tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39112564163465373522024-03-14T03:23:42.104-07:00Ladyslipper Book ReviewsFrom a person who can't get enough of reading books and sharing them with all the other addicts.Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-47278488403879681432015-05-08T14:24:00.001-07:002015-05-08T14:24:12.841-07:00So was King Arthur real or not? That is the real question in this book.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Death in an Ivory Tower by Maria Hudgins (A Dotsy Lamb Travel Mystery #5)<br /> Checked out from public library.<br /> Why I chose this book: I have loved this series and always catch the newest one when it comes out. <br /> About the book: Dotsy Lamb, an ancient and medieval history teacher from VA, is attending a conference at Oxford UK, with her professor Larry Roberts, on "The Lingering Effects of the King Arthur Tales on Life in Elizabethan England". Her contribution to the conference would be "Shakespeare's Historical Sources and References to Arthurian Legend in his Plays" which comes from her dissertation she is currently writing. After getting settled in at the dorm rooms at one of the colleges the first night, one of the presenters dies mysteriously after dinner. Dotsy thinks right off the bat that something simply does not add up right. Along with her best friend, Lettie, who is staying in the same dorm but not attending the conference but assisting her doctor daughter who is participating in a doctor trade program, she sifts through the animosity between all the speakers to determine if there was foul play. She gets really confused when Lettie's daughter gets shot right outside her rental house. Where do the two incidents related? When the killer tries to do her in also, Dotsy waits up to see who shows up and catches them in a trap of sorts. <br />Tidbit of info from the book: Learned lots of little tidbits on theories of topics of this conference. <br /> My rating: Good read <br /> Check out the author's website for other books: <a href="http://mariahudgins.com/">http://mariahudgins.com/</a><br />
Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-37768294083316041142015-05-04T12:48:00.000-07:002015-05-04T12:48:04.269-07:00Book 6 in the Cat in the Stacks Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Arsenic and Old Books by Miranda James (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #6)<br /> Checked out from public library.<br /> Why I chose this book: I have loved this series and always catch the newest one when it comes out. <br /> About the book: Charlie Harris is an archivist for a library in Athena MS, along with his trusted companion Diesel, a Maine Coon cat, who goes everywhere with him. So when the local mayor finds some hidden diaries, in her attic, of her husband's great-great grandmother, Rachel Afton Long, and wants them preserved for everyone to read, Charlie is the man to see. But what the mayor does not anticipate is so many people wanting to read them right off the bat. Wanting to read them so bad, they would steal and murder for them. The diaries prove to be enlightening of the trials and tribulations about the time of the Civil War but could one volume damage a family legacy? When one of the most eager readers dies from a hit and run, Charlie wants to know what's up. Lots of library research for him to figure out what is going on and who the killer is. <br />Tidbit of info from the book: "The standard ink used at the time was iron gall, or oak gall, ink made from a combination of iron salts, tannic acids and vegetable matter. The latter tended to be the galls, formed by wasps that infested oak trees and caused the plant tissue to swell, The resulting ink is acidic and sometimes caused so-called ghost writing on the obverse side of the writing surface, usually vellum or paper."<br /> My rating: Must read <br /> Check out the author's website for other books: <a href="http://www.catinthestacks.com/">http://www.catinthestacks.com/</a><br />
Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-62825038069527143432015-05-04T12:18:00.001-07:002015-05-04T12:18:09.165-07:00Loved this first book in a new series!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran (A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery)<br />
Checked out from public library.<br />
Why I chose this book: The setting of a book store inside a restaurant.<br />
About the book: Read 'Em and Eat Café and Book Corner is run by Mary "Sassy" Cabot and Bridget Mayfield, in Fort Myers Beach, FLA. A cozy café that has tables honoring authors, a menu that has literary specials and that is host to many book clubs meetings. Older cousins Augusta and Delia like to attend one of those book club and when Delia was found dead the next morning after one meeting, Augusta declares Sassy must find out who killed her. When not staring into the blue eyes of the new Police Lieutenant, Sassy is crossing off suspects on her list of possible murders. This was quite a entertaining read and I will look forward to many more in this series.<br />
Great laugh from the book: "If we weren't in Southern Florida, I would have thought we were mid-snowstorm in Brooklyn, that's how white the kitchen was - the floor, both work counters, the stove, even a swath of wall. My first thought was food fight. But no. A food fight would require cooked food, This mess looked like someone took bags of flour, slit the sides, held then at arm's length and shook."<br />
Tidbit of info: "Ten Thousand Islands... no one's ever counted them, of course. The are so many types of landmasses down there....right here on the south bank of the Chatham River, Possum Key is a large island, while on the north bank is a smaller body, originally a shell mount, which provided fertile farmland for the likes of Edgar Watson and other settlers arriving either side of 1900."<br />
My rating: Should read <br />
Check out the author's website for other books: <a href="http://terriefarleymoran.com/">http://terriefarleymoran.com/</a><br />
Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-61044897608134037992015-04-28T13:20:00.003-07:002015-04-28T13:20:54.615-07:00Another new cozy series.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The next book I am going to review is a first book in a new series. <br /> Title: A First Date with Death by Diana Orgain (A Love or Money Mystery)<br />Checked out from public library.<br />Why I chose this book: The concept of this book to me was so outrageous, I just had to read it. And sort of set in San Francisco. <br />About the book: Georgia Thorton is a ex-cop that was left at the altar by her cop fiancé. So she gets roped into doing a reality show called Love or Money by her best friend, her best friend thinking Georgia will meet the right guy. So 10 guys compete for her, 5 wanting love and to split the winnings with her and 5 who want her to pick them and they get all the money. But a murderer is eliminating the competition right off the bat. It was a playful read with little bios interspersed through the book on which guy wants what. So hard not to read ahead and know ahead of time which guy to root for. <br />My rating: Must read.<br /> Check out the author's website for future books: <a href="http://dianaorgain.com/">http://dianaorgain.com/</a><a href="http://www.lesliebudewitz.com/"></a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-18004425888998969582015-04-27T13:57:00.000-07:002015-04-27T13:57:15.730-07:00First review is a cozy...of course.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My first book I am going to review is a first book in a new series. <br />
Title: Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz (A Spice Shop Mystery)<br />Checked out from public library.<br />Great line from the book: Too bad "He had it coming" is no defense to premeditated murder.<br />Tidbit of info: The beginning of every chapter is a tidbit of info on spices. Very informative and fun!!<br />
Why I chose this book: It is set in Seattle's Pike's Place Market area. I used to live on Whidbey Island and went down there many times. It was such an interesting place to shop.<br />About the book: Pepper Reece has bought out an existing spice shop in Seattle 1 year ago, after leaving a cheating husband and losing a job with a failing corporation. While she is in the process of putting her personal touch on the Seattle Spice Shop, a seemingly homeless man dies on her shop stoop. One of her employees is accused of the murder and Pepper vows to find the real killer while Detectives Spenser and Tracy are making her life miserable. While Pepper finds out who the victim is, all her questioning makes the killer nervous.<br />My rating: Should read <br />Side note: Recipes in the back of the book!!!<br />
Check out the author's website for other books: <a href="http://www.lesliebudewitz.com/">http://www.lesliebudewitz.com/</a><br />
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. Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-85032055003719265292015-04-24T12:38:00.001-07:002015-04-24T12:41:07.112-07:00Okay I am going to try this again. I have missed it.I have thought about this blog and have decided to start it up again. And I hope to get peeps to like it and follow it. I format the blog a way to focus on why I picked the book, where I got it, a paragraph that caught my attention, a tidbit I learned and of course what I thought about it and my rating. My ratings are in order of how good I think a book is:<br /><br />Absolutely have to read,<br />Must read,<br />Should read,<br />Good read,<br />Nice read,<br />Don't really bother.<br />
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Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-43530168219358365452010-06-01T11:23:00.000-07:002011-11-01T18:50:50.320-07:00Fourteenth Cozy<div>Title of the book: Puzzle Lady vs. the Suduko Lady by Parnell Hall</div>
<br /><div>Cozy type: #11 in the Puzzle Lady Mystery Series</div>
<br /><div>What caught my attention about this series: Again a novel idea of the crime solver is a crossword puzzle lady</div>
<br /><div>Tidbit from the book: Pyrrhic Theory: A victory gained at too great a cost. </div>
<br /><div><a href="http://www.parnellhall.com/">www.parnellhall.com/</a></div>
<br /><div> </div>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-76293974325647553122010-06-01T11:06:00.000-07:002011-11-01T18:50:50.329-07:00Twelveth and Thirteenth Cozy<div>Cozy type: Book 1 and 2 in the Deadly Past Mysteries by Marion Moore Hill. Deadly Will and Deadly Design. </div>
<br /><div>What got me started with this author was her Scrappy Librarian series.</div>I got these books through ILL from my library.<br />
<br /><div></div>I am again going to stray from the normal review. These two books were chock full of wonderful historical info from the early American Revolutionary time period. These books are the first 2 in a series centering around Millie Kirchner, a single Mom with a young boy Danny, who is working and trying to go to school to earn a degere in History. In Deadly Will, she finds out she is one of many relatives of Nathan Henry, who has bequeathed his legacy to his ancestors 200 years in the future. Out of 16 heirs, 10 show up in Philadelphia to claim a part of the money and a chance at a historical antique. In the span of the week they are to spend at Nathan Henry's house, heirs start getting bumped off, and panic arises.
<br /><div></div>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-21951761853042771152010-05-20T12:20:00.000-07:002010-06-01T10:58:38.060-07:00Eleventh CozyTitle of the book: Indigo as an Iris by Fran Stewart<br />Cozy Series: #5 in the Biscuit McKee Mysteries<br />Bought the book on Amazon and will donate it to my local library as no one seems to have a copy of it in the local area.<br />Why I choose this book: Again this is a series that I have sort of been following. Books are far between. This is the first one I actually bought.<br />Little Tidbit I learned from the book: A new concept - green <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">cemeteries</span>. The bodies are placed about three and a half feet deep in hand-dug graves. right a<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">mong</span> the trees. That way you don't have heavy equipment in there compacting the ground around the roots. It's all part of the natural cycle of life. The bodies feed the trees. There aren't any of those nasty chemicals that poison the soils in regular <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">cemeteries</span>. No caskets. The bodies are kept cold until burial and then wrapped in something of meaning, like a quilt, before burial.<br />Interesting paragraph from the book: Amazing Grace, as my father, a high-school music teacher, once explained to me, uses the pentatonic scale. It's a far older scale than the do-re-mi <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">folderol</span>. That's why the melody is so haunting. Maybe that's one of the reasons it's so overused at funerals. Just those five black keys, and all the pa<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">in</span>, all the sorrow, all the anguish comes rolling out. Also all the hope and the wonder. Maybe not so overused at that.<br />My take on the book: Biscuit McKee is a librarian in a small town of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Martinsville</span>, Georgia. This book deals mostly with a case of mistaken identity involving a kidnapping with fatal results. With that as the main part of the story, a interesting family history and a side story of one lady, of the group of friends ,who decides to organize a cruise and gets a good deal on a group rate and invites close friends and relatives to go. We get letters going back and forth deciding if they can or not. On top of that, at the end of each paragraph, we have Biscuit and her cat Marmalade giving 5 things they are thankful for. Yes, the cat is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">reminiscent</span> of Garfield, we can hear what he is thinking but no one else can. It's cute. I will be interested to see if more come about.<br />My rating on this book: Good read.<br /><a href="http://franstewart.com/">http://franstewart.com/</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-67485018915420352102010-05-19T13:30:00.000-07:002010-05-20T12:18:20.930-07:00Tenth CozyTitle of the book: To Hell in a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Handbasket</span></span> by Beth Groundwater<br />Cozy Type: A Claire Hanover, Gift Basket Designer Mystery #2<br />I bought this book from Amazon and will donate it to my library since no one else seems to have it in the area.<br />Why I choose this book: Really, the idea that a basket designer solves murders is novel.<br />Tidbit of info from the book: This book is centered on skiing. What I didn't know is making a X with your skis is the universal call for help at ski areas. I also learned quite a few terms for different slopes and skiing methods. Which I can tell you won't do me any good, as you will never get me on a pair of skis.<br />Great paragraph: (Claire is walking on a trail in snowshoes.) A squirrel <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">chittered</span> at her from a tree. Claire looked up. She promptly stepped on the back of her forward snowshoe and did a face plant in a deep snowbank.<br /> <em>Pride <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">goeth</span> before a fall</em>. (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Heh</span>, I thought it was funny enough to laugh)<br />My take on this book: Claire is on vacation with her husband and daughter, really with hopes to reconnect with her husband after the result of the murder in the first book. They decided to go to Breckenridge, CO and have her daughter's boyfriend meet them there. He brings his family, too. Only it becomes too apparent after the murder of the boyfriend's sister, that this family is connected to the Russian Mafia indirectly. Quickly Claire finds a witness to the murder and sadly he gets <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">run over</span> by a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">SVU</span></span> right in front of her. I may have gotten a little confused at the end with who rats on whom and their plea deals.<br />Beth gives a couple of ideas for 3 different baskets in the course of the book but I somewhat would of expected maybe a little more hints at the end of the book. Just a thought.<br />My rating: A good read and hope she writes more. But it looks like she is starting a new series so I will check that one out. Rocky Mountain Adventure series starting with Deadly Currents, March 2011<br /><a href="http://bethgroundwater.com/Home.html">http://bethgroundwater.com/Home.html</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-62009140464434260832010-05-19T13:03:00.000-07:002010-05-19T13:29:17.502-07:00Ninth CozyTitle of the book: A Darker God by Barbara Cleverly<br />Cozy series: A Laetitia Talbot Mystery #3<br />Checked out of the public library<br />Why I picked this: it has to do with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">archaeology</span> and I read her first 2<br />I am not going to give a favorite paragraph or tidbit from this book. My mind was overwhelmed by the full-bodied, rich-writing of this <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">archaeology</span>, historical mystery. These are very intense, well written and fact based novels, seemingly a cross between Elizabeth Peters and Agatha <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Christy</span>. Laetitia Talbot is a young women, in the 1920's, striving to be recognized in a male dominated profession in which she is well suited and with a good head on her shoulders for. Being an archaeologist. In this third book, she has returned to her mentor, after going into the field, to rest and recover. He has translated a play of Agamennon while writing a biography of Alexander the Great. Laetitia is roped into helping with the play, only to be present when her mentor shows up dead in place of the prop she designed for the death scene. One of the actors of the play is a police detective on loan from Scotland Yard in Greece during a cultural exchange, so to speak. Anyway, he takes charge of the murder scene and accepts Laetitia's Help. The mentor's wife is on the scene and seemingly does not seem over upset of the death. But interestly, she shows up dead the next day. Lots of sexual intrigue in this book, too. <br />My rating: these are must read booksLadyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-2454427119791078532010-05-18T13:52:00.000-07:002010-05-18T14:09:20.309-07:00Eighth CozyTitle of the book: Dark Alley by Evan Marshall<br />Cozy series: #3 in the Hidden <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Manhattan</span> mysteries<br />What caught my attention: I started out with this author with his Jane Stuart series but when it appeared he was done with that, I picked up on this one.<br />I got this book through ILL with my library<br />Tidbit of Information: Mews is a street, usually private, lined with buildings that were originally stables but have been renovated as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dwellings</span> - apartments, condos, co-ops and townhouse - similar to courtyards.<br />Great paragraph from the book: A trash artist is heard to say: "I take what the world doesn't want and turn them into things of beauty...Most of the things we throw away should be used for something else. This would be a far more beautiful world if we did."<br />My take on the book: Our heroine of the story, Anna Winthrop, is a rich deb who decides that she is more interested in garbage than money. So she works her way up the ladder to become a NY Sanitation Supervisor. With her cop boyfriend, Santos, she solves this mystery of the death of one of her sanitation workers - in a mews. But he is only the beginning. Every time they turn around another body turns up in a mews or a courtyard. And they all feel something is significant with that. Lots of side stories kept the action going. I will continue to catch these books. Learn a lot about inner NY workings from these books.<br />My rating on this book: A should read. Next book City in Shadow <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Oct</span> 2010<br /><a href="http://evan-marshall.com/">http://evan-marshall.com</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-39567885408402293762010-05-18T13:30:00.000-07:002010-05-18T13:51:25.660-07:00Seventh CozyTitle of the book: Wicked Craving by G A <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">McKevett</span><br />Cozy series: okay technically not a cozy but... #15 in the Savannah Reid, Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency<br />What caught my attention: Another series I read faithfully. Savannah is saucy.<br />Checked out the public library<br />Great paragraph: (I actually have 2 quotes from the book that made me laugh) Dr <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lui</span>, the medical examiner, says at one point at a crime scene: "I can find one stray <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">blond</span> hair on a brunette victim or a single carpet fiber and match it to a killer's car trunk. I think I can find a dead woman on a beach."<br />And Savannah is heard to say: " The only way to lose a bunch of unwanted excess weight without starving to death is to get a divorce. And even then that takes six months here in California."<br />Tidbit of Information from the book: This series is based in San Carmelita, CA, home to one of 21 missions that had been built along the Pacific Coast by <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Franciscan</span> friars, two hundred years ago, of adobe walls that have withstood earthquakes, fires and even a tidal wave.<br />My take on the book: I love the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">curvaceous</span> detective and her eclectic crew. And in this one, her Granny comes to visit and helps. Which is a hoot. The wife of a diet therapist, who claims you could diet just listening to his tapes, turns up dead at the bottom of a cliff. All does not seem what it seems here and there are no shortage of suspects. Including <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">allot</span> of the doctor's patients who have been seduced. And we have the usual sexual tension between Savannah and Dirk, which we all wish gets satisfied soon. At least Granny hopes so. I will continue to gobble these up as they come along. <br />My rating: A should read <br /><a href="http://www.sonjamassie.com/">www.sonjamassie.com</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-8103462057474523822010-05-13T14:12:00.000-07:002010-05-18T13:30:06.409-07:00Sixth CozyTitle of the book: Unzipped by Lois <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Greiman</span></span><br />Cozy Type: Ex-Bartender/Shrink/Crimes Solver Mystery (My words)<br />What caught my eye about this book: Found out Lois <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Greiman</span></span> was from North Dakota and the book synopsis sounded like a hoot.<br />I checked it out from my public library<br />Tidbit learned from the book: (Okay it is a little dumb but I had never thought about it before). Sweating like a pig is a misnomer because apparently pigs don't sweat.<br />Great paragraph from the book: (at the beginning of every chapter are clever little one-liners quoted by different characters in the book.) Here are a few:<br />Some people are street-smart, some people are book-smart but most people are just dumber than dirt.<br />There are none so troubled as one who thinks himself perfectly sane.<br />Chocolate may be cheaper than a psychologist but the latter doesn't generally adhere to you ass for the rest of your natural life.<br />Today's problems are yesterday's mistakes come back to bite you in the ass.<br />What I thought about the book: Chrissy <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">McMullen</span></span>, was we assume putting herself through college as a cocktail waitress/bartender and has now worked her way from Chicago to LA to start her psychotherapy business. One of her patients was a bad boy football star who has come to her for counseling supposedly for impotency. Apparently not the case when he dies in her office with a hard on sticking out of his pants. The police suspect her of the crime, of course, and she decides she needs to clear herself as a suspect. So off she goes to interview people who knew him, with the police detective, Rivera, not far behind. The relationship between two runs hot and cold as she constantly slaughters his name. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Humorous</span>, and of course they are interested in each other in the end. I am kind of iffy on whether to read more.<br />My rating: It was a good read.<br /><a href="http://www.loisgreiman.com/">www.loisgreiman.com</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-17450763860276029322010-05-13T11:03:00.000-07:002010-05-13T11:35:58.369-07:00Fifth CozyTitle of the book: Holly Blues by Susan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wittig</span> Albert<br />Cozy type: by my calculations Book #18 in the China <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Bayles</span> Herb Mysteries<br />Why I am reading this book: I have loved, loved, loved all the others and have to read this one<br />Had to send away to another library in the area to read it - I love <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Interlibrary</span> Loan people!!!<br />Tidbit of info: Every one of Susan's books has great info about the herb the book represents. In this case holly. I had no idea holly was considered so magical. It has been said if holly is planted near a house that it is suppose to defend it from lightning and witchcraft. But in the same sense, holly sprigs have also been exchanged as tokens of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">friendship</span>, offering a sincere wish that the recipient might enjoy a season free of bothersome bolts from the blue. Lots more can be learned at the beginning of every chapter in the book.<br />Great Paragraph: (Too many to choose from but I picked one that is also a wealth of info) ...I cam back and waited on two customers of my own (after being in Ruby's shop next door), which took a little time, because they wanted to find out about natural dyes, a fairly complex subject. I discouraged them from buying dried herbs, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">sinc</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">e from</span> my experience, it's much better to work with fresh material you can grow or gather. I also suggested that if they wanted to try some easy <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">vegetable</span> dyes, they <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">might</span> experiment with onion skins and tea leaves for beige, coffee ground<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">s for</span> brown, red cabbage leaves for blue and purple, carrot tops and spinach leaves for green. Oh, and turmeric, a spice that makes a vibrant orange.<br />My take on the book: China <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Bayles</span> runs a herb store, partners in a tea room, catering and a gourmet personal chef business in Pecan Springs, TX, plus she has a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">quaint</span> little cottage in the back, amongst her herb gardens, that she rents out. One partner and best friend is Ruby who has a New Age store right next door to China. In this book, China's husbands' ex, and mother of his son, comes calling around Christmas time because she is supposedly in trouble. But what kind of trouble is not fully recognized until close friends and relatives start getting bumped off. Even though you are pretty sure through the book who the bad guy is, it is another great read. <br />My rating: All her books are must reads. Next one is Mourning Gloria (April 2011)<br /><a href="http://www.mysterypartners.com/China/">http://www.mysterypartners.com/China/</a>, <a href="http://www.abouthyme.com/index.shtml">http://www.abouthyme.com/index.shtml</a>, <a href="http://www.susanalbert.com/">http://www.susanalbert.com/</a>,Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-52426323103824376012010-05-12T11:18:00.000-07:002010-05-12T11:43:44.687-07:00Fourth CozyTitle: Dead Air by Mary Kennedy<br />Cozy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Type:</span> A Talk Radio Mystery #1<br />Checked out of the public library<br />Why I picked this book: I actually thought the catch phrase on the front cover is what hooked me. "How's she going to talk her way out of this one?"<br />Tidbit of Info from this book: There were a few interesting ones that I would have liked to include but the one that I thought was amusing even if it may not be true. She writes: It is a standing joke in Hollywood that whenever actors want to beef up their resume, they use <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Matlock</span> as a credit because they figure no one will ever check.<br />Great paragraph: (Okay a long one but cute). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pugsley</span>( her pug dog) guided us through the last stretch of the evening's walk, and we headed for home after he enjoyed a long, leisurely sniff at a neighbor's bougainvillea bush. A dog behaviorist appeared on my radio show last month, and he explained that a dog sniffs a bush or tree the way you and I read the newspaper. It's endlessly fascinating to him. Who would think so much drama could be found on the base of a tree trunk or a lamppost? Love, hate, revenge, betrayal, all the makings of a Shakespearean play sitting withing sniffing distance of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pugsley's</span> shiny black nose.<br />It's his way of scoping out the local news. Who's been on his home turf? Are they fearful? Friendly? <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Aggressive</span>? Apparently dogs can tell all this from one sniff. .."Remember, it's only a walk around the block to you, but it's the highlight of your dog's day."<br />What I thought of the book: Maggie Walsh is a recent transplant from New York to sunny Cypress Grove, Fla. And she is the host of a radio talk show called On the Couch with Maggie Walsh, after being a psychologist in NY. She <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">decides</span> to have a New Age prophet on the show, Guru <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Sanjay</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Gingli</span>, and soon realizes that he is a con <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">artist</span>. And apparently in more ways than one. That night after the show, he turns up dead. And her roommate was in the area when it happened. Maggie, with the help of her actress mom Lola, decides they need to prove that there are many people who had gotten cheated by the Guru in the span of his life and they all had motive to murder, as far as Maggie is concerned. The anecdotes about her mother's acting career are amusing and the story quite entertaining. Unfortunately, Maggie ends up with the hots for the police detective in the end.<br />My rating: Should read and will read future ones. Reel Murder in June 2010<br /><a href="http://www.marykennedy.net/">http://www.marykennedy.net/</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-34566268348624350212010-05-12T11:05:00.001-07:002010-05-12T11:18:32.907-07:00Third CozyTitle: Chill Before Serving by Cynthia Lawrence<br />Cozy Type: States a Mystery for Food Lovers<br />Checked out from public library<br />What grabbed my attention in this book is of course the cozy type and the wine bottle on the label<br />Great paragraph: I actually hate to say it but there weren't any that jumped out at me.<br />Little Tidbit of info: Vitamins and herbal remedies aren't considered drugs so they are not regulated by the FDA but yet if taken in large doses, they can have severe effects on you and can react to medicines you are taking.<br />What I thought of the book: Catherine <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Deean</span> works as a caterer in the restaurant business, with her partner Nick in LA. Cat and Nick recently hired a new chef that comes with baggage. Mainly he has been accused of murder. But it soon becomes evident that the past murder and the ones that happen later are not directed at the chef but something else. And that is what Cat tries to prove. In this cozy, she becomes involved with the newspaper journalist, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">who she</span> has known for a long time. Someone different for a change. <br />My rating: It was a good read.Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-52537488880547406122010-05-05T08:02:00.000-07:002010-05-06T13:19:35.064-07:00Second CozyTitle: Raining Cats and Dogs by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Blaize</span></span> Clement<br />Cozy type: Dixie Hemingway Pet Sitter Series #5<br />Checked out from the public library<br />One of many great paragraphs from the book: (I kind of related to this paragraph and that is why I picked it) I was the only woman in the entire world who didn't have a list of friends she could call for an impromptu dinner. The only woman in the entire world who couldn't drop in a good friend and eat with chop sticks from cute little take out boxes like people on TV do. The only woman in the entire world who couldn't pick up spur-of-the-moment deli stuff to share with a close friend. Clever finger foods. Stuffed grape leaves. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Delish</span></span> spring rolls. At least cheese fries. It was flat depressing.<br />Interesting little tidbit from the book but I had many to choose from: A bloom of microscopic algae, red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">tide's</span></span> technical name is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Karenia</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Brevis</span></span>,but by any name, it's nasty stuff that causes respiratory irritation and watery eyes for people and pets.My thoughts on the book: Dixie is a former cop, a result of her husband and daughter being killed, is now is a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">petsitter</span>. While she solves mysteries. In this one, her supposed best friend's husband gets kidnapped and Maureen, her best friend, just wants to pay the ransom and get her husband back. She convinces Dixie to make the drop. But things don't end up so well. On top of that, she is tending her pets through fascinating problems and meets a young girl at the vet who catches her eye and a neighbor lady's. The young girl volunteers to help the neighbor with training a guide dog and ends up disappearing. And of course we have the ongoing relationship Dixie has with a homicide cop. It was a very enjoyable read and I am still a big fan of these books.<br />My Rating: Should read <br />Website: <a href="http://www.blaizeclement.com/">http://www.blaizeclement.com/</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-76341972308826560362010-05-04T10:31:00.000-07:002010-05-06T13:10:03.509-07:00First CozyTitle: Cook the Books by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant<br />Cozy series: #5 in the Gourmet Girl<br />Checked out from public library.<br />Great paragraph: I checked another blog that I was nuts about, Chef's Widow, where the CW (as she refers to herself and to other women involved with rarely seen chefs) chronicles life with her chef and their two children. She's posted great videos of her kids and pictures of her few-and-far-between dates with her husband and she wrote honest, raw, sometimes painful accounts of her life.<br />Tidbit of info: The previous paragraph is from the book and real. The website is <a href="http://www.chefswidow.com/">http://www.chefswidow.com/</a><br />About the book: Chloe's boyfriend, Josh, has left his chef position, when his restaurant closes, and decides to move to Hawaii to be a personal chef. Chloe is beside herself as she feels she cannot follow him and he won't stay for her. So she finally moves on with her life and answers a ad on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Craigslist</span></span> for a asst writer for a cookbook. She gets an immediate call after submitting her resume and gets hired. Her job is to take all the misc scraps of info and manage to put a book together for the son of a famous chef. A whole lot of pressure going on there. Death comes when she is asks to find certain recipes, from her ex-boyfriend of all people. But when she finds out how to get them from his friend, he turns up dead in a mysterious fire. And then the same thing almost happens to her best friend, she realizes she has to solve the case. Good unexpected ending and with good vibes for the future books.<br />My rating: Should read<br />Side note: Recipe for Baked Tomato Nests in the back of the book sounded really yummy.<br />Website: <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/conantparkmysteries/home">http://sites.google.com/site/conantparkmysteries/home</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-34874620581067409982010-05-04T10:01:00.000-07:002010-05-05T08:06:40.240-07:00Better than TwilightSo here is the last book from April before I launch the cozy month of May. Catchy, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">heh</span>. Talking about the title, this had the ring of Twilight in it but it is not about vampires. Even better.<br />Title of the book: Beautiful Creatures by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Kami</span> Garcia and Margaret <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Stohl</span>.<br />Checked it out of my library.<br />What caught my attention about the book: YA Twilight-like book featuring a new kid in town, who appears different, and the referring to past and present, down south.<br />Great paragraph from the book: (The two main characters go to the library to research)<br />The library itself was beautiful. I had spent so many hours in it as a kid. I'd inherited my mother's belief that a library was sort of a temple....this particular library was one the few buildings that had survived Sherman's March and the Great Burning...It smelled like again wood, creosote, plastic book covers and old paper. Old paper, which my mom used to say was the smell of time itself.<br />Tidbit if info: (There were actually a lot of tidbits to choose from) Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR, is where you have to prove you were related to an actual patriot from the American revolution to be eligible for membership. Sisters of the Confederacy, lesser cousin of the DAR, you have to prove your southern Civil War roots.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">About</span> the book: Lena has moved to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Gaitlin</span>, SC, to stay with her eccentric uncle at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Ravenwood</span>, after her parents die. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Ravenwood</span> has sort of a scary past and has been around as one of the founding families of town. Ethan senses her discomfort and befriends her as if fate. What is interesting is the unraveling of the power of Lena and her coming into her being "claimed" on her 16<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Th</span> birthday as a Dark or Light Caster, like a witch. Ethan comes along for this eye opening experience and falls for Lena hard. Good story of good versus evil with some school bullying thrown in. This story was much move believable in relation to Twilight in that sense.<br />Rating: It is most definitely a must read. Loved it!<br /><p>Trailer: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrVl6pq1gNE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrVl6pq1gNE</a> </p><p>Website: <a href="http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/">http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/</a></p><p>Next book out Oct 2010: Beautiful Darkness<br /></p>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-7500064764107192232010-04-29T11:27:00.000-07:002010-05-05T08:07:24.606-07:00Another St. Just mysteryTitle of the book: Death at the Alma Mater by G M <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Malliet</span><br />Checked it out of the public library<br />What caught my attention: First I like this series and have read the previous ones and second I am waiting to see where the relationship between Inspector St. Just and Portia is going.<br />Great paragraph from the book: St. Just greeted <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Malenfant</span> (the coroner) as he emerged from the tent and asked, "Time of death?"<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Malefant</span> gazed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">iconically</span> at his old friend for a long moment before speaking.<br /><br />"Always the same with you, isn't it?" he said, removing the latex gloves. "No matter how long since we've seen each other. Just, 'time of death?' he wants to know." <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Malefant</span>, despite his years in England, remained thoroughly French in manner and habit, the more so when agitated. "You may have observed," he continued, "that my holiday at present lacks certain... amenities. For one thing, it is not taking place in France. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Puzzlingly</span>, I remain here, in my summer holiday costume, miles from the beach." (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Malefant</span> was called in because the coroner on call was sick and he hadn't left town yet.)<br /><br />Tidbit of info: Lighting up, in scullers terms, is the time at shen the sun sets to 94 degrees below the zenith.<br />Thoughts on the book: I will definitely continue to read the future books, as the relationship with Portia and St; Just is heating up rather nicely. I really like the humor in these books but I also found the interrogation of the suspects a little slow. This books finds itself at one of the Cambridge colleges where Portia is finishing her thesis. On this particular weekend, alumni of this college are invited back in order to solicit money from them to cover the upkeep of the school, which they all seemed to realize why they were asked back. There is a underlining conflict between some of the alumni, where a gentleman and his current wife are attending along with his ex-wife which proves to be interesting especially when the ex-wife turns up dead. The events leading to her death turn out to be surprising in the end.<br /><p>My rating: Should read.</p><a href="http://gmmalliet.weebly.com/">http://gmmalliet.weebly.com/</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-53756154672664016382010-04-29T10:58:00.001-07:002010-04-29T11:26:35.434-07:00Evolution hereYes, that is the name of the game. Evolution. And this blog is going to evolve. Or expand. Which ever way you want to think about it. So here is the scoop. I am formatting the blog a newer way and focusing on why I picked the book, where I got it, a paragraph that caught my attention, a tidbit I learned and of course what I thought about it and my rating. I am also going to try to help myself whittle down my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">TBR</span> piles so I have come up with theme months. For this month, April, I have only a few books left to read before I start this May's which will be cozies. I have a lot of them.<br />First post - new theme:<br />Title of the book: False Mermaid by Erin Hart<br />Caught my attention: American Pathologist trying to solve sister's murder between Ireland and Minnesota.<br />How I got it: Public library<br />Great Paragraph from the book: Fortunately <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Roisin</span> had fallen in love with the sound of the fiddle, just as her father had with all its shades and feelings. No amount of technical ability could substitute for that. She had become a hunter of those quicksilver flashes of genius that enters the soul and came out the fingers - the enchantment. All he (her father) could do was to show her his own way of recognizing those rare moments, how to receive them when they came. ( from scene in Ireland during a fiddle contest and the father is a friend of the main character)<br />Tidbit learned from book: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Proserpinaca</span> is semi-aquatic and called mermaid weed - which means the lower part grows under water, the upper parts in air. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Floerkia</span>, false mermaid, grows in seeps and marshes and other wet places but isn't semi-aquatic, but looks quite similar to mermaid weed.<br />Thoughts on the book: It is kind of a psychological thriller having to do with a five year old murder of the main character's sister, supposedly caused by the husband but couldn't be pinned to him. So he moves on, gets another wife and we look to see if it will happen again. There is a really interesting twist in the plot when the pieces of evidence start coming out from strange places.<br />Rating: Must read.<br />I would like to hear your thoughts on my new blogging, if you would be so kind. Thanks!!!Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-70718796146506020202010-04-28T12:53:00.000-07:002010-04-28T13:10:29.401-07:00Lonely Hearts ClubOkay so I am not a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">die hard</span> Beatles fan that I would name my child after a song but that's what the parents in this did. All their kids. But the one this story is about is Penny Lane Bloom. This young adult book by Elizabeth <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Eulberg</span> was really fun to read and I kind of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">sympathized</span> with the main character. I, too, felt that the guys in my high school were too lame to date and awkward. Maybe that's why I dated guys from other schools. But Penny went so far as to start a club for girls who are going to wait till after high school to date. It proves to be so popular that the school administration feels threatened. But that was not the purpose of the group. It proves to be a very effective support group for all types of girls through all sorts of life experiences. I found refreshing was these girls were able to overcome the peer group issue and not have to worry about what other girls would say if you did something different. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ultimately</span>, Penny does find that the boy that is the closest to her was the one. Anyone should read this book. <a href="http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/">http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/</a> <br />Also this week I read the second book in the series by Carolyn Haines. Sarah Booth Delaney, in Buried Bones, was more on top of her game on her second real case. This one involving a artist slash writer who decides to write a tell all with a cowriter who really wasn't experienced. With the help of her great-granny's nanny's ghost, she solves the case of who done it for the sake of a girl friend of the deceased. I am really liking these books more and will be talking about how you should read the series with me. And the ending was to die for with the hunk. Yeah!!!<br />Next post will include my new style of reviewing and a monthly theme, mostly for my disapline.Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-54729709960014637062010-04-19T12:15:00.000-07:002010-04-19T12:29:06.509-07:00The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival by Ken WheatonFather Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sibille</span> finds himself in a little church in Grand Prairie, LA and seeming to questioning his faith. To get the congregation involved in the community, he comes up with the concept of a rabbit festival to draw them together. With the help of the previous vicar's illegitimate daughter and a priest that quits the faith as a result of his struggle with homosexuality, he inspires his flock to plan the celebration and the fundraisers beforehand. On top of this, a pentecostal minister arrives in town, with family in tow, to set up shop with a new church just down the road. The one-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">uppance</span> between the two is amusing and I thought the struggle of Father Steve to be endearing. The ending is a shock and not quite what I expected. It was a nice read for you to try. <a href="http://kenwheaton.wordpress.com/">http://kenwheaton.wordpress.com/</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911256416346537352.post-58690706996995187522010-04-19T12:02:00.001-07:002010-04-19T12:29:52.058-07:00Accidentally DemonicI was so excited when I found a copy of this book at the library. I have read all the other Dakota <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cassidy's</span> Accidental series and I think <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">this,</span> unfortunately, will be her last one. In this book, the person who has the accident is Wanda's sister, Wanda being one of the accidentals from one of the first three books. Casey <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">accidentally</span> gets demon blood spilled on her in a nightclub, by a vampire of all people. She was there as a kind of buffer for a pair of rich sisters, who have a penchant for getting into trouble, when they are drinking. After the blood gets spilled, she wrecks <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">havoc</span> on some paparazzi, and then the cops, which lands her in jail and calling her sister for help. Wanda and her friends try to help her deal with the transformation along with the hunky vampire. But of course nothing is as it truly seems. And there is the battle to be won. I have truly enjoyed these books and feel sad that they are coming to an end. You absolutely should read all of these books. <a href="http://www.dakotacassidy.com/">http://www.dakotacassidy.com/</a>Ladyslipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101375010992416015noreply@blogger.com0