Sunday Bookends: The aggravating repair man who didn’t want to repair things and a variety of books being read

On April 19, 2026April 18, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday SalonLeave a comment

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

A repairman came to our house this week to fix our dishwasher – or so I thought. Instead, he came and argued with me about the dishwasher being broken, acted like I was lying, and told me to wash my dishes again in it, as if that would somehow solve the problem. I told him the dishwasher pod was in the bottom of the dishwasher at the end of the cycle andit was clear it was not washing our dishes so he said, “Maybe you were opening it at the end of the cycle or something….”

I said, “Right. That’s how it works. I was opening it at the end to see if the dishes had washed and they were still dirty.”

When I showed him a video of what sound it was making when it was washing the dishes (or rather not washing them) he said, “Yeah, I guess that sounds like the motor” like he had to admit I was right, and started to pack up his limited equipment. I asked if that meant the motor could be replaced and he said, “Yeah. I guess I’ll get you a new one.” I had to follow him to the door to ask if he had a timetable for when he’d have the motor and without looking at me, he said, “Probably a week.”

He made it clear he did not want to be here, I guess because the dishwasher was under warranty and he wouldn’t get a large fee. It was one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve ever had with a repairman. I’ve never had one argue with me about what is happening to my own appliance and want so desperately to prove me wrong.

Making the story a bit shorter, we told the place that sold us the dishwasher we appreciated how they handled business but that the person who repairs things for their warranties (he is not from their company but works with Whirlpool) was really not very nice. We then called our regular repairman and will have to pay him, since he doesn’t know anything about the warranty, but I think it’s worth it to have someone more polite do the work.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

Just Finished

I finished Heidi by Johanna Spyri and Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse last week.

I enjoyed them both.

I wrote about Heidi, which I read with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumb, here.

I also finished A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie for the 2026 Reading Christie Challenge. It is a Miss Marple mystery, and it was so good.

In Progress

I am slowly reading Stillmeadow Daybrook by Gladys Taber. Since each chapter is a month, I plan to read a chapter a month. I am also slowly reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

I just started The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim a couple of days ago.

Up Soon

I hope to read a Murder She Wrote book, Aloha Betrayal by Donald Bain, next and then Thrush Green by Miss Read. I would love to slip a Nancy Drew (Nancy’s Mysterious Letter) in soon as well. Probably in May.

What The Family is Reading

Little Miss and I are still reading Heidi.

The Husband is reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead.

The Boy is listening to a Warhammer book of some sort. He and I also started an audiobook of Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain the other day on the way back from Little Miss’s art class and he said he plans to listen to more of it.

What I/We’ve Been Watching

This past week I watched a 1929 movie called Bulldog Drummond with Ronald Colman and it wasn’t very good, but I like Ronald Colman, so he was fun to watch.

I also watched Shall We Dance and Swing Time with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, which I had seen before, but wanted to watch again. I liked Swing Time a lot better, except for the blackface scene. I just don’t know what the obsession was with doing that in movies back then! It’s so irritating and ruins the whole movie for me.

My husband and I started to watch Detour last night, a 1945 crime-noir movie that is only about an hour long, was filmed in about 14 days for about $100,000, and raked in $1 million. He got tired and wanted to head to bed so he’s making me wait to finish it tonight. I use the words “making me” lightly. I could go ahead and watch it but I like watching movies he likes with him because he loves to share trivia about the movie and actors, etc.

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

Some Housekeeping

Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and I host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea. This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!). Each link party will be open for a month. You can find that link up for this month here.

Each week, I host the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot with some great hosts. It goes live Thursday night, but you can share any kind of blog posts (family-friendly) there until Tuesday of each week. You can check my recent posts on the sidebar to the right for the most recent link party.

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing?

This post is linked up with The Sunday Post at Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Book Date: It’s Monday! What are you reading hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Sunday Bookends with Boondock Ramblings and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Reading Reality.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

Sunday Bookends: Gladys Taber, Heidi, and other relaxing books and Bette Davis movies

On April 12, 2026April 11, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon11 Comments

This past week was semi-eventful but mostly errands and trips to pick up either glasses or medicine for the kitten who was sprayed by a skunk and then developed an eye infection. I wrote about that in my post yesterday.

There were a couple trips to my parents as well, mainly to help my mom while my dad went to various appointments and to clean the house a little. My parents live about seven minutes away, so it wasn’t too much of a drive at least. The weather was also very nice yesterday when we went to visit, if not a little chilly.

Little Miss had a friend over to visit, and they had fun dressing up in the same outfit since they both have similar-looking glasses now. They also had a lot of fun jumping off the railing of my parents’ deck, and I just hoped they wouldn’t break anything. Luckily, they did not.

I have not broken my book-buying ban for this month but I am in possession of two new Nancy Drew books. My husband found them at a local thrift store. They are from the Nancy Drew Girl Detective series from the early 2000s and are written in the first person. Not sure what I’ll think of them, but I have a lot of books ahead of them to read first.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

In Progress

I am slow reading Stillmeadow Daybrook by Gladys Taber. Since each chapter is a month, I plan to read a chapter a month. I am, of course, in April now. The book starts with April and my copy (used and in good shape) arrived two days before the beginning of April. I thought that was great timing!

I’ve already marked so much in the book that I have enjoyed.

I am also continuing to read Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse and Heidi by Johanna Spyri. I will finish both of them this week.

Up Soon

Up next, I am reading A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie as part of the Christie Challenge for 2026.

I am also looking forward to a Murder She Wrote book, Aloha Betrayal, sometime in April, but then I also remembered I wanted to read The Enchanted April this month so we will see which one comes first.

What The Family is Reading

Little Miss and I started Heidi this past week and I think she will like it.

What I/We’ve Been Watching

This past week I watched the British sitcom from the 70s, Two’s Company with Elaine Stritch and ….. some British guy I don’t know the name of. Okay. I looked it up. It’s Donald Sinden. It’s such a funny and entertaining show.

I also watched the 1937 movie It’s Love I’m After with Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, and Olivia De Haviland. It was so funny. I am so glad I found it while looking for Bettie Davis movies to watch this spring. I was going to watch mainly her well-known movies but decided to watch some lesser-known ones to start, ones where she was just starting out, and I am glad I did. I also watched another one called A Working Man from 1938 and it was great too. I’ll be writing about both later this week.

I watched one called Payment on Demand with Bette Davis earlier in the week and didn’t enjoy it. I don’t think I’ll be writing about that one.

I watched a ton of Bluey with Little Miss and her friend last night.

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

What I/We’ve Been Listening To

I’ve been listening to the Jack Benny Show when I go to bed at night.

Recent Blog Posts I Enjoyed

What Are Your Reading Habits & Quirks?

Words for Wednesday: spring in my heart

THE SEEN VS THE UNSEEN

Photos From Last Week

Some Housekeeping

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing?

This post is linked up with The Sunday Post at Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Book Date: It’s Monday! What are you reading hosted by Kathyrn at The Book Date. Sunday Bookends with Boondock Ramblings and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Reading Reality.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

My March Reading and Watching Wrap-up and April Hopefuls

On April 9, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings11 Comments

March was a pretty good reading and watching month.

In March, I read or finished seven books:

The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Whispering Walls by Mildred Wirt

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy.

Movies I watched:

Saving Grace

The Crystal Ball

It’s Tough to Be Famous

Libeled Lady

Eternally Yours

Another Thin Man

Her Cardboard Lover

Shows I watched:

The Puzzle Lady

All Creates Great and Small

The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Murder, She Wrote

Two’s Company

In April I plan to/hope to read:

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

The Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

A Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse

Murder, She Wrote: Aloha Betrayed by Donald Bain

Nancy Drew: Nancy’s Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene

I hope to watch:

Bette Davis movies for my Spring of Bette, including Now Voyager and Jezebel.

I’ve already watched It’s Love I’m After, The Working Man, and Another Man’s Poison for the feature.

How was your March, and what do you hope to read or watch in April?

If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.

On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

Book Recommendation: Crooked House by Agatha Christie

On April 7, 2026April 8, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading7 Comments

Here is some advice for you if you decide to read Crooked House by Agatha Christie: If you think that you know who the guilty party is, but you’re uncomfortable with who you think the guilty party is, go with that feeling and your choice.

That won’t make sense until you read the book, so here is a little background on this one, which does not feature one of Christie’s famous detectives.

This book is a standalone novel that starts with the main character Charles Hayward planning to marry Sophia Leonides who he met in Egypt toward the end of the war. They hang out while in Eqypt and correspond some afterward, but drift apart until he returns to England two years later. It’s after his return that he reads in the paper that Sophia’s grandfather has died. He knows it is her grandfather because she once told him all about her family.

“’We live in a crooked little house . . .’”

“I must have looked startled, for she seemed amused, and explained by elaborating the quotation. ‘And they all lived together in a little crooked house,’ That’s us. Not really such a little house either. But definitely crooked — running to gables and halftimbering!”

In this case the crooked little house quote is a play on the nursery rhyme “There Was a Crooked Little Man,” but I am not familiar with that nursery rhyme.

Due to the blitz, Sophia’s extended family was all living in the house with the patriarch, Aristide Leonides, a short Greek man who commanded a lot of presence. Her family includes her younger brother and sister, her parents, her uncle and an aunt by marriage, her grandfather, a great aunt, and a step-grandmother.”

Charles reaches out to her by telegram, and she asks to meet that night at a local restaurant. The connection they had two years ago is still strong, and he still wants to marry her, but she says she can’t marry him now, and maybe never. She believes her grandfather has been murdered, and she doesn’t want to ruin Charles’ reputation as a member of the Diplomatic Service because she feels certain the murder was committed by someone in her family.

The main suspect is her step-grandmother, Brenda, with the tutor for Sophia’s siblings a close second because the family believes the two were having an affair.

In the first part of the book, we get to know the entire family, and it isn’t very pretty. Many of them are selfish and bitter people looking out for themselves, and the ones who don’t seem that way may be putting on an act. Maybe even Sophia is putting on an act. Figuring out who committed the crime will baffle Charles and Scotland Yard, and when you get to the ending — oof. It’s definitely a plot twist, one I saw coming, but still had to find out how and why.

I would definitely recommend this one if you’ve never read Agatha before or even if you have. I think it’s one of her best, and I read today that she called it one of her favorites to write. It is definitely a book that will stick with you over the years, making you think (and shudder a bit) long after you’ve put it down.

Some quotes from it I enjoyed:

“Curious thing, rooms. Tell you quite a lot about the people who live in them.”

***

“I think people more often kill those they love than those they hate. Possibly because only the people you love can really make life unendurable to you.”

***

“I’ve never met a murderer who wasn’t vain… It’s their vanity that leads to their undoing, nine times out of ten. They may be frightened of being caught, but they can’t help strutting and boasting and usually they’re sure they’ve been far too clever to be caught.”

***

“Murder, you see, is an amateur crime… One feels, very often, as though these nice ordinary chaps, had been overtaken, as it were, by murder, almost accidentally. They’ve been in a tight place, or they’ve wanted something very badly, money or a woman – and they’ve killed to get it. The brake that operates with most of us doesn’t operate with them… They continue to be aware that murder is wrong, but they do not feel it. I don’t think, in my experience, that any murderer has really felt remorse… Murderers are set apart, they are ‘different’ – murder is wrong – but not for them – for them it is necessary – the victim has ‘asked for it,’ it was ‘the only way.”

Sunday Bookends:Losing cell service at the Marie Antoinette, skunky cat, and Happy Easter!

On April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon19 Comments

First things first – He is risen! He is risen indeed! Happy Resurrection Sunday!

What a week last week was — or at least part of it.

I wrote about it on the blog yesterday for my Saturday Afternoon Chat but the gist of it was my husband had a wisdom tooth pulled under sedation at a dentist about 90-minutes away from where we live (it went very well), our youngest cat was sprayed with a skunk early Friday morning (he still stinks so bad after two baths), and Little Miss had nausea all week from possible food poisoning.

But then, to make the week a little better, Little Miss won a local Easter coloring contest from the small weekly newspaper in our county and received an absolutely huge Easter basket full of goodies yesterday.

We couldn’t even believe how big the basket was or how much stuff was in there. It was very kind of the newspaper to hold the contest and then provide such amazing gifts to the winners.

The owner/publisher of the paper is our neighbor but “an independent board of residents” judges the contest, he said, so he and his wife (who also works at the paper) were pleasantly surprised to see Little Miss win the first prize.

While picking up the gift basket, I apologized to him for stinking up the neighborhood since it was our cat that got sprayed, but he said he didn’t smell it luckily. He asked which cat it was and when I told him it was the youngest he said he feels bad for Cass (the youngest) because he keeps trying to get in fights with their old cat Oscar and Oscar has like 20 pounds on him.

“He keeps beating Cass up,” my neighbor said.

I told our neighbor that Cass is young and has to learn his place and stay in his own territory, so I guess he will have to learn not to push Oscar’s buttons. Then Oscar won’t have to beat him up. Ha.

We both did say we hope Oscar doesn’t hurt him too bad, though and I’ll be keeping more of an eye on him so he doesn’t go up there. Our properties run right together, though, so it might be hard to do. So far, Cass hasn’t looked beat up so I don’t think Oscar’s aim is to hurt him, but to tell him to head back home.

Yesterday The Husband was driving from the town where he works to the town where our closest Aldi is to pick our groceries when he called me.

As he usually does on this drive, he said to be about 10 minutes in, “Okay, I have to let you go. I’m getting to the Marie Antoinette, and I’m going to lose you.”

Non-locals would probably be confused by this. He’s almost to Marie Antoinette? What does that even mean? Wasn’t she the French queen who was guillotined? Yes, she was, and she’s also the French queen whose servants and fellow noblemen took a ship to the United States when the revolution started heating up to set up a community for her in what is now Pennsylvania. Many of those servants stayed in our area even after she was killed, while some returned to France.

Because there was a connection to her, though, there are sites in our area named after her — including an overlook called the Marie Antoinette overlook and an inn called the Marie Antoinette Inn.

My husband’s cell service disappears at the Marie Antoinette Overlook and then comes back about ten minutes later, but remains spotty until he reaches the town where the Aldi is. That’s why he announces he is at the Marie Antoinette, and he has to go.

Why did I explain all this? I have no idea. I just found it an interesting way to tie in our local history.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

Just Finished

The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy

In Progress

Right now, I am reading Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse (so much fun) and Heidi by Johanna Spyri.

I’m reading Heidi with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.

I am also reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Still Meadows by Gladys Tabor, which is a book with chapters for each month so I am probably going to read a chapter a month throughout the year.

Up Soon

Up next, I am reading A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie as part of the Christie Challenge for 2026.

I am also looking forward to a Murder She Wrote book, Aloha Betrayal, sometime in April.

What The Family is Reading

The Husband just finished Hamnet. He loved it.

Little Miss and I are going to start Heidi this week as she said that sounded more interesting than the other book I was going to read to her for school.

What I/We’ve Been Watching

This past week I watched Shadow of the Thin Man and a lot of Murder, She Wrote.

I also watched the season finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms with The Boy.

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

What I/We’ve Been Listening To

I am listening to The Best of Jeeves and Wooster on Audible. I don’t do well with audiobooks, though, so we will see how it goes.

This for Easter:

Some Housekeeping

Each week, I host the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot with some great hosts. It goes live Thursday night but you can share any kind of blog posts (family-friendly) there until Tuesday of each week. You can check my recent posts on the sidebar to the right for the most recent link-party.

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing?

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

Five phrases that make me run away from a book and five that make me pick it up.

On March 31, 2026March 31, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, top-ten-tuesday20 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Today’s prompt is: Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book (These words or phrases can be in the title, synopsis, marketing materials, reviews, author blurbs, etc. and immediately pique your interest or immediately make you say “NOPE”. Examples include: fae, forbidden romance, morally grey characters, unreliable narrator, found family, magical worlds, love triangle, marriage of convenience, dark academia, stranded, dragons, dual points of view, starting over, etc.)

Five that make me say nope (for now anyhow) and five that make me say yep!

First, five phrases/words that make me say “nope” and I want to clarify that just because these phrases make me say ‘nope’, I do not look down or judge those it says ‘yep’ too. These are personal preferences driven by my personal likes/dislikes and personality. There is a reason behind each of them and at least one of them is because of my background in newspaper reporting and some of the things I had to cover over that 14 years. Not all pleasant, let’s just say.

Also, don’t take my little, one-sentence response to the “nope” ones too seriously. I’m being dramatic as a joke….or am I? *wink* There are a couple I really hate, so I’m being a bit serious in my response.

“Marriage of convenience”

I got some people royally mad at me recently for saying this on Instagram, but I was not polite about my absolute hatred for this trope, and I regret that. I could have said it in a much nicer way.

I very rarely willingly read a book with marriage of convenience in it. However, I will say that I have read a couple over the years who have pulled it off nicely. I didn’t know there was a marriage of convenience in them when I started but I pushed through because they were just nicely and tactfully handled.

2. “Forbidden romance”

Code words for “age gap”, inappropriate romances, or just a very cliché story. I will probably be gagging at all the side-glances, warm rushes, and “could he really be looking at me?” moments within the first few pages

3. The words ‘gory’, ‘horrific’, or ‘spine-chilling’.

This probably indicates a horror-type book and … nope! Not going to read it. Not my thing. Will be up all night with nightmares.

4. Phrases like “steam up the page…” “will have you fanning yourself…” “will leave you breathless with desire.”

Gag. No thank you. Sounds way too much like erotica, also known as Completely Unrealistic Expectation of Romance and Love Central.

5. “Politically significant” or “culturally significant”

Fiction or non-fiction I probably won’t touch this book. I can not stomach anything political and what is culturally significant to some is not usually earth shattering to me.

Now Five phrases that make me say ‘yep’!

“Fun cozy mystery”

Sign me up. Fun and a cozy mystery? Yes. This is the escape I need a lot of the time.

“2. Loveable characters in a small town.”

Yes, please. As many books with this written on it as possible, please.

3. “Heartwarming” or “Gentle.”

I love anything with heartwarming or gentle feelings/vibes. My shelves are stocked with these type of books.

4. “Queen of Mystery.”

This probably means it is an Agatha Christie book and, yes, despite some mysteries having “unsavory” topics in them, I do like mysteries — even ones that aren’t cozy.

5. “Amateur Sleuth.”

I love a good Amateur-Sleuth-As-The-Main-Character book. I know they aren’t going to be an expert at solving the crime and might even make some fun blunders along the way.

A bonus to the nope list: Anything that says ‘BookTok’ or suggests a book was popular on ‘BookTok’. It’s an immediate pass for me. And anything that says “hot vampires”. No. Just no.

How about you? What phrases or words make you pick up a book or what phrases make you run away?

If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.

On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

Sunday Bookends March 29: Book buying ban officially broken (whoops!), Agatha Christie reads, and the need for something light in reading this week.

On March 29, 2026March 30, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon14 Comments

I broke my book buying ban for March and April yesterday when The Husband, Little Miss, and I visited a used book sale at a local library.

Okay. Fine.

I actually broke it two weeks before when I purchased two books online at the beginning of March.

But I really broke it yesterday when I came home with 11 books and The Husband came home with four more.

Actually, if I want to get technical, he purchased the books for me so maybe I didn’t really break my book-buying ban. Ahem.

Well, whatever, I have 11 new books and will probably also read at least two of the ones he picked up.

Oh, I forgot he picked up a fifth book at an indie bookstore in the same town.

So we have a book addiction.

It could be worse. It could be drugs.

Here are the books we picked up yesterday:

Have you read any of them?

I plan to do my best to renew my commitment and not buy any books in April.

Wish me luck?

What I/We’ve Been Reading

Just Finished

I finished Crooked House by Agatha Christie Friday and oof. What an ending. I had figured out less than halfway through who the murderer was but was really hoping I was wrong.

I was not wrong. Sadly.

Even though I knew, I wanted to know how Agatha would get us to the solution and what the guilty party would have to say for themselves.

If you have not read this one, I would highly recommend it.

In Progress

I started Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis this past week, and have to admit I already feel a bit stupid. Clive is much smarter than me and your average, every day citizen.

Looking for a pallet cleanser after Crooked House, I turned to A Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse.

Up Soon

I am planning to start Heidi this week as a buddy read with Erin from Still, Life with Cracker Crumbs for the month of April.

While I’m reading Heidi, I’ll also be reading A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie for the 2026 Reading Christie Challenge.

I hope to start Thrush Green by Miss Read after those two.

What The Family is Reading

Little Miss and I will finish The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy this week and plan to start Rascal by Stirling North.

What I/We’ve Been Watching

In an attempt to bond with our son, I watched the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Wednesday night. We were sitting in our car waiting for Little Miss who was attending a meeting of a kid’s church program. I thought I’d hate it because I knew it was connected to Game of Thrones, which I refuse to watch for many reasons. Still, he likes the show and I wanted to connect with him so I braced myself and dove in.

I was pleasantly surprised with the first episode. It wasn’t as bad as I feared. It was actually very good.

We had time when the first episode ended so I suggested we watch the second one. The Boy was surprised.

He may have been even more surprised when I suggested we watch episodes three, four, and five Thursday.

We still have episode six, the last episode of the season, to watch this week.

There is harsh language, some nudity, and violence (less than I expected of all) so I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but the story is really interesting and a lot lighter than GoT.

Looking for lighter fare after Crooked House and episode five of A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, I watched a couple of episodes of Two’s Company, a British sitcom.

I also watched the Christmas special of All Creatures Great and Small and the 1942 movie, Her Cardboard Lover, with Norma Shearer and Robert Taylor earlier in the week.

This week I hope to watch a Bette Davis film to get ready for my Spring of Bette feature.

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

I am also working on book four of my cozy mystery series. This week I restructured it and it is working so much better. I hope to release it in the fall.

Photos From Last Week

Some Housekeeping

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing?

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

What I love about writing my books

On March 27, 2026March 27, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Books I've Written7 Comments

I don’t think I make it clear enough when I share about my books, how much fun I have writing them.

I share about how I am stuck on book four.

I share about not feeling good enough as a writer and a marketer.

I share about imposter syndrome and writer’s block.

But I keep forgetting to share how much I love my made up characters.

I love Gladwynn Grant, but I don’t even think I’ve scratched the surface of really getting to know who she is.

I love that Gladwynn and Lucinda (her grandmother) are a mix of my grandmothers.

I love the quirky characters that surround her.

I don’t love that I started a love triangle. That has stressed me out more than the mysteries and is one reason I dragged my feet on book four so long.

I’ll figure it out eventually.

The bottom line is that writing my cozy mysteries has brought me some stress but a lot more joy.

They are not best sellers and this is going to sound weird, but I totally love that too! I love having this little, lovely group of readers who like my characters and like to tell me that.

I need to pause more and share what I love about writing – instead of what stresses me out about it!

If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.

On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

Book Recommendation: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

On March 25, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews5 Comments

I read Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie for the first time this month as part of Read Christie 2026 with the Official Agatha Christie site.

I’ve read plenty of Christie’s books already but have always steered clear of the “big ones” that everyone knows because I’ve usually seen the movies and know the stories. I have learned, though, that there can be changes in the movies and sometimes they aren’t always for the better.

One example was And Then There Were None. If you have not read that one, you really need to, even if you saw any of the movies. It was the first Christie I read and … whoa. I sat there at the end feeling horrified and in awe at the same time. What a twisted, but well-written story.

(An aside…anyone who doesn’t think Agatha disappeared for 11 days as a way to get back at Archie and buys the whole “temporary amnesia” story hasn’t read enough of Agatha’s books. The woman had a million ideas how to get back at someone and how to kill them. If you don’t know what I am talking about – do a quick online search. It’s like the plot of one of her books but actually real life.)

For those who have never read this one, here is simple summary: a group of people end up stranded on the Orient Express (a train in Europe) during a blizzard when one of them is murdered. Too bad for the murderer, renowned detective Hercule Poirot has hopped on at the last minute and is working hard to solve the case while everyone waits for help to arrive.

What is so funny in the Poirot books is how Poirot always expects everyone to know who he is, and most people look at him in confusion when he introduces himself.

It’s always like, “Surely you must know me,” and then the other person looks confused and says, “No, I’m afraid not.”

Here are some actual quotes from the book that I enjoyed:

“Mon ami, if you wish to catch a rabbit you put a ferret into the hole and if the rabbit is there he runs. That’s all I have done.”

***

“When he passed me in the restaurant,” he said at last. “I had a curious impression. It was as though a wild animal — an animal savage, but savage, you understand — had passed me by.”

“And yet he looked altogether of the most respectable.”

“Precisement! The body — the cage — is everything of the most respectable — but through the bars, the wild animal looks out.”

***

“But I know human nature, my friend, and I tell you that, suddenly confronted with the possibility of being tried for murder, the most innocent person will lose his head and do the most absurd things.”

***

“You’ve a pretty good nerve,” said Ratchett. “Will twenty thousand dollars tempt you?”

It will not.”

If you’re holding out for more, you won’t get it. I know what a thing’s worth to me.”

I, also M. Ratchett.”

What’s wrong with my proposition?”

Poirot rose. “If you will forgive me for being personal – I do not like your face, M. Ratchett,” he said.”

***

“All around us are people, of all classes, of all nationalities, of all ages. For three days these people, these strangers to one another, are brought together. They sleep and eat under one roof, they cannot get away from each other. At the end of three days they part, they go their several ways, never, perhaps, to see each other again.”

***

I’ve already read my Christie for this month, but I’ve tossed Crooked House in the mix as an extra Christie read because my husband recommended it.

In April, I’ll be reading a Miss Marple — A Caribbean Mystery.

Have you read this one or any Christie books? If you have read her books, do you have a favorite?

If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.

On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.

I also post a link-up on Sundays for weekly updates about what you are reading, watching, doing, listening to, etc.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

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