Showing posts with label its monday what are you reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label its monday what are you reading. Show all posts

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Labor Day Weekend's Sunday/Monday Post

It's the weekend!  Even better, here in the States, it's a long weekend!  Hope you are up to something fun if you have the extra day off.  Or even if it's a normal weekend for you.  Anyway, I'll be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I hinted at trouble at work when I posted last weekend.  I was facing some extra work thanks to some external events.  (Yes, I'm being vague on purpose.  More specifics will either get me into trouble for sharing too much or confuse you.  Or both.)  Happily, I was able to get the information I needed on Wednesday, when I had the time to do that extra work instead of trying to cram it all into Thursday, which would have already been busy.  So that made me very happy.

This weekend will be all about relaxing and having fun with friends because next weekend will be sprinting full steam ahead into quarter end close.  Not looking forward to that.  But that's next week's problem.

And I'm hoping to spend my extra day off chilling around the condo.  Sounds like fun to me.

Joke of the Week:


I only know one bad pun about paper.  It’s tearable.

This Last Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: Aurora Teagarden Mysteries - Death at the Diner
Tuesday - Book Review: Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover
Wednesday - TV Show Review: Happy's Place - Season 1
Thursday - Book Review: A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra
Friday - Movie Review: To Have and to Holiday
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I was good this week.  I only have two books to tell you about.  One ARC and one preorder.  That's right, no impulse buys.

The ARC  is Crescent City Christmas Chaos, the fourth Vintage Cookbook Mystery from Ellen Byron. I love her books, so I'm looking forward to it.  The book comes out at the beginning of November, so I've got a couple of months before I'll be reading it.

My other new books is  Claws Out by Cate Conte.  This is book 9 in her Cat Cafe Mysteries.  I'm hoping to get to it soon.  In fact, I'm thinking I might start it next.



What I'm Currently Reading:

At the moment, I'm working on Watching the Detectives, the fifth Country Club Mystery from Julie Mulhern.  I'm woefully behind on this series, which is funny since I always enjoy them so much when I pick them up.  I need to try to catch up.

That's it for me.  Hope you have a great week!

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Sunday, August 24, 2025

August 24th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Another mostly quiet week around here.  The calm before the storm since next week starts quarter end close at work (slightly off fiscal year for this accountant), and we've had some extra craziness.  But that's next week's problem.

As predicted, the temps went up again, and I'm quite happy about it.  I celebrated by hitting Six Flags Hurricane Harbor on Saturday for a few hours.  It's included in my pass, and I hadn't been yet this year.  It was fun and a great way to stay cool.  Didn't stay too long, thought, since I didn't want to stand around in long lines by myself.  Hopefully, I didn't get too sun burned (yes, I put on sun screen, but that doesn't mean anything, I always miss something), but we'll see.

Joke of the Week:


What do you call a bear with no ear?
B

This Last Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: Mystery Island - Play for Keeps
Tuesday - Book Review: For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews
Wednesday - Book Review: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Don Bruns
Thursday - August Reading Summary
Friday - Friday Post featuring Whiskey Business
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got two ARCs to tell you about this week.

The first is a physical ARC from Kensington, Murder at Cottonwood Creek by Clara McKenna.  This is book seven in her Stella and Lyndy series.  I'm a bit worried since it is taking the characters from England to Montana.  I struggled a bit with the last book set in Scotland.  Hopefully, I will enjoy this one even though the characters aren't at home.  This one comes out at the end of November.

I snag the other ARC from Netgalley.  It's The Devil Comes Calling by Annette Dashofy.  It's book three in her Detective Honeywell series, and I'm looking forward to revisiting the characters again.  This one comes out the beginning of November.  

I've got some good reading coming up in November.



What I'm Currently Reading:

Can you believe I'm already working on books I'll review in September?  It feels early to me, although when you look at it, September starts on a Monday, so these reviews will be posted on the 2nd and the 4th.  That's coming up very quickly.  Anyway, both of these are ARCs for debuts that come out on the 9th of the month.

I just finished Whiskey Business by by Adrian Andover.  This was a delightful mystery, and I am already looking forward to the second.  I still need to write the review, but I've got a little time.

That means this weekend I'm working on A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra.  It's fun so far, although I'm not that far into it yet.  Hopefully, it will keep me entertained.

That's it for me.  Hope you have a great week!

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Sunday, August 17, 2025

August 17th's Sunday/Monday Post

Yep, it's that time of the week again.  Time for a Sunday/Monday post.  I'll be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

As predicted, the temps cooled off here.  Only in the 80's!  But we're supposed to be close to 100 again by next weekend.  That's the August weather I want.

Tuesday night, I had dinner and played some games with some friends after work.  Nice to catch up with them.  And we played Flip 7, which is quickly becoming a favorite game.

Other than that, I worked.  Yeah, not exactly a news worthy or thrilling week.

Jokes of the Week:


I bought a wooden whistle.  But it wooden whistle.  So, I bought a steel whistle.  But it steel wooden whistle.  So, I bought a lead whistle.  But it steel wooden lead me whistle.

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Ornament Review: Scrumptious S'mores
Tuesday - Book Review: Fatal Sign-Off by Sarah E. Burr
Wednesday - TV Show Review: Shifting Gears - Season 1
Thursday - Book Review: Halloween Night Murder by Various Authors
Friday - Friday Post
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Would you believe I just have one book for the week?  I know, I'm shocked as well.

That book is O, Deadly Night, the latest in Vicki Delany's Year-Round Christmas Mysteries.  While I haven't started some of her other series, I keep up with this one.  The book doesn't come out for a couple of months, but I snagged the ARC just before it was pulled off NetGalley.  I'll be reading it closer to the release date in October.


What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, I've just finished For Duck's Sake, the newest Meg Langslow Mystery from Donna Andrews.  I'm going to have to think on this one a bit, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as I normally do.  But maybe that's me, and that's what I need to think about.

Next up for me will be Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Don Bruns.  It's the fourth in a non-cozy mystery series about two twenty-something friends who get in way over their head when they take on cases.  They are set in Miami.  That should keep me busy for the next few days.

Have a great week!

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Sunday, August 10, 2025

August 10th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to the weekend and this week's 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?

It's been a fairly quiet week.  We finish up fiscal month end at work without too much extra drama, which is always nice.

It got hot late in the week.  Like touching 100 degrees.  The temps should drop in the next week.  Like it will be mid-80's.  In August!  That's almost unheard of here in So Cal for this time of year.  I want my summer heat!  And this isn't it.

There is a fire north of town.  Far enough away from me that I am not concerned for me, but the town to the north of me has faced some evacuations.  They've dropped them as of this morning, but the fire is still burning

You will notice that I swapped out one of my expected reviews from last week.  When you wind up seeing Freakier Friday on Thursday night, you post your review on Friday.  But don't worry, I'll post the original review planned for Friday on Monday.

Saturday is my monthly game day, so shall we get on with it so I can get there?

Joke of the Week:


New research suggests that towels are a leading cause of dry skin.

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - TV Show Review: The Amazing Race - Season 37
Tuesday - Book Review: A Trace of Poison by Colleen Cambridge
Wednesday - Book Review: The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman
Thursday - Book Review: The Last Line by Scott Lyerly
Friday - Friday Post featuring Fatal Sign-Off
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got four new books to tell you about this week.

Up first are two Kindle deals I snagged early in the week.  Sadly, neither are still on sale.

The first of those was A Death in Corfu by Emily Sullivan.  This is the first in a series set in the early 1900's on a Greek isle.  I've been considering it for a while, so when it went on sale, I couldn't resist.

My other Kindle deal was The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz.  I was considering this as an audiobook series, which I always get from the library.  But I decided to snag the first while it was on sale.  I mean, this way, I can change my mind and decide how I want to consume it later.

Next up is my ARC for the week, Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover.  I met the author when I was at Malice Domestic back in April, and he made his book sound like lots of fun.  I'm glad I was able to get the ARC.  The book comes out at the beginning of September, so I will be reading it soon.

But not as soon as this next book.  My pre-order of For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews came this week.  It's book thirty-seven in her very long running Meg Langslow series.  I always look forward to the entries, so I'll be reading it just as soon as I get the review copies I've got on my plate for August finished.  Speaking of which....

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm actually working on the two review obligations I have for August this weekend.  I'm just about finished with Fatal Sign-Off by Sarah E. Burr.  This is book three in her Book Blogger Mysteries.  You can see the appeal for a book blogger who loves cozy mysteries, right?  It helps that Sarah's books are always nice and cozy, and this is no exception.  I've been enjoying it very much.

By Monday, I'm hoping to be well into the Halloween Night Murder novella collection.  I didn't get this one that long ago, so I know I talked about it then.  The stories are from Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland.  Since I love Liz's Mrs. Claus series, I am reading the collection for her contribution.

Both of these books are coming out on August 26th.  But I'm hoping to have them reviewed on the 19th and 21st respectively.  But that's a discussion for next week's post, right?

Until then, have a great week!

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Sunday, August 3, 2025

August 3rd's Sunday/Monday Post

It's been a couple of weeks.  Time to a Sunday/Monday Post, wouldn't you say?  I'll be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

When last I posted, I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger.  I had just discovered one of my digital library cards wasn't working.  That all came to a happy ending.

First thing that Monday morning, I got an email from that library explaining that the digital only cards were only good for a certain amount of time.  And once they expired, you needed to go into the library and get an actual card.  Considering I'd had that digital card for a couple of years, I'm surprised to learn all of this.  And, I hadn't gotten any notice it was expiring or I could have taken care of it earlier.

But, I took care of it.  I went to the closest branch (about 25 minutes again) and signed up for a physical card.  And that got me the audiobooks I was looking for.  So, a happy ending all around.

And why was I looking for audiobooks?  Well, that has to do with why I haven't posted much beyond reviews the last couple of weeks.  I went up north to see my family.  We went camping in the redwoods in a state park I grew up camping in.  Actually, my mom grew up camping at this park, which is how much of a family tradition it is.  I hadn't been back in twelve years, so it was great to be back.  It's just so beautiful.  If you ever get a chance to visit a redwood forest, I can't recommend it enough.

And I just got a Switch 2.  Not sure why I was so hot to get one since I never had a Switch.  And I don't tend to play the systems I have much.  But I've been haunting Best Buy until I could order one.  It came in Friday, so I got it at lunch time.  We'll see how it impacts my reading time, won't we?

Other than that, not too much going on around here.  We've started another fiscal month end close at work.  See, a thrill a minute.

Joke of the Week:


There’s a new restaurant in town called Karma.  There’s no menu: You just get what you deserve.

Two Weeks Ago on the Blog:



This Past Week on the Blog:



This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - The Road Less Traveled
Tuesday - Book Review: Edam and Weep by Linda Reilly
Wednesday - Book Review: Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
Thursday - Book Review: The Cardinal's Curse by LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin
Friday - TV Show Review: The Amazing Race - Season 37
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Would you be surprised to find that I have several books to tell you about?  I didn't think so.

Let's start with a book I bought in physical form.  Life After Lucy is the story of Keith Thibodeaux, aka Richard Keith, aka Little Ricky on I Love Lucy.  I'm a huge fan of that sitcom, and I know he was a drummer in a Christian rock band in the 1970's and 1980's.  I'm a casual fan of that band, so I am very curious to read that book.

The other physical book I got was Halloween Night Murder, the new novella anthology from Kensington.  Yes, I got it to review.  The stories are from Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland.  That last author is the reason I got the book.  I usually enjoy Lee Hollis's stories as well.  I'm just not a fan of Leslie Meier, which is ironic since she is the one headlining the book.

Shall we move on to Kindle deals?  Or what were Kindle deals when I snagged them.  I've had my eye on A Parade and a Perp by Mina Allan for a while.  When it went on sale, I snagged it.  But I see it is now listed as the second in the series since there's now a prequel story.  So I snagged A Precarious Perch as well.

Knifed in Nice by Zara Keane is the first in a Travel PI series.  It sounds like it could be a fun series.  And since it was free (might still be if you are interested), I snagged it.

Which leaves us with the three audiobooks I wound up with.  I've finished two of them.  Nothing too much to say about them.  They were the next in the series I listen to on audio.  And the titles were Engaged to Die by Carolyn Hart, Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, and The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, I've just barely started The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman.  I spent most of this week listening to podcasts, but I'm hoping to knock much of this book out over the weekend.  Since it was the last of the audiobooks I got, it isn't due for another week and a half.

The other book I'm working on right now is A Trace of Poison by Colleen Cambridge.  So far, I'm enjoying it.  The main character is the (fictional) housekeeper to Agatha Christie.  We've got some other real mystery writers in this book.  We just hit a twist that has me really intrigued, and I'm curious to see where the book is going to wind up.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

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Sunday, July 13, 2025

July 13th's Sunday/Monday Post

Greetings, salutations, and other big words.  It's time for this week's Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Fairly quiet week around here.  Didn't do much outside of work.  It was super hot in the middle of the week, but it's cooled down some now.  I'm mean, it's still July in So Cal, but we're talking lower 90's instead of near 100.  And yes, those 10 degrees do make a difference.

Saturday was ornament premier at Hallmark, so I went and picked up a few ornaments.  I don't think I'll buy as many this year as in year's past, but I often say that in July.  We'll see what I wind up with at the end of the year.

I've run into an issue with one of my library cards.  Yes, I have three: local city, county, and then one for a large city near me.  And it's the third one that I can't seem to use on Libby right now.  I was trying to get a couple of audiobooks, too.  Not sure when I will be going down to a branch that could help me either, which is frustrating.

And this Saturday is game day, so I need to get this post finished up so I can go have fun playing games.

Joke of the Week:


What do you get when a police officer surprises a skunk?
Law and odor

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - TV Show Review: Survivor - Season 48
Tuesday - Book Review: Solid Gold Murder by Ellen Byron
Wednesday - Ornament Review: Masked Marvel
Thursday - Book Review: Murder in the Tattoo Parlor by Elizabeth Perona
Friday - Movie Review: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got five books to tell you about this week.  And I managed to snag them all for free!

The first is Dead, White and Blue, the second Northwoods Mystery from Annie McEwen.  I've heard such great things about this series.  I'm hoping to get to the first soon.  But I couldn't pass up getting the second for free.  It was on special over the 4th.  Love that tie in.

The second is still free as of my typing this on Saturday.  It's Max and the Multiverse by Zachry Wheeler.  You aren't seeing things, I actually got a scifi book.  A mystery author I like was plugging it in her newsletter, talking about it being funny.  I had to give it a try, and the price is right.

These next two are ARCs.  Edam and Weep is book six in Linda Reilly's Grilled Cheese Mysteries.  I enjoy this series, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with the characters.  Looks like the main character might be getting married in this one, although the teaser doesn't mention a wedding at all.  We'll see when I get to it.

This week, Sarah E. Burr announced that her next Book Blogger Mystery is coming out at the end of August.  Since I love this series, I jumped at the chance to get an ARC.  It's called Fatal Sign-Off.  I can't wait to see what the characters are up to in this book.

Finally, I was able to get one audiobook from my local city library (but not the two at the top of my list).  What I got was Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, the first time he teams up Harry Bosch with Renee Ballard.  I'm interested to see how this pairing goes.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday night, I finished Murder at Rough Point, the fourth in Alyssa Maxwell's Gilded Newport Mysteries.  It was interesting since the book was the first one not set during the height of the summer season.  I found I missed the characters we've met who aren't in the area at this time of year.  I need to write my full review, but it will be up in about a week and a half, so I've got a little time yet.

As of my typing this, I've just barely started Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood.  It got bumped up my TBR pile by the announcement at the second season of The Marlow Murder Club is coming to PBS near the end of August.  I'm assuming it will be based on this book, and I wanted to try to get it read first.  Since I loved the first book, I'm looking forward to getting further into it.

Now, it's time to finish getting ready for game day.  Have a good week!

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Sunday, July 6, 2025

July 6th's Sunday/Monday Post

Time again for a 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?

I hope everyone here in the States had a good Independence Day.  The friends who host my monthly game day had some friends over.  Yes, we played some games, but just generally hung out.  Stayed way too late playing Mario Kart 8.  As in, I need to take a nap if I know what's good for me.

Other than that, this last week was month end close at work.  We should have closed on Thursday like normal (day 3), but there was an issue with the system, so we weren't able to.  It's been postponed until Monday, that is assuming the IT people get the system working again over the long weekend.  Definitely feel for them, but glad we got a bit of a reprieve.

Joke of the Week:


My friend kept nagging me about pretending to be a flamingo, so I had to put my foot down.

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Home Again
Tuesday - Book Review: Frightened to Depths by K.B. Jackson
Wednesday - TV Show Review: Home Improvement - Season 8
Thursday - Book Review: The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper by Sally Carpenter
Friday - Movie Review: Christmas Quest
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got some ebook deals to talk about this week.  Most of these are older deals I snagged, but they are all still on sale if you hurry.  At least they are as of Saturday afternoon.

This first one I just snagged on Saturday.  I've eyed Iris Crawford's long running series of catered murders for years.  But that's as far as I've gotten.  The first, A Catered Murder went on sale for 99 cents, so I couldn't pass that up.

You know what's better than that?  A freebie.  Body in the Books was featured Friday in a weekly email I get from an author about one of her friend's books that is on free.  This is the first in a series from Heather Huffman, and sounds good.  And it's hard to pass up free if it sounds good.

Next is A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina.  I wish I remembered how this one crossed my radar recently, but I went ahead and got it when the ebook went down to $2.99.  It featured an "old maid" of 26 in Regency England and sounds like it could be good.

Then comes Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose.  This is the first in a series about an heiress solving her grandmother's murder.  Yes, that can be quite depressing, but in this case, the book sounds more fun than series.  We'll see when I get a chance to read it, I guess.  Not passing up $2.99.

Next up is Off the Air by Christina Estes.  It's another debut from this year, and this time the main character is a reporter in Arizona.  And this one is still currently $2.99.

We jump to 99 cents with The Mysterious Case Missing Motive by Michele Pariza Wacek.  This series features a woman who winds up getting roped into helping her great aunt solve mysteries.  Sounds like it would be fun.

Finally, for $1.99, you can get The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood.  This is the third in his Marlow Murder Club series.  I loved the first and already bought the second, so I grabbed this while it was on sale.

This should keep me busy for a while.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I've barely started Killer Kung Pao by Vivien Chien.  Too busy having fun for the holiday weekend.  This is book six in a series I generally enjoy, so I'm expecting to like this one.  But I'm only one chapter in as I type this.  So maybe I'll post this so I can get some reading done.

Have a great week, everyone!

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Sunday, June 29, 2025

June 29th's Sunday/Monday Post

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:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - June 2025 Reading Summary
Tuesday - Novella Review: Murder by Moonlight by Julie Mulhern
Wednesday - Movie Review: Jaws
Thursday - Book Review: Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney
Friday - Movie Review: Jurassic World: Rebirth
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

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?

I've also started to collect some ARCs again.  A Murder Most Fowl is the first in a new series by Carmela Dutra. The main characters are twins who are running a chicken themed food truck they just inherited from their aunt.  It's set in the San Francisco area, and that appealed to me, too.  I mean, I can't pass up a culinary cozy as it is.  It comes out in September, so I'll read it closer to the release day.

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.

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Sunday, June 15, 2025

Father's Day's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  As always, I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Not much going on around here.  It was slightly less crazy at work since I got the majority of our extra work done last week.  I'm where I want to be, which is always a nice feeling.

Our AC went out in the office on Tuesday.  As much as I complain about the over air conditioning, I noticed it when it was out.  But they had it fixed by Wednesday.  Which is a good thing since we are supposed to hit the upper 90's this coming week.  Yes, summer is here!

Saturday is my friends' monthly game day.  I'll be heading over there in a bit and always look forward to it.  But I've got to get this finished and some reading done first.

Joke of the Week:


A guy goes in for a job interview and the manager says, “We’re looking for someone who is responsible.”
“Well, I’m your man,” the guy replies.  “In my last job, whenever anything went wrong, they said I was responsible.”

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: Diagnosis: Murder - The House on Sycamore Street
Tuesday - Book Review: Thrown for a Scoop by Dana Mentink
Wednesday - Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman Special Edition
Thursday - Book Review: Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver
Friday - Movie Review: Forrest Gump
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

After my big hauls the last couple of weeks, I only have two books to talk about this week.  Yes, I'm proud of myself.

I'd spotted Groucho Marx, Master Detective by Ron Goulart a while ago.  A mystery set in old Hollywood featuring Groucho Marx?  Yes, please!  The ebook when on sale, so I snagged it.  It looks like it is back to regular price at this point.  Hopefully, it is a fun as it sounds.

My other book is a physical book.  Music City Mayhem is a mystery set in Nashville and written by Billy Sprague, who is a singer and song writer.  It sounded good when I heard about it, so hopefully, I'll enjoy it when I get a chance to read it.


What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm about half way through Nemesis, the latest Orphan X book from Gregg Hurwitz.  I really enjoyed the first few books, but I feel like things are getting stale now.  And the politics he's thrown into the mix aren't helping things in this book.  As is the fact that, for a thriller, things to have stalled.  Partially because of the politics.  But I'll keep going.  I'm hoping to finish up on Monday.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

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Sunday, June 8, 2025

June 8th's Sunday/Monday Post

It's that time of the week again.  Time for this week's Sunday/Monday Post where I link up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I think we're through the worst of quarter end close.  Have I mentioned how much I hate the extra stress/work we have to do at quarter end?  I have?  Well, know that it is still true.  But I finished my last extra report before I logged off work on Friday.  It was a relief to have that behind me.  Of course, Monday, I get to start working hard on the account reconciliations, something I would have started already in a normal month.

Saturday started with walking book club.  (Localish library that hosts a group to walk and talk about whatever we've been reading recently.)  First time we've met in a month since the librarian that leads it was on vacation when we would have normally met the second time.

Then in the afternoon, I headed over to a friend's for a house cooling party.  She lives in Alta Dena, and was one of the lucky ones who didn't lose her house in the fires.  However, there was still a lot of smoke damage, so she's spent the past five months redoing and replacing almost everything.  She'd said months ago she didn't want to do a house warming when it was finished, but she wanted to have people over.  I told her it needed to be a house cooling party, and that stuck.  I actually have seen her in years, so it was nice to see her and a few mutual friends we have in the area.  This is a friend I grew up with in Northern California who also moved down to Southern California.

Joke of the Week:


I have the world’s worst thesaurus.  Not only is it terrible, it’s terrible.

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Higher Ground
Tuesday - Book Review: Murder Italian Style by Diane Vallere
Wednesday - Book Review: Big Fat F@!k-Up by Lawrence Allan
Thursday - Book Review: Throne of Threats by Sarah E. Burr
Friday - Friday Post
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I have eight books to tell you about.  Gulp.  Yeah, I went a little crazy buying books over Memorial Day weekend, although most were online purchases, so they didn't arrive until this week.

Having said that, we're going to start with Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver, which  was a preorder from months ago.  The paperback edition came out this week, and it arrived.  Which is funny since I'm reading book three in the series now (sorry for the spoiler for the next section).

I wound up getting books four through six in the Sparks and Bainbridge series by Allison Montclair as well.  I found good deals on books five and six, which have only been released as hardcovers or ebooks.  So I went ahead and got book four as well.  The titles are The Unkept Woman, The Lady from Burma, and Murder at the White Palace.

I'm hoping to get to another book in the Noddle Shop series from Vivien Chien this year.  At least.  Maybe more since I'm so far behind.  But to do that, I need to buy another book.  I was in my local Barnes and Nobel buying a house cooling present for the party I went to today, and I saw they had Killer Kung Pao, the next one I needed, so I snagged it.

I'd also like to think I will get to another book in Liz Milliron's Laurel Highlands series this year.  So I bought book two, Heaven Has No Rage.  But first, the prequel short stories I bought a couple of weeks back.

Since I love mysteries and spoofs and satires, how I could I pass up How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel by Kate Jackson.  I'm looking forward to it.

Finally, I got Frightened to Depths, the third Cruising Sisters Mystery from K.B. Jackson.  It features some older characters who are living full time on a cruise ship.  I've enjoyed the first two, so I'm looking forward to book three.

What I'm Currently Reading?

As I said above, I'm currently working on Playing It Safe, the third Electra McDonnell novel.  Ellie is a safe cracker who has been recruited to help the British government during World War II.  It's a bit slow, but I am making progress on it.

I've also started another audio book.  This time, it's No Hallowed Ground by Steve Hockensmith.  It's set in 1894 in Missouri, which is a bit far east for books I normally read from this author.  He typically writes books set in the west during that time period.

That's it for me.  Hope your week is great.

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Sunday, June 1, 2025

June 1st's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to June!  Let's celebrate with a Sunday/Monday Post, shall we?  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I realized a couple of days ago that I didn't talk about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child after I saw it.  Overall, my friend and I enjoyed it.  The magic on stage was amazing!  Yes, it was easy to see how they did some of it, but other things were still baffling.  And even when I knew what was going on (trap doors, etc.), it still looked great.  A couple of the cast were a little over the top.  There was a twist I didn't enjoy (and felt the same way when I read it).  And the group of middle school students we were sitting next to for the first half weren't quite ready for sitting in a play.  They could have been worse, but they weren't the best audience.  Fortunately for us (but surprising for a Saturday night), the balcony where we were was maybe a quarter full, so we moved to one of the empty areas at intermission.

So that was in the past.  What is happening this week?

Quarter end close started at work thanks to our slightly off fiscal year.  So far, so good, but the crazy will really start next week.

Saturday was a local road trip day.  I decided to go down to Oceanside, which is a couple of hours away from me without traffic.  I realized one of the CA missions is there, not too far from a diner I love to eat at when I'm in the area.  So I went down and did both of those.  A chance to get out of the condo.  It was a little cool at the beach, so I headed north but stopped and looked at Disney pins in Downtown Disney on the way back.  But I remembered why I stopped doing that.  They now charge $10 for parking even with validation.  Doubt I'll be stopping by any time soon just to buy pins from them. Okay, so this trip might have also been inspired by an audio book that was calling my name.  I was in the car enough that I got through it thanks to traffic coming home, but more about that later.

Joke of the Week:

Replacing words with the names of musical instruments in a sentence often goes undetected, accordion to a recent survey.

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - May Reading Summary
Tuesday - Book Review: Home is Where the Murder Is by Rosalie Spielman
Wednesday - TV Show Review: Murder, She Wrote - Season 9
Thursday - Book Review: A Rogue's Company by Allison Montclair
Friday - Friday Post
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I got an email from Amazon today letting me know I was so close to a Kindle reward.  Honestly, I rarely pay attention to where my balance is, but this prompted me to check it out.  I was 59 points away from a reward.  Okay, no big deal, right?  Oh, but I had 78 points set to expire in the next couple of days.  Well, I can't let that happen, so I went on an ebook buying spree.  Including one with my $3 reward since it would be crazy to let the points expire when I had enough for a reward.

All told, I got six ebooks on this spree.

Let's start with Sleigh Bell Tower, which is the final book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries from James Cudney.  I'm only about half way through the series, but now I have them all, so I have no excuse for not finishing.

I also bought the next book I need in P.J. Fitzsimmons's Anty Boisjoly series - The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse.  This is book four, and I recently enjoyed book three, so now I'm ready when I get a chance to read it.

P.J. Fitzsimmons has started a spin off series featuring Anty's cousin.  There are only two books in the series so far, so if I start now, I can be up to date quickly, right?  With that in mind, I bought Hardy Haul at Hardy Hall, the first in the Teddy Quillfeather series.  

I have three series I read that are called Bucket List Mysteries.  The first series I started reading was by a father/daughter writing team who published as Elizabeth Perona.  I thought the series had ended (their publisher shut down), but I saw recently that they have self-published books four and five in the series.  So I snagged book four, Murder in the Tattoo Parlor.  As to the premise of this series, it features four retired women who are helping each other cross items off their bucket list.  I was sad when the series ended, so I'm hoping to get to this one sooner rather than later.

The final two books are by authors I haven't tried before, but the books sounds fun.

This Way to Murder is the first in board game themed series from Shelley Shearer.  With as much as I've been getting into board games the last couple of years, I'm hoping this is a good book.  I'd really love it if another book were coming out, but so far, this seems to be the only one.

Finally, I got Murder at Sea Oats Beach by Karen C. Whalen.  Because who doesn't enjoy a good mystery in a beach town.

Did you think I was done?  I haven't even gotten to my free book yet!  On Friday, Julie Mulhern let her newsletter subscribers know about a novella she's written to introduce her new heroine.  Best I can tell, Murder by Moonlight is only available to her newsletter subscribers at the moment.  Maybe I can at least stay up to date on this one series of hers even if I'm so far behind on her others.

Looks like I've got some good reading ahead of me.

What I'm Currently Reading:

The audiobook I listened to today was Throne of Threats by Sarah E. Burr.  I've got too many audio series going at the moment, so it's been too long since I last visited the characters in her Court of Mystery series.  It was so nice to revisit the characters.  This series I will be switching away from audio now since I have the rest of the books as ebooks.

I'm also working on rereading a Trixie Belden book - a favorite middle grade mystery series.  The Gatehouse Mystery is one of my favorites in the series, and I'm enjoying hanging out with the characters again.  (And if you've missed this series, the first four are being reissued in paperback this coming week.  Which is a coincidence timing wise.)

By Monday, I expect to be on to my next mystery for adults, which will be Thrown for a Scoop by Dana Mentink.  This is the fourth in her Shake Shack series, which I've enjoyed.  She self-published this one after her publisher ended the series.  She's saying it's the final in the series, so I'm curious to see where she will leave the characters.

That about does it here.  Have a great week!

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Sunday, May 25, 2025

Memorial Weekend's Sunday/Monday Post

It's the weekend!  Time for this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  I'll be linking up to the usual:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Another week without much to report.  The only real excitement is that I have everything off my DVR.  It's been at least a year since that was the case.  I recorded so many Christmas movies this last year (I'm reminded why I never pay any attention to them - there are just so many) it took me until a couple of weeks ago to get through them all.  Granted, there were weeks I didn't watch any, and I was mixing other things in.  Anyway, I still had a few things to watch when I finished them, but it's now empty.  We'll see how long that last, right?  I'm hoping it's for a bit since I have some other stuff I'd like to watch/rewatch on streaming or physical media.

Don't think I'm planning anything special with the long weekend we have here in the States.  But we'll see if inspiration strikes as the weekend progresses.

Joke of the Week:


After wondering all night where the sun had gone, it finally dawned on me.

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: The Santa Class
Tuesday - Book Review: Night of the Living Bread by Mary Lee Ashford
Wednesday - Book Review: Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly
Thursday - Book Review: There's No Murder Like Show Murder by M. A. Greene
Friday - Movie Review: Diagnosis: Murder - Diagnosis of Murder
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Got another three books to tell you about this week.

While I was watching the Survivor finale Wednesday, I was going one of my periodic searches to make sure I was up to date on new releases/upcoming releases from authors I like.  While doing that, I discovered that Sandy Dengler had a new release in her Jack Prester series - Big Bend.  I didn't hesitate and bought it that night.  I'm hoping to get to it soon as well.  I like the series and caught up last year.  It will be nice to read one while it is still new.

I also got a couple of physical books.  When I was at Malice Domestic last month, I wound up back collecting their short story anthologies.  (If only I read the short story anthologies I kept buying.)  Anyway, there was one I was missing - Mystery Most Traditional.  Since these are harder to find, I decided to snag it while I knew it was in stock online.

But that led me to buying another book so I could get free shipping.  I chose A Rogue's Company by Allison Montclair.  This is the third book in the Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries about two women who set up a matchmaking agency in 1946 London.  I really enjoyed the first two, and am looking forward to seeing what happens with the characters next.  In fact....



What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday, I finished Home Is Where the Murder Is by Rosalie Spielman.  This is the second in a series about a woman who has just returned to her hometown after spending 20 years in the Army.  I didn't even think about the fact that I was reading it around Memorial Day weekend, but the coincidence worked out well for me.  I really enjoyed it.  Need to write my review (hopefully this weekend) for posting the first week of June.  Yep, I've started on my June books already.

This means I have just barely started A Rogue's Company by Allison Montclair.  I decided to just go ahead and dive into it right away.  I'm not far enough into it to really have a feel for what the story will be about (I don't often read book descriptions of books I plan to enjoy anyway), so it will be interesting seeing where things go.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

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Sunday, May 18, 2025

May 18th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's 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?

Another quiet week around here.  The weather was pretty pleasant, upper 70's or lower 80's.  Then there's today (Saturday).  It's overcast and cool.  Only supposed to hit the 60's.  But it's going to start warming up again come Sunday.  It'll be downright hot part of the week.

I was thinking about going to Six Flags Magic Mountain for a few hours this morning, but let the weather talk me out of it.  The weather probably would have kept the crowds low, which would have been nice, but I just wasn't feeling it.  Instead, I've had a few lazy hours around the condo, which has been wonderful.

But I am going out tonight.  I'm meeting up with a friend to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  Looking forward to seeing her and seeing the play.  Yes, I read the script years ago (although I don't remember much about it), but I was always curious to see how they did all that magic on stage.  Hope we can see from our seats.  Didn't splurge and get the closest ones.  Either way, I'm sure we'll enjoy it.

Joke of the Week:


A guy goes into a lawyer’s office and asks the lawyer: “Excuse me, how much do you charge?”
The lawyer responds: “I charge $1,000 to answer three questions.”
“That’s a bit expensive, isn’t it?”
“Yes.  What’s your third question?”

This Past Week on the Blog:


This Coming Week on the Blog:


Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Movie Review: Tremors 4
Tuesday - Book Review: What Comes Around by Annette Dashofy
Wednesday - Ornament Review: A Partridge in a Pear Tree
Thursday - Book Review: Root of All Evil by Liz Milliron
Friday - Friday Post
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Got another three ebooks to tell you about this week.

The first book wasn't on sale.  Murder Most Scenic is a collection of the short stories that Liz Milliron first used to introduce the characters in her Laurel Highlands Mysteries.  I realized when reading the first book (review coming Thursday) that I really wasn't meeting the characters here.  So I snagged that so I can hopefully go back and properly meet them soon.  Of course, I've been saying that for years about reading the first book, so we'll see.

In a somewhat related post, I also grabbed a prequel novel this week.  Exercise is Murder is from Bruce Hammack.  I already had the first book in the series, not that I've read it.  But this was free.  And it's so hard to turn down free.

It's also hard to turn down super cheap.  Murder on the Steel Pier by Rosie Genova caught my attention when it came out.  The story is about a woman who winds up time traveling back to the 1950's and finds herself living as a relative who disappeared.  Oh, and she gets involved in a murder, too.  The premise intrigued me.  And it is only 99 cents, so I snagged it.

As of my typing this on Saturday, it looks like both of those prices are still valid, so if you are interested, go snag them.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm working on the audiobook I picked up from the library last week - Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly.  I've got about an hour and a half left.  If I don't finish it going to and from the play tonight, it will be close.  As usual, there are two stories, and I enjoyed one.  The other, I found slow.  But I'll get into that more in my review.

I've just started There's No Murder Like Show Murder by M.S. Greene.  I bought the hardcover and got it signed when I was at Malice Domestic only to realize when I got home that I already had bought it on Kindle.  Oh well.  If you haven't figured it out, I tend to buy Kindle books when they are cheap, so I doubt this was that costly a duplicate.  But I figured that was a sign that I should read it.  I'm not that far into it yet, but so far, I'm enjoying it.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

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