Sunday, July 13, 2025

Review: You Feta Watch Out

You Feta Watch Out You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable read set at the holidays. I didn’t see the guilty party til the very end. although I suspected the why I wasn’t sure of the who. This series has great characters and their interactions feel very realistic. I hope there are more in the series.

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Review: Death in the Wind: A SeaBreeze Island Murder Club Mystery Book 1

Death in the Wind: A SeaBreeze Island Murder Club Mystery Book 1 Death in the Wind: A SeaBreeze Island Murder Club Mystery Book 1 by L. C. Richards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun cozy mystery. I like the characters as they have some interesting relationships. There’s quite a bit of love hate back and forth going on. Maud and Krysteen definitely have a unique relyand a crazy history. One thing that’s a bit different is the sheriff actually welcomes and asks for Mauds help. The murder Club reminds me of the one in Aurora Teegarden series but much more haphazard. They all seem like bored retired ladies with nothing else to do. I look forward to reading the next book in the series

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Review: Apple Pie and Trouble

Apple Pie and Trouble Apple Pie and Trouble by Amber Crewes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good story with Interesing characters. It felt a bit hurried at times which affected the flow of the book. I will try more in the series

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Review: 25 Alive

25 Alive 25 Alive by James Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

crazy ride with womens murder club

It’s amazing how well Patterson keeps readers on the edge of their seats even 25 books later. This book revealed much of the imperfections and insecurity in Lindsay and her friends The killer at large was menacing and too realistic. I hope to never meet anyone like them in my life.


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Review: Private Berlin

Private Berlin Private Berlin by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow what a sadistic antagonist in this installment of the private series. There is also a large amount of history and the impact of the wall on Berlin. I remember the wall coming down and thus book sheds some perspective on the Berliners as it happened and what life was like inside East Germany. This is definitely an intense book and not for the faint hearted.

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Tuesday, July 1, 2025

52 Bookclub summer challenge

 The mini challenge for 52 book club for the summer is a connections based one.  where you follow the daisy chain from one month to the next.  Here are my plans for the books






Jenga fun for Kats Booknerds

 The May theme is Jenga






My Plans:




Risk board game

 July finds us playing Risk for Kats Booknerds







My Plans




Operation without the surgery

 June brings us the classic game of Operation for creating connections
















My Plans







Apr Kat Booknerds Uno

 April's board for Kat's Booknerds connect challenge is based on Uno






















Scrabble Board for Kats Booknerds

 Mar  board for Kats Booknerds Daisy Chain Connect 5 challenge  This month the theme is based on Scrabble








Planned books:

















Books read

  1. On Thin Icing (Bakeshop #3) by Ellie Alexander
  2.  by Maddie Day
  3. Death on Tap (Sloan Krause #1) by Ellie Alexander
  4. Beagles Love Muffin but Murder (Beagle Diner #3) by CA Phipps
  5. Public Anchovy #1 (Deep Dish #3)  by Mindy Quigley



Monday, June 30, 2025

Review: Dominoes, Danzón, and Death

Dominoes, Danzón, and Death Dominoes, Danzón, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This series continues to be an engaging one. This mystery had no cases to solve built in. Both involved guilty parties attempting to implicate innocent individuals. These books are full of cultural information and delicious recipes. If you enjoy cozy mysteries that go deeper into topics you will enjoy this one.

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General Tracking Challenges

 Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  #    48 

Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023 
     47

Finishing the Series  #FinishingTheSeries2025    #8

Finishing the Series travel theme  #FinishingTheSeries2025     #8


Genre Specific

Bookish Books challenge      

What an Animal     #28

    Cruisin thru Cozies  Free Choice #24

    Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal    45    

    Craving for Cozies   #CravingCozies  #   36

    Medical Examiner Challenge-   2 Toe Tags


    Prompt Based Challenges

    Bookworm     45 Read a book that involves a game (board, card, video game)

    Nerd Daily #thenerddaily #nerdreading2024  38 A different nationality:

    Pick your Poison     42 A book by an author who lives somewhere sunny and warm

      RAD Challenge  #aradreadingchallenge       


      Read with Allison  #readwithallison2025      


      Creative Tracking Challenges


      My Reading Journey Bingo   Row #4  Column # 4 19 UFO: Read a book with aliens or fae beings.

      Picture Bingo    Row #  Column #

      Chapter Book Bingo  Jan   Feb  Mar

      Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2025   Row # Column #


      Monthly Criteria


      Monthly Keyword #keywordreadingchallenge⁠  



      Book Challenge by Erin  1st Quarter

      Connect 5  challenge   May Jenga Board

      Monthly Motif #motifreadingchallenge⁠   JUN- “No Biz Like Show Biz”


      Friday, June 20, 2025

      Review: Brie Careful What You Wish For

      Brie Careful What You Wish For Brie Careful What You Wish For by Linda Reilly
      My rating: 4 of 5 stars

      Very well crafted mystery. This one had lots of suspects and then some extra witnesses. The why was very engaging and unexpected. The relationships at the grilled cheese diner are a key part of the storyline and add to the plot. I enjoy the characters and how they have flaws they each need to address

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      Monday, June 9, 2025

      Review: Pudding Up With Murder

      Pudding Up With Murder Pudding Up With Murder by Julia Buckley
      My rating: 4 of 5 stars

      Another intriguing entry in the Undercover Dish series. Lilsh finds herself mixed up in another death that Jay, her boyfriend, ends up in charge of investigating. There’s plenty of suspicion going around and not just about the murder. There’s lots of romantic angst that brings out personality traits that many of the characters are not proud of. Overall a well conceived mystery with lots of character development and many yummy recipes.

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      General Tracking Challenges

       Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  #    46

      Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023 
          45

      TBR 25 in 25  #52

      Back List Reader  #Backlistreader    45

      Audiobook  #2024AudiobookChallenge #  11

       Literary Escapes  (Destination) IL

      Finishing the Series  #FinishingTheSeries2025    yes

      Finishing the Series travel theme  #FinishingTheSeries2025     yes


      Genre Specific

        Cruisin thru Cozies  Free Choice #22

        Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal        43

        Craving for Cozies   #CravingCozies  #   34

        Six Shooter Challenge    Shot # 3

        Medical Examiner Challenge-  1  Toe Tags


        Prompt Based Challenges

        BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenchallenge25  

        Nerd Daily #thenerddaily #nerdreading2024  

        PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge     

        Pick your Poison     61 A book set in the state where you live

          RAD Challenge  #aradreadingchallenge       


          Read with Allison  #readwithallison2025      


          Creative Tracking Challenges


          My Reading Journey Bingo   Row #  Column #

          My Reading Journey Genre Bingo    Row #  Column 

          Picture Bingo    Row #  Column #

          Chapter Book Bingo  Jan   Feb  Mar

          Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2025   Row # Column #


          Monthly Criteria


          Monthly Keyword #keywordreadingchallenge⁠  



          Book Challenge by Erin  1st Quarter

          Connect 5  challenge  Jan  Feb  



          Fairytale Retellings    #fairytaleretellingchallenge  


          Monthly Motif #motifreadingchallenge⁠  


          Review: Murder, She Wrote: Death on the Emerald Isle

          Murder, She Wrote: Death on the Emerald Isle Murder, She Wrote: Death on the Emerald Isle by Jessica Fletcher
          My rating: 4 of 5 stars

          A charming installation in the Murder She Wrote series. This time Jessica gets involved in a death in Northern Ireland. Instead of the cast of characters in Cabot Cove we meet a family in Bushmills. The descriptions of the countryside and town are quite engaging. I did find the characters a bit difficult to keep straight at times bc there were so many. This was also the first time I did an audio book in this series and I’m not sure I would do another. It’s hard to get past the narrator not being Angela Lansbury. She does a wonderful job and did the accents well it’s just Angela Lansbury is so quintessentially Jessica Fletcher it’s a hard task to undertake. All in all I liked this 56th book in the series.

          View all my reviews

            

          General Tracking Challenges

           Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  #    45

          Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023 
              51

          TBR 25 in 25  # 51

          Back List Reader  #Backlistreader    44

          Audiobook  #2024AudiobookChallenge #  10

           Literary Escapes  (Destination) N Ireland

          Finishing the Series  #FinishingTheSeries2025    yes

          Finishing the Series travel theme  #FinishingTheSeries2025      yes


          Genre Specific

          Bookish Books challenge    13

            Cruisin thru Cozies  Free Choice #21

            Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal   # 42     

            Craving for Cozies   #CravingCozies  #   33

            Six Shooter Challenge    Shot # 1

            Medical Examiner Challenge-  4 Toe Tags


            Prompt Based Challenges

             52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2024   3) Title starts with letter “M”

            Nerd Daily #thenerddaily #nerdreading2024  

            PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge     

            Pick your Poison     

              RAD Challenge  #aradreadingchallenge       


              Read with Allison  #readwithallison2025      


              Creative Tracking Challenges


              My Reading Journey Bingo   Row #  Column #

              My Reading Journey Genre Bingo    Row #  Column 

              Picture Bingo    Row #  Column #

              Chapter Book Bingo  Jan   Feb  Mar

              Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2025   Row # Column #


              Monthly Criteria


              Monthly Keyword #keywordreadingchallenge⁠  



              Book Challenge by Erin  1st Quarter

              Connect 5  challenge  Jan  Feb  



              Fairytale Retellings    #fairytaleretellingchallenge  


              Monthly Motif #motifreadingchallenge⁠  


              Review: Gnomeo and Juliet Junior Novelization

              Gnomeo and Juliet Junior Novelization Gnomeo and Juliet Junior Novelization by Molly McGuire Woods
              My rating: 4 of 5 stars

              cute retelling

              A fun retelling of the classic Shakespeare tragedy. It has been long enough since I’d seen the movie to find the plot a fun and entertaining read. There are definitely some chuckles afoot as well as comic hearts floating through the air.


              View all my reviews

                

              General Tracking Challenges

               Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  #    44

              Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023 
                  43

              TBR 25 in 25  # 50

              Back List Reader  #Backlistreader    43


              Prompt Based Challenges

              Board Game Prompts    31. Othello Shakespeare play or retelling

                Bookworm     15 Read a Young Adult novel

                Nerd Daily #thenerddaily #nerdreading2024  

                PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge     

                Pick your Poison     

                  RAD Challenge  #aradreadingchallenge       


                  Read with Allison  #readwithallison2025      


                  Creative Tracking Challenges


                  My Reading Journey Bingo   Row #  Column #

                  My Reading Journey Genre Bingo    Row #  Column 

                  Picture Bingo    Row #  Column #

                  Chapter Book Bingo  Jan   Feb  Mar

                  Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2025   Row # Column #


                  Monthly Criteria


                  Monthly Keyword #keywordreadingchallenge⁠  



                  Book Challenge by Erin  1st Quarter

                  Connect 5  challenge  Jan  Feb  



                  Fairytale Retellings    #fairytaleretellingchallenge  


                  Monthly Motif #motifreadingchallenge⁠  


                  Review: Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man)

                  Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
                  My rating: 5 of 5 stars

                  charming characters you can’t help but root for

                  Vera finds another mystery to embroil herself in While in many ways the story is improbable the characters more than make up for any eye rolling the reader does about realistic nature of plot. Vera is nosy and good at forcing herself on unsuspecting allies. The characters all seem to be hiding their own secrets but Vera is determined to wheedle the truth out of them. In the end she solves her mystery and grows her family.

                  View all my reviews

                    

                  General Tracking Challenges

                   Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  #    43

                  Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023 
                      42 

                  Alphabet Soup #AlphabetSoupChallenge   V

                  Finishing the Series  #FinishingTheSeries2025    7

                  Finishing the Series travel theme  #FinishingTheSeries2025   7 


                  Genre Specific

                    Cruisin thru Cozies  Free Choice #20

                    Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal     41   

                    Craving for Cozies   #CravingCozies  #   32

                    Six Shooter Challenge    Shot # 3

                    Medical Examiner Challenge-  4 Toe Tags


                    Prompt Based Challenges

                     What's in a Name  #wian2025     #3 first and last name

                    52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2024   52)  Published in 2025

                    Around the Year in 52 Books     51. A book published in 2025

                      Board Game Prompts   42. Simon MC's name is in the title

                      BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenchallenge25  45 2025 new release

                      Beat the Backlist  #BeatTheBacklist   # 47  title starts with “v”

                      HP Professions    28 Gringotts incl a theft

                      PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge     24 Happily single woman

                      Pick your Poison    #38  Something New: A book published in 2025

                        RAD Challenge  #aradreadingchallenge       


                        Read with Allison  #readwithallison2025      49 2025 new release:

                         
                        Unabridged Podcast     


                          Creative Tracking Challenges


                          My Reading Journey Bingo   Row #  Column #

                          My Reading Journey Genre Bingo    Row #  Column 

                          Picture Bingo    Row #  Column #

                          Chapter Book Bingo  Jan   Feb  Mar

                          Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2025   Row # Column #


                          Monthly Criteria

                          Buzzwords  May: to/too

                          Monthly Keyword #keywordreadingchallenge⁠  



                          Book Challenge by Erin  1st Quarter

                          Connect 5  challenge  Jan  Feb  



                          Fairytale Retellings    #fairytaleretellingchallenge  


                          Monthly Motif #motifreadingchallenge⁠