Seasonal Winter Reading Means I'm Reading Leslie Meier!

 As you know, I love to read the cozy mystery genre.  In reading cozies, I find that there are some amateur sleuths that I just really like.  Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone is one of those characters. Sometimes she is cranky and sometimes I disagree with her, but I feel like if she was an actual person I would enjoy her company. 

I mean, I like this series so much that I'll read them out of order, this is really saying something since I have a very strong preference to read a series in order.  However, when it comes to Lucy Stone, I know her and the family well enough that I don't mind.  What I have found is that I really like the books that take place during Winter in Tinker Cove, so I read the Winter books in the Winter and it's a comfort. The other reason I return to this series is that, especially in the first twenty or so books, the stories give me double nostalgia.  Life for Lucy reminds me of when I was a kid and also the days when my kids were smaller. St. Patrick's Day Murder which is book 17, is no exception, all the double nostalgia I could want and plenty of talk of slush on the streets and cold winds blowing. 

One of the things I liked about this book is that Leslie Meier added in just a whisper of magic. A mysterious crow appears in some critical moments. Also, the story is chockful of Irish folklore and some Irish History as well as an Irish Musical.  So if you enjoy all things Irish, you really must read this book.

  

As often happens, Lucy, our investigative reporter, manages to get herself into a scrap. Now that this point, I have come to acknowledge that Lucy is the kind of amateur slueth that will put herself in harm's way.  I'm not a fan of that, but it comes with the territory of this series and I've made peace with that aspect.  She really needs to at least carry mace or a tazer! 

I'm giving this book 4 stars, I thought the mystery was decent, I like the Irish-ness of the story and I felt that we got a nice amount of side character participation. 

The first scene of this book takes place in Florida.  I almost had a panic attack thinking that this book was going to take place in March in Florida. As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite parts of this series is the time devoted to the discussion of Maine weather!  Fortunately, by the next chapter, the family was home in Maine.  This book takes place 9 years after the St. Patrick's Day Murder which meant that Zoe was now in College!  Kids grow up so fast!  

I enjoyed that Bill, Lucy's husband, was more involved in this book. In the early books, I found him pretty annoying, but overall, I've come around to liking him. Lucy and Bill are a good pair. For years I have wondered how in the world the newspaper stayed in business, and in this book, Leslie Meier secures a future for the paper and Lucy's job. Thank Goodness!

Leslie Meier continues to do a wonderful job writing kids and young adults that sound and act like actual kids and young adults. In this book, Lucy has finally come around and stopped saying "oh my goodness" how could this happen here! Which was great. Bad stuff can happen anywhere and when you are writing over 20 books in a cozy series, there is going to be more murder per capita than just about anywhere. 

This book was a nice installment in this long series, and I am looking forward to reading Easter Bonnet Murder which I have a hold on from my local library. 

4 Stars to Irish Parade Murder

Buy Yourself The F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There

 

This book was my book club's pick for January. The theme was self-improvement.  I listen to the audio version of this book.  This book is part memoir and part life-improvement tips. The book is written by the author who is now in her late 30s about when she was in her mid-to-late 20s. 

I listened to the audio of the book which is read by the author.  Her parents, for lack of a better phrase, really sucked.  Not a physical abuse, but they were not kind to her. This book is mostly about her working through her upbringing. Fortunately for her, she was raised in a home that had more money than many and parents whose professional connections were of benefit to their daughter.

Overall, I would say that the self-help parts of the book could be of benefit and resonate with women in their later twenties who are looking for ways to help get out of their own way. Could be a nice gift for someone graduating high school or college. 

Do you like self-help books?  The author in this book references The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.  I got that book back in the early 1990s and I enjoyed it -- back then I was in my 20s. Are self-help books best read in your 20s?  What do you think?

Another January is Almost Over #TheSundayPost!!!!

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news 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 your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Happy end of January!  We had some lake effect snow on Friday, so now our backyard is good and covered with about six inches of snow.  A mere pittance of snow compared to what has been hitting the East Coast this weekend! 

Today is the final day of my 14-day reset, this is the first time I have gone grain and dairy-free. And potato-free, and processed food-free.  I don't think I can keep it up though.  I really miss cheese and potatoes.  My thought is I'll do my level best to continue to avoid processed food and grains, but I will have a moderate amount of cheese and potatoes. I did make mashed cauliflower that tasted amazing as well as a pork stir fry w/riced cauliflower where the stir fry was tasty enough that I didn't miss actual rice. Also if I could share one more virtuous moment, not that this really should count since I didn't put any effort into it.  I'll have had a Dry January come Tuesday when the month is officially over. 

Last Food Comment!  I posted about a Gluten-Free Pie Crust the other day, I got it from imperfect produce.  I worked out really well and I hope I'll be able to find it again. Mmm pie. I could go for a pie.  

How was your week? 

Coming up this week on my blog: 

#MagicLiesandDeadlyPies #NetGalley Cozy or Not a Cozy?

Here is a description of this book from the publisher: 

"Daisy Ellery’s pies have a secret ingredient: The magical ability to avenge women done wrong by men. But Daisy finds herself on the receiving end in Misha Popp’s cozy series debut, a sweet-as-buttercream treat for fans of Ellery Adams and Mary Maxwell.

The first time Daisy Ellery killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. Now, it’s her calling. Daisy bakes sweet vengeance into her pastries, which she and her dog Zoe deliver to the men who’ve done dirty deeds to the town’s women. But if she can’t solve the one crime that’s not of her own baking, she’ll be out of the pie pan and into the oven."

So you see from the description that our prortagonist bakes murder pies.  This is not how a typical cozy works even paranormal cozies.  So if you are someone who prefers the classic formula of a cozy, this is not likely to work for you.  This book also include swearing and dark themes (most specifically domestic abuse).

I enjoy reading all sorts of genres and I've always loved books with magical elements. So this book worked well for me.  It felt like more of a thriller than anything else, a magical realism thriller?  Well in any case, I don't think it really needs a label. The concept was interesting, the first few pages drew me in and the story had a nice resolution and room for growth.

4 out of 5 Stars.  I hope the series continues, I look forward to book 2!

Oh the pie baking scenes made my mouth water--and there are recipes in the back. 

Thanks very much to #NetGalley for the ARC of this book!  All the opinions are my own! 

Here is a Gluten Free pot pie I made recently!  Premade dough is key for my pie making skills (ie I don't have any pie making skills!) 

Finally Able to Borrow This Book! Under The Whispering Door!

 

I put this book on my holds list ages ago, and my number came up recently.  This book is by the same author as The House in The Cerulean Sea.  I have not read that book. I think this book is darker than The House in the Cerulean Sea based on how that book I have heard more than one person say is like a cozy, warm blanket on a cold day.

As per usual, I didn't look at any reviews or other information about the book before I read it. I saw the cover and I heard good things so I decided to borrow it. I don't know if this is described as a Fantasy book or if it is more correctly Magical Realism.  I think if you read either genre or neither genre, you will enjoy this book.  

This book is steeped in grief and longing, so if you are not in a place to read about death, even if there is every reason to believe in life after death, this is not the book for you at this time. I think I might have enjoyed the book a little more if I knew one thing about this book.  I am going to scroll down and say something that is in the spoiler realm so stop reading here if you don't want to know this one thing, it's going to be vague and doesn't ruin the reading experience; in fact, it would have helped me to be less sad reading this book--which would have enhanced my reading.   Overall I give this book 4 stars.  Stop reading

 if you want no info about the book included something that might be a little spoiler-ish 

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I wish I had known that this book has a HEA. I read without hope all the way to like 93%.  I'm still having a sadness hangover. 

And Then There Were Crumbs #TheCozyMysteryBookClub January Book!

 I am glad that The Cozy Mystery Club is kicking off 2022 with this book, the last couple of books we read were more miss than hit for me, so it was nice to start the year with this solid cozy.  You can join us on YouTube tomorrow for the live stream.  Ben and Angela are always fun when they talk about cozies!

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 think this is a really good start to a cozy series.  I love the location and while there are a lot of characters, we really get to know the key people around Kate.  I enjoyed how residents of the town embraced Kate right off the bat, it made me feel like I was in Hallmark Movie.

A couple of things make this book a stand-out Cozy.  First of all, the way the killer angle is approached is so clever!  (I cannot say more, you must read this book!) and secondly Maxi is a fantastic sidekick, she isn't just comic relief, she is right there in the thick of it with Kate and lends a lot to the story. She is more a partner-in -solving-crime than a sidekick, I really enjoyed that part of the book.

Oh, I almost forgot one more trait this book had that made it rise above many cozies for me.  Kate has a small almost magical skill.  I am a huge fan of an amateur sleuth that has one unique skill that sets her apart.

5 stars! 

It's That Time Of Year! Winter Reading Challenge #TheSundayPost

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news 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 your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Each year my wonderful local library has two reading contests.  Adults read books and get raffle tickets to use to win various prizes donated by local businesses.  I know, it is a really nice thing for the library and businesses to do! The contest started this past week and I'll be making a concerted effort to try and win a prize!  I need to read as many books as I can! One prize is an Aero Garden! How nice would that be to win! 

Do you participate in any annual reading challenges? 

This week is the monthly Cozy Mystery Book Club Live Stream, so I have a post about that tomorrow!  I really enjoyed this month's book!

And here is an old Winter picture of the hubs and the kiddos- 

A Letter To Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass Out This Tuesday!

 I got an ARC of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A Letter to Three Witches is out on Tuesday, Jan 25, 2022. I requested this book because I liked the cover and the description promised romance and witchcraft a combination I enjoy in books and film. 

#ALettertoThreeWitches #NetGalley.

This book has a very clever inciting incident that compels you to read more.  Tannish, a witch that enjoys stirring the pot sends a letter to her three cousins and that letter sends them into a tizzy.  Add into this drama the fact that all four of the witches are banned from practicing magic by the Powers-that-Be due to a screw-up of an ancestor!  How will things turn out?  A Letter to Three Witches is a real page-turner, one of those can't put down, gotta stay up way past bedtime to see what happens type of book. 

This book is billed as a Rom-Com and to that I found it to be heavy on the comedy and light on the romance. So if you are looking for a fun, truly laugh-out-loud book with a nice sprinkling of romance, get this book!

Most of the book is told through Gwen's POV. I enjoyed her growth over the course of the book and I wonder, based on how the book ends if this will be a series of books and maybe we will get books from the perspectives of her other cousins. 

4 stars to #ALetterToThreeWitches a clever funny gem of a book! 

Thanks #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book! 

American Girl by Wendy Walker - A Thriller!

At one point I moved my listening speed from 1.6 to 1.7 so I could get to whodoneit faster.  This was a great listen, a nice distraction from January cold when I was out for a run or walking the dog.  The main story is well told, you cannot help but root for Charlie who gets wrapped up in a murder when she is on the cusp of finishing high school and heading off to MIT.

Wendy Walker's takes us through present and past life in Sawyer, PA, a small town where everyone knows everyone and your high school years may never be far behind. Through the POV of Charlie, who is neurodivergent we get very nuanced portraits of the people around her and their motivations.  I especially enjoyed the layers of Charlie's Mom.

American Girl has a handful of subplots and they both serve the main narrative and also, they are resolved by the end of the book.  Knowing what happened to Charlie's Triple S friends was satisfying to read. 

This is an Audible Original and is free to members, if you have Audible I highly recommend downloading this book!

5 Stars! 
 

The Inconvenient Corpse A Cozy Mystery Review!

Want to know a secret? I got this book for free!  Would you like to get free cozies?  Here is a link to join a Cozy Mystery Book Club run by 24 Cozy Writers.  Each month you get two free cozies and you can join a monthly discussion group!  Plus if you are interested there is a Facebook group and a discord server as well!

Here is the link to join! 

Now on to the book review, here is the blurb for this book: 

A handsome movie star in her kitchen, and a corpse in the swimming pool. Just your typical Monday morning….

Maggie McJasper is starting over in a little California beach town. She has a bead shop, a nice circle of friends, and a handsome movie star who keeps flirting with her. Life would be pretty great if she could just stop stumbling over dead bodies….

Do you like dogs, crafts, quirky friends, a slow-building romance between grownups who genuinely like each other, and a twisty little mystery with red herrings galore? Then this is for you.

The Maggie & Jasper Capers are fun and flirty cozies, with no swearing or love scenes, and no gruesome violence to keep you up at night. 

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As an indication of my enjoyment of this book let me tell you what I did as soon as I finished this book.  I downloaded book two in this series! 

I found this book to be a delightful cozy and I recommend you read it too. As it says above this book has

a craft, beadwork, something I know nothing about so that was interesting.  Barbara Cool Lee does an excellent job of giving depth not only to Maggie but also to the people around her.  The setting is a small town but we have rich part-time residents and year-round locals to give lots of room for friction. Add in a smart and sweet dog plus the slow-burn romance between friends and you have a great read!

5 Stars!