Hush, hush

So I came across a very enticing young adult book called Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. In this day and age of everyone writing about vampires and such, it was a pleasant surprise to find a book somewhat reminding of one of my favorite TV shows, Supernatural. It has to do with fallen angels and how they can redeem themselves. This is a pretty engrossing book about a high school teenager named Nora Grey. Nora is sort of a loaner, keeping to herself and really having only one best friend. Vee. Where she usually gets to sit with Vee in all her classes, biology proves to be her undoing when the teacher decides on a new seating arragnement. Nora is then teamed up with a dark and brooding boy, who proves to be an enigma. Her homework: to write a biography of him. And of course he does not want to supply information readily. The story has lots of intense breath-holding scenes in which scary things happen to her or do they really? This is definitely a should read and will recommend my library to buy it. I was able to borrow from an out of state library.

Killer Crab Cakes

Newest book in the Fresh Baked Mystery series by Livia J Washburn. I have read all the other books in the series and keep up to date. What was different in this book was that Phyllis, and her retired school teacher friends, go to the Texas Coast to watch over her cousin's bed and breakfast while she is gone. More of a vacation than work, really. I wasn't for sure who it was until over half way but was a little put off with who the chief of police tried to blame who did it. The evidence was almost too slim. But the chief of police and his daughter, also on the force, were receptive to perceptions from Phyllis and her friends. Usually they aren't. Interesting setting of the story and also recipes at the end that sounded delish. But I think it works better when Phyllis' son, who is a law enforcement officer, can contribute. Another good read series. I think I am beginning to like her literary series more, which I mentioned last week. More places to go and things to learn. http://www.liviawashburn.com/

Ellie Engleman, Dog Walker Mysteries

Oh boy I found another new cozy series I like. The first book, Hounding the Pavement by Judi McCoy, was cute and different. What I thought was a little bit hard to believe was how she just all of a sudden can talk to dogs. And they talk back. Ellie is newly divorced from a jerk who ran her life and one of the first things she does is get a dog, because she couldn't have one with the ex. But this isn't just any dog. It is her old dog reincarnated. Because of her newly found talent with communicating with dogs, she decides to become a dog walker. In New York City. Don't envy her that. Well, one morning she goes to pick up one of her first clients, only to find the dog's owner dead and the dog gone. She does help solve the case, and puts herself in danger. The means of death is a new one. But you have to read it to find out. And maybe the other thing that was cliche was that she falls for the homicide detective. Otherwise a good read and worth continuing to catch future books. http://www.judimccoy.com/

The Mirror and the Mask

Another Jane Lawless mystery, set in Minneapolis, MN, written by Ellen Hart. I have read all the books in this series and really like them. Jane is a restaurant owner/ amateur detective. Her father is a well known lawyer and her best friend commands the repertory theatre. In this twisty-turny, missing-person story, we meet Annie Archer who has come to town to find her step-father. She walks into Jane's restaurant, looking for a job and Jane ends up volunteering herself, and her private detective friend Nolan, to help her find him. Only Annie doesn't always confide in all the details correctly. While Annie goes off on her own agenda, Jane locates the step-father. Lots of interesting details about him unfold and right off the bat, his wife gets murdered. On top of her kind of walking into the solution of who did it, Jane loses her girl friend lover and Cordelia, her best friend, gets her niece back. That was a nice touch. Ellen Hart also has the Sophie Greenway culinary series, which equally are should reads. http://www.ellenhart.com/

Another Lois Battle Book

I really liked Bed and Breakfast that I decided to try another Lois Battle book from the library. This one had another catchy name, The Florabama Ladies Auxiliary and Sewing Circle. The whole story hinges on the closing of a women's personal garment factory called Cherished Lady. The whole crew of sewers comes to work one day only to find the factory will be closing and moving it operations out of the country. So this leaves many displaced women with no other skills than sewing looking for a new jobs. The local college gets funding for a displaced homemakers program to help give the women an education to work their up in life. That's where our main character comes in: Bonnie Duke Cullman, a in-the-process-of getting-a divorce middle aged woman who didn't have much skills herself before she started this new job in a new town. Bonnie helps the women get interested in taking classes and starting a support group that ultimately becomes the sewing circle of the title. Loosely. I did have a few comments taken from the book I want to remember and will find them and put them in. The women evolve and move on and tragedy does strike. This was a good read but not as good as bed and breakfast.

Witch and Wizard

I was intrigued by this title and the fact the James Patterson wrote it. It was overall a good story about a brother and a sister that find out they have magical powers, at the moment they get hauled off by the New Order, because they were probably not going to conform to the new regime. So we go with them on their journey into prison, with other troublemaking kids, watch them gradually get stronger and wiser, break out and become legendary. To be continued. This is definitely geared more towards young adults and kids, with the short chapters and mentality. I would say it was a nice read for me.

Huckleberry Finished

Second book in the Delilah Dickinson Literary Tour Mysteries by Livia J Washburn, a should read series. Personally accompanying a group, with a literary angle towards Mark Twain, Delilah becomes involved in a murder on a riverboat of one of her group. Between falling for a Mark Twain impersonator and helping solve a year old murder, she gets tangled up in figuring who killed who and who did what. Very twisty turny. I love these literary tour books and the historical info just enhances it in many ways. I am now in awe of all the interesting sayings of Mark Twain, such as 'Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities: truth isn't' and 'Let us endeavor so to live that when we die, even the undertaker will be sorry'. And a side mention that kind of added to the book, a Ghost Hunters episode that I caught this week was set at Mark Twain's house in Connecticut, where one of his daughters supposed died and still haunts. http://www.liviawashburn.com/

Ghost a la Mode: A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery

I really, really liked this cozy mystery but will admit I thought that the name of the ghost, Granny Apples, was a little corny. This is a first in a new paranormal series from Sue Ann Jaffarian starring Emma Reynolds Whitecastle, a somewhat trophy wife going through a divorce, who recently discovered she is a little clairvoyant. Her great-great-great grandmother, Ish Reynolds, visits her, not too long after her best friend visits a psychic, and asks for Emma's help to clear her good name because she had been unrightfully hung for killing her husband. In the process of solving this over 100 yr old mystery, she uncovers a newly hatched gold mine plot and nearly gets killed. I liked the unfolding of the relationship with the current owner of the land, where the gold is supposedly, of Emma and Phil and the discovering of her abilities in strange places. There will be more in this series and I say you should read them. I know I will. http://www.sueannjaffarian.com/

Bay City Paranormal Investigations series

This series, by Ally Blue, starts with the book I just finished, Oleander House. Reminiscent of the Ghosthunter series on SYFY, in which I am a big fan. Sam Raintree is new joining this team as they investigate a old house in Mississippi. This book was a blend of intence paranormal events and a gay guy relationship, which I have not read many off. Sam hadn't mentioned he was gay when he joined the team but after he continually looks longingly at the head guy, who is married and yet he has gay tendencies and denies it, the fellow team members roll with it when discovered. The ghost hunting is fascinating and a little scary at the same time, especially since deaths are involved. I am looking forward to reading the rest of what has been written, 6 more, and will let you know. These are a good read I think. http://www.allyblue.com/home.html

A drunkard's path

The name of the book by Clare O'Donohue which is also the name of a particular quilt. Yes another quilting mystery. Nell Fitzgerald is living with her grandmother and decides to take an art class taught by a re known artist, as she likes to paint on her quilts. Only it ends up with dead women showing up in the river, one being a student learning right along side of Nell. Nell again figures out whodunit, which I admit I was one the fence on who for a long time, while trying to tread lightly on her new relationship with the police chief. At the same time, her grandmother is becoming involved with the re known artist, an interesting development, while Nell is worried about her grandmother being hurt by him being one of the suspects in the murders. My new tidbit I learned from the book is: Trapunto creates raised areas in your quilt by using cording or small amounts of batting pushed in from the back, which apparently looks harder than it is to do. Another will and should read series and am looking forward to more. http://www.clareodonohue.com/

Read books that come to mind and must mention

Here are a few books that I recently read that have stuck with me, good or bad.

Bed and Breakfast by Lois Battle. Good read published a few years past. I related to it a little due to the ex military factor and the stresses of moving.

Catered Birthday Party by Isis Crawford. It was a nice read but a birthday party for a dog that the owner didn't even like, was a little disturbing, especially when the owner gets poisoned at the party.

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton. A should read, quite cute, about a southern belle who gets talked into moving to Vermont by her husband and setting up a bed and breakfast. The heroine overcomes lots of life changes and makes it through it all as a trooper.

According to Jane by Marilyn Brant. A should read, another 'about Jane Austin' book. A teenager has to read Pride and Prejudice for class and acquires Jane Austin with the book. She talks to her in her head. So goes her life with Jane giving advice and comments.

Madrigal: A novel of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera by Jennifer Linforth. A should read, taking off where the Phantom of the Opera left off and did a 'what if this happened' kind of book. I was entranced with it.

Grave Secret, a Harper Connelly book by Charlaine Harris. A should read, about Harper who can tell you about buried bodies and how they died. And fresh ones too. They tell her their secrets. This is the 4th book so far and I have liked them just as much as the Sookie Stackhouse vampire books, which I have read all and love them.

13 1/2 by Nevada Barr. A must read. A big departure from her Anna Pigeon national park mysteries. This is a psychological type thriller and mixes in a little "real murders". I was kept on the edge of my chair right up to the unexpected ending.

Enough for now. Need to read.

I'm back and my sincere apologies

As you can see, my last posting was Nov 11. Now almost 3 months later, I am back in the saddle and you are probably wondering if I fell off the face of the earth. Actually, it sometimes feels like it. Somewhere just after the 11th, I went through a few interesting events in my life and kind of let this blog go by the wayside, which I regret. I have missed it tremendously. I have not stopped reading, my escape mechanism really, but couldn't seem to be able to put my thoughts into words for a while, while in the process of changing some medications and overcoming some stresses. And I can say, I am a better person for the experiences. I am determined to have a better year than last and made out some very interesting New Years resolutions and so far I am not doing too bad in that regard. Now comes the decision as to if I just want to let you know what I have read in the past, OMG, 3 months or just let it go and move on. I may mention a few titles in the next few posts that I totally recommend reading but otherwise, I am moving on. So be ready for my next book read in the next day or two. And have a good one!!!!