#TheSundayPost I Totally Forgot About The Time Change

 

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 

I think we should just stay an hour forward now and skip going back an hour in the fall. What do you think? I think I forgot it was time for the time change because this week it snowed twice and yesterday temperatures were in the teens (or about -7 Celcius) A real winter week for early March. 

This weekend I watched Turning Red on Disney Plus and The Adam Project on Netflix.  Both movies were entertaining and cute, I recommend them for families or anyone that just wants a movie they can relax and enjoy, forget the cares of the day and all that. 

I also went with my oldest child to the movie theater and we saw The Batman. I thought it was very good, Robert Pattinson was miserable and broody.  They made him look terrible, he was pale and beaten down, with bloodshot eyes.  I mean people loved him as a pretty vampire and in that respect he is unrecognizable. The chemistry of Catwoman and Batman is as strong as it was when Michelle Pfiefer and Micheal Keaton played the roles. My only complaint about the movies is that there is no need for it to be 2 hours and 57 minutes. They could have gotten it down to 2 hours.  

What did you do for fun this week?

Books I am reviewing this week:

And another book TBD! 

At Grave's End #READALONG Spoilers Below FYI!

 

I used my audible credit to purchase the audiobook for At Graves End the third book in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Novel.  

In the last book, I was dismayed that Cat and Bones had a quick vampire marriage and not a real proposal and wedding--so I was happy that at the beginning of this book a proper proposal happens.  Not too long after that Cat winds up detained because she actually believes her Mom wants to help with the wedding planning AHAHAHAHAHA. I guess Cat's hope for her mom's acceptance is going to spring literally eternal. 

There is a long scene of detailed torture in the book which I could do with about half the details. But that isn't the most horrifying thing that happens to Cat and Bones in this book.  When Bones levels up and can start reading Cat's mind, now that is a true nightmare! I don't want anyone being able to read my mind, esp my husband, how is that going to keep a marriage together--sometimes my brain has some cranky thoughts! Plus other vampires can hear her thoughts as well, she needs to work on learning how to shield her thoughts. 

I was happy to hear that Vlad is now on the scene, I think he gets his own book or something later on in this series, that will be fun!  I appreciated Jeaniene Frost trying to make Justina a more likable character, it just goes to show that Ms. Frost is a wonderful writer because she really knows how to push my buttons.  I dislike Tate *more* than Justina now and that's really saying something! 

In this book Cat's stunted emotional growth again shows up when she says stuff like she can't believe Don didn't tell her the truth. Ah, the dude didn't tell you you were his niece or that your life had been extended from vampire blood, so why are you surprised he didn't tell you the truth about something else! 

I was distracted as I listened to the final battle of the book and honestly, by the end of the book I couldn't remember why exactly Patra and Mencheres were in a war. I think this happened to me because juxtaposed with reading this book I was watching the news and seeing the carnage one man has unleashed in Ukraine, has me pondering how dumb war is and what crap it is that one person can destroy so many other people.  

Join the Read-along HERE

 I hope book four kind of, for lake of a better description, plumps up the supporting cast, I'd like to get to know other characters better (except Tate) so that I would be more investing in the overall story being told--if there is an overarching storyline?  Maybe there isn't and I should be reading this as each book is almost a stand-alone?

If you have read or are reading this series, please post below and share your thoughts!

Mango, Mambo and Murder By Raquel V. Reyes

 

A new book series by Raquel V. Reyes! Raquel did a wonderful job of putting together a very entertaining cozy mystery with just the right amount of mouth-watering food talk.  What makes this book different than many cozies is that Miram is the mom of a toddler. Usually, our sleuths are single and in their 20s or they may have older or grown kids. I enjoyed reading Miriam and Manny's daily interactions.

As a fan of the show Veronica Mars (but not the reboot) I really enjoyed Detective Pullman referring to Miriam as Veronica Mars, he is right, she inserts herself into the investigation, asks uncomfortable questions, and then puts herself in danger. Yes, she is a Veronica Mars!  I loved that Miriam has a best friend with a voice of reason. Hopefully, Miriam will listen to Alma from time to time so she doesn't get herself hurt in future stories! 

I greatly enjoyed the subplot where Miriam is able to share her knowledge as a food anthropologist via a youtube show.  Now that leads me to wonder since she is getting recognized by strangers by the end of this book--will that affect how she is able to sleuth in future books?  It could be used as a way she can get information from people or into places she wouldn't be able to get into otherwise, but it also means people will notice her more.  What a fun development, I am really looking forward to seeing where Raquel V. Reyes takes us next. 

My last comment, I really, really hope that moving forward the series doesn't have drama between Miriam and Robert.  I would like her marriage to be solid so she has that safe place to fall back to whenever future murder investigations stress her out.

As you can tell, I found this book to be very engaging, I enjoyed meeting Miriam, and reading her adventure as well as all the cooking scenes. I'm ready to read book two today! 

5 Stars to Mango, Mambo and Murder

#NetGalley #MangoMamboandMurder 

It's A Wonderful Midlife Crisis by Robyn Peterman

I'm not sure if this book qualifies as a paranormal cozy mystery or a paranormal closed door (so far) mystery or a ghostly rom-com?  In any case, what you must know if you decide to read this book is...

IT ENDS ON A MAJOR CLIFFHANGER SO GET THE SECOND BOOK WITH THE FIRST! 

Seriously, I don't want you throwing your book around, so heed my words and get books 1 and 2 together.  I got this book via my Audible subscription so I was able to get the next book before the end credits of the first book were done playing in my ears.

On to the story. I was drawn to this book because of the name. Delightful right?  And the cover is gorgeous.  Our main character Daisy wakes up one day and can see ghosts and spends an unusual amount of time not questioning why it is happening.  But once you learn more about Daisy's character it is pretty clear she has put some major blinders on herself. She has a real knack for not questioning any of the things she should question and questioning things that are as they should be.  So as a reader you are always a few steps ahead of Daisy, which worked out okay for me. I will say Daisy doesn't live up to the title, she is supposed to be 40 but she is written as someone in their late 20s--which is fine if the title would've been It's a Wonderful Quarter-Life Crisis.

I like the world-building and the secondary characters. I am going to read book two to get the answer to the cliffhanger and to see if Daisy lets the blinders fall off her mind. If you are thinking of giving this book a try, I highly recommend getting the audiobook, the narrator is delightful and this is a book that I don't necessarily think is one that you want carve out time to sit down and read when you can listen while you work or workout!

3 Stars! 

 

Happy Tax Refund Time! #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 

It's that time of year when the early filers are getting their tax refunds!  Cheers and may your bank account stay full for a nice long while! It's also Fish Fry season around here and while I have given up potatoes for lent, so I'll be skipping any french fries (or chips ) with my Fish N Chips, I'm still looking forward to some beer-battered cod! 

This week I caught up on some reading and have reviews ready to go for this week! Phew!  How was your week?

Top O' The Month to You- March Coming In Like A Lion Tuesday! #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 Sunday to you. I hope you are having a good day wherever you are--I'm a bit behind on my reading because this week I spend a lot of time on social media reading and watching how Ukraine is doing. I pray they prevail. 

Thursday I went and got Paczki because this Thursday is Fat Thursday in Poland (and parts of Germany and other countries in the region) My favorites are the Glazed Raspberry.  On the box it says:

Each Country calls it something different. In Germany, It's a Berliner. In Romania, it's called Gogosi, and in Ukraine, they call it a Pampushky. Where we live there are a lot of Polish Immigrants so we have many paczki options! 

A great recipe here if you want to make your own!

The Second Book in Tracy Gardner's Avery Avers Antique Mystery Series! Thanks NetGalley!

And we are back to spend more time with Avery Avers and her families'  appraisal business.  One reason this series is interesting and enjoyable is that Avery's family business lends itself to lots of great mysteries surrounding the art and artifacts they are called upon to assess.  This book starts off with some forgery and potential thievery before we get to the murder. Avery of course is in the thick of it. 

The antique and appraisal business is my favorite part of this series, I think in those interactions is when Avery is at her best and the most interesting. I came away from this book still a little sad for Avery. She has a budding romance with Art, which is fine, I guess. I don't really like Art because he didn't tell her things he should have told her for far too long-- he makes decisions for Avery instead of with Avery. Hopefully, he has turned a page, and moving forward he will stop that behavior.  Now back to what makes me a little sad, Avery really, really needs some friends.  I hope in book three Avery has a friend's interest. 

Oh another note, for those of you who enjoy some romance in your cozy mysteries, Tracy Gardner is very good a writing those scenes!

In this book, there is a hint of a potential overarching villain and I hope that I am reading the tea leaves correctly because I like the idea of an ongoing international thief.  So I have my fingers crossed on that! 

3.75 stars for this book*

*If you enjoy antiques or historical art --do yourself a favor and read this series, you will enjoy it!   

 

Miss Tilley Lives! The lastest book in the Lucy Stone Series!

Here we are, book number 28.  I had to wait until my turn to get this one from the local library. So I'm not alone in reading this series.  There are other Lucy Stone fans around me. 

I was really happy to see that Miss Tilley, the oldest person in Tinker's Cove and possibly the world is still alive and kicking. Although she has had some health setbacks and is at an assisted living facility.  The reason for the murder is interesting, and there is a nice subplot about possible Medicare fraud. Lucy spends much of the book at the Assisted Living Facility so we meet some new people, but there's still time for breakfast at Jake's and scenes with Phyllis and Ted.

Sweet Zoe who was introduced as a baby in book one is now graduating from college and looking for her first apartment. In this book, she has taken over the title of the most annoying child. a title once held by all her older siblings in other books. 

This was an enjoyable entry in the series. I liked the easter egg and bonnet talk and as always I enjoy Maine weather talk. I don't know how many more books there might be left in this series, but I hope there are a few more to come! 

Ukrainian Easter Eggs 

 

Paper Girls Volume One - A Book Club Selection

I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library. It is the pick for my book club's February book.  The story takes place in 1988 and revolves around four 12-year-old paper delivery girls. Way back when I did a stint as a paper girl, I think I was a little younger than 12. In case you aren't familiar, back in the day kids would deliver papers and also have to collect the payments due from the subscribers!  

I spent the afternoon paging through and reading Paper Girls and when I was done with the first volume I realized I should have borrowed more than one volume from the library. Now I will have to wait to see what happens next. There are various timelines happening and we don't know yet who to trust who means the girls harm, but the illustrations really capture the 1980s and so does this story. 

Sometimes stories set in the late 1980s are too rose-colored. But I think this one so far is a more honest depiction of the stressors of the 1980s. In the back of the edition, I borrowed--how Nancy Drew- esque!  

And a picture of one of my favorite snacks -devilled eggs! This time I used Vidalia Onion Dressing mixed with the yolks.  

 

The Sunday Post! The Last Full Week of February is Upon Us!

 

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 

How was your week?  I hope you had a good one!  Mine was pretty good, We got a bunch of snow on Thursday afternoon but fortunately, the sun is warmer the longer February goes on, so it is melting daily. Thank goodness! 

Via my local library, I participated in a Zoom Craft workshop and made a Korean Lotus Blosson Lantern. It turned out very nice! OH and also, a big victory for me, our taxes are filed. Woo Hoooooooo  How was your week? 

Reviews coming up this week--