January 6th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Percy Jackson and the Olympians – I’d completely forgotten about the stop in St. Louis.  I’d also kind of forgotten how episodic the book was, but watching it on TV, this is kind of how the book felt.  We have an adventure here.  We have one there.  And eventually we make it to our goal.  At least hopefully we do.  I don’t want to spoil anything.

Night Court – You know, I’d completely forgotten about Dan moving away as the cliffhanger at the end of season one.  Of course, we all knew he wasn’t going to stay away, so I guess I just wasn’t that worried about him staying away.  This was a decent premier, although not knowing Roz from the original series definitely diminished the impact some.  And why would Dan come all this way to help her out?  That didn’t really make any sense to me.

Extended Family – Got to admit, I found it amusing.  Not completely sold yet, but I did enjoy it.  Or at least parts of it.  They definitely went into the TMI category.  But I liked the way they ended things.  Kind of sweet, in a way.

Only Murders in the Building – Since I don’t have Hulu, I haven’t watched this show, but I always figured I would enjoy it.  And I’m loving it!  Three episodes wasn’t enough.  I’m looking forward to next week to find out what is really going on.

The Challenge – I really wish they’d instigate a rule that if you win an elimination, you are safe in the next round.  I mean, it is ridiculous to keep putting the same people in.  I was glad Michelle wound up in the elimination since she was talking about coasting.  Part of me wishes she had lost since we need to do something to shake up the game.  On the other hand, I’m always rooting for the champion to be defeated.

Book Review: The Burning Room by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #17)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Bosch and two intriguing mysteries

Cons: Several repetitive plot points

The Bottom Line:

A fresh yet cold case

Bit overly familiar

Still good overall

Bosch Has a New Case He’s Burning to Solve

I didn’t get to as many of Michael Connelly’s books as I had hoped last year.  I’m hoping to fix that in 2024, and I’m off to a good start with The Burning Room, the seventeenth book in his Harry Bosch series.

As this book opens, Harry Bosch is still working in the cold case unit of the LAPD with a year left until his second retirement.  He and his new partner have caught a cold case with a fresh corpse.  The victim, Orlando Merced, was hit with a stray bullet ten years before.  His shooting was never solved, and he has finally died due to complications from his injury.  Bosch is hoping that the bullet, which wasn’t able to be removed before now, will be the break they need to solve the crime.  However, Bosch still finds himself dealing with a lack of clues or evidence.  Will he get lucky and find a new lead?

There is a second case in this book involving a crime from twenty years before that involved his new partner, Detective Lucia Soto.  It’s borderline whether it is a second plot or a subplot, but either way, I enjoyed it.  In fact, I think I liked it a little better than the main storyline.

Here’s my issue with the book – after seventeen books, things are beginning to feel too familiar.  I called several plot twists early just because this was a Bosch book, and certain things are always going to happen.  Not that Bosch is a victim of circumstances.  Quite often, what he is dealing with is at least partially his own fault.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the book or get caught up in the story.  I definitely did, and I was curious to see just how Bosch would solve things.  The ending was a little rushed, but it did answer all of my questions, and Bosch followed a logical trail to get to the endings.

And I do enjoy spending time with the character.  There aren’t too many recurring characters at this point, although we do get some fun appearances by some regular background characters.

One aspect that was fresh was Bosch’s relationship with his new partner.  I really enjoyed watching them work together.  Oh, he still treats her poorly (and hypocritically) at times, but overall, it was a nice change from some of the other partners he’s had over the books.

Again, none of this means I didn’t enjoy the book.  Far from it.  It’s just not one of the stronger books in the series, and fans of the author will see the issues I’m talking about.

As usual, there is some language and violence to be aware of when picking up this book.  But as long as you know it is there, you’ll be fine.  It really is kept to a very small minimum; it’s just that this isn’t one of the cozies I typically read.

This was the first time I got to listen to Titus Welliver narrate one of these books in audio form.  He’s become linked to Bosch thanks to his work on the TV shows revolving around the character.  I was a little surprised that it took me a while to get used to his narration.  I found it a little flat at first, but eventually, I warmed up to it.

While The Burning Room isn’t the strongest book from Michael Connelly, his fans will still enjoy it.  If you aren’t as familiar with the character, you will probably enjoy it more since you won’t see parts of it coming.

Here are the rest of the Harry Bosch novels.

January 5th's Friday Post

Wow!  It's been almost two months since I last did a Friday post.  Life has a way of getting away from you when you aren't looking, doesn't it?  But I'm going to jump back in today.  I'll be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three will come from Mushroom Capped by Cathy Wiley.

This is the second book in her Fatal Food Festivals Mysteries.  I loved the first one, and this one was great as well.

Here's how it begins:

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Jackie?” my brother asked. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but people have ended up dead at these festivals you’re judging. Now you’re at a festival where the featured ingredient could actually kill people.”

He does have a good point.  Especially since someone was poisoned at the first festival.

Meanwhile, at 56% into the book, Jackie, the main character, has just been present when a second body turned up.  Deputy Frayne has arrived on the scene and is asking Jackie about what happened.  When Jackie explains that she went back outside to see what was going on, Deputy Frayne asks:

“So, you then ran outside after hearing a gunshot? You don’t believe in self-preservation, do you?’

“I didn’t run out. I headed back down the stairs and inched out.”

Deputy Frayne sighed. “You should have just called 9-1-1.”

The book is out, and my review will be up on Tuesday, so I hope you'll come back to get my full thoughts.

Time to close things out with this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Do you anticipate any upcoming 2024 books? If so, what are they?

Quite a few, actually.  But one I'm especially looking forward to is Once Upon a Murder by Samantha Larsen.  This is the second Lady Librarian Mystery.  The first was one of my favorites of 2023 so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Book Review: Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire (Christie Bookshop Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Characters, setting, and plot all had moments to shine

Cons: Characters, setting, and plot all had moments when they were weak

The Bottom Line:

Intriguing premise

Parts worked, but parts uneven

For a mixed debut

Dead Stranger in a Gondola

When I heard the set up for Dead and Gondola, I couldn't resist.  From the setting to the mystery, it sounded like something I would enjoy.  Sadly, it wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be.

This book takes us to a resort town in Colorado and introduces us to the Christie sisters, Ellie and Meg.  They aren’t related to the famous mystery author, but they have taken over running the family bookstore.  While the story carries all genres in an effort to appeal to vacationers, they do specialize in mysteries.

And then a real life mystery lands in the store.  A mysterious stranger comes into the store one day and hangs around for several hours before abruptly walking out, leaving behind a rare book.  The next time Ellie and Meg spot him, they are about to take the gondola that connects the upper and lower parts of town at the end of the day.  The stranger is in the car in front of them by himself.  And he's dead when he reaches the ground.  How did he die?  Who was he?  And who wanted him dead?

I often talk about the balance between set up and moving the story forward, especially in the first book in a series.  Unfortunately, this book could have used a bit more set up.  Or at least done a better job of setting up the characters and the surroundings of the story.  I struggled a bit to really feel like I was really at home in the story when I started this book.

This did get better as things went along, fortunately.  Ellie and Meg and the rest of the main characters are all wonderful, and I did come to care for them.  Since this is the first in the series, the line was a bit blurred between suspects and regular characters, and that’s a good thing.  They were just as strong.  The setting turned out to be as wonderful as I expected it to be.  I could get lost in the bookstore for a long time if it were real, and the rest of the town was charming.

The plot started out strongly with the stranger arriving at the bookstore and making some waves.  It isn't long before he dies, and something else happens that also intrigued me.  However, the pacing was uneven overall.  Something would happen, and the characters would react.  But then we'd get lots of speculation before something new happened again.  Having said that, the ending did make sense.

I wanted to like Dead and Gondola more than I did.  It wasn't a truly bad book, but it also could have been stronger.  If the premise appeals to you, give it a try.  It might work for you when it didn't for me.

TV Show Review: Night Court (2023) - Season 1

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: A couple truly funny episodes

Cons: Most are just amusing

The Bottom Line:

Rebooted sitcom

A few laughs per episode

But still skippable

Mildly Amusing Reboot

While I’ve watched many of the classic sitcoms that were before my time (or at least before the time when I was watching TV), there are quite a few I have missed.  One of those is the original Night Court, which ran for much of the 1980’s into the early 1990’s.  NBC decided to reboot it earlier this year, and I decided to give it a chance.  I stuck with it through season 1, but I found it only mildly amusing.

The show is set in a night court in New York City.  Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) has decided to move to the city and take her late father’s old bench.  She’s not quite prepared for the chaos that goes with the cases that come before a judge at night.  Also on the team are the court deputy, Gurgs (Lacretta), and clerk, Neil (Kapil Talwalkar).  The prosecutor assigned to the court, Olivia (India de Beaufort), is trying to get out of the assignment, preferable to the better paying private lawyer sector.  In need to a public defender, Abby recruits one of her dad’s old friends, Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) to come out of retirement and switch from the prosecution side.

What happens over these sixteen episodes?  Abby tries to get Dan to embrace his new role, with mixed results.  Meanwhile, she has trouble finding a new place to live.  Gurgs’s nephew and his classmates cause a disruption.  And does a tech CEO hold the key to financial success for everyone?

As I said, this sitcom is amusing at best.  Of the sixteen episodes we got, one or two were truly funny, while the rest had a few laughs.  I feel this way about most modern sitcoms, unfortunately. I wish classic sitcoms were in better shape because it is an art form I have loved for years.  I feel like, instead of being funny, the show is saying to us “aren’t I clever and funny?”  It thinks it is funnier than it is, and it wants us to feel that way, too.  And it is trying so hard to be funny.  Obviously, I can’t compare it to the original since I haven’t watched it.

I know enough about the original to know that John Larroquette is back playing his original character and Melissa Rauch’s Abby is the daughter of another of the original characters.  There was another cameo, which was fun, but for the most part, this show is trying to be its own thing.

I’m not blaming the actors for any of this.  Melissa Rauch is the reason I decided to tune in since I was a fan of her from her days on The Big Bang Theory.  She’s playing a very different character, and she’s doing it well.  John Larroquette is also great.  The rest of the cast is doing the best with the material they have.

Season two has just kicked off.  I’m planning to watch as of now, but we’ll see if anything else catches my eye during that time period.  I didn’t find season one of this Night Court to be truly bad, but it is far from much watch TV.

Book Review: Partners in Crime by Steve Hockensmith (Holmes on the Range #6.5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Five fun stories with great characters

Cons: The first story wanders a bit before it really kicks in

The Bottom Line:

Story collection

Featuring a fun duo

You’ll be glad you read

Five Cases of Crime in the Old West

I’m usually a novel reader, so even if an author includes characters I love in short stories, I don’t always try to track down those stories.  Unless they combine them in a collection.  That’s what Steve Hockensmith has done with his Holmes on the Range characters in Partners in Crime.  And I’m glad since I enjoyed catching up with Old Red and Big Red’s adventures here.

If you’ve missed these books, Old Red and Big Red are brothers living life in the American west in the 1890’s.  One night, Big Red stumbled upon a Sherlock Holmes story and read it to his brother.  Old Red loved learning about this detective so much, he started using Holmes’s methods in their lives.  And, considering the mysteries he’s gotten them involved in as a result, that’s turned out to be a very good thing.

This book is a collection of five short stories with the brothers.  They take place from November 1893 to February 1894, so clearly the brothers are busy during that time.  Especially when you figure out that they are just coming off the mystery known as World’s Greatest Sleuth! and solve The Double-A Western Detective Agency in there as well.

The first story finds the brothers returning to their home town in Kansas with mixed results.  When the brothers set out to find a Christmas tree for their landlady, they find a dead body instead.  A series of strange events leads them to go to Idaho to try to help the sheep ranchers involved.  A request in Colorado finds them in the middle of newspaper wars.  Finally, they have to clear their own names when their landlady thinks they are responsible for the things that have been disappearing around their boarding house.

These stories are various lengths, but all told, the five combined equal about a novel’s length.  The first story is the longest, and it’s the one that seems to wander the most before the plot really kicks in.  But, as a fan of the characters, I was finding the homecoming fascinating.  Not all of them involve murder, and I enjoyed that.  It’s always refreshing to read about other crimes in mysteries.

The series has not been strong on recurring characters.  Old Red and Big Red are the only characters we’ve seen in every story.  That holds true again here, although we do see their new business partners in the final story, which I greatly enjoyed.  But that’s not an issue since these two are strong enough to carry us from story to story.  I love their interactions, and they made me laugh several times in each story.  Plus, the rest of the characters in each story are strong enough to pull us in as well.

There are a couple of references to other cases that the brothers have solved, but nothing that would truly be a spoiler.  So if you wanted to jump in here, you easily could since it would give you a feel for the series.  Of course, it would also send you looking for the other books in the series.

Partners in Crime is the next best thing to a new novel in the series.  This will please fans and help hook more on this fun duo.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Holmes on the Range series.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Reading Challenge: COYER Unwind 2024 - Winter

I will be back to participate in COYER again.  As in years past, they are doing it in chapters, or quarters if you are thinking more along the lines of a calendar.

Up first is the most traditional COYER challenge, back when it was all about ebooks that were cheap or free.  The only format is ebooks or audiobooks that you got for free or nearly free.  That does include review copies, fortunately for me since that seems to be the majority of what I read electronically.

It runs from January 1st to March 31st.

We will see how many I get to this quarter:

1. Partners in Crime by Steve Hockensmith

2. Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

3. The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

4. Mushroom Capped by Cathy Wiley

5. Knot of This World by Mary Marks

6. The Kill of It All by Diane Vallere

7. The Case of the Canterfell Codicil by PJ Fitzsimmons

8. Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings

9. Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell

10. The Secrets We Keep by Liz Milliron

11. DM Me for Murder by Sarah E. Burr

12. Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay

13. Once Upon a Murder by Samantha Larsen

14. Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts

15. Black List, White Death by Steve Hockensmith

16. Knot Ready for Murder by Mary Marks

17. In Sunshine or in Shadow by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

18. Stark Raving Mod by Diane Vallere

19. Listen, Do You Want to Know a Secret by Teresa Trent

Reading Challenge: Reading by the Numbers 2024

I will be back for the Reading by the Numbers challenge in 2024.  It's a fairly simple challenge - set a reading goal and then have fun reading to get there.  That's it.  No levels.  Nothing but what you think you will hit.  And you can always increase your number of books along the way.

I'm going to do like I did last year and start out with a goal of 100 books for 2024.  I'm sure I'll be along part way into the year to increase it, but I don't want to set it too high.  This is the same strategy I employ for my Goodreads challenge each year.

June Update: I am officially upping my goal to 120 books.  I'll be hitting 60 before June is over, so it seems like a good new goal.

I'll list the books below as I complete them.

1. Partners in Crime by Steve Hockensmith

2. Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

3. The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

4. Mushroom Capped by Cathy Wiley

5. Knot of This World by Mary Marks

6. The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

7. The Kill of It All by Diane Vallere

8. The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

9. Easter Basket Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross

10. The Case of the Canterfell Codicil by PJ Fitzsimmons

11. Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings

12. Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell

13. Spy School Goes North by Stuart Gibbs

14. The Secrets We Keep by Liz Milliron

15. DM Me for Murder by Sarah E. Burr

16. Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay

17. A Scaly Tail of Murder by Jacqueline Vick

18. Yankee Doodle Dead by Carolyn Hart

19. Mission Manhattan by James Ponti

20. Once Upon a Murder by Samantha Larsen

21. Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

22. Murder Out of Character by Olivia Matthew

23. Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts

24. Black List, White Death by Steve Hockensmith

25. Knot Ready for Murder by Mary Marks

26. In Sunshine or in Shadow by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

27. Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz

28. Stark Raving Mod by Diane Vallere

29. Secrets of a Scottish Isle by Erica Ruth Neubauer

30. The Witless Protection Program by Maria DiRico

31. Listen, Do You Want to Know a Secret by Teresa Trent

32. Molten Death by Leslie Karst

33. Brie Careful What You Wish For by Linda Reilly

34. The Fly on the Wall by Tony Hillerman

35. An Orphan of Hell's Kitchen by Liz Freeland

36. Yosemite by Sandy Dengler

37. Under the Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg

38. A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge

39. The Ducal Detective by Sarah E. Burr

40. Torn Asunder by Barbara Ross

41. Under the Radar by Annette Dashofy

42. The Crossing by Michael Connelly

43. Death Washes Ashore by Caleb Wygal

44. The Bootlegger's Daughter by Nadine Nettmann

45. Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg

46. Only the Good Die Young by Julie Mulhern

47. Love Me or Grieve Me by Diane Vallere

48. Kaleidoscope by Dorothy Gilman

49. The Paris Mistress by Mally Becker

50. A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian

51. The Last Thing Claire Wanted by Karin Fitz Sandord

52. White Elephant Dead by Carolyn Hart

53. Tragedy in Tahoe by Rachele Baker

54. Kill or Bee Killed by Jennie Marts

55. I Sleep Around by Sue Ann Jaffarian

56. Villains' Realm by Ridley Pearson

57. Murder in the Air by Various Authors

58. Murder on the Med by Nancy Cole Silverman

59. A Feast Most Foul by Sarah E. Burr

60. Fondant Fumble by Jenn McKinlay

61. A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry

62. Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman

63. Warped on a Moon Trek by Diane Vallere

64. Murder at an English Seance by Jessica Ellicott

65. Requiem for a Mouse by Miranda James

66. Three Strikes - You're Dead by Various Authors

67. Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson

68. Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

69. Murder on Devil's Pond by Ayla Rose

70. Murder Buys a One Way Ticket by Laura Levine

71. The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly

72. Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way by Donald J. Sobol

73. Joshua Tree by Sandy Dengler

74. A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron

75. One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan

76. Dream Town by Lee Goldberg

77. The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning by PJ Fitzsimmons

78. Sugarplum Dead by Carolyn Hart

79. Puzzle Me a Murder by Roz Noonan

80. Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

81. A Voyage of Vengeance by Sarah E. Burr

82. The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver

83. Please Don't Push Up the Daisies by Diane Vallere

84. Death in St. George's by M.A. Monnin

85. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

86. The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Matthews

87. In the Event of Murder by Cynthia Kuhn

88.  Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman

89. Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews

90. French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron

91. A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair

92. A Scape Goat for Murder by Jacqueline Vick

93. The Late Show by Michael Connelly

94. Until Depths Do Us Part by K. B. Jackson

95. 26 Below by Kimberley Woodhouse

96. A Slay Ride Together with You by Vicki Delany

97. Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's by Liz Ireland

98. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

99. The Glass Bottom Hoax by Diane Vallere

100. Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien

101. Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver

102. A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay

103. The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

104. Pretty Lentil Liars by Cathy Wiley

105. Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern

106. Comedy Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers

107. Til Death by Annette Dashofy

108. The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper by Sally Carpenter

109. Death Checked Out by Leah Dobrinska

110. The General's Gold by LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin

111. Saguaro by Sandy Dengler

112. Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell

113. Sheer Window by Diane Vallere

114. A Matter of Life and Depths by K.B. Jackson

115. The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit

116. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

117. You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly

118. We Three Queens by Rhys Bowen

119. Murder at Glenloch Hill by Clara McKenna

120. Wedding Bride and Doom by Mary Karnes

121. Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg

122. Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

123. Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney

124. A Summit in Shadow by Sarah E. Burr

125. Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

126. Shock and Paw by Cate Conte

127. Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley

128. Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews

129. Unraveled by Shannon Messenger

130. I'll Bee Home for Christmas by Cathy Wiley

131. Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland

Reading Challenge: 52 Books in 52 Weeks 2024

I'll be back for another year of 52 Books in 52 Weeks.  This is another easy challenge, read at least a book a week.  In my case, it's more about which book I decide to highlight since I average over two books a week.

Yes, there are mini challenges and themes along the way, but they are optional, and since I usually have my own reading agenda, if I participate, it is by accident.

I'll list the books below as I finish them:

1. Partners in Crime by Steve Hockensmith

2. Mushroom Capped by Cathy Wiley

3. The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

4. The Case of the Canterfell Codicil by PJ Fitzsimmons

5. Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell

6. The Secrets We Keep by Liz Milliron

7. Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay

8. Mission Manhattan by James Ponti

9. Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts

10. Knot Ready for Murder by Mary Marks

11. In Sunshine or in Shadow by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

12. Stark Raving Mod by Diane Vallere

13. The Witless Protection Program by Maria DiRico

14. Molten Death by Leslie Karst

15. Yosemite by Sandy Dengler

16. A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge

17. Torn Asunder by Barbara Ross

18. The Bootlegger's Daughter by Nadine Nettmann

19. Love Me or Grieve Me by Diane Vallere

20. The Paris Mistress by Mally Becker

21. The Last Thing Claire Wanted by Karin Fitz Sandord

22. I Sleep Around by Sue Ann Jaffarian

23. Murder on the Med by Nancy Cole Silverman

24. A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry

25. Murder at an English Seance by Jessica Ellicott

26. Three Strikes - You're Dead by Various Authors

27. Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson

28. Murder on Devil's Pond by Ayla Rose

29. A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron

30. Dream Town by Lee Goldberg

31. Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley

32. The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver

33. Death in St. George's by M.A. Monnin

34. The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Matthews

35. Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews

36. A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair

37. Until Depths Do Us Part by K. B. Jackson

38. Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's by Liz Ireland

39. Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien

40. Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver

41. Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern

42. Comedy Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers

43. The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper by Sally Carpenter

44. The General's Gold by LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin

45. A Matter of Life and Depths by K.B. Jackson

46. You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly

47. Murder at Glenloch Hill by Clara McKenna

48. Wedding Bride and Doom by Mary Karnes

49. A Summit in Shadow by Sarah E. Burr

50. Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

51. Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley

52. Unraveled by Shannon Messenger

Reading Challenge: Netgalley and Edelweiss 2024

I will be back for this year's Netgalley and Edelweiss reading challenge.  The challenge is just like how it sounds, read books you got from Netgalley or Edelweiss for review.

After seeing how well I did last year, I'm going to sign up for the Silver level, which is 25 books.  Somehow, that makes me nervous, even though I easily hit it last year.  Hopefully, this year, it will be the same.

I'll list the books below as I finish them.

1. Partners in Crime by Steve Hockensmith

2. Mushroom Capped by Cathy Wiley

3. Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings

4. The Secrets We Keep by Liz Milliron

5. DM Me for Murder by Sarah E. Burr

6. Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay

7. Once Upon a Murder by Samantha Larsen

8. Black List, White Death by Steve Hockensmith

9. In Sunshine or in Shadow by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

10. Listen, Do You Want to Know a Secret by Teresa Trent

11. Brie Careful What You Wish For by Linda Reilly

12. The Bootlegger's Daughter by Nadine Nettmann

13. Kill or Bee Killed by Jennie Marts

14. I Sleep Around by Sue Ann Jaffarian

15. Murder in the Air by Various Authors

16. Murder on the Med by Nancy Cole Silverman

17. Fondant Fumble by Jenn McKinlay

18. A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry

19. Requiem for a Mouse by Miranda James

20. Murder on Devil's Pond by Ayla Rose

21. The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Matthews

22. In the Event of Murder by Cynthia Kuhn

23. French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron

24. A Slay Ride Together with You by Vicki Delany

25. The Glass Bottom Hoax by Diane Vallere

26. A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay

27. Comedy Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers

28. The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit

29. You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly

30. We Three Queens by Rhys Bowen