Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

New Release Challenge 2021

Duration: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Completed: 27/12

1. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Lore by Alexandra Bracken ⭐⭐⭐
3. The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin⭐⭐⭐
6. How Lucky by Will Leitch ⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Broken by Jenny Lawson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. A Betting Woman: A Novel of Madame Moustache by Jenni L. Walsh ⭐⭐⭐
10. The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. The Last Green Valley by Mark T. Sullivan ⭐⭐⭐
12. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint ⭐⭐⭐
13. Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand ⭐⭐⭐
14. Reset by Sarina Dahlan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
15. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐⭐⭐
16. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry ⭐⭐⭐⭐
17. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
18. Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala ⭐⭐⭐
19. The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Patrick Radden Keefe⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
20. Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells ⭐⭐⭐⭐
21. Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer ⭐⭐⭐
22. Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin ⭐⭐⭐
23. Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann ⭐⭐⭐⭐
24. Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
25. The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell ⭐⭐⭐⭐
26. Santa Cruise by Fern Michaels ⭐⭐
27. Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune ⭐⭐⭐⭐

New-to-me Author Exploration Challenge

Duration: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Completed: 10/10

1. Douglas Tallamy 1st book: Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants read 1/10 I have already bought his latest book Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
2. Laurie Gelman 1st book: You've Been Volunteered: A Class Mom Novel read 1/16
3. Lori Nelson Spielman 1st book and last book I'll read by this author The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany read 2/18
4. Lucy Foley 1st book The Guest List read 2/25
5. Julia Kelly 1st book The Last Garden in England read 4/10
6. Rachel Hawkins 1st book The Wife Upstairs read 4/16
7. Will Leitch 1st book How Lucky read 6/11
8. Derick Lugo 1st book The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey read 6/12
9. Catherine Steadman 1st book The Disappearing Act read 7/10
10. Jennifer Saint 1st book Ariadne read 7/22

Well the first half of the year has started off a bit slower than usual with the number of 2021 new releases read, but that is OK. One of my goals this year was to slow down my reading and enjoy my reads.

I have read several good new releases. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty was a riveting account of how the Sackler family built their fortune on Oxycontin.
I read two really good thriller/mysteries: The Wife Upstairs was my kind of thriller - no blood, but lots of suspense. And How Lucky which was part mystery, part hopeful and part funny and 100% enjoyable. I see more thrillers wrapping up 2021.