Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Option #3 - 2025 Determination Plus Challenge
25/25

**1. Trial by Fire by Jo Davis (READ 1/26/25)
**2. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (READ 2/24/25)
**3. Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane (READ 3/2/25)
**4. Swimsuit Body by Eileen Goudge (READ 3/16/25)
**5. Under Fire by Jo Davis (READ 4/21/25)
**6. Six Years by Harlan Coben (READ 5/17/25)
**7. Outlaw by Elizabeth Lowell (READ 5/21/25)
**8. Love's Encore by Sandra Brown (READ 6/9/25)
**9. Saving Sandcastles by Meredith Summers (READ 6/19/25)
**10. Over The Top by Rebecca Zanetti (READ 6/22/25)

The next 15 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. G'Day to Die by Maddy Hunter (READ 2/22/25)

**12. Read a book by an Author that you never read before or one by a new debut author. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (READ 1/16/25)

**13. A book that someone recommended to you. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (READ 7/27/25 Shore Brittany)

**14. A book that is a different genre than your normal type of read. (could be out of your comfort zone). The Appeal by Janice Hallett (READ 1/11/25-epistolary)

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. Now or Never: Thirty-one on the run by Janet Evanovich (READ 1/26/25)

**16. Free Fall by Chris Grabenstein (READ 1/31/25)

**17. A book that comes out in 2025. The Way to a Cowboy's Heart by Barbara Ankrum (READ 1/4/25-Tule Arc Live 2/6/25)


**18. A book that you mean to read in 2024 but never got around to it. Love's Encore by Sandra Brown (Prt owned- READ 6/8/25)

**19. A book that came out before you were born. (this one might be harder to do but we know you can handle it) East of Eden by John
Steinbeck (READ 2/11/25)

**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. The Scam by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg (READ 2/20/25)

**21. A book that won an award. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata-READ 3/1/25-BTBA Best Translated Book Award Fiction Longlist 2019)

**22. One of the oldest to be read books on your unread mountain. On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah (READ 8/3/25)

**23. A book set in multiple countries. In Dante's Debt by Jane Porter (READ 2/19/25)

**24. Book you started in the past but put aside and never finished for some reason. (I know we all have them. I have a small tote bag filled with them a different reason why it wasn't finished.)The Good Girl by Mary Kubica (READ 2/9/25)

**25. A BFB/Big Fat Book one that is 500+ pages or one longer than your usual average page count or audio length. Paradise by Judith McNaught (READ 6/14/25)

Good Luck on your challenge DJ!

Thank you.

Updated #17. (Comes out in 2025)

DonnaJo. Doing a 2025 release book (#17) by January 5 is fast! ARC’s are great for that!

I figured it’s my second finished book of year and thought I’ll get at least one prompt out of the way.

Updated #14.
This was not my type of book. The style I didn't enjoy and it felt it was all over the place. I kind of just pushed my way through it and almost wanted to throw it across the room when I was finished with it. A low rating for sure for me. I think I kept reading it because I knew I wanted to use it for this challenge.

DJ - good to get that one out of the way. #14 Not my usual genre can be hard to get to, sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Epistolary is not my favorite either.

Thanks.

Updated #12. Just didn't enjoy this one.

Donnajo wrote: "Updated #12. Just didn't enjoy this one."
Oh no! I have this on my list for this year.

I’m glad I had a chance to read it but maybe it was my mood trying to read it plus reading most of the time The Appeal which I didn’t like either but maybe it was the style of writing on that one. You should still read Harlem Shuffle the author has gotten so many awards on his other books I might try another one at some point to see what I think. I still gave it a 3 rating so glad I read it just was ok for me.

Donnajo wrote: "I’m glad I had a chance to read it but maybe it was my mood trying to read it plus reading most of the time The Appeal which I didn’t like either but maybe it was the style of writing on that one. ..."

His other books are totally different than this one. I've read The Nickel Boys, which was fabulous but gut-wrenching, and have The Underground Railroad.

That’s good to know.

Updated #15 & #1.

I'm starting East of Eden by Steinbeck for my March book club ugh it's 601 pages. It could be used for #25 or #19 I'm thinking when I get it read if I make it though it I'm probably better off using it for 19 since it came out before born I think I saw someplace. I have another book I can use for the other prompt. I don't know if I can read another classic after this one.

Updated #16.

Happy to have buddy read your #16 series entry with you DJ!

Updated #24.

Updated #19

You are doing great!

Thanks

Great progress! :)

Thanks

Updated #20 & #23.

DJ good for you to get two more! #20 for “more than one author” always seems like it would be easier than it is to find one. Janet Evanovich and James Patterson do help out with many now co-authored.

There is always a short story collection that has stories by different authors or maybe an essay collection with essays by different people.

Ann wrote: "DJ good for you to get two more! #20 for “more than one author” always seems like it would be easier than it is to find one. Janet Evanovich and James Patterson do help out with many now co-authored."

My go-to author for 'more than one author' category is Charles Todd (mother-son duo). Dick Francis and Felix Francis is another combo I like

I’ve never read them I think I have one of their ebooks didn’t realize it was written by a mother/son duo.

I just looked it’s a different Charles so I don’t have a ebook for them. I was checking the other prompts that I haven’t done yet the one I should have read last year might be a book that one of the shore neighbors past around last year (two stories read one not other), BFB I think it’s going to be either if I decide to do next Yarros book or A Little Life which I own copy of but can use that for top too. The book I’m reading now can be a different country. I really like to just go where my mood feels like and don’t figure out books ahead.

I remembered I also have a pb copy and ebook of Nightingale which is a charity anthology by romance readers if I don’t want to do the more heavier BFB one that I own. But I think the BFB would be good for summer and the shore.

Just saw I do have ebook for Iron Flame too. So I do have options.

Updated #11.

Updated #2.

Updated #21 Didn't realize it won an award until I finished listening to it.

DJ I read Convenience Store Woman - last year. My comment at the time was that Keiko was charming. The book had a nice message - finding your place that makes you happy and finding fulfillment are personal and pretty amazing when you find them.

I saw your review I’ve had it on my Libby wish list for more than a year glad I finally got to it. Need to find more short audios like this.

You're doing great, DJ!

Thanks Carol it’s getting there.

UPDATED: #3, 4, 5.

I'm behind on keeping on track with writing when I finish them. Once I get the May arcs I have to read for Netgalley I'll work on the bottom section of challenge. I'm not too worried about the top section those would be off my bookcase. Plus I think I know what I'm reading for #22 it's a hardcover on my bookcase, #25 I think I know which book I'm doing for that one (I think) and #18 I should pull the one I got from a neighbor at the shore it's two books in one and I already read the one need to read the longer one (would be nice to get that one out of the way before memorial day weekend). I think #13 I might ask one of the girls at the library.

You are doing great with this!

I would like to get maybe a little more ahead. But I’m behind on my reading again this year I only just reached 50 books finished with the last book I finished. I spend too much time doing other stuff I shouldn’t online. Like now it’s 147pm and I haven’t started reading yet today.

Donnajo wrote: "I would like to get maybe a little more ahead. But I’m behind on my reading again this year I only just reached 50 books finished with the last book I finished. I spend too much time doing other st..."

Oh, I get that. I usually don't start reading until after dinner. But then the result of that is that if the book is reaaaallllly interesting I'll read until 2 am (or later)!

DJ - you are motivating me to study where I can fit some of my recent reads in on mine. - good progress for you!

Donnajo wrote: "I would like to get maybe a little more ahead. But I’m behind on my reading again this year I only just reached 50 books finished with the last book I finished. I spend too much time doing other st..."

50 Books! That's awesome!!!

Hopefully I'll get another book soon that I can add to the challenge. Right now I'm working on Netgalley, Tule and library book club book.

57 books for year so far. I got off to a good start in May with finishing books.

Updated #6.

I mostly know which books I'll use for the bottom prompts I still have to do. They all seem to be BFBs or just ones that will take me longer. I'm reading Judith McNaught's Paradise now which could be should have read 2024 or 500+ (one of the shore neighbor's past this one to me last summer I did read the shorter second book in it Tender Truiumph but not the first one in the book) but I'm going to the shore middle of next week sometimes I start a shore books and leave it and put in the nightstand if I did that I might just end up using that one for should have read last year and use mcnaught's for 500+. I need to keep track of the books I got from LFL at shore because I could use one of those. Also if I can locate the book I bought at the shore bookstore last summer could also use that for the prompt or I just thought maybe I'll do one of the library books sale books that I bought last year that would work also. I guess I'll see what my mood feels like.

A solid plan DJ! Did you like Harlan’s Six Years?

I’m leaning towards one of the books I got at last year’s library sales that I might have started or had on current TBR and never got read or started and put aside. I think if I end up having too many BFBs I’ll end up in a reading slump.

A 3 1/2 rating I think I’ve enjoyed other books I’ve read of his more. Plus I just didn’t like one of the main characters.