Thoughts on A FIELD GUIDE TO MURDER

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Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely last Wednesday of January? There is so much to scream into the void about, but I’m going to push it down and focus on the book review. That’s right! It’s book review time! This month, I went with a cozy mystery. A Field Guide to Murder by Michelle L. Cullen was released yesterday (the 27th) from Crooked Lane Books. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing!

A Field Guide to Murder follows Harry, who has recently fractured his hip and believes his globetrotting life is behind him, and Emma, his caregiver who is trying to get Harry back into the world while avoiding her own problems. When a neighbor calls him during her death throes, Harry finds life in trying to solve her (maybe) murder. Emma gets dragged along for the ride until she realizes she’s finding herself as well. Can they help each other find renewed purposes for their lives? Can they solve the case?

Plot: enjoyable. I’m growing fond of stories that follow people post-retirement. Harry is an older gentlemen and Emma becomes like a second daughter to him. Found family! The mystery part of the plot is standard, but with little twists that make it fun. An upscale gated neighborhood basically (not sure if it’s actually gated or just has that feel) where everyone knows each other and it turns out most of them are shady. One of them dies mysteriously. Drama is revealed. Plus Emma’s drama. It’s all woven together pretty well for the most part. No real complaints here.

Characters: there are too many. This is my only real complaint about this book. There are far too many named characters that don’t really need to exist. It happens a lot when stories are weak, so the author throws in a bunch of names to confuse the reader in an attempt to hide what’s happening. I hate it, especially when it isn’t needed. This story is strong. We don’t need to meet every single neighbor. I knew who the bad guy was, but I kept confusing another name with his, so it was super weird. There are like 12 neighbors plus Emma’s family and Harry’s family and his acquaintances. Oh, and the police officers. It was an unnecessary amount. That said, I loved Harry and Emma. There wasn’t enough page time to get to know everyone else properly.

Writing: smooth. There wasn’t anything particularly special about the writing. It was unobtrusive and let the story shine. Made for a quick, smooth read.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed A Field Guide to Murder. Aside from the annoying amount of characters, I liked this one. I’ll definitely pick up book two if there is one.

Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I do recommend it for anyone who loves cozy mysteries, older protagonists, or even just found family stories.

Random Life Updates

~ shawnaborman ~ 5 Comments

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Not much going on here, so I thought I’d just ramble about some random life updates. They’re all pretty mundane. We all know things are horrible right now, so I don’t want to add to the unpleasantness (read that as “I don’t want to rant about the atrocities because there’s just too much happening and I wouldn’t be able to stop, so I’m just bottling it all up”). So, mundane life events it is!

1. Sophia and Bonnie (pictured) had their yearly check ups. They’ve both gained weight, but apparently they aren’t chunkers yet, because the doctor didn’t recommend they lose anything. Other than some teeth issues that we can’t afford to fix (and they don’t seem bothered by), they’re both healthy and happy. Mardi goes in for her yearly in April.

2. It’s that weird time where all the doctor appointments seem to happen. Dad and I both go see the doctor on February 2nd for a three month check up. I don’t usually have this appointment, but my yearly showed I was anemic and lacking vitamin D, so I’ve been on supplements and she wants to check to make sure my numbers are going up. I also have a video visit with Dr. Lucifer today (the 21st). She’s my pulmonologist. And no, that’s not her actual name. It’s pretty much “Anything new?” “Not really.” Then a half hour of randomness.

3. Dad made a loaf of rustic wheat bread! It turned out good. Dad was afraid it would be super dense because it deflated and felt like a brick. But it was pretty fluffy and had a nice crust. He salted the crust too, so that added a pop of flavor. It was yummy. He also made a ham, which means beans in the foreseeable future! Mmm…

That’s about it. I’ll be back next week with the usual book review!

40 Things (Part 2)

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Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Monday was my 40th birthday, so I’m here to finish my annual random things about me post. You can find part 1 here. I’m a boring person, so please excuse the lack of interesting things to read. Anyway, it’s already late as I’m typing this (after 7pm on Tuesday), so let’s get right to the list.

Here are 40 things you never wanted to know about me. Well, the last 20 things.

1. I celebrated my birthday with Cici’s pizza. They overcooked the cinnamon rolls, which was sad. But it was alright.

2. I also made Dad rewatch A Knight’s Tale with me. I still love that movie.

3. We installed an Eero router system. Our Netgear was old and the signal wouldn’t reach the far rooms. The switch was surprisingly smooth, thankfully. And so far, it seems to be working fine.

4. I hate having my nails (fingers and toes) cut because I can’t do it myself, so I get super nervous. It’s never a nice experience.

5. I want a new ring, but I’m too lazy to figure out my size. I don’t need to spend the money anyway.

6. I randomly thought about Dad’s brandy Alexander things the other day and now I want one. Think boozy milkshake. But we don’t have ice cream and I don’t know if we have the right booze for it.

7. Chambord is my favorite liqueur.

8. A good tequila is my favorite sipping drink.

9. I love a nice black and tan.

10. No, I’m not a lush. I have maybe three or four drinks a year at home, if that much. Otherwise, I’ll have a drink when we go out to dinner, which isn’t often since Covid.

11. I got a calendar and pen from an insurance guy that I haven’t dealt with in years. Do people still use actual calendars? I can’t recall the last time I saw one out in the real world.

12. The aforementioned pen looks nice, but I just use the skinny BiCs because I can’t grip thicker ones. -winkwinknudgenudge-

13. I seriously considered buying some greeting cards and keeping them where I can reach them, so I could write someone (anyone, not the same person) a letter each week this year, but then I remembered my previous attempts at things like that. The cards just get pushed back behind my computer where I can’t see or reach them. I never make it past one or two.

14. I’ve been taking iron gummies for anemia and vitamin D gummies because the sun and I are not friends. Doctor’s orders. I’ll find out in February if they’re helpful. Mostly, they’re just the root of ongoing edibles jokes.

15. If a friend publishes a book, I’ll buy the ebook to read and sometimes I’ll even buy a hardcopy for my shelves.

16. I’m not a tea drinker, but I like miniature tea sets.

17. I’m horrified by the news every day and it’s impossible to avoid it unless you live in a cabin in the woods with no wi-fi, phone service, or newspapers. Speaking of, anyone have a remote accessible cabin in the woods for two people? Asking for a friend.

18. I suppose taking a ship to a deserted island would have the same effect. Anyone have a spare ship with accessible features and know an island? Again, for a friend.

19. I’m tired and going to snack on something now.

20. I’m debating if I want to keep doing these lists. Do you even like the annual random nonsense? If you do, let me know.

40 Things (Part 1)

~ shawnaborman ~ 4 Comments

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful first Wednesday of 2026? Things here are fine. I’m skipping a goals post this year. I never follow through. But don’t worry. I still shared goals with my writing bestie, so I do have them. I’m just hoping keeping them to myself and one person will help me achieve them. I don’t know. Anyway, I turn 40 on Monday (the 12th), so I decided to do my usual random things about me thing, but over two posts (40 is just too many to do at once). I didn’t bother going through my old ones, so sorry for any overlap.

Here are 40 things you never wanted to know about me. Well, the first 20 things.

1. I wasn’t supposed to make it this far and it’s annoying as fuck. I wasn’t supposed to make it past 6, 12, 18, whatever. Now, I’m 40 and I’ve spent the last 20 years worrying about stuff I was told I wouldn’t live to see. I was lied to! Robbed of death! I demand compensation! Stupid doctors. But seriously… how am I 40?

2. Sometimes, I plan things like I’m a normal person before I realize I’m not normal. Like, I’ll be looking at restaurants and the one I want to go to doesn’t have any tasty looking desserts, but there’s this cute little coffee shop or bakery nearby, so we could just go there for dessert, right? Then I remember I’ll have leftovers from dinner (because I always have leftovers) sitting in a hot van for an hour (because I eat/drink slowly) while I indulge, which isn’t a good thing, so I just shut that idea down. I do stuff like that a lot.

3. I mimic pretty much every alarm/notification sound in our house the moment I hear it. No idea why.

4. Pretty sure I’ve mentioned this one before, but I still think about that drunk lady in the bathroom of a club 20 some odd years ago who sang happy birthday to me and threatened to slice the throat of anyone who said I wasn’t beautiful.

5. I also still think about the arm molester at A-Kon. That’s just what I call him. He asked permission before touching me then rubbed my arm and told me all the nice things, then left me alone to drink with my friends.

6. I keep thinking about dying my hair purple again, but it’s not really worth the trouble.

7. I’m not as active on social media as I used to be. Mostly because every time I scroll through anything, I end up seeing a bunch of Nazi wannabe bullshit or just seeing the orange face of a troll and it pisses me off to no end. So, sorry for not being around as much, but most of the people I know understand.

8. I hate having to pester people to do their jobs. Makes me feel like a Karen, but that doesn’t stop me once they’ve proven they need it.

9. I kind of want something minty. Maybe I’ll have some peppermint bark after dinner.

10. I’m trying very hard to be happy. I know others are too. It’s very hard right now and will be for a while longer.

11. I dislike generative AI. It doesn’t really matter because people are still going to use it, but it’s skeevy and gross and I will totally judge you if I find out you use it.

12. I’m tired all the time, except when I’m supposed to be sleeping.

13. I don’t understand why America needed to remake Doc Martin. And I really don’t understand why it’s listed as a “FOX Original” when it’s literally just Doc Martin. That being said, the first episode was fine and the scenery was lovely.

14. The new Witcher is meh so far (we’re only three episodes in). I miss Cavill.

15. Hazbin Hotel is fun and adorable. If you watch it, who would I be?

16. I’m dreading doing this again next week because I’m already out of things to ramble about.

17. If you ever buy me books, send me your favorite so I can get to know you better. Or send something that reminds you of me so I can see what you think of me.

18. I have a video appointment with my pulmonologist later this month and haven’t received any automated confirmation texts yet. It’s weird. I usually get about 50 throughout the month. But the visit is listed as upcoming in my chart thingie, so I guess it’s fine.

19. I could go for a milkshake, but I don’t feel like ordering a hamburger. Maybe later this week.

20. I’m going to eat dinner now. Leftovers of some kind.

See you next week with the last 20 things!

Thoughts on AN ARCANE INHERITANCE

~ shawnaborman ~ 5 Comments

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely last Wednesday of 2025? I’m back! It was a nice break in which I did nothing productive. So, the usual. Anyway! I’m here to do my last book review of the year. Can you believe it’s already that time again? I decided to try some dark fantasy (they marketed it as dark academia, but eh… dark fantasy is broader and more accurate) this month to switch things up a bit. An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole was released on the 30th (yesterday) from Poisoned Pen Press. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing!

An Arcane Inheritance follows Ellory Morgan as she settles into her freshman year at Warren University, an ivy league school with a rumored sordid past. Along with competing to keep her grades up, working, and trying to maintain a social life, Ellory has to deal with intense bouts of déjà vu. Throw in a rivalry (maybe more) with one of the hottest/richest guys in school and a search to uncover the school’s darkest secrets and it’s down to Ellory to figure out what’s going on. Can she do it by herself? Does she have to?

Pacing and plot: ugh. This was a slow one. And honestly, super confusing. There was so much stuff that happened off the page that should’ve been an integral part of the story. But instead, we get told about every fucking time someone changes their outfit. I really couldn’t care less that every dude in this book has an ungodly amount of button downs to go under their equally stupid number of vests. Get to the story. Tell me about the missing eight. Oh, we’re summoning one of them by a pond? Probably should’ve led up to that a bit better. Your besties have been having déjà vu experiences of their own? We’re just glancing over that, but you’re telling me someone wears combat boots with another douchey rich boy outfit? Sure. That’s… cool, I guess. Like, I get setting the mood and world building and all that, but when it comes at the expense of the story, it should be reprioritized (cut… I mean that the outfits should be cut in favor of actual plot).

Characters: a big nope. The only character with any real flesh, so to speak, is Ellory. Granted, at the end, there’s a reason the rest are just her ideal versions of character stereotypes. It’s a stupid reason, but it’s still a reason. Ellory herself was okay. Kind of all talk, no action, but that’s mostly because so much of the plot (her chances for growth) happens off the page. Also, her weird obsession with saying Hudson Graves instead of just picking his first or last name makes her sound like a Saturday morning cartoon baddie. “I shall destroy Hudson Graves! -cue squeaky maniacal laughter-” It’s a bit ridiculous. And their rivals to romance plotline is kind of abrupt. I was also disappointed that the bad people were just generic rich old white folks. At least make the main bad dude interesting. But nope.

Writing: pretty much the only thing that made the book worth reading. Despite the focus on clothes, the writing was beautiful. Sometimes it was over the top, but mostly it stayed on the right side of flowery. I did enjoy it from a writer’s perspective.

Ultimately, I wasn’t a fan of An Arcane Inheritance. I thought maybe I was being too harsh. Maybe people like hearing about clothes. But I did check out some reviews to see if I should rethink things and realized very quickly that I’m not alone. I see good things about Cole’s other books, so I might check them out since I liked the writing, but this one is definitely skippable.

Overall, I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. The writing is good, but the execution as a whole leaves a lot to be desired. If you’re already a fan, try it. If not, try something else by Cole first.

Winter Break

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I’m okay, just tired and have nothing to write about. Not even the spark of an idea. So, I’ve decided to take most of the rest of December off. I’ll be back on the 31st with the December book review. If something interesting happens before then, I might come back early. But if you don’t hear from me before then, don’t worry. I’ll be back. Have a wonderful holiday season no matter what you celebrate. I’ll still be active on my social media pages if you stalk me there!

Thanksgiving Recap

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Hello, hello! How’s everyone this lovely first Wednesday of December? Things here are usual. We currently have two meetings (my annual and a nursing assessment to make sure I’m still cripple enough for my CLASS benefits) and Sophia’s yearly vet visit. Haven’t decided on Christmas plans yet. Anyway, I thought I would provide you with a Thanksgiving recap since there’s nothing much to ramble about.

It was a very nice day. Dad and I dressed up a bit because Texas de Brazil used to enforce a smart casual dress code. Not so much now, but most people still dressed up. Anyway, the only two negative things of the day happened early on. We got lost on the way to the restaurant because 635 is constantly under construction and the signage is horrible. Instead of ending up at our exit, we wound up in the Express lanes and couldn’t get off until Webb Chapel. It wasn’t a horrible detour, but I was trying to avoid tolls by taking the Parkway up to Beltline. Ah well. We arrived ten minutes early instead of twenty. This was followed by the next negative thing. Despite having reservations for 3:30, we were informed there would be a 45 minute wait. I didn’t really mind. It just meant I sat around people watching instead of sitting at home on the computer. But the fact that 45 minutes turned into an hour and 15 minutes was annoying. The manager didn’t bother making rounds to apologize while everyone was waiting. He only came around when people complained. They kept taking walk-ins even though they didn’t even have enough space for people with reservations. I know it would probably take away from income, but holidays should be reservation only if you’re that busy, or at least limit the number of walk-ins. Enforcing time limits is another option. According to the manager (who did show up to apologize as we were leaving), the whole wait time fiasco occurs every holiday they’re open. They should have a better way to prioritize reservations by now. Pre-covid, the wait time was 20 minutes at the outside on Thanksgiving with reservations. Figure out how to compensate for the changes. But we were eventually seated at that coveted table by the end of the bar right next to where all the waiters gather to tally orders and all that. Which wasn’t actually bad at all. Our waiter was absolutely fabulous. He was unsure of me at first, but once he figured out I could talk, he treated me like a person. He was attentive, but not overbearing. If we wanted something, he made sure we got it. The food was mostly delicious. The parmesan pork was disappointingly dry, but everything else was amazing as usual. I tried the passion fruit mousse for dessert. It was more of a yogurt than a mousse, but it still tasted good. I’ll think I’ll stick with crème brûlée in the future, though. The valet people were all very nice as well. We skipped the highway on the way home and took Beltline all the way. It was longer, but better than 635. And to top off a lovely day, our neighbor brought us some turkey and potatoes and rice and black beans and other yummy stuff.

That was our day. How was your Thanksgiving? As always, feel free to share your thoughts here or on my social media pages!

Thoughts on MURDER AMONG THE STACKS

~ shawnaborman ~ 2 Comments

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Are those who celebrate ready for Turkey Day? We are. Well, it’s the last Wednesday of November, so you know what that means. Book review time! This month, I went with a hybrid cozy mystery/word search puzzle. It was certainly something different. Murder Among the Stacks by Rosie A. Point was released from Adams Media yesterday (the 25th). As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing!

Murder Among the Stacks follows Abby Jones and her cat Reggie as they try to make a go it by opening a bookstore in a small town. Abby’s fresh off a bad break up and looking for distractions. When a hot author is murdered at a book signing in her bookstore, Abby gets all the distractions she wants and more. She’s an avid word search solver, so at the end of each chapter is a puzzle for the reader, so they can help collect clues and solve the murder alongside Abby.

The story: surprisingly cute. Each chapter is only one page, so it’s basically just an outline of a story. No flesh, nowhere to really hide anything. But it hits all the cozy mystery tropes all the same. The characters are all stereotypes with no real room to grow. It’s not bad, but avid cozy mystery fans will not be buying this for the story.

The puzzles: standard word searches for the most part. I honestly stopped doing the puzzles about halfway through because there was no way for me to circle the words. It would’ve been a lot more fun if I had a hardcopy or if they created a way to highlight the words in the ebook. Not sure how the final version will work, if they even release an ebook version. But the paperback version should be lovely.

The layout: super cute. There are lots of illustrations to keep the book interesting. The puzzle that reveals the killer has an added trick to it. There’s an answer key at the end. It’s very nicely designed.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Murder Among the Stacks for what it is. It’s definitely more of a puzzle book with a twist of cozy mystery. I would probably have preferred a crossword or something, but to each their own.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. It’s a cute concept and if you enjoy word searches with a little story, I do recommend it. But it’s not something to pick up if you’re looking for a regular cozy mystery.

Accessible, But Not

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Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are about normal. We have reservations at Texas de Brazil for Thanksgiving this year. Dad hasn’t felt like cooking lately and no one ever invites us anywhere, so we made our own plans. Do you have plans for Turkey Day? Anyway, I don’t have much to ramble about lately, but while making the reservations, I started thinking about the Dallas location and how it was “accessible.” I usually try to stick with stories about cripple privilege and the good things that come with being disabled, but I see a lot of people talk about their experiences with accessibility that really isn’t accessible. Things that don’t really bother me, but apparently make other people uncomfortable. I don’t want people who read my blog to think I’ve never run into these issues, because I have. So, here are a few examples of accessibility that isn’t really accessible that I’ve encountered in daily life.

When they say “It was accessible…”

1. At Texas de Brazil in Dallas, their accessible entrance was a ramp in the back by the dumpsters that led to a hallway by the kitchen which led up front. We haven’t been to this location in years, so I don’t know if they’ve renovated or something. Anyway, I never thought much about it, but apparently entrances like this make people feel like they’re something to be ashamed of, trash smuggled in through a back door. I can see where they’re coming from. I never really cared as long as the service was good and the staff didn’t get annoyed. But the real reason this kind of entrance isn’t actually accessible is because someone has to go to the front entrance to let them know I needed to use the ramp. There are disabled people who go out alone. If they can’t get in the front entrance to let someone know they need the ramp at the back entrance, it’s not really accessible, is it? I’m always with someone, so it’s not a big deal for me, but it’s still weird. Anyway, there are other locations that are far more accessible, but we actually stopped going to the Dallas location because our van bottomed out getting in and out of the parking lot.

2. The Mansion at Turtle Creek’s accessibility was kind of wild. It’s been just about 10 years since we went. My 30th birthday. So I really hope they’ve renovated, but I doubt it. Anyway, we get there and the initial entrance is perfect. No steps. Nice people to get the door. Inside, there are two or three steps up to the dining area. No built in ramp. They bring over these two little ramps that fit the steps perfectly that they can line up with my wheels. Okay, cool. But it’s so steep that Dad and one of the waiters has to assist me just so I don’t flip over. Technically accessible I guess, but it’s actually pretty dangerous for me and whoever has to assist me. Plus, it was kind of embarrassing to require so much of a todo just to get up a couple of steps. Overall, it got the job done, but it wasn’t really all that accessible.

3. This is really the only one that ever pissed me off. SMU. The accessibility at that school is so hit or miss. In some of the older buildings, they have elevators that barely fit a skinny person standing up. Yes, I graduated forever ago, but those elevators still exist. Still. I’ve asked. The accessibility answer was to move my classes to other buildings. The excuse for not installing larger elevators? They can’t afford it. Meanwhile, all the sports crap was constantly being upgraded. There was also a running joke when I was there that SMU didn’t care about anything needing repairs/upgrades as long as all the fountains worked. Other accessibility features that weren’t accessible were the door openers. Even on the new buildings, they were either too high, set off to the side where they weren’t even reachable, or they were tiny little things you had to stick your finger in a hole to get to. There were only like 3 that I could actually use myself. It was so annoying.

But yeah. Accessible things that aren’t actually accessible are an ever-present issue. I just try to ignore them as much as I can. I’m lucky I don’t go out by myself or it would be a much bigger problem. What kind of accessibility issues have you encountered where accessible wasn’t actually accessible? Feel free to share your thoughts or questions here or on my social media pages!