Dear Fellow Readers, Do you feel this way? I do. Let’s talk about a book. That will make us feel better. Tell-Tale Treats by Jennifer J. Chow was released yesterday. It is the third book in the series called the Magical Fortune Cookie series. I have reviewed the other two books. (Book 1 - Ill-Fated Fortune and Book 2 - Star-Crossed Egg Tarts…

Dear Fellow Reader, The bright sunshine is deceiving. It is COLD. I just don’t want to leave the house. You know how it is, the little things that can be so wonderful? I don’t remember how, but I discovered last year that if I left the bathroom door closed, it would warm up in there. It is a game-changer! How delightful to get out of the shower and dry my hair in a warmer room.

Time to batten down the hatches. A winter cold spell is about to envelop us. Schools are closing and my swim class is cancelled. (Like I was going out in this cold!) So, it is a great time for you to pick up a book and harken back to those snow days of your youth. I have a love for snow days.

Dear Fellow Reader, I am going to do something out of the ordinary for me today. I am going to tell you about two books that I did not really like. I hate to do this because someone put all their effort into writing a book, and I hate to belittle that effort. Something along the lines that if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.

Dear Fellow Reader, What do you do in your “spare” time? How much time do you spend on social media? I obviously read, but I also have developed a bad habit of watching videos on Facebook. I will admit to watching too many dog adoption videos. Yes, it is an odd niche. I wonder how long it will take the dog to warm up to the people.

Dear Fellow Reader, How do you feel about resolutions? Do you feel better about resolutions or goals? I am a terrible goal setter. I don’t know if I have ever accomplished a goal. It feels like the minute I set a goal, it is lost. I know that back in the old days, we would set goals at work and then had to put in all the steps that would be involved in meeting those goals.

Dear Fellow Readers, Spring is rapidly turning to summer here in Wisconsin. We do not seem to always have Spring. Often it seems to go from winter coats to shorts. This year, we have had more of Springlike weather but still we are going from 60’s to 90’s overnight. Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman is the fourth in the series of the Nightingale Mysteries.

Dear Fellow Reader, Yes, if you are following this blog, I am catching up today. I had 6 books that I had been asked to review and had not written the reviews. But I am now down to three books, and none of them have been released yet. So, I will be doing what I dislike doing. I will publish reviews before the books are released.

Dear Fellow Reader, I know, I have fallen behind again(!). It seems that I catch up and then fall terribly behind. I have four books that I need to review and that doesn’t count the books that I read on my own. I am still keeping up my goal to read one non-fiction book a month. But it is now the 18th of June, and I haven’t read a non-fiction book yet this month.

Dear Fellow Reader, Last December, I mentioned that sometimes I get books so far in advance that I don’t know if I should write and post the review in advance or wait and post it when the book comes out. I hate telling you about a book that you can’t get if you are interested. I also admitted that reading the book and writing the review are two different things and that while I have gotten better at reading the books before they come out, I fall behind in writing the reviews.

Dear Fellow Reader, Working my way through to get caught up, I bring you the review of a book that I was given a copy of in exchange for my unbiased opinion. Bodies and Battlements is the latest book by Elizabeth Penney. It is a new series for her. In this series, Nora Asquith, who is a herbalist, is taking her family’s castle from being a family castle that no one can afford anymore to a bed and breakfast.

Dear Fellow Reader, I love quotes. Do you? And I love aphorisms. Now, I don’t know that I could have told you that I liked aphorisms because I am not sure I could have told you what one was. From the dictionary – “A pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, 'if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Dear Fellow Reader, I live in Wisconsin. We are currently playing peek-a-boo with spring. It is a long, tiresome game. We have had 70-degree days, and then this morning it was 34, and it snowed. Not that any of the snow stuck to the ground, but it is not exciting in April to look out the window and see the snow coming down so much that you can’t see across the street.

Dear Fellow Reader, Vera Wong meddles and likes attention. In this second book of the series, we find that Vera misses the attention that she had during a murder investigation in her tearoom. She is happy about her son and his love, Officer Selena Gray, the police investigator for the tearoom murder. Her business is going well, and her family is attentive, but Vera wants more.

Dear Fellow Reader, April Fools Day. Remember how much fun it was when you were young? I wonder if it means much these days. It is probably not a “holiday” that needs to continue. I will bet that teachers would agree. Although I am sure that some find it to be fun. This year in several places, it is an election day, which could bring a new meaning to April Fools Day.