A new year is about to start and that can only mean one thing. (Or two things if you include trying to figure out WTF "Auld Lang Syne" means...) All over the world, people are about to go to a lot of time and trouble to come up with New Year's resolutions and then they will actually try to keep those resolutions.

For me, 2025 was the year for bucket-list adventures, sad losses, wonderful celebrations, hate-fuelled encounters, and above all, the love and support of family and friends. It went like this: January—SCOTLAND (click for One Storm To Rule Them All) Travelling the 4060 miles back from Seattle to Glasgow was a piece of cake compared to the three days and numerous cancellations in taking the ferry over to Arran.

Could a rediscovered map show her the way? Present day: When thirty-six-year-old Robyn Willoughby discovers an exquisite yet blood-stained Tudor map in her father’s antique map shop, desperate for …

Seriously? We were supposed to sum up their lives in twenty-two characters (including spaces and punctuation)? “What do you want on the headstone?” The funeral director was going down a list of decisions we needed to make for my father's funeral, and I thought we were doing fine until that one. As a veteran, my father arranged to be buried with my mother at the National Cemetery in nearby Riverside, California.

I am pleased to be part of Ghosts & Miracles Past: A Christmas Collection Two blog tour, another wonderful book by fellow blogger and author, D. L. Finn. I enjoyed the first book and look forwa…

A twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder. In seven days Jet Mason will be dead. Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven…

Today’s team review is from Terry. Terry blogs here Rosie’s Book Review Team Terry has been reading The Secret Life of Jasper Scragg by Charlotte French. 4 out of 5 stars Poor Jasper Sc…

Today’s stop on the blog tour is with the delightful Miriam Hurdle, blogger, author, and all-around good person. Thank you so much, Miriam, for featuring Amanda and me on your blog. Pop over …

Lucky Girl: Shelf-Life of a Single Woman by Kimberly WenzlerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Lucky Girl : Shelf-Life of a Single Woman is a contemporary romance set in New York. Book shop owner Stella has s…

Over the last few weeks we have walked along the Pembrokeshire coast with the Pembrokeshire U3a and the National Trust … And joined in with a couple of days seal spotting … from the cli…

Today’s stop on the blog tour is with the delightful Miriam Hurdle, blogger, author, and all-around good person. Thank you so much, Miriam, for featuring Amanda and me on your blog. Pop over …

The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch AlbomMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The Five People You Meet In Heaven is a story about the afterlife. Eddie is the chief mechanic at the local amusement park. …

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony DoerrMy rating: 4 of 5 stars All The Light We Cannot See is a Second World War story set around the 1944 siege of Saint-Malo. The story opens with Marie-Laure…

They're not keeping "them" out. They're keeping "us" out. My relatives knew it would be okay to come to America because the Lady said so. She rose from pennies raised by French and American school children, and she holds a lamp against the darkness. She says welcome. She says that's who we are. Nobody had to march to admit our family when they were fleeing religious persecution and economic disaster in Ireland.

It's not easy being a kid detective. You can't make a citizen's arrest, you can't beat up the villains, you can't interrogate suspects. The usual cozy mystery detective's posse of police, doctor, lawyer won't talk to you unless they're your parent. And you can't even track bad guys if it's after your bedtime. When the bad guys catch, gag, and tie you up—and they will because they're bigger, faster, can drive legally, and don't have to get home in time to finish their homework—there's only one thing you can do.

The next stop on the blog tour is at Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord New Book Spotlight. Sally has written a fabulous review for Amanda in Ireland: The Body in the Bog. Another gripping mystery fe…

The War Pianist by Mandy RobothamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The War Pianist is set during the Second World War and features both the home front and the occupation of Holland. Marnie works at the BBC, …

Happy International Coffee Day! My Life... Exposed My sister said she would be late for our scheduled video chat this morning, so I thought there would be plenty of time to wash my hair and still grab that first cup of coffee before our call. When will I learn? I had just poured shampoo and lathered up when all hell broke loose.

A woman’s death sees rumours flood the island community – as Inspector Jimmy Perez’s life is about to change forever. Wild Fire is the eighth Shetland mystery from Ann Cleeves. A new En…

Evan Can Wait (Constable Evans Book 5) Constable Evan Evans is tasked with assisting a film crew, keeping onlookers at a safe distance while the crew’s expedition to raise a WWII German bomber plan…

Writing Workshop: Romeo and Juliet, Fairy Tales, and World Building Last month I was in Verona, and passed by the house that’s been labeled Juliet’s house (from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.) It was over 40 degrees Celsius (or for us Farenheit types, 104°F) and incredibly humid. But there were hundreds of visitors obediently lined up in snake queues to visit, snap pictures of the…

The Other Side of Wonderland by Sheri SpencerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars The Other Side Of Wonderland is children’s fiction. Something bad is happening in Wonderland; people are missing and the balance…

The Air Raid Book Club by Annie LyonsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The Air Raid Book Club is historical fiction that takes place before, during and after World War Two. Gertie and her husband Harry run a…

Today’s team review is from Olga. Olga blogs here Rosie’s Book Review Team Olga has been reading One Of Them Is Lying by Peter Bailey. This was quite a curious reading experience for me…

Today’s team review is from Noelle. Noelle blogs here Rosie’s Book Review Team Noelle has been reading One Of Them Is Lying by Peter Bailey. This is probably the twistiest crime-mystery…