Here are the books I read in September that I rated four or five stars. The Museum Murders: A Rascal Todd Mystery By Dan Antion Rascal the journalist is back with a new mystery. She is pulled into …

Any visit at the National Museum of Maps and Old Books in Bucharest is a memorable adventure: from stained glass windows depicting medieval maps to lion-shaped door handles, from unique old maps to painted ceilings.

Where did Vlad Dracula live during his second and longest reign of Wallachia, besides Targoviste? Why? Join Vlad Tepes at Targsor, Rucar Pass near Bran, Targoviste, Dealu Monastery, Balteni and Govora...

Welcome to the Sunday Stills feature which will be hosted by Hugh Roberts while Terri is away. Hugh has chosen Ephemeral for this week’s challenge. It’s a shame flowers only last a rela…

In our first wind up of October, I look at books most recently read and reflected upon, roam through some of the most compelling literary writing around the blogosphere, pause over earlier posts th…

Reading Over the Weekend: Tales From the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces by Sally Cronin

Reading Over the Weekend: Tales From the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces by Sally Cronin

Delighted to share my review for the third book featuring journalist/sleuth Rascal Todd as she finds herself working on a case with deep connections to the past and a more recent missing person. Th…

Friday Finds for October 2, 2026, featuring Michelle Olson, recent book reviews, a Honey Vanilla Latte, BBNYA news, a Blind Date with a Book box, and cozy fall reading inspiration.

I would like to get back into a full New Book Spotlight rather than an announcement in the weekly round up… so to get the ball rolling again… the latest from D.L. Finn. When There&#8217…

Fifteen First Times: Beginnings: A Collection of Indelible Firsts – D.G. Kaye ‘Debby Does Diets’ – and other stories – 5* What’s not to love about this collection of fifteen memories from author D.…

This is my poem for Willow’s Tanka Tuesday poem which you can read here: Spring buds blooming, birds constructing, hadeda ahead – brooding bright birds, colourful flowers, creating, spr…

Where did Vlad Dracula live during his second and longest reign of Wallachia, besides Targoviste? Why? Join Vlad Tepes at Targsor, Rucar Pass near Bran, Targoviste, Dealu Monastery, Balteni and Govora and more. St Nicholas, Vlad Dracula's patron Saint.

Another terrific reading month and delighted to recap my recommendations for September 2026. Whilst I was laid up my husband passed along three books from his extensive library he has accumulated b…

Read my 4.5-star review of Soldier's Joy by M.F. Jones, a historical supernatural romance, plus an exclusive author guest post on the story's inspiration.

Charlie Laidlaw’s book The Days of Our Birth has been republished by Rampart books and I’m delighted to be able to share my original review of the book… Sarah and Peter lived next…

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. This is a story of forest and fables, of feather and thorn, of a beast and a beauty and an enchanted castle lost in time. But it's not the one you know... ...

Many of you have mentioned the musicals across the decades and by popular demand William has created a new series celebrating the music and songs of these wonderful stage shows and in the charts. 🎭…

My latest contribution to the Tove Trove library is a brief descent into Tove Jansson’s most disquieting apocalyptic vision, in the concentrated form of a short story.

Whilst I was offline recently I began to read some of my books that had been lingering too long on my TBR… I try to read books by authors in the writing community as soon as possible, but oth…

Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend with The Moonshine Murders: The Jailer’s Daughter, a coming-of-age mystery where two determined cousins discover that seeking the truth can be far more dangerous than they ever imagined.

Friday Finds features Jennifer Ivy Walker, a French cinnamon yogurt cake, bookish news, a Goodreads giveaway, and a cozy candle find.

What Ever Happened to Cathy Martin by Mim Eichmann | Review | 5-Star #MurderMystery #HistoricalFiction #Thriller Today I'm sharing my review of an Advance Reader Copy of the book. The story captivated...

Over the years I have been saving funnies from my various social media platforms and particularly Facebook… some from members of our writing community and I hope they don’t mind if I sh…

Behind the Book – When One Story Becomes Four, a guest post for Gina Rae Mitchell’s incredible blog. Find out how, what begins as one story, does not always remain one story.

Go Behind the Book with Patricia Furstenberg to discover how research for When Secrets Bloom grew into four stories inspired by medieval Transylvania.

A lovely poem by Balroop Singh which I am sure you will enjoy as much as I did. Image credit; Ali Kazal I hope you will head over to enjoy Balroop’s poem in full.

Read my review of Silent Heroes by Patricia Furstenberg, a moving military novel about courage, sacrifice, and the bond between Marines and working dogs.

Happy Fall! I’m excited to share that my new Christmas story comes out on November 1st, and it’s now available for preorder. When There’s Only a Christmas Wish BLURB Can a Christm…

Recently there have been some serious outbreaks in the UK involving Salmonella UK Gov. Salmonella outbreak update – and also in the US with regard to packets of fresh broccoli sprouts FDA inv…

Over the years I have been saving funnies from my various social media platforms and particularly Facebook… some from members of our writing community and I hope they don’t mind if I sh…

An Unlikely Visitor by Joanna Cannon published June 4th with The Borough Press and is described as 'funny and poignant'.

The Antique Picker's Daughter review: Melanie Dugan's morally complex literary novel explores youth homelessness, survival, trust, and exploitation.

Following a little break, I turn this week to books newly read and discussed, wander through some of the most engaging literary writing to appear on the blogosphere, revisit earlier posts worth red…

Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend with Lisette Brodey’s All That Was Taken, a psychological suspense novel where love and healing emerge from the shadows of loss, secrets, and danger.

Delighted to share my recommendation for the thriller set in South Africa… Cry of The Firebird by T.M. Clark. About the book One murdered doctor. Vanished research. Now, one woman must race a…

Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend with Lisette Brodey’s All That Was Taken, a psychological suspense novel where love and healing emerge from the shadows of loss, secrets, and danger.

Discover this week's Friday Finds: book reviews, Irish fairy-tale retellings, baked apple cider donut holes, and a charming kettle for cozy reading days.

More humour from Malcolm Allen and watch out for that predictive text! My thanks to Malcolm for excellent foraging and we hope you are leaving with a smile on your face. About Malcolm Allen The aut…

The years Vlad III spent exiled in Moldvia and Transylvania, perhaps at the Edirne court too, 1449–1456, are the ones we now the least about-almost no records were left. These are the years that sparked my imagination writing the historical fiction saga Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows.

In January 2016 I began a series that I was intending to publish as a book but instead I shared on the blog in a series. I am going to share some of the posts from the series over the next few week…