Noelle W. Ihli

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2024 (2/28/24)

February 28, 2024 — 1 Comment

I hope you all had a fantastic February, and if it’s something you enjoy, I hope you found time to get lost in a few books! I continued my reading challenge. As a reminder, my goal for 2024 is 50 books. Here are the novels I finished this month!

Gone to See the River Man (Kristopher Triana)

Rating: 4/5

Gone to See the River Man was a truly eerie work. Without giving too much away, the plot involves a woman going on a quest to impress a convicted serial killer…so that in itself sets it up to be a rather twisted tale. I enjoyed how dark and atmospheric it was, and I loved Triana’s writing style. The blurring of the line between reality and the main character’s own thoughts is gloriously gradual, until you as the reader are no longer sure what is actually happening and what she’s imagining. I would highly recommend this book. I will be reading the second one soon!

The Murder Before Christmas (Michele Pariza Wacek)

Rating: 5/5

I feel like I have made it very clear how much I love cozy mysteries, and The Murder Before Christmas is no exception. Yes, it follows a semi-generic plot for the genre, but the main protagonist, Charlie Kingsley, is such a likable character. The author, Wacek, did an admirable job of creating an intelligent character who doesn’t magically solve everything at the drop of a hat. In fact, Charlie had a list of suspects but had not exactly narrowed it down to the actual perpetrator until certain information was thrown in her lap. I am currently reading book two in the series – Ice Cold Murder – and I think it might take on a supernatural edge 😊

Room For Rent (Noelle W. Ihli)

Rating: 4/5

I have now read four books by Noelle Ihli, and I have enjoyed all but one. In Room For Rent, Ihli builds the tension at an agonizing pace, and just when you think you’ve figured it out, she throws in a final twist. If you enjoy suspense, this book should definitely be added to your TBR pile.

Looking Glass Sound (Catriona Ward)

Rating: 5/5

Catriona Ward is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. I fell head-over-heels with The Last House on Needless Street, and while Looking Glass Sound has not stolen the top spot, it was a fantastic read. The concept was a fairly original one, and it kept you guessing until the end…an ending that was not what you expect. Again, if you enjoy suspenseful thrillers filled with twists, add Looking Glass Sound to your TBR list.

The October Society: Season One (Christopher Robertson)

Rating: 5/5

Christopher Robertson is the reason Catriona Ward isn’t my new favorite author. Lol. I love the way he writes, and I love his homages to pop culture, 90s slashers, classic horror and sci-fi, and all the things that make my little heart happy. The October Society: Season One gave me “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” vibes. I figured out the twist pretty early on, but that in no way ruined the book. And while there were gruesome moments, The October Society: Season One was a heartfelt story overall. I cried at the end. Read this one, NOW!!!!! I’ll be checking out season two in March!

Caraval (Stephanie Garber)

Rating: 5/5

Caraval is a mix of magic, carnival, and a mind-bending fantastical scavenger hunt, with a ribbon of romance thrown in. I devoured this novel, and I wasn’t even halfway finished when I ordered the second in the series. This is yet another must-read.

***

I did a lot better in February than I did in January! As mentioned, I am now reading Ice Cold Murder, the second book in the Charlie Kingsley series, as well as Virgin Night by Christopher Robertson.

Progress: 12/50

Update: Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023 (9/20/23)

September 20, 2023 — Leave a comment

I actually completed my goal for 2023 and have since changed it twice. Haha. My new goal is 50 books! (It could rise again, as I’m already at 44.)

I last posted August 10th, and I have read ten books following that update, though one of them was a novella. Still counts. Here is a list of those books and my personal rating of each.

Ink and Bone (Rachel Caine)

Rating: 4.5/5

I love Rachel Caine. I love her writing style, her characters, her stories. If you’ve read her Morganville Vampires series, then you should know that Ink and Bone, and its successors, are worth checking out.

Going Dark (Melissa de la Cruz)

Rating: 4/5

I enjoyed this book a lot. I devoured it in maybe two days. The twist was…not quite believable, in a way, which is why I couldn’t give this a 5/5 rating, but Going Dark is still a great read.

The Things She’s Seen (Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina)

Rating: 4/5

This was another book I finished in 3-4 days. It was a quick read, and very emotional. The Things She’s Seen is a must-add for your to-be-read pile.

The Watchers (AM Shine)

Rating: 4.5/5

A coworker bought this book for me as a birthday gift. The summary didn’t give anything away, which I appreciate, but it still intrigued me enough to want to read it. I wanted answers, so I tore through The Watchers fairly quickly, and while I liked the explanation, I thought Shine could have ended it a bit sooner and not lost anything. I would highly recommend this book.

Late as a Rabbit (Kendra Moreno)

Rating: 3.5/5

Okay, I like the general idea around this series: a darker Wonderland where Alice is evil. But…I’m not a huge fan of the love stories developing, nor the unnecessary smut. These books feel like something that may have started on Wattpad.

Selfie (Stuart James)

Rating: 3/5

I don’t know how I feel about this book. The premise seemed interesting, but the execution wasn’t really for me, I guess. I can’t even say whether or not I’d recommend it. Just read the summary and decide. Lol.

Enter the Dark House (Laurie Faria Stolarz)

Rating: 4/5

This was a double feature, both Welcome to the Dark House and its sequel Return to the Dark House all in one. I enjoyed these books. They were right up my alley. I mean, trapping contest winners in an amusement park and picking them off based on their biggest fears? I’m such a sucker for that stuff. And, even better, Stolarz didn’t get sidetracked with the romantic relationship, even though her main characters were around the age of eighteen.

Sour Candy (Kealan Patrick Burke)

Rating: 2/5

I did not love this. I’m not even sure Burke knew what his own idea was, or if he just wrote some vague nonsense with no real plot in an attempt to seem deep or weird. The explanation at the end still didn’t clear things up. I don’t know. This wasn’t my cup of tea.

The Dark Room (Lisa Gray)

Rating: 4/5

This book disappointed me so much! It started out okay, seeming like my type of story, but then… It turned into a tale of men being evil, a theme I’m heartily sick of at this point. Even worse than that, the female protagonists were stupid and made all the same mistakes that piss me off in horror movies, with the result that if one of the men hadn’t helped them, they likely wouldn’t have survived. In case you couldn’t tell, Run on Red really annoyed me. And that sucks, because I loved the other books by Ihli that I’ve read (The Thicket and Ask for Andrea).

I read this on a whim. I had a $3 credit through Kindle, but it only applied to a handful of books. This one seemed the most like my type of story, so I bought it. And I’m glad I did! I won’t say too much here, but this is a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

Run on Red (Noelle W. Ihli)

Rating: 2/5

***

I am currently reading Nightseer by Laurell K. Hamilton and The Nightmare by Lars Kepler.

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023

January 6, 2023 — 2 Comments

I have started my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2023! I’ve already finished one book – Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli – but to be fair, I started it back in November. Lol. It counts, though, because I finished it this year.

I have since started my second book, Stacia Kane’s Unholy Ghosts. It is the first in the Downside Ghosts series. (I needed a new series to get invested in after finishing The Morganville Vampires.)

Unholy Ghosts is an urban fantasy novel that centers entirely around, you guessed it, ghosts. Here’s the synopsis, per Google Books:

“The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.“

I’m enjoying it so far, and I’m over halfway through. All of the characters that have been introduced are likable, even those without many redeeming qualities. I like Stacia’s writing style, as well.

I’ll give my rating with my next update! And please consider joining me for the challenge this year!

I Completed My 2022 Goodreads Challenge!

December 19, 2022 — Leave a comment

My goal was 25 books. I’ve actually read 26 (and started on a 27th). I must have miscounted at some point because I didn’t actually have to finish The Snakes by Sadie Jones to wrap up the challenge. Below is a full list of all the books I read this year.

  • Last Breath (Rachel Caine)
  • The Sandman (Lars Kepler)
  • Dark Across the Bay (Ania Ahlborn)
  • The Invitation (Lucy Foley)
  • Black Dawn (Rachel Caine)
  • The Thicket (Noelle W. Ihli)
  • Afraid (Lisa Jackson, Alexandra Ivy, and Lisa Childs)
  • House (Frank E. Peretti and Ted Dekker)
  • My Pretties (Jeff Strand)
  • The Woods Are Always Watching (Stephanie Perkins)
  • Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun (Guillermo del Toro)
  • His Final Girl (Brooklyn Ann)
  • Theme Music (T. Marie Vandelly)
  • Bitter Blood (Rachel Caine)
  • Long Live The Pumpkin Queen (Shea Ernshaw)
  • Fall of Night (Rachel Caine)
  • The Hypnotist (Lars Kepler)
  • The Fear (Natasha Preston)
  • Survive the Night (Danielle Vega)
  • Small Spaces (Katherine Arden)
  • Court of the Vampire Queen (Katee Robert)
  • The Maze Runner (James Dashner)
  • Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (Eric LaRocca)
  • Daylighters (Rachel Caine)
  • Dead Voices (Katherine Arden)
  • Red Rain (RL Stine)

It’s been a good year, and I have found a few new authors I definitely want more from. I’m going to close out 2022 re-reading the Harry Potter series, then hit the ground running in 2023 with a new challenge. Cheers!

2022 Reading Challenge + My To-Be-Read List

March 17, 2022 — 1 Comment

I’m not gonna lie: the last two years I’ve participated in the annual GoodReads reading challenge, I have failed. My goal always seems achievable when I set it – after all, what else am I gonna do with my free time besides read?

Ha. The joke’s on me. Between work, writing, blogging, trips to Colorado to visit my brother and sister-in-law (and their answering visits to Alabama), and driving up to Kentucky to see my best friend, my free time always fills up.

But this year, I am determined. I will complete my list. Upon finishing Ania Ahlborn’s Dark Across the Bay, I have read 5 of my 25 book goal. Here is a short list of what’s coming up next for me.

Currently reading: Afraid, which consists of three intertwining tales by Lisa Jackson, Alexandra Ivy, and Lisa Childs

Up next:

  • Black Dawn by Rachel Caine (a Morganville Vampires novel)
  • His Final Girl by Brooklyn Ann
  • The Thicket by Noelle W. Ihli – I am very intrigued by the summary of this one. It sounds similar to the slasher flicks I enjoy.