A Book I Couldn’t Finish Reading and Some Wonderful News

Made it home safely despite all the snow. Had over 4” of the stuff on our parked car, but I think it was two storms’ worth. Maybe. But it pretty much snowed all the way from Baltimore to Dayton and we made it without incident. Best kind of driving trips, right?

But that’s not my wonderful news. Nope, it has to do with my writing projects.

While on the cruise, I sent Ghostly Protector to my editor (boy, did that lift a weight off my shoulders—I never felt so free!). Which meant I was free to work on something else.

Now, I had a couple of projects that I started years before. One is in the Bitten by Love series. I stopped because I didn’t think what I had would cover a whole book. But a novella? Yeah, that seemed possible. So I opened up my document from four years ago and read the 15 pages I had written. Came upon a character I didn’t even remember writing about. But the bad thing about it is I had written something that contradicted what I had in Blind Temptation (at least, according to my notes). I had no way of checking while on the cruise, so I decided not to work on the novella. Instead, I went to my other project. My alien story. Just to see if I could get inspiration as to what the next book in that series should be.

The last time I had looked at Alien Desires was back in 2018. Didn’t publish it because I thought it was a mess. Well, apparently I had fixed it sometime ago (don’t remember when) and what I read, I LOVED. This book is ready for an editor! Not only that, I got an idea of how to start the next book.

So, the wonderful news is that I’ll have two new books published in 2024 (after a 4-year drought).  Whoo hoo!

Now for the book I couldn’t finish reading…

Here’s what I attempted to read since my last update:

Book 4

Dates read: January 16-21, 2024
Title: Hidden
Year of publication: 2021
Author: Fern Michaels
Genre: No idea
Series: Lost and Found #1
# of Pages: 368
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Free from B&N
Blurb from Goodreads: At first glance, few would guess that Luna and Cullen Bodman are siblings. Cullen is efficient and serious while his younger sister Luna is a free spirit. When the two launch their furniture restoration shop/café—an offshoot of the family’s longtime antique business—in an up-and-coming arts center, little do they know their unique talents may be their only defense against a dangerous betrayal.
    When Luna gets a strange sense about a piece Cullen just acquired, the two find themselves uniting to solve a mystery that has far-reaching consequences—never knowing there are some who’ll stop at nothing to claim what they believe is theirs. No matter what, Luna and Cullen know they can rely on each other—and this time, their lives may depend on it…
Recommend: No
My thoughts: I got as far as page 47 and had to stop (and I rarely do not finish a book). Not worth my time. If this is a mystery, I couldn’t tell. It certainly isn’t a suspense. All I ever got was back story, and boring back story at that. So glad I didn’t waste any money on this one. I don’t usually mark DNF books as books read, but in this case, I feel like I wasted precious reading time trying to get through this one and said, I’m marking it READ!

This week is one busy week. Tomorrow I get a colonoscopy (which means I gotta prepare for it today—ugh!). Tuesday I have a pre-op appointment and an ultrasound on my thyroid. Wednesday I have my treatment and a dentist appointment to get a crown on my molar. And Friday I have surgery to remove a lymph node from my chest (because the biopsy I had was inconclusive). But hey! I’m excited about my writing. I think that wins!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “Valentine Murder” and Sailing Home

Our cruise is almost at an end. Overall I had a good time. Will I go on another Royal Caribbean cruise? Probably. Hubby likes going to new places and RC does go to more places than Carnival. But...we have three upcoming Carnival cruises in our future (Caribbean in October, Greenland in May 2025, and another Caribbean that has a stop in Grenada in February 2026). So while I thought my cruising with Carnival was coming to an end, seems I’ll be doing it for the next few years anyway. But I won’t begrudge Hubby if he finds a RC cruise he wants to take. I just hope it’s not on one of those monster ships. Too many people! This one was small (about 1800 passengers) and that made this cruise better for me. Still don’t like how RC does certain things, but I’ll get over it.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 3

Dates read: January 9-16, 2024
Title: Valentine Murder
Year of publication: 1999
Author: Leslie Meier
Genre: Mystery
Series: Lucy Stone #5
# of Pages: 200
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Free from B&N
Blurb from Goodreads: It’s Valentine’s Day in Tinker’s Cove. And while the cupcakes Lucy Stone is baking for her children will have pink frosting and candy hearts, Lucy’s thoughts aren’t centered on sugary sentiments. She’s barely arrived at her first board meeting of the newly-renovated library when Bitsy Howell, the new librarian is found dead in the basement, shot only minutes before story hour was to start. The agitated board members assume that Bitsy was killed by an outsider, until Detective Lt. Horowitz arrives on the scene and announces that the killer is among them. Lucy was already aware that Bitsy’s uppity big city ways rubbed some people in Tinker’s Cove the wrong way. But she has a hunch that motives for the librarian’s violent death run a lot deeper. From Hayden Norcross’s elegant antique shop to Corney Clark’s chic kitchen, Lucy relentlessly snoops into the curious lifestyles and shocking secrets of Tinker’s Cove’s most solid citizens—secrets that will plunge her into a terrifying confrontation with a conniving killer...
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: I get free e-books from B&N monthly. I don’t always like what’s offered, but sometimes I find something interesting. This one looked interesting, but I didn’t realize how OLD the book was (1999), so as I was reading it, I thought the main character was pretty stupid not knowing how to use a computer! Aside from that blunder (and I did check—Goodreads listed it published in 2013, but that was way incorrect), I still thought this book had a lot of filler that didn’t pertain to the story. But I guess that’s what cozy mysteries do? I don’t know. Not about to read another in this series to find out, either. For a mystery, I kind of figured out whodunnit early, so no surprises for me. I guess people like these kinds of books, though, since this is #5 in the series (I don’t know how many there are total, but more than 5).

So, it looks like we might be driving in some snow on Friday. Hopefully, it’s not a lot. We brought my Xterra anyway, just in case. It has 4-wheel drive. We know better driving during winter. Always be prepared!!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “The Spy Coast”, “Darkness: The Shark” and Other Stuff

So… I’m on a cruise (surprise, huh?) and using a new computer. I bought a smaller one for travel purposes and I’m still getting used to it. Especially since I don’t have Word on it...yet. That will be remedied when I get home. LibreOffice works in a pinch, though. At least I can write!

Big Red (the laptop I usually use) is getting kind of heavy for me, and I don’t like traveling with ALL my files (if you know what I mean). This new one is only about 3 lbs and smaller (making it easier to tote around). I call it my travel laptop. Hey, whatever works, right? And I only have the files I need on this one.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 1

Dates read: December 27, 2023 – January 5, 2024
Title: The Spy Coast
Year of publication: 2023
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Genre: Thriller
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 347
Paper or plastic: Hard cover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads: Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.
    But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.
    Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn.
    As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends—and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau—Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: I liked the story, just not the way it was delivered (first person for some points of view, third person for others). Just make it all third and I’m happy.

Book 2

Dates read: January 6-8, 2024
Title: In Darkness: The Shark
Year of publication: 2023
Author: L. Diane Wolfe
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: In Darkness #2
# of Pages: 61
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads: Souls shrouded in darkness…
    Focused on her studies and duties at the aquarium, Jewels prefers her solitary life. Burned many times and short on trust, she has more in common with her aquatic friends than the people around her. But she never imagined coming face to face with a shark named Clarence…a shark who talks!
    As their friendship grows, Jewels must overcome her deep set mistrust. There are dangers, both in the Australian ocean and on dry land. Can Jewels depend on the great white or will his animal nature betray her?
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: I got this because I saw it was a paranormal romance. But it read more like a children’s book. The romance kind of showed up at the end, but it was all very...young-like. I don’t know how old the protagonist is, but she was in school and an intern at an aquarium. She just seemed way younger than she was portrayed to be, I think. But if you you like short (VERY SHORT) sweet stories, you might enjoy this. It was written well.

We’re sailing on Royal Caribbean this time around. A first for us. Frankly, I miss Carnival. Not any one specific thing, just a lot of little things. Dinner, for one. This is a smaller ship and even though we were told we’d get the early seating (at 5:15), the day before we’re notified that we have Your Time Dining. Sounds fine, until you realized the earliest you can eat is 6:30. And that’s if you call in early enough to get the reservation (their app won’t let me reserve on line). Not a fan.

First full day on the ship was pretty awful, too. Seas were really rough and I got sea sick. That’s never happened to me before, so I wasn’t prepared. Well, I did bring my anti-nausea medicine (that I take for my treatments), but even they didn’t work. Luckily, we hit calmer seas about two hours before our dinner and I was able to eat. Can’t blame that on RC or the ship. It happens. Just wish it hadn’t happened to me!

FYI: Now that I see how this is posting with LibreOffice, I will DEFINITELY be getting Word on this computer. I don't like what it's doing (I'm very OCD when it comes to my posts, what can I say?).

Happy Reading!

Stacy