The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla (Nov)
- 189. Miracle by Karen S. Chow (Nov)
- 190. Half Moon Summer by Elaine Vickers (Nov)
- 191. The Braid Girls by Sherri Winston (Nov)
- 192. The Great Kid in the World by John David Anderson* (Nov)
- 193. A Touch of Blue by Tory Christie (Nov)
- 194. Murder Road by Simone St. James* (Nov)
- 195. The Gray by Chris Baron (Nov)
- 196. Hands by Torrey Maldonado (Nov)
- 197. On Air With Zoe Washington by Janae Marks (Nov)
- 198. Sixties Girl by MaryLou Driedger (Nov)
- 199. The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh* (Nov)
- 200. An Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone St. James [audio] (Nov)
- 201. The Only One Left by Riley Sager (Dec)
- 202. Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li (Dec)
- 203. The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown* (Dec)
- 204. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan (Dec)
- 205. Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy (Dec)
- 206. Light a Candle by Jean Kuo Lee (Dec)
- 207. Race for the Ruby Turtle by Stephen Bramucci (Dec)
- 208. Amelia Gray Is Almost Okay by Jessica Brody (Dec)
- 209. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens* [audio] [re-read] (Dec)
- 210. Jiu-Jitsu Girl by Jennifer Dutton (Dec)
- 211. The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt* (Dec)
- 212. The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (Young People's Edition) by Heather B. Moore and Allison Hong Merrill (Dec)
- 213. Never Lie by Freida McFadden [audio] (Dec)
- 214. No Matter the Distance by Cindy Baldwin (Dec)
- 215. Once Upon a Family by Amanda Rawson Hill (Dec)
- 216. The Talent Thief by Mike Thayer (Dec)
- 217. The Winterton Deception: Final Word by Janet Sumner Johnson (Dec)
- 218. Gingersnap! A Redhead's Guide to Not Being Eaten By a Dragon by Daniel Swenson (Dec)
- 219. First, the Conjurer by Mary Locke Jolley (Dec)
- 220. Before by Molly McNamara Carter (Dec)
- 221. The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell [audio] (Dec)
- 222. Taigh by Loralee Evans (Dec)
- 223. Branson Garcia and the Sea of Sceros by Amy Dewsnup (Dec)
The One Where I Rocked All My 2023 Reading Challenges (Mostly)
It's no secret that I love a good reading challenge. They give my reading life a little more...well, life! I have fun with them, never taking them TOO seriously. This year, I did better with my challenges than I've ever done before. Huzzah! Let's see how everything shook out in 2023:
1. The Goodreads Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Goodreads
Status: Completed
I set my Goodreads goal at 200, just like I do every year. At the moment, I'm at 222 books read. I'm an hour away from finishing #223 and I'll probably read another short middle-grade novel tomorrow. At any rate, I crushed my goal, reading more books in a year than I ever have before. Huzzah!
2. The Bookish Books Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Yours Truly
Status: Completed
This challenge was born in 2023 and had a successful first year of existence. It's been so fun to host this laidback, bookish challenge that I'm bringing it back in 2024. If you haven't signed up for it yet, what are you waiting for? Click here.
Naturally, I signed up for this challenge at the highest level—Living in the Library—which required me to read 30+ bookish books. I reached this goal, reading 33 in total.
3. Literary Escapes Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Lori @Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book
Status: Completed
This is one of my favorite challenges. It involves keeping track of where all the books you read are set, with the goal of reading at least one book set in each of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. You get extra points for every country you "visit" in your reading. I checked off all the states, D.C., and 17 countries outside of the U.S. Not too bad!
4. Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Marg @Intrepid Reader and Baker
Status: Completed
Because hist fic is one of my favorite genres, this challenge is never really a challenge at all. I signed up for the "Ancient History" level, which meant reading 25+ historical novels. I rocked it, reading 49.
Hosted By: POPSUGAR
Status: Completed
For the second year in a row, I completed this challenge, including the 10 "Advanced" prompts.
6. Booklist Queen Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Rachael @Booklist Queen
Status: Completed
I finished this one back in October or November by crossing off all 52 prompts.
7. The 52 Book Club's Reading Challenge
Hosted By: The 52 Book Club
Status: Completed
All 52 prompts for this challenge have been checked off as well.
8. Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Emily @Build Your Library
Status: Completed
The nature theme made this challenge a little bit difficult for me, but I managed to find a book for each of its 40 prompts.
9. Pioneer Book Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Pioneer Book
Status: Incomplete
Pioneer Bookstore is a great indie in Provo, Utah, where I went to college. Although I now live in Arizona, my husband and/or I travel to Provo several times a year to visit family and attend conferences at our alma mater. The bookstore hosts a reading challenge every year that comes with a $50 gift certificate to spend in store. The prompts are always a little tough, so I've never actually managed to complete this challenge. 2023 has been no exception. I finished over half of the 40 prompts, but I quit when I realized I wasn't going to complete them all by the time we took our last trip of the year to Provo. Oh well. I didn't really want to read a Shakespeare play anyway!
10. Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Lori @Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book
Status: Completed
Since I joined this challenge at the "Peckish" level, which required reading 1-25 cozy mysteries, I was easily able to finish it. I ended up cruising through 16 cozies.
11. Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
Hosted By: Rick @The Mystillery
Status: Completed - 12th Place
As macabre as it is to count the dead bodies in the mystery books I read, I still enjoy doing this challenge every year. Currently, I'm in 12th place with 406 "toe tags" tied.
12. Book Bingo Blackout
Hosted By: Unruly Reader
Status: Incomplete due to mysterious disappearance of challenge
This bingo-style challenge had 25 prompts to tackle. I was well on my way to completion when the challenge page disappeared! Since I couldn't remember exactly what each category involved, I stopped working on this one once it mysteriously vanished. LOL
13. Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
Hosted By: GregoryRoad @Take a Walk Down Gregory Road
Status: Complete
This lengthy challenge offers 27 topics with four prompts each. You can complete certain categories only or go for a blackout. I'm a glutton for punishment, so I went for the latter. I finished all 108 prompts earlier this month.
14. Children's Book Reading Challenge...For Adults
Hosted By: Sarah @Belle's Library
Status: Complete
There are no requirements for this challenge except to read children's books. Easy peasey. I read a total of 83. I'll finish another one today and will probably read yet another tomorrow. We'll see.
So, yep, I pretty much rocked my challenges in 2023. I never take any of them too seriously, but I'm still proud of myself for finishing all these. They definitely added some fun and challenge to my reading this year as well as pushing me to read titles I wouldn't have otherwise. That's exactly why I love doing reading challenges!
Did you take on any reading challenges in 2023? How did you fare with them?
What's Two More?
Because I'm crazy, I'm adding two more reading challenges to my roster for 2024:
Top Ten Tuesday: My Latest Book Acquisitions
Buddy Christ makes me laugh. I'm not a dashboard figurine kind of person, so he'll be joining the other Jesuses on my desk.
Merry Christmas!
Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Christmas Traditions
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