January 2026 Wrap Up

Books Read:

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister (2025)  4/5 stars

This thriller gripped me from the beginning and never let go.  Was it realistic, or plausible, or even believable?  Nope.  But it was totally compelling, completely engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable.

On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White (2020)  4/5 stars

The Codebreakers, book #2 

This Christian novel of romantic suspense follows one of the characters introduced in The Number of Love (my review here).  I had really enjoyed that one, but to me, it didn't feel like WWI.  The author made a much more believable atmosphere with this book, and the plot was gripping, interesting, and even moving.  I enjoyed it tremendously.

Mr. Campion's Farewell by Mike Ripley (2014)  4/5 stars

Mr. Campion series, book 1

This is a continuation of Margery Allingham's Campion series and it felt so much like one of the original adventures that it was hard at times to remember that it wasn't.  This is the second one of Ripley's that I have read and it certainly won't be my last.

 

The Story of the Glittering Plain by William Morris 1890/1891 (first published as a magazine serial)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Israel Zangwill

The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill (1892)  5/5 stars

I absolutely loved this mystery.  The writing is witty, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, the build up nicely done, and the solution clever.  I've seen negative reviews that don't take into account the fact that this is an early locked-room mystery, written well before it was a popular trope, and that the solution would have been novel and shocking at the time.   I highly recommend it for fellow fans of Victorian novels and early detective stories.

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (1800)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

The Ivory Child by H. Rider Haggard (1916)  4/5 stars

In this adventure, Allan Quatermain must defeat a massive god-like elephant, help a win a tribal war, and rescue an Englishwoman from an ancient cult.  It's a great yarn, well-written like all of Haggard's Quatermain novels, and even moved me to tears three times.  It was completely engrossing, and though some attitudes are dated, I enjoyed it immensely.  

Audiobooks Completed:

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1932)  4/5 stars (my review)

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1935)  4/5 stars (my review)

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1937)  4/5 stars (my review)

By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1939)  4/5 stars (my review)

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1940)  4/5 stars (my review)

Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1941)  4/5 stars (my review)

Did Not Finish:

The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham

This is a popular book in my corner of bookstagram, and I was on the library waiting list for some time.  Unfortunately, I didn't care for the female main character's over-the-top naivete combined with her mature reactions to the male main character.  It's hard to explain, but suffice it to say that it wasn't to my taste.  This is a reminder to me that I've already tried it, so when it pops up on my radar again I won't feel like I'm missing out.