5 Star Reads
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Time Travel Thursday: What Was I Reading Last Year At This Time (January 2025 Edition)
Time Travel Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog where readers take a look back at what they were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) Last year, towards the end of January 2024, I had just finished How to Solve Your Own Murder… Continue reading
book blog, Book Review, book-reviews, books, Budget Tales Book Blog, castle knoll files, fiction, five star reads, How to Seal Your Own Fate, How To Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin, Mystery, mystery series, Penguin Group Dutton, reading, Time Travel Thursday, weekly reads, What I Was Reading Last Year -
BOOK REVIEW: Steamed Secrets (Killer Coffee Mysteries Book 16) by Tonya Kappes
I’m so happy to feature a review of Steamed Secrets by Tonya Kappes – southern hospitality with a smidgen of homicide! This is book 16 in the Killer Coffee Mysteries, but don’t worry if you’re just joining in. This entry works wonderfully as a standalone read. 209 pages, Kindle Edition Publication Date: January 26, 2025… Continue reading
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Book Blogger Hop: January 24th-30th – New Year, Inspiring Books
Question:What books do you look to for inspiration at the start of the year or to motivate you to make positive changes in your life? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) Answer: I love the New Year. I’m usually asleep way before midnight on New Year’s Eve and up early on New Year’s Day.… Continue reading
A practical guide to resilient parenting, Andre Solo, becky kennedy, book blog, Book Blogger Hop, Book Review, books, connection over correction, ethan kross, good inside, how to keep house while drowning, Jenn Granneman, KC Davis, New Year, Nonfiction, reading, Sensitive The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud Fast Too Much World, the voice in our head why it matters and how to harness it -
Virtual Book Tour & Book Review with Rachel’s Random Resources: Family Ties on Beamer Street by Sheila Riley
Welcome to my stop on Rachel’s Random Resources Book Tour for Family Ties on Beamer Street by Sheila Riley– a BRAND NEW instalment in the emotional Beamer Street series, set in Liverpool 1926, against the backdrop of The General Strike January 3, 2025 by Boldwood Books About the Book: Peggy and Dar Tenant’s dream for… Continue reading
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BOOK REVIEW – Schooled in Murder (Campus Sleuth Mysteries #1) by Victoria Gilbert
YES! A new series by Victoria Gilbert! I love her Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, so I was delighted when I saw that she would have a new series, set in the same area, but with new characters! I’m excited to share a review for this five star read! To order your copy, visit these… Continue reading
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Five Star Audiobooks: October, November, December 2024
I love audiobooks and listen to so many books each month. I love being able to get in book time when I’m at the grocery store or folding laundry. Here are 11 I gave FIVE STARS in October, November, and December of 2024. Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas (Murder, She Wrote #59) by Jessica… Continue reading
A Better Tomorrow for the East End Library Girls, A Good Girls Guide to Murder, A Merry Little Murder Plot, A Scandal in Mayfair, Alan Bradley, Ally Carter, audiobooks, Bailey Ruth, book blog, Book Review, books, Carolyn G Hart, Christmas with the Queen, cozy mystery series, five star audiobooks, five star reads, Ghost at Work, Hazel Gaynor, heather webb, Holly Jackson, jenn mckinlay, Jessica Fletcher, katharine schellman, Kathleen Bailey, Kings River Life Magazine, Library Girls, Library Lovers Mystery, lily adler mysteries, Murder Among the Pyramids, Murder She Wrote A Killer Christmas, Olivia Penn Mysteries, Patricia McBride, reading, Sara Rosett, Terrie Farley Moran, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, What Time the Sextons Spade Doth Rust, Where the Light Shines Through -
December 2024 Favorite Reads
Happy New Year! I read so many wonderful books in December (27 to be exact!). Pulling out my favorite isn’t easy, but here are four I absolutely loved. For a list of everything I read this month, see below. A Merry Little Murder Plot (Library Lover’s Mystery #15) by Jenn McKinlay I love everything there… Continue reading
A Better Tomorrow for the East End Library Girls, A Merry Little Murder Plot, Benjamin Herold, book blog, Book Review, books, Christmas with the Queen, Disillusioned, Favorite Reads, Five Families and the Unraveling of Americas Subburbs, five star reads, Hazel Gaynor, heather webb, jenn mckinlay, Patricia McBride, reading -
BOOK REVIEW: Seams Like the Perfect Crime (An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 14) by Lois Winston
I’m happy to share a review of Seams Like the Perfect Crime, book 14 in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series by Lois Winston. Expected publication date is February 4, 2025, and I’m here to encourage you to preorder now! It’s important to have things to look forward to, right? Especially in the cold winter! … Continue reading
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BOOK REVIEW: Snowcaps, Skiing, & Sabotage (Camper & Criminals #39) by Tonya Kappes
I’m delighted to share a review of Snowcaps, Skiing, & Sabotage, book 39 in the Camper & Criminals cozy mystery series by Tonya Kappes. This title is available tomorrow, December 29th. SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY WITH A SMIDGEN OF HOMICIDE! Did you know: A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery Series is now in development for a television… Continue reading
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Time Travel Thursday: What Was I Reading Last Year At This Time (December 2024 Edition)
Time Travel Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog where readers take a look back at what they were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) Last year, towards the end of December 2023, I had just finished The Secret of the Lady’s Maid,… Continue reading
About Me
Welcome! I started my career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now I’m a stay at home mom. While my career might have changed, my love of reading has been a constant since I was in 4th grade, and I read over 200 books a year. I love talking about books and connecting readers of all ages with just the right book. Thanks for reading!
Recent Posts
- ⭐ Five Star Reads: Monthly Favorites (October 2026) ⭐
- ☕The Sunday Salon: November 1, 2026 🦃
- 👻Virtual Book Tour & Book Review & #Giveaway: The Ghost and the Dead Librarian (A Haunted Bookshop Detective Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
- 📚Middle Grade Spotlight: October 2026 Edition
- ☕The Sunday Salon: October 25, 2026 🎃
