Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Most Recent Additions to My Shelf

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 Ten Most Recent Additions to My Shelf.  Last year I was buying books like it was my job but this year I've been a bit more restrained so I don't have quite the stack.  All is not lost however, and I did pick up a few books!

1.  The rest of the Westcott series by Mary Balogh - I've been really enjoying this series and when I stumbled on the rest of the series at my local used bookstore I couldn't resist!

2.  The Chocolate Jewel Case by Joanna Carl - I've picked up a few books in this series and I need to read them to see if this is a series I want to read from start to finish.

3.  Mrs. Jeffries on the Trail by Emily Brightwell - I was so excited when I found this one.  It's the next one I have to read in the Mrs. Jeffries series and I've had a hard time finding it.

4.  A Ghostly Light by Juliet Blackwell - This was another one I was thrilled to find.  It's the only one I didn't have in this series and I'm only about a book away from it.

5.  The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters - I just finished the first Jacqueline Kirby book so when I saw I could get the second book in the series as a reward on Thriftbooks I had to grab it.

6.  Other People's Summers by Sarah Morgan - I've really loved everything I've read by this author and had missed this latest book of hers.  I'm really looking forward to reading it - it may be my pick for first book of 2026 buy I haven't decided yet.

7.  In the Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber - This is another maybe for first book.  I love everything I've read from this author and I'm looking forward to this one.

8.  The Scarlet Circle by Jonathan Stagge - I know nothing about this book or this author but it called to me at the bookstore so I bought it.

9.  The Sandy Page Bookshop by Hannah McKinnon - This author has been on my TBR for awhile and I loved the premise of this one.

10. A Cruise to Die For by Heather Graham - This is the latest book I've gotten from NetGalley and it looks like a fun one.

What have you added to your shelf recently?

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2025.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope #1) by Ann Cleeves

Blurb:  At the isolated Baikie's Cottage on the North Pennines, three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal...
For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide...

When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide - a verdict Rachael finds impossible to accept.

Only when the next death occurs does a fourth woman enter the picture - the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives...

My Thoughts:  This was not what I was expecting at all and that's not a bad thing!  I was fully expecting this to be a cozy English countryside mystery with a quirky detective.  I guess in very broad strokes it is all of those things.  It takes place in the countryside and Vera is definitely quirky however, I definitely would consider this a cozy read.  This is the story of 3 very complicated women who are living in a cottage in the woods working on environmental surveys.  Vera shows up about halfway through the book after an unexpected murder with no immediate suspects (but a few  possibilities) and is determined to untangle the mess at Baikie's Cottage.  I had about 45 theories as the book went along and still ended up surprised.  This was my first time meeting Vera but it definitely won't be my last.  I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and look forward to the next Vera book.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Cat Among the Pigeons - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress – shot through the heart. Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the ‘cat’ strikes again?

Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  This was the November Read Christie Challenge pick

My Impression:  If I had to name my 10 favorite Christie books most of the time this book wouldn't even be on the list for consideration.  However, every time I read it I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy it.  This is a mix of Christie's espionage thrillers and a classic British mystery with a bit of Poirot and a few Christie twists.  This is one of Christie's later books but I think it's one of the better ones.  

I love the school setting with the cast of characters among the teachers and students.  Sometimes - especially in the beginning - it can be a little difficult to keep track of who is who, but Christie does a good job of focusing on who you need to know with the rest being mostly window dressing.  The pacing is on point and there is quite a lot of action with murders and a kidnapping - and touches of espionage.  I loved the side characters - especially Adam Goodman and Miss Bulstrode - and the mystery really kept me guessing.

I always wonder after I finish this one why it isn't on my list of my favorite Christies.  It is a thoroughly enjoyable classic Christie mystery that always surprises me a little.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I'm really looking forward to the Read Christie Challenge for 2026.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  If you're looking to try a lesser known Christie mystery this is a good choice.

Friday Fives - No More One Hit Wonders

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  This is the last Friday of the year and I've been giving some serious thought to my reading for 2026.  My reading in 2025 wasn't bad but it wasn't what I wanted to be.  One of the issues I think is constantly trying new authors/series instead of reading more of authors I know I really enjoy.  I've got quite a bit of "one hit wonders" where I read one book by an author but then never read more of them.  I found 5 books that I only read one from that author and here are the next books on my list.

1.  The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan - I loved A Bakery in Paris from this author and this book involves genealogy and family secrets.  I bought it last year at a local bookstore and it's just been sitting on my shelf.

2.  A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson - Nine Lives was a surprise favorite for me and this one looks really good.

3.  The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman -  The Bookish Life of Nina Hill provided all the warm fuzzies I could want and this one is next on my list.

4.  Peril at Owl Park (Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen #2) by Marthe Jocelyn - I really enjoyed the first book in this middle grade mystery series loosely based on Agatha Christie and am really looking forward to reading this second book.

5.  Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson - I had zero interest in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone but this one caught my eye so I went on and read the first book.  I absolutely loved it and was so excited to pick up this second book - and then didn't read it and it's been over a year.  

Who are some of your one hit wonders?  

Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all who celebrate and a day filled with peace and warmth regardless.  

What I'm Reading - December 24

 

I always have a few books going.  Here is what I'm reading and what I'm thinking about them.

Print:

Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod - This is the first in the Peter Shandy series and I'm enjoying it.  I'm going to have to read more by MacLeod in 2026

Next Up:  Death and the Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh - This is the last book on my classic mystery list and I'm really looking forward to it.

Ebook:  Nothing right now!  I'm focusing on finishing up my print and audio books

Slow Read: Same as above

Audiobook:  

Death at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa - This isn't a total winner for me but I am enjoying it and I'm almost done with it.

Next Up: Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower - I'm really trying to hit my reading count goal for this year and so I'm reading all the audiobooks I can and this is a novella in a series I really enjoy.

What are you reading today?  

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

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 Books I Hope Santa Brings.  

1. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - I really enjoy the books by Benedict that I've read and this one sounds really good.

2.  The rest of the Westcott series by Mary Balogh - I have loved the books in this series I've read and now I need the rest of them!

3.  The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - I'm thinking of slow reading this book next year and owning a copy would make that easier.

4.  Witches of Dubious Origins by Jenn McKinlay - This sounds so good!

5. The Scarlet Pimpernell by Baroness Emmuska Orczy - I read a book earlier this year that involved this author (and Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham) and it made me curious about her books.

6.  Book Lovers by Emily Henry - I have read 2 books by Henry - 1 I loved and 1 I DNF'd.  I need a tie breaker and this one looks fun.

7.  Belles of London series by Mimi Matthews - Or at least the 3 I haven't read yet.

8.  The Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton - This series is huge and some of them are a bit hard to get but I want them!

9.  The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick - I read a book by this author earlier this year and loved it.  This one looks wonderful.

10. The Krewe of Hunters books I haven't read by Heather Graham - I'm so behind in this series and it's hard to keep track of which ones I've read and which I haven't as a lot of the titles are similar.  It'd be really helpful if Santa could just give me a stack of the ones I haven't read yet!

What are you hoping that Santa will bring?