Sunday Post #347

 

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 hot here! It was a 102 degrees here yesterday and it's supposed to be hotter on Monday and Tuesday. I guess summer is well and truly here. Nothing exciting to report here, just the usual work, garden, and chores. I did pick a bunch of blackberries and our peaches for canning. I canned blackberry jam, pickled red onions and pickled peppers yesterday. This afternoon I plan on making peach preserves to can. 

Pickled red onion, peppers and blackberry jam.

Spotted this butterfly on Echinacea at the garden center. So pretty with that vibrant blue flashing.

Deadheaded some of my spent blue hydrangeas and they're still pretty! 

1000 Piece Puzzle Completed: Campfire Stories by 1Canoe2

Puzzle 38 of 2026

Read:

The Missing Couple (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #7) by Debra Webb-4 Stars

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen-4 Stars

How to Cheat Your Own Death (Castle Knoll Files #3) by Kristen Perrin-4.5 Stars

The Age of Enchantment (Chronicles of Whetherwhy #1) by Anna James-4 Stars

Never Lie by Freida McFadden-3.5 Stars

Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood-3 Stars

Received:

Brimstone Hollow (Annie Gore #2) by Archer Sullivan

The Missing Couple by Debra Webb

Don't Look Close by Jaima Fixsen

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Harlequin Audio and Recorded Books!

How was your week?

Sunday Post #346

 

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!

We got back from Montana late Monday and I still feel like I'm catching up! We had a nice time with family and had friends over for dinner a few nights during our stay. As fun as it all was it's nice to be home, back to our quiet life. 

The weather was very fickle. It rained several times but it was mostly warm and sunny during the day.

Here at home it's been hot, in the 90s and my tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, zucchini, summer squash plants have been producing a lot. Our little peach tree also has a ton of fruit and we're having peach crumble tonight (Saturday). I've also been harvesting blackberries and my husband has been vacuum sealing and freezing them. I'll also be making some blackberry jam as more ripen. 

1000 Piece Puzzle completed in Montana: Let's Go Camping by Spaghetti Tree

Puzzle #36 of 2026

1000 Piece Puzzle Completed in Montana: City Life by Mon Joli

Puzzle #37 of 2026

1000 Piece Puzzle Completed: Hometown Falls by Milton Bradley

Puzzle #38 of 2026

Read over the last two weeks:

The Delivery by Gregg Hurwitz-4 Stars

The Escape Game (The Escape Game #1) by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss-4 Stars

Revelations: How To Be a Werewolf by Jan Stryvant-1 Star

If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle-4 Stars

Unpredictable Magic (Everhart Investigations #1) by Faith Hunter-4 Stars

The Lion's Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett-4 Stars

Chase Me if You Can by Heather Frances-4 Stars

Received:

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

The Lion's Tusk (Shadow of the Leviathan) by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Trade of Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan #3) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Brilliance Publishing and Del Rey!

How was your week?

Sunday Post #345

 

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 warm week here with temps in the 80s and 90s. Summer is definitely here! Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our anniversary, thirty-nine years! We went to dinner at a a historic hotel in Nevada City (in California) and had nice evening out. 

Other than that nothing too exciting here, just the same getting out for walks and runs, early because of the heat. Keeping the garden in shape with deadheading and weeding and work. Work has been unusually busy which is surprising because the summers are usually slower.

We're getting ready to head to Montana again this week. This time we'll be flying. 

Sweet pea, scabiosa, and yarrow from the garden

Starla puzzle kitty

1000 Piece Puzzle Completed: Between the Blooms by Galison

Puzzle #35 of 2026

Read:

Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne-4 Stars

The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed #2) by Brigitte Knightley-5 Stars

The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay-4 Stars

I had a pretty good reading week with The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy being the standout. It was a duology.

Received:

The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon

A Map to Murder by Michelle Chouinard

Revelations How to Be a Werewolf by Jan Stryvant

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves

Thank you to Berkley, Minotaur Books, Simon Maverick, Libro.fm, and Avid Reader Press!

How was your week?

Sunday Post #344

 

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!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday!

I'm getting this up late because I worked the holiday and then went to my sister's for dinner and then watched the fireworks they do over the lake by their house. It was an amazing show!

I've been a bit MIA because we took a road trip from Northern California to Idaho, Grand Tetons in Wyoming and then ending in Montana at my daughter's place. It is a 13.5 hour drive by car to my daughter's house without stops. On the way we stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho to see Shoshone Falls, the "Niagara Falls of the West". You'd have never known they were there because it was flat all around and a very desert-y part of Idaho. The falls were low, but still pretty. Earlier in the year or depending on rainfall (photo below) all that rock there would be overflowing with water.

Shoshone Falls. Twin Falls, Idaho

From there we drove to Idaho Falls and spent the night, got up the next morning and traveled to Jackson, Wyoming and went white water rafting on the Snake River with class 2 and 3 rapids. It was so much fun! The highlight of our trip. A family of six and a couple from England were in the boat with us. The kids cracked us up! The guide (seen in the back middle with the oars) put the kids up in the front and they got soaked every time we hit rapids. We were all wearing wetsuits, so this wasn't too bad, but their reactions were hilarious! They loved it. 

My husband and I are at the back right. I'm in the green rain slicker. 

You can see it got pretty crazy in spots. We purchased the photos and a video taken by the rafting company and it was worth the money! Lewis & Clark River Expeditions is the company and I recommend them if you're ever considering white water rafting in the area.

This is the scenery in a calm spot on the lake. It was so gorgeous!

After we finished we went back to Jackson and had lunch downtown. Such a cute town in a beautiful setting. 

A ski lift you can ride up to the top in summer. We wanted to do this but just didn't have the time. It's steeper than it looks!

My parting shot of the Grand Tetons as we made our way to Montana.

It rained most of the time we were there, but I didn't mind it. We watched movies and did puzzles, went bowling, had friends over for dinner and went to the lodge for Mingo (Music Bingo) which was a lot of fun.

Pepper (my daughter's cat) puzzle kitty. My daughter was almost done with this puzzle when we got there and of course Pepper is laying on the area where the last pieces go! 

View from my daughter's back yard. The wildflowers were everywhere and so pretty!

It was such a beautiful trip! I'm happy to be home over the holiday, though. I don't like traveling over the holidays if I can help it, and I need some rest!

1000 Piece Puzzle Completed in Montana: Wildflower Farm by Werkshoppe

Puzzle 33 of 2026

500 Piece Puzzle Completed: Waterlilies by Sunset Magazine

Puzzle 34 of 2026

Peanut puzzle kitty. He wants a lot of attention we we come back from a trip.

Two weeks worth of reading (I didn't post last week):

Keep Them Close by David Ellis-5 Stars

Storm Tide by Paul Doiron-4 Stars

In Case I Go Missing by R.N. Swann-4 Stars

The Safe Room by Lisa Unger-3 Stars

The Plea (Eddie Flynn #2) by Steve Cavanagh-4.5 Stars

Thirteen  (Eddie Flynn #4) by Steve Cavanagh-5 Stars

Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry-4 Stars

We listened to The Plea on our trip out and then Thirteen on our way back. Both are Eddie Flynn and both were sooo good! If you're a fan of smart legal thriller I highly recommend the series! 

Received:

Keep Them Close by David Ellis

The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

Unpredictable Magic by Faith Hunter

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Ace/Berkley!

How was your week?