The Introverted Detective

 The Twenty-fourth of June by Grace S. Richmond is a novel I've never heard of before. A family member wanted me to borrow and review it. I said I'd do that. I'm reading her copy right now, ignoring the introduction essay and afterward sections. Onward! Courtesy of Amazon This book follows a man of 28 proving himself to a young woman in the Gray family. It is not what I'd typically pick up, but I'm willing to try it out. The last time this family member suggested a book it was a four-star rated one (Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter). I'm including spoilers in this review, so please come back later if you want to go into it blind.  Speaking of going into this blind, I'm going into this book practically blindfolded. I didn't get a plot overview other than "romance" and how much my family member loved it. In other words, this review will be honest and I'll be genuinely surprised at plot twists. It's not my usual cup of tea, but it started ...

 I'm going to focus on reviewing more books this year. Of the books in the 2025 reading year, I'm starting with a classic. I give you my review of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This is a spoiler-heavy review.  Courtesy of Pinterest.com The book I'm reviewing is a classic—a horror classic. I know the end (at least the movie's end), so it isn't a real surprise to learn that Jekyll is Hyde. I think almost everyone who took a literature class knows that. In basic overview, a man plays with the idea of his good side and bad side and gets himself into a horrible situation. He gets to a point where he can no longer control "Mr. Hyde", whom he says he can get rid of at any time.  Book Events We start with a lawyer (Utterson), reading a clause in the will of Dr. Jekyll, a dear friend. Dr. Jekyll's leaving Mr. Hyde all his money and property if he disappears or dies. The lawyer thinks Hyde is a horrible man and has a conversation with Hyde. Hyde i...

 This year my TBR (To Be Read) list did not go as planned, mostly because I threw it to the side to focus on cleaning my bookshelves. For this reason, I skip what this year's goals were entirely. Aside from all those thrown-out goals, let's look at the data.  I decided to prioritize cleaning out my bookshelves and going through the second chance pile. My data looks so different than last year's. Be prepared to see data indicating my second chance pile rose to the top of my priorities. I even blogged some of it for content.  I also learned something more about myself. I mood-read and I liked it a lot. I'm making more space for that in my TBR. I might still have set titles, but I intend to set up my TBR to have more mood-reading openings. Along with all that, I'm so much better at dropping books I don't enjoy reading. I've learned a lot this year.  Next Year First, we have the set titles, which will literally be what I didn't read in 2024, plus maybe a few...

 I can't hold back my thoughts on the book The It Girl by Ruth Ware! I love it. Now you all get hear me gush about it. This blog is full of spoilers, so if you want a spoiler-free review go elsewhere.   Courtesy of phdiva.blog The It Girl by Ruth Ware is a mystery that I picked up on a whim in 2024. This review will come much later in scheduled blogs than my actual reading of it. In other words, I already read it weeks ago by the time you see this.  Let's get into the basic plot. Without getting knee deep in spoilers, here is the basic plotline. Hannah Jones, years after finding her college roommate dead, can't remember the whole encounter. The convicted culprit, who never stopped screaming his innocence year after year in the courts, died of a heart attack in prison. This starts a ball rolling mentally for Hannah. She's pregnant, fears the press swarming her like before, and was just trying to live a normal life - one not surrounded by the death of her best friend, Apr...