A Simple Deduction by Kristi Holl is part of the Amish Inn Mystery series published by Annie’s Fiction.
The series is written by different authors but features the same characters and location.
Description:
Liz is offering something new, A Sherlock Holmes weekend. She asks for help from a magician to pickpocket the participants and then give the items to Liz for safekeeping. But more possessions start to disappear even with people locking their doors. Liz needs the help of all her sidekicks to solves this mystery.
My thoughts:
I have read two other books in the series before this one and when I started this one, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it as well as the other two books written by Rachael O’Phillips. Once I got into it, though, I was swept up in the mystery and wanted to know what had happened.
In this book, Liz Eckhardt, the main character, hosts a mystery weekend at her Amish-themed inn. Liz isn’t Amish herself but her mother was before leaving the order and her friends are as well.
Her friends Sadie and Mary Ann own a sewing supply shop that they run out of the other side of the inn, renting the space from Liz.
In this story, Liz is caught up in her planned mystery and also some thefts that happen that are unrelated to the mystery weekend.
She has six guests staying at her inn and thinks that they will have a nice weekend but when personalities clash and possessions of the guests start disappearing, she has a bad feeling things aren’t going to go as well as she hoped.
I felt like I was able to get to know Liz and her friends better in the other two books. In this book her character felt very flat for the majority of the book. I wanted to know a little bit more about her as a person – her likes and dislikes, etc. but I didn’t really get that until halfway through.
It turned out to be fine, though, because I became more interested in the mystery itself and still found Liz and her friends likable. I would have liked there to have been more of Sadie and Mary Ann like there were in previous books, but again, I still enjoyed the book.
This was a very clean cozy mystery with some prayer mentioned, but no faith message at all other than some mention of forgiveness.
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, whatthe rest of the familyand I have been reading and watching, andwhat I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.
What a weird coincidence this week that Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and I watched a movie with Maggie Smith and a day after we posted out those she passed away. We had watched Ladies in Lavender with her and Judi Dench and wrote about it and then that night I was thinking how upset Judi would be when Maggie passed away. I also wondered which “dame” would actually pass away first – I thought it might be Joan Plowright.
The next morning Erin texted me to tell me that Maggie had died and I honestly felt like I had lost a friend. I haven’t even watched her very much in things like Downton Abbey or Harry Potter (though I did watch Harry Potter with the kids just recently). I stopped watching Downton when they killed Matthew off. It ticked me off so bad I refused to watch the show again.
I’ve seen Maggie in a few movies since then, though, and just sort of fell in love with her spunk and attitude, but also a tenderness I saw in her.
I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I cried more over her death than the death of my mother-in-law the week before – partially because I had more sentimental connection with Maggie – whom I’ve never met – that my husband’s mother. That’s a very long, sad story that I won’t go into here.
I was looking for clips of Maggie to share on Instagram since I had a clip of her and Judi and Joan Plowright from Tea With the Dames go viral last year on my Instagram, when I remembered I had seen that she’d been on The Carol Burnett Show one time.
If you want to see that clip, I’ll share it below in my What I’ve Been Watching section.
I’m really hoping to watch an Agatha Christie movie with Maggie that I just learned about Friday as well.
What I/we’ve been Reading
I was working on the third book in my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series last week so I didn’t read as much as I could have.
Therefore I am still reading the same books I was reading – Move Your Blooming Corpse by DE Ireland and Kristen by Dawn Klinge, but have added The Secret at Red Gate Farm, a Nancy Drew to the mix.
I finished nothing! Nothing, people! See above. *wink*
Murder Handcraftedby Isabella Alan (An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery)
The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lilian Jackson Braun
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Little Miss and I are readingThe Four Story Mistakeby Elizabeth Enright via Hoopla.
The Husband is readingFear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail 1972by Hunter S. Thompson
The Boy is listening to Beowulf and a book of short stories.
What We watched/are Watching
Last week I rewatched most of Ladies in Lavender to write about it for our Comfy, Cozy Cinema, since I’ve seen it before.
I mentioned above that I enjoyed watching Maggie Smith and Judi Dench in the movie and then the next day Maggie passed away. It was heartbreaking.
Erin and I have a few movies with either Judi or Maggie or both in it on our Comfy, Cozy Cinema this time around and I swear we didn’t do it on purpose. We both chose movies on our own and then whittled the list down, not even thinking about who was starring in them. We both even forgot about Judi and Maggie being in a couple of the movies.
This weekend I’ve been watching some clips of Maggie from various shows or interviews, including this one from The Carol Burnett Show:
I had no idea Maggie sang until I saw this clip with her and Carol on YouTube:
I have also been continuing to watch Lovejoy, an old British show that sometime has a mystery and sometimes just a conman story. I hated how this series ended so I’ve watched it before but seem to have forgotten some of the episodes so I am rewatching them. This is a show my husband always watched and turned me on to.
(I appreciated this non-partisan and just straight review of J.D. Vance’s book. Not a fan of him as a politician but I’m also not a fan of any politician at this time.)
(This one is a little biased on my part, but this was a really nice review of my book Cassie.)
Now it’s your turn
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
Today for Fiction Friday I am interviewing Dawn Klinge who has a new book out. Kristen is the ninth book in the Apron Strings Book Series, a multi-author series I am also a part of.
Each book can be read as a standalone with the only connecting factor being an old-fashioned cookery (recipe) book called Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book. Each book takes place in a decade from 1920 to 2020.
Dawn’s book takes place in 2002.
First, a little about the book:
Kristen Borstad has always taken the scenic route through life. It’s 2002; fresh out of university with a master’s degree in English literature, she returns to the cozy ambiance of the local bookshop she’s worked at throughout college.
When the bookshop’s owner presents Kristen with an opportunity to take charge for a few months, she accepts. As she delves into the daily responsibilities, Kristen begins to discover her passion for the job.
Amidst the book-lined shelves, Kristen hires an employee who ignites a flame within her heart. As their friendship blossoms, Kristen grapples with conflicting emotions, unsure if the love she’s found is just a delightful distraction or a signpost pointing her toward the future she truly desires.
Will Kristen realize that her dreams have been waiting for her right in front of her eyes? Or will she continue her quest for fulfillment, forever searching for what might already be within her grasp?
Join Kristen on a tender and uplifting journey as she navigates the crossroads of life, faith, and love. In this heartwarming tale, discover the extraordinary potential that lies within embracing the present and opening one’s heart to the unanticipated blessings of life’s sweetest surprises.
Now a little interview with Dawn:
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Writing has been a source of joy since childhood, but for years, I hesitated to call myself a writer. It wasn’t until fifteen years ago that I finally mustered the courage to claim that title, though in truth, my path had always been quietly preparing me for a life dedicated to storytelling.
I experienced the thrill of seeing my words in print at the age of eight when I entered a children’s magazine contest and was delighted to see my story about a teddy bear named Growly published. At the time, I began telling others I wanted to be an author—until the practical voices of adults warned me about the difficulties of making a living from writing.
Though I considered studying history after high school, I followed a more practical path and earned a degree in special education, teaching at the elementary level for several years. Yet writing remained a quiet but persistent calling. About eighteen years ago, I started a blog that reignited my desire to write for an audience. It became a creative outlet where I experimented with voice and tone, receiving feedback from readers and honing my skills. These years spent writing nonfiction for platforms like Grown and Flown and Crosswalk gave me my first taste of working with editors, an experience that built my confidence and prepared me to pursue my true passion: writing fiction.
Despite knowing the challenges of fiction writing, I understood that I had to write. It’s an integral part of who I am. As an avid reader, I’ve always recognized the power of stories to inspire and positively influence others. With my deep love for history and research, I naturally gravitated toward historical fiction, where I could blend rich historical settings with compelling characters. This passion led me to self-publish several historical romance novels: Sorrento Girl, Biltmore Girl, and Palmer Girl. I have also experimented with writing contemporary romantic fiction with my books America’s Favorite Christmastown and Kristen.
Currently, I am enrolled in Oxford University’s Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing program, where I’ve had the opportunity to explore various forms of writing, including short fiction, life writing, screenplays, and stage plays.
2. What is your latest book about? Who are the main characters and when and where does it take place?
My latest book, Kristen, is about a young woman learning what it means to rest as a beloved child of God. She’s an achiever who has been looking in the wrong places for approval, and now, right out of college, she’s at a crossroads, trying to decide what’s next. The story takes place in 2002 in the small town of Moscow, Idaho.
3. Did you learn anything about writing or yourself as you were writing the book?
I’m still undergoing the same journey I put in front of Kristen. I saw a lot of myself in this character. Learning to balance being and doing in my spiritual life is a lifelong pursuit.
5. Where can readers find out more about you and your projects?
I’m so glad you are here and participating in our weekly link-up of family-friendly, fun, educational, interesting, crafty, fashionable, and whatever else posts. I hope you’ll tell your followers about our post (feel free to copy and paste the graphic) and visit the blogs in the link-up.
Now it is your turn to link up your favorite posts. They can be fashion, lifestyle, DIY, food, etc. All we ask is that they be family-friendly. You can link up posts from last week or even from years ago. You can share up to three links each week.
We are always looking for additional hosts so let us know if you want to help out and we are also looking for more links from fashion bloggers so let your fashion bloggers know!
Also, please take the time to visit the other blogs on the link-up and meet some new bloggers!
Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I are watching Comfy, Cozy movies this September and October and this week we are discussing Ladies in Lavender.
Ladies in Lavender stars Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. It was released in 2004 and was written and directed by Charles Dance, who is also a well-known British actor (Game of Thrones). It was his directorial debut. The screenplay that Dance wrote, according to information online, is based on a short story by the same name written by William Locke in 1908. I also thought it was interesting to find out that a play based on the movie was later developed.
I watched it on Amazon Prime for free (with a membership) but it is also free on Peacock, Tubi, the Roku Channel, and PlutoTV.
Janet (Maggie Smith) and Ursula Widdington (Judi Dench) are spinster sisters living in a small coastal English town. Their life is pretty slow and mundane from what we can tell at first. They clean and knit and have tea but not much else.
One morning Ursula is looking out her upstairs window when she sees a man on the beach. She and her sister run to him and with the help of the local doctor bring him inside. They believe he’s been washed up from a shipwreck of some sort.
As they nurse him back to health they realize he doesn’t speak English. After some effort they discover he speaks Polish and his name is Andrea (Daniel César Martín Brühl González – A German/Spanish actor who is known to comic book fans as Helmut Zemo/Baron Zemo).
Since this is right before World War II this makes the people in the small town a bit anxious when they learn of where he’s from later on. It doesn’t help that there is also a woman living in the area who speaks German. This puts everyone on edge but at the same time, people begin to like Andrea when he is able to move around.
First, he is nursed back to health by Janet and Ursula and Ursula teaches him some English.
At one point Janet is playing piano downstairs. Andrea has been upstairs recovering and when he hears the music he covers his ears and asks for it to stop. Janet has a book of German and knows a few words so she finds a way to communicate with him and learns he loves music but prefers the violin. So the ladies find the local fiddler player who plays a few tunes for the recovering Andrea. We can tell that Andrea is trying to be polite but that he’s not excited by the man’s inferior performance. He asks if he can play the fiddle and ends up kicking a much more polished and classical version of the folk song out, which tells us he is an accomplished violinist.
I won’t lie – I did worry that this movie was going to go a bit weird at one point because Andrea had to stay with the sisters while he recovered and Ursula became very infatuated with him but it didn’t go where I worried it would.
To explain a bit without giving too much away – Judi Dench’s character becomes enamored with Andrea and though she knows she’s too old for him she sort of imagines what it would like to be younger and be able to fall in love with him.
Both she and her sister really become attached to him but more in a matronly way for Maggie Smith’s character. They both want to take care of him. He brings such happiness and love into their lonely lives. He brightens their otherwise mundane existence and reveals to them experiences they never had – being wives and mothers.
They are afraid he will leave them when they see his talent and they see the German woman, who is also an artist, speaking to him and becoming friends with him.
This is a very artistic movie with beautiful scenery, superb acting, and a sweet story. I wouldn’t say it is the best movie I’ve ever seen as if feels like there was more that could have been done with some of the characters – especially Andrea who I would have liked to know more about in regards to his background and upbringing.
Still, I enjoyed this one and find it a very comfy, cozy watch since the characters are so endearing. The sisters are caring and sweet in their own ways and the housekeeper is very funny. She’s a bit rough on the edges but even she becomes attached to Andrea.
The short story that the movie was based on was first published in Collier’s magazine and later included in a book of other short stories by Locke called Faraway Stories in 1916.
Dance said Smith and Dench were the only ones considered for the roles and if he had not been able to get them, he wouldn’t have made the movie. He asked them when they were in a play together and accepted the offer without even seeing the script.
This was González’s first English-speaking movie. I also thought it was very interesting that he did not play the violin in the movie. Instead, it was the famous violinist Joshua Bell.
I thought it was interesting that we chose this as a comfy, cozy movie for this year and a New York Times critic said of the movie “[Dench and Smith] sink into their roles as comfortably as house cats burrowing into a down quilt on a windswept, rainy night… This amiably far-fetched film… heralds the return of the Comfy Movie…”
Next up on our Comfy, Cozy Cinema is Kiki’s Delivery Service.
And here is a list of the rest of the movies we are watching through November.
Feel free to link up your own impressions of the movies at our link-ups. The links close at the end of the week but feel free to leave your blog post on future link-ups, even if it is for another movie.
This week’s prompt is to list our Autumn To Be Read list. I actually already did this a couple of weeks ago so this is a bit of a rehash, but I’ve added a couple of new ones since I have found a couple of books that have caught my attention too. And, yes, there are more than 10 books here so I broke the rules.
Here is the list of books I’ll be choosing from for September, October, and November – with new ones being thrown in from time to time, I’m sure.
An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey
I actually just finished this one this weekend and it was pretty good. I love the bantering between Lady Hardcastle and her maid as they solve mysteries and fight crime.
There were a few slow sections but I still enjoyed the book. Lady Hardscastle has the best lines. I’ll share some of them when I share a book review later this week..
Description:
They’re hoping this visit is a return journey—but it might be a one-way ticket to murder.
July 1912. Lady Hardcastle and her tenacious lady’s maid, Florence Armstrong, are enjoying a convivial gathering at the home of their dear friends, the Farley-Strouds. The only fly in the idyllic ointment seems to be the lack of musical entertainment for the forthcoming summer party—until, that is, Lady Hardcastle’s brother Harry calls with news of a murder.
Harry dispatches them to Bristol on behalf of the Secret Service Bureau, with instructions to prevent the local police from uncovering too much about the victim. It seems an intriguing mystery—all the more so when they find a connection between the killer and an impending visit from an Austrian trade delegation, set to feature a very important guest…
Summoned to London to help with some very important security arrangements, the intrepid duo will have to navigate sceptical bureaucrats, Cockney gangsters and shadowy men in distinctive hats in their attempts to foil an explosive—and internationally significant—threat.
Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett
I kept saying I am going to read this one but I could never find a copy unless I bought it new and I didn’t want to in case I didn’t like it. None of the local libraries had it and Libby didn’t either (for my library anyhow) so I finally found an audio version of it on Hoopla and am listening to it now.
Description:
A man who can’t read will never amount to anything–or so Nate Webber believes. But he takes a chance to help his family by signing up for the new Civilian Conservation Corps, skirting the truth about certain “requirements.” Nate exchanges the harsh Brooklyn streets for the wilds of Yellowstone National Park, curious if the Eden-like wonderland can transform him as well.
Elsie Brookes was proud to grow up as a ranger’s daughter, but she longs for a future of her own. After four years serving as a maid in the park’s hotels, she still hasn’t saved enough money for her college tuition. A second job, teaching a crowd of rowdy men in the CCC camp, might be the answer, but when Elsie discovers Nate’s secret, it puts his job as camp foreman in jeopardy. Tutoring leads to friendship and romance, until a string of suspicious fires casts a dark shadow over their relationship. Can they find answers before all of their dreams go up in smoke?
A Simple Deduction by Kristi Holl
I just finished this one last week and ended up liking it more than I thought I was going to.
Description:
Liz is offering something new, A Sherlock Holmes weekend. She asks for help from a magician to pickpocket the participants then give the items to Liz for safekeeping. But more possessions start to disappear even with people locking their doors. Liz needs the help of all her sidekicks to solves this mystery.
The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene
Yep, another original Nancy Drew. These are fun to read, even if they are dated.
Description:
Nancy and her friends, Bess and George, meet Joanne Byrd on a train ride home. Joanne lives at Red Gate Farm with her grandmother, but if they do not raise enough money to pay the mortgage, they will soon lose the farm! Nancy, Bess, and George decide to stay at Red Gate for a week as paying customers. Soon, they learn about the strange group of people who rent a cave on the property. They describe themselves as a nature cult called the Black Snake Colony. Nancy investigates their group and helps to uncover a ring of counterfeiters in town!
The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lilian Jackson Braun
I’ve read almost all the books in this series but when I saw this on my shelf a couple of weeks ago, I knew I needed to add it to my list because I am certain I’ve never read it. I am not even sure where I picked this copy up but it was probably one of the local library book sales.
Description:
Jim Qwilleran lives in Pickax, a small town 400 miles north of everywhere, and writes for a small newspaper. He stands tall and straight. He dates a librarian. His roommates are two abandoned cats that he adopted along the way, one of them quite remarkable. Qwilleran has a secret that he shares with no one—or hardly anyone. His male cat, Koko, has an uncanny intuition that can tell right from wrong and frequently sniffs out the evildoer…
Retiring in Pickax, actress Thelma Thackeray has decided to start a film club and organize a fundraiser revue, starring Koko the cat. But Thelma’s celebrated arrival takes an unpleasant turn when the strange circumstances of her twin brother’s recent death seem suspicious to Jim Qwilleran. Qwill needs a helping paw in this case. But will Koko deign to take time from his stage debut?
Catch Me If You Candy by Ellie Alexander
This one is a fall-themed cozy mystery that I have decided to read because I’ve read another book in this series and liked it okay and I wanted to read something more autumn themed. I didn’t love that first book I read in the series, but it was a good escape read. Hopefully this one will be too.
Description:
Halloween has arrived in picturesque Ashland, Oregon, and all of the ghouls and goblins have descended on Main Street for the annual parade. It’s a giant street party and Torte is right in the mix.
Jules Capshaw and her team have been baking up autumn delights and trick-or-Torte bags filled with sugar cookie cutouts, spiced cider, and mummy munch. It’s the end of the season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which means that the costumes for the parade are going to be out of this world. The elaborate guises even extend to pets. The grand marshal of this year’s parade is no other than a regal pug aptly named King George. Jules is delighted to get to share the experience with Carlos and Ramiro, but things take a dark turn when she discovers a dragon slumped in front of the bakeshop.
A Fatal Footnote by Margaret Loudon
This is one my daughter picked up at a used book sale for me because the cat reminds us of our cat, Scout. I skimmed the first chapter and see that it is written in third person, which isn’t usually for cozy mysteries, but a POV I write in and like to read in cozy mysteries.
Description:
Writer-in-residence Penelope Parish will need to use every trick in her quaint British bookshop to unravel a murderous plot that threatens to ruin a ducal wedding.
The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Upper Chumley-on Stoke has all the makings of a fairy tale, complete with a glowing bride and horse-drawn carriage. But it wouldn’t be much of a story without a villain, and as American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish is coming to learn, happy-ever-afters are as fraught in this charming British town as they are in her books.
When the Duke’s former girlfriend is found murdered at the reception it’s up to Penelope and her newfound family at the Open Book bookshop to catch the killer before they strike again.
Getaway With Murder by Diane Kelly
A friend read this, and I decided I’d try it too. I currently have it downloaded in my Audible so I might listen to it.
Description:
As if hitting the half-century mark wasn’t enough, Misty Murphy celebrated her landmark birthday by amicably ending her marriage and investing her settlement in a dilapidated mountain lodge at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With the old inn teetering on both a bluff and bankruptcy, she must have lost her ever-loving mind.
Luckily, handyman Rocky Crowder has a knack for rehabbing virtual ruins and for doing it on a dime, and to Misty’s delight, the lodge is fully booked on opening night, every room filled with flexible folks who’d slipped into spandex and ascended the peak for a yoga retreat with plans to namaste for a full week. Misty and her guests are feeling zen―at least until the yoga instructor is found dead.
With a killer on the loose and the lodge’s reputation hanging in the balance, Misty must put her detective-skills to the test. Only one thing is as clear as a sunny mountain morning―she must solve the crime before the lodge ends up, once again, on the brink.
A Christmas Gathering by Shelley Shepard Gray; Rachel J. Good; Lenora Worth
I feel like I will read this in November – as I start getting ready for cozy winter reading. And I’ll probably take breaks between the stories.
Description:
A CHRISTMAS REUNION by Shelley Shepard Gray Tricia Troyer is thrilled when Brandt Massey, her cousin’s English friend, joins the Troyers’ holiday gathering for the second year in a row. The sparks between them are clear to everyone. When Brandt asks Tricia to be his girlfriend, they both know she’ll have important choices to make about her future. But the two aren’t as different as some believe—and with open hearts and understanding, their very own Christmas miracle just might be possible . . .
WE GATHER TOGETHER by Lenora Worth When Lucas Myer meets Kayla Hollinger on the shores of Lake Erie, he’s smitten. Their families are even staying at the same inn, for different gatherings. The two plan to meet again—but soon enough they discover a problem: their relatives are locked in a longtime feud and forbid them to socialize. Fortunately, Lucas and Kayla are old enough to make their own decisions—and they decide to create a Christmas miracle of forgiveness and love . . .
HITTING ALL THE RIGHT NOTES by Rachel J. Good Years ago, Andrew was banished by his Amish family when he chose a career in music. It still hurts, especially during the holidays. And now, just before Christmas, he and his band find themselves stranded after their manager absconds with their money. Desperate, Andrew is offered a job teaching piano—but that’s just the first miracle. His work will not only bless others in need, but a longtime fan might just capture his heart—and even lead him home . .
Little Men by Louisa Mae Alcott
I will probably read this one closer to the end of November and carry it on into Winter like I did with Little Women last year.
Description:
The March sisters are among the most beloved characters in children’s literature, and Little Men picks up the story of fiery, headstrong Jo where Good Wives left off. Intelligent, funny, perceptive, and genuinely touching, the novel is set at a rather unusual boarding school run by Jo and her husband, where the pupils are encouraged to pillow fight and keep pets. When the penniless but talented orphan Nat Blake shows up on her doorstep, Jo takes him in, and his arrival sets in motion a chain of events that will affect all their lives.
Murder Handcrafted by Isabella Alan
Description:
Spring has arrived in Holmes County and Angie couldn’t be happier. She’s got great friends, a thriving business, and is in the perfect relationship with Sheriff James Mitchell. The only thing raining on her parade is her mother drafting her into a massive home renovation project—and using their sudden mother/daughter bonding time to comment on Angie’s ticking biological clock.
The house’s repairs and upgrades between the Amish craftsmen and their Englisch counterparts are proceeding well until a tremendous shock comes to the workers when the electrician is found dead on site. With the sheriff suspecting foul play, it falls to Angie to root a killer out of the woodwork. . . .
Move Your Blooming Corpse: An Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mystery by D.E. Ireland
My daughter picked this one out at a used bookstore this weekend and I immediately loved the title and premise.
Description: In the second book from talented writing team D.E. Ireland, famous literary characters Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins once again come to life as a hilarious investigative team. Move Your Blooming Corpse explores the Edwardian racing world and the fascinating characters who people it, from jockeys to duchesses, in this delightful traditional mystery that will appeal to fans of British mysteries.
Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins are at the posh Royal Ascot, the biggest horse racing event of the season. Eliza’s father is the new co-owner of a champion racehorse, and Eliza and Henry are excited to cheer the Donegal Dancer on to victory. However, their idyllic outing takes a serious turn when a victim is trampled during the Gold Cup race and someone is found murdered in the stables.
With time running out before the upcoming Eclipse Stakes, she and Higgins investigate jealous spouses, suffragettes and the colorful co-owners of the Donegal Dancer. But can they outrace the murderer, or will there be another blooming corpse at the finish line?
Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower
This is another used bookstore pick up by Little Miss.
Description:
Thanksgiving is Bailey King’s busiest holiday weekend. This year promises to be even more hectic, since Bailey’s candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, is providing desserts for Harvest, Ohio’s first village-wide Thanksgiving celebration. Yet, even with a guest list close to seven hundred people—Amish and English alike—the event’s organizer, Margot Rawlings, is unfazed . . . until she discovers her mother, former judge Zara Bevan, will be in attendance.
Zara’s reputation as a harsh critic is matched only by her infamy as a judge who has actively harmed the Amish community. So no one is prepared when Zara arrives with much younger boyfriend Blaze Smith and reveals their impending nuptials at dinner. That should have been the day’s biggest news, except shortly after the announcement, Blaze suffers an allergic reaction to something he’s eaten and dies on the spot.
Now, Bailey’s desserts are prime suspects, along with Margot and nearly everyone who attended the meal. With such a cornucopia of possibilities, Bailey must dig in and get to the bottom of this murder, before the killer goes up for seconds…
Move Your Blooming Corpse by DE Ireland
My daughter picked this one out for me at a local used bookstore so I am adding it to my list – pretty much because I already started it and I am enjoying it.
Description:
In the second book from talented writing team D.E. Ireland, famous literary characters Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins once again come to life as a hilarious investigative team. Move Your Blooming Corpseexplores the Edwardian racing world and the fascinating characters who people it, from jockeys to duchesses, in this delightful traditional mystery that will appeal to fans of British mysteries.
Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins are at the posh Royal Ascot, the biggest horse racing event of the season. Eliza’s father is the new co-owner of a champion racehorse, and Eliza and Henry are excited to cheer the Donegal Dancer on to victory. However, their idyllic outing takes a serious turn when a victim is trampled during the Gold Cup race and someone is found murdered in the stables.With time running out before the upcoming Eclipse Stakes, she and Higgins investigate jealous spouses, suffragettes, and the colorful co-owners of the Donegal Dancer. But can they outrace the murderer, or will there be another blooming corpse at the finish line?
So what is on your list to choose from this autumn?
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, whatthe rest of the familyand I have been reading and watching, andwhat I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.
My birthday was last week and I had a nice couple of days. One day, my actual birthday, I just relaxed and on Friday we had a family day. We went to lunch, visited a used bookstore, a garden center, and a small playground and creek.
Yesterday I enjoyed another relaxing day and today I think I’ll be spending a day with my parents.
This upcoming week should be easy going but we will see. I never know what a week will bring, but at least I don’t have any appointments scheduled at this point.
At the bookstore Little Miss helped me pick out some new cozy mysteries. I won’t list them all here but here are some photos of them.
I have a “autumn TBR” but I’m moving things around because one of those books, Move Your Blooming Corpse by D.E. Ireland looked so good and I enjoyed the beginning so I’m moving that up in my list.
We had warmer than normal weather last week but last night we had a thunderstorm and some rain to bring in some colder weather for the rest of this week. I think I am finally getting our autumn weather.
Our trees are changing colors quite quickly and I can’t wait until they are all the way changed and I can drive around and take some photos.
What I/we’ve been Reading
Death At Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle
Move Your Blooming Corpse by D.E. Ireland
A Simple Deduction by Kristi Holl
An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey
The Secret of Red Gate Farm ( A Nancy Drew Mystery) by Carolyn Keene
Murder Handcraftedby Isabella Alan (An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery)
The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lilian Jackson Braun
Little Miss and I finished The Saturdays and are reading the next book in the series The Four Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright via Hoopla.
What We watched/are Watching
This week I watched as reruns of As Time Goes By and The Dick VanDyke Show.
I also watched a couple of YouTube videos about books. I honestly read more this week than I watched things.
I am listening to Ever After by Karen Barnett on Hoopla.
Photos from Last Week
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
This was a week of highs and lows. Thursday was my birthday and it was a nice and very relaxing day. We received some news early in the day, however, and even struggled with what kind of news it was since it was the passing of a family member we haven’t had contact with in years. It’s hard to know how to handle the death of someone who wasn’t very pleasant to know, was abusive to your husband, and then stopped communicating (which actually came as a blessing).
The weather was beautiful that day, though. I didn’t go anywhere. I read a book and wrote a little bit on the third Gladwynn book, and watched an old movie.
Yesterday we went out as a family for my birthday and it was another relaxing day with beautiful weather.
We went to lunch at a nice restaurant, visited a garden center, a library with a used bookstore, and then a playground and creek.
The garden center is decorated for fall with pumpkins and gourds lined up all over and flowers blooming in their garden.
Little Miss wanted a white pumpkin so she can paint it later so we picked up one of those for her and a natural soda for me.
We stumbled on to a shoe sale that we thought was next week, which was very exciting for us because it was an amazing sale and let us stock up on shoes for us and the kids. It derailed our trip to a Barnes and Noble, which is about two hours from our house (any Barnes and Noble stores are two hours from our house – in one direction or the other.)
I haven’t visited a Barnes and Noble for probably 15 years and my husband was going to take me to one as a surprise. I decided it would be better to save gas money (it was another 45-minute drive) and buy the shoes instead. I didn’t know where The Husband was actually taking me but I had guessed maybe he’d found a Barnes and Noble near us so I told him I was okay if we didn’t visit it this time around.
The thing is, I wouldn’t have bought a lot of books anyhow because I rarely buy new books. I prefer to buy them used or on clearance. I’d rather get a few books for $10 than one for $15. It would have been nice to walk around the store, but now that I know there is one not super far away, we can find another time to go. Plus, we needed the shoes and there is a used bookstore in the library of the town we were already in so we went there and we brought home 15 books for less than $20.
Most of my books were cozy mysteries and Little Miss chose quite a few of them. I’ll share more about the books I picked out on my Sunday Bookends tomorrow since that’s where I usually talk books I’ve been reading or have added to my collection.
After we visited the bookstore and library, Little Miss wanted to try out her new water shoes at the creek so we spent about 45 minutes at a small park that also has access to a creek.
Earlier in the week Little Miss and I picked up her new glasses and the next day I took her to Kid’s Club, which is a program at a church near us, where she met her friend that she’d invited.
Little Miss loves her new glasses with multiple colors on the earpieces and pink along the rest of the frame.
We both enjoyed looking at the trees that had changed in the town where the optometrist is and I had to laugh because one of the trees is changing into a beautiful orange color that is matching the color of the car parked at the house it is next to.
Wednesday night Little Miss and her friend had fun at the church program while my friend (Little Miss’s friend’s mom) and I chatted together in the parking lot.
This weekend we are continuing to relax since The Husband doesn’t have to work for the first time in – I don’t know how long actually.
We plan to hang out and watch movies and one of us should probably wash some dishes since we played hooky from housework the last couple of days.
These days off came at a good time since the death in our family was my estranged mother-in-law. My husband wrote a bit about his relationship with her on his personal Facebook page but I have decided not to share that here.
The bottom line is that my mother-in-law was abusive mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically. She picked favorites out of her two children and you can take my word for it that my husband was not that child. She has not spoken to us in more than five years and lives several states away. In other words, this “loss” doesn’t feel much different than when she was alive.
It’s a complicated situation when a person loses a family member who wasn’t very kind. There is grief there but it’s different than the grief other people have. It’s partially a grief of what could/should have been and also grief of there being no closure or apologies for past hurts. In this situation that apology would most likely never have come thanks to mental illness on the part of my mother-in-law.
I wasn’t even sure how to feel and spent part of my birthday a bit numb and dazed. Should I grieve the woman who tried to manipulate me the way she did everyone else? Two days later, I still don’t how to answer that. I feel sadness for a woman who chose to have no relationship with her son or beautiful grandchildren – even when we lived less than a mile from her for many years before she moved, but I can’t honestly say I feel a sense of loss or grief. I feel guilty for that and I also feel odd admitting that, but it’s where I am right now.
I should be crying, shouldn’t I? I should be thinking back on fond memories or saying things like, “Sure she wasn’t nice at times but…”
Yet I have none of that to offer in this situation and it’s a surreal place for me to be.
It’s only happened one other time and in that case I could at least think of one or two really nice and genuine things the person did – while also wondering if any of it was real since so much lying was revealed at the end of that person’s life.
So moving on to my plans for the rest of the weekend as I navigate this weird headspace I am in.
I’m looking forward to working more on my book this weekend and on some reading.
Next week we don’t have any appointments scheduled so it will be mainly school and maybe a playdate at a local creek with a couple of friends.
The temperature is supposed to drop next week and I am looking forward to the fall-like weather. Yesterday’s 83-degree temps were not very welcome by me, even though it was a very beautiful day.
How was your week last week? I hope you found some time to relax and unwind. Let me know in the comments.
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