Dear Abby - I'm Back! Birthday and Life Update

 

Dear Friends,

I'm back!  I've really missed chatting with you here.  I hope you had a good summer.

I had a birthday on August 25. That is the date in 2010 that I traveled across country in an RV with other rescue dogs.  I got out of the RV and right into my Momma's arms.  It was a wonderful day for us both!  We celebrate my "gotcha day" as my birthday.  I was 1 year old in 2010 when I came to live with Momma, so I am 11 years old now.  I celebrated with Momma and one of my friends who came to visit. Some of my dear friends sent cards and surprises in the mail too.  (Thank you very much!  I really appreciate you. 💓)  I wore my little birthday hat for just a little bit and then I decided it had to come off.  Immediately!  So it did.

My other news is about my health.  Earlier this summer I wasn't feeling like myself.  I put on a little weight, was drinking a lot of water, panting sometimes at night, and (ahem!) tinkling more than usual.  I went to the vet and they ran lots of tests.  We got the news that I have Cushing's Syndrome.  This is an endocrine disorder;  my body is making too much of the hormone cortisol.  

Cushing's is treated with medicine, so I get yummy treats (with pills inside) every day.  My friend the vet is checking on how well the medicine is working through an ACTH test.  I go back in to the vet for blood work, a shot of ACTH, and after waiting an hour I give more blood.  It takes a while.  I am a very good girl at the vet but I do not enjoy this!   Thankfully I like our vet and the nice people who work at the clinic.  My pet family has been going there almost 20 years.

I am feeling well and having lots of extra time to rest and snuggle Momma.  I do appreciate any prayers and am grateful for love and good thoughts at this time as well.

I will share one more picture of me in my natural habitat.  Momma has captioned this picture "I wait here for you."  She says I am a Momma's girl.  That is true!

Thank you for visiting today and I hope you will come back on Fridays for future posts. I don't have a fall theme yet, but will at least try to say "hi" on Fridays here.

Love,

Abby xoxo

Book Review and Giveaway - Checked Out for Murder: A Haunted Library Mystery by Allison Brook

My Book Review

Carrie Singleton is working at the small Connecticut library she loves when she meets psychic Daphne Marriott, who wants to host a program at the library. The women become friends and Carrie is saddened when Daphne is murdered. When a second murder occurs, a starlet in a movie shooting in town, Carrie goes to work to solve the crimes -- with the help of her boyfriend, Dylan (a private investigator), library ghost Evelyn, and of course, her cat Smokey Joe.

I wanted to read Checked Out for Murder because I have enjoyed all the books in the Haunted Library series.

This is another fun read from Allison Brook.  I love the cozy library setting, the library ghost, and the cat-character of Smokey Joe.

Carrie has her work cut out for her in this mystery, with not one but two murders to solve. The cases seem very different too, so she has to do a lot of research of suspects' histories to connect the dots. This one kept me guessing until the denouement!

This is a well written, fast-paced mystery that can be read in a couple of evenings. The author does an especially good job at setting the scene and creating interesting characters.

I enjoyed Checked Out for Murder and recommend this mystery (and the series) for fans of cozy mysteries, library settings, and mysteries that involve pets. I look forward to the next read in this series!

Book Synopsis

Carrie Singleton and Evelyn the ghost sleuth the slayings of a starlet and a star-crossed psychic in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook’s fourth Haunted Library mystery.

Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she’s a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there’s more to Daphne than she lets on.

The mysterious woman grew up in Clover Ridge with her no-good dad, who apparently met his end at the hands of Daphne’s brother, Billy. Still, Daphne proves a welcome distraction when Carrie’s overbearing mother hits town. Mom’s much younger husband, Tom, is in a movie that’s lensing locally, and she’s there to keep an eye on him: Tom’s costar, sultry Ilana Reingold, is also his ex-fiancée, and there’s no denying the chemistry is still there. Soon after mingling with the moviemakers at a meet-and-greet, Daphne is found dead.

Carrie and Evelyn investigate, assisted by bushy-tailed library cat Smoky Joe. But the suspect list could overflow the library shelves. Has Billy killed another relative? Is their long-missing mother involved? Or Daphne’s mean ex-husband? Carrie’s sure she knows who committed the crime, but can she bind together the clues before the culprit Dewey-decimates the town?

Author Bio

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. DEATH OVERDUE, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series.

Author Links

Website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com

Amazon: http://bit.ly/Amazon_MarilynLevinson

Facebook: http://bit.ly/MarilynLevinson_Facebook

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/Goodreads_MarilynLevinson

Twitter: @MarilynLevinson; @AllisonBrookML 

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marilev/

BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/profile/allison-brook

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilev4/

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

Giveaway

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