US release day for this, and it landed on my Kindle this morning. Started it this evening, and already hooked. Mystery reading in the dark 😄

While I didn‘t think this was as good as the previous books in this series, it was still an enjoyable read. In searching for clues about Sylvia‘s parents, she and her friends investigate the disappearance of a man who might have been her father. At this point , I don‘t think this would have been interesting if I hadn‘t read the previous books in the series. Great characters, and I‘m hooked on the story line.

Another morning spent in a doctor‘s office, getting a lot of reading done. The MC of the tagged book, Sylvia, is searching for answers about her mother‘s life. I think it‘s analogous to hubby‘s search for a conclusive answer to his medical issue. Sylvia is making progress; so are we.

I‘ve enjoyed the previous books in this series, so I preordered this one, only to pass it up for a couple of months. Time to rectify that situation. Starting this now.

A really lovely story about a mother-daughter relationship, and the importance of understanding, patience, and forgiveness. Maybe it‘s because my mother fractured our relationship so badly at the end of her life, or because Sally, the mom in this story, is my age, but I cried at the end. Definitely recommend.

#5joysFriday
1. Loved having our son with us for two nights!
2. Helped at state choral performance assessment event, and got to listen to some fantastic choirs.
3. Finished two excellent books this week.
4. Tried a really great new recipe this week.
5. Unexpectedly met one of my former voice students, who is now a music teacher. Lots of hugs🤗

#TLT #ThreeListThursday

1. Deborah Carr. Affair to Remember, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
2. Judi Dench. How could I not?
3. Olivia Coleman. I‘m just a huge fan.

Consider yourself tagged!

Twenty four hours later, and I‘m still processing the ending of this book. The book is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end, but I really didn‘t see the conclusion coming. Even more characters added to this installment of the series, things I thought were a given turned in their heads. This is so different from what I normally read, but I love it.

I guess I have a thing for books with library in the title 😄 Looking forward to starting this.

#5joysFriday

What a great idea, @DebinHawaii Thanks for the tag.

1. Hubby feels well enough to play drums this Sunday for first time in six months!
2. Our son is coming home this weekend
3. I‘ve made lots of progress on my diamond painting.
4. It‘s sweet corn season in South Florida 😄
5. My desert rose is blooming like crazy right now. I just need to learn how to stack photos🙄

@dabbe come out and play!

1. Tagged book: constant adrenaline rush

2. I have lots of books waiting for me on my Kindle, but The Memory of Lavender and Sage is really calling to me.

3. I‘m a huge Deanna Raybourn fan, and I recommend her books frequently.

#wondriusWednesday

#motivationalMonday

1. I‘m leading a tour at the botanical garden tomorrow. Otherwise, it‘s taking hubby to his multiple medical appointments this week.
2. Usually herbal ice tea.
3. Since I‘ve been reading on my Kindle a lot lately, this isn‘t an issue. But we have quite a collection of bookmarks for physical books.
4. Done

Although I wanted to jump into this right after finishing the previous installment, I read two other books first. I can‘t be accused of binge-reading 😄

An interesting and worthwhile, if less than satisfying, read. A woman in 1920s London has to choose between three people who want to rent rooms in her house. Three sections explore the possibilities of each being chosen, and although the ending makes clear who is chosen, I couldn‘t help but feel that a lot had been left out. Interesting characters, lots of questions about the choices we make in life. Ultimately glad I read this book

Congratulations to @DebinHawaii on her momentous achievement!! She was one of the first people I followed when I joined Litsy, and she provided a warm welcome and encouragement.

Things that bring me joy:
1. Singing
2. Photographing plants
3. A quiet walk in nature
4. My grandchildren
5. Trying new recipes

#500kgiveaway

Flavia is coming back! I love this series, so glad to see that there‘s going to be a new installment. It‘s been quite a while since the last one. My preorder has already been placed.

I have been indulging in Kindle book buying way too often for my own good lately. Bookbub is dangerous 😂 This caught my eye last week, so I thought I‘d give it a try.

#TLT. #ThreeListThursday

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. The Pillars of the Earth
3. A Discovery of Witches—actually, the entire All Souls trilogy

I really enjoyed this. Focusing on three young women in London during the Blitz, the author weaves a heartwarming story around real events. Impeccably researched and with compelling characters, I flew through this. Definitely recommend.

Another day, another of hubby‘s medical appointments, and another book. I am really looking forward to this one; I‘ve heard so many good things about it. Also happy that hubby‘s pain level has-finally-decreased. Not gone, but a step in the right direction.

This book is pretty much an adrenaline rush from beginning to end. So much action, so many reveals, some unexpected turns. I find myself drawn to so many of the characters, even some of the less sympathetic ones. This does not stand on its own; it won‘t make sense if you‘re not reading the series in order. And oh, am I looking forward to the next book!

I spend a lot of time sitting in doctor‘s offices with my hubby these days, but at least I‘m getting a lot of reading done. I am so hooked on this series. Trying not to binge read—I‘ve made a deal with myself to read at least one other book before I start the next in the series.

#motivationalMonday

1. Church, NCAA basketball, and making a paella for Easter dinner.
2. The Baron and the Lady Chemist. I‘d enjoyed the first in the series, but this was meh.
3. I loved Little House in the Big Woods

Catching up on reviews of books I‘ve read the past couple months. This was a cute historical romance with a different premise. A very independent heroine who gets into some improbable situations, it‘s not great literature, but a nice diversion.

I‘ve been AWOL for what feels like forever; very depressed, dealing with hubby‘s medical issues. But reading this really picked me up. I love this series. Great characters, Raybourn‘s always fantastic dialogue, and a fascinating premise kept me hooked. Definitely recommend, even if you haven‘t read the earlier books in the series.

#threelistThursday

1. I hum or sing along to EVERYTHING, very often on the harmonies.
2. When I‘m engrossed in a book, I usually curl a livk of hair around my finger.
3. I‘m always drinking something when I‘m home. You won‘t find me without a glass of water, or maybe ice tea.

Thanks for the tag, @Crazeedi 😘

About to start this book, although I‘m fighting the urge to binge read the rest of the Throne of Glass series. There are two other books of the same title in the database, but not this one. 😒 It‘s a dual timeline novel, which I keep being drawn to.

About to start this book, although I‘m fighting the urge to binge read the rest of the Throne of Glass series. There are two other books of the same title in the database, but not this one. 😒 It‘s a dual timeline novel, which I keep being drawn to.

Well, I‘m hooked! A really captivating story. Maas does such an exceptional job of world-building, and developing characters who seem so real. I‘ve already bought the second book in the series.

I need something different to read on this cool, dreary day. I loved the Court of Thorns and Roses aero, so I thought I‘d give this a try.

A fascinating, but often disturbing, story about a little-known Nazi program to help breed Hitler‘s master race. Three women who are caught in this web and how they react is at the crux of this story. The author does an excellent job of differentiating the main characters to highlight differing circumstances and attitudes. Not a particularly easy read because of the subject, but well written and worth the time.

I‘ve been busy reading and not posting, so catching up on some reviews. An okay Christmas Regency romance. Not something I‘d recommend highly, but, if you need to read something during an interminable wait in a doctor‘s office, it‘s just fine. The plot is predictable, but the characters were good, even if the heroine was a bit priggish at times. A sweet romance, if that‘s something you care about. And it‘s a short, easy read.

It doesn‘t matter that I read this Christmas-y book after the holidays. It‘s a lovely story of relationships, second chances, and learning more about yourself, which we all need as much as these engaging characters. The setting is so wonderful, I‘m ready to head for a Vermont inn right now, even as a thin-blooded Floridian 😀

#twofortuesday

1. I gave books to my grandchildren, who are both avid readers. I didn‘t get any, unfortunately, but since hubby has been ill and couldn‘t get out shopping (and has never mastered the art of online shopping), I‘ve gifted myself a few books for my Kindle.

2. This year I bought NoteBags for my daughter and DIL—book-themed handbag/totes that are personalized.

Consider yourself tagged.

I enjoyed this thoroughly, although it‘s in several ways a flawed story. The characters have many contradictions, and often act or react differently from what I expected. The character I found most intriguing was never fully fleshed out, and the book ended with me still wanting to know more about her. Still, it‘s an interesting story, and, growing up in the 50s/60s, I related to the attitudes and the beginnings of rebellion here.

A quick-read Regency romance that shares a number of elements with Sleepless in Seattle: a widower with a young child, who happens to talk to his dead wife, a young woman close to choosing the wrong man, and a child who is determined to get the right couple together. It‘s actually quite original and an enjoyable read.

Something to read while I‘m waiting at auto service. The title appears to be absolutely spot on, as so far it‘s like Sleepless in Seattle transferred to Regency England.

I finished with three weeks left to the year 😊 It wasn‘t a really ambitious goal this year, which worked out well. The past couple of months I‘ve spent a lot of time unexpectedly dealing with my hubby‘s medical issues. When I‘ve had time to read, it‘s been light, easy fiction. Almost no nonfiction, but it is what it is. When I‘ve needed “me time,” a book is still the best place to find it.

To my mind, just as good as the first in this series. A first-rate mystery, but a continued homage to Jane Austen. I love stories with wonderful characters, and they are here in abundance. I‘d read the first book before this one, because it provides a full introduction to Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilley, but I don‘t think it‘s absolutely essential to enjoy this story. Definitely recommend.

#wondrousWednesday

🎄Lots of decorations inside, including a tree, but not much outside.
🎄Hard to choose, but probably the music-related ornaments I received from students over the years.
🎄Impossible question 😄 I‘m going to say Grown-up Christmas List, because I love the message.

Consider yourself tagged.

A nice, holiday-related diversion. If you need some seasonal #romantsy this will fit the bill. Some interesting tweaks to an otherwise standard plot line definitely kept my interest.

I had a hard time choosing which of the dozens, if not hundreds 😂, of unread books on my Kindle would be my next read. I enjoyed the previous book in this new series. I hope this is as engaging.

I need a little brain candy. Why not get a head start on the holiday?

Another fun installment in this series. I wish I had enjoyed it as much as the previous books, but it‘s not a huge drop off. The mystery is secondary to the relationship between Bea and Hargrave as it continues its development. Fun characters, witty dialogue, it‘s a really nice diversion.

I‘m not sure that someone who hasn‘t read the previous books in the series would find this enjoyable, but I thoroughly liked it. An interesting collection of characters solve multiple mysteries. There are magical elements that are integral to the story, and the importance of magic has increased as the series has gone on. I recommend this series if you like historical mysteries and magic, but start with the first book.

I‘ve enjoyed the first two books in The Glass Library series, so I‘m looking forward to this.

A light, easy, enjoyable mystery. Not great literature, in fact the writing felt a bit amateurish, but a well plotted story. A good dose of humor and some fun characters, it‘s a nice diversion. Not a Bakewell pudding, but Black Forest cake from this past summer‘s river cruise was as close as I could get.

I picked this up on a Kindle deal because we visited Bakewell a few years ago. It‘s an easy read so far, nothing earth shattering, but I love that the dog gets to add his voice to the story.

I have been in a woeful reading slump, and let this sit for a month before I actually sat down and read it. As always, I love the characters, and the fact that each mystery involves some scientific/technological advance being made during the Regency. This one wasn‘t as fascinating as others in the series, but I still enjoyed it very much and continue to recommend these books.

#TLT

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