You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Reserved
Badge 1

B Books about books Once Upon a Wardrobe⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
C childhood Impossible Creatures ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
D dogs Who Let the Dog Out? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
F fantasy- Red Queen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
G ghosts First Grave on the Right⭐️⭐️⭐️
H history The Great Divide⭐️⭐️⭐️
L love Beg, Borrow, or Steal ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
M mythology Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
N nature Thunderhead⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P pirates The Pirate King's Daughter⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
R religion- The House of Lost Secrets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
S survival The God of the Woods ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
T true crime This Book Will Bury Me⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
V villainy The Defense⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
W Women The Scorpion's Tail ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Badge 2

A All Fours⭐️⭐️
B The Betrayals⭐️⭐️
C Cat's People ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
D Don't Let Him In ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
E The Edge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
F Famous Last Words ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
G Guilty Wives ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
H How to Seal Your Own Fate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I It's a Love Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
J Just Last Night ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
K Keeper of Enchanted Rooms ⭐️⭐️⭐️
L Life’s Too Short ⭐️⭐️.5
M Murder in an Irish Village ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
N Naked in Death ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
O Onyx Storm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P Portrait in Death ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Q The Queen of Poisons ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
R The Racketeer ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
S The 6:20 Man ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
T Th1rt3en ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
U The Unwedding⭐️⭐️⭐️
V The Villa ⭐️⭐️⭐️
W Witness 8 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Y The Younger Wife ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Z Zero Days ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Badge 3 Female authors

A Axie Oh The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
B Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Naturals ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
C Carlene O'Connor Murder in an Irish Churchyard ⭐️⭐️⭐️
D Dervla McTiernan What Happened to Nina? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
E Christina Estes The Story That Wouldn't Die ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
F Alice Feeney Daisy Darker ⭐️⭐️⭐️
G Jessie GarciaThe Business Trip⭐️⭐️
H Emily Henry Great Big Beautiful Life ⭐️⭐️
I Isabel Ibañez What the River Knows ⭐️⭐️⭐️
J J.D. Robb Immortal in Death ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
K Callie Kazumi Claire, Darling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
L Louise Penny The Grey Wolf⭐️⭐️
M Maggie Stiefvater The Listeners⭐️⭐️⭐️
N Sally Nicholls Yours from the Tower ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
O Carlene O'Connor Murder at an Irish Wedding⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P Nita Prose The Maid's Secret⭐️⭐️⭐️
Q Julia Quinn Mr. Cavendish, I Presume ⭐️⭐️
R Deanna Raybourn Kills Well with Others ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
S Sophie Stava Count My Lies⭐️⭐️⭐️
T Karin Tidbeck The Memory Theater ⭐️⭐️⭐️
U Ursula K. Le Guin No Time To Spare: Thinking About What Matters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
V Virginia Woolf Mrs. Dalloway ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
W Jessica Waite The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards ⭐️⭐️
Y Rebecca Yarros Full Measures⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Z Rebecca ZanettiYou Can Run⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Badge 4 Male Authors

A The Quiet Librarian Allen Eskens ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
B The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War Ben Macintyre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
C Death at the White Hart Chris Chibnall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
D Outfoxed David Rosenfelt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
E The Wasp Trap Mark Edwards ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
F The Day He Left Frederick Weisel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
G The Widow John Grisham ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
H Slow Horses Mick Herron ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change your Life and Achieve Real Happiness Ichiro Kishimi ⭐️⭐️⭐️
J Dead Money Jakob Kerr ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
K Run for the Hills Kevin Wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
L Night School Lee Child ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
M The Final Game Caimh McDonnell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
N Harm None Will North ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
O Out of Istanbul: A Journey of Discovery along the Silk Road ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P The Black House Peter May ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Q
R Dog Day Afternoon David Rosenfelt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
S The Devil's Advocate Steve Cavanagh ⭐️⭐️⭐️
T Picnic in the Ruins Todd Robert Petersen ⭐️⭐️⭐️
U
V Around the World in Eighty Days Jules Verne ⭐️⭐️⭐️
W The Mailman Andrew Welsh-Huggins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Y The Black Tides of Heaven Neon Yang ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Z Three Wild Dogs Markus Zusak ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I hope you have good reads like this for the remainder of your challenge.

1 badge 1 Book 2
2 Theme-Pirates
3 The Pirate King's Daughter
4 308 pages/ 7 hours audio
5 read a book with a pirate theme
6 As the title suggests, the MC is a pirate too

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A twopher day, by surprise. I hope your reads are great too…and that my TBR doesn’t grow too much following your progress

Or mine, following yours. :OL! Another 4 star read.

1 badge 1 book 3
2 theme fantasy
3 Red Queen
4 388 pages/ 12 hours audio
5 read a fantasy book
6 mpg fantasy
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I picked this one because Powerless is very popular on book Tok and I hear it’s a rip off of this one. Now I’m curious enough that I’ll have to see.

Powerless is rated higher on GR's than Red Queen. I wonder if it's due to the hype. I gave Red Queen 3 stars.

Probably. I started paying attention to the drama because the Powerless fans were accusing the author of Red Queen of plagiarism even though her book was written a decade earlier. The stupidity of it all cracked me up.

That is too funny! Who plagiarized who? Nothing like rabid fans.

1 badge 1 book 4
2 theme history
3 The Great Divide
4 321 pages
5 read a book with a history theme
6 This took place in Panama as the canal was being built. I was excited for this one because I like my history mixed with good storytelling. This was just ok. I was expecting more nitty gritty about the canal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ but blah

especially now that it's in the news?

Well that’s how I convinced my husband to read it too…it seemed timely - he’s still finishing it but not overly impressed.

Fun fact about the Panama Canal… my husband was a naval officer and that’s the only place in the world where a navy captain relinquishes control of their ship. Panama has special “pilots” that know how to steer the ship. I guess it takes lots of expertise.

That's interesting about captains being required to relinquish their ship, It must be very tricky to pilot those ships through the locks.

1 badge 1 book 5
2 theme True Crime
3 This Book Will Bury Me
4 480 pages
5 true crime theme
6 this book was about 5 internet sleuths and the subculture of true crime detectives
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1 badge 1 book 6
2 theme Books about books
3 Once Upon a Wardrobe
4 320 pages/ 7 hours audiobook
5 read a book about a book
6 This book is about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and a sister who tries to help her sick brother find Narnia

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

* would definitely have fit the children’s theme but I don’t read a lot of children themed books so wanted to “challenge” myself to find another one.

You're really motoring through this challenge.

Freakin heck, 6 books completed and only Jan 9! Way to go, Marnie!

I had such a busy holiday (as I’m sure we all did) that my reading time plummeted. I feel like a kid in a candy store with my time back!!

1 badge 1 book 7
2 theme survival
3 The God of the Woods
4 490 pages
5 read a book with a survival theme
6 this book is broken into parts… one of the parts is titled “Survival” also the kids at the camp have survival class where they are dropped into the woods to use their skills. Lastly, survival skills play a role in solving the mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 It’s a tad overhyped and overlong

* definitely would have fit the nature theme.

Books often have more than one theme. I wondered about it being overhyped. I think I'll take it off my wishlists (Goodreads & Audible)

1 badge 1 book 8
2 theme Villainy
3 The Defense
4 320 pages
5 read a book with a theme of villainy
6 There was a mob boss who kidnapped the MC’s daughter, put a bomb on the MC and did other mob boss villainy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There's a "b" word I could use there. It also defines an illegitimate child.

I'm reading a book for villainy right now, and the antagonist is an evil one. Dark Witch

1 badge 1 book 9
2 theme -women
3 The Scorpion's Tail
4 401 pages
5 theme women
6 The two main female characters work in predominantly male centered careers ( Archaeology and FBI) and both have to succeed despite blatant sexism ( sexual harassment, having a man promoted over you because he’s a man.) The female FBI agent was literally told to “calm down” and I almost choked the guy through the pages. lol

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I like the spin off with the Nora Kelly character. I hope they write more in the series.

Janice wrote: "I like the spin off with the Nora Kelly character. I hope they write more in the series."

I haven’t read the original series so I look forward to getting to it one day. I think Nora is a great character and both books that I’ve read so far have been winners.

The fifth book is to be published in June! So exciting. Badlands.

If you want a little more of her background, I would recommend you read Thunderhead. It can be read as a standalone, and that's how I read it. It introduces her. There are also a few books in the Pendergast series. If you search for Nora Kelly, you should get a list of the books she's in.

1 Badge 1 Book 10
2 theme -children
3 Impossible Creatures
4 368 pages
5 read a book with a children’s theme
6 Two kids travel to a bunch of islands in an archipelago, encountering all sorts of mythological creatures. They are trying to find out why the magic is dimming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Loved this so much.
My library had Thunderhead so I’m going to start it tomorrow. I’m excited to get the backstory. Thank you for the recommendation!!!

I was just looking at Impossible Creatures this morning. It was one the Kindle Daily Deals.

1 badge 1 book 11
2 Theme nature
3 Thunderhead
4 531 pages
5 read a book with a theme of nature
6 Nature plays a significant role in this book which takes place in the high desert of Utah. There are landslides, quicksand, cliffs etc and the environment creates several plot points- example flash floods cause them to alter their timeline. It was very atmospheric.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*This book seemed so different from the other two I’ve read. More mystical with the skinwalkers and such. Could have done without the horse massacre but it was relevant so I read that part quickly. Thanks again for the recommendation.

The Pendergast series does have a bit of mystical, supernatural elements, but they aren't over the top.

1 badge 1 book 12
2 theme ghosts
3 First Grave on the Right
4 310 pages/ 9 hours audio
5 read a ghost themed book
6 MC is a private investigator and “full time Grip Reaper.” She talks to ghosts.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

After the 10th book, I decided that I was done with the series. I liked the sassy banter.

1 badge 1 book 13
2 theme love
3 Beg, Borrow, or Steal
4 11+ hours /384 pages
5 themes of Love
6 there is romantic love between the two MC plus sibling love throughout the book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1 badge 1 book 14
2 theme Mythology
3 Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold
4 416 pages
5 Mythology theme
6 this was like an anthology of beginner’s Greek Mythology. It was so accessible on a genre I struggle with.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1 badge 1 book 15
2 theme dogs
3 Who Let the Dog Out?
4 324 pages/7 hours audio
5 dog themes
6 A dog is stolen from an animal rescue which leads to a dead body and another case for Andy to solve.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Congrats on earning the first badge! You are the first to receive a badge for the 2025 challenge.

What will you work on for the second badge?

Working on the alphabetical titles.

1 Badge 2 book 1
2 letter F
3 Famous Last Words
4 336 pages
5 summary: MC’s life is upended when her husband gets into a hostage situation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think that will be my next list once I'm finished themes.

1 badge 2 book 2
2 letter L
3 Life’s Too Short
4 384 pages
5 Summary: MC and YouTuber falls for her neighbor and deals with raising her sister’s baby and possibly having a terminal disease

⭐️⭐️.5

Was way more depressing than I was expecting

Life's too short for books like that?

1 badge 2 book 3
2 Letter A
3 All Fours
4 336 pages

⭐️⭐️ definitely on a roll of meh books

You might need an intervention.

1 badge 2 book 4
2 letter U
3 The Unwedding
4 336 pages

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have hope my next book will be better.

This was one of Reese Witherspoon's picks. I signed up for her "book club" but every month her picks were lackluster with low ratings. I began to wonder if that was a requirement for her picks.

I picked it because I needed a light audiobook to listen to at night and it was “available now. I think Reese uses her picks as a giant beta market. If it’s popular she makes it into a movie/show. I find her hit and miss too.

Almost finished with Onyx Storm and that’s going to bring me back into the 4 star range.

Phew!

1 badge 2 book 5
2 letter O
3 Onyx Storm
4 544 pages

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

* You can tell the author is a Taylor Swift fan because there are so many Easter eggs and theories about where this series will end. Not great writing but entertaining storytelling. Next book isn’t for a couple years.

1 badge 2 book 6
2 letter G
3 Guilty Wives
4 455 pages/ 10+ hours audiobook

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Too many prison scenes