Reading with Mrs. Leaf

📚 Book Review 📚 Title: Murder at the Seashore  Author: Samara Yew Publication: 10/17/23 Genre: Cozy Mystery  My Rating: Really enjoyed! A new cozy mystery series featuring Scarlett, who runs a beachside bookstore in CA. Scarlett finds a body 1 morning while walking the beach. Turns out the victim, who she’s never met, has left her inheritance to Scarlett.  What I liked:  🌊  Beach town setting  🌊  Side characters, especially her Roomate/lawyer  🌊  Inheritance story line Final thoughts: I really enjoyed this new cozy mystery and the audiobook was great to listen to. The California beach setting, a bookstore and great side characters have all the makings for a great series. 

📖🧀 Book Review 🧀📖 Title: Case of the Bleus Author: Korina Moss Publication: 9/26/2023 Genre: Cozy Mystery My Rating: Loved it!   Main Character: Willa, owner of the Curds & Whey, the local cheese shop.   Setting: Yarrow Grove, California   Plot: Cheesemongers across the NW are in town for the Northwest Cheese Invitational and to honor Max Dumas, a cheese legend. The recipe to his prize Church Bleu is rumored to be revealed at his will reading, instead there is just a cryptic clue and one of his employees (Kendall) dead under mysterious circumstances.   Thoughts: This was such a  great book! I love this series and each book just gets better. On the mystery front there were several story lines to follow. Who murdered Kendall? Was Max murdered as well? Where is the recipe to the Church Bleu? Who keeps stealing the book Rebecca that all clues leads back to? I loved trying to untangled the mysteries alongside Willa and her friends, Archie, Baz, Mrs. Schultz and Roman and join along

📚 Book Review: Take the Lead : Hanging On, Letting Go, and Conquering Life’s Hardest Climbs - Thank you St Martin’s Press for the gifted book and hat. I love the pink hat!  Author: Sasha DiGielian Publication: 9/26/2023 Genre: Memoir My Rating: Loved it! World champion climber Sasha DiGiulian tells her story—from coming of age under the scrutiny of social media, navigating a male-dominated sport, and tackling her most heart-stopping climbs—and shares the power of perseverance and positivity. What I liked: 🧗‍♀️ The stories of her rock climbing experiences  🧗‍♀️ Glimpse into the highs and lows of being an elite athlete.  🧗‍♀️ Relatable takeaways for anyone chasing goals Final thoughts: I loved this book and being able to travel through the world through her climbs. Beyond the adventures this was a very inspiring read. I really enjoyed her writing style, storytelling and honesty with the mental & emotional struggles she faced. Highly recommended!  Take the Lead publishes on Sept.

Labor Day weekend is often the unofficial end of summer and with that here is a look at my favorite books read and released this summer in no particular order:  1. Drowning by TJ Newman   2. Rehearsed to Death by Frank Anthony Polito 3. Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom   4. Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage 5. Crimson River by Devney Perry 6. A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke 7. Thirst Trapp Farms by Christina Hill   8. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett   9. Only the Dead by Jack Carr 10. Board to Death by CJ Connor As you can see I had a summer of action thrillers, cozy mysteries, romance and historical fiction. I love mixing up the genres!  Did you read any of these books this summer? What was one of your favorite books you read over the summer?

Today is #WeLoveMemoirsDay! My favorite memoirs tend to be outdoor/adventure related, food/restaurant related and celebrity memoirs. Here are a few favorites: Outdoor related: Home Waters by John Maclean Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks A Walk in The Woods by Bill Bryson Through the Wilderness by Brad Orsted Food Related: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert Julie & Julia Celebrity: Greenlights The Storyteller’s Have you read any of these? Do you have a favorite memoir?

Title: Murder is a Piece of Cake Author: VM Burns Publication: 6/27/2023  Genre: Cozy Mystery  Series: Baker Street Mysteries #2 Summary from the publisher :  With small town New Bison’s Spring Festival just around the corner, the pressure is on Maddy to continue her late great-aunt Octavia’s legacy. That means scoring the top prize and transforming Baby Cakes into Southwest Michigan’s must-visit bakery, even though her inexperience in the kitchen brings nightmares of humiliating tagged photos and scathing reviews. IThere’s another reason for lost beauty sleep. A second bakery is opening in town under the ownership of CJ Davenport, a shrewd investor with a reputation for sabotaging anyone who gets in his way. And savvy, flashy Maddy tops his list. It’s a sticky spot to be in—more so when Davenport turns up dead with a Baby Cakes’s knife stuck in his back. Maddy’s whole life just went from #thriving to barely surviving. Now, supported by the crafty Baker Street Irregulars and her new bo