September Reading Wrap-up and Mini-Reviews

1. Moving is Murder by Sara Rosett (Adult Cozy Mystery) (356 pages) (4⭐️)

This is the first book in the Mom Zone Mystery series about a military wife named Ellie Avery. Her family has just moved to a new neighborhood and one of the other spouses is murdered. A lot of readers were frustrated by the motherhood specific scenes but I love seeing characters in all walks of life - being a new mom included. I figured out some parts to the mystery but others surprised me.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6822450775

2. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts (Adult Adventure Mystery) (354 pages) (5⭐️)

Tuesday, her best friend Dex, her neighbor Dorry, and her love interest Archie team up to play in a scavenger hunt set throughout Boston following the death of an eccentric billionaire. This was one of my favorite books this year to date. It explores themes of connection and grief and has lovable characters and a fun premise. It doesn't fit neatly into a genre box, though, and it's not as supernatural as the title implies.

Full Review: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/tuesday-mooney-talks-to-ghosts-by-kate-racculia-a-wonderful-book-that-defies-genres-book-review

3. Pecking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien (Adult Cozy Mystery) (295 pages) (4.5⭐️)

This is the 10th book int he Noodle Shop Mystery series following Lana Lee who manages her family's Chinese food restaurant. This book takes place during Lunar New Year when someone Lana hires is killed. I am so fond of this series and its characters - at this pint each books feels like meeting an old friend I haven't seen in a while. I am not very familiar with Lunar New Year so it was interesting to learn a little about it here.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6007631354

4. Staying Home is a Killer by Sara Rosett (Adult Cozy Mystery) (256 pages) (4⭐️)

This is the second book in the Mom Zone Mystery series and follows Ellie solving the death of her close friend. This book is similar to the first one in that the murdered character is wrapped up in some sinister business and you have to figure out what it is before you can even begin to form a suspects list. Georgia, one of Ellie's husband's coworkers - is a feminist queen indeed. Trigger warning for suicide.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6843912571

5. Getting Away is Deadly by Sara Rosett (249 pages) (4.5⭐️)

This is the third book in the Mom Zone Mystery series. In this one Avery and the other wives are in D.C. when Ellie's sister-in-law Summer is implicated in a murder. Summer was a very annoying character - she completely took advantage of Ellie's kindness. readers who dislike the motherhood parts of the series will be pleased that her daughter Livvy is barely in the story. The new setting was refreshing and this was the mystery with the highest stakes so far.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6859835964

6. Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller (YA Fantasy) (322 pages) (3.75)

Ziva is a bladesmith capable of producing magical weapons. She creates one for a warlord only to learn the warlord wants to use it to take over the world. Alongside her sister Temra, a mercenary named Kellyn and a scholar named Petrik go on the run together. This book has a found family and pretty solid world building though the mechanics of the magic are a tad vague. Overall, it could have been improved if it was longer so things didn't feel so rushed.

Full Review: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/mental-health-in-fantasy-blade-of-secrets-by-tricia-levenseller

TOTAL PAGES READ (JAN-SEP): 22,367

AVG. BOOK LENGTH (JAN-SEP): 360.76 pages

AVG. BOOK RATING (JAN-SEP): 239.75/305⭐️ (3.87⭐️)

AUDIOBOOKS (JAN-SEP): 17/62 (27.4%)

PHYSICAL READS (JAN-SEP): 46/56 (74.19%)

BORROWED FROM THE LIBRARY (JAN-SEP): 35/62 (56.45%)

DNFs (JAN-SEP): 15

REREADS (JAN-SEP): 6/62