BOOKS READ IN 2024

I learned early in 2024 that I had torn two tendons in my ankle, including the Achilles tendon. In April I had surgery and was down for six weeks.  I read a few books during that time.  After I could walk again without wearing a boot I had to endure physical therapy.  Not fun whatsoever.  We had a garden again and I had t have help in the kitchen to get the canning and freezing of the veggies done. However, my ankle was still bothering me, so I finished out the year knowing I'd have to go back under the knife. Still no friends but my books. 

(written in 2025)

1. They Never Learn - Layne Fargo
2. Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver (audible)
3. Becoming The Boogeyman - Richard Chizmar
4. The Fourth Monkey - J. D. Barker
5. Wist - Steve M. Robertson (graphic novel)
6. The Haunting - Natasha Preston
7. Wicked Prey - John Sanford
8. Heat Lightning - John Sanford
9. Rough Country - John Sanford
10. Storm Prey - John Sanford
11. The Magnolia Inn - Anne-Marie Meyer
12. Buried Prey - John Sanford
13. The Last Dress from Paris - Jade Beer (audible) 
14. Magnolia Homecoming - Anne-Marie Meyer
15. Bad Blood - John Sanford
16. Snow, Glass, Apple - Neil Gaiman & Colleen Doran
17. Local Woman Missing - Mary Kubice
18. Stolen Prey - John Sanford
19. If You Ask Me - Betty White (audible)
20. Possession - Brynne Asher
21. Mad River - John Sanford
22. Silken Prey - John Sanford
23. Hail Mary - Andy Weir (audible)
24. Phantom - Greer Rivers
25. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle - Jennifer Ryan (audible)
    
26. The Truths We Hold -Kamala Harris
27. Nothing But Blackened Teeth - Cassandra Khaw (audible)
28. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher (audible)
29. I was a Teenage Slasher - Stephen Graham Jones
30. Haunt Sweet Home - Sara Pinsker
31. Pen Pal - J. T. Geissinger
32. Graveyard Shift - M. L. Rio
33. Sex and Vanity - Kevin Kwan (audible)
34. Fiels of Prey - John Sanford
35. The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods (audible)
36. Gathering Prey - John Sanford

BOOKS READ IN 2023

What can I say about 2023? It was cold and snowy at the beginning of the year. In June, I fell off a stool into the corner of an entertainment center, giving myself a concussion that turned serious. We had a garden and I preserved the produce by freezing it or canning it. I found a therapist at the end of 2022 who helped me deal with some of the grief from losing Mom. I'm still recovering.  I wish I could have gotten there in time.  I am still having trouble making friends, though I try to talk to my neighbors.  So when loneliness hit, I turned to books, of course. The end of the year was snowy and cold. Weather to snuggle up to the fire with a good book.

(written in 2025)

1. Secret Prey - John Sanford
2. A Thousand Naked Strangers - George Newbern (audible)
3. Souls (A Killers Novel) - Brynne Asher
4. Spare - Prince Harry (audible)
5. Murder By Other Means - Johns Scalzi (audible)
6. Certain Prey - - John Sanford
7. Easy Prey - John Sanford
8. China Rich Girlfriend - Kevin Kwan (audible)
9. Rich People Problems - Kevin Kwan (audible)
10. The Serpent In Heaven - Charlane Harris
11. Chosen Prey - John Sanford
12. Mortal Prey - John Sanford
13. The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama (audible)
14. A House With Good Bones - T. Kingfisher (audible)
    
15. Naked Prey - John Sanford
16. The Diamond Eye - Kate Quinn
17. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris (re-read)
18. Hidden Prey - John Sanford
19. What Moves The Dead - T. Kingfisher
20. Broken Prey - John Sanford
21. A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons - Kate Khavari (audible)
22. Little Sister Death - William Gay
23. The President's Brain is Missing - John Scalzi (audible)
24. The Man on the Mountain Top - Susan Trott (audible)
25. Too Mulch to Handle - Hy Hanna
26. Chasing the Boogeyman - Richard Chizmar
27. Dark of the Moon - John Sanford
28. Dance Macabre - Stephen King (audible)
29. Invisible Prey John Sanford
30. The Sisters _ Dervla McTierman (audible)
31. Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan (audible)
32. All The Dead Shall Weep - Charlaine Harris
33. Starter Villian - John Scalzi (audible)]
34. The Last Devil To Die - Richard Osman
35. Kiajui Preservation Society - John Scalzi (audible)
36. Phantom Prey -John Sanford
37. Ruthless King - Meghan March
38. Defiant Queen Meghan March
39. Sinful Empire - Meghan March
40. The Trees Grew Because I Bled There - Eric LaRocca
41. Vines - Brynne Asher (re-read)
42. Paths - Brynne Asher (re-read)
43. Gift - Brynne Asher (re-read)
44. Heart of Iron (First Draft) - C. M. Alongi
    
    

Books Read in 2022

The following books were consumed in 2022 while we settled into our new house, and I tried to recover from the grief of losing my mother in December of 2021.  I also lost my 2-year-old great nephew, Wyatt, in February of 2022 - exactly 2 months to the day of losing my mother. Over the summer while canning squash, jars I had in the pressure cooker to preserve exploded into my face and hand causing second degree burns. Then in September we lost my brother-in-law in a long slow death.  It was basically just an all-around shit of a year.

(written in 2025)

1. Cemetery Girl: The Pretenders - Charlaine Harris & Christopher Golden
2. Cemetery Girl: Inheritance - Charlaine Harris & Christopher Golden
3. Cemetery Girl: Haunted - Charlaine Harris & Christoper Golden
4. An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed - Helen Tursten
5. After I Fall (Immortal Billionaire Series) -Melissa Sercia
6. After I Break (Immortal Billionaire Series) - Melissa Sercia
7. The Adventures of Alice LaSelles - Alexandrina Victoria & Jacqueline Wilson
8. Billy Summer - Stephen King
9. After I Run (Immortal Billionaire Series) - Melissa Sercia
10. After I burn (Immortal Billionaire Series) - Melissa Sercia
11. Secrets of the Greek Revival - Eva Pohl
12. The Library of the Dead - T. L Hutchu
13. The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osma
14. Opium and Absinthe _Lydia King
15. The Man Who Died Twice - Richad Osman
16. The Russian Cage - Charlaine Harris
17. Agnes and The Hitman - Jennifer Cruise & Bob Mayer
18. After I Obey (Immortal Billionaire Series) - Melissa Sercia
19. Suicide Kings - Stephen Blackmore
20. First Grave on the Right - Darynda Jones
21. Rules of Prey - John Sanford
22. Th One That Got Away - Charlaine Harris
23. The Ink Black Heart - Rober Galbraith
24. Shadow Prey - John Sanford
25. The Body in the Wood - April Henry
26. Silent Prey - John Sanford
27. Winter Prey - John Sanford
28. Night Prey - John Sanford
29. Blood Will Tell - April Henry
30. Levi - Bryanne Asher
31. Mind Prey - John Sanford
32. Travel By Bullet - John Scalzi
33. Sudden Prey - John Sanford

Books Read in 2021

I know, I know... I'm extremely late getting this out.  It's been a very harsh winter both weather-wise and personally.  We Moved to North Dakota in the spring and started to unpack half the house. The house we bought needed months long construction during the summer to finish the basement where my son's room and my studio would be. In the autumn I received a rather bad burn when jars of squash in my canner exploded onto my face and arms. Then in the winter I lost my mother, my 2 year old great nephew, and my beloved cat, Midnight in the span of just two months.  I'll do a post on all that's happened later.  

During the first part of the year after we moved and while the basement was being finished, the only books I had to read were on my Kindle or on Audible or the few I bought along the way. All my books were still packed in moving boxes and stored in the garage... for so many months. I didn't realize how attached to my books I am.  I have to admit though that I think I may have read less this past year simply because I was unpacking, managing a remodel, unpacking again, and then towards the end of the year I became addicted to TikTok and Facebook Reels.  I know that it's just a symptom of the depression that I've been under but it's cutting my productivity.  It'll need to be brought under control.  Without further ado, here is what I read in 2021.

Books

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Untold Stories of American Indians: Encounters with Star People - Ardy Six Killer Clark

Vines (The Killer Book 1) - Brynne Asher (read 2x)

Midnight Sun - Stephanie Meyer

Paths (The Killers Book 2) - Brynne Asher (read 2x)

An Elder Lady Is Up To No Good - Helen Tursten

Devolution - Max Brooks

Gifts (The Killers Book 3) - Brynne Asher

Murder At Archly Manor - Sara Rosette

Viels (The Killers Book 4) - Brynne Asher

Trowel and Terror - H. Y. Hanna

Fronds and Enemies - H. Y. Hanna

Chronicles Of The Unexplained - Gary Gillespie (bought at iMagicon 2021)

Bridge of Souls - Victoria Schwab

Fifty Shades Of Grey - E. L. James (re-read)

Fifty Shades Darker - E. L. James (re-read)

Dark Stranger: The Dream - I. T. Lucas

Bottle Demon - Stephen Blackmoore

The Box In The Woods - Maureen Johnson

Spooky Creepy North Dakota - Lori L. Orser

Until The Tequila - Brynne Asher

Scars (The Killers Book 5) - Brynne Asher

Later - Stephen King

Troubled Blood - Robert Galbraith

Your Guide To Not Getting Murdered In A Quaint English Village - Maureen Johnson & Jay Cooper

Audio Books

A Keeper - Graham Norton

The Only Woman In The Room - Marie Benedict

The Mountain and The Sea - Kwame Dawes

Fight or Flight - Stephen King, editor

The Life We Bury - Allen Eskens

Interview With A Robot - Lee Bacon

Where The Forest Meets The Stars - Gwendy Vanderah

Short Stories

"I Own A Motel. I've Been Renting Out A Room To A Family Of Vampires" - Strange Dangerous

We Have Moved Again

 We are now in very sunny North Dakota. The sun is too bright here. It fades everything so quickly.  We've been here since mid-March.  We bought a house that needed the basement to be finished.  There were 3 months of construction and most of our stuff was still packed in boxes in the garage while the construction was ongoing.  This included all of my book.  I had no idea how much my bookshelves full of books were like a security blanket for me until this.  After 5 months of living here, the construction was finished in time for my birthday in July.  Then there was all the unpacking that then had to be done in the basement rooms.  We are only just now hanging photos and artwork.  Hopefully by Christmas it will feel more like home and be cooler outside.

Books Read in 2020

 Despite the upheaval that my family went through in 2020, I was able to get some books read although it was far less than I usually read.  I'd just come home so exhausted from my job I wouldn't even have the energy to read let alone be creative.  This year I have a more to look forward to and the adventures that come with it but I plan to make plenty of  time for reading in as many forms as possible.

BOOKS

The Air Raid Killer - Frank Goldamm

A Longer Fall - Charlaine Harris

The Hand on the Wall - Maureen Johnson

The Master Quilter - Jennifer Chiaverini

Gwendy's Magic Feather - Richard Chizmar

7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

The Tea Master and the Detective - Alietle DeBodand

A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson

Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire

In The Shadow of Spinthrift House - Seanan McGuire

Ghost Money - Stephen Blackmoore

The Perfume Collector - Kathleen Tessaro

If It Bleeds - Stephen King

The Last Curtain Call - Juliet Blackwell

One Hell of a Ride - Seanan McGuire

No Place Like Home - Seanan McGuire

Married in Green - Seanan McGuire

Wave of Terror - Jon Jefferson

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix

The Neighbors - Ania Ahlborn

This House is Haunted - John Boyne

The Mystery Girl - David Gordon

A Tale from Paleface Creek - Robert F. Morneau

Granddaddy Gift - Margee King Mitchell

Duke Ellington - Andrea Davis Pinkney

Watch The Stars Come Out - Riki Levinson

Boom Town - Sonia Levitin

STORIES

The Fifth Step - Stephen King - Harper's Magazine Feb 2020

Batman and Robin Have an Altercation - Stephen King - Harper's Magazine Sept 2012

Everything But The Squeal - John Scalzi

AUDIBLE

Becoming - Michelle Obama

The Burnout Generation - Anne Helen Peterson

The Mystery of Alice -  Lee Bacon

The Last Emperox - John Scalzi

Camilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Educated - Tara Westover

2020

 2020 was a terrible year for most people.  For us it was incredibly stressful even before the pandemic hit.  In October of 2019 my husband lost his job when his position was eliminated.  We thought he would have a new job by the first part of 2020.   In the meantime, and this is going to sound crazy, we followed through with a trip we had planned to visit our daughter in Japan.  We spent Christmas and New Years with her (two and a half weeks total) and it was awesome.  But the job my husband had interviewed for, that we thought was a done deal, fell through.  

In November of 2020 my husband's father died unexpectedly.  He was then dealing with his grief, trying to manage his father's estate, and trying to find a new job.  I've never seen him so lost as I did in the months to come.  

By March 2020, just as the pandemic was getting a foothold, I had found a job.  I worked as a scheduler for a local hospital chain.  In the months that followed I learned to book mammograms, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRI's, and much more.  It was a difficult job keeping all the information for the 8 different hospital locations straight - each location had different rules for the different tests.  It was all draining for me as an introvert to talk to people all day long and my empathy continually got the better of me.  Everyone calling in had something serious going wrong in their life.  I'd come home absolutely exhausted.  But it was a job and it provided insurance and income for my family - that's what mattered.  

At home my husband at first had trouble with this role reversal (there was also this deep depression as well).  He had never filed for unemployment before.  Luckily he filed before the crush from the pandemic and lock downs.  He began keeping house and making dinner.  If I'm honest, he did a much better job of keeping the house clean and he's a better cook than I am.  He also had to keep track of the appointments and services for our son.  He began to see what it was like for me while he worked.  It was eye opening for both of us.  We were doing everything we had to do to stay afloat until better days come.

In January of 2021, after applying for over 200 positions across 63 different companies, my husband was offered a position as a Research Agronomist in Minot, North Dakota.  He's been there since the end of January.  We will be moving there as a family in a few days.  I look forward to this new adventure in an area of the United States of America that I've never been to.  Hopefully, I can get back to this blog and more creativity in the coming year!

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