Mstrust's Dark & Stormy Challenge

I'm Jennifer in Phoenix. I've been LTing since March of 2008. I live with husband Mike and boxer Coral.
I bake, grow vegetables, succulents and cactus. I visit family in Vegas a few times a year. And I write a weekly Substack called Autumn Lives Here. If you like horror, true crime, terrifying travels, book reviews and scary short stories, drop in.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/



This year, I'll be hosting two months at ScaredyKit. February will be "Haunted Houses/ Haunted Places" and June will be "YA & Graphic Novels". I'll also host "Paranormal Mysteries" in April at MysteryKit.
I don't have any specific reading goals for the year other than to hit 50% in my ROOTs challenge. I'm a slow reader, but just know that so much of my time is spent researching and writing. I'm plan on being pretty loosey-goosey this year.



And you are welcome to push my creaky front door open!

2025 Reads

1. Murder Road- 3.5
2. Food To Die For-4
3. Tales from the Gas Station: Volume Two- 4
4. Confections, Clues, and Chocolate-3
5. Make Your Backyard Bloom-4
6. Sipsworth-4
7. Foods That Made History-4
8. I Have A Bad Feeling About This-4.2
9. The Tasting Menu-4
10. Vintage Recipes of the 1960s-3
11. The Beatles Lyrics-4
12. Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts-4
13. Psychiatry: A Very Short Introduction-5
14. The Dead Children's Playground-4.2
15. Japanese Farm Food-3.5
16. Murder in the Bookshop-3
17. Hershey's Chocolate Lovers Cookbook-4
18. Autumn Gardens-4
19. Luby's Cafeteria 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection- 3.5
20. Cacti & Succulents for Modern Living- 4.5
21. The Haunted Forest Tour-5
22. The Murderess: A Novel- 3.5
23. The Eyes Are the Best Part-5
24. Maid-3
25. Marshmallows, Mystery & Mischief-4
26. Jellybeans, Jack-O'-Lanterns, and Jitters-1
27. Slewfoot-3.5
28. Horror Movie-4.5
29. The Halloween Store-5
30. Mud Season-3
31. 2025 Vancouver Travel Guide-2.5
32. The Perks of Being a Wallflower-4
33. The Book of Cold Cases- 4.5
34. Seeds of Murder-3.5
35. The Blanks-4.2
36. Jackknife-4
37. The Philosophy of Punk-1
38. Sinfully Delicious-3.5
39. Night and Day in Misery-4
40. I Slept With Joey Ramone-4.5
41. Criminal Macabre-3.5
42. Eat The Rich-4
43. The Cases That Haunt Us-4
44. Family Man- 3.5
45. Murder By the Book-4
46. The Indigo Room-2.5

Happy 1st thread of 2025, Jennifer! I look forward to what you have in store for your followers in the new year!

Lovely intro, Jennifer! I love the Addams and Munsters! Happy reading year 2025!

I grew up with The Addams Family and The Munsters, Jennifer. I preferred the Munsters, I think.

I will do my best to visit as often as I can in 2025.

By the way what are the "succulents" you mention in >1 mstrust:?

>3 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! I wonder what I'll do this year too!

>4 PersephonesLibrary: Hi Kathy! Two great shows; why did we ever stop wearing floor length gowns made from coffin liner material? So flattering.

>5 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, thanks for dropping in! It probably won't surprise you that my mother had feelings about these two shows. It was, "The Munsters look scary but they act pretty normal. I like The Addams Family more because they look pretty normal but they're so weird." Sort of the whole 'homicidal maniacs blending in' thing. I like both shows and What We Do In the Shadows too.
Succulents are often grouped in with cacti because they often enjoy similar living conditions. Succulents are your jade plants, aloe, fire stick, and such. They require more water and, usually, less sun that a cactus.
. .

>6 mstrust: Those are impressively colorful, Jennifer. Thanks for improving my horticultural ignorance. x

Hi Jennifer!! Ready to be thoroughly spooked here!

>7 PaulCranswick: Now that you know what they are, you'll likely see them everywhere you go :-D
>8 Berly: Hi! You've come to the right place! Just have a seat, pour a cup, and wait.

Welcome back, Jennifer! Unfortunately, LT’s wiki system is down, but I’ve got you on my list to add to the Threadbook as soon as it’s back up.

Happy new thread Jennifer!

>9 mstrust: I've got my eye on you!! LOL

>10 drneutron: Thank you, thank you, Jim! It's always great to start a new year with the 75ers!
>11 quondame: Thanks, Susan, I'm glad you're here!
>12 Berly: *Snort!*

Happy New Year! >6 mstrust: My grandmother had a lot of houseplants, including cacti. I think she was the one who told me to water them whenever it rains in Arizona. You are well placed to know that!

Happy New Year!
I water my cacti and succulents in the yard about twice a week, and my young ones on the porch about three times a week. I do forget to feed everything for long stretches.
Possibly my greatest plant success has been keeping a bunch of bamboo alive inside for about ten years. I bought a few of those six inch bamboo stalks and they've grown to almost five feet tall and have pups.

To all the LTers, wishing you a happy 2025!

Starring this thread early. I also have succulents but I had to berate my Venus flytrap yesterday. They are native to North Carolina and should be dormant November—March/April. I put him in the coldest, darkest place I could find and after a week away while on vacation, he not only grew a little but also is sending up a new shoot. Then again, we’re having yet another bout of freakishly warm weather so I’m not exactly shocked.

>16 mstrust: Thank you, don't mind if I do! Thanks for getting the party started! Happy NY to you and yours too!

Happy new year!

Happy 2025, Jennifer

>17 CassieBash: I had to berate my Venus flytrap yesterday I hope it's learned its lesson.
We're in the 70s right now and my aloes are happy. The Black Strawberry tomato I sowed in mid-October has started producing flowers, so I'll have some tomatoes soon. The Champion radish seeds that I picked up at a seed exchange a few months ago have proven to be the fastest growers I've seen. I've already had a first crop and I've re-seeded for a second.

>18 Carmenere: Happy New Year, Lynda, and make sure you get seconds and thirds! We almost made it through a magnum last night.

>19 figsfromthistle: Happy New Year!

>20 PaulCranswick: Happy New Year, Paul!

1. Murder Road by Simone St. James

Newlyweds April and Eddie get lost as they're trying to find the cabin they've booked for their honeymoon. Instead, they find a woman who's been stabbed on a backroad and rush her to the hospital, where she dies and they become the suspects in a string of murders on that road that go back decades. Since they can't leave town, they begin their own investigation into the history of the victims.

This book felt different from the others I've read from St. James, a little less polished. It took some time for me to fully get interested in April's headful of secrets, but about halfway through, the story really took off and became all action. You get small-town murder and the paranormal, all set in the mid-90s. 3.5

This one's been on my Overdrive wishlist forever - I should get to it soon.

Here's to a new and better year -- let's go 2025!!

>22 mstrust: I like Simone St James. That one will go on the TBR

Happy New Year! Impressive to knock off a book already.

>23 drneutron: I hope you like it. The Sun Down Motel is still my favorite of hers so far.
>24 Berly: I agree! Happy New Year!
>25 Carmenere: She's one of my favorites. I hope you get a chance to read it.
>26 Oberon: Happy New Year!

Enjoy your 2025 reading!

>21 mstrust: We’re a few weeks away from traditional gardening up here in NW Indiana. We went from 40s and rain to 20s and snow in about 36 hours. Wouldn’t mind it except those spring temps confuse native plants and animals and we will probably have some of our bushes and trees struggle this spring, as they are depleting their stores by growing in December. For now, I’ll have to live my gardening life vicariously through you….

Happy New Year, Jennifer!

Happy New Year, Jennifer.

>28 thornton37814: Thank you, and to you too!
>29 CassieBash: We're unusually warm this year, which is great for my plants, but I'm missing the welcome chilly sweater weather.
>30 quondame: Thanks, Susan!
>31 BLBera: Happy New Year, Beth!

Christmas keeps coming for Jennifer. My mom called yesterday because she found a gift card for me from my sister mixed in with her Christmas pile. I never even saw it.
The citrus trees are producing, with Mike bringing home a bag of tangerines that his friend brought him. It must have been 25 pounds, so I shared them with a neighbor. And now I'm required to bake something with tangerines for the friend, which I'm happy to do.

Happy New Year and Happy New Thread, Jennifer, I look forward to many good books with you.
And happy baking...

Happy New Year, Thomas! And I will be baking until it's too hot, so I have about five and a half months to get it out of my system.

2. Food To Die For: Recipes & Stories From America's Most Legendary Haunted Places by Amy Bruni

A beautiful hardcover with brooding food pics of dishes and cocktails. You get Lizzie Borden's meatloaf recipe, "Villisca Cornbread", "Odd Fellows Apple Pie" " "Mary Todd Lincoln's White Almond Cake" and "Nutraloaf", a meal served to inmates at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia as punishment.
The recipes come with essays about the haunted establishments that they came from, which includes the White House and many old hotels.
This was a Christmas gift. I think I'll be making the Peanut Stew accredited to the Farnsworth House Inn in Gettysburg. 4 stars

3. Tales From the Gas Station: Volume Two by Jack Townsend

In the second book of the series, round-the-clock gas station employee Jack still remains (mostly) remarkably calm as he tries to ignore all the paranormal and outer spacey stuff that is drawn to his gas station on the edge of the forest. While he suffers from genetic insomnia and a broken leg, he becomes friends with O'Brien, the officer assigned to gas station duty, which means she and Jack deal with angry hillbillies, a serial killer who is completely focused on killing Jack, and the ancient evil god who has risen to kill customers at the gas pump. Jack also has to train a new hire.
A sci-fi horror comedy series where the reader can't possibly guess the next terrible thing that will happen. 4 stars

4. Confections, Clues, and Chocolate: A Pumpkin Hollow Candy Store Mystery by Kathleen Suzette

I believe this is the 12th or 13th in the series about Mia, the candy shop owner who can't stop conducting her own investigations into the many, many murders of this small town, even though she is now married to a detective. Pumpkin Hollow is a year round Halloween-themed town that relies on tourism, but the majority of the locals love living like Halloween is right around the corner.

In this volume, it really is late October and the locals gather at the Halloween Ball, where one of Mia's regular customers is stabbed to death. Mia, and her sister sidekick, is surprised to learn that she really didn't know the friendly customer at all. Turns out, she was the local liar who had a vindictive streak, and by jumping into the investigation Mia may have made herself the next target.
It's a light, fluffy series with lots of Halloween and pumpkin spice talk. No one in Pumpkin Hollow has diabetes despite the all-sugar diet. 3

Autumn Lives Here is ringing in the new year with teen murder and new book releases!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

5. Make Your Backyard Bloom by DK Publishing

I had to use a pic from the internet as nothing about this book came up for LT. It's a 550 page British book full of ideas for creating a better garden that includes tips for veg, fruit, herbs, trees and cacti. There are lots of good ideas for unusual containers, including starting seeds in the plastic cups used for iced drinks, and created trellises.
As it's a British book, some of the stuff doesn't apply to my area, but it's made me look at making the most of my space.
I do wish DK would credit an author for their publications.4

Happy new year! Happy reading! I just subscribed to your Substack and looking forward to learning more about horror and true crime. I just watched the first part of Lucy Worsley's show on Jack the Ripper where she mostly focuses on how that story kicked off the true crime genre.

Happy new year, and thanks for subscribing! You've joined an elite group of weirdos, so feel good about that!
I watched that Jack the Ripper episode too, and I'm looking forward to the next. I really like Worsley and watch nearly every program she hosts that's available.

6. Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

After living in Australia for sixty years, Helen has returned to the English town she grew up in. In her eighties and having grieved the loss of her family, Helen is just passing her days in a routine while she waits to die. When she sees a neighbor putting an old aquarium out with the trash, Helen she goes out and brings the tank home, where she finds a mouse living in it.
Her plan of just keeping the mouse comfortable until she can find someone to take it turns into having someone to care for, and this opens Helen up to new possibilities.
Both sad and hopeful, this is a quiet story that still provides some surprises, especially about Helen. 4

>42 mstrust: That one sits waiting for me...I enjoyed his Night Came With Many Stars.

>39 mstrust: Oh that looks like a great one to have before the planting season begins.

Happy weekend!

>43 laytonwoman3rd: I've never heard of the author and I'd definitely read more from him. I hope you like this one too.

>44 figsfromthistle: For sure, and especially handy if you live in a moderate gardening zone. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Yesterday was chilly enough that I had a fire going all day while I did laundry and watched Shudder. We went out for eggs and waffles this morning, then did our weekly shopping.
I've been out watering my little garden now and the lettuce and kale if producing so well that we could have green salads every day. Still waiting on my carrots to be ready to pull, and I'm on my second sowing of radishes. My biggest tomato, a Black Strawberry, has lots of yellow blooms so I'll see the fruit starting soon.
And I've been working on a very Autumn-ish short story for my Substack.

>38 mstrust: Love that—especially the skull coming out of the glass! As someone whose taste buds think all alcohol tastes like rancid cherry Robitussin that expired 5 years ago (at least, how I imagine that would taste—can’t say I’ve ever had expired Robitussin), I may never experience such visions, so it’s nice that there are some artists out there willing to share the experience. Gotta love those weird Victorian postcards!

I'll tell ya, when I went looking for creepy old new years images I found a treasure trove!
The suffering man in the card needs ibuprofen and some hydration powder.

This week, Autumn Lives Here delves into the Genovese murder. Yes, that one. It's intense.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

Sounds like an episode I don't want to miss!

You've reminded me that I'd forgotten to put the link in. Thanks, Jim!
While this week can be accessed by The Creep Club (paid) members, there's still a free portion of the post available.
This is an infamous event that we think we're at least familiar with, but there's so much more to it, and I think I give a more expansive look at Kitty Genovese's life.

7. Foods That Made History by Rafael Agam

This stories behind Chateaubriand, Pavlovas, Lobster Newberg, Oysters Rockefeller, Daquiris, Victorian sponge and more classics. It also includes the stories of the chefs, usually French but sometimes Italian, who created the dishes, and the person they were named for, which was usually royalty or opera singers. Recipes for most are included.
Lots of interesting backstories to fancy concoctions that were on the menus of high end restaurants 50 years ago, but I love stuff like this. 4 stars

>45 mstrust: Sounds like you have a nice garden! We are in the mid-Atlantic so aren't doing anything outside but have been using our sun porch for lettuce, kale and radishes. We could try cucumbers and tomatoes but have to pollinate them ourselves. It is nice to have fresh greens in the winter.

>51 mstrust: This sounds good. I have a similar book on my shelf called Women in the Kitchen that focuses on twelve female cookbook writers and their impact on food. Might make a good companion read.

I have several broccoli plants that aren't producing florets but have huge, healthy leaves, so last night I cut a few of them into thin ribbons and sauteed them in garlic, onions and butter with a few quartered tomatoes. Delicious!
Yes, they would cover a lot of culinary ground together, especially as this one was nearly 100% male chefs. Most of the dishes it covered were created from 1600-1940s.

Welcome to The Creep Club! It's so great that you've joined, and thank you!

I'm hosting February's ScaredyKit and it's all haunted houses/haunted locations. Join us!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/367665

8. I Have A Bad Feeling About This by Jeff Strand

Best friends Henry and Randy are sent to a two week survival camp for boys to learn how to be tough. Henry has no interest in being tough, or in anything other than video games, which is why his parents have sent him. Joining three other teen boys and their instructor, a snarling, sarcastic ex-military guy who doesn't mind making someone an example. Max does impart a lot of survival training on the boys, and that comes in handy when three killers show up at camp.
A comedic survival story of boys who unexpectedly learn how to fight for their lives, with each chapter ending with a wilderness survival tip, like:
If you're caught in the coils of a boa constrictor, don't panic. Just think to yourself Awww, this snake is giving me a great big hug! This won't save your life, but it may stop you from panicking, and if you're going to get squished to death by a snake, you at least don't want your friends to see you being a big baby about it. 4.2

This week's Autumn Lives Here is a short story about January and her sheety attitude.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

9. The Tasting Menu by Stuart MacBride
The story of three long-time best friends- a recently retired police detective, a writer of gangster stories, and a small time criminal- who are gifted with a few days at an exclusive island hotel. The draw is the restaurant with its rare delicacies and high-end wine cellar. When the criminal disappears and the detective gets suspicious, they find out the lengths these foodies will go to in sources their ingredients.
This was the first I've read from the author. It's labeled as a Kindle short story, but at 127 pages, it's a novella. 4

10. Vintage Recipes of the 1960s by Steven Masters

I expected more historical information, backstories, just anything that shed some light on how popular these dishes were at the time, but this is just a quick read of food and drink associated with that era. I don't know if anyone needs a Chex Mix recipe since it's on the cereal box, and a banana split recipe seems unnecessary. The cocktails are very standard too, but I did take down the recipe for Black Forest Cake because as classic as it is, it isn't in a lot of cookbooks. 3

And just a reminder that February is coming up fast. Join us for the ScaredyKit haunted house month!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/367665#n8737742

11. The Beatles Lyrics by Hunter Davies

Journalist Davies was a friend to The Beatles from the beginning, was present in the studio for many recordings, helped out when lyrics were being discussed, vacationed with Paul and their families, and had countless conversations with the band. So he's in a unique position to talk about the backstories of the albums and individual songs, talking about what was going on in personal lives and discounting myths about what the lyrics mean.
I learned a lot, as I'd always assumed that "We Can Work It Out" was Paul talking to John, but actually it was written about Jane Asher. "Taxman" was written by Harrison (I'd always thought it was Lennon) because they were being taxed an astounding 95% on their earnings. This chunkster sat on my coffee table for nearly a year, but I finally buckled down and finished. 4

This week at Autumn Lives Here, resolutions and shrunken heads!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

12. Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts
More than 250 recipes that cover cookies, ice cream, cake, tarts, pies, strudel, crepes and more. Each recipe has a photo and the recipes range from something as easy as Blueberry-Mango Compote to the more labor intensive Pumpkin Pie with Pecan-Caramel Topping. BH&G recipes are fantastic 99% of the time. 4

13. Psychiatry: A Very Short Introduction by Tom Burns

From the Very Short Introduction series, which runs into the hundreds, this volume was written by an Oxford Professor of Psychiatry. It includes types of mental illness, their history of treatments and the current treatments. There is a history of asylums and hospitals, and the types of treatments, including drugs, that have been tried and that are in current use.

Written with the layperson in mind, it's a clear and very interesting history of illness and treatments that brings us up to current methods. 5

This week at Autumn Lives Here, a short story about the horrors of being a romantic.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

Just noting that Muckross Abbey and The Wicked Boy arrived yesterday.
And I'll begin making my plan of attack for the huge book sale that is 10 days away. This is the one at the state fairgrounds, one of the largest book sales in the country. Mike is my lieutenant, going to look over the genres I send him to, but he isn't aggressive enough. You know how book shoppers are.

>65 mstrust: Heaven.

>59 mstrust: Just started a hopefully suitable book.
>65 mstrust: This would be an escape room with no exit for me...
Have a wonderful weekend, Jennifer!

>66 hredwards: >67 SirThomas: I sing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" on the drive over.
>67 SirThomas: I'll bet you've picked a good one. I'm about a third of the way through mine.

Here's your dark & stormy for the weekend:

Mike and I went to the Science Center downtown yesterday for the new exhibit, "The Power of Poison". Really well done, it covered poison plants and reptiles of the rainforest, poisons and myths of the ancient world, toxic haberdashery in Victorian England, and even a small display about Agatha Christie's use of poisons in her books.
Then we went for barbecue.

I've been watching a good bit on Shudder. Over the weekend I watched the new horror-comedy by Nick Frost, Get Away, about an English/Irish family that travels to an isolated Swedish island to watch an ancient ritual.
I also made a batch of cheese crackers Saturday and I'm making banana bread today and chicken stir-fry for dinner. I have loads of huge broccoli leaves to use, and I found a recipe that features the little yellow blooms of the wild mustard plant. Which I happen to have!

14. The Dead Children's Playground by James Kaine

Nine year-old cancer survivor Kylie, her nineteen year old sister Kayla, and their parents, have just arrived at their new home in Huntsville when a friendly little girl invites Kylie to play. And that's all it takes for the two sisters to be thrown into a paranormal mystery. Who is the girl, and why is she so insistent on Kylie playing in the abandoned playground next to the old cemetery?
Can you guess?
This is a good one; lots of ghosts, family dysfunction, and hoodoo. And the ghosts don't play by the established rules of having to stay inside their perimeters. 4.2

15. Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu

The author is a Californian who married a Japanese farmer and has lived in Japan for 35 years, where she's part of the slow food movement. This book, at nearly 400 pages, seems written for either a Japanese cook or someone who is immersing themselves in the culture. The recipes are fairly simple, it's just a matter of getting the ingredients.
You'll find lists of ingredients that are a mystery even to someone with some familiarity with Japanese cuisine (me), but it's aimed at the more rural home cook. Vegetarian dishes are prevalent, and lots of pickled dishes. There's a substantial chapter on dipping sauces, and a dessert section that includes seasonal produce, like fig ice cream or granita made of shiso leaves, which are a common herb that I'd never heard of. So I learned something. 3.5

>55 mstrust: I like that idea of ending each chapter with a survival tip. Sounds like a funny read.

>65 mstrust: Oh my! That is the sale of all sales. " .....isn't aggressive enough. You know how book shoppers are." Why yes, yes I do.



Don't forget to get there early to get close to the beginning of the line! Have fin!

Exactly. Mike is 6'4", but every year he comes and finds me to tell me that someone pushed him. He isn't tough enough to do well at book sales.
I have our book sale morning well-organized and we're in line about 45 minutes before it opens. The line is so long but you'll never find a better behaved group. Until the doors open ;-D

This week, Autumn Lives Here has a true crime glossary and the story of the most infamous executioner in British history.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

Wow—giant book sale and a poison exhibit—I’m so jealous! Indiana isn’t nearly that cool….

We get about six months of good entertainment. From May to October we twiddle our thumbs indoors.

I've been weeding books from my shelves this week, pulling about a dozen so far to make room for my Sunday purchases, which average about 40 books each year.
Mike's friend brought us an extra large duffel bag of lemons last night, Seriously, it's about 60 pounds of lemons and another twelve pounds of navel oranges from his trees. Another friend stopped by this morning so I gave him two grocery bags of fruit. I've also put two gallon freezer bags of lemons in deep freeze, but my dining room table is covered in bowls of lemon.

Mike had a Valentine's bouquet delivered, and a big tin of cookies. He also bought me a six pack of mini bottles of Coke, which I never buy because they're expensive, ha!
And we had a steel banister installed on our second story balcony this week. It took two days, but it looks good. Now we need to get an awning and patio furniture.

>77 mstrust: Paddy O'Furniture is for St. Patrick's Day.
Sorry, I'll see myself out...

>71 mstrust: That one is of interest to me especially since 'vegetarian dishes are prevalent.' Thanks for the mention, Jennifer!

>78 hredwards: Oh, you...
>79 alcottacre: Absolutely! It was nice to see what goes into some of my favorites.

16. Murder in the Bookshop by Anita Davidson

Hanna has just taken over the running of her aunt's London bookshop. As WWI rages, Hanna needs to make the shop profitable, and she starts by sacking Monty, the shady store manager.
The next day, Hanna finds that her best friend has been murdered in the shop, which makes Hanna the prime suspect. She and her lively Aunt Violet begin investigating to clear Hanna's name and unravel the dark, secret lives of those nearest to them. 3

>56 mstrust: I love this snowy image!

>60 mstrust: Great book! I have been meaning to pay more attention to the Beatles lately, I was never really a listener, but feel there's a wealth of a back catalogue to get into for a novice like me!

>63 mstrust: I have read a few of those guides- they are super useful for topics that are new to you.

Good of you to stop by!
I learned a lot from The Beatles book, and it led me to listening to the very few songs that weren't instantly recognizable by the titles.
The Short Introduction titles are very useful for that. It's a great idea.
That snowy gif was perfect for that particular story. Nice of someone to post it!

So here's my haul from the huge book sale today!

Non-Fiction

Autumn Gardens
The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady
The $64 Tomato
Rereadings
Hershey's Chocolate Lover's Cookbook
Otherwise Normal People
From Hardtack To Home Fries
Cacti & Succulents for Modern Living
The New York Times Footsteps
The Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu
Luby's Cafeteria 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection
No Regrets and Other True Cases
The Cases That Haunt Us

Fiction

The Blue Hammer
Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer
Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House
Wicked Witch Murder
Going, Going Ganache
Girl Waits with Gun
Fools Crow
We Are Okay
Dexter in the Dark
Bark
The Bookman's Tale
The Moving Target
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life
Button, Button
The BFG
Night of the Living Deed
The Burglar On the Prowl
Practical Magic
Jeeves and the King of Clubs
Ten Little Indians
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Laughing Gas
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece
The Shell Collector
Deep and Dark and Dangerous
The Girl in the Locked Room
A Fine Dark Line
A Drink Before the War
Ginger Pye
Vanilla Ride

And Mike found several rare books in the sporting section.

This doesn’t seem like a lot in proportion to the size of the sale. Were you showing restraint or did they simply have a lot you weren’t interested in?

What a haul - YAY!
And again a lot of BB's.
Have a wonderful start into the week.

>86 CassieBash: I didn't hold back, but there weren't as many books as usual. Sunday is the second day of the sale, and there have always been lots of boxes of overflow under the tables, but this year there wasn't a lot. Still, I feel like we did our part.
>87 SirThomas: Thanks, Thomas, and you have a great week too!

17. Hershey's Chocolate Lover's Cookbook

This weirdly tall book contains both traditional recipes, like Chocolate Crinkles and chocolate chip cookies, along with lots that were probably developed just for this book. California Chocolate Bars, Creamy Chocolate Tarts and Streusel Apple Spice Cake (with mini chocolate chips) are all new to me. Of course, nearly everything looks good. 4

18. Autumn Gardens by Ethne Clarke

With Austin, Texas as a base, Clarke features gardens from around the world and plants that thrive in Autumn. The best varieties for the season are featured, along with advice for blending plants in a garden, so this book is part gardening, part design and some cooking. 4
I'd never seen the glossy seedheads of the clematis orientalis before:

>88 mstrust: Somehow that makes me feel better—maybe because I know I wouldn’t show restraint myself, and it’s nice to think I’d be in good company!

>90 mstrust: We have some clematis and they do have a unique look. But every year we let some of the snapdragons bloom out and make seed pods— not because they reseed well for us but because the seed pods look like miniature alien skulls. And who wouldn’t want that around Halloween???

This week at Autumn Lives Here, witches, Shakespeare, and more witches. Cackle cackle.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

>85 mstrust: Good going! There are many interesting titles in your haul!
I'm most intrigued by Going going ganache and My Sister lives on the mantelpiece

>91 CassieBash: The VNSA sale is no place for restraint.
I've seen those skull pods! So freaky and I'd like some.
>93 Carmenere: Great titles, huh? I've read two in the ganache series, which is set in Scottsdale. The My Sister... sounds really interesting.
I went into the sale this year without any list of books I needed to search for, just happy with whatever I found.

>94 mstrust: So glad that book sale and restraint aren’t used in the same sentence. Except to point out how wrong it is to use book sale and restraint in the same sentence.

Hmm…I wonder if I could figure out a way to ship those mini skulls safely to you next fall….

Thank you for bringing Richard Matheson back to my mind, I had forgotten again that a book of him was on my Mount TBR.

>95 CassieBash: That's really nice of you to consider it, but I looked it up. This plant, beautiful as those seedheads are, has a reputation for strangling out native flora, which seems in keeping with the skull pods. Truth in advertising, huh?
>96 SirThomas: You're welcome, glad to help.

So I spent about an hour yesterday putting the new books "away", and by that I mean that I got them double stacked onto the right shelves and now have ZERO room on the majority of my American Lit, Horror and Travel shelves. Also, four of my five floating bookshelves in the guest room, my Books on Books section of the house, are probably stacked too high. No, I don't think I should stop. That's not how book people roll. I need more shelves.

19. Luby's Cafeteria 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection

If you've lived in the South or Southwest, you might be familiar with Luby's, the cafeteria chain that's been around since the 1940s. They have specialized in dishes that you wouldn't expect from a cafeteria restaurant, liked squash casserole, Haddock Almondine, Spaghetti Salad, and Mississippi Mud Cake.
This cookbook has lots of the most requested recipes, and most of the recipes are Luby's unique take on things like Pina Colada pie or chicken enchiladas. It was disappointing that a recipe for their famous Mystery Pie isn't included. 3.5

20. Cacti & Succulents for Modern Living

Published in 1976, this is full of color pics of plants by family with the specifics for that particular variety. Soil, light, temperature and watering preference, along with pics of the other cacti or succulents that are related, make this a good guide. 4.5

>84 mstrust: & >85 mstrust:
Over forty books is a very nice day's work, Jennifer.

>97 mstrust: I wasn’t thinking for planting—just an indoor bouquet. But there might be a legality issue shipping them to you, if they’re that aggressive in your area. For us, we rarely get any coming up from seeds—has to be an extremely mild winter and even then it’s probably only a couple. They don’t seem to like the weather we’ve been having recently; sub-freezing temperatures with snow flurries and crazy wind chills. Typical for northwest Indiana in winter to have this at least once sometime between December and March.

I’m still vertical book stacking up against my north wall in my bedroom. I figure it’s extra insulation for the winter. You can never have too many books—just not enough shelves.

>100 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul, I think I did a good job.
>101 CassieBash: Oh, okay. I guess it's a good thing it's a persnickity plant.
I need to find more shelves. Or read a lot faster.

This week, I've changed my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe for the first time in 15 years. I declare Hersheys Great American Chocolate Chip Cookies is the best.
We were planning to go to Vegas Monday to celebrate my mom's birthday, but Coral can't make the trip anymore and we don't want to leave her with someone because she too old and ill. So we're missing Mom's birthday but shipped her presents.

21. The Haunted Forest Tour by Jeff Strand and James A. Moore

The Haunted Forest sprung up across a barren New Mexico town in just an hour, destroying the town and killing the citizens. It was a horrifying massacre, but it didn't take long for an entrepreneur to start a company giving tram tours through the thick pine forest, and for a tourist town to grow on the outskirts.
In custom-built trams that are virtually indestructible, driver Eddie and guide Barbara start off as usual, but the tram breaks down deep in the forest, something that's never happened before. With no radio or phone communication, the crew and passengers are just a delicious meal waiting to happen unless they can make it out of the forest.
This is one wild story, horrifying and funny, with a battle between good and evil. 5

Considering what humans have done to the environment, I’m already rooting (pun intended) for the trees.

Happy Sunday! So sorry to read Coral's condition is not getting any better. Totally understand why you're not headed to Vegas. You and Mike are great and loving pup parents.

>105 CassieBash: There are indeed some evil trees amongst the other horrors. They authors have dreamed up some really scary creatures.

>106 Carmenere: Happy Sunday, Lynda!
I'm really sorry to be missing Mom's birthday, but there's really no choice. Thank you for your kind words! Coral is an enigma. The valley fever has caused her eye to bulge out and her jaw to have limited mobility. The left side of her head is misshapen due to the illness, yet she will bounce around and be all excited to see Mike or to get a treat. She really sends mixed signals.

We went downtown this morning and had breakfast at Mel's Diner, which some people may know from a 70s sitcom called "Alice". Then we went to a plant store. Not a nursery, it's a small storefront downtown among the hipster bars and shops. I did pick up two small and very beautiful houseplants. Then we dropped in Trevor's an independent, curated liquor store for small batch beer.
It's nice to break your regular pattern. Now I have to get some nice planters.
I'm expecting a wall hanging multi-pocket pliable planter to arrive in a few days, something that I can fill with nasturtiums and herbs and hang on the wall outside.

This week, Autumn Lives Here has the tale of a forgotten shipwreck right in the middle of London.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

22. The Murderess: A Novel by Laurie Notaro

In 1931, Winnie Ruth Judd killed her two best friends. She left their bodies in the small Phoenix house they shared and probably would have gotten away with a double murder if she had stayed away, but being the bizarre and temperamental woman she was, she returned and spent a lot of time curling one woman into a steamer trunk and dismembering the other to fit into smaller luggage. Then, for no good reason, she took this luggage on a train to L.A., where the contents were quickly discovered and the city hunted for Judd.
This is a novelized account. The author, who began her career in Phoenix, has dug into Judd's past, along with that of the victim's and her family, adding in dialogue. It adds up to a highly detailed life story of a woman who was unbalanced, constantly ill, and had spent her life barely scraping by. At nearly 400 pages, this book could have been much shorter. 3.5

This week, I've got an eerie new short story on Autumn Lives Here. Are you lost?
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

Mostly stopping by to say hello after being away from LT for almost all of February.

>89 mstrust: Fun fact: I grew up near Hershey, Pennsylvania, and was able to visit the factory when you could still tour the actual factory floor. Big vats of melted chocolate and kisses making their way along the belt. They used to pump the aroma into the town.

>103 mstrust: Sorry to hear about Coral. Sending lots of healing energies!

Glad you're back!
Oh, wow, that must have smelled incredible! And pumpkin the scent into town would have worked on me, I would have been at that factory all the time. And I've always wanted to go to the spa there and get a chocolate massage. I had a chocolate pedicure once at the W Hotel in Chicago and it was phenomenal.
Thank you for Coral's good wishes. Since she won't improve, we're in wait and see mode.

Looks like I'm back to getting through just one book a week. I knew I couldn't keep up the pace :-c That's my sad face.

23. The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

When Ji-won's father abandons the family for another woman, her mother can barely hold it together. Just a few months later, it's a surprise to Ji-won and her younger sister when Umma is suddenly in love with a White man, George, who has brilliant blue eyes and an Asian fetish. Ji-won quickly learns that George sees women as interchangeable and nothing more than servants.
His arrival coincides with Ji-won's sudden taste for fish eyes, the luckiest part of the fish. Trying to deal with Umma's blind devotion to a horrible man, her sister's anger, her own danger of failing her freshman year of college, and a stalker classmate, Ji-won decides that the men who have made her life so miserable shouldn't have underestimated her.

Yes, this has some gruesome scenes. The book cover is accurate, but if you read gritty murder mysteries, this probably won't shock you. The majority of the story is about an immigrant family that has been through the wringer, financially and emotionally. The three women are left to fend for themselves, with the two American daughters expected to behave like their Korean mother. 5

This week at Autumn Lives Here, I've got poisons, toxins and The Lawnmower of Death!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

24. Maid by Stephanie Land
By now, everyone knows about this book and the Netflix series based on it, so I'm glad that Land was able to pull herself and her child out of poverty. This book is about the years Land spent as a housecleaner and landscaper, being paid so little that she couldn't provide a home or food for herself and her baby without government assistance of just about every kind.
While I understand the stress and unhappiness of her financial situation, having spent years myself working two and three jobs at a time to barely get by, halfway through this book I got really tired of her incessant "poor me" tone, and of telling the reader over and over how much she loved her kid and just wanted to be with her all the time. The facts that I couldn't forget were that Land kind of went out of her way to screw up her life, thereby making her daughter's life so much more chaotic than it should have been.
3

Sorry Coral isn't doing well. And that you have to miss the birthday celebration.

>114 mstrust: Nice write-up though!

Happy Tuesday?!

Thanks & thanks, Kim. I'm sorry we missed Mom's birthday. We'll have to make up for it, maybe with Mother's Day.
Sure, I'll take a happy Tuesday, and right back atcha!

: )

25. Marshmallows, Mystery & Mischief by Kathleen Suzette

Sisters and Pumpkin Hollow candy shop owners Mia and Christy are a little freaked out when a woman dressed up as a witch stands around their shop staring daggers at them. It's the day of the Halloween parade, though, and nearly everyone is in costume, but this witch starts hissing at the customers and won't go away until she's threatened with the cops. Mia and Christy would swear she isn't a local because they don't know her.
The woman is a local though, and some citizens have always believed she's an actual witch, and that makes her murder all the more interesting to citizen detectives Mia and Christy.

The fourth volume in the Pumpkin Hollow series, it includes lots of talk about Halloween costumes, the parade, and candy making. Every business in town has a Halloween theme, so it's a light, fun little series. 4

I'm hosting April's MysteryKIT: https://www.librarything.com/topic/369239

>121 mstrust: Sigh, more BB's.
But I'm looking forward to it!

That's the spirit, Thomas!

26. Jellybeans, Jack-O'-Lanterns, and Jitters by Kathleen Suzette

The fifth book in the Pumpkin Hollow series sees cousin Charlotte arriving and looking for family during her divorce. A mail carrier is murdered during the Halloween Walk event, leaving many suspects who had issues with his difficult personality.

I've enjoyed this series with all its Halloween costumes, events and candy-making. They go down easy and the murder victims are always someone the town loves to hate. I noticed some stiffness in the dialogue of the last book, but the stilted, repetitive dialogue really stood out in this one. I strongly suspect that this series is either AI-assisted, if not generated, so I'm done. 1

Autumn Lives Here has horror from around the world this week, plus the true story of Diana Bromley's crimes.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

27. Slewfoot by Brom

Abitha has arrived in Puritan America as a mail order bride, but she's lucky to have a kind husband in Edward. That kindness is a weakness when it comes to Edward's older brother, Wallace, who manipulates Edward into signing a contract that almost guarantees that Wallace will end up with Edward's farm. And then Edward is killed, deep underground, by the evil creatures of the forest.
Unable to work the farm alone, Abitha turns to the ways of her cunning mother, creating spells and charms for a little money. She believes that's all it is, but as her hate for Wallace grows, her powers become stronger, and she finds a great ally in a horned monster from the woods. While Abitha has to wonder if she really is a witch, she and her friend are also unsure about whether or not he's the devil. 3.5

>120 mstrust: Yay! Added to my list.

>124 mstrust: Bummer.

>126 mstrust: Hmmmm...

: )

You are succinct :-D

This week at Autumn Lives Here, the legend of La Llorona and the true story of the guy who tried to ruin Halloween. I also have an announcement for my readers who always said, "yeah, but how do I know the paywall isn't just hiding a blank screen?"
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

28. Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

Now fifty years-old, without a career or family, an infamous actor with just one acting credit takes the reader back and forth, from present days as he's negotiating his appearance in a reboot of Horror Movie, the low-budget indie he made with some friends in 1993 in which he appeared as The Thin Kid. Though he hasn't acted before or since, making this movie, and the subsequent cult fame that came after the director posted the only competed scenes on the internet, have shaped the man's entire life. Sometimes it feels like he's done nothing other than waiting for this movie to finally be released.
An interesting take on the 90s outsider horror films. The abuse that The Thin Kid suffers in the film blurs into real life, making both the filmmaking, and the man's willingness to get sucked into his role, brutal at times. The author gets heavy-handed with philosophy and an omnipotent view of the moviegoer's thoughts, but this is Tremblay's best book in several years. 4.5

29. The Halloween Store and Other Tales of All Hallows Eve by Ronald Kelly

A collection of short stories that all take place in the days leading up to Halloween, and the day itself. The title story has four friends who visit a pop-up Halloween store and have the vintage boxed monster costumes put away until they can raise the money, which they do, on Halloween. Now, what kind of costumes need a signed disclaimer? Another story has two boys who order a fearsome monster by mail, and unfortunately, get exactly what they pay for. Another has a young fan who learns that her rockabilly idol isn't so cool, and maybe the best story is about a small-town sheriff seeking the monster who is turning townspeople into jack o' lanterns.
Take the old Alfred Hitchcock Hour and add some blood and a little gore and you have something like these stories. They don't rely on the gore, instead being plot and character driven. I've discovered a new favorite author. 5

>131 mstrust: Ooh! Looks scary!

Happy week ahead :)

That was the last book of my Kindle Unlimited plan, but I'm glad it was such a good one.
Thanks for stopping in, and you have a great week too!

On Autumn Lives Here, I have a new short story about a Final Girl. Drop in, it's free and fun.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

30. Mud Season by Ellen Stimson

Stimson and her family moved from St. Louis to Dorset, Vermont because they had a vacation in Vermont and fell in love with the small town beauty and New England way of life. But Stimson, a very successful entrepreneur accustomed to steamrolling through her plans, encountered problems when she came to this small town. It started with her bringing a construction crew from St. Louis instead of hiring locals to renovate her family's new house. With all their money, they quickly bought a quaint grocery/supply store that had been owned by a local family for generations, and changed everything with the dreams of franchising. Ultimately, the locals stopped shopping there and Stimson had to sell.
This is a humorous memoir of an attempt to become a New Englander, a retail owner, and a farmer. It's also, unintentionally, a look at an outsider trying to buy a life that isn't authentic for them. Stimson sometimes shows that she sees how pushy she can be, but a lot of times the reader is questioning her odd choices when it comes to money, such as attempting to host a 4th of July celebration for the town when she's on the verge of bankruptcy. If she didn't keep referencing how well she'd done in previous business ventures the reader would wonder how this woman had a credit card in her name. She's clearly a risk-taker, and it might be brave to write a book about one's failure. 3

31. 2025 Vancouver Travel Guide by Aiden C. Brooks

This turned out to be a print-on-demand that has just one single photo on the front page. The information it contains is very basic, pretty much what you'd get from Googling "Things to do in Vancouver". 2.5

This week at Autumn Lives Here: fungus and the Cul-de-Sac Killer. It's a messy week.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

32. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A coming of age written in diary form, this is the story of socially awkward Charlie, who starts high school and finds good friends even though he didn't expect to. Siblings Patrick and Sam take Charlie under their wings, allowing him to be himself. Through them he goes to his first party, has a first kiss and his first girlfriend, and becomes someone his family can rely on, though all the while he longs for Samantha. 4

Twentieth Anniversary Screenings and The Island arrived this week.

I had to pull out my reliable Red Russian kale, five sturdy plants, because they became heavily infested overnight, the leaves covered in what is probably a cabbage moth. Gross.
My tomatoes are in production. Most are still green and growing, while the Black Strawberry are dark purple and should be ripe enough in a week or so.
And I just found a farming site that specializes in very rare tomato seeds, stuff you'd never find in the store. Did you know that Clint Eastwood has a tomato named after him?

The Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red

>139 mstrust: Those made my mouth water!! Now I want Bacon & Tomato sandwiches.

They are beautiful. I'll be ordering some seeds over the summer, lots of interesting varieties.

I'm hosting May's CultureCat. Join us!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/370089#n8815456

Read a new short story, "I Have A Feeling" at Autumn Lives Here. Come for the horror, stay for the excessive swearing.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

>139 mstrust:
too early to even plant here but those tomatoes look delish!

It's too late to plant here, but I did sorta rescue a 98 cent Early Girl tomato plant a few days ago to keep it from being thrown away. I repotted and it's thriving.
I'm going to order several rare tomato seeds from Tomatofest around August. I usually sow my Fall garden in late August. For the next few months, all I can do is try to make my plants comfortable as they die from the heat.

33. The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
This is the story of Shea, a woman who barely speaks to anyone and spends her nights working on her true crime blog, The Book of Cold Cases.
It's also the story of Beth, a wealthy woman who stood trial for the murder of two strangers 40 years before. She still lives in the mansion her father built, which is where he died and his spirit remains. Beth's mother also died decades ago and still roams the mansions halls. But there's another spirit too, and Beth is too conniving to have not known that inviting Shea over would bring out her investigative skills.
Jumping between decades, Shea and private investigator Michael have to unravel who shot the strangers, and did the same person have more victims. 4.5

This week, Autumn Lives Here goes shopping and ends up at some book stores. Of course.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

34. Seeds of Murder by Rosie Sandler

Steph is relieved to be hired as the private gardener on a gated estate of five mansions. She's been struggling to recover from a devastating divorce that took everything from her, and this job comes with a cottage for her and her dog, Mouse.
While some of the residents are friendly, some are standoffish, and some are too forthcoming with their problems. Steph quickly finds herself being used as a therapist, and then she begins receiving threatening notes. When the residents receive messages of blackmail, Steph is the suspect. She's given ten days to clear her name or be fired and leave with nothing.

Sure, it's contrived and the ultra wealthy residents sometimes spill their guts with deep, dark secrets in a way nobody would, but there's also a lot of gardening talk, and food talk, and the whole British locked door mystery of it. 3.5

35. The Blanks by Grady Hendrix

Part of the Kindle Shivers collection, this long-ish short story takes place on a small island in New York, a summer retreat for middle-class families. Rachel has been coming here since she was a kid, and now she brings her husband and their two children, Callum and Zee. It's a great place for friends to have barbecues and the children to be free, as long as you know not to make eye contact with some of the year-round residents.

Hendrix has created a great entry in the 'Vacation Horror' subgenre. 4.2

We attended Tiki Oasis this past weekend. A seminar on tiki cocktail history led by Beachbum Jeff Berry, author of lots of tiki cocktail books, where several cocktails were thrown down. Then a cocktail seminar led by reps from some liquor companies, where


I ran into Beachbum at the back of the room. More cocktails there, and some tiki shopping.
Sunday was a seminar about Disney's lost rides, then a fantastic lunch and more shopping.

This week at Autumn Lives Here, is a short story that urges you not to make your dreams come true.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

36. Jackknife by Joe Hill
The reader meets a young professor who is losing everything- his marriage, career and reputation. Under considerable stress, he rents an ugly house on the edge of the woods, which at least allows him to go for walks between bouts of drinking. It's there that he comes across a huge fallen sycamore that has several mysterious messages carved into the trunk, along with a Boy Scout knife, which he takes for himself. He shouldn't have.
A story about someone who stupidly disgraces themselves is relatable. A murderous tree, not so much, but I enjoyed this anyway. 4

And now another month has gone by! You have been busy reading and writing.

>139 mstrust: I have scaled back on my vegetable gardening this year but did plant 15 San Marzano tomato plants today. I like making my own sauce. A few pepper plants of both sweet and hot go in tomorrow. Then, we are praying the rain comes as it is very dry here in eastern Virginia.

>135 mstrust: Hmm. The cover is certainly interesting but I think I won't take the bait on this one.

>139 mstrust: Wow! I certainly didn't know that!. Neat. A friend of mine grows heirloom seedlings and sells them with the proceeds going to community gardens. I can't wait to try and grow a few that I would normally not have access to.

Happy weekend!

>153 witchyrichy: I have been busy, especially with writing for my substack, which went totally free a few months ago.
I recently designed at movable tomato planter that should allow me to grow about a dozen tomato plants, along with marigold and garlic. Mike thinks his friend can build it before August, when I will sow.
Right now, I have Black Strawberry ripening a few at a time, I've gotten one ripe Terracotta and have many, many green Brandywine and Black Krim.

>154 figsfromthistle: Good decision.
Thank you for wishing me a happy weekend, but it's actually an awful one. I hope yours is better.

This week, Autumn Lives Here is all about those unsolved mysteries. If you went missing, I'd put up posters or something.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

37. The Philosophy of Punk: More Than Noise! by Craig O'Hara did something that I would have thought was impossible, in that it made punks sound boring. This thing is dry as dirt. Very little about the music itself, the author lifts large portions of essays about politics, vegetarianism and gender equality from other publications in a sort of puzzling together of his beliefs that he attempts to blanket the whole genre in.
The most interesting thing about the book, first published in 1992, was the dawning realization that the author's take on every social topic covered is a nearly exact representation for current liberal complaints, which means that either nothing has changed at all in over 30 years, or people are like broken records. 1

38. Sinfully Delicious by Amanda M. Lee

From the cover, I expected fluff involving murder and baked goods with a lot of Autumn stuff thrown in. It's actually a lot more meaty than that. It's a cozy murder with an annoying family that's too involved.

Stormy wrote a popular novel a few years ago that made her almost famous, but the second novel did so badly that her publisher dropped her. When the money ran out, she had no choice but to return to her small Michigan hometown and go back to waitressing at the family restaurant. That means dealing with her pushy grandfather, her perpetually horny cousin, and the high school boyfriend she dumped when she went to college. Now, she's back to having to deal with these people daily, and a week after her return, the local realtor is murdered behind the restaurant. And she may be a witch. 3.5

Hi hope your weekend is turning out better than last weekend.
Looks like I need to add The Blanks to my tbr stack.

The Blanks is a good one, and has a big surprise.
We had to put our baby Coral to sleep last week. The valley fever had done so much damage and she wasn't responding to the medication. So in comparison, this was not as bad as last weekend.

We went to a fundraiser for Bighorn Sheep last night, which is about as Arizona as it gets.

>160 mstrust: I am so sorry to read of Coral's passing! Very, very sad. I know it's just not the same around the house for you and Mike. RIP Coral

That's true. She's missed very much. Thank you.

Sorry to hear about Coral. She was a fine friend.

We don’t have bighorn sheep in Indiana, but I did see a big river otter cross the road in front of me on my way to work last week.

Sorry to hear of Coral's passing.
This is a hard time for you and my thoughts are with you.
May you be comforted a little bit by fond memories.

>163 CassieBash: Thanks, Cassie. Coral was my constant companion, so I feel her loss all day.
I wasn't even aware that there are wild otters in Indiana. It's an interesting world.

>164 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, I appreciate your kind words.

It's a new short story this week at Autumn Lives Here and you won't believe how ugly "A New Addition to the Family" is.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

39. Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward

A woman checks into a rundown hotel, having booked a certain room. As her night unfolds, the reader learns that her husband and two year old son spent their last night in this room, before the accident.
A story about grief and ghosts, this is one of the Kindle Shivers collection. 4

>167 mstrust: That one sounds great!

It is!

Come join June's ScaredyKit Graphic Novel month!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/370848

>165 mstrust: They had been wiped out at one time, along with wild turkeys—both were re-introduced several years ago. Turkeys are now common again, to the point where people can hunt them again. I believe otters are either still protected or hunting them is very limited.

Last year, legislation to allow hunting and trapping bobcats was up for consideration but in the end, backlash from the people and sketchy population numbers killed that. But I figure it’s only a matter of time. As a non-hunter who doesn’t like sudden loud noises, you can imagine how another hunting season thrills me.

Nice to hear that the otters and turkeys have been brought back. Turkeys look like they're comprised of two different animals to me. The big feathered bodies can be so beautiful, sometimes with an iridescence to the feathers. Their neck and heads, well...

This week's Autumn Lives Here is just one disaster after another.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

40. I Slept With Joey Ramone by Mickey Leigh and Legs McNeil
Written by Spin regular McNeil and Ramone's brother Leigh, who was also a rock musician, this is a memoir of growing up with Jeff Hyman (Joey Ramone), who had physical problems from birth, was picked on for his strange appearance in childhood and developed OCD and other behavioral issues. Then, when he had nothing else going for him, he got together with three other neighborhood guys and formed the band that invented American punk.
Leigh was present for many of the early recordings and sang backing on the first album. He then spent two years as the band's only roadie, so he was an eyewitness for a lot that happened in the first decade, though he still worked with Joey in the songwriting on occasion even years later.
It's also Leigh's own memoir of being in the same industry as a very famous sibling but having much less success. In fact, a Bud Light commercial that ran in 1991 created a rift between the brothers, as Leigh, broke and hearing his vocals in a national ad, decided he should finally get paid for his work.
Even with the author's many, many passages praising himself at the expense of his brother, or Johnny Ramone in particular, this book is hard to put down. Every chapter is filled with what was going on behind the scenes, which is catnip for a Ramones fan. 4.5

>160 mstrust: Just catching up. Sorry to hear about Coral

Thank you. She's very missed.

This week, Autumn Lives Here has quick scares and the real story of Vampira.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

I'm so sorry to hear about Coral passing. Keeping you in my thoughts.

Thank you.

41. Criminal Macabre by Steve Niles and Szymon Kudranski
A beaten man is interrogated by the police, who arrived at a church in time to see the man kill a priest. He's a detective of the supernatural, and he tells them a story about a portal to Hell in the church that drew in one of their own detectives.
Niles is one of the creators of 30 Days of Night, so of course I had to grab this one. 3.5

>180 mstrust: Got me with that one!

Good!

42. Eat The Rich by Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak
Joey is going to her boyfriend's island home for the summer, and she's anxious about meeting his family. Astor's family is super wealthy and seem to only mix with the super wealthy, which Joey is not. The big surprise is how kindly they talk about their staff, even if they don't talk to them.
And then Joey sees what she wasn't supposed to, a horrible event. Becoming friends, and then more, with the family's nanny, Joey discovers how different the rich are from everyone else. 4

Drop in on Autumn Lives Here's 3rd Anniversary! There's cake, good advice and creepy stories. What else could you want?
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

43. The Cases That Haunt Us by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker

You might recognize Douglas as the creator of the FBI's profiling and victimology systems, in which learning about the victim's lifestyle helps to connect to the killer, and by looking for patterns in a serial killer's methods, you have a better idea of who to look for.
In this book, the authors examine some famous cases, with Douglas including what he would have looked for if he were investigating. Included are the cases of Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, JonBenet Ramsey, the Lindbergh baby and the Black Dahlia. Even if you think you know these cases well, there's information here that you've likely never come across. And if you've read about the recent testing in the Ripper case that gave a clear answer as the to the killer, Douglas's profile of the likely killer (the book was published in 2000) is spot on.4

Sending healing energy to you on the loss of Coral.

Hi Jennifer, I hope you are well and wish you all the best on this special day!

>186 witchyrichy: Thank you very much.
>187 SirThomas: How did you know? Thanks!
This will be a birthday unlike any other, to say the least. Mike had a small Keurig delivered to me yesterday. My mom has been in a facility for physical rehab for a week now, so I show up with coffee in the mornings and then she gets her physical therapy.

>188 mstrust: I have a Birthday App and noted the date some years ago...
Good coffee can save the day.

Happy Birthday! Happy Coffee!

>189 SirThomas: That's so nice of you to remember ❤️
>190 PaperbackPirate: Thanks so much! Only one coffee so far but the day is young.

The newest Autumn Lives Here is up, and we're celebrating Summerween!

I've been away for a month in Vegas because my mom's back was fractured. But now I'm back and I've brought zombies with me. It's a new short story at Autumn Lives Here.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

Adding a few reviews from when I was away.


44. Family Man by Calvin Trillin

A collection of humorous essays about his marriage to the wise Alice and his experience of raising their two children in Greenwich Village. 3.5

45. Murder By the Book by Claire Harman

The true story of the 1840 murder of an elderly English Lord, whose home was also ransacked. Investigation into the murder revealed valuables hidden away all over the home, most notably in the servants quarters. The young valet was eventually arrested.
This is also the story of the influence of "New gate novels" and the romanticized criminals who were so popular at the time, as the valet said he was influenced to commit the crime by the most popular novel of this genre.

I'd never heard of the Newgate novels and it was interesting to learn about how wildly popular they were, and how they were blamed for rising crime. 4

>195 mstrust: That sounds good.

I'd be happy to read more from this author, she really does her research.

46. The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones
Part of the Kindle Shivers collection, this is the story of Jennifer, a frazzled executive who is in the middle of a divorce and trying to prove that she's a good mother, mainly to herself.
During a meeting in the Indigo Room at work, the light from the window plays tricks with her eyesight, making her believe that something is wrong with her coworkers and causing her to have a mini meltdown. Which turns out to be a foreshadowing of the events that come later.
Graham Jones' stuff is always hit or miss with me, and this one was a miss. The next steps were too easily figured out, yet some of the actions were hard to follow. 2.5

This week, Autumn Lives Here is all ghosts and devil weirdos as we look at paranormal mysteries and The Horrors of Ernest Booorgnine! Drop in, we're having fun.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

>195 mstrust: That does look like something I would also like Jennifer.

If you're able to read it, I hope you do!

My new home is ready. Come visit!