Merry Christmas 2025

 

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas to everyone today and thank you to anyone who has read or commented on my blog. It means so much to me especially the last two years with major family and health challenges. I am so grateful for this bookish community and just continue to love it more and more. 

Have a wonderful day with family and friends, always remembering why we celebrate..... for the child born this day who came to save the world. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Nun Shall Sleep by Graham Brack (Master Mercurius Mysteries Book Nine)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Nun Shall Sleep by Graham Brack. These are similar in tone to Anne Perry's Monk series. That darker tone with the whole "back alley London" vibe. In this story Master Mercurius is drawn into the mystery of a missing relic at a local convent. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading y'all!

Historical Mystery

January 9, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Mercurius can’t believe his luck … but are things too good to be true?

1689

Master Mercurius is making plans for a holiday tour of cathedrals when a letter arrives from Abbess Mathilde asking for his help. Her convent has been left a substantial legacy which the abbess plans to use to fill the library, and she would like Mercurius to be in charge of buying the books. Mercurius has never accepted a mission so quickly. But as the summer wears on, strange things start to happen in the convent. A precious relic goes missing and an important key is lost. Mercurius is fairly certain somebody is up to something, but he doesn’t know who and he doesn’t know what. Desperate to hold on to the dream position he has been given, he finds himself drawn into the mystery. But is there something more sinister going on…?

Nun Shall Sleep is the ninth historical murder investigation in the Master Mercurius Mystery atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe.

Stacking the Shelves #79

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. 

Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War by Michael Livingston

Library Hold: Patience required!

This author was interviewed about this new book on a recent podcast The Medieval Podcast with host Daniele Cybulskie and I enjoyed his new take on how the hundred years war should actually be considered the two hundred years war. It is very hard to find material on this subject that isn't historical fiction or military based. I am sure it will be very interesting if you like this era. 

It is pretty expensive right now to either buy hardback or on Kindle, so I just have to wait in line at the library or hope it goes on sale. 

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller (Laurence Bartram Mysteries Book One)

Kindle Unlimited: Free with my 3 month trial

This series only has two books written over a decade ago but that's okay because I'm constantly getting roped into ones with 20 plus books I can never finish. It was free to try so I thought why not? A veteran of the Great War tries to solve the why behind the mysterious deaths of fellow veterans. From the description on Goodreads it looks like an edgier, William Monk type of book, which I'm a fan of if things aren't too dark.

Hieroglyphs and Homicide by Tracy Higley (A Clarissa Bell Mystery Book One)

Kindle Unlimited: Free with my 3 month trial

I hadn't heard of this series which is surprising since I love all things set in Egypt especially during the 1920's era. So when I looked ahead at the other books in the series I was excited to see this setting continues throughout. I'm hooked! The author has a degree in Ancient History and has actually traveled to Egypt. She has other books set in Egypt and Rome. In this book, the heroine discovers an ancient artifact which lands her in a lot of trouble, along with a love interest. I can't wait to get started on these.