Sunday Bookends: Reading and writing mysteries
Sunday Bookends:
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.
I am very late in posting today because I simply ran out of brain power after a busy week last week of running around a lot. I spent the day resting, vegging, and reading some.
What I/we’ve been Reading
I did not have a lot of time for reading last week so I am still reading the same books from last week:
Secrets of the Amish Diary by Rachael Phillips and The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz.
These books could not be more different from each other and I like that because if I am not in the mood for one, I pick up the other.
I don’t remember if I offered descriptions for the books last week but I will do so today.
(Note: I can not find Secrets of the Amish Diary anywhere except as used copies or on a site called Annie’s Fiction (https://www.anniesfiction.com/products/amish-inn-mysteries/secrets-of-the-amish-diary). I have no idea why!)
Secrets of the Amish Diary:
When Liz Eckardt leaves behind her hectic life as a Boston lawyer to become an innkeeper in charming Pleasant Creek, Indiana, she hopes to find solace – and answers – as she mourns the loss of her mother, Abigail. Along with her mother’s diary and an antique heirloom quilt, Liz inherited a family secret: Abigail cut ties with her Amish family years ago – a family Liz never knew existed – and Liz yearns to unravel the mystery of her mother’s past.
Liz settles into her new life at the Olde Mansion Inn with the help of the town’s quirky quilting group, the Material Girls, and several members of the Amish community. She bonds instantly with her new Amish friend, Miriam Borkholder, and enjoys the success of her burgeoning bed and breakfast.
That is, until one of her guests, the unpopular Clarence Peabody, is found dead in the lake behind her inn . . . and Miriam’s son is the prime suspect!
Convinced of the Amish boy’s innocence, Liz begins to piece together the evidence, learning quickly that the killer will stop at nothing to hide the truth. When Liz receives a cryptic letter written in the local Amish dialect, the message is clear: Stay out of this . . . or else. Who sent the letter? And is Clarence’s murder somehow tied to her family’s secret past?
Join Liz and her lively team of crafty investigators as they stitch together clues and uncover the cause of the unusual events happening in Pleasant Creek. Will they discover the truth about Liz’s family before someone else is silenced?
The Word is Murder has one of the most unique plots I’ve ever seen:
A woman crosses a London street. It is just after 11 a.m. on a bright spring morning, and she is going into a funeral parlor to plan her own service. Six hours later the woman is dead, strangled with a crimson curtain cord in her own home.
Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric man as quick with an insult as he is to crack a case. And Hawthorne has a partner, the celebrated novelist Anthony Horowitz, curious about the case and looking for new material. As brusque, impatient, and annoying as Hawthorne can be, Horowitz—a seasoned hand when it comes to crime stories—suspects the detective may be on to something, and is irresistibly drawn into the mystery.
But as the case unfolds, Horowitz realizes that he’s at the center of a story he can’t control, and his brilliant partner may be hiding dark and mysterious secrets of his own.
The Husband is reading a Walter Mosely book called The Man In My Basement.
Little Miss and I are reading a variety of things right now, including re-reading Paddington one night when she felt frightened and sad about something (Paddington cheers her up) and listening to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on Audible.
The Boy is on a reading break because it is summer break and he’s been working a lot, either with my dad or at his job as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.
What’s Been Occurring
I rambled a lot about what we’ve been up to in my post yesterday if you would like to catch up.
Today we stayed home and rested. I have a job interview in the morning for a job that would be from home and around 15 hours a week. I’m nervous but hopeful it works out. Our family could use the financial help like a lot of other families.
What We watched/are Watching
Last week I watched a lot of Just A Few Acres Farm on YouTube. The farmer, Pete’s voice is very soothing to me because he’s so calm and cheerful about life. He seems to stay positive a lot and I really need that in my life. On Friday when I had to drive 45 minutes up and 45 minutes back from somewhere, after doing the same thing the day before, I told myself I would channel Pete to make it through the day. I purposely focused on slowing my thoughts and speech down throughout the day and just being like Pete. “I am Pete,” I said each time I became stressed. It helped a lot and I have a feeling I’ll have to do more of that this week.
I also watched an episode of Miss Scarlet and The Duke and a few episodes of Newhart, as well as an episode of Poirot with The Husband.
I watched Some Like It Hot last week and wrote about it on the blog (link below).
This week I’ll be watching The Seven Year Itch.
What I’m Writing
Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing came out this week! You can snatch a copy, or read it on Kindle Unlimited, HERE.
I am working on book two of the series now. It’s called Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage.
On the blog this week I shared:
Saturday Afternoon Chat: Warm days, anniversary, and would you stab someone for telling you the end of a book?Summer of Marilyn: Some Like it HotGladwynn Grant is out into the world!Now offering editing servicesWhat I’m Listening To
I am listening to a mystery on audible: Death Beside the Seaside by T.E Kinsey.
Now it’s your turn
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
