Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields

by CarolNo Comments
Brooks Shields has been a well-known actor/model my entire life. She's 9 years older than me and this book about growing older resonated with me in several ways. Yes, Brooke Shields is famous and beautiful and can afford fancy clothes, but she's also funny and down to earth and relatable. She shares personal anecdotes and mixes in observation on society and statistics that back up her points. She discusses gaining confidence as she gets older, about worrying less about others' opinions and finding joy in middle age. But also about being overlooked and undervalued as a "woman of a certain age." Shields discusses her recent interactions with the healthcare system and how we need to advocate for ourselves, even if we're sometimes (often) seen as difficult. She points out, from personal experience and research studies, that there is a definite lack of knowledge surrounding perimenopause and menopause and considering how many women are in those life stages, that's ridiculous. Shields narrates the...
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Read Christie 2025

Read Christie 2025

by CarolNo Comments
I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and have participated in the Read Christie reading challenge before, but I don't think I've ever posted about it here before. It's hosted at agathachristie.com. This year it's about characters and their careers. Every month features a character type and the book selected for that month features them - from artists and performers to detectives and spies. There are "official" selections, but you can also choice to read alternatives. The hashtag is #ReadChristie2025. January - Artists (Five Little Pigs)February - Authors (The 13 Problems)March - Performers (Three Act Tragedy)April - Butlers (The Seven Dials Mystery)May - Detectives (Cards on the Table)June - Amateurs (Crooked House)July - Archaeologists (Come, Tell Me How You Live)August - Medics (One, Two Buckle My Shoe)September - Religious Figures (At Bertram's Hotel)October - Lawyers (Towards Zero)November - Spies (Cat Among the Pigeons)December - Military Men (N or M or The Sittaford Mystery) Books read:...
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January Cloak and Dagger Link-Up

January Cloak and Dagger Link-Up

by Carol4 Comments
Happy New Year!! For those of you who are new to the challenge, welcome! To all the returning readers, I’m glad you’re joining in again. If you haven't official signed up for the challenge yet, hear to the 2025 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge post. Does anyone have their first book of the year planned, cloak and dagger or otherwise? Let us know in the comments. Or have you already finished your first book? You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter...
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The Christmas Eve Murders by Noelle Albright

The Christmas Eve Murders by Noelle Albright

by CarolNo Comments
I don't know. The Christmas Eve Murders had a lot of what I'm looking for in a Christmas cozy - a warm fire, Christmas decorations, good food, too much snow, and quirky characters, but I never really bought into it. Maddie Marlowe, a reporter, is having the worst Christmas Eve ever. She's heading home to a town just outside of Edinburgh, but got a late start because she had to work late. Then a traffic tie up made her reroute taking her through the Yorkshire Dales, where her car breaks down. Due to the increasing snow, the auto club can't get to her until the next day, so she has to take refuge at the local pub, the Merry Monarch, which also has rooms for rent. For some reason, the pub hosts a Christmas Eve scavenger hunt, which she is convinced to join in on. And then of course, there's a murder. Maybe the fact that Maddie is an outsider,...
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A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander

A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander

by CarolNo Comments
This time around the Secret Bookcase bookstore is hosting a gingerbread house competition, with celebrity host, baking influencer Lily. Really, what could be more Christmassy than a decorate bookstore and gingerbread? The event is going well, with only a bit of minor drama, until Annie finds Lily's dead body. Of course she's been murdered, and Annie decides to start investigating, assuming the woman was poisoned. At least the local police detective/ Annie's mentor appreciates her efforts and insights. This is a series where the main character and the authorities work well together. I like Annie. She's smart and has made a couple life decisions that have been weighing on her for a book or two. This is the fourth in the series and does pick up strands from the previous installments. I'm not sure how I feel about her love interest, Liam, yet. I think he's supposed to be sweet and caring, but he totally overreacted a time or two. Turns...
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