S is for ….

S is for …. Seriously Substantial Selection

This is why “s” is my first letter picked when playing hang man! And what a variety there is here too! This is definitely a good representation of my reading style, I enjoy just about anything!

A few of my favs:

Skipping Christmas – The Kranks daughter will be away for Christmas so they decide to skip it, save the money and take a cruise instead. But things never go as planned.

Shutter Island – U.S. Marshals Teddy and Chuck are investigated an escaped patient from Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island. They start to find out there is more going on here than a missing patient.

The Silence of the Lambs – FBI Trainee Clarice Starling seeks the help of cannibal serial killer, psychiatrist Hannibal Lector to find another killer. However Lector won’t give his expertise away for free, there is always a price, quid pro quo.

Looking Forward to:

A Summer to Remember – A journey along a path revealing buried family secrets, betrayals between lovers, bonds between friends. And for Frankie, as the past unlocks the present, the chance to learn that memories define who we are, and that they can show us the meaning of home and the magic of true love.

The Smiling Man – Detective Waits and his partner are called to a murder. There they find the body of a man. He is dead. And he is smiling. The tags have been removed from the man’s clothes. His teeth filed down and replaced. Even his fingertips are not his own. Only a patch sewn into the inside of his trousers gives any indication as to who he was, and to the desperate last act of his life…

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My Year in Books

2020 was definitely not a normal year for any of us. It felt, at times, like we were living in one of the books we read, and not one we want to. But we made it through and are settling in to our new normal, whatever that may look like.
I, like so many, experienced an emotional tribulation that took a few months to overcome. In that time, I remembered that reading books was not a competition on how many I can get through in a month or a year but something that I love doing. I have a tendency to set goals and then obsess over them. I am working on breaking this unhealthy habit. I also don’t need to feel like I must write a blog post everyday. If I do, that’s awesome, if not, its not a big deal and people will not unfollow me because of it. There are so many other things that I enjoy doing as well and I don’t want to forget about those or spending time with the people that I love.

So, 2021 will be about having fun and doing what makes me happy every day.

2020 books completed:
36 Books
12,454 pages
My average rating – 3.9 🌟

5 🌟 Books:
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Gilchrist by Christian Galacar
What Doesn’t Kill You by Iris Johansen
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Chasing Evil by Kylie Brant
Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection by Barbara Venkataraman
1st to Die by James Patterson
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year. Happy Reading! 😉

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Book Review – Skipping Christmas

Skipping Christmas

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Commercial Fiction, Holiday

“She began glancing around the deli. Nora knew exactly what she was thinking. Who can I tell first? The Kranks are skipping Christmas! No party! No tree! Nothing but money in their pockets so they can blow it on a cruise.”

Nora and Luther Krank’s only daughter Blair has joined the Peace Corps and left for a year to Peru. Christmas without her just won’t be the same. Luther gets a brilliant idea to skip the circus of Christmas altogether, save money, and take a ten day cruise on Christmas Day instead. It’s a full boycott, no decorating, no cards, no parties.

Continue reading Book Review – Skipping Christmassignature

Skipping Christmas

As the big day nears, I was in the spirit to read a Christmas book.
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One of my favorite Christmas movies is Christmas with the Kranks so this year I wanted to read Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. I have had it on the To Be Read shelf for years and I can’t believe that it has taken me this long to read it. Well this is the year! As this year will be so different than any other due to Covid, it felt very fitting. I’m sure that there are so many people out there just wanting to skip the holiday altogether. I don’t blame you. Unfortunately, we can’t escape on a cruise (yikes, no way) or to an island paradise somewhere and forget. Hopefully you are still able to enjoy the season with family and love ones safely.
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If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, I suggest you do! It is sooo cute and funny, I just love them both!

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