Karol's 2025 Challenge

[Lillie]

Definitely a good reminder that it's time to get back to the series! Love Mma Ramotswe and her friends. Thanks Karol :)

[Bill, Moderator]

Karol wrote: "To the Land of Long Lost Friends, by Alexander McCall Smith - for my "To Read List" challenge.

It has been a long time since I've taken a trip to Botswana to meet wit..."

I'm in the same boat. I've put aside this series when it's such an excellent one. I need to dust off my next one.

[Karol]

Michelle, Lillie, and Bill - I enjoyed my recent trip to Botswana so much that I just grabbed the next book in the series for me, from my library. How to Raise an Elephant. I've got at least one other that I want to read first, but I'll get back to it soon.

Glad that y'all are inspired to get back to the series!

[Laurel]

Michelle wrote: "You are reminding me that I need to get back to Mma Ramotswe."

I've just just gotten back to this series, too. But I started over from the beginning, listening to the audiobooks. Then last night I had to get out my DVD of the TV series. They only did one season, but it was so wonderful!

[Bill, Moderator]

Laurel wrote: "Michelle wrote: "You are reminding me that I need to get back to Mma Ramotswe."

I've just just gotten back to this series, too. But I started over from the beginning, listening to the audiobooks. ..."

It was an excellent TV series.

[Jackie]

Karol wrote: "I can't believe it took me until the 18th of April to have a finish for the month! Too much going on right now . . .

I did read another from my "To Read" list: Horse, by [author:Ge..."

Karol, the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington had an exhibit with the skeleton of the horse (Lexington) there a couple of years ago and I was able to see it. I doubt that it is still there but if you haven't visited the Park yet, you should really add that to your list of places to see. Enjoy!

[Karol]

Jackie wrote: "Karol, the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington had an exhibit with the skeleton of the horse (Lexington) there a couple of years ago and I was able to see it. I doubt that it is still there but if you haven't visited the Park yet, you should really add that to your list of places to see. Enjoy!"

Jackie, thanks for the suggestion. I have been to the Kentucky Horse Park, but didn't go through the museum exhibit - plan to do that this year. It's less than a half hour away from where I live, so it is a great place for us to go.

[Karol]

Two more series reads, and two more books off my To Read list:

Thereby Hangs a Tail, by Spencer Quinn

I enjoy this goofy series where investigation is told from the standpoint of the PI's dog . . . including identifying fascinating smells, sudden rabbit chases, and so forth. Laughed out loud a few times. But actually the mysteries so far are pretty good. (This was only #2 in the series).


Of Literature and Lattes, by Katherine Reay
I honestly didn't know that this was a series read until I got a couple of chapters into the book and realized the characters were familiar. Great storytelling.

[Lillie]

Bill wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Michelle wrote: "You are reminding me that I need to get back to Mma Ramotswe."

I've just just gotten back to this series, too. But I started over from the beginning, listening to the audiobooks. ..."

It was an excellent TV series."

I was so sad when I realized that we wouldn't get a second series.

[Bill, Moderator]

Lillie wrote: "Bill wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Michelle wrote: "You are reminding me that I need to get back to Mma Ramotswe."

I've just just gotten back to this series, too. But I started over from the beginning, l..."

My wife and I were too.

[Karol]

Two more for my To Read List challenge, both of them are series reads. It's been fun getting back into some series that I got away from the last 3 - 5 years.

A Trick of the Light, by Louise Penny

I enjoy Louise Penny's style. The characters are well-developed and she allows you to see likeable people at their worst. I can almost see the internal "demons" that the characters constantly fight. We all have those, right?

Anyway, this was an intriguing mystery and as always, the author revealed a lot more about what motivates the main and other recurring characters and how they think - without being boring about it!


How to Raise an Elephant, by Alexander McCall Smith

Another solid installment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Maybe I was in an especially good mood, but this book made me laugh out loud a lot! And of course, brought up feelings of gratitude and compassion within me as all the author's books seem to do.

[Bill, Moderator]

Karol wrote: "Two more for my To Read List challenge, both of them are series reads. It's been fun getting back into some series that I got away from the last 3 - 5 years.

A Trick of the Light, ..."

Both series that I need to return to, Karol.

[Karol]

For my To Read List challenge (with this book, I am at 30/50 of the goal!

The Soulmate, by Sally Hepworth

Complex and suspenseful. I didn't "buy" everything near the end of the book, but I have to say that the author sure can hold my attention! She is one of those authors that makes me interested to read any or all of her books.

[Karol]

For my To Read List challenge:

The Joy and Light Bus Company, by Alexander McCall Smith

Another solid book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. This one isn't nearly one of my favorites of the series. There seemed to be a bit more mental pondering on the part of the characters than some of the others, and I found it a little distracting this time. But aside from that, great storytelling from the author once again.

[Karol]

Missing and Endangered, by J.A. Jance

I guess this one is for my To Read list challenge again . . . I don't have all of the series I'm part of the way through in my Goodreads To Read list . . . but they definitely are "To Reads" in my mind anytime I get into a series and determine I want to read all of the books.

Anyway, this was a good addition to the Sheriff Joanna Brady series, but not fast paced or overly suspenseful. As is true with other books in the series, there is more than one crime going on at a time in the world of Sheriff Brady. One in this book related to online "Sextortion" of a young woman, and the other involved a murder and descriptions of a very sad life style for two little kids. I didn't find the book terribly suspenseful, but there were definitely icky, creepy things going on!

[Karol]

To Fetch a Thief, by Spencer Quinn

The mystery of a stolen elephant is captivating, and Chet the dog's narration is often hilarious. Very enjoyable read!

[Lillie]

Karol wrote: "Missing and Endangered, by J.A. Jance

To Fetch a Thief, by Spencer Quinn"

You're reminding me of series I'd started and then forgot to go back to the next one. Adding them to my series page :)

[Karol]

Lillie wrote: "Karol wrote: "Missing and Endangered, by J.A. Jance

To Fetch a Thief, by Spencer Quinn"

You're reminding me of series I'd started and then forgot to go back to the next one. Adding them to my series page :)..."

Sorry to cause you this trouble!

[Karol]

]I spent about 4 hours trying to enjoy The Summer Queen, by Elizabeth Chadwick and totally lost interest. I understand that producing an heir for her French King Louis was seen by others as her main duty - but I'm not sure the author had to list each fictional attempt and say how that went. Just not my cup of tea, I guess.

So, I removed this book and the two others in the series from my To Read list as part of that "Read or Remove" goal to reduce my list. And then that inspired me to go through the list and remove others that I've lost interest in. In total I removed 6 books:

The Summer Queen, The Winter Crown, and The Autumn Throne by Elizabeth Chadwick

Dakota Home and Always Dakota, by Debbie Macomber. (I like the author, especially for a comfort or beach read. There are a lot of her books in my library, but not these two. Rather than expend the effort to find these two titles elsewhere, I'll just grab something else off the library shelf the next time I'm in the mood to turn to her.)

The German Wife, by Kelly Rimmer. This book has marvelous reviews, but I've read so many WWII books in recent years that I'm a little weary of them. I do have a couple of series that deal with either WWII or the aftermath of WWI, and I think for now that will be enough of this particular time period for me.

[Lillie]

Karol wrote: "Sorry to cause you this trouble!"

😂😂

I started! At least with the two prequel short stories. And I may just begin from #1 again since I only read the first 2

[Patricia]

Sorry you didn't enjoy the Chadwick books! I did enjoy them but I understand what you mean. Have you read the Sharon Kay Penman books (Plantagenet series in particular)? I've just started the 4th Lionheart. They cover the same time period but told very differently.

[Lea]

I haven't read any of the Chadwick books. Since I love Sharon Kay Penman, she was recommended for me. I was given Lady of the English in 2012, but it just sits on my shelves, staring at me reproachfully. I will read it before I acquire any other books by her, I may be in the same boat as you. We'll see.

[Karol]

Patricia and Lea,

LOL - I must have typed "heir" incorrectly; my original post referred to Eleanor having the duty to produce an "error"! Sheesh! (It's now corrected).

Anyway, thanks for the recommendation of Sharon Kay Penman - I might give her books a try. I am interested in the time period and in Eleanor of Aquitaine in particular.

I haven't totally given up on the Chadwick books, especially since I own them on Kindle. I might try again in the future and see how they strike me then.

[Karol]

The Beautiful Mystery, by Louise Penny

I am so glad I got back into the Inspector Armand Gamache series. Gritty, great characters, and awesome writing. This one takes place in a monastery and the beautiful mystery centers around ancient music - specifically, Gregorian chant. It takes place in a monastery for a "lost" group of monks whose music suddenly makes them famous.

The thing I like about this series is the mood-setting ability of the author. That is especially effective in this book in the series.

[Karol]

Mid-year update:

Priority Reads: 3 of 5 completed, and about 80% of the way through the fourth, which is a large collection of short stories that I pick up maybe once a week on average.

To Read list: 31 of 50 read or removed from To Reads dating 12/31/24 or earlier.

Something New: 7 of 16 books that I have picked up in the spur of the moment.

Series Books: 9 of 15 read from series I started before 2025.

[Karol]

Birds of a Feather, by Jacqueline Winspear (To Read List challenge)

Excellent story. I liked this second book in the series much better than the first. I'm looking forward to reading more!


The Beloved Disciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus, by Beth Moore (Something New challenge)

I came across this book a couple of months ago when I was cleaning out my mother's home after her move to an assisted living facility. It was one that I had put unread into a garage sale when I was in the process of moving from one place to another for work. I remember Mom telling me, years ago, about how much she had liked it. So I took it back - to read this time.

It turned out to be a nice overview of the life of the apostle John. The author focused on glimpses of his life in the gospels, plus John's letters and the book of Revelation that he also wrote. There are 51 short chapters in The Beloved Disciple, which I enjoyed and meditated on a day at a time. It was an interesting/intriguing exercise to "see" one person (other than Jesus) across several books of the New Testament.

[Bill, Moderator]

I have to get back to the Maisie Dobbs series. I enjoyed the 2nd as well.

[Karol]

Bill wrote: "I have to get back to the Maisie Dobbs series. I enjoyed the 2nd as well."

I feel like such a late-comer to this particular party. I've got friends who have read the Maisie Dobbs series starting with when the first books were published. So I've heard about it for years but am just now getting started. Better late than never!

[Bill, Moderator]

Karol wrote: "Bill wrote: "I have to get back to the Maisie Dobbs series. I enjoyed the 2nd as well."

I feel like such a late-comer to this particular party. I've got friends who have read the Maisie Dobbs seri..."

Indeed

[Karol]

For my "To Read" List challenge:

The Body in the Transept, by Jeanne M. Dams

I really enjoyed this book, and that was a bit of a surprise. I got a "boxed set" of the first 5 books in this series either for free or for very cheap on Kindle. My expectations weren't high, so I expected I might read a chapter or two and move on . . . but I was drawn into the story right away and it kept me interested to the end. I am definitely looking forward to reading the second book of the five I have!

[Karol]

For my "Something New" challenge: Soap: Making It, Enjoying It, by Ann Bramson

New to me, anyway! I was browsing books at a used book store in hopes of finding something about soap making. I did find just one, and it was published in 1975. I grabbed it, and for $3 I learned that I do not want to get into this hobby. I will happily buy other people's hand-made soap at farmer's markets and craft shows!

In all fairness, this book is from the 1970's . . . I'm sure there are newer methods and equipment, but I found this book to still be a great introduction to how to make soap. And I loved the chapter on soap's history - very interesting, and inclusion of some advertisements from the past was a fun aspect. But although I know things are different, this book still shows the commitment and time involved in making soap, and I do think it's good that I stick with the hobbies I already have. And of course, to better appreciate those who have jumped in to make soap whether for a hobby, part of their way of life, or to sell to others.

[Karol]

This is for my Priority Reads challenge (the five books I most wanted to get to this year:

Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries. edited by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz

This book seems to be a fairly comprehensive anthology of crime-related short stories where a cat is either the main character or the cat's involvement is critical to the outcome of the story. Of course, I enjoyed some stories more than others and in an anthology of this size it's not surprising that there were 2 or 3 of the stories I didn't like at all. Overall, I have enjoyed picking up this tome at various times (usually between other books) and reading a story or a few.

[Karol]

All the Way: A Biography of Frank Sinatra, by Michael Freedland

I love browsing used book stores! Not long ago in the upstairs of a great new and used book store in downtown Frankfort, KY, I found this biography of Frank Sinatra whom I can remember still performing late in his career in the 1980's. I had to buy it!

The writing style was not all that great; but the subject made the book worth reading. The author included so much information about Sinatra's albums, concerts, and movies - as well as his personal life and his mob ties. It did make for a fascinating read, despite the rather stilted style of the author.

(This is for my "something new" challenge which doesn't refer to new books, but rather to anything that wasn't on my reading radar at the beginning of the year).

[Karol]

With this book, I completed my first independent challenge of the year - Priority Reads. (Top 5 books I want to read this year). I did this challenge because I didn't want to commit to a 12 + 2 . . . but next year I might do that challenge instead. It does feel good to have gotten those top 5 all read!

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

Finally read this book after hearing so many positive reviews when it came out over a decade ago. This is not my typical genre to read, but the storytelling was very good and I enjoyed it.

[Bill, Moderator]

Congratulations on completing your challenge, Karol! Satisfying, eh?

[Lea]

Congratulations on completing your Priority Reads, Karol! :-)

[Karol]

Bill wrote: "Congratulations on completing your challenge, Karol! Satisfying, eh?"

Yes, very!

[Karol]

Lea wrote: "Congratulations on completing your Priority Reads, Karol! :-)"

Thanks, Lea!

[Karol]

Read another one from my To Read List challenge, and I'm removing three others.

I have a 5-book set on Kindle of the Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne M. Dams. I absolutely loved the first book, but in the second one I found myself getting irritated with the main character and also her next-door neighbor/friend. I got through Trouble In The Town Hall, but I can't say I really enjoyed it all that much.

I think what I will do with this series is list it over in the Serious About Series challenge as a low-priority series, and for now I will take the three I've not read from my set off my To Read list.

[Lillie]

Karol wrote: "Read another one from my To Read List challenge, and I'm removing three others."

It's always a bit frustrating when a series starts off strong and subsequent books let you down. I've had to create a "DNF for now" list on the series page.

Congrats on finishing one of you independent challenges!

[Karol]

Lillie wrote: "It's always a bit frustrating when a series starts off strong and subsequent books let you down. I've had to create a "DNF for now" list on the series page.

Congrats on finishing one of you independent challenges!"

Thanks. It's nice to have one of my challenges done, even though it was the was the easiest.

With respect to series reads, I'm moving on to read the most recent books in a two of series (Sheriff Joanna Brady, and Evelyn Redfern) . . . so I'll be "finished" with those until another comes out. That will actually happen in September! But at least I'll have just over a month of being caught up on those two.

I might also try to get caught up on the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency before the end of the year . . . I'm three away from being "done" but that one also has another new book coming out in September.

[Karol]

I've been reading up a storm, but haven't had much computer time to summarize it.

Blessing of the Lost Girls, by J.A. Jance
Always a favorite author and series. In this book, I was disappointed that Joanna Brady was not featured nor did she contribute significantly to the plot. Instead, the focus was on her daughter as well as the "Walker Family" which series shared this novel.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, by Julia Kelly
Very solid #2 in an interesting new series. The case in this book was quite complex and I love the main character.

Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland, by Salena Zito
Very good analysis of why the majority of voters in PA and other swing states voted for Trump. And of course, the author being mere feet away from Trump during the assassination attempt at Butler, her narrative on that was valuable from a historical perspective. (I guess if I'm going to set a goal of reading about each president, I've got Donald J. Trump covered, now, along with a few others).

Drool Baby, by C.A. Newsome
This was another #2 in a series. While I enjoyed reading about the characters and enjoyed the book in general, I was disappointed that it built on the case from the first book in the series - made it a bit less interesting to me. I don't think I'll continue with the series, mostly because it's from a small book publisher and the books seem very hard to find. (And I don't want to pay a lot to read the series when my to read list is already so long).

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. I enjoyed taking a look at this childhood classic, and found it interesting to see all the differences between it and the movie.

[Bill, Moderator]

Karol wrote: "I've been reading up a storm, but haven't had much computer time to summarize it.

Blessing of the Lost Girls, by J.A. Jance
Always a favorite author and series. I..."

Quite a mix, Karol. I've been slowly working through the Oz books. They are always entertaining.

[Karol]

Bill wrote: "Quite a mix, Karol. I've been slowly working through the Oz books. They are always entertaining.."

I know I read a few of the Oz books when I was a child - but I don't remember too much about them, really.

As for the mix of reading - yes, it's true. It's good to read more than the "cozy mysteries" I tend to gravitate towards!

[Bill, Moderator]

Karol wrote: "Bill wrote: "Quite a mix, Karol. I've been slowly working through the Oz books. They are always entertaining.."

I know I read a few of the Oz books when I was a child - but I don't remember too mu..."

I completely agree.

[Lillie]

Karol wrote: "Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, by Julia Kelly
Very solid #2 in an interesting new series. The case in this book was quite complex and I love the main character."

Good reminder to get back to this series!

[Karol]

Lillie wrote: "Karol wrote: "Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, by Julia Kelly
Very solid #2 in an interesting new series. The case in this book was quite complex and I love the main character."

Good reminder to get back to this series!"

It's kind of nice to feel on top of this series. Book #3 will be out in a few weeks.

[Karol]

Recent books read:
Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936-1986
Interesting biography about how Scalia became a justice of the Supreme Court. It was fascinating to see his educational and career path, as well as to learn that his friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg started well before their tenure on the Supreme Court, when they were both on the U.S. Court of Appeals, D. C. Circuit.

The Murder on the Links, by Agatha Christie
This seemed like one of Christie's better novels. It had a good mix of mystery, intrigue, and humor

Wilderness Paths and Desert Streams, by Lora Avery
This is a 40-day devotional published that led me to some deeper and more insightful thinking about my walk as a Christian. More meaty than many of the devotionals that I've used.

Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War, by Tony Horwitz
I know lots of people who liked this book so perhaps my expectations were too high. I didn't happen to care for it at all. It seemed like the profiles of the people he met on his journey were cartoon caricatures for the most part. (My apologies to anyone who disagrees with me - I could have missed something.)

Winning Hearts, by Debbie Macomber
Great beach read romance! Engaging, but not requiring much from the reader besides simple enjoyment.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson
My, how I loved this book! I loved the tone and setting of this novel, as well as the characters. There was a lot going on in this story, but it all had a feeling of reality from the absurd and annoying to the most beautiful. This novel reflects that life is complex, and it shines a light on the things that are the most important.

[Karol]

August goal update:
To Read Challenge - 5 books read, 2 removed from list.
44/50 done for the year

Something New - 4 books read
14/16 done for the year

Series Challenge - 0 books read
10/15 done for the year

I'm thinking next year I might have to set up more ambitious challenges.

[Bill, Moderator]

You're having a great year, Karol.

You can't always agree with other folks' thoughts on particular books.