Life with Leukemia (And Some Reading) - March 14

 

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

Well March has not started out quite as strong as I had hoped.  Will is struggling with the transition back to one of the chemo meds he had gotten a break from and has just been feeling awful most of the week.  No red flags to indicate anything to worry about but it's still stressful and I hate it for him because he's so tired of not feeling well.  Prior to this diagnosis he was very rarely sick and never more for a day or two and lately he's felt bad more often then not.  Big picture I'm so grateful for the incredible research done at St Jude that turned childhood Leukemia into an overwhelmingly curable disease but day to day sometimes it can feel overwhelming.  98 weeks of treatment to go.

I was doing the Yoga with Adriene March calendar on YouTube but my old neck injury started flaring up so I had to switch to some more gentle stretches.  If you get tension headaches or have any neck and shoulder pain I've found this video from Sarah Beth Yoga's YouTube channel to be AMAZING.  You can do it sitting in bed or on the couch too which I love.  I managed to get a couple of visits in with my chiropractor so I'm feeling tons better and am back to the calendar.  Other then that and taking care of Will not much has been going on around here.  Oh I did get a new Kindle!  My beloved 7 year old Paperwhite finally got a bit too quirky for comfort and I was forced to replace it because it wasn't turning any pages at all or two at a time.  I went back and forth on the different options but after much debate I ended up just going with a new Paperwhite (but green this time) and I'm so loving it and I love that it's waterproof so if pool time is ever an option again I don't have to worry about it getting damaged.

Currently:

Reading:  Off the Wild Coast of Brittany by Juliet Blackwell and Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey

Listening:  Final Exam by Carol J. Perry

Watching:  Not much.  I've mostly had YouTube going in the background.

Have a great week and happy reading!

Greygallows - Keeper Shelf Review

Goodreads:  Greygallows by Barbara Michaels

Rating:  Really Liked It
Source: Purchased

Description:  Lucy Cartwright placed her life and future into the hands of the dashing Baron Clare, despite the rumors of his dark, unsavory past. Trusting his kind words and gentle manner, she agreed to be his wife and followed the enigmatic lord to Greygallows, his sprawling country estate. But mystery, deception, betrayal, and danger surround the magnificent manor—a ghostly secret charges the atmosphere and terror reigns in its shadowed hallways. Lucy entered Greygallows willingly . . . and now she may never leave.

Genre: Fiction - Gothic

Why I Picked This Book:  I am re-evaluating all the books on my Keeper Shelf and seeing if they still deserve their place there.

My Impression:  Of all the books on my Keeper Shelf this one's status was most in jeopardy.  It's not one that sticks in my head or one I reach for when I'm feeling a slightly creepy comfort reread and I can't even remember the last time I read it.  This one is a bit different from the bulk of Michaels' books.  This one is not set in present day but instead in England in the later half of the 19th century.  She plays with Gothic elements in all of her books but in this one she leans into the Gothic format hard.  Lucy is weak and helpless (at first), Baron Clare is dark, mysterious and all kinds of sinister, and the manor house is cursed.  Throw in a heaping scoop of social issues and you've got a creepy reading experience to meet your Gothic needs.

I liked Lucy quite a bit by the end.  She starts off so incredibly sheltered and naïve but in her defense she is so sheltered that she really no other choice.  Another character tells her early in the book that the only thing wrong with her is ignorance and that is easily cured which was a sentiment I appreciated and very much enjoyed Lucy taking that to heart.  

As usual, Michaels writing style makes for an atmospheric and fast paced read that I was immediately sucked into.  The start was a bit slow for her but once the story gained traction I didn't want to put it down.  While this book will probably never be on my regular reread list it has definitely re-earned its place on my Keeper Shelf!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  Michaels is a favorite and I'm hoping to read more under her Elizabeth Peters name as well.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy fast paced reads with a tiny touch of creepiness then Barbara Michaels is absolutely not to be missed.

Friday Fives - Five Series I Want to Start Soon

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.  I have decided 2021 is the year of the series and have picked 10 series to focus on but that doesn't keep me from noticing new series or wanting to put some older ones in my TBR.  Here are 5 series I've never picked up but I'll hopefully be starting soon.

1.  Forget Me Knot (A Quilting Mystery) by Mary Marks - Kathryn over at Book Date has started this series and is really enjoying it.  Even though I don't quilt I love books about quilting so I really want to start this one.

2.  Crime and Poetry (A Magical Bookshop Mystery) by Amanda Flowers - I have had an actual copy of this book on my shelf since it came out and somehow I still haven't started it (or read any of the other books).

3.  Better Homes and Corpses (Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery) by Kathleen Bridge - Renovating old homes and murder is pretty much a series that is made for me but even though I own several books in this series I've never read any of them.

4.  Flipped for Murder (Country Store Mystery) by Maddie Day - Honestly I don't know much about this series but Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is one of those names I see all over the genre and I really want to try this series.

5.  Hearse and Buggy (An Amish Mystery) by Laura Bradford - I've read a few other books by Bradford and enjoyed them and this series looks like a lot of fun.

Do you have any series that you're hoping to start soon?

Books From The Backlog - Murder in the Mystery Suite

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:  Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams

Blurb:  Tucked away in the rolling hills of rural western Virginia is the storybook resort of Storyton Hall, catering to book lovers who want to get away from it all. To increase her number of bookings, resort manager Jane Steward has decided to host a Murder and Mayhem week so that fans of the mystery genre can gather together for some role-playing and fantasy crime solving.

But when the winner of the scavenger hunt, Felix Hampden, is found dead in the Mystery Suite, and the valuable book he won as his prize is missing, Jane realizes one of her guests is an actual murderer. Amid a resort full of fake detectives, Jane is bound and determined to find a real-life killer. There’s no room for error as Jane tries to unlock this mystery before another vacancy opens up…

Why This Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  It's been on it for years and somehow I've never picked it up even though a bookish resort sounds amazing!

What I've Been Reading - Mini Reviews

 

Goodreads:  Little Bookshop of Murder (Beach Reads Mysteries #1) by Maggie Blackburn

My Thoughts:  I really wanted to love this one.  It had a bookstore that focused on beach reads (and is actually called Beach Reads), a quirky cast of characters, and a main character that is trying to sort out her life.  This is basically a list of my favorite things when it comes to books.  Summer's mother, Hildy Merriweather, died unexpectedly, and Summer finds herself back in her hometown trying to deal with her grief, get her mother's estate sorted, and figure out just what she's going to do with her life which is a bit in disarray.  Soon she realizes all is not what it seems and that Hildy's unexpected death might have far more sinister implications.  I found this book fast paced and readable.  I liked pretty much all the side characters and would love a place like Beach Reads to actually exist.  Summer was not my favorite character.  Her disdain for all genre books seemed a bit over the top since she is the main character in a cozy mystery which she specifically mentions as not up to her standards.  She did come around a bit but it was too little too late.  As well the mystery itself seemed blaringly obvious and it was frustrating that none of the characters happened to put two very big facts together.  I did enjoy it but this series won't be on my auto buy list.  My Rating: Liked It

Goodreads:  A Fatal Fiction by Kaitlyn Dunnett

My Thoughts:  I do love a bookish cozy and this one featuring 70 year old Mikki Lincoln, former middle school teacher and current freelance book editor, was just too tempting to miss.  This is the 3ed book in the series but I had no absolutely issue jumping in with this book.  The murder victim has more then a few people who were gunning for him shortly before his death, including Mikki who happened to get in a shouting match with him in public.  And to add insult to injury that argument was filmed and quickly went viral which put Mikki front and center of the murder investigation.  Mikki is a bit different from the usual cozy main character.  Not only because she's a bit older but she's also got a sharp tongue and firm opinions that she doesn't shrink from voicing.  She took some getting used to but I did come to enjoy her.  Though I must admit, if I were her nephew Nick I'd be taking a LONG break from my dear aunt.  The mystery was pretty good.  I don't feel that Mikki is the best investigator which is fairly realistic but left a little to be desired in terms of wrap up.  I'm still not exactly sure on all the whys of the murder.  This isn't a series that I'll be hunting down the previous two books but if I came across them on my library's shelf I'd definitely pick them up.  My Rating: Liked It

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Want to Dust Off For Spring

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 about Spring Cleaning and I'm looking at books on my TBR that are just gathering dust and need to be cleaned off and read.

1. Be Careful What You Witch For by Dawn Eastman - I think I've read about half this series and really enjoyed them but never went back and read the other books.  

2.  I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel - I have been wanting to read a book by Anne Bogel since her first one came out and this one especially connects with me.

3.  First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - I normally try to read a Sarah Addison Allen book every summer but last summer I didn't get to one and this is one I've been wanting to read since it came out.

4.  Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford - I read the first book a few years ago and liked it though it wasn't a homerun for me.  I'm curious to see what I think of the 2nd book.

5.  The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty - This was the book that made me want to read Liane Moriarty's books and while I have read several of hers now I still somehow haven't read this one!

6.  The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - I love Kate Morton's books but this is one I haven't read.

7.  The Dry by Jane Harper - I wanted to read this right when it came out.  Still haven't!

8.  The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman - Every book by Shipman looks wonderful and this one especially appeals to me.

9.  Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah - I don't even want to think about how long this one has been sitting on my shelf.

10.  Withering Heights by Dorothy Cannell - I don't know much about this one but when I saw it in a used bookstore a few years ago I couldn't resist that title and the author's name seemed familiar.  I want to read this one to find out if this is an author I want to read more from.

What books on your TBR shelf need a good spring cleaning and to be read?

Haunted Hibiscus - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Haunted Hibiscus (Teashop Mystery #22) by Laura Childs

Rating: Liked It
Source: Publisher

Description:  It is the week before Halloween and Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton, are ghosting through the dusk of a cool Charleston evening on their way to the old Bouchard Mansion. Known as the Gray Ghost, this dilapidated place was recently bequeathed to the Heritage Society, and tonight heralds the grand opening of their literary and historical themed haunted house.

Though Timothy Neville, the patriarch of the Heritage Society, is not thrilled with the fund-raising idea, it is the perfect venue for his grandniece, Willow French, to sign copies of her new book, Carolina Crimes & Creepers.

But amid a parade of characters dressed as Edgar Allan Poe, Lady Macbeth, and the Headless Horseman, Willow's body is suddenly tossed from the third-floor tower room and left to dangle at the end of a rope. Police come screaming in and Theodosia's boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, is sent to Willow's apartment to investigate. But minutes later, he is shot and wounded by a shadowy intruder.

Timothy begs Theodosia to investigate, and shaken by Riley's assault, she readily agrees. Now, she questions members of the Heritage Society and a man who claims the mansion is rightfully his, as well as Willow's book publisher and her fiancé, all while hosting a Sherlock Holmes tea and catering several others.

But the Gray Ghost holds many secrets, as do several other key suspects, while this murder mystery plays out on the eve of Halloween.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This is a series that I usually enjoy so of course I had to pick this Halloween-y book up.

My Impression:  This is a fun series but I must admit this wasn't my favorite one.  There are a lot of positives about the book though.  As usual Charleston is almost a character.  There's all kinds of ghostly Halloween feels along with a literary haunted house.  Throw in a murder for unknown motives and the mystery was seriously interesting.  I always enjoy time in the teashop and would love to try the yummy treats and different teas described.  I love the side characters and the general feel of the book.

My main issue is with Theodosia, the main character.   The amateur sleuth element of a cozy can always be a bit tricky but Theodosia's belief that she has the right to investigate and her level of outrage when the police (including her boyfriend) don't officially sanction her investigation got a bit annoying. I get that she was emotionally invested in this one but her attitude set my teeth on edge a bit.  

Despite my issues with this book I did enjoy it.  The atmosphere is fantastic and I always love my time at the Indigo tea shop with Drayton and Hayley.  This would be great for a Halloween cozy read. 

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I would.  Even though this wasn't a favorite I do always enjoy books by this author.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would definitely recommend this series to cozy readers and while I do think you can jump in anywhere in the series I wouldn't recommend starting with this one.

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