Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. This is a weekly meme to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. The books I choose aren’t released yet and usually won’t be published for at least two or three months. So I have a while to wait!
I love finding out about books set to publish in future months and I like to share my excitement about the books. I also like to find out about new books on other people’s blogs and hope they’ll sometimes find something to look forward to on my blog.
Synopsis: A distress call draws rescuers Sloan McPherson and the Underwater Investigation Unit to a cruise ship off the coast of Fort Lauderdale that’s sinking from a mysterious explosion. When it appears to be the work of an ecoterrorist and other ships are threatened, it becomes a race against time. More clues are discovered, and evidence is in danger of being washed away by a coming tropical storm. Sloan grows concerned that key details are being ignored, and a strange lack of urgency by authorities sets off alarms.
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I’ve read the first book in this series–The Girl Beneath the Sea–and enjoyed it. I have the second book and hope to read it before this book is published!
I keep a list of all the books I might want to read and I add to it as the year goes on. The following books are from that list. I’ve started only adding the books to my monthly post I really plan to try reading. (Every year there are books that sound good, but either don’t fit with my mood or have things about them I don’t like. I might start a book, but I don’t always finish it.) If I paid over $5 for that book I would feel I had wasted my money. My husband and I are on a fixed income so we try not to waste money.
I’m only listing two books this month since these are books I know I want to try. I found digital copies of the books at the library and I’ve put both books on hold. The links to the following books will take you to the book on Goodreads.
Synopsis: Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.
It starts with a body—a young woman found dead in an Iowa cornfield, on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Agriculture.
When Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, arrives on the scene, an already horrific crime becomes personal when she discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a dark past she thought she’d left behind.
The investigation grows complicated as more victims are found. Drawn deeper in, Riley soon discovers implications far beyond her Midwest town.
Connecting with others to talk about books plus a little about our personal lives
Kimberly hosts the Sunday Post each week. I like to take part because it gives me an opportunity to look back at last week and forward to next week in both my personal life and my blog and book life! I also love to see what other people are doing and what books everyone is reading.
Personal life
It’s been cold and often windy this week and we’ve had a few snow flurries, but no snow on the ground. We’ve warmed up this weekend to the 30’s, but the temperature is going to drop during the day today and we’ll be very cold again for a few days.
Anniversary
My husband and I celebrated our anniversary this week by going to a hotel in our local area for one night. It was low-key, but we had a really nice time and the view from our room was great.
The cats
BlazeOlaf–as a kitten
I added a photo of Olaf from about two years ago when he was a kitten and one of Blaze at about the same age. They look quite different. Olaf is a blue point ragdoll and Blaze is a seal point. (Of course, Blaze also has a white blaze on the middle of his face!) The full color of ragdoll cats can continue to change until they’re three or four years old.
Blog
I read three books this week, but two of the books I didn’t enjoy very much. I started out enjoying them, but by the end of the books I just wanted to be done with them. They both depressed me. Luckily, the third book–Killer Queen by Julie Mulhern–is part of a mystery series I love. So I’m feeling better about the start of the year.
Even though I wrote some posts last week I didn’t visit many blogs. I hope to visit more next week. I always like to see what people are doing and what they’re reading.
A favorite mystery series I’ve read since I was a teenager
Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. This is a weekly meme to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. The books I choose aren’t released yet and usually won’t be published for at least two or three months. So I have a while to wait!
I love finding out about books set to publish in future months and I like to share my excitement about the books. I also like to find out about new books on other people’s blogs and hope they’ll sometimes find something to look forward to on my blog.
Synopsis: Sergeant Jim Chee’s vacation to beautiful Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell has a deeper purpose. He’s on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery his mentor, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, stumbled across decades earlier.
Chee’s journey takes a deadly turn when, after a prayerful visit to the sacred Rainbow Bridge, he spots a body floating in the lake. The dead man, a Navajo with a passion for the canyon’s ancient rock art, lived a life filled with many secrets. Discovering why he died and who was responsible involves Chee in an investigation that puts his own life at risk.
Back in Shiprock, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is driving home when she witnesses an expensive sedan purposely kill a hitchhiker. The search to find the killer leads her to uncover a dangerous chain of interconnected revelations involving a Navajo Nation cannabis enterprise.
But the evil that is unleashed jeopardizes her mother and sister Darleen, and puts Bernie in the deadliest situation of her law enforcement career.
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I’ve read these books since I was a teenager (when Tony Hillerman wrote them). In the last couple of years I reread many of the older books which has been so fun. This is the seventh book Anne Hillerman, Tony Hillerman’s daughter, has written after her father died in 2008. I enjoy her books just as much as I enjoy her father’s.
This challenge has been going on for seven years and I signed up for it a few years ago and didn’t do so well. 😦
This year I hope to do more than two or three! So far, this is the only challenge I’ve signed up for and I think I’ll see how this one goes before I sign-up for any others! I’m challenging myself to be a Discussion Dabbler (1-10 discussions). I’m hoping to do at least 8 discussions in 2022. Since I don’t review books anymore on my blog I want to do more than just a “Sunday Post” and a “Can’t Wait Wednesday” post which is usually the most I’ve been doing. If I’m going to continue blogging I think I need to do a little more. Hopefully, a challenge will spur me on!
More information
The discussions should be about books or book blogging. Check out Nicole and Shannon’s blogs for more about discussion content.
The challenge runs from January 1st until December 31st, 2022.
Invite others to join. The more discussions, the more fun it is.
On the 1st of every month, a link-up will go up on both Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight where you’ll leave your links for that month’s discussions.
Every month, the hosts update the 2022 Book Blog Challenge Page with the links to that month’s Challenge linky–so you’ll always know where to find the latest link-up!
There will also be monthly giveaways, so make sure you check in!
Use the hashtag #LetsDiscuss2022 to share your progress and connect with other participants on Twitter.
What about you? Don’t you want to join the 2022 Discussion Challenge!?
Connecting with others to talk about books plus a little about our personal lives
Kimberly hosts the Sunday Post each week. I like to take part because it gives me an opportunity to look back at last week and forward to next week in both my personal life and my blog and book life! I also love to see what other people are doing and what books everyone is reading.
Personal life
2022 begins. And hard to believe we start a third year with Covid-19 still causing many deaths and consuming our thoughts and changing our lives.
My Christmas
Handel’s MessiahChristkindlmarktCranberry-Orange BabkaBlaze figuring out how to play dominoesBlaze realizes he doesn’t understand dominoesDuke in his tie & hot dog costume
So fun with our children and our animals here in our new home. I know how lucky and blessed we are–we’re vaccinated, healthy, we like and love each other, our kids have good jobs, my husband and I have enough to live a comfortable life.
Blog
I read 103 books in 2021 so I exceeded my Goodreads Reading Challenge by three books! I decided to keep my 2022 challenge at 100. That’s a comfortable number for me. I have plans to do a few more things in 2022 besides my blog and reading though reading remains one activity I would have a hard time giving up. That is why I’m a readerholic after all. . . .
Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors. She writes the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series–a wonderful well-written mystery series. Each month she sends a newsletter to subscribers and I have come to admire not only her fiction writing, but also her candidness and thoughtfulness in her newsletters. I received her January newsletter yesterday. One of the things she includes in every newsletter is a quote and I love quotes!
Kindness, kindness, kindness. I want to make a New Year’s prayer, not a resolution. I’m praying for courage.
Susan Sontag
At the end of her January newsletter Louise Penny took the quote and adapted it slightly: “Kindness, dear friend… Kindness. And courage. And health.”
And that, dear friends, is what I wish for all of you in 2022!
Synopsis: Ropa Moyo’s ghostalking practice has tanked, desperate for money to pay bills and look after her family she reluctantly accepts a job to look into the history of a coma patient receiving treatment at the magical private hospital Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments. The patient is a teenage schoolboy called Max Wu, and healers at the hospital are baffled by the illness which has confounded medicine and magic.
Ropa’s investigation leads her to the Edinburgh Ordinary School for Boys, one of only the four registered schools for magic in the whole of Scotland (the oldest and only one that remains closed to female students).
But the headmaster there is hiding something and as more students succumb Ropa learns that a long-dormant and malevolent entity has once again taken hold in this world.
She sets off to track the current host for this spirit and try to stop it before other lives are endangered.
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I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. Looking forward to this one.
Connecting with others to talk about books plus a little about our personal lives
Kimberly hosts the Sunday Post each week. I like to take part because it gives me an opportunity to look back at last week and forward to next week in both my personal life and my blog and book life! I also love to see what other people are doing and what books everyone is reading.
Personal life
We’ve had some beautiful sunrises and sunsets so far this month, but no snow! Apparently there’s only a 25% chance for snow in the Indianapolis area at Christmastime!
Our menagerie
Blaze
Duke begging me to put Blaze down so they can play
Olaf is carefully watching what Duke is doing and Blaze is watching me!
Sleeping together
Duke helping me read my book!
Not only do we have a new kitten in our household, but we’ve also been taking care of our son’s mini dachshund this month. Our son is moving from Seattle to New York City this month so we offered to keep Duke for him while he packed up and left Seattle and then rented an apartment in NYC. He found an apartment this week and he arrives back at our house tomorrow. We are all excited to see him!
Olaf and Blaze (our cat and kitten) and Duke all get along well so they’ve all had fun together. It’s very cute how Duke sometimes runs up to them to break up the wrestling match when Olaf and Blaze are playing together. I think he’d like to play with them, too, but none of them quite know how to do that!
Baking
Chocolate Chip CookiesChocolate CrinklesMolasses Spice Cookies
I’ve baked quite a few cookies so far this month and hope to get some more baking done this week. I made Ginger Cookies also, but forgot to take a photo of them. These are all new recipes I made this year, but they’re all drop cookies so easy and quick to make. The cookies all taste great. I was concerned because the chocolate chip cookies didn’t brown very much on top, but my husband has taste-tested and says they’re the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve made!
Neighbors
We’ve delivered some of the cookies I’ve baked to some of our neighbors. We also had some of our neighbors to our house to get to know them a little better. That’s been nice and I think we’ll get together with some of them again after Christmas.
Christmas
I’m so excited to spend our first Christmas here in our new house. Our three kids will be here which is wonderful.
Our son arrives tomorrow and our Illinois daughter arrives on the 23rd and we’ve got tickets to hear Handel’s Messiah that evening. I think we’re going to watch Christmas movies on Christmas Eve plus we always play some games during the Christmas holiday. Of course, we’ve got lots of cooking and baking planned and even some time with no particular plans!
Blog
I haven’t read any Christmas themed books this year. I started one and liked it pretty well, but just wasn’t feeling like reading it very much. I finally had to return it to the library and I’d only read 50% of it.
However, I’ve read other books in the last couple of months that I’ve really enjoyed–especially some fun urban fantasy books. So even though I was five books behind at times this year with my Goodreads Challenge Goal of 100 books I’ve completed the challenge. So far I’ve read 101 books and hope to read at least two or three more before the end of the year.
What are you doing next week? If you celebrate Christmas what are some of your traditions? If you don’t celebrate Christmas do you have other celebrations at this time of year?
Check out the books that made my short list for November & December published books
I keep a list of all the books I might want to read and add to it as the year goes on. As each month comes along I create a list on my blog for others and for me to keep track of as the months go by.
I hope people reading my post may find some new books to read. I also hope these people will point me toward books I might not know about! The links to the following books will take you to the book on Goodreads.
I don’t buy all these books–since I already have way too many books to read and some of the new books are very expensive. I’m trying to stick to a budget! I always check my library for the expensive books and I add authors to eReader IQ which then tells me when the authors’ books have gone on sale.
Since I didn’t have many books published in November or December I want to read I’ve combined my November and December lists. Even though there aren’t many books on my list I’m still late getting this posted.
Synopsis: Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He’s struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents’ excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known.
Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it–not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else.
Robin’s predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they’ve been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles–and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep.
Synopsis: A most unexpected client shows up at Charlotte Holmes’s doorstep: Moriarty himself. Moriarty fears that tragedy has befallen his daughter and wants Charlotte to find out the truth.
Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to a remote community of occult practitioners where Moriarty’s daughter was last seen, a place full of lies and liars. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s sister Livia tries to make sense of a mysterious message from her beau Mr. Marbleton. And Charlotte’s longtime friend and ally Lord Ingram at last turns his seductive prowess on Charlotte–or is it the other way around?
But the more secrets Charlotte unravels about Miss Moriarty’s disappearance, the more she wonders why Moriarty has entrusted this delicate matter to her of all people. Is it merely to test Charlotte’s skills as an investigator, or has the man of shadows trapped her in a nest of vipers?
Synopsis: London, 1878. One April morning, a small boat bearing a young woman’s corpse floats down the murky waters of the Thames. When the victim is identified as Rose Albert, daughter of a prominent judge, the Scotland Yard director gives the case to Michael Corravan, one of the only Senior Inspectors remaining after a corruption scandal the previous autumn left the division in ruins. Reluctantly, Corravan abandons his ongoing case, a search for the missing wife of a shipping magnate, handing it over to his young colleague, Mr. Stiles.
An Irish former bare-knuckles boxer and dockworker from London’s seedy East End, Corravan has good street sense and an inspector’s knack for digging up clues. But he’s confounded when, a week later, a second woman is found dead in a rowboat, and then a third. The dead women seem to have no connection whatsoever. Meanwhile, Mr. Stiles makes an alarming discovery: the shipping magnate’s missing wife, Mrs. Beckford, may not have fled her house because she was insane, as her husband claims, and Mr. Beckford may not be the successful man of business that he appears to be.
Slowly, it becomes clear that the river murders and the case of Mrs. Beckford may be linked through some terrible act of injustice in the past—for which someone has vowed a brutal vengeance. Now, with the newspapers once again trumpeting the Yard’s failures, Corravan must dredge up the truth—before London devolves into a state of panic and before the killer claims another innocent victim.
Synopsis: One man has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as “elemental.” But will it work? And just as important, what are the consequences for the planet and all of humanity should it be applied?
Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming. Ultimately, it asks the question: Might the cure be worse than the disease?
Synopsis: G’day. I’m Pet. Heirling. Biter of fae lords. Trouble.
I have a lot of names these days—including my own, real name. Unfortunately for me, someone else knows that name too; not to mention the names of my other heirling friends. Now those heirling friends have disappeared, stolen by the current King Behind for a fight to the death where only one contender to the throne remains.
The rules say there’s no way in and only one way out of that fight, but I’ve always preferred to work outside the rules. I just have to trust my friends to help each other stay alive long enough for me to get them out—without becoming a contender for the throne myself.
Because one thing is for sure: I am absolutely not planning on being the next King Behind.
What November or December books are you looking forward to reading? Have you already read some of these books?
Synopsis: Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can’t bring herself to open her new cafe after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt’s Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.
To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila’s little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago–a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case–because it looks like one of them might be next.
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I read the first book in this series last spring and really enjoyed it. I found out all sorts of things about Filipino culture and food as well as getting to read an entertaining book.
Notes from a Readerholic 