Top Ten Tuesday (on a Wednesday) - Books on My Fall 2023 TBR List

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! This blog hop is brought to us by That Artsy Reader Girl. On her blog you will see links to the blogs of others who are participating in Top Ten Tuesday. If you are a blogger, feel free to join the party through the linky on her blog post.

I declare Cozy Season has begun! I am so excited about this week's top ten list. Fall is my favorite season in general and I really love fall-themed books! The topic today is Books on my Fall 2023 TBR List. All of these are cozy mysteries.

Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot Mystery 41), by Agatha Christie

I was on the fence about listening to this audiobook because of the age of the victim. However, since it is a Halloween theme and the movie adaptation has been released, I decided I will listen to it. I usually prefer to watch movie adaptations first before reading or listening to the book, but since I'm waiting until the movie is streaming, I'll go ahead and listen to the book during Halloween season. I love that this series can be read out of order.

Too Much to Candle (Glenmyre Whim Mystery 2), by Sarah E. Burr

I listened to the first book in this series, You Can't Candle the Truth, and I loved it. I'm so excited this next in series is set around Halloween. I borrowed the print book from the library, but since it's now also available on audio, I'll listen to it instead. The audio for the first book was excellent. It's the same narrator for the second one, so I believe I will enjoy that one as well.

The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer (Paws and Claws Mystery 2), by Krista Davis

Another one set around Halloween! I enjoyed the first one this series, Murder, She Barked, so I've decided I will listen to the second one. I've been waiting months to listen to it around Halloween!

Kill Them with Canvas (Paint by Murder Mystery 1), by Bailee Abbott

This is yet another one set around Halloween that I've been waiting to read or listen to. I read the first one, A Brush with Murder, earlier this year and really enjoyed it. I will most likely listen to this one.

The Silence of the Flans (Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery 2), by Laura Bradford

Based on the colorful tree on the cover, it looks like this one is set in the fall. It is the second one in the Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery series. I listened to the first one, Eclair and Present Danger, and loved it. So I will listen to the second one as well. The premise is one of the most unique ones I've seen. This isn't just your average bakery!

Goodbye Cruller World (Deputy Donut Mystery 2), by Ginger Bolton

It seems like a lot of second in series are set in the fall. This is another one of them. Again, I read the first one, Survival of the Fritters, earlier this year and loved it. So I'm looking forward to the second one. This is another one that I will probably listen to.

Assault and Pepper (Spice Shop Mystery 1), by Leslie Budewitz

I enjoyed the audiobook for this one so much that I decided I wanted to also read the print format in the fall. I love the little tidbits of info. throughout the book. I actually enjoy those more than recipes. I learned so much from those fun facts and I also enjoyed the book overall.

A Fang to Remember (Vampire Pet Boutique Mystery 1), by Elle Wren Burke

I read the prequel novella to this, Almost Fangmous, and I loved it. So I bought the entire series in print format. This series features a disabled vampire who is the amateur sleuth. I love and appreciate the disability representation. Plus the setting is just crazy fun!

Magic, Movies, and Murder (Bewitcher's Beach Mystery 1), by Emily Fluke

This is an e-ARC I'll be reading very soon. The prequel novella, Be Careful What You Witch For, was very enjoyable, so I asked for an ARC of the first book in the series.

Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery 18), by Joanne Fluke

I wanted to read this in the summer, but I ran out of the time. So I'm putting it on my bookgenda for the fall. I've been reading this series slowly from book 1.

There are so many other books I want to read or listen to in the fall. This is not a complete list! It is the time of year when I find the most cozies that interest me. Hopefully I'll finish many of them.

Do you see any here that interest you? Have you read any of them? What's on your fall 2023 TBR list? Let's chat in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on my Winter 2023-2024 TBR List

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! This blog hop is brought to us by That Artsy Reader Girl. On her blog you will see links to the blogs of others who are participating in Top Ten Tuesday. If you are a blogger, feel free to join the party through the linky on her blog post.

Wow, it's been a while since I linked up with this blog hop. In fact, the last time I did it, was to share what was on my fall TBR list. Of the ten that I listed in September for my fall reads, I read or listened to six of them.

So here, is my plan for winter. They are listed in no specific order. Since so many Christmas books have already been shared in the blogosphere, none of these will be about Christmas. I'll read or listen to these in January, February, or in the first half of March.

The first one on the list for the 2024 Cozy Mystery Book Club is Pride, Prejudice, and Poison (Jane Austen Society Mystery 1), by Elizabeth Blake. I've been wanting to read this book, so I'm excited we'll be reading it together at the start of the new year.

The second one on the list for the 2024 Cozy Mystery Book Club is Death by Bubble Tea (L.A. Night Market Mystery 1), by Jennifer Chow. This is another one I've had on my TBR List and I'm excited to read it together.

Earlier this year, I won a copy of Because I Could Not Stop for Death (Emily Dickinson Mystery 1), by Amanda Flower. I've been waiting until January to read it since that's when it is set. I've read a few of Amanda Flower's books and enjoyed them, so I'm looking forward to reading this one.

In Farm's Way (Farm to Table Mystery 3) is also by Amanda Flower and I've been waiting until January to read this one too. I asked my library to purchase it and they did. I've enjoyed this series from the beginning and I'm looking forward to continuing it.

Occasionally I read memoirs. I've read so many positive reviews of Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond, so I requested the audiobook on Libby. It looks like it should become available for me to listen to in a few weeks. 

Passion or Penalty (D.C. Eagles Hockey 0.5), by Leah Brunner, is a hockey romcom. Hockey romances are popular right now. I have really enjoyed Hallmark's hockey romcom movies. I think they are better than all of their other sports romcoms, so I figured it's time to read some hockey romcom books. This one is a novella that begins the series. 

Skating on Thin Ice  (Murder, She Wrote 35), by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain, came to my attention because I love to watch ice skating. I also really enjoyed the one Murder, She Wrote book I listened to over the summer. I love that this series does not need to be read in order.

The Complete Book of Flower Fairies is a compilation of artwork and poems by Cicily Mary Barker. They are divided into seasons, so I'll read the winter poems soon.

#TagMe for Murder (Trending Topic Mystery 2) is not a winter-themed book, but I want to read it before the next one is released. I enjoyed the first one, #FollowMe for Murder, as well as all of the other books I've read by Sarah E. Burr. I won this in a giveaway earlier this year.

One Poison Pie (Kitchen Witch Mystery 1) has been on my list for a while and I hope to get started with this series early next year. I love the idea of witches and a little bit of magic in my cozies, so I'm very much looking forward to this one.

Do any of these look like books you will enjoy? What's on your winter TBR?

Sunday Post 49

Hello, friends!

Through Monday I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a good weekend. I am not getting nearly as much done as I want to, including reading. I may not post much on my blog in the coming week because I have a lot going on and I'm not great about scheduling my posts ahead of time. I'm feeling very overwhelmed right now. I'd like to post a review of Hallmark's new movie, Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major, this week. However, I haven't even watched the movie yet. At the very least, I should be back for my regular Friday post. I have a feeling Fiona and Bell will see to it that I am!

IN THE BOOKS

To see how I'm doing with my 2023 bookish challenges, click on 2023 Bookish Challenges on the right sidebar. 

RECENTLY FINISHED

🍄🍄🍄🍄
I finished listening to Against the Currant (Spice Isle Bakery Mystery 1), written by Olivia Matthews and narrated by Janina Edwards. The mystery took longer to get going than what I prefer, but overall I enjoyed the characters and the setting.  It took me longer to finish than I expected, so I'll hold off on listening to book two,  Hard Dough Homicide, until next year.

IN PROGRESS

I'm still reading Double Booked for Death (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery 1), by Ali Brandon. I'm just about halfway through it. I don't anticipate finishing it by Tuesday, so I'll probably skip the livestream of The Cozy Mystery Book Club and watch it after I finish the book. It is a fun read so far. You can read some excerpts here.

UP NEXT

Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot 41), written by Agatha Christie and narrated by Hugh Fraser, will be my next audiobook listen. I love that this series can be enjoyed out of order. It is rare for me to read the book before watching the movie adaptation, but since I won't watch the movie for a while (when it's streaming), I decided I will listen to the book this week.

I received an e-ARC of Magic, Movies, and Murder (Bewitcher's Beach Mystery 1), by Emily Fluke, last week. After subscribing to her newsletter, I received a free copy of the prequel novella to this series, Be Careful What You Witch For, and I loved it. (You can read that review here.) This is still next on my reading list. Release date is next week. (I can't believe October is starting soon!)

ON TELEVISON

• Hallmark Movies - I watched the 2023 premieres, Come Fly with Me and Notes of Autumn. Come Fly with Me was just okay and Notes of Autumn was pretty good. I had some issues with the duel storylines, but the characters were fun and it was nice to have an actual fall movie in the fall lineup. Hallmark doesn't always do a great job with the fall feels, but autumn was written all over this one (and not just in the title). I also watched a couple of older Hallmark movies, Truly, Madly, Sweetly (another fall movie) and A Novel Romance. They were both pretty good.
• Friends - I continued watching Season 3. Not much to say here, except that I think Season 3 is one of the seasons with the funniest episodes.
• Ahsoka - I watched the sixth episode. It was pretty entertaining. We didn't see much of Ahsoka in this one. Unfortunately, she's one of my least favorite characters in this series, so I was okay with that. I love her battle scenes, but she's not very interesting to me otherwise. (Probably an unpopular opinion.)

WEEKLY BLOG RECAP 

• Sunday Post 09/17 - Week in review
• Top Ten Tuesday (on a Wednesday) 09/20 - Books on my Fall 2023 TBR List
• Four for Friday 09/22 - Reading Benefits, Double Booked, and Fiona on a Blanket
• Puzzle 09/23 - Rainy Evening

That's all for now! I'll post when I can in the coming week, but it probably won't be much. Have a great week!

Sunday Post 50

Hello, friends!

Through Monday I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

Hi everyone! Happy October!

October is typically my favorite month of the year. I love crisp, cool fall weather (which we'll hopefully get after this week with high's around 80 degrees) and I enjoy fun, light-hearted Halloween-themed movies and books. I also love that the sun is rising later because that means I'm more likely to get out for my walks at sunrise. Hopefully I can get back into waking up early enough to do that. Sunrise is my favorite time of day, when I can get enough sleep the night before.

I started going to physical therapy last week. As of right now, I'm going to go once a week, while also doing exercises at home. Physical therapy is probably something I should have been doing already. I'm going to work on strength and balance. I enjoy it, but I definitely have my work cut out for me! 

For those of you who don't know, I was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spine is not completely developed. It affects people in different ways. I walk with crutches much of the time. At home I just hold on to furniture when I walk. Occasionally, for long distances when I'm out and about, I use a wheelchair. 

This brings me to one more reason why I love October. It's National Spina Bifida Awareness Month. I don't talk or write much about my disability because although it is a part of who I am, it is not all that I am. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes for someone who has spina bifida, but I mostly prefer to focus on living my life to the fullest and doing the things I love to do.

IN THE BOOKS

To see how I'm doing with my 2023 bookish challenges, click on 2023 Bookish Challenges on the right sidebar. I leveled up in one challenge and I completed another one.

RECENTLY FINISHED

🍄🍄🍄
I listened to Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot 41), written by Agatha Christie and narrated by Hugh Fraser. I enjoyed the narration, but the story didn't resonate with me the way I had hoped it would. The mystery was intriguing and I definitely did not guess who the culprit was, but the overall story didn't really hold my interest the whole time. Maybe that's part of why I didn't guess who the culprit was.

IN PROGRESS

I'm still reading Double Booked for Death (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery 1), by Ali Brandon. I'm making progress when I have the time and energy to read it. I am enjoying it. To read some excerpts from this book, click here.

I recently found out Class Reunions are Murder (Poppy McAllister Mystery 1), by Libby Klein, takes place at this time of year and since it's been on my TBR list for a while, I decided to give it a listen now. I really like the story and the narration (done by Callie Beaulieu). It has held my interest continuously from the beginning. This audiobook is longer than most cozies I listen to, so it will most likely take me all of this week to finish. I only listen to audiobooks for one hour a day most of the time. To read some excerpts, click here.

I started reading the e-ARC of Magic, Movies, and Murder (Bewitcher's Beach Mystery 1), by Emily Fluke. It's a really fun paranormal that also takes place at this time of year, but in the 1990's. This book releases on Tuesday. Like me, Emily Fluke loves popcorn and that really comes through at times in this book!

UP NEXT

Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery 18), by Joanne Fluke, will be the next book I read. I am hoping to slowly but surely catch up on this series sometime next year.

ON TELEVISON

• Hallmark Premieres - I watched Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major. I adored this movie! It's my favorite mystery movie of the year so far, by a landslide. I want to post a review soon. I'll most likely watch it again. I also watched Retreat to You. This is supposed to be in the "Fall Into Love" category, but it's more like a summer movie. Apart from missing much of the fall feels, I liked the movie.
• GAC - I don't watch too many movies on GAC because the few I have seen were all just okay in my opinion. I decided to watch Craft Me a Romance because I have really enjoyed the movies I've seen with Jodie Sweetin. I also really liked the idea of a crafty movie, especially one with a fall theme. I really enjoyed some aspects of this movie, but overall it was just okay.
• Friends - Ross and Rachel are on a break. Or are they?
• Ahsoka - I watched the seventh episode. This was an action-packed episode that I enjoyed.

WEEKLY BLOG RECAP 

• Sunday Post 09/24 - Week in review
• Four for Friday 09/29 - Adaptations, Class Reunions, and the Cat Who Reads
• Puzzle 09/30 - Goodbye September

Have a great week and an outstanding October!

Sunday Post 115

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 had what felt like a busy week. I am making slow progress with physical therapy. But slow progress is still progress, right? I am back with the original therapist I had on the first day. She had taken a couple weeks vacation, plus she is only there part time to begin with. She will be my therapist for at least the rest of this month. The other two are good, but everyone has a different method, so it's hard to adjust each time. Now I can have some consistency. I also had the exercises emailed to me, which include video demonstrations. So that will be helpful. Friday was the first day since I started physical therapy one month ago that I began to notice a positive difference. The issue is mostly with my left shoulder. The range of motion in that arm seems to be improving. It isn't much so far, but it's something.

This past week, I also attended "What's On Your Shelf" at my local library for the first time. There were about 15 of us. This is a monthly event where we sit in a circle and share whatever we've been reading. There was a nice variety of books shared. There are some I know I won't read, but I did add some to my TBR list. I was five minutes late (I had physical therapy before this event), but they hadn't really begun yet. It ended 15 minutes late, plus I stayed and chatted with one of the librarians for a bit. This all meant I drove home in rush hour. Ugh. It was less than a half hour drive, but I really don't like driving at that time of day. I was exhausted when I got home. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I want to do this again. If it was earlier in the day it would work better for me. At least now I know. Oh, and I accidentally left my phone in my car during the event, probably because I was rushing. Not something I want to make a habit of doing!

This past week was also the book club I attempted to start in my condo community. Thanks to everyone who shared your insights. My main goal with this is to build connection and community with my neighbors. Finding an online book club is super easy. The ones at the library and local bookstore don't work for me for various reasons. Plus both of those defeat the purpose of trying to build connection and community with my neighbors.

Anyway, among the four buildings in my community, with 28 or 26 units each, one person said they would show up. I decided to go ahead with it and see if others show up at that time. I waited 20 minutes. NO ONE, not even the other person who agreed to be there, showed up. I'm still glad I gave it a try, though. I can forget about it and move on.

Next week should be more low key. Just my usual weekly appointments (which is still a lot). Because of my shoulder issue, it takes me longer to do basic things. And it takes me longer than most people I know to do things on a good day, so this is adding to that. It makes even a "regular" week exhausting. One day, one step at a time. As long as I take things slow, I'm fine.

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

🍄🍄🍄🍄
I listened to Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust (Deep Dish Mystery 2), written by Mindy Quigley and narrated by Holly Adams. Although there was a lot to keep track of in this book, I enjoyed the mystery. I'll definitely continue the series.  I love spending time with these characters. 

🍄🍄🍄🍄
I also listened to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, narrated by Dan Stevens. This is the kind of book that I want to go back and read or listen to again and again so I can pick up on things I didn't notice before. It relies heavily on the epilogue to explain things, but the mystery is twisty and solid. You can read some excerpts here.

IN PROGRESS

I'm at about the 70% mark in Fatal Sign-off (Book Blogger Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr. I will post my review on my blog when I'm done, but in the meantime, you can read some excerpts here. I am enjoying it, as I do all of her books.

I'm about 25% of the way through It's Not About the Food, by Mary Perry. Although I no longer have the challenges with food that she talks about, it does make me think about the choices I make and how to continue on a healthy path. Books like this keep me on track.

I'm currently listening to The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday (Borrow a Bookshop 1), written by Kiley Dunbar and narrated by Helen Duff. You may recall over the summer I listened to Christmas at the Borrow a a Bookshop, which is the second in the series. This first one so far doesn't have the emotional impact that the second one did, but I'm still loving it. It's just what I need after having just finished And Then There Were None.

UP NEXT

My next audiobook listen will be 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 once and I loved it. This is my favorite series that she writes. It's the perfect blend of cozy mystery and light paranormal. I'm listening to it again to prepare for an upcoming virtual book club discussion.

My next e-book read will be Murder Under the Marquee (Elmo Simpson Mystery 2, by J.C. Kenney). The first in this series, Panic in the Panhandle, got me out of a mental slump around this time last year. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with these quirky and fun characters.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Toys that Built America - I finished watching season 2. There's only one more season of this series, which I shall begin next week.
• Dating the Delaneys - This movie has my whole heart. I first watched it when it premiered in 2022 and I was sick. It was such a comfort to me during that time. I've watched it a few times since then and I still love it. It's kind of a fall movie, but doesn't have too many fall feels. It stars the powerhouse leads, Paul Campbell and Rachel Boston. It's a multi-generational rom-com.
• Catch of the Day - This was a movie that just recently premiered on The Hallmark Channel. It stars Michael Rady and Emilie Ullerup. It wasn't terrible and it wasn't great. Just middle-of-the-road.
• Love, Of Course - This is my favorite fall Hallmark movie. It's perfect for the beginning of fall. It has all the fall feels without feeling too staged. It stars Cameron Mathison and Kelly Rutherford and it's from 2018.
• And Then There Were None - I watched the 2015 mini series adaptation after listening to the audiobook once. It helped me understand the novel better. My only criticism of the mini series is that the grim tone was there from beginning to end. I thought the beginning should have been more upbeat. It would have made the later grim parts more impactful. It was still really, really good, though! (However, I can confirm that I'm done with slasher books and movies for a long, long while!)
• Mystery Island - This is a 2023 Hallmark mystery that I had already watched and reviewed. I watched it again recently since it was loosely inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. It was fun to notice the nods to the classic novel.
• Death on the Nile - I had already read the book and seen the 2022 adaptation with Kenneth Branagh as Poirot. So this time I watched the 2004 adaptation with David Suchet as Poirot. I liked both versions for different reasons. I think the 2004 adaptation captures the spirit of the novel best, but the 2022 adaptation is more visually appealing.
• Golden Girls  - I watch this show when I want something quick in the morning while having breakfast, usually on the day of an appointment. I'm still enjoying it. I'm almost halfway through the first season. I'm still not a huge fan of Rose's character, but overall I like the show. Dorothy remains my favorite character for her sarcastic humor.
• Murder, She Wrote - I watched a few more episodes in season 4. I was happy to see one of the episodes is set in my home state of Maryland (even though they didn't really show Maryland). I'm not sure if it was filmed in Maryland. It was S4E14 called "Curse of the Daanav". It was a little silly at times, but it had a great mystery.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 08/31 - Weekly Recap
• Friday Features - 09/05 - Bookish Response and Excerpts, Feline Friday, and Nature Pic
• Puzzle 09/06 - Saratoga Mums
• Friday Features - 09/12 - Bookish Response and Excerpts, Feline Friday, and Nature Pic.
• Puzzle - 09/13 - Mirrors Living Room

Have a great week!

Sunday Post 126

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?

So here we are at the end of January. I've been keeping up with NetGalley Reading Journal to log everything I read. These are not so much challenges for me. They're more of a way to track everything after I finish books, simply because I enjoy doing so. Although it's from NetGalley, I use it for all books I finish. Here is my January Check-In:

All of the books I finished were cozy mysteries, so I didn't read any new-to-me genres. I thought In Farms Way, by Amanda Flower, was set in January, but it's actually set in February. Since there were other books I wanted to read in January, I decided to move In Farms Way to my late February TBR. My favorite book was Public Anchovy #1, by Mindy Quigley. Honestly, it's going to be hard to top that one for the entire year. But we'll see.

My NetGalley ratio dropped because I requested and was surprisingly approved for another book - Moonlight Murder, by Uzma Jalaluddin. I'm really going to put more of an effort into reading NetGalley books soon after I receive them, while also reading ones already on my shelf. So hopefully in due time my NetGalley ratio will rise. I was hoping to finish at least one more book by the end of January, but it was not to be. However, I did enjoy all of the ones I finished. Here are the ones I finished:

And here are the U.S. states I visited through cozies:

It's probably impossible to see the titles of the books, but I'm tracking which books took me to each state. Again, not a challenge. I'm not intentionally trying to visit all the states. I just like seeing which ones I do visit. If I visited a state more than once, like Pennsylvania, then I note all the cozies that took me there.

Overall, I'm pleased with how my reading went in January. And I posted reviews for all books I finished.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

🍄🍄🍄🍄
I finished listening to Murder with Cinnamon Scones, written by Karen Rose Smith and narrated by C. S. E. Cooney. This is the follow-up to Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes. The mystery was tighter and more prominent in this one, but I still wanted more "bread crumbs". Also, there were a lot of characters to keep track of. I've gotten used to the narration. I liked the book enough to continue the series in the spring.

IN PROGRESS

Week 6 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl, was about finding comfort in nature when the world seems to be falling apart. She recognizes that bad things happen, but that we can also find truths in nature that give us hope. It helps to turn off the news and tune into nature.

Moonlight Murder (Detective Aunty 2), by Uzma Jalaluddin is still in progress. I'm about 60% into the ARC. I'm enjoying it overall, but I'm turned off by the sprinkling of strong language. There was none of that in the first one, so it surprises me to see it in this one. Fortunately, the rest of the book is strong.

I started working on Trapped in the Bookstore, by Beth Martin. This is basically an Escape Room in a book. The reader is the main character and we have to solve puzzles to move on to each part of the bookstore and eventually (hopefully) escape. It's a concept I've never seen in a book. Beth Martin is a local author and I had the pleasure of meeting her last fall.

UP NEXT

I've had The Tell Fang Heart (Vampire Boutique Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke, on my TBR for a while and I was recently reminded that it is set around Valentine's Day. So this one is up next. I bought a signed copy directly from the author a couple years ago, so it's also on my physical book shelf.

My next audiobook listen will be Sleep in Heavenly Pizza (Deep Dish Mystery 4), by Mindy Quigley. This one is set around Christmas. I usually save these for Christmas in July or December, but book 5 is set around Valentine's Day and I want to read that one soon without skipping book 4.

ON THE SCREEN

• Gilligan's Island - This is random, I know. I've been recording the whole series. I had seen a few episodes before, but never the pilot. I remedied that. But I don't think I'll be watching too many more episodes. It's a little too over-the-top for my taste. Also, why are Ginger and the movie star not in the opening credits in the pilot, but they are in that episode?
• Let it Snow - This movie, I think, first aired on Hallmark, but it's now on GAF. I've always enjoyed it, so I watched it again. It's fitting for the season even though it's a Christmas movie.
• Christmas Under Wraps - This is another older Hallmark Christmas movie, but is fitting for the season because of the snowy scenes. I had seen it before and enjoyed it, so I watched it again.
• Love on the Amazon - This is part of Hallmark's 2026 Winter Escape series. Hmmm...this is not one I'll be watching again. It's okay, I guess. Maybe.
• Amazing Winter Romance - I love this 2020 Hallmark movie. It has one of my favorite tropes where two childhood friends reunite and fall in love. Their playful banter in this movie is fun to watch. Plus, there's a lot of snow in it.
• Caught By Love - This is another one in Hallmark's 2026 Winter Escape series and so far it's my favorite. The strong leads, Rachel Leigh Cook and Luke McFarlane, make it great. There's a also a fun mystery element to this one.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 01/25 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 01/29 - The Puzzler, by A.J. Jacobs
• Friday Features - 01/30 - Bookish response, Excerpts, Feline Friday, and Nature Pic
• Puzzle - 01/31 - Winter Promise

Have a great week!