Saturday, February 14, 2026

Sunday Post 128

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Our weather has been warming up. We had temps above freezing last week, so that has been helping to melt the snow and ice, which at this point looks like dirt. Our temps are supposed to warm up even more this week, so the melting shall continue. I have a feeling winter is on its way out. I'm not ready. I would love at least one more good snowstorm.

I had a few appointments last week, most of which went well. Sometimes I feel like going to appointments is a part time job. Anyway, the one appointment that brought me results I wasn't prepared for was physical therapy. It was supposed to be my last appointment, but my range of motion and even my strength this time have regressed. This was the first time in five weeks I had gone to therapy, as I was about to be phased out of the program. Every time I stop going, I regress. However, this time I really think it was just a bad day for me. If I were evaluated the next day, I think the results would have been better. So, I'm still going twice a month at least for one more month, while continuing to do the exercises at home.

I only have one appointment this upcoming week and I'm also meeting a friend to practice for our next speed puzzling competition, which is coming up in two weeks.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED
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I finished listening to Sleep in Heavenly Pizza (Deep Dish Mystery 4), written by Mindy Quigley and narrated by Holly Adams. I still like Public Anchovy #1 more, but this one is another strong installment in the series. It has the same great characters and a solid mystery.
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I listened to Star Valley Winter, written by RaeAnne Thayne and narrated by Carly Robins. This is the first in the Outlaw Hartes series.  The plot was fine, but I strongly disliked the male lead character. He lacked character development. He remained mean through the end of the book, so I was not rooting for them as a couple. The book also contains sick animals and even a dead cat, which is not my cup of tea.
IN PROGRESS
How are we already in week 8 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl? This book is making me realize just how fast time flies!
I'm still enjoying The Tell-Fang Heart (Vampire Boutique Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke. This is the first full-length cozy mystery I've read that does not contain a murder (at least not yet and I'm more than halfway through it). However, there is a mystery to solve that has high enough stakes for me to care about it. I also like the tie-in to Valentine's Day.
UP NEXT
At Death's Dough (Deep Dish Mystery 5), by Mindy Quigley, is still up next. Mindy Quigley announced last week that there will indeed be another Deep Dish Mystery after this one. Yay!!! (On a side note, I've been eating more pizza than usual while reading this series!)
My next audiobook listen will be In Farm's Way (Farm to Table Mystery 3), by Amanda Flower. I'm very excited to finally continue this series. I always enjoy her books.
ON THE SCREEN
  • The Traitors - I'm still on season 1 because I haven't been watching it every day. I am enjoying it and I plan to binge all four seasons. (NO SPOILERS, PLEASE!)
  • Psych - I re-watched a few more of my favorite episodes. This show always makes me laugh!
  • The Golden Girls - I watched the Valentine's Day episode, which is in a later season. I also watched a few more episodes in season 1. I have one more episode to watch in the first season, which is the one that explains how they met. It also introduces the whole cheesecake thing, although cheesecake is briefly mentioned in another episode close to the end of season 1. I'll soon be ready to read or listen to the book based on these beloved characters. I feel like I know them pretty well at this point.
  • Parks and Recreation - On Galentine's Day, I watched the Galentine's Day episode, which introduced the "holiday" celebrating female friendships. This is the first time I've watched this show. I probably won't continue watching it. I was just interested in that one episode.
  • Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story - This was in Hallmark's 2025 Countdown to Christmas lineup and I finally watched it the weekend of the Super Bowl. I loved this movie! I don't think you have to be a football fan to enjoy it. It was quirky and fun. I loved all of the characters.
  • The Way to You - This was the first movie in Hallmark's Loveuary lineup. I'll be surprised if this doesn't end up being my favorite new movie of the year. It was really good!
ON THE BLOG
Have a great week!
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Puzzle 128

Happy Valentine's Day!

This puzzle took me 2:57 using 35 non-rotating pieces. It took me longer than I expected, probably because I was keeping an eye on a certain tortie cat who chose that time to get into mischief. I did pause the puzzle at one point, but for the most part, I just let the time keep running.

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Friday, February 13, 2026

Friday Features 30

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.

Question: How do you feel about the current state of romance novels.
My response:  I don't read a lot of romances, but I think there is a wide variety for all types of romance readers. 


Today's excerpts are from the paperback format of The Tell-Fang Heart (Vampire Pet Boutique Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke.

Here's the beginning:
"Look at this smooshie face! Who has a smooshie face? You do!"

And here's an excerpt from page 56:
    "Are you just here to gawk at me?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

This book was released a few years ago and it's been on my bookshelf since then. It's a paranormal cozy mystery set around Valentine's Day, so I decided to finally read it. So far there's no murder and I'm more than halfway through it. However, there is still a mystery to solve, which is light and fun. The main character is a disabled vampire. She is a wheelchair user who has the same disability that the author has, so it's authentic disability representation.

Here's a throwback picture from August 2022 when the gal pals were just a few months old. They want to wish everyone a very happy Galentine's Day!



Here's another throwback picture. This one is from the day after the Blizzard of January 2016. What I really loved about this storm was that it was all snow. That's the difference between that storm and the one we had two weeks ago. The one we had two weeks ago was topped with a thick layer of ice. I much prefer this fluffy white stuff.
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Saturday, February 7, 2026

Sunday Post 127

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Happy February, friends!

We had a very windy day here today, along with daytime wind chills no higher than 5 degrees! The grocery shopping was done yesterday, so I had no place to go today. My main concern is always the risk of losing electricity due to high winds, but I think we're almost in the clear. It's still a bit windy as I write this on Saturday evening, but it's not nearly as bad as it was earlier. Sunday is expected to be cold again, but without the winds it might feel downright balmy!

Are you watching the Olympics? I decided to temporarily subscribe to Peacock so I can watch it. I enjoy the Winter Games more than the Summer Games. I watched part of the Opening Ceremony, but turned it off sometime during the Parade of Athletes. I thought the  performances before that were good. I'll watch some of the events. When the Olympics are over I will keep Peacock for a few more weeks so I can also watch the Paralympics.

Will you be watching the Super Bowl? Since both of my home teams are out, I am not interested in the game. The halftime show doesn't really interest me either and I can catch the commercials later. The highlights anyway. I will be getting together with my family for dinner, then heading home at halftime.

Because of the snow and ice we had last Sunday, I canceled a couple of appointments last week and switched to virtual for another one. This week I have a few in-person appointments, so I'll be getting out and about more. We're expecting a warm-up, possibly into the 50s this upcoming week, so I may need to break out the summer wardrobe!!

Last week I shared my January wrap-up. Today I share my February Check-In so far:

I'm happy to say my NetGalley ratio has already increased since I filled out the top section on February 1st. We'll see how long that trend continues. Also, this year I have apparently been reading and listening to a lot of books with blue covers and books beginning with M. No big deal. Just an observation.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED
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I finished the ARC of Moonlight Murder (Detective Aunty Investigates 2), by Uzma Jalaluddin. Apart from the swearing and one other thing, I really enjoyed this book. You can read some excerpts here and my full review here.
IN PROGRESS
Week 7 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl, was about discovering the beauty of winter and recognizing that everything eventually will renew in the spring. I've always been a fan of winter. I love observing the bare branches and the barks of trees. I also love snow and how peaceful it can be.
I'm enjoying The Tell-Fang Heart (Vampire Boutique Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke. This one is even better than the first one in the series, A Fang to Remember. The Tell-Fang Heart is set around Valentine's Day and the book really leans into this. Auther Elle Wren Burke is a wheelchair user and her main character has the same disability she does. It's good to see authentic disability representation in a cozy.
I have about one hour left to listen in Sleep in Heavenly Pizza (Deep Dish Mystery 4), written by Mindy Quigley and narrated by Holly Adams. Although it is set around Christmas and Hanukkah, there aren't a lot of holiday feels. It definitely feels like a winter book, though, so it fits well into the current season. The third one, Public Anchovy #1, is a tough act to follow, but I'm enjoying this one too.
UP NEXT
My next audiobook listen was originally titled The Valentine Two-Step when it was first published in 2002, but it is now called Star Valley Winter. I have listened to RaeAnne Thayne's romances before and I really enjoyed them, so I'm looking forward to this one that is set around Valentine's Day.
My next read will be At Death's Dough (Deep Dish Mystery 5), by Mindy Quigley. I won this book in a giveaway last year and I'm excited to finally dive into to it. It's a cozy mystery set around Valentine's Day. I may cry when I finish it because it is currently the last one in the series and I believe it is complete (but I hope I'm wrong).
ON THE SCREEN
  • The Traitors - I have been wanting to watch this show ever since it premiered, but I couldn't justify paying for a subscription to a streaming service just to watch one show. Now that the show is four seasons in and I'm watching the Olympics, I can justify binging it on Peacock. I'm starting with season 1 and working my way through all the episodes. I love that I don't have to wait a week to watch each episode because they all end on cliffhangers. I've been watching the beginning of the next one as soon as I finish each episode. (Streaming and the ability to binge watch shows has really spoiled me.) I'm not usually a fan of reality television anymore, but I'm drawn to the murder mystery aspect of this one. (NO SPOILERS, PLEASE!)
  • Psych - I already binged this series when it aired in reruns on Hallmark Mystery, but since I have Peacock for a while, I've decided to re-watch my favorite episodes. I started with the one where Gus pretends to be a DJ. I think that one is hilarious!! I really need to watch The West Wing because I love Dulé Hill as an actor. My library has it on DVD, so maybe I'll borrow it after the Paralympics are over in March.
  • The Brady Bunch - I grew up watching this show in reruns and I've seen every episode multiple times. It's the ultimate comfort show for me. I had planned on binging the series again, but I might have to put it on hold until after the Paralympics are over. So far I've re-watched the first few episodes. I'm also listening to a rewatch podcast hosted by the actors who played Greg and Peter, Barry Williams and Christopher Knight. It's called "The Real Brady Bros".
  • The Golden Girls - As odd as it may sound, I've been watching this show while I exercise on my hand cycle. I have about five more episodes left in season 1. After that, I plan to listen to the audiobook cozy mystery based on the characters - Murder by Cheesecake, by Rachel Ekstrom Courage.
  • 12 Gifts of Christmas - This is a 2015 Hallmark movie that I watched for the first time. I really enjoyed it.
  • Missing the Boat - This is the last movie in Hallmark's 2026 Winter Escape lineup and it's my favorite of the five new ones. (I still miss the non-holiday winter movies, though!)
  • An Alpine Holiday - This was part of the Countdown to Christmas lineup last year on Hallmark. It isn't really a Christmas movie, which was why I saved it for after the holiday season. My expectations were probably too high. I thought it was good, but not as good as I expected. The scenery was great, but the execution of the plot was just okay to me. I think it had potential to be better, perhaps with stronger writing. It was filmed in France, which was fun to see.
ON THE BLOG
  • Sunday Post - 01/25 - Weekly Recap
  • Book Review - 02/05 - Moonlight Murder (Detective Aunty Investigates 2), Uzma Jalaluddin
  • Friday Features - 02/06 - Bookish response, Excerpts, Feline Friday, and Nature Pic
  • Puzzle - 02/07 - Valentine Hearts
Have a great week!
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Puzzle 127 - Valentine Hearts

Happy Valentine Week!

This puzzle took me 1:33  using 24 non-rotating pieces.

Your turn!

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Friday, February 6, 2026

Friday Features 29

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.

Question: What drives you to read?
My response:  Connection. I was not an avid reader until about five years ago when I discovered cozy mysteries. Sure, I love a well-told story and everything cozy mysteries have to offer, but I am also driven by how connected I have become to the community - both fictional and in real life. I am a huge fan of cozy mysteries that have a strong sense of community, and that same kind of community can be found with the authors who write them and the readers who read them. I love being able to share this love with the cozy mystery community. I do sometimes read other genres and I love connecting with readers in general, but cozies have my whole heart.

Today's excerpts are from the eARC Kindle format of Moonlight Murder (Detective Aunty Investigates 2), by Uzma Jalaluddin.

Here's the beginning:
Every action is judged by intention, and every person will gain what they intended. The words floated up to him now, a half-lucid thought as he struggled to open his eyes.

And here's an excerpt from 56%:
    "When I visited your house, I heard you say, 'We should have stayed. Why did we leave him alone?" She watched Reza carefully as she recited his words back to him and watched as his face drained of color."

This book doesn't release in the U.S. until May 5th, but I already finished reading the ARC. I posted my review, which you can read here. (Spoiler Alert: I really enjoyed it!)

Bell is super excited she gets the spotlight (and the Snuggie) today! 

This is one of my favorite spots to pause on my walks. I love seeing how the view changes through the seasons. I'm not sure if you can see it clearly, but the pond is in the distance. With temperatures below freezing even during the day for nine days straight after the storm, the pond was frozen. It might have started to thaw over the last day or so, but not much. After bitterly cold temperatures are expected this weekend, we are due for a warm-up next week.
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Thursday, February 5, 2026

Moonlight Murder (Detective Aunty Investigates 2), by Uzma Jalaluddin

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After I read the first book in Uzma Jalaluddin's Detective Aunty series last year, I knew I had the read the next one. I was ecstatic when I received an ARC. I'm pleased to say, Moonlight Murder is even stronger than its predecessor.

Kausar Khan has moved back to Toronto to be with her family. She did not expect to be wrapped up in another investigation involving a suspicious death, but when the teen victim is a friend of her granddaughter's, Kausar feels compelled to get to the bottom of this mystery. 

While investigating the death of her granddaughter's friend, Kausar is lead back to the circumstances around the death of her own son almost two decades earlier. Can she help her granddaughter find closure after the death of her friend and can Kausar finally get closure on the death of her own son, all while navigating a complex relationship with her daughter?

This is a solid entry into what I hope becomes the long-running Detective Aunty Investigates series. What I loved most was that the two mysteries in this one were both strong. The author successfully makes this a cohesive story. There are lots of twists and turns, with several suspects to consider. The reader is also left wondering how the two deaths are connected, if they are connected at all. I had some ideas about the whodunnits, but in the end I was surprised. The events leading up to the big reveals were suspenseful and engaging. Everything came to a logical conclusion when all was revealed.

I love the characters in this series. Kausar and her daughter Sana have a strained relationship, but it's clear that they really do love each other. They have both experienced a great deal of emotional pain over the years and it sometimes shows in their interactions with each other. Kausar is grounded and wise, though. She often says things that make me stop and reflect on my own experiences. There are a few life lessons in this book, but none of it felt too preachy. This is all well-balanced with light-heartedness and occasional humor. Kausar's long distance friend also provides some emotional support and helps keep her grounded.

If you like a bit of romance in your cozies, you'll be pleased to know there is some in this book. It's definitely a slow burn, as I believe it should be. Relationships take time to develop, especially after all the trauma Kausar Khan and her family have faced over the years. The subject of grief (and more) is handled beautifully.

Kausar Khan, her family, and many of the other main characters in this series are Muslim. As someone who is myself a Muslim, I felt seen. I could relate to so much of what I read in this book. Readers who are not familiar with Kausar Khan's culture likely won't feel overwhelmed. Uzma Jalaluddin presents it in a way that is easy to understand.

There are two things, however, that convinced me to give this four instead of five stars. First, and most notable, was the sprinkling of cursing. I was surprised to see it so much in this book because I don't remember any swearing at all in the first book. The first time I read a swear word in this book, I actually laughed out loud because I genuinely thought it was well-placed despite my not being a fan of swear words. However, it continued to happen and such language quickly felt out of place. I would have enjoyed the book more without the cursing. 

The second thing was I didn't understand why Kausar kept things under wraps when she knew more than her family did. I won't spoil it by telling you what the secret was. It just didn't make sense to me why she couldn't be more open about it. Other than these two things, this is a near perfect cozy mystery. There is a cliffhanger at the end, which makes me eager to read the next book. (I hope there will be a third book!) Overall, (minus the cursing in this installment), I did enjoy the author's writing style and I want to explore other books written by Uzma Jalaluddin.

If you're looking for a cozy mystery that is not necessarily set in a small town, but still has a strong sense of community and characters with depth, look no further than this series. Moonlight Murder can be read as a standalone, but for optimal enjoyment and no spoilers, I highly recommend starting with Detective Aunty and reading them in order. Moonlight Murder releases on May 5th in the U.S., so you have time to read the first one before then.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.
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