just finished: last week I listened to Save Me from Dangerous Men, a dark mystery that some compare to Jack Reacher. The protagonist is a woman who kicks ass when needed, particularly the asses of men who hit the women they say they love. But when she takes a possible corporate espionage case, she may have bit off more than she can kick. More about this one soon. And I’ve been listening in my car to the audio of Hugh Laurie’s The Gunseller (yes, that Hugh Laurie, from House and Jeeves and Wooster), and while I’m not done, I will be finishing it in a day or two so I’m going to count it. I read the novel years ago, and when I stumbled on a cheap set of the CDs for it at Half Price Books, I couldn’t resist grabbing it for a reread. It’s filled with surprises and fun, and I will be recommending this to fans of his. Oh, and I’m about 15 minutes away from finishing Grave Reservations. Loved it, loved it, loved it! The main character just shimmers with fun energy, and I cna’t wait to say more about this one, probably tomorrow.

currently reading: I’ve been working on the audiobook for The Windsor Knot, but last week I got captivated by Dangerous Men instead (see above). So I was going to listen to this one on my way out to my aunt’s house today, but apparently every time I hit a bump on the highway, my iphone reset and started playing music instead. I finally gave up and listened to a weird combination of Hamilton songs along with songs off the Practical Magic soundtrack and some Michael Buble. It was a strange car ride. Anyway, I’ll head back to the castle this week to find out who killed the Russian visitor, because as the Queen herself said, it definitely wasn’t Putin.

up next: I was going to try to get caught up on some cozies, so this week could be a cozy Christmas. We’ll see if I can pull it off. But I do know I’ll be reading the new Ellie Alexander soon. We’re back at Torte for Bake, Borrow, and Steal, which comes out a week from Tuesday. I’m also hoping to find some time to read this one, the new Donna Andrews, which came out this fall. Love her!

Also, I would like to apologize to anyone who was disappointed I didn’t get much posted this week. I lost an uncle on Tuesday, and I just had no words to talk about much of anything through this week. This was the second loss of a family member in a month, and I was feeling the loss pretty hard. But it’s almost Christmas, so I’m trying to feel more festive. I did get to spend time this weekend with family and friends, which helped. And if I forget to say it, which I might—it’s been that kind of year—I wish you all the happiest of holidays. May your hot chocolates have extra marshmallows, may your pets shower you with extra love, and most of all, may your books come with lots of wonderful and unexpected twists and your reading time be uninterrupted! Thanks you for your support through this year!