I love reading historical fiction, so I was excited to get to read Etiquette for Lovers and Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy. Alas, I was disappointed. I was so happy when I finally finished the book. It was very slow to me. It flipped between Billie McCadie's love life and her trying to solve a murder. It's set in 1964, and I found one thing that didn't match 1964 (could have possibly been more), Healy talked about a characters mustache ⬇️

#ReadYourKindle2025
My books for July are
10: The Sniper
16: Windsors at War
17: Death of an Ex
19: The Gilded Cage of Women

I only got 1 read last month, so hopefully, I will do better in July!

@CBee

July Bingo Board

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

4.25

Outsider is the 12th installment in the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo. Kate's past comes back, and she doesn't know if she's being played or not. Kate's old roommate is running for her life and needs help, who to help her but Kate Burkholder, Police Chief of Planters Mill, Ohio. There's a blizzard coming, and Kate is called to an Amish man's home.
Love this series.

#bookspinbingo #Serieslove2025

Short Novella in the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo. Two boys, an Amish and Englisher, go missing during a snow storm. Burkholder, Tomasetti, and her team look for them. Can they find them before the weather gets worse? Quick good read.

#Audiobook #bookspinbingo #Serieslove2025 #Read2025

Shamed is the 11th book in the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo. The small town of Planters Mill, Ohio, is shocked when an Amish grandmother is brutally murdered. Kate Burkholder is the Chief of Police and comes upon the scene. Not only is the grandmother killed, but her special needs granddaughter is missing. Burkholder is not being told the truth by the Bishop or family. Will Burkholder get to the truth before it's too late?⬇️

I love reading The Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo. I know that when I have one of her books, I will be entertained. In Plain Sight is a novella. A young Amish boy is found dead in a field. As Burkholder investigates, she finds out that there is a group of people in Planters Mill that is bullying others. Is this the case here? I always want to yell at Kate not to do something because she always finds trouble.

#bookspinbingo

Enjoyed this historical fiction about a woman who went against the 1800s standards to make champagne. I couldn't help but root for this fiesty woman. 4/5⭐️

#bookspinbingo #ReadYourKindle2025 #DecadesChallenge2025 #Read2025

4.5 Rounded up to 5

A suicide 6 months ago. A body found in a burned barn. What do they have in common? Maybe, secrets. In the 10th book in the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo, Kate is trying to figure these things out. Kate Burkholder is the Police Chief of Planters Mill, Ohio. She grew up Amish but left the way at 18. Kate has now found herself investigating why the fire started. The more she digs, the more she realizes ⬇️

What a book! You have an estranged daughter, a dad losing his mind to Lewy body dementia, and if that's not enough, a cold case! Clark writes in a way that drags you into the book right beside her characters.

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I gave The Present Darkness a 5 star read, but the second and final book in this 2 book series was so much better. The salvation of Sally Roe made me cry. It took me a few chapters to really get into this one, but once I was into it, I didn't want to stop reading. I will definitely be reading more books by Frank E Peretti in the future. I highly recommend The Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness to all readers, especially Christian.

I have no idea why it took me so long to read this book. I guess I have too many books I want to read. If you have been thinking about reading this book, start it today! I loved Vera Wong. She cracked me up. The things she said sounded so much like my grandma (though I'm not Chinese). I loved how the other characters came to love her and how they became a family. I was surprised by the culprit. I will definitely continue this series.

In Dark Company is a novella. It starts with a mystery of a girl running through a corn field in Planters Mill. Kate Burkholder, the Chief of Police, is soon on the case. The girl doesn't remember anything about herself or how she arrived in Planters Mill. Soon, Burkholder finds herself in trouble again, but I think that's just the way she is made. 4⭐️ Quick Read

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I enjoyed The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. He is a gifted writer. The story takes place in the 1930s. It's about the Jewish and Black people who lived on Chicken Hill in Pottsvillie, PA. It shows how their lives intertwined. I enjoyed the characters, and my heart broke at the tradagey that happened to some, but not all. It shows how one act of kindness can have lasting impact.
4⭐️

#Bookspinbingo

I'm Currently Reading 2 books

Piercing the Darkness
'It could have begun in any town.'

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
'There was an old Jew who lived at the site of the old synagogue up on Chicken Hill in the town of Pottstown, Pa., and when the Pennsylvania State Troopers found the skeleton at the bottom of an old well off Hayes Street, the old Jew's house was the first place they went to.

3⭐️
There's a lot of information in this book. At times, as I listened to it, I had to go back and relisten. It's not in very good chronological order. Maybe if I had read it, it would have been better.

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

4.5⭐️

I think I am like a lot of people, I wanted to read Conclave because the Catholic Church just went through one. Even though this is fiction, I found it quite interesting. I learned quite a bit. It did make me wonder if, in this past conclave, there was as much political wrangling. I never thought that the bishops would or could be so ambitious. I read the acknowledgments, and it seems to me Harris really researched the ⬇️

My #ReadYourKindle2025 books for June are:
20: Under the Storm
2: Champagne Widows
3: The Block Party
9: Etiquette of Lovers and Killers

I'm hoping to get them read this month. I can't believe it's already June 🤯

@CBee #ReadYourKindle2025

Finish:
Conclave by Robert Harris
The Scientist and the Serial Killer by Lise Olsen
Piercing the Darkness by Frank E Peretti (I'm having trouble getting into this one)

Next up After these:
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
In Dark Company by Linda Castillo
High Season by Katie Bishop

#weeklyforecast

May Book Wrap-up
7 Books
6 Audiobooks
1 DNF

5⭐️
The Present Darkness by Frank E Peretti (Physical Book)
Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli (Libby Audiobook)

4.5⭐️
Seeds of Deception by Linda Castillo (Libby Audiobook)
Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron (E-ARC Netgalley)
Our Beautiful Boys by Sameer Pandya (Physical Book Goodreads Giveaway)
Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel (Libby Audiobook)
The Dog Ladies by Julie Titterington (Booksiern E-ARC

My #ReadMyKindle2025 list for June.

I got one read in May: The Dog Ladies
DNF'd Alma Mendoza

@CBee

My June list for #Bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

I got 2 bingos, both diagonal in May. My #Bookspin book was Our Beautiful Boys, and my #Doublespin book was Wolf Hall.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I love this series. I am rereading (listening) to them because I think I have missed some. Down a Dark Road is the 9th one in the Kate Burkholder Series by Linda Castillo.

A childhood friend, Joesph, is in prison for murder. He escapes and asks Kate Burkholder to help clear his name. Kate soon finds out there's more going on than she thought. Of course, Kate finds herself in trouble. I always think to myself, Kate, don't go meet ⬇️

2.5⭐️

Oh, my, this book started off way slow for me. I thought about DNFing it, but I plowed along. The last 15% to 20% picked up, thank goodness. It takes place in Ireland and England.

Clara goes off to school in Belfast. Jenny, her mom, surprises her with a visit. Jenny decides to bring her home, but Clara disappears at the train station.

I figured out quite a lot of this book before it actually happened.

#bookspinbingo

First, I want to thank Mrs. Janice Sample for telling me about this book and author. I have to say it is a book every Christian should read. The ones of us, who are Christian, know about the devil and demons. In this book, Frank E. Peretti hits the reader over the head between the fight of good and evil. As the town of Ashton is surrounded by demons, there are a few people who fight for God.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Thanks, St. Martin's Press for the ARC of High Season. Comes out August 12, 2025.

I just received it in the mail. I have 1 1/2 books to read before I start this one.

#stmartinspress #highseason

4.5⭐️

A hilarious and entertaining new cozy mystery series. The Dog Ladies started off with a murder mystery party that turned into a real murder, and I thought, "Oh great, another one," but I was wrong. I feel in love with Gloria, Pryia, and Ryan. Gloria and Pryia are lonely women in their eighties, and Ryan is a lonely IT young guy. They all have dogs and a cat. When murder happens at the party, they decide to solve it.

#bookspinbingo

4.75⭐️

Based on true events, Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli grabbed me at the beginning. Full of suspense, I wanted to listen as fast as I could to find out what happened to the kids on the bus. The only problem I had with the book is that I wish Ili would have gone just a little further to let us know what happened to the teacher and mom.

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks #Read2025 #Audiobook

Another great one in the Kate Burkholder Series. A little different as not as much blood and stuff. Kate is asked to go undercover in an Amish community for the NY State Police. Could Kate be walking into a more dangerous situation than either her or the NY State Police thought? 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌓

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
#Audiobook
##Serieslove2025

2.5⭐️

Not exactly what I was expecting. I thought this would be more about the axe murders and murderers throughout history. Instead, it's more a history of the axe with some murders thrown in. I enjoyed the first half of the book, looking at before the 1700s. James had me engaged during the first half of the book. It involves prehistoric time and up til the 1700s (cavemen, Egyptians, and Henry VIII), while the latter focused on George ⬇️

Finished this audio yesterday. I liked it better than the first one. Anne Boleyn is on her way to execution and Henry VIII has his eyes on Jane Seymour. This was shorter than Wolf Hall.

#Bookspinbingo #audio #Read2025 @TheAromaofBooks

My #weeklyforecast:
Audio: Bringing up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Physical: The Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
Kindle: Whack Job:A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James

4.5⭐️

Our Beautiful Boys is a look at how boys will be boys. Three high school boys that become kind of friends after one joins the high school football team at the end of the season. One is white, one Latina, and one is Indian (hus family from India). One night the all 3 go to a party. What happens effects not only them but also their families. Secrets will come out.

Sameer Pandya wrote a slow burn of a book that kept me engaged ⬇️

Physical: Our Beautiful Boys by Sameer Pandya
Kindle: Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron consists of 8 stories. Mike Bowditch is a Maine Game Warden who over explains, gets on the last nerve of hus superiors, and loves his jib, though sometimes he dies fet frustrated. The first 3 deal with Mike's mentor, Charley Steven's. The others deal with Mike from when he was a younger Game Warden, with the last one being a present one in the series.

THE BEAR TRAP, ⬇️

I got 7%: 7 out of 100😂 Had it not been for my High School Jr and Sr English Teachers it would have only been 2 😂

Top 3:
The Scarlett Letter
The House of the Seven Gables
The House of Usher

Last 2 HS

#TLT #Threelistthursday @dabbe

4.25⭐️

I listened to this quick novella in the Kate Burkholder Series prepping supper. Seeds of Deception takes place when Kate is 14 years old. She has to decide who is telling the truth between her Amish friend, Maggie, or a teenage Englisher. It was a different take on the other books by Linda Castillo. Kathleen McInerrey is a great narrator.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#Bookspinbingo #Audiobook @TheAromaofBooks

3.7 While I enjoyed the book, some things just didn't work for me. Everyone knows that Thomas Cornwell played a huge part in Henry VIII's rule. Mantel does a good job of bringing this time period to life. The thing that bothered me was that something in the book would happen, and she would go back and explain it with fact. I did the audiobook instead of reading the book, so that may have been part of the problem. I know that sometimes, ⬇️

#weeklyforecast

Reading:
Audio: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Should finish tomorrow)
Physical: Our Beautiful Boys by Sameer Pandya
Kindle: Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron

Up next
Audio: Not sure. Depends if my hold from Litsy come in, if not I will find something
Physical: The Lost Queen by Signe Pike (Reread bc I got book 3 for Christmas and I need to reread since it's been a bit since I first read it)
Kindle: Whack Job: A History of Ax ⬇️

#weekendreads

From Our Beautiful Boys by Sameer Pandya:
Except for the Native Caves - tucked high in the hills above town - the city of Chilesworth presents nothing extraordinary.

From Skin & Bones by Paul Doiron:
The wind moved across the surface of the lake like breath upon a mirror.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

30%
Some of my favorite
Anna Karenina
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
To Kill A Mockingbird
Little Women

#TLT ##Threelistthursday @dabbe

Amanda Knox is known as the girl who went on trail for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. Her first book,'Waiting to be Heard,' tells mostly about the trail. 'Free' tells a bit about the trail, her time in prison, and her life since.

I enjoyed this book because I can remember her trail. She spent 4 years in prison, then 8 before she was finally cleared by the Court of Cessation, that like the US Supreme Court, but in Italy.
⬇️

April Book Wrap-up
Only 11 books read this month. Better than I thought considering I was sick.

4.5⭐️
The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo (Audiobook)
Something I Keep Upstairs by J D Barker (Physical Book from Barker)

4⭐️
The Diva Takes the Cake by Krista Davis (Audiobook)
A Hidden Secret by Linda Castillo (Audiobook)
This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Libby)
After the Storm by Linda Castillo (Audiobook)
⬇️

1. Yes, I have about 250.
2. Tagged

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

A look at the Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna or Julie of Saxe-Coburg. She was known by both names. She decided to live life on her own terms after a terrible marriage to Konstantin Feodorovna.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

It still amazes me!

My Bingo board for May! I can't believe it's fixing to be May 🤪

#Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Hilary Huber does a great job narrating this series. In 'The Diva Paints the Town', Sophie is asked to renovate a room in Mordecia's, her neighbor, house after his death. She soon has found a body, and before she can find out more, the body disappears. As she works on the renovation, another person is found dead and one mugged. Will Sophie and her crew find out what is happening before it's too late?

#Serieslove2025 #Read2025