A lot of firsts here— the first Sweet Valley Christmas and the creation of the Snoopers Club— the twins, Lila, Ellen, Amy, Eva, Todd and Winston— as they take on this variation of Miracle on 34th Street. Is the new temporary janitor, Chris Kreeger actually the real Santa? How else could he know their names, what they want and have a big map? Sweet and fun, it‘s a jolly good mystery with the right amount of Christmas magic!

Oh, I had a fun time reading the last one of Sager‘s on my TBR! Set in 1983, disgraced caregiver, Kit takes on the only job left to her— caring for the paralyzed and infamous Lenora Hope in the crumbling manor where in 1929, her parents and sister were presumably murdered by Lenora herself, though no arrests were ever made. Fast-paced and nostalgic, I enjoyed the twists (some more expected than others) and I can‘t wait for his next book!

It‘s the first Sweet Valley Thanksgiving! The second-graders are putting on a play for the holiday. Naturally, Jessica wants to be the star, but the lead goes to lovable Winston Egbert. But stage fright allows for her to save the day and the play! This one shows the 1990 publication date a bit… it‘s also another appearance by Ned‘s parents! I have always liked the frenemy relationship between Jessica and Winston!

This sci-fi thriller starts out slowly as the technology terms and character histories emerge. Narrator and main character, Dr. Ophelia Bray, is doubly burdened by her past— the wealth & power from her mother‘s side and the dark secrets of her father— which make her determined to put her work into helping. A grieving Research and Extraction team gives her the chance for field work on an abandoned claim planet. But it‘s soon clear all is not right…

The first Sweet Valley Halloween as second-graders! When Alice brings home a bin of used costumes, both Elizabeth and Jessica want to be the pretty princess. Jessica makes a case that since Liz lost her front tooth, she would make a better ugly witch! Only to lose her own tooth! I think it‘s the first bit of twin switching, too, and a nice compromise in the end! Looking forward to the many more costumes in the series!!

My original book club kicked off with this one back in 2010, and my newer book club selected it for this April. It‘s been 14 years since I read this, & I still found it to be an emotionally captivating story. I listened to the truly excellent audio performances this time around & I found myself listening at every chance, even though I remembered the story quite well. Reception to this one has since shifted so I‘m looking forward to discussing it!

This is actually the very first Sweet Valley book that I remember reading, so it will always have a special place in my heart! The titular Lois Waller is the one that the whole class (except for saintly Elizabeth) picks on— she cries easily and is chubby (a real sin in fat-phobic Sweet Valley!). But here Liz sticks up for her— even tries to teach her to ride her bike without training wheels! But it‘s Lois‘ love of cats that turns into a real hero!

I‘ve read all of Enger‘s earlier books— and this is the first one I listened to on audio. The performance is great… but I just didn‘t love this one the way I did his debut novel, PEACE LIKE A RIVER. Maybe I am just kind of over dystopian fiction? Rainy‘s love for his wife, Lark, propels this book forward for the most part. I loved her passion for books, and Sol was definitely a scene stealing character, but I had a hard time connecting with Rainy,

It‘s Grandma & Grandpa Wakefield‘s first visit in the series & they take the twins & Steven to a Wild West themed amusement park— there‘s horseback riding, panning for gold, and a stagecoach ride with plenty of excitement! Steven gets a little sexist & the twins have to show him how girls can do anything & be braver than he expected! I‘m not sure if these kind of places exist anymore! There used to be on in IL that I went to with my grandparents!

I adored Shaffer‘s debut novel, THE WISHING GAME, so I could barely contain my excitement to leap into her sophomore novel! I LOVED it!! It‘s the perfect blend of fantasy, romance, adventure & character growth! Shaffer writes for readers and this was a charming and lovely story that I tried to slow down to savor (impossible!). She creates characters (even rats!) that you can‘t help but fall in love with! I can‘t wait for whatever she writes next!

Mrs. Becker is marrying the Sweet Valley librarian, Mr. Otis and the second grade class is all chipping in to give her a present (that Lois Waller found in a catalogue!). Elizabeth convinces her sister that they need to earn the $2 each to chip in— but Jessica doesn‘t help… plus she really wants glow-in-the-dark bracelets like Lila Fowler. This is just so classic in terms of their dynamic throughout the series! Plus, Todd Wilkins steps up here!

I always enjoy Christina Lauren‘s books and this one is no exception! Carey and James are both assistants to the “talent” on a new home renovation show— though clearly they are the real talent! As they struggle to keep their married charges acting married for a publicity tour, they find themselves falling together. A quick, light and entertaining listen, it may not be my favorite of theirs, but I certainly had a lot of fun listening to this one!

Oh, this is the first Sweet Valley field trip! When Alice is the room mother to accompany the 2nd grade class, Jessica expects special treatment… but when she doesn‘t get it, she convinces her twin, along with Todd and Winston, to try to go to the closed ape house to find a missing chimpanzee baby! A cute installment in the series— and certainly not the last animal guest star!

An unreliable narrator and a mounting body count (along with some grisly scenes involving insects), certainly made this debut thriller feel a bit more like horror at times! Artist Annie has had a fraught relationship with both her refugee mother and her own teenage daughter as her OCD once again begins dominating her life. And when bodies of those close to her turn up dead, it seems like the title isn‘t quite so fitting… Warning: violent dog death

Ah, the first of many Jessica Wakefield mistakes! When Elizabeth‘s favorite author comes to visit the 2nd grade class, all the students want the honor of being her special assistant. When Jessica finds what she thinks is a cast off story of Elizabeth‘s, she copies it over as her own! Of course, she realizes her mistake, and it‘s the first public recognition Elizabeth receives for her writing! Another fun installment!

Since I‘d already read the book for April‘s book club, I decided to read this runner-up instead. Magical realism isn‘t usually a fictional aspect that I enjoy, but I loved the premise of an author burying her creations to put them to rest… and yet to have their whispers still filter back in. The threads of the stories connected more than expected but some of the transitions in the audio format were harder to follow. Physical reading may be better!

The first Sweet Valley sleepover— and a camp out to make it even more fun! The twins have Amy, Eva, Ellen and Lila sleepover in their backyard… but in the days leading up to it, it‘s obvious that Lila doesn‘t want to sleep there. But what‘s the real reason? This is also the first time Todd Wilkins sneaks over to the Wakefield house for shenanigans! Cute and fun, I always love seeing the vulnerable side of snotty Lila Fowler!

Oh, I just love this series! It‘s hard to believe this is the 21st book in the Charlie Parker series— this one harkens back to some of the earlier books in the series in a lot of ways— evil lurking in remote corners of Maine, a single case with threads with a further reach than at first visible. Fast-paced and thrilling, series regulars all appear here and the worst part, is that this starts the long wait for Connolly‘s next book all over again!

I‘ve been a longtime fan of Center‘s books, and this one really was a fun & engaging listen! Emma‘s own screenwriting career aspirations were re-prioritized in the wake of a sudden family change. But the timing is right for her to actually have a dream job of working with her own personal screenwriter hero— Charlie Yates. And while the storyline may be easy to predict, only in all of the best ways. I loved the banter, the chemistry & all the love!

Oh, this is such a fun read! The twins find a stray cat in their yard and when it starts raining, they risk getting into trouble by sneaking the cat upstairs. Both Steven and Ned Wakefield are allergic to cats, and sneaking food up to the cat adds to the trickiness of their situation. Cute and just a classic— plus, isn‘t this the same tactic for how they get a dog?

The first officially celebrated holiday in Sweet Valley— Valentine‘s Day! And the first (of many more to come) plotlines based on jealousy! New girl Eva Simpson seems to overnight replace Jessica as Elizabeth‘s best friend! Rather than talk, of course Jessica aims to make Elizabeth jealous by hanging out with Amy Sutton and not making a valentine for her sister! Luckily, Eva manages to save the day and finds a way to make everyone friends again!

Maybe because I remember so much of this unfolding in real time, but I enjoy these deeper dives into the tragedies in Low Country South Carolina & the absolute chaos revolving around the Murdaugh family. I‘ve watched the documentaries, read a different book last year, but couldn‘t resist listening to this one. What sets Ryan‘s perspective aside is the overarching view of the violence of the region & a stronger historical view of the family.

Though the title changed from its teaser in book #2, the second grade class gets not one but two substitute teachers when Mrs. Becker falls ill. Shenanigans ensue, naturally, but lighthearted ones! Many later books will have plots that churn around the Sweet Valley rumor mill like this one does after they see Mr. Marshall get into a police car! All in all, great fun!

I‘ve been a huge fan of Leavitt‘s writing for over a decade now & it‘s always genuinely exciting to have my hands on a new book from this talented author! Her latest, with 2011 & 2018 storylines centers on relationships between parents and children— along with the intensity of young love. At the book‘s outset, Ella meets her mother after her release from prison, where she must find her own footing after regaining her freedom. Authentic characters!

My Sweet Valley reading project continues with this cute one where for an unspecified school break, the second-grade twins get to take home Tinkerbell, the class hamster. Elizabeth is delighted but squeamish Jessica wants nothing to do with the rodent! Cute & fun, a class hamster sounds better than my 2nd grade class that shared a teddy bear named Cuddles—are classes even allowed to share anything like this anymore? Or does this date the series?

I really had high hopes for this one… I expected a light and fun vampire story, but this veers more towards gore and lacks humor (unless you get a kick out of butterscotch candies… those are mentioned on like every page!). Stiff characters, lack of answers regarding these “restless dead” and too many POVs, the pacing here just drags. Lots of redundant descriptions don‘t help and honestly, I wish I had DNF‘ed this one! I did like the 1999 setting.

Thanks, @Kar2b for my first birthday card! As a gift to myself, I‘ve decided to dive into nostalgia and re-read the entire Sweet Valley series! The last time I decided to do this, I fell off at 31 in the SVK series, so hopefully this time I make it through more— especially since I‘ve been collecting the ones that I didn‘t have so I am in for some new reads too! This seventh birthday is fun—& the chocolate cake with marshmallow icing sounds yummy!

Anyone with an email address is sure to find themselves cringing alongside Millie when her life blows up in the aftermath of her entire “Drafts” folder is sent— to friends, family and work colleagues. Including an emailed response regarding the news of her ex-boyfriend‘s engagement. As usual, Louis creates a whole cast of lively, engaging characters and had me laughing, flinching & gasping the whole time! She‘s a favorite author of mine for sure!

A perfect read to close out a perfect month of reading! For the first time since July 2018, I managed to read 31 books in 31 days! I‘ve been a fan of Sager‘s from the start and knew that even on a busy holiday, I would be able to squeeze in time to finish this in a day! While the alcoholic, grieving narrator is hardly new to thrillers, Sager manages to breathe fresh life and new twists to this haunting Vermont lakeside story! I really enjoyed it!

I love the feeling when you read a book that‘s seemingly written specifically with you in mind! I picked this one up, & didn‘t put it down until I read the last page! Skipping through past & present, Harriet arrives in ME (an adorable town with a Murder, She Read bookstore!) dreading breaking the news that she‘s no longer engaged to the 6th member of their tightknit group… only to discover her ex already there, forcing them to pretend all is well!

I absolutely loved this one!! And not just because I definitely went through a horse-phase as a girl, but because it‘s just my favorite kind of nonfiction! This is well-written, meticulously researched, informative and yet reads with the thrilling excitement of fiction. Wickens details not only Lexington‘s life, but offers a lot of fascinating historical context & beyond to Lexington‘s legacy. I absolutely need a physical copy of this one pronto!

I enjoyed this audiobook! Narrated by the author, this details not only the relationship with the titular Eastern screech owl, Alfie, but also some wider historical information and thoughts on humanity‘s relationship with the world at large. Alfie‘s presence certainly brightened Safina‘s time during the pandemic & I shared his worries as I thought about all the dangers facing Alfie, as well as appreciating the backyard wildlife Safina described!

Slow-paced, this novel dissects the relationship between an author and his best fan. Over a decade, Tatum idolizes the first Latino writer she truly connected with. One fan letter leads to a convoluted and often bewildering friendship between them. It‘s easy to feel frustrated with the narrator while wanting more from her 2015 storyline than the past… the best part lies in Tatum‘s genuine love of books and reading… I wanted to like this one more!

This is exactly my kind of spooky story! Carson deftly grounds this supernatural story in the reality of Bloomington, IN in 1999. Marshall Miller gets his driver‘s license and from there, the next twelve months take a dark strange turn in his life and in the world‘s. It opens a bit slowly, but I appreciated the extra depth this gives the characters and the richer setting. I absolutely loved it! If you‘re scared of snakes, you may want to skip it!

This camp slasher makes for a quick and campy (hah!) read. Told mainly from the perspective of a recently cancelled actress, she joins other adult campers in upstate New York for a digital separation from screens and social media after a disaster of a tweet left her unemployed and homeless. It‘s a quick read with plenty of familiar feels for horror movie fans. It‘s not exactly spooky— though heads definitely do roll, so there‘s some gore for sure!

I‘m running out of Chamberlain‘s backlog… I only have a few left that I haven‘t read/listened to! This one, set mostly in 1993, has a somewhat timeless feel (other than the lack of phones, really). In one year, two estranged sisters on opposite ends of the country deal with their past. The romance angle for Claire feels a bit awkward at times, but the fast pace and way the past unfolds makes this a riveting listen that hooked me from the start!

I didn‘t actually finish this one in time for our book club meeting to discuss it—& I went against advice to finish the last third of it this morning— I wish I had listened. Despite the enticing description, this one dragged & ultimately fell flat thanks to the unlikable characters. Advika‘s selfish & forcefully naive qualities may be addressed, but they don‘t feel resolved. I couldn‘t connect with her & couldn‘t understand why her friends stayed!

I enjoyed Silver‘s debut novel, so I was excited when my book club voted this as our March selection! Set on a remote Irish island, this forced-proximity romance makes for a fun, albeit predictable, read. Cleo arrives ready to focus on herself & lay to rest the dating of her 20s to culminate in a self-coupling ceremony on her 30th birthday. Mack, still reeling from his separation, wants to explore the island he‘s heard so much about!

Set in what is apparently a crime-ridden part of Indiana, this book takes place in less than 24 hours. Stokes, our anti-hero, started his day being questioned by the police about a robbery, & only goes downhill from there. He ends up in a wreck, finds a bag full of cash that could solve all of his problems… until he realizes that the cash is ransom money to be given in exchange for a 6 year old girl. Fast-paced & with surprising heart, I loved it!

Whew— I absolutely love STRANGERS ON A TRAIN— and remakes of it, my own puppy is named Owen for just that reason!! So I went in with high hopes for this current reimagining… and initially, it felt a little slow, but then: WOW! A genuine twist to this familiar story and while it may leave a few things hanging, I closed this book completely satiated! Give this one some time because by the end, I think you will love it as much as I did!!

While this was a quick listen, I didn‘t enjoy it as much as I had hoped to… I love the premise of these monster ants uprising against humanity and bestowing a transformation amongst mammals to help enact the war against their owners… but at times the action got a bit muddled & I wanted more character development. The friendship that binds Mort(e) to Sheba is the most redeeming quality here but I‘m only mildly curious about what happens next.

It‘s been a while since I‘ve read/listened to anything from Preston, but this reminded me of how much fun I always have with his writing! This standalone science thriller starts off with a grisly scene & missing honeymooners. They disappeared from the Erebus Resort, famous for the large mammals they have resurrected from extinction. The FBI & local authorities combine with Erebus security to solve a mystery that quickly gets more eerie & complex!

While I have some of Mackintosh‘s mysteries on my shelves, I didn‘t know her family‘s story nor the effect of her grief on her life. Part memoir & part practical guide, this volume is one that I think would make a meaningful gift to anyone grieving— particularly in the loss of a child—though I think solace from any loss can be found amongst its pages. It‘s personal, raw & also comes from a genuine place of trying to help smooth a grieving journey.

Since her debut novel, I‘ve been a fan of Serle‘s writing and the almost no-nonsense magic that she brings about within her stories. Here Daphne always receives a piece of paper of some kind with the name of the person and the duration of their relationship. The book opens with the first paper that doesn‘t have the time limit. In this quick, emotional and unexpected read, I really enjoyed it and can‘t wait to see what Serle writes next!

Oh I really loved this emotional, heart-breaking audiobook. I couldn‘t stop listening to it! With two narrators sections dealing with past & present, the book opens with Rosie, 17, orphaned & pregnant, on her way to what she thought was a home for mothers but is instead a hospital with a much darker mission. Helen, a nanny in Austria for a family with a disabled child is among the first to see the truth of the Nazi regime. Keep the tissues handy!

My uncle gave me a copy of this book last Easter and this morning called to check up on my progress with it. Known as one of the biggest readers in the family, I promised to actually read it before this Easter so I can return it to him. Admittedly, this isn‘t the sort of book I would pick up on my own, but I love my family and am interested to discuss this at the end of the month and see what are the points that have stuck with him the most.

I really enjoyed this memoir! Susan—& her family— have a journey & story that I deeply appreciated getting this window inside. At the heart of it lies the trauma of losing their Má when she was only 38. But Susan shares her grief & path to healing (along with some mouthwatering descriptions of the meals that brought her family together). It‘s well-written—raw at times with questions & realizations that are universal. A definite discussion starter!

I couldn‘t stop listening to this debut YA thriller! Lauren and her mother relocate to Happy Valley, PA (sadly, this isn‘t a nod to Sweet Valley but actually exists) from CA after the traumatic junior year that literally went up in flames. But when Lauren‘s first new connection in town makes her a social pariah once again, she finds herself pulled into uncovering the truth about the two mysterious deaths surrounding the wealthy Crestmont brothers.

Whew— what an impressive debut novel! I couldn‘t put this one down! What starts as a meet-cute that Layla & Andy share a last name, takes a more complex turn in their relationship. As their wedding approaches, Layla‘s best friend pulls away & she sends a provocative documentary to her detailing more on how UK slave owners were compensated at the end of slavery, this starts more introspection & investigation into Layla‘s heritage & relationships.

Oh, I enjoyed Ryan‘s latest! Set during the Blitz, the Bethnal Green Library goes Underground & brings the community closer together. Juliet, striving for her own independence from her strict parents takes a position with the library. Volunteer Katie loves her work but must also come to terms with her family; Jewish refugee Sofie finds friendship & solace within the library. Predictable but in the best of ways, I enjoyed this from start to finish!