For the Love of Reading.....What's On Your Bookshelf

Welcome to my What's On Your BookShelf post. The #WOYB link party is hosted by Deb, Jo and Sue....all gals I follow on a few other link parties. I love their blogs. Go check them out. #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge

My rating system:

⭐ DNF (which there's a reason), story lacking any depth, grammatical or spelling errors (too many), just did not enjoy it and enough to it that I wouldn't recommend. Don't bother reading

⭐⭐ Story line is a bit all over the place, struggle to read it but maybe it had some redeeming parts. Characters  or story line weren't believable or too unrealistic. I wouldn't want to read it again. Too many storylines going on at the same time. Read it or don't read it.

⭐⭐⭐ Solid story line and characters. I liked it but didn't necessarily LOVE it, but I didn't HATE it either. I may have felt that it dragged on, or had parts that weren't necessary to the story. Maybe was a little hard to follow. Probably wouldn't recommend but it wasn't a total disaster.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A really great read that I enjoyed picking up each time. I enjoyed it from front to back. The characters and storyline were really good.  As someone said "a truly good book, but missing the cherry on top".  Go ahead and read it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book knocked it out of the park and I couldn't put it down. OR it was a book that really opened my eyes to something or taught me something about someones life. One I have bookmarked and even taken notes. It left me wanting to read more by the author or more in the series. Definitely go read. 

I read/listened to 8 books in January. I have really enjoyed audiobooks and I totally think they count as reading. I don't listen to them on a fast speed to finish sooner...Usually 1.0-1.25x speed is perfect. I want to understand what I'm hearing. 

I'll share at the end how I'm doing on the 52 book challenge. 

January Reads:

 If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos ⭐⭐⭐

I might have been a bit hard on this one with only 3 stars...but "Uncle Jesse" (his beloved character on the show Full House), I just did not need to know some of what you shared...lol. I love reading about peoples lives, what got them where they are today, what reminds me that they are first and foremost a human being and that their "celebrity" status is brought about by their "jobs", but I honestly could care less about their sex lives, at least tame it a bit..allude to it, but spare the details. Other than that and some F-bombs, it was good. I listened to it and he is a good narrator. It's fascinating where he started as a kid with dreams to where he is today. 

Dearly Deleted (Book Blogger Mysteries #2) by Sarah Burr ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one almost was a December read but I couldn't quite get it done. So I finished it on January 2nd. I read the first book in the series in October and enjoyed it, especially because I like to blog and I love to read. This second installment did not disappoint. Winnie is a bit stressed about her parents visiting. Her brother has settled into life in a small town (he's a movie star), and of course there's a murder. She sets out to solve the mystery and hopefully enjoy a great holiday with her family. 

Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency #2) by Alexander McCall Smith ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I listened to this on audio at the recommendation of my aunt and I'm glad I did. It was great to hear how things I had read in the first book should be pronounced. There are quite a few books in this series, but I think they are worth the read. We go further into the life of Precious Ramotswe and her now fiancee, Mr. Matekoni. As the owner of the only women's detective agency we find her helping out mostly with simple requests. There were a few "oh no, what's going to happen" moments which always make the book more enjoyable. We find the main characters to be Mme Ramotswe, Mr. Matekoni and Mme Ramotswe's assistant. I'm guessing each book adds a new set of characters that may continue in the series (I won't give away who adds to this book).

Puzzle Me a Murder (An Alice Pepper Lonely Hearts and Puzzle Club mystery) by Roz Noonan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I chose this book because it fit with one of the 52 book prompts. Plus I love puzzles. This was a fun read that blends generations and family. We find 65 year old librarian, Alice, as the sleuth, trying to defend her friend from being suspected of killing her cheating husband. Alice herself is divorced and trying to make ends meet. There are a variety of characters, and you might be changing your mind several times as to "whodunnit". One thing Alice and her friends enjoy is gathering around the table to work a puzzle. Whether at home or at the senior center they can be found enjoying them, AND puzzles will play a part in the solving of the crime.

Fondue or Die (Cheese Shop Mystery, #5) by Korina Moss  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a new to me series. While this was book #5 i was able to read it without being lost. I'm working on catching up. It will mention events that happened prior but it is easy to follow. Willa is fairly new to the small town of Yarrow Glen where she has visited in the past. She has opened a cheese shop, has a solid group of new friends and has some mysteries to solve. There are a few potential love interests throughout the series. The end of each book has recipes that involve cheese. YES!! This book had me wondering who did it and I was wrong a few times. I was surprised by who ended up being the killer at the end. 

Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage & Motherhood in the Middle of  Nowhere by Ree Drummond  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I listened to this one and it was a fun one. Nothing too serious, nothing that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but it was a nice, fun listen. If you are familiar with Ree through her blog and her cooking show you may be familiar with some of the stories, but it also added more stories and some more depth to the brief ones I had read. I chose it for the 52 book challenge prompt "Character has red hair"...well she certainly does. 

The Zookeepers Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman  ⭐⭐⭐

I mentioned last month that I was reading this for my passalong book club. It wasn't that this book was "bad", it was just lacking. It was hard for me to follow. Maybe listening to it would've been better. It did have some interesting facts. I realized how much of what happened to the jews at the hands of Hitler we still do not know about. I was able to use this as a prompt because it had diary entries. What strength those who were jewish and those who helped them had. I sometimes wonder how many of us would survive today in this world where everything is so easily at our fingertips. I think it would be a very different story. 

Axe Me No Questions by Paula Charles  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was the second in the Hometown Hardware series. I received it as an ARC and was not disappointed. Paula is a local and newly published author. She also goes by Janna Rollins in another series. I've read the first books in each series. This book finds Dawna, the owner of the local hardware store trying to solve the murder of a local lumberjack whom she literally stumbles over. There is a light touch of paranormal in the form of her late husband and cat. There is a fun cast of characters. This is a series worth reading.

Currently Reading: 

I actually read a few books already that didn't make it on the Currently reading list last month...I'll share those in March. Right now, I'm reading:

Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond

This one showed up on my Book bub email and it sounded interesting. I'm listening to it and literally just started it. I always want to be one who is willing to read, listen and learn, and even read, listen and learn from points of view that might be different than mine. I don't know where this one will fall...I certainly believe it is a problem and something needs to be done, but I also know that there are many who do not want to work for anything, choose to stay where they are and continue in downward cycles. We have been in the low income bracket, on WIC, on state insurance, and we are where we are now by working really hard. We are giving people and we always have been. I'm for receiving help, but not a handout without accountability or willingness to get out of the situation. Perhaps I'm wrong..perhaps this book will change my mind. We'll see.

From the description: The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages? 

 
In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.
 
Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.

Archaeology and Assasination: (Museum book 1) Cozy Mystery: by Melanie Myers

I'm using this as my March read for the Murder They Write challenge. There was another book I wanted to read by one of the MTW authors but again, trying not to buy any books unless necessary. This one was available on KU and is actually fairly short.  I had to come to the decision, that it is okay to read shorter books...they still count! I just started this one as well. It follows Maree Lilley who is trained as an archaeologist but is currently a curator for the local museum. She finds her boss murdered, at her desk and I'm guessing she's going to do what she can to prove her innocence. So far I'm liking the cast of characters, so this should be a fun, light and easy read. 

Snow Time to Die (Northwoods Mysteries) by Annie McEwen

As much as I'm trying NOT to buy book, I just had to with this one. I love this author and her Northwoods Mystery series. In this book we are back in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with Emmy and her family at their resort. In the previous books we got a tiny glimpse of why Emmy came home after living in the big city as a designer...in this book I think we're going to get a BIG look at the why because her ex boss is one of the guests. A HUGE storm has basically snowed everyone in and of course there's a murder and it could be one of the guests. I can't wait to dig into this one! 

Onto my 52 book challenge: These are what I have so far. I'm not sure any of my other books fit in the categories. 

For this challenge...January's book was "by a Murder they write author", February's was "that takes place at a B & B or hotel". I actually realized that I had already started the book for March...oops...guess I got a little excited. 

That's it for this month! 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin