Carol J's 2023 Reading Challenge

[Carol]

126. Just Murdered by Katherine Kovacic - This book was a novelization of the Australian TV series Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries . Peregrine is the niece of the famous Phryne Fisher who solved lots of mysteries back in the day. **** 5/1/23

[Carol]

127. Maxwell Cooper and the Legend of Inini-Makwa by Simon Hargreaves - This book is a nominee for the MN Book Awards 2023 in the Young Adult category. Max is a teenage boy getting ready to go on his family's summer vacation in Northern Minnesota. They are stopping off by a special school for children with an artistic gift. Throughout the whole book Max's dad is angry and has unrealistic expectations of him. He continues to be angry at Max even after they reach their vacation destination. I think it would have helped if we knew why his dad was so angry with him. *** 5/2/23

[Carol]

128. Reawakened by Odette Beane - A fun fantasy novel based on the TV show Once Upon a Time which is based on Disney's take on many fairy tales, with a spin. *** 5/2/23

[Carol]

129. The Wet Hex by Sun Yung Shin - This book is a nominee for the MN Book Awards 2023 in the Poetry category. I will be the first to admit I don't get most poetry, especially the modern stuff. I did like her prosaic historic fiction story. ** 5/3/23

[Carol]

130. Through the Window by Rhys Bowen - A quick Molly Murphy mystery where she helps out her husband Daniel in regards to an unlikable neighbor's missing wife. *** 5/3//23

[Carol]

131. Second Chance Pass by Robyn Carr - Vanessa had buried her Military husband, Matt and then gave birth to their son. Fortunately, Matt's best friend Paul was around to help Vanessa through her pregnancy and birth. *** 5/4/23

[Carol]

132. Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien - Lana Lee is back working at her family restaurant. The the property manager ends up dead and it is suspicious looking. Lana investigates. ** 5/7/23

[Carol]

133. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu - A series of stories detailing the rediscovery of an ancient virus in the Arctic Circle that gets away from mankind and it sweeps across earth. It ends with a story of humans leaving the earth in search of a healthy new world for them to live in. **** 5/7/23

[Carol]

134. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - Tova Sullivan's husband died and thirty years ago, her 18 year old son went missing. She takes a job a local aquarium where she befriends an older octopus. **** 5/8/23

[Carol]

135. The Levee by William Kent Krueger - A story that takes place in 1927, and a huge, devastating flood that has swelled the Mississippi River. 4 men (three convicts) attempt to row up the river to save a trapped family. Most of the time I love the works of WKK, but I could not get into this novella. ** 5/8/23

[Carol]

136. All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris - Aurora's much younger brother, Philip is staying with her and her new husband, Robin while they await the new baby. Philip needs to speak to Aurora, but sees that it is a bad time and they agree to speak later, the thing is shortly after that, he and some other local teens go missing before he can talk to his sister. **** 5/8/23

[Carol]

137. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Stories from a coffee shop that serves coffee and time travel. **** 5/9/23

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "137. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Stories from a coffee shop that serves coffee and time travel. **** 5/9/23"

These books were delightful!

[Carol]

138. Fake by Erica Katz - Emma is an artist who works for museums who need some of their classic paintings reproduced. Then an opportunity falls in her lap that is too good to be true. *** 5/11/23

[Carol]

139. Owls Well That Ends Well by Donna Andrews - Meg and her boy friend Micheal have bought a huge old Victorian mansion and all the possessions in it. In order to get rid of said possessions, they hold a yard sale which attracts, the late owners heir, a bunch of animal activists (because of the owls in the barn) and lots of yard sale enthusiasts. Let the chaos begin! **** 3/13/23

[Carol]

140. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal - I was surprised how much I enjoyed this... Nikki is an Indian woman who lives in London. She thinks she is asked to teach Indian widows creative writing, but is really asked to teach them how to write in English. Somehow, it evolves into the widows writing erotic stories. **** 5/14/23

[Carol]

141. Storm Watch by C.J. Box - This complex story starts with a man stuck in an aeration vent of a shed and the top of his head chopped off by some fan blades that are meant to cool off the computers being housed in the shed in the middle of a Wyoming ranch. *** 5/14/23

[Carol]

142. Exiles by Jane Harper - Aaron Falk is attending a festival on the year anniversary of Kim Gillespie going missing. What appears to be a simple disappearance of a new mom, becomes more a more complex mystery. **** 5/16/23

[Carol]

143. The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes - It is 1946 and WWII is over. Now many warbrides are being reunited to the servicemen via the HMS Victoria. *** 5/18/23

[Carol]

144. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker - A retelling of the story of Briseis. In this book she was a queen in a near Troy (in a movie, she was a priestess in the temple of Apollo...), but was taken slave for Achilles. *** 5/19/23

[Carol]

145. The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo - This is a classic Japanese murder mystery. In a village in Japan a wealthy family hosts a wedding and that night the newly married couple is killed in a grisly fashion with a katana. *** 5/19/23

[Carol]

146. How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers by Robert Williams Wood - A sweet little 100+ year old booklet comparing birds to plants in sketches and poetry. *** 5/19/23

[Carol]

147. Collared by David Rosenfelt - Two and a half years ago a single mom's adopted infant and dog were kidnapped. Then out of the blue the dog turns up. Laurie wants Andy to help in hopes that the baby will turn up. **** 5/20/23

[Carol]

148. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet, I should have loved you. Believe me, it is me not you. The story of a marriage, the birth of children, the death of a son and the father who writes the play Hamlet ** 5/21/23

[Carol]

149. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover - Wow! I am emotionally spent after this one... Tate moves in with her brother, Corbin. While trying to let herself into his apartment, a very emotional, very drunk guy is lying in front of the door. *** 5/22/23

[Carol]

150. Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara - First off, I would like to thank the William Morrow Co. I won Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara in a goodreads giveaway. I thought it was a lovely retelling of the ancient Greek myth. Sometimes with ancient historical fiction I find the language to be too heavy. This was just right without making it too modern sounding. Psyche is working to become a hero. Through Aphrodite's curse, Psyche & Eros fall in love. In the beginning they are parted with little hope of being thrown back together. **** 5/23/23

[Carol]

151. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner - This was a novel about The Spanish Flu that hit the world like a hammer. This hit close to home for me because I felt like the reactions in the book to The Spanish Flu were very similar to what many of us felt while suffering through Covid. **** 5/24/23

[Carol]

152. Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey - In the previous novel, Chloe's best friends life is a rom com, literally... small town girl meets movie star and they fall in love. In this novel, Chloe is a hot mess, but she is crushing on her coffee shop boss, Nick. **** 5/25/23

[Carol]

153. My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith - Paul Stewart is a writer who is on vacation in Italy. He plans to relax and work on his late to the publisher book. His holiday does not start well. When Paul first arrives at the airport, he heads down to pick up his reserved rental car. They, however, do not have an authorized copy of his rental agreement. All they have available for him to use is a bulldozer... that's right that thing with a big scoop and metal blade that is used for moving dirt and heavy objects. **** 5/26/23

[Carol]

154. Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini - Christopher Paolini's prequel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. A group of astronauts land on a distant planet to figure out who built "the anomaly". This did not grab me as much as his last book did. *** 5/26/23

[Carol]

155. Much Ado About You by Samantha Young - Evie Starling is a talented employee at a business in Chicago. When she is unfairly passed over for a promotion for work, she quits her job and takes a long vacation in a little village in England. While on her vacation she gets to run a little book store. This thrills her. Then Roane Robson walks inter her life and he shakes her to the core. **** 5/28/23

[Carol]

156. Follow the Blackbirds by Gwen Westerman - Poetry reflecting the Dakota people. *** 5/28/23

[Carol]

157. The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron - Things to think about to enhance your creativity. *** 5/29/23

[Carol]

158. Thank You Mr. Moto by John P. Marquand - An American gets in trouble when he tries to save a woman in Peking. Turns out there is much more going on. *** 5/30/21

[Carol]

159. Zero Day by David Baldacci - John Puller is an investigator for the Army. He is sent to a small town in West Virginia to investigate the brutal deaths of a former military family. *** 5/31/23

[Carol]

160. White Horse by Erika T. Wurth - Kari James is a an indigenous woman who works at and frequents The White Horse bar. Her long time friend Debbie finds Kari's late mother's bracelet. The bracelet seems to summon up the spirit of Kari's mother and also some kind of monstrous entity. I spent most of the book trying to figure out which characters were deluded and which weren't. **** 5/31/23

[Carol]

161. Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be by Marissa R. Moss - A non-fiction book about the difficulties women have had in country music. It makes me wonder if things have been so hard for women in other genres of music. *** 6/1/23

[Carol]

162. The Daughters Of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz - A non-fiction book about the daughters of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Averell Harriman and their roles at the Yalta Conference. *** 6/2/23

[Carol]

163. The Ursulina by Brian Freeman - Oh wow! I really liked his first book, The Deep, Deep Snow, but I liked this sequel better. Rebecca Colder is a deputy in a small town. She is narrating this book to her daughter (you'll know who the daughter is if you read the first book) and tells of her difficult life. ***** 6/3/23

[Carol]

164. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - The 2nd book in the Harry Potter Series. Harry almost can't get back to school. Then lots of weird things start happening. **** 6/5/23

[Carol]

165. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt - Andy has a place in his heart for dogs. His friend, “Pups” Boyer also has a place in her heart. She has been caring for strays and finding them home for years. Then her neighbor reports her to the authorities for having too many animals. Shortly after that he is found dead and she is arrested. It is up to Andy to get her out of this jam. **** 6/5/23

[Carol]

166. The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn - Daisy is writing an article for Town and Country Magazine. She is on the Occles Estate and finds the body of a chamber maid that had gone missing. She investigates... ** 6/6/23

[Carol]

167. The Cat Who Had 14 Tales by Lilian Jackson Braun - A collection of stories about cats. **** 6/7/23

[Carol]

168. The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston - Aloysius vs. (his brother) Diogenes. The New York Museum of Natural History has been presented with a huge gift from a mysterious benefactor who wished an Egyptian exhibit be reopened. **** 6/10/23

[Carol]

169. You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey - Lily’s husband died. Since then, she moved to a small village and hid herself away. Her brother and his family have been so supportive. Then one day, when her brother offered up the guest bedroom, she couldn't say no. Then she slowly started to live her life again. *** 6/11/23

[Carol]

170. We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu - A really good autobiography about the actor who has played in the TV show, Kim's Convenience and Marvel Studio's Shang-Chi. **** 6/12/23

[Carol]

171. Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood - The men who run P & O Cruise Lines are concerned because there has been a rash of burglaries on their ship. They hire Phryne Fisher to find out who is doing this! **** 6/13/23

[Carol]

172. No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews - Meg Langslow is out on a neighbor's farm playing extreme croquet when she runs into a dead body. The police are called and Meg, of course, lends her help. *** 6/14/23

[Carol]

173. Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley - Wow! What an amazing book. Due to a car accident that Perry Firekeeper-Birch has in the beginning of summer, she has to work as a summer intern to pay her Auntie Daunis (The Firekeeper's Daughter) back for repairs to her car. During this internship she finds love, maturity, and learns the easy way may not be the best or the safest way. ***** 6/14/23

[Carol]

174. The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens - Wow! There must be something in the water, because I have been finding so many good Minnesota authors. This was the story of a college student who has an assignment to interview and then write a paper about a senior citizen. Joe agrees to interview Carl Iverson who was a Viet Nam vet... THEN things start to get dicey... ***** 6/15/23