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Friday, May 29, 2020

Cozy Mystery Online Book Club May Review- Penne Dreadful!

Penne Dreadful (Italian Chef Mysteries #1)Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good stuff! A very enjoyable read. The pacing is great, we watch the main character grow, and we meet some very interesting supporting characters.

I read this book as part of an online Cozy Mystery Book Club run by the author Esme Addison. It's free to join the group which is on Facebook. Check it out! I was very pleased that this was our book of the month. Tessa is a widow who is trying to navigate her way through tremendous grief. Her sadness is relatable to anyone who has lost a loved one. We get to see her find her way to begin healing as she reassesses her life and her relationship with her husband. Sounds kinda heavy for a Cozy right? But it's not, Catherine Bruns does an amazing job balancing Tessa's loss and all the elements that make Cozies so satisfying. We have an outspoken smart best friend, we have a big bunch of nefarious nare-do-wells, a quaint town in upstate New York and food talk!

Yes, Tessa's secret sauce recipe is in the back of the book! This is one recipe from the back of a book I might actually manage to make myself!

If you are looking for a weekend or a summer read, pick this up today and then pre-order the second book in the series which comes out next month. It Cannoli Be Murder


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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection - A Great Escape!

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3 by Barbara Venkataraman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Spend some time with Jamie Quinn, esq., you will thank me! This collection includes the first three of Jamie Quinn's adventures in Hollywoood, FL. The books are novella length and fast-paced. I really enjoyed Jamie Quinn our protagonist, she is great with the one-liners and down to earth. The books are told in a conversational style where you feel like you are sitting in a coffee shop while Jamie regales you with what has been happening in her life. At any moment you hope that Jamie's best friend Grace, a smart stylish lawyer or Duke, a PI with a heart of gold, will walk in and join the coffee talk.

Jamie is smart enough to use her resources and her researching skills as a lawyer to solve crimes without putting herself in physical danger. As you read you will hope for all good things for Jamie, and you will literally laugh out loud at some of her commentary.

The books take place in a real town, Hollywood, Florida. Many of the places she talks about in the book are real places. I had fun looking up the Broward County Parks and seeing where Jamie was going!

If you like cozies, make sure to check this one out, it's great summer or weekend reading!

As soon as I finished the third book in this series, I went right to the Amazon app on my phone to get the next book because I wanted to know what happened next in Jamie's life (of course, you can't purchase Kindle books on the app so that was annoying!)

I received a copy of this from the author to review. It is available as part of a Kindle Unlimited collection or is currently only $1.99.


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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Today is a Weird Day


Saturday, May 2, 2020

May is Here! Let's Stay Home!

I mean really, I don't see any of my constitutional rights being taken from me. I can go places if I need or want to, now I can't eat in at a restaurant, but that isn't in the constitution so I'm cool with it.  Also, I'm a big fan of people getting to live as long as possible.

I'm running every day, I made a few neck gaiters/buffs out of a pair of fleece-lined tights. Running with a face covering is difficult so what I do is I keep it down unless I am getting close to other people. Since I run around my neighborhood it is easy to avoid getting w/in 10 feet of other people. It also helps me to vary my runs because if I see someone headed my way I turn around or turn a corner to avoid them. Mind tricks help distract esp when I am doing my weekly long run. With the rest of the tights, I made ties for my garden stakes this summer. To celebrate each run, I take a daily post-run picture. Above is one of those pictures. I post my daily pics on Instagram.

Just a few weeks until it's officially garden planting time!  I've got my scrap garden growing and in a couple more weeks I'll be transplanted the lettuce, scallions, and celery!

I am celebrating this new month with Day Pajamas. I highly recommend the Day Pajama lifestyle.

The PJs are short sleeves and 3/4 length. Perfect for May.

Enjoy your Day!
xoxo