It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Oct 26

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and are about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Welcome to the last Monday of October. Can you believe how fast we got here? Christmas is less than 60 days away! I will never be ready this year, but spending time with family counts the most. 

Hope you had a fabulous week. Mine flew by. It was filled with appointments, another visit from the Lil' Princess, training, and tossing around some business plan ideas for 2027. Here are photos of the other fun things: 

Our evening walk behind the house

Fall looks good from my driveway

Tweaked the Autumn Spiced Jam recipe I found on Insta

ChatGPT fun of asking the AI to put me in a TV show it thinks I should be in

Lazy Sunday morning for Theo and Travis

ProWritingAid is hosting Novel November (NovNov) again this year. I might do some writing, but I won't participate. Our local writers guild is also holding a November event. I will cheer from the sidelines. 

Have you decided on your books for the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon? I will create a post for my list in November. Who knows how many I will get to, but it will be fun anyway.

This week's reading world looked like this:

Poor The Eyes of River by Cindy K. Sproles didn't get any attention this week. 

I still haven't started Harboring the Enemy: The Civil War Heroine History Forgot by R. C. Duffy yet. 

I read more of  The TV MBA: Business Lessons from Popular Culture by Rhymer Rigby. Such fascinating material. 

Look for my review of  Still Wild: Poems from the Bear Shack by Suzanne Sunshower in December.

Finished Building A StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller. Check out my review here. I also finished The Knot: Problems Can Be Solved by Seth Godin. You will find that review at the same link. 

Read more from Starry-Eyed Christmas by Sheila Roberts. This is for a December review.

 

I plan to read Shifta by Miles Joyner for a First Chapter Review coming November 2.

I am also looking forward to reading Soledad and the Curse of the Phoenix by Mindy Baker. 

Upcoming Events

• Shifta by Miles Joyner - Nov 2 (First Chapter Review)
• Yuletide Murder at Sea by Sue Stewart - Nov 4 (Interview)
• Still Wild: Poems from the Bear Shack by Suzanne Sunshower - Dec 14 (Review)
• Starry-Eyed for Christmas by Sheila Roberts - Dec 16 (Review)
• Sugar Sand Land by Patricia Leavy - Dec 17 (Spotlight & Giveaway)

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme was last hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. It appears to be on hiatus, but I will keep sharing new books. 

Somebody, please stop me! I grabbed a few Kindle freebies and an audiobook since we last visited. I also ordered three used books and the latest from Sheila Roberts. That should be it for 2026, though I might have one more Audible purchase in me. 

I Once Knew A Guy Named Charlie by Jacklyn Smith

Blogging for Today's Writer by Edie Melson

Have Yourself A Merry Little Meltdown by Sheila Roberts

The Mistletoe Express by Tara Baisden

Montana Christmas Magic by Kaylie Newell

Once Upon a Christmas by Jane Porter

A Home in the West by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

Christmas Year Round

This week's Journey through Christmases Past looks into the tumultuous year of 1837. Find my post here. 

Authors are signing up for my latest idea. The Christmas Memory Collection will feature authors sharing memories, traditions, and other holiday stories. If you wish to participate, you can find the details here. Space is limited. 

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

This week, I posted a few Halloween books for kids and teens that were released this year. You can find that post here.

Laura's Little Houses

Thanks to some time off, I finished my character profile of Harriet Oleson. If you loved Katherine MacGregor's portrayal as much as I did, you can read that post here.

That's all from me this week. By the time we reconnect for next week's post, November will be here. Bring on the holiday season!

Book Review: The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie's Biscuits by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Martha Bolton

 

Contestants of the Tuscarawas County Baking Contest are disappearing. Can Fannie and her private investigator friend, Foster Bates, discover why before the finals get underway?

The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie's Biscuits by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Martha Bolton finds Sugarcreek, Ohio, resident Fannie Miller as a finalist in the county baking contest. People from far and wide come to compete in the annual event, and Fannie is determined to take the blue ribbon and cash prize home this year. But then she notices what no one else is talking about: finalists are disappearing. Who could be responsible? 

Is it the cash-strapped couple on the verge of divorce?

Could it be one or all three of the Beiler sisters, who own the local bakery?

Maybe its the bishop's disgruntled son.

Fannie brings in her good friend and private investigator Foster Bates to help get to the bottom of this whacky mystery before more contestants go missing.

The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie's Biscuits is a lighthearted and fun read with a dash of romance. What the authors did best is create a quirky cast of characters in and around an Amish community in Ohio. 

• Fannie owns the local quilt shop. She likes mystery novels and considers herself an amateur sleuth. 
• Foster is widower and a retired policeman who owns a private investigator's office in town. He loves fishing. 
• Hope, Faith, and Charity Beiler are the town gossips who own the local bakery. They have a pet parrot named Peggy, who often says the wrong thing at the wrong time. 
• Bishop John is often busy writing sermons. He has a son, Jeb, who struggles socially. 
• Michael and Melissa Taylor are on the brink of divorce after a married life filled with disappointments and challenges. 

Sprinkling in a hint of romance between a few characters while still keeping it light is another wonderful thing about the story. There were definitely some chuckles along the way.

While mystery is one of my favorite genres, this mystery slogged along with few real developments and convenient conclusions. Typically, in Amish fiction, you get that sense of the community the characters live in. That didn't seem to be a big focus for this story. It also felt like moments of faith were haphazardly tossed in. Now, this is supposed to be a light mystery, so that could be intentional on the part of the authors. 

Michael and Melissa's storyline was the most compelling because it came from the heart. That's what propelled me to continue with The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie's Biscuits. This storyline offered the most satisfying conclusion for me as a reader. 

If you enjoy lighthearted mysteries filled with quirky characters, then The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie's Biscuits could be just what you're looking for. 

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CYD821C4
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Barbour Fiction (January 1, 2025)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8891510111

I received a paperback from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Mar 3

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.     

Welcome to the first Monday of March. It is a cold one here. In an effort to bring on spring, I started my seeds indoors. I am also trying to keep the Lil' Diva's aloe vera plants alive since she forgets to water them. I brought the grow light back into my office for additional light. 

Other than that, preparing for a closing, and I spent two whole days and two half days handwriting notes to my clients to mail out their annual seed packets. It's a fun activity, but it does take me a while. Most of them will go out today. 

More photos from my week...

The snow behind our house is almost gone. We are expecting rain this week, so if it warms up for long enough, we might be done with it for a while. Of course, I feel like we will have a bit more snow before spring officially arrives. 

Picked up the Lil' Princess from the airport last night. She is home for the week! Travis was patiently waiting while I washed her comforter and pillowcases so that her bed was ready for her. 

In case you missed them, I reviewed the following books last week. 

Review here

Review here

I am reading this one.

These are next. 

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

No new physical books, but I was approved for this book last week. You will see I reviewed it yesterday. 

Upcoming events:

• Sunset Bay by Karen Stewart - Mar 11 (First Chapter Review)
• Gitel's Freedom by Iris Mitlin Lav - Date TBD (Review) 

At Christmas Year Round I posted about The Hallmark Experience, which will be back in 2025. You can read my post here. 

At The Children's and Teens' Book Connection I reviewed one of my new NetGalley downloads. You can read the review here.

At Laura's Little Houses, I compared The Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie to the pilot of the Little House on the Prairie show. You can read that here.  

That's it from me today. Looking forward to visiting your blogs.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Feb 24

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.    

Happy Monday! Hope you had a fabulous week. I'm working on keeping the productivity cycle going and also started with a nutritional counselor to get my diet in line with my needs. I feel good, but want to feel better. Once the diet is all set, I will figure out the next piece of the puzzle--exercise. Here are photos from last week:

Thursday was awards night for the RAPV. I brought home one for my sales and one for my participation in my local association. 

We dog-sat while my brother-in-law and his family were away. 

Made enchiladas on Saturday. I had the stuffing mix on top of corn tortillas because flour tortillas don't fit into the new diet. 

As far as books go, I finished this one. Loved it! My review was posted on Sunday. 

Look for my review of this true crime book today. 

I am also reading this one. 

These are next.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

These books that I had ordered arrived last week. 

Upcoming events:

• Review of Body Parts by Catlin Rother - Feb 24 (Review)
• Sunset Bay by Karen Stewart - Mar 11 (First Chapter Review)
• Gitel's Freedom by Iris Mitlin Lav - Date TBD (Review) 

At Christmas Year Round I shared the number of Christmas titles in my TBR pile. How many do you have?

I didn't post at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection this week, but I did request a couple of children's books from NetGalley, so that could change soon. At the end of March, I will post my quarterly writing update. 

At Laura's Little Houses, I posted:

• Review of the 2021 Lifetime movie, Highway to Heaven, which was based upon the 1980s show of the same name starring Michael Landon and Victor French. 
• After cataloging my books, I shared how many titles on my shelves have some tie in to Laura Ingalls Wilder, her family, her books, and the shows and movies based upon them. You can find that here. 
• I also talked about the Little House: Fifty for 50 Anniversary Podcast hosted by Pamela Bob that features Little House on the Prairie cast members Dean Butler and Alison Arngrim. You can find that post here.

That's it for me today. Hope you enjoy your week. I look forward to visiting your blogs.