Books On My TBR That Take Place On The Beach

 

It'll probably be awhile before we head to the beach and really the last time I was at the beach was January of 2020 so it wasn't exactly swimming weather so I'm not sure that really counts.  So if I can't go to the beach the next best thing is to read books that are set on the beach!

1. A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - This is a bit of a vintage beach trip but how can I resist that cover?

2.  Three Sisters by Susan Mallery - I'm not a huge fan of Mallery's romances but I love her more women's fiction and this one looks good and beachy.

3.  Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer - I love this cozy mystery series though I've never read the first book somehow.  Love the South Carolina beach feel.

4.  Summer at Shell Cottage by Lucy Diamond - The beach I'll be visiting here is over in England and will probably be far too cold for my very wimpy self to even think about getting in the water but it sounds absolutely lovely!

5.   Sea Swept by Nora Roberts - I read this trilogy soon after it came out and while I remember a lot of things about beaches and sailboats I remember very little else so I thought it might be fun to pick up.

6.  A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie - This is a reread for me but I'm rereading all the Miss Marple books this year and this is one I'm especially looking forward to picking up.  I mean it's Miss Marple solving a murder on a Caribbean island.  Who can resist that?

7.  Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridges - Murder in a beachfront hotel!  

8.  Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran - This series takes place in a book town and a café that is also a bookstore!

9.  By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates - A library that just happens to be in a lighthouse on the Outer Banks.  A nice little beachy vacation!

10. The Sea King's Daughter by Barbara Michaels - This one takes place on a beach in Greece with lots of archeological digs and diving and swimming and sun.  It's also pretty creepy and there's quite a lot of peril with some Gothic undertones.

What kind of vacations do you like to take through books?

As The Christmas Cookie Crumbles + Be Our Ghost - Mini Cozy Mystery Reviews

Goodreads:  As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles (Food Lover's Village Mystery #5) by Leslie Budewitz

Blurb:  In Jewel Bay, all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily’s turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.

When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?

My Thoughts:  I read an earlier book in this series and really enjoyed it but I think I might have liked this one even better!  Erin Murphy is days away from her wedding and in the middle of the holiday shopping season when Merrily Thornton is killed.  On the surface it looks like an easy case to close but Erin is convinced that all is not how it seems - especially when it comes to Merrily's past.  The investigation was interesting with lots of twists and turns and the end came as a surprise to me which does not happen often!  While I own them I've yet to read the earlier books in the series but it just landed itself next in line for my Year of the Series project.  If you enjoy foodie/small town cozies this one is a must!  My Rating:  Really Liked It!

Goodreads:  Be Our Ghost (A Merry Ghost Inn Mystery #3) by Kate Kingsbury

Blurb: The Merry Ghost Inn is well and truly open for business. Melanie West, her grandmother, Liza, and their beloved sheepdog/wolfhound mix, Max, are rapidly getting the hang of running their charming bed-and-breakfast inn on the rocky Oregon coast. Not that business goes without a hitch―when your hostelry boasts its own laughing resident ghost, you’d better be expect the out-of-the-ordinary. But Melanie and Liza take it all in stride...until a hotshot real estate developer arrives in Sully’s Landing, touting his plans to build a tacky amusement arcade smack dab in the middle of the tasteful cliff-side town.  No one in Sully’s Landing can stand the gaudy developer, but it’s still a shock when he ends up murdered. It’s even more shocking when Liza’s friend, Doug, emerges as the chief suspect. Melanie and Liza put on their sleuthing caps yet again and set out to clear Doug’s name.

My Thoughts: This is a fun conclusion to a fun series.  I like Melanie quite a lot and enjoy her page time.  Liza is ... well she's a lot.  I usually adore grandmother/granddaughter relationships but Liza can be trying at times with her insistence on investigating this murder despite everyone else's reluctance and the occasional peril.  The main mystery was entertaining with lots of possible suspects.  I do love when the murder victim is one that pretty much everyone wants to murder.  There is also a background mystery that has been around since the beginning of the series that is nicely resolved in this book and the series ghost makes a few appearances.  This isn't the most memorable cozy series but it is good on audio and appears to be concluded so if you like a cozy with a little bit of ghostly action this might be one to pick up.  My Rating: Liked It

Life with Leukemia (and Some Reading) - May 16

 

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

This was a pretty good week.  We've hit a point where Will has pretty solid energy and needs a way to get it out that doesn't put him at risk for any kind of falling or put him into contact with lots of people.  When it warms up we are probably going to start going to my dad's and using his pool but right now the water is way too cold for my wimpy self.  But until then we are trying to be creative.  

The weather has been pretty crazy here which I think has been causing my headaches so I haven't had the best week and throw in some insomnia and I'm a bit of a mess. I did get a nap in on Saturday and some quiet reading so I'm feeling a bit better.  In between headaches and doctors appointments we've been playing Animal Crossing and doing lots of trading.  I think I'm enjoying it even more then Will!  

Currently:

Reading:  Death in Bloom by Jess Dylan and The $64 Tomato by William Alexander

Listening:  Murder, Take Two by Carol J. Perry

Watching:  Nothing really other then YouTube and I haven't found any new channels lately.

Have a great week and happy reading!

The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple - Fictional Biography Review

Goodreads:  The Life and Miss Jane Marple by Anne Hart

Rating: Liked It    
Source: Library

Description:  This is the definitive companion to the MISS MARPLE novels, films and TV appearances.

‘I have had a lot of experience in solving different little problems that have arisen.’

Most of the ‘little problems’ tackled by Miss Marple occurred in the pretty rural village of St Mary Mead and came in the shape of murder, robbery and blackmail. In the 40 years of her career, she even solved cases as far afield as London and the Caribbean. But though she usually masqueraded as ‘everybody’s favourite great aunt’, what was she 'really' like?

In this authorized biography of the world’s most famous female sleuth, Anne Hart combs through the 12 novels and 20 short stories in which Miss Marple appeared, uncovering clue and amassing all the evidence to solve the most difficult case of them all – the mystery of Miss Marple.

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan and am rereading all the Miss Marple books this year so thought this would be interesting to pick this one up now.

My Impression:  Well this was interesting and not quite what I was expecting.  I think I was expecting more of a narrative nonfiction fiction whereas this was almost a series of essays that broke down the life of Miss Marple from different angles.  In some ways it read a bit like a book report with lots of quotes backing up the author's statements.  

I was surprised to learn just how little personal information there really is about Miss Marple in her 12 books and collection of short stories and how inconsistent some of the descriptions are.  Miss Marple has always just been Miss Marple in my head and to see all these differences laid out was really interesting.  However, if you're not a huge fan of Miss Marple and Agatha Christie's books I think this is not going to be a book for you.  Even for big Marple fans it can be a bit dry and like I mentioned earlier at times reads very much like a book report.  While I didn't love the book as much as I expected I do feel like I have a better handle on the character Christie created and I did end up enjoying the read.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I am planning to read this author's book on Poirot but probably wouldn't read anymore.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you are a huge Miss Marple fan I think you will find this book interesting.  Otherwise, I'd give it a pass.

Friday Fives - Five Books I Bought At the Used Bookstore

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  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 week I gave myself a joint full immunity + birthday present and visited the local used bookstore.  Here are five of the books I picked up.

1.  The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis - This book was one I really wanted as soon as I saw it on the new release lists so I was thrilled to find it at the bookstore.

2.  Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb - Gaynor was on my list of authors to look for and I couldn't resist this one.

3.  Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan - I loved the first book in the series so couldn't resist picking this one up as well.  I need more puffin side kicks!

4.  The Unseen by Heather Graham - I've been enjoying Graham's version of romantic paranoromal suspense and I love her Krewe series so I picked this one up.

5.  A Comedy of Heirs by Rett MacPherson - Of course I had to pick up a cozy!  And I couldn't reisst this one with a professional genealogist.  

I picked up a few more but these are the 5 on the top of the stack.  What books have you bought lately?

Books from the Backlog - The Anatomist's Wife

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!

Goodreads:  The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee Huber

Blurb:  Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage—a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn't about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.
When Kiera and Gage's search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim...

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  This year is all about the series for me and I'm almost caught up her Verity Kent series and would love to start working on getting caught up with another of my favorite historical series - the Lady Darby mysteries.

The Year of the Series - The Pearl Sister + Late Checkout

After the calamity that was 2020 I didn't want to give myself serious reading goals but I did want to do something to help my book stacks get a little more under control.  I've tried getting rid of the ones I want to read but unfortunately I want to read all the books I own.  So I decided to focus on series.  There are so many I have that I abandoned halfway through or came in halfway and never read the first few.  I made a list of ten series and the next book I had to read in them and will be rolling in new books and series as I go along and catch up.  Here are two reviews from that list that I've read recently.

The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley - After the death of their adopted father, six sisters receive the clues they need to discover the story of their past and one by one they each go on a journey.  This book centers around the 4th sister, CeCe and her story takes her not only deep into the history of her past and an unfamiliar country but also starts her on a journey to figure out just who she really is.  

My hopes were not high going into this book.  I've really enjoyed the previous books but CeCe had gotten on my last nerve since book 1 and I didn't see how I could possibly make it through an entire book with her as the main character.  But honestly, this one may just be my favorite so far.  CeCe will probably always be a challenging person but by being able to see inside her head I felt like I understood her so much better and ended up deeply sympathizing with her and even liking her.  My knowledge of Australian history is just above nonexistent so I found this book about the pearl industry and the Aboriginal people absolutely fascinating.  The women in this book are strong characters and life very rarely comes easy to them but I couldn't help but admire them and respect them.  I absolutely loved CeCe's story and hope there are some tidbits about her in the next books so I can check in with her.  My Rating: Loved It!

Late Checkout by Carol J. Perry - It is Halloween again in Salem, MA and in the 9th outing of The Witch City Mysteries, Lee Barrett is trying to keep busy despite her field reporter hours at news channel WICH-TV being cut in half.  She's busy planning the station's anniversary show and volunteering at the library when she discovers a dead body in the stacks.  

This was a fun cozy with lots of research into the past as Lee tries to find out what happened to the old stars of the station and just who the dead body in the stacks was.  I really enjoyed all the research and Lee's extra time around the station with Rhonda and the rest as well as seeing Aunt Ibby in her home turf of the library.  Despite all of that this was probably my least favorite entry in the series and most of that was due to the ending.  While I did think the reasons and the murderer made sense but the way the reveal was done felt a little like a cop out and was kind of odd.  That said, my least favorite book in this series is still a solid read and I can't wait to read more from Lee, Pete, Aunt Ibby, and especially O'Ryan! My Rating: Liked It!