The Malt in Our Stars

 

The Malt in Our Stars by Sarah Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Exciting cozy set in a charming town in Vermont. Sadie is such a like able character with a nosy streak. She cannot help but investigate. When the assistant to the romance suspense author who came to speak at her literary themed pub falls to her death from a window at the Shady Creek Manor. The story is full of hidden passes and lots of suspects. The guilty party was a bit of a surprise
I look forward to reading more about Sadie and her friends

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #75
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Literary Pub #3
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #82
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #95
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #53
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #80
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #69
9. What's in a Name   #3 Reference to outer space
10. Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2021  June – Book With A Beverage In The Title
11. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
12. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 

Row 4

Hotel room

• Weapons
• Row 4
• Push or fall
13. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #37  Shot #3

A Tourist's Guide to Murder

 This is the latest installment in the Mystery Bookshop series (#6) by V.M. Burns.  I always enjoy how she has given such a diverse set of personalities to the seniors in her series.  Sam, is the granddaughter of Nana Jo and the two are on a vacation with Nana Jo's friends- Irma, Dorothy and Ruby Mae.  The dynamics among these women is comical and realistic.  It is easy to visualize the ease with which they interact especially when you consider their ages and the frankness with which many older people speak.

The ladies are on a Mystery tour in England when they encounter several real life mysteries of their own.   The book is loaded with geographical and biographical references to many other mystery writers and their series.  These feature is intertwined well into the plot of this story.   

The mystery itself is well written and full of twists and turns.  My favorite part of this series is the inclusion of the 2nd cozy mystery story within the book.  Sam is writing a cozy set in England in the 1930s.  This secondary story adds a unique feature to this series that I really enjoy.  Sometimes that sub mystery is what sticks with me more than the main story.   

I look forward to any future installments in this series.

A Tourist's Guide to Murder by V.M. Burns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always enjoy reading about the ladies from Shady Acres. Nana Jo is a hoot and her relationship with her granddaughter, is a good mix of bantering and respect. This particular installment was based on a mystery tour in England so it had lots of references to other mystery authors and series. The actual mystery was well written and had plenty of twists to keep the reader engaged. The cozy written within the book is always a fun aspect to this series and adds another level of enjoyment and mystery solving. I hope there are more books to come in this series

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #47
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Mystery Bookshop #6 caught up on series
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #57
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #67
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cozy Mysteries   #11 author of color
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  free choice 27
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #50
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #43
10. What's in a Name   #4 Possessive noun (ex. The Zookeeper’s Wife)
11. Medical Examiner Challenge  4 Toe Tags
12. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 4
• Hotel room
• Weapons
• Row 4
• Animal attack or bite
• Row 5
• Medicine or drugs
• Detectives- Sam/Nana Jo
• Victims- Horace Peabody/Prudence Haversham
13. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #14  Shot #6

One of Us is Lying

One of Us is Lying is an intense YA book by Karen McManus.  It has been on my To Read list for over a year and I am very glad I finally made sure to read it.  It is a fairly high paced thriller set in High School.   Think of all the worst things about High School you can remember and now add onto that cell phones (cameras/videos) and Social Media.  It makes high school in the 80s feel tame.  

McManus does a magnificent job of capturing teen angst, insecurity, selfishness and immaturity.  This book has been described as Breakfast Club and that is apropos in my opinion.  The eclectic mix of student types that are all serving detention together sets the stage for a very strange occurrence.   The reader then witnesses the ensuing chaos through the eyes of the different characters in the novel.  These characters hit the stereotypes of high school and capture much of the emotions and concerns of a typical teenager.

It is easy to find oneself rooting for the unlikely heroes and relationships in this novel.  The unlikely friendships that form are based on actually getting to know the real people, not just the outward stereotypes and appearances that are given off by a teen trying to fit into a certain role/group.  The twists and turns are well written and feel very real and accurate.  While I did suspect the outcome before it was revealed it still had some crazy twists that left me stunned.  I am very excited to begin reading the next book in the series, One of Us is Next.  

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great thriller with YA romance and angst

I really enjoyed this book more than I expected to. It is definitely Breakfast Club meets social media. The story captures so much of high school accurately. No matter how much time has passed the drama is all the same. Only it’s amplified with social media and cell phones. The twists and turns are well done and I look forward to reading the next book

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #32
2. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #2 dragons OR lizards
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #40
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #45
5. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #32
6. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #5. A dark academia book
7. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #1 Set In A School
8. BooklistQueen   # 45. A Book About Technology
9. What's in a Name   #1-  "ONE"
10. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #29. ROMANCE OR YA 
11. Bookworm  #13.) A book from https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com
12. Magic in the Books  Book 6 #4 set in a school
13. Pick your Poison # 4-4 A book about dealing with suicide
14. Monthly Book Awards #AwardReadingChallenge  South Carolina Book Award Young Adult (2020),
15. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #72  Shot #1

 

What's in a Name 2021

 I have decided to do this challenge again in 2021. It is hosted by Andrea at her Carolina Book Nook blog.   I really enjoyed doing it in 2020 and successfully completed the challenge.   The prompts are quite straightforward and can be filled by any genre of books.

 Completed Prompts 5/6

• One/1 (ex. One Second After; The 100) 
• One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 3/20/21

• Doubled word (ex. In a Dark, Dark Wood; Wolf by Wolf)
•  Hush Hush by Stuart Woods
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 3/9/21

• Reference to outer space (ex. The Fault in Our Stars)
• The Malt in Our Stars by Sarah Fox
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 6/24/21
• Possessive noun (ex. The Zookeeper’s Wife)
• A Tourist's Guide to Murder by V.M. Burns
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 4/22/21

• Botanical word (ex. The Language of Flowers; The Sandalwood Tree)
• Forests, Fishing & Forgery by Tonya Kappes
• Blog Post and Good Reads Review 2/2/21

• Article of clothing (ex. Bossypants)
•  IDEA:  Bossypants

  
  

Wed, Read & Dead

This installment in V.M. Burns' Mystery Bookshop series is centered around the Christmas holidays and family.  This book that focuses around the wedding of Sam's mother, Grace, as the name implies.  This book picks up where the last left off with a rush to plan the wedding in just 3 weeks.  Enter an overbearing Wedding Planner and some pretentious relatives.  The death of one of these annoying interlopers to the North Harbor group is not too heartbreaking but leads to Harold, the groom to be, being a prime suspect.

Of course Sam, Nana Jo and the ladies from Shady Acres have their hands full investigating this in addition to planning the wedding.  It ends up being an all hands on deck and we get to catch up with Sam's nephews, Dawson, the MISU girls as well as meet some new characters who tug at your heart strings.  The book definitively examines the concept that family is not only about blood and DNA.
There are plenty of comical moments to help offset the sad ones.

The series continues to be a fun read and I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

Wed, Read & Dead by V.M. Burns


This installment in the Mystery Bookshop series is centered around the Christmas holidays and family. This book picks up where the last left off with a rush to plan the wedding in just 3 weeks. Enter an overbearing Wedding Planner and some pretentious relatives. The death of one of these annoying interlopers to the North Harbor group is not too heartbreaking. Of course Sam, Nana Jo and the ladies from Shady Acres have their hands full investigating this in addition to planning the wedding. The plot involves many comical moments and the reader cannot help but laugh at the way family members interact. All in all a fun story that introduces us to some new characters with secrets to keep.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are: 

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book  #48
2. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #26 by a WOC
3. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #37
4. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice #9
5. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  June # 8 ( wedding cake on cover) & 9 (wedding figures prominently) 
6. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tag 
7. Six Shooter-  4th shot for VM Burns
8. Wizarding World Tour  
• Uagadou:  book with a symbol on the cover
9. What's in a Name #1 an Ampersand

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.


View all my reviews

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

Dear Edward....

This book was amazing.  Ann Napolitano did an amazing job with Dear Edward.

 I must admit when I checked it out from the library, I had no idea what the book was about, just that it was a popular pick that everyone seemed to be giving good reviews.  When I discovered it was based around such a tragic event, I was hesitant but moved forward with the audiobook.  I am so glad I didn't skip it to avoid the sad story. 

While it is sad and difficult to read at times, especially since I have a teenage boy, it was overall a satisfying read.  It is a testament to the strength of perseverance and of the human will.  It demonstrates that we all process tragedy and life in our own unique way.   I appreciated Napolitano's development of the characters and their relationships.  It made them feel real.  The novel ends on a positive note that left me feeling happy and optimistic.   See my review from Goodreads below




Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was very well written. I had no idea of the topic when I first started the book and was a bit worried when I realized what it was about. I am not a big fan of the tear jerk novels that often end up on Oprah's book club list. I find those end up upsetting me so much that I cannot enjoy them. Well, this book was not one that has you bawling. It is very poignant and sad at points but I found it more thought provoking then overly sad. The story is well written, alternating between the past in 2013 and the story that is in the future. Napolitano does a wonderful job of showing Edward as human and the struggles he and his family face while trying to move forward from the tragedy they experienced. She really portrays the reality of the fact there is no guide book for dealing with such loss and there is no right or wrong way to handle it. Lacy, John and Edward do their best to move forward. The relationships between them and Edward's with Shay are atypical but honest. I appreciate the closure that is provided at the end of the story and the glimpse of the future that leaves you with a happy view and hope for Edward to have a happy life. I can definitely recommend this book.


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 21
2. Audiobook challenge
3. Wizarding World Tour  
• Beauxbatons: Blue Cover
4. Alphabet soup Author- #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "N"
5. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #6 Bildungsroman
6. Around the Year in 52 Books- #22 A major theme of survival
7. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #28 Literary Fiction
8. What's in a Name #4   Given name in title

What’s in a Name

Andrea atCarolina Book Nook is hosting a prompt based challenge that’s all about Titles

You can sign up at any point on the Linky on the page but only count books read between  

Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2020.  Creativity to apply a book to the prompt is encouraged but only count a book for 1 prompt.  

Andrea’s site has links for reviews for each category so please be sure to go back and link your book reviews as you work through the challenge.

• An ampersand – & (ex. Blanca & Roja, Rot & Ruin)
• An antonym (ex. Big Little Lies, Wicked Saints)
• 4 letters or less (ex. Feed, Vox)
• A given/first name (ex. Tess of the Road, Flowers for Algernon)
• Reference to children (ex. Baby Proof, Children of Blood and Bone)
• One of the 4 natural elements – water, air, fire, earth (ex. The River at Night, The Name of the Wind)

My selections  

Challenge Complete 9/30/20

• An ampersand – & 
• Read :  Wed, Read, & Dead by VM Burns 5/21/20 blog post and Goodreads Review

• An antonym 
• Read : Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson 3/31/20 blog post and Goodreads review


• 4 letters or less 
• Read :  Vox by Christina Dalcher 9/27/20 blog post and Goodreads Review

• A given/first name 
• Read :  Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano blog post and Goodreads review 2/27/20 

• Reference to children  
• Read  The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff  GR review and  blog post  comp 1/7/20 

• One of the 4 natural elements–water,air,fire,earth  
• Read   Eggs on Ice by Laura Childs  blog post   and Goodreads  comp 1/2/20

And then there were more

Had you fooled for a minute didn't I?   No we are not talking about the Agatha Christie book just yet.  It is on my planned reading list for 2020 so we will get to it later.  Right now we are talking about more challenges.

Apparently I am a bit crazy when it comes to reading.  I have found some additional challenges I am going to attempt in 2020.   Fortunately, most of them are just building on the others I have already selected.  Most of them just involve tracking my reading of my mysteries that I already do by default.

One that is a bit more involved is the 2020 TBR List found at Stacked-reviews   This involves 22 challenge prompts many of which overlap with others I already am attempting.

The other more complex challenge I just discovered is the 20 in 20 challenge hosted on A Bookworms musings.  This is 20 prompts to chose from but there's an additional spin to pick 10 nonfiction and 10 fiction titles to fit the prompts.

Escape with DollyCas has several challenges she is hosting in 2020.

• 2 challenges related to the alphabet.  One is Alphabet Soup for titles and the other is Alphabet Soup Authors.   Pretty straightforward AtoZ challenges

• A bit more complex challenge is her Literary Escapes Challenge.  Trying to "visit" 50 States plus DC during the year.  You accumulate points for each you accomplish, with a bonus if you make all 50.  I will track for fun but doubt I will hit all 50 states. 

Carolina Book Nook is hosting a challenge that is all about Titles.  There are 6 Categories in the What's in a Name 2020 challenge.  Seems pretty fun and straightforward

I found 2 more challenges that are all about setting goals and tracking tallies.  Not too hard to do if you are already doing other challenges.

1. The Library Love Challenge at Angel's Guilty Pleasures is just what it sounds like.  Track books borrowed from Library.
2. Cloak and Dagger involves tracking mystery books you read.  It is hosted at Carol's Notebook

This last group of challenges are quite unique.  They are hosted at Rick Mill Project.   Rather than prompts, Rick uses different themed ways to track mystery books you read.  

1. The Medical Examiner Mystery challenge involves tracking who dies and how.  You then submit a Death Certificate report for each book you've read
2. There is also a Murder Mystery Bingo  This involves tracking items you come across in the story you read, trying for Bingo.  
3. The Six shooter challenge involves tracking how many times you read an author.  You aim for 6, but be careful not to be too ambitious because accuracy counts

Well, this means if  I have added correctly that I might be trying to do more than 20 challenges in 2020.   I guess I better grab a cup of tea and a blanket and get started.  At least it's Winter and I have an excuse to stay indoors.  See you in Spring.