Review: Hot Girl Murder Club

 For a synopsis, please look at the book. This is just a review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan  Audio for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

 

"Hot Girl Murder Club" came "thisclose" to being too ambitious -- too many characters, too many plot lines, too many reasons or justifications for too many murders -- but then she brought it all together and I couldn't stop listening.

  I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be, especially in the beginning. The detectives? Scout? Isabelle? I liked most of the women in "the club," although I wish the characters had been fleshed out a little bit more. I don't know what more I wanted, just more. With that said, I liked Isabelle and thought she was well-written. My favorite character was Rosie, and I wish she had more of a role. I understand why she didn't, though. (I would definitely read a book on her back story or a book featuring a character like her.) 

Bottom line: Binge-worthy and I'd recommend it.

 

 

Race to the End? Or Save for Next Year?

 I had hoped to get to these three books by the end of the year. Sadly, I will only get to one of them: Return of the Spider. 

My Christmas tradition, for many years, has been to stay up all night on December 25 and read the new Alex Cross, which I had just received (or bought for myself) for Christmas. 

Realistically knowing that I would not get to these books but optimistically thinking I might, on Saturday I bought this book because, not only am I intrigued by it, just about everyone I follow on tik tok has recommended it, and it was one of the picks of one of my local independent bookstore's book club's last month. (It's the book club I like to say I belong to although I've never been to a meeting. I do buy the books, though.)

 

 

 

The reason I believe I will not get to all of those books is that I am currently reading/listening to these: 

I have a nearly one-hour commute (half an hour each way) every day and needed something for the next couple of days so I searched Libby for something "available now." Ann Patchett: Good. Narrator: Meryl Streep. Yes, please! I started it yesterday and had to remind myself to save some of it for today and Tuesday. It's so good! (The reason I had to remind myself is that on Saturday "The Favorites" by Layne Fargo was available on Libby via audiobook. I couldn't stop listening and finished it that day.)

Anyway, I can't remember where I saw a snippet of an interview with Jodi Picoult where she was talking about "nineteen minutes" being one of the most banned books in the country. Of course that made me want to read it. Thankfully, because this was very late on a Thursday night and too late to go out shopping and I wanted it now, it was available on Libby e-reader.

I started "bright lights, big Christmas" a couple of weeks ago because I hadn't read a Christmas-y book in a while. I had been reading some pretty dark stuff lately and needed a change. And, you can't go wrong with Mary Kay Andrews, right? (I might finish before Christmas if I put everything else aside -- other reading, crafting, cleaning -- Tuesday after work and Wednesday.)

But, wouldn't you know it? I belong to a trivia team that plays once a month at the local library. We came in first last week and three books, two of which I had already read, were in the prize package. This was the third:

Well, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be my Christmas read for next year.

Don't worry, though. Not finishing those books does not put me in danger of not reaching my goal for the year. My original goal was 26 books. (I had been in a slump for a few years.) I reached that fairly early in the year so I bumped it up to 33. I reached that, too, but didn't change the goal because I didn't want to tempt fate. So far, I have read 108 books (327% of my goal). That could be the most I've ever read in a year. It's the most I've read since I started keeping track.

Next year's goal is 52 (the fate thing again) and I have four picked out already.

Out of My Slump

 I have been in a reading slump for several years.

It was so bad that for the last three years my goal in the Goodreads Challenge was only 12 books a year. And in 2023 I didn't even make it! I read only nine books that year; 14 in '22; and 16 last year.

The highest number I have ever read was 90. That was in 2014.

I will at least tie that this year. Tonight, in fact, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

I started out with a goal of 12 and passed that pretty early in the year so I decided to be really adventurous, choose a new goal and shoot for something way out there. Thirty-three. 

I'm at 89 with 10% left in one of the three audio books I currently have going. (Don't ask how many kindles and physical books are in progress. It's more than I will admit.) 

There is a kind of irony to how I have come out of the slump. It's audio books. I have an hour-ish commute to work five days a week (30-ish minutes each way) and, no offense to my pals on the radio, I'm really sick of radio. All of it. The "witty banter," the ads, the music, news. Especially the news. And it takes me too long to decide which of my playlists, favorite podcasts, or Substackers I want to listen to. As long as I only give myself one to three choices of audio books, I'm good.

According to Storygraph, so far this year the number of audio books I have listened to has surpassed the number of physical books I have read, 43% to 37%.  The other 20% is digital in case you're doing the math.

Back to the ironic part. When I had jobs that had me living paycheck to paycheck and books were my biggest luxury purchases I dreamed of having a job where I could buy a book without having to budget for it. Now that I have that job, I use my library card more than ever. I have eight "holds" on the Libby app and they're all audio books. 

One other cool thing about the number of books I've read this year is that I've expanded my interests. I discovered that I enjoy magical realism. I like some fantasy. (I should have realized that much sooner. "The Wizard of Oz?" Hello!)

I haven't been this excited about reading in a long time. Even longer ago than 2014. Although I read 90 books that year, most were by authors I was going to be interviewing (Oh, poor me!) and the reason these best-selling authors enjoyed coming on my little show is that I actually read their books. I did get to interview Sue Monk Kidd about what is now one of my all-time favorite historical fiction books, The Invention of Wings. And I did one of my favorite interviews in all of my nearly 16 years in radio: Jim Beviglia on "Counting Down Bruce Springsteen: His 100 Finest Songs." We agreed to disagree on Rosalita vs. Born to Run.

As I tie my highest finished book count in more than a decade later this evening, I hope I never forget the feeling I have right now. It's akin to the feeling I had the first time I read a book to my parents and when I got my first library card and checked out a book all by myself. 

Here's to tying, then surpassing, the record, and never getting into another slump!