Tag: books

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?

Sunday Bookends: Some swimming time, some relaxing time and lots of fun books

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends9 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

 This week was fairly lowkey. Little Miss and I went swimming twice – once earlier in the week and once yesterday with her friend who I’ll name Crazy Child for the sake of the blog.

She had a sleepover last night and it’s the last one of the summer, so I’m excited about that even if she isn’t. I know. I’m awful, but sleepovers can be so exhausting.

She and her friend had a ton of fun, though, so I am glad.

The temps dropped so much the last couple of days that I think my animals thought it was fall already. They were curled up on me or against me Friday and Saturday. Our youngest cat wanted to be on me no matter what Saturday night – even laying on my chest while I was trying to sleep!

Temps are going to warm up again because we aren’t done with summer yet.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Our daughter let me know this week that she is done watching movies based on books. They ruin her images of what she sees in her mind. I just thought that was funny and accurate because so many of us readers feel that way.

I am currently reading

Trouble Shooter by Louis L’Amour (just taking my time on this one since it is not my normal genre)

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

Tracking Tilly by Janice Jackson

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (loved this one. I’ll have a review later this week.)

The Key Collector’s Promise by Donna Stone (this book will be out in September)



Renee by Sandra Ardoin

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

The Boy is in between books.

Little Miss and I are listening to Little Women on Audible at night before bed.

The Husband headed off to work before I could ask him what he’s reading right now.

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop with Kelsey Grammer and a British actress I’d never heard of. It was pretty good but was a pretty simple mystery. I read that it was meant to be the first movie in a series but You Know What happened and then Kelsey started filming the new Frasier.

I also watched When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (a German film based on the book by Judith Kerr, which I enjoyed).

I started a movie called From Time to Time but haven’t finished it yet. It is a bit weird and involves a young boy going back in time. I’m not sure how they got Maggie Smith for it. It isn’t horrible but it doesn’t seem to be at the same caliber as her other work.


What I’m Writing

I am still working on Gladwynn Grant Shakes The Family Tree and having fun.

On the blog I shared:

Photos from Last Week

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.

Book recommendation/review: Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker (I wanted to like this one more than I did)

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading5 Comments

Title: Live and Let Cha

Author: Bree Baker

Genre: cozy mystery

Description:

Sun, sand, and tea are just three of Everly Swan’s favorite things. Her batty, beekeeping great-aunts and small, coastal hometown of Charm, North Carolina, round out the top five. So returning to Charm for a fresh start on her wilting life is an easy decision for Everly, and opening a new seaside cafe and iced-tea shop puts the proverbial icing on her legendary lemon cakes.

Everything is just peachy until a body turns up on the boardwalk outside her home and a jar of her proprietary tea is found at the victim’s side.

Now, Detective Grady Hays, Charm’s newest and most mysterious lawman, has named Everly as his number-one suspect, and Everly’s new start is about to go up in smoke unless she can dish up the real killer.

I’d heard so much about this book from other cozy mystery readers of Booktubers so I was excited when it finally became available through Libby, the library ebook app.

I started it and really enjoyed it in the beginning. I even found out I could listen to it for free via Audible for the times I couldn’t sit and read. I then discovered that Bree Baker was the pen name for another author I’d recently read – Julie Anne Lindsey – so I was sure the book would be as good as everyone said. Lindsey’s book was Apple Cider Slaying, which I really enjoyed.

The writing is great, don’t get me wrong, but after a few chapters I began to realize that I was reading the beach version of Apple Cider Slaying.

Sure, the characters were somewhat different – an extra elderly relative was thrown into this one with two aunts instead of just one grandma – but otherwise the plots were somewhat similar.

There was a person in town who didn’t like the main character, Everly,  having her business in her home and before the end of chapter one he was dead.

Everly was considered a possible suspect so she had to clear her name. In Apple Cider Slaying, the main character had to clear her grandmother’s name.

Once again we  had a former U.S. Marshal who moved to a small town to start over as the local police chief and the main character found out more about him by looking him up online.

This time we tossed a kid and dead wife into the mix, but the police chief does become a love interest.

Now, all this being said, I’m not saying the book was bad. There were aspects I liked about it, including the back story of the Swan family.

Overall, the book was interesting and engaging even if it was predictable and not as good as I had hoped. Still, cozy mysteries aren’t known to be creatively unique or full of depth all the time. They often simply give readers what they want – a mystery to solve by an amateur sleuth who must clear either her name or that of a friend or family member and some quirky and fun characters. Cozy mysteries are to cozy mystery readers like romances are to romance readers – comfortingly predictable and maybe even slightly cheesy.

Live and Let Chai had all of that so I enjoyed it, yes, but I don’t know if I will rush out to read the next in the series – especially because I didn’t really like the main character that much. She was a bit rude and pushy at times.

 I will, however, most likely read the next in the series at some point because I am curious to see if the other books will be as predictable or if Lindsey – er – Baker will break the mold a bit.

Have you read this one? What did you think?

Sunday Bookends: I can’t think of an interesting title for this week

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends11 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

I wrote about our week in my post yesterday.

After I posted that post the kids and I picked up a friend of The Boy’s and brought him home to our fold to become one of the family for a couple of days – though he is really part of the family even when he isn’t here.

We also stopped and picked up groceries.

Yes. It was a very exciting day, but we needed that after our busy week last week.

What I/we’ve been Reading

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery.

I’m very much enjoying this book which is so much different than the Anne of Green Gables books. I love the main character and can’t wait to see what happens to her in the end.

When You Returned by Havelah McClat

Tracking Tilly by Janice Thompson

I put Dandelion Cottage by Carrol Watson Rankin to the side and plan to pick it back up in the fall to read with Little Miss – or actually we may start it this week because am I as writing this I remembered we finished our read aloud this week.

Return to Gone Away by Elizabeth Enright


Renee by Sandra Ardoin

Trouble Shooter by Louis L’Amour

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched the original Gidget movie (1959) for my planned Summer Movie Marathon and will write about it in a future post.

I also rewatched the 2010 version of True Grit with The Boy and his friend. As usual I cried at the end. It’s such a good movie.


What I’m Writing

This week on the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening To

I am currently listening to The Cross-Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini.

I have also been listening to Anne Wilson’s album, Rebel.

Photos from Last Week

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.

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: An anniversary and a busy week and still trying to fit in summer reading

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends14 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

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. We went to dinner at a nearby restaurant and watched a movie together after shipping off the kids and dog to the grandparents.

It was a nice, quiet, relaxing day and very welcome.

I rambled about our trip to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon in my post yesterday if you want to read about that.

What I/we’ve been Reading

The Dandelion Cottage by Carol Watson Rankin

Version 1.0.0

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

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

When You Returned by Havelah Mclat

Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker (I wanted to like this much more than I did. Not the worst but pretty much like a previous book I read by the author under her real name).




Reneeby Sandra Ardoin

Clueless at the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

Little Men by Louisa Mae Alcott

The husband is reading the latest installment in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series by Anthony Horowitz.

Also, for those who wanted to know, he did enjoy the Patrick Stewart biography.

The boy is in between books because he finished his last read which was an audio version of a Warhammer book.

What We watched/are Watching

Just a Few Acres Farm

There is something so relaxing about just watching Farmer Pete work on his farm or dig holes in his field or feed the cows. When my brain is spinning or I just feel off-kilter, I turn on Pete and just remember the simple things of life.

Last night the kids and I watched Monty Python’s Search for The Holy Grail because we needed a laugh.

The husband and I watched Breakheart Pass with Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland (Bronson’s wife) after our anniversary dinner. I didn’t think it was very romantic but then I got wrapped up in it and needed to know what happened. I’m going to make him watch a romantic comedy with me later in the week.

During the week I watched this YouTube channel because it is also relaxing: Under A Tin Roof.


What I’m Writing

We had a busy week so I did not write as much as I wanted to but I did work on Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree a little bit.

On the blog I shared:

Photos from Last Week

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: 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.

Mid-year Book Round Up or Freak Out or Whatever it is Called

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, everyday musings8 Comments

I saw this prompt for a Mid-Year Book Round-Up (Freak Out) on Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs’ blog a few weeks ago but also saw another version online where the blogger listed more than one book for certain questions so I decided to combine the two.

Best Book (s) You’ve Read In 2024

Little Women by Lousia Mae Alcott and Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

I know. I know. I went for the classics, but I had never read either of them and ended up loving them both. I started Little Women in December but finished it in 2024, so I am counting it for 2024. I listened to Around the World in 80 Days and maybe it was the narrator that made it so interesting for me, but I really did enjoy it.

Best Sequel You’ve Read In 2024

The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes

My daughter and I loved this middle-grade book and, I think, it was the only sequel I read all year so far. It was such a cute book, following the adventures of – well, the middle Moffat, Jane. Her adventures with the Oldest Inhabitant (a 99-year-old Civil War vet) was the cutest part of the book to me. It was also cool that we read the chapter about the Eclipse at the same time the eclipse was happening.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

There are a lot of these (and you can read more of mine here) but for now, I will go with Tracking Tilly by Janice Thompson and I haven’t read it because it actually doesn’t release until August 1.

This one is a mystery that seems pretty cozy so I am looking forward to it.

Here is the 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.

Biggest disappointment.

I have two for this one:

Hell is Empty: A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

I’ve enjoyed almost all of the Walt Longmire series I’ve read so far but this one was ridiculous and predictable and I was terribly disappointed in it. My husband has suggested I read more books in the series because the rest of them were very good, so I will.

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

This was my first time trying this author and not only was the book repetitive (the woman grew up in a house of death by a cemetery full of death and death was all around her. Yes, got it. Stop repeating it every chapter) but it was extremely, extremely disturbing to me and I didn’t feel it should have been listed under Christian Fiction.

Biggest surprise.

I picked up How To Plan Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin on Netgalley and wasn’t sure what I would think of it but ended up really enjoying it and getting swept up in the twists and turns of this mystery.

Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)

Isabella Alan would probably be a new favorite for me. Her real name is Amanda Flowers but she writes as Isabella Alan as well and I really enjoyed her book Murder Plainly Read and plan to read more books by her later this year.

Newest fictional crush.

Theo Goodnight in Sharon Peterson’s The Fast Lane. He’s so swoony and sweet and funny and (a small spoiler here!) writes romances that I actually wouldn’t read but we’ll just go back to him being sweet and funny and dreamy.

Here is a little snippet of the book with Theo in it:

Bracing a hand on the table, he leaned close. “I’m beginning to think you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

My breath caught at the low, gravelly sound of his voice.

He shifted closer, his mouth stopping an inch from my ear. His warm breath on my skin sent a zing of awareness through me. “And I’m definitely not your brother.”

Swoon.

This is a clean romance by the way, so there is a bit of steam, small level of spice but no open door scenes or even medium spice.

Newest favorite character.

I know he isn’t new to others, but he’s new to me: Hercule Poirot. I’ve watched him on TV in the shows, but never realized how savage he was – even more so in the books than the show. The way he slams Hastings, putting him in his place, is just so funny.

From Lord Edgware Dies:

“I have noticed that when we work on a case together, you are always urging me on to physical action, Hastings. You wish me to measure footprints, to analyse cigarette ash, to prostrate myself on my stomach for the examination of detail. You never realize that by lying back in an armchair with the eyes closed one can come nearer to the solution of any problem. One sees then with the eyes of the mind.”

“I don’t,” I said. “When I lie back in an armchair with my eyes closed one thing happens to me and one thing only!”

“I have noticed it!” said Poirot. “It is strange. At such moments the brain should be working feverishly, not sinking into sluggish repose. The mental activity, it is so interesting, so stimulating! The employment of the little grey cells is a mental pleasure. They and they only can be trusted to lead one through fog to the truth…”

Book that made you cry.

Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen. ‘

So much of this book was just so sweet and touching. It’s the story of a family who travels to the mother’s grandmother’s former home in the Pennsylvania countryside to try to help the father overcome PTSD. While there they meet a lovely couple, help the couple make maple syrup, meet a man who they thought was weird, but was actually sweet and just grow together as a family. Maybe it is because I am from Pennsylvania that it gave me sentimental feelings, I don’t know, but it really had me teary-eyed.

Book(s) that made you happy.

I’m picking two for this one:

The Cat Who Talked To Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun.

This book didn’t make me happy because a side character in the series I’ve been reading since high school was tragically murdered, but because I saw so much more of the main character, Jim Qwilleran’s, personality in this book. There were funny moments and touching moments and it was just such a departure from the other books in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Murder In An Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor

This one was just a fun ride and I really enjoyed learning about Irish culture while also being taken on a journey through an interesting mystery. Plus, I fell in love with the characters.

What books do you want to read by the end of the year?

Here are a list of books I want to read by the end of the year:

The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery (already reading it)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (because I’ve never read it

Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker (I’ve heard a lot about this one and have it on my Kindle and Audible right now so I am looking forward to it)

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kipp by Sara Brunsvold (I started this one but it got a bit heavy for me so I would like to finish it)

An Old Fashioned Girl by Louise Mae Alcott

The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Are any of these books on your mid-year round-up? Any of them you want to read? Let me know.

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.