Sunday Post 110

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. 

Hello again, everyone! How are you doing? Well, I hope! 

So, I can safely say that Maryland is no longer in a drought. We continue to have high temps and uncomfortable humidity, with daily storm chances. It hasn't rained every day in all areas, but when it has, it really poured. I mean, we're talking 5-7 inches of rain in just two hours in some areas today. This has obviously led to lots of flooding and some water rescues. The pictures and videos I'm seeing are unbelievable. Some storms have been small in size, but fierce and slow-moving. One area may get 5-7 inches of rain, while areas nearby receive nothing.

And last week one day, my area lost electricity again. It lasted 30 minutes, but it was unsettling not knowing when it would come back on. The strange thing was it happened before the storm came that day. So I'm not sure what caused it, but I'm thankful it didn't last long.

The good news is we are expecting to get a break from the uncomfortable weather, at least for a few days, next week. We're expecting temps in the 80s with lower humidity and minimal rain chances. I may even finally be able to get a few walks in again. 

With all the heat, humidity, and storms, I've had plenty of indoor time, so let's see what I've been up to.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I loved A Wicked Yarn (Craft Fair Knitters Mystery 1), by Emmie Caldwell. I can't wait to discuss it with The Cozy Mystery Book Club. I'm sad that there are only three books in this series, but I've added them to my TBR and I'm also going to explore more books by the same author.

IN PROGRESS

I read a couple more pages in the chapter titled, "Ciphers and Secret Codes" 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. Christmas in July has been calling my name more, so those have been my main focus. But at least I am moving forward with this book and, despite the slow pace, I am enjoying it.

I am enjoying an ARC of A Wonderful Christmas Crime (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery 6), by Jacqueline Frost. I think this is the final book in the series, so it's bittersweet. This will only be the second time I completely finish a series. I was okay with the first one ending, but I think I'm going to cry when this one is done. I feel very connected to the characters and the setting. UPDATE: This is NOT the last book in the series!

I decided to listen to a light Christmas romance and I found that in Debbie Macomber's Dashing through the Snow. It's narrated by Allyson Ryan. I've been wanting to read or listen to something by Debbie Macomber, so that time is finally here. I'm about halfway through this audiobook.

DNF

Unfortunately, I had to DNF Mistletoe Murder (Lucy Stone Mystery 1), by Leslie Meier. First, I was turned off by the mild swearing. But the thing that really made me stop listening was a scene involving a dead cat. As someone who loves cats, I found the scene disturbing and the characters insensitive to the whole situation. I rarely give up on a book, but I just could not bring myself to continue listening.

UP NEXT

My next audiobook listen will be Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop, by Kiley Dunbar. This is to fulfill a challenge where I need to read (or listen to) a book set in England, and it also fits with my own Christmas in July theme for the month. It's the second in a series, but the reviews say it can be read as a standalone.

There's a local bookstore somewhat close to where I live that has a mystery book club. I'm usually not interested in their selections, but their August pick is Detective Aunty (Kausar Khan Investigates 1), by Uzma Jalaluddin. I have been wanting to read anything by this author. This is her first mystery and it's a cozy. So this is what I'll be reading next. I'm starting early to give myself enough time to finish it.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Food that Built America - I have a few more episodes left to watch in season 5. This has been one of my favorite seasons!
• Christmas at Sea - This continues to be a background watch simply to satisfy my curiosity. I'm sure it's more enjoyable for the passengers who were on the cruise last year.
• Holidazed - I prefer movies, but this is turning out to be an enjoyable series. It's very light on the Christmas feels, which surprises me, but it's still good.
• 'Twas the Date Before Christmas - This was the first movie that premiered during last year's Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark. I finally watched it and I loved it! Fake dating and family are two of my favorite things in Hallmark movies and this one had both. The writing was good and so was the acting. I'd watch it again.
• Unwrapping Christmas: Mia's Prince - This is the second in a series of movies that aired exclusively on Hallmark+ last year and is now airing on the Hallmark Channel this month. I enjoyed the first one, but this one was not nearly as good. It was very slow and very cheesy, much more so than most other Hallmark movies. The talented leads deserve better material to work with.
• A Christmas Detour  - This is a 2015 Hallmark movie that I had never seen until now. I have mixed feeling about this one. The female lead character was an unlikeable liar and a cheater. But other than that, I loved it! It was very entertaining, but if they had eliminated the part about her being engaged to be married, it would have been a much better movie.
• Meet Me at the Christmas Train Parade - This is a 2023 movie that I found streaming on frndly tv. It caught my attention because of the train premise. I love train-centered movies. It was slow, but I enjoyed the the premise and the scenery.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 07/12 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 07/16 - A Nutcracker Nightmare (Killer Chocolate Mystery 2), by Christina Romeril
• Puzzle - 07/19 - Christmas Gnome

Have a great week!