Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 21
March 10, 2024
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 11 March 2024
#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.
Hey Book Blogger Friends! Happy Monday! I’ve been busy reading the last week and a half and now I’m spending a couple days relaxing, reading, and binging movies.
Recently I Read:Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait by Alison Weir
As predicted, this was my favorite of the series. I just loved Anna’s story so much.
In the Hall With the Knife by Diana Peterfreund
I once again enjoyed my reread of this one. I’ll have to finish my reread of the next two soon.
Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen by Alison Weir
I enjoyed this one and felt sorry for Katheryn (unlike her cousin Anne Boleyn). She was very much a young girl preyed upon and used by people she was supposed to trust and it ended tragically for her.
One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon
I picked this one up at a cozy mystery author event on the 3rd. Sadly Lynn was sick and unable to leave the hotel to attend but her books were available. I enjoyed this one and will continue the series in time.
Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife by Alison Weir
After an intense 6 weeks in saying goodbye to the Six Tudor Queens series, still as obsessed as ever though. Sadly Katharine Parr’s story was my least favorite. There was such a small window of her life with Henry VIII and neither the dragging earlier section of her life before marrying Henry VII nor the year and change after he died held my interest too much.
Currently Reading:No Strangers Here by Carlene O’Connor
I’m just starting this one and I’m excited. It’s another book I picked up at the Cozy Mystery book event. I did get to meet Carlene and she was so nice!
Next Read:The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger
This is my next audiobook borrow from my library’s Hoopla system. I’m really looking forward to this one.
What are you reading this week? Have you read any of these?
March 9, 2024
The Sunday Post: All Systems Go, An Unknown Illness, and Cozy Con
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.
All Systems Go, An Unknown Illness, and Cozy ConHey Book Blogger Friends! How have the past two weeks been? I didn’t post last weekend due to a mixture of fatigue, not feeling well, and a busy weekend.
On the 27th our new system at work went live. We’re still slowly getting the hang of it and I’m waiting for the day where everything just works and I stop getting a dozen emails with conflicting information. 
On March 1st I came down with what I believed to be food poisoning. I thought it had passed on Saturday then on Sunday night into Monday morning I started feeling sick again and it’s been on and off all week. I hope I feel better going into this coming week.
I was well enough last Sunday to attend Cozy Con put on by Kensington Publishing at O’so Brewing Company in Plover, Wisconsin. I got to meet 9 cozy mystery authors, got a bunch of books, and had a lot of fun.
Emmeline Duncan and me!
Meeting Colleen Cambridge!
With Christin BrecherOn the Blog February 26-March 9, 2024
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 26 February 2024
Can’t Wait Wednesday: The New Couple in 5B
Time Travel Thursday: 29 February
Book Blogger Hop: 8-14 March 2024
Stacking the Shelves: 9 March 2024
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 11 March 2024
Can’t Wait Wednesday: Granite Harbor
Time Travel Thursday: 14 March
Book Blogger Hop: On average, how long do you spend writing a review?
Stacking the Shelves: 16 March 2024
Around the Book Blogging World:Nothing this Week!
March 8, 2024
Stacking the Shelves – 9 March 2024
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.
Books Added to My Shelves This Week:Last Sunday I attended Cozy Con hosted by Kensington Books and an independent bookstore in Stevens Point, Wisconsin – Bound to Happen Books at O’so Brewing Company. In attendance were 9 cozy mystery authors (there were supposed to be 10 but Lynn Cahoon was sick and unable to attend). Needless to say, I had a big haul!
Physical: Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah
Mischief Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein
Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
No Strangers Here by Carlene O’Connor
Murder’s No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher
15 Minute of Flame by Christin Brecher
One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon
Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer
Flat White Fatality by Emmeline Duncan
Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge
Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
I had a notification on my kindle that this had recently released. I met Nicky through Twitter over a year ago and I’m looking forward to reading this one.
What books did you add to your shelves this week?
March 7, 2024
Book Blogger Hop: 8-14 March 2024
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings or a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
March 8-14, 2024 Question of the Week:Do you use a book’s synopsis for your review?
Answer:For the actual review I might throw in a word or two from the synopsis, rewording things as I summarize the story. In the post itself, the way I lay out my reviews on my blog is I share the cover, then the synopsis, then my review, and finally my rating.
Do you use the synopsis of a book in your review?
Time Travel Thursday: March 7
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…) and compare it to what you are reading now.
7 March 2023
Fallen is I believe the 13th book in the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo which follows the Kate, a former Amish woman turned police chief.
Currently Reading:
One Poison Pie is the first book in the Kitchen Witch Mystery series.
Comparison:Well… there is murder in both of them and I started both of them on March 7th but that is where the similarities end. Fallen is a grittier thriller where One Poison Pie is a cozy mystery.
Have you read either of these books?
February 29, 2024
Time Travel Thursday: 29 February
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…) and compare it to what you are reading now.
29 February 2016 (Leap Day)
I had to go back to 2016 to find me actively reading a book on Leap Day and it was Hotel Ruby, the original title and cover of what is now Hotel for the Lost.
Currently Reading:Right now I’m currently rereading In the Hall with the Knife. This is my 3rd read-through of it and I’m a bit late because I love to read this trilogy on stormy winter nights like in the book – but other than the inch or so of snow we got the other night it’s been a mild February.
Comparison:Both books have mystery elements – though In the Hall with the Knife is a murder mystery and Hotel Ruby is more paranormal in nature as the main character unravels the secrets of the hotel. In the Hall with the Knife is a “Clue” inspired mystery with multiple POV whereas Hotel Ruby has an underlining of sadness.
Have you read either of these?
February 27, 2024
Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Couple in 5B
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.
The Couple in 5B by Lisa UngerStandalone, Adult, Thriller
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 384 Pages
March 5, 2024 by Park Row Books
Blurb:A couple inherits an apartment with a spine-tingling past in this binge-worthy thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.
Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.
At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.
Why I Want to Read This Book:Like locked door mysteries, another one of my favorite thriller tropes are real estate inheritances with dark histories. I always love when characters inherit a home that seems too good for it to be true… for it to turn out to be exactly that. I’ve read one other book by this author and enjoyed it.
Will you be checking this one out? What books are you looking forward to?
February 25, 2024
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 26 February 2024
#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.
Hey Bookdragons! Happy Monday! Did you get a lot of reading time in over the weekend? Are you planning to use the extra day of February this week as a reading day?
Last Week I Read:The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich
I loved this one! I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it releases in August!
Damaged Goods by LJ Shen
This was a 3 star read for me. There were more things I disliked than liked.
Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir
This was a solid 3.5 star read for me. The writing was good and the story kept me engaged, it’s just that the subject matter – Jane Seymour herself, was kind of dull.
Currently Reading:In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund (Reread)This is a reread. I watched Clue again recently and felt like reading this series again.
Next Reads:Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait by Alison WeirI’m looking forward to this one. I think Anne of Cleves will be my favorite of Henry VIII’s wives.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
I’m planning to read this one between In the Hall with the Knife and the next Clue mystery.
What are you reading this week? Have you read any of these?
February 24, 2024
The Sunday Post: The Hardest Decision, Brain Overload, and Fish Tacos
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.
The Hardest Decision, Brain Overload, and Fish TacosHey Book Blogger Friends! How was your week. Mine was extremely busy… and extremely emotional.
Last Sunday I made the hardest decision I’ve had to make. The decision to rehome my dog, Toby. He’s a nearly 2 year old bernedoodle and I’ve been struggling lately with my work and sleep schedule that he’s spending more time than is fair in his kennel and I never have time to take him on walks or give him the attention he needs. My mom had gotten him roughly a year before she passed away and was able to hang out with him all day while she was home. I’m sort of shocked how fast everything moved. By Tuesday he was picked up by the rescue to go to his foster home and I believe as of today he might have been adopted. I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry, but I’m tearing up typing this.
In the midst of that I had the rest of my training at work on our new system. I learned so much.. to the point that my brain feels a little overloaded. Our launch for the new system is Tuesday and I’m hoping it goes smooth.
Obviously it’s been a long, at times challenging week. Friday I had to get out and have a self-care day so I got up early and went to my favorite brunch spot for fish tacos to cheer myself up.
Last Week on the Blog: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 19 February 2024
Can’t Wait Wednesday: Wild Love
Time Travel Thursday – 22 February
Book Blogger Hop: 23-29 February 2024
Stacking the Shelves: 24 February 2024
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 26 February 2024
Can’t Wait Wednesday: Book TBD
Time Travel Thursday: 29 February
Book Blogger Hop: What was your gateway book—the book that made you want to read more—into reading or into a specific genre?
Stacking the Shelves: 2 March 2024 with Anticipated Additions from Cozy Con 2024 (March 3, 2024 in Plover, WI)
eBook:
Around the Book Blogging World:None this Week!
February 23, 2024
Stacking the Shelves – 24 February 2024
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.
Books Added to My Shelves This Week:Physical:After a delay with Amazon I finally got my paperback copy of Until the Stars Fall by Vanessa Rasanen.
eBook:I’ve read other books/series by Ella Maven and I borrowed this one from Kindle Unlimited when I saw it in her newsletter yesterday.
What books did you add to your shelves this week?
