Tag Archives: detective

June 2023 Recap: Summer has arrived!

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Hello again, my friends and other assorted random readers. I’m glad you’re here, as always!

And suddenly we are halfway through 2023, and for once I am on pace to complete the full reading challenge. Here’s hoping that I don’t go through a reading slump this fall… In June, I finished 5 books. Let’s talk about them!

The first book I finished in June was Exiles by Ashley and Leslie Saunders – you may notice that the photo here is not my usual photograph of the book cover… mostly because my Kindle is black and white, and I wanted to show off the fun colors on this one – which made it my choice for prompt #28, Read a book with a neon-colored cover. This was an interesting YA dystopian sci-fi story, set in Los Angeles after a devastating earthquake, when a tech billionaire has set himself up as the “savior of the city”, and is pulling promising young people from abject poverty to an exclusive boarding school and a life of privilege.

The book was written by twin sisters and features a pair of twins as the main characters, as well as some fascinating uses of nanotechnology. There is a sequel to this story that I’m quite interested to read. [3.75 stars]

Next up, I read the book I chose for prompt #23, Read book 3 in a trilogy – Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. This was the third in a trilogy of novels set in the same world as the First Law series, and features some familiar faces from the First Law trilogy, some undercover. Each of these “World of the First Law” books could be viewed as a standalone story, I guess, but there are references to the other stories and events in addition to some characters who pop up in more than one of them. As all of Abercrombie’s novels, this one was gritty and brutal, and the characters were all very grey. The writing is engaging and the characters so interesting you can’t help but root for them – at least some of them – even if they are kind of terrible people. [4.25 stars]

After that, I picked up a fun little cozy mystery with a punny title – fitting for prompt #51, Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative. Murder’s No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher is the first in a cozy mystery series featuring a candle maker in Nantucket, Massachusetts. This was an engaging story, well written, and the setting was interesting – plus, the details about candle making were a nice bonus, since I’ve considered taking up the hobby in the past. I’m interested in continuing with the series for sure. [3.75 stars]

I jumped from the cozy mystery vibe into something entirely different – The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I’ve had this one on my TBR for quite a while – this is the last of 3 books by the author that I picked up nearly 20 years ago. This novel is a trilogy of shorter stories, set in New York City, which are thematically connected. All are ostensibly detective stories – with some overlap in the profession of detective and writer – and explore identity and obsession. And while quite well written, they are at the end unsettling and disturbing. Auster is a talented writer that always makes me feel just a little too shallow to enjoy them as much as I think I ought to. It worked well for prompt #27, Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends. (Hi, Paul!) [3.5 stars]

The last book I finished in June was for challenge prompt #30, Read a middle grade book. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones was recommended by Linz and I did not expect it to be so adorable. I’ve never seen the film adaptation so I had no idea what to expect, but the blend of fantasy and adventure, with a sweet little romance thrown in for good measure, was just perfect. I loved the development of the main character and was enchanted by the slow reveal of who Howl really was and the mysteries of his moving castle. [4 stars]

Aside from reading, in June I finished up my Memorial Day week visit to my mom with a memorial service for my brother. I returned home to find the ceiling fan in my bedroom had mysteriously had one blade snapped off (and my cat hiding guiltily under the bed). She’s developed a taste for fresh flowers, which I bought on a whim at the grocery store, and we tried out Cat TV on YouTube, which she seems to like. Best photos of June are included below.

In other media, I continued watching a couple of shows along with reaction channels (Ted Lasso, which is absolutely wonderful… and Profit, which is less of an amazing show but fun to discuss with the reactor, especially the extremely dramatic voiceovers), and started watching Veronica Mars – only 3 episodes in but I am having fun. I’ve been keeping up with new episodes of How I Met Your Father (and was very excited when Clark Gregg made a couple of guest appearances), and started Secret Invasion on Disney Plus. So far I’m very intrigued by Secret Invasion, I can’t wait to see more.

No new music to share this month – hopefully I can make up for that in July and get back on top of some goals. For now, I’m looking forward to a trip up to see my bestie and her kiddos, the start of Arizona monsoon season, and seeing what the month brings.

As always, come chat with me! Tell me, what are you looking forward to in July? Read anything interesting lately? What movies or TV shows would you recommend I add to my list? Your turn!

The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2023 Reading Challenge

Level 1: Book of the Month Club [11/12 complete]
1. Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend – Recursion – Blake Crouch
2. Read a book under 300 pages – The Courts of Chaos – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book with a female main character – Tress of the Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
4. Read a book by an author whose name is Samantha, Sam, or a variant – Seven Blades in Black – Sam Sykes
5. Read a book that was written by an author from your home state
6. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Have We Met? – Camille Baker
7. Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (examples: circle, square, heart, star, diamond) – Call It What You Want – Brigid Kemmerer
8. Read a book you got from Project Gutenberg, a library, or another nonprofit source – The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
9. Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction) – The Bullet Journal Method – Ryder Carroll
10. Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name – Daughters of the Lake – Wendy Webb
11. Read the next book in a series you haven’t read in a while – The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England – Brandon Sanderson

Level 2: Casual Reader Club [10/12 complete]
13. Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases)
14. Read a book of short stories or a novella – Ford County: Stories – John Grisham
15. Read a book that involves a lot of traveling – Swan Song – Robert R. McCammon
16. Read a book published in 1998 (25 years ago) – Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb
17. Read a book with a yellow cover – The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock – Jane Riley
18. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – The Imperfect Disciple – Jared C. Wilson
19. Read a book by Dean Koontz – Intensity – Dean Koontz
20. Read a book with a one-word title – Slayer – Kiersten White
21. Read book 1 in a trilogy – The Armored Saint – Myke Cole
22. Read book 2 in a trilogy – A Heart so Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer
23. Read book 3 in a trilogy – Red Country – Joe Abercrombie
24. Free Space – Pick any book! – Mad Ship – Robin Hobb

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [7/12 complete]
25. Read a book that takes place somewhere you’d like to live – Revenge of the Nymph: The Faeries Vol.2 – Ramon Terrell
26. Read a book recommended by whatshouldireadnext.com
27. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends – The New York Trilogy – Paul Auster
28. Read a book with a neon-colored cover – Exiles – Ashley and Leslie Saunders
29. Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app – Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith – W. Phillip Keller
30. Read a middle grade book (8-12 age range) – Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
31. Read a book with the word “Time” in the title – The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
32. Read a book about a famous criminal(s)
33. Read a movie novelization book (movie to book, instead of book to movie)
34. Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are – Shauna Niequist
35. Read a self-published book – Duel of Fire – Jordan Rivet
36. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 4: Speed Reader Club [2/12 complete]
37. Read a book that is over 600 pages
38. Read a book from ListChallenge’s Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge – The Art of War – Sun Tzu
39. A book by an author named David/Dave
40. Read a “Dark Academia” novel
41. Read a book with a title that starts with the letter V – Vanishing Acts – Jodi Picoult
42. A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture
43. Read a book with a cat on the cover
44. Read a folklore book or book based on folklore
45. Read a book where the main character is a dancer
46. Read a book by a new author
47. Read a book that involves a conspiracy
48. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 5: Overachiever Club [2/12 complete]
49. Read one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 (any category)
50. Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero
51. Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative – Murder’s No Votive Confidence – Christin Brecher
52. Read a “found family” story
53. Read a book that has a letter Q in the title
54. Read a book that has an illustrated cover – Naomi and Her Daughters – Walter Wangerin, Jr.
55. Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades
56. Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional)
57. Read a book that takes place in Alaska
58. Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title
59. Read a book involving dinosaurs
60. Free Space – Pick any book!

August 2022 Recap: Wherein I am Random

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Greetings, people who may or may not know me! How very exciting, one or more of you may be a stalker. Whatever shall I do then?

We’re here for the next installment of “Songstress overshares random nonsense about her life”, are you ready? (If you’re just here for the State of the Challenge, you know what to do – scroll down to the bottom!)

Starting in with the reading, on the plane home from Linz’s I started reading a book that she’d told me about a couple of years ago – an author request that she’d enjoyed more than most and I was very intrigued by her review. Deadheading by Paul Cristo gave me serious The Stand vibes, except that our protagonist basically hunkered down in his house and missed the chaotic end of the world. And the antagonist wasn’t nearly as creepy as Randall Flagg. The best part for me was watching Lewis figure out how to survive and learn new skills after the end of society as we know it. This book checked off prompt #58, Read a book that Linz read previously. [3.75 stars]

Next up, I jumped into my selection for challenge #18, Read a book by an author named Alex, Alexander, Alexandra (or variant). The only book I already had on my owned TBR for this prompt was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and I was in no way prepared for a 1200+ pager, so I ordered a copy of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith from Paperback Swap. Until I received it in the mail, I hadn’t really noticed the cover image, and had absolutely zero idea this was set in Africa.

Actually the setting was my favorite part – I haven’t read a lot of books set in Africa, and the main character’s voice was a fun lens on Botswana. The individual cases that were handled and the overall story were a little dull, and I doubt I’ll continue with the series, but for what it was, I did like it. [3.5 stars]

My third read for the month of August was Pawn’s Gambit by Rob J. Hayes – I heard about this author through Daniel Greene’s YouTube channel, specifically noting that the author has focused on creating stand-alone stories that even though they’re in the same world, don’t have to be read in any particular order. When I started this story, I thought the premise sounded a little crazy (mortals conscripted into a scavenger hunt in order for the gods to overthrow their ruler)… but the story did grab me by the end, and it was well told.

The characters were the big draw for me, and the ending held an unexpected twist or two. The cover includes 5 people (as far as I can tell… but the more I look at it, the more that figure to the right looks like it might be an injured opponent – we’ll just ignore that for now), so I selected this one for challenge prompt #40, A book with 5 objects on the cover. [3.75 stars]

The next book I finished in August was Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I have known about Seanan McGuire’s work (and at least one of her pseudonyms) for several years now but haven’t read any of her books, and I had picked up a copy of Every Heart a Doorway when it was marked down for Kindle last fall. It was short and promised to be fast paced, so I figured it would be a great choice for challenge prompt #9 – Read a book by an author that’s new to you, especially in a month that I spent more time with other hobbies and wasn’t finishing a lot of books.

I loved the premise of this series – as a collection of stories about children who have visited magical worlds and for one reason or another been forced to return to the “real” world, where they no longer feel they belong. The series takes place at a boarding school run by an elderly woman who had herself visited an alternate world several times and knew what these children would need. I haven’t gone beyond the first book in the series so I don’t know how the rest of the books are structured, but this first one was a murder mystery, and it pulled me in with the quirky characters and the concept. I definitely plan to continue with the series when I can pick them up. [4 stars]

And just when I thought I wouldn’t get another book in for the month, I ended up staying up past midnight on the 30th because I was having so much fun with The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This one didn’t really fit any of my challenge categories, so I used my first Free Space at #12. I was always more of a “friends to lovers” trope fan instead of “enemies/rivals to lovers”, but the relationship between the two main characters in this book (and Kate and Anthony from Bridgerton S2, for that matter) may be pushing me the other way. I found myself laughing out loud several times, crying more than once, and wanting to read it again soon. [4.25 stars]

As for what else my time has been spent on, I’ve been doing a lot of watching TV shows while coloring on my Chromebook in tablet mode – the Happy Color app has a multitude of gorgeous paint-by-number pictures in varying degrees of intricacy, and works well for something to do while multitasking. Nail art also works well for something to do while watching TV.

Specifically, this month I finished watching Bridgerton (season 2 was so much better than season 1 for me, Kate and Anthony had amazing chemistry), The Witcher Season 2 (ahh Henry Cavill, how I’ve missed you), The Expanse Seasons 5 and 6 (amazing sci-fi show but not something you can really multitask while watching), Inhumans (not especially good but mildly interesting), and the I Am Groot animated shorts on Disney Plus (super cute). I’m also staying current with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (ok, kind of funny) and House of the Dragon (really enjoying). And finally, last night I watched the movie adaptation of The Hating Game, since it was streaming on Hulu and I’d just finished the book. It was all right, but I did like the book better – probably because I didn’t mind Lucy’s point of view in the book.

Other than all that, my favorites for the month include getting my piano tuned for the first time in forever (it sounds so good now!) and Bones Coffee’s The Nightmare Before Christmas flavored coffee collection (my favorites are The Pumpkin King, Santa Jack and Ruff Weather).

So you who know me know the drill – I want to talk to you! What have you been reading and watching lately? Have you read any of the ones I finished this month? Any recommendations for me? Do you like flavored coffee, and if so, what’s your favorite brand? What are you looking forward to for September? Come chat with me in the comments!

The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2022 Reading Challenge

Level 1: Book of the Month Club [10/12 complete]
1. Read a book that cost less than $5 – The Paid Bridesmaid – Sariah Wilson
2. Read a book that is under 350 pages – Sign of the Unicorn – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book that was recommended to you
4. Read a newly published book (within the past year) – Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson
5. Read a book that has a type of plant or flower in the title – These Tangled Vines – Julianne Maclean
6. Read a book because of the cover – Shatter Me – Tahereh Mafi
7. Read a book about a mythical creature – Blood Trade – Faith Hunter
8. Read a book that takes place in the future – Leviathan Falls – James S.A. Corey
9. Read a book by an author that’s new to you – Every Heart a Doorway – Seanan McGuire
10. Read a book from NPR’s top 50 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the past decade – The Martian – Andy Weir
11. A book by an author whose first or last name has 5 letters
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Hating Game – Sally Thorne

Level 2: Casual Reader Club [7/12 complete]
13. Read a book published 5 years ago – Turtles All the Way Down – John Green
14. Read a Speculative Fiction
15. Read the first book in a duology – King of Scars – Leigh Bardugo
16. Read the second book in a duology – Rule of Wolves – Leigh Bardugo
17. A book that was published when you were 5 years old – The Hand of Oberon – Roger Zelazny
18. Read a book by an author named Alex, Alexander, Alexandra (or variant) – The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
19. Read a book about Zombies
20. Read a book with a black cover – I’ve Got Your Number – Sophie Kinsella
21. Read a book from AbeBooks.com’s list of 100 (fiction) books to read in a lifetime
22. Read a book with the word City in the title – City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert
23. Read a book about a musician (non-fiction or fiction)
24. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [7/12 complete]
25. A book with a title that has 5 letters
26. Read a book published by Macmillan (or subsidiary)
27. Read a book with a title that doesn’t start with an article (A, An, The) – Raven Cursed – Faith Hunter
28. Read a book you recently acquired – Black Arts – Faith Hunter
29. Read a book that’s been on your TBR for over a year
30. Read a Revenge Story – The Rage of Dragons – Evan Winter
31. Read a book by Philippa Gregory – The Lady of the Rivers – Philippa Gregory
32. Read a book that takes place on an island
33. Read a book that does not have a person (or people) on the cover – Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
34. A book that you intended to read on last year’s challenge – A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
35. Read a Psychological Thriller – The Shadow Box – Luanne Rice
36. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 4: Speed Reader Club [5/12 complete]
37. Read a book over 500 pages
38. Read a book that starts with the letter Z (or has Z in the title) – Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating – Christina Lauren
39. Read a book that takes place around your favorite holiday
40. A book with 5 objects on the cover – Pawn’s Gambit – Rob J. Hayes
41. Read a book with the word Wisdom in the title
42. Read a Dystopian Fiction – The Circle – Dave Eggers
43. Read a book by an author with the same name as one of your parents (Biological, Step, Adopted)
44. Read a book that a movie/show you’ve watched is based on but have yet to read (example: Watched The Hobbit, but never read the Hobbit) – Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
45. Read a book about a Saint (non-Fiction or Fiction)
46. Read any book from the Men’s Health most popular book list – The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
47. Read a book published in a year that was important to you
48. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 5: Overachiever Club [6/12 complete]
49. Read the 5th book in a series or an author’s 5th novel – Death’s Rival – Faith Hunter
50. Read a True Crime book – If You Tell – Gregg Olsen
51. Read a book by Georges Simenon (or one of his Pen Names)
52. A book with the number 5 in the title
53. Read a book that takes place in Russia – A Train to Moscow – Elena Gorokhova
54. Read a book by an author using initials as part of their name – A Dream So Dark – L.L. McKinney
55. Read a book that has a title in the form of a question
56. Read a banned book from this banned book list – Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
57. A book with at least 5 prominent characters
58. Read a book that Linz read previously (see book review archive here) – Deadheading – Paul Cristo
59. Read a book that Tress read previously (see reading category archive here)
60. Free Space – Pick any book!