Laurel's "Keeping It Light" Choices for 2023

[Laurel]

OVERVIEW:
2022 was a very difficult year for reading. After a whole host of issues at “the farm” I found and bought a house, packed, and moved! I had ambitious plans to finish four mega-chunky reads that kept getting postponed. Not only did I not accomplish much reading, but what I did read was a lot of very “heavy” topics for my book clubs (social justice, immigration, racism, etc.). So, my desire for 2023 is to lighten my goals significantly. The mini-theme I chose for my Daytimers Book Club for 2023 is “vacation” for example. Reading should be a pleasure, and I’m going to be focused more on comfort and coziness this year. Also community: I would like to be more involved in my online groups, especially Club Read on LibraryThing.

I still love to make lists. My TBR category on Goodreads contains over 3,000 titles. The lists aim to focus my choices on something more manageable – under 300 say – from which I aim to read about 50 books. I like to have a theme to work on (or several themes.) I randomly pick reads from my TBR ocean in several different categories: I have lists for non-fiction, Welsh and Arthurian fiction, historical fiction (pre-20th century), other fiction (20th/21st centuries, sci fi, fantasy), old themes from previous years, and series (divided into new series started and old series continued). There are always leftovers from the previous year (or years), and new online group reads and challenges that spark my interest.

Every list has a dozen choices. No, my goal is NOT to read every book in these lists. One from each list would be ambitious enough! I always want to read far more than I will ever accomplish.

Finally, I don't like the limitations of Goodreads 1-5 star rating system, so I add colors to my ratings to give it a little more nuance. Here is my rating scale:
Ratings
Gold = 5+ stars (Gold medal, my highest rating)
Purple = about 5 stars (Grand Champion ribbon)
Blue = between 4.5 and 5 stars (Blue ribbon, 1st prize)
Red = about 4 stars (2nd prize ribbon)
Pink = between 3.5 and 4 stars (tickled pink, in the pink, ...but not quite red?)
Green = about 3 stars (Green for Go, not outstanding, but I'd read more by this author - or not)
Yellow = between 2.5 and 3 stars (Caution)
Orange = about 2 stars (Hazard Warning, LOL!)
Black = about 1 star (Black-balled and also probably not finished)
Gray = DNF (not rated)

[Laurel]

THEMES
Themes are kind of the heart and soul of my reading choices throughout the year. I like to pick at least one new annual theme every year. And sometimes a theme gets carried over for another year (or two). Some years I have had quarterly themes. I never seem to be able to let go of a theme. I keep adding titles for old themes to my TBR, so that has become a whole category in itself.

Keeping It Light 2023 NEW – making it a double list!
1. The Brighter the Light
2. A Vision of Light
READ 3. Key of Light
4. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
5. Ghost Light
6. Claire of the Sea Light
7. Hild (The Light of the World trilogy #1)
8. The Light Through the Leaves
9. Light to the Hills
10. Light in August
READ 11. A Flickering Light
12. Pillars of Light
--------------------------
13. The Edge of Light #3 of a series, but they look to be stand-alones. #1 is The Road to Avalon
14. The Fall of Light
15. Woman of Light
16. The Light in the Ruins
17. A Marvellous Light
18. The Light Years
19. Pillar of Light
20. Light of the Moon
21. Heat & Light (follows Baker Towers)
22. The Mirror & the Light (follows Wolf Hall, and Bring Up the Bodies)
23. Painting the Light
24. Light Changes Everything

"Book of" titles" (Continued from 2021)
I’m continuing this theme another year, because one of my personal challenges (see below) is to focus on reading titles that start with the letter B this year.
1. The Book of Joby
2. The Book of Lost Things
3. Book of a Thousand Days
4. The Book of Speculation
5. The Book of Fires
6. Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin
7. The Book of Uriel: A Novel of WWII
8. The Book of Cold Cases
9. The Book of Air and Shadows
10. The Book of Dreams
11. The Book of Strange New Things
12. The Book of Lost and Found

The Odyssey I keep listing this one, and never starting it! Maybe this is the year? Obviously, I have to start with
The Odyssey and The Iliad so those aren't part of this list...
1. The World of Odysseus
2. An Orchestra of Minorities
3. Ulysses and
Ulysses: Complete Text with Integrated Study Guide from Shmoop
4. An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic
5. Omeros
6. Olympus, Texas
7. The Penelopiad
8. Homer's Odyssey
9. Ilium
10. Ransom
11. Over the Wine-Dark Sea
12. The Siege of Troy

Old Themes: Revisiting Moby Dick, a 10-year anniversary of my first annual theme (continued from 2022)
1. The Whaler
2. The Widow's War
3. Railsea
4. The Movement of Stars (also stars)
5. Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer (also stars)
6. Ahab's Return: or, The Last Voyage
7. Hannah Rose (Ahab's Legacy #2)
8. The Rathbones
9. The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld: A Memoir
10. The Art of Fielding
11. We, the Drowned
12. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Old Themes: (formerly Random Reads) - carried over 2 leftovers, 10 new
READ 1. Bel Canto (music)
2. The Plover (birds)
3. The Cuckoo's Cry (birds)
4. The Traitor's Wife: A Novel of the Reign of Edward II (wife titles)
5. Scherzo: Murder and Mystery in 18th Century Venice (music)
6. Yellow Wife (wife titles)
7. The Secret of Nightingale Wood (birds)
8. Crow Hollow (birds)
9. Elegy on Kinderklavier (music)
10. Unequal Affections: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling (Pride & Prejudice/Austen)
11. When the Stars Go Dark (stars)
12. The Winter King (winter)

[Laurel]

BOOK CLUBS

Daytimers Book Club
My face to face group, Daytimers, is a guaranteed 12 read books. We read a different genre or category each month. My mini-themes this year are “vacation” and “travel/modes of transportation.”
READ Jan: Murder on the Orient Express (Classic – and Mystery)
DNF Feb: The Road Trip (Romance)
READ Mar: The Lincoln Highway (Adventure fiction)
READ Apr: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle (Biography)
READ May: A Northern Light (Teen fiction)
READ Jun: Salt to the Sea (Prize winner)
READ Jul: Vacationland (Minnesota fiction)
READ Aug: The Island of Missing Trees (Foreign fiction)
READ Sep: Horse (Historical fiction)
READ Oct: Matrix (Literary fiction)
READ Nov: The Lake House(Suspense fiction)
READ Dec: Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners (Domestic fiction)

Perspectives Book Club
Last year I joined my church book club, Perspectives. They read about 9 books a year, monthly except for a bigger book during the summer. These reads were pretty heavy on depressing topics last year, so I may not be joining them depending on the book. I’ll list their choices here though anyway….
READ 2022 Jan: The Four Winds
READ 2022 Feb: American Dirt
READ Mar: The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis
Apr: Lessons in Chemistry
May: The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature
READ Summer (Sept.): The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine
Oct: The Bad Muslim Discount
READ Nov: The Lincoln Highway
READ Dec: Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater

Bookworms
I pick the books for this library group, but am not a "member" of the book club. However, I like the list I created for 2023 so much, that I think I would like to actually read these! I'm not dropping out of Perspectives just yet, but neither am I committing to reading their choices. I may substitute this group instead! They also read 9 books during the year.
READ Jan: Arsenic and Adobo (Prize Winner)
READ Feb: The Maid (Mystery fiction)
READ Mar: The Wife Upstairs (Classic tie-in)
Apr: The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot (Women - fiction)
May: The Seed Keeper (Minnesota fiction)
Jun: no meeting
Jul: no meeting
Aug: The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear (Biography)
Sep: The Woman in the Library (Thriller)
Oct: Remarkably Bright Creatures (Debut novel)
Nov: West with Giraffes (Historical fiction)
Dec: no meeting

A Good Yarn
This is another face to face book group that I am in, but we pick monthly themes rather than titles. I’m listing this group under Location, Location this year because we are working through the alphabet geographically.

Online group reads:
These are random, and includes various online groups on Goodreads, Io, and LibraryThing.
READ 1. The Book Woman's Daughter (On the Same Page - Jan 2023)
READ 2. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise (On the Same Page - Jan. buddy read)
3. The Books of Jacob (Reading the Chunksters - Feb/Mar, and potential Pespectives book club choice)
4. The Diamond Eye (Historical Fictionistas - Feb 2023)
5. Death at La Fenice (On the Porch Swing - Apr 2023)
6. The Marriage Portrait (Historical Fictionistas - Mar 2023)
READ 7. The Cat Who Saved Books (The Reading Loft - Mar. 2023)
8. Once Upon a Wardrobe (On the Porch Swing, April)
READ 9. Bel Canto (The Reading Loft, August)
READ 10. Miss Benson's Beetle (On the Porch Swing, September) (The Reading Loft, November)
READ 11. The Bookshop on the Corner (The Reading Loft, for Jan. 2024)
12.

[Laurel]

TIME AND SPACE

Macbeth/Thorfinn/Vikings: (continued from 2022)
1. King Hereafter
2. Lady Macbeth
3. Macbeth: A Novel
4. Macbeth
5. A Sacred Storm
6. Tomb for an Eagle
7. Flight of the Wren
8. The Golden Horn
9. The Half-Drowned King
10. The Whale Road
11. Viking Warlord: A Saga of Thorkell the Great
12. The Swan's Road

The Plantagenets/Wars of the Roses (continued from 2022)
1. The Summer Queen
2. Queen By Right
3. Bloodline
4. Eleanor de Montfort: A Rebel Countess in Medieval England
5. The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors
6. Blood & Roses: the Paston Family and the Wars of the Roses
7. Blood Sisters: The Women Behind The Wars Of The Roses
8. Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses
9. Cecily Neville: Mother of Richard III
10. The Queen’s Rival
READ 11. The Game's Afoot
READ 12. The Adventures of Alianore Audley

Historical Fiction: (Random Reads) – 12 new
1. Russka: The Novel of Russia (reread)
2. Hrolf Kraki's Saga
3. Conrad Monk and the Great Heathen Army
4. Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady
READ 5. ALBA IS MINE (also fits the Macbeth/Thorfinn theme)
6. The Importance of Pawns
7. Shadowplay
8. The Almanack
9. Harvest
10. The Last Romanov
11. The Loyalist's Wife
12. Burial Rites

Other Fiction: (Random Reads) - keeping 3, 9 new
1. The Cornish Coast Murder
2. Baker Towers
3. The Crown Jewels Conspiracy
4. The Silence in the Garden
5. The Small Rain
6. The Bone Clocks
7. Time's Daughter
8. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
9. When God Was a Rabbit
10. Holiday
11. Tales of Johan
12. The Queens of Innis Lear

Non-fiction: (Random Reads) - keeping 4, 8 new
1. Decoding the Celts: Revealing the legacy of the celtic tradition
2. Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle that Made England
3. Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life
4. Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph
5. Sea Room: An Island Life in the Hebrides
6. Conquest
7. Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe
READ 8. As Kingfishers Catch Fire
9. Cecily Neville: Mother of Richard III
10. The King's Shadow: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Deadly Quest for the Lost City of Alexandria
11. Chaucer's Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury
12. The Summer Isles: A Voyage of the Imagination

[Laurel]

LOCATION, location, location!

Wales/Arthurian: keeping 3, 9 new
1. Ygerna: A Pendragon Chronicles Prequel Novel
2. Crimson Shore
3. The Chinese Sailor
4. The Snowdonia Killings
5. The Spoils of Avalon
6. Rebecca's Children
7. Ambrosius Aureliani
8. Islands in the Mist
9. Llewellyn and the Powys Princess
10. The Return of Sir Percival: Guinevere's Prayer
11. All The Places We Lived
READ 12. Sparrow Tree

A Good Yarn:
Reading the alphabet geographically. Every two months is a new letter, with the choice of reading a specific location, or a generic place, or both...
Dec 2022/Jan 2023: Locations beginning with I (Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Iowa, Idaho, island, isthmus, inn, igloo, etc
A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice - (an iceberg)
READ The Month of Borrowed Dreams (Ireland)

Feb/Mar: Locations beginning with J (Japan, Jamestown, Jerusalem, jail, jungle, etc.)
READ Heart of a Samurai (Japan)
READ The Cat Who Saved Books (Japan)
Into the Jungle (a jungle)

Apr/May/Jun: Locations beginning with K (Kent, Kentucky, Kansas, Kalamazoo, kitchen, etc.)
READ The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Kentucky)
READ The Book Woman's Daughter (Kentucky)
Miss Eliza's English Kitchen (Kent and kitchen)

Jul/Aug: Locations beginning with L (London, Louisiana, Leningrad, lake, lagoon, etc.)
READ Vacationland (a lake and a lodge)
Laurentian Divide

Sep/Oct: Locations beginning with M (Minnesota, Massachusetts, Memphis, mine, marina, market, etc.)
READ A Flickering Light (Minnesota)

Nov/Dec: Locations beginning with N (North Dakota, Nepal, New Zealand, national park, nature preserve, etc.)

[Laurel]

SERIES and AUTHORS

Next-in-Series: keeping 2, 10 new
Starred titles are within 1 or 2 of finishing the series.
1. Somershill Manor - S.D. Sykes
*City of Masks #3 of 5

2. Hermann Preiss - Morley Torgov
Key Witness: A Hermann Preiss Mystery #2 of 6 (chronologically)

3. Rivers of London – Aaronovich
Moon Over Soho #2 of 9

4. Jackson Brodie – Kate Atkinson
*Big Sky #5 of 5

5. Finfarran – Hayes-McCoy
READ The Month of Borrowed Dreams #5 of 7
*The Heart of Summer #6 of 7
*The Year of Lost and Found #7 of 7

6. Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
Library of Souls #3 of 6

7. Penny Spring and Sir Toby Glendower – Margot Arnold
Zadok's Treasure #3 of 12

8. Father Christmas – C.C. Benison
*The Unpleasantness at the Battle of Thornford #4 of 4

9. Mac McKenzie – David Housewright
Pretty Girl Gone #3 of 20

10. Red Sparrow trilogy – Jason Matthews
*The Kremlin's Candidate #3 of 3

11. Merrily Watkins – Phil Rickman
Midwinter of the Spirit #2 of 15

12. Languedoc – Kate Mosse
*Sepulchre #2 of 3


New Series: keeping 2, 10 new

1. Crispin Guest - Jeri Westerson
Cup of Blood #7 (but comes before #1) of 15

2. Vorkosigan Saga - Lois Bujold
Shards of Honor #1 of 16

3. William Constable - Paul Walker
State of Treason #1 of 5

4. Jem Flockhart - E.S. Thomson
Beloved Poison #1 of 5

5. Lady C Investigates - Issy Brooke
An Unmourned Man #1 of 5

6. Dunne Family - Sebastian Barry
The Steward of Christendom #1 of 4

7. Chet & Bernie - Spencer Quinn
Dog on It #1 of 13

8. William Marshal - Elizabeth Chadwick
A Place Beyond Courage #1 of 5

9. Her Royal Spyness - Rhys Bowen
Her Royal Spyness #1 of 16

10. Druid's Glen - Donna Grant
READ Highland Mist #1 of 6
Highland Nights #2 of 6

11. Sister Joan mysteries - Veronica Black
A Vow of Silence #1 of 11

12. Chivalry - Christian Cameron
The Ill-Made Knight #1 of 6

Read more of these authors…
1. Alexander McCall Smith – 44 Scotland Street series
READ The Revolving Door of Life #10 of 16

2. Rita Mae Brown – Mrs. Murphy series (rereading, #18 will be new)
READ Cat's Eyewitness #13 of 31
Sour Puss #14 of 31

3. Donna Andrews – Meg Langslow series
READ Owls Well That Ends Well #6 of 30
READ No Nest for the Wicket #7 of 33 (will be 34 in October 2023)
READ The Penguin Who Knew Too Much #8 of 33)

4. Diana Gabaldon – reread in chronological order
Outlander

5. Madeleine L’Engle
The Other Side of the Sun
The Small Rain

6. Alan Bradley – Flavia De Luce series (rereading) (#5 will be new)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (reread)

7. Alexander McCall Smith - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (rereading) (#4 will be new)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Tears of the Giraffe

8. Elizabeth Chadwick - all series in chronological order...
First Knight
The Conquest
The Winter Mantle

9. Mick Herron - The Slough House series
The List #2.5 of 8
Nobody Walks listed as standalone but should be #3
Real Tigers #3 of 8
Spook Street #4 of 8

10. Richard Osman - The Thursday Murder Club
READ The Thursday Murder Club #1 of 4
The Man Who Died Twice #2 of 4
The Bullet That Missed #3 of 4

11. Fiona Leitch - The Nosey Parker series
READ A Sprinkle of Sabotage #3 of 7
READ A Cornish Christmas Murder #4 of 7
A Cornish Recipe for Murder #5 of 7

Bella Tyson mysteries:
*Dead in Venice #1 of 2
*Murder At The Grotto #1.5 short story
*Murder Ahoy! #2 of 2

Stand-alone:
Falling in Louvre

[Laurel]

LEFTOVERS and LIBRARY BOOKS
A combination of old and new. Sort of a catch-all for anything that doesn't fit above. I have leftovers from 2021, mostly from A Good Yarn, and finishing up my previous alphabet challenge. Books that are the oldest in my TBR ocean. Books that have been started but abandoned, and then of course there is new stuff that catches my eye and gets checked out from the library....

2022 Leftovers not finished:
1. Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer
2. Moby-Dick or, the Whale - reread
3. Wolf Hall #1 of 3
4. ...And Ladies of the Club
5. The Evening Chorus
6. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
7. Queen By Right
8. The Summer Queen
9. The Fall of Atlantis
10. From Hand to Hand
11. One for Sorrow (2021 Leftover)
12. The Chocolatier's Wife (2021 Leftover)

2022 Leftovers not started:
READ 1. Homer's Odyssey
READ 2. The Month of Borrowed Dreams
3. The Wild Inside (A Good Yarn, G is for Glacier National Park)
READ 4. Murder at Honeychurch Hall (A Good Yarn, H is for hall)
5. The Lost Wife (Location: Prague)
6. Time's Magpie: A Walk in Prague (Location: Prague and Terezin)
7. Knit One, Kill Two (A Good Yarn, F is for Fort Connor)
READ 8. The Apothecary Rose
READ 9. A Sprinkle of Sabotage
READ 10. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (reread)
11. All About Us
READ 12. The Dinner Lady Detectives

The 12 Oldest in My TBR Ocean:
1. The Long Walk Home (owned)
2. Within the Fetterlock
3. Thirteenth Night
4. Kilt Dead (owned)
5. The Tale of Hill Top Farm
6. Her Royal Spyness (owned)
7. The Last Troubadour
8. The Book of Joby (owned)
9. The Fall of Atlantis (owned)
10. Mozart's Sister
11. Vivaldi's Virgins
12. The Expected One (owned)

Shiny New Things:
1. Hester – have ARC
2. The Last Party – have ARC
3. Ahab's Rolling Sea: A Natural History of "Moby-Dick" (Moby Dick theme, and an A title)
READ 4. Pucky, Prince of Bacon: A Breaking Cat News Adventure
5. I Will Die in a Foreign Land - pink and gray cover for Feb. challenge, music theme
READ 6. Revenge of the Librarians
READ 7. Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater
READ 8. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse
READ 9. Everything's Coming Up Beatrix!: A Breaking Cat News Adventure - just published, Sept.
READ 10. A Cat's Guide to Bonding with Dragons
READ 11. The Sea Glass Sisters - prequel short story to
12. The Prayer Box

[Laurel]

CHALLENGES

Alphabet (A-Z titles) challenge.
This is a long term personal challenge. The only rule here, is that I have to read the alphabet in order. And no rule on how long to spend on each letter. The focus is on the letter B this year, but there are still A titles I am finishing/adding, and I may begin C later in the year….

READ The Adventures of Alianore Audley
READ Agincourt
Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle that Made England
Ahab's Return: or, The Last Voyage
Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer
READ ALBA IS MINE: The struggle for Kingship in Ancient Scotland
READ The Alice Network
All My Fortunes (reread)
...And Ladies of the Club
READ The Apothecary Rose
READ Arsenic and Adobo
The Art of Fielding
READ As Kingfishers Catch Fire: Birds & Books

----------------------------------------

Beartown
READ Bel Canto
Big Sky
Bloodline
The Book of Joby
READ The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - reread
READ The Book Woman's Daughter
---------------------------------------

READ Cat's Eyewitness
The Chinese Sailor
The Chocolatier's Ghost
City of Masks
A Conspiracy of Friends
Corrag
Courting Mr. Lincoln
Crimson Shore
The Crystal Cave
The Cuckoo's Cry
Cup of Blood


Laurel's One From Each List Challenge (On the Same Page 2nd Annual Reading Challenge - 12 + 4):
Since I have roughly 16 lists going, I thought I would pick one book from each list. I think there's a few more than 16, but there are some titles that are on more than one list, so this works. I'm hoping to make at least a Baker's Dozen here, 12 + 1. Not including unfinished leftovers....

1. The Book of Joby - this one is on at least 3 of my lists...
2. The World of Odysseus
3. The Movement of Stars
READ 4. Bel Canto
5. The Golden Horn
READ 6. The Adventures of Alianore Audley
READ 7. ALBA IS MINE
8. Baker Towers
9. Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life
10. Ygerna: A Pendragon Chronicles Prequel Novel
READ 11. The Month of Borrowed Dreams
12. Cup of Blood
-------------------------------------------------------
13. Knit One, Kill Two
14. The Road to Avalon
15. The Fall of Atlantis
16. Her Royal Spyness

Rebecca's List:
This is a group challenge on LibraryThing's Club Read 2023 (continued from 2022) to collectively read all the books on a late member's reading list. This is not a promise to read all of these, but potentially to read...These are some that are of interest to me, that no one else has read yet.
1. The World of Odysseus - a likely candidate because of my Odyssey theme!
2. The Bear: History of a Fallen King
3. The Reindeer People: Living with Animals and Spirits in Siberia - someone else has read this one...
4. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
5. The Power of Music
6. Genes, Peoples, and Languages
7. Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages
8. The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong
9. The Fairies Return, or New Tales for Old
10. Stars of the Long Night
11. The Romance of Tristan
12. The Romance of the Rose
-----------------------------
13. The Book of Lamentations
14. The Fallen Sky: An Intimate History of Shooting Stars
15. Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot
16. A History of Dogs in the Early Americas

On the Same Page cover color challenge:
Jan: white or blue
READ READ READ
Feb: pink or light gray
READ READ
Mar: navy or rose gold
READ
Apr: teal or bronze
READ READ
May: tan or hot pink

Jun: yellow or grape
READ
Jul: brown or light blue
READ
Aug: silver or lavender
READ
Sep: dark gray or mustard yellow
READ
Oct: orange or black or red
READ READ
Nov: rust or gold
READ
Dec: emerald green or purple
READ READ

[Bill, Moderator]

All I can say is 'whew'. What neat challenges. I look forward to your thoughts on the books you read.

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

These challenges look fun; and hopefully, you get to enjoy lighter reads after the ups/downs of living spaces.

The Odyssey and Old Themes are my favorite categories. I loved The Odyssey and the Iliad, and the journey of those characters.

Bel Canto is a love it or hate it book. I loved it from the first page and couldn't put it down. I cried and swooned. I really hope you enjoy it.

Murder on the Orient Express was so satisfying; because there was no way I was guessing that killer!! LOL

Good luck and happy reading, Laurel!!

[Laurel]

Alondra wrote: "These challenges look fun; and hopefully, you get to enjoy lighter reads after the ups/downs of living spaces.

The Odyssey and Old Themes are my favorite categories. I loved The Odyssey and the I..."

Thanks, Alondra. I hope this will be the year I actually START The Odyssey list. I debated keeping it, because I have a Mark Twain list I want to do some year... Moby Dick was my very first theme 11 years ago - I am loving revisiting it. Unfortunately, my copy of Ahab's Wife that I didn't finish is still in a box somewhere. But I WILL get back to it.

I've seen the movies of Murder on the Orient Express. I've probably read it too, somewhere back in the mists of time. One of my book club ladies suggested it, so I was happy to indulge her. It's our January book - might even be my first of 2023. We'll see!

[Lillie]

You are so organized! How do you keep it all straight? Do you work off of an excel spreadsheet?

Love your themes. Love your rating system.

Have read and enjoyed The Marvellous Light, The Book of Light, The Book of Speculation, and several others. Interested to see your reviews if you decide to read them.

Have The Book of Cold Cases on my challenge list.

Looks like a great 2023. Enjoy :)

[Laurel]

Lillie wrote: "You are so organized! How do you keep it all straight? Do you work off of an excel spreadsheet?

Love your themes. Love your rating system."

Thanks, Lillie. I create a bookshelf in Goodreads for the year, and then I can sort it or search it for my various challenges, like the cover color challenge. Handy when I get behind, and I want to know if there's something short I can read fast. I also print it out and annotate which ones I own, or which ones I can get on audio, or through Libby. Of course, I do end up reading things that I haven't listed too!

[Carolien]

I love your themes! And you are so organised!

If I can add one book to your Viking theme, take a look at The Long Ships. It's immense fun and adventure!

For the Greek theme, Troy, is just such a fun retelling.

I look forward to your thoughts on these!

[Laurel]

Carolien wrote: "I love your themes! And you are so organised!

If I can add one book to your Viking theme, take a look at The Long Ships. It's immense fun and adventure!"

That does look fun. Added to my TBR.

[Ioana]

I like your themes and the way you structured this. Plus, it's sooo organized. Happy reading, and please post your thoughts on the books you read.

[Laurel]

I've added another Book club to message #3 above. Bookworms is a library book club that I manage, but don't participate in. However, I just completed their 2023 list yesterday, and I like it so much I may read these books instead of the choices for the Perspectives book club. I'm not ready to drop out of that group yet, but depending on what they pick I may or may not be reading them...

[Lea]

I love how you organized your lists, you have a lot of variety on your challenge. I don't think you'll get bored. Enjoy your books!

[Patricia]

Love your lists and organization! Wish I could join a couple of your book clubs. Look forward to seeing what you read & your thoughts.
Happy Reading!

[Laurel]

Happy New Year! Here's to 2023!

I truly haven't felt this kind of bliss in a very long time. I am in my very own house! The sun is shining. It isn't 20 below. I'm drinking the wonderful tea Red Dawn 2021. I'm watching three kittens wrestling and playing in the living room. There's a new year full of promise ahead of me. I got a lot accomplished yesterday organizing and putting away kitchen stuff. I'll do more of that today, but knowing I don't have to. I can start a new book, or get out a puzzle, or bake something. Life is Good!

I read 41 books in 2022, far short of my goal, but kind of amazing for the year I had! My last book of the year was We Gather Together: A Nation Divided, a President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace and that kind of sums up how the year ended. I am carrying that gratitude and grace into the new year. I saved
READ Pucky, Prince of Bacon: A Breaking Cat News Adventure to be my first book of 2023.

Still reading:
READ The Thursday Murder Club and
READ Cat's Eyewitness
I should be able to finish those this week.

But a new year calls for something brand new. There are two books I own on kindle that fit the January cover challenge (blue), so I shall start one or both today...
Ygerna: A Pendragon Chronicles Prequel Novel
A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice
That second one also works for A Good Yarn this month (I is for Iceberg) - maybe not exactly a location, but I'm using it!

Next book club book for Daytimers is
READ Murder on the Orient Express
I'll start that (audiobook) after I finish my current one.

And that's enough to start the month with!

[Ioana]

Sunny, warm-ish, kittens, some organizing accomplished...sounds wonderful.
I remember reading the Murder on the Orient Express book many years ago, and loving it. Good book to start the year with!

[Alissa]

This organization is *chefs kiss*

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Sounds a very good start to the year for you, glad you are happy to be in your own home, and that feeling of being able to do what you want, when you want, is lovely.

[Laurel]

#1 Pucky, Prince of Bacon: A Breaking Cat News Adventure

What better first book of the year to epitomize my "Keeping it Light" theme!

This is described as book 5 in the series, but there are actually 6 books and I have them all. I've been following this strip online for several years now, and it is an absolute joy. This collection is from 2018 or so when "the boy" was a baby. ("OMG it's like 'Tarzan' with housecats!") No one who is owned by cats can fail to recognize their own darlings here. ("mommy's little pirate ballerina!") Who hasn't saved a found cat whisker? (Guilty.) I have to say the planned demise of the vacuum cleaner was one of my favorite series. And the mailman siting. And Fluffapurrus Rex. Pucky's ode to the 4th of July picnic (This ham is my ham...sung to the tune of, yeah, you know.) And my new favorite phrase with my 6 cats is now going to be "Cuteness has reached THREAT LEVEL CUPCAKE!"

Description: The cats of BCN are back and have they got news for you! When Elvis goes missing it’s Tommy to the rescue—but just who is rescuing whom? Stayed tuned for relaxing light baths, an intruder on the couch, adventures in laundry, Operation: Second Breakfast, an invisible cat, a new wrestler entering the ring, baby pictures of Elvis, dangerous spiders, packing peanuts galore and more! ...And what about that rumored battle with the vacuum cleaner?

Cumulative pages (annual goal is 15,000): 208 p.

[Laurel]

#2 Cat's Eyewitness
ongoing series/authors
4 red stars

This book seems to be more about relationships than about the mystery of the weeping Virgin Mary and the two murders. Fair has given Harry an ultimatum - answer his proposal of marriage by Christmas or he will never ask again. Susan is second-guessing her relationship with her husband who is now a state senator and often away in Richmond. Boom Boom falls in love with an older woman which is an interesting twist on this character. And Blair and Little Mim? Really? We don't have much interaction with other animals this time, no horses, no possum, no snake, no owl, no mice, etc. So perhaps 4 stars is a bit generous, but I did like the mystery of the Virgin Mary and the introduction of the monastery into the cast. Oh, and we finally learn the identity of the mystery woman who had a child with Charlie Ashcroft...

Description: With the holidays approaching, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her best friend, Susan Tucker, take a much-needed time-out at the mountain monastery of Mount Carmel. There, under the benevolent gaze of the statue of the Virgin Mary, their worldly worries are soon overshadowed. For in front of their very eyes the statue begins to cry tears of blood. Legend has it that Mary’s crimson tears are harbingers of crises. And though skeptical, the ever-practical Harry can already see one on the horizon. If leaked, news of the so-called miracle could turn the monastery and the town of Crozet into a circus. What Harry doesn’t foresee is murder.… When Susan’s great-uncle Thomas, a resident monk, is found frozen to death at the base of the statue, foul play is ruled out–at first. But at Harry’s urging, the body is exhumed for an autopsy. There’s just one problem: the coffin is empty. That’s when Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker get involved. With Christmas around the corner and the monastery overrun by the faithful, all Harry’s meddling menagerie can do is stay on her trail as she jumps knee-deep into an unofficial investigation–one that becomes more dangerous when another Crozet citizen meets an untimely demise. In this case it will be a miracle if Harry stays alive....

Cumulative pages: 527

[Laurel]

#3 The Thursday Murder Club
4 red stars
Daytmers Book Club
Leftovers

Four red stars which is high praise for a first-of-series cozy mystery. It's humorous in that subtle British way, and convoluted enough to keep you guessing. Perhaps a bit too many threads, but I didn't care - it was a fun ride. It got off to a slow start, and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. I had to go back and reread from the beginning after a certain point. But by about a third of the way through the book (the second time) I was thoroughly enjoying getting to know the four seniors and the two cops who are the main characters. There is wit and even some quotable wisdom. It gives me hope that life can be fun after 80. I have already checked out the next book in the series, and I can't wait for the movie!

Description: In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?

Cumulative pages: 909

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Great progress, Laurel!! Looks like you are enjoying what you are reading; which is the ultimate goal.

Kudos!

[Laurel]

I usually do a mid-month update, but better late than never... Still reading
READ The Thursday Murder Club and I'm liking it enough that I checked out the next book in the series ready to go.
Ygerna: A Pendragon Chronicles Prequel Novel kind of got pushed aside by a "buddy read" in another group that caught my ear, so I've started
READ The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, a middle-grade novel that shouldn't take long to read.

All my other reading plans have likewise been upended as I keep changing my mind about what I want to read. In the car I am listening to
READ The Month of Borrowed Dreams which fits the January cover challenge that I am doing (blue or white) and it fits A Good Yarn group's theme for January - a location beginning with I (set in Ireland). I have one more hour to go, and then I must listen to
READ Murder on the Orient Express for this week's Daytimers book club (Friday). It's only 6 CDs (from the library) so I may listen to it in the evenings while I do a jigsaw puzzle over the next three nights.

Oh, and I started
DNF Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady because I like to have a chunky book going (and I still haven't unpacked the ones I was reading last year) and I was intrigued by the idea of reading each letter on the right day starting January 10, and that 2023 also matches the correct days of the week. However, after yesterday (or the 20th) there is now a gap until Feb. 20 for the next installment. This will be an all year read as the last letter is some time in December.

As for what to read after the first two above, I'm not sure. I should get back to Ygerna but I have 4 items currently checked out on Libby that I haven't started yet and several more on hold, so I guess we'll wait and see what my mood is. It might be
READ The Apothecary Rose[The Apothecary Rose] or it could be
READ A Sprinkle of Sabotage but that one has a hold waiting and it might have to go back before I get to it. Or it could be something else that pops up as "ready to borrow" of my Libby holds.

[Laurel]

#4 The Month of Borrowed Dreams
3.5 pink stars. Nothing great here. Just a revisit to a comfortable place and familiar characters to catch up on their lives. If the author keeps writing them, I'll keep visiting.

Description: On the Finfarran Peninsula on Ireland's west coast, the blue skies and warmer days of summer are almost here. At the Lissbeg Library, Hanna Casey has big plans for the long days ahead. Beginning with the film adaptation of Brooklyn, she’s starting a cinema club, showing movies based on popular novels her friends and neighbors love. Just when Lissbeg begins to feel like home, an unexpected twist leaves Hanna’s daughter, Jazz, reeling and may send her back to London. Aideen worries that her relationship with Conor won't survive the pressures of their planned double wedding with overbearing Eileen and manipulative Joe. Saira Khan throws herself into helping a troubled new arrival to Finfarran. Hanna enjoys getting closer to Brian until her ex-husband Malcolm returns, threatening her newfound contentment. As the club prepares for the first meeting of the summer, they’ll all face difficult choices. But will they get the happy endings they deserve?

Cumulative pages: 1,293

[Laurel]

#5 Murder on the Orient Express
4.5 blue stars

A classic for a reason. Poirot almost single-handedly carries the plot. He is thorough and methodical, and goes over his evidence point by point so that the reader has every opportunity to solve the mystery along side him. I may have read this before - and I have seen at least two of the movie versions - so I knew "who done it" beforehand. Whether I would have guessed correctly or not, I don't know, but I enjoyed seeing the clues and the red-herrings laid out by the author. it used to be a sort of bucket-list desire of mine to ride the Orient Express, and according to this article the original train is being restored and will resume its route in 2024. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-...

Description: Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer. Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.

Cumulative pages: 1,567

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Laurel wrote: "#3 The Thursday Murder Club
4 red stars
Daytmers Book Club
Leftovers

Four red stars which is high praise for a first-of-series cozy my..."
Ooh, I'm reading this this month, so excited!

[Laurel]

I hope you enjoy it, Desley! It was a bit slow to start for me, but once I got into it I really enjoyed the characters. I have the second book out, but haven't started it yet.

[Laurel]

February plans:

Currently reading:
READ The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
READ Arsenic and Adobo (audiobook)
READ Homer's Odyssey (audiobook)
READ Revenge of the Librarians

For Daytimers:
DNF The Road Trip

For A Good Yarn: a J setting
READ Heart of a Samurai (Japan) - also fits cover challenge below...

Feb. cover challenge (pink or gray):
READ Highland Mist maybe, or
The Secret of Nightingale Wood

Ongoing reads:
DNF Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady (all year)
The Books of Jacob (Reading the Chunksters group read begins Feb. 12 - June 10)

Next up?:
READ The Alice Network (audiobook)
READ The Apothecary Rose
Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World
The Man Who Died Twice

[Bill, Moderator]

Seems like an excellent variety. Enjoy your February

[Laurel]

#6 The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Easily five purple stars. Humor, wisdom, and all the feels. You'll root for Coyote and her mission, which maybe isn't so much about the memory box, as it is helping her dad to face his grief, and helping strangers along the way. The subject matter does cover some heavier issues, so I would recommend this for middle school age readers (5th-8th grade). I think I would have liked this very much at that age. Coyote kind of has an absent dad, so she is the one calling the shots, being independent, and learning how to assert herself. I enjoyed it as an adult, despite the improbable plot and picking up random strangers. The characters grow and change and ends with the promise of a happier ever after.

Description: Five years. That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished—the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box—she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it. Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there's Gladys...

Cumulative pages: 1,911

[Lea]

I loved Coyote too. What a fun book! I read it last month and I'm still thinking about it.

[Laurel]

#7 Revenge of the Librarians
4 red stars

More about authors and publishing than librarians, and a nod to the Covid lockdown. I did think it got a tad repetitive after awhile. But on the whole, it was very enjoyable to browse through. Some highlights: Further installments of famous six-word story, the bookshop cat and the pandemic, summer reading for conspiracy theorists, waiting for Godot to join the Zoom meeting, how to tell if your cat is interested in the novel you are writing, Jo March gets some advice from her publisher, and January reading challenges.

Description: Tom Gauld returns with his wittiest and most trenchant collection of literary cartoons to date. Perfectly composed drawings are punctuated with the artist’s signature brand of humour, hitting high and low. After all, Gauld is just as comfortable taking jabs at Jane Eyre and Game of Thrones. Some particularly favoured targets include the pretentious procrastinating novelist, the commercial mercenary of the dispassionate editor, the willful obscurantism of the vainglorious poet. Quake in the presence of the stack of bedside books as it grows taller! Gnash your teeth at the ever-moving deadline that the writer never meets! Quail before the critic’s incisive dissection of the manuscript! And most importantly, seethe with envy at the paragon of creative productivity!

Cumulative pages: 2,091

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Laurel wrote: "I hope you enjoy it, Desley! It was a bit slow to start for me, but once I got into it I really enjoyed the characters. I have the second book out, but haven't started it yet."

I finished it last night, 3.5 rounded down to 3* for me, really wordy in the beginning, and the ending was confusing. However, I'd really like to live somewhere like that when I'm older.

[Laurel]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "I finished it last night, 3.5 rounded down to 3* for me, really wordy in the beginning, and the ending was confusing. However, I'd really like to live somewhere like that when I'm older."

It's the beginning that was confusing for me. I'd like to live there, too, but a place like that I'm pretty sure is WAY out of my price range!

[Laurel]

#8 Arsenic and Adobo
3 green stars

I really waivered between yellow and green for my rating, but it's a debut novel, and a cozy mystery so I've bumped it up. To be fair, it did win a RUSA Award and the 2022 Anthony Award for "Best First Novel" so it's possible this just didn't quite work for me. On the plus side, the novel features ethnic protagonists. Lila is Filippino, and her best friend Adeena (and Adeena's lawyer brother Amir) are Pakistani Muslim. Lila's family runs a restaurant in a small town in Illinois. She has returned home from the big city after a bad break-up to figure out her life and help her family. Indeed, family and food are both culturally important here. I loved the set-up at the beginning. Lila promised to be an amusing character with an interesting family and background. And the food is really a centerpiece, with recipes at the end of the book. What didn't work for me was that the book really lost focus after the murder of the ex-boyfriend and food critic. I know that cozy mysteries are about amateur "detectives" but I couldn't figure out what Lila was trying to do. I felt she was kind of floundering around, and I just couldn't keep track of all the new characters. It picked up again at the end with a bit of action (finally), but it also was a bit of a deus ex machina ending. There also wasn't really any character development. And I expected more of a role for the dog, who was only mentioned a few times.... So it's a promising beginning, but I don't think I'll be reading more of this series.

4 stars for the audiobook narration.

Cumulative pages: 2,427

[Laurel]

#9 Homer's Odyssey
5 purple stars

What's not to love? A plucky rescue cat who survives against the odds. Homer has lost his eyes, but he is all heart, and he is fearless. Gwen Cooper brings his story and his personality to life. I cheered. I cried. I had my heart in my throat a few times. There's even a love story. Each chapter is prefaced with a quotation from The Odyssey. I listened to this as an audiobook. I may have to seek out the print book - I hear there are pictures... And there are sequels.

Description: The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen’s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who’d been abandoned. It was love at first sight. Everyone warned that Homer would always be an “underachiever.” But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease, survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen’s life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night. But it was Homer’s unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that transformed Gwen’s life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized that Homer had taught her the most valuable lesson of all: Love isn’t something you see with your eyes.

Cumulative pages: 2,714

[Laurel]

#10 Highland Mist
2.5 yellow stars rounded up.

This is the first book in her Druid's Glen series, and it probably was a freebie that I picked up because it mentioned Scotland and druids. I am not a romance reader generally, but I am attracted to Celtic countries and historical settings. It popped up this year as one of my random picks out of my TBR, and then it fit a February cover challenge to read a book with pink or gray on the cover. So....

The plot is mildly intriguing, though it is total fantasy, not historical in any way. It's sort of vaguely 16th century with lairds and clans, but with druids and the book has a background of standing stones like Stonehenge along with the hunky bare-chested kilt-wearing "warrior" on the cover. It revolves around a 300-year-old prophecy about 3 druid sisters that have been separated since childhood who will bring about the downfall of the powerful MacNeil clan. The youngest sister is the focus of this first book in the series. She was taken by the MacNeil clan leader who murdered her parents and left the other two girls for dead, and raised by him though there is no love there. Conall, our hero, is from a clan that has druid blood and that has sworn to protect the druids for centuries. However, his sister, a druid priestess has gone missing. The druids have refused to help (because of the prophecy to be fulfilled) and so he has sworn to refuse his powers and have nothing to do henceforth with druids (except he is still bound to protect them.) He kidnaps Glenna from the MacNeils to use as bait to get his sister back. Glenna has begun to realize that she has druid "powers" and seeks to be taught by the local druids. Conall, though, falls in love with her (or lust?) and wants her to renounce her druidness. This sets up the romantic conflict, because she is "his" and he doesn't know if he can go through with returning her to MacNeil as a pawn.

HOWEVER, the writing is absolutely eye-rolling. His cxxx is mentioned at least every other page and I was beginning to think it was a character in its own right. Don't get me started on his "silver orbs" burning which I thought was some kind of jewelry at first, but then realized it was his eyes. The publisher has marketed this as a "blush" level erotic romantic (kisses only, no graphic sex) - but this has plenty that IS graphic, so I hate to think what the next level up is.... Anyway, NOT my thing, but if you like that sort of writing you'll love this.

Despite that caveat, I ended up actually half liking the book. Once they gave in to their, um, passions, the rest of the book focused on other aspects of the plot, and I found myself at least a little intrigued by the fantasy world with druids and fae and the prophecy and of course Conall and Glenna got their HEA but with several threads unresolved. There are 6 more books in the series, and we have two more sisters to get their HEA, and wrap up the whole prophecy thread. So I wouldn't BUY the next book to read it, but if I were able to get a copy, I MIGHT read it.

Cumulative pages: 2,918

[Laurel]

Mid-February update:

Wow! I can't believe I've read 5 books already this month!

Not likely to get to
DNF The Road Trip this month. My hold on Libby is still showing a two week wait. So, instead, I decided it was time to read at least one book in my Keeping it Light theme for this year:
READ Key of Light. I am liking it quite a lot, and will certainly be continuing with the trilogy.

Will start
The Books of Jacob this week, maybe today. It's a group read, so will be ongoing into June.

Currently reading
READ The Dinner Lady Detectives since my hold became available, and it had been a long wait for this.

Also starting today
READ Heart of a Samurai. Due back at the library in 3 days for another hold, but it's a children's book, so I think I can finish it in time. It fits the March cover challenge (rose gold) - I'll just have to read it early!

[Laurel]

#11 Heart of a Samurai
5 purple stars

Based on the true story of Manjiro Nakahama. He is believed to be the first Japanese person to set foot in America. This novel for middle-grade readers is based on Manjiro's own accounts and illustrated with his own drawings. The author did a good job presenting a different time period and a different culture in a way that young people can understand. It does get into some of the violence and gruesomeness of whaling (so not for sensitive children...), and talks about anti-Asian and discriminatory behavior. 4th-8th grades.

Description: In 1841 a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way. Manjiro, a 14-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives there for some time and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider. With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the emperor to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai.

Cumulative pages: 3,223

[Laurel]

#12 Key of Light
3.5 pink stars (rounded up).

Light and easy reading with a touch of the paranormal. This is definitely in the romance category, with just a hint of a mystery or suspense. I would have liked a little more suspense. This never really got to the level of anyone being in actual danger. Still, I was hooked from the beginning with Malory's drive up the mountain to the estate in a storm and the description of the gothic house. And while there wasn't much in the way of character development, we did have 3 different couples and all of their interactions. You feel like you are among friends reading this. The love scenes were nothing particularly memorable. If you don't like that sort of thing, at least they aren't cringe-worthy! It's just all nice and cozy, and you know there will be a happy ending, because that's the formula.... I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy.

Description: Malory Price’s life plan has hit a snag. She’s in danger of losing her job managing an art gallery in Pleasant Valley, Pennsylvania. A welcome distraction comes in the form of an invitation to a cocktail party at Warrior’s Peak, an infamous estate overlooking the town. But no one else she knows has been invited. There are only two other guests: Dana Steele, a librarian, and Zoe McCourt, a single mother. On the surface, it seems the women have nothing in common, until their mysterious hosts tell them a story—and offer them a challenge. Legend has it that the souls of three demigoddesses—one an artist, one a bard, and one a warrior—have been locked in a box that has three keys. Now it’s up to Malory and the others to find the keys. Their reward: a million dollars each. It all seems too bizarre to be true. But none of them can ignore the financial windfall they stand to gain. And now Malory—with her soul of an artist and eye for beauty—must find her key first. She soon discovers that whatever locked the souls away is dark, powerful, and greedy…and it doesn’t want the women to win.

Cumulative pages: 3,557

[Laurel]

March plans:

Just started last month's book club book
DNF The Road Trip The audiobook had a waiting list and I just got it this week. Book club was cancelled due to the weather, but I'll read it anyway. It should be a fairly light read.

This month's book is
READ The Lincoln Highway That hold is showing a 3 week wait, so we'll see... I hope it comes sooner.

Still reading
READ The Dinner Lady Detectives

Not started yet, and three weeks behind the group schedule...
The Books of Jacob

DNF Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady is ongoing and I am behind on that one too.

Ygerna: A Pendragon Chronicles Prequel Novel has been paused for awhile. I want to get back to it, since it fits the March cover challenge (navy).

A Good Yarn is continuing J locations for March. I have another book set in Japan on hold...
READ The Cat Who Saved Books

Checked out, but not reading yet...
The Man Who Died Twice
Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World
I Will Die in a Foreign Land

Holds pending:
READ Key of Knowledge
READ The Alice Network
READ The Apothecary Rose

[Laurel]

I decided to DNF The Road Trip.
I thought it sounded cute and it's set in Scotland, but I quickly decided that I had no desire to continue it. Nothing about the characters was appealing to me, being a long way from my early twenties. Book club was cancelled because of the weather, and I doubt that we will discuss it at the next meeting. I didn't listen to enough to rate it - just enough to know that it wasn't going to be interesting for me. Life is too short. And my hold on Key of Knowledge came today...

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Sorry about the DNF, those are yucky, but at least you aren't wasting time on a book that doesn't work for you.

I need to get into the Thursday Murder club series. It sounds fun, and I love a good mystery.

[Laurel]

#13 The Dinner Lady Detectives
3.5 pink stars, not rounded up.

I enjoyed it, but a few things bordered on the absurd. The two main characters are in their 60s, but sometimes they act more like 85+ (who uses an ear horn anymore??) and then they are moving ceiling tiles and climbing into the ceiling to get into a room. They are like "an old married couple" having lived together for more than 30 years, but still working at the local school as cafeteria cooks. The author is a chef, so she knows her cooking stuff. Lots of humor and silly situations, but light-hearted fun. I got the second book as a freebie, so I'll keep reading. The setting is South Wales. There were a few cultural references to things like Welsh love spoons and a Welsh dresser, but otherwise nothing that couldn't be anywhere.

Description: Margery and Clementine are enjoying a peaceful middle-age together in the small, idyllic town of Dewstow, and eagerly awaiting retirement from their work on the front line serving meals to the students at Summerview secondary school. Their calm life is shattered when their kitchen manager is found dead in the school’s walk-in freezer. The police are adamant that it’s an open-and-shut case of accidental death. Margery and Clementine are convinced there’s something far more nefarious going on, and they take it upon themselves to investigate. As they inch closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep the pair quiet. Will the perpetrator get their just-desserts before their time runs out?

Cumulative pages: 3,799

[Laurel]

#14 Key of Knowledge
3.5 pink rounded up.

This is the 2nd in a trilogy that must be read as a whole, in order. Three couples (who don't start out as couples but have some connection) working together to free three sisters trapped in a glass box by a vengeful god. Each generation three women are chosen to try and find the keys to the box that will release the sisters. The individual love stories of each woman is integral to her finding the key. More "romance" than I prefer, but enough plot and action and interesting relationships among all six to make these a fun read. There's a bit of a mystery element - a problem to solve - but not enough to call it a mystery. I will finish the trilogy.

Description: What happens when the very gods depend on mortals for help? That's what three very different young women find out when they are invited to Warrior's Peak. To Dana Steele, books and the knowledge they hold are the key to contentment. But now that search for knowledge must include the second key needed to release three souls held captive by an evil god. She won't be alone, for she's formed fast friendships with two very different women. She can't allow herself to be distracted by the return of the man who broke her heart so long ago, for a danger beyond anyone's imagination is determined to keep her from completing her quest.

Cumulative pages: 4,551