The Joy of Anticipation Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Mother Nature can be exceedingly cruel. Phoenix is already in the triple digits heat wise... just in time for my nieces to arrive from the UK next Tuesday. Daisy is a bit like me. The two of us sat out in the pool one afternoon reading our books when it was 120°F/49°C. Her mother, Suzanne is the opposite, so I'm really hoping Mother Nature reins it in during the time they are here.

Am I anticipating their visit? Not at all!

They're coming! They're coming!

I don't think you'll be surprised when I say that I doubt that I'll be posting much while they're here. In fact, there are still a few things I need to do, so I'm going to shut up and head on out to the corral. I have some rounding up to do. Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The nationwide book ban bill has moved to the House. Learn how to take action.
• Jane Fonda is set to star in a movie adaptation of The Correspondent.
• Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is being adapted for TV.
• Typos have plagued us for centuries.
• Around 10,000 authors protested the AI commercial research exception with the publication of an empty book.
• Knit one, bomb two: A primer on yarn bombing.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• The brilliant blue paint covering this lavish room in ancient Pompeii may have cost more than half the annual salary of a Roman foot soldier.
• A dark message warning the enemy to "learn your lesson" was found inscribed on a 2,000-year-old sling bullet from the ancient Holy Land.
• Divers found marble treasure from Athens' Acropolis in Lord Elgin's shipwrecked brig at the bottom of the Aegean Sea.
• A Roman military fort has been discovered in Scotland far north of Hadrian's Wall.
• The Egyptians used an ancient version of Wite-Out to correct their mistakes on this papyrus scroll 3,300 years ago.
• The trouble with authentic ancient statues.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Meet the "firefighting" donkeys of Spain.
• These charcoal-eating fungi flourish after fires. Uncovering their genetic secrets could help rebuild burned ecosystems.
• These koalas bounced back from the brink of local extinction extremely fast. Surprisingly, so did their genetic resilience.
• Why has Punch, an adorable baby monkey, struggled to fit in with his troop? Scientists explain the lives of Japanese macaques.
• Learning to live beside endangered tigers may be the key to saving them.
• These California condors might be tending to the species' first egg in the state's northern region in more than a century.

►The Wanderer◄

• Inside the tiny bookshop where Oscar winners shop.
• UNESCO designates Medellín, Colombia, as the World Book Capital for 2027.
• Central Park could have been filled with fussy, fancy gardens.
• Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for the Martin House included everything inside it. See how experts recovered furniture, artworks, and decorative glass.
• A Chicago true crime reading list.
• From sprites to schnapps, take a spirited trip through Germany's Black Forest.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• The real Count of Monte Cristo was Alexandre Dumas' father, a trailblazing Black general.
• Sujata Massey on Indian mysteries, Saradindu Bandyopadhyay, and South Asian cinema.
• High schooler Selina Zhang invented an AI-powered trap that zaps invasive lanternflies.
• America's Christie: How Mignon G. Eberhart helped shape the modern female sleuth.
• Russia's centuries-old bride-shows were the original version of The Bachelor.
• Four forgotten female authors who inspired Jane Austen.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Modern-day Thelmas and Louises: 10 crime novels featuring female duos.
• Five true crime books featuring forgers, fraudsters, and con artists.
• Six mansion cozy mysteries.
• Five common fears that only made sense hundreds of years ago.
• NPR's Books We Love in 2025.
• Eight mysteries and thrillers set in Florida.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

 

First Line: The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever.

Since the death of her husband, celebrity memoir editor Tilly Nightingale has been in a fog of grief. Unable to enjoy her favorite books and her crafts, she is shocked to receive a call from a local bookshop telling her she has a gift waiting for her there.

The gift is from her beloved husband Joe. With the help of shop owner Alfie Lane, Joe has chosen a year of books for Tilly-- twelve books, each with a handwritten letter from him.

Seduced by her husband's words, Tilly becomes immersed in each book, and each one encourages her to open a new chapter in her life.

~

Like humor, grief is a very personal and very subjective emotion. After reading so many good things about This Book Made Me Think of You, I decided to read it. 

Having lost my own husband for about the same length of time as the main character, Tilly Nightingale, I was naturally drawn in by her situation. For the first half of the book, I enjoyed watching Tilly immerse herself in each book that her husband Joe had chosen for her. These books not only addressed her grief, but also began to help her with other issues in her life. 

Unfortunately, the second half of the book began to drag for me. Why? Because it was extremely predictable. Now... I know that a predictable, feel-good story can be just what the doctor ordered. It can give flagging spirits just the boost they need. I've had this happen to me. However, the magic just didn't work for me this time. Is it because of my own situation? I don't know. But, as I said, grief is a very subjective emotion. Just because this wasn't the right book for me at the right moment doesn't mean that it won't be for you.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

eISBN: 9798217187003

Berkley © 2026

eBook, 416 pages

Standalone Fiction

Rating: B-

Source: Purchased from Amazon

A Landscapes and Marathons Weekly Link Round-Up

 

It's been a much better week here at Casa Kittling. It always is when government agencies don't have to be dealt with. I finally had the tree folks come in. I'd found the information on the company that Denis and I had used for years and contacted them. They quoted a much lower price than the other places that had given me estimates, and since I knew they did good work, naturally I went with them.

I am so happy that I did. It took them all day, but this property no longer looks like the Munsters' house at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. (I know some of you will know what I'm talking about.)

1313 Mockingbird Lane

Forgive me for only giving you a "Before" photo. I'm being lazy today. 

I don't know if I got a widows and orphans discount or what, but the crew did a lot more than what was listed on the estimate. In fact, they've saved me from calling in another company that's done yard clean-up for us for several years. It's so nice to be able to sing the praises of a company instead of lobbing complaints at them.

I'm about to finish up This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. Although I have been enjoying it, my enthusiasm has waned quite a bit. For me, the story has become too predictable, and although some feel-good, predictable stories hit the spot, I don't think I'm quite in the mood for one now.

In fact, my mood has been rather unsettled of late, and I've found myself doing something I haven't done since I was in my thirties: having nightly marathons of the films of a lusted-after actor. For me, it's been Timothy Dalton, my favorite James Bond and the perfect Mr. Rochester. At this point, I almost have the complete dialogue to Jane Eyre memorized. Not only do I think the 1980s Dalton is gorgeous, I love his voice.

Enough prattling-- I have links waiting to be shared. Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The USA Today bestseller list fell under scrutiny. (I don't know about you, but I do tend to view bestseller lists with a raised eyebrow.)
• Here's the memo approving Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot for use in the Senate. (They need all the help they can get, but...AI?)
• Some people keep razor-sharp minds into their 80s and beyond. A new study reveals their secrets.
• I before she: There's been a profound shift in perspective preferences when it comes to romance novels. (Third person? First person?)
• Libraries are feeling the cost burden of eBook popularity.
• The truth behind the endless "kids can't read" discourse.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A Russian Revolution gold coin hoard worth over $500,000 was discovered during house construction.
• Tudor courtiers exchanged portrait miniatures as love tokens. Centuries later, new research is unlocking the secrets of these intimate artworks.
• A man in the Czech Republic accidentally found a Bronze Age spearhead mold in his backyard.
• This traveler from India graffitied his name on five ancient tombs in Egypt's Valley of the Kings 2,000 years ago.
• They joked about discovering a forgotten masterpiece. Now, experts say they're the unwitting owners of an original Rembrandt.
• A pre-Inca culture acquired Amazonian parrots from hundreds of miles away to use their feathers to decorate the dead.
• The walls of a 15th-century church collapsed, and out fell 12 hidden skeletons.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• "It's nature calling to humans, and humans deciding whether or not to reply"-- why we need to start paying attention to our mutually beneficial relationships with other species.
• The glorious 30-year star-studded past of the Oscars for animals.
• Scientists thought these marsupials went extinct 6,000 years ago. They just found the animals alive.
• Why aren't mammals as colorful as reptiles, birds, or fish?
• When did domestic cats take over the world? New research suggests they arrived in Europe and China centuries later than we thought.
• Octopuses fall for the rubber hand illusion, just like humans, pointing to a sense of body ownership.

►The Wanderer◄

• Vibrant wildflowers are blanketing Death Valley National Park, resulting in the most breathtaking bloom in a decade.
• Crime and the City: Martha's Vineyard.
• The sweat of tourists has covered Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel fresco in a white film. Now, the "Last Judgment" is getting a much-needed cleaning.
• How Dollywood is preserving Appalachian culture.
• Escape the crowds at the lower 48's most remote national park.
• Planting trees in the sea could act as a huge carbon sink and save millions of dollars in storm damage every year. What is stopping us from doing it?

►Fascinating Folk◄

• How women researchers changed our understanding of women's economic lives.
• 10 women who fought wars disguised as men.
• 8 badass librarians we need to celebrate.
• Thirty-four years ago, a British Museum staffer stole more than 300 prints in broad daylight. Historian Barnaby Phillips's new book chronicles the thefts and their fallout.
• The disturbing history of "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary."
• How photographer Robert Landsburg spent his final moments saving the film he shot during the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 7 hit songs you didn't know were written by the Beatles' Lennon and McCartney.
• 6 essential books about birds.
• 16 gripping non-fiction books about natural disasters.
• 15 mysteries and thrillers set in London.
• 5 novels about living near serial killers.
• Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2025.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

I Must Get Caught Up on My Reviews!

The time has come for another edition of Catching Up on My Book Reviews. Are you ready? 

I have four books that I want to give you my thoughts on. I have included a link to Amazon US if you'd like to read the synopses or find out more about each book. Here we go!

The Program by Charlie Lovett

Standalone Science Fiction set in New York City

Rating: D

My Thoughts: Lovett has written some wonderful books, like The Lost Book of the Grail, but The Program isn't one of them. This tale of a highly popular new weight loss program kept me intrigued, but when how the program really worked was revealed, it completely lost me. 

This one may not satisfy, but as I said earlier, he has written some wonderful books. 

The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes

Dual timeline Fiction set in England

Rating: B

My Thoughts: Julia Esdaile, who specializes in historic garden restoration, has been hired to restore the gardens of Havenworth Manor to the way they were in 1940. Many family secrets are uncovered along the way.

I enjoyed learning more about the language of flowers as well as the garden restoration itself. The characters were sympathetically drawn in both timelines, although the modern-day characters were a bit predictable.

An enjoyable, although not particularly memorable, read.

Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg

#1 Eve Ronin Police procedural set in Los Angeles, California

Rating: A

My Thoughts: When I shared how much I was enjoying Goldberg's Ian Ludlow books, I was told that I should give his Eve Ronin series a try. Of course, I had to.

Eve Ronin (AKA Deathfist) found a way to get the job she wanted in the LAPD, and although she has to put up with nonsense from her fellow officers, she doesn't let that stop her. Goldberg shows Eve's mistakes as well as her real talent as she investigates. 

Filled with Goldberg's usual fast pace, vivid descriptions, and laugh-out-loud humor, I thoroughly enjoyed Lost Hills and look forward to meeting Eve again.

The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery by Rachel Ward

#1 Supermarket Mystery set in England

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: I don't remember how this book first caught my eye, but it did. I was surprised by how many good reviews it had received, and I decided to give it a try because, well... I'd never read a mystery with a supermarket checkout employee as a sleuth. (It also brought back memories of the first time I set foot in a British supermarket and saw the checkout employees sitting down.)

After reading The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery, I am no longer surprised by its good reviews. Bea Jordan and her cohorts are so engaging, and I loved getting to know all of them. In fact, I enjoyed the days of our lives in a supermarket so much that I almost didn't care whodunit.

An added bonus was learning a bit more about British retail, as well as a certain slang term that even had my three English nieces a bit puzzled. (Pasta parcels, anyone?)

Okay. Are you sitting down? You'd better be because I am finally caught up with my reviews! 

Did I tempt you with any of these books? Which ones?

The I Want to Hurkle-Durkle Weekly Link Round-Up

 

The start to this week was not good. I won't go into details, but insult was added to injury when I had to deal with both the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. No wonder I want to do a bit of hurkle-durkling!

On a happier note, I'm about to finish reading Steve Cavanagh's Two Kinds of Stranger. I always like to watch legal eagle Eddie Flynn beat all the odds to win a case. What's next? I can't quite make up my mind between three books: Mark Pryor's The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris, This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page, or The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Want to help me decide?

It's getting closer to Suzanne and Daisy's visit. It will be wonderful to have someone to talk with besides myself. 😀

I hope all of you are safe, healthy, and happy with plenty of good books on hand. Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Worried about the demise of reading? Go to France, where they're up to their eyes in print.
• What Kristopher Jansma learned about American men in his all-male book club.
• Adaptations, deceptive narrators, expanding cozy market: Mystery and thriller book trends in 2025.
• A nationwide book ban bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
• How about a drone-powered flying umbrella that automatically follows the person around?
• Hidden Door has rolled out a literary roleplaying platform.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• This Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary.
• Nineteenth-century "Lover's Eye" jewelry was the perfect accessory for secret affairs.
• A gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in the UK may have been dropped by a Viking invader from the Great Heathen Army.
• A woman found a folder in a drawer. When she opened it, she discovered 35 forgotten Rembrandt etchings.
• Lotus shoes: tiny footwear for Chinese women whose feet were bound as children. (What women haven't had to put up with through the millennia!)
• "We do not know of a similar case": a 4,000-year-old burial in a little-known African kingdom has mystified archaeologists.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• 72 captive tigers in Thailand have died from dangerous infections, sparking concerned over animal welfare.
• Caribou are the only deer species in which females grow antlers. Scientists just figured out why. 
• Take a look at 24 astounding images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.
• Birds are declining faster and faster in 3 U.S. hotspots.
• Kanzi the bonobo could play pretend-- a trait thought unique to humans.
• Celebrate winter in the wild with 15 photos of animals enjoying the snow.

►The Wanderer◄

• See 15 wild and wondrous photographs of Yellowstone National Park.
• Treetops emit ultraviolet sparkles during thunderstorms. Researchers just filmed it in nature for the first time.
• The Berlin Cathedral is reopening its massive crypt-- home to the bones of one of Europe's most powerful dynasties.
• Crime and the City: Zagreb.
• Nora, an ancient city in Sardinia, was home to pirates, and is an archaeology lover's dream.
• Why the Hallmark Card Company owns thousands of priceless artworks.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Women who changed the laws shaping economic independence.
• In India, these trailblazing female stunt bikers rule the road.
• John B. Cade's project to document the stories of the formerly enslaved.
• How medieval women expressed their "forbidden" emotions.
• Ron Teasley, pioneering baseball player and one of two surviving Negro League veterans, has died at the age of 99.
• H.H. Richardson and the making of an American Romanesque.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Ten chilling Alaskan mysteries.
• Six atmospheric thrillers set during heatwaves.
• Twenty books that need movie or TV adaptations.
• Five great father-daughter crime-solving duos.
• The best historical mysteries out in 2026.
• From Lagos to the American South: five great thrillers by Black writers. 

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

The Politician by Tim Sullivan

 

First Lines: A cup or mug for drinking tea wasn't even a question for DS George Cross. A cup. Obviously. Bone china, preferably.

When an investigation begins into the death of former mayor Peggy Frampton, Detective Sergeant George Cross can see that she was murdered. It is definitely not a case of a burglary gone wrong. 

After her career in politics, Frampton became a controversial blogger whose opinions attracted plenty of vitriol. But online trolls aren't the only suspects in this case. There are former political opponents... and that family of hers. 

The sheer number of suspects is really putting Cross's skills to the test.

~

My love affair with Tim Sullivan's Detective Sergeant George Cross series deepens with each book that I read. I could wax poetic for pages about this latest release, The Politician, but instead, I'll try to limit myself.

Each book in this series has a strong mystery for George (and readers) to solve, and The Politician is no exception. Wading through motivations and suspects alone is daunting, and it's always a pleasure to watch George put all the pieces of the puzzle together. So... plot-driven readers should love this series.

However, as strong as the mysteries are, character-driven readers will be in heaven. The character studies are marvelous. Sullivan has created a fantastic cast, and readers are always learning something new about each person.

The sly humor in each book is usually based on people's reactions to George, and readers will find themselves chuckling or smiling as they read. In The Politician, George not only has a perplexing mystery to solve, but he's also learning more about his own family. While he's learning about his family, his partner is learning ways to force Cross into acceptable mainstream behavior, and that's something else to make readers smile. 

We're also introduced to a new character, forensic scientist Michael Swift, who's so tall that he's been dubbed "the Shard" (London skyscraper). Swift is also a self-professed Cross groupie, so it's good to see someone work with Cross because he's Cross instead of despite the fact that he's Cross. (If I haven't mentioned it before, Cross is on the spectrum, and the only reason why most people on the police force put up with him is because of his phenomenal success rate.)

Well, I tried to limit myself, but I didn't succeed. Those of you who have already read a book in this series are undoubtedly fans like me. If you haven't succumbed to temptation, I urge you to do so. Because of the marvelous characters, I would suggest you begin with the first book, The Dentist. You are in for a treat!

The Politician by Tim Sullivan

eISBN: 9780802167743

Atlantic Crime © 2026

Originally published 2022.

eBook, 382 pages

Police Procedural, #4 DS George Cross

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Harvey Girl by Dana Stabenow

First Lines from Prologue: January 28, 1868. It was less than three years since Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox.

After successfully concluding her latest assignment, young Pinkerton agent Clare Wright finds herself working undercover in New Mexico as a hostess in Fred Harvey's Harvey House restaurant. Robberies are plaguing this newest addition to Harvey's empire, and he's depending on Clare to find the answers.

However, this assignment is going to be far from easy. Not only is the restaurant work exhausting, Clare risks exposure each and every day. And then there are those train robberies. No wonder Clare can only trust two things: herself and her derringer.

~

Several years ago, my reading took me into the world of Fred Harvey, his Harvey House hotels, the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe Railroad, and the tourism that grew from them. The history of the Harvey Girls themselves is fascinating, and I always thought this would be a gold mine for a mystery series. So did talented writer Dana Stabenow, and after reading The Harvey Girl, I can't wait for the further adventures of Clare Wright.

Clare Wright is a fascinating character. Her backstory unfolds throughout the book as we see her in all sorts of different situations, thinking on her feet, and relying on her unusual skill set. One of the things I really appreciated in this book was the fact that Clare couldn't sneak away from her duties as a Harvey Girl, as so often happens in other mysteries. The work was detailed, the long hours exhausting, and it was difficult for Clare to be both waitress and detective.

Stabenow brings a fascinating chapter in the history of the Old West to life in this new mystery series, and I can't wait for more.

The Harvey Girl by Dana Stabenow

eISBN: 9781035916610

Head of Zeus © 2026

eBook, 272 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Clare Wright

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley 

The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey

 

First Line: Sometimes Perveen Mistry felt like the only person in Bombay who didn't care for the summer monsoon.

India, 1922. Perveen Mistry, the only female lawyer in Bombay, has just secured her biggest client yet: Champa Films. The movie studio is run by Subhas Ghoshal and his movie star wife, Rochana. Rochana, the biggest name in Indian cinema, needs Perveen's legal help because she's being sued for breach of contract by her previous studio.

To better understand Rochana's world, Perveen brings her best friend, Alice Hobson-Jones, to a special screening, which turns into a disaster. One of the guests is found dead, and Rochana has disappeared. To protect her clients, Perveen must investigate the murder case-- especially since her best friend seems to be keeping secrets about that night.

~

I've been enjoying Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry historical series for its sense of place, as well as for the characters, and the mysteries; however, this latest book, The Star from Calcutta, was a struggle. 

I kept expecting the mystery involving the dead man to take center stage, but the story really concentrated on forbidden relationships and society's stranglehold on what was seen to be proper behavior. Coming from a completely different world, I kept chafing at all the things Perveen could and could not do in order to avoid scandal and wagging tongues as she pursued her investigation. (Thank heavens I was born when and where I was!) At that time, society's expectations were such that the Indian film industry was about the only place where women could advance. In the midst of all this, I didn't find the film studio characters very engaging either.

The Star from Calcutta is an interesting tale of how society can warp people's expectations and relationships. I just wish I'd been able to enjoy it more.

The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey

eISBN: 9781641295109

Soho Press © 2026

eBook, 413 pages

Historical Mystery, #5 Perveen Mistry

Rating: C+

Source: Net Galley