Hammered Flowers: Printing on Fabric, Paper and Wood

 

Hammered Flowers is a tutorial and inspiration guide for utilizing flowers and botanicals for contact transfer printing on fiber (fabric/paper/wood) written and curated by Michelle Moore. Released 12th May 2026 by Bloomsbury on their Herbert Press imprint, it's 160 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. 

The aesthetic is rustically beautiful with nature inspired florals and foliage prints. The inspiration is organic and the author takes the reader through the step-by-step process with lots (and lots!) of clear color photos. The projects range from whimsical enhanced paintings (flower petals used as skirts in goache/watercolor paintings)and graphic arts to practical and creative projects like socks with pressed/hammered flowers (cosmos in this case).  

Four and a half stars. Many beautiful textiles along with photos showing clothing and decorative projects using the finished fabric.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

Murder on the Clock - Mercy McCarthy Mystery #4

 

Murder on the Clock is the fourth Mercy McCarthy village cozy by Lucy Connelly. Released 5th Sept 2025 by Bookouture, it's 290 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.  For Kindle+ subscribers, this book is currently included in the K+ subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on K+. 

This is an Irish cozy in the classic golden age style, well constructed and engaging. There's a fair bit of continuity in the series and although it could be read as a standalone, it would be better read after at least being familiar with the background in the first book (expat main characters in Ireland, etc). The secondary characters are mostly well fleshed out, with believable motivations. 

The language and content are clean (perfectly safe for work/commute reading) with the possible exception of one very mild curse (bloody), and some references to blood/bleeding (it's a murder mystery). With 5 books extant and two upcoming releases from the same publisher in 2026 & 2027, it would be a good choice for a long binge/buddy read. The author seems to be keeping up with a semi-annual publishing schedule. 

They're light and engaging cozy mysteries. Lots to enjoy for fans of Murder She Wrote or other small town mysteries. Seriously, Shamrock Cove has survived 4 murders in the span of a year, who's next?

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public libraries, home use, or gifting. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.