27 books (all audiobooks)
16 re-reads
Still not in the mood for much besides what I already know.
Ended up at 251 for the year, which is less than last year but that’s fine.

• Appointment with Death (Hercule Poirot, #19) Agatha Christie ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Hercule Poirot, #37) Agatha Christie ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot, #30; Miss Marple, #2.2) Agatha Christie ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder on the Christmas Express Alexandra Benedict ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret Benjamin Stevenson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Black Coffee (Hercule Poirot, #7.5) Charles Osborne ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder Lost and Found (Sophie Sayers #7) Debbie Young ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder at the Mill (Sophie Sayers #6) Debbie  Young ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Springtime for Murder (Sophie Sayers #5) Debbie  Young ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas Dr. Seuss ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Westing Game Ellen Raskin ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• A Dying Fall (Ruth Galloway, #5) Elly Griffiths ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The House at Sea’s End (Ruth Galloway, #3) Elly Griffiths ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway, #2) Elly Griffiths ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway, #1) Elly Griffiths ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Secrets of a Scottish Isle (Jane Wunderly, #5) Erica Ruth Neubauer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder Under the Mistletoe (Jane Wunderly Mysteries #4.5) Erica Ruth Neubauer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Answer Is No Fredrik Backman ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Hatchet (Brian’s Saga, #1) Gary Paulsen ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Holmes, Miss Marple  Poe Investigations James  Patterson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The House of Cross (Alex Cross, #33) James  Patterson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Rivals (Claudia Lin, #2) Jane Pek ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Christmas Eve Murders Noelle Albright ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Christmas Guest Peter Swanson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, #5) Sophie Hannah ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Tommyknockers Stephen  King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

22 books in November. Still in a bit of a funk so mostly read older mysteries. I returned several new books to the library without even starting them. My favorite of the month was probably the re-listen of Station Eleven.

• Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10) Agatha Christie ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Author’s Guide to Murder Beatriz Williams ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder Takes the Stage (Phyllida Bright Mystery, #4) Colleen Cambridge ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• It Had to Be Murder Cornell Woolrich ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Rear Window Cornell Woolrich ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Rebecca Daphne du Maurier ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1) J.K. Rowling ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder at an English Seance (A Beryl and Edwina Mystery #8) Jessica Ellicott ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Brat Farrar Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Miss Pym Disposes Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Daughter of Time (Inspector Alan Grant, #5) Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• To Love and Be Wise (Inspector Alan Grant, #4) Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3) Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• A Shilling for Candles (Inspector Alan Grant, #2) Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Man in the Queue (Inspector Alan Grant, #1) Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Singing Sands Josephine Tey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• Hotel Lucky Seven (Assassins, #4) Kōtarō Isaka ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Killing Time (Agatha Raisin, #35) M.C. Beaton ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories Otto Penzler ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Marlow Murder Club (Marlow Murder Club, #1) Robert Thorogood ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Dark Half Stephen King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

27 books in October which is misleading because 11 were from the Series of Unfortunate Events so were very short. I’m still in a little bit of a reading rut so most (21) were rereads.

• Hallowe’en Party (Hercule Poirot, #41) Agatha Christie ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Christmas Jigsaw Murders (Edie O’Sullivan, #1) Alexandra Benedict ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Sign of the Five (the Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall #2) Ali Standish ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Man in Black: Stories Elly Griffiths ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Dust (Silo, #3) Hugh Howey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Shift (Silo, #2) Hugh Howey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Wool (Silo, #1) Hugh Howey ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The President’s Lawyer Lawrence S. Robbins ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #13) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #12) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #11) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #10) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Carnivorous Carnival (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #9) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #8) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #7) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #5) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #6) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #4) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #3) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid, #2.5) Nita Prose ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop Otto Penzler ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Wrath of the Triple Goddess (PJO The Senior Year Adventures #2) Rick Riordan ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Catching Fire (Hunger Games, #2) Suzanne Collins ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) Suzanne Collins ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0) Suzanne Collins ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2) Thomas Harris ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This is a fun book for anyone who likes cozy mysteries and doing puzzles. It’s told from both the killer’s perspective as well as the detective’s. The killer starts sending puzzle pieces to Edie O’Sullivan on December 1st, which helps her solve the crimes. Her nephew is a DI so she gets inside information on the cases.

I had actually read this book back in March for the first time, and when it popped up as an option on Netgalley I scooped it up because I thought it was a second in the series (because the cover was a different color). But I’ve read enough books since then so it was a pleasure to read again.

This is my ideal story type – British woman solving mysteries that aren’t too scary. The narrator was very easy to listen to and believable as a person of this age and temperament.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the chance to (re) listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

@Dreamscape_Media @netgalley
#NetGalley #dreamscapemedia #alexandrabenedictauthor

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In the past few years I’ve tried to start watching scary movies a little bit more, so this book seemed right up my alley. It takes 25 horror movies starting in 1960 up to 2018 and explains the plot and common scary movie tropes that go along with the film.

More importantly though, it explains what was going on culturally at the time and how that relates to why each film was made when it was in response to the culture. Very fascinating.

Here is a list of the movies covered:

• Psycho
• Night of the Living Dead
• Rosemary’s Baby
• The Exorcist
• The Wicker Man
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• Carrie
• Halloween
• The Shining
• Poltergeist
• The Thing
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• The Fly
• Hellraiser
• Candyman
• Scream
• The Blair Witch Project
• The Ring
• 28 Days Later
• Saw
• The Conjuring
• The Babadook
• It Follows
• Get Out
• Hereditary

Special thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion. I was so intrigued by this that I went ahead and purchased my own copy of the Kindle book to have on hand for future reference.

#NetGalley #RBMedia #emilychughes #horrorforweenies
@netgalley

16 audiobooks for September

2 re-reads (First 2 Lemony Snicket in honor of 25th anniversary of The Bad Beginning)

Favorite series of the month: Joseph Spector Locked Room Mystery

Most fun listen: The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall (already pre-ordered the sequel 10/22)

• The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall Ali Standish ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• How to Kill Your Family Bella Mackie ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch (The Outsider’s Guides) Emily C. Hughes ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Before the Fact Francis Iles ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Antiquity Affair Lee   Kelly ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #2) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1) Lemony Snicket ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Canary Trainer: From the Memoirs of John H. Watson, M.D. Nicholas Meyer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The West End Horror Nicholas Meyer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (Nicholas Meyer Holmes Pastiches #1) Nicholas Meyer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2024 Otto Penzler ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1) Richard Osman ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Hitchcock Hotel Stephanie Wrobel ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• Death and the Conjuror (A Spector Locked-Room Mystery, #1) Tom Mead ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Murder Wheel (A Spector Locked-Room Mystery, #2) Tom Mead ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Cabaret Macabre (A Spector Locked-Room Mystery, #3) Tom Mead ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️