New Release Tuesday

Fall is bursting out all over Vermont, and while the rest of the Congress enjoys its recess, Senator Bernie Sanders has returned to his beloved home state for a weekend of events in Eagle Creek, “America’s #1 Leaf Peeping Destination.” It’s up to intern and Eagle Creek native Crash Robertson to keep the senator on schedule—and out of trouble.

Crash’s hopes for a quiet homecoming are dashed, however, when the lifeless body of a community banker with ties to “Big Maple” is found in Lake Champlain. While the sheriff’s department closes the case as an accident, a leaked autopsy indicates foul play…with a trail of syrup leading directly to one of the senator’s oldest friends. Bernie, taking a page from the cozy mysteries he’s addicted to, enlists Crash in a quest to uncover the killer’s true identity.

If Crash allows the senator to go too far off-script, it will be the end of her yet-to-begin political career. But as the suspect list grows to include a tech bro set on “disrupting” the maple syrup industry, struggling small-business owners, and even Crash’s own family, she realizes there’s more on the line than her own future. If the unlikely duo can’t solve the mystery of the Maple Murderer before they strike again, Bernie’s life-long fight for justice may come to an unplanned end.

HAPPY READING!!

2023 Book BINGO

It doesn't feel like it should be anywhere close to time to start thinking about any sort of reading goals for 2023. However, the end of the year is only a few weeks away. So there seems to be no better than right now!

A new year means another year of Reading BINGO! I have to say I'm pretty proud of what I managed to cross off this year's list. While not my best year, it was a good year. 

I also doubt I'll ever have a year of reading as I did in 2020. That was one of the few upsides to that year. 

 So here is the card we use every year. We don't play with a Free Space anymore, and I cannot remember why. While all my friends who play with us get the chance to squares, I love reaching out to the rest of the Book Community.

What should be on the 2023 board? 

My goal is to get enough ideas to have to write them all down and draw for ideas! One of my friends always has a list going for the next year's idea. So drop me a comment below as to what we should add to the list of possibilities!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

There are stories about the woods around Salvation Creek, about the people who have gone missing. Now their friend is one of them. A riveting, fast-paced YA mystery told entirely through first-person police interviews of four teens over the course of a few hours.

It was all her idea. They would get away from their parents and spend the weekend camping. Down by Salvation Creek, the five of them would make smores, steal kisses, and share secrets.

But sometime around midnight, she vanished.

Now the four friends who came back are under suspicion―and they each have a very different story to tell about what happened in the woods.

The clock is ticking. What are they hiding? Who is lying? Dark truths must come to light if their friend is to be found...

Told entirely through first-person police interviews, this riveting mystery asks: what really happened that night?

HAPPY READING!!

December Spotlight

 

Andrew Shaffer is one of my Top Ten favorite authors! I found him thanks to Quirk Books with his Hope Never Dies series. Which I loved, it's one of those books I have fond memories of reading. Mostly of the weird looks I got on the bus from the actual laugh out loud to the book I'm reading. But those just book nerd problems. And, one of the many reasons I'm excited to curl up next to the fire and read this bad boy in the near future!

Fall is bursting out all over Vermont, and while the rest of the Congress enjoys its recess, Senator Bernie Sanders has returned to his beloved home state for a weekend of events in Eagle Creek, “America’s #1 Leaf Peeping Destination.” It’s up to intern and Eagle Creek native Crash Robertson to keep the senator on schedule—and out of trouble.

Crash’s hopes for a quiet homecoming are dashed, however, when the lifeless body of a community banker with ties to “Big Maple” is found in Lake Champlain. While the sheriff’s department closes the case as an accident, a leaked autopsy indicates foul play…with a trail of syrup leading directly to one of the senator’s oldest friends. Bernie, taking a page from the cozy mysteries he’s addicted to, enlists Crash in a quest to uncover the killer’s true identity.

If Crash allows the senator to go too far off-script, it will be the end of her yet-to-begin political career. But as the suspect list grows to include a tech bro set on “disrupting” the maple syrup industry, struggling small-business owners, and even Crash’s own family, she realizes there’s more on the line than her own future. If the unlikely duo can’t solve the mystery of the Maple Murderer before they strike again, Bernie’s life-long fight for justice may come to an unplanned end.

HAPPY READING!!

November Wrap Up

Personally, this has been a weird month. The first flew by because I was set to go home and see the family one more time this year, but the last couple of weeks have been really long and super stressful. My energy level has been on the ground most days. At this current stage, I'm very much not in the holiday mood. I'm hoping starting Christmas shopping for my people will help with that. My reading was also all over this place this month, and everything was really in the middle of the road. So I gave up and finally deep-dove into some of the cookbooks I bought. That helped, and my current read is weird but I'm liking. Which probably says a lot about the state of my mind. But, that is neither here nor there. 

My Sister-in-law deserves a wonderful shout though because she brought me a surprise book gift from my wishlist. Which was so very sweet of her. They look amazing on my shelves and I will totally, without, a doubt, make time for them. Again PNW just got hit by snow which means everything is shutting down. Which means more time to read! 

Books Read: 6
BINGO Books: 0

Pages Read: 810

Currently Reading: 

Definitely a weird month for me all around. I don't know what to expect going into December both with the blog and other realms. Work is gearing up for the Holidays which should mean more to do, but I'm honestly not super stressed about it. I'm a little stressed, but mostly excited to see how our community likes the new menu. I do have a lot of winter books geared up for December. I don't have a lot of "holiday" books on my TBR. However, there are a few snowy, wintery books that I've been needing to pick up. Plus, I love shopping for gifts for people. So eventually the Christmas bug will bite and I'll feel more with it. I'm just not ready for winter, despite how much snow is currently outside my window.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

After being vanquished in spectacular fashion that included an umbrella with human-puddling capabilities and a darn good show, the beast is transferred to a hidden island and placed in an impenetrable cage where it can no longer hurt anyone or carry out its dastardly plan to make Bethany its next meal. Meaning Bethany and Ebenezer’s lives are finally beast free and they can pursue their do gooding activities in peace—even if the “gooding” part is questionable.

But when it’s revealed that the beast has lost its memory and D.O.R.R.I.S. declares that it’s no longer dangerous, the beast is delivered back to where it came from Ebenezer and Bethany’s house.

Can the beast really be good? Or, if its newfound manners aren’t to be trusted, what could it be planning next?

Why I'm Waiting: I adored the first book, and I had no idea that it was going to be a series! Luckily I have time to snag the second book and get caught up for the third book!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Welcome to the reality game show that'll scare you to death! Have you got what it takes to last the night?

On the reality show, It's Behind You!, five contestants competing for prize money must survive the night in the dark and dangerous Umber Gorge caves, rumored to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden, a ghost who eats the hearts of her victims. But is it the malevolent spirit they should fear, or each other?

As the production crew ramps up the frights, tensions rise and the secrets of the cast member start coming to light. Each of these teenagers has hidden motives for taking part in the show. But could one of them be murder? 

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

  

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

In post–World War I England, a young woman inherits a mysterious library and must untangle its powerful secrets…

With the stroke of a pen, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Ivy has never heard of Blackwood Abbey, or of the ancient bloodline from which she’s descended. With nothing to keep her in London since losing her brother in the Great War, she warily makes her way to her new home.

The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors—a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own.

Rumors swirl in the village about the abbey’s previous owners, ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. And as events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library’s mysteries in order to reclaim her own story—before it vanishes forever.

Lush, atmospheric and transporting, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is a skillful reflection on memory and female agency, and a love letter to books from a writer at the height of her power.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

 

Just me catching up on my back reviews for books that I didn't have enough for a full review but still wanted to show off! Or, in one case whine a little.

This actually has some solid starter recipes in it. Some need some extra spices and a little more oomph to make them a complete dish, and others need to have things removed from them. I cannot stress enough that raising is not a spice or something you use to improve a dish. They do not belong in savory dishes. raisins are for baking. Also, nothing belongs in a jello mold. Food shouldn't jiggle... But yeah, a few of these have potential. 

Nothing in this recipe should be made ever. Never ever! This is, however, a great conversation starter, and made for a great bit of fun for my roommate and me as we flipped through it. While soup cans do make for a great add-in to some dishes, and can be used for more than just soup, a lot of these recipes should not have left the 1970s. I'm not even sure they should have been eaten then either. One of these recipes is just three different cans of soup...

This was adorable and a lot of fun! Some of these places I've heard of before are on my bucket list to visit. One I've been to before and is super cool. Others were new and now are on my bucket list. This was a fun little book that looked great on our mantel over the Spooky Season!

I was really disappointed in this one because A Midsummer Nights Dream is one of my favorite comedies from Shakespeare. I've read it a dozen times and I've seen several film adaptations of it. I quote parts of it often at people. But this was a pretty big letdown. I understand that this is an abridged version, and I didn't mind footnotes breaking down each scene. I get it, that language is hard to read and understand. I even didn't mind the little weird torn parchment-looking bits that also explain what happened. Even if three different explanations felt like overdoing it. What I hated was it felt like the rhythm of the play was lost, and some of the best scenes were cut out of the play to shorten the story. And while the gist of the story was there, for me it felt like it lost its soul. So this was definitely my least favorite read this month.

HAPPY READING!!

Book Haul

 

I never get to bust out this GIF and today seemed like a great day to do it! So over my weekend and ran a few bits and ends to the thrift store. Just some stuff that has stopped sparking joy in my life, and some books I've read and will not be picked up again. Now yes this is an unhaul because I added some books while I was dusting shelves that I felt I'd never really get around to reading. Mostly because I'd forgotten they were on my shelves in the first place.

Anyway, since I was at the thrift store, I had to go in. The goal was to maybe find some work pants. I work in the kitchen so I'm pretty rough on pants. So getting them at a thrift store makes it easier to stomach when in a month or so I've ripped them up or bleached them to all get out. But, again, I've pulled away from this book haul!

While I didn't find any pants, I did luck out on some books. One of which has already sparked much joy in my life. Also, I found the first-ever Boxcar Children book, which was one of my favorites growing up, so I couldn't pass it up. That was the first series I remember falling in love with as a kid. It had to come with him.

All-in-all I managed to only come home with four books and donated almost two bags worth. For me, that's a win. These are also the last books I'm buying until the New Year. I never know what Christmas will bring with my family. Some years a to of books, some years not. Either way, I hold off buying anything just in case. After the holidays though, all bets are off!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

Drizella and Anastasia only know one thing for certain: they will never end up like their mother, Lady Tremaine. When their father left them as young girls, he took what was left of their family’s fortune and their mother’s dignity with him. A few years and one deceased stepfather later, the only version of Lady Tremaine that Drizella and Anastasia know is a bitter and cruel head of the house. Anastasia and Drizella have promised themselves—and each other—that they'll be different. They'll find love, see the world, and never let their hearts go cold.

But both sisters are all too aware of what it can mean when cast into disfavor with their mother and fueled by Lady Tremaine’s tendencies to pit the daughters against one another, Drizella and Anastasia are locked into a complicated waltz of tenuous sisterhood. On the cusp of the royal debut party—their one chance to impress the Prince and live up to their mother’s expectations—the sisters, at last, get a glimpse of what life could be like outside of Lady Tremaine’s intentions: Drizella discovering a love of science and Anastasia sparking a secret romance. But never underestimate the power of a mother whose greatest talents lie in manipulation, and the sisters may learn that even the cruelest of hearts can spill blood.

This first book in the new Disney Villains Dark Ascension series by National Book Award-winning author Robin Benway explores the complex sibling rivalry between the two wicked stepsisters from Cinderella that turned them into the characters we know today.

Why I'm Waiting: While I was never a huge fan of the Disney Princess movies, the step sisters in Cinderella (and the mice) were my favorite characters. So I'm interested in their version of the classic Disney story.

HAPPY READING!!