Reading Challenges Wrap Up!

 So out with the old and in with the new!  I'm still trying to figure out my 2025 challenges but wanted to give a brief rundown of how I fared in 2024.  

WHAT AN ANIMAL CHALLENGE:

My goal going in was Level 3 which is 13-20 books.  I hit that pretty early and ended up reading 45 books with animals (real or supernatural) featured somehow.  This remains one of my faves and I'll probably do it again in 2025 but raise my goal a bit higher.  

LIBRARY LOVERS CHALLENGE:

My goal for this one was "Overdrive Junkie" which was 36 books.  I hit this one easily and read a total of 58 books I obtained from my library either on Libby or in physical form.  Just don't ask me how many I checked out and didn't return.

BANDS AND BOOKS:

This was a challenge I found which had 144 different prompts connected to music somehow (singers, songs, bands, etc.)  I knew I wouldn't hit them all but without doubling up, I did manage to knock 111 out of the way.

2024 BOOKS OF HORROR CHALLENGE:

This one came from a Facebook group I am in.  It had 24 horror related prompts and I was able to hit 20 of them.  It made me mad I didn't knock off the last 4 but I will also admit I didn't try very hard.  Can you believe I didn't read one dystopian book all year.  It was a prompt on two different challenges and I blew both of them.

2024 GOODREADS CHALLENGE:

I set a goal of 100 books and ended up reading 120.  Not too shabby and heck, I'm just glad I think I logged them all this year.

2024 KINDLE UNLIMITED CHALLENGE:

I really don't know what to call this.  Every three months, Kindle has 15 different prompts you can achieve by reading on your Kindle.  They vary from reading during certain days, finishing certain genres, and reading so many days a month or quarter.  It's the first year I really paid attention, and I ended up completing all 60 prompts.  Go me!

So there you have it.  Look for a post soon highlighting this year's challenges.  

How did you guys do with your 2024 goals?

Feed Your TBR - The Farmhouse

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

June 17, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Every woman who has lived on this farm has died. Emily just moved in. 

When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they want for a fresh clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home. 

They should have asked why the farm was for sale. 

Three years ago, a teenage girl went missing from the farm. Soon after, the girl's mother mysteriously died. The deeper Emily digs, the more stories she finds of women with a connection to her new home who've met their own dark ends.

The farmhouse was meant to be Emily's fresh start, but with each passing day, her sanctuary slips further away. The barn seems to move throughout her property, as though chasing her. Her mother's favorite music drifts across the corn. She swears she saw blood in one of the farmhand's trucks. And the screams that wake her are not foxes, no matter how many times her husband says otherwise.

Despite Josh's skepticism, Emily feels the darkness that has seeped into the soil of her farm. And if she wants to claim this place as her own, she'll have to find the truth before whatever watches from the cornfield takes her too.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I need to know what is watching from the cornfield.  This sounds really atmospheric and like a great summer read.  

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

2 Bloggers 1 Series - I'll Be Home for Mischief

 

One of the favorite series Stormi and I are buddy reading is The Christmas Tree Farm cozy mysteries.  The fifth one came out much earlier than we anticipated and to be honest, it's always a question as to whether this series will continue or not.  Either way, we knew we had to read it this Christmas season.  Read on to see what I thought and then hop over to Storm Reads to see if Stormi liked it as well.  

TITLE: I'll Be Home for Mischief (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #5

AUTHOR: Jacqueline Frost

PUBLISHER: Crooked Lane Books

PUBLISHING DATE: November 12, 2024

PAGES: 288   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: It’s Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine, and the Historical Society has launched a widespread campaign to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary. Descendants of the founding family, the Snows, have returned for the first time, and Holly is determined to make the family’s visit magical. In an attempt to put Mistletoe on the map, Holly’s mother, a respected local baker, attempts to break a record by baking the world’s largest gingerbread man, but her plans are whisked away when Mr. Snow’s body ends up in the batter. 

When Mr. Moore, the local mistletoe farmer, is accused of the crime, Holly reprises her role as amateur sleuth to protect the sweet older man. Between hosting the inconsolable Mrs. Snow and other guests at the inn, receiving threatening messages telling her to stop her investigation, and preparing for her first wedding anniversary with Sheriff Evan Gray, she might need a Christmas miracle to survive. 

When someone breaks into Holly’s office and scratches a warning into her desk, she knows she has little time left. Can Holly uncover the killer before someone else gets burned, or is her involvement a recipe for trouble?

MY THOUGHTS: As I mentioned, I love this series a lot.  It's always fun to see what is going on at Christmas Tree Farm each season.  This time around, Holly's mom is trying to break the world record for the largest gingerbread man ever made.  I just had a feeling that someone was going to show up dead in the gingerbread man and I was right.

The morning of the baking, Mr. Snow, a historical figure who is visiting Mistletoe with his mother for the first time in years, is found dead inside the batter.  An elderly friend of the family, Mr. Moore, quickly becomes the top suspect but Holly knows there is no way he can be responsible.  So of course, she starts meddling into the investigation despite her husband, the local sheriff's, protests.

While I really loved the mystery in this book, as well as seeing all the characters once again, I really found Holly nerve-wracking at times - more than usual.  She continues to investigate even though she knows everyone is worried about her getting hurt and at times, doesn't seem to have faith that her husband can solve the mystery on his own.  This conclusion of this one threw me for a curve as the author really incorporated a few plot twists which kept me on my toes.  

I hope there is more to come of this series as I do believe there are still stories to be fleshed out amongst the side characters.  However, if it is the end, it does sum everything up pretty nicely.  If you love cozy mysteries and holiday reads, then this is the series for you.

MY RATING: 4 Paws

Buried by Books #5

 

It's been a while but it's time for another edition of Buried by Books where I showcase some fun and sometimes unusual books which have landed on hold through my local libraries.  This time around I'm once again focusing on books on Kindle Unlimited I have added to my KU borrow wish list on Amazon.  You all know there are ALWAYS some interesting books on KU.

Thank You for the Days: Dan Brotzel - I'm pretty sure I was sucked in by the dog in this one named Ziggy.  It is also centered around the premise of celebrating some weird pop culture holiday every day for a year.  Sounds peculiar and perhaps like something I will enjoy.  And also - Ziggy.

I Pittie the Yule: Kathryn Mykel - I have to make time for this one before the season is over.  Look at that adorable cover.  And I'm in the mood for a cozy.  Do you see a theme here?

The Vampires of York Tower: Kirsten McKenzie - What's a list without a vampire book?  I don't even remember adding this one to be honest, but when I read the synopsis again, I'm glad I did.  

I really have to start making an effort to use my KU subscription more.  These books might be a good place to start.

Two Cute Dogs and a Cinnamon Roll in Horsebox...

 

TITLE: That Festive Feeling

AUTHOR: Heidi Swain

PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster

PUBLISHING DATE: October 12, 2023

PAGES: 448   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Holly has the place to herself this Christmas. It's not her place, though - she is house-sitting for friends who live on Nightingale Square - just there to keep the place warm and cosy and only for long enough for her to sort her life out. Newly single and finding herself unsure about next steps for her career, she plans to hunker down and make some life decisions. 

To clear her mind, she sets off on early morning walks around a nearby lake and bumps into May, an older lady who is also new to the area, and her dapper Dachshund Monty. Quickly, a firm friendship blossoms. Then when Holly meets Bear, a rather large and rather attractive man, at the local pub, and his rescue dog Queenie, her stay at Nightingale Square suddenly feels even more appealing. 

As the community comes together for the season's festivities, Holly must start thinking about where her life will take her next. Some big decisions need to be made, but distractions close to home make thinking about the future trickier than ever...

MY THOUGHTS: Wow, I had no idea when I borrowed this on Libby it would become one of my favorite reads of the year. I am so glad I picked it up. And I'm not going to lie, it was a complete grab based on those two tiny dogs on the cover.

Holly is recently divorced and looking to move. She gets the chance to housesit for two friends over the holidays and wants nothing more than to hide away and contemplate where she wants to live and decide if she is really happy being an illustrator.  Holly has no intentions of trying to fit into her friend's small community of Nightingale Square, but the neighbors won't let her be.  One morning while walking, she saves an elderly lady's dog from drowning and she and Holly strike up an unexpected friendship.  It's after this that she meets Bear.  A grumpy man visiting for the holidays and parking his horsebox, which he converted into a living quarter, in Nightingale Square (he really isn't that grumpy, but Holly did step on his dog - I'd be grumpy too!)  Holly quickly finds herself caught up in the spirit of the season and discovers hiding away isn't the best way to move on.

This book was everything I want in a holiday read.  It has romance, but also a few pretty serious storylines.  In addition, the whole book really brings a found family together and that is hands down one of my favorite tropes as I recently discovered.  And the dogs!  Bear has a dog he rescued named Queenie, and she is the most adorably pittie everyone and she becomes so enamored with Monty the dachshund. 

I had no idea this was actually part of a series when I picked it up and didn't even learn about it until after I had finished.  I really loved the characters and the community and can see me checking some of the others out at some point in the future.  However, this book was such a perfect timely read for me, maybe I should just leave well enough alone.  Anyone else have any suggestions or experience with this series or this author?  Let me know what you recommend.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Mask of the Deer Woman

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

January 21, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: To find a missing young woman, the new tribal marshal must also find herself.

 At rock bottom following her daughter’s murder, ex-Chicago detective Carrie Starr has nowhere to go but back to her roots. Starr’s father never talked much about the reservation that raised him, but they need a new tribal marshal as much as Starr needs a place to call home. In the last decade, too many young women have disappeared from the rez. Some dead, others just… gone.

 Now, local college student Chenoa Cloud is missing, and Starr falls into an investigation that leaves her drowning in memories of her daughter—the girl she failed to save. Starr feels lost in this place she thought would welcome her. And when she catches a glimpse of a figure from her father’s stories, with the body of a woman and the antlers of a deer, Starr can’t shake the feeling that the fearsome spirit is watching her, following her. What she doesn’t know is whether Deer Woman is here to guide her or to seek vengeance for the lost daughters that Starr can never bring home.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I love indigenous tales, and this one seems to have a good mystery at the root of it.  Plus, I need to know more about the woman with the antlers.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Not Your Typical Hallmark

 

TITLE: To Hell with Hallmark

AUTHOR: Brad Ricks

PUBLISHER: Unveiling Nightmares Press

PUBLISHING DATE: November 15, 2024

PAGES: 228   

SOURCE: Kindle Unlimited

FROM GOODREADS: Welcome to Hallmark, Vermont, the setting for every cliched Christmas dream. Idyllic and picturesque, it's where real Christmas magic happens. 

Here, a lonely librarian bumps into the man of her dreams and is swept away into a whirlwind romance. A big city girl runs into her high school sweetheart and rekindles a forgotten spark. A secret prince escapes the pressures of royalty - and finds his true love. 

Except this year, something sinister has infected Hallmark's Christmas magic, turning Christmas morning dreams into Christmas Eve nightmares.

MY THOUGHTS: Now I don't mind a traditional Hallmark Christmas movie or two this time a year, but I also love my Christmas horror and think overall, it's an overlooked niche at Christmastime.  So, when I ran across this book and saw it was available on KU, I grabbed it and immediately devoured it.  

This book had it all - serial killers, werewolves, murderous gingerbread men and vampires.  It's told through a connection of interwoven short stories all set in Hallmark, Vermont at Christmas time.  My favorite stories were "Dimples for the Holidays," "Santa's Roadside Assistant," and "Oh, Christmas Tree."  While the stories aren't extremely gory, they also aren't for people looking for kisses under the mistletoe and good cheer. 

This is probably the closest I've come to giving an anthology a 5-star rating and I will definitely be seeking out more from this author.  

MY RATING: 4 PAWS