Summer Reading Bingo 2

Reading challenge bingo card

Welcome to my summer bingo book series, where I post five short reviews at a time. I'm giving myself the whole summer to finish the bingo card, not just the month of June. This is my second set of reviews; you can find the first set here.

1. Free space. Guarded by the Grizzly Bear by Reece Barden. This book was recommended by Mary, and it sounded fun, so I grabbed it off Kindle Unlimited. It had been some time since I tried to read a shifter romance, and this one got 3 stars, which is a good rating from me for this type of novel, where I find it impossible to suspend my disbelief. While the male main character was a stereotypical possessive jerk, though of course totally hot as required (it's never acceptable when a non-handsome man stalks you), the female MC (a cop) was strong and interesting, until the end anyway, and that was a treat. The setting seemed to be in the USA, maybe Montana, but around the halfway point there were a few UK spellings (favour, pyjamas), so maybe it was set in Canada. Unclear. This kind of thing throws me out of the story because I need to understand the logistics. Even a fantasy novel should be consistent with details. Bad proofreading, assuming there was any.

(I wouldn't normally use the "free space" so soon, except I had already started this book when I decided to join in on the summer reading bingo suggested by my book club leader.)

2. Ice cream on cover. Ice Cream and Incidents by Agatha Frost. I really wanted to like this book because it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a cozy mystery. It began in a promising way with some unexpected characters, but it soon turned into a boring drag (not punning). The writing was simply flat with loads of telling not showing. There was zero chemistry between the main character Julia and Barker, her fiancé; in fact, I thought they might be headed for a breakup given their lack of affection (I know cozies don't do explicit love scenes, but there was nothing here). They were happy with their dull cardboard existence, apparently. The only reason this novel gets 2 stars instead of 1 is because some of the drag queen scenes were fun. The description on Goodreads is incorrect, btw: there was no murder, just a stage “accident.” Finally, the title had nothing to do with the story. Yes, they had ice cream a couple times on vacation, but Julia was a cake baker. Why not Icing and Incidents?

3. Has June in the title. June by K. Nicole. Despite all the typos (what is it with books lately not being properly proofread and edited?!), I really enjoyed this book! Gave it 4 stars. It was a very atypical romance novel with fresh writing and interesting characters. And chemistry, whew! There was lots of graphic sex in this book, which was important to the plot. Another strong female lead carried half the story, with the hot criminal dude taking the other half. As in Grizzly, the female MC was a cop, but in this case the male MC truly was a bad guy. Some of the Black lingo was a little hard for me to follow, but I got the gist of most of it from the context, especially as the story progressed. The writing was full of vivid detail, which I always appreciate. I have a huge TBR pile, but eventually I want to read more books by this author.

4. NY Times Best Seller. Never Leave the Dogs Behind by Brianna Madia. This memoir was hard to read from an emotional standpoint, but it was very well-written and ultimately satisfying. Since her marriage fell apart, Bri is suicidal, manic-depressive, and dissociative. The only thing keeping her going is her love for her dogs. She isn’t a very likable person, but the reader can understand why she became so bitter and ran off to the desert to get away from everyone. Internet popularity is always a double-edged sword, and it was great to see Bri finally quit caring about hateful Instagram comments and root her sense of self in the physical world. Four stars.

5. Published in June. The Beach Holiday by Nina Manning. I had mixed feelings about this book. First, it annoyed me with the now/ then narrative. I understand that a lot of thrillers do this, but I find that it lessens the suspense factor. We know Sadie is safe because there’s a “now,” so we may not be as invested in the “then.” Just tell the dang story as it happened! Why is this so difficult lately? Second, the narration was in first person, but we were only privy to some of Sadie’s headspace. She kept secrets from us and lied to us. If you want to create distance from the reader, use third person. All that said, I ended up enjoying a big chunk of the story only because it was so different and weird, though preposterous. There were a lot of unanswered questions too, the main one being… why the heck couldn’t Sadie have told her family about Bruno?! I guess that would have wrecked the flimsy premise of Sadie “needing” to go to Fiji. Three stars.

Alrighty then, I have completed 10 bingo squares, yay me! Onto the next set of reviews…

Officially in My Fusspot Era

This year I have read an absolutely insane amount of books (250+), and I have come to some decisions. First, I am slowing down because I want to retain more of the content. Second, I have been in a genre rut with psycho thrillers and romance, and I want to read more broadly in 2026. I don’t mean more fiction genres, but other types of books entirely, such as poetry, biography, and science. Third, when I do read genre fiction, I plan on being much fussier. 

This all is basically just me clarifying stuff for myself; I expect it to have zero interest to anyone else. I needed a place to vomit my thoughts.

I won’t read a contemporary romance novel if the meet cute involves clumsiness/ spilling of food, beverage or paperwork. Post meet clumsiness may be acceptable depending on the circumstances. In The Hating Game, Lucy was trying to make Josh jealous and tripped/ fell in her sexy dress and high heels, dumping out her purse all over the floor. That was funny and cute, but it was also cringe because I would have sprained my ankle. It’s like the scene in Miss Congeniality when Gracie strides out all gorgeous and blows Eric’s mind… then she falls. These are not technically meet cutes!

I won’t read a CRN or any kind of mystery where the plot could be obliterated by one session with Google. I mean, come on. Any type of fake ID/ mistaken identity motif is not going to work in a modern story unless the character has bought fake creds from a super hacker. Or if they’re a government agent. 

I don’t want to read books with teenaged protagonists. This is handy because it rules out genres that already don’t appeal to me, such as fantasy and young adult. I can’t bear anything about high school drama, nor do I want to see teens saving the world in some dystopian yuck. But what about Victoria Holt? All her heroines are teenagers. Great question! I am tired of her books and don’t plan on reading any more of them, so that works out. Granted, teens were different back when and way more mature, but even so. Also, I am suspicious of that “new adult” genre full of people under 30. They’re annoying and not much different from high schoolers.

I still like romances, though I am on somewhat of a break, but I don’t want to read about second chances. They annoy me. I just finished a holiday romance (The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer) that had not only a second-chance motif but also was full of ghosts (a la A Christmas Carol), and I liked it enough to give it three stars. But I consider it an exception, mainly due to the fabulous job Jean did in describing migraines and related issues, including rationing meds because insurance allows only nine pills per month. In general, however, I don’t care for ghosts or exes hanging around past their expiration dates. 

What else? I don’t like the trope of the grumpy boss (billionaire or not) and his “sunshine” romantic interest. Why does the man always get to be the grump anyway? I am over mafia romances because they’re all the same. I am not a fan of contemporary characters who “hate” each other and end up in a fake-dating situation because there’s never actually a need for it other than to satisfy the terms of a will, but characters who are willing to sell their souls for a chunk of change don’t appeal to me anyway. Maybe hater dater fakery is acceptable in a Regency or other old-timey romance, depending on the details. Back then, people had fewer options. I am not ruling out CRNs though ~ they just need to have better plots than the standard omg I spilled coffee on the cutest guy but it turns out he’s my hot new boss and totally grumpy because his grandma cut him from her will unless he gets married in 30 days and he really needs her farmland to develop an enrichment camp for orphans.

Now we come to murder, blood, and gore. In general, I am not a fan of graphically described injury and death, but I do love mysteries and detective stories, so I will tolerate gore for the sake of the story. If I see from the book jacket that the main point of the novel is to come up with gruesome torture scenes, then that’s a hard pass right there. It’s one thing to describe a death in context of a police procedure, but it’s quite another to witness the writer revel in bloody descriptions. I don’t want to go inside the mind of a maniacal serial killer who gets off on amputations, etc. There are so many gross books out. But I also don’t want to read cozy mysteries, where bodies are bloodless and the murder scene smells like pumpkin spice candles. 

Horror is too disgusting and disturbing for me. I gave it a chance with the Haunted series by Lee Mountford back in October because I liked the first book, but they became a nonstop river of gore. The last few books were basically a skim because of all the rotting corpses and mangled eyeballs. Shudder. I’m reading a murder mystery right now that is all about the various clues and psychological aspects of the characters. (So far, there haven’t been any disturbing passages.) That is what I like in a story, not descriptions of death or how bodies look in the morgue. The same goes for any book about relationships ~ I want to read rich and vivid details about the characters’ mental and emotional worlds, not a boring recitation of sex romps. 

This also means I will be more discerning re the books I am willing to read for my book clubs, especially the online club.

Cupcakes and Puzzles

I bought two Sprinkles cupcakes today, which are the first in a while. I ate the coconut one already, and it was delicious. I am saving the coffee cupcake for tomorrow. Earlier this week I visited Golden Spoon for a mini frozen yogurt cup ~ a treat after my Covid vax at CVS (hurrah for vaccines!). Initially, I was thrilled that they'd opened a Golden Spoon near me, but after I ate my tasty little cup of salted caramel with M&Ms, I realized that I like Tutti Frutti froyo better. Golden Spoon doesn't have tangy options like strawberry and mango, which you can get at Tutti Frutti, and they're so refreshing, especially combined with vanilla. I realize that I prefer a contrast in desserts, such as lemon bars, key lime pie, hot cinnamon candy, etc. It's all good, of course, but I am just saying my ideal is now a blend of flavors.

My friend gave me a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle ~ it's the famous Birth of Venus but with cats. I wasn't sure I should start it because I used to get so crazy obsessed, but I opened it Monday night and put together the edges. I've worked on it every night since and made decent progress. It helps that I have to cover it when I'm not at the table in order to protect it from Inky, so that keeps me from wandering back and doing it nonstop. I really do love puzzles and may get more ~ my Amazon cart now has several "for later." I'm not sure if I need to buy a special tray, since covering it with a towel weighed down by a few books is enough to keep it safe. So far, anyway. 

The "save for later" option has really helped with my OCD (which in turn is good news for my budget). It's a satisfying limbo between buying all the things I decide I need and forcing myself to try to forget about them (a hopeless task as that just makes me think about them more!). I say to myself, OK self, go and stuff your cart full of every kind of puzzle, but do not buy any right now. You can buy them later. As time goes by, I think, hmm, maybe I don't really want this one and that one, so eventually I end up with just a few. Or none! There are times I totally lose interest in something before I hit buy... not often, but it has happened.

I read Murder by Cheesecake this week. It's a Golden Girls cozy mystery written by Rachel Ekstrom Courage. It was fun, and since I don't normally read fan fiction, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I was not a super huge fan of the show, but I saw a few eps, so I was able to "hear" the characters' voices as I read the novel. If I hadn't been able to, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much because it was very silly. The four women had equal roles (maybe a little more for Rose and Dorothy), and there was lots of quick and witty banter. I assume more of these books are coming out because this one says it's "Golden Girls #1" (released April 2025), but I think one is enough for me. I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

My migraines did not get that bad this week, and I am grateful for that. I did take sumatriptan a couple times, but it worked, and I never ended up at the horrible, throw-up stage. I was careful during the worst of the heat to stay indoors and hydrate more than usual. I also got decent sleep every night. My neck hurts from doing the puzzle though, and I need to be more careful with how I sit/ stand at the table. I plan to have a very chill weekend, with minimal exertion except for a few chores and a few hours of study for the upcoming notary exam. Sunday I may go play board games for a little while.

Laters.

Happy Birthday to My Dad

We never made a huge deal about birthdays when I was growing up, but a special dessert was always on the menu for that night's dinner. My dad was a fan of fudge brownies, so I would usually bake those. He never fussed about a box mix, and he also loved chocolate chip cookies, the standard Tollhouse ones. I am pretty sure I inherited Dad's sweet tooth along with his love of novels and poetry, but then again it's pretty common for humans to to enjoy sugary treats. Some prefer salty/savory, and occasionally that is my snack preference too. Anyway, Dad would have been 95 today (he died 12 years ago, the month before his birthday). He was a good man, and I miss him.

I watched Life or Something Like It last week, a 2002 romcom drama, and I thought it was well done. Angeline Jolie and Edward Norton starred as a type-A reporter and a more relaxed photographer, respectively. Tony Shalhoub played a seemingly crazy street prophet whose strangely coded predictions kept coming true. I watched it on Hulu or Prime (I forget), and I think it's coming to Netflix as well. Catch it if you can!

The Collective by Alison Gaylin allowed me to check off the box for New York (takes place in the state where you were born) on my 2025 Reading Challenge. I gave four stars to this psychological suspense novel for complex characters and a plot that held my attention throughout. This was also the challenge read for my online book club. It wasn't that gory; the challenge was in dealing with the protagonist's visceral emotional reaction to losing a child. It was difficult at times for me, but definitely worthwhile. If you're a person who gets enraged at some of the trite things people say when you're devastated, you may enjoy this book as well. It was a fun fantasy to immerse in a world where anger and revenge were celebrated and not trivialized with some "look on the bright side" crap.

One Day with You by Shari Low fit the Reading Challenge category of taking place in the winter. I gave this contemporary fiction novel three stars, and that was generous. There were no twists, as we knew the whole time who was cheating on whom and simply had to wait tediously for everyone else to discover it and react. What I liked about the story was the fact that it emphasized the complexity of people and that no one is all good or all bad. You can know a person for decades, and their behavior may still surprise you because people's motivations are often both tangled and layered.

The Time of the Hunter’s Moon by Victoria Holt (aka Philippa Carr) satisfied the requirement for "takes place in autumn" on my Reading Challenge (I am over halfway to 100!), and I awarded five stars to this super enjoyable romantic suspense novel. Like most of Holt's books, this story is narrated in first person, past tense by a woman in her late teens who is practical, smart, and courageous. I particularly appreciated that the ending wasn't rushed this time, and even though I personally would not have wanted to be with the man that the MC chose, the conclusion made sense for her.

I also gave five stars to Cordelia Rook's The Crepes of Wrath. I am always down for a fun cozy, and this one delivered all the goods: a murder mystery, witty narration, a cute doggy, suspicious friends, lots of delicious food, and a little romance too. You may remember or know Ms. Rook under another name, but whatever her nom de plume, she always tells a good story.

It's a quiet Saturday for me. I've already done my outside chores of picking up a library book, a few new plants, and groceries for the week, so now my day is free to do whatever. Earlier, I thought of painting, but I don't think I am in the mood now (have a bit of a headache). I've started a new book, so I will continue reading that over the weekend (it's both intense and long), but I need a little break right now. Perhaps I can find a movie on TV...

What I Want When I Want (Sweet Dreams)

I didn't feel like writing a post last night even though I have loads of ideas for new posts. That's the beauty of having a blog no one reads: I won't get any complaints about skipping a day or three or even a week. No one will worry where I am because no one knows I'm here (yet). No one will be miffed that I didn't read their post or respond to their comment or partake in their prompt. I could have decided to do what I wanted when I wanted back on WordPress, but I felt the pressure to keep up with “blogland” to the point of ridiculousness. Now, I'm not part of any community but my own, and it's very cool and relaxed, which is what a hobby should be, including all my crafty crafts. Another thing I am not doing is posting any images with my posts, since I'm not trying to catch anyone's eye to entice them to open my post. In my opinion, blogging should be about the words; if you want pictures, go to Instagram. But again, back on WP, I always began my post with an image because, well, that's just what we all did. 

Last night I finished a book on Kindle. I had searched for a story that I could suggest to my book club for October, which meant a spooky theme. That was a tough task, since almost every story with a supernatural element was so stupid I couldn't read it. I persevered though and ended up finishing and very much enjoying Sweet Dreams (Eternal Rest Bed and Breakfast #1) by Beth Dolgner. It was a "normal" cozy mystery except it contained ghosts. The story was interesting as were the characters, including the dead ones. I thought for a while there would also be a romance, but nope. Maybe that's coming in one of the later books, and I did appreciate that Sweet Dreams ended on a complete note (I hate teaser endings where the author tries to make you purchase the next in series). I may actually buy a few more ~ this one was free with Prime.

Part of the reason I accepted the supernatural element of Sweet Dreams is because there was only one. Ghosts. That's it, just ghosts. There weren't demons, witches, time travel, and whatever else to wrap my mind around. And the ghosts were presented matter-of-factly. Yep, ghosts are here at the bed and brekky. Good morning! Would you like coffee? OK then. Have a great day exploring the area! Kinda reminded me of don't explain, don't complain. I don't know why ghosts existed in this universe that Beth created, but they did, and we went from there. I think when writers try to justify the fantasy element via sketchy physics or whatever, the whole thing becomes less believable. Just throw it at us and move on. Well done.

Anyway, I suggested this book to our book club leader, so we shall see what happens.