Book Club

Happy Book Club Day!

How is your summer reading going? I have been really happy with both my choices in books as well as progress in reading every day so let’s dive in to what’s new with me and all things bookish.

Firstly, I am thinking of doing a YouTube channel just for books but I’m not sure-what are your thoughts? Would you like some video to accompany these posts do you prefer just reading? I would love to hear! I think a book club channel would be fun and would probably only be weekly just like the posts here but I am not sure I would have enough interesting content. Let me know your thoughts.

One of the newest things is that I started using Libby. If you aren’t familiar it’s an app that lets you download ebooks using your public library system. It’s really fun and I am using it to read on my Kindle Paperwhite. It’s super easy to set up and if you need a video on how to do it here’s the one I used.

The first book I read using the Libby app was “The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone” by Audry Burges. I saw this book on Instagram from another miniaturist’s feed and since I have been loving all things miniature lately I just had to read it. I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it whether you are a miniaturist or not.

“From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds—big and small—and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.”

I finished “The Stolen Letter” book #5 in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery Series by Paige Shelton. I just love this series and this one did not disapoint-except that I realized after I started that I was reading out of order and had skipped over book #4. I had requested both from the library and book #5 came in first. Oh well, book #4 is now at home on my TBR shelf.  Here is what “The Stolen Letter” is about:

“Delaney Nichols is confident she’s doing what she loves—case in point, just one day after returning from her fabulous European honeymoon, she’s eager to get back to the Cracked Spine, the bookstore where she works. But as she disembarks her bus and hurries toward the shop she and another woman collide, sending a stack of books the woman is carrying to the ground.

Delaney’s hapless victim’s name is Mary, and the two women can’t help but notice that they bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. According to Mary, they both also look like the long-beheaded Mary Queen of Scots. Even stranger, Mary believes she is the reincarnation of the Scottish queen. But peculiar as Delaney’s doppelganger is, she doesn’t have time to dwell on it: on her arrival to the bookshop, she learns the Edinburgh city council wants to close the Cracked Spine, citing code violations, and she’s determined to stop them.

But when Mary’s husband dies in a car explosion—and Delaney learns he was the very member of city council who proposed that the city take a closer look at the bookshop’s construction—she starts to wonder if her meeting with Mary wasn’t an accident. Edinburgh has become as filled with intrigue and deception as any European court, and Delaney is determined to get to the bottom of this royal mystery.”

I completed “Emerald Isle” the 5th book in the Stacy Justice series. I like these books as well. They are fun easy reads and have some pretty strong-willed characters in them which is fun.

“Stacy Justice may be a witch, but she still wants a nice, normal twenty-ninth birthday. Unfortunately, Stacy rarely gets normal. As her grandmother, Birdie, plans a birthday ritual for Stacy, disastrous news derails the celebration: the magic cauldron that supplies the world’s food has disappeared. And the last time it vanished, Ireland fell under the Great Famine.

A secret society known as The Council decrees that if Stacy finds the cauldron, she’ll receive the coveted role of Seeker of Justice, and her mother will finally be freed from prison in Ireland. But the grandson of nasty council member Tallulah challenges Stacy for the role. If he finds the cauldron first, Stacy will never see her mother again. And if they both fail, the world will suffer an unimaginable fate.

The fourth book in the enchanted Stacy Justice series, Emerald Isle follows Stacy’s journey to Ireland—and to a mysterious, magical world. But can the reluctant witch complete her international, intergenerational quest in time to save her mother—and the whole planet?”

“The Moneyless Man” by Mark Boyle was an interesting audio book that I listened to. At times, a bit preachy to me but it was very interesting to hear about the author’s journey living a year without money.

“Encountering seasonal foods, solar panels, skill-swapping schemes, cuttlefish toothpaste, compost toilets and – the unthinkable – a cash-free Christmas, this book puts the fun into frugality and offers some great tips for economical (and environmentally friendly) living.“

While I did enjoy the audio book I decided to return the print book I requested from the local library. I am really focusing on reading books that I love and I wasn’t interested in reading about this topic just now.

I still haven’t read “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.” I think I might skim through it and then return it and maybe look for a used copy to keep at the studio at some point if I enjoy the flip through.

A book I read that wasn’t on last month’s TBR was, “A Curious Beginning:  A Veronica Speedwell Mystery” by Deanna Raybourn. I learned about this book from Book Tube somewhere and I love historical fiction! I have also been loving “Ms. Scarlett and the Duke” TV Series and this made me instantly think of that show. It’s a wonderful read and I highly recommend it if you love historical fiction and mystery books.

“London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry–and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker–a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth”

Since I enjoyed it so much I have also started book #2 “A Perilous Undertaking: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery” by Deanna Raybourn.

“London, 1887. Victorian adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell receives an invitation to visit the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women. There she meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Accused of the brutal murder of his artist mistress Artemisia, Ramsforth will face the hangman’s noose in a week’s time if Veronica cannot find the real killer. But Lady Sundridge is not all that she seems, and unmasking her true identity is only the first of the many secrets Veronica must uncover. Together with her natural historian colleague Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer–a ruthless villain who not only took Artemisia’s life in cold blood but is happy to see Ramsforth hang for the crime. From a Bohemian artists’ colony to a royal palace to a subterranean grotto with a decadent history, the investigation proves to be a very perilous undertaking indeed.”

Another library loan is, “Booked for Death” by Victoria Gilbert. You may have learned that I love a cozy mystery or a female detective and this seemed like an interesting new cozy-read.

“Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader’s paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It’s the perfect literary retreat-until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey. The victim’s daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises. Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt’s name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer’s death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer-or end up writing her own final chapter.”

And lastly another cozy series is on the TBR with book #1 “Tagged for Death” by Sherry Harris. Another thing I love? Garage sales! So this sounds like a fun series:

“Starting your life over at age thirty-eight isn’t easy, but that’s what Sarah Winston finds herself facing when her husband CJ runs off with a 19-year-old temptress named Tiffany. Sarah’s self-prescribed therapy happily involves hitting all the garage and tag sales in and around her small town of Ellington, Massachusetts. If only she could turn her love for bargain hunting into a full-time career. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. After returning from a particularly successful day searching for yard sale treasures, Sarah finds a grisly surprise in one of her bags: a freshly bloodied shirt…that undoubtedly belongs to her ex, CJ, who now happens to be Ellington’s chief of police. If that’s not bad enough, it seems Tiffany has gone missing. Now it’s up to Sarah to prove that her cold-hearted ex is not a cold-blooded killer. But finding that treasure can be murder”

I had two other loans from Libby but they are expiring in the next day or so and I won’t be able to read them. I have requested a renewal and I will let you know when I am reading them. I was so excited with finally getting around to borrowing ebooks that I think I over-estimated how quickly I am reading. Still, it’s so much fun and if you haven’t checked it out (or are a long-time Libby lover) let me know in the comments.

Well that is all for this weeks edition of Book Club. I hope you enjoyed my updates. Please feel free to take part in my book party by sharing your blog post using the link below.

Until next time…

–Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Is it really the third week of June? I am pretty sure it’s supposed to be the middle of May isn’t it?  Ah well, time is a funny thing so I have decided to pop in with my latest book club update and some other book related news.

I’ll start first with what I have read since the last book club update back in April. I finally finished, “Lost Books and Old Bones” (affiliate link) by Paige Shelton. I really enjoy her books and this one was no exception. I quickly requested the next in the series (Scottish Bookshop Mysteries affiliate link) from my local library and hope to start it this week. I am still reading “Emerald Isle” (affiliate link) Stacy Justice Mysteries Book #5 by Barbara Annino on my kindle. It’s a really good story I just have been spending a bit more time gardening than reading but it is a goal of mine to finish it before my next book club update.

I finished my Agatha Christie audio book, “The Secret Adversary: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery” and really enjoyed it. I began listening to “Murder on the Links” to continue on with The Agatha Christie Mystery Challenge. The other audio book I began is “The Moneyless Man” by Mark Boyle (affiliate link) which was recommended to me by Michael Nobbs. I am really enjoying the story and it’s a nice listen while working in the studio or doing dishes.

My new library books (pictured above) are:  “The Stolen Letter” by Paige Shelton (affiliate link), “The Way Home” by Mark Boyle (affiliate link) and “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards.

“The Stolen Letter” is the next in the Scottish Bookshop Series. I really love a cozy mystery and if you have been around for a while you know that. The summary of this book (as written on the inside cover) is:

“Delaney Nichols is confident she’s doing what she loves—case in point, just one day after returning from her fabulous European honeymoon, she’s eager to get back to the Cracked Spine, the bookstore where she works. But as she disembarks her bus and hurries toward the shop she and another woman collide, sending a stack of books the woman is carrying to the ground.

Delaney’s hapless victim’s name is Mary, and the two women can’t help but notice that they bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. According to Mary, they both also look like the long-beheaded Mary Queen of Scots. Even stranger, Mary believes she is the reincarnation of the Scottish queen. But peculiar as Delaney’s doppelganger is, she doesn’t have time to dwell on it: on her arrival to the bookshop, she learns the Edinburgh city council wants to close the Cracked Spine, citing code violations, and she’s determined to stop them.

But when Mary’s husband dies in a car explosion—and Delaney learns he was the very member of city council who proposed that the city take a closer look at the bookshop’s construction—she starts to wonder if her meeting with Mary wasn’t an accident. Edinburgh has become as filled with intrigue and deception as any European court, and Delaney is determined to get to the bottom of this royal mystery.”

“The Way Home” is from the same author of the audio book, “The Moneyless Man” and to be honest I am really intrigued. While I love technology-afterall I am using it right now-I do love the idea of taking technology breaks from time to time. To spend time in nature, reading, doing puzzles, going for walks, going to sleep when the sun goes down and waking when it comes up, all sound like very appealing to me. I am interested in reading this book to hear about his journey of a year without technology.

Lastly “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” I saw from this YouTube video where it was recommended to help grow your drawing practice something I am really working on doing.

So that is my current update for you. I am really going to focus this week on making more time with my books so that hopefully I will have lots of updates for you all next time.

What are you reading? I would love to hear! You can also take part in my link party below and share a link to your blog talking about what you are reading this summer.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante