Mstrust's Found Something Interesting

Yes, Happy New Year, and yes, I will have another glass of champagne. Tip it!

I'm Jennifer in Phoenix. I joined LT in 2008, so my 18th Thingaversary is in March.
I bake and enter my state fair competition most years. I visit my family in Vegas quite a bit, and I grow vegetables, herbs and flowers, which takes up a lot of my headspace. I also write the weekly Autumn Lives Here Substack, covering true crime, horror movies and books, maple foods and original short stories. It's free to join or just drop in to read.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

My theme this year is about as vague as can be: just stuff that I think needs to be looked at for a minute or two. Do they have a point? Maybe, maybe not.
I'm hosting a 'Haunted House' ScaredyKit in March and a 'Hardboiled/Noir' MysteryKit in May.
I'm happy to hear from you, so drop in anytime.

Ice forming over red stalks. I think this is pretty amazing.

2026 Reads

1. You Are The Detective: The Creeping Hand-4.2
2. The Marlow Murder Club-4
3. You Invited It In-4
4. Brothers-4
5. Graveyard Shift: A Novella-3
6. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death-4
7. Otherwise Normal People-4.2
8. Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet-4
9. Diavola-4.5
10. Floriography-3
11. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener-4
12. 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered-4
13. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop-3.5
14. Yellowface-4.5
15. Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley-4
16. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage-4
17. Sugar-3.5
18. Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist-4
19. Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death-4
20. Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham-4
21. We Live Here Now-5
22. Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden-4
23. Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam-4
24. This Thing Between Us-5
25. The Shuddering- 3
26. Sixpence House-5
27. Whack Job-3
28. Very Charleston-4
29. The Secret House of Death-3
30. Creepers: The Gravedigger-3
31. There's A Bear in the House-5
32. Oddball Ohio-3.5

Welcome back, Jennifer!

Thanks, Jim!

Did I hear the mention of champagne? Welcome back for another year, Jennifer. x

Hi, Paul! You must have been drawn by the corks popping 🤤
I wish you a happy new year, and a 2026 full of great reads!

Happy New Year! Lucy always keeps things interesting!

Doesn't she? Girl knows how to ring in the new year. And Happy New Year to you, Carrie!

Happy new year, Kimberly!

I hope you and your pig have a very Happy New Year.

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026

Happy new year, Paul!

Happy New Year, Jennifer! I broke tradition and welcomed in 2026 with Jack and Ginger Ale. Still bubbly, right?

Yep! Lovely champagne last night, Advil this morning.

>15 mstrust: LOL. ; )

1. You Are The Detective: The Creeping Hand by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper
The reader is taken to 1933 and the house of a notorious London bon vivant whose sitting room is the site of a murder. Through interviews with all the guests present, illustrations that represent photos of the suspects and their personal belongings, and their backstories that link them to the murdered man, the police ask for your help in solving this case.

A hardcover with wonderfully ghoulish cover art and a bevy of likely killers, this is nothing short of fun. I also like that the answer is hidden in a sealed envelope in the back, so no "accidental" peeking. I bought this at the Sacramento Airport in late October when we went to Napa for my brother's birthday. 4.2

>16 Berly: I've gotten to an age where I really pay for it ;-D

Something interesting...

The frozen pier at Port Stanley, Ontario.

>17 mstrust: Oooh! I am putting that on my birthday want list!!!

I'm so glad that I found it at the airport of all places. I'll watch for another by the authors.

>17 mstrust: Well, that’s just cool!

Happy New Year, Jennifer!

Happy new Year, Jennifer - may your year be full of happines health and joy - and of course - books.

>22 drneutron: It is! I'm hoping it's the first in a long series.
>23 quondame: Happy New Year, Susan!
>24 SirThomas: Happy New Year, Thomas! Thank you, and I wish you the same. And lots of wonderful meals too!

Something to note: I had our first fire of 2026 yesterday, which means it got all the way down to...65F. I know, but I desperately love a wood fire and January and February are the only months that get cold in Phoenix. I wrapped a Honeynut squash in foil and threw it in for an hour as part of our dinner. Oh, I think I'm so clever.

Happy new year! Here's to good reading!

>17 mstrust: Cool idea!

>26 mstrust: I *love* a good fire and 65 is perfectly acceptable. How was the squash?

Happy New Year! Thanks for dropping by my thread! Sure, I'll have a glass -- here's to new books in the new year!

>27 witchyrichy: The squash, which was quite thick, was perfectly done inside, though the wood did affect the flavor for me. I think I was burning mesquite. Mike liked it.
>28 foggidawn: Of course I dropped into your thread, gotta keep up with the gardening!
I did buy myself two physical books for Christmas, and got a kindle Unlimited membership for a couple of months. Christmas was so rotten this year that I tried to make up for it a little 😉

Hi and happy new year. Your thread looks interesting already. Dropping my star here.

Happy New Year! I'm glad you like it around here, it's good to see you.

2. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
When Judith's closest neighbor along the Thames goes missing, she feels a sense of propriety, especially as she believes that she heard a gunshot while she was skinny dipping in the river. The police don't have a clue what's happened or where the neighbor is, but Judith is sure that it's murder and begins investigating even though she's a professional crossword puzzle maker with no investigative experience. She draws in the vicar's wife and a dogwalker to assist her. As the murders pile up, the three women know the killer is watching them.
Another fun British murder mystery that calls on amateur sleuths, and I believe this is a series. I read it for this month's MysteryKit of 'Amateur Female Sleuths'. 4

Something interesting, if only to observe...

"Balloon pants" are slated to be this year's trend.

>33 mstrust: Those are even more balloon-y than the comfy pants I often wear, but I'm all for loose enveloping garments. Living in tank-top, bike-shorts land, now seasonally covered up in sweatpants & hoodies, I love rare glimpses of garments that shout - and am often the only one in sight providing that service for others.

I'm just too short to pull something like these off. I'd look like I'd wrapped myself in a tablecloth.

>17 mstrust: That does sound like fun!

Happy New Year! It's good to see 2026 off to a good reading start.

>33 mstrust: NO!

Happy new year, Beth! I do try to pick for the start of the year that I am almost guaranteed to love.
Now that's the reaction I expected to those pants. Hammer time!

Happy new year!! and new thread!!

Thanks, Harold, and Happy New Year!

>33 mstrust:->37 mstrust: And Folkwear Patterns just re-released the Tunisian suit pattern from the discontinued museum line. I figure there must be actual functionality to the floppy butt design for them to have made it into local costume.

"Floppy butt" is a phrase I can't let go of. I'm a child.

Autumn Lives Here has returned from the holidays with the start of my state-by-state horrors. Ever wonder about the worst things in Alabama?
Drop in, it's fun and free!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

3. You Invited It In by Sarah Jules

Felix, recent widower and lifelong seer of ghosts, becomes livid when he spots an ad for a woman who claims she's a paranormal cleanser. He's so angry that he lies about his house being haunted and pays her exorbitant fee for his house to be cleansed, and that's when the trouble starts. Felix and his young son begin experiencing the very things he told the cleanser was going on, and Felix is sure that the fraudster is the cause.
Good haunted house story set in modern London. 4

>32 mstrust: I have read all the books in the series and enjoyed them.

>33 mstrust: Yoga pants are as far as I go.

>40 quondame: >41 mstrust: So, best not to google floppy butt design. But I did check out the sewing pattern and MC Hammer is right on.

>43 mstrust: Added to the TBR.

I think I'll get to the second in the Marlow series soon.
Now that I think of it, those balloon pants will probably be popular with shoplifters :-D
And there's a sequel, so I'll probably read that too!

>2 mstrust: Wow! Quite a picture!

>33 mstrust: An interesting fashion choice. My cousin has been wearing these for years ;)

Happy 2026 reading

>32 mstrust: We caught the TV serious made from these books and liked it main well. Have to give the novels a try now. The women were so perfectly captured by the actresses in the show - fun to see how close they came to the print version

>46 figsfromthistle: Isn't that a wild pic? Looks like a sci-fi movie.
>33 mstrust: Your cousin sounds like she makes unique choices.
Happy reading, and happy new year!

>47 magicians_nephew: I like the tv series a lot, really well done, and as you pointed out good casting. It was interesting to see Tom Burke's (Strike) mother play a murderer in one season.

We're having a second day of overcast skies and rain is expected again. Today's high is just 57F.
Mike is recovering slowly. He started back at work on Monday, just staying til 3pm and coming home exhausted. It'll take time.

>32 mstrust: I have seen that one about and in the stores, Jennifer, and it looks like something I should try out.

>33 mstrust: I would look great in those!

Turns out, The Marlow Murder Club is pretty popular. It's fun!
Well, if you ever get a pair, you'll have to post a pick here. I have no doubt that you're correct, so don't be afraid to pose.

This will make many of you roll your eyes, but it was 40F here in Phoenix this morning! My hands were freezing as I moved my plants into the sun.

4. Brothers by Alex Van Halen
Going over the Van Halen family history, with their parent's marriage in Java and the family settling in their father's homeland of Holland. Then, their immigration to Southern California, and all the while, their mother forcing her sons to learn one instrument after another, which she saw as their ticket to respectability. That's something the author, drummer Alex Van Halen, makes clear: their father was a professional musician, but it was their mother who pushed them into music by forcing Alex and Ed to master one instrument after another. They didn't enjoy it as kids, but since they had no choice, eventually they started playing guitar and drums.
The author discusses putting variations of bands together as teens, meeting singer David Lee Roth, whose vocal talents take quite a hit here, and bassist Michael Anthony, who is oddly missing from so much of the story. Most of all, this is a book about the talent of Eddie Van Halen, and how much his brother misses him. 4

Here's a food trend that you may see soon, if not already.

3D printed oat milk slices. They come in a shelf stable pack. One sheet mixed with water makes a glass of oat milk, or put a sheet in a blended smoothie.
Personally, I don't like oat milk, but it's got to be great for the lactose intolerant.

>52 mstrust: interesting but I just don't understand 3D printing..... At all. Bis this really a thing?

Yes, the milk slices are real and available. Looking around a little, I came across another brand that makes whole milk slices, but I don't know if those are 3D.
I don't know much about it, but I believe the ingredients are put in the printer, which forms it into the desired shape. Anybody who knows for sure is welcome to explain it here, I'd be grateful.

>2 mstrust: I agree that the ice over the red stalks is pretty amazing. Looks like your reading year is off to a great start!

>17 mstrust: That book looks cool! I read a series many, many years ago now that included the newspapers, tickets, paper ephemera that was supposed to represent the clues you needed to solve the case. This sounds like it may be something similar, which would be right up my alley.

>32 mstrust: Dodging that BB as I have already read it.

>43 mstrust: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Jennifer!

>52 mstrust: I guess I just do not get how you 3D print food? I use almond milk all the time - I am allergic to milk - but my daughter Catey prefers oat milk, so I will mention the 3D printed variety to her.

A Belated Happy New Year!

Hi, Stasia! I do feel that I'm off to a good start, but then, every year starts with lots of enthusiasm and I plow through a stack of books quickly...and then I'm back to reading at a snail's pace by March.
I do think the "you are the detective" thing has been done before, but this book has been done so well that it feels really special.
Happy to get you with a BB!
I can only guess that someone would want the milk sheets for camping or keeping in a desk drawer. I do wonder if they would taste the same as fresh. The oat milk sheets are light brown, while the whole milk looked like white American cheese.
Happy New Year! I feel good about saying that throughout January. Only a weirdo would say it in February. :-D

Gardening: I pulled my first ripened Costoluto Genovese tomato this morning. That's the Italian "accordion" style, with the deep ribs. I also have lots of greens that are producing plenty for salads and stir-fry: pak choy, tatsoi, Red Russian kale, Bronze Beauty and Merlot lettuce. We're going back to 80F this week.

5. Graveyard Shift: A Novella by M.L. Rio
Five smokers who work through the night meet regularly in an abandoned university graveyard because it's a place they can smoke without being caught. One night, they find that a hole has been dug in the graveyard. Since no one has been buried there in decades, they have to wonder what is going on. One of the smokers is the university paper editor who is desperate for a story.

A novella of about 122 pages. Good atmosphere and character development, but I thought the end came abruptly. 3

Here's something interesting...

The International Snow Sculpture Championship takes place in Breckenridge, Co. from Jan. 24-Feb. 3. I know, the picture is huge, but look at those sharp angles.

>58 mstrust: Look at the weight bearing point and yes all those sharp angles!

I don't know if it won, but it probably should have.

Autumn Lives Here has a new short story this week. It's about the perks of being overlooked, forgotten, flying under the radar. Drop in!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

>58 mstrust: I can't even begin to imagine how one would do that in the medium of snow! Impressive!

>58 mstrust: Last time I tried I couldn't even build a snowman...

>62 foggidawn: "Hand me that knife, I'm gonna make these corners crisp."
>63 hredwards: I don't have much experience with snow, so you've got me beat.

>19 mstrust: wow! that is impressive!

>58 mstrust: wow! so many interesting things ;) I like that one.

I really like amazing snow and ice formations. It's especially intriguing to see icicles that freeze as the wind is clearly blowing.

6. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton
The first in the series, this introduces grumpy, newly retired Agatha as she leaves London and the PR firm she founded to move a world away, to a thatched cottage in the Cotswolds. As she's used to figuring out how to make a splash, Agatha decides that she'll be welcomed by the villagers if she wins the annual quiche competition, so she cheats, entering a store made quiche in the contest. And the judge dies after eating it.
Agatha is my new obsession. She sometimes rude and entitled, but she's also trying so hard to be accepted. 4

>66 mstrust: Cooool!
>67 mstrust: I liked this one too.

Agatha's fun. I started with the tv series. The Agatha there looks very different from the Agatha of the novels.

7. Otherwise Normal People: Inside the Thorny World of Competitive Rose Gardening by Aurelia C. Scott
The author crosses the country to meet the most successful (circa 2005) rosarians, the people who win at the big rose competitions in America. She shadows the gardeners, almost across the board being Type-A hyper-competitive people who go to extraordinary lengths to grow hundreds of rose plants in the hopes of growing the blooms that will take the top prize of "Queen".
The book's climax is the day of the biggest competition, when most of the people interviewed gather for the Spring Nationals and affectionately trash talk their competitors. 4.2

Something interesting...

This is the Peace Rose. It's a tea hybrid developed between the years of 1935-39 by French cultivar Francis Meilland. He recognized that WWII was going to happen, so he sent cuttings to cultivars all over the world, include the U.S. These rosarians grew the rose, usually a cream/pale yellow bloom with pink edges. On April 29, 1945, Berlin fell to the Allies, and on that same day, this rose was officially announced as 'Peace Rose'.

>67 mstrust: I like the TV series much better than the books. I read the first couple of Agatha Raisin books and just couldn't get into them.

Ya know, I read one of the books years ago and wasn't impressed. The show got me to try the books again and it just clicked, Agatha is really funny. Even though I'm picturing the actors as I read.

>71 mstrust: What a fabulous flower! I had to google it to see if it was as devastatingly lovely without the water droplets, and boy is it ever. A lovely thought, even if peace did not bloom at its arrival.

It is beautiful and it happens to be the only rose I have. My MIL gave me a small Peace for Christmas, not knowing at all that I had planned on getting a few rose plants for the backyard. Peace isnt known for being one of the heat tolerant varieties, but it's winter and it's doing well so far.

This week, Autumn Lives Here is looking at winter books and movies, and going over the lore of the most motivated vamps ever.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

8. Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton
When a handsome new veterinarian comes to Carsley, the village women suddenly experience problems with their cats and dogs, and Agatha Raisin is right there in line too. The vet does invite Agatha to dinner, but stands her up, and then goes on sending mixed signals, all the while talking about the big animal center he's going to build when he gets enough investors. But before Agatha can figure out where they stand, the vet is killed in an accident at the stables. Or was it murder?
The fun follow-up sees Agatha determined to ignore James Lacey, her skittish neighbor. 4

Hey, my story "Leftovers in the Apocalypse", >61 mstrust:, was chosen as one of the Top in Fiction on Substack this week! Fantastic to wake up to that.

Congratulations, Jennifer - you deserve it!

Congratulations!!!

>79 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, and thanks for being one of my loyal readers!
>80 hredwards: Thank you, Harold!

>78 mstrust: Congratulations, Jennifer. x

Thank you, Paul!

9. Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Anna is apprehensive about meeting up with her family in Tuscany for a family vacation because she has a reputation for being the family screw-up, the one who brings the drama. She does her best to remain calm as the rest of the family falls into chaos in the centuries old villa they've rented way out from the village, the name of which makes the villagers go silent.
As old wounds are reopened and new battles begin among the family, Anna is the first to admit that this beautiful old villa is haunted, but with a family that lives in denial, she feels like she's on her own. 4.5

>84 mstrust: Wow, that’s a great cover!

And highly recommended if you'd like a good Tuscan scare! It's my highest rated read so far.

At Autumn Lives Here, I have book reviews and oh, the Horrors of Alaska! Our biggest state really takes a beating this week. Stop by, it's a lot of fun.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

So, Mike and I were able to go see my family in Vegas this past week and we had Christmas. It was delayed a month because of Mike's operation, but he had it. My sister came and my mom and nephew was there, and so was Sophie the bulldog. The tree had been put away. We had a good time, hit Frankie's for cocktails and to pick up the anniversary mug, which was a really good one.

Pic from Instagram

I've been buying books, and Mike got one in his stocking, which I'll end up reading because he only reads for his business.
Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder
Voracious-Belicia Rhea
My Dark Places
Mrs. March
The Only Good Indians
Creepers: The Gravedigger
Creepers: Ghost Writer
Creepers: The Scarecrow
True Facts That Sound Like Bullsh*t- Mike's

10. Floriography by Jessica Roux
Taking it flower by flower, it's surprising how much could be said by what stem or bouquet was presented. Whole conversations, apparently. Giving lavender alone meant you distrusted the person, while lavender and datura meant I see through your false facade. Magnolia and belladonna meant you wanted a friend to keep your secret, while giving tansy to someone let them know they made you sick. It's clear you had to be very careful back then, as a pretty flower wasn't just a pretty flower. 3

Something interesting...

One of the most popular ice cream flavors in Iceland is rye bread.

>90 mstrust: Iceland looks beautiful, but what I've heard about its cuisine does not exactly inspire me to visit!

>89 mstrust: It might be interesting to analyze a typical grocery store bouquet and see what kinds of mixed messages those give off!

>91 foggidawn: I like fish, but I'll pass on the fermented stuff.
>92 foggidawn: I'll bet it adds up to a bunch of swears :-D

11. Agatha Raisin and The Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton
Needing to put some distance between her and her unrequited crush, neighbor James Lacey, Agatha has been away from Carsley on an extended holiday, where she was alone and miserable. Her return to the village finds that there's a new resident, an attractive single woman who does everything well, including gardening, which Agatha hasn't been able to manage even though she's in the village garden club. Even worse, this new woman has charmed James in a way that Agatha never could. It turns out that Agatha's worry is for nothing, as the new resident becomes the latest murder victim.
The third in the series and another fun mystery with cranky Agatha.4

This week at Autumn Lives Here, we're looking at the very worst of Arizona. Bring some aloe for this burn.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

12. 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann
Exactly that, 101 horror books that the author recommends, along with some author profiles, and recommendations from them. You're bound to find recs that you've never heard of here. 4

>71 mstrust: On my recent trip to Longview, Kerry, Catey, and I went to the Tyler Rose Museum. unfortunately most of the flowers were not in bloom, but we picked up a catalogue selling all kinds of roses. I had no idea that roses grew on trees! There are some very beautiful varieties - including the Peace Rose.

>78 mstrust: Fantastic news! Congratulations!

>88 mstrust: Nice haul for you! I figure belated Christmas is better than no Christmas, right?

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Jennifer!

>94 mstrust: I like this series too, Jennifer.
Thank you for the reminder!

>97 alcottacre: I've been to many rose gardens but I've never heard of a museum! Where is Longview?
I've been looking at the roses on our frequent trips to the nurseries, but I'm taking my time because I have to research which varieties do well in such a dry climate. I did get two creosote bushes on Sunday, which I was transplanting into pots this morning. But I want at least one more rose, something like a Frida Kahlo or a Golden Celebrations.
Thanks, and I agree, a belated Christmas is better than none!
Thanks for coming by, and have a great weekend!

Frida Kahlo

>98 SirThomas: Happy to remind you! And isn't that cover (>94 mstrust:) wonderfully gruesome?

I made yeasted bread yesterday for this first time in a very long time. I tried a new recipe too, one that called for a cup of cottage cheese and fresh herbs, so I used rosemary and basil from my garden. It turned out really well, fluffy but with some texture, though it looked like it had chicken pox because all the lumps of cottage cheese toasted to a deep red in the oven.

13. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Takako is completely blindsided when her boyfriend tells her that he's marrying another woman in the office. The way he casually breaks her heart, while saying that it won't effect their relationship, sends her quietly spiraling to the point that she quits her job. She then hears from her Uncle Saturo, the strange one who owns a bookshop in a book-ish section of the city, and he invites her to come work in the shop.
Depressed but out of ideas for herself, Takako goes to live and work in the old bookshop. Over the months, she discovers an uncle she never really knew. He was left by a wife he loved, but he's made a life among the books, and with his regular customers and fellow shop owners. With his help, Takako learns to take charge of her life, and to enjoy reading. 3.5

https://www.azfamily.com/2025/02/14/everything-you-need-know-about-68th-annual-v...
Something interesting- the huge yearly book sale is just over a week away, so I'm weeding my shelves today to make room for new stuff. At least, I'm trying to make room. It will take some ruthlessness.
Mike is going to see if an Airedale puppy we spotted online is still available. We're also supposedly going to finally plant the lemon tree in the backyard. I've been nursing this little tree along in a container for about nine months. It's blooming, but it's definitely outgrown the pot.

>99 mstrust: I love it - the German covers are boring.

>101 mstrust: Good luck with the weeding, planting and the dog search, Jennifer.
Unfortunately the picture is not displayed.

Thanks, Thomas. Unfortunately, Mike had another doctor's appointment at the time the shelter opened, so the dog we hoped for was snatched up before he was done. But we did get the lemon tree in the ground last night. Now I just need a few more bags of citrus soil. And because it's impossible to get strawberry seeds at the nursery this time of year, I've just ordered some heirloom seeds, along with some Polish chamomile.
I'm switching the picture for a video from last year and hopefully that works for everybody.

Wow, so many cool pics and information!
Congrats on your book being selected!
The right pup is out there and it will be at just the right time!
I wonder if I could grow a lemon tree in Cleveland....Maybe indoors. Hmmm

>100 mstrust: I'll have to see if our library has that one.

>104 Carmenere: I'm happy to pass along some stuff that I think is interesting, because my visitors might also think they are. Like you!
Thank you, my short story was selected (third time I've had the honor) and I was very happy. Hopefully I can rack up more "wins" as I post a short story about every couple of weeks.
Yes, you can grow a dwarf fruit tree indoors! As long as it gets at least eight hours of sun or hydroponic lights, you can grow citrus, tomato, fig, maybe even stone fruits. My biggest enemy right now are the sparrows. I have the tree wrapped in netting because the damn birds will rip branches off to get the leaves or buds.

>105 thornton37814: I read it on my Kindle, and I think that's why so many LTers have read this book lately. But I know, not everyone wants a Kindle.

Went to the nursery for the second time this week for three more bags of soil. I've gotten yellow cherry tomatoes, kale, two kinds of lettuce and a Scarlet Nantes carrot today.
And Mike has bought us tickets to the upcoming Redd Kross show for my Valentine's present. They're an L.A. band that I've followed for years. Think of a Beatles/Ramones combination.

14. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
When June Hayward's debut novel was released, it was barely noticed in the publishing world. In contrast, her college friend Athena Liu's first manuscript sparked a bidding war, and her success only grew from there. Athena became a literary darling, a representative of young Asian writers. To June, she was Athena's loser friend, someone to have around to rub her face in it.
And then Athena dies one night that she and June are hanging out in Athena's apartment, and the rough draft of Athena's next best-seller is just sitting there, destined to go unfinished unless June takes it. Using the copious amount of research Athena had done, June finishes the novel and presents it as her own. The publishers put their full force behind it.
June is repackaged as an expert on Chinese WWI history, even taking a more Asian sounding name. She steps into the fame and wealth that Athena had, but there are people who suspect what June has done, no matter how many times she denies it.

June takes the reader through the process of big budget publishing, the marketing angles and the amount of work expected from an author after the book comes out. It's a tense page-turner that has the reader divided. Normally, you're supposed to root for the MC even if it's an unreliable narrator, right? But June is a thief, a liar, a manipulator, a fraud, and while you want her to get caught, the reader also wants to see how much more she can get away with. 4.5

>107 mstrust: And another BB, thank you for this one - I loved her Babel.
Have a wonderful day, Jennifer.

This was the first I've read from this author, but I'll look for more. She's really good!

This week at Autumn Lives Here, I have a short story about starting over, called "Middle-Aged Romance". It's February, love and smoke are in the air!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

>99 mstrust: A rose museum? that would be interesting to visit. I quite enjoy roses. I was at a museum in Vienna and they had an art exhibition all full of oil paintings from well known artists to recent up and coming. They had a wonderful book with excellent high quality pictures of roses that my aunt wanted to buy for me but I declined due to the weight restrictions for my suitcase. Now I wish I had it. Always cheery to look at in the winter months.

>101 mstrust: Hope you find a lot of great books!

>107 mstrust: I forgot about this one. I will have to request it at the library. Excellent review

Happy rest of the week!

I'd go to a rose museum!
The thing about roses is that until very recently, I didn't know that some varieties can stand up to the heat in Phoenix. You see some roses here and there in Phoenix, but I always thought those must be people who work super hard at keeping them alive.
Thanks, I really look forward to the sale, and I need to weed more to make room. It's nearly a dire situation ;-D
And thanks again! Glad I could remind you.
Have a great week!

I did have some of my own flowers bloom today. The tiny King Henry violas that hide under the kale leaves, and the Orchid Flame nasturtiums. I've grown a couple of nasturtium varieties over the last few years, but this is the first time for this variety and I think they're beautiful. Let me hunt up a pic.

15. Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton
In the fourth of the series, we meet a local rambling group whose leader is a woman who enjoys confrontations. She regularly insists on leading the group on pathways that are technically public, though they go through private property, thereby giving her an excuse to fight with the landowner. So it isn't a surprise that the woman is found buried in a field, this one owned by Sir Charles Fraith. Agatha and James Lacey are drawn into the investigation, with their hot and cold relationship becoming serious.
This one has way more hook-ups than you'd expect. 4

We went to the big book sale this morning! Here's my haul:
Mystery, Crime, Horror
I was so happy to find a bunch of pristine hardcover Alfred Hitchcock anthologies. Stories for Late at Night, The Master's Choice, A Month of Mystery, Tales To Make Your Teeth Chatter, Tales to Send Chills Down Your Spine.
Wodehouse on Crime
Camp Scare
Cold Storage, Alaska
Town in a Pumpkin Bash
Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death
Death of an Honest Man
Something Borrowed, Someone Dead
I, The Jury
Hieroglyphic Tales
The Egyptologist
Destination: Morgue!
The Ability To Kill
The Final Solution
Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam
The Deadly Dance
A Spoonful of Poison
The Blood of an Englishman

Fiction
Merton of the Movies
Jeeves and the King of Clubs
The Lemon Table
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
The Fiction Class
Home from The Vinyl Cafe
The Wasp Factory
The Inn at Lake Devine
Generation X
Odd and the Frost Giants
The Printed Letter Bookshop
The Chauffeur
The Toughest Indian in the World
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
Our Country Friends
The Nest

Non-Fiction, Food, Travel, Humor
People with Dirty Hands
How To Be A Canadian
Buddy Babylon
A World of Nut Recipes- for Mom
From Napa With Love
Extreme Gardening
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
Red, White, and Drunk All Over
The Bank Holiday Murders
The Last Sunday Drive
Very Charleston
London's Strangest Tales
The Garden of the Gods
Frogspawn and Floor Polish
Oddball Ohio
The Haunted Pub Guide

Okay, so 54 books for $97. They've jacked the prices up again, but I'm pleased with my haul.

YAY! - Congratulations, Jennifer.

Thanks! 📚📚📚

This week, we're digging into culinary horror books, and the very cold missing persons case of Arkansas attorney Maud Crawford.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

Nice book haul!

Books sale day is one of the happiest of the year!

16. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton
Agatha has finally gotten skittish James Lacey to the altar, but before they can say their vows, Agatha's first husband appears to say that they are still married. And so, James gets away.
Agatha had assumed that her alcoholic husband was dead as she hadn't seen him in 30 years, but soon after ruining her wedding day, someone helps by murdering him. Was it furious Agatha, cold-hearted James, or one of the many horrible people Raisin had been involved with? There are actually plenty of deaths in this one. 4

Just things that are happening:
1. We had a big-ish storm in the night that managed to twist and break two of my Costoluto Genovese tomato plants. The ones that were three feet tall and covered in blooms. I've done my best to support them in place. Amazingly, all other plants are okay.
2. I had my first visit to a podiatrist this morning. I have a damaged nerve in my right foot that might heal with better arch support. Apparently my vast array of Sketchers don't have that.
3. We got a new dog last week! We found Ginger at the county shelter. She's a Boxer/Hound mix, about three years old and very tall. She's also sweet as can be, aside from deciding to suddenly sprint down the street when I was walking her. I was dragged on the asphalt in front of the neighbors.

>122 mstrust: Congrats on the new dog! Hopefully she will learn leash manners soon.

Thanks! Yes, we really need to do some leash training. Mike has been walking her in the mornings, but he pretty much carried her through the front door this morning after a few minutes because she was pulling him down the street. It's just excitement.

Something interesting...

I have yet to see anyone on LT talking about Bookish, the Mark Gatiss mystery series. It's set in London, just after WWII has ended, with Gatiss playing a second-hand bookshop owner who also works with the police to solve crimes.

And I'm hosting March's ScaredyKit, where we will try to survive a month of haunted house stories. You're invited!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/378737#n9122459

>125 mstrust: I’m an avid fan of Bookish, which recently ended its six-episode season. I just love the sense of atmosphere and humor mixed with sadness. And lots of books. There will be a second season (yay!)

Karen O

Thanks, good to know it'll be back!

>99 mstrust: Longview is in east Texas. The museum is in Tyler, which is a neighboring city to Longview. The museum is more about the Rose queen that is an annual happening in Tyler; however, there are gardens around the museum that have the roses and other flowers in them.

>100 mstrust: Dodging that BB as I have already read it.

>107 mstrust: That one too.

>112 mstrust: That flower is gorgeous!

>114 mstrust: >115 mstrust: Nice! What a haul!!

>125 mstrust: I am terrible about watching series, but I admit that Bookish has piqued my interest.

Have a wonderful weekend, Jennifer!

Thanks for the information! My mom grew up all around central Texas, and I have family around Euless. I haven't been back in ten years, when my nephew was at the base in San Antonio.
Too bad I couldn't get you with a BB...my day will come!
You have a great weekend!

17. Sugar by Mia Ballard
We meet Satara as she realizes that her husband and best friend are having an affair. She murders her husband and buries him in the backyard, then quickly sets her sights on a man at work, unbothered by the fact that he has a happy family and doesn't want to be around her.
Bouncing back and forth between the past and present day, Satara takes the reader through the circumstances of each man she had killed, because she is a female serial killer, though she doesn't see herself that way. To her way of thinking, she's just someone who won't allow a man to demean her by rejecting her.

It's a wild story and I would have scored it higher if it didn't have so many flaws. For one thing, the last two chapters are ridiculous. For another, there are too many editorial mistakes. Missing commas, a character being called by another character's name, and the anachronisms of voicemail, video stores and bottled water were around in the 60s. 3.5

>125 mstrust: Oh we loved the first season of Bookish, and I can't wait for the next season.

>131 ffortsa: Good to know, Judy! I will have to see if I can watch it.

I hop they'll do a little more promotion for season two. I'd never heard of it, just saw a show called Bookish listed, so I recorded it.

>133 mstrust: I saw prompts for Bookish on my Fire TV, which is the only reason I had heard of it at all.

This week, we go back to Fallville for "Bloody Good Coffee".
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

>134 alcottacre: I just put Season 1 on hold at my Library.
Looking forward to seeing it.

18. Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist by M.C. Beaton
With their wedding disrupted and the honeymoon called off, James flees to Cyprus. Agatha makes the bad decision to follow him in the hopes that he'll take her back. Instead, she runs into her Cotswold neighbor Sir Charles and gets roped into spending too much time with a group of obnoxious Brits, and soon, the most obnoxious woman is murdered. 4

Interesting or not, that's your call-

Mike came home with big bags of lemons from his friend. After taking some to the neighbors, I've made lemon bars, loaves of honey lemon bread, and today I'm making a lemon pie. Other plans include trying some lemon and basil in my cheese cracker recipe.
And I'm leaning towards entering a cake and maybe cookies in the county fair in April. I've always done the state fair and have never been to the county one.

>135 mstrust: Read your fun story “Bloody Good Coffee” today. Glad I drink tea and cocoa. But I do think if I moved there, these townsfolk might fittingly call me “moth person”, since I do raise caterpillars into adults—but they’d better do so respectfully or I would sic my trained death’s head sphinx and vampire moths on them. And yes—vampire moths are a thing. They don’t look particularly dangerous, but they can and do pierce animal and human skin to drink blood. Do you think I’d fit in with this town? :D

Thanks for reading, Cassie, and I'm happy you had a good time! I have to agree that you'd fit in. Hell, you might have a successful moth business there. I think the people of Fallville would appreciate them.

Hi there! So far behind here, oh well. Congrats on being noticed for your short story!! You've hooked me on the Agatha Raisin series. ; ) And I love roses -- have six of them in front of my house!! Portland also has a beautiful rose garden with so many varieties -- I check it out every spring.

OMG--There are so many books in the Raisin series!! What have you done to me? LOL

Ha! I know, I can't believe how many there are, and I'm reading as fast as I can. You might have noticed that I picked up a stack of A.R. hardcovers at the book sale, but these are further down the line. She's just fun.
Thank you, I've had three different stories chosen in the Top in Fiction over the months. It's nice to be recognized.
My one Peace rose is doing very well! I actually didn't think I could grow one, but it's super healthy and may need a second transplant to a bigger container soon.
I've been to Stanley Park in Vancouver and loved the rose garden. I'm sure Portland's is gorgeous, the weather is so good for roses. I'm looking for a second rose, something that is very heat-tolerant.

And here's another-

19. Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death by M. C. Beaton
Determined to keep her mind off James Lacey, Agatha takes a short-term P.R. job for a new bottled water company. That the water is coming from an ancient spring sourced nearby makes it an easy gig for her, as does the fact that one of the owners is showing an interest in her. But things don't go smoothly for Agatha Raisin, ever, and she soon discovers a member of the village council floating in the spring. 4

Something interesting-

We see all the footage of the snowstorms back East. But in Arizona, we're dealing with a HOT winter. Temps are in the 90s. It's supposed to be about 60F. I'm mad.

>136 hredwards: It is cool that your library has it, Harold! I should really check mine. . .Nope, no such luck here.

>138 mstrust: I love lemon cookies, cakes, you name it. My husband does not, which tells you about how often I get to indulge, which is probably just as well, lol.

>144 mstrust: I know. My daughter Beth lives out in Phoenix and she keeps us apprised of the weather there. She is not amused either.

I hope you have a marvelous Monday, Jennifer!

She is not amused either.
Ha! I've told Mike many times, when it's ridiculously hot, that I'd like to hold somebody responsible. Get me the manager.
You have a good Monday, Stasia! Filled with games and books!

Ginger went to her first appointment with our vet this morning. Kennel cough is gone. She got a trachea as a reward for surviving the visit.
And Mike is having lunch today with a friend who is back from a tour in the Middle East, including Kuwait and Iraq. His tour ended just a few days before all this went down, thankfully.
And I had been thinking about getting a dwarf peach tree for the backward, but I impulsively bought a blackberry cane yesterday. I'll be planted that in a day or two, along with companion strawberry seeds and red clover seeds. The lemon tree I planted in the ground about a month ago is doing well, covered in blossoms and buds. The hummingbirds have found it.

>146 mstrust: Good luck with the blackberry cane! My mom has blackberries and they've done very well for her. I'm hoping to get some shoots from hers to add to my garden. I want to establish a berry patch, but will need a strategy for protecting it from the chickens.

Thanks! I have a very large container to put it in, even though it's really just a wisp now, but I hope it spreads.
I don't have a chicken problem, I have a pigeon, grackle and sparrow problem, with the sparrows being the worst. For a long time, I put seed in the sumac tree at the other end of the yard as a bribe to keep them from plucking the lemon buds off and tearing at the lettuce. It worked pretty well, but Ginger's arrival has nearly cleared them out.

This week, Autumn Lives Here is diving into the very worst that California has to offer. Join us!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

I've read two Agatha Raisins already...soon to be more I am sure! My daughter was in AZ this past weekend for Baseball Spring Training and a concert. She said it was definitely on the toasty side, but she loved it. We sent her with a little battery operated fan to blow in her face --she love it!!

I know, I'm hooked too. Agatha has personality.
:-D When you have to live through the summers here, the cool winters become very important, so we're feeling cheated.
And thanks for subscribing to Autumn Lives Here, I love having my LT friends over there!

>151 mstrust: I feel cheated most years. While we’re far enough north that we aren’t yet getting “hot” during the winter, we are getting more and more stupidly warm weather—which, ecologically, is not good for our area. Our plants need a winter rest, not yo-yo temp swing extremes. And now I’m wondering if we’re going to see a new dreaded weather event added to the common winter ones we already face. Add Tornado to Wind Chill, Winter Storm, Blizzard, Lake Effect Snow, and Polar Vortex warnings. Not fair. I want a few months free of twisters, but that window of whirly-wind free months is shrinking.

Yes, your area does have a lot of excitement. Our weather is going up and down, very erratic. This is the only hot winter I've experienced and I dread to think what it will be like come summer.

20. Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham by M. C. Beaton
Agatha's friend sends her to the best hairstylist in the area, a man called Mr. John, who is not only great at his job, but begins pursuing Agatha romantically. He's such a good listener and so handsome that Agatha can't believe he's interested in her, and her instincts are right. Mr. John has left a string of middle-aged broken hearts, so when he dies a painful death, there are lots of women, and husbands, who become suspects. Agatha is on the list and she really pays a price for snooping. 4

Today would have been Catherine O' Hara's 72nd birthday.

21. We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough
Emily and Freddie are a couple with serious relationship issues who leave London for a fresh start on the moors. Emily is just getting her mobility back due to an accident, so she's the one who is home and experiencing all the weirdness as the house does its best to freak her out, and succeeds.
This is a fresh take on what a ghost is, and it's my first 5 star of the year. 5

>125 mstrust: I watched the first episode it was interesting I will have to watch a bit more to figure it out if I like it or not 😀 I did like the name of the bookstore - slightly foxed

I wonder if we're talking about the same show, as the bookstore in Bookish is called Book's Books.

Autumn Lives Here is looking into feral children and toxic plants this week!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

>159 mstrust: Just read your latest. I’m not a parent, so I’m not worried about kids so much, but toxic plants? As both a gardener and a person fascinated with the history and biology of natural poisons—there’s a subject I can get into! Thanks for sharing that list—everyone check it out! And I haven’t even touched some additional poisonous plants for those interested:

The famous poison hemlock, which is an invasive non-native currently trying to take over Indiana, grows wild along roadsides and its only saving grace is that black swallowtail caterpillars can eat it (hemlock being a member of the carrot family). I see it more often than I care to. If seizures, muscle paralysis and muscle death, kidney and respiratory failure, and central nervous system issues aren’t enough to keep you from thinking twice about whether that plant growing wild is wild carrot or hemlock—consider this: you can start experiencing issues within 15 minutes and there’s no antidote or treatment. You can die. It’s not even recommended that you handle it because there are rare cases of the toxins entering the bloodstream through a cut.

Fascinating to me are the poisonous plants we do WILLINGLY eat or use, like the multiple members of the nightshade family. Tomatoes and eggplants are the least toxic but unripe tomatoes have solanine (nightshades are the Solanaceae family)—but you’d have to eat a lot to suffer—or just eat a few of the leaves and stems, since that’s where the highest toxin concentrations are. Potatoes have solanine, too, concentrated in the eyes, sprouts, and green areas. Cooking doesn’t break down solanine, so limit how many green potato chips you eat. Mild solanine poisoning means you’ll spend a bit of time in your bathroom as you experience voiding from both ends, but severe cases can mean hallucinations and paralysis.

And then there’s cashews—you will (hopefully) never eat a truly raw cashew (they are roasted before being sold) and you shouldn’t be able to find them anywhere “in shell”—because that’s where you find the most anacardic acid—a chemical compound related to urushiol, the toxin that puts the poison in poison ivy. Imagine eating that. And rhubarb leaves are high in oxalic acid—eat enough and you’re in kidney failure. And I haven’t even touched on kidney beans, cyanide found in seeds and pits of apple, cherry, and apricot, asparagus berries’ saponins…so many poisonous plants, so little time…. 😂

I'm glad you enjoyed the article, and thanks for the info!

22. Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden by M. C. Beaton
Her hair ruined by an angry stylist, Agatha flees to a seaside town during off-season so that James won't see her. She books into an old hotel that has a handful of elderly permanent residents who welcome Agatha to their dull routines. One of them recommends a local witch to help with Agatha's hair problem, but wouldn't you know, the witch is murdered soon after Agatha visits. And then, the witch's daughter, who is also a witch, dies too. The silver lining is that the Inspector keeps Agatha's mind off James. 4

Something interesting...one of the more unusual cookie recipes that I've come across is Spruce Tip Cookies.
https://www.punchfork.com/recipe/Spruce-Tip-Shortbread-Cookies-Little-House-Big-...
Has anyone ever baked with spruce? I've seen spruce soda listed, but I've never eaten spruce at all.

>163 mstrust: I haven't heard of that, but I suppose it's similar to cooking with rosemary, maybe?

That could be similar and would have a close texture, but it's the piney flavor that throws me. I don't know how strong the smell of spruce is, but I'm thinking Pine-Sol.
I was in a restaurant a few months ago that served rosemary and hazelnut chocolate cookies and they were delicious. I never would have put rosemary in a cookie.

>165 mstrust: I have heard of putting rosemary in shortbread, but I would not have thought to pair it with chocolate! I agree, a strong piney taste does not seem like it would be appealing.

>163 mstrust: I’ve read that some spruce tips taste citrusy, so if that’s true, I can see it working in cookies.

Sure, pretty much anything other than "pine tree cookies" would be good. 😄

23. Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam by M. C. Beaton
Once again, Agatha flees her home in Carsely to avoid seeing James, the neighbor who is Agatha's addiction. She takes a cottage in the village of Fryfam, where she stirs up trouble among the local women's club. She is also asked to tea at the local manor, owned by snobbish new money who like to show off their expensive possessions and generally make themselves an easy target. Sir Charles drops by to impose on Agatha's loneliness and to help her investigate. 4

Catching up on threads...

>67 mstrust: >69 mstrust: I have watched and enjoyed the series but not read the book. I have heard that the series was not faithful to Agatha.

>70 mstrust: The book about roses has been added to my TBR and to my father's day gift pile for dad. He has raised roses all his adult life, even has a few still at the retirement community. We had a peace rose for awhile but it was too hard to keep it alive in our hot, humid climate without a lot of spraying.

>78 mstrust: Congratulations to your recognition.

>89 mstrust: I discovered Jessica Roux some time ago and have her tarot deck along with Floriography and Ornithography. Her style blends nature with a sense of magical realism that appeals to me.

>107 mstrust: I loved Yellowface but was also conflicted about the narrator. I have read several books recently where I enjoyed the books but didn't particularly like any of the characters.

>122 mstrust: Yay to Ginger! Sorry about the dragging, though. I suspect it was high spirits.

>125 mstrust: I enjoyed Bookish a lot. There is a new one on PBS called The Puzzle Lady that I also enjoyed. It had a similar vibe but was contemporary.

>70 mstrust: this one reminds me of Orchid Fever which I read years ago- I found it fascinating the lengths that some people go to for a great flower!

>149 mstrust: *intrigued*
(rushed over to see)

>170 witchyrichy: Good to see you, Karen!
-Yes, the tv series Agatha is much more glamorous and confident, and she doesn't have the pottymouth that book Agatha has, which I find delightful ;-D To be fair, the tv James isn't the erratic mess that the book James is, who is often really unlikeable.
-Otherwise Normal People sounds perfect for your dad. He might recognize himself in these growers!
-Thanks! And I have a new short story going up tomorrow.
-Yellowface was so good that I spent much of the time switching between "I hope she's discovered" to "look how well she's doing by being a cheat."
- Yes, Ginger is an enthusiastic dog. My left hand is still healing, but she hasn't done that again and I suspect she understands now that she can knock me over.
-I haven't seen The Puzzle Lady listed in my area but I'll watch for it. I watched the latest season of School Spirits and love that, and Mike and I are going through The Beauty and Dark Winds together.

>171 LovingLit: I still haven't read Orchid Fever though it's been on my shelf for years. I read The $64 Tomato last year, which is a very funny memoir of spending years and thousands of dollars to build a home garden.
I hope you found my California post nice and sinister!

At Autumn Lives Here, I've got a story called "Quality Control". Drop by and see where my standards are.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

24. This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Thiago and Vera are experiencing strange things in their new condo, almost all of it being initiated by their Itza, an Alexa-type device that speaks when no one is talking to it.
Then, Vera is killed in a gang initiation. Making things worse, her death becomes a political point, with reporters and strangers constantly trying to contact Thiago, to turn his grief into their gain. He flees to rural Colorado, but whatever was in the condo has come with him, and in a luxury cabin in the woods, it becomes more powerful.

I read this for March's ScaredyKit Haunted House month. This isn't a straightforward haunted house story though, as it mixes in technology, folk horror, demonology and witchcraft, social media, and grieving. 5

>156 mstrust: And another BB, unfortunately, this book isn't available at my local library, but I found three others from the author that are going to the top of my TBR pile—it's getting higher and higher...
All the best to you, Jennifer!

Oh, I thought this was just his second book, so good for you for finding so much by Moreno. Odd that his most popular wouldn't be available, though.
:-D I do understand about a teetering TBR pile, though mine are shorter stacks that cover the shelves in two rooms.
Thank you, Thomas. It's always a good day when you stop by!

Something interesting (at least, to me)...
I've finally succeeded in growing the Rezha Macedonian pepper and I'm getting fruit! Yes, I feel like I've accomplished something. The peppers are really good too, smoky yet with some heat. Not too spicy though. I've diced one up and put it on nachos, and I'm drying one to pulverize it into a smoked paprika-like spice. I think this will become a regular in my garden. It is also known as "the embroidered pepper" because of the fine lines.


internet pic because I'm a terrible photographer.

25. The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn
Five people meet up to snowboard one last time before the family cabin is sold. Twins Jane and Ryan grew up coming to the cabin with their parents, and this is their good-bye, both to the house, and to Ryan, who is moving to Switzerland. Jane's best friend has come, and Sawyer, Ryan and Jane's friend, who is also Jane's ex. Sawyer has brought his anti-social fiancé too.
What should have been a fun weekend turns into a nightmare as the group discovers that starving creatures are in the woods surrounding the cabin.

It's an early one in the author's career. For me, the romantic entanglements became too much of the story, and it features a horror trope that is like nails on a chalkboard for me, The Woman Who Cries. By that, I mean a female character who bursts into tears every other paragraph. But this does fit the bill for creepy creatures and a snowbound setting. 3

>178 mstrust: Reading your description of who and how the characters relate to each other, and all I could think was, “Who decided THIS was a good idea?”

Pity about the heavy romance and the crier. I remember trying to read a horror where the man was a grade A jerk and the woman was—you guessed it—a crier. I didn’t end up finishing because by the end of the third chapter, I was rooting for the monster to eat them all. To this day, I still like to think it did. :D

Yeah, it's annoying. This book was published in 2013, and I like to think that The Woman Who Cries doesn't show up so much these days.

Come over and see all the horrible things that have happened in Colorado! Plus, workplace horrors!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

26. Sixpence House by Paul Collins
A young American family move from San Francisco to the Welsh book town of Hay-on-Wye and attempt to become locals. With that goal, non-fiction author Collins, who was awaiting the publication of his first book, took a job sorting books for bookshop owner and "King of Hay" Richard Booth, getting to know some of the locals involved in the local book selling trade while he and his wife attempted to find a house. One that wasn't falling apart from age.
This is more than your typical fish-out-of-water story, as Collins digs through literal piles of books, dipping into whatever catches his eye. The reader is treated to 19th Century authors that you'd never come across yourself, and Collins combines both a dry sense of humor and sympathy as he regards the crowning achievement of many forgotten writers.

This is my third read, though the last time must be at least a dozen years ago. I'm glad to find that this story of books and book town people still takes me there. 5

Fake nutmeg and possessed children, Connecticut has it all!
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

27. Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James
Twelve true tales of people who died by the axe. Actually, some of them are pretty iffy about whether or not an axe was the instrument of death, but an axe was in the mix. Or a sharpened rock.
There's an opening with each chapter that introduces the type of axe used in the ensuing events, and it's a surprise that there are so many varieties. Who knew?

James is a thorough researcher, so there are several cases that I'd never heard of, along with ones you'd expect, such as Lizzie Borden and Candy Montgomery. The Axe Man of New Orleans and the Villisca murders are missing. They should have been here.
I'd recommend this book for the research. James isn't a natural writer and too many sentences have to be picked apart because of the clunking structure. She inserts her opinion too often, attempts at humor are flat, and she goes deep into the backgrounds of those involved, giving the reader a lot of information that isn't relevant. But that's how thorough her research skills are, so for that, I'm giving an extra half a star. 3

Something interesting...

internet pic
I'm just days away from my Sugar Rush Peach peppers being ripe! Read that name again and tell me you could pass it up. They are supposed to have a sweet citrusy/apricot flavor with a heat level on par with jalapenos. I bought the seeds from Baker Creek (all heirloom seeds) and the plant grew quickly and is now about two feet tall and covered in peppers.

>185 mstrust: Ooh. That really sounds tempting. Maybe I'll get lucky and find them in Whole Foods?

I would be surprised to see this variety in a store, it's a bit off the beaten pepper path, but maybe a farmers market?

28. Very Charleston: A Celebration of History, Culture, and Lowcountry Charm by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler
The author illustrates nearly every topic in the book, creating a lovely sketchbook that covers the native plants, foods, Fort Sumter and the islands, famous people, churches, and events in Charleston history. She includes the architecture of the city, the celebrated church fashions, and aspects of the slave trade. 4

29. The Secret House of Death by Ruth Rendell
When the woman next door is killed in a murder-suicide with her lover, Susan finds herself playing therapist to the woman's grieving husband. He sees Susan as a kindred soul since her own husband left her for another woman. Not knowing how to stop him from coming over to talk, Susan becomes friends with the man.
David is the co-worker of the man who committed the murder-suicide, and though they weren't close, David believes the man was incapable of such violence.

My first Rendell, and it was what I would call densely written, meaning that you got lots of background and characters in a book of less than 200 pages. It had weight. The killer was pretty obvious, but still an interesting mystery set in the late 60s. 3

>182 mstrust: I loved this book! It helped that I had spent a day in Hay on Wye, wandering from bookstore to bookstore. I may just have to reread it myself.

I'd been trying to squeeze a reread of this in for a few months and I'm glad I did. It remains as fun and calming as it was all those years ago.
And how lucky that you got to go to Hay! We were planning a trip there in 2009, but a few months before we were going, the economic crisis caught me and my job was eliminated.

This week at Autumn Lives Here, it's a short story about adopting a healthier lifestyle. I'm sure it's fine.
https://jennifermorrow.substack.com/

30. Creepers: The Gravedigger by Edgar J. Hyde
The Price family, which includes a father, two living children, and the ghosts of a decapitated man, a vampire, a werewolf and a mummy, move into a home in the center of a graveyard. They have an instant enemy in the groundskeeper, who wanted to buy the house himself and sets out to scare the Prices away. 3

31. There's A Bear in the House! by Walter Kirn
Looking at the cover, I thought this would be a humorous essay. I've read a couple of Kirn's novels and his true crime book, but I didn't know he wrote humor. It turned out that the cover image is totally wrong for this deeply personal essay, but that's my only quibble.
This is about the last months of Kirn's father. Suffering from ALS and 80 years old, Kirn senior wanted to die in the Montana cabin he'd built himself, among the pines and wildlife that he loved.
Written during Covid, which closed the circle of the number of people who could help, Kirn was his father's main caregiver. He tells of a complicated relationship with his father, and the grief of losing him. 5

32. Oddball Ohio: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places by Jerome Pohlen
Pointing out lots of unique, weird or just unusual stops in the state. Some are the little museums with their displays of taxidermy animals playing pool or getting married (it's surprising how many of the entries involve taxidermy. I don't know if that says something about Ohio or the author). Some entries are about the famous people who were born in Ohio, or where the banana split was invented (Gibson's Goodies in Wilmington) or the site of the world's largest cuckoo clock (Alpine Alpa Cheese House in Wilmot).

This is a book for everything you won't find in Fodor's. One of the oddest things is that this was published in 2004, but it seems more recent, because the author sprinkles in his disdain for Republicans and then President W. throughout text that has nothing to do with politics. Anyway, looks like Ohio has a lot of unusual stuff. 3.5

Checking in on you since it has been a while, Jennifer. Glad to see you have gotten some 5 star reads in recently! I am adding There's a Bear in the House to the BlackHole.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

That's a good one to add to the TBR Mountain. It may have resonated a bit more with me because so much of it echoed my own experience caring for my dad at home during his last weeks.
Thanks for stopping in, and I wish you a great weekend too!

Come see me at my new thread!

>196 mstrust: I used to live near the giant basket on the book's cover. It was the Longaberger Basket headquarters back in the day, but now sits empty and is falling into disrepair, I'm told. (I've never been inside it, though I've driven past it many times.)

I'm sorry to hear that. Yes, the Longaberger products are covered in the book. I really love the unique architecture of the past, especially 40s-60s. Unfortunately, land developers don't.

Congratulations on your new dog and your haul! This year I got 18 books and a bunch of maps.

Thanks! Ginger has quickly become so spoiled!
I don't remember how many books I found, but it was a lot. I've hardly made a dent.