Monday, March 18, 2024

I remember the weekend ....


Monday

Over the weekend I read AN ACE AND A PAIR by Blake Banner. 1st of 30 in police Dead Cold police procedural series. 


Detective John Stone of the NYPD has the best arrest record in the 43rd precinct. But he’s a dinosaur who belongs to another age. Detective Carmen Dehan has such a bad attitude that nobody at the precinct can stomach her. Captain Jennifer Cuevas wants them both out of the way and thinks they make a perfect pair. So she gives them the Cold Cases file – the cases nobody gives a damn about. She has no idea just how hot a cold case can get. Ten years back Nelson Hernandez and his four cousins were playing poker in a dive at Hunts Point. Somebody came in, blew them away and beheaded and castrated Nelson, leaving his head and his balls on the table. There was no shortage of suspects, the Jersey Mob, the Triads from Manhattan, or the 43rds own bent cop, Mick Harragan. But nobody was ever charged, and the night of the murder Mick Harragan went missing with Nelson’s wife, Maria. Now Stone and Dehan plan to find him – whatever the consequences…

Published 2017; 207 pages. I gave it 4 stars. I was in the mood for a procedural after binging on The Rookie so much and this was Kindle Unlimited and really a good read actually. Layered in the crime solving and it was about cold cases, which I love. 

I also DNF'd a few things: THE ANTIQUE HUNTER'S GUIDE TO MURDER by C.L. Miller. The idea and the characters were interesting but the structure and writing were clunky so I didn't care anymore. 

And I DNF'd ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY by Melodie Edwards. It's a modern PERSUASION retelling that had promise, but once again, I didn't care. I love love love the original story and just wasn't in the mood for a retelling. 

I made the corned beef and cabbage on Saturday and it was ... edible. We didn't have the bangers and mash yesterday because we were feeling under the weather and just had easy food. 

No sprints tonight. I need to find my next read. I'd like to crochet and read and go to bed. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Friday, March 15, 2024

Weekend forthcoming

TGIF

Yesterday, I finished A GENTLEMAN IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH by Grace Burrows. 5 stars.

The bonus thing about this book is that I would count it as my scavenger hunt read this weekend for the prompt: Book featuring a sport, or exercise or an outdoor activity. This book features aspects of fox hunting so I'm going with it. 

And now I'm on to THE ANTIQUE HUNTER'S GUIDE TO MURDER by C.L. Miller as my main read, being a library book. 

I'm at about the 35% mark. I'm mostly liking it, I think. 

I've got sprints tomorrow afternoon. I've not done so in the past, but I'm going to be making dinners this weekend in celebration of St. Patrick's day. On Sunday, I think bangers and Colcannon mash and tomorrow crockpot corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread. 

Otherwise, reading, crocheting, napping, watching more of season two of The Rookie, watch some YouTube. More napping. That's about it.

Have a good weekend

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Can you see the weekend yet?

Thursday. Receptionist out with bereavement leave.

I didn't get a whole lot accomplished last night. I went to bed early. 

I have sprints tonight. Maybe I'll be smart and just read. I have to read. Soooo many books. 

And tomorrow is Friday. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Mid-week attitude


Wednesday

Currently reading A GENTLEMAN IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH by Grace Burrowes. 4th in the Lord Julian historical mystery series. 

A dogged investigation... Lord Julian Caldicott is summoned to the country home of a family friend to search for a prize foxhound who’s gone missing. The purloined canine turns out to be only the tail of a series of puzzles involving family secrets, slander, blackmail, and fraud. Matters grow more baffling when Julian is told to drop the investigation, though suspects abound, motives are multiplying, and a large sum of money has come into play.Hounded by lies...Julian survives an attempt on his life, and endures slights to his honor rather than give up on his objective. Before the truth is revealed–and the hound brought safely home–he will have to choose between protecting his only surviving brother from ruin, or allowing a scoundrel to get away with the next thing to murder.

Published 2024. 240 pages.

Just got a hold let loose from the library so I'll take it for a spin. THE ANTIQUE HUNTER'S GUIDE TO MURDER by C.L. Miller. 1st in a debut series. 

What antique would you kill for? Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind. Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

Published 2024; 304 pages. 

And on my morning show today, this was a new release that caught my attention and the library holds were six months. So I got it. HAPPILY NEVER AFTER by Lynn Painter. Stand alone romance.

Their name? The objectors. Their job? To break off weddings as hired.Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancĂ© has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!” During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in. The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all. And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancĂ©e is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.

Published 2024; 304 pages. 

So about five books being juggled.

And I regret nothing.

Steve's got the gun range. No sprints tonight; I'm going to be reading. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Must we?


Tuesday. 

I'm about to finish CAFFE MACCHIATO by M.L. Hamilton. I'll be giving it three stars.

I'll be starting ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY by Melodie Edwards. Stand alone.


When Anne Elliott broke up with Ben Wentworth, it seemed like the right thing to do . . . but now, eight years later, she’s not so sure. In her scenic hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Anne is comfortable focusing on her successful filling her late mother’s shoes as town councilor and executive director of her theater company. She certainly keeps busy as the all-around wrangler of eccentric locals, self-centered family members, elaborate festivals, and the occasional attacking goose. But the more she tries to convince herself that her life is fine as is, the more it all feels like a show—and not nearly as good as the ones put on by her theater company. She’s the always responsible Anne, always taken for granted and cleaning up after other people, and the memories of happier times with Ben Wentworth still haunt her. So when the nearby Kellynch Winery is bought by Ben’s aunt and uncle, Anne’s world is set ablaze as her old flame crashes back into her life—and it’s clear he hasn’t forgiven her for breaking his heart. A joint project between the winery and Anne’s theater forces both Ben and Anne to confront their complicated history, and as they spend more time together, Anne can’t help but wonder if there might be hope for their future after all.

Published 2024; 352 pages. From the library. A PERSUASION retelling. 

I've got sprints tonight. I'll crochet and read. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Monday, March 11, 2024

I be good then go home


Monday. Receptionist out due to family bereavement so it may be off and on this week. New service manager starts middle of next week. Doing all the jobs.

I struck gold while walking Keo on Saturday morning. One of the routes we take on Saturday mornings is past a Little Free Library. I don't usually have the opportunity to check that one out because Keo has a spot on the north side of the street for doing business. For some reason, he stayed on the south side, so I glanced in the box. And TREASURE!

This just came out last month and was on my TBR for the end of this month and I was going to get it via Kindle because at all three of the libraries I belong to have six month holds for it. Every one of my YouTube book people that I told were just stunned at such a find at a Little Free Library. Usually it's junk in them. You can bet I grabbed it.

Otherwise, not a bad weekend. I had sprints. I crocheted on the October wedding afghan. I finished A SINISTER REVENGE by Deanna Raybourn. 4.5 stars. The next one comes out this week, but I'll save it for next month. 

No sprints tonight. I'll continue to crochet and maybe finish the Hamilton book. I'm at 50% on this quick read. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Friday, March 8, 2024

The weekend approacheth


TGIF

No plans for the weekend. 


I think I may be adding a contemporary mystery to my current reads mix. CAFFE MACCHIATO by M.L. Hamilton. 4th of 8 in the Zion Sawyer cozies. 

As snow begins to fall in Sequoia, things have settled into a routine. Both Jaguar and Rebekah have opened their businesses, the merchants on Main Street are preparing for the Christmas sales season, and Zion has moved forward with her plans to open a second Caffeinator location. Her relationship with Tate has progressed, even if they find it difficult to get time alone, and Logan seems to be settling in.Just when they think everything is nearly perfect, a mysterious man appears and throws everything into chaos, threatening Logan’s future and dragging Zion and Tate into a new mystery. With the stakes as high as the snow drifts, Zion must help Tate solve a murder that reminds her of the reason she came to Sequoia in the first place.
Published 2017; 300 pages.

Sprints tomorrow afternoon. Crocheting. Reading. Napping. Watching some YouTube and The Rookie. Walking Keo. Laundry. 



Don't forget Daylight Savings starts this weekend.


Have a good weekend


Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster