Sunday Post 103

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. 

I attended Malice Domestic last weekend and it was amazing! This was my second time attending the annual mystery convention, which is held right here in Central Maryland every year. Last year, I posted my recaps over three weeks, but I'm going to share it all here today this time.

DAY 1 (THURSDAY)

-Seeing a rainbow on the carpet formed by crystals from above reminded me that my best friend was with me

-Getting my exercise (SO MUCH WALKING!)...and this was actually a short day!

-Having dinner with online turned in person friends

-Greeted warmly by a few authors who I recognized and who recognized me from last year

-My very first in person book club discussing The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman

-knowing that this was just the beginning of an amazing weekend

DAY 2 (FRIDAY)

-Lunch with authors Sarah E. Burr and J.C. Kenney. I was able to tell J.C. in person how much his book, Panic in the Panhandle, got me out of a mental slump last summer. If you want to laugh, read this book! I got to know a few other authors at this time as well.

-Crime in a Rural Community panel with Paula Charles, Annie McEwen, and a few other authors. I laughed so much during this panel discussion!

-Warmly greeted by author, cat rescuer, and jewelry maker, Amanda Flower, and having her give me a lazy cat necklace. She was handing them out during the convention.

-Old time radio style production of Sherlock Holmes & the Nefarious Baron

Plus, I can't even begin to tell you how many authors, readers, and influencers I frequently interact with online I saw in passing. Everyone was so incredibly generous with their time and just so very, very kind in general.

DAY 3 (SATURDAY)

- Keeping Things Cozy in the Modern World panel discussion

-A super "cheesy" promo video that some of us filmed to celebrate the release of Bait and Swiss, by Korina Moss. We were laughing SO MUCH when we did this!

-Lunch in the Hospitality Lounge with author Mindy Quigley and a friend I've been following online for a while

-Grabbing some freebies in the Hospitality Lounge and chatting with friends while there

-A Bookish Hour hosted by Sarah E. Burr and J.C. Kenney

-Mystery Lover's Kitchen Bloggers panel

-I skipped the banquet this year, so at that time, I took advantage of the very quiet and mostly empty hotel restaurant and treated myself to Smith Island Cake (the Maryland State Cake) and an Arnold Palmer (my favorite cold drink). While there, a friend just happened to stop by, so we chatted for a while.

DAY 4 (SUNDAY)

The final day of Malice Domestic was bittersweet. Some people had already left, and it wouldn't be long before the weekend concluded for everyone. Although Sunday was a shorter day than Friday and Saturday, a lot of fun was still to be had.

-Hanging out in the Hospitality Lounge one last time

-Seeing author Annie McEwen in the wild and realizing it wasn't too late to buy her books and have her sign them (I missed all of the official signings this year.)

-Seeing author Korina Moss in the wild when I went to buy Annie's books

-Registering for next year's Malice

-Agatha Tea/Closing Ceremony - I sat with a rather entertaining group of people!

-Saying my "See you next years" to everyone

-Talking to someone at the last minute on my way out that up until that point I had only interacted with online. She recognized my name on my name tag and said hi to me.

I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do because there is just so much going on all the time. In fact, panels and signings usually overlap, so it's literally impossible to participate in everything.  I also had to conserve my energy and pace myself. But I made the most of what I could do, which was actually a lot. 

I tracked my walking for the entire weekend and I logged more than five miles. That averages to more than one mile per day, which is more than my regular walks. My walking speed was also slightly faster than my regular walks, probably because I feel more stable walking on carpet. The walking felt great! The hardest part was pushing my cart, but people usually offered to help with that and I didn't turn them down. It was a weekend to remember and I can't wait to do it all over again next year.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I read and enjoyed South Beach Scandal (Claire O'Keefe Cozy Mystery 3), by Cindy Quayle. You can read my full review here and you can read some excerpts here.

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I listened to Chocolate Bunny Betrayal (Holiday Cozy Mystery 5), written by Tonya Kappes and narrated by Christina Sagnimeni. I've been enjoying this series from the beginning. This one was set around Easter. It is one of my favorite books in the series. I will post my full review this upcoming week, but in the meantime, you can read some excerpts here.  

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I also listened to By Book or by Crook (Lighthouse Library Mystery 1), written by Eva Gates and narrated by Elise Arsenault. I never really could settle into this book. I think it's because I couldn't connect with the characters. I love the setting and the mystery was okay, but I don't think I'll continue this series.

IN PROGRESS

I finally read the chapter on jigsaw puzzles 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. It was interesting to find out that as much of a puzzle enthusiast as A. J. Jacobs is, he didn't always enjoy jigsaws. That has changed, and I enjoyed reading about his journey to get there.

I started reading an ARC of #Throwback for Murder (Trending Topic Mystery 4), by Sarah E. Burr. Not surprisingly, I'm enjoying it. This was originally set to be released on May 6th, but it was changed to June. I'm going to feature this book on my next Friday post and I'll publish my review in about ten days.

UP NEXT

I recently won Maverick, Movies, & Murder (Katie and Maverick 1), by Mary Seifert, so I'm going to start this one next. It wasn't on my radar before I won it, but it looks like a fun series.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Food That Built America - I'm still working my way through season 3. There have been some exceptionally good episodes in this season. One of my favorites was the one about how Famous Amos cookies got started. It's fascinating how some of these people became so successful. I'm super excited about the next episode. It's about popcorn. I love popcorn!
• American Idol - I didn't watch any episodes of this, this past week. I'm only posting it here to let you know I'm so far behind at this point and I'm not sure I even want to catch up. The episodes I need to catch up on are two or three hours long. It's too much of a time investment. Maybe if they cut it down to one hour I'll start watching it again.
• Murder, She Wrote - I watched S04E03. This one is called "Witness for the Defense" and it's set in Quebec. I loved the courtroom drama in this one. The mystery was good.
• The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel - Because why not? LOL. I love The Brady Bunch sitcom, so it makes sense I love the parody movies. Growing up, I watched and rewatched this show in reruns all the time. 
• Hearts Around the Table: Josh's Third Serving - This is my least favorite movie out the four. It just wasn't that interesting to me. Not as much as the other three anyway.
• Hearts Around the Table: Kiki's Fourth Ingredient - This one wasn't bad, but it didn't really focus much on Kiki's story. That was secondary to the continuation of Jenna's story.
• Journey to You - Ah, yes! Finally a five star Hallmark movie this year! I loved this movie so much. It's beautiful in every sense of the word. It's faith-based in that it's spiritual, but it doesn't matter which faith you practice. It's relatable to anyone. This is one of my favorite movies that Erin Cahill has made. The entire cast was outstanding and every character was likeable. It's an easy watch. Of course there's romance, being a Hallmark movie, but the romance is secondary to the spiritual journey. 

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 04/19 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 04/23 - South Beach Scandal (Claire O'Keefe Mystery 3), by Cindy Quayle
• Puzzle - 04/26 Cottage with Daffodils
• The Friday Six - 05/02 - Bookish response and excerpts, Feline Friday, Nature pic
• Puzzle - 05/03 - Flower Bulb Shop

Have a great week!