This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
It’s been a very quiet week. Himself has been going off to work as usual, though he says the trains are nearly empty. And I’ve gone nowhere, other than shopping in town last Tuesday, while Himself whisked around the supermarket. It was cold earlier in the week and the pictures are of frost-covered plants from the garden taken one brisk morning.
I was a bit surprised when WordPress told me this week that I’d just reached my twelve-year blogging anniversary – where does the time go? Other than that, I’ve been working at home, catching up on the blog, working with my father-in-law on his memoirs and writing the opening act of Trouble With Dwarves. And reeling at the numbers of people falling sick…
Last week I read:
Haunted House Ghost – Book 5 of the Braxton Campus mysteries by James J. Cudney
It’s Halloween, and excitement is brewing in Braxton to carve jack-o’-lanterns, go on haunted hayrides, and race through the spooky corn maze at the Fall Festival.
Despite the former occupant’s warnings, Kellan renovates and moves into a mysterious old house. When a ruthless ghost promises retribution, our fearless professor turns to the eccentric town historian and an eerie psychic to communicate with the apparition. Meanwhile, construction workers discover a fifty-year-old skeleton after breaking ground on the new Memorial Library wing.
While Kellan and April dance around the chemistry sparking between them, a suspicious accident occurs at the Fall Festival. Soon, Kellan discovers the true history and dastardly connections of the Grey family. But can he capture the elusive killer – and placate the revenge-seeking ghost.
This was great fun, with lots of Halloween goodness – and goodies – in amongst the twisting plot that dear Kellan finds himself confronted with. We also have a ringside seat to his rather tangled personal life, which I keep hoping will get a bit happier and more settled… Review to follow.
Cruel as the Grave – Book 22 of the Bill Slider mysteries by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Fitness trainer Erik Lingoss is found dead in his west London flat, his head smashed by one of his own dumbbells. His heartlessly-dumped girlfriend, blood on her clothes and hands, is the prime suspect. She had means, opportunity, and motive.
But is the case as clear-cut as it seems? Handsome Erik Lingoss had clients in high places; and he seemed to engender powerful emotions. If it was a crime of passion, there was plenty of that to go round: love strong as death, jealousy cruel as the grave. Who did he let in to his flat that evening? Where is his missing mobile phone? Why is seven hundred pounds in cash stuffed under his pillow? The deeper Slider and his team dig, the clearer it becomes there’s far more to this case than meets the eye.
I loved this gloriously plotted police procedural – Harrod-Eagles absolutely nails it in this classy whodunit, which was difficult to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, as I particularly appreciated the lighter touches that meant it wasn’t too gloomy, yet still being mindful that someone had died. Nicely done! Review to follow.
My posts last week:
Castellan the Black and His Wise Draconic Sayings
AUDIOBOOK Review of Finding the Fox – Book 1 of The Shape-Shifter series by Ali Sparkes
Friday Face-off featuring Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke
Review of INDIE Ebook A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
My 2020 Reading Year – the Statistics
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Doors of Sleep – Journals of Zaxony Delatree by Tim Pratt
Sunday Post – 10th January 2021
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
SPFBO Finalist Super Sale https://mlwangbooks.com/spfbo-finalist-super-sale/ For Fantasy fans of all types – this is a fantastic opportunity to pick up some marvellous reads for only $0.99 each. It lasts until 20th January, so nip across and take a look…
Reptile Dysfunction https://blogging807.wordpress.com/2021/01/14/reptile-dysfunction-2/ My lovely blogging pal Rae reblogged this series of funnies – check them out if you’d like a good laugh…
A year like none other before https://earthianhivemind.net/2021/01/03/a-year-like-none-other-before/ And yes… I know that I discovered this one a couple of weeks after it was posted – but I really like Steph’s message. And I thought her comparison with what her grandmother had endured in her life was both timely and a comfort…
Italy to Australia https://imageearthtravel.com/2020/08/16/italy-to-australia/ For those of you still stranded in Lockdown limbo, like me, you might also find this enjoyable…
EOS 10 – SF Podcast – Season 1 https://spaceandsorcery.wordpress.com/2021/01/12/eos-10-sf-podcast-season-1/ Maddalena has reviewed this podcast and provided a link for those who might like to try it out…
Thank you for visiting, reading, liking and/or commenting on my blog. I hope you had a peaceful, healthy week – and do take care. x
Brainfluff 
Happy Blogoversary 🎈
The frost tipped leaves look pretty, like they’ve been dipped in sugar 🙂
Wishing you a great reading week, stay well x
Thank you, Shelleyrae:). And yes, they looked so pretty, which is why I fished out my camera. I’ve more I’ll be featuring on Tuesday… I hope you, too, have a great reading week.
Your pictures – be they of the beauties in your garden or of the delightful places you visit – have now become a welcome weekly feature that help dispel the dreariness of the season and of these times… 🙂
Wow 12 years??! Amazing. Time does fly, doesn’t it? My 10 year blogging anniversary is coming up this summer, so I know how you feel. I love the plants with frost. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in person. Have a good week!
Those are some stunning pictures you took of the frost covered plants. It’s so pretty when the plants have that layer of frost. We had some wet snow here yesterday which looked pretty, but it’s all gone by now. Congrats on reaching your 12th blogoversary! That’s awesome. I hope you’ll have a great week!
The plants look lovely! And congrats on 12 years of blogging. That is quite an accomplishment.
Cruel as the grave sounds good! How interesting that you are helping your father in law with his memoirs. That can only be good. I sometimes think I should spend more time with my husband’s step grandmother. She sure has so great stories to tell! I spend time with her, but maybe we should write down her memoirs..!
Hope you will have a good week, take good care of yourself and thanks for stopping by!
Congrats on 12 years! That’s great. Those plants look really nice. The Cudney series looks really good. I have that on my wishlist. Hope you have a great week!
Your photos of the frost-covered plants are lovely. We guard ours here against frost; frost kills plants around here.
Going nowhere? That’s my basic travel plans for this winter and spring…and probably summer and fall.
Congratulations on reaching your twelve year anniversary on your blog!
Hope you will stay well and safe.
Yes – I suppose I ought to guard my plants against frost here, too. However, I’m afraid that stuff in my garden has to take its chances. It will be the echiums that are likely to die if we have too many frosts. Other than that, most of the plants will cope.
Happy 12th blogoversary ! Those frosty plants are beautiful, there’s even a flower 🙂 Enjoy staying home safe, have a zen week…
Thank you, Iza – a zen week would be very welcome, just now:)). And yes – I’m not sure what those plants are playing at, still flowering in the dead of winter, but they’ve no business doing so… I hope you, too, have a peaceful, healthy week.
Oh my gosh! Your frost-covered plants look beautiful! Thank you for sharing. We can´t do much during these times, can we. But it is nice that you´re helping your father-in-law with his memoirs.
Thank you, Vi. Yes – the ice across the plants looked beautiful. And yes… helping my father-in-law is an honour, given what an busy life he’s had.
I hope you have a lovely week:)
Twelve years already! Wow congratulations ! And I am surprised that you still have to take the train while so many are homeworking.
Oh no… I don’t take the train. Sorry – I should have explained that Himself is train driver – he’s a key worker and does go out every day…
As for twelve years – it was quite a shock when good ol’ WordPress sent me the message, so I checked and discovered they were right:)). Have a great week, Sophie.
I love the photos!
I am close to having 12 years on WP! I started there in 2009, after blogging for a year on Blogger. Except for the Block Editor, I am loving WP. Actually, I have pretty well settled into Block Editor.
Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting my blog.
Thank you, Laurel and visiting your blog is always a pleasure:). Congratulations! Actually the reason why I don’t make more of a fuss about my 12 year anniversay, is that my first effort was a bit of a false start. It wasn’t until I started regularly writing book reviews that the blog gathered some momentum. And yes – I’ve now noticed I can wrap text around pictures again – yay!! I’ve now got the measure of the block editor, too.
A quiet, peaceful week, it seems. Mine was similar. Thanks for the mention. Keep those Castillian quotes a’ comin’.
You’re very welcome – and I’m sure Castellan will have plenty to say in the weeks to come. He’s not backward in coming forward:))
Good if it sells books, it’s worth it!
Thank you:)))
I like your frost covered plants! I hope you and your husband stay healthy. I haven’t read any books by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and I think I need to rectify that!
I hope you have a great week! I love your Castellan quotes!
Thank you, Jan – they did look beautiful covered with ice. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Himself and me avoid being infected. It’s a bit of a worry, because he is a key worker and has to go out every day.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is working reading – her books aren’t cheap, but they are readily available in most libraries. Glad you like Castellan’s observations and I hope that you, too, have a lovely week:)
Happy Blog Anniversary! It sounds like you had a nice week over all. I like the photos you shared of your plants. I need to check on my roses today, not that I am thinking about plants . . . I’ve been neglecting them. Thank goodness for automatic sprinklers, at least. I hope your writing is coming along well. Take care, Sarah. Have a great week!
Thank you, Wendy – it was a bit of a shock to realise I had been blogging for such a long time! And yes… I’m very much neglecting my garden too. It generally has to take care of itself during the winter. I hope you, too, have a great week:)
Happy blogiversary! 12 years is a milestone for sure. Working with your father-in-law on his memoirs sounds very interesting to me! Very curious about what it’s like.
Hope you have a good week ahead!
Thank you, Athira – yes… I was quite shaken to think my blog has been going that long.
And yes, it’s quite an intense experience working with my father-in-law, but such a privilege.
Quiet is great. I love the plant photos! Congrats on the long term blogging. Stay safe and well Sarah.
Thank you, Anne. And you’re absolutely right – quiet IS good:)). Glad you like the plant photos and thank you for your good wishes regarding my 12th blogoversary… I hope you have a much better week.
Thank you for recognising my blog in this post – much appreciated!
You’re welcome – I’m not the only person who will love your pictures from your travels, now we’re all so trapped…
Very kind of you to say, thank you 🙂
Time flies doesn’t it. My 11th year of blogging rolls around next month. Thanks for sharing the frosty photos, Sarah:)
Haunted House Ghost and Cruel as the Grave both look good. Happy 12 years of blogging! I love the garden pictures. I live in the southern US so we have such different plants and growing seasons. I hope you have a wonderful week!
Thank you, Katherine – I always enjoy looking at people’s gardens on their blogs, as they clearly are dealing with different climates and plants, too:). Haunted House Ghost and Cruel as the Grave are both great murder mysteries, though completely different. I hope that you all have a great week, too!
Wow that’s quite the frost. We got some snow here but luckily just flurries, not anything wet or heavy. And congrats! That’s awesome!!!!! 12 years is amazing. 🙂
I saw a Reptile Dysfunction post this past week and it cracked me up.
Hope you had a wonderful weekend 🙂
Yes – we haven’t had all that many frosts yet, but our worst weather generally comes in Jan and Feb. And thank you for your kind congratulations – it certainly doesn’t seem that long that the blog has been going.
It was a quiet, peaceful weekend, as Himself was working throughout – but that’s always a win, these days. Have good week, Greg:).
Wow.. Congratulations on your 12 year blogiversary! That’s amazing.
Yes those COVID numbers are terrible. I wish we could see the end of it coming any time soon.
Have a great week and happy reading.
Thank you, Maureen – I hope that you, too, have a great week:)
Congrats on the blogiversary! It’s awesome that you have flowers and green plants during the winter. Everything here is dead or under snow.
Urg! That must get depressing! Until quite recently, the grass was still growing. That didn’t used to happen when I was a girl, but the winters are now a lot milder.
Happy blogiversary!
Thank you so much, Shannon. Yes, I was a bit shaken when the little message appeared:)).
Wow…12 years?! Congrats, and glad that I found your blog:)
What a lovely thing to say, Becky. Thank you so much! And I’m very glad I’ve found your blog, too. Though you should already know that, given I share your posts…
Wow, Happy Blogoversary to you! 12 years is a very impressive milestone. The COVID numbers are getting worse here too. We had been averaging around 4,000 cases a day in my state, but all of the sudden yesterday we hit 10,000 cases. Pretty scary stuff. Thanks for sharing the photos of your flowers. I got excited on my walk this morning when I saw some green shoots coming up in one of my flower beds so hoping I’ll have some lovely plants of my own soon.
Thank you, Suzanne – it is quite a shock to think I’ve been blogging for such a long – I always tend to think of it as my ‘new hobby’, lol…
Yes… right now our infection rates are running at around 38,000, though they were up to 60,000 a day last week. But our hospitals are currently flat out – and the numbers needing their care are going to go on growing for at least another 3 weeks:((. It’s grim.
On a lighter note – so glad when the green shoots appear. I have catkins growing on my hazel tree and I need to check to see if my witchhazel is flowering… It’s always lovely to see signs of growth at this time of year!
Congrats on 12 years blogging! That’s awesome. 🙂
I’m oddly reassured by your husband’s trains being pretty empty… It hopefully means people are staying home like they’re supposed to and we may get out of this mess sooner than later. The numbers are shocking at the moment. 😦
Hope you have a good week!
Thank you, Nicci:)). And yes – I completely agree that it’s reassuring that the trains have been so empty. The deathrate is utterly grim:((. I hope that you, too, have a good week.
Happy 12 year anniversary! I’m coming up on 10 years this summer. Time is certainly flying.
I know! Where does Time go? I think day, weeks – and particularly months have been devalued since I was a girl…
Congratulations on your 12 year blog anniversary. What did that time go to! I will raise a glass to you (later of course) to plenty more blogging years yet to come.
Lynn 😀
Twelve years?!?! Goodness, that’s awesome! Many congrats, my friend, and I hope you were able to have a moment to celebrate it! xxxxxxxx
Yes… I was more surprised than anything else! If you’d have asked me, I’d have said 9 or maybe 10 years? So I was shocked, really… I’m hopeless at recalling what happened when!