Carol – Page 20 – Carol's Notebook

December Cloak and Dagger Link Up and Giveaway

December 1, 2024November 26, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Happy December! I am not a fan of cold weather, which is what we get in Ohio this month, but I do love Christmas decorations - and holiday reads, of course. For those who celebrate, is there anything special you're hoping to see under the tree this year? First a giveaway. The prize is a book of your choice up to $25. I prefer to order from the Mystery Lovers Bookshop or Bookshop.org. If the winner is not US-based, we'll work out another option. a Rafflecopter giveaway Leave your December reads below. I'll also have a sign up post for next year's challenge later today, if you'd like to join in. You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter...

Mystery on Hidden Lane by Clare Chase

November 27, 2024November 27, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

Mystery on Hidden Lane is thirst of the Eve Mallow mysteries, a series that is longer than I realized when I picked this audiobook up at NetGalley. Eve is an obituary writer (think feature length obituaries for magazines), which is a career I haven't run into before. She also holds a job at a school to supplement her income, but she's taken a small break from that to head off to the small village of Saxford St Peter to research recently deceased cellist, Bernard Fitzpatrick. On the day of her arrival, however, the police release news that the man had been murdered. Turns out Eve is in the perfect position to investigate the case, especially when she thinks the detective in charge of the case is incompetent. Eve makes a good amateur sleuth. She's naturally curious and has practice putting people at ease as she pumps them for information. She's observant and does her research on both her subject and those...

Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2025

November 26, 2024July 7, 2025 by Carol1 Comment

I'm starting to think about reading challenges I want to join for next year. First up is the Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge hosted by Yvonne at Socrates’ Book Reviews. I’m aiming at being an investigator, reading 20 cozy mysteries of my choice hopefully including one from each of the categories below. One from culinary – Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin One from animal-related – For Duck’s Sake by Donna Andrews One from craft related – Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan One from paranormal – Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke One from cozy mysteries based outside the US – A Death in Diamonds by S. J. Bennett One career-based cozy mystery – The Library Game by Gigi Pandian One holiday based – A Victim at Valentine's by Ellie Alexander One travel mystery – One historical mystery – Death at the Highland Loch by Lydia Travers One is your choice! – Books read:...

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis

November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I was looking for a Thanksgiving cozy and ran across The Diva Runs Out of Thyme free with Audible Plus. I've read a couple others in the series, but had never gotten to this first one. "The Diva Runs Out of Thyme" is a fun read and pulls in plenty of holiday touches. W were introduced to a lot of characters in this book - Sophie and her family, the neighbors, her ex-husband and his family and girlfriend, and the stuffing competition judges and participants, but they each had their own personality and quirks. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job keeping everyone distinct. The mystery itself was fine, even if some of the characters' actions were questionable. I was surprised by who the killer turned out to be. Overall I enjoyed it....

2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge

November 25, 2024January 1, 2025 by Carol2 Comments

The Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge starts today even if my own Christmas reading started a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to Michelle at Yuletide Spirit and Seasons of Reading for hosting. Head to either place to join in and to check out the rules and prizes. The challenge will run from today through December 31. These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, and a children’s Christmas books level! The hashtag is #YuletideSpirit. I’m aiming for the Christmas Tree level, which is 5 or 6 books. I may also watch a couple of Christmas movies, for the Fa La La La Films level. And I'll be filling out this year's bingo card. It’s also the start of the Yuletide Spirit Readathon. For the readathon, you do not have to read only Christmas books, but she asks that you try to read at least one. Books/ Novellas Finished: A Midwinter Murder by Verity Bright Hercule Poirot's Christmas by...

Thanksgiving Dinner Death by Leighann Dobbs

November 20, 2024November 20, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I love a good holiday cozy mystery. I did read the first in this series a couple of years ago, but it's an easy one to just pick up. Juniper Holiday has invited lots of people to her Thanksgiving dinner, including the local police detective, Desmond Mallard. But when someone is poisoned, Juni somehow ends up both the prime suspect and potentially the intended victim. She of course decides she has to figure out what's going on. Juniper is funny and eccentric and not afraid to speak her mind. There’s a touch of paranormal: a few helpful ghosts, and a friendly neighborhood potions master. The whodunnit was a little obvious, but I don't typically mind that too much as long as the rest of the story is enjoyable, which it was. I listened to the audio and my one complaint is that the narrator was awful. Her inflections were over-the-top and didn't always seem to fit the story. This is one...