Happy New Year!

Well, hello 2017! And Happy New Year to you all! 

I know I haven't posted in a long while... but life got super busy. Not an excuse, but it is the reason.  Shortly after my last post I was hired full time in a management position, and life became a whirlwind of learning, and stress, and fun and business and all that goes along with it. I was getting used to working the 'mid-shift' which is 1030am until 7pm daily and I was exhausted by the time I got home. I was still able to get some reading in but, I really fell behind in so many things.  And then Christmas season happened and the rest... well, you know how it is! 

I am happy to say though that I was able to complete my 100 books read challenge on Goodreads! I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get it finished with my free reading hours cut so drastically but I did manage :) I"m not too sure how I fared off with the other challenges but I will try to get that organized this week sometime and see where I landed! I plan on doing the Cozy Mystery Challenge again for 2017 along with THE Book Club on Facebook reading challenge though I've cut my goals down accordingly to 60 books read this year instead of 100. And if I surpass it, well... it's just a bonus! 

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy and SAFE New Year's Eve.  Here's to a wonderful year filled with great characters, fun plots and excellent reads!  I've already finished my first book for the year... time to get some organizing done! 

So Many Books, So Little Time...

Hey everyone! 

So, I've taken some time for me this summer, for learning new things, lots of hockey (yes in the summer!) and other things.  I've been reading, though not as much as I normally have. I got as close as being 3 books behind schedule for my 100 books read that I challenged myself on Goodreads, and currently I am sitting at 5 books behind schedule though I do have 2 that I am almost finished!  I always have a couple of books on the go and read them depending on the mood that I am feeling.  

I've been getting ready and creating things for the Christmas craft shows this fall, and we've got tables in 3 of them so that is where some of my free time has been going.  It makes me want to read cozy mysteries about knitting and crocheting!  

I've got a backlog of reviews that I have to get done, and really will just need to take a day and punch them all out and get them posted properly.  My *plan* is to have most of them finished up by Friday.  Let's see how that goes, I also have to start getting some pickles made and other canning projects.  I really should make another blog for all the other things that I get involved in.... maybe someday soon :) 

Hope you are all enjoying what is left of the summer! 

It's Been A While....

Hey everyone... It's been a bit since I've been around. Real life can sometimes get in the way and throw some wrenches at you. And that's pretty much what happened.  Throw in some reading block (as opposed to writer's block), working, and other fun stuff and it equals me being away for too long. 

But, I'm back around and reading as much as I can while working on some projects that I just have to get done. I have some reviews to post soon, lots to catch up on, and a couple of current ones.  I'm about 15 books behind schedule on my reading challenge, but I'm hoping to catch up on that on my week's vacation. Let's see how many I can actually get done and if I'll be caught back up by July 24th. (That's 2 weeks away... fingers crossed!) 

So, today's challenge is getting a couple of reviews done for books I've recently read, update my pinterest, goodreads, etc and make my list of what needs to be read next for reviews. I discovered this morning I'd pre-ordered a few books and they magically have appeared on my Kindle :)  Fun stuff! 

Happy Reading! 

Whatcha Reading Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! It's a beautiful, sunny day where I live. All I want to do is relax in the sun, and break out my Kindle to read.  

I've currently got 4 books on the go. Yep, 4. I have a book addiction, I know that... and I tend to have more than 1 book on the go because I never know what type of book I'm going to be in the mood for. 

So, currently, I am reading... 

1.  Raisin The Dead by Karoline Barrett

2. Games People Play by Owen Mullen

3. Murder In An Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor

4. The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery 

I'd love to hear about what you are reading! Leave me a message in the comments or shoot me an email using the 'contact me' form on the right of the page.  

Have a wonderful day and Happy Reading! 

Friday Funday!

Sorry I couldn't resist :) 

It's Friday! What are your reading plans for the weekend? I have 3.. yes 3! books on the go, so I am hoping to get them finished this weekend, or at least 2 of them.  One of my favourite authors also has a book coming out to her review team, and I just happen to be on it ;) So I am looking forward to receiving that book! 

Other than of course reading, I'll also be spending some time at the rink and hopefully getting some spring cleaning started... though.... my books just might distract me! 

What are your plans this weekend? Hope it's a great one! 

Review: If It Bleeds by Linda Richards

When reading the summary of the book on the back cover, I was immediately drawn in and thought  this sounds like it's going to be a pretty intense book.  But I should have realized, being part of the 'Rapid Reads' series, that there really wasn't enough time for all of the intensity that the story had the potential to be.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good plot line with some interesting characters that the main character, Nicole Charles, interacts with.  Some things did really stand out for me while reading it though, how for her gossip column she had to make sure to get enough 'boob shots' because you know, that's what the readers want.  Or the fact that when she submitted her story to the editor, Mike, about the murder that both she and crime reporter Brent Hartigan were covering, that she received no recognition for the pictures that were printed, that Hartigan literally took her opening to the story and claimed it for his own.  Mike, when confronted, backed Hartigan's decisions on the story.  Later in the story, Nicole comes upon a big break in gaining information... she breaks into the murdered artist's studio. Did the police not find out the deceased had a studio, would they have not found this information? Was Nicole not worried about being charged with breaking and entering?
There were a lot of little things like this that just didn't hold true for me, but overall it was still a decent story. Perhaps some of the seemingly useless information that was spoken about in the book will be referred to in future novellas about this character.

It took me less than 2 hours to read this novella, recommend for a quick read when you're just looking for a quick moving  mystery to occupy your mind.

Book Humour

Book Review: A Tale Of Two Biddies by Kylie Logan

Well, I actually wrote a review on my goodreads page about this book. I feel like I should be writing reviews more. I always want to, and I always mean to.. but it always falls by the way side.

I did enjoy this book, there were a few twists I wasn't quite expecting. If you decide to read this book you really must read the first in the series titled "Mayhem At The Orient Express"  It explains why these women of different backgrounds are spending time together, and how it all came to be.

I didn't post the review itself on the webpage yet, I'm still throwing the idea around of having a separate section for reviews. But it's really just for me. Feel free to read, comment or share your opinions as well if you read or have read any of the books that I have. Or if you have a suggestion for a book or an author, I'm all for it!

What book to start next... I've got 13 library books on the shelf at the end of my bed. I think it's easy to say that it will be 1 of those.. since I have 3 other books on request from the library. I need to get my butt in gear!

The Whirlwind Continues

So I seem to be on a huge reading kick, which really is wonderful since I am more than 20 books behind on my goal to read 100 books this year. Yesterday we went for a nice long drive and I brought along the latest book to capture my attention called "Button Holed"
I know the saying is "Don't judge a book by it's cover" but I actually do. I can usually tell by the title of the book along with the cover design if it's a book that I am going to enjoy or not. Don't get me wrong, I will still read the descriptions of the books and read the first page or so to see if it grabs me, but a clever title and an interesting cover design will get me every time. Especially with a cozy mystery. They are the cutest!
ANYWAY... the story is about Jo, an expert button collector and the murder that happens in her shop. The beginning pages captured me right away and I was hooked. As it turns out, I got an email from my library that I had a book requested and it was there waiting for me and it was one of the next books in the series. So on the drive (I was the passenger NOT the driver don't worry!) I finished "Button Holed" and even started the other book that I had with me.

I seriously need to update my goodreads page with reviews and such, and I will be creating a new shelf for 'what I've got on loan from the library' to keep track. I think I currently have 14 books out!

Happy reading!

My Whirlwind Reading Session

Wow, so I totally blew through the book The One & Only by Emily Giffen.
I completely enjoyed this book, and even though I am not a football fan, nor do I understand anything really about the sport (I am the first one to admit that I am clueless when it comes to that sport) the bits about football didn't bother me at all. There was one part in the book that I admit, since I didn't know the terms and what it all meant, I sort of just skimmed over and waited for the good part afterward LOL I won't give anything like that away.

The book didn't remind me of any of her previous works, other than I enjoyed her characters and I enjoyed the different story line. It just felt like it was a different book, and I don't think that I would have pegged this as her book had I not known the difference.

All in all it was a good read... if it weren't, I wouldn't have sat down and read it completely all in one session!

Now, on to the next book :)

Back on Track

So I "fell off the wagon" so to speak with my reading recently. I know that I am behind with my reading goal for the year which is driving me crazy. I had some health issues that just kept me from reading and concentrating on things that I wanted to do. Now it is June, and the beautiful weather has returned to us. I am hoping to be able to spend a lot of time outside enjoying the sunshine while reading some new and old favourites.

I recently finished reading a book by Josie Bell called 50% off Murder which I really enjoyed. It combined my love of cozy mysteries and couponing. (Yes I love to coupon and save money it totally gives me a rush and feeling of achievement) I need to do an update on my goodreads wall and bookshelves and get a review up for some of the books that I have finished with.

Bear with me please as I get things rolling again, and start on some new books. I have a stack ready to go!

Have a wonderful day!