October Bookworm Update

I always start these posts at the first of the month and update them as life happens along the way. Heading into October, I wasn't really sure what to expect from the next 31 days. I knew my calendar was beyond busy with life events, but if my mom's quick illness and death taught me anything, it's that life can change in the blink of an eye. Although nothing dramatic happened in our immediate family, we did have some pretty serious things happen to several of our friends, once again reminding me to never put off until tomorrow what I should be doing today. Time is fleeting.

Earlier this month my sisters came back to our hometown for the weekend, and we spent some time going through our mother's clothing and jewelry and craft items. What I thought would be a day of tears and wishing Mom was here ended up being a day of laughter and remembering all the ways Mom made us feel loved and cared for. It was another positive memory associated with not only my sisters, but also my mom. Even in her passing she is still making us smile and remember the ways that she poured into the lives of others through her baking, her crafting, and her love of the holidays. As we prepare to head into our first major holiday season without her around, it's been good to remember all the years she loved us so well and made everything special. And it's a legacy we are all attempting to carry on.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

The month started off a bit rough in the reading department. I did finish the first two books fairly quickly, but neither of them were up to snuff, and both were a letdown. However, for the second year in a row I have unintentionally/intentionally focused on cozy murder/mystery books in October, and since I had several in my Kindle lineup that I suspected would be better, things turned around once I headed back into safer waters (authors I already knew I enjoyed). And even though I ended the month with a bust (and in a big way!), you never know unless you try, right?

1.  The Mudflats Murder Club by Brian Thiem - ⭐⭐ Advertised as the perfect book for anyone who loved The Thursday Murder Club (TMC) or Only Murders in the Building (OMITB), it actually caught my attention because the title itself seemed suspiciously similar to TMC, but I was willing to give it a shot anyway as the Kindle version was cheap that day. Bottom line: it was an okay "who-done-it" written by a first-time author. However, the relationship between the two primary characters felt really forced, cheesy, and expected, and I could have done without that. As a fan of both TMC and OMITB, I'd have to strongly disagree that this is at the same level as those. It truly felt like a cheap copy of both. Especial the Thursday Murder Club. Add to that the "swinging" aspect of the story (nothing blatant or obscene, but there, nevertheless), I'd put this solidly in the cheap knock-off beach-read category, and I don't plan to read the next one in the series. {Amazon Associates Link - just in case like cheap beach read mysteries!)
2. The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery (Supermarket Mysteries Book 1) by Rachel Ward - ⭐ I would have given this two stars, because the premise of the book had promise, and because I was surprised by who actually did the crime, but it received one star due to content. It was written to be realistic (I recognize that), but the f-bomb usage and sexual content was just too much for me. This came as part of a set on Kindle (Books 1-5 in the Supermarket Mysteries series) that they were selling all five for $2.99 (that should have been a clue), so since I already have them all, I may give Book 2 a try and see if the author settled in a bit with her writing, but as of right now, I would NOT recommend this book or series. 
3. The Impossible Fortune (Thursday Murder Club #5) by Richard Osman - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I don't know that this is actually a five star book, probably closer to a four, but I was so darn happy to read a book I enjoyed so much after a 2-star and a 1-star book that I slapped five stars on this puppy and called it good! And a definite improvement over book #4. I didn't cry reading through this book like I did through the last one (let's be real, that was just rough, made all the rougher since I was in the middle of losing my mom at the time). Another bonus, no frustrating woke bits. Just the gang back together, Elizabeth figuring out life after Stephen's death (which also hit close to home for me in this season). I honestly loved the sideline of the Ritchie family, the addition of Tia, and Connie's surprise role. All in all, a delightful, easy read, and highly recommended. Perfect cozy fall mystery. Five stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
4. The Blackout Murders (Book #1) by Anna Elliott & Charles Veley - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ In the same way that book #3 of the month was probably more like a four-star book, in all honesty, this is probably more like 3.5 stars, but the premise (murder in a small village during WWII) was intriguing, the characters show promise, and the language is clean. Think the Miss Read books (small English village) meets...Foyle's War. Nothing too gruesome, plenty of tea and scones, a historical setting, a varied set of individuals each with their own stories (and hardships)...all in all, a delightful surprise and one worth trying for yourself (if you enjoy cozy mysteries, British tea rooms, and unlikely civilian sleuths). It was published in 2024, but there are already seven books in the series, so I'm looking forward to trying book #2 (and book #1 is just $2.99 on Kindle if you want to give it a whirl or FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited). {Amazon Associates Link}
5. Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I'll just start this by saying that this isn't my favorite of the Marlow Murder Club series. Book #1 was probably my favorite, but overall I prefer Thorogood's Murder in the Caribbean series, upon which the BBC show by the same name is based. However, this book was still an enjoyable weekend read, the murderer wasn't blatantly obvious, I appreciated how Judith and Co. attempted to not make life difficult for Tanika at the police station, and yet they still investigated. And the ending...well, it certainly was a cliff hanger! But if you're looking for a easy-read murder mystery without all the foul language and extra gore, you can't go wrong with this series. I'm rounding up to four stars, but much like the Blackout Murders, realistically, it's probably 3.5. {Amazon Associates Link}
6. The Cornish Village Murder (Nosey Parker #2) by Fiona Leitch - ⭐ Last month I read the first book in this series and gave it two stars. I was hoping that the author would find her groove between books 1 and 2, but instead of getting better, it got worse and she lost a star! I simply cannot can't get past the raging teenage hormones of the 40-something main character, Jodie. This book focuses on her THREE (count them, one, two three) crushes, including one married(!!!), which I simply couldn't get past (especially when the author decided to throw in there that Jodie's ex-husband had also been married when they met!). The "flutters" and "tingles" and make-out sessions felt like the primary purpose of the story, with the murder being a distant second. It read more like a cheap romance novel with some light detection, mixed with random kitchen baking scenes. I just don't like the main character and the writing is sloppy, which is unfortunate, since I still have more books in the series on my Kindle. I would NOT recommend this book or series. 

Six books in October...one book ahead of schedule again, which, after a long, dry summer, I'll take. I've started book #7, but I don't foresee it being read in a day, so that will have to go in the first of November's list. In the meantime, the weather has turned chilly, we're enjoying lots of rain and wind, the trees are finally turning and the leaves are dropping...which means (for me) it's the perfect season to curl up with a good (or mediocre!) book, and work my way through a pot of tea. Cozy up and join me!

What are you reading? 

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