Thursday, October 28, 2010

Oolong Dead by: Laura Childs

We do seem to love to read these series. You get attached to characters, should I liken it to soap operas on TV, no, but maybe, no. In the mysteries we read we go to a lot more interesting places and we learn about some interesting jobs, some history, so I like to think we're actually learning about some things we might not have known about before.
Oolong Dead is a Tea Shop Mystery. Our heroine is Theodosia, she owns her own tea shop, has a wonderful chef for her kitchen, a magnificent tea master to help her plan lots of tea parties.
Oh, and yes, she just does have to do some sleuthing on the side. In this book the old boyfriend returns because it's his sister that Theodosia finds dead. That means she has to juggle the new boyfriend and the old and find the clues to solve the sisters murder, whom by the way, she didn't like very much, and of all things a dream cottage comes on the market to tempt her to try and figure out how she might be able to afford to live there.
You can't go wrong with a good Laura Childs book and my goodness with 3 different series going on you will find something you like, I'm sure.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Murder Past Due by: Miranda James

Murder Past Due is the first in a new series. It was nice to have gentleman for the main character for a change. For the last few years we've had a lot of very plucky female main characters in the fore front. Ms. James has chosen Charlie Harris and his rescued cat Diesel for the heroes of her new series.
Charlie is an ex-librarian and part time archivist at the local college, lives in the house he inherited from his Aunt and like her he rents out rooms to college students.
Working through his grief of the deaths of his wife and aunt, Charlie and Diesel are settling in to a new school year with a new tenant and one who's off on sabbatical. It just so happens that he knew the mother of his new tenant in his youth and when a famous writer turns up at the college who just so happens was a not so pleasant acquaintance from that time. Charlie gets caught up in events that he hadn't bargained for. Even his housekeeper asks him to help her daughter who is on the police force and happens to catch the murder case.
Yes, this is a murder mystery. I thought I was following the clues pretty good, but as I neared the end I was surprised. I'm looking forward to the next in this series, it was a good read.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

Black Ship by: Carola Dunn

If you're not familiar with the Daisy Dalrymple Mystery series you have missed a fun series. We've been following Daisy from the beginning as a young lady with a title all the way to wife of a police detective and mother of twins.
In this story they have inherited a house from her husband's side of the family and as Daisy is deciding whether to take advantage of the inheritance a new adventure begins. This adventure is full of interesting neighbors, friends, servants and people from across the pond, as they say in England. You may be like me and have to read to the very end to deduce the whole mystery, quite a page turner.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Windup Girl by: Paolo Bacigalupi

The Windup Girl has won and been nominated for several awards. The author has come up with a good premise for a futuristic story. Some of the things he writes about are starting to happen today. Food manipulation, robots to take the place of workers, world political corruption.
It was a pretty good read, a little slow in the middle, but a rousing end. He left the ending open just enough that he can write a sequel.
For me it was a one time read, but every once in awhile it's fun to see what another persons view of the future is.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Mute Witness by: Charles O'Brien

Mute Witness is Charles O'Brien's first historical mystery and well worth the read. Set in 1785-86 France, he has come up with viable characters and very believable situations and scenery. We have another strong heroine with strong supporting friends to help her discover the ends and outs of  the strange death of her father.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I have discovered that there are about 8 or 9 all together.
Mr. O'Brien won a couple of awards for this first novel, so if he can continue to write the next ones at the same good pace and continuity of the story we will all be able to escape to France for some interesting adventures.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Monday, October 4, 2010

A Poisoned Season by: Tasha Alexander

I've found another heroine that I'm going to add to my favorites list. Lady Emily Ashton. The setting for this book is Victorian England just in time for the Season. Anybody who was Anybody came into London and attended parties, races, balls, luncheons, and looked for husbands for their daughters. My, my what a time in history. Proper etiquette to be followed, while behind the scenes marriages were being brokered that would make or break history.
This Season would be no different. Lady Ashton has to scramble to save her reputation, plus try to solve the mystery of some murders that she feels she caused. By the end of the story Lady Ashton and her friends have put everything to rights and you find yourself wishing you could pick up the next book and carry on with the story.
I hope I can find the rest of the books in this series and continue on. Tasha Alexander is a excellent period author, you feel as if you are there.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Ghost a' la Mode by: Sue Ann Jaffarian

This is a series debut. Our heroine Emma finds herself newly divorced and also that she has some hidden talents she wasn't aware of. She meets and helps her great-great-great-grandmother solve a 100 year old mystery. She also, finds some new confidence in herself and even a little bit of a budding romance.
If you like a good cozy mystery, you'll find this new series a pleasing addition to your reading list. I'm looking forward to the next book, which I think is coming out in early 2011.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

The Necromancer by: Michael Scott

I have been reading the series The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. This is the fourth book in the series.
If you are a fan of old time fairy tales you'll love this series. It is filled with adventure, magic, mythology, and just good old good versus evil.
Josh and Sophie are the children that Nicholas and his wife Perenelle have been searching for through the ages. The story unfolds as they try to teach Josh and Sophie there places in time and how to make the right choices.
Michael Scott has written a fun series with some lessons we could all learn about making right choices between good and evil.
His descriptions of the monsters he has chosen for these stories takes me back to reading with a flashlight under the covers and scaring myself silly when I was much younger.
Pick these up for a good fantasy read.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

The Physician's Tale by: Ann Benson

A friend loaned me this book because she's knows I like some science fiction and futuristic books. I liked this book as much for the story as for the way Ms. Benson handled the juggling of two stories simultaneously. After I read this book and discussed it with my friend, she said some people did not like jumping back and forth between the past and the future. As an avid history buff, I am familiar with stories about the plague during the age of the Black Death when a good portion of the population was wiped out. This story brings 2 physicians from past and future together in an intriguing scenario that in this age of technology you could see where something like this could almost be possible.
I found this to be an interesting and intriguing read and even though there are three books ahead of this one it was a good stand alone read if you haven't read the other ones first.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

Diana Spaulding Mystery Series by: Kathy Lynn Emerson

I've got a few reviews to make today, before I get back to card making. I'm going to have to find a new routine to get my book posts made more regular. I read every night, so I guess as soon as I finish a book I need to jump on the computer and post, but for some reason I like to savor my reads for awhile before I post a review. I'll get a routine worked out somewhere along the way.
Today I'm starting with the Diana Spaulding Mystery Series as you can see by the title of the post. I first came to know Kathy Lynn Emerson as the author of a series that each title starts with Face Down. It's set in the 1600's, and sly Kathy has hinted in the Diana Spaulding stories about a connection between the heroines.
There are four books in this series:
Deadlier than the Pen
Fatal as a Fallen Woman
No Mortal Reason
Lethal Legend
Unfortunately, the publisher Pemberley Press did not choose to publish any more after these four. However, don't let this deter you from reading this series. Diana Spaulding is another plucky herione.
If you like period fiction you'll like these books. The setting is 1888 New York and surrounding areas. Diana is a widow supporting herself, estranged from her family, working as a reporter for a newspaper, kind of like the gossip papers of today. Right off in the first few pages of the book, she has to interview a mysterious man who does horror readings. I was hooked. The two are attracted to one another and the books go on to take you through their evolving relationship, Diana's penchant for getting herself embroiled in mysteries and the way their two families play into the stories is priceless.
Four good books to immerse yourself  in the 1880's of adventure, murder, mayhem, and a little love.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥