Showing posts with label reading list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading list. Show all posts

Friday, August 15

What I'm Reading - August 15, 2025


Here's a quick update on what I've been reading and watching lately. 

I'm currently reading . . .

No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig - At long last I've moved on to my next book in the Connections challenge and it's this historical novel about a young Irish woman who comes to America to find the twin brother she thought was dead. He's in some trouble though, and hiding from someone who wants him dead, and will use Cara to get to him.




Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber - Verity's elderly aunt from Germany seeks refuge with Verity and Sidney after being in some danger in her homeland, and Verity investigates who put her aunt at risk.



Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Brittany Fichter - This is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, and so far I've watched Prince Everard grow up and learn about leadership and serving his people from his father, and he has just become king. I'm pretty sure we met "Beauty" in an early chapter and I'm waiting to see how she will be reintroduced into his life.



Up Next . . . On the TBR stack . . . 

I have a book waiting for me at the library, so obviously that has to be the next one I start. Other than that, I've got a long list to choose from and I don't know what I'll pick up next.

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year - Margaret Renkl



I finished reading . . . 

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte - In a quiet block of flats in London, there's a murder, and the eccentric owner and landlady hires two of her tenants to investigate. I loved the Only Murders In the Building vibe of the delightful mystery as all the tenants get to know each other better throughout the investigation. (Read my review HERE)




Village Books by Craig McLay - The bookstore's assistant manager is the narrator of this novel, which feels a little like a memoir. The staff at the bookstore is quite the ragtag group of misfits. The narrator and newly hired assitant manager are navigating their relationship amid the goings-on at work, and eventually they find out that the shop is about to be sold to a large conglomerate. Okay, but not great, and not what I expected or would have chosen if I'd known. (Read my review HERE)





I've been watching . . . 

I really haven't been watching much of anything during the past several weeks. I try to watch the video of my kids' church service each week, which is on YouTube, and technically the podcasts I have on while at work are on Rumble, so they are also videos. 

I've been listening to . . .

My usual podcast playlist - The Bible Book Club, political commentary, interviews, and The Grammar Girl - and a little more music recently. I have a fun road trip mix and a 'church music mix' and those playlists get airtime while we travel. As always, RadioU is my listening choice for weekday mornings.

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



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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.

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

©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. This post was written by a human.  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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Saturday, August 2

July Bookshelf Review



Before you sleep, read something that is exquisite, and worth remembering. ~Desiderius Erasmus

An excellent argument for reading good books in bed, and yet I don't always read before turning out the light. I'd say the books I finished in July were good reads though and certainly entertaining. 


July's Books Completed and Reviewed

The Highland Heist by Pepper Basham - Freddie and Grace visit her family in America and find the estate sold and her sister suspected of murdering her husband. And at the same time words arrives that Grace and her sister have an inheritance in Scotland that they must claim together.  (Read my review HERE)



The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson - With very few clues to start with, detective Helgi is tasked with finding out what happened to a popular crime author who has vanished, while also navigating challenges in his personal life. (Read my review HERE)



10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte - The wealthy eccentric landlady hires two of her tennants to investigate the murder of a smalltime criminal in their small residential square. An excellent read if you're eagerly looking forward to the next season of Only Murders in the Building.  (Read my review HERE)




During July I started reading:

Village Books by Craig McLay - This reads sort of like a memoir, narrated by the assistant manager of a bookstore and commenting on all the quirky (to be charitable) employees of the business. I had looked forward to reading this at long last, but it's not what I'd expected, and not really my style.



Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Brittany Fichter - Just got started reading and have been introduced to the young prince Ever trying to live up to his father's strict expectations.



During July I continued reading:

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber - Verity and Sidney are hosting a house party when Verity's elderly aunt arrives from Germany, having fled her home because of threats after the war. The mystery for Verity to solve is still developing, because I haven't read much further this month but am still working on it.



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

The Highland Heist began in the USA, then moved to Scotland.
One Word: Maturity

One Word: Ill-fated

10 Marchfield Square takes place in London.
One Word: Discovery

Murder Most Fair starts off in Great Britain.
Village Books is set in Toronto, Canada.
Before Beauty is set in a fictional fairytale kingdom.


Coming Up in August!

No Safe Harbor - Elizabeth Ludwig



On my blogs recently . . . 

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



Homeschool Coffee Break has been on hiatus again.

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



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. This post was written by a human. 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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Thursday, July 17

What I'm Reading - July 17, 2025


Here's a quick update on what I've been reading and watching lately. 

I'm currently reading . . .

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte - The comments I saw about this book were accurate . . . it does remind me a lot of the show Only Murders In the Building, which I love. One murder leads to another in a ten-unit residential square in London, and the wealthy landlady gets two of her tenants to investigate.



Village Books by Craig McLay - I got started on this for the next step of the Connections mini-challenge. So far it hasn't really grabbed my attention, but I'm still being introduced to characters and am not even sure what the main conflict will be yet. It's #3 on the Connections Challenge, being set in Toronto, Canada. Obviously I do not plan to finish this challenge by the end of the summer!




Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber - This Verity Kent mystery is a little bit on the backburner since I had a couple of review books and a library book that had to take priority, but I'm still reading a little here and there so I don't forget what's happening.



Up Next . . . On the TBR stack . . . 

This is up next on my Kindle. I've got a few books on the physical stack too, but I haven't decided which of those will be next.

Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Brittany Fichter - I keep meaning to start this, and something else inevitably gets ahead of it in the queue. I promise this is the next one I start on my Kindle. I hope.




I finished reading . . . 

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery - Young Jane is a 'too good to be true' character, but she's so likeable and capable that I couldn't help but root for her to have all the happiness she could handle in the little house where she spends summers with her dad. It was delightful to read about her intuitive connection with the father she thought she disliked, and her blossoming hope that maybe there was a way her parents could live together again. (Read my review HERE)





The Highland Heist by Pepper Basham - Freddie and Grace pay a visit to her sister in the USA only to discover the family home has been sold and sister Lillias is the prime suspect in her husband's murder. Time is short to clear Lillias' name because at almost the same time they are told that the sisters must travel together to Scotland to claim their inheritance from their mother. (Read my review HERE)




The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson - A famous crime writer is missing and young detective Helgi is put on the case. He has very few clues to work with but hopes to figure out what happened before the news gets out to the public.  (Read my review HERE)




I've been watching . . . 

I haven't been watching much lately, which isn't unusual for me. When my husband is watching Dry Bar comedy I sort of watch from across the room sometimes, but seldom sit down and pay attention. I did sit down and watch several episodes of Drive Thru History with him one evening - the episodes about the setting and stories in the book of Acts in the Bible. Very entertaining and interesting! When we were in Maryland we watched the King of Kings movie with the kids and our granddaughter. It was very well done and enjoyable, I thought, and is a great way to give kids an understanding of who Jesus is.

I've been listening to . . .

In addition to my usual podcast playlist - The Bible Book Club, political commentary, interviews, and The Grammar Girl - I explored a few other podcasts but didn't add much to the regular queue. Listened to my road trip mix and 'church music mix' playlists while we traveled, since the music on those is mostly approved by my husband. He doesn't like some of my other playlists as much. I had to listen to a few hours of his Spotify playlist too, but I got lucky in that no Pink Floyd or Wings songs appeared in the shuffle during that time! As always, RadioU is my listening choice for weekday mornings.


My "first cup blog", Homeschool Coffee Break, has been idle again.

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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.

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

©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. This post was written by a human.  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, June 30

June Bookshelf Review


Like a crazy person, I opted to start on the 52 Book Club's Connections Reading Challenge, which takes the place of a summer mini-challenge this year. The entire challenge is twenty-one books, which CLEARLY I won't finish during the summer, but will just plod along through it for the fun of seeing how many I can do. And for my own entertainment, I may continue until I do finish, even if that takes me into next year. For me, reading challenges are to push me to read more and to read books outside of my most favorite genres, and not for comparison or competition with others. Anyway, true to form, I've no sooner started on the Connections and then realize that I'll not be able to start the third book of the challenge until I've finished a couple of review books. :shrug: That's the way it goes!

June's Books Completed and Reviewed

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn - Spy thriller meets murder mystery as four women, all retired professional assassins, realize that the firm they worked for is trying to kill them. They combine their skills and resources to protect each other, and naturally, to kill the would-be killers before they become victims. (When I posted the May Bookshelf Review, this review hadn't posted. You can find it HERE.)



The Blind Scribe by Connilyn Cossette - Shalem's curiosity about languages and about a mysterious stranger gets him into trouble, but it turns out the stranger is a scribe and willing to trade knowledge with Shalem. (Read my review HERE)



Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery - Jane's life in Toronto is not a happy one, really, but it's all she's ever known . . . until her father has her come spend a summer with him on Prince Edward Island. A lovely novel about growing up and family bonds. (Read my review HERE)



During June I started reading:

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber - Well, I finally started on this next one in the Verity Kent series (I'm getting behind in it!) and am just getting introduced to the mystery to be solved, but I have a couple of review books and a library book that have to take priority, so this may have to be on hold for a little bit. Such a pity, because I love this character!



The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson - With very few clues to start with, detective Helgi is tasked with finding out what happened to a popular crime author who has vanished. There are alternating timelines, including one in which an unnamed character is interviewing that author. I'm very curious to see how it all will get tied together, and I'm just beginning to see some possible connections.



The Highland Heist by Pepper Basham - Fourth in the Freddie & Grace Mystery series, this one starts with Frederick and Grace arriving at Grace's childhood home, only to discover that the estate has been sold, her father has deceived her about his financial situation, and that her mother has left an inheritance to Grace and her sister. But claiming it may be a real challenge!




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

Killers of a Certain Age begins on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, moves to New Orleans, then to the UK, and then to Paris. Plus flashback scenes in the USA, UK, and Zanzibar.
One Word: Ruthless

The Blind Scribe is set in ancient Israel.
One Word: Learning

Jane of Lantern Hill takes place in Toronto and Prince Edward Island, Canada.
One Word: Belonging

Murder Most Fair has started in Great Britain.
The Highland Heist begins in the USA, but looks like it will move to Scotland.


Coming Up in July!

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte - Just picked up from the library and I doubt I'll be able to renew it, due to demand, so this is definitely the next one I'll start.
Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Brittany Fichter - Sorry, Beauty! Bumped again!
Village Books by Craig McLay
Believe it or not, I also have no less than three new books recently purchased that I need to put into rotation as well. I really need to find more time to read!





On my blogs recently . . . 

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




And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



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. This post was written by a human. 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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