top-ten-tuesday

Books on my Winter 2024-2025 TBR

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 16 Comments

|| Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

(Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.)

Today’s prompt was: Books on My Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List

I am now listing my “planned reads” as “possible reads”. I look at this list as a list I can choose from in a season but it is not a strict list. I have 17 books on my possible winter reads but have brought it down to ten for this post.

I like to choose a mix of cozy and mystery reads for winter, but …. Honestly, I do that for every season.

  1. Christy by Catherine Marshall.

I have already started this one and I am enjoying it.

Description:

That Cutter Gap is right rough country. Watch yourself out there. . .

The train taking nineteen-year-old teacher Christy Huddleston from her home in Asheville, North Carolina, might as well be transporting her to another world. The Smoky Mountain community of Cutter Gap feels suspended in time, trapped by poverty, superstitions, and century-old traditions.

But as Christy struggles to find acceptance in her new home, some see her–and her one-room school–as a threat to their way of life. Her faith is challenged and her heart is torn between two strong men with conflicting views about how to care for the families of the Cove.

Yearning to make a difference, will Christy’s determination and devotion be enough?

Since its first release in 1967, Christy has sold an astonishing 10 million copies. Now the beloved story is available in a special 50th anniversary edition which includes an afterword reflecting on the success of the book and how many people Christy’s story has reached, as well as added features like a character list and a town map to enhance the reading experience for fans old and new.

2. Little Men by Louise May Alcott

I started this one in the fall but held it for winter.

Description:

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott is a heartwarming sequel to the beloved classic Little Women. Join Jo March and her husband, Professor Bhaer, as they open Plumfield, a school for boys. Immerse yourself in this charming tale of childhood, growth, and friendship.- Engage with Alcott’s gentle and insightful storytelling.- Delve into the lives of the endearing and mischievous boys of Plumfield.- Reflect on themes of education, character development, and the joys of childhood.- Experience the warmth, humor, and moral lessons woven throughout the narrative.-

3. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

I’ve heard a lot about this one – not sure if it will live up to the hype or not.

Description:

Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves
A female cop with her first big case
A brutal murder
Welcome THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club.

4. Tooth and Claw by Craig Johnson

This is a novella from the Walt Longmire Series.

Description:

In the tradition of Wait for Signs and The Highwayman, Craig Johnson is back with a short novel set in the Alaska tundra where a young Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear face off with powerful enemies who will do anything to get what they want.

Tooth and Claw follows Walt and Henry up to Alaska as they look for work after they both returned from serving in Vietnam. While working for an oil company in the bitter cold of winter, they soon encounter a ferocious polar bear who seems hell-bent on their destruction. But it’s not too long until they realize the danger does not lurk outside in the frozen Alaskan tundra, but with their co-workers who are after priceless treasure and will stop at nothing to get it.

Fans of Longmire will thrill to this pulse-pounding and bone-chilling novel of extreme adventure that adds another indelible chapter to the great story of Walt Longmire.

4. World Traveler by Anthony Bourdain

I’ve read Kitchen Confidential and really enjoyed it. I always was a huge fan of Anthony’s various travel shows.

Description:

A guide to some of the world’s most fascinating places, as seen and experienced by writer, television host, and relentlessly curious traveler Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain saw more of the world than nearly anyone. His travels took him from the hidden pockets of his hometown of New York to a tribal longhouse in Borneo, from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai to Tanzania’s utter beauty and the stunning desert solitude of Oman’s Empty Quarter—and many places beyond.

In World Travel, a life of experience is collected into an entertaining, practical, fun and frank travel guide that gives readers an introduction to some of his favorite places—in his own words. Featuring essential advice on how to get there, what to eat, where to stay and, in some cases, what to avoid, World Travel provides essential context that will help readers further appreciate the reasons why Bourdain found a place enchanting and memorable.

Supplementing Bourdain’s words are a handful of essays by friends, colleagues, and family that tell even deeper stories about a place, including sardonic accounts of traveling with Bourdain by his brother, Christopher; a guide to Chicago’s best cheap eats by legendary music producer Steve Albini, and more. Additionally, each chapter includes illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook.

For veteran travelers, armchair enthusiasts, and those in between, World Travel offers a chance to experience the world like Anthony Bourdain.

5. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

I read The Fellowship of the Ring last year and am looking forward to reading the second installment and catching up with the characters.

Description:

The Two Towers is the second part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure The Lord of the Rings.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin—alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

This continues the classic tale begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its awesome climax in The Return of the King.

6. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy

I’ve wanted to read this one since seeing a movie based on it.

Description:

First published in 1905, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” was written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. The novel is the first in a series of tales that follows the fictional main character infamously known as the Scarlet Pimpernel.

The story is set at the time of the French Revolution, which occurred in the latter part of the eighteenth century. This revolt involved the overthrow of the French monarchy. A notorious Englishman sympathetic to the crisis in the aristocratic ranks helped sneak French royals out of the country to safety across the English Channel. This Englishman was known by the name of the Scarlet Pimpernel because upon making a clean escape from the French patrols, he would leave a note describing the caper, and it would be signed with a red, star-shaped flower the English called a scarlet pimpernel.

7. The Sign of the Twisted Candles (A Nancy Drew Mystery) by Carolyn Keene

This will continue my reading of the original Nancy Drew Mystery series.

Description:

Another exciting mystery begins for the  young detective when her friends Bess and George ask her to investigate a rumor that their wealthy great-granduncle, Asa Sidney, is virtually a prisoner in his own mansion. But solving the mystery and befriending Carol Wipple, the sixteen-year-old foster daughter of the caretakers of the old mansion, nearly costs Nancy the friendship of Bess and George.

It takes all of Nancy’s sleuthing ability as well as diplomacy to save it. Nancy braves one danger after another to bring to justice the swindlers who are stealing Asa Sidney’s fortune. With only the sign of the twisted candles to guide her, Nancy uncovers hidden treasure and an amazing letter that ends a family feud and brings.

8. Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Description:

It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?

The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple into their home to investigate. Amid rumors of scandal, she baits a clever trap to catch a ruthless killer.

9. The Mystery of the Flying Express by Frank Dixon

This will be my first Hardy Boys book and it’s an original my husband picked up at a used bookstore. I’m so excited to read it.

Description:

A sleek new hydrofoil is scheduled to start ferrying passengers between Bayport and Cape Cutlass. But business enemies of the hydrofoil owner have stirred up a hornets’ nest of violent opposition among small boat owners. Fearing sabotage, he begs Frank and Joe Hardy to guard the Flying Express on her maiden trip.

Startling developments plunge the teenage detectives into a dangerous chase by sea, air, and land in pursuit of a gang of hardened criminals who operate by the signs of the Zodiac. Tension mounts when the Flying Express vanishes – and so does Sam Radley, Mr. Hardy’s skilled operative. Peril stalks Frank and Joe’s every moves as they hunt down the terrifying gangleader Zodiac Zig and his vicious henchmen.

10. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick

I saw this movie a couple of years ago and thought I would try the book.

Description: The book that inspired Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s cinematic romance starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison—one of the most passionately romantic movies ever made. • With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani.
 
Burdened by debt after her husband’s death, Lucy Muir insists on moving into the very cheap Gull Cottage in the quaint seaside village of Whitecliff, despite multiple warnings that the house is haunted. Upon discovering the rumors to be true, the young widow ends up forming a special companionship with the ghost of handsome former sea captain Daniel Gregg. Through the struggles of supporting her children, seeking out romance from the wrong places, and working to publish the captain’s story as a book, Blood and Swash, Lucy finds in her secret relationship with Captain Gregg a comfort and blossoming love she never could have predicted.
 
Originally published in 1945, made into a movie in 1947, and later adapted into a television sitcom in 1968, this romantic tale explores how love can develop without boundaries, both in this life and beyond. 

Do you have a list of books to choose from for this winter?

Top Ten Books to Read During A Storm

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 15 Comments

|| Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

(Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.)

Today’s prompt was: Books to Read During a Storm (these can be cozy/comfy reads, books with storms in them, atmospheric reads for dark and stormy nights, light reads to combat the heavy weather, etc.) (Submitted by Astilbe.)

Reading during a storm — especially a winter storm — just seems very cozy to me. I would choose comfort reads but also books that would hold my attention. I’m sure there are more than what I have listed here today, but this is what I came up with for now.

  1. The Long  Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This one is a rough read in some ways and it stresses me out when they almost run out of food because the train can’t get through but there are also fun moments in the book when the kids have a blast in the snow that just keeps coming and coming.

2. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

All of the books in this series are super cozy – even though they do deal with some tough topics later on. The first book and the book where there is a wedding are two of the coziest. Just a heads up: Home to Holly Springs is a bit of a tougher read so I don’t know if I would read that during a storm. It’s stormy enough on its own.

3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This book can be read anytime, of course, but it is especially cozy to me during a storm.

4. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

I loved Anne of Green Gables, but this one was just as good if not a little better to me.

5. Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson

This book about a family who moves to the country to try to help their father’s PTSD after World War II is full of cozy, sweet, and thought-provoking moments.

6. Hadley Beckets Next Dish by Bethany Turner

This is a fun anytime read but during a storm it would be great because it is so cheerful and relaxing. It is a romantic comedy.

7. Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

I share this one because I actually read it during a winter storm a few years ago. I couldn’t put it down. We were all trapped in the house. The Boy had a friend over and they were watching things downstairs and Little Miss was watching with them. I was upstairs, under the covers, not feeling great that day, but breezing through this book at hyper speed because I needed to know what happened.

8. The Wonderful World of James Herriot: A collection of short stories by James Herriot

I have not read this or even own it but I want to. I have read other books by Herriot and this collection may include some of the same stories but I would love to read them all again. His stories are often very, very cozy.

9. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Once I got past all the tree descriptions, I actually ended up falling in love with this book, especially the characters. I am looking forward to reading the Two Towers this next year.

10. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

This is an enchanting book and hands down my favorite to read in 2024. It’s a great book anytime but would be especially mesmerizing during a storm!

    How about you? Do you have a list of books that would be perfect to read during a storm?

    10 Christmas books to read this year

    / Lisa R. Howeler / 16 Comments

    || Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

    (Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.)

    This week we have a freebie post so now that we are in December, I thought I’d share some book ideas to get you into the Christmas or holiday feels.

    Did I just write “feels”? Oh my … I did. Let us overlook that and carry on . . .

    1. Shepherd’s Abiding by Jan Karon

    I’m starting with this one because this is one I read or read parts of each year now. It’s a favorite Christmas book for me. As my sister-in-law said last night when we were chatting, reading a Jan Karon book is like walking into a warm hug and this book is no different. It’s heartwarming, even though there are some tough topics in it, especially about Father Tim (he’s an Episcopalian priest) as he grapples with his past relationship with his late father.

    Description: Millions of Americans have found Mitford to be a favorite home-away-from-home, and countless readers have long wondered what Christmas in Mitford would be like. The eighth Mitford novel provides a glimpse, offering a meditation on the best of all presents: the gift of one’s heart.

    Since he was a boy, Father Tim has lived what he calls “the life of the mind” and has never really learned to savor the work of his hands. When he finds a derelict nativity scene that has suffered the indignities of time and neglect, he imagines the excitement in the eyes of his wife, Cynthia, and decides to undertake the daunting task of restoring it. As Father Tim begins his journey, readers are given a seat at Mitford’s holiday table and treated to a magical tale about the true Christmas spirit.

    2. A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson

    I am actually reading this one right now and am enjoying it.

    Description: In this heartwarming Christmas story, widowed Vera Swanson is feeling lonely until young Fiona Albright knocks on her door needing help. With Fiona’s mother seriously ill, Fiona asks Vera to make a special Christmas quilt for her. Vera gathers a group of women, including an artist, a chatty empty nester, and a retired therapist, to fulfill the request. Along the way, Vera discovers the joy of friendship and the warmth of a new “family” during the holiday season.

    3. Waiting for Christmas by Lynn Austin

    I have not read this one, but have heard good things about Lynn’s work.

    Decription: For the first time in her privileged life, Adelaide Forsythe won’t be swept up in it. She couldn’t be happier about the prospect of a quieter Christmas. That’s not to say her transition from Miss to Mrs. has been without challenge. Though she doesn’t regret marrying for love instead of wealth, she can barely light the hearth or cook more than burnt toast. She feels woefully unprepared to run her own household.
    Then, on the first Sunday of Advent, winter winds bring change through two unlikely means: a young orphan boy, hiding near Adelaide’s front steps, and a seasoned housekeeper who seems too good to be true.
    The boy, Jack, claims he isn’t an orphan at all and is desperate to reunite his family. Adelaide and her husband Howard work tirelessly to solve the riddle of Jack’s story, while Adelaide’s new endeavors open her eyes to a world beyond her past experience—and all the challenge and possibility it holds. As Christmas approaches, small glimmers of wonder light the way toward the answers Adaleide seeks and the most miraculous gift of all.

    4.  An Ivy Hill Christmas: A Tales from Ivy Hill  By Julie Klassen

    (I have not read this one but it sounds good.)

    Description: The younger son of Ivy Hill’s family, Richard Brockwell, hasn’t been home for Christmas for years. He prefers to live in the London townhouse, far away from everyone. His mother threatens to stop funding his carefree life–unless he comes home for Christmas. Out of options, he sets out for Ivy Hill, planning to be back on a coach bound for London and his unencumbered bachelor life as soon as the festivities are over.
    But Christmas in the country presents unforeseen surprises, including encounters with an orphaned apprentice, the first love he disappointed years ago, and Arabella Awdry, a young lady who is far more appealing than he recalled . . . and determined to have nothing to do with him.

    5. A Christmas Carol and other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens

    (have not read all of these, but have read A Christmas Carol and I did enjoy it.)

    Description: This selection of Dickens’s Christmas writings confirms his lasting influence upon our idea of the Christmas spirit: that Christmas is a time for celebration, charity, and memory.

    In addition to the beloved A Christmas Carol, this volume includes such festive works as “Christmas Festivities,” “The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton,” “A Christmas Tree,” “The Seven Poor Travellers,” The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain, and a Christmas episode from Master Humphrey’s Clock. Beyond the holly and the ivy, Charles Dickens’ writings show readers his references to societal issues in nineteenth century England that revolve around Christmas. Dickens explores issues, which relate to class and memory in order to achieve deeper meaning and human qualities for the characters he creates.

    6. A Vintage Christmas by various authors

    (I read a couple of these stories from a book similar to this last year and did enjoy them! I hope to read more from it this year. I think I actually listened to a couple too on Audible.)

    Delight lovers of classics with this timeless treasury! From Twain’s missive—penned as “Santa Claus” to his 3-year-old daughter—to charming fireside moments, this Christmas collection features 23 nostalgic tales from Alcott, Dickens, Stowe, Twain, Montgomery, and Howells, along with the poetry of Cook, Rossetti, Thackeray, Kilmer, Longfellow, and Coleridge. Includes a presentation page for personalized gifting.

    5. A Regency Christmas Wish by Various authors:

    (Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs turned me on to these types of books last year. There are various versions of these books, all with different novellas collected into one volume. I had to hunt for these books as they are not all in print anymore, with many of them only available on used sites. I tracked this one down on Thriftbooks. I read two of the novellas last year and I’m going to read a couple more this December. I am not a huge romance reader but these are very light and sweet.)

    Description: This collection of five holiday-themed Regency romances includes all-new stories by award-winning and bestselling authors Edith Layton, Emma Jensen, Sandra Heath, Barbara Metzger, and Carla Kelly. Celebrate the joys of Christmas in Regency England with five new stories by some of the most beloved Regency authors of all time. Ringing in the season with fireside warmth, holiday wishes, and Yuletide romance, these stories capture the essence of Christmas. A sparkling collection sure to delight readers all year round, with warmth, cheer, and love.

    7. Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas (2 books in 1) by Robin Jones Gunn

    Description: Two heartwarming Yuletide tales in one volume! In Finding Father Christmas, Miranda’s search for her dad leads her to England where a family welcomes her. Should she reveal her true identity and destroy their idyllic image of her parent? And in Engaging Father Christmas, Miranda plans to accept Ian’s proposal—but the Whitcomb matriarch withholds her blessing.

    8. All is Calm/All is Bright (two novellas in one) by Colleen Cobble

    Description: Curl up with this Yuletide duo! In All Is Calm, special ops agent Brendan and murder witness Lauren seek refuge at Bluebird Ranch. Can they catch the killer? And in All Is Bright, Delilah is deliberately run off the road. Sheriff Tom Bourne is determined to protect her. Will he save her from her shadowy attacker?

    9. The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

    (I have watched the movie this is based on but have not read the book.)

    Description: Imagine a Victorian England village in the Cotswolds where very little out of the ordinary ever happens . . . except at Christmas time.

    This year, Edward Haddington, a lowly candle maker, is visited by a mysterious angel. That angel silently imparts a precious gift—a gift that’s bungled and subsequently lost. The candle maker and his wife, Bea, struggle to find the gift.

    And when they do, they have to make a difficult choice. Who among their community is most in need of a Christmas miracle?

    10. You Make it Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh

    (I have not read this one yet but I’ve wanted to read one by Shiloh so I might try to squeeze it in this year.)

    Description: It’s the most wonderful time of the year–for everyone except Starr Lewis.

    As if going home for the holidays jobless and single wasn’t bad enough, she’s dragged into a holiday season full of activities leading up to her sister’s uber-romantic Christmas Eve wedding–to Starr’s ex-boyfriend. But when her brother’s best friend, Waylon Emmerson, attends their family Thanksgiving, she starts to wonder if maybe coming home for Christmas isn’t so bad after all.

    As Starr finds the perfect distraction in helping Waylon make over his late mother’s Christmas shop, the most wonderful time of the year works its magic and the spark between them grows. But with the holidays fast approaching, Starr must decide what she wants out of life after the gifts are unwrapped and the ornaments are put away–to go back to New York City or to open her heart to a love that will last beyond Christmas Day?

    Have you read any of these books? Or are you reading anything Christmas-related this year? Let me know in the comments.

    *This post is also part of the Comfy, Cozy Christmas Link Up for 2024. If you have a Christmas/holiday post you would like to share you can find the link HERE or at the top of the page here on my blog.

    Top Ten Tuesday: The Top 10 Mystery Books I Read in 2024

    / Lisa R. Howeler / 20 Comments

    || Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||


    Today’s theme: Thankful/Thanksgiving Freebie

    Since today can either be “thankful” or we can choose our own theme (this is how I am interpreting it at least), I decided to share the top ten mysteries I read in 2024. This list, of course, could change if I read another great one in December, but, for now, this is my list.

    1. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice to Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

    This was a funny, sweet, and just plain ole’ fun mystery.

    Description: Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.

    Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.

    What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?

    2. The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun

    Description: Jim Qwilleran and his cats Koko and Yum Yum try to solve a haunting mystery in a historic farmhouse in this New York Times bestseller in the Cat Who series.

    When Mrs. Cobb heard unearthly noises in the antique-filled farmhouse, she called Jim Qwilleran for help. But he was too late. It looked as if his kindly ex-housekeeper had been frightened to death—but by whom? Or what? Now Qwilleran’s moved into the historic farmhouse with his two cat companions—and Koko the Siamese is spooked. Is it a figment of feline imagination—or the clue to a murder in Moose County? And does Qwilleran have a ghost of a chance of solving this haunting mystery?

    I offered a review of this book, my favorite in the series, here: https://lisahoweler.com/2024/05/06/book-recommendation-the-cat-who-talked-to-ghosts/

    3. The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz

    Description:

    Death, deception, and a detective with quite a lot to hide stalk the pages of Anthony Horowitz’s brilliant murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne.

    “You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late . . . “

    These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine—a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

    Odd, considering he didn’t drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man’s many, many enemies did the deed?

    Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who’s really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

    But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed—even at the risk of death . . .

    4. Clueless At the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

    Description: Betti Bryant knows she’s not supposed to be a barista five years after graduating from college, but her life is actually super adorable—except for the part where she has to endure her ex-boyfriend’s musical rendition of their breakup at the coffee shop’s Open Mic Night every Friday.

    When an entire local art collection is stolen from the cafe during his performance, Betti sees her chance to persuade her panicked boss to cancel Open Mic Night, at least until the crime is solved. Instead, he announces plans to sell the beloved cafe to a real estate developer, who will demolish it. Betti believes her boss will change his mind once justice is served. So, armed with a list of drink orders from the night of the crime and the sleuthiest outfit she can find at the thrift store, she sets out to investigate the theft herself.

    If she fails, she’s promised her sister she’ll accept whatever non-adorable entry-level corporate job she can get, abandoning her ideals about finding her own path in life. The Coffee Station will close forever.

    5. Murder in An Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor

    Description:

    In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Naomi’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago.

    It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest.

    With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans and their business in danger of being shunned—murder tends to spoil the appetite—it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.

    6. Move Your Blooming Corpse by D.E. Ireland

    Description:

    t’s early summer in 1913 London. So Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins are off to the races for Royal Ascot Week in this re-release of the second installment in a mystery series inspired by the characters of ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Pygmalion’. Professor Higgins and former Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle take center stage once again as they plunge headlong into the world of Edwardian horse racing, adulterous aristocrats, and the women’s suffrage movement.

    Eliza Doolittle has joined Professor Higgins’ household as a fellow phonetics teacher. However, their lessons are put on hold when they attend this year’s Ascot race. An event more exciting than usual because Eliza’s father, Alfred Doolittle, is now part owner of a racehorse called the Donegal Dancer. But disaster soon unfolds on the track and in the stables, where someone has been killed with a pitchfork. Even worse, the victim was one of the co-owners of the Donegal Dancer! The initial assumption is that the murderer was a jealous lover or spouse . . . until two weeks later when festivities at the Henley Royal Regatta take a deadly turn.

    Eliza and Higgins now suspect the murderer is making an appearance every time the owners of the Donegal Dancer get together. To prevent her father from becoming the next target, Eliza joins forces with Higgins to track down the murderer. But is the killer a notorious escaped madman, or someone who wants sole ownership of the prizewinning horse?

    With the next horse race fast approaching, Eliza and Higgins fear they may not be able to protect her father until the end of the tumultuous racing season. If so, then no one will cross the finish line alive.

    7. How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

    Description:

    It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

    In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

    As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

    8. The Gardener’s Plot by Deborah J. Benoit

    Description:

    A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots on opening day.

    After life threw Maggie Walker a few curveballs, she’s happy to be back in the small, Berkshires town where she spent so much time as a child. Marlowe holds many memories for her, and now it also offers a fresh start. Maggie has always loved gardening, so it’s only natural to sign on to help Violet Bloom set up a community garden.

    When opening day arrives, Violet is nowhere to be found, and the gardeners are restless. Things go from bad to worse when Maggie finds a boot buried in one of the plots… and there’s a body attached to it. Suddenly, the police are looking for a killer and they keep asking questions about Violet. Maggie doesn’t believe her friend could do this, and she’s going to dig up the dirt needed to prove it.

    9. The Case of the Whistling Bagpipes by Carolyn Keene

    Description:

    Warnings not to go to Scotland can’t stop Nancy Drew from setting out on a thrill-packed mystery adventure. Undaunted by the vicious threats, the young detective – with her father and her two close friends – goes to visit her great-grandmother at an imposing estate in the Scottish Highlands, and to solve the mystery of a missing family heirloom.

    And there is another mystery to be solved: the fate of flocks of stolen sheep.
    Baffling clues challenge Nancy’s powers of deduction: a note written in the ancient Gaelic language, a deserted houseboat on Loch Lomond, a sinister red-bearded stranger in Edinburgh, eerie whistling noises in the Highlands. Startling discoveries in an old castle and in the ruins of a prehistoric fortress, lead Nancy closer to finding the solution to both mysteries.

    10. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

    Description: A delightfully clever new mystery from creator of BBC One’s hilarious murder mystery series Death in Paradise

    Meet Judith: a seventy-seven-year-old whiskey drinking, crossword puzzle author living her best life in a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of Marlow.

    Nothing ever happens here. That is, until Judith hears her neighbor shot while skinny-dipping in the Thames. The local police don’t believe her story. It’s an open and shut case, of course. Ha! Stefan can’t be left for dead like that.

    Judith investigates and picks up a crew of sidekicks: Suzie the dogwalker and Becks the vicar’s wife. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

    When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

    Robert Thorogood, has turned the Christie-mystery on its head with this ever-so-sly cozy perfect for readers who love Richard Osmond’s Thursday Murder Club and An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good.

    Have you read any of the books on this list? What were your impressions of them?

    Top Ten Tuesday: Oldest books on my TBR

    / Lisa R. Howeler / 20 Comments

    || Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

    This week the prompt was: Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR (submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits)

    I wrote mine in order from earliest to latest:

    Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (1813)

    Emma by Jane Austen (1815)

    The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas and Auguste Maquet (1844 to 1846)

    A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859)

    Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott (1886)

    Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (1871)

    Emily of New Moon by L.M.  Montgomery (1923)

    Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery (1937)

    Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (1952)

    What are some of the oldest books on your TBR?

    Top Ten Tuesday: Ten books with cats on the cover

    / Lisa R. Howeler / 16 Comments

    || Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

    Today the theme was top ten covers with [an item of your choice] n the front and I chose top ten covers with cats because I have a lot of books with cats on the front. That’s probably because I read a lot of cozy mysteries and cozy mystery readers and authors like cats in their books and on their covers. Sometimes they barely mention a cat in the book but they still put a cat on the cover. Cozy mystery readers and authors also like dogs but today I went with bookcovers with cats on them.

    1. The Cat Who Sniffed Glue by Lilian Jackson Braun

    When I looked through my The Cat Who books I was actually surprised by how many of the covers didn’t have cats on them. They had paw prints, but no actual cats. It looks like there are some knock-off covers online but those are not the official covers so I did not include them. A couple of the books, such as this one, did have cats on them, though.

    2. The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

    I have not read this one yet but I hope to this winter. I have had it on my list for a while and planned to read it but got distracted by some other books first. Yes, the story of my life.

    2. Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flowers.

    The cat is part of the story in this series but not a huge part. The fox pictured here is more a part than the cat.

    4. Read and Buried by Eva Gates

    I’ve only read one book in this series and it was pretty good. From what I remember, the cat was a big part of it.

    5. A Fatal Footnote by Margaret Loudon

    This one was on my fall TBR but I don’t think I’m going to get to it so I am pushing it off until winter. My daughter picked this one out because of the cat, which looks a lot like our cat Scout.

    6. Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey

    I don’t really remember there being cats in this book but I liked the cats on the cover at least.

    7. We’ll Prescribe You A Cat by Syou Ishida

    I have not read this one yet, but it is on my list and I like the name because cats often help me when I don’t feel well or I am down. Sometimes they drive me crazy too.

    8. Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing by Lisa R. Howeler

    Yes this is my book but it has a cat on the front so…I shamelessly added it. It is on sale on Amazon and can also be read on Kindle Unlimited if you are interested. *wink*

    9. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

    This is a writing craft book that I have read part of and would like to read more of but have put it somewhere and can’t find it.

    10. The Crime That Binds by Laurie Cass

    I’ve had this one on my shelf for over a year so I really hope to get it read soon. This series looks so good and I am interested to see how the cat fits in to the story.

    How about you? Do you have books with either cats on the cover or a lot of books with similar images?

    Top Ten Tuesday: Top ten musicians to listen to while reading that also might put you to sleep.

    / Lisa R. Howeler / 8 Comments

    || Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

    Today is a Halloween freebie so I am making a list of the top ten musicians to listen to while reading that might also put you to sleep.

    1. Diana Krall

    My husband turned me on to Diana Krall and I used to play her music to help calm my son when he was a baby and to help him fall asleep. We listened to Diana up until he was probably 5 or 6 to fall asleep and he said the other day that he has a type of Pavloveyn response to her music because no matter where he is and hears it, he immediately wants a nap. I can say the same thing because one time The Husband and I were in Barnes and Noble (many years ago because we have not been to one in probably a decade) and Diana came on. I immediately looked at the comfy chair I was standing next to and considered a nap.

    2. Frank Sinatra

    The best album of his to listen to for reading or dreaming is The Wee Small Hours

    3. Nat King Cole

    Just about any Nat King Cole album will do but I love any of his albums with a lot of ballads on them for this purpose

    4. Miles Davis

    Kind of Blue is a good album choice for this one

    5. Harry Connick Jr

    Harry has some peppier albums so I stick with his more mellow tunes but one of my favorite albums of his is Red Light, Blue Light

    6. Alison Krauss

    You’re either going to relax or cry listening to her.

    7. Rachael & Vilaray

    A recent duo for me suggested to me by The Husband

    8. Michael Buble

    Don’t listen to his fast stuff or you will have to get up and dance and sing because his music just makes people happy. Stick to the smooth, easy going songs or albums.

    9. JJ Heller

    I don’t remember how I discovered JJ Heller but I listened to her lullaby album to  help Little Miss sleep and now when I hear songs from the album I burst into tears remembering those wonderful days of naptime with a newborn, infant, and toddler, cuddling and just connecting as JJ’s music played in the background.

    I always imagine that heaven will just be full of those moments – reliving those special times with our children and loved ones over and over again.

    10, Vince Gill

    Specifically his box set These Days. This is another set of albums I listened to when The Boy was little. I love the jazz album for sleeping/reading and just every other album for anytime listening. I combined him and Allison for this clip —  love this song.

    Bonus:

    Elliot James Reay

    I discovered this guy while looking up these videos so I am adding him as bonus.

    So how about you? Do you like to listen to music while you read? What are your go to genres or musicians?
    (I’d also add classical music to this list, personally, but didn’t choose any to share this time around. Maybe a future list!)

    Top Ten Tuesday: How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time

    / Lisa R. Howeler / 18 Comments

    || Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

    Today’s topic is: How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time (submitted by Lydia @ https://lydiaschoch.com)

    I don’t really know how to do this as a top ten list so I thought I’d just chat about it.

    I started reading fiction fairly consistently when I was a kid and then even more when I was a teenager. When I was a “kid” – like under the age of 13 – I read books like the Little House series and the Chronicles of Narnia and sometimes I used a flashlight to finish a chapter because Mom had said I needed to go to bed and shut my light off but I didn’t want to go to bed yet.

    I never read books quickly but I consistently had a book with me when I was a teenager. Back then I read mainly historical fiction and some clean/Christian romance. Now I read mainly mysteries – clean and cozy mainly.

    In high school I got in trouble at least twice for reading in class. It’s not my fault my Roman-based epic was way more interesting than the football coach rambling about driver safety. Or a book from that same series (The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers) was way more interesting than my history teacher who never really taught but mostly talked about football because he was the other football coach. Huh. Coincidence there? I think not.

    I remember my mom came to a parent teacher conference, holding one of those books because we had picked it up at the local Christian bookstore (which only lasted about two years in our tiny community) and the teacher said, “Oh. Is that one of those books you got caught reading in class the other day?”

    My mom, with her quick wit, said, “Yes, it probably is but it is based in history at least.”

    I don’t think she meant that as a slam against that teacher but he was the one who used to start classes each year by holding up the text book and saying, “You can take this an use it to prop up a window.” Then he’d spend the rest of the year talking about who knows what from the front of the classroom with very little of it being actual history.

    The only thing I remember from his class is how he told us all not to mess around with pimples and other spots on our skin because his mom had one she didn’t get checked and it was cancer. I don’t know if she died from it or not but that unlocked a new fear for me.

    In college I mainly read textbooks. I didn’t seem to have time for reading fiction. I started working full time my senior year of college and there was no time for reading. I was taking classes twice a week and working like 60 hours a week, sometimes seven days. That’s about the time I killed my thyroid and my mental health but I was young and stupid.

    I don’t really remember picking many fiction books back up again until a few years ago when I really got back into reading again. When I had my kids I was working full time at newspapers or writing blog posts or completely immersed in photography and homeschooling while taking care of kids. I didn’t take a lot of time for myself or to escape the stress of life by reading fiction. I wish I had because it would  have helped all the stress back then.

    Now I always have a hard copy of a book and my Kindle in my purse or with me wherever I go. I may not always read the book but I have it with me “just in case.” Instead of watching TV or surfing online all the time, I now carve out time for reading, even on the days I think I don’t feel like reading. I’ll find that once I start reading, I get caught up in the story and I start to relax and forget about all the things I was stressed about. I think I recently heard that reading even 15 minutes a day can help a person relax and reset their emotional state. Something like that anyhow. I don’t know – just go with it and pretend I’m smart. *wink*

    Now that I am reading more, I have gotten caught up more than once with feeling like I have to read what other people are reading instead of what I want to read. It’s crazy that even at my age I can be influenced by what is popular or talked about a lot or what others say I should or shouldn’t read. Luckily, I have pushed aside a lot of that in the last year and now I really am reading what I want to read.

    Sure, I see recommendations and sometimes I take them but I don’t just read a book because a lot of people claim it is good. Yes, I have read books that I’ve seen recommended a few times, but I don’t feel like I have to anymore. I do it because the book actually interests me.

    Honestly, I find myself leaning away from books that are heavily recommended more than I lean toward them. I’ve been burned more than once by books that were supposed to be so amazing and then turned out to be complete duds or pushed agendas or morals that didn’t fit with mine.

    Becoming an independent author opened my eyes to the publishing world and how reviews can be bought, essentially, or reviewers can be swayed to give a book a good review because they either don’t want to be excluded from other advanced reader groups or because they don’t be the one to step out of line and say, “I didn’t like this book everyone else liked.”

    Before this year I was susceptible to getting wrapped up in all those “BookTok” (not on TikTok though. What a nightmare that app is!) “Bookstagram” drama sessions about – well, everything about reading. This year, though, I couldn’t care less what some Bookstagrammer says I should or shouldn’t read or what I shouldn’t or shouldn’t say on social media.

    I read books, I share about the ones I like, I move on. Life is way too short to be so dramatic about reading. Good grief. Reading is for leisure and enjoyment. There was a time when only the rich could read books and then it became so everyone could read books as long as they had a good education and were taught to read.

    Now we teach children to read at a young age so the world is opened wide to them. They can learn so much from books – fiction and non-fiction. This can be a bad thing, of course, if the subject matter is not age appropriate but in the vast majority of cases being able to read is a wonderful thing.

    Because reading is a gift, I don’t believe we should try to finish books that don’t bring us joy. I do not continue reading a book I am not connecting with. A couple of years ago I made way too many commitments to read books and review them without knowing what I was really getting into. This year I have been reading books because I want to.

     I read a couple of books for author friends and ran into trouble because the books were okay but they simply weren’t for me. Then what do I do? I don’t want to keep reading the book simply because the person is a friend if it is taking the joy out of reading for me. That’s why I’m now deciding that if I do read a book by an author friend, I’m not going to tell them I am reading it in case I don’t enjoy it.

    Life is too short to read books qw aren’t enjoying. This is something I’ve heard said in reading circles again and again and it is something that we readers need to heed more.

    Sometimes I do break my own “rules”, though. I’m reading one right now that isn’t one I’d probably finish if it was just me reading for fun, but I’m reading it to review for a magazine. Just because the book isn’t really for me, doesn’t mean it won’t be for someone else. The fact I am pushing myself through this book, though, has made me decide I probably won’t be doing reviews for magazines anymore unless I have already read the book first and enjoyed it.

    My motto the rest of this year and next, therefore, is to read what I want and review it only if I want to.

    I hope I can keep up with that because taking the pressure off something that should be done for enjoyment and relaxation is what I really need in my life right now.

    How has what and how you read changed over the years?

    Top Ten Tuesday: 8 books I Read Because of the Hype — and 2 I avoided because of the hype

    / Lisa R. Howeler / 28 Comments

    || Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

    Today’s topic is: Books I Read/Avoided Because of the Hype (and did you make the right choice?)

    For this one, I decided to share eight books I read because of the hype and two I avoided.

    First, the ones I read because of the hype:

    How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristin Perin

    It was the hype on Netgalley that hooked me on this one. Reviewers were calling it the Knives Out of mystery books so I decided to give it a go and I ended up really enjoying it – with the exception of a couple issues and two unnecessary swear words.

    The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

    I’ve heard a lot about this book over the years and had seen the movie years ago so figured I needed to give it a try. I ended up enjoying it but wanted more from the ending.

    Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott

    I think I got sick of women gushing about this book and having no idea what they were talking about. I’d seen a few versions of the movie but never read the book. Now that I have I think the book lived up to the hype. I fell in love with the book and plan to re-read it each Christmas season now.

    Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

    I’ve heard a lot about this classic book over the years, but, again, never read it. I finally did that last year as part of my son’s English curriculum and ended up feeling like the book did live up to the hype.

    The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

    After all of my family fell all over these movies and my much, much older brother read it in high school or college or whatever (I can’t remember. It was sooo long ago.), I figured I’d better try it too. I didn’t think I was going to make it because of all the tree descriptions but I ended up falling in love with the characters and, in the end, the book. I can’t read to read the other two installments.

    The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kipp by Sara Brunsvold

    This was huge in Christian Fiction circles when it came out.

    I think the hype is warranted for this one but I’ve never been able to actually finish it. Not because it isn’t good but because the topic is heavy and I have older parents and I’m struggling with that so the topic of an elderly woman with a terminal illness is a hard one for me to read. I do plan to finish it though.

    The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham

    In this instance, I didn’t make the right choice for me. I found the main characters irritating, the marriage of convenience trope ridiculous, and the suggestive comments about the sex the morning after really uncomfortable, even though they weren’t graphic. This was a Christian fiction book and this book and the reaction of Christian readers to it, was particularly grating to me because I was condemned for a kiss scene in one of my books by Christian readers but they had no issues with this author’s main character being giddy over getting to have sex with the man she was “forced” to marry and then daydreaming about their night together the next morning for a full page and a half.

    It was weird to me but I’ve learned there are as many hypocritical Christian fiction readers out there as there are crooked politicians. It’s weird the things Christian Fiction readers will embrace and the things they will reject. It seems to change every other month or so. I have just never understood the readers of that genre and their absolute love for marriage of convenience books.

    That trope is so disgusting to me – being forced to marry someone you don’t love and then supposedly falling in love with that person. I mean what cheap thrill do these women get out of that? I have no earthly idea.

    The Mysterious Affair of Styles by Agatha Christie

    I had heard a lot about this first Poirot book within the cozy mystery reader circle over the years and so when my husband suggested it, I decided to give it a go. I ended up really liking it but not liking the antisemitism buried in some places. Great story, but Agatah had some issues there, which is something I wrote about on the blog earlier this year.

    Two books I avoided because of the hype:

    50 Shades of Gray

    Yes, this self-proclaimed prude tried this book because I had NO idea what it was about. I barely made it into it when it hit me what was going on and the book was returned to Amazon for a full refund and I never touched it again. Sex is one thing. Abuse and domination is another and I do not read those kinds of books at all.

    Fourth Wing

    I know. I know. But ….just not my thing. Not a fantasy or a smut reader so I avoided it. So many people loved this book and if you did – that’s awesome. It’s just not my thing. That’s all!

    What are some of the books you read or avoided because of the hype?