What I read in September

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading3 Comments

My friend Cat shares what she reads each month in a very informative post and I want to be more like Cat so I am going to see if I can keep up with this. My posts will be short because I usually only read about four books a month.

I read six in September, however.

I read a lot of mysteries and I won’t be reading as many mysteries in October (I don’t think).

Murder, She Wrote: A Slaying in Savannah by Donald Bain

Description:

Jessica is saddened when her eccentric old friend Tillie Mortelaine passes away—and surprised to learn that Tillie has left her a million dollars. But there are strings attached. Jessica must use the money to help the literacy fund she and Tillie established years ago in Savannah, Georgia. And she will receive the money only if she can solve a mystery within the month: the murder of Tillie’s fiancé, Wanamaker Jones.

Thoughts: I had more thoughts here, but overall, I really liked this one. Like with any series there can be duds and good ones in this series, but this one was fairly good.

Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley

Description: Sam Gardner’s second year as minister in quaint and charming Harmony, Indiana, is fraught with trials and incidents, a crisis of faith, a marital catastrophe, and a church elder’s ill-hatched scheme to scramble scripture with eggs. But a loving heart and a strong sense of humor is almost certain to see Sam through . . . even if all of Harmony is expecting a miracle comeEaster morn.

Thoughts: I did not enjoy this book. It was not well written to me. Terribly repetitive and convenient occurrences and like it was written by a different author than the first book. I don’t plan to read more in this series.

 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Description: The exploits of Tom Sawyer, a consummate prankster with a quick wit, captivate children of all ages. Yet through the novel’s humorous escapades, from the episodes of the whitewashed fence and the ordeal in the cave to the trial of Injun Joe, Mark Twain explores deeper themes within the adult world Tom will one day join. These include the baser human instincts of dishonesty and superstition, murder and revenge, starvation and slavery.

Thoughts: I first read this when I was 11 or 12 and I enjoyed it just as much this time around. I had forgotten a lot of it and looked forward each night to curling up under the covers and reading a chapter or two. What a fun adventure. I will say, of course, I did not like the “n-word” being used to describe the slave Jim but I know why Twain used the words he did and it was a term, sadly, used at the time when describing black/African American people. I don’t agree with it at all but it was used maybe once in this book. It is said a lot more in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and there are actual reasons it is used but I won’t go into that now.

 The Crime At Black Dudley/The Black Dudley Murder by Margery Allingham

Description/note: This book is called The Crime At Black Dudley in the UK and The Black Dudley Murder in the U.S.

Murder turns a weekend house part at Black Dudley Manor into a deadly affair when the host is discovered brutally slain. Detective Albert Campion is there to sift through the motives and clues with his signature charm.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this one even though one Allingham reader warned me away because Campion isn’t in this first book in the Campion series as much as others but I still enjoyed it and I enjoyed how Allingham introduced him with him being almost like a secondary character in the boo

Murder, She Wrote: The Maine Mutiny by Donald Bain (listened to)

Description:

Jessica Fletcher is pitching in to help Cabot Cove’s first Lobster Festival by writing an article about the lifestyle of the local lobstermen. But instead of getting the story, she becomes tangled in a net of intrigue and murder. And she better sink her claws into this puzzling case-or she may find herself becoming the next catch of the day.

Thoughts: This one took me a while to get through only because I listened to it when I was driving places and didn’t drive as many places for a bit. I did enjoy it and loved the narrator and her “Maine” accent.

Endless Night by Agatha Christie

Description: Gipsy’s Acre was a truly beautiful upland site with views out to sea – and in Michael Rogers it stirred a child-like fantasy. There, amongst the dark fir trees, he planned to build a house, find a girl and live happily ever after. Yet, as he left the village, a shadow of menace hung over the land. For this was the place where accidents happened. Perhaps Michael should have heeded the locals’ warnings: ‘There’s no luck for them as meddles with Gipsy’s Acre.’ Michael Rogers is a man who is about to learn the true meaning of the old saying ‘In my end is my beginning.’

Thoughts: I wrote a review for this one that you can find here, but the bottom line is that I liked this book but not at first. I was actually bored in the beginning, but as often happens in a Christie book, needing to find out how the killer did it was worth the push through to the end.

Sunday Bookends: Sir, your (dead) cat is back.

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon13 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing.

What’s Been Occurring

Little Miss’s birthday was this past Friday and that morning we had breakfast at our local diner and yesterday we took a day trip to a small city near us for  a day out.

It was so nice to see all the leaves changing and thanks to the cold nights I think our trees are going to be brilliantly bright this year.

I don’t think I shared on here yet a funny story that happened after we had our cat put to sleep in August. If I have, just skip it… ha!

Having Pixel put to sleep after a months long illness (not too mention her disappearing for three days and reappearing) was very traumatizing for our family — especially me and the kids. Warren took Pixel to be put to sleep and though he thought he’d be okay because he’d never been super close to her, he ended up really taking it hard when he got to the emergency vet. They allowed him to hold her as they sedated her and put her to sleep and he said he burst into tears at the idea of all she’d gone through and then losing her.

I’ve been a bit of a mess emotionally since then, both from her loss and the stress of caring for two very stubborn elderly parents who prefer to do things their own way even if it means a lot is put on their children and grandchildren.

I have only just started pulling out of the depression in the last couple of weeks.

So a couple of weeks ago Warren told me that a couple of weeks before that he’d gotten a call from the emergency vet office, but he ignored it because he was mowing the lawn. He checked the message after he was done and heard words that chilled him.

“Mr. Howeler, your cat is back. If you’d like to call back we can arrange a time for you to pick her up.”

He was instantly alarmed and quickly called the vet office back. That’s when the woman informed him that they had noticed he had asked for his cat to be sent away to be embalmed and then shipped back for burial. Her body was waiting for him in a drawer in their office, they said.

“No. No, I didn’t say I wanted my cat embalmed,” he said. “I wanted her remains cremated and for you to take care of them.”

At this point in the story I stopped him because I had no idea at all that vets even did that. Neither did he. But, yes, vets will send your animals away to be embalmed and send them back to you for you to burry them on your own.

“Sir, let me check your paper again,” the woman said. She was gone for a few minutes, came back, and said, “I’m so sorry. You are right. You did not want your cat embalmed. We will take care of her as you originally requested.”

Warren had been afraid this story would make me cry but instead it made me laugh so hard. I loved Pixel intensely. She was an interesting cat who was standoffish with most people but loved me and my son. She was moody and bold yet also timid and afraid of a lot. She seemed not to care at times but loved to lay on my stomach or side to have a quick pet and cuddle.

She could also be difficult — fighting being picked up, running outside when I didn’t want her to, and even acting like she was going to get better at the end and then just slowly getting worse and then better, worse and then better, for a couple of months.

She was always a character, leaving us with funny stories and now, even in death, she had been difficult and a challenge.

I told the kids I was just glad the vet’s office didn’t offer taxidermy services. Can you just imagined if they had shipped her to us all stuffed? I would have opened that box and fainted right there.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

In Progress

I am slow reading Stillmeadow Daybrook by Gladys Taber. Since each chapter is a month, I plan to read a chapter a month for the rest of 2026 and into 2027. I’m also reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

I started a PG Wodehouse book that Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs sent me — The Plot That Thickened. I looked at the first page to see if I would like it and got hooked on it and now I have to finish it.

Like most of Wodehouse’s book it is full of humor and satire. This one is about  a young man named Monty Bonkin who starts out working for a movie producer in Hollywood to show the father of the woman he wants to marry back in England that he can hold a steady job. The man had told Monty that the only way he will be allowed to marry his daughter is if he holds a job for a year.

Monty has done that and returns to England only to be told by that father that the job was overseas and he has no proof so it doesn’t count.

Monty looks for a job in England and bumps into the wife of the producer he was working for in England and she says she’ll hire him as the man’s secretary so he can finish his book he’s writing about his studio.

Monty’s secretary from L.A. has come to work for the producer’s wife in England, partly for the job and partly because she is in love with Monty. Toss in some jewel thieves and you have got one crazy story, but that’s how Wodehouse writes them so I am there for it.

I am also reading The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink and then I’ll be reading it again with Little Miss later in the month.

Up Soon

I’ll be reading Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie soon for the 2026 Reading Challenge and then I will be reading The Two Mrs. Abbott’s by D.E. Stevenson. I am also looking forward to Lark Rise to Candleford.

New arrivals to my bookshelf

I do have some new arrivals this week:

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

Some Housekeeping

Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs), Cat (Cat’s Wire) and I host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea.  This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!). Each link party will be open for a month. You can find that link up for this month here.

Each week, I host the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot with some great hosts. It goes live Thursday night, but you can share any kind of blog posts (family-friendly) there until Tuesday of each week. You can check my recent posts on the sidebar to the right for the most recent link party.

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing?

This post is linked up with The Sunday Post at  Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer,  Deb at with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Book Date: It’s Monday! What are you reading hosted by Kathyrn at The Book Date and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Reading Reality.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

Autumn of Jack: Fortune Cookie (1966)

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn classic movie impressions, Movie Impresssions3 Comments

This autumn I am watching Jack Lemmon movies and this week I’m writing about Fortune Cookie from 1966 starring Jack and Walter Matthau.

This was one I watched on a whim before I decided on the Autumn of Jack  feature.

Jack plays a CBS cameraman named Harold “Harry” Hinkle who is hit by fiction football player Luther “Boom Boom” Jackson of the Cleveland Browns.

The hit is aired on TV and Harry goes to the hospital. While the injuries are fairly minor, Harry’s brother-in-law William H. “Whiplash Willie” Gingrich (Matthau), an ambulance chasing lawyer, pushes for Harry to pretend that his one leg is paralyzed so they can get a large payout from the insurance company.

Harry refuses at first but when his ex-wife Sandy sees the hit and calls to check on him, he quickly agrees if just to get her to come back with him.

The insurance company’s lawyers, O’Brien, Thompson, and Kincaid, suspect the paralysis is fake. Unfortunately, all but one of their medical experts say the injury is real because of a vertebra injury Harry sustained as a child and because Willie hired a paroled dentist to inject Harry with novocaine.

The one holdout medical expert, Swiss Professor Winterhalter, is convinced Harry is a fraud and thus begins the effort to prove that Harry is lying.

The movie is full of chaotic hiding, conniving, lying, and greed which are complicated for Harry by Boom Boom’s guilt and attempt to make amends for the injury he caused — even though the injury was a total accident.

TCM describes the movie as a satirical black comedy but I didn’t think it was as dark as some black comedies I have seen (which isn’t many).

Many people may know that Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were in ten movies together over the years. This was their first movie together, but it almost didn’t happen after Matthau had a heart attack two weeks into filming. The movie was delayed for a bit to give him time to recover.

It also almost didn’t happen because co-writer and director Billy Wilder had written the part for Matthau, but studio executives wanted someone with a bigger name. Jack suggested Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason.

Wilder held firm, though, and the rest was a longtime partnership between Jack and Matthau.

The two became close friends for the rest of their lives, with their last movie being The Odd Couple II in 1998 when they were both in their 70s.

While researching for this film, I came across a hilarious interview between a Seattle Times Reporter and them. Here is a little excerpt that shows how funny they were together.

Interviewer: “How did you two meet?”

“Matthau: I went into a deli in Brentwood – it was a Jewish deli – and there was Jack Lemmon and I said, `Hi, mind if I join you?’ He told me to sit down and I asked him what he was going to eat. He said, `I’m going to have fried shrimp and a chocolate frappe,’ and I said, `You’re going to have fried shrimp and a chocolate frappe in a Jewish deli?’ I figured he was nuts and as soon as I realized he was crazy, I fell madly in love with him.

Q: Jack, do you remember that same meeting?

Lemmon: Of course. It was at Sardi’s in New York. Matthau was leaning against a wall in the corner of the bar. I sat down at a stool near him and Bernie Hart, Moss Hart’s brother, introduced us. I could tell he was uncomfortable because he kept shifting his weight and I asked him what was wrong. He said he and his wife had gone to a party at Gloria Vanderbilt’s house the night before and it was so crowded that he couldn’t find a place to sit. So he sat down on the glass coffee table and it broke. There was glass everywhere and Walter said blood was spurting out from where he was cut near his groin. Gloria walked over, looked down at Walter and said, `Look what you’ve done to my coffee table.’

Rob Nixon wrote for TCM.com: “In filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s book Conversations with Wilder (Knopf, 1999), the Austrian-born director brushes The Fortune Cookie off as a movie made under contract, not one he particularly cared about. He even calls it ‘the beginning of my downfall.’ At the same time, however, he notes with pleasure the comic chemistry of Lemmon and Matthau and lists Matthau’s character, “Whiplash” Willie Gingrich, as one of the characters he was most reluctant to let go of upon completion of filming.”

Nixon added, “A couple of additional points in the argument that The Fortune Cookie is not the disappointment Wilder claimed it to be: The film is remarkable in its use – innovative at the time – of inter-cutting between television and film footage. And as Boom Boom Jackson, the sweet-natured player who crashes into Lemmon, Ron Rich is cast in one of the first major black roles in American movies that doesn’t depend on race as a story issue or plot point.”

A couple of other bits of trivia for you:

  • Scenes were filmed at Cleveland Municipal Stadium during the Cleveland Browns’ 27–17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on the afternoon of October 31, 1965.
  • More than 10,000 Clevelanders served as extras.
  • According to The Saturday Evening Post, additional footage was shot the day after the game with Browns players as themselves and the Vikings.
  • Luther “Boom Boom” Jackson’s uniform number 44 was actually worn by Leroy Kelly, who was deemed “too small to pass for actor Ron Rich at close range”, according to the Post.
  • Because of Matthau’s heart attack he lost weight between the early scenes he filmed and the later scenes, which you can see happen in the movie. Luther “Boom Boom” Jackson’s uniform number 44 was actually worn by Leroy Kelly, who was deemed “too small to pass for actor Ron Rich at close range”, according to the Post.
  • The Fortune Cookie was Matthau’s 20th film since 1955, including roles in Elvis Presley’s King Creole (1958), Fail Safe (1964) and Ensign Pulver (1964), the sequel to Mr. Roberts (1955), in which Lemmon created the Pulver character and won and Oscar.

Have you ever seen this one?

Up next in my Autumn of Lemmon is The Apartment.

My complete list of movies for this feature:

Phffft (September 18)

It Should Happen To You (September 24)

The Fortune Cookie (Oct 2)

The Apartment (Oct. 8)

My Fellow Americans (Oct. 15)

The Notorious Landlady (Oct. 22)

The Odd Couple (Oct. 29)

Irma Dey Deuce (November 5)

Save the Tiger (November 12)

https://www.tcm.com/articles/62599/the-fortune-cookie
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970703/2547668/not-such-an-odd-couple—-lemmon-matthau-a-team-yet-again

If you are interested in more reviews or blog posts about old movies, you can find a link to my past reviews at the top of the page and you can also visit The Classic Movie Blog Association.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot Oct. 2

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam10 Comments

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, where we offer a place for bloggers to link up and get a fresh set of eyes on their posts. We also feature one blog a week, letting our readers know about the blog and providing a link so readers can learn more about it. Please feel free to post new blog posts or old ones you want to bring attention to again.

Look for the post to go live about 9:30 PM EST on Thursdays.

Autumn is finally here! Whoo-hoo! The nights are cool and the trees/leaves are changing color. I’ve been looking forward to this since…well…last Autumn.

Last week our trees were only slightly colorful and this week they are really starting to change!

Here is a few by our neighbors that we can see from our front porch and kitchen window.

Now, let’s introduce our current hosts for the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot:

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity.  Oh, who are we kidding?  Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!  

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household  – The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting! 

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more. 

Cat from Cat’s Wire is a bookworm, movie fan, crazy cat lady, armed with beads, cabs, wire and a very jumpy brain which loves to go down rabbit holes!

Rena from Fine, Whatever writes about style, midlife, and the “fine whatever” moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she’s been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.

We would love to have additional Co-Hosts to share in the creativity and fun! If you think this would be a good fit for you and you like having fun (come on, who doesn’t!) while still being creative, drop one of us an email and someone will get back with you!

WTJR will be highlighting a different blogger each week this year! We invite you to stop by their blog, take a look around and say hello!

This week we are spotlighting: Marmelade Gypsy



A little about Jeanie

Welcome to The Marmelade Gypsy, where I live my online life, sharing about all things creative, travel, art, books, food, wine, and the people, places, and animals I love.

Thank you so much for joining us for our link-up!

And now some posts that were highlights for me this past week:

Deb is taking a social media break and I agree with her reasons!

I loved Nancy’s autumn outfit!

Mumma B Stylish looks stunning in this white and green outfit!

I had fun seeing all the photos and enjoying following Amy on her hike

mmmmmm….Esme’s donuts!

I enjoyed reading about Melynda’s dad and his service in the US Navy

Important things to know about the link-up:

This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted. 

Please link only blog posts you created yourself. 

Please link directly to the URL of your post and not the main address of your blog.

Please do not add links to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos or Shorts, Instagram or Facebook Reels, TikTok videos, or any other “social media” based content.

But do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment.

Notice: By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that content and photos are your own property. And you give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.

We welcome unlimited, family friendly content! This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more! Thank you for joining us! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube and Facebook.

A Good Book & A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party Link Up for October

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings4 Comments

Welcome to the A Good Book & A Cup of Tea (A Monthly Bookish Link Party)!! This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!).

Each link party will be open for a month.

My co-hosts for this event are Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and Cat from Cat’s Wire.

Here are a few of my favorite shares from the September link party:

A Book Review and An Outfit by Marsha in the Middle

Walking in Victory by Cindy’s Book Corner

Mini Book Reviews by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs

What I’m Reading by Lisa’s Book Krewe

You can link up with any of us!

Some guidelines.

1. For Bloggers, you can link unlimited posts related to books and reading. They can be older posts or newer posts. These can be posts about what you’re reading, book reviews, books you’ve added to your shelf, reading habits, what you’ve been reading, about trips to the bookstore, etc. You get the drift.

2. Link to a specific blog post (URL of a specific post, not just your website). Feel free to link up any older posts that may need some love and attention, too.

3. Please visit at least two other bloggers on this list and comment on their posts. Have fun! Interact! Get some book recommendations.

4. Readers can click the blue button below to visit blog posts.

5. If you add a link you are giving me permission to share and link back to your post(s).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

Book recommendation/review: Endless Night by Agatha Christie

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading7 Comments

The book suggestion for this months’ read for the 2026 Agatha Christie Reading Challenge was Endless Night, a book that Agatha called one of her favorites. It is not a strict “who-done-it” with one of her detectives. Instead, it is a standalone novel that I would call a psychological mystery.

This book was written in about six weeks in 1968 when Agatha was in her 70s.

I’m going to be honest that I was a bit bored in the first part of this book but I just had this feeling that the ending was going to make it all worth it and I was definitely right.

There are some of Agatha’s books where I know that pushing through the more mundane parts of the book will pay off. I felt that way at times in The Secret of Chimneys and By The Pricking of My Thumbs but the endings saved both of those books for me.

This was another one of Agatha’s books where I guessed who was guilty but I didn’t know why they did it or how. I should have figured part of this one sooner than I did but the result would have been the same because the shock for me was more of how Agatha wrote about the villain’s descent into madness than the fact the person was guilty.

Then there was the ending, the final line, where Agatha blurred reality for the guilty party but also for us as the readers. “In the end was my beginning.”

That line made me think about so many of the parts of the book, replaying in my mind where I missed vital clues or thought something  might be a clue, but wasn’t yet sure.

This one was a bit of a mind twist of trying to figure out who was bad, who was good, who was a friend, who was an enemy and who was a lover or who was a killer.

It took a long time for someone to die in this book  — more than halfway through — which to me made the book both boring, at first, and then later, suspenseful. I was constantly wondering who was going to die and when, sometimes wishing she’d hurry up already, but feeling that someone definitely would. The person who did die wasn’t who I expected.

There was superstitious moments throughout the book where I was left wondering if supernatural things were really happening or if someone wanted it to look that way.

It’s hard to talk about the book in depth without spoiling the ending, something I never do in my reviews without a warning, so for now I’ll leave you with a quick description from online and then some quotes from the book.

Online description:

Gipsy’s Acre was a truly beautiful upland site with views out to sea – and in Michael Rogers it stirred a child-like fantasy. There, amongst the dark fir trees, he planned to build a house, find a girl and live happily ever after. Yet, as he left the village, a shadow of menace hung over the land. For this was the place where accidents happened. Perhaps Michael should have heeded the locals’ warnings: ‘There’s no luck for them as meddles with Gipsy’s Acre.’ Michael Rogers is a man who is about to learn the true meaning of the old saying ‘In my end is my beginning.’

The title Endless Night was taken from William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence and describes Christie’s favourite theme in the novel: a “twisted” character, who always chooses evil over good.

Christie finished Endless Night in six weeks, as opposed to the three-four months that most of her other novels took. Despite being in her seventies while writing it, she told an interviewer that being Michael, the twenty-something narrator, “wasn’t difficult. After all, you hear people like him talking all the time.”

The book is dedicated to Christie’s relative “Nora Prichard from whom I first heard the legend of Gipsy’s Acre.” Gipsy’s Acre was a field on the Welsh moors.

Quotes that caught my eye:

“Some are born to sweet delight, Some are born to endless night.”
*

“Born poor doesn’t mean you’ve got to stay poor. Money’s queer. It goes where it’s wanted.”

*

“The house only isn’t enough, you see. It has to have
the setting. That’s just as important. It’s like a ruby or an emerald. A beautiful stone is only a beautiful stone. It doesn’t lead you anywhere further. It doesn’t mean anything, it has no form or significance until it has its setting. And the setting has to have a beautiful jewel to be worthy of it. I take the setting, you see, out of the landscape, where it exists only in its own right. It has no meaning until there is my house sitting proudly like a jewel within its grasp.”

*

“Arrangements. I remember his using the word arrangements. What a hateful word it is and all the things it stands for. The things in life that have grand words – Love – sex – life – death – hate – those aren’t the things that govern existence at all. It’s lots of other pettifogging, degrading things. Things you have to endure, things you never think about until they happen to you.

*

In my end is my beginning … That’s a quotation I’ve often heard people say. It sounds all right—but what does it really mean?”

Have you read this one?

10 Mystery books that take place in autumn

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, top-ten-tuesday9 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Today’s theme is: all-Themed Freebie (or Spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere)

I decided to share ten mystery books that take place in Autumn for my theme.

  1. The Cat, The Mill, and the Murder by Leann Sweeney

I’ve had this one on my shelf for a few years but still haven’t read it.

2. Murder, She Wrote: Trick or Treachery by Donald Bain

I’ve read this one. Liked it.

3. Murder, She Wrote: A Fatal Feast by Donald Bain

I’m listening to this one on Audible now.

4. An Amish Inn Mystery: A Silent Betrayal by Rachael O. Phillips

I haven’t read this one yet but plan to this month

5. The Cider Shop Rules by Julie Anne Lindsey

I haven’t read this one yet but did read another one in the series and liked it.

6. Hallowe’en Party (Hercule Poirot) by Agatha Christie

This one is on my list to read.

7. In the Blink of a Pie by Catherine Brune

I have not read this one but want to.

8. Catch Me if You Candy by Ellie Alexander

It’s on my list to read.

9. An Amish Inn Myserty: A Fatal Harvest by Rachael O. Phillips

I read this one last fall and enjoyed.

10.Checking Out Crime by Laurie Cass

I still need to read this series!

If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!

On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

8 Quiet books to read to block out our noisy world

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading10 Comments

The world is chaotic and noisy these days. Twenty-four hour news cycles, social media with all it’s drama, anger everywhere you look. It is exhausting. Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to reach for a quiet book and escape for a little while so here is a list of eight quiet books to block out the noise of our world.

(I want to clarify that these books aren’t necessarily void of topics that are uncomfortable, or a little sad, but those topics are mentioned fairly briefly or aren’t presented in a super heavy way.)

1.

Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson

I read this one this summer and really enjoyed it. It really was delightful and fun.

Description: Barbara Buncle is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara’s bank account has seen better days. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from fellow residents of her quaint English village, writing a revealing novel that features the townsfolk as characters. The smashing bestseller is published under the pseudonym John Smith, which is a good thing because villagers recognize the truth. But what really turns her world around is when events in real life start mimicking events in the book. Funny, charming, and insightful, this novel reveals what happens when people see themselves through someone else’s eyes.

2.

Village School by Miss Read

I read this one at the beginning of the year and it was relaxing, with a few sad things in the middle of cheerful and hopeful messages.

Description:

The first novel in the beloved Fairacre series, Village School introduces the remarkable schoolmistress Miss Read and her lovable group of children, who, with a mixture of skinned knees and smiles, are just as likely to lose themselves as their mittens. This is the English village of Fairacre: a handful of thatch-roofed cottages, a church, the school, the promise of fair weather, friendly faces, and good cheer — at least most of the time.

Here everyone knows everyone else’s business, and the villagers like each other anyway (even Miss Pringle, the irascible, gloomy cleaner of Fairacre School). With a wise heart and a discerning eye, Miss Read guides us through one crisp, glistening autumn in her village and introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters and a world of drama, romance, and humor, all within a stone’s throw of the school. By the time winter comes, you’ll be nestled snugly into the warmth and wit of Fairacre and won’t want to leave.

3.

The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lillian Jackson Braun

This is a mystery book and I could have named any of the books from this series for this particular post. Almost all of them are relaxing and fairly quiet. Sometimes they even seem pointless and the mystery is secondary to the main character wondering around town and his Siamese cats getting into mischief, but, honestly, there are times I need a book that is a bit pointless to reset my nervous system.

Description:

Jim Qwilleran and his cats Koko and Yum Yum try to solve a haunting mystery in a historic farmhouse in this New York Times bestseller in the Cat Who series.

When Mrs. Cobb heard unearthly noises in the antique-filled farmhouse, she called Jim Qwilleran for help. But he was too late. It looked as if his kindly ex-housekeeper had been frightened to death—but by whom? Or what? Now Qwilleran’s moved into the historic farmhouse with his two cat companions—and Koko the Siamese is spooked. Is it a figment of feline imagination—or the clue to a murder in Moose County? And does Qwilleran have a ghost of a chance of solving this haunting mystery?

4.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

I’ve gone and on and about this book and you can read more about what I think of it here and here.

Description:

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery is a heartwarming and empowering story about self-discovery, courage, and finding true happiness. Set in the early 20th century, the novel follows Valancy Stirling, a shy and unfulfilled woman who has spent her life conforming to the expectations of her overbearing family. When faced with unexpected news about her health, Valancy decides to break free from societal norms and live life on her own terms. Moving to a remote cabin in the Muskoka woods, she discovers love, freedom, and the joy of living authentically. With its witty humor, vivid descriptions, and unforgettable characters, The Blue Castle is a timeless tale of transformation and resilience.

5.

The Imitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

I haven’t read everything by Wodehouse yet but so far the books I have read have been a riot and a total stress reliever. You have to like dry sense of humors (think Monty Python but less crazy and eccentric). There are several of the Jeeves books, which are mainly reprinted short stories from newspapers and feature Bertie Wooster, a rich playboy with no job, and his valet Jeeves.

Description (my own):

This book was originally presented as a collection of short stories which appeared in The Strand magazine in the U.K. The stories were later compiled into a novel. The first collection of short stories was Carry On, Jeeves, which I am reading now.

A little background on this series of short stories/books first.

Bertie Wooster is a “English gentleman” who is considered one of the “idle rich.” He doesn’t have a job. He mainly lives off his rich aunt Agatha and, probably, a trust fund.

Jeeves is Bertie’s valet or male attendant, if you don’t know what valet means. I wasn’t totally sure of the meaning of the word “valet” myself when I first heard the term years ago.

Jeeves gets Bertie out of the many predicaments Bertie gets himself into by being too nice or too arrogant by thinking he can fix a situation. In this book Bertie gets himself in trouble in a variety of ways, including helping his old school chum Bingo who is in love with a new woman every other month.

6.

Stillmeadow Daybrook by Gladys Taber

I have not actually finished this book yet. It is a book written with each chapter representing a month of the year. This is a non-fiction book about a woman and her friend who live on a farm in Connecticut. The chapters are full of tidbits about every day life, thoughts about the seasons, well-written and poetic prose about country and farm life.

If you haven’t heard of Gladys, she was a columnist who wrote for Ladies Home Journal and Family Circle  and was also an author of 59 of her own books, detailing her and her family’s quiet life on a farm in Connecticut.

Gladys’ books are very hard to find since they are, as far as I know, out of print. I was so excited to find this one on a bookshop on Instagram. I’ve since found three more of her books.

7.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

This one has a few bumpy moments — or so you think — but is mainly a sweet and quiet journey.

Description:

Four disillusioned women seek respite together; polite strangers, sharing an idyllic retreat in Italy. Each carries a burden that must be lifted; each must find a way…

At San Salvatore, ghosts are exorcised and bounds broken: each woman finds her own way back to happiness, on her own terms – aided by the simple magic of an Italian Spring garden.

Any story of a struggle to break free is compelling to the human heart. One way or another, we must each break free of our own prison. This then is the story of Rose, Lotty, Scrap Dester & Mrs Fisher – and their quiet story is epic, like the poems of antiquity.

8.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri  

This might be a little too quiet and sweet/sappy for some, but it’s still a nice reset and, hey, remember, it was originally written for children so it is supposed to feature a good helping of innocence.

Description:

Little orphan Heidi goes to live high in the Alps with her gruff grandfather and brings happiness to all who know her on the mountain. When Heidi goes to Frankfurt to work in a wealthy household, she dreams of returning to the mountains and meadows, her friend Peter, and her beloved grandfather.

What are some more quiet books that you enjoy and I can feature in a future post?

If you are looking for more relaxing books to read, I wrote a post in April along the same lines: https://lisahoweler.com/2026/04/28/ten-of-the-most-relaxing-books-i-have-ever-read-in-no-particular-order/

Sunday Bookends: Creepy Agatha books, cool autumn nights already, and some lighter reads

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon13 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing.

What’s Been Occurring

This weekend I’ve been trying to decompress from all the stress of last week. It’s amazing how you can hold it mostly together with some major situations going on, but as soon as your grocery order can’t be picked up when you wanted it and your air fryer died while you’re trying to cook breakfast, you totally fall apart.

I guess sometimes the little things on top of the big things are the last straw.

Ha.

Anyhow, the leaves are starting to change colors where we live and I think we might have a colorful year thanks to the cooler nights that hit us this past week.

I’m looking forward to those pretty colors.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

Recently Finished

I finished Endless Night by Agatha Christie this past week. It was definitely a different Christie. Not a who-dun-it mystery but a psychological mind trip that she wrote in six weeks in 1968 when she was 70-something. She called it her favorite. After reading it and many other books of hers, I still maintain she disappeared those 11 days after her husband told her he was leaving her for his secretary versus going into some kind of “fugue” state out of shock. That woman knew exactly what she was doing embarrassing her husband with all those stories about her disappearance. And I think he deserved it and she was awesome.

In Progress

I am slow reading Stillmeadow Daybrook by Gladys Taber. Since each chapter is a month, I plan to read a chapter a month for the rest of 2026 and into 2027. I’m also reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

To clear my palette a bit I am reading Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley. I also plan to continue to read The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink with Little Miss.

Up Soon

I planned to start The Two Mrs. Abbotts by D.E. Stevenson this upcoming week, but might hold off because there is a group of readers that is going to be reading it in November, so I might wait.

New arrivals to my bookshelf

No new arrivals this week after that long haul last week.

What I/We’ve Been Watching

A couple of months ago I shared about my husband purchasing me a DVD set of all seasons of Murder, She Wrote.

I am thrilled to have them on DVD after being disappointed that Amazon  had taken them off Amazon Prime (which made it so I had to buy each episode or entire seasons to watch them.) Now I can watch whenever I want. Even if our WiFi goes out. The other day, though, I didn’t feel like pulling the DVDs out and decided I’d buy just one episode to try to chill me out after a stressful week (I seem to have a lot of those lately) and saw that all 12 seasons were on sale for $14.99 for Prime members when the cost is usually $249.

Needless to say, I bought those episodes right up! That was a shocking deal and it was on a day where I really needed something to take my mind off of things.

I watched The Shop Around the Corner with my mom earlier in the week and yesterday I watched The Thrill of It All, a movie starring James Garner and Doris Day. I needed lighter movies this week. The Thrill of It All featured several mini-cameos by Carl Reiner. He played an actor that kept showing up on live TV programs and he was hilarious, as always.

And James was gorgeous…as always. Doris? I can honestly live without her usually but she was funny in this one and her dimples are always fun to see when she smiles.

Let me tell you too – she and James get in a fight in this movie and eventually he comes home and I was thinking, “I would absolutely make up with him…but only if he put out that cigarette he’s always smoking in this movie. Ick. His breath must smell of stale coffee and cigarettes!”

I also thought the ending was a bit ridiculous but it was 1963 and our society had a hard time understanding a woman can be a wife, mom, and have a career too. Sometimes the wife and mom role suffers until the balance is reached, but it can be done.

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

What I/We’ve Been Listening To

Murder, She Wrote A Harvest Feast by Donald Bain

Book quotes from my reading this week

“In the end is my beginning… That’s a quotation I’ve often heard people say.”
― Agatha Christie, Endless Night

Arrangements. I remember his using the word arrangements. What a hateful word it is and all the things it stands for. The things in life that have grand words – Love – sex – life – death – hate – those aren’t the things that govern existence at all. It’s lots of other pettifogging, degrading things. Things you have to endure, things you never think about until they happen to you.  – Endless Night, Agatha Christie

“Walking in the pale shadowy edge of a September evening I feel the stars moving in a divine order, and I sense suddenly that we are all children of God. “I will lift my mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord.” — these are old words and words of deep security to a troubled heart.” Stillmeadow Daybrook by Gladys Taber.

Some Housekeeping

Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs), Cat (Cat’s Wire) and I host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea.  This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!). Each link party will be open for a month. You can find that link up for this month here.

Each week, I host the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot with some great hosts. It goes live Thursday night, but you can share any kind of blog posts (family-friendly) there until Tuesday of each week. You can check my recent posts on the sidebar to the right for the most recent link party.

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing?

This post is linked up with The Sunday Post at  Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer,  Deb at with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Book Date: It’s Monday! What are you reading hosted by Kathyrn at The Book Date and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Reading Reality.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/