Books Read - April 2017

Baugniet, Gail M. 

Dark Paradise ***

Fiction.  Anthology of mysteries set in Hawai’i.

Berry, Steve

The King’s Deception *****

Fiction.  Eleventh book in the Cotton Malone adventure-mystery series.  Cotton has been in Georgia visiting his son Gary and is about to take him home to Copenhagen for the Thanksgiving holiday, when Stephanie Nelle asks him to accompany a British teenager back to London to be turned over to the police.  He has no idea this simple request will put both himself and his son in danger and have international consequences.

The Tudor Plot *****

Fiction.  A novella, the 12th book in the Cotton Malone series that takes place before the series began.  Cotton is still with the Magellan Billet and is working on a trial in London.  A messenger from the Queen comes to escort him to a meeting with the monarch and her husband.  Queen Victoria II is ill, and the entire country is worried about the next in line to the throne, her son Richard.  A playboy who is not interested in becoming king, he’s a pawn in a ruse to place his sister on the throne, after the death of his son.  Cotton must keep the boy safe.

Blake, Deborah

Dangerously Charming *****

Fiction. First in the Broken Riders urban fantasy series.  Mikhail Day, the former White Rider, has hidden himself away at a cabin in the woods hoping to figure out how to heal from the devastating events he and his brothers had gone through.  When a woman knocks on the cabin door, he has no idea that she will change his life forever.

Veiled Menace ****

Fiction.  Second in the Veiled Magic paranormal series.  Donata has been given a new office and additional job assignments, without a raise, however.  A rise in crimes dealing with Paranormals are spreading across the city, as Mother Nature is sending forth all sorts of natural disasters around the world.  Everything is tied to the Pentacle Pentimento painting that Donata came across six months earlier, and when she ignores a Dragon’s plea for help, she signs his death notice.

Blake, Heather

Gone with the Witch ****

Fiction.  Sixth book in the paranormal cozy mystery series set in the Enchanted Village of Salem.  Darcy Merriweather, owner of As You Wish, has been hired to spy on a competitor at the Extravaganza Pet Expo.  Ivy suspects Natasha of harming other contestants in order to win.  But what Darcy sees leads to murder.

The Witch and the Dead ****

Fiction.  Seventh book in the paranormal cozy mystery series.  Darcy is moving out of Aunt Ve’s home and into her newly renovated home two doors down, when a hideous discovery is made in her aunt’s garage.  A skeleton is found behind a stack of boxes, and Aunt Ve is horrified to discover that it is the skeleton of her second husband...and Aunt Ve is a suspect in his death.

Charlton, Karen

The Heiress of Linn Hagh *****

Fiction.  First in the Detective Lavender mystery series set in 1809 England.  Lavender and officer Woods travel to the northeast of England to try to find a missing heiress.  She somehow disappeared from her locked tower room in the middle of the night.  Lavender wonders at first if the gypsies who live in the woods have taken her, but the truth will shock everyone.

Cooperman, Kathy

Crimes Against a Book Club ****

Fiction.  When Annie and Sarah are in need of money, the begin a new business selling facial cream to the wealthy women of La Jolla.  Annie, without telling Sarah, has been adding a little cocaine to each jar just to give their product a little “kick”.  

Kinsey, T.E.

A Quiet Life in the Country ****

Fiction.  First in the Lady Hardcastle cozy mystery series set in England.  Lady Hardcastle and her lady’s maid, Armstrong, have moved to the country to live a quiet life.  But when the stumble upon a body hanging from a tree, they’re determined to discover who the culprit was.

McRaven, William H.

Make Your Bed *****

Non-fiction.  Admiral McRaven talks about the ten principles he learned in SEAL training, and we can apply it to our lives.

Neal, Toby

Bitter Feast *****

Fiction.  Eleventh book in the Lei Texeira crime series.  Lei is heavily pregnant and out on maternity leave.  Stevens draws a case of a murder at a famous restaurant.  A sous chef has been stabbed in the walk-in refrigerator, and Stevens and Mahoe have to find the murderer.  A tropical storm is on the way, setting up a dangerous situation when Lei goes into labor.

Bone Hook ****

Fiction.  Ninth book in the Lei Texeira crime series.  Lei and Stevens have been married for five years and are busy raising their son.  Stevens has ongoing PTSD and told Lei he signed up to work as a contractor for the military and will be deployed.  She’s enraged but can’t do anything to stop him.  A beautiful young marine biologist is found murdered 90 feet below the sea, and trying to find her murderer helps keep Lei occupied while waiting for Stevens’ return.

Dark Lava *****

Fiction.  Seventh book in the Lei Texeira crime series.  Lei and Stevens are starting out life as a married couple, they’re even trying to get pregnant, when Stevens gets a call from his ex-wife, Anchara, begging him to meet her.  When he arrives, it’s to find her dying of stab wounds and heavily pregnant.  With his child.

Fire Beach *****

Fiction.  Eighth book in the Lei Texeira crime series.  Lei and Stevens are still well-aware of the threat on their lives from the shroud killer, but they’re trying to move forward with their lives.  Lei’s father has moved in with them to act as manny for Kiet, and Jared, Stevens’ brother, has transferred to the Kahului Fire Station from the mainland.  There have been several cane field fires set by arson, but when the arsonist is blackmailed into targeting Lei’s house, things go up in flames.

Red Rain *****

Fiction.  Tenth book in the Lei Texeira crime series set in Hawai’i.  While trying to solve a possible old case, Lei stumbles on a large marijuana-growing enterprises.  Stevens is in Honduras, supposedly to train military investigators, but he is kidnapped and has to fight his way to safety.

Rip Tides ****

Fiction.  Ninth book in the Lei Texeira crime series.  A well-known surfer is killed while surfing, and Lei and Pono have to sort out his complicated love life and figure out who killed the man.

Shattered Palms *****

Fiction.  Sixth in the Lei Texeira crime series set on Mau’i.  Lei is called to investigate a dead body with an arrow in its back located in the wilderness park on Haleakala.  She uncovers a bird poaching scheme and the presence of more than one unknown persons in the park.  

Stolen in Paradise ****

Fiction.  FBI sgent, Marcela Scott, must solve a murder, and the handsome Marcus Kamuela, police detective, is assisting on the case.  Though Marcela has sworn off relationships, she’s intrigued by the detective, who helps her when is in danger.

Unsound ****

Fiction.  Dr. Caprice Wilson has recently gone through a divorce and started drinking.  When she’s told to go to rehab or get fired, she decides to try to fight her problem on her own and spend a week drying out and hiking through the Heleakala crater on Mau’i.  She doesn’t realize that she’s being followed or that her life is in danger.

Orenduff, Michael J.

The Pot Thief Who Studied Billy the Kid ****

Fiction.  Sixth book in the cozy mystery series set in Albuquerque, NM.  Hubie is approached by a man selling a pot he said came from a cliff dwelling.  When Hubie arrives there to see if there are any more pots, he discovers a body that he believes to be of an ancient cliff dweller.  When he suddenly has doubts, he returns to the spot only to discover the body has disappeared.

The Pot Thief Who Studied D.H. Lawrence ****

Fiction.  Fifth book in the cozy mystery series set in New Mexico.  Hubie and Susannah travel to Taos, where Hubie plans to give a lecture on native pots to a group of University donors.  A storm has followed them, and they end up stranded there for the weekend with the other attendees.  When a man is found dead in a chilly bathtub, they consider that maybe it was an accident.  When a second man is found naked in the walk-in freezer, they realize that they’re stranded with a killer.

The Pot Thief Who Studied Escoffier ****

Fiction.  Fourth in the cozy mystery series set in New Mexico.  Hubie is hired by a restaurant owner to design some chargers for the new restaurant.  He had no idea the job would entail so much of his time and energy, nor that it would become deadly.

The Pot Thief Who Studied Georgia O’Keeffe ****

Fiction. Seventh book in the cozy mystery series starring Hubie Schuze, the Pot Thief.  A man approaches Hubie to obtain a Tompiro pot for him.  The site is within the White Sands Missile Range, but even that doesn’t stop Hubie.

Painter, Sarah

The Garden of Magic ****

Fiction.  Prequel to The Spells of Language.  Iris is getting older, and her powers are fading.  Her garden is taking over, and she refuses to ask for help.  Bex gets fired from her job as a nanny for stealing something she never stole, and they end up helping each other.

In the Light of What We See ****

Fiction.  A double story told from the POV of Mina and Grace.  Mina has just broken up with her boyfriend, when he causes her to have an accident that ends up with her in a coma.  Grace is a junior nurse just finding her way around the hospital.  When Mina sees Grace’s ghost warning her about Mark, she has no idea that Grace is trying to save her.

Pepper, Angela

Wisteria Witches ****

Fiction.  First in the Wisteria Witches paranormal book series.  Zara and her teenage daughter, Zoey, have moved to Wisteria, where they find some of the townspeople a bit more extraordinary than usual.  They also meet Zara’s aunt, Zinnia, who has family secrets to share.

Robinson, Steve

In the Blood ****

Fiction.  First in the Jefferson Tayte genealogical mystery series.  Jefferson has been hired to trace a family tree, which leads him to England and sends him on a quest to solve a two-hundred year old mystery that just might get him killed.

To The Grave ****

Fiction.  Second in the genealogical mystery series.  Tayte is off to England again in search of information about a client’s birthmother.  A young girl falls in love, but when she is raped and falls pregnant, a series of tragedies follow her.

Stoker, Bram

Famous Imposters **

Non-fiction.  Collection of stories about true imposters through the ages.

Books Read - March 2017

Aasheim, April

The Witches of Dark Root ****

Fiction.  First in the Dark Root urban fantasy series.  Maggie Maddock is questioning her life in a cult run by her boyfriend.  When her sister, Merry, calls and begs her to come home to Dark Root, Maggie doesn’t want to respond.  But when she catches her erstwhile lover with another woman, Maggie heads home to face her magickal family and the many problems that are awaiting her.

Allende, Isabel

Inés of My Soul *****

Fiction.  Inés de Suárez lives in the 1500’s.  Born in Extremadura, Spain, she falls in love with Juan de Malagá.  When he leaves her to explore South America, she is left with two choices.  Either she can remain essentially a widow in Extramadura, or she can follow Juan to the New World and see where her journey takes her.  When he meets Pedro de Valdivia in Peru, she travels with the conquistador to the wilds of Chile, where she becomes the first gobernadora of Santiago.  She spends the latter part of her life with Rodrigo de Quiroga and dies as a much beloved woman of Chile.

Arden, Katherine

The Bear and the Nightingale *****

Fiction.  Vasilisa Petronova grows up in a village north of Moscow with her three brothers and her older sister.  Her father, Pyotr is the local lord.  Her mother, Marina, is the daughter of the Grand Duke, and even though she has a touch of magic about her, she dies as Vasya is born.  Vasya can see beings that nobody else can see, and she speaks with horses.  When she becomes the pawn between the Frost Lord and his evil brother, Medved, Vasya has tough choices to make to keep her family safe.

Bevill, C.L.

Ruins of Dreams *****

Fiction.  Fourth book in the Dreams dystopian series.  Lulu searches for code keys to stop a nuclear bomb from going off, but she’s sidetracked when she runs into a clan of cannibals.  Her  gift of creating portals is helping her get around, but it’s taking a toll on her brain.  Each time takes her longer and longer to recover, but she has no time to lose if she wants to prevent a world disaster and get back to Landers.

Charles, Ann

Tequila & Time ****

Fiction.  Violet and Natalie spend the evening at the Purple Door Saloon challenging each other to rounds of Truth or Drink, and by the end of the evening, they’ve revealed some closely guarded secrets to  each other.

Coehlo, Paulo

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept ****

Fiction.  First of Coehlo’s books published in the U.S.  Pilar in contacted by a childhood friend whom she hasn’t seen in 12 years.  She loved him as a child, but is wary about falling in love.  When he declares his love for her, they embark on a journey during which he introduces her to the feminine face of God, and she watches as he struggles with his feelings for her.

Dams, Jeanne M.

Smile and Be A Villain ****

Fiction.  18th book in the Dorothy Martin mystery series set in England.  Dorothy and her husband Alan are on holiday on the Channel island, Alderney.  On their first day out, they stumble over a dead body.  When they investigate, they discover that while some people were very fond of the deceased, others despised him.  As they help the local congregation come to terms with his death, they discover many secrets of his.

Galenorn, Yasmine

Souljacker *****

Fiction.  First in the Lily Bound urban fantasy series set in Seattle.  Lily is a succubus and runs Lily Bound, her salon where she exchanges sex for chi in order to survive.  When one of her best clients is murdered in her home, she draws the ire of the Were community.  She’s shocked to find that the murderer is a vampire, and not just any vampire.  The Souljacker has escaped from the mental hospital and is out to reclaim his ink.

Greenwood, Kerry 

Cocaine Blues *****

Fiction.  First in the Phryne Fisher mystery series set in Australia.  Phryne was born and raised poor, but by a lucky happenstance of the deaths of several relatives, her father rises to the position of Lord, and Phryne is introduced to a world of wealth and privilege.  Unfortunately, she becomes bored, and while searching for something to engage her agile mine, she is hired by a father seeking to determine if his daughter’s husband is poisoning her, and Phryne rises to the challenge.

Holthe, Tess Uriza

When the Elephants Dance *****

Fiction.  During the last few weeks that the Japanese occupied the Philippines, a group of Filipinos took shelter in the cellar of a house hiding from the Japanese patrols and the bombings by both the Japanese and the Amerikanos.  While in hiding, several of the adults tell tales of their past.

MacInerney, Karen

Whale of a Crime ****

Fiction.  Ninth book in the Gray Whale Inn cozy mystery series set on Cranberry Island.  A tour company has filled up the inn, and Natalie is busy fixing meals for them to take along on their whale watching trips.  When the captain is murdered and Natalie’s best friend’s boyfriend is charged with the murder, Natalie, John, and the others start investigating on their own.

Orenduff, Michael J.

The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein ****

Fiction.  Third in the cozy mystery series set in New Mexico.  Hubie Schuz is hired to appraise a collection of pots by an anonymous collector who stiffs him of the appraisal fee.  In trying to get the money owed him, Hubie finds himself accused not once, but twice, for murder.  A mysterious beautiful woman seems to want his company, but she is not who she seems to be.

Orwell, George

1984 *****

Fiction.  The world is broken up into three major regions, each autonomous, and each at war with each other.  Winston lives in what used to be called London, which is now a part of Oceania ruled by the Party.  The Party dictates life, and in a most horrible way, it dictates history, changing it when the needs suit, completely annihilating it at times. Winston is a rebel, and the Party does not suffer rebels.  

Painter, Sarah

- The Secrets of Ghosts ***

Fiction.  Second in a paranormal series about a family of witches.  At twenty-one, Katie still hasn’t discovered her gift and is afraid that she has been born a dud.  But at work up at The Grange, she suddenly finds that she can see, hear, and communicate with ghosts, but when she tries to help them cross over into the light, she finds that not all ghosts are friendly.

Riegler, Bernhard

Mishap and Mayhem **

Fiction.  Memoir told by the father from the baby’s point of view of his first two years of life.

Rowland, Laura Joh

Shinju *****

Fiction.  First in the Sano Ichiro mystery series set in feudal Japan.  Sano is a yoriki, a policeman of sorts.  He obtained the position, not through a birthright, but through a favor owed to his father.  The other yoriki look down upon him.  When a couple is found tied together in the river, he is placed in charge of the case.  But when he realizes that his superior expects him to hand in a verdict of shinju - suicide, Sano feels there is much more to the story, and his conscience won’t let him rest until he uncovers the truth.

Smith Alexander McCall

The Kalahari Typing School for Men ***

Fiction.  Fourth book in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency cozy mystery series set in Botswana.  Mma Ramotswe is still waiting for her fiancé to set the ate for their wedding.  Her assistant decides to set up a men’s typing school and finds a love of her own.  But when Mma Ramostswe discovers that her assistant’s love is a married man, she struggles with having to disclose his true status.

Books Read - February 2017

Ash, Maureen

A Deadly Penance ****

Fiction.  Sixth book in the historical mystery series set in the early 1200’s England.  Sir Bascot de Marins is a Templar Knight stationed at Lincoln.  When a man is murdered at the castle, Lady Nicolaa de Hayes and her son, Richard, send for Bascot to help them solve the murder, as he has done in the past.

The Canterbury Murders ****

Fiction.  Seventh book in the historical mystery series set in the early 1200’s England.  Nicolaa de la Haye has been summoned to the king, who is staying in Canterbury.  As the king readies to take a bath, his washerwoman is brutally killed.  When another member of his household is also murdered, he asks Nicolaa if she can ask for permission for Bascot to come and help with the inquiries.

A Holy Vengeance ****

Fiction.  Eighth book in the Bascot de Marins historical mystery series.  A woman travels to a nearby shrine to pray to St. Dunstan that she will be fertile.  Instead of her prayers being answered, a knife slices twice into her back killing her.  Bascot must find her killer.

The Devil’s Companion ****

Fiction.  The story begins in 1087, when a young scribe is sent to court to record the daily lives of young squires.  He tells the tale of Robert fitzHaimo, who grows to become a worthy knight and familiare of King William Rufus of England.

Death Riddle ****

Fiction.  The story begins in 1088 in Rochester, England.  A local pig farmer and a Norman soldier are found murdered at the pig farm.  A young man happens by to check on his friend, the pig farmer, who failed to meet up with him as they had planned.  When he sees the carnage in the shack, he panics and runs out, only to come face to face with two men-at-arms who are searching for the soldier.  Thinking the young man is the murderer, the soldiers chase him.  The young man flees to the sanctuary of the cathedral, and his mother is given 40 days to prove his innocence.

Barrows, Annie & Mary Ann Shaffer

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ****

Fiction.  Story written in letters about a group of people living on Guernsey in the English Channel and their experiences during and after WWII.

Beaton, M.C.

As the Pig Turns ***

Fiction.  Agatha is ticketed by a belligerent police officer, and when she finds him spinning on a spit at the local barbecue, Agatha is surprised to find herself suspect number one.

Hiss and Hers ****

Fiction.  Agatha is always looking for love in the wrong places, and her current idol is the neighborhood gardener, George Marston.  When she finds him dead in a compost heap, she channels her grief into finding his murderer.

Christmas Crumble ***

Fiction.  Agatha hosts a Christmas dinner for some elderly villagers, and things quickly go sour as one of her guests dies.

Something Borrowed, Someone Dead ****

Fiction.  Agatha is hired to ferret out the murderer of a woman from the tiny hamlet of Piddleburt.  Gloria French was well known for borrowing items and never returning them.  She has died of poisoning with elderberry wine.

The Blood of an Englishman ****

Fiction.  Agatha gets talked into attending a local pantomime with Mrs. Bloxby.  Bored at first, but in one of the final scenes, a man is viciously murdered.  For real.  And Agatha must solve the mystery.

Agatha’s First Case ***

Fiction.  Agatha is a young twenty-something and working as a secretary at a PR agency.  Her boss sends her out to meet a client suspected of murder, and Agatha takes it upon herself to solve the mystery and prove his innocence.  In doing so, he sets her up in her own PR agency, and her new career takes off.

Dishing the Dirt ****

Fiction.  A new therapist has moved to Carsley, and she is telling tales about Agatha’s past, that Agatha would like to keep quiet.  After Agatha threatens to kill the woman, she becomes suspect number one when the therapist is found strangled.

Pushing Up Daisies ****

Fiction.  Mrs. Bloxby has a problem and needs Agatha’s help.  Lord Bellington wants to destroy the village gardening allotments to turn them into a housing estate.  Agatha agrees to speak to him and try to convince him not to go through with his plans.  He refuses to change his mind, but when he’s murdered, his son hires Agatha to discover the killer’s identity.

Berry, Steve

The Admiral’s Mark ****

Fiction.  Cotton’s brother-in-law has been killed in a diving accident in Haiti, and his wife asks Cotton to investigate.  

Bevill, C.L.

Forest of Dreams ****

Fiction.  Third book in the Dreams dystopian series.  Lulu is investigating an energy bubble but falls into a trap and is taken prisoner by her worst enemy.  Landers and the others are coming, but they might not there in time.

Gaarder, Jostein

The Christmas Mystery ****

Fiction.  Joachim finds an old Advent calendar in a bookshop, and each day as he opens a door, part of an intriguing story comes to light about a young girl who went missing in 1948 and follows a little lamb on an extraordinary adventure.

Galenorn, Yasmine

Bewitching Bedlam *****

Fiction.  Second book in the urban fantasy series set on Bedlam Island in the San Juans.  Maddy is getting ready to open her bed and breakfast, but when she hears that Aegis’ ex-girlfriend, vampire Rachel, is in town and gunning for her, Maddy has to do whatever she can to stop her.

Hamilton, Lyn

The African Quest ***

Fiction.  Fifth in the Lara McLintock cozy mystery series.  Lara is guiding a tour through Tunisia while search for antiques to furnish a client’s home back in Canada.  When members of her tour group start dying, she has to find the solution.  

Jaffarian, Sue Ann

The Ghosts of Misty Hollow *****

Fiction.  Ninth book in the Granny Apples paranormal cozy mystery series.  Emma and Phil are visiting their friend, Gino, a writer of crime novels, at a lovely vacation rental in the country.  As they arrive, Emma notices a number of ghosts waiting to speak with her.  A century-old mystery awaits her, and in investigating that, she and Phil discover a dead body.

Rhythm & Clues ***

Fiction.  Eleventh book in the Odelia Grey cozy mystery series.  Odelia’s mother asks her to investigate the whereabouts of her neighbor, a musician named Bo Shank, and they, along with Odelia’s niece, Lorraine, embark on an adventure that leads to murder.

Jordan, Lucia

Pleasure **

Fiction.  First in an erotic series about Kelly, an uptight rich CEO, and Levi, a hunky firefighter who saves her life.

Kontis, Alethea

Once Upon a Kiss *****

Fiction.  Anthology of 17 romantic tales based on well-known fairytales.

MacInerney, Karen

Mother Knows Best ****

Fiction.  Second in the Margie Peterson cozy mystery series set in Texas.  Margie is a private investigator who is married to a gay man and is the mother of two young children, one of whom thinks she is a pekingese named Fifi.  Margie and her boss, Peaches, are hired to investigate a possible cheating husband.  Where they follow him to is a strip club, but he’s not there to meet a woman.

Morton, Kate

The House at Riverton ****

Fiction.  Grace Reeves is sent to work at the House at Riverton when she is 14 years old.  Her mother had worked there before her as a lady’s maid.  Grace is introduced to a new world, a hard world in terms of hard work, and a restricted world in which the upstairs doesn’t mix with the downstairs.  But she forges a quiet relationship with the family for whom she works and is privy to their secrets.

Books Read - January 2017

Blake, Deborah

Guide to the Everyday Witch Tarot *****

Non-fiction.  Guidebook to the Everyday Witch Tarot.

Witchcraft on a Shoestring *****

Non-fiction.  Suggestions for practicing Witchcraft on a very small budget, with crafts, recipes, and more.

Dean, Liz

The Ultimate Guide to Tarot *****

Non-fiction.  Encyclopedic information about each card in the Rider-Waite tarot system.

Evanovich, Janet

Turbo Twenty-Three ****

Fiction.  Stephanie investigates an ice cream factory after discovering a body covered in chocolate and nuts.

Galenorn, Yasmine

Tarot Journeys *****

Non-fiction.  A walk through the Major Arcana with meditations for each card.

MacInerney, Karen

Fatal Frost ****

Fiction.  Second in the Dewberry Farm cozy mystery series.  Lucy is struggling to keep her farm going and is happy that her friends are gifting each other homemade items for Christmas  A new church has settled into town, and when one of their young parishioners is murdered, Lucy brings her investigative reporter skills into service in order to save her friend Molly, who is suspected of murder.

Moon, Akasha

The Little Book of Pocket Spells ***

Non-fiction.  Small spells to help in all areas of your life.  Did not like that there were love spells to target specific people.

Morton, Kate

The Lake House *****

Fiction.  Sadie is in trouble with her boss at the CID, and her partner encourages her to take a month off.  Traveling to Cornwall to visit her grandfather, she doesn’t tell him that she’s in disgrace at work due to her obsession with a missing persons case.  While there, she stumbles over a cold case involving the Edavene family, one that began before WWI and ends up in the present time.

Obama, Barack

Words that Changed a Nation *****

Non-fiction.  Some of the most influential and eloquent speeches by President Barack Obama.

Reading Challenges 2017

Total books for the year
Read at least 100 books in 2017

2017 - 346/100 completed

2016 - 136/100 completed

2015 - 276/100 completed

2014 - 206/100 completed

2013 - 134/100 completed

2012 - 104/100 completed

2011 - 156/100 completed

*****

2017 Around the World 13/13 DONE

Read at least one book set in each location

US/Canada: 

U.S. - Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich ****

Central America/Caribbean: 
Haiti - The Admiral's Mark by Steve Berry ****

South America: 
Chile - Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende *****

British Isles/Ireland:
England - The Lake House by Kate Morton *****

Polar Regions/Scandinavia: 
Norway - The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder ****

Western Europe:
France - By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coehlo ****

Eastern Europe: 
Russia - The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden *****

Middle East/North Africa:
Tunisia - The African Quest by Lyn Hamilton ***

Sub-Saharan Africa:
Botswana - The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith ***

East Asia:
Japan - Shiju by Laura Joh Rowland *****

South Asia:
Philippines - When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe *****

Australia/Oceania:
Australia - Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood *****

Islands/Bodies of Water:
Guernsey -- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer ****

*****

2017 Non-fiction 11/12

Read at least 12 non-fiction books

1. The Little Book of Pocket Spells by Akasha Moon ***

2. Guide to the Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake *****

3. The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean *****

4. Tarot Journeys by Yasmine Galenorn *****

5. Witchcraft on a Shoestring by Deborah Blake *****

6. Words that Changed a Nation by Barack Obama *****

7. Famous Imposters by Bram Stoker **

8. Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven *****

9. Writing Mysteries by Sue Grafton *****

10. Writing the Paranormal Novel by Steven Harper *****

11. A Year and A Day of Everyday Witchcraft by Deborah Blake ****

12.

Everyday Witch A to Z by Deborah Blake

Everyday Witch Book of Ritual by Deborah Blake

Circle, Coven & Grove by Deborah Blake

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Writing About Magic by Rayne Hall

*****

2017 Genres 12/12 DONE

Read at least one book in each genre

Mystery/Thriller/Crime - The Lake House by Kate Morton *****

Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy - Bewitching Bedlam by Yasmine Galenorn *****

Paranormal - Ghostly Paws by Leighann Hobbs ****

Sci-Fi/High Fantasy - Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance ***

Women’s Fiction - The Secrets of Ghosts by Sarah Painter ***

Historical Fiction - The House at Riverton by Kate Morton ****

Erotic - Pleasure by Lucia Jordan **

Humor - Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich ****

Romance - Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende *****

Non-Fiction - Guide to the Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake *****

Memoir - Mishap and Mayhem by Bernhard Riegler **

Classics - 1984 by George Orwell *****

*****

Books Read - November 2016

(none)