Friday, September 09, 2022

Watching/ Reading / Listening

Happy Friday!  This week we've had an extraordinary amount of rain and the guys who cut our field haven't been able to get by for 3 weeks.  Grass is high but not so high snakes can hide.  (I hope!)

Puzzle progress - it's finished :-) This Star Trek cats puzzle was a surprise gift from my friend Stacy. Thank you! It was challenging as I haven't done puzzles in a while but it was fun.  I've already purchased another with Jane Austen book covers.


In the evening we are either reading, listening to music, chatting or watching a DVD. Last night was actually pleasant enough to sit outside for a bit.

Music

I keep WFSU classical station on while I work on a puzzle or sit in the spare room. This week the evening selections includes Tom Petty, Gregg Allman and Boz Scaggs. 


Watching

Finished up the Firefly series then watched the wrap up movie Serenity. That was such a good series and I wish Joss Whedon had continued it. The cast worked so well together.


Reading

Lisa Jewell's latest book is a sequel to The Family Upstairs.  If I hadn't read that previously I think I would have been lost with The Family Remains.  Many of the characters from the that book are featured prominently from the previous book and the backstory is needed.

In London a mudlark finds a bag of bones while digging.  This naturally sets off a murder investigation and the revisiting of a cold case.  At times the story could be confusing with so many characters but I couldn't stop reading this one. 
Set in London, Antibes and Chicago.

Into the Cornish Wind by Kate Ryder: The title and part of the synopsis attracted me to this one as it's set in Cornwall and London.  Kat Maddox has an opportunity to live in Cornwall on a temporary assignment from work; she is a book illustrator/artist.  The best parts of the book were the very detailed historical accounting of old manor houses, the Cornish smuggling trade and Daphne du Maurier references. The romance portion was a bit too much at times but the history of Cornwall well made up for it.  

This is an ARC from Netgalley. Publication date is September 28, 2022 by Embla Books.  Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

In the Kitchen - upcoming is a one-pot mushroom rice dish from Mary McCartney's cookbook Food and a post about wine.

That's it for me this week.  We are meant to take the RV into northern Georgia but we'll have to keep an eye on the weather.  Lots of storms right now. Ugh.

Sharing with

Marg at the Intrepid Reader #2022Historical-Reading-Challenge

Joy's Book Blog - #BriFri

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon






39 comments:

  1. Your puzzle looks really challenging -- I bet those dark edges of the squares were easy to confuse with one another! I haven't done a puzzle in years and I don't think I would have the patience.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Mae, it was challeging with the black pieces but I separated them by solid black and those with stars. It had been a while since I'd done a puzzle but it got me into the groove again. Next one is a Jane Austen book covers sort.

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  2. Cute puzzle. I like the cats. Petty's album Highway Companion is excellent. Always liked that one.

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    1. CueCard - I think it's one Petty's best albums. We love that one and Mojo.

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  3. I thought Firefly was well-done and I wish there was more of it. (Maybe someone is contemplating this right now...)

    I did three or four puzzles during the lockdown, but I haven't done any lately. There was something delightful about doing them, and it was nice to take them apart afterward and put them out in my Little Free Library for others.

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    1. Deb, Whedan abandoned Firefly for Buffy as I understand it. Sad because if you watch the special features they explain how they built the ship. Two levels and it was very realistic. So much work for the show to stop writing it.

      That's nice of you to put puzzles in the free library.

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    2. Thanks for sharing the explanation of what happened to Firefly, Tina. Still makes me feel sad.

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  4. Vicki, if I hadn't received this as a gift I'm not sure when I would have taken up the puzzle fun again. So happy I did as I now have ordered another cool one. I'm so happy you enjoyed that concert. Thought of you immediately :-)

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  5. Good to know about the Jewell book - I think I have both on my TBR, so I'll be sure to read them in order. Cool looking puzzle - I did quite a few last year when I was home so much. Now I'm still home mostly, but spend my time on blog stuff. I do enjoy a good puzzle.....
    Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
    https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-15

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    1. Terrie, I think it would be beneficial to go with that first book. Most of her books are stand-alones.

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  6. Thanks for the suggestion, I've ordered the first one, The Family Upstairs by Jewell. Sounds good. Our Secretary is a puzzle nut, always has some outside the door at the office for exchange with her friend.

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    1. Claudia, that's kind to leave puzzles for others. I hadn't done one in years and this was so much fun. Hope you enjoy the Lisa Jewell books. I also loved The House We Grew Up In.

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  7. It sounds like your classic station plays some good music!

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  8. We've just put up a square coffee table in the living room that's begging for a jigsaw puzzle. Your post gave me an idea!

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    1. Harvee, that's brillaint. I use a card table as we don't have a table large enough for the bigger puzzles. Looking forward to seeing your puzzles.

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  9. That Star Trek cat puzzle is cute! I was so happy to get so much rain yesterday. I had hoped it would last into today but no such luck. I was sad Firefly wasn't continued too. It was such a good show. I hope you enjoy your reading and have a great week!

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    1. LT - thanks so much. Yeah...Firefly was great and I bet if Whedon revisited it now the cast wouldn't all be up for it. Can't put Wash back in :-(

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  10. I can see that puzzle being challenging, but it is so much fun.

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  11. We're travelling so not much reading being done!

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    1. Jackie, I look forwrad to your travel posts!

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  12. Oh I love that puzzle! We have a short break coming up and I plan on also doing a puzzle then.

    My husband used to love Firefly. Ha, I wonder if he knew what happened to it.

    Have a wonderful week ahead!

    Elza Reads

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    1. Elza, I'm seeing a lot of Firefly fans here so I am glad I posted about it.

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  13. Lido shuffle by Boz Scaggs is one of my favorite songs. :)

    Safr driving!

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    1. Greg, that's one of his best known and i like that too. His songs get stuck in my head.

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  14. That's a large puzzle! Great looking books!

    Have a great week ahead!

    Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
    My post:
    https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/09/11/sunday-salon-20/

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  15. Sounds like you're finding lots to keep you occupied during the rainy season! The puzzle looks challenging, but fun. Not sure why, but I haven't started a puzzle all summer. My next one is of the Coney Island boardwalk... will be good for a drizzly cool fall day. Have a good week, Tina.

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    1. JoAnn, the days you are stuck inside are perfect for puzzles or reading.

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  16. I'm listening to a Lisa Jewell right now (The Night She Disappeared) and absolutely loving it! I'm looking forward to getting to the one you're reading. My husband and I used to do puzzles quite a good bit but haven't in awhile. We need to get back to it as we have quite a few. We loved Firefly! I was sad it didn't continue until I heard one of the characters talk about what her story would have been and it was so awful that I was glad the show had ended before they could have messed it up!

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    1. Katherine, Lisa Jewell never disappoints. I love the puzzles.

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  17. Thanks for linking this up with British Isles Friday -- both of those books sound good. I vaguely remember The Family Upstairs, but I might need a refresher to continue with the story.

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    1. Joy, both books were good - a bit creepy but good stories.

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  18. The puzzle looks fantastic! We LOVED Firefly and Serenity - I'm so glad you enjoyed it. If they ever rebooted it or added to it, a certain sector of the Internet would be beside themselves with joy and trepidation and opinions and speculations.

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    1. Stacy, that puzzle was FUN! I agree about Firefly. Not sure if the actors are too old to get back into it if it revived.

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  19. I love the Star Trek cats! What a great puzzle. I never saw Firefly but I think it's something I would like. Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Yvonne, we just loved Firefly. The cast worked so well together.

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  20. Love that Star Trek puzzle!

    Cornwall is an area that lends itself to romance for sure.

    Thanks for sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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