Monday, February 14, 2022

The Daughters of Cain, by Colin Dexter

Title: The Daughters of Cain
Author: Colin Dexter
Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook
Started: 2/5/2022
Finished: 2/13/2022

I really enjoy the Morse books, wish I could get more from my local library.  The few I've read are really entertaining. 

Friday, February 4, 2022

Silent Parade, by Keigo Higashino

Title: Silent Parade
Author: Keigo Higashino
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 1/30/2022
Finished: 2/4/2022

I love these Higashino mysteries.  This was another good one. 

Monday, January 31, 2022

Family Honor, by Robert B Parker

Title: Family Honor
Author: Robert B Parker
Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook
Started: 1/26/2022
Finished:1/31/2022

First Sonny Randle mystery, not bad. 

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Stranger in Paradise, by Robert B. Parker

  • Title:  Stranger in Paradise
  • Author: Robert B. Parker
  • Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook
  • Started: 1/24/2022
  • Finished: 1/25/2022
A so-so Jesse Stone novel.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

High Profile, by Robert B. Parker

Title:  High Profile
Author: Robert B. Parker
Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 1/23/2022
Finished: 1/24/2022

Another Jesse Stone novel, so-so.

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Sea Change, by Robert B Parker

Title: Sea Change
Author: Robert B Parker
Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Print Edition
Started: 1/21/2022
Finished: 1/22/2022

I just finished watching all of the Jesse Stone movies the other day.  They're pretty good, not great. But I like the Tom Selleck Jesse Stone more than the one in the books. 

The books are fast reads and a good way to pass the time, but they're not great.  

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Open Season, by CJ Box

Title: Open Season
Author: CJ Box
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 1/8/2022
Finished: 1/9/2022

Decent first novel is a series, recommended by my mom.  

Friday, January 7, 2022

Rizzio, by Denise Mina

  • Title:  Rizzio
  • Author: Denise Mina
  • Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
  • Started: 1/5/2022
  • Finished: 1/6/2022
A fast, entertaining novella.  Knew nothing about Rizzio/Mary Queen of Scots, but enjoyed this all the same.

Monday, January 3, 2022

This is how it always is, by Laurie Frankel

Title: This is how it always is
Author: Laurie Frankel
Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 12/20/2021
Finished: 1/3/2022

Book club selection, liked this one a lot more than expected. Very sweet. 

No Exit, by Taylor Adams

Title: No Exit
Author: Taylor Adams
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 1/2/2022
Finished: 1/3/2022

Enjoyable page turner thriller. 

Sunday, January 2, 2022

Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice

Title: Moon of the Crusted Snow
Author: Waubgeshig Rice
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 1/1/2022
Finished: 1/2/2022

This was a pretty good apocalyptic novela. 

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Better Off Dead, by Lee Child

Title: Better Off Dead
Author: Lee Child
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 12/27/2021
Finished: 12/29/2021

Another throwaway Reacher novel, they are fun, if stupid.  

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Under the Midnight Sun, by Keigo Higashino

  • Title:  Under the Midnight Sun
  • Author: Keigo Higashino
  • Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
  • Started: 12/21/2021 
  • Finished: 12/28/2021
Love the books by Higashino, and this was no exception. Exceptional.  

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Artemis, by Andy Weir

Title: Artemis
Author:  Andy Weir
Borrowed from Queen Anne's County Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 12/11/2021
Finished: 12/14/2021

After reading and loving Project Hail Mary, I thought I'd give Artemis a try.  Didn't like this one much -- decent as a young adult type novel, but not as wood as PHM or The Martian.  

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir

Title: Project Hail Mary
Author: Andy Weir
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 12/6/2021
Finished: 12/11/2021

Loved this one, as much or more than The Martian.  Fantastic book. 


Monday, December 6, 2021

Bellweather Rhapsody, by Kate Racculia

  • Title:Bellweather Rhapsody
  • Author: Kate Racculia
  • Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
  • Started: 11/22/2021
  • Finished: 12/5/2021
This one started off strong but fell apart for me and never really recovered.

Friday, November 12, 2021

The House Next Door, by Anne Rivers Siddons

Title:  The House Next Door
Author:  Anne Rivers Siddons
Borrowed from Queen Anne's County Public Library (Audiobook)
Started: 11/8/2021
Finished: 11/12/2021

My third time reading this one, but first time as an audiobook.  I have enjoyed this one with each reading, including this third time.  Next to Hill House, this is the best Haunted House/Is it a Haunted House book out there. 

I've always leaned more towards the "not haunted, protagonists are going crazy" but this reading solidified it.  Colquit is definitely going insane, and her husband Walter, so afraid of losing her to the architect, feeds her growing illness. 

I love this book.

Monday, November 8, 2021

Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood, by Quentin Tarantino

Title: Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood
Author: Quentin Tarantino
Borrowed from
Started: 11/5/2021
Finished: 11/8/2021

Loved the movie, and when I saw some film Twitter guys I follow talking about the book I decided to give it a try.  Very entertaining. 

Friday, November 5, 2021

Reservoir 13, by Jon McGregor

  • Title: Reservoir 13
  • Author: John McGregor
  • Borrowed from Queen Anne County, MD Public Library (audiobook)
  • Started: 10/29/2021
  • Finished: 11/5/2021
Some books just read like a Man Booker nominee -- this is definitely one of them.  I liked it, but I wasn't always sure why.  Again, just reads very much like a Man Booker nominee, and I tend to like those.

The Great God Pan, by Arthur Machen

Title: The Great God Pan
Author: Arthur Machen
Purchased from Amazon Kindle edition
Started: 11/1/2021
Finished; 11/3/2021

Decent gothic horror -ish novella. 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

We Were Never Here, by Andrea Bartz

  • Title:  We Were Never Here
  • Author:  Andrea Bartz
  • Borrowed from Worcester County, MD Public Library Audiobook
  • Started:10/24/2021
  • Finished: 10/28/2021
Got this recommendation randomly online, a reasonably good thriller.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Hallowe'en Party, by Agatha Christie

Title: Hallowe'en Party
Author: Agatha Christie
Borrowed from Worcester County, MD Public Library Audiobook
Started: 10/22/2021
Finished: 10/23/2021

Bought a fixer upper recently and needed a book to listen to in the background as I worked. This one fit the bill. 

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race, by Richard Rhodes

  • Title:  Arsenals of Folly:  The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race
  • Author:  Richard Rhodes
  • Borrowed from DC Public Library (Kindle Edition and Audibook)
  • Started: 10/1/2021
  • Finished: 10/17/2021
Some people I follow on Twitter were talking about this one, I think in relation to the Chernobyl documentary/series streaming.  I was intrigued and gave it a shot, and just as they described -- it read almost like a thriller.  An incredible read, which I started on the Kindle edition and then switched to an audiobook when my original loan ended.   

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

The Storied Life of A.J Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: The Storied Life of A.J Fikry
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Borrowed from Worcester County Public Library Audiobook
Started: 10/12/2021
Finished: 10/13/2021

Book club selection, very enjoyable. 

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Based on a True Story, by Norm Macdonald

Title: Based on a True Story
Author: Norm Macdonald
Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook
Started: 9/22/2021
Finished: 9/28/2021

Very enjoyable. 

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Britt-Marie Was Here, by Fredrik Backman

  • Title: Britt-Marie Was Here
  • Author: Fredrik Backman
  • Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook
  • Started: 9/16/2021
  • Finish: 9/21/2021
Another great one from Backman.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Silent Bite, by David Rosenfelt

Title: Silent Bite
Author: David Rosenfelt
Borrowed from Fairfax County, Public Library Audiobook
Started: 9/11/2021
Finished: 9/15/2021

This was a pretty terrible book, but as with late entries in many mystery series, what can you expect?

Monday, September 13, 2021

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrik Backman

  • Title:  My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
  • Author: Fredrik Backman
  • Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook & Kindle Edition
  • Started: 9/8/2021
  • Finished: 9/13/2021
I am a sucker for Backman books and this was no exception. Just such a great writer.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Shooting Columbo, by David Koenig

  • Title: Shooting Columbo
  • Author: David Koenig
  • Purchased Hardback
  • Started: 8/23/2021
  • Finished: 9/7/2021
Big Columbo fan so was curious to see what I'd learn from this one.  Interesting to fans, but probably not to a wider audience.  Relatively deep knowledge of the episodes will be necessary for most readers to enjoy this -- unless you plan to watch each episode before reading the chapters.

Overall enjoyed it -- not as much as I wanted to... but I'm a fan and Koenig clearly is too.  

Monday, September 6, 2021

Claudius the God: and his wife Messalina, by Robert Graves

Title: Claudius the God: and his wife Messalina
Author: Robert Graves
Borrowed from Fairfax county public library audiobook
Started: 8/22/2021
Finished: 9/5/2021

As I said when I finished the first book in this series, I, Claudius, this is probably my third reading.  I love these books.  Probably close to an annual read for me.  

Friday, August 13, 2021

Newcomer, by Keigo Higashino

Title: Newcomer
Author: Keigo Higashino
Borrowed from Worcester, MD Public Library Audiobook
Started: 8/2/2021
Finished: 8/12/2021

Another enjoyable Detective Kaga. This one had a lot more heart to the novel, very entertaining. 

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Flashman and the Angel of the Lord, by George MacDonald Fraser

  • Title:  Flashman and the Angel of the Lord
  • Author:  George MacDonald Fraser
  • Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (Audiobook)
  • Started: 7/15/2021
  • Finished: 8/1/2021
Second or third time reading this one, one of the more somber Flashman books.

Friday, July 30, 2021

The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig

Title: The Midnight Library
Author: Matt Haig
Borrowed from Worcester County MD Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 7/10/2021
Finished: 7/30/2021

An easy read, but i didn't really enjoy this one.  

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell

Title: Down and Out in Paris and London
Author: George Orwell
Borrowed from Fairfax county public library audiobook
Started: 6/30/2021
Finished: 7/13/2021

Reasonably enjoyable, great last paragraph. 

Of Women and Salt, by Gabriela Garcia

Title: Of Women and Salt
Author: Gabriela Garcia
Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition
Started: 7/12/2021
Finished: 7/12/2021

Book club choice, easy read (finished same day), sometimes tough subject matter.  Decent but not great.  

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Muzzled, by David Rosenfelt

Title:  Muzzled
Author: David Rosenfelt
Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (audiobook)
Started: 6/30/2021
Finished: 7/8/2021

Pretty sure I listened to this one before, but never recorded it here, so it got a listen again. Not very good.

I, Claudius, by Robert Graves

  • Title:  I, Claudius
  • Author:  Robert Graves
  • Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (audiobook)
  • Started; 6/30/2021
  • Finished: 7/8/2021
Easily the third time I've read this book, so enjoyable.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Relentless, by Mark Greaney

Title: Relentless
Author: Mark Greaney
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 6/20/2021
Finished: 6/24/2021

Latest grey man installment. I hate to admit this but it was pretty enjoyable. Perfect book for a few days at the beach reading outside.  

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

The Sentinel, by Lee Child

Title: The Sentinel
Author: Lee Child
Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 6/14/2021
Finished: 6/15/2021

Summer so time for some quick easy reads.  This jack reacher, transitioning to a new author, wasn't great but certainly was quick and easy.  

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

The Moving Toyshop, by Edmund Crispin

Title: The Moving Toyshop
Author: Edmund Crispin
Purchased from Amazon.com Kindle Edition
Started: 4/15/2021
Finished: 5/2/2021

Very short book but I took my time with it.  Enjoyable, but not quite as funny as I'd hoped.  

Monday, April 26, 2021

All You Need Is Kill, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

Title : All You Need Is Kill
Author: Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Borrowed from Worcester, MD Public Library Audiobook
Started: 4/22/2021
Finished: 4/26/2021

Entertaining sci fi story, made into. Tom Cruise movie years ago. 

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane

Title: Shutter Island
Author: Dennis Lehane
Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook
Started:  4/2/2021
Finished: 4/7/2021

Enjoyable, even knowing the basic plot from the movie it is still atmospheric and engrossing. 

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Medicus, by Ruth Downie

  • Title: Medicus
  • Author: Ruth Downie
  • Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook
  • Started: 3/26/2021
  • Finished: 4/1/2021
Wanted to like this one more than I did, an ok way to pass time but not worth continuing.

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Death of a Doxy, by Rex Stout

Title: Death of a Doxy
Author: Rex Stout
Borrowed from Fairfax County VA Public Library Audiobook
Started: 3/23/2021
Finished: 3/25/2021

Another Nero Wolfe re-read, enjoyable. 

Eight Perfect Murders, by Peter Swanson

Title: Eight Perfect Murders
Author: Peter Swanson
Borrowed from
Started: 3/17/2021
Finished: 3/24/2021

Book club selection, enjoyed it mostly, ending was a bit off. Still, overall an enjoyable read. 

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

The Searcher, by Tana French

Title: The Searcher
Author: Tana French
Borrowed from Fairfax County VA Public Library Audiobook
Started: 3/18/2021
Finished: 3/23/2021

Really enjoyed this one, not at all like French's Doubling Murder Squad book (which I also enjoy).  More of a modern day western, thoroughly enjoyed this book.  

Sunday, March 14, 2021

We are all the same in the Dark, by Julia Heaberlin

Title: We are all the same in the Dark
Author: Julia Heaberlin
Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 3/1/2021
Finished: 3/14/2021

Book club selection, really enjoyed this one. 

Thursday, March 11, 2021

American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins

Title: American Dirt
Author: Jeanine Cummins
Borrowed from Fairfax County VA Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 2/26/2021
Finished: 3/11/2021

Enjoyable overall, if flawed.  

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Plot It Yourself, by Rex Stout

  • Title:  Plot It Yourself
  • Author:  Rex Stout
  • Borrowed from Fairfax County, VA Public Library Audiobook
  • Started: 2/20/2021
  • Finished: 2/24/2021
Another enjoyable Nero Wolf mystery.

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Looking for Rachel Wallace, by Robert B Parker

Title: Looking for Rachel Wallace
Author: Robert B Parker
Borrowed from Worcester County MD Public Library Kindle Edition
Started: 2/9/2021
Finished: 2/13/2021

I think this is my favorite Spenser novel.  Was in the mood for a familiar read so went this this one, again.