This Week in Reading - February 8

 

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:

The Moonsingers by Robin J. Pritzker - The cover caught my eye and I have been loving cozy fantasy.  (Publisher)

The Pie & Mash Detective Agency by J.D. Brinkworth - This sounds like a really fun cozy mystery (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor by Lucy Connelly and The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews

Listening:  The Spitfire Murders by Anna Elliott and Charles Veley

Slow Read: Stella Mia by Rosanna Chiofalo

Watching:  We are on countdown to Formula 1 starting back up so that will soon take over the bulk of our TV watching but until then we are watching Death in Pardise which we really enjoy though we only have a couple of seasons left.  

I had migraines most of the week which made for not much happening and now has me feeling pretty wiped out.  I'm able to at least get some reading done now which is good. I did take some of the downtime to make a list of places I want to visit or things I want to learn how to do this year so I'm looking forward to getting started on that.

Have a good week and happy reading!

My First Reading Recap of 2026 - My January Reading

Monthly Reading Total: 20 - I was really enjoying my reading in January - especially when it came to my print books.

Type:

Print: 8

Ebook:  6

Audio: 6

Genre:

Mystery - 12

Fiction - 4

Romance - 4

Favorite Books of the Month:

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig tied for my favorite audiobooks

Monster in the Moonlight by Annelise Ryan was probably the book I physically read that I most enjoyed (that wasn't a reread)

Rereads:  

I'm trying to make sure I get some rereads in this year as I always enjoy it and I was in the habit of not letting myself pick up some old favorites.  Here is what I reread in January:

Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts - Did not disappoint.  I always love when a group of characters are putting together a team and I'm not sure anyone does it better than Roberts.

The House on Blackberry Hill by Donna Alward - Meh.  It didn't live up to my memory of it.  Love the concept but didn't enjoy spending time with characters.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie - I'm not sure anytime I read Christie counts as a reread as I'm pretty sure I notice something different.  It goes without saying that this was a delight.

This Month's Armchair Travels:

Domestic Travel:  I visited California (twice), Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maine, and Michigan.

International Travel:  I visited England 7 times, 1940s Bahamas, Japan, Scotland, Greece, and 1960s Lebanon

How was your January reading?   Where did your books take you this past month?

Friday Fives - February TBR

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. Since this is the first Friday in February, I'm planning my January TBR.  Here are 5 books I plan on reading in February. 

1.  The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor by Lucy Connelly - I'm really looking forward to reading this first book in a series set in a Welsh village.  I've really enjoyed her Scottish series.

2.  The Lost Book of First Loves by RaeAnne Thayne - I'm really looking forward to this one!  I typically really enjoy this author's books and the premise really grabs me for this one.

3.  Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist by Dorothy Gilman - I've been stalling on reading the last two Mrs. Pollifax books for awhile because I didn't want the series to be over but it's time to get reading!

4.  This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong - It's been a year since I read the previous book in this suspense series and I'm really looking forward to reading more though I hopefully I read more than one book in the series this year!

5.  The Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters - This is one of the few books remaining on my Wishlist in the Audible Plus catalog.  I'm trying to get them all finished by the end of the month so I can cancel my subscription.

Read Christie February Book:  Mrs. McGinty's Dead - It's been awhile since I read this one but it's the favorite of so many so I'm looking forward to the reread.

What are you planning to read in February?

Books from the Backlog - The Vanished Bride

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 Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis

Blurb:  Yorkshire, 1845. A young wife and mother has gone missing from her home, leaving behind two small children and a large pool of blood. Just a few miles away, a humble parson's daughters--the Brontë sisters--learn of the crime. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are horrified and intrigued by the mysterious disappearance.
These three creative, energetic, and resourceful women quickly realize that they have all the skills required to make for excellent "lady detectors." Not yet published novelists, they have well-honed imaginations and are expert readers. And, as Charlotte remarks, "detecting is reading between the lines--it's seeing what is not there."

As they investigate, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne are confronted with a society that believes a woman's place is in the home, not scouring the countryside looking for clues. But nothing will stop the sisters from discovering what happened to the vanished bride, even as they find their own lives are in great peril...

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  This has been on my review shelf for far too many years and the premise is interesting.  I'm trying to clear some books off that overdue review shelf!

What I'm Reading - February 4

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

Ebook

The Whisking Hour by Ellie Alexander - This is the 22nd in the Bakeshop Mystery and as always I'm enjoying it.  It's maybe not a standout cozy series to me anymore but it is delightfully cozy.  Perfect comfort reading for the weather we've got going on right now!

Print Book

The Blind Side by Patricia Wentworth - This is a very traditional Patricia Wentworth mystery.  There's a family with some serious issues, a plucky heroine and a nice but capable leading man.  This is apparently the first Ernest Lamb book (he's a Scotland Yard detective) but I'm only 25% in so he hasn't shown up yet.

Audio Book

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry - I was a bit hesitant going into this as I'm a bit iffy with this author in general (I've loved 1 book by her and DNF'd another) and the reviews have been decidedly mixed.  I decided to give it a try after I saw a review from someone I follow who loved the book I DNF'd and didn't like this one.  So far I'm really enjoying it.  I'm about 25% in so it could go off the rails but 

Slow Read:  

Stella Mia by Rosanna Chiofalo - I pulled this off my overdue review shelf (and it is WAY overdue as it looks like it came out in 2014).  I'm not very far into it but so far I think it has potential.  

What are you reading today?

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My TBR with Interesting Typography on Their Covers

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 Book Covers Featuring Cool/Pretty/Unique Typography.  I did a deep dive in my TBR and here are 10 covers that stood out.

1.  The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sacher

2.  Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill

3.  The Killer Question by Janice Hallet

4.  The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong

5.  The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore

6.  The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths

7.  I See You've Called In Dead by John Kenney

8.  Rules for Ruin by Mimi Mathews

9.  The Lost Books of First Loves by RaeAnne Thayne

10. The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay

Overdue Reviews - Hardcastle's Quartet + Brought to Book

 

Goodreads:  Hardcastle's Quartet by Graham Ison

Blurb:  Accident . . . or murder? Detective Inspector Hardcastle’s seemingly simple investigation turns more complicated, in his latest case
June 1918. A patrolling constable discovers the body of Georgina Cheney, wife of a naval commander, in the basement area of a house in Westminster. At first it is thought to be suicide or even a tragic accident. But as Divisional Detective Inspector Ernest Hardcastle of the A or Whitehall Division of the Metropolitan Police begins to investigate – ably assisted by Detective Sergeant Charles Marriott – they soon discover a different story. It is clear that the woman was murdered, and revelations about the victim’s previous life in Malta arouse Hardcastle’s interest.

But things are destined to get even more complicated for Hardcastle, when he is assigned two further murder cases by Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Wensley, head of the CID at New Scotland Yard. Could they be connected? This may be a puzzle too tricky even for Hardcastle to solve . . .

My Thoughts:  This mystery was really a delightful surprise.  This is a nice straightforward police procedural set during World War I.  There's no real angst or heavy emotion - just curmudgeonly DDI Hardcastle, his hardworking staff, and a complex and entertaining mystery.  I loved the dynamic between all the characters and seeing them unravel the complicated threads of the mystery.  This is definitely a series I'd really like to read more of and will definitely be on the lookout for more books in this series and by this author while I'm book shopping.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.25 Stars)

Goodreads:  Brought to Book by Anthea Fraser

Blurb:  Mystery and intrigue with a decidedly literary bent, from the bestselling crime writer When successful biographer Rona Parish is asked to write the life-story of a bestselling author, recently deceased, she is intrigued - to say the least. After all, Theo Harvey led a very colourful life, and died in mysterious circumstances. But Rona's husband Max is wary and, it soon becomes apparent, with good reason...As Rona begins to delve into Theo Harvey's life and death, and to interview his friends and family - some more willing than others - she realises that she has taken on a poisoned chalice.

My Thoughts:  This is the first book in the Rona Parish series and focuses on her doing the setup for a biography of a polarizing recently deceased author -and it's apparently a book someone doesn't want to see published.  I liked Rona and thought her relationship with her husband was interesting.  I did guess a pretty big part of the setup but there were some surprising twists.  My main issue with the book was that I couldn't stand Rona's twin sister Lindsey and she got way more page time than I would have liked.  She's really just a truly awful person and I inwardly groaned every time she appeared on the page.  The pacing was a little slow as well.  The mystery is solid with some good twists but I'm not sure that I'm motivated to read more in the series.  My Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)