I’m starting the year off pretty strong. My Up All Night New Years book from Once Upon a Book Club includes a 40 book scratch off challenge. So I like to start the year by jumping right into it and checking off books. Of the 9 books I read this month, 7 of them were for the challenge! So this month was a total of 9 books. 2977 pages. An average of 96 pages a day.
Midnight Spells Murder by Mary Angela (203 pages). This was a very belated (sweet) Halloween book from Once Upon a Book Club (thanks supply chain issues). So gifties on social. Zo Jones, owner of Happy Camper gift store in Spirit Canyon and part time sleuth, schedules a talk with local author and self proclaimed witch Marianne at the shop. Everything seems perfect. Until Zo finds Marianne’s lifeless body near Happy Camper, propped up like a Halloween decoration in a witch’s hat. Turns out, more than one person in town has motive for killing Marianne. And Zo decides that she is just the right part time sleuth to solve the mystery. This book was adorable. I finished in 2 days.
The Haunting of Leigh Harker by Darcy Coates (338 pages). This was another belated (spooky) Halloween book from Once Upon a Book Club. After 15 years in her beloved home, Leigh realizes it is not the sanctuary it had once been. She can barely make it through an hour in her home without noticing that doors have been opened (or closed), furniture has been moved. And, most disturbingly, a dark figure looms in her bedroom door each night. But Leigh is not going to give up her home without a fight. This book took a while to pull me in. But once it did, the twists kept coming! I finished in 5 days.
Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A.W Jantha (521 pages). Part One was a novelization of one of my all-time favorite movies. While I loved the fact that it added a little more backstory to some of the characters, it also just wasn’t as great as the book. Part Two takes place 25 years later. Max and Allison’s daughter, Poppy, has long held her parents’ secret- that they brought back and vanquished the Sanderson sisters. But when Poppy and her friends inadvertently bring Winnie, Meg and Sarah back, they must do what they can to best the sisters once again. This novel got me excited for the upcoming sequel movie. But I didn’t love the novels. They were fun, but nothing special. I finished in 4 days.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (105 pages). This is one of those books that just somehow never got assigned in school and therefore was never read. I already knew the premise of the novel- the animals of Manor Farm rebel and create a self-governed Animal Farm. But nothing is perfect. And “all animals are equal” eventually becomes “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” I’m pretty sure that there has been no time in history that this story has not been timely in its critique of socialism. And its observation that blind loyalty to any governing body is never a smart idea. I finished in 1 day.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (624 pages). Y’all know I love some WW2 historical fiction! In 1940, Osla (a wealthy debutante), Mab (a girl seeking a better life) and Beth (a henpecked daughter) are all picked to work at Bletchley Park, the country estate where all of the most brilliant codebreakers in England (including Alan Touring) are working to break Enigma. Seven years later, all of England is celebrating the wedding of Osla’s ex boyfriend to Princess Elizabeth. But the three women reunite to help one of them escape an insane asylum and track down the traitor from Bletchley Park who put her there. A traitor who is far closer to home than any of them realize. Omg- this was soooo good!! I finished in 5 days.
12 Days of Book-Club-Mas by Lana Gionfriddo et al (223 pages). This is an annual treat I give myself from Once Upon a Book Club. It’s 12 days of short stories and accompanying gifts. Some of the stories are so amazing that I wish they were full books! Technically, I should have taken 12 days to read this. But I just got so into it that I finished in 3 days.
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (358 pages). It’s a Monday afternoon in September at Bayview High School when 5 students make their way to detention. Bronwyn is an overachiever, bound for Yale. Cooper is a star baseball player, bound for the majors. Addy is a prom princess. Nate is a minor criminal. And Simon is the school gossip page. But when a lethal allergy attack takes the life of one of them, it is quickly apparent that it wasn’t an accident. And the remaining 4 try to figure out who’s secret was worth killing for. There were some great twists and reveals in this one. There’s also a series on Peacock that I decided to watch. And it basically destroys the book. I always say the book is better and this series proves my point! I finished in 4 days.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (288 pages). This was a reread from over a year ago for a book club that I’m in now. And I loved it as much the second time around! Recap- Nora Seed decides that her life isn’t worth living anymore. The moment she kills herself, she immediately finds herself in the Midnight Library, an in-between spot where she just simply has to open a book and she falls into a new life that she is living. The librarian suggests she focus on regrets first. And again, I wished this place were real to see how my life could have been different if I’d made different choices (not that I don’t want the life I have, it’s just curiosity). I finished in 1 day.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (317 pages). This is another one that I can’t believe I’ve never read. The moors, Heathcliff, Catherine, doomed love. Everyone knows that. But I wasn’t aware of the fact that Heathcliff and Catherine are literal monster characters- there isn’t much redeeming about either of them. I also did not realize the levels of cousins marrying cousins that happened in the generation following Heathcliff and Catherine. Despite how horrendous Heathcliff and Catherine were, I actually liked the novel quite a bit. I finished in 6 days.
This month’s favorite was…..The Rose Code. Obviously. It’s WWII historical fiction!
