2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon Wrap Up Post!!

 

I love reading, so I enjoyed participating in the 2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon this year!

I read a total of 5 books between November 25th through December 31st. Below is a list of all the books I read during this timeframe. Click on link to read my reviews for each book.

1. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

2. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

3. A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril

4. A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril

5. Jake & the Gingerbread Wars by E. G. Foley (review to come)

Three of the books I read were Christmas themed books and I enjoyed reading them all!

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite Books I Read in 2024

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

2024 was a great year of reading for me. I read so many fabulous books this year, that it was tough narrowing down my favorite reads for the year! In fact, I kept changing my line-up of favorite reads for 2024 as it was that challenging to decide on my list of favorites! With that said, here are my top ten favorite reads for 2024.

I've included both fiction and nonfiction to my list of favorite reads this year, which only added to the difficulty of selecting my favorite reads for 2024! Click on links below to read my reviews. 

1. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

2. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

3. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

4. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

5. The One by John Marr

6. Overkill by Paul A. Offit MD

7. Chasing the Sun by Linda Geddes

8. Eloquence of the Sardine by Antony Sugaar & Bill Francois

9. Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin

10. The Dali Legacy by Jean-Pierra Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown

Which books became your favorites this year?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Merry Christmas to You!!

 

I hope you are happy and well!! May you be spending your Christmas holiday with loved ones, enjoying the food, merriment and holiday cheer! May you also receive a few great reads under the Christmas tree this holiday season.

Happy Jolabokaflod aka the Christmas Book Flood!!

 

I wish Jolabokaflod was a tradition here in the USA... Or at the very least a tradition in my family each Christmas Eve! Do you celebrate Jolabokaflod in your home?

Top Ten Tuesday - Books/Bookish Things I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below are ten books/bookish items I hope to receive from Santa!

1. Reader Roulette Card Game
2. Your Paper Quest - Book Box Subscription
3. A Box of Stories - Book Box Subscription

4. Custom Book Embosser

5. Magnetic Book Marks

6. James by Percival Everett

7. Gift Card for Chirp Audiobooks

8. Knitting or Crochet Books
9. Tarot Books
10. Either Ken Follett's BBC Maestro Writing Course or Lee Child's BBC Writing Course

What are you hoping Santa will bring you this year for Christmas?

Happy Crossword Puzzle Day!!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril, which is narrated by Rebecca Gallagher. It's the second cozy novel in the 'A Killer Chocolate Mystery' series.

This is another enjoyable cozy mystery novel with a wintry/Christmas theme to it. I also enjoyed the high school class reunion theme as the setting where the murder takes place! It was the perfect setting for knocking off that one classmate from high school that was a jerk and whom everyone despised. So, when this particular classmate is murdered at the reunion, it's makes it difficult to narrow down the killer when everyone disliked the person so much. Then another victim is killed along the way as well. 

Loads of red herrings to be found and some good amateur sleuthing too by the main character, Alex. Once again though, I figured out the killer early on... I'd say about 84% into the novel itself is when I figured out who killed both victims in A Nutcracker Nightmare!

For the most part I enjoyed this cozy mystery novel overall. It was nice to have a refresher as to who some of the characters were from the last novel that were also in this novel as well as some of the background of the small town/village where the story is set. This way readers who read the first novel a while back have a chance to become reacquainted again with the characters and setting as they read the second novel. 

I didn't care much for the narrator for A Nutcracker Nightmare. The voices Rebecca Gallagher used for some of the characters weren't well rendered in my opinion. 

I also felt like Alex, the main character, was off in a few scenes. Alex plays amateur sleuth and in at least one scene she just peppers another character with one question after another in trying to find clues to in order to help identify the killer. The scene(s) felt stilted/unnatural as to how two people would interact in really life.

Below is the publisher's summary for A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril from the Goodreads website:

When twin sisters Hanna and Alex head to their high school reunion, will they bite off more than they can chew when they find a former classmate’s dead body?

Hanna and Alex, owners of the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are busy preparing for the Harriston High School’s reunion weekend. They’re eager to see old friends—and perhaps avoid old foes. One person they can’t avoid is Kyle, the former star quarterback, who is busy using his entire playbook to try and score with Hanna. He even uses his status as a judge at the upcoming chocolate competition to threaten her if she doesn’t play nice. At the reunion, the twins soon bond with their fellow classmates over their nostalgia of their youth—but the party is put on hold when Alex finds the dead body of none other than Kyle himself, bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker that the sisters admired earlier in the night.

Hanna quickly becomes the prime suspect—everyone saw her slap Kyle across the face at the reunion dance. She’ll need her sister, their sleuthing canine, Watson, and their old friends and colleagues to help break this case wide open. While looking through old yearbooks and taking a stroll down memory lane, Alex uncovers a few secrets about Kyle, now, it seems like everyone had a motive to kill him: Is there a football team secret Coach Fenton was covering up? Could the mayor, Everett, have a skeleton or two in his closet? And for some classmates, maybe time doesn’t heal all wounds.

When the suspects start becoming the victims, Alex and Hannah know that they can’t melt under the pressure—they must find the killer before they become just another yearbook memory.

I am giving A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I have soooooooo many books waiting to be read in my 'to be read' pile, which made it very difficult to narrow down which ones to read during the first quarter of 2025!! I am such a mood reader. So let's see if I can read the following ten books next quarter.

1. Death by A Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue

2. In the Line of Fire by R. J. Noonan

3. Furious Hours by Casep Cep

4. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

5. A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

6. Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper

7. The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

8. Rodin's Lover by Heather Webb

9. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

10. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Have you read any of the above books? Share in the comments section below if you have.

A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril

 

I love reading cozy mystery novels! With it being the month of December and so close to the Christmas holiday, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril, which was well narrated by Bernadette Dunne.

A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril is the first cozy mystery in the 'A Killer Chocolate Mystery' series. I have the second novel in the series, A Nutcracker Nightmare, downloaded and ready to listen to and enjoy next! Cozy mysteries are great for fun, relatively quick, and lightweight reads this time of the year when we're all so busy with everyday life and preparing for the holiday season.

I enjoyed listening to A Christmas Candy Killing. It's a cozy mystery, features chocolate, a mystery bookstore, is tied to Christmas, and is a fun read. What's not to like?

I liked the storyline, plot twists, pacing, and the characters for A Christmas Candy Killing. There seemed to be quite a few characters to initially remember and keep straight, but nothing too burdensome to handle. I did figure out who the killer was long before the identity was revealed to readers due to the clues mentioned throughout the novel. 

I did like A Christmas Candy Killing. And as I already mentioned, I look forward to listening to the second novel.

Below is the publisher's summary for A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril from the Goodreads website:

Identical twin sisters Alex and Hannah are the owners of Murder and Mayhem, a mystery bookshop that sells their famous poison-themed Killer Chocolates. But now, there’s a real killer in their midst. Shortly before Christmas, their septuagenarian neighbor, Jane, confides to Alex that a murderer from a true-crime show has taken up residence in the village. Unfortunately, she’s also shared her suspicions with town gossip Netta. The next morning, Alex shows up at Jane’s house to watch the show, but instead she discovers Jane's body, with a box of Killer Chocolates nearby. The sheriff quickly zeroes in on two Alex, a beneficiary in Jane’s will, and Zack, a handyman who was seen leaving the crime scene. But Alex maintains her innocence and sets out to draft a list of other potential suspects―townsfolk who’d recently been seen arguing with Jane. When Alex gets hold of Jane’s journal, she begins to understand the truth. But a bearer of ill tidings is arriving early this year―and Alex just might not make it to Christmas.

I am giving A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Alta Journal's California Book Club Event - Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong

 

Last Thursday evening, I enjoyed attending Alta Journal's California Book Club virtual event, which featured Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong. This event began at 5pm PST and lasted well over an hour.

I enjoyed hearing the the author, Rachel Khong, discuss her novel, Goodbye, Vitamin, and give a short reading from it. This novel spotlights the topic of Alzheimer's disease. My understanding is that Goodbye, Vitamin didn't start out as book about Alzheimer's, but rather inspired by the topic of memory.

Memory was discussed quite a bit by the author in the online event. She talked about how memory shapes who we are and without them we'd essentially not no who we are. Plus, how people have different memories about the same event/situation. 

Other things were discussed, of course, but the discussion regarding the topic of memory was the most fascinating to me.

This will probably be my last author event for 2024 and it was another wonderful one from Alta Journal. 

Have you attended any virtual or in person author events recently? Let me know in the comment section below!

Have You Met Any Book Bloggers, Book Podcasters, Or BookTubers In Real Life?

I'm just curious if you've ever met any of the book bloggers, book podcasters, or booktubers you've followed online over the years? I'm not talking about famous people here... Just the ordinary, everyday person who shares their love of all things reading, books, and/or other bookish things in some online format.

I've never met any other book bloggers, book podcasters, or booktubers that I know of in real life! I kinda of think it would be fun to perhaps meet up with another avid reader/book lover whose blog, podcast, or YouTube channel I currently follow sometime in the future. Perhaps, we'd be able to met up for lunch and discuss books, or meet at a really unique bookstore for an author event or have fun browsing the book stacks, or even attend a book festival together.

What do you think? Would you ever want to meet up with a book blogger you've followed online for a meet and greet?

New Little Library Find In San Ramon This Afternoon!!

 

This afternoon, my husband and I did a quick drive out so that we could seek out a new Little Free Library that recently launched in our area. 

We found the above LFL sitting on the homeowner's walkway. I dropped off two books and snagged two books. 

One of the books I took home with me, A Well Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler, had been a wishlist book. I've been lucky enough to find several wishlist books at Little Free Libraries over the years!

Glad we missed the rain while seeking out this LFL. But a storm is brewing and the skies have been cloudy and overcast all day, along with a wind advisory.

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you're all safe and doing well!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Yesterday, I finished listening to the unabridged audio version of The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, which is narrated by the author. 

I had previously finished reading The Sentence by Louise Erdrich last month for Native American Heritage Month. I enjoyed The Sentence so much that I decided to follow it up with another novel by Louise Erdrich. The Night Watchman didn't disappoint! 

After reading two back to back novels by Louise Erdrich, I can safely say that I have a new favorite novelist. I look forward to reading more books by Louise Erdrich.

What can I say about The Night Watchman? The writing is spectacular! The characters are amazing, well rounded, and a full bodied in a way that is very satisfying to the storyline. The storyline is very captivating and well paced. There isn't a dull moment to be seen in this novel.

There's so much to convey about The Night Watchman that I am not sure where to begin first. I don't want to over share the plot details either that I end up giving away too much of the plot details! 

I will keep my review very simple to prevent too many spoilers. The Night Watchman takes place in the 1950s and is set mainly in rural North Dakota on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. The night watchman of this novel is Thomas Washashk. Thomas's last name means muskrat and there'e a lot of Native American Folklore surrounding the muskrat that is touched upon in the novel. Thomas Washashk is based on the author's own grandfather. 

I love that Louise Erdrich focuses on Native American history and issues/themes in her novels. I also enjoy that she incorporates real life events and real life people into her novels as well. In The Night Watchman, we read about Thomas Washashk's fight against Native dispossession which takes him all the way to Washington DC. All the while, Thomas tries to sustain life for his family through farming and as a night watchman at the local jewel bearing plant.

Another main character is Pixie/Patrice. She's a young women who works at the jewel bearing plant making the jewel bearings along with several other Native American women. We see Pixie/Patrice and others on the reservation struggle with poverty and the Native American identity.

Each character in The Night Watchman is very nuanced. How these characters mingle together to make a cohesive story is magic on Erdrich's part. The readers are provided a snapshot into life on the reservation and what the new 'emancipation' bill would mean for indigenous groups across the USA if it should pass.

Below is the plot summary for The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, which I discovered on Amazon's website:

Winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

New York Times Best Seller

Washington Post, Amazon, NPR, CBS Sunday Morning, Kirkus, Chicago Public Library, and Good Housekeeping Best Book of 2020

Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, DC, this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.

Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”?

Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.

Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.

In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.

I am giving The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars. 

In fact, The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich may be my favorite novel of 2024. The writing is incredible! I fully understand why it won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Gifts From My Secret Santa On Bookcrossing!!

 

This year, I decided to participate in a Secret Santa exchange hosted by another Bookcrosser!! I love this idea. You list things you'd like to receive as a gift(s) for Christmas and are then paired up with another Bookcrossing member. Gifts are then exchanged, of course. However, the person you send a gift to is not the same person who will send a gift to you. This makes for truly wonderful surprise as you don't know what you'll receive or from whom! 

Last weekend, I received a brand new, hardback copy of The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, which was a wishlist book. Plus, two boxes of Earl Grey tea from Tazo. Such a thoughtful gift!

I've been a proud Bookcrossing member since January 6, 2007!! I can't believe next month will mark 18 years of being a member of Bookcrossing. I've pretty much been an active member on Bookcrossing since joining back in 2007. It's free to become a member of Bookcrossing, incidentally. I've even hyped Bookcrossing quite a few times here on my blog in the past.

What do I LOVE about Bookcrossing? 

1. The connection with other avid readers from around the world!! Bookcrossing has several forum sections where avid readers can connect and discuss all things books and reading. There are even forum sections devoted to specific foreign languages, like Spanish, French, German, Russian, and many more for those that do not speak English.

2. Bookcrossing offers a way to share books with others!! Essentially, you register a book on Bookcrossing which you've read and no longer wish to keep in your personal collection. Once you've registered the book, you can make a journal entry regarding your thoughts about the book you've read and give it a numerical rating. From there, you may share the in a variety of ways... Like leaving the book at a Little Free Library, for instance or sending it off to another Bookcrosser who has the book you've read on their wishlist. Finally, you'll make release notes on where to find the book if you've left book at a Little Free Library for instance. 

Once a book has been picked up by another reader, hopefully, they will then make a journal entry letting you know they have it in their possession, read the book themselves, rate/review it, and then pass it on to someone else. You'll receive a notification via email when a journal entry has been made by another Bookcrosser. I find it fun when someone reads/reviews books I've released out into the world and enjoy seeing where the book has traveled or will travel to in the future!! I've had books travel all over the USA and even to Europe and beyond! This is pretty cool!

3. Participating in book exchanges/swaps and various sweepstakes hosted by other Bookcrossers. It's a lot of fun!! I won a tea and chocolate sweepstakes once and received a flood of books, tea, and chocolate from Bookcrossers around the world. 

There's a whole lot more to Bookcrossing than this... like real life meetups, Bookcrossing conventions, etc. But, I chose to stick to my top three favorite things I love about Bookcrossing.

As a side note, I initially learned about Bookcrossing from my husband, who is not an avid reader. I forget how my husband first learned about Bookcrossing. All I know is that he loves to support my love of reading and all things related to books, bookstores, author/book festival events, and so on. 

I'm looking forward to many more years of Bookcrossing fun and hope to met more Bookcrossers in the future.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Four Books to Cozy Up With This Holiday Season!

Oooo, all new to me book titles were mentioned in the above video. In fact, all four books sound amazing! I'm off to add them ALL to my reading wishlist!

Brick and Mortar Bookstores Are BOOMING Once Again!!

 

I'm thrilled to hear both brick and mortar chain bookstores and independent bookstores are thriving and gaining ground once again!! It's been so easy for us all to buy books online through Amazon and the like and have books shipped to us or downloaded to our e-readers.

 Plus, during the pandemic, people weren't doing much in store shopping. 

So, it's thrilling to see a resurgence of brick and mortar bookstores popping up around the USA.

Top Ten Tuesday - FREEBIE - Favorite Things to Eat/Drink While Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Since we are in the middle of the holiday season, I thought it would be fun to share a list of foods and beverages that I typically like to snack on while reading books.

1. Organic Hot Herbal or Decaf Tea - I'm generally not an iced tea lover.

2. Hot Cocoa - Cocoa can be dark chocolate cocoa or mint hot cocoa. Hold the marshmallows and whip cream, PLEASE!!

3. Sparkling Water - Plain or flavored, like lime, lemon, mixed berry, or orange.

4.  Larabars - Current favorite flavor is Banana Chocolate Chip.

5. Siggi's Vanilla Yogurt

6. Organic Dark Chocolate Bar

7. Organic Bananas

8. Organic Apple Slices with Almond Butter

9. Organic Dried Nuts - Usually almonds or walnuts these days.

10. Organic Popcorn - Either plain with light sea salt or the Kettle Corn flavor.

I try to eat on the healthier side. But during the holiday season I may end up snacking on desserts while reading books! 

Which snacks and beverages do you enjoy while reading books?

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

 I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Sentence by Louise Erdrich and narrated by the author. This is my first experience with anything written by Louise Erdrich. 

I'm so grateful that I finally took the step to read a novel by Louise Erdrich!! Louise Erdrich's writing is amazing and The Sentence covers a lot of ground, so you're in for a good ride.

What did I like about The Sentence? Just about everything. The writing is great and so is the storyline. I loved the characters for this novel as well... I especially loved the main character, Tookie! I enjoyed the indigenous bookstore set in Minnesota. The bookstore is a haunted bookstore as in that it's haunted by a difficult, former customer named, Flora, who had passed away recently. Flora makes the most problems for Tookie throughout most of the novel. Tookie and the rest of the staff try to figure out why Flora is haunting the bookstore and help her cross over to the other side. We read about the lives of those running the bookstore and a few of the customers as well as about Tookie's friends and family, which make for a great read.

The time period for The Sentence is an entire year from November 2019 to November 2020. So, the Covid-19 pandemic is front and center for much of the novel and how it effected people's live. Additionally, the George Floyd murder and riots to follow were also front and center. Not to mention the lives of Indigenous Americans were also front and center for this novel. Louise Erdrich writes about each topic so well and interweaves each topic together in such a way as to be seamless to the storyline, including the haunting of the bookstore that we read about throughout the novel. 

Louise Erdrich also appears as a minor character in her own novel. Also, I can only assume that the bookstore in the The Sentence is somewhat based on the author's own bookstore.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Sentence by Louise Erdrich from the Goodreads website:

In this stunning and timely novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage, and of a woman's relentless errors.

Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Sentence, asks what we owe to the living, the dead, to the reader and to the book. A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store's most annoying customer. Flora dies on All Souls' Day, but she simply won't leave the store. Tookie, who has landed a job selling books after years of incarceration that she survived by reading "with murderous attention", must solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation, and furious reckoning.

The Sentence begins on All Souls' Day 2019 and ends on All Souls' Day 2020. Its mystery and proliferating ghost stories during this one year propel a narrative as rich, emotional, and profound as anything Louise Erdrich has written.

I am giving The Sentence by Louise Erdrich a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!