Man, oh man! What a hard book to read. April Balascio has a hunch that her dad is a seial killer. She finds out she's right when she calls Detective Garcia. The abuse she suffered growing up was horrific. Her father was a psychopath. I'm glad she got out alive. She didn't escape easily, but the life she has made for herself is beyond amazing, considering the life she had. Physical, emotional, sexual abuse. I cried for her. 4⭐️

I'm starting this today. I won it through a Goodreads Giveaway!

4.5⭐️

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective is a fun mystery. Mrs. B is an elderly lady who rents her cottages out to an eccentric group of tenants. An ex-con, Anthony, moves in, and soon, there's a murder. The residents don't think he did it, so they all go about trying to solve the murder, except more occur.

The ending was a surprise!

It was published on August 19, 2025. If you like mysteries, you should read this one.

We don't care that Taylor Swift got engaged!! We do care that there was another school shooting. This one in Minnesota. We do care that we grew up in the 70's and 80's and didn't have to face what kids have to face today at schools.

#WDNCW

The Socialite is the first book I have read by J"nell Ciesielski. I won't be the last. This is a historical fiction set in France during WWII.

Kate Whitford is the oldest daughter of Sir Walter Whitfield. She always follows the rules and does what a Lady should do.

Eleanor is Kate's younger sister. She is the total opposite. She has runoff to Paris and is staying with a German soldier. Kate goes off to get her back.

⬇️

4.5 ⭐️
This is the 3rd book in the Winter Black Series by Mary Stone. The Preacher is coming unhinged. Every time he sees a woman or girl, he thinks it's Winter. Will this be the end of him?

Mary Stone writes an amazing series. It has FBI agents. It has Serial Killers. Full of suspense. I will say that there was a lot of immaturity between Winter and the other agents. That got on my nerves, so I took 1/2 a star away on review.

My #ReadMyKindle2025 list for September.
@CBee

My September #Bookspinbingo list. I'm ready for cooler weather.
@TheAromaofBooks

#weeklyforecast
Currently Reading:
The Socialite by J'nell Ciesielski
Winter's Redemption by Mary Stone
The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols
Learning How to Forgive by Chris Bailey
Walk With Jesus by Hannah H. Lee
Raised by a Serial Killer by April Balascio
The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding

3.5 ⭐️

The Man Made Of Smoke is the first book I have read by Alex North. It was a slow burn to me. It's not a very popular opinion, but it didn't live up to what I had heard about. Yes, there's a serial killer, a child abduction, and twists, but it kind of fell short. It was hard for me to really get into. When I sat it down to do otjer stuff, I wasn't dying to get back to reading it. It also had a good red herring. Soft pick

Audio: Winter's Redemption by Mary Stone 41% done
Physical: The Socialite by J'nell Ciesielski 40/368
Kindle: The Man Made Of Smoke by Alex North 205/310

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Richard Barber's basement was cold and dimly lit.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

4.5 ⭐️

4.5⭐️

I enjoyed this book, but I would have liked one thing to be wrapped up better. I'm not going to say what, bc I don't want to spoil it. I read this series years ago and decided to go back and reread it. I know I dropped off reading, and I'm not sure why. So far, I'm really enjoying it.

#Serieslove2025 #Audiobook

I lost my brother 10 days ago, on August 10th, from Glioblastoma. Since I knew he wouldn't be here much longer, I got this book, thinking it would help me. The book needed to be edited better. There were sentences that were missing words, sentences that were half duplicated. There was info that I found beneficial in my early days of grief. Even though we had grown apart as adults, we still were brother and sister. That sibling ⬇️

2⭐️

I enjoyed Mary Stone's Winter's Curse. It was action-packed. There was a bit of rivalry between Winter and another FBI agent, Sunny. The two books I have read by Stone have been really good. I will continue to read her.

#Serieslove2025

A True Crime story that was told excellent. I like True Crime books that tell the events straight. Jervis researched exceptionally well.

The Devil Behind the Badge tells about Juan David Ortiz, a Border Patrol Officer, who started murdering prostitutes. I must say that it is a very unsettling book. Major Trigger Warnings: Drug Abuse, Sexual Assault, and Murder. The one thing I wish would have been different in the book is that the ⬇️

Weekly Forecast
The Devil Behind the Badge by Rick Jervis
Winter's Curse by Mary Stone
Hide by Lisa Gardner
The Marigold Cottage Murders by Jo Nichols

#weeklyforecast

Weekly wrap up
Finished:
Alone by Lisa Gardner
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
Rage by Linda Castillo
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate by M.C Beaton
Winter's Mourn by Mary Stone

This is the first book I have read from Mary Stone. I saw her book in an email and decided I would try her. The book grabbed me quickly. It's well written. It's a series, so now I have another series to read. Ugh! I need to quit starting series. until I get done with one or at least caught up. I will definitely read more of this series bc it has everything I like in a book: a mystery, murder, forensics, FBI/Police, and intrigue. ⬇️

The Curate for the church is found dead! The number 1 suspect is the Vicar. Even though he doesn't care for Agatha Raisin, he is her best friend, Mrs. Bloxby's, husband. Once again, she interfers with the investigation. I found this one to be just ok. It kept me entertained while I cleaned the house, but it wasn't my favorite.

#Audiobook #Serieslove2025

read Death Comes as the End in one setting. It's a historical mystery by Christie being set in ancient Egypt. Christie usually writes cozy mysteries, but this one, to me, was not cozy. In fact, if it was a stormy night instead of a nice summer night, it probably would have scared me a little. I always love a mystery, where I don't figure out the culprit! Agatha Christie is the Queen of Mysteries!

#Classics

How Linda Castillo keeps coming up with new topics for the Kate Burkholder Series is beyond me. Thus is the 17th book in the series. If you have read them, you know that the 16th book, Burning, was a little graphic and gruesome. The Rage is no different.

Kate Burkholder, the Police Chief in Planters Mill, Ohio, is called to a scene where a human bone has been found. Soon, another body is found in Planters Mill.

4.5⭐️

I enjoy a classic mystery, and that's what you get when you read an Agatha Christie mystery. The Moving Finger was a Miss Marple mystery, though she didn't show up until toward the end. A poision-pen is writing letters to people in Lymstock. It seems everyone in the village is receiving a nasty letter, except for one person. Why has this person not received one?

#Classics

While this is the first book in the D. D. Warren Series, she actually doesn't show up until halfway through the book. I did enjoy the book, but I wondered why D.D. Warren showed up so late. State Trooper Bobby Dodge is called out to a domestic situation. He takes a shot and kills Catherine's husband. This may cause the end of his career. The man was a judge's son. Now, the judge will do whatever it takes to keep a family secret, secret.

Weekly Forecast

Currently:
Audio: Alone by Lisa Gardner
Kindle: Rage by Linda Castillo
Physical: The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

Next reads:
The Devil Behind the Badge
Death Comes as the End
The Children of the Book
Nobody‘s Fool
Hide

##weeklyforecast

Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

My August #ReadYourKindle2025 picks are:
#5 Broken Country
#3 The Queen of Crimes
#13 Rope
#18 Nobody‘s Fool

@CBee

Why didn't they ask Evans? It's the question at hand, but who is Evans?
When a man falls off a cliff, Bobby Jones and the Doctor find the body. Who is the man. Soon, Bobby and his friend, Frankie, are trying to figure out if the man was murdered and who the man was. All they had to do was ask Evans.

Agatha Christie is the Queen of Murder Mysteries. You never know what's going to happen or where Christie is going with the story.

CURRENTLY:
The Boomerang Clue by Agatha Christie (PB)
Rage by Linda Castillo (K)

Next:
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (PB)
The Devil Behind the Badge by Rick Jervis (K)

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

No Bingos for July
I did get my #Bookspin read (Outsider) but not my #Doublespin

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I'm not going to finish any more books today, so ending July.

17 Read
1 DNF
1 Paused bc time ran out

5⭐️
JFK Q&A by Gary B. Haley (Booksiern)
An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo

4.5⭐️
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
Fallen by Linda Castillo
The Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
The Hidden One By Linda Castillo
The Burning by Linda Castillo

4⭐️
Outsider by Linda Castillo⬇️

Great book. It's an honest account of a Marines life at boot camp, on the way to Afghanistan, in Afghanistan, and then back home. I have had this since 2023. I know I'm bad. It's the oldest Netgalley I had. Trying to clean up my Netgalley shelf.

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

My August #ReadYourKindle2025 list.

@CBee

My August Bookspin Bingo is all ARCs from Netgalley. Some are old and some are new.

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Reread! I have now read all of the Kate Burkholder Series, except her new one, Rage. I listened to The Burning this time, the first time I read it. Still really enjoyed it. Castillo writes such good books.

#Serieslove2025

Quick read that takes place during Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti's honeymoon. The place they stay for their honeymoon has been having things happen. When the Amish woman, who owns the place, goes missing, during a snow storm, her husband asks Burkholder and Tomasetti to help find her. Can they find her before it's too late?

#Serieslove2025

An Evil Heart is sit in the small town of Planters Mill, Ohio. The 15th installment of the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo sees Kate Burkholder facing her most guersome murder, yet. A young Amish man is killed with a crossbow. The wound is something the corner has only seen once before, and that was an accidental shooting of a foot. Who would want to kill an Amish man like that?

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't ⬇️

I found Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts to be an okay read. I didn‘t think there was much suspense in the book. The MC is Vandy Myrik, who is dealing with her grief over the death of her daughter. Her ex, Phil, comes back into her life unexpectedly. There was good character development of Vandy, but I just was kept engaged with the book. 3⭐️

#Bookspinbingo

Hallowed Ground is a novella by Linda Castillo in the Kate Burkholder Series. I think this would make a perfect read for October, around Halloween. Kate Burkholder is called to an Amish farm where a dog has come up with a human bone. Her and Tomasetti are soon staking out an old cemetery.
4⭐️
#Serieslove2025

My brother has Glioblastoma. I'm reading in August for the American Cancer Society. It's on FB if anyone else is interested in joining in.
#Cancersucks

😂😂😂

3.5 ⭐️

High Season is a book that deals with a death that occurred 20 years ago. Nina Drayton's sister, Tam, was killed. Nina, at age 6, was the star witness. She said she saw Josie Jackson, her babysitter, kill her. Don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything 😊 The reader gets this info in the first chapter. The question you have to ask yourself is: Is a child 6 years old a good witness?

The book is divided into 4 parts and flips back and ⬇️

Love this series! The 14th book in the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo and they are still good! 4.5⭐️

I don't usually read romances, but I am glad I read this one. Someone on Litsy mentioned how good it was, so I gave it a try. Alice and Hayden are both journalists. They are both vying for the job to write Margaret Ives' memoir. Recommend it! 4.25⭐️

Not in database
If you have questions about the assassination of JFK, this is the book for you. With the release of JFK files from the government, Haley dives into what most likely happened. He asks and answers questions that many people have wondered for over 50 years. Haley has done his research, and you can tell it in reading JFK Q & A. It's the most modern book you will find. 5⭐️

#Booksiern #GaryBHaley #JFKQ&A

A quick novella in the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo. It's a dark, foggy night, and Kate gets called out. An Amish man has been attacked by an animal. Before she knows it, there are 2 other attacks. One at a farm, and the other 2 little Amish boys out fishing at night. What kind of animal could it. 4⭐️

#audio #Serieslove2025

4.5⭐️

It's hard to believe that Fallen is Linda Castillo's 13th book in the Kate Burkholder Series. Castillo still manages to captivate me. I did figure out the culprit before the end, so I dropped 1/2 star for that.
Kate Burkholder is the Police Chief of Planters Mill, Ohio. She gets called to the scene of a homicide. Burkholder realizes she knows the victim. She babysat Rachel Swartz when Rachel was 6 and Burkholder 14.

2.5 ⭐️

I just didn't care for the FMC of this book. It all seemed a little far-fetched to me. A med student has to spend the night on a psych ward, only a couple of problems with that: 1) her best friend from high school is on the ward & 2) her ex-boyfriend is also having to do a night rotation the same night. The story flips back and forth between the present and 8 years ago. Low so-so

#Bookspinbingo

Ward D by Fredia McFadden
Mark Twain by Ron Chernow
Fallen by Linda Castillo
High Season by Katie Bishop
Socialite by J'nell Ciesielski

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

I forgot my Kindle and a book at home. I ran by Mardel's Christian Store and grabbed a book. Now I'm going to read before my doctor appointment.