Tag: what i’m watching

Sunday Bookends: Comfort reads, new reads, new book by me coming out

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

I wrote about what’s been going on in yesterday’s post so I won’t repeat it. You can pop over to that post if you want to catch up.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

I was looking for a comfort read last week and looked to see if I had any The Cat Who books on Kindle that I hadn’t read yet. I ended up finding one – The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts – and I think I never read it because I started it and it started in first person and I am used to the books in the series being in third person so I put it aside. The POV actually switches back to the third person and so far has been one of my favorite books, even though one of my favorite characters was killed off. There are some very funny lines in it and more of Qwill’s personality of being wary around children and women who talk to their pets like children.

I absolutely laughed out loud at these parts:

Before he could reply with a stiff “How do you do,” the parents had spotted the Lanspeaks and descended on them, leaving him with Baby. She looked up in wonder at his moustache and said in her clear, precise speech, “What’s that thing on your face?”

“That’s my nose,” said  Qwilleran. “Doesn’t your father have a nose?”

“Yes, he has a nose.”

“How about your mother? Does she have a  nose?”

“Everybody has a nose,” said Baby with disdain, as if dealing with a dolt.

“Then you should recognize a  nose when you see one.”

Baby was not fazed by his evasive logic. “Where do you work?” she asked. 

And

All of this he could understand, and he could handle it, but her gushing over the kitten was more than he could stomach. There would be no more relaxing country weekends at Polly’s cottage with just the two of them— reading Shakespeare aloud and playing music—not while Bootsie diffused her attention. Bootsie! It was a vile  name for a Siamese, Qwilleran insisted.”

Qwill can be such an elitist and in his case I love it.

I’m also reading The Secret Garden but I’ve paused my own reading of it and have started reading it with Little Miss. So far she’s really enjoying it.

I started The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliff as well. I just started it but it’s okay so far.

Just Finished:

Last week I finished The Divine Proverb of the Streusel by Sara Brunsvold and I really enjoyed it. I will have a review of it up next week.



Soon to be read:

Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins

Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched some Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, All Creatures Great and Small, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.


What I’m Writing

I am working on the latest Gladwynn Grant mystery and having fun trying to figure out what direction I want to take the story. I’m hoping for a subplot related to Gladwynn’s ancestors.

I let my daughter in on the brainstorming and she suggested that someone in the Grant family line be an assassin. I was a bit stunned since I write cozy, light mysteries and told her that.

Then The Boy got in on the action and suggested that her ancestors be involved in human trafficking.

Needless to say, I will not be taking any more advice from my children.

This week I also announced that Cassie, the book that is part of the Apron Strings Book Series is up for pre-order. You can find it HERE.

Here is a description:
One cookbook connects them all…
Cassie ~ Book Eight in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring different women throughout the decades from 1920 to 2020.

Cassie Drake starred in a popular sitcom over a decade ago, but she hasn’t been able to find a job since the show ended five years ago.

Now it’s 1995 and fired by her talent agency, Cassie decides to accept her sister’s offer for an extended visit in their hometown. Back in Coopers Grove, she’s just Cassie Mason, sister to Bridget Martin, the local volunteer extraordinaire with the handsome husband and three wonderful children.

When an accident at the site for the Martin family’s new café and farm store leaves Bridget frantic for help with the community center open house she’s planning, Cassie feels forced to step up—even though it involves something she’s clueless about.

Cooking.

Even with Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book, Cassie fails at every attempt. Fortunately, her sister’s handsome neighbor, Alec Alderson, steps in.

As a former chef, he’s more than capable of giving her some tips. Will his charming smile during cooking lessons be too distracting though?

Watching others use their talents leaves Cassie wondering if God, whom she’s barely spoken to in the last few years, is telling her she was made for more than the career that became her identity.

What I shared on the blog this week:

What I’m Listening to

I am currently listening to Watership Down and Around the World in 80 Days on Audible.

For music, I am listening to a variety of artists from Needtobreathe to early Mumford and Sons, The Civil Wars, and Danny Gokey.

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: Making chocolate chip cookies, reading mysteries and classics, and started Gladwynn’s third book

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Sunday Bookends8 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 Little Miss and I visited my parents to have some dinner and make chocolate chip cookies with them.

We did that on a very windy, rainy day after traveling to drop The Boy off at a friend’s house 40 minutes away. On the way back from dropping him off, we stopped at a local library that was having a used book sale. It wasn’t a very exciting sale for us, sadly, but we did get a few books. There were no cozy mysteries. So sad. Yet, not really because I have so many to read right now.

The cooking making was interesting. We whipped up a batch but my mom said it didn’t look like there would be enough for her grandson, who loves chocolate chip cookies, so Little Miss and I added some more flour. But then we realized we would need more butter and another egg and then we tried to remember what we’d put in and what we hadn’t so the conversation started going like this:

Me: “We should put some more flour in.”

Her: “I don’t know about that.”

Mom/Grandma: “Did you even put the baking powder in?”

Her and me: “oops.”

Me: “I’d better put another half a cup of butter.”

Her: “This isn’t looking right.”

Me: “It looks super sticky and sort of runny.”

Mom/Grandma: “Add more flour.”

Dad/Grandpa, taking photos of it all and snickering: “I don’t know how these cookies are going to turn out.”

Me: “Well, we will eat them somehow.”

The cookies:

The cookies tasted great, by the way. Somehow I forgot to add this when I originally shared this post so if you see comments about that below — that is why. *snort* I am such an airhead sometimes.

While cooking the cookies we also had an incident where Zooma The Wonder Dog ran into a mud puddle twice trying to corner a cat at my parents’ neighbor’s house. I had to lock her in the bathroom, pull out the cookies, and then hose her down so she wouldn’t get the house all muddy.

She didn’t want to get in my parent’s walk-in shower but I finally managed to coax her in and pull the shower head off and wash the mud off.

We left not long after that and came home to enjoy some quiet time at home.

What I/we’ve been Reading/will be reading:

Currently:

I plan to finish The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold this week.

I am also reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and started Priscilla by Jenny Knipfer.

Just Finished:

A Troubling Case of Murder on the Menu by Donna Doyle. This was a cute little, simple cozy mystery.

Soon to be read:

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene

Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins

Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

Little Miss and I finished The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes this week.

The Boy and I are looking for a new book to read for English for school and he is finishing a Warhammer book.

The Husband is reading Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman.

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched an episode of Lark Rise to Candleford, Bluey (because of course), and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

I also watched a show called The Repair Shop on Britbox or Acorn or Masterpiece or some British channel on Amazon. I really enjoyed it. They are repair experts who repair special heirlooms for people and there are usually sweet stories behind the items.

This vlog by The Cottage Fairy about how she needed to take a break from social media to help quiet her mind. I could really relate to this because I felt the same way.


What I’m Writing

This past week I started book three in the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries. I’m excited to see where it goes and how it turns out.

Last week on the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening to

I’m going to try my best to finish A Tale of Two Cities but I will also be starting Watership Down on Audio, read by Peter Capaldi.

Photos from Last Week

Here are some photos from the play of War of the Worlds that my husband was in last week. I wrote about that yesterday in my Saturday Afternoon Chat post.

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Finding Solace in the Sink by Book Inheritance

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: a little outing and a book sale

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings23 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

My husband has been running every day this week for either work or a play he was rehearsing for but he still wanted to go to lunch and a used book sale 45 minutes away from us. We spent the morning and part of the afternoon doing that and I came home with a large stack of books, some children’s books, and some cozy mysteries. Today they had a $ 5-a-bag sale so we filled up two bags.

Little Miss picked out four for me but I rejected the one because I am not a huge fan of the author.

I told her I liked the cover very much though and thanked her.

Little Miss picked out several books with animals on them.

The Husband picked out a number of books, including two he had been looking for other places.

Today we will go see The Husband in his play. They are performing The War of The Worlds radio drama.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

Right now I am reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett, The Proverb of the Divine Streusel by Sara Brunsvold, and at night I’m reading a cute, short cozy mystery called A Troubling Case of Murder on the Menu by Donna Doyle.

Just Finished:

This past week I finished Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor and Nightfall on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright.

I hated Wright’s book by the end and will not be endorsing it in the future.

I liked Murder in an Irish Village and purchased a couple of other books in the series on the Kindle.

Soon/eventually to be read:

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene

Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins

What everyone else is reading:

Little Miss and I are reading The Middle Moffat at bedtime.

The Boy is reading Horus Rising and The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

The Husband is reading … well, I have no idea. He’s been so busy this week I don’t think he’s even had time to read.

What We watched/are Watching

This past week I watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Women, To The Manor Born, and yesterday  I watched a marathon of As Time Goes By and then a couple episodes of Mary Berry.

What I’m Writing

I finished Cassie and this week I  hope to write some blog posts and then start Gladwynn Grant’s third book.

On the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening to

I’ve been listening to an audio dramatization of Jane Austen books. Right now I am on Mansfield Park.

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Cards and Scrapbooking Pages I made by My Slices of Life

Joy in Imperfection by Ink Torrents

Words for Wednesday 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.

Sunday Bookends: Happy Easter, busy week so less reading, comfort watches

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends10 Comments

First, Happy Easter.

He has risen! He has risen indeed!

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

Last week was a crazy week in some ways and I detailed that more in my Saturday Morning Chat. The long and short of it is that there were some health issues within our family, everyone is okay, and my brain is trying to recover from it all.

Yesterday I didn’t have tons of time for my brain to recover since our daughter had a friend over and they tend to be a little crazy when they get together. They had a lot of fun, though, and it was a good day. And they weren’t really that crazy. We went to the playground and then they had fun splashing in the bathtub in their bathing suits. Earlier in the day they went to two Easter egg hunts as well.

And I did have some downtime for reading and watching Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, at least.

Today we are going to my parents for Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

I’m reading Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor and Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jamie Jo Wright still thanks to the aforementioned crazy week. Both are very good. I’ll probably be finished with Murder in an Irish Village today and Night Falls… later in the week.

The Secret Garden is also being read but slowly.



Soon to be read:


The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

The Mystery at the Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew)

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

I also enjoyed relaxing to my favorite YouTube farmer, Farmer Pete:

There is something comforting about watching Pete and his wife work on the farm – feeding the cows and the chickens, fixing tractors, cooking beef brisket and just doing what they do every day.

I also watched this interview with two of the authors I am in a multi-author project with.

You can learn more about our project by watching this video or visiting our Facebook group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/511319271100448

For Easter I am watching this:

and other songs related to Easter like this:


What I’m Writing

What I’m Listening To

I’ve been listening to Ellie Holcomb’s album, Canyons.

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Did Jesus Die on Friday by Nostalic Italian

Are You Following the Breadcrumbs by A New Lens

The Bookstore With One Million Books – Literally by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs

Good Friday’s Not the End by Mama’s Empty Nest

Photos from this Week

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: cozy mysteries, Little House on the Prairie marathon, and a few photos from the week

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

 It’s still been very cold this past week so we have been lighting a fire every other day.  We lit one last night as the temperature dropped to somewhere around 22 degrees. It looks like temps will warm up this week as we move into Good Friday and Easter.

I wrote a bit about our week last week in yesterday’s Saturday Afternoon Chat post if you want to catch up on other “events” of our week. Spoiler – there weren’t a lot of events actually.

What I/we’ve been Reading

I’m reading A Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor. It is very authentic Irish and I’m enjoying it.

I just started The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett but will probably read this one very slowly because of some books I’m reading for tours and to review for Clean Fiction Magazine. I already know the story of The Secret Garden from watching the movie.

I have also started Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jamie Jo Wright. This one is for a book tour in April. I honestly think it is going to be too creepy for me but I guess it is good to branch out once in a while.

Just Finished:

Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan and The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes.

Currently:

I enjoyed both of these books and will have reviews up soon.

Soon to be read:

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

Who Brought The Dog to Church? By Tracy Smoak

When You Returned by Havelah Mclat

What others in the family are reading: The Boy is reading Horus Rising and listening to A Tale of Two Cities. Little Miss is listening to The Railway Children and we are reading The Middle Moffat together.

The Husband is reading Do the New You by Steven Furtick

What We watched/are Watching

This weekend I watched all things Little House on the Prairie. This year is the 50th anniversary of the debut of the show and they are holding a festival with many of the old cast members in California. I have been watching the show and some footage from the festival such as interviews with Melissa Gilbert and Dean Butler, etc.

I didn’t realize how attached I was to the show until I saw Melissa Gilbert come out in front of all her fans and begin to cry and then I began to cry as well. I have good memories of running home from the bus stop to watch the show when I was a kid. I’ll ramble about that in a future blog post.

Here is the video I watched of the Melissa Gilbert interview if you are interested:

My daughter and I watched a couple of the episodes based more directly on stories in the books, which we read over the last couple of years and then watched three more that were loosely based on stories. I, of course, had to watch with her the episode when Laura pushes Nellie down the hill to prove she has been lying about not being able to walk. After that one, Little Miss was hooked and asked to watch more.

Earlier in the week I always watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Lark Rise to Candleford.

Over the weekend I watched original Perry Mason episodes with The Husband.

What I’m Writing

I am on the epilogue of Cassie and then I will be beginning book three of the Gladwynn Grant mysteries.

On the blog this week:

What I’m Listening To

On Audible I am listening to A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens (Lord Jesus be with me. Literally.) and The Railway Children (with Little Miss).

Photos from Last Week

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Billyisms and Winnie the Pooh by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs

This post cracked me up, especially this line: “This was all just to warm up to the topic of my husband being a human Winnie the Pooh, but one who wears pants of course.”

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: Watching old shows, reading cozy mysteries, and blog posts I enjoyed

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

 If you want to know what has been going on in our world lately, you can hop on over to my post from yesterday.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

We had a nice week weather-wise so I didn’t read as much as I wanted to but I read more than I used to. I’m almost halfway through Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan and The Middle Moffat and I am enjoying them both.

I am also continuing All The Light We Can’t See and hope to finish it . . . eventually. That’s all I can say.

I am reading through Do The New You by Steven Furtick with my church e-group as well. I have three chapters to read before our online session this week.


Soon to be read:

Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor. I’ve started this one and am enjoying it.

Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly. This is a Netgalley read.

The Secret Garden for Middle Grade March

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jamie Jo Wright

What We watched/are Watching

Wednesday night I had two hours to myself which is a very rare thing. I decided that I was going to watch a movie that has been sitting in our DVD collection for years — The King’s Speech. I had planned to finish the last couple of chapters of the book I’m writing in between watching but I ended up being so enthralled with the movie, I ended up abandoning that plan.

Later that night I watched a Lark Rise to Candleford episode. On Friday and Saturday, I started a mini-binge of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

Little Miss and I had a Dr. Quinn binge yesterday afternoon as well and then I added an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I wanted to finish out the night with an episode of The Waltons to relive my childhood and teenage years but The Boy took over the TV to play a video game with a friend so that Waltons episode will have to wait for tonight.

Friday The Husband and I watched an episode of McDonald and Dodds. I hope to watch more of that show this week.


What I’m Writing

I am on the last chapter of Cassie, then I will work on the rewrites. I also am brainstorming ideas for the third book in the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries and will announce a title for it soon.

Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing is on a two-week book tour and you can enter to win a paperbook copy of it and a $50 Amazon gift card HERE.

What I’m Listening to

Little Miss and I am listening to Caddie Woodlawn on Audible and The Boy and I are listening to A Tale of Two Cities.

Photos from Last Week

And one I found from my dad in January right after his 80th birthday, riding an old sled down the snow-covered dirt road in front of his house.

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Pricilla’s Release Day by Jenny Knipfer

This post is about the release of Jenny’s new book, Priscilla, which is one of the books in the series I am writing a book for.

Day Off, Time With My Dad and with Family by Still An Unfinished Person

I’m a little biased on this post since it is my brother’s weekly post where he shares three good things that have happened to him during that particular week.

A Review of Little House in the Big Woods by Impressions in Ink

I loved this thoughtful review of one of my and Little Miss’s favorite book and the addressing of some recent concerns with Laura’s books.

Tuesday Morning Catch Up by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs

This description of how Erin dislocated her toe was equally disturbing and fascinating to me.

10 on the 10th for March by Marsha In the Middle

I didn’t participate in this one because I didn’t think I could write about ten green things since I don’t like green but Marsha did a great job talking about the green things she liked.


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: Cozy mysteries, mystery shows, CB Strike, June Carter Cash, and blog posts I enjoyed this week

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends18 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 needed to get my youngest out of the house this week, so on Monday she and I went to my parents and had some lunch with my mom while my dad took Zooma the Wonder Dog for an impromptu walk.

Dad was planning the walk and decided Zooma could come along with him since she loves following him wherever he goes when she visits. I wish I had grabbed a photo of them walking together because Zooma really looks like she has a huge smile on her face when someone takes her on a walk.

Little Miss and The Boy took her on another walk Friday since the weather was almost as warm as Monday and we knew today would be cold and rainy.

I walked a little bit down the road and the cats followed me, apparently very confused about why we had walked off the property for the first time in probably four months.

Both of their tails were puffed out so I guess they really were alarmed. Or they were having a fight with each other. Usually, those tails only puff up when they encounter an animal outside the family, though.

Yesterday there was a book sale in a town close to where we get our groceries but I was a good girl and didn’t go. I have enough books to read – both physical and digital.

Still, I did find myself wondering what treasures I was missing out on by not going. What if someone gave away a whole set of Nancy Drew books and I missed them? Eek! The stress of it all.

I kept telling myself that I must be strong and simply grab the Nancy Drew books I haven’t read yet one at a time on Thriftbooks instead. Besides, there is an even larger book sale going on in a town 45 minutes from us in April so I will try to hold out until then.

Our area is also getting a bookstore soon. I don’t know what kind of books they will sell but it will be nice to have a bookstore near us – even if it will be a 45-minute drive. Actually, it might be best it is that far away from me.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Just Finished:

I finished Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower on my phone and computer because I borrowed it through Hoopla and Hoopla books can’t be sent to my Kindle. Grrr. This was very annoying but I wanted to finish this series and not pay an arm and a leg to do it. To explain – I have no problems paying a higher price for books I feel like I will read over and over, but I wasn’t sure I would read this book over and over so I wanted to read it for cheaper than what it was being sold for online. I read the first two books for free on Libby, but they didn’t have the third.

This book has never gone below $13 for Kindle and $20 for hardcover and there is no paperback. Someone said it’s probably because it was released in 2020 and they didn’t release a paperback because of all the craziness – I don’t know.

All I know is that I usually only spend that much money on books I know for a fact I’ll read again or are by authors I absolutely love. All that being said, I have enjoyed this series and I might purchase them in paperback/hardcover in the future – but I had to know for sure I liked how the series ended.

Yes, I am that reader. *wink* For what it is worth, I did like how the series ended, even though a little of it was predictable. I don’t feel that predictability is bad if done correctly and this was done correctly for me.

I also read a moving novelette by Donna Stone called A Wedding to Remember.

The story was very moving, with a beautiful message. The characters were well fleshed out for such a short read and Donna’s writing is so entertaining and well done.

Her story had me laughing and then wiping my eyes. It was only 57 pages so it was a quick read but I was completely caught up in it.

Here is a description and link:

Kaitlyn is competent, smart, and capable—except when a series of disasters threaten to derail the perfect intimate summer wedding she’s arranged for herself and her fiancé, Emerson, at a picturesque Victorian Bed and Breakfast.

As events unfold, one thing becomes clear. Emerson has neglected to arrange some pretty important details, leaving Kaitlyn second-guessing her laid-back, forgetful groom. From appearances, he may not be ready to make a lifelong pledge.

In the midst of the chaos and doubts, Kaitlyn encounters her groom’s elderly Aunt Sophie, and her husband, Weaver. Sophie assures her Emerson’s love is real, and she should know true love when she sees it. Sophie and her husband are a walking testament to commitment, even though Alzheimer’s daily chips away at Weaver’s memories. Kaitlyn wants to let go of fear, but it’s hard to trust her heart.

Is Emerson simply forgetful, or is the wedding a failure before it gets underway?

You can pick it up here: https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Remember-Donna-Jo-Stone-ebook/dp/B0CR8NVS18

Currently:

I am currently reading The Middle Moffet by Eleanor Estes for Middle Grade March and Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan (which is actually the pen name for Amanda Flower).

I am also reading All The Light We Cannot See but I am not reading it fast because it is a heavy topic.


Soon to be read:

Fields of Fire by Ryan Steck. I need to read the first two books in his series because I applied for and received the ARC for the third book that comes out in June, but I have been wanting to read it anyhow.

Mystery at the Lilacy Inn, A Nancy Drew Mystery.

What everyone else is reading:

The Boy is reading Horus Rising and listening to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Little Miss and I are reading Pocahontas by Jean Fritz for school during the day and Rosco Riley Rules at night before bed.

The Husband is reading The Running Grave (a CB Strike novel) by Robert Gailbraith.

What We watched/are Watching

The Huband and I watched a documentary about June Carter Cash called June last week on Paramount Plus. It was interesting to learn about her life separate from and with Johnny Cash. She certainly was not a perfect woman, but she knew that, and I think she did her best to live the best she could, especially toward the end of her life. She also put out some amazing music, including two albums within two years of her passing away.

I remember well when Johnny passed away because it was the day before my grandmother passed away. We were watching on the news in Grandma’s room about Johnny dying. He passed away only four months after June.

The Husband and I also finished up the first part of season one of CB Strike and are on to episode five.

I watched an episode of Rosemary and Thyme on my own, but I read more this week than watched things.

I hope to watch some more Lark Rise to Candleford and Rosemary and Thyme this week.

  
What I’m Writing

I am two chapters away from finishing Cassie, which releases in August.

On the blog this week I shared:

What I’m Listening to

I am still listening to A Tale of Two Cities on Audible.

Photos from Last Week

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Here are a few blog posts I liked from this week:

Lately by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs

Sing Beloved by Donna J. Stone

Lets Have Tea March by Over the Teacup

Book Recommendation: As You Wish by Cary Elwes by Ramblings by a Nostalgic Italian

It’s Time for Quotes by the One and Only Brother Jeff by For His Purpose

What’s on Your Plate by Thistles and Kiwis

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: Cozy mysteries and planning for spring reads

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends17 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 we had dinner with my parents. We made homemade pizza and caught up and watched some Goes Wrong Show with them.

We usually visit them on Sundays but this week The Husband is going to the rehearsal for a play he’s going to be in so we decided to switch days.

The kids and I may go to see my parents again today as well or we may hang out at home and see them later in the week.

Our days have been fairly routine lately and you can read more about that in yesterday’s Saturday Afternoon Chat post.

What I/we’ve been Reading



I am still reading All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr but slowly. It’s a different type of book for me and the topics are a bit heavy so I haven’t been as eager to read it as other books. I do want to finish it, however, because it is a Pulitzer-winning book and my friend wants to know what I think of it. From what I have read so far, I think I will like it.

I also started a cozy mystery, Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan and so far I am enjoying it.

I was thrilled this past week to find the third book in the Magical Garden Series by Amanda Flowers on Hoopla. I’ve been wanting to read it but have been refusing to pay full price for it on Kindle. I know. I’m an author and I didn’t want to pay full price, but hear me out. I like these books but I don’t feel like I will read them over and over so buying them really didn’t appeal to me. I was able to read the first two books on Libby but they didn’t have the third book, which I could only find on Hoopla.

The downside of Hoopla is I can only read the book on my phone because their books can’t be transferred to a Kindle like Libby books can.

I don’t think I’ll be reading a ton of books through that app because my phone is not very big and reading books on it is not fun, but they do have a lot of books I would like to read.

So, anyhow, I am also reading Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flowers.

Soon to be read:

Spring is coming so I hope to pick out some spring reads but probably later in March and early April, including The Secret Garden, which I have never read, and maybe The Wind in the Willows.  I also have a mystery book based on Beatrix Potter I want to try, even though I have heard mixed reviews on it. I would love to read through Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink but that may wait until next winter. We will see.

Recently Finished:

This past weekend I finished Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen and cried through the last three chapters.

It was a sweet book with a touching story. There were only a couple of disturbing scenes that I could have done without but I think the one was specifically put in there to show how some of the characters changed throughout the book. And by disturbing I just mean uncomfortable. Not “dirty”, of course.

DNF’d
I did not finish Blessed is the Busybody – for now at least. I may go back to it but I was ready for a cozy mystery and it started to get dark from the get-go. I also was hoping for a more faith-based read but this was more like “faith-based people and conservatives are stuck up” and I wasn’t in the mood for that. I read enough of the “we’re better than them” from both “sides” on the news today. I don’t need it in my books too.

That attitude may change as the book goes on, however, and the writing was really strong and entertaining, so I will probably return to this book at some later date – maybe in the spring.

What everyone else is reading:

When we went to my parents’ yesterday I was very impressed that everyone took a book with them. It’s not like we ever have time to read since we are busy visiting but I guess everyone feels more at home with a book with them, “just in case” they want to read.

The Husband is reading The Innocent by Harlan Coban

The Boy is reading Horus Rising (based on World of Warcraft)

Little Miss is reading Fortunately the Milk again but she and I are also reading Pocahontas by Jean Fritz for school.

What We watched/are Watching

I have been watching Lark Rise to Candleford on my own.

I was watching Miss Scarlet and the Duke but just found out the guy playing The Duke is leaving so I don’t really feel like watching the rest since I know there will be no satisfactory end to it.

The Husband and I finished up the first part of season one of CB Strike last night.

My sister-in-law told me eons ago I should watch The Gilded Age so I hope to start that this week.

I also watched this video with Just A Few Acres Farm which I really enjoyed. Pete talked a lot about the way of the world these days and how he isn’t sure how to fit in with it. I could truly relate.


What I’m Writing

I am plugging away at Cassie and hope to finish it in the next couple of weeks.

I plan to start writing book three in the Gladwynn Grant series once that book is finished.

This week on the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening To

I am listening to A Tale of Two Cities with The Boy for school.

I am listening to Caddie Woodlawn at night with Little Miss.

I am also listening to In This Mountain by Jan Karon when I do housework and I think I mentioned last week that it caused me to all out ugly cry while doing the dishes the week before last.

For music, I am listening to Shane Smith and The Saints and Needtobreathe.

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: Relaxing in front of the fire, middle grade books, disappointing mystery books

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, 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.



The weather was 22 degrees (F) with a wind chill of 12 and the fire lit on the first try for me. I was thrilled and since I couldn’t feel my toes at that point because I hadn’t wanted to turn the heat up and use up heating oil, I stuck my feet out toward the woodstove, opened the book I started this week – Miracle on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen – and proceeded to read for the next 90 minutes. I also made myself some hot cocoa and a type of Chex Mix concoction with sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup, baked in the oven.


After I read some, I worked a bit on my novel, cooked some steaks and roasted potatoes for me and my daughter since The Boy was at a friend’s house and The Husband was at a work event. It was a very relaxing day and it was mainly relaxing because I shut social media completely off and was more intentional about doing the things that help to relax me.

My week wasn’t super busy this past week. I had dinner with my parents on Wednesday when my mom made dinner for Little Miss and I because we were borrowing their car to take Little Miss to Kid’s Club at a local church. Our headlights are still out on the car that hit a deer ran into in October.

On Thursday I planned to take them sone dinner I had cooked and return the car but as I headed out, the rain we’d been having all day turned into snow. No warning. Just snow and it started piling up. I thought it would be a brief snow, but instead, the roads became slick and I ended up staying home.

I took them lunch the next day instead when I took their car back, grabbed my car, and headed 20 minutes north to pick up the groceries from Aldi.

It looks like Saturday will be the last super cold day for the week, even though night temps will be low. Day temps, however, will be in the mid-40s to mid-50s starting Monday.

Today we are all staying home and having a family day because my husband has been working so much. We plan to make pizzas. usually visit my parents on Sunday but the kids and I will see them tomorrow most likely. I have been having Little Miss interview her grandma for history and I think we will do that again this week and add her grandpa in as well.

What I/we’ve been Reading
 

I finished Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson and while Craig is a great writer, I will be taking a break from his books for a while. I was very annoyed with this one and how I had it figured out way before it finished. I’m not a fan of books where part of the characters are ghosts and I know they are but the author tries to pretend I don’t know. Plus, almost the entire book was “in Longmire’s head” and not really action, like the other books have been. That was disappointing because it was almost like Johnson ran out of things to write about and it was only the seventh book in the series. I will read other books in the series later, but for now, I need to read some books that are a little less dark and … well, strange.

Saying the above sentence may be fairly ironic when I say that the next book I am reading, at the urging of a friend, is about World War II, but it’s a different kind of dark, okay?

I am reading All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr because a friend read it and wants to know what I think. It’s not my usual read, but I’m giving it a try. It’s interesting so far but it is a little jarring because you only read about a character for about two pages and it switches to another character or place and it does that throughout the whole book.

It is a Pulitzer-winning book and was recently made into a movie on Netflix, though, so what might be a bit jarring to me apparently didn’t matter to a lot of other people.

I mentioned above I am also reading Miracles on Maple Hill, which is a middle-grade level book but something I feel like I needed this winter.

I liked that the beginning of the book featured a story about collecting sap and making maple syrup because we are in that season in Pennsylvania right now and my husband just visited a large maple syrup operation at a farm near us. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the book’s setting is Pennsylvania. Because the family comes to the rural area from the city it makes me think of the many people who visit our area from Philadelphia.

Up Next (or soon):

Blessed Is the Busy Body by Emilie Richards

Fields of Fire by Ryan Steck

I know I’ve mentioned before that I am a mood reader so I like to have a couple of books going so that I can pick whichever one my mood fits at that time. I have to say that I am finding it a little stressful to have more than two books going at a time so I have decided to only switch between two books – one a little lighter and one a little heavier.

I am not a fast reader and do not usually have a high read count at the end of the year but I am proud of myself that I have read nine books so far this year. I think that is the most I have ever read in two months. At least one of those was a carryover from 2023 and two of them were middle grade reads, but still, better than other years and I’m glad I’m reading more and watching things less.

What We watched/are Watching

This past week I watched a lot of Lark Rise to Candleford. I also watched a couple of YouTubers, but I read more than I watched this week, which is an unusual thing for me.

This week I hope to catch up on All Creatures Great and Small and Miss Scarlet and The Duke.


What I’m Writing

I made a lot of progress this week on Cassie, which releases in August.

On the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening to

Little Miss and I are listening to Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink on Audible. I am listening to In this Mountain by Jan Karon (A Mitford Series book) and crying through it. I’ve read this book before but somehow having it read to me by an amazing narrator (John McDonough) makes it even more emotional. It is also emotional because since I first read the book something happened in my family that makes it easier to relate to Father Tim’s tragic situation. There is nothing like standing over one’s dirty dishes and sobbing to make that person (me) realize how much I’ve shoved down over the last decade of my life.

This week I will set In This Mountain aside and start listening to A Tale of Two Cities because The Boy and I are reading/listening to it for English. We set it aside for a couple of months but are going back to it.

Photos from Last Week

I haven’t touched the Nikon in more than a month but I hope to change that as the weather warms up. Here are a few photos from the new cellphone instead.

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.