The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.
Happy Sunday!
It's been a beautiful week, a little cold here, but sunny. We went to Filoli in Woodside, California, which is a botanical garden/historic house built by the Bourne's, the family that owned the Empire Gold Mine out here. It was a long drive almost 3 hours, but it was worth it! The weather was sunny and warm, but not too warm.
Filoli back gardens
Tulips were in bloom everywhere
Tea room
Rhododendron
Wisteria was blooming everywhere!
Of course, the most important room in the house: The Library!
The photos I took didn't do it justice. It was gorgeous!
I subscribed to Britbox to watch the film adaptations of Agatha Christie. I've been re-reading her books by audio and watched A Murder is Announced (Miss Marple) and Dead Man's Folly (Hercule Poirot). I have to say Hercule with David Suchet is my favorite. He narrates a few of the audio books too, which is a treat. There's a new film adaptation on Britbox of Towards Zero with Matthew Rhys. I haven't been a fan of the newer adaptations which have tried to "modernize" the stories. I hope Towards Zero is better.
Do you have any favorite book to film adaptations? I should do up a post with some of my favorites.
Read:
(Click on cover for Goodreads link)
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The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland 4.5 Stars
The Eights by Joanna Miller 5 Stars
Heartwood by Amity Gage 3 Stars
I had a pretty good reading week. Loved The Eights and The Seven O'Clock Club, both by debut authors. I was hoping to love Heartwood, it really sounded like my kind of book, but it ended up being a mixed bag for me.
Received:
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Thank you to Minotaur Books!
Instagram:
How was your week?
The visit to Filoli looks fascinating and beautiful. I love wisteria. I’ve added The Eights to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteIt was gorgeous and the history was interesting! I hope you love it as much as I did!
DeleteFiloli is so beautiful! What a nice way to spend the day. I am hoping to read Ireland's book. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely place to visit. I think we should spend the night out in the area next time. I hope you enjoy The Seven O'Clock Club!
DeleteThe gardens and tea room are lovely. What a great place to visit for spring.
ReplyDeleteIt was! We caught it at the perfect time with so many spring blooms!
DeleteThe flowers are so beautiful. I love botanical gardens! Here's my Easter SP: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2025/04/20/sunday-post-happy-easter-and-an-easter-poem-from-louisebelanger/
ReplyDeleteI agree! Me too! I love visiting at different seasons as well!
DeleteThe pictures of the botanical garden are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe pictures don't do it justice! It was so beautiful in person!
DeleteThanks!
DeleteYour header photo reminds me of the beautiful views we had when living on Okinawa. How interesting to visit a botanical garden with a historical house included! Your photos are absolutely stunning! And yes! That library photo is lovely! Linda Castillo has been on my TBR for so long! I’ll be interested to see what you think of the book. Happy reading to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I never imagined that Okinawa would look similar. I took that photo in Oregon while hiking along the coastline. It's such a beautiful area! The Linda Castillo series is an exciting one, but a little brutal. I'm invested and read every new installment. Hope you enjoy it if you decide to pick it up!
DeleteI love those gardens! I found out there is a garden at UNC Chapel HIll with native plants and we might go one day. That's only at most an hour away. We enjoyed Britbox for the trial when we had it but we loved the Ann Cleeves shows - Vera and Shetland. Heartwood was sort of vague with two unreliable narrators.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
I hope you get to visit those gardens and that you share your photos after! Heartwood was a different read. I like parts but was bored by some of it. I look forward to your thoughts, Anne!
DeleteDavid Suchet is the ONLY Poirot and OMG that Filoli place is a dream!!!! Those flowers are tulips??? I could cry over the library and tea room.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what the 7 o'clock Club is about but I'm intrigued by the cover.
I totally agree about David Suchet! I've read almost every Agatha Christie and there's no other actor that fills Hercule's shoes so well! The tea room was gorgeous! It's about trying to recover and move on after a traumatic event and the grief that lingers! It was so good. I should be writing my review right now, but I'm tired!
DeleteThat mansion looks gorgeous Rachel and I just added The Eighths to my audio TBR (TBL)
ReplyDeleteI hope you love it, too, Sophie!
DeleteI'm probably going to resubscribe to BritBox so that we can watch the last three seasons of the Vera series. There might be other series and movies we will like, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that you liked The Eights so much.
There seems to be a lot on Britbox that I'd enjoy. I need to try the Vera series.
DeleteI love the pictures and the flowers are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWow what a beautiful place you visited. Yay, love it. Such pretty flowers and that library .... oh my. And darn I was hoping Heartwood would be better ... I still have it on my list. But maybe I will add The Eights as well. thanks. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteIt was a gorgeous place! It might just be me with Heartwood and I still did enjoy parts of it, just not as much as I hoped to. I look forward to your thoughts on it, Susan! Hope you love The Eights if you decide to pick it up! You too!
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous flowers! I bet they all smelled sublime, too :-) We're still at the very beginnings of our blossom window here, but the fruit trees are showing off and our strawberries are just showing off their tiny white flowers.
ReplyDeleteI've been debating on reading Heartwood but haven't decided yet. Maybe I should just let it be for now ;-)
Hope your weekend rounds out beautifully!
Our flowers at home have just began to blossom as well. Filoli was ahead of us for spring. I look forward to your thoughts on Heartwood. I did like it, just not as much as I hoped to. Same to you, Melissa!
DeleteI love visiting gardens, and Filoli looks gorgeous. Sorry that Heartwood was a mixed bag. I am hoping to read it soon. I hope you have a great week, Rachel.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm interested in hearing what you think of it, Carla. I hope you have a good week, too!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous estate property! I never got the chance to visit there. Love David Suchet's Poirot. The most recent version of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? was pretty close to the book, I thought, so maybe try that one.
ReplyDeleteThe Eights looks interesting as a sports fiction about a sport you usually don't get much about.
Happy Easter, Rachel!
I'll check that one out! Thanks for the recommend. I've finished 2 of the 3 episodes of Towards Zero and it's been good so far. Maybe a little drawn out. Thank you Sophia! Same to you!
DeleteI went to an author event a couple of weeks ago and one of the authors was Joanna Miller's sister, who is a successful author herself!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great week.
How exciting! I didn't know she had an author/sister! Same to you, Marg!
DeleteI love that library! What I wouldn't give to have a room like that to read in. :D
ReplyDeleteSame here! :)
DeleteThose gardens are lovely! Looks like it was a wonderful day trip. My kids were both home this weekend for the Easter holiday. We had some nice family dinners and time together.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear you had a nice Easter, Jen!
DeleteThe gardens look lovely.
ReplyDeleteAmazing flowers. Also i want that library
ReplyDelete