Sunday Post 22

Hi, everyone!

I had a busy week last week with three appointments, but this week should be much more subdued. I don't have taxes hanging over my head, nor do I have any appointments scheduled this week. I may have to deal with some condo business, but even that seems to be settling down a bit.

Is spring (or fall, depending on which part of the world you're in) in the air where you are? It's very windy and chilly here in Central Maryland today with temps in the upper 30's, but nature is starting to wake up from its winter nap. The maple trees are budding, the pear and plum trees are blooming, the daffodils are bursting with yellow, and the tulips are beginning to say hello. I've heard in some areas the cherry blossoms are emerging, but that hasn't happened in my neighborhood yet. This week the temperatures should start to rise. (To be clear, I'm a huge fan of winter. I love snow, and cold weather doesn't bother me. But I also love so much about spring, too, so I'm ready.)

I am once again linking with Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves, and The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?  The latter is posted on Mondays, so be sure to check the link then.)  On all of these blogs you will be able to see links to the posts from others who are participating in these blog hops, and if you're a blogger you can join too! 

To see how I'm doing with my bookish challenges, click on 2023 Bookish Challenges on the right sidebar.

I didn't have time to read Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl 1), by Eoin Colfer last week. I've decided to put it off for another week or two so I can focus on other books I want to finish first. 

RECENTLY FINISHED

How We Roll, by Natasha Friend is a book I borrowed from a "Blind Date with a Book" event my local library had around Valentine's Day. There was a table of books that were wrapped and each one had a brief description of what was inside. Being  Valentine week, each one was a romance, but they had different themes. The tag on this one said that it was about disability representation. This was the last book on the table, which made me sad. It's like being the last person picked to join a team. I also thought it was interesting how I was the one who ended up with this book since I have Spina Bifida and as a result, walk with crutches most of the time. (At home I just hold on to furniture and for long distances I use a wheelchair.) I was a little discouraged by some of the reviews I read about this book, but I was pleasantly surprised it really wasn't that bad. Some reviews said that one of the characters was ableist. I didn't see it that way. I just felt like she had issues of her own to deal with on top of being a young teenager who had a lot of growing up to do. However, I didn't really connect with a lot of the characters for other reasons. I have read a few YA novels and the teens in those books are much more mature than some of the teens in this one. I don't think I would get along with them if I knew them in real life. I also wish the book included more about how the wheelchair user got around, emphasizing accessibility. The story was generally good, though. There was more depth to it than I excepted. It isn't a favorite book of mine, but I liked it enough to give it 3/5 stars.

Apart from the cursing, I enjoyed the audiobook for A Potion to Die For (Magic Potion Mystery 1), by Heather Blake. I liked the audio for this book more than I've liked some other audiobooks I've listened to. The females doing male voices wasn't as exaggerated in this one and I liked that about it. Because I liked the premise and the setting, I might eventually read the second book in the series. I do hope there is more of an emphasis on the witchy aspect of it in future books, though. I gave it 3/5 stars.

IN PROGRESS

I started reading the e-book version of Murder in a Scottish Shire (Scottish Shire Mystery 1), by Traci Hall. I would have preferred to read the print version, but my local library does not have it. This is the March pick for The Cozy Mystery Book Club and we meet next Tuesday, so reading this book will be my focus this week.

UP NEXT

I picked up from the library today Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling and I'll read it next. I'm looking forward to going back to Hogwarts in this second book in the series.

I am also participating in another blog hop today - Sunday Post, hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. With this blog hop, I'll recap what I've recently posted. If you missed a post you want to read, just click on the link below. 

• Sunday Post 03/12 - What I've been reading and watching
• Top Ten Tuesday  03/14 - Books n my spring TBR list
• Wednesday Review 03/15 - Mystery 101: Pilot (2019)
• Felines and Fill-ins 03/17 - - Bookish question, weekly fill-ins, and feline fun
• Puzzle 03/18 - St. Patrick's Day theme

Have I told you how much I love the Hallmark series, The Way Home??? I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a t.v. show. It is so different than anything I've seen. What I like most about it is that it causes the viewer to ask questions and really wonder how it will turn out. Each weekly episode leaves me highly anticipating the next one. I was beginning to wonder how they could carry this into a second season, but now I am seeing the possibilities. There are a lot of questions that need answering and there's no way they can do it justice by answering all of them in the next two episodes. In preparation for the season finale, I am starting to re-watch the entire season so I can pick up on clues I may have missed before. It's so interesting watching it again from a different perspective. It has my head spinning in a good way. I am planning to post a review of the series when season 1 done.

Have any of you been watching The Way Home? If not, I highly recommend it! I don't know how often Hallmark airs reruns of the episodes, but I think it's streaming on Peacock and other services. 

Also let me know if you've read any of the books I mentioned and tell me what you've been reading and watching!