Xepherus Reads

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          Take Halloween and mash it up with Valentine's Day and you get Valloween. It's my excuse to celebrate spooky season early. And with all of the thrillers I read, I thought it would be fun to make a Book Tag for the occasion.  Here are the tags and my answers (with reviews linked): A book that features a toxic relationship: Jack and Wendy Torrance in  The Shining by Stephen King A book with a seductive villain: Rose the Hat from  Doctor Sleep by Stephen King A book featuring a steamy detour from horror: Ellen Brody and Matthew Hooper's affair in  Jaws by Peter Benchley A book with a married couple that solves murders: Nick Fourcade and Annie Broussard are a detective team in  Bad Liar by Tami Hoag A book where a couple meets through terrifying circumstances: Vince Leone and Anne Navarre in  Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag      Let me know  your answers...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       The Outsider is written by Stephen King and is published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. In this explosive thriller, we are introduced to Ralph Anderson, a detective with the Flint City police. When a child is found murdered, the prime suspect is local kids coach, Terry Maitland. Eyewitnesses put him at the scene and forensic evidence matches Maitland's own. Ralph, infuriated by the police's findings, arrests Maitland at a local ball game. But their evidence is no match for well-documented proof that Maitland was in another city at the time of the murder. Which begs the question: how can one man be in two places at the same time?   The case grows exponentially weirder as the supernatural seems to be playing a role. Enter Holly Gibney an expert in all that is weird. Her involvement in the Mr. Mercedes case with Bill Hodges puts her in a position to give the police an altern...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          Bad Liar is written by Tami Hoag, and is the long-awaited follow-up to The Boy . It is published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In it, we return to Bayou of Louisiana where husband and wife detective team Annie Broussard and Nick Fourcade are waist deep in two missing persons cases and one possible domestic abuse case.    As Nick delves into the disappearance of a local hero, Anne works to find out the whereabouts of a drug addict. Both men knew one another and are moving closer to being identified as the body discovered on swampland with half his face missing. With a community of bad liars, who is to be trusted?   Bad Liar was a welcomed return for Hoag. After five years of waiting for her next novel, she did not disappoint; Anne and Nick are two of my favorite characters. It was great to return to their world of superstition and cold-blooded killers. Each chapter be...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,      It is time to begin sharing my  2026 Xepherus Reads  Reading Challenge results.    The challenge dates are January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026  Book Challenge books read: 4/50) Books Read Not in a Category: (00) Total Books Read: (04)   Updated 02/02/2026   Xepherus Reads Challenge categories (in alphabetical order):                 A 2025 Goodreads Choice winner- A banned book- A biography of a celebrity- A book a Netflix show was based on- A book by a debut author- A book by your favorite author you have not read- Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (****) A book featuring your favorite character- A book from your childhood- A Book of the Month Club Book- A book over 500 pages- A book published during the 1970s- A book published in 2025- A book purchased at a book fair- A book purchased at a thrift store- A book recommend...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          January was a great reading month for me. I abandoned my TBR pile, and began using a TBR jar instead. Pulling books out and seeing what I get is a fun, almost Christmas morning, feeling. I also have since added some digital books that I have not touched in over five years. With this system working well, I know I will have a great reading year. In January I read the following (my reviews are linked with each title): Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena The Last Word by Taylor Adams With a Vengeance by Riley Sager    My favorite book of the month:  TBR Jar hopes for February include: Bad Liar by Tami Hoag Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson The Last Passenger by Will Dean The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware      Let me know  what you are reading  in the comments below. Follow me on social media by visiti...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          Many of us have created TBR shelves or carts. We believe it's the only way to get through all the books we buy. I have been collecting "hot" books for years. YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, there is always a book that "we must read". But lately I have begun to downsize my books through gifting or donation to make room for those books I know I will read.   This month I decided to bring out my photo printer and I devised a plan. I printed small book covers, cut them out, and put them in a small bell jar. Four books later , it is a success.    Here are my rules I have created for this latest experiment of mine: Always maintain 50 or more books in the jar. Read what I pick If the book chosen is part of a series, draw another book (only if I need to read the books prior to understand the series). Set aside my chosen book into a small baggie to minimize re-drawing that book.  After I finish...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,    When it comes to a good blizzard, nothing helps pass the Winter weather like reading a thriller. Curl up with a cozy blanket and some cocoa, because things are about to get scary. Here are some excellent reads for this weekend's Winter storm.      Here are my Top 5 Snowy Thrillers (my reviews are linked to the book covers)- 5) No Exit by Taylor Adams- A woman trapped during a blizzard at a rest stop finds a caged child in a van. Which of those stranded with her is the kidnapper? And what will they do to protect their crime? 4) The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse- A luxury hotel opens in Switzerland, and the body count rises. Can a traumatized police detective rise to the occasion and find a killer before she is his next victim? 3) In a Dark, Dark Wood- A woman wakes up in a hospital under arrest for murder. She must work to escape authorities to find the real killer... in a blizzard.  2) An Unwanted Guest...