The Lastest From Charlaine Harris! #TheRussianCage #NetGalley

 The Russian Cage is the third book in the Gunnie Rose series by Ms. Harris. The series takes place in an alternative America where America is no longer the United States but has been broken up into new countries with California now being part of the Holy Roman Empire.  The time frame of this alternative history is around the 1930s I think, but it's not really important to know. 

It has been some time since I read the second book in the series so I was coming to this story as someone whose memory of what happened needed refreshing.  I recommend reading this series in order ( Book One: An Easy Death &   Book Two: A Longer Fall  ) so that you can really dig in and enjoy the world it is set in as well as the characters otherwise I think you do a disservice to yourself and the books.

I have read most of Charlaine Harris's many books and the Gunnie Rose series is a favorite. I appreciate that in this series, Lizbeth is a strong independent woman who knows herself very well and is able to say no. One of the best character traits Lizbeth has is that as a hired gun, she is very good at reading people and situations and then acting.  She doesn't get paralyzed by indecision.  

Lizbeth and her sister Felicia are fun characters to read, they know what they want and they don't let others or the conventions of the day put limitations on them.  In this book, we spend more time with Felicia and Felix and really get to know them as the story moves along.  On Charlaine Harris's website, the Gunnie Rose books are described as a trilogy so this may be the final book in the series.  I enjoyed the action in the book and how the story finished.  The ending to this book is very satisfying and it makes sense to leave things there. Now, should Ms. Harris chose to continue the series, especially if it were to branch off to new adventures with Felix or Felecia as our protagonist; well, then I will be the first in line to preorder. 

I give this book a 4.5 star rating, there is magic, there is love, there are bad guys, and the bad guys get what's coming to them. I hope that Charlaine Harris has an inclination to go back and play in this world again, I'd like to see how things go for the people around Lizbeth.  

*I received an ARC via NetGalley all the opinions are mine!  This book comes out on February 23rd, so you have time to go read the first two books in the series! 

#TheRussianCage #NetGalley

#TheSundayPost Ready for February?

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Grab your planner and make a note to celebrate some of these special February Days:

Groundhog Day is Feb 2 --and it's also Ukulele Day!

Feb 4th is Thank a Mail Carrier Day! 

Feb 12th is the Lunar New Year and also Galentine's Day

Feb 14th - of course- Is Valentine's Day

The 16th is Mardi Gras AKA Fat Tuesday or Paczki Day

That means Feb 17th is Ash Wednesday but take heart-

Feb 18th is Drink Wine Day! 

Be sure to come back to my blog tomorrow because I'll have a review up of "The Russian Cage" by Charlaine Harris! 

The whole month is Black History Month so if you need a push make a plan to spend time each week learning some Black History. As someone who likes podcasts let me recommend Uncivil by Gimlet Media. It's a short series and each episode included book recommendations.  

Question of the Day- Do you use a planner? Or do you like to wing it? 

#ReadAlong Visions of Heat #ParanormalRomance

 It's the last Friday of January already!  How are you doing?  Hanging in there? We had some snow this week and I got to try out my YakTrax which work great for walking or running in the snow. I'm still looking forward to the snow melting so I can run without the snow.  In my perfect world, among many amazing advancements; we would have sidewalks and streets that warmed up when it snowed and we'd not have to shovel or trudge through unshoveled sidewalks and we'd have dry streets that didn't turn into sheets of ice. 

Along with the snow has come gloomy grey skies, but since Groundhog Day is around the corner that's when we usually have sunshine to ensure six more weeks of winter!  That sun scares the poor little dude!

 

Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Because Nalina Singh had laid a foundation of the Psy-Changeling world in "Slave to Sensation", I was able to appreciate the expanding universe of this book and deepen my understanding of the Psy-Net.

In direct contrast to Sascha and Lucas's relationship, Faith and Vaughn have a slow, slow burn. There is much to be learned about Faith's family and I look forward to knowing more about the F-Psy Clan in the future. This book is almost all Faith and Vaughn with as much DarkRiver interaction as Sascha had in book one. I noticed that Nalini Singh purposefully uses images of heat, fire, gold to describe Vaughn throughout the book, Singh wants us to notice and understand Vaughn is the sun and Faith is the night sky. Vaughn is a passionate being, an artist more at home in the wild and Faith is a logic-driven woman who lives in her mind-- and sees the beauty of the Psy-net. Their approaches to the world are polar opposites and Nalini Singh shows us how perfectly they fit together.

At the end of the book, we get some information on a character and I was pleased to see that character isn't who we thought they were earlier in the book, I look forward to them coming back into the picture and home someone they are related to plays a role in these books as well.

At the end of this book, we have some idea of how the Dark River/Snow Dancer Clans with their adopted Psy members may someday be able to usher in an end to the Silence and I am here for it!

View all my reviews

Time To Announce The Winner! And Roast Pork Recipe!

 First of All, Congrats to Sophia Rose of the blog Delighted Reader you are the winner of the MLK Day Giveaway!!! Thanks to everyone who entered, I hope all of you added The Sound of Stars to your TBR pile! 

Recently the local grocery store had pork roast on sale for only 88 cents per pound so I ordered one and they gave me a 9.5-pound roast.  It's huge!  I decided the best way to cook it would be in the oven since I had some doubts about it fitting in our slow cooker or Instant Pot.  I found a recipe to cook with high heat and then lower the temp for the remainder of the roasting.  

How it started! 

How it's going! As far as the recipe above goes there is a part where you add apple just and I didn't do that. The vegetables I added to the roast were potatoes, carrots and onion.  When the roast was finished the meat was very tender and so some of it will be used for pulled pork or seasoned and used to make tacos. To be determined!  Bowie the dog was extremely interested in the cooking process and was hoping he could make this roast his dinner!

#KillerChardonnay #CozyMysteryBookClub January Book!

Our first read of the new year is Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing and it is a book Santa brought me for Christmas.  Tomorrow is the online meeting of the Cozy Mystery Book Club you can join us on youtube at 7PM EST for the live stream! One lucky person will be getting a copy of the next book in this series A Pairing To Die For which will be released tomorrow as well! 

Quick reminder you can still enter my MLK Giveaway Book Hop just look for the button on the sidebar here!  The winner will be announced on Wednesday! 

Below is my review of this new cozy mystery series and my first experience with a wine-themed cozy!

 

Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I have to describe this book in one word, the word I would choose is clever. The sleuth, the mystery, it's clever. Parker Valentine through one part inheritance and one part hard work opens her own winery--quite a feat for someone under 30. Alas, this being a murder mystery and all, someone is killed at the Grand Opening!

I have a very strong suspicion early on about who the killer was, and that was confirmed. It was enjoyable to watch how things played out. Great use of social media in keeping the tension high as Parker tries to save her new business from falling going under before it's even begun.

This is the first book in a new series and I will be back to see what happens next. "Killer Chardonnay" had a relatively high amount of character growth for a Cozy, there weren't too many subplots hanging opened at the end which was quite alright with me. The setting of Boulder, Colorado was larger than the typical Cozy small town, which I think works well for future murders. Author Kate Lansing does a nice job of keeping the number of characters easy for the reader to keep track of and gives side characters nice depth. One of my favorite book details was that Parker doesn't drive a car and relies on public transportation. The book talks about the craft of winemaking in an accessible way that I found engaging.

There seems to be potential for a love triangle and to be honest; I hope it doesn't happen. To keep it vague for anyone reading this, one potential love interest is a character I have already read many times in many books and I'm not a fan of this character trope. As it stands in this book I really liked the love interest portion of the book and I hope that things work out with Parker and BLANK.

All in all, this is a fresh new cozy mystery series--I'm a fan!

View all my reviews

#TheSundayPost #Giveaways #Book, #BlueApron

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

How was your week?  I'm happy to report here in my neck of the woods, after days and days of cloudy skies, on Wednesday (Coincidence ?) we woke up to sunshine that lasted for a few days. Nothing like sunshine in the winter!  Wednesday was also the day that my bimonthly indulgence of Blue Apron arrived. I should have taken pictures of my meals to share here, but I didn't. The Hubs said they were delicious which was wonderful because he has been known to say things like "I think this food is too flavorful for me." What???? 

If you have ever wanted to try Blue Apron, I have some free meals. If you would like one, just use the contact me form on the right to email me, and then I can send you a link. I don't get any sort of referral money or anything, I just like to get Blue Apron once in a while, and when I do they give me links to give free meals to others. 

I'm happy to report that I finished the last of 5 medical appointments for the month of January and all my fingers and toes are crossed that I need no medical-related contact until the end of March when I have to schedule a follow-up CT Scan for routine surveillance.  It was nice to find out that at each of my appointments the medical staff had already had both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.  Now I have to make a change to my hope of avoiding all medical stuff until the end of March--if I could get the vaccine--then I'm happy to go to the doctor. :-)  Other than the vaccine, I want to stay away from the land of white coats! 

Coming up this last week of January I will be -

*Reviewing Visions of Heat for the Read-Along I'm doing via the COYER Challenge

*Reviewing Killer Chardonnay our January Book for the Cozy Mystery Book Club

*Talking about Valentine's Day and other days of note in February!

How about you?  Tell me one good thing that has happened to you this week! 

Late January A Great Time to Escape to Palm Beach! #ThePerfect10 #NetGalley

Just a few days left to enter my Giveaway, just click on the MLK Day Giveaway Button on the right side of my blog to read and comment! 

I don't know about you, but I often choose a book to read based on its cover. That is the case with this book by Eric O'Keefe.  I liked the 1960's retro look and the promise of a book set in Palm Beach, Florida. Flurries may be swirling outside my window, but when I open this book I'm transported to palm trees and polo ponies. A perfect escape for late January. 

Going into this book I didn't know anything about polo outside vintage Ralph Lauren commercials.  Now I have a better understanding of the game and now realize that it has a global fandom.  This book is a fast-paced mystery in the style of James Patterson. This book has multiple POV characters and it takes a little while before you, the reader, understand how the different characters fit into the central mystery of who killed Juan Harrington and why. It's like an out of focus picture that slowly becomes sharp.  

As the field of suspects narrows, I had a pretty good idea of motive but I wasn't sure who was the killer before it was revealed. If you like reading thrillers and you enjoy sports, add this book to your TBR pile, and get ready for the high stakes world of the Sport of Kings.

I got this book through Net Galley, all the opinions are mine #ThePerfect10 #Netgalley

Helping me get into the Palm Beach spirit, we finally had a few sunny days here in the land of Lincoln.  I moved our houseplants so they could enjoy the sun as well. 

Cloudy days bum Bowie out

Sunshine Day! 

 

The Midnight Library Book Review and a Chicken Noodle Soup Game Changer! #BookClubBook

 Recently the grocery store had a big sale on Chicken Fryers, and that means one day we had Roasted Chicken, and the next day I made my signature Mama's Soup.  Usually, I use frozen Reames Noodles, but they were $3.99 a bag and that was $1.49 more than I wanted to pay.  

I decided instead to make my own noodles.  I found a recipe that I like at The Spruce Eats and tried it out.  Nestled in this recipe is the best tip for making homemade noodles.  The recipe says you can use a knife to cut the dough into noodles or you can use--a PIZZA CUTTER!  Gamechanger!  Genius!  I'm so glad that someone thought of doing this! A pizza cutter works approximately 40x better for me than using a knife. 

Just a few days left to enter my Giveaway, just click on the MLK Day Giveaway Button on the right side of my blog to read and comment! 

Today's book review is for The Midnight Library this book is the January selection for a book club I belong to where we will be Zooming to discuss what we thought of the book on the last day of January. 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I started reading this book, at first, I thought I would hate it. I even put it down for a few hours. Then I picked it back up for two reasons: 1. I'm reading it for a book club and 2. The title promised me a Midnight Library and I wanted to see what that library was all about.

Once I got inside The Midnight Library, I found out there is a Book of Regrets. A Book of Regrets! That was the hook the reached inside and grabbed me. Now I was all in! I needed to know where this was going to end for Nora.

I have a soft spot in my heart for multiverses, libraries, and Henry David Thoreau. I love what if's and the idea that there are different versions of me out there living different lives having taken different paths and having made different choices. The tale of Nora Seed unfolded in expected and unexpected ways, much like any of our lives would under similar circumstances.

I devoured this book over a weekend, stopping at times to share quotes from the book. Now that the story is over, I think I might read it again someday very soon--and for that reason, it's a 5-star book for me.

I'd like to think there really is a Midnight Library for each of us.

View all my reviews

Breakfast For Dinner Vegetarian Edition and A #Romance Review

 

This is a meal I came up with because I wanted to hold off grocery shopping for one more day.  Slim pickings welcomed me when I opened the refrigerator.  Here is what I came up with- I sliced four potatoes into circles, seasoned them, and threw them in the oven to bake.  Then in a medium-sized iron skillet, I sauteed sliced red bell pepper, a shallot, and the last of a package of mushrooms.   

While that was cooking I minced four cloves of garlic in a large iron skillet with a tbsp of oil.  Then I added a jar of salsa and once that was simmering I cracked six eggs on top of the salsa and then I covered the eggs to cook. When they were poached I turned off the eggs. Then I mixed the potatoes with the vegetables, scooped out eggs and salsa, and topped everything with green onions. It was delicious; a nice meal you could have any time of day.  

After finishing his plate the Hubs said, "That was good, now what's for dinner?" 

I said, "That was dinner."

 He said, "I don't eat eggs for dinner."  

So I said: "You do now."

And now on to a Romance Review!

I got an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from Netgalley and as always the opinions are all mine.  This was my first time reading Amalie Howard and it won't be my last!  In fact, I just found out this is actually the second book in a series.  This does make sense as when you read this book Isobel has a sister named Astrid who is deliriously happy with her beloved husband. The series is called Everleigh Sisters and I am not sure who might be written about in book three but it's a must-read series for me! 

Now on to "The Rakehell of Roth," the book is named in reference to Winter Vance, Marquess of Roth and this is a dual POV book so we do spend plenty of time in his head, but make no mistake this book is Isobel's story. 

I completely enjoyed this book, Isobel is a strong character who doesn't give up even though her Husband has built up some very high walls around his emotions and is really good at self-sabotage.  Even though this is the Regency Period this book is filled with consent and the women are not ashamed about the pleasure sex gives. 

Each chapter of the book begins with a quote from Lady Darcy which is an advice column written for women and read throughout London during the book.  To give you a taste of what those columns are like here is a quote: "Sometimes, Dearest Friend, white knights are overrated. Be the storm in the night and stage your own rescue." *   Wow right?  That's what this book delivers- empowerment and great sex!  

This book is a very satisfying read.  If you like romance, but don't read much Historical Romance, I say give this one a go, I think you'll really enjoy it. 

* The quote I used was from the Advanced Reader Copy so the text might change again before the final publication- but I wanted to share an example of Lady Darcy's advice because it was so delightful. 

#TheRakehellofRoth #NetGalley

MLK Day Giveaway Blog Hop - Enter to Win The Sound of Stars!

The MLK Giveaway hop hosted by The Caffeinated Reviewer and Mocha Girls Read is from January 18 through the 25th.  The purpose is to celebrate Black Authors and shine a light on Black Authors you may not already know. 

Each blog participating is doing their own giveaway with their own means of entry.  To keep things super simple here all you have to do to enter my giveaway is comment on this blog post and you will be entered to win either the E-version or a hardcopy of The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (Winner picks which kind of book) You can read more about the book below: 

Description

"Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves pop music work together to save humanity? A beautiful and thrilling debut novel for fans of Marie Lu and Veronica Roth.

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world's population.

Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. With humans deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, emotional expression can be grounds for execution. Music, art, and books are illegal, but Ellie still keeps a secret library.

When young Ilori commander M0Rr1S finds Ellie's library, he's duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more.

Humanity's fate rests in the hands of an alien Ellie should fear, but M0Rr1S has a potential solution--thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous journey with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while creating a story and a song of their own that just might save them both."

Good luck! Don't forget to click the link below to enter the other giveaways and read more Black Authors! 

The winner will be picked using the random.org website on 1/27. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Will You Be Having a Three Day Weekend This Week? The Sunday Post is here -

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Over the last week, no only did I finish up taking down the Christmas decorations, it was also warm enough one day that I managed to repot my plants. I am hoping that the plants I repotted enjoy their new spacious digs.  I am a newbie to keeping house plants alive, if you have any recommendations on plant foods and such please comment below! 

Tomorrow is Martin Lurther King, Jr. Day!  This year I am not working for the first time in many years. Because I love to share great books, I am participating in Mocha Girls Read and The Caffeinated Reader's  MLK Giveaway Hop. Tomorrow you can enter to win The Sound of Stars here as well as hop over to other participating blogs to find out about books from Black Authors and enter giveaways. There are so many fantastic mysteries, romance, fantasy, YA, etc, etc that have been published over the last few years and more coming out this year from Black authors!  

How are things in your neck of the woods?  Read any good books or seen any good movies lately?  Have any special plans for the Inauguration on Wednesday?  I will be trying a new meal from Blue Apron! 

Hoping you have a great week- 

Downward Death - A New Cozy Mystery and I Try A New Recipe! #COYERCHALLENGE2021

As you can see here I overcooked the crescents by about 2 minutes. 

 Kraft food sends me recipes all the time and many of them involved crescent rolls which I think I could easily eat a whole batch by myself! They are so light and flaky!  Ham and Pineapple Crescent Rolls I followed the directions on this recipe. I will say if I were to make this in the future I would dice the ham and mix all the ingredients into one spread and spread that on the crescent rolls and then roll them up. Overall it was a good way to use up leftover crushed pineapple!

I received an ARC of Downward Death by Stella Bixby, below is my review and as always the opinions are mine!

Ellie Vanderwick is a bit of a loner. She was raised in foster homes and has lived off and on in her converted VW Bus since she was 17.  Her dream is to help people to be pain-free and more flexible through yoga.  This story begins with Ellie being bequeathed a farm in Iowa courtesy of the grandmother she never knew.  So far so good right?  Ellie will be the outsider coming to a new town. We've all read that before right?

But wait! Ellie has a secret, her hair is a mood ring.  Yes, it changes color and texture based on her mood and feelings.  I thought this was a unique and fun way to add a little magic to a fairly standard cozy.  She also has a pet pig as her cozy companion!  

At the beginning of the book, there is some major corn confusion that made me say out loud-- "Is anyone going to tell her?"  I don't know if I got it because I am a Midwesterner or if it's common knowledge.  (you'll have to read to know what I am talking about, I don't want to spoil you).

Within the first three chapters of this book, I was already invested in Ellie V's life. I wanted good things for her and her Penelope, and I was ready to fight a couple people in the town on her behalf and hug others.  Stella Bixby has done a wonderful job in this book of really pulling the reader into the story.  The mysteries of Ellie's hair, who her parents were, and how will Ellie support herself were enough to keep me turning the pages, even before the murder occurred. 

I read the second half of Downward Death in one sitting,  The mystery keeps you guessing and you aren't sure which of these characters is terrible enough to be a killer. As I have said before, I prefer it when a cozy mystery killer is just an awful person motivated by...well I better not say this killer's motivation- that might help you guess who done it! 

When the book ends, some of the mystery of Ellie's background is solved, but much of who she is is left as an overarching mystery for future books.  I really enjoyed this series and can't wait to read the next book. I am hoping that Ellie's mother is alive and well and will show up in a future book!  I also hope Katie & Earl's daughter features in a future story! 

Website for Cheap Audiobooks and A New #2021AudioBookChallenge Book Review!

 If you have an Audible Plus subscription this wonderful novella is included in your membership! Bonus!

I listen to this book to kick off my participation in the #2021AudiobookChallenge I've set a lofty goal for the year!  If you like to listen to books or want to start listening to books join the challenge, you don't need to use Audible. You can borrow audiobooks from your local public library and listen via an app on your phone (called Libby or Overdrive).  There is also a website called Chirp Books where you can buy books at a very reasonable cost.  I have a discount link here you can use to get $5.00 toward Chirp Books. Since they have options for $2.99, $3.99, etc. The $5 goes farther than you would think!

Below is my review, but before I leave you to that, a quick note on Monday 1/18/2021 I'll be participating in the MLK Giveaway Hop.  You can see a button for it on the right-hand side of this page. I am going to be giving away a copy of The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow to one lucky commenter. You'll be able to enter to win books by Black Authors on a bunch of other blogs as well. 

Here is my latest review!

The House on the Water by Margot Hunt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you enjoy Agatha Christie you’ll love this modern tale of a vacation gone wrong. It’s novella-length so you can listen to it over the course of a couple workouts or while cleaning the house. Margot Hunt gives everyone involved plausible motives and in the end, we are left to decide if the killer will get off or not. I think they won’t get away with it. What I loved about this story is that the killer thinks they have avoided becoming a cliche, when in fact by killing the victim, they have become a completely pathetic cliche. It's delightful! A very satisfying listen!



View all my reviews

Farewell Christmas Decorations and A quirky and enjoyable book #NetGalley #ConfessionsofaCuriousBooksellerANovel

 I don't know about you but this month seems to be trucking along.  It's helpful that so far we are enjoying mild winter temperature and even saw the sun a couple times over the last 10 days.  Over the weekend, I finished taking down our Christmas decorations and have transitioned to Winter and Valentine's Day.  We spend most of our time at home, and therefore I like to change our decor with the seasons.  

Here is a picture of my beloved coffee station updated for the remainder of winter.

In the picture frame is a Valentine's Day card the Hubs picked up a the local Dollar Tree.  I cut it up and added a red starburst decoration to a sliver frame I got on clearance at Michael's and Wah-La, festive Valentine's Day decor! 

I'm pleased with how things turned out.  The Hubs also brought home three planters so I can repot some plants from the 3-inch containers they have been stuck in since arriving at our house over the last few months. I hope I don't kill them- on is a mum that I got for my birthday and right now it's lived longer than any mum I've had in my possession! 

Below is my latest book review! 

Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I began reading this book, I became hooked because I wanted to know if Fawn would break up with the fellow she was dating. Then I was wondering about the cosplay pen-pal relationship. Then I began to see the heaps and heaps of dishonesty in all of her correspondence. Her dramatic flair was amusing and kept me reading as she became shadier and shadier--and developed quite the habit of emailing while drunk (never a good idea!) I almost wrote her off as a 50-something antihero who was unwilling to change for the better.

A quote from an email from Fawn to her sister at the beginning of the book that I found was funny: "Can you believe it's been three months? Just last week, he took me out to dinner and paid for it himself! If this doesn't smell like commitment, then I don't know what does!"

What kept me going was: 1. I needed to know how the Mark Twain situation panned out and 2. the emails from Jane. I could see a glimmer of a better person lurking under all the dross* that was covering Fawn.

As a reader you really think you know where this is going to go in the beginning, it sounds as if there might be some sort of romance in that "The Shop Around The Corner" style, and it's not--at all--which is great.

If you get annoyed reading about Fawn during the first half of the book, please keep going, or you are going to miss something lovely.

*I chose to use the word dross to describe all the crap Fawn heaps on herself during this book because I'm confident she would enjoy that wording.

I got a copy of this book thru #Netgalley

#ConfessionsofaCuriousBooksellerANovel #NetGalley


View all my reviews

Sunday Already? #TheSundayPost : Week 2 of 2021!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

I hope you had a nice week!  In running news, I got my Yaktrax so I can run in snow and ice and not fall. This should help ensure that the weather is nice and I won't need the fancy new running accessory!  I also survived my first doctor's appointment of the year. I'll likely write about that another day, the situational anxiety of going to see a Medical Oncologist--good times. 😟

This week I read books like it was my job - links to this weeks posts and reviews are here:

*Monday I took up the#COYER Challenge!

*Tuesday A Cozy Mystery Review

*Wednesday Recipe and Audio Book Review

*Friday #NationalBubbleBathDay and a Mystery/Romance

Coming up this week:

-Book review of Confessions of a Curious Shopkeeper by Elizabeth Green (COYER Seasons Challenge book) 

-AudioBook Review of an Audible Original and a Website for getting audiobook discounts & Winter Decor talk. 

-Book Review of Downward Death- A new cozy mystery with a Yoga theme!  -And a recipe I tried because I had leftover crushed pineapple. 

The time has come to take down our Christmas tree, and with a big hat tip to Leanne W. I took a picture of many of the ornaments from our tree before wrapping them up until late next November. 

A pile of memories! Some going back as far as 50 years!  

In Which I Embrace the Bath Lifestyle and #JaneinStPete #NetGalley- A Mystery/Romance!

Did you know today, January 8th, is #NationalBubbleBathDay?  If not, now you know!  

 

Sometime during November, I decided to take a bath every now and again. Once I had taken a bath or two, I realized  I needed a nice fuzzy robe, a quality bubble bath, a wrap for my hair, and a bath pillow.  Shortly thereafter, I made my Christmas list and asked for everything I needed to embrace the bath lifestyle. 

When Christmas day arrived, my wonderful family gave me a robe, a Bath and Body Works bubble bath, and a wrap for my hair.  I said to the Hubs, "Now I just need a bath pillow."  The Hubs then said, "Oh no, Honey, that won't do, I'm going to make you one right now."  Armed with duct tape and the can-do spirit, he recycled packing materials to make me a bath pillow for home and --in his words--a travel pillow I could take with me on trips.  "What Trips?" I asked and then we dissolved into a fit of laughter. 

Happy #NationalBubbleBathDay!  Knock off work early!  Go lock yourself in the bathroom and escape for a while! Embrace Escapism!

And speaking of traveling without going anywhere, below is my latest book review, a nice escape to St. Petersburg, FL. 

Jane in St. Pete by Cynthia Harrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Recently, I was able to download a copy of Jane in St. Pete by Cynthia Harrison to read and review. The main character of the book, Jane, is a recently widowed fifty-five-year-old who has left Detriot and moved to a gated condo community in St. Pete, Florida. The book opens with Jane attending a coffee hour at her community center. We get a real sense of Jane right off the bat, based on her internal monologue and we get introduced to people around her via the coffee hour small talk. I thought this was a clever way to start off the book and give us a sense of who's who. Like me, Jane has given up dying her hair, a detail I really liked! Unlike me, she is quickly involved in a murder investigation.

I thought it was very clever of Cynthia Harrison to use Jane's background as an art history teacher as a reason for her to assist in the investigation. In addition to the murder, there may also be mobsters looking for someone in the community! Plus Jane has unresolved issues with the sudden death of her husband, issues with her adult daughter, and then there is the handsome detective. All of these situations are navigated and come to a very satisfying conclusion.

When the book was nearly half over, the narration moves from Jane to another character, I will say that threw me off as I was reading. The second point of view is used off and on for a few chapters and then we finish the book in Jane's head.

This is the sort of book that is a nice beach read, or to have on hand if you are a train commuter for work, or if you like to have a book to read during a lunch break or medical appointment. The book has a fairly small cast of characters to keep track of and most of the action occurs in just a few places, so it is easy to pick back up if you are reading it here and there.

#JaneinStPete #NetGalley

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Thankfully This Recipe Was Easy and The Hubs liked it! Plus a #COYER Challenge and #2021AudioBookChallenge

How's your 2021 going so far? Around here we have had some seasonally appropriate weather that has made it difficult for me to go for a daily run. I don't have a treadmill, I really don't like running inside. Running on a treadmill is a surefire way to watch time slow to a crawl. I'd much rather layer up and run outside.  However, ice and snow equal me falling down and I don't want to find out how well the Prolia shot I had to take works.  Yes Osteopenia as a result of cancer treatment stinks, but I don't see the point in complaining, I'm just glad I don't currently have cancer.   The fix to my running in the snow and ice is to get Yaktrax , it's like putting chains on tires for winter driving. Last winter I feel like four times and almost fell more times than I can count so instead a repeat of last year where I courted breaking a bone. This year I'm going to start right off being smarter about my running. 

How about you?  Are you getting the year off to a smart start?  If you would like a hearty flavorful, cassoulet that is easy to put together, try this one! 

Substitutions that I made were- I used ground turkey instead of ground pork, I used a can of garbanzo beans instead of the second can of Great Northern Beans because I only had one can of Great Northern.

My finished picture doesn't look as pretty as I would have liked, but the meal was delicious. Here is the link to the recipe from Real Simple Magazine- One Pot Sausage, Pork, and Beans Recipe

Sometimes I listen to audiobooks while I am cooking and recently I listen to the audio version of a graphic novel. Yes, I know this sounds like an oxymoron.  I have to say the audiobook had a full cast of actors and they gave it there all so that I could 'see' the book unfolding.  Below is my review-

 

The Pretenders by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought the audio version of this graphic novel because it was on sale in an email I received at some point last year. Then I got distracted and didn't listen to it for a good six months. Today, I finally decided to give it a listen. I didn't realize that the audiobook I purchased was a graphic novel until after I finished listening to the story!

The audio of this book has a full cast of actors and the story really comes to life. I also didn't realize I had purchased book 1 of a trilogy, and now that I know it's a trilogy, I'm going to have to get the other two books, which are not on sale- HA! To be fair, this is a nice stand-alone story and you aren't left on the precipice of a cliffhanger.

The book starts off with an MC who wakes up in a cemetery with no memory. All she knows is that the reason she is in the cemetery is someone tried to kill her. What a great story hook! How can you not read this? I imagine it is a great looking graphic novel, the audio does not disappoint!

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First Book Read in 2021! #SconesandScofflaws #NetGalley

 One book down, 99 to go!  Oh, the places I will go in 2021--while being in the comfort of my own home! 

As I mentioned last week, I have activated my NetGalley account, and that allows me to read and review books from various publishers- in all my favorite genres. 

My first pick was a new Cozy Mystery.  This book takes place in Cape May, NJ--which is a real town and is now officially added to TBV (To Be Visited) list! 

This book is available on Kindle and in Paperback from Blue Eagle Press.  If you read it--let me know- tag me in your review or comment below with your feedback! 

Scones and Scofflaws by Jane Gorman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I requested this book from #Netgalley because I like the name. What can I say, I enjoy alliteration!
My impression of this book was that it focuses more on the mystery than on the cozy town itself. We do hear about the beach and meet some townfolk, but we stick with Anna who is focused on finding whodunit and why.

I thought that the method of murder was clever and unique. I appreciated how the clues connected to Anna's life experiences and to her dealings with the town, in other words, scenes were not wasted, everything meant something.

I didn't figure out who the killer was before Anna; but, that person was my #1 suspect so I was glad I was right! I appreciated that Jane Gorman chose to have a villain who was just a terrible person and didn't rely on saying the killer was 'crazy'. Additionally, Ms. Groman doesn't rely on killing additional people to raise the stakes for our sleuth, which makes it a more plausible story overall.

This is a plot-driven book and at times I felt like I would like to get to know Anna better, I hope that in the next book there might be more time to get to know her via maybe some light comedy scenes with her and Sammy or Luke.

Throughout the book, Anna reminds herself that she isn't a damsel in distress which is nice to read. I enjoyed reading about her background in anthropology. I am left wondering about her cousin Eoin (a modern-day Harriet the Spy). I'd like to know more about how Eoin came to be with her for months, I hope we find out more about that in the next book.

Overall this book is a solid mystery that comes together nicely. The title of the book comes into play in the actual story which is a nice bonus!

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Clean Out Your E- Reader #COYER Seasons Challenge 2021

 

Over the past year, I have added many, many free ebooks or ebooks that cost under $5 to my kindle. I don't even actually know how many books I have sitting in my virtual TBR pile.  How fortunate for me and my teetering pile of books that I learned about the COYER Book Community and the challenges. Now I have peers to read with and reading goals. This is my idea of fun! This also means that I will get around to reading some of the lovely books that have been waiting for me for months and months.  

If you would like to join me you can learn more and join here

When you see me use the hashtag #COYER this winter you'll know I'm cleaning out one of the books on my e-reader! 

The first book I am reading for the challenge is Confessions of a Curious Bookseller.  So far I can tell you that the main character is super quirky!  

Hope you are having a great day and are able to take some time to do what you love!

The First Sunday of 2021 is Here!

I am kicking off the new year by participating in The Sunday Post:  

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

To recap, I have a lovely pile of new books to start my new year-

Look at that literary goodness! 

The first book I will be reading is Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing.  It's a Cozy Mystery that takes place at a winery in Colorado.  This book is the January reading selection for The Cozy Mystery Book Club and there will be a live stream discussion of the book on the last Tuesday of January at 7pm EST. 

Because one book club is not enough, I will also be reading The Midnight Library I am trying to decide if I am going to read this or listen to it.  I listened to a sample of the audiobook and the audio didn't grab me, so I'm not sure if I want to use my Audible credit on the book. Decisions, decisions.  

Speaking of Audible, I recently listened to one of the Audible Originals.  It's called After the Fairy Tale and is a great listen for anyone who has watched a season or more of The Bachelor franchise.  This story is a fictional account of what happens after the final rose when the happy couple is separated for several months. If you have a membership this title is free.  This is different than a standard audiobook written by one reader this is a full audio production with sound effects and a full cast of characters.  Think of this as a lifetime movie for your ears.  The story and the acting are very engaging.  If you are looking for a distraction this is it! 

Coming up this week:

A review of Scones & Scofflaws by Jane Gorman 

I'll be sharing a recipe that went over very well at my house from Real Simple Magazine. 

Celebrating National Bubble Bath Day

Welcome New Year! Be Better Than the Last Two PLEASE!

I have decided that approaching the new year with cautious optimism is my only choice. 

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."- Anne Bradstreet from Meditations Divine and Moral.

Looking at the world through my cautiously optimistic lens, I am planning to find the beauty in the cold of winter, keep all my fingers and toes crossed for health for myself and my family, and that maybe just maybe we can manage the pandemic and soon than later live music will return. 

I'll also be hoping that we'll be able to see my parents, that the kids will have those social interactions that make school fun, and that I'll run the Chicago Marathon in October. 

The new year is here, and the days are getting longer!

****

Today's book review: 

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first book in what is--thankfully-- a long series! Nalini Singh creates a world where Archangels are at the top of the pyramid followed by 'regular angels' then vampires, then humans. Humans who want immortality can petition to be 'made' Angels into vampires. It's interesting how Nalina Singh takes angels and makes them into a mafia.

Elena is a vampire hunter, she doesn't kill them Buffy style, she's more like a skip tracer. New Vampires are indentured for a hundred years to their makers and some of them try to run in. Elena is born with hunting skills and she is the best hunter around. Just this plotline and Nalini Singh mix of modern life and myths in the world-building was enough for me to devour this book, but then you add in the archangel Raphael, Elena's past, the Cadre of Ten and now we have the beginning of an epic tale with just the right amount of romance.

If you like reading Ilona Andrews & Patricia Briggs, you'll love this series

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