Sunday Post 138

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?

Here we are at the end of May. As usual, the year is flying by.

We started out the week with high humidity, but after some rain mid-week, we've had very comfortable temps with highs in the 70s and much lower humidity. It looks like it will remain this way through the middle of next week. Then I think we'll turn on the oven again. I'll enjoy the coolness while I can.

I had a few appointments and meetings last week, most of which were virtual. I got a good amount of reading done each day (which for me is about an hour each day), I watched some television, and I worked on the puzzle. I won't post a picture today because I only made a small amount of progress. But small progress is still progress and I'm still determined to finish it. 

I have a new goal, which is going to sound greedy, but I'm putting it out into the universe anyway. I want to win another Goodreads giveaway. I have entered a total of 126 giveaways and I have won one book. That was Come Shell or High Water, by Molly McRae, in the summer of 2024. 

When I looked at my list of giveaway entries today, I realized that although I posted my review back then, it was still marked as "Want to Read" and I never clicked on "Received my Copy". I'm hoping now that I've updated that, it will increase my odds of winning another giveaway. (Although for some reason, in my list of entries, it still has it as "Want to Read".  That seems to be unfixable. Maybe I'll contact them and ask if they can correct it.

I'm also going to make it a point to be more active in the few Goodreads groups I belong to. I was pretty active in one of the groups the year that I won and I have read that doing so does increase your odds of winning. I recently entered another giveaway and that one is still open. Fingers and toes crossed.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I finished Between a Roquefort and A Hard Place (Grilled Cheese Mystery 7), by Linda Reilly, and I loved it! You can read some excerpts here and my full review here.

IN PROGRESS

I read Spring Week 10 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. There were two main takeaways: 1) Leave nature alone and let it do its thing. 2) Often it's better to not have all the answers. Both are great lessons, but that last one especially resonates with me. Thank you for the reminder.

I'm about halfway through an ARC of Pour Choices (Mixology Lounge Mystery 2), by Adrian Andover. I'm loving it! I expect to finish it in the coming week, which will soon be followed by my review. If you enjoyed the first one, Whiskey Business, I recommend reading this one. It will be released at the end of June.

UP NEXT

I have some thoughts on what I want to listen to next, but I haven't quite decided. Stay tuned!

ON THE SCREEN

• The Way Home - I watched episode 6 and we didn't get as many answers as I hoped we would. I think I'd enjoy this season a lot more if I didn't know the entire series is ending after just four more episodes. It's going to be tough to wrap it all up and not make it feel rushed.
• The Brady Bunch - I enjoyed watching a few more episodes in season 3, but I haven't listened to any podcast episodes of The Real Brady Bros for season 3 yet. I have just a few more episodes to watch in this season.
• Murder, She Wrote - I watched a couple more episodes in season 5. Although the episode titled "Coal Miner's Slaughter" isn't set in Cabot Cove, it is set in a small town and I loved that.

I didn't watch any Hallmark movies last week!! I'm planning to watch at least two this coming week. I did watch a few cozy mystery YouTube Videos, as well as interviews with Barry Williams ("Greg" from The Brady Bunch) and Susan Olsen ("Cindy").

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 05/23 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 05/26 - Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place, by Linda Reilly
• Movie Review - 05/28 - Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
• Friday Features - 05/29 - Bookish response, excerpts, Feline Friday, nature pic
• Puzzle - 05/30 - Lakeside Cottage

Have a great week!

Puzzle 140 - Lakeside Cottage

Come join me at this cozy lakeside cottage. It took me 3:13 to complete using 35 non-rotating pieces.

Enjoy!

Friday Features 37

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: Does the headline "Must-Read Books" grab your attention?

My response:  Only if the article is focused on cozy mysteries. In that case, I will usually read the article, investigate books and authors on the list I'm not already familiar with, then decide if I want to read them. Even within the cozy mystery genre I have my preferences. For example, I tend to steer clear from the edgier ones. For example, if I find that there is a lot of swearing in them, I will likely not read them.

UPDATE: After originally publishing this post, I thought about another "must read" list that I might be drawn to. Sometimes I enjoy self-help books and I am drawn to those lists. I might not read all of the books on the list, but I would be interested in investigating them.

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 eARC format of Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place (Grilled Cheese Mystery 7), by Linda Reilly.

Here's the beginning:

Carly Hale Mitchell’s gaze flitted all around the elegantly appointed parlor. She could easily imagine she’d been dropped into an episode of Downton Abbey.

And here's an excerpt from 56%:

She poked at random puzzle pieces with her bony finger, moving them around haphazardly. Failing to make any progress, she sat back and gave Carly a tired smile.

I love Downton Abbey, so the beginning immediately pulled me into the setting. Because of my love of jigsaw puzzles, I shared the excerpt from 56%. I'm happy to say the puzzle was part of the mystery! I have already read and reviewed this book. You can read my full review here. Spoiler alert: I loved it!

FELINE FRIDAY, hosted my messymimi's meanderings

Here is Fiona enjoying a morning nap. I like to wrap myself in the Snuggie as much as she enjoys sleeping in it. Usually when I sit down to watch t.v. and have breakfast, she gets up and goes into the bedroom to finish her nap in peace. That means I get the Snuggie, and often Bell will come snuggle up in it with me. I often have Bell tucked under my right arm and my smoothie in the other hand.

NATURE FRIDAY, hosted by Living the LLB Life

This is a hawk I saw while playing with the goats and visiting a fairy forest at a local farm back in April on my birthday. It was magical. I had never been so close to a hawk before. What a sweet surprise!

Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery

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I am always excited when a new Hannah Swensen mystery premieres on The Hallmark Channel. I've enjoyed this series since the beginning when it was called Murder, She Baked. The setting and some of the characters have changed in recent years, but it continues to be my favorite mystery series. The latest installment, Best Served Cold, is one of the strongest.

The prosecutor in a forgery case has gone missing, leaving Chad (Victor Webster) to take over the investigation. It's a race against time when Hannah (Alison Sweeney) and Chad collaborate to find out how the cases are connected and solve them before the trial. To make matters worse, while sleuthing, a dead body is discovered. Can they untangle all the threads in this mystery in time for the trial and bring the killer to justice?

Despite the pool of suspects being small, this was a very strong and twisty mystery. Every time I thought I figured out the whodunnit, something else happened to make me question my thoughts. I wasn't completely sure who the culprit was until seconds before it was revealed in a clever and unique way. It's not something that's likely to happen in real life, but I've learned to suspend belief and enjoy the ride. It worked well in this cozy mystery.

This installment was the perfect blend of cozy vibes with the bakery and at-home scenes combined with courtroom drama.  I loved seeing Chad doing his job in the courtroom. I also enjoyed how he welcomed Hannah's help and expertise throughout the investigation. Their relationship has grown since the last installment, which was nice to see. 

We didn't get to see Norman (Gabriel Hogan) in Best Served Cold, which may be due to the fact that he's been moonlighting on The Way Home (a series I highly recommend watching). We also didn't see Andrea (Lisa Durupt) in this installment. While the movie was fine without them, they were missed. It would have been nice if they had at least been briefly mentioned. These are characters we've come to love spending time with, so it would be good to acknowledge them.

Delores (Barbara Niven) shined in this movie, as always. She did some of her own private investigating in these cases, which was fun to watch. She consistently provides a kind of lightheartedness and light humor that only Barbara Niven can do.

Best Served Cold is based on Joanne Fluke's Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder. I have not read this one yet, so I can't say for sure if and how the movie is similar to the book. However, if it follows the trend from the previous recent movies, the plot is completely different. It would be more to love in the same Hannah Swensen universe.

If Best Served Cold is any indication where this series is going, I am very excited for future movies should there be more. Alison Sweeney wrote this one and if there are more, I hope she continues to be the writer. She has played the character of Hannah Swensen for over a decade, so she knows the movies and the characters very well. 

If you enjoy cozy mystery movies, I encourage you to check out this series. Including Murder, She Baked, there are over a dozen movies in the series. As with most cozy mysteries, each movie is a self-contained mystery, but starting from the beginning will allow you to follow the characters and their relationships.

Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place (Grilled Cheese Mystery 7), by Linda Reilly

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I have been enjoying the Grilled Cheese Mystery series since book 1, Up to No Gouda. So I'm very happy that author Linda Reilly has continued writing them. She rises to the challenge of allowing the main characters' lives to evolve, while keeping with the comforting feeling of coming home to familiar friends. This combined with a compelling mystery made the seventh installment, Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place, a favorite of mine in the series.

Carly, owner of Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery, is asked by the elderly owner of a historic mansion to make one of her popular grilled cheese sandwiches. Carly enjoys spending time with the owner and she loves being in the mansion that feels like it's from Downton Abbey. So she agrees to make the sandwich at the mansion.

Meanwhile, Carly's husband, Ari, has been hired to do some rewiring in the mansion while it undergoes major renovations. When one of the contractors falls to his death, Ari is the prime suspect in what becomes a murder investigation. Naturally, Carly knows her husband is not capable of such foul play, so she sets out to do some sleuthing of her own to clear his name and find out who the real culprit is.

I had a great time revisiting the cozy town of Balsam Dell, Vermont and everyone in Carly's close knit circle. Carly is one of the most kind-hearted main characters I've ever read in a cozy, although sometimes I think she needs to say no to other people's requests more often. It always feels like I'm hanging out with old friends when I'm there. I did feel the detective was a little too harsh with Carly, but this was addressed beautifully later in the book. While some characters from earlier in the series have moved on with their lives outside of the eatery and out of state, they still make brief appearances, or they are at least mentioned. This feels like real life to me. Throughout our lives, we meet people who eventually move away. However, we may still keep in touch with them and occasionally see them. 

I also had fun getting to know the suspects. They had depth, history, and secrets to uncover. The victim wasn't someone who easily made friends, so there are multiple people who could have wanted to see him gone. There were several viable suspects with possible motives and opportunity. I had a hunch early in the book who the culprit was, which turned out to be correct. However, there were enough twists and turns that made me question who I thought it was a few times. I really enjoyed the big reveal, which in itself had a bit of a twist.

The historic mansion combined with major renovations made for a great setting in this mystery. I could visualize the layout of the rooms, as well as the decor. There were times when I was confused about the overall floorplan of the mansion, but I just went along for the ride.  Another aspect of the mystery I enjoyed was the jigsaw puzzle. Those who know me, know how much I love jigsaw puzzles. Adding this to a cozy and making it part of the story was absolute perfection!

There is a light-hearted subplot in this installment, which balanced out the seriousness of the mystery. It involved a grilled cheese competition. I loved reading about the mouth-watering creations. It made me wish I was there to taste-test all of them with Carly and her co-workers.

Since Carly and Ari were recently married, there is a new dynamic with there relationship. They clearly love and respect each other, and it was obvious they have great communication. It was fun to read about their day-to-day lives, even something as simple as what they were having for dinner. I also enjoyed reading about another possible budding romance with two of the characters. I'm equally invested in their relationship as I have been with Carly and Ari.

There was only one thing in this installment that felt jarring and out of place for me, and that was one instance of mild swearing. With this being the seventh book in the swearing and not a single swear word before now that I can remember, I've come to expect this series to be completely clean in that respect. So while it doesn't take anything away from the story and it fit in the context, it still felt off for me. I'm hoping this isn't an indication of where the series is going because I prefer cozies to be completely free of swear words.

As with every installment, there are a few mouth-watering recipes at the end of the book. I love how the story behind each one was part of the subplot in the book. And I learned something new. Before reading this book, I had never heard of Roquefort cheese before. Now I'll have to try it!

As I say with most cozies, Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place is a self-contained mystery. You can easily start with this book and not feel lost in the series. However, I'm confident you'll want to go back and read all previous installments to find out how the characters and their relationships have evolved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book.

Sunday Post 137

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?

Memorial Day Weekend greetings to my friends in the U.S. and Happy Sunday to all! 

I had a couple of virtual appointments, but it was an otherwise quiet week. Both appointments went well. We had three consecutive days with highs in the 90's, then on Thursday the temperatures dropped into the 60's for a high and it's been cool and raining most of the time since then. I'm happy with the rain and cooler temps. I prefer 60's and rain over sunshine and 90+ any day. It does mean I have not been out for a walk in a while, but I'm getting my cardio in with my hand cycle. I usually listen to an audiobook or podcast, or watch television while I'm cycling.

I also had a chance to work on the puzzle, though I haven't gotten very far. I am making progress; it's just taking a while. Here's what I've done so far:

So it looks like I'm at least halfway done, which means I have around 250 pieces left to lock in. The challenges are most of the pieces that are left are similar colors and similar shapes. I'm determined to finish this puzzle in this century, though.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I finished listening to A Game of Cones (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 2), written by Abby Collette and narrated by Chandra Skyye. The mystery in this one was stronger, but I'm still not connecting with all of the characters. One of them really needs to be toned down. I did enjoy it enough to read or listen to the third and final one in this series in the fall.

IN PROGRESS

I read Spring Week 9 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. This was a bittersweet chapter about the author's amazing encounter with a healthy, thriving bobcat. She was advised to let it be, noting that there are now fewer rabbits. As someone who loves all cats, even the big ones, and rabbits, my heart doesn't know what to feel.

I'm almost 90% through Between a Roquefort and A Hard Place (Grilled Cheese Mystery 7), by Linda Reilly, and I still don't know who the culprit is. I'm definitely enjoying the ride and I'm excited to see how it ends when I finish it this weekend.

UP NEXT

I'm very excited to have an ARC of Pour Choices (Mixology Lounge Mystery 2), by Adrian Andover. This is the follow-up to the award-winning Whiskey Business, which I loved. Pour Choices releases next month and the ARC is next on my list to read.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Way Home - We are officially halfway through the final season. Episode 5 was highly entertaining, but I didn't feel like it moved the story along enough. Supposedly, we'll get a lot of answers in the next episode.
• The Brady Bunch - I'm almost halfway through season 3. The kids have really grown up in this season, most noticeably Greg who is now in high school.
• Murder, She Wrote - I finally started watching season 5. I've watched the first three episodes, with the third episode being my favorite in the season so far. That one is set in Cabot Cove. It's called "Mr. Penroy's Vacation". Do you remember this episode?
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - This the series that started in the mid 80's and stars Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. I watched season 1 and really enjoyed it. You can read my full review here.
• Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - This is my favorite Hallmark mystery series and this one was especially strong. I thought it was a good mix of courtroom drama and cozy vibes. Although the pool of suspects was small, I still didn't figure out the whodunnit until just a few minutes before it was revealed. And I loved the big reveal. It was quite different than the norm for these cozies. Everything about this movie worked for me. It's my favorite new movie of the year so far.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 05/16 - Weekly Recap
• Character Guest Post - 05/18 - Jessica Fletcher
• Series Review - 05/19 - Murder, She Wrote (Season 4)
• Book Review - 05/21 - Where the Light Shines Through, by Kathleen Bailey
• Series Review - 05/22 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Season 1)
• Puzzle - 05/23 - The Sherlock Holmes Museum

Have a great week!