14 for August

• Murder at the White Palace (Sparks & Bainbridge, #6) Allison Montclair ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• A Dark-Adapted Eye Barbara Vine ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• Murder at the Dinner Party (Cleopatra Fox, #8) C.J. Archer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Poison at Penshaw Hall (The Milverton Mysteries #2) G.B. Ralph ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder on Milverton Square (The Milverton Mysteries #1) G.B. Ralph ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Sequel (The Book Series, #2) Jean Hanff Korelitz ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Plot (The Book Series, #1) Jean Hanff Korelitz ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. Nicholas Meyer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D. Nicholas Meyer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell (From the Memoirs of John H. Watson) Nicholas Meyer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• A Swarm of Butterflies (Nell Ward, #6) Sarah Yarwood-Lovett ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• I Was a Teenage Slasher Stephen Graham Jones ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Outsider Stephen King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• If It Bleeds Stephen King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I just fell in love with Addison Harper and the people of Milverton. Listened to the first two in the series on Monday and Tuesday. Can’t wait for October 2nd for the third one 🥰

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a super fun and fast-paced sequel to The Plot. I re-listened to The Plot to prepare for this one and I was glad I did. I think it made for much easier understanding of what was happening since this one picks up right after the events of The Plot.

Anna published her own book which is supposed to be about how to cope with the death of a loved one who has taken their own lives. While on book tour, she starts to receive passages of the book that her dead husband took the idea from. She thought she had gotten rid of every copy so she investigates who might be sending them.

I really enjoyed this and think that most everyone would like this series.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication date 10/1/24

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Our favorite crime solving ecologist Dr Nell Ward is back in a new mystery where she and Rav are again in danger from those around them. It’s rare that I feel such actual worry for characters in a book but these two hit me in the feels every time. 

This time there is drama over their very popular new YouTube channel, and Rav has a few obsessive fans that want Nell out of the way. I was so happy to see the progress Rav is making in his recovery from the car accident a few books ago. I also really like how science helped solves the mystery in these books.

This series is perfect for fans of the Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Embla Books for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication date 8/26/24

19 books for July

• Olivetti Allie Millington ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
• All the Colors of the Dark Chris Whitaker ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
• Ali Cross: The Secret Detective (Ali Cross, #3) James  Patterson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Like Father, Like Son (Ali Cross, #2) James  Patterson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• Ali Cross (Ali Cross, #1) James  Patterson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• The Examiner Janice Hallett ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Hera Jennifer Saint ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• The Ministry of Time Kaliane Bradley ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Murder on a School Night Kate Weston ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy Kathy Kleiner Rubin ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Death at Morning House Maureen Johnson ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) Rick Riordan ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Assassins Anonymous (Assassins Anonymous, #1) Rob Hart ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
• 11/22/1963 Stephen  King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1) Stephen  King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges #2) Stephen  King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• End of Watch (Bill Hodges #3) Stephen  King ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
• Worst Case Scenario T.J. Newman ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

TJ Newman is a master at telling great stories with a backdrop of unthinkable but possible man made catastrophes. She makes you care about the characters that are going through the disaster, and the writing is so fast paced that you feel you have to finish the book in one sitting if possible because you have to know what will happen.

The setting for Worst Case Scenario is a nuclear power plant where a plane has just crashed after the pilot had a heart attack. The power plant is in a small town with only one fire truck and the highway to the town is closed from a large car crash, so it will be hard for help to get there. The nuclear disaster could be worse than either Fukushima or Chernobyl as far as impacts to the country and the people.

The audiobook was awesome. The narrator (actor Joe Morton) did a great job on the regular reading plus there were lots of radio transmissions that sounded amazing. I love it when audiobooks do that. It helps with the realism and makes you feel like you were there. I think I could listen to him read anything.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the chance to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion. I’ve already listened to it twice in two days.

I’m always happy to read books that are re-tellings of well known stories from the female’s perspective, especially mythology related stories. This one was no exception!

I grew up watching the 1981 Clash of the Titans on VHS as many times as my parents would rent it from the Curtis Mathes, which was what our town had before Blockbuster was a thing. That movie portrays Hera as very cruel and unforgiving. I also love with the Percy Jackson series, so I had a pretty good knowledge of the stories from all the other perspectives.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing all of the stories related to Hera from her perspective to help hear why she might have made some of the decisions she made. It definitely gave me empathy for Hera that I had never had before.

Trigger warnings for rape/abuse but that should be obvious if you have read any Greek mythology before.

The narrator Naomi Frederick did a great job of helping give an empathetic voice to Hera. I can’t wait to see what other retellings Jennifer Saint comes up with in the future.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This gave Mean Girls vibes mixed with Truly Devious/Nancy Drew/Harriet the Spy. Kerry and Annie are on the outside of the cool group when they are approached by the leader to help investigate who is sending her scary DMs. Then a very strange murder happens and she asks them to investigate that also.

I enjoyed the friendship between Annie and Kerry.

I think I might have liked it better if I had read the book instead of listened to it, because the audiobook narrator’s accent was just difficult for my American South ears to completely comprehend at all times, especially if I was also multitasking. I don’t usually have this issue and I listen to a couple of hundred audiobooks per year.

Special thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for an audiobook copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was extremely difficult to narrow down to a top 10 but here is my stab at it.

Thanks @rev.alicia.reads for the template.

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
• All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr
• The Murmur of Bees Sofia Segovia
• Sparks Like Stars Nadia Hashimi
• Rules of Civility Amor Toles
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zavin
• Echo Pam Muñoz Ryan
• Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel
• Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner
• Turtles All The Way Down John Green

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was another fun story told in transcripts from group texts and message boards. There is/may have been a disappearance at a small college masters arts program. We have to figure out what happened based on reading all of the messages, which are often contradicting. So who is lying?? Who is spying on who?

I have worked with several of these types of people so it was interesting to see how they acted this scenario. So realistic that they were all of different ages/stages of life.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication Date 9/10/24