forgive my mouth

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Lord of the Silent (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters, The Sound of Broken Glass (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie, Kidnapped in the Kitchen (The Inn at Holiday Bay) by Kathi Daley and Through the Evil Days (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming.


What I am Currently Reading: I just finished a book last night so haven’t started another one, but I’m hoping it’ll be the book I requested on a whim, The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney. (Yes, I requested it while reading the last Amelia Peabody book.)


What I Plan to Read Next: Uncertain. I do have another library book out, but I might actually read one of my own books first.

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Book 85 of 2025: Lord of the Silent (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

This book is so good!! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this very much and am giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 86 of 2025: The Sound of Broken Glass (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)

This book was so good! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this very much and am giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 87 of 2025: Kidnapped in the Kitchen (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

This book was okay. ( spoilers )

I'm starting to get tired of this series, but I also have the need to know what happens, so I'll most likely continue with it. Unless I forget about it when the two new books come out in the fall (there is one left to read that is already out). I'm giving this one three hearts.

♥♥♥

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Book 88 of 2025: Through the Evil Days (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

This book was (mostly) good. ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book right up until the author cut out my heart at the end; I’m deducting a heart because it still stings.

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What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Silence in the Library (A Lily Adler Mystery) by Katharine Schellman, The Falcon at the Portal (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters, I Shall Not Want (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Portent in the Pages & Poison in the Pudding (The Inn at Holiday Bay) by Kathi Daley.


What I am Currently Reading: I just finished reading the last book last evening, but today I’m going to start Necessary as Blood (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie.


What I Plan to Read Next: Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell, unless something else comes in at the library that eclipses it.

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Book 53 of 2025: Silence in the Library (A Lily Adler Mystery) (Katharine Schellman)

I enjoyed this book! ( spoilers )

This was a good book and I've already requested the next in the series. I'm giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 54 of 2025: The Falcon at the Portal (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have requested the next in the series. I'm giving this book five hearts, despite my one disappointment.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 55 of 2025: I Shall Not Want (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have already requested the next. I'm giving this book five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 56 of 2025: Portent in the Pages (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything in this series, but I was looking for something easy to read after I finished the last book, so I looked through my Kindle library and chose this one. (Technically, I chose a different one that I DNF’d before I got more than a dozen pages into it, so this was my second choice.) This is the sixteenth in the series, to my surprise!

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick comfort read. I was happy to be reintroduced to the characters again. ( spoilers )

There wasn't a whole lot of suspense or concern for the characters, but it did what I wanted it to, which was help me kill a couple hours in an enjoyable fashion. I’m giving it four hearts, and I might even go on and read the next in the series.

♥♥♥♥

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Book 57 of 2025: Poison in the Pudding (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

After reading the other book, I decided to keep on with the series. This one was an enjoyable story, but a predictable mystery. Thankfully I read this series more for the characters and location than I do the mysteries. ( spoilers )

I'm giving this book four hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Water Like a Stone (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie and To Darkness and to Death (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming.


What I am Currently Reading: The Ape Who Guards the Balance (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters.


What I Plan to Read Next: Still a variety of library books out, so one of those.

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Book 46 of 2025: Water Like a Stone (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have already requested the next. I'm giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 47 of 2025: To Darkness and to Death (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

I enjoyed this book, but even as I was reading it I was thinking it was a very weird mystery. With so many bad choices. It felt like a comedy of errors. ( spoilers )

Still enjoy the main characters and plan on reading more, but only giving this book three hearts.

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What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells, Out of the Deep I Cry (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming and Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells.


What I am Currently Reading: In a Dark House (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie.


What I Plan to Read Next: I have three more library books out, and four more on request, so definitely one of those!!

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Book 37 of 2025: Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)

So good! ( spoilers )

So good! I'm trying not to read these all at once, but I'm already getting the final two books from the library, so it's going to be hard to hold back. I'm giving this book five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 38 of 2025: Out of the Deep I Cry (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

I really enjoyed this book!!! ( spoilers )

Really good book. I've requested the next and am giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 39 of 2025: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)

So good! ( spoilers )

This book was really good. I'm giving it five hearts, natch.

♥♥♥♥♥

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Kissed a Sad Goodbye (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie, Manhattans & Murder (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) by Donald Bain, In the Bleak Midwinter (A Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery) by Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Who Will Remember (A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery) by C.S. Harris.


What I am Currently Reading: A Finer End (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie


What I Plan to Read Next: Probably another MSW book as I have two out from the library currently. But I could also do something crazy like Read Something Off Of My Own Shelf!

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The cool thing about this week’s books read is that all four are from different authors, rather than from the same series.


Book 21 of 2025: Kissed a Sad Goodbye (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)

Good book. I wasn't sure about the switch from past to present, but finding out how the past related to the present was interesting. ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and am giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 22 of 2025: Manhattans & Murder (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) (Donald Bain)

This book was better than the other, but only slightly. (I talked specifics at this week's Monday [Fandom] Madness post, if you're interested in reading more.) ( spoilers )

I'm giving this book four hearts because the case was good, but some of the author's choices wrt the MSW tv characters pull me out of the story.

♥♥♥♥

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Book 23 of 2025: In the Bleak Midwinter (A Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

Why are people naming series after the pairings in them now? Both mystery series I'm currently reading do that. That question aside, I really enjoyed this book. It (along with the other series I mentioned) was recommended to me by my librarian. It takes place just up the Northway, near Saratoga and Glens Falls, so it's neat to see place names that I recognize. ( spoilers )

I've already requested the next book; I'm giving this book five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

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Book 24 of 2025: Who Will Remember (A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery) (C.S. Harris)

Good book! I still really enjoy this series. ( spoilers )

This story was very enjoyable; I'm giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Another disappointing read. It sounded so good. And I was very excited about the series because a lot of m/m Delta Force books seemed right up my alley. ( spoilers )

So bummed about this one, I almost gave up on it. I’m giving it one heart, and that's being generous.

♥

This was so good! A great end to this trilogy.

( spoilers )

This book was really, really good. I’m giving it five hearts.

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(This book counts towards the ‘One Word Title’ square on my 2019 Book Bingo Redux card.)

I’m using this book to fill the ‘A Favorite Re-read’ square even though I’d call it more of a ~sentimental re-read. I first read ‘Ivanhoe’ when I was a senior in high school. I don’t remember why, or how I even discovered the book. But I remember that I really enjoyed it. Enough so that, a year later when I saw it in a collection at college (where they had old books just sitting there on shelves in the hallways) I borrowed it to re-read. And then once more before I graduated. Several *coff* years ago I purchased the book, intending to read it yet again. I never did, but took the opportunity of this challenge to do so now.

I was a little bit disappointed because I didn’t have the same love for the book I must’ve had 30 years ago. In part because it was so hard to read. I’m just not familiar with that type of flowery language and it was a bit of a struggle. Secondly, ( spoilers )

This re-read has changed my feelings about this book 180 degrees. I’m giving it two hearts.

♥♥

(This book counts towards the ‘A Favorite Re-read’ square on my Book Bingo card.)