Ramblings and What Not ~ And! A Giveaway!!!

Good morning Peoples! The snow finally ceased to fall from the sky and what was on the ground has melted! Spring is here.  🙂  I began to have my doubts spring would ever arrive. Seriously, we had more snow in April than any month in winter! I was outside Saturday morning, puttering in the garden and I uncovered the sweetest little plants trying to peak through to the sunshine. They were probably scared snow would bury them again. I’m walking more and I’m riding my bike. Ahhhh. Blissful sunshine. Warmer temperatures. *sigh* I went to an open house on Sunday. I usually go to open houses when a house is for sale. I enjoy it. I have seen so many wonderful homes. The house I saw Sunday was a historic home that the owners had restored and it was beautiful. Hardwood floors that shined brightly. Think, plush carpeting that my socked feet would sink into when I stepped onto it. Gleaming kitchen appliances and new cupboards and marble looking counter tops. It was a wonderful restoration job.

That’s right, there is going to be a giveaway. The publisher ~ Penguin Random House/Berkley Prime Crime ~ will be sending the book to the winner.

If you are interesting in winning, Only Skein Deep by Maggie Sefton, just leave a comment below informing me you want to be included in the drawing. The publisher is graciously providing the book. This drawing is for USA Residents Only. I will be contacting the winner for a valid U.S. address to e-mail to the publisher. Once I know you are interested, I will include your name in the drawing. The winner will be announced on this blog, Monday, May 7, 2018. I will also post my review of the book that day.

Your favorites, at the cottage, in April ~

~ Ramblings And What Not, April 14th

~ Lovely weather for a picnic! April 18th

~ My Blog’s Name In Books, April 16th

This month I would like to direct your attention to ~

http://www.homesteaddiaries.wordpress.com

Laura is the blogger and she does have a lovely blog. Laura lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She blogs about her life in the hills And! she includes lovely photos. Please run on over and meet Laura. Stay awhile and read her great blog! Enjoy!

Today, Monday, April 30th, Laurie at http://www.cozynookbks.wordpress.com and I are starting a buddy read! I am really looking forward to it. Laurie is so nice. If you haven’t met Laurie yet, skedaddle on over to her blog and meet her.  🙂

Much love ~

Kathy

 

 

 

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Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Crooked House (2017)

Max Irons   Stefanie Martini

Gillian Anderson   Christian McKay

Glenn Close   Christina Hendricks

Honor Kneafsey   Terence Stamp

Amanda Abbington

Wow! I liked it! I thought it was a very good book to film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery. It’s dark.

When Aristide Leonides is discovered dead by his granddaughter Sophia (Stefanie Martini), she hires Charles Hayward (Max Irons) to investigate. She believes her grandfather was murdered and the murderer is living in the home. Charles soon finds himself investigating a sinister family ~ anyone could be the killer! ~ including the lovely Sophia. Highly recommended! If you love Agatha Christie, I believe you’ll enjoy this film!

Have you seen this film? Did you like it?

Enjoy!

 

Classic Movie Friday!

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Jane Russell

Marilyn Monroe

Friends and showgirls Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) and Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) travel by ship to France. They are pursued by a detective (Elliott Reed), hired by Lorelei’s future father-in-law.. He is to find evidence that Lorelei can’t be trusted and she is marrying her fiancé (Tommy Noonan) for his money. The ship is full of Olympic athletes, a tiara is involved and the private investigator catches Dorothy’s eye.

I liked How to Marry A Millionaire (1953) much better, but this film wasn’t bad. I think this was the first movie I have seen with Jane Russell. I liked her.  🙂  And of course, Marilyn has her own unique talent. She certainly had a way of explaining things, and ya know, she wasn’t wrong!!! This is the film where she sings, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.

Enjoy!

The Corpse at the Crystal Palace by Carola Dunn

Publication Date: July 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Minotaur Press

Complimentary copy from Netgalley through St. Martin’s Press.

Daisy finds herself involved in another mystery when she takes her visiting young cousins, twins, stepdaughter Belinda, nanny and the nursery maid to the Crystal Palace for a day of fun. In the midst of all the excitement, Nanny Gilpin goes to the ladies room and doesn’t return. The kids are on an adventure of their own following nannies, while Daisy decides to investigate Nanny Gilpin’s disappearance. Arriving at the ladies room, she discovers the body of another woman dressed in a nanny’s uniform! The children find Nanny Gilpin unconscious in a lake. When Nanny Gilpin regains consciousness, she can’t remember what happened! The Corpse at the Crystal Palace is an energetic mystery with great kids and tons of fun. There are suspects everywhere and Alec is certainly busy with his investigation into the murder, while Daisy is doing her own sleuthing and caring for a busy household. 4**** stars on goodreads!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Classic Movie Friday!

In Search of the Castaways (1962)

Maurice Chevalier

Hayley Mills

Keith Hamshere

Michael Anderson Jr.

Wilfrid Hyde-White

This is a Disney film!  🙂

In Search of the Castaways is a good adventure film for the entire family. Jacques Paganel (Maurice Chevalier) finds a note in a bottle that was cast into the sea. It’s a note from Captain Grant who has been missing and presumed dead. Paganel brings the note and the bottle to Captain Grant’s kids in England. Mary Grant (Hayley Mills), Robert Grant (Keith Hamshere) and Paganel travel to meet Lord Glenarvan (Wilfrid Hyde-White), the owner of the Britannia, the ship Captain Grant was on when he went missing. After some persuasive talking and with the help of John (Michael Anderson Jr.), Lord Glenarvan’s son, they persuade Lord Glenarvan to set a course for South America in search of Captain Grant and the crew of the Britannia.

They certainly have the adventure! They ride on horseback up mountains, experience earthquakes, floods, fire, volcano eruptions, they are captured and all the while Paganel remains cheerful singing songs and enjoying the experience.

Enjoy!

“Lovely weather for a picnic!”

Little Women (1994)

We’re gazing out the window this morning at another snowstorm! We’re going to miss spring and summer entirely and move right into autumn!  🙂

 

My Blog’s Name In Books ~

Lynne over at

https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/

has an activity I thought would be fun, so here I am participating in this meme.

RULES ~

1.) Spell out your blog’s name. haha. (This is where you wish your blog’s name was shorter). I do have a tiny bit of a lengthy name.  🙂

2.) Find a book from you TBR that begins with each letter. (Note: you cannot add to your TBR to complete this challenge – the books must already be on your current TBR list on goodreads.

3.) Have fun!  🙂

I had difficulty with a “G” and an “O.” I got creative! ha!

katiescottagebooks

     

K ~ Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading.

a ~ A Beautiful Place To Die by Philip R. Craig.

t ~ The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine.

     

I ~ In the Dead of Winter by Nancy Mehl

e ~ Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley

s ~ Stowed Away by Barbara Ross

     

C ~ Caught Dead In Philadelphia by Gillian Roberts

O ~ On Love’s Gentle Shore by Liz Johnson

t ~ The Legacy by Michael Phillips

    

t ~ Two Down, Bun To Go by H. Y. Hanna

a ~ A Casualty of War by Charles Todd

g ~ The Golden Key by George MacDonald *I got creative here. haha. I used the “G” in the second word of the title. No “G” titles.

    

e ~ Éclair and Present Danger by Laura Bradford.

B ~ Bilbo’s Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien.

o ~ Our House by Louise Candlish.

     

o ~ The Only Best Place by Carolyne Aarsen. *Once again, I got creative. I used the second word in the title for the “O.”*

k ~ Killer Jam Mystery by Karen MacInerney.

s ~ Swiss Vendetta by Tracee de Hahn.

YEAH! I did it! Woot! Woot! I didn’t tag, but if you’d like to participate ~have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Murder On The Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn

Publication Date: April 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Minotaur Books

Complimentary copy from Netgalley through St. Martin’s Press.

Daisy, a writer, is on a train to Scotland when she unexpectedly meets Anne, a woman she went to school with, along with her complicated family. Daisy soon discovers another surprise, or that surprise found Daisy, when Belinda, the daughter of the Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard is a passenger on the train. Soon, one of Anne’s family members is discovered dead and each person in the family is a suspect.

I like mysteries on trains! This was my first Daisy Dalrymple mystery and I enjoyed it. I thought there were several great characters. Belinda being one of them. I loved her and it was sweet to see how much her dad, the Chief Inspector loved his daughter. Daisy is smart and personable. The mystery is a good who done it, with an Agatha Christie feel to it. I will be reading more Daisy Dalrymple mysteries in the future. 4**** stars on goodreads!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ramblings and What Not ~

Good morning Peoples!  🙂 We are in a blizzard! The meteorologists said it was coming our way, so it is not a surprise. It started yesterday morning when it hailed. It was about 7:00 am, I was sleeping and I heard the hail. After the hail, it was gray and dismal all day and then it started to rain. The rain eventually turned to snow. Two trucks drove by this morning plowing, but if you look out the window, there isn’t any evidence that anyone plowed. Mmm. We’ve had high winds for approximately twelve hours. Brrr.

The good news ~ we have a new toilet!!! *hahahaha* As many of you know, we live in a historic home. Well, because our old toilet was looking used and rustic, we ordered a new toilet and the plumber installed it a couple of days ago. He said, the old toilet was from 1972. That isn’t as old as I thought it would be??? The city gives a rebate to home owners who have new water conserving toilets installed in their homes, so we are getting a rebate. Now isn’t a new toilet riveting blogging news to wake up to!!!  🙂

Much love ~

 

Kathy

 

Classic Movie Friday!

Trouble Along the Way (1953)

John Wayne

Charles Coburn

Donna Reed

Sherry Jackson

Father Burke (Charles Colburn) captured my heart in this classic film. He is such a great guy and has a big heart. I couldn’t help myself. I liked him. Even though this is a John Wayne film, I thought Father Burke was the heart and soul of the story.

Steve Williams (John Wayne) a former football coach and divorced finds himself trying to maintain custody of his daughter. He is hired by a small Catholic college, struggling financially, to whip the football team into shape to save the college. Steve is soon embroiled in a scandal. Alice Singleton (Donna Reed) works for child services and the case worker for Steve Williams and his daughter. In the beginning of the film, I thought she was biased, but later she seems to struggle some with keeping her professional life and private life separate.

I was surprised at the ending of this film. It’s left to the viewer of the film to decide what happens in the custody battle.

Enjoy!