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A weekend of soft, steady rain and a chill in the air. The damp, earthy scent of fall? That too. Perfect weekend for getting lost in crafts and chores and, of course, more murder mystery antics. Things are getting weirder and more chaotic, which was exactly what I was hoping for from this book. So content to curl up with this one and come along for the ride <3 <3 <3

"Where are they now?" Rose said.
"In my underwear," Dorothy confessed.

I'm crying lol this is the best. Leave it to the Golden Girls to put a stupid (and much needed) smile on my face through sheer silliness.

A fun thing about this series is the limited tech--power goes out, phone lines go down, ship washes away? It matters; they're in the dark. No cell phones, no fridge, no way to signal the mainland. I mean, that's the world I grew up in, but it's wild how much has changed so quickly. Cell service (heck, a digital camera alone) would change this story entirely. Imagine!

*mild spoiler*
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"You brought a book to a dance club?!"

This line is particularly funny to me, the person who, fresh out of college, once brought a tome of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to a bowling alley because I thought it was important to socialize with some new work colleagues, but I didn't really want to be there, and I didn't really want to bowl *facepalm*

The shenanigans are shenaning again. Do they ever do anything else, really? I love this book for not spoiling anything about book 1 as I read them simultaneously. I can immerse, just waiting to see what weird situation will unfold next. There's a bittersweet quality to Blanch's storyline so far that has me feeling some kind of way... I need people to give her more credit. But I guess that's true for all of them.

A slow-paced weekend here that somehow went by fast. The pace (and the shenanigans) have picked up for our amateur sleuths as well. I feel for Rose after recent developments. She's trying to rescue her friend, a wedding, an inheritance, and her own dignity... and no one's making it easy for her. If only she had a cozy, comfort-read like this book to curl up with.

There too is a mystery in my neighborhood. A gray morning; a soft and steady rain. I had the window open to listen.

While on a work call the power flickered, followed a split second later by a concussive explosion. Like a lightning strike right on top of us. Only there was no storm.

Power stayed on here--but everyone across the street from us has gone dark.

We're living the murder mystery mood here.

Like our heroes, there too is a mystery in my neighborhood. A grey morning, a soft and steady rain While on a work call this morning the power flickered

Once again I've hit the goal too soon. *sigh* I'm hoping these shenanigans will unravel into truly Shakespearean levels of misunderstanding. Also hoping for a lavish wedding scene that goes completely sideways (but not so much that it can't be salvaged later). So far the gals have not let me down.

Thoreau is way snarkier than I gave him credit for.

Storms, power outages, strange sounds in an old house at night?? Something sinister is afoot.

Also? Being stranded without an overnight bag is the real terror here, okay? Good thing Blanche, at least, thought ahead. Nice of Declan to share his pajamas. ... How many pairs of pajamas does he own anyway? Is this just a me thing? Does everyone just have, like, 10 sets of jammies on hand?

Inquiring minds.

*possible spoilers?* Rose blaming Dorothy for these shenanigans feels so unfair. Dorothy was trying to make a connection, and there was literally no way she could have anticipated what would happen. Sure, she may have relied on the 80s equivalent of Tinder, but still! Give her a break.

Right now I'm rooting for the bride and groom to give everyone the middle finger and just go to the courthouse.

I've recently discovered a little trick. When I'm lacking motivation to complete a task, I tell my brain, "Hey, I need some dopamine, please." Weirdly, it tends to work *shrugs*

But no motivation needed for sneaking behind the back of book one with book two of this series, though. More 80s nostalgia that genuinely captures the characters and feels like burrowing into a cozy time capsule. I'm enjoying it.

Having reached the reading goal way too early, I might need to start another one of these to tide me over until I can continue with this one...

*spoilers* The sheer number of times Néstor gets distracted by Nena wearing his clothes lol

Started this audiobook a few months ago on vacay. Enjoying the immersion in historic Mexico, but the vampires aren't particularly scary and I'm longing for a twist to the typical romance beats (friends to enemies to lovers). Good character dev, but maybe the last few books left me missing more queer rep idk

Having grown up watching the TV series, listening to this audiobook is like falling headfirst into an old CRT television. The attention to little scene-setting details that bring you into 1980s Miami is perfection. Chunky VHS tapes for modern dating? Little lizards skittering across the lanai? Signature 80s perfumes and shampoos? Amazing. The audiobook reader is nailing the voices, too. Total comfort read.

"Tova never liked shaking hands, well, not with people, anyway. Octopuses are another story."

It's an odd thing to have the Happy Days song playing on loop in the back of your mind while events and character arcs are just beginning to coalesce. Not *entirely* offbeat of the narrative, especially when it comes to Avery and Cameron's paddleboarding date, but slightly dissonant with the overall tone of the narrative, which is more poignant and has softened into beautifully-imagined emotional complexity.

My vacay ended today (yesterday) by getting jumpscared by a mummified dead bat in the cabin bathroom. God knows how long the poor thing had been tucked under the corner cabinet awaiting some cleaning fool to sweep its body out of the shadows.

Anyway, nice to return home to the aquarium of Sowell Bay where a giant talking octopus brings calm and sanity, and a critical eye to the cleanliness of the floor.

*potential spoilers* Me while stopping at an ice cream place and trying to sit outside to eat a twist cone one-handed in blustering wind while reading a few more quick chapters:

"If Eddie isn't in love with Julian, I'm going to be genuinely surprised."

Also I feel like Claire opened a hole in the collective unconscious because THAT was easier for her than having a conversation lol (relatable, but also yikes)

A curious read so far‐-a small-town librarian opens a secret door, essentially, to the Akashic records and goes spelunking. Gets distracted by lonely, quietly brooding artist Julian, who spends much time at the library drawing bridges, but never reads. I thought I might relate more to Claire at first, but oddly (or ironically) Julian's speaking to me more. So far a good vacation read, esp. in a small coastal town.

TFW you're on vacay and you raid a little free library at the trailhead of an obscure forest sculpture park in Northern MI, and you find out the book you've taken home is an ARC for a book about a magical library... and the book isn't even available to the public yet. Feels a little bit like the narrative is coming to life.

You know that sweet, melancholy feeling--like you're yearning for a song, but none of the music is quite right? The notes are fine, but the words are wrong. Or vice versa. This book sort of gives me that feeling. Like fingers just brushing the edge of the play button, knowing it's not quite the track I want.

As a weird aunt myself, I can't help but take note of Weird Aunts in narratives and wow it's whiplash to compare Aunt Jeanne and Aunt Gladys (from Weapons)--who sincerely have no basis for comparison except that I happened to encounter. them both in the same window of time lol

Cameron is so lucky he wound up with an Aunt Jeanne, just sayin' ^^;