Chauffeur Duty This Week!

 As the only person in our household who doesn't have gainful employment and/or is attending school as a full-time student, I'm on chauffeur and maid duty.  

I don't mind at all, soon enough I'll find another job and won't be able to be the full-time housewife I am at present. 

For this week I have driving to do every day except today to get people to school or work. I went through the kitchen cabinets and found ingredients to prep overnight oats that are appropriately flavored for fall.  

I will also add some almond milk to the ingredients below.  

I might also add in a few walnuts because I have an open bag of walnuts that need to be used up in the next month or so. 

I finished reading another book but I'm not putting a review here because I thought the book was okay. My review was three stars. Three stars on good reads means "I like it".  Now if you are looking for a book, I highly recommend Death Overdue! 

FIVE STARS!

Great first book in a series. I love the setting, both the town and the fact that there is a  haunted library! I enjoyed meeting Carrie Singelton our protagonist. I like that she has been in the world living life and then comes back 'home' She's relateable and has an interesting past. I really liked that overall Carrie didn't put herself in a bunch of dangerous situations where the murderer on the loose could try and kill her. She was more cautious than often the main characters are in a cozy and I appreciated that facet of the book. 

We are reading this book for the Cozy Mystery Book Club this month join us on youtube the last Tuesday of the month! You have plenty of time to read this one and join us! 

I Had No Idea Making Cheesecake Was So Hard!

FOUR STARS

Before reading this book, I thought making cheesecake was a piece of cake. Now I know that's is time and labor-intensive!  You have to cream ingredients by hand, you have to smash cookies to make a crust.  You have to let it cook and rest and cook and rest! So much work involved that I never appreciated. Now that I know what is involved, I'll just stick to baking cookies! 

I read this book for the September edition of the Cozy Mystery Book Club on YouTube. You can check out this great online cozy mystery book club here: https://youtu.be/NZoDjjRymbQ First of all the main characters in this book are - Jacobia /Ellie--- Oh I know a Blues Brothers reference when I hear one! Jake and Elwood! This book was not just a standard cozy mystery, it was a  cozy mystery thriller! The tension was high and the clock was ticking the whole time- how are they going to get all those cheesecakes made? Is the storm going to hit the town or pass it by? I think I might have been more invested in the cheesecake deadline than exactly who the killer was- The characters in the book and the coastal town of Eastport are so enjoyable that I would have read a whole book about the storm and the cheesecakes even if no one was found dead. This book was a nice escape, and if you are looking for a book to read during the 4th of July holiday, add this to your TBR pile and read it for the 4th (l

Link to my review on goodreads 

They Don't Tell You Having Cancer Never Ends

Since I finished active treatment six months ago, I have had three follow-up scans. This is what I mean when I say cancer never ends.  The first scan I had was to follow up on all the treatments; and was used to compare the new post-treatment me, to the scans I had before treatment.  Then the next scan (a PET scan) was to get more info on a couple changes found in the CT scan and then the most recent scan was to see if anything changed from the PET scan.

First and foremost, nothing changed!!! Nothing is more wonderful than hearing your scan was unremarkable! That means the initial couple of weird things found in scan 1 and seen on the PET scan were due to changes from radiation. I hear that many people have cancer treatment and go merrily on their way, no follow up scans necessary.  I, however, get extra close treatment because I'm BRCA-2. 

On the one hand, I'm grateful to have close follow up in that if anything showed up, then it would be smaller and able to be treated faster.  On the other hand, scans cause major anxiety for many cancer peeps, like me.  It's a very stressful time that brings back all the worries of when you first found out you had cancer and all the worry that this scan is going to say the cancer is back and spreading.  That's what no one tells you, once you have cancer, you can never go back to not having had cancer.  The only way you know that you have "beat" (and I do not like that term) cancer is if you die of another cause. Otherwise you just never know what the future holds for you.

The key is to figure out how to balance having very valid worries and living life.  That's one tough key.  Because of the COVID-19 virus, many people now know more about living with uncertainty.  So welcome to my world, it's a bummer to be here. Let's hope there is a great vaccine for COVID-19 soon and some amazing new treatments in the world of cancer that turn advanced cancer into a treatable disease that doesn't shorten lifespans.

Below is a review of a fun book.  Books are a great escape when life is filled with uncertainty. I like mysteries and romances because I know the killers will be brought to justice and the lovers will get their happily ever afters.  When life is uncertain, stories can give you certainty!

xoxo

The Diva Takes the Cake by Krista Davis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second installment in this series and both Sophie and I made a very silly mistake. My mistake was reading this book while hungry. Oh my goodness Krista Davis is masterful at writing about food preparation. I wanted to eat the book! And it doesn't end there, the book is also full of discussion on how to set a table for festive events.

Sophie's mistake, I'm not going to spoil that for you. Suffice it to say, she overlooks a really obvious clue--but that is understandable, she has a lot going on! I enjoyed the wedding backdrop for this story. I missed June and the Colonel--and Francie! I do not know why Humphrey is the way he is but I hope he finds what he is looking for!

This book just keeps me turning pages. Oh by the way I loved that in the advice columns Krista Davis includes links to actual websites. Too funny. My only complaint is that Sophie doesn't stand up for herself more when she is dealing with Natasha, her mom, or Hannah.

You can read this as a stand-alone, but book 1 "The Diva Runs Out of Thyme" is very enjoyable so add that to your TBR!


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Sure It's Monday, But a Three-Day Weekend is at the End of This Week!

The weather in my neck of the woods was wonderful this weekend, the temps dropped from intolerable to tolerable.  A local brewery released their Oktoberfest beer and I was very tempted to see if it was possible to go there and stay away from everyone and have my first beer of the fall season. I am planning to taste some new fall beers this year and write about them as I did in the fall of 2017. I also plan to read some beer-centered cozy mysteries!

It's the last day of August, and as you can see I'm working on planning my fall.  On my to-do list for today, I have allotted time to reflect on August and plan September.  If that sounds good to you, join me in doing this practice each month.  I write about the highlights and low lights of the month and then review my planner and see what I want to do in the upcoming month.


I read a novella from a book series I really enjoy over the weekend. I loved that it was set up in classic mystery style, think Agatha Christie or Clue. Everyone had means and motive, and the Main Character had to solve it.  Lots of fun! My review is below-

Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is done as a classic mystery, everyone involved is at the Rogan family estate and
Catalina is our detective. There is also the comedy that comes from planning a wedding and I enjoyed seeing the wedding planning from Catalina's perspective as well as the scenes with Mrs. Rogan. It was also fun to read how Ilona Andrews had a Sherlock Holmes climax were the mystery was revealed to all the suspects present. I'm already halfway through the next book in the series, the Hidden Legacy series is so hard to put down!


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Who doesn't love food talk?

As you know I love to talk about food, today I tried a new recipe from Real Simple magazine.  This is a good entree salad.  The Hubs forget to get pita bread at the store so I made garlic bread instead with some leftover french bread that was in the back of the fridge and was probably a day away from going stale. I added fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden to the recipe and also some chopped scallions that were getting old--wanted to use those up.  Other than that, I followed the recipe.  The hubs liked it, and he is tough to please.  Overall I find that Real Simple recipes are relatively easy and don't need too much alteration to taste good.  Oh BTW I did add two garlic cloves instead of one.  I think if you like garlic you could do three or four cloves.  The cloves I used were really big. Yum!

If you are like me and you love food talk, and you really really love Thanksgiving food talk.  You will probably like this book!


The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the August book for The Cozy Mystery Book Club - a youtube book club- We will be talking about the book and getting to hear from the author! On 8/25/2020 at 7pm EST Join Us!

Here is my spoiler-free review. I completely enjoyed this quintessential cozy mystery. Ms. Davis does a fantastic job weaving cooking into the sleuthing. I stopped reading to take notes on how to make the pork tenderloin Sophie cooks.

Even with a pretty large cast of characters, Krisa Davis is able to give depth and personality to everyone--even Otis and Humphrey. Sometimes when you read the first book in a cozy series, so many characters are introduced that it can be hard to keep everyone straight. In this book, this is not a problem. We also get just enough of a taste of some of the side characters, that we are left wanting to read the next book not only to find out about Sophie--but also more about Bernie, Craig, and what about that Peeping Tom?

Each chapter starts with a little advice column content which is funny and connects to something in the upcoming chapter. I like this, it was a nice touch.

The book takes place over the Thanksgiving Holiday and the book is filled with the vibes of late fall, you can almost smell the turkey and pumpkin pie. Ms. Davis's writing kept me turning the pages and dreaming about fall cooking.


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Is It Just Me?

This is my second full week without a job. Seems like the days go by faster without a job. Then again, it seemed like a week took three months back in April when we were under the Stay At Home Order. I'll have to think about this some more. Since I am home full-time, I have a new goal to read three books a week. I just pulled this idea out of the ether, I am hoping it will get me to spend less time scrolling social media and more time reading. We will see how that goes.

I finished a book today, a new release, and my review is below. Next up will likely be "The Diva Runs Out Of Thyme"  I'm reading that for the Cozy Mystery Book Club.  You can join the book club live stream here

A Forgotten Murder by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another book I put on hold before the pandemic and don't know why I originally put it on hold! In any case, this was my first experience with a Medlar Mystery by Jude Deveraux. I enjoyed how Ms. Deveraux uses three main POVs in the third person. Because I am currently also reading Dead Land by Sara Paretsky and the character Sara Medlar is a world-famous author in this book, I pictured Sara Paretsky as Sara Medlar while reading.

The English Estate was a nice setting, very Midsommer Murders. I enjoyed that there were multiple mysteries that unfold as you read. As always it is lovely when the baddies get their comeuppance. I have limited patience for long-term will they/won't they, and it looks like Jack and Kate have been dancing around becoming a couple for quite some time. I would hope that in the next book they finally do. I did enjoy their banter.

All in all a good mystery. Would make a nice Netflix film!


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Posting Cause It's My Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Mark your calendar, when we have a handle on COVID-19, I'm going to have a big party.  There will be charcuterie trays and chilled wine and hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and craft beers.  There will be a great playlist of groovy hits from the 70s and 2020's modern psychedelic music.  There will be cake! There will be flowers! There will be party favors from me to you!

In the meantime, I finished a book I was reading, if anyone else reads it, let me know what you think!

To Kill a Mocking Girl by Harper Kincaid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fast-moving cozy mystery. I won this book by participating in the Cozy Mystery Book Club monthly live stream. If you have not checked out the Cozy Mystery Book Club you can find it on youtube, twitter, Instagram. A monthly live stream devoted to the first book in a cozy mystery series. This review was not a condition of the prize. I am reviewing the book because I like to add reviews for all the books I read.

Ms. Kincaid does a nice job of creating the lovely town of Vienna, VA, and inviting us in to visit. Quinn the MC has lived abroad as a teacher for the past few years but now she has returned home and earns a living as a bookbinder. Basically, she restores all types of old books from first edition collector's items to beloved HS yearbooks. Harper Kincaid does a nice job using Quinn's job to further the plot. If you enjoy a cozy with a pet as a fairly central character you will enjoy this book. There is a nice bit of food talk, bookbinder talk, and fungi hunting- so some interesting people and hobbies in this book--all the little things that make cozies cozy.

While I was reading, I was not sure what to make of Quinn because at times she is smart and sensible and other times seems obtuse.
To me, she seemed immature and that didn't match up with her background as someone who has lived and worked in other countries. I wondered if this was because she is back home and sometimes when we go back home as adults we find ourselves regressing back to how we dealt with life when we were teens/kids, and the people around us see us as the young person we are not any longer. It seemed pretty clear that her brother, for example, still sees her as a kid and she thinks Aiden sees her as a kid. If this is the case, that she has regressed in her growth and independence, I would love to see her address that in the next book and to have the next book give us more info on her life abroad.

Now I am not sure if Harper Kincaid wants me to like or dislike Aiden- I did finish the book hoping that Quinn will date Aiden, work through the fulfillment of a childhood dream and then move on to someone else! Yes, that's right I don't like Aiden. Yes, he is into Quinn but he is way too paternalistic and I don't like it. :-) I esp. did not like the installation of cameras in or around Quinn's house. What the heck. (I know the brother was involved too--I don't like it!) Thank you for getting me riled up Ms. Kincaid. (smiley face emoji) If there is a #TeamNOT Q&A sign me up. Maybe there can be a new guy who comes to town to teach at the local college and he is a super cute biologist who enjoys mushroom hunting and hangs out with Quinn's dad and Quinn and Science guy can meet-cute over a dead body?

Oh, one last thing, I really liked the rehabilitation of one character at the end, I hope that character is featured as the series continues.


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Who Wants Some Free Kindle Mysteries? Read On!

Tomorrow is a milestone birthday for me. No party due to this doggone COVID-19  No birthday vacation trip due to this doggone COVID-19.  However, unlike last year--I have all my hair! Sure it's white, and now people assume I am 65, not 40-something--but I'll take the win where I can get them.  Maybe for my big birthday, I'll dye my hair purple. We will see!

In honor of my isolated milestone birthday, I figured I would post freebies. Today I'm posting free Kindle books on Amazon.  I haven't read these books, so I don't vouch for anything outside the fact that they are free and I liked the cover.  You can read them on a Kindle or on a laptop/iPad or smartphone, just download the free Kindle App.

Happy Sunday!
xoxo

In Which I Join the Ranks of the Unemployed

This doggone pandemic!  I worked throughout chemo and radiation, and now here I am no longer working.  Rude. It pisses me off, that while cancer treatment didn't defeat my work ethic, potentially catching COVID-19 and drowning in my own lung secretions has defeated my work ethic. 

Fortunately, we, knock on wood, should be OK. The hubs has been able to work fully remote for months now and the boys have good aid packages for college.  Maybe I'll find something I can do 100% from home that pays a wage. I am not interested in signing up to sell anything.

In the meantime, I am working on being a writer. Not working means no excuse not to write!  I feel lucky to have found so many webinars, seminars, and writing groups that are free and held virtually. I also am able to volunteer to make phone calls to remind people to fill out their census!  (Just go here, it only takes 10 minutes.)

And as always I am more grateful than ever for my public library. I won a $50 Rainbow Cone gift card in the Summer Reading Challenge. My staying home already paying off for the family.

Here is my latest book review. This was a good one!


Murder on Pleasant Avenue by Victoria Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I put this book on hold at my local library during the COVID closure, so I don't even recall why I put the book on hold in the first place!

This is my first gaslight mystery, it is also book #23 in the series--who knew? Obviously not me! As I read I realized there was backstory I wasn't aware of because I was coming to the series so late, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment.

Victoria Thompson does a nice job of making this book a good read even if you have no experience with the cast of characters. My experience with cozy mysteries has been limited to the contemporary and paranormal, this was my first foray into a cozy historical. The book takes place at the turn of the century, (1900) and it was nice to time travel as a reader. Not only do I get a mystery to solve, but I learn more about the day-t0-day life for various social classes in this time period.

I really liked the comments about Teddy Roosevelt and how it would be a step down for him to accept the V.P. slot to President McKinley. I know what happens next! (and that is its own murder mystery) Will Frank and Sarah be involved in that part of our U.S. History? I would like to read that.



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Geared for the Grave- Mackinac Island Mystery!

As I continue to write and learn about writing, the advice I most often encounter from published writers is to read what you want to write.  Because my writing goal is to write something I hope other people will enjoy as an escape from everyday troubles, I get to read lots of cozy mysteries. 

Here is one I listened to for the Library Challenge last month-

Geared for the Grave by Duffy Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Duffy Brown does a wonderful job of not just introducing us to a very eclectic group of townspeople, we also get a decent mystery to solve. Just when you think you've solved the murder, a new clue is revealed that cast doubt on another person.

The book is set on Mackinac Island--now I know that vehicles aren't allowed and fudge is plentiful, but I do not know if the local residents actually call visitors 'fudgies' . Frankly, I hope they do!

Evie makes for a good main character, she isn't naive and she can mostly take care of herself. I listened to this book via the Libby app from my library. The reader for this series is fantastic! I loved her voicing of "Irish Donna," her brogue is on point!

Overall I loved the cheeky humor in the book as well as the pacing. 5 solid stars. For the cost of a library card, you can take a vacation to Mackinac Island!


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If You Dream It, You Can Do It!

The last day of the summer library reading challenge is here!  I wanted to read more books during this challenge than I read during the winter challenge and I achieved that goal. Winter reading: 6 books. Summer reading: 12 books.  Maybe this time I'll win a gift card! 

A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm so glad I decided to read this book. This is such a well done Cozy Mystery. I love the setting of Blue Lake, the old home that has secrets, and Lena the would-be writer, getting the job of a lifetime!

Julia Buckley does such a nice job of building suspense in this novel -will Camilla be OK, is Lena safe? Is Sam West a good guy? Bob's horrible son made me literally LOL. Such a clever little thing.

I very much enjoyed that the story takes place w/o there having to be murder on top of murder in the small town--which can seem far fetched. I was almost certain a couple of characters had killed Martin, but I was wrong! How fun to be wrong.

5 stars by far! I can't wait to read the next adventure!

If you have been looking for a mystery that takes place in a Hallmark world, this book is for you. It's an excellent introduction into the world of cozy mysteries.  It is also a very good book to read if you are like me and are working on writing your own mystery book.  I would love to craft a book like this one!




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Reading My Way Through July - I'm on a Mission

Moonshine & Magic by Bella Falls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this book via audible. The reader is the same reader who does all the Sookie Stackhouse books. I had some trouble remembering I wasn't listening to a Charlaine Harris novel, it wasn't just the voice but also many of the characteristics that Charli the MC has in this book. Lots of similarities in her personality, backstory, and place in the magical world.

I started this book and it did not grab me so I set it back down for a few months and then finally picked it back up.

If you like magic mysteries, you may very well enjoy this series. For me, it didn't hold my interest and I was easily distracted.

Will I continue this series? Not likely.


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Wanna Get Away? Escape Without Leaving Your Lawn Chair!

Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This first book left me wanted to spend more time in Charm!

I read this book for Esme Addison 's Facebook Cozy Mystery Book Club. This was my first book from Bree Baker and I enjoyed her writing style. Everly Swan is back in her home town and as tends to happen to our Cozy Mystery heroines, she is quickly accused of possibly murdering someone. How will she clear her name?

Ms. Baker has done a lovely job creating the most magical of islands. I don't know how you could read this book and not want to head out to vacation in Charm. Everly has an interesting back story that I am sure we will learn more about in future books, she also has a family curse. I very much enjoyed the eco-conservation focus in the book. Everly doesn't own a car and she is very good a reusing and repurposing items so she doesn't have to buy more stuff. Her beloved aunts are bee keepers and I hope we get to hear more about that in the next book.

The only point I did not really like, is that to give one character depth and a tragic backstory that character has a spouse who died very young from cancer. Ugh. Can't we just have divorces instead of moms dying of cancer? It just happens too much in my opinion in cozy mystery books and all Hallmark movies. It's the trope I don't like.

Anyway this book is a perfect summer weekend read, esp if you are stuck inside! Travel virtually to Charm and get a nice glass of ice tea from Everly- heck add a little vodka to that tea if you'd like!


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Who eats that many cookies?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book for an online Cozy Mystery Book Club. It's held on YouTube each month after we vote on twitter to pick the book of the month. The book is always the first book in a series. You can check out the book club here: https://youtu.be/yCUtspQsQd4 There are book giveaways and good discussions for fans of Cozy Mystery. So I highly recommend joining us if you like Cozies!

So here is what I thought of this book, and I can't believe I am about to say this but, too many cookies. Like the whole town of Lake Eden needs to be checked for type 2 diabetes. People just don't really eat that many cookies that often. Will Hannah branch out and make anything! anything besides cookies? Maybe a scone? or a nice muffin?

This was the mystery I wanted to be solved in this book; will Hannah's The Cookie Jar, branch out to various baked goods? Or will she just stick with cookies, which seems like a business model destined to fail?

The book was written in 2000, but I felt like the overall mood of the book was stuck in *maybe* the 80s. Sometimes it felt like it was the 1950s. Overall I didn't like Hannah, and I didn't understand why she was so involved in doing her BIL's job. Like Why? I have BILs and I am not going to do all sorts of things to help them get a promotion.

In general, I was annoyed that often Hannah's actions were to protect or promote a man. Bah. I found the supporting characters in the book were really underdeveloped esp. the last minute mention of a future suitor. Lots of scenes w/Hannah and her cat could have been used to tell me more about the people in the book. But really, who am I to talk? This is a very successful, beloved series of books. It's just not my scene!


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Cozy Mystery Online Book Club May Review- Penne Dreadful!

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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