Not book related, but a new railing made me happy this month.

1. This was harder to determine than expected, so I‘m going to go with the tagged book.
2. As long as the author is not “phoning it in,” the series can go on indefinitely.
3. The Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron. It was a satisfying ending but still a little bittersweet.
#wondrouswednesday

May is not over yet! Still, I think I can opine on what I read.
1. I didn‘t love anything I read this month, but I found the tagged book very interesting.
2. I‘m reading some books painfully slowly, but so far this month I haven‘t bailed on anything. (At least I don‘t think so?)
#two4tuesday

I don‘t think I posted this picture from a few months ago. Late afternoon, late winter at one of my favorite bodies of #water near me. #maymontage

It‘s almost June, and just in time for #CampLitsy Bandit Queens came back from Libby. I also want to finish Cantoras and All Are Welcome during Pride month.

June is also Caribbean-American Heritage Month, so I‘ll focus my #ReadingTheAmericas2023 efforts on: Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, and Haiti. More on this later!

Meanwhile, I‘m still working on #52mysteries along the margins.

#weeklyforecast

Solito got more interesting once Javier and his grandfather left on their “trip,” but then Libby clawed back the book into Holdland.

I finished Desert Heat and liked it more than expected, so I‘ll add Joanna Brady to the series I need to follow.

Not much progress was made in the physical books. I spent a lot of time updating my long-neglected iTunes library and dealing with other personal administrative and domestic tasks.

#bookreport

There was some definite #girlpower going on in this mystery. The main character refuses to believe that her husband died by suicide, and she decides to investigate the case herself. Along the way she gets help from some other strong willed women, some of whom are family and others who are strangers. #maymontage

Hubby is working all weekend. My sister and my friends are all busy. Should be a good time for a #readathon

I just watched this a couple days ago. I didn‘t like it quite as much as I expected, but I‘m not sorry I watched it.

Beautiful setting, great acting, #dark story

Tom and Lorenzo review the movie starting at around 5:50 of this podcast. https://overcast.fm/+EZgmTt5QI

This would also work for yesterday‘s #therapy prompt except in that environment it never would have happened.

#maymontage

I wouldn‘t want to take over a bookstore from my pen pal who died right before I arrived from another country for a visit, but it would be fun to have a store of my own for a while. I‘d call it This and That Books. It would be somewhere in a medium sized city or the suburbs, maybe New York or California? I‘d sell new and old books, journals, bookmarks, tea, candles, etc. and would specialize in mysteries. Maybe foster a cat? #wondrouswednesday

1. I don‘t have any specific plans but might take a little road trip.
2. I wish I had a functioning work space. I wish for homes for every person and animal that needs one. I wish the pool at the community center would reopen soon.
#two4tuesday

It was surprisingly hard to find a baseball book with #glovesoncover but easier to find some with a single glove. #maymontage

I don‘t really follow publishers, but Soho Press seems to have some interesting mystery authors in their “stable,” including Sujata Massey. They published the edition I read of the tagged book, at any rate. #sundayfunday

Top row is for #readingtheamericas2023

Bottom row is mysteries for #52mysteries and book club

#weeklyforecast

This week I managed book club stuff, vacuumed 50 pounds of cat hair from the carpet, went to a weird ballgame, and finished two very different books.
-The Nickel Boys: brutal
-Tahoe Deathfall: ridiculous

I‘m making progress on the rest, except for the one that hasn‘t moved from the back of my car yet. Also mucked around a bit in Libby and the library catalog as part of managing book club stuff and Camp Litsy prep.

#bookreport

I thought this was interesting and full of many “did you know” moments. Occasionally I found it hard to follow the timeline, but once we got to the actual hurricane the action picked up, so to speak. Probably I‘m a little weird, but I wanted more information about the aftermath of the storm as it affected the nascent Weather Service.

In light of the number of severe storms the past several years, I‘d like an updated foreword.

#authoramonth

As far as I can tell, this book was actually published in 2001 (not 1642). 🤣

Be that as it may, I‘ll give it a soft pick. Great setting of Lake Tahoe, interesting main characters, and a compelling mystery story about a messed up family with SECRETS. Some of the action, however, is beyond ridiculous, and I don‘t plan to read more of the series.

I wanted a #Nevada book that‘s not set in Vegas, so it fit the bill. #52mysteries

1. Southeastern Arizona
2. Scotland
3. Rohan
#wondrouswednesday

#bridge #maymontage

1. I dog ear magazines but usually not books.
2. Done!
#two4tuesday

Happy Publication Day to the young adult version of this book!

One of the festival sponsors provided copies for attendees, and it was worth standing in line in the rain for a signature.

Go home, Goodreads. You‘re drunk.

When you can‘t find one book in a series in a format compatible with the rest of the series. Long story short, I bought the tagged book a few years ago thinking the disparity wouldn‘t bother me. But it does! I gave it away and can‘t find it in a suitable format for a reasonable price anywhere. #sundayfunday

More from yesterday. I know the picture is probably too small to read, so here‘s part of the text. “What may look like your average summer reading list is actually made up of some of the most commonly challenged and censored books of all time…” Sherlock Holmes banned? 🤦🏻‍♀️

You can also see the wet walkway, except the little bit shielded by the height of the sign. At least today has very nice weather for everyone celebrating Mother‘s Day. 💐☀️

In addition to the Kindle purchases, I also stopped at the library between appointments and picked up a couple more books.

So far the two books on the right are just okay, but they‘re for my #52mysteries challenge for Nevada and Nebraska, so I‘ll carry on for now.

I still have to post a couple more pictures from yesterday‘s rainy book festival…

#weeklyforecast

I saw the post this week about Love in the Library and went to Amazon to download it. While there I found another book that will appear on the forecast tomorrow. Two books for $2.10!

I finished Isaac‘s Storm at the book festival today between author presentations.

#bookreport

Through no fault of her own, Maureen Johnson was late to her presentation, but there was a hardy band of fans who stuck it out in the rain to see her.

Here she is describing the axe that was used in the cold case murder.

She also said that there will be at least one more Stevie book, but she‘s working on something else that will come out before it.

This week‘s book report will be a little late. First, I‘m attending our local little book festival. Here‘s our County Executive, Dr. Calvin Ball, kicking off the event and introducing the author of the tagged book.

A #generational story that I‘ll probably get around to reading one day. #maymontage

1. Now that Will Trent is done for the season (that finale! 💔) I‘m back to my pandemic discovery, Highway Thru Hell.
2. Mountains (maybe one day go back to the Canadian Rockies?)
3. Baseball
#wondrouswednesday

1. My friend and I are kicking around the idea of a girls‘ trip in June or July.
2. I enjoy a fun “beach” read in the summer (with a floppy hat on the cover), but if it‘s really hot I also like to read a book that‘s set in the middle of a cold winter.
#two4tuesday

This book #involvesawedding and maybe a hurricane? I love a fun wacky wedding trope, but so far this is just a parade of annoying characters being cranky. Perhaps when we get to the actual event, things will get more interesting. Still, it‘s easy to read a chapter or two amongst the rest of the books on my plate. At least I have it securely from the library with a couple more renewals available. #maymontage

We‘re actually on a road trip right now! Just an impromptu drive, and we ended up in Pennsylvania.

When I‘m going somewhere new, I like to take books about or set in the place. For any trip, I just like to load up my Kindle with books so I can pick and choose. I‘ll still throw a few paperbacks in my bag too.

#sundayfunday

Maybe I‘ll finish all these books this week. Maybe I won‘t…
#weeklyforecast

I finished Blessing Way for an upcoming book club meeting. Other than feeling like I was reading two different books, it was fine.

Just when I was getting into the swing of VC again, it went back to the library. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Meanwhile, I returned Bandit Queens early on purpose so I can pick it up again for camp Litsy next month.

Isaac‘s Storm is interesting so far, and I‘m still making my way through the other two.

#bookreport

Nobody in book club could explain/understand the #sunglassesoncover because they don‘t have anything to do with the story. 🤷🏻‍♀️
#maymontage

Interesting talk today at the community center about the connection between the battle of Puebla (May 5, 1862) and the US Civil War. Our speaker is dressed as General Lee Wallace, who was involved in unofficial efforts to support the Mexican government later, among other things. For knowing that he also wrote the book Ben-Hur, I won … a jar of salsa.

I heard an interview with the author and knew I needed to read this book. When I borrowed it from Libby, I saw that it came with questions and exercises, so I plan to get my own copy. #financerelated #maymontage

1. A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet Erika Scherzer (Max‘s wife), and she complimented my eyes. His eyes are unusual, so I was flattered that she noticed mine.
2. I‘d love to be able to play the piano.
3. A couple weeks ago I saw these beautiful flowers while on a walk.
#wondrouswednesday

I had a long lunch with some friends and then came home and took an unscheduled nap on the couch! So, better late than never…

1. Spanish
2. Tagged

#two4tuesday

#authorhas3names #maymontage

I never got around to finishing this for a book club meeting last year, and now I‘m letting it go. I‘m sure it‘s fine, but the moment has long passed. #yellowcolor #maymontage

#wrapup

#temptingtitles #withnew

“It‘s gonna be May.”
#weeklyforecast

In non-reading news, I‘m done with PT! With (I hope) more consistent weather, I plan to pivot to more walking and more listening time.

Meanwhile, I finished Lying Game and bailed on Fuzz. I started Bandit Queens and Blessing Way.

All Are Welcome doesn‘t have chapter numbers, so I‘m switching to page numbers. So far it‘s not exactly a page turner, but it‘s a nice palate cleanser between other things.

#bookreport

I read this WWII classic when I was in high school and had first discovered historical fiction chunksters. #temptingtitles #withyoung

This was a gift from my mom many years ago.

#temptingtitles #withold

Rainy weekend will probably affect my reading plans and other plans. I‘ll be working on these books for the #readathon while also keeping an eye on the weather forecast.

In which we see that the abuse of power and corruption started long before the events of the Hunger Games trilogy. #themedthursday