Icebound

I had read a preview about this book in a literary magazine.  It had intrigued me and thus I was quite happy when my book club chose to read this book in July.  I had started it much later than several members and they had indicated it was a dry read, kind of like reading a text book.  Needless to say, expectations were not high when I started it.  Turns out I liked it better than most.

I just focused on the story and didn't worry about keeping track of characters or the overall history of expeditions to the pole that the author frequently referred to.  This was one of the issues as the book was written from the captain's logs and would be telling a narrative when suddenly the author would switch to talk about other explorers at other periods of time.  Which while interesting facts, lead to a less flowing narrative.  

All in all I enjoyed the book and could find myself visualizing the landscape and the ocean as they were described in the book.  It wasn't written quite in the voice that reads like a novel such as when I read Bad Blood.  But if you enjoy history or travel this is a fascinating non fiction read about William Barents and his polar expeditions.     

Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting non fiction work

While there were times this NF work read like a research paper and took a bit to get into, I did like it. I read it like a story and didn’t try to keep all the names straight. It is a factual account of a historical event and as such there is not a lot of emotions expressed by people in the book. It is still possible to envision their possible emotions during their struggles but they are not explicitly written as the account is sourced from a captains log. If you like reading about risk takers and areas of the world that you haven’t visited this book will appeal to those interests


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #91
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes
3. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #20 genre you never/rarely read
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #98
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #112
6. Non Fiction Reader  #2021ReadNonFic  #6. Oceanography
7. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #16 Set Before The 17th Century
8. Pick your Poison #16-4 A book with a map on the cover
9. Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2021 July – Book Set On An Island
10. 52 books in 52 weeks  #26 mushing

Wine Tastings are Murder

 This is the 5th Poppy McAllister book by Libby Klein.  This cozy is full of recipes, particularly gluten free baking and in this book it also includes some wine info since the book is centered around a wine tasting tour.  The bed and breakfast Poppy is opening with Aunt Ginny has opened and the reservations are low due to some internet trolling in the previous book.  The B&B is the central location in the story and it often feels like an episode of Upstairs Downstairs with plenty of awkward moments of walking in on people and conversations.  

The B&B is also a source of humor with the new chambermaid they have hired after Aunt Ginny drove the previous one away.  The cozy wouldn't be complete without the love triangle and in this case there are 2 different triangles going with the 2 men in Poppy's life.  Gia has a new young barista who is flirting non stop with the sexy Italian.   Tim is spotted with his ex Sous Chef of the trolling incident.  Poppy is put on high alert in both situations and is trying to speed up her choice of which relationship to pursue.  The ending seems to give hints as to her choice but it remains to be seen.  

All this action is mixed in with a well written mystery with plenty of suspects and a reveal at the end that is quite clever.  

Wine Tastings Are Murder by Libby Klein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was probably my favorite book in the series so far. I really enjoyed the characters in the wine tour. I enjoyed how the mystery was crafted and how the guilty party wasn't revealed until the very end. Klein did a wonderful job of showing how making judgements about people can lead you to make false assumptions. This story had some depth for a cozy. I also like how the romantic relationships with Gia and Tim were developed and we start to see how Poppy is torn to make a choice between the 2. There is a glimpse of her decision at the end but only time will tell.
If you like wines then this is a good book that includes some wines and recipes

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #90
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021  Poppy McAllister #5
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #97
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #111
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #63
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #95
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #81
9. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 3
• Bar, store, restaurant-  Winery
• Weapons
• Row 5
• Medicine or drugs
• Detectives- Poppy McAllister
• Victims- Roland/ Michelle
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #21  Shot #5

There There

 This debut novel by Tommy Orange has been on my TBR list since 2020.  I am glad I finally read this book and really enjoyed the story told in the work.  My biggest problem was in style and my difficulty  following the storyline as it switched between the different characters narrating the story.  I think some of this struggle was due to the fact I was listening to the book rather than reading.  If I had been reading a written edition, I could have switched back and forth to keep the characters straight in my head.

The other reason I only gave it a 2 1/2 star review was the ending.  I finished the book feeling like I had been dropped off a cliff.  There were so many unanswered questions regarding the fates of the characters.  Maybe this is a reflection of me as a reader and a need to feel like things are resolved and complete.  I left the book feeling like there was parts of the story missing.   I do think this does indicate I had a real interest in the characters and their lives.  I just want to know what happened to them.  

There There by Tommy Orange
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book and would really have given it a 2 1/2 stars if possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their stories and emotions. I liked the entire premise of the different people of Native American descent coming to the PowWow in Oakland each with their own motivations. The characters definitely interested me and drew me into their worlds and I found myself wanting to learn more about them. I just had a hard time with the erratic nature of the story line at times and struggled to keep the characters straight especially their relationships and their histories. I do think the fact I was listening to the book probably exaggerated this confusion. Perhaps in a written copy there is a character chart with their relationships to each other that helps keep the reader on track.
The other aspect of the book I found troubling was the ending. I felt like I was left without any resolution and a lack of knowledge of what became of the characters. I definitely think this feeling of frustration does attest to the degree to which I became invested in the characters and their stories. If I had not been engaged I probably wouldn't care so much about feeling like I was left hanging to know what became of the characters and their lives.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #89
2. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "O"
3. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #50 includes a 2nd person point of view
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #96
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #110
6. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #16. A book by an indigenous author
7. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #27. SAME FIRST INITIAL AS YOU
8. Pick your Poison #17-4 A book by an author whose name is a color
9. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  yes contemporary fiction
10. Backpacking Bookworm  #bbReadingChallenge2021  Indigenous author/characters
11. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge  book #10

Death Among the Doilies

 This is a spinoff series from Mollie Cox Bryan's Cumberland Creek books.  It is not at all necessary to have read the other series to enjoy this one.  In fact, I didn't get the correlation until very late in the story when Cora's Uncle Jon comes to visit.  

The characters of Cora, Jane and Ruby work well together and it is believable to experience their adjustments and concerns over opening a craft retreat.  The information about the crafts are well mixed into the storyline of the mystery.  I found myself entertained by the descriptions of the broom making classes as well as the candle making.  Anyone interested in crafts will enjoy reading the book.  I found it especially interesting as I actually attended a craft retreat in NC myself.  It wasn't quite the same as it was hosted at a hotel but we did visit the hostess' workshop during the weekend.  This book brought back many memories of my crafting/scrapbooking weekends I have taken over the years.  It makes me want to reestablish this tradition.  

As for the mystery, it is well written and has some subplots that fit well with the story.  They all made sense together and complemented each other rather than be a distraction.  I will say I predicted the outcome a little over halfway through the book but this did not detract from my reading enjoyment at all.  I look forward to reading more in this series.

Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this cozy since it combined my love for mysteries and crafts. I found the characters to be relatable and a good mix of likeable and annoying. They seemed to experience real life emotions. The descriptions of the different crafts were interesting but not so overwhelming as to take over the book. There were plenty of twists and turns and hidden agendas. I look forward to finding more in this series.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #88
2. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #95
3. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #109
4. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
5. Cruisin thru Cozies  Craft cozy #2
6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #94
7. Craving for Cozies  Book #80
8. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
9. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 

Row 3
Free square living room

• Weapons
• Row 1 
• Rope
• Falling object
• Poison, poisoned food
• Motor vehicle (wreck)
• Fire
• Row 2 
• Knife
• Detectives- 
10. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #56  Shot #2

Yule be Dead

As the name implies this next book from the Victoria Square series is set at Christmas time.  With the increased number of shoppers at Artesian Alley there comes increased crimes not limited to vandalism and shoplifting.  Meanwhile Katie finds herself with a surprise visitor, her former Mother in Law, Margot.  This just adds to the stress of the holiday season even before she finds herself mixed up in another criminal investigation.  As if that isn't enough she has the opportunity to expand her business holdings and has an offer that makes it easier but has possible strings attached.   All these decisions and a business to run and vendors to keep happy.   

In addition to the business stressors there are plenty of personal anxieties as well.  Katie isn't sure how she's going to do it all and keep here relationship afloat with Andy.  The atmosphere of the small town at the holiday season is well written but at times the book feels like it has too much going on with a few too many subplots.  They do help to show more of the characters' personalities but it does feel a bit overwhelming at times. 

Hopefully the next installment will settle the story down a slight bit.  

 

Yule Be Dead by Lorraine Bartlett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although I found this story to be an engaging read in the Victorian Square series for some reason this felt a bit forced. I think the story just didn't flow as well as it had in some of the previous books. I will say the characters were definitely honest in their representations of emotions people experience. The jealousy and anger that Katie and Andy experience in this book seemed realistic. The struggle with parental relationships between Vonne and Francine as well as Katie and Margot felt real. It is easy to visualize the square and its charming Dickensian events. All in all the series continues to hold my attention

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #87
2. AtoZ   #2021AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge  Y
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Victoria Square #5
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #94
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #108
6. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #62
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #93
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #79
10. Medical Examiner Challenge  1 Toe Tags
11. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 3
• Bar, store, restaurant
• Weapons
• Row 5
• Hands or fists
• Detectives- Katie
• Victims- Vonne
12. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #67a  Shot #2

One Hot Murder

 This installment in the Victoria Square cozies finds Katie having a less antagonistic relationship with Detective Davenport as he is reaching his retirement from the sheriff's department.  This book also had multiple plot lines and the possibility of more than one criminal amongst the tenants of Victoria Square shops.  In addition to the crimes there are several other secrets being kept among Katie and her friends.  The story is well structured and it is easy to feel a bond with the characters.

One Hot Murder by Lorraine Bartlett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This next book involved multiple crimes and possible criminals. In fact this one even had a mystery as to the identity of the victim. Katie finds herself working cooperatively with Det Davenport after having an adversarial relationship previously. She finds this a bit unnerving. The mystery is well written and the solution a bit shocking. The subplot of Katie’s dilemma about her stored possessions and her dream to open a B&B vs doing improvements on her Artisan Alley business was believable and a logical one. It was easy to see how torn she was in her decisions. It will be interesting to see how the story evolves in the future books

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #86
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Victoria Square #3
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #93
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #107
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #61
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #92
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #78
9. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 1
• Library or bookstore
• Row 2
• Basement
• Weapons
• Row 2 
• Hand gun
• Row 5
• Hands or fists
• Detectives- Katie/Ray
• Victims- Jerry/Dennis
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #67a  Shot #1

All by Myself Alone

I selected this book for the challenge to read a book published by an author 65 years or older.  I forgot I had previously read the book but I still enjoyed reading it. Anyone who loves to take a cruise will enjoy reading this book.   MHC does a wonderful job of creating characters that are weak and others that are annoying.  It is always a pleasure to read stories involving Alvirah and Willy Meehan.  They just feel like a couple you would want to meet and get to know.

Although I had previously read the book I did not remember all the details and was still surprised by much of the story and the crimes.   I will miss reading MHC's books now that she has passed away but hopefully rereading others will be as enjoyable as this one. 

All By Myself, Alone by Mary Higgins Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alvirah and Willy so it again

This time the Meehans are on an inaugural cruise that seems as I’ll fated as the Titanic. The new ship was appointed on many of the ways of the famous ship. It also had many glamorous and famous passengers. But not all who traveled were as they appeared and some had very malicious intents. The book is full of descriptions of the glamorous ship as well as the lectures aboard. The main focus was the gemologist and the curse of the Cleopatra necklace. There were several potential candidates for the criminal and I appreciated how the story was wrapped up concluding all the sun stories.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #85
2. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #92
3. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #106
4. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
5. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #91
6. Around the Year in 52 Books #11. A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum
7. Pick your Poison #12-1 A book by your favorite author
8. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
9. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #10  Shot #3