2025 Has Come and Gone, and So Has My TBR Pile.

 

 Cackle by Rachel Harrison

Love, Mom by Iliana Xander

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone,

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect,

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret, all by Benjamin Stevenson

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volumes 1 - 8 by Beth Brower

The Pursuit of Love and Other Novels by Nancy Mitford

Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Homecoming by Kate Morton

The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck,

The Case of the Reincarnated Client by Tarquin Hall

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Some More from 2024

 The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee

by Alexander McCall Smith

Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Prospects of a Woman by Wendy Voorsanger

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel 

by Alexander McCall Smith

The Last Hope by Susan Ella MacNeal

Now or Never by Janet Ivanovich

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell

What Time the Sexton's Spade doth Rust

by Alan Bradley

Summers End by Juneau Black

2024 Is Halfway Gone...

...But the pile of books is never-ending.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware 

From a Far and Lovely Country by Alexander McCall Smith

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith

The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Tom Lake by AnnPatchett

A Death in Diamonds by S. J. Bennett

Murder Most Royal by S. J. Bennett

A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

Friends in Napa by Sheila Yasmin Marikar

 Happy Place by Emily Henry

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

The Murder of Mr. Ma by Rozan and Nee

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

A Bunch of Books

 

What I've been reading...

A Room With a View by E. M. Forster

The Maid by Nita Prose

Circe by Madeline Miller

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation & Book Lovers by Emily Henry

The Enigma of Garlic by Alexander McCall Smith

A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich

The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

The Appeal and The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

All the Queen's Men by S J Bennett

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Smile Beach Murder & Murder on Mustang Beach by Alicia Bessette

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Agatha Christie, Marple...Twelve New Stories by Twelve Authors:)

2022 So Far

 I know I'm missing a few, but here's the list for now:

The English Spy by Daniel Silva

Love in the Time of Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Cover Her Face

A Mind to Murder

Unnatural Causes

Death of an Expert Witness

Shroud for a Nightingale

The Black Tower

by P. D. James

Red Notice

Freezing Order

by Bill Browder

(VERY pertinent to what's going on with Russia right now.)

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear

The Family by Naomi Krupitsky

Merry Christmas!

 

Friday Night Lights

A Town, a Team, and a Dream

by H. G. Bissinger

Portuguese Irregular Verbs

by Alexander McCall Smith

The Butterfly House

by Katrine Engberg

The Windsor Knot

by S. J. Bennett

Reason to Kill

by Andy Weinberger

This Tender Land

by William Kent Krueger

The Thursday Murder Club

by Richard Osman

Nine Perfect Strangers

by Liane Moriarty

(The book is good, the Netflix series not so much.)

The Consequences of Fear 

by Jacqueline Winspear

The Odor of Violets

by Baynard Kendrick

A Student of History

by Nina Revoyr

Vittoria Cottage

Winter and RoughWeather

Music in the Hills 

Spring Magic

by D. E. Stevenson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

by Holly Jackson

Verity

by Colleen Hoover

Game On 

by Janet Evanovich

A Slow Fire Burning

by Paula Hawkins

Evvie Drake Starts Over

by Linda Holmes

The Madness of Crowds

by Louise Penny

Malibu Rising

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Man Who Died Twice

by Richard Osman

The Hollywood Spy 

by Susan Elia MacNeal

2021 So Far

 No matter what, you can always count on books.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Classic Fantasy mixing Americana and mythology.

Thanks for the gift, Pete!

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz

Read if you loved Jason Bourne.

Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little

Fascinating protagonist and a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood.

It ain't pretty.

A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith

My favorite series by my favorite author.

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

The latest Veronica Speedwell mystery.  LOVE.

One by One by Ruth Ware

Take this on a ski trip.  Heed any avalanche warnings.

How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith

Okay...all his books are my favorites.

Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich

#27 in the Stephanie Plum series.  

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

A wedding on a remote island.  Guests keep dying.  It doesn't get any better!

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (ie: JK Rowling)

Almost 1000 pages. Wish it were longer.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

Give me a good mystery any day, especially involving the Mystery Queen.

A Few for You

 

Enola Holmes for the Win!!

Watched Enola Holmes on Netflix and LOVED IT!!!

Did you know it was a young adult mystery series?

The six installments by Nancy Springer will delight readers of all ages.

Start with The Case of the Missing Marquess, finish with 

The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye.

Wish she had written more.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Historical fiction of how the greatest Christmas story of all time 

came to be written.  Mostly fiction, but with a lot of true facts to make

it super interesting.  Be sure to read the author's notes at the end!

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

I think Allie Brosh is a brilliant comedic writer.  She has also been 

through A LOT.  If you want to laugh, read this.  Also read 

if you need some perspective.  Either way, please read.

Baby, It Is NOT Cold Outside.

 Fall may be officially here, but it's hot as blazes in San Diego. Whatever the weather reading is always in season, so try curling up with one of these.

My daughter gave me Death in Provence by Serena Kent. Loved it, and was so happy to find a sequel, Death in Avignon. Made me want to hop on a plane to France.  Ate a croissant instead.

Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn

One of my favorite series.  Bernie and Chet rock!

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Finally got to this one. Funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  Read now.

Honolulu by Alan Brennert

Couldn't go to Hawaii. Almost the next best thing. Also, Molokai by Brennert is fantastic.

Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Issacson

Da Vinci was a true genius.  The book is long.  Still, worth the read.

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny

One of my favorite authors.  One of her best!  

Au Revoir for now...TBC

When All Else Fails, Take a Vacation - Betty Williams (If THAT Fails, Read a Book)

Some books to help escape this reality.

The Corfu Trilogy, etc. by Gerald Durrell

My Family and Other Animals, Birds, Beasts and Relatives, 

and The Garden of the Gods tell the story of the Durrell family's 

 life in Corfu from 1935 to 1939.  Told through the eyes of youngest son and budding naturalist Gerry, these laugh-out-loud funny and completely charming memoirs will leave you wanting more.  Which you can get as he wrote about 40 books.  Menagerie Manor tells some of his 

adventures establishing the Jersey Zoo, and The Durrells of Corfu by Michael Haag 

gives a closer look at the real Durrells, how they came to Corfu and where they went when 

WWII ended their Greek Island Life.  If you can, watch "The Durrells in Corfu" on PBS Masterpiece.

We loved every minute of that binge!

The Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

by Deanna Raybourn

In Victorian England at the end of the 19th century, scientist and butterfly expert Veronica Speedwell  along with her super hot partner/pirate-in-crime take on the bad guys in this delightful series.

I read the first four in a flash, but I'm waiting for the fifth to come out in paperback. The sixth is 

coming  in 2021.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Good story telling, but it gave me nightmares. A little too Southern Gothic for me.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

I always love a good Agatha Christie-ish plot!

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

Very interesting and based on a real event.

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Short stories of the lives of Vietnam refugees mostly in Southern California.

Written by a USC professor who was a refugee himself and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his 

debut novel The Sympathizer.  Fight On!!

The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe

Illuminating and entertaining.  You can't go wrong with anything Mike Rowe.

Based on his podcast.

A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

The true story of an American woman who effectively ran the French Resistance of Lyon 

during WWII. Oh, and she had one leg. Read and be amazed by her accomplishments.

Count your blessings and read more books!

TBC

Quarantitles

Books for making time fly.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Love, love, love.  Read this first.

A Better Man by Louise Penny

Another terrific addition to the Inspector Gamache series.

The King's Justice by Susan Elia MacNeal

Serial killers don't let war stop them, but Maggie Hope will.

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Ladies, you can't change him, so don't be surprised when things go south.
A cautionary tale that's now a series on HBO. (The Undoing)



To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith

We need a little Mma Ramotswe right now:)



What the Heart Remembers by Debra Ginsberg

A page-turner set in San Diego and written by a San Diegan!
Say "hello"to Debra at Diesel Books in the Del Mar Highlands.
(When we're set free, that is!! Until then give them a call to order books for
curbside pick up: 858-925-7078  dieselbookstore.com. )



Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

An incredible true story about Li's escape from abject poverty through ballet.
Nothing going on here now could ever compare, so count your blessings.



An Old Man's Game by Andy Weinberger

Loved this book!  A mystery set in my daughter's old neighborhood, and in the
apartment complex where she lived.  Hope he writes another.



The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden

A fabulous series based on Russia fairytales.  Appropriately dark and brooding,
but with plenty of light at the end.  Great characters and atmosphere.



English Creek by Ivan Doig

The first book in his Montana Trilogy.  Set in the 1930's, it will transport you
back to the childhood of the narrator.  Love Ivan Doig

Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

Just for fun!  Hasn't disappointed 26 times over.

"I Think I Need More Bookshelves" Is Probably Not a Smart Thing to Say to My Husband

But it's the truth!

The Garden of Small Beginnings

Other People's Houses

AND

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill 

ALL by Abbi Waxman

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO INCLUDE NINA HILL!!!!
All of her books are terrific, but The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is by far the most hilarious
book I've read in ages.  Especially if you've had any experience living in Los Angeles.
Give her a try, but read Nina first and get ready to lol all over yourself and anyone sitting/standing/sleeping near you.

The Widow Clicquot by Tilar Mazzeo

"The story of a champagne empire and the woman who built it."
Tilar's words, not mine.  Interesting...would make a cool gift with a bottle of the Veuve.

The Peppermint Tea Chronicles by Alexander McCall Smith

Another gem by one of my favorites.  Sweet Bertie is also my favorite.

The Floating Feldmans by Elyssa Friedland

Will make you think twice before booking a cruise, especially with family.

Bad Day at the Vulture Club by Vaseem Khan

Give me a mystery in Mumbai any day.

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

This was a friend's recommendation, (thanks, Karen!), and what a find.
A story of rural Montana in 1909, a season of one-room schools, comets
and whistling housekeepers. Ivan Doig is a treasure.

Life with Jeeves and Leave It to Psmith by P. G. Wodehouse

Classics.  Read if you haven't.  Thank me later.

The Man in the White Linen Suit by David Handler

Love me some Stewart Hoag and his basset hound Lulu.  So will you!

The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess

Bad behavior in the 1980's publishing world. A good beach read:)

The Second-Worst Restaurant in France by Alexander McCall Smith

Seriously, how can one man write so many good books?
It's not normal, but that's okay by me.

Book Math

Too many books read + not enough time to write =

A photo of the stack I've read and no real reviews.

However...

although I'd definitely recommend them all, read

Daisy Jones and the Six NOW.  Also, loved 

The Alice Network and Next Year in Havana.

That is all. 

TBC

Everything from A to...Y

A is for Alibi to Y is for Yesterday

by Sue Grafton

(With Kinsey and Me thrown in for good measure)

Beginning in 1982, with the last book published in 2017, Sue Grafton created a brilliant detective and a fantastic series. Reading all of the books in a short period of time and in order truly shines a light on her genius.  She died before Z, and I will miss her. 

I Will Remember You...

If I write it down.  

Just posting the books I've read lately so I can remember what I read!

Not a ton of commentary this round.

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

Just received in the mail Wednesday and finished last night.

Favorite author and character.

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

Another favorite!!  Love everything she's written.

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

Another great read to keep us laughing:)

The Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny

Inspector Gamache does it again.  

Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford

A classic English comedy...parts are still relevant today and parts no longer hold up, 

but still enjoyed  her prose.

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley

Oh my heart, I love Flavia and Alan Bradley.

The Very Principled Maggie Mayfield by Kathy Cooperman

A fun story set in my hometown by a local author:)

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

Another moldy oldie...Rosemary Quiros, you would love this one!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Pure genius.  Everyone should read this book.  

Until next time...TBC

Just One More

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

I knew nothing about the history between Korea and Japan, until now.  The story of three generations of Korean immigrants in Japan, history comes alive through her amazing characters.  Most of the people I know are far removed from this sort of struggle, which continues today.  It is fascinating and humbling, and I was very sad to come to the end of this book.  Read soon!!

Doing All the Things Before Christmas

Which includes cleaning off my desk.
Here are a few for you:

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

Love this series, and Lethal White is the best yet.  Devour this,
or start at the beginning with Cuckoo's Calling, because the characters
get better with each book.  (Also, if you haven't heard, this is J K Rowling's pen name!)



A Sue Grafton Binge

She is the reason I love detective/mysteries so much.  We will never see a "Z is for...", but we can always start over at A is for Alibi.  I did just that, reading the first seven books in less than a week.  Then I had murder and kidnapping nightmares.  (For real!) The moral of the story is:  too much of a good thing is just that.  Will be reading the rest of the alphabet more leisurely:)



The Colors of All the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith

A gentle reminder that good will triumph over evil, even in politics.
My favorite of all his series, Smith never disappoints.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2019 to All!!! TBC

The Readymade Thief

The Readymade Thief by Augustus Rose

 An unlikely but likable heroine betrayed by family and friends, the creepy secret society pursuing her, and Marcel Duchamp's most famous piece of art (see below) all converge in a story that will keep you riveted until the last page. 

 The Readymade Thief is completely original from start to finish, and I highly recommend it.

The artwork is The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even by Marcel Duchamp.  It is a VERY abstract sculpture at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and I found it helpful to refer to a site the author recommended in his acknowledgements:

www.understandingduchamp.com

Scroll horizontally down the timeline to 1923 for an explanation and animation of the work.