false 61 304 289 true 5773504 read 0 true 1613809 currently-reading 15 true 1613808 to-read 114 false 1891646 mystery 10 false 2340198 knitting 6 false 4928275 chick-lit 6 false 1891687 classics 6 false 4800750 paranormal 5 false 1891671 science-fiction 4 false 5135783 antiques 3 false 4647580 thriller 2 false 6767971 audio-books 2 false 2868323 fantasy 2 false 5135782 non-fiction 2 false 6121755 cozies 2 false 6767979 food 2 false 4923665 wine 1 false 6624066 sony-reader 1 false 2340456 poetry 1 false 5940127 austen-spin-offs http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79914721 to: Margarita Nights (Hardcover) by Phyllis Smallman
bookshelves: mystery
Phyllis Smallman was kind enough to send me a copy of Margarita Nights, and I'm so glad she did! This was definitely a read-all-at-once book, which I did while on my Thanksgiving vacation last week.

I was feeling a bit sniffly, and it was a good excuse to retire early, but stay up waaay too late.

Sherri Travis describes herself as "white trash" (which is really just a persona she adopts when she doesn't want people to see how smart she really is). She tends bar at the upscale Sunset in Jacaranda, a small town in Florida, a job she's happy with because she can play golf during the day. When she hears that her estranged husand's boat has exploded with him on board, Sherri is at work, but a witness claims she was on the boat shortly before it blew up.

Sherri knows she is innocent; in fact, she's convinced that Jimmy blew up the boat and absconded to escape creditors. Since she's the prime subject, she has a lot to gain by proving her theory, and she sets out to do so.

Accompanying Sherri on her quest to discover what Jimmy was involved in is intriguing, interesting and ranges from hilarious to heart-wrenching. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Sex in a Sidecar, published just last month. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79914541 to: Grave Secret (Harper Connelly, #4) by Charlaine Harris
bookshelves: mystery, paranormal
Charlaine Harris has previously written an 8-book series about librarian Aurora Teagarden and a 5-book series about housekeeper-cum-private detective Lily Bard. Currently, besides the immensely popular Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series, Ms. Harris writes another wonderful paranormal mystery series about Harper Connelly, who is able to find (and, to some extent, "read") dead bodies as a result of having been struck by lightning when a teen.

Harper and her step-brother Tolliver Lang have turned her talent into a business, travelling the country detecting bodies, mostly in order to provide closure for relatives of missing persons. Because she is able to read what was going through the victim's mind just before death, she has occasionally helped solve a suspicious death.

In this book, the fourth in the series, Harper and Tolliver are in Texas, visiting the two little girls they both regard as sisters, who have been taken in by their aunt and uncle. Tolliver's older brother Mark informs him that their father has been released from prison, and would like to reconnect with his children to start over. Neither Tolliver or Harper believe that Matthew Lang has become a new man, and their suspicions seem justified when he approaches the little girls without permission from their adoptive parents.

This complicated situation is further convoluted when Tolliver is hit by a bullet they believe was intended for Harper. But is the gunshot related to the case they just completed, also in Texas, or to something much deeper in their past?

Grave Secret was unputdownable, and I stayed up way too late finishing it. Having forgotten that this is the last volume in the series, I was upset when I finished the book, although the ending does provide some very satisfying conclusions. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79914438 to: Ghastly Glass (Renaissance Faire Mystery) by Joyce and Jim Lavene
bookshelves: cozies, mystery
This is the second of the Lavenes' Renaissance Faire Mysteries featuring scholar Jessie Morton, who is writing her doctoral dissertation on Renaissance crafts in modern times. One of her methods of research is apprenticing with various craftspeople at the year-round Renaissance Faire Village and Market Place in Myrtle Beach. This time around she is assigned to glassblower Roger Trent, proprietor of the Glass Gryphon.

Unusually for Jessie, this visit occurs during the academic year, as this will be the first time the Village does a special event for Hallowe'en. Residents will be dressed as witches, ghosts and other creepy creatures that fit in with the holiday theme. There is even a very large man dressed as Death, complete with scythe.

However, things turn seriously macabre when a cast member is found dead in the middle of the square, with the slogan "Death shall find thee" painted on his robe. Jessie and Chase Manhattan, her beau and Village Bailiff Chase Manhattan attempt to find the killer without too much disruption of the Faire's day-to-day activities.

This was a quick read; light and fun. It made for perfect travel reading!
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77281722 to: The Lost Art of Gratitude (Sunday Philosophy Club, #6) by Alexander McCall Smith
bookshelves: mystery
I love the Isabel Dalhousie books! For those who are not familiar with her, Isabel is an Edinburgh-based philosopher (editor of The Review of Applied Ethics) with a toddler named Charlie, whose father is her much-younger paramour Jamie. Isabel also has a reputation for sleuthing, though there are those who call it interfering.

Early in this narrative, she runs into an old acquaintance, Minty Auchterlonie, who has a son about the same age as Charlie. Though Isabel has never thought of Minty as a friend, Charlie is invited to Minty's son's birthday party. Feeling that Charlie needs to be exposed to his peers, she accepts, only to find that Minty has an ulterior motive. Minty thinks that her son's father is trying to take him away from her, and asks Isabel to speak with him. Reluctanly, Isabel agrees, only to find that Minty hasn't told her the whole story.

Of course there are other plotlines in the book; her nemesis Professor Dove makes another attempt to oust her from the editorship of the Review, her niece Cat becomes engaged to a funambulist, and the fox who lives in her back garden is injured.

Although these books are definitely mysteries, they don't always include murders, which kind of refreshing. There is something gentle and charming about Isabel and her life, and it's a joy to read about. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76874911 to: Face Time (Mass Market Paperback) by Hank Phillippi Ryan
bookshelves: mystery
In Face Time, Charlie and her producer Franklin have to deal with hot-shot new news director Susannah Smith-Bagley, who is pushing them to get a scoop for sweeps month. She's a little distracted because her mother is in hospital, her best friend just found out she's pregnant, and her boyfriend wants her to vacation with him and his 9-year-old daughter, but she's sure she can handle all that AND look into the story of a woman who may have been wrongly imprisoned for the murder of her husband 3 years earlier. The investigation is hampered by the fact that Dorinda Sweeney, the convicted woman, refuses to see or speak with Charlie. As a result, Charlie and Franklin are forced to conduct their research in a very roundabout way, which ends up putting both of them in jeopardy.

Both books are gripping reads and I stayed up reading until my eyes couldn't stay open a few nights in a row. I'm looking forward to the third book in the series, Air Time, which was released September 1st, and which I don't have yet. But that's okay, because I really need to catch up on my sleep. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76874768 to: Prime Time (Charlotte McNally, #1) by Hank Phillippi Ryan
bookshelves: mystery
Prime Time introduces us to Charlotte "Charlie" McNally, an award-winning investigative reporter for Boston's (fictitious) Channel 3 news. In her mid-forties, Charlie worries that she's too old to be on camera and expects to be replaced by the Latest Young Thing at any moment, and goes to the office early to try to come up with a big story.

However, when the LYT doesn't appear to read a morning newsbreak, Charlie is asked to fill in, and one of the stories she teases captures her attention. The story is about a man named Bradley Foreman who was killed an a car accident. Foreman worked for a company called Aztratech, which is what alerts Charlie, and she considers it good luck when she is required to interview Foreman's widow in place of the missing LYT.

The widow, Melanie Foreman, tells Charlie about an email that her late husband had supposedly sent the reporter before his death. Charlie's pretty sure she didn't receive it, but checks again when she gets back to her desk, and finds one that was sent anonymously but had to be from Foreman.

Digging into the questions raised by the email provides Charlie with the Big Story she's been looking for, and her investigation leads her to an attractive professor named Josh Gelston, who immediately invites her to one of his drama class productions. At first Charlie is smitten, but some incidents occur that her suspicious self thinks are curious, and she backs off, while still hoping that he is genuine. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76874253 to: A Rule Against Murder (Armand Gamache, #4) by Louise Penny
bookshelves: mystery
This is the fourth in the Inspector Armand Gamache/Three Pines mystery series. Inspector Gamache and his wife Reine Marie to a country inn not far from Three Pines to celebrate their anniversary, which falls on Canada Day.

They are sharing the Manoir Bellechasse with Irene Morrow Finney and her family of adult children, who are having their annual reunion. This year is very special, as Irene is honoring her late husband by erecting a huge statue of him. When the statue falls on Irene's daughter Julia, killing her, Inspector Gamache is ideally placed to investigate.

One of Mrs. Finney's children is our old friend Peter Morrow from Three Pines, unwillingly in attendance. He and his siblings, equally unhappy, all come under suspicion for killing Julia.

In this wonderful example of the classic country house mystery, we not only learn more about some of the residents of Three Pines, we discover some of M. Gamache's history.

Louise Penny is an amazing writer, and her books just beg to be read in one sitting, which is extremely difficult to do when one must get up and go to work in the morning. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76874043 to: Missing Mark (Audio CD) by Julie Kramer
bookshelves: audio-books, mystery
Julie Kramer was kind enough to send me this audiobook to donate to my local library, which I'm happy to do now that I've listened to it.

The sequel to 2008's Stalking Susan has investigative reporter Riley Spartz trying desperately to find the right story for sweeps season. A newspaper ad for a never-worn wedding dress leads Riley to a search for a Mark Lefevre, who vanished just before his wedding. Did he get cold feet and run away, or has something more sinister happened?

When Mark's mother is found dead, an apparent suicide,a few days after Riley interviews her, Riley becomes more and more intrigued.

Getting in the way of her investigation is her producer's request that she search for a record-sized fish known as Big-Mouth Billy Bass, who has been kidnapped from an aquarium in the Mall of America. This second storyline is far-fetched, but does add some humour to the story.

I enjoyed listening to this, once I got used to Bernadette Dunne's tone of voice, which I found a little coy. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71833572 to: A Veiled Deception (Vintage Magic Mysteries, #1) by Annette Blair
bookshelves: antiques, cozies, mystery, paranormal
picked up A Veiled Deception, the first of the Vintage Magic mysteries, a few weeks ago and just decided to read it the other day. Just after I finished it, I happened to be at Borders with $5 in Borders Bucks, happened upon the sequel and picked it up.

In the first book, Madeira Cutler goes back to her (fictional) home town of Mystick Falls, Connecticut to help with her sister Sherry's wedding to Justin Vancortland. At a dinner party on her first evening home, Maddie finds an ex-girlfriend of Justin's strangled with Sherry's antique veil. Of course, Sherry is the prime suspect.

As Maddie rushes to find the real killer before the wedding, she discovers some interesting intuitive attributes she didn't know she had.

While Maddie, who works for a top New York fashion designer, is in Mystick Falls, she learns that a disused mortuary building is for sale,and decides it would be a perfect home for the vintage clothing store she's always dreamed of.

The second book begins as did the first: with Maddie's arrival in Mystic Falls. Now owner of the old morgue building, she's preparing to open her store. When she drops by on the way to her father's house, she interrupts an intruder, frightening him off, although he just returns later.

The plot of Larceny and Lace is a little convoluted and there seems to be an abundance of villains. But the characters are appealing and story is engaging, and I found myself rushing to learn the conclusion.

These books are a lot of fun, and the supernatural element isn't terribly sinister. I'm looking forward to Death by Diamonds, the next book in the series (excerpted at the end of Larceny, though no publication date is given). ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72063983 to: Larcency and Lace (A Vintage Magic Mystery, #2) by Annette Blair
bookshelves: mystery, paranormal
picked up A Veiled Deception, the first of the Vintage Magic mysteries, a few weeks ago and just decided to read it the other day. Just after I finished it, I happened to be at Borders with $5 in Borders Bucks, happened upon the sequel and picked it up.

In the first book, Madeira Cutler goes back to her (fictional) home town of Mystick Falls, Connecticut to help with her sister Sherry's wedding to Justin Vancortland. At a dinner party on her first evening home, Maddie finds an ex-girlfriend of Justin's strangled with Sherry's antique veil. Of course, Sherry is the prime suspect.

As Maddie rushes to find the real killer before the wedding, she discovers some interesting intuitive attributes she didn't know she had.

While Maddie, who works for a top New York fashion designer, is in Mystick Falls, she learns that a disused mortuary building is for sale,and decides it would be a perfect home for the vintage clothing store she's always dreamed of.

The second book begins as did the first: with Maddie's arrival in Mystic Falls. Now owner of the old morgue building, she's preparing to open her store. When she drops by on the way to her father's house, she interrupts an intruder, frightening him off, although he just returns later.

The plot of Larceny and Lace is a little convoluted and there seems to be an abundance of villains. But the characters are appealing and story is engaging, and I found myself rushing to learn the conclusion.

These books are a lot of fun, and the supernatural element isn't terribly sinister. I'm looking forward to Death by Diamonds, the next book in the series (excerpted at the end of Larceny, though no publication date is given). ]]>