Ten New Releases I Want to Read

I am absolutely terrible about keeping up with new releases but I was procrastinating about being productive and ended up scrolling through new releases on Goodreads and now I want to read pretty much all of them.  Here are ten I'm especially looking forward to reading.

1.  Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig - I just read and enjoyed a book by this author and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.  

2.  The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis - I really enjoyed a biography by Loftis that I read last year and I'm so intrigued to see that he has a biography on Corrie Ten Boom coming out .  The Hiding Place is a book I got so much out of and I'm looking forward to reading more about this remarkable woman.

3. Homecoming by Kate Morton - This is another favorite author and one that I'm so excited to see that she has a book coming out soon.  My main debate is if I want to get it in audio or print format.

4.  The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak - I'm a bit hit or miss with this author but I have really enjoyed her more fiction type books involving women who are held together by some kind of bond - either of family or friendship.  Plus how can I resist that title?

5.  Deep Tide by Laura Griffin - It's been awhile since I've read anything by this author and I really love romantic suspense so I need to pick up more of her books.

6.  Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson - I absolutely love this series and am so excited to read the next book.

7.  Shadow of Death by Heather Graham - I really loved the first book in this series about FDLE agent Amy Larson and FBI agent Hunter Forrest but was kind of meh about the second book.  I'm hoping the third book redeems the series and am looking forward to it.

8.  Identity by Nora Roberts - Roberts seems to do one romantic suspense title a year and I didn't love last year's book but this one looks really intriguing so I'm super excited to pick it up.

9.  Atlas by Lucinda Riley - I am beyond excited about this one.  I've loved the Seven Sisters series and can't wait read Pa Salt's story even if it was fully written by Riley.

10.  Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay - I love McKinlay's cozy mysteries but haven't read much of her fiction or romances.  This is about a bookworm looking for his unknown father and a non-reader chef .

Are any of these are your TBR?  What new releases are you looking forward to?

What I'm Reading Today - March 6

 

It is most definitely a Monday and I'm as tired as Rover is after a playdate on a sunny day.  Today I'm linking up with Kathryn over at Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?  Here's what I'm reading today:

Withering Heights by Dorothy Cannell - Not sure how I'm feeling about this one.  The writing style is pretty well paced but the main character is kind of annoying me.

Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas - So far so good but I'm not surprised as this series is pretty solid.

Strike Out 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton - So fun!  And also not a surprise as I've enjoyed every book in this series so far.

And I just started listening to:

Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart - I just started this one so I don't really have an opinion of it yet but I've enjoyed everything I've read by this author so far.

What are you reading today?

My Week in Reading - March 5

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:

Last week I didn't get any books.  This week more than made up for that and I'm not thinking about the Book Outlet order that is currently out for delivery!  That's a problem for next week's me.

A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly - I absolutely loved a pervious book by this author and this looks fascinating.

Strike Out 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton - I love this cozy series and have already started it.  Annoyingly, it is not listed anywhere on Goodreads yet.

Fiddling with Fate by Diane Kelly - Love this series set in Chattanooga about a moonshine store.  Can't wait to see what trouble the main character gets into next.

Digging Up Daisy by Sherry Lynn - This is the first book in a new cozy series and it sounds really fun.

Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson - I love this historical mystery series and always look forward to the new books.

Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris - Ditto above

A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas - also ditto above

Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin - I really got a lot out of The Happiness Project by this author so I'm curious to see what information this one holds.

The Last Drop of Hemlock by Katharine Schellman - I have really enjoyed another series by this author and am curious to try this one.  

Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews - This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and even if it wasn't how could I resist that title!

Identity by Nora Roberts - I may have done a bit of a happy dance featuring jazz hands when this one arrived.  I love Nora Roberts' romantic suspense books and have really high hopes for this one.

This looks even more daunting when listed out!  These are all for review from the publishers.

Currently:

Reading:  First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen and Strike Out 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton

Listening:  The Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart

This was a good week.  Will was feeling pretty good other than a bit of pain in his feet and hands.  This is an expected side effect from 2.5 years of chemo but is getting better and is expected to go away completely in a few months.  I'm feeling almost back to normal after covid except for still having a bit of a cough.  We got several days of school in and it's been very encouraging to feel like we are very slowly starting to find our footing and our routine again.  The focus for the remainder of the school year is to settle into a routine, build his stamina and attention span back up and start making progress on getting caught up.  He will also still be taking a lab science with a local group.  

This week was the last week of puppy class which made me a sad.  I always love all the puppies but there were several in this class that I really fell in love with.  Luckily we will have a new group in a few weeks.  Rover and I are finished with scent work until April but will start an Agility fundamentals class in the next few weeks along with still taking Rally.  He's doing great in Rally and I think we will be ready for a trial in the next couple of months but I'm a little worried about how he'll do in Agility.  We both have a lot to learn!  

Have a great week and happy reading!

Reading Recap - February 2023

Monthly Total: 17 - Definitely not my best month but being sick and then having my son sick really slowed me down.

Monthly Breakdown: 

Print: 6

Ebook: 5

Audio:  6

Mystery:  8

Fiction:  4

Nonfiction: 1

Romance: 4

Favorite Book of the Month:

Unearthing the Secret Garden by Marta BcDowell - This was just a joy of a reading experience  - and it made me want to reread The Secret Garden.  Apparently, the author has other books that take a look at other children's books and I'm really looking forward to picking up another book by her.

I also really loved all the mysteries I read this month with my favorites being:

A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn

Killer Keepsake by Jane K. Cleland (this series is normally a solid 3.5 stars but this one was a lot of fun and I flew through it)

Wined and Dined in New Orleans by Ellen Byron (I had been a bit meh about the first book but thoroughly enjoyed this second book)

Least Favorite Book of the Month:

I did have a DNF this month but in terms of least favorite books I read it has to be Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries.  It wasn't bad but it didn't wow me as much I was expecting.

Where My Reading Took Me This Month:

Domestic Travel:

I visited New Hampshire, Louisiana, Maryland,  New Mexico,  and Tennessee 

and revisited California and New York

International Travel:

 

I went to England multiple times this month (in multiple time periods) but no other countries

Where did your reading take you this month?

Friday Fives - March TBR

 

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.  Since this is the first Friday in February I'm picking 5 books I hope to read this month.

1.  Murder in PostScript by Mary Winters - I'm so excited to read this upcoming review book this month.  It looks like a fun new series.

2.  Dead Storage by Mary Feliz - I really liked the first book in the series when I read it years ago and am looking forward to reading the 2nd book and to getting it off my overdue review shelf.

3.  Withering Heights by Dorothy Cannell - This book has been sitting on my shelf for too long and it is one I'm excited to read.

4.  Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart - Mary Stewart is an author I'm trying to read more of and this is the next book on my list.

5.  Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - My theme for March is Ireland and magic and for the magic part of this I'm looking forward to reading this book which has been on my TBR for ages.

What books are you hoping to read in March?

Books from the Backlog - The Dress Shop of Dreams

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 Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag

Blurb:  Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires.
Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora. But magic spells—like true love—can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she’s set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  One of my themes for March is magic and this has been on my TBR for ages.  I love magical realism though I haven't read as many books as I'd like in that genre and I love the sound of this one.

Overdue Reviews - The Bride's Sister + Murder at Barclay Meadow

 

Goodreads:  The Bride's Sister (Goswell #3) by Kate Hewitt

Blurb:  England, 1868: Orphaned and penniless, 18-year-old Sarah is left the sole guardian of her beloved little sister Lucy – who she’s vowed to protect at all costs. With nowhere left to turn, she is forced to accept mysterious widower James Mills’ proposal of marriage.
She believes being his bride can’t possibly be as bad as the threat of the workhouse. But nothing prepares her for the darkness of her marriage, the shocking secrets of her new family and for the lengths she will have to go to keep her sister safe…

Now: Living in the beautiful village of Goswell, Ellen believes her family life to be idyllic… until her estranged seventeen-year-old stepdaughter Annabelle moves in and shatters the peace. Ellen fears they will never bond, until she finds a death certificate – for a woman named Sarah, from over a century earlier – hidden under the floorboards of their house, and Annabelle starts to help her unravel the mystery.

Yet as Ellen and Annabelle dig deeper into Sarah’s life and death, shocking truths, both past and present, come to light which change everything Ellen thought she knew about Sarah’s family – and the new addition to her own…

My Thoughts:  This one broke my heart a bit.  Sarah's story is such a hard one with very little relief.  I couldn't help but like her and sympathize with her as she struggles to make the best of her circumstances time and time again.  While Ellen's circumstances are nowhere near as grim she does find herself in the middle of a tough transition with no support even when everything feels like it's falling apart.  I really liked Ellen even though at times her attitude frustrated me a little.  She's in a tough situation and isn't always behaving perfectly but at the same time is receiving very little support from her husband.   This is the third book that takes place in the small town of Goswell and I was glad to see a few familiar characters though this is a true stand alone.  Hewitt made the characters really come alive and they have stuck with me long after I finished the book.  My Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Goodreads:  Murder at Barclay Meadow by Wendy Sand Eckel

Blurb:  Rosalie Hart’s world has been upended. After her husband confesses to an affair, she exiles herself to her late aunt’s farmhouse on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. With its fields untended and the house itself in disrepair, Barclay Meadow couldn’t be more different than the tidy D.C. suburb she used to call home. Just when Rosalie feels convinced things couldn’t get any worse, she finds a body floating in her marsh grasses. When the sheriff declares the death an accident, she becomes suspicious. The dead girl, Megan, reminds her of her own daughter, and she feels a responsibility to find out the truth.
Rosalie confides her doubts to her friends in her creative writing class, and they ask to join her investigation, beginning the search in earnest. Meanwhile, Rosalie works on restoring Barclay Meadow to its former glory—with help from the rugged Tyler Wells, a farmer who once leased the land. When Rosalie discovers her aunt’s favorite bread recipe on a yellowed index card, she begins baking, and with her deep love for nourishing others rekindled, she starts to feel alive again. But as she zeroes in on the truth about what happened to Megan, she begins getting ominous threats. Determined to get justice for Megan and protect the new home she’s begun to build for herself, Rosalie races to catch the killer in this deftly plotted and heartwarming debut perfect for fans of Jessica Beck and Carolyn Hart.

My Thoughts:  I didn't care for this book.  On the surface there is a lot of my favorite things - an old house, a woman starting over, and the formation of a team to solve the mystery.  Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me.  I never connected to Rosalie or the other characters which made it hard to keep them all straight.  While liking every character isn't a requirement I do want to at least have some connection to the main character.  The tone and language was a bit darker than I usually see in a cozy but didn't have the pace that I would prefer in a thriller making this not quite work in either genre.  After about 30% I just found I didn't care about the characters or the mystery.  My Rating:  Not For Me (DNF - 30%)