If you want to check out the originator for this tag, check out Rosin’s page (Roisin’s Reading from BookTube).

How Many Books Have You Read So Far?

According to my Goodreads account I have read 50 books this year so far which is more than I expected!

Have You Found A Book That Might Be A 2023 Favorite?

Such a good question! I think The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji and The House Without A Key by Earl Derr Biggers are contenders.

I find myself thinking about how beautiful the writing and the setting are a lot. I also immediately tried to get my hands on the Ayatsuji and Derr Biggers works.

What Was Your Favorite Book That Wasn’t Quite Five Star

The Frangipani Tree Mystery is a great debut novel to the Su Lin/ Crown Colony series. Set in 1930’s Singapore deftly tackles issues arising from British Colonialism in the colony and on the character level. The layers to the female characters and how they navigate patriarchal systems is fascinating. The mystery is top-notch, but the police procedural element that drove the story was clunky and was not well threaded in the novel. Su Lin working on her own would have made this a 5 star book.

Any 1 Star Books or least favorite books of the year?

Only one real dud so far this year. A short story “The Monkey Murder” by Stuart Palmer which had a deliciously menacing villian, but the story was so dumb, racist, and poorly plotted that it got a bad review from me. It’s a shame because I liked The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer and find him to have an enaging and original voice.

Most Read Genre This Year

I think traditional detective stories or police procedurals. Outside of my mystery blog, I read a lot of poetry, philosophy, and modern fiction. I also love modern and vintage cookbooks.

A Book That Surprised You

The Circular Staircase by Mary Robert Rinehart. She is most well-remembered and parodied for phrases and tired mystery tropes such as “The Butler Did It” and “Had I But Known” so I assumed that her works would be tired and dated. However, they have become personal favorites. They are haunting, spooky, good mysteries that I think are timeless. My favorite book of hers that I have reviewed so far is The Circular Staircase. The Circular Staircase is a baffling mystery that had me on edge until the last page. A highly recommended book

A Book That’s Come out in 2023 That You Haven’t Read Yet

Oh, so many! Sitting right in front of me is Death and Croissants by Ian Moore, and The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett. My TBR seems endless.

One Goal That You’re Succeeding At?

Honestly just showing up everyday and putting posts out on this blog. I don’t have any real goals beyond enjoying myself and sharing my love of classic mysteries with other readers. It been a lot of fun over the past few months and given me another place of community which I really cherish.