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So, I did something crazy. I read Finlay Donovan is Killing It and I liked it. I said I would read the next one but somehow, I never got around to it. My TBR list is SO LONG. Then a few years later I spotted the fourth book in the series and clicked it into my cart. I know what you're thinking, [GASP] You skipped two books? What kind of monster reads a series out of order? Then it sat on my shelf forever (a year). But I finally got around to reading it. More About Finlay Dono

Ian, the leprechaun who lives & reads at Bookshelf Shenanigans in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania I loved Waldenbooks when I was young. We had two - TWO! - in my home county when I was growing up. Even though I loved my local library, the bookstore had the newest books and I could BUY them. We didn't have any indie bookstores but I live in a place where the map is dotted with tiny, miss-if-you-blink towns. So two chain bookstores was pretty good for us. Until it wasn't. Somewhere

Initially, I wasn't going to review Deadly Gold Rush, the second book in the Indie Retirement Mystery Series. I did have fun interviewing author Landis Wade HERE. But Partners in Crime Book Tours gave me a link and once I started reading I just couldn't stop. So take a peek at my review and don't miss out on the last days to enter the giveaway. More about Deadly Gold Rush Murder, mayhem, and the Carolina gold rush: welcome back to the Indie, where retirement is anything but q

In case you don't know (I didn't), this retelling of the Little Women story is in modern times. Yes, I did zero research. I saw Little Women and murder (two of my favorite things) and knew I must have Beth Is Dead. So I was surprised but pleasantly. Read more thoughts abut the book below. More about Beth Is Dead When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer. Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not

More about Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan “Standing by the window, I tried to understand what happened to me to take such an unfathomable leap… What I hadn’t realized was that first, my one and only assignment would be to learn the language.” In 1984, when Linda Petrucelli arrives in Taiwan with her husband Gary Hoff, she assumes she will learn Mandarin Chinese. Instead, her local church partner, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, assigns her to learn Taiwanese, an eight-t

We're all familiar with the summer reading programs for young readers (see my earlier post HERE). But today I'm here with a fun reading challenge for adults. Relax! There's no jumping through hoops to read in specific categories or genres. Just read. Novels. Comic books. How-to Build a Backyard Gazebo. Whatever makes you happy. But ThriftBooks wants you to join their 500 Billion Pages Challenge. It seems that surveys show that a decade ago Americans were reading 500 billion p

I'm thrilled to be welcoming back author Katharine Schellman. Last time, I got to interview her and review A Scandal in Mayfair, the latest book in her Lily Adler series. This time she back with her other historical mystery series The Nightingale Mysteries and celebrating the release of Last Dance Before Dawn in paperback! More about Last Dance at Dawn Vivian Kelly has finally created a home and a family at the glamorous speakeasy known as The Nightingale, where no one cares

Thanks to WOW Women on Writing blog tours for the copy of The Birth of a Widow. Stop by the launch for an author's interview and book giveaway HERE. I'm responding to the tour's prompt to write about an unexpected part of grief you experienced. Scroll down for more about the book, a review and giveaway. The Surprises of Grief We all think we know the feelings of grief. Sadness. Regret for things we said or did (or didn't say or do). The fondness of memories. The overwhelming

Thanks to Partners in Crime blog tours for the opportunity to chat with author Landis Wade and tell folks about his new Indie Retirement Mystery Series. Don't you just love when people start a new chapter after retirement? Deadly Gold Rush is the follow-up to the first book in the series Deadly Declarations. Don't miss the fun giveaway at the end of the post. More about Deadly Gold Rush Murder, mayhem, and the Carolina gold rush: welcome back to the Indie, where retirement is

The Limerent series by L.S. Delorme is interesting as each book has a paranormal element but they also lean into another genre - romance, legal thriller, historical fiction. Today, I'm featuring a review of the last of the three stand alone titles that can be read in any order: Fanning Fireflies. I'm excited because this means that up next is Ghost Academy - the book where many of the characters from the first three books meet. Check out my past reviews of Bright Midnights an

I may have to officially declare the Summer of 2026 as the year of British thriller authors. Between Ruth Ware (check her out HERE) and Lisa Jewell I'm beside myself trying to decide which book to read next. So many to choose from! More about Then She Was Gone THEN She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. NOW It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope

Sadly, when the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Summer Reading program began in 1984 for kids through Grade 6 I was starting high school. Bummer, since there was a Pizza Hut just down the hill from my high school. Of course, my class got banned from Pizza Hut after a (small) fire accidentally started by a classmate...but I digress. Despite never being a BOOK IT kid, I raised children who annually kept track of their reading and enjoyed their personal pizzas. For a family on a budget, a Pi

The British are coming - coming to life in a book I am so excited about! A few months ago I stumbled across a Substack called Receipts from the Bookshop written by a book author and owner of a bookshop, Katie Clapham. It was hysterical. And touching. And so, so fun. It became the highlight of my Fridays (and occasionally Thursdays or Tuesdays when there's a bank holiday). I'm not always a "read this" or "follow this" kind of gal but I have been shouting through my bullhorn ab

I'm a firm believer of the "I can never have too many books" school of thought. That said, I also realize that I'm also in the world of "I will never have enough money for all the books I want". So I frequent my local library (where they are so nice about getting books shipped in from other libraries) and haunt local used book sales searching for particular titles and authors I love. Yes, I do have an ever-growing TBR list. Then there are the books that just show up on my doo

Well, this is a twist. Usually I read a book, love it and discover that this author wrote tons of books before this one. Because I'm perpetually late to the party! I'm still late to the party but this time I actually read Ruth Ware 's first book (first for adults, at least) and discovered she has nine other thrillers I can read. Nine! I'm so excited! But first, more about her debut thriller In a Dark Dark Wood . More about In a Dark Dark Wood Nora hasn’t seen Clare for ten ye

Today I'm excited to have a visit from Eva Shaw, a best-selling author and ghostwriter with more than 100 books published, from novels to self-help books to memoirs to charming gift books including her latest, Jane Won't Quit. Additionally, she’s written thousands of articles, essays and short stories. Eva is giving us a peek into the writing of romance novel with today's guest post. Keep scrolling for info about her latest book and a giveaway. For the Love (of Writing) a Ro

WOW Women on Writing blog tours invited me to participate in a tour for Being Pyotr Ilyich: Tchaikovsky’s Inner Life, Revealed by Himself 130 Years Later written by Chris Nielsen. Today I'm posting using the tour's writing prompt: What does forgiveness mean to you now, compared to earlier in your life? Scroll down to learn more about the book. You can also read an author interview HERE. Forgiveness is Easy There was a time in my life - a long time, I confess - when forgivenes

I took a peek at my local library's used book sale. Logically, I don't NEED any more books - my TBR pile is perilously high - but I don't NOT NEED more books (gotta love double negatives!). So I came home with Orphan Train , a historical novel released in 2013, but if you like it (and I predict that you will), author Christina Baker Kline has plenty of other novels for you to enjoy. Including one being released today: The Foursome , the reimagining of an astonishing true sto

Thanks to WOW Blog Tours for giving me the opportunity to try something I don't often read - poetry. You can read some reviews from readers who probably know a lot more about poetry, as well an author interview HERE. You can also enter to win a copy of Water in Every Room. More About Water in Every Room Water in Every Room embodies the fluctuations of emotion and form in new motherhood. Ferocious and tender, tending and transformed, mother embraces both her child and the dual