#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii
1. My Canadian Forest track on my BetterSleep app. My jaw immediately unclenches when I turn it on 😆
2. Started a very funny, quirky mystery called “Three Bags Full” 🐑💚🐏
3. Warmer weather this week, opened all the windows in the house to air out 🌬️
4. Successfully transferred my old iPhone 11 data to my new iPhone 16 💪 No crying or stress!! Woo!
5. -See Below-

The first of my haul from the Barnes & Noble preorder sale arrived today #Bookmail #PerfectTiming
🤩🥳🙌

Based on what @TEArificbooks said in their review, I went into this with low expectations. I was just looking for a fluffy, non-challenging read, and I still bailed 😑 I agree with Melanie 100%, the trivia bits were fun but there wasn‘t a single character I cared about. I love this premise, but I feel like Clare Pooley or Freya Sampson could‘ve done it better. Definitely check out their books for great characters and a fun plot! #Hailthebail 🚀

This book comes out in May ‘25 and if you‘ve enjoyed the other two books in this series, you‘ll enjoy this one too! Just as an fyi, there is a note at the beginning stating that this is a stand-alone novel BUT the solution to ‘Magpie Murders‘ (Book 1) is revealed. I really appreciated not having to re-read the previous 2 books, Horowitz provides background on everything so no recap is needed 👍 You can just dive in!

LOL! I love when you read a book and you find a little bread crumb from a recently read book 😂 I get this reference now, but definitely wouldn‘t have a month ago #christiecapers @Librarybelle

I‘ve finally set up my new bookshelf 🙌 Still moving in, but we allllll know that‘s a work in progress forever 🤪 I had to laugh when my husband said, “Well, just make sure this room doesn‘t get too cluttered” and I replied, “Oh, we passed that about 50 books ago” 🤣

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii
1. Spent the past weekend with family in IA and got to hang out with my cat sister, Millie
2. Finished 1 amazing book (‘Tartufo‘) and started another great book (‘Marble Hall Murders‘)
3. Warm weather is on its way (highs in the 30s - 40s F)
4. Went to bar trivia with my hubby 2 times this week and we didn‘t come in last both nights
👇👇👇👇

Themes: Family, Food, Fungi

“What does one do upon finding the world‘s biggest epicurean diamond?” This story was a delight from beginning to end! I loved all the characters, their zany personalities and the beautiful setting of the rural medieval village of Lazzarini Boscarino. Definitely a five star read, the cover is just as beautiful as the story inside
💙🩵💛🧡🩷

I LOVED this book! After finishing it I immediately added the rest of the series to my library TBR list 👍 I can‘t wait to discuss it @Librarybelle #christiecapers

I visited the local indie bookstore by my parents‘ house this afternoon. I didn‘t need another book (I mean, I was extremely tempted!) but I still wanted to support them. This springy book sleeve just hopped in my hands 🤩😇

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1. Hubby and I are going to visit my family in IA for the long weekend
2. I bought myself another bookshelf AND I haven‘t filled it up yet!
3. The snow we got on Wed wasn‘t as bad as they were predicting (forecast was for 3-5” and we got 2.5”)
4. A problem project at work actually ended up being fixed with our “best case scenario” which never happens 😂
5. The joy of knowing that 48.4% of voters did not vote for 🍑🤡

I am LOVING this book @Librarybelle #christiecapers I didn‘t know I wanted an Agatha Christie meets PG Wodehouse book, but here we are and I LOVE IT! I‘m going to add the rest this series to my TBR 🙌

My best friend saw this book as an Amazon Prime First Reads and she told me about it, which I‘m glad she did because sadly, I don‘t think this would‘ve crossed my radar - it pub‘d 2/1 and I have yet to see anything about it on my usual channels 😔. It intrigued me so I bought a copy and I enjoyed it so much!! I don‘t want to say too much because I‘ll end up spoiling something, all I‘ll say is if my themes below interest you, READ THIS BOOK! 🤐

1. The B&N.com preorder sale finally happened!! Yay!! Love having #bookmail to look forward to 🥰
2. I found an ARC of Anthony Horowitz‘s upcoming “Marble Hall Murders” and I can‘t wait to devour it!!
3. The houseplants that I divided and repotted last week are all still alive!
4. Looking forward to a low-key weekend that‘s not jam-packed with stuff to do
5. IT‘S FRIDAY!

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii
Consider yourself tagged if you‘d like to share!

Themes: Oceans 11 meets Downton Abbey, Early 20th century London, Women settling scores

I read Alex‘s debut work in 2023 (“The Housekeepers”) and enjoyed it enough to be excited for his next book. As soon as I could I put a hold at my library for this and… -sad trombone- 🫠 It wasn‘t bad, I didn‘t consider bailing on it, but it wasn‘t amazing.

Yay!! So stoked for some upcoming #bookmail 🥳🙌 25% off preorders today through 2/7 at Barnes & Noble (online only!!!)

It is TIME!! -Kermit flailing arms- 🏃🏼‍♀️-Runs to get all the Barnes & Noble giftcards I‘ve been hoarding since Christmas for this exact purpose- 📚📚📚

#TopReads2025 kicks off with my first five star read of the year 🥁🥁🥁 ‘Death in the Downline‘ 🙌 It was fun and an unexpectedly gripping read - I couldn‘t put it down once I started. Highly recommend for a fast-paced read that‘ll leave you thinking about it after you finish it, check this one out 👍

Love a little ‘lunch hour library hold pick-up‘ date 🥰🤩

I haven‘t devoured a book in what seems like ages, but I sure did with this one! If it was a Netflix show I would‘ve been pressing the “Yes, I‘m still watching” option and would‘ve binged the whole series in a night 😂 This is such a great read! It has it all; an awesome (and believable) plot, great characters and fantastic story telling, you have to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. A five star read!!

@debinhawaii #5joysfriday
I was off on Monday (MLK Jr Day) and enjoyed a lovely day of reading 🥰
I cooked dinner every night this week 🙌
I cleaned my house and it looks great 🧼
I was able to WFH every day this week 💻
I have a clear conscience because I didn‘t vote for “he who shall not be named” and that JOY in itself feels AMAZING 🥳 I hope we make it through these next 4 years (1,458 days), these last 5 days sucked more than I prepared for.

Ugh, preaching to the choir, Poirot 🥶🥶🥶

Going into this book you will need to suspend all belief that this unexpected adventure could actually happen 😆 However, this is a very entertaining read! I recently watched “The Man on the Inside” on Netflix and this has very similar vibes to it; retired amateur sleuth, great location (Chicago instead of San Francisco though), and good characters. A pick once you relax and just go with the flow of the entertaining absurdity 👍

Alexa is telling me it‘s currently 7 degrees F with a real feel of 5 degrees F. Well, that‘s my day sorted 😂👍 If you‘re in the polar vortex, I hope you‘re staying warm & cozy today! 🥶🧦🧣🧤

I saw this on Facebook and it made me giggle 😆 You just never know when you can sneak a few pages in 😎

Themes: Historical Fiction, Dual Timelines & Multiple POVs, Magical Realism

This book made me laugh, made me tear up, made me angry, but I loved it! Usually with mutilple POVs there‘s always “that” character that I dread when their name is on the chapter heading, but I loved Opaline (even though I kept wanted to call her Ovaltine), Martha and Henry. And Madame Bowden too! A solid pick to read if you want something truly magical!

This was a great book to borrow from the library; it was good but not one I‘d need to own to re-read again. I loved Veronica (I don‘t know what it says about me that when I see ‘Curmudgeon but charming old woman‘ in a book summary I instantly think, “I have to read this!!”), she was feisty and fun. My only complaint was that this book dragged for me in the middle. All in all, it‘s a soft pick for me.

Themes: Golden Age Murder Mystery, Hercule Poirot & Hastings

I read this for January‘s #ChristieCapers - I can‘t wait for our discussion on 1/26 🤐🔎🙌

@Librarybelle

Themes: Translated Murder Mystery, Seniors Sleuthing Around, Darkly Funny

This book has been on my TBR list for a while and while visiting my family in IA for Christmas we ended up at Barnes & Noble (the family that reads together, stays together 🤓), and I bought this. It was quirky and funny but dark and addressed serious topics; a total mix! I‘ll definitely keep reading this series, if for nothing else to get some more time with Hettie 💚🐢💚

#TopReads2024 continues with my December pickS (yep, I couldn‘t decide between 2 so I picked both 😆) 🎄👻⛓️🎅🏼🎁🧸🚂🎊☕️🫖
1. “Jacob T. Marley” by R. William Bennett
2. “Hercule Poirot's Silent Night: A Novel (The New Hercule Poirot Mystery)” By Sophie Hannah
Both of these books were so good I didn‘t want to put them down, even with all the insanity that December brings. I‘m so happy I ended the year with two “Picks”!!

Themes: Hercule Poirot, Christmas Murder Mystery, Decaying English Manor

This was a fun read! I started it on Christmas Eve and didn‘t want to put it down (I did for family stuff, but it was hard 😂). I personally liked Sophie Hannah‘s Poirot and Catchpool, I‘m adding her other works to my TBR pile 👍

My parents have since Day 1 supported my passion for reading 🥰 I always look forward to one of my Christmas gifts from them being a box of new books for the year ahead, and this year was another HIT 🙌 I always have such a hard time choosing which one to read first 😂 #ReaderProblems (They also gave me a Book planter but I haven‘t put a plant in yet, so enjoy my amateur photoshop skills 😂)

Themes: Christmas Noir Mystery (but satire), Over the top humor, Fantasy

This was a quirky read, I enjoyed it but it wouldn‘t need to be a yearly re-read. It really made me want to re-watch every Christmas movie it referenced, and there were a lot mentioned!

Themes: Silly take on the Christmas carol, Fun storytelling, Humorous/Doesn‘t take itself too seriously

The storytelling and pacing in this read was spot-on, I‘m not sure if that compliment goes to Mr Patterson or Mr Safran because I haven‘t read many of Patterson‘s books, but this was SO FUN! I‘d love a sequel in which the Sullivan family deal with another Christmas carol 😂❤️💚❤️💚❤️

So…. I can‘t wait for Saturday 😂 Love my “one for you, one for me” Christmas gift shopping strategy 🙌💚❤️📚📚📚

I am pleasantly surprised that I loved this book of short stories. Usually I enjoy the first story and maybe a few at the end, but in this case, the chunk of middle stories were my favorite! I was planning to just read a story a day, but like an advent calendar, I gobbled them up as soon as I could 😂 Highly recommend this for a festive stocking stuffer!

Christmas gift shopping done ✅
Christmas gift wrapping started ✅
Christmas cards written, envelopes addressed & stamped ✅
Found an amazing Christmas themed ambiance YouTube channel and am now enjoying some downtime with a good Christmas book ✅✅✅

I found this book when I Googled, “Christmas books that aren‘t romance” and if there was ever proof of the right book finding you at the right time, this is it! This book is wonderful and written so perfectly, it‘ll warm your heart on a chilly Dec. night 🥰 Halfway through I bought my own copy so I can re-read it every Christmas- there‘s only 1 copy in my inter-loan library system (100 libraries!!), I just hope it finds another reader before 12/25

Love seeing my Christmas themed books expand each year 🥰📚🎄🎅🏼

Themes: Christmas!, Australia!, Murder Mystery, A Standalone Novel

This is my new criteria for a great Christmas book! Benjamin Stevenson ticked all the boxes: a solid plot, excellent characters, and the ability to take me away from reality while reading. If you‘ve enjoyed his other books, give this one a read! And if you haven‘t read his other books (you should!), you can still read this because it‘s a standalone book 👍

Themes: Christmas, A Short & Sweet Story

This was a sweet book that was just perfect for getting me in the Christmas spirit 🥰 I love the world Nina Prose has created with the Regency Grand Hotel and her characters: Molly, Juan, Mr. Preston, and the rest of them. I recommend this book, enjoy it along with a mug of hot cocoa, your favorite blanket and some Christmas jazz playing.

Themes: Adult Fiction, Fairy Tale Retelling, A little bit of Christmas

This is a solid 3 star “Meh” read for me. It was my book club‘s December pick so I plowed ahead in it even though I didn‘t love it. I liked some parts (the last 80ish pages were my favorite), but I disliked other parts - so I guess it‘ll be a good discussion. I‘m just glad I can move onto my other Christmas reads!!!

#TopReads2024 continues with my November pick 🦃🍗🎃🥧🥔🍞🥖🥕🌽🍏🍐🍄‍🟫🧅🧄🫛🍠🇺🇸🏈🍂🍁 “We Gather Together” by Denise Kiernan. This was such a great book to read during the Thanksgiving season, I loved it. Her other books are amazing too, definitely check out her backlist 👍

Themes: Literary Fiction, Good Storytelling, Opera/Music

I totally get why this book has such mixed reviews. Some parts were good and I enjoyed some of the characters very much, but after it ended, I just don‘t know how I really feel about it. This is a soft pick… I think? 🤔

Happy Thanksgiving (and Happy All-Day Football to those who celebrate) 💛🤎❤️🦃🏈 I‘m so thankful for family, especially this year ☺️🥰💗 I hope everyone has a lovely day filled good food, good conversations, a good book, and maybe a good afternoon nap 😉

After several failed attempts to get both my current read (tagged here) and these road signs in one picture, I decided to just grab a pic of the road sign 😂 Driving from Chicago to Gettysburg, PA - I love a road trip as a passenger princess. I‘m enjoying this book way more than I thought I would 🙌

Themes: Interwoven Short Stories, Quirky Charcters, Journalism

This was a quirky, quick read - just what the doctor ordered. I enjoyed some of the characters‘ stories more than others, there was one I skipped after 3 pages because I knew my blood pressure was rising from the stress the character was facing 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 Overall though, a pick with an astrisk that it will not be everyone‘s cup of tea ☕️🧋🫖

This might be a case of a “me issue” not a “book issue”, but I could not get into this. The three main characters didn‘t have much depth and I couldn‘t get a firm grip on the genre; some parts are fluffy, others are very dark. Perhaps a good one to borrow from the library before spending 30ish dollars. #HailTheBail

I‘ve enjoyed Kiernan‘s other books so I thought it was finally time to read her book on Thanksgiving and Gratitude - and I‘m so ‘thankful‘ I did 🤗 This is a very well written history of the Thanksgiving holiday and the woman who fought to make it a national day of gratitude. It was at times hard to read (I made more than 1 exasperated sigh at how history repeats itself), but a fascinating read nonetheless.

This was a good book to check out from the library. Will I re-read it? No. Am I invested enough for a second book? Yeah, if I need something to read. It landed for me between “Meh” and “A Pick”, so if that helps your decision process. Word of warning: do not start a drinking game of taking a shot every time you read, “We need a real way to communicate better”, you will be drunk very early on because it is said a lot 😆😵‍💫🥴