Sunday Post 98

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?

On the above blogs you will be able to see links to the posts from others who are participating in those blog hops, and if you're a blogger, you can join too. 

It's been a mostly quiet week around here, with the exception of Friday. Let's just say a weekly trip to the grocery store, something I normally enjoy, turned into an unexpected fiasco. I was so happy to get home that day. I had planned on doing my Friday post, but I was so tired I had to let it go.

It is snowing a little as I type this at 6:30 Sunday evening. We had a period of heavy snow earlier that resulted in an inch or two, but mostly it's just been a sloppy mess of a storm. We had cold rain, sleet, wet snow, and just plain snow that eventually started sticking, but the precipitation is almost done. The wind has picked up and temperatures are dropping, so everything will freeze tonight. We are in for some very cold air the next three days. Highs are expected to be in the 20s and lows in the single digits. I really don't mind the cold at all. Even when I have to go out in it, it doesn't really bother me as long as I dress warmly. Of course, it's also nice to have heat indoors. But these days feel so cozy to me and I'm all about coziness.

I'm posting another page from my NetGalley Reading Journal. At the end of the journal there are several pages for note-taking. This pages has no lines, but there are others that have lines, grids, or dots. On this page that I'm showing you, I jotted down some notes after reading Chapter One in The Puzzler, by A.J. Jacobs. Doing so will help me a lot when I write my review.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

🍄🍄🍄🍄
I finished reading an eARC of Felines and Felonies (Chatty Cat Mystery 3), by Elle Wren Burke, which was released in November. I once again enjoyed this installment in the series. Look for my review to be posted this week. 

IN PROGRESS

I read Chapter 1 in The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaw to the Meaning of Life, by A. J. Jacobs. I do have some complaints about it (see image above with my notes), but overall I am loving this book. His writing style is fun and easy to follow, plus I love the subject of puzzles.

I started listening to Girl on the Run, by Daryl Wood Gerber. This is my first brush with the suspense genre and I'm still trying to get used to it. I do think this was a good one to start with because it isn't gory and at least so far it has no foul language. I will say, though, that every time I read a different genre, I'm always reminded that cozy mysteries are still what I love most.

Speaking of cozies, I started reading Vinyl Resting Place (Record Shop Mystery 1), by Olivia Blacke. I am loving it!! It's moving along at a comfortable pace and it's holding my attention. I'm hoping to finish it by Friday, but let's see how this week goes. The book club meets the following Tuesday, so I have until then to read it.

UP NEXT

My next audiobook listen will be Resort to Murder, by Annie McEwen. This book has been on my radar ever since it was released last year. Then I met Annie at Malice Domestic last April, and several months later I won an audiobook code in a giveaway. So now I'm really excited to get started with the series.  I want to listen to both books in this series before the next one is released. Isn't this cover so cozy???

ON THE SCREEN

• Good Witch - I finished this series. My favorite season was the fourth one. I believe the series derailed in season 7. There was too much focus on the magic and not enough on the people and their relationships. I love a bit of magic, but I think it was just too much and too dark. It felt a little depressing towards the end. And the final episode felt rushed. It's as if they suddenly realized the show was ending, so they had to wrap it up.  If the show ever gets a reboot, I will watch it, but for now, I'm glad to be done with the series.
• Toying with the Holidays - This was a 2021 Lifetime movie. It was okay, but most likely not a rewatch in the future. The leads lacked chemistry and the plot was slow-moving. I think the storyline had potential, but it didn't really deliver.  It felt cozy and I did enjoy seeing Cindy Busby in a non-nature-focused movie.
• A Very Charming Christmas Town - This was a 2020 Lifetime movie. I enjoyed it once, but probably won't watch it again. The most charming highlights for me were the godmother and the hunt for gnomes. However, the leads lacked chemistry, the plot was slow-moving, and the female lead was very unlikeable in the beginning. Plus, I was annoyed that the accessible path was completely covered with snow.🙄
• Merry Swissmas - I have been wanting to watch this 2022 Lifetime movie ever since it was released, but I didn't have this channel at the time. I enjoyed it enough, even if it was a little underwhelming. The Switzerland aspect had very little to do with the movie. (It wasn't even filmed there.) Also, I felt the conflicts could have been developed a little more.
• The Way Home - S3 E3 was a little unfocused with lots of jumping around between various storylines, but overall I did enjoy it. The beginning was especially powerful for me. Having lost my best friend in 2010, I could relate to the grief they were feeling. I continue to be intrigued and curious how this season will unfold.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 01/12 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 01/15 - New Year Nuisance (Holiday Cozy Mystery 4), by Tonya Kappes
• Puzzle - 01/18 - Cozies I Finished in 2024

Have a great week!