Just A Second: March 2025

Saturday, March 22

What I'm Reading - March 22, 2025

March is slipping by much more quickly than I'd expected, and my schedule has been full. I've been trying (albeit unsuccessfully many days) to go to bed a bit earlier, which means that the only reading time I have most days is my lunch break at work. So unfortunately, that means it takes longer to finish books. Nevertheless, here's what I've been working on:

I'm currently reading . . .

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage are in Cornwall with Gage's extended family, who suspect the patriarch may have been murdered. The manner of death seems quite suspicious to them, but it's too late to do a post mortem and they meet with opposition from almost everyone.

The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews - Just started this one yesterday, so I'm not even through the first chapter! However, Matthews never disappoints so I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with these characters.

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means - Despite my very slow pace, I'm learning valuable information from this book, but I'm unsure at this point how much will be practical for me to implement.

Up Next . . . On the TBR stack . . .

This one is still considered next on the stack, but I don't think I'll be doing much reading until next month!

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

I finished reading . . .

Frauds On Favourite by PJ Fitzsimmons - After reading and enjoying the first in this series, I was happy to review the second as well, and it was an obvious choice for the "pun in the title" prompt in the 52 Book Club Challenge. The title character is a lighthearted flapper, but she does enjoy doing a little investigating, and in this caper she and her friend Stilts are figuring out what exactly is going on with some questionable betting and results in unsanctioned horse races. (Read my review HERE)

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa - I was prompted to read this for the 52 Book Club Lunar New Year mini-challenge, because it is by an Asian author.Plus it's been on my TBR for a long time. It's a collection of seven stories that each highlight how beloved cats find an indispensable place in families and become devoted to their owners. (Read my review HERE)

I've been watching . . .

I've watched a few hockey games on TV, but sort as I'm doing something else. We did go to the Stadium Series outdoor game on March 1st, and went to another Blue Jackets game last week.

We finished watching Only Murders in the Building, which I loved, and are now waiting for a new season of this series.

I finally watched Inside Out 2 with hubby a couple weeks ago, and when the kids were here the first weekend of the month, we watched some of my granddaughter's favorites with her. Some Bluey episodes, which I find very entertaining, and the Disney movies A Bug's Life and Moana.

I've been listening to . . .

After finishing Only Murders in the Building, I finished up listening to the podcast, as well. I continued following all my favorite podcasts, including The Bible Book Club, The Bible Project, and the political commentary podcasts. My favorite, Dan Bongino, has stepped away from the podcast as he is now the Deputy Direcctor of the FBI, but I'm enjoying being reintroduced to the host who is taking over the time slot. I occasionally heard Vince on the radio when we lived in Maryland, and he's doing a great job with the podcast now. I do follow most of these on Rumble, which is technically video, but I listen more than I view, if that makes sense.

For music, I listen to RadioU as always, and I listened to a lot of David Crowder recently, since hubby and I went to a TobyMac/Crowder concert last weekend.

On my blogs recently . . .

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

February Bookshelf Review

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

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge and other Q&A Link-up posts

WQ - Self-Care or Selfish?

A Day in the Life

WOTY and Goals - February Follow-up

Currently . . . March 7, 2025

WQ - First Impressions

Share Four Somethings - February 2025

My "first cup blog", Homeschool Coffee Break, is mostly idle these days, unfortunately.

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What are you reading?

This post may be linked at What's On Your Bookshelf? #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge hosted by Deb's World, and/or at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.

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Thursday, March 20

Recent Reads - The Goodbye Cat

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa - I really enjoyed The Travelling Cat Chronicles by this author, so I was confident I'd enjoy this volume as well, but it took me forever to get started. It's actually a collection of seven short stories. The title character is the first one, and it's from the perspective of a cat who grows up with the younger son in the family and wants to find a way to become a spirit cat so he can stay with him always.

In the second story, a young wife returns home from her parents' with her newborn and is surprised to find out that her husband has rescued a kitten and has been taking care of it. He is well-known for his indecisiveness, disorganization, and being just generally absent-minded and irresponsible, but took the responsibility of caring for Spin seriously, which spurred him to prepare and care for their baby remarkably well. This was also a very sweet and heartwarming story.

Good Father/Bad Father and Cat Island were good stories, but did grab hold of me in the same way. The father seems to be a non-emotional and distant character, and yet the family is surprised that the family cat has an unwavering devotion to him that they cannot figure out. Cat Island is more about the family than the cats that live on the island, but it's in observing his father interact with the cats and hearing stories about how his father and stepmother met that a young boy learns some perspective in his relationships. There is a little bit of a surprise ending to this one.

My favorites were the last two stories. In Finding Hachi, a kitten is taken in by a young boy and grows very attached to him, but when tragedy strikes the boy must take Hachi to live with relatives. As the cat Hachi grows older, his original owner Satoru and his new owner blur in his mind, but it's a bittersweet story of the faithful devotion of this sweet cat. Life Is Not Always Kind is something of a follow-up to Finding Hachi, and it is also an introduction to Nana, who is the title character in The Travelling Cat Chronicles. The boy Satoru is all grown up and this short story dovetails into his journey with his cat Nana, with some reminiscing about his first cat Hachi. Satoru is trying to find someone that Nana can live with but Nana is determined not to leave Satoru. Bittersweet and very touching, especially if one has already read The Travelling Cat Chronicles.

From the publisher:

In the much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling and beloved The Travelling Cat Chronicles, seven cats weave their way through their owners' lives, climbing, comforting, nestling, and sometimes just tripping everyone up in this uplifting collection of tales by international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa.

Against the backdrop of changing seasons in Japan, we meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose playful nature and simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a popular holiday island show a young boy not to stand in nature's way; a family is perplexed by their cat's undying devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat will not stop visiting her at night; and an elderly cat hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be in each other's lives forever.

Bursting with love and warmth, The Goodbye Cat exquisitely explores the cycle of life, from birth to death―as each of the seven stories explores how, in different ways, the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A huge bestseller in Japan, this magical book is a joyous celebration of the wondrousness of cats and why we choose to share our lives with them.

By the same author: The Travelling Cat Chronicles

This is a book with a final sentence less than six words long (#36) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge. It also features a wise character and is by an Asian author, for the Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Thursday, March 6

February Bookshelf Review

I'm keeping this short like the month of February, plus there's not much to update!

February's Books Completed and Reviewed

Frauds On Favourite by PJ Fitzsimmons - Actually finished right at the beginning of March, but I need to put something here in the completed section! This Teddy Quillfeather cozy was a brisk and witty investigation of race fixing and betting in an effort to save her uncle from being banned from horse racing. (Read my review HERE)

During February I continued reading:

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa - I've been reading through this collection of cat stories from Japan, and am charmed by each of the clever cats I've met. I'd hoped to finish the book in February, but had the review to concentrate on.

During February I shelved . . .

I had to temporarily put these two on the backburner so I could concentrate on the review, and The Goodbye Cat was second on my priority list.

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means

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

Frauds On Favourite is set in the fictional village of Middleditch in England.

One Word: animated

The Goodbye Cat stories are all set in Japan.

Coming Up in March!

Working on the 2025 Reading Challenges is informing my next few choices, although with what I'm working on now, it doesn't look like I'll have time to pick up anything new for awhile. The online book club will be reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, which is a favorite of mine, but I doubt I'll have time. This book is still top of my TBR stack so it will likely be the next new one I open.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

On my blogs recently . . .

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

What I'm Reading - February 20, 2025

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge and other Q&A Link-up posts

WQ - First Impressions

Share Four Somethings - February 2025

Five Minute Friday (On Sunday) - Worship

WQ - In Balance

Currently . . . February 8, 2025

WQ - Love Inspires

Groundhogs, Shadows, and the Light of the World

January WOTY and Goals - Establishing a Practice

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

Recent Reads - Frauds on Favourite

Frauds On Favourite by PJ Fitzsimmons - Teddy Quillfeather is back in another lighthearted caper in which she must investigate just about everyone involved in Middleditch horse racing in an effort to protect her uncle's stable from being banned. Some questionable betting and results in recent races led to questions about race fixing and possible conspiracies. Teddy and her friend Stilts see that there are some very dodgy and unlikely odds and outcomes, and Uncle Markham's explanation for his horse's sudden improvement on the track is completely unbelievable to everyone but himself.

Teddy is brilliantly observant and practical, but her bright wit and unserious demeanor allows her to question suspects, make everyone her ally, glean information, and cleverly resolve situations. In short, she is a truly unflappable flapper. The characters are all delightfully ridiculous and even the 'villains' have a sense of fair play and good humour. Even the young racehorse Spoons is a point of view character in some sections. Both narrative and dialogue are fast-paced and full of wit, puns, clever alliterations, and comedic turns of phrase. Descriptions of characters and actions made me feel like I was watching a hilarious but sophisticated cartoon.

With stable owners, bookmakers, jockeys, tea ladies, touts, leg men, the vicar, the butler, and others involved in the story, the narrative was a challenge to keep track of in some places, especially when there was a lot of racing or betting lingo, but the story fit together for me. There were several mysteries or conspiracies to be unraveled ― whether the races are being fixed in the first place, who is giving the incredible betting tips, who the potential swindlers or conspirators were, and how it benefitted those involved ― but the solutions were surprisingly simple when all was revealed. Another clever cozy that I truly enjoyed.

From the publisher:

Fun-loving, fast-talking, fraud-flipping flapper Teddy Quillfeather is off to the races in this multi-layerd multiplier mystery of dark horses and sharp courses, dodgy jockeys, unstable stables, impossible odds, crooked bookies, and a track-wide conspiracy to deny the punter an even chance. That's more than enough to invite a counter-swindle from Teddy, but when the family paddock is implicated in race-fixing, she does what she does best when the odds go against her ― she raises the stakes.

When Teddy's dotty uncle's eccentric efforts to encourage his horses to faster finishes results in a steward's inquiry that could get the entire stable ― and Teddy ― banned from racing for life, she steps in to prove him innocent against all charges and against tall odds, only made longer by Uncle Markham's vexing habit of confessing.

Further complicating the conspiracy is a series of seemingly random disqualifications, a mysterious little old lady with the unerring ability to pick winners, a spy in the stable, and a vast cast of jockeys, bookies, leg men, touts, and a forgetful racehorse named Spoons.

To save the family paddock, a beloved horse, and the wagered fortunes of family and friends, Teddy must race unknowable and uncountable swindlers and cheats to the finish in her fastest-paced fiddle yet.

Like all of Teddy's titles, Frauds on Favourite is a clean and clever cozy in the canon of Quillfeather and Boisjoly, and will appeal most to those who like a little comedy in their crime.

By the same author: Hardy Haul at Hardy Hall

I received a digital copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.