Month: October 2022

Blog Tour & Review: The Ghost and the Stolen Tears by Cleo Coyle

The Ghost and the Stolen Tears by Cleo Coyle Series: Haunted Bookshop Mystery #8 Published by Berkley Books on October 4th, 2022 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 336 Format: ARC Source: Great Escapes Tours Buy on Amazon Goodreads With the help of her gumshoe ghost, bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure sets out to clear an innocent woman of a shocking crime in this all-new entry in the “utterly charming” (Mystery Scene) Haunted Bookshop Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle. Norma is a modern-day nomad. Living out of her van and teardrop trailer, she revels in self-reliance, solitude, and reading in the glorious peace of nature. Jovial, wise, and scrupulously honest, she’s become an uplifting presence in the little town of Quindicott, Rhode Island, where bookseller Pen is thankful to have her part-time help. But it’s Norma’s other job, working as a housekeeper at the Finch Inn, that gets her into terrible trouble. Norma is accused of stealing jewels from a guest’s room: the legendary Valentino Teardrops, an antique necklace and earring set, inherited by a young socialite. Pen doesn’t believe Norma is guilty of the crime—though the evidence is distressingly strong. And when the spirited Norma vanishes before her […]

Posted October 31, 2022
9 Comments

The Classics Club Spin #31 – Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Greetings you guys! I am ever so proud of my Mommy. She just managed to finish her Classics Club Spin #31 book. Luckily it was a quick read, but by no means a light or an easy read. I’m sure we are in the minority of Classics Lovers who haven’t read this one yet: To review this book, will be no easy task either. If you look on Goodreads, there are over 43 000 reviews on this book, some of our favorite readers and bloggers amongst them. It does appear as if we are going to be in the minority with our 3.5 Star review as well. Yes, this book was beautifully written – wow. You can get lost in the prose and forget about the content as a whole. But then again, reading is a holistic experience. So why only 3.5 stars? The world has changed. Hasn’t it? Somehow, it became lighter. Somehow, it became heavier to carry a friend. Somehow, having a piece of the land isn’t the dream anymore. And somehow, we live in that world and adapts to it. As humans do. We become isolated to the story of George and Lennie. Animal cruelty will not […]

Posted October 30, 2022
6 Comments

Giblet & Belle, The Case of The One Still Too Many by Robert S. Lay

The Case of the One Still Too Many by Robert Lay Series: Giblet & Belle #2 on September 13th, 2022 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 248 Format: ARC Source: Reedsy Discovery Buy on Amazon Goodreads Giblet & Belle are back, and this time the crime is personal… The family is taking a working vacation to the beautiful little mountain town of Busby, West Virginia. But this town holds dark secrets that some will kill to keep. Soon Belle, Giblet, and the rest of the animals are up to their whiskers in murder, moonshine, and a decade-old secret that involves one of their own. However, Belle and her mentor, Mittens, are no ordinary cats; they are highly trained Protectors, an ancient secret society helping humanity for thousands of years, always working from the shadows, with only a handful of humans who know about them. Will Giblet & Belle sort out the clues in time to prevent another murder and bring justice? “Wherever there are humans and cats, there are Protectors. Protectors, the ancient secret order of cats that have watched over and defended humans and their settlements for thousands of years, mostly without people realizing. In One Still Too Many, Giblet & […]

Posted October 29, 2022
3 Comments

Blog Tour & Author Interview: Minestrone Mischief by Rosie Genova

Minestrone Mischief by Rosie Genova Series: Italian Kitchen Mysteries #4 Published by Two Roses Books on September 30th, 2022 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 285 Buy on Amazon Goodreads When a Halloween stalker shows up on Mischief Night, Vic encounters lots of tricks, no treats, and one murder … It’s the post-summer season in Oceanside Park, and mystery writer Victoria Rienzi’s hometown is preparing for one last blast on the boardwalk—its annual Mischief Night parade, held the evening before Halloween. While Nonna keeps her busy making treat bags full of Italian candy, Vic dreams up the perfect costumes for herself and Tim: Nick and Nora Charles, the famed detective pair from The Thin Man movies. Completing their look is a canine scamp, Willie, borrowed to play the part of Nora’s pet terrier. But Victoria’s excitement is dimmed by the presence of a stalker, Edward Millman, who’s seen lurking around the Rienzi family restaurant. And who shows up at the Mischief Night parade dressed as Victoria’s book sleuth, Bernardo Vitali. But halfway through the parade, Willie sniffs out trouble, leading Vic and Tim on a not-so-merry chase that brings them to a dead body—Victoria’s stalker, Edward Millman. And in a scene straight […]

Posted October 28, 2022
5 Comments

Wondrous Words Wednesday – Macabre

Greetings you guys! This month just flew by. I can’t believe it’s time for Wondrous Words Wednesday again. Wondrous Words are hosted by yours truly, but this fun meme was first created by Kathy over at Bermuda Onion Blog and we stumbled upon it through Yvonne at Fiction Books. Of course we immediately fell in love with it. What is more wondrous in this world than words? The concept is fairly easy, all you have to do is share any new words (or new to you), you came across during the month and add your name to the linky provided at the end of the post. You can make a link-up post, or just add your new word to our comment section. English is not our first language, so there are plenty of new to us words out there. If you want more information on WWW, you can click here, or on the WWW graphic in our sidebar. We had a whole Wondrous Words post planned and just about done and dusted, then my Mommy decided that we need to stick to the Halloween theme for the week and choose a different word. Halloween comes but once a year. Very much like Christmas. My […]

Posted October 26, 2022
12 Comments

Ten Cats to Thrill your Halloween

Greetings you guys! It’s the Tuesday before Halloween and time for Top Ten Tuesday. This week is a freebie, as long as you stick with the Halloween theme. As always, TTT is hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Halloween isn’t a festival season here in South Africa, but I love the season of chills and thrills and we are ever so grateful for the blogging community to celebrate with. Seeing that I’m a cat and it took me a couple of years to grow into being not a scaridy cat, I will share all my feline friends who are bound to bring you a few thrills this Halloween. Who of my feline friends did I miss today? Have a fun Halloween you guys!

Posted October 25, 2022
50 Comments

Missteps Perfecting the Shutterbug Strut by J.L. Michael

Missteps Perfecting the Shutterbug Strut by J.L. Michael Published by Swanky Owl Press on August 21st, 2022 Pages: 372 Format: ARC Source: Reedsy Discovery Buy on Amazon Goodreads It is 1927. An “Era of Wonderful Nonsense.” Vague maps tout grand mysteries, each snapshot means something, and jazzy hijinks abound. Insouciant vagabond ALEXANDRA ILLYRIA BATHENBROOK sets off from Montana to capture images never photographed, hoping to earn an interview with National Geographic. Operating from her London office, she will flirt with becoming a royal mistress, reunite lustful ghosts at notorious Borley Rectory, and stir up mischief at the Winter Olympics in ritzy St. Moritz. Those are the easy ones. More perilous assignments send Alexandra in pursuit of a thrill killer through the dusty alleyways of Marrakech and into the feral bushlands of Uganda to join a hunt for man-eating lions. While seeking a famed explorer in Amazonia, she must face down her inner demons in a desperate bid for survival. Along her brazen journey, she will outwit, outcharm, and outbrave detractors and rapscallions… even romance a few. Yet most telling, Alexandra will find her best self in rekindling hope within her war-scarred brother and uncovering the scandalous reason she’s forever lost […]

Posted October 24, 2022
2 Comments

The Sunday Post #85

Greetings you guys! It’s the last week of October and I guess that makes it Halloween week? My Mommy says she always feels like the odd one out here in SA and especially at school during this season. Halloween is not a seasonal festivity here in SA and seeing that my Mommy works at a Christian School, everyone looks at her strangely when she gets all excited about ghosts and horror books during October. Lucky for her, there are fun reading challenges like Fraterfest to take part in! How’s it going with your Fraterfest Readathon this year? We only have a couple of hours left and I know we probably could have done better – but we did have loads of fun with the books we did manage to read during the past 10 days. We aren’t quite finished with The House on the Lake, but we’ll finish it up eventually. Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay might not really have qualified for Fraterfest as the ghosts weren’t really high on the fear factor scale. The House on Needless Street ticked all the boxes though! We’ve listened to it, but I think my Mommy should perhaps rather read it as well. Who wants to chat […]

Posted October 23, 2022
34 Comments

Blog Tour & Author Guest Post: Too Much to Candle by Sarah E. Burr

Too Much to Candle by Sarah E. Burr Series: Glenmyre Whim Mysteries #2 Published by Independently Published on October 13th, 2022 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 251 Format: ARC Source: Great Escapes Tours Buy on Amazon Goodreads Candlemaker Hazel Wickbury sets out again to bring the truth to light. Iggy Alewell, Hazel Wickbury’s friend and candle shop assistant, is eager to purchase his own home with the advance from his first big book deal. Iggy is on the hunt for something with character, so what could be better than the old Cragmire house that’s rumored to have buried treasure somewhere on its property? Hazel is thrilled her friend has found success, but things in Crucible take a nasty turn when another potential buyer for the Cragmire house goes missing. He was last seen taking a boat out on Lake Glenmyre, and when the rental is found empty, it’s clear to police that foul play is involved. What’s worse is that Iggy becomes the prime suspect in the man’s disappearance, and Detective Holden Whitfield’s thorny, new partner is certain Iggy is guilty. To clear Iggy from suspicion and dispel the darkness penetrating their beloved town, Hazel and her Aunt Poppy team up […]

Posted October 20, 2022
9 Comments

Wednesday Wisdom from The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Published by Penguin Classics on October 16th, 1959 Genres: Horror Pages: 242 Format: eBook Source: My Kindle Goodreads The greatest haunted house story ever written, the inspiration for a 10-part Netflix series directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, and Timothy Hutton First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust […]

Posted October 19, 2022
7 Comments

Month: October 2022

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