3. My Darling Bride by Ilsa Madden-Mills

listened on Audible

2023
327 pgs.
Adult Romance with steam...
Finished 1/16/2024
Goodreads rating: 4.10
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary NYC (with the beginning in the desert just outside Tucson!)

My comments: A steamy romcom set in a bookstore.  Take one six-and-a-half-foot exceedingly handsome football star and one thoughtful, conscientious (gorgeous, of course) bookstore employee who has raised her two younger siblings since they were very young, throw in a marriage-of-convenience/fake marriage trope and a few steamy sections ... and voila!  This is an excellently plotted story with great characters and, of course, an HEA.  Very enjoyable listening to on a frigid snow day.

Goodreads synopsis:  In a sizzling romance that sparkles with wit and depth, two wounded souls meet by chance in the desert and agree to get married, and their lives will never be the same.

On a normal day, Emmaline Darling isn’t a car thief. She’s just a simple girl who runs a bookstore and adores cats. But when she’s stranded in the desert and needs to get away from her dangerous ex-boyfriend, she picks her only option: swiping the keys to a famous football player’s Lamborghini and speeding away.

Football star Graham Harlan is in chaos. First he took a hit on the field that left him with a near-death experience, and now he’s promised his brother he’ll get married to secure the family inheritance. Trouble is he isn’t even seeing anyone.

Then a mystery woman steals his car. With his usual stubbornness, he tracks her all the way to Manhattan and gives her an ultimatum: marry me or I’ll press charges.

Her choice is obvious, only neither of them expect the sparks that ignite between them.

As the end of their arrangement looms, will Graham take a chance on love or let his darling walk away forever?

Homeless Blanket Afghan #21 - The Ubiquitous Afghan

Heather gifted me 3-one pound skeins of the perfect yarn for borders.  Unfortunately for me, two of them were too dark for me to see well enough to sew together (I can easily crochet with them, just not sew them together.)  So I decided to put the navy as the next-to-last round.  Then I got whimsical and decided to do my final round with a mid-green.  

5 rounds of color

1 round of navy

final round of green

3 squares = 22-23"      

       7 or 8 x 10?

       Dolores was 7 rounds, finished 6 x 8

       Georgina was 7 rounds, finished 6 x 9

       Prince Harry was 7 rounds, finished 6 x 9

         UBIQUITOUS FINISHED IS 6 X 9

Finished sewing this togther on 2/20/2024

2024 Charitable Contributions

1/9/24  Comfort Cases - Amazon wishlist (boys pj's & 2 books)    25.04

1/10/24  Days for Girls - Amazon wishlist (12 prs. cotton briefs)   22.48

1/11/24  Cattail Farms - Amazon - 24 cans Purina turkey shreds    19.84

1/15/24  Empty Bowls (held March 11 at Project Share)  (w/Sandy)   25.00

1/27/24  Cystic Fibrosis Fdtn (Trinity Kane, Pittsburgh walk, for her niece)   23.00

1/29/24  Radiant Hope, SPS Catholic Schools Week fundraiser, 2-$10 donations to 1st grade   20.00

3/2/24  St. Jude Children's Res. Hosp. (online) 24.00

3/2/24 Appalachian Audubon Socty (online) 24.00

3/2/24  Caitlin's Smiles - Amazon wishlist (12 24-pack Crayola crayons)   24.37

3/12/24  Chad Bruce Fdtn, Carlisle (Match Madness)    24.00

3/12/24  Project Share, Carlisle (Match Madness)   24.00

3/13/24  Crohn's & Colitis "Take Steps" Pittsburgh (Sarah Mann)    24.00

4/14/24  Fur-ever Loved - Amazon wishlist (32 cans wet cat food)  26.06

4/14/24  Saving Acres Farm - Amazon wishlist (2 tubs Fresh Step kitty litter)  24.78

4/14/24  Donors Choose:  "Warming Hearts & Heads" Mrs. Valdez, Winslow, AZ   23.00

4/20/24  Donors Choose:  "Spreading Kindness with Crochet" Mrs. Georgitsis, Warwick, RI    23.00

5/21/24  Donors Choose:  "Book Jacket Drive Chapter 9" Ms. Feldser, Steelton, PA    23.00

5/21/24  Saving Acres Farm- Amazon wishlist for foster family "KAS" (24 cans wet kitten food) 22.39

5/21/24  Project Share Virtual Share Shop   $24.67

6/2/24  Central PA Down Syndrome Awareness Group  23.00 plus "tip"  25.88

6/5/24  Carlisle Volunteer Firefighters Association     23.00

6/10/24  National Breast Cancer Fdtn. in memory of Chris Hazlett    $23.00

6/12/24  Heifer.org   1 flock of chicks  $20.98 (.98 is transaction fee)

6/30/24 GIFFORDS (End Gun Violence)    $23.00

7/14/24  United Way Carlisle "Fill the Bus" (Carlisle 4 Kids/Project Share)  $23.00 + .83 =  $23.83

7/17/24  Cattail Farms - Amazon - 24 cans wet cat food  $11.24 - subscribed for every 4 weeks

7/21/24  Healthy Steps Diaper Bank -Harrisburg (Melissa Rye family) Amazon wishlist (sz. 4/4 packs of 37)  $34.74

7/28/24  The Crayon Initiative   $23.00

8/8/24  Calendar Raffle - Emmaus Homeless Shelter  $20.00

8/9/24  Act Blue - Harris/Wenz  $23.00

8/13/24 Speranza Animal Rescue Inc.   $23.00

8/15/24 Cattail Farms - Amazon monthly subscription - 24 cans wet cat food   $17.79

8/17/24 The Nobody's Cats Fdtn. through My Giving Circle     $23.00

8/27/2024  Donors Choose:  "Organization and Visuals" Mrs. Mason, SpecEd, Las Vegas   $23. (In honor of Ella beginning her first steps toward becoming a Special Education educator)

9/7/24  Donors Choose "No Way Crochet!" Mrs. Jenkins, Henderson, NV     $23

9/11/24  Women's March (signage)      $11

9/16/24  Cattail Farms - 24 cans wet cat food Amazon monthly subscription     $17.79

9/17/24  Parkinson's Fdtn.       $23

9/17/24  Donors Choose "Feed the Hunger for Books"  Ms. Morris, Levant, ME     $23

9/25/24   Kickstarter - Charles Bruce Fdtn. - Micah      $23

10/15/24  World Central Kitchen (Hurricane Relief)      $23

10/16/24  Booograms, St. Patrick School Student Lighthouse      $23

10/21/24   Cattail Farms - 24 cans wet cat food Amazon monthly subscription     $17.79

11/7/24  Postal History Fdtn, Tucson       $23

11/9/24  Go Fund Me for Bonnie Tweedy Shaw     $23

11/16/24  Cattail Farms - 24 cans wet cat food Amazon monthly subscription     $17.64

12/3/24   Heifer Int'l (give where needed most)    $23   (plus 1.13 processing fee)   $24.13

12/5/24  Cattail Farms - Special Offer of $20 off $49 purchase     $35.57

12/7/24  Donors Choose "Passioknit for the People" Ms. Logan, Danbury, CT   $23

12/11 & 12/17 (gave twice) Hancock Cty. SPCA for Lisa McDaniel's birthday    $23 x 2

12/21/24  Cattail Farms - 24 cans wet cat food Amazon monthly subscription     $17.64

2. In a Jam by Kate Canterbary

listened on Audible (also on Kindle, but only read a small portion)

2022
480 pgs.
Steamy Rom Com
Finished 1/7/2024
Goodreads rating: 3.99
My rating: 4 

My comments: Set in contemporary Rhode Island in a small town on the coast, with a charming (though not entirely unexpected) plot with great characters - especially the 6-year-old niece that pretends she's a pirate and swears like one, too.  It didn't get steamy until at least a third of the way through, maybe even further, but is certainly did get steamy!  Told back and forth by the two protagonists, the voice of the male was particularly enjoyable.....

Goodreads synopsis:  When Shay Zucconi’s step-grandmother died, she left Shay a tulip farm—under two conditions.

     First, Shay has to move home to the small town of Friendship, Rhode Island. Second—and most problematic since her fiancé just called off the wedding—Shay must be married within one year.

     Marriage is the last thing in the world Shay wants but she’ll do anything to save the only real home she’s ever known.

     Noah Barden loved Shay Zucconi back in high school. Not that he ever told her. He was too shy, too awkward, too painfully uncool to ask out the beautiful, popular girl.

     A lifetime later, Noah is a single dad to his niece and has his hands full running the family business. That old crush is the farthest thing from his mind.

     Until Shay returns to their hometown.

CW/TW: absentee parent(s), brief mention of parent death, brief mention of parent chronic illness, mention of incarceration, mention of temporary foster care placement, reference to teenage teasing/bullying (not detailed, not explicit), brief incidence of fat-shaming, living with a neurodivergent child

Audible Purchases

2023 Purchases

The Island Cottage (Lovering) AUDIO 7.94

The Shadows of Pike Place (#2 in series) (Black) AUDIO 7.94

The Taken Ones (Lourey) AUDIO 3.17

Lying Beside You (Robotham) (Unl) AUDIO

Hard by a Great Forest (Vardiashvili) (1 Credit) AUDIO

Gilded Cage (Jones) AUDIO 7.94

Blood Moon (Castillo) (2.78)

The Heiress (Unl) AUDIO

The Skull (1 credit) AUDIO

In a Jam (audio bk 7.94) 12/29 also on Kindle

Butcher and Blackbird #1  (1 Credit) 12/16  (audio book)

The Puppets of Spelhorst  (audio bk 7.35) 12/14

All the Small Wonderful Things (audio bk 12.97) 12/14

Ginny Off the Map (Kindle 10.59) 12/14

The Bones at Point No Point #1 Thomas Austin (audio bk 5.29) 12/2

A New Eden: Sci Fi Space Thriller (audio bk 3.17) 11/28

Where Peace is Lost: A Novel (Kindle .77) 11/25

Night Owl - A Trasker Thriller (Mayne) (Kindle free) 11/15

Black Sheep (Rachel Harrison) (1 Credit) (audio book) 10/1

The Hike (Lucy Clarke) (1 Credit) (audio bk) 9/17

Silence for the Dead (St. James) (1 credit) (audio bk) 9/17

The Lost Library (Stead/Mass) (audio bk 7.71)  9/15

Nearly Mine #1 Grace Ford (Molly Black) (Kindle 0.00) 8/26

Throwaway Jane (#1? Pantelli) (Scott Wm Carter) (audio bk 7.94) also on Kindle

Dead Man's Wake #14 Mike Bowditch (1 credit) (audio bk) 7/1

These Silent Woods (Grant) (audio bk 7.94) 6/18

The Last Remains (Griffiths) (1 credit) (audio bk) 6/17

Snakebit - Bowditch short story (Kindle 1.04) 6/9

Hallowed Ground - Burkholder Short story (Kindle 0.00) 6/9

Homecoming (Morton) (audio bk 9.91) 6/8

The Locked Room (Griffiths) (audio bk 13.45) 6/8

The Night Hawks #13 Ruth Galloway (audio bk 15.81) 5/31

The Next New Syrian Girl (1 credit) (audio bk) 5/14

Demon Copperhead (1 credit) (audio bk)

Warrior Girl Unearthed (audio bk w/$10 promo 8.33) 5/14

The Lantern Men (Griffiths) (1 credit) (audio bk) 5/4

Beyond Reason #1 Reese Link (Molly Black) (Kindle 0.00) 5/2

Simon Sort of Says (audio bk. 9.03) 4/22

A Girl Called Samson (Kindle 0.00) 3/17

The Swifts (Kindle 5.29) 3/15

Restart (Korman) (Kindle 2.11) 3/12

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (Kindle 7.41) 3/12

Murder at Haven's Rock #8 Casey Duncan (audio bk 1 Credit) 2/25

The Last Runaway (Chevalier) (audio bk 9.00) also on Kindle 3.17  2/14

Fall from Grace (Weaver) (audio bk 1 credit) 2/3

The Midnight Children (audio bk 11.49) 1/28

Northern Lights (Roberts) (audio bk 1 credit) 1/25

Attack of the Black Rectangles (audio bk 9.86) 1/19

Ellie Jordan Ghost Trapper #1 (audio bk 7.94) 1/8 also on Kindle

The Dark Angel - Griffiths (audio bk 1 credit) 1/7

The Birchbark House (audio bk 6.31) 1/4

The Art of Loving Libby Green (Kindle 0.00) 1/3

Knitlandia (audio bk 12.23) 1/1

2022 Purchases

She's Up to No Good (Confino) (audio 4.23) 12/6

Things You Save in a Fire (Center) (audio 7.94) 12/2

  ....................to be continued

Homeless Blanket Project #20 - The Trenton Afghan

After making 3 large cat blankets for Cattail Farms using this method, I decided to use the rest of my scraps of yarn together with two huge dark brown skeins I'd gotten from Herrschners to make a twin-sized afghan.  I cut, tied, cut again, and rolled a lot of balls, then began the crocheting during my New Year's break at Brian's (in Trenton, Maine).

1. Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

listened on Libby

2023
416 pgs.
Adult Fantasy
Finished 1/2/24
Goodreads rating: 4.07
My rating: 4.5
Setting: contemporary VT, London, and Antarctica

My comments: Spells that are written in blood! Great settings (VT, London, Antarctica), mesmerizing story, cool plot, well-honed characters....what's not to like?

Goodreads synopsis:  Nominee for Best Fantasy (2023), Nominee for Best Debut Novel (2023)

In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family's library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection--a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements--books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna's isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they'll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .

2024 Reading

Book Girls Guide Challenge ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

Published in the Current Year - 2024

1.  The Heiress - Rachel Hawkins (5)

2.  Exception to the Rule - Christina Lauren (5)

3.  Fragile Designs - Colleen Coble (2)

4.  The Island Cottage  - Jane Lovering (3)

5.  Light and Air - Mindy Wendell (4)

6.  Lovers at the Museum (short story) Isabel Allende (2.5)

7.  The Boy Who Cried Bear (#2 Haven's Rock) Kelley Armstrong (4)

8.  First Lie Wins - Ashley Elston (5)

9.  Bride - Ali Hazelwood (3.75/4)

10.  The Accidental Dating Experiment (2.5)

11.  The Women - Kristin Hannah (5+)

12.  Heartless Hunter (#1 Crimson Moth) - Kristen Cicccarelli (4)

13.  Expiration Dates - Rebecca Serle (3.75)

14.  How to Read a Book - Monica Wood (5)

15.  Pitch Dark (#15 Mike Bowditch) Paul Doiron (4)

16.  The Paradise Problem - Christina Lauren (3.75)

17.  The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman - Jennifer Choldenko (4)

18.  Funny Story - Emily Henry (4.25)

19.  The Burning (#16 Kate Burkholder) Linda Castillo (4.5)

20.  Storm Child (#4 Cyrus Haven) Michael Robotham (4.5)

21.  Not in Love - Ali Hazelwood (2)

22.  The Rom-Commers - Katherine Center (5)

23.  Death at Morning House - Maureen Johnson (3)

24  The Cliffs - J. Courtney Sullivan (4.5)

       82.  The Waiting (#6 Ballard/Bosch) Michael Connelly (5)

YA

1.  The Court of Shadows (#1 Vampyria) - Dixen

2.  Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD - Allison Britz

3.  Heartless Hunter (#1 Crimson Moth) - Kristen Ciccarelli

4.  Death at Morning House - Maureen Johnson

Middle Grade

1.  Light and Air - Wendell (4)

2.  The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman - Choldenko (4)

3.  Priscilla, Princess of the Park - LaMarche (4)

Historical Fiction

1.  The Gilded Cage - 1897 England

2.  Weyward - 1619, 1942, & contemporary England

3.  Signal Moon - 1943 & 2023 England

4.  Light and Air - 1935 upstate NY - tuberculosis

5.  The Broken Girls - 1950 & 2014 Vermont

6.  The Secret Book of Flora Lea - 1939 & 1960 England, WWII

7.  The Women - Vietnam

8.  Mexican Gothic - 1950 Mexico

9.  The Children's Blizzard - 1888 Dakota territories

10.  A Fall of Marigolds - 1911 Shirtwaist Factory Fire and 9/11

Shorts

1.  Blood Moon (#13.5 Kate Burkholder) Linda Castillo (64. pgs.)

2.  Exception to the Rule - Christina Lauren (101 pgs.)

3.  Dead Letter Days (#.5 Haven's Rock) Kelley Armstrong (87 pgs.)

4.  The Egg and Other Stories - Andy Weir (9 Very short stories)

5.  Tell Her Story - Margot Hunt (about 150 pgs., 2:52)

6.  Signal Moon - Kate Quinn (57 pgs.)

7.  Lovers at the Museum - Isabel Allende

8.  My Evil Mother - Margaret Atwood (32 pgs.)

9.  The House on the Water  - Margo Hunt (82 pgs.)

10.  Sleeping Dogs Lie - Samantha Downing (about 100 pgs., 2:08)

11.  One Little Mistake - Lucinda Berry (about 100 pgs., 2:23)

REAL Books

1.  

Series

1.  #13.5 Kate Burkholder - Blood Moon - Linda Castillo

2.  #1 Trasker - Night Owl, Andrew Mayne

3.  #1 Vampyria - The Court of Shadows, Victor Dixen

4.  #.5 Haven's Rock - Dead Letter Days Kelley Armstrong

5.  #1 Steinbeck & Reed - The Taken Ones, Jess Lourey

6.  #3 Cyrus Haven - Lying Beside You, Michael Robotham

7.  #2 Thomas Austin - The Shadows of Pike Place, D. D. Black

8.  #1 Rooker Lindsberg - The Man Burned by Winter, Pete Zacharias

9.  #2 Harbinder Kaur - The Postscript Murders, Elly Griffiths

10.  #2 Haven's Rock - The Boy Who Cried Bear - Kelley Armstrong

11.  #1 Crimson Moth - Heartless Hunter - Kristen Ciccarelli

12.  #1 Karen Pantelli - Throwaway Jane - Scott William Carter

13.  #2 Karen Pantelli - Lethal Beauty - Scott William Carter

14.  #2 Reese Link - Beyond Reach - Molly Black

15.  #1 Cara Kennedy - City Under One Roof - Iris Yamashita

16.  #15 Mike Bowditch - Pitch Dark - Paul Doiron

17.  #1 A Maine Clambake Mystery - Clammed Up - Barbara Ross

18.  #16 Kate Burkholder - The Burning - Linda Castillo

 19.  #4 Cyrus Haven - Storm Child - Michael Robotham

       82.  #6 Ballard/Bosch - The Waiting - Michael Connelly

4.5 or 5 Stars

1.  Ink Blood Sister Scribe (4.5)

2.  The Heiress (5)

3.  The Gilded Cage (4.5)

4.  Exception to the Rule (5)

5.  Dead Letter Days (5)

6.  The Taken Ones  (4.5)

7.  Georgie, All Along (4.5)

8.  Weyward  (5)

9.  Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD (4.5)

10. Signal Moon - Short Story (5)

11.  My Evil Mother - Short Story (5)

12.  Accidentally Engaged - Farah Heron (5)

13.  The Broken Girls - Simone St. James (4.75)

14.  First Lie Wins - Ashley Elston (5) 

15.  The Women - Kristin Hannah (5+)

16.  How to Read a Book - Monica Wood (5)

17.  One Little Mistake - Lucinda Berry (4.5)

18.  Harry's Trees - Jon Cohen (5)

19.  The Children's Blizzard - Melanie Benjamin (4.5)

20.  The Burning (#16 Kate Burkholder) - Linda Castillo (4.5)

21,  Storm Child (#15 Cyrus Haven) - Michael Robotham (4.5)

22.  The Rom-Commers - Katherine Center (5)

23.  The Cliffs - J. Courtney Sullivan (4.5)

          82.  The Waiting - Michael Connelly (5)

DNF

1.  VenCo by Cherie Dimaline 

2.  The Marriage Act by John Marrs

Novels Read in 2024

January (11) 3166 pgs.

1.  Ink Blood Sister Scribe - Emma Torzs, 2023 Libby (4.5) 416 pgs. (1/2/24) gr

2.  In a Jam - Kate Canterbary, 2022 Audible (4) 480 pgs. (896 pgs.) (1/7/24) gr

3.  My Darling Bride - Ilsa Madden-Mills, 2023 Audible (4) 327 pgs. (1223 pgs.) gr

4.  The Heiress - Rachel Hawkins, 2024 Audible (5) 304 pgs. (1527 pgs.) gr

5.  Love Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood, 2023 Libby (4) 389 pgs. (1906 pgs.)

6.  Blood Moon (#13.5 Kate Burkholder) Linda Castillo, 2022 Aud (3) 64 pgs. (1970 pgs.)

7.  Night Owl (#1 Trasker) - Andrew Mayne, 2023 Audible (2) 312 pgs. (2282 pgs.) gr, sg

8. The Gilded Cage - Luisa A. Jones, Audible (4.5) 332 pgs. (2614 pgs.) gr (not on sg)

9.  Exception to the Rule - Christina Lauren, Aud (5) 101 pgs. (2715 pgs.) gr, sg

10.  The Court of Shadows (#1 Vampyria) Victor Dixen, 2020 Audible (3.5) 364 pgs.(3079 pgs.) gr, sg

11.  Dead Letter Days (#.5 Haven's Rock) Kelley Armstrong, 2023 Kindle (5) 87 pgs. (3166 pgs.) gr, sg

February (5) 1699 pgs.

12.  The Taken Ones (#1 Steinbeck & Reed) - Jess Lourey, Audible (4.5)  339 pgs. (3505 pgs.) gr, sg

13.  The Boyfriend Candidate - Ashley Winstead, 2023 Libby (4)  384 pgs.(3889 pgs.) gr, sg

14.  Lying Beside You (#3 Cyrus Haven) - Michael Robotham, 2022 Audible (4) 352 pgs. (4241 pgs.) gr, sg

15.  The Shadows of Pike Place (#2 Thomas Austin) D. D. Black, 2022 Audible/Kindle (3.5) 272 pgs. (4513 pgs.) gr, sg

16.  Fragile Designs - Colleen Coble, 2024 Audible (2) 352 pgs. (4865 pgs.)

March (13) ( 9 novels, 4 shorts) plus 2 DNF, 2704 pgs.

17.  Georgie, All Along - Kate Clayborn, 2023 Libby (4.5) 340 pgs. (5205 pgs.)

18.  The Egg and Other Stories - Andy Weir, 2017 Audible (3.5) audio only, 50 pgs? (5255 pgs)

19.  The Man Burned by Winter (#1 Rooker Lindstrom) - Pete Zacharias, 2022 Audible (4) 335 pgs. (5590 pgs.)

20.  Weyward - Emilia Hart, 2023 Libby (4.5) 416 pgs. (6006 pgs.)

DNF - VenCo by Cherie Dimaline 

21.  The Postscript Murders (#2 DS Harbinder Kaur) - Ellie Griffiths, 2020 Libby? (3.5) 315 pgs. (6321 pgs.)

22.  Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD - Allison Britz, 2017 Audible (4.5) 368 pgs. (6689 pgs.)

23.  Penelope in Retrograde - Brooke Abrams, 2023 Audible (4) 247 pgs. (6936 pgs.)

24.  Tell Her Story, 2022 Novella, (3.75) 150 pgs (7086 pgs.)

25.  Signal Moon - Kate Quinn, 2022 Audible short story (5) 57 pgs. (7143 pgs.)

26. The Island Cottage - Jane Lovering, 2024 Audible (3) 250 pgs. (7293 pgs.)

DNF - The Marriage Act by John Marrs

27.  Light and Air - Mindy Nichols Wendell, 2024 Kindle (4) 218 pgs. (7511 pgs.)

28.  Lovers at the Museum, a Short Story - Isabelle Allende, 2024 Kindle (2.5) 25 pgs. (7536 pgs.)

29.  My Evil Mother - Margaret Atwood (SS) 2022 Audible (5) 32 pgs. (7569 pgs.)

April (10)  2968 pgs.

30.  None of This is True - Lisa Jewell, 2023 Libby (2) 380 pgs. (7949 pgs.)

DNF - The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le

31.  The House on the Water - Margot Hunt, 2020 Audible (4) 82 pgs (8031 pgs.)  4/8

32.  Home Fire - Kamila Shamsie, 2017 Chirp (4ish) 276 pgs. (8307 pgs.) 4/9

33.  The Boy Who Cried Bear (#2 Haven's Rock) Kelley Armstrong, 2024 Libby (4) 339 pgs. (8646 pgs.) 4/11

34.  Sleeping Dogs Lie - Samantha Downing, Audible Novella (4.5) perhaps 100 pgs. (8746 pgs.) 4/11

35.  Stars and Smoke - Marie Lu, Libby (2) 370 pgs. (9116 pgs.) 4/12

36.  Accidentally Engaged - Farah Heron, 2021 Audible (5) 357 pgs. (9473 pgs.) 4/13

37.  The Broken Girls - Simone St. James, 2018 Libby, 336 pgs. (9809 pgs.) (5)

38.  First Lie Wins - Ashley Elston, 2024 Libby (5) 340 pgs. (10,149 pgs.) 4/29

39.  Caught - Harlan Coben, 2010 Chirp (4) 388 pgs. (10,537 pgs.) 4/30

May (10)

40.  The Secret Book of Flora Lea - Patti Callahan Henry, 2023 Libby (4) 355 pgs. 5/4

41.  Bride - Ali Hazelwood, 2024 Libby (3.75) 410 pgs.

42.  The Accidental Dating Experiment - Lauren Blakely, 2024 Aud(free) (2.5)

43.  The Women - Kristin Hannah, 2024 Libby (5) 480 pgs.

44.  Heartless Hunter (#1 Crimson Moth) - Kristen Ciccarelli, 2024 Libby (4) 416 pg.

45.  Throwaway Jane (#1 Karen Pantelli) - Scott William Carter, 2020 Libby (4.25) 314 pgs

46.  Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno Garcia, 2020 Libby (3) 320 pgs.

47.  Expiration Dates - Rebecca Serle, 2024 Libby (3.75) 272 pgs.

48.  How to Read a Book - Monica Wood, 2024 Audible (5) 288 pgs. 5/27

49.  Lethal Beauty (#2 Karen Pantelli) Scott William Carter, 2021 Audible (3.5) 298 pgs.

June (10)

50.  Yours Truly - Abby Jimenez, 2023 Libby (3.75) 416 pgs.

51.  The Night I Died - Anne Frasier, 2023 KindleUnlAudio (4) 283 pgs. 6/4

52.  The Half-Ork's Maiden Bride - Ruby Dixon, 2022 Aud (fun) 190 pgs. 6/7

53.  One Little Mistake - Lucinda Berry, 2021 AudNovella (4.5)100 pgs. 6/7

54.  Beyond Reach (#2 ReeMihise Link)- Molly Black, 2023 Chirp (3), 2022 Libby (4)

55.  The Forgotten Witch - Jessica Dodge, 2022 Kindle (2) 412 pgs.

56.  Harry's Trees - Jon Cohen, 2018  Libby

57.  City Under One Roof (#1 Cara Kennedy) Iris Yamashita, 2023 Libby (3) 301 pgs.

58.  Happiness Falls - Angie Kim, 2023 Libby (4) 387 pgs. 6/23

59.  The Berry Pickers - Amanda Peters, 2023 Audible (4) 307 pgs. 6/26

July (9)

60.  Pitch Dark (#15 Mike Bowditch) Paul Doiron, 2024 Audible (4) 304 pgs. 7/4

61.  The Paradise Problem - Christina Lauren, 2024 Libby (3.75) 352 pgs. 7/6

62.  Clammed Up (#1 Maine Clambake Mysteries) - Barbara Ross, 2013 Audible (3.75) 378 pgs. 7/9

63.  A Flicker in the Dark - Stacy Willingham, 2022 Libby (3) 357 pgs. 7/14

64.  Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, 2023 Libby (4)

65.  The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman - Gennifer Choldenko, 2024 Audible(4) 320 pgs.

66.  Priscilla, Princess of the Park - Pat Lamarche, 2020 Kindle () 111 pgs.  7/27

67.  The Children's Blizzard - Melanie Benjamin, 2021 Libby (4.25) 355 pgs. 7/27

68.  The Seven Year Slip - Ashley Poston, 2023 Libby (4) 352 pgs. 7/30

August  (3)

69.  Funny Story - Emily Henry, 2024 Libby (4.25) 395 pgs. 8/4

70.  Hunt the Stars - Jessie Mihalik, 2022 Libby (4) 419 pgs. 8/11 (Calif. week)

71.  The Burning (#16 Kate Burkholder) Linda Castillo, 2024 Libby (4.5) 320 pgs. 8/21

September (2)

72.  Storm Child (#4 Cyrus Haven/Evie Cormac) Michael Robotham, 2024 Libby (4.5) 336 pgs. 9/21

73.  Not in Love - Ali Hazelwood, 2024 Libby (2) 384 pgs.

October (5)

74.  The Rom-Commers - Katherine Center, 2024 Libby (5) 336 pgs. 10/6

75.  A Fall of Marigolds - Susan Meissner, 2014 Libby (2.5) 370 pgs. 10/9

76.  Death at Morning House - Maureen Johnson, 2024 Libby (3.5)  384 pgs. 10/21

77.  The Cliffs - J. Courtney Sullivan, 2024 Libby (4.5) 384 pgs. 10/27

78.  The Dead Romantics - Ashley Poston, 2022 Libby,  (3) 368 p. 10/31

November (3)

79.  You Shouldn't Be Here - Lauren Thoman, 2024 Kindle (2) 381 p. 11/12

80.  My Roommate Is a Vampire - Jenna Levine, 2023 Libby (4) 341 p. 11/15

81.  Ready or Not - Cara Bastone, 2024 Libby (4) 11/19

December

82.  The Waiting (#6 Ballard & Bosch) Michael Connelly, 2024 Audio (5)

83.  The Booklover's Library - Madeline Martin, 2024 Libby (4.5) 12/19

84.  Just for the Summer - Abby Jiminez, 2024 Libby (5) 12/23

85.  Murder Road - Simone St. James, 

Book Girls' Guide ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) CHALLENGE

January 2024 - 2012 Publication

From the suggested reading list, I've already read Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple, Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and I've seen the movies for A Man Called Ove by Fredrik and Me Before You by Jojo Moyes   

 

                 The others from the list that sounded interesting:

The World We Found - Thrity Umrigar Setting: 

India, 1970s and modern-day

The Sweetness of Forgetting - Kristen Harmel 

 Dual Timeline - 

Setting: 

Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Paris; New York City

Home Front - Kristin Hannah

Sandcastle Girls - Chris Bohjalian Setting: 

Syria, Armenia, Egypt, & New York City, 1915

Before I Met You - Lisa Jewell  set in 1920s and 1990s

The Midwife of Hope River - Patricia Harman  Setting: 

Appalachian West Virginia, 1930s

          

The Serendipity Afghan

Last afghan finished for 2023!

4 x 7 = 28 squares

10 rows plus light gray borders (for 11 rows)

My Quatrain Afghan

  

I love these colors.  One of my favorites so far.

Bordered in Impeccable Soft Taupe

4 x 6

10 rounds plus border

FINISHED 12/1/2023

The Pragmatic Afghan

For this one I used 3-4 oz. skeins of variegated or striping yarn.  Never knew how they'd come out! I got two blocks from some of the skeins, so they'll go into another afghan.

Borders are from one pound of BIG TWIST (from JoAnn's)  Lots and lots left over.

4 x 6 blocks

11 rounds with border

The Razzle-Dazzle Afghan

4 x 7 blocks

10 rows, no border

I love the way this one came out...so bright and colorful.  There's no unifying single crochet border around the outside edge, because as much as I love that look, I didn't want to introduce a skinny framing colors, so I'm leaving it like this.  I've actually been calling it my "unedged beauty."

The Odds and Ends Afghan

Early Fall 0f 2023

Using up odds and ends, trying to not purchase any more yarn (hardee har har)

11th/Border row done in White - Took less than 2 (7-oz.) skeins of Loops & Threads

4 x 6 = 24 blocks

The Novato Afghan

     When I was at Dede's in July for two weeks, I spent a lot of time crocheting.  I finished the first project I started, then we headed to JoAnn's for a new set of yarn colors.  There were not many choices, the yarn selections were super picked over.  So I settled for combinations of grays, blues, and light browns.  Once I got home, I decided to edge them because I like the look of a final row of single crochet all around the outside border - makes it look complete and neat.

      10 rounds

      11th round/border = Loops & Threads Soft classic (7 oz.) Mustard - took 2 skeins with plenty left over

      (still sewing together today, will probably be 4 x 6 or 7 when finished)