My Sister is so Nice & Message of the Week & #FridayReads

My sister ordered me a good ole copy of Cicely Tyson's memoir, As I Am, for my birthday.  Just waiting on this thing to come on.  I put it on hold at the library (with a little begrudge and potato salad on the side), but still gunning for my own copy to place nicely on my shelf.  A necessary copy.  Indeed.  Here's to waiting... impatiently... but allowing God to do His work.  I'll cry happy tears.

In the meantime, the message for the week is...

As for #FridayReads...

Earlier this week I chomped down big on A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf for the #ReadSoulLit Read-Along.  I'm a little over one hundred pages from its ending.  I'll probably finish it early next week, or even over the weekend.  It's so cold outside that I don't want to even go anywhere.  But I definitely want to finish it before the end of next week.  Unfortunately, the connection and resonance isn't as profound as it was during my earlier experience of reading A More Perfect Union.  Maybe it's because I'm juggling three books... or maybe because...

They Opened Up the Friends of the Library Bookstore... After Almost a Year... I Couldn't Resist...

More Mercedes Lackey.  I went there.  Totally went there.

How My The Wheel of Time Hardback Book Collection is Coming!

Hee-Haah! I got the final three books in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series in hardback the past two weeks. I'm upgrading my collection from the mass market editions. I've learned how the hardcovers are better suited for my reading experience. For real, The Wheel of Time books are thick, super involved high fantasy books that begs for patience and comfort. I will go back and upgrade the first three books one day. But since I am still on book nine, I'll wait until I finish the series to do so. (I'm telling myself that barely legal lie.)

Anyway, the key question now is when will I pick the series back up again? I have been having a hankering for them (or at least to see what Rand, Mat and Nynaeve are up to). And whenever that feeling comes knocking, I know it is almost time to cross the threshold back into The Wheel of Time. Either way, I am committed. I made it through book seven, A Crown of Swords, with complete relit enthusiasm for the books. I made it over a hurdle, and enjoyed book eight as well. However, I stalled again on book nine, Winter’s Heart. This is the “heart” of the so called “slog”. But if I can push through that one, as well as the following book, I will supposedly be good to go with the rest of the series. As readers have stated, books eleven to the end are sensational.

Anyway, the slight bowing in my shelf holding the series up shows I am a dedicated fan.

#MarchMysteryMadness Tinks & Links

My #ReadSoulLit Start-Ups

 

So I would start a James Baldwin book the weekend before taking my Grandmother to two specialists the following week. Then the week after is my birthday week, as well as my return to the classroom. Busy little beaver, I suppose. Not the best time to find myself waist deep in Baldwin’s level of immersion and gripping engagement. Yet, I chose to pick up his book, Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone. But who am I kidding? It is always the perfect timing for a Baldwin book. As I write this, I am fifty pages in and on my second cup of coffee for the evening. His work is that absorbing; I always want to be alert to his offerings. And here it is about to start raining! The right vibe. The right move. The right night. As I have stated, perfect timing.

I’m halfway through Tammye Huf’s A More Perfect Union. It is the book chosen for the #ReadSoulLit read-along of 2021. So far, I am liking the book. It is a fictionalized retelling of the author’s ancestors' love story, seeded in a Virginia plantation around 1849. You take a slave named, Sarah, and her Irish immigrant beau named Henry; imagine the peril involved. One thing I enjoy is Henry's narrative insight into the Irish immigrate experience. I also enjoy the parallel of family pain and trauma both Sarah and Henry share, though the overall illustrations of those shared traumas are fairly "light" (if you will). Nevertheless, their pain is something that draws them to one another. To keep a balance, Sarah and Henry do alternate shifting his or her narrative throughout the book. Yet, there is a third character named Maple that is as desperate to share her painful narrative as well. And an interesting one it is, considering she is the half-sister of the plantation’s mistress.

hey & #readsoullit (+ #marchmysterymadness release)

 

Do I Feel Like Reading More of Mercedes Lackey's Work?

So here it is. The truth. I closed out reading Mercedes Lackey’s By the Sword feeling unfulfilled and unmoved by the book. So I'm wary of trying more of Lackey’s work. Don’t get me wrong, though. I enjoyed Lackey's Diana Tregarde series, as well as the first book in her Elementals series. As for the two dips I’ve taken into her Valedmar series, I've yet to come away with a hunger for more. And after finishing By the Sword, I am stuck wondering whether Lackey’s work is worth it to me. You see, By the Sword started off great. I was into Lackey’s fantasy character, Kerowyn, catapulting in her own direction in life. She wasn’t interested in becoming anyone’s wife or housekeeper. Nah. She desired the mercenaries way of life, or a means to be a hero to people.

Cool fantasy stuff, indeed.

Unfortunately, by the end of the book things changed for me.

Valerie Wilson Wesley's "A Glimmer of Death" is Out! Happy Release Day!

Listen. I stood at the stove about to reheat some lasagna (with cheap off-brand breadsticks from Wal-Mart and a "girl-bye" to them) when the UPS man delivered this baby to me. The book came on time. Delivered on its release date. I didn’t get played like I anticipated. So I was good to go! Y’all know the mailing services are off the chain these days. And my messy tail is contributing to it via Amazon purchases. But we’ll talk about that some other day.

THE FACTTTTT ISSSSSSS…

Valerie Wilson Wesley is one of my favorite black mystery writers, and she's back with a new series. Also, she's back with a fresh shift in gears toward undertaking the cozy mystery sub-genre. Wesley is best known for the famous Tamara Hayle lady private-eye detective series. She also has a catalog of black contemporary works out there (Playing my Mother's Blues being one). And Wesley is also known for two gothic romance novels (check the labels for “Savanna Welles”). My point is that Wesley has done about everything except cozy mysteries. Until today where we have A Glimmer of Death, book one in Wesley’s Odessa Jones series.

Get into Wesley's Tamara Hayle private-eye series, please

Where I'm at with Mercedes Lackey's "By the Sword"

Closing On Maxine O'Callaghan's Delilah West Mystery Series

 

Y'all Got Your Pre-Orders of Valerie Wilson Wesley's New Book IN?

 

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 26, 2021

#FridayReads & Talking Fictional Women Private-Eyes Heavyweights (How Maxine O'Callaghan Faired?)

 

Early Part of 2021 Reading Plans & Some Maxine O'Callaghan Series Clean Up

 

My Favorite Books of 2020

OUT OF 72 BOOKS READ IN 2020, EH!

"SNAP!  BHAM!"

NON-FICTION (RELY ON IDENTIFY):

FICTION (#READSOULIT READ-ALONG PICK):

MYSTERY (OF COURSE THERE ARE MANY, RIGHT?):

Goodreads: My Year in Books 2020

Leaving Mrs. Morris Cozy Mystery Series Behind?

I Did a Reading Thing this Year...

Totally caught up on the Green Rider Series by Kristen Britain.  Book #7, Winterlight, will release September of 2021.  Naturally...

I'M LEFT CRYING AND WAITTTTTTTTTT FOR MORE!!!

These Kids Are Getting Books for Christmas 2020

Allllllllllll aboard.  So my three favorite children (who happen to be my little cousins) are forever and always getting books from me come Christmas.  And this time I had to do absolutely zero questioning (well, a little sneaky question or two) concerning which titles they wanted.  

The going-on thirteen-year-old is still into The Last Kids on Earth series.  Easy!  The ten-year-old mentioned something about some Rowley Jefferson character.  Evidently Rowley is a spin-off from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  She never took to the Dork Diaries series.  Which I always saw as the girl's version of Wimpy Kid.  But what works will work, baby!  As for the eight-year-old, good ole Dog Man will seem to continue to do this year.  And, as always, when I go buy books I donate to the Toys & Books Drive.  This year, some lucky kid is going to get some Sailor Moon manga!

Anyway, the real question is whether or not I'm going to wrap these things.  I'm lazy, y'all.  I've been using the same wrapping paper for three years straight.  That's how bad I can be...

But my heart is always in the right place.  LOL.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  AND KEEP THE KIDS READING!

Last Month of the Year Cozy Mystery WRAP-UP BOOKS 4-6

Saturday Night Clean-Up

You know what this means...?  Time to clean up and get rid of some books!  What's going to make the cut?

TWO Up-Coming 2021 Black Mystery Releases...

Naturally, I have these books sprinkled all over my virtual book-buying carts in anticipation.  But just as a friendly reminder, here's what we all have to look forward to (all links are Amazon/author's website affiliate)...

Runner (A Chicago Mystery #4) by Tracy Clark

Release Date: June 29, 2021

"Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you're scouring the frigid streets for a missing girl.  Fifteen-year-old Ramona Titus has run away from her foster home.  Her biological mother, Leesa Evans, is a recovering addict who admits she failed Ramona often in the past.  But now she's clean.  And she's determined to make up for her mistakes–if Cass can only help her find her daughter.  

Yet, it seems Ramona doesn't want to be found.  Ramona is holding secrets dark enough to kill for, and anyone who helps her may be fair game. And if Ramona can't run fast enough and hide well enough to keep the truth safe, she and Cass may both be out of time."

I am so, so glad Tracy Clark and her P.I. Cass Raines [see labels] is back.  Four years.  Four books.  And a thousand or so more to go will do me just right.  The only hard part is the wait!  But, as always, I remind myself not to rush life.  Cheers for another Cass book to start the summer off with.

~.~

Murder by Page One: A Peach Coast Library Mystery from Hallmark Publishing by Olivia Matthews

Release Date: March 23, 2021

"Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn to a quirky small town in Georgia. When she’s not at the library organizing events for readers, she’s handcrafting book-themed jewelry and looking after her cranky cat. At times, her new life in the South still feels strange...and that’s before the discovery of the dead body in the bookstore.

After one of her friends becomes a suspect, Marvey sets out to solve the murder mystery. She even convinces Spence, the wealthy and charming newspaper owner, to help. With his ties to the community, her talents for research, and her fellow librarians’ knowledge, Marvey pursues the truth. But as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist?"

So as you can see, this isn't the official cover art for the book.  But you can bettttttttt I look for an update daily!  Because I can't wait to see what it looks like.  Anyway, while I most certainly will miss Olivia Matthew's Sister Lou [see labels] mystery series, I am thoroughly excited that she has a new release coming up.  Can I guarantee you carrots and sticks that this Murder by Page One is going to be good!  Trust me, it will!

Hope you got these in your carts/wishlist/paper lists–WHEREVER.  See you all soon for the next round!

FINALLYYYYY! An Update on Marcia Muller's Next Sharon McCone Mystery

Soooooo, y'all know I take the time every other day to look for new releases from authors I love.  And nothing is more punishing than waiting years between releases.  So I thought Marcia Muller was done with her Sharon McCone P.I. mystery series, after 2018's release of The Breakers.  Low-key... I was panicking a little about the woman and whether or not she was coming back.  You know, given how we lost Grafton four years ago.  Grafton's passing was the reason I buckled down in 2018 and read through the entirety of Muller's McCone series.  And, hell, I finished the series excited for more.  Sooooooooo, here we are YEARS later (and at the tail end of this craziness of 2020) with the announcement of the next Sharon McCone mystery.  I, naturally, just hate to wait until August for it.  UGH!  Anyway, I and many Muller readers finally got our answer in McCone's 35th case, Ice and Stone.

"Private investigator Sharon McCone goes undercover to investigate the murders of two indigenous women in remote Northern California in this gripping, atmospheric mystery in the New York Times bestselling series.

When two women are brutally murdered in northern California, their deaths are the latest atrocities in a surge of violence targeting indigenous women in the area. Despite all evidence to the contrary, local officials rule the deaths isolated incidents, and they soon join the ranks of other unsolved homicides, quickly forgotten by law enforcement.

Private Investigator Sharon McCone knows better, and so does the organization known as Crimes Against Indigenous Sisters, who hires Sharon to go undercover in Eiwok county, a tiny region on the mountainous Oregon border, to uncover the murderer.

In an isolated cabin in the freezing, treacherous woods, Sharon must unravel a mystery that is rooted in ignorance, profound hatred, and vengeance -- before another victim is claimed."

Amazon affiliate link below:

Ice and Stone (A Sharon McCone Mystery #35)

RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 10, 2021

Me heading to the bookstore come August 10th, 2021:

Bring in the Monica Ferris Needlecraft Series!

Man, was that fast!  So, yeah.  That book I was looking forward to diving into from Monica Ferris's Needlecraft cozy mystery series is here...

#FridayReads ~ A Stitch in Time by Monica Ferris (Needlecraft Mystery #3)

 

UPDATED: 2020 Mystery Series Catching Up List

2020 Mystery Series Catching Up List

1st BOOK SHELF

*Updated notes as of December 2020

I’m making this list because I’m tired of myself starting a new series, while having a series I already need to read hanging around my shelves.  

This list will be used to help me stay focused!  Other genres in-between will come as well.

Mrs. Murphy Series by Rita Mae Brown

Book #13: Cat’s Eyewitness

Book #14: Sour Puss

Book #15: Puss N’ Choots

Book #16: The Perrfect Murder

(The rest of the series I’ll check out from the library)

*Got absolutely NOWHERE here.  Very unfortunate, considering this was once a beloved cozy series of mine.  I honestly think I just grew out of it.

John Le’ Carre Smiley Spy Series

Book #3 The Spy Who Came Out of the Cold

Book #4 The Looking Glass War

Stand-Alone: A Small Town in Germany (This’ll be my first read)

*Didn’t get anywhere with Le’Carre.  I started to read his stand-alone, The Little Drummer Girl, back in August.  Unfortunately, I got distracted with other reads.  Specifically that of Laura Child’s Tea Shop Mystery series.  In that, I took on books 4-8 and made progress there instead.  I also made progress in Margaret Maron’s series.  So there’s that! 

Suzanne Arruda’s Cameron Del African Series

It is vital that I finish this series this year.  I only have five books left to read.  The last two I’ll have to order.  Nevertheless, I must finish this series in 2020.

✅Book# 3: The Serpent’s Daughter

✅Book #4: The Leopard’s Prey

✅Book #5: Treasure of the Golden Cheetah

(I have to order the following two for my personal library.  Will not do until I’m done with BOOK #5)

✅Book #6: The Crocodile’s Last Embrace

✅Book#7: Devil Dance

*OFFICIALLY DONE AS OF OCTOBER 2020.  I buckled down and knocked this series out.  I enjoyed finishing it the whole way, too.  I will say the 7th and final book, Devil Dance, was self-published.  Not that this was necessarily a factor, but the quality of the series dipped here.  There was a five year break between books 6 and 7, and I suspect the author didn’t have the same editor as previous.  Nevertheless, I completed the series.  Going to miss Jade del Cameron and her adventures. 

Last Month of the Year Cozy Mystery WRAP-UP BOOKS 1-3 ~ Kind of you'll see...!

 

The Wheel of Time Hardcover Ebay Haul (Books 4-9)