Sunday 29 April 2018

A Day to Stay in and Read

This will be a short, lacklustre post. Not to belabour the point, but our weather decided to be cold and dreary yesterday, followed by snow. After I did a bit of general house keeping yesterday, I decided to head into town to the library. I had looked up "Cozy Mysteries, Gardening" and compiled a list of authors that write such a genre. I was in the mood for some light, easy to get through books that combined a typical murder mystery with the overall theme of gardening. I'm itching to see the grass grow and the flowers to emerge, but nature isn't cooperating.

Unfortunately I found only one of the authors on my list and when I took my pile of books to the check out counter, I was informed I had already read that one. Sigh. So I put it back and got another one instead.

Here's what I grabbed, nothing too high brow or deep thought-inducing.


None of my favourite authors has a book out (available in the library) yet, so I chose these. It was a Rhys Bowen one that I had already read, so I chose this one instead.

I ended up settling in the living room, all comfy, one light behind me, feet up on the ottoman, and finished this one last night.


I liked it enough that I will probably read other books written by Ruth Ware. Apparently she has one called The Woman in Cabin 10. In this book, a writer ends up at a Hen Do (we don't call them that, here they are called Stagettes and not every bride does this) with a friend she has fallen out of touch with. Events lead to her waking up in hospital in rough shape and someone is dead. She has difficulty remembering what happened leading up to the death. There's a bit of a surprise at the end.

As I said, it's light reading. (Obviously if I finished it in half a day). I did enjoy it, though. How do you like my fancy Dollerama reading glasses? I hate that I need reading glasses now. My eyes were the one thing that worked perfectly, but not anymore.

Today is the weekly grocery shop, catching up on some work related work, and then maybe I'll start in on another book.

We have our daughter home with us from university and she's been busy trying to organize all of her "stuff" and move back in to her old room. It's very nice having all four of us back together again. In an effort to use up what I already have, I baked a strawberry, rhubarb pie yesterday that was incredibly good. The rhubarb and strawberries were both frozen, the strawberries from last summer, and the rhubarb from.... 2013!! Still tasted great. Now I only have probably 25 more bags of strawberries, rhubarb, and shredded zucchini to go!

34 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great way to spend the day to me. My husband has been gone this weekend and I spent yesterday with friends, got a little housekeeping done, and now I am blogging and enjoying coconut coffee, what a weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coconut coffee... can't say as I have ever tried that. Sometimes I nice normal weekend is just what we need.

      Delete
  2. Wow, those purple crocuses (crocii?) add a real splash of colour! Nothing like snuggling down with a good book when the weather is pants.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I took the picture of the crocuses a few days ago. They have since been snowed upon, and are now again in some sunshine. Poor things.

      Delete
  3. Wish we had a library. Your books sound like the sort I would read. Something light to entertain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm surprised you don't have a library. I have to pay for a library card each year because I live outside of the boundaries, but I think it pays for itself if I were to purchase all the books I read.

      Delete
  4. Your post was NOT uninteresting! I know once I commented that I thought most of my posts were just rehashing what I had done in a day's time and feared it all was dreadfully boring to any reader. Someone told me they loved reading about my (and any other people's lives, actually) (self-proclaimed) humdrum life so I should keep it up. That made me realize *I* liked reading the posts of other people's like that, too! So never hesitate simply writing about your daily life. (And I won't either!)

    I think I'm going to try to get Ruth Ware's book you just read from our library. Thanks for the suggestion.

    Good to hear someone else has something preserved from more than one season ago and uses it and finds it's just fine! I have a few "older" dates on packages or jars in my freezer or on the pantry shelf, too. :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mama Pea. I know what you mean. I like reading about other people's lives as well.

      Delete
  5. I am also an avid reader, so much so that I worked in a library for 24 years! I have read Ruth Ware and would give her 3 stars out of 5. Let me recommend a few of my fairly recent 5 stars in the same genre. "Behind Her Eyes" by Sarah Pinborough, "You" by Caroline Kepnes, "Before The Fall" by Noah Hawley. All should be available in a Canadian library.I am new to and love your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My hubby buys dollar store glasses by the half dozen. He drops them and breaks them in the shop at an awful rate. I bought him more expensive glasses at the drug store and insist he keep them in the drawer by his computer.
    I'm going to bake pies later today. Food Basics had frozen wild blueberries on sale this week. Gosh they make a great pie. I have frozen rhubarb and strawberries in the freezer that need to be used too.
    Thanks for the suggestion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never made a blueberry pie! I use frozen blueberries in smoothies sometimes.

      Delete
  7. I am embarrassed how many books I have read halfway thru only to realize I already read it. I read The Woman In Cabin 10 and thought it was very good.
    I just finished The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen and loved it. Hope your weather gets better, Jenn. Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm pretty sure that Tuscan Child was on my list of books I was looking for, but they didn't have it. The weather is already much nicer (Monday).

      Delete
  8. So glad you found some great books to read. I love to curl up in a comfy chair when the weather is not great and read. So relaxing to sink into a good book. Happy Sunday and have a wonderful start to the new week.
    xoxo
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
  9. Enjoyed "The Woman in Cabin 10" so will try to pick up "In a Dark, Dark Wood" at the library.

    ReplyDelete
  10. We have the same type of weather. Today has been an especially cool and dreary day, although we haven't seen snow...thank goodness for that! I've heard of the book 'The Woman in Cabin 10' and it sounds interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cool and dreary is all done now on Monday. So nice to see the sun!

      Delete
  11. You can also make freezer jam with your berries....
    Enjoy your week Jenn...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know why, but I've never made freezer jam.

      Delete
  12. Always appreciate book recommendations. I nearly wept this morning when we woke to find a dusting of snow! Tuesday is suppose to be 22+ ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was good today weather-wise. I hope your day was goo as well.

      Delete
  13. Can't make any reading suggestions but if you want some low-stress telly, they're showing repeats of the old show "Rosemary & Thyme" here in Australia. Two lady gardener detectives who solve murder mysteries on the jobs they're doing. How the penny never drops that they've the kiss of death on the commissions they take is beyond me but it's a nice little show.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually know Rosemary and Thyme and have watched many episodes. I really enjoy it!

      Delete
  14. Ah yes, always used to use the Dollar reading glasses till I got full time on the specs. Oh, I just saw the comment above about Rosemary and Thyme. I LOVED that series -- have it on DVD. I love Rhys Bowen, though haven't read much. And I read In a Dark, Dark Wood. I didn't like it all that well -- it kind of creeped me out. That said, I have her next two books on my shelf. Well, Cabin 10 is in the back seat of the car for some reason. I just read a very good one in that genre called "The Child" by Fiona Barton about a reporter who lands in a cold case about a missing child that was very good and not creepy. There's a fun series about Hollywood caterers by Jerrilyn Farmer I stumbled into recently and I can't remember the writer but if you google Avery Ames mysteries, those are English and fun. I'm also reading the Georges Simenon Maigret mysteries -- not cozy but short, well written and clever.

    Down here in Michigan it was sunny and nice yesterday and today is supposed to get to 70 and tomorrow warmer. I hope the sun and heat come your way. The pie sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for more suggestions! I like Rosemary and Thyme, too. I'm a sucker for British mysteries, and then throw gardening in there... well, it's a perfect combination.

      Delete
  15. I love Reading a book....especially in summer outside.....so Nice That your Family is together again....enjoy love Ria x ❤️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is very nice to have the whole family here. Thanks, Ria.

      Delete
  16. Weather like the type we've been having is good only for ignoring inside with a good book (and/or knitting). I am always looking for light reads, as the only time I have to read is just before bed! How nice to have your brood back in the nest!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Jenn :) That sounded like a nice cozy day for you :) The books sounds interesting, I wish I could get English books here sigh...They can order them from other libraries, but you can only keep them a week, I found it a bit annoying so I just buy used books from Thriftbooks now. Love the specs! I think I may need to bring mine out...I got a pair when I got my contacts...seems crazy to have to wear glasses while wearing my contacts...but if I wear them, I can't see close...I gave all that up and live a blurry life most of the time now lol...

    ReplyDelete