Xepherus Reads

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          The Third Victim is Lisa Gardner's second book in her FBI Profiler series, published in 2001 by Bantam Books.     Fan-favorite Officer Rainie Conner is thrust into a horrific crime scene in the aftermath of a school shooting. With innocent lives taken, she not only has to tamp down her own emotions but also keep her rookie partner together as they process the scene. What she discovers sends her small town into chaos. Rainie knows what she sees and procedure dictates what she should do. But in her heart, she is certain not all of the facts are present. As she comes closer to the truth, she realizes she is in the cross-hairs of a killer who will not hesitate to remove her from the investigation permanently.      The too-real subject of shootings has weighed heavy on us in the past few years.  Lisa Gardner has handled tough subjects in the past, and I trusted her to g...

    Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary is the fifth in the class children's book series. Published in 1979 by Dell for their Yearling book series, this delightful story is filled with nostalgia for me. Being a child of the 70s, I remember having dog-eared copies of this series in my book bag in elementary school.    In this laugh-out-loud tale of growing up, we meet a seven-year-old Ramona Quimby. She is halfway to being eight and wishes her mother would treat her like she does her older sister, Beezus. But Ramona has a knack for getting into mischief, which leads to scolding and embarrassing incidents. At this rate, she will never be as loved as her sister.   Ramona and Her Mother was a fun and relaxing read that had me laughing so hard I cried. It is filled with hijinx that involves a bottle of dye, a tube of toothpaste, and fuzzy new pajamas. It is filled with funny side charact...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,    I hope you are getting some ideas for what you want to read in 2025 using this year's Reading Challenge!     It is time to share  my Reading Challenge picks. As always, my list may change depending on new releases. As I read my books, I will note them by highlighting them in bold. I will also add a link to any review I publish.    Book Challenge books read: (2/50)   Books Read Not in a Category: (01)   Total Books Read: (03)   Updated 01/31/2025  Xepherus Reads Challenge categories (in alphabetical order):                 A 2024 Goodreads Choice winner- You Like It Darker by Stephen King A banned book- Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult A biography of a musician- Gold Dust Woman: The Life of Stevie Nicks by Stephen Davis A book a film was based on- We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer A book an Amazon Prime show was based on- Killi...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          January started off my reading year with some fantastic reads. I visited the life of my favorite singer, delved into the world of suspense, and even added a light-hearted read to my schedule.  I did not follow my TBR for January. New book sales, new releases, and some recommendations steered me down a different road. But that is okay. I plan to go with the flow. Letting the reading winds take me in the right direction is my plan.  Here are my reading results for January: Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks by Stephen Davis (read by Christina Delaine) Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary (read by Stockard Channing) The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner (read by Teri Schnaubelt)      My February reading picks (subject to change, of course) have more thrillers and a childhood favorite: Bad Liar by Tami Hoag (read by Hilary Huber) The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart ...

    Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,           I have been known to own the hardcover, digital, and audiobook simultaneously. This was what happened with Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. I did not want to carry the book to New York Comic Con. I bought the audio and  ebook  to minimize what I would be carrying that Comic Con weekend. Halfway through the book I bought the hardcover at Goodwill for $2. I managed to read Lost Stars using three different forms of this novel.    Other times I like to look for rare or foreign editions of books. Even though my Lucky Santagelo books by Jackie Collins are mainly hardcover, I could not resist a UK edition in softcover. I found it at a book fair for $3. I loved how it was presented with it's red cover and flaired logo. This also sometimes happens with re-released editions of books. The publisher will often change book covers to fit in modern times. I remember this as a teenager...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,           Some books can be intimidating for various reasons. My intimidation was mainly a book's length. I was fortunate enough to break that fear with Joe Hill's NOS4A2 . Nowadays a long book does not scare me. However, in 2016 that was different. Here are some books that have gave me pause in the past.   The Count of Monte Christie by Alexandre Dumas - this huge book has crossed paths with my To Be Read list many times over the past couple of decades. The more I pick it up, the more I feel that a book of this size may be too much to handle. My book reading lately has been limited to five hundred pages. What's a couple hundred more, am I right? Les Miserables by Victor Hugo -  with over fourteen hundred pages, this monster of a book has been walked to the counter of Barnes and Noble many times. With their special edition binding, I always feel that I can read it. Fast forward a few editions later...