Keeping Entertained

 It's Walkin' and Readin' Wednesday!

Zoomac, again!

New window kitty.

Mocha

Recommended audiobooks:

The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson

Narrated by Laura Horowitz and Anthony Palmini

Audiobook published August 18, 2026

Libby app blurb: "The breakout standalone dark enemies to lovers romantasy about a woman whose lips are deadly poison...until she meets the one man who can survive her kiss."

My two cents: An excellent romp, with magic and angst, nasty parents, and each side of the conflict is sure the others are bad, bad people.  Vampires too!  Adult.

Place of Temptation by Bilinda P. Sheehan

All books narrated by Polly Lee

DI Haskell and Quinn Series:

#1 A Wicked Mercy (2019) 

#2 Death in Pieces (2020) 

#3 Splinter the Bone (2020) 

#4 Hunting the Silence (2021) 

#5 Hidden in Blood (2022) 

#6 Place of Temptation (2022) 

#7 Lake of Tears (2023) not yet available

#8 No Safe Place (2025) not yet available

#9 Dark is the Mind (2026) no yet available

#10 Lost and Found (2026) not yet available

Goodreads blurb: "Crime novels set in North Yorkshire, England feature D.I. Drew Haskell teaming up with criminal profiler Harriet Quinn."

My two cents: Drew and Harriet have a past, making them adversaries in private, but a good team when solving murders.  Their connection evolves with each book.  I found this series years ago, but only the first three books were available at my library, until recently when more have come online.  Waiting impatiently!  Oh yeah, beware: gruesome.

Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune by Keith Thomson

Narrated by Feodor Chin

Audiobook published May 10, 2022

Libby blurb: "Discover the thrilling account of the roguish acts of the first pirates to raid the Pacific in a crusade that ended in a sensational trial back in England."

My two cents: Non-fiction - Sailing any ocean back in 1680 was dangerous, let alone doing it as pirates!  A must-read if you are into the history of seafarers, plus the Admiralty's amazing laissez-faire attitude years later is remarkable.  We've got Captain Henry Morgan, treks into Panama with fighting against the indigenous folk, The Spanish, and even The English.  A princess is saved!

Looking and Listening

Walkin' and Readin' Wednesday!

As seen in my neighborhood:

Sweet void kitty, and I've forgotten her name.

Leopard slug, found on sidewalk, about 3 inches long.

Shy kitty.

Another shy kitty.

Zoomac is the opposite of shy!

🐾 😽 🐾

Recently listened to audiobooks that I recommend:

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

Narrated by Imogen Church

Published: June 23, 2020

Goodreads Blurb: "This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the audiobook you are expecting."

Wikipedia Blurb: "A fantasy novel...set in an alternate 19th century London, with supernatural creatures such as angels, and is based on the Sherlock Holmes stories."

My two cents: OH YEAH!  The Angel of Crows as Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. Doyle as John Watson...except they aren't.  Great fun; loved this.  The Hound of the Baskervilles is forever changed in my mind now.

The Frozen People, Ali Dawson Series Book #1 by Elly Griffiths

Narrated by Julie Maisey

Published: July 8, 2025

Goodreads Blurb: "Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they're frozen—or so their inside joke goes. Ali’s work seems like a safe desk job, but what her friends—and even her beloved son—don’t know is that her team can travel back in time to look for evidence."

My two cents: This author really makes characters come alive, like she's living inside their heads!  Book #1 ended on a cliffhanger, and the wait for Book #2 The Killing Time is still months away, and I have no patience.

The Poisoner Series by I.V. Ophelia

Book #1: The Poisoner, 2024

Book #2: The Arachnid, 2026

Book #3: The Cannibal, 2026

Narrated by: Matt Sykes, Sebastian Brown, and Stephanie Willis

Amazon Blurb: "This gothic paranormal romance series unfolds in Victorian-era London and 1890s Buffalo, where humans encounter vampiric beings called Vipera. Alina Lis, a botanist and poisoner who targets unsavory men in her own sense of justice, encounters Silas Forbes, a Vipera resistant to her deadly poisons. Their attraction develops amid escalating tensions between human and Vipera worlds."

My two cents: The blurb doesn't do this series justice.  Alina may get knocked down, but she doesn't only get mad; she gets even.  She makes her opponents believe that she's playing their game, while finding ways to save herself and her loved ones.  Adult stuff, plus, you know...vampires. 

📚 🧛‍♀️ 📚

New Friends

While walking in the 'hood one day...

I was taken by surprise...by several cutie pies!

This is Zoomac, and he flopped at my feet and demanded attention.
I gladly gave it!
His tag fell off during the process, so I called the phone# and met Zoomac's human across the street, who assured me that he will flop for anyone.
That's okay with me!

Do you see the other doggo, through the fence posts?

Our friend Sly, first time I've seen him in several weeks.
He also demanded worshipping, but no flopping for my boyfriend.

This is Feather.
Our neighbor just TNR'd her, so no kittens for this wee one, and being a kitten herself, she was named Feather as she's as light as air.
My goal: make friends with Feather.

😻