#TheSundayPost It was a Rough Week.

 

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

Side effect stink. I'm a week into taking a medication I talked about last week and that I blog about on Thursdays and medication really kicked my butt last week. The best way to describe it is, if you've ever been a little hungover, it's like that.  Or if you've ever had a touch of the flu while recovering from a mild case of food poisoning. I'm hoping the side effects lessen over the next week--or that I figure out good mitigation techniques.

And so with feeling crummy, I didn't get enough reading done. I am still reading these two books :

And I'm almost done reading the Cozy Mystery Book Club book of the month.  The live stream will be on Tuesday if you want to join us to talk about this book:

How was your week?  Did you do anything fun? 

When It Comes to Thrillers,

 Today I have a review of a physical book that was published 20 years ago.  Sometimes it's hard to believe 2001 was two full decades ago.  The book is called The Third Victim and it is by Lisa Gardner who has been writing for almost 30 years.  If you click on her name, that will take you to her website.  The Third Victim is part of a series, but you don't need to read the first book to enjoy this thriller. 

Major CW- The book is about a school shooting. 

When it comes to thrillers, I have reached the conclusion that I don't need the main character to be likeable or even realistic, I'll still read the book because I am invested in the ticking time clock of disaster looming.  In this book, the main female character, Raine, honestly didn't feel like a real person, she was more like an amalgam of 'strong' female cop tropes. And the villain was pretty ridiculous.  But the book was easy to pick up and put down, not a lot of characters to remember or get invested in, so it's a book you can keep in your car and read when you are waiting at an appointment, picking someone up, on lunch break, etc. 

My star rating of this book is 3 stars.  If I had to describe it in one word, I would say, it's fine. 

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This weekend is our city's fest.  As part of the fest, they have bingo.  I have never bingo'd at the fest,but I'm planning to drag the husband there for bingo under the tent. This is a great year to do things I've never done before--maybe I'll win big!  I'll be sure to let you know how it goes! 

Have a great weekend! 

Summer Solstice 2021! A 90s esque Chick Lit Rom Com May Be Just What You Need!

 This past week I listened to the audiobook version of People We Meet On Vacation.  If you are familiar with romance shorthand this could be described as a long-time friends-to-lovers tale. If you're fan of movies, this could be described as When Harry Met Sally on vacation. This book was a book club selection, if it hadn't been I probably would not have read it, just because I have so many other books I want to read on my TBR pile and I've been really loving diverse romance reads lately.

This book is told all from Poppy's POV.  Poppy is a fun-loving extrovert and Alex is a teacher who is much more reserved.  It seems very obvious that they are crazy about each other for years and years, and yet, they aren't a couple. Each year the pair go on vacation and this book is told in two timelines.  There is "this summer" and there is twelve summers ago, eleven summers ago, etc, etc. 

Overall it is a good read.  Poppy and Alex are very quippy and seem like nice people. I didn't think there was too much drama and the main reason I kept reading was that I wanted to know why Poppy and Alex had a falling out. I found the reason for the falling out was a little bit of a letdown for me. 

If you are looking for a book to read that is easygoing, something you can pick up and put back down as you need because you are on a summer vacation, this could be the read for you!

3.0 stars to People We Meet on Vacation! 

My library is having its summer reading program and for every book, I'm reading I get an entry to win a variety of prizes.  One prize is a $50 gift card for a local taco and tequila joint.  I'm thinking all the adult patrons will be trying to win this prize along with me!  I better get some more books read! 

#ABrushWithMurder #NetGalley New Cozy Series Who Likes A Potential Love Triangle?

 Hello and welcome to your summer!  Today I am hyping myself up to start #1000wordsofsummer.  This is it--this time I'm going to finish writing a cozy mystery rough draft.  Even if it ends up printed out and sitting in a drawer, this time I'm going to do it!  No, I won't be able to finish it in the first two weeks of summer, but I am going to finish it by Labor Day.  I am not currently working so I do have the time. I just need to avoid scrolling social media! 

Speaking of writing, today I'm reviewing a new cozy series by Bailee Abbot, called A Brush With Murder. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley to review. All the opinions are mine. I had a tough time rating this book. Ultimately, I decided on a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 for posting purposes. I struggled to like the characters in the book. It wasn't until I was 80 percent through the book that I came to like at least some of the characters. The mystery is good, a nice twist, but clues are laid out from the beginning so, it's earned. I know as a reader I don't like a twist that doesn't have a trail of clues. 

Chloe is our amateur sleuth, and she is trying to save her sister's business and herself after  Fiona, a local reporter who liked to pan local businesses, winds up dead.  Chloe, I grew to like, though I found her ex-boyfriend situation confusing, am I supposed to like Ross or dislike Ross? My instinct was to like him.  Izzie is Chloe's sister, and the proprietor of the new paint shop in town, Paint with A View.  I thought a business that does painting classes is a good business choice for a cozy mystery job.  However, during this book, Izzie the shop owner spends very little time at the shop.  She disappears frequently, is being secretive, and actively refuses to talk to the police officer who is trying to solve the murder. Overall, I had real trouble liking Izzie she came off as very flippant and entitled throughout the book.

Chloe and her family are literally trust fund babies. Her parents live off the funds from the family estate.  This is not something I have experience with, but in the book, there were multiple businesses run by twenty-something women who had financial backing from their families for their businesses. So the main character's situation wasn't completely uncommon for this town. One of these owners was very panicked about her business and worried about being a complete failure after her second chance--which was, to me, a little funny because she was 24 years old. No one is a complete failure at 24, plenty of time to try many more things in life.  

Chloe's dog Max is on the cover, but he isn't the emotional support or sounding board that many a cozy companion provides to their sleuth--he's more of a traditional pet. 

If you enjoy a potential love triangle, this book is definitely for you!  Seasonally, the book takes place during the heat of summer in a lakeside community. 

Most likely, I will pick up the second book in the series to see how Bailee Abbot develops the characters and what new mystery she creates. 

This book will be out on October 12, 2021. Add it to your TBR pile now! 

Happy Friday! #Readalong Review! And Some Summer Talk!

 Well as Mother Nature is wont to do, last week we had temperatures in the mid-80s and sunshine galore.  This weekend, the official start of the summer season, the skies are a uniform cloudy grey and the temperature is 46!!! 46!!! literally, 40 degrees Fahrenheit colder than this time last week. 

It's really harshing my budding pool lifestyle. 

My little pool which my daughter makes fun of because it's only 33 inches deep, but hey, it's easy for me to maintain and big enough to swim a little and float a lot!  Alas, this 3-day weekend it is going to stay covered, as temps won't even hit 70. 

When it was summer weather, I spend a few afternoons floating in my pool and reading Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh.  This is the 7th book in the PsyChangeling series that we are reading this year.  You can find out more about the read-along and join us here. 

As I have said before, I treating enjoy Nalini Singh's ability to keep raising the stakes in these paranormal romances. Once again, I had my doubts as the book was nearing the climax that Dev Santos and Katya Haas would find their HEA.  During this book, I found that I didn't care as much or root for this couple like I had in the previous book which was the love story between  Mercy and Riley.  For me, I think this was because Mercy was a strong, passionate woman who wasn't a virgin like the Psy, and because she was an equal match to Riley. Yes, Katya, survived and made it to Dev, but she is very fragile and since she has amnesia is one-dimensional. 

In Blaze of Memory, Nalini Singh takes us back to the beginning of Silence and tells the story of one family's exodus to become part of the fallen. This is done through letters a mother writes to her son. I liked this method of storytelling.  Additionally, we learn more about how Judd's special set of skills can work for the good.

I would have liked to have a better understanding of what Dev's affinity with metal meant and how it developed as he grew up. I wanted more of his backstory. 

Next up is the story of the human cop Max Shannon, I have been hoping he would get his own book from the first time he walked on the scene!  

Have a great weekend even if the weather stinks! It's a great excuse to kick back and enjoy a good book! 

#TheSundayPost for May 23rd! What's Going On?

 

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

Purple Irises began blooming earlier this week!  The hubs bought a bunch of vegetable and flower starts for the garden.  The raised bed is planted, the big planter is filled with herbs and I have filled all the containers from last year with flowers.  So I bought a few more containers, some for the front porch and a couple for extra tomato plants in the back yard. 

Upcoming this week I'll be reviewing this month's Cozy Mystery Book Club selection. Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn (aka Mollie Cox Bryan) 

You can join us for the live stream on Tuesday via YouTube.  Here is the link join us! 

How beautiful is this cover! 

And Friday I'll be sharing a review for Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh --I've been hoping that Dev Santos who we meet a couple books ago would get getting his own book! I was sure he'd make a great main character! You can join the Read-Along by clicking here! 

I'm not feeling this cover, it's a little too action movie starring Steven Sagal -esque! I have every confidence that the book is better than the cover! 

#TheSundayPost My Belated Mother's Day!

 

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

Last Sunday we celebrated Oldest Son's birthday with his favorite pizza, so I opted to request any Mother's Day celebration for me to be moved this Sunday. Since I recently went to Love's Sweet Arrow and purchased a nice stack of books for myself, I don't really need any presents for Mother's Day.  Instead, I'm expecting my family to put up my pool. 

 I was planning to get a pool last summer to celebrate being done with cancer treatment and the momentous occasion of being alive for half a century; however, the global pandemic caused a run on pop-up pools and also ruined my plans to have old lady backyard pool parties. 

I bought a pool and all the supplies necessary for it, about five minutes after President Biden signed the stimulus bill and now tomorrow is the day my wonderful family can get that pool set up!  The forecast is calling for temperature in the 80s later this week...and I can't wait to float in my pool with a book in my hand! 

How are things by you?  I hope you had a good week! Comment below and share any fun summer plans you have coming up! 

What I'll be reviewing this week: