Monday, July 18, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #2 + Summer 2016 Comment Challenge

This was another crazy weekend. I participated in the Save Our Cozies Readathon, met with my mystery book club, and went to my childhood best friend's bridal shower. For an introvert like me, all this enforced socializing has left me exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. Not looking forward to work tomorrow.

First things first, the Save Our Cozies Readathon was so much fun! I'm new to the blogging community, so it was nice to participate in something that made me feel like I was part of the group. It's crazy how fast an hour can pass, as I struggled to keep up with the hourly challenges. I greatly enjoyed it, and would sign up again in a heartbeat. I not only found lots of awesome blogs to visit, but I read three different books that I'd had my eye on, but never got around to reading. I also won one of the challenges, so I'm eagerly awaiting a copy of Terror in Taffeta ^^


Hosted @ The Book Date

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a chance for me to talk about what I was/am/will be reading.

What I Read Last Week:

First up, I did a LOT of reading last week. For the Save Our Cozies Readathon, I read Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna (reviewed here), Death with All the Trimmings (reviewed here), and Murder at Fountainebleau (expect a review soon).

I liked Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna, but ultimately found it disappointing. I might have had my standards too high, but I found the plot rather convoluted. I might check out more in the series, but it's not on my priority list. Death with All the Trimmings was a fun, easy read and I definitely plan on checking out more in this series. The last book I read for the Readathon was hands-down my favorite. Even though I had never read any of the other books in the Elizabethan Mystery series, I was immersed from the very first page. I literally ordered all 5 books in the series as soon as I was finished, I loved it so much. Highly recommended.
1) Pretty good, 2) Good, 3) EXCELLENT

Bruno, Chief of Police was my mystery discussion group's July selection. I really, really enjoyed this book. It started off a bit slow for me, but I was soon immersed in the intricacies of food, life, politics, and murder taking place in the fictional town of St. Denis. The food descriptions were so good, that I whipped up on omelette based on one of the passages in the book (recipe here)



The Teaberry Strangler is, I believe, the 10th volume in the Tea Shop Mystery series. Another great edition, though I suspect I enjoy the world and the characters much more than I do the mystery-solving.


What I Am Currently Reading:
 

I got A Dark and Stormy Murder at the author's book signing and discussion and have just been waiting for the craziness of last week to finish before reading it.Throw Away Girls was downloaded from Netgalley (why did it take me so long to find you?!), and it seems like an interesting departure from the many cozies I've been reading. Expect reviews on both in the coming weeks.

What's Up Next:

I am a huge fan of graphic novels, and spent a ton of money on Saturday picking up the latest trades. Paper Girls has been sitting on my shelf, but it's definitely going to be read soon, not only because it's gotten great reviews but because it's also a mystery. So expect me to talk about it in the coming weeks.

Lastly, I will be participating in the August/Summer 2016 Comment Challenge, hosted by 
Lonna @ FLYLeF and Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense.


Since I'm a new blogger, I figured this would be a great way to meet other people in the blogging community, make some friends, and discover new blogs. I'm new to this, so I'm only signing up for 5-10 comments. I can't wait to meet my blog partner! 

You can also follow along on Twitter by using the hashtag #commentchallenge2016

11 comments:

  1. Yes the commenting challenge is a great way to start off as a new blogger. Especially as it concentrates on one blogger for the month. Good way to build a relationship. Sounds like you enjoyed the cozies challenge.

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    1. After the cozies challenge, I realized how important it is to be involved and build relationships with other bloggers. This challenge seemed like a fun way to do that without being overwhelming. I'm glad I noticed it on your site ^^

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  2. I'm taking a break from the cozy mysteries and reading those with a bit more grit to them. The graphic novels look intriguing. Happy Reading!

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    1. Cozy mysteries are what I read to unwind, and they're also a buffer between the more intense books in the mystery genre. I read The Shining Girls last month for my mystery discussion group and certain passages from it still haunt me. I love darker books like that, but I can't consume too many in a row, if that makes sense.

      Graphic novels are such an interesting medium, you should definitely check them out.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. I am pondering the Commenting Challenge.

    I love cozies, although I don't read them often. Lately, however, they seem to be finding there way to my blog(s).

    A Dark and Stormy Murder looks good! And I always love the covers of the Laura Childs books.

    Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. You're so good about commenting, that I feel like it'd be a really easy challenge for you ^^

      I like cozies because they're relaxing and I can easily finish them in one day. I used to be pretty eclectic with my taste in books, but due to the novel I'm writing, I've been pretty obsessed with mysteries lately.

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  4. Have fun with your comments challenge. It is a great way to discover new blogs and form relationships. Come see my reading week here. Happy reading!

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    1. Are you also participating in the comments challenge?

      I commented on your post, thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Ha ha ha, I can completely empathize with the "enforced socializing." I have a huge extended family and my sons' have tons of friends with birthdays to celebrate. For me to have a boring weekend with no events is so rare and cherished. I love your blog name. What was the inspiration behind Killer Appetite (Murder is Delicious)? Thank you for participating in the blog challenge! Lonna @ FLYLÄ“F

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    1. As a teacher, I have to constantly be "on", so I really look forward to the weekends where I just get to be boring and relax with a good book and reruns of The Great British Baking Show.

      I read a lot of cozies and so many of them have a culinary theme, so I immediately thought of the name, "Murder is Delicious." Plus I bake for my students every week, and oftentimes, I use recipes from those culinary cozies. Thought it'd be a fun idea to combine my love of baking and mysteries into one blog.

      When I ran the idea past my boyfriend, he suggested the name, "Killer Appetite," and I thought it sounded way better when I combined the two names ^^

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Love that you are joining us for the Comment Challenge and I hope you have a wonderful time connecting with other bloggers through this challenge. Happy commenting!

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