Weekly Mews: A Week of Magic and Mystery and Welcome Guests

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

I hope your week has gone well and you were able to squeeze in quality reading time. Mouse's and my glasses came in early, and we spent the afternoon picking them up and then roaming the mall, looking for a birthday gift for one of Mouse's friends. Once we got home, I curled up on the couch to read. My poor husband ended up folding most of the laundry by himself because I was so engrossed in my book. Oops. 

We went out to dinner with friends from out of town one day this past week. It was nice to catch up and give them hugs again. They moved to North Carolina last October and are making the rounds visiting friends and family for the next couple weeks. We hope to get our girls together again before our friends have to head home. 

Has anyone else signed up for Threads, Instagram's (Meta) version of Twitter? I looked into several other social media type apps that were suggested as substitutes to Twitter, but I wasn't impressed with any of them. Threads comes the closest though. It is still early days, but I like it so far and there are so many other book bloggers and book lovers there, several of them familiar names and also new ones--it's been refreshing to have my feed filled with bookish topics. If interested, look me up @literaryfeline)! I haven't posted anything yet, but I do plan to. 

Sadly, I did not even crack open either of the two short story collections I am reading nor did I read any further in my current nonfiction book. I was too engrossed in the books I did finish. 

Finished reading recently: 

• Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities #4) by Shannon Messenger ~ This one was a big one with 672 pages. I am enjoying this series--and while Mouse was reluctant to let me start it, now she keeps asking me when I'm going to pick up the next book in the series. 
• Witch Upon a Star (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #4) by Angela M. Sanders (see below for review)

Still in the middle of reading: 

• Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre edited by Tracy Chevalier
• Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond (The Hollows #10.1) by Kim Harrison
• Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour

What I Just Started:

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab

Up Next: 

My TBR List is hosted by the awesome Michelle  at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 

Thank you to everyone who voted in this month's TBR List Poll! It took me quite a while to settle on these three books for the poll this month because I have so many tempting books on my shelves. I have been eagerly awaiting to see which one would be the pick for the July. I am not sure if Michelle is still doing the TBR List poll, but it is one of my favorite monthly features, and I am always so grateful by how many of you take the time to cast a vote. Thank you! 

Death of an Unsung Hero (Lady Montfort #4) by Tessa Arlen did not fare as well as the other two books in the poll, only getting four (4) votes. Murder in Postscript (Lady of Letters #1) by Mary Winters came in second with six (6) votes. That makes the winner A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality (Saffron Everleigh #2) by Kate Khavari, which received twelve (12) votes! I am looking forward to picking up Kate Khavari's second book in the series. I enjoyed the first quite a bit. As always, I still hope to read the other two contenders at some point and look forward to doing so. 

Thank you for voting!

Witch Upon a Star (Witch Way Librarian Mystery #4) by Angela M. Sanders (Kensington, 2023; 304 pages)

I shivered in the parking lot of Darla's café. [opening of Witch Upon a Star]

Witch Upon a Star is the fourth book in the Witch Way Librarian series set in Wilfred, Oregon. Josie is well settled in her life as the town's head librarian now and is looking forward to her younger sister's visit. Josie's sister, Jean, cannot be more excited about taking part in a workshop at Wilfred's new retreat center about how to become a life coach, led by her idol, Cookie Masterson.

On the first day of the workshop, two people end up dead, one of which is for sure murder. While one of the deaths occurred at the local café and the other at the retreat center, the two deaths seem to be connected. Josie is even more worried about her sister now, which only increases her determination to conduct her own investigation. Yes, she trusts her neighbor and crush, the sheriff, to do his job--but it's in her blood to help him along.

Interwoven with the mystery is the big secret that Josie is keeping from her sister. That Josie is a witch with a special connection to books. Josie's skills have come in handy at solving crimes (and saving lives) in the past, and she cannot resist using them now.

This series continues to be a big hit with me. I just love Josie and the quirky characters of Wilfred. I admit I had a slight concern going into this one that it would be too much like the last--celebrity/well-known person coming into town, murder and havoc ensues--but I worried for nothing. Yes, there's murder and a bit of havoc, but that's where the similarities end. The mystery in Witch Upon a Star is solid with an interesting cast of suspects. I wasn't sure who was behind everything until close to the end. 

Jean and Josie have a fairly good relationship, but not without some tension and misunderstandings as can be expected. Jean still feels like the baby of the family even if she is an adult in her own right. Her mother tasks Josie with keeping an eye on Jean, worried she's in over here head with her new venture. I could appreciate Josie wanting to protect her sister, yet I could also understand Jean's wanting to be trusted to make her own decisions and not be questioned or doubted at every turn.

The library really is a character all its own in this series. It is a Victorian mansion turned library. And the way the books respond and speak to Josie is a booklover's dream come true. And of course there's a cat. Rodney, who is an awesome character on his own. I thoroughly enjoyed Witch Upon a Star and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Challenge Met: Cruisin' Thru the Cozies / COYER

I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

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