Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) discussion

DECEMBER Key Words: Cold, Room, Life, Bell, Kiss, Dream, Until, Drink

--- Comment below with ---
(1) The name and author of the book you're reading for the challenge,
(2) CHALLENGE COMPLETE if you've finished reading the book.
(3) Did you like the book? What did you love (or not love) about it?! Let's help each other find great books to read!

I chose A life in stitches, the memoirs of a knitter. She tells stories of her life and how her knitting helped her. Some of the stories are funny, others made me cry. It helps if you know knitting but even if you don't, this is a book about life itself. I'd recommend it. Challenge complete.

Completed: Cold

Cold Brew Corpse Tara Lush 12/18/21

I love the Florida beach setting in this series and well, humor and coffee with a beach view? Yes, please! Great characters that I feel are a lot better than they were in the first book. More of the cozy mystery vibe I love so much than the first book had.

Key Word: Life
Title: A Year in the Life of a Complete and Total Genius
Author: Stacey Matson

Challenge Complete. I've wrapped up the year reading a few YA novels to recommend to my middle and high school students for second semester, and I will recommend this one. Arthur Bean is not your typical middle school student. He's very confident and talented, but he faces heartache and sorrow in a realistic way. Told in the format of emails, letters, and school assignments, the novel is fast-paced and fun. I don't know if all middle schoolers will recognize the depth of Arthur's grief, but they will recognize that he tries his best to cope with loss and the perils of middle school with humor and attitude!

Thanks to GirlXO Reading Challenge. I will definitely join for 2022. This was a fun way to get through some of my TBR pile and try a few titles out of my norm.

Key Word - Cold
Book - Cold Waters by Debbie Herbert
Summary - Violet has been suspected of murdering her best friend, and spent many years in mental institutions. Returning home, has to deal with an evil stepsister who is determined to get her out of the way to get at money left to her by their mother. And that’s the main story, before the twists start.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Challenge Complete (for month and year!)
Key word: Cold
Title: In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote

Not the best book to end the year and Christmas season on. It was well written and insightful, though I've read elsewhere that it's not entirely accurate (and how could the author be privy to all of the conversations between the killers). It's based on the true story of a family of 4 killed by two former prisoners who didn't even personally know the family. I wanted to read something else by Capote. I'm glad I did, but it was not a good December read!

Thanks, ladies, for hosting this reading challenge. I really enjoyed it!!

The only woman in the room by Marie Benedict and Get a life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert