book recommendations

Book review/recommendation: Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 3 Comments

TITLE: Murder Always Barks Twice

AUTHOR: Jennifer Hawkins

GENRE: Cozy mystery

Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins follows a tea shop owner in England and her excitable and cute talking Corgi Oliver. Yes. The dog talks.

I was a little leery of the book at first because I don’t usually read cozy mysteries with magical elements (except the Magical Flowe Shop Mysteries by Amanda Flower).

When I realized that only the main character Emma could understand Oliver I liked the idea a little bit better.

The talking dog doesn’t overshadow the story at all. In fact, it seems pretty natural to the entire book which otherwise is completely realistic and doesn’t feature supernatural or magical elements. I think it also helps that the dog talks like you might imagine a dog talks. He’s a smart dog but not too smart. He’s just smart enough to know that there’s certain things he should tell Emma that he’s seen or smelled but not smart enough that he’s the one solving the mysteries.

Everything he wants to say is exciting to him. So he’s not sitting there and talking like a proper gentleman you might say. He’s sort of adorable really.

The supporting characters in the book are plentiful and that can make things a little confusing at times. Sometimes I had to go back and remind myself who someone was. Emma either works with or knows all the characters in some capacity and even though the town is small there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of people who Emma interacted with throughout the book.

I can’t say any of the supporting characters were that memorable to me other than Oliver. The three women she spoke to most all sounded the same to me in my head. They were sort of interchangeable sounding boards for her, even though one was supposed to be her best friend and the others more like co-workers. They offered a way for Emma to work things out clues in her mind but I part of me feels a couple of them could have been removed and the story still could have carried on just as well. At the same time, having a lot of support rallying around the main character was nice as well.

To clarify – just because I thought some of the supporting characters could have been cut out, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the characters. I really liked the co-owner of the tea shop – Angelique – and her daughter Pearl but they weren’t super important to the plot for me, other than when Emma helped find some clues.

Emma’s friend Genny offered even more support but I lost track of what her job actually was — I think she owned a restaurant in town. It wasn’t really important to the plot.

I really enjoyed how this book was built around a festival celebrating author Daphne DuMaurier’s book Rebecca, which was made into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The plot of that book/movie was skillfully tied into the mystery of this book, adding to the complexity of the plot. I was impressed with how much history the author knew about the DuMaurier and the area she lived in.

After a quick search online I learned there is a literary festival in Fowey, England that is inspired by DeMaurier, who wrote many books besides Rebecca.

Rebecca was, however, her most famous, partially because of the movie version of it.

I felt like the amount of red herrings thrown out in this one was enough to keep me guessing and second-guessing right up until the end. I had figured out the culprit toward the end but I still wanted to be sure and see how the author wrapped up how they committed the crime.

I would definitely read future books by this author.

Book Review/Recommendation: The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 7 Comments



TITLE: The Divine Proverb of Streusel

AUTHOR: Sara Brunsvold

GENRE: Christian General Fiction

DESCRIPTION:

Shaken by her parents’ divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle’s farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She’ll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.

Among her late grandmother’s belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town’s history, her ancestors–and her estranged father.

What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured–with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.

MY THOUGHTS:

When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through. It wasn’t that the writing was bad, it was that it was a bit slower than other books I read. This isn’t a hard-hitting, fast-paced book, and that’s okay, but it was just not what I was used to.  I kept going and before long the easy-going pace with detailed descriptions, paragraphs of deep thoughts, and messages grew on me. While the slower pace of the book isn’t a detriment to the story, I think it is an important observation to mention for those who prefer a story with a quicker pace. However, I would encourage those who aren’t usually into “slower” books to give this one a chance.

Even without adventure and action, this book is still capable of captivating the reader.  Nikki grapples with the broken relationship with her father which leads to a broken relationship with her fiancé. The fiancé is not a major character in the book since he is thousands of miles away from where she is throughout most of the book.

Nikki is helped in this personal journey with wisdom passed down from her grandmother in a notebook full of personal observations and recipes. She receives further advice from her uncle whom she forms a sweet bond with as the story progresses. That bond helps her to learn not only about her uncle’s life journey, but also the life experiences that shaped her father and his actions.

I easily fell in love with Brunsvold’s characters, even though the main character was not really my favorite at first. In the beginning I found her actions to be selfish and childish but when I compared her reactions to some of my own reactions to past traumatic experiences in my life, I realized her reactions really were very realistic.

The characters who kept this story moving forward in a relatable way were the gentle uncle who wants to do all he can to help his niece and his brother heal their hearts; the spunky aunt/great aunt who adds both humor and spiritual depth; and the nurturing, supportive friend of the uncle who also becomes a friend of Nikki.

There is a bit of romance in the book, but it is not a plot driver. There are two romances and they are subplots meant to help the reader get to know the characters and their motivations better. The entire message of the book about forgiving others and ourselves for past mistakes wouldn’t entirely fall apart if either romance was removed, but the romances make the message even richer.

While I enjoyed both of the romance subplots, I was glad that the main plot dealt more with Nikki trying to come to terms with not only her father’s actions, but her reactions to what he did that led to the split of their family. This was a book that was about the baggage we bring with us through life and how if we don’t deal with the difficult things in that baggage, we will continue to hurt those around us.

Faith in God is the main foundation of this book. Not only do the characters attend church, but they have a personal relationship with Jesus. They ask for help from him and are guided by his message of forgiveness throughout the story. The cookbook that Nikki learns and cooks from is full of messages of how God works in our life. The messages in the cookbook provide a type of devotional within the book so it is almost as if The Divine Proverb of Streusel is two books in one.

This is a book I would not hesitate to recommend to others. It has an uplifting message, is void of swearing, sex, or violence, and weaves together the stories of characters who were so well developed it felt as if I knew them. It wasn’t until I had almost finished this review and was talking to my husband about a family situation that it hit me how much of an impression this book had made on me. It had been a couple of days since I had read it and yet it still had me thinking about how we forgive those who have hurt us when the person never offers an apology or even believes they did nothing wrong. Or maybe they do offer an apology but it is not in their words but in actions that we don’t feel are enough for us.

Maybe the person has passed away and we will never receive the apology we so craved. What do we do with that unresolved pain, the lack of closure? We can choose to hold on to bitterness or let it go and give it to God. This book is a reminder that even if the other person doesn’t meet us where we need them to, God always will.

Book recommendation: The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 8 Comments

I have read almost all of the 29 books in The Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun and there have been hits and misses and a couple all out duds – like any series.

Originally, I had skipped The Cat Who Talked To Ghosts because when I started it it seemed to be written in first person point of view and while I read books in first person POV, all of the other The Cat Who books are written in third. I wasn’t sure I would like the change.

It turns out, however, that only a section of the first chapter of the book is written in the first person point of view. The rest of the book is written in the third person.

I opened the book on my Kindle one night after a particularly hard day when I needed a comfort read. I’m glad I needed that type of read because this turned out to be one of my favorite books in the series.

For those who don’t know about this series, it features former big city newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran (most commonly referred to Qwill in the series), now a small town newspaper columnist living in what I believe is Northern Michigan, though it’s never really said where the fiction town of
Pickax in the fictional county of Moose County is.

Braun simply says Moose County is “north of everywhere.” According to the site Novel Suspects, “Though fictitious, Pickax is generally assumed to be based on the town of Bad Axe, Michigan, where Braun lived for many years.”

The series starts with Qwilleran living in the city (probably Chicago though it never really says), writing for a newspaper, and falling into a murder investigation or two. He ends up adopting two cats during that first book – a cat named Koko Kao Kung (Koko for short) and Yum-Yum. Koko is the one who has
some mysterious skills that help Qwill solve crimes. Some of those skills include opening books, knocking things off shelves, or alerting Qwill to unsavory characters who look like nice people.

This installment deals with the murder of Qwill’s former housekeeper. She calls Qwill in the middle of the night, saying she has been hearing weird, ghostly noises at the apartment she lives in at the county museum, which she is the caretaker of.

Qwill heads out for the 20-minute-drive to her apartment but by the time he arrives, Iris Cobb is already dead on the floor of her kitchen, apparently frightened to death. Qwill wants to find out who killed her and the museum also needs a temporary caretaker so it works out perfectly when the chairman of the museum board asks if he knows anyone who can fill in temporarily. Qwill packs
up the cats and moves into the museum himself to see if he hears the ghostly
sounds Iris said she was hearing.

During the stay, Koko does his best to lead Qwill to the killer, including literally sniffing out clues and knocking particular books off shelves. In the process of trying to find Iris’s murderer, Qwill meets some interesting neighbors – a couple from the south who have a three year old daughter and a young woman living alone on a goat farm.

Qwill is thrown into a secondary mystery when another murder occurs but seems to be separate from the first. In all honesty, the first death very well could have been an accident since the woman had a heart condition and some health issues. Qwill will have to figure it out.

One thing to know about Qwill is that he is not a huge fan of children. He has no children. He doesn’t want children. The fact that a child was written into this story and he had to interact with said child offered a new layer to his character that was both funny and endearing.

This installment turned out to be one of my favorites even though one of the regular recurring characters in the series was the victim this time. There was a totally different feeling to this book than others. There seemed to be an actual focus on the mystery while in other books there is a lot of wandering around and rambling side stories that have nothing to do with the main mystery.
That can be both a comforting and annoying aspect to the books.

I love reading about the quirky characters in Moose County but in some books, I think Braun forgot she was supposed to be writing a mystery.

Luckily The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts was not one of them. It revealed more of Qwill’s character as someone who cares more for children than he realized and who actually grieved more over a victim than in other books, most likely because he was so much closer to this victim than other victims.

This was also the book where we are introduced to Bootsie, Qwill’s girlfriend Polly’s cat who is hilarious referred to as a beast of a cat in future books.

The Cat Who books really do not need to be read in order since Braun briefly catches the reader up to who Qwill and the regular characters are in each book. I would highly recommend this one for any lovers of cozy mysteries.

Fiction Friday: An interview with Jenny Knipfer, author of Priscilla.

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 2 Comments

It’s time to introduce you to another one of the authors from the Apron Strings Series, a series of books by eleven different authors that follow the story of eleven women from each decade. The books can be read independently and one will be released each month in 2024 except December.

This week we are meeting Priscilla, the character from the third book in the series. This novel is written by Jenny Knipfer, who is the creator of this series. She is the one who had the idea and brought all of us authors together to create the series.

Here is a short interview with Jenny to tell you a little more about Priscilla and Jenny herself:

1.         Tell us a little about yourself:

I grew up on a small family dairy farm in eastern Wisconsin. I have such fond memories of those days, and they shaped me in so many positive ways. 

Later with almost four years of college in, life interrupted, and my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child. I was a stay-at-home mom for a number of years and also when our next son came along. When both the boys were in school, I worked part-time using some of my creativity as a florist and a children’s librarian.

I am a very creative person, and I’ve done so many things through the years to express my creativity, from playing music to painting and drawing, to sewing and crafts of all sorts. And writing. That’s been there in the background all along.

In 2014 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and it’s been quite a rough ride since. In 2018 I had to retire from my job because of my disability and didn’t know how I was going to fill up my time, but suddenly I thought of a novel I had started years ago. I resurrected the book from an old computer and pecked away at it and finished it in a couple months. Then, I kept writing… 

Since then, I have learned a lot as an independent author, and with God’s grace, despite my continuing disability, have gone on to write and publish twelve novels. 

My writing has slowed of late because I’ve been facing more physical disabilities and emotional stress. I have been away from home for over four months, living in a nursing home. The Medicaid program I am now on is working to get me home, but it has been taking a very long time. I miss my home in the country, my family, my dog, my plants, and all of my things. I miss my happy place of writing. I hope to be back there soon and filled with more inspiration and spirit to keep writing stories that will not only entertain but encourage readers along their particular path in life. 

I am blessed to be married to a wonderful man for more than 30 years. We have two adult sons, two grandchildren with another one on the way, a daughter-in-law, and a soon-to-be daughter-in-law. I am also a dog mom to our mini Yorkie, Ruby. She is bright, fierce, tiny, and full of character, and adds so much joy to our lives.

2.         What is your latest book about? Who are the main characters and when and where does it take place?

My latest book is Priscilla in the series Apron Strings, which I created and invited other authors to join. It follows the theme of a traveling cookbook throughout a 100-year span, passing through the hands of various women. My book is set in the late 1940s after World War II. 

The synopsis: 

ONE COOKBOOK CONNECTS THEM ALL…

Book three in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring different women throughout the decades from 1920 to 2020

In the post-WWII era of 1946, Priscilla Hadley dreams of being a wife and homemaker, but there’s one big obstacle in her mind—Priscilla has been told she can’t cook to save her life. However, she’s out to prove that wrong, especially to handsome but annoying Aaron Johnson, her twin brother Jeremy’s friend and fishing buddy, who also happens to be the local police lieutenant.

 In an effort to polish up her culinary shortcomings, Priscilla joins a local cooking club. A woman from the club gifts Priscilla a cookbook that could very well put her on the path to realizing her dreams. Much to their surprise, Priscilla and her family find much more than recipes within the cookbook’s pages. What will be its greatest blessing?

With an ailing father and the Wisconsin family farm to help keep afloat, in the absence of two brothers who died in the war, where will Priscilla find the time to learn to cook? Will she renew her faith in the presence of adversity or allow her present fears and past losses to dictate her future? 

3.         What is the overarching messages of your latest book?

I toyed with the idea of turning traditional gender roles around in Priscilla. After World War II, things changed for women and men in the workforce and even with what was expected of them at home. But I would say the message of Priscilla is one of trusting God when you can’t see how or where your help will come from. I guess that’s called Faith! And Priscilla learns that what she can do or not do does not matter so much as the kind of person that she is on the inside.

4.         Did you learn anything about writing or yourself as you were writing the book?

I think that with every book I have written, I have learned more about writing and myself. Priscilla has strong elements of familial ties, and I really worked hard to portray those well and in a way that was inspiring at times and comical at others. I always relive a part of my life when I write a book, because there’s always some of my story in it, even if it’s just a little bits and pieces. I did that with Priscilla, writing about the importance of family and growing up on a farm.

5.         Where can readers find out more about you and your projects? (Social media links)

Find out about all of my books and more on my website at: https://jennyknipfer.com/

Readers can follow me on:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07QV9HPH4

Facebook at https://facebook.com/jennyknipfer.writer/

Instagram at https://intsagram.com/jennknipferbrave/

I am most active on social media via my Facebook group, Journeying with Jenny: https://www.facebook.com/groups/402738713921985/ 

Join my newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/742af683508f/join-my-author-team-as-a-subscriber

And here is a short excerpt from Priscilla, which you can buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Priscilla-Apron-Strings-Book-3-ebook/dp/B0CM3X9LC3

EXCERPT: 

Priscilla couldn’t cook to save her life.

That was what Aaron Johnson had said, anyway, and his opinion was the only one that mattered to her.

Aaron was her twin brother Jeremy’s annoying but attractive best friend and fishing buddy, and he had been hanging around a lot of late. Far from the tall, scrawny kid Priscilla remembered

from school, Aaron had filled out nicely. She keenly noticed when he moved his arms how his shirt tightened over the lumps of muscle underneath. His face had taken on some substance too.

With a straight nose, evenly spaced, dark blue eyes, and lips that had nice curves and peaked points, he had always had fine features. But being so thin as an adolescent had made him look

like a scarecrow. A determined edge to her jaw, Priscilla Hadley folded a wad of bread dough on the butcher block counter and punched it with a fist.

Do or die; I’m gonna prove Aaron wrong! Sure, the potatoes she had made for supper last night had gotten a little too crispy, and the carrots had been a wee bit

mushy.

You can’t justify those pork chops, her conscience told her.

Her spirit sank. Those Priscilla had burnt. But not on purpose. She had only taken her eyes off the pan for a few minutes.

The screen door banged, and Priscilla turned her head to see Jeremy step into the house. His thick brown hair hung over his forehead. He pulled off his boots and walked into the kitchen.

Tucking his thumbs behind the suspenders on his overalls, he sniffed.

“What ya cooking tonight for supper?” he asked, smiling, one corner of his thin lips hiking higher than the other. He winked at her, his brown eyes fringed with what Priscilla

liked to refer to as his cow lashes.

Why does he have all the luck?

Priscilla inwardly sighed. Her lashes were thin and short, and on occasion she’d taken to coating them with mascara. Although she would never admit to that.

Jeremy cleared his throat. “I…sure hope it’ll be better than last night.”

Without a second thought, Priscilla scrunched the towel she had hanging over her shoulder and pitched it in her brother’s direction.

He chuckled and ducked. “Hey, now. None of that. I was just kidding.”

Maybe he was, but Priscilla knew the truth: she was not a very good cook. It amazed her that she cobbled enough together to pull off a meal several nights a week. Jeremy pitched in too.

Thank goodness for that. And she had to admit, he was much better at it than her.

Dad took care of breakfast, making one of his three standbys: oatmeal with raisins, honey, and cream; eggs and bacon; or hotcakes. And everyone fended for themselves at lunchtime. But suppers had been mostly left up to her since Mom had passed away, almost twelve years ago. Priscilla had been far too young to lose Mom, and not a day went by that she didn’t miss her. Mom had succumbed to influenza. It still made Priscilla mad that such an everyday illness had taken her mother’s life.

Priscilla had tried to pick up the slack after Mom died, doing most of the housework. But she had always disliked cooking, and before Mom had passed had usually made herself scarce when there was any to be done.

Somehow, her three brothers, her dad, and she had managed as a family for many years until Peter, her oldest brother, had died two years ago. Mown down by a bullet, somewhere on a

distant battlefield. It had taken them all more than a year to get over the loss of him, and of course they never truly would. How did one recover from such things? Losing Mom had been

difficult enough.

Then, a month before the war had ended, Reuben had died. They’d never found out how. Just chalked up as another soldier who had lost his life, along with so many others. That left her,

Dad, and Jeremy. Jeremy hadn’t fought because the government had considered him exempt, since he was running the family farm and a bout of polio in his childhood had left him with an

uneven gait and a weakened leg.

Jeremy snuck by her and pulled the cookie tin off the shelf.

He opened it and grabbed a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies that a neighbor had dropped by yesterday.

Taking a big bite from one, he said through a mouthful of cookie, “Mmm, these taste just like how Ma used to make them.”

And there it was—that burning pain. That little tweak of jealousy in the pit of her stomach and the whispered words in her ear: You’ll never be the cook your mother was. Nor the

woman, Priscilla ventured to wager.

Book recommendations: Planned Spring reads

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 7 Comments

This spring I plan to read the following books (or I’m already reading them):

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I have seen at least one movie version of this one (the one from the early 1980s) but have never read the book and have been wanting to for a long while.

Description:

Follow young Mary Lennox as she embarks on a captivating journey that will unlock the secrets of her own heart and the hidden wonders of a long-forgotten garden. As Mary explores the magical realm tucked away within the walls of Misselthwaite Manor, she unearths not only vibrant flowers and lush greenery, but also the key to her own healing and happiness.

With the help of her newfound friends, including the spirited Dickon and the remarkably talented Colin, Mary learns to nurture both the garden and the fragile bonds of trust and friendship. Together, they breathe life into the barren landscape, uncovering the beauty and joy that can be found even in the most desolate places.

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

I started Sara’s first book – The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kipp – but abandoned it because it was hard to listen to during a stressful time of loss in my family. I will be going back to finish it because I did enjoy it.

I was interested in this book as well so I decided to give it a chance when I saw it on a list of books I could review for Clean Fiction Magazine (which is a place where readers of clean fiction can find book recommendations from many genres).

Description:

Shaken by her parents’ divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle’s farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She’ll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.

Among her late grandmother’s belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town’s history, her ancestors–and her estranged father.

What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured–with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

I’ve always steered clear of Jaime’s books because anything creepy or related to ghosts, etc. is not really my thing. Jaime’s books are listed under Christian Fiction so they are clean, in case you are wondering. They are just creepy. I saw this one being offered as part of a book tour and decided to give it a chance. I have started it and, so far, I don’t like to put it down because I really want to know what happened.

Description:

In 1910, Effie James is committed to doing anything to save her younger sister, who witnessed a shocking murder, leaving her mute and in danger of the killer’s retribution. Effie must prove what her sister saw, but when a British gentleman arrives, he disrupts Effie’s quest with his attempts to locate his wife, Isabelle Addington, who was last seen at the supposed crime scene in the abandoned house at 322 Predicament Avenue. Just as Effie discovers what she seeks, she finds that the blood staining the walls will forever link her to a scandal she couldn’t imagine, and to a woman whose secrets promise to curse any who would expose them.

A century later, Norah Richman grapples with social anxiety and grief as she runs her late great-aunt’s bed-and-breakfast on Predicament Avenue. But Norah has little affection for the house and is committed only to carrying out her murdered sister’s dreams until crime historian and podcaster Sebastian Blaine arrives to investigate the ghostly legacy of the house’s claim to fame–the murder of Isabelle Addington. When a guest is found dead, the incident is linked to Isabelle’s murder, and Norah and Sebastian must work together to uncover the century-old curse that has wrapped 322 Predicament Avenue in its clutches and threatens far more than death.

Murder In An Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor

I’ve also started this book and I’m just as tied up in it as I am Jaime’s. This is my first book by O’Connor, who I had never heard of until a cozy mystery account on Instagram suggested it.

This is a wild Irish ride and I really am enjoying it. Must be the Celtic blood in me.

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.

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene.

I am continuing to read through the original Nancy Drew books and this is up next.

Description:


Nancy and her friend Helen visit their friend Emily Willouby at the Lilac Inn, which Emily now owns, to help her plan her wedding. Emily plans on selling inherited diamonds in order to help fix up the Lilac Inn. However, Nancy soon learns that someone has been impersonating her and making expensive purchases under her name. Soon after, Emily’s diamonds are stolen! Can Nancy find the thieves and recover the missing diamonds?

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Book recommendation: Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 5 Comments

Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan, the fourth book in the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries, was hard for me to put down not only because I wanted to find out who committed the crime in this super cozy mystery, but because I became attached to the main character Angela “Angie” Braddock and those around her.

Angie owns a fabric and quilting shop in the small town of Millersburg, which has a very large Amish population. She owns two pets – a loveable French Bulldog named Oliver and an aloof cat named Dodger. She’s dating the town’s sheriff, James Mitchell, which creates some interesting situations when she’s trying to investigate things she shouldn’t really be investigating.

Angie’s friends work in the shop or are connected to the shop in some way and are Amish. There are two different types of Amish sects in this community – more strict and more liberal. Angie’s employees – Anna and Mattie – are a mix of both.

Anna cracked me up because she is Amish but also wants to get to the bottom of things and in this case those “things” are surrounding the murder of a very cranky bishop of the Old Order Amish named Bartholomew Belier. He’s found dead in the library bookmobile by Angie and Angie’s “prim and proper” mother. Standing over him is brash librarian Austina Shaker, who is quickly blamed for the murder.

Angie isn’t sure if Austina is guilty or not but when Austina begs her to help clear her name, Angie can’t seem to help trying to find out. Anna also pushes Angie to get involved, certain she can help get to the bottom of what really happened to Bartholomew.

Angie does have a history of trying to solve murders, after all since she’s investigated and solved three murders previously. I should add that I didn’t realize this was the fourth book in this series when I started it and I had no issues understanding what was happening despite not reading the previous three yet.

The loveable cast of characters in the book include Anna and Mattie, Angie’s friends Rachel and Jonah, who are also Amish, Mitchell and his son Zander, a mischievous goat named Petunia, and Angie’s parents.

Her father is extra loveable and fun as he tries to navigate life after retirement. Her mother is more on the irritating side of things as she tries to run the show a lot and seems a bit stuck up but she keeps the storyline even more interesting as the reader braces themselves for what she’s going to say or do next.

There is much more than a mystery going on in this book and I like that. I like the little side stories with the different characters. I also loved the undercurrent of romance between Mitchell and Angie and how Alan didn’t need to add anything explicit or detailed to get across the feelings between the two.

There were even a few swoon-worthy scenes that made me giggle with delight over the gentle affection shown between the couple – affection that didn’t involve anything blush-worthy.

It’s amazing to me how just Mitchell brushing his fingertips against the back of Angie’s arm was enough to hint at sexual tension. No spicey scenes or language were needed.

I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Book recommendations/reviews for Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander and Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 3 Comments

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander was a cozy, quick read that launched me into modern cozy mysteries. It is the first book in the Bakeshop Mystery series.

Juliet Capshaw returns to her hometown in Oregon after suffering heartbreak while working as a chef on a cruise ship.

Hoping for a break from all the stress, she begins working with her mom at the family bakery. Her hopes for a peaceful settling-in are dashed when she discovers a body on the kitchen floor one morning.

This book had me hooked on the characters fairly quickly. There is a close relationship between Juliet and her mom and there are plenty of quirky and sweet characters to grow attached to.

Even though I am not a baker myself, I liked how baking was seamlessly woven into the story. I won’t lie – I did skip over some of the more detailed descriptions of the baking process and how it made her feel because it isn’t really my thing, but for those who absolutely love baking I know those descriptions will be something they will love to read.

Alexander does an amazing job of bringing her characters to life – whether it is in how she describes them or in how she creates a dialogue between them.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves super, super cozy mysteries.

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower

Crime and Poetry is the first book in the Magical Bookshop series by Amanda Flower. Violet Waverly rushes back to her hometown to help her ailing grandmother, only to find out her grandmother (Daisy) isn’t so sick after all.

Daisy owns a bookshop that Violet soon finds out is magical because the books pick their readers, which is hard to explain until you read the book.

Before Violet knows it she’s wrapped up in a murder mystery when a man named Benedict Raisin dies clutching a copy of Emily Dickinson that he bought at Daisy’s bookshop. Even worse for Daisy is that Benedict left her in his will.

This is a book that takes you on a wild journey full of magic and craziness. I’m not usually a fan of “magical” books. I prefer my cozy mysteries to have at least a little bit of reality to them but I’ve read Flower’s other magical series – The Magical Garden Series – and really liked it.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the magical garden because it featured more about spells and that’s not really my thing. It may, however, be something other readers enjoy. I also felt that the timeline for solving the mystery was completely ridiculous. But there were magical books involved so of course it would be solved fast. A little bit of suspending belief isn’t a bad thing when reading a cozy mystery though.

I don’t know if I will continue this series because I didn’t connect with Violet as much as characters in other series by Flower but I might since I liked the book overall.

Have you read either of these? What did you think?

Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing book tour (and giveaway!) starts today

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 7 Comments

I’m excited and nervous!

Today is the first day of the Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing book tour with Celebrate Lit.


You can read a bit more about the tour HERE but the bottom line is that some bloggers will be sharing about the book for the next couple of weeks on their blogs and will also be sharing about the giveaway.

You can win a $50 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing by entering.

For more details on the giveaway see HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Here is a description of the book:

A little bit of mystery, a dash of romance, and a whole lot of heart

After being laid off from her job as a librarian at a small college, Gladwynn Grant isn’t sure what her next step in life is. When a job as a small-town newspaper reporter opens up in the town her grandmother Lucinda Grant lives in, she decides to take it to get away from a lot of things – Bennett Steele for one.

Lucinda has been living alone since Gladwynn’s grandfather passed away six years ago and she isn’t a take-it-easy, rock-on-your-front-porch kind of grandma. She’s always on the go and lately, she’s been on the go with a man who Gladwynn doesn’t know.

Gladwynn thought Brookstone was a small, quiet town, but within a few days of being there, she has to rethink that notion. Someone has cut the bank loan officer’s brakes, threatening letters are being sent, and memories of a jewelry theft from the 1990s have everyone looking at the cold case again.

What, if anything, will Gladwynn uncover about her new hometown and her grandmother’s new male friend? And what will she do about her grandmother’s attempt to set her up with the handsome Pastor Luke Callahan?

Find out in this modern mystery with a vintage feel.

You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1KSQJXP

or here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gladwynn-grant-gets-her-footing-lisa-howeler

The tour stops will include:

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 13

Holly’s Book Corner, March 13

Texas Book-aholic, March 14

Devoted To Hope, March 15

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 16

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 18

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 19 (Author Interview)

Mornings at Character Cafe, March 19

Book Looks by Lisa, March 20

An Author’s Take, March 21

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 22

Blogging With Carol, March 23

Pause for Tales, March 23

Lily’s Corner, March 24

For Him and My Family, March 25

Mary Hake, March 25

Reviewers give their own opinions so they can be good or bad. Please give their blogs some love no matter what. I know I will because not every book is for every reader! I just appreciate them taking the time to read the book.

Thank you to Joan at Book Reviews of An Avid Reader for being the first stop on the tour. You can see her book review of Gladwynn’s first book here: https://bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/2024/03/gladwynn-grant-gets-her-footing-by-lisa.html


I don’t want to sound too cheesy here but I really like working with the Celebrate Lit team so if you ever need to publicize a book, look to them. I won this particular tour but I am planning future tours with them and just appreciate how gracious they have been through the whole process.



Six Historical Fiction Chapter Books for Children 8 to 12. Books you can read for fun or education

/ Lisa R. Howeler / 8 Comments

As we all know, history is something important for children to know because, as the saying goes, we are doomed to repeat it if we don’t learn about the negatives of our past. History doesn’t only remind us of negative events, of course, though. We can also learn about how our ancestors lived and about the good things that happened in the past.

As a homeschooling mom, I am grateful to be able to expose my children to a variety of historical fiction that ties in with the historical events we are discussing in our lessons.

My youngest prefers hearing a story versus a list of facts. She learns about history better this way. We have been either introduced to or have found on our own, a selection of fiction books that have enriched our historical knowledge.

What I love about historical fiction is that while the book educates, it also entertains.

Here are six of my family’s favorite historical fiction books for children ages 8 to 12.

(Some links in this article may be affiliate links. This does not affect the cost to you, but may provide commission for items purchased.)

  1. Freedom Crossing by Margaret Goff Clark

|| Freedom Crossing ||

This story about a brother and sister who hide a slave in the mid-1800s is a nail-biter with a great message but also realistic portrayals of life for black people in the United States when slavery was legal. My daughter and I read it when she was 7, going on 8, and enjoyed it very much, even though it presented us with a difficult topic to discuss. We became wrapped up in the story of Martin, a young male slave, and Laura and her brother who work to help him escape to Canada.

Laura is not completely on board with this mission in the beginning and struggles with overcoming her preconceived ideas about slavery, which makes the story even more realistic and believable.

Description:

Laura Eastman returns to New York after living in the South with relatives for four years to discover that her brother and father are part of the Underground Railroad, helping fugitive slaves to escape to Canada. When a friend brings a runaway slave, Martin, to the house while her father and stepmother are away, Laura must decide what she believes — and whether she should help Martin escape.

2. Children of The Long House by Joseph Bruchac

|| Children of the Longhouse ||

This book is my 9-year-old daughter’s favorite book, besides Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman and the Paddington books. It is a book that tells the story of the Native Americans of our country and kicked off a fascination of Native Americans for my daughter. She now has asked that we read and learn about Native Americans every Friday for our lessons.

The book tells the story of Ohkwa’ri and his sister Otsi:stia. Ohkwa’ri overhears the plans of some boys in the tribe who plan to attack another tribe and tells on them. This makes the boys angry at him and they threaten to hurt him. Between their threats and his being ready to grow into a man, Ohkwa’ri struggles with his emotions while his sister worries about him. Woven into the story is the lead-up to a showdown with the boys and Ohkwa’ri through the game  Tekwaarathon (lacrosse).

My daughter was 8 when I read this to her and when we were done she asked me to read it to her again.

I can see this as a book she will read on her own as she grows up as well.

Description:  When Ohkwa’ri overhears a group of older boys planning a raid on a neighboring village, he immediately tells his Mohawk elders. He has done the right thing—but he has also made enemies. Grabber and his friends will do anything they can to hurt him, especially during the village-wide game of Tekwaarathon (lacrosse). Ohkwa’ri believes in the path of peace, but can peaceful ways work against Grabber’s wrath?

We have several other books by this author on our book wish list.

3. The Year of Miss Agnes

|| The Year of Miss Agnes ||

This book was very charming and also very informative about Native Americans from Alaska.

It is the story of children from the point of view of Frederika (Fred for short), a Native American girl living in a fishing village in remote Alaska. Miss Agnes comes to their small school to teach, but the children think she’ll leave because all their teachers do – the smell of fish and living in the middle of nowhere gets to them too much.

This book had me laughing and a few chapters later I was crying from a touching scene. It was a gentle roller coaster of emotions and at the end, I had such a peaceful and warm feeling.

Description:

A year they’ll never forget
Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn’t have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote, Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard.
But Miss Agnes is different — she doesn’t get frustrated with her students, and she throws away old textbooks and reads Robin Hood instead! For the first time, Fred and her classmates begin to enjoy their lessons and learn to read and write — but will Miss Agnes be like all the rest and leave as quickly as she came?

4. Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady

|| Toliver’s Secret ||

Like The Year of Mrs. Agnes, this book features a girl main character who is brave, strong and overcomes her fear to help not only her family but our country.

This one was an action-packed one and we both looked forward to when it was time to read another chapter of it. This one takes place before the Revolutionary War so it is perfect when you want to teach your child about the start of our nation.

Description:

When her grandfather is injured, 10-year-old Ellen Toliver replaces him on a top-secret patriotic mission. Disguised as a boy, she manages to smuggle a message to General George Washington.

5. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

|| Farmer Boy ||

This book is part of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder but it does not focus on Laura and her family’s life. Instead, it is a book completely about Laura’s husband, Almonzo, and his childhood.

This book is rich in description of life in New York State in the mid to late 1800s. It is not about a pioneering family, like Laura’s other books are. This book is about Almonzo and his siblings growing up on a farm

Description:

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the Western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits or, best of all, when the fair comes to town.

This is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved story of how her husband, Almanzo, grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived.

6. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr

|| When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit||

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I have not read it with my daughter yet because she is extremely sensitive and I don’t really want to have to tell her about what happened during the Holocaust until she is a little bit older. The book is aimed at 5th grade and older so this one is a little bit out of the lower end of the age range of for this post.

It is very historically based since it is based on the true story of the author’s family and a great leap-off point to discuss the situations surrounding World War II.

Description:

Anna is not sure who Hitler is, but she sees his face on posters all over Berlin. Then one morning, Anna and her brother awake to find her father gone! Her mother explains that their father has had to leave and soon they will secretly join him. Anna just doesn’t understand. Why do their parents keep insisting that Germany is no longer safe for Jews like them?

Because of Hitler, Anna must leave everything behind as her family embarks on a journey that extends over several years and over the borders of many countries.

Have you read any of these books to or with your children?