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2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


27 / 30 books. 90% done!

2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


43 / 50 books. 86% done!

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (2)
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International:
- Australia (4)
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My Progress:


51 / 51 states. 100% done!

2025 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


30 / 50 books. 60% done!

2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


36 / 50 books. 72% done!

Booklist Queen's 2025 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


40 / 52 books. 77% done!

2025 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


41 / 52 books. 79% done!

2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


29 / 40 books. 73% done!

2025 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


37 / 51 cozies. 73% done!

2025 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2025 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


26 / 26.2 miles. 99% done!

2025 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

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31 / 100 books. 31% done!

2025 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


68 / 109 books. 62% done!

2025 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

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56 / 62 books. 90% done!

Phase Out Your Seriesathon - My Progress


23 / 55 books. 42% done!

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

My Progress:


97 / 100 names. 97% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

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72 / 80 skills. 90% done!
Tuesday, January 17, 2017

The Burning Air An Intense, Suspenseful Page Turner


(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Still mourning the loss of Lydia, their matriarch, the MacBride Family gathers at their country home for some peace and quiet.  The arrival of a stranger in the isolated locale is a surprise.  Disconcerted by the presence of an outsider, the MacBrides nevertheless try to make her feel welcome.  Unbeknownst to the family, Darcy Kellaway has a history with the MacBrides.  And not a pretty one.  When Sophie MacBride Woods' 8-month-old baby disappears while under Darcy's care, they realize a fatal error has been made.  What happened to the child?  And who is Darcy, really?  

The Burning Air by Erin Kelly is a complex, well-plotted psychological thriller that asks just how far a person might go to exact revenge on the people who have hurt him/her.  It's a chilling question to contemplate—especially if you're part of the MacBride clan.  The novel explores the idea using complex, interesting characters and a tense, suspenseful story line.  Although the last section seems tacked on, the rest of the tale is fairly taut, making The Burning Air an engrossing page turner.  It's a compelling read, one I didn't love but ended up liking well enough.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of books by Sharon Bolton and Tana French)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language, violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

I Can't Explain It, But I Loved It

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Some books are impossible to describe.  Judging from the skimpy plot summary, even the publisher had a tough time explaining Dark Matter, the newest book by Blake Crouch.  I'm not even going to attempt it because like I said ... impossible.  
“Are you happy with your life?”                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.
Maybe I can't tell you exactly what Dark Matter is about, but I can tell you that I loved it.  Why?  It's unique, it's surprising, it's intriguing, it's engrossing, it's impossible to put down.  In a word: stunning.  I devoured the book, reading well into the night to see what would happen to Jason Dossen.  If you like mind-bending sci fi adventure stories, this one's for you.

(Readalikes:  Honestly, nothing I've ever read comes to mind!)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language, violence, sexual content, and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Monday, January 16, 2017

Victorian Sleuthing Sequel Not As Charming As Predecessor

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for A Perilous Undertaking, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, A Curious Beginning.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

After Veronica Speedwell's recent madcap adventures, she's settled into a rather routine life in London.  Along with her friend Stoker—a disgraced gentleman and naturalist—she spends her hours sorting through a friend's vast collection of artifacts, readying them for museum display.  It's not un-interesting work, but the intrepid lepidopterist is much more interested in solving mysteries.  Lucky for her, one has practically fallen into her lap.  

A mysterious woman has asked Veronica to do the impossible—stop the upcoming execution of Miles Ramsforth, a patron of the arts who's been accused of murder.  His mistress, 26-year-old Artemisia, was found in his bedchamber with her throat slit.  Despite the conclusive evidence, some insist he's innocent.  Veronica is only too delighted to look into the case.  It's just the kind of diversion for which she's been longing.  Still, the investigation has her digging in places she never could have imagined going—everywhere from an opium den to a subterranean pleasure palace.  These shadowy locales hold secrets certain members of high society would kill to keep under wraps.  Did Artemisia learn something dangerous, something that led to her murder?  Veronica intends to find out—despite myriad warnings to back off.  Can Veronica save Miles from the hangman's noose?  Or will she become the next victim of a desperate killer?

Coincidentally enough, it was a year ago today that I posted my rave review of A Curious Beginning, the first book in Deanna Raybourn's new Victorian mystery series.  The novel delighted me so much that I couldn't wait for a sequel.  I was thrilled, then, to receive an early copy of the second installment in the series, the finished version of which came out on January 10, 2017.  Is A Perilous Undertaking everything I imagined it would be?  Well, no.  I didn't find it nearly as charming as its predecessor.  It's still an enjoyable book, don't get me wrong, but its unsavory subject matter and not-all-that-likable minor characters made it less satisfying for me.  Veronica and Stoker, however, continue to shine.  With their colorful personalities, witty banter, and the sexual tension that crackles between them, they're fun to follow.  The mystery they're chasing in A Perilous Undertaking is full of twists and turns, making for a tense, exciting story.  I definitely could have done without the novel's discomfiting focus on underground Victorian sexual practices; in fact, I would have enjoyed the story a whole lot more had it stayed within the PG-13 realm.  Still, it's a clever page turner that will leave Speedwell/Stoker fans begging for more.  I'm clamoring for the next book as well; I'm just hoping it will focus more on the suspenseful than the sensual.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of  A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn and The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C Kasasian)  

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, sensuality, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of A Perilous Undertaking from the generous folks at Penguin Random House via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!


Friday, January 13, 2017

Whitewater Wilderness Adventure Far-Fetched, But Engrossing

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

There's no doubt that Winifred Allen needs a vacation.  Grieving both the loss of her brother and the end of her marriage, the 39-year-old could use a break.  An extreme river rafting adventure isn't quite what she had in mind, but when her BFFs suggest it for an upcoming girl's trip, Wini can't talk her way out of going.  Reluctantly, she joins her three besties as they head into Maine's Allagash Wilderness.  

Wini's concern grows when she meets the river guide, 20-year-old college student Rory Ekhart.  He's nice to look at, sure, but does he know what he's doing?  It's not long before they find out.  A freak accident leaves the group stranded in the woods.  Soon, they're struggling to survive—against nature, each other, and a host of other dangers lurking in the wilderness.  Can they all make it out alive?  Or will their gal pal adventure mean the end of their friendship forever?

I enjoy a good man vs. nature survival story where ordinary people have to dig deep for the will to survive an extraordinary situation.  The River at Night, a debut novel by Erica Ferencik, tells just such a story.  Naturally, it's an exciting, fast-paced adventure tale full of twists and turns, danger and drama.  Yes, it's far-fetched—I mean, would a group of inexperienced middle-aged women really sign up for an extreme, week-long outdoor adventure led by a kid they know little about?  And what is the likelihood that everything would go wrong pretty much right from the start?  Well, it makes for a thrilling story, anyway.  In the end, I didn't love The River at Night, but it did keep me engrossed and guessing—two hallmarks of a good, gripping page turner.   

(Readalikes: I can't think of any specific books, but The River at Night did remind me of the movie The River Wild)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language, violence, blood/gore, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The River at Night from the generous folks at Scout Press/Simon and Schuster via those at Wunderkind PR and NetGalley.  Thank you!  
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