Top Five Tuesday ~ Books With Books On the Cover

Hello Peoples! It’s a great start to a new week. We have a new vehicle and our poor car that was crunched on ice will be ready April 4th! YAY! 🚗 This week Top Five Tuesday is books with books on the cover. Love it! ~Letters, Notes and Scrolls~ are acceptable.

Top Five Tuesday was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. It is now hosted by Meeghan. The link is below ~

https://meeghanreads.com/

I have not read The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin. It is on my TBR list. According to goodreads it is inspired by a true story set during World War II.

Booking the Crook by Laurie Cass ~A Bookmobile Cat Mystery~ This series is so much fun. Minnie Hamilton and her cat Eddie solve mysteries together. Minnie has great friends. Rafe and Kristen are some of my favorite characters! Highly recommend the series!

The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels ~ Robin Windsor is running from a difficult past ~ her family’s past. She has an assumed name. She starts receiving books in the mail and is reminded of someone from her past and wonders why this person is contacting her after all this time. I think I’m going to read this one again.

Misery Loves Company by Rene Gutteridge ~ I read this book a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s different. Jules is kidnapped, wakes up in a strange room with a headache! Mmmm.

Passport to Murder by Mary Angela ~ A Professor Prather Mystery ~ This is a good series. I like it. If you haven’t met Professor Prather, I recommend all the books in this series. The Professor teaches at a university in South Dakota, and she solves mysteries. On a trip to Paris someone is murdered, and she is stuck in Minneapolis. She returns to South Dakota and is determined to solve this puzzling murder mystery.

Happy Reading!

Much love ~

Kathy

Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie

Ariadne Oliver is attending a literary event when she meets the odious Mrs. Burton-Cox. The unpleasant woman strikes up a conversation with Ariadne. During the course of their interaction Mrs. Burton-Cox informs Ariadne, her son Desmond is about to marry Ariadne’s goddaughter Celia Ravenscroft. When Celia was a young girl, her parents died in what appeared to be either a murder/suicide or two suicides. Mrs. Burton-Cox would like to know what happened to Celia’s parents. Mrs. Oliver was on a book signing tour in America when the tragedy happened and has no idea what the truth is. Ariadne contacts her long-time friend Hercule Poirot for help.

Mrs. Oliver did some good sleuthing in this mystery. It was a cold case and there was a considerable amount of gossip and conjecture about the tragic incident. There was hearsay to sift through, but it was an interesting case. The Inspector who investigated the incident, at the time, was never able to determine what was what. Of course, Poirot has connections and between him and Ariadne the truth is discovered. A sad and tragic case.

According to my records I read this book in 2012, so, it’s been a while. Elephants Can Remember is the last of the Ariadne Oliver books. I read them all and enjoyed all of them. I think it’s fun to read them in order.

Happy Reading!

Stone and Sunset by Sibella Giorello

Raleigh Harmon Mystery

Raleigh Harmon’s best friend, Drew Levinson, has agoraphobia. Drew is a brilliant girl. Well, Raleigh and Drew are both incredibly intelligent! As a result of the agoraphobia, Drew is a prisoner in her home. She won’t leave ~ at all! Raleigh has a plan. She manages to convince Drew to leave her home. They travel precariously, by bicycle, to Sunset Gardens to visit her grandmother. It is a retirement home. Shortly after their arrival, Drew discovers someone is stealing from the people who live in the adult home. Drew, knowing Raleigh’s talents for sleuthing, gives the mystery to Raleigh. As the young sleuth investigates, Raleigh soon discovers there is a killer amongst the older folks in the home.

This book is good! I like all the books in the Raleigh Harmon series. The first half of this book is hilarious. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt! I read excerpts out loud to Rick. Then the story becomes serious as Raleigh is trying to solve a mystery. Yes, she discovers there is a person with nefarious intent! Raleigh has one quirky family. Her dad is a judge. Drew has her quirks, but I like them all. They are the characters who make up the Raleigh Harmon mysteries. I highly recommend all of them!

Young Raleigh Harmon Mysteries~

Stone and Spark

Stone and Snow

Stone and Sand

Stone and Sunset

Raleigh Harmon Mysteries ~ oops! I listed these in reverse order!🙄

The Stars Shine Bright

The Mountains Bow Down

The Clouds Roll Away

The Rivers Run Dry

The Stones Cry Out

Raleigh Harmon PI Mysteries ~

The Waves Break Gray

The Moon Stands Still

The Wind Will Howl

Happy Reading!

Top Five Tuesday! Clocks!

Hello Peoples! This week on Top Five Tuesday, it’s books with clocks! I like clocks. We own a cuckoo clock and I love it! Cuckoos are my favorites. I would collect cuckoos, however, our home would be crazy with the sound of cuckoos every hour! Fun!!! Top Five Tuesday was created by Shanah at the Bionic Book Worm. It’s now being hosted by Meeghan. Below is the link ~

https://meeghanreads.com/

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene ~ Who doesn’t love Nancy Drew. I devoured her books when I was a kid. There is a missing will in this adventure!

The Clocks by Agatha Christie ~ Sheila Webb, a typist, arrives at the home of Mrs. Pebmarsh to discover a dead man. Mrs. Pebmarsh didn’t hire a typist and doesn’t know the dead man! Colin Lamb, happens to be walking by Mrs. Pebmarsh’s home when Sheila discovers the deceased man and calls on Hercule Poirot to investigate the murder.

Chime and Punishment by Julianne Holmes ~ Ruth has inherited her grandfather’s clock shop, Cog & Sprocket! Years ago, a fire destroyed the town’s clock tower. Ruth is thrilled to have the job of repairing the clock tower and have it running again. Of course there is a opposition, until said person is discovered dead!

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells ~ Our hero invents a time machine. I don’t know if you’ve seen the classic film, The Time Machine (1960) but he has the coolest time machine ever! Our inventor propels himself through time in an interesting adventure!

Wish by Leanna Sain ~ This is a story about grief, family and a wish on the Believe-Meter and adventure.

There you have it. Clocks. I hope everyone is comfy and enjoying the beginning of spring! Do you know any good reads with clocks on the cover? Have you read any of the above books? Share in the comments below.

Much Love ~

Kathy

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Joyce, a young girl, at a Halloween party announces she saw a murder once. She reports at the time she didn’t know it was a murder, but now that she is older and has time to think about what she saw, she realizes it was in fact a murder. A short time later Joyce is discovered dead. She was drowned in the tub used for apple bobbing. Ariadne Oliver, is helping at the party. When the girl’s body is discovered she contacts her friend, Hercule Poirot to investigate and solve this baffling mystery.

Who would murder a child? It’s a puzzle, but Poirot is determined to solve the mystery. When he arrives at Woodleigh Common, he visits his friend, Superintendent Spence, who is retired and living with his sister in Woodleigh Common. As Poirot talks to the residents of the village, he learns an au pair is missing, some think her employer’s will was suspicious and a man was stabbed, and the killer was never known. So! There is a considerable amount of information to keep those little gray cells occupied. I liked it. I thought there was a devious presence in the background, just out of sight and it was a tad creepy. It’s a good mystery!

This is the second time I’ve read Hallowe’en Party. The film with David Suchet is somewhat different, but the same general idea.

Happy Reading!

Hallowe’en Party (2011) David Suchet Zoe Wanamaker

A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

A woman’s body is discovered at a prehistoric stone circle in Avebury, not far from Stonehedge. Chief Inspector Brian Leslie is sent to investigate the death of the woman. After a thorough investigation Inspector Leslie is unable to discover the identity of the woman, or the person who murdered her or why she was murdered.

Meanwhile, Ian Rutledge is wrapping up a case, when finished, Scotland Yard sends Ian out to Avebury to investigate, with fresh eyes, the murder Leslie was unable to solve. It’s a tough case with little to go on, however, Ian is tenacious and does solve the mystery.

It was a good mystery and as always, well written. I didn’t know who the killer was, however, there was a good clue at the beginning of the investigation that pointed to a suspect. As usual, Ian is a great guy. He’s quiet and smart, with good instincts and unfortunately the ever-present Hamish, the voice in his head is troubling him. Ian Rutledge is one of my favorite fictional characters. I highly recommend this series!

Happy Reading!

It’s A Beautiful Day~

Hello Peoples! It’s 45 degrees right now. The high today is suppose to be 52 degrees. The temps have been great this week, but I’ve been cold. Rick and I went to Inca Restaurant for lunch today. We just returned home. Great food. I have cheese enchiladas, rice and beans. Rick had enchiladas, tamales, rice and beans. It was very good. We will be eating at that restaurant in the future!

I hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day. I didn’t do much. I went for a walk. 🚶‍♀️ A walk is always a good idea.

Much love ~

Kathy

March 15

Hello Peoples! Today is my birthday!🎂🎈 Rick and I went out for breakfast. I had pancakes.🥞 So yummy. We spend the day in bookstores. We read magazines. We went for a walk. I have a chocolate birthday cake! I like birthdays!

It was 61 degrees today, good weather for a birthday.

Currently Reading ~

A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd

An Ian Rutledge Mystery

I hope you had a great day!

Much love ~

Kathy

Third Girl by Agatha Christie

I am happy to say, Ariadne Oliver and Hercule Poirot work together in this puzzling mystery. Ariadne does some good sleuthing. However, Poirot solves this puzzle.

A young woman visits Poirot at his home and declares, she is a murderer. She also tells Poirot; he is too old!🧐 Shortly thereafter she flees. Poirot is mystified and intrigued. So, with Ariadne’s help, he investigates. Ariadne reveals the young woman’s identity. Poirot meets her family. He learns of her childhood. He meets the two women she shares a flat with, but he cannot find evidence that she is guilty of murder. The young woman is missing for most of the book. But Poirot and Ariadne persevere. When in a tight spot Ariadne can certainly tell a tale! She’s a great character, one of my favorites.

If you’ve seen the film, it is a little different from the book.

Ariadne Oliver (Zoe Wanamaker) 2008

It’s morning! Rise and Shine!

Hello Peoples! Yesterday evening I was cold. I was sitting by the fire and had a brilliant idea!😁

Kathy: “Rick where is our Scrabble game? Let’s play Scrabble.”
Rick: Silence

He brought out the Scrabble game and Yahtzee. We played both games. He beat me at Yahtzee, five out of six games. I beat him at Scrabble two out of three games. It was a good night.

It’s zero degrees right now. The high today is 41! I will go for a walk when it warms up. 🚶‍♀️

Currently reading ~

Third Girl by Agatha Christie

Much love ~

Kathy