Friday, January 3

December Bookshelf Review


Making this just a wee bit shorter than usual, as I need to also do a summary of my 2024 Reading Challenges and what I'm planning for reading challenges in 2025. And well, my monthly summaries tend to be short anyway, since I don't read that many books in a month!

December's Books Completed and Reviewed

A Christmas Charade by Karla Hocker - a light romantic historical with a holiday theme. The ghost was probably my favorite character. (Read my review HERE)



During December I started reading:

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means - Purchased this earlier in the year but didn't start reading until December, after discussing it with a friend. I'm obviously not finished yet, but far enough along in the book that I'm going to count it in the 52 Book Club as non-fiction recommended by a friend.




A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - I got started on this one that's been on the top of TBR for a really long time. 



During December I continued reading:

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar - I got back to this book and am enjoying the continuing love story between Sarah and Darius, and the intrigue and drama they deal with in the Persian court, and then when they are asked to accompany Nehemiah to Jerusalem. I really wanted to count this towards my 52 Book Challenge, like I did with Good Energy, but it doesn't seem to fit any of the prompts I have left.



Where My Books Took Me in December . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

A Christmas Charade is set in England, specifically along the Sussex coast.
One Word: Returning

A Deceptive Composition is set in rural England, mostly Cornwall.
Harvest of Gold takes place in ancient Persia.


Coming Up in January!

I'm rethinking what's next on my reading list since I'm starting on 2025 Reading Challenges, so I haven't got anything definite picked out yet. Well, except for a book of poetry that I feel like I can get through in time for a Facebook book club I'm still following but haven't really participated in for a couple years. My hope is to pick up my pace on reading at least a little this year!

Mountain Interval by Robert Frost 




On my blogs recently . . . 

This blog and Homeschool Coffee Break have been quiet, but on A Fresh Cup of Coffee you'll find:

WQ - Traditions (this is the link-up post)


This post will be linked at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life.


©2008-2025 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/ 

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


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Monday, December 23

Recent Reads - A Christmas Charade


A Christmas Charade by Karla Hocker - I found this book on my Kindle while hunting for something with a holiday theme and it obviously fit the bill! The story takes place at Stenton Castle, which has been standing empty for some years since a tragic fire. Clive Rowland, Duke of Stenton has decided to refurbish the castle and host a Christmas house party, but it's a cover to give him an excuse to investigate probable spy activity along the nearby Sussex coast.

Elizabeth Gore-Langton is a somewhat reluctant guest, having come as the paid companion to Lady Astley. A decade earlier, Elizabeth had been enamored of Clive during her first season, and is uncomfortable wondering if and how he'll remember her. 

It's pretty clear that a second chance romance will likely develop between these two, but there is a whole cast of supporting characters with their own storylines, including Lady Astley's son and his wife who are navigating issues in the marriage since his return from war. There are little subplots going on among the other extended family members and close friends at this house party as well. And while all these personal interactions are playing out, Clive is still trying to find out if spies are using the nearby coastline.

An important supporting character is Annie Tuck, the castle's ghost! Annie has her own agenda, now that there are people at the castle again, and to everyone's surprise, she can also contribute to the romances, dramas, and subterfuges. Annie becomes gradually more tangible to the people in the castle, and her part is probably the most entertaining part of the story.

While this was an enjoyable light read, I felt that it was very busy with all the little subplots, and everything about the spy activity and investigation seemed contrived and flimsy. There was an action scene that was confusing and improbable, both in the action itself and the characters' reactions and motivations.

From the publisher:

A charming Yuletide romance painted with gorgeous Regency detail.

Elizabeth Gore-Langton was hardly in a position to refuse accompanying Lady Astley to the Christmas party at Stenton Castle. After all, a paid companion must follow her employer's wishes. It scarcely mattered that Elizabeth would be forced to face the man who had unknowingly broken her heart years ago during her first season. Most likely, the Duke of Stenton wouldn't even recognize her. But once she looked up into his dark, piercing eyes, she knew this was a man who fogot very little and forgave even less. Well, she was no longer a blushing schoolgirl, and the dashing duke would soon find that a broken heart, once mended, could be formidable indeed!

Clive Rowland, Fifth Duke of Stenton, was in no mood for a holiday gathering. But the Christmas gala would provide the perfect cover as he investigated reports that French agents were doing a brisk trade in stolen documents along the Sussex coast. It would be devilishly difficult to play the host while tracking down traitors, but Clive was up to the task―provided he kept his wits about him and didn't get distracted by yule logs and Christmas folderol . . . or the delightful charms of the disturbingly familiar Elizabeth. She was hiding something, to be sure, and Clive liked nothing better than unveiling a lady's secrets!

This is a book with a time frame of a week or less (#32) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.
#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024





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

©2008-2024 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/ 

 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.
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Saturday, November 30

Monthly Bookshelf Review - November 2024


Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are. ~Mason Cooley

No surprise that I got very little reading done this month, since there was a lot going on at various times. 

November's Books Completed and Reviewed

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - I finished this novel about the Titanic right at the end of last month but hadn't posted the review when I did my October Bookshelf Review. (Read my review HERE)



The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - Detective Daniel Hawthorne has been called in to work on a new case, with Horowitz helping and taking notes to turn the adventure into another book. This is the follow-up to The Word is Murder. (Read my review HERE.)




During November I shelved . . . 

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar - I may have read a little on this one that I'd just started, but once I got focused on the library book, I put this aside temporarily.



Where My Books Took Me in November . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

Sisters of Fortune is mostly set on the Atlantic Ocean.
One Word: Sorrow

The Sentence is Death is set in London, England.
One Word: Revenge


Coming Up in December!

I have a feeling I won't get a lot of reading done in the month ahead, but I've got these that I'd like to start on so I'll likely choose one of them:

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa
A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - Next in the Lady Darby series and has been top of my TBR for quite awhile





On my blogs recently . . . 

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



On Homeschool Coffee Break:



And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; and at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life.

bookworms monthly linky


©2008-2024 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/ 

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

 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.


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Recent Reads - The Sentence is Death



The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - Investigator Daniel Hawthorne is back to investigate another tricky murder case, and he insists that the reluctant author Anthony comes along to record all of it for a second book in the series. Anthony doesn't have time―he's busy working on the set of the TV show he writes―but Hawthorne is hard to dissuade, and soon Anthony is intrigued and involved enough that he is determined to find out the answer to who killed a wealthy divorce lawyer and why. Of course, he'd also like to know more about Hawthorne as a character, but he doesn't give up his own secrets easily.

The murder victim is Richard Pryce, bludgeoned to death with a very expensive wine bottle in his own home. It's clear he knew the killer and wasn't expecting to be attacked, but once Hawthorne and Horowitz start digging into the case, they discover that there are several potential murderers who had motive and opportunity. They will have to follow the threads to Pryce's past and to his most recent divorce case to figure out all the reasons and narrow down the field of suspects.

Once again, Horowitz delivers a clever mystery with some unexpected twists and at least a couple of red herrings. Like Horowitz (the character), I really wanted to test my wit against Hawthorne's and see if I could pick out the murderer on my own. As narrator, Anthony mentions early on that he missed and misconstrued clues that are included in his descriptions, and I guess I missed them too. I picked out my own suspect and was quite convinced I knew who did it, although I wasn't sure exactly how or why. When Anthony pitches his solution and they take it to the unpleasant police detecctive, I figured I was wrong . . . until that solution was shown to be a red herring . . . so maybe I was right after all? I was, and I'm pretty proud of myself for it. 

I chose to use this for the 52 Book Club prompt "an author everyone except me has read" because it seemed I was seeing Horowitz's titles on so many of the book blogs I follow, but prior to reading the first in this series, The Word Is Murder, I actually hadn't read him. Now I'm hooked. Thanks, book bloggers!



From the publisher:

Death, deception, and a detective with quite a lot to hide stalk the pages of Anthony Horowitz's brilliant murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne.

"You shouldn't be here. It's too late . . . "

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine―a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didn't drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man's many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who's really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed―even at the risk of death . . .

By the same author: The Word Is Murder

This is a book by an author "everyone" besides me has read (#25) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.
#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024




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

©2008-2024 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/ 

 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.
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Monday, November 18

What I'm Reading - November 18, 2024

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I don't update that often, because what I'm reading doesn't change a great deal from week to week, and I seldom find time any more to participate in book-related link-ups. I do try to do this summary around the middle of the month but it's been a minute since I did! Here's what I'm currently working on and what I think might be next:

I'm currently reading . . .

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - Detective Daniel Hawthorne has been called in to work on a new case, and author Horowitz is helping and turning the investigation into another book. This is the follow-up to The Word is Murder which I read last month and really enjoyed.


Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar - I started this on my Kindle awhile ago and haven't got very far with it. It's the sequel to Harvest of Rubies, a story about a Jewish woman married to a Persian nobleman, and it takes place during the Biblical time period of Nehemiah.






Up Next . . . On the TBR stack . . . 

The stack grows faster than my ability to read it, especially lately! No guarantees, but these are the top contenders for me to pick up next:

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means - It was just brought to my attention that this is Non-fiction November, so I should probably at least start on a non-fiction. This will probably be the one.


The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa
A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - Next in the Lady Darby series and on the top of my TBR pile.




And to catch up a bit, here are the books (not too many of them, I'm afraid!) I've finished since my last update:

I finished reading . . . 

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - a historical novel that follows a wealthy Canadian family wrapping up their grand tour by sailing home on the Titanic.  (Read my review HERE.)



The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz - The author inserts himself as a character in this clever crime novel, as he follows enigmatic detective Daniel Hawthorne in solving a strange murder case. (Read my review HERE.)



Blood of Adam by Rachel S. Neal - A novel centering on an imagined name and character for Japheth's wife, and what life may have been like for Noah's family in the years leading up to the flood. (Read my review HERE.)



On my blogs recently . . . 

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



On my main coffee break project, A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



And on my "first cup blog", Homeschool Coffee Break:



***************

What are you reading?


This post will also be linked at What's On Your Bookshelf? #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge hosted by Deb's World. 

 ©2008-2024 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/ 

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

 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.

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Monday, November 11

Recent Reads - Sisters of Fortune


Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - As much as I enjoy historical fiction, I probably would not have picked up this book except that it's by one of my very favorite authors. Also, the cover is just stunning, so that helped! Reading stories about people who sailed on the Titanic and suffered such a great tragedy is just too uncomfortable for me, so it took me awhile to get started on this one, and as I neared the fatal moment for the ocean liner itself, I found it difficult because I knew that a good number of the characters I'd met in these pages would not survive. So . . . all that said . . . 

The story focuses on a family from Winnipeg who had just finished a grand tour that included Egypt and Europe, and were sailing back home on the Titanic. There are three sisters―Flora, Alice, and Mabel Fortune―and their parents and brother. Flora and Alice are both engaged, with plans to marry when they reach home. Mabel is uninterested in a relationship, but wants very badly to attend university, while her parents remain opposed to this course of action. Of course, they interact with many other passengers on the Titanic and strike up some friendships among them. There are descriptions of the ship, its accommodations, and many details of the voyage woven throughout. The younger brother Charlie's exuberant interest in engineering and science provides a seamless way to include the characters talking about what the ship and its voyage were like in a fairly natural way.

Flora and Alice provide a contrast in character, and their expectations of the marriages awaiting them are quite different. Flora is the dutiful and serious older daughter, agreeing to marry according to convention, but beginning to question if there is something more available to her. She knows that she and her fiance do not have any real affection for each other, not the way Alice and Holden do. When Flora meets the dashing and wealthy Chess Kinsey and begins to feel joy and passion, she realizes she will have a bold decision to make if she wishes to embrace this developing romance. Alice has been somewhat coddled because of health problems, and she loves her fiance Holden, but the adventures and new experiences of traveling have raised doubts in her mind about whether she wants to simply settle down to a stolid and respectable life. 

The third-person narrative makes use of each of the three sisters as viewpoint characters, and Chess is a fourth viewpoint character. This allows the experiences of the men and the women to be explored, and to my surprise, it was easy to follow and not distracting. When I started reading, I had assumed that the Fortune family was fictional and loosely based on real people that sailed on the Titanic, but at the end there is an author's note explaining that the family is very real, although relatively little is known about them. 

From the publisher:

April, 1912: It's the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe―sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they've seen―magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East―and contemplate the futures that await them.

For Alice, there's foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiance's plans for her return―a cossetted existence she's no longer sure she wants.

Flora is also returning to a fiance, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man―charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable―occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.

Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Mabel has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform―even if it forces a rift with her family.

Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives.

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows, Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit, A Wicked Conceit, A Perilous Perspective, A Fatal Illusion


This is a book with at least four different points of view (#4) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.
#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024



©2008-2024 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/ 

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

 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.
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Friday, November 1

Monthly Bookshelf Review - October



A new book is like a friend that I have yet to meet. ~Abraham Lincoln

This turned out to be the case with the Anthony Horowitz book I read this month. He was a new-to-me author, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book and decided to read the next in the series. Since I'm getting those from the library, I do need to focus on getting through them in a couple weeks or so, which means I'm not focusing on other reading much. In addition, October was a busy month with activities, travel, and family visits, so reading wasn't the top priority either.


October's Books Completed and Reviewed

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - It took me quite awhile, but I did finish this fascinating novelized version of the Titanic. It follows the Fortune family, particularly the three sisters, on their journey back to North America after a grand tour. Of course the exciting voyage of the Titanic goes horribly wrong, and ended in tragedy, and that's been hard to read, knowing that although this family is fictional, they represent many real people. (Review coming soon)



The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz - The author inserts himself as a character in this clever crime novel, as he follows enigmatic detective Daniel Hawthorne in solving a strange murder case. (Read my review HERE.)




During October I continued reading:

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar - I got started on this one and meant to get further, but didn't read that far since I had to finish up the library book. 



Where My Books Took Me in October . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

The Word is Murder is set in England, mostly in London.
One Word: Investigators

Sisters of Fortune is mostly set on the Atlantic Ocean.
One Word: Sorrow

Harvest of Gold is set in ancient Persia.


Coming Up in November!

Last month I said I'd read The Word is Murder next, and that I had to because it was a library book that I didn't expect to renew. I'll do the same thing with the sequel, as I just picked it up from the library and I'm sure I won't have the luxury of renewing that one either.

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz





On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second it's been very quiet so there's nothing else this month.

Despite having some plans to update a bit, there's nothing new on Homeschool Coffee Break recently either.

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; and at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life.

bookworms monthly linky


©2008-2024 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/ 

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

 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.


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