I read Glory Daze for my Bookish Ladies Book Club, February book selection. Like the first book in this series, Glory Be, Glory Daze once again takes me into the culture and traditions of Louisiana and I continue to learn more about the area and the people.  In this book, Glory Broussard, a certified church lady, and a betting bookie on the side, finds herself pulled into an investigation into the death of her ex-husband, paired up with none other than his current wife. That's all I will tell for now but as you can imagine, as in true cozy mystery style, they will be up to quite a few shenanigans. Just as with Glory Be, I would definitely recommend Glory Daze to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery.  Follow me on Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/ivywriter Make sure you subscribe to my book blog!  https://blackgirlhappybookclub.blogspot.com/   And share this review with a friend! Happy Reading

I read Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux (the first in this cozy series) as a part of our 2026 reading list for the Bookish Ladies Zoom Book Club. Glory Be was published in October 2023. I loved this cozy mystery and I love stories set in Louisiana and this one did not disappoint. This book definitely, made me feel like I was in the middle of New Orleans, the sights, the sounds, the history, were all very visible in my mind. I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator was well chosen. The story was easy to follow, fun, and humorous throughout. And the mystery was something different and that was appreciated. Officially one of my new favorite authors! I highly recommend this book series if you enjoy a fiery female lead neighborhood detective that is a little too nosey for her own good!  Follow me on Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/ivywriter Make sure you subscribe to my blog! And share this review with a friend! Happy Reading

For one of the book clubs I’m in called the Bookish Ladies Zoom Book Club, we decided to read a powerful book called We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson for January 2026. We started the year off strong with a narrative on the history of Black women and the role we’ve played in the fight to resist white supremacy and fight for social justice. This book definitely left me with a feeling of empowerment. I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone trying to navigate the political landscape today, even for those who despise or denounce the accurate telling of American History, the whole story. This book, will help you survive the current climate, knowing and learning about how others survived and made a way, and hopefully help you come up with a way to become active whether it's safely and rightfully in the streets, whether it's through speaking or writing, or whether it's through becoming active in politics or just making change in...

Still Life was published in 2005 by Canadian crime fiction author, Louise Pennyman. I enjoyed reading this book very much. I had already watched the Amazon Prime series, where the Three Pines community in Canada had been introduced, I quite liked the story lines, the historical context of the story Three Pines, featuring Native Americans, and the mystery of the story, which included crimes being committed against indigenous women in the area, which is a topic we don't see or hear about a lot.  In Still Life, however, minus the Native American historical aspect of Three Pines, other than a racist quip uttered by one of the characters in the story, the story line still made me feel like it was a great story with a very interesting and twisty mystery with lots of possible suspects to a murder.  I also enjoyed the occasional French that was spoken throughout the book. It made the story feel more authentic, especially being based in Quebec, CA. If you like thrillers and mysteries,...