December's Bookish Art....

 

Vittore Carpaccio -- The Virgin Reading

"That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong."

--F. Scott Fitzgerald

What I've been reading....

 

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs is the first book about Charles and Anna Cornick, alpha and omega werewolves. It's also the book that introduces Asil, a very old and sometimes very scary werewolf known as the Moor, who is the focus of Briggs' latest book Blind Date With a Werewolf. 

It'd been so long since I first read Cry Wolf, I wanted to reread it so I could better remember Asil's backstory. And I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed it even more this second time around. Anna and Charles are great together. And there's lots of good action, suspense, and magic in it. 

Blind Date With a Werewolf, on the other hand, was unexpectedly funny! All the things that go wrong on Asil's five blind dates just made me laugh. I loved Asil's humor through it all, even as the body count climbed. Each blind date is like a separate short story, but a connecting thread seamlessly weaves them all together. I wasn't sure I would like this format, but Patricia Brigg's writes so well, her books are the epitome of urban fantasy. And this novel is delightful. I ended up giving it 5 stars because it was just so fun. 

Happy Reading!

Randomness...

 I've been listening to (and loving!) Alex Warren's new album You'll Be Alright, Kid. I started to list my favorite songs, but then realized I was listing them all, so instead I will just say that this entire album is amazing and I love every song on it. 

Went and saw the movie Now You See Me: Now You Don't. It's as entertaining and humorous as the first one. I love a good caper movie, and with all the magic tricks and illusions in this one it's non-stop fun. 

More glad things from last month:

• Had a relaxing and fun Thanksgiving weekend, with three days off from work and lots of game-playing time with my family.  
• Checked lots of good books out of the library that I'm looking forward to reading this month.
• Watched the Olympic Curling trials on TV. (I love curling!)
• Found a few new healthy recipes using red lentils and garbanzo beans that turned out to be really yummy. 
• BYU's football team pulled off an 11-1 season, which made me very happy. And they've still got the Big12 Championship game to play on Saturday. Fingers crossed they play well and go on to the college playoffs. 
• But my best glad thing is the many kind comments all of you leave on my blog each week. Your support and friendship mean the world to me. So thank you! 

Happy Reading!

Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima

 

The plot:  This is the 10th novel in one of my favorite K-9 mystery series. Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker, and Cole's two daughters, Sophie and Angie, and their three dogs are out snowshoeing when they hear a terrified scream. Mattie, who is a deputy and K-9 handler with Timber Creek's Sheriff's Department, goes to investigate with her dog, Robo. What they discover is the body of someone they know. And he didn't die from an accidental fall; he was pushed. Once again, Mattie finds herself involved in a puzzling murder investigation. 

My thoughts: I love Mattie and Cole; they have such a supportive and respectful partnership. And Mattie's German Shepherd, Robo, is full of personality. He's one of the main reasons I love this series so much. I also like that Colorado setting. The mystery was good, too. But it's these characters and their development over the course of this series that makes these books so memorable and appealing. (And also why I recommend starting with the first book, Killing Trail.)    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Other books in this series I've reviewed:

Stalking Ground #2

Hunting Hour #3

Burning Ridge #4

Tracking Game #5

Hanging Falls #6

Striking Range #7

Gathering Mist #9

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme:  THANKFUL/THANKSGIVING FREEBIE.

• I had a bit of a scare earlier this year when I experienced a vitreous gel separation in my right eye. But thankfully, it didn't tear my retina. I am thankful for sight.
• I had a book published in October all because my sister suggested that we write a story together for Kindle Vella. I am thankful for my sisters. 
• I am thankful for my nieces and nephews who go to movies with me, include me in their birding excursions, and who like to hang out and play board games with me. Being an aunt is a true blessing in my life.
• I am thankful for parents who taught me not only to read, but to love books.
• I am thankful that I have a home that has heat in the winter, AC in the summer and indoor plumbing; a car that gets me to work everyday; a job that I like; enough food to eat; and access to medicine. They are blessings I do not take for granted. 
• I am also very thankful that I live in a country that guarantees me certain inalienable rights, freedoms, liberty, and opportunities. 
• Most of all, I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the mercy, hope, love and grace He brings into my life. 

I am truly blessed!

Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith

 "It may sound corny, but what's wrong with wanting to fight for your country. Why are people reluctant to use the word patriotism?" 

--Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy Stewart is one of my favorite actors, so when I saw this biography, I couldn't resist checking it out. Here are a few tidbits from this interesting look at Stewart's life and military service in World War II:

• Stewart played both the accordion and the piano.
• When he went to New York after college to pursue acting, he roomed with his friend, Henry Fonda, who also liked to build model airplanes.
• Once he moved to Hollywood, Jimmy Stewart started taking flying lessons.
• Then, in May of 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a pilot.
• He flew a B-24 Liberator (a large bomber plane) with the Eighth Air Force and took his squadron to England in 1943 where he made over 20 successful bombing runs from the coast of France all the way to Berlin. 
• He was humble, steady, studious and skilled, and rose in rank from PFC to Colonel, eventually commanding the 2nd Combat Bomb Wing.
• After the war, from 1945-1968, he served in the Air Force Reserve, achieving the rank of Brigadier General. 
• He also starred in over 80 movies from 1935-1991, winning a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Philadelphia Story in 1941.
• He was the highest ranking actor in military history, and was buried with full military honors in 1997. 

(And reading this book made me like him even more.)

Happy Reading! 

Haiku Reviews...

 

Dear Bob... written and complied by Martha Bolton with Linda Hope

(Bob Hope's wartime correspondence with the G.I.s of WWII.)

Bob Hope entertained

thousands of G.I.s in WWII;

they loved him for it.

Nonfiction .... 306 pages .... 5/5 stars.

(Nobody supported the troops like Bob Hope did. "Laughter was his ammunition. Peace was his mission. Hope was his name.")

 

Secret or Shutout by Leah Brunner

Hockey goalie falls

for his Captain's sister. Can

she trust him with her heart?

Sweet hockey romance .... 323 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(I've enjoyed all of Brunner's hockey romances. Go Eagles!)

Judge's Girls by Sharina Harris

Daughters. Stepmother.

Black. White. Grieving the man they

all loved the best.

Fiction .... 322 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(A novel of loss, forgiveness, family and love.)

Happy Reading!

The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

 "It is a truth universally acknowledged that women since time immemorial (or at least since 1995) have been obsessed with Colin Firth. My mother was no exception."

The story:

American Tess Bright has just scored the role of Catherine Morland in a new movie production of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, a book her mom loved.

Hugh Balfour is playing Henry Tilney. 

He's a method actor from England who has immersed himself in the Regency era. And he doesn't think much of Tess.

She's all heart and exuberance (and messes), good at improv, and determined to make Hugh like her. Or at least run lines with her.

They're filming in Hampshire, England, near where Austen lived and also near Hugh's ancestral estate.

Then a freak electrical accident sends them both back in time to Jane Austen's era, two hundred years in the past, where they only have each other and their acting skills to rely on. 

My thoughts:

Delightfully witty and utterly charming. It was so much fun to watch Tess and Hugh navigate the courtesies and customs of the Regency Period all while snipping and snarking at each other. I loved how Tess comes to better understand Hugh's quirks and guardedness, and how she draws him out of his introvert shell. And Hugh helps Tess deal with her grief over her mother's passing and learn to smile and love again. They were an entertaining couple. And all their time travel tribulations and trials were very entertaining. I enjoyed their banter and their friendship and romance and that awkward moment when Tess got to meet her hero, Jane Austen herself.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

November's Bookish Art....

 

William Oliver the Younger
Portrait of a Lady Reading a Book

"I think books are like people in the sense that they'll turn up in your life when you most need them."

--Emma Thompson

Flipping the Birdie by S.L. Woeppel

 

The plot:  Birdie Bowden, aka the Chicago Bird, got her superpowers when she was a teen-ager. Her mother shipped her off to a government training facility when she was 18. Now she's Chicago's official super, but things are not going well. Even though she has a perfect save record, her bad attitude, hot temper, and tendency to swear at inappropriate moments has won her the label of Superbitch. And gotten her suspended for the next eleven weeks...with mandatory therapy. It gets even worse when her therapist challenges her not to use her superpowers. Because without them, who is she? 

My thoughts: This book is irreverent, funny and full of quirky characters--Bernadette 'Birdie' Bowden included. I loved her new bestie, Evie, who invites Birdie to come stay with her at her beach cottage, and I also really liked Evie's handsome but very grumpy brother, Aiden. Birdie's journey to find herself was both poignant and humorous. She's snarky and sarcastic but also insecure about her own worth. Her own mother had her sent away after all. And she doesn't believe any man could love her. Not with her superpowers making her so much stronger and faster. But Aiden is determined to prove her wrong. I liked the two of them together--though their romance does get pretty spicy. All in all, this was a very entertaining and fun read. And a nice change of pace.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Patton's Prayer by Alex Kershaw

 December 1944.

Bastogne, Belgium.

The Battle of the Bulge. 

"Perhaps God saved me for this effort."

--Gen. George S. Patton

"Drive like hell!" That was Patton's order for the tankers of his 4th Armored Division who had been tasked with reaching Bastogne. ... "Gentlemen," said Patton," this is a hell of a Christmas present, but it was handed to me and I pass it on to you. Tonight, the Third Army turns and attacks north. I would have much preferred to continue our attack to the east as planned, but I am a soldier. I fight where I'm told, and I win where I fight!"

This is a 5-star book of resilience, courage, faith and victory in World War II. Kershaw does an amazing job of relating the key role Patton's Third Army, and Patton himself, played in the Battle of the Bulge. It's an incredibly compelling narrative told with emotion, honesty and urgency. Though well-researched and full of detail, not once does it bog down. It's informative in the best possible way. I read it in two days and came away with a new appreciation for Patton, the men he commanded like Creighton Abrams and his 37th Tank Battalion, the 4th Armored Division, and the 101st Airborne who held Bastogne against all the odds while waiting for reinforcements to come. What a story! I loved it. 

"Just how important was Bastogne?"

"It was as important as the Battle of Gettysburg was to the Civil War." 

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme:  THE FIRST 10 BOOKS I RANDOMLY GRABBED FROM MY SHELVES.

It's an eclectic mix...but then I am an eclectic reader. 

1. Altar of Eden by James Rollins

2. Soulless by Gail Carriger

3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

4. Highland Fling by Katie Fforde

5. Lost by Sharon Bolton

6. The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

7. Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

8. Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris

9. Wreckers by George Ellis

10. Emily Hudson by Melissa Jones

Bonus book:

The Awkward Age by Henry James

Happy Reading!

Randomness...

 Got this new card game, Zombie Chickens, last month, and it is SO much fun to play. And so easy to learn. During the day, you build up your farm's defenses to then hopefully defeat the zombie chickens that attack each night. There's a collaborative version, a competitive version and even a solo version. I like all three.

A Northern Flicker has been hanging around my backyard all month. They're such captivating birds, and have such plaintive cries.  I hope he sticks around all winter long. 

Some other glad things that have happened lately:

• Had another fun game night with my nephews and nieces; we played a rousing round of the Disney game Villains.
• Got my flu shot.
• A record amount of rain fell in Utah in October...a blessing we very much needed. 
• BYU's football team is on a winning streak. Go cougs!
• I went on a lovely fall hike with my sister.
• Heard from a friend.
• I also went and saw that new movie Springsteen. It's awesome! 
• But my biggest glad thing is all of my blogging friends who bought, downloaded, and read my novella. Your friendship and kindness and support mean the world to me. Thank you!!!

Meet Moose!

 

This Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound was the inspiration for Moose (whose real name is Sigmund), my favorite character in Ghosts of Grayhaven, the novella my sister and I wrote. We hope to write more about Moose in the future, because he's not your ordinary hound. He has supernatural skills. And he's very loyal to both Zeb and Mariah. If you want to read about him, or are looking for a quick story of ghostly suspense to read on Halloween, you can check out our novella at the link above. It's got a warded cemetery, a vengeful ghost, some humor and a little romance. And an amazing dog named Moose. 

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is a HALLOWEEN FREEBIE.

So, I decided to go with Books with Midnight in the Title because Midnight and Halloween just seem to go together. Have you read any of these? I've read about half of them.

1. The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James.

2. Midnight Creed by Alex Kava

3. Midnight Blood by Adam Wright

4. 13 Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

5. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

6. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

7. What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther

8. Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

9. The Midnight Line by Lee Child

10. Mist of Midnight by Sandra Byrd

Happy Reading!

Night Watcher by Daphne Woosoncroft

 

The plot:  Nola Strate is a late-night call-in radio host in Portland, Oregon, whose favorite babysitter was murdered by a serial killer known as the Hiding Man when she was only eight. His masked face has haunted her ever since. Now, twenty years later, a radio caller makes her suspect that the Hiding Man is back. And this time, he's coming for her. 

My thoughts:  This book is tautly plotted and very suspenseful. Nola is a relatable and sympathetic character. (Though I really didn't like her father.) Her creeping suspicion that she's being watched while not knowing by whom, along with her growing sense of unease as she senses the Hiding Man closing in on her is truly unsettling. This novel is well-written, has fast pacing, and keeps you guessing about what's really the truth and who Nola can trust. I liked that about it. It's a compelling psychological thriller.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

The Paranormal Ranger by Stanley Milford Jr.

 "As interesting as the paranormal may be, sometimes there is simply a logical explanation for the phenomena that people encounter. My job as a Navajo Ranger--even as The Paranormal Ranger--wasn't to prove that the paranormal was out there. It was simply to investigate the cases that came my way and do my best to find the truth. ... I truly did try to be like Sherlock Holmes when I investigated these cases, taking nothing for granted and doing my best to solve the puzzle. It was just as satisfying when that puzzle turned out to have a mundane cause as a paranormal one. The important thing was finding the truth."

"While, as an investigator, I would prefer to always have evidence and answers, my experiences with the paranormal have taught me to coexist with mystery when I must." 

This was my nonfiction book for the month of October, and it was an interesting one. Stanley Milford is part Cherokee, Part Irish, and half Navajo. Growing up, he spent every summer in the Navajo Nation with his father and grandparents learning the stories, traditions and beliefs of the Navajo. When he grew up, he became a Navajo Ranger, a law enforcement branch that patrols the vast, remote  regions of the Navajo Nation protecting ruin sites and archaeological artifacts, dealing with fish, game and livestock, and enforcing the laws. But his job also came to include investigating paranormal activity such as Bigfoot and UFO sightings, Skinwalkers, witch curses, and even ghostly hauntings. It was a fascinating look at his many strange encounters over the years as a Navajo Ranger. I enjoyed the way he writes and really appreciated his outlook on life. 

"For me, paranormal investigation is less about what's Out There than what's right here in front of us:  a chance to connect with and help one another and to do our very best to make our world a better, kinder place than it was the day before."

Happy Reading!

 

 

Haiku Reviews...

 

Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Carl and Princess Donut

level up. Fight new monsters.

Face puzzling quests.

Fantasy .... 351 pages .... 5/5 stars.

(This second Dungeon Crawler Carl book is just as fun and adventurous as the first one.)

Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe

Aliens? Or 

something else? El and Carter

team up to find out.

Romance + Mystery .... 316 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Fun story. She's an influencer; he works for a secret government agency. They're complete opposites, but somehow perfect for each other. I loved their romance....though there were a few steamy scenes I skipped over.)

5 Good Minutes of Mindfulness by Jeffrey Brantley, MD and Wendy Millstone

Focus. Breathe. In, out.

Be in the moment. Reduce 

stress. Find calm and peace.

Self-help .... 183 pages .... 5/5 stars.

(So helpful! And so easy to practice.)

Happy Reading!

October's bookish art...

 

Jacques-Emile Blanche -- Woman Reading, 1890

"I love books. I like that the moment you open one and sink in to it you can escape from the world, into a story that's way more interesting than yours will ever be."

--Elizabeth Scott

Two favorite ghostly series...

 

The Haunted Child by Dawn Merriman

Rylan Flynn nearly drowned when she was a kid, and ever since her near-death experience she's been able to see and talk to ghosts. This time she's hoping the dead can help her solve a murder. I really like this series. Rylan's a fun character, though she was a little stubborn and reckless at times in this one. Still, her interactions with all the different ghosts are always great. It's the living she has to watch out for. I've read four books in this series so far and enjoyed them all. They're fast and fun paranormal mysteries.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fallen Wishes by J.L. Bryan

Ellie Jordan is a ghost hunter, investigating hauntings and trapping troublesome spirits. She's been hired by a young widow to find out the truth behind the entities stalking the ruins and gardens of a large plantation outside Charleston, South Carolina where the long-buried secrets are dark and terrifying. This is another fun one from J.L. Bryan. I love this series and always enjoy Ellie's suspenseful ghost adventures. And this one is a great October read even if it's summertime for Ellie and Stacey, her partner in ghosthunting.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates

 "For as long as anyone can remember, Doubtful, has been home to a serial killer."

They call him the Stitcher. People vanish when he comes around. When they're found, their bodies have been dismembered and sewn back together in unnatural ways. Some think it's a monster, a supernatural creature that stalks their town. Others are sure it's a man called Charles Vickers. But everyone agrees there are rules you need to follow in order to stay safe when the Stitcher comes hunting. 

1. Lock your doors and windows, and don't go out after dark.
2. Never travel alone.
3. Tell someone where you are going.
4. Stay in areas with lots of people.
5. Don't rely on technology...it breaks.
6. Stay away from Charles Vickers.

Abby, Riya, Rhys, and Connor know the rules. So does Abby's younger sister, Hope. And they always follow them. That's why it's such a shock when Hope is taken. Abby knows the police can't help. It's up to her and her friends to find Hope themselves. 

My thoughts:  I really liked Abby and her friends with their rules and their dreams of one day escaping Doubtful. And the legend of the Stitcher is downright scary. Coates does an excellent job of building tension and suspense as the Stitcher closes in on Abby and her friends. This book reads fast. It's a well-written YA horror novel that's not graphic or gory; it also has a satisfying ending. I thought it was a very fun October read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Ghosts of Grayhaven by Amy Newbold and Lark Wright

Some of you remember Ghosts of Grayhaven, the Kindle Vella story my sister and I wrote a few years ago. Well, we have revised and expanded it and it's now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and in paperback starting today. So, if you're looking for a haunting novella filled with ghostly suspense this month, please check it out at this link. And tell a friend or two. Maybe even leave a review? My sister and I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you have just as much fun reading it.

Happy Reading!

 

Outland by Dennis E. Taylor

 "When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, it's up to six university students and their experimental physics project to prevent the end of civilization."

The plot:  It's Richard's and Kevin's applied physics project, Matt's computer system, and Bill's engineering skills that bring Kevin's theory of an interdimensional portal into existence. What they find on the other side is another earth, one where humans never evolved and mammoths and dire wolves still roam. They bring in geology student, Erin, and zoology major, Monica, to help explore this new world. They have dreams of finding enough gold in this other world to fund their experiment and the rest of their education...and also of winning a Nobel prize. But then the supervolcano underneath Yellowstone erupts, changing all their plans. Now they and several hundred university students are just trying to survive in this other Earth, the one they call Outland.

My thoughts:  Disaster/survival reads have always been favorites of mine, and the premise of this one sounded so fun I couldn't resist checking it out. And it was entertaining, with humorous dialogue, funny movie references, and enough science to believe in the characters without getting bogged down in all the technological details. It's a go-with-the-flow kind of novel. And Taylor keeps the story moving at a good clip. But in juggling so many characters, not all of them are fully fleshed out. There were times I completely forgot Kevin was even in the room; and I felt Matt's martial arts skills should have been used in the story at least once. But the main characters had enough personality and hints of backstory to make them likable and interesting. I did think some of their survival preparations got glossed over, and their stay in Outland felt a little too easily managed, with a lot of the details happening off page. So it's not perfect, but I enjoyed it. A fun popcorn kind of read. And one I gave 4 stars.

Happy Reading!

Randomness

 10 Things I think we need more of in the world:

• Kindness
• Forgiveness
• Faith
• Positivity & Hope
• Dialogue
• Civility
• Integrity
• Understanding & Empathy

Because what we put out into the world is what we get back. Negative words only lead to more negativity. Hate only begets more hate. And that makes the world a very dark and violent place. But the opposite is also true. Kindness, civility, gratitude, and love can fill the world with light and peace. And who doesn't want that?

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme:  BOOK COVERS THAT GIVE OFF FALL VIBES. Only I changed it up a bit. Because when I think of books with fall vibes, I think of books with school settings...whether boarding schools, private colleges, etc. So that's what I went with for my list today, BOOKS WITH A SCHOOL SETTING. Some of these I've read, and others are on my TBR list. 

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

The Eights by Joanna Miller

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis

Happy Reading!