Saturday, June 27, 2026

Sunday Post 142

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

I had no appointments and nowhere to go this past week, which is rare. I had every intention of scheduling some reviews, but I got distracted by...puzzles.

I was craving a small puzzle that I could complete in less than one hour, so I decided to work on a micro puzzle. It has 150 miniature pieces. The completed puzzle will be 4x6 inches. Three hours and two sessions later, I'm only halfway done. The pieces are obviously tiny, but also, this pattern is difficult.





The completed picture will be a bookcase filled with books and even a couple of cats. I've decided that when I finish it, I'm going to glue or tape the back of it, frame it, and display it in my library. I don't ever want to have to put it together again, but I love the picture.

I also worked on this one that was started last weekend. I feel good about the progress on this one. I'm continuing to just place random pieces generally where they belong and it seems to be coming together that way.


I really want to get some reviews scheduled this coming week, plus I have an appointment and a social event (puzzle practice with my speed puzzling team), so I won't have much time to do puzzles at home. But I might be able to get some done.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED
🍄🍄🍄
I finished The Deep End (Country Club Murders 1), by Julie Mulhern. While this is a well-crafted mystery, the frequent use of profanity took me out of the story. I also am not a fan of the adult themes. Although this is marketed as a cozy mystery, I would not consider it a cozy. I looked into the rest of the series and decided this one is not for me.

IN PROGRESS
I read Summer Week 1 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. This chapter is a mix of melancholy and cheerfulness. I can say I'm not nearly as much of a fan of thunderstorms as the author is!
I'm about 40% into an ARC of The Masala Chai Mystery Club, by MJ Soni. The format for this is different than what I'm used to (the first several chapters alternate between present day and yesterday), but I'm enjoying the characters and the mystery. The chapters are short, which as someone with a short attention span, helps me a lot. There have been some scenes which really made me laugh out loud.
I was looking for an audiobook that's a cozy mystery first in series set around the Fourth of July and I stumbled upon Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, written by Sarah Graves and narrated by Susan Boyce. I'm about 20% into the audiobook and really enjoying it. This is a spinoff series, but I don't feel lost at all not having read any of the books in the original series.
UP NEXT
I picked up an ARC of Tides Wait for No Witch (Spelltide Bay Magic Mystery 1), by Natalie Summers. I love witches (the friendly kind!) and sea otters, so I have to read this one. Also, I simply adore the cover.
ON THE SCREEN
  • The Way Home - The season finale was a mixed bag. It was emotional and well-acted. Lots of questions were answered, while many were not. It was left-opened ended, so I'm hoping eventually it will be picked up again, even if it's on a network other than Hallmark. Currently, the first three seasons are streaming on Netflix, so maybe they will continue it. It was obvious that they did not find out until near the end of filming the season that the series was ending. They found out after filming eight of the ten episodes in the season, so the last two were rushed. The final episode especially handed us a lot of answers all at once. I'm happy we got those answers, but it's too bad it had to be so rushed. It could have been extended for at least one more season.
  • The Brady Bunch - I'm continuing to watch season four. There are some pretty serious topics covered in some of these episodes, but they're well-balanced with light-heartedness.
  • Murder, She Wrote - I finished season 5! I think my favorite episodes in this season are the last two, which is a two-episode finale. It's the perfect mix of Cabot Cove (I love the outdoor scenes), familiar characters, and strong emotions. The mystery is well-crafted too!
  • The Love Heist - This was a new Hallmark movie that premiered last weekend. I thought it was going to be so funny, and it was in the beginning. But then it fell flat. They had great chemistry and the plot was a little different than the norm, but the female lead's low self-confidence got to be a bit too much.
ON THE BLOG
Have a great week!
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Puzzle 142 - Seashells

A collection of seashells makes for a fun puzzle. Would you agree? What is your favorite seashell in this puzzle?

It took me 1:30 using 24 non-rotating pieces.

Enjoy!

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Saturday, June 20, 2026

Sunday Post 141

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Surprise!

I didn't think I'd have time to post this weekend, but I started drafting this a few days ago and here we are! I will keep it short and sweet, as I'm heading out later and I have things to do at home before then. I had a pretty calm week with just a couple of virtual appointments and a good amount of time to read and work on my blog.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED
🍄🍄🍄🍄
I finished Witches, Walkie-Talkies, and Warnings (Bewitcher's Beach Paranormal Cozy Mystery 6), by Emily Fluke. (There is a misprint in the title of the book. It should be "Walkie" not "Walkies".) While it leaned more into fantasy than mystery and the magic gets a little confusing, I did enjoy it. I'm planning to post my full review next week.

IN PROGRESS
I read Spring Week 13 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. This is the final week in the spring section and it ended on a somber note. Honestly, while some chapters are hopeful, this book has a more melancholy tone than I thought it would. With the title of the book having the word "comfort", I'm hoping future chapters are more uplifting.
I'm more than halfway through The Deep End (Country Club Murders 1), by Julie Mulhern. So, this book is not cozy! The language and themes are not what I expected. I do like the mystery, so I'll keep reading. I've heard that the second one is lighter in tone, so eventually I may give that one a try too.
UP NEXT
I haven't started this yet, so my next read will still be The Masala Chai Mystery Club, by MJ Soni. I met this author at Malice Domestic back in April and I'm excited to read an ARC of her debut cozy mystery. I'm planning to start it this weekend.
ON THE SCREEN
  • The Way Home - I watched episode 9. This was an action-packed emotional episode, arguably the best of the season and one of the best in the entire series. I'm sad that there's only one more episode left in the series. I hope it's picked up again to either continue the series or start a spin-off. There is so much more that can be done with these characters.
  • The Brady Bunch - I watched a few more episodes in season 4. Fun fact: Rita Wilson (wife of Tom Hanks) made her acting debut on one of these episodes. She played Greg's girlfriend. Rita and Tom didn't meet in person until years later on the set of Bosom Buddies, but Tom said he first saw her on The Brady Bunch.
  • Murder, She Wrote - Just a few more episodes left in season 5. I expect to finish the season in the next week or so. For those of you wondering, I've been recording it on frndly tv. It airs on three different channels almost daily. I think I have the entire series recorded.
  • Texas Two-Step - This was a new Hallmark movie that premiered last weekend. The cast for this was great, as were the directing, the script, and the music. However, it was a recycled plot that we've seen so many times and it was slow at times. It will fall in the middle of the pack for me this year.
ON THE BLOG
Have a great week!
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