Waiting on Wednesday - Last One Out

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

I have enjoyed all the books I've read by Australian author Jane Harper.  She has a new book coming out in April, though it is already available in Australia.  I'm very much looking forward to trying this new one.  I really liked Jane's books that feature Federal Agent Aaron Falk.  She has written a few standalones as well and I haven't quite made my way through all of them.  Not sure if this new book will be part of a series, but I'm on board to try it.  How about you?  Read any Jane Harper books?  What did you think?

Last One Out

by Jane Harper

Publication Date: April 14th

From the New York Times bestselling author of Exiles and The Dry comes a captivating new novel set in a modern ghost town.

Carralon Ridge, a once vibrant village in rural New South Wales, has become a shell of itself, its houses and buildings bought up and left to rot by the mining company operating at its borders. A decade into its slow death, surrounded by industrial noise and swathed in thick layers of dust, the skeletal town is all but abandoned, with just a handful of residents clinging onto what remains.

After years of scorning those who left the Ridge behind as it fell into ruin, Ro never imagined she'd become one of them. But everything changed when she lost her son. Five years ago, Sam vanished while visiting during a break from college, leaving behind a rental car with his belongings inside. Sam had loved Carralon Ridge, and had been working on an oral history of the town to preserve its legacy before it vanished altogether. It wasn't long after his disappearance that the rest of the family began to crumble away too.

But when Ro returns to Carralon Ridge to be with her husband and daughter on the anniversary of Sam's disappearance, she begins to suspect that something important was overlooked in his case. Because while nothing can stop Carralon Ridge from dying, someone seems to want to make sure that its secrets die with it.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Harvey Girl

 'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

This week's 'Waiting on...' book is by an author that I have enjoyed for years.  Dana Stabenow has written over 20 books in her Kate Shugak series, set in Alaska.  She has also written other mystery series and also books in other genres.  Dana is from Alaska, but I believe she has spent part of most years in Arizona lately.  Her new book is the historical time period of the Old West.  I think it sounds like one I definitely want to try.  What do you think?  Interested??

The Harvey Girl

by Dana Stabenow

Publication Date:  March 3rd

From the award-winning author of the Kate Shugak Mysteries, a thrilling new detective series set during America's wild boom time and frontier expansion of the nineteenth century.

WELCOME TO THE GILDED AGE. WHERE NOT EVERYTHING GLITTERS.

1890: the Gilded Age, a period of financial success and political corruption. The United States is growing at a breathless rate, with six new states recently added to the Union.

With expansion comes an influx of crime. Outlaw gangs hold sway on the frontier and heists and robberies are commonplace. A lot of businesses shrug off these depredations as the cost of success. Those who don't hire the Pinkerton Detective Agency to get their money back.

The Pinkertons' newest operative is twenty-two-year-old Clare Wright. Highly educated, skilled with disguises, and handy enough in a fight, Clare's future in the agency seems bright. But when she's introduced to Fred Harvey, she finds herself thrown right into the heady mix of frontier life.

Harvey's Arizona hotel has been robbed and Clare is the perfect recruit to solve this mystery. Clare must infiltrate high society and win the confidence of killers like Butch Cassidy as she seeks the truth.

Happy Valentine's Day and a short reading update...

 

Happy Valentine's Day to all!  Yes, that is a red velvet cupcake above.  No, I didn't have it this year for Valentine's Day, but my daughter did make us some of those several years ago.  Looks yummy, doesn't it?  We did go out for a Valentine's Day dinner last evening and enjoyed some tasty seafood and then actually ordered dessert.  I had a sort of brownie thing with a salted caramel sauce and tiny scoop of chocolate chip ice cream with it.  It wasn't a huge serving at all, but it was tasty and definitely enough.  

As I'm sitting here writing this, we have rain falling outside.  Not a storm or not yet (hope it doesn't progress to that), but just some quiet moisture that we can definitely use.  The wildflowers will need some in order to be able to bloom in quantity.  The moisture will also tamp down some of the pollen that has been blowing in and around quite freely.  Since cedar pollen and I don't get along, anything to help with that is welcome.  I have had some pretty bad sinus headaches this week and I hate those.  

My reading has been a bit slow, but I did finish a couple of books this week and attended one book group.  I didn't get to go to our mystery book group meeting because of a sinus headache and so had to miss talking about The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict.  I did enjoy that one though and hope they had a good discussion.  I also attended that 'Book Cafe' group and had nice time talking with others about their recent reading.  I forgot to make notes though and so don't have titles to share - sorry.

The first book I read this week was a re-read of The Wonder Test by Michelle Richmond.  I originally read that book back in 2021 and wrote about it in a post here.  I did enjoy it again and remembered why I often like mysteries or thrillers that include private schools or those type of settings.  I think I would like a sequel to this one because of the mother's FBI agent profession.

The second book I read was new to me - This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page.  This one was published recently and I had seen a couple of really positive reviews by other bloggers.  It's a very touching, sweet story, but I will warn you that it does contain sadness as well.  Tilly Nightingale has lost her husband and six months after his passing, she receives a birthday gift from him for her to pick up at a local bookshop.  Joe, her husband, has given her a year of books - one for each month.  He wanted to help her get back to her reading, which she had almost stopped while he was ill, and also encourage her to get through this time and heal.  One interesting thing is the author has the book divided into the months of the year and each month has a theme and some suggestions for books that would fit that theme.  That's a gift to the reader for sure.  I'll tease you by saying that the first sentence in the book is:  'The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever.'  I thought this book was lovely and since I completely agree with the first sentence, I highly recommend it.

Think that's about all I have to share.  Again, Happy Valentine's Day!  And hope all of you have a nice reading week to come.  I'll be back around soon.      

Waiting on Wednesday - Her Last Breath

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

The book I'm featuring this week is by an author that I haven't read as yet.  However, the setting of the book drew me in.  I've mentioned that I love mountains and mountain settings.  I also have visited a few caves that can be toured - not that I'm a 'caver' by any means.  I have gone to Carlsbad Caverns several times and also gone on tours through mines in Colorado.  I will say that they don't necessarily make me super comfortable, but I can manage.  The description of the story here made me want to pick it up.  Have you read books by Taylor Adams (I do have a couple of others by him to read on my shelves)?  Have you toured caves or caverns and enjoyed them?  What do you think?

Her Last Breath

by Taylor Adams

Publication Date:  February 17th

From the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and The Last Word comes a story of two friends who embark on an ill-fated caving expedition—and the dark truth of what happens deep underground.

After years of excuses, Tess has finally agreed to go caving with her best friend Allie. Their lives have diverged sharply since high school—Allie is a self-made travel influencer, while Tess is a shy (and claustrophobic) legal assistant struggling to pay for law school. Maybe she’s a little jealous of Allie's globe-trotting life. Who wouldn’t be?

As Tess and Allie descend into the depths, they realize they’re not alone. A stranger who claims to be a fellow caver harasses them. Confident, take-no-shit Allie insults the guy—and he retaliates. Soon, Tess is trapped inside a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive.

Twenty-four hours later, as a hospitalized Tess recounts her harrowing story of survival, the detective interviewing her shares new and shocking secrets about Allie's true past. Together, they begin to suspect the brutal attack wasn’t so random after all.

Who was Allie, really? Why did this man target them? And did Tess really leave the danger behind when she escaped the cave?

It's February!

 

Hello book friends!  And it's February and spring will be coming - well, in a few weeks.  No, we are not having bluebonnets yet, but I'm hoping for a good year and so decided to share a picture of them.  Actually, we may not have a good wildflower year because we've not had much moisture and that is needed.  We shall see.  We did have an ice/sleet/freezing rain storm a couple of weeks ago and got through that.  Actually, it wasn't as bad as it could have been because the freezing rain became sleet and that's better for our roads.  I know that I've said before that Central Texas does not deal with freezing moisture well.  Happily, we're on the other side of it.  We'll see if we get another time of super-cold, but hopefully not.

My reading has been kind of slow.  I did read 7 books in January and that's OK enough.  Attended my afternoon book group meeting and also my mystery book group meeting.  I've already shared about the books we discussed.  This next week will hopefully include two book groups.  Our mystery group will meet Thursday evening and we'll be discussing The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict.  I'll try to share what the group thought about it perhaps at the end of next week.  I'm also going to attend a new book group that I've visited a couple of times so far, the 2nd Tuesday of the month.  It's called a 'Book Cafe' and it's at the library where I volunteer a couple of times a week.  In this group, everyone comes and shares what they have been reading, makes suggestions to others for books they might like, and the librarian who leads it usually has a few questions for us talk about or share thoughts on.  I wasn't sure if I would like the format, but decided I would try it and I've liked it a lot.  The group seems to have about 10-11 people and the reading suggestions have been across all genres, but quite interesting.  I'll try to share a bit about what occurs.  I will say that it has concerned me that some libraries seem to be sort of phasing out book groups a bit.  Has that happened at your library?  I'd hate to see 'in-person' book groups that do talk about specific books become a thing of the past.  I'll keep attending mine as long as I can.  

Hope you all have a good weekend!  Are you watching the Olympics?  We are and I'm going to close out this post and go watch more.  Take care and happy reading!  And Happy February!     

Waiting on Wednesday - The Star From Calcutta

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

I am indeed excited about this new book about to be published in the historical mystery series by Sujata Massey which features Perveen Mistry.  This will be #5 in the series and I have really enjoyed the previous four books.  Set in 1920's India, Perveen is the only female lawyer practicing in Bombay.  She is a graduate of Oxford, but without an official degree as women were not allowed that in the 1920's.  Have you read any books in this series or does it sound interesting to you?  Let us know!

The Star From Calcutta

by Sujata Massey

Publication Date:  March 3rd

A movie censor murdered, a leading lady vanished—the glamour, romance, and intrigue of the beginnings of Bollywood come to vivid life in the thrilling new installment of the Perveen Mistry historical mystery series.

India, 1922: Perveen Mistry, the only female lawyer in Bombay, has secured her biggest client yet: Champa Films, a movie studio run by director Subhas Ghoshal and his wife, Rochana, the biggest name in Indian cinema. In the public eye, Rochana is notorious for her beauty and her daring stunts—behind the scenes, she has recently left the studio in Calcutta that made her famous, and the studio owner is enraged by what he claims is a breach of contract. Rochana needs Perveen’s legal help to extricate Champa Films from the impending controversy.

To study Rochana’s glamorous world, Perveen attends a special screening and brings her film fanatic best friend, Alice Hobson-Jones. But in the aftermath of the event, one of the guests is found dead, and to make matters worse, Rochana has disappeared.

To protect her clients, Perveen begins to investigate the developing murder case, peeling back the glitz to reveal a salacious web of blackmail, deceit, and romantic affairs. For the first time in their friendship, Alice seems to be keeping a secret from Perveen. Is she hiding key information about the night of the murder? Will Perveen be able to detangle the truth from lies while protecting herself—and her closest friend?

Waiting on Wednesday - The Astral Library

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

The book I'm waiting on this week is one that I have seen on list after list in the blogging world.  Seems like everyone is looking forward to trying it.  I have read a couple of other books by Kate Quinn and discussed them with book groups.  They were both historical fiction.  Her new one seems to be more in the fantasy genre, but it sounds really good.  Have you read books by this author and did you like them?  Are you looking forward to trying this new one?

The Astral Library

by Kate Quinn

Publication Date:  February 17th

From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn comes a gorgeously written fantastical adventure which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives...inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

My Afternoon Book Group schedule for the first half of 2026....

Hello book buddies!  Hope you are all having a nice weekend!  We are having a cold, icy, sleety, snowy time.  Not my favorite type of weather at all.  Have I said I like spring a lot?  And I'm so ready for it?  Well, I am.  We're just not equipped for cold events like this and also few people know how to drive in it.  I know - this too shall pass.  

I thought I would share what the other book group that I attend is planning for January-June of 2026.  We've already had our January meeting, but I'll talk a bit about that discussion at the end of the post.  This group is the one that I call 'The Afternoon Book Group' - it's in the afternoon on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.  And, yes, it's one that I worked with when I was a library employee.  A very nice lady took it over when I left the library staff and she's still leading it.  Barbara is great!  Here's the first of half of 2026 plan.  Oh, and since a couple of the months have themes with several books that the members can select from, I won't be adding pictures and blurbs to all of them.  I will put a star (*) by the one I'm planning on reading.  

January - Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

A sweeping, tenderhearted love story, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash tells the story of two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own.

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February - Come meet the author!

Jennifer Marchman joins us as we discuss The Mender Trilogy, a historical time travel series set in 1899's Texas.  The books are The Mender, The Captive, and The Guardian.

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March - A River Runs Through It

Select one of the 'river' books:

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhorn - **

Swift River by Essie Chambers

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Go As A River: A Novel by Shelley Read

Long Bright River: A Novel by Liz Moore

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April - How To Read a Book: A Heartfelt Novel of Redemption and Unlikely Friendships in a Small Town by Monica Wood

A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

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May - Reader's Choice

Select one of these books to read and come tell us how it resonated with you:

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - **

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton

When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky by Margaret Verble

The Wedding People: A Novel by Alison Espach

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June - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

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What do you think?  Have you read any of these books and do you have thoughts on them?  I'm looking forward to trying perhaps more than one on the months where there is a choice.  We shall see.  

The group did have a good discussion of Beyond That, The Sea last Tuesday afternoon.  I liked the book a lot, but there are some who do not like when chapters are narrated by rotating people and they have a hard time keeping track.  That didn't seem to be a problem though.  Some had listened to the book and said the narration was good as well.  Many of us had not realized that children were evacuated to the US from England during the Second World War.  The author had done a lot of research and she shared many things with us that we weren't necessarily all that familiar with.  We learned a lot.  Have you read Beyond That, The Sea?  Share what you thought about it if you have.  This was Laura Spence-Ash's debut book.  I haven't found notice as yet of a second book for her, but our group is hoping for one.  

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A long post, I know.  Thanks for sticking with me to the end.  I'll be back on Wednesday with a 'Waiting on...' post.  Take care, friends!  Stay warm!  I'll be trying to do the same.  Ha!

Waiting on Wednesday - First Sign of Danger

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

I'm delighted to be 'waiting on' this 4th book in favorite author Kelley Armstrong's series set in Haven's Rock.  I love this series and also really enjoyed the previous books that it spun off of, the Rockton series.  Each spring I'm searching to see if there will be a new book.  Things have changed over the years with Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton.  They still live 'off-the-grid' in the Yukon area of Canada, but they have a new baby.  Is this a series best read in order?  I think so, but you can choose.  Have you tried any of these books or others by Kelley Armstrong?  Do tell us what you thought!

First Sign Of Danger

by Kelley Armstrong

Publication Date:  February 17th

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong continues the atmospheric Haven's Rock series as Casey Duncan investigates a threat to their off-the-grid Yukon town.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are entering a new chapter of life as parents to their six-month-old baby. Their family is hidden away in the sanctuary town of Haven's Rock where they can live safe and private lives. But when they encounter hikers too close to the borders of Haven's Rock, they realize they're in danger of being exposed.

When they find one of the hikers dead the next day, they realize that their paranoia was justified, but they're no closer to finding out who these people were and what they were doing in the vicinity of Haven's Rock. Only by tracing the hikers' movements, as well as examining the recent behavior of their closest neighbors, the workers of a secretive mining camp, will they be able to figure out where the threat is coming from and shut it down. Otherwise, the lives of everyone in Haven's Rock--and their safe, secure new existence--are at risk.

Waiting on Wednesday - Stolen in Death

 

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I used to do this in the past and am making it a priority to do again.  Seriously, who among us doesn't have a book or two or twenty that we are excited about reading?  Plus, it lets us 'spread the word' about authors and series that we personally enjoy.

This week I am highlighting a new book in one of my favorite series ever.  And it's #62 in that series.  Amazing, right?  This is the Eve/Roarke 'In Death' series written by J.D. Robb, who is actually Nora Roberts.  I have read all the books about Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, and I'm always delighted to visit with them and all the many familiar characters that populate the books.  See what you think:

Stolen In Death

by J.D. Robb

Publication Date:  February 3rd

A violent death and a vault of stolen treasures has Eve Dallas struggling to solve crimes old and new in the latest thriller in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series.

A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead―while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband, Roarke―who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief―recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.

Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father―and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.

By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father―he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed―and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.