There are months when you read and everything was good, satisfying. June was one of those months. There was a nice mix of contemporary and vintage mysteries, a novel and a wonderful memoir. Any one of these would make for a good summer read.
The Gypsy Caravan 2023
Monday, July 6, 2026
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
April Reads
For a person who doesn't read a lot of fiction (in the form of novels, not mysteries) two of the best books I read this month fall into that category. Of the three mysteries were solid too, including one by one of my favorite authors, two were excellent or very good; one just OK.
Sunday, April 5, 2026
The Books of March
March ended up being a surprisingly good -- and diverse -- reading month. How i managed eight books last month is a mystery to me! There were, of course, mysteries, but I also read two fiction novels, a biography and a delightful humor book. Or, was it political satire? Or an animal behavior book? I'll let you decide!
(And thank you all for lovely comments and support! Surgery went well, and not as miserable as the previous two times! YAY!) Now, onward to books!
Friday, February 6, 2026
January Books
I had high hopes for January reading and ended up with four books, three mysteries and one novel. I did clock in a lot of pages -- most were pretty big. But more important, they were good, too.
Thursday, August 7, 2025
The Books of July
Gee, I love a good summer for catching up on reading! At the lake there are fewer distractions and for whatever reason, I don't feel overly guilty if I read during the day! Not surprisingly, mysteries make for good lake-reading fare but I also enjoyed a couple of memoirs and revisited a childhood favorite.
This is a long one (ten books), but if you enjoy reading, onward!
Thursday, May 29, 2025
At Home: April Books
After a bit of catch-up of at home activities, I thought it was FINALLY time to share the April book list. April was a tough month for me and when it's tough I go for comfort food. In this case, as you might expect, my reading was heavy (again) on the mysteries! I surrounded myself with some of my favorite characters by some of my favorite authors -- along with introduction to a new one.
I confess, I was about four pages out of a fourth book -- one of what I call my "Bathroom and Waiting Room" books. (These are books with short bits that you can read, put down, and return to whenever you choose!) I guess it's only fair to put that on in the May books! Onward!
Sunday, April 6, 2025
At Home: The Books of March
I finally feel like I'm getting closer to my reading stride! March was productive and with a good mix of subjects (but most, as usual, mysteries). The four mysteries (by Ann Cleeves, Deborah crombie, Louise Penny and Donna Leon) are all "series" books with beloved characters. Add to it a bio-fiction book and a non-fiction look at a favorite composer and you have my March list!
Saturday, January 4, 2025
At Home: Books from October through December!
Will it surprise you to know that my reading really tanked in October, November and December? So, I'm putting these three paltry months together! Some of my reviews are a bit shorter than usual because I didn't write them right after finishing the book!
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
The June Book Report
June wasn't the banner reading month I'd hoped but I was pretty satisfied with those I read. The list includes two memoirs, three good mysteries and one I wish had been better than it was.
Friday, May 3, 2024
April's Books
Cataract surgery slowed down my reading time in April (and it will continue this month, too). But All the books I read were well worth reading! As usual, most were mysteries but the gem was a non-fiction work.
Friday, April 5, 2024
The Books of March
Reading was my escape in the weather-weird, basement-boggling month of March. Somehow I managed to pull off seven books. Most were mysteries, and one, Rachel Maddow's astonishing "Prequel," was as frightening as a thriller and all too real.
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Postcards From the Lake: The August Books
For weeks I thought August was a slow reading month. Too much computer time? But somehow I finished seven books and they were all good ones. In this month's reviews, series mysteries by Donna Leon, Martin Walker, Mark Pryor and Ann Cleeves; as novel by Jodi Picoult; a delightful memoir of actor Martin Short, and a remarkable, wee book that is timely and important. (And yes, there is a drawing in this post. Read on!)
Saturday, July 1, 2023
Reading My Way Through June
Somehow I managed to squeeze in six books during June -- no doubt because most of them were so good I couldn't put them down! Not surprisingly, five of them were mysteries (including a recent entry in a delightfully popular series) and one a lovely and moving novel. The last book in the post, "Haunting Paris," is my first entry for the annual blog event "Paris In July." Hosted by Emma at Words and Peace, Paris in July is your one-stop place to find posts about the City of Light (and France) related to books, film, photography, food and more.
Popular Posts
-
Rick diligently practices his classical guitar every day. And guess what? He gets better and better. In the summer, I paint every day. And g...
-
Shortly after what I view as world lockdown began, March 11, 2020 (the date would no doubt vary from place to place and person to person), I...
-
I'm a collector. Lots of us are. We pick several (OK, maybe more than several) things that particularly appeal to us and build a collec...












