Friday, June 27, 2014

Friday Linkups: Home for the Homicide














It's Friday which means I'm linking up with Coffee Addicted Writer for the book blogger hop, Rose City Reader for Book Beginning and Freda's Voice for the Friday 56.

First up the question:
Do you follow a lot of blogs that but rarely read them or follow a few you read regularly?

Answer:
Can I say both?  I follow a lot of blogs on bloglovin' and I do try to read them all though time does get in the way.  There are a few that I automatically go to because I know my reading taste is similar but for the rest I'll go down the list on my feed and read any that interest me.  I wish I could read more blogs because there's so many interesting books, bookish stuff and people out there.

This week's book is the newest in the Do It Yourself Mystery series by Jennie Bentley - Home for the Homicide.  This is a fun cozy series which features textile designer turned house flipper Avery Baker and her carpenter turned boyfriend turned husband Derek.  I've really enjoyed this series.  It's not a flawless cozy but I love the restoration aspect of it and the characters are just nice.

Book Beginnings: 
"The Christ Child is gone!" Kate announced dramatically as she flung her coat over the back of a chair.
I looked up from where I was bent over a particularly stubborn piece of interior design software on the laptop.  "Excuse me?"

Friday 56:
I'm cheating a little on this one because page 56 happens when they're exploring a house and while it's interesting in context I couldn't find an excerpt that was interesting on it's own. So from page 59 (flip the 9 over and you have a 6.  Basically the same thing right?")

"I put the lid aside and grabbed my cell phone.  Got up on my knees to shine the light into the crate.  And screamed."

So what do you think?  Interested?  Also how many blogs do you follow and of those how many do you actively read?

41 comments:

  1. Does this one take place during a holiday? I'm thinking of the Christ child being mentioned. It seems like a good cozy. Have fun reading it.

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    1. Good guess! It's the Christ Child from a manger scene. So far I'm really enjoying this one!

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  2. Thanks for sharing this new-to-me series. I'm a huge cozy mystery fan and always on the look out for new stories. I follow quite a few blogs and have a similar strategy to yours--I faithfully read those that have become my favorites and try to give all as much attention as time permits.

    My Friday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/06/friday-focus-friday-56-book-beginnings_27.html

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    1. This is a fun series! If you like cozies it's definitely one to try. I really wish I could read all the blogs I follow every day but sometimes life does get in the way a bit!

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  3. I have still yet to read a cozy mystery but they always sound so appealing. I also love the cover art on this one. Great beginning to this one! I follow a lot of blogs but unfortunately don't have as much time as I would like to keep up with them all. I think time is something that we all struggle with- how to fit everything into a day without feeling overwhelmed. Have a great weekend!
    Happy Reading,
    Rebecca

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    1. I love cozies though I do have to mix other genres in. Unfortunately there are some really awful ones mixed in so it can be hard to pick one. It's definitely a struggle. I try to read everything I can but unfortunately I still need to sleep periodically!

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  4. Oh, you had me at interior designs and house flipping...and a good cozy mystery with those ingredients is going on my list. Thanks for sharing.

    Here's mine: “ MR. CHURCHILL’S SECRETARY”

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    1. I think that's what got me originally with this series. I can't resist anything involving house flipping or restoring or anything like that!

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  5. Sounds like an interesting novel. Worth checking out!

    Here is my POST.

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  6. Sounds like a fun book, especially with "home renovation and design tips included." Good opening that would keep me reading, plus I'm wondering what caused the scream on Page 59.
    Here's the link to my Friday post: INTERIOR DESIGNS.

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    1. I haven't gotten to page 59 yet so I'm still dying to know! It's a fun series!

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  7. Too many. :( After seven years of blogging I've made a lot of dear blogging friends (Lisa!) but there are so many more blogs now than there used to be. Lately I've been really struggling with reading ANY blogs because of time constraints. I'm sure you know how that goes. I do try to keep up but I think that's why I'm on twitter so often--still feels like I'm connected even when I can't get around to the blogs.

    Can you believe I've never read a cozy mystery?! I know!

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    1. You've never read a cozy?? I'm so disappointed! There are some really awful ones out there so I think that sometimes gives the good ones a bad name.
      I have a hard time commenting on my phone so I prefer to actually be at a computer to read blogs and it's hard to find the time to sit for that long. Twitter is much easier to do on my phone.

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  8. Yep, I'm interested, I'd really like to know why she screamed. I'm going to see if my library has the first one in the series in the system.
    -Kimberly @ Turning the Pages

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    1. I really enjoyed the first one in the series. It isn't flawless but it hits enough of my buttons (history, home restoring) that I always enjoy these books.

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  9. I've heard a lot of people recommending Bloglovin, will have to spend more time on there. I do struggle to try and check out all blogs but when I do have a quiet day that's when I like to check out as many blogs as I can.

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    1. I like the layout of bloglovin' and to me it makes it a little easier to sort through the posts I want to read and mark read the posts that don't grab me.

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  10. I visit my regular blogs and find a lot of good posts on Bloglovin' and stop by when I see one I like.

    Happy Hopping!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Blog Hop Answer

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    1. That sounds like what I do. I just wish I had more time to visit more! I always feel like I'm missing out on something interesting!

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  11. I've had this one on my TBR for a long time. I love the 56!

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  12. Well, now I have to read the book to see why she screamed. I am a naturally curious person, so I need to know.
    I try my best to keep up with the blogs that I follow, but it can be overwhelming. There are so many amazing blogs out there and I feel like I need to read them all.
    Great post!

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    1. Definitely hard to keep up with everyone! I really like this series. It's got history, home renovation and dead bodies so what's not to love!

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  13. I'm definitely intrigued by the 56... 59... lol...

    Happy weekend!

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    1. I haven't gotten to that page yet in regular reading and I'm really curious to see what all the fuss is about!

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  14. As soon as I read "and screamed," my imagination took off with some intriguing visuals. Nice cover art and great #59 snippet! :-)

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    1. I really love this series so I'm looking forward to finding out what caused that scream! Not quite there yet in regular reading!

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  15. Oh, you are straight up teasing us! Great sneak peak and happy reading.

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    1. LOL! Yeah I guess I am! I haven't gotten to that point yet and won't let myself read the next page until I get there so I'm teasing myself as well!

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  16. This sounds like a fun cozy series! I follow quite a few blogs and do read them. I follow some more closely than others. Love the title of your blog!
    :)

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  17. Sounds like a great cozy! Super teaser. :)

    Here is my Bookish Memes post.

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    1. I really enjoy the series and when I saw that line on pg 59 I couldn't pass it up!

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  18. The opening is an attention grabber. :D I'm not familiar with this series, I might see if my library has it.

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    1. I really enjoy this series. It's not flawless but it has enough positive for me that I always enjoy reading it.

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  19. I'll bet there is a dead body in that crate.

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    1. That's a distinct possibility! I haven't gotten there in my reading yet but I should have the review up on Thursday so I'll let you know then!

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  20. It's a really fun cozy series! Not flawless but I always enjoy the books!

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  21. It has been forever since I have read a good cozy, I need to weave some into my reading :)

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  22. I was thinking the other day there are a couple of do it yourself projects I'd like to try . . . Not that it relate to reading blogs or the particular book you are reading (although the book reminded me of it).

    I cut way back on the amount of blogs I follow a couple years ago, although the number is probably still high. I try to read every post (although it's not always in a timely manner), but there are times when I just can't and so I'll skim titles of posts for topics/books that interest me. I read more posts than I comment on (I don't mind reading blog posts on my phone--but to comment, forget it!).

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