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READERS IMBIBING PERIL Reading Challenge #RIPXVII @PerilReaders

  • Grab your spooky books, because it’s the best time of year again!
  • To join the R.I.P. Challenge, just read as many mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, dark fantasy, supernatural, or Gothic books as you’d like September 1st – October 31st, and post/discuss them on your blog, Instagram, or Twitter. The group is also on Discord!
  • Use #RIPXVII to connect with other challenge participants.
  • Check out this link for all of the challenge details: https://linktr.ee/perilreaders

I’ll be keeping track of books completed for this challenge here:

  1. THESE FLEETING SHADOWS by Kate Alice Marshall
  2. BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH by Amanda Flower
  3. BEATRICE LIKES THE DARK by April Genevieve Tucholke
  4. THE PLOT AND THE PENDULUM by Jenn McKinlay
  5. THE GHOST OF DROWNED MEADOW by Kelley Skovron
  6. THE GUEST HOUSE by Robin Morgan-Bentley

Happy R.I.P. Reading! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

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Wrap-Up Post: 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge #20booksofsummer22

The 20 Books of Summer reading challenge has come to an end, and I’m thrilled to say that I managed to read 20 books and reviewed most of them. Did I stick to my original list? Nope. Not at all. But I read 20 books! Thanks so much to Cathy @ 746 Books for hosting.

Here are the books that I read for this challenge. Ones with an asterisk were favorites/standouts. Click title to see my review:

1) EVERY SUMMER AFTER by Carley Fortune (June 4)
2) SMILE BEACH MURDER by Alicia Bessette (June 9) *
3) DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid (June 14)
4) THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR by Rose Carlyle (June 17) *
5) THE FAVOR by Nora Murphy (June 20) *

6) THE ANATOMY OF DESIRE by L.R. Dorn (June 23) *
7) THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston (June 26)
8) 142 OSTRICHES by April Davila (June 30) *
9) IN ANOTHER LIGHT by A.J. Banner (June 30) *
10) THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE by Riley Sager (July 4)

11) SUMMER’S EDGE by Dana Mele (July 8)
12) SUN DAMAGE by Sabine Durrant (July 14) *
13) THE SAFE PLACE by Anna Downes (July 15)
14) THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda (July 20)
15) A SUMMER TO REMEMBER by Erika Montgomery (July 31)

16) SUMMER FEVER by Kate Riordan (August 2)
17) STAY AWAKE by Megan Goldin (August 14)
18) STEEPED TO DEATH by Gretchen Rue (August 27) *
19) MEET CLAUDIE by Brit Bennett (August 27)
20) AT SUMMER’S END by Courtney Ellis (August 31)

Did you participate in this challenge? How did you do? — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

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Weekend Update — August, or Autumn Eve

This week I’m linking up with Sunday Post, Sunday Salon, and It’s Monday! What are you reading? Thank you for hosting, Kimberly, Deb, and Kathryn!

• We’ve been in August for nearly a week. What!?! Sorry I’ve been missing from the blog lately. I’ve had a bout of the blues and haven’t been motivated to do much of anything. It happens from time to time.

• During my down time, I decided that I’m not posting book reviews on Instagram anymore. The algorithm has totally tanked my engagement as a Bookstagrammer, so I’m just going to keep that account for hodgepodge — a few bookish things, a lot of my dog Ginger, and who knows what else! I switched my account to private, but I’d still love to connect (or stay connected) with my book blogger acquaintances there.

• Summer Fitness Plan Update: It was a success! My goal was to complete Jessica Smith’s 6 Week Total Transformation System twice, and that finally wrapped up this week. During the first six weeks, I exercised only and lost ZERO pounds! During the second six weeks, I exercised AND counted calories with the Lose It app, and I lost TEN pounds!

What I love about Jessica’s workouts is that she focuses on functional fitness, doing exercises that will help you with daily activities. I do feel somewhat stronger and more flexible. A few aches and pains I had have greatly improved. Now, onto the next 6 week plan…

Read Since Last Time:

THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER by Erika Montgomery

SUMMER FEVER by Kate Riordan

Posts Since Last Time:

THE SAFE PLACE by Anna Downes [Review]

SUN DAMAGE by Sabine Durrant [Review]

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER by Erika Montgomery [Review]

Reviewed on Goodreads Only:

THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda

SUMMER FEVER by Kate Riordan

Currently Reading:

STAY AWAKE by Megan Goldin

A murder she doesn’t remember committing. A killer she doesn’t remember meeting. Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake is an electrifying novel that proves memory can be deadly.

THE PLOT by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Hailed as “breathtakingly suspenseful,” Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot is a propulsive read about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it.

THE HOTEL NANTUCKET by Elin Hilderbrand

“The queen of beach reads” (New York Magazine) delivers an immensely satisfying page-turner in this tale about a summer of scandal at a storied Nantucket hotel… Filled with the emotional depth and multiple points of view that characterize Hilderbrand’s novels as well as an added dash of Roaring Twenties history, The Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this compelling summer drama.

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful week! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

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A SUMMER TO REMEMBER by Erika Montgomery

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Rating: ★★★½

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER blends elements of family drama, mystery, and romance into a bittersweet story. Frankie is grieving the loss of her mother while trying to keep their Hollywood memorabilia store afloat. She comes across a couple of sealed letters, and a photograph of her mother with a pair of married movie stars taken a year before Frankie’s birth. Always curious about who her father was, Frankie heads across the country to Cape Cod where the photo was taken in hopes of finding clues to his identity.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the sense of place and the Hollywood nostalgia, and I was very curious about the family secrets surrounding Frankie’s father. The romance was lovely — two lost souls coming together. However, the pacing was slow, and I found the big reveal rather frustrating. It was unnecessary to keep this particular thing a secret for 30 years. If you can get past that hurdle, A SUMMER TO REMEMBER makes a great beach read that will leave you craving margaritas and fried clams, and wanting to dust off those old VHS movies.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.