Just A Second

Monday, February 27

Monthly Bookshelf Review - February 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

Reading brings us unknown friends. ~Honoré de Balzac

Not surprisingly, I was not able to read as many books in February as I did in January. And it's not just because the month is shorter! I did find myself with a few more things to keep myself busy so I didn't have as much time to sit with a good book. But sit with a good book I did, and here are the books I've been enjoying!

February's Books Completed and Reviewed

In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel - In the contemporary timeline, Elise struggles with crippling stage fright at the same time as she receives a mysterious gift, and her high school crush returns to town. In the 1920s timeline, actress Sophie is falsely accused of being a jewel thief and the effort to clear her name puts her in danger, and back in contact with the detective she jilted. (Review coming very soon!)

The Letter From Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd - Cassandra follows up on a letter that may lead her to a family connection, and is able to offer help to a family adjusting to loss. She also becomes the subject of controversy when it is revealed that she is named in a contested will - if she can prove her identity. (Read my full review HERE)

What I Would Tell You by Liz Tolsma - A young American woman is surprised to find that she has Jewish roots in Greece, and travels to Thessaloniki to find out more. In a timeline set during WWII, Sephardic Jewish woman and her husband struggle to survive under the Nazi occupation in Greece. (Read my full review HERE)

During February I started reading:

The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham - Newlyweds Frederick and Grace take a belated honeymoon trip that includes Egypt, which delights book-loving and imaginative Grace. But things turn sinister and they put their amateur detecting skills to work.

Shirley, I Jest: A Storied Life by Cindy Williams - a memoir from the comedian and actress, with plenty of background and anecdotes about her start in show business.

Coming Up in March!

After months of putting off those Anna Lee Huber novels, I will finally be able to get to at least one of them! The latest flurry of review novels is just about over, so I'll be opening up A Perilous Undertaking next!

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber

If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White

What I'm Highlighting . . . I thought this was a fun twist on monthly book summaries, and may add this meme to my own look back at each month. On Budget Tales Book Blog, there's a monthly meme about "Places My Books Have Taken Me" along with a one-word summary or review of the book. For this month, I'll share the places my books have taken me during the month here, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished. I'll plan to link up this post with the meme, and maybe next month this will get its own post.

In Spotlight and Shadow took me to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

One Word: Security

The Letter From Briarton Park took me to North Yorkshire, England

One Word: Legacy

What I Would Tell You took me to Thessaloniki, Greece and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

One Word: Hope

The Cairo Curse has taken me from England to Cairo, Egypt so far.

Shirley, I Jest: A Storied Life has had stories taking place in several US states so far.

On my blogs recently . . .

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Friday Fun posts - The Friday 56 and First Lines

Down the TBR Hole - February 23, 2023

Down the TBR Hole - February 16, 2023

What I'm Reading - February 13, 2023

Down the TBR Hole - February 9, 2023

On Homeschool Coffee Break:

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Common Grammar and Punctuation Errors

The Great Backyard Bird Count - Can You Name Each Tiny Bird?

A Groundhog Day Look at Light and Shadow

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Conflict and Tension in Fiction

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Monthly Musings - Warm Weather Destinations/Winter Travel Tips

What's Up Wednesday - February 2023

Everyday Images #2

Those Were The Rules

Coffee Break Reading List - February 2023

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Thoughts on Love and Time

Everyday Images #1

There were actually quite a number of other posts not listed separately here, because I've been participating in the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge. All the posts that were written specifically for that challenge are listed in this anchor post: Write Something Somewhere - The 2023 Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; at Budget Tales Book Blog; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

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Friday, February 24

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for February 24, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

I've had this on my TBR for ever so long, and happened to see it at the library recently. So far I've just flipped through and enjoyed a few snippets and the photos, but I'm really looking forward to digging in. Betty White was one of my favorite celebrities! She was so sweet and funny.

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They'd sing for us, and some you wouldn't believe ― you just didn't know where to look. You'd think, This is the longest song that was ever sung! And you felt so sorry for these people . . .

~from page 156 of If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White

The New York Times bestseller from the beloved actress and Hollywood icon who's made us laugh on shows from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Golden Girls to Saturday Night Live!

In this candid take on everything from the unglamorous reality behind red-carpet affairs to her beauty regimen ("I have no idea what color my hair is, and I never intend to find out"), Betty White shares her observations about life, celebrity, and love (for humans and animals). Filled with photos, If You Ask Me is funny, sweet, and straight to the point―just like Betty.

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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"Old age isn't for sissies."

"I can't believe I'm getting old."

"Why do people ever say 'Happy Birthday'?"

And the list goes on ― we've heard them all. However, if one is lucky enough to be blessed with good health, growing older shouldn't be something to complain about.

~From the beginning of If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

This Week's Question: What is the significance of your blog header?

My Answer: Well, I don't really have a header other than the title of the blog. The significance of that title is sort of explained in the button. I started this blog after I'd already established a homeschool blog as a place to discuss books and non-homeschool things. It's a reference to my love of coffee and books, and my habit of saying, "Just a second . . . " so I can finish something on a blog before doing anything else.

Book Blogger Hop

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Thursday, February 23

Down The TBR Hole - February 23, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

Welcome to my latest edition of Down The TBR Hole! Jody at the blog I'm Into Books has offered this solution to help remind us of all those books we added to our Goodreads list in the distant past and hopefully start managing the list. The idea is to start cleaning up our Goodreads TBR lists of all the books that have piled up over time, and share our progress in the link-up every Thursday. Here's how Jody explains it:

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you're scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them.

So here's what we'll do: On the Goodreads to-read shelf, order all your books ascending by date added. Look at the first four (or more) books on the list, read the synopses and decide whether the books should stay or go. Post in the link-up and share using the hashtag #DTTBRH and tagging @Jodyblogs.

I wonder if my efforts to declutter my Goodreads lists will inspire me to declutter other parts of my home? Honestly, there's not a lot of clutter here since we tried to avoid packing up and moving clutter, but I do still have some things that haven't been nicely organized yet. Maybe I'll tackle those this weekend and find proper homes for those things. For today, I'll tidy these virtual bookshelves!

Here's what I found on Week Three:

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel - At first glance, I was sure I'd read this before and wondered why it was still on the TBR. But this is a story about how John Harrison invented a timekeeper that would work at sea. I read a book about Galileo by the same author, and I believe the cover was similar. Anyway, it sounds interesting, but I don't think I still need to read it. Gone.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon - I purchased this book (second-hand) and am pretty sure I still have it at my other home. So I don't think it needs to be on my virtual TBR list as well as in a bookshelf full of TBRs.

Secrets of a Lady by Tracy Grant - Looks like it might be really good and I'm sure I had a good reason for adding it, but I don't remember anything about it and it's the 10th in a series, so it's off the list.

Who Brings Forth The Wind by Lori Wick - This one I know I've read, and I even own it, so I'm just going to update it to "read" and that's another book off the TBR!

The Centurion's Wife and The Hidden Flame, both by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke - I put these together since they are first and second in a series. I own these books but haven't read them yet. Shame on me! But like The Curious Incident, I don't need them on the Goodreads list to remind me about them.

I feel really productive moving six books off the 'stack'!

This post will be linked at Down The TBR Hole hosted by Jody at I'm Into Books.

#DTTBRH

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Saturday, February 18

Recent Reads - The Letter From Briarton Park

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

The Letter From Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd - Cassandra Hale had accepted that her family's identity was unknown, so when her mentor makes a deathbed confession about a letter that may reveal her parentage, Cassandra feels betrayed. With nothing more than a two-year-old letter from a Mr Clark to guide her, she travels to Briarton Park to see what she can find out. She arrives to find that Mr Clark died shortly after sending her the letter, and that Briarton Park has a new master, James Warrington. She follows up on the few leads she has and gratefully accepts assistance from James, the vicar, and a few other new friends, but the more she finds out about her late father, the more danger surrounds her and she wonders who can be trusted.

James is doing his best to watch over his younger sister and bring up his two young daughters with the help of his late wife's mother, but he knows the girls need a governess. His mother-in-law has promised to engage one, but time is going by and her harsh criticism of everyone in the household is causing trouble. Cassandra proves a good friend to his sister Rachel, and her search for answers about her parentage provides an intriguing distraction. Perhaps more than a distraction as he becomes better acquainted with her and decides to engage her as governess.

This would be a simple romance between a governess and the master of the house, except that there is another suitor vying for her, and to complicate matters she may be the heiress to a valuable piece of land, but only if she can prove her identity since her half-brother is fighting the will. Cassandra must decide who is telling the truth, who has selfish motives, and where her own loyalties lie.

By the same author: A Stranger at Fellsworth, The Governess at Penwythe Hall, The Weaver's Daughter, Dawn at Emberwilde, The Curiosity Keeper, A Lady at Willowgrove Hall, The Headmistress of Rosemere, The Heiress of Winterwood

This is a book with an epilogue (#26) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

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Friday, February 17

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for February 17, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

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Grace smiled, still attempting to sort out what could be wrong with insatiable determination.

~from page 56 of The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham

Clue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide.

Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair share of suspense within their young marriage, but nothing quite prepares them for Egypt. As a gift to his bride, Frederick takes their honeymoon on a detour to the land of Pharoahs where Frederick's cousins are involved in an archaeological expedition. But soon the trips turns more dangerous than even Grace with her fiction-loving mind could predict. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a series of "suspicious deaths" to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Freddie and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their hazardous surroundings and even less predictable cast of characters. As the suspects mount in an antiquities heist of novel-worthy proportions, will Freddie and Grace's attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?

The Cairo Curse is a delightful sequel to The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham in the Freddie and Grace Mystery series.

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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February 1914, Havensbrook

Gunfire erupted from outside, sending Frederick Percy, Earl of Astley, leaping from his chair. The seat crashed against the floor behind him in time with another shot.

~From the beginning of The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Thursday, February 16

Down the TBR Hole - February 16, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you're scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them.

My Goodreads shelf is out of control, even though I've used it only sporadically! There are a ton of books there, and a lot I don't remember adding so it's unlikely I still want to read them. Many are sitting there showing TBR but I DID read them. There were even some that showed I was in the process of reading but I either left off ages ago, or finished, or never did start but perhaps I opened and scrolled a bit in my Kindle. After doing this for the first time last week, I barely made a dent in the list, and then - because I was reminded to USE the list - I kept adding books! Sigh. Well, here goes another round!

Here's what I found on Week Two:

Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steven Hockensmith (Jane Austen) - I'm not sure why this is still on my TBR because I read it! Maybe I added it because I wanted to read it again, or read others in the series? It was hysterically funny, if you like zombie humor, but in the interest of paring down my TBR I'm marking it read. (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith is also going off the list although I haven't read it. I'm kind of over the whole zombie-vampire retelling right now)

Bleak House by Charles Dickens - This one was added when I picked it up from a used book store. The synopsis ends this way: "Bleak House, in its atmosphere, symbolism and magnificent bleak comedy, is often regarded as the best of Dickens. A 'great Victorian novel', it is so inventive in its competing plots and styles that it eludes interpretation." Imagine, the 'best of Dickens' and full of 'bleak comedy' (which I love!) but I haven't read it. All the same, I don't have my copy with me at this house, so for now, this is being deleted from the Goodreads TBR.

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe - Of course I wanted to read this, as it was referenced by Jane Austen et al! I think I'll leave it on the list for now.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Oh dear, this is one of the "everyone except me has read it" books. For that reason, it stays on the list.

To Hold The Crown by Jean Plaidy - This is a novelized history of Henry Tudor, the first in the Tudor line of the British monarchy. Plaidy does these novelized histories so well and I've read many of them, but I think for now, it will have to be moved off the TBR.

Six more books considered, four down the hole, and I have no idea how many more to go! Pages and pages of them!

This post will be linked at Down The TBR Hole hosted by Jody at I'm Into Books.

#DTTBRH

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.