Carol's Notebook

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany

August 9, 2023August 10, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is a fun cozy mystery set in the quirky town of Rudolph, New York, where it’s Christmas all year round. Merry Wilkinson owns the local gift shop and knows just about the whole town. Everyone is looking forward to the local theater group's production of A Christmas Carol, including Merry's mom, Aline, a retired opera singer who is the music director. The cast, however, is arguing about everything from costumes to parts. Then the actress playing Mrs. Crachit is found dead, murdered in Merry's shop. Everyone involved in the musical is under suspicion, including Merry's mom and her shop assistant, Jackie, which gives Merry plenty of reason to start snooping around. I've read a couple in this series before. I like Merry, her family and friends, and of course her dog, Matterhorn. The mystery itself was put together well. There were several suspects and clues and it's fun to hang out with Merry and...

Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah

August 8, 2023August 9, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

First of all, Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant has me craving fall baked goods - pumpkin donuts, pumpkin spice cheesecake, pumpkin scones. And apple dumplings, but those weren't in the book. Lindsey runs her bakery out of a remodeled lighthouse and lives in the keeper's section. It's Halloween and in addition to the town festivities, Lindsey's best friend, Kennedy, has invited the Ghost Guys to come to the lighthouse to film an episode for their show. Lindsey knows the lighthouse is haunted, which makes her even more nervous about the Guys showing up with all their equipment and tech gadgets. The whole things goes horribly awry when a local teacher is found dead, hanging from a tree just outside of the lighthouse. This is the third in the series I've read. I like Lindsey and her family and friends a lot. They're caring, loyal, and the appropriate amount of quirky. The mystery is well done with plenty of clues, suspects, and red...

August Cloak and Dagger Link-Up

August 1, 2023July 31, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Happy August! Summer is going too quickly here. What are your plans for this month, reading or otherwise? We're going to the lake for a long weekend which will be nice. I'm hoping to make it to Amish country for a shopping trip and go to a couple of art festivals. Amber wants to look at folks' setups so she will feel more comfortable entering next year. You can see a small sampling of her work at ajevans-art.com. I'm also planning on finishing the five books I'm in the middle of - or admitting defeat on a couple. It's not that I'm not enjoying them, I just have too many going right now. Link up your August Cloak and Dagger reads below. You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter...

Mistletoe and Murder by Connie Berry

July 27, 2023July 27, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I can never pass up a Christmas cozy. In Mistletoe and Murder, American-born antique dealer Kate Hamilton is all set to marry her English detective fiancé Tom Mallory in just a few days on Christmas Eve. Her dress is ordered, local friends have planned the ceremony and reception and family is flying in from near and far. Of course, nothing is ever easy and Kate and Tom are soon mixed up in a missing person case. And flights are delayed. And there's a fire and Kate's dress may have some lingering smoke smell. I read this as a stand alone and felt like the characters and setting were introduced well. I liked Kate and Tom and would consider picking up more in the series. For a novella, the mystery was well done with enough clues and suspects to keep it interesting....

False Truth by Helena Marchmont

July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 by Carol1 Comment

The Bunburry series is always fun. I always listen to the audios, Parker does a great job with the narration, and each is between 2 and 3 hours, which is a great length for when I can't quite decide what I want to listen to. This time around Bunburry is holding its Quincentenary Celebration, but something feels off. Dorothy from the post office starts doing a little digging on her own and ends up in a bit of trouble. The local historical society is involved too. It's a fun story, no one dies, and there's more love in the air than usual. I do enjoy these characters and their hijinks....

Reverse Readathon

July 21, 2023July 22, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Dewey's Reverse Readathon is starting now! I like this one because I can be awake at the beginning in end, which rarely happens in Spring or Fall. I’ll be posting updates here but probably more on Twitter and Instagram. Opening Survey! What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Eastern Ohio as usual Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Everything on my list this year should be fun. Which snack are you most looking forward to? I didn't really get anything unusual - pretzels, ice cream. Oreos. Tomorrow we're going to a food truck festival for a late lunch. Tell us a little something about yourself! This is always the hardest question. I'm a mystery reader. I have two adorable, bratty dogs. (I also have a husband and adult daughter, but they are not as good reading buddies) What are your goals for this readathon? No goals really, just to spend as much reading as I want. Half-Point Survey How many books have...