Good mysteries wanted

I'm looking for a new mystery series.  A few of the series I've enjoyed:

You can see there's quite a variety there, so you know I'll try just about anything.  Do you have a favorite series I should read?

Teaser, but not on Tuesday

I totally spaced yesterday, so this week we're having a Wednesday teaser.  This week's teaser is from Ranger's Apprentice #7: Erak's Ransom by John Flanagan.

"Gambling?" he said.  "I thought they were praying."

She raised an eyebrow.  "To them, it's much the same thing."

Review: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke (2001)

Summary: Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother's attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden's most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can't get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn't watch her back, Hannah's sweet life may get burned to a crisp. (Goodreads)

Why I'm reading it: A friend of mine absolutely loves these books, and keeps insisting that I should read them, so I figured, why not?

My thoughts: This book was just middlin' for me.  I thought the mystery was well thought out and intriguing, and I liked small town setting and baker-turns-detective idea.  The recipes in the book are divine!  I guess the characters just didn't quite pull me in.

Hannah Swenson is just a little too perky for me to take on in my sleep-deprived state.  Her mother drives her crazy, she lives alone and her best friend appears to be her cat.  Just why exactly are you so bubbly, lady?  Must be the sugar high =o)  And the nerdy dentist as love interest concept just doesn't do it for me.  This is all getting to realistic for my taste.  This is more of a personal issue, and I know lots of people will adore Hannah and her bespectacled beau.

As I mentioned before, the plotting in this story was impressive.  I was really trying, and I didn't figure out whodunnit until right at the end when it was all but served up on a silver platter.  This book is a great option for cozy mystery fans looking for their next read.  The series currently stands at (I believe) fourteen books, so you've lots to catch up on.

You may want to get this book out of the library for no other reason than to copy out the recipe for Chocolate Chip Crackles.  These cookies are ridiculously good.  But be careful!  They may be (haha) murder on your diet.

Final word: (3/5) Doesn't grab me right off, but there's enough promise that I'll give Book #2 a shot.

Content: While geared to adults, there is no content in this book that wouldn't be appropriate for teens.

Review: Big Jack

Author: J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts) 2010

Summary: In New York City in 2059, someone is pursuing missing gems from a decades-old heist...someone who's willing to kill for them. Sharp-witted and sexy, NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas is used to travelling in the shadowy corners outside the law. And in a future where crime meets cutting-edge technology, she will attempt to track down the diamonds once and for all -- and stop the danger and death that have surrounded them for years. (Goodreads)

My thoughts:  If you check out my list of Books Read in 2010, you'll notice I've been on a bit of a JD Robb kick lately.  I've been rereading them, and I have to confess that I am a huge fan of this series.  They're frequently gory murder mysteries with lots of sex in them... rather unlike the bulk of my reading.  But I love them.  I am completely addicted to Eve's badass attitude and the development of the relationship between her and her husband Roarke.  I didn't realize at first that Big Jack was about the same characters, but if there's something from this series I haven't read, I have to grab it.  Whatevs, we all have weaknesses.

This title is a little different in that, other than the initial murder that results in Eve being called on the scene, most of the book is about solving a theft.  It made for a bit of a change of pace, though the baddie is no less evil than the other villains Eve's come across.  For whatever reason, I didn't love this story as much as some of the others in the series, but I was happy to spend some time with a few of my favorite characters anyway.

In the series chronology, Big Jack falls between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death.

Final word: (3/5) Not my favorite of the series, but still a must read for rabid Roarke-aholics like myself.

Interesting trivia:  Big Jack was originally published in 2004 as part of Remember When, a two-part novel co-authored by Nora Roberts and J. D. Robb.  I wonder if Me, Myself and I did the editing.

Counting books written under both pen names, Nora Roberts has published over 190 full-length novels, 164 of which have been NYT Bestsellers.  WOW.   No matter what you think about Nora, you have to admit that's just a teensy bit impressive.

Teaser Tuesday: Angels Fall

Today's teaser is from Angels Fall by Nora Roberts.

"Fine, a Lithuanian couple gets lost because, like men around the globe, he values his penis--among other things-- as a compass.  So he's incapable of asking for directions and thereby disparaging the power of his penis."

He frowned at her. "This is a closely guarded male secret.  How did you crack the code?"

HAHAHAHAHA *gasp* HAHAHAHAHA

Teaser Tuesday is hosted each week at Should Be Reading.

Review: Head in the Clouds

Author: Karen Witemeyer (2010)

Summary: Alelaide Proctor is a young woman recovering from a severe case of misdirected romance.  When a job opportunity arises that will allow her to leave all her embarrassment behind her, she jumps at the chance to travel to a remote sheep ranch and work as a governess.  Sheep rancher Gideon Westcott is struggling to care for his adopted daughter, Isabella, who has been left mute by the trauma of losing her parents.  After Adelaide enters his household, Gideon starts to think that she might be exactly what he needs- in more ways than one.  But Isabella's uncle is determined to get his hands on the little girl and her large inheritance, and he will stop at nothing to get his way.

My thoughts:  Since I very much enjoyed Witemeyer's debut novel A Tailor-Made Bride, I was happy to jump on this follow up. 

Single father falls for attractive nanny is such a frequently-used device in romance fiction that it takes a very strong leading couple to make the story feel unique.  In my opinion, we've got about three quarters of a strong couple.  Adelaide gets full marks.  She's a little absentminded and prone to flights into nonsense, but her energy and imagination more than make up for that.  I want her as a governess for my children!  Gideon was just ok for me.  He felt a little cold and removed, which made it difficult at times to really buy into the romance. 

Once again, Witemeyer's secondary characters are fantastic.  Isabella was by far my favorite.  She's five, the same age as my own daughter, so I was definitely caught up in her whimsy and charm.  Various other household staff (Apparently a staff of four are needed to care for a family of two.  No wonder I can't ever keep up with my housework.) and farm hands lend their individual personalities to the landscape and really make the story work.

The evil uncle added a pleasant amount of danger and suspense to this story.  Pleasant for me, at least.  I think the characters found it distinctly uncomfortable.  I wish we could have done without the chapters that were specifically about the uncle- I felt like the change of setting and character broke up the flow of the story.  Overall, though, I definitely enjoyed this book.

Final word: (3.5/5) A sweet romance with tons of charm.

Interested?  You can read the opening chapters of this book here.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Review: A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

About:  A Touch of Dead is a collection of five short stories featuring everyone's favorite telepathic barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse.  The stories take place in between the other Sookie books.

My thoughts: I'll give them to you story by story.

#1."Fairy Dust" In this story, Sookie helps the fairies Claudine and Claude discover the murderer of their triplet, Claudette.  This story takes place just after the events in Dead to the World.  Sookie meets Claude for the first time and we get some insight into exactly how scary fairies can be.

#2. "Dracula Night" Eric throws a big party to celebrate Dracula's birthday.  Takes place before Dead as a Doornail.  I'm a huge Eric fan, so I loved this story.  Eric loves Dracula, so he's a little over the top with excitement that the Lord of Death might stop by his party.  Lighthearted and fun to read.

#3. "One Word Answer" Fills in the gap between Dead as a Doornail and Definitely Dead.  Sookie receives word in one fell swoop that not only had her cousin Hadley become a vampire but she met the final death.  This is the story I was most excited about reading.  I don't know about you, but when I started Definitely Dead I felt like I had missed a book somewhere.  Cousin Hadley?  Where did she come from? What the heck is going on?  This short story filled that gap nicely, introducing Mr. Cataliades and the Queen of Louisiana, as well as giving some background on Waldo and the unfortunate Hadley.

#4. "Lucky" Sookie and Amelia play amateur detective trying to determine who's got it in for Bon Temps premier insurance agent.  Takes place after All Together Dead.  I could take or leave this one. It was entertaining, though.  Amelia is always good for a laugh.

#5. "Gift Wrap"  Sookie is home alone on Christmas Eve and feeling very sorry for herself when a wounded werewolf makes life seem a little brighter.  Takes place just before Dead and Gone. Eep!  This is one Christmas Sookie won't be forgetting anytime soon. 

Final word: (4/5) A must read for any Sookie fan.

Teaser Tuesday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Today's teaser is fromChocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke.

"I won't have to tell him if you start being honest with me.  If you and Ron weren't having an affair, why were you with him last night?"

Excellent question.

Adventures on DVD: Letters to Juliet

Starring: Amanda Seyfried (Sophie), Vanessa Redgrave (Claire), Christopher Egan (Charlie)

Tagline: What if you had a second chance to find true love?

Review:  In the city of Verona, Italy, there is a wall where the lovestruck and heartbroken leave letters to Juliet (as in Romeo and --), asking for her advice and help.  Personally, Juliet is not the first literary character I would go to for love advice, but ignore that for now.  Enter Sophie, an aspiring writer visiting Verona while on vacation with her fiance, a self-absorbed loser who is completely ignoring her to pursue professional interests.  Left to her own devices, Sophie visits Juliet's wall and discovers a 50-year-old letter from a woman named Claire, seeking advice after leaving her lover Lorenzo in the lurch (nice alliteration, don't you think?).  Inspired, Sophie writes a reply to the letter.  Before you know it, Claire appears, determined to find Lorenzo and beg his forgiveness.  Accompanying Claire on her quixotic errand is her grandson, Charlie, who thinks the whole thing is dangerous nonsense.  Sensing a possible story, Sophie asks to join them on their search.

Whew!  How can it take me nearly ten minutes to summarize a 30-second movie trailer?  I've been wanting to see this movie since I first saw the trailers (you know I love my romantic comedies) and I finally talked Joe into watching it with me.  And, I have to say I quite enjoyed it. 

Obviously, the acting in a movie like this isn't terribly demanding, and all the main characters did a credible job.  Amanda Seyfried normally creeps me out a bit... I think it's her eyes... but I found her thoroughly charming in this role.  She managed to portray the exact right mix of romanticism and opportunism to make the situation work.  When Sophie meets Charlie, they dislike each other so much you can just tell they're destined to be together =o)  Vanessa Redgrave was fantastic as a woman finally following her heart after a lifetime of trying to forget.  Christopher Egan was the weak link here, in my opinion, but he managed.

This movie had lots to laugh and smile about.  Apparently there are quite a few Lorenzo Bartolinis in Italy.  Go figure.  Joe and I both thoroughly enjoyed the search for the right one.  The ending scenes were a little too heavy on the cheese for me (a balcony scene?  really?) but if you like romantic comedies, chances are you won't mind too much.  A perfect movie for everyone who secretly believes that it's never too late for true love.

Comfort Reading

One of my greatest pleasures as a reader (and one of my biggest challenges as a blogger) is my love of rereading.  I love delving into some of my most well-loved treasures to revisit old friends and walk familiar paths.  As a reader, there's really nothing I love more.  As a blogger, it leaves me with very little new to share with you all.

So it's time to come out of my rereading cocoon and try on some new adventures.  I have several books littering my bedside table waiting to be read.  What do you think I should start on next?

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner,

CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS by Natalie Standiford,

or THE LAST SUMMER OF THE DEATH WARRIORS by Francisco Stork?

Teaser Tuesday: Mini Shopaholic

Today's teaser is from Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella:

Janice is not a makeup artist. She did one course at the adult-learning institute and learned how to apply peach blusher and highlighter in badger stripes to a plastic dummy's cheeks.  And now she wants to make up people at my party?

Just so I'm clear... the peachy badger look is NOT a good thing?  Oh.  Well.  That explains a lot.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted each week at Should Be Reading.  Join in the fun!

Review: Spy Glass

Author: Maria V. Snyder (2010)

Series: Glass #3

Long story short: (Spoilers for Storm Glass and Sea Glass) After draining her own powers in an act of desperation, Opal is left unable to perform her unique glass magic.  She's also immune to the effects of magic.  Then Opal hears news that fills her with equal parts hope and terror.  Someone has stolen some of her blood.  If Opal can get it back, she might be able to use it to restore her powers.  If she can't, someone else could use it to evil ends. 

My thoughts:  This was my favorite installment of the series.  I can tell you why in one word: Valek!  He gets a lot of page time here, and since he's one of my favorite fictional men, that's a very good thing.

My feelings about this book are pretty much the same as for the rest of the series. Good story, great worldbuilding, annoying main character.  I just can't bring myself around to liking Opal.  At best, I can manage tolerant respect, at worst I want to plug my ears and hum whenever she talks.  So mature, I know. 

But lest I completely turn you off the series, I have to say the story is very exciting.  There's a jail break, love found and lost and found again, a seriously twisted evil guy, and a crazy cult.  And Valek.  It's a good story, people!  Maria V. Snyder is definitely on my auto-buy list, even if she has written a rather irritating protagonist.

Content: Opal sees and experiences some horrific things in this book.  Recommended for older teens (16+) and adults.

Tags: fantasy, ya/adult crossover, magic,

Plain Kate Winner

And the winner is:

Sarah!

An email is on its way to you right now. Congratulations!

Review: Blameless

Author: Gail Carriger (2010)

Series: Parasol Protectorate #3

Summary (contains spoilers for books 1 and 2): You may recall that the last time we saw our heroine Alexia Maccon (nee Tarrabotti) she had been evicted from her husband's home.  After all, she's pregnant and werewolves like Lord Maccon cannot have children.  The thing is, Alexia has been entirely faithful to her husband.  Determined to clear her name (even though she'll never take Conall back), Alexia seeks out the people who know more about the preternatural than anyone else: the Templars.  The problem is, the Templars might know a little too much... once she finds them, will they ever let her leave?

My thoughts: Just when I thought Alexia couldn't be any more entertaining, we meet Alexia with morning sickness.   Armed with her trusty parasol and accompanied by woman of mystery Madame Lefoux and the trusty butler Floote, Alexia sets off on a cross-European trek to clear her name.  Meanwhile, her husband is drinking himself into a stupor.  Why do women always have to do everything?  The story is full of action and surprises as Alexia and crew, as well as those back home, encounter one obstacle after another.  Carriger's dry sense of humor ensures a laugh or at least a smirk on every page.  Loved it!

Final word: (4/5) Delightful.  Excellent with scones.

Tags: paranormal, werewolves, vampires, steampunk

Upcoming CSN Stores Review

I have once again been offered the opportunity to review a product with CSN Stores. But I can't quite decide what to choose! It's a tough decision when CSN has so many fantastic stores where you can find everything from a platform bed to luxury handbags to fireplaces. I'm tempted to choose a bookcase, since my beloved book collection currently resides here:Which is really not cool.

Dear readers, what do you think I should choose? With over 200 stores to shop from, surely I can find something fantastic.