Life with Leukemia, a Puppy, and Some Reading - January 15

 
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:

Pall in the Family by Dawn Eastman - For some reason my library has all the books in this series I haven't read except for this one.  (Purchased)

The Cure For What Ales You by Ellie Alexander - I'm catching up this series and didn't have the latest one.  I'm really looking forward to it!  (Purchased)

Currently:

Reading:  The Backup Plan by Jill Shalvis and An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

Listening:  The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard

This has been a pretty quiet week.  Will had his chemo orally so we didn't have to go to clinic and were able to relax at home.  He's feeling pretty good and we've gotten some school done.  We are going to start volunteering at the Humane Society this week.  They have a program called Paws for Reading where we go and read in the cat room.  It's apparently to help socialize the cats and help with confidence for the kids.  My only concern is I'm allergic to cats so I'm keeping up my allergy medicine regimen.  

Rover and I started back to the various dog classes and are really enjoying it.  He still gets a bit too excited but he has made so much progress and I've learned a lot with training.  Other dog classes have started too and I'm enjoying working with a new group of dogs!  

Reading is going pretty well.  I'm sticking to my reading theme of sticking with books I'm excited about and DNF'd a book that just wasn't working for me.  

Have a great week and happy reading!

Classic Mystery List for 2023

In 2021 and 2022 I made a list of 10 classic mysteries that I wanted to be sure to read and really liked having that to focus on.  So I decided to do the same thing in 2023 and here is the list I'm looking forward to reading.

1.  The Stately Home Murder by Catherine Aird - I have read the first two books in Aird's series Inspector Sloan series and have enjoyed them both.  This involves a modern day body found in a medieval dungeon.

2.  Black Coffee by Agatha Christie and Charles Osborne - While I finished reading all of Agatha Christie's books in 2022 there are still 3 plays that were turned into novels that I have yet to read and this is the first one of those.

3.  Rolling Stone by Patricia Wentworth - I finished all of Wentworth's Miss Silver books in 2022 and now want to focus on reading her more stand alone mysteries.

4.  Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman - I have been slowly reading the Mrs. Pollifax books in order and this is the next one on the list.

5.  Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh - I read the first of Marsh's Inspector Alleyn mysteries last year and am looking forward to reading more.

6.  The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers - I love the title of this one and am trying to read more Sayers.

7.  The Great Mistake by Mary Roberts Rinehart - I've been reading some Mary Roberts Rinehart books in the last few years and really enjoying them.  They're a bit of a cross between a cozy classic mystery and a noir classic mystery.

8.  Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart - So this one isn't really a mystery by Mary Stewart landed on my classic mystery list a few books ago and I want to read more of her books.

9.  A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey - I'm giving Tey one more chance.  I really like Daughter of Time, was lukewarm about Brat Farrar and truly hated The Man in the Queue.  

10. The Sunken Sailor by Patricia Moyes - I read the first book in the Inspector Henry Tibbetts series last year and really enjoyed it so decided to continue with the series.

Do you have any classic mysteries on your TBR?

Friday Fives - Books On My TBR Set in Winter

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 looking at 5 books on my TBR that are set in winter.

1.  Bookman Dead Style by Paige Shelton - I only have the 2nd book in this 3 book series left to read and this one happens to take place in the winter!

2.  Murder Most Howl by Krista Davis - I read the most recent book in the series and really enjoyed it so now I need to go back to the beginning.

3.  Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah - I haven't read anything by Kristin Hannah but have wanting to and have heard the audio on this one is really good.

4.  How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior - This one sounds really good and there aren't that many books set in Antarctica!

5.   When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day - This is another series I really want to read and this is one I'm looking forward to reading!

Do you have any books on your TBR set during the winter?

Books from the Backlog - Murder Most Malicious

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 Most Malicious by Alyssa Maxwell

Blurb:  In post–World War I England, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady's maid, Eva Huntford, step outside of their social roles and put their lives at risk to apprehend a vicious killer. . .
December 1918: As a difficult year draws to a close, there is much to celebrate for nineteen-year-old Phoebe Renshaw and her three siblings at their beloved family estate of Foxwood Hall. The dreadful war is finally over; eldest daughter Julia's engagement to their houseguest, the Marquis of Allerton, appears imminent; and all have gathered to enjoy peace on earth, good will toward men.

But the peace of Foxwood Hall is shattered on the morning of Boxing Day, when the Marquis goes missing. Not entirely missing, however, as macabre evidence of foul play turns up in gift boxes given to lady's maid Eva Huntford and a handful of others. Having overheard her sister and the Marquis in a heated exchange the night before, Lady Phoebe takes a personal interest in solving the mystery.

As the local constable suspects a footman at Foxwood Hall, Phoebe and Eva follow the clues to a different conclusion. But both young women will need to think outside the box to wrap up this case--before a cornered killer lashes out with ill will toward them. . .

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  It's been on my NetGalley shelf gathering dust for far too long and I love historical mysteries.  This sounds like it could be a great read!

Sleep No More - Romantic Suspense Review

Goodreads:  Sleep No More (The Lost Night Files #1) by Jayne Ann Krentz

Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.

After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women's mysterious tipster.

Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

Genre: Mystery - Romantic Suspense

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoy Krentz's books (and her books under the Amanda Quick name) so I couldn't resist this one.

My Impression: I was a little nervous going into this one because it involves sleep and dreaming and sometimes her books can really get into the nitty gritty of lucid dreaming which isn't my favorite.  However, this ended up being such a fun page turning read.  

One of my very favorite things in mysteries is when characters build a team and that really sold this book for me  I loved that Pallas and Ambrose worked as partners.  They communicated well, trusted each other, and worked well together.  It was a bit of a journey getting there but it felt pretty natural and never pushed the actual plot to the side.  I liked that they talked about Pallas' podcast and Ambrose's writing and were open about their past experiences.  While both Pallas and Ambrose have some unusual talents the author never gets bogged down in the details overexplaining just what they can do and can't do.  

The conclusion wrapped up really well and kept me pulled into the last page.  I really can't wait to get to the rest of the series and find out just what happened on the Lost Nights.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  Krentz is always an auto-buy for me and this might just be my favorite one yet.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you like romantic suspense with a paranormal spin I think you would thoroughly enjoy this read.

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

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Books For the First Half of 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 my Most Anticipated Books for the First Half of 2023

1.  A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn - I really enjoy this series and I'm curious to see how it progresses after the events of the last book.

2.  An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly - I haven't come across this author before but this one looks fantastic - and it is set in Scotland!

3.  The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian - I liked the first book in this series and am hoping this upcoming book is even stronger.

4.  Identity by Nora Roberts - I love Roberts' romantic suspense titles and this one looks like a great read!

5.  A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber - I really enjoy this series so of course I have to pick up this newest book!

6.  Forget What You Know by Christina Dodd - This sounds absolutely bonkers and like a really fun read.

7.  The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner - This is a bit more supernatural than my usual reads but it looks like it could be absolutely amazing.

8.  Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murder by Jesse Q. Sutanto - This sounds like it could be really interesting.

9.  Wined and Dined in New Orleans by Ellen Byron - I enjoyed the first book in the series and this one sounds just as good.

10. Homecoming by Kate Morton - I'm so excited about this one!  I love Kate Morton's books and can't wait for this one.

What books are you looking forward to in the first half of this year?

Murder, She Wrote: Death on the Emerald Isle - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Murder, She Wrote: Death on the Emerald Isle by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

Rating:  Liked It (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Jessica Fletcher is quick to accept an invitation to replace a speaker who couldn’t attend a Book Festival in Belfast, Ireland. When her Cabot Cove neighbor Maeve O'Bannon hears about the trip, she asks Jessica to deliver some paintings to her family in the village of Bushmills. Happy to extend her travels and see more of the Irish countryside, Jessica agrees.

The festival goes off without a hitch, and it seems like Jessica is in for a relaxing vacation. But then Maeve’s cousin Michael is discovered dead under suspicious circumstances. Jessica finds herself once again in the midst of a murder investigation, and she’ll have to dig into the O'Bannon family’s secrets to unmask the killer.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This series is such comfort reading that I have to pick up the latest book.

My Impression:  This series is definitely good comfort reading.  Jessica Fletcher is one of my favorite fictional sleuths and while Seth is all the way across the Atlantic for the bulk of the book he does show up in phone conversations to weigh in on the investigation.  

I really enjoyed the Northern Ireland setting both in Belfast and in the countryside. The O'Bannon family has some serious issues and the only thing that's surprising is that it took so long for someone to murder one of them.  Besides the family there's a whole list of suspects including a very shady loan shark and some very sketchy business practices.  

While this was an enjoyable read and I'm always happy to see Jessica Fletcher solving murder it did get a bit over detailed.  While I enjoyed the descriptions of the landscape there were times the details got a bit overdone.  For example, I didn't really need to know Jessica's instructions to the laundry service at the hotel.

This was a fun and entertaining read with likable familiar characters.  While this is book 56 in the series as long as you are vaguely familiar with the setup of the television series you can jump in anywhere.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  This is always such a  good cozy series to read.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you like a good cozy mystery read this is a reliable enjoyable series.

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