Come hang out on the BaW thread. We've got tons of discussions going on books you'd like.

I finished two books this week. That brings me up to 10 books read this year. Last year I read 17. Whoa. The Blight Way (Sheriff Bo Tully) by Patrick McManus - This was so much fun to listen to as an audiobook. If you're a fan of Patrick McManus's writing then you should read his mysteries. They have the same charm as his outdoorsy short stories. The mystery was entertaining but the real genius to his stories is the eccentric cast of characters and humor. Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones - My book club read this and it got mixed reviews. Lots of back story and lots of descriptions of cooking. The writing was good but there were certain topics I thought the author glossed over that made it kind of an icky read for me. Highlight to see my spoilerish thoughts: The husband of the MC died a year before the book started and early in the story the MC found out that he'd cheated on her during a business trip. The woman accepted the fact too readily and everyone seemed okay with it on a level that made me cringe. On a personal note - Chews on Books had been diagnosed with the flu. DH and I keep asking each other, "How are you feeling?" In preparation of being down with the flu for the rest of the week I cleaned my house, finished my laundry, did all my grocery shopping, and put clean sheets on the kids' beds. If by some miracle I don't get the flu then this was the most productive Monday I've ever had! Chews goes to our local parochial school and there's about 800 kids there from 3 yo Preschool to 8th grade. When I picked him up at 1 o'clock the school nurse told me there were almost 70 kids out sick today with the flu. John was the tenth kid she sent home sick today and while I was in her office another ten kids came in complaining of feeling bad. Yikes! I'm wondering if the school's going to close for a few days. And on a funny note my 15 yo daughter told me that no matter what tomorrow she was going to school because she had too much work to do. It wasn't until she said those words that I realized ... she's never had the flu. She doesn't realize it's not like a cold. You can't just push through! Wish us luck! I've got lots of tea and audiobooks.

I just picked up Gifts of Imperfection from the library this week too. There's fifteen people waiting behind me to read it so I'm either going to have to read it fast (and give it priority on my nightstand) or buy it. Did you enjoy it? These links were so much fun to read through. @Kareni - that's for always finding such interesting bookish things for us to peruse. I don't comment on your bookish posts enough ... please know that I always find them so entertaining and appreciate them! Here's the deal lady ... I have too many book challenges going on right now and I simply can't add the Pick Your Poison challenge to my year. BUT you're making it look like so much fun that every time you post I wander over to the website and look at the categories and think that maybe I could attempt the lowest version of the challenges. LOL. We'll see how long I can hold out.

*taps toe impatiently waiting for the new Sunday thread* Why does Robin have to live on the west coast and be blessed with a teenage son that'll let her sleep past 7 am on Sundays?!?!

Nothing new finished lately but I wanted to pop in for a wave and an update. @Robin M- The pick your own poison challenge is super interesting! This thread is always so much fun. Thank you for putting so much time and effort into giving us such a lovely virtual hang out. @mumto2 and @Lady Florida. Have either one of your read any of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series? I've seen him compared to the Bo Tully series. I'm about halfway through the first Bo Tully book and I'm loving it. Lots of really hysterical characters! And to all the BaW ladies ... thank you for your encouragement on my book. I've got another round of edits to do to fix a few plot holes and then it might be ready.

I've come to be a Terry Pratchett fan late in life but I'm quickly becoming a devoted fan. I finished Reaper Man and am amazed at the serious themes in it, intertwined with some incredible humor. I had to back the audiobook up a dozen times to re-listen to a funny line. I think he must have been rather brilliant in so many way. His names are hilarious and his quirky humor is unmatched.

Awww. I gotta say it's pretty awesome even seeing my book's title on a thread with Tolkien, Dickens, and Pratchett. My book has got some polishing I still have to do but it's getting much much closer. Here's the working description for anyone interested: 27-year-old Frances McArthur has just taken a teaching position abroad in Shrewsbury, England, and is shocked to see a face from her past at the school: Max Fahey. Ten years earlier (and on the other side of the Atlantic in Atchison, Kansas) Max had been her classmate, neighbor, rival, and the only son of the wealthiest family in their small town. When Max’s beautiful but temperamental girlfriend was murdered all eyes turned to him. Then Max and his family disappeared and haven’t been seen since. Frances’ time in England is limited, she only has until the end of the term. Despite the realization he is a man wanted for murder back home, Frances is falling for Max. Now Frances must decide if she should trust the facts of the cold case and report Max’s whereabouts to the police or trust her own heart which tells her Max couldn’t possibly be a murderer.

I'm rudely stealing one of Sandy's 10x10 categories for cozy mysteries. I think she's using it to mark series she's going to finish- correct me if I'm wrong @mumto2. (I am in awe ... I think the only series I've finished is Harry Potter!) I'm going to use it to revisit cozy mystery series I've read before and enjoyed but haven't come back to in awhile. So... Hamish MacBeth ... gals ... can I pick one that sounds interesting or do I need to go way back? I think the last I read was book four or five and that might have been twenty years ago now. I was thinking about #30 Death of a Liar because it's one of the better ranked ones on Goodreads.

Mistakes have been made. I've got four non-fiction books going, two fiction books, and two audiobooks. I'm a scattered reading mess right now!

I can't get over how cool that hill in the background looks! *Yay* I'm so happy you enjoyed it. The other book by Gilbert that people love is Smallbones. To me it was more of a traditional Golden Age mystery than Death in Captivity. I'm listening to The Hobbit as an audiobook which wouldn't be a bad idea but I'm also listening to Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett and it's impossible to listen to two audiobooks at a time. What I like about The Hobbit so far is that it's so fast moving and fun. I feel like it doesn't take itself seriously and it's a wild romp. In someways it's interesting to have it going along with Terry Pratchett because there's hints in Pratchett's work that remind me vaguely of The Hobbit. Kind of like if you mushed 95% PG Wodehouse with 5% Tolkien then you'd end up with Terry Pratchett.

This is a great article for Sayers fans!

She also had a book by Micheal Gilbert and Cyril Hare, who we've been discussing as Golden Age mystery writers! I don't know why I'm so excited about that BUT I AM! Wow. Wow. Wow. One more ... wow. I've printed this and tucked inside my book to be Lori's version of annotated The Hobbit. Thank you for taking such wonderful notes and thank you for sharing them with us. You're now my unofficial Hobbit read along.

Thank you for sharing your lovely pictures. I too love to reread my favorite children's books. One of the benefits to having two children so far apart in age is that all the read alouds I loved with Sophia I'm getting to read aloud again with John. Number of the Stars is one of them. As a child it was my first glimpse into the darkness that was the holocaust and I remember the horror and fascination in which I read it as a kid.

Ooh. I'm glad you pointed those out, otherwise I might not have seen them until the end of December if I stick with my one a day reading! Glad you're writing! I'm aiming for 300k new words this year and editing two WIPs so I'm trying to stick to two hours of writing a night. *fingers crossed* That life stays calm enough for me to have that time free.

Robin - How do you like A Year of Writing Dangerously? I just started it and it wasn't at all what I expected. That said ... I'm not certain what I had expected!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that gets book crushes! I think my first would be Frank Hardy. *swoon* Yay. Glad to see you posting! We're talking about favorite childhood books. What were some of yours? Because right now we're all picturing a little VC walking around with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Bleak House tucked under her arm.

I got Sophia a bunch of Cherry Ames books one Christmas and waited for her to fall in love with them. Nope. She read one or two and said they were okay. I'm holding out hope that I'll end up with a granddaughter someday that will love them. Any new book recommendations from your DD? Sophia's loved about everything she's suggested.

I'm plodding through my Terry Pratchett audiobook. It's not like a mystery where I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS so I bump the speed up to 2.0. It'll take me a few days to get through. I grabbed a Banana Yoshimoto book from the library and A Year of Writing Dangerously but haven't started either yet. Our snow storm ended up with a disappointing two inches. Heather - did you get the horrible storms they called for?

I can remember the moment someone first put a Nancy Drew book in my hands. We were on vacation in Minnesota and they found an old copy of The Ghost of Blackwood Hall at an antique store for a dime. The book was in mediocre shape when I got it and is downright shabby now. It still sits on my shelf and in case of fire I might just grab it on the way out. Oh and Cherry Ames. (Apparently Sandy and I were destined to be friends even from our youthful misadventures into books way older than us!) I found a stack of Cherry Ames's books at my grandmother's house that had been hers as a girl. Somedays I feel as though I missed my calling to be a WWII nurse. Honorable mentions also to The Secret Garden and Farmer Boy. Both have been read more times than I can count.

I love Pat McManus! Should I start with the first Bo Tully? Glad you're doing better today! ((HUGS))

Ooh. That looks interesting! You must be close to me. I'm Kansas City area. I've stocked up on hot chocolate. I still have to run to the library. I'm sure it'll be a zoo with everyone desperate to get reading material before the storm ... or maybe not. Maybe it's just my family that panics we're going to RUN OUT OF BOOKS!

I'm glad you guys are talking about Terry Pratchett. I was looking for a new audiobook and ... I think I'll listen to Reaper Man. It's been on my to-do list FOREVER.

🤣 What a nice remembrance for a beloved grandfather!

Finished: Anna, Where Are You (Miss Silver) by Patricia Wentworth - Highly recommend. We get lots of Miss Silver from the start. I worried the heroine was going to become TSTL but Wentworth made every decision she made seem plausible. Parts even bordered on creepy. A great read. Mild spoiler question for Miss Silver readers (highlight to read): Does poor Frank Abbot ever find a nice girl and get married?

Go back to bed with a book! If you need suggestions then we're here for you.