Lowcountry Boughs of Holly

 

Tis the season for people to be picking up Christmas reads! I tend to not flock to seasonally based books (movies are another thing, which was a new obsession last year) only in that season.  If it sounds good, I'll pick it up in April, or July, most of the time right after the season/holiday, because I will not conform.  I don't like being told what to do, even when no one gives a poop.  Okay, okay, I'm a rebel who follows rules.  But only the rules I've determined are okay.

I started reading Lowcountry Boughs of Holly by Susan Boyer, two days before Christmas.  And then underestimated the amount of stuff I had to do, because I was certain I'd wrap it up by Christmas.  Alas, I finished it the day after Christmas!

It is the 10th book in the Liza Talbot series.  I haven't read all of them, but the ones I've picked up I've enjoyed! They are cozy mysteries set in South Carolina.  Liz is a private investigator with her husband Nate, and she gets a little help from her deceased childhood best friend.  These books are not meant to be serious!

In this Christmas time based book, Liz and Nate are investigating the death of a Santa Clause following the annual Santa Boat Parade.  They are led back to past characters (but I don't remember them and I'm not sure if I read the book they were in, however this didn't make the book hard to follow) and boy, were they entertaining! Rich people drama!

There is a wayward reindeer, delicious descriptions of Liz's Momma's food, and actions packed with the help of some mysterious powers to be! If you are looking for a light read or a series to get started on, the Liz Talbot series is for you!

Does your town have any holiday traditions? Do you enjoy reading books set in the South?

Description: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Private Investigator Liz Talbot is struggling to feel festive. She hasn’t seen her best friend, Colleen, in weeks and fears she may never see her again in this life. Meanwhile Nate, Liz’s husband and partner, is spending money like he prints it in the attic on a mysterious family Christmas celebration. Liz’s nerves are shot, and she hasn’t even decked a single hall. But there’s simply no time to fret.

On a morning beach run, Liz spots a wooden rowboat run aground with Santa inside. Did Old Saint Nick have too much eggnog at the boat parade? No indeedy—Santa’s been shot. And he’s none other than C.C. Bounetheau, patriarch of one of Charleston’s wealthiest families.

Liz and Nate already unwrapped quite a few family secrets while searching for the Bounetheau’s missing granddaughter last year—enough to make them swear to steer forever clear of the entire clan. But as Mr. Bounetheau’s body is found in Stella Maris, and Liz and Nate are the police chief’s on-call detectives, they’re on the case.

With no shortage of suspects, Liz and Nate dash to find a killer who may be working his or her way down a naughty list.

Spend Christmas in the Lowcountry with the Talbot family and their friends in Susan M. Boyer’s latest Southern charmer, Lowcountry Boughs of Holly. Tis the season for merry mayhem!

I received this book for free from the author.  All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Currently: December

 Reading:  Everything Beautiful in Its Time by Jenna Bush Hager

Loving:  having my family safe at home with me for at least one more day

Feeling: blah, not really into the holiday spirit this year.

Anticipating:  not even sure anymore.

Grateful: My people are healthy and safe.

Working: Christmas cards, finalizing Christmas gifts.. wondering how I am going to wrap.

Listening: Hallmark movies in the background for the most part.

Watching: Hallmark and other Christmas movies...

Wishing: for a vaccine that all can safely get sooner than later... 

What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?

Holiday Board Book Recommendations 2020 Edition

 Tis the season of what do I get her/him/he/she/they/everyone.  I thought I'd share a few of the board books that we have enjoyed this last year.

A is for Awesome is such a great shero alphabet book.  It mentions women who are famous from A-Z and my 9 year old loves reading it and using it as a point of looking up information on some of the women shared.

On the Night You were Born is such a sweet book about how everyone is so very excited on the night the child is born.  It was my oldests and she LOVES reading it to her sister.

Music Is....  this book is so delightful and fun to read with expression.  My 1 year old LOVES music and her body immediately starts to dance when you say the word music.  She loves this book.  And I love the illustrations.

Down By the Bay is another hold over from the oldest that the youngest requests far more often than her big sister did.  She loves music and this book REQUIRES you to sing it, of course. :)

Your Baby's first word will be Dada is a love here as well.   My 1 year old is obsessed with her DADA and this book is meant to be read with a lot of DADAs, yelled with expression.  

Alfie and Bet's ABC book is one of my favorite ABC books for kids because it has more unusual words for A-Z, and as the most often reader of the books, I appreciate talking about more unique objects than the typical ball, cow, cat, etc...

Little Blue Truck is just a sweet tale of helping each other out. A little wordy but just a good good story!

Goodnight Moon is an old classic and I probably like it more than either of my kids requests it, but I just love it!

Colorful World: Sea find what's different is nicely illustrated and is good for pointing out how things are different and about different colors.

Good Night Michigan is a fun book that talks about a boy and girl traveling around the state for the day and includes fun touristy things to see and do in the Mitten state.  Other states have their own versions and I've been known to send them out to friends as baby gifts

ABC what Can she Be? Is an awesome book we just got for the one year olds birthday.  I love that it talks about professions that you can be when you grow up and doesn't include a lot of the stereotypical professions that women are usually suggested to be.  LOVE.

Okay, so pretty much all of Vashti Harrison's books are needed in your child's library. LOVE LOVE LOVE.  And I also love listening to my oldest read these to her sister.

Tomie's Little Mother Goose is a cute condensed version of nursery rhymes for little ones.  It's my favorite out of the few we own.

What boards were wins in your household this year? What books are on your childs wish list? What books do your kids love to hear but you can't stand to read?? (Mine would be Corduroy shhhh)

November Reads!

November Reads! 5 of the 8 I read I gave 5 stars.  It was a really good reading month. 

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman was a page turner.  I love Backman’s humor in his writing.  If you haven’t read any of his books, I’d recommend starting with Beartown and then go from there.  I haven’t been disappointed yet, and I haven’t finished all of them.  He also has really good insight on human nature and I find myself nodding along to his wisdom sprinkled throughout.

Caste: Origins of our Discontent by Isabel WIlkerson is the history book you need.  She lays out how race in America is a caste system and compares it to the Indian caste system.  There are a lot of truth bombs in here and history, you probably did not learn in school.  It also spells it out for anyone that hasn’t realized that America treats black people worse than how the Nazi’s treated the Jews.  FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.  The Nazi’s deemed some ways Americans legally treated black people AS TOO STRICT.  Also know that the murder of Jewish people WAS HORRENDOUS AND AWFUL AND SHOULD NEVER BE FORGOTTEN OR DIMINISHED.  People are terrible.

The Parker Inheritance is a middle grade novel that both the 9 year old and me devoured and loved.  It is so much fun to discuss books with your kid, let me tell you! Candice spends the summer at her grandma’s old house and finds out a family secret.  She and her new friend spend the summer solving this puzzle in secret, learning of the towns racist past and trying to salvage his grandma's tattered reputation.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is also a page turner that YOU HAVE TO PICK UP.  Also middle grade, and the 9 year old also high recommends.  Coyote and Rodeo travel the United States on their 2003 school bus and decide destinations on whims and where the road takes you.  They meet an incredible cast of travelers as Coyote hurries Rodeo across the country on a time sensitive secret mission.

One by One by Ruth Ware is ALSO a page turner.  This was my first book by Ruth Ware and it will not be my last! A tech company takes a group trip to a posh chalet in the mountains.  All is not well and one by one, they die.  Who in the group is the murderer? How can they get help? Will time run out? Small clues throughout made it fun for me to guess who did it!

Snow Blind is a the first in a series of a new police officer in Iceland. I saw the prefer of the newest of the series and it sounded interesting so I picked this one up first. It was okay. I'm not sure I will continue on. I probably will just to see if the second book shakes off some of the first book ehs.

The Butterfly Garden by Chip St Clair is Chip's memoir about growing up on the run with his father who was a child murderer. He had an awful childhood full of abuse and terrible parents. He had no idea they moved so much because his dad was a killer. It took until he was an adult with a steady relationship with a very helpful woman that he is able to step back and figure things out. It was an interesting story, and a very quick read.

Wilder Girls is a young adult novel about an all girls school that is overtaken by "The Tox." and all the occupants of the school are put into quarartine. Maybe not the best time to read this one, but it was a quick read and talked about the different effects the Tox had on the girls on the island, the animals and the plant life.

What books did you read in November that you’d recommend?