Today is officially the first full day of winter…
…and there’s a forecast for snow on Christmas! This time of year I find myself going into full-on hibernation mode, where all I want to do is curl up under some warm blankets with plenty of hot beverages and escape through tv binges and good books. There’s something I find oddly comforting about the shorter, darker, colder days. Of course, ask me how I feel about winter in late January or early February and I’m usually singing a much different tune!!
My reading year is winding down, and while I still have four books left on my 20 Plus 1 reading list I am confident I can finish three of them. Sorry The Crimson Petal and the White, looks like you’re going to be a January finish. I’ve also been going through my unread TBR mountain selecting my reading list for 2022 as well as coming up with my monthly themes. And keep an eye out for my look back at 2021!
The Week in Books
Maiden by TC Parker and Ward Nerdlo — 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 stars, rounding up for Goodreads and NetGalley. If you think you’ve read it all when it comes to horror fiction, then you need to pick up Maiden! Set on a fishing boat named The Pepper Kay, we have a ragtag crew setting off for the Bering Strait under the leadership of a captain named God. What they haul up from the deep is more than they bargained for and sets off a battle between good (actually in this case, the not-so-good) and evil. Fast-paced storytelling, some truly unlikeable (and unforgettable) characters, and a ship with a mind of her own make this a must-read for horror fans. Highly recommend!
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink — 3.5/4 out of 5 stars
One of my 20 Plus 1 selections. Hurricane Katrina wrecked havoc across several states in 2005, and the extreme flooding brought on by the storm and broken levees stranded thousands, including staff and patients at Memorial Medical Center. When officials were finally able to get into the hospital, they found several deceased patients, most of whom were found to have died from excessive amounts of drugs injected into their systems. Were these acts of compassion or murder? The author does an excellent job of recreating the harrowing five days spent at the hospital and the immediate aftermath. However, I felt the last third or so felt rushed and lacking the same attention to detail present in the first parts.
The Darling Dahlias and the Poinsettia Puzzle by Susan Wittig Albert — 3 out of 5 stars
I was a bit underwhelmed with this Christmas cozy. This is one of those series where the storylines keep going throughout multiple books so if you haven’t read any of the earlier ones you might feel a bit confused or, like me, wind up not caring about any of the characters and their problems since there is no build-up or added explanations. I give credit for the attention to historical details and I might just find myself checking out the first book in the series to see if it grabs me enough to read the other seven books that led up to this one.
Stay safe and Happy Reading!
