recent reads: 75-85 of 2024

As I mentioned at the beginning of November, I found myself dangerously close to having read 100 books this year with 2 months to go. Now, I love an arbitrary, no stakes goal and have been steadily working my way through my library holds to see if I can make it.

I was slowed down by a couple behemoth entries in a series I feel I must complete, so I find myself this December 1 with 15 books to go. With 2 recital weekends being balanced off by a handful of vacation days (and school vacation), it really is going to be a race to the finish!

Note, I accidentally posted these in the reverse order that I read them and will rectify that in future Recent Reads!

 

The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths: 4/5 ⭐ I really enjoyed this entry to The Magic Men series. Set around the holidays, the mystery itself was the right amount of twisty and it was great to see the main characters grow and evolve. I may have rated this a little high based on how I feel like the series does not do as well as it could for its women characters, but I did enjoy it a lot.

 

Crushmore: Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming-of-Ageby Penn Badgley, Sophie Ansari, and Nava Kavelin: 3.5/5 ⭐ this collection of essays grabbed my attention from the authors’ podcast on tween/teen experiences. It touched on that and so much beyond (including a lot about the Bahai faith) but was a little inconsistent across as a whole.

 

Death Comes at Christmas edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane: 3.5/5 ⭐this collection is woven together with mysteries involving the holidays. I definitely enjoyed some stories more than others, but this was a great way to get some new authors onto my holds list. Well worth a holiday read if you’re a mystery/spooky story fan!

 

The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George: 3.75/5 ⭐ This was a hard and long read, but really did payoff by wrapping up multiple cross-book plotlines. A bit of a pat ending, but glad to see the series continue to rally back. 

 

The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths: This trans-Atlantic mystery broadens our knowledge of The Magic Men and their actions during the war but also deepens Max and Edgar’s characters in a way that was so very needed. If only the series would do the same for Ruby and Emma and the rest of the women!

 

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper: 3.5/5 ⭐ This cozy fantasy / queer romance was good but bites off a lot with the scope of the world building and plot. Could the characters have been more built out? Was the plot a little trite? Do either of those questions matter when it’s just a fun, fluffy read?

 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna: 3.75/5 ⭐ I may have overly enjoyed this from the vantage point of an overwhelmed brain, but it really was such a fun read about identity and magic and community and love. Another fun, fluffy read but a really great example of one.

 

Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths: 4/5 ⭐ After giving up on The Magic Men series for months and months, I’m so glad that I went back to it. Although set in the holidays, the central mystery is dark and devastating involving children. The balance between the magic of the theatre with the hardness of the world really works, as does the mix of characters across classes, jobs, families, and motivations.

 

A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George: 4/5 ⭐The Inspector Lynley series started off so strong for me but has not been my favorite in the middle. It was so long (so very long), but this entry seemed to recover some of the pacing and character work that made the series resonate for me. Definitely worth the read, but may have over-rated because I was so happy to make it through. (So. Long.) 

 

The Man in Black: Stories by Elly Griffiths: 3.5/5 ⭐This collection both delighted me with revisiting characters I miss dearly, but also frustrated me in how slight so much of it was. If anything, it re-engaged me in wanting to try her The Magic Men series again now that I am done with the Ruth Galloway books. Definitely a “for fans only” read (but I’m a fan!).

More to come when I have a handful more! Happy reading (or listening!) (or watching!) - or whatever brings you joy!