Caboodle of Cozies: Sunday Post 116

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following:

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

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 had a pretty average week, which is okay with me. Nothing unusual to report. I'm so happy to say farewell to summer after this weekend. This summer wasn't as challenging for me as last summer was, but it's still my least favorite season.

I celebrated the last weekend of astronomical summer with a Frosted Lemonade from Chick-fil-A. I very rarely eat or drink from fast food restaurants, but I was curious about this drink. I didn't realize it had ice cream (or rather, Ice Dream) in it until I looked it up. It's a combo of vanilla Ice Dream and lemonade, both of which I love, so it's basically a vanilla lemonade milkshake. I enjoyed the sweet and sour combo, but I've definitely had my fill at least until next spring or summer.

I did some research on Ice Dream (because, why not?). You may already know this, but if you don't, allow me to enlighten you. In order for a product to be called ice cream, it has to have at least 10% milkfat in it. The product that Chick-fil-A uses is similar to ice cream, but since it has less than 10% milkfat, it must be called something different. So they call it Ice Dream. It has a lighter texture than ice cream, which I find refreshing.

So, how are you spending this last weekend of astronomical summer?

IN THE BOOKS

As many of you know, I usually have multiple books going at once. I don't read all of them every week, so from now on, I will only list the ones I made progress with the previous week.

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I finished Fatal Sign-Off (Book Blogger Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr, and I loved it. I've already set my review to publish this coming Thursday (with another review set to publish on Tuesday), but in the meantime, you can read some excerpts here.

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I listened to The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday (Borrow a Bookshop 1), written by Kiley Dunbar and narrated by Helen Duff. This one doesn't have the emotional impact that Christmas at the Borrow a a Bookshop, which is the second in the series, has, and the romance wasn't quite as believable to me. I wasn't a fan of the swearing, although mild and infrequent, either. However, I still enjoyed it overall.

IN PROGRESS

It's Not About the Food, by Mary Perry, is an easy and practical read. I've been reading about one chapter each day and I'm on track to finish the book by the end of September. I'm enjoying reading about the author's own life experiences and how what she says can be applied to my life.

I'm almost finished listening to You Can't Candle the Truth (Glenmyre Whim Mystery 1), written by Sarah E. Burr and narrated by Melissa Green. I already listened to this before and I loved it. I'm listening to it again to prepare for an upcoming virtual book club discussion this week. Click here to read the review I wrote two years ago.

I started reading Murder Under the Marquee (Elmo Simpson Mystery 2, by J.C. Kenney). The very first scene in this book pulled me right in and made me smile. That's the vibe of this series. It's a cozy mystery with quirky characters that's light-hearted and fun.

UP NEXT

I haven't decided what my next read will be. I have two options in mind. My next audiobook listen will be Against the Currant (Spice Isle Bakery Mystery 1), by Olivia Matthews. I listened to this book a while ago and really enjoyed it. It's the September pick for The Cozy Mystery Book Club, so I'll listen to it again to refresh my memory.

ON THE SCREEN

The Toys that Built America - I started watching season 3. A lot of these episodes are about games - video games and board games. Some of them were popular when I was growing up, which is fun to see.
My Dreams of You - This was my favorite movie that premiered on Hallmark last year and I love it more every time I watch it. It's a fun mix of magic and great story-telling. I also love the music in it. The two leads are Skylar Samuels (also known as the young Aurora Teagarden in the prequel series) and Kapil Talwalkar. They are both great in their roles and have wonderful chemistry. The supporting cast is also very strong.
Mystery Island: House Rules - This fourth installment in the series recently premiered on Hallmark and I loved it! It's easily my favorite one in the series - one that I am likely to watch again! I could do without the romance (I know...it's Hallmark...), but the mystery aspect was really fun.
Golden Girls - I'm still working my way through and enjoying season 1. Rose's character is still a bit too naive for my taste, but I love the show much more than I thought I would. Dorothy is still my favorite character for her sarcastic sense of humor.
Murder, She Wrote - I only have a few more episodes left to watch in season 4. I'm so glad I still have more than have the series ahead of me, which I have never once watched. I'm working on changing that.

ON THE BLOG