The Saturday Six

One.

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I love a good home tour. I love KariAnne's blog. So the two combined = perfection. And also - how much do I love the little sign saying the year the house was built!?!?! YES!!!!!

Two. 

Ummmmm Ryan? You're going to want to watch this video. Emily A. Clark made an outdoor kitchen space using her grill, a side cart, and pavers. Shut. The. Front. Door.

Three.

This was a fun article with some behind-the-scenes facts about life at IKEA. If you like shopping there, you should check this out! 

Four.

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Oh. My. Word. Look at this writer's retreat! I confess I don't have access to a view that would would appropriately suit it, but my word.

Five.

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I have talked about Grace and Lace on the blog before, but I have to mention them again! I first learned about this adorable shop when I worked at WBCL and found them on an Etsy hunt one day. We interviewed them and I remember Melissa, the owner/founder as one of the most delightful women we ever talked to! She went on to be on Shark Tank {saw that too! Loved it!} and has been quite successful with her company. Because I so love her story and her kind spirit, I would just recommend shopping the whole shop. But LOOK AT THESE ADORABLE BABY LEG WARMERS! Oh my word! I had to point them out today because I've never seen anything quite like them and I just can't handle the cuteness. 

Six.

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Last fall, I read the book Murder at the Courthouse by A.H. Gabhart. I adored the book and its cross between a Mayberry-esque setting with delightful characters, and a page-turning murder mystery. I was thrilled that the end of that story promised a book two, so when I saw that Murder Comes by Mail had been released, I had to read it!

I happily revisited the tiny burg of Hidden Springs and quickly reacquainted myself with the characters I had come to love in book one. I discovered Deputy Michael Keane was still living alone in his log cabin by the lake, but all hope was not lost that one day, he might just have a relationship with spunky Alexandria {Alex} who filled so many pages of the first book. And as the book opened, Deputy Keane was praying that the rickety and sputtering church bus full of nib-nose ladies on their way to a play in the city would keep sputtering until he safely arrived with the lot of them.

The trip is interrupted when Deputy Keane spots a jumper on the bridge and stops to intervene. He succeeds in saving the man's life, but the man quickly tells Michael that he should have just let him jump. Michael shrugs it off and tries to push away all the "local hero" attention that follows, {newspaper headlines, TV reporters hunting him down, stacks of phone messages congratulating him} but no one expects the string of brutal murders that follow and all somehow seem tied to this mysterious jumper - and Michael. Mysterious letters begin arriving in Hidden Springs, declaring Michael is the reason these women are dead, and each new day brings dread that more bodies and letters will be discovered.

When big city shrinks and cops start showing up in Hidden Springs, poking around and poking fun, Michael's frustration escalates. He realizes he is the common bond in these murders, and he has no way of knowing who from his life will be the next target.

As in the first book, the small town element is absolutely delightful. Predictable habits, quirky neighbors, nosy know-it-alls, and all you would imagine from a tiny bumpkin burg. But also as in the first book, the crime element is not hokey. It's {again} not make-you-jump-while-you-read scary, but it does keep you captivated and makes you try to solve the puzzle in your head.

I just love this little series and my biggest letdown in book two is that nosey Willadean Dearmon from book one did not make an appearance. She was one of my favorites! But despite her absence, I loved this book and am excited to know there is a book three on the way!

Thanks, Revell, for sending this book my way in exchange for an honest review!