Books read this month: 10

Books read so far this year: 21

Another productive month of reading (mostly because I went on vacation and sat on the beach and read- sorry, not sorry). Read too many cozy mysteries again this month- I’m a bit of an addict. I went to a great book store at the beach, because I’m a nerd who likes to visit book stores and libraries on vacation, so I picked up some new reads there, including the first Agatha Raisin book, a series I am now hooked on.

My favorites:

• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell– I have to be honest and say I’ve never read any Rainbow Rowell prior to this, which is probably some kind of sin as a children’s librarian. So I can’t compare this to her other books, but I really liked it. It’s written in a series of emails between friends interspersed with stories about the internet security guy who is reading all their emails and slowly falling for one of the friends. It had the potential to be creepy, which they kind of deal with at one point, but it somehow manages to end well!

• The Hotel on Mulberry Bay by Melissa Hill– This was a lovely and emotional story about a family trying to hold on to their beloved hotel after the death of their mother, who was the life behind the hotel. The daughters learn more about each other and their father and grow closer as they try to save the hotel and their family. This book had the added bonus of having a subplot involving Beatles music, so that endeared it to me even further.\

• The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin #1) by M. C. Beaton– Agatha retires from her life as a highly successful PR executive and moves to the Cotswolds, where she promptly enters a store bought quiche into a village competition as a way to get in well with the villagers. The judge of the quiche contest drops dead and Agatha has to confess that she did not bake it herself. This is a pretty funny premise for a book and the character of Agatha Raisin is a great one. She is constantly making a slight fool of herself, but she manages to fumble her way into the hearts of her new neighbors and even solve the murder. Side note: This show has been turned into a TV show, which I have started watching. They get a lot wrong, but it’s still a good watch if you like the books.

February reads:

• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
• Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pearce
• Forgiving Tess by Kimberly M. Miller
• Lethal Licorice (Amish Candy Shop Mystery #2) by Amanda Flower
• Grounded (Windy City Neighbors #1) by Neta Jackson
• The Hotel on Mulberry Bay by Melissa Hill
• Death of a Russian Doll (Vintage Toyshop Mystery #3) by Barbara Early
• The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin #1) by M.C. Beaton
• The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
• A Murder for the Books (Blue Ridge Library Mystery #1) by Victoria Gilbert

Books read this month: 11

Last year my goal was 100 books and I did it! So it would be pretty boring to just I got pretty many books read this month because it was gross and cold and rainy and I would much rather stay inside and read than do anything else. Which honestly is true of most months. I’ve also been trying to read more happy/positive books this recently rather than endless murder mysteries. It’s good for my mental health. I highly recommend it.

My favorites

• Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson- This was a charming book about a woman running from past heartbreak by buying a flower shop in New York City. With her two trusty employees she helps to brighten the lives of the customers with flowers. When a New York socialite starts recommending her shop, trouble ensures. Soon she is caught up in a confusing friendship with the socialite’s soon-to-be son-in-law, and must also come face to face with the heartbreak she’s been trying to leave in the past.
• Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life by Jen Hatmaker- I picked this book up on a whim last year when I was looking for audiobooks to take on a road trip and I FELL IN LOVE. Jen is hilarious and her insights on life are wonderful. It ended up taking me a long time to finish it because I don’t often have long drives, but I finally got to the end and I cried. I cried and laughed through a lot of it actually. While a lot of her stories revolve around motherhood, women in any stage of life can find things to relate to in her amusing anecdotes.
• American Panda by Gloria Chao- I loved this story of a Taiwanese-American girl learning to be her own person and break the molds that her parents in to which her parents have forced her. Mei has always tried to be the perfect daughter, but when she heads to college she realizes that there is more to life than pleasing her parents and that while she loves them, she doesn’t always agree with them. I loved everything about this story, even though I couldn’t always relate to it culturally. It’s a great read for anyone who is a YA fan, but especially teens who may be struggling with where they fit in.
• The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson- First of all, this is the sequel to Truly, Devious and I have been waiting a whole year for it. I read it in approximately two days and was DEVASTATED when, like its predecessor, the book once ends in a cliffhanger. The next book doesn’t come out until January of 2020, so here we go again. Other than that, the story was captivating, if creepy at times, and it drew me even farther into the Truly, Devious mystery laid out in the first book.

January reads:

• The Cosy Christmas Chocolate Shop by Caroline Roberts
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson
• Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life by Jen Hatmaker
• That Night by Amy Giles
• The Hammett Hex (Book Collector Mystery #5) by Victoria Abbott
• A Killing in Antiques (Lucy St. Elmo Antiques #1) by Mary Moody
• My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper
• American Panda by Gloria Chao
• Love à la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm
• The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

December

Books read this month: 15

Books read this year: 119

December turned out to be my most productive month yet. I read 15 books, which brought my yearly total to 119. Wow! Even I’m surprised I read that many. Also, this was finally the month I read mostly NOT cozy mysteries (only 3 out of 15!) so I’m pretty proud of myself. I also finally finished Hidden Figures, which I hate to admit I did not love. It was interesting, but I have a hard time with nonfiction and it wasn’t as intriguing as the story was in the movie. It got very into details of projects at Langley, which was interesting, but could be dry at times. I started it in September and finally made myself finish it this month. I failed miserably at my quest to read more nonfiction, but hey, I can’t help that I have a deep, deep love of fiction.

Thanks for following me on this journey to (and past) 100 books! I’ve really love blogging about it, so I might keep that up. We shall see! My goal for 2019 is 125, so maybe I’ll just keep doing monthly logs so people can keep up if they want to. Or maybe I’ll start my own book blog! The world is my oyster.

My favorites:

• How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck- I love a light romance and this one was perfect. A story of a prince who secretly married the love of his life but, due to tragic circumstances, breaks things off with her. Years later his marriage is discovered and to set things right he must find her and ask for an annulment. But of course, it’s not that easy and they find themselves drawn together once more.

• A Gift to Remember by Melissa Hill- Christmas puts me in the mood to read cozy lovely books where nothing bad happens (besides the occasional cozy murder mystery) and this was a great choice for that. Darcy is involved in an accident which leaves a handsome stranger with amnesia. Feeling guilty, Darcy takes care of his dog and tries to find out who the stranger could be. As she tries to unravel his identity, she is left with more questions than answers. And she finds herself starting to fall for him…or at least for the version of him she’s starting to discover.

• One Day in December by Josie Silver- I have to be honest, as much as I enjoyed it, this book was aggravating at times. It follows Laurie and Jack through 10 years of near misses in love and sometimes it’s heartbreaking. But I really enjoyed the premise of the book and the characters and of course there’s a happy ending. Plus, this was Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick for December, so how could I resist?

December reads:

• What On Earth Am I Here For? (The Purpose Driven Life) 
• How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck
• Farm Fresh Murder (Farmers Market #1)  
• A Gift to Remember by Melissa Hill
• Come to the Table by Neta Jackson
• Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
• The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
• Murder on the Toy Town Express (Vintage Toyshop Mystery #2) by Barbara Early
• Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
• One Day in December by Josie Silver
• Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
• A Date with Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt
• Christmas Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen #23) by Joanne Fluke
• The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willing, Karen White

November

Books read this month: 4

Books read so far this year: 104

November got away from me and not only did I not read as much as I’d hoped, I also forgot to post my October books! So I’ll post both now. Mostly cozy mysteries again this month, because they’re fast and fluffy and only occasionally cause me to be afraid of things that go bump in the night. I’m not doing so well at keeping up with my nonfiction reading, but I’m going to keep trying! Any guesses for what my final count will be for the year??

My favorites:

• Stand by Me by Neta Jackson- This is the first in a short series about a college age woman who is exploring her faith and trying to help people in a Chicago community. It sounds like kind of a boring premise but the book itself was inspiring.
• Death of a Toy Soldier by Barbara Early- As always, I’m a sucker for a cozy mystery and this was no exception. This series takes place in a vintage toy shop, which is a fun setting. To be honest this book made me want to open a toy shop, though hopefully it would be a murder free one.

November reads:

• Stand by Me by Neta Jackson
• The Wolfe Widow (Book Collector Mystery #3) by Victoria Abbott
• Death of a Toy Soldier (Vintage Toyshop Mystery #1) by Barbara Early
• The Marsh Madness (Book Collector Mystery #4) by Victoria Abbott

October

Books read this month: 6

Books read so far this year: ONE HUNDRED!

I did it, guys! Technically I finished the 100th book at 12:05 am on November 1st, but since I hadn’t yet gone to bed, I decided to count it towards October. Fittingly, and probably not surprisingly, the book that brought me to my goal was…a cozy mystery! That’s right, hide your shock. Anyways, it’s been very fun to work towards this goal, and now I guess I’ll just stop reading for the rest of the year. NOT. I’m obviously going to keep reading, so I’ll finish out the year with these posts, since I know everyone is heavily invested in my reading now. I’m going to try to read 5 non-fiction books before the end of the year, which I’ve already realized is ambitious but here we go!

My favorites:

• First Comes Loves by Emily Giffin- I related to this book because of a loss in my own life, but I also just liked it for the realness of the story. The two sisters are a hot mess and they hardly ever see eye to eye. They’ve kept a lot of secrets, which have hurt them both. But when their biggest secrets and fears are revealed they must learn to love despite them. I found both of their stories to be inspiring, especially since neither of them ended up with a neat little storybook happy ending. It shows that life and love are messy.
• The Case for Jamie (Charlotte Holmes #3) by Brittany Cavallaro-
• Wedding Cake Crumble (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #10) by Jenn McKinlay

October reads:

• Hitting the Books (Library Lover’s Mystery #9) by Jenn McKinlay
• First Comes Love by Emily Giffin
• What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli
• The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (Meg Langslow #8) by Donna Andrews
• The Case for Jamie (Charlotte Holmes #3)
• Wedding Cake Crumble (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #10) by Jenn McKinlay

Books read this month: 4
Books read so far this year: 94

I set myself a goal for September, a goal which I almost decide to conveniently forget to mention, since I failed to complete it. The goal was to read one nonfiction book for every fiction book. It resulted in a pretty slow reading month, since I was trying to finish nonfiction and not starting new fiction. Turns out I don’t love reading nonfiction. So I ended up only finishing one. But hey, I tried. And I will continue to try and read more nonfiction, since I think it’s important to keep learning, but a one-to-one ratio was probably ambitious.

My favorites:

• Death in the Stacks (Library Lover’s Mystery #8) by Jenn McKinlay- I always love these books because they’re about a librarian who solves crime. I don’t solve crime, but I am a librarian. Jenn McKinlay is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors and she delivered another good one here.
• Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas- Disney has always been a big part of my life and learning more about the man behind the mouse was fascinating. This book was written only a decade after Walt’s death, which made it more interesting to me than if it had been written more recently. By the end I was in tears at the thought of all he accomplished and the profound effect he had on the world of entertainment and the millions of people his work touched.

September reads:

• Vanilla Beaned (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, #8) by Jenn McKinlay
• Caramel Crush (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #9) by Jenn McKinlay
• Death in the Stacks (Library Lover’s Mystery #8) by Jenn McKinlay
• Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas

**

Books read this month: 14

Books read so far this year: 90

This was the month I ACTUALLY read less cozy mysteries- only three! My goal for September is to read one nonfiction book for every fiction book. We’ll see how that goes. I’m a much bigger fan of fiction, but I’m trying to expand my horizons. Also- I might hit 100 books in September! Depends on how much life is otherwise. Stay tuned. Regardless of when I finish, I’ll keep blogging here for the rest of the year. And hopefully set a new goal for next year!

My favorites:

• The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg- I’m a lifelong Holmes fan, and I liked this new take on the Holmes and Watson lines. The author stayed truth the character of Watson, and did a good job developing new characters as well. I look forward to reading the next book in the series as soon as I can get my hands on it.

• The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin- I chose this book on a whim, as I needed an e-book to read on my phone (in an attempt to waste less time on Instagram). I quickly became absorbed in the story, and found myself in happy/sad tears by the end of book. This is a must read for anyone who believes in the power of the book and the importance of those who connect books to their readers.

• The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis- All of Davis’ books connect a story from the past to one from the present. In this case, a woman living in 1970s New York who pieces together a decades old mystery from the 1920. I love the interconnecting of stories that take place half a century apart, and I especially liked the history surrounding the decay and revitalization campaign of Grand Central Station.

• The Boy series by Meg Cabot- You know me, I’m a sucker for a light read. And these Cabot books composed of emails, texts, and notes are fun romantic-comedy-type books, and I wish there were more of them.

August reads:

• Sugar and Iced (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #6) by Jenn McKinlay
• From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
• Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society #3) by Ally Carter
• Dark Chocolate Demise (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #7) by Jenn McKinlay
• No Nest for the Wicket (Meg Langslow #7) by Donna Andrews
• The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes (The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mystery #1) by Leonard Goldberg
• Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
• The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
• Dumplin’ (Dumplin’ #1) by Julie Murphy
• The Boy is Back (Boy #4) by Meg Cabot
• Boy Meets Girl (Boy #2) by Meg Cabot
• The Wishing Season (Chapel Springs #3) by Denise Hunter
• Every Boy’s Got One (Boy #3) by Meg Cabot
• The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

Books read so far this year: 76

My favorites:

Armada by Ernest Cline- As previously raved about, I love Ready Player One, the first book by Ernest Cline. I was prepared to be disappointed with Armada, since it wasn’t chock full of 80s reference (because I’m a cynic like that). But much to my surprise, I got sucked into to the story and while I didn’t love it as much as Ready Player One, it was still a great read, especially for sci-fi nerds and video game fans.

The Fashion Committee by Susan Juby- I liked this one because it was pretty unique. While it had some YA angst in it, it also dealt with some very real issues, like having a drug addicted parent, but in a zany way that I found intriguing. The alternating views of Charlie Dean and John gave added dimension to the story. Charlie Dean makes the best of a number of bad situations, while still maintaining her spunk, and John learns a lot about himself while faking his way through a fashion design competition.

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli- I have mixed feelings about this book. I sometimes find YA books pretty cringeworthy because it’s just a bunch of teens being angsty and having drama. This is a lot of that. But it was still a good story and it kept me interested- as long as I took occasional breaks so I wouldn’t get my eyes stuck from too much eye rolling.

July reads:

• Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #4) by Jenn McKinlay

• Going, Going, Ganache (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #5) by Jenn McKinlay

• State of the Onion (A White House Chef Mystery #1) by Julie Hyzy

• Hail to the Chef (A White House Chef Mystery #2) by Julie Hyzy

• The Fashion Committee by Susan Juby

• Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

• Armada by Ernest Cline

• Eggsecutive Orders (A White House Chef Mystery #3) by Julie Hyzy

Books read so far this year: 68

Apparently this month’s theme was love and murder, two of my favorite reading topics (help- I can’t stop reading cozy mysteries!) Probably should spend this next month reflecting on how my voracious reading has given me unrealistic expectations for love (and a habit of jumping whenever I hear a noise at night). But instead I’ll probably just keep reading cozy mysteries.

My favorites:

• Puddin’ by Julie Murphy- This book is the sequel to Dumplin’, which for some reason I have not read, but that didn’t hinder me from loving this one. Millie Michalchuk has spent every summer at fat camp for as long as she can remember. But she wants this year to be different. She wants to go to journalism camp to pursue her dream career. An incident at her uncle’s gym, where she works part-time, throws her together with Callie, one of the popular mean girls at her school, a situation which neither girl is happy about. But Callie and Millie soon learn there is more to each other than meets the eye. And their unlikely friendship will help both of them improve their lives.
• Love on a Dime (Ladies of Summerhill #1) by Cara Lynn James- I love a good romance (especially one where I can rage at the main character for being dense and missing the obvious love interest), and this definitely fit the bill. Lilly is a member of the elite upper class, vacationing in Newport, Rhode Island. She has a wealth suitor and a promising future. But what her family and friends don’t know is that she is the writer of a series of very popular dime novels, an occupation not proper for a society lady. The threat of discovery and the reappearance of Lilly’s former love begin to shake Lilly’s picture perfect life.

June reads:

• Puddin’  by Julie Murphy
• Love on a Dime (Ladies of Summerhill #1) by Cara Lynn James

• Buttercream Bump Off (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #2) by Jenn McKinlay

• Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #3) by Jenn McKinlay

• Love and Other Trainwrecks by Leah Komen

• Love on Assignment (Ladies of Summerhill #2) by Cara Lynn James

• Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Cerella Sechrist

• Gypped by Carol Higgins Clark
• Greetings from Witness Protection! By Jake Burt

My favorites:

• A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck- Full disclosure, this is probably the third or fourth time I’ve read this book. It’s a Christian fiction romance about a woman from New Orleans who has left her past as a 40s style lounge singer behind her, and is trying to forget the man she loved, Luc,who broke her heart years before. When he shows up out of the blue to invite her back to New Orleans with him to sing at his brothers wedding she accepts, but only so she can retrieve her grandmother’s engagement ring and go on to marry her semi-boring boyfriend. Not surprisingly her reunion with Luc turns her carefully constructed plan upside down.

• Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill- This is quite possibly the funniest book I have ever read. At various points I laughed until I cried, and I kept insisting my mom listen to various hilarious and horrifying facts found in the book. Oneill is a humorous historical writer, and she guides the reader through the nitty gritty disgusting details of being a woman in the Victorian era. Be warned that this book is not for the faint of heart- those ladies did not lead glamorous lives- but it will make you very grateful you were born in modern day.

• Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter- I devoured this book in a day. Maddie and Logan used to be best friends. Until Russian terrorists tried to kidnap the First Lady of the United States (who is also Logan’s mom) and their plot puts Maddie’s dad, part of the White House security detail, in the hospital. After his release, Maddie’s dad moves them to Alaska, and despite writing many letters, Maddie never hears from Logan again. Until he pulls a stunt that causes his parents to send him somewhere he won’t be able to get into trouble…Alaska. But the reappearance of her best friend is the least of Maddie’s problems…

May reads:

• A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck

• Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

• Lost Books and Old Bones (Scottish Bookshop Mystery #3) by Paige Shelton

• The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax #2) by Dorothy Gilman

• Sprinkle with Murder (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #1) by Jenn McKinlay

• Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill

• Royals by Rachel Hawkins

• Corrupted (Rosato & DiNunzio #3) by Lisa Scottoline

• The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody #2) by Elizabeth Peters

• Cursed (Regan Reilly Mysteries #12) by Carol Higgins Clark

• The Mummy Case (Amelia Peabody #3) by Elizabeth Peters

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

As you can see, April was a slow reading month. I’m working on getting a small business off the ground in addition to my regular job at the library, so I didn’t have as much free time this month! But don’t worry, we’re only 10 days in May and I’m already on book #5 so I’m still very much on track to hit 100 by the year’s end (and probably even before).

My favorites:

• We’ll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews- I discovered this series of punnily titled mysteries while on vacation in Florida in February, and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. The birds from the title always have some role in the story, which makes for an amusing mystery.

• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness– The first in a trilogy about a vampire and a witch falling in love and fighting bad guys, this book sometimes made me feel like I was reading Twilight for grown ups. But I also really enjoyed the story and the characters and am about to start the second in the trilogy.

April reads:

• The Sayers Swindle (Book Collector Mystery #2) by Victoria Abbott
• We’ll Always Have Parrots (Meg Langslow #5) by Donna Andrews
• Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind (Miss Julie #1) by Ann B. Ross
• Paris By the Book by Liam Callanan
• Death Overdue (The Haunted Library Mysteries #1) by Allison Brook
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Royce Rolls by Margaret Stohl

The Royce family live for the spotlight. As the stars of the reality TV show Rolling with the Royces, siblings Porsche, Bentley, and Maybach, lead drama-filled lives. Their mother, Mercedes, thinks nothing is too far to go to keep their family on the air. So when the show is in danger of cancellation, the siblings know they must do whatever it takes to make sure they get picked up for their sixth season. Between Porsche’s fake wedding, Bentley’s bad girl act, and Bach’s very real gambling addiction, the family starts to spin out of control.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. The Royces have a Kardashian-esque air about them, with a dash of trailer park for good measure. Their over the top lives and dysfunctional family situation make for a trashy but enticing story, with a plot that’s too crazy to believe.

When My Heart Joins the Thousand by A. J. Steiger

Alvie has always been different. She understands animals much better than she understands people and she sees no need for friends. All she wants is to be left alone and to be independent. But all of that changes when she meets Stanley. For the first time, Alvie is drawn to someone, for reasons she can’t quite explain. As Stanley and Alvie grow closer, she realizes that while her differences make it hard for her to understand people, they don’t mean that she has to be alone.

It took me a bit to get into this book. I liked it from the start, but I didn’t love it until 2/3 of the way through. But by the end of the book I had tears in my eyes and was feeling a lot of things. I highly recommend this, for older teens, as well as adults. It’s a great story about finding love when you don’t think you deserve it.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

In Orleans, beauty is everything. Not natural beauty, as humans are born with grey skin and red eyes. They must rely on the power of The Belles, a mysterious family of women who are the daughters of the Goddess of Beauty and possess the power to change the physical appearance and manners of the people of Orleans. The newest generation of Belles is just beginning their service, and Camellia knows that she must become the Favorite, the Belle chosen by the queen to perform all of the royal family’s beauty work. But as Camellia begins to see more of what goes on at the castle, she begins to question all she has been taught about The Belles.

This was another one I wasn’t sure I was going to like. But it’s unique premise and vague resemblance to the citizens of The Capital in The Hunger Games I was drawn into the story and soon found myself unable to put it down. A good choice for fans of stories where society and humanity are warped and cracking.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Alice and Ella have been running from bad luck Alice’s whole life, never staying anywhere for more than a few months. All that Alice knows of her mother’s past is that she never wants to go back home to the Hazel Wood, the home where Alice’s grandmother, Althea, lives. Alice is fascinated by her grandmother, the author of a strange book of fairy tales called Tales from the Hinterland. But when Ella and Alice receive word that Althea has died it sets of a change of events that call into question everything Alice has every known. So she sets off to find the Hazel Wood and to find out who she is…and where she came from.

This book was CREEPY.  And a little confusing. The fairytales are interesting, but I felt like they left some unanswered questions. Generally I liked the book and the story but it didn’t entirely capture me as much as I think it wanted to. As far as twisted fairy tales go, it had some good ones, and what I especially liked is that they weren’t based on the classics that are told and retold. They were different and darker.

• Books read this month: 14
• Books read so far this year: 41

More mysteries this month, but also a smattering of YA books (fun fact: I also review new YA books for the BAPL blog- check out Jenne’s Top Tenne here). I’m beginning to realize that that pretty much sums up my general reading habits. I was convinced I had branched out a little this month, but looking back, I really didn’t. Whoops.

Additionally, I saw two new movies this month which were based on books, Wrinkle in Time and Ready Player One. Both are books that I LOVE, and both movies were disappointing. Wrinkle in Time made me actually angry, and I would not recommend it, whereas Ready Player One was just very different from the book, but still a good movie. So there’s some bonus movie comments to go along with my book commentary.

My favorites: I’m actually only picking one favorite this month because I loved it so much that it overshadowed everything else.

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline- Wade Watts lives in a world where pretty much everyone goes about their lives within the virtual world of the OASIS. The game, created by eccentric video game designer James Halliday, contains a hidden easter egg. Players must solve riddles to find three keys. Each key unlocks a challenge which helps the player advance in their quest for the egg. Whoever finds the egg first becomes to sole heir to Halliday’s fortune and gains control of the OASIS. When, after years of fruitless searching, Wade becomes the first one to find a key, he is plunged into a fight for not only Halliday’s egg, but the survival of the world as he knows it. (Sidenote: Okay, this book was given to me by a friend who was basically like “you might not like the video game part of this, but it has a lot of 80s references, which I know you like.” I ended up LOVING IT. Everyone should read it. Go read it.)

March reads:

• Off Kilter (Scottish Highlands #1) by Hannah Reed

• Royce Rolls by Margaret Stohl

• Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10) by Agatha Christie

• Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed (Aunt Dimity Mystery #3) by Nancy Atherton

• The Copenhagen Connection by Elizabeth Peters

• Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu

• Murder on Monday by Ann Purser

• Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon (Meg Langslow #4) by Donna Andrews

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

• Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22) by Joanne Fluke

• The Undateable (Librarian in Love #1) by Sarah Title

• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

• The Christie Curse (Book Collector Mystery #1) by Victoria Abbott

• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

A HUMBLE QUEST TO READ 100 BOOKS IN 2018

by Jenne

• Books read this month: 13
• Books read so far this year: 27

It was another mystery heavy month, but I’m not going to apologize for that. I’ve been trying to read mysteries without murders in them, so that Aunt Dimity books, the Amelia Peabody books and the Mrs. Pollifax books all fit that bill. Additionally I read some great YA books this month, which is a hazard/perk of being a children’s librarian!

My favorites:

• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson- Johnson is one of my favorite YA authors and her new mystery series does not disappoint. It’s set at an eccentric school for young geniuses of various types. Stevie, the main character, is obsessed with true crime, specifically the disappearance and murder of the wife and daughter of the school’s founder decades earlier, which she is bent on solving. When a real life crime hits the school, Stevie takes it upon herself to solve that crime as well, and is quickly entangled in a web of deceit and villainy.

• Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton– As previously stated, I am trying to find mysteries sans murders and this was a great one. It was cozy and quirky and I loved it so much that I added the next 25 books in the series to my Goodreads “to-read” shelf. Lori Shepherd is going through a rough patch. But her life is turned upside down when she receives a letter telling her that her Aunt Dimity has passed away. Lori is shocked by the news, since as far as she knew Aunt Dimity was only a character in her mother’s bedtime stories…

• When My Heart Joins the Thousands by A.J. Stieger- I liked this book from the start but I wasn’t sure if I really liked it or I just felt like I should like it. It wasn’t until ⅔ of the way through that I fell in love with it. Alvie has always been different. She understands animals much better than she understands people and she sees no need for friends. All she wants is to be left alone and to be independent. But all of that changes when she meets Stanley. For the first time, Alvie is drawn to someone, for reasons she can’t quite explain. As Stanley and Alvie grow closer, she realizes that while her differences make it hard for her to understand people, they don’t mean that she has to be alone.

• Meg Langslow series by Donna Andrews– These lighthearted murder mysteries center around Meg Langlow, a blacksmith with a wacky family and a penchant for stumbling across murders.

Full list of February Reads:

• The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry
• Truly Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson
• Killing Thyme (A Spice Shop Mystery #3) by Leslie Budewitz
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• Awkward (Awkward #1) by Svetlana Chmakova
• Aunt Dimity’s Death (Aunt Dimity Mystery #1) by Nancy Atherton
• Murder with Peacocks (Meg Langslow #1) by Donna Andrews
• Murder with Puffins (Meg Langslow #2) by Donna Andrews
• Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1) by Elizabeth Peters
• The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax #1) by Dorothy Gilman
• Aunt Dimity and the Duke (Aunt Dimity Mystery #2) by Nancy Atherton
• Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos (Meg Langslow #3) by Donna Andrews
• When My Heart Joins the Thousands by A.J. Stieger

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

                Olga was always the perfect Mexican daughter. She stayed home with her parents, went to work, and came back home to help her mother with the cooking and cleaning. But now Olga is dead and her sister Julia is left behind feeling like a constant disappointment to her traditional Mexican parents. As she tries to process the death of her sister, she discovers that there may have been more to Olga than she thought. With her sister gone, the tension between Julia and her parents builds, and Julia becomes more and more depressed and unhappy. After a desperate act lands her in the hospital, her parents decide she needs to spend some time with her grandmother and relatives in Mexico. While there Julia learns more about her parents and gains a better understanding of them. Through that, and what she has learned about her sister and herself, Julia begins to rebuild her relationship with her parents and live the life she has always dreamed of.

                Though at times hard to read, this was a very good book. Through heartbreaking and upsetting circumstances Julia perseveres and with the help of her family and friends is able to rise above them. A great read, especially for the children of immigrants, but also anyone who has big dreams to do more than the generation before them.

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

                This illustrated memoir tells the story of Thi Bui and her parents. Inspired by the birth of her son, Bui looks back at the lives of her parents, starting with the births of their children. The story jumps back and forth through time, between the present, Bui’s own childhood, and the childhoods of her parents. Through these intertwined stories, Bui pieces together the story of her family and what made who she is today.

                A unique and interesting format, as the story jumps around in time to bring together different pieces of the same family story. This book was interesting and eye-opening, especially in regards to the suffering of many families throughout the history of the Vietnamese people, particularly those who immigrated to the US. I didn’t love this book, as I found the non-linear storytelling a bit hard to follow, but it has gotten great reviews from other sources, and would be a good read for anyone interested in this type of history.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C. Yee

                Genie Lo is a pretty typical high school student. She’s a volleyball playing overachieving Harvard hopeful who is just trying to make it to graduation. That is until she meets Quentin, a strange transfer student. Quentin informs Genie that he is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, straight out of Chinese folklore and that she is the reincarnation of a powerful weapon. While Genie finds this a little hard to believe she is quickly convinced, as her city comes under attack by demons and other evil forces. Suddenly getting into Harvard isn’t Genie’s biggest concern. With the help of Quentin, Genie must harness the immense power within her to save not only herself, but her city and all that she loves.

                There’s lots of mythology in this, like any fantasy book, which can make it a little hard to get into the rhythm of the story. But it’s a solid fantasy story, and is a good read for any teen interested in Chinese folklore or demon centered doomsday tales.

Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather

                In this sequel to How to Hang a Witch, Samantha is hoping that life will return to normal, or as close to normal as is possible in the magical town of Salem. But when Samantha starts seeing the spirits of Titanic passengers, she realizes that life in Salem is never normal. As the spirits continue to visit her, and leave things behind for her to find, Samantha and her friends get increasingly concerned what the spirits are trying to tell her. And when she gets drawn into their world, her friends must work together to save her before she goes down with the ship.

                I didn’t want to like this book, but I got hooked. Definitely a good read for anyone who liked How to Hang a Witch, or for anyone who likes supernatural YA and creepy ghost stories.

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga

                Taliah has never known her father. After finding a secret of band memorabilia under her mom’s bed, she became convinced that she is daughter of rock star legend Julian Oliver. Yet not even that prepared her for the shock of finding Julien on her doorstep, inviting her on a spur of the moment road trip to his hometown to meet her dying grandfather. Without a word to her mother, Lena, who is on a business trip to Paris, she takes off to Oak Falls, Indiana to discover a family she never knew she had and finally learn the story of what happened between her parents.

                The timeline of this book switches back and forth between Julian and Taliah’s present day trip to Indiana and Julian and Lena’s love story sixteen years prior. Both stories are well-told time jumping keeps the reader guessing, along with Taliah, as to what caused her parents to split and her mother to keep her father a secret for so many years. While this is a pretty standard YA book, it’s a good read.