Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Option #3 - 2022 Determination Plus Challenge
22/22 updated 23-Dec-2022

General intent for top ten: from my audible audio backlog
1. READ 19-Jan-2022 Family Business by S.J. Rozan audible audio and a favorite series and characters. It would fit in my 'meant to read in 2021' category too.

2. READ 16-Feb-2022 Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey audible audio, read by the author. An unconventional memoir.

3. READ 03-Apr-2022 Nine Lives by Peter Swanson audible audio, group read

4. READ 31-May-2022 The Gray Man by Mark Greaney audible audio, why did I wait so long?

5. READ 22-Jun-2022 The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill NetGalley arc, print, my review percent is up to 50% with this one.

6. READ 09-Jun-2022 And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling another NetGalley arc, print, a suspenseful story.

7. READ 07-Mar-2022 Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King
Checking my audible read shelf, adding one more.

8. READ 08-Aug-2022 If It / Bleeds by Stephen King
Another audible title checked off, also Kindle read parts.

9. READ 21-Aug-2022 The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
continuing my quest to read my audible backlog

10. READ 18-Sep-2022 Fairy Tale by Stephen King While this was a new release, it was an audible title and I loved it


The next 12 books is the "Plus" part of the challenge. Hope you enjoy and are able to find some great books that will fit in.

11. A book set in a different country than you live in.
READ 10-Jan-2022 The Tenant by Katrine Engberg. Set in Copenhagen, a police detective series book one with very little detecting and a clunky English translation.

12. Read a book by an Author that you never read before or one by a new debut author.
READ 14-Jan-2022 The Dead Do Not Improve by Jay Caspian Kang a 2012 debut novel, the author is apparently a writer for publications.

13. A book that someone recommended to you.
READ 03-Jan-2022 Lethal Seasons by Alice Sabo probably not the best book to read during a pandemic but riveting.

14. A book that is a different genre than your normal type of read. (could be out of your comfort zone).
READ 19-Jun-2022 The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe the genre? Fantasy. I have steered away from this genre lately (with many favorite fantasy books read in the past) and look forward to more in the Eddie LaCross series.

15 & 16. Two books from a series you haven't completed yet. (Everyone has that one or two books to still read to catch up in a series)
(15) READ 14-Mar-2022 Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline book one

(16) READ 26-Mar-2022 Legal Tender byLisa Scottoline book two - almost caught up

17. A book that comes out in 2022.
READ 03-Feb-2022 Seasonal Work: Stories by Laura Lippman audio short stories, favorite author, all good ones

18. A book that you meant to read in 2021 but never got around to it.
READ 23-Jan-2022 When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash I started it in 2021 in print, picked back up on audio in 2022

19. A book that came out before you were born. (this one might be harder to do but we know you can handle it)
READ 06-Apr-2022 Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie the first Miss Marple full novel.

20. A book that is done by more than one author (it can be a book of short stories by different authors, or one book that is one story with more than 1 author like Patterson or Evanovich and I'm sure there are others.
READ 24-Apr-2022 The Golden Couple by
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Thanks DJ for reminding me of the two authors.

21. A book that won an award.
READ 10-Feb-2022 Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman graphic novel. Awarded Pulitzer prize for letters, 1992 heartbreaking, powerful, impossible to forget

22. One of the oldest to be read books on your unread mountain.
READ 14-Mar-2022 Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline audio, Qualifying date? I had added to my Goodreads TBR on April 18, 2009.

I think this year my top ten books will come from my audible backlog. I have many more than ten to choose from. Like these..
Family Business
The Gray Man
If It Bleeds

Good to have a plan. Good luck.

Ann wrote: "I think this year my top ten books will come from my audible backlog. I have many more than ten to choose from. Like these..
Family Business
The Gray Man
[book:If It..."

That's a good idea. I think I have a couple of books to catch up with before Family Business, so maybe I'll do the same. I thought I'd bought a copy so was waiting to find it lying around here but haven't so far.

Two down. My plan for my top ten books to come from my audible backlog starts with the excellent Family Business.
For book two, I'll likely read several set in another country before the year is out, but why not list a first option in The Tenant. It wasn't my favorite, but good to discuss as a group read and free from Kindle Unlimited.

Carol: Hope you find your copy of Family Business, it was very good!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "That's a good idea. I think I have a couple of books to catch up with before Family Business, so maybe I'll do the same. I thought I'd bought a copy so was waiting to find it lying around here but haven't so far..."

Filling a few more on the plus side. I didn't love the quirky novel but in 2012 The Dead Do Not Improve was Jay Caspian Kang's debut. The colorful characters were interesting but the story was not terribly cohesive.
I will read more of Alice Sabo 's series based on Dan in AZ's recommendation. Lethal Seasons was unsettling to read during a pandemic.
In 2021 I borrowed When Ghosts Come Home in print from the library and ran out of time, so listening in 2022 fit the meant to read last year category.

Go Ann we have the same amount done. I have two maybe three in the works

Adding three more, two from the fun bottom section and one of my audible backlog. (Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey)
#21 the award book, a Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel, Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History. Not my usual format, very very impactful. I am also reading the second book, though not quite yet,

#17 the book released in 2022, short stories about fierce women, Seasonal Work: Stories by Laura Lippman. All good ones.

Way to go.

Good job, Ann!

Updated number 19, the book published before I was born. This was Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage with many modern editions, and first published in 1930. I didn't love it on audio, the narrator's voice never clicked with me and I was a bit surprised that the perspective was as others perceived the "elderly spinster", but am glad I read the first of many books featuring Miss Jane Marple.

That’s great Ann another one taken care of off challenge

Just was looking at your list if you read The Golden couple isn’t that by two authors you can use that one for the prompt of book by two or more authors it will be another off your challenge taken care of.

Ann wrote: "Updated number 19, the book published before I was born. This was Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage with many modern editions, and first published in 1930. I did..."

Glad you dipped your toe into the Miss Marple pond, Ann. The tone is bound to be dated, but I always enjoy the mysteries themselves. As I've posted elsewhere I'm attempting to work my way through the Hercule Poirot stories as he is my favorite of her detectives.

Good point, DonnaJo! I did read it, and can fill that spot in too!! Great, thanks!

Donnajo wrote: "Just was looking at your list if you read The Golden couple isn’t that by two authors you can use that one for the prompt of book by two or more authors it will be another off your challenge taken ..."

Carol: Thanks! I intend to also read a Poirot mystery too, this time I'll do it in print.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Glad you dipped your toe into the Miss Marple pond, Ann. The tone is bound to be dated, but I always enjoy the mysteries themselves. As I've posted elsewhere I'm attempting to work my way through the Hercule Poirot stories as he is my favorite of her detectives"

Updated the two authors, thanks DJ for the reminder about The Golden Couple. I've tried a couple of times to get into a horror book for not my usual genre. In a pinch I recently read a novella that fits, but I may try to finish Dean Koontz's Devoted which was creeping me out too much so I set it aside.. i also tried Sundial this week but quickly realized, nope nope nope.

Great. I know sometimes I forget to add to challenges after finishing a book.

updated #3 and #4 at the top, with two more audible audio books from my backlog (and a new 2022 credit) so half good for the intent and half just because. I have six to read (or list from one I already read) at the top and the "different genre" and "one of the oldest tbr" books to still read.

One was The Gray Man - and I am so glad I finally started this series!
One was Nine Lives - to get to the group read sooner and avoid the library hold list

That’s great. WTG. You will get them all done before you know it.

DJ, I hope so. I seem to be doing better this year.

Donnajo wrote: "That’s great. WTG. You will get them all done before you know it."

Good job Ann! Whatever gets it done. I look forward to your comments on Nine Lives!

Now up to 17 of the 22. I added #14 the 'not your usual genre' with The Sword-Edged Blonde, fantasy by a new to me author, Alex Bledsoe
For the top 10 I added two from my NetGalley arc shelf:
And There He Kept Her and
The Woman in the Library

WTG. It’s getting there.

You're getting there, Ann! It's taking me forever to read the book published before I was born but I'm determined to finish it by the end of the year, LOL.

Carol, the "before you were born" book is always a challenge for me.. last year I think I started four possibilities before one stuck. The final choice took me a while too as I recall. I should get started too. ;)

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "You're getting there, Ann! It's taking me forever to read the book published before I was born but I'm determined to finish it by the end of the year, LOL."

Three to go! I finished, and loved If It Bleeds by Stephen King. I don't know why I waited so long. Great narration and a Holly Gibney story made this a treat.

WTG I know you will finish it.

Good job, Ann! I've waited to read If It Bleeds also. Maybe I should boost it up to the top of my list.

Two more to go, with another audible title off my TBR. If I continue with the audible library for #10 I have two pre-order candidates coming up in September. The one giving me the most trouble is #22 "One of the oldest to be read books on your unread mountain" - the really old, long time TBR books all seem to still be on the TBR list for a reason. LOL.
This new entry is one from the audible plus catalog. I read both The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict and a book on the same theme this month (not from audible) The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont.
The titles are clues to one of the different focuses of the two books. I enjoyed comparing the two perspectives, which of course are both speculations.

WTG good luck with your #22.

I think my TBR piles are simply too old for me to read one of the really old books on them. LOL the last one for me to do is "one of the oldest books" I am still figuring it out, lately too many new releases have monopolized my time. One of the new releases put me up to 21 of 22 with my audible listen of Stephen King's latest, Fairy Tale. I am in progress with a few more older audible books, so one of them will surely get finished by the end of the year.

That one can be done different ways I think. What you think the old one if when it came out or the longest one that has been on you shelf. The one I did was which I thought was longest on my shelf and even that was a guess. You will figure it out I’m sure.

Today I decided I was getting too literal for the final challenge which is "22. One of the oldest to be read books on your unread mountain."
I added Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline to finish my challenge for the first time in a long time.
I found the oldest book added to my Goodreads shelf from the shelf of books I have read this year.
It turns out deciding on this one to finish out is perfect. It was a goal to go back and read early books in the Lisa Scottoline Bennie Rosato series and the book was published in 2003 making it even older.

That’s great you can do it.

Congrats Ann on finishing your challenge. I pooped out awhile ago and am now looking forward to DL 2023, LOL

Carol, me too! I like to dream! Lol. Twenty-three books will be a challenge.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Congrats Ann on finishing your challenge. I pooped out awhile ago and am now looking forward to DL 2023, LOL"

haha You can't plan it ahead remember the old days when we did shorter lists we planned ahead and I never could do it. I might do my top ones in 2023 hardcovers off my bookcase. I did set two separate challenges on my goodreads shelves. one is hardcovers and one is just owned printed books. I picked both those but I'm still going with the flow if there is other books I might want to read. I just know I want to get to those sooner than later.