For the Love of Reading: #WOYBS and #Shareyourshelf

Welcome to my What's On Your BookShelf post. The #WOYB link party is hosted by Deb, Jo, Jennifer and Bernie....all gals I follow on a few other link parties. I love their blogs. Go check them out. #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge You can link up on the third Thursday of the month.

I also decided to link this with #shareyourshelf hosted by some great bloggers I follow, like Joanne. I'll link it on the week they post theirs, which is the first Thursday of each month. 

My rating system:

⭐ DNF (which there's a reason), story lacking any depth, grammatical or spelling errors (too many), just did not enjoy it and enough because maybe it wasn't my type of book. If I can't get into it after 1/4 of the way (or less), I don't want to waste my time. Don't bother reading

⭐⭐ Story line is a bit all over the place, struggle to read it but maybe it had some redeeming parts. Characters  or story line weren't believable or too unrealistic. I wouldn't want to read it again. Grammar wasn't "realistic". Too many storylines going on at the same time. Read it or don't read it.

⭐⭐⭐ Solid story line and characters. I liked it but didn't necessarily LOVE it, but I didn't HATE it either. I may have felt that it dragged on, or had parts that weren't necessary to the story. Maybe was a little hard to follow. Probably wouldn't recommend but it wasn't a total disaster.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A really great read that I enjoyed picking up each time. I enjoyed it from front to back. The characters and storyline were really good.  As someone said "a truly good book, but missing the cherry on top".  Go ahead and read it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book knocked it out of the park and I couldn't put it down. OR it was a book that really opened my eyes to something or taught me something about someones life. One I have bookmarked and even taken notes. It left me wanting to read more by the author or more in the series. Definitely go read. 

I've probably already said it....I love my rating system, but I'm not always great at following it. I hate leaving low ratings...lol. I also realized that I probably rate cozy mysteries a bit different since they are usually very simple. If it was really good and cozy, it'll most likely get a 5, otherwise it's probably a 4. 

What I read in September:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 3 by Beth Brower ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am still loving these books...the never cease to make me laugh out loud. I'm only three books in, we're following the same cast of characters going a bit deeper into a few of their lives. There are 8 books so far with a 9th scheduled to release in February 2027. I'm curious to see how they progress. 

A Suspicious Breed (Low Country Dog Walker) By Jackie Layton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Most cozy mysteries will get 5 stars. This series was a fun read and I loved all the characters. Each book introduced someone new. This was the last in the series, and I was kind of sad, but it was a good final ending! I won't give anything away but this one sees Andi Grace and her fiancee nearing their wedding with plenty of shenanigans and murder vying for her attention. As always, I'm left guessing who did it. 

We'll Prescribe You a Cat #1 by Syou Ishida ⭐⭐

I was bummed with this one. I listened to it on audio and the authors fell short for me. The idea of the book was cute, somewhat along the lines of the Kamogawa Food Detectives, but "patients" are prescribed cats to help what ails them. Maybe if I actually read the book I might have enjoyed it more, listening just didn't work. 

Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human by Carlos Whittaker ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have followed Carlos Whittaker for a few years on Instagram and enjoy both his and his wifes content. I have the physical copy of this book but when I saw it was available on audiobook I decided to get it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now to go back and mark some spots in the book. Carlos spends 7 weeks with monks and amish farmers without the technology he normally relies on. Granted not everyone can do this, that's not the world we live in, BUT he was able to and thus used it as an experiment of sorts. Instead of considering it "disconnecting", he saw it as "reconnecting". Before he left, he had a brain scan, and then another at the end. His key takeaways...own your phone, don't let it own you, Notice the world around you, embrace boredom, lower the noise.  

Diamond in the Ruff (Wiggle Butt Manor Mystery) by Cindy Goyette ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a first in this series and the first by this local author. It was a fun read. Charlie Calderbank heads to Orca Cove to help her aunt recover after an accident. Having her dreams of being a police officer crushed by a debilitating disease she heads to a place she visited often as a young person. Her aunt who owns a doggy hotel needs help and one of the dogs owners is late for a pickup things get really interesting. Of course there's murder and a love interest. 

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by William H. McRaven ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a short listen and I really enjoyed it. I think I had heard an IG story about it and thought I'd look it up. It is short, only 2 hours to listen, and with practical points from lessons the author learned as a Navy Seal. He gave a speech at University of Texas Austin that the book is based off.

Autumn at the Cat Cafe by Kathleen Fuller ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a cute Rom-com..a cozy rom-com...I read this for a Fable book club and really enjoyed it. It was clean, I loved the characters and I would read more by the author. Via owns a cat cafe. When her somewhat crotchety friend, who owns the bookstore next door passes, his estranged nephew shows up after hearing he inherited the store. Via sets out to convince him not to sell...his uncle had stipulations that must be fulfilled in order to receive it. It was a sweet love story that I really enjoyed. 

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have heard some people not enjoying this book, but it was such a refreshing read after some heavier books. As I read, I found myself beginning to look for the hidden message Theo was trying to show the receiver of the gifts. I even found that I could relate to a few of them. I loved how he saw something in each photo that the receiver didn't see in themselves. They walked away with hope, perhaps with a new way of viewing themselves. I think the book needs to be read and reviewed not as a typical "novel" as I don't think it fits that category fully but maybe more like an allegory. I found myself reading it not so much as a whole, but for each individual encounter, with Theos life woven in between. There will be those who are going to hate it no matter what...I read some comments and thought "this person could use a portrait and a Theo in their life". We should all be looking to draw out the gold in peoples lives. We may not see their "portraits on a wall", but we look at faces every day! What can we draw out. 

I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was trying to find books for a few of the prompts in the 52 book club and I was struggling to find some books I thought I'd be interested in. I mentioned before that I just won't read a book for the sake of fulfilling the prompt. I can't remember if I spotted this one on the goodreads list or when googling books. It is a kids book, I'd say for 5th grade and up. I listened to it on Audiobook (2 hours), but you know, it was good. I actually was thinking that my grandson might enjoy it. It is a series, where kids are the heroes in natural disasters, or scary situations. The author shares at the end that she started the series in hopes to help her boys love to read. This story follows 11 year old Jessie and her two best friends. While near the mountain with her friends father on May 10th, 1980 they get caught in the crosshairs of the eruption. The story starts weeks before and follows the "before" incidents that led to the eruption. The author had some great informational facts at the end as well. I actually have another one on hold to listen to for the prompt "in ancient civilization" about Pompeii

Meltdown in Christmas River (Christmas River Cozy #10) by Meg Muldoon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm silly and decided to join another challenge (I mean how many can I reasonably do)...but this one is a Cozy Mystery Road Trip challenge. One book read for each state. I think the idea is to read one a week...but that's NOT going to happen, so I'm taking my time and just trying to read one from each state (cuz that sounded fun) and finish whenever I finish. This book takes place in Oregon, in the fictional town of Christmas River (how cute), we follow Cinnamon (who owns a pie shop) as she tries to keep her grandfather from falling off his roof, baking pies for fundraisers, the nursing home and her shop, annnnddd keeping herself and others from being arrested for the murder of the town gossip who is wrecking havoc on everyone's lives. As far as cozies go, I would say this one isn't a completely typical cozy in that the romance is stronger as are the swearing, though it is mild. I guess it could be considered a more "realistic" cozy...I don't know.  Okay, I ended up finished it in September and actually really enjoyed it. Woven throughout the book were some really great quotes and thoughts, which I don't often find in Cozies. I think I would definitely read more in the series, and since this was book 10, I'd start at the beginning. 

Currently Reading: 

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

This is our next in person book club read. I'm on chapter 3 and enjoying it so far, though one of the characters drops the F bomb and I'm thinking "okay, how many are there going to be?"...sorry, it's my least favorite swear word..haha! I'm also hoping it's a somewhat clean read..after we chose it I saw a few reviews so I'm just wondering what we're in for....(insert cringe face). Anyways...Dolly returns home for the summer with her 13 year old son to help her father and disabled brother to hopefully keep them from losing their home. She runs into the the very wealthy Stewart Whitfield, and a story ensues. There's a supposed arrangement, that I'm guessing she accepts to help pay for the fixes on the family home. We'll see. 

Murder at the Movies (A Secret Bookcase Mystery #2) by Ellie Alexander

I've enjoyed the books I've ready by Ellie and this is the second in the series and takes place in California which is the next stop on the Cozy mystery road trip. After a successful first festival, Annie Murray hosts a small town film festival...but of course someone has to die and it's a film critic and there are many who were not his biggest fans. 

A Twist of Trouble (Cafe Crimes Cozy Mystery) by Simone Stier

This one is for my Challenge from Rosalie Spielman and the theme for October is a non-human character. this is the 13th book in the series. The main character is a former true-crime podcaster who now owns her own cafe called Catch You Latte. As they gear up for Halloween with ghost tours, all things pumpkin spice and her employees pranks, they gt more than they bargained for when a body is discovered in a supposedly haunted manor. 

The Littlest Library  by Poppy Alexander

Still plugging away at this one. Actually I haven't picked it up in awhile. I need to remedy that. 

Book Challenges: 

The book challenges are plugging along. I haven't added too many to the 52 Book Club Mystery Challenge. In fact I don't think I've added anything since the last post so I didn't include that graphic.

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin