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2018 in Review- What I Read

In 2018 my goals went sideways. The only thing I succeeded in was reading.

Which isn’t a bad thing. But I would have liked to have written more, or at least finished something. I take that back I did finish a short story which will come out very soon.

But that’s it.

2018 in Review

I read 108 books. My goal was 90.

I read 29,358 pages.

Shortest book Ruth’s First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths

Most popular book The Illustrated Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Longest book Timeline by Michael Crichton

 

I broke those numbers down into gender and genre…because it seemed like fun at the time. Yes, I know my numbers don’t add up to 108. Math is not my favorite and I did this late at night.

Mystery Books:  65

Fantasy & Sci/fi books: 28

General fiction: 17

(no big surprise there)

 

Male authors: 20

Female authors: 88

(also no big surprise)

 

Later I was curious to know how many of these books I owned, borrowed, or recently bought.

Library loan: 21

Kindle (I own): 40

Audio (borrow): 9

Borrowed (friend or family): 3

Mine:  New purchase: 21

            Old purchase: 9

I learned 2 things from this list.

(1) I love my Kindle and (2) I don’t read books that have been sitting on my shelf for a while. I’ll read new books that recently grabbed my attention. Translation- I’m easily distracted.

One of my goals for 2019 is read what’s on my shelf! No more buying books.

-CK

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Mother-Daughter Reading Challenge 2019

It’s a little late but here is the:

Mother-Daughter Reading Challenge 2019

  1. Read a BIG book.
  2. Read a book with illustrations.
  3. A historical fiction.
  4. A non-fiction of your choice.
  5. A book set in a state you want to visit.
  6. A book set in a different country.
  7. A book written by a an author different, in some way, from you.
  8. Read a classic.
  9. Read a biography or autobiography.
  10. A book made into a movie.
  11. A book published in the decade you were born.
  12. A book with a character that has a job that interests you.
  13. Read a graphic or manga novel.
  14. Pick a book based on the cover.
  15. Read a banned book.
  16. Read a book you own but have never read.
  17. Read a book someone gave you.
  18. Read a book published in 2019.
  19. Read the next book in a series.
  20. Reread a favorite.
  21. A book nominated for a award but didn’t win.
  22. Read a book with a mythical creature.
  23. Read a book set on a different continent.

 

As always, this challenge is open to interpretation. You can read a book for each one or use a single book for more than one entry. It’s up to you. My goal is to read more and enjoy what I read.

Don’t stress, enjoy the read.

-CK

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Top 5 Tuesday- That Trope Has Got to Go

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. Click here for the October topics.

Last week I shared my favorite tropes. This week are my most hated (or least favorite). I’ve had this post ready since Sunday, but I saved it as a draft instead of publishing it. Sorry.

Tropes that have to go!

  1. Love triangles. Gross. Gag. I just read a book centering around a woman who had not 2 but 3 men who wanted to marry her. And get this- they were all friends. Please.  Not only is it unrealistic but it’s annoying. She could not make up her mind and the men just happily waited to be chosen. Yuk.

Double Fudge Brownie Murder by Joanne Fluke

2.  Love that bad boy who treats me bad. Get over it. This is not only a cliche it’s also just bad… Why push the notion that women only like men who mistreat them? That’s crazy. I admit the bad boy (Rebel without a cause) can be sexy. But that is it.  A quick word about Twilight– this book takes the bad boy relationship to the next level. This one truly just wants to kill you by draining you of your blood. Which leads me to #3…

Twilight (Twilight, #1)

3. Weak female characters who have to be rescued. Again- Twilight. Really Bella. Trouble follows. Life threatened. Needs a man to rescue her. Weak. Weak. Weak. Okay, no more picking on Twilight.

4. The Girl gets the guy. Maybe it’s my age but I no longer like my endings tied in a neat bow. Why does the book only end after the main character and her love interest finally become a couple? Life isn’t like that. It’s messy. Sometimes things go unresolved. I’m okay with that.

Geekerella

5. The Stupid Police Department. I read a lot of mysteries. In some, the local police department is portrayed as Gomer Pyle. Really? Their incompetence leads to a nosy neighbor solving the crime.  Or the cop is angry and can’t listen to the little people around them. Enough.

Bread of the Dead (Santa Fe Cafe Mystery, #1)

Some of these books listed were good reads. One I even loved (Geekerella) but the trope is worn out and needs to go.

What’s one of your least favorite tropes?

-CK

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Top 5 Tuesday- Favorite Tropes

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. Click here for the October topics.

Topics for October are a little different, a little harder to decide.

Today is my top 5 tropes. Tropes? A trope is a common or overused theme in literature. Every book and genre has them. If you look at your favorite books you may find a similar thread that links them. Also, my choices have my personal trope titles. In other words, I’m making it up as I go along.

Top 5 Tropes

  1. Female Sleuth. In a small town. Novice. I could add elderly to the list but most of the ones I read are closer to my age 😉 I also meet all three of that criteria. Maybe I should solve a crime. BUT that’s the point. Like most people, I like to read about characters similar to me that I can relate to. (shocking) I don’t know if Agatha Christie started this trope but she wrote 12 novels featuring the sharp, crime-solving lady.

The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3)Shades of Earl Grey (A Tea Shop Mystery, #3)2. The ensemble cast. Some plots require a huge cast of characters. Some get more page time than others, but the reader has plenty to love. Granted, some fantasy books have a few too many characters but I like variety. Can you imagine Frodo’s journey without Merry, Pippen, and the gang?

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)

3. There can be only one. This trope gets a lot of heat. There’s only one person who can stop the villain from destroying the world.  But I like that. It adds a bit more tension. Call it the chosen one if you want, but I like it. Maybe someone other than Harry could have killed Voldermorte but I’m glad it was Harry.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

4. Someone’s got to die. I made this one up. I read a lot of mysteries. Usually, almost always, the story is kicked off by a murder/death. I’ve read a few where the body count was zilch. I didn’t like it. I want a dead body with the possibility of a higher body count as the story goes on. Bonus points if the main character has her life threatened in some way. Now, I don’t want blood and gore. Just a nice clean body, in the subway impaled by knitting needles.

And Then There Were None

5. If there’s a hobby there’s a series. This may not be as much of a trope as a trend. If you cruise the shelves of the mystery section of your local bookstore, you will notice a slew of books based on hobbies. And they all solve crimes. Cupcake baker by day, crime solver by night. There’s even a paranormal twist to some.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (Cat Who... Book 1)Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense (Goldy Schulz Book 16)Assault and Beadery (A Cora Crafts Mystery)

 

What’s your favorite trope?

-CK

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Top 5 Tuesday- Cozy Reads

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. Click here for the September topics.

I love this topic. I’m interpreting this as cozy mysteries perfect for fall 🙂

  1. 'Tis the Witching Time: A Stratford Upon Avondale Mystery (The Stratford Upon Avondale Mysteries Book 4)‘Tis the Witching Time by Monica Knightly, book 4 in the Stratford Upon Avondale Mystery Series. Shakespearean village, a tea room, and a Samhain Harvest Festival. What more do you need?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Black Cat Crossing (A Bad Luck Cat Mystery #1) Black Cat Crossing by Kay Finch, book 1 in A Bad Luck Cat Mystery series. A murder, a writer, and a jinx of a black cat named Hitchcock.

 

 

 

 

3.  Hallowe'en PartyHallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie, book 39 in the Hercule Poirot series. Poirot and children!

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Monster in Miniature (Miniature Mystery, #5)Monster in Miniature by Margaret Grace, Book 5 in the Minature Mystery Series.  Haunted dollhouse!

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, #1)Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters, book 1 in the Amelia Peabody series. Egypt, mummies, and murder.

 

 

 

What’s your favorite fall read?

-CK

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Top 5 Tuesday – Fantasy

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. Click here for the September topics.

Top 5 Fantasy

I’m sure none of these will be a surprise. Most on this list are part of a series and it’s not just the books but the world that was created– that I fell in love with.

  1. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. How many hours have I spent on this series? Both in print and on the screen. I’m well over the age of twelve but I’m still waiting on my owl.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)

2. The Original Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks. What’s so fascinating here is that the world in the books is our world way in the future after an apocalypse.  So the world of elves is the future, not the past!

The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1)

3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I just love, love, love this world.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

4. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. This one seems like it doesn’t get enough love. One of my all-time favorites.

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)

5. Murder on Moon Trek1 By Diane Vallere. This one is a bit different. It’s a cozy mystery set in space. I think it’s one of the most original books I’ve read this year.

Murder on Moon Trek 1: A Sylvia Stryker Mystery (Outer Space Mysteries)

What’s your favorite fantasy book?

-CK

 

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Top 5 Tuesday – My Best Friend—Literary Style

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. Click here for the September topics.

Top 5 Characters That I Want As A Best friend

This is like choosing favorites among my children.

  1.  Gertie– The Miss Fortune Series by Jana Deleon. Gertie is a little old lady with a gun problem. She also doesn’t realize she is no longer young.  Being her friend would put my life in danger but boy– the fun we would have. She is NOT an Aunt Bea!Change of Fortune (Miss Fortune Mystery, #11) I’m also making plans for my old age by taking notes 🙂

 

2. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Vol. 1: BFFLuna (Lunella Lafayette)– The Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur comic series by Amy Reeder. She’s a child super genius with a dinosaur for a best friend. A real dinosaur. Who wouldn’t want to be her friend?

 

 

 

 

3. Fred & George Wesley- The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling. You can keep Harry and the gang. I want to hang with the twins of chaos.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)

 

Sweet Tea Revenge (A Tea Shop Mystery, #14)4. Theodosia Browning– The Tea Shop Series by Laura Childs. Really, I just want to sit in the tea shop to read, eat scones, and drink tea.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Hobbes– The Calvin and Hobbes Comic Series by Bill Watterson. Calvin is just chaos but Hobbes. Hobbes is always a true friend. The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury

Who is your literary best friend?

-CK

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