The Friday Six 9

Happy Friday!

Today I'm 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: Some people find that when the days lengthen in August, they have more time for leisure reading. Do you have a list of books you want to read at the end of summer? If so, what titles are on it?

My response: My reading time isn't dependent on the season. I have the same amount of time to read in August as I do any other time of the year. There are other factors that impact my reading time, but the month or season is not one of them.

I am, however, mostly a seasonal reader. So I do have some books I want to finish by the end of the summer. Here are the top priority ones:

The Summer of Yes, by Courtney Walsh (I'm currently reading this.)

Cheddar Off Dead (Cheese Shop Mystery 1), by Korina Moss

Crime and Parchment (Rare Books Mystery 1), by Daphne Silver

Come Shell or High Water (Haunted Shell Shop Mystery 1), by Molly McRae

Claws of Death (Fatal Food Festival Mystery 1), by Cathy Wiley

Pentimento Mori (An Art History Mystery), by Valeria Corciolani (English translation)

This is a very ambitious list for summer, but I'll do the best I can.

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 e-book format of The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry Mystery 1)), by Sujata Massey (although I'm actually listening to the audiobook).

Here is the beginning:

Chapter 1: A Stranger's Gaze

Bombay, February 1921

On the morning Perveen saw the stranger, they'd almost collided.

And here is an excerpt from 56%:

Perveen thought that parts of Razia's story had seemed very believable, but the method of murder did not. "Can you tell me more about the death? Was there a struggle?"

As you can see, this is a murder mystery. There is so much depth to Perveen's backstory, though. The book takes place over two different time periods. One is around 1916 when Perveen has just married and the second time period is around 1921 when Perveen is practicing law. What she experiences in the earlier time period directly influences her actions in the later time period. In 1921 she investigates something strange about her clients' inheritance. Eventually, it leads to murder and Perveen is even more determined to get to the bottom of it.

In the excerpt from 56%, the conversation takes place immediately after a confession. But did this person really murder the victim or is it a coverup? If it is a coverup, why is it so and who is the real culprit? (I don't know the answer to these questions yet because I'm only about 60% into the book.)

This is not my typical genre to read, as I prefer cozy mysteries. This is a mystery, but it is NOT a cozy! There are hard topics covered that I normally prefer not to read about. (Infidelity and abuse are two of those topics.) I chose to read it because an indie bookstore near me chose it for their August mystery book club and the author will be there at the end of the discussion. She's a local author to me. I met her at the Malice Domestic Convention in April where she was the Guest of Honor and Agatha winner for Best Historical Novel. Since then, I've been wanting to read or listen to her books. I don't know if I'll be able to attend the book club, but I thought it was the perfect time to read this one in case I am able to attend next week.

This is a very well-written book. I can't say I'm "enjoying" it because it isn't a light read. But I'm fully invested and eager to find out how it all turns out. The narration, by Soneela Nankani, is one of the best audiobook narrations I've ever heard.

I appreciate that up to the 60% where I am now, there is absolutely no cursing. I find that a lot of books like this do tend to have swearing in them, which is a huge turnoff for me. I'm glad I can get into this story without the distraction of swearing. I will usually not finish a book if it has swearing in it (most of the time, anyway).

FELINE FRIDAY, hosted my messymimi's meanderings

The girls had their annual checkup recently. They got good results, but Miss Tinker Bell (right) will likely need a sedative next time! She put up quite the fight, complete with hissing and just generally trying to escape from the vet while having her check-up! 

When the girls got home, Bell was mad at the world. She continuously hissed at me for about an hour and at Fiona for seven hours, just like she did when Fiona alone went to the vet a few months ago to get a mani and pedi. (Oddly enough, Bell lets me cut her nails, but Fiona does not. She allows the vet techs to do it with no problem.) Also interesting was the fact that when the vet checked their heart rates, Fiona's was racing, but Bell's was normal. Yet Fiona was by far the calmer of the two. Anyway, Fiona should be good-to-go for another three months when she'll need another mani and pedi. Bell should be good-to-go until her annual appointment next year.

NATURE FRIDAY, hosted by The LLB Life

This picture was taken in August 2021, but it shows what it was like at sunset today. Last night and today we had the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. However, by sunset today, it had cleared out. We are now in for a stretch of beautiful weather this weekend and into next week!