Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Wish I'd Discovered Sooner

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but if you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews requests that you share your link in their weekly post on their website (which will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Visit the other bloggers participating to see what they discuss that week. Comments are appreciated. 

Today is Wednesday, which means it is time for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. I may not have replied to any of your comments from last week yet. So sorry if that is the case. Real estate is keeping me up late at night and getting up early in the morning. Send some good wishes and prayers my way that things slow down to a manageable level. 

This week's prompt asks us to share Books I Wish I'd Discovered Sooner. Here are a few:

Harry Potter - I've discussed this before. I don't read highly popular books and series. I am not a follower. The final movie had been out for four years before I stopped by the library to grab the first book in this series. Then I listened to them in quick succession in my car as I drove around to appointments. 

Murder, She Wrote - I loved the show, but I never indulged in a book until Jon Land, one of my favorite authors, took over after Donald Bain passed away. Land wrote six Murder, She Wrote books. I read his last two.

Cedar Cove - This is a series I knew about, but I find it disheartening to start a new-to-me series when so many books have been written. It was the Hallmark Channel television series that got me into reading these books. I've only read the first three books and one of the Christmas novels. 

I would be remiss if I didn't add Amish novels by Charlotte Hubbard. I first read Charlotte's work in 2012, when she also wrote Amish novels under the pen name Naomi King. As far as I know, I didn't miss any of her novels from that point on until her retirement. I still miss her work. 

That's it for me. I will try my best to visit your blogs by the end of the week. Appreciate your visits and comments. 

Book Review: Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Season by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land

 

Another Cabot Cove mystery filled with tons of twists and turns is what you'll find in Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Season by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land. 

Christmas is coming to Cabot Cove. Everyone is preparing for the annual town festivities, and Jessica is eager to be moving back to her beloved home. That is until two sets of bones--one ancient and one about a year old--are discovered on Jessica's property. 

When tabloid reporter Tad Hollenbeck arrives in Cabot Cove to write  a story about "the murder capital of the country," and is subsequently murdered, Jessica speculates his death and the discovery of the bones may be linked. 

As Jessica searches for the connection between the bones and Hollenbeck's murder, she will need to dig deep into her beloved town's dark history to solve this one... hopefully before Christmas dinner.

Murder in Season reads just like the episodes of Murder, She Wrote I used to watch in the 80s and 90s. Jessica finds herself in the middle of a mystery in her beloved town, which she sets about helping local sheriff Mort Metzger solve. Subplots involve the annual Christmas show and parade and some special visitors Jessica is happy to entertain. 

As the mystery unfolds, the reader needs to pick up on clues or they might be misdirected in their thoughts of who the guilty party is. I truly thought I had figured it out, all to learn I missed the mark. That's what I love about these mysteries. I don't mind being stumped if it makes sense in the end. Land is good at that.

The latest three Murder, She Wrote novels have a new co-author, so I will check them out to see how they compare.  

Murder In Season is a fabulous, engaging seasonal mystery. 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (November 24, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1984804367
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1984804365

I received this book as a gift from my Amazon wish list. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Murder, She Wrote - The Murder of Twelve by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land

 

A blizzard is coming. A blizzard is coming. And Jessica and a dozen members of a wedding party are stuck at Hill House with a killer!!!

In the 51st book of the Murder, She Wrote series, Jessica is still staying at Hill House hotel while her Cabot Cove home is being rebuilt. As a winter storm of historic proportions blasts into town, she finds herself trapped with twelve members of a wedding party whose plans are waylaid by the storm. But the blizzard is the least of their worries when they discover there is a murderer in their midst who is determined to take them out one by one. 

Though a huge fan of the show, I have never read a Murder, She Wrote mystery. When I saw, however, that Jon Land was now involved, I knew I had to order some. 

The Murder of Twelve starts out with well-known residents of the town--the local doctor, sheriff and bestselling author--talking about the predicted once-in-century storm. The banter amongst the three is a fun way to start this mystery off light, and it really captures the essence of the cozy mystery in setting up the small town. It is also one way that Land allowed me to feel right at home while reading my first Murder, She Wrote novel, because it truly plays out exactly as I would have imagined. 

The writing is superb. The mystery is fun to unravel. And all of it comes to a satisfying conclusion with no loose ends. Now, I am ready to read the next book in the series, Murder in Season. A small town mystery can only be made better by setting it during Christmas, right? 

I look forward to reading more Murder, She Wrote novels with Jon Land giving Jessica Fletcher a hand.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (May 26, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1984804332
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1984804334

This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Getting Ready: My Vacation Books

We are heading to the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Saturday. So thrilled to be finalizing all the work details, making packing lists, and figuring out what books to bring. Well, that last part was easy. 

Here is what will be coming with me either on my Kindle or as a softcover.

Looks like a whole lot of mystery with a tiny bit of fantasy. What do you think of my beach reads? What do you enjoy reading while you are on vacation?

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Murder She Wrote: Hook, Line, and Murder

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick for this week:

Murder, She Wrote was one of my TV favorites when it originally aired. I've gotten to watch the series again thanks to Netflix. Since cozy mysteries remain one of my favorite genres of books, this one is right up my alley.

The USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote mystery series continues as Jessica Fletcher takes a relaxing getaway that turns into a reel deadly situation...

Jessica enters a fly-fishing competition at a nearby lake. Joining her is the sheriff’s wife, Maureen Metzger, who surprises Jess with her enthusiasm for the sport. Their guide, however, is a surprise to both...

Brian Kinney is an ex-con. Jailed as an accomplice to Darryl Jepson, a convicted killer, Brian was later exonerated, but not before spending seven years behind bars. He seems like a decent enough fellow. Just a man trying to rebuild his life as a family man and fishing guide.

Yet when Jepson breaks out of prison vowing revenge, and the lawyer for both men is found murdered, Cabot Cove becomes the focus of the nation as local, state, and federal authorities descend on Jessica’s hometown. And to add to the tension, Maureen has gone missing. Is she lost or is she a hostage? Jess soon finds herself caught in a netful of lies, deceit and ulterior motives. In order to save her friend, she’ll need to find some answers by hook or by crook...


What are you "waiting on" this week?