It's the weekend! That means it is time for another Sunday/Monday Post. As usual, I will be linking up to:
Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?
Why yes, I did miss this post last week, but I had a very good excuse. I was out of town with friends at Trixie Camp.
What's Trixie Camp, you ask? Excellent question! It's a gather in fans of the Trixie Belden Mystery series. The short version is that this is a Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew type series only more realistic. If you want to read more about it, here's a guide I wrote years ago.
Back in the early days of the internet, I found a fan site dedicated to the series. That soon lead to a message board, and the regulars started forming friendships. We decided to meet up in person, and thus the first camp/convention was born in 2000. Yes, we do talk about the books (informally), but we also talk about other things. We've become friends over the years, so, while Trixie is what brought us together, we talk about much more than that.
Our main activities are always touring the area where we met up. Sometimes, where we meet is directly inspired by locations in the series. Other times, the connection is loose at best. This year, we met in St. Louis, the setting of book 15 in the series, Mystery on the Mississippi (which was also the first book I read). We went to the arch and took a river boat cruise on the Mississippi. Then we did a dinner murder mystery. Finally, we spent some time exploring St. Charles, a nearby historical town.
I spent an extra day in the area since the friends whose wedding I was in last year live nearby in Southern Illinois. They were gracious enough to drive over Sunday, and we went out to Hannibal, Mark Twain country. I enjoyed touring the Mark Twain stuff they have set up.
The one thing about the trip is that it was hot. Close to 100 with humidity. I'm use to those temps here in So Cal, but NOT the humidity.
I haven't been to a Trixie Camp since 2017 thanks to real life getting in the way. But it was nice to be back, reconnect with friends, and meet lots of people who have started coming since then.
Blog Spam Comment of the Week:
I've got another fun blog spam comment to share. Presented without any corrections to spelling or grammar:
Wow, this was such an insightful post! I really appreciate the depth of your perspective and the practical tips you shared. It's inspiring to see content that combines both knowledge and authenticity. Looking forward to reading more from you—thanks for sharing your expertise!"
The best part of this? Once again, they went after one of my ornament reviews. And yes, after that stopped, they shared lots of links.
This Past Week on the Blog:
This Coming Week on the Blog:
Book Haul:
It's been two weeks. Of course, I have books to talk about.
For starters, I picked up two books on the trip. There was a bookstore in downtown St. Charles, and when I stopped in, an author was doing a signing. Magestone is the first in a middle grade fantasy series. I know, not my normal fair, but I do enjoy it. Of course, I got David Burleyson's signature in the book.
I also had to get some Mark Twain book while I was in Hannibal. I wasn't sure what I might or might not have of his books, so I settled on The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain as collected by Alex Ayres. Mark Twain is always good for a quote, right?
Meanwhile, I also got Mrs. Claus and the Very Vicious Valentine, the newest from Liz Ireland. I love this series, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the characters are up to in this book. It also comes out in September.
Rounding out the list for this week, I have an ARC that comes out much sooner. Solid Gold Murder is the second Golden Motel Mystery from Ellen Byron. This one will be out at the end of July.
What I'm Currently Reading:
Which is why I am currently reading Solid Gold Murder. I'm planning to review it mid-July, so I'm reading it now. This series is set at a motel in the California Sierra Nevada Mountains. I loved the first in the series, and I'm enjoying this one as well.
That's it for me. Hope you have a great week.
Trixie Camp sounds delightful. I've never been disappointed when I have met up with other readers. Do books make people nice or do nice people read books? Not sure, but books seem to be strongly connected with nice people.
ReplyDeletewait: did you say the Nancy Drew mysteries were not realistic? That’s hard to believe! I especially like the un-revised versions from almost 100 years ago (first three in series were published in 1930). The racism is truly authentic. Well, ok, I’m not ten years old anymore and should know better.
ReplyDeleteI have not read any books in the Trixie Belden series (yet), but the camp sounds like so much fun. And yes, the humidity does make the heat feel so much worse. There are some books on your list that I really want to read, but I haven't begun those series yet. And to think when I started this cozy mystery journey, I was actively searching for books to read. Now I'm searching for time to read them all! Have a great week, and thanks for your always insightful posts. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of Trixie Camp! What a lovely way to get together with people sharing the same passion. Though the humidity sounds intense, along with those temperatures... Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteTrixie Camp sounds amazing! I'm also into like True Crime and next year - 2026 - i'mhoping to head to True Crime con. I'm also destined for a ComicCon at some point! I LOVE the Nancy Drew books...
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of those books. I'm not a fan of humidity. Florida is surrounded by water on three sides and the sun is so hot it that it warms it up. That makes the humidity feel like you've step into a steam room. I don't like stepping outside and my glasses fog up!
ReplyDeleteI love how books bring people together. I have met up with reading friends before. It wasn't around a particular series but an author. It fell apart during 20/21 like so many other things did.
ReplyDeleteThose spam comments are insane. Totally fun though.
Enjoy your reads.
https://stuckinbooks.com/2025/06/28/stacking-the-shelves-6-28-25/
What a fun bookish thing to do! That humidity though...ugh. Glad you survived it.
ReplyDeleteThat is neat that the love of a book series brought you guys together as friends.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
Trixie Camp does sound like a lot of fun. Your new books sound good too. I like Ellen Byron but hadn't heard of that series. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteTrixie camp sounds like a blast!
ReplyDeleteMary @Bookfan
Trixie Camp sounds amazing! What a fun idea. I like St Louis though it's been awhile since I've been there. The Arch is always fun and they have a great zoo. I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteOk. Trixie Camp sounds like a blast. I love that the book series brought you all together, that you've kept in touch, and that you meet in a different location each year. So much fun!
ReplyDelete