Red, White & Royal Blue

 I was uncertain what to expect when I selected this novel by Casey McQuiston.   I found the book to be quite enjoyable but also very thought provoking.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to be under constant scrutiny.  I never wanted fame, but after reading this book I definitely do not want fame and all the baggage that comes with it.   

Alex and Henry must adjust to their growing relationship and the heavy responsibilities of their positions within their respective countries.  There are expectations that both are struggling with meeting while still finding their personal happiness.  The novel depicts the difficulties of growing up and finding oneself but then adds the layer of political responsibility and fame.   

The only reason I didn't give the book a 5 star rating is because I am not a big fan of graphic sexual encounters.  I find myself skipping over these scenes in Stone Barrington books as well as in many movies and tv shows.  I feel as though private lives should be just that. I did not find it detracted from the story but rather I was able to skim over those portions while still absorbing the complexity and depth of the relationships.   I understand why the book got all the hype it did.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

Emotionally raw at times

I didn’t really know what to expect of this book. I ended up really enjoying it and found it emotionally engaging. You cannot help but root for Alex and feel like you’re right there with him as he struggles through his emotional and sexual growth. My only hesitation was some of the sexual scenes were a bit graphic and detailed for me taste. That’s just me, not a big fan of reading explicit details. I skipped over much of it just as I do in a Stone Barrington book. These did not detract from the story and did highlight the rawness of the relationship. I’m glad I gave this book a go 

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  17- that won an award in 2019
2. Book List Queen #24- A Book Everyone Is Talking About 
3. Wizarding World Tour  possible categories
• Koldovstoretz: set in a palace
4. While I was Reading  A book you heard about on TV/Radio/a podcast
5. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  Goodreads 2019

Ms Marvel Vol 1 No Normal

I read this book by G. Willow Wilson for the August Book award prompt for GirlXOXO and because it addressed the prompt to read a graphic novel. 

I found the format difficult to follow and felt I was missing much of the story.   The story jumped around a bit to abruptly for me to find it a smooth read.  This may be due tot he fact this is a compilation of several individual comic editions, but I am not sure.

I did find it well written in terms of addressing what makes someone a hero and how physical attributes though wished for may not always be what they seem.  I appreciated the struggles Kamala went through balancing being a teen and complying to her Islamic roots while wanting to fit into a typical American teen lifestyle.  Also she learns to trust her friends and family as the story evolves.

While I did find the main character to be inspiring and a great model for teen girls, I don't generally like this format.  I would not be interested in reading any additional installments in the series. 


Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the book and the diversity of the alter ego for Me Marvel. I had trouble with the flow of the story. Additionally I couldn't understand where she suddenly got her super power from.
I most liked the empowerment of an atypical hero and the perspective of the uncertainty of whether her powers were a good thing or if she didn't want them


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #82
2. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #27 comic book
3. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge #19 ya book 
4. TBR Book #  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
5. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge   Hugo award 2015

All Systems Red

This is the first in the Murderbot books by Martha Wells.  I was pleasantly surprised by this novella.   I selected it for a challenge prompt to read a book in a genre you don't normally read.  I am definitely not a science fiction reader but I think I will be trying to read more of this series.  The main character is a non human but definitely seems to show some human like traits at times.  The book actually points our some of the idiosyncrasies of human behaviors at times.  I think I found this book enjoyable because it had elements of a mystery and suspense novel and wasn't just a science fiction story.   I definitely found myself liking and disliking characters based on their actions and behaviors toward the SecBot aka murderbot.  The ending definitely leaves opportunities for furture installments in the series and I am curious to see if they are about the same Bot or different ones of its kind.

If you are looking to try science fiction without a huge commitment this novella is a great choice.


All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t usually read sci fi but I really enjoyed this book. It’s a great length for getting a feel for the genre without a huge commitment. It had a bit of a mystery/suspense angle to the plot as well. The character interaction was very well done and kept your interest as the reader. Definitely going to check into more of the series


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #69
2. Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #54
3. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #9 set in space
4. While I was Reading #8   with a non-human narrator
5. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  Locus Award Best Novella 2018
6. TBR Book #37  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon

Death Al Dente Food Lover's Village #1

This was a new cozy mystery series by Leslie Budewitz that I selected to meet a challenge prompt for the year.  This book won the Agatha Award for best first novel in May 2013.  I selected it for my GirlXOXO Award book for May.  I now have a new series I would like to get caught up on reading.

The book introduces us to Erin Morgan as she is preparing to play hostess to her brainchild, the Festa in Pasta celebration, in her hometown of Jewel Bay, Montana.  She has recently returned to manage the family store, the Glacier Mercantile (the Merc), which has been in her family for generations.  Her return assists her mom with management assistance when her previous manager, and friend,  Claudette suddenly departed for Vegas with her philandering boyfriend, Dean.  Dean abandons his estranged wife and twin daughters and headed to Vegas to pursuing his Elvis impersonation dreams.

Their sudden return to Jewel Bay is met with high emotions and swirling rumors. Erin encounters Claudette while running a last minute errand and invites her to the dinner to kick off the festival.  Claudette agrees but never makes it to the party.

The book centers around a murder and the attention of the police focused on Erin's mother as the primary suspect.  To complicate things even more, the chief investigator is Erin's bff growing up, Kim.  They had grown apart at the end of High School but the relationship with the family was a part of their childhood.  This made the suspicion even more painful for Erin.

Much of the beginning of the book focuses on Erin's internal thoughts and emotions.  The real action begins toward the middle of the book.  Budewitz has twisted many plot lines and false leads together to create a fun mystery.  The relationships of all the characters is complicated by the small town and all that comes with small town living.  The characters relationships are accurately depicted and represent what many individuals experience when returning to where they grew up.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series (there are 5 in total) and to try Leslie Budewitz's other series, the Spice Shop mysteries, as well.



Up next 















Death Al Dente by Leslie Budewitz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We meet Erin Murphy, the manager of her family’s business, the Glacier Mercantile, as she is preparing for the Festa. This is a town wide festival she has spearheaded up return to Jewel Bay from Seattle. The party offers the opportunity for the reader to be introduced to a large number of characters quickly, who also quickly become suspects. The festival quickly has a damper placed on it when a guest is murdered as they enter the party

The long time friend of her mother, Fresca, returns to town after a short stint in Vegas. Claudette had abruptly left MT 6 months prior with her Elvis impersonator, philandering boyfriend, Dean. Her return is swirling with rumors about her departure from the Merc and her relationship with the Murphy family. On top of that, her love triangle is crazy gossip fodder in a small town.

The book is full of characters and the dynamics of family and small town life. Erin finds herself defending her mother in the eyes of the law, who happens to be he ex best friend from HS, Kim.

During the course of the investigation the reader gets a glimpse at the thoughts and ideas as they course through Erin’s mind. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot line and lots of red herrings thrown in to keep the reader and Erin guessing. In the end the guilty party is caught.

The book started a bit slow but really got rolling as it progressed. Budewitz does a good job balancing description of the Montana landscape with the storyline and characters. I look forward to reading more of the Food Lovers Village mysteries and visiting with the Murphy clan and their neighbors in Jewel Bay


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #43
2. Literary Escapes-  MT
3. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #36
4. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice #7
5. Medical Examiner-  1 Toe Tag 
6. Six Shooter-  1st shot for Leslie Budewitz
7. Mystery Bingo: 
   • Red Herring :  Ex Spouse
   • Crime Scenes: Alley
8. TBR Book #28  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
9. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  

V.I. Warshawski is a tough Chicago PI

I have been reading the VI Warshawski series for a while now.  I had missed a few and picked this one, Shell Game,  up as an award winner for my Monthly Award Challenge.   It was good catching up with VI and her friends- Lottie Herschel, Mr. Contreras and news reporter, Murray Ryerson. 

While I enjoyed reading the latest in Sara Paretsky's series, I did find the political undertones of the book a bit unnecessary at times.  The book deals with immigrants and ICE and the fear that many live under while here in the US.  I understand that is a real fear and am fine with the plot as it pertains to this serious issue.  What I did not care for was the commentary on the current President.   I felt it was unnecessary in portraying the severity and emotion of the situation and the storyline. 

I have read other books that make references to current world situations without specifying president names or parties- for example the Patterson book written with Bill Clinton, The President is Missing.  That book was written about the fact the President has to make decisions for the nation and sometimes they aren't politically popular but the President is just doing the best job for the country not necessarily for their party agenda. 

Despite the political preaching, the story was still an enjoyable read for me and I will probably go back and read the books I missed in the series once I finish the others on my list.


Shell Game by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had not read a VI Warhawski book in a while and was happy to come back and reconnect with the PI in the Windy City. It is always enjoyable to read about books that are set in your home area especially as V.I. traverses all over the Chicagoland. The plot was an intriguing one with plenty of twists and turns. Enjoyable as always to read the VI series. I am now motivated to go back and read the books in the series I have missed. The only issue I have is the commentary on the current president that is mentioned several times in the book. That could have been left out and the story lines about ICE and immigrant fears would have still been as powerful.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #38
2. Literary Escapes-  IL
3.  Cloak and  Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #30
4. Medical Examiner-  1 Toe Tag 
5. Six Shooter-  1st shot for Sara Paretsky
6. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #13 same title as a tv show/ movie but is unrelated to it
7. Around the Year in 52 Books- #43 A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse- death and war
8. Book List Queen #27 About a Controversial Topic
9. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge #17  A book set in the state you live in
10. TBR Book # 26  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
11. While I was Reading #11   A book set in the state you live in
12. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  Edgar Award for Sue Grafton Memorial Award (2019)

Furiously Happy is a fun read

While the underlying topic and message of the book is a very poignant one,  Jenny Lawson's stories in her memoir really make this book a joy to read.  She is quite frank and open in discussing how her depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses affect her life on a daily basis.  However, her funny stories really do make it an enjoyable read while still pointing out the struggles she and others experience in daily life. At times they are gut wrenching laugh out loud funny.    I appreciate she is doing her best to help take the stigma out of talking about mental illness and pointing out how it is not any different than having any other health ailment that afflicts our bodies.
Plus how can you not like a book with a smiling raccoon on the cover

I can highly recommend this book




Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny  Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is awesome. If you are looking for a book to make you laugh then I highly recommend this book. While the subject of mental illness can still be a hush hush topic among some circles, Jenny Lawson is doing her best to remove that stigma. Her stories are real and point out the struggles she and others like her go through with debilitating depression and anxiety but they are presented in a fun way that gets the message across without being melancholy. There were many times I was laughing out loud and reading funny excerpts to my husband. All in all this is a great book I can highly recommend. Plus who can't smile while looking at a smiling racoon.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #30
2. Literary Escapes-  TX
3. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #34 you picked up because the title caught your attention
4. Around the Year in 52 Books- #24 Book with an emotion in the title
5. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #29  An award-winning novel
6. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #7 Book about mental health/dealing with mental illness 
7. Wizarding World Tour  
• Castelobruxo: Read a book with Gold on it
8. While I was Reading  #1 Book with an emotion in the title
9. Color Coded:  #3  Yellow
10. What's in a Name #2  An Antonym
11. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  Audie award in 2016
12. Memoirs-  #1 Mental Illness
13. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #6

Lab Girl

I read the memoir Lab Girl by Hope Jahren this month.  The book was a great balance between storytelling and science.  Jahren does a wonderful job at talking about science in a manner that is understood by lay people.  Her explanations about plant life and trees are interesting and her witty storytelling was enjoyable to read.  I can recommend this book to anyone interested in the ways a research scientist goes about doing field research, lab work and raising funds.  All in all it is a very enjoyable read.



Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was an enjoyable mix of sciences and human interest. The relationship Hope has with her lab partner Bill is quite quirky and is fun to watch grow. She does a wonderful job of detailing aspects or her research and plants/trees in general. I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested I learning more about the green life around us as well as those curious about the life of research scientists


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 22
2. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #16  About Women in STEM
3. Around the Year in 52 Books- #17 Neuro Diverse character
4. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #42 Reuse a prompt from a past year- "A  Plant on Cover"
5. Book List Queen #37  Book that will make you smarter
6. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #2  Book set in country you are currently residing
7. NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020  #7 Biography/autobiography
8. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #15 author who writes multiple genres
9. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge
10. TBR Book #1  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
11. Wizarding World Tour 
• Castelobruxo: Book related to Plants
12. Color Coded:  #5  Beige
13. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  AAAS Subaru science award 2017 

Possible prompts

I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges since it meets multiple criteria within the challenge.

1. Memoirs-  
• #1 Mental Health Memoir
• #9  Written by a woman
• # 25 Under 300 pages
• # 

sentimental read for Jan #GXOAwardReadingChallenge

Did a quick read of this book today as I was sorting books and putting the last of the holiday decorations away.  I realized this was a Caldecott Medal Winner in 1986 and as such counted for my monthly book award challenge.  I felt a bit like it was cheating to read a children's book but as I don't think I will get my originally scheduled award book read before the end of the month, this will have to be an acceptable stand in.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

always a heart warming read and sentimental. the illustrations in the book are very pretty as well. read it as i was putting the last of the holiday decorations back away for the winter


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Challenge Prompts:

Monthly Book Award  #GXOAwardReadingChallenge -  Jan;  Caldecott Medal 1986
Alphabet soup Author-   "V"

52 Books in 52 weeks  prompt #34  A book with Illustrations
NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020  prompt  #14 

20 in 20:  #Read20in2020  #17 An illustrated book

Monthly Book Award Challenge at GirlXOXO

The GirlXOXO blog is hosting several challenges that are monthly specific.  For each of the challenges you must meet the criteria in the specified Month.   There is a Monthly Keyword challenge, a Monthly Motif challenge and a Monthly Book Award challenge.  These each require a bit more planning than any of my other challenges since you need to actually read the book in the month of the challenge. 

#GXOAwardReadingChallenge

This final challenge is the most difficult to plan for and required the most research.  This challenge along with my book club is the one that is most responsible for setting a reading schedule for certain books.

The idea is to read a book in a month that won an award given in that month.  The site has references to look up the different awards and the social group is quite helpful on directing each other for suggestions of awards in a given month.

 Here are my plans:

Jan-  The Polar Express by Chris  Van Allsburg  winner of the 1986 Caldecott Medal Award

• Review at Goodreads and Blog post

Feb -  Lab Girl by Hope Jahren winner of AAAS Subaru Science Award 2017  3/5/20

• blog post and Goodreads review

Mar-  Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson  won an Audie 3/31/20

• blog post and Goodreads review

Apr- Shell Game by Sara Paretsky for winning Edgar Awards 2019 4/29/20

• blog post and Goodreads Review

May-  Death Al Dente winner of Agatha Awards 2013 5/11/20

• blog post and Goodreads Review 

Jun-  All Systems Red by Martha Wells 6/30/20   Locus Award  for Best Novella 2018

• blog post and Goodreads Revew

Jul-  The Shadow Year winner of Shirley Jackson Award in 2008

Aug-  Ms Marvel Vol 1  by G Willow Wilson  8/9/20  winner of Hugo in 2015

• blog post and Goodreads Review

Sep-  Vox by Christina Dalcher  9/27/20 winner of Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

• blog post and Goodreads Review

Oct-  The Boys in the Boat   By Daniel James Brown  winner Booker Award

Nov-  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine  winner of Specsavers National Book Awards UK

Dec-  Goodreads Winner 2019

Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 12/24/20

• blog post and Goodreads Review

Starting to sort the challenges

Right now I am trying to get myself all set up for the different challenges I want to try in 2020.  This means I have listed all the prompts to select books from into a separate tab for each challenge.  I have then brainstormed ideas and cross referenced where a book can count for more than 1 challenge.  I don't realistically see myself having the time to read unique books for each challenge although there are readers out there who want cross utilize a title for different challenges.  I think half the fun for me is the setup and the research and planning.

Some of these challenges require a monthly commitment whereas others are a less demanding approach.

My plans for this year are:

Popsugar Reading Challenge

Around the Year in 52 Books on Goodreads

52 books in 52 weeks on mommymannegren 

A to Z challenge on gingermomandcompany

A color based challenge on myreadersblock

Girlxoxo.com is hosting several that interested me.  They also have a listing of book challenges to reference.

•  A monthly book award challenge

• A monthly motif and

• A monthly keyword challenge

There are several challenges based on genre of the books.  I am using the prompts in the 52 week challenges to address many of these categories

• For my love of mysteries I found  Calendar of Crime on myreadersblock

• Memoir lovers can find a challenge on jannghi.blogspot.com

• Historical Non Fiction is being hosted over at hiberantors library 

Several of the challenges just involve a tally of how many books you finish falling into the category.

The two I want to track are:

Mount TBR on Goodreads- to track how many books you read that you already own physical or ebook.  You set a goal of how many on your list you want to tackle.  If you reach that mountain top you can scale something higher.

Like Mount TBR, Craving for a cozy is about tracking how many cozies you read.  I found this challenge on www.escapewithdollycas.com

Since I have bitten off so many challenges I decided it was only fitting that I join a challenge tracking how many challenges you are doing.   I found this at reading challenge addict.  

Stay tuned over the next few posts for descriptions of the individual challenges to see if you might be interested in joining in.