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461st out of 1,212 books
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1,383 voters
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead
A little magic can go a long way -- to really screwing up a girl's life!
Mara is having the worst month of her life. At least, that's what her cards tell her and they've never been wrong. She's evicted from her apartment, loses her job and is banned from Beverly Hills. So when the tarot cards predict her imminent demise, she uses a little magic to make her world right.
Sudd...more
Mara is having the worst month of her life. At least, that's what her cards tell her and they've never been wrong. She's evicted from her apartment, loses her job and is banned from Beverly Hills. So when the tarot cards predict her imminent demise, she uses a little magic to make her world right.
Sudd...more
Kindle Edition, 332 pages
Published
April 23rd 2011
by HekaRose Publishing
(first published January 1st 2011)
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Rating: 3.5* of five
The Book Report: Mara's a thirtysomething Angeleno girl with the best kind of life a slightly portly, extremely witchy fag hag can have: Her GBFF Gus keeps her in snack food and gossip, her gay uncle/landlord keeps her in a super-cool apartment for less than market rent, and her spirit guides keep her in grocery money by enabling her to read Tarot with such accuracy she's scary. All in all, an enviably calm existence.
Until it isn't anymore. Gay uncle's new inamorato has a mam...more
The Book Report: Mara's a thirtysomething Angeleno girl with the best kind of life a slightly portly, extremely witchy fag hag can have: Her GBFF Gus keeps her in snack food and gossip, her gay uncle/landlord keeps her in a super-cool apartment for less than market rent, and her spirit guides keep her in grocery money by enabling her to read Tarot with such accuracy she's scary. All in all, an enviably calm existence.
Until it isn't anymore. Gay uncle's new inamorato has a mam...more
This is a tough one for me. It had some pluses, but in the end, there were some pretty big negatives. Overall I ended up not liking it much. Some rather large inconsistencies in the plot/characters detracted from the story. Toward the end, there were scenes that were dropped in from nowhere that seemed to have nothing to do with the story and served no purpose. Instead of these scenes, I'd have liked to see some of the plot/questions answered. For example: Why did her mom abandon her all those y...more
1 like · like · see review
Reviewed for Wickedly Bookish
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/
Mara just can't seem to catch a break. Her witchy ways are getting her into trouble left and right and just when things start to look up, she realizes the cozy country cottage she inherited from her Aunt Tillie has a few dark passengers. Will Mara be able to survive her legacy with the help of her own power, a tricky toad, and a flamboyantly fearless best friend?
This was so much fun to read I didn't want it to end! Christiana Mille...more
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/
Mara just can't seem to catch a break. Her witchy ways are getting her into trouble left and right and just when things start to look up, she realizes the cozy country cottage she inherited from her Aunt Tillie has a few dark passengers. Will Mara be able to survive her legacy with the help of her own power, a tricky toad, and a flamboyantly fearless best friend?
This was so much fun to read I didn't want it to end! Christiana Mille...more
The title of this book instantly triggered my curiosity. What the heck happened to Aunt Tillie, and how does she not know she’s dead? Or is it only that she wouldn’t stay dead and buried? And why does she have to be told she’s dead? All sorts such questions raced through my mind when I downloaded this book while it was free for kindle. Well, I finished it a couple of minutes ago, and let me tell you fellow bookworms, this one is a keeper.
The entire time I was reading this book, I couldn’t tell w...more
The entire time I was reading this book, I couldn’t tell w...more
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead was an enjoyable read, but I felt it was a bit slow getting to the crunch.
Mara, a witch, is having a bad time of late. Her tarot cards came up pretty bad - she can't find a job, her unemployment is running out and her landlord is now evicting her from her apartment because his caretaker is a God fearing Christian, who hates anything to do with witchy stuff and thinks Mara's the devil. She's also experiencing horrible, extremely vivid nightmares of a cottage t...more
Mara, a witch, is having a bad time of late. Her tarot cards came up pretty bad - she can't find a job, her unemployment is running out and her landlord is now evicting her from her apartment because his caretaker is a God fearing Christian, who hates anything to do with witchy stuff and thinks Mara's the devil. She's also experiencing horrible, extremely vivid nightmares of a cottage t...more
This was a fun, light read. The author relied on humor more than suspense, and created caricatures of characters--which was mostly fine, given that the whole thing is meant to be a lighthearted romp. If this were a TV show or a movie, it would be labeled a "dramedy." As dramedy is one of my favorite screen genres, I was delighted to discover a book that used dramedy techniques.
Mara, the protagonist, is a talented amateur witch. Mara's best friend, Gus, also a witch, is one of those people about...more
Mara, the protagonist, is a talented amateur witch. Mara's best friend, Gus, also a witch, is one of those people about...more
Today's review is on Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead by Christiana Miller
While looking for a book to read between author requests, I came across this quirky, snarky, cute tale full of ghosts, love, and friendship. And though I loved it, and had difficulty putting it down, it was chock full of editing mistakes.
Mara is an untrained witch trying to make ends meet just like every other person living in LA. While waiting at a red light she pulls out her trusty tarot deck and pulls three cards to...more
While looking for a book to read between author requests, I came across this quirky, snarky, cute tale full of ghosts, love, and friendship. And though I loved it, and had difficulty putting it down, it was chock full of editing mistakes.
Mara is an untrained witch trying to make ends meet just like every other person living in LA. While waiting at a red light she pulls out her trusty tarot deck and pulls three cards to...more
I picked this up for a good price on Amazon. I'm always looking for paranormals with a bite of humor. The reviews sounded positive enough that I purchased this title.
Mara is a reluctant witch, who's life seems to be on a rollercoaster ride downhill. She's lost her job, is being evicted from her apartment and has a cloud of evil following her. Keeping her spirits up is her best friend and sidekick Gus. Things look up, though, when her great-aunt Tillie dies and leaves her a cottage in Wisconsin....more
Mara is a reluctant witch, who's life seems to be on a rollercoaster ride downhill. She's lost her job, is being evicted from her apartment and has a cloud of evil following her. Keeping her spirits up is her best friend and sidekick Gus. Things look up, though, when her great-aunt Tillie dies and leaves her a cottage in Wisconsin....more
From Lilac Wolf and Stuff
The cover is cartoonish and eye catching. In fact it was the cover that caught my eye on one of those free-ebook pages on Facebook. So yes, I downloaded this for the Kindle. I don't have a Kindle so I read this on my phone. I actually couldn't put it down, my phone went with me everywhere for a few days. My oldest asked me last night, "Why are you reading on your phone???" Because Mommy has to finish this book and it's not on the Nook. Nope, but I did just request it.
The...more
The cover is cartoonish and eye catching. In fact it was the cover that caught my eye on one of those free-ebook pages on Facebook. So yes, I downloaded this for the Kindle. I don't have a Kindle so I read this on my phone. I actually couldn't put it down, my phone went with me everywhere for a few days. My oldest asked me last night, "Why are you reading on your phone???" Because Mommy has to finish this book and it's not on the Nook. Nope, but I did just request it.
The...more
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead
Christiana Miller, Hekarose Publishing
April 23,2011
Get ready for a psychic roller coaster ride. This book is a tour de force novel of magic, spellcraft and over all chills. I bought this book and read it in two days. Once you get started you will not be able to put this one down.
The story starts of in Los Angeles, more notedly in the San Fernando Valley. Mara a heridetery witch is down on her luck. She has no job and subsists on unemployment. Her land lord wh...more
Christiana Miller, Hekarose Publishing
April 23,2011
Get ready for a psychic roller coaster ride. This book is a tour de force novel of magic, spellcraft and over all chills. I bought this book and read it in two days. Once you get started you will not be able to put this one down.
The story starts of in Los Angeles, more notedly in the San Fernando Valley. Mara a heridetery witch is down on her luck. She has no job and subsists on unemployment. Her land lord wh...more
1 like · like · see review
I liked it, I was bored, I was on the edge of my seat, I was bored, I was interested in the inner dialog, I was so sick of hearing it, I loved the humor, I found it stupid at Inappropriate times, it built up to the sexy moment only to have it swosh done,....and WTH happened to the side characters ? They just disappeared out of the story for a while ? It started out fun and got annoying with the constant need to define.
What a mess huh ? I really couldn't come to a solid like or dislike for this...more
What a mess huh ? I really couldn't come to a solid like or dislike for this...more
With a title like Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead, the book ought to be an fun read. Turns out, this book was much more than just fun. It is a funny, entertaining, magical and scary tale about witches and a haunted cottage.
Mara's a witch with bad luck. She's unemployed and she's about to lose her apartment thanks to an anti-Wiccan landlord. With the help of magic and her best friend Gus, Mara tries to get her life on tracks. That's when she learns her Aunt Tillie died and left her all of h...more
Mara's a witch with bad luck. She's unemployed and she's about to lose her apartment thanks to an anti-Wiccan landlord. With the help of magic and her best friend Gus, Mara tries to get her life on tracks. That's when she learns her Aunt Tillie died and left her all of h...more
This book...was kind of a mess. The premise was interesting, but the execution fell short. The whole first part of the book went on way too long and could have been shortened down quite considerably. The book was nearly half over before Mara even got to the cottage she inherited, the cottage where the main action of the story was to take place. Since part one took so long, the second part of the book was a bit jumbled as new characters and plot points were introduced fairly quickly and not fully...more
I've given this likeable book 2.5 stars.
THE STORY:
'Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead' is a fun, quick read, with interesting details of witchy rituals and beliefs. I learnt quite a few tidbits of info that sparked my interest. I think this is my favourite aspect of the book. Clearly the author took the time time to research witchery thoroughly.
THE CHARACTERS:
Mara's best friend Guy was definitely the best developed character. Warm, humorous and loyal, without becoming too second fiddle.
Grundl...more
THE STORY:
'Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead' is a fun, quick read, with interesting details of witchy rituals and beliefs. I learnt quite a few tidbits of info that sparked my interest. I think this is my favourite aspect of the book. Clearly the author took the time time to research witchery thoroughly.
THE CHARACTERS:
Mara's best friend Guy was definitely the best developed character. Warm, humorous and loyal, without becoming too second fiddle.
Grundl...more
SOMEBODY STOP ME. I can't stop downloading books from Kindle's top 100 free list. What to say about this paranormal romp? Huh. Well, on the PLUS side the book is pretty focused on our character being fairly self-sufficient and vaguely competent. Except when she wasn't. On the negative side, it is hard to reconcile the fairly basic plotline (Witchy girl inherits haunted house with moderately disastrous results) with all of the things that happen in this book. Did you want a foray into body-posses...more
I picked Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead because of a few great reviews on GoodReads. My curiosity was piqued. After all, how can you resist a down on her luck heroine, a flamboyant gay best friend and a magical toad? Not to mention a bossy ghost that doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone.
The lead character, Mara, is a walking, talking example of Murphy’s Law; anything that can go wrong will. She’s date-less, unemployed, and soon to be homeless. Unfortunately, that’s just the beginni...more
The lead character, Mara, is a walking, talking example of Murphy’s Law; anything that can go wrong will. She’s date-less, unemployed, and soon to be homeless. Unfortunately, that’s just the beginni...more
2 likes · like · see review
Read for Fun!
Challenges: WBTC, Read for Fun
Overall Rating: 3.25
Story Rating: 3.25
Character Rating: 3.25
First Thought when Finished: What a quirky and fun Cozy Paranormal Mystery!
What I Loved: Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead is full of fun and quirky characters. Poor Mara has the worst luck in the world but I had to love her gumption. She tackled each issue to the best of her abilities (which were Witchy Wicked Cool)! I really was grinning through many of her escapades. I freaking loved the...more
Challenges: WBTC, Read for Fun
Overall Rating: 3.25
Story Rating: 3.25
Character Rating: 3.25
First Thought when Finished: What a quirky and fun Cozy Paranormal Mystery!
What I Loved: Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead is full of fun and quirky characters. Poor Mara has the worst luck in the world but I had to love her gumption. She tackled each issue to the best of her abilities (which were Witchy Wicked Cool)! I really was grinning through many of her escapades. I freaking loved the...more
Oct 30, 2011
Mlpmom (Book Reviewer)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-books
This is such a great fun read. It has a little of it all. It has magic and mystery. Mayhem and humor. A little bit of dark magic, a little bit of light magic. Ghosts and demons. Big city, small town. Witty best friend, death and destruction. Love interests and did I mention magical toads?
Okay, so you sort of get the idea, this book will appeal to just about everyone and has just about everything you could ask for in a great paranormal read.
A great heroine, Mara, who is no push over and knows how...more
Okay, so you sort of get the idea, this book will appeal to just about everyone and has just about everything you could ask for in a great paranormal read.
A great heroine, Mara, who is no push over and knows how...more
2 likes · like · see review
This story is told in two parts, the first part written in Los Angles. Mara Stephens is jobless, a Wiccan and about to be evicted from her apartment for practicing witchcraft. Her best friend Gus, is homosexual who flaunts his witch craft as he helps her think positively about her inheritance in Wisconsin. Mara's Aunt Tillie is killed in an automobile accident, which Mara dreams about. Shortly after, Mara receives notice she inherited Aunt Tillie's cottage. Without a job, a home and no hopes of...more
The writer in me only wants to give this book 2 stars. For one thing it was very poorly written: full of misspellings, rife with cliches and stock characters, crawling with plot problems, and almost painfully adjective-heavy. I suspected it of being self-published, and was surprised to learn that not only was it traditionally published, but the author has been a television writer for some time. Perhaps her editor was on vacation when this went to press.
Anyway, I bumped it up to three stars becau...more
Anyway, I bumped it up to three stars becau...more
This is a cute book that I spotted one day as I cruised the Amazon Prime books. The cover and the name caught my eye -- they just screamed out at me when I would look. Grabbed this as a freebie a while back. Very cute tale about a girl named Mara that is having a tough year. Jobless, homeless ... These were problems Mara had. This was a fun story of how she overcomes the situation while using her witchy powers. I would rate this a 3.5. It started off rough for me - her best friend Gus got on my...more
This book was only OK for me. Thankfully I either got it free or super cheap on Amazon Kindle and it was a quick read. Mara is a witch who doesn't like to rely on her powers but when she is broke, about to be evicted and tarot cards predict death and disaster what else can you do. The second half was much better than the first which moved pretty slow. The book was jumbled and much of the dialogue felt awkward I liked Mara OK, but my favorite character was Lord Grundleshanks, the poisonous toad,...more
This book was like a fun roller-coaster ride. It took some time to get to the point - Aunt Tillie's death, but the journey that far was rather entertaining, and then even more so once the actual plot began. I loved the relationship established between Mara and Gus - even though the "gay best friend" is something of a cliche. Although I did feel that certain other relationships were not well developed and decidedly thin at best. Anyhow, the whole book was a riot that got me seeking out in search...more
This is my first Gothic-Chicklit book. I'm not into the Goth scene or paranormal stories. But I enjoyed this a lot. It was funny and suspenseful. I liked the characters (except for the poltergeists because they were not nice)! If you are a Wiccan I think you'll especially appreciate this book as her references seem accurate.
Be warned; explicit sex scenes toward the end of the book. If you like that sort of thing, you'll be pleased. :)
This is book one in the Toad Witch series. I believe I'll be...more
Be warned; explicit sex scenes toward the end of the book. If you like that sort of thing, you'll be pleased. :)
This is book one in the Toad Witch series. I believe I'll be...more
This is one of the better paranormal books out there. It has a little bit of everything: magic, ritual, curse-lifting, ghostly interferences, legends, lore, and so much more! (Sorry for cheese, I couldn't help myself!) The magic is inventive (but grounded in legend and lore) and somehow feels more accurate than the glossed-over stereotypical para fiction that is becoming the norm. Overall a well-written book with a good plot, a hint of romance and well-rounded characters. Def recommend to anyone...more
The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I got this book as a free download from Amazon. Emma Mills author of the Witchblood series recommended it.
Mara is a witch who is having a hard time. She has no job and is living on unemployment. She is also about to lose her apartment because she has a new land lady a god fearing woman who is dead set against Mara practicing witchcraft in her apartment. Mara comes home one day and sees that the door to her apartment is opened. With the do...more
Mara is a witch who is having a hard time. She has no job and is living on unemployment. She is also about to lose her apartment because she has a new land lady a god fearing woman who is dead set against Mara practicing witchcraft in her apartment. Mara comes home one day and sees that the door to her apartment is opened. With the do...more
"At the beginning of this whole, surreal journey, I had no idea you could be evicted from your body as easily as you could be booted out of your apartment."
&
“One of the problems with being a witch is when you ask the universe a question, it generally gives you an answer. Or at least enough of one to ruin a perfectly good week.”
And thus with not one but with two killer opening lines, Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead begins.
Writing a line like that – let alone two lines – takes skill and c...more
&
“One of the problems with being a witch is when you ask the universe a question, it generally gives you an answer. Or at least enough of one to ruin a perfectly good week.”
And thus with not one but with two killer opening lines, Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead begins.
Writing a line like that – let alone two lines – takes skill and c...more
1 like · like · see review
I found this one to be pretty much a hot mess. The pacing was uneven, the characters - while relatively amusing - seemed to have strange little quirks that would come and go and quite a bit of the first part of the book was unnecessary. The second half of the book, if one entire scene and its follow ups were removed, would be the better part of the book as this is where the ghost of Aunt Tilly comes in as well as the toad and the house with attitude.
Then there were so many plot points tossed ou...more
Then there were so many plot points tossed ou...more
2 likes · like · see review
This book started out as a very cute chick lit with a couple of fun characters. The problem for me was that halfway through, it became really dark. There were some unusual sex scenes towards the end that left me scratching my head since the rest of the book had been so lighthearted and fun. The romance was also unusual since Mr. Right didn't show up until the last third of the book. I liked the narrator a lot, and enjoyed her bff as well, but overall, I was left rather confused by what kind of b...more
When witch Mara faces eviction from her LA apartment, the death of her aunt Tillie opens up a new and challenging opportunity to move to a remote cottage, but being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Mara has to put her witchy talents to the test to save herself!
This was such a fun read! I loved the characters of Mara and Gus and their banter.It's not all witchiness, though, it's also witty, romantic, and heartfelt. You won't be able to put it down.
This was such a fun read! I loved the characters of Mara and Gus and their banter.It's not all witchiness, though, it's also witty, romantic, and heartfelt. You won't be able to put it down.
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“Hormones, hormones, lovely little hormones,' Gus sang. 'Give 'em chocolate, give 'em salt, give 'em a credit card and let them sort themselves out. But you never give 'em a gun. Hormones, hormones, lovely little...”
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6 people liked it
“One of the problems with being a witch is when you ask the universe a question, it generally give you an answer.”
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1 person liked it
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Mar 11, 2012 02:59pm