2022 in Books

January 5, 2023January 3, 2024 / Kristi / 2 Comments

I spent more than half of the last year behind in my Goodreads goal for the year and saying I needed to read more of the shorter kids’ books on my TBR to fill in the gaps. It wasn’t until December that I finally pushed through some of those shorter books and wasn’t behind anymore.

I read 128 books in 2022, hitting my Goodreads challenge of 125 books on December 18th. My total page count was 38,809, making my average book length for the year 303 pages.

Below are the books I read in 2022. The link is to my review for that book, and a link to the book on Goodreads is at the bottom of each review.

January

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs (4 / 5)
Weave a Circle Round** by Kari Maaren (3.5 / 5)
The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket (2.5 / 5)
The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen (4 / 5)
Genius Camp* by Chris Grabenstein (4 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban** by J.K. Rowling (3.5 / 5)
The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lilian Jackson Braun (4 / 5)
Until Leaves Fall in Paris* by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
Project Hail Mary** by Andy Weir (5 / 5)
Kitty Hawk by Roland Smith (4 / 5)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (4 / 5)
The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket (2 / 5)

February

In Search of a Prince* by Toni Shiloh (3.5 / 5)
Things We Couldn’t Say by Diet Eman with James Schaap (5 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire** by J.K. Rowling (4.5 / 5)
Winnie-the-Pooh**(*) by A.A. Milne (4.5 / 5)
The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket (3.5 / 5)
The Canyon Quest by Jim Ware (3 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix** by J.K. Rowling (4 / 5)
Already Gone by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer with Todd Hillard (5 / 5)
Swept into the Sea by Chris Brack & Sheila Seifert (3 / 5)
Crocodile on the Sandbank** by Elizabeth Peters (4.5 / 5)
The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket (3.5 / 5)
The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse (2 / 5)

March

Pithea** by Kristi Drillien (5 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince** by J.K. Rowling (4 / 5)
The Great Gatsby** by F. Scott Fitzgerald (2 / 5)
Outcast** by Kristi Drillien (5 / 5)
Journal 29 by Dimitris Chassapakis (2.5 / 5)
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (2 / 5)
The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket (2.5 / 5)
The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs (3 / 5)
Islands and Enemies* by Marianne Hering (3.5 / 5)

April

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (5 / 5)
Treasure Hunters by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (3 / 5)
Behind the Lights* by Helen Smallbone (4 / 5)
The Alamo by Roland Smith and Michael P. Spradlin (3.5 / 5)
The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers (4 / 5)
Gospel Reset by Ken Ham (4 / 5)
Between Heaven and the Real World by Steven Curtis Chapman with Ken Abraham (4.5 / 5)
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (4 / 5)

May

The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen (4.5 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows** by J.K. Rowling (4 / 5)
An Ivy Hill Christmas** by Julie Klassen (5 / 5)
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (5 / 5)
The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket (3 / 5)
The Cat Who Sniffed Glue by Lilian Jackson Braun (4 / 5)
I Can Only Imagine by Bart Millard (5 / 5)
Creation Museum Signs by Answers in Genesis (5 / 5)
The Desolations of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs (2 / 5)

June

Legend of the Desert Bigfoot by Jake & Luke Thoene (4 / 5)
The Curse of the Pharaohs** by Elizabeth Peters (4.5 / 5)
Caleb’s Story by Patricia MacLachlan (4 / 5)
Treasure Hunters: Down the Nile by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (3.5 / 5)
The Apostle’s Sister* by Angela Hunt (3.5 / 5)
Distant Stars* by Kassandra Garrison (3 / 5)
Night** by Elie Wiesel (5 / 5)
The Men We Need by Brant Hansen (5 / 5)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (5 / 5)

July

The Windy City by Roland Smith & Michael P. Spradlin (4 / 5)
The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket (3.5 / 5)
Secret of the Forbidden City by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (3.5 / 5)
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp (4 / 5)
The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket (3 / 5)
Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game* by Chris Grabenstein (4.5 / 5)
The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo (3 / 5)
Peril at the Top of the World by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (2 / 5)
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (4.5 / 5)
Quest for the City of Gold by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (2.5 / 5)

August

The End by Lemony Snicket (2 / 5)
Freedom’s Song* by Kim Vogel Sawyer (3 / 5)
A Seven Letter Word by Kim Slater (3.5 / 5)
All-American Adventure by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (2.5 / 5)
A Treacherous Tale* by Elizabeth Penney (2 / 5)
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters (2 / 5)
The Debutante’s Code by Erica Vetsch (5 / 5)
Trapped in Hitler’s Hell by Anita Dittman with Jan Markell (4 / 5)

September

The Plunder Down Under by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (3 / 5)
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (5 / 5)
The Librarians and The Lost Lamp by Greg Cox (4 / 5)
Alcatraz by Roland Smith & Michael P. Spradlin (3.5 / 5)
Ready to Return by Ken Ham with Jeff Kinley (5 / 5)
The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (3 / 5)
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (4 / 5)
Ready Player One** by Ernest Cline (3 / 5)
Millstone of Doubt* by Erica Vetsch (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Went Underground by Lilian Jackson Braun (3.5 / 5)
The Ultimate Quest* by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein (2 / 5)
Revenge of the Phantom Hot Rod by Robert Vernon (4.5 / 5)
Messenger by Lois Lowry (2.5 / 5)

October

I Want to Punch You in the Face But I Love Jesus** by Sherri Lynn (5 / 5)
Storm Front by Jim Butcher (4 / 5)
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau (3 / 5)
Jurassic Park** by Michael Crichton (5 / 5)
Quest for the King’s Crown* by Robert Vernon (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts** by Lilian Jackson Braun (4.5 / 5)
The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase by Greg Cox (4 / 5)
The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep (3 / 5)
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (1 / 5)
The Cat Who Lived High by Lilian Jackson Braun (3.5 / 5)
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (3.5 / 5)

November

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (3 / 5)
Lightning** by Dean Koontz (5 / 5)
The Librarians and the Pot of Gold by Greg Cox (3 / 5)
The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (4 / 5)
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
Son by Lois Lowry (3 / 5)
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
The Sisters of Sea View* by Julie Klassen (3.5 / 5)
Addie McCormick and the Stranger in the Attic** by Leanne Lucas (5 / 5)

December

The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal** by Lilian Jackson Braun (4.5 / 5)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (3.5 / 5)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (5 / 5)
The Big Lie by Bill Myers (5 / 5)
Ruth by Ellen Gunderson Traylor (5 / 5)
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (3.5 / 5)
North! or Be Eaten** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (5 / 5)
Cozy Up to Christmas by Colin Conway (2.5 / 5)
Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook by Leanne Lucas (5 / 5)
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
The Monster in the Hollows** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale by Philip Van Doren Stern (3.5 / 5)
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (4 / 5)
The Warden and the Wolf King** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Moved a Mountain by Lilian Jackson Braun (4 / 5)
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (4 / 5)

This list includes 15 ARCs (marked with a *) and 26 re-reads (marked with a **). I’m not going to try to pick my single favorite book from the year, but I did post about my top 10 favorites already. During the last year, I started 17 series and finished 10 series, caught up on 8 series (meaning the author plans to release more in the future), and decided not to continue 3 series (after being at least 2 books into the series). I currently have 10 series in progress. And for the first time since I started blogging about reading in 2019, I did not DNF a single book!

Here is a break-down of the ratings I gave (there were a few books I read twice during the year, so I only counted them once each):
1 star: 1
1.5 stars: 0
2 stars: 9
2.5 stars: 7
3 stars: 18
3.5 stars: 17
4 stars: 29
4.5 stars: 9
5 stars: 24
Average rating: 3.75

Even though I was behind all year, I’m going to raise my reading goal up (but only by 5), setting my goal for the year on Goodreads at 130 books. Some of the short kids’ books I read were the first in a series, which means I should have an easier time getting those quick ones in. If I come to regret it, I can always lower it.

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, if anyone is interested in that.

What did you read last year? Let me know in the comments, and even feel free to link to your own summary post!

December in Review

January 4, 2023January 4, 2023 / Kristi / 3 Comments

I read 18 books last month, which beats my old record for books read in a month by 2. I mostly chalk it up to going into the month knowing I needed to read 15 more books to hit my Goodreads goal for the year and then proceeding to read a few short children’s books (which were part of my plan to hit that number anyway, but I hadn’t been getting to them throughout the year like I meant to). More astounding, though, is that I surpassed my previous amount of pages read per month by about 100 pages, so the smaller books do not mean that I didn’t read very much over all. That is most likely due to the speed with which I went through an entire 4-book series of audiobooks during the month. That series was 1500 pages by itself.

I hit my Goodreads goal on December 18th, 10 days earlier than I did last year. That means I read 15 books in the first 2 1/2 weeks of December and then only read 3 books in the last 2 weeks! This makes me laugh, but also makes sense, what with Christmas through New Year often being a busier time.

Here are the books I read in December:

The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal by Lilian Jackson Braun (4.5 / 5)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (3.5 / 5)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (5 / 5)
The Big Lie by Bill Myers (5 / 5)
Ruth by Ellen Gunderson Traylor (5 / 5)
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (3.5 / 5)
North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (5 / 5)
Cozy Up to Christmas by Colin Conway (2.5 / 5)
Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook by Leanne Lucas (5 / 5)
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale by Philip Van Doren Stern (3.5 / 5)
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (4 / 5)
The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Moved a Mountain by Lilian Jackson Braun (4 / 5)
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (4 / 5)

This list includes 5 re-reads (most of that was listening to the audiobooks of the entire Wingfeather Saga again). My favorite book from December (that wasn’t a re-read) was Ruth. I started 4 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.

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.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Reads from 2022

January 3, 2023January 2, 2023 / Kristi / 21 Comments

It’s time for another Top Ten list from That Artsy Reader Girl, which I haven’t done in a while now. The topic today is a look back at our favorite books from the past year. Since I already pick out my favorite book at the end of each month of reading, it wasn’t too hard to narrow the books from the year down to 10. Here they are, listed in the order in which I read them throughout the year.

1. Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin
A beautiful story written by an author who is becoming one of my favorites. See my full review here.

2. I Can Only Imagine by Bart Millard with Robert Noland
I have recently discovered that I like listening to autobiographies or memoirs read by the author, especially when the author is someone of whom I am a fan already. This did not disappoint. See my full review here.

3. The Giver by Lois Lowry
I didn’t like the rest of the series as much, but the first book was great! See my full review here.

4. Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game by Chris Grabenstein
I didn’t expect to like this book all that much, but I gave it a chance because I’ve overall enjoyed the series for which it is a prequel. I ended up loving it! See my full review here.

5. The Debutante’s Code by Erica Vetsch
The beginning of a mystery series that I have fully enjoyed so far. It helps that it is set in the same world as another trilogy that I loved! See my full review here.

6. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
I haven’t finished the series yet, though I’m actually currently reading the that is technically #4, but #3 in the sequence of the actual story. I’m enjoying this one more than I did the 2nd, but I loved the first one. See my full review here.

7. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park is one of my top 3 favorite movie franchises, if not the top, even though I can certainly admit that there are some duds in there. I just don’t care; I love them anyway. I did read this book once, back in high school, most likely because of how much I already liked the first couple of movies then. This is the first time I’ve read it in 20+ years, and I loved it all over again. See my full review here.

8. Lightning by Dean Koontz
I also read this book back when I was in high school, or maybe just after. It took me a long time to re-read it, but I’m so glad I did! See my full review here.

9. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Just one in a long list of books or series that are classics or at least have been around a long time, but I’ve never read them. I’ve only read 3 of this series yet, but I’ve enjoyed them all. This one was my favorite. See my full review here.

10. Ruth by Ellen Gunderson Traylor
Ruth is my favorite book in the Bible, and the account of Ruth and Boaz has long held a kind of romance for me, so I have been picky about fictionalized versions of it. I’d almost given up on reading any more and finding one that I really liked, but this one was just what I was looking for! See my full review here.

Have you read any of these? What were some of your favorite reads this year?

Book Review: The Last Battle

January 2, 2023January 2, 2023 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The Last Battle
The Chronicles of Narnia #7 (original order)
by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic fantasy

From the creation of Narnia to the destruction of it. This book seems to be pretty polarizing, and it’s the same in my mind. I appreciate Lewis’s vision of the afterlife, eternity for the world he’s created and the characters in it. I’m a little uncertain about why everyone had to die at the same time to get there. But that’s Lewis’s choice to make. I also like Lewis’s view of God, shown through his writing of Aslan—His love, mercy, and righteousness. I noted that the dwarves that couldn’t see the beauty around them is a pretty clear representation of casting pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). I don’t fully agree with all of the theology presented within the story, but since it’s allegorical, it’s difficult to say for sure what Lewis is saying with certain aspects.

This wraps up my first reading of this series. I wish I could say I liked some of the books more than I did, but others I really enjoyed. I am certain there’s more to get out of the books than I did, though, so I do plan to re-read the series someday.

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Book Review: The Cat Who Moved a Mountain

January 1, 2023January 13, 2023 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The Cat Who Moved a Mountain
Book #13
by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Cozy mystery

When his 5-year requirement to live in the small, northern town of Pickax ends, former crime reporter Jim Qwilleran has a big decision in front of him. To help him make it, he decides to get away to a mountain retreat. But his plans for a quiet getaway are quickly spoiled when he gets caught up in local prejudices and politics and a murder investigation that might have convicted the wrong man.

I guess it makes sense to move the action away from the same small town/northern county now and then, so it doesn’t become a place full of murders, but sadly, the change of locale often means I won’t like the book as much. Still, this one wasn’t too bad. I liked the way Qwilleran sees both sides of an ongoing battle, meeting and talking talking to people with both points of view. The mystery was decent, though not quite as interesting as others in this series have been. Koko’s antics that inspired the title aren’t exactly new, though I did appreciate the play on words.

I recently read a mystery novel with a main character who had been a gangster in the past but was forced to change due to circumstances beyond his control. In that book, the MC’s new life involved things he never would have done or cared about in the past, but it felt really forced to me. That made me notice all the more the way Qwilleran’s changes in lifestyle and personality throughout the series have been a lot smoother and more subtle. He’s certainly still himself, but also quite different from the man that used to live in the big city and write about urban crime. Overall, this was a good addition to the series.

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Book Review: The Maze of Bones

December 30, 2022August 1, 2024 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The Maze of Bones
The 39 Clues #1
by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

When Amy and Dan’s grandmother dies, her will reading sets off a hunt for treasure that no one in the vast, powerful Cahill family can fully comprehend. The vague prize will make the finder or finder’s team the most powerful members of the Cahill family, which has had some pretty powerful members in the past. Amy and Dan have nothing to lose as they do their best to outsmart and outrace the wealthier, older, and deadlier members of their families.

This book reminded me a lot of some other series I’ve read recently—unrealistic, over-the-top action, characters that know everything they need to know to progress, and one can never be quite sure who to trust. And yet, I enjoyed it more than I feel like I should have. By the time I got to the end, I was invested. I don’t normally enjoy a book where you can’t trust anyone, because characters are betraying each other left and right, but I still couldn’t help but start to trust a couple of the potentially treacherous side characters by the end. And now I want badly to know how it will turn out with those characters. I also can’t help but want to know what the big prize is, even though I suspect it will either be ridiculous or a letdown.

I’ve heard of this series for a long time and considered reading the books years ago, but never have until now. I wonder if I might not have been ready for the style and tone of the book until now, since I’ve read a few other series with the same kind of wildly unlikely storylines—at least one of which I liked and one of which I really didn’t. Now, I’m more able to let some of the things that might have bothered me in the past go and enjoy the story for what it is. I’m not sure how I’ll like the change of authors throughout the series, but I’m definitely going to keep going.

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Book Review: The Greatest Gift

December 23, 2022December 23, 2022 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale
Philip Van Doren Stern
Read by Edward Herrmann

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Classic Christmas fiction

When I found out that the short story that inspired the movie It’s a Wonderful Life was narrated by the late, great Edward Herrmann, I tracked it down immediately to give it a listen. It’s difficult to give a rating and review that is unbiased and not compare the original story to the movie. The basic idea that Stern was going for came across easily enough—a single person affects more than they think in the lives of those around them. Not knowing what has George contemplating suicide and thinking the world would be better if he hadn’t been born, or even really knowing what kind of man he is, it’s a little difficult to be as connected to him as I would have wanted to be in a story like this. And in the end, while he is certainly affected by more than the loss of his wife to a rival, it could just as easily be missing her presence in his life and leads him to want his life back, rather than deciding his life is worth living after all. So bringing it back around to the movie, the extended version of this story does a much better job of first laying out the problem and then getting to the change of mind and heart. But the original story is so short, it might still be worth a quick read. The actual story part of the audiobook was about 25 minutes long, with an afterword that doubled the length, and Edward Herrmann an unsurprisingly great job with the narration.

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Book Review: Little House on the Prairie

December 20, 2022December 20, 2022 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Little House on the Prairie
Little House #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
read by Cherry Jones

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s historical classic

What a change of scenery from the previous book with the Ingalls family, from the woods of Wisconsin to the wide-open prairie. I don’t recall reading the reason for the move, and while I can imagine that Laura never knew the reason as a child, I wonder if she learned it later in life. I suppose it might be due to the woods becoming overcrowded, since, as they’re building their house, Pa says that he’d be content to stay there the rest of his life, even as the area gets more settled, because the area is so wide open, it could never feel crowded. Considering what happens here, it seems a shame that he wasn’t content where he was, but I suppose that’s a mindset most of us these days can’t fully understand (though I know some people who would).

The story continues to be charming, and while there are some unfortunate mindsets that I wish would not have been so common in that day, I appreciate that Pa mostly has a different attitude. My daughter has recently started reading the first book in the series, and I don’t know if she’ll continue to this one, but if she does, I’ll be intrigued to hear her thoughts on the matter.

As before, my enjoyment of the book was greatly enhanced by the audiobook narrator, Cherry Jones, who does a fantastic job, and being able to hear Pa’s fiddle, thanks to Paul Woodiel. If you’ve ever considered reading this series, or have already read it and have occasion to listen to the audiobooks, I say do it!

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Book Review: Cozy Up to Christmas

December 16, 2022December 15, 2022 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Cozy Up to Christmas
Cozy Up #5
by Colin Conway

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Cozy mystery, Christmas

Ed Belmont just wants to make it through the Christmas season doing his job as mall Santa. But someone else is committing crimes around town wearing a Santa suit, and the cops are looking at Ed. Since he’s an ex-con in witness protection, the attention could be a problem.

I haven’t read any of the preceding books in the series, but events from them were brought up in this book a few times. Belmont (not really his name) was the bookkeeper in a gang and reluctantly became a witness against them, and now he’s force to move from place to place, job to job, to keep ahead of the danger. While it seems that previous identities were compromised and required relocation, this one had an expiration date—Christmas. Yet he does end up under suspicion for ongoing criminal activity, which also seems to be a theme in the series.

From start to finish, this is a fairly straightforward story with a protagonist who could be interesting, but feels like a caricature. He learned to enjoy reading, specifically mystery novels, in the first book in the series, and while I have nothing against a hardened gang member becoming a reader, it somehow felt forced to me. I could see what the author was trying to do in showing changes in this man who had been forced into situations and lifestyles he never would have chosen for himself, but for me, at least, it didn’t work very well.

I also think the overall story could have done with another round or two of edits. Maybe some dialog read out loud, some actions acted out. Characters were all the time touching each others arms and sleeves while talking, which I’m not sure is natural. And a lot of people in the story tended to act out what they were saying with their hands, again not necessarily common. While both of these things could have been a trait assigned to one character, having them be so widespread was odd. It also seems really important to the author that I know what everyone is wearing. It’s generally the first thing we’re told whenever anyone new is in a scene. There’s a woman who comes onto Ed so strongly it made me uncomfortable, and imagine if the roles were reversed and it was a man trying to convince a woman to let him touch her (sit on her lap, because, well, she is Santa, after all). It would be considered creepy, and he’d be labeled a perv, not just a humorous device to make the MC all the more annoyed at his lot in life.

The mystery wasn’t bad, but wasn’t super interesting or difficult to solve. There was a small twist regarding the various crimes that had been committed, and it did give Ed a chance to grow more in the story. I think with some refining, this could be a good book and a series I’d be interested in. It is a mostly clean book, with almost no profanity and nothing else that would bother me, minus the aforementioned woman trying to force herself onto Santa. While I don’t plan to read any other stories about Beauregard Smith (Ed’s real name), plenty of others have enjoyed it more than I did. If you’re interested, be sure to check out other reviews at the link below.

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Book Review: Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook

December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook
Addie McCormick Adventures #2
by Leanne Lucas

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian mystery, adventure

When Addie and Nick meet elderly Miss T’s new live-in companion Amy, a Japanese-American whose family spent time in an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they begin to uncover a secret that Amy wants to keep hidden, but someone else is out to expose.

The first book in the series was good, but this one was on a different level. These aren’t simple, predictable kids’ mysteries. I really appreciated the little bit of history about how Japanese-Americans were treated in America during WWII, as well as a touch on Japanese culture. This book introduces a few new kid characters, one of which I particularly liked. While I don’t know how realistic it is for a pre-teen kid to be as self-assured as Brian is, I suppose given the right circumstances, it would be possible. And since he was my favorite, after all, it clearly didn’t bother me. The conclusion was satisfying, and in the end, I liked this one more than the previous. I’m just sad that I won’t be able to read the rest of the series (except #7), because they’re hard to find. Still, if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for a 10-12-year-old child, I recommend it.

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January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The Last BattleThe Chronicles of Narnia #7 (original order)by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 / 5 Genre: Children’s classic fantasy

The Cat Who Moved a MountainBook #13by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 4 / 5Genre: Cozy mystery

The Maze of BonesThe 39 Clues #1by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 / 5Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

The Greatest Gift: A Christmas TalePhilip Van Doren SternRead by Edward Herrmann

My rating: 3.5 / 5Genre: Classic Christmas fiction

Little House on the PrairieLittle House #3by Laura Ingalls Wilderread by Cherry Jones

My rating: 5 / 5 Genre: Children’s historical classic

Cozy Up to ChristmasCozy Up #5by Colin Conway

My rating: 2.5 / 5Genre: Cozy mystery, Christmas

Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing ScrapbookAddie McCormick Adventures #2by Leanne Lucas

My rating: 5 / 5Genre: Children’s Christian mystery, adventure

The Last Battle
The Chronicles of Narnia #7 (original order)
by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic fantasy

The Cat Who Moved a Mountain
Book #13
by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Cozy mystery

The Maze of Bones
The 39 Clues #1
by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale
Philip Van Doren Stern
Read by Edward Herrmann

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Classic Christmas fiction

Little House on the Prairie
Little House #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
read by Cherry Jones

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s historical classic

Cozy Up to Christmas
Cozy Up #5
by Colin Conway

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Cozy mystery, Christmas

Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook
Addie McCormick Adventures #2
by Leanne Lucas

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian mystery, adventure