Murder, She Wrote ~

Murder, She Wrote Blood On the Vine by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

Jessica Fletcher is traveling to Napa Valley, California. She wants to write a murder mystery set in a vineyard. Her friend from Scotland Yard, Inspector George Sutherland is joining her. Soon after arriving at the B & B her and George are staying at, she hears of a murder of a waiter, a few months old now. The restaurant, where the waiter worked, is owned by the Bill Ladington. Not the nicest guy there is, but Jessica is soon invited to Ladington’s castle. Hours after meeting the man, he is discovered dead. It is thought to be suicide, but his son, Bruce, insists he was murdered. After Bruce asks Jessica and George to investigate the death of his father, Jessica and George are not only investigating murder but uncovering secrets of a dysfunctional family.

Good mystery. I did solve it, but I don’t mind solving murder mysteries now and then. I thought it was well-written, at a good pace and I was happy to see George in the story. 4 **** stars!

Murder, She Wrote The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain & Renee Paley-Bain

I liked this mystery. I did. It does have woo woo in it, I don’t like woo woo, but the woo woo is ridiculous and funny. I shake my head. In spite of the woo woo, it was good. It’s a well written mystery, with a large, creepy house and an even creepier, dark basement. The house is stuffed with books. A creepy handyman is skulking around and some say there is a ghost. I don’t read ghost stories, however, I have learned, when one reads many books, eventually one will read a book with a ghost in it. So, there you have it. 4 **** stars!

Happy Reading!

Wondering Wednesday ~

What’s your favorite way to help an author?

Hello Peoples! Welcome to Wondering Wednesdays. You might ask, what is Wondering Wednesdays? It’s a weekly post to learn about me and other bloggers. To learn more about Wondering Wednesdays click on the link below ~

Wondering Wednesdays Posts Archives – A Baker’s Perspective (abakersperspective.com)

Today’s question ~ What’s your favorite way to help an author?

I like physical books. I don’t enjoy reading books on my computer or an e-reader or kindle etc. So, my favorite way to help an author is to purchase the book, read it and recommend it to my friends and acquaintances. I do borrow books from the library too. I write reviews of the books I read on my blog. I do enjoy that, but I can’t really say, writing reviews is my favorite way to help an author. Before CO-VID Berkley Prime Crime mailed books to me, I read them and wrote reviews on my blog. I did like that. I loved receiving books in the mail. Their mail is limited during CO-VID, so hopefully, after their mail returns to normal, I can continue reading and writing reviews for Berkley. I am happy to say, I connected with a few authors reading and writing reviews for Berkley! I enjoy that!

Happy Reading!

Much love ~

Kathy

Top Ten Tuesday ~ My Ten Most Recent Reads ~

Hello Peoples! This week on Top Ten Tuesday we are sharing our ten most recent reads. I can do that. 😁 For more information on Top Ten Tuesday, just meander on over to Artsy Reader Girl.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. Loved it!

The Dark Heart of Florence by Tasha Alexander. Lady Emily and Colin are, once again, embroiled in another mystery.

Fishing For Trouble by Elizabeth Logan. Someone dies in the Bear Claw Diner.

Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd. Love the Ian Rutledge Series.

April Food Dead by Carolyn Hart. I am so addicted to Max and Annie Darling and the Death On Demand Mysteries.

The Cover Story by Deb-Richardson-Moore. Two college students are in an automobile accident on their way home. One is killed. The other has an interesting story to tell.

Murder In the Margins by Margaret Loudon. The reader travels to England where Penelope, writer in residence, becomes involved in a mystery when the chair of the Worthington Fest is found dead.

Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn Hart. Max and Annie Darling are back in another Death On Demand mystery.

The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis. I’m not sure I liked this one. Mmm. It’s a Bronte Sisters Mystery.

Engaged to Die by Carolyn Hart. LOL! Max and Annie Darling are once again involved in a mystery.

There you have it. My last ten reads. Happy Reading!

What was your last read?

Much love ~

Kathy

Book Tag ~ How I Choose My Books

Hello Peoples! As many of you know, I like tags. I’m not crazy about the blogger awards, but I do like tags. So, here I am again, finding another tag. I discovered this fun tag at the link below ~

Book Tag | How I Choose My Books Tag – Whispering Stories (wordpress.com)

Have you met Riddhi? Mmmm. You should. She has a fun blog.

The original created ~ The ‘How I Choose My Books’ Tag (ORIGINAL). | thebookishunderdog (wordpress.com)

Bang the drums, throw the confetti blow the kazoo!!!

~ Find A Book On Your Bookshelves With A Blue Cover. What Made You Want To Pick Up This Book?

On A Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the first book in Three Sisters Island. I have read this series from the beginning and enjoyed it. Paul Grayson, the dad, is one of my favorite fictional dads.

~ Think Of A Book You Didn’t Expect To Enjoy, But Did. Why Did You Read It In The First Place?

I didn’t expect to like, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I don’t read ghost stories and I never cared for any of the films, so when I read it, I didn’t have much hope of liking this classic tale. But, I loved it! I’m not sure why I read it. I do like to read a novel by Dickens now and then. So, A Christmas Carol might have been my next choice.

~ Stand In Front Of Your Bookshelf With Your Eyes Closed And Pick A Book At Random. How Did You Discover This Book?

Mimi Lee Gets A Clue by Jennifer J. Chow is hilarious! I laughed out loud throughout the book. If I remember correctly, I chose this book because Jennifer was a new to me author. I decided to give her a try. I’m glad I did.

~ Pick A Book That Someone Personally Recommended To You. What Did You Think Of It?

A friend loaned me N or M by Agatha Christie. She recommended all her books to me, she said, I would love them and I did! She is still my favorite mystery author. N or M is still a favorite.

~ Pick A Book You Discovered Through Booktube/Bookstagram/Bookblogs. Did It Live Up To The Hype?

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens was a disappointment. It didn’t live up to the hype. It isn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

Find A Book On Your Shelves With A One-Word Title. What Drew You To This Book?

Molly by Sarah Monzon. Loved it! The cover drew me to the book!

~ Think Of Your All Time Favorite Books. When Did You Read These, And Why Did You Pick Them Up In The First Place?

Oh my word! That is quite a question! I think all of my favorites were recommend to me. Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, C.S. Lewis, Jan Karon, etc. etc etc.

I tag anyone who reads this. Happy Reading!

Much Love ~

Kathy

Spell the Month in Books ~ May ~

Hello Peoples! I didn’t think that Spell the Month In Books would be such a challenge, but it is for me. At times, I need to get creative to accomplish this task. Jana at Reviews From the Stacks is the creator of Spell the Month In Books. She recommends we create a theme this month, she recommends our favorite genre. Fun idea, however, I trip all over this fun task as it is, so I will pass on the theme.

As many of you know, I’m reading, The Count of Monte Cristo right now. I think it might be the only book I read this month, however, if I do finish it, I will read a mystery. Jog on over Carla’s blog for Spell the Month In Books.

Spell the Month in Books – May 2021 – Carla Loves To Read (wordpress.com)

M ~ The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

A ~ Amanda by Sarah Monzon

Y ~ You Bet Your Life by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

I was going to read Moonstone a few months ago, but I didn’t get to. 😕 Soon, I plan to read it soon. And! My goal is to eventually read all the Murder She Wrote mysteries. I’m doing good. I have several read. YAY!

Much love ~

Kathy

Off I Go ~

Good morning Peoples! It’s a beautiful morning. It’s 63 degrees right now. The high today is 88! That is wonderful! I am looking forward to being warm. I have been cold since . . . well . . . since forever, so heat is good. I’m going to walk to the bakery in a few minutes, however, I usually take a book with me to read, but I’m reading the unabridged Count of Monte Cristo. It’s a hard cover. Have you seen the size of that book??? Rhode Island is smaller! I am having doubts about carrying that 100 pound book to the bakery. *haha* A little exaggeration. 😁

Off I go. Have a great day!

Much Love ~

Kathy

Fresh Brewed Murder by Emmeline Duncan

A Ground Rules Mystery

This is the first book in a new mystery series. The cover art is cute. 😊

Sage Caplin and her partner own a coffee cart in Portland. Sage is excited about her new business and eager to work to make it succeed. However, yup, that’s right she discovers a dead man in front of her cart with a slash across his neck. Of course, the Detective is a lug head and Sage is a suspect. So, Sage tries to discover the identity of the killer as soon as possible.

There is a lot happening in this story, except sleuthing. Sage’s mother is a criminal and in hiding, so, Sage’s mother was a suspect in my humble opinion. Her brother Jackson, is an attorney. Her dad is a detective and then there is Uncle Jimmy. The area has quite a few homeless people, protesters and the deceased did have enemies. Overall, the book was good, but slow at times. I didn’t have a favorite character, but all the characters were fine. There was a considerable amount of information about coffee and life in Portland was interesting. Overall, the book was good, but I thought it needed more sleuthing. I will probably read the next book in the series.

Happy Reading!

Blabberings Ramblings & Musings ~

Hello Peoples! The end of April is upon us. The weather is great right now. It’s in the low 70’s. That was a fast month. Rick and I went out for breakfast this morning. I enjoyed hot chocolate, caprese benedict and café potatoes. Rick had coffee, corned beef hash and toast

It didn’t take much time at all, but we did find the unabridged Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I thought we were going to search high and low for it. Nope. We found it quickly. I have a mystery to finish reading today, then I’m going to start reading The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s a big book! Have you read it?

Favorite Books In April ~

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Checking Out Crime by Laurie Cass

A Bookmobile Cat Mystery

Your Favorites at the Cottage In April ~

April 11, 2021 ~ CC Spin #26 The Classics Club

April 11, 2021 ~ Fishing For Trouble by Elizabeth Logan

April 13, 2021 ~ Top Ten Tuesday

April 19, 2021 ~ The Bookworm’s Tag

Much love ~

Kathy

Wondering Wednesdays ~

What have I learned from COVID?

Hello Peoples! Welcome to my blog and Wondering Wednesdays, a weekly post to learn more about me and other bloggers. If you are a blogger, please join in every week.

What have I learned from COVID? – A Baker’s Perspective (abakersperspective.com)

As I sit here and reflect on the past several months, I think I will start at the beginning. I’m a walker. I walk almost everywhere. In the beginning, I continued to walk, the difference was the empty streets and the quiet. I don’t have a problem with silence or quiet at all, but this was a little different. I thought I had stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone. I was the only person outside. Yes, it was strange. Fortunately, my favorite bakery remained open, but for take-out only. So, I missed the many friends and acquaintances at the bakery and then my friend Gwenda passed away.

Jesus guarantees us, He is with us always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20) So, even though I was not alone, human companionship was gone. That was a very unusual place to be. People are everywhere. Then unexpectedly, people were reduced to the employee at the bakery and Rick. However, I have a constant companion, I have a friend who is with me, even in the midst of unwanted isolation. When I gave my heart to Jesus, He became my constant. My always. As an introvert, I was a little surprised at this continuing lesson. Jesus guarantees us He is with us to the end. Not just during trauma, difficulties or injury, but also during isolation.

Much love ~

Kathy

Fictional Siblings Book Tag #BookTagTuesday

Hello Peoples! Millay has the cutest tags and they are the most fun! Are you following Millay??? Mmmm. Well . . . The link to her blog is below.

Fictional Siblings Book Tag: #BookTagTuesday – Millay’s Musings (wordpress.com)

Drum roll please . . .

Here we go!!!

Your Favorite Fictional Siblings ~

Oh the choices, the choices! I chose three different families. The Vanderbeekers by Karina Yan Glaser, are such a sweet family of children. They have so many adventures together ~ a loving family!

I also chose the March sisters by Louisa May Alcott. Need I say more??? I think not.

I did not want to omit the Penderwicks. Such adventures! They do face challenges, but they face them together.

Siblings Who Hate Each Other ~

My! My! My! Scarlett O’Hara and her sisters in Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Whew!

Favorite Friends Who Should Have Been Sisters ~

Without a doubt, Anne Shirley and Diana Barry in Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Siblings Who Are Complete Opposites of Each Other ~

Branigan Powers and her brother in The Cantaloupe Thief by Deb Richardson-Moore.

Saddest Sibling Death In A Book ~

Oh my word. Beth in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Most Annoying Sibling In A Book ~

I shake my head. Lydia In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Your Favorite Book Featuring A Big Family ~

I’m thinking. 😕

Flurry Sibling – Your Favorite Dog/Human Siblings ~ Flurry???

Barnabas and Timothy in The Mitford Series by Jan Karon. Timothy is an adult, so, maybe I should chose another dog/human pair, however, I can include Dooley. He’s a boy when he meets Timothy.

There you have it. Have a great day peoples!

Much love ~

Kathy