Weekend Book Reviews

 A Tale of Two Cookies by Eve Calder is the third book in the Cookie House Mystery series.  Kate is
enjoying her new life at the Cookie House in Coral Cay, Florida.  When an old friend arrives in town with news of her impromptu wedding, Kate is thrilled to help.  When the groom vanishes, everyone begins to question if the bride was only having a wedding in her own mind as no one heard the groom say he was going to be a groom.  Kate also wonders what his connection was to the reality tv show being filmed on the island.  I love the setting of this series.  The plot twists in this particular book kept me guessing until the end.

The tenth book in the Cookbook Nook Mystery series by Daryl Wood Gerber is Wining and Dying.  Jenna is showing one of her paintings at Crystal Cove's Art and Wine Festival.  When one of her fellow artists is murdered, Jenna's friend is the main suspect.  Obviously Jenna must investigate.  Jenna uncovers a few secrets while trying to solve the mystery and not become the next victim.  Reading this book felt like visiting old friends.  The setting and mystery are the stars!

Whole Latte Murder by Lena Gregory is the fifth book in the All Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery series.  Gia's best friend Savannah is getting married so Gia and she are going in search of the perfect wedding dress.  First Savannah has to show a mansion to a wealthy client.  Savannah ends up missing, and her client is found dead.  Gia and most of the town are frantic to find her.  Unfortunately Savannah's sudden return leaves more questions than answers.  This is an action packed book with plenty of twists and turns.  I love the suprise-ish ending!

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  I received no other compensation and all opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

 Laid Out in Lavender by Gin Jones is the third book in the Garlic Farm Mystery series.  Mabel continues to try to save her aunt's farm by branching out into weddings.  The first one seems doomed from the start.  The bride's and groom's adult children are against the wedding.  The wedding planner keeps disappearing.  The worst thing is when the best man is found murdered.  In order to save the farm, the wedding, and her neighbor, Mabel must begin her own investigation.  Mabel has definitely grown as a character, and the police detective is less annoying by the end of of the book.  This series is growing on me!

The fifth book in the By the Sea Mystery series by Kathleen Bridge is Buried by the Sea.  A group of archaeologists is staying at the Indialantic by the Sea while digging for artifacts left by Spanish explorers.  One claims to find the discovery of a lifetime only to wind up dead.  When the police focus on a reclusive resident, Liz, her boyfriend, and friends set out to prove his innocence.  The mystery kept me waffling back and forth on suspects.  I always enjoy the setting and quirky characters.  This book is a great addition to the series. 

Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the ninth book in the Antiques & Collectibles Mystery series.  When Molly and her mother go to interview the owner of a recently opened antique shop, they discover her dead body instead.  That mystery lead to more as Molly discovers old coins and an antique pistol.  As if that is not enough, her father shows up abruptly and wants to be part of Molly's life.  While the books does have several story lines, everything ties together well.  The mystery is interesting, and the antique focus adds to the book.

disclosure:  I received these books through NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.

Weekend Book Reviews

 Murder with a View by Diane Kelly is the third book in the House Flipper Mystery series.  Book three finds Whitney and her cousin Buck flipping an old motel with the help of a silent partner.  The motel has more than they bargained for including a squatter and a dead country musician.  Readers should not question how quickly the whole flip comes together with a three person crew and should ignore the realities of permits and inspections.  Those points aside I enjoy the characters and the setting for this book.  While I did solve the mystery ahead of time, several factors kept me second guessing myself for a bit.  This is a nice light cozy if you are not one to get caught up in the details.

The first book in the Beacon Bakeshop series by Darci Hanna is Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop.  Lindsey flees her life in New York for a fresh start after finding her fiance cheating with his pastry chef.  Her former financial career allows her to transform an old lighthouse into a bakery.  During her grand opening she is horrified when protesters seem set on destroying her dream.  Among them are her ex fiance and his girlfriend, Mia.  When Mia suddenly dies at the bakeshop after apparently eating something poisoned, Lindsey is the main suspect.  This small tourist town has several quirky and mysterious characters which add to the book's charm.  My issue is the fact that the police only suspect Lindsey even though Mia ate food stolen off several customers' plates.  A twist at the end surprised me.  I am already looking forward to the second book.

Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien is the seventh book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series.  Lana is doing well as manager of her family's noodle shop.  Cooking is the one area that alludes her.  She decides to take an Asian cooking course and surprise her family.  On the first night while returning to get her ingredient list, she finds the body of her cooking instructor instead.  Even worse she becomes the main suspect in the case.  I have read this series from the beginning, and it is one of my favorites.  This book would not be as good without the previous ones.  The mystery kept me going back and forth between suspects.  I do adore Lana and her friend Kimmy.  I look forward to the next book.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

 A Room with a Roux by Sarah Fox is the seventh book in the Pancake House Mystery series.  Marley and her husband Brett get a quick getaway to nearby Holly Lodge.  It seems to be the perfect break until they stumble upon a body buried in the snow.  Books that venture away from the normal setting can be problematic.  This is not my favorite in the series for that reason.  I did find it to be a nice light read with an enjoyable mystery.  I will be back for book number eight!

The fourth book in the Abby McCree Mystery series by Alexis Morgan is Death by Intermission.  Abby and Tripp are having date night at the town's Movies in the Park event, but Abby cannot keep her thoughts away from her mom and her mom's new boyfriend.  Thoughts of everything are wiped out when Abby and her mom discover a body while cleaning up after the event.  With her mom's boyfriend as the main suspect, Abby launches her own investigation.  This could be my favorite book in the series.  The only drawback for me is Abby's mom Phoebe.  Phoebe is the very definition of a spoiled brat, and Abby is less likable with Phoebe around.  Aside from that I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next.

Killer Comfort Food by Lynn Cahoon is the fifth book in the Farm to Fork Mystery series.  Angie is worried she is going to lose her farm to a big processing plant.  There are several intertwined plotlines in this book.  Among them are a missing woman tied to a lawyer for the plant, criminal activity, and an employee being stalked by her ex.  Even though this book has quite a bit going on, everything ties together nicely and kept me enthralled until the end.

disclosure:  I received these e-books from NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  All opinions are my own

Week 3

 I am about two weeks behind on this, but I have a good excuse.  This was the rare time when I had three whole weeks off from the farmers market.  I have spent the time working extra hard to restock my inventory and set aside some items for the holiday season.  I still have one week left.  I hope to work on a few quick items that can be squeezed into a few empty spots in my totes.  

*My third goal from 52 Small Changes was exercise.  While I have not been doing a "workout", I have been getting my 10,000 steps in through working in the garden and making multiple trips to check on the baby chicks and turkeys.  

Change number four is keeping a food journal.  Let's just say my diet needs work and move on to change five.  (Future changes will address the poor eating habits).  Change five is being optimistic.  To help with this I will plan a thankful post for later in the week.  

*Blog Three Times This Week

*Chick-a-D Designs

Stop buying yarn!!  All joking aside I am ordering with specific orders or projects in mind.  The problem is that I have a mess in my craft room - again!  No more yarn purchases for the next two weeks.

Recipe Review of the Week - Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

 I collect recipes.  I stock up on cookbooks, tear pages from magazines, and save way too many on Pinterest.  My goal is to actually try some and more them from "this looks good" to either a save or trash pile.  I am going to try one recipe a week.  

Also once I find a great recipe for a particular item I will stop trying recipes.  I broke my own rule this first week.  I had the perfect recipe for a chocolate chip cookie bar.  Instead of using it I tried a different one.  It was a disaster and I am not even going to share it here.  Instead I will share my favorite.  I apologize for the lack of a photo, but the recipe I did use was an epic disaster.

This chocolate chip cookie cake is fantastic.  I have made it dozens of times with no issues.  This is my go to recipe for birthdays for my Sunday night youth group.  When given a choice between a cake, cupcakes, and this cookie cake, all but the youngest chooses the cookie cake.  

Follow the link to see the gorgeous photos and get the recipe to make your own.  I promise to quit looking for chocolate chip cookie cake/bar recipes. 

Week 2

* Goal 2 from 52 Small Changes - Sleep

My aim was for a sleep score of 80+ every night with the Fitbit.  I missed one night where my sleep was fair rather than good.  I'm a light sleep at best so I'm happy with that.  Water consumption did not go well so I'll work on that again this week.  Week 3 is exercise.  I'm charging the batteries for the Wii Fit today and will alternate some yoga with walking on the treadclimber.

*Blog three times a week

Yay!  I hit that goal I am going to aim for four this week with a recipe post as the new feature.

*Chick-a-D Designs

I managed to add a few things for the future craft shows/festival.  I have orders to finish up this week so my stocking up may slow a bit.  I still want to add at least 5 items to my inventory and future.

Weekend Book Reviews

Rhubarb Pie Before You Die by Gin Jones is the second book in the Garlic Farm Mystery series.  Mabel is trying to sell her late aunt's garlic farm, but in the meantime she must keep it running to attract potential buyers.  When she and her friend/farm mentor Rory get into an argument with rhubarb farmer Graham, Mabel decides to go to his farm to smooth things over.  She never expects to find Graham dead.  The suspects range from a disgruntled neighbor to a rival farmer with Mabel thrown into the mix as well.  I did not read the first book in the series, but I had no trouble following along with this one. Mabel is 100% introvert and definitely not the normal cozy heroine.   This may put some readers off, but I liked her as a character.  The story moved slowly at times, but I expect that might change as Mabel evolves.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

The sixth book in the Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery series by Karen Rose Smith is Murder with Oolong Tea.  Daisy finds herself catering a tea for the high school staff including one particularly unlikable teacher from when Daisy was in school.  When Althea the mean teacher is found dead, several people beg for Daisy's help in solving the mystery.  As usual Daisy combines her sleuthing with plenty of extra drama.  I enjoy this series, but I find the extra stuff in Daisy's life (taking on an additional teenager, solving other people's disagreements) to be tiring.  This is still a good series despite Daisy's drama.

Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco is the first book in the Oregon Honeycomb Mystery series.  Wren owns a honey themed store on the Oregon coast which she shares with her cat Everett.  While on their morning walk along the beach, Everett finds the body of a woman who is Wren's aunt's crafting rival.  Wren becomes the only suspect and has to work to clear her name.  This series has potential, and I really wanted to love it.  One issue is the narrow focus of the police.  Wren is the only suspect even when she is targeted herself.  My second issue was the murder.  The motive was extremely weak, and it was never truly solved.  Third is the various editing blunders.  Hopefully these were resolved in the final printing, but many were so obvious I question why no one caught them for the ARC.  I do like the author's other series and for that reason would try a second book in this one.

disclosure:  I received these books through NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  All opinions are my own!

In the Garden

 This week I am sharing my tomato plants.  When I first planted them I had everything marked with nice tags.  Unfortunately I used small tags and once the tomato plants took off and started growing I can no longer see the tags.  I mixed some of them up so I will have to wait until they produce to find out what they actually are.  

These are volunteer plants so I really have no idea what they are.  I do know they are something we have eaten before.

These are mixed up.  Tucker slipped his ear into the picture.  He loves to hang out in the garden.

I was surprised to see a tiny tomato on this plant.

This is a yellow pear tomato plant which I rooted from a cutting off last year's plant.  It has lived in the greenhouse over the winter.

These are also yellow pear tomato plants that I grew from seed.  

I have a few other tomato plants scattered around the garden area.  Once again I find myself completely changing the garden.  I have a few plants in containers which I will move into the greenhouse at the end of the season.  I always plant too many so the extras went into the garden.  We love tomatoes and they will not go to waste.  I will share another section of the garden next week!

Best Laid Plans

 So my plans of blogging three times last week did not happen.  That's okay.  It is a new week so I am going to try again.

*Goal 1 from 52 Small Changes - Drink More Water

I hit my goal 4 out of 6 days.  Sunday is always my day off from things so I take a day off from goals.  too.  I am going to continue to work on this goal until it becomes a permanent change.  This week's goal is to get 7-8 hours of sleep.  I wear my FitBit at night so I can track my sleep with that.  My aim is to get 7 hours of sleep with better set bedtimes.

*Blog three times this week

I am definitely taking pictures of one area of the garden this week to share.  I hope to finish two books and write reviews up for Saturday.

*Chick-a-D Designs - I am planning to do a mix of orders and inventory stock up.  I have two weeks before the next farmer's market. I am also thinking about doing a craft show in the fall so I need to begin making items for that.

Back in the Groove

 With everything going on around here, I got out of the habit of blogging.  I am planning to change that.  My goal for May is to blog three times a week.  I am planning a weekly goal post, a garden post, and a book review post for this month.  

This week's goals:

*Drink more water.  I am terrible about drinking enough and I know that is not good.  I am basing how much I drink on my weight.  My ultimate goal is to drink 45 ounces of liquids a day.  This is part of the 52 Small Changes challenge that I seem to start and stop every January.  I'm giving it another go but starting much later in the year.

*Blog three times

*Restock my Farmers' Market Inventory - This one will be ongoing, but I am down to a bare minimum of items.  I'm going for a range this week with home, toys, and baby items added.

I'll be back on Monday of next week with an update!

Weekend Book Reviews

 Herbal Houseplants by Susan Betz is full of helpful information from herbal newbies to seasoned growers.  Clear, detailed information is given for a variety of common and not so common herbs.  I found the book to be insightful, and it taught me several things.  While I tend to grow herbs outdoors in the garden, this is an excellent resource for people with limited growing space.  

A Wicked Yarn by Emmie Caldwell is the first book in the Craft Fair Knitters Mystery series.  Lia is looking forward to the Crandalsburg Craft Fair where she sells items that she and her fellow knitters create.  It looks like the craft fair may be coming to an end when the barn where it is held comes up for sale.  When the potential buyer is found murdered, Lia sets out to solve the mystery and clear her friend's name.  I absolutely loved the craft fair setting and the fiber art theme.  The mystery was rather weak as I picked out the murderer early on although the why was not clear until the end.  I enjoyed this first book overall and look forward to the next.

The sixth book in the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series by Meg Macy is Wedding Bear Blues.  I enjoy this series but this was not my favorite book.  Sasha and her sister Maddie are in a wedding with the most annoying people on earth plus an annoying dog.  I had a bit of trouble keeping all of the extra characters straight.  The book dragged a bit in sections.  The main characters were still wonderful, and the mystery was strong.  A small bump in the series is not enough to keep from reading the next book!

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

 

 

 

A Big Fat Greek Murder by Kate Collins is the second book in the Goddess of Greene St. Mystery series.  Athena is expanding her duties at the family garden center to include landscape design.  She finds that she cannot leave her mystery solving behind though.  When the groom to be fails to show up at the wedding rehearsal dinner, his groomsmen find him dead.  Athena sister quickly becomes the prime suspect and ends up in jail.  I adore Athena as a cozy mystery heroine.  Her quirky family adds to the fun.  The mystery kept me guessing and flip flopping between suspects.  This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series, and I am looking forward to the next installment!

The first book in the Faith Chapel Mystery series by Laura Jensen Walker is Hope, Faith, and a Corpse.  Hope is the first female pastor in the history of Faith Chapel Episcopalian Church.  She is welcome warmly by some and not all by others.  While looking for Father Christopher, she stumbles onto a dead congregation member.  It happens to be the man who said Hope would preach at the church over his dead body.  Hope finds herself investigating to clear her name.  I adore Hope, and this is a great start to a new series.  I love the religious theme that is not at all "preachy".  I can easily see this becoming one of my favorite series if book two is anything like this one.

A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany is the sixth book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series.  Gemma gets asked by 10-year-old Lauren to find Snowball, Lauren's missing cat.  Even though Gemma refuses the job, she finds and returns Snowball.  When Lauren's mom is suspected of murdering a garden rival, Lauren goes to Gemma for help again.  Gemma, who cannot resist a mystery, is on the case.  Gemma as a main character is not for everyone.  She is meant to be a modern, female Holmes.  She is blunt and a bit cold, but it works for the series.  I enjoyed the twist at the end.  Overall a great addition to the series.

disclosure:  I received these books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own!

2021 Goals - January Week 1

 1.  Pantry Challenge

I am happy to say we stayed home this week so I spent nothing on groceries.  I do need to pick up a couple of things next week but am determined to keep it as low as possible.  The pantry and freezers are still well stocked.

2.  Spending Freeze

Life happens....Sadie who is still in puppy phase had chewed up my inside tennis shoes.  After I broke my foot I took to wearing shoes all of the time.  I did without inside shoes for a few months, but I started to have major foot pain.  I ended up ordering some slip on Crocs for less than $20.  My feet are much happier.  Then the pump in our outside goldfish pond quit.  It keeps the water from freezing during the winter.  I opted for a slightly better model than our previous one also at less than $20.  For both of these items I do have emergency money set aside.

In the win column I ordered pet food from Chewy.  The prices were the same or lower than the big box store.  I was not at all tempted to order any unnecessary non-pet extras.

3.  Add Eight Items to My Etsy Shop

I added two items this week for Valentine's.

Weekend Book Reviews

 Varnished Without a Trace by Misty Simon is the fifth book in the Tallie Graver Mystery series.  Tallie is taking some time off from her cleaning business to enjoy the Christmas season with her boyfriend, Max.  She finds herself playing referee between her mother and grandmother though.  That leads to Tallie discovering the body of her Aunt Ronda and in the middle of another mystery.  The mystery is a bit on the lighter side, but I do like the series.  While not my favorite in the series, it is a good holiday themed mystery.

The fifth book in the Kebab Kitchen series by Tina Kashian is Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder.  Lucy is taking a morning off from Kebab Kitchen to take part in a Polar Bear Plunge along with many others from Ocean Crest.  When a fellow polar bear is murdered, Lucy finds herself in the midst of another mystery.  The problem this time is she is hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't want the man dead.  This is another of my favorite series.  This is a classic cozy with a fun female lead, mystery, and just a hint of romance.  It is a good, relaxing read.

A Case of Cat and Mouse by Sofie Kelly is the twelfth book in the Magical Cats Mystery series.  When I read the "magical cats" part, I felt certain I was not going to like the book.  I could not have been more wrong. Even though I have not read any other books in the series, I had no problem jumping right in with this book.  Librarian Kathleen is hired to help with research for a cooking competition.  After she discovers one of the judges dead, she finds herself doing investigation along with the research.  While the cats did have "magical powers", it was not the focus of the book and certainly not as out there as I feared.  This could easily become one of my favorite series!

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

2021 Goals - January

 I decided that trying to do year long goals just did not work form me.  Instead I am going to with monthly goals.  I will pick 2-4 things I want to work on during the month.  Let's get right to January.

1.  Pantry Challenge - I am budgeting $30 for the entire month for grocery spending.  Our pantry and freezers are full.  I half jokingly told my husband that I was going to open the freezer and grab the first thing I saw.  The truth part is that I am doing that with our refrigerator freezers.  They are just a mess and are driving me crazy.  My ultimate goal is to use the kitchen refrigerator freezer for the current week's meals.  The pantry refrigerator freezer will be for leftovers and breads.  Our main freezer in the laundry room will be for stocking up and larger stuff.

2.  Spending Freeze - If we can do without it, we will.  I do have money set aside for some purchases such as garden seeds.  Of course bills, pet foods, etc will be allowed.  I just want to cut out any extra purchases.  I started out by skipping my Amazon Subscribe and Save this month.  Nothing on there was a true need so I saved a bit to start off.

3.  Add Eight Items to My Etsy Shop - My Etsy shop did well this past year so I want to expand it a bit with new items. 

Are you setting any goals for the year?  I would love to hear from you so I can cheer you on.  Let's make 2021 awesome!!