Puzzle 116 - Saratoga Mums

I saw the first mums of the season earlier this week. It made me so happy to see them, as it's a sign that we're entering fall!

This puzzle took me 3:57 using 42 non-rotating pieces.

Good luck, have fun, and feel free to share your time and how you modified the puzzle if you did.

Friday Features 24

Happy Friday!

Today I'm once again participating in six blog hops.  You can click on the host links below to find the blogs of others who are participating in each blog hop. If you're a blogger, feel free to join through the host links.

BOOK BLOGGER HOP, hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Question: Do you seek out new authors to read or do you stick with the same ones.

My response:  I do both. Every familiar author was new at one point and I can't find new favorites if I don't read ones that are unfamiliar to me. What I do tend to stick to are genres that I enjoy.

FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower

FRIDAY 56, hosted by My Head is Full of Books

BOOK BEGINNINGS, hosted by Rose City Reader

Today's excerpts are from the Kindle format of Fatal Sign-off (Book Blogger Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr.

Here is the beginning:

“As far as murders go, this one was pretty clever.” Joanie Nix turned her worn copy of He Didn’t See It Coming over in her hands as she shared her thoughts on our latest book club selection. “Did any of you figure it out before the big reveal?” She glanced around our circle with her wide gray eyes.

And here is an excerpt from 56%:

Although I was joking, I couldn't help but reflect on the glimmer of truth warming my insides. Copper Bay had given me so many relationships I treasured.

While that excerpt from 56% has nothing to do with the mystery, it's one of the reasons why I love cozy mysteries. The characters and their relationships are heart-warming.

I am almost 60% through this book and really enjoying it. I'm planning to post my review next week, so I hope you'll come back for that.

FELINE FRIDAY, hosted by messymimi's meanderings

Here is a classic Fiona pose. She loves to stick one front leg out and fold the other one in. She alternates which leg sticks out.

NATURE FRIDAY, hosted by Living the LLB Life

The mums declare than fall has begun no matter what the calendar says!

Sunday Post 114

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

On the above blogs you will be able to see links to the posts from others who are participating in those blog hops, and if you're a blogger, you can join too. 

Happy Labor Day Weekend! This may be one of my favorite holidays because summer is my least favorite season (that's putting it lightly) and fall is my favorite (that's also putting it lightly). I'm happy to celebrate the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of meteorological fall. I'm one of those folks who loves the "BER" months.

Last weekend I got to have lunch with cozy mystery author Mindy Quigley, a few other mystery authors, and a fellow cozy reader. Mindy and a few other authors did a book signing at a bookstore near me. Long story short, I was not able to attend the book signing. I messaged Mindy to let her know my reason for not attending. I told her I was really disappointed that I wouldn't be able to make it. But lucky me, she invited me to lunch with some of the other authors and a fellow cozy reader. I was able to make it to that. We had a blast! Lots of laughter and a good time was had by all.

The rest of the week was pretty average, which was fine with me. I had two physical therapy appointments, none of which were with my original two therapists. He was fine, but it's frustrating having to basically start over each time with a new therapist. I need some consistency, which I will get soon. This week I have one appointment and it's with the therapist I had last week. However, starting next week, I'll have the therapist I started out with twice a week for at least the rest of September. This will be good for a lot of reasons, one being she will be able to email me the exercises, with videos, I should be doing at home. That can't happen until she comes back. I remember some of the exercises that each therapist has been teaching me, but there are so many that I can't remember all of them. Plus, just having the consistency of one person will help immensely.

I do get nervous every time I go because I have a latex allergy. All of my doctors' offices are completely latex-free, but I have yet to see a physical therapy practice that is. It's a mild allergy, but I still need to avoid touching things made of latex. A lot of physical therapy equipment is made with latex. I honestly can't even stand the smell of it. So, finding ways around the latex equipment is a challenge, but doable.

In other news, I went to an actual brick and mortar store yesterday that wasn't for groceries. I was looking for a new reading chair, one that glides and swivels. I was surprised to see how empty the store was, though glad I didn't have to deal with crowds. I love brick and mortar stores, especially for items like a comfortable chair. I need to test them out to know which one works best for me. 

It turns out, none of them did. I realized that swivel and glider chairs are not stable enough for me. Once I'm on the chair it's fine, but getting on it is like an amusement park ride I'd rather not take the chance on. So, I realized that I already have the chair I need at home. (That was the other thing. I kept comparing the chairs to the one I currently use and they just don't measure up to the comfort level.) That chair just needs to be moved into another room. It's currently in the living room, but I want it moved into the room I call the library. That will happen after the windows are all replaced, which will hopefully happen in the fall.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I finished reading Edam and Weep (Grilled Cheese Mystery 6), by Linda Reilly. I will publish my review this coming week, but what I can say now is while this isn't the strongest installment in the series, I enjoyed visiting with these characters again. I love how their lives are progressing while solving crimes. You can check out some excerpts here.

IN PROGRESS

I finished the chapter titled "Visual Puzzles" in The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaw to the Meaning of Life, by A. J. Jacobs. I'm going to pause this book for a while (that's an option on The StoryGraph app). There's another non-fiction book I'd like to finish by mid-October.

I'm still listening to Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust (Deep Dish Mystery 2), written by Mindy Quigley and narrated by Holly Adams. Great timing for this one. I hadn't realized before listening to it that it's set around Labor Day weekend. I have a little more than one hour left to listen to.

I started reading Fatal Sign-off (Book Blogger Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr. I'm enjoying it. She wasted no time diving into the mystery. I'm almost 40% into it. I'll probably finish it this week and publish my review next week. This will likely be the featured book on Friday's post this week, so please do come back for that.

Murder at Sea is a collection of short stories by various cozy mystery authors. I started reading some of the stories in it as part of a challenge. So far, I've read "A Sail of Two Continents", by Tina Kashian, and "Last Chapter at Sea", by Meri Allen. I'm not a fan of swearing, which is in one of them, but other than that, I loved them.  They have great characters and are well-paced. 

Okay, so this one I started last year and never finished. I left off with the fall poems, so I'm going to finish it. I love fairies, so The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies, by Cicely Mary Barker, is perfect for me.

UP NEXT

It's Not About the Food, by Mary Perry, is the non-fiction book I mentioned that I want to finish by mid-October. My dietitian wrote this book and my next appointment with her is coming up. Of course, it's nothing I have to read before the appointment (or at all), but I want to. She has been such a big help to me.

With Agatha Christie's birthday coming up on September 15th, I want to finally dive into And Then There Were None. I won't have time to read it before then, so I'll listen to the audiobook. I've never read it or listened to it before, so I'm excited about this one. Agatha Christie's birthday is also declared Cozy Mystery Day.

Some people wonder how I (and many others) can read more than one book at a time. I think it's a lot like watching more than one television show at a time. I never have just one television show or series of movies going. It's pretty much the same for books.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Toys that Built America - Although I still like the food series the best, this is a fun one. I think there are about 20 episodes that have aired so far and I've only watched a few of them. Some of the hosts from The Food that Built America are in this series, so that makes me happy.
• Providence Falls: Thief of Fate - I watched the third and final installment in the Providence Falls trilogy and I loved it. I can see why this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the production value can't be denied. It's one of the best series of movies Hallmark has ever done.
• Double Scoop - This is your standard Hallmark rom-com that premiered last weekend. It most likely won't be a re-watch, but I enjoyed it once. It's light-hearted and fun, and it has bright colors. So it's visually appealing, too.
• At Home in Mitford - This is a Hallmark movie from 2017, starring Cameron Mathison and Andie MacDowell. You can't go wrong with these two, at least not in my book. Again, this likely won't be a re-watch, but I enjoyed it once. It's probably the last summer movie I'll watch this year.
• Diagnosis Murder - I watched one more episode. I think I'm done with this show, at least for a while. I prefer Murder, She Wrote for the cozier vibes.
• Golden Girls  - I watched a few more episodes in season 1. I'm still enjoying it. Some of the episodes are so funny!
• Murder, She Wrote - I watched S4E11, "Doom with a View". I enjoyed this episode. It felt cozy and I thought the mystery was good, too. Also, I recognized some of the guest stars, which is always fun. 
• Gilmore Girls - This show has such a devoted fan base. Hallmark started airing it, so I decided to finally give it a try. I watched the pilot and thought it was okay, but I'm not interested enough to continue watching the series right now. I've also heard that some of the writing didn't age well, which makes me not want to watch it.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 08/23 - Weekly Recap

Have a great week!

Sunday Post 113

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

On the above blogs you will be able to see links to the posts from others who are participating in those blog hops, and if you're a blogger, you can join too. 

Hello everyone! I did not intend on staying away from my Sunday Posts for three weeks, but that's how it goes sometimes. Anyway, here I am today!

It seems the worst of the summer heat and humidity is behind us. I was finally able to get out for some walks this past week, and next week is supposed to be even cooler. Fall is around the corner and I couldn't be happier.

I started doing physical therapy a few weeks ago to address some shoulder issues I've been having. Due  to scheduling conflicts, I've only had three sessions so far, but soon I will consistently have two sessions a week. So far, I have seen two therapists at the same facility since the first one I saw is only there part-time (she was recommended to me), but I love both of them. In fact, I love the whole facility.

A couple years ago, I went to physical therapy at a different facility to address other issues. I liked the therapists, and the exercises helped, but I did not enjoy going there. They had a television on all the time and it was tuned in to the news most of the time. I have not watched the news at home in about ten years and I did not enjoy this kind of atmosphere. They were all into it, though. They would talk about whatever story was on and I would just sit there doing my exercises and watching the clock. Those one hour sessions could not go by fast enough for me.

Also, I did not get one-on-one attention at that facility. One therapist often saw at least two patients at a time and we were left to do the exercises on our own. This aspect of it didn't bother me much back then, but now that I've had a different experience, I realize how much one-on-one attention matters.

I'm so glad this new-to-me facility gives every patient one-on-one attention for the full hour. They do not have a television, so I don't have to listen to the news and their commentary about it. It's much more of a healing environment than the other place was. Plus, it only takes me about a minute to drive there. Literally! It's a tad too far for me to walk, but at least the drive is super short. 

So far, it's helping and I'm hoping when I go more consistently it will be even better. I'm also doing some of the exercises at home. I don't have an end date right now. I'll just see how it goes for the next couple of months. I'm feeling optimistic about it.

In other news, I attended a book club at a local indie bookstore. They have a mystery book club that meets once a month. Most of the time, they do not read books I'm interested in, but this month they discussed Detective Aunty, by Uzma Jalaluddin. This was already on my TBR, so I didn't hesitate to register. Last August, they discussed another book I was interested in, but I was not feeling well so I missed it. So this time, I was determined to go.

I took Uber, which was an adventure in itself. My app said he had arrived. He had not. I watched him go straight on my street instead of turning left to get to my condo. Then he came out of the townhouse community (a result of going straight instead of turning left). Instead of then coming to my condo, I watched him go back onto the main road and leave! A few minutes later he came back and found my condo. Finally. I was ten minutes late for the book club, but at least I didn't get there early and have to stand outside for them to open the store. (The book club started at the time the store opened.) Anyway, the ride home went much smoother.

Clearly, the book club participants do not like cozy mysteries. There were 15 of us, which I think is a lot for a book club, and I would say maybe three of us enjoyed the book. I realized I was one of only two people who were not regulars at this book club. I didn't mind that. I felt welcomed and I did contribute my thoughts. It was fine, but I won't be going back, at least not for the rest of this year. They'll be reading darker mysteries, which is not my thing.

After this experience, I decided to try and start a book club in my condo community. There are four buildings and each building has either 28 or 26 units. Only one person expressed interest, so I don't think it's going to happen. It was a nice thought while it lasted. I really wish I could find an in-person book club that reads books that I enjoy. They don't have to be cozy mysteries. I just want them to be clean and light-hearted. I'm open to romance, rom-coms, women's fiction, and more. I haven't found anything like this close to where I live. It would have been ideal to have this in my condo community because then I wouldn't have to worry about driving or getting a ride. Oh, well.

Anyway, here's what I've been up to in the books and on the screen.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

🍄🍄🍄🍄
As I mentioned, I finished Detective Aunty (Kausar Khan Investigates 1), by Uzma Jalaluddin. While it took some time for the mystery to get going (which often happens in a first in series), I really enjoyed it overall. The characters have depth and the mystery is strong. This is definitely a series I want to continue when the next one is released and I also want to read the romcoms Uzma Jalaluddin has written.

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄
I listened to Vice and Virtue (Layla Virtue Mystery 1), written by Libby Klein and narrated by Stefanie Kay. I would say this is women's fiction with a dash of mystery. Keeping that in mind, I really enjoyed it. I'm interested in seeing how these characters grow and what Layla's next mystery to solve will be.

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I listened to Killer Jam (Dewberry Farm Mystery 1), written by Karen MacInerney and narrated by Teri Clark Linden. This is the August pick for The Cozy Mystery Book Club. I think it's my least favorite that the club has chosen this year. The tone is more somber than what I prefer. I don't think this is a series I will continue.

IN PROGRESS

I started the chapter titled "Visual Puzzles" in The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaw to the Meaning of Life, by A. J. Jacobs. He breaks these kinds of puzzles into two types - Hide-and-seek and Optical Illusions. I like these types of puzzles, even if they do hurt my brain.

I'm about 65% through Edam and Weep (Grilled Cheese Mystery 6), by Linda Reilly. I'm hoping to finish it in a few days and publish my review next week. In the meantime, you can check out some excerpts here.

I started listening to Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust (Deep Dish Mystery 2), written by Mindy Quigley and narrated by Holly Adams. I've been wanting to continue this series for a while and it turns out this installment is set at this time of year. Perfect timing! Between the Grilled Cheese Mystery and the Deep Dish Mystery, I'm craving a lot of cheese. I did not plan to read/listen to these two at the same time, but here we are.

UP NEXT

My next read will be Fatal Sign-off (Book Blogger Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr. I've enjoyed this series from the beginning and I'm excited to read this latest installment that releases in less than one week. I've already been reading great reviews for it.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Food that Built America - I finished season 6, so now I wait for season 7. I heard that the show has been renewed, but I don't know when the new season will premiere. I'm pretty sure it will be sometime early next year, though.
• The Machines that Built America - There is only one season for this series (at least so far) and I've watched all of the episodes. I liked the food series more, but this one was interesting too. It really makes me appreciate everything we have today and who invented them. I highly recommend this show. You might be surprised at what you learn. The one on Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone was especially surprising to me. I've been recording these shows from the History Channel, but I think they are streaming on Hulu as well.
• Providence Falls - This is a three part movie series. I still need to watch the third movie, but I loved the first two. They are my favorite new movies of the year so far. These movies are based on a book series which I have not read and don't plan to. I've heard Hallmark toned it down a lot, for which I'm thankful.
• Beach Blanket Bingo - I had never seen any of these movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello until now. I was curious, so I gave it a go. It was okay, but I won't be watching anymore of them.
• Mystery Island: Play for Keeps - I usually enjoy Hallmark mysteries, but this series is a bit underwhelming to me. I'm just not engaged in the mysteries as much as I'd like to be. Also, I don't feel a sense of community like I do with most of the other Hallmark mysteries. Plus, how many murders can happen on one specific resort and still attract tourists?
• Hallmark summer-themed movies  - I've also been watching Hallmark movies I've never seen from summers past. One more week, then I'll be ready to move on to the fall movies.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 08/02 - Weekly Recap
• Friday Features - 08/15 - Bookish response and excerpts, Feline Friday, Nature pic
• Puzzle - 08/16 - Gardening Gnomes
• Friday Features - 08/22 - Bookish response and excerpts, Feline Friday, Nature pic
• Puzzle - 08/23 - Beachside Bookstore on Wheels

Have a great week!

Puzzle 115 - Beachside Bookstore on Wheels

Have you ever seen a beachside bookstore? Was it on wheels?

This puzzle took me 2:51 using 35 non-rotating pieces.

Your turn! Remember you can modify the number of pieces and rotation preference if you like.

Friday Features 23

Happy Friday!

Today I'm once again participating in six blog hops.  You can click on the host links below to find the blogs of others who are participating in each blog hop. If you're a blogger, feel free to join through the host links.

BOOK BLOGGER HOP, hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Question: Have you ever read a book with a character with the same name as you?

My response:  I have an uncommon name (Meezan), at least in the books I typically read. So, no, I have never come across a character with the same name. 

Last week on my Friday post, I highlighted Detective Aunty (Kausar Khan Investigates 1), by Uzma Jalaluddin. My name isn't in that book, but if the series continues (and I think it will) there may be a chance of finding my name in it.

FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower

FRIDAY 56, hosted by My Head is Full of Books

BOOK BEGINNINGS, hosted by Rose City Reader

Today's excerpts are from the Kindle format of Edam and Weep (Grilled Cheese Mystery 6), by Linda Reilly. 

Here is the beginning:

Carly Hale grinned at her mom, then gave her a quick squeeze. "Well, if you aren't the spitting image of I Love Lucy, I don't know who is."

And here is an excerpt from 56%:

    Carly's heart jumped at the voice. She turned to see Yvette standing in the doorway, her arms wrapped around a box with the flaps still open. The business end of a hair dryer stuck out from the top.

I have about three hours left to read in this book and I'm planning to post my review next week. Stay tuned!

FELINE FRIDAY, hosted by messymimi's meanderings

Miss Tinker Bell is wishing everyone a very Happy Feline Friday!

NATURE FRIDAY, hosted by Living the LLB Life

The weather has finally cooled down enough for me to get my walks in the mornings. Pretty soon, probably as early as next week, it will be cool enough for me during the day too (although I still prefer early morning walks).

Puzzle 114 - Gardening Gnomes

I'm all about gnomes these days. 

I completed this puzzle using 72 non-rotating pieces in 10:41.

Enjoy! Feel free to share your time and if and how you modified the puzzle.