Life with Leukemia, a Puppy and Some Reading - January 22

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 Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick - I love the Burning Cove series and this looks like a great read! (Publisher)

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan - Colgan is another favorite author and I'm looking forward to reading this one! (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading: Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox and Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper

Listening: Circle of Influence by Annette Dashofy

Will and I went to read with cats which was really fun.  I'm trying to find outings that he will enjoy as well as trying to figure out a schedule to help transition into a the non-cancer treatment world.  It's a bit scary and a bit exciting for all of us.  We head to Memphis this week for week 120 of the 3rd and final phase of treatment.  He'll get his last IV chemo as well as a spinal tap, bone marrow test and CT scan.  And if all the test results come out the way we expect he'll also get his port removed.  Getting the port removed is a huge step in return to normalcy as that means a fever is no longer a medical emergency and he can take advil or tylenol for minor aches and pain since we don't have worry about possibly missing an infection because those are masking a fever.

Obedience classes are going well and I'm loving working with a new group of dogs.  We've got such a fun group this class cycle and such an interesting variety of breeds.  Rover is doing well in his scent work classes and we are having a good time in rally classes though he and I both need a nap after class because that's hard!

I've been prepping for heading up to Memphis and working on school planning for Will post-treatment.  Between that and dog classes and all the allergy medicine that I had to take for the cat reading afternoon it's been a fun but low-key busy week!

Have a great week and happy reading!

The Alington Inheritance - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:   The Alington Inheritance by Patricia Wentworth

Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  When 17-year-old orphan Jenny Hill discovers that she is the rightful owner of the Alington estate, she searches for the paperwork to prove it. When Jenny overhears her relatives plotting against her, she flees. It will take all of Miss Silver's wiles to cut this familial knot without getting hopelessly ensnared.

Genre:  Mystery - Classic

My Impression:  This was just a delight!  When Jenny Hill's guardian dies after a terrible accident she learns that she might not be Jenny Hill at all but instead Jenny Forbes.  And if she is Jenny Forbes that means she is the legitimate heir to the manor house and all that entails.  

While the book centers around Jenny's story she feels like more of a main character.  Miss Silver comes in to help a young man who has been arrested and who's conviction seems certain.  From that point on Jenny becomes more of a side character while the young man's guilt or innocence is sorted out.  The structure of this book is a bit different.  Not only does the main character basically shift as the book progresses but the reader knows the who and the why from the time of the murder but we just have to wait to see how Miss Silver can prove it.

What kept this book from being a 5 star book for me are two things.  The first is the fact that Jenny is 17.  She's supposed to be young but 17 seems a bit too young.  My other issue is the huge coincidence that throws Jenny into the path of Richard Forbes and his aunt.  These were really two fairly minor points that didn't keep me from enjoying the book but just kept it from being a perfect read.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I only have one more Miss Silver book and I'll be sorry to come to the end though luckily I still have some Patricia Wentworth books left to read.

Would I Recommend this Book? I would definitely recommend this author - especially if you are a fan of Miss Marple.

Friday Five - Five Short Reviews For Books I've Read Recently

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'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan - I wasn't so sure about this one at first.  I usually love Jenny Colgan but in this book the main character, Carmen, is a whiny brat, her sister, Sofia, is a distracted control freak, and the nanny, Skylar, is the absolute worst.  By the end of the book I loved Sofia and Carmen (though they'd both probably drive me crazy from time to time in real life) and Skylar is still the absolute worst and that was okay.  And after a bit of a bumpy start for the first 5 to 10% I absolutely loved the journey getting from the beginning to the end.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)

Thin Ice by Paige Shelton - This is a bit different from the usual cozy mystery Shelton writes.  Beth Rivers went through a horrific ordeal in Missouri and now she is hiding and trying to rediscover herself in Benedict, Alaska.  She finds herself in an unusual living situation and in an unusual town and involved in the mysterious death of another woman in town.  The focus of the book felt more like it was on Beth herself trying to regain her memories of the event, getting used to living in Benedict, and dealing with the people she left behind.  The mystery itself was interesting but even more interesting was Beth herself and her history.  I'm looking forward to continuing the series.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)

The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman - This was the first Viola Shipman book I've read and it won't be last.  I loved the family history and the stories about the orchard.  The food descriptions were amazing and I would love to try pretty much any food that was mentioned.  I did take some time to warm to Sam as she seemed to be struggling with what she wanted but didn't actual take any time to reflect about what she wanted.  Overall, this was a sweet book with strong family connections and  a wonderful setting.  I will definitely be trying more books from this author.  My Rating:  Really Liked It! (4 Stars)

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave - I really wanted to love this book and to be fair I didn't dislike it.  I did dislike Sunshine for the bulk of the book and lost count of how many times she made me want to roll my eyes.  I did like seeing her relationship with her sister develop and her niece was a delight.  The ending was an interesting twist and I was glad to see that Sunny did get a bit of a redemption arc but I do wish it had started earlier in the book and that the ending had a bit more closure to it.  My Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)

The Evil Inside by Heather Graham - I love the Krewe of Hunters series and this book was no exception. Graham's books are fun and spooky with great settings.  While it's a long running series the books are only loosely connected with the main connection being an ever growing special FBI unit that can has varying supernatural elements.  This book involved a bloody murder in a house with a very bloody history in Salem, Massachusetts.  Jenna can see ghosts which helps give her context for the investigation.  Samuel Hall is a high powered defense attorney who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets involved in defending the accused killer.  It was an interesting dynamic to see the Krewe of Hunters invested in defending a suspect though they are still trying to find the killer.  I didn't love the dynamic between Sam and Jenna.  She was a little flat and he was a bit disdainful of her abilities which made it hard to really root for them as a couple.  Overall, it was an entertaining read with a great setting and this is a series I'm looking forward to continuing.  My Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)

What have you read and enjoyed lately?

Books from the Backlog - My Life with Bob

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:  My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine and Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul

Blurb:  Imagine keeping a record of every book you've ever read. What would this reading trajectory say about you? With passion, humor, and insight, the editor of The New York Times Book Review shares the stories that have shaped her life.
Pamela Paul has kept a single book by her side for twenty-eight years—carried throughout high school and college, hauled from Paris to London to Thailand, from job to job, safely packed away and then carefully removed from apartment to house to its current perch on a shelf over her desk—reliable if frayed, anonymous-looking yet deeply personal. This book has a name: Bob.

Bob is Paul's Book of Books, a journal that records every book she's ever read, from Sweet Valley High to Anna Karenina, from Catch-22 to Swimming to Cambodia, a journey in reading that reflects her inner life—her fantasies and hopes, her mistakes and missteps, her dreams and her ideas, both half-baked and wholehearted. Her life, in turn, influences the books she chooses, whether for solace or escape, information or sheer entertainment.

But My Life with Bob isn't really about those books. It's about the deep and powerful relationship between book and reader. It's about the way books provide each of us the perspective, courage, companionship, and imperfect self-knowledge to forge our own path. It's about why we read what we read and how those choices make us who we are. It's about how we make our own stories.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I picked this up at a used bookstore and it looks like it could be really fun.  And even if it's not (I tend to either love or hate books about books) it's short so shouldn't take me very long.

The Backup Plan - Contemporary Romance Review

Goodreads:  The Backup Plan (Sunrise Cove #3) by Jill Shalvis

Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  When Alice receives a call about an unexpected windfall, she's stunned to learn the gift is a falling-apart-at-the-seams old Wild West B&B she once considered home--and she's inherited it along with two strangers. Except they weren't always strangers. Once upon a time, they were friends. One is her ex-BFF Lauren. The other is Knox, the only guy to ever break her heart, all while never even knowing she existed.

It turns out their lives are unknowingly entangled because they once separately helped the same woman without expecting anything in return. Years later, Alice, Lauren, and Knox are broken in their own way, with their own history--and secrets-- causing them to start out on the wrong foot with each other. But according to the will, they must renovate and be partners in the inn for one year or else lose their inheritance.

Stuck together, they make a list of rules to keep the peace--rules that end up doing the opposite, but by some miracle they find what they didn't even know they were looking for--acceptance, true friendship, and in a case (or two!), true love.

Genre: Romance - Contemporary

Why I Picked This Book:  I have really enjoyed other books by this author and this premise sounds too fantastic to pass up.

My Impression:   This was a fun read and definitely lived up to my expectations.  Each character is so different and has their own baggage but also has a shared past and some similar baggage.  Even though she has died before the book takes place I loved that we got the emails from Eleanor.  Not only did I get a chuckle over how she referred to her sister and herself but was nice to hear her reasonings and motivations for the inheritance.  The continually growing list of rules was also a lot of fun.

Alice, Lauren, and Knox all have some pretty real issues to overcome and work through.  They've all had tough pasts and are linked in complicated ways.  They also have very different ways of processing feelings and emotions which has led to misunderstandings in the past and at times in the present.  I enjoyed the romance but even more so I enjoyed the growing friendships as they renovate the old inn.  

This was a fun romance and story of rebuilding both an inn and friendships.  And there was Pickle who regularly stole the show.  Apparently this is the 3rd book set in this area and I'm looking forward to reading the others.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely! Jill Shalvis has long been a favorite author and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Would I Recommend this Book?   If you're looking for a fun contemporary romance with a good dose of friendship building this is a great choice.

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

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Bookish Goals for 2023

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 bookish goals so I've spent some time thinking about my 10 bookish goals for 2023.

1.  Read 200 books - I've read over 200 books in the past 2 years and I'd like to keep that going!

2.  Finish 2022 ARCs - I only have a few review books leftover from 2022 but I want to be sure I finish them before the year is over.  

3.  Finish 2023 ARCs - I'm hoping to get all my 2023 review books finished this year so I don't have any carry overs into next year.

4.  Finish my Classic Mystery List - For the last few years I've made a list of classic mysteries I want to read during the year and this year I've made a new list of books I'm really looking forward to reading.

5.  Finish on Catch Up on 10 Series - I read a lot of series and want to read even more series but I'm not so great at actually staying caught up on them or finishing them so I really want to focus on getting some read this year.

6.  Finish my Priority List - I made a list of 10 books that I'm really excited to read this year and I want to make those a priority.

7.  Read 10 Overdue Review Books - While I've done pretty good on  ARCs from the last few years I have years of overdue review books gathering dust.  I'd like to read 10 of them this year.

8.  Finish the 3 Agatha Christie play novel adaptations - These are the only three Christie books I haven't read yet and this is the year that I'm going to fix that.

9.  Read 5 Nonfiction Books - I really enjoy most nonfiction but I'm not great with getting it into my reading so I want to read at least 5 this year.

10.  Read 2 Random Book Choices - I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to do this but I want to choose 2 books at random - either through a random number generator or a random prompt generator or one of the TBR games that are out there.  Regardless of what I decide I want to pick 2 books like that.

What are your reading goals for 2023?

Fatal Fascinator - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:   Fatal Fascinator (Hat Shop Mystery #7) by Jenn McKinlay

Rating:  Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  It’s wedding season and Viv’s longtime frenemy Piper May is getting married. She convinces Viv and Scarlett to take on the job of designing the headpieces for her “wedding of the year.” The well-to-do bride and her entourage are delighted to have Viv and Scarlett as their famous hat designer guests, but the hat-making pair are really just looking forward to a getaway at a castle in Sussex. It is to be a weekend full of events, culminating in the big ceremony.

Unfortunately, on the first night of the festivities, the groom is found murdered, and the joyous holiday becomes the stuff of nightmares as no one is allowed to leave the castle until the investigation is complete. Although Scarlett assures Harrison Wentworth, her fiancé, that she and Viv will stay out of harm’s way, circumstances force them to step in when a secret affair between the deceased groom and a bridesmaid comes to light, and the murderer takes another life. Scarlett and Viv vow to unveil the killer’s identity before the wedding adds another to its death toll.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  McKinlay is one of my favorite cozy author and I've really enjoyed the other books from this author and the other books in this series. 

My Impression: It's been awhile since the last book in this series came out so I was super excited to see this new book and it didn't let me down.  Despite the challenging personalities involved in the "wedding of the year" Scarlett just can't resist a castle wedding.  I loved her enthusiasm for the grandeur of the historic building though it does sour as time goes on.

Just who had wanted to the rather dreadful groom dead and why?  Scarlett, Viv, and Andre do a bit of sleuthing which mostly consists of paying close attention to all the drama around them as well as an occasional useful bit of eavesdropping.  I really didn't know the whos and the whys until the very end when Scarlett figured it out and it was a thoroughly entertaining time getting there.

This is a light fun cozy mystery with a great setting.  If you're looking for a quick read with likable characters this is a fun series.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I've enjoyed all the books I've read by Jenn McKinlay and am looking forward to reading the early books in this series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you like light cozy mysteries this is a fun one. 

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