Tag: books and reading

Top Ten Tuesday: The top ten literary characters I would love to be friends with

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, top-ten-tuesday38 Comments

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

This week’s theme is: Relationship Freebie (Pick a relationship type and choose characters who fit that relationship as it relates to you. So, characters you’d like to date, be friends with, be enemies with, etc. Bookish families you’d like to be a part of, characters you’d want as your siblings, pets you’d like to take for yourself, etc.)

From this prompt, I decided to make a list of ten characters who I would love to be friends with in real life – if they were real. Well, you know what I mean.

  1. Cynthia Kavanagh from The Mitford Series by Jan Karon

Cynthia is the wife of Father Timothy Kavanagh, an Episcopal priest in Mitford, N.C. He meets Cynthia either in the end of the first book or the beginning of the second, A Light in the Window. Their love story is so sweet and pure. It’s a beautiful example of what love late in life can and should be. Father Tim has never been in a relationship and Cynthia was in a cold, loveless marriage before. Their relationship starts slow and awkardly.

Cynthia is an illustrator who also writes childrens books about her cat, Violet, a fluffy, white monster who Father Tim and his dog Barnabas aren’t so sure about. I would love to be friends with Cynthia. We’d sit in her little yellow house and sip tea and talk books and cats and how neither of us are really very good cooks or bakers but like to try anyhow.

2. Elizabeth “Bess” Marvin in the Nancy Drew books.

I absolutely love Bess from the Nancy Drew books. I love how she is described as pleasantly plump and isn’t shy about eating whatever she wants and flirting with boys – not even caring that back when these books were written fat girls were supposed to be not who boys would be interested in and were shamed into eating lettuce and a tomato for dinner.

I could absolutely see myself hanging out with Bess. She’d be more outgoing and crazy and I’d be quiet and laughing at her crazy antics. We’d talk about what foods we like and how no matter what we do we can’t get ourselves super skinny but there are times we still feel healthy and happy.

3. Valancy Stirling in The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

I would absolutely hang out with Valancy from The Blue Castle. If I met her before she received the bad news about her health, I would have been trying to pull her out of her dumps and encourage her to ignore her family’s rude comments about her.

After she received the bad news I would have joined her for tea at her Blue Castle and I would have walked with her in the forest, picking flowers, listening to the wind rustling the leaves and to her read excerpts from John Foster’s books.

4. Jo March from Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott

Jo and I would absolutely hang out in real life and talk about the books we are writing and the characters we’ve created and our fear of people reading what we have written. We would talk about how we feel like the stories and characters belong to ourselves and how we are sometimes afraid if others meet our characters they won’t like them and it will take something away from us.

We will totally talk about how we both snap sometimes and say mean things and have to wrestle the mean sides of ourselves the same way Marmee said she had to wrestle her feelings.

And we will absolutely dish about how publishers in her day were completely sexist and that if she were alive now she could write and publish whatever she wants.

5. Aunt Minnehaha Cheever from Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright

Aunt Minnehaha visited Gone Away Lake, really called Tarrigo Lake, with her family, including her brother Pindar, when she was a child. The site was a summer getaway for the wealthy but when a dam was created upstream it caused the lake to dry up and all the wealthy vacationers to leave, many of them leaving their homes behind. When Aunt Minnehaha hits hard times and can’t afford her home in the city she moves back to Tarrigo to live. Eventually, children named Julian and Portia discover the homes and become friends with Minnehaha and her brother, who has also moved there.

Minnehaha has had some sadness in her life but she is absolutely full of optimism and likes to look at tough situations in a new and exciting way. If she and I were friends we would look through all the old dresses she has and all the old china and she’d make me some of her amazing tea and then she’d tell me that what I am facing now is nothing compared to what they had to face when they were young, living among some very rich and arrogant neighbors.

6. Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I’m sure Anne would be on the list of many readers. An imaginative orphan girl who comes to live with an older brother and sister on a farm on Prince Edward Island, Canada would absolutely be a very interesting person to be friends with.

She and I would go walk along the shores of the Lake of Shimmering Waters and pick apples from the apple trees. We would also walk through the falling leaves during autumn to Diana’s house to visit her and have pastries and tea together.

We would absolutely talk about books and, well, I hate to say it but I’d probably tell Anne she is way too focused on what is and isn’t romantic and what romance should look like. If it was older Anne we would talk about raising children and how she keeps the romance alive between her and Gilbert.

7. Angie Braddock from the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries by Isabella Alan

I’ve only read one book in the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries but I really liked Angie. She’s bold and not afraid to find out how someone has been killed so she can clear the name of another person. She’s also dating a handsome sheriff (at least in the one book I read) and has a great relationship with her father who is trying to figure out his place in the world now that he is retired.

She sells sowing materials at her shop and I don’t think I’d be able to talk to her too much about fabric but I bet we’d like other similar things and I would love for her to introduce me to her Amish friends.

8. Miss Jane Marple from the Agatha Christie series

I would love to be friends with Jane Marple and ask her questions about various “goings on” in the village she – er- we live in. We’d of course – like with everyone else – sip tea – probably real English tea and have a few coo—biscuits while she tells me about her latest case.

Since I’m her friend, I’d also follow her around while she solves various cases. And maybe get some credit with her. *wink*

9. Sam Gangee from The Fellowship of The Ring

Sam and I are kindred spirits. We both like second breakfasts and are a bit nervous but also pretty loyal to our friends. Since we are friends we would enjoy meals together and we would be friends after the adventure to get rid of the ring so I’d ask why he did everything for Frodo and ask if he’d like to get more credit.

10. Flo and Lady Hardcastle from The Lady Hardcastle Mysteries by T.E. Kinsey

    I know…I popped in two into this one but they come as a pair, I’d say.
    I would love to be friends with Flo and Lady Hardcastle from The Lady Hardcastle Mysteries. Flo is Lady Hardcastle’s maid but really she is her best friend. Both of them have been spies and investigators and solved mysteries during the early 1900s. Flo has no fear when it comes to tracking down criminals and solving mysteries. She fights the bad guys, cleans up, and then heads home with Lady Hardcastle and serves her tea.

    Lady Hardcastle, like Flo, has no fear and is like a dog with a bone when it comes to solving a case. I love how both women break barriers, ignoring all “rules” of society in England in the early 1900s.

    I could see us enjoying tea (I know! I like tea! What can I say?) and talking about cases we’ve solved together and laughing about how we’ve shown the men in our small town that women can do more than cook and clean and keep house.

    How about you? What literary characters would you love to be friends with?

    Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, everyday musings13 Comments

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


    This week’s theme is: Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series (We all have a favorite book in our favorite series, right?) (submitted by A Hot Cup of Pleasure)

    I thought this one was going to be harder than it was because I haven’t finished a lot of series and didn’t really think I’d read books from a lot of series. It turns out I have read quite a few books from series, even though I haven’t yet finished some of them.

    Once I had my list, I also realized I had three children’s book series listed, but I think that’s okay since some of them I’ve read recently with my daughter.

    Anyhow, without further ado – ten favorite books from ten series:

    1. A Light in the Window by Jan Karon (the second book in The Mitford series).

    This one was a little hard for me because I like so many of the books in this series, especially the first book. I also loved book ten Home to Holly Springs, even though it was one of the darker in the series. I love A Light In the Window, though, because it is the start of the love story between Father Tim and his wife Cynthia.

    Another favorite is A Common Life, which is the story of their wedding. I also love the Christmas one and …. I could go on and on with this series.

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

     I just read this book in the series this year and I loved it for a variety of reasons. One, it took Qwill and the cats away from their normal setting and two it just showed a totally different side of Qwill. It was also just really well written.

    I shared a review of it here: https://lisahoweler.com/2024/05/06/book-recommendation-the-cat-who-talked-to-ghosts/

    3. Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower (A Magic Garden Mystery)

    It took me more than a year to get ahold of this final installment of this cozy mystery magical trilogy but I was glad when I finally found it on Hoopla. It was worth the wait and tied the series up nicely.

    4. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)

    It’s sort of cliché to choose the first in the series, I suppose (though this one wasn’t actually published first) but it is my favorite of what I have re-read of the series so far. I read the series as a kid but I don’t remember all of the books so I am re-reading them with my daughter. So far this is my favorite of them but I may update that later.

    5. A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (The Mark of the Lion series)

    I’m choosing the first in the series again, but this is my favorite from the series, which I first read in high school. This is a Christian Historical Fiction book that takes place during the rule of Rome. It’s very hard to put down.

    6. Love and A Little White Lie by Tammy L. Gray (A State of Grace series)

    Oops. It’s another first in the series. But it was my favorite! Ha! I loved this realistic inspirational romance that wasn’t cliché and dealt with real issues about faith, love, and personal flaws. It also had some humorous moments with and observations from the main character.

    7. The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson (A Walt Longmire Mystery)

    The Longmire mysteries can be dark at times and so I don’t read them often, instead choosing to space them out and take breaks with fluffier reads in between. I’m still in the beginning of this series so I’m sure there will be other favorites as well. I chose this one but there is actually a book of Christmas-themed short stories about Walt that I loved even more. It wasn’t really a book from the series, though, so I chose this one.

    I love Johnson’s writing and how he weaves humor into serious moments. Walt’s relationship with his Native American friend Henry Standing Bear will go down as one of the strongest and coolest in literary history in my mind.

    8. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (The Little House on the Prairie series)

    It was hard for me to choose a favorite from this series because I like a few of them about the same. I chose this one because it’s when we meet Nellie Olson, who wasn’t as big of a part of Laura’s real life as the TV show made her out to be. I love the part where Laura tricks Nellie into going into the creek and Nellie ends up getting leeches stuck to her legs and starts screaming.

    The other book I almost chose was These Happy Golden Years because Almonzo and Laura start to court more in earnest. But I also love The Farmer Boy…okay..better move on from this one or I’ll add them all.

    9. Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond (The Paddington Bear series)

    I had to choose a book from this series because the series has been so much a part of my and Little Miss’s life. We have read this series a couple of times and Little Miss loves when I read the books to her and do all of the accents of the characters.

    There have been a few times she has fallen asleep and I’ve kept reading because I’ve gotten so caught up in these cute stories about Paddington bear. I like this book because Paddington and the Browns travel to France and they have so many different and exciting adventures.

    10. EDIT: Previously this was listed as Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (from the Anne of Green Gables series) but it was actually Anne of the Island that I enjoyed more. I switched them in my head. Sigh. Sorry about that to people who already commented.

    Most people would choose Anne of Green Gables as their favorite from this series and I absolutely love that book but I also love Anne of the Island because I love that Anne and Gilbert really start their romance in this one. Anne is growing up and learning about who she is and what she truly wants in life and it’s just a fun adventure.

    What are some of your favorite books from a series?

    Movie review/recommendation: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Movie Impresssions4 Comments

    I read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr late last year and was swept up in the story, written for middle schoolers but with a message for all ages.  The book was heartbreakingly beautiful.

    Last week I watched a German movie based on it and it was as breathtakingly beautiful as the book.

    So much of the movie was exactly how I pictured it in the book.

    Before I continue, I want to mention that the movie is in German so if you don’t speak German you will have to read the subtitles.

    When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a semi-autobiographical book based on the facts of Kerr’s life. The main character of the book is Anna Kemper and the story is told her from her point of view.

    Her father, like Judith’s, was a newspaper columnist from Berlin who spoke out against Hitler right before Hitler won a majority to take over in Germany. Because he spoke out against Hitler, Arthur Kemper is on the Nazi’s hit list. A member of the police who is not a Nazi warns him that he needs to get out of Germany before Hitler is elected.

    Anna’s father escapes to Switzerland and the family joins him even before they know the results of the election because they are warned by their father through their Uncle Julius to do so.

    When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is the story of the family’s life in Switzerland and then Paris, France.  There are other books after this book that tell of their move to London, where they eventually settled. I believe Judith eventually moved to New York City.

    The movie begins in Berlin in 1933 and then shifts to Switzerland. I was thrilled to find out that the movie was actually shot on location in Switzerland and then in various places in Germany.

    The views when they moved to the country were absolutely beautiful and I didn’t see how they couldn’t have actually been shot in Switzerland.

    • The movie filmed scenes in
    • Berlin, Germany 
    • Prague, Czech Republic 
    • Bodensee, Baden-Württemberg, Germany 
    • Soglio, Switzerland 
    • And Munich, Baveria, Germany’

    All of the actors are outstanding in this, especially the little girl, Riva Krymalowski, who plays Anna. Her expressions and line delivery are subtly powerful.

    The woman who played the mother – was also outstanding in my opinion.

    This is a movie that could have been extremely dark, but because the book keeps a lighthearted tone (as light as you can when writing about Nazis chasing people down for their faith or political beliefs) the movie keeps a similar lighthearted tone mixed in with somber themes.

    When the children move to Switzerland they have to learn a new language and new customs. They also deal with antisemitism, which becomes more apparent when non-religious Germans come for vacation at the hotel they are staying at but the Germans would not speak to them or let their children play with them because they are Jews who left Germany.

    In the book, the children who usually play with Anna and her brother Max don’t play with Anna and Max while the other German children are there because the German children won’t play with them. This was cut out of the movie but in the book they all remain friends after the other German children leave and Anna’s Swedish friend apologizes for abandoning her.

    I know everyone thinks Paris is beautiful but I was disappointed when the movie left the gorgeous scenery that Sweden provided. I’m not as thrilled with buildings – even ones in Paris.

    What I did love is how free Anna’s mother and father felt in Paris and how they showed their love to each other — finally feeling like they weren’t being hunted down while there.

    Like in the book, the children have to learn the languages of the countries they move to and Anna is better at this than her brother Max. She quickly learns and excels at French for example.

    While she learns the languages, though, she still struggles with feeling like a refugee. Her father reminds her that Jews have always been refugees and they are no different. He encourages his children to always act respectfully and kind so that people who hear from the Nazis that Jews are awful, selfish people will not those lies aren’t true.

    I found it interesting to read that Kerr held her German citizenship until 1941 and then was considered to be “stateless” or not a citizen of anywhere from 1941 to 1947. In 1947 until she died she was a citizen of Britain, where she eventually earned an OBE.

    One thing that the movie brought home for me more than the book was the mother’s character, including how hard it was on her to leave Germany, as well as how strong she had to be for her family. I didn’t catch on to this as clearly when I read the book, but she was a musician who wrote operas so when she had to leave her piano behind in Berlin, it was like losing a part of herself.

     In the movie there is a scene where they visit a rich family who left Berlin (and who they knew because Anna’s father once wrote a scathing review against the husband) and Anna’s mother is excited to see they have a piano. She has the chance to play it and it lifts her spirits immensely.

    I felt like the movie developed her character even more.

    The scene between the Kemper family and the richer family also demonstrated to me the huge disparity that developed between classes among the Jewish people during that time. The Kempers lost everything when they fled and were living in poverty. This man was somehow able to keep all of his wealth when they left Germany and ended up living in a wealthy area of Paris with plenty of food and clothes and other items for their children.

    In both the book and the movie, Anna talks about how she’s read books where famous people all have difficult trials to overcome before they become famous. She comments to her brother, “Maybe that means I will be famous one day.”

    When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is part of a three-book series of semi-autobiographical children’s books that Kerr wrote. She also wrote and illustrated 57 books in her lifetime – including The Mog series – and they have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

    When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit was translated into 20 languages.

    In London, where she lived until she died in 2019 at the age of 95, Kerr finally found the home she’d been craving since her family left Germany in 1933.

    Top Ten Things I Love about Little Women

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, everyday musings12 Comments

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

    Today’s prompt is: Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here] (Pick any book and tell us ten things you loved about it!) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext)

    For this prompt, I chose to write about Little Women, which I read for the first time at the end of last year into this year. I stretched out the reading of this book – savoring it – because I loved it so much. I can’t believe it took me so long to read it. I fell in love with every character and I feel like this is a book I may not read over and over but will read excerpts of each year – probably in the winter like I did this time.

    Anyhow, without further ado. . .

    Top Ten Things I Loved about Little Women.

    1. I love how realistically Louisa Mae Alcott wrote about the roles and lives of women in that time period, but she also didn’t entirely adhere to this historical fact because she also wrote of the girls as rebellious to those strict “standards” for women. The young March women were bold and strong-willed and didn’t let what society said they had to be stop them from being what they wanted to be.

    2. I love Marmee. Just everything about her. I loved how she was maternal and brave and cared for others. I loved how she was strong but didn’t mind showing the girls she was scared when her husband was in the military hospital. I loved that she didn’t mind telling Jo that she too had struggled with her tongue and being snappy and hurting people’s feelings, yet didn’t try to tell Jo that Jo needed to change. Alcott’s decision to write about her admittance of her own struggles with temper and her reasons for those struggles was so ahead of its time. Talking about feelings and motivations for why a person acted the way they did wasn’t really something touched on by many books of this time, as far as I’ve seen.

    3. I love how the book is not a traditional romance or really a romance at all – yet it is at the same time. Readers may think the story is marching (no pun intended) to a certain conclusion with two certain people ending up together but Alcott turns it all on its head and leaves us pondering what we think about who does end up with our beloved Teddy.

    4. Finding a category to place this book in can be very hard at times. There are elements of romance, but then also just sweet stories, and then women’s fiction with Jo’s story and thoughts about what it means to become a young woman and a writer and what love means to her. I love that the book can’t be easily categorized. It makes it even more endearing.

    5. I love the faith of the characters and how even though they have faith, they also aren’t afraid to question it and admit when God seems so far away.

    “Yes, it is. She doesn’t know us, she doesn’t even talk about the flocks of green doves, as she calls the vine leaves on the wall. She doesn’t look like my Beth, and there’s nobody to help us bear it. Mother and Father  both gone, and God seems so far away I can’t find Him.” 

    As the tears streamed fast down poor Jo’s cheeks, she stretched out her hand in a helpless sort of way, as if  groping in the dark, and Laurie took it in his, whispering as well as he could with a lump in his throat, “I’m  here. Hold on to me, Jo, dear!” 

    She could not speak, but she did “hold on,” and the warm grasp of the friendly human hand comforted her  sore heart, and seemed to lead her nearer to the Divine arm which alone could uphold her in her trouble. 

    6. I love how each chapter of the book is like its own story which means I could read a chapter or two a night of the book and stretch out the enjoyment of stepping into that world night after night.

    7. I love how Beth was both childlike and deep at the same time. So many of the things she said – much like Jo and Marmee – were amazingly profound and thought-provoking in such a simple, sweet way.

    “You must take my place, Jo, and be everything to Father and Mother when I’m gone. They will turn to you, don’t fail them, and if it’s hard to work alone, remember that I don’t forget you, and that you’ll be happier in doing that than writing splendid books or seeing all the world, for love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy.”

    8. I love the subtly of the life lessons in this book. Those life lessons come in some of the profound statements that the characters, like Beth, says, but especially through the actions of the characters. How Marmee takes food to others and cares for them when they are at their lowest. How all the girls grasp onto life and hold on tight so they can enjoy as much of it as possible. How Mr. March helps his neighbors. How Beth cares for the young children who are sick, resulting in her own sickness and later her death.

    9. I love how we are able to follow the young women from childhood to adulthood. I loved being able to see them grow and progress and stretch along the way.

    10. I love Mr. Laurence and his love for Beth, but all the girls and how that love opens up parts of him that he had shut off long ago.

    Is there a book that you could list ten things you love about it? If so, which book is it?

    Sunday Bookends: It’s hot. It’s hot. It’s way too hot. And reading.

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends16 Comments




    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.

    This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.



    What’s Been Occurring

     We have been sweating. We will sweat more this week. We will try to go swimming and maybe do some other things as family since The Husband has this next week off work. I am ready for Summer to be over. I’m sorry Summer lovers but I hate the heat. If it can be 65 to 70 for the rest of Summer, then it can stay. Otherwise – buh-bye *wink*

    If you want to read about how much I want Summer to go away and Autumn to come, you can read my post from yesterday.

    What I/we’ve been Reading

    The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

    Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker

    The Chosen Kids Saga Book One: Encounter at the Dunes by R.W. Ruiz (not related to the show The Chosen/children’s book)

    Return to Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (reading with Little Miss on nights we don’t fall asleep early)

    The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz

    Renee by Sandra Ardoin

    Dandelion Cottage by Carol Watson Rankin

    Clueless At the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

    Little Men by Louisa Mae Alcott

    What We watched/are Watching

    I have been rewatching All Creatures Great And Small (the modern version) and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew series (more on that later this week), but not a lot else. I’ve been reading and writing a bit more lately.


    What I’m Writing

    I am working on Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree (the title is tentative at this point), which is the third book in the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries. I’m having fun writing it and I hope you’ll have fun reading it.

    I don’t mention it a lot here but if you want to read the other two books you can find a link to them in the My Books section in the menu at the top of the page.

    I’m also offering 50 percent off annual paid subscriptions to my Substack newsletter/author site. I’ll be offering sneak peeks, author interviews, and several other perks on there and this week added an epub version of Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing to all paid subscriptions.

    If you are interested in the discount, you can use this coupon link:

    https://lisarhoweler.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=3809a83a

    This week on the blog I shared:

    What I’m Listening To

    I am listening to Live & Let Chai by Bree Baker when I am driving somewhere, while also reading the ebook on Kindle.

    Music-wise I am listening to Anne Wilson’s Rebel album.

    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.

    Sunday Bookends: Reading, swimming, and some rain

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends15 Comments


    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.

    This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.

    What’s Been Occurring

    Can you even believe it is the last day of June? Because I absolutely cannot. June has gone by so fast my head is spinning!

    I rambled about my week last week in yesterday’s post where I wrote about swimming and summer and the rain we had all day Saturday

    What I/we’ve been Reading

    The Women of Wynton’s by Donna Mumma

    The Sentence is Death: A Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery by Anthony Horowitz

    The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father by Jim Wight (I have to be honest that this one is a bit boring to me right now so I am not reading it every day)

    Return to Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (a read aloud with Little Miss)

    Lord Edgware Dies: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie

    Tracking Tilly by Janice Thompson

    The Gardener’s Plot by Deborah J. Benoit

    The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes: A Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene

    The Husband is reading Making It So: A Memoir by Patrick Stewart (he found it on Libby)

    The Boy is listening to Soul Hunter by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

    What We watched/are Watching

    I am making my way through the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys show from the 1970s. Why? Yeah…I have no idea but they aren’t as bad as I thought they’d be. I’m even getting to hear some good tunes from Shaun Cassidy. *wink*

    Lovejoy. This old show from the 1990s is scratching an itch and I have no idea why. I guess I’m craving old stuff these days.

    This video from Under A Tin Roof:

    Videos from Just A Few Acres Farm on YouTube.


    What I’m Writing

    Still working on Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree and I hope to have it released in the fall. Right now the first two books are on sale on Amazon for $1.99 (ebooks).

    This week on the blog I shared:

    What I’m Listening To

    I am a little shocked to find myself enjoying the latest New Kids on the Block song.

    Photos from Last Week

    Recent Blog Posts I Enjoyed

    The Significance of Faces on Fiction Book Covers by Nadine C. Keels

    The Heart of A Servant Leader by Bettie G’s RA Seasons

    Words for Wednesday: Passing Along Faith by Mama’s Empty Nest

    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.

    Author Interview: Jessica Marie Holt, author of Cynthia

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Apron Strings Series4 Comments

    The books for the Apron Strings Book Series keep releasing and this month Cynthia by Jessica Marie Holt was released.

    The Apron Strings Book series features books about women in each decade from 1920 to 2020. The characters are connected by one recipe/cookery book, but otherwise the books can be read individually and in any order. My book, Cassie, will be released in August and there are 11 books in all.

    Today I am interviewing Jessica about her writing and her book, which was released June 15.

    Here is a quick description:

    At twenty-two, Cynthia Bailey has had enough family drama to last a lifetime. She loves her small eastern North Carolina town, and longs to settle into a simple, quiet life on her own . . . or maybe with Tucker, the boy next door who won’t stop asking her to marry him. Unfortunately, Momma’s wild ways have a tendency of throwing monkey wrenches into Cynthia’s plans. Besides, without Cynthia there to keep constant watch over her, Momma is certain to get herself into real trouble.

    Cynthia has one respite from her problems: Granny Tru’s farm. Momma doesn’t like her going there, as she left Granny and farm life behind long ago and expects Cynthia to do the same. But she doesn’t dare say much, because if there’s anyone more strong-willed and determined than Momma, it’s Granny.

    Cynthia secretly wishes everyone would just get along. But Momma and Granny are worlds apart, with bitterness, family secrets, and tragedies between them. It all seems hopeless until, tired of Momma’s frozen TV dinners, Cynthia asks Granny True for help learning to cook. When Granny gives her a vintage cookbook she acquired from a used book shop, she finds much more than cooking lessons. She finds faith, hope, and a way back to healing for her family.

    See the bottom of this post for a link to the book.

    1.       Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

    I’m a mom of five, although two of my little birds are grown and have flown the nest. I homeschool my three younger kids. We have two dogs, Jack and Daisy, and two cats, Milo and Whiskey. We also have a hamster named Taco. I grew up in South Florida, but I currently live in central/eastern North Carolina. I absolutely love it here; it has inspired so much of my writing. 

    I have been writing almost all my life, but I have only been published since 2018, when I dusted off a short story I’d written 20 years earlier and made being a writer official. 

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

    My latest book, Cynthia, is part of an amazing multi-author series called Apron Strings. Each book is set in a different decade, and each main character is from a different place and a different walk of life. The stories are tied together by one cookbook from the 1920s. 

    My book, Cynthia, takes place in the 1970s. Cynthia is a sweet 22-year-old girl who is caught between two very different generations—Momma’s and Granny Tru’s​. She’s also caught between a rock and a hard place. She wants to move on with her life and find her place in the world, but she’s stuck. She lives at home with Momma, whose wild ways make it difficult for Cynthia to start a new life on her own—or with Tucker, the boy ​next door who won’t stop asking her to marry him.   

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

          Mainly, Cynthia is a story about finding the courage to let go and move forward. In one way or another, each of the three women in the story, Cynthia, Momma, and Granny, are struggling with the past and finding it hard to let go and move on. 

    In our doubt and fear, we often tend to try and hold on to people we love—to manage them or rescue them or control the outcomes of their choices. We do this to protect them, and to keep ourselves from getting hurt. But this kind of “help” isn’t really helpful. At some point, we need to learn to let people go and be at peace. After all, God loves them more than we do, and he’s in control.  

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

    This was a healing story for me. I found a little bit of courage and clarity when I wrote it. 

    5.       Where can readers find out more about you and your projects?

    You can find me at any of these places! linktr.ee/jessicamarieholt

    You can purchase Cynthia, or read it on Kindle Unlimited here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D3SFNXNK?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_5&storeType=ebooks

    Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books for the Second Half of 2024

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading26 Comments

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

    This week the topic is: Top Ten Tuesday Anticipated books for the second half of 2024.

    This one is hard for me because I read a lot of older books and because I am always behind on finding out about new releases, even though I am on Netgalley. I don’t have ten books here, but I have seven, and many of these I either have an ARC of (through Netgalley) or hope to get ARC copies of. I also haven’t read books by most of these authors yet, but the plots sound good or I have heard a lot about them.

    1. The Gardener’s Plot by Deborah J. Benoit (November 5)

    I was approved for this ARC and it looks very good.

    Description:

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

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

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

    The Gardener’s Plot takes readers to the heart of the Berkshires and introduces amateur sleuth Maggie Walker in Deborah J. Benoit’s Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut.

    2. The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams; Lauren Willig; Karen White (November 5)

    This just sounded very good to me. I have not been approved for the ARC, but I’ll read it eventually.

    Agatha Christie meets Murder, She Wrote in this witty locked room mystery and literary satire by New York Times bestselling team of novelists: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White.

    There’s been a sensational murder at historic Castle Kinloch, a gothic fantasy of grey granite on a remote island in the Highlands of Scotland. Literary superstar Brett Saffron Presley has been found dead—under bizarre circumstances—in the castle tower’s book-lined study. Years ago, Presley purchased the castle as a showpiece for his brand and to lure paying guests with a taste for writerly glamour. Now it seems, the castle has done him in…or, possibly, one of the castle’s guests has. Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh, a local with no love for literary Americans, finds himself with the unenviable task of extracting statements from three American lady novelists. 

    The prime suspects are Kat de Noir, a slinky erotica writer; Cassie Pringle, a Southern mom of six juggling multiple cozy mystery series; and Emma Endicott, a New England blue blood and author of critically acclaimed historical fiction. The women claim to be best friends writing a book together, but the authors’ stories about how they know Brett Saffron Presley don’t quite line up, and the detective is getting increasingly suspicious. 

    Why did the authors really come to Castle Kinloch? And what really happened the night of the great Kinloch ceilidh, when Brett Saffron Presley skipped the folk dancing for a rendezvous with death? 

    A crafty locked-room mystery, a pointed satire about the literary world, and a tale of unexpected friendship and romance—this novel has it all, as only three bestselling authors can tell it! 

    3. Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas by Jessica Fletcher; Terrie Farley Moran (October 8, 2024)

    I have never read one of these but I’ve heard good things about them. I may end up hating it. Ha!

    Description:

    It’s Christmastime in Cabot Cove, but there’s more homicide than ho-ho-ho in the newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.

    Christmas is not an easy time to sell a house, but in Boston tycoon John Bragdon, Cabot Cove Realtor Eve Simpson has found a buyer for the old Jarvis homestead. Unfortunately, Eve gets a lump of coal in her stocking in the form of Kenny Jarvis, who has been missing for years and presumed dead but has now come back to stop his sister from selling their childhood home.

    Eve presses on, organizing a welcome dinner for Bragdon and his wife, Marlene, to meet the leading citizens of the town, including Jessica Fletcher. Dinner is interrupted by an uninvited guest—not Santa but Kenny, who threateningly promises Marlene she will never live in his house.

    When Marlene is found dead a few days later, Kenny is the natural suspect. But Jessica isn′t so sure he′s on the naughty list . . .

    4. Tracking Tilly by Janice Thompson (August 1)

    I just received my approval for this ARC and I am looking forward to it!

    Description:

    Who Stole Tilly from the Auction Block? Breathe in the nostalgia of everything old red truck in book one of a new cozy mystery series. The Hadley family ranch is struggling, so RaeLyn, her parents, and brothers decide to turn the old barn into an antique store. The only thing missing to go with the marketing of the store is Grandpa’s old red truck, Tilly, that was sold several years ago. Now coming back up on the auction block, Tilly would need a lot of work, but RaeLyn is sure it will be worth it—if only she can beat out other bidders and find out who stole Tilly after the auction ends. Hadley finds herself in the role of amateur sleuth, and the outcome could make or break the new family venture.

    5. Queen of Hearts: A Gripping Psychological Thriller with a Twist by Heather Day Gilbert (July 23)

    I may regret it because this is not really the genre of books I read, but I was approved this morning for this ARC.

    Her readers love her…but one has gotten a little too attached.

    Alexandra Dubois, a NYT bestselling author, has made a name for herself by crafting twisted serial killers in her romantic suspense series. When threatening notes from an “invested reader” escalate into violence, Alex has to admit she’s not safe in her own home. Although her autism makes any changes to her routine difficult, she reluctantly accepts her editor’s advice to fly to his sprawling vacation home in West Virginia so she can focus on her looming deadline.

    Fighting paranoia that the stalker has discovered her mountain hideaway, Alex still forces herself to write several chapters in her novel. But when a thunderstorm leaves her stranded and she hears a knock at her door, she’s about to discover that life truly is stranger than fiction.

    Fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Mary Higgins Clark, and Misery are sure to be hooked by this clean, fast-paced domestic thriller by RWA Daphne Award-winning author Heather Day Gilbert.

    6. The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne (Sept. 3)

    I’ve always wanted to read some of A.A. Milne’s work beyond Winnie The Pooh. I know I’ve read that it drove him nuts that Winnie The Pooh took off and none of his more serious work.

    A classic Golden Age locked-room cozy mystery by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh — hailed as one of the “20 Best Classic Murder Mystery Books of All Time (Town & Country, 2023)

    “Has the pacing equivalent of perfect pitch . . . and spiced with funny comments on the clichés of the mystery novel” — Molly Young, The New York Times (2024)

    In a quaint English country house, the exuberant Mark Ablett has been entertaining a house party, but the festivities are rudely interrupted by the arrival of Mark’s wayward brother, Robert, home from Austalia. Even worse, not long after his arrival the long-lost brother is found dead, shot through the head, and Mark is nowhere to be found. It is up to amateur detective Tony Gillingham and his pal Bill to investigate.

    Between games of billiards and bowls, the taking of tea and other genteel pursuits, Tony and Bill attempt to crack the perplexing case of their host’s disappearance and its connection to the mysterious shooting. Can the pair of sleuths solve the Red House mystery in time for their afternoon game of croquet?

    The Red House Mystery marked Milne’s first and final venture into the detective genre, despite the book’s immediate success. Praised by Raymond Chandler and renowned critic Alexander Woolcott, this gem of classic Golden Age crime sparkles with witty dialogue, an intriguing cast of characters, and a brilliant plot.

    7. Sticks and Scones: A Bakeshop Mystery by Ellie Alexander (August 20)

    I have read one of the others in this series so this one might need to wait for me but I hope to read it eventually anyhow.

    Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!

    It’s late spring in Juliet’s charming hamlet of Ashland. Spotted deer are nibbling on lush green grasses in Lithia Park, the Japanese maples are blooming, and Torte is baking a bevy of spring delights—lemon curd cupcakes, mini coconut cream pies, grapefruit tartlets, and chocolate dipped almond Tuiles.

    Meanwhile, Juliet’s friend Lance, the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is taking center stage with his new theater troupe—the Fair Verona Players. Their performance in Uva’s vineyard promises to be a modern, gender-bending twist on “The Taming of the Shrew,” but as the curtain rises, so do the strange occurrences. Stage mishaps and internal bickering threaten to derail the production. But the real show begins when the leading actor, Jimmy Paxton, meets his final curtain call. Now, Jules is not only in the mix, but she’s going to need to craft the perfect recipe for solving this theatrical whodunit.

    What books are on your list for the most anticipated books for the second half of the year? Let me know in the comments.

    Book Recommendation/Review: The Secret of Shadow Ranch

    On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings6 Comments

    The Secret of Shadow Ranch is the fifth book in the original Nancy Drew series. This was, so far, one of my favorites that I have read. I felt like it was more of a cohesive story than past books.

    Nancy travels to Shadow Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona to meet up with her friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne for what is supposed to be a relaxation vacation. When she arrives, though, she finds out there have been some weird things going on at the ranch, mainly the appearance of a ghost horse, and now Bess’s aunt and uncle, the new owners of the ranch, don’t think any of the girls should stay for a visit.

    Nancy, though, likes a mystery and she is even more intrigued when she finds out that locals think that Dick Valentine, an outlaw who was killed at the ranch years ago, is haunting the ranch. Dick Valentine was in love with the previous owner’s daughter and it was the previous owner who killed him.

    Now Nancy is being pulled into a mystery that involves romance, danger, and treasure.

    I enjoyed the way this one was written with it feeling much more well-rounded than previous books. I know some readers didn’t like that Nancy’s previous friend Helen Corning disappears in this book and rarely returns in future books before totally disappearing, but, in my opinion, Bess and George are absolutely an upgrade.

    Bess is funny, bubbly, and boy-crazy (she can’t wait to tell Nancy abut the handsome cowboys she’s met at the ranch) and George is described as “tomboyish with short brown hair.”

    I listened to a podcast recently where the podcaster didn’t like that Bess is described as slightly plump in this book and others and felt that the writer (Mildred Wert Benson — later rewritten by Harriet Adams) was fat-shaming her or saying she was inferior because of her larger size. I respect the podcaster’s opinion and do see where she was coming from, but I respectfully (sincerely respect) disagree.

    I felt that the author was simply describing Bess to show that not all their characters were skinny minnies. I’m overweight and I’d prefer to be called pleasantly plump like Bess was, to be honest. I think the fact that she was included at all was a sign of progress in books because characters were fairly cookie-cutter thin back then from what I’ve seen.

    The mystery in this one was interesting, Nancy was flirted with by a handsome cowboy, Nancy’s boyfriend Ned was mentioned for the first time, Bess and George were introduced and added a fun element to the story, and there seemed to be more thought put into the story overall.

    Some readers could see the introduction as a Native American in the story as problematic but I did not because she was not stereotypically portrayed. The fact she was simply owning a store and being part of the community and not seen at a Pow-Wow or something similarly stereotypical was actually very nice. I didn’t really have a problem with Nancy and her friends wearing traditional Native American garb, but like the podcaster I listened to, I didn’t like that they called it “squaw dresses,” because the term squaw sounds derogatory to me.

    After a search online I learned that these dresses were made popular in Arizona and developed by Dolores Gonzales (a Mexican-American designer) and Cele Peterson,

    The dresses incorporated Native American designs to pay homage to Native Americans, not to steal their designs or to mock Native Americans, and Native Americans from a variety of tribes designed and wore them, but I can see how some would see them as a negative representation of the Native American community. The name of the dresses were later changed to patio or fiesta dresses to be more culturally sensitive.

    Anyhow, back to the book — as always, these books are a product of their time but they are a fun distraction in this chaotic world.

    Have you read this book? What did you think?