February in Review

I read 12 books last month, pretty close to my recent monthly average. The page count was lower than average, though, due to a lot of shorter books last months. That doesn’t surprise me, because I definitely felt like I wasn’t reading as much throughout last month, for no particular reason I can pinpoint.

Here are the books I read in February:

Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park (4 / 5)
Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
Do the Bright Thing by Bill Myers (4 / 5)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (3 / 5)
Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard (2.5 / 5)
Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko (5 / 5)
Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls by Ann M. Martin (4 / 5)
Christy by Catherine Marshall (5 / 5)
Bittersweet Rendezvous in New England by Diane Green (2 / 5)
Hounded by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Trust No One by Linda Sue Park (4 / 5)
Reclaiming Quiet by Sarah Clarkson (2 / 5)

This list includes 4 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from February was Midnight on the Scottish Shore. I started 0 series, continued 6 series, and finished 0 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

January in Review

I read 13 books last month, a pretty average month for me, though a bit lower than average in page count. Still, there were a lot of great books in there, so it was a good start to the year!

Here are the books I read in January:

God Loves Me and I Love Myself! by Mark DeJesus (1.5 / 5)
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie (4.5 / 5)
The Emperor’s Code by Gordon Korman (4.5 / 5)
Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin (4.5 / 5)
Shatterproof by Roland Smith (4 / 5)
Unleashed by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
How to Thrive as a Pastor’s Wife by Christine Hoover (5 / 5)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (3 / 5)
Made to Be She by Kristen Clark & Bethany Beal (5 / 5)
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
United as One by Pittacus Lore (3 / 5)
Free by E.B. Roshan (5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from January (excluding re-reads and non-fiction, which are difficult to compare) was Anchor in the Storm. I started 1 series, continued 5 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

December in Review

I read 13 books last month, which is right at what my monthly average ended up being for 2024. The number would have been much smaller, though, if I hadn’t had so much time to listen to audiobooks throughout December. Between Christmas (and Christmas prep) and a couple of longer/harder-to-read books, I got really slowed down in my normal reading time. Still, I hit my Goodreads goal of 150 books (which I raised from 140 in November when I realized how close I was) on the 24th.

Here are the books I read in December:

In Too Deep by Jude Watson (4 / 5)
Trust + Follow by Maddie Joy Fischer (4 / 5)
The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen (4.5 / 5)
The Fate of Ten by Pittacus Lore (4 / 5)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (4 / 5)
Nancy’s Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene (2.5 / 5)
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (5 / 5)
Leader of the Pack by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Rediscovering Christmas by AJ Sherrill (3 / 5)
The Viper’s Nest by Peter Lerangis (4 / 5)
Christmas in Bethel by Richard Paul Evans (2 / 5)
The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene (2 / 5)
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (5 / 5)

This list includes 4 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from December was Book Scavenger. I started 1 series, continued 4 series, and finished 2 series*. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

*This includes 1 series I didn’t reach the end of, but decided not to continue reading, after being at least 2 books into the series.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

November in Review

I read 13 books last month, and I’m 10 books away from my Goodreads goal for the year of 150 books. I should definitely reach that during December.

Here are the books I read in November:

The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore (5 / 5)
Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
The Black Circle by Patrick Carman (4.5 / 5)
What’s So Funny? by Tim Conway with Jane Scovell (5 / 5)
Mr. Lemoncello’s Fantabulous Finale by Chris Grabenstein (5 / 5)
Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (4 / 5)
An Honorable Deception by Roseanna M. White (5 / 5)
World of Warcraft, v. 3 by Walter Simonson & Louise Simonson (4 / 5)
The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson (3 / 5)
Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (4.5 / 5)
The Dead of Night by Peter Lerangis (4.5 / 5)
One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt (review pending)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from November was really hard to pick, so I’m going with a tie between Mr. Lemoncello’s Fantabulous Finale and An Honorable Deception, with an honorable mention for What’s So Funny? (which, being non-fiction, is difficult to compare to fiction). I started 1 series, continued 7 series, and finished 3 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

October in Review

I read 15 books last month, my 2nd-highest count for the year, and almost exactly matching the page count in February, during which I also read 15 books. I didn’t really feel like I read more last month than the several months before it, but apparently I had a lot of time to listen to audiobooks, since they account for 7 of the 15.

Here are the books I read in October:

Nightfall by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski (3.5 / 5)
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore (5 / 5)
Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson (5 / 5)
The Seat Beside Me by Nancy Moser (5 / 5)
New Tricks by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson (5 / 5)
Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery (5 / 5)
Clergy Couples in Crisis by Dean Merrill (5 / 5)
The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
Unfixed by Amy L. Sauder (2.5 / 5)
The Blunder Years by Bill Myers & Robert West (5 / 5)
I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble (4 / 5)
Hold Back the Night by Axel Blackwell (4 / 5)
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from October was The Fall of Five. I started 0 series, continued 7 series, and finished 0 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

September in Review

I read 12 books last month, for the 3rd month in a row, with lower-than-average page count. It was a pretty good month of books, too, with mostly 4- and 5- star reviews and just a few 3s.

Here are the books I read in September:

World of Warcraft, v. 2 by Walter Simonson (4 / 5)
Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin (3 / 5)
Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (3 / 5)
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (4 / 5)
A Thieving at Carlton House by Erica Vetsch (5 / 5)
Play Dead by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis (4 / 5)
Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin (5 / 5)
The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (4 / 5)
The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (3 / 5)
Wimpy, Weak, & Woke by John L. Cooper (4 / 5)

This list includes 1 ARC and 3 re-reads. My favorite book from September was A Thieving at Carlton House. I started 4 series, continued 6 series, and finished 0 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

*This includes 1 series I didn’t reach the end of, but decided not to continue reading, after being at least 2 books into the series.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

August in Review

I read 12 books last month, still staying around my average of books in a month, though with a higher page count than the last couple of months.

Here are the books I read in August:

Dead Center by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
S. by J.J. Abrams & Doug Dorst (3 / 5)
The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene (3 / 5)
One False Note by Gordon Korman (4 / 5)
The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore (4 / 5)
Monster by Frank E. Peretti (4 / 5)
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (3.5 / 5)
Between Flowers and Bones by Carolyn Leiloglou (4 / 5)
The Big Four by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
An Invitation to Murder by Leighann Dobbs & Harmony Williams (2 / 5)
Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor by Roseanna M. White (5 / 5)
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham (4 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from August was Dead Center. I started 1 series, continued 5 series, and finished (or caught up on) 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

July in Review

I read 12 books last month, about average for me. Though there were quite a few short books, so my actual amount of reading is on the low side, with the 2nd-lowest page count so far this year (even lower than last month, when running VBS caused me to read less than normal). I have no explanation for this, except perhaps the higher workload I’ve had this month.

Here are the books I read in July:

Reflections of the Mole by Bill McDaniel (5 / 5)
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
Elizabeth’s Playground by Dana Romanin (2 / 5)
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens (3.5 / 5)
Eléonore by Faith Rivens (3 / 5)
The Groundworld Heroes by Adrian So (4 / 5)
The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (2.5 / 5)
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (4 / 5)
Starter Villain by John Scalzi (3 / 5)
Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson (4 / 5)
In the Nick of Time by Bill Myers & Robert West (4 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 1 re-read. My favorite book from July was Reflections of the Mole. I started 0 series, continued 4 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

June in Review

I read 9 books last month, the 2nd-lowest number so far this year. Considering that the 2nd week was Vacation Bible School at our church, and my husband and I are directors, and the week before that was full of last-minute prep, this number is actually higher than I expected. The majority of the books were read in the 2nd half of the month though, so apparently I was making up for the first 2 weeks.

Here are the books I read in June:

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson (1.5 / 5)
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (4 / 5)
The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (3 / 5)
Lightkeepers by Kennedy Plumb (3 / 5)
Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox (4 / 5)
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (4 / 5)
A Dream within a Dream by Mike Nappa & Melissa Kosci (4 / 5)
Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from June was Sudden Death. I started 1 series, continued 3 series, and finished 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

May in Review

I read 13 books last month, a comeback from last month’s low number. I don’t feel like I’m reading much, especially with Vacation Bible School, for which I’m the director, starting in a week and lots of work being done for it in May, but then, that’s where audiobooks come in, and I did finish 4 of those during May.

Here are the books I read in May:

Bury the Lead by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
The Captain’s Daughter by Jennifer Delamere (3 / 5)
The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman (3 / 5)
The Regency Brides Collection by various authors (3.5 / 5)
Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn (4.5 / 5)
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
The Last Man by Thomas Goodman (3.5 / 5)
The Minor Miracle by Meredith Davis (4 / 5)
Seeking Real Life Irish RomCom by Katie Nelson (2.5 / 5)
Payback by Gordon Korman (5 / 5)
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (review pending)
Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow (4 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 0 re-reads. My favorite book from May was Payback. I started 0 series, continued 3 series, and finished 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.