If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Books With Nationalities In The Title (e.g. The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Mexican Gothic, An American Marriage, etc.) (submitted by Cathy @WhatCathyReadNext)
I will not lie — I had to search online for some of these because I couldn’t actually find any on my shelves and couldn’t remember any books I had read with nationalities. I may have just not looked very well.
What I decided to do is share those I have already read or want to read. If the title has “haven’t read yet” next to it, it means I want to read it.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashielle Hammett (haven’t yet read)
2. The Cretan Bull (The Labours of Hercules Vol. 2) by Agatha Christie (haven’t read yet)
3. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown (haven’t read yet but started it,)
4. The Egypt Game (1967) Zilpha Keatley Snyder (haven’t read it yet, but plan to read it with my daughter for school this year)
5. The Corsican Brothers by Alexandre Dumas (haven’t read yet)
6. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern by Lilian Jackson Braun (read)
7. Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor (read)
8. Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene (read a loong time ago)
9. The English Air by D.E. Stevenson (haven’t read yet)
10. Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
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.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is:
August 25: Bookish Places I’ve Visited (Share all the cool places you’ve been that are bookish or tied to books! This includes neat libraries, bookstores, places featured in books, places inspired by books, author homes/places they’ve stayed, etc. You can also share your bucket list of the bookish places you’d like to visit someday.) (submitted by Susan @Bloggin’ ’bout Books)
I’m not someone who travels very much so I had to split this list into places I have been and places I want to go to.
First, five bookish related places I have been to (and want to go back to):
One.
When I was in college, I visited my brother in Downingtown, Pa. and he drove me to West Chester to see Baldwin’s Book Barn, which is a five-story barn built in 1822 that was converted into a bookstore in 1946.
According to the store’s website: “Thomas Baldwin, the longtime proprietor of Baldwin’s Book Barn in West Chester, Pennsylvania, was a guardian of literary tradition. Founded by his parents in 1946, the 19th-century barn transformed into a haven for book lovers. After his father’s illness, Thomas took the reins, ensuring the store’s quirky charm and historical significance endured.
Tom’s passion for books and warm personality were integral to the store’s appeal. Known for his encyclopedic knowledge, he often engaged visitors in lengthy conversations by the iconic pot-bellied stove. The barn’s five floors of books, rare artifacts, and cozy nooks made it a beloved landmark for bibliophiles. Though he briefly contemplated selling the business in 2010, Tom remained steadfast in preserving it as a part of Chester County’s history. Under his stewardship, Baldwin’s Book Barn outlasted many chain bookstores, becoming a destination for those seeking literary discovery and a touch of nostalgia.”
I was young then and not as in to reading as much as I am now so I did not explore as much as I would now, if I had the chance to go back and I do hope I can go back someday.
Two.
There is a small, cute bookstore in a little village near us that we have visited a couple of times and I can’t wait to go back there, as well. It is much smaller than barn, of course, but is also just stuffed full of amazing finds. Mainly used books, with some new ones.
I was especially excited to find Nancy Drew and Murder, She Wrote books there.
It is in a little tourist/resort town surrounded by state game land and the building is so cute.
Three.
For 18-years we lived close to Elmira, N.Y. (though we were in PA) and that is where the gazebo where Mark Twain wroteThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Life on the Mississippi (1883), and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889). The gazebo was built in 1874 at Quarry Farm which was the summer home of Twain’s sister-in-law, Susan Crane. The family of Twain’s wife, Olivia Langdon Clemens, was from Elmira.
The photos I took at the gazebo are buried somewhere so I pulled some off the interwebs to share here.
I can be honest that there was just something about walking into that building. A peaceful, yet also creative feeling.
It’s very unassuming and there are probably many people in the town who have no idea what it is. I’m just so glad no one has ever damaged it because that city is known to have some crime issues.
Like I said, it felt peaceful inside there, but maybe it was because no one else was on campus that day. Whatever it was, I just loved sitting inside it and when I closed my eyes I imagined Twain sitting at that desk, plugging away at classic books I’ve read or want to read.
Thinking about it now, it was truly like walking through a portal into the past and being able to sit down and take it all in.
Four.
Mondragon Books in Lewisburg, Pa.
This little store is similar to the store near us – full of all kinds of used books. It has a couple places to sit, a music section, and a small, but full children’s section.
The only issue is that the last time I went, there were more political or activist books than classics and fiction. It wasn’t really what I like to find in a bookstore, which is an escape for me, so I decided I probably won’t visit there again when we go back to Lewisburg in the future. I think the tone of the place has changed since the first time I visited.
Five.
North Hall Library in Mansfield, Pa.
See those open porches on the side? They are actually enclosed in glass and you can sit there to read.
This library is in the middle of Mansfield College, or whatever they have renamed it. It’s where I went to college. The library is beautiful and used to be a girl’s dorm. It was built 150 years ago and built on a hill that overlooks the little town of Mansfield.
In 1996, the year I started attending (stop doing the math, please), they opened the newly renovated library, which is six stories and includes state-of-the art computers and other technology as well as a six-story atrium with amazing acoustics.
For the life of me I could not find any photos of the interior of the building. I know I have some in my old scrapbooks but didn’t want to dig them out. I’ll leave a video link at the bottom of this section that shows the interior.
It may or may not also still have a ghost, which may or may not have been a girl named Sarah who may or may not have flung herself from the top floor of the atrium after her heart was broken. The real story was probably much less dramatic, because other stories say a girl named Sarah did attend the college but passed away at home from an illness, not at the college. No one has ever been able to identify an actual Sarah.
I’m going to be honest and say I didn’t like to spend a lot of time in North Hall, even though it was beautiful. I tried studying there one time and I felt very uneasy because it was so quiet and …. Okay, I wasn’t worried about ghosts but about creepy frat guys being in the top floor where I was studying.
Also, the atrium really made me feel uncomfortable. It did not help my fear of heights at all. It had amazing acoustics though. Listening to the university choirs sing there was really nice.
Now five bookish places I want to visit:
One.
Louise May Alcott’s home, Orchard House in Concord, Mass.
I’d love to visit Orchard House because it would be cool to see where Louisa May grew up and lived and also the house and surrounding area looks beautiful.
This is the oldest independently owned bookstore in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1841 it was originally known as A.D Lundy and Co. and sold a variety of goods. Eventually it became just a bookstore.
At the turn of the 20th Century, the store became The Loan Book Shop, under John Otto, hence the name.
This past year the store expanded for the first time.
Three.
The Book Sale in Ithaca, N.Y.
This is a biannual booksale where the Friends of the Library hold two book sales in a huge warehouse – one in the spring and one in the fall.
Four.
Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon.
I’d probably give out of energy walking around it but I would still love to visit it someday..
Five.
John K. King Books in Detroit, Michigan.
Erin went here before and now I want to go with her and we could finally meet in person.
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.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read (this is a throwback topic from 2022)
Note: I read a lot of older books, so I don’t necessarily yearn to have new release books. That’s why this list will include older books, which will probably confuse some of you. Yes, I desperately want older books and then don’t read them when I get them, which my son scolds me about.
So here are ten books I wanted and bought (used of course) but still have not read.
A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain
I was very excited for this one and planned to read it this summer. I’m not so sure that is going to happen.
Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr
I read Judith’s first book in this series, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, and was excited to find this one on Thriftbooks. I also planned to read this one this summer. It’s also not happened yet. Just distracted by mysteries.
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
I know this one is going to be hard to read so I want to read it but I’ve put it off a bit.
Agatha Christie: An Autobiographyby Agatha Christie
I’ve been so busy reading her mysteries, I haven’t gotten to this one yet.
Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death by James Runcie
This is the first book in the series that the show Grantchester is based on. I was excited to get in great shape at a used book sale but still have not read it.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cryby Mildred D. Taylor
I read this one in sixth or seventh grade and have wanted to reread it the last few years but just keep getting distracted by lighter reads. I hope to read it this autumn or winter.
Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink
This one cost a bit because apparently no old copies exist anywhere and the estate re-released it themselves. I broke down and bought it new and am excited to read it but am holding on to it for winter to read with my daughter.
The Black Dudley Murder by Margery Allingham
I actually have this on Kindle but really wanted to hold an actual paperback copy because I just like reading the Golden Age Mystery writers’ books. It feels like the best way to read them. So now I finally have a copy of it and I haven’t read it yet. In my defense, I did just get it a week or so ago.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
I’ve had this book on my list to read probably since high school but never seem to get around to it because I got distracted by mystery books and gentle fiction. I think this year might be the year for it!
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
I keep saying I am going to read this one, but I’ve also heard it is a little depressing so I’ve been avoiding it. I’ll probably read it this fall or winter.
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.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Books I Want to Read by New to Me Authors (Share books from your to-read list that are written by authors you’ve never read before.)
A couple of months ago, I could have written this list with a bit more ease, but I have since read at least one book by many of the “new-to-me” authors on the suggested author’s list I’ve made in my reading journal.
I had to dig a little bit to pull out these ten books by authors I haven’t read, yet, but it was worth it because it reminded me of the books I want to read.
Also, when I write “new-to-me” authors, it doesn’t mean I have never heard of these authors. It simply means I have yet to read a book by them.
Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher
I follow a Booktuber who often talks about Rosamund Pilcher and her books do sound good (maybe a bit depressing) so I am going to eventually get to her books.
Arabella by Georgette Heyer
That’s right. I have never read a Heyer book. Keep in mind that the main genre I read from is mystery.
Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart
I started this, I did not like it. I think it was the mood I was in. I’m going to try again.
Give Me One Summer by Emilie Loring
This one just looked good to me.
The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen
I’ve been wanting to read her for awhile, but not sure her “regency” genre is really my thing.
A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh
This is a Golden Age mystery author that I have not yet read anything from, but want to.
Foster by Claire Keegan
This one just popped up on a Booktuber’s video and I though it sounded good. I don’t know anything about it or the author.
Lending A Paw by Laurie Cass
Laurie is a cozy mystery writer and I keep saying I am going to read the book by her that my husband purchased for me a few years ago, but I want to read the first book in the series, this one, first.
The Queen and I by Susan Townsend
This book about an alternative reality where the monarch from England is forced to leave the palace and become like common people.
The Corner Shop by Elizabeth Cadell
I just heard about this one today as I was writing this and trying to jog my memory of authors I want to read and this one popped up. I’ve heard of her before and the books sound good.
Have you read any of these books or authors? What did you think of them?
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.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
I have been averaging about four books a month this entire year, except for March, when I somehow read seven, but I think that was because I finished up a book I’d been reading with my daughter and also finished (finally) Return of the King.
In June I read the following books:
The Ivory Dagger by Patricia Wentworth
Description: When Lila Dryden is discovered standing over her fiancé’s body with dagger in hand, Miss Silver is called in to investigate, only to discover Lila’s sleepwalking patterns, the return of her former lover, and the victim’s circle of acquaintances–all of whom occasionally wished him dead.
Brief thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It was my first by Wentworth, so it was also my first Miss Silver book. I think it was number 18 but I didn’t have any problems following the characters or figuring out their past interactions with each other. I loved Miss Silver and her interaction with the investigator in the case, who she had worked with before.
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
Description: Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor…or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face to face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rillian is to be saved.
Brief thoughts: I’ve been making my way through The Chronicles of Narnia this year and this was the next one. I was in a reading slump when I started it and it pulled me out because I couldn’t put it down. I was immediately caught up in the story. It wasn’t my favorite of the series, but I love how Lewis writes so I still really liked it. This is a children’s book but I truly believe even adults should read this series. It’s so magical and fun. And, yes, there are elements to the stories that are allegories for Christianity but even if a person isn’t a Christian, the stories are just so good.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Description: The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.
Brief thoughts: I wrote a review for this one, but the bottom line is that I enjoyed it. I read this one as part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge.
Description: Pleasant Creek, Indiana, loves its history. Each summer the town sponsors Heritage Day, a festival commemorating the signing of the original town charter. Liz Eckardt couldn’t be happier to participate in the star-spangled celebration.
But someone else isn’t happy. Antique items related to the historic event are being stolen from Pleasant Creek’s people and businesses, including Liz herself. Does the culprit merely want to torch the celebration or is there more to his sinister plot?
Brief Thoughts. I also wrote a review on this one and posted it here on the blog. I enjoyed this one. It was a very light mystery, not dark, not overly depressing. I love the characters in this series (The Amish Inn Mysteries) so it felt like visiting old friends when I read it.
What did you read in June? Have you ever read any of these?
If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin, Cat, 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.
Notice: This post may contain affiiate links. If you purchase the product from these links I will receive a small compensation at no extra charge to you.
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.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
Thank you to everyone who participated last month! Be sure to tell your followers about the link-up so we can all get more recommendations for our bookshelves.
Now some tips and guidelines about the link party:
1. For Bloggers, you can link unlimited posts related to books and reading. They can be older posts or newer posts. These can be posts about what you’re reading, book reviews, books you’ve added to your shelf, reading habits, what you’ve been reading, about trips to the bookstore, etc. You get the drift.
2. Link to a specific blog post (URL of a specific post, not just your website). Feel free to link up any older posts that may need some love and attention, too.
3. Please visit at least two other bloggers on this list and comment on their posts. Have fun! Interact! Get some book recommendations.
4. Readers can click the blue button below to visit blog posts.
5. If you add a link you are giving me permission to share and link back to your post(s).
Have fun everyone and I hope you find some wonderful book recs by visiting the links throughout the month!
This is the month when adults read chapter books that were actually written for children. Middle Grade March. Sometimes, they are so good that we don’t even realize they were written for children.I read a lot of middle-grade books throughout the year because I have a middle-grade child. She and I have already read many of the books other readers have on their lists each year.
If you participate or want to participate in Middle Grade March, I have a few suggestions of books you can choose from to read. Many of these are “lesser known” middle-grade books that don’t always get a lot of attention in bookish circles.
Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
Return to Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
The Green Ember by S.D. Smith
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The Good Master by Kate Seredy
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry
Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac
Freedom Crossing by Margaret Groff Clark
Miracle on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson
The Moffatts by Eleanor Estes
The Middle Moffatt by Eleanor Estes
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Spear
The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.
King of the Wind by Marquerite Henry
Do you participate in Middle Grade March, or have you?
If you have, what did you read or if you are this month, what are you reading?
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.
Welcome to the A Good Book & A Cup of Tea (A Monthly Bookish Link Party)!! This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!).
1. For Bloggers, you can link unlimited posts related to books and reading. They can be older posts or newer posts. These can be posts about what you’re reading, book reviews, books you’ve added to your shelf, reading habits, what you’ve been reading, about trips to the bookstore, etc. You get the drift.
2. Link to a specific blog post (URL of a specific post, not just your website). Feel free to link up any older posts that may need some love and attention, too.
3. Please visit at least two other bloggers on this list and comment on their posts. Have fun! Interact! Get some book recommendations.
4. Readers can click the blue button below to visit blog posts.
5. If you add a link, you are giving me permission to share and link back to your post(s).
Thank you to those who linked up last month. Here are some highlights from that link party:
Welcome to the A Good Book & A Cup of Tea (A Monthly Bookish Link Party)!! This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!).
1. For Bloggers, you can link unlimited posts related to books and reading. They can be older posts or newer posts. These can be posts about what you’re reading, book reviews, books you’ve added to your shelf, reading habits, what you’ve been reading, about trips to the bookstore, etc. You get the drift.
2. Link to a specific blog post (URL of a specific post, not just your website). Feel free to link up any older posts that may need some love and attention, too.
3. Please visit at least two other bloggers on this list and comment on their posts. Have fun! Interact! Get some book recommendations.
4. Readers can click the blue button below to visit blog posts.
5. If you add a link you are giving me permission to share and link back to your post(s).
Thank you to those who linked up last month. Here are some highlights from that link party:
