One thing I'm not behind in is meeting my goals for the 2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge. I vowed to read 30+ bookish books and I'm currently at 42. Huzzah! How are you doing with your challenge goals?

November was an especially bookish books-y month for me. I managed to read ten of them. My favorites were the Benjamin Stevenson ones. His books are clever and funny. They make me laugh every time. 

Here are my bookish November reads in the order I read them:

Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales by Wendy S. Swore—This middle-grade novel is about two kids, one with narcolepsy and one with Type 1 diabetes. It's not really about books, but the diabetic main character loves to read. She's especially fond of fairy tales and fantasy novels.

The Legend of the Last Library by Frank L. Cole—Another MG story, this one takes place in a future where paper is a scarce and very valuable commodity. When Juni, who scavenges for any kind of scraps that will earn her money to help pay for her grandfather's medical care, discovers a real book—the first one she's ever seen—she can't wait to sell it for profit. That is until she realizes the priceless secret it contains...

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander—In this series debut, Annie Murray cooks up the idea of hosting a mystery-themed book festival to bring in funds to save the struggling bookshop where she works. She's stunned when a group of her college classmates randomly shows up for the event and shocked when one of them winds up dead. Using all the know-how she's gained from reading mystery novels, she sets out to solve the murder.

The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion by Ann Bausum—This picture book, aimed at MG readers, is about exactly what it says it's about. Ha! Imagine that.

A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander—The second installment in the Annie Murray series, this one has the bookseller co-hosting a film festival complete with a movie premiere. With a host of dramatic, egotistical Hollywood types in town, it's not really that much of a surprise when a murder occurs. Once again, Annie is on the case.

The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase—This mystery is about two kids who are never quite the same after their mother leaves home one day and never returns. As they deal with the fallout of their only parent's secret life, they find themselves in even more trouble. Decades later, when a new owner buys their childhood home and starts digging up the basement, one of the kids—now a romance novelist—panics, knowing that their shocking family secrets are about to be unearthed...

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson—After Ernest Cunningham unmasked a serial killer and wrote a popular book about it (titled Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, naturally), he is invited to attend a mystery writers' retreat aboard a luxury train. With a variety of personalities aboard, it's not long before tempers start to simmer and boil over. When an author is found dead, it's up to Ernie to investigate. Well, technically, it's the police's job, but Ernie can't resist using his vast wisdom and experience to assist the authorities, whether they want his aid or not. (They don't.)

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson—Ernie Cunningham doesn't go seeking murders to write about, but they somehow keep finding him. In this short novel (long novella?), his ex-wife calls him after she's accused of murdering her wealthy, famous boyfriend. As Ernie pokes around in the dead man's business, he discovers that (thankfully) his ex wasn't the only one with motive, means, and opportunity.

Booked For Murder by P.J. Nelson—When her beloved aunt passes away, actress Madeline Brimley finds herself the new owner of The Old Juniper Bookstore. Although she, herself, isn't sure what to think about her inheritance, it becomes obvious that someone in town isn't happy about it. First, someone sets fire to her gazebo. Then, there are threatening phone calls. Now, there's been a murder. To clear her name, Madeline must find out whodunit. 

As for December, the only bookish book I plan to read is A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd. It's a murder mystery featuring one of Romeo and Juliet's daughters as an amateur detective. It sounds like a super fun read. 

I hope you've had a good time with the Bookish Books Reading Challenge this year. I sure have! I will be hosting it again next year and I certainly hope you'll sign up to participate again. I'll make an official sign-up post soon.

If you are participating in the 2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge, please use the widget below to link-up your December reviews. 

1. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser—I'm reading this biography to fulfill a prompt for the Pioneer Book Reading Challenge, but it's one I've been wanting to pick up ever since it came out. It's a biography of Wilder, as a woman, a pioneer, and a writer, with an emphasis on the development of the American West as she experienced it. I'm about 100 pages in and really enjoying the read.

2. Dust by Dusti Bowling (available August 1, 2023)—Bowling is a local author who writes middle-grade novels set here in Arizona. Her newest is about Avalyn, a girl with asthma whose parents relocate to a cleaner town in order to help her breathe better. It's working—until a strange new boy comes to town. Adam's dirty, unkempt appearance makes him a target for bullies. Although Avalyn wants to befriend him, the grit that always surrounds him is dangerous for her lungs. Besides, there's something decidedly odd about the way unlikely dust storms seem to rise up when he experiences strong emotions...

3. It Ends at Midnight by Harriet Tyce—There's been a rash of thrillers lately that involve a group of old friends reconvening, only to have the secrets and misdeeds of their pasts come back to haunt them. It's one of my favorite tropes, as long as it's done well. This thriller brings old friends back together for a glitzy party in Edinburgh, Scotland. The party, naturally, does not go quite as planned.

4. Beer and Loathing by Ellie Alexander—I enjoy the Sloane Krause cozy mystery series, which is set in the Bavarian tourist town of Leavenworth, Washington. (The quaint village is depicted much better on the previous covers than this one, which I don't love.) This newest installment (#6) has the brewer and her business partner investigating a suspicious death on a ski lift during the town's popular Ski Week. The victim's demise looks accidental, but Sloane is not convinced.

5. Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong—This year, I've been binge-reading/listening Armstrong's popular Rockton series. I love the books, so I'm all in for the spin-off series, which starts with this opener. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are building a new Rockton, a place with the same function as the old town but without all the greed and beauracracy. Their excitement is tempered when two construction workers go missing in the woods. When one of their murdered bodies is discovered, it's up to Casey and Eric to figure out what happened.  

6. Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom—This historical novel features a 16-year-old Crow Native woman who marries a white fur trader in 1872. On their travels together, they witness a mob of drunk white traders murder a group of Nakota men in Montana and take half a dozen of their women captive. Although Mary Crow begs her husband to save the captives, he refuses. Arming herself with two guns, Mary rushes in to do the job herself, setting off a string of events that forces a bloody clash between two already warring cultures. The story is inspired by a real woman, making it all the more intriguing.

7. The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate—As a rule, I'm not a fan of books narrated by animals. Applegate's beloved The One and Only Ivan is an exception. I also enjoyed its sequel featuring Bob the dog. Another sequel, this one stars Ruby, Ivan and Bob's elephant friend. Applegate's heartfelt middle-grade novels are always a treat, so I'm excited for this one.

8. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown—This non-fiction bestseller fits several prompts for reading challenges I'm doing. I've been meaning to read it anyway. It tells the story of a rowing team from the University of Washington that was made up of the sons of loggers, farmers, and dock workers. Against all odds, they beat teams of athletes from the world's most elite schools, including Hitler's German rowers.

9. A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones—This series opener sounds super fun. It stars Sunshine Vicram, who returns to her small Nevada hometown after her parents secretly nominate her to be its sheriff. She accepts the position reluctantly, figuring it will be an easy gig. Not so. A teenage girl is missing, there's a kidnapper on the loose, and Sunshine's sexy ex is complicating everything. 

10. In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce—I adore this middle-grade historical series about a perenially curious young girl who loves a good mystery. In this installment (#4), Myrtle's lawyer father is in the hospital with tonsilitis. With him out of commission, it's up to her to decide if a young girl who claims to be the rightful heir to a large fortune is who she says she is. Can she really be the sole survivor of a fatal voyage? If she's not the real heiress, then where is she?

There you are, ten more books I'm hoping to read this summer. What do you think? Have you read any of them? What's on your summer TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here.

Happy TTT!