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Friday, December 29

2023 Reading Challenges Wrap-Up

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 


In recent years, I've been reading fewer total books each year for various reasons. I hoped that I would be able to get my totals up in 2022, but there's no way I could have foreseen all the interruptions to "normal" I would experience over the year, and how that would impact my time and interest in reading. So although I didn't reach my goals, I made progress, and I will be doing the 2023 version of these challenges as well. Watch for that post coming up soon!

I worked on two specific challenges hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader:


2023 European Reading Challenge! For this challenge, participants will be reading books either set in Europe or by European authors. I was aiming for the Four Star (Honeymooner) level participation, so my goal was to read four books set in four different European countries, or by authors from four different countries. I'm pleased that I was able to visit seven countries!

THE GIST: The idea is to read books set in European countries or books by European authors. The books can be of any genre - fiction, nonfiction, novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, whatever. You can participate at different levels, but each book must represent a different country - either written by an author from a different country or set in a different country, no two books from the same country. It's supposed to be a tour!

  1. Obedient Unto Death - Liisa Eyerly (Turkey)
  2. What I Would Tell You - Liz Tolsma (Greece)
  3. The Letter from Briarton Park - Sarah E. Ladd (Great Britain)
  4. Women Talking - Miriam Toews (Russia)
  5. A Man With One of Those Faces - Caimh McDonnell (Ireland)
  6. Reykjavík: A Crime Story - Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir (Iceland)
  7. The Starlet Spy - Rachel Scott McDaniel (Sweden)

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The TBR 23 in '23 Challenge is meant to encourage us to read the books already on our shelves (including eReader shelves) and maybe make room for more! I wasn't sure how I'd do on this challenge, since I really limited how many books I brought with me when we moved at the end of 2022. I did bring my Kindle with me, and there are a lot of pre-2023 book there, but I wasn't confident I'd actually read many of them. Certainly not 23 of them! I ended up reading five books for this challenge, and given my current situation, I don't think it would be practical for me to do the 2024 version of it!

"TBR" counts as any book that was on your shelf prior to January 1, 2023. "Shelf" includes your ebook reader and audiobooks you own, but it doesn't include library books. This is a TBR challenge, so the goal is to read the books you own to make room for more books.

  1. Obedient Unto Death - Liisa Eyerly
  2. The Wendy - Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
  3. The Friendly Persuasion - Jessamyn West
  4. Fair As a Star - Mimi Matthews
  5. A Perilous Perspective - Anna Lee Huber
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This is the second year I've worked on the 52 Book Club's Challenge. I didn't think it likely I could read 52 books for the 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge, but I hoped to get around two thirds of it completed. Find out more about the 2023 Reading Challenge HERE.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023


I completed 31 of the challenge prompts, which is very nearly two-thirds so I think I met my goal, and I also completed eight of the mini-challenges along the way.


1. If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) - Betty White (a book with a subtitle)
2.  Bridges - Linda Griffin (featuring an inheritance)
5.  It Happened In Ohio - Carol Cartaino (title starts with the letter I)
6.  Composition As Conversation - Heather M. Hoover (under 200 pages)
7.  The Cairo Curse - Pepper Basham (a city or country name in the title)
9.  What I Would Tell You - Liz Tolsma (a book with a dedication)
11. The Wendy - Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown (a book about secrets)
14. Women Talking - Miriam Toews (a survival story)
20. When Tomorrow Came - Hannah Linder (about siblings)
22. Fair As a Star -  Mimi Matthews (a body-positive message)
23. A Perilous Perspective - Anna Lee Huber (an alliterative title)
24. Reykjavík: A Crime Story - Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir (Nordic Noir)
25. The Starlet Spy - Rachel Scott McDaniel (a fashionable character)
26. The Letter from Briarton Park - Sarah E. Ladd (has an epilogue)
28. The Friendly Persuasion - Jessamyn West (includes a funeral)
29. The Keys to Gramercy Park - Candice Sue Patterson (sends me down a rabbit hole*)
31. In Spotlight and Shadow - Rachel Scott McDaniel (set in a workplace)
34. Man of Shadow & Mist - Michelle Griep (features mythology)
35. Obedient Unto Death - Liisa Eyerly (a book I meant to read last year)
36. Beneath a Peaceful Moon - Debby Lee (chapters have cliffhangers)
37. Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt (written in present tense)
38. Restoring Christmas (part of A Louisiana Christmas to Remember) - (enemies-to-lovers plot)
39. Rebecca - Shannon McNear (final book in a series)
40. Shirley, I Jest! - Cindy Williams (written by a comedian)
41. If Only (part of Kingdom of Love) - Tracie Peterson (a character who is a refugee)
42. Garden of the Midnights - Hannah Linder (time in the title)
44. A Louisiana Christmas to Remember - novella collection (contemporary setting)
47. A Man With One of Those Faces - Caimh McDonnell (set in the city of Dublin)
50. A Kingdom Divided and Alas, My Love (part of Kingdom of Love) - Tracie Peterson (related to the word "murder")
51. After the Boxes Are Unpacked - Susan Miller (doesn't fit any of the other prompts)
52. In the Shelter of Hollythorne House - Sarah E. Ladd (published in 2023)

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This Wrap-up Post will be linked at the 2023 European Reading Challenge Wrap-up Page at Rose City Reader; and at the TBR 23 in '23 Challenge Wrap-Up Page at Rose City Reader.

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Monday, May 15

What I'm Reading - May 15, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I don't update that often. Usually I do this around the middle of the month, and try to share my monthly bookshelf summary on the last Monday of the month. Here's what I've been working on lately.


I finished reading . . . 

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd - Charlotte Grey is a young widow who only wants to protect her infant son and give him a safe childhood, but she is in dangerous circumstances and under the protection of watchmen, one of whom is her first love, Anthony Welbourne. This was finished at my last update but I hadn't yet posted the review. (Read my review HERE.)



Women Talking by Miriam Toews - In an isolated Mennonite community, a group of women gather secretly to decide for themselves their response to the abuse they've suffered and how they can protect themselves and their children. (Read my review HERE.)



When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder - Nan and Heath are siblings abandoned by their father when they were very young, but separated and grew up under very different circumstances. When their father finally returns, they are reunited but face turmoil and danger and heartache as a result. (Read my review HERE.)



After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller - An encouraging guidebook to settling into new surroundings and making a new place home. (Read my full review HERE.)



Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - I loved this story about a curmudgeonly octopus and his unlikely friendship with the cleaning lady that comes in after hours. (Read my full review HERE.)



I'm currently reading . . .

Fair As A Star by Mimi Matthews - Beryl returns to her small English village to marry her betrothed, but her deep friendship with his younger brother, now the curate, is more comforting to her as she copes with her melancholy.



The Keys to Gramercy Park by Candice Sue Patterson - A dual timeline story in which a modern day journalist discovers a stash of old counterfeit money in her apartment wall and sets out to find its origin.



A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber - As so often happens when I am reading library books or review books, the books that I own get put on hold no matter how greatly I'm enjoying them! That's been the case with this Lady Kiera mystery in which her discovery of forged art leads to a murder investigation and danger.



Next on the stack . . . 

Composition As Conversation by Heather M. Hoover
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber
A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber

   

   


What I'm Highlighting . . . My Mother's Day themed Wednesday Quotes post on A Fresh Cup of Coffee included some history on how this special day came to be. I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend!



Next weekend is Victoria Day in Canada. so I'll also highlight an older post at Homeschool Coffee Break that shares some history on that holiday: From the High School Lesson Book - Victoria Day



On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:



On my main coffee break project, A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



And on my "first cup blog", Homeschool Coffee Break:



What are you reading?

 ©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Friday, April 28

Monthly Bookshelf Review - April 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 



“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I got off to a pretty good start in April, but haven't read as much the last couple weeks because I've been visiting family. I have a couple books I need to finish up soon - one because I meant to have the review done already, and another because it's a high-demand library book that I won't be able to renew.

April's Books Completed and Reviewed

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd - I believe I'd just finished this when I posted my March summary, but the review wasn't done yet. A young widow trying to protect her infant son reconnects with her first love, who just happens to be one of the watchmen assigned to protect her. Or is he really there to spy on her? (Read my full review HERE)




Women Talking by Miriam Toews - In an isolated Mennonite community, a group of women gather secretly to decide for themselves their response to the abuse they've suffered. I really enjoyed this unique novel about women finding their own voice and strength. (Read my full review HERE)



After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller - A dear friend sent me this book as we are both in the process of moving or settling into brand new surroundings. So much of this guidebook has been relevant and encouraging to me, and it's a comfort to know that the difficult emotional aspects of our move are not unusual or my imagination! (Review coming soon!)



During April I started reading:

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - I've seen a lot of buzz about this book and so far I'm really enjoying it. A curmudgeonly octopus develops an unlikely friendship with the cleaning lady that comes in after hours.



Fair As A Star by Mimi Matthews - After a stay in Paris, Beryl returns to her small English village to marry her betrothed, but it's her friendship with his younger brother, now the curate, that seems more warm and heartfelt.



During April I continued reading:

When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder  - Nan and Heath have been waiting since childhood for their father to return, but after years apart and raised in different homes, their expectations for what a reunion with their father would be like are much different than the reality. 



A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera notices some valuable artwork at a country estate is forged, and as more questions are raised, the investigation turns deadly. And I'll have to get back to this after finishing a couple others!



During April I shelved . . . 

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin - I started reading this exploration of how humans understand and interact with music, but have paused it so I can focus on the next book on my list . . . I think I'll just skim through it for the highlights and then pass.



Where My Books Took Me in April . . . On Budget Tales Book Blog, there's a monthly meme about "Places My Books Have Taken Me" along with a one-word summary or review of the book. Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

When Tomorrow Came takes place in England.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is based in Washington state.
Fair As A Star is another novel based in England.
A Perilous Perspective has been in Scotland so far.

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House happens in Leeds, England.
One Word: Trust

Women Talking takes place in rural Russia.
One Word: Freedom


Coming Up in May!

The Keys to Gramercy Park by Candice Sue Patterson
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber
Composition As Conversation by Heather M. Hoover

      

   


What I'm Highlighting . . . Over at A Fresh Cup of Coffee, I've started participating in a new weekly link-up that I'm finding very entertaining, It's called Wednesday Quotes, but I tend to post mine on another day of the week. The post is based on quotes on a certain theme, with photos or thoughts based on the quotes found. My most recent are Abstract Beauty and In Honor of Gardens. Check them out if you'd like!


People like abstract art because it makes them feel clever. ~James Acaster

Baltimore Museum of Art Field Trip on Homeschool Coffee Break @ kympossibleblog.blogspot.com
Water Birds by Jackson Pollock



Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts. ~Anonymous



On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:



On Homeschool Coffee Break:



And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; at Budget Tales Book Blog; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.

bookworms monthly linky

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?



©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Saturday, April 15

Recent Reads - In The Shelter of Hollythorne House

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

 
In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd - The opening pages of the story tell of the ending of the relationship of Charlotte Grey and Anthony Welbourne. Charlotte's father hadn't approved of Anthony's family and wanted her to marry someone else; while Anthony was determined to join the army anyway. After this sorrowful prologue, the story picks up some years later. Charlotte's marriage to Roland Prior has not been a happy one, except that she now has an infant son, Henry. When Roland dies suddenly, his brother takes over the family business until Henry comes of age, but he reluctantly allows Charlotte to take Henry and live at her own family estate once more. But he also hires William Walstead's watchmen to guard her.

Anthony has been serving with Walstead's watchmen since returning from the war overseas, and is glad to take an assignment that will take him back to his home in Yorkshire. But he is surprised to discover that the widow he will be protecting is none other than Charlotte. He is determined to set his own feelings aside, and to make sure she and her young son are safe.

Charlotte already mistrusts her brother-in-law, and starts to suspect that her husband had been involved in business dealings even less savory than she had imagined. Then she realizes that she has unwittingly placed herself and Henry in further danger, and it seems that even Walstead's watchmen may not be guarding her so much as spying on her. She fights her own re-emerging feelings for Anthony, but the threats and danger are becoming more intense and she needs to decide who she can trust. Besides, she will need Anthony's help and support if she hopes to keep Henry safe.

Will Charlotte and Anthony be able to trust each other and find a second chance together? Aside from the intrigues and betrayals in the story, this is a tale of not missing an opportunity for a second chance. The romantic aspect of the lost love regained combined with some mystery and dangerous drama make this a book that kept my attention from beginning to end. Both Charlotte and Anthony must grow and change, and there are interesting twists among the supporting characters as to who is trustworthy and who is not, along with enough development of those characters to make their actions and their dilemmas believable. The plot takes a couple of unexpected turns that lead to suspense and stir up even more conflict.  


From the Publisher:

Young widow Charlotte Grey faces an uncertain future . . . until a chance encounter with her first love gives her heart a second chance in this Regency romance set on the Yorkshire Moors.

England, 1817 Charlotte Grey thought she had seen the last of Anthony Welbourne. Knowing her father would never consent to his only daughter marrying a man he deemed beneath their family's station, Charlotte bid her final farewell to Anthony and vowed to never turn back. Instead, she honored her father's wishes by marrying the wealthy Roland Prior.

Determined to put his love for Charlotte in the past, Anthony Welbourne chose to follow his goals and immerse himself in a life full of meaning―first as a soldier fighting a war overseas, then as a member of William Walstead's watchmen, a rugged band of men dispatched to deal with perilous situations. Fearless and persistent, he makes it his life's focus to fight for those who can't fight for themselves.

When Charlotte's husband dies unexpectedly, she quickly realizes how blind she'd been to his nefarious ambitions and how many people he'd angered on his relentless quest for wealth. to protect her infant son, Henry, from those who wish them harm, she and the baby flee to Hollythorne House, her childhood home. There Charlotte comes face to face with her former love, who has been sent as one of the hired watchmen to protect her and Henry until the details of her late husband's estate are settled.

Anthony's presence brings back feelings she never expected to feel again, and she struggles to trust Anthony's intentions. Are Walstead's Watchmen really looking after Charlotte as they claim―or are they looking to make trouble for Roland's estate and heir? Despite the constant reminders of their past, Anthony must remain focused on the task he was hired to do. But when new threats emerge, danger arises, and the past collides with the present, both must decide what they are willing to risk for the chance to right past wrongs an carve out a new future . . . together.


I received a digital ARC of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through NetGalley for the purpose of this review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#InTheShelterOfHollythorneHouse #NetGalley


This is a book published in 2023 (#52) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge
#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023


©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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