June Storms & July Heat
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more summer so early, I am proven wrong. Because holy moly, was it WARM that last week of June. Like, I got out to my car to head home and three of the four days the temp read over 100 degrees. To me, that’s just bonkers, really. To boot, we had a massive storm roll through on June 13th, which knocked out the power for a little over 36 hours. In the midst of a heat wave, it was not pleasant to deal with.
My 9-5 job kind of swallowed me whole for most of June, which is why we missed one last month and are now in July as this comes out. I’m still not entirely above water yet, but it is finally starting to settle down again.
Here’s hoping that you’re all staying cool out there!
A Peek at Meri’s Desk
Hotel Fen universe.
Edits on the sequel, Monster Ridge, are still ongoing. Though hoping to have a cover for you soon to share and start getting hype up for it.
As well, I did a show in St. Louis the first weekend of June that I got a table at and was able to sell some books to people, which I really love being able to do. I love being able to sell my book and really talk to people about it when I can.
What I’m…
Reading
When I’m not reading for requested reviews, check out my review policy if you would like to request a review for your book, I’ve been consuming a lot of cozy mysteries - usually with a witchy flair to them.
Magical Bakery Mystery Series (#1 - 3) by Bailey Cates
In Brownies and Broomsticks (#1) we meet Katie Lightfoot, a baker who has just moved to Savannah to open a bakery with her Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben. But her quiet southern life dreams start to evaporate when a woman is murdered outside of the bakery and fingers start pointing at her Uncle as the likely suspect. In hunting the trail to help clear her Uncle’s name, she gets to know two men who draw her attention hard and also starts to uncover a magical family secert that’s been hidden from her.
In Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti (#2), knowing that she’s a witch, Katie starts to learn about her magic and casting spells as well as finally enjoy business at the bakery because the Honeybee Bakery is finally doing well. But when she’s having a picnic with Declan, one of the two men she’s interested in, they stumble across a body. In digging into it, she stumbles across a secret society that might actually get her killed before they can track down the killer.
In Charms and Chocolate Chips (#3), Katie’s started to volunteer for a local conservation group, but things go awray when one of the fellow volunteers is found dead in her office. The new local policeman is quick to downplay her assessment and views on the scene, as well she suspects there’s more than meets the eye on potentially a magical side as well. When one of the members of her coven is targeted next, her suspicions confirmed and it’s a race to confront who and what did the killing, and why.
I’m currently in the middle of book four, to be fair. The series is cute and fun with a lovely blend of magic to it and I’m curious and excited to see where it will go.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Ahh Dresden. What can I say about thee. If you haven’t actually given the Chicago Wizard a chance, I would 100% recommend giving him a read - or listen. Mom and I actually listened to Storm Front on the drive to and from St. Louis to keep us alert and awake. It’s read by James Marsters and his reading voice for Harry is absolutely wonderful.
We’ve already started the second book, Fools Moon, but we’re using the Dresden Files as a car listen when we drive anywhere long. So it’ll likely be a little while until we finish book two or three.
Watching
Mom and I finally finished Halo, which both of us are extremely curious about where season 2 will take it. I’ll definitely tune in when it finally gets back to airing.
We also realized that Pickard had a new season so we dived deep into that. I love where they went with the new season, and as much as Q frustrates me so much with what he puts everyone through, the reasons for it were chef kiss.
Following the finale of Pickard, Mom and I fell into the new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We’re only a couple episodes in, but I’m loving it so far.
I’ve fallen into a The Tudors rewatch because of the specific musical in the ‘I’m Listening To…” section. So there’s that.
And finally, The Boys season three has started to trickle out every Friday and I’m here for it. The show pulls no punches on anything and I kind of love that about it. My only complaint is that I want to binge all of the season in one sitting but I’m tied to their one-episode a-week schedule at the moment. So I sit and wait for the new episode to propel me forward.
Listening To
I’ve fallen into listening to Broadway a little. Mostly Six right now, which spiraled me into that The Tudors rewatch. But also Phantom of the Opera is a big one I love listening to, and also Repo the Genetic Opera - which isn’t Broadway but is a musical!
Monthly Serial
Continuing the Monthly Serial this month. If you missed Part 1, be sure to check out my April newsletter for how this story began. And be sure to subscribe if you want to continue following along as it’s released! Without further ado, Generations - July 2022.
