Well, we talked on Monday as to how you were doing during the winter storm. Let’s catch up. I’m still at Linda and Kevin’s. Kevin is the only one who has gone anywhere, and that was just a quick grocery run. Who knows when I’ll go home. Kevin says they’re holding me hostage. That’s kind of weird. They haven’t even asked for ransom money. In the meantime, it just gets colder and colder outside with today’s low at a -2. I hope none of you had to go to work this week if you’re in the cold part of the country. What are you doing if you’re home? Read any good books?
I’ve read a few books, and I have several to read before next week. I’m currently reading This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. It’s about a widow whose husband left her a year’s worth of books, purchased at a local bookstore, and she’s to get one a month. I’m only a fourth of the way into the book, but I like the characters. However, for those of us who are addicted to lists of books, it’s scary. At the beginning of each month, the bookstore posts four titles with a common theme: “Books to make you hungry”, “Books to make you fall in love.” Darn. I’ve already added over a half dozen books to my TBR list, and I”m only through March. As I said, I like the characters. I also like the letters Joe, the late husband, left behind to explain why he picked each book.
What are you doing this week? What are you reading?
Don’t forget to stop by on Friday. Kaye Wilkinson Barley will have her list of Favorite Books Read in 2025. There may be a book or two you want to add to your own TBR pile.
Well Lesa, if you must be held hostage, I bet Linda and Kevin’s home is the perfect place. What fun!
I have nothing of any interest to share this week. It’s just been going to the cancer centre every day with David.
And we had two power outages at home, each lasting about three hours, with our poor fridge making increasingly frantic beeping sounds of distress each time.
Although on Sunday we did venture out to a farmers market and bought some nice things – organic carrots, some special sourdough bread that David likes, homemade buttermilk biscuits and homemade jam, a delicious butternut squash with sweet potato soup, and a very yummy pineapple cheesecake bar. It was a cold, sunny day, with musical entertainment, and a happy vibe.
Books this week:
THE FORT by Christy K. Lee
This is a Canadian historical novel which I liked a lot, set in western Canada in the early 1800s during the height of the fur trade.
After a personal scandal Abigail, her father, and her son flee England to begin a new life in Canada. They travel to Fort Edmonton where her father has secured a position as blacksmith for the Fort. Abigail has been taught the trade by her father and is an accomplished blacksmith and farrier in her own right. She hopes to build a secure life for herself and her young son by working alongside her father.
Almost as soon as they arrive in Fort Edmonton two very different men enter her life. Henry is an officer in the Fort and seems to have taken an instant interest in her. Gabriel is a Frenchman and a trapper, working for both the Hudson’s Bay Company and the rival company across the river but he mostly seems to want to keep himself to himself. Abigail encounters many hardships and obstacles to her dream of a settled life but she meets every challenge with grit and determination.
The history in this novel was expertly woven into the story in a completely natural way, and it felt as though I were living right alongside Abigail, not as though I was ‘learning history’. There were vivid descriptions of life in the Canadian wilderness and of how difficult most everything was – and by extension, how important community was, and how help could come from the most unexpected sources. There were many interesting characters to care about along the way, all relatable. A wonderful story of survival against the odds, it was an easy to read, utterly absorbing story, and the emotional depth was a welcome surprise.
GEORGE FALLS THROUGH TIME by Ryan Collett.
I read 90 pages of this book but I gave up on it since I actively disliked it.
George is super stressed about his life and somehow he goes back in time to medieval times in the year 1300. Given the lighthearted cover, I had thought the book would be funny. Or at least interesting. But it just seemed to be about George feeling sorry for himself for the awful life he had before (which was entirely his own fault). I seldom give up on a book but this one was just irritating me and I didn’t care one whit about whiny, self-absorbed George. He had absolutely no redeeming qualities or characteristics that I could see, and wasn’t a likeable character in any way.
You’re right, Lindy! It’s a good place to be, with good company.
I’m glad you and David got out a little for something fun. Your farmer’s market sounded good.
And, The Fort sounds very good!
Sending hugs to both of you.
If it isn’t foggy, it’s raining. I prefer rain.
This week I read:
Tibetan Turmoil; The latest book in the Raging spirits series has the original protagonist going to Tibet, hoping to exorcise the spirit within him. He gets attacked by monks who can detect it, and some Chinese cop isn’t happy about that. The Yakuza hole up in a bathhouse, and the leader falls for a doctor. Needs more martial arts, less moping around.
The Vendetta Contract by Jon Messman; Third book in the Revenger series has the mafia hire a high class hit man to kill our hero. There’s a lot fo what they call “mental chess” between the two, then something that might change the direction of the series.
Endangered by CJ Box; His daughter is found beaten in a ditch. He suspects her boyfriend, who has a history, and a family…and it all sort of goes off the rails.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon; A sleuth on the spectrum investigates a mystery. It got very repetitive.
Graf Spree by Dudley Pope; A history of the supposedly invincible Nazi ship, and how it got sunk. Between this, the Titanic, and The Olympic, I’d stay off ships that bragged.
Did Monkeys invent The Monkey Wrench by Vince Staten; A very 90’s investigation of hardware stores and their wares. Occasionally crosses over the line between laughing with and laughing at its subject. Reminded me of Ray Romano trying to do a Tim Allen show but without a supporting cast.
Glen, I’m glad you’re getting rain, then. Usually easier to drive in.
Loved your final comment in your review of The Graf. Good idea to stay off those “unsinkable” ships.
I’m going to make everyone green. Yes, our weather is nice here in So Cal. But I missed last week because I was on a Caribbean cruise, where the weather was even nicer than it is here! Sorry, I’ll see myself out. (And I got lots of reading done, too.)
I am currently working on an older book. THE BIG BOAT TO BYE-BYE by Ellis Weiner has been on my shelf since it came out about 20 years ago. It’s the second (and sadly final) book about a man obsessed with classic noir detectives who thinks he is one when he gets hit on the head. In this book, he’s hired to find out who is trying to blackmail the creators of a preschool puppet show. It’s definitely not a cozy, but I’m enjoying it and glad to finally finish the series off. (I read the first when they were new books.)
Stay warm!
Oh, Mark. I was never very interested in a cruise, but the weather sounds wonderful! And, you got a lot of reading done, and just finished a twenty-year-old series. Productive week!
Good morning. It’s cold here and yesterday was the first day that we got out other than to shovel snow or fill the bird feeder. We needed to get to the grocery store and I went to visit my mom. The parking lot at her assisted living is a mess. There are always so many cars there that they can’t really clear it.
This week I read ELSEWHERE by Gabrielle Zevin. A 15 year old dies and winds up in Elsewhere where you age backwards until you get sent back to Earth to be reborn.
An ARC of TRUFFLE TROUBLE BY Amanda Flower, the latest in her Amish candy shop series. Bailey and Aiden are finally getting married but of course a corpse turns up during the festivities.
THE PERSIAN ALWAYS MEOWS TWICE by Eileen Watkins. A standard cozy mystery that I just never connected with.
And I just started INTERGALACTIC EXTERMINATORS, INC by Ash Bishop. A human sharpshooter is conscripted to join a group of intergalactic pest hunters.
It sounds like a mess, Sandy. How was the parking lot at the grocery store? As I said, Kevin is the only one who has gone anyplace here.
Stay warm and safe!
Lesa, the grocery store’s lot was cleared. The only problem was seeing around the giant piles of snow at the end of the lanes to get out but they only made piles every third lane so the middle lane had decent sight lines and most people were going slow.
Just curious, Sandy. Thanks!
I feel a little guilty calling it “chilly” in South Florida, what with those of you up north have been going through, but it is a lot colder than it has been down here. I’ve had to wear a sweatshirt and a jacket, though I do still see some (fools) people wearing shorts and t-shirts regardless. But enough about that. Stay warm and stay safe. There were 10 – apparently homeless – people found dead outside in New York during the recent storm and its aftermath. I’ve been concerned for years about people who refuse to go to shelters when it is excessively cold. I wish they’d be sensible, but some have mental issues.
*sigh*
To books, then. Jackie is finally reading the latest Paula Munier book that I read some time ago, THE SNOW LIES DEEP. It was a good one.
‘Tim Sullivan, The Bookseller. This is the seventh in the George Cross series set in Bristol, the latest to date, though another is coming shortly. The dead bookseller is Ed Squire, the 50ish son of 90 year old bookstore founder Torquil Squire, who arrived home from a trip to find his son murdered in the store. Naturally, George and his fellow cops are on the case, and you know it will all be solved in the end. In addition, George has a personal issue to worry about this time, with his father Raymond having a medical crisis that makes George reassess his life choices. And there is a follow-up to activities in the previous book. Overall, I’d call this good but not great, worth reading of course, but not the best in the series by any means. Start with book one.
Belle Burden, Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage was, in fact, set off by the end of her marriage. Six years ago now, as the pandemic took hold, Burden and her husband and the younger two of their three children, moved to their Martha’s Vineyard summer home from New York. A few days later she got a call from a man telling her that his wife and Burden’s husband were having an affair. He admits it and says it means nothing, he wants only her, but the very next morning he announces the marriage is over, he’s leaving her and the children, he wants nothing to do with any of them – no custody, no nothing. Needless to say she is stunned at the apparent end of what she thought was a mostly happy, loving 20 year marriage. She goes back in her mind and relives their relationship – from an outsider’s perspective, some of her actions were foolish in the extreme – as she comes to terms with what has happened and what she will do next. Burden is from classic NYC aristocracy. Her parents were Carter & Amanda Burden, he a former City Councilman and activist who died young, she – the daughter of Babe Paley, -an urban planner who headed the New York Planning Commission for 12 years under Mayor Bloomberg, who is still active in her 80s. She is a descendant of John Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and former Governor of New York. Her husband was related to heirs of the Standard Oil fortune. To me this was a fascinating story very well told, including parts that made her look bad.
Antonya Nelson, Nothing Right. Some years ago I read a collected edition of Nelson’s stories that included a couple from this earlier collection, and when a friend reviewed another story, I remembered her and downloaded this one from the library. I enjoyed it, for the most part, and definitely still remembered the stories I’d read before.
Not sure what I will read next. Besides the Fredric Brown collection I’ve been reading, I got new collections by Cornell Woolrich (I’ve read a lot of his stories) and Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan and follower of H. P. Lovecraft). I have a couple of books borrowed from the library, including RETURN OF THE MALTEST FALCON by Max Allan Collins. I guess we’ll see.
Jeff, That’s okay. I always enjoy hearing about weather in Florida. And, you’re not bragging about it.
I introduced both of my sisters to Paula Munier’s series. I’ve been talking to them about it, and they finally both started and liked it.
You must have mentioned Strangers for just a minute last week because I’ve added it to my TBR list.
Lesa, glad you have been able to be with family during this cold, cold time. I know that cold in your part of the world and cold in mine (Central Texas) are different, but we don’t do well with these cold/ice/sleet/snow times. Just not equipped for it. It’s mostly melted and things are gradually getting back to normal. However, this morning, the weather people (who I am beginning to dislike about their glee for ‘weather’ stories) were saying – a new arctic cold front coming. Be prepared!! Geez, we just had one and you probably don’t need to go through all the warnings about things (which were endless and pretty scary). Not supposed to have moisture with this new cold, so that is at least good.
My reading has been up and down. I’m working on The Queens of Crime for my next mystery book group meeting. Enjoying it. I have had my eye on that Libby Page book and I’m going to see if the library has it available yet for placing holds. Bet they do. Take care and spring will come one day….right?
Kay, I’m sorry about your weather. Yes, I know you’re not prepared for it. We had snow and extremely cold weather one Christmas week in Florida, and we certainly weren’t prepared either. Rolling blackouts on Christmas day did not make anyone happy since there were visitors and Christmas meals were ruined.
Oh, you’ll want to read the Libby Page. It was wonderful!
Oh, I hope spring comes eventually!
I hope you’re staying warm, Lesa! What a sweet theme in that book you’re reading! I might have to put that one on my list.
I’m reading The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon right now. It’s a historical mystery about a midwife in 1799. I’m about halfway through and like it quite a bit so far. I also just started Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen, which is about a retired spy who moved to rural Maine in retirement. That one is for a book club, but I love Tess Gerritsen generally. I’m only a few chapters in and it’s off to a strong start. As I’m writing this, I just realized both of the books I’m reading are set in Maine in the winter. It’s not as if I need more cold and ice right now, but I guess I’m all in. 🙂
I loved the characters in the Libby Page book. Cried a few times, but it was a wonderful book. You might enjoy it.
Winter books set in Maine. Maybe they make you feel warmer?
We got snow yesterday! First snow since November. It was all melted by noon. The afternoon was 50 degrees, and I was running errands with no coat on. The rest of the week is supposed to be in the 50s too with another inversion heading our way. If the weather doesn’t change soon, we’re going to really be hurting for water this summer.
My grandson has a robotics competition on Saturday. The matches last 2.5 minutes and then you sit around for 2 hours waiting for the next one. He’s a 4th grader and I’m amazed at how quickly they can reprogram the robots for the next maneuver when they are competing. In between matches, I’m planning on getting some reading time in. I have 5 library books checked out that I need to make a dent in.
This week, I only two books read which is weird because I didn’t go anywhere all weekend and should have had plenty of time to read.
Death and Diuguan by Mia P. Manansala. This is book 6 of the Tita Rosie mysteries and the last book in the series. I haven’t read all of them in the series but thought that I had read enough of them, that I wouldn’t have to keep referencing back to the glossary. This is probably what added to my confusion. It was an okay book. Nothing great.
The Girls She Left Behind by Sarah Graves. Second book in the Lizzie Snow series. I liked the first book, but this one was dark. A teenage girl goes missing and her mother is freaking out and withholding information that would help solve the case.
Sounds like a long day, Bev, at the robotics competition. My mother used to do the same when my niece threw discus at track and field competitions. Sit and wait for a long time. Those books will be handy.
I’m sorry about the lack of snow. I’d be happy to send you snow.
I haven’t read the last Manansala book, and now I don’t feel as if I missed anything.
It is still bitterly cold at my house with below zero temperatures. I am beginning to think the snow piles will be with us through February.
Not a good reading week for me. I started with the eighth Sparks and Bainbridge book, Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair. The plot revolves around someone Iris knew at Cambridge who might or not be a Fascist. The story is told through flashbacks of Iris’s time at Cambridge and present day. Something was definitely off in this one. The tone was different and the subject matter was much darker than I was accustomed to in these books. It was so different, I thought there might have been someone else that wrote it. Either way, I really didn’t like and I won’t be reading any more of the series.
My second book was A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Cheating Death by Maxie Dara. SCYTHE agent Nora Bird receives the file with her twin brother’s imminent death and tries to prevent that from happening. They end up in Nova Scotia and uncover their late father’s secrets. I loved the first Grim Reaper book, this one was just okay and rather slow.
My third book, The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey ended up being a did not finish for me despite loving The Memory Library and Lesa’s glowing review. Not every book is for every reader.
I have high hopes for next week’s choices. Happy Reading!
Sharon, I agree with you on the Grim Reaper’s book. It was a DNF for me, and I usually finish a book when I’ve read over 100 pages. I usually quit much sooner, but I liked the first one, and wanted to like the second.
You had a sad reading week. I hope this next week is much better. Good luck with your books!
I am in sunny Arizona and feeling guilty for leaving my husband back in snowy, freezing Michigan. I fly home tomorrow. The weather was horrible blizzard conditions when I flew out on Sunday. I find it beyond amazing how planes can manage to fly in those conditions. There were so many cancellations- it was a miracle that my flight, although delayed two hours, still flew. I think conditions tomorrow should be good to get me back home.
More next week on what I’ve been reading. So sorry that you are dealing with such horrible weather, Lesa.
Don’t feel guilty, Mary! I hope you enjoyed your week in Arizona. Arizona is the winter is usually so wonderful! Perfect temperatures for me! Safe travels home!
Good morning, all! We haven’t had bad weather here, but what you are going through in other parts of the country did affect me in one way. An author who had promised me an article for the Sisters in Crime NorCal newsletter got stuck in New York and had to turn in the article late (no biggie). I’m happy to say I just finished the draft of the newsletter, which, at 35 pages, is about 10 pages longer than the last one (that’s good news, as I got more articles than I expected). Once it is proofed by our president, it will be ready for distribution to our members, and I can take a month off until starting the next one. Today will be the first of 4.5 days that we will have to visit my son and daughter-in-law’s house (10-15 minutes away) to check in on their old dog, Margaux while the family is on a trip. She can be outside most of the time but sometimes will bark endlessly. She will sleep inside, but that means I’ll have to get over there early so she doesn’t feel she has to potty inside the house. Wish me luck!
This week I managed to finish three books, probably because they were all under 300 pages! However, just now I realized I hadn’t had time to review the third, so that one will have to wait until next week.
THE FROZEN PEOPLE is the first in a new series by Elly Griffiths and a significant departure from her other novels. Ali Dawson is a London detective working on a cold case team, and she enjoys her work. But what her adult son, Finn, and anyone else outside of the team doesn’t know is that team members are able to use a new technology to travel back in time to gather information needed to resolve a case. Ali has done it before with a coworker, but this will be the first time she will tackle it on her own. Kitted out in convincing Victorian clothes and having done her research about the time period, she lands in 1850 London to discover whether a current Member of Parliament’s ancestor was really part of a secret society that preyed on women in a murderous fashion. Not so coincidentally, son Finn is a special advisor to the MP, who has selected Ali personally to take on the assignment but doesn’t know what it will entail. Her stay in Victorian times was to have lasted only one hour, but there are technical glitches that extend her stay and make her wonder if she will ever see her son again. This is a low-key mystery that I found very entertaining. Of course, the reader must suspend disbelief in any time travel story, but I was all in. And what is left unresolved will necessarily lead to the next in the series. It’s not yet available in the United States, but I’ll be watching for it.
WORDHUNTER by Stella Sands features one of the most interesting amateur sleuths I have encountered, and it doesn’t hurt that I am a self-professed word nerd. Maggie Moore is a grad student who impresses her professor so much with her talent for forensic linguistics that he recommends her to the police. They have had no luck sorting through suspects in a case, and they need someone to help them by analyzing the suspects’ emails and posts and comparing them to teasing notes left by the perpetrator. Are there similarities in phrasing, punctuation, misspelling, word length, sentence length, local vernacular? Chain-smoking, hard-drinking, tattooed Maggie is only 21, but she hasn’t had an easy life. Her mother always told her she would never amount to anything, and both parents are no longer in the picture. Maggie is putting herself through school with a job in a diner. So she’s surprised when she finds she can actually be of service to the police, especially when they call on her again when the local mayor’s daughter has been kidnapped. Along the way, Maggie develops a working relationship with Jackson, the detective on the case. They clash frequently but respect each other for what they can contribute to the investigation. Sprinkled throughout the book are diagrams of sentences that Maggie particularly treasures–remember diagramming in English class (hated it!)? She is also able to spout quotes from many books and poems she has read. But Maggie has problems of her own. She has never gotten over the disappearance of her best friend when they were 14, and she has an increasingly difficult relationship with the professor for whom she works as a research assistant. Watching her navigate her life as a hardened but vulnerable young adult was pure pleasure, and I loved all of the linguistic wordplay. This is an intriguing portrait of a memorable albeit unconventional heroine, and I am thrilled to learn that there will be a followup book, Codebreakers, coming this summer to continue Maggie’s story. Thanks to Jeff for reminding me that I had been wanting to read this book. It will probably be on my “favorites of 2026” list!
I quite like the sound of ‘The Frozen People’ Margie, and have added it to my want-to-read list.
Oooh, WORDHUNTER is going on my list, Margie. Thank you! Sounds fascinating.
Margie, glad you liked WORDHUNTER too.
Good luck, Margie, with your dogsitting.
Both of your books sound interesting this week. I’ll have to watch for their release.
Lesa, they have both been published already (got them from the library), but not their sequels, of course. Can’t wait!
It warmed up, very happy about that. The title of the a book made me remember when my son gave me a book and say the same thing!
Now reading The Montana Gold Mine by Tim Piper, a historical fiction book set in 1874, it is mildly interesting. There is very little emotion, and the characters are paper thin. I won it from Library Thing. The main character is completely fictional and there are true historical things but it is so slow reading. Half way finished with it.
I always feel bad, Carol, when you don’t care for a book and it’s slow-going. I know you have problems with print-size, and sometimes your choices are limited.
Morning from still very frozen NE Dallas…. All told, we got around three inches of sleet on top of a little freezing rain and topped off with a little snow. This morning, the street is way better, but my porch sidewalk and driveway are really bad as they are mainly in shade. We kept power and that was awesome as we go out on a routine basis.
Last night Scott and I watched THE WRECKING CREW on Amazon Prime. Fun action movie if you are looking for some violent escapism.
As to reading, there are very few authors that are a “drop everything and read” when there new book comes out. Steven F. Havill and his Posadas County Mysteries are one for me. I knew a new one was coming in May and I have been looking for it on NetGalley. It was added yesterday. Because it is Severn House that publishes him, I was able to get it instantly as they have me preapproved for everything they do. Reading is underway.
The NetGalley Description:
A road to nowhere . . .
Recovering from a near-death collision with a giant elk, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is back to finish her last month at the Posadas County sheriff’s office. It’s supposed to be a quiet road to retirement, until a body is found at the bottom of a water-filled quarry. The barely alive figure of the grandson of the wealthiest man in town also lies further down the ravine.
Figuring out what really happened is going to take everything that Estelle and her understaffed, overworked team have. Especially when there’s a vandal on the loose targeting the local airfield and the department has its own internal issues wreaking havoc.
Plunged into another tricky investigation, one Estelle hopes will be her last, she can’t help but think her retirement can’t come soon enough . . .
Kevin, I just picked up the new Havill book on Netgalley too but I won’t get to it for a while. I hope it good because it’ll make a perfect Mother’s Day present for my mom.
Kevin, I’m so glad you kept power during all that messy weather. And, it’s still messy here. I haven’t gone home yet.
Yes! Thank you for the news about Steven Havill’s new Posadas County book. I’m looking forward to it! Thank you.
I love that you are being held hostage at Linda’s with Kevin doing all that great cooking. We should all be so lucky!
And I love the sounds of this new Libby Page book! i requested it through NetGalley, but I never get approved for a Berkeley book. Boo!
NetGalley did gift me The Final Target by Nora Roberts and I couldn’t gobble it up quickly enough – loved it!
Arden Bowie and her extended family are characters I could spend lots of time with.
Description
A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire—and rage—in the gripping thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.
He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.
Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…
An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.
Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?
Kaye, I wish you had been approved for Libby Page’s new book. I loved every bit of it. Paris! Tuscany! And, Tilly’s visit to New York City felt like home. She went to the NYPL, the Strand bookstore, saw the Flatiron Building (the former headquarters of St. Martin’s). And, in Paris, she went to Shakespeare and Company., where she heard an author and made a group of friends. And, Page mentioned that charming park nearby where I sat and watched people and enjoyed my time. You have to read it eventually.
I added my name for The Final Target on the waiting list at the library. Not usually my type – women in jeopardy. I’m #65 on the list. I can wait. I hope I get a gift of the first in her witches’ trilogy toward the end of the year.
Lesa, I agree. Women in jeopardy ate normally not my thing. Without spoiling The Final Target let me just say that I think it’s one you’ll enjoy. ❤
I believe you, Kaye. As I said, I’m on the holds list.
Kaye, I feel the same way about the Libby Page book. No Berkley approvals, ever! I didn’t even try for this one. It’s not out for a few more days so I couldn’t put it on hold just yet. I’ll keep trying. I think I entered a Goodreads contest for this one as well. Lesa, thanks for the recommendation.
Lesa, it is colder here in Santa Barbara than last week but nothing like what you are experiencing. I no longer have bronchitis but I continue to be very tired. The high here today should be in the low 70s but in the sun outdoors it will feel warmer. It is pretty cold inside the house though. In the summer and fall we benefit from that but not at this time of year.
Last week you asked whether Glen liked SOMEBODY IS WALKING ON YOUR GRAVE: MY CEMETERY JOURNEYS by Mariana Enriquez. He did like it a lot; he gave it five stars. It is both a travelogue and a memoir. The author visited cemeteries in North and South America, Europe and Australia (in Paris, Prague, Elvis’s grave at Graceland, New Orleans, and Buenos Aires and more).
This week he read VILLAGE IN THE DARK by Iris Yamashita, and now he is reading MAILMAN: MY WILD RIDE DELIVERING MAIL IN APPALACHIA AND FINALLY FINDING HOME. He is liking that book a lot; the writing is good and the author comes across as a mellow person.
I finished DEATH OF A BUSYBODY by George Bellairs and enjoyed it. We have about 30 of the books in the Inspector Littlejohn series on the Kindle, so I will be reading more. I have heard that they are variable, but they are mostly short mysteries, so I think I will like them well enough.
Last night I finished reading Amy Tan’s THE BACKYARD BIRD CHRONICLES. It was a wonderful read and all of the illustrations are also by Amy Tan. So part of it is about her interest in drawing, although most of it is about her backyard and her love of birds, which developed later in her life. I very seldom finish a nonfiction book in less than a week and often it takes me months. This one took me 5 days to read. It helped that at least a third of the book was full page illustrations.
Right now I am reading THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, for my Classic Club List.
Tracy, I’m glad you don’t have bronchitis any longer. That tiredness, unfortunately, will probably linger.
I like some of Glen’s books. I’m going to look for the Grave book, and the mailman one.
I hope you feel better soon!
Hi Lesa and all! It is quite cold where I live, so the snow is sticking around. It is still pretty but walking around is a slog because the sidewalks and streets aren’t always clear. I will probably walk to the library anyway since my hold on Paula Munier’s latest came in.
This week I enjoyed The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan but really want to talk about A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. The title makes the book sound kind of fluffy, but I thought it was a thoughtful exploration of the consequences of the choices you make. The biggest one is when Sera Swan, a very powerful 15 year old witch whose power might rival her feared mentor’s, chooses to use a dangerous spell to resurrect her dear great-aunt. Sera’s great aunt is her guardian since Sera’s parents would rather have adventures than be parents, and there is an interesting exploration of family dynamics and found family throughout. Anyway, young Sera loses most of her beloved magic and we next see her 15 years later still struggling to put a life together. The magical inn is important to the plot but the real story is how we are there (or not) for each other and who stands up to the powerful. I hope some of you comment on it!
Thanks, Trisha. I want to read the witch book, but I haven’t yet read the earlier one. My sister liked the first one.
Trisha, I really enjoyed A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. You are right, it had a lot more depth than I expected!
Trisha, I did like A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, especially the first half. For me, the second half was a bit too sweet and sugary but I still agree with your review.
Have you read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by the same author? I liked it even more.
Hi Lesa, I just ordered the Libby Page book from book of the month. It’s an add-on for February. It’s one of my most anticipated books for 2026. I am still dealing with ice from last weekend’s storm in NC and now they’re forecasting snow Friday night through Sunday morning. Yikes! Have plenty of books ready for me…I am currently reading This Story will save your life (an advanced listener copy from LIBRO) by Tiffany Crum, Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (on libby audio) print Remain by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan and Room 706 by Ellie Levinson (netgalley). Also have started Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser (2 chapters a night) and the Last Days of Marilyn Monroe by James Patterson & Imogen Edward- Jones (always learning new tidbits about Marilyn ). Stay safe.
Katherine,
I’m sorry about your lousy weather. We know I hate winter, but you shouldn’t have to deal with that in NC.
You have to let me know how you like Mona’s Eyes. I had it home and didn’t have time to read it. Please let me know.
I am liking it but since it is so dense, I am only reading a little at a time. It’s not something I can get lost in for hours. Am enjoying the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter. The background given in each chapter about the paintings can be a little slow. I am going to finish but it will probably take a little while longer than normal.
I’m reading the third book in ACOTAR by Sarah Maas. Listening to the House of My mother by Shari Franke.
I’ve never read one of Sarah Maas’ books, Melissa. What do you like about her books.
Hi!😁. Just finished “Grimm Reapers ..to Cheating Death”. Liked it….am on to “Book of Luke”. Only a couple of chapters in, but really liking it.