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2025 Independent Challenge
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Pat's 2025 Independent Reading Challenge
12 & 4 Challenge1) What Darkness Brings 1/20; 4 stars
2) Close to Death 2/2; 4 stars
3) The Story of the Lost Child 2/14; 4 stars
4) The Last Word 2/28; 4 stars
5) The Vanished Days 3/26; 4 stars
6) The Labyrinth of the Spirits 5/27; 4 stars
7) Something to Hide 6/9; 5 stars
Motley Challenge*1. An author you have read a book from more than 2 times.
Close to Death 2/2; 4 stars
*2. A book written In the year of the snake. 🐍 (1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2013, 2025) What Darkness Brings (2013); 1/20; 4 stars
3. A book written by two authors.
4. A book you bought because of the cover only.
*5. A book you bought because of the author only. Intermezzo 1/5; 4.5 stars
6. A book you bought because it was a new release.
*7. A book with a persons name in the title. John Adams 3/9; 5 stars
8. A ghost story.
9. A collection of short stories.
*10. A book based on historical events. Horse 1/12; 4 stars
11. A book about revenge.
*12. A book that has more than 40 chapters. Mina's Matchbox 1/13; 4 stars
13. The main character owns a small business.
14. A character driven novel.
*15. A book with a strong female character. Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail 1/22; 4 stars
16. A book about royalty.
17. A book that the timeframe spans more than 10 years.
18. A book from a different culture.
19. A book about books.
20. A book located in your home state. (Or country if your country does not have states.)
21. A book located in the state you were born. (Or country if your country does not have states.)
22. A book set in a fictional town.
23. A book that has people on the cover.
24. A book that has a body of water on the cover.
25. A book that has a tree on the cover.
26. Choose any of the remaining topics that did not win the 2025 Motley Challenge.
Popsugar (at least 25)17 completed
1. A book about a POC experiencing joy and not trauma
*2. A book you want to read based on the last sentence Northanger Abbey 3/23; 3 stars
3. Space Tourism
4. A Book with Two or More Books on the Cover or "Book" in the Title
*5. A Book with a Snake on the Cover An Appointment with Death: A Hercule Poirot Mystery 3/6; 4 stars
6. A book that fills your favorite prompt from the 2015 PS Reading Challenge - No Listopia
7. A Book about a Cult
*8. A Book under 250 Pages Secrets of the Octopus 2/16; 4 stars
9. A Book That Features a Character Going Through Menopause
10. A book you got for free - No Listopia
11. A Book Mentioned in Another Book
*12. A Book About a Road Trip The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise 4/8; 4 stars
13. A book rated less than three stars on Goodreads - No Listopia
14. A Book About a Nontraditional Education
15. A book that an AI chatbot recommends based on your favorite book - No Listopia
16. A Book Set in or around a Body of Water
*17. A Book about a Run Club The Slow Lane Walkers Club 3/8; 3 stars
18. A Book Containing Magical Creatures (that are not Dragons)
19. A Highly Anticipated Read of 2025
20. A book that fills a 2024 prompt you'd like to do over (or try out) - No Listopia
21. A Book Where the Main Character is a Politician
22. A Book About Soccer
23. A Book That is Considered Healing Fiction
24. A Book with a Happily Single Woman Protagonist
25. A Book with a Main Character who is an Immigrant or Refugee
*26. A Book Where an Adult Character Changes Careers Britt-Marie Was Here 1/6; 4 stars
*27. A Book Set at a Luxury Resort The Midnight Feast 5/30; 4 stars
28. A Book That Features an Unlikely Friendship
*29. A Book About a Food Truck Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop 6/12; 3 stars
*30. A book that reminds you of your childhood - A Wrinkle in Time 5/25; 5 stars
*31. A Book Where Music Plays an Integral Part of the Storyline The Lola Quartet 5/2; 3 stars
32. A Book About an Overlooked Woman in History
33. A book featuring an activity on your bucket list - No Listopia
*34. A Book Written By an Author Who Is Neurodivergent The Life Impossible 5/26; 2 stars
35. A Book Centering LGBTQ+ Characters That Isn't About Coming Out
*36. A Book with Silver on the Cover or in the Title Silver Girl 6/22; 4 stars
*37 Two Books with the Same Title: Mercury 2/5; 4 stars
*38) Mercury 2/9; 3 stars
39. A classic you've never read - No Listopia
*40. A Book About Chosen Family Funny Story
1/24; 5 stars
Advanced Easy
41. A book by the oldest author in your TBR pile - No Listopia
42. A Book with a Title That Starts with the Letter Y
43. A Book That Includes a Nonverbal Character
44. A book you have always avoided reading - No Listopia
Advanced Medium
*45. A Book with a Left-Handed Character Starter Villain 2/11; 3 stars
46. A Book Where Nature Is the Antagonist
47 A Book of Interconnected Short Stories
Advanced Hard
48. A Book That Features a Married Couple Who Don't Live Together
*49. A Dystopian Book with a Happy Ending The Dreamers 2/8; 4 stars
50. A Book That Features a Character with Chronic Pain
Mystery Book ClubJanuary: Good Bad Girl 1/3; 3 stars
February: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers 2/1; 4 stars
March: The Collector 3/1; 3 stars
April: Kill for Me, Kill for You 4/4; 4 stars
May: The River We Remember 5/4; 5 stars
June: The Midnight Feast 5/30; 4 stars
July: How to Solve Your Own Murder
August: A Talent for Murder
September: Darling Girls
October: This Is Why We Lied
November: Society of Lies
December: We Solve Murders
Books & Banter:
January: Horse 1/12; 4 stars
February: The Maid
March: Community Read?
April: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store 4/5; 4 stars
Books from my shelves:1) Elizabeth I
2) Maggie O'Farrell
3) Kate Atkinson
4) Into the Narrowdark
5) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
6) A Thousand Ships
7) Hello Beautiful
*8) Mercury 2/5; 4 stars
Mod
I love your plan, Patricia. I think the best way to read Don Quixote is to go in without too many preconceived notions and be ready for a lot of satire. It's funny. But it is long, and you may find his verbosity a struggle at times. It's OK to skim some of those parts. If you miss too much, you can always go back, but don't let yourself get too bogged down. Happy reading!
Thanks, Alondra & Lea! I really don't know much about Don Quixote. I've heard of it & kind of groaned when I heard this one was the one picked (I was slightly aware of the length). However, I enjoy this podcast & think it will be fun to read with a group. We'll see!
Nice goals, and you're giving yourself a lot of liberty to select titles. I can't wait to see what you pick.Good luck with Don Quixote, that is a huge one, and I don't think I'll ever be ready for it. I saw the show on Broadway, does that count?
Ioana wrote: "Nice goals, and you're giving yourself a lot of liberty to select titles. I can't wait to see what you pick.Good luck with Don Quixote, that is a huge one, and I don't think I'll ever be ready for..."
Thanks, Ioana! Yes, it will be a challenge. You're doing better than me with Broadway. I think I may have seen it on Wishbone with my kids (years ago).
Mid-January report: So far this month, I've completed 6 books.1) The Book Club Hotel Erica, Claudia, and Anna became friends in college and they now meet every year for their own book club. This year Erica chooses a place that seems out of character for her—a quaint inn in a small town. The inn is run by Hattie, a young widow who is trying to keep her late husband’s dream alive of running this inn while also raising a small child. I enjoyed this wintery tale of friendship and family. 4 stars
2) Good Bad GirlTwenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. Can these two tragedies be connected? This story is told from the perspective of four women. One, Frankie, works at a prison library and her teen daughter has run away. Another, Edith, is in her 80’s and in a care home where she claims her daughter tricked her to put her here. Patience is a teen who works at the care home. And then there’s Clio, a therapist who obviously has her own issues. Good pacing with several twists. 3 stars
3) Intermezzo Two brothers have recently lost their father to cancer. The two have not been close, mostly because of a big age difference, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about each other. Or do they? I enjoy Rooney’s writing and like the way she wrote the voice of the different brothers in a different style. If you’re looking for plot, this isn’t the book for you. Characters and their relationships as well as the way they look at things and process them in their own heads are what drives this book. 5 stars
4) Britt-Marie Was Here Britt-Marie needs a job. But, she’s 63 and hasn’t worked outside her home in years. So, she accepts a job as a caretaker of a recreation center which is scheduled to be torn down in just a few months in a town which is dying. Britt-Marie has her quirks, so going to a new town where the citizens have their own rules and loyalties proves to be a challenge. But Britt-Marie soon learns that even the oddest characters have their redeeming qualities. 4 stars
5) Horse Told in three different timelines, this is a story of a famous race horse who went to sire a great number of winners in the mid 1800’s. I know virtually nothing about horse racing and little about horses, so I found this both informative and entertaining. Based on actual events, people, and paintings, Brooks tells of a slave, Jarret, who helps to raise and train a horse in Kentucky who will eventually be known by the name Lexington. In New York City, in 1954, a gallery owner, Martha Jackson becomes obsessed with a 19th century painting of a horse. In Washington, D.C., Jess is a scientist at the Smithsonian in 2019 who becomes involved in restoring a skeleton of a horse which had put in storage for years. 4 stars
6) Mina's Matchbox ; translated by Stephen Snyder. In the spring of 1972, 12-year old Tomoko leaves her mother to go and stay with her aunt’s family while her mother finishes her degree. Her aunt’s family are very well-to-do and live in an amazing house. Tomoko has a cousin, Mina, who is a year younger, and there is also a German grandmother, a housekeeper who keeps everything and everyone going, and in the garden, a pygmy hippopotamus. Tomoko is entranced by her new family and the year she spends with them is one she never forgets. 4 stars
Mod
Great reviews Pat! I can see you're going to fatten up my TBR.
Thanks, Bill & Michelle! And, also, you're welcome! :)
I completed 6 more books this month, bringing my total to 12.7) A Painted Doom (Wesley Peterson #6). Detective Sergeant Wesley Peterson studied archaeology with his friend Neil Watson, so there is always a historical story told alongside the murder he is currently investigating. In this one, former rock star Jonny Shellmer is found dead in the field of Hoxworthy, a local farmer. When Howworthy’s teenage son goes missing, Peterson and his colleagues wonder if the two incidents are connected. 4 stars
8) What Darkness Brings (Sebastian St. Cyr #8). London, 1812. Sebastian has just learned of the death of a friend and former military comrade when his father tells him Russell Yates has been arrested for murder. Yates is married to Kat, the woman Sebastian loved and lost. Sebastian agrees to try to find the real killer of the diamond merchant Eisler. It doesn’t take long to find out there are many who have good reason to want to kill Eisler whose clients include Napoleon and the Prince Regent. Meanwhile, Sebastian’s wife, Hero, is interviewing children who make a living by sweeping the streets, but as always, she also is privy to information that will help Sebastian solve the case. 4 stars
9) Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail Just reading about the first time Emma Gatewood walked the Applachian Trail was an amazing story. She was 67 and the trail was not as well maintained as it is today. She carried a small sack and wore tennis shoes and faced death several times, but she was determined to walk the whole trail. She also walked it two more times. Interspersed with the story of her hikes, Montgomery also tells of her life living with an abusive husband and raising nine kids. 4 stars
10) Lonely Castle in the Mirror Translated from the Japanese, this book of magical realism finds seven students who have all been avoiding going to school suddenly see the mirror in their bedrooms produce a strange light. They go through the mirror to find themselves in a castle where an odd creature called the Wolf Queen greets them and tells them the rules. They have a year to find a key and whoever finds it will have their wish granted. They have to leave the castle every afternoon by 5 or they will be eaten. This is a story of friendship, the difficulties of being a teen and an outsider with some satisfying twists at the end. 4 stars
11) Funny Story Daphne has left her home and being near her mother to move in with her fiancé and start a new life. When he leaves her for his childhood best friend, Daphne ends up becoming roommates with the best friend’s ex, Miles. Misery loves company. I enjoyed the banter and the growing relationship between Daphne and Miles and also Daphne’s growth as a person. I read the last of this when I was sick, and it was just the comfort read I needed. 5 stars
12) How to End a Love Story ; audio: Katharine Chin and Andrew Eiden. Helen Zhang is a bestselling author whose book is being adapted for a TV series. Helen manages to get a spot in the writers’ room only to find that one of the main writers is Grant Shepard. She hasn’t seen Grant since high school. Because of a tragic accident that involved both of them in different ways, he is the last person she wants to see or be around. Though both have tried to deal with their past, having to face each other and work together just seems to be too much. I listened to this on audio which I enjoyed though I would have preferred to be able to skim through the graphic sex scenes. Fair warning if you’re the same. 4 stars
Don Quixote I've read the first section and so far it just seems extremely silly to me. I hope it gets better and look forward to listening to the podcast to hear other thoughts. From comments I've heard, most seem to find it funny though.
Thanks for the warning on How to End a Love Story. I do have it on my list, and I do tend to listen on audio, and like you, I like to skim the graphic scenes also. I'm so glad you enjoyed Funny Story. I liked it too. Looks like you're making some progress on your series. Happy reading! :-)
Mod
Mod
Thanks, Lea, Bill, and Alondra. It's a long series, Bill, and I know she has at least one other one.
That is lucky, Alondra!
Great progress, and I haven't read any of these books, but a couple Horse and Intermezzo are on my TBR. Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you enjoyed them both.
Thanks, Ioana! I hope you're able to get to them soon.
Mid-February update: 6 books finished so far.1) Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers Sixty-year old Vera Wong runs a tea shop where, unfortunately, she only has one daily customer. Her life takes on meaning when one morning she discovers a dead man in her shop. Since it doesn’t seem like the police will look on this as the murder it obviously is, Vera decides to investigate herself. When three different people show up the next day at different times, she knows she has her suspects. At first, I found this book silly and only continued because I was reading for a book club. However, Vera grew on me and the way she and the other characters got to know each other and their stories was entertaining and delightful. Even if they did have the murder of a very nasty person to solve. 4 stars
2) Close to Death (Hawthorne & Horowitz #5). Horowitz’s publisher wants him to write a new Hawthorne book, but Hawthorne doesn’t seem to have any current cases. So, it is suggested Horowitz write about an earlier one. Wouldn’t that be easier? Already solved? Horowitz is hopeful, but Hawthrone is elusive as always. He tells Horowitz about the case in bits and pieces. The neighbors of Riverside Close have always gotten along until the Kentworthy family arrives. When Giles Kentworthy is found dead with a crossbow bolt in him, it would seem the murderer would be obvious. But, of course, it isn’t. 4 stars
3) Mercury It’s 1990, and seventeen-year old Marley West moves to Mercury, Pennsylvania with her mother. This move is only one among many and though Marley loves her mother, she longs for a stable home and family. She meets the Joseph family, first dating one brother, then another, doing what she can to be a true part of the family. Years later, a secret is unfolded causing the already unstable family to be tested in ways they couldn’t have predicted. 4 stars
4) Mercury Two of the Popsugar prompts for this year’s challenge is to read two books with the same title, so here is my second Mercury. In this one Mercury is a thoroughbred horse. Viv, who helps run the stables where Mercury comes to be looked after, falls madly in love with the horse and has dreams of competing with him; a dream that had been squashed in childhood. Her husband, Donald, an optometrist, is busy helping to care for his ailing father and only becomes concerned about Viv’s infatuation too late. I felt this was a good story, but never really connected with any of the characters making it a little flat for me. 3 stars
5) The Dreamers In a small college town in Southern California, a freshman girl goes into her dorm room to sleep and doesn’t wake up. When her roommate, Mei, can’t wake her up, she eventually has to call for help and the girl is taken to the hospital. When a second girl falls asleep, then another, fear and panic spread as the doctors are at a loss to what could cause this. Eventually, the town is put under quarantine and the National Guard is called to keep the people in and others out. Mei finds herself with Matthew, a classmate, and a bit of an oddity. Together they do what they can to help the town. 4 stars
6) Starter Villain Wasn’t quite sure what to expect of this book and the cover did not appeal to me. However, I heard about it on a podcast and decided to give it a try. Charlie is living in his family home, but he doesn’t own it and his siblings want to sell it. Recently divorced, he is now working as a substitute teacher and he really doesn’t think things could get much worse. When he reads that his Uncle Jake died, he doesn’t expect to have anything to do with him as he hasn’t seen him since he was five. But, he soon learns that his uncle left him his supervillain business (whatever that means) and his life has suddenly become complicated. And, somehow, his cat seems to know more than he could have imagined. 3 stars
I recently discovered, and grew to enjoy, Vera Wong and her new friends. I'm looking forward to the second book, such a character :)I'm also hoping for a new Hawthorne and Horowitz this year - clever series.
I enjoyed both Vera Wong and The Dreamers. Glad to see you did too. You make me think I need to add Starter Villain to my TBR. I was sort of trying to ignore that one.
Mod
1) Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers Sixty-year old Vera Wong runs a tea shop where, unfortunately, she only has one daily c..."
An interesting mix. Some series I should check out, I think.
Linette wrote: "I recently discovered, and grew to enjoy, Vera Wong and her new friends. I'm looking forward to the second book, such a character :)I'm also hoping for a new Hawthorne and Horowitz this year - cle..."
I'm looking forward to the next Vera book as well. Also want to read more by this author.--There is a new Susan Ryeland book coming out in a couple of months. Looking forward to that one!
Michelle wrote: "I enjoyed both Vera Wong and The Dreamers. Glad to see you did too. You make me think I need to add Starter Villain to my TBR. I was sort of trying to ignore that one."The Dreamers was my first book by Walker. I want to go back & read her debut and she has a new book coming out soon. I don't usually go for dystopian, but I did like this one.
Bill wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Mid-February update: 6 books finished so far.1) Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers Sixty-year old Vera Wong runs a tea shop where, unfortunately, she onl..."
Always a new series, Bill!
I finished 9 more books in February, giving me a total of 15. Not sure how I finished so many!7) The Story of the Lost Child (Neapolitan Novels #4). The last in this series, and translated from Italian, I have been reading one a year for the past four years. This is a story of friendship—its ups and downs through the years; how you can love and hate the same person, sometimes at the same time. But, it’s also a history--the history of a country, the history of the world, the history of women and their struggles. I will miss these characters and their world, but look forward to reading other books by Ferrante. 4 stars
8) Secrets of the Octopus Ever since watching “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix, my daughter has been obsessed with learning more about octopuses, and I have jumped on the bandwagon. This short book (a companion to a National Geographic special) is a fascinating look at the different types of octopuses, their intelligence, and personalities. There is still much to learn about these creatures and I applaud the scientists who are studying them and sharing that knowledge with us. 4 stars
9) The Friend Zone (audio—Teddy Hamilton; Erin Mallon). Kristen is going to be her best friend, Sloan’s, bridesmaid. First, she has to meet the best man, Josh. They don’t exactly hit it off, but they have no choice but to get along; for now. Besides, Kristen is engaged and her fiancée is returning home soon from being deployed. She has that to look forward to, doesn’t she? Unfortunately, she finds herself enjoying Josh’s company more than she should. She knows they can never have a future together, but she doesn’t want to tell Josh the real reason. Though I began to get a bit impatient at Kristen’s secrecy, I enjoyed this overall. 4 stars
10) Finding Dorothy Told in a dual-timeline, this book of historical fiction starts in 1939 when The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was being filmed. Maud Baum, the widow of L. Frank, tries to make herself useful on the set as she wants to make sure the book Frank wrote is properly represented. She meets sixteen-year old Judy Garland and feels the need to protect her. The book then goes back in time to when Maud met the fun-loving, creative Frank Baum who was running his own traveling theater. Maud’s mother was heavily involved in women’s rights and wanted nothing more than for Maud to go to college. Being involved with someone like Frank was not part of her plans for her daughter, but Frank and Maud fall in love and nothing can keep them apart. 4 stars
11) An Unexpected Peril(Veronica Speedwell #6). January 1889. Veronica Speedwell is helping to put together a memorial exhibition for a young mountain climber, Alice, who fell to her death during a climb in the small country of Alpenwald. Veronica’s friend and lover, Stoker, is also working on it and discovers something suspicious about Alice’s death. When they make Princess Gisela aware of their suspicions, her chancellor does not want to pursue it and soon the princess disappears. Another enjoyable mystery in this series. 4 stars
12) The Empire of Gold (The Daevabad Trilogy #3). The third and final volume in this series. A bit too much violence for me, but I love the characters and the different ways Chakraborty winds in the myths and legends of the middle eastern culture. Definitely not a stand-alone, so start with The City of Brass.
13) River Sing Me Home In 1834, England passes the Emancipation Act. Unfortunately, the fact that slaves are technically freed means little to those who run plantations in Barbados. When Rachel realizes that she still has to work for six years, she decides to run and look for the children who were taken away from her. A heart-rending tale of courage inspired by a real woman known as Mother Rachel—who walked across Antigua to find her daughter-takes this character, Rachel, across Barbados, into the forest of British Guina, and then to Trinidad. 5 stars
14) Kitchens of the Great Midwest This is the story of a young woman and food. Each chapter tells another part of Eva’s life as she grows up and becomes a star chef who runs an exclusive dinner club. I enjoyed the writing and the characters but would have preferred that each chapter begin with the year or telling how many years ahead were being jumped. A bit confusing as you start each chapter and try to remember who the characters are and how they relate. 3 stars
15) The Last Word (Harbinder Kaur #4). Griffiths brings back characters--Natalka, Edwin, and Benedict--from the second book in this series. Natalka and Edwin are now running a detective agency, and Natalka’s mother has come from Ukraine to live with her and Benedict. When local writer, Melody Chambers is found dead, her daughters are suspicious and come the private detectives for help. Edwin decides that he and Benedict should attend a writers’ retreat which Melody once attended; along with a few other writers who have also met untimely demises. Before they do anything, however, they turned to their friend, Harbinder Kaur, a detective now based in London. 4 stars
You had a great February, Pat! I'm glad you were able to read The Friend Zone and Finding Dorothy and enjoyed them too. I have been looking at River Sing Me Home for awhile, I think I need to move it up on my TBR.
Lea wrote: "You had a great February, Pat! I'm glad you were able to read The Friend Zone and Finding Dorothy and enjoyed them too. I have been looking at River Sing Me Home for awhile, I think I need to move ..."Thanks, Lea! Yes, the waiting list was long for both of them, so glad to finally get to them. River is a tough read, but a very good one. Hope you get to it soon!
What a great month, so many good books! I too loved The Story of the Lost Child and I think it was the best of the series. Usually the 1st book in the series is the strongest, but in this case, while they were all very good, I liked the last one the best. I'll miss those characters.River Sing Me Home is on my TBR, so glad to hear it was a 5 stars for you.
Mod
Glad you liked Finding Dorothy. I think it's one of the best "behind the scenes" historical fiction books I've read. I found it quite thought-provoking actually.
Ioana wrote: "What a great month, so many good books! I too loved The Story of the Lost Child and I think it was the best of the series. Usually the 1st book in the series is the strongest, but in this case, whi..."That's one of the fun things about a series--getting to know and spending a lot of time with the characters. It is nice to be able to finish a series though.
Bill wrote: "What a great month, Pat! Good luck with your March selections."Thanks, Bill!
Karol wrote: "Glad you liked Finding Dorothy. I think it's one of the best "behind the scenes" historical fiction books I've read. I found it quite thought-provoking actually."It was very good! I hope the author is working on something else.
Mod
Kudos on your progress; and I have got to get to this series soon. I have the first book, and everyone seems to love the trilogy. Maybe I should just get the whole trilogy... LOL
Alondra wrote: "Patricia wrote: "12) The Empire of Gold (The Daevabad Trilogy #3). The third and final volume in this series. A bit too much violence for me, but I love the characters and the different ways Chakra..."If you read the first & like it, you will definitely want the rest. They are long, but so good!
Mid-March update: I've finished 5 books so far this month.1) The Collector (Gabriel Allon #23). Gabriel Allon, a “retired” spy and now an art restorer is brought in to find a painting which has been stolen and the owner murdered. Allon soon joins with a master-thief to stop what is becoming a serious threat from Russia. I’ve read several of the Allon books and enjoyed them well enough. I read them with a book group and the reactions were mixed. 3 stars
2) Appointment with Death (Hercule Poirot #19). Touring Egypt, the Boynton family is ruled by the mother with an iron fist. Though her children are grown, they remain under her power as she bullies them into submission. So, when murder inevitably happens, it’s a good thing Poirot is around to investigate. Because after all, murder is still murder, no matter how justified. 4 stars
And, I loved these quotes:
“Lady Westholme entered the room with the assurance of a transatlantic liner coming into dock.”
“Not entirely approving of this sudden bid for the limelight on the part of her satellite, Lady Westholme said coldly, “Is there anything else, M. Poirot?”
3) The Slow Lane Walkers Club Daniel has been working as a walking guide in Italy, but has come home to Cornwall at his sister’s request. Restless and unsure what to do with himself (besides working on the house their grandmother left them), he decides to start a walking club. When only one person shows up on his first day, a widow in her 80’s, Daniel hardly expects to become good friends with Hazel, but he does and his life begins to take shape. 3 stars
4) John Adams A fascinating and well-written biography of our second president, John Adams. His personal life, his marriage, his friendships, and, of course, his entrance into politics and the role he played in the beginning of the United States as a country are all covered. Reading about the elections and the dramas of political life makes you realize that not much has changed in the political world. 5 stars
5) Portrait of a Thief This was the community read for Charlotte, NC. I do wonder how they pick the books for this. Anyway, five college students who have varying degrees of ties with China (all are technically American) are offered fifty million dollars to steal or retrieve some works of art which have all been taken from China and now reside in five different museums around the world. Somewhat entertaining and an interesting look at the spoils of conquerors and where they really belong. 3 stars
Mod
Pat, looks like you've read some good books. I loved John Adams, it is still my favorite McCullough book, although there are many contenders for that prize. I'm looking forward to reading more Christie books. Hope the rest of the month is also very good.
Patricia wrote: "Mid-March update: I've finished 5 books so far this month.1) The Collector (Gabriel Allon #23). Gabriel Allon, a “retired” spy and now an art restorer is brought in to find a paint..."
Uh oh! Looks like I’ll be adding a new series to my already overflowing series tbr.
Also, looking at last month’s wrap-up, I’m wondering if I should give The City of Brass another shot (again, do I need another series, lol) because I really enjoyed The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Lea wrote: "Pat, looks like you've read some good books. I loved John Adams, it is still my favorite McCullough book, although there are many contenders for that prize. I'm looking forward to reading more Chri..."Thanks, Lea! It was a very good book. I think that one and Truman have been my favorites.
I'm kind of surprised when I enjoy another Christie book. It seems they would get old or dated, but I can't remember one I didn't enjoy.
Lillie wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Mid-March update: I've finished 5 books so far this month.1) The Collector (Gabriel Allon #23). Gabriel Allon, a “retired” spy and now an art restorer is brought i..."
It is a long series! One I have only dipped into now & then.
I do recommend The City of Brass but the trilogy is a commitment! (At least, it's a completed one.)
Mod
1) The Collector (Gabriel Allon #23). Gabriel Allon, a “retired” spy and now an art restorer is brought in to find a paint..."
Glad you enjoyed Appt with Death. That was a fun read. That old lady had it coming! .... Great update!
Patricia wrote: "I do recommend The City of Brass but the trilogy is a commitment! (At least, it's a completed one.) "I wonder if I should try them in audiobook format. Did you read the print version or listen to the audiobooks?
On The Same Page
Books mentioned in this topic
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (other topics)Welcome to Murder Week (other topics)
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club (other topics)
The Summer Before the War (other topics)
The Last Remains (other topics)
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I will participate in these challenges:
1) 12 & 4 Challenge
2) Motley Challenge
3) Popsugar Challenge
4) Historical Mysteries? (a bit on the fence about this one)
I will read with two library book clubs: Mystery Book Club and Books & Banter.
I will participate in the "Conquer a Classic" with From the Front Porch podcast, reading Don Quixote this year.
I will read these eight (non-serial) books from my shelves (I could have chosen a hundred; I could have made another 12 & 4 as several are doing, but not ready for that type of commitment):
1) Elizabeth I (after reading The Wolf Hall Trilogy this year, I believe this could be a good follow-up; and I've owned it forever).
2) At least one book by Maggie O'Farrell.
3) At least, one book by Kate Atkinson.
4) Into the Narrowdark (on my 12 & 4 this year and I'm obviously not going to get to it).
5) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
6) A Thousand Ships
7) Hello Beautiful
8) Mercury
I will also try to keep up with my posting here & elsewhere. I haven't been the best at that even though I have my own records in a cherished notebook.