This Week in Reading - December 1

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

I have no idea because I had my mail on hold while I was out of town and it was supposed to start back Tuesday and it still hasn't.  This has happened the last couple of times I've held my mail and I'm so irritated.  I think I'm going to go back to just having someone come by and pick it up every few days which is a hassle but is at least reliable.  

Currently:

Reading:  Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Listening:  The Magnolia Story by Chip Gaines.  To be honest I'm not a huge fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines.  I don't dislike them - I just never really watched their show.  But I've heard good things about this one and it sounds interesting.

Watching:  We've been watching some Disney movies on Disney+ and I've gotten my 9 year old obsessed with Tangled so that's a win.

Off the Blog:

I spent the last 2 weeks in Louisiana  and had a fabulous time.  We spent our weekends in New Orleans - we went to the zoo, wandered around the French Quarter, and spent a day at the World War II museum which was fascinating.  The rest of the time we spent wandering around a small town outside of New Orleans and heading over to the Mississippi Gulf Coast where we spent some time just about every day on the beach.  I've never really thought of myself as a beach person but I would move to Pass Christian, Mississippi in a heart beat.  I've never been so glad we decided to homeschool as I was the past few weeks.  We learned about hurricanes - how they're formed, how they work and how they impact the towns they hit even years later.  I think seeing dozens of driveways going through empty lots fourteen years after Katrina hit had quite an impact.  And we spent hours running on the beach which was just heaven and just about the best stress relief I think I've ever had. 

We'll be going back and forth to Louisiana/Mississippi for the rest of the month so my commenting will be a bit sporadic but I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  The Angel's Share - Cozy Mystery Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Signs You're in a Cozy Mystery During Thanksgiving
Wednesday:  Non-Mystery Additions to My TBR
Friday:  Friday Fives - Five Nonfiction November Reads
Saturday:  Things I Want to Do in December

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Reviews from the Children's Section - Mystery in the Mansion

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - Holiday Reads

Wednesday:  Murder, She Wrote - Cozy Mystery Review

Thursday: Books from the Backlog

Friday: Friday Fives

Saturday: TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

Things I Want to Do in December

Friday I'll be taking a look at the books I want to read in December but today I'm thinking about things I want to do during the month of December.

1.  Go to some holiday events in other cities.  We will be traveling a pretty good bit this month and I think it would be fun to visit festivals or other holiday things in other cities.  I know my own town's events forwards and backwards so experiencing some new stuff seems fun.

2.  Watch as many Hallmark Christmas movies as I can.  Are they incredibly predictable?  Yep incredibly so.  Does that effect how much I love them?  Not in the slightest!  Plus, Hallmark has a checklist app so any moment I'm home there will be happy people having slight conflict and lovely reunions in adorable small towns.

3.  Read whatever strikes my fancy.  I've decided this isn't the year to stick to my reading goals.  This year has been a bit crazy and my reading is just barely creeping along.  I think not worrying about publishing dates or what's next on my list and instead just worrying abut what sounds good sounds perfect.

4.  Squeeze in more audio books.  At the beginning of the year I was flying through audio books but along with the rest of my reading my audio book listening has slowed to a crawl.  I've got a few that I'm really looking forward to listening to and I really want to listen to them this month.

What are your goals for December?

Friday Fives - Five Nonfiction November Reads

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  I had really meant to read more nonfiction this year - especially for nonfiction November.  However, with all the chaos 2019 brought my reading took a significant hit and nonfiction reading dropped to just about nonexistent.  But if I had been reading nonfiction this month here are 5 I would have picked up.

1.  The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove by Cathy Erway- I've kind of lost my love of cooking in the last couple of years and spending the past few weeks in hotel rooms hasn't exactly helped.  I've got a few more weeks in hotel rooms and I think this would be the perfect book to pick up at the beginning of 2020 to get my cooking back on track.

2. Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor by Rosina Harrison - I watched a documentary not long ago that mentioned Lady Astor and she sounded absolutely fascinating so I'd love to learn more about her and this sounds interesting.

3.  Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies by Alastair Bonnett - I know nothing about this book or this author but this sounds fun.

4.  Weird Things Customers Say by Jen Campbell - I really enjoyed another book by her so it just makes sense to pick this one up. 

5.  Thunderstruck by Erik Larson - I loved Dead Wake and have really been wanting to read more by him.  This involves Crippen who I know just a little bit about so a book involving him sounds like a good read!

Non-Mystery Additions to My TBR

My reading life has been mostly focused on mysteries lately.  I love mysteries but I'm starting to notice a touch of genre fatigue so I think it's time to dip into my TBR pile to look for books that I've been wanting to read that aren't mysteries.  Here are ten I found.

1.  The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick - I don't know much about this one but it looks like there's some magical realism and people bonding together which both sound pretty great.

2.  The Light Over London by Julia Kelly - Some historical fiction, a dual timeline, and a woman who works for an antique dealer who discovers a diary.  All things I love.

3.  Lake Season by Denise Hunter - Siblings turning an old house into an inn and a letter hidden in a wall which pretty much means I need to read this one very soon.

4.  All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams - I read a bunch of Beatriz Williams books in 2018 and thoroughly enjoyed them but I haven't read any in 2019 so I think I need to give this one a try.

5.  The Country Guesthouse by Robyn Carr - I love the Sullivan's Crossing series by Carr so I'm really excited to get this new one.

6.  The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister  - I adored a previous book by this author so I'm really looking forward to this one.

7.  The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman - I've heard wonderful things about this one and it sounds like a perfect book to cozy up and listen to or read.

8.  Sisters of Summer's End by Lori Foster - I really enjoyed another book by this author and this looks like the 2nd book in the series. 

9.  Love and Rain by Paula MacLain - I haven't read anything by MacLain but I pretty much own all of her books so I'm thinking I should pick this one up.

10. The Secret to Southern Charm by Kristy Woodson Harvey - I've heard fabulous things about this author and it sounds entertaining and perfect for a non-mystery read.

Have you read any of these?  What non-mysteries do you recommend?

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Signs You're in a Cozy Mystery during Thanksgiving

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is a Thanksgiving freebie and since I've been thinking about seasonal cozies I decided to look at Ten Signs You're in a Cozy Mystery During Thanksgiving.

1.  Your mother/aunt/grandmother who is usually just mildly interfering and high maintenance has gone over the top and is now super high maintenance and incredibly interfering - especially if you are single with no immediately obvious prospects.

2.  You or a family member has house guests and not just any house guests but really awful, complaining, and demanding house guests.  There's a pretty good chance that at least one will be murdered or arrested for murder before the holiday arrives though.

3.  You have to do an epic marathon level of cooking to keep the interfering mother/aunt/grandmother happy and are now avoiding their calls to keep from having more added to your list.

4.  There is some kind of festival or parade that up until this year has been all the warm fuzzy holiday feelings but this year a developer or corrupt power hungry local politician (or a combination) is doing their all out best to ruin the festival/parade for their own personal benefit.

5.  You have an enormous dog who can eat some kind of incredibly difficult to prepare dish straight off the counter or you have a cat who knocks the same dish off the counter.  Either way there's a dish that takes hours completely ruined and not nearly enough time to replace it.  And it was usually made by someone who is more then a bit difficult.

6.  One of the guests at your Thanksgiving dinner has some obscure and bizarre allergy that they talk a lot about and there's a lot of focus on.  Spoiler - it will be in one of the things they eat and their epi-pen will most likely have been hidden.

7. A new person in town is trying to either horn in on an established tradition, change things up a bit or host their own party/event.  They will most likely finish out the day.

8.  If you own a business (and of course you own a business) you are embroiled in some town council even that is requiring an insane amount of work so your nerves are already stretched pretty thin.

9.  It is either unseasonably warm or a blizzard is approaching - there is no in between.

10. There was a murder several days before Thanksgiving and it is conveniently wrapped up just in time for dinner!

Did I miss anything?

The Angels' Share - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  The Angels' Share (Wine Country Mystery #10) by Ellen Crosby

Rating:  Good
Source: Publisher

Description:  When Lucie Montgomery attends a Thanksgiving weekend party for friends and neighbors at Hawthorne Castle, an honest-to-goodness castle owned by the Avery family, the last great newspaper dynasty in America and owner of the Washington Tribune, she doesn’t expect the festive occasion to end in death.
During the party, Prescott Avery, the 95-year old family patriarch, invites Lucie to his fabulous wine cellar where he offers to pay any price for a cache of 200-year-old Madeira that her great-great-uncle, a Prohibition bootlegger, discovered hidden in the US Capitol in the 1920s. Lucie knows nothing about the valuable wine, believing her late father, a notorious gambler and spendthrift, probably sold or drank it. By the end of the party Lucie and her fiancé, winemaker Quinn Santori, discover Prescott’s body lying in his wine cellar. Is one of the guests a murderer?

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I have several books from this series that I've been meaning to read and this one seemed right up my alley so I couldn't resist starting with this one.

My Impression:  Okay I officially know way more about Madeira then I did when I started this book!  Now I didn't start out knowing all that much but I'm now fascinated by the history and tradition.  It's so fascinating.  Throw in a National Treasure style secret, some massive family squabbles and likable and interesting characters and this made for a thoroughly enjoyable mystery. 

This was the first book in this series and I had absolutely no problem starting this series here.  There weren't so many characters that it was confusing and the amount of backstory was perfect.  There didn't feel like there were pages explaining who was who and why this was happening but at the same time I knew exactly who was who and how they were connected.  This wasn't a super fast moving cozy.  It didn't drag but it was more of a slow burn on the action then a zip through kind of read.  A mystery to be savored and not devoured.  I'm looking forward to exploring this series and more and spending more time with Lucie and Quinn. 

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading more of this series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would - especially if you enjoy mysteries.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Week in Reading - November 24

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

I'm not really sure!  I haven't gotten mail in a little over a week so there's no telling!

Currently:

Reading:  A Dollhouse to Die For by Cate Price and Memories and Murder by Lynn Cahoon

Listening:  Hunting Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco - I'm not making much progress but the fault is mine not the book's.

Watching:  We've been in a hotel for a week and a half so I haven't been watching much other then YouTube videos.

Off the Blog:

We have been in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast all week and have been having a fabulous time.  We'll be home for the week of Thanksgiving and I'm thinking about going back again!

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  City of Scoundrels - Historical Mystery Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Changes in My Reading Life
Wednesday: Books Set in New Orleans
Thursday:  Books from the Backlog - Strong Poison
Friday:  Friday Fives - Five Books by Jayne Ann Krentz I Want to Read
Saturday:  Seven Thanksgiving Cozy Mysteries

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  The Angel's Share - Cozy Mystery Review

Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Thankful Freebie

Wednesday:  TBD

Thursday:  Books from the Backlog

Friday:  Friday Fives

Saturday: TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

Seven Thanksgiving Cozy Mysteries

When it comes to holiday setting Christmas definitely seems to get all the love but since Thanksgiving is coming up (how is that even possible??) I'm looking for books that are just as cozy but set around the holiday that is all about food and togetherness.  Now I'm kind of boycotting Thanksgiving this year - or at least the cooking part of it - but here's a few mysteries I'd like to pick up to read about other people doing all the work WHILE solving murders!

1.  The Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott - This is a cozy mystery series involving a book collector with a focus on classic mystery authors AND this particular one takes place during Thanksgiving.

2.  Murder, She Wrote: A Fatal Feast by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain - Is there anything more Thanksgiving-y then Thanksgiving in Cabot Cove with Jessica Fletcher? 

3.  Sins Out of School by Jeanne M. Dams - It's a traditional Thanksgiving in England!  Plus this is a fun cozy series that was one of the first I read before I even knew the term cozy.

4. The Raven and the Nightingale by Joanne Dodson - This is a literary mystery with lots of Poe mentions and somehow Thanksgiving is wrapped up in there.

5.  The Pumpkin Muffin Murder by Livia J. Washburn - Baking, pumpkin muffins, and a dead body camouflaged as a scarecrow.  I'm not sure how much Thanksgiving is really in the setting but it's definitely fall.

6.  A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer - This is another one where I'm not sure if Thanksgiving is really in the book but there's a fall fest and lots of soup so close enough.

7.  A Deadly Feast by Lucy Burdette - Thanksgiving in Key West!  Not the most tradition but lots of fun.

What are some of your favorite books that take place during Thanksgiving?

Friday Fives - Five Books by Jayne Ann Krentz I Want to Read

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  Lately I've been thinking of authors that I always enjoy but whose books I've only read a few books by.  Jayne Ann Krentz is one of those authors.  Are they best quality?  Nope but they're always dependable and entertaining and she's written shelves and shelves of books and that's just sticking with the Krentz name - we aren't even going to bring her other pseudonyms into it!  Going through her rather extensive backlog here are five books that I want to read soon. 

1.  Light in Shadows - Interior design + clients with dark secrets + a PI = a read I will most certainly enjoy!

2.  Lost and Found - More interior design but this time with antiques!

3.  Copper Beach - This sounds a bit heavy on the paranormal with psychics and crystals and danger.  It does have a rather terrible cover though so I might get this in Kindle form!

4.   In Too Deep - So apparently the early 2010s were a bad time for Krentz's covers and were pretty heavy on the paranormal.  I'm not mad about the 2nd one!  And this one has a mention of a family tree and there's very few objects I love more then that!

5.  Smoke in Mirrors - I feel like I've gotten this one from the library about ten times but have never read it.  There's a con artist and a mysterious safety deposit box and I'm thinking mysterious safety deposit boxes should factor more in mysteries.

Have you read any Jayne Ann Krentz books?  What were your favorites?

Books from the Backlog - Strong Poison

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long! 

Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers

Blurb:  Mystery novelist Harriet Vane knew all about poisons, and when her former lover died in the manner prescribed in one of her books, a jury of her peers had a hangman's noose in mind. But Lord Peter Wimsey was determined to find her innocent.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf - I'm a huge classic mystery lover but Dorothy L Sayers is sadly under represented in my reading life.

Ten Books Set in New Orleans

I have run away from home and am writing this list after a weekend in New Orleans.  It's been awhile since I've been there but it turns out New Orleans is just the same in its unpredictability.  So today I'm thinking of books set in New Orleans (while, appropriately enough, snacking on a praline bought on Decatur Street).  I'm sure there are a bunch of more serious fiction and nonfiction that are set in the city of craziness but I'm looking at lighter fiction, romance, and mysteries.

1.  Phantom Evil by Heather Graham - I love romantic suspense and this is romantic suspense that takes place in a haunted house right smack in the heart of New Orleans! 

2.  Mumbo Gumbo Murder by Laura Childs - This cozy mystery series that takes place right in the heart of New Orleans always makes me happy and makes me want to try my hand at paper crafting!

3.  Mercy by Julie Garwood - I haven't actually read this author but she's been on my list for ages and I love romantic suspense so how can I resist romantic suspense in New Orleans?

4.  Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts - This is one of Roberts' creepier romantic suspense but I loved it when I read it the first time and it held up well in a reread so I'm thinking I need another reread.

5.  A Streetcake Named Desire by Jacklyn Brady - This is a cozy series set in a bakery in New Orleans.  And I own at least the first two so I feel like I really should actually read them!

6.  Murder, She Wrote, Murder in a Minor Key by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain - It's Jessica Fletcher in New Orleans.  I must read it!

7.  Dinner at Antoine's by Frances Parkinson Keyes - I adore Antoine's but somehow I had never heard of this book which was apparently a huge hit back in 1949.

8.  Iron Lace by Emilie Richards - I love Emilie Richards and somehow I read the second book about this family so I feel like this one set in New Orleans is demanding to be read.

9.  New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith - I'm about 90% sure I read this years and years ago but I'm not sure and I have no memory of it other then I'm familiar with the title so I say it counts as a new read.

10.  Thigh High by Christina Dodd - Bank robbers in Mardi Gras masks and some romantic suspense!  Yes please!

Top Ten Tuesday - Changes in My Reading Life

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is all about changes in my reading life.  Honestly, not all that much has changed in my reading life so this is going to be a top 5 instead of a top 10.

1.  My reading numbers have definitely slowed way down - I used to read over 200 books a year but now I'm lucky if I hit 150 and I think I'm going to fall way short of the mark this year.

2.  I read a wider variety of genres - Until I was about 20 I read almost exclusively mysteries with a sprinkling of nonfiction.  Then around 20 I switched to romance and that was about all I read.  Now I read a pretty good mix of genres and feel a little stagnate if I stay on the same genre for too long.

3.  I read series out of order - I used to never do this.  Like NEVER ever ever.  But now I do it all the time and have no issues with it.

4.   I have multiple books going at the same time - I never had a hard and fast rule about multiple books but I was usually a one book at a time kind of person.  Now I always have at least 1 print book, 1 ebook, and 1 audio book going at a time and usually multiples of all three mediums.

5.  I listen to audiobooks - I was never a big audio book listener.  Every once in awhile I would and I'd enjoy it but it definitely wasn't a regular thing.

What has changed in your reading life?

City of Scoundrels - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads:  City of Scoundrels (Counterfeit Lady #3) by Victoria Thompson

Rating: Good
Source: Publisher

Description:  Elizabeth Miles finds herself in a position no con can help her escape. Her beloved fiancé, Gideon Bates, is awaiting his turn in the draft to fight in the Great War. Elizabeth is finding it hard to think of anything else, but Gideon has thrown himself into his work, preparing wills for soldiers before they ship out. Corporal Tom Preston is part owner of Preston Shoes, a company that is making footwear for the army, so he has a rather large estate. He needs a new will, however, because he has just been secretly married to a woman whom his family would never approve. He wants to make sure she and their unborn child are provided for if he does not return.
When Tom is later reported killed, Elizabeth and Gideon learn that the new will has gone missing after Tom's bride revealed her identity to his family. Unless the new will is found and validated, the original will, which leaves everything to Tom's brother, will prevail and the wife and child will get nothing. If Tom's new bride survives, that is. Some terrible threats have been leveled against her, and Elizabeth and Gideon must figure out a way, legal or not quite, to secure Tom's fortune for his wife and child while saving her life in the process.

Genre:  Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  I've really enjoyed the two previous books in this series so I had to pick this one up!

My Impression:  Victoria Thompson has this magical ability to bring the world of her books to vivid life and this series really shows that off.  This isn't really a world I would want to live in but visiting it is fascinating.  This isn't a standard murder mystery style book but instead dives into the world of corrupt relatives, missing wills and a con or two (or more). 

I really loved catching up with Gideon and Elizabeth and especially her quirky and entertaining family.  The story and pacing kept me reading and wondering just how this was going to wrap up.  I did feel that the con got a little convoluted and the ending did feel a bit rushed.  And while I did enjoy this read I didn't feel like I connected to it as well or as immediately as I did to the previous books.  There's a 90% chance that issue was because of my mood.  This is a great historical mystery series for those that are interested in this time period and aren't expecting the standard murder mystery.  Elizabeth is one of my absolute favorite main characters and I'm looking forward to seeing what she gets up to next!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  Victoria Thompson is one of my go to authors for a solid enjoyable historical mystery.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Absolutely!  I love how alive Thompson makes history seem and her mysteries are always solid and entertaining.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Week in Reading - November 17

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby - This one really appeals to me.  The sister of Jane Austen discovers a stash of letters written by her sister.  I'm intrigued and really looking forward to this one!  (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  A Dollhouse to Die for by Cate Price and The Angel's Share by Ellen Crosby

Listening:  Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.  

Watching:   I've been enjoying The Voice this season.  I like all the coaches and pretty much all the people competing.  

Off the Blog:

I'm thinking of running away from home for a bit.  J is going to be in New Orleans off and on for a few months and I'm thinking about heading down there and making use of the paid for hotel room and taking a break for a bit.  This year has been a grind filled with stress and loss and frankly I'm flat exhausted.  Getting a change of scenery for a bit sounds beyond appealing and I think it's needed.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  The Chocolate Shark Shenanigans - Cozy Mystery Review
Tuesday:  Ten Foodie Books on My TBR
Wednesday:  Owl Be Home for Christmas - Cozy Mystery Review
Thursday:  Books from the Backlog - The Mad Sculptor
Friday:  Friday Fives - Five Nonfiction Books I'd Like to Read
Saturday:  The Rainy Day Sisters - Fiction Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  City of Scoundrels - Historical Fiction Review

Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Changes in My Reading Life

Wednesday:  TBD

Thursday:  Books from the Backlog

Friday:  Friday Fives

Saturday:  TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

Rainy Day Sisters - Fiction Review

Goodreads:  Rainy Day Sisters (Hartley-by-the Sea #1) by Kate Hewitt

Rating:  Very Good
Source: Purchased (Audible Escape)

Description:  When Lucy Bagshaw’s life in Boston falls apart, thanks to a scathing editorial written by her famous artist mother, she accepts her half sister Juliet’s invitation to stay with her in a charming seaside village in northern

England. Lucy is expecting quaint cottages and cream teas, but instead finds that her sister is an aloof host, the weather is wet, windy, and cold, and her new boss, Alex Kincaid, is a disapproving widower who only hired her as a favor to Juliet.
Despite the invitation she offered, Juliet is startled by the way Lucy catapults into her orderly life. As Juliet faces her own struggles with both her distant mother and her desire for a child, her sister’s irrepressible optimism begins to take hold. With the help of quirky villagers, these hesitant rainy day sisters begin to forge a new understanding…and find in each other the love of family that makes all the difference.

Genre:  Fiction 

Why I Picked This Book:  Maybe it's my only childness speaking but I can never resist a book about sisters!

My Impression:  I went in with high expectations.  I love books set in England, I love books where the main character's life has fallen apart and she's putting herself back together, and I love books about sibling relationships.  This having all three was definitely a winner.  And this was thoroughly enjoyable.  These characters have real problems and Lucy and Juliet's relationship has a lot of issues.  This isn't just siblings that weren't close - there is some deeply buried resentments just waiting to be discovered here.  It wasn't quite as warm and fuzzy as I expected as quickly as I expected but when the ending came it was well earned and doubly satisfying.  I grew to love both Lucy and Juliet.  Lucy had seemed silly and flighty at the beginning and Juliet was the prickliest of prickly characters but by the end I really felt like I understood them both and liked them all the more. 

I'm so glad that there are more books that take place in the town of Hartley-by-the Sea.  I'm looking forward to spending more time there and getting to know more of the people.  And I'm hoping that Lucy and Juliet will have some background cameos as I'd love to see just what is going on with them.  The audio on this book was read by Rosalyn Landor who is one of my absolute favorite narrators and she did not disappoint.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author. 

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy stories about sibling relationships this is a fantastic read or listen!

Friday Fives - Five Nonfiction Books I'd Like to Read

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  November is Nonfiction month and at the beginning of the year I had grand schemes of reading lots of nonfiction this month.  However, nothing about this year has turned out as planned but here are 5 nonfiction books I'd like to read!

1.   It Must Have Been Something I Ate:  The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten - I haven't read a foodie memoir in awhile and I don't know anything about this one other then I saw this guy as a judge on Iron Chef a time or two.

2.  Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France by Caroline Moorehead - I'm fascinated by this part of history and this is one I haven't read.

3.   Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World by Lawrence Goldstone - Years ago I read a book on rare books and it was utterly fascinating.  This one sounds like it might be just as interesting.

4.  The Rescue Artist:  A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for the Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick - I adore TV shows about art theft and the recovery of the masterpieces so I'm thinking I might enjoy it in book form as well!

5.  The Woman Before Wallis: Prince Edward, the Parisian Courtesan, and the Perfect Murder by Andrew Rose - I know nothing about this one but the title really interests me.  I'm not shocked that there was someone before Wallis but the mention of the murder really interests me.