Joanne Fluke - Eat, Tan, Read

My Year in Books

2020 was definitely not a normal year for any of us. It felt, at times, like we were living in one of the books we read, and not one we want to. But we made it through and are settling in to our new normal, whatever that may look like.
I, like so many, experienced an emotional tribulation that took a few months to overcome. In that time, I remembered that reading books was not a competition on how many I can get through in a month or a year but something that I love doing. I have a tendency to set goals and then obsess over them. I am working on breaking this unhealthy habit. I also don’t need to feel like I must write a blog post everyday. If I do, that’s awesome, if not, its not a big deal and people will not unfollow me because of it. There are so many other things that I enjoy doing as well and I don’t want to forget about those or spending time with the people that I love.

So, 2021 will be about having fun and doing what makes me happy every day.

2020 books completed:
36 Books
12,454 pages
My average rating – 3.9 🌟

5 🌟 Books:
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Gilchrist by Christian Galacar
What Doesn’t Kill You by Iris Johansen
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Chasing Evil by Kylie Brant
Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection by Barbara Venkataraman
1st to Die by James Patterson
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year. Happy Reading! 😉

Book Review – Strawberry Shortcake Murder

Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cozy Murder Mystery, Amateur Sleuth

“An icy wind had kicked up, and the metal walls of the truck creaked and groaned with each gust. She wasn’t the type to be frightened at nothing, but Hannah couldn’t help thinking about what would happen if the killer had found out that she was searching Ruby’s outtakes for the sight of his cuff links.”

Hannah Swenson, baker and owner of The Cookie Jar, has been chosen as head judge for the first annual Hartland Flour Dessert Bake Off competition. In order to boost ratings, they have asked Hannah to bake a dessert on camera during the news every night before the competition as well. After the first night, fellow judge, Coach Boyd Watson was not making any friends. He has a good pallet but could use some tact.
“But feelings have no place in a competition like this. Either you win or you don’t. There’s no sense in sugarcoating it. If you don’t come in first, you’re a loser.”
When Boyd turns up dead in his garage that night, murdered from a blow to the head with a hammer from his own workbench, it seems like maybe someone else doesn’t like him either. Could it have to do with his judging on the competition or something else?

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Book 23: Minnesota

🍓Hannah’s back with more receipes and murders! I am so excited! I love this series so much. It is so cute, light, and a breeze to read through. The reciepes add so much fun to the reading and I have even tried a few of them myself.

Goodreads: When the president of Hartland Flour chooses cozy Lake Eden, Minnesota, as the spot for their first annual Dessert Bake-Off, Hannah is thrilled to serve as the head judge. But when a fellow judge, Coach Boyd Watson, is found stone-cold dead, facedown in Hannah’s celebrated strawberry shortcake, Lake Eden’s sweet ride to fame turns very sour indeed.

Between perfecting her Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie and Chocolate Crunchies, Hannah’s snooping into the coach’s private life and not coming up short on suspects. And could Watson’s harsh criticism during the judging have given one of the contestants a license to kill? The stakes are rising faster than dough, and Hannah will have to be very careful, because somebody is cooking up a recipe for murder…with Hannah landing on the “necessary ingredients” list.