Saturday, December 3, 2022

Library Love 23

  

 Library Love Challenge

 #LibraryLoveChallenge








I am going to participate in this challenge gain in 2023.    It is being hosted at Angel's Guilty Pleasures and Books of My Heart.     They are doing monthly challenges and giveaways if you review the books you read.   Check out the sign up by clicking here or on the logo above.  They have a Goodreads group to join and see what everyone is reading.

This one has a minimum of 12 books from the Library to be read in 2023.  The only requirement is you check it out from the library, no restrictions on format or genre.   Just support your local library.

I get most of my books from my TBR pile or the Library so this challenge along with the TBR ones are perfect for me.  I admit I do not buy books very often if I can find them at the library or in their ebook catalog.  I do have a Kindle Unlimited account which I use for additional titles.  





The levels available to set your target are:

Levels:
  • Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books
  • Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books
  • Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books
  • Library Addict: Read 48 books
  • Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books   <== My Goal for 2023   Completed 6/11/23





Library Books read in 2023:

89/60 Books






  1. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng   Blog Post and Goodreads Review 1/1/23
  2.  Anna and Elsa's Hygge Life by Heather Knowles Blog Post / Goodreads Review 1/3/23
  3.  Claws for Alarm (Nick and Nora Mysteries, #2) by T.C. LoTiempo
  4.  The Key Lime Crime (Key West Food Critic Mystery, #10) by Lucy Burdette Blog Post and Goodreads Review  1/9/23
  5.  Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
  6.  Read and Buried (Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery #2) by Erika Chase 
  7.  A Scone of Contention (Key West Food Critic Mystery, #11) by Lucy Burdette
  8.  Two Wicked Desserts (Kitchen Witch Mysteries, #2) by Lynn Cahoon
  9.  Distant Thunder (Stone Barrington, #63) by Stuart Woods 
  10.  Treble at the Jam Fest (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery, #4) by Leslie Budewitz
  11.   by James Patterson
  12. Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss
  13. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
  14.  A Christmas Candy Killing (Killer Chocolate, #1) by Christine Romeril
  15.  West Side Love Story (Queens of Mariachi #1) by Priscilla Oliveras
  16. Parable of the Sower Graphic Novel Adaptation by Octavia Butler and Damian Duffy
  17. The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher (Murder She Wrote #44) by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain 
  18. Through the Liquor Glass (Literary Pub #5)  by Sarah Fox
  19. Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho
  20.  Three Shots to the Wind (Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon #3) by Sherry Harris
  21. Murder 101 (Kitchen Witch #1.5) by Lynn Cahoon
  22.  A Murder for the Books (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries, #1) by Victoria Gilbert
  23.  Calypso, Corpses and Cooking ( A Caribbean Kitchen  #2) by Raquel Reyes
  24. Aged For Murder Tuscan Vineyard #1 by Fiona Grace
  25. Murder in an Irish Village  Irish Village #1 by Carlene O'Connor
  26. A Pizza to Die For  Pizza Lovers #3 by Chris Cavender
  27.  Just Shoot Me Dead (A Lucy Fong Mystery #1) by Anne R Tan
  28.  Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay
  29. Beagles Love Steak Secrets by C A Phipps
  30.  Guilty as Cinnamon by Leslie Budewitz
  31.  A Killing by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge
  32. The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit  
  33. Seniors Sleuth (Winston Wong #1) by JJ Chow
  34. Bread Over Troubled Water (Bread Shop # 8) by Winnie Archer
  35. Death Over Easy (Country Store #5 ) by Maddie Day
  36. The Cracked Spine (Scottish Bookshop #1) by Paige Shelton
  37. Ms Marvel Vol 4 Last Days by G. Willow Wilson
  38. A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Cana
  39. Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong 
  40. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry by J. Patrick Lewis
  41. Manor of Dying (Hamptons Home & Garden #4) by Kathleen Bridge
  42. The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson
  43. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
  44. Reading Up A Storm (Lighthouse Library #3) by Eva Gates
  45. Murder at the Lobstah Shack (Cozy Capers Book Group #3) by Maddie Day
  46. Put Out to Pasture (Farm to Table #2) by Amanda Flower
  47. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham, #1) by Benjamin Stevenson
  48.  by Laura Bradford
  49. The Crepes of Wrath (Pancake House Mystery, #1) by Sarah Fox
  50. Invitation to Murder (A Card Making Mystery, #1) by Elizabeth Bright
  51. Christmas Candy Corpse (Courtney Archer, #3) by Rosemarie Ross
  52. Better Off Read (Bookmobile Mystery, #1) by Nora Page
  53. Don't Look Behind You! A Safari Guide's Encounters with Ravenous Lions, Stampeding Elephants, and Lovesick Rhinos  by Peter Allison
  54. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
  55. Less by Andrew Sean Greer
  56. Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake (A Death by Chocolate Mystery #1) by Sarah Graves
  57. Death in Bloom (Flower House #1)by Jess Dylan
  58. Unicorns Have Bad Manners by Rachel Halpern
  59. A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday
  60. Masking for Trouble (Costume Shop #2) by Diane Vallere
  61. A Murder Like No Author (Main Street Book Club #3) by Amy Lillard
  62. Mai Tai One On (Tiki Goddess #1) by Jill Marie Landis
  63.  A Sprinkling of Murder (Fairy Garden Mystery #1) by Daryl Wood Gerber
  64. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver  
  65. The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
  66. A Souffle of Suspicion (French Bistro #2)  by Daryl Wood Gerber
  67. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
  68. Moon Spinners by Sally Goldenbaum
  69. Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns
  70. Near Miss (Stone Barrington #64) by Stuart Woods and Brett Battles
  71.  Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger 
  72. Villa in Sicily: Olive Oil and Murder  (Cats and Dogs #1) by Fiona Grace
  73. Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
  74. Murder, Simply Stitched by Isabella Alan
  75. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  76. The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay
  77. Gone for Gouda by Korina Moss
  78. Misfortune Cookie by Vivienne Chien
  79. Shelved Under Murder (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #2)  by Victoria Gilbert
  80. The Last Thing He Told Me by  Laura Dave
  81. How the Murder Crumbles (Cookie Shop #1) by  Debra Sennefelder
  82. Bookclubbed to Death (Mystery Bookshop #8) by V.M. Burns
  83. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reed
  84. While My Pretty One Knits (Black Sheep Knitting #1) by Anne Canadeo
  85. Double Trouble in Iowa (Izzy Lewis #2) by Wendy Byrne
  86.  Meddling and Murder (Singapore Mystery #4) Ovidia Yu
  87.  Fatal Fudge Swirl (Ice Cream Shop #3)  by Meri Allen
  88. Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen #29) by Joanne Fluke 
  89. Death of a Country Fried Redneck by Lee Hollis


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Thursday, December 1, 2022

Cruisin Cozies in 23

 




 I am definitely going to participate in this challenge again this year.  Hosted by Yvonne at Socrates Book Reviews.  I enjoyed trying to find cozies that fit into different categories this year.  It added an extra bit of interest to my already busy cozy reading schedule.   Cozies are definitely my go-to read when I am looking to escape into a book without having to focus too hard. 


The levels of the challenge are as follows:

Level one (Snoop) -
A) Read 10 cozy mysteries of your choice.
B) Read one book in each of the above cozy sub-genres (total of 10 books)

Level two (Investigator) -  
A) Read 20 cozy mysteries of your choice.
B) Read all the books in level one plus an additional 10 cozy books of your choice (total of 20)

Level three (Super Sleuth) - 
A) Read 30 cozy mysteries of your choice.
B) Read two books from each sub-genre in level one plus an additional 10 cozy books of your choice (total of 30 books)

Level four (Sleuth Extraordinaire) -  Going for this in B
A)Read 40 cozy mysteries of your choice.
B)Read two books from each sub-genre in level one plus an additional 20 cozy books of your choice (total of 40 books)

So pick up a cozy and get reading.

- One from culinary (anything dealing with food: restaurants, baked goods, etc.)
  1.  The Key Lime Crime (Key West Food Critic Mystery, #10) by Lucy Burdette
  2. Treble at the Jam Fest (A Food Lovers' Village Mystery, #4) by Leslie Budewitz

- One from animal related (cats, dogs, birds, etc.)
  1.  Claws for Alarm (Nick and Nora Mysteries, #2) by T.C. LoTiempo
  2. Beagles Love Steak Secrets by C A Phipps

- One from craft related (any kind of hobbies - knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.)
  1.   Invitation to Murder (A Card Making Mystery, #1) by Elizabeth Bright
  2.  A Sprinkling of Murder (Fairy Garden Mystery #1) by Daryl Wood Gerber
- One from paranormal (witches, vampires, etc.)
  1.   Two Wicked Desserts (Kitchen Witch Mysteries, #2) by Lynn Cahoon
  2. Murder 101 (Kitchen Witch #1.5) by Lynn Cahoon

- One from cozy mysteries based outside the US (example: Belinda Lawrence series (British))
  1.   The Bloodthirsty Bee: a Provence Cozy Mystery by Ana T Drew
  2. Aged For Murder Tuscan Vineyard #1 by Fiona Grace
- One career-based cozy mystery (housekeeping, wedding planner, etc.)
  1.  Read and Buried (Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery #2) by Erika Chase 
  2. Winter Takes All (Seattle Wilderness #1) by ML Erdahl

- One holiday based (set during any holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, etc.)
  1.   A Christmas Candy Killing (Killer Chocolate, #1) by Christine Romeril
  2. Calypso, Corpses and Cooking ( A Caribbean Kitchen  #2) by Raquel Reyes

- One travel mystery (character could be on a cruise, touring another area, etc.)
  1.    A Scone of Contention (Key West Food Critic Mystery, #11) by Lucy Burdette
  2.  A Palette for Murder (Murder, She Wrote, #7) by Jessica Fletcher

- One historical mystery (any mystery not set in the present)
  1. Larceny in Liverpool by Kal Smagh 
  2.  
- One is your choice! (freebie!)
  1.    Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis 
  2. Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss
  3. The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher (Murder She Wrote #44) by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain 
  4.  Through the Liquor Glass (Literary Pub #5)  by Sarah Fox
  5.  Three Shots to the Wind (Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon #3) by Sherry Harris
  6.  A Murder for the Books (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries, #1) by Victoria Gilbert
  7. Murder in an Irish Village  Irish Village #1 by Carlene O'Connor
  8. A Pizza to Die For  Pizza Lovers #3 by Chris Cavender

  9.   Just Shoot Me Dead (A Lucy Fong Mystery #1) by Anne R Tan
  10. Dead Before Dinner by Kat Bellemore
  11. Guilty as Cinnamon by Leslie Budewitz
  12. A Killing by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge
  13. Seniors Sleuth (Winston Wong #1) by JJ Chow
  14. Bread Over Troubled Water (Bread Shop # 8) by Winnie Archer
  15. Death Over Easy (Country Store #5 ) by Maddie Day
  16. The Cracked Spine (Scottish Bookshop #1) by Paige Shelton
  17. A Friend in Knead by Judith Jackson
  18. Strawberry Sin (Mission Inn Possible #2) by Rosie A Point
  19. Cocoa Conviction (Mission Inn Possible #3) by Rosie A Point
  20. Criminally Cocoa (Amish Candy Shop #3.5) by Amanda Flower
  21. Manor of Dying (Hamptons Home & Garden #4) by Kathleen Bridge
  22. Reading Up A Storm (Lighthouse Library #3) by Eva Gates
  23. Murder at the Lobstah Shack (Cozy Capers Book Group #3) by Maddie Day
  24. Put Out to Pasture (Farm to Table #2) by Amanda Flower
  25.  by Laura Bradford
  26. The Crepes of Wrath (Pancake House Mystery, #1) by Sarah Fox
  27. Christmas Candy Corpse (Courtney Archer, #3) by Rosemarie Ross
  28. Better Off Read (Bookmobile Mystery, #1) by Nora Page
  29. Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake (A Death by Chocolate Mystery #1) by Sarah Graves
  30. Death in Bloom (Flower House #1)by Jess Dylan
  31. Masking for Trouble (Costume Shop #2) by Diane Vallere
  32. A Murder Like No Author (Main Street Book Club #3) by Amy Lillard
  33. Mai Tai One On (Tiki Goddess #1) by Jill Marie Landis
  34. Death on Cozumel Island  by Cindy Quayle
  35. Murder Takes a Bow (Olivia Morgan Cruise Ship Mysteries #1) by Wendy Neugent
  36. A Souffle of Suspicion (French Bistro #2)  by Daryl Wood Gerber
  37. Moon Spinners by Sally Goldenbaum
  38. Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns
  39. Villa in Sicily: Olive Oil and Murder  (Cats and Dogs #1) by Fiona Grace
  40. Hook, Line and Sinker (Ozark Lakes #3) by Marc Jedel
  41. Murder, Simply Stitched (Amish Quilt Shop #2) by Isabella Alan
  42. The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay
  43. Gone for Gouda by Korina Moss
  44. Misfortune Cookie by Vivienne Chien
  45. Shelved Under Murder (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #2)  by Victoria Gilbert
  46. Murder Ink (Victoria Square #6) by Lorraine Bartlett  
  47. How the Murder Crumbles (Cookie Shop #1) by  Debra Sennefelder
  48. Bookclubbed to Death (Mystery Bookshop #8) by V.M. Burns
  49. While My Pretty One Knits (Black Sheep Knitting #1) by Anne Canadeo
  50. Double Trouble in Iowa (Izzy Lewis #2) by Wendy Byrne
  51.  Meddling and Murder (Singapore Mystery #4) Ovidia Yu
  52.  Fatal Fudge Swirl (Ice Cream Shop #3)  by Meri Allen
  53. Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen #29) by Joanne Fluke 
  54. Death of a Country Fried Redneck by Lee Hollis

  

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Critter Characters

 Hosted at Socrates Reviews this is all about the animals as the name implies.  This is a new to me challenge but I figured there are plenty of cozies out there that have animals as main characters/supporting characters.  



Any book read for this challenge has to have an animal that plays a major role in the book (which could be fiction or non-fiction.) It also counts if a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like). 

These are the levels.

Level 1 - Read 6 books

Level 2 - Read 7-12  

Level 3 - Read 13-20 

Level 4 - Read 21 or more<=   My Goal






Animal Books read in 2023:

41/21 Books

COMPLETED 5/18/23



  1. Claws for Alarm (Nick and Nora Mysteries, #2) by T.C. LoTiempo
  2. The Key Lime Crime (Key West Food Critic Mystery, #10) by Lucy Burdette
  3.  A Scone of Contention (Key West Food Critic Mystery, #11) by Lucy Burdette
  4.  Two Wicked Desserts (Kitchen Witch Mysteries, #2) by Lynn Cahoon
  5.  Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  6. Murder 101 (Kitchen Witch #1.5) by Lynn Cahoon
  7. Calypso, Corpses and Cooking ( A Caribbean Kitchen  #2) by Raquel Reyes
  8. Aged For Murder Tuscan Vineyard #1 by Fiona Grace
  9. Beagles Love Steak Secrets by C A Phipps
  10. Guilty as Cinnamon by Leslie Budewitz
  11. A Killing by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge
  12. A Friend in Knead by Judith Jackson
  13. Cocoa Conviction (Mission Inn Possible #3) by Rosie A Point
  14. Criminally Cocoa (Amish Candy Shop #3.5) by Amanda Flower
  15. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry by J. Patrick Lewis
  16. Reading Up A Storm (Lighthouse Library #3) by Eva Gates
  17. Murder at the Lobstah Shack (Cozy Capers Book Group #3) by Maddie Day
  18. Put Out to Pasture (Farm to Table #2) by Amanda Flower
  19.  by Laura Bradford
  20. Better Off Read (Bookmobile Mystery, #1) by Nora Page
  21. Don't Look Behind You! A Safari Guide's Encounters with Ravenous Lions, Stampeding Elephants, and Lovesick Rhinos  by Peter Allison
  22. Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake (A Death by Chocolate Mystery #1) by Sarah Graves
  23. Death in Bloom (Flower House #1)by Jess Dylan
  24. Unicorns Have Bad Manners by Rachel Halpern
  25. A Murder Like No Author (Main Street Book Club #3) by Amy Lillard
  26. Mai Tai One On (Tiki Goddess #1) by Jill Marie Landis
  27.  A Sprinkling of Murder (Fairy Garden Mystery #1) by Daryl Wood Gerber
  28. The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
  29. Death on Cozumel Island  by Cindy Quayle
  30. Murder Takes a Bow (Olivia Morgan Cruise Ship Mysteries #1) by Wendy Neugent
  31. Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns
  32. Villa in Sicily: Olive Oil and Murder  (Cats and Dogs #1) by Fiona Grace
  33. Murder, Simply Stitched (Amish Quilt Shop #2) by Isabella Alan
  34. The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay
  35. Gone for Gouda by Korina Moss
  36. Murder Ink (Victoria Square #6) by Lorraine Bartlett  
  37. Bookclubbed to Death (Mystery Bookshop #8) by V.M. Burns
  38. While My Pretty One Knits (Black Sheep Knitting #1) by Anne Canadeo
  39.  Fatal Fudge Swirl (Ice Cream Shop #3)  by Meri Allen
  40. Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen #29) by Joanne Fluke 
  41. Death of a Country Fried Redneck by Lee Hollis
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Mystery Fun

  

Mysteries and Thrillers



There are several challenges that track how many mysteries, thrillers and cozies you read in a given year.  


Cloak and Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal

The first mystery based genre challenge I will do again this year is the Cloak and Dagger challenge

 It is hosted by  Carol on her CarolsNotebook blog.  This tallying includes cozy mysteries but also traditional mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels.  Basically, anything with a mystery can be tracked at this challenge

Levels:

  •  5-15 books – Amateur sleuth
  • 16-25 books – Detective- 
  • 26-35 books – Inspector
  • 36 – 55 – Special agent 
  • 56+ books – Sherlock Holmes  My Choice

Challenge Completed 5/16/23
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Susannah Shines Through

 This prequel is a charming introduction to the life of Dr. Susannah Shine that is presented in the Chiro cozy series.  This story introduces Dr. Shine and Bitsy to the readers.  Their initial contact that leads to a friendship is described in detail and is the source of the mystery central to this story.  This story cursorily introduces many of the characters that become a part of the Dr. Shine universe as the series progresses.  We also gain insight into the start of both women's businesses.  If you have not read any of the series, this is a good place to start.  



Susannah Shines Through: A Chiro Cozy Mystery PrequelSusannah Shines Through: A Chiro Cozy Mystery Prequel by Cathy Tully
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great prequel that shows how Bitsy and Susannah became friends. The whole extended family warmth definitely shines through in this installment

It is always enjoyable to read a cozy where there is a crime other than murder.

View all my reviews



Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

  1. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 59 Book #1
  2. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #122
  3. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #91
  4. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #87
  5. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #115
  6. Craving for Cozies  Book #105
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Gnome for Christmas

A quick short read I picked up to make sure I read a book by Celia Kinsey this year for my Six Shooter challenge.  It is a good non murder mystery for those looking for books for younger readers.   



Gnome for Christmas: A Festive Short MysteryGnome for Christmas: A Festive Short Mystery by Celia Kinsey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

cute holiday mystery

This novella was a cute mystery but I found myself wanting for a bit more detail. The missing gnome was located but it wasn’t clear exactly what had happened in the end the story kind of left that out. But it is a fun read nonetheless

View all my reviews



Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

  1. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #123
  2. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #92
  3. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #88
  4. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #116
  5. Craving for Cozies  Book #106
  6. Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO  Fire on cover with lantern
  7. Monthly Keyword #MonthlyKeyWordGXO  Christmas for Holiday
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