Currently reading 2023

[Dem]

Finished The Scapegoat www.goodreads.com/review/show/5894700548 by Daphne du Maurier

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/5894700548

[sonya]

the woman in me by Brittany Spears.

[PamG]

Here is my 4.6 rounded to 5 stars review of Perfect Shot by Steve Urszenyi: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thriller
Overall, this tense and exciting thriller keeps the reader on an emotional rollercoaster, quickly turning pages with the hope that the world will be safe. This was an excellent start to what I hope will be a long high-octane and dynamic series.

[PattyMacDotComma]

Dark Angel aka Wildflower Girls is promoted as gripping and unputdownable, but I lost my grip, skimmed to the end, and put it down quickly. D.K. Hood has a lot of fans and some very high ratings, so I guess it's just me.

My review of Dark Angel

[Kayt]

Stone Butch Blues

Finally able to get my hands on a copy.....

[Christine]

I finished my 77th book

[PamG]

Here is my 4.07 rounded to 4 stars review of Nice Guys Finish Dead by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Western
Entertaining
Good character development

[PamG]

Here is my 4.3 rounded to 4 stars review of Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mystery/Crime Thriller
The plot has plenty of twists and turns, but is unbelievable at times. However, they kept my interest despite Shaw making some mistakes that I would not have expected him to make. Although the book never specifies which state the story is set in, the novel has great world-building.

[PamG]

Here is my 3.63 rounded to 4 stars review of Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thriller / Horror
The world-building was fantastic in all four parts of the story. With a combination of mystery and horror, it is suspenseful, gritty, heartbreaking, and atmospheric with plenty of chills.

[Pamela Sepulvado]

I just finished reading Slewfoot by Brom. I gave it a 5 star review. Im not usually a gothic fantasy reader but this was a recommended book and I decided to try it. I’m now reading The Exchange by John Grisham. My Goodreads book reading challenge for 2023 is for 150 books I’ve met the challenge yesterday.

[PamG]

Here is my 3.86 rounded to 4 stars review of Murder in a Cup by Lauren Elliott:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Excellent characterization and a solid mystery made this one an enjoyable read.

[PattyMacDotComma]

I always enjoy Irish writer Claire Keegan's work and her new collection, So Late in the Day: Stories of Men and Women, is a good one to start with if you haven't read her yet. Few words but big impact.
My review of So Late in the Day: Stories

[PattyMacDotComma]

Chris Hammer is a former Aussie journo who now writes great mysteries, often set in the hot, dry interior, as with Treasure & Dirt aka Opal Country. Excellent read and enjoyable audio as well.
My review of Treasure and Dirt

[Brandi]

Just finished You Must Remember This and gave it five stars. I really enjoyed it!

[Brandi]

Pamela Sepulvado wrote: "I just finished reading Slewfoot by Brom. I gave it a 5 star review. Im not usually a gothic fantasy reader but this was a recommended book and I decided to try it. I’m now reading The Exchange by ..."

I loved this book so much! It was my favorite read of 2022.

[➷SK⏾⁺⋆]

I know the wagon is hot right now but I’m happy to be on it. Just finished “Fourth Wing” and I’m starting “Iron Flame” 🔥

[Christine]

I finished my 78th book

[Elinor]

Curious to know how Iron Flame compares to Fourth Wing. I found there wasn’t enough world building in Fourth Wing and I’ve heard Iron Flame is even longer! Hope you enjoy it.

[Christine]

[PattyMacDotComma]

I've read some DARK and some LIGHT fiction recently.

I just enjoyed a return visit to Chief of Police Bruno Courrèges in southern France in Martin Walker's Dordogne Mysteries. In The Dark Vineyard, wine, food, and festivities are disturbed by sabotage and suspicious deaths.
5★ My review of The Dark Vineyard

[PattyMacDotComma]

Terry Pratchett has left us with libraries full of fun, so of course I enjoyed The Light Fantastic. Discworld is on a fatal collision course and inept wizard Rincewind is needed to stop it. As entertaining as ever.
4★ My review of The Light Fantastic

[PamG]

Here is my 4.19 rounded to 4 stars review of Lost Hours by Paige Shelton:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mystery set in Alaska
Overall, this enjoyable mystery was engaging, suspenseful, atmospheric, and full of adventure. Darker than many cozy mysteries, the well-developed ideas with good pacing from scene to scene kept me turning the pages.

[Rosalyn]

That face was my experience reading this book. It started off so strong, mainly kudos to the atmospheric writing and romantic tension between the two leads, but halfway through, it completely veered off course into muddled and meandering plot points that hobbled together to form a conclusion that didn't warrant all the build up.

My full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[PattyMacDotComma]

If you enjoy edgy fairy tales, The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia might be one you'll enjoy. It's another Amazon Original Short Story.
My review of The Lover

[Dem]

Finished The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958990022

[Christine]

I finished my 79th book

[PamG]

Here is my 4.19 rounded to 4 stars review of Badlands by C.J. Box:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Crime Thriller / Police Procedural
Need to read the series in order to avoid spoilers.
Thought-provoking, violent, atmospheric

[Storm Bay]

Blood on the Breakwater

rounded up to 3 stars

[PattyMacDotComma]

Water. We begin life in water, we are made up mostly of water, we play and exercise and refresh ourselves in water. The protagonist in award-winning Irish author John Boyne's new novel is both drawn to it and repelled by it. I'm biased - I always love his work. 😊
My review of Water

[PattyMacDotComma]

If you'd like to amuse yourself for a few minutes, have a look at Laura a classic short story by Saki. It's free to read.
My review of Laura with a link to the story online.

[Dem]

My Review of Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
www.goodreads.com/review/show/5973503188

[PamG]

Here is my 4.45 rounded to 4 stars review of Hard Exit by J.B. Turner:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Political Thriller / Espionage
This story has great pacing, a twisty and absorbing plot, and plenty of exciting scenes. My main quibble is that I didn’t quite feel like I was in Switzerland. I needed a little more world-building for that. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Overall, this high-octane thriller was entertaining, thought-provoking, and a powerful page-turner from start to finish.

[PamG]

Here is my 4.6 rounded to 5 stars review of That Others May Live by Sara Driscoll:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Crime Thriller
FBI - K-9
Eighth book in the series
Overall, this tense, engaging, and tragic thriller gripped me from the beginning.

[Rosalyn]

Gotta give a slow clap to this one. Since the author is a lawyer by trade, this book feels more intellectual and thought out and slightly more realistic-ish than the typical melodramatic domestic thriller. There were several great reveals throughout that I did not see coming, and as a result, constantly shifted my suspicions from one character to the next. Solid, entertaining, quick read, really enjoyed my time!

rating: 4/5

[PamG]

Here is my 3.48 rounded to 3 stars review of Final Price by J. Gregory Smith:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Police / Crime Thriller with some Horror
Overall, this is a fast-paced and perturbing thriller with some dark humor to break the suspense occasionally.

[PamG]

Here is my 3.84 rounded to 4 stars review of Pumpkins in Paradise by Kathi Daley:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Cozy Mystery
Entertaining, light, amateur sleuth, small town, romance potential, too many characters

[Christine]

I finished my 80th book

[PattyMacDotComma]

Kids, Christmas, myths. Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toy Shop is David Litchfield's colourful interpretation of a Santa Claus /Saint Nicolas origin story. Beautifully done. I think kids will love it.
My review of Kid Christmas with many illustrations and a summary of the story

[~emily~]

Christine wrote: "I finished my 80th book"

don't know how people are getting over 50 books per year, all my books are either for school or just me bored 🥲

also just finished the Lockwood series (books and netflix), pretty nice but so mad they decided to cancel the show

[sonya]

I finished Holly by Stephen King

[PamG]

Here is my 3.84 rounded to 4 stars review of Night Shift by Robin Cook:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Medical Thriller
After a slow start, the ending brings the suspense, danger, and foreboding that one expects from a medical crime thriller. Additionally, it looks at the levels of hospital staffing and the effects of a lost colleague on other staff members. The plot has plenty of twists and turns, but is unbelievable at times. My main quibble is that the antagonist was too easy to identify and it’s confirmed about half-way through the book. Despite this, I enjoyed the investigation part of the story which kept me intrigued.

[Pamela Sepulvado]

I just finished reading All Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby.
My opinion, a 5 star book about the 1st black sheriff in a rural county of Virginia. I saw a recommendation from Tik Tok / Book Tok.
This book will have you guessing until the very end. I shook my head at backwoods idiots, crying out for justice and it all wrapped up with a happy ending.

[Rosalyn]

I assumed this book would be a collection of The Washington Post articles chronicling the Watergate scandal, but this turned out to be something even more immersive and juicier, which is a story on the making of a story.

Woodward and Bernstein are two sides of the same coin, coming from drastically different backgrounds, but both dedicated to the search for truth while keeping journalistic integrity. Their competing personalities and working styles are at times funny to read and telling of what made their collective work greater than the sum of its parts.


My full 5 star review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

All the President's Men

[Christine]

I finished my 81st book

[PamG]

Here is my 3.84 rounded to 4 stars review of The End of October by Lawrence Wright:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Medical and Political Thriller
Pandemic
Written before the recent coronavirus, but many parallels plus some extra geopolitics.
Plenty of information on the science and history of viruses and pandemics.

[Jim]

I have just begun to read (for the 3rd. time) Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard. A Science Fiction novel first published in 1982.

[PattyMacDotComma]

I just enjoyed The Mystery Writer by one of my favourite authors, Aussie Sulari Gentill. This one has a couple of Aussie characters in the US, caught up in murder, conspiracies and preppers. Good stuff!
My review of The Mystery Writer

[Trye]

Currently reading
The Seven Year Slip
by
Ashley Poston

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

[Trye]

Some of my other November Reads:

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
The Burnout by Sophia Kinsella
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

[PamG]

Here is my 4.32 rounded to 4 stars review of Cocktails & Chloroform by Kelley Armstrong:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Historical Mystery / Time Travel
Novella
Overall, this is well-written, engaging, and gripping with complex characters in a historical setting.