Carol – Carol's Notebook

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan

November 5, 2026November 5, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

Another thing I've learned from cozy mysteries is to probably avoid themed towns, like Elyan Hollow, Oregon, a Halloween themed town. A cozy horror movie was filmed in town decades ago and after so many tourists came through to see the movie spot, the town decided to lean into it year round. Bailey manages her grandfather's bookstore, Lazy Bones Books, and has organized a literary festival to kick off this year's Halloween events. There's also a ghost-hunting group in town from the reality tv show, Gone Ghouls. Obviously someone is going to end up dead, and Baily is just unlucky enough to discover the body and to have a motive for the murder.I enjoyed the town and the characters. It was fun and light and a good October read. The mystery was a little simple but I was happy the secret in Bailey's family was resolved. This is the first in the series, so we do get introduced to a lot...

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley

November 4, 2026November 4, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

I have mixed feelings about Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel. Foley has a formula, which she uses here. Take a fabulous setting (this time the Grand Alpine Hotel) and add an event of some kind (which she doesn't actually do here, though having Miss Marple show up is similar). Give us a dead body on the first couple of pages, but don't tell us who it is until later. Give us multiple points of view, each with their own narrator on audio, and make sure they all have secrets and connections. If possible, cut them off from the outside world. It wasn't my favorite of Foley's books. It wasn't as suspenseful as it could have been, and, to be honest, I didn't really care much. And neither did the guests at the hotel. Yes, there's a murderer on the loose, but let's continue with our spa days and sled racing.As a Miss Marple mystery, it wasn't exactly a hit...

A Murder at Midnight by Ellie Alexander

November 3, 2026November 3, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I've been reading this series from the beginning and always enjoy them. This time around, Annie and Fletcher have agreed to let a ghost-hunting television show film at the bookstore right before Halloween. Quite honestly, they should have known it was a bad idea. When the crew arrives, the tension is palpable and it's no surprise when one of them ends up dead.The mystery was fine. The people working on the show gave you plenty to be suspicious about, with plenty of resentment and old secrets to go around. we have several clues and a couple red herrings. I didn't love how it was wrapped up, the method the killer used seemed a little unclear or maybe I missed something.We don't see as much of the usual friends this time around. The investigation is pretty much centered on the Sleeping with Spirits crew and the town suffers a major storm that same evening, so everyone's got their own...

November Cloak and Dagger Link-Up

November 1, 2026October 27, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

1Happy November! I'm looking forward to a relatively quiet month. I think the only thing going on is my birthday. And Thanksgiving, but I'm not cooking or hosting.What's on you reading list for this month? Are you a seasonal reader or does that not impact you at all?Link your reads below or in the comments. You can also include your wrap-up post if you have one.You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter...

Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie

October 31, 2026October 30, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

New Zealander Gwenda Reed, who thinks she has never been to England, buys an old house on the south coast with her husband, Giles. But when she moves in, she gets this strange feeling that she’s been there before. She remembers things she shouldn't and then has a terrible vision/memory while attending a play. She thinks she’s going mad, and Miss Marple steps in to help.Gwenda and Giles are a lovely couple. They decide they need to investigate what happened in the house all those years ago, even though Miss Marple warns them that they may not like the consequences. The story moves along at a steady pace and the plot is rather clever. Miss Marple stays a bit in the background, but you can see her guidance throughout. She's as shrewd and intelligent as always. The whodunnit made sense, but the whole thing was a little sad.When I first started reading Christie's books (40 years ago?!), Poirot was my...

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

October 30, 2026October 29, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I usually don’t review Sherlock Holmes books. Let’s be honest, everyone knows who the character is and most will either love him or not. It also won’t surprise anyone that I love the stories and novels, some more than others of course. This collection is probably my favorite. The stories are clever and entertaining. Holmes is at his best. We meet Irene Adler and the horrible Dr. Grimesby Roylott.I listened to the audio this time, narrated by Stephen Fry who did a fabulous job. I wasn’t surprised by any of the twists or turns – I’ve read them all multiple times, but enjoy them none the less....